Starlight tapped her hooves on the virtual table; in front of her sat Pinkamena and Chrysi, both with gauges reading 8% above them. Angrily, Starlight tried to maintain a balance in her voice.
“I can’t believe you two. Chrysi, Charging cables empty, no note no notice of where you went. You know better Pinkie! What if you had broken down out there? What if you had gone offline?”
“Mom, I-”
“Don’t you mom me, Chrysi! Young mare, I was worried! What were you thinking?”
For the past thirty minutes, Starlight had lectured them on the dangers of running off without letting her know. As the waitress approached them, she slammed her hoof down.
“Pinkie, do you want me to revoke your freedoms, again? Think about that for a few minutes. I trusted you with my daughter and you do this! I’m disappointed in you. Now, stay silent while I order for us.”
The waitress stood there, glancing apprehensively over at Pinkie as she deftly flipped her knife absent-mindedly. Chrysi tapped her shoulder and whispered.
“Put that away.”
In the blink of an eye, the knife vanished and Pinkie blinked.
“Oh sorry about that.”
“Yes some chili cheese fries loaded with haybacon, that’ll do nicely, oh and…”
Starlight continued ordering as Pinkie stared miserably at the table. She continued staring in silence, along with Chrysi, until a large strawberry milkshake was placed in front of both. Glancing up in surprise, Pinkie was met by the warm smile on Starlight’s face.
“You’ve been railed enough by me, at least for now. So let’s enjoy our lunch, but I will ask you one thing. What did you expect to gain from your little visit to such a forbidden area, girls?”
Chrysi and Pinkie sat in silence for a moment, watching as Starlight, very unprincess-like, shoveled hoof full after hoof full of chili cheese fries into her mouth. She moaned happily, before looking at the plate forlornly.
“So good! Just wish it was real.”
“I wanted to see the difference.”
The words were barely uttered in a murmur; a mumble from Chrysi who just stared at her deluxe hayburger with cheese. Starlight swallowed and looked at her.
“What was that?”
Chrysi’s eyes were haunted, hooded over as she spoke again.
“I wanted to see the difference between this world’s Chrysalis and me, the Smooze of this world, and the Smooze of…mine.”
Pausing to wipe her hooves, Starlight nodded slowly, and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. She glanced at Pinkie; snout deep in a strawberry milkshake, before turning back to Chrysi and saying.
“You never really told me how the Smooze got loose in your world.”
“It was our fault. Twilight’s and mine.”
Placing her hooves on her head in distress Chrysi continued.
“We were so stupid. So stupid. To celebrate our first anniversary we got drunk and decided to be dangerous with our passion and so we ventured down into the depths of Canterlot Castle.”
She gestured with a forehoof at nothing in particular.
“In our world, there were several sealed doors behind which the worst were held forever entombed, but in our drunken stupor we unsealed that door, that stupid door.”
Feeling tears forming in her eyes she whispered.
“The Celestial Princesses were first to arrive but it absorbed their magic…and then them. And with each bit of magic, it grew larger and larger, and we couldn’t stop it, we-”
Starlight’s hug cut off any more words, as she cried into Starlight’s chest fluff.
“That’s enough. It’s okay, shh, shh I’ve got you. Mommy’s got you. There, there, sweetie.”
As Chrysi cried into Starlight’s fluff, the waitress from earlier started back over and began asking the table her usual script.
“How is every-”
She froze in fear as the sharpened edge of an acrid, rust-scented knife pressed against her throat; Pinkie growling at her.
“Shut up, we’re having a moment here, go attend to other tables.”
Beads of sweat trickled down the waitress’s brow as she stammered.
“V-very good ma’am.”
As she ran off to other tables, Starlight raised an eyebrow.
“Bit much wasn’t it? She was only doing her job.”
“Hmph, she will do it from beyond the grave if she disturbs my Chrysi.”
Chuckling, Starlight gently nuzzled Chrysi who was still bawling her eyes out.
“Fair enough. It’s alright Chrysi, let it out. That’s a good girl.”
Throwing herself on the frosting side of the bed, Chrysi sighed. Grounded. Next to her lay the two Pinkies; both looking bored. Grounded for a week. Starlight had grounded the pair to their charging cables for a week. And now they lay in their bed, trying to think of something to do. Closing their eyes, all three fell asleep.
For hours, they lay there resting, when a loud tapping on the door to their room was heard.
*Knock, knock*
Groggily opening her eyes, Chrysi slowly rose and walked over to the door. Sleepily she muttered.
“Who’m ish it?”
“Mom.”
Instantly Chrysi’s eyes cleared up as the gentle voice replied. Nearly throwing open the door, Chrysi was met with the warmly smiling face of Twilight Sparkle. Swiftly, Twilight’s wings flared out and wrapped around Chrysi, giving her a gentle nuzzle.
“Hello, sweetie.”
Giving a low whistle, like one would use to call a dog, Twilight chittered.
“Here, girls!”
Instantly, both Pinkies sprang up and ran over to Twilight, hugging her profusely. She smiled.
“That’s my Pinkies.”
Tickling the chin of both, Twilight grinned.
“So my daughter has chosen you as a partner. How wonderful. Though, mind telling me why the two of you are grounded for a week?”
Sitting on the bed with Pinkie Pie draped over her lap, Twilight sat nodding thoughtfully. She playfully placed a cupcake near Pinkie’s mouth and smiled gently as the party pony snatched it, chewing it happily.
Twilight’s glowing ruby eyes glinted with chaotic energy as she laughed.
“So you snuck into the cave and held a conversation with her, huh? Well, you are my daughter, after all, I’m not all that surprised. The rules matter little to mavericks like us. Though-”
Her eyes narrowed suddenly.
“I suggest you listen closely to what I’m going to tell you.”
Gesturing to herself with her hoof, Twilight’s wings flared wide.
“I will not apologize for what I did. I killed that wretched night mare. And I don’t give a flying feather about the lives it cost. But I already know I am a monster; my power is nearly unrivaled and my words are absolute. Every since I absorbed the darkness within the amulet, what I want I make it openly clear and nothing will prevent me from getting my way.
That Chrysalis, that Smooze, however, is something far worse than myself; innocent. With nothing but innocence and playfulness, it sees the world as a playground and any action it takes is purely part of a game it is eternally playing. It knows nothing of right or wrong, good or evil, and that is what makes it so horrifying. Understand?”
Chrysi swallowed hard. Twilight’s words carried an unusual weight to them, a gnawingly tense gravity, that held grave concern. She nodded.
“Yes, mom.”
Once more Twilight’s wicked eyes shifted to her normally carefree manner.
“Good girl. Oh?”
A loud knocking on the front door caused Twilight to grin as her eyes glinted knowingly.
“Well now-”
Rising to her hooves and folding her wings, Twilight chuckled as she opened the door to reveal the startled faces of Dash, Rarity, and Applejack; the three fumbling words to make an excuse for the keg of cider and cake that said ‘Congrats on your first grounding’.
Pushing through the little crowd, Twilight said softly.
“What? I didn’t see anything. And Chrysi, just remember what I’ve said.”