//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 Vestiges of Peace // Story: Princess Celestia: The Changeling Queen // by vren55 //------------------------------// Chapter 14 Vestiges of Peace “War is what happens when language fails.” ― Margaret Atwood Dawn, a week later… Deep in the confines of the Everfree forest, stood the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. One catastrophic battle and a thousand years of neglect had taken its toll on the once proud structure. White stones, were now weather worn, draped in scarves of moss and streaks of mildew. Carefully carved statues and outcroppings now weathered stanchions of rock. The castle would need years of painstaking work in order to be restored to its former beauty. As of now though, I and my companions only needed a place where they could spend the day. A day where hopefully, this madness would end. Slowly, I trotted into the once magnificent entrance hall of the castle. In front of me, stood the placeholders for the Elements of Harmony. While the hall’s glass was beyond repair, the walls remained standing and would keep out the worst of the elements. Still, there was the matter of the open ceiling. I was aware that there were more comfortable places inside the castle, but I had no desire to interfere with the trap doors and switches that guarded them.. I turned to Luna, “Sister, can you cast a rain warding spell?” Luna blinked in a futile attempt to banish her tiredness. With a sigh, the alicorn’s horn glowed and I saw a night-blue barrier take the place of the hall’s empty ceiling. It turned the bright orange dawn light into a comforting indigo. “Thank you, Luna. You should go and rest. Blueblood, have the guards move our supplies here and then dismiss them. The presence of armed ponies will only antagonize Chrysalis,” I ordered. My nephew saluted and trotted back off to the guards waiting by our carriages. As Blueblood and the guards busied themselves with unloading our provisions and equipment for the day, I circled the hall. My horn glowed as I slowly cast wards of detection and of protection. While I may not be able to differentiate between changeling and pony with these wards, at least I would be alerted to any unknown presence. Finishing with a ward of privacy, I trotted back into the hall and giggled at Luna, fast asleep in her moon-patterned sleeping bag. The guards were no longer around and my wards no longer sensed them. Blueblood must have dismissed them. I searched for my nephew and found him painstakingly trying to unfold a blue and white striped lawn chair. “Um… Princess, would you like some tea?” asked a shy voice. I glanced at the final member of our party, a teacup and saucer balanced on her extended hoof. With a grateful smile, I took the teacup from Cyndra, daughter of Chrysalis, my sister. A changeling whom I might be seeing very soon. My horn glowed as I double-checked the poison detection spells in my chest-piece. I respected the little changeling, but I was not a fool. I would have to keep a close eye on her. Satisfied, I took a sip from the cup and savored the taste of Earl Grey. “Thank you, Cyndra. What is for breakfast?” I inquired. The changeling jumped a bit as I addressed her. I was momentarily confused until I realized she was probably surprised at the sound of her own name. Immediately after that, she fell into the routine monotone of a castle servant. “Our packed breakfast consist of hot oatmeal seasoned with honey and cinnamon. For drinks we have hot tea and coffee all packed in thermoses. We do have a pancake mix and frying pan, though we don’t have any stove to cook it with,” said Cyndra. I gave my tea cup and saucer to Cyndra before trotting off to the exit of the hall. “I’ll light a campfire, you set up the picnic cloth and the cooking equipment.” After a couple of branches, a ring of rocks to create a firepit and a simple fire spell, I had a nice warm flame in the centre of the hall. Satisfied, I turned to see Cyndra with the frying pan in her hooves. “Cyndra, you don’t need to disguise yourself any longer. You can use your magic,” I said. The changeling cringed, but she shed her disguise. Now that I knew about her heritage, I began to see the family resemblance. Cyndra had green lenses, the exact same shade as my sister’s eyes. Her features were more graceful, less like a regular scout’s, more like a queen’s. Her horn was also longer than usual changelings. Quickly, I turned my attention away from Cyndra and to the placement of the cutlery onto the picnic cloth. It would not bode well for her to catch me staring. The crackle of the fire and the slap of flipping pancakes filled the expanse of the throne hall. Pancakes began to pile up on the waiting plates. Although Cyndra was initially unfamiliar with the process, she gradually fell into a routine. Gripped in her magic, the pan tossed out pancakes at a steady rate. Silently, I noted that Cyndra did not only inherit her mother’s appearance. She had very good control of her magic. My contemplation was interrupted when I heard the changeling murmur. “What is it, Cyndra?” I asked nonchalantly. The changeling jumped, almost letting a flying pancake end up in the fire. I quickly extended my magic caught the errant flapjack and slid it into the growing pile. What exactly had spooked the changeling? “Nothing, Your Highness!” squeaked Cyndra. “You can tell me anything, Cyndra. I promise not to tell,” I said, suppressing the urge to chuckle. The changeling sighed and my eyes widened at the resigned nature of her tone. “Why do you need me here? Why couldn’t you just bring some other servant or better yet, do everything by yourselves! I mean no disrespect, but I don’t think you mind working. So why am I here?” demanded Cyndra. I frowned as I heard the bitterness in her voice and felt the guilt and confusion emanated by her. There was something behind her question. “Well, I mainly wanted to get to know you better. Its been a long time since I have spoken to a changeling,” I admitted. Cyndra glared at me warily. “You just wish to get more information about my mother’s hive,” she replied. “To be honest, the thought had crossed my mind, but I really just want to get to know you better,” I said. “You weren’t going to take me hostage in front of my mother? Because if you did, it wouldn’t work,” accused Cyndra, her eyes narrowed defiantly at me. I blinked, I certainly hadn’t expected that reply, but there was something about the statement that surprised me. “Cyndra, I swear on my life and magic that I would never do such a thing. I do want to know though, why do you think such an act why would it not work?” I inquired. The changeling snorted dismissively, “My mother wouldn’t lift a hoof to help me.” “Why wouldn’t it? She obviously cares about you if she exiled you as opposed to executing you,” I pointed out. “Because when she finds out how much I’ve told you about the hive, she’ll kill me!” screamed Cyndra. Her magic surged, and the frying pan shot into the air and clattered onto the stone floor. I stood up surprised, my eyes searching for Blueblood and Luna. Both were sound asleep. Oh how convenient. “Wouldn’t your mother understand that you didn’t have much of a choice?” I reasoned. Cyndra, normally demure and quiet, glared at me, her face stricken with anguish and guilt. “Of course I had a choice! I could have died a loyal daughter instead of being the useless hive-traitor I am!” she screeched. Slowly, I trotted forward, but Cyndra shrank back away from me. I racked my mind for a way to placate the changeling. Her guilt, her loyalty to her former hive and to her mother was going to tear her apart if I did not think of a way to resolve it. “Cyndra, what you told me can help us end the war sooner. By confiding to me your secrets rather than keeping them silent, you have helped the changeling race,” I said. “But how do I know you won’t just kill my mother and wipe out my hive? Don’t deny you’re not angry at her! I can feel your hate!” accused Cyndra. At that moment, I considered releasing my disguise. Immediately, I banished that thought. Wars between rival changeling queens were always deadly. My mother had borne many scars from past conflicts with other queens. Revealing myself as Chrysalis’s sister would do nothing to ease Cyndra’s nerves. Not to mention, I could not trust myself. I hated my sister. I… while consumed with the grief of losing my mother, I had entertained the notion of wiping out my sister, her children and her hive. Over time, my rage had faded into resentment and thoughts of Luna, Twilight, Blueblood and my friends restrained my hate. But at moments, the raw pain of my loss and the anger that accompanied it threatened to overwhelm me and threaten all I held dear. There was no way I could not let Cyndra know of my history. I’d terrify her. “I admit I am angry at Chrysalis, but I promise you this Cyndra, I will never allow my anger to blind me. I know now that your mother attacked Canterlot because her hive was hungry.” Cyndra’s eyes widened as I revealed the state her hive was in. “Another hive had attacked Chrysalis’s infiltrators, which caused a desperate love shortage. As one ruler to another, I can comprehend her desire to protect her subjects and the lengths she was willing to go for them. Your mother deserves to have her pleas heard and her changelings saved.” This much was true. I was furious at Chrysalis for attacking my ponies. Yet, after long hours of reflection, I realized I could not truly hate my sister for it. She sincerely fought to save her changelings. It was not the best method and I strongly questioned her for it. However, I could not say it was an unjustified act. After ruling Equestria for so long and seeing the lack of responsibility some monarchs and leaders had for their subjects, Chrysalis’s decision wasn’t so unreasonable. “Do you truly believe that Princess? Or is this some fanciful lie you’ve concocted?” rasped Cyndra. I leant closer towards the changeling. “A war between Equestria and your mother’s hive will only harm my ponies as much as they will harm your mother’s changelings. I will do everything in my power to prevent this war, even if I have to teleport to the Badlands and speak to your mother myself.” — I sighed — “Only if all possible options have been exhausted, will I have my ponies defend myself from your mother’s hive.” As if the string holding her up had been cut, Cyndra flopped to the ground like a broken puppet. I approached her cautiously and sat down beside her as she sobbed. “Princess, thank you for giving my mother a chance. I know I’m just a weak hive-traitor who betrayed her hive, but if there is anything I can do to repay you for your mercy—” “Young hatchling, you are by no means weak or a hive-traitor,” I whispered. Cyndra looked up at me, her lenses moist with tears. Using my magic, I levitated a hoofkerchief to her, which she accepted. While she wiped her tears, I wondered what would have happened if I was in Cyndra’s position. What would I have done if my mother was Chrysalis? I’d have stubbornly said nothing and doomed my mother’s hive. “You helped me to ascertain your mother’s actions were not done in normal circumstances and gave me a way to safeguard my ponies. Not only that, the information in the infiltration procedures will prove remarkably useful to creating a lasting agreement that will allow a peaceful co-existence of the changelings and Equestria. The changelings can still remain a hidden race, if the right measures are taken.” It had been one of Luna and I’s backup plans. An agreement for changelings to infiltrate Equestrian society under set guidelines to collect love, but be a minimal interference to pony society. I couldn’t have done it without the help Cyndra had provided. “The situation you have been placed in was incredibly difficult, young hatchling. I don’t think I would ever had the courage to do what you have done.” Levitating several pancakes onto a plate, I dribbled maple syrup over them, stuck a fork on the top of the pile and slid them in front of Cyndra. “Now eat up, we have a long day ahead of us.” Cyndra broke from my gaze and stared at the pancakes. “Your Highness, you know I won’t get full on these pancakes,” said Cyndra, a frown on her forehead. “These pancakes are different. Now go and wash your hooves.” I chuckled at the changeling’s confused expression, but she obeyed me and went to wipe her hooves. As her back was turned, I pointed my horn at the pile of pancakes and infused them with some of my love, enough to keep my niece fed for some time. Cyndra returned shortly and took a small bite of the pancake. To say that she was surprised was an understatement. Her eyes boggled as she savored the love in the food and she glanced at me warily. “Princess, did you do something to the pancakes?” demanded Cyndra her fork pointed at her plate. I think my eyes twinkled as I grinned at her. “Perhaps I did.” The changeling stared at me. “What? I mean, Your Highness, how can you transfer and manifest love into physical objects? I thought only changelings could do that!” said Cyndra. “Its a spell of mine,” I lied smoothly before I sighed. “Unfortunately, I can only transfer so much love. I may be able to alleviate your hive’s food shortage, but only for a short while.” That wasn’t a lie. I did reign as Equestria’s ruler for a thousand years, but raising the sun and the moon had sapped most of the love I gathered. I still had a formidable reserve, but I was loath to use it unless it was in an emergency and I doubted I could feed an entire hive for any extended period of time. “That is true, but we still believe it shall help convince Chrysalis of our intentions,” mumbled a voice. I looked over to Luna and saw her trotting up to the picnic cloth. “I thought you were going to sleep for a while, sister,” I remarked. Luna rolled her bleary eyes and sat down at the edge of the cloth. “We have too many questions to ask you and this young changeling,” growled Luna irritably. I bit my lip and resisted the urge to glance at Cyndra, who was undoubtedly cringing. I myself had some questions for my niece that I wished to answer. Some I could not ask unless I wanted her to suspect me. “What do you wish to ask, Princess Luna,” stuttered Cyndra. “For what travesty were you really exiled for? You lied to us earlier about your mission to the dragon lands,” said Luna coldly. Her voice was strained and weary, but the question seemed to cut through the changeling like a knife. “I… for what… Princess Luna, can you tell me why do you need to know this?” asked Cyndra. As Luna fixed her gaze on Cyndra, I felt my skin prickle as the temperature in the hall dropped. I raised an eyebrow warily at the alicorn. In hindsight, I did think Cyndra’s explanation to be odd because changelings generally stayed away from dragons. I didn’t see the point in questioning Cyndra about the subject though. “We wish to know how trustworthy you are. Do not try lying to us, it will not work,” said the princess. I opened my mouth to reprimand the alicorn, but paused. Luna’s insistence for answers had reminded me of my own apprehensions about Cyndra’s story. A thousand years ago, under my mother’s rule, only severe crimes warranted a death penalty. What exactly had my sister’s daughter done? “Princess… do you know of the six commandments of any changeling hive?”asked Cyndra. Of course I knew. Mother had detailed these laws and their purpose to my sisters and I on numerous occasions. But I shook my head while I chuckled inwardly. The clever little changeling was trying to test my knowledge of the changeling race. Truly, she was my sister’s daughter. Cyndra didn’t appear disappointed that I had not fallen for her little trap, and continued on. “The first, obey your queen. The second, never deceive your hivemates. The third, all love is to be shared among your hivemates. The fourth, never show your true form in front of any other species. The fifth, anybody that sees your true form must be silenced if possible. The sixth, to always defend the location of your hive with your lives.” I blinked as I realized why the changeling had been exiled. Although, I never expected it was for that reason. Cyndra’s head dropped slightly as she stared at worn flagstones of the hall. I winced in sympathy as opened her mouth and forced herself to speak. “I broke the last one, seven years ago. I was leading a scout party in the Badlands. We had earlier located tracks and signs of a small flight of young, marauding dragons. My mother wanted to get an idea of where they were. But when my group and I were a mere hours flight from our hive, we ran right into the dragons.” “I panicked. I ordered an immediate retreat, but led my squad right back to my own hive. Before my mother and her chevaliers brought them down, they had ravaged an incubation chamber. So many helpless larvae and recovering changelings were lost, because of my mistake! I felt so ashamed that I was willing to kill myself, but mother… she spared my life, only for me to betray her now.” The changeling raised her hoof and I tried to stop her. But before Cyndra could hit herself, Luna grabbed her hoof. I blinked, and stared at the alicorn. Gone was her wariness and suspicion. Instead, all I could read from her face was sympathy. “Do not punish thyself any further, young Cyndra. We understand the pain that comes with thy mistake.” Luna sighed, suddenly forlorn, her features twisted in self-pity. “After all, we were once Nightmare Moon.” There was more to that statement than Cyndra could ever realize. It was a remorse and a despair that only I understood. It pained me that Luna still had not stopped punishing herself for what had happened a thousand years ago. So I extended my wing over my adopted sister and drew myself closer to her. Luna did not refuse my gesture, so I nuzzled her. “Sister, I have forgiven you but what you have learnt from your mistakes will be all for nought, if you do not forgive yourself.” I watched Luna’s expression closely, until she smiled and shook away the shackles of her guilt. “That goes for you too, Cyndra.” I directed the changeling a meaningful glance and she nodded. “All this unnecessary drama has woken me from my beauty sleep,” groaned a voice. Although I knew it was unbecoming, I rolled my eyes as Blueblood trotted to join us at the picnic blanket. My nephew really could be an insensitive brat on occasion, especially in the mornings. “Nephew, why dost thou say Cyndra’s fears are unwarranted?” demanded Luna, one of her eyebrows arched imperiously. “Because there is a large possibility that Chrysalis will pull as some may call it, a ‘no-show’,” explained Blueblood tiredly as he delicately cut out a slice of pancakes. I and Luna glanced at each other. We both knew it was unlikely that Chrysalis would appear on this day. The fact that she hadn’t bothered to negotiate with us before attacking Canterlot was a strong indicator and we had discussed the subject at length while we had wrote the terms of the ceasefire. “What will Equestria… will you do if my mother decides not to appear?” asked Cyndra, nervously I sighed. “We will be forced to respond militarily and politically, but we will try not to interfere directly with the changeling race. The army and police will be put on alert and will be tasked with confronting or arresting any changeling who are caught impersonating a pony, but will also be ordered to protect any changeling that will be imprisoned and to uphold order. Moreover, anti-infiltration measures to protect important institutions such as the military, hospitals and other Equestrian government agencies will be put into place. However, we do not plan to extend these measures past the protection of our key institutions. The changelings attacked us because they were hungry, we will not hunt them down because of that.” I hesitated, this was the plan as I had discussed with my military advisors and Luna, but there was another part of my scheme that I had yet to share with anypony. “I will also be taking a tour of Equestria,” I spoke. Blueblood frowned. “At this time auntie? Should you not be in Canterlot, overseeing the military preparations?” “Equestria is full of mistrust and fear. I must reassure my ponies with my presence. Moreover, it will give me the chance to personally examine the military and civil preparations being enacted throughout Equestria. With the changeling threat, it is all the more important I make sure the chain of command is not compromised,” I pointed out. Far from having appeased my nephew though, my explanation only appeared to agitate him. “But auntie, tours of this magnitude take months of planning!” protested Blueblood, his hooves flailed wildly in the air, the drop of syrup on his cheek completely forgotten. “Don’t worry Blue, I will be travelling light and fast, with only a small entourage,” I said. I smiled to comfort him. Finally, my nephew sighed and turned his attention back to his pancakes. Cyndra also seemed appeased. While her jaws were clenched with worry, she seemed far more relaxed than earlier. “And what shall be my task while thou art surveying Equestria, sister?” asked Luna calmly. “You will be protecting Canterlot and acting as ruler in my stead. I also need you to coordinate our military preparations,” I said. Luna looked warily at me as if she didn’t fully trust my judgement. For a moment, I thought she had seen through me, but the alicorn nodded her assent. Or so I had thought. After breakfast, I had excused myself from the tablecloth to make a pot of black tea. Cyndra soon fell asleep, after her very long and very emotional day. Blueblood was lazily sprawled on his lawn chair. I had just poured the hot water from the kettle into the pot, when Luna confronted me. The first notice I had was when a shimmering blue shield surrounded me. My muscles tense, I spun around to confront whatever enemy had managed to get past our wards. To my surprise, it was Luna whose horn shone as she completed what appeared to be a privacy ward around the both of us. A scowl warped her normally stoic features and I felt a twinge of fear as she advanced. “Surely you do not believe we fell for thy excuse, Alternia.” Luna’s reverberated through the hall like the boom of a bell. Turquoise eyes were narrowed, unreadable, but I could feel the anger deep in them. “I do not…” I coughed and sighed. “It was not really an excuse.” “But thou art hiding something from us,” remarked the alicorn scathingly. I blinked. I had noticed that Luna had finally stopped using the ‘thou and thee’ today, but now… she seemed to have lapsed back into her ancient speech. “I will not deny that, but it’s something that I am responsible for,” I replied in a tone that brooked no argument. I braced myself for whatever Luna’s response would be and as she trotted forward, I felt myself tense. Except, the alicorn only set her hoof on my shoulder. “Alternia, thou sees us as thy sister, is that not true?” asked Luna. I nodded, puzzled at Luna’s question. “Then, if thou truly see us as thy sister, thou should feel comfortable with sharing thy troubles with us,” said Luna. Her voice was quiet, nothing like her loud and brash Royal Canterlot Voice. Yet, there was steel in that softness. My teeth ground together involuntarily and I swallowed. I had not expected Luna to play that card. I felt my protective feelings for the alicorn freeze my brain, criticizing me for hiding my schemes from her. I saw… I wanted Luna as a sister. But I knew that for that to happen, I had to trust her. “You won’t tell anypony?” I whispered. “That depends on what thou tells us,” replied Luna. I groaned. It would have to do, I supposed. “There’s another reason I am going on a tour now of all times, and with only a light guard. I’m trying to lure my sister to attack me.” Silence, except for Blueblood’s snores and Cyndra’s soft breaths. Luna simply stared at me. “Art thou mad, Alternia? Thou wishes to confront Chrysalis? Dost thou not remember the last time thou fought thy sister?” rasped Luna. I blinked, confused. I sensed the emotion in her voice was barely restrained, about to break free. But while I could feel her anger, it wasn’t completely directed at me. “I underestimated Chrysalis at the Royal Wedding. I am certain that if I purposely confront my sister on my own terms I can end this war earlier. We may not even need to lay siege to Chrysalis’s hive if I succeed in luring her out!” I explained. “But what if Chrysalis does not fall for thy trap and sends her assassins?” demanded Luna. I briefly considered Luna’s statement carefully, she did have a point and I did not want to die. “The guards will be handpicked from my Dragoon Guardsponies. A regiment that you yourself said was comparable to your own Lunar Guard, before you became Nightmare Moon. I had them modeled them after my mother’s own Old Guard Chevaliers. But you do well to remind me of the danger my sister poses. Luckily, I have placed further wards on my regalia that will aid me in battle and teleport me to my chambers in Canterlot when my life is threatened.” Luna frowned in consideration. “Alright, I concede thy guard is sufficient and thy measures appropriate. However, art thou even sure that thou can defeat Chrysalis?” “Of course I can!” I said, but deep inside, I felt far less confident than my voice suggested. It seemed Luna had realized that too and her glare dug into my skin like a knife. “That is a lie. Thou art afraid of thy sister and her abilities. Alternia, why dost thou put thyself in such a position? Tell us the truth!” A bitter, salty taste flooded my mouth along with a flash of annoyance. I had bit on my lip so hard, I had drawn blood. I turned from Luna and raised my hoof to wipe the blood from my mouth. Yet, when I raised my hoof, I saw that it and my entire body was shaking. No matter how hard I tried to wrest for control of my body, I could not stop the tremors. “I… am not afraid,” I whispered. I shut my eyes, exhaled and inhaled, then let myself see once more. A scream tore itself from my throat as I saw my sister’s spear speeding toward me. A sickening crunch cracked through the chamber as the spearhead buried itself into my stomach. All the while, pain seared through my stomach. I collapsed onto the ground, unable to move, paralyzed by pain, but as I looked up, I saw her face. Her features that were twisted in triumph and her eyes danced devilishly, delighting at my suffering “Alternia? ALTERNIA!” I blinked. The cool, musky scent of the Everfree Hive disappeared. Chrysalis was gone. I was in the entrance hall of the Castle of Royal Pony Sisters. The weight of Luna’s cold horseshoes was on my shoulders. The alicorn was examining me with eyes filled with worry. I glanced to the side to see that Blueblood and Cyndra were still asleep. “Alternia, what happened to thee? Art thou alright?”asked Luna urgently. I shook my head and fought to keep my breaths under control. “What… did I do?” “Thou froze like a cockatrice had looked thee in the eye and screamed. It was as if thou had been struck through. If we had not earlier placed a ward for privacy, thou would have wakened Cyndra and Blueblood,” said Luna. “I was just remembering the last time I fought my sister,” I rasped, the images still fresh in my mind. “If that is so, then art thou willing to admit that thou art terrified of thy sister?” demanded Luna. A groan escaped from my lips. I was too tired to hide my emotions anymore. “Yes, but Luna, you have to understand. Chrysalis is my responsibility. This situation is partly because of my failures in the past and present. It is my duty to rectify them.” Luna raised a discerning eyebrow. “What did thou sayest about forgiving thyself? It seems that thou hast fallen into the trap of thy own guilt, Alternia.” My own words thrown right back at me. I allowed myself to chuckle a bit at the irony of the situation. “I know. I have tried to let my anger, my guilt go, but I cannot. Not so long as my mother’s murderer continues to escape punishment. I will try to follow my own advice, Luna, but first I need to defeat Chrysalis.” Luna blinked, perhaps from the tone of finality in my last sentence. “So you also wish to seek vengeance upon thy sister?” inquired Luna warily. I nodded. I could not and would not hide my hatred for my sister. Besides, I was pretty sure Luna was more concerned of whether I was willing to admit that hate. “In that case, let us accompany you on your ‘Grand Tour’,” said the alicorn in a much more cordial tone. My eyes widened involuntarily. “But we need someone to oversee affairs in Canterlot!” “In that case, we suggest the imposition of martial law on Canterlot. You can place General Caesar Salad in the seat of Consul, with Enchantress Meringue Le Fay and Captain Vlad Pokey as his co-consuls. Caesar is aligned with you, Vlad with me and Meringue is a neutral party. They should provide a good balance for governing Canterlot. The rest of the duties that are needed to maintain Equestria can be dealt with as we travel between cities,” said Luna. I found myself nodding along as Luna outlined her scheme. It was a sound plan. However, I was not totally convinced. “What about your sleep schedule? We will probably be working mainly in the day as we meet and inspect the preparations for the war,” I remarked. “We expected it would take a week to readjust to our normal hours of rest after today. What are a few more weeks of travel? Besides, we do not wish to pass up an opportunity to increase our presence in Equestria. Is that not one of the goals you wish to achieve?” said Luna with a cunning smile. I frowned as I pondered the idea. In a battle, Luna would be a deadly ally. Perhaps she was not fully recovered, but she had years of combat experience and had fought Discord himself. Furthermore, during the meeting she had already shown herself to be an adept strategist. Not to mention, two leaders of Equestria travelling in a lightly guarded convoy would prove a very inviting target. However, I wanted to take Chrysalis on my own. The resentment I held for my sister was still present as was the sense of guilt that blamed myself for letting her take this path. These thoughts and feelings had plagued me in years past. Oddly enough, it was my fear that made my decision. My terror that perhaps my sister was stronger than myself, reminded me of all I stood to lose. Twilight, her friends, and Equestria were at stake. Luna’s presence, would alleviate my worry of being interrupted in the upcoming duel and guarantee an Equestrian victory. Even if I fell. “I suppose I would like somepony I can trust to watch my back as I confront my sister,” I admitted with a smile. “And we will be glad to assist you, Alternia,” declared Luna, with a matching smile. Hours later, the sun had set. The moon was high in the sky. I and Luna waited in the last tower of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, the Everfree Forest spread below us. “It does not appear that Chrysalis will appear,” said Luna, her features stoic. The alicorn seemed to have grown old, weary, as if she had witnessed this event too many times. Then again, given Luna’s history, it was likely she had seen foolishness like this in bygone times. “Then it is as we feared, Luna,” I spoke solemnly. Blueblood sighed, while Cyndra sniffed. The changeling had tried to hold back her tears, but couldn’t. I was not sure if they were of relief of not having to face her mother, or despair that the changeling race, had lost its chance for peace. As for myself? I gritted my teeth and focused on what had to be done. “Cyndra, remember what I promised to do if Chrysalis did not show up?” I asked calmly. All Cyndra, Luna and Blueblood frowned at me in confusion. Finally, Cyndra’s memory, honed by the prerequisite training all changelings received, widened her eyes. “You said that ‘I will do everything in my power to prevent this war, even if I have to teleport to the Badlands and speak to your mother myself.’,” stammered Cyndra. “I have to make sure that there is no other option. For Equestria’s sake,” I said. Purposefully, I shut out Luna’s cry of protest and Blueblood’s gasp as golden fire cascaded from my horn and took the shape of a portal. Before anypony could stop me, I stepped forward through the flames.