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Chapter 19 - The plan and the princess of the night.
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Chrysalis was deeply asleep when she felt someone knocking on the bars of her cell, she had not noticed but it was already lunch time and who had woken her up was the guard who was bringing her ration consisting of a large plate full of fruits, the queen got up and stretched her body before receiving her food and sitting on her bed to eat, she had not been able to sleep well in days.
After eating she handed the plate to the guard and thanked him for the food before doing some exercise to keep fit, a very bad idea on her part since in less than a minute she felt nauseous and had to sit down to avoid throwing up.
As she was tidying up her new bed she heard the wooden door open along with a pair of footsteps approaching, it was Cheerilee along with a chestnut-colored mare wearing glasses and a black suit, it took Chrysalis a couple of seconds to guess who it was.
"Red Bug?" The monarch asked with intrigue.
"The same, how do you feel?." Answered the pony.
"Enjoying my vacation, but what are you doing here?."
"I was visiting my new boyfriend in Ponyville when I met Cheerilee who was on her way to Canterlot, we had a little chat and got advice from a lawyer about your case and we think we have a solution." The changeling answered.
"And what that would be."
"It turns out that the only charges against you are about ancient crimes, but that's not the important part."
"Then what is?"
"The only ones who brought the charges against you were the princesses, and if we convince them to drop the charges against you..." Cheerilee said.
"Then they would have no reason to keep me in this place and I could get out of here." Finished completing the queen.
"Exactly, we just have to find a way to convince each of the princesses to agree to drop the charges and you will be free as a bird, and in Ponyville we can calmly see Clear Spark's motherhood, I know Petal Dance won't mind giving you custody of her son." Replied Cheerilee
"That's a good plan, but how can we do that?" Reg Bug asked.
"I think the best way to do it is to convince the princesses one by one starting with the easiest until we end up with Celestia, she hates me and I know we can't convince her without first having the support of the other princesses." Chrysalis answered.
"And do you think we will be able to convince them all?, after all, you don't have the best track record under your wings and we can all see that Princess Celestia hates you, Princess Luna is a little more reasonable but we can't forget that you tried to impersonate Cadance on her wedding day and tried to marry her sexy boyfriend who happens to be Twilight's brother, I don't know how we will be able to convince those two."
"I can go to the crystal empire to talk to Cadance and try to convince her, plus I know Clear Spark will like the trip, but I'm going to have to pick up a few things at your place, one scroll in particular."
Chrysalis nodded knowing which scroll she was referring to exactly, she didn't want to do it but she knew it was necessary if she wanted to have a real chance.
"Then next time I visit Ponyville and with Cheerilee's help I can talk to Twilight and between the two of us we can convince her."
"Sounds like a good plan to me, but how will we be able to convince Princess Luna?" Cheerilee asked.
"Last night Luna came to visit me and we talked for a moment, she deduced almost everything and she knows I have no bad intentions, eventually everything will come out and I know she will give me her support if I tell her the whole truth and make her understand that I am now looking for a quiet life and a good future for my little one."
"Then I wish you luck and we will come to see you in a week to tell her how it went."
"Thank you girls I hope you have good luck."
Chrysalis hugged her two friends and watched them leave the dungeon, then she called one of the guards and told him that she wanted to talk to Luna when possible, two days later she got the answer that the princess would see her that same night.
The queen was expectant knowing that at any moment Princess Luna would come to talk to her, but she knew what she had to do and that was to tell Luna the truth to win her favor and drop the charges against her, while waiting in her bed she heard footsteps approaching and got up to realize that Luna had arrived.
"I was told that you wish to talk to me, I didn't expect something like this coming from you and curiosity ended up bringing me to know what you want to talk about."
"I have something important to talk to you about but tell me first how is your investigation going, did you find out anything else about my not-so-diabolical plan?".
"Not much, just false leads and rumors."
"Then I guess I can tell you my side of the story so far, so you'll fill in the gaps in your theory and understand all the things along with knowing why I did all this."
"And why would you do something like that, what do you get out of telling me your story."
"I know you will find out everything sooner or later and I prefer to tell you everything from my point of view, besides I need to ask you a favor."
Luna stared at the queen carefully for long seconds before sitting back on her haunches and nodding her head.
"I'll start at the beginning." Chrysalis also sat back on her haunches and cleared her throat. "After the failed attack on Canterlot, I escaped and landed softly in the forest, I was tired, hungry, and angry, but I was lucky enough to find..."
Chrysalis told the whole story until she was imprisoned, she told when she found Clear Spark in the forest and the time she spent with him, Petal Dance's reaction to seeing her son, how it affected her, and how she tried to fill the emptiness in her heart, how that little foal had changed her life, the changes she had made in the hives, why she returned to Canterlot and why she took Clear Spark with her, when she came to Ponyville and met Cheerilee, also the wonderful life they had had together.
She told her how nervous she felt the first days and how as time went by she felt accepted and how everyone gave her their support without knowing who she was, about the conversations with the other girls and the advice they had given her, the parties they had and the fight against the hydra, she told her about the times Cheerilee had helped her and that Clear Spark always asked Cheerilee how she was doing and that Pinkie Pie had sent her an apple pie for her birthday.
Luna listened carefully to every word of the queen only asking sometimes to clear some doubt, the princess had discovered many things that the queen confessed to her but the story seemed incredible anyway, she didn't think that someone could change so much in such a short time by finding someone she wanted to protect.
"And that's my story so far." Finished saying the queen.
"I thank you for telling me and from the way you speak I can tell that you don't have some hidden agenda behind all this."
"I just want a peaceful life and for Clear Spark to have the life her mother didn't want to give him."
"I find it hard to believe that there is a mare so disinterested in the life of a foal, her foal to boot."
"At first I thought I would use him for my benefit but then I formed a bond with him, something that captivated me about his personality that I hadn't felt before, I ended up loving him like a son, and as far as I'm concerned he is my son and I want to protect him."
"It's quite simple why he captivated you and why you formed a bond with him, just like with Cheerilee."
Chrysalis raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"It's because none of them showed you fear, all your life you based your relationships with your subjects or enemies on your ability to generate fear and you still do at times, like when you fought that kare... with that mare in Ponyville, you used your ability to instill fear to get that mare to stop insulting your foal."
"I have always had a knack for causing fear in my enemies and it is something I pride myself on but what does it have to do with Clear Spark or Cheerilee?".
"Your first approach to the colt was to instill fear in him in order to absorb his love but he not being able to see you and not knowing your name had no reason to fear you and in his desperation, he asked for your help without thinking, you helped him intending to use him but his innocence made you lower your defenses and open your heart forming a bond with him, being the queen of the hives and having hundreds of little changelings between your paws you developed a very strong maternal side, equal or perhaps superior to Cadance's, and seeing a mother so selfless for her own child broke your heart and traumatized your mind, Clear Spark doesn't know it but you have been the only mother he has had. "
"And why do you think I formed a friendship with Cheerilee?"."
"You also tried to scare her but that mare has been a teacher for years and so your heart took control of your actions and you openly asked her for help but not for you, for Clear Spark, you sought help through Cheerilee's sensitive side as you are doing now with me."
"You knew before why I wanted to talk to you?".
"I know you need something from me, but I don't know what it is."
"I want to live a quiet life with Clear Spark in Ponyville, I'm going to ask for legal custody over him and I know Petal Dance won't object, she was never interested in the little foal and it won't take any work to convince her but first I need to get out of prison and for that, I need the four ponies who filed the charges against me to drop them, and you're one of them."
Luna looked at the honesty and determination on the queen's face as she made her request but she had already made up her mind.
"I will not drop the charges against you."
The answer surprised the queen, she had expected Luna to give her support and she was sure that by telling her the truth she would give it without hesitation.
"But why not, you know why I did it and that I don't intend to perform crimes or foalnap ponies again in the future, I just want to give Clear Spark the life he deserves along with our friends in Ponyville, why do you say you won't?".
"I find it admirable that you will change your lifestyle along with that of the changelings for a better one for everyone and that you care about the colt and consider him your son, but you have committed terrible crimes in the past for which you must be punished, don't think that I am vindictive or that I don't want you to be with the little colt because I would love for all this to have a happy ending for everypony, but I will not intervene on the laws to give you privileges and forget the past, you destroyed many families in the past and justice will be done on their behalf."
"And what about you, are there no crimes you should pay for?"
"If there are any crimes for which I must pay I will face the consequences in due time, remember that a thousand years ago I was locked up on the moon when I tried to dethrone my sister because of the envy I felt, I'm sorry but I'm not going to let you out thanks to a simple apology."
"Then I'm going to be locked up forever."
"I appreciate you telling me your story and why you did it, you have my blessing and my support but justice must be served to all equally and I assure you that you will soon see a negligent mare in one of these cells." Luna withdrew without another word.
Chrysalis watched her hopes retreat through the wooden dungeon door never imagining that that very day Cheerilee along with Clear Spark would meet Cadance and an adorable little Flurry Heart.