Twilight woke screaming, burning with emotions her mind didn’t recognize. Fury. Sorrow. The volatile mix of somepony pushed beyond the breaking point with nothing left to lose. Her vision flickered between the real world and her dreams. She could see the blood on her hooves, but couldn’t decide if it was real or not.
And then the memories vanished, leaving her sitting up in bed, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Lying alone in bed. As her faculties clicked back on, she scanned the room. Chrysalis was lying on the floor at the foot of the far wall. Though she had her back turned toward Twilight, she wasn’t sleeping.
“Chrysalis? What . . . what just happened?” Twilight asked, staring down at her body, disturbed by how foreign it felt. “What was that?”
“A mistake,” Chrysalis said, her gaze still lingering on the floor.
“That . . .” Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as the throb in her head started to fade. “That’s an excuse. I want an explanation. What did you do to me?” Her heavy breathing made it sound harsher than she intended.
Before Chrysalis could answer, the sound of a clicking lock caught her attention. She and Twilight turned toward the door at the far end of the bridge. The door burst open with enough force to shake a few pebbles loose from the walls. Shining Armor galloped out from the dark hall beyond.
“Hang on, Twilight. I’m on my way,” He yelled, tucking his head down and charging. He stopped short of slamming into the cell bars and rattled the door. His eyes locked onto his little sister. “Twilight! Thank Celestia you’re . . .” He trailed off as he noticed Twilight sitting on the bed, no worse for wear.
“Shiny?” Twilight rose from the bed and approached her brother. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you scream,” Shining glanced down at Chrysalis. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”
“What?” Twilight also turned toward Chrysalis. “No, she didn’t do anything.”
“Oh.” Shining released his grip on the door. “Then why were you screaming?”
The princess frowned. “I woke up from a nightmare.”
“Did Chrysalis cause it?”
“No, Shiny. And you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
“I came to get you out of here.”
Behind him stood Rarity and Flare, their demeanors calmer. Rarity made it halfway across the bridge before she started speaking. “Shining Armor and I came down here to make sure you were alright. Both of you.”
“Flare?” Shining shook his head. “What were you thinking? If you were going to lock her up, couldn’t you have at least put her in her own cell?”
“Don’t look at me.” Flare shrugged. “It wasn’t my idea. She wanted to be locked in there.”
“What? And you let her talk you into that? Of course she asked that, she’s been brainwashed by Chrysalis.” Shining scowled. “Don’t worry, Twilight, we’ll get you out of there and–”
“Is it really so difficult for you to believe that Twilight might have made that decision of her own free will?” Rarity asked, stepping up alongside Shining Armor. “I mean, it sounds like a plot straight out of a romance novel. Just think about it. Forbidden love softening a villain’s heart? Like The Mare and The Monster.”
“Would the two of you step aside?” Flare asked, shoving her way past Shining and unlocking the cell door.
Shining was the first inside, throwing himself over his sister in a protective hug. “Don’t worry, Twilight. You’re safe now. I’ll take care of this.”
“Shiny–” Twilight started.
“I mean, I can’t imagine what it must have been like, trapped down here with her.”
“Shiny–”
“Well, actually I can. I have been in that situation. Remember?”
“Shiny!” Twilight wriggled out from her brother’s grasp. “That’s enough.”
“Enough of what?” Shining asked, recoiling.
“I am not brainwashed. I chose to be here of my own free will.” Her words made Shining frown. “I’m sorry, Shiny. I’m tired, and I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. I just don’t have the energy to deal with . . . with this.” Twilight twirled her hoof in a circular motion, indicating Chrysalis, Shining, and Twilight herself. “So, please just . . . not right now.”
Shining started to speak, but a sideways glance from Rarity kept him quiet.
“Thank you,” Twilight said, smiling at her brother. He just nodded silently.
“Alright. Well, this isn’t exactly the place for a party,” Flare interjected. “The lot of you should head back topside. That includes you two.” She nodded toward Twilight.
“Two?” Twilight snuck a quick glance at Chrysalis. She hadn’t moved at all over the course of their conversation. “You mean, you’ve finally decided?”
“Yes.” Flare cleared her throat. “It’s clear that Chrysalis is indeed a threat. However, from everything I’ve heard, she’s shown impeccable restraint. That, and I’ve heard that you’ve kept her on a short leash. So, I see no reason to keep her locked up down here.”
“Thank you!” Twilight threw her hooves around Flare’s neck, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Don’t thank me. Your friend over here is the one that convinced me.”
Twilight turned toward Rarity. “You did?”
“Well, of course, Darling,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve known you for years now, Twilight. I trust your judgment. I might not be exactly thrilled about you and Chrysalis, but I can’t deny that you feel something for her. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t support you?” Rarity finished her question with a flip of her mane.
“Alright. Enough standing around. All of you, out,” Flare ordered.
Shining was the first back across the bridge, fuming silently. Rarity and Flare went side-by-side, still silent, but to a less hostile degree. Twilight brought up the rear. She made a few steps out from the cell before she realized Chrysalis wasn’t behind her.
“Chrysalis? What are you doing? We’re leaving.”
“Twilight, we need to talk.” Chrysalis continued to look anywhere but at Twilight.
Twilight turned and made her way back to the cell. She laid her head on Chrysalis’ flank. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I didn’t mean it. I was just a little confused.”
“No.” Chrysalis rested her chin on the floor. “You had every right to be angry. I slipped up. You saw something you weren’t supposed to. I can’t blame you for that.”
“Hey, are you two coming or not? I will lock you in here,” Flare shouted from the doorway. She was spinning the key, turning it into a clock counting down her patience.
“We should go,” Twilight said, standing back up. “Come on. We can go up to my room and talk in private.”
“I don’t think that . . .” Chrysalis sighed. “Fine.” She stood and marched out while keeping her distance from Twilight. The princess frowned, but she followed nonetheless.
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By the time Twilight had closed and locked the bedroom door behind her, Chrysalis had already taken a spot by the fireplace. She was curled up on the rug, staring at the cold ashes piled in the hearth in front of her.
Twilight sat down at the edge of the rug. “I want an explanation.”
“I screwed up,” Chrysalis said.
“What did you screw up? What were you trying to do?”
“I wanted to . . .” The changeling squirmed. “I wanted to Claim you.” She buried her head, cowering, like a dog at their angry master’s feet.
“To . . . claim me?” Twilight hummed. “You mean, like, own me?”
She argued with herself over whether or not she liked that.
“Not . . . exactly.” Chrysalis drew small circles on the floor in front of her. “It’s an old changeling tradition. Back from before I was even born.”
“I see.” Twilight tilted her head. “What kind of tradition?”
“It’s supposed to be . . .” She scoffed. “Romantic isn’t the right word for it, but it’s the closest I can think of.” Chrysalis’ cheeks burned. “It’s meant to be used when a changeling desires a specific mate from outside their hive.”
“You wanted to . . .” Twilight let loose a sigh of relief and a light chuckle.
A mate? A mate! The word made her giddy every time she thought of it.
“And I went and bungled the thing to Tartarus and back,” Chrysalis moped.
Twilight inched closer. She laid down behind Chrysalis and put her head on the changeling’s shoulder. “You know, when ponies like someone, they usually ask them on a date. Like a candlelit dinner.” She shrugged. “Or, at least, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“I guess changelings just like to be more efficient.” She said it like a joke, but Twilight couldn’t find any humor on her face.
Twilight closed her eyes, letting her weight fall onto Chrysalis’ flank. The heavy steps of a passing patrol invaded their silence. Once they were gone, Twilight began again. “The vision I saw . . . was it some sort of dream magic?”
“Close. They were memories.” Chrysalis sighed. “When you opened yourself to me, I linked our minds together. Our experiences. Our memories. We could share all of it. I was so excited to show you one of my happiest memories.” Her lips curled into a soft frown. “But when I saw him again . . . it all came right back.” She squeezed her eye shut. “I couldn’t stop from remembering all of it . . . the horrible things I did.” Her breathing grew labored. Her voice quivered as she strained to keep a hold of herself.
“It’s alright, Chrysalis,” Twilight said. She tried to reassure Chrysalis with a calming touch, but the changeling shivered beneath her.
“It’s not alright!” Chrysalis barked. “Those feelings? All that anger and bitterness? All the things I did that I can never take back? They’re wounds, Twilight. Wounds that, even after all of these years, still hurt.” She took a shaky breath. “And now I’ve put them on you.”
A burning city. Blood. Screams. Everything was a blur in Twilight’s head. But she felt the emotions as clear as day. A burning hatred, unlike anything she had ever felt before, mixed with an emptiness that left her feeling ill. Nothing in her life had ever come close to matching it.
Still, she smiled. “Listen to me, Chrysalis. I’m not upset with you.”
“You should be.”
“But I’m not.” Twilight lifted her head slightly, deepening her voice. “Chrysalis, when I first . . . when I first started to feel this way about you, I made myself a promise.” Her gaze moved from Chrysalis’ face to the empty hearth. “All the horrible things you did to me? I told myself that I could look past them. Because beneath it all, I saw something. And now I know that I’m right.”
“Is that so?” Chrysalis muttered.
“I wanted to help you because I saw pain.” Twilight rose, circled around Chrysalis, and laid back down. From above, they formed mirrored images of each other. “And that pain has followed you constantly, tearing at you like a beast on your heels. You’re terrified that someday you’ll find yourself back there.” She reached out, cupping a hoof against Chrysalis’ cheek. “But you’re not alone anymore. I’m still here. I don’t care what you did. I know that it was awful. Maybe even downright monstrous. But deep down, I know you regret it.”
Chrysalis tried to turn away, but Twilight held her firm.
“Listen to me, Chrysalis. You don’t have to bear this burden alone anymore. I’m here to help you. Don’t feel like you need to hide things from me. I’ve already accepted that you’ve done bad things, but I still care about you. I know, deep down, that you can be gentle and kind. You can be happy.”
“I don’t . . .” Chrysalis sniffled. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Twilight scooted closer, until her and Chrysalis’ muzzles were nearly touching. “I already know that I’m right. I felt what you felt, remember?” The princess smiled, forcing Chrysalis to snicker, even as a tear spilled down her cheek.
“I never thought anypony would accept me. Not after everything I’ve done.”
“How could they? You never gave them a chance. You pushed them all away, afraid that they might get too close. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore. No matter how many times you push me away, I’ll still be here for you. I promise.”
“I . . .” Chrysalis took a deep breath. “Thank you, Twilight.”
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Twilight shifted in Chrysalis’ grasp until she could feel the changeling’s stomach against her back. The warmth of the fresh fire in front of her and the cold touch of chitin behind her mixed into a comfortable temperature.
“So, that whole mind sharing thing. Is that something all changelings can do?”
For a moment, her only answer was silence. She turned her head as far as she could, trying to see Chrysalis’ face. The changeling stopped her by wrapping one of her fore legs around Twilight’s waist.
“Technically, yes. But I doubt any of them actually know how.”
“Is this another of your Changeling Secret Magic Techniques?”
Chrysalis scoffed. “If by that, you mean my mother’s magic? Yes. It was a spell passed down from her.”
“Why don’t you use it more often?” Twilight put her own hoof over Chrysalis’. “I mean, if you did that to Shining, he might finally believe that you’re not as bad as you seem.”
Twilight felt Chrysalis’ chest heave as she laughed.
“Oh, my dear Twilight, I would never in a million years share a mind with your brother.”
“You know, at some point, you two will have to start tolerating one another. At the very least, I need to know that you’re not going to try to kill each other when I turn my back.”
“Personally, I think Shining Armor and I have gotten along swimmingly,” Chrysalis boasted. “But even if we weren’t constantly at each other’s throats, I still wouldn’t do it. You see, Twilight, for a changeling, sharing their thoughts and memories is a very . . . intimate act.”
“Oh. Ohh.”
“Yeah.”
“Actually, I do recall you saying that I’m now your mate?” Twilight felt Chrysalis’ muscles tense.
“About that.” Chrysalis groaned. “I wouldn’t read too much into that. Like I said, it’s an old changeling tradition. In fact, no other changeling in the world has done it. We aren’t usually into the whole romance thing.”
“But I’m still your mate?” Twilight grinned. “What exactly does that entail?”
“It’s just what the ritual was for. It marks you as an honorary part of the hive.”
Twilight chewed her lip. “Tell me about it. The ritual, I mean.”
Chrysalis paused for nearly a minute before beginning. “The ritual has a few steps. First, the couple mark one another.” Twilight felt Chrysalis’ free hoof paw at the scar on her neck. The two marks from her fangs. They were no longer bleeding, but still stung just a little. “It’s a badge of sorts. It marks you as mine.”
“I didn’t mark you, though,” Twilight said.
“Some day, when you’re ready to take me as your mate, you’ll mark me in your own way. Or who knows, perhaps you already have?” Chrysalis clicked her tongue. “Now. Where was I? Right. The second step involves sharing ourselves with our chosen mate. We allow them a glimpse into our minds. It’s an act that a changeling would only allow for one they truly cared about.”
“D’aww,” Twilight cooed. Then a realization struck, causing her to freeze. “Wait, if I saw into your mind, does that mean you saw into mine, too?”
“I did.”
“Oh?” Twilight wanted to believe the burning in her cheeks had something to do with the fire in front of her. “Did you . . . see . . . anything?”
“Quite a bit, actually.” Chrysalis leaned closer, whispering in Twilight’s ear. “And I made sure to get a good, long look. Someday, when I think you’re ready to handle such things, we can try a few of them out. Sound good?” Twilight blushed hard enough to hurt. “In truth, it’s actually kind of nice to see that Equestia’s innocent little princess does have a bit of a naughty side.”
“H-How was I supposed to know you’d see that?” Twilight squeaked.
“There’s no need for concern, Twilight. It was quite touching, actually.” Twilight could practically feel Chrysalis smiling. “In fact, I’d say that it touched all the right places.”
“That’s enough of that!” Twilight yelled, waving her hoof in Chrysalis’ face.
“You’re cute when you're flustered.”
“Then I must be absolutely adorable right now,” Twilight bemoaned. Despite feeling silly and a little bit guilty, another thought came to Twilight. “Were you serious about that promise? That . . . you know . . . someday . . . when we’re ready?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Twilight tilted her head. “I don’t know. I just had never thought about where this relationship might lead.” Twilight paused. “Chrysalis, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Back before you fled to your old hive, you offered me the chance to sleep with you.”
“I recall.”
“Were you serious about it back then?”
“I was.”
“Was? What made you change your mind?”
“Back then, all I was offering was physical pleasure. It wouldn’t have meant anything.” Chrysalis licked her lips. “Twilight, changelings and ponies do share some similarities, but we are still quite different.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you believe in souls, Twilight?”
“Souls?”
“Yes. Some incorporeal piece of yourself. The part of you that makes you who you are.”
“I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Changelings believe in them. In fact, many believe that the soul is all we are. According to my mother’s teaching, we share only a weak link with our bodies. That’s why we’re able to change our form so easily.” She stopped, giving Twilight a moment to consider. “And that’s how I was raised. To me, my body is nothing more than a tool, to be changed when necessary. It’s no different than the saddlebags you put on when you go out in the morning.”
“That’s an odd way of looking at things,” Twilight said. “Then, you don’t like your body?”
“It’s not like that. I quite enjoy my body. I mean, just look at these curves.” Chrysalis ran a hoof down her flank. “But that isn’t who I am. The real me is in my head. My personality. My joys. My pain. Even my preferences when it comes to mates.” She gave Twilight a squeeze. “That’s why sharing our mind is so special. It allows you to connect to the real me. It links our souls.”
“Whoa.” Twilight blinked a few times.
“At least, that’s what I was taught. I don’t have a clue if any of that is true.”
“Food for thought?” Twilight suggested.
“Something like that.” Chrysalis shook her head. “But don’t go blabbing to the rest of the world about all that. We changelings like to keep our trade secrets safe and secure.”
“I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to share that with me.” Twilight leaned back, snuggling her head back against Chrysalis’ neck. She could feel the changeling’s chin resting on her head, just behind her horn. “And I’m glad you felt like you could share your memories with me. And I promise you that your faith is well-founded.”
“Of course. I’m never wrong, Twilight. I thought you would have realized that by now.”
“Right.”
The fire crackled as Twilight used her magic to toss another log on top. She could feel Chrysalis’ hoof on her flank, massaging in small circles. Her body seemed to relax at the changeling’s touch.
“You should get some rest if you need it. Morning will be here soon,” Chrysalis said.
“Chrysalis?” Twilight asked.
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if we’ll always be happy together. I don’t know what will happen to Celestia, or to Equestria. The future has so many opportunities. And as much as I want to be with you, I know that things might not turn out that way, for one reason or another.”
“And?”
Twilight let loose a slow, comfortable breath. “I just want to say that, whatever happens, I’m glad I got to know the real Chrysalis. I’m even happier to know that I fell for her.”
Chrysalis sniffled.
“I love you too, Twilight.”