//------------------------------// // Lesson Two: Assess the Situation // Story: Advanced Lessons // by dungeonguy88 //------------------------------// It was a perfectly wonderful, perfect day. The birds were chirping, the Sun was shining, her friends were all around her, and pony-shaped bees were flitting amongst the flowers. Truly, there could be no better time for Twilight to be with her friends and loved ones. Rarity was relaxing in the sun. Rainbow and Applejack were getting into one of their little athletic competitions; breaking bricks with their heads, it seemed. Fluttershy was fluffing Angel Bunny's tail. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were bouncing the Moon back and forth over a volleyball net, while Pinkie Pie was rearranging the stars into the shapes of various baked goods. Spike was reorganizing a bunch of bookshelves that had found their way outside. Which was ridiculous, as Spike had reorganized the 'Reference' section last week. And Cadence and her brother, Shining Armor, were on a picnic blanket eating cake, while Twilight's parents averted their eyes. Twilight sighed as she walked amongst her friends, free of her royal trappings and wings for the day. 'After all, what alicorn doesn't deserve a break from being an alicorn, once in a while?' Smiling as Luna waved her over to their little corner of the field, she cantered over. “Come Twilight! Thou should join us in this marvelous game! With the invention of Moonball, all of my woes have been resolved and fun now reigns supreme!” Approaching the beloved diarchs, Twilight was ready to enjoy a day of casually rearranging the cosmos for fun. “Ok. I don't think I've ever played Moon-” “Twilight.” Stumbling over her words as Princess Celestia called her name, Twilight looked to her mentor, wondering what she needed. “I'm sorry?” After a pause, it seemed as if perhaps she had just imagined it. Twilight was starting to turn back to Luna to learn the rules of Moonball, when Princess Celestia called her name again. “Twilight.” Becoming a bit more concerned she approached her mentor “...what is it Princess-” “Twilight.” Again surprised by her mentor's insistent desire to call her name, Twilight blinked before looking around to see if anyone else was concerned by this. Only to note that everything seemed to be getting...fuzzy and a bit less colorful. “What?” And that's when she realized that she was waking up. Things remained a bit blurry as Twilight began to open her eyes, with the first thought that occurred to her being that, clearly, she was not waking up in her own bed. Rather she seemed to be lying back upon a rather uncomfortable cushion, looking into the eyes of her very concerned mentor. “Twilight, are you alright?” Twilight blinked a bit slowly, as she noted that Princess Celestia was supporting her head with her hoof, before trying to make sense of what was going on. “Aren't we going to play Moonball?” Blinking with confusion, Celestia continued “Twilight? You had a...shock. You fainted. Do you think you are going to be alright?” Twilight started to realize that “Moonball” may have just been a part of a dream. She soon started to take an accounting of herself, before looking back up to her beloved mentor. “I think so...what exactly happen-” Twilight's mind stumbled to a stop as a second Princess Celestia came into her field of vision, and with a sultry look that left poor Twilight reeling for a moment, purred the next question. “Ah, then is my dear student ready for her dessert?” And suddenly Twilight remembered exactly what had lead to her little episode. Outside observers could tell that by the sudden scream she loosed as she began to scramble away from the two Celestias. Quickly getting back on her hooves, Twilight could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She took in the devastated room, even as one of the two Celestias began futilely scolding the other, who had fallen to the floor consumed with laughter. “Chrysalis! In what world could you think that the right thing to do?! Are you out of your mind?!” Twilight looked between the two of them, as she began to put the events that had transpired together in her mind. She recalled her earlier rush to Canterlot, discovering the Changeling Queen in her mentor's sanctuary, and the conversation that eventually led to... ...the point was that she remembered what was going on. Princess Celestia, looking almost as livid as Twilight had ever seen her, glared down upon the guffawing Changeling Queen, before turning back towards her student. Her face softening with the concern she had shown before, she moved over to see to her student. Though not before jabbing a hoof into the Changeling Queen's side, causing her to lose her breath as she resumed her natural form in a burst of green fire. It did not entirely stop her chuckling. Approaching her student once more, she left Twilight with a fair amount of personal space before asking “Twilight? Are you going to be alright?” As she finally began to get her heart to calm down and breath to steady, she was able to really focus back upon Princess Celestia again. And take note that her teacher seemed nearly as distressed as she was now. She noticed the worry in her eyes, the tension in the way she stood, and the space she had let her keep to herself. Twilight had found out over the course of an hour that one of the beings she hated most was a long time friend to her mentor, that she had kept it a secret from Twilight for sometime...and that apparently her mentor did indeed have a libido that she indulged in, from time to time. She had to suppress a bit of a flinch at the last one. Twilight's world had been badly shaken, at a time when her life was already undergoing a large upheaval. The response she gave felt entirely appropriate for the situation at hand. Princess Celestia gave a heartfelt smile, as Twilight closed the distance and nuzzled her before returning the affection. “I-I'm going to be alright, I was...just having trouble sorting my thoughts out.” Nodding in understanding, she enjoyed her student's presence a bit longer before she again turned her ire towards Chrysalis. Sparing one last glace towards her student, she marched towards the changeling, who even then was only just composing herself. Finally taking note of Celestia's ire, Chrysalis began to pick herself up, still chuckling at her little revenge against Twilight “No need to thank me. I so rarely get the opportunity-” “Am I to thank you now? For tormenting Twilight for your own amusement?” Briefly taken aback by the harsh tone from Celestia, Chrysalis quickly became defensive “You can scarcely blame me for your constant coddling. For the amount of faith you claim to place with her, you can hardly say that you've been open with her.” Celestia seemed to pause at Chrysalis' words though not for the reasons Chrysalis might have aimed for “After everything you have done to abuse my trust this last year...I did not allow you to stay so that you might abuse it further.” Twilight could not help but note how the Changeling Queen seemed to stumble with her response; for a brief moment, it seemed she meant to say one thing before stopping herself. Twilight also found it rather noteworthy just how much outrage she wasn't feeling towards the Changeling. It's not that she felt she shouldn't feel anger over her little stunt though. She was certainly angry in an academic sense. 'Maybe I'm still in shock from earlier.' After Chrysalis' brief pause, she actually leaned towards Celestia sneering her response “Oh, would you like it if I doted on your little student and smoothed her ruffled feathers, now? Perhaps kneel down and beg forgiveness for making her uncomfortable? Lest you be forced to throw me in the dungeon, for being mean?” Twilight actually found herself becoming a bit anxious as tensions mounted; Celestia's expression had scarcely changed since the start. It was a bit of a relief when Princess Celestia bobbed her head and closed her eyes, as if in understanding before she began walking back towards Twilight. “No, Chrysalis. If you can't bring yourself to apologize to Twilight and myself, you are free to leave.” For a moment, it seemed as if Chrysalis was having trouble understanding what had just been said. Over the course of a few seconds a number of emotions seem to flit across her face, though Twilight would have been hard pressed to pin down any one of them. “I think I must have misheard you.” Taking a breath, Celestia clarified what she meant, even as she laid down upon her still-ruined cushion. “Chrysalis, if you can't muster up the smallest amount of remorse over what you just did, for my sake if no one else...there is no reason for you to stay here.” Chrysalis seemed to go still, her mouth opening briefly in an attempt to speak before it shut, strangling a few syllables before they could actually mean anything. She stared at Celestia for several seconds, before her gaze passed over Twilight then averting from both to wander the room. Watching as the Changeling Queen seemed to struggle with this, Twilight was struck just by the fact that it was a struggle at all. Everything she knew about her from the Wedding Incident told Twilight that the Changeling Queen was vain, cruel, manipulative, and pathologically unpleasant. What she learned today was that she could add immature and petty to that list. So it was kind of a shock that the changeling didn't just march out the door. Caught up in that thought, she almost missed it when the Changeling Queen stepped in front of Twilight. Unsure what to actually do, Twilight ended up just staring up at the changeling, as Chrysalis' gaze wandered from Twilight to Princess Celestia to the room and back again. This went on for about a minute. Twilight was just about to ask if she was going to say anything, when Chrysalis made her attempt. She spoke with a surprising amount of poise considering how tense she seemed. “As somepony that has experienced firsthand the trauma of being suddenly exposed to the nightmare that is Celestia's sex life, it is clear now that I should have been aware of what a travesty it was to inflict it's knowledge upon another thinking individual.” Silence reigned after Chrysalis abruptly delivered her prepared words. Twilight glanced to the side to note that Celestia seemed flabbergasted herself at this...whatever it was. '...that may have been the worst attempt at an apology...just ever.' Twilight couldn't even bring herself to speak, unsure of where to even start. In one fellswoop, the Changeling Queen managed to paint herself as the unwitting victim, insulted Celestia over her personal affairs, and avoided actually apologizing entirely. Even more amazingly, Twilight was starting to think that she may have actually been trying. Twilight merely raised an eyebrow for lack of a better response, as the silence wore on, and Celestia looked as if she might try to intervene at this point. Chrysalis, looked almost as tense as before. It was a very strange scene that was only broken when the colorful, little ball of cuteness that is a parasprite took that moment to land upon Chrysalis' nose, utterly oblivious to what was going on. Twilight was sure she could have taken flight, when she jumped in surprise, as Chrysalis let out an incomprehensible shout as she batted the parasprite from her face, with evident fury. Twilight stepped back certain she was about to be attacked when Chrysalis again shouted directly at her. “I was once afraid of brussel sprouts!” This did very little to reassure Twilight that she was not about to be devoured whole by a crazed changeling. After a brief moment, wherein Twilight avoided any sudden movements, Celestia tried to calm the Queen of the Changelings. “Chrysalis? Perhaps you should-” Whipping her head to face Celestia, she resumed shouting “I thought they were breezy eggs! And that they were cursed! Your Princess once threw them at me! Happy now?!” Snapping back to face Twilight at the end, her eyes boring into her own. Twilight hesitated as she tried to take everything in she had just had shouted at her. “...yes?” Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of Chrysalis marching back to her original spot and laying down, as Twilight and Princess Celestia followed her movements. A moment later, Celestia glanced towards Twilight, her student seeming to be deep in thought, before leaning towards Chrysalis and asking the question that was hanging on the air. “Chrysalis? Are you-” “Why did you invade?” Celestia blinked, not particularly used to the thought of her student interrupting her. She turned back towards Twilight, at the same time as Chrysalis, causing the purple princess to shrink back briefly in embarrassment for interrupting. Shaking it off quickly, Twilight cleared her throat briefly, before addressing the Changeling Queen again “I-I mean, I think I understand what you just...whatever that was.” Twilight had a bit of trouble getting the next part out “I mean, I guess I accept...it. So does that mean you actually do care?” Chrysalis simply furrowed her brow, with her expression otherwise remaining unreadable. “Right. So I'll take that as a yes. So...” Twilight actually paused a moment before scowling towards Chrysalis as she asked her next question “Why did you do all of those terrible things, if you actually cared enough to not leave, just now?” Chrysalis did not seem in any particular hurry to answer the question, which Celestia found herself a bit grateful for; it gave her a moment to sort out everything that had just transpired. While she didn't quite understand why Chrysalis couldn't have simply said 'I'm sorry' Celestia supposed revealing something embarrassing about herself sort of evened the scales. Regardless, in a rather roundabout way, she found herself waiting for the answer to a question that she had been hoping for, for sometime now. Chrysalis briefly looked away from the two of them, before nodding to herself, and facing Celestia “You never got around to explaining our little compromise.” It took a moment, but a touch of realization came upon Celestia face at that remark. Twilight tilted her head at this, before turning towards her mentor; it seemed that whatever they had agreed upon in the past was somehow relevant to the now. “Yes, I suppose we were a bit distracted by certain matters before we could cover that for Twilight.” Facing Twilight again “As you can imagine, my student, we have considered possibilities for ending the conflict between myself and Chrysalis, and more importantly the conflict between ponies and changelings. We've discussed it on more than one occasion, but-” “-it's a zero-sum game.” Chrysalis took this moment to cut in, rather sharply. “My subjects need to harvest love from ponies in order to thrive. And unfortunately most ponies are too weak, to be fed upon for long without...deteriorating. And without that love my changelings will suffer instead...I take it that a pony as clever as yourself, can see the issue.” Twilight, looked between the two of them before asking “But, what did you agree to then? Didn't you find some sort of compromise?” Chrysalis snorted at this, before Celestia answered for her “The only compromise that we could find was to keep doing what we had always done, Twilight, and try to minimize the damage that came from it. She would continue to lead her raids and I would drive Chrysalis and her changelings away. She avoided hurting my ponies or raiding too often, and I would help keep the changelings a secret from the public to avoid harm to the changelings.” Twilight couldn't really believe what she was hearing for a moment “But that's not a solution at all!” “I know, Twilight.” “What about-what about ponies volunteering or something?!” Chrysalis cut-in again “As I said, repeated or longterm feeding wears upon you ponies. Or do you not recall your brother? He handled it better than most.” Twilight glared at the mention of her brother, before continuing “Alright then, if the problem comes from feeding upon ponies directly, maybe you could put the love into something else and feed from that!” Celestia took this one “We've attempted that, but love is a very powerful force. We've never been able to transfer more than a small amount of the energy that sustains a changeling into any sort of container at a time. Not enough to care for the numbers needed.” Twilight not deterred kept reaching for possibilities, though at least she wasn't shouting at the two rulers now “Have the changelings tried eating something else?” Chrysalis again answered, in a rather cynical tone “Tried that. Nothing else has been able to meet our needs. We need it just to grow our population, to say nothing of seeing to it that they are healthy.” Growing frustrated with the pessimism coming from the two of them, Twilight rubbed her face before blurting out the next thing that occurred to her “Well, what about the Crystal Heart?” “...” “...” “...” Celestia's eyes steadily widened, as her student's question sank in. Chrysalis, confused by this reaction, looked between the two of them, uncertain as to what they were referring to. “Please, tell me that is not another insipid euphemism for your feel-good pony philosophies.” Taking in her mentor's expression, Twilight took no note of the otherwise biting words from Chrysalis “It's a magical artifact that protects the Crystal Empire. It takes all of the love and goodwill of it's people-” “-and projects it across the entire countryside.” Celestia finished. There was a pregnant pause as Chrysalis took in this information. “...what?” “The Crystal Heart is a-” “Why haven't you mentioned this before?!” Chrysalis was going to need a moment to come to terms with this. As could be discerned by the shouting and the way she was shaking the Princess of the Sun back in forth, with her hooves. “We've been gripped with this problem for centuries, and now is when you feel the need to bring this up?!” Quickly growing annoyed by Chrysalis' rough handling of her royal self, Celestia soon got free of the agitated changeling's grip. “It hasn't been an option for over a thousand years, Chrysalis! And-...” Celestia stopped abruptly, glancing towards Twilight, before finishing “And it still may not be an option.” “What are you talking about? We finally have a way to solve things, and now you're telling me that we don't?!” Chrysalis snapped. It had taken Twilight a moment, as well, to remember just who she was speaking with; the individual that had terrorized Equestria, and on a more personal level her brother and... “Cadence” Princess Celestia nodded towards Twilight, before facing Chrysalis again “The Crystal Heart is a part of the Crystal Empire, which was lost to time when it's rightful ruler was deposed by a brutal tyrant. It was prophesied to only return when it's rightful ruler was reborn and was bound in true love. That has come to pass, and now Cadence sits as the Crystal Empire's sovereign ruler.” Chrysalis took this all in, letting the pieces come together “I see...” Chrysalis abruptly turned away from the two of them, glancing around the room for a moment, before cantering towards a particular pile of wreckage. Peering through it, the changeling brushed away rubbish looking for something, as the two princesses watched in bemusement. “Chrysalis? What are you-” Before Celestia could finish, Chrysalis' horn abruptly lit up as she retrieved a bottle filled with an amber liquid with her magic. Celestia sighed as she watched Chrysalis begin removing the stopper on the bottle. “Chrysalis that isn't going to help the situation...and you don't drink anyway.” “I've just found out that after placing all of my changelings in jeopardy, exposing them to the world and assuring that they are viewed as monsters-” “Chrysalis-” “Ponies are allowed to drink! Especially after they've personally assured that their subjects are doomed!” Punctuating this last bit with a sudden gulp from the bottle, Chrysalis suddenly gagged before she started coughing, and glaring at the bottle. “And this tastes terrible!” She shouted as her outrage was directed towards the bottle, as she tried coping with the harsh sensation it left behind. “Chrysalis please. The last thing we need is for you to act rashly...and most ponies don't drink it for the taste.” Celestia once again brought her calming influence to bare, as she walked over towards Chrysalis, her own magical aura stoppering the bottle before setting it to the side. “What exactly are you proposing? That I send her a basket of strawberries?!” The changeling bit out sarcastically. “I think Cadence prefers peaches...not that, that is the point. The point is we need to calmly think about the situation, and consider how we can make things right, or begin to make things right. Cadence has genuine grievances against you and your subjects, and it's not within my right to force her choice within her realm. But, I have hope that we can convince her to hear the case. Between myself and Twilight we may-” “I-I don't think I can help her.” Twilight blurted out. Princess Celestia glanced towards her student, at her objection, her calm expression carefully maintained. While it may have been her own idea, Twilight had proprosed it spur of the moment and without thought. When her thoughts had begin to find some order again, her own experiences from the royal wedding had come to the forefront once more. Twilight may have understood the situation, but she wasn't sure she could just overlook the things that Chrysalis had done, anymore than she could expect Cadence to. After a moment Princess Celestia merely nodded towards Twilight, before saying “I understand, Twilight.” Chrysalis simply seemed impassive by this point, and didn't even seem angry or surprised. Twilight was surprised to find this to be somewhat more discomforting, than the idea of the changeling being outraged or upset. Princess Celestia turned back towards Chrysalis, continuing on “That is unfortunate, but the situation is far from insurmountable.” Chrysalis merely looked towards Princess Celestia, doubt evident on her face. Looking to the side in brief consideration, Celestia turned back “Though I believe, that I may need some assistance in this matter. Though, I think I know a pony that may be able to help. If you would wait here?” Chrysalis merely began rubbing the bridge between her eyes, in agitation. Nodding, Celestia began moving towards the door, before speaking to Twilight “I know it's quite a bit to ask, Twilight, but could you keep an eye on things here until I return?” Twilight hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Celestia nodded in turn, before moving to the door. Pausing she glanced back to the room, before channeling some magic through her horn, causing the loosed parasprites from before to wink out of existence before suddenly reappearing in a sealed jar with air holes poked in the top. That taken care of she stepped out the door. "And for the record, I've never once pelted anyone with brussel sprouts." Princess Celestia called back, as the door closed behind the alabaster alicorn. Leaving Twilight in a profoundly awkward situation. Silver Shield watched in curiosity as Princess Celestia marched down the halls with a clear purpose. Turning towards the veteran Earth Pony, Stalwart Gaze “Do you think that had anything to do with Princess Twilight coming through earlier?” Sighing again, Stalwart Gaze turned towards the greenhorn Unicorn “I've told you before. Unless there's an emergency, when we're off-shift, you need to let some things go.” “Yes, but-” “If anyone needs your help, when you're off-duty, they are perfectly free to ask for it. That includes Princess Celestia.” Relenting under the words of his superior, Silver Shield decided to change the subject. “So, I was thinking I could sign-up for a rotation down at the 'Junior Guard Cadet Summer Camp' in a couple of weeks.” Stalwart tilted his head at this before, stopping. Turning to face Silver Shield “Take my advice, Shield. You're not ready.” “What? It sounds like it'd be fun working with foals for a while, bringing up the next generation and all. I mean, I was here for the Changeling Invasion, and I did alright.” Silver Shield chuckled a bit, before he noted the serious look on the veteran's face. “It can't be that bad...right?” Stalwart Gaze considered the younger stallion for a few seconds before he asked “Have you ever heard of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Silver Shield laughed out loud at the question “Oh, you had me going for a second there, sir. Yes, I've heard of them. And like everyone else, I know they're just a story you guys use to try to scare us.” He laughed again before he steadily trailed off into silence, as Stalwart Gaze waited for him to finish. Silver Shield asked with a bit of nervousness “Right?” “All I know is what I've heard, Shield. But I can tell you, that I've been hearing more and more rumors about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, from Ponyville to Manehattan.” Silver Shield paled at that, as Stalwart Gaze turned around and started making his way towards the guards mess-hall “But...I already volunteered.” Looking everywhere but towards the Changeling Queen for a few seconds, Twilight quickly began going over all the events that led up to this moment, over the course of the day. She was broken from her thoughts, as her attention was caught by Chrysalis suddenly shaking her head briskly, like she was trying to clear it. Watching as Chrysalis blinked a couple of times before she made her way over to the cushion from earlier, it occurred to Twilight that the changeling had slammed back quite a bit of, what she assumed to be, hard alcohol. After Chrysalis took the seat, the silence wore on for another minute before it started to get to Twilight. She was briefly tempted to apologize to the changeling, before her mind again reminded her that, no, she was kind of justified in not offering her assistance. Though this did lead her to another thought. “You didn't really answer my question.” At Chrysalis's glance, Twilight clarified what she meant. “I mean, I think I understand, but you didn't really explain why you did what you did at Cadence's wedding.” Chrysalis merely arched an eyebrow, leaving Twilight in silence for a few seconds. Clearing her throat, Twilight decided to play a card “And if you don't want to talk about that, we can always talk about that brussel sprout incident?” Twilight actually flinched back, her wings fluttering, as Chrysalis suddenly snorted with laughter. Calming herself, Twilight briefly wandered if she had caused something to snap in the Changeling Queen, before Chrysalis spoke up. “Ah, that is just delightful. A bit of of venom to go along with all of that pony sweetness for a change.” Standing to her hooves once more, and still chuckling, Chrysalis continued “Though, I suppose that isn't terribly surprising, given your history of not letting any subject drop. Very well, if you really wish me to spell it out for you, I shall.” Twilight was pretty sure she didn't need it 'spelled out' for her. It was just the way Princess Celestia had seemed to understand exactly what Chrysalis had meant earlier, had kind of left Twilight in the dark. “Alright then, Princess Twilight, let us start with a simple question. What should be the highest priority of any ruler?” Chrysalis began. “Well-” “That was rhetorical. Stop talking.” Scowling a bit, Twilight nonetheless let Chrysalis continue. “It's to see to the welfare of their subjects. That is the whole point of it. They grant you the power to see to their needs...so what happens when that basic trust is broken?” Chrysalis paused again, though this time Twilight didn't rise to the bait, causing Chrysalis to chuckle again. “Your Princess and I decided, that while we could not bring an end to our little conflict, that was no reason we couldn't enjoy the other's company, when we weren't facing one another down. We'd keep the two worlds separate, our personal and...professional lives, and try to simply keep a lid on things. But you can't really keep things like that from getting mixed up in one another.” Gesturing to herself with one hoof as she continued, Chrysalis briefly wobbled on the other three, apparently still feeling the effects of the liquor from earlier “When I realized...when I realized that I was letting my personal desire to not...I passed up opportunities to gain a leg up on Celestia on more than one occasion. Gave up opportunities to gather more sustenance for my changelings. Because that might have hurt our...understanding. It might hurt...” Twilight felt the need to interject at this point “But that was the whole point wasn't it? Compromising so that neither ponies or changelings would suffer too much?” “Exactly. I was compromising on seeing to the needs of my subjects, so that I could...consort with your Princess. I gave up on ensuring that my changelings could thrive, because of what I wanted.” Twilight furrowed her brow before objecting “I get that...but that still doesn't justify everything you did.” “Doesn't it? Perhaps you haven't had enough time to think about it. Or perhaps you're right. I admit, the invasion didn't go as I expected it would, at first.” Chrysalis admitted. “We wouldn't be here now, if your invasion had been a success.” Twilight pointed out. “True enough, Twilight Sparkle. This is proof of just how utterly I failed.” Chrysalis chuckled again at this. Twilight again was left with the feeling that Chrysalis was again implying more than she said. She was surprised by how quickly the answer came to her. “You were trying to destroy your friendship.” Chrysalis spared another glance towards Twilight, again finding herself surprised by the young alicorn's insight. “That was the greater goal, you could say. After all, if I was having trouble choosing between her...trust, and my changelings, then the logical course would be to remove the ability to choose between the two. And things proceeded so smoothly after I made that decision. I had replaced Cadenza, without garnering the slightest bit of suspicion. I had your brother at my ready disposal. Even your interference had barely been a bump in the road for me. Why not capitalize on this...wild success?” Twilight following along as Chrysalis explained things in detail “But it wasn't a success.” “Indeed not. Your delicious older brother and your saccharine, pink princess did-...whatever it is that they did, costing us the energy that we had already reaped. And just to make it clear what a total loss the whole plan was, Celestia didn't even have the courtesy to despise me.” Chrysalis finally finished with a bitter smile. Silence fell over the two of them for a few moments, as Twilight tried to take in everything. She could admit to herself that, the explanation made a certain amount of sense, even if it had led to something terrible. But the idea of trying to destroy a friendship, one that you wanted, that you valued...it flew in the face of everything that Twilight had learned and had grown to cherish over the last few years. “What exactly was that anyway?” Chrysalis abruptly asked. “Hm?” Twilight glanced up, broken from her thoughts at Chrysalis' sudden question “What?” “That...bubble that those two used to eject my invasion force from Canterlot. I've asked Celestia about it, but I suspect she was trying to mislead me.” Chrysalis clarified. Furrowing her brow at the question, Twilight had to fish around a bit for an answer “Oh...well, I gathered that it was Cadence's love for Shiny that allowed them to generate a field of pure love that saved everyone. I didn't really have an opportunity to study it properly.” Chrysalis gave Twilight a look of plain skepticism, at that explanation “A field of pure love, defeated an army of changelings. Hungry changelings. Defeated by love.” “Uhm, well...actually you have a point.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head as she considered this. “Of course I have a point! Do you realize how absurd that sounds? By that reasoning, I should have armed my changeling warriors with pies. Or we should begin fighting dragons by throwing bags of gems at them!” Chrysalis exclaimed. “Well hold on, maybe...maybe it was like a Super-pie!” Twilight began. The look of bewilderment on Chrysalis' face was all the prompting Twilight needed to continue. Gaining a bit of momentum as she grasped a hold of an explanation that kind of made sense “Like a pie so big that it would still hurt being hit by it....Even though it was a pie.” “That's even more ridiculous. Do you know how large a pie that would have to be? I had hundreds of my changelings there.” Chrysalis countered. “Well, perhaps. But it's not like it's easy to take a bite out of a pie, as it's hitting you in the face, right? So it's not just the size of the pie, but the velocity.” Twilight tried to explain. It took a moment for Twilight to absorb what she had just said. “...let's leave out the parts about pies, if we try to explain this to anyone else.” Twilight suggested. “Agreed. I suppose if nothing else, your brother can make a fine 'love-pie'. How lucky for Cadenza.” Chrysalis responded with a roll of her eyes. “What?” Twilight's tone was flat enough to pave over. Chrysalis quirked an eyebrow at Twilight's tone “What? I just agreed with you. Is that a problem, now?” “No, the other part.” “Cadenza is lucky?” “You said it like she wasn't lucky.” “...Did I?” “You did.” “...I think you might be reading to much into what I said.” “Why wouldn't Cadence be lucky to have Shiny?” Chrysalis considered the expression on Twilight's face, before then taking in the still devastated room. “Perhaps we should change the subject.” Chrysalis suggested. “No. What's wrong with Shiny?” Twilight's voice was quickly cooling. “Nothing. There's nothing wrong with him. His relationship with Cadenza just came off as a bit...shallow.” Chrysalis waved her hoof at the last part, as if it was nothing. “Shallow?!” Twilight nearly shouted. Chrysalis taking this as leave to continue “Everyday it was nothing but gooey eyes, proclamations of love, and how he was so happy to be getting married. It was utterly tedious.” “What's wrong with being in love?!” “Nothing. There's also nothing wrong with a bit of stimulating conversation here and there. Frankly, he came off as a bit empty-headed before I even started brainwashing him.” Chrysalis continued easily. “Shiny is not empty-headed! You don't get to be Captain of the Royal Guard by being empty-headed!” Twilight countered angrily. Chrysalis continued on unimpeded “And that's another thing. The only times he wasn't going on about how wonderful I, or rather how wonderful Cadenza was, it was 'It is my duty to defend Canterlot' and 'I must be ever vigilant for threats'. I'm kind of amazed anyone could get him to stop running drills and assigning patrols to even get married. Much less anything else.” Twilight was struck speechless. “And don't get me wrong, he was quite well-built as stallions go. But that voice of his? For a few moments, I was worried that I would be wed to a teenager.” Chrysalis added on as an afterthought. “Th-there's nothing wrong with Shiny's voice!” Twilight denied. “There's nothing wrong with his voice. It just doesn't exactly ooze sexiness.” Chrysalis explained. “My Brother is extremely sexy!!” Twilight was a bit pleased by the fact that she had finally managed to put a halt to Chrysalis' badmouthing of her big brother. The Changeling seemed rather shocked by the outburst. It occurred to Twilight just why that might be a moment later. “Ahem.” Twilight jumped at the sound of a stallion clearing their throat, before turning around. There, in the doorway, was Princess Celestia sporting a carefully neutral expression. At her side, was the admittedly handsome Prince Blueblood, looking a bit uncomfortable. Caught between panic and embarrassment, Twilight tried to point towards Chrysalis, while trying to face everyone in the room at once “I- She- It was Shiny and-...Brussel sprouts!!” She shouted the last part, as she again jabbed a hoof towards the Changeling Queen, rather helplessly, before taking a deep breath, lying down and covering her face with her hooves. 'Clearly, the insanity is contagious' Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at Twilight's inarticulate reaction before turning towards Celestia. Before the Changeling Queen could get in a word, Celestia merely held a hoof up, calmly saying “I don't need to know. Let us all just drop the subject, and move on to more important matters.” Prince Blueblood nodded amicably, before speaking in his very posh manner “As you say, Auntie. Though I must admit, when you told me you needed my assistance in matters of State, I assumed you had been trying to set me up on another blind date. I take it by Queen Chrysalis' presence, that's not the case?” “No, not this time...though if you would like me to set you up with somepony-” Celestia began to offer to her nephew. Blueblood interjected quickly at the offer “No, no. No need to go and do that, let us focus on the issue at hoof.” Still hiding her face, Twilight asked miserably “Why is he here?” As far as Twilight knew, Prince Blueblood, apart from being Princess Celestia's nephew, was just a particularly stuffy and rude noble. All of the rumors, and her friend Rarity's testimony, had said as much. “As I said, Twilight, I was hoping he could assist us in convincing Cadence to hear our case.” Celestia explained. “Why would she listen to him?” She actually peeked out from her hooves at this, curious. “Well, while I admit we've had our rough spots, I am still her big brother.” Blueblood pointed out. “Y-you're Big Bubba Blue?!” Twilight was back on her hooves, utter shock clear in her features. “...I'd appreciate it if we could not throw that little nickname around so much, Miss Twilight.” Blueblood brushed off a bit of imaginary dust from his person, as he confirmed his identity. “But-but how?!” Twilight stammered. Princess Celestia was no longer able to keep her own curiosity in check at this point “Surely Cadence has mentioned him to you before Twilight? Have you never met him before?” Indeed, Twilight knew all about Cadence's beloved big brother. She remembered exchanging stories with her foalsitter for hours, as they both claimed to have the best big brother in the whole world. Before now, all the stories of Cadence's big brother's adventures and exploration had made perfect sense. But now... Blueblood chose to volunteer some input on the discussion “I'm sure we've been introduced before, Auntie. She wanted to introduce me to her new coltfriend, as I recall. We had a bit of time extra and she wanted me to also meet Twilight.” “I-I don't remember that.” Twilight said. “Yes, Cadence was very excited. As I recall it was a rainy afternoon, and you were reading in the library...I was there for nearly an hour.” Blueblood explained. A look of understanding instantly appeared on Princess Celestia's face, as she nodded “That would explain things.” Twilight had probably kept her nose buried in a book throughout all of Blueblood's visit. Twilight's face burned with embarrassment, before she tried to salvage her case “But, why didn't she ever introduce us some other time?” “Well, I am the Royal Cartographer. And unfortunately that does call for a lot of time spent traveling abroad.” At this he turned to the side, displaying his compass rose Cutie Mark. “And frankly, I do try to avoid Canterlot, when I can. Utterly filled with ninnies. I can never get a moments peace.” “So all those stories about her Big Bubba Blue exploring the wilderness, and meeting with different cultures...?” “Well, I can't speak for all the stories Cadence has shared, but I am quite well-traveled if I do say so myself.” While he sighed again, at the childhood nickname, Blueblood otherwise spoke with plain pride. “And between the Buffalo tribes and the Changelings, I suppose you could say that other cultures have a healthy appreciation for yours truly.” Chrysalis took a moment to roll her eyes at this. Twilight rubbed her face in agitation “But, everyone says you're a narcissistic jerk." Celestia looked ready to intercede at this point, not willing to let Twilight go on like that, though to her surprise it was Chrysalis that did so first. “And what exactly is wrong with that?” Twilight blinked, as Chrysalis got to her hooves and joined the fray. “Honestly, the way you ponies go on and on about loving and caring, I would think you could appreciate the virtues of self-love, a bit more.” “But-” Twilight tried to interject, but was cut off as Chrysalis continued. “It's not as if everypony doesn't engage in a bit of self-love from time to time, and it's hardly a crime if this stallion chooses to indulge himself a bit more often. Self-love is very important to changelings, and is considered perfectly healthy, and I speak from experience.” Chrysalis argued. “Chrysalis-” This time it was Celestia that was trying to get a word in edgewise. “And frankly, I suspect that you could stand to engage in a bit more self-love, Princess Twilight. Perhaps you would not be quite so tightly wound if-” “Chrysalis!” Celestia finally decided to raise her voice in the matter, before Chrysalis carried things much farther. And Chrysalis did look rather indignant as Celestia cantered over and began speaking with the changeling in low voices. Twilight was only able to catch a few of Chrysalis responses as the two conferred. “...” “A euphemism? For what?” “...” “Since when?” “...” “Truly?” At a nod from Celestia, Chrysalis then glanced towards Twilight in consideration. A few moments later she nodded again. “Well, she could probably use a bit more of that too.” Celestia facehoofed. Twilight looked ready to have another episode, before Prince Blueblood chose to swoop in and save the day. “Yes, well. Back to your original point. While I think 'Narcissistic Jerk' is a bit strong, I suppose some ponies in Canterlot might see things that way. I've certainly done my best to give them a taste of their own medicine, when I can.” Taking the opportunity to get the discussion back on track, Princess Celestia chose to take the reins from there “And while I'd like to discuss your behavior further, my nephew, I think that is perhaps for another time.” “Ah, of course Auntie. Do tell, why exactly have you brought me in? Has Queen Chrysalis sued for peace?” Blueblood inquired. “Not exactly, do you recall the conversation we had about my relationship with Chrysalis, and how we had been unable to the solve the problem between our subjects.” Celestia asked Twilight held up a hoof, still reeling from the earlier discussion “Wait. How does he know all about that?” Chrysalis volunteered the next part “We were forced to bring him into the fold, when one of his expeditions stumbled upon my hive.” “Your pardon, but I do not stumble anywhere.” Both Chrysalis and Twilight rolled their eyes at Blueblood's objection, both knowing better. Princess Celestia continued “As I was saying, we believe we may have found a solution. But recent events have made it...untenable.” Prince Blueblood considered this for a moment “But we went over so many options already, what could- Of course! The Crystal Heart!” Knowing the problem, and that the situation involved his younger sister and Chrysalis had certainly narrowed down the possibilities for him. And it just as quickly revealed to him why the solution was at risk of failing. “Oh my. That is an untenable situation. You were hoping I could convince Cadence to overlook Queen Chrysalis' crimes?” “I would not use the word 'overlook', but essentially, yes.” Celestia answered his query. Rubbing his chin in thought “My, that could prove quite challenging.” “Just like that?” Twilight cantered forward, surprised “After everything she did to Cadence, you're still going to help Chrysalis? Didn't you see what she did at her wedding?” Celestia chose to supply a bit of context before Blueblood could respond “Blueblood was on an expedition to the north at the time, surveying the tundra for the Crystal Empire's return.” Blueblood nodded at that “Yes, my wedding gift to Cadence. And I'm quite aware of what transpired, and look forward to Chrysalis' punishment.” At this Twilight tilted her head in confusion, not understanding. Seeing this Blueblood continued “Put simply, I'm not helping Chrysalis. I'm helping her subjects. Now, as I was saying...” Twilight didn't quite hear what they were discussing as she was struck by Blueblood's words. He wasn't helping Chrysalis, he was helping the changelings. Granted, everything she had ever experienced of changelings had been rather unpleasant. But then that had been an invasion. For all she knew there were many more, relatively, nice changelings out there. And... ...Twilight had been utterly lost earlier today precisely because she did not know what she was going to do as a ruler. She had no idea, what she was going to do to make the world a better place for everypony, and that had terrified her. Chrysalis had a long way to go to get into Twilight's good graces, if she ever did. But there was a problem, a big problem, that she could help solve. As the Princess of Magic, the Princess of Friendship essentially, how could she stand to the side? “I'll help!” Everyone paused, as Twilight made her decision, each taking a moment to grasp what she was saying. “That is-...I want to help.” Chrysalis had another unreadable look on her face as she processed this. Prince Blueblood didn't really have the context to understand what was going on between everyone. Princess Celestia merely smiled and nodded.