Waking up unusually to her, Chrysalis rolled off her bed making as few noises as possible. The sun shone bright behind the window, and it blinded her nocturnally-adapted vision. Her tired body and mind were fighting against this whole plan, forcing her to go back to bed and sleep this all over, forgetting about her plan, duty and her love, but her heart was pushing on.
Quickly opening a window, she jumped out from the mobile base and plunged towards the bright green ground covered in colourful flowers. Seconds before her nose met the grass, her horn blinked and she appeared a few metres away, perfectly fine and slightly crouched to look less noticeable. Not like it helped her much, but it made her feel more stealthy.
Slowly moving, she crossed the field and approached the cave. The cave that led straight to the Canterlot palace. Usually it was more protected with a few guards and some powerful spells, but it seemed that the war and the siege made Celestia less attentive.
Quickly rolling into the cave, Chrysalis lit up her horn. The surrounding wet stone glistened as she passed it. Sounds of rocks hitting rocks and muffled roars were coming from somewhere deep, but she wasn’t scared by them.
Soon, she found the source of those sounds. A giant bear whose fur was decorated by all sorts of stars, constellations, planets and just celestial bodies. It was looking laying on the ground, uncomfortably scratching its neck from time-to-time.
“So I guess she did take care of this entrance…” she whispered under her breath.
At first Chrysalis wanted to pass it by, not make herself noticed, but then she heard rustling. She turned to the Ursa and saw a big chain going from its neck to the cave’s wall.
She took a step towards the bear, but accidentally, she pushed a rock that fell down and made some noise. The bear’s head rose up and rushed into Chrysalis’ direction with an angry and loud roaring.
The bear quickly stood up and launched into her direction.
Chrysalis squinted, her body didn’t move for an inch as her mind was submerged into fear. Death almost knocked into her door, but instead, fate opened the door.
The bear stopped a few inches from the queen, sitting down on the cold wet ground, restricted by the chain around its neck. Like a little dog, Ursa panted a few times, letting its tongue out and afterwards licked Chrysalis a few times.
Shocked by such an outcome, Chrysalis was stunned. Her mind trying to find an answer and her body trying to stop laughing while the barbed tongue of the beast was tickling her chitin. The slight disgust of the saliva she was covering now disappeared the exact moment when she saw the bear scratching its neck.
“Oh you poor thing,” Chrysalis said with something beautiful filling her voice, “Did Celestia do it to you?!” she spewed out, shocked by such possibility.
The bear growled at the latter.
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her about it. Now, let’s get this chain off!”
A few quick magical flicks and quick movements of her horn and the bear was free, chain and a collar laying on the ground a few metres away.
Seconds later, the bear ran away, happier than ever before.
Chrysalis shrugged it off and continued moving, all covered in Ursa’s saliva.
She passed the barrier with a bit of her magic and found herself on the other side, right in front of the palace. It wasn’t as big as she remembered, but it still was beautiful. The golden patterned roofs decorating the marble walls. Purple basalt clippings crossing the marble and emphasising the contrast of the whole building. And big Equestrian flags proudly hanging in the wind and telling Canterlot’s citizens that everything will be alright.
Chrysalis snuck into the building unnoticed via a small window on the second floor. She was in the hall, one of many in this castle. Chrysalis found it really uncomfortable and creepy that all halls were decorated with as much stuff as possible. Different plants hanging from all walls, armour standing still, watching her every move. Smell of lavender coming from the ceiling and giant columns receding from the walls. And those big red carpets with golden strings along its perimeter.
All of that was a nightmare for her. Too much detail and too little space to hide into. She was afraid of taking a guard’s disguise as her voice and her poor knowledge of this place would give her away, but taking the disguise of the princess was even worse.
So Chrysalis had to simply go along the corridor, hoping and praying that no one would see her.
But what was her plan? That question she asked herself a few times already. It was simply to find Celestia and hope that everything will work out, but what if all of that was just a cruel joke. But the thought of all of it being true calmed her down, weaked her emotions and made her happier.
Plus, even if it was a joke, she had the power to deal with the jokester.
She walked among those corridors, searching for her, and she finally found a clue — the throne room. Weirdly, like corridors like that room, it was empty and dark. No guards. No servants. Windows closed with some kind of fabric and pure silence all around the place.
Barely seeing anything, Chrysalis finally gave in and screamed, “Hello?!” It echoed all around the room a few times, making her cringe from her decision so stupidly to give away her position.
But seconds later her mistake gave fruit. A voice so familiar, yet so foreign, echoing in Chrysalis’ mind. It was so sweet and so tempting. She wanted more and more of it. “Hello, Chrysalis. Welcome to my home,” it said with equal affectionateness and indifference.
“C-celestia? Where are you?” Chrysalis asked in shock and got only giggles in reply. “What’s so funny?!”
“Nothing!” ‘Celestia’ said with even more laughter. “Celestia! Ehh. It's just… so funny.”
Chrysalis advanced in the darkness, following her instincts. She was trying to follow the voice of Celestia, but she couldn’t, it felt like that voice was coming from everywhere at the same time, but also from nowhere.
“Show yourself!” Chrysalis finally lost her patience. Her fears, anxiety of being rejected intensified.
Sighing, the voice answered, “Don’t worry. I can’t reject you, and you can’t reject me. You’ve got nothing to fear, my dear… Now come and take a look!” With a sudden flash of light, a sun beam came from the roof and hit Celestia’s throne which was covered in a weird fabric.
Chrysalis cautiously approached it, her mind was racing her heart. She threw the fabric away, revealing a big mirror.
“Wha~ What is that? Some kind of a joke?! Where are you?!” Chrysalis screamed again, trying to reach Celestia with her voice. But unfortunately, Celestia was too far away to hear it.
“I’m here,” came from the mirror. In reflections, Chrysalis spoke those words, in reality, her mouth stayed shut.
Chrysalis frowned. “Is that some kind of a joke?!”
Mirror Chrysalis rolled her eyes and in a flash of green magic, she took a disguise of Celestia. “Is this better? I don’t like liars, but if it suits you better I can stay like that.”
Chrysalis took a few steps back. “I. I don’t understand! Where~ Where is Celestia!”
Mirror Chrysalis shrugged. “She never was here. I bet she’s hiding in that bunker under the Canterlot. And I bet she got that devilish spawn of a student with her. But enough about them.”
“H~ How?! Those letters… Who was in charge of Canterlot all this time?! How is it still standing?!”
“We did all of it,” Mirror Chrysalis answered.
Chrysalis sat on the ground, holding her head with her hooves. “We? But. But… But…”
“Shhh. It’s fine! Everything is alright! We’ve got each other now. We’ll figure it all out together!” Mirror Chrysalis said with a cordial voice. A smile appeared on her face.
Chrysalis smiled back at her and approached the mirror. “So everything that happened is because of you?”
Mirror Chrysalis nodded.
Chrysalis came closer to the mirror and embraced it.
She took a few steps back and asked, “So… What’s now?”
“Take that little mirror on Luna’s throne and we’ll figure it out together!”
They both broke into laughter which echoed around the whole castle.