“Justice is about making them pay for her pain. Revenge is making them pay for yours.”
― Erica O'Rourke, Torn
We had assembled in the Grand Hall of Camp Draco’s keep. At the end of a red carpet, Luna, Cadance, Blueblood, and I sat in our respective thrones. Chrysalis and Simulacris were to stand on opposing sides of the hall with their changelings, with Royal Guards standing in front.
However, Lamia and Cyndra were not present, and I could see Chrysalis approaching me, her eyes glancing around.
“Have you seen my daughters, Celestia?”
I shook my head, but couldn’t stop my smile from growing. “But I think I know why they are late.”
Chrysalis growled. “What do you mean—”
Several amazed gasps cut Chrysalis off, as did Cyndra’s cry of “Mother! Look!”
Lamia trotted into the hall, on four legs, her prosthetic swinging and clicking, helping her trod along. I noticed she was experiencing a bit of awkwardness balancing the weight of her mechanical leg, but she was walking. That alone was enough to send my sister pushing through changelings and ponies just to get a look at the prosthetic.
“Celestia gave it to me,” said Lamia when her mother reached her, raising the leg briefly, before setting it back down onto the ground with a hiss and click.
The look of gratitude that Chrysalis shot my way was expected, but the happiness in her eyes was not. It was happiness meant for me. She didn’t know who I was beneath this constant mask I wear, but for an instant, I forgot about that.
Returning her smile with a nod, I turned my attention back to the entrance of the hall, where the queen Twilight had found should be arriving soon. She had been escorted here from Baltimare by a company of the Equestrian Foreign Legion, who also confirmed that Twilight and her friends were safe and not under the effects of any mind control. I doubted Twilight would be so careless, but it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry.
The herald was raising his trumpet, so I composed myself. He gave a short blast before speaking.
“Announcing The Elements of Harmony, the drake Spike, and the Queen from the Everfree Forest, known as Zecora.”
The doors swung open and Twilight and her friends walked in at a sedate pace. I locked eyes with my student for a second, then turned my attention to the zebra and the changelings following her.
Twilight told me that Zecora, Ponyville’s shamaness, was a humble, kind and helpful individual who enjoyed the visits of ponies to her hut, but liked her privacy. I had also heard that she could be cryptic, but now that I could see “Zecora,” I would have had a difficult time suspecting she was a changeling queen.
After all, she didn’t bear herself like one. Instead, she seemed to walk with eager steps toward where my friends and I sat, despite the heavy-looking saddlebag she wore. This was in complete contrast to her guards, who seemed a bit tense, most likely at the number of ponies and changelings in the room.
I blinked and my eyes narrowed. “Zecora’s” eyes had suddenly hardened as she passed between Simulacris and Chrysalis. Strange. Perhaps this queen was a rival of Simulacris and Chrysalis? Love, after all, was a changeling’s most valued commodity, and hive wars weren’t unheard of. Chrysalis’s conflict with the Shadow Empire had been so bad that she had been persuaded to attack Canterlot out of desperation. Luckily, the Shadow Empire’s attacks on Chrysalis’s infiltrators had apparently subsided during the peace conference. Unfortunately, I doubted we could find the perpetrators.
The party finally reached us. As the Element Bearers bowed, I grinned. “Once more, Twilight, you and your friends have done Equestria a great service. Thank you.”
Twilight returned my beaming smile twofold. “You’re welcome, Princess.” Bowing my head, I dismissed the Element Bearers, who stepped to the side, allowing “Zecora” and her entourage to approach.
As “Zecora” and her changelings bowed, I spoke. “Greetings, and welcome to Camp Draco, ‘Zecora.’ What shall we call you, Queen from the Everfree Forest?”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” said Zecora, slowly rising to her hooves.
That was when I noticed it. Her eager smile. It wasn’t simply eager.
It was vehement.
Her eyes flashing, “Zecora” dispelled her disguise. Blazing green flames obscured her form from my vision as she shed the guise of a zebra, for that of a changeling queen. A queen, whose form evoked a series of images from my oldest memories. Stepping out of the fire, she exhaled in satisfaction before meeting my frozen gaze.
“Call me Queen Belladonna.” My youngest sister’s smile warped into a wicked sneer. “Of The Shadow Empire.”
I barely heard Chrysalis’s gasp, since I couldn’t spare any attention from my younger sister’s familiar, yet aged features.. But unlike what I had felt when I first saw Simulacris, when I looked on Belladonna I only felt a cold, hard horror form in my heart. Belladonna’s form had not changed greatly and while she had grown in height, she was still shorter than my sisters and I. Yet, my memories of my dearest sister, who had always been so cheerful and carefree, were nothing like the leering queen in front of me. The playful smile and dancing eyes were still there, but twisted, altered into a narrowed sneer.
“Guards,” I croaked, but Shining Armor was already shouting out orders. Arms were being unsheathed throughout the hall, and within a second, Belladonna and her chevaliers were surrounded by a ring of pony and changeling guards. I also noted with relief that Shining had ordered two squads to encircle Twilight and her friends and shepherd them away from Belladonna and her entourage.
“No! It can’t be!” screamed Chrysalis.
Despite the spears and weapons pointed at her, Belladonna’s smile widened. “Surprised, Chrysalis?” Chrysalis didn’t reply, her mouth hanging open like a broken doll.
Simulacris pushed through her own guards to stand between Belladonna and Chrysalis. “Belladonna… it was you who attacked Chrysalis’s infiltrators without provocation? This isn’t like you. You’re acting... like Equestria First!”
I swallowed as Belladonna spun on Simulacris, almost as if she intended to strike at her. “Don’t you dare compare me to them! Unlike those pony extremists who attacked Chrysalis’s daughter without provocation, my actions are fully justifiable, Simulacris!” She then turned to me, her eyes narrowing. “What I should really ask is why Princess Celestia’s ponies are pointing their weapons at me. Didn’t my dear sister nearly raze Canterlot to the ground?”
Refusing the urge to flinch at Belladonna’s impudently raised eyebrow, I met my sister’s eyes. “Queen Chrysalis and I have reached an accord, and we are working together to promote a future where ponies and changelings can live together in peace. If you wish to disrupt the peace we are envisioning”— I pursed my lips — “I will be forced to respond to your aggression.”
A chuckle. I blinked as Belladonna’s chuckle grew into full-on laughter. For several seconds, everybody watched as Belladonna laughed. From the corner of her eye, I noticed Chrysalis moving closer to her daughters and Simulacris.
“Oh, you must pardon me, Princess Celestia. I have been waiting for this moment for almost a thousand years,” said Belladonna, wiping her lips with a hoof.
“I am warning you, Queen Belladonna—”
“You mistake me, Princess Celestia. As I told your dear student earlier, I fully wish to endorse your proposal for peace between our races.” I raised an eyebrow and watched Belladonna’s eyes travel around the hall.
“But first I intend to — with your permission of course, Your Highness — seek justice for a grievous crime committed against my family. You are a judge, am I right, Princess Celestia? Because I wish to seek arbitration for my case.”
I felt my heart stop. Oh no.
“Whom do you accuse, and for what crime?” asked Luna, in an unwavering tone.
“Crimes, Your Highness, Princess Luna. Of sedition, premeditated treason, of attempted illegal imprisonment.” I watched Belladonna’s sight rest on Chrysalis and her daughters, confirming my suspicions. “Of murder, sororicide to be precise, and of matricide.”
Silence. I heard something buzzing in my ear, as if I had been hit by a club, but I felt no pain. All my attention was on Chrysalis, who looked at Belladonna with an incomprehensible expression.
“What in tartarus are you insinuating about my mother, Queen Belladonna?” asked Lamia with a hiss.
Belladonna chuckled, and replied in an oddly calm voice.“Oh I am not ‘insinuating’ anything, Lamia. I am accusing your mother.”
Cyndra stepped in front of Chrysalis. “That’s impossible! My mother wouldn’t do anything to her sister, and much less her own mother!”
Belladonna snorted. “Chrysalis, please don’t lie to your daughters any longer. You don’t deserve their loyalty.” Her eyes narrowed, and the gleeful smile on her features faded. “Much less from little Cyndra here. I mean, after what you did, you have no right to pronounce judgment on a changeling that believed she betrayed her hive for the ‘greater good.’”
I winced as Cyndra and Lamia turned to Chrysalis, probably expecting their mother to calmly and confidently refute such wild accusations. They were disappointed.
I could see Chrysalis’s trembling form, as far away as I was from her. I didn’t need to even try sensing her emotions to see the fear she was emanating. To think that I had once wanted to see her like this… Now I felt guilty for even recalling those vengeance-filled dreams.
Belladonna’s too-silky voice cut through my thoughts. “What? Nothing to say, Chrysalis? Or have you already forgotten what you did that night?”
“That’s enough, Queen Belladonna. What evidence do you submit to us in support of your charges?” asked Luna, her imperious tone carrying through the hall.
Belladonna merely reached into the saddlebag, and raised several bottles of green solution. “Your Highness, I have but the magically recorded memories of several chevaliers of my sister, Queen Alternia, who escaped from the coup that Chrysalis brought down upon my mother, Queen Chamelia, and her hive. They told me of how Chrysalis was afraid of our mother’s attempts to make first contact with Equestria, and planned a coup in order to stop her.”
My eyes saw Chrysalis bite on her lip, while Cyndra and Lamia continued to shift their gazes of disbelief between their mother standing stock-still and their supposed long-lost aunt who was accusing her own sister, their own mother. Simulacris was watching Belladonna with an expression only describable as pure disbelief.
I didn’t even know what I was showing on my face, because my mind was bombarded with images of that day. Chrysalis, standing in front of our mother, her spear pointed at her. Our mother’s warning, and the charge I led to save her.
“My elder sister, Queen Alternia, was still at the hive, and confronted Chrysalis.” I knew that. I was hearing the clash of my halberd against Chrysalis’s spear. I could remember my surprise when her spear, which I believed was enchanted, pierced through my shield. I also recalled all too well what happened next.
“During the duel, our mother intervened to save Alternia from a deathblow, and was herself killed.”
It was right in front of me. Mother’s form, with Chrysalis’s spear running through her body. Chrysalis’s scream. Mother’s last smile. It was as if I had gone back a thousand years. I had to avert my gaze, and brace myself against the floor hoping no one had noticed. Still, I was able to see Simulacris spin around and fix her eyes on Chrysalis.
“No!” screamed Simulacris. Chrysalis opened her mouth to respond, but her teeth clenched instead.
“Alternia tried to avenge my mother, but her forelegs were snapped in the battle, and she had to flee. But Chrysalis threw a spear into her before she teleported, and I have not seen or heard of her since that day, one thousand years ago. I can only assume she is long dead.”
As I relived the phantom pain from that old injury, Simulacris shook her head. “Chrysalis! This cannot be true! Tell her it isn’t!”
My eyes joined that of everybody else's in bearing down on Chrysalis.
Chrysalis raised her head, her eyes moist. Her breath was coming in great heaving gasps. “I… I didn’t mean to kill our mother. The spear throw was meant for Alternia. I… know I did want to kill Alternia—” I had to stop myself from hissing at Chrysalis. So she did really want me dead all those years ago.
But what she said evaporated my fury. “But… I didn’t actually want her to die! Please, you have to believe me! I’m sorry!” And I believed her. Not because of the tears running down her cheeks, but because Chrysalis, my proud, usually arrogant sister, looked as if it was taking every bit of her strength to simply breathe.
The entire hall stood in silence. Simulacris stared at Chrysalis for one second, before she turned to her chevaliers. “Guards. Seize her!”
In response, Cyndra jumped in front of her mother, while Lamia snarled. “Protect the queen!”
I cursed, my eyes tracking Belladonna as she drew a massive mace from her knapsack. “Don’t you dare try to escape, Chrysalis!”
“Stop!”
My Royal Canterlot voice overrode the hall, freezing its occupants before a bloodbath broke out.
“I will not have you incite conflict under my roof when a treatise of peace had only just been penned, and so nearly agreed upon. Everyone, sheath your arms!” Once all weapons were put away, I turned to Belladonna and Simulacris.
“Queen Belladonna, and Queen Simulacris. Queen Chrysalis is clearly guilty of the crimes she stands accused of, but she is an integral part of the peace treaty. Must she face death for her crimes?”
Belladonna scoffed, not even bothering to face me. “You misunderstand me, Princess Celestia. I asked you to arbitrate, not to carry out my sister’s sentence. That is to be done the changeling way, and you have no authority to stop me.” Belladonna glanced at Simulacris, who nodded grimly. “The sentence for treason is death. If you resist, then the relatives of the deceased will enforce the punishment through a duel. Simulacris and I against Chrysalis.”
I groaned, but before I could interject, Lamia spoke up.
“Then as stated by the changeling laws. I will volunteer myself as my mother’s proxy!”
“As do I.” Cyndra’s squeak sounded far less confident than her sister’s, but she still stood beside Lamia.
My teeth clenched and my heart plummeted. My nieces had volunteered to die for their mother’s sake. Was there anything I could do to stop them? Stop this mess? Save Chrysalis and everybody?
Wait, why was I concerned for Chrysalis? She was going to receive the sentence she deserved! But...
Chrysalis's hooves grabbing her daughters to shield them. “No! Donna, Simulacris, is there anything I can give you? Please, I didn’t mean any of it!”
Belladonna snorted. “Like you didn’t mean to bring down the wrath of Equestria on Simulacris’s hive? Or on the entire changeling species? None of your begging will succeed in moving either of us!”
I didn’t even need to glance at the callous sneer on Belladonna’s features to know that was true, so I focused back on Chrysalis. Her head was bowed, she was trembling again. She was terrified. Anybody would be if they were about to die, but there was something different about this fear.
Which was when I remembered the first night that Chrysalis and I had spent together on the conference. The night that I found out about why my sister was scared of dying.
In spite of that fear, Chrysalis somehow forced herself to look Belladonna in the eye. “Then… I will surrender, as long as Lamia is allowed to succeed me as Queen.”
Belladonna hesitated, and then nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Though by all rights I should have all your spawn killed.”
Cyndra and Lamia broke into tears. They tried to block their mother, but Chrysalis just tightened her hold on them briefly before pushing them aside. Then, after walking slowly past ponies and changelings alike, Chrysalis stood in front of Belladonna, unarmed. Simulacris quickly joining Belladonna’s side a moment after.
I gritted my teeth at the sight. Damn Chrysalis and her crimes! I was not going to let Lamia or Cyndra lose their mother like this. Not to their own family. Whatever the sins of the parent, I could not let the tragedy of my generation happen to theirs.
Right then, I realized that the answer to the crisis was in right in my hooves, but if I did that...
“That is fair. Are you prepared, sister?” asked Belladonna in a calm voice.
Chrysalis turned to her daughters. Lamia’s and Cyndra’s stricken looks tore at my heart, but it was Chrysalis’s acceptance that made me feel worse than the day my mother had died.
“Lamia, Cyndra. I love you.” Chrysalis turned to Belladonna and Simulacris, her head held high. “I’m ready.”
Oh horsefeathers. There was really no other option, was there?
I raised my voice, arresting everypony’s attention, watching as their eyes rested on me.
“Queen Belladonna, Queen Simulacris. As eager as both of you are to sentence Chrysalis, I must ask you both to wait. We cannot have you carrying out this punishment in such an informal manner. May I consult with you both as to a suitable time and place for the sentence to be carried out?”
Belladonna groaned but nodded. “When do you wish to speak?”
“Now. Please follow me.” As I led my two younger sisters to a small side chamber, I could hear Belladonna’s grumbling, but nothing from Simulacris.
Just before I closed the door, I glimpsed Chrysalis embracing her sobbing daughters. She was sad, but she wasn’t crying, and the acceptance on her face had not faded. My lips in a thin line, I closed the door and quickly cast the strongest anti-scrying and sound blocking charms I could think of, before I faced my two youngest sisters.
“Queen Simulacris, Belladonna. Do you really wish for Chrysalis’s death? Not three days ago she fought alongside us to save Simulacris’s hive. Does that not count—”
Belladonna cut me off with a stern glare. “You are indeed as merciful as they say, Princess Celestia. But that barely corrects her transgression of endangering it and the rest of our species in the first place!”
I sighed, turning to Simulacris. “But neither of you really want this, do you? I can see it in your eyes. Especially in yours, Simulacris.”
“What would you have me do, Your Highness? Let the deaths of my family go unanswered? My sister and my mother must have justice!” To my surprise, Simulacris averted her eyes, and sniffed. She was usually very good at controlling her feelings.
“My mother was so loving, so caring. She raised us, and I wanted her to see what I had accomplished. As for my sister, she asked for my mother to add several chevaliers to my entourage when I left the hive. One of them became my first mate. I... I always wanted to thank her for her kindness. So I kept searching for them…”
I wanted to cry, but I kept my face straight, even if it seemed to crack like badly applied makeup.
“And now they’re both dead!” screamed Simulacris, slamming her hoof into the carpet. “Celestia, I love Chrysalis, but I... She took my sister and my mother away from me! You cannot expect me to do nothing!”
I nodded, I understood exactly what Simulacris felt. Which was why I had to stop her.
“But would your sister and your mother really want you to kill Chrysalis for this? You’ve already lost them, why spill more blood?”
Simulacris hesitated, her mouth frozen halfway open. Belladonna though, stepped in front of her and snarled at me, her eyes aflame.
“How would you of all ponies know about what our mother and sister would want? How dare you imply they would show mercy to that traitor!”
Somehow, I managed to reply to Belladonna without pausing. “Because I know the fate of your sister, Alternia.”
My sisters stared at me. Belladonna was the first to break out of her shock. Slowly, she took several steps to bring herself closer to me, her expression composed, but drawn in, and dark.
“Explain, Celestia.”
Strange. Even though Belladonna looked as if she might blast me with magic, the fear that had been an essential part of my life in disguise seemed to have vanished. It was as if deep within my heart, I was yearning for this all along.
I stepped away from Belladonna and Simulacris, turning my back to them. “You told us that your sister was teleported away, but suffered a mortal wound during the teleport.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Belladonna and Simulacris’s nods. I could also see the barely restrained fury behind Belladonna’s eyes flare.
“She teleported to the Castle of the Everfree Forest, where she met an alicorn.” I paused. “Who had just finished a deadly battle with her sister for control over the heavens.”
“You mean you?’ asked Simulacris.
I bit my lip, glad that they couldn’t see my face at that moment. “The alicorn was also injured to the point of near-death. In order to have the faintest chance of recovering, she had to cast herself into a sleep so deep, it would be like wearing a shroud of death. She would have to remain in this trance for more than a thousand years. But without her, she knew that Equestria would be doomed.”
I heard Belladonna growl in exasperation. “What are you going on about? You’re still here, aren’t you?”
“Wait, Bella,” said Simulacris. Her expression was changing from one of sorrow to that of curiosity.
Had she already figured it out? Perhaps she suspected. No matter. “Your sister, and the alicorn, both forced to fight sisters on the same day… comforted each other over their failures. It was then your sister, half-delirious from blood loss, said something that gave the alicorn the idea for an answer to both of their problems. It would save Equestria and keep the heavens in motion, and save your sister’s life, but also put her in a position to amass a massive amount of love so that she could carry out her vendetta for her mother’s sake.”
Hearing nothing from my sisters, I heaved in the deepest breath I had ever taken. “A deal was struck. The alicorn would sleep, while your sister would take her place.”
Two simultaneous gasps.
“Your sister would use the love of Equestria to maintain the course of the sun and moon, with any love gained being her fitting reward. She was assisted by the alicorn, who forcefully implanted her own memories into her. Using them, she has ruled for a thousand years, growing to love her subjects as they loved her.” I stopped, and waited.
Simulacris’s tremulous voice cut through the silence. “Then… you are…”
I turned to face my sisters. Simulacris was looking at me with a hopeful expression, while Belladonna’s was of a wide-eyed gawk.
I dropped my disguise, and let the flames of changeling magic purge the mask I had worn for so long, until I stood before them, black carapace and all.
“Yes. I am Alternia.”
I shut my eyes, waiting for my sisters’ judgement.
I didn’t expect to be tackle-hugged by the most reserved of them.
“You’re alive! Oh thank the Great Mothers, you’re alive!”
I nearly fell down, not quite sure what to be more shocked about. That Simulacris of all changelings was breaking down into tears, that she was squeezing hard enough to actually injure me, or that I wasn’t being reprimanded.
Spoke too soon.
“You lie! Alternia’s dead! And she’d never forgive Chrysalis for what she did to our mother!”
I looked up from Simulacris’s joyful, tear-stained cheeks to find Belladonna pointing her mace at me.
“Donna, it really is me—” I stepped back as the mace nearly smashed my skull in.
Tears running down her hysterical expression, the sister who had been closest to me drew back for another attack. “Stay back! You aren’t her! You can’t be her! I looked for a thousand years! Plotted and planned my own sister’s death! It cannot have been in vain!”
Another wild swing came at me, aimed for my neck this time. The preset spells on my peytral activated, creating a shield that blocked the blow.
“It was not for nothing, Donna. You have become the queen of a hive so strong it gives other changelings nightmares. That is not something to be discounted.”
Belladonna hesitated, then, shaking her head, she charged me again. Before I could dodge, though, Simulacris stepped in, using her short swords to block the mace.
“Donna, calm down! There has to be something Alternia can use to prove it’s really her!” Simulacris pushed Belladonna away and raised her swords back to a guard position.
Belladonna snarled at both of us, panting heavily. “Fine. The mortal wound. Where was my sister stabbed?”
I shivered as I remembered how near to death I had been. “The stomach, slightly above the navel. The spear nearly went through my entire body.” With my magic, I pulled one of the room’s chairs over and stood my forehooves on it. “You can examine the scar if you want.”
Belladonna frowned, lowered her mace and walked over, placing her muzzle so close to the old scar that I could feel her every exhale.
Changeling carapaces can easily heal all minor scratches, scars, even cracks, but wounds that struck deeper than the carapace are more permanent. Wounds such as Lamia's injuries and the stab wound I had received from Chrysalis were perfect examples. It was fortunate that I recovered from my wound fully, but there still was a mark that would not go away though I could hide it if I pulled on my disguise.
I yelped as Belladonna suddenly zapped the scar with a twinge of magic. “Donna! What was that for?”
“To see if it was a disguise or not. It was meant to dispel any traces of changeling magic, b-but--” Belladonna’s moistening eyes met mine. “If—if you are really Alternia, why didn’t you try to find us?”
I sighed and bowed my head. “I tried, but for the first hundred years my duties as Princess pinned me down, and when I could finally start searching, I had no idea where to start, and I was limited in resources lest I reveal the changelings’ existence to Equestria.” Cringing, I braced myself. “So I put the search off, and decided to wait until the real Celestia returned. Whatever revenge I wanted wasn’t worth endangering the entire changeling race.”
The slap was expected, and I was forced to roll with the blow lest I get seriously hurt. I heard Simulacris rebuke Belladonna, but it somehow sounded faint.
“You… you gave up! Why? I mean… I understand why but…” Belladonna shut her eyes, but her tears continued to flow down her cheeks. “Damnit, Alternia!” And I was enveloped in a desperately tight hug. I returned it tenfold, allowing Belladonna to weep happily into my shoulder.
“There, there,” I whispered, my own vision blurring, and a smile on my face.
“Alternia, Belladonna, I want to catch up as much as you do, but we have a problem,” said Simulacris, tapping my shoulder with a gentle hoof.
Belladonna growled, wiping her tears. “Chrysalis. Well what are we waiting for, Alternia? Let us dispatch her.”
I shook my head, drying my own tears with the hoofkerchief I stored in my peytral. “Did you hear anything I’ve said, Donna? I don’t want her dead.”
Belladonna frowned at me like I had gone mad. “But why? She killed our mother! She was the cause of your imprisonment in the role of Princess of Equestria! She needs to pay!”
My teeth clenched and I closed my eyes. My own resentment of Chrysalis had not disappeared, and Belladonna’s ire was calling it out, beckoning it to seethe out from the recesses of my mind I forced it into. Reminding me of all the reasons why I wanted to take my revenge on her. There was just… so much that my sister’s actions had caused, indirectly or directly. Yet, something inside me rebelled against killing her.
“Lamia and Cyndra don’t deserve to lose their mother. Not to their own aunts. What happened a thousand years ago… I will not repeat it.” Simulacris nodded in agreement with me, but Belladonna narrowed her eyes.
“Chrysalis brought this upon herself, Alternia! She is merely reaping what she sowed on that day!”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t know if mother would want us to kill Chrysalis.”
“What?” said both my sisters.
I brought my hoof to my chin. “The coup was not an accident, but Chrysalis never intended to kill our mother. I could see it in her face then, and you can see it in her face now. Why else would she have surrendered so easily?”
Simulacris raised an eyebrow. “But how can you be so sure?”
Remembering the eventful first night at Camp Draco, I lowered my voice. “As part of building pony and changeling relations, I slept in the same room as Chrysalis.” Belladonna’s and Simulacris’s eyes expanded. “We were ignoring each other for most of the time, but during a… moment we had, Chrysalis told me that she is afraid of what our mother would say when she sees her.”
I paused, watching Belladonna’s anger slip away and Simulacris’s contemplative expression. “Also, Chamelia knew of Chrysalis’s regrets, and before she passed away, she smiled… at both of us.” Seeing Belladonna and Simulacris’s stunned faces, I continued. “I don’t think mother gave her life to save me so we could continue to kill each other. We should honor her wish.”
Simulacris scowled, while Belladonna slammed her hoof into the ground, her features torn as she shook her head. “I cannot forgive Chrysalis for what she has done!”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I can forgive her either, Belladonna, Simulacris, but I’m not asking you to.” I stepped forward so I was closer to my sisters, almost muzzle to muzzle. “I’m asking you to not kill her. That is all. Name your price, because she certainly deserves punishment, but spare her life.”
Belladonna’s jaw was clamped so tight, I was worried she’d crack a fang. Simulacris’s features remained neutral, so I had no idea what she was thinking. I sincerely hoped they were considering my words.
“Argh! Alright. But I better get some compensation for all the years I’ve wasted planning her demise!” snapped Belladonna, her hoof pointing at me.
I nodded and turned to Simulacris, who glanced at me and sighed. “You always knew our mother best, Alternia. I trust you.”
I beamed and embraced both my sisters at the same time. They stiffened a bit, surprised at my action, but wrapped their own hooves around me. And for a while, we stood there in a warm huddle, confirming to each other that we were real.
Chrysalis held her daughters close to her carapace. They were still crying. She didn’t want them to embarrass themselves in front of so many, but she also didn’t want to stop them. Silently, Chrysalis thanked Princess Luna for making the ponies turn away out of respect. After all, while Chrysalis was trying not to show any fear and be strong for her daughters, she couldn’t stop herself from tearing up.
It had been more than a thousand years since that day, and Chrysalis had carried the deaths of her sister and her mother on her conscious every day. She had known that someday, when she died, she would have to answer for her crimes, but she hadn’t expected to answer it in the present.
Squeezing her daughters tighter, Chrysalis sniffled. “Cyndra, I’m sorry.”
Looking at her mother with doleful eyes, Cyndra blinked. “For what?”
Chrysalis gave a long sigh. “For being a hypocrite. I tried to punish you for breaking the hive laws, when my own case was far more regrettable and unforgivable.” Shaking her head Chrysalis winced. “No. I committed a far more heinous crime.”
Cyndra only burrowed deeper into Chrysalis’s chest. “Mother, shut up.” Somehow managing to smile, Chrysalis continued to silently hold her daughters. Perhaps she should have been speaking to them, but she decided not to.
Heads began to turn as the door that Belladonna, Simulacris and Celestia had entered swung open. Stepping out, Celestia bowed solemnly to Belladonna and Simulacris, who returned the gesture and walked towards Chrysalis. Both of them held their weapons at the ready. Swallowing, Chrysalis pried herself from her daughters’ grasps and walked slowly to the center of the hall. The three changeling queens met there, heads held high.
Belladonna glared at her eldest sister. “Queen Chrysalis, you have been found guilty of regicide and numerous other crimes. You have violated several of the Six Changeling Commandments. Under changeling law, you are to be sentenced to death.”
Chrysalis shut her eyes and nodded. Mother, Alternia, I will be seeing you soon.
She could hear the swords slicing through the air as they swung toward her, and the mace crushing the air before it. Wishing she had braced herself, Chrysalis winced. This was not going to be a painless death.
Suddenly, there was a crack. Chrysalis’s eyes snapped open as she saw Belladonna and Simulacris’s weapons strike the ground like a judge’s gavel.
“And with that your sentence is carried out,” said Simulacris, sheathing her weapons smoothly.
Chrysalis stared at her sisters in unabashed shock, mimicking the expressions of every pony and changeling in the hall. Her eyes floating over to where her daughters stood, Chrysalis could see the ends of their mouths turn up in relief.
Angry and confused, Chrysalis snarled. “Belladonna, Simulacris, what type of game are you playing at?”
Her eyes hardening, Belladonna spat, “I’m showing you mercy, Chrysalis! It’s more than you deserve!” Chrysalis’s jaw hung open limply.
Mercy? Why now? Simulacris I wasn’t sure of, but I know Belladonna wanted to kill me.
“Celestia interceded on your behalf. She was most persistent, but she ensured your safety,” said Simulacris, answering the question in Chrysalis’s head in a calm but disappointed tone.
Glancing briefly at Celestia’s inscrutable expression, Chrysalis blinked. “Wait. Celestia did?”
Simulacris nodded. “In return for several conditions.” Her eyes narrowed as she enunciated each term in a clear voice. “One, you owe Belladonna and I a life debt. Two, you will surrender your hive’s autonomy to us. You will still rule, but any external policy decisions for the next five hundred years must go through us first. That means you cannot declare war, form trade alliances, or conduct any diplomatic relations with any foreign nations without consultation with our embassy. Which leads on to our third condition. Since we are setting up a permanent embassy at your hive, you must tell us your hive’s location so that we may be aware of your movements at all times.”
Chrysalis grimaced, but an overwhelming sensation of relief washed over her. She didn’t like the humiliating terms. However, it was a paltry price to pay in return for her own life.
“That’s it?”
Belladonna’s snarl returned to her features. “Yes, but should you take one step out of line, Chrysalis, I won’t hesitate to take back what I have shown you today!” Not doubting her threat for a second, Chryalis nodded numbly. All the while she wondered, What in the name of the hive mothers happened in that room?
Simulacris turned to Belladonna, and raised an eyebrow. Chrysalis suddenly felt the oddest emotion emanate from her two sisters. It was happiness.
“Also, you should probably thank Celestia, but yes that’s it,” added Belladonna. She then turned to the dumbstruck ponies. “Well? What are we standing here for? Are we here for a peace conference or what?”
A few choice words from Celestia, and the crowd in the hall began to disperse. Belladonna was directed to her own guest room while Simulacris and Chrysalis returned to their entourages.
But as Chrysalis ran to catch her daughters in a death grip, she glanced at Celestia, and narrowed her eyes at her.
Chrysalis has long decided to apologize to Celestia, who was whispering to Luna, looking tired, but rather cheerful. The alicorn had saved her life, and Chrysalis had never felt more grateful to a pony in her life.
However, mysteries and oddities that Chrysalis had noticed over the duration of the conference and from when she met Celestia in her hive began to piece themselves together. All of it was circumstantial. Chrysalis had no reason to believe what she was beginning to think, but the possibility raised one of her eyebrows.
She was beginning to think she might have an idea about what Celestia was hiding.