Celestia sat on the other side of the cell door that Chitin was imprisoned within, staring within at the changeling queen, watching her.
“What am I to do with you, Chitin?” Celestia asked, shaking her head slowly.
“I... I do not know,” Chitin admitted, hesitation, lifting a hoof to tuck a strand of her green mane behind her ear, to keep it out of her eyes. “I only ask that you do not unduly harm my changelings for my actions.”
“Tell me why you turned yourself in,” Celestia stated, lifting a hoof in punctuation.
“I... I dedicated my entire life to the time bridge,” Chitin said, looking away and shaking her head sadly. “I didn’t... I never just thought of the possibility that Chrysalis was happy where she was. I knew she was brainwashed, and that if I could go back and fix it, everything would be fine.”
“But that is not the case,” Celestia stated.
“Correct,” Chitin admitted, sighing and hanging her head. “I never bothered myself with the consequences of my actions because I didn’t think that they would have any bearing on anything... If I went back and changed things, then none of it would have mattered...”
“Then why did you not just not kill all ponies who opposed you?” Celestia asked bluntly.
Chitin paused at that, and then frowned deeply. “When I ordered my changelings to kill the two ponies and the griffon... I kept telling myself that it wouldn’t matter. That none of this would have happened when I went back. None of this would have existed. Ever.” Chitin shook her head and then sighed, flopping down onto her stomach and burying her nose in her hooves. “But that didn’t stop it from eating away at my mind. I felt terrible. When Scimitar told me that they escaped, I felt... relieved. We are not heartless monsters, Celestia. No matter how much you wish to believe that.”
“If you were beyond redemption, I would have put you all to death immediately,” Celestia said candidly.
Chitin’s eyes widened, and she gave a soft shudder.
“You understand, of course?” Celestia asked, arching a brow. “You are dangerous. You have proven yourself a strong adversary, and given what I know of changelings... if you wished to be out of this cell, there is very little that I, or my guards, could do to stop you. My only leverage is your conscience.”
“Good thing I’m not heartless then,” Chitin said with a weak laugh.
Celestia nodded. “Good indeed. But that still does not answer my question. Why did you turn yourself in?”
“When Chrysalis showed me her feelings... I had to abandon my plan. I couldn’t take that from her. She knew a happiness that my kind will never have. An unthinking happiness. I envy her for that. But... I had already gone too far. You knew we were still here,” Chitin said with a shake of her head. “Running was not an option. You would have hunted us down.”
“You held all the cards,” Celestia stated, waving a hoof. “The elements, the bearers. We had no chance of defeating you in a straight up battle... and yet you surrendered yourself. Why?”
Chitin took a deep breath, and then sighed softly. “I surrendered because Chrysalis convinced me it was the only way for us to continue as a species. If we assumed total control... we would have had to turn you into no more than cattle. We would have to destroy your kind, as a species. We are not a warrior race, Celestia. We are thieves. It was wanting to be in control that scattered us in the first place... I did not intend to repeat Chrysalis’ mistakes...”
Celestia nodded, watching the changeling with narrowed eyes. “There is more you are not telling me.”
“I... I am the queen. I considered it an interim position. I was just... I was waiting for Chrysalis to return. But now that I’m in charge... I’ve already made so many mistakes. I revealed us. And as a species that feeds on love... we require stealth to exist. I’ve ruined that. We have no hope of continuing the old ways,” Chitin said, beginning to pace back and forth in her cell anxiously.
“So... you hope for peace between our two nations?” Celestia asked flatly.
Chitin heaved a sigh, and then shook her head. “I... I don’t know. I know it’s too much to hope for... but I can’t help but want it. I don’t wish to be the last queen of my race. I don’t want to see the end of my race...”
“You’re trying to atone for your mistakes,” Celestia said with a wise nod.
“I... I guess so. Our fate is in your hooves,” Chitin stated, bowing to the princess.
Celestia frowned. “I have half a mind to have you all put to death.”
Chitin shuddered softly, her ears splaying backwards.
“But... I fear I cannot bring myself to give the order, knowing that some of your kind may be genuinely apologetic for your inherent sins.” Celestia rose to her hooves, beginning to pace herself, walking back and forth in front of the cell. “You must promise me something, Chitin.”
“Anything,” Chitin said immediately, bowing her head.
“Look me in the eyes, and tell me that, if you could be cured, you would live life as a normal pony,” Celestia demanded, stopping and staring at the changeling.
Chitin stared up at Celestia for a long moment. “I... I would live life as a normal pony, if it were at all possible,” she said softly.
Celestia slowly shook her head, beginning to pace back and forth again. “You lie.”
Chitin gave a wry smile and then sighed softly. “I had to try...”
“I know,” Celestia replied, shaking her head helplessly. “I would have done the same in your position.”
“What will you do with us? We cannot live for long like this... I could last many weeks with the love that Spike has been giving to me, but my subjects are not so well-off,” Chitin admitted, casting her gaze towards the other cells.
“I have no idea what I could do with your kind... there is no way that our culture could offer yours any kind of sustenance. Not willingly,” Celestia said with a slow shake of her head.
“That is... correct.” Chitin sighed faintly, laying her head on her hooves and closing her eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. “My kind are doomed, aren’t we?”
Celestia frowned deeply at that, scowling and pacing rapidly back and forth. “Give me an alternative!”
“There are certain positions whereby a changeling can survive on passing affection. Caring positions. Babysitting... health workers... teaching...” Chitin suggested.
“I will not turn changelings loose upon foals!” Celestia hissed, scowling deeply.
“Then kill us,” Chitin stated flatly.
“There is still the problem of your rogue changelings. My magic still cannot detect your kind without the hive mind active. And I retain doubts as to whether or not these changelings are really rogue,” Celestia stated, pacing back and forth while staring at the queen.
“I did not order them to do anything,” Chitin stated, shaking her head.
“I cannot trust you,” Celestia said immediately.
“I know...” Chitin said, sighing and trailing off.
“M-My queen?” one of the changelings said from across the hallway, reaching a hoof through the bars. He was disguised as a young unicorn, with a monocle over one eye.
“Why do you interrupt us?” Chitin asked flatly.
“I have an idea... if I may share it?” the changeling offered.
Chitin nodded gently, closing her eyes. After several long seconds, her eyes blinked open, and she stared up at Celestia.
“I... there is a possibility. For changelings to live. And not violate the free will of ponies.”
Celestia tossed her mane. “I doubt this.”
“Your kind... you retain links to your passed loved ones, yes?” Chitin asked delicately.
“If this involves dead bodies, then the answer is surely no,” Celestia stated instantly.
“Hear me out,” Chitin stated, waving her hoof once. Her eyes seemed to glow for several long moments, and she gave a delicate nod. “You lost somepony, someone close to you.”
Celestia snorted and tossed her mane again. “I have lost a great many ponies over the years.”
“This one was different,” Chitin stated knowingly, watching the princess intently. “You still harbour regret over it... I can feel it in the surface of your thoughts when you remember... her.”
The princess waved a hoof firmly. “This conversation is over,” she spat, before turning to walk away.
“What if I could give you the chance to be with her again?” Chitin said quietly. Celestia froze. “What if I could give you a day with her? Let you speak to her again? Let you hold her in your hooves and bask in her presence?”
“I will not be seduced by your trickery,” Celestia growled.
“It is not trickery... How would I be able to leech love from Spike if I did not create a realistic interpretation of Rarity for him to love? He knew I was a changeling. But he could put that thought aside while we were together. For just a little while, he was happy, together with his beloved once more,” Chitin said, keeping her voice low.
“I...” Celestia trailed off, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “This is a trick.”
“It is no trick, Celestia. This is what I offer. This is what my kind offers. We will give to you your beloved ponies, be they lost, or just far away. And all we ask in return is continued existence...” Chitin raised a hoof to rest on the bars of her cell, staring at the princess. “That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
Celestia swallowed audibly, and then closed her eyes again. She grit her teeth for a moment, and then stalked away.
Chitin sighed, hanging her head, and then moving back over to the simple bed she was allotted, splaying herself out on it. She had failed.
The sound of returning hoofbeats jarred Chitin out of her sudden sad trance, and she lifted her head to find Celestia looking back through the bars, a guard standing behind her.
“If you wish for this to work, you will have to convince my guard,” Celestia said, motioning behind herself.
The guard stepped forwards, removing his helmet. Chitin frowned deeply. She knew that pony.
“Hello, Chitin. Your future is in my hooves... so I think you should probably know... your kind killed my parents,” Sentinel said as the cell door was unlocked and slid open.