The Queen of Hearts

by Pumpernickel Rye

No More Secrets

Chrysalis’s consciousness slowly returned to her and she opened her eyes. She groaned as she rubbed her aching head and tried to stand up. The first thing she noticed was the cold air, causing her to shiver. She didn’t remember it being so cold or even so dark. When she finally stood up, her sight had cleared up and she lit her horn. She saw that she was no longer near Fluttershy’s, but in what appeared to be a cavern. How in the world did she get here? Chrysalis then realized the reason why she was feeling so cold was that her clothing was missing. Who had taken it from her and why? She decided she would worry about that later. She needed to just get out and find Nymph and Pinkie as they were going to bring her friends to her and would freak out if they saw she was missing.

Upon channeling her teleportation spell, the changeling realized something that caused her great alarm. Her magic reserves were very low, too low for her to make an escape. What happened to her magic? She had plenty in her from the Hearts and Hooves fair. Then again, why was she here in the first place? Seeing how she couldn’t go anywhere, she sat against a wall and sighed.

She looked around the underground area. What was this place, anyway? She was currently in a tunnel with some crystals sprouting out of the walls. The last thing she remembered was grabbing ice from Fluttershy’s freezer, but what happened after that? It was all just a blur in her head. That’s when she noticed some writing on the wall in front of her. She got closer and read the three words carved into the stone wall.

Confess or suffer.

The short message was more than enough to produce an unsettling chill within her. Who put that there? What did they want her to confess? Her plan to get revenge? That was long gone, so she wouldn’t have anything to offer. She chose to ignore it and focus on getting out. At the moment, her only options were to go left or to go right. She chose to go left, hoping she had chosen correctly. The walk down the dark tunnel was very unsettling for her. What did her captor have planned for her? Was anyone coming to rescue her? Chrysalis didn’t even know where she was, so it was unlikely anyone else would.

The tunnel eventually led her to a four-way intersection. Chrysalis decided it would be safer to just go forward, making it easier for her to backtrack in case she ran into a dead end. When the intersection was several feet behind her, she heard hoofsteps that sounded like somepony was running. She whirled around, only to catch a glimpse of a shadow running to the right tunnel.

She was not alone.

Unsure of what else to do, she decided to pursue the shadow. “Hello? Who’s there? Come back!” Chrysalis ran after the mysterious pony. Whoever it was, they were fast. She could barely make out the figure in the distance, but then the shadow disappeared in a flash of light and she stopped dead in her tracks. Who was that she just saw? Was she going mad? No, she wasn’t here that long, so what she saw was most likely real. With a new goal in mind, Chrysalis continued her trek down the cavern. “Is somepony here? Please, I need help! I don’t know where I am! Don’t be frightened of me! I just want to go home!” The only response she got was laughter in the distance, one that sent a chill down her spine.

Chrysalis sprinted ahead, hoping to find the pony. From the laughter, she could tell the pony was a mare, but why was she laughing? The idea of this mare being the one who captured her was now in her mind. If she really did send her here, she was going to break a few bones before turning her over to the authorities. It also occurred to her that this mare knew her true identity, so finding her was an absolute priority.

Soon she saw two paths ahead of her. To her surprise, the figure ran out of the right path and down the left. Chrysalis hurried after her, hoping to get a good look at her. Before she knew it, the mare vanished again, only to appear a good distance behind her. Chrysalis slid across the ground as she quickly turned around and ran after her. When they got to the pathways, the mare vanished again. Chrysalis stopped running and growled. “Please stop running! I just want to talk! Just listen to me for a minute!” There was no answer this time, so she decided to catch her breath.

As Chrysalis sat to regain her stamina, something caught her eye. To her left, she could see the figure, standing there while keeping her distance from her. She was simply looking at her, not moving. Chrysalis, relieved she stopped running away, cleared her throat and spoke as she stood. “Hello, there. Please do not be afraid of me. I mean no harm.” Suddenly, a bolt of magic flew from the figure and struck the wall near her, destroying some of it on impact. Chrysalis scrambled from the impact sight and took some steps back. “W-wait a minute! I’m not your enemy!” Another bolt flew at her, striking the floor in front of her. Chrysalis jumped away and saw that the mare was running to her. Chrysalis’s instinct told her to run, so she did. Chrysalis ran down the tunnel as fast as she could as bolts of magic flew after her. “Stop! I just want to go home! What is it you want from me!?” Her pursuer’s next shot struck her on the butt, causing her to yelp. Clearly she wasn’t interested in talking.

The changeling ran for several minutes with her company firing magic against her. No matter how fast she ran, she was right behind her. Nothing she did allowed her to escape. She could feel fatigue weighing her down, forcing her to slow her run. Panic was now all she could feel. If she couldn’t run, that mare was going to do her in. The terrified changeling looked behind her to see how close the shadow was, but nothing was there. Chrysalis slowed down and finally stopped, panting like a dog as she looked around her. The mare just suddenly disappeared, making her worry of what she was planning next. She needed to sit down and rest. If she didn’t, she would suffer from exhaustion and she would be in big trouble. Chrysalis sat against the wall, constantly looking around to ensure she was alone.

Chrysalis looked around the tunnel once more. Now that she thought about it, it somewhat struck her as familiar. It wasn’t changeling made, so where had she seen it? She looked at the crystals on the wall next to her, breaking off a piece to examine it. Why did crystals in a cavern ring a bell?

The changeling smacked herself on the head. This cave was part of the Canterlot Mines, where she had sent Cadance and Twilight during her plot to take over Equestria. It was now clear to her that somepony had sent her here for revenge for her wedding plot. It was a start realizing where she was, but there was still the matter of who was pulling the strings and finding an exit. All she knew was it was a unicorn mare, but who would have the guts to play this game with a royal changeling? Whoever she was up against meant business.

Her first guess was Cadance, considering she was in the same prison she sent her while trying to steal her husband. The changeling shook her head, knowing it couldn’t be her. The Princess of Love was not the kind to enjoy the suffering of others and couldn’t fight as far as she knew. Her next thought was Twilight, but that was shot down. Like Cadance, Twilight had restraint. There was also the fact she was all the way in Canterlot, which was much farther than what Twilight could teleport to. But Celestia could teleport that far. She was a powerful magic user, which would explain why she would risk taking Chrysalis on herself. But that was wrong also. The Princess of the Sun was willing to give Chrysalis a second chance and promised to Nymph to take good care of her. Besides, Celestia had golden colored magic, while her pursuer’s magic was colored-

A cold wave of horror washed over Chrysalis.

The pony that was hunting her was Luna.

Chrysalis shot up and looked around. How could she have not figured it out sooner? She finally remembered what happened before she fell unconscious. Luna found her without her disguise and attacked her. She couldn’t remember what she said to her, but clearly Luna was not taking the truth very well. Chrysalis knew she had to confront the alicorn and bring this all to an end before it got out of control. “Luna! Luna, I know it’s you! Please talk to me!”

“Confess…”

The changeling tensed up and slowly turned around, finding Luna right behind her. Chrysalis fell onto the cold ground and backed away from her. “D-don’t do that, Luna!” What she noticed next made her even more afraid. Luna did not at all look like how she usually did, where she was a happy, fun loving pony. The look she was producing now was cold and hateful and Chrysalis was pretty sure she intended on hurting her.

“Confess,” Luna repeated threateningly.

The changeling sat up, knowing it was time to come clean. It wasn’t the way she planned, but hopefully Luna would understand. “Alright. I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I was Cherub the whole time and I should have told you long ago.” Luna immediately shot a bolt next to her, greatly startling her.

“Do not lie to me!”

Chrysalis took steady breathes with a hoof on her chest. “Lying? I’m telling you the truth!”

Luna’s horn charged up. “No! You’re planning on getting revenge by stealing love to make yourself powerful!”

“I had given up my plans for revenge long ago. I am a new changeling.”

The alicorn stomped the ground, leaving large cracks. “Manure! If you are a new changeling, then why are you still ponynapping ponies!?”

Chrysalis stared at her in confusion. “I haven’t done such a thing. I never needed to.”

Luna suddenly jumped her and pinned her to the ground. The former queen could feel her heart racing as she looked up into Luna’s enraged eyes. “I will hurt you if you don’t talk! Confess to me now!”

“What do you want me to say!? I’m not planning anything!”

“Where is she!?”

“Who!?”

“Where is Cherub!?”

Chrysalis was completely baffled. Didn’t Pinkie and Nymph tell her? Shouldn’t she have put two and two together? Wasn’t that why she showed up at Fluttershy’s home to attack her? Instead, Luna held the belief that Cherub was real and Chrysalis had stolen her identity. She realized it was also possible Luna went looking for her and tracked her down on her own since she had been gone for some time, meaning it was very unlikely Pinkie or Nymph knew where they were. “Luna, I am Cherub.”

The princess spat in her face and the changeling shook her head around. “You can’t fool me! Cherub is not a worthless insect like you!”

“It’s the truth! I know it’s hard to accept, but I was her the whole time! Cherub doesn’t exist!”

Luna got off Chrysalis and took a few steps from her. “You really think clinging to your story will save you? You better reconsider, considering I’m the only one who can let you out.”

Chrysalis quickly wiped her face off as she sat up. “What happened to my magic?”

The princess grinned evilly at her. “We’ve been preparing for your return for a long time, Chrysalis. With Nymph’s help, we have developed countermeasures to ensure you didn’t succeed in your revenge. One issue we thought of was what if you were to acquire a large amount of love, making you powerful just like before, meaning we needed something to take your power away. Through some hard effort, Celestia and I managed to master it. So now, we can drain you!”

Fear became overwhelming within Chrysalis. “Luna, I am begging you, please let me out of here. Celestia or Nymph would never allow you to do this.”

Luna chuckled mockingly at her. “Oh, I think they will, considering you stole the love of my life! And trust me, until you tell me where she is, I will never let you go.”

“Luna, don’t do this,” Chrysalis begged. “Please just let me go.”

“Tell me, when you were here many months ago posing at my niece, did Cadance beg you to let her go?”

Chrysalis faced the ground, loudly sighing. “Yes…”

“And did you let her go?”

“No…”

“So that’s that. I brought you here so you could have a taste of what you put Cadance through during her own wedding! Of course, there will be a few differences. I won’t make any stupid mistakes like you did, you won’t be escaping, and no one is coming for you and do you know why?” The princess leaned forward and looked dead in her eyes. “Because everyone hates you.”

“Talk to Pinkie! Talk to Nymph! They’ll tell you different! I am not evil anymore!”

“I am not falling for any of your tricks. Tell me what I want to hear and I will let you go. It is as simple as that.”

“Luna, I swear on my life, I am the real Cherub! It was me all along! You have to believe me!”

Luna glared at her. “My, aren’t you stubborn. Well luckily for you, I can be stubborn, too.” She turned around and walked down the tunnel. “There are only a few hours left of Hearts and Hooves Day and I intend on spending what’s left of it with Cherub. If I don’t have her back before midnight,” she turned her head, “you will never again see the light of day.” Chrysalis stood up and chased after her, but Luna teleported, leaving her alone in the darkness.

It took Pinkie and Nymph some time to find all of their friends and to separate some of them from their dates. They informed them that Cherub was ready to confess about herself and they were to meet her somewhere private. Unfortunately, no pony knew where Luna went, who would have been more interested than any of them, but they chose to go forward with the plan without her and deal with her later. “Why the heck is Cherub way out here?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“I’m afraid the poor thing had a personal crisis,” the queen answered. “She has been fretting over this moment for months and she lost her nerve. I can’t say I blame her.”

“Could you at least give us a hint of what it is?” asked Shining Armor. “The more I hear about this secret, the more worried I get.”

“Patience, Prince. Just let her tell you herself and try to be as understanding as possible.” Nymph leaned towards Pinkie Pie. “I’m afraid he is going to do something drastic when he sees her and I don’t think I can do anything to stop him if Twilight or Celestia jump in.”

“Is Chrysalis going to be okay?” Pinkie asked timidly as she looked at the stallion, who raised an eyebrow at her.

“I can only pray that she will be. Shining and Cadance are more than likely to not to take the news well. Your friends I am unsure about since they have worked for her and gotten to know her better, but my main concern is Celestia. Chrysalis will be safe if we can get her support, but that may be difficult when she finds out who has actually been dating her sister and she still sees her as a powerful threat. There’s also Luna, but we’ll have to worry about her later. I cannot guarantee she will forgive Chrysalis for going through with their relationship, but let’s focus on getting her forgiven for the invasion first.”

“Oh.” Pinkie looked at the ground in front of her and then back up at the changeling. “Am I going to be okay? My friends are going to be so mad that I didn’t tell them about her for so long.” Some strands of her hair lost their curl. “W-what if they don’t want to be friends with me anymore!?” she whispered loudly.

“Pinkie, I understand you’re afraid, but do not worry. I highly doubt it will get that bad since you all have been through so much together and all possess an unbreakable bond. They’ll be mad, but it will eventually pass. You’re their friend and they will understand why you wanted to keep Chrysalis safe. After all, didn’t Fluttershy help Discord turn a new leaf?”

“Yeah.” Pinkie turned her head around and looked at Fluttershy. The pegasus smiled at her and Pinkie just nervously smiled in return before looking back. “Please don’t hate me,” she said too quietly for anyone to hear.

At last, they returned to where Chrysalis was supposedly waiting for them. “Cherub, we’re back!” Pinkie called out. Strangely, there was no reply or sign of her. Pinkie chuckled nervously and turned towards the group. “M-maybe she’s in the house. Wait right here.” She went up the hill, opened the door, and stepped inside. About a minute later, she bolted out. “She’s gone!”

Panic erupted in the queen as she took flight and flew around. “Cherub!? Cherub, where are you!? CHERUB!”

“Nymph,” Celestia started, “please calm yourself and-”

She was interrupted when Nymph shook her like mad, yelling, “Don’t tell me to calm down! We need to find her right now!” She then proceeded to fly around the area in desperate attempt to find her sister.

Twilight looked at Pinkie, who seemed as equally alarmed. “Pinkie, what in the world is going on!? Where is Cherub!?”

“I…I don’t know! She said she’d be here! Just wait here and let us look for her!” Before she could join Nymph, Celestia used her magic to hold her in place.

“Pinkie, what is Cherub’s secret? I have the feeling this has something to do with her disappearance.”

Pinkie bit her hoof and frantically darted her eyes around. “Uh…”

“Pinkie, just tell us already!” insisted Applejack. “This ain’t the time to be foolin’ around! If Cherub’s in danger, we need to know why!”

“I can’t! I made a Pinkie promise not to tell!”

“Come on, Pinkie!” shouted Dash in frustration. “She’s going to tell us anyway, right? So out with it! Who is she!?”

The earth pony sweated heavily as she kept looking at the expecting eyes of her friends. Nymph noticed what was happening and quickly stopped her search, landing right next to Pinkie. The pink pony looked up at her and Nymph nodded in response. After a few seconds, Pinkie took a deep breath and spoke timidly, “The truth is that Cherub never existed. Ever.”

Verbal confusion was heard from the ponies. “What do you mean she doesn’t exist?” asked Celestia, who looked incredibly nervous. “Nymph, was Cherub…a changeling?”

Everypony looked at her in shock and the queen averted her eyes. Pinkie cleared her throat, catching their attention. “Well…specifically…she was really…the whole time…Chrysalis.”

The group immediately gasped. “CHRYSALIS WAS CHERUB THE ENTIRE TIME!?” yelled Twilight in horror.

Celestia snapped out of her shock and boomed at Nymph, “How could you keep this from me, Nymph!? You said you didn’t know where she was and I trusted you!”

“I didn’t know! I just found out today!” the changeling reasoned as she quickly backed away. “Believe me when I say I was just as surprised, especially by the fact Pinkie was aware about her.”

The ponies immediately all looked back at the pony next to her. “Pinkie!” snapped Twilight, causing the party mare to jump. “You knew about this!? You knew who she was the entire time and didn’t say anything!?”

“Not the entire time, just a few months!”

Suddenly, Pinkie felt herself magically pulled by the ear and was dragged in front of Celestia. “Pinkie, what is the matter with you!? How could you keep this a secret from us!? How could you keep this from Luna!?”

Pinkie used a hoof to rub her sore ear. “I made a Pinkie promise to not tell anypony about her!”

“You should have just broken it!” She bent down to get on Pinkie’s eye level, showing her just how furious she was. Pinkie had only seen Celestia upset a few times in her life, but she could tell from her voice and stare that she was livid. “Pinkie, Chrysalis was alone with my sister, my niece, and your friends on multiple occasions! What if she had done something bad to them!? What if she had endangered Equestria!? Have you even considered this even once before doing something so foolish!?”

“She’s not evil anymore! She’s good now and my friend! We just need to find her and I’ll prove it to you!”

Celestia dragged a hoof down her own face in frustration and Shining Armor approached her. “Celestia, I think it’s obvious that Chrysalis has her under some sort of control. I would suggest removing it immediately before asking any more about Chrysalis.”

“Agreed. Hold still.” Celestia’s horn glowed brightly and a wave of magic flowed through Pinkie, causing her eyes to spin. After several seconds, the magic faded. “Pinkie, how do you feel? Did Chrysalis force you to keep her presence secret?”

Pinkie quickly shook her head. “I’m not under any control! She tried once, but it didn’t work on me for some reason!”

Everypony’s jaw dropped except for Celestia’s. “You mean you willingly decided to keep her a secret!?” shouted Twilight.

“That’s right! And you know what? I’d do it again and do you know why? It’s because she’s sorry and wants to show you all how much she’s changed!”

“I’ve had enough of this nonsense,” Celestia spoke sternly. “Shining Armor, restrain her.”

The next thing Pinkie knew, she was trapped in a magical bubble. She tried to move, rolling around like a hamster in a ball. She banged against the wall. “Let me go!”

The princess ignored her and faced the others. “It is clear Chrysalis is making a run for it. She couldn’t have gone far, so we should be able to capture her. All of you watch Pinkie while I go to Canterlot and acquire the guards. She must not escape.”

“Wait, Celestia,” spoke Nymph. “I don’t think she’s making a run for it. She willingly revealed herself to me.”

Celestia slowly approached the queen. “Is that so? Why? Why did she do that? Better yet, if you knew who she was, why in the world did you agree to leave her alone and give her the chance to flee!?”

Nymph closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I…think we should discuss this in private.”

Celestia eyed her suspiciously. “Private? Why? Are you hiding something?”

Every time the princess she tried to get into her view, Nymph turned her head away. “Please…” she whispered.

“Fine.” Celestia and Nymph walked away from the group and spoke once they were far away. As they talked, Pinkie looked at her friends, who all stared at the two rulers. She then looked at Fluttershy, who noticed her gaze and when she saw her staring, she approached her prison.

The pegasus placed her hoof on the bubble and Pinkie placed hers right in front of it. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I didn’t mean to lie to you,” spoke Pinkie sadly.

“I understand. I know you were trying to help her,” she answered softly

Pinkie sniffled quietly as she looked up at her. “Do you hate me?”

Fluttershy knelt down. “Never. I could never hate somepony for trying to help someone in need. Everypony else is so scared, but I trust you, Pinkie, and I love you for doing something so brave.” Pinkie slightly smiled and they both rested their foreheads against the barrier with their eyes closed.

All of a sudden, Celestia’s mane turned into the color of fire and she stomped the ground, causing a powerful quake that startled all of them. “NYMPH!” The ponies watched with fear as Celestia yelled continuously at the terrified changeling. After about two minutes, the princess returned with an ashamed Nymph following her. “Let her go,” she said to the prince as she looked at Pinkie.

“But Celestia-”

“Just do it.” Reluctantly, Shining Armor removed the barrier. Celestia approached the pony, towering over her with a face cold as ice. “Pinkie, I want you to tell me everything that happened between you and Chrysalis. NOW.” Her voice shook the house, leaving every creature in it completely still.

Over the course of several minutes, Pinkie told them everything that happened since Chrysalis’s birthday. She told them about her rampage, her self-realization, her desire for forgiveness, trying to befriend the other Elements, and even about how she fell in love with Luna. She also explained that the fair wasn’t a part of a plot to take over, but rather Chrysalis giving her people something to make up through what she put them through. She made numerous apologies to them for not telling them, but she felt no pony would ever have believed Chrysalis if she revealed herself, especially with what she almost did to Pinkie. When she was finished, the ponies had calmed down, but they were still on edge. “It seems quite a lot has happened during her banishment,” spoke Celestia, now slightly more calm, as she slowly paced in front of her. “It does sound like you have convinced her to turn a new leaf, Pinkie, but I wish to see her myself before making my decision.”

“Come on, Celestia!” shouted Shining Armor. “It’s so obvious Chrysalis is just pretending! Any idiot can see that!”

“Shining, please,” said Cadance. “I think we should we consider the possibility that she’s truly sorry.”

Shining took her hoof. “I’m just thinking about you. I can’t stand the thought of her being free after what she did to you. Besides, if she is sorry, then why did she run away? We should stop wasting time and look for her already!”

“I am fully aware Chrysalis may be trying something, Shining Armor,” said Celestia sternly. “The question is where did she go and why? She must have something planned to have us all lured away from the people, so we need to search for her cautiously.”

Before they could start, they suddenly heard loud squeaking. They looked towards the door of Fluttershy’s home as a rabbit ran to them, waving frantically. “Angel? What’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy, receiving many squeaks in response. “Do you know something about Chrysalis?” He rapidly nodded.

Celestia stood in front of him and knelt down. “Tell us everything you know.” The rabbit suddenly pulled something out, causing everyone to gasp.

“That’s Luna’s crown!” shouted Applejack in shock.

“So she ponynapped Luna!?” Spike asked in complete panic, causing everyone to gasp again.

Celestia’s eyes glowed with burning fury. “That is the last straw! We’re getting the guards and-”

“Wait!” Fluttershy interrupted, “He says that’s not what happened.”

“Then what the heck happened!?” asked Trixie. “Why does he have her crown!?”

Angel put the crown on his head. “I think he’s supposed to be Luna,” said Fluttershy. The rabbit nodded and then jumped onto Nymph’s head, kicking her crown away.

“Hey!” shouted the queen angrily.

She reached down to pick it up, but Celestia took it first. “I think you’re supposed to be Chrysalis in this scenario, so just play along.”

The changeling sighed. “Fine. So what happened?” Angel grabbed of her tail and pulled on it.

“She pulled on Chrysalis’s tail?” guessed Rarity. “Why would she do that?” Angel pointed towards the house and they saw the open window. “I don’t understand.” The rabbit hopped away from the group and pointed at something. When they came, they gasped at the sight of the cracked tree.

“She threw Chrysalis out the window and into the tree!?” asked Nymph, only to become more horrified when Angel nodded at her. “Oh my gosh, what is Luna doing to her!? W-where did they go!?” He shrugged at her, causing the changeling to lunge down and grab him. “You stupid rodent! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER!?”

“Nymph, calm yourself!” ordered Celestia as she gently took the rabbit from her. “Angel, do you have any idea at all of what happened next?” He pointed at her horn. “My horn? You mean Luna used a spell?”

“A teleportation spell?” asked Twilight, receiving a nod from Angel. “So you’re saying Luna viciously attacked Chrysalis and teleported them somewhere!?” Angel frantically nodded and they all gasped.

“Oh no! We have to find them!” screamed Pinkie. “Chrysalis’s is in danger!”

“But where the hay did she take her? They could be anywhere!” said Applejack.

“I may know,” spoke Celestia. “Most likely Luna has taken her to the dungeons and is interrogating her as we speak. All of you wait here.” Her horn glowed and then she vanished in a bright white light. The group spoke with worry with one another except for Nymph, who had become incredibly pale. Almost a minute later, Celestia returned, looking panicked. “She’s not there!”

“What!?” the group shouted in shock.

“Luna hasn’t returned the palace. I…I have no idea where she has taken Chrysalis!”

“Well we can’t just sit around! We have to look for them!” said Nymph in hysterics.

“We will,” spoke Celestia. “Right now, Chrysalis is in possible danger by my own sister. I am very sure Luna will be merciful with her and willing to listen to us, but we need to be extremely cautious if she is in such a devastated state since it seems she has discovered the truth of Cherub on her own. In order for us to cover more ground, we need to split into groups.” The princess looked at Dash. “Rainbow Dash, fly to Cupid’s Arrow and search for them there and if they aren’t, look anywhere else you can think of in Ponyville. If you find them, report back here and be sure to bring them both if possible.”

“On it!” Dash launched into the air and flew towards the town, creating a gust of wind that blew against the ones she left behind.

“Applejack, Rarity, Trixie. I want the three of you to search anywhere outside Ponyville. If Luna isn’t at the palace, then she may still be nearby. Applejack, do you have your lasso?”

The earth pony removed her hat and grabbed the rope underneath. “Ah always do, but why do ya need it?”

Celestia took it with her magic and with a spell, it glowed in a golden light. “With this enchantment, not only is it unbreakable, but it will prevent anyone caught within it from using magic. If you find them and either proves to be a threat, Trixie’s and Rarity’s magic should be enough to distract her long enough for you to restrain them.”

“Wait a minute!” spoke Rarity in shock. “Are you saying Luna may actually attack one of us!?”

The alicorn quickly shook her head. “Not attack, just force away. Luna sometimes has trouble keeping her emotions under control and I’m afraid something like this can easily push her over the edge. There’s also the possibility that Chrysalis is still plotting her revenge and if she does get a chance, I’m sure she will take control of my sister, so we need to be extra cautious. If you find either of them, I suggest restraining Chrysalis since her powers are to not be underestimated.”

“Ya can count on us! Come on, ya two!” Applejack took the lead and the two unicorns followed in a sprint.

Celestia then looked at the stallion. “Shining Armor, I trust your skills as a knight, so I want you to investigate our old castle in the Everfree Forest and I want you to take Pinkie with you.”

His jaw dropped. “Why do I have to go with her!?” he shouted while pointing a hoof at her.

“Because not only does she know the way there, but I need to be sure you act reasonably towards Chrysalis and she won’t feel as threatened by you if she’s with you. Also, if Luna finds out Pinkie has known about this, she might do something she may regret, so you will need to protect her.”

He looked spitefully at his companion before looking worried toward Celestia. “What about Cadance or Twilight? What will you have them do?”

“Cadance will remain in Fluttershy’s home along with Spike and they will remain hidden. If either Chrysalis or Luna returns here, Spike will send me a letter and I will come back here in an instant. Twilight, you and Fluttershy will check Ponyville along with Rainbow Dash. If one of them tries anything to you, then I want you to teleport out of there and return here, Twilight.”

“Yes, Celestia!” Twilight sprinted away and Fluttershy ran to catch up with her. Cadance and Shining shared a hug before separating with their companions, with Pinkie hesitating as she looked in the direction Fluttershy went before chasing after Shining Armor.

“What about me?” asked Nymph. “Where should I look?”

Celestia sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Nymph, I need you to go back to the fair while disguised as Cherub. I know you can do a good job in pretending to be her.”

“But Celestia, I need to find Chrysalis! She needs me!”

“I know, but the ponies are bound to notice that all of us have gone missing. With the recent news of changelings, they may worry of where we went and start looking. If anypony asks you where we are, just tell them important royal business came up. Besides, it is also possible Luna went back to expose her to the public. If that is the case, I need you to do crowd control. They might try to hurt her or worse.”

“Very well.” Nymph took on Chrysalis’s disguise. “Please bring them back safely.” Celestia nodded before she teleported herself and Nymph went running back toward the fair.

Chrysalis traced her hoof across the ground while resting against the stone wall. She hadn’t bothered to move herself since Luna left. What was the point? If she did find the exit, Luna would probably just grab her and send her back. All she wanted was for her to come back so she could try talking to her again, but she had been gone for a while. What was she even up to? She tried to think of what she could possibly say to Luna to prove who she was, but the stress of the entire situation made it extremely difficult.

As Chrysalis lied there, feeling the weight of everything crush her, a strange sound was picked up by her ears, interrupting her thoughts. She lifted her head and looked down the tunnel. She didn’t recognize the sound and stood up, taking a few steps towards it. She stopped herself when the sound became clearer. It sounded like a dreadful combination of whispering, moaning, and even screaming. Chrysalis slowly backed away and then something appeared in the distance, causing her to gasp. Down the tunnel was a shadowy abomination made up of hoofs, disfigured faces, and glowing eyes coming out of black smoke and it was coming straight for her.

Chrysalis turned around and ran. She looked behind her and saw the monstrosity chasing her at great speed. “Luna! Help me! Please, Luna! There’s a monster in here!” She kept running down the tunnel, noticing that it stretched on endlessly. She didn’t remember one being this long, but she chose not to think about it while her life was in danger.

She looked behind her once again, realizing that it was slowly closing in on her. She looked ahead and saw that there was a door in the distance. She quickened her pace, praying that it would be her escape. She got closer and closer, hearing the monster calling for her as the distance between them became smaller. She lunged for the doorknob and turned it, thankful it was unlocked. She rushed inside and slammed the door, pressing her body against it. She pressed her ear on the door and listened, but she couldn’t hear the monster anymore. She sighed with relief, knowing she was somehow safe from whatever she encountered.

Her mood instantly shifted from relief to confusion when she saw where she ended up. The door had taken her into what looked like a study, which was completely strange to find in an abandoned mine. The walls were covered with shelves filled with books, there were windows that hung high above, the walls, the floor and ceiling were made from polished wood, and there was a lit fireplace with a large chair in front of it. As strange as it all seemed to her, it held a familiar aura to Chrysalis. She took several steps forward, taking in her surroundings. “Wait. Isn’t this the study back home?”

“You are correct, Chrysalis.”

Everything in Chrysalis’s body came to a stop. Her mouth hung open, unable to form a single word. A figure rose up from the chair and took a few steps towards her. Her height matched the changeling’s and with her every step she took, her violet hair swung across her shoulders with grace. Her most notable feature was her face, which simultaneously possessed beauty, wisdom, and elegance, and it was one Chrysalis fully recognized. “M-Mother?” She took a step closer. “Mother, how is this-”

“Do not call me that!” Locera snapped, causing Chrysalis to recoil. “You have lost the right long ago.” She walked around Chrysalis, never taking her eyes off of her. “I am so disappointed in you, Chrysalis. You bring shame to this family.”

Chrysalis gasped and tears came out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Mother. I just-”

“I said not to call me that!” The late queen stopped in front of her and looked dead into her eyes. “I chose Nymph as my successor because I knew she would work towards a brighter future for the Changeling Kingdom, unlike you! You couldn’t even respect my decision and forced her into giving it you like the greedy tyrant you are!”

Rather than argue, Chrysalis sat down and sobbed. She couldn’t explain how any of this was happening, but hearing her own mother talk about how she let her down was too devastating to her. “I’m sorry.”

Locera walked towards her, causing her to back away. “Sorry!? Is that all you have to say!? Not only have you mistreated your own sister, you kidnapped an innocent princess, tried to steal her husband for your own selfish greed, attacked a peaceful kingdom, and made our people look like monsters! And yet, here you are, claiming to be sorry when you have taken another pony and pretend to be them so you can fulfill your disgusting desire for power. You are a failure of a queen!”

Chrysalis put her hooves over ears and crouched against the door, sobbing uncontrollably. All of a sudden, something banged on the door loudly, causing Chrysalis to jump away, only to be grabbed by Locera. “What are you doing!?”

“You’re a monster, Chrysalis, and monsters have no place in this world. It is time you pay for your crimes.”

Chrysalis struggled like mad as her mother dragged her towards the door, but she was too strong for her. “Please, Mother! Don’t do this to your daughter!”

The late queen grabbed her by the throat and looked right at her. “You are not my daughter! You are a demon who will spend the rest of eternity in the bowels of Tartarus. Good riddance!” She opened the door and Chrysalis let out a scream as the monster enveloped all of the room, causing her vision to go black.

Chrysalis’s eyes shot open and she produced a brief scream. She placed a hoof on her chest and felt her heart pounding as she hyperventilated. It took her several seconds to realize she was back in the mine. What just happened to her? Everything before was so bizarre and horrifying and yet it was all gone. It was almost like a nightmare come to life.

A nightmare. Did she fall asleep? She remembered feeling tired right after Luna left, so she must have dozed off. Luna must have used her powers to enter dreams to bring her worst fears to life. She was afraid of closing her eyes as that nightmare of hers felt so real and she was sure Luna was waiting to strike again.

“Sleep well?”

Chrysalis gasped and scooted away. Luna was sitting next to her and holding a smug look on her face. “I am kind of hoping I’m still dreaming,” the changeling replied.

“I’m afraid not. You really are stuck in here with me.”

Chrysalis slowly got onto her hooves. “That was too mean, Luna. You used my own dead mother against me.”

Luna stood up. Although she was shorter than Chrysalis, the prisoner felt very fearful of her. “I’m pretty sure she would feel the same way if she was here.”

Chrysalis flinched. Was she right? Would Locera hate her if she knew all the wrongs she had committed? Chrysalis forced those thoughts out of her head, focusing on her current problem. “How long have you kept me here?”

“Not that long at all. You fell asleep rather quickly and dreams actually aren’t as long as they appear. It’s actually been less than an hour since you left the fair, so I doubt any pony has noticed us missing yet.”

“It’s felt like an eternity.” Chrysalis thought about Pinkie and Nymph bringing the others to an empty cottage. The good news was they were no doubt looking for her now, but the bad news was the likelihood of them looking here was slim to none.

“It sure has. You have seen what my power with dreams can do and I can assure you it can get much worse. I plan on spending this day with my lover, who isn’t you, so if you want to make it out of here and not worry about anymore nightmares, then tell me where she is now.”

“How can I make you listen? I am Cherub! Me! She never existed!”

Luna gritted her teeth. “I am going to count to three and if you don’t tell me what I to know, you will be very sorry. My next nightmare will have you screaming like a terrified filly.”

“Luna, I swear on my life I am Cherub!”

“One.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but I do love you! What we had was real!”

“Two!”

Chrysalis threw her hooves up. “Wait, wait! I can prove I am Cherub! Just give a chance to do it!”

Luna broke out into laughter. “Prove it? How do you intend to do that, you imposter?”

“Haven’t you wondered why I was so secretive about who I am? My home? My family? Everything about me before I came to Ponyville?” She motioned a hoof across herself. “This is it. This was the secret I kept from you.”

Luna rolled her eyes dismissively. “So Cherub didn’t like talking about herself. That hardly proves anything.”

“But there’s more. Remember my story about having a bad wedding? I think you know what that’s really about.”

“It still proves nothing!” the pony snapped.

“What about my sister? The one I hated and wanted nothing to do with? That was Nymph. You can’t think this is still a coincidence.”

Chrysalis could see in her eyes that the seeds of doubt were successfully planted. “E-enough of this! You are not the Cherub I love! Nothing you can say will have me believe you!”

The changeling stepped forward and spoke gently, “I remember the first day we met. The real reason I wanted to get away was because I know you were trying to find me. Remember what I dressed up as on Nightmare Night? I was just being myself. You know how Pinkie reported that I scared her and stole her candy? It wasn’t a prank, Luna. That was really me. My career involved producing love, making it much easier to feed myself. Other than Pinkie, do you know what the secret to my success was? Reading the emotions of ponies.”

Luna stepped back, shaking her head. “No! You are not Cherub! You’re trying to trick me! I won’t fall for it!”

“You can look at any government file about me and you will learn that I didn’t exist until that day I came to Ponyville, which is when I created her. Luna, the Cherub you first met at the library, the one you spent Nightmare Night with, the pony you fell in love, it was me the entire time. This is who I am. This is who Cherub is and this is the absolute truth.”

Luna opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The princess very slowly stepped away from her, her mouth quivering and her eyes filled with betrayal. The next thing Chrysalis knew, Luna fell onto her knees and broke into tears. “My…my heart…”

It was hard for Chrysalis to believe that was the same Luna who had horrible nightmares planned for her, but now was not the time to dwell on that. Chrysalis still loved her and Luna needed comfort. She must have felt so awful for treating Chrysalis like that when she really did have feelings for her all along. Chrysalis reached a hoof out to stroke her face. “Luna, please don’t-” Luna swatted her hoof away and Chrysalis recoiled away from her. “L-Luna?”

Luna shot her head up, eyes glowing bright. “My heart…is not…your bucking…PLAYTHING!” Her horn illuminated the dark cave as she was wrapped in its radiance. The changeling slowly backed away from her, absolutely terrified as she could see the alicorn’s body changing form. Her coat was turning black and her teeth became fangs. Knowing that staying was a death wish, Chrysalis booked it.

“Chrysalis, you are DEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDD!”

Spike and Cadance had been mostly silent ever since they stepped into the house. Spike sat by himself on a chair near the window in the living room, occasionally looking outside from behind the curtain to see any sign of Luna or Chrysalis. He sighed to himself as he released the curtain, hoping everything would be okay. He looked around the room, realizing that it lacked a certain pony.

Spike looked towards the stairs. Cadance had gone up a while ago and hadn’t made a sound since. He got up from the chair and stood at the bottom of the steps. “Cadance?” he called. “Cadance, are you okay?” He didn’t receive an answer and he began to fear for her safety. He slowly walked up the stairs as quietly as he could, feeling drops of sweat run down his head. It didn’t help that the whole house was dark to make sure Chrysalis didn’t know anyone was home in case she came back. He got to the top, crept towards the bedroom door, and stopped in front of it. He gulped as he raised his shaking hand towards it. Once it rested on the knob, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

On the bed was Cadance, staring at the ceiling the dark room. “Cadance?” The alicorn said nothing, acting as if she didn’t realize he was there. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Everything is my fault. I screwed up everything,” she said in almost a whisper.

Spike climbed onto the bed. “What are you talking about?”

“I acted like an idiot. I am the reason Luna got romantically involved with Chrysalis. I knew Luna liked her, but why didn’t I get to know her better? How could I have been so stupid to try to create a relationship between Luna and somepony I never met before? This wouldn’t have happened had I just been smart and did some research on her. Maybe then I wouldn’t have helped her become marefriends with Chrysalis of all people!”

“Yeah, I guess you sorta-” Spike was interrupted by a carrot being launched at the back of his head. He turned around and saw Angel staring at him. “I mean you shouldn’t blame yourself. There’s no way you could have known it was her. She totally had us all fooled. She didn’t act the way she did when she pretended to be you. Well, she did before, but she stopped before you met her.”

Cadance rested a hoof on her forehead. “But that doesn’t excuse what I’ve put poor Luna through. She is so upset to learn that somepony she loved so much was a fake. If anything happens to Chrysalis, it will be my fault. I just hope Luna can show mercy, but something like this would drive anypony crazy. Could you imagine learning that your relationship with somepony you love so much was never real?”

Spike nodded, but then he frozen. After a moment, he began breathing loudly and he place his claws on his chest. His entire body trembled violently without stop as he slowly turned to the princess. “C-Cadance?”

“Hmm?”

“What…what if Rarity doesn’t really love me?”

Cadance sat up and looked down at him in surprise. “What?”

“What if it wasn’t real? What if Chrysalis just controlled Rarity to like me?” Spike’s eyes watered up and he sniffled loudly. “C-Chrysalis said s-she thought it was weird for a dragon to b-be in love with a pony. W-what if she just helped me to m-make it to make herself stronger? What if…if…”

Cadance pulled him against her chest and he quietly sobbed. “Spike, don’t think Rarity doesn’t love you. I’ve seen the two of you together and I see the way she acts around you. You have a special place in her heart and she cares about you so much. When I see you two together, I always sense how much she feels about you. If Chrysalis did use her magic, then I’ll do my absolute best to make it a real thing, okay?”

He wiped his eyes and looked up at her, smiling. “Thanks, Cadance. That means a lot.” They sat in the moonlight as the princess stroked his head. “What about Chrysalis?” he asked suddenly. “Did you feel love from her, too?”

“I…yes, I did,” she answered in surprise, causing her to sit up. “Chrysalis…Chrysalis really loves Luna? Was Pinkie actually right about her?”

“Maybe Chrysalis really did change.”

“Maybe.” She rested her chin on her hoof as she stared at the wall in front of her. “I…I don’t like the idea of her being with Luna, but maybe if she really has changed, her being with Luna wouldn’t be such a bad thing if it keeps her under control. Her love for Luna would be enough motivation to not carry out revenge.” She got off the bed and placed Spike onto her back. “We need to go back and keep an eye outside. Let us head downstairs and wait for them together.” She walked down the stairs and they watched the world outside through the window as she stroked the top of Spike’s head, both of them talking about their latest discovery.

Rainbow Dash landed right in front of Cupid’s Arrow and reached for the doorknob only to find it locked. She moved away and tried the windows, finding no luck either. Frustrated, Dash decided to do something extreme. She found a large rock and picked it up. Right before flinging it, her eye caught the roof, where she could see the chimney. “Right,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle before dropping the rock. She got into the air and flew down the chimney, ending up inside the main room.

Dash coughed extensively as she was covered in soot and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a small towel, soaked it, and carried it with her wing as she cleaned herself off. “Hello?” she called as she walked back into the main room. “Princess Luna? Chrysalis?” She received no response. Dash made her way up the stairs and looked into the bedroom. As she expected, it was empty. She went back down and checked the office, finding not a single person inside. She knew she needed to look somewhere else, but she decided to finish cleaning herself before getting back to the search.

She sat in Chrysalis’s chair while rubbing the wet cloth against her dirtied coat. She still felt alarmed by the fact the pony her friends all worked for was the changeling queen who crashed the royal wedding. Clearly the whole Hearts and Hooves thing was part of some sort of plot to become powerful and conquer Equestria, even if Pinkie said otherwise. To make things worse, Luna ponynapped her and now they had to find and rescue her, which was an idea that still felt weird to her.

She thought about when they first met her. She knew something was off about her, but she certainly didn’t expect her to be Chrysalis. It totally made sense why she acted the way she did. She couldn’t believe Pinkie had been left alone with her so many times. She was still convinced Pinkie was under some sort of mind control as she still stood up for her, but Pinkie had often made questionable decisions before. In either case, she was still very mad for Pinkie doing something so insane and promised herself she would teach her a thing or two about loyalty.

She still felt Chrysalis was evil, but there were some other things that bothered her. Over the recent months, she seriously mellowed out and even seemed so friendly. Maybe she had turned her ways? But what if that was part of her mind control? What if she was controlling them right now into thinking she was in trouble while she was out conquering Equestria? What if she made them think she failed the invasion and was actually successful all along? Rainbow Dash could have been in a cocoon for a long time and not even know it as that big bug ruled her country with an iron hoof.

Dash shook her head. She couldn’t think about that stuff now. She needed to get back to looking for her and Luna. She was fairly sure Chrysalis still had something up her sleeve, but she would still obey Celestia’s orders. She tossed the cloth aside and then stood. Before she left, she looked around Chrysalis’s desk, finding her favorite tazer. She found her belt from her uniform and put on, setting the tazer by her hip. Feeling much safer, Dash stepped outside and flew into the sky, debating on where to look next.

Twilight and Fluttershy looked around Ponyville as they slowed down from their sprint, each carrying conflicting feelings about the situation. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other since they had separated from the others. Much to their disappointment, they had yet to find any sign of Luna or Chrysalis. Fluttershy looked at Twilight, who held a stern expression on her face. “Are you okay, Twilight?” she asked nervously.

“No,” Twilight answered harshly.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she answered again.

They didn’t know where Luna could have possibly taken Chrysalis in Ponyville, so they made Twilight’s home their first guess. On the way, Fluttershy asked any pony passing by if they saw Princess Luna around, but all of them had not. They entered Twilight’s home and the unicorn slammed the door behind her. “Luna? Chrysalis? Anyone home?” As Twilight expected, she didn’t get a response. “Okay, let’s go look somewhere else.”

Fluttershy rubbed her hoof against her leg as she stared at the floor. “Um…maybe not yet?”

Twilight looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Not yet? We have to go save Chrysalis or whatever.”

“I know, but you seem…um…upset and...not really all that concerned about Chrysalis.”

Twilight scoffed and waved a dismissive hoof. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. That villain can survive a few bruises, right?” Fluttershy gulped with wide eyes. “And you think I’m upset? How could I be upset? I mean, one of my best friends lied about that maniac living here for months, who deserves whatever she gets from tricking Luna. You think I’m upset about that?”

“Yes?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned around. “Let’s just drop it and go.”

Fluttershy went up to her and turned her around. “Twilight, I really think we need to talk about this. You’re clearly not taking this whole thing very well.”

The unicorn sighed. “I…I don’t know. We shouldn’t waste our time, so let’s just go.”

“Come on. Let’s just sit down for a moment. It’s important for you to have a clear head about all this.” At first, Twilight did nothing. After a moment, she reluctantly sat down with her friend. “Twilight, I’m just as surprised as you by what we heard, but I think Pinkie had a good reason for hiding her from us.”

“A good reason!?” she yelled, causing the pegasus to recoil. “What good reason could there be for not telling us!? We could have at least kept on eye on her like with Discord!”

“I know, but I trust Pinkie’s judgment.”

Twilight pulled Fluttershy up to her and looked dead into her eyes. “Trust her judgment!? She made friends with an enemy! She spent months helping out someone who was raised to trick ponies! She has been using us to make herself stronger!” She released her and waved her hooves around. “How can you trust Pinkie’s judgment!? How can I trust my judgment!? She was right here the whole time under my nose!”

Fluttershy stared at her, confused. “Twilight?”

“She was in Ponyville for months and I couldn’t figure it out! I’ve been so careful before, so why didn’t I just check her!?” Twilight slammed her head against the table with full force, startling Fluttershy. “Why didn’t I just check her just once!? It was my idea to have Pinkie work for her, so I pretty much just gave that monster one of my own friends! Pinkie’s been alone with her so many times and who knows what she’s done to her! She had us all wrapped around her hoof and she could have done something horrible to us! She took advantage of Luna because I was so stupid! She…she…” Twilight rested her head on her hooves and cried loudly. “W…what is wrong with me? How could have I let all of this happen?”

Fluttershy held her hooves out to pull her into a gentle embrace as she cried. “Twilight, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have possibly known that she was Chrysalis.”

“But last time…”

“Last time she was pretending to be somepony you knew. Twilight, don’t blame yourself for any of this. Besides, maybe you’ve actually helped Chrysalis become good.”

Twilight looked up at her. “How did I do that?”

“You gave her the idea of Pinkie working for her. Remember what Pinkie told us? I think if you never suggested that to her, Chrysalis may not have changed herself because she needed somepony to set her straight.”

Twilight pulled herself away and rested her head on the table. “But how can you be sure she has even changed? She’s a changeling and they were raised to deceive ponies. She was so evil toward us all without a shred of mercy back then.”

“But what about when she protected you? I don’t think she was acting then to do something so dangerous.”

She quickly sat up. “What? When did she do that?”

“Remember when that poor pony got that weird disease and he attacked you on the roof of the hospital? She shielded you from getting hurt by jumping in front of you. I even remember how scared she sounded when she saw you were in danger.”

Twilight’s eyes grew large. “Chrysalis actually protected me. She…protected me?”

Fluttershy firmly nodded. “I think that’s proof that Pinkie is right about her. There is no way Chrysalis would do that if she hated you. Twilight, Chrysalis actually cares about you.”

Twilight stared into the distance before looking at her friend. “Fluttershy, how are you not mad at Pinkie? You seem pretty calm about all this.”

“It’s because I trust her. Pinkie may seem just like a silly pony that not every pony takes seriously, but she’s really smart. She would never have kept Chrysalis a secret from us if she believed she was dangerous. Besides, if I could help reform Discord, then she can help Chrysalis.” She steadily tapped her front hooves together and suddenly broke eye contact. “You’re not still mad at her, are you?”

“I don’t know. I think I get what she was doing, but I’m still freaking out. I at least hope both Luna and Chrysalis are safe.” She stood up and placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Thanks for listening, Fluttershy. It feels like a lot has been taken off my chest.”

“That’s what friends are for, Twilight. Speaking of friends, we should get back to looking for them.” She went out the door as Twilight dragged behind, thinking over the idea of Chrysalis being her friend. She then shook her head and ran to catch up.

Applejack loved her friends, she truly did, but there was only so much she could take of Trixie and Rarity freaking out. Ever since they were assigned together, the two mares had yet to stop talking about what they found out. Applejack was very shocked herself, but she thought it was best to think about it after they found Luna and Chrysalis. It wasn’t them being terrified or confused, but rather how they wanted to beat down the bug. “I can’t believe Spikey and I were just a part of her plot! Knowing that bug, she really did try to break me and Fancy Pants up on purpose!”

Trixie gasped loudly. “She broke you up with some guy!? That’s incredibly cruel! She should be made into a statue after we feed all the pigeons laxatives!”

“Indeed!” Rarity growled loudly as she rubbed her hooves together. "Oh, I’ll mess her up when I find her! She’ll know the ultimate kind of bad hair day when I get my hooves on her!”

“Not if I do it first! She made Twilight act like a jerk to me as part of her own amusement! It all makes complete sense to me! How could I have been so stupid to have believed her lies!?” The magician looked at Applejack. “What about you, Applejack? What are you going to do to her? Tie her to a tree and buck her in the chest? Have her listen to your granny’s stories nonstop? Have her help the Cutie Mark Crusaders get their cutie marks?”

The earth pony calmly shrugged at her. “Honestly, Ah don’t think Ah’ll do anythin’ crazy like the both of ya.”

Rarity whirled around and zipped right in front of her. “How can you be so calm, Applejack!? Chrysalis had us all fooled and she’s even been alone with some of us to do who knows what! Did you even hear what I said about me and Fancy Pants? That evil changeling hasn’t learned her lesson! Let’s lock her in the stockade and throw rotten vegetables at her!”

“No, she deserves far worse! Let’s paddle her instead!” suggested Trixie.

“Give her forty lashes!”

“BURN HER AT THE STAKE!”

“Both of ya, shut up!” The unicorns looked at Applejack in shock. “Look, Ah think we should actually find her and hear her out before we decide what to do with her. Ya two are actin’ nuts.”

“But she’s evil!” argued Trixie. “She must be punished in the worst way possible!”

“Well what if she isn’t? Ah know Pinkie is a strange mare who tries way too hard to make friends, but we need to consider what she told us. Ah mean, what has Chrysalis really done since she’s been here?”

“She tricked Twilight into hurting me!” the magician argued.

“Fine, there’s that, but what about in terms of her gettin’ revenge? What has she really done to any of us? None of us have gone missin’, the princesses are still fine, and she actually helped most of us with our love problems.”

The two unicorns looked at each other, both uncertain. “Maybe you have a point,” spoke Rarity as she looked back at Applejack, “but are we really going to be friends with her? Discord was already hard enough, but Chrysalis is much more vile from what I remember. Do we really want her around?”

Applejack walked over and patted her on the back. “Ah don’t feel all that excited neither, but we’ve done it before. Besides, Ah’m pretty sure Princess Celestia, Luna, and Queen Nymph can handle her just fine. And don’t forget, didn’t we promise Nymph to go easy on her?”

Rarity hung her head and sighed. “I suppose it would be best to value that promise. Maybe I’m going a bit overboard.”

“Well I didn’t make that promise, so the moment we find Chrysalis, she better watch out! I shall become Equestria’s hero a second time by getting my own revenge!” Trixie summoned her giant chainsaw and made it roar as she trotted off with her friends exchanging concerned looks.

Pinkie opened the door to the old castle and it loudly creaked as she made enough space for them to walk through. “Yoo-hoo! Chrysalis? Luna? Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Pinkie ran all over the area, looking over every room she could find. Shining Armor just remained silent, which she noticed. “Aren’t you going to say something? We need to find them!”

“Trust me, there are a lot of things I want to say,” he replied unfriendly. He approached the younger mare while maintaining a cold expression. “Pinkie, I still cannot understand what possessed you into keeping Chrysalis a secret this long.”

“I wasn’t possessed!”

“You’re missing the point!” he yelled, getting up in her face. “Don’t you care about your friends? Don’t you care about Cadance? What if she was just tricking you the whole time? What if Chrysalis did something horrible to them?”

“She wouldn’t! She’s my friend!”

He sighed in defeat and walked away from her. “You better hope so, or else Luna is going to be the least of her worries.”

“Oh yeah? Well you’ll see! She’s totally a good guy now! As soon as we find her, you’ll see how much she’s changed!” The prince ignored as he walked deeper into the castle. “Hey.” He turned to her. “She said she was sorry about your wedding. She said you two didn’t deserve anything she did and she wants to make it up in any way she can. I know what she did was wrong, but please go easy on her. She’s really upset about it and I don’t think she could stand you two hating her. She just wants to move on, you know?” He did not respond to her and remained on the spot as Pinkie walked up some stairs.

He sighed to himself and sat against a wall. The only thing he wanted to do was imprison Chrysalis as it was the safest thing to do. He felt upset that she was living in the same town as his sister and could have done something terrible to her without him knowing. Then again, why didn’t she? Twilight and her friends all seemed fine. How could she not have done something after all this time? She seemed to have the perfect opportunity to mind control them or something but she didn’t seem to do so. Maybe there was more to the situation than he thought, but the idea of being Chrysalis’s friend and forgiving her didn’t settle with him well.

However, he was scared of something else. He stupidly opened up his fears of what he believed happened between them to her of all people. Originally her words made him feel better, but now he was not sure of anything anymore. He didn’t want to go through with it, but he had to know the truth. He had to know what she did to him. Pinkie’s words made him doubt it happened, but remembering Chrysalis from his wedding day made him unable to shake that lingering feeling. Whether she was guilty or not, he didn’t think he could ever let go of that fateful day.

Suddenly, a shriek rang out from above him. “Pinkie!?” He leapt from his spot and dashed up the stairs. He found the mare standing against a wall while breathing heavily with a hoof on her chest. He ran up to her. “What happened, Pinkie!? Are you okay!?”

Pinkie shrugged while grinning nervously. “Sorry, I saw a spider.” She returned to her search as the prince slowly dragged a hoof down his own face.

“This is going to be a long night.”

Maintaining a calm expression, Celestia had been checking every room in the palace and asking every pony she had come by whether or not they had seen Luna. She had also been teleporting often to ensure she covered the whole palace in the smallest amount of time possible. However, due to the size of her home and teleporting all the way from Ponyville to get here, it was starting to wear her down. Knowing she was starting to feel signs of magical exhaustion, Celestia teleported herself to her room and laid on the bed. She wanted to get back to searching for them right away, but if she kept straining herself and was forced to confront either if she found them, she would be at a disadvantage.

She picked up a pillow and placed it over her head. How could this have happened? Not once, but twice did Chrysalis fool her. As if the last time wasn’t bad enough, now she had posed as a mare who got romantically involved with her sister, who was doing who knows what with her right now. Celestia wondered why she didn’t check her for being Chrysalis the first time she met her. She felt out of her prime and completely useless for letting the former queen run loose among her subjects for months. She couldn’t imagine how Luna was feeling right now and knew she needed to find her sister and be there for her. She didn’t want to think Luna would lose control of herself and go too far, but something like this would push anypony beyond their limits. After hearing of how she attacked the changeling, she could only pray Chrysalis did not cause severe damage to Luna’s mental state.

Celestia threw the pillow against the wall and laid on her back. Why? Why did this have to happen now? Why did Chrysalis have to show up right as she finished the talks about the changelings? If ponies caught wind of Chrysalis being Cherub, they would immediately assume she had influenced their government with her magic and granted the changelings citizenship, resulting in the ponies driving out the changelings that were coming. It would be almost impossible to undo the political damage and she was sure her and Luna’s roles as Equestria’s leaders would be called into question for being deceived by the same changeling twice, especially since they were friends with her alter ego Cherub. The ponies may be so afraid of Chrysalis if she had been exposed by Luna, one of them may try to assassinate her. She felt great fury toward Chrysalis for what she had done, but she would not allow any harm to come to her no matter what.

Eventually, she got back up. She knew she needed more rest, but there was too much at stake for her to do nothing. She wondered about Pinkie’s testimony and pondered if Chrysalis may have actually been reformed since she had not done anything with all the time she had. Of course, proving this to anyone would be an extremely difficult task given her species’s nature and her history, especially Luna. Thinking about her sister, Celestia vanished from her room, reappearing at another room in the palace as she continued her search.

Luna stormed through the Canterlot mines at an incredible pace. She swore she would not rest until that worthless bug had paid for everything she had done. After all this time, she had not learned her lesson, so she was going to have to beat it into her skull. Chrysalis broke her heart, so she was going break Chrysalis’s everything. She would snap off her horn like a twig to make sure she never hurt anyone again. She thought the form of Nightmare Moon would be enough to completely terrify her foe and to ensure she would never forget her lesson.

How could she have been so stupid? She had been actively searching for the changeling and she was right under her nose the whole time. She posed as her friend and even become her lover. The thought of that witch kissing her, touching her, made her cringe. She kept thinking of an image of Chrysalis laughing, enjoying how stupid Luna was for not realizing who she was. Luna would make sure to beat that smug look off her face this very night.

At this moment, she hated Chrysalis more than anything. She remembered the night of the royal wedding, where she learned that an invasion had happened without her knowledge. Luna still couldn’t forgive herself for that to this day. Her sister and her friends needed her help and she wasn’t there to protect them. It only got worse when those horrible rumors came about. After she learned to trust Nymph, she learned many awful things about the older changeling. Luna was absolutely disgusted by what Chrysalis had done and swore she would face justice. Nymph deserved much better than Chrysalis. Luna was going to be her sister and do a better job than Chrysalis ever had in her miserable life.

And after everything that had happened, Chrysalis had the nerve to attempt revenge by fooling Luna into loving her. This was the last straw. She was going to find that insect and show her the real meaning of suffering. No longer would Luna be absent in her people’s time of need or wait on the sidelines when something needed to be done. She was going to do this herself and become respected as a hero again. There would never again be anymore doubts about her. As for Chrysalis, Luna decided that a fitting punishment would to be to put her in a magical slumber for as long as she saw fit, where she would have nonstop nightmares that reminded her how horrible she really was. All she had to do was catch that stupid changeling.

For once, Chrysalis was glad she made herself hang out with Rainbow Dash. As cocky as the pony was, she really knew how to get her into shape. Months of rough exercising with her and Applejack increased her physical fitness, which was her only tool of survival against Luna. She had been running nonstop for minutes, getting nowhere farther from the mad princess. Wherever she turned, the alicorn would teleport there and attack. All the changeling could do was keep moving. As she ran down the tunnel with Luna on her tail, she turned and yelled, “Luna, stop! This isn’t you!”

“You know nothing about me,” roared the princess in her form as Nightmare Moon, “but I will make sure you will know what true suffering is!”

Chrysalis took a sharp turn around a tunnel. “Let me see Celestia! I want a trial!”

Luna appeared in front of her, causing the former queen to gasp. Before she could run, Luna jumped her and pinned her to the cold, hard ground. “You are guilty, Chrysalis! I will not let you worm your way out of your just punishment! Now that I have you, it is time for my sentencing! Any last words, you miserable wretch?”

“I just…I just…” Chrysalis then whispered something.

“What was that?” The changeling whispered again, so Luna brought her head closer. “Speak up. I cannot hear you.” She then heard a strange gurgling noise coming from Chrysalis. “What’s wrong with you? Are you sick or-” A large mass of slime erupted from Chrysalis’s mouth, coating Luna’s face. She yelled as she tried to pull it off her face with her hooves, only to have them get stuck. The princess yelled in disgust as she rolled around the ground. “You gross freak! That was a dirty move, but it won’t save you from-” A small portion of the slime landed on her tongue. At first, she flinched and tried to spit it out, but then she noticed it had a familiar taste. When she realized where she remembered the taste from, she yelled in rage, “You were selling your own slime as food!? I will make you pay, Chrysalis! Mark my words!”

Chrysalis sprinted away the moment she blinded Luna. She didn’t know how much time she had until the alicorn was up again, so she kept moving as quickly and quietly as possible. Overwhelming fear took hold of her as she kept running, finding no exit in sight. She also remembered how Luna said she was her only way out, but she knew she wouldn’t let her go. Chrysalis needed a plan, but she had nothing.

Eventually, she slowed her running and came to a stop, falling onto the ground. She knew Luna was looking for her, but she couldn’t make herself go because of how exhausted she was. What was the point of going on? Luna was the only one who could get her out and running would accomplish nothing. She was completely helpless, only delaying the inevitable. Luna would catch her and give her a horrible fate, no matter what she did.

Chrysalis pressed her face into her hooves, waiting for her fate to come for her as droplets of tears fell onto the ground. Why couldn’t she have been braver? Why couldn’t she have just told Luna the truth earlier? She should have listened to Pinkie and told her everything after they became an item. What had she done to the poor princess by continuing this lie? Because of her cowardice, she would never see Pinkie or Nymph or anyone she cared about again. Her life was over as she knew it.

She thought about Pinkie, her closest and most valued friend. Sure there were moments she could be somewhat annoying, but she was someone Chrysalis loved with all her heart. She thought back to the day when she was discovered, where Pinkie actually stayed to talk her into another way of finding happiness. She remembered her own stubbornness and pride refused to let her change her mind and she almost did something horrible to Pinkie. She could feel how terrified the poor girl was as she told her about what she was going to do to her and her friends. Despite that, Pinkie managed to stand up to her and made her see the truth of her flawed plan, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Against all odds, Pinkie miraculously made a friend out of her.

Chrysalis’s eyes shot open and then she immediately slapped herself. Crying like a hatchling was not going to get her anywhere. Pinkie did not run away or sit there to accept her fate, so she shouldn’t either. She was so close to achieving happiness and she would not just let it all slip away. It wasn’t just her own neck on the line, either. If Celestia and Nymph found out that Luna kidnapped and tormented a helpless changeling rather than follow Equestrian law, Chrysalis was sure this would heavily damage their relationship, especially if they found out Luna was running around in the shape of Nightmare Moon.

Not only that, but if Luna went to the ponies and gave them what she believed was the truth, Pinkie’s life would be over. She would be despised by ponies everywhere and labeled with the worst possible names simply for trying to help her. She couldn’t even imagine what the other Elements would do and in the worst case scenario, the Elements of Harmony would be separated, stripping Equestria of one of its most powerful defenses. In order to protect the ones she loved, she had to stop Luna.

Chrysalis realized although she had no magic, she still had her ability to sense emotions. She concentrated and detected powerful rage a good distance from her. However, she caught a small tingle of something and concentrated harder. Underneath that powerful aura of anger was Luna’s inner torment. The alicorn was scared, confused, and filled with sorrow. The thought of her causing Luna this pain made her feel very upset. She needed to stop running and fix this mess once and for all.

Chrysalis paced around. Luna was far too upset to talk and only desired to hurt her. The only way Chrysalis could get another chance to speak with her was to either wait for help to arrive or to somehow force Luna to listen. Since no pony may figure out they were in the mines, she would need to do the latter. Pinkie had done it before when she was helpless against Chrysalis, so she could do it too. The truth was her only weapon against the rampaging princess.

The question now was how she would do it. It didn’t help that Luna took her magic away. She could try taking it back, but there was no way she could remain close to her long enough to take enough to defend herself. She could set up a trap, but what could she do with rocks and crystals? She had slime as well, but Luna might hear her producing it and the same trick may not work twice. All she had was her bare hooves. She realized that she was heavily trained in combat and that might be useful. She had no intention in hurting Luna, but rather using her skills to keep Luna from attacking her as she would try to force Luna into listening.

Once she had everything figured out, she took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. “Luna!” she called. “Luna, we need to talk!” She sensed Luna’s location with her emotions, feeling that she came to a stop. She could feel her come closer and Chrysalis felt her heart pound. Eventually, the princess appeared out of the darkness in her terrifying form. Chrysalis gulped one last time before approaching her.

“Do you now realize that you are hopeless? Do you now understand that you cannot escape your fate? I thank you for making this much easier for me. Perhaps I shall take a bit of mercy on you for surrendering,” spoke Luna before chuckling, “but I doubt I will.”

“I’m not surrendering,” Chrysalis claimed sternly.

“You intend to fight me? Ha! Just try!”

“I’m not going to fight you. I’m going to make you listen to what I have to say, whether you want to hear it or not.”

“Sorry, but I don’t intend to hear any more of your lies.” Luna’s horn glowed brightly. “Sweet dreams, or should I say sweet nightmares?” Luna unleashed her spell, only for Chrysalis to dodge it at the last moment. “What the-”

Chrysalis jumped and tackled her. They rolled around on the ground and Luna eventually pushed her off. As she got onto her hooves, Chrysalis jumped on her again, landing on her back and pinning her down. Luna struggled to stand back up and Chrysalis put her in a chokehold and had a foreleg wrapped around one of Luna’s to ensure she couldn’t stand, but the changeling made sure to not be too rough. “If you had found me out months ago, you would have been right about me about wanting revenge. I lost everything and I wanted to hurt those responsible for my downfall. I had everything planned out, using Pinkie to create love to fuel my magic and you to find a way to take you and Celestia down.”

Luna elbowed her chest and Chrysalis wheezed in pain. Luna tried once more to break free, but Chrysalis maintained her grip. “However, my desire to even the score has been long gone. From my time in Ponyville, I began to deeply enjoy the company of you and Pinkie and I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting either of you, but my desire to be queen was so strong that I tried to make myself hate you both so I could make myself go through my plans. This is why I broke off contact with you for so long.”

Suddenly, Luna teleported and appeared on top of her. “I must give you credit for your story telling, but it will do you no good here.” Her horn slowly became brighter. “This is the end for you.”

Chrysalis was terrified, but she continued her tale. “I was stubborn. I knew I cared about you both, but I could not accept it in any way. I got worse and worse, but then, thankfully, Pinkie found me without my disguise.”

Luna stopped channeling her spell. “What!?”

“That’s right. The first thing I did was try erasing her memory, but somehow, in some way I cannot explain, she was immune to my magic. Pinkie has known about me and helped me for several months. Pinkie is my friend and I cherish her.”

Luna stepped away from her, eyes filled with shock. Suddenly, she punched a hole in the wall, causing the cavern to quake. “I don’t believe this! She knew and said nothing, even after you and I ‘dated!’ I shall go deal with her myself!”

Chrysalis quickly sat up. “No! Don’t punish her for my mistakes! I forced her into promising to keep me a secret, so please spare her! I’m the one you should be mad at! Pinkie was just trying to help me!”

“Help you!? That gives me even more reason to punish her!”

“She forgave me for what I did and tried to make me happy! All she wanted to do was be my friend!”

Luna shoved Chrysalis back down and pointed a hoof in her face. “Your friend!? You are nopony’s friend! Perhaps you have deceived her just like you deceived me!”

“Luna, I did not deceive you! My feelings for you are real!”

“Stop lying to me! You don’t love anyone but yourself! I have had enough of this!” Blue magical chains shot out of the ground, wrapping around Chrysalis’s legs and neck, and pinned her to the ground. “As soon I as I’m finished with you, I will deal with Pinkie personally! I thought she was my friend, but she has gone too far! You shouldn’t worry so much about since you will never see her again!”

Chrysalis struggled as hard as she could, but the chains would not move. She tried using her magic again, but she still did not have enough to cast anything useful. Her plan had failed. To make things even worse, her failure now sent Pinkie into Luna’s line of fire, meaning she could lose all of her friends and even face imprisonment, which would be all her fault. Chrysalis continued trying to free herself, praying she could miraculous break free and stop the alicorn, but she was completely helpless. Realizing she could do nothing, she started crying. “This isn’t fair. This isn’t fair! Why must I suffer!? I changed into a better changeling! I tried to atone for my crimes, so why is this happening to me!?”

Luna lowered her head, gazing into her eyes. “Do you want to know why? It is because you are a monster. You fell from grace by taking a path of destruction and hatred and you are here now because you kept following it. Even after your people had been given something to hope for, here you are trying to take it all away just to satisfy your own needs by using me. You haven’t changed one bit, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis remained silent as she truly looked at who she was against. After some hesitation, she spoke. “You think I’m a monster, but there’s one standing right before me. Maybe it’s you who hasn’t changed.”

“EXCUSE ME!?” Chrysalis looked to her left and Luna looked as well. In a crystal coming out of the wall, she looked at herself in her form as Nightmare Moon. It took a moment for Luna to realize her mistake and she suddenly back away. “N-no…I am not her anymore! This is wrong! I’m just using this form to scare you!”

“Is that what you believe? Here you are, chasing around a helpless prisoner, threatening her with violence and nightmares as she begs for mercy. Is that something the sweet and kind Princess Luna would do, or is this more of Nightmare Moon’s thing?” Chrysalis sniffled and looked away from her, continuing her speech with sorrow. “How is it fair that you expect everyone to forgive and forget what you did while I suffer your wrath? I’m here trying to make up for my mistakes and here you are making more of your own. This isn’t about justice, it’s about revenge. You blame yourself for being unable to save your subjects from my invasion back then and you despise me for nearly ruining your reputation. You want me to suffer because you suffered. The reason you have sent me here is not to imprison me. You sent me her to hide me from your sister because deep down, you know this is wrong. Maybe you should look into yourself before judging me.”

Luna slowly stepped away from her, frightened. Her image of Nightmare Moon steadily came apart, showing the frail princess underneath. “I…I…”

“I forgive you, Luna.” Luna quietly gasped as Chrysalis sobbed. “It’s my own fault that you’re acting like this. It’s my fault you are feeling this unbearable pain. Luna, I know I don’t exactly carry much credibility, but I need you to listen to me. Our moments together as a couple weren’t part of an act or evil plot. Pinkie set me right long before it happened, so it was the real me you fell in love with. I didn’t exactly create a fake personality as Cherub since most of the time I was just myself. I know you don’t want to believe anything that is happening now is real, but it is. Please, I know you are scared of how your subjects react if they saw me with you, but I can prove that my feelings for you are real. You can fix this by giving me what you sought out for so long: a chance.”

The princess looked at the ground beneath her, saying nothing. Suddenly, the chains around Chrysalis faded. As the changeling rubbed her sore spots, Luna held out her hoof. It took Chrysalis a moment to respond due to how surprised she was, but she took her hoof and Luna pulled her up. “Let us leave this place at once and go somewhere more comfortable to talk,” the alicorn spoke gloomily. She then teleported them and they appeared in Luna’s bedroom. Chrysalis watched as Luna covered her whole room with her blue magic aura. Soon the light faded and she climbed onto the bed, sitting against the bedpost and facing her open window. She looked at Chrysalis and padded a spot next to her with her hoof. The changeling got the hint and sat next her, looking at the night sky.

“I should probably disguise myself, shouldn’t I?”

“No need. The door is locked, the walls will block out any sound, and no pony will be able to see us through the window. We have complete privacy.”

“Oh.” They both watched the stars twinkle around the crescent moon outside. There were also some pegasus guards in the distance, making their usual patrols during the holiday.

“Chrysalis?”

“Yes, Luna?”

“I’m sorry. For everything.” Luna rubbed her eyes as she cried. “I should have never done something so wrong to you. I know better, but I was just so angry about finding out.”

Chrysalis brought a foreleg around her and the alicorn laid her head against her chest. “I’m sorry, too.”

Luna sniffled quietly as Chrysalis stroked her mane. Eventually, Luna stopped and they stared out the window for several minutes in silence before the princess looked at her. “Tell me how this happened. Tell me how you fell in love with me.”

Chrysalis brought both forelegs around her, hugging her. “You were always such a great friend, Luna. You always checked how I was doing, you kept trying to comfort me even I pushed you away, and you were just so fun to be around. The way you smile, the sound of your laughter, your unmatchable beauty, everything about you made me feel so good. I didn’t realize for so long that I was actually in love with you and when I did, it was scary. I wanted to be with you, but I knew something like this would happen. I kept fighting my feelings until Pinkie convinced me that it was well worth the risk.”

The changeling sighed loudly. “It was completely wrong of me to carry on this lie after getting so close to you. I wanted to tell you so long ago, but I was scared. I was scared out of my bloody mind that the moment you saw me for me, our relation would end for good. I knew it was awful to do this to you and I kept wanting to tell you, but every time I kept thinking, ‘No, don’t risk it. Just tell her later and enjoy just one more day with her.’ Please forgive me for my stupidity.”

Luna slowly got up from Chrysalis and got back to her side of the bed, continuing her watch of the outside world. “I am still a bit skeptical about trusting you, but I am willing to let you show your new self and prove your change of heart. I will talk to Celestia and we will work something out. You will have you chance, Chrysalis, so do not waste it.”

“Thank you.” Chrysalis turned her head slightly, seeing Luna’s calm face in the corner of her eye. “Hey, Luna?”

“You want to know about what will happen to us,” she answered.

“Y-yes.”

Luna moved herself down and laid her whole body on the mattress and Chrysalis did the same. “I loved every moment I was with you when I thought you were Cherub. You made me feel special and alive, but this,” Luna clenched her eyes shut, “this isn’t something you do to somepony you love.”

Chrysalis reached for her. “L-Luna…”

“No! Don’t even try to justify it!” Luna turned her body away as she lightly cried. “You cannot even begin to imagine how I’m feeling right now!” Chrysalis slowly retracted her hoof. “How am I supposed to trust you now, Chrysalis? Maybe I would have considered it if you told me sooner, but you kept lying to me for months. I feel like a complete idiot for not figuring it out after all this time. You took advantage of me and I cannot just forget that.”

“I did plan on telling you soon!”

“Not soon enough!”

Chrysalis watched Luna sob to herself and grabbed a pillow from under herself, holding it against herself. “So that’s it? We’re finished?”

“For now.”

“What do you mean?”

Luna slowly turned her body toward her, but she couldn’t make eye contact. “You are right about how wrong it is for to me deny you a chance to prove yourself when I had mine after being restored. Never before did I understand how difficult it was to trust someone who has done so much wrong.” She sighed. “Chrysalis, I enjoyed our time together and somehow, I feel like I believe you just a bit. However, I still feel upset with how you lied to me for so long.”

“So what will happen?”

“We’re putting this relation on hiatus. I need time to forgive you for what you did as well as determine if you are being truthful with me. I want to believe you entirely, Chrysalis, I really do, but you are going to work hard in order to prove to me you have changed your ways.”

Chrysalis took on of Luna’s hooves and held it between hers. “I will do anything for you, Luna.”

“There will be many things I will require you to do, starting with this.” Suddenly, Chrysalis saw a flash of light and then she felt something go on her horn. She felt the tip of her horn with her hoof.

“Luna, what is that?”

“If you value your freedom, I suggest leaving it alone.” The changeling quickly pulled her hoof away. “What I have put on you is a magical restraint ring. Don’t take it personally, but I would rather side with caution. It will keep you from using powerful spells, but you should still be able to perform telekinesis and shape shifting. Before I tell you what else you will need to do, I will require speaking with Celestia and the others.”

Chrysalis immediately sprang up. “Oh shoot! Our friends must be looking for us! I told Pinkie and Nymph to bring you all to Fluttershy’s, but we’ve been gone for too long. They must think I’m running away!”

Luna flew off the bed and landed on her hooves. “They may have even reported you to the guards! We better move, but let’s get you dressed first and have you go around as Cherub in case they’ve kept it quiet. We cannot afford you to be known.”

Chrysalis followed Luna into her closet and the alicorn pulled out her red and pink dress from a hanger and a box with all her accessories. “By the way, why did you strip me naked?”

“I thought you had taken Cherub and I wanted to keep it clean for her while leaving you in the mines. It’s very dirty down there.” With her magic, Luna instantly had her fully dressed and Chrysalis turned into Cherub.

Chrysalis approached a large mirror in the closet, pressing a hoof against it. “It feels weird wearing this form now.”

Luna stood beside her with a hoof on her shoulder. “I too feel conflicting feelings about seeing you like this now that I know what is underneath, but I will adjust.”

Chrysalis slowly nodded before put a hoof on Luna’s. “I just want to say how much it means to me that you are willing to give me a chance to prove my love to you, but what about your subjects? When they find out who I am and that you’re helping me, they’re not going to take it well.” She lightly squeezed the hoof. “I don’t want you to get hurt by me again. I couldn’t bear the thought of making you go through all that pain again.”

Luna sighed loudly. “That is very true. However, if we do end up continuing this relationship, I’m willing to take the advice a friend gave me once.”

Chrysalis looked at her, eyes filled with curiosity. “What?”

Luna smiled at her. “Buck ‘em.”

Chrysalis blushed and rested her head against her shoulder. “Thank you, Luna.”

Luna’s horn lit up and then she teleported both of them to outside of Fluttershy’s home. The princess looked around the area, seeing nobody around. “It appears we missed them. Perhaps they have gone back to the fair to tell the citizens about your presence.”

The changeling gulped. “They’re going to kill me.”

Luna wrapped her tail around Chrysalis’s. “Worry not. I will protect you. There is a chance they have kept your identity a secret for now, so let us just walk back and not draw attention to ourselves.”

The two walked away at a steady pace, both expecting the worst. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind them. When they turned around, they saw Celestia standing there. “Luna!”

“Celestia?”

Celestia stared at Chrysalis cautiously and lit up her horn, creating a barrier around the changeling. “Hey!”

“It’s for your as well as our own protection. I will let you out if I feel it is safe, Chrysalis.” Both Luna and Chrysalis froze. “Yes, I know who you are, and so do the others. We’ve actually been looking for you both for a while.”

“Let me explain!” pleaded the prisoner as she pounded both hooves against her prison.

“No need. Pinkie has filled us in about you, but I will deal with you shortly.” She casted a quick spell over her sister to check for mind control. Once she confirmed she was fine, Celestia hugged her tightly. “Luna, are you okay? We know you found out about Cherub the hard way and got upset.”

Luna rested her head against her shoulder as she embraced her. “I’m fine, Celestia.”

Chrysalis watched the tender scene before her attention was caught by the door opening. She saw Cadance and Spike run down the path, jumping onto Luna when they were close enough. “It must have been horrible to learn who Cherub really was. I’m so sorry you had to go through such an experience,” spoke Cadance, sounding very upset.

Luna held her foreleg out to include Cadance and Spike. “It was and I’m still recovering from the shock, but don’t worry. Everything is fine now. Don’t worry about Chrysalis. I have already dealt with her.”

“We should let the other know the search is over.” Chrysalis watched the area fill up with light from Celestia’s magic and when the light faded, there were much more ponies in the area. They looked around in confusion and each of them eventually landed their eyes on her. As she expected, they all became immediately intimidated by her with the exception of Pinkie and Nymph. Cadance ran to her husband and he held her and Spike went to Rarity.

“Celestia, why is my sister imprisoned? Release her at once! I can vouch for her cooperation!” spoke Nymph as she ran next to Chrysalis.

“I only put that there to keep them separated,” she answered when she removed it. “I wasn’t sure what had happened between her and Luna, so I thought it would be safer. With that ring on her horn, she shouldn’t be any trouble.”

“I guess there’s no need for me to wear this, is there?” Chrysalis’s horn glowed and her disguise disappeared. “Sorry you all had to find out like this.”

Despite knowing who she was all along, seeing her stand before them startled the group, but they were more startled when Pinkie pounced Luna, hugging her tightly. “We’re so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry we didn’t tell you, but you need to listen! Chrysalis does love you and I can prove it!”

“Pinkie, I-”

Pinkie interrupted the princess. “She says that you’re her wittle pwecious star and that you shine brighter than any pony! She says she wants to be your love bug and taste your sweet love every day!”

“P-Pinkie!” stammered Chrysalis as the others looked at her in surprise with Dash snickering loudly.

“She doesn’t care that you dance worse than Twilight at the clubs! She says only you can make such awkward dancing look so cute!”

Chrysalis placed both of her hooves over her face as the pegasus laughed. “Okay, she really doesn’t need to know that, especially with all our friends here!”

“And one time, I saw her disguise as you and stare a mirror while saying cute things and she even shook her butt at it-”

“Pinkie, enough!” shouted Chrysalis as Luna looked at her oddly, both ignoring Dash roaring in laughter along with Trixie. “We’re just temporarily broken up.”

The mare gasped for as long as she possibly could. “B-BROKEN UP!?” screamed Pinkie before bawling wildly on the ground.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘temporarily?’” questioned Celestia.

Luna sat by Chrysalis and Pinkie quieted down. “Chrysalis has told me all about her time here and she wishes to make amends with us all. It took me some time, but now I am willing to let her prove herself to us. We are currently not officially together at the moment as this whole discovery has been overwhelming and I need some time to get to know her better before deciding what I want to do. If I feel she is not evil and truly sorry, then we will try to pick up the pieces. Anyway, Chrysalis has something she needs to say to you all.” She nudged the changeling forward. “Go on. It is time.”

Chrysalis stepped forward. She looked back at Luna, who firmly nodded at her, and she looked at the group before taking a deep breath. “Everypony, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize to the fullest for invading your kingdom. There is no excuse for my actions. I could have chosen other ways to satisfy my people’s needs, but I chose not to look for other solutions. I saw only making my own dream come true while leaving the rest of Equestria to suffer. I do not expect any of you to ever forgive me, but I want you to know that I no longer have any evil intentions and will do everything in my power to make things right.” She walked back next to Luna and sat down, staring at the grass beneath her.

What came next agonized her to no end: silence. No pony said something after she finished and she was scared of why, especially since she was receiving so many mixed signals. She lifted her head, seeing how everypony looked. At last, Celestia spoke. “Chrysalis, I accept your apology. It pleases me to see that an enemy of Equestria has been made into a friend, but your actions will not be so easily forgotten.”

“I understand.”

“So where the heck did you two go? Everypony has been freaking out!” spoke Trixie.

Luna immediately flinched, but Chrysalis spoke. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Everything is fine now. I know all of you have been worried sick about us, but it would be best if we forget about it.”

They looked at her strangely as Celestia stared at Luna. “So what happens now?” asked Nymph as she looked at the older alicorn. “What will happen to her?”

“A very good question,” said Celestia as she studied Chrysalis. “This whole incident has caught me completely off guard and with everything I’ve learned, I think I need to rethink my decision on how to handle her.”

“I’ve already decided what to do with her,” spoke Luna calmly.

“You have?” asked Celestia in surprise as everyone else looked at her the same way.

“Yes. I would like the input of you, Nymph, Cadance, and Shining Armor before carrying through with it. It is important we are all agreed on this.” Luna and the other leaders gathered in a circle away from the group, quietly speaking with one another. Chrysalis felt a weight in her chest as she stood there, waiting to learn what Luna was going to do with her. She seemed to not have anything too crazy in mind, but she knew there would be definitely more things she would have to live by. She glanced at the others, who all looked just as anxious. Chrysalis could hear Shining Armor occasionally raise his voice, making her wonder even more of what was coming.

Finally, they separated and returned to them. “Chrysalis,” started Luna, “after much discussion, we have all decided to go with my plan for you. If you do not agree, you will be spending your time in a dungeon and be given rather unpleasant tasks, so I suggest you agree to it and do everything I tell you. And if there is a chance you still hold the desire to get revenge, I strongly suggest burying it for good as it will only make things worse for you.”

The princess’s authoritative tone made Chrysalis even more nervous. “W-what is your plan?”

Luna cleared her throat. “First, as if it wasn’t already obvious, you will not be imprisoned.”

Chrysalis heard the rest of the ponies gasp. “B-but why not!?” asked Twilight in horror. “She’s dangerous and she can just get away if we don’t lock her up!”

“I understand your concern, young Twilight, but please understand. Chrysalis has already been severely punished for her invasion by Nymph and I see no reason to punish her any further. The other reason is based on her own testimony, Chrysalis is trying to atone and move on with her life.” She looked up to the moon hanging above them. “It would be hypocritical of me to deny her this opportunity.” After sighing, she looked back down to the group. “However, this comes with another condition. The ring on Chrysalis’s horn will only allow her to use simple spells as well as let us always know where she is, so she should be no danger to any of you.” The alicorn looked at the mentioned changeling. “Chrysalis, it may be sealed on you, but I know you have the potential of finding a way to remove it. If you dare remove that ring even once, Celestia and I will be there faster than you can blink and there will be consequences.”

“Y-you can’t be serious!” shouted Twilight. “You can’t let her run around, free to do whatever she wants! It’s insane!”

“Twilight, please,” spoke Celestia. “I know you’re afraid, but she deserves a chance just like Discord. You know how he turned out, so shouldn’t she be give the same opportunity?”

Twilight shrunk and looked away. “But…but she’s different.”

“Because she nearly tore you and your brother apart while sending Cadance to the mines, giving you quite a personal history with her.” The princess walked to Twilight and sat next to her, putting a wing around her. “Twilight, I know it is extremely difficult to accept, but Chrysalis wants forgiveness and I cannot ignore that. Would it be right if I were to just lock her up and forget about her?”

“I…I guess not.”

“We will be taking extreme precautions with her, I promise you.” She bent down lower and whispered, “I will never let anything happen to you, Twilight.” She then looked at Chrysalis. “I want you to listen well, Chrysalis. I am being extremely generous toward you given the circumstances, but my generosity will end if you do not do what we ask. If you dare threaten my student, her friends, my family, my kingdom, or the relations between the ponies and changelings, you will not win a second round with me.”

Chrysalis gulped at the sight of the angry alicorn. “I swear I will not try anything. Your student will be completely safe.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now comes the next thing and…you’re not going to like this, Chrysalis,” Luna said while nervously tapping her front hooves together.

The changeling felt her heart sink. “Luna, what are you planning?”

“I’m afraid…you will have to live as Cherub for a while longer.”

Chrysalis flew right in front of her, alarmed. “What!? I’m sorry, but I do not accept this! You expect me to keep living like this!? I want to live my own life again, so how am I supposed to do that if I can’t reveal myself to the public!?”

“Chrysalis, calm down and let me explain!” Luna gently rested both hooves on Chrysalis’s shoulders. “As you know, Nymph has successfully acquired Equestrian citizenship for her people, so many will be coming here in a short amount of time. However, even with many citizens feeling ready to accept them, there is a difference between saying something and doing something. Conflict will inevitably arise and I’m afraid it is impossible to predict how far it can get. If they find out you are living among them and that we are allowing it, Tartarus will be unleashed and it may be impossible to control.”

Chrysalis’s ears flopped against her head. “So what? I just have live as Cherub for the rest of my life?”

“Of course not.” Luna brushed Chrysalis’s hair aside and stroked her cheek. “Chrysalis, I want you to live a normal life, but it is far too dangerous right now. You will need to wait until the ponies and changelings have calmed and grown used to one another before they will be ready to accept you.”

The former queen sighed deeply. “Great…”

“It won’t be all bad. After all, your form as Cherub will help things speed up. The ponies know your name and it would be much easier to win trust as Cherub instead of Chrysalis. What you need to do as Cherub is keep things under control here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Chrysalis, you were a queen, so you know how to take charge and handle stressful situations. I guarantee disputes between our species will come to pass here and you must do your best to diffuse them before they escalate.”

“I was already planning on helping my subjects adjust to life in Equestria.”

Luna shook her head. “No, you must help both the changelings and the ponies. Both will be tried to their limits and if one side feels too pressured, they will retaliate and if it gets bad enough, it may set off a chain reaction in other cities.”

Chrysalis hung her head. “I suppose it is only fair this is my duty since it was my actions that have brought about the fears ponies have about changelings.” She looked back at Luna with a determined expression. “Alright. I will be sure that both our subjects live in harmony using the best of my abilities.”

“But Chrysalis is just one changeling. How the heck is she supposed to help every pony and changeling in Equestria with their problems?” questioned Spike.

“She will only be working in Ponyville,” answered Luna. “Many changelings know all about Cherub since her event has provided them with so much love to feed them and Cupid’s Arrow will no doubt be a popular spot for changelings to hang around. Chrysalis can easily become acquainted with them and earn their trust as she has done with the ponies here. Speaking of Cupid’s Arrow,” she said as she looked at the ponies, “it would please me if you all could continue working for her.”

“What!?” replied most of the group.

“There’s no way we’re working for that cockroach!” argued Dash, causing Chrysalis to scowl.

“I understand, but please hear me out. Your service to Chrysalis has proven valuable in letting her business thrive. Keep in mind the more successful she is, the more love is made, which will be a great help in feeding any changeling living here. Not only that, but it would be good for all of you to get to know her better. She’s not going anywhere, so you better get used to her.”

The four girls and Spike looked at each other, uncertain. “Do we have to?” asked Rarity.

“No. We wouldn’t dare force you to do something you don’t want to do. It is just something to consider.”

As the others thought, Celestia stepped forward, yawning. “We’ll give you time to think on it. I know you all have a million questions about Chrysalis, but I am so tired right now from running around and I think a good night’s rest will do us all some good to let this all sink in. We will resume this discussion in the morning.”

“What are you going to do about Chrysalis?” asked Twilight. “Are you just going to let her go home?”

“She will be staying in the palace so Luna and I can keep a close eye on her, so don’t worry about her,” Celestia answered. “We’ll meet in Cupid’s Arrow tomorrow morning and discuss this some more.”

“Before we retire,” addressed Nymph, “we should head back to the fair. I’m sure ponies are starting to notice we’re missing, especially since everything should be ending about this time. I suggest going back together and wait for the fair to end before going home.” The group walked back toward the fair and Chrysalis walked with Luna and Nymph at her side. The queen craned her neck around her sibling. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Chrysie. I was so scared Luna would do something terrible to you.”

Luna quickly averted her eyes and Chrysalis could feel her high levels of anxiety. “N-no, of course not. I…know better.”

“I’d like to know what actually happened,” spoke Celestia, who came from behind. “Everyone has been looking everywhere for you both and we have covered everywhere we could think of.”

Luna flinched and put a hoof over her own face. “Sister, I…”

The princess knelt down and placed her hooves on Luna’s shoulders. “Luna, I need you to tell me because I was scared for you both. I didn’t know what to do and I kept imagining the worst. Besides,” said Celestia as she looked at the queen, “there’s something she wants to tell you and I think it’s time we’re all a little more honest with each other.”

Luna glanced at Nymph and then turned to Chrysalis. “We’ll catch up shortly, Chrysalis. I want to do this in private,” spoke the Lunar Princess.

“Very well. Please be gentle with one another.” Chrysalis walked away from the three rulers, shuddering with worry as she knew each was in for a nasty surprise. Before she took another step forward, she saw the other ponies and Spike except Shining and Cadance looking at her. She slowly approached them, nervous. “I hope you all can forgive Pinkie for this whole thing. It is my fault she never told any of you.”

Twilight shot a glare at the earth pony, who shrunk. “We plan on having a little talk on her priorities. I know she meant well, but there is absolutely no excuse for her letting this go on for so long.”

“She was being my friend,” defended Chrysalis.

“She’s our friend!” Twilight snapped, followed by a sigh. “I can’t believe they’re letting you run around on your own. This is completely ridiculous.”

“What about Discord?” asked Applejack.

“That’s different. He’s just an overgrown child while Chrysalis is a vile manipulator.”

“I take you don’t trust me,” Chrysalis said harshly in response to her insult.

The mare rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what to think. You’re different, but I’m not sure how much of it I can believe is real.” Twilight looked up at her. “Why did you save me, Chrysalis? Why did you protect me from Time Turner?”

“I did it because I was scared for you. Believe or not, I care about you, Twilight.”

“Yeah right!” shouted Dash. “I bet she knew he was harmless and just changed herself to make it look like she got hurt by him! Heck, maybe she messed with our brains to make us think she protected you with that funky magic of hers.”

“Maybe she did more than that,” added Rarity nervously. “What about the relationships you helped create? Are those…real?”

Chrysalis could see in their eyes how afraid most of them were and cleared her throat. “Mind control is far too risky and taxing to keep up for such a long period of time on multiple ponies. Controlling any of you for so long would have been too dangerous, especially since you all are close with Twilight and the princesses, who would have easily noticed. In other words, your relationships are very real.”

The group sighed with relief. “Now that I think about it, why did you even start a dating service? What exactly did you plan on doing for your revenge?” asked Rarity with a raised eyebrow.

Chrysalis slowly turned away from them. “You’re all better off not knowing.”

She sensed the incredible spike in fear from the ponies with the exception of one. “Maybe she planned on making us act mean to each other for her own amusement!” accused Trixie as she got right in her face.

Chrysalis rubbed the back of her own head. “Right. Sorry about that, Trixie. I was ticked with how you were talking about the real me and I wanted you to get hurt. Forgive me for doing that to you.”

“Never! I will never let go of the torment of all the pain you caused Twilight and I! I won’t be around to keep an eye of you, but if I hear about you doing one bad thing to Twilight,” she stuck a hoof in her face, “it will be the last thing you do!”

“Trixie, please be nice to her,” said Pinkie as she stood next to the changeling. “She’s going to be our new best friend like Discord!”

“That’s scary,” muttered Spike.

Chrysalis glared at him, causing him to whimper. “Get used to it, kid. I’m not going anywhere for a long time.”

“That’s even worse!” countered the dragon.

Fluttershy walked to him, comforting him with a hoof around him. “Don’t be afraid, Spike. I think I won’t mind having her around,” she said calmly. “She seems so much different than before and I know Pinkie has made a real friend out of her.”

“It makes me very happy to see you still love Pinkie, Fluttershy,” said Chrysalis warmly. “I kept worrying about you two breaking up when you found out the secret she kept from you all.” She looked at the others. “What about the rest of you? Please tell me you have forgiven her.”

“Ah’m afraid we’re feelin’ a bit upset about her keepin’ a tight lip about ya,” answered Applejack. “We’re great friends, but ya just don’t keep secrets like this.” She sighed. “Still, Ah’m willin’ to forgive her since she seems to have done well in keepin’ ya in line. Ah don’t know why, but Ah sense somethin’ honest about ya, Chrysalis.”

“Not all of us are so quick to forgive,” said Rarity. “I love Pinkie as a friend, but this was incredibly dangerous. We’re going to have to go over the rules of her Pinkie promises and make some drastic changes.”

“Pinkie’s brain needs a drastic change!” argued Dash furiously.

Pinkie looked up at her, hurt. “But Dashie…”

The pegasus stuck her hoof in her face and turned her head away. “Talk to the hoof! I ain’t interested!” She got off the ground. “And you know what? I question our friendship!” Dash flew off in direction of the fair with incredible speed.

Everypony stared into the distance, stunned. “Don’t worry about her,” said Applejack. “She and Pinkie are tight. She’ll need a few days to get over it."

“I pray you are right.” Chrysalis sighed. “Her answer is very clear that she will not return to Cupid’s Arrow. A shame. She really knew how to keep ponies in line.”

“Well here’s more bad news,” spoke Twilight. “Spike and I quit, too.”

“But Twilight-” The mare shoved a hoof over his mouth.

“No buts. The decision is final.” She removed her hoof and Spike slouched in defeat.

Chrysalis sighed once more. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I respect your decision.” She turned toward Pinkie. “Before I forget, I should apologize to you, my dearest friend.”

“Apologize? For what?”

“For not listening.” Chrysalis knelt in front of her. “You were right all along. I should have said something to Luna sooner and you kept trying to help, but I ignored you and look what happened. I almost ruined your life because of it.” She immediately hugged her. “I will always listen to you from now one, I swear. Please forgive me for being so stupid.”

Pinkie hugged her back as her friends stared in surprise. “It’s okay, Chrysie. I think we both learned that some secrets we can’t just hide from our friends, no matter what. I’m happy the princesses are giving you a chance, so soon we can all be best friends.”

“I can’t wait. Maybe life here in Ponyville will be better with more ponies knowing the real me.” Chrysalis and Pinkie separated from their embrace. “So should I expect you back in Cupid’s Arrow when I reopen?”

“You bet! Didn’t you hear? We need even more ponies falling in love to feed all those changelings!”

“I’m so glad I can always count on a friend like you.” Chrysalis stood up. “Anyway, I would love to continue this conversation, but I need to speak with Cadance and Shining Armor to discuss important issues.”

“They’re up ahead, but we’ll be watching you,” spoke Twilight somewhat aggressively as the changeling went onward.

Chrysalis walked much faster than her usual pace and eventually saw the two ponies up ahead, who sometimes glanced at her nervously. When Chrysalis got close enough, she said, “Hey.” The both quickly turned to her. “Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, please accept my apology for everything I have done during your wedding. You two ponies have never done a single thing to deserve my mistreatment of you both and I truly regret what I did.”

The couple glanced at each other, looking unsure, and then looked back at her. “Thank you,” spoke Cadance, “but I think we need a while to truly put it behind us. We still appreciate you trying to fix everything, though.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I just wanted you to know.”

“You better watch yourself, Chrysalis,” spoke the unicorn sharply as she stood defensively in front of his wife. “You will be watched under a microscope from this point on because of all those horrible things you have done. It will take more than-”

“I never raped you, Shining Armor,” Chrysalis spoke, stunning the two ponies. “I was willing to go to extremes to ensure my invasion was successful, but there are some things even I shudder to think about. I would not wish such treatment on even my worst enemies. We only went as far as kissing, nothing more.”

Incredible tension hung above the silence. “I see,” replied the stallion, unable to look at her.

“Sorry to have been so blunt, but I know both have been wondering for a very long time and I thought it would bring you both closure to know the truth.”

Cadance pulled Shining close to her with her foreleg. “I’m very relieved to hear you did not take advantage of him, but you still have done terrible things to us both and I’m sorry, but neither of us can forgive you right now and we would feel better if...you weren’t around us.”

Despite expecting this sort of answer, Chrysalis hung her head, hurt. “I understand. However, I want you both to know if I am willing to do anything you ask from me.”

They nodded and turned away, only for Cadance to turn back. “Actually, there is one thing.”

“Yes?”

She approached the changeling. “Hold still.” Cadance pulled out the tazer and stuck it in Chrysalis’s side. Shining watched in shock as the changeling was filled with an incredible amount of voltage before she fell on the ground with one of her legs occasionally twitching. “Wow, this is nice! Wherever did you get it?”

“Ca-Ca-Canterlot-lot,” Chrysalis answered.

“It was so nice of Rainbow Dash to lend this to me. I’ll be sure to get one before we go home.” Cadance walked away and after giving her one last look, Shining went after the princess.

Chrysalis remained on the ground as the ponies she spoke with earlier walked by, sniggering at her except for Fluttershy, who looked very worried. Soon Celestia came with Luna and Nymph and picked her up. “Are you all right?” she asked as she, Luna, and Nymph tried to contain their laughter.

“Fine,” she answered while brushing herself off. “I’m glad Cadance at least got it out her system before she found something worse like an axe.”

“She will certainly need more time than all of us.” Celestia then sighed and looked behind her. “Nymph and Luna have already confessed of what they had done to you, Chrysalis.” The princess and queen looked away as Chrysalis became worried. “It truly shocks me that two individuals that I care for deeply and who I thought I knew would commit such acts and I pray there will be no more surprises or anymore of this behavior in the future.”

“D-don’t hate us,” spoke Nymph, who was ready to cry. “We’re sorry.”

“I don’t hate you, Nymph. I’m just shocked.” Celestia looked at Chrysalis. “It surprises me that you have reacted so calmly to what Nymph had done, Chrysalis. I didn’t expect you to show that much restraint for something such as this.”

Chrysalis walked up to her sister and stroked her mane, causing the queen to look at her. “I love her, Celestia, and I don’t want to hurt her anymore.” They both then hugged. “We’ve been fighting for so long and I just want it to end.”

Celestia smiled faintly. “That is real mature of you, Chrysalis. Already I have a good feeling about you.” She looked at her own sibling. “And you have already forgiven Luna for tormenting you and threatening your very life?”

Chrysalis moved away from Nymph and to Luna, kissing her forehead. “Why not? I was much worse before living here, causing suffering for my own amusement and desire for superiority. She was just upset and I won’t hold it against her, especially since it was my fault.”

“If that is the case, then I see no reason to dwell on either subject.” Celestia motioned them forward and they walked along with her. “Already I can see how much you have changed. It brings me hope in believing there is hope for you after all. I want you to know that you can always come to me about anything, Chrysalis. I am your friend and I will always take the time to listen.”

“Thanks. Celestia, I never got to say how much it means to me that you gave my subjects a chance for this life, especially after my mistake,” said Chrysalis.

“It was a tough decision to make, but your sister convinced me. We will do our absolute best to ensure the changelings find a happy life here, but there’s only so much we can do.”

“I will do my best as well.”

“I know you will do a fine job, Chrysalis,” spoke Nymph optimistically. “When the changelings see how much you have done to help them get along with the ponies, they will surely see you for who you are and welcome you back to our kingdom.”

Chrysalis looked at Luna. “Speaking of me, what’s going to happen to the real me as I play my role of Cherub? Will I still be out there somewhere in hiding?”

“No, I have something else in mind, which we’ll talk about tomorrow. I suggest you brush up on your acting skills, Chrysalis, because we absolutely need to sell this.”

She gulped. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Luna leaned against her. “Do not be nervous. You do well as a performer, so it will all be fine, trust me. I have everything planned out.”

Chrysalis kissed Luna’s cheek as she returned to her disguise. “I do trust you, Lulu. You’re my friend.” The alicorn put a wing around her as they continued walking under the night sky, each looking up at the stars while enjoying each other’s warmth.

Eventually, the fairgrounds came into sight. Many ponies saw the group arrive and watched as they walked past, waving and saying hi to Chrysalis or any of the royals with her. For once, Chrysalis felt comfortable being Cherub, seeing how she made so many ponies happy. They soon arrived at the stage and Flim and Flam sprang out from nowhere. “There you two are! We need you two to wrap this thing up already!” spoke Flim.

The two brothers got behind Chrysalis and Cadance to push them. “Go and give them a speech already! They’ve been waiting for a while and we want to go home and count our money I mean enjoy this romantic night!”

Chrysalis launched a hind leg back and threw Flim several feet back, causing Flam to recoil. “You will never touch me there if you value your life,” she spoke coldly while walking off.

The changeling and pony made their way onto the stage and got to the podium as the crowd grouped up in front of them. Chrysalis went up to the microphone and said, “Everypony. Your attention, please.” The ponies quickly became silent. “I’m sorry to have to tell you all this, but the Hearts and Hooves fair is now coming to an end. We hope you have all enjoyed your day here.” The crowd responded by cheering, causing her slightly smile.

“Of course, this day did come with unexpected surprises,” addressed Cadance as she looked at Nymph, who waved to the crowd. “I’m sure many of you were just as surprised as I was to hear the news about the changelings, but I am more than happy to allow them the opportunity to live here as well as the Crystal Empire. These changelings will soon become your neighbors and even your friends, so please show them the love you show to other ponies every day.”

“As for the romantic kind of love,” started Chrysalis, “do not be discouraged if today did not go exactly as you wanted it to. There are always many more opportunities for you to find somepony special in your life. My services are available here in Ponyville, but I will be taking some time off for a while. Putting all of this together took a lot of work and I am so happy with how everything turned out. And now, this is goodbye. Thank you for coming, everypony, and Happy Hearts and Hooves Day. Oh, and for those lucky ponies, please use safety.” Many adults ponies laughed as the younger ones looked around in confusion. The two hostesses bowed as the crowd applauded to them. When the ponies finished minutes later, the crowd slowly dispersed from the area.

“I’m actually a bit sad I did not get to experience this fair entirely,” said Celestia as she and the others got onto the stage with the queen being accompanied by her four guards.

“I think what you and Nymph did made missing this worth it,” replied Chrysalis warmly. “Anyway, I guess it’s time for us to head to Canterlot, isn’t it?”

“Indeed,” answered Luna. “We shall head home and return in the morning to discuss more on the issue. I will do my best to ensure you all sleep well since I know many of you will have a certain something on your mind.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna. Promise me you will be…cautious with her,” said Twilight as she glanced at Chrysalis.

“Don’t worry your little head,” said Nymph. “I think tomorrow will be a much brighter day for us all, so get some rest.”

The seven ponies and dragon said goodbye to the ones heading the capital and as Celestia’s horn glowed, Pinkie suddenly zoomed right in front of the changeling queen. “Hey, Nymph! Before you go, you wanna try one of Cherub’s super delicious jelly doughnuts!? They’re amazing!”

Chrysalis and Luna quickly looked at each other and before they could react, Nymph shook her head. “Thank you, but I think that would be much too fattening for me.”

Chrysalis exhaled with relief, but one of Nymph’s guards took it and moved back to his spot near the podium. “I’ll give it a try.” The former queen watched in horror as he bit it. He chewed on it for a few seconds and slowly came to a stop. He looked inside the treat and slowly turned his head. “Um…why is this doughnut filled with changeling slime?” he asked loud enough for his voice being picked up by the microphone.

In a matter of seconds, the entire area fell dead silent and everypony from the crowd looked at the stage. The sudden change of the air left Chrysalis terrified. “S-slime? Are you sure?” asked Celestia, looking like she was about to faint.

“Yeah. Changelings can make slime and this looks and tastes like it.” The guard put a hoof up to his mouth, made audible hacking noise, and then spat out a ball of slime, holding it up for all ponies to see. “Take a look. This doughnut is without a doubt filled with changeling slime!”

Everypony loudly gasped and seconds later, complete Tartarus broke loss. Everypony screamed and ran around, trampling any unlucky pony or stand. Ponies ran to any stand selling the jelly and threw every product they could find onto the ground. Other ponies took the truth a lot harder and simply puked, whether in portable restrooms, trashcans, or onto the grass. Unfortunately, the sight of ponies unleashing their stomach contents caused many ponies to do the same. Within a minute, many spots on the grass were coated with vomit and the stench was completely overwhelming.

Celestia put a hoof over her mouth and took steps back. “You…you didn’t! Please for all that is holy tell me you didn’t do what he said you did!”

The changeling slowly looked at her friends and the guards, all of them looking at her in disbelief, and smiled nervously at them. “Um…I wasn’t lying when I said the secret ingredient is love.” Celestia immediately bolted off the stage, found the nearest bush, and proceeded to hurl. She was joined by Spike, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Trixie seconds later as they all found bushes near her with the same reaction as they were also huge fans of her treat.

Nymph watched as the madness spread across the fair and then looked at her sister. “What in the world is wrong with you!? How could you do something like this to them!?”

“Hey, let’s talk about that later! You need to help stop those ponies before they riot and start a mob after me!”

The queen scowled at her and poked a hoof at Chrysalis’s chest. “You owe me for this. Luna, go to Canterlot and round up as many guards as you can! My changelings will not be nearly enough to keep things under control!” Luna nodded and disappeared in a flash of light as Nymph ran to the microphone. “Everypony control yourselves! I know this revelation is shocking and very disturbing, but please calm down! Hey, are you even listening to me!? EVERYPONY CALM DOWN!”