//------------------------------// // My Little Goodbye // Story: My Little Queen // by Pen Mightier //------------------------------// WARNING: Sad chapter ahead. Big Apple Inn, Appleloosa, a few hours later The door closed with a little more force than she intended. She stared at it angrily. It felt as if she was angry at everything. Angry at the door, at the bowl of hot water and the liniments and bandages floating magically beside her, at the quaint little country inn they were staying in, at the patient lying in her bed before her, everything. But more than anything else, she was angry at herself. 'The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns we cannot drift apart....' Muffled carols sailed in through the shuttered window, the sounds of straggling hearthswarming-eve carollers still lingering in the festive swing. Twilight walked sedately across the parquet floor over to the sleeping form occuping her bed. The changeling mother was a little too large for the pony-size bed but there was no helping it. It wasn't like she could take her to the local infirmary. In fact she was thankful that she managed to sneak the changeling into town, all the way to her inn and through the window into her ground floor room without attracting anypony's attention. It had been a trial and a half. The distance, the burden and the unfamiliar area made the teleportation spell far too risky. She ended up resorting to half-levitating, half-dragging the mare all the way back to Appeloosa. She could only hope the snowfall covered up her tracks before anypony gets curious about the long deep tracks she left behind. But she didn't have the strength left to cover her own tracks. Two wrong turns and three wayfinder spells had left Twilight Sparkle quite exhausted. Still, 'there's no rest for the wicked' she thought to herself, and she wasn't referring to the mother's injuries. She pulled back the blanket over her bed with a smidgen of magic and regarded the mare lying underneath. The once proud and regal queen had been reduced to a disheveled wreck. Her mane, once long and lustrous as she remembered it, was not only unkempt, it was torn and mangled in places. Her gossamer wings were shredded more than before, one bent at a very unnatural and painful-looking angle. And there were few places on the mare's body that did not bear some evidence of Twilight's novice medical attention. Bandages haphazardly but thoroughly covered her patient's now clean and spotless wounds. One leg, once bent at an odd angle, had been set and splinted as best as she could. There were a few broken ribs under her painfully thin and skinny body she could do little about. But worst of all there were bruises in places like her flank and torso that she had read meant really, really bad life-threatening things were happening. She bit her lip as she removed some of the dirtied bandages and set to work cleaning the wound underneath. This was more Fluttershy's expertise. Heck, she should have long sought out a doctor. She knew they'd probably help. But could she knowingly put them at risk? Especially her best friend? 'No' she thought to herself, 'absolutely not'. 'But I'm not able to do more for her. She needs expert help.' Twilight thought to herself angrily. 'I'm going to abandon her because I'm still scared of her?' 'No, I'm scared of what she might do to others, to those I care about. Remember Shining Armour, remember Cadence, remember Celestia.' She reminded herself, anger mounting. 'That's no excuse' She argued with herself, heatedly. 'Yes it is! It's my own foalishness! I will not drag anypony else into this!' She grunted stubbornly. She had been so adamant on this that she had asked Spike to wait in his own room and to check on her every 30 minutes. 'If I was stronger....if I was as strong as Celestia or Luna, I'd be able to save her...or protect those who can save her.' She gritted her teeth as she cleaned the wounds with a vengeance. The hot water quickly turned dark red with every wash. She looked down at the little filly curled into a little ball, resting in the crook of her mother's neck, head nestled in queen's mane. She had fallen asleep on the way back, from exhaustion Twilight was sure no filly her age had ever had to go through. If anything happened to her mother, would she ever forgive her? How would she face her? What would she tell her? How would she tell her? "I'm sorry..." Twilight muttered under her breath, "I'm sorry, I'm too weak to save your mother." She squeezed the washcloth in her magic tightly, her lavender eyes watering up with tears of helplessness before she could stop herself. "To be sorry...for such a thing..." A familiar voice murmured. "You have not c-changed at all. Twilight Sparkle, wasn't it? I recognize your voice." The voice was just as proud and aloof as she remembered it. However, instead of the tone of maniacal madness that still echoed in her nightmares to that day, there was one of calm calculated composure. It barely shook amidst what Twilight could only guess was pain. If the proud queen was in pain at all, she was doing all she could to hide it, and hide it well she did. "You're awake." Twilight muttered, a lot more curtly than she intended as she quickly wiped away her tears. "My child, you speak of her. Is she here?" The mother suddenly asked, shifting nervously, before stiffening up in obvious pain. "Please, tell me, Twilight Sparkle. I fear I....I can no longer see..." She panted a little, taking as deep breaths as she dared with her broken ribs. Only then after the queen had opened them did Twilight notice the state of her eyes. Yes, those were eyes that would never ever see again. A pang of sympathy rose up from the sea of anger just long enough for Twilight to soften her tone, "Yes, she's here. She's in your arms. She's well and unharmed, though asleep from the exhaustion. She travelled a long way to find help for you." "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle, thank you so much. Maker bless your soul." The mother breathed a sigh of utmost relief, her gratitude plain and sincere. She raised her one good hoof and placed it around her sleeping daughter, caressing her mane gently, eliciting a sleepy little mewl from her. "You are much like your mentor, not one to abandon an innocent, not even the child of one you hate so." "I..." Twilight began, trying to find the words to refute that, even if she had to lie through her teeth. But no words were forthcoming. "Even without my ability to feel your heart, I can hear it in your voice as plain as day." The queen said. "While I do not relish it, I can understand it at least. Still, anypony else would have simply left me to rot." "I will admit, the thought crossed my mind." Twilight admitted, the guilt almost painful, "And for that I'm sorry. That would have been cruel, no matter who you are." "Again, it was only natural." Chrysalis said, solemnly, "And yet I, your hated enemy, feel a soft bed beneath me, a warm blanket upon my body, my wounds dressed with care. This is beyond the capability of many gods, Twilight Sparkle, and, trust me, I have known many in my time." If Twilight had any doubts left, they were almost entirely dashed. The mother before her was entirely different from that mad mare who ran amock at her brother's wedding. If it was a trick, it was certainly one she put a lot of effort into, more than she did into acting out the part of her brother's bride. Twilight to that day still maintained that it was the most awful acting she had ever seen, especially for the queen of a race of doppelgangers. "Twilight Sparkle, you are kind, too kind to a fault. I only hope this kindness does not one day return to haunt you. "Now, I am afraid I must...urgh..." The queen winced visibly for the first time in front of Twilight, "...must bring these pleasantries...to a close." She took a few slow, deep breaths, steadying herself once more. Twilight saw one of the mother's hooves clutching her tummy tenderly, right over one of the larger bruises. She couldn't help but notice that it had grown alarmingly larger. "You have treated me well enough. Unfortunately, my wounds are beyond help." "I can....I can get..." Twilight looked at the door in panic before looking back at Chrysalis, her expression hopelessly torn, "I can..." She faltered a little as her earlier resolution came back to her. But... "No. As good a caregiver as she is, your friend will not be able to save me. Neither will your empire's best healers. I assure you, Twilight Sparkle, you've done everything you can for me." Chrysalis said with a dismissive huff. If Twilight hadn't been so guarded, she might have suspected the queen of actual kindness in helping putting her guilty conscience to rest. "The only thing with any hope of saving me now is love." "Love! That's it!" Twilight's eyes lit up, "All we need is...is..." She faltered once more. It sounded so simple, so easy, but...but who would be able to...well...love her? "Indeed." The queen nodded in agreement to Twilight's unspoken words. "You will be hardpressed to find a single pony in Equestria who is even capable of looking at me, let alone love me." "There must be a way!" Twilight cried in frustration as she glanced about her room as if the answer might suddenly appear on a wall. " Hold on, I must have a book that can..." She got up to rush for her little collection of books lining her luggage in a corner of the room. She felt a trembling, weakened, but firm grip on her hoof stop her. "Twilight Sparkle, I...I have little time left." The once proud queen gave her a pleading look, "Instead, you must...no, I request of you, please, would you listen awhile to the words of a dying mother?" Twilight slowly but reluctantly settled back down onto her haunches. She was not sure she could ever bring herself to even forgive Chrysalis as a queen, as a person, but she could at the very least understand her as a mother. That much she was prepared to grant the dying mare. "Alright, Chrysalis." Twilight nodded. "I will cast a simple spell upon us. It will allow us to speak freely, uninterrupted by my...ailing body." She raised her head as if preparing to cast a spell before pausing as if a sudden thought struck her. "Would you allow me to do that, Twilight Sparkle?" She asked, suddenly asking for permission. "Whoah....wait a sec, I'm not letting you come anywhere near me with as much as a card trick, Chrysalis." Twilight was quick to pull away, stepping back cautiously. "I don't trust you. I probably never will." She said, rather bluntly, before she could even stop herself. "I understand. But this is important. My child's future, the very fate of Equestria, depends upon what I am about to tell you." The queen said, her expression as dire as the grave. "I will not harm you in any way, body mind or soul. I promise, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a koukaru in my eye." "....where did you get that promise?" Twilight couldn't help but ask. "It is a soul-binding oath handed down from Queen to Queen, said to create a binding pact sealed by one of the elder gods whose name we never utter." Chrysalis explained patiently. But her impatience was becoming apparent in the edge in her voice. 'I've put my faith in Pinkie before and I've never gone wrong. I can't trust Chrysalis, but I can trust in Pinkie.' Twilight couldn't believe she was allowing herself such flawed logic. But it felt right for some reason, right enough for her to give in to the crazy. "Do it again, but replace the cuckoo thing with a cupcake, if you please." Twilight said. "That's our version....also overseen by somepony whose name we utter with care." "If I must." The queen was quick to agree, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She made the motions with her one good hoof. Twilight couldn't help but marvel at how it matched the Pinkie Promise hoof for hoof. "Now, may I?" She asked, the urgency in her voice rising. "Yes, go ahead." Twilight slowly, cautiously, approached her. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle." The queen's horn glowed with an ominous green, bathing the entire room in its viridian radiance. "EXEC CHRYSALIS_LINKER.EXE." A voice echoed about the room. It might have been Chrysalis', but Twilight never got to find out. She was too busy falling into a sudden but very blissful slumber. To say it was emptiness and darkness would have been a cynical understatement. 'Empty space stretching all the way out to infinity' she decided was a better description. Like the night sky before the stars, like the universe before the universe, it was everything and nothing. And there she was, one with it all. No, rather, she was all of it. No, that's not right. 'No, such poor descriptions for a sensation so vast and overwhleming. Come now, Starswirl must have described this feeling before in one of his books.' She thought to herself. Then a more urgent thought arose. 'Where am I? Didn't Chrysalis cast a spell? What did it...?' Then light happened. Twilight tried to gasp in awe, then realized she didn't have a mouth, or a body for that matter, to gasp with. She decided to worry about that later. The spectacle before her was too much to be distracted from. A radiant corona of light burst forth from some unseen horizon, flooding the darkness with spectral beams of light that seemed to spiral through the emptiness. Beneath the endless sky a serene ocean, glimmering with waves of sparkles, lit up with the brilliance of a million galaxies. 'This must be what watching the first sunrise was like' Twilight mused to herself as she watched the spirals light up the universe about her, turning everything a shimmering bluish white, like a ethereal ocean where the primordial soup of the rest of the universe bubbled. Whispers filled the air. An entire chorus of voices filled the silence. The spiraling beams of light split up into many many glimmering glyphs in the sky. Slowly both the whispers and glyphs began to make sense to her mind, as if they simply bypassed her eyes and ears (neither of which she had anyway) and went straight into her mind. 'With great pleasure we welcome thee to the Animus. With great care we initialize the CHRYSALIS_LINKER protocol. Standby.' One monotonous voice, louder than the others, announced to her cryptically, as if it were reading a passage out of a book. "Ma i wa rre-yera nha Twilight Sparkle." A more familiar voice echoed across the strange world, "Was quel erra sUlAy nosaash quowjaz. Was syea ra aterra has Animus." 'With discrete impatience we summon Twilight Sparkle.' The words again went straight to her mind, suffusing her with their meaning. 'With great eagerness I carefully give her administrator rights. With great happiness I welcome her to the Animus.' "Chrysalis?" Twilight spoke out. She heard her own voice come from everywhere at once, echoing across the entire universe just like Chrysalis'. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle." Chrysalis' voice sounded much more relaxed, as if all the pain and weariness had been shed away along with her body. Twilight realized that was the whole point of this spell. "Welcome. And indeed, as we told you before, that is the whole point of this spell." "Are you reading my mind?" Twilight gasped, suddenly alarmed. "No, not so much that as our minds and hearts are now one." Chrysalis said, simply. "Now, one moment, allow me to give us both bodies to speak with." Twilight blinked. She realized for the first time that she had eyes and eyelids to blink with. She looked down and watched as more of those spiraling glyphs of light flew about her, forming the glowing outlines of hooves, limbs and the rest of her body. Then with a brief glimmer colour flooded the spectral outlines, forming her body proper. One hoof found something solid to step on. Ripples spread forth in the spectral sea beneath the hoof. 3 more hooves joined it as Twilight stepped out into the strange new world with her new body. "Better?" Twilight looked up to find Chrysalis walking towards her across the spectral sea, her body once again whole, free of all injuries. "Oh, no, my real body is still damaged beyond repair." She said, as if replying to Twilight's unspoken thoughts, "This is just a mental construct A body built by our imaginations, if you will." She chuckled with just a hint of sadness. "It will allow me to speak freely without my injuries getting in our way." "Mental constructs?" Twilight asked, looking about herself. It was then that she noticed, her 'body' wasn't perfect. It still glimmered in places as currents of glyphs spiralled underneath her skin and mane here and there. "I created these forms so that your young and inexperienced mind may feel less disoriented here. We don't normally have any need for bodies in this space." Chrysalis explained. "Wait, where is 'here'?" Twilight asked, dread and fear rising for the first time now that she had an individual body with which to feel it. "This..." Chrysalis gestured around her with a wave of her hoof, "Is the Animus, our race's shared mindscape." "Your...mind? Wait, have you brainwashed me?!" Twilight gasped, recoiling, recalling how her brother was enslaved in the most heinous of spells. "No! What pony silliness! Maker, perish the thought." Chrysalis shook her head quickly. "I promised you I would do you no harm, body mind or soul. My promises are sacred." Twilight could actually feel Chrysalis' indignation at the accusation, like a morose little tune grazing her ears. "Err...sorry, it's just...you know..." Twilight said, awkwardly tripping over herself to find the right words. But the queen before her seemed to understand what she wished to say without any need for her words. "I understand. That is only natural, given the circumstances. But rest assured, you are safe here. Perhaps even safer than in the world outside, I daresay." "So I'm in your mind now?" Twilight asked, looking around the strange, endless plane of shimmering lights and glowing glyphs. "Our mind, Twilight Sparkle." Chrysalis said with a hint of pride. "The shared mind of all changelings connected to my tonelico, my 'tree' in my language. I suppose your word for it is 'hive'." "Ah. I've read about this. It's like a hivemind that some insec-...." Twilight stopped her mouth there. But she felt the rest of her thoughts flow through the air, unimpeded. "I...didn't mean to...say that. Sorry." She whispered apologetically. "No apologies needed. In this space all thoughts on the surface is transmitted freely." The queen said, gracefully. "There are no lies here, only secrets you might choose to keep. I hope that knowledge will lend the story I am about to tell you some credibility. As for this 'hivemind' you speak of, your comparison is simplistic, but it will do for now." "You said all the changelings connected to your hive. Where are the rest?" Twilight asked, looking around the empty space, half-expecting more changelings to appear out of the woodwork. "Dead." The queen said, bluntly, "Or deserted." "Wait, we didn't..." Twilight's eyes widened as her mind flew back to the day of the wedding. "Did we...?" The very thought shook her to the core with deathly dread. Had they in their zeal to repel the invaders wiped out Chrysalis' hive? All of them? "Oh, no. All that spell did was banish us, which was admittedly an act of mercy after what we had done." Chrysalis chuckled bitterly. "No, we survived, just barely. But now there is only my daughter and I." She turned and raised a hoof. As if heeding her unspoken command a sprout burst forth from the spectral sea beneath them. Twilight watched as the little sapling grew at an incredible pace, twisting and turning, weaving itself into an rectangular form. As the shape expanded before her, the form became clearer and clearer to her. It was a foal crib, simple yet beautiful, grown from deep dark oak. Twilight cautiously approached the little foal cradle and found the now familiar little filly sleeping peacefully within, little hooves twitching as a sweet little smile spread across her serene face, obviously frolicking across some beautiful dreamland somewhere. Chrysalis sighed, a gentle smile blooming across her tired face as she raised a hoof to push the crib gently, setting it rocking to and fro to the rhythm of a faint humming. Twilight then realized it was Chrysalis, humming a soft, slow tune. "Apple of my eye, love of my life..." She sighed, "To feed my people Equestria I defy In my folly I failed my hive, plunged changelingkind into a year of strife. The weak succumb, the strong survive For my idiocy the Empress decreed I die Me and the apple of my eye, the love of my life...." She slipped back into a soft, sad little hum as she gently rocked her child back and forth. "The Empress?" Twilight asked. "A changeling queen like me, but one more powerful than any other." The mother said, grimly. "She has slowly been gathering power, carefully usurping hives and removing other queens. With each queen she kills, she and the remaining queens grow stronger. Once she is the sole remaining queen, there will be no hope for Equestria. She is ruthless, cruel..." 'Wow, if you say she's ruthless and cruel...' Twilight thought, before she could stop herself. The queen seemed to sense the thought, and, before Twilight could apologize again, she went on. "There is no excuse for my invasion. But somebody had to." Chrysalis said, gravely. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but before she could Chrysalis raised a hoof, "Allow me a moment to explain why that is, please." Twilight gave a reluctant little nod, allowing her to continue. " "The food shortages in our homeland, the land you call the Badlands, have always been severe, but have worsened considerably of late." Chrysalis began. Twilight had noticed how thin and wasted the proud queen was, testament to an entire kingdom's starvation. "Our infiltrators inside Equestria reported increasing xenophobia amongst the nobility with rising tensions with Gryphonia, Minos and Draconia. Changelingkind felt the chances of a diplomatic plea for help was too low to risk losing our element of surprise. Prevailing public opinion amongst changelings was turning towards war, one of desperation, fueled by the Empress. I had hoped my 'invasion' would be subtler and less bloody for both parties. My plan was to infiltrate the nobility and make use of their political standing to help integrate my changelings into pony society. It was meant to be a quiet and bloodless infiltration." "That went well." Twilight couldn't help but say. "I admit I made mistakes. Many of them." The queen nodded, glumly. "Perhaps the first was losing my nerve when it came to killing the one I replaced." "You...you were going to kill Cadence?!" Twilight's rage seared forth once more from the deep dark ocean of anger that had been torrenting quietly within her. "Yes." The queen said cooly, "I understand your outrage at the thought. But it would have been the most logical approach. Except when I first caught her I...I simply couldn't do it. Some called it weakness, some called it cowardice." "You actually had some equinity left inside you?" Twilight muttered, fighting to calm herself down a little. "Perhaps, one could hope." Chrysalis nodded, sullenly. "At the very least I do not regret it. I never did." Twilight couldn't help but believe her. There was no reason for her to keep Cadence alive and trapped in that old gem mine. That and the hivemind made it rather difficult to lie. "I thought it wouldn't have affected my plans. When I was done with my plan I could have cleansed her memories and returned her to her place, none the wiser. I needn't have stayed as a noble after our plan succeeded after all. And it would have succeeded were it not for two more fatal mistakes." She shook her head. "Our people would have had a safe, stable source of love and nopony would have been harmed in the process." "So, is it true, your kind feeds on love?" Twilight suddenly interrupted, having long yearned for confirmation. "Yes." Chrysalis nodded, "But not just any love. It must be the love of another directed at ourselves. Perhaps it was incredible bad luck that I chose your sister-in-law to replace." "Bad luck?" Twilight tilted her head to one side. "Yes. Any noble would have done. But your sister was loved. Oh, how she was loved." The queen shuddered, much to Twilight's surprise. "You Equestrians have a saying, 'Love is Blind'. To us changelings, love in overwhelming quantities is blinding, like a whiff of pony-nip to our minds. And your brother's love for your sister-in-law was beyond the sweetest most intoxicating wines Equus has to offer." She gave a tremulous little sigh, "Oh how wonderful yet horrid that was." "So...you're saying you were just drunk when I met you?" Twilight had a hard time keeping her face straight. Her eyes were already twitching in their sockets. "I believe you ponies have better words for it. 'Prancing'? 'Bucked'? 'Cutie Mashed'?" Chrysalis gave her a sheepish smile, one that looked so out of place on the queen's thin, gaunt face. "That is a bit of an understatement, however. Consider it more akin to receiving a magic flux beyond what your mind is familiar with, feeling all that unlimited power crackling at your horn tips. It is enough to send even the most steady-hoofed of us into an insane rampage." "Yes...I've seen it before." Twilight nodded, recalling an incident involving a certain boastful sky blue mare and a pendant of unearthly magical power. "Well, I wouldn't say it changes anything, but I can at least understand how everything went wrong." "Indeed. My display was most unsightly, the very embarrassment keeps me up at night." The queen raised a hoof to her face and gave a light cough, clearing her throat. "So the other mistake was..." Twilight was about to mention herself. Chrysalis beat her to it. "Falling in love." Chrysalis answered, simply. Twilight's mouth fell open. "Come again?" Was all she could manage around her slack jaw. "Apple of my eye, love of my life" Chrysalis resumed her soft melody, "I curse myself, foalish and unwise He was under my spell, it was all lies But he loved me, my first and last I was weak, I yearned a taste of her paradise But never a moment's regret for having you, my prize Beloved apple of my eye, love of my life" "Wait, she...?" Twilight blinked, pointing a hoof at the little filly sleeping peacefully in the basket. As if answering her, the foal kicked a little hoof into the air, yawning wide and mewling contentedly in her sleep. "...you...." Twilight pointed at Chrysalis, "...my brother....?" Hairs had begun to twang out at awkward angles from her frizzled mane as her soft and squishy mind began to fry under the information overload. "Twilight Sparkle, I find your disbelief a little...disheartening to say the least. I am after all a most fertile mare of foal-bearing age." Chrysalis said in mock-hurt. "But....I...her...you...brother..." Smoke had begun rising from her sparking horn as she went cross-eyed with the mental burden. "I'm...I'm...I'm an aunt?!" Was all she finally managed to process. "I find it heartening that you came to the conclusion so quickly. Congratulations on becoming an aunt, Twilight Sparkle." The mother smiled sympathetically, "Or is it my condolences?" "S-she...she is..." Twilight felt like she had been blinkered all this time. The changeling filly looked like a pony because she was indeed half-pony. Another glance at the little foal only confirmed the outrageous fact. There was her own lavender eyes, her father's dark midnight blue coat mingled with the darkness of Chrysalis', her own mother's silver blonde mane, Shining's gleaming white in her carapace. And if those clues weren't enough, there was the single streak of dark blue in the little filly's silver blonde mane and tail, just like her father's. It was almost the hoofprint of House Twilight's blood. "She's...a Twilight..." She could hardly believe the words she had uttered. "Wait..." Twilight blinked, logic suddenly catching up, "The wedding was only a little more than a year ago." Chrysalis nodded to this. "But she's the size of a 6 year old filly." Twilight said, gauging by how she was about the size of her friends' little sisters. "We changelings live harsh unforgiving lives. Our foals must be born ready to fend for themselves from the moment they hatch. They are born much older than pony foals and develop faster until they reach this stage of their development." Chrysalis nodded at her little daughter. "Though I will say without boast that she far outstrips even the best and brightest of her generation." "Must be the Twilight blood." Twilight gave a teasing smile. "Hah! Perhaps!" Chrysalis laughed earnestly for the first time. "What will I tell my brother?" Twilight sighed, shaking her head with her forehead in one hoof. "No." Chrysalis suddenly said, sharply. "Huh?" "No, you will tell him nothing." Chrysalis said, her tone final. "Wait, but...why?" Twilight's eyebrows furrowed into a frown, "He's the father, he deserves to at least..." "She doesn't deserve that." Chrysalis said, nuzzling the little filly. "Apple of my eye, love of my life Please, please do not tell him and his wife I deserve no forgiveness, only their despise Them and all ponykind alike But the apple of my eye, love of my life She is innocent, she must not share in my demise She will not bear my sins, in happiness she will thrive show this child kindness, neither she nor anypony alive Should ever learn that I am her mother despised" "Please, Twilight Sparkle. I have done her no kindness. My sins are many, to both ponykind and changelingkind." Chrysalis was trembling, the faintest glimmer of tears trickling down her face. "I cannot call her my daughter. Let nopony else do her that cruelty." "...but..." Twilight bit her lip. "I am sure you will have a select few you must tell, those who will help you, your close and loyal friends for example." Chrysalis said, voice barely shaking, demonstrating what to Twilight was a shocking clarity of mind amidst her show of emotion. "But please, nopony else." "....very well, I promise." Twilight sighed, giving the relieved mother a nod, "But you're a good mother, Chrysalis." "Haha, flattery will not help me now, Twilight Sparkle. But I thank you all the same." The mother smiled bitterly. "Ah...it would appear our time together is coming to a close." She said, looking around. Twilight followed her gaze. She gasped as she noticed the world about her....shaking? Twist and warp even? As if somebody had thrown a rock in a pool, causing the entire world around them to distort disturbingly. 'With great dismay we alert thee, CHRYSALIS.SRV server stability is now compromised.' The cool, monotonous voice from earlier announced. 'With impatience we warn thee, mass desynchronization imminent." The glyphs seemed to frizzle and spark disturbingly around them. "Now, for the most important thing, Twilight Sparkle." Chrysalis said, taking a deep breath, as if preparing to deliver the biggest speech of her life. "You want me to take her in." Twilight said. Seeing the look in Chrysalis' eye, she just smiled weakly, "Hivemind. You haven't exactly been secretive with your intentions, Chrysalis." Twilight sighed, "But...I'm...I simply..." She began, uncertain. The very thought of taking in a filly, how much that would change her life, it was simply mind-shattering. She was still a student for Celestia's sake, she was still living off a royal stipend with a student loan she'd never pay off as a librarian or researcher, she hadn't even dated her entire life. All the thoughts coursed together, rushing at her, feeding her doubt like a broken dam washing away the peaceful valley beneath. There was just no way she could... "I'm sorry, Twilight Sparkle, to burden you with this." The forlorn mother reached down into the cradle, now quickly dissolving out of existence. She picked up the little filly in her forehooves just as the last of the cradle dissipated into flickers of light. "Apple of my eye, love of my heart She is innocent, untainted, unmarred T'was not her choice to be born to me A changeling, a lowly criminal escapee To inherit my sins, to be caught twain two worlds belonging to neither, no, not what she deserves!" Her lips trembled, tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed down lovingly at her daughter one last time. Even as their very world crumbled around them her gaze remained focused on the one thing that mattered to her in what was left of her life. "Apple of my eye, love of my heart She deserves better on her part If she had been born to...to him and her She'd be beloved by a father and mother A little princess adored by her empire Where is she now, just look at her My poor apple of my eye, love of my heart..." The mother touched her forehead against her child's. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably as she nuzzled them against her child's one last time. "Twilight Sparkle, I come to you now on my knees...not as the queen who wronged you, not as the mare who caused you and your loved ones no end of grief." The crying mother pleaded, lowering her head as she clutched her child tightly against her bosom. "I-I implore you, a-as a mother...please, could you find it in your heart to show this untainted child kindness?" Twilight looked back at the mother and could only see hope and fear in those tearful eyes. Fear that she would no longer be able to continue the journey alongside her daughter, hope that somepony, her, Twilight Sparkle, could continue in her place. Twilight almost fell back on her rump from the overwhelming thoughts coursing through her. All she had thought of was herself, and how the filly would change her life. But what of her? This child had done nothing to deserve her lot in life. One step, one word from her, could change this entire filly's life. There could be no doubt whatsoever about this. "Yes." Twilight finally said, giving the relieved mother a weak but determined smile, looking a lot more certain than she felt. "Yes, I promise, Chrysalis. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you. Maker bless you and your life." Chrysalis smiled perhaps the warmest, happiest smile Twilight had ever seen on any mare, even through her thick veil of tears. She surprised Twilight even further by pulling her into a tight one-hoof hug, pulling her close against her and her daughter. "I wish we had...we had met in better times. I'm sorry...sorry for everything." It was almost like a slap to the face. Twilight felt the anger surge up before she could even let any feeling of guilt smother it. This mare had stolen her brother, imprisoned her foalsitter, hurt her teacher and threatened all of Equestria. And she was sorry? Sorry?! Throwing the word around as if it was enough? As if it would make everything alright? But what little logic managed to stay afloat amidst the storm of righteous rage made itself heard, 'You'll regret it when the chance is lost forever.' And the pang of that realization quelled the storm, leaving behind a dark puddle of bitterness. She never knew 3 words could be so hard. She never knew that even such a seemingly trivial act of kindness could be so difficult. Fluttershy made it look so easy, forgiving and befriending the lord of chaos himself. The thought of Fluttershy slowly allowed the sun to pierce the clouds within her overcast self. She silently thanked her best friend for returning reason to her mind. She took a deep breath. "I forgive you, Chrysalis." Twilight said, as solemnly as she could, going so far as giving the fading mother a tight squeeze of her hoof. "I will watch over you both, even if I must cross the fires of Tartarus." Chrysalis whispered in Twilight's ear. "May your hooves hold more happiness than stars in the sky." When she finally released her, the world was already at its end. The sky had shattered revealing the pitch black darkness beyond. Beneath them the spectral ocean had leaked away, leaving a small puddle beneath them that was quickly receding. "Now...just one last thing." The mother said, wiping away her tears as a look of renewed grim determination took over. "My parting gift to both of you. I will take away what few memories she has of me." "Wait, Chrysalis..." Twilight gasped as the words sunk in, "Y-you can't! You're..." "They were not fond memories anyway. They were mostly of my anger, my negligence, of us being hounded and hunted." Chrysalis shook her head dismissively, "No filly should have to grow up with that, let alone the knowledge that she was a daughter to...to me." Her voice shook at the very end, betraying the crack in her determination. "But..." Twilight cursed herself, at how words had failed her so many times that day when she needed them most. "But you can't..." She argued weakly. "Apple of my eye, love of my life" Twilight could only watch helplessly as Chrysalis whispered to the sleeping filly, her horn taking on one last warm, comforting glow, "With naught but tears and blood I baptize With naught to give you but prayers of joy twice, thrice All I could do for you is take away this vice Your accursed roots, our blood ties With me I'll take them to Tartarus' fires So live free, Apple of my eye, love of my life" Tears ran down her cheeks as Chrysalis smiled a content and happy smile, hugging the child close. "Apple of my eye...love of my life..." the mother drew one last breath, her tearful eyes fixed on nothing but the child before her. "...this is my first and final lullaby....this is my goodbye..." Her horn shone with a blinding brilliance that consumed all. "I'm....sorry....." The silence was deafening. Twilight sat on her haunches on the floor by the bed, dazed. In her forehooves, curled up peacefully in her sleep, was the little filly she had been entrusted. How she got there Twilight couldn't even begin to recall. The little filly reached up in her sleep, little hooves curling gently about Twilight's neck, as if reaching to her for warmth and comfort. She gave a little contented whinny as Twilight numbly raised one hoof to embrace her. Twilight stiffly turned her head to look down at the bed. It was empty, save the pristine clean bandages littering its covers. The window beside it, once shuttered, had been flung wide open. Clear blue skies shone where there was once deep, heavy snow clouds, the light almost blinding her unadjusted eyes. A few early birds returning from the south flew through the sky, filling the air with birdsong, a most alien sound to Twilight's ears. The sun suddenly shone through the window, lancing one bright sunbeam squarely on the bed. A bright reflection almost blinded Twilight. She squinted down just enough to see a heart, a red crystal heart, lying amidst the strewn bandages, glimmering brightly with the radiance of an entire galaxy. '....the fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns we cannot drift apart...' The carollers outside sang, their song now clearer than ever through the open window. "The apple of your eye, the love of your life...I'll take good care of her, I promise." Twilight muttered blankly. She suddenly burst into tears. She didn't know why but there was too much inside to contain. She cried and cried, unrelenting. The little filly in her arms quickly stirred as if sensing her upset. "Mmmm....Whalt gyAs?" The little filly asked innocently in her squeaky little voice, tilting her head to one side as she patted Twilight comfortingly on her forehead. The words were alien to her ears but not to her mind, just as it was in the hivemind. 'What's wrong?' she understood. "Whalt gyAs?" The filly asked again. She could only clutch the child, thinking she'd try to comfort her. But she realized deep down, it was her seeking comfort. And she needed it more than anything. "Was syea ra, yorr rh.e fernIa!" The little filly squeaked, thumping her forehead gently against Twilight's. 'With great happiness that I wish would last, you must cheer up!' The little filly had said. The young changeling reached up with her little hooves and began wiping away the tears on her cheeks, much to the grown unicorn's surprise. Achieving nothing but spreading the tears evenly across Twilight's face, the little filly frowned. She finally decided on latching both hooves about Twilight's neck and licking the tears away with her little tongue. 'I'm being comforted by the foal who just lost her mom.' Twilight thought to herself, still numb. She suddenly broke into a chuckle, then peals of laughter as she hugged the little filly tightly, much to the little filly's confusion. But she wasn't one to question laughter, so she decided to join in with innocent little giggles of her own.