By Europa
When Twilight Sparkle walked into the throne room of Canterlot Castle, the last thing she expected to see was Celestia, Luna, and Cadance each sedated to unconsciousness, hanging in separate changeling cocoons from the ceiling. She also certainly didn't expect her marefriend - workerfriend! she'd insist - to be sitting on Celestia's throne, the crowns of the three alicorns on the arm rests. There were no guards, and every door save the one she'd just entered from was closed.
Twilight narrowed her eyes, but before she could speak Chrysalis opened her eyes, looked at her and said, "I know what this looks like, but I honestly have no idea how this happened." She blinked several times, as if... as if she were blinking sleep out of her eyes.
The lavender alicorn frowned. "You've been sleep-conquering again, haven't you?"
She shuffled in the throne, stretched and groaned, then stepped off, looking sheepish. "Maybe. Sure looks like it." She blushed fluorescent green.
"You know, it should've clued me in when I saw all the sun and moon cutie mark banners were taken down and were replaced with your country's flag."
Chrysalis rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Oh sheesh, I did that too? How far did I go?"
She put a hoof to her chin. "I'm pretty sure I saw some of your Imperial Guards moving into Ponyville when I flew over."
"Huh." Chrysalis put her hoof back onto the ground with a clack. "All in all, not bad. Much cleaner than my last episode." They both shivered; neither of them needed to relive Chrysalis's unconscious attempt to put the griffons under her hoof. Chrysalis looked around, then lit up her horn and pulled something out of the slime holding Luna in her cocoon. "I think this is the deed to Equestria... do you think I hypnotized them into signing it over to me?" she asked.
"Lemme see that." Chrysalis floated the slime-covered paper over to her. "Looks like it." No need to panic. This was all just a big misunderstanding. They could just sign it back over to the Princesses and be done with it. "Think you can wake them up and sign it over?"
Chrysalis bit her lip, the flexible but tough chitin protecting her from her own fangs. "I don't know... I mean, they've been ruling Equestria for, what, twenty five hundred years? Don't you think they've deserved a little, oh... vacation time?" she ended with a scheming smile.
She tilted her head. "Chryssy, please let them go. Cadance still has an empire to get to, Luna's still got to finish her reintegration final exam, and Celestia's kinda the face of the nation. Please give them back Equestria."
"But... the vacation! Having it all!" she said. "Please, Twily?" she whined. "Can't I just usurp the throne a little?"
Quickly sensing that her marefriend was about to enter Stubborn Bug mode, Twilight changed tactics. She tossed her mane and raised a forehoof, pretending to inspect that. "Well, alright. I guess in that case I'll just head back home and have a yard sale."
"Huh?"
"Oh you know, just getting rid of things I won't need anymore, like my saddle." Wait for it. "And the ropes." Chrysalis was sweating now. Just a little more. Twilight turned around and began to sloooowly exit the throne room. "Oh, and the bridle..."
"Okay okay I'll let them go!" Chryssy belted out.
Twilight allowed herself a brief smirk. Like clockwork. She'd definitely make up scaring her lover like that later, but for the moment she relished in the power she held over the changeling queen.