//------------------------------// // Role Reversal // Story: The Queen of Hearts // by Pumpernickel Rye //------------------------------// Role Reversal Hearth’s Warming Eve was the most popular of Equestrian holidays, where ponies would get together with their families and exchange gifts as well as celebrate the founding of Equestria. The concept was so popular that other races celebrated their own similar holiday during this time of year, including minotaurs, griffons, and even changelings. Ponyville was flooded with the holiday spirit, where one could hardly go down the street without seeing some sort of bright decorations or even carolers. It took a while for Chrysalis to get into the holiday cheer as the last several winter holidays were not entirely joyful for her. However, she knew this year would be different with her new friends, but she still wished she could be with her family. The changeling decided to do something new by giving gifts instead of receiving them. For this year’s holiday, Chrysalis spent a fortune of her own bits to acquire tickets for a concert in Canterlot, played by four notorious musicians. It cost a hoof and a leg to pay for all of them, but she wanted to reward her employees for everything they had done for her. While she could have easily had Luna or Celestia pay for them, she wanted her gift to be personal. Chrysalis had put them all through so much and wanted to give them something to help make up for it. Chrysalis brought one of her couches to the window and sat on it while drinking hot chocolate with her legs under a blanket, staring at the street with ponies passing by. She absolutely loved winter. There was something about snow that brought out the beauty of the world around her and her time with Pinkie and her friends made her feel like a kid again. She had been ice skating, building snow ponies, and even getting into snowball fights. She was also curious of what exactly Winter Wrap-up was and heard her friends sing about it sometimes, causing the song to be stuck in her head. Pinkie bounced into the room with her drink, acting more excited than usual. “Are they here yet?” Chrysalis giggled softly. “Not just yet, Pinkie. There’s still some time left.” The pony climbed onto the other end and looked out the window. “What are you looking at?” “Nothing. I’m just thinking to myself.” “About you?” “Yeah.” They watched the ponies pass by Cupid’s Arrow in silence, with the only sound they heard being several carolers singing outside. “Hey, Chrysalis, maybe you should tell one of our friends who you are. They already like you a lot and maybe they’ll give you a chance. I bet Fluttershy will understand if I talk to her.” She shook her head without looking at the pony. “It’s too much of a risk, Pinkie. Our friends are too close to each other to withhold such a secret. You’re only doing it because I made you Pinkie promise to me. Besides, I think they need more time to let the scars heal. We’ve got some time left, so let’s make the most of it before the inevitable.” “Okay.” Pinkie pulled out several gingerbread ponies, handing several to Chrysalis. “What are you doing for tomorrow?” she asked with a stuffed mouth. Chrysalis sighed loudly and set her drink down. “I’ll just be here.” “By yourself?” She nodded. “I know! Why don’t you come with me to see my parents and sisters? We always have so much fun! Well, except we have to be super careful during snowball fights cause of all the rocks.” “Oh Pinkie, that is really sweet of you to offer, but I’m afraid I must turn you down. I don’t think I will be in much of a good mood starting tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to spoil things for your family.” The pony’s ears flopped. “Are you sure?” “I am, but thank you anyway.” She rested her forelegs on her stomach and watched the world outside. This holiday brought back a lot of memories to her, both good and bad. She remembered her time with her family as a small child and even as a much older adult, all of them smiling and getting excited over gifts. But during the recent years, they were nothing like that at all. Sometimes she didn’t see Nymph at all and would just hold a party to keep herself from feeling lonely. She also rarely gave out any gifts while receiving many, not even feeling her usual excitement when opening them. She just wanted to stay home and lay in bed while trying to survive the day. Maybe she could even work on how she was going to miraculously get Nymph to forgive her for all the awful things she had done. Her thoughts were interrupted by somepony knocking on her door. She had forgotten to keep track of the time and realized it was almost time to get going. She got to the door of Cupid’s Arrow and opened it, finding a crowd of ponies and a dragon outside. “Hello, everypony,” greeted Chrysalis cheerfully. “I’m so glad you could all make it.” “We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Rarity, wearing a very stylish blue winter coat that would put Luna and Celestia’s wardrobe to shame. The changeling stood aside to let them in her home. “Especially since you paid for them,” added Twilight as she sat herself down. “We’re really thankful, Cherub.” “But it was so much money. Are you sure you don’t want us to pay you back later? It’s okay if you do.” Rainbow Dash and Spike covered Fluttershy’s mouth and loudly shushed her. Chrysalis chuckled from the display. “I am quite sure. And besides, it is the holidays. I don’t mind throwing some bits around for my friends.” She looked at the stallion standing with Applejack. “Well, well, if it isn’t Caramel. It has simply been far too long. How have you been?” “I’ve been doing pretty well, especially since you got me and AJ together.” They looked at each other and kissed on the lips. “I’m happy that you’re doing so well after what you’ve done for us.” Sensing their love was still strong, Chrysalis wore a satisfied smile. “Glad to be of service. It’s nice to see you two are still together after all this time.” She shifted her eyes towards the pegasi standing with Rainbow Dash. “And of course, it is such an honor to have Wonderbolts in my home.” Soarin shook her hoof. “Nice to finally meet you, Cherub. Dash has talked about you a lot and I’ve been meaning to meet you for a while, but the academy has been keeping me busy.” “I understand. Rainbow often reminds us all how much training she needs to do to be one of you and her hard work works out for me pretty well.” The mentioned pony flexed a foreleg proudly. “She mentioned being security, but does she really do all the crazy things she says? I can’t even picture her with a taser.” “Get on her bad side and find out for yourself.” Everyone laughed while the stallion gulped and looked at Rainbow Dash. “And Spitfire, I’d never thought we’d actually meet. I’ve heard a lot about you and I have been very interested in seeing one of your shows for a while.” “It’s nice to meet you too, Cherub. I’ve heard a bit of your Hearts and Hooves charity, but it still sounds a little sappy to me, no offense.” Chrysalis laughed and shook her head. “Oh don’t worry about it. I have no intention of making it so sugary you’d barf,” she stated as she recalled her days as a waitress. “I intend to take a mature approach towards Hearts and Hooves.” “Well in that case, maybe I should drop by and see it for myself if I’ve got time.” “Please do. It’s for charity, so it would be great to have a high profile celebrity such as you show up.” She put a hoof on her chin. “Now that I think about it, maybe I should have had you pay for the tickets since your salary is probably a lot higher than mine.” “Perhaps I should have,” Spitfire joked. “How about I get you a backstage pass to our next show instead?” Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can we get going? I would hate to miss the train after Cherub spent so many bits.” “Always on top of things,” complimented the changeling as she quickly looked at the clock. “Come on, everypony. Canterlot awaits.” Chrysalis and her company left Cupid’s Arrow and headed towards the train station. She was about to speak with Pinkie and Fluttershy when Trixie suddenly came up to her. “Cherub? About your Hearts and Hooves event.” “Yes, Trixie?” “I heard you mentioning there would be some entertainment and I was wondering if there was any room for me. I can really bring in a crowd, Cherub! You can count on me!” She only chuckled at her. “Is that desperation I sense in your voice?” The blue mare looked down shamefully. “I just want to make it big. It would really help if I could do a performance at such a large event. I haven’t attracted many crowds in a long time ever since…you know.” “Come on, Cherub,” encouraged Pinkie. “You should totally do it. It’s not like she would hurt you on purpose,” she added with ice in her voice. Chrysalis hated it when Pinkie rubbed in her wrongs, but the mare was right. She at least owed the magician a chance after tricking Twilight into tormenting her. With Twilight’s help, she could only imagine what sort of show she could pull off. “Well since you’re Twilight’s friend, I’m sure I could squeeze you in.” “Oh, bless you! I won’t let you down!” The unicorn took her hoof and repeatedly kissed it. “Um, I think you should stop,” spoke Fluttershy when she saw she wasn’t slowing down. “No, keep going. I love this sort of praise.” Eventually, Trixie managed to get a hold of herself. “So what kind of show should I be expecting?” “I haven’t planned it all out yet, but I thought of a daring trick where I actually saw a pony in half! I just need a volunteer to practice on.” “Pick me!” exclaimed Pinkie, causing her marefriend to panic. “I wanna be in two places at once! Maybe I could even eat something and watch what happens!” Chrysalis shook her head. “No, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I suggest making Rarity help.” “Hey!” called Spike. “Are you girls coming or what?” The city of Canterlot went all out with its decorations and made Ponyville look like its holiday budget was in the red. Lights, wreaths, and decorated trees flooded the streets and the air was filled with the sound of carolers singing and bells ringing. Since Rarity knew the location of everything in the city, they followed her to the music hall, where they were to meet the princesses. They stood outside the entrance where a large crowd had already gathered and talked with each other. Chrysalis, however, was too busy with her own thoughts. For about a week she had worked herself to the bone to find a perfect match for Luna. For every stallion that came to her during her workdays, she would ask very subtle questions to determine whether or not they deserved a princess. The task she longed to do was much more difficult than she had expected and she was thankful that the deadline was so far away. She just hoped Luna would understand that had yet to find anything after all this time. Other than worry, she felt pretty excited to see her again. It had been over a week since they met in person and had been only writing to each other, which meant Chrysalis often found herself alone in Cupid’s Arrow after work. At least today she could just relax without any stress at all. “Twiley!” Chrysalis’s excitement vanished and she felt a powerful chill creep up on her. It was a voice that she would always remember, no matter how hard she tried to forget. She slowly turned around to see the stallion, but the sight only made her feel worse. Twilight jumped into their forelegs. “Hi, Shiny and Cadance! I’m so glad you’re here! But shouldn’t you both be back at the Crystal Empire?” “I’m sure the Crystal Empire will be fine if their rulers take a day off,” commented Celestia, who was accompanied by Luna. While the ponies spoke with the princesses and Twilight and Cadance did their dance, Chrysalis stood alone as she attempted to calm her panicking mind. “Why are you just standing there, Chrysalis?” asked Pinkie, who easily noticed her reaction. “What do you think!?” she asked in a whisper. “I can’t deal with seeing those two! I’ve done terrible, awful things to them! Luna and Celestia I can handle, but not them! I was doing so well with not seeing either of them!” “Chrysalis, you need to calm down. It’s only for today, so just relax and be yourself! Well, not yourself yourself, just your Cherub yourself, which is kind of like yourself yourself, so I guess it’s okay.” “I don’t think this is helping.” “Well just go over and say hi. You did a pretty good job pretending to be somepony else when you were still evil, so it can’t be that hard, right? You’re totally awesome at being a secret changeling, so get out there and do your stuff!” she ordered while pointing a hoof towards the couple. Chrysalis slowly nodded, knowing she was right. If she could fool everypony before, she could fool them again. She just needed to act normal and everything would be fine. She was thankful it was only for one day. She walked over to the group and Twilight pulled her brother towards her. “Shining, Cadance, this is Cherub, the pony that I work for.” “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” greeted Shining. “Twilight has talked so much about you.” Chrysalis forced herself to smile and reluctantly shook his hoof. “The pleasure’s all mine, Prince Shining Armor.” “So I heard you tried to get Twilight together with a magician mare,” said Cadance with a chuckle. When Chrysalis looked at her, her vision briefly flashed to the past, where she looked at a crying Cadance through a mirror. The changeling felt like she was going to vomit as her vision began to blur. “Cherub?” Chrysalis quickly shook her head, removing the bad memory. “Oh. Yes I tried, but I’m afraid I might have done a poor job in doing so.” “Clearly,” said Trixie in an annoyed tone, bringing out a chuckle from the others. Ignoring her comment, the changeling faced Cadance. “It’s nice to meet you, Princess Cadance. I’m kind of a large fan of yours.” “It’s nice meeting you, too. I really appreciate all of the work you have done in helping ponies find love in Ponyville.” “Thank you. Somepony has to pick up for your slack,” she joked in attempt to make herself feel better. “Hey!” she complained as the others laughed at her. “I merely jest, Princess. I am sure you do a wonderful job bringing love and joy to the Crystal Empire,” complemented Chrysalis. “Sort of. Being a princess does eat up a lot of my time. Sometimes I want to go out and do what you do.” “Ahem,” interrupted Rarity. “Speaking of time, shouldn’t we get going?” “We can finish up inside,” spoke Celestia. “Come on, everypony.” As they entered the music hall, Chrysalis noticed the smug smile Luna was giving her. “What?” “You did it again,” she answered teasingly. “Did what?” the changeling asked, feeling confused. “Freak out over meeting royalty.” Chrysalis grunted, unhappy that Luna had caught on to her so easily. “I didn’t freak out.” “I saw your expressions. You were so nervous when you spoke to them. And correct me if I’m wrong, but were you not just so entranced by Shining Armor?” she whispered into her ear. “Of course not!” she snapped back, causing some of the others to look at her. Luna chuckled and patted her on the back. “Relax, I’m only teasing.” She then nudged her. “It’s good to see you again, Cherub.” “It’s good to see you too, Luna.” She swallowed, knowing the hard part was coming up. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I haven’t found any pony good enough yet to be your lover.” The princess just giggled. “It’s fine. I know you are doing the best you can. Let’s not think about that now and just spend the day together, okay?” “I like the way you think.” They entered Luna and Celestia’s private balcony, which sat high above the other ponies. Chrysalis followed Pinkie and was about to sit herself next to her, but the pony stopped her. She pointed behind her and Chrysalis knew immediately what she was telling her to do. She looked back at Pinkie with a face of protest, but Pinkie just grinned and rapidly nodded her head. Knowing Pinkie wouldn’t give up the argument, Chrysalis reluctantly sat next to the youngest alicorn. “I’m so happy to have met you, Cherub. We should have met sooner, but I’ve been so busy with ruling the Crystal Empire along with my husband.” She then reached over and nuzzled him lovingly. Chrysalis prayed they didn’t do too many public displays of affection. It was both too sappy for her and a bad reminder of who she was. “I’ve always wanted to see the Crystal Empire for myself, but I couldn’t find the time since I was busy with…stuff.” “You mean like helping my sweet Auntie Luna find a special somepony?” The false unicorn’s eye began to twitch. “So she told you.” “Yep! And guess what? She asked me to help too!” Chrysalis barely kept her whole face from cringing. This was not good news in any way for her. Cadance was now either competition she would have to do everything in her power to beat or somepony she would be seeing a lot more of as they would be working together. “Well good for you.” “Thanks. I’m so happy she finally wanted my help. I plan on getting right on it very soon.” Her loud giggling annoyed Chrysalis greatly. “Great, but maybe we could talk about something else? I’d like to not think about work right now.” The alicorn controlled herself and then cleared her throat. “As a matter of fact, there is something I want us to talk about.” She inhaled deeply. “And that is?” “I want to help you get over your marriage.” Chrysalis was about ready to pull off some of her own hair and scream. She couldn’t believe how that one lie would follow her for so many months and now would have Princess Cadance all over her case. “Don’t worry about me. I am completely fine.” “Really?” “Yes. I’m focusing on bigger and better things,” she assured with a straight face. “You mean like your Hearts and Hooves event?” “Exactly.” “That’s good.” The princess tapped her hooves together and shifted her eyes around. “Speaking of that, I was kind of wondering…” Chrysalis knew exactly what she wanted to say because Luna had brought it up before. However, she was not too thrilled with the idea of spending much time with somepony she had wronged so much. Somehow, in less than five minutes with Cadance, Chrysalis felt her day was already ruined. “Yes, you can be my co-host.” The alicorn clapped her hooves. “Oh, thank you! I won’t let you down! Now then, I think the first thing I shall do as co-host is find you a date!” “Have fun with that,” she grumbled, knowing that there were going to be a lot more ponies for her to shoot down. “You’ll be surprised,” said Shining Armor. “My wife is very good at what she does. I promise you she will find somepony that you will love with all your heart.” “We’ll see.” Chrysalis looked back down at the other ponies below until she noticed somepony had replaced Rarity next to her. “I’m guessing this was your idea.” “Are you surprised?” asked Luna. “Ever since the first day we met, you have been stressing over your marriage. I thought it was time I help you move on.” “I appreciate it, I really do, but I want to do this on my own.” Luna put a hoof on her shoulder. “Cherub, please just give her a chance. You were the same way with me, but I think you need this more than I do.” She put her other hoof on Chrysalis’s. “Please just do it for me.” Somehow stuck between a rock and a hard place, Chrysalis had no other option. “Alright. I’ll give her a shot.” Luna smiled at her and got back into her seat. “Thank you, Cherub. You won’t regret this.” “I think I already do,” she whispered to herself. Rather than worry of what awaited in the future, Chrysalis relaxed in her seat, closing her eyes and listening to the other conversation going on. “I’ve heard a lot ponies talk about this concert, but I could never afford seeing it myself,” said Caramel. “It is simply an elegant show,” spoke Celestia. “Just relax and enjoy the music they play. These four ponies are very talented and I always invite them for all of my parties. Cherub should have just asked and I could have acquired the tickets myself.” “Then I’d have to find something else to reward my hard working employees,” Chrysalis commented while keeping her eyes closed. “Well you can be sure you’ll have all the free tickets you want when I perform in a place such as this!” stated Trixie proudly. “I don’t think tickets are required for a little kid’s birthday party,” mocked Rainbow Dash, bringing a smile out of Chrysalis. “Hush you. With magic, I can perform far more exciting tricks than the Wonderbolts,” she countered, which made Dash stick her tongue out at her. “People across the world will know my name and remember all of my unique tricks. All it takes is hard work and dedication to be the best of the best, right, Spitfire?” The pegasus looked at her. “Who are you again?” The magician’s jaw dropped as the other ponies snickered. The lights dimmed and the curtains below began to rise in front of the stage down below. The audience clapped their hooves as four spotlights lit up and revealed the four musicians on the stage. Once the ponies became quiet, music began to play from their instruments. Chrysalis became relaxed as she listened to the performance, forgetting her current woes. She was reminded of the many shows she had attended back home. She visited many concerts as the music always helped her relax from the stress that often came with running a kingdom. Had she known these ponies could play music this well, she would have bought some of their records months ago. “Thanks again for doing this, Cherub,” whispered Twilight. “My pleasure. It was a lot of money, but I can already tell it was worth it.” “It’s a darn shame Ah couldn’t get Tavi to get ya a discount,” spoke Applejack. “She didn’t respond to mah letters at all.” Chrysalis turned her head towards the earth pony. “Who the heck is Tavi?” “That there pony with the big violin thing.” “It’s called a cello,” Rarity corrected. “On the stage?” asked Shining Armor. “Where else?" Chrysalis tried to examine the mare mentioned, but found it difficult from how far away she was. “I did not realize you knew Octavia, Applejack,” spoke Celestia with surprise. “I thought her name was Tavi,” said Soarin. “It’s really Octavia,” corrected the Solar Princess. “I’ve grown to know her and the other three through the many years I’ve invited them to events that I host. I will confess that Octavia can be a little stuck up at times, but don’t let that bother you. She is a very charming mare.” Pinkie pulled out a pair of binoculars and got a good look at the group. “I remember them! They were playing during the Grand Galloping Gala!” “That is correct, but I should warn you, Pinkie. Octavia still remembers you and she was not happy with what you did. She swore she would one day make a certain pink pony pay for embarrassing her so much by forcing them to play the Pony Polka.” Applejack laughed. “That definitely sounds like Tavi.” “Why do you keep calling her that?” questioned Fluttershy. “It’s a name that stuck from our family. She hates bein’ called that though.” Everypony in the balcony turned their heads towards the farmer. “Our family? Applejack, are you related to Octavia?” questioned Celestia with absolute surprise. “Ah sure am. She’s mah cousin.” They all gasped from her answer. “But I’ve never seen her at any of your reunions,” spoke Rarity. “Why am I just learning about this now!?” “She hasn’t come by in years. She likes bein’ all fancy and whatever and thinks we’re bumpkins. Ya might have seen her sister Fiddlesticks playin’ her fiddle, though.” “How come you never mentioned this before?” asked Chrysalis. “Fraid it slipped my mind and Ah didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” Spitfire took the binoculars from Pinkie and examined Octavia. “It’s hard to believe such a beautiful mare could be from a country family. No offense.” “None taken.” Picking up on the Wonderbolt’s tone, Chrysalis scanned her emotions, detecting a small trace of lust. However, this was something she could easily tell just by the hungry look in her eyes. “See something you like?” “I do,” answered Spitfire seductively. Rainbow Dash was the next to notice. “Wait, seriously? I always thought you wanted like a big tough guy who was into the same stuff as you, not some fussy mare that’d make you want to jump out a window. That’d be like me dating Rarity.” The unicorn stomped on Rainbow’s hoof and the pegasus barely managed to keep herself from crying in pain. “I will admit I’ve kinda had my eye on her for some time before today. I’ve seen her in some magazines and thought she was good looking, but I heard she was pretty snobby in person, so I didn’t really go for it. But if she’s related to Dash’s friend, I think I may actually want to meet her now.” “As it so happens,” spoke Celestia, “I know that she is in fact gay and currently single, but I am afraid you might not really be her type, Spitfire.” “I don’t think that’ll be much of a problem.” She looked towards Chrysalis and Cadance. “I hope you two aren’t busy after the show.” Chrysalis groaned and leaned her head back. “Spitfire, I’m on holiday. I don’t really want to work today.” The pegasus tapped her on the head. “Weren’t you listening? We’re going to a fancy gathering after this, where we will meet her and the other three ponies. It’ll just a little something extra to do while we’re there.” “I’ll think about it,” answered Chrysalis as she closed her eyes. “As interesting this all is,” said Rarity, “can we talk about this later? Spike and I are trying to enjoy the performance.” “I think he’s enjoying something else right now,” commented Trixie with a smile. They looked down at the dragon, seeing that he was fast asleep on his seat. “For heaven’s sake, it’s only been ten minutes for a show that’s over two hours,” complained Rarity. “Some date he is.” “Nice to see he appreciates my present,” snarled Chrysalis. She got out of her seat, put a hoof over his mouth, and tugged roughly on his tail, causing Spike to wake up immediately and produce a muffled shout. “What was that for!?” he quietly yelled. She leaned down and looked directly into his slit pupils. “I spent a lot of bits getting you in here and you sure as heck are not falling asleep through it.” He leaned away from her. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. This show’s just a little boring.” “Just remember, Spike, if you even dare fall asleep again, I’m going to make you my assistant until you pay me back the bits I spent for your ticket.” He gulped and sat straight up. “I’m awake now.” The ponies chuckled softly. “Good boy,” said Chrysalis. They all resumed watching the show, enjoying the music being played. Chrysalis kept examining Octavia as she thought about how she was going to get her and Spitfire together during her holiday. She then remembered her other task and looked at Luna. The night alicorn noticed Chrysalis staring and looked at her, smiling. Chrysalis smiled back at her and then resumed her attention on the musicians. She could have sworn she was blushing from Luna smiling at her. She truly liked Luna as her friend and felt glad she was immortal, so she would be friends with her for hundreds of years. For some reason unknown to Chrysalis, the thought of Luna spending close time with some other pony suddenly rubbed her the wrong way. She just shrugged it off and resumed listening to the elegant music. When their final song came to a close, the four musicians bowed and the audience once again applauded. When the curtain came down and the lights came on, the ponies stood from their seats and exited, each talking about how much they enjoyed what they heard. “Well that was positively marvelous,” stated Rarity. “I’m sure those songs will be playing through my head for weeks.” “I think I should get their record,” said Caramel. “I just wish I could get them autographed.” “Well we will be going to the after party, so you can meet with them and ask for one,” reminded Twilight. “And where we can find Octavia,” spoke Cadance with a skip in her step. They entered a large room found in the music hall, where many elites were speaking with each other and drinking champagne. They noticed the princesses and their company entering and began approaching to make conversation with the alicorns. “So how we gonna do this?” Pinkie asked Chrysalis excitedly. “Given Octavia’s standards, it might be better if only the princesses, Spitfire, and myself speak with them first.” She looked at the other ponies with her. “No offense, but she might not like it if she sees any of you with us.” “Don’t worry about us,” said Applejack as Pinkie grew a large frown. “Just get in there and do ya thing.” With some effort, the alicorns managed to escape the crowd of ponies that were determined in seeing them, giving them opportunity to speak with the musicians, who were standing by themselves at a corner. “Hello again,” greeted the Solar Princess. “I see your music has not lost its touch.” “Nice to see you again, Princess Celestia,” said Frederic, a brown earth pony stallion with a white mane. “We always appreciate your attendance in any of our performances.” “And we appreciate the wonderful music you play,” replied her sister. “Hello, Princess Luna. I haven’t seen much of you lately,” spoke Beauty Brass, an earth pony mare that possessed a sky blue coat. “How have you been?” “I have been most excellent. I’ve been busy with running the kingdom during the night, but I’m glad to see you all again.” “And Princess Cadance, we haven’t seen you since the wedding,” spoke Octavia pleasantly. “Running the Crystal Empire does kind of do that. You all really should come visit. The crystal ponies would love to hear your music.” Knowing the musicians were more interested in the alicorns than her, Chrysalis loudly cleared her throat to get their attention. “Hello, I am Cherub. It’s an absolute pleasure meeting you all. Great music, by the way. It was absolutely heavenly.” “I did not realize you too were closely associated with the alicorns, Cherub,” said Octavia. “I’m surprised you know who I am. I’ve known Luna for a while as we’re pretty close friends.” “I see.” Octavia then made eye contact with the pegasus. “Greetings, Spitfire. Fancy meeting you here.” “Hey,” she greeted casually. “Nice show you gave us. Certainly much better than the Gala.” “I heard that Pinkie helped them play quite a fun song,” remarked Cadance with a smile. Chrysalis noticed Octavia taking loud, steady breaths. “I had forgotten that she worked for you, Cherub. How do you put up with a nuisance like her?” The changeling glared at her. “She’s a sweet girl who always makes my day. I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world.” The brown mare rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know how she could have possibly received an invitation to such a high class event. It is a mystery that has plagued my mind to this day.” “Maybe you should ask my sister,” Luna teased as she nudged her sister. Everypony laughed except Octavia. “Wow, you invited her? I definitely didn’t see that coming,” spoke Parish, a dark blue earth pony stallion who played a large harp during the concert. “She is a friend of my student. I think she made that night much more entertaining than it usually is.” Octavia’s breathing increased in pace. “Maybe it was entertaining for you. She made us look like fools.” “Oh come on, Octavia. That was just one time,” noted the pianist. “And once was enough.” She poked her head out from the group and looked around. “You didn’t bring her here, did you?” “I did,” answered Celestia, smiling. Octavia dragged a hoof over her face. “Fantastic.” “Relax, she’s not going to do anything,” ensured Spitfire. “She isn’t going to be making you play anymore songs, I can promise you that.” “You better be right,” growled the musician as she took a glass of champagne and gulped it down. Already Chrysalis was annoyed with her by how she spoke poorly of Pinkie. “She’s just hanging out with Applejack and the others,” she added deviously. “I’m sure they are keeping an eye on her.” Octavia choked on her drink and coughed loudly. “A-Applejack!?” “You okay, Octavia?” asked Frederic. “You seem to be really tense.” “I’m fine,” she responded sternly, causing him to step back. “Who is Applejack?” questioned Parish. “Nopony.” “They’re cousins, much to my surprise,” answered the Princess of the Moon. “Cousins?” asked Beauty Brass with surprise as she looked around the room. “Well I think we would like to meet her.” “No you don’t.” “Why not?” “Yeah, tell us what’s wrong, Tavi,” teased the changeling, causing Cadance to look worried. The earth pony had a look of horror on her face. “Tavi?” Beauty Brass chuckled. “Is that a nickname?” “Shut up, Brass!” The ponies and changeling were taken aback by her outburst. “Excuse me, but you need to calm down,” suggested Cadance. “I am calm.” Celestia worried that they were going too far with her. “Octavia, please just relax. You look really stressed.” “You’re right. I think I shall be heading home now.” “You’re just going to leave?” asked Cadance. “I thought we could talk some more.” “Perhaps another time. Enjoy your holidays.” Octavia took her instrument and proceeded to exit, but before she got close to the door, a voice called out, “Hey, Tavi!” She stopped walking and her eye was twitching as Applejack approached her. “Long time no see!” The musician noticed how the other ponies attending were staring. “I-I don’t know who you are, so please leave me alone.” “It’s me! Your cousin Applejack!” she said loudly, causing more ponies to look. “S-stop talking to me.” “Come on! I want to introduce you to my friends.” The farmer took her hoof and dragged her over to the group. “Please let me go,” pleaded Octavia in a whisper. Applejack stopped in front of the group. “Everypony, this here is Octavia, my cousin.” “Hello,” they all said at once. “Hello,” she greeted timidly, only to be dragged by the farmer again. “So this here is my coltfriend, Caramel. He works at a sweetshop and he’s just as sweet as the stuff he sells.” “Nice to meet you. I really enjoyed your music.” Octavia quickly shook his hoof. “Well it’s been nice meeting you all, but I really need to go.” “But you just got here!” a familiar voice shouted. Octavia looked at Pinkie, eye twitching and teeth grinding. “I remember you,” she spoke coldly. “You do? That’s great! Do you want to play the Pony Polka again?” “NO.” The group found themselves intimidated by her hostile attitude. “Um…I don’t mean to bother you, but could I get an autograph?” asked Caramel as he shyly held up a record and a pen. The musician hastily grabbed the record, signed it, and shoved it back to him. “There you go. Guess I’m free to leave now.” As she made another attempt to leave, Applejack pulled her back by her tail. “Tavi, what has gotten into ya?” “Nothing.” “You’re just upset that you’re a country pony,” mocked Trixie smugly. “I am not!” “Are too!” “Tavi, why are you bein’ so rude to my friends?” asked Applejack, sounding hurt. Pinkie bounced in front of her, causing the musician to take several steps back. “Do you want to play another song!? That always makes me feel better!” “Why is this chick so uptight?” questioned Rainbow Dash. “I think I’d rather be stuck with Blueblood.” “BACK OFF!” Everypony in the room fell silent, staring at her. Noticing she had just made herself the center of attention, Octavia turned away from them. “Excuse me.” She then quickly trotted out of the room. Chrysalis and the other ponies met up with the rest. “What just happened?” asked Shining Armor in confusion. “Ah don’t know. She seemed to be tense and then she just exploded at us!” spoke Applejack. “She was acting all weird and became worse when Cherub mentioned a pony named Applejack,” said Frederick. Applejack pointed a hoof at herself. “You’re lookin’ at her.” “You’re her cousin? You sound like a country pony,” noted the harpist. “Everypony in her family is, includin’ her.” “But she said her family was from Trottingham,” stated the sousaphone player. Applejack shook her head. “Nope. She’s from good ol’ Appleloosa.” The trio of musicians gasped. “Appleloosa? Why would she lie to us about that?” asked Brass in disbelief. “Clearly,” said Celestia, “she is embarrassed about her origins.” “But we don’t care where she’s from,” spoke Frederic. “She’s our friend.” “I think it has to do with everypony else here in Canterlot,” said Rarity. “I have also noticed how critical they can be about where a pony is from and she must have chosen to keep it to herself.” “Wait until they hear where I’m from,” thought Chrysalis. “Any idea where she ran off to?” asked Cadance. Beauty Brass nodded. “She usually goes to the bar a few blocks east of here after a hard day. We should go find her and make sure she’s alright.” “Let us deal with her,” said Spitfire. “But we’re her friends,” argued the purple stallion. “We should be the ones helping her.” “I know, but we have another idea of what to do. Besides, I don’t think she can face any of you now that you know her secret,” countered the Wonderbolt. “Trust me, I’ll help her." The musicians exchanged looks of uncertainty. “If you think that is best, we’ll leave it up to you,” said Frederic. “She will be in good hooves.” Spitfire looked at Chrysalis and Cadance. “You two wanna tag along?” “Of course,” answered Cadance. “I can’t just sit idly by while the poor thing frets over this, especially on this holiday.” “I don’t know,” spoke Chrysalis, glancing at Luna. “It is my day off, after all.” “Please, Cherub,” begged the Princess of Love. “She’s Applejack’s family and clearly the girl needs our help. If we don’t do anything, she’s going to be miserable tomorrow.” Chrysalis bit her lip, looking over at Applejack, who had a sort of pleading look in her own eyes. Out of all of Pinkie’s friends, Applejack was one she respected highly. The girl was hard working, reliable, and most importantly, all about family. She thought it would be a lost cause to deal with Octavia, but at least attempting to help her would give her the farmer’s favor. “Alright, I’m in.” “I’m glad,” said Spitfire as she looked back at the earth ponies. “So what can you three tell us about Octavia?” As Chrysalis listened to them, she felt somepony touch her shoulder. “Cherub, what about me? We only have so much time left today.” Chrysalis thought it was sweet Luna was upset from her leaving and she gently placed a hoof on her cheek. “I won’t take too long, so just enjoy your time with everypony else, okay?” Luna slowly nodded. “Good luck, Cherub.” “Thanks, Luna.” Chrysalis turned back towards the musicians, hoping she could keep her word to the princess. Chrysalis and her company found the bar where Octavia had supposedly ran off to and peered through the window. It was mostly empty as most ponies were out doing holiday business, but they saw the musician drinking alone at the counter. “So what’s the plan?” asked the pegasus. “You go in there and tell that girl to suck it up,” ordered Chrysalis. “Nail it into her head that ditching her family for fame is absolutely not okay.” “I have a better idea.” Cadance leaned towards Spitfire and whispered something in her ear. When she finished, she pulled away and grinned. “What do you think?” “I like the way you think, Princess.” The Wonderbolt entered the bar. Chrysalis had an eyebrow raised and looked at the alicorn. “What did you tell her?” She giggled and turned to the window. “You’ll see.” “Another round,” Octavia demanded. “You’ve been really knocking them back, Octavia. Everything okay?” “Another round,” she repeated. The bartender shrugged and proceeded to make her drink as Spitfire walked over and sat next to her. “I think I can name a few better ways you can spend Hearth’s Warming Eve,” she teased. Octavia shot her a hateful glance. “Why are you here, Spitfire?” “Just came to check on you. We all got a little worried when you snapped.” “I did not snap.” Spitfire chuckled at her. “Then what would you call it?” She harrumphed. “I simply voiced my frustration.” “Why would you be frustrated? It was just your cousin.” The earth pony received her drink and stared into it. “She is not my cousin. You have been misinformed.” “You can drop the act. You can’t change who you are.” “Fine.” She tilted her head back and took some gulps. “So are you going to lecture me about how family is so important and that I should go see them tomorrow?” “Do I need to? You seemed to have it all figured out already.” Octavia stared at her spitefully, but then slumped her shoulders and sighed. “It’s not that I hate them or anything. I just cannot relate to them.” “And that excuses cutting them off?” “They’ll just do fine without me. My family is quite large.” The country pony finished drinking. “Aren’t you going to say something useful?” “What’s there to say? I think you know everything ponies should be telling you.” “Then why are you here, Spitfire? I was expecting my friends to come, not you.” “I told them to let me handle you. If they came, they would just tell you all the cliché stuff and maybe you would storm off again.” “And what are you here to say exactly?” Smiling, Spitfire motioned a hoof and Octavia leaned in so she could whisper in her ear, “That you’re a boring snob.” Octavia pulled back with a look of anger on her face. “If that’s all you have to say to me, then I suggest you be on your way. I have no interest in you.” She turned her stool around, away from the pegasus. “I wouldn’t push me away if I were you.” “And why not?” asked the musician in an uncaring tone. “Because what you do today will determine what tomorrow headlines are.” The earth pony shifted her eyes towards her. “What in the world are you talking about?” “Would you rather have the paper be about boring holiday stuff or about a secret bumpkin known as Octavia?” She dropped her glass onto the counter, spilling liquid onto the wood. “You wouldn’t dare!” Spitfire leaned back and put her hooves behind her head, smiling smugly. “I’m a Wonderbolt. Daring is kind of my thing.” Octavia’s body was trembling and she darted her eyes around. “Is it money you want? I’ll pay! Just don’t tell anypony!” Laughing, Spitfire patted her on the head. “I don’t want your money, Octavia. If you don’t want me to say anything, then my demand is I want you to have fun.” Octavia stared at her, studying Spitfire’s unchanging expression. “Is this some sort of sick joke?” “No. You just hang with me for a few hours and I’ll promise to never tell anypony.” “But why would you care about me having fun? I am perfectly happy.” “Does being perfectly happy include being a snob who neglects her family?” She narrowed eyes at her. “Why do you even care about what I do?” “Applejack is a friend of my friend and I didn’t like how you treated her. There’s also the fact a lot of ponies tell me how much of a stuck up mare you are.” “So Applejack sent you.” “I sent myself. I am doing this as an unasked favor. Now are we gonna get going or what?” The musician growled at her. “Fine.” She reached into her coat pocket, but Spitfire beat her to the punch and placed several bits on the counter. “Drinks are on me.” “Oh,” Octavia said in surprise. “Thank you.” They got off their stools. “Can I at least drop my instrument off at home?” “Sure thing.” Spitfire opened the door for the musician and they walked down the street together while Chrysalis and Cadance came out from hiding and followed from a safe distance. “Did you really tell Spitfire to blackmail her?” “I might have,” Cadance responded innocently. “Well as clever as that was, where are they going?” “Just for some fun, but in Octavia’s case, Spitfire is going to need to bring a professional.” Cadance’s teasing voice sparked immense curiosity within Chrysalis. Who could possibly be a professional in the field of fun? The only pony in all of Equestria Chrysalis knew that fitted the bill was…“Uh-oh.” “Are you ready for a day of fuuuuunnn!?” exclaimed Pinkie. “I’d rather pass out drunk on the street,” muttered Octavia hatefully. Spitfire nudged her with her elbow and received a grunt in return. “Oh, lighten up. Pinkie’s a swell kid.” “So what sort of fun do you possibly have in mind besides singing a song for little children?” Pinkie held something to her. “Ice skating!” “…What?” “Ice skating, silly! That’s like the best thing you can do during winter! Except for maybe snowball fights, but I don’t think we can have one here.” Octavia stared at the skates, but then laughed, confusing the both of them. “Well luckily for me, I don’t know how to ice skate. I guess there’s always next time.” She turned around but Spitfire grabbed her tail. “Geez, you’re a bigger pain than a broken wing. Just relax for once and let’s do something fun.” “Weren’t you listening? I don’t know how.” The pegasus grinned at her. “You don’t know how to have fun? That’s just sad.” Octavia flared on the inside as the two ponies laughed at her. “You two better knock it off or I swear…” “Alright, alright, lighten up. We’re just messing with you. Anyway, I can just teach you how to do it.” “What if I don’t want to?” asked Octavia. “Then I hope you know how to play the banjo, cause I don’t think you’ll get another gig here.” Octavia sighed in defeat and the Wonderbolt patted her on the back. “You’ll be fine.” “Come on, you two!” Pinkie hopped ahead as they followed her with Chrysalis and Cadance trailing behind. “As much as I love Pinkie, I don’t think bringing her was a good idea,” Chrysalis addressed in a worried tone. “Why? She’s been doing great so far.” “I’m expecting Octavia to be arrested for attempted murder by the end of the day,” she spoke as she hatefully stared at the earth pony. “Oh hush. It’s not like you were any better when you first met Pinkie.” Chrysalis remained silent, remembering how her attitude towards the Element of Laughter was very similar for a long time. “She’s really made an impact on your life, hasn’t she?” “She certainly has. She is definitely one special pony. Pinkie is the reason why I am who I am now.” “And Luna too. She became your friend before Pinkie did, if I heard correctly.” “Yeah.” Cadance looked at her. “Luna told me once of how proud of you she was that you bettered yourself.” “She said that?” she asked with flushed cheeks. “Yep. She also said after everything you’ve been through, she wishes she could make you happy.” A small smile appeared on her lips. “She already has.” Chrysalis thought about their relation in the beginning. Despite how hateful and uncaring she was, she somehow managed to develop a bond with Luna. She was the only pony she could make herself open up to and she made her care about her and Pinkie. She dreaded to think of how things could have gone had Pinkie not introduced her to Luna. She really wished she could be with her at this very moment, but she promised to help Spitfire, so she would need to be patient. “You make her happy, too, Cherub. Happier than most ponies have. We need to find her somepony that can make her as happy as you can.” “I will do everything I can to make that happen.” She couldn’t imagine who could understand the princess like she could, but she would never give up as long as she lived. Luna deserved that and so much more. Pinkie took them to an outdoor ice skating rink, where many ponies were already skating. “And here we are!” She held out four pairs of skates to them. “Put these on and let’s get going already!” They sat on a bench and put them on, surprised that the mare somehow correctly guessed their hoof size. Once Spitfire finished, she stood up and got onto the ice. “We’re going to take it nice and easy, so just relax and have fun.” When Octavia stood on the ice, she immediately slipped and fell, bringing out a laugh from Spitfire. “Are we done yet?” she asked in a hostile voice. “Not yet. Let’s hang here for a while.” She sighed loudly. “What’s the point? I’m obviously no good at this.” “It takes a little practice.” She used her wing to pry the musician off the ice and held her until she got her balance. “See? You’re getting the hang of it.” Suddenly, right as Octavia got up, Pinkie appeared and shoved her by her butt. “Go on and get skating, Tavi!” The musician was gasping and flailing her legs around as she moved while Spitfire casually caught up with her and laughed. “Having fun yet?” “What does it look like!?” she shouted in panic. “Just relax and straighten your legs out. I’ll catch you if you slip.” With some time, Octavia managed to calm herself down. “Good. Now just move like this.” Spitfire moved ahead of her and the earth pony imitated her movement. Spitfire turned herself around to see how she was doing. “Hey, not bad at all.” “She’s a natural!” Pinkie exclaimed as she zoomed past them. Octavia skated around the ice, feeling comfortable with her skill. “I guess this isn’t so bad.” “See? All that complaining was for nothing,” Spitfire joked. “Don’t spoil the moment,” she snapped. The two of them skated together while Pinkie was on her own, performing many flips and spins. Spitfire had an idea from watching her and looked at Octavia, who actually had a tiny smile on her face. “You wanna do something crazy?” Octavia frowned at her. “Do I have a choice?” “Take off your front skates.” “Whatever for?” “Just do it.” Octavia complied and the pegasus did the same. They both got onto the ice and Spitfire held her hoof out. “Grab on.” Octavia rolled her eyes and took it, only to be suddenly pulled as Spitfire got on her hind legs and ran as fast as she could. They were going at incredible speed as they moved around the outer part of the ice. “Hang on tight!” Spitfire then shifted her direction sharply, causing her to spin. She took Octavia’s other hoof as she spun and her speed was enough to lift the earth pony off the ground and they continued spinning in place. “W-what are you doing!? Let me down!” “I got you, Tavi! There’s no need to be worried!” “Don’t call me that!” Cadance and Chrysalis sat a good distance from the ice, watching the two mares spin. “The sight is making me dizzy,” commented Chrysalis as she placed a hoof on her head. “I think it’s beautiful. They make such a good couple,” complemented Cadance happily. Chrysalis gave her a look that made it look like she thought the princess was delusional. “How? All I’ve heard Octavia do is complain and Spitfire is just teasing her. They are complete opposites of each other.” “Oh Cherub, I thought you’d learn by now that that is the best kind of love. Spitfire’s personality is one of having fun instead of caring for her personal image like how Octavia does.” Cadance looked at her. “What Octavia needs is somepony that will let her try new things and never give up on her, no matter how stubborn she is. Spitfire is that pony. I’m not sure what Octavia can do for her, but you can bet they can make each other happy.” “No offense, but that sounds like a bunch of baloney.” “Is it? I thought you of all ponies would understand after what my Auntie did for you.” “Excuse me?” “You know, how you were cold and anti-social while Luna was fun loving and interested in meeting new ponies. In theory, you two shouldn’t have been friends, but you are. Don’t forget how Luna came to you despite you being sort of a jerk, how she gave you that mailbox so you two could always keep in contact, how she made you give Pinkie a chance and allowed you to be her friend, how she would make time to spend the day with you, and not to mention how she held you when you cried. Because of her, look where you are now.” Cadance then returned her attention to the skaters. Unsure of Cadance's intentions, Chrysalis continued watching the two ponies skate, but something was bothering her. Something about what Cadance said was on her mind and she wasn’t sure why. She kept thinking her words over and over until something happened. When she looked at Octavia and Spitfire, they were gone. In Spitfire’s place was Luna and in Octavia’s was…herself. The two of them were laughing and smiling while skating together, almost like a couple. Chrysalis gasped, closed her eyes, and shook her head, finding everything normal afterward. She felt alarmed, wondering where in the world this feeling was coming from. Her mind then shifted to Luna, picturing the way she made that cute smile and even to when they were in bed together in Canterlot. Chrysalis shook her head frantically, removing the thoughts from her head and doing her best to focus on the current objective. However, it did not end there. A suddenly surge of thoughts involving Luna flooded her mind. She kept thinking about her time with Luna where they laughed, hugged, and even comforted one another. She felt her chest produce a strange but familiar feeling when she thought about kissing Luna on the lips the week before. No matter how hard she fought, the feeling grew stronger and stronger without stop. Chrysalis realized what she was experiencing and became terrified, causing her to stand up hastily. “Excuse me for a moment.” She quickly walked away without bothering to wait for a reply. She stormed into a nearby restroom and went up to the sink. She ran some cold water and splashed it on her face, staring into the mirror afterward. This wasn’t happening. This absolutely could not be allowed to happen. She closed her eyes, trying to look at the situation again. The thought of Luna once again brought sudden warmth within her and she forced her eyes open. All she could think about was her beauty, her elegant voice, her playful attitude, and everything else that made her so wonderful. All she desired was to be held by the alicorn and to be loved the same way she loved her. She even thought about them going all the way to show how much they loved each other, going into her bedroom… Chrysalis splashed away the dirty thoughts with more water. She couldn’t afford to have these feelings, no matter what. It would only make things worse. Her mind was still filled with thoughts of the princess and she felt as if she was suffocating, so she left the bathroom, finding Cadance waiting for her. “Are you feeling all right?” “Fine. Take over for me,” she answered as she kept walking. “Where are you going?” She was not given an answer as the changeling kept going and eventually disappeared. Chrysalis was in her own world as she walked through Canterlot. She wandered aimlessly, taking no note of what ponies were doing or where she was going. Eventually, she decided to take a seat on a bench, laying back and staring into the sky. Love. She worked so hard on making it and now its mysterious magic has worked its way into her. What should have been something wonderful for anyone else was truthfully something dangerous for her. She loved Luna. No matter how many times she thought about it, it just felt strange to her. She really liked her as a friend and even thought she was beautiful, but she never expected anything like this to happen. She thought more of what Cadance said and realized that she was completely right. Luna was the main reason she allowed herself to give up any thoughts of revenge. If it weren’t for her, she never would have become close to Pinkie and if they never got close, Pinkie would have most likely tried to have her arrested instead of becoming her friend. She never realized how happy Luna made her feel until now, wanting to be around her as much as possible and wished she could repay her for everything. The alicorn was so sweet, happy, and beautiful and Chrysalis wanted her more than anything. However, Chrysalis just sighed to herself. As much as she wanted to, pursuing after Luna was absolutely out of the question. It wasn’t just that she feared being rejected, but if a relationship did start between them, it would just lead to the inevitable. Chrysalis would reveal herself and Luna and even Celestia would unleash their retribution, furious that she would take advantage of the younger princess. No matter what she did, all she would feel would be pain. Maybe she could try after exposing herself and achieving forgiveness, but that was still a longshot, especially because of what she was. For now, she would have to keep her own feelings under control. She thought her problem was funny in a strange way. When she was a little girl, her mother would always read to her and Nymph the tale of the Mare in the Moon. It was her favorite story as a child, awed by the idea that Princess Celestia had a sister all the way on the moon. She was never too fond of ponies, but Luna was somepony she felt drawn to because of how she loved the stars. Sometimes she would go out to the garden and stare into the night sky, looking at the endless sea of stars and the prison of the alicorn. When she was much younger, she felt bad that Luna was so lonely up there and sometimes would just talk to her. Even when she got older, she would come out and lay on the grass to stare at the moon, wondering how Luna was doing. When she came to Canterlot disguised as Cadance, she only caught a few glances of her, but she was not interested at all, focused on conquest over everything else. And now, that little girl who was fascinated with Luna was now a full grown adult and in love with her. It was strange to Chrysalis how life could work out like that. Chrysalis closed her eyes. She didn’t care if she slept like a homeless pony on that bench; she just needed some form of escape, pained from desiring something she could never have. She eventually drifted to sleep and dreamed. She found herself in the royal garden back home in Bugartha, lying on the grass surrounded by many flowers. She rolled herself and found that Luna was right next to her, smiling. Chrysalis looked at her own hooves and saw that she was in her true form. Before she could say anything, Luna kissed her. The changeling felt at ease and closed her eyes, returning the kiss. They grabbed onto each other and rolled around the grass, laughing as they continued kissing. Chrysalis felt so happy, being with the mare she loved more than anything. The moment was absolutely perfect to her, until Twilight appeared and informed Chrysalis that her math homework was late. Chrysalis was awakened when she was exposed to the powerful aroma of caffeine. Upon opening her eyes, she saw that somepony was holding several cups of coffee in front of her and when she turned her head, she nearly jumped. ”Luna?” “Sleeping on the job? Tsk, tsk, Cherub! You make me question whether or not I should depend on you for getting me a special somepony. It’s a good thing I’m here.” Chrysalis couldn’t believe her eyes. Somehow it was Luna of all ponies who found her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing her. Her heart told her to be happy while her subconscious advised her to get away. She looked towards the multiple cups. “Are these for me?” “And Pinkie and Cadance. Speaking of which, where are they?” From looking around, the false unicorn wasn’t even sure of where she was. “I…I don’t know.” “You got separated?” “I wandered off,” she admitted, feeling embarrassed. “Wandered? But what about your job?” She looked away. “I got distracted by something. It’s not that important.” She straightened her posture and looked at the princess. “So what are you doing here, Luna? I thought you went with the others.” “I did, but I felt bad for having fun without you all while you were out working hard, so I thought I could give you all a nice treat. I’m surprised you were just down the street.” “I’m surprised you found me at all in this crazy city.” Chrysalis took a sip of the cup with her name on it, surprised by what she tasted. “You got my favorite flavor,” she spoke with disbelief. “And with sugar too, just the way you like it.” Chrysalis smiled as well as blushed. “You know me so well.” Luna held up a bag containing many pastries and the changeling felt her stomach growl as it been a while since she had eaten. “And you got all these for us, too?” “Of course.” The changeling grabbed a doughnut and began devouring it. “I’m so glad I found you, Cherub. I’ve been waiting awhile for us to hang out.” She swallowed her food. “I’m sorry, but we shouldn’t be that long. After we finish, we can spend the rest of the day together with no more work.” “But you three have been working for almost three hours. How much more do-” “Wait, what!?” Chrysalis saw a clock store across the street from her and saw that she had been asleep for almost two hours. It also just occurred to her that sunset was approaching, so she was running low on time. She quickly retrieved the food and drinks and stood up. “I’m sorry, but I need to go!” Luna quickly stood up as she left. “So soon? But I just found you!” “I’ll be back. I promise!” she called as she powerwalked away. She wasn’t happy at all to have ditched Luna like that, but Cadance and Pinkie must have been getting worried about her and she needed to be sure the job was going well. It also occurred to her that it might have been better if she didn’t spend any time with Luna for a while. It didn’t take her long to track them down as many ponies easily caught sight of the famous Wonderbolt Spitfire and of Princess Cadance. She eventually found the princess and her friend hiding against a wall of a café, watching something. “How’s it going?” They both whirled around, completely surprised by her appearance. “You’re back!” Pinkie rushed over and hugged her lovingly. Cadance noticed what she was holding. “Cherub, did you take this long just to get coffee?” “I was actually doing something else. These are from Luna.” “Oh boy! What did she get me!?” Pinkie immediately snatched her drink and took a gulp, losing her smile afterward. “Decaf.” Both older mares chuckled. “I think it’s for the best,” said Chrysalis. Cadance took her drink and an apple fritter. “I think it was very sweet for Auntie to think about us and to buy all of this. Isn’t she simply the sweetest pony?” Chrysalis blushed. “You have no idea.” She quickly shook her head, trying to focus on the task at hoof. “But anyway, what about Octavia? How has that been coming along?” “Well I’ve been telling Spitfire what to say and do with her while Pinkie took them out to do all sorts of fun things. They’re just sitting over there,” Cadance answered while pointing a hoof around the building, where the two mares were seated together outside. “Then why is Pinkie here instead of being with them?” “Well after we did some ice skating, snowpony making, caroling, and even ice fishing, Spitfire told me I was free to go,” answered the earth pony. “I told Spitfire now would be a good time for them to have a serious talk,” addressed Cadance as she leaned towards the wall to look at them. “Isn’t this just nice?” asked the Wonderbolt. “Having a little bit of coffee out in this pleasant weather?” The musician said nothing. “Don’t tell me you’re still not having fun,” she teased. Octavia put her drink down. “Okay, I am done with your little game, Spitfire.” “Geez, just relax-” “I will not!” she snapped. “I have been stuck with you for over two hours because of blackmail!” She slammed her hooves on the table. “What the hay do you want from me!? Just come out and say it!” Knowing she could no longer dance around the question, Spitfire put her drink down. “Alright. I’ll level with you. I’m not only doing this because you’re the cousin of my friend’s friend, but because I am concerned about you.” “There’s no need,” the musician stated crossly. “My only problem right now is being stuck with you.” “Oh yeah? How often do you smile?” Octavia chuckled mockingly. “What kind of question is that?” “A simple one,” Spitfire answered in a serious voice. Suddenly losing the argument, Octavia looked away. “Sometimes.” “How often a pony smiles is a measurement of how happy they truly are. Only on the ice and another couple of times have I seen you smile today. You didn’t smile when you played your music on the stage or even with your friends.” “What’s your point?” Spitfire sighed and kicked her legs up on the table. “Octavia, what are you doing with your life? I mean yeah you get to play music for all the rich ponies, but what else do you even do? You don’t see your own family, I had to drag you to make you do anything fun, and you can’t even be appreciative that somepony is worried about you and is willing to make time for you. You like to avoid dealing with your problems and keeping those problems to yourself is not healthy at all. What happened with you and Applejack during that little party was just a firecracker compared to the big bomb that will inevitably blow if you keep this manure up.” The earth pony looked down at her hooves. “I…I can’t be that bad. I just can’t be.” “Maybe, but you should still be concerned. Do you ever go out and do something fun? Like go have a drink with your friends or something?” “Not really,” she admitted glumly. “Do you even have something planned tomorrow?” She slumped her shoulders. “My only plans were dinner in an expensive restaurant.” “You call that a holiday celebration?” Octavia looked down at the table in front of her, closing her eyes. “You know, your family is meeting in Ponyville tomorrow.” She slowly shook her head. “I…don’t know if I should.” “If you’re thinking about what these elites think about your family, don’t worry about it. It’s not like they’ll stop coming to your concerts. Your talent is one of a kind.” She patted Octavia’s hoof. “You really know how to play some beautiful music.” The musician opened her eyes and looked at her. “Thank you.” Spitfire then stood up. “Where are you going?” “I’m afraid I need to get going before my train shows up,” she answered as she stretched herself. “You’re just going to leave?” “Sorry, but I can’t keep my friends waiting. I am sorry I blackmailed you, but I thought you needed to have fun for once, especially on Hearth's Warming Eve. As for our secret, it’s going to stay a secret, so don’t worry about it.” She held her hoof out. “I know it wasn’t really your scene, but I’m glad we met and got to hang.” Octavia took her hoof and shook it. “I’m actually kind of glad as well. Today wasn’t so bad, I suppose.” “Good. I’m not trying to force you to do anything, Octavia, just giving some friendly advice.” Spitfire reached into her coat pocket and placed a card on the table. “Come see me at the academy any time, just be sure to tell them that Tavi wants to see Spitfire.” She took the card and stashed it in her pocket. “We’ll see.” Spitfire smirked. “Do me one more little thing.” “What?” Spitfire leaned towards her. “Show me a smile.” Octavia was surprised by her request, but she managed to produce one, feeling a little nervous. “Now that’s cute.” Spitfire took a few steps from her and stretched her wings out. “Applejack is at the train station, too, in case you want to take up my advice.” The musician looked away. “And as a friend, I want you to take care of yourself, Tavi.” “You too, Spitfire.” The pegasus took flight and disappeared behind the buildings. Chrysalis, Cadance, and Pinkie watched to see what Octavia would do. After a minute, she got up and left in the opposite direction. “Wait, why’s she going that way? Spitfire went the other way!” Pinkie cried. Chrysalis rubbed her eyes in disbelief. “That’s it!? This was all for nothing!” The sound of giggling caught their attention. “Cherub, Cherub, Cherub. You can’t always rush love. Everything went well and you should be happy.” “But it doesn’t look like we’ve changed anything,” she argued. “Actually, we have. Octavia took her card.” “She’ll probably just throw it away,” she argued. “She would have just declined if she didn’t want it. Trust me. We’ve made an impact on her. You’re also forgetting one other important detail.” “Which is?” “She didn’t get mad when she called her Tavi.” Cadance clapped her hooves together. “And now we are done! I bet my poor hubby misses me so much.” “I’ll bet,” Chrysalis muttered as she thought about Luna waiting for her. “That took longer than I thought. We need to hurry to the train station.” “I’ll let them know you’re coming.” Cadance flapped her wings and flew off. “See you there!” Once she was out of sight, Chrysalis and Pinkie walked. “Wow, Chrysalis. You really missed out this time. Cadance is super awesome at matchmaking, like you!” The changeling didn’t say anything and was looking off to the distance. “What’s wrong?” The changeling snapped back to reality. “Hmm? Nothing. I’m fine.” The pony leaned her head against her. “Come on, you know you can talk to me. We’re pals!” The old Chrysalis would have told her to just shut up and to leave her alone, but the new one actually had a friend to talk to. “I’m having a problem.” “What?” “I’m…I’m…” She didn’t know if she could say it. She couldn’t even accept it was real and thought that saying it out loud would just confirm it. “What!?” “I’m in love.” Silence fell between them. However, Chrysalis saw Pinkie’s face producing a grin that stretched her face into impossible proportions. “Now Pinkie, just-” Pinkie jumped her and knocked her over while giving a hug. “You’re in love!? I’m so happy for you!” “Pinkie, keep your voice down!” she demanded as embarrassment flooded through her from the ponies staring. Pinkie got off of her and Chrysalis increased her pace to get away from the ponies. “Sorry, but I’m so excited right now! You’re in love! Who is it!? I wanna know right now!” “Luna,” she confessed with a blush. Pinkie gave an extremely long gasp. “Luna!? Oh my gosh, that’s so cute!” She immediately shoved a hoof in front of her mouth. “Pinkie, don’t yell!” “I can’t help it!” she answered through the hoof, which Chrysalis removed. “This is the best news ever! I need to throw a party!” “No! No party, Pinkie! This isn’t even good news! It’s a big problem.” “But why is it a problem? This is great!” Chrysalis grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “No, it’s not! This is very bad!” “Huh? But why?” Chrysalis let her go and sighed deeply. “Because let us not forget who is underneath this illusion.” She flashed her green eyes. “I can’t get involved with her because Luna despises me as Chrysalis and this will only bring her great pain in the end.” Pinkie’s smile slowly faded and some of her hair began to lose its curls. “Oh.” They both stood there on the street, both feeling deeply depressed. “We need to get to the station. We’ll worry about this later, so just be happy for tomorrow. I will be okay.” Pinkie slowly nodded and they resumed their travel. After a minute, the pony looked up at her. “Chrysalis, I think you should stay with Luna for Hearth’s Warming Eve.” The changeling eyed her funnily. “What? Pinkie, that’s a bad idea.” “No, running away is!” She put a hoof in front of the changeling to stop her from walking. “Look, I know it’s scary to wonder whether or not somepony will like you, but you gotta go for it! It was scary when I tried to get Fluttershy to like me, but it all worked out in the end! If you don’t go, it’ll be like me and Fluttershy, where every time I wasn’t with her I’d go super loco thinking about her!” “I think I would go crazy thinking about wanting to be with her when I’m actually with her,” she stated. “Well you two should be together! You’d make a great special somepony for her! Or is it special changeling?” Chrysalis couldn’t even smile at Pinkie acting silly. “But Pinkie, it will just fall apart in the end.” “We don’t know that! Maybe she will still love you!” The changeling took a deep breath. “But…” “But what?” She closed her eyes. “I’m scared.” All of a sudden, Pinkie hugged her tightly. “I know it’s scary, but you gotta! Luna’s expecting you to find her somepony that will love her with all their heart, and that pony, or should I say changeling, is you!” Pinkie claimed as she pressed a hoof into Chrysalis’s chest. “You know her better than so many ponies and you can even sense how she is feeling. You two love doing a lot of stuff together and you both like to have sleepovers! I even believed you two would go great together a long time ago but I didn’t think you liked her like that, but now I’m more sure than ever! And don’t forget Cadance is trying to find her a special somepony, so you need to tell her how you feel before she finds somepony else! You need to go to Luna and be her special changeling!” Chrysalis felt her doubt fading. Maybe Pinkie was actually right. Maybe she all of people was the most deserving of the alicorn’s heart. Luna had been in a similar situation as her before, so she could potentially understand her. There was also the fact that she seemed to have been very attached to her and if her memory served her correctly, Luna was the one who initiated the kiss between them. Thinking of that moment made her feel confident and she stood up. “You’re right, Pinkie. I need to do this before it's too late. I will need some time, but I’m going to let her know exactly how I feel.” “Great! Let’s go to Luna right now!” Pinkie sprinted ahead as Chrysalis walked, wondering what in the world she had gotten herself into. Finally, they arrived at the train station, where the rest of the ponies were waiting. “Geez, you two take forever,” mocked Rainbow Dash, only to have Chrysalis magically throw a snowball at her face. “Train’s comin’ soon, so ya ready?” asked Applejack. “I sure am!” Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced over to Fluttershy and hugged her. Chrysalis saw Luna standing with Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance, waving to her. Before she could speak, another pony walked between them. “Applejack?” Much to everypony’s surprise, it was Octavia. “Tavi?” she asked with disbelief. “What are ya doin’ here?” She looked away and rubbed a hoof behind her head. “I was wondering if it was possible for me to accompany you to Ponyville.” The farmer gasped. “Ya mean ya actually wanna come to the reunion?” “Um…yes?” Applejack pounced on her and knocked her over. “Ah!” “Of course ya can come, Tavi! We’d be so honored to have ya back!” she exclaimed while hugging her. “Hurray for Tavi!” Pinkie shouted as she jumped into the air. “We’re still not friends!” Octavia snapped, causing Pinkie to stop midair and to land on the ground away from the musician. Celestia approached and helped them both off the ground. “I’m glad to see you have changed your mind about your family, Octavia. I’m still surprised I never figured that out about you for so long.” “I’m sorry I locked it away. I just needed somepony to set my head straight.” Octavia looked at Spitfire, who winked in response. Applejack pulled her close. “Ya’re gonna love the reunion! We got all sorts of fun stuff to do tomorrow and everypony will be so happy to see ya agin!” “Let’s not get carried away. I just want to relax and simply be with my family. I just hope they forgive me for being away for so long.” “Family can never stay mad at each other forever,” Applejack reassured, which made Chrysalis stare at her own hooves. “Ah’m sure they’ll be mighty proud of everything ya done.” While the ponies spoke with Octavia, the train arrived and opened its doors. Pinkie rushed over to Chrysalis and they gave each other a goodbye hug. The ponies walked to the train while saying goodbye with the exception of the royal family, Twilight, Spike, and Chrysalis. Chrysalis watched the others board and Luna approached her. “It’s a shame we didn’t have much time together, but hopefully next time will be better. I wish you a safe trip home, Cherub.” Nervous was all that she felt. She didn’t know if she really could ask Luna to have her stay with her or even make her love her, but as Pinkie told her, it was now or never. “Actually, I thought I could ask you a favor.” “What is it?” “If it isn’t too much short notice, could I possibly…stay with you for the holidays?” Luna gasped. “What? But Cherub, don’t you have plans?” “No, it’s just me and only me. I didn’t tell you so you wouldn’t worry.” She sighed. “I understand if it’s too-” Her words were silenced by the alicorn tightly hugging her. “Yes, Cherub! Please stay with me! I don’t want you to be lonely tomorrow.” Chrysalis smiled as she hugged Luna in return, not noticing a certain pony giggling. She turned her head to see Pinkie standing outside the train, winking at her before boarding. “Thanks, Luna. I really appreciate you taking me in on short notice.” “It is no trouble at all,” spoke Celestia. “Our home is your home and we’d love to have you over for the holidays.” Luna released her when they noticed the train leaving and the other ponies sticking out of the windows, waving goodbye. The ones who remained waved to them as the train disappeared in the distance. “Come along, everypony,” said Celestia. “Let’s get back before it gets too cold.” After dropping off Twilight and Spike at Twilight's parents' house, Celestia brought them to the palace. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think now would be a good time to enjoy some lovely wine,” addressed the oldest alicorn. “I all of a sudden feel in the mood for some as well,” spoke Luna. Cadance looked at the changeling. “I think we should sit somewhere nice and get to know you better, Cherub.” “I can’t wait to hear about little Twilight’s job from you,” said Shining as they took the white alicorn’s lead. “I mean, ‘Twilight’ and ‘dating service’ are two things I never thought I’d put in the same sentence.” Chrysalis spoke about all the interesting events that took place during her employment while none of them noticed that Cadance was staring at her almost the entire time. As they walked through the grand hall to reach the kitchen, they were sharing a laugh about some things Twilight did in attempts to understand love. Their laughter was cut off as the large double doors in front of them parted, revealing an unusual individual in a white coat on the other side. “Oh no,” muttered the stallion to himself as he quickly turned his attention toward the ceiling. “Nymph?” asked Celestia with surprise. “I did not realize you were still here.” “I apologize if I am overstaying my welcome,” said the changeling. “My guards went to go do some last minute holiday shopping and I must wait for their return for me to leave. They should be heading back now, so I am heading towards my carriage.” “Would you mind if we escort you there?” asked Luna. “I would be delighted.” “Oh, and here is my sister’s good friend, Cherub,” addressed Celestia as she pointed a hoof behind her. Nymph leaned towards the sides of the alicorn in attempt to look past her. “Where?” The ponies were confused by what she meant and looked behind them, discovering that the red unicorn was nowhere in sight. “Oh dear. Where did she run off to? She was just here a moment ago,” said Luna as she looked around. “Let me guess, right before I appeared.” “Yes.” The queen frowned and sighed. “Poo. I was looking forward to meeting her, too.” She walked ahead and the others followed. “It’s a shame she’s not the only pony to react this way upon seeing me or any of my kind. I thought we’d be through this months ago.” “Ponies still don’t understand your kind as much as we’d like,” spoke Celestia. “I feel once the population is well educated enough, they will be more than willing to accept you into their lives.” “That would have probably worked before, if it were not for my sister,” she responded gloomily. “Has there still been no sign?” asked Celestia, concerned. She slowly shook her head. “None at all. I sometimes fear the worst has happened to her.” “I’m sure she is fine,” comforted the blue alicorn. “We will find her, so hang in there.” “And what am I going to do with her if we do? For over thirty years she has hated me with all her heart, if she even has one left. Sometimes I think that she will never change, no matter how hard I try. It’s bad enough trying to clean up this mess she made.” “It was quite a big mess,” added the pink princess. “I take it you’re still just as mad at her as you were months ago,” said the queen. “Yes,” said Cadance bluntly. “If you do find her, please be merciful with her. I just hope you can knock some sense into her.” “I’m still honestly surprised you’re allowing this, Nymph,” spoke Shining Armor. “She may not forgive you for this.” “I feel it may do her some good. She needs to understand the consequences of what she had done.” “And if she doesn’t?” asked Celestia. Nymph hung her head. “I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about it. I just want to make sure she’s safe. I don’t wish to think she is beyond redemption. She was such a loving sister so many years ago and I would do anything to see that side of her again.” Nymph let out a depressed sigh. Celestia put a supportive hoof on her back. “Nymph, is there anything we can do for you? I do not wish for you to be so upset for the holidays.” “I will be fine. Just find my sister. I just want to know if she’s at least…alive.” “Very well. We will continue looking for her as hard as we can.” “Thank you.” She sat against the wall and smiled. “I thank you for all the help you have all given me. You also have my thanks for giving me so much of your Equestrian wine as a present. It was a truly generous gift. Right now I will await here for my guards alone.” “We understand. We’re going to see where Cherub ran off to. Goodbye, Nymph, and happy holidays,” spoke Luna as she walked away. “Happy holidays, ponies.” As Celestia and Luna left, Cadance approached Nymph. “Nymph, this is really a lovely coat!” she complemented as she ran a hoof across her coat. The queen smiled at her. “You like it? This was created by the most talented changelings in my kingdom. It’s one of a kind.” “It feels so real. What’s it made from?” she asked, completely enthralled by it. “Polar bear!” The princess retracted her hoof in horror. “T-t-t-this is…r-r-r-real fur!?” “That’s right. I’ve always admired the beauty of those creatures up north, so I thought making their beauty my own. Isn’t it just lovely? I think it fits perfectly with the winter weather.” Shining Armor slowly pulled his wife away. “I definitely think it fits you. We’d love to stay and admire it more, but we need to get going.” She chuckled. “Of course. Bye, you two.” The royal couple walked away as fast as they possibly could. “I-I touched it!” “It’s okay, honey. Just relax.” Nymph waved to them as they walked away, giggling to herself as she thought about Cadance producing a similar reaction if she found out what she did with some mistletoe earlier. She figured she still had some time to kill before her guards came back, so she decided to wander through the nearby garden. Even in winter, its beauty was something she admired. She figured that since all the animals were gone, no pony would worry if she was there unsupervised. She stepped into the cold winter air and something caught her eye. At a bench by the hedges was a unicorn mare who seemed to be mumbling to herself. She wondered who this pony was to be sitting alone in the palace garden, so she decided to approach her. “Hello there.” Chrysalis flew off the bench and took some steps backwards. “You!? Wha…why…I…” “Oh, I hope I didn’t startle you.” The other changeling took some deep breaths and put a hoof on her chest. “You actually did.” “Please forgive me. I was just curious of why you were out here all alone.” Chrysalis said nothing. “What is your name?” “Cherub.” “Ah, you are Luna’s friend. Celestia tried to introduce you to me, but you ran off. I’m guessing I was the reason for your sudden vanishing.” Chrysalis looked at the ground while slowly nodding. Nymph went to the bench, wiped some snow off, and seated herself. “If you don’t mind, why don’t you join me for some conversation?” “Er…no offense, but I’d rather not.” “Are you sure? I could use the company. I might be here for a while.” She wanted to say no again, but it would have seemed rude to decline her offer. Their talk may even help win her favor with Luna. After taking a deep breath, Chrysalis sat down. “So why are you here during Hearth’s Warming Eve, your highness? Awfully far from home, aren’t you?” “Oh, I just wanted something out of the way before the holidays came. I would have been on my way home, but I think my guards are having so much fun shopping in a foreign nation that they forgot about their precious queen.” She giggled to herself. “I hope my subjects back home aren’t worried about me.” Chrysalis barely smiled. “I’m just curious, how is your kingdom doing?” “Very well. Nowadays, you can hardly find many changelings in their homes as they’re all outside, playing in the snow. I sometimes wish I could take a snow day for myself, but I simply do not have the time.” “You must be one busy queen.” “Every day of the week, I’m afraid. Besides these talks, I have to deal with many issues at home and it is all very stressful, like those awful diamond dogs.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Diamond dogs? What about them?” “They’re upset that we don’t need them anymore to dig our tunnels since my people want to live above ground and because we want to take a bigger cut of the gems we promised them so we can use them for trade. Of course, they have been very reluctant to give up any ‘shinnies'.” “So what are you doing about it?" “I keep telling them that the gems would be actually much more beneficial in the hooves of changelings, but they are stubborn as mules. It’s not like they need them. All they do is hoard it and fight over them for some unknown reason.” There was actually one race that was fully aware of the existence of changelings for thousands of years, and that race was the diamond dogs. The changelings never worried about them leaking information of their existence as their silence was very easily bought with gems and they mostly kept to themselves. Since diamond dogs were hard workers, knowledgeable of developing tunnels, and easy to bribe, they were used to dig all the tunnels the changelings lived in. Their coexistence was a peaceful one, where they mostly stayed out of each other’s business. “So are you going to let them keep them?” “I don’t have much choice. They’ve been stubborn about their gems since we’re cutting them off and I would rather not get on their bad side. It’s not like gems are hard to find, but it would be nice if we could gather them close to home. Besides, I can no longer tolerate speaking with or shaking the paw of that filthy king of theirs when we make agreements.” Chrysalis smirked. “You’re complaining about shaking his paw? Not very high and mighty of a queen.” “It’s because he’s filthy! Diamond dogs don’t exactly bathe, you know. Then again, do they even have sewage? Where do they even go to the bathroom!?” Nymph visibly shuddered. “I swear if I have to touch his paw one more time, I will cut my own hoof off with a hacksaw.” The elder sister laughed, annoying the queen. “Just apply soap and water and you should be fine. No need to be fussy.” Nymph just rolled her eyes. “Well that’s enough about me, so why don’t we talk about you? I’ve been hearing so much about you and I’ve wanted to meet you for a while.” Chrysalis gulped. It wasn’t often that a changeling had to fool another changeling. “I’m guessing you already know about my Hearts and Hooves event.” “I do. You have my deepest gratitude for allowing my subjects to gather food at such a fruitful source.” “It’s the least I can do. I know your kind has been having it rough and I thought I could help.” “You have such a kind heart, Cherub. I look forward to that holiday as well, provided I can somehow find myself a special changeling,” she grumbled. Chrysalis couldn’t believe her ears. Nymph was having trouble getting a date? She was a queen, so changelings should have been throwing themselves at her. Then she had an idea. “What about hiring me? Finding a lover for a queen could do wonders for my business.” Much to her surprise, Nymph just laughed. “I can easily find a mate just fine. Besides, what my people think if I hired a pony matchmaker to find my king? It would look just as silly as Celestia, princess of all of Equestria, going to a lowly dating service, don’t you think?” Chrysalis stared at her, feeling insulted. “It was actually Luna who hired me, for your information.” Nymph froze as she knew she had just made fun of Celestia’s little sister. “O-oh. W-well, I-I hope s-she finds somepony she loves and um…” She noticed the way the red unicorn was snickering at her. “Y-you better not tell her what I said!” “I don’t know,” Chrysalis said in a teasing tone. “I mean, should I really do any favors for a queen who thinks I’m lowly?” “I-I-I take it back! Hiring a matchmaker is a privilege, especially when she’s beautiful and talented like you!” “Aw, you make me blush.” “So you won’t repeat what I said to anyone, right? I don’t want to know what Celestia would do to me if she found out what I said about her little Lulu!” Chrysalis patted her on the back. “Relax, your highness. She’s not going to care that much. And if it makes you feel better, I promise I won’t say anything.” “Good.” Once Nymph calmed down, she looked at Chrysalis. “So Luna truly desires a lover?” The older changeling blushed, thinking about what kind of lover she was going to give her. “She does. It took a long time, but she finally said yes to let me find one for her.” “I am so happy she has finally decided to do this. I’ve always told her finding a romantic partner would be good for her since she’s been away for so long, but she always dodges the subject. So what kind of stallion is she interested in?” The question somewhat stung her. “She hasn’t decided and I’m just trying to figure that out myself.” “Well I wish you the best of luck. Do me a favor and find her somepony that will make her very happy and can really satisfy her in bed.” Chrysalis gasped loudly. “Pardon!?” Nymph giggled. “Cherub, the last time Luna has any action was a thousand years ago. If I was her, I would want something truly magnificent for my comeback party, wouldn’t you?” “…Sure.” Chrysalis did her best to repress any sexual thoughts of the princess as there was something much more important she needed to speak about with the queen. “So…any word on your sister?” The younger changeling sighed and shook her head. “A few claimed sightings here and there, but still no hard evidence. Makes me wonder what she is up to during all this time to not have moved forward with some sort of plot.” “Do you miss her?” Nymph looked off into the distance. “Sometime yes, sometimes no.” “What do you mean?” “My feelings towards her changes like the tides, Cherub. Sometimes I think of the good times, and sometimes I remember many rotten moments. That usually affects how I feel overall during the day.” “So what do you think you’ll do when you find her?” “A very good question. This is a scenario I just play over and over in my head. Sometimes I see us hugging, just putting everything behind us as we move on with our lives, missing each other dearly.” Chrysalis smiled warmly, actually touched. “That sounds really sweet.” The queen’s calm expression shifted into a scowl. “And sometimes I picture myself running her head through a wall and proceeding to kick her in her fat flank.” The elder sister was stunned. “I’m sorry, what?” “Oh, please forgive me for saying that. I get so mad at my sister sometimes that I tend to get vile thoughts about her.” “Because of how she treated you.” “Well it’s much more than that. The fact she decided to push away her own family for a crown brings my blood to an absolute boil. There was also her wretched invasion. I mean, I understand why she thought it was a good idea because it was for survival, but I am really upset that she took pleasure in it. She goes on about how ponies would never love our kind and would treat us poorly and what does she do? Kidnaps Cadance and fools her husband into marrying her. And even worse, she taunts the poor girl and even Twilight, taking absolute delight in destroying their lives.” Chrysalis could feel herself getting sick, praying that Luna did not feel the same way about her. “So do you…hate her?” “I don’t actually hate her, but there is so much about her that infuriates me. I could go on and on about her, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear me rant about Chrysalis.” The elder sister really didn’t want to hear what she had to say, but she felt she needed to know how Nymph felt. “Go on ahead. I’m a good listener and maybe talking will make you feel better.” Nymph considered it for a moment, and then nodded. “How much do you know of our history?” “Luna filled me in.” “Well that saves me some time. Chrysalis’s problem is that she is a bucking child. She has to have everything go her way, or else she throws a big temper tantrum. Some changelings don’t agree with one of her policies? Scare them. Mother wants to make her sister the queen? Blame her sister for everything and punish her without evidence. She never learned to control herself and I think that is actually the fault of Mother and I. We always knew she had anger problems, but we often just ignored it, thinking that was the way she is, despite how much trouble she got into. We never realized how serious it was and it was too late before I realized how bad it could get. Had she been disciplined, maybe things wouldn’t have escalated the way they did.” “That really is awful.” “I honestly do not know where she got all that cruelty from. It scares me that she could take such delight from the suffering of others like Cadance or even me. Maybe it was because she never knew what it was like to be treated as such that she enjoys treating others poorly. I actually moved to somewhere outside the palace a few years after she was crowned because I couldn’t stand living in the same place as her.” She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I should have expected this in the start. Her ego is too large for her to accept her not being number one. She wants to be queen because she wants to be the big hero of the changelings. She always wanted to be a queen just like Mother.” “Do you think she has learned her lesson? I mean, it has been a long time. Maybe she’s cooled off and reflected.” “I don’t know. I really don’t know. I hope to Celestia she has or else I don’t think I can stand seeing her again. Thinking about who she became fills me with anger and fear. Still, things will be going much different the next time we meet.” “How’s that?” “I hate to admit it, but in many ways, Chrysalis is a better changeling than I. She is fearless, smart, charismatic, and absolutely talented. Did you know she knows how to fence, paint, play the harp, and hunt animals by using archery? There are so many things she can do as Mother spent much time to ensure that Chrysalis was the best at a lot of things, with her wit being her ultimate weapon. You’ve heard about how she changed our kingdom in such little time, haven’t you? She really set a lot of things into motion and was a fantastic ruler in so many ways, with one exception being her atrocious personality. You haven’t seen a monster until you see her get really angry about something.” She sighed and put her face in her hooves. “Unfortunately, this wit and personality of hers was what made Chrysalis so horrible to deal with. I’m afraid she really knew all of my weaknesses and how to make me hurt. I was so defenseless against her. Celestia and Luna have helped me learn how to stand up to her, so now, if she hasn’t changed her ways,” her horn glowed and she produced an unfriendly smile, “she will be the one crying.” Chrysalis scooted a bit from her. She knew she and the princesses were expecting her to come back, but she had absolutely no idea what they had in store for her. Despite having taken on Celestia herself, her sister’s expression made her fear crossing horns with Nymph, especially if she had been trained by the alicorns. “I know that it’s very hard to let go of what happened, but for your sake you need to try. It may seem so tempting to just beat her to a pulp, but you cannot give into such urges. Trust me when I say the pursuit for revenge is not a road worth taking. All you will find in the end is regret.” Nymph dragged her hind hoof across the snow. “I know it won’t. It’s just that Chrysalis made me feel so weak and powerless for so long that I just want to show her what it’s like for once.” Chrysalis placed a supportive hoof on her shoulder. “Nymph, you are not weak. Even during those times, you stuck by her side as her advisor, even if she never listened to you. And look where you are now. You are the Queen of the Changelings and she is not. You have friends who support you, so do not ever think you are weak. And last but not least, it takes someone strong to even consider forgiveness and mercy for someone like Chrysalis. My advice to you is to show these to your sister when you find her and hopefully she’ll learn to appreciate you. Besides, wouldn’t an act of kindness be better than roughing up the sister you want back?” Nymph nodded. “You are absolutely right. I cannot give in to temptation if I wish to make things right between us. I feel so ashamed to have such fantasies.” “Do not fret over it. Believe me when I say I’ve been in your position before.” “Thank you for listening and for your advice, Cherub. It is no wonder why Luna likes you so much.” Chrysalis quietly gasped. “S-she likes me that much?” “She does. She likes to talk about you often, which is why I was eager to meet you.” She wasn’t surprised Luna had spoken about her with Cadance, but Nymph? How much did Luna like her as a friend to mention her to a ruler of another kingdom on a somewhat regular basis? She could feel herself becoming excited. “Do you remember what she says about me? I’d really like to know.” “She says that she never had friend like you before. You are very fun for her to be with and she knows she can always talk to you about anything. I think Celestia has been feeling a little jealous of you both, so watch out.” Nymph leaned towards her, studying her face. “Why are you blushing?” Chrysalis jumped, realizing that she didn’t have any excuse to give her. “W-well…” “Your highness? Where are you?” Nymph and Chrysalis looked towards the direction of the voice. “I’m right here! Just give me a moment,” she called back before looking at Chrysalis. “It seems our time together has come to an end.” Chrysalis was relieved she didn’t end up telling her about her crush, but she was sad that she was leaving. “A shame, but I think I need to get going as well. I’m sure Luna is worrying herself to death over me.” She held her hoof out. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Queen Nymph.” The younger changeling took her and shook it. “The pleasure is all mine. I hope we can see each other again soon, Cherub. Happy holidays.” “Happy holidays.” Nymph walked towards her guards and Chrysalis returned inside the palace. She sat by a window and watched as her sister got into her carriage that soon took flight, going higher and higher into the air and eventually disappearing in the distance. Chrysalis pressed a hoof against the glass and stared at the sky, watching the sun set and the moon rise.