It was apparent that no pony was going to get much sleep that night.
When Trixie woke from her dreams, only a few hours had passed. She glanced down at her daughter, who must have sneezed in her sleep, for she was in her changeling form. And yet, her gray horn still stuck out of her head.
Always there to mock me, Trixie thought with a snort.
Even to this day, she still wondered why she kept Moonbeam if all she did was remind her of the father that helped create her. Maybe Trixie did it to fill the hole in her chest, or to prove herself a better mother than Chrysalis. After all, if she took care of Moonbeam instead of pressuring her into the hard life of a royal, her daughter's life wouldn't be as miserable as hers. Right?
On the other hoof, Moonbeam was all the comfort Trixie had in the world. With her audience diminishing, Moonbeam was the only one who truly loved her for her. She was the one thread of innocence and goodness Trixie could hold onto. She even made her smile sometimes. Happiness was not completely impossible in her heartless state, but no matter how much joy Moonbeam tried to bring her, there would always be that empty space inside.
Oh, how Trixie wished that for just one second, she could feel something other than superficial security for her daughter.
Trixie lay awake for hours just staring at the filly, her eyes squinting, as if that would conjure emotion. After a while, she groaned in frustration.
"Why you gotta do this to Trixie?" she whispered harshly. "It's like that stupid cake metaphor, only it's not like I really have you either!"
Moonbeam stirred in bed and Trixie decided she should vent her anger outside. She slowly lifted her foreleg out from under her daughter and crept out of bed.
"Mom?"
Trixie turned at the soft moan. Moonbeam was rubbing her eyes as she woke.
"Where you going?"
"Go back to sleep, sweetie," Trixie said, stroking her daughter's head. "Mummy's just getting some air."
Moonbeam opened her eyes halfway. "I'm hungry."
"Okay then. We have some peppers left, otherwise there's…"
"No, I'm not…that kind of hungry."
Trixie blinked. "Oh. Well, Mummy didn't get much today, but I'll give you what I can."
She sat on the edge of the bed and took Moonbeam in her hooves. Trixie rubbed her cheek against the top of her daughter's head as she transferred what little love she had collected today into her. Heartless changelings couldn't feel love, but they could still share their food with others.
"Hush little changeling, don't say a word," Trixie sang softly. "Mummy's gonna feed you a mockingbird…"
"That song's pretty gross," Moonbeam murmured. "Who'd wanna eat a mockingbird?"
"Sorry. You know Mummy doesn't know many songs."
"Sing that one you wrote."
"Sweetie, that's hardly a lullaby."
"I like it. It's catchy."
Trixie sighed but couldn't help but smile at the compliment. Then she sang in an upbeat tune:
"You better believe
I got tricks up my sleeve
And I captivate
'Cuz I'm powerful and great…"
Moonbeam laughed as her mother started tickling her tummy in the middle of the song. Trixie always adored it when the little filly laughed. She suddenly sneezed and changed into her pony form, which made her laugh even harder.
"You better believe
I got tricks up my sleeve
See me dominate…"
"'Cuz I'm powerful and greeaaat!" Moonbeam finished with her.
They giggled and Moonbeam threw her hooves around her mother. "I love you, Mom."
Trixie frowned slightly but quickly hid it as she patted her daughter's head. "Yeah. Mummy…loves you…too."
Her ears drooped at the fallacy in that statement. She quickly shook it off.
"But she won't love you anymore if you don't get to sleep."
Moonbeam rolled her eyes as Trixie tucked her back into bed. "Goodnight, then. Again."
Trixie kissed her forehead. "Mummy's just going to step out for a minute, but she'll be right back. Stay in bed."
The filly yawned as she shut her eyes. "Okay, Mom."
Trixie rose from the bed and levitated her cape onto her body. Then she stepped out and momentarily sprouted wings so she could flutter onto the wagon's roof. She sat there and looked up at the starry sky.
"Lovely night, isn't it?"
She gasped and looked to her right to see Mothball hovering next to her. Trixie narrowed her eyes.
"Trixie thought she made it clear that the Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be bothered," she said coldly. "And what are you doing out here, anyway?"
"Couldn't sleep," he replied as he sat beside her.
"How come?"
"The love of my life just dumped me. Why are you out here?"
"Bellatrix was just told she's next in line for the throne. You do the math."
"Well, you might not have to worry about that anymore."
"Oh?"
Mothball gazed up at the sky. "I've decided to take the throne instead."
"Why? Because your girlfriend dumped you?"
"It's not like I have any other choice. I live with her. Even if we end up being friends again, it's just gonna be awkward. Besides, someone's gotta take the throne."
Trixie glanced down at her hooves. "Look, Bellatrix is not the best at advice, but she can tell you this." She looked him in the eye. "Don't make the same mistake as everyone else in our family."
Mothball blinked. "Huh?"
"Think about it. When the love of Mother's life didn't love her back, she ripped her own heart out. When the love of Bellatrix's life rejected her, she did the same. Now, you might not be ripping your heart out, but in a way, you're doing exactly what your mother and sister did."
"What's that?"
She lowered her head. "Giving up on love."
He turned away. "What else can I do? I tried talking to her, but she won't listen."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "You really are dense, little brother. If love were easy, do you think it would be so powerful?"
"And what about you? What exactly happened between you and your love?"
Her face fell. "Let's just say he wouldn't accept Bellatrix for who she was."
Mothball looked down at his hooves. "That sounds kind of like my problem."
"But Bellatrix gave up too easily, and didn't realize it until it was too late."
His head shot up. "But it's not too late, is it?"
"What?"
"I mean for me and Screwy. I don't have to make the decision right away. We still have time to talk it through." He turned to her. "And you…"
She held up a hoof. "For the billionth time, Bellatrix is not…"
"I'm not talking about the throne. I mean you still have time to make things better with your daughter."
She cocked her head. "What do you mean by that?"
He chuckled slightly. "You're gonna hate me for this, but in the short time I've known you, Trixie, I find that you remind me a lot of our mother."
She gasped. "How dare you?!"
"You said so yourself. You made the same mistake she did, in more ways than one, I think. I don't know what your situation was like with Mother, but when I lived with her, she rarely let me pursue my own desires. Sometimes I felt like a prisoner in that hive. She would lock me away physically and emotionally, preventing me from being myself." His face was serious now. "Isn't that what you're doing to Moonbeam?"
Her eyes widened. "How dare you accuse Trixie of…? I'm not…I would never…"
"You never let her have friends and you never let her show her real self. And what's worse, you keep lying to her about who she is, how you care about her when you really don't." He lowered his head. "Just like Mom always did to me."
"I'm not my mother," Trixie growled.
He looked at her sincerely. "You sure?"
She opened her mouth and paused. Then she shook her head.
"It's different. I may not have a heart, but I actually care about Moonbeam's wellbeing."
"How does that work?"
"Mother tried to tell me that the heart doesn't produce all emotions. They also come from the brain or something like that. I can feel some things, like anger and sadness." The rest she said in a murmur. "Just not enough to cry."
Mothball spoke gently, "But you can't…love?"
She sighed. "Not fully. I don't know." She buried her face in her hooves. "It's complicated."
He waited for her to cry, but all she did was sit still and hide her face. He was beginning to see what she meant when she said most but not all of her emotions were gone. However much she was feeling, Mothball had the urge to cheer her up.
"Do you think…Mother might care for us a little too?"
She looked up at him. "Don't be ridiculous. All Mother ever cared about was power, so she could get revenge on everyone who wronged her."
"Now where have I heard that before?" he smirked at her.
She smiled back and playfully punched him in the shoulder.
"Think about it though," he continued. "Did you know she preserved both our bedrooms?"
She tilted her head. "Really?"
"Yeah. That's how we found the brush we used for the locater spell. Oh, I forgot!"
His horn illuminated and something floated out of the brown tent. Trixie's eyes widened when the object landed in her hooves.
"Smarty Pants?" she whispered. "My Smarty Pants?"
He shrugged. "Guess Mother really missed you."
Trixie said nothing. After a few minutes of silence, Mothball rose.
"I don't care if you accept the throne or not, but Moonbeam deserves to know where she came from, and it's not fair to keep lying to her."
Before he departed, he gave her one last look over the shoulder and said, "Be different from Mother."
Then he buzzed off the roof and back into his tent, leaving Trixie to her thoughts.
In the Castle of Chaos, Discord was also lying awake in bed, staring up at the canopy. Apparently, the mare beside him wasn't getting any sleep either.
"You still awake?" Fluttershy whispered.
Discord nodded. She threw her hoof across his neck.
"What's on your mind? Screwball? Chrysalis?"
"A little bit of both," he admitted.
Fluttershy nodded in understanding. "It's been quite a day."
"What if they don't find the princess? What will happen to Mothball and Screwy?"
"I'm sure they can work something out. Love always finds a way."
He turned to her. "Have you met our family?"
There was a buzzing sound. Discord rolled over to his dresser. The sound was coming from a handheld mirror.
"Who can be calling at this hour?" he groaned as he held the mirror up. "Answer."
His reflection was replaced with an image of Screwball's face, which was streaked with tears.
"Screwy?" Discord said in alarm.
"Daddy?" she sniffed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier…"
"Oh, that? Forget it, dear. It was just a little spat. But why call so late in the…?"
"I can't sleep. I really need to talk to you."
Fluttershy leaned closer so she could see her daughter. "We're right here, sweetie. What's wrong?"
"I've done something bad. Something really, really bad."
"You didn't kill any pony, did you?" Discord asked with a small chuckle.
"Don't joke with me, Dad! This is serious!"
The draconequus frowned. "Sorry. Go on. Tell us what happened."
Screwball took a deep breath. "First off, we found the princess. You won't believe who she turned out to be."
"You mean it's someone we know?" Fluttershy asked.
"Mom, you remember that show-off unicorn with the alicorn amulet?"
"Trixie?!"
"Well, ain't Fate just dandy?" Discord snorted.
"It gets better," Screwball heaved. "She has a kid."
"Oh my," Fluttershy whispered. "Does she have a husband too?"
"No, and she won't talk about the father. Anyway, she said she didn't want the throne."
Discord slapped his forehead. "I was afraid of this."
"Then Mothy said he should take the throne and then we got into a fight and…" She hung her head. "Oh, this is just awful…"
"What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
Screwball gulped. "I…I threw my ring at him."
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Discord shouted.
On the other end, his daughter jumped back. "I know, I shouldn't have, but…in order for us to stay together, I would have to become a changeling and I didn't want that and he said I didn't love him as much and…oh, Mommy, Daddy, I think he's right."
As she sobbed, Fluttershy and Discord glanced at each other, communicating with their eyes. Then Discord looked back at his daughter in the mirror.
"So let me get this straight. If you marry Mothball while he's King of the Changelings, you would have to become a changeling?"
"Uh-huh," she sniffed. "To have lots of changeling babies and stuff."
"But you wouldn't have to change your heart, or your personality, right?"
"I don't think so."
Discord sighed. "Honey, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm siding with the boy on this."
Screwball's head shot up. "What? But…you've always hated Mothball!"
"Well," he shrugged, "I can't say I'm particularly fond of the boy, but I don't necessarily hate him. I just gave him a hard time so he wouldn't think of leaving you, but it seems you did a fine job of messing up your relationship all on your own."
"But…"
"Sometimes," Fluttershy interrupted, "ponies have to change for the ones they love."
"Yeah," Discord agreed. "Take your mother and me, for example. I gave up Equestria for her."
"And I gave up my mortality for him."
"Yeah, Aunt Twilight mentioned that," Screwball murmured. "But…won't you guys find it weird if I change into an entirely new species?"
"I'll admit," Discord replied, "having a changeling for a daughter will take some getting used to, but it's not like everything on the inside will have changed. Besides, it will make metamorphic spells so much easier for you."
"And we'll love you no matter what," Fluttershy assured her, "and so will Mothball."
Screwball hung her head again. "I'm not so sure he'll take me back though."
"Sure, he will," Discord insisted. "In fact, your reaction was pretty low-key compared to all the times I lost my temper. Heck, I took over Equestria three…excuse me, four times all because of trivial misunderstandings. One time, I actually…" His face fell as he turned to Fluttershy. "…hurt your mother and nearly lost her forever."
His wife smiled and nuzzled his neck. "I think you inherited a bit of your father's temperament, Screwy."
Discord snorted. "At least you didn't take over Equestria."
"But you still have time to patch things up between you and Mothball."
"Who knows? He might want to do the same but is just afraid that you don't."
"I'll think about it," Screwball said softly. "Hey, you said you took over Equestria all those times because of misunderstandings. Does that include the first time?"
Discord bit his lip. "That…is a story for another night."
Miles away, yet another soul had trouble sleeping.
General Mantis slowly opened the door to the queen's chamber. She was lying still in her bed, just as he had left her. He carefully closed the door behind him and crept to her side.
"I thought I told you to leave me in peace."
He stopped in his tracks. "I…thought you were asleep, my queen."
Her eyelids slowly rose as if they were heavy shades. "Why have you come?"
He pulled up a stool and sat down. "I thought you could use some company in your…last hours. I also wanted to see if you were still…"
He could not go on. Chrysalis rolled her head over to him.
"I'm not dying tonight," she said in a raspy, but clear voice. "No, not tonight. I still have some strength left. You had no reason to disobey my orders."
"I know," Mantis said, hanging his head in shame.
"Tell me, Mantis. Why is it that whenever I bid the others to leave, you insist on staying?"
He raised his eyes to hers. "When you were crowned, I made an oath to serve at your side until the very end."
She smiled slightly. "I've always admired your loyalty, Mantis. Maybe that's why I made you General."
Then she frowned. "Your loyalty is unreasonable, however. For over a thousand years, I've had one goal. Now here I am, on my deathbed, and that goal is unfulfilled."
"You still lived a full life, my queen," the general insisted.
She looked at him wearily. "Have I?"
He hesitated. "Well…surely you have some good memories. What about your coronation day?"
"Ah, yes. I remember." She gazed up at the ceiling. "One of the most painful days of my life."
Little did she realize that miles away, a certain draconequus was recalling that same day.
It had been an accident. Discord had not meant to turn the roads into soap. He had simply thought dirt roads were too dirty for a city like Canterlot and could use a good scrubbing. That thought turned into a spell. Earth ponies and unicorns were slipping and sliding all around him. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the absurdity of it all.
"You did this!" a unicorn mare shouted.
He held up his paw and claw. "I didn't mean to!"
"Sure, you didn't!" an earth pony said sarcastically.
"This isn't the first prank you've pulled!" the unicorn continued. "Yesterday, you turned our huts upside-down and made the vegetables in the market come alive!"
"Accidents!" Discord insisted. "Though you had to admit those walking vegetables were quite funny."
"You made it rain chocolate milk at the parade last month!" a pegasus cried.
"That was… Oh no, wait. That was actually on purpose."
"See?" the unicorn said. "You're nothing but a freak!"
Discord flinched as the word cut him like a knife. "What did you call me?"
"You heard me! Freak!"
"Why don't you go back to where you came from, freak?!" the pegasus demanded.
"Yeah, freak!" the earth pony shouted. "Take a hike and leave us ponies alone!"
Discord's eyes narrowed and lightning struck in the sky. The ponies realized their mistake too late as the draconequus raised his claw.
"You know something? I really don't like being called freak!"
He snapped his fingers and the pegasus' wings detached from her body. She collapsed to the ground and the wings flapped away. At the same time, the unicorn's horn fell off like a broken stick, and the earth pony found himself limbless!
"Who's the freak now, huh?" Discord laughed.
"Discord!"
He stiffened at the voice. He turned around to see the tall, white alicorn with flowing pink hair glaring at him angrily.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"What, this?" Discord said with a nervous grin. "This…this was all an accident…"
Celestia stepped forward. "There seems to have been a lot of those lately."
He gulped. "Well, this magic is so much to control and…"
"Save your excuses, Discord! I will not tolerate this madness!"
"It's not madness! Really, the soap was just a mistake!"
"The only 'mistake' I see here is you!"
Discord blinked. "What?"
Celestia's eyes narrowed further. "I should've known I couldn't trust you! Monsters like you can never control themselves! I thought you could be helpful, but you're nothing but a menace!"
He clutched his chest as his heart cracked. It was one thing hearing such words from others, but from a friend?
"I…I thought we were…"
"Friends?" Celestia finished. "You're no friend of mine, Discord."
His eyes went glassy and he looked like he was about to cry. Instead, he scowled and gritted his teeth.
"So be it, then!" he shouted.
Lightning struck again and the sky swarmed with dark pink clouds. Discord growled as he slowly rose above Canterlot.
"Know this, Princess!" he bellowed. "From this day forth, we are at war! You thought I was a menace before? Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
Then he vanished in a grand explosion. Celestia gazed up sadly at where he used to be, regretting what she had done. The alicorn took to the skies and flew as far away from Canterlot as possible.
Once the city was out of sight, she changed into Princess Chrysalis.
"I'm sorry, Dissy," she whispered, a tear falling from her eye, "but it had to be done."
He had to suffer for what he did to her. And yet, for some reason, she wasn't feeling happy about it. Instead, she felt…awful. Why? Wasn't revenge supposed to be sweet?
Maybe she just hadn't fully achieved it yet. Yes, once the changelings took Equestria from him, revenge would be hers. But there would be time for that later.
When she returned to the hive, most of the colony was buzzing near the queen's chamber.
"What's going on?" she asked one of the changelings.
"It's the queen!" the changeling exclaimed. "She's very ill!"
Chrysalis gasped and rushed into her mother's chamber. The sight was too alarming for her to bear. Her mother was lying motionless in her bed, her black skin paler than it had ever been. Many changelings, soldiers especially, were circled around her. Chrysalis was immediately at her side.
"Mother?"
"Chrissy?" Arachne wheezed, turning to face her. "Is that you?"
"Yes, Mother," Chrysalis replied, taking her hoof. "I'm here."
"Have you completed your task?"
The princess nodded. "Yes, Mother. He's rampaging through Equestria as we speak."
The queen grinned. "Good. Then you'll have to carry out the rest of the plan without me."
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't given birth in three months. When a queen loses her fertility, she's no good anymore."
Chrysalis' eyes widened. "You don't mean…? No, no! You can't!"
"It happens to every queen. But don't be so sad, my dearest. My end means your beginning. You must lead the troops into Equestria."
"But…I'm not ready."
"You are. Just remember the plan. Wait a while. Replenish the army with new forces. Gain power in whatever way you can. When the time comes, go to the creature, persuade him to join you. If he refuses, drain his power from him and Equestria will be yours. Can you do that for me, Chrissy?"
Chrysalis was silent for a moment and then nodded.
"Now," her mother coughed, "I don't have much time left. I must give you the Royal Blessing before I go. Hold still."
She leaned forward and touched her horn to her daughter's. The queen's horn glowed and a spark was sent from hers to Chrysalis'. The princess shrieked on reflex. Arachne's horn diminished and she lay back down.
"It's done," she breathed. "Chrysalis, come closer. Hear my last piece of advice."
The princess leaned forward and her mother whispered in her ear:
"Don't stop until everything is yours."
And with that, Queen Arachne released her final breath. The changelings, Chrysalis included, bowed their heads in respect. The soldiers took off their helmets, all but one. A youngling in bright green armor approached the bed and gently removed the crown from the queen's lifeless head. He looked up at Chrysalis with his blue eyes.
"I'm sorry about your mother, your highness," he said gently, "but we must…"
The princess nodded. "I know."
The soldiers placed their helmets back on and illuminated their horns, lifting the queen from her bed. Once the funeral procession was over, the changelings gathered around the throne, making a clear path for the princess.
Chrysalis looked hesitantly at the throne. It didn't feel like it was hers. This morning, it was her mother's, and it still seemed like it. She felt like a usurper, and didn't think she was ready to bear this burden.
Then something tapped her leg and she glanced down at the young soldier who was still carrying her mother's crown. He gestured to the crowd.
"They're waiting for you, your majesty."
Chrysalis gazed at the changelings who were watching her in anticipation. They were all her brothers and sisters, and now that their mother was gone, they were in need of a leader, someone to look after them.
And she was the only one who could do it.
Chrysalis held her head proudly as she flew to the throne. The changelings bowed as she passed. Once she reached the throne, she turned around and the changelings raised their heads to watch. The young soldier hovered in front of her as he held out the crown and bowed his head.
"Your majesty."
Chrysalis lowered her head and allowed the youngling to place the crown on her.
"Long live Queen Insectra Arachne Chrysalis Changeling III!" the general announced.
The hive erupted in a cheerful applause. The soldier hovering in front of her looked up at her shyly.
"I'm sure you'll be a magnificent queen, your majesty," he said.
"What is your name, young one?" Chrysalis asked.
The soldier saluted. "Private Mantis, at your service, your majesty."
She smiled and patted his head. "I'll keep an eye on you, Mantis."