//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: The Magic, Golden Flower 
// by Cerulean Swirl 
//------------------------------//

	She was picking flowers by the edge of the Everfree forest when it happened. It was a perfect fall day, with the sun shining and the wind slightly chilly but not frigid. The Everfree’s outside trees and all the trees around her cottage had begun to become beautiful, different colors illuminating the green leaves. It was a gorgeous sight, and a certain yellow pegasus could stare at the trees for hours on end if she could. Fluttershy loved flowers just as much as she loved animals, and today was the perfect day to pick a fresh bouquet. Fluttershy always kept fresh flowers in her cottage, and she tried to keep them for as long as she could before changing them. But, it was time again, for the bunch she had picked two weeks ago had browned, curled up, and died, no matter how much water and nutrients she gave it. So today, she woke early, selected a straw basket filling it with her garden shovel(just in case she wanted to add another flower to her own personal garden), an apple dumpling two days old that Applejack had made in case she became hungry, and some mini flowerpots, perfect for carrying small blooms. She grabbed a straw hat that Rarity made for her on one occasion, and left her house with breakfast prepared for her animal friends, and promised herself that she'd be back by the time they awoke.
There were many blooms in the clearing that separated her cottage and the mighty Everfree. They were all different kinds, glittering in the sunlight. There were pansies and daffodils and irises and lilies. There were delicate tulips and roses and lilies of the valley. At first the pegasus was frightened of the forest's presence, like something menacing were to spontaneously pop out of the canopy and harm Fluttershy, and this fear was still present in her mind, but the more she visited the clearing, the more she began to respect the surroundings she was in. It still felt foreboding, but nothing had happened yet.
While she crossed her lawn and onto the clearing, Fluttershy couldn’t help picking a beautiful bouquet to place in her home. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she carefully picked each delicate bloom. Not only would she pick flowers for her home, she would take some of the plants back to her garden at home, if she liked the flower enough.
Fluttershy spotted a delicate yet small Queen Anne’s Lace and trotted over to it, and carefully inserted her garden shovel into the soft ground. The warm, slightly wet soil spilled over her hooves as she dug softly. She set her basket beside the little patch on which she was working, and resumed work. She dug past some rocks and other roots, and finally saw a glimpse of the pretty flower’s slender white roots. She carefully persisted, and finally got full sight of the roots. 
She carefully placed both hooves on the base of the flower, not touching the roots, and gingerly lifted the plant out of the ground. It’s weight surprised her, but she didn’t drop it. She placed it beside her basket, and after this was completed, she dug around her bouquet, and located a mini flowerpot. Once she had it, she took the Queen Anne’s Lace and placed it inside the mini flowerpot. She then placed the flowerpot in her basket, being cautious not to crush her flowers. 
Fluttershy picked flowers for a little while more, until her hooves began to ache and the basket felt heavier than usual. She was just about to leave the clearing when a glint of gold caught her eye. She turned around, ready to spot the flower that possessed this gold hue, but nothing was there. Just the same old patches of different blooming and gorgeous flowers. But Fluttershy was certain she had seen something, and she was determined to find out. Maybe it wasn’t a gold flower, she decided. It could be a piece of jewelry somepony lost. Not that Fluttershy knew very many ponies that came to this clearing(in fact, she could barely place any), but there was always a chance somepony dropped something by accident if they were flying or trotting by. 
Fluttershy set her basket down on a patch of slightly yellowed green grass, and stuck her face near the flowers. Maybe she’d find an animal in them. She trotted around for about twenty minutes, looking and looking and looking. But alas, all seemed in vain. She didn’t want to believe there was nothing, but she couldn’t ignore the obvious. Just as she was about to turn away, the same glint of gold caught her eye. In an instant her face was in the flowers, and there it was. 
It was a majestic flower, one that Fluttershy had never seen before. It was the size of a full grown bunny, with an amazingly long glimmering green stem. The flower itself was bright gold, shimmering so bright almost as if it were made of a part of the sun itself. Inside the flower and around the edges of it a purple hue was painted along the gold, and it glittered by itself, almost as if the flower was made solely of magic.
Don’t touch it, her mind instructed her. Fluttershy wasn’t a pony for magic, and this flower did intimidate her. It could have been a trap, and the pegasus was vulnerable on her own.
Maybe I should leave it alone, she thought to herself. This probably was a good idea. This flower wasn’t bothering anypony. And Fluttershy wanted to keep it that way. It could very well jump out at her, or try to eat her. Besides, if she picked it, it would eventually die, and she wouldn’t know how to get another one like it. 
I could put it in my garden, though, she reasoned. I could ask Twilight what it is, and see if its dangerous. It is really pretty, and an animal could eat it or other harm might come to it, thought Fluttershy. Though she hated to admit it, she badly wanted this strange flower in her garden, simply because of its outstanding beauty and the mystery of its origin. She had seen many a beautiful bloom, but this flower topped all of the others. 
She reached a cautious hoof by the bloom, bracing herself for it to hurt her. And it didn’t; it simply glimmered up at her iridescently.  Pushing some other blooms away gingerly, Fluttershy positioned herself comfortably by the flower. She located her garden shovel, and inserted it into the warm, wet ground. She carefully maneuvered the small shovel around the base of the plant, making a small circle. Once she had a decent circle, she studied the plant again. It was much too large to carry in her mini-flowerpots, but maybe she could take it on her back, or go back by her home and get a bigger flowerpot. But flowerpots were heavy by themselves, and Fluttershy could lift one and fly with some difficulty, and this flower was large; she could need help.
I’ll carry it on my back, she thought to herself. That seemed like a good idea. It might be heavy, but it was too pretty to leave out here to possibly be eaten or to die. She placed her hooves by the flower and in one movement, she lifted the flower out from the soft earth, spilling dirt and other nutrients all over herself. Once she had it in her hooves, she started at it for some time, the flower more beautiful than ever. The roots themselves were things of beauty, curled and prettily hanging towards the ground, like a braided mane taken out after a long night’s rest. Fluttershy gingerly lifted the plant over her head and laid it as gently as she could on her back, where its warm wetness warmed Fluttershy slightly. 
She flew as cautiously as she could over to her basket, where she slowly picked it up, regained herself, and began to fly slowly across the field to her home. Little did she know, through the trees of the Everfree, a silent figure watched her throughout her entire picking and uprooting spree, and as soon as the figure watched Fluttershy fly back to her cottage, the figure snickered and disappeared through the dense trees. 



Deep in the Everfree forest, away from prying pony eyes, and certainly farther away from Canterlot castle and the princesses, lay the secret unseen hideout of the changelings. If somepony were to ever see this hideout, the changeling army would capture this straggler, and happily feed off him or her. The changelings were an independent group, not to be disturbed by outside interferences. But an independent group cannot stay secluded for so long, and soon after the changelings slowly but surely began to starve. They began going out into nearby towns in disguise, preying on the innocent and unsuspecting. The changeling’s humble and ruthless queen, Queen Chrysalis, was beginning to consider moving out of the Everfree forest and moving her people north to the Crystal Empire, when an opportunity arose.
The magnificent city of Canterlot had been her target for some time; being huge and populated to the fullest, and the ideal place for royalty, namely Princesses Celestia and Luna. Yes, Canterlot was the Jewel of Equestria. And the perfect place for the Queen to take over. So she devised a plan to borrow the life of another princess, a Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and pose as her for a while, taking over from the inside. This plan went up in smoke, however, when a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle saw the Queen for who she was and not who she was posing as, and to make a long story short, Queen Chrysalis and her army were catapulted out of Canterlot in disgrace. 
Ever since then, the Queen had healed but not by a lot, and a fresh round of hatred for the princesses had grown inside her. Her army was beyond weak, and so was she, from hunger, fatigue, and wound. But planning to go after the princesses again was taking all the time the Queen had, and something had to be done. If not, she and her army surely would die. As a result, she set the few changelings who weren't near death to research in all the old and musty books they had, and for a while, there was nothing but things she already knew. She and her army became weaker by the day, being forced to eat bark off trees and mud off the ground. The Queen ate these things too in an attempt to stay alive, but none of these things was as satisfying as the emotions a pony could give. It had become even riskier to go into the nearby village and prey on the innocent. Stragglers were becoming fewer and fewer. The Queen hoped for something, and eventually, it came. A new piece of information popped up in the changeling’s research. 
It was a magic golden flower that had the ability to heal the sick and injured, and to activate this power, all one had to do was sing a special song. Right away the Queen told her subjects that were left to find a copy of the song, and the Queen began learning it right away. Soon, she had it down pat, though the Queen thought singing was revolting and a waste of time. Of course at first Queen Chrysalis was overjoyed. Such a flower would mean so much for her and her withering army. But when the flower was researched further, it appeared that the flower’s location was unknown; nopony alive knew where it was. The research said that the flower could be anywhere from Fillydelphia to Appleloosa or anywhere in between. Queen Chrysalis was about to give up hope when a certain butter yellow pegasus found it for her. Queen Chrysalis had been taking a walk by the edges of the Everfree, looking for stragglers or something edible, when she spied the yellow pegasus looking through some flowers. The Queen recognized the pegasus at first, and was about to pounce when the pegasus lifted up a shiny golden flower out of a clump of other flowers. At first the Queen realized how crazy it was that this flower could be THE flower. But the more she looked at it, the more she thought it could be. And she thought that if even if it wasn’t it, she at least knew what it could look like. 
It was then the Queen knew exactly what to do. She would sneak over to the pegasus’s cottage and take it from her, and then she would use it to heal not only herself, but her entire army and maybe a few new recruits as well. She would wait until nightfall, so then the night could cloak her and keep her unseen. She would scrape up the remaining energy she had left. If she was spotted, however, she could be caught, and she was one changeling who had just enough energy left. On a regular time, she could summon her army, but they were in no state to attack. The Queen could possibly be taken to the Princesses, and then she would be killed and her army, everything she worked for, and everything she believed in would die. That is why she waited like she did. Queen Chrysalis’s magic was too poor to heal all of her army, but the magic of the golden flower would. It would be a perfect time to invade, just like old times. But this time, they would not fail.
Right now, the Queen was sitting in her moth eaten crumbling castle, in the throne room, preparing for the robbery.  Her subjects, of course, were in the throne room, pestering her about food and clothes. Right now a particular old male changeling, covered in holes yet baring impressive fangs, was taking up the Queen’s time and attention.
“Your majesty,” said the old male changeling, bowing as gracefully as he could manage. He was dressed poorly, with his mane mussed and his wings frail, and he looked as tired and as weary as a changeling could.
“I have come upon you today to humbly request that we move to another part of Equestria. There is little food here, and what we gather does not fill the hole in our stomachs.”
“Patience, my changeling.” replied the Queen. Her voice echoed across the near empty throne room.
“I have devised a plan to heal us all. You, your family, everyone. But until I obtain the things I need, we will not be going anywhere.”
The old male changeling, though wanting to say more, didn’t, and left the throne room as fast as his hooves could take him. As soon as he left and the heavy doors banged shut, Queen Chrysalis brought her hoof down on a nearby table and let out a grunt of frustration. 
“UGH!” she exclaimed, sending the loud noise echoing across the throne room. 
“Patience? How can I be patient?” she seethed. She was ready to have an uprising in Canterlot this minute. She calmed, but only for an instant. Part of her reminded herself to think of her subjects and army. There was no possible way they could lead an uprising this minute. The more she thought of her army healing, the more she wanted to steal the flower from that wimpy pegasus. A good queen, like the small royal voice inside her commanded, always thinks of her subjects.
She lay back in her throne, sighed heavily, and began to watch the sun set behind the crumbling windowpane.



A humble cottage came into view, and Fluttershy, basket and fancy flower clad, sighed in relief. The basket and plant were beginning to get heavy, and it was already late morning. Her animal friends would surely be up by now. Fluttershy had not known that she had been in the clearing for more than a few hours, but it seemed so. She had not realized that she had been gone so long. She flew as fast as she could manage with the large plant on her back towards the homely little cottage.
Once she was on the front step, she gave a soft knock, careful not to wake her animal friends. The door opened, and Angel appeared, bedraggled. Behind him, she realized that almost all of her animal friends were awake, except for the bear, who was snoozing loudly in the corner. 
“Hello, my friends!” she said cheerily. She set her basket by the doorway and shut the door behind her, still flying slowly. She flew over to a cabinet and from it produced a glass vase. It was a beautiful, dainty, green paint covering it with a single pink stripe down the middle. She had gotten it from her friend the glassmaker pony down in Canterlot on a visit there. She had treasured it ever since she got it; and it would be the perfect size for the flower. The flower had not moved from her back, and she carefully reached behind her and took the flower from off her back. It glittered up at her. She carefully set the vase on the cabinet and lowered the flower in it. After this was completed, she sighed and went in the kitchen, her animal friends following. She filled a kettle with water and set on the stove. After a few more minutes, the water was nice and hot. She took the kettle off the stove and brought out a ceramic bowl. She poured hot water inside it and added honey, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and lemon. Fluttershy, for one, loved tea, and the bowl was for sharing. Her mice friends loved the tea, and sometimes the bear would have a swig or two. She brought her tea with a straw resting haphazardly on the side of the bowl into the main room, and sat down on the floor next to the cabinet. She took a sip of the tea, let the sweet soothing liquid slide down her throat, and offered the bowl to her friends, which they struggled to get a sip of. 
SQUEAK!
A loud sound pierced the air and scared the timid pegasus.
“Eek!” she shouted, and jumped backwards, hitting the cabinet with the vase on it. The tea bowl rattled, and her animal friends, surprised by the pegasus’s outburst, flew the other direction and began hiding in various places around the room, the mice hiding in the potholes in the floor and the mouse holes, the birds fluttering up into the birdhouses, the small mammals like the chipmunks and squirrels taking shelter by the birdhouses in their ceiling dens. The bear took shelter by a curtain, the kitty with him. The other animals found places behind cabinets, couches, under rugs and behind rug, lifting up one tassel and peering cautiously at his keeper. artifacts on shelves. Angel, Fluttershy’s precious bunny, hid under a nearby throw rug.
Fluttershy zipped behind the cabinet with the flower, and cowered there. The animals cowered including Angel, and so did Fluttershy, but if they were looking they would have seen that the bump had caused the vase to violently shake. Fluttershy wouldn’t have known that the flower was very fragile and that it was hanging on the stem very haphazardly. The vase shook so much that the flower was shaken off, and it fell off the stem and down off the cabinet. No one saw the flower fly gracefully into the waiting bowl of tea, and hit the surface. Once inside the mixture, the flower glowed a very bright gold, but just faint enough so that no animal or pony saw it dissolve into the mixture. The tea glowed for a minute more, and then the flower completely dissolved, sending a small burst of gold sparks out of the bowl, and then back in it again. Now all that remained was left of the tea, now filled with magical flower, and a bunch of cowering animals. Since there was nothing left to scare anypony, Fluttershy peeked one cautious teal eye. The coast was clear. She carefully stepped out of her hiding place and peered around. Nothing.
“It’s alright, my friends. Come on out.” she called softly to them all. She watched as they all peeked out one eye, cautiously. Once they saw their keeper out of her hiding place, one by one, they began to get out of their hiding places and join her by the cabinet. Fluttershy smiled at each of them and counted, silently moving her lips by the animal horde, counting.
“We’re missing one.” she said, carefully. She opened her wings carefully and quietly left the ground. After which, she flew around looking in various knotholes and mouse holes. She checked the ceiling dens, and under the furniture. Finally, she peeked under a throw rug and discovered that her bunny friend still hadn’t come out. When he saw her, he smiled and got out of his hiding place. Once all of the animals had settled again, she went over back by the tea bowl. 
“Does anypony want any more?” she asked, holding the bowl out at hooves length so that the animals could see. There was no clamor for any more; all of her friends appeared to be done with tea. Fluttershy turned to Angel, but the bunny waved his little arms as a way of a refusal. Fluttershy smiled, tilted the bowl back and let the now lukewarm sugary substance slide gracefully down her throat. She opened her eyes to see how much of the tea was left, and when she did, she could have sworn the rest of the tea began to glow a bright gold around the outline of the tea. As it slid down her throat, she watched it in wonder. She never knew how well she could brew tea. 
As soon as she finished the rest of the tea, she dropped the bowl in surprise, for a strange feeling began to wash over her. It felt almost as if somepony very young was yanking on her mane very remorselessly. Her tail felt the same way. She looked around at her animal friends to see if they were yanking at her, but they weren’t; each had found something to do amongst themselves. Even Angel had found his favorite spot on the couch and had curled up, ready for napping.
The mysterious yanking of her mane continued, harder and harder with each passing minute. It was pulling so hard now that Fluttershy felt as if somepony were trying to take her mane clean off her head. Then a severe yank occurred, sending an immense pain through Fluttershy’s scalp. 
“Ouch!” the pegasus cried, helplessly, and the animals looked at her curiously. Then, seeing she was in pain, they all rushed by her side, looking at her with concern. Fluttershy was on the ground now, pressing her hooves to the side of her head to show the pain. The yanks and pulls persevered and intensified, leaving the shy pegasus in a disarray. The animals chattered anxiously amongst themselves, and many turned to Angel for explanation. But the bunny gave nothing, and they could only sit and watch their keeper in pain. They did not see where the pain was coming from, and they figured it was in Fluttershy and Fluttershy alone. 
Then, as if by magic, the yanks and pulls went away, just as fast as they had come, and Fluttershy breathed a large sigh of relief, as did all of her animal friends. In its place of the yanking came another unusual feeling, but this time, one of complete and utter relaxation. There was no pain that Fluttershy felt except for her sore scalp, but other than that there was complete peace. The peace filled the room with a warm and buttery feeling, almost as if each someone in the room had enjoyed a fabulous and very filling holiday dinner. Fluttershy relaxed every bone in her body, and let the peace fill her. This is just how she liked it. 
Then, out of nowhere, the bear’s head bobbed down, and large and throaty snores were heard. Then two blue jay’s heads bowed and their eyes shut. Then three raccoons. Then four frogs. Then every animal in the room. 
“What’s going-” Fluttershy started to say. The remaining animals crowded by Fluttershy, and they too fell to the fatigue. Soon, only Angel and Fluttershy were left awake. Fluttershy, filled with fear, grabbed her bunny and got up against the wall to steady herself, worry and fear coursing through her veins. Angel looked up at her with the same fear, and then she saw his eyelids droop ever so slightly. There was nothing for her to say, and before he could squeak or hug her in thanks, his eyelids slowly closed, and soft breathing came out of his nose.
“Angel? ANGEL?” she cried frantically, pressing her head to the rabbit’s chest and finding a heartbeat in return. 
“Why…” she leaped up, and carefully set her bunny friend on a throw rug before flying around the room, inspecting every animal. They all were sleeping soundly; as if nothing had happened. Confusion joined the worry and fear. She landed in her usual place, and was about to go out the door to find Twilight, when slowly and surely, she began to feel weak in the knees. She sat again, and she began to feel dizzy and sleepy. 
“Maybe if I…” her voice trailed off, and she laid her head on the ground, thinking maybe the dizziness would end. But slowly and surely, she began to loose focus of the room. She fought to stay conscious, but all attempts were in vain. Slowly and surely, her eyelids began to close. In one final attempt to stay conscious, Fluttershy used her remaining strength to fling out one hoof and try to make some noise, thinking passersby would hear and come to help. She did make a sound, but she was drained, and the last thing she remembered before she blacked out was the warm, buttery feeling that still hung in the air.



Soon, night had graced the land, and Princess Celestia made way the day for the milky moon. As nighttime filled the air, the mighty Queen was preparing to step out of the shadows herself for more than five minutes. Her minions were as anxious as she was, and when night fell, she couldn’t wait long enough. And then, finally, it was time to go. 
“Your cloak, milady?” asked a humble subject, offering the Queen her midnight violet cloak. Instead of answering, the Queen motioned with her puncture clad hoof. The young changeling slipped the cloak delicately by the Queen’s shoulders and bowed away, shuffling as he went.
“Any snacks for you before you go, your majesty? We have some very nice bark cookies, and of course the pine needle and mud smoothies are good this time of year.” said a young female changeling, one by the name of Rust.
“I want no more of that revolting sludge.” spat the Queen, pulling the cloak closer around her shoulders self consciously.
“I want REAL food. I will not eat anything until my army is healed. Then we feed. In Canterlot!" snapped Queen Chrysalis. 
“Now!” she said loudly, startling the three subjects that surrounded her. Rust licked her fangs nervously and hungrily, pondering the thought of Canterlot.
“I’m going.” spoke the Queen, and flung her cloak around her dramatically. 

The night cloaked the Queen as she flew faster and faster. The only thing that kept her going was her army and subjects suffering without the healing. If they died, eventually she would as well, and then she would never get her sweet revenge on the Princesses and that awful Twilight Sparkle for ruining her plans. The trees whipped past and Queen Chrysalis thought of the healing and the screams of ponies as her minions finally got something to eat. This very image egged her on, and she flew faster still. 
As she neared the edge of the trees, she stopped abruptly, digging her hole clad hooves in the moist ground. She peered out by the trees, watching the pegasus’s cottage. There were no lights on, and the houses nearby looked dark as well. Nopony was about unfortunately, so the Queen would not get a snack tonight. Then, without any hesitation, she flew as fast and as quiet as she could across the clearing. The quiet night air was bone chilling, but hesitation did not visit the Queen. However, a bit of fear had creeped into the Queen’s usual demeanor, but she shoved it down deep inside her. 
Before she knew it she was at the pegasus’s cottage. She pressed her back against the back of the cottage and breathed for the first time in over five minutes. She darted by the nearest window, and cautiously peeked inside. Inside the warmly lit cottage, six ponies and a whole lot of animals lounged inside. Apparently, they all appeared to be sleeping soundly. When the Queen studied them further, she gasped as softly as she could manage. She recognized each of these ponies. There were the two earth ponies, and the two pegasi, and the two unicorns, including that awful Twilight Sparkle. 
Don’t you see?, said a voice inside Queen Chrysalis. 
She’s right in front of you…and unconscious! You could take her back to the Everfree and get revenge on all of them for ruining you the first time. 
The Queen pondered this. Here were some of her sworn enemies were sitting right in front of her, unconscious. She could take them back to her lair and suck all the life out of them. But while that would be very fulfilling, she would heal only herself and not her suffering army and subjects. Plus, she would die for the chance to see Twilight’s face when she destroyed the Princesses and Twilight in the process. The Queen shoved the anxiety of capturing them down deep and concentrated on the task at hoof.
She scanned the room for the flower, and then she saw a vase with a long graceful stem growing out of it. Her eyes jumped up to the top of the stem, expecting to see a graceful, magical golden flower, when instead she only saw nothing. 
“What?!” she cried, exasperated, then stuffed a hole clad hoof in her mouth, remembering that her enemies were asleep. They would surely wake and see her, then report to the Princesses. That was why she would keep as quiet as she could manage. An earth pony rolled over in her sleep, but did not wake, and the Queen could relax again, for now.
But on the other hoof, the presumed flower was gone, and in its place, a soon to be dead stem. She looked around the room, pressing her face hotly against the window’s glass, searching for some explanation, but there was none. Queen Chrysalis’s heart sank, and questions raced through her mind. Now what was she going to do? Move? Or wait and have her and her subjects die off? She was about to fly away in shame when something caught her eye. It was a porcelain bowl just beside the table that held the vase. The Queen struggled for a better look, and realized if she wanted to get one, she would probably have to go inside. 
Before she could think against it, her wings had already flown to the front of the cottage. She now faced the doorway. Fighting against herself, the Queen put a single hoof on the door and gave the doorknob a single turn, and to her surprise, the door clicked open, revealing a closer look at her enemies sleeping soundly. They were sprawled out on random places: one on a throw rug, one gracefully on the couch, one on the fireplace hearth, one curled up on a chair. One had managed to squeeze herself in a copper pot that hang by the fireplace, and though she looked uncomfortable, she appeared to be just the opposite. The pegasus the Queen sought, however, was sprawled on the floor, a troubled expression on her muzzle. The Queen searched around the pegasus, but didn’t see any sight of the flower. She flew quietly over to the vase, and examined the stem. It couldn’t possibly be the flower’s stem, but the Queen had seen the pegasus take it, and the stem matched the descriptions in the books. 
She was about to fly away in shame or take her anger out on her enemies when the bowl beside the table caught her eye once more. She picked it up frantically, and examined it. There was a single miniscule drop of what appeared to be some kind of tea. Queen Chrysalis stuck her nose close to the drop and took a deep whiff. It smelled like cinnamon and honey. 
This is ridiculous!, thought the Queen furiously. 
Am I expected to believe that she DRANK it? How do you DRINK flowers? Is she hiding it or something?
The Queen was so angry that when she swung her back hoof out to kick something, she barely missed the head of the wimpy pegasus. That was when the Queen had an epiphany. If the pegasus drank it, it could be still inside her, possibly alive. She could sing the flower out of the pegasus, or perhaps cut the pegasus open and retrieve the flower that way. Either way, she'd have her flower. But she had to sing, and if she sang very loudly she'd wake her enemies. 
Not to worry,she thought to herself.
I'll sing quietly.
The Queen bent over the pegasus and stationed herself closely by the pegasus's sleeping body, and opened her mouth and let the melancholy words quietly spill out of her fang filled mouth. 
Flower, gleam and glow
Let your power shine
It was then the Queen discovered something very interesting and horrifying. As she sang the song carefully, just how she had learned it, a light came from the pegasus's mane and it glowed an iridescent and luminous gold. It flowed through the mane and touched every single strand and then continued through the tail. When it reached the end of the mane and tail, before Queen Chrysalis's very eyes, the mane and tail began to slowly but surely grow. Grow in length and in beauty. It grew quickly and soon it was all over the floor by the Queen's hole clad hooves and by the other sleeping ponies' places of rest. It spilled everywhere, still glowing, and then the Queen could not see any floor. It glowed from every inch of the room. She jumped a little in surprise, yet  still managing to sing softly. Maybe singing wasn't such a gruesome idea after all. 
Without thinking the Queen leaned down close to the glowing mane and stuck one of her wounded hooves down close by it. In an instant, her hoof felt warm and buttery and didn't feel pain in the least. It was like no pain or hurt had ever come to the hoof. It made the Queen drowsy for a moment, before glowing for a few minutes before feeling normal again. Completely normal. Joy, deviousness and victory surged through Queen Chrysalis all at once and her veins were pulsing as she finished the eerie song.
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
As soon as the incantation was finished, all light subsided from the mane and tail and darkness filled the room once again, and the Queen was left in the middle of all the mane and tail, its pale pink hue littering the floor. But the healed hoof that had once felt so good a few moments ago grew cold and pained as it was before, which made the Queen's hope's falter ever so slightly. Then, a new idea struck her. 
It's so simple now. I'll cut all the mane and tail that has the flower's power in it off and bring it to my minions. We can't ever feel pain if the magic mane is always there. Then I will always have it to heal my army, and we will never suffer again.
And with this new plan fresh in her mind, the Queen lowered her horn down by the pegasus's face and began to sing softly again, and again the light glowed in the mane and tail. Queen Chrysalis powered up her hole clad horn and with one movement, made the horn slice a lock off the mane and tail. But as soon as she did, the locks that she had removed grew cold in her hoof. She looked, exasperated, over to the glowing mane and tail, and noticed that the parts she had cut from were turning an ugly mud brown. These mangled sections stuck out among the sea of pale pink. The locks in the Queen's hoof grew the same shade, and though she tried singing again, the cut locks did not have the power the uncut mane and tail did. 	
That is when yet another new plan came to mind. A plan that could quite possibly be both her destruction and her victory. A plan to take the pegasus, and wipe the memories of all who knew her, so that the pegasus would forever be a slave to healing her minions. The Queen was joyfully imagining owning one thing that Twilight Sparkle and the Princesses would die for to retrieve if they knew she had it. If this plan backfired, however, the Princesses and Twilight would leave no parts of the great changeling queen and her army behind. 
The Queen sighed, and looked back at her sleeping enemies. She took a deep breath and began to sing the melancholy tune once more.
Flower, gleam and glow
Let your power shine
The pegasus's mane and tail glowed the same luminescent gold, and as the Queen drew nearer to pick the pegasus up, she felt strength, juicy and delicious strength, that she hadn't felt in months. She had the strength to maybe even lead an uprising in a few short days if she could. She focused her magic and gained the strength to lift the pegasus off the ground with her magic, which was more than she could have hoped to do days ago. 
Make the clock reverse
The song continued, slowly and surely, as the Queen opened the door carefully, levitated the sleeping pegasus out, and shut the door behind her. She opened her wings and was in the air faster than she was in months. 
Bring back what once was mine
She reached the edge of the forest faster than ever before, and cast one final look at the cottage. She would send a healed minion over there to wipe memories as soon as she could, but for now, she had an army to heal. She took a glance at the unconscious pegasus before turning away and flying into the trees, finally feeling victory.
The last piece of the song echoed through the quiet forest, the sounds of night faltering, and with the mare in the moon's ear turned away, it faded slowly as the Queen moved farther and farther away from the cottage, her prize in tow. 
What once was mine