Chrysalis woke up surprisingly early, a weirdly familiar scent filled the air the scent of love. Just the slightest hint of her primary food source made her drool. She followed it to it's origin their makeshift living room, where she found a few open Letters. A changelings sense of smell never lies, no question these Letters were strongly inflicted with love. For a short while she examined this scent carefully, to make sure there was no love potion on those letters. No, the love smelled to good to be artificial. Her curisoty finally got the better of her, because who else but her would be awoken by smelling love? So she sat down and read the first letter
Dear Grogar,
I hope my letter finds you in good health. I know our last interaction didn't end the best, but i still hope you had time to think about my arguments. Now i simply want to know what you're planning to do with the filly?
Yours truly, harmony
"Who is harmony? Well by that terrible name clearly a pony still. What is that blue goat not telling us?" Chrysalis thougt out loud, as she picked up the second letter.
Dear Grogar,
I am saying this as your friend and adoptive daughter: what you're trying to do is wrong! Manipulative! Dangerous! You can't just experiement on living beings like they were dolls! Please, rethink this!
Yours truly, harmony
"Talk about daddy issues" for the one answer she got, another question popped up. what is he doing? Maybe the third letter will help shed some light.
Dear Grogar,
I've met up with cozy glows parents today. I know, i know you forbid me from trying to contact them, but they need to know, they have the right to know. It was a very pleasant conversation we ate cookies, drank tea they seemed really nice, maybe you could let them pay her a visit? I'm sure we could clear up any misunderstandings.
Yours truly, harmony
The changeling felt angry at how grogar wouldn't tell her about this potential meeting. She lived here so she deserved to know who was coming to pay a visit. There was only one letter left, this time it was grogar who wrote.
Dear harmony,
How often do i need to tell you, what my henchmanns do is my Business alone! Aslong as they live under my roof they will follow my rules! You do not have the authority, so stay in your lane and stop bothering me!
Yours truly, grogar
A appaled gasp escaped her mouth at hearing herself be described as a henchmann, she was a queen for celestias sake! That gasp may have been louder than orignally expected, because it woke cozy up.
"Chrysalis?" The filly came into the room rubbing her eyes and blinking continously. "Golly what are you doing up this early?" The changeling quickly hid the letters away.
"I don't need to justify my behaviour! If i want to wake up early i will do that!"
"Calm down, geez i was just asking a question, anyway what do you think about pancakes for breakfeast?"
"Only if there will be Bugs on them" cozys face changed in disgust.
"You're so gross!" She faked throwing up.
"I will only eat if there are bugs"
"Fine i'm going to make you your disgusting pancake, there's gotta be a few worms somewhere" Knowing how to cook was an unusal skill for a filly to posses, so was knowing how to manipulate ponies to your will and stealing all the magic in the Lands. Still chrysalis questioned how she knew to singlehandley stop her roommates from starving, was there a reason concerning her parents, a reason grogar was aware of?
"Good morning you two, what are we having for breakfeast?" The third trio member seemed to be very awake.
"What has got you in such a good mood?"
"It seems like we won't have to await the coronation i've finally figured out how to use the bell, now i only need to find the right spell and victory is ours!"
"I need to say i am impressed, never thougt an Idiot like you were up for the task" Chrysalis gave him a mischiveious grin.
"You're wrong about a lot of things" He returned the smile.
"Is that so?" She moved closer to his face.
"Of course how else could you have overlooked discord and starlight? From all of us your Intuition is the worst" He also moved closer.
"Says the one who couldn't defeat twilight, eventough having the magic of everypony plus discords" Chrysalis would be lying, if she said picking Fights with Tirek about anything wasn't enjoyable. They could have continued their Argument well into the afternoon, hadn't it been for grogar.
"CHRYSALIS MY ROOM NOW!" The earth underneath was shaking.
"I'm truly sorry to cut this short, but you heard him" the changeling flew annoyed the stairs up into grogars room, of course he got the comfy big bedroom, while they had to look for usable furniture in the swamp water.
"Alright i am here what do you want?"
"Please take a seat" He didn't even look at her
"So why did you summon me so early, when i'm barely awake?"
"You seemed awake enough to read my Private letters" He continued to stare holes in the wall.
"How did you-"
"Thanks to my orb i could see you reading a few Private letters between me and... an old friend" Chrysalis was a little nervous, what else did he see? Does he know of their betrayal? He would've done something if that was the case, right? Why was he so hesistant when talking of harmony? Still she kept her brave face, some old goat wasn't going to scare the Queen of the changelings!
"I admit i was a little curious, so?" Grogar stood up and walked towards the wall he had been staring at, looking angry? upset? resentful?
"In some of those letters harmony mentioned the parents of the little filly cozy glow, who i just so happen too know a little about"
"Yes, i recall harmony wanted to plan a reunion for the family" grogar clenched his teeth.
"She was always so naive-" the groundbeaneath his hooves started to shake. Eyery Single survival instincts inside of chrysalis screamed at her to get out, but her mind kept her calm. This pony seemed to be the only one able to get the ramps blood to boil, maybe she finally uncovered a weak point? Grogar took a lot of deep breaths, before ressuming in his usual calm and cold voice.
"Tell me what is your honest opinion about cozy?"
"She's annoying beyond compare, yet she is very good at controlling ponies to do her biding and her knowlege about modern Equestria has proven to be useful"
"So you see her as a tool to reach your ultimate goal?"
"Basically, yes" He finally looked at chrysalis, his eyes closely watching her mannerisms, was he trying to see if she was lying?
"And lord Tirek?"
"Pah that moron only cares for his muscles and reaching his former size, altough i must admit he is able to be pretty intelectual if he wants to"
"Hmm i see" grogar now faced chrysalis directly. "I called you here, because of this visit harmony wants to happen. Chrysalis i want you to stop cozys parents from ever seeing their daughter again by any means necessary. Kill them if you must. Oh and be disscret cozy can't know about the letters or our plan."
"What? Why should i do that? Like i already said i couldn't care less what happens to cozy, so why should i get involved with her family? if she wants to see her parents then let her, aslong as they go somewhere else she can do as she pleases!"
"Either you take care of her parents or i will!" Chrysalis was evil, but killing a fillys parents was below her, however she could tell that grogar would gladly steep to that Level. Maybe she could just suck out their love and lock them into a cacoon, no killing required.
"Fine i will do it can i go eat now my pancake must be cold already!"
"Yes you are dissmissed, just do it before tomorrow morning or i will" without another exchange the changeling flew out of the room almost into cozy, who was busy decorating a few pancakes with bugs.
"Oh golly there you are just in time!"
"How long did it take for you to make some pancakes?"
"Well it would've been sooner, but somecreature wanted to eat bugs, so i had to find a few first"
"Ugh just let me eat i don't have the energy right now!" Exhausted chrysalis plumped into her chair drawing Tireks attention.
"You look awful. Didn't have a great conversation? Did he finally adress your spitting Problems?"
"Just leave me alone" the centaur raised his eyebrow.
"You look more terrible than usual. Are you hiding something from us?"
"Are you accusing me of lying?"
"If you won't tell me what happened i have to think of my own explanations" Technically he was right she was hiding something, but could she really trust him with the information of her needing to get rid of cozys parents? Tirek was certantly more collected than her, yet he and the filly were very close.
"I know what will cheer you up chrysalis, pancakes!" The up building tension dissapeared the Moment cozy flew in wearing an adorable cook hat.
"Where in Equestria did you get that from?"
"Found it in the swamp water, anyway here your food"
Tirek rubbed his belly "took you long eno- what is this?" On his pancake there was laid out with chocolate a picture of him absorbing twilights magic, at least it looked like that if you like close one eye and squint really hard with the other.
"You finally sucking up twilights magic! As a thank you for reading me a goodnight Story! Do you not like it?" Eventough the end product looked terrible, Tirek could feel the effort that went into it and was, dare i say, touched by the gesture.
"thank you" these words managed to Sound both forced and genuine at the same time.
"I knew you would, i also made one for chrysalis! How d- chrysalis?" The changeling stared blankly at her pancake, on which the filly laid out her sitting on a Throne with starlight bowing down to her. Sure, it looked absolutely horrendous, but there was clearly a lot of effort put into it. Finding all those different bugs must have taken hours and all for one Single pancake. She constantly reminded herself of her Mission, she needed to find cozys parents to keep them from seeing their daughter, before grogar did something despicable and she couldn't even tell her what was going on.
Chrysalis did many bad things in her life ponynapping, decieving, lying, trying to take over, trying to kill Ponys, trying to get rid of the tree of harmony never during any point did she feel remorse for what she did. However right in this very moment chrysalis experienced guilt for the very first time and she didn't like it one bit.
"It is lovely..." in her mind she searched how to bring up cozys old home, the faster it was done the better. "Cozy you remember our Deal, right?"
"Yep, i guess you wanna know what happened finallly so-"
"How about you tell me about your life before the school of friendship with your parents instead" Tirek, who was struggling to eat without completely ruining the fillys hard work, turned towards his teammates gaining a sudden interest in the conversation.
"Now that you bring it up i also don't know much about your personal life cozy. In our letters we only discussed the school and your plans" the filly silently stared down, than she started to slowly talk almost mumbeling, her Tone indicating emberrasment.
"My parents are... royal guards. They worked a lot, especially dad often gladly took on nightshifts. I learned to care for myself pretty early on because of that. I could have weeks pass without seeing them, at some point the only reminder that they were alive were a few Letters they would write me. These Letters evolved from a detailed description of their week to just saying that they miss me. It's also not hard to see why they were away so much, they absolutely hated our house in saddleburg. Mom constantly complained about the Walls and tables not looking right, dad never liked the small bedrooms, but i always felt like what they hated most was... me.
They might have never said anything and they were never cruel to me. Both my parents taught me what parents should teach their children how to cook, fly, clean, manners, what's right and what's wrong, mom read me bedtime storys, dad admitted me into the friendship school, however i could always feel that they weren't doing those things because they loved me, they were doing all this because it was their duty. I was a burden for them, a unsolvable Problem. My suspicions were proven correct when they didn't send a letter one monday, concerned i asked another royal guard that was when i found out they had retired yesterday, without telling me anything. Just a few days later i was send to tartarus. Since then i didn't hear of my parents again"
Chrysalis held herself back from openely sighing in relief, her guilt was completely gone when cozys parents were so terrible anyway, hurting them wasn't going to hurt cozy. Tirek however was awkwatdly sitting there, he knew how the little girl felt, it reminded him how his own father, who made him feel like a Problem. "I understand know why you haven't mentioned them before... how about we just continue to eat"
"That would be for the best right now" the rest of breakfeast was spend in utter silence. Cozy was pressing down a few feelings, Tirek was trying to concentrate and chrysalis hatched a plan to succesfully capture two former royal guards.