//------------------------------//
// Identity Crisis 
// Story: The Queen of Hearts 
// by Pumpernickel Rye 
//------------------------------//


Identity Crisis


Hours of work and toil in the night were all made possible by coffee, which Pinkie considered to be one of the greatest inventions in history. Today was going to be a very special day for her friend Cherub. Pinkie wasn’t going to hold back any longer. She could no longer stand the thought of her close friend being so tormented and was going to help repair everything. Pinkie was not going to give up until Cherub was happy again because that’s what a friend should do. She was sure it all had something to do with her secret life, which is why she would find out what it was at all costs.

She opened up the waffle irons and placed a stack of waffles on a plate, which she flooded with syrup and whipped cream. Right as the bread popped out of the toaster, she swiped each piece and put butter on them. She put the waffles and toast on a tray and placed a cover on top. Then she remembered what she left on the counter and grabbed it. It was the most important thing she needed for today and her plan would be incomplete without it. She got the rest of her things and left Sugarcube Corner. Outside it was dark because of all the clouds hanging over Ponyville as there was going to be some rain later in the evening. The mare wished it was sunny as a nice day always made ponies happy, but she pressed on. Pinkie walked with a skip in her step as she carried the tray on her back. She was excited for this day and she wanted to give an amazing surprise for her friend right as she woke up. If all went well, she and Cherub would be best friends and the unicorn would never be upset about anything ever again.

Eventually, Pinkie was outside Cupid’s Arrow and got to the door. It was locked, but she still had the key she acquired from Short Sale, so she managed to get inside. She noticed that all of the window shades were pulled down and the house was very dark, giving the room a creepy atmosphere. Somehow, all of her eager cheer disappeared and was replaced by dread. For some reason, her Pinkie sense was telling her something very bad was coming. She shook her head and pressed onward, not letting anything stop her. She didn’t see or hear Cherub, so Pinkie assumed she was still asleep, which was exactly what she was hoping for.

She tiptoed up the stairs, developing a sense of fear that she simply could not explain. Something in her subconscious was telling her to run and never look back, but she had to ignore it. Pinkie would never abandon her friends, especially when they needed her help. With some determination, she got to the bedroom door. She had never seen Cherub’s bedroom, so this surprise was also exciting for her. She slowly opened the door and went inside. In the darkened bedroom, she could make out a lump in the bed, but she couldn’t see the occupant’s face as it was under a pillow. Pinkie quietly placed the portable table in front of her and placed the tray of breakfast onto it. Once everything was in place, she was ready for her favorite part of surprises. “SURPRISE!”

The figure shrieked, flailed, and flew off the other side of the bed, landing with a loud thud. Pinkie panicked by what she had done and knew she was in trouble. “I’m so sorry, Cherub! I just wanted to-” She fell dead silent as the figure stood up and her mind went blank as she stared into her eyes. 

“Pinkie Pie! What have I told you about surprises!? And what are you even-”

Pinkie screamed and kicked the tray at the changeling, striking her in the face. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, hearing the thundering hoofsteps behind her and the changeling calling for her. In a desperate attempt of escape, Pinkie launched herself at the door. Right before she collided with it, she stopped in midair. She looked and saw a green aura surrounding her. She was dropped onto the floor and pinned down on her back. Chrysalis looked down at her in anger and her horn was glowing intensely. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Don’t worry. You’re not going to feel a thing!”

Pinkie’s vision was engulfed by a green light and then she lost consciousness.





Chrysalis paced around the room, ready to have a panic attack. Why was Pinkie here so early? How did she even get inside? This was the last thing she needed, given everything that was already on her mind. She just hoped that her mind wipe spell would work and this whole thing would blow over. Of course, with Pinkie’s bizarre mind, Pinkie sense, and other things she couldn’t possibly explain, there was no way to be sure until she woke up.

Soon the moment came. Pinkie started stirring, so Chrysalis, in her disguise, ran to her side. “Pinkie, are you all right? You had a nasty fall down the stairs and bumped your head.” 

“I think so,” she responded woozily. Pinkie looked over at her and stared at her. She saw some syrup and whip cream still in her hair, triggering her memory of what happened and causing her to scream. “I remember now! You’re really Chrysalis!” She tried to get away, but was held down by the changeling.

“Pinkie, calm down!” she commanded.

“No! I have to tell Twilight!”

While holding down the struggling pony, Chrysalis’s mind was going a mile a minute. It seemed that trying to control her or erase her memory would work to no avail. If she didn’t figure out what to do soon, it would be all over for her. She then got a very desperate idea. “Pinkie, you have to Pinkie promise to not tell anypony that I’m here!”

“No!”

Chrysalis became enraged and made her horn glow. “Do it or else!” 

Pinkie panicked and broke into tears. “I won’t tell anypony! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” When she finished, Chrysalis let her go. Pinkie didn’t move from the couch and they both sat in silence with the exception of Pinkie sniffling.

Chrysalis went over to her desk and sat in her chair. She knew that Pinkie was scared out of her mind and probably didn’t want to work for her anymore, so she would need to speak with her. Chrysalis took off her disguise, which caused the pony to whimper. “Pinkie,” she called.

She jumped. “Y-yeah?”

Chrysalis let out a sigh. “This must be all very confusing for you and I think now would be a good time for some explanation, so go ahead and ask your questions.”

Pinkie didn’t bother to wait for even a second. “What are you doing here, Chrysalis!? Where is Cherub!? You ponynapped her, didn’t you!? I want my friend back right now! She’s nice and loving and my friend, unlike you! You took her place just so you could steal her job, am I right!?”

“No. I am Cherub.”

Pinkie stared at her in complete silence as her anger melted into confusion and denial. She began to slowly shake her head as tears reemerged from her eyes. “No…no! That’s not true! That’s impossible!”

“It is the truth, Pinkie Pie. I was here from the very beginning. You have been working for me the entire time.”

Pinkie put her hooves over her ears. “N-no! You’re lying! You couldn’t have been her the whole time! You can’t possibly be Cherub!”

“On the first day of my arrival, your surprise caused me to have a nasty fall down the stairs. You put silly string in my tooth paste during your first week here and I made you wash my floors. On Nightmare Night, I lured you into the forest with some candy and gave you quite a fright. Your reaction was absolutely priceless and none of your friends believed you.” 

The pony’s mouth hung open. “I…I…”

Chrysalis leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smirk on her face. “I did a good job of hiding myself this time, didn’t I?”

Slowly, Pinkie’s vision began to blur and her head was hurting. She could not accept what she had just heard. There was no way that her friend was the banished changeling queen the entire time and no pony had noticed. Cherub, a pony that she had worked for, hung out with, and even tried to help, was Chrysalis the entire time. Pinkie then started to act aggressive again. “So what are you doing here, Chrysalis!? What’s your scheme!?”

Chrysalis smiled. “To do what we’ve been doing since the start: make ponies fall in love.”

Pinkie put her hooves to face and gasped. “That’s horrible! You won’t get away with this, you…wait. That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It’s not. It’s completely harmless.”

The mare tilted her head. “But why?”

“You’ve heard that I’ve been stripped of my authority and have been exiled from my home.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been trying to find a way for them to take me back ever since. The plan is that once enough ponies are in love, this town will be flooding with it. With that, my people can sneak in and feed by merely being in contact with it instead of finding a pony to take it from and no pony will ever notice. With so much becoming available by yours truly, they will overlook my one mistake and take me back.” 

“Why didn’t you just do that instead of pretending to be Cadance?” suggested the pony.

“Because ruling over all of you was a much better idea.”

“But it’s not nice at all!”

The changeling rolled her eyes. “Well excuse me for looking out for my people. We were starting to have a problem with feeding our large population and if I didn’t do something soon, my people would have died of starvation.”

“But they’re not starving now.”

Chrysalis shook her head and gave a look of disgust. “That’s only because Nymph has to beg to Celestia. She really does want us and our prey to live side by side. She’s a weak ruler.”

“That’s not a nice thing to say about your sister.”

“What do I care? I hate her.”

“But sisters are supposed to love each other!” Pinkie argued.

Chrysalis gave a quick laugh. “I have to disagree with that.”

“But why would you hate your own sister, Chrysalis?”

“It’s a long story.” She saw that Pinkie was looking at her expectantly. Chrysalis averted her eyes to somewhere else in the room, but they were drawn back to the pony. “Do...you really want to hear it?” 

Pinkie nodded. “I really do want to hear about you and Nymph, Chrysalis. Tell me everything.”

Chrysalis stared at her for a bit, thinking over what she wanted to do, and then nodded. “Very well. I better start from the beginning so you can have a better idea about her and me. You see, we were the daughters of the late changeling queen, Rhopa Locera. My sister is younger than I, so I felt it was my duty to take good care of her. We were the greatest of friends and our mother loved us both very much.”

“What about your dad?” asked Pinkie.

“He was there for a while. Normal changelings don’t live as long as we do.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother, Nymph, and I are royal blooded changelings. We are much larger, more powerful than other changelings, and we live for almost a thousand years. However, royal changelings are only female. This is why the queen has much more authority, since she is much more powerful and only she can continue the bloodline. Fortunately, she could just mate with any other changeling and produce one.”

“As for my father, his name was Scarab and he was a soldier that served by my mother’s side for a long time. He personally saved her life from an assassination attempt and that was how she developed feelings for him. He was a bit of a stern parent, but he loved each of us with all his heart. He even trained me himself in fighting when I was old enough.”

Pinkie had to fight the urge to laugh as she remembered Nymph’s story about Chrysalis getting hit in the face, which Chrysalis didn’t notice. “So what about Nymph?”

“Ah yes. So while we were growing up and as adults, we were inseparable. We did everything together: from tending the royal garden to growing our own parasprite farms. Oh, they were so delicious. We each had our own interests. I was once obsessed by the military might we possessed. We changelings live underground to keep our existence a secret, knowing that we would never be accepted due to our appearance and nature. But every now and then, a bunch of diamond dogs or a dragon or whatever would find our home and would try to take over or threaten to expose us and we would always show them the exit the hard way with a memory wipe included. It was truly a sight to behold. Nymph, however, was more interested in stuff like learning about the world and the other races that inhabited it, so she liked to be in the library with all of the scribes to study maps and cultures. I must admit, as a child, I was also very curious of the outside world.” 

“I loved everything about our royal life. When I was a lot younger, I was a princess and I made sure they all knew that. Every changeling answered to my beck and call. Nymph and I were the most precious children in the entire kingdom and I liked rubbing it in the faces of the other noble children. Because of that, we didn’t get along and we often got into fights. It didn’t happen as much when Nymph befriended them. I was never sure why she did that considering she would just outlive them. Eventually, Nymph convinced me to find other friends and it all worked out in the end.”

“But what I loved more than anything was knowing that one day, I would be the queen. It was all I ever dreamed about, knowing that the whole kingdom would belong to me. I wanted to be just like Mother. She was a kind and generous leader that every changeling loved and respected. None dared question her. I always liked to follow her around and watch what she did. For over three hundred years, I did everything I could to prepare myself for the role. Mother always gave us lessons about what she did. Running the military, making laws, bringing joy to the people, everything a good queen does.” 

“But of course, only one of us could be the queen. Our mother was always worried that it would create tension between us as it had done before with previous queens, but it was never a problem since I made sure that Nymph understood that it was something meant for me. Surprisingly, Nymph was fine with the idea. She always did look up to me.” Chrysalis giggled. “When I was a child, I said that as the queen, I would allow a dual monarchy, meaning that we could both be queens, kind of like Luna and Celestia. Still, Mother had her take her lessons as she thought it would be important for her to learn.” 

Pinkie then pushed the difficult question. “So what happened between you two?”

Chrysalis was hesitant to answer and, to Pinkie’s surprise, looked sad. “Everything was going fine for us all. Father was gone, but we still had each other. Mother was doing excellent as the queen and Nymph and I were living our own lives as princesses. Everything changed forever that one day thirty-three years ago. I was doing some combat training and a messenger came to me, completely panicked. He told me that my mother had collapsed, so I stopped everything I was doing and ran to her side.”

“What was wrong with her?”

“She suffered from a very serious sickness that we did not know about for months as she gave no symptoms until the later stages.” Chrysalis paused for a moment. “It was beyond our doctors’ abilities because our isolation limited our potential medical knowledge and there was…nothing they could do at that point.” Pinkie gasped and put her hooves over her mouth, looking like she was ready to cry. To be fair, Chrysalis almost felt like doing the same. “It didn’t bother her as much as we thought it would. She just carried on like normal, not fearing her impending death. She only had a few months left, but she would soon be too weak to leave her room, so she needed to pick one of us to take her place as the Queen of the Changeling Kingdom. I had always prepared for this day. I knew I would one day be queen, but sometimes I didn’t want to because of what would have to happen first. I learned everything I could about my mother, trained myself to become as powerful as I could be, and was even in charge of some of the army. I was everything I needed to be to become a queen that would lead her people into prosperity. But…”

“But?”

“She chose Nymph.” Chrysalis steadily became very upset, taking deep breathes and her voice was slightly shaking. “All she said was that she felt that Nymph was better suited for the role. Was she disappointed in me? Had I done something wrong? What had Nymph done that was so great? I was older and more experienced, so I deserved the crown!” she shouted as she slammed the desk, causing Pinkie to hide behind a pillow. “Nymph was always weak, needing me to protect her. She didn’t even like fighting. No, all she did was try to talk her way out of things. And look at her now, getting on her worthless knees and kissing Celestia’s big, fat flank without realizing what she is bringing the changelings into. I wouldn’t have surrendered to the inferior species, but rather conquer them! The girl does not have what it takes to be a strong ruler. It was obvious that Nymph had conspired against me, knowing she could never live up to be like me!”

Chrysalis took loud, steady breaths when she finished. After a moment, she sighed deeply. “Things were never the same between us since. I couldn’t stand being around her, knowing that she stole what was rightfully mine. We never let Mother know about what was going on between us, however. We didn’t think she could have taken it in her condition. We even made sure the other changelings didn’t find out about what was going on as we did not want to risk the rumors reaching her and the fact it wasn’t their business. Every day I am grateful that Mother had passed peacefully without ever knowing the truth.”

Pinkie wasn’t sure if she could handle any more of the story, but she pushed forward, needing every piece of information she could get. “So if your mom picked Nymph, then why were you the queen during the wedding?”

“After Mother had died, I had fallen into deep depression. Without her, my sister, or the crown, I had nothing. I just lost the motivation to do anything. I was like this for almost a year and I just told others that I missed my mother and I was in mourning, which was true to some extent. Nymph’s mourning lasted months, so they never asked me too many questions about mine. My sister would always try to convince me that she never did anything against me, but I never bothered listening to her lies.”

“One day, one of the high ranking soldiers I had come to know, Stag Beetle, came to me. He told me that he worried about my health and wanted to check on me. We talked for a while and it was actually nice to tell someone what I was going through. However, there was another reason he came to me. He informed me that Nymph was not interested in ideas of conquest, which is something we both have thought about doing as we and as well as many other changelings were sick of being stuck underground. He needed my help to remove Nymph from power and for me to rule. We both knew that she would have been the downfall of our race. I wasn’t even sure how we could rid of her. That worm had the guts to suggest assassination.” Pinkie gasped. “Don’t worry. As much as I despise my sister, she’s family and I could never bring myself to harm her. I even struck him right then and there.”

“So what did you do?” she asked worriedly.

“We decided we would wait for the right moment before making our move. To my surprise, Nymph was quite loved by the people. Of course, the inevitable happened. The hunger crisis escalated several years back before her crowning and has been an ongoing problem. We could tell the inevitable day was coming and waited.”

“What day?”

“The day that ended changeling secrecy. Basically it was the day where living in secret would no longer sustain our growing population, so we would have to take it in mass, which would eventually reveal our existence. Of course, there were two possibilities of this: one was the world would welcome us and give us all the love we need and the other was that they would drive us away, so we’d have to take our food by force. It was scary for changelings to think about, but we knew it would come one day. The main problem was that changelings always had to remain in secret while we tried to feed, limiting how quickly we could gather resources. Groups of changelings would go around and seduce ponies in order to harvest their love. They would collect love in masses by storing it in crystals and bring it back for the rest of us to feed off of. This method would soon no longer be enough to sustain our needs.”

“So why didn’t you just ask for our love instead of invading?” Pinkie suggested.

The changeling sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well gee, how do you think I should’ve asked Celestia? Hi there! My species of shape shifters need to actually eat one of your emotions in order to survive. This shouldn’t be a problem, especially when you factor in our growing population and the fact feeding off ponies leave them physically weak and loveless for a while. You think that would have worked?”

“It worked for Nymph.”

Chrysalis loudly snarled at her, scaring the pony. “Anyway, so the crisis continued to escalate over the years and unrest had spread throughout the kingdom. Nymph’s plan was to continue using our feeding methods through means of stealth and even suggested population control to delay the inevitable like the stupid changeling she is. Of course, that did not go well and changelings become unsatisfied. After waiting for almost twelve years, we played our hand. We began a campaign against her, convincing the masses that I had a better idea of how to run things. I told them that we should no longer fear the world and claim it for our own! We didn’t need to spend our entire lives living in secrecy or worry about starving any longer. I said that I would launch a military campaign to claim our rightful place in the world. Over time as the crisis continued, we won their favor. Nymph tried to tell them that war was not the answer, but they were smarter than that. After about two years of work, I had enough followers behind me and I made my final move.”

“What did you do?”

“I approached my sister in the throne room. When she asked what I wanted, I simply made her my offer.”

“What offer?”

“Either she made me queen or my followers and I would secede from the kingdom.”

Pinkie gasped. “What!? How could you do that to her!?”

Chrysalis slammed her hoof on her desk with tremendous force, causing Pinkie to cower. “My people were starving! Her ideas of staying hidden and controlling our growing population were stupid and ineffective. We could no longer stand it. The poor girl got on her knees and begged for me to reconsider, saying that she would find another way as she knew full well what I was planning.” She chuckled. “I must admit, it was rather amusing. She tried and she tried, but I didn’t budge. When she saw that we were indeed serious about leaving, she admitted defeat.”

“So after the ceremony where I was crowned, the changelings were happy. I began my plan to start earning our place in the world. I built our armies and we trained ourselves for many years. I even made Stag Beetle my second in command as part of our deal. And like I suspected, he tried to get involved with me so he could be king. I honestly didn’t like him all that much, but I let him have his fun. Every now and then I would need him for some very personal favors.” Chrysalis leaned back in her chair and sighed. “The one downside to being a royal blooded changeling is that all your choices for mates are much smaller than you, so usually they need to be on top, but Stag Beetle really knew how to make things work.”

“I didn’t need to know that!” Pinkie shouted while covering her ears.

“Oh, sorry. As for Nymph, I was very tempting to have her locked away for publicly opposing me, but for some reason, I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I still had a soft spot for her since she was family, despite feeling nothing but hate whenever I saw her. I simply just made her one of my advisors to appease her remaining supporters. It worked out well too, considering I never listened to a thing she said.” Chrysalis laughed loudly. “Of course, I couldn’t let that wretch get away with what she did. Robbing me of my crown and leading the people to despair? The girl needed to be punished. Washing the floors of the entire palace by herself, making her wear rags, reminding her of the most awful moments of her life, I even spread some nasty little rumors about her like how she couldn’t bear any children. The girl lost her spirit and it was enjoyable to see her bawl like a little baby. If changelings could feed off each other’s misery, we would have had enough food for a lifetime from Nymph alone!” Chrysalis hollered in laughter as she kicked her legs.

Pinkie felt terrible by listening to her. “Why do you enjoy being so cruel to her?”

Chrysalis stopped laughing and got very angry. “What about me? Have you forgotten what she had done behind my back!? I was justified in what I did to her!”

“Why do you keep thinking she went against you?”

“Because it’s the only thing that makes sense! I was the one destined to become queen, not her! She must have done something to make mother think she was better than me! I swear the next time I see her, I will force it out of her!”

Chrysalis heaved heavily as she clenched her fangs together and then realized that she was getting too worked up about the past, so she took a deep breath and continued. “Let me just quickly wrap this up. While we continued to increase our might, we began taking ponies in the midst of night in order to feed ourselves. We could only take so many without drawing suspicion. We would bring them underground and leave them preserved in cocoons. Then I would use my power to hypnotize them into thinking they were with the ponies of their dreams. We would keep them for feeding for about a week or two until we tapped them out. After that, I would erase their memories of being taken and then we would return them to where they came from.”

“So we kept using these methods for many years. The hunger issue was being handled, but still not solved. Our populations grew and that meant we had to steal more ponies. But thankfully, I was prepared. Our armies were now a force to be reckoned with. We just needed a place to set our sights on. And then when we scouted Canterlot and heard about the wedding…” Chrysalis trailed off and sighed. “I don’t think I need to tell you what happened.”

They both sat silently, staring at each other. Chrysalis could not believe she just told so much about herself to one of her greatest enemies, but to her surprise, she felt great relief. Maybe Pinkie discovering her was nowhere as bad as she first thought since after all this time, she finally found someone who could listen to her true self. Since Pinkie was bound by her Pinkie promise, she could maybe talk to her about her woes, while adding a few lies here and there, and possibly get some real advice about her problems. It took her a moment to realize Pinkie had yet to say something. “So what did you think? Sad? Enlightening?”

“Awful!” Pinkie then proceeded to bawl.

The changeling nodded. “Yes, it is indeed an awful story. I am so glad you understand.”

Pinkie shook her head. “No, not the story! You! You’re awful!”

Chrysalis was taken aback by what she heard. “Me?”

“You are so mean to your sister and ponies! How could you be so cruel, Chrysalis!?”

The fugitive stood up. “Why should I love a race who would have shunned us upon discovering us? Let’s face it, you and your kind are disgusted by how we look and fear us by how we feed, which is why we live underground in the first place. As for Nymph, she started it! She plotted against me!”

“How do you know that’s even true about Nymph? You have no proof!”

“Well why else would have Mother picked her over me? I was just like Mother!” she shouted furiously.	

“No you’re not! You said your mom was loving and kind, which is exactly the opposite of what you are!” Chrysalis looked down at the desk in front of her. “She was your sister and you wanted to be so mean to Nymph because you didn’t want to accept the truth! And after everything you did to her, she lets you go! She does love you, but you think she’s your enemy because she got to be queen. You’re not a victim, Chrysalis. You’re just a spoiled, rotten, jealous brat! What would your mom say if she knew how badly you treated your little sister?” Pinkie  noticed she was completely motionless.  “Chrysalis?”

“Get out.”

“But-”

“OUT!”

Pinkie lifted herself off the couch and onto the floor. She slowly walked towards the door and looked behind her, only to be met with an expression of fury. Pinkie turned away and then exited the building. When she was gone, Chrysalis sat back down and sighed.

What really bothered her was how Pinkie said she was nothing like her mother. She just wanted to be as successful and as loved as her so she would be proud of her daughter. She did what she had to do to ensure that her species would survive, even though she went as far as trying to conquer another nation as she felt that it was all done in her people’s interest. But in the end, they became upset with her upon her failure and now were supporting Nymph’s current idea, which would have been the end of them all.

She still could not figure out why Nymph had decided to kick her out in the first place instead of locking her up. Chrysalis treated her like garbage and was at her mercy and yet Nymph just let her go. Did she still care for her? Seeing how she kept asking Celestia for her location she must have, despite saying how they should handle her. Chrysalis hated to admit it, but she did miss the old days, when they were younger and more carefree. Maybe Pinkie was right about Nymph not conspiring against her, but she couldn’t be sure. If it was true, it would mean that Chrysalis let her mother down somehow, which she could not ever bring herself into accepting.

Chrysalis slammed her head against her desk, knowing she had gone a little too far with Pinkie. She wasn’t sure if she could ever convince her to come back now that her secret was out, probably even harder because Pinkie thought she was horrible. At least she was safe from being caught, but that wouldn’t matter if her plan couldn’t succeed. She heard the bell above her door ring and suddenly realized she wasn’t in her disguise, causing her to panic. She lifted her head and met a pair of blue eyes. 

“Surprise!”

Chrysalis screamed, flew back, and fell onto the floor. As she tried to catch her breath, she looked up at the smiling pony. “For the love of Luna, stop doing that! And what are you even doing here?”

Pinkie placed a cake on the desk. “Happy birthday, Chrysalis!”	

The changeling got back in her chair. “Birthday? What are you…” She then realized that today was indeed her birthday. “How could have I forgotten?”

“Well luckily I remembered, so here you go!” She slid the cake in front of her. It was a birthday cake with several lit candles on it and it read, “Happy 33rd Birthday, Cherub!” in pink frosting. Chrysalis just sat there silently as she looked at it. “What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing, Pinkie?”

“Well duh, I’m giving you your cake.”

“I know that, but I mean why. Why would you want to celebrate my birthday?”

“I always want to celebrate a birthday, even it is for a changeling!”	

Chrysalis couldn’t understand what was going on. “Are you really so stupid? You just went on about how awful I was and now you want to have a party?”

Pinkie’s smile slowly bent into a frown. “I just don’t want you to be sad anymore.”

Chrysalis briefly felt breathless. “What?”

Pinkie slid the cake aside. Surprisingly, she looked serious. “After you told me to get out, I wasn’t sure what to think. I thought you were bad, but then you said you did all that stuff for your changelings. I also remembered how upset you’ve been lately and I knew something was wrong.” Chrysalis turned her eyes away. “I don’t like seeing any pony or changeling sad and I thought I could help you feel better. I decided I’m going to stay and help you with your plan.”

The changeling looked at her with disbelief. “You’re going to help me become queen again?”

“No. However, I want you to be able to go home. I bet you miss it a lot.”

Chrysalis sighed loudly. “I do. It’s been so long since I’ve seen its glory.”

“Do you miss Nymph too?” the mare asked.

“Not in the slightest.”

Pinkie shrunk by her answer. “Not at all?”

This time, there was a pause before she answered. “Maybe a little.”

“Don’t you want things between you two to be back to the way it was?” 

“I guess.” She could see Pinkie giving her a look, telling her she was unconvinced. Chrysalis sighed. “Yes. There, I admitted it. I do miss my sister, but I can’t bring myself to trust her. Even if I am wrong about her, I don’t think she will forgive me for what I did.”

“Sure she will! You just need to be nice!”

Chrysalis groaned and shook her head. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard.”

“It’s not stupid!” the pony countered. “If you were nice like me, would you even be here right now?”

The changeling thought about it. Had she tried sticking with secretive means of feeding and perhaps what Nymph was currently trying, she would have probably back home while still being in charge. Thinking about her plan at the wedding had recently put her in a foul mood. While she had kept saying it was for means of survival, was it really worth the costs? An entire nation imprisoned in a sleep like state, being drained for the rest of their lives. Had she not been so blind with power and anger towards ponies, she and Nymph would have probably come up with a solution together that would help the changelings thrive in the world.

“I think you may be right,” she gloomily confessed.

“Of course I’m right! No pony likes somepony who’s mean. Just be nice and when you see her again, tell her you’re sorry. And you have to mean it!”

“Even if I could earn her forgiveness, there are still the rest of the changelings. They were pretty happy to see me leave and until I convince them to take me back, there’s no way I’m going home.”

“Say sorry to them too! They will totally forgive you if you just act nice.”

Chrysalis glared at her for moment, but then stopped. Pinkie, surprisingly, had a good point. Luna herself even said that the ponies accepted her again because of her change in personality. But there was no way it was going to be that easy for her. While Luna had the excuse of being possessed by a mysterious force, Chrysalis had no excuse for what happened. The changelings were not only mad at her for being a failure, but for being a bit of tyrant. She always held the belief that since she was the queen, she was always right and any changeling who didn’t support her views was either an idiot or a traitor, making it extremely difficult for anything she opposed to pass. The fact she rallied their anger against the ponies and caused the peaceful, neutral nation to perform an act of war certainly did not help her case. 

Speaking of ponies, living among them has certainly given her a different point of view about them. She didn’t mind them so much and was actually starting to enjoy living in Ponyville. Even Pinkie and her friends were growing on her, with the exception of Twilight. She had even made close friends with Luna, who she still considered to be her foe as she knew she was going to do something to her people. She figured that changelings didn’t care for ponies or any other race because they never truly got to know them since they were always secluded. She wondered how differently things would have been for them were they not so xenophobic.

“What’s wrong?” asked Pinkie, concerned by her silence.

Chrysalis rested her head between her hooves. “I’m just not feeling too good right now. It’s awful to be hated by your very own species. Sometimes I wonder if they will turn me down, even if I do offer them a huge food source.”

“Don’t be sad, Chrysalis! You just need to smile!” Pinkie suggested encouragingly. 

The matchmaker looked up at her. “Excuse me?”

“Trust me, you will go home and you will be loved! Now turn that frown upside down and give me a smile. You need to be positive if you want your dreams to come true!”

Chrysalis turned her head away from her. “That’s stupid.”

“Come on! Smile! Smile! Smile!”

“No.”

Pinkie frowned. “Why not?”

“Because it won’t change anything.”

“It’ll make you feel better! You don’t want your friends to see you upset when you go home, do you?” Chrysalis immediately turned the rest of her body away from her. “You have friends…right?” Chrysalis said something but she couldn’t hear her. “What?” The changeling spoke again, louder, but she still could not understand what she was saying. “I can’t hear you.”

Chrysalis whirled around. “No, I don’t anymore! There, are you happy!?”

“No! Why don’t you have any friends?”

Chrysalis sighed and rested her head on the desk. “For a long time, I thought it was pointless. They would just die long before I did and I didn’t want to deal with the loss. It was already hard enough with my father. I kept telling myself that Nymph was the only friend I would ever need in my life, which changed. I did eventually come around to meet others and I did develop friendships with them, but after my mother’s decision to crown Nymph, I was not a very kind changeling and most of them did not like to be around me unless they had something in mind. The worst part is that I can’t blame them. Then after the wedding, the remaining parasites threw me under the bus and wanted nothing to do with me. I had brought the threat of war onto them and I was labeled with the worst kinds of names. Not a single changeling in the kingdom had come to my aid.”

“Wasn’t Stag Beetle your friend?”

“Not at all. We were merely changelings who shared the same ideas. We got along, but there were some things about him that made my chitin crawl. The biggest problems I had with him and every other changeling who associated with me later on was always the same, and that was me being royalty. The only reason they wanted to be around me was because the favors I could grant them whenever Nymph wouldn’t and it only happened more when I was crowned. It was always money, laws, political positions, and even sex. I was so sick of it.”

Pinkie scooted closer to her. “What about me or Luna? Aren’t we your friends?”

Chrysalis didn’t even look at her. She could actually feel her heart sting upon the question. “It was only an act, Pinkie. It’s not like you or Luna, or any of your friends would ever want to be friends with the real me. You and I both know that you and all the others hate me for what I did.”

They both remained quiet for a moment. Pinkie was obviously upset about what she heard and Chrysalis actually felt guilty. “Chrysalis?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really sorry that you don’t have friends anymore. And since you were pretending before, I was wondering if maybe we could be real friends this time.”

Chrysalis looked at her in absolute disbelief. “What?”

“I don’t want you to be alone, Chrysalis. I can tell you’re very hurt and I want to help you in any way I can.”

The changeling was as surprised as she could be. She tried to form words, but she couldn’t. After much effort, she asked, “Why?”

“Because I can’t stand seeing you like this anymore. For so long I have seen you in so much emotional pain and nothing I did fixed it. Now I have chance to help you and I’m going to do it. I’m going to make you happy, Chrysalis!” stated Pinkie.

“I…really don’t know…”

“Do you want me to just leave you like this while you’re all sad?” she asked.

Chrysalis merely sighed. “No…”

“So let’s make a deal! I will become your friend and help you and in exchange, you will stop being all evil and stuff! How does that sound?”

After everything she had done, Pinkie was willing to give her a chance. This pony was doing something that no other had done for her. Chrysalis was willing to throw away all of her thoughts of vengeance to receive her friendship in return. She wasn’t even sure how to respond.  “Do you…really mean that?”

“Of course I do!” She extended a hoof towards her. “Friends?”

Chrysalis never thought too highly of employee before, but this moment had given her a new perspective about her. After everything she had been through, she finally found one person who was willing to help her. She reached out her hoof, ready to accept Pinkie’s offer. 

Right before they touched, Chrysalis quickly retracted. “No!”

“No!?”

The changeling got off her seat and stormed upstairs. “Just go away, pony!”

Pinkie watched as she disappeared and heard her slam the door shut. Pinkie sat quietly, completely stunned by her reaction. They were about to be friends and she suddenly freaked out. All she wanted to do was help the outcast, but it seemed Chrysalis was not interested. The mare started wondering of what she should do now. She could follow Chrysalis, but she could be in danger if she didn’t want to be friends. The mare made up her mind. Pinkie went upstairs and got to the bedroom door, pressing her ear against it.

“What has gotten into me!?” she heard Chrysalis shout as she paced around her room. “How could have I even consider for a second befriending her? She’s a friend of that wretched Twilight Sparkle! No doubt this is some ploy to have me exposed and imprisoned. Why else would she want to be my ‘friend’? She is going to cost me the crown! I will not let Nymph win! The kingdom is mine! MINE!”

Pinkie was compelled by fear, not wanting to enter and confront her after hearing her yelling. However, she wanted to help Chrysalis since she was so close in doing so. Mustering her courage, she opened the door to the bedroom. What immediately caught her attention was the look the changeling was giving her.

It was a look of pure hatred.

“Chrysalis, please listen to me!” she begged. “I just want to help you!”

Chrysalis scoffed and pushed her aside. “You are too nosey for your own good, Pinkie. Because of your caring nature, I actually developed doubts of my second invasion because I started caring back!”

Pinkie gulped. “Your what?”

“But good news: I’ll get over it! You will not sway me from my goal! I will expose Nymph for the thief she is and get my revenge against Twilight! And afterwards, I will be the queen I was meant to be; one that would make the changelings dominate this world!” Chrysalis stared at Pinkie and an evil grin appeared on her lips. She slowly approached her, cornering the terrified pony. “But perhaps this little incident can be useful to me.”

“W-what are you going to do?”

“I’ve been going through with this stupid dating business scheme for far too long. But thanks to you, I have a much better plan in mind!” Chrysalis closed the door to the bedroom and focused intensely on Pinkie. “And you get to play a special part, my little pony!”

She lifted Pinkie off the ground and pinned her against the wall with her magic. “Put me down!” demanded her captive.

“Oh, not just yet. Pinkie, for being an intrusive, obnoxious pest who had the nerve of making me doubt myself, I’m going to drain you!”

Pinkie began to struggle wildly. “Please don’t take my love! I need it!”

Chrysalis cackled loudly as the pony continued her efforts. “Oh, that’s going to be the least of your worries, since I shall use a stage three drain!”

“W-w-what’s that?”

“I’m glad you asked. You see, a changeling’s ability to drain emotions has various effects, each classified into three stages. The first stage is where we take love and leave our prey with headaches and fatigue for up to a week, as you’ve seen with Shining Armor. The second stage is where we take additional positive emotions, leaving the negative ones to fester and grow. The victim is left as a cruel or sad pony for up to a month in the worst case scenario and it is always amusing to witness.”

The mare could feel a feeling of horror rising when she asked, “What’s stage three?”

Chrysalis gave off a very sinister grin. “It’s where we take all of your emotions.”

“That’s horrible!”

“Oh, but it gets worse, because these effects are permanent.” Pinkie gasped loudly and continued in her desperate struggle. “The victim is left in an emotionless state for the rest of their life. No anger or happiness or fear or even love. It is a fate worse than death, to be left as such a husk. Only royal changelings are capable of this and it has been outlawed for almost a thousand years because the effects are so horrible, but I’ve considered using it on Twilight for some time.”

“Please don’t take my emotions! I want to laugh with my friends, smile at parties, and love Fluttershy!”

Chrysalis chuckled and stroked her cheek. “But Pinkie, I need to do this so I can reclaim my title from that traitorous Nymph and save my precious subjects from the evil Celestia.”

“How?” Pinkie sobbed.

The changeling pulled away and paced around in front of her. “I will gladly tell you, seeing how it won’t matter anyway. These peace talks are completely ridiculous. Your kind will always look down on the changelings and treat them like scum. The thought of creatures that we feed from taking charge of our lives is ludicrous. And if you think I buy Celestia’s act of giving a feather about my subjects, especially after I defeated her, you are wrong. So rather than letting Celestia have us treated like trash or whatever she has in store for my changelings, I will simply conquer Equestria and crush the threat once and for all.”

“But Celestia does care about the changelings! She’s trying so hard to help them!”

Chrysalis shook her head as she continued walking. “Spare me your stupid beliefs. No ruler in their right mind would consider helping a nation that just attacked them. There’s nothing for her to gain out of aiding the changelings, so I will strike first before she carries out her retribution.”

“But the changelings don’t want a war! They want peace!”

The fugitive stopped and stomped her hoof. “There can never be peace! We feed off ponies and this will always bring conflict. Nothing will change that. So rather than having your kind walk all over us, I will simply put you ponies in your place. What I will do is drain you of your emotions and leave you near the edge of the Everfree Forest after altering your memories. When your friends ask you what happened, you‘ll tell them you were attacked by changelings under the orders of Nymph.”

Pinkie’s mouth hung open in absolute shock. “What!?”

“But I won’t stop there. I will be sure to get all of your little friends as well and it gets even better. After you are all dealt with, I will write a letter to Luna, telling her that I’m sorry for not talking to her and that I need her protection, feeling scared and vulnerable. That gullible princess won’t see it coming. With all of the love here, I should have more than enough power to keep her down long enough for me to tap her dry of her magic! And with her form, I can get close enough to Celestia and give her the same fate!” Chrysalis greedily licked her fangs. “It will be a feast fit for a queen!”

“No!”

The changeling wore a wicked smile. “And when the ponies learn that Nymph was responsible for draining their beloved rulers and guardians, they will launch a war. The changelings will hear that Nymph was behind the cause of the fighting and imprison her, where I will return and lead my nation to victory with my unmatchable might! Equestria will be ours, our famine will be no more, and I will be a queen of legends!” She then proceeded to laugh evilly. 

Pinkie was completely panicking, horrified by what Chrysalis was planning. She then remembered something and grinned. “Oh yeah? Remember Discord? Celestia is making him look out for you and take you down! You’ll be in big trouble when he-”

“With all the magic I will acquire, I will send his worthless hide to the moon the very second I see him. With the powers of the alicorns and the Elements of Harmony, he won't stand a chance.”

All of Pinkie’s confidence died. She had nothing left in her mind that could save her from the changeling. For the first time in life, Pinkie felt completely hopeless. “Don’t do this, Chrysalis! I’m begging you!”

“Beg all you want. I actually enjoy watching you try so hard to save yourself, which will end when I alter your mind.”

“But you couldn’t erase my brain last time.”

“True, which is why I need a little boost to get the job done.” Chrysalis opened her mouth and a green aura appeared, entering her maw. As time passed, her eyes and horn began to glow brighter. “With all the love I have created here, I will be sure to get things right this time. How does it feel to know that you will help bring the fall of your own country?” Pinkie just looked on the floor and cried. “Aw, are you sad that I have finally won? Don’t worry, I promise you that you will never be sad again. I still need some time to prepare my spells, so any last words, Pinkie?”

“You’re…you’re…”

“Yes?”

Pinkie looked up at Chrysalis, tears running down her cheeks. “You’re a horrible queen!”

Chrysalis laughed at her. “Me? A horrible queen? I’m afraid you have been misled. I am one of the best there is. My people have thrived over the years of my ruling, unlike with that worthless sister of mine.”

“But Nymph is-”

The changeling shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth and looked dead into her eyes. “Nymph this and Nymph that! I am so sick of hearing what a saint she is! She is only seen the way she is now because of me!”

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked while muffled under her hoof.

Chrysalis stepped back from her. “Do you honestly think Nymph is someone out of a fairytale while I’m just some heartless monster? Things never appear as they seem, which you should have learned from us changelings. You think she wanted to do these peace talks? She’s not doing them because she wants to, but because she has to. The only reason she has even considered doing this was because she didn’t know what else to do, just like before. In reality, it was I who got the talks started, despite them being a waste of time. Don’t you see? My invasion created progress! Before me, all she did was nothing but delay the inevitable. How do you think I convinced the people to remove her in the first place?”

Pinkie remembered the queen admitting that she wasn’t too fond of ponies before, but refused to believe Chrysalis was right about everything else. “Well at least she didn’t try invading us like you did, you evil changeling!”

“You still don’t get it, do you? My choice was the best choice, you stupid pony. Let’s say I tried appealing to Celestia instead of crashing the wedding. First, I would have to pray that she took mercy on us and allow us to come and feed. If she was willing to banish Luna for a thousand years, then it wouldn’t be hard to imagine her doing something horrible to a race that dined on her subjects’ emotions. Now if she were to accept us, that would leave the rest of Equestria. You believe ponies only hate us because what I did, but you are wrong. I’ve read your history and you ponies used to hate each other solely on appearance. Just because you had wings, horns, or neither did your kind feel the need to oppress the others. Your hate for each other was so powerful, you turned your kingdoms into icy wastelands. Now if you ponies could hate each other that much, how do you think it would have gone with changelings suddenly coming in?”

“Um…we’d get over it eventually like we did with each other and the other races?” Pinkie guessed.

Chrysalis laughed. “Not even close. There would have been serious prejudice against our kind, like what will happen if these negotiations go through. Changelings would have been shunned by ponies because of our feeding habits and how we look, not to mention our power to take another’s form. Over time, things would get out of hoof as tension grew and push would come to shove. So in the end, my invasion changes nothing. If we just tried being peaceful in the start, it would still bring the inevitable. However, had I succeeded back then, you ponies would have been left in a peaceful slumber while the changelings lived happily, completely eliminating this conflict all together. And that is why my idea of taking over Equestria was a good one.”

Pinkie shook her head. “You’re wrong, Chrysalis! I know it would be hard at first, but we’d all get along at some point. We just have to try.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “It would never work, not in a million years. You need to stop using your imagination and look at the reality. Ponies and changelings won’t get along and they never will.”

The pony thought hard of what to say to her, actually considering her reasoning. Was Chrysalis actually right? Would the changelings and ponies struggle with each other if they were to come to Equestria? She knew that other races had a rough relationship with ponies at first, but that changed over time. Pinkie and her friends promised they would do their best to ensure the same happened with the changelings and Pinkie swore she would never give up helping them until they were loved. As her resolve returned, she then remembered something Chrysalis said earlier and she got an idea. “So you’re saying ponies and changelings can’t learn how to like each other?”

“Correct. Haven’t you noticed how my subjects took pleasure in attacking your city? Their anger towards your kind has always been there. I just helped them bring it out.”

“And you must hate ponies more than any changeling,” she emphasized.

The changeling showed her scowl. “You bet I do. A lesser race driving us into fear and making us living underground in secrecy while we starved? I despise you hay eaters more than any other and I intend to make you all pay.”

“And you hated me, right?” she asked happily.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her. “You and your rotten friends injured quite a number of my changelings and the fact you are friends with Twilight certainly does not help. I despise you, Pinkie.”

“My point exactly,” the pony said triumphantly.

The former queen cocked her head from her change in mood. “Huh?”

Pinkie produced a large grin, annoying her foe. “You have just proven that changelings and ponies can get along! Isn’t that great?”

“How have I done that? I’ve said no such thing!”

“You said you hated me as well as ponies super-duper much.”

“I still don’t follow.”

“But don’t you remember what you said?” the mare hinted.

“Huh?”

“Even though you hate me a lot, you said you were thinking about not invading because you cared about me! Don’t you see? You learned how to like me, a pony! And if you of all changelings can learn to like ponies, then why can’t our people learn to like each other?” Chrysalis’s eyes were as large as dinner plates as she stared off into space and Pinkie could see one twitching. “So aren’t you happy that we’re all going to be friends? Your changelings are going to be just fine. You’ll see!”

Chrysalis slowly looked back at Pinkie and the pony began to grow very fearful. As Chrysalis stared at her, her expressions shifted slowly into one of pure rage. Her eyes pierced through her and she was bearing her fangs. “You little worm!”

“Huh?”

“How dare you speak to me like that, you insignificant wretch!” she screeched. “I am a queen and I will not have my words used against me by filth like you!”

“You’re not a queen anymore. The changelings threw you out!” Pinkie argued angrily.

Chrysalis pressed her face against Pinkie’s and stared directly into her eyes. “It was not my fault! Twilight foiled me and Nymph made me look like a villain!”

“You are a villain!” 

“I am a queen who spoke and acted for her people! My changelings wanted to invade your country and I gave them the opportunity! The only reason they hate me now is because my sister told them lies!”

“No! They only wanted to hurt us because you gave them the idea! And because of that, ponies and changelings got hurt! You had them invade us because you wanted to do it for yourself, you selfish bug!”

“At least I was doing more than Nymph had done in her reign! She had no idea what to do about acquiring food and we were beginning to starve! I wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing, nor was I going to gamble our future away!”

That’s when a thought came to Pinkie. “If you care about the changelings, why didn’t you help her?”

Chrysalis no longer looked angry and was now uncertain. “What?”

“Chrysalis,” Pinkie said calmly, “she’s your sister for crying out loud. She needed help and you did nothing but make things worse for her. And because of that, changelings were starving. Why didn’t you help your little sister when she needed you?”

The changeling was at a loss for words, feeling doubtful about herself. “W-why should have I done anything for her? She stole my crown and lied to me for years. She brought it on to herself. B-besides, I did my part in feeding the people, she should have done hers.”

“But you said it was an ongoing problem even before you were crowned. You had all these big ideas that made them happier, so why did you wait until you were queen before doing anything? Why did you want them to get rid of Nymph first before giving your subjects a better future?”

Chrysalis looked away in shame, the truth painfully sinking into her. “I…I…”

“I’ll tell you why, Chrysalis. It’s because you don’t care about the changelings at all. You only care about yourself and your own needs.”

The former queen’s eyes shot open and she looked at her. “Stupid girl. I am doing this all for them! My new invasion will-”

“It’s not what they want, it’s what you want!” Pinkie interrupted. “It’s always been about what you want!”

The changeling took a defensive stance in front of the captive pony. “Oh, what do you know, Pinkie? How would you know what my subjects want? You know nothing of changelings!”

“Because they told me they wanted peace!”

Chrysalis’s stance shifted, feeling unsure. “Excuse me?”

Pinkie was feeling angry at her for what Chrysalis wanted to do, but she spoke calmly. “Celestia took us to Bugartha and they all told us they were so happy that she wanted to help them. They said they wanted to live with ponies and be happy, not to fight them like what you want to do.”

“But there can’t be peace between us!”

“Yes there can!” Pinkie countered. “You just don’t want to believe there can be because you don’t get to be a queen anymore if Nymph succeeds!”

“I’m protecting them from where Nymph is leading them!” she yelled defiantly.

“Protecting them from what? Happiness? Acceptance? You know how you said everypony would fear and hate the changelings? This is their one chance to change that and you are trying to stop it! It’s changelings like you are why everypony thinks they’re monsters and won’t give them a chance! And now you’re going to take their one chance away because you’re jealous, making the changelings live underground again.”

The changeling’s rage shifted into fear. “N-no! I…but they…”

“And do you know what they said about you?” Chrysalis froze, fearful of the answer. “They said they don’t like you. They said Nymph is a better queen than you’ll ever be!”

Loud, steady breathes could be heard from the changeling. “T-they didn’t say that.”

“Yes they did! They were all peaceful and you made them into invaders! They also know what you did to Nymph! They think you’re heartless and terrible!”

“Stop lying,” she threatened.

“And you know what? They’re right! You are going to hurt both ponies and changelings just so you can be a queen again; a queen they don’t want!”

“Stop it!”

“It’s true, Chrysalis! If you were a good ruler, then why did they want to get rid of you?”

“STOP IT!”

“They will find out about your plan and they will overthrow you again! Do you know why they hate you? Do you know why all your friends left you? Do you know why you are so miserable?”

Chrysalis’s eyes glowed green and she got in Pinkie’s face. “SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” 

“It's because you’re mean, because you’re selfish, and because you are flat out evil!”

Chrysalis threw a hoof forward, putting a hole in the wall inches from Pinkie’s head. The pony slowly turned her head to look at the hoof, almost wetting herself from the sight. Chrysalis just eyed the floor and didn’t move. “You’re right,” she muttered.

“I am?”

The changeling slowly nodded. “Yes. My changelings could create a peaceful society with the ponies. There will be some difficulties at the start, but I am sure they can be overcome with time and effort. And as for me, you are completely right about who I am. I am selfish. I am uncaring. I am a monster.”

Pinkie sighed with relief. “I’m glad that you-”

Chrysalis looked back up with a deranged look in her eyes. “But I don’t care.”

“WHAT!?”

“Don’t you get it? If I let these negotiations happen and they succeed, where will that leave me? Celestia still wants my head and Nymph must pay for what she has done! I must have my crown to keep my freedom and title, no matter the costs!”

“But Chrysalis-”

The changeling shoved a hoof into her mouth. “I am done listening to you, Pinkie. I will go through with my plan, escape from persecution, and have my revenge and you are not going to stop me!” Chrysalis started draining the love around her at an accelerated rate. “I will not be remembered as a failure! I will not let Nymph be victorious over me! I will not let Twilight get away with foiling my plans for paradise! I WILL NOT LET CELESTIA TURN ME INTO A GARDEN ORNAMENT! I AM CHRYSALIS, QUEEN OF THE CHANGELINGS!” Chrysalis’s horn and eyes glowed intensely bright and she began to conjure the spell.

Pinkie tried once more to free herself from her bindings. If she didn’t do something, things were going to end very badly for her and her friends. Realizing that fighting Chrysalis’s powerful magic was useless, she tried speaking to her. “Chrysalis, please don’t do this! I don’t want ponies or changelings getting hurt!”

“I must do this for survival. This is the only way I can win,” she answered as she kept feeding.

The pony shook her head. “It’s not the only way! You don’t have to do this!”

“Like I care. I think I’ll just stick with this plan and be done with you and your wretched kind, leaving my subjects as the dominate species of this world and me on top.”

Pinkie was panicking, fearful of losing her emotions. The changeling’s survival instinct was preventing her from seeing reason. Pinkie tried to remember what Nymph had said about her sister, but she realized something else from her visit to Bugartha. “But Chrysalis, your plan won’t work.”

The mad changeling rolled her eyes. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Yes I do! Just because you’re their queen doesn’t mean the changelings will like you. You are cruel and unloving, which is why they took Nymph’s side .You won’t have any friends and you will be lonely, just like right now. They probably hate you so much that they wouldn’t take you back even with a war because they could find someone better!”

Fear made a sudden return within Chrysalis. “T-they will take me back! They will require my leadership to win against the ponies!”

“But would they really believe Nymph did this? Would they believe that she, a kind queen who is friends with Princess Celestia, would suddenly decide to make war after trying to join ponies and changelings together for so long? Would they believe that you just suddenly returned to help them? Or will they know that you, the mean and nasty queen, caused it and imprison you instead? And don’t forget, only royal changelings can take all of a pony’s emotions, so you can’t control us to say her soldiers did it. And you can’t say Nymph did it because she is almost always in Bugartha and Canterlot with so many people watching her. You know what will happen instead? They will know it was you all along and arrest you!”

Pinkie could feel the magic holding her weaken. Chrysalis was visibly panicking, thinking over the words Pinkie had told her. The evil queen realized that her plan was completely flawed. Pinkie was right that the ponies and changelings would never believe Nymph would do such a thing after trying so hard to bring both species together. Her mind was a jumbled mess, trying out of pure desperation to come up with another plan to save herself. “Chrysalis?”

“Shut up and let me think!” the outcast screeched.

The pony could only produce a look of disappointment. “You’re still trying to think of an evil plan? Really?”

“I said be quiet!”

“Don’t you see? There’s nothing you can do to be queen again.”

“Liar!” Chrysalis’s mind increased its pace in its mad pursuit of creating a scheme to help her. Her temples were pounding and she was heavily sweating.

Knowing that Chrysalis was vulnerable, Pinkie made her move. “You were already the queen and you blew it. Do you really think you should do it again when Nymph has done a much better job than you? She may not be the best queen, but she’s actually nice and cares about the changelings more than herself, unlike you! You are the one leading the changelings to their doom, not her!”

Chrysalis put her hooves on her head, fearing that it would burst from the intense pain she was experiencing. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“Give them one reason why they should give up Nymph and take you instead; one reason why they would want a queen who would make war just to help herself in getting a crown she doesn’t deserve!” Chrysalis looked at her defiantly, but her expression immediately shifted into hopelessness as she could not form any words. “You think you can get what you want by being mean, but that’s why you’re so miserable now. You were supposed to be a good queen, but you just took advantage of being one. You forced changelings into giving what you wanted and persuaded them to attack us. If your own sister can’t stand you, why should your subjects? Why should anyone care about you? And if your mother saw you now, after teaching you so much of what it means to be a good queen, she would be so disappointed in you, Chrysalis!”

Pinkie immediately regretted saying her last sentence as Chrysalis’s magic wrapped around her throat. The pony struggled for air and could feel the magic intensifying from the furious changeling strangling her. Although she wasn’t a changeling, the pony could feel the anger being given off by the villain. Right as Pinkie started to lose consciousness, she was suddenly released as Chrysalis’s legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor. Pinkie sat against the wall, gasping for air as she looked at the royal changeling. Chrysalis didn’t stir from her spot, completely motionless with the exception of breathing.

Somehow, Pinkie stood victorious over Chrysalis. 

The pony worried about what Chrysalis was going to do next as she slowly inched her way towards her, hoping she was all right. “Chrysalis?” she asked nervously.

She flew back when the changeling stood back up. However, the former queen only hung her head in defeat as she slowly turned away. “I…failed…” she said, her voice heavily quivering. Chrysalis went to her bed and climbed onto it, pressing her face into the pillow. She just laid there without making a sound. 

Pinkie got up and went up to her, who turned her back towards her. “Chrysalis?”

“Go away. Just leave me here to rot.”

Pinkie frowned from her gloomy response. She went around the bed and got on the side next to Chrysalis, who turned away from her again. “Can we actually talk now? Please?”

“What’s there to talk about? Do you wish to gloat how you’re right and I’m wrong? Want to kick this pathetic excuse for a changeling while she’s down? Go ahead. I deserve it all. You’d be doing the world a big favor.”

“No. I just want to talk. So can we?”

Chrysalis sighed. “I don’t care anymore.”	

Pinkie wanted to start with what had been bothering her for so long. “So why did you start avoiding me and Luna, Chrysalis?”

“You both have been delightful to be around since I didn’t really have anyone to talk to and I didn’t want to hurt either of you. However, without an invasion, I would have no method of obtaining my people’s favor. I kept avoiding you both as much as I could in hopes that I could hate you both again, creating a reason for myself to invade Equestria. But in the end, I now just hate myself.”

“But-”

“So Celestia truly wishes to help the changelings?” Chrysalis interrupted.

The mare nodded, even though Chrysalis wasn’t facing her. “Of course she does. She and Luna and my friends care about them so much. We want to help feed them and be liked by other ponies. They deserve a chance.”

The changeling sighed. “I’m not sure whether to call you all noble or foolish, but I am grateful nonetheless.” 

“Why didn’t you believe she cared about them?”

“How could I? After everything I had done, what reason would there be to give us any aid? Even before that day, I feared what she would have done if she learned of our existence. I have heard of what she had done to those she found to be a threat and it seemed obvious she would do the same to a race that feed off her subjects.”

Pinkie could sort of see why Chrysalis thought invading was a better idea. Along with her dream of taking over, the royal changeling seemed to have thought up of many plausible reasons why invading and removing the pony threat was a method of survival. Maybe things would have gone better had Nymph not been removed from the throne. “Chrysalis, why do you care about being the queen so much?”

The changeling remained silent for a moment. “I…don’t know what else to do with my life.”

“What do you mean?”

Chrysalis rolled onto her back and faced the ceiling. “All my life, I dreamed of being a good queen just like Mother. To be loved, to be successful, to be questioned by none. She was my hero. All I ever wanted to do was make her proud. It wasn’t just something I took lightly, Pinkie. I worked myself to the bone to ensure that I would bring happiness to my people. But then, it just disappeared. Seeing Nymph live my dream broke me. I had never prepared for something like that. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the rest of my life.”

“You got mad at Nymph because you didn’t know what you wanted to do? Weren’t you a princess? Why didn’t you just do that?”

“Because it was not enough for me. A queen shapes the future of her kingdom, leads them through hardships. I wanted it more than anything and I could not accept losing it.” The fugitive sighed as she rubbed her eyes. “Let me put it in a way you understand. Imagine that long before you met Twilight, you knew you were going to be the Element of Laughter. You grow up thinking about yourself and the role you would play, dreaming of being Equestria’s hero and making good friends as well. But then, on the night Nightmare Moon returned and when the Elements were awakened, it wasn’t you, but your closest friend or sister who gets the title. They go and have adventures with friends who were supposed to be yours while you get nothing. You would never be able to accept it and you would give blame to your friend. That feeling, Pinkie, was what I felt all those years ago and refused to let go of.”

Pinkie could feel her chest ache. The thought of something like that happening did not sit well with her. “But there is no way Nymph would ever do something like that. She would never hurt you.”

“Then how do you explain it, Pinkie? My Mother had always told me that I would be a great queen for the changelings; that I was a born leader, and when the time finally came, she just suddenly changes her mind.”

Even the party pony found it to be odd, but she didn’t believe what Chrysalis thought. She had met Nymph and she was desperate to find Chrysalis and have her back. There was no way she would have done such a thing to her. “I…I don’t know, but I refuse to believe that’s what happened. Sisters are supposed to love each other!”

“I envy your ignorance.” The princess just turned away and faced the wall in front of her.

Pinkie placed a hoof on her shoulder. “So what are you going to do now, Chrysalis?”

There was a long and uncomfortable pause. “My life is pretty much over at this point. I am a total failure and nothing will change that.”

Pinkie scooted closer to her. “You are not a failure.”

“Yes I am. The crown is no longer within my grasp, I am the most hated thing alive, and I have ultimately lost in my quest. I have nothing left in this world. No one would miss me if I was dead.”

“Nymph would miss you, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “Have you heard a word I said? She has no reason to like me. I am beyond redemption for causing suffering to both our species. You were completely right. While I did invade for food, I just wanted the glory. I didn’t care about ponies and only saw making myself a legend.”

“But she does care about you. She told us so much about you and she said she misses you.” Chrysalis didn’t bother answering, likely not believing her. “She even attacked Twilight for you.”

This caught the outcast’s attention and she faced her company. “She…what?”

“Twilight said horrible things about you and Nymph got really mad. She cares about you so much and she’s really worried about you. You have to believe me.”

Chrysalis was in total disbelief that Nymph would even consider giving her another chance, but resumed her moping when she turned away again. “Even if she did still love me, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am still Equestria’s most wanted. Ponies hate me for attacking them and changelings hate me for being cruel and for endangering our kingdom. And before you even think that saying sorry will help, you are wrong. Celestia will just make me a statue and call it a day.”

Pinkie gently rubbed her cheek. “It will help. It’s just you’re going to have to do more to make up for everything you did. Remember how I said there was another way to help yourself? I think I have an idea of how to make everything better.”

The princess swatted her hoof away. “Don’t bother. It’s over.”

“It is not over. You just have to try.”

“I pity your childish imagination, thinking that everyone gets to live happily ever after. The truth is I won’t. I have done too much unforgivable things and I will never be able to cleanse myself of my sins.”

“It will work!” Pinkie insisted cheerfully. “You just have to trust me. Besides, what else do you got to lose?”

Chrysalis sighed, not caring for any false hope. “And what possible idea could you have, Pinkie?”

“Well first, I have question: what do you want, Chrysalis?”

“My crown and vengeance,” she answered.

The pony was not too pleased by her answer. “Nothing else? Are those the only two things you care about?”

“Twilight exposing me not only had me nearly killed, but I lost everything out of my failure, including being the queen. It was my destiny. It was my entire purpose in life. I was supposed to lead my subjects into prosperity, not despair. I need to be queen again so I can fix this mess and bring a golden age to the changelings.”

Pinkie turned her around and took her hoof. “Are you sure you want to be queen again? You weren’t that good and they all hate you now.” She saw that Chrysalis took great offense to that and quickly continued. “Just because your mom didn’t pick you doesn’t mean she didn’t love you or that Nymph went against you. And you don’t have to be a queen to do anything important. You can just be you and do so many good things. I’m just a pony and you’ve seen how happy I make others.”

“But Twilight…”

“Stop!” she shouted suddenly, startling Chrysalis. “I know you are mad at her, but what else was she supposed to do? You forced her into stopping you because of what you had planned. She was protecting the ones she loved, who were being threatened by you. Wouldn’t you do everything you could to protect your loved ones?”

Once again, Pinkie was right and Chrysalis could feel her self-loathing grow. “I…suppose.”

“So I’ll ask again: what do you want?”

The changeling took her time to find the answer. “I don’t want to suffer anymore.”

Pinkie rubbed the changeling’s hoof. “Go on.”

“I miss my old life. I miss my home, my mother, my…sister. I don’t want to live in hiding anymore. I don’t want to be remembered as a monster. I want to be free, to be myself. I am afraid of being alone again. Being isolated for so long has been absolutely agonizing. I guess I only dealt with it so well before was because I was occupied with ruling the kingdom. But since I’ve been living here, I actually began enjoying the company of you ponies.” She sighed dejectedly. “You are right of how I truly am giving the changelings a bad name. I should have listened to Nymph about the wedding, but my hate for her blinded me from her reasoning. We are only so lucky Celestia did not wish to exterminate us for our assault.” Chrysalis began sniffling. “I just wanted the outside world to be something we owned and not feared. Had I thought things through and actually did research, I would have seen Celestia for the kind soul she is and maybe approach her diplomatically first. But then again, I wouldn’t have cared, being who I was back then. As for what I want, I wish for forgiveness for my mistakes and to return home to live a peaceful and quiet life, dedicating myself to shaping my people’s future for the better.”

“What about Nymph?”

“That is a double-edged sword, Pinkie. If I am right about her stealing the crown, then that says enough. If I am wrong…” Chrysalis closed her eyes. “…then every horrible thing I did to her was for nothing.”

“Chrysalis, I know it’s difficult, but the important thing is you are sorry. Nymph still misses you and she would be so happy if she saw how you learned your lesson. You have to try to make things better between you two. I know you still love her.” Chrysalis slowly nodded. “And wouldn’t your parents want you two to make up instead of fighting?”

“They would.”

“So what if you could get Nymph back, have everyone forgive you, and make new friends? Would that make you happy?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes. Yes, it would.”

“So no more evil stuff?”

The changeling sighed. “No more.”

Pinkie’s expression was beaming. “That’s great! So you know how you’re pretending to be friends with my friends? Well you just need to actually be their friends along with Luna and Celestia and when they see how different you’ve become, they’ll forgive you. It shouldn’t be so hard since Nymph told us how nice you used to be.”

“You’re still forgetting the problem with the citizens of both of our nations. They would rather see me in a jail cell and I’m sure they can pressure Nymph or your princesses into doing so.”

“But we can change that, Chrysalis! You know how you’re super famous as Cherub right now and almost everypony is wondering what you’re up to?”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow as her curiosity rose. “Yeah?”

“Everypony thinks you’re a totally awesome matchmaker and we can use that to help you since everyone will know about you. You just have to act really nice and help everypony and changeling you can by creating love! If you can help more ponies find special someponies, then more ponies will be happy because they’re in love and the changelings will be happy because there will be more food! And when they see that it was all you and how much of a great friend of the princesses you are, they’ll totally give you a chance. And then you’ll live happily ever after! So what do you think? Is a great idea or what?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

This pony never ceased to surprise her. “That sounds…really clever, to be honest.”

“Great! And after we finish, you can just be a princess that still helps her people. But if they don’t let you be a princess anymore, we can find something you like doing together. It’s going to be a while, but everything’s going to be okay, Chrysalis. I promise.” Despite her excitement, Chrysalis looked very depressed. “What?”

“Pinkie, why are you doing this? The invasion aside, I have told you how horrid I truly am, I have done nothing but insult and demean you ever since I came here, and even threatened your home once again. Why not simply imprison me and be done with it? What could you possibly gain from helping me? What is it that you want from me so badly?”

“A friend.” 

Chrysalis gasped, unable to believe her ears. “After everything I did and admitted, you…still want to be my friend?”

“Yes I do. You may think it’s stupid for me to still want to, but it’s even more stupid to have enemies. Why fight when we can just get along? What does hating each other ever do? If we stay mad at each other, then we just keep fighting and somepony is always miserable. I don’t want you to suffer anymore, Chrysalis. You saw what being sad almost made you do. Rather than just keeping you all sad and miserable, I just want you to be happy. So please, Chrysalis,” Pinkie hugged the changeling, pressing her face into her chest, “will you be my friend?” 

It took a moment for Chrysalis to believe this was happening.  She was so tired of feeling lost and alone and just wished for her torment to end. She no longer desired to be a ruler, but only to be loved and accepted once again. Since Pinkie gave her a chance, Chrysalis would do the same for her. A small smile appeared on her lips as she slowly held Pinkie with her forelegs and hugged her. “Yes, Pinkie,” she whispered. “I want to be your friend.”

They laid there for several minutes, neither making a sound as they enjoyed each other’s embrace. Chrysalis felt her fears and doubts fade away, knowing that there was still hope for her. It wasn’t exactly how she envisioned her future, but she was more than willing to take it. She buried her face in Pinkie’s mane, noticing how it carried the scent of cotton candy. She couldn’t remember the last time she did something like this with anyone, but she missed the feeling so much. “So do you feel better now?” asked the earth pony.

“Yes and thank you. Pinkie, I want you to know that I am sorry for what I did during the wedding and for being such a jerk to you when I posed as Cherub. I’m also very sorry for going mad earlier. What you saw wasn’t me. I would never do such a terrible thing to my people. I just got upset over everything and was thinking irrationally.”

Pinkie looked up at her. “It’s okay. I forgive you. But you know what we should do? We should write a letter to Nymph and tell her you’re ok!”

“No.”

Pinkie immediately frowned. “Why not?”

“Two reasons. The first is if Celestia hears that I have written to her, her guards will be all over it and they will trace it back to us in no time. Even using the mirror for communication would be risky since she could trace the magic.”

“Oh. So what’s the second reason?”

Chrysalis sighed and closed her eyes. “I…just don’t want to speak with Nymph right now.”

“Why not? She misses you.”

The fallen queen tightened her hold on the pony. “I’m afraid I still have some lingering doubts about her and need more time to think things over. Please understand.”

Pinkie wanted to argue with her, but she didn’t want to spoil the mood. “Okay.”

“I will in time, but I just want to focus on helping me right now. I have so much on my mind that I wouldn’t know what to say to her.”

“Then we’ll worry about it later.” Pinkie then pulled away and got off the bed. “Hey, you know what will cheer you up? Celebrating your birthday!”

Chrysalis actually smiled and stood up. “As long as it’s just the two of us.” They exited her bedroom and returned to the main room down the stairs. Chrysalis sat her desk and Pinkie held up the cake to her.

“So do you like it?” 

The changeling princess looked down at the treat. It was a small, chocolate cake with pink frosting used for writing. She noticed something was incorrect and laughed. “I do, but I think the age is a little off.”

Pinkie looked at what she wrote and then back at her. “Well how old are you?”

“I’m three hundred and sixty two years old today.”

The mare’s jaw dropped. “Wow, you’re way older than my granny! But I don’t think I can fit that many candles on it.”

Chrysalis chuckled amusingly. “That’s fine, Pinkie. Maybe next year we could make a cake large enough to fit them all.”

Pinkie nodded. “It’s a promise! So are you going to blow them out?”

“I might as well.”

“Don’t forget to make a wish!”

Chrysalis thought that was a bit silly, but she decided to do it anyway. In her mind, she wished that everything would work out for her and she would find happiness. Holding onto that thought, she took a deep breath and blew them out.

Pinkie applauded her and cheered loudly, but she slowly came to a stop. “Oh…”

“What?”

“I kinda remembered it was your birthday last night, so I didn’t get you a present.” Pinkie stared at the floor, completely crushed. “I’m sorry…”

Chrysalis could feel how down she was, so she reached a hoof over to her. “Don’t be. You’ve already given me a present that will last forever.”

The pony looked up. “Really?”

“Your friendship, Pinkie. It is a gift worth more than anything and I’ll treasure it always.” She got up and made her way to Pinkie. “You know, I think you deserve a gift as well for coming to my aid and giving me a second chance. No one else has done that for me since the invasion.”

Pinkie couldn’t hold back her grin. “A gift? For me?”

“Oh yes. It isn’t much, but I hope it expresses my gratitude.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes.”

Pinkie giggled excitedly as she closed her eyes, but then something happened that made them shoot open. She felt something press against her face and she could see Chrysalis kissing her on the cheek. “Whoa…”

“Sorry to have surprised you. A kiss from a royal changeling is considered to be one of the highest blessings one can receive in my culture and after all you have done for me, I felt like you deserved it.”

“Well I really liked it. I don’t think Fluttershy will, though.”

Chrysalis giggled. “Good point. When all of this is over with, I promise you that I will reward you with whatever you desire for all your help.”

“Your happiness is all I want, Chrysalis. Speaking of which, it’s cake time!”





They spent several hours celebrating Chrysalis’s birthday in her home. Despite it only being the two of them, Chrysalis deeply enjoyed the party. She was actually willing to play some of the party games and felt like a kid again. She never did anything as fun for her birthday since her mother passed and wished she met Pinkie earlier. Once they finished, they just lied on the couches and talked for a long time. Chrysalis felt good from opening up and she could feel a connection growing between her and Pinkie.

Eventually, sunset was approaching and they decided to discuss business, which was going to go through some major changes. “So our new building will be ready later this week and we need to decide what we need to add in order to improve our performance. I’d like something to keep the customers distracted while you and I are out on a job since that is our prime issue.”

The pony immediately had an answer. “I know! Why don’t we have an ice cream stand?”

The changeling rolled her eyes. “Try to be realistic. I’d like them to maybe find some love while we’re out on business. Progress shouldn’t stop while we are away.”

Pinkie rubbed her chin. “We could have them date each other while waiting? Like speed dating?”

Chrysalis happily clapped her hooves. “Yes! That is an excellent idea.” She wrote it down on the paper and held it when she finished. “So we’ll need a secretary to create and organize the profiles and keep the costumers in check, somepony to run the speed dating, and security.”

“Security?”

“With so many ponies in one place, I can promise you something will go wrong. Plus I am done with being harassed by lonely losers,” she spat disdainfully. “Now the question is who I would want to hire for these jobs.”

Pinkie stuck her tongue out as she thought intensely of who would best suit the jobs they were considering. After a minute, she gasped loudly, catching her boss’s attention. “I know who we could get! Spike and Twilight are really smart and are good at organizing, so they could be your secretaries. And I’m sure we could get Rarity or Fluttershy to help run the speed dating and Applejack or Rainbow Dash could be security since they’re really tough!” Pinkie could see her friend giving her a blank stare. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like my friends?”

“Only a little. Well, all but one.”

Pinkie could easily guess who she was referring to. “Twilight? But why?”

“Because she’s the reason I’m in this mess in the first place!”

“Can you blame her? You tried to marry her brother by stealing the bride. What would you do if somepony evil wanted to marry Nymph and take over the Changeling Kingdom? And besides, this is great way for you two to get along.”

Chrysalis crossed her forelegs and huffed. “Fine.”

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie leapt off the sofa. “I’ll go tell them right now!”

Chrysalis got up and stashed her papers in her desk. “Have them come by tomorrow so I can talk about it with them and be sure to tell them that I won’t be so much of a jerk from this point on. I’m a brand new Cherub.”

“Can do!” Pinkie got to the door and looked at Chrysalis. “So you want to do something fun tomorrow? We still won’t have work for a while.”

The changeling smiled warmly and nodded. “That would be lovely. However, I would prefer if we just sat and talk for some time before actually doing something. I really need someone to listen to me.”

“Okay. Are you going to be okay until then?”

The changeling placed a hoof on her forehead. “I…I don’t know if I want to be left alone again, but I’ll try. I don’t want to make you stay.”

Pinkie really didn’t want to leave her alone, but she was sure Fluttershy and the Cakes would wonder where she was. Then Pinkie remembered the changeling’s other friend. “Don’t be sad. Why don’t you write to Luna? I’m sure she will want to talk to you.”

Chrysalis suddenly remembered the Moon Princess. Even if she didn’t know the real her, her friendship was something she valued highly. “That is a good idea. I shouldn’t have blown her off and I bet she’s wondering what I’ve been up to. I also do miss her company.” She walked over and bent down to get on Pinkie’s level. “Before you go, there’s something I need to say to you.”

“What?”

She sighed. “Pinkie, I am so sorry about everything I did.” She hugged Pinkie, who returned the gesture. “Thank you for everything, Pinkie. I can easily say that you’re my best friend.”

Pinkie produced a very long gasp. “Really?”

“I do, considering you’re my only friend.” Chrysalis released her from the embrace. “Goodbye, Pinkie. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Me too! Bye, Chrysie!” Pinkie quickly went through the door, now on the search for her closest friends.

Chrysalis locked the door, mildly annoyed. She did not like it when she was called Chrysie, especially since she and Nymph were not on the best of terms. Speaking of Nymph, she wondered if there was any truth to what Pinkie said. If Nymph really didn’t do anything, why did her mother change her mind? Did she know what Chrysalis’s reign would have brought? She shook her head, deciding to worry about such things later. Her bigger concern was to get Nymph to give her a chance, which might be harder to do than having Celestia do the same. 

With Pinkie gone, Chrysalis was alone with her thoughts. She began replaying over the wedding in her head, looking at it with a new perspective. She remembered how Cadance cried and begged her to let her go while Chrysalis just taunted her. She was going to use her lover as a personal feeder and destroy her home for her own needs. Chrysalis could feel the guilt growing within her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. All those ponies running in terror as her soldiers unleashed havoc on them. And then in the end, she was thrown out of Canterlot by the barrier. Chrysalis shut her eyes and clenched her teeth as she remembered falling. She had never been so scared in her entire life. She remembered counting the moments until she finally landed, wondering if she was going to die. But in the end, she survived, only to be kicked out of her home and labeled as a monster. Chrysalis forced these thoughts out of her mind, feeling incredibly depressed and knowing she would go mad once more if she kept it up.

Chrysalis lied on the couch and stared at her ceiling. It was certainly shocking to hear that Nymph assaulted Twilight as she was not the type to usually lash out like that. Chrysalis believed that the years of torment had affected her sister in some way, which was not too hard to imagine. Most likely Nymph would not simply sweep their history under the rug and would have some sort of payback in store for her, which made her nervous. The queen was willing to give her sister to Celestia for punishment, so obviously she was still mad. It would probably be many years before things would be normal between them.

Speaking of younger sisters, she decided it was time to talk to Luna. She got up from her couch and made her way to her desk. In the bottom drawer was the mailbox that the princess gave her, which she pulled out. She then got a blank sheet of paper and a quill and began to write. She wrote a brief letter apologizing for cutting her off and requesting her to come over as soon as she could. Once she finished, Chrysalis put it inside the mailbox and closed it, sending it to the alicorn. She then remembered she had those letters Luna sent her that she hadn’t read and decided to give them a look, so she went upstairs.

In her bedroom, she rested on the bed as she pulled out the stack from the nightstand drawer. She began in chronological order. The first few letters were like the usual ones, talking about interesting stuff and asking a few questions about her. They made her smile faintly, remembering the good times they had before. Then came the letters when Luna noticed something wrong with her. She asked her what was bothering her and requested to visit so they could talk. Chrysalis could feel a weight in her chest grow as she read more, noticing that Luna was progressively getting more desperate in getting an answer. The last letters made her feel the worst. Luna was asking if she did something wrong that offended her and kept begging for forgiveness. All the letters involved her pleading for Chrysalis to talk with her and for them to be friends again. It was clear Luna was not taking her silent treatment well at all. Once she finished the last one, the former queen placed them on the nightstand and stared at her ceiling.

Now she felt extremely depressed. How could she have done that to the poor girl? The princess was struggling to make friends and she just tossed her aside because she was too busy thinking about her own selfish needs. Not only had she done this to Luna, but to Pinkie and Nymph as well. Her desire to be a hero was so strong that she wanted to push them away. Even worse, it turned her into a monster. All she felt like doing now was lie in her bed, feeling worse than she ever had in a long time. She could feel some tears roll down her face and was glad no one could see her. The sight of a royal changeling such as herself crying was pathetic.

Her mind was clouding with thoughts of her misdeeds. Now she could see how wrong she really was all this time. How could she have lost sight of what was important? She was raised to put her subjects ahead of herself, but when she found her dream threatened, she had completely forgotten this lesson. She thought about what Pinkie said of the changelings’ opinion of her. If everything she said was true, then she was already finished. Pinkie’s plan wasn’t going to work. She would just be arrested, tossed away, and forgotten. There was no hope for her. She should just give up instead of investing in something that was doomed before it even started.

Her thoughts were interrupted by loud knocking on her front door. Knowing who was there, she forced herself up off the bed and headed for the stairway. She could feel herself growing more anxious as she approached the front door. Would Luna be mad at her for treating her like that? What could Chrysalis even say to her? She had no excuse to provide and she most certainly could not tell her the truth. She felt absolutely awful and did not want to see her right now, but she knew this had to be done. She took a deep breath before opening the door. “Hello, Luna.”

“Hello, Cherub,” the alicorn greeted. “It has been far too long. May I come inside?”

“S-sure.” She stepped aside to let the princess in her home. “I wasn’t expecting a visit so soon, to be honest.”

“Well I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.” Luna sat at the couch and while Chrysalis sat across from her. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you look like Tartarus.”

Chrysalis lied on her side and sighed. “I feel like it, too.”

The pony didn’t even crack a smile. “What’s going on, Cherub? You’ve been acting strange for weeks and you wanted nothing to do with me without saying why. I tried to get answers through writing to you, but you never replied. You were my friend and you just decided to leave me in the dark.”

Chrysalis could see that Luna was very mad. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I was busy with things.”

“So busy that you couldn’t even drop by and say hi while attending a party right outside my home?” Chrysalis quickly sat up and looked at her in surprise. “The music woke me up early and I decided to take a look and who do I find there? You. I thought to myself maybe you had come to your senses and wanted to visit, but you just left. My hopes were crushed and I just felt miserable for the night, wondering if I had done something to lose you. Rarity showed up later and when I asked her about you, she said you had a great time and never once asked about me. So you were so busy boosting your own reputation you couldn’t possibly bother to visit your friend? No offense, but that’s a pretty hurtful thing to do.”

Chrysalis looked at the floor in front of her, feeling guilt pushing down hard on her. “I…didn’t know.”

“So would you care to share what had you so busy that you didn’t even bother to talk to me for several weeks? I bet you didn’t even look at my letters,” she accused coldly.

Luna’s aggressive tone was hurting her, even more since she couldn’t tell her the truth. “N-no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“No? You’re going to keep another secret from me after all this and pretend it never happened? Do you even think of me as a friend, Cherub?”

“O-of course I do, Luna! You’re a great friend!”

Luna crossed her forelegs and looked sternly at her. “Then why are you playing these games with me? I try to be your friend, but you don’t seem to value me so much. What have I ever done to you?”

“Nothing!”

“Then what? Why can’t we talk like adults? Why did you avoid me when I have done nothing?”

Chrysalis was reaching breaking point as she flashed back to the last time she had an argument like this. “I…I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You wanted to be rid of me and you don’t know why? What is it going to take for you to be honest with me? Now that I think about it, are we even friends? Am I just wasting my time with you? I will gladly leave right now if you don’t-” All of sudden, Chrysalis broke out into loud bawling right in front of her. “Cherub?”

“I’m sorry!” the changeling cried. “You’re completely right! I am a horrible, worthless friend! I know that I deserve nothing from you, but please don’t leave me! I…I can’t stand being alone again! I won’t hurt you again, just please don’t cast me aside! Give me another chance!” Chrysalis dug her face into her hooves and wept uncontrollably. It was probably the most embarrassing thing she had ever done, but she was too upset to care. It hit her hard that she treated those who actually cared about her like this to the point they were willing to give up on her. Ever since Nymph was chosen to be the new queen, Chrysalis had been in a spiral of self-destruction. She now thought Pinkie’s plan was absolutely pointless. No one was ever going to forgive her after all she did. She might as well just give up and stop fooling herself into believing there was any hope for her.

As Chrysalis sat there, she suddenly found herself in the warm embrace of Luna. The mare had her wrapped in an embrace with forelegs and wings. Rather than say anything, Chrysalis pressed her face into her shoulder as she sobbed. “It’s okay, Cherub. Just let it all out.” The red unicorn sobbed as Luna stroked her hair. This physical contact with the alicorn brought a sense of comfort to Chrysalis. The false unicorn wept on Luna for about ten minutes until she finally managed to calm herself down. “Better now?”

“Yes.” Chrysalis wiped her eyes and got on the other side of the couch. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay, but I would really like to know what’s going on with you. I have never seen you act like this before and I am very concerned.” She placed a hoof on Chrysalis’s. “You know you can talk to me.”

Chrysalis wished she could. She wished she could tell Luna everything and that she would be understanding and friendly like Pinkie was. But instead, she would have to spin another story. “I…suppose you deserve some truth after what I put you through.”

“Your past?” Luna asked, very curious.

“Yeah, but I would rather not get into the details of it right now. I let it affect me too much, actually wanting to push away my friends out of spite.”

“But what about now?” asked the blue pony.

“I’m fine now, at least to some extent. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do, probably years until it’s all behind me. I just hope I can pull it off. If I don’t, I…I’m scared of what will happen.” Chrysalis prayed that Pinkie’s plan would pull through as it was her last chance to be happy. The changeling then thought about what had happened today. She could not believe that she had snapped like that, willing to throw all her changelings into danger simply to avoid her punishment. She was extremely thankful that the pony managed to talk some sense into her and decided to help her after everything that happened. Chrysalis felt a little skeptical about Pinkie’s plan, but she didn’t have any other plan in mind. 

“It sounds very serious.”

“It is very serious. Luna, I’ve done…awful things. Hurtful things. I’ve brought pain to others who didn’t deserve it and even took delight in it. I think I may be messed up in the head. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but this needs to be said. You deserve to know more after how I treated you. The truth is I have lied to you about many things.”

The Night Princess gulped, fearful of what she was going to learn. “Like what?”

“First, let’s start with my wedding. My fiancé didn’t do anything bad. It was all me. I just blamed him to make myself feel better. I was out of control and too uncaring and he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore, which is why he broke it off. I was a monster and I couldn’t see myself for what I was.”

Luna gasped. “Goodness.”

“It affected my personality to the extent where my relationship with my sister fell apart. I then did something incredibly stupid and afterwards, I ran. I had to get away from it all and start anew, throwing everything I had behind. I was already punished for what I did, but I had to get away. Somehow, my ex-fiancé tracked me down and wanted to bring me home for my sister’s sake, but I would not have it. We got into a loud verbal argument and I threw his flank out. Since then, I just got sick of everypony, including you. I’m so sorry.”

Luna stared at her with wide eyes and with a hoof over her mouth. “I…I can’t believe this.”

“I’m sorry, but it is the truth. This is why I never talk about myself.” Chrysalis sighed. “But then, Pinkie found out a few things about me and I…got mad.”

Luna was now even more surprised. “How mad?”

“V-very. But in the end, she talked me down and we talked for a while. She made me realize how wrong I was. And now, I am working on my own redemption, if that is even possible for me.” She looked at the alicorn. “I need you to tell me something, Luna.”

“What is it?”

Chrysalis just threw herself at her, wrapping her forelegs around the alicorn’s warm body. “Tell me everything is going be okay. Tell me that I don’t need to be scared of what may come. Tell me…you’ll always be my friend.”

Luna smiled at her and held her. “Of course we’ll always be friends, Cherub, and you do not need to be afraid. Life is filled with many difficulties that will push you to your limits, but do not lose hope. You are a mare who is very remorseful of her actions and wishes to be redeemed. You have also shown to be very caring towards others, including me. And remember, I’ll always be here. I forgive you, Cherub, just please don’t do something like that again. I was hurt by what you did.”

The changeling tightened her grip, causing Luna to blush. “Thanks, Luna. I’m really sorry I cut you off like that without saying anything. I know you were worried and I should have said something.” Chrysalis released Luna. “Okay, that’s enough about that. My emotions need some rest, so we will talk about this more another time. It’s time to move on to more positive things. So I actually have a lot of time off from work and I was wondering if we could spend some time together and do some catching up, if you want to. I owe you that much.”

Luna smiled. “I would love to, Cherub. I really do miss your company.”

“I’m glad. And since I haven’t been fair to you, I want you to pick what you want us to do.”

The alicorn produced a grin. “Really?”

“Yes. I will do whatever you want to do. Your wish is my command.”

Luna’s expression reflected her incredible excitement. “I know exactly what I want to do. I’ve been planning to do this with Celestia and the Elements for a while, and I would happily take you with us.”

The changeling could only imagine what sort of activity Luna would be so eager about. Any royal gathering or sports event would be nice for a change, but she wouldn't be too picky as long as she was with her. “Sounds like fun. What do you have in mind?”

“I want us to go clubbing!”

Chrysalis chuckled. “That does sound like…wait. Clubbing!?”

“Oh yes! I have recently heard about these clubs ponies have at night, with bright lights and some great music!” Luna then began imitating some of the techno music with her mouth. “It is so great that ponies hold these fun activities during my night and I wish to try it for myself!”

The fugitive was still in shock. “C-clubbing!?”

“Yes, clubbing. Won’t it be fun?”

Chrysalis crossed her forelegs and looked away. “I won’t do it.”

Luna was shocked by her answer. “What? Why not?”

“Because it’s dumb.” Night clubs were something Chrysalis was very familiar with. It was an extremely popular thing for middle and lower class changelings to do while in Equestria. It provided them with music they had never heard, dancing that was fun to them, and a great way to find food. Chrysalis, however, thought it was stupid and degrading. As royalty, she was not fond of the idea of dancing like a madmare and just going home with some random stranger and heavily preferred her more tame social gatherings at home. Even Nymph, who loved studying the outside world, wanted nothing to do with night clubs.

“Come on, Cherub, it’ll be fun,” Luna pleaded.

“Absolutely not. As a celebrity, I cannot allow myself to partake in such foalish activity. I can’t believe you are even considering this, especially since you’re a princess.”

“But I thought you said you would do anything I wanted,” she reminded.

“Well I take it back. Pick something else.”

Luna lost her smile. “You really don’t want to go with me?”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

“…Please?”

The way Luna asked made her curious. Chrysalis looked at Luna and could see her pleading eyes. It wasn’t the sad puppy eyes Pinkie liked to use, but it showed that she really wanted her to go. Chrysalis tried to resist, but she was finding it very difficult to turn her down. After some consideration, she gave in. “If you really want me to, I guess I’ll go.”

Luna clapped her hooves, very pleased. “Oh, I’m so happy! I promise you that you will have a good time. I’ve always wanted to sing karaoke and shake my money maker.” She then became lost in thought. “But what is a money maker, I wonder, and why do you shake it?”

Chrysalis burst out laughing, confusing her friend. “You want me to tell you?”

“Please do.” 

The changeling got up, stood behind the princess, and pressed a hoof on Luna’s butt. “This is your money maker.”

The alicorn gasped and her face was as red as Chrysalis’s coat in her disguise. “What!? H-how is that a money maker!?”

“Well usually you need a pole, but all you do is wiggle it and stallions will throw bits at you like no tomorrow. So are you going to show those ponies that cute rump of yours?” Chrysalis asked as she continuously poked her rear.

Luna turned around, showing how embarrassed she was. “Stop touching me there and I most certainly will not! I will not let perverts pay me to show them my posterior. I shall be sure to warn Tia and the Elements as well to avoid any embarrassment.”

Chrysalis was ready to burst out laughing again. “That is a good idea. With the size of Celestia’s money maker, it wouldn’t be wise for her to swing around it without thought. Somepony could get hurt.”

The Princess of the Night put her hooves over her mouth and giggled uncontrollably. “You are terrible, Cherub, but I’m relieved that you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” Eventually, she managed to get a hold of herself. “Speaking of my sister, this will be your first time meeting her, won’t it?”

Chrysalis’s smile slowly disappeared, feeling uncomfortable. “Oh. I haven’t thought about that.”

Luna threw a hoof around her in attempts of reassuring her. “Don’t be nervous. She’s a nice pony just like me, not some stuck up snob. Just don’t crack jokes like that about her and you’ll live to see another day.”

They both snickered. “Good advice.” 

“So when do you want to go? I’m ready whenever you are.”

The reformed changeling sighed. “Definitely not tonight. I’ve had one heck of a day.”

“Very well. So what do you want to do tonight instead?”

Chrysalis thought for a moment, but she heard her stomach growl. Despite having love available, she still needed physical food and all she ate today was birthday cake. “Eat. I feel absolutely famished.”

“Well how about I take you out for dinner? I’ll pay for it, too.”

The matchmaker was pleased with the idea of getting free food. It was very sweet of Luna to treat her so well and to show her gratitude, she got up to her and nuzzled her cheek against hers.  “Oh, Luna, I will gladly go on a date with you,” she cooed.

Luna's cheeks turned crimson from the comment and pulled away. “I-it is not a date!” she stammered loudly.

Chrysalis just laughed at her reaction. “I know, I’m just teasing.” She was actually mildly disappointed. Luna had quite a nice body on her and a very cute personality. “I have to admit it is very kind of you to treat me like this, especially since I haven’t been too good to you lately.”

“You have helped me before, so I want to help you in any way I can.”

“Spending time with you is enough for me, but I will still accept your offer.” Chrysalis stretched her legs. “Might as well go now. It will rain soon and the sooner I get to bed, the better. I need rest.”

Chrysalis and Luna went to the door and the alicorn opened it for her. Outside, they walked together through Ponyville, where many ponies took notice of Luna. On their walk, Chrysalis tried to think about something they could discuss. Convinced that Luna and Celestia were not out to get vengeance on her species, she decided to ask her about that. “So…how is it going with the changelings?”

“Just fine. Peace talks are slow as usual and it doesn’t help with the other races watching, creating so much unneeded pressure.”

“The other races?” Chrysalis asked, now worried.

“Yes, they have been concerned about the changelings for a while and are constantly reminding my sister and me to be careful when dealing with them. I personally do not worry about them. Only their queen can be a potential threat, but she is on our side. It will take some time to convince the other leaders.”

“Pinkie has mentioned she and her friends paid Nymph a visit some time ago.”

“They have and it has helped them see the changelings in a better light. Twilight has actually accompanied Celestia to Bugartha a few times after and even by herself for some research.”

The changeling rolled her eyes, not surprised in the least. “Doesn’t surprise me. It’s all she ever does.”

Luna produced a small smile. “True, but she’s at least making good friends with Nymph.”

“I’m surprised she would even consider befriending her after what happened at her brother’s wedding.”

“She was reluctant at first, but she came around. I’m just surprised it took her a lot less time to trust her than it did for me, considering everything she had been through.” The alicorn sighed. “I do feel foolish for being so doubtful and cold towards her at first, expecting a trick. I have even frightened her at times. Even my sister has scolded me for being an airhead.”

Seeing how bothered her friend was, Chrysalis nudged her. “Well you just wanted to keep your people safe. It’s good that you and Celestia may have different opinions on things as it will allow you to look at both sides of things and give you time to evaluate your options. If Nymph was planning something, you both all of a sudden supporting her would have been bad. Don’t feel bad that you don’t always agree with your sister. If you did always have the same opinions, why would she need you to rule by her side?”

Luna thought about it a moment, and then smiled. “You know, I’ve never thought about it like that. Thanks, Cherub.”

“It is my pleasure. I take it Shining and Cadance have taken a liking to her by now?”

The Princess of the Night smirked. “Yes, but Shining often gets…flustered by her.”

The false unicorn raised her eyebrow. “How’s that?”

“I don’t know, but I think that queen might be a little too friendly with him. Sometimes I hear her call him Shiny and it seems like her eyes are often glued onto him.”

Chrysalis couldn’t help but chuckle. Nymph was always the flirty type and clearly she was drawn to the knight. She knew her sister would respect their marriage and not try something like Chrysalis had, but that wouldn’t stop her from putting them in awkward situations. “Can you blame her? He’s quite a catch.”

“I suppose he is, but she will end up in a cat fight with my niece if she does not control herself. I heard that many mares in the palace cried when they found out he was getting married to Cadance.”

“They’ll get over it. I’m surprised Celestia never fancied him, but I suppose she has seen more attractive stallions in her lifetime.” The changeling then felt a surge of surprise and mild nervousness from the pony. She figured this meant she was on to something. She looked at her and asked, “Luna, did Celestia have a thing for him?”

“W-w-what!? O-of course not! Do not be ridiculous! She was most certainly not upset that Cadance found him first!” she blabbed.

Chrysalis was in hysterics on the inside. “What about you? What was your thoughts on him?”

Luna gulped and began to sweat. She tried walking faster, but Chrysalis caught up, expecting an answer. “Well…he…uh…maybe?”

“Aw, Luna in love. That’s so sweet.”

The alicorn made sure no other pony could hear them. “I’m not in love! I just took a liking to him. The first moments of my life when I returned from the moon were hard and he was one of the only ponies that liked me and treated me well. I will admit he had a certain effect on me, but that’s all I will say about it.”

“I’m surprised Celestia hasn’t tried allowing polygamy,” Chrysalis joked.

“Now you’re starting to sound like Nymph.” Both of them broke into laughter, drawing attention of the other citizens around them. “But speaking of Nymph, the poor thing is exhausting herself trying to convince the ponies into accepting her kind. She hasn’t had a day off in months.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t finished by now.”

“Well ponies still think the changelings are out to get them and it doesn’t  help when a rumor like them eating babies or something comes up. Even if ponies can look past their mistake, there’s always economy issues and their influence on politics. Maybe she would have been finished by now if it wasn’t for Chrysalis.”

The changeling mentioned noticed the harsh voice she used to say her name. She knew Luna didn’t like the real her, but maybe she had a change of heart since the last time she met. Besides, she needed to know Luna’s opinion of her to get an understanding of how difficult finding forgiveness would be. “If you do find Chrysalis, what are you going to do with her?”

“Arrest her,” Luna answered sternly.

The changeling felt an emotional sting from her answer. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“You’re not going to give her a chance?” she asked worriedly.

The alicorn shook her head.  “A chance to what? Get revenge? I have to apprehend her before she does something dangerous. If she could overpower my own sister, there is no telling what she is capable of. I must do this for the good of all of us.” Luna looked to the distance. “I wasn’t there when Chrysalis invaded. I was asleep as her army descended onto Canterlot. I was not there to protect my home and I will never make that mistake again. I will take her down and make her understand what she has done.”

The fugitive started to feel afraid of her. “What if she feels remorse?”

Luna eyed her company with interest. “Remorse? Chrysalis? I hardly think that will happen with her.”

“I know it seems unlikely, but she does have a soul, Luna. Do you think it’s possible she has realized the error of her ways and is reflecting her life choices? Don’t forget, you went through this, too.”

Luna looked away and considered her words. “I suppose it is possible. If such a scenario does arise, I will show compassion. Nymph misses her terribly and I would like to see them make amends.”

Chrysalis smiled at her. “Thank you, Luna. You are very sweet.”

“Thanks, but we can only hope that will be the case with her. I am concerned with her trickery and I cannot afford to be deceived. My priority is to protect all that I hold dear: Celestia, the Elements, Equestria,” the alicorn looked at Chrysalis, “and you, Cherub.”

The changeling princess felt her face grow warm. “I really appreciate it, despite not deserving your kindness.”

“That is not true.” Luna extend her wing and wrapped it around the matchmaker, pulling her close. “You are my friend. I know you have been acting very rudely, but I still care about you. I don’t want to lose you again, Cherub. I will guard you with my life.”

Deeply touched by her words, Chrysalis reached up and kissed Luna’s cheek. “I feel safer already.”

Luna was completely surprised by what happened and it took her time to form words. “Did…did you just kiss me?”

“It’s just a little peck on the cheek,” the red unicorn teased.

The pony princess turned her head away. “No pony I have ever met would even dare trying something like that with Celestia or myself.”

“Well you don’t mind if I show how appreciative I am, do you?”

“No, I actually feel flattered,” she admitted. “It is not often I am shown such affection.”

“Well your subjects should appreciate you more. They do not understand how lucky they are to have somepony like you.” Chrysalis sighed. “Even I am guilty of this.”

“Please do not worry yourself about it. You were in a very stressful situation and you needed space. Besides, it is in the past. Let’s just move on and not dwell on past mistakes.”

“I hope we can,” said Chrysalis. “I really do.”





Chrysalis made the most of her free time and felt much better overall about her situation. It was actually now a common occurrence for ponies to see her smiling and her attitude improved to some extent. During the day and even night, she would spend her time with Pinkie, which often involved parties or her listening to Chrysalis’s woes and providing emotional support. In the evening, Luna would come over and they’d go out and do all the fun things Luna wanted to do, which the alicorn could do since night court provided her with a lot of free time. Chrysalis even met Celestia, who was as kind as Luna, but she couldn’t help but feel timid as she was sure the sun alicorn was still bitter about her defeat by her hooves. 

Chrysalis’s time off was over when Cupid’s Arrow was relocated to a much larger building. The main room was three times the size of the original and had a back room where they dealt with clients. They decided to go all out with the romantic theme in the main room. The wall paper was in pink and red stripes with little heart decorating it. A few tables were set up in a corner for the speed dating they planned. Jelly doughnuts would be provided for free along with the other usual treats as it would help create romance between ponies who were waiting to be called upon, which the changeling told her friend to stop eating without explaining why. Chrysalis even purchased a record player to play music that would set the mood.

Pinkie and Chrysalis managed to convince Twilight and the rest to come work for her, which would help Chrysalis win their trust in the long run. Mainly she persuaded them with high paychecks, which she could do since she was making good income, but everypony had their own reason for joining her. Since they were also busy with other things in their lives, she had it arranged so they came to work every other day, with three coming in one day and the rest the other day.

So far, everything worked out well. Dash was more than happy to be allowed to inflict pain on ponies whenever she was told to while Chrysalis watched for amusement. Applejack brought her apples with her and made a good profit by selling them to the waiting ponies, who often got hungry. Rarity was able to advertise her clothes for ponies who were ready to start dating and Spike was happy to able to work on the same day as her. Fluttershy was eager to work with Pinkie, but she had trouble controlling the speed daters, thinking if it was too soon or too late to hit the bell since she was nervous about disappointing the customers and needed Dash to help her occasionally. Twilight felt left out for being the only one of her friends to not have a special somepony and came when Chrysalis told her it was a good way to gain research on love. She was still looking for a pony she would consider dating, despite getting many offers. It would be some time for her to develop enough trust for them to give the real her a chance, but she was well on her way.

Today, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were working in the other room while Chrysalis and Pinkie could talk to clients and even each other in privacy. The false unicorn pushed a button on her intercom, which allowed her to speak with Twilight. “Next!” The door opened and somepony familiar to her entered. Unfortunately, Chrysalis was not very happy to see this individual. “Mr. Jelly? Is that you?”

“It is.” He sat down in front of her.

Chrysalis sighed loudly. “Believe or not, there are still no profiles for jam making mares after all this time.”

“That’s all right. I have already found the one.”

She looked up at him with some surprise. “You have?” She wondered what sort of mad mare would have possibly taken an interest in this guy. 

“Yes. I see a beautiful future for the both of us.”

Pinkie gasped. “That’s so great!”

“Yeah…congratulations. So I take it you’re here for relationship advice?”

“No.” The stallion reached into his bag and brought out a jar. When Chrysalis saw what it was, she just wanted to die. “I know this was made by you, Cherub,” he said, smiling. “It is truly the greatest thing to be ever brought into this world.”

Chrysalis slowly leaned away from him. “Um…thanks? Are you here just to complement my jelly or did you need something?”

“I am here to do something important.” He unscrewed the top of the jar and reached inside. When his hoof came back out, Pinkie shrieked happily while Chrysalis stared at him in absolute horror. 

“Cherub, will you marry me?”

“You’re going to get married!? This is the best day ever!”

Chrysalis was actually scared of the creepy pony. However, she was prepared for something like this. She smiled and leaned towards him. “Let me give you my answer.” She placed a hoof on the button. 

“SECURITY!”

The door flew open and Rainbow Dash appeared. She entered the room and started dragging him out. “Alright, let’s go, fella.”

Mr. Jelly struggled like mad to get back to Chrysalis. “Wait! You don’t understand! She’s my soul mate!”

“Excessive force has been authorized, Rainbow Dash! Zap him good!” Chrysalis sighed with relief when he disappeared and grew a crooked smile when she heard his yells of agony. 

Pinkie frowned when he was gone. “Aw, I wanted to make your wedding cake.” Chrysalis pointed a hoof towards her mouth and made a gagging face. 

Back in the main room, Fluttershy was biting her hooves nervously. “Oh, I know the timer says it’s time for them to switch, but those two ponies over there seem really happy.” She looked at another couple. “But then that mare doesn’t look very happy with that stallion. What should I do? I don’t think I have ever made such a tough decision!”

The door behind her rung and she heard familiar voices behind her. When Fluttershy saw who was there, she gasped very loudly. Rainbow saw the new customers and cracked her hooves. “Here comes trouble.”

Twilight was about to send another pony to see Chrysalis, but she saw the intruders heading straight for her office. “Hey, you can’t go in there! There’s a line!” Twilight hit the button on her speaker and said, “Cherub, we’ve got a problem!”

“A problem? What do you…” She fell silent when she heard two voices approaching her door and recognized them in less than a second. “Oh goodie, it’s…”

The door flung open and two familiar unicorns appeared “Ta-da!”

Pinkie waved her legs excitedly. “It’s the Mareio brothers!”

“That’s Flimflam to you!” corrected Flam.

When they took their seats, Dash appeared in the doorway. “Hey, jerk wads! I got a message from my friend Applejack!” She whipped out the tazer and approached them. 

When they saw what she was holding, they both panicked and hid behind their chairs. “H-hold on a minute, missy!” pleaded Flim. “Watch where you point that!”

“Oh Celestia, not that thing again! My life is flashing before my eyes!” yelled Flam. “No, Mom, I don’t want to sing the silly sugarplum song again!”

Chrysalis, in a panic, stood up before the pegasus reached them. “Relax, Rainbow! They’re cool!”

She looked at the changeling with confusion. “Seriously? These two?”

“Yes, now put that away and leave us!” Rainbow hesitated for a moment, but then she obeyed, leaving the room and closing the door. With the situation handled, Chrysalis sat down. “I apologize for that. So what are you two doing here? Don’t tell me one of you got dumped already.”

They both let out a sigh of relief as they sat down. “Don’t be silly. We’re here for another business proposition,” said Flim.

Remembering how much work their last deal took, Chrysalis was not very thrilled. “Another? What could you possibly want now?”

“Don’t be so negative. This will bring in lot of bits!” said Flam.

“And lots of love!” added the brother.

Chrysalis immediately became interested. “Go on.”

Flam cleared his throat. “Given your talent and celebrity status, I think we can do something amazing for the ponies of this town.”

“As well as the rest of Equestria!”

Now Chrysalis was hooked. Pinkie’s plan involved using her celebrity status to help achieve forgiveness, so maybe this could help accomplish that. “So what’s this amazing plan of yours?”

“Question: What’s the most romantic day of the year?” asked the one without facial hair.

Pinkie jumped up. “That’s an easy one! It’s Hearts and Hooves day!”

“Correct you are, girlie! Now imagine if we could make it more romantic. A fair with music, dancing, food, and so many ponies determined to find love! And you get to host the whole thing! With your fame, ponies from all over the nation will come!”

Chrysalis was loving what she was hearing. They may have been jerks, but they were possibly some of the smartest guys she had ever met. “That sounds like a brilliant idea!”

“Of course it is, since we thought it up! Now we just need you to help us with some of the funding and we will do the rest!” stated Flam happily.

“That will be no trouble at all. I will go to the mayor and we can have everything sorted out with the reservation. I’ll also have the money ready in a few weeks.”

Flim rubbed his hooves together, picturing the money they were going to make. “Splendid! Just inform us when you have it all done and we will begin coming up with what we’d want.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The stallions stood up. “Glad to hear you’re on board, Cherub. Now I’m afraid we must go as we have business elsewhere,” said Flim.

“That’s fine.” She shook both their hooves. “I wish you luck on whatever it is you are doing.”

“Thank you. And now we’re off,” said Flim. “Enjoy you day!” The two stallions exited the room and closed the door behind them.

Pinkie looked at the changeling, completely excited. “Wow, Chrysalis, this Hearts and Hooves is going to be the best one ever!”

Chrysalis’s face mirrored her friend’s, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I have to agree. If I can make enough ponies fall in love on that day, it will easily be enough to feed my people for a long time. They will take me back for sure. The media will be all over the event, so I could use it to my advantage. After Hearts and Hooves, every magazine and radio station will be talking about me and then I can show all the new Chrysalis.”

“Are you excited?”

“Very. It will be some months before then, but the wait will be more than worth it. I will be home where I belong and all will be forgiven.” She gave out a sigh. “Oh, how I miss my home. When I go back, I will never leave Bugartha again.”

The pony steadily lost her cheer. “You’ll come visit me, right?”

She nodded. “Of course I will. You are too important to me, Pinkie. I’ll always be around for you.”

Pinkie was happy once more. “But are you ever going to tell my friends who you are?”

“Once everything is squared away, I will tell them. However, I just thought of something.”

“What?"

The princess grew a look of concern. “We’ve been thinking how your friends will react to finding me out, but what about you?”

“Huh?”

Chrysalis sat up straight and spoke in a serious voice. “Pinkie, when your friends find out you have known about me and kept me a secret from them, they are not going to take it well at all.”

“Well it doesn’t  matter! You are my friend and I have made my decision to help you! They’ll understand!” She suddenly gulped. “I hope.” They both looked at each other, feeling the weight of the situation. It did not occur to either of them that Pinkie would be risking much for helping Chrysalis. She could lose all her friends or even be sent to prison in the worst case. The pony was whimpering, realizing how serious this was.

“Pinkie,” Chrysalis spoke comfortingly, “it’ll be okay. Fluttershy succeeded in helping Discord, so they won’t blame you for trying with me. You understand how Nymph misses me and wish to give her back the sister she lost. We just need to make the most of my time as Cherub to ensure they understand why you did what you did. Fluttershy would be so proud of you if she knew what you were doing.”

Pinkie sprang up out of her seat. “You’re totally right! It’ll all be ok! I can’t wait until we’re all friends!”

“Me too.” Chrysalis looked at the recent addition to her desk, which were two picture frames. The first one was her and Pinkie from her birthday. Pinkie made her get into disguise so they could get a photo and cherish the memory. The photo did provide her with an occasional smile, but it served as a reminder to her of what she did that day and to never make that mistake again. The other was of her and Luna during their night at the night club, each wearing sunglasses and carrying glow sticks. While Luna was a ruler of Equestria, that didn’t stop her from being a free spirit, doing whatever she pleased without giving the opinions of others any thought and knowing how to have a good time, which Chrysalis admired. She just hoped when the time came, Luna would accept her for who she was and they would remain friends. 

When Chrysalis was done thinking, she placed a hoof on the button. “Twilight, please send in the next pony.” A unicorn mare entered her room and seated herself before her. “Welcome to Cupid’s Arrow, where true love blooms. How may I help you today?”