Rarity was the first to arrive at the station, she planted her questionably sized, ‘Eques Trotter’ brand named bag by her side, pulsating and rumbling with the over packet clothing inside it.
She let out a sigh.
Rarity rubbed her eyes softly, careful not to smudge her mascara. Immediately after she did so she levitated a pocket mirror from her flank bag, flicking it open and placing it by each side of her muzzle, to inspect her features. A reaction to put her mind at ease, in order to assume that the makeup was still it in proper order. Definitely not out of some obsessive need. That would be crazy.
She tutted at herself. The black lines under her eyes, not even the mascara could hide, bags, ugly things. She tuted at herself again. She had kept herself alive for the last two days on coffee alone, and the lack of any beauty sleep had finally caught up to her, ravaging her usually pristine looks.
But it was a small price to pay, she conceded to herself, the dresses looked marvellous. (If she would allow herself to say that much about them) Nothing was too good for a royal wedding after all.
She snapped the mirror back down, surveying the platform once more, only an elderly gentlecolt was on the same one she was, though based on his heavier attire he was probably stopping at Manehatten. Either that or the cold was getting to him as well. Rarity felt it much less at the moment, having nothing but piping hot coffee warming her stomach.
She looked at the horizon, the sun was just showing its celestial form, still mostly obscured by the tree line. She made it to be around five am.
The other girls were late.
She expected it from Rainbow dash of course. Loyal to her friends but not so much to proper etiquette or timing. But the others? Well maybe Pinkie Pie, now that she thought about it, but the poor dear had been rather odd, or odder, as of late, sporadically that was. One day she was fine normal weird levels of Pinkie -ness, the next, well… She hoped it was one of the good days at least. She would hate for the mare to be away from, what was to be, the biggest party this side of the next century.
She rubbed her eyes again.
Her head hurt.
Though, now that she thought about it, it had been flaring up all week. She blamed it on her sleep deprivation, though she’d had nights like this before, she couldn’t quite quell the discomfort, usually her spells would keep them at bay. It wasn’t the healthy option, she knew that. No spell should ever be supplemented for healthy diet or sleep, every filly and colt in kindergarten knew this.
But again, ever the artist, her work demanded sacrifice at times even at the cost of her health at this time.
She flicked her scarf back over her shoulder, she loved the feel of it, it was always reliably warm, it was one of the few items of clothing she had received from her Parents she actually used. Not that she didn't love the sentiment, but well they weren't as savvy as she was in the scene, knitted jumpers were nice but…
Though that reminded her, she would have to visit them some time, and not just to drop off Sweetie Belle.
She turned around out of boredom, as she surveyed her surroundings she looked over by the end of the platform, she spotted a small shop inside the waiting rooms. Perhaps some water would help clear up this pesky headache, it couldn’t hurt.
Rarity lifted her bag up, she cantered down the train stop, counting her bits. Five was more than enough.
Fluttershy shivered, ruffling her wings for warmth, the morning cold pierced her coat and caused her to shake involuntarily. Even her natural immunity to the cold being a Pegasus, did little to save her from the abrasiveness of this frozen, cloudless, early spring morning.
She decided to pick up her pace, hoping that would warm her up, she was almost at the train stop, she could sit inside one of the waiting rooms and wait for the girls, she decided. She lamented leaving her animals behind; She always did. Even when it was forsimple things, like when she went to the shops for supplies, she still felt like she was leaving a part of herself when she left their presence. It was the main reason she was late to the meeting point at the station. These types of things had always marred her, even when she was a filly.
Home was where the heart was and for Fluttershy, that cottage and her little charges were more of her heart than the pumping organ inside her could ever be counted for. She had an affinity for any living breathing creature, be it snail or whale.
But even still, she knew it was something she had to do. Twilight needed her help and she would do anything for her best friend, especially after all she had done for her.
She just wished it wasn’t so far away…
“Now Fluttershy don’t be so selfish.” She chided herself, it was only for a few days, her animals were for the most part self-sustaining, at least enough to make do without her for a few days. They loved her company, almost as much as she did theirs, and they loved her medical help perhaps more so than that. But they were still animals and they were more than self-sufficient on their own.
She picked up her pace again, though her gaze kept turning back towards the direction of her Cottage. Of course, she was so close to the train station on the other side of town there was no way she could even hope to spot it, but that didn’t stop her trying.
She made her way over towards the train station with resignation. She knew it was silly but she just felt so empty at times like these, but no matter, she could do nothing about it, she would see her friend in only a few moments and that would change. Her friends were always so happy to be around, their company so enjoyable, they would cheer her up.
She climbed the stairs to the platform, when she heard yelling coming from one of the shops “Twelve bits!? For water. What kind of underhoofed racket are you playing at!?”
“Look lady, it’s twelve or nothin’ take it or leave it.”
“Oh I shall leave it alright, but just know this won’t stand, I’ll have you know that come the end of this month everypony will know just how crooked you are!”
Fluttershy epp’ed at the noise. It was unmistakably Rarity. Was she okay?
Fluttershy made her way towards the glass door of the shop, peering through the glass so that only her head was visible. Inside the two mare were face to face.
“Would you charge twelve Bits if I was with foal, I bet you wouldn’t!”
The mare behind the counter looks at her lopsided studying the mare's body. “Wait, you’re with foal?”
“No of course no—
“Actually now that you mention, it you kinda’ look—“
Rarity could feel a vein in her forehead ready to burst. “Enough of this, good day ma’am!” She yelled, storming out the shop, all but flinging the door off its hinges with her magic.
Stepping out she touched her horn lightly, it stung like nothing she had felt before and shot bolts of pain down into her skull. That wasn’t very smart of her, over exertion and a headache. My she thought, I should really had to control her temper better in the future.
She turned, hoping that nopony saw her more unladylike anger, when she spotted something familiar to her laying on the floor.
“Fluttershy? Whatever are you doing down there?”
Fluttershy moaned weakly as she looked up, she turned meekly up to her friend clutching her nose with a hoof. Already trickles of blood were pouring down from her hoof ,as she tried to compress it.
“Fluttershy, my Luna, you’re bleeding, what happened!?” Rarity stated in shock, moving closer to her downed friend.
Fluttershy sniffled a bit, unable to speak through the pain, she drew her eyes to the door and then to Rarity.
Rarity followed the line of sight, then back to her friend with an ‘o’ expression on her face before walking over and kneeling down to her friend, touching her shoulder softly, like her she would shatter into a thousand pieces if any amount of pressure was applied.
“Fluttershy darling I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I didn’t even see you behind the door, oh how stupid of me, are you okay, nothing’s broken is it?”
Fluttershy blinked away some of the reactionary tears, her nose hurt less than it must have looked. But it was the touch that caused her to look away more, though the simple act brought much of the pain away. “I-It’s fine Rarity… It’s my fault I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.”
Rarity shook her head. “Now don’t you dare apologise for my misdoing, had I not lost my temper… Oh I am sorry though, here let me get you something to stop the bleeding.” She ushered her demure friend over to a bench near the store.
Rarity looked around in her saddlebag for something to use. However all she had had really packed in her luggage were the wedding dresses, sowing equipment and her cosmetics. Nothing that could stem the bleeding. It was only when she reached down further that something blocked the view of the open bag. Her scarf slid off her shoulder as she hunched over, dragging across the bag. She stared at it, and then sighed.
“Here.” She stated, with only a hint of apprehension, offering the scarlet red material to her friend, as she levitated it off her shoulders and towards her friend.
Fluttershy stares at her friend in bewilderment. “Rarity I-I, you shouldn’t.”
“Please darling it’s fine, actions have consequences lest we never learn, besides, it’s simple enough to make again.” She stated, earnestly hoofing over the scarf to her dear friend.
“Tank you.” She muffled through the scarf, as she put pressure on her wounded nostrils. The pain had already began to subside, for a surprisingly timid and some would say weak creature, she found her pain often died quickly, which was a bit of a blessing, considering the antics she had been up to these past years with the girls.
“Ya’ know, it’s hard convincing granny that we all don’t invite trouble all the time, but you girls can’t even help yourselves this early in the morn.” A cocky voice ran out.
Both girls bolted up in surprise, quickly turned towards the southern accent, that gave them both a greeting with the tip of her hat and a friendly smirk, as she set down her saddlebags by the side of the bench they were currently seated on.
“Applejack, don’t just sneak up on us like that, you nearly scared me out of my coat!” Rarity snipped back with a glare.
The cowpony simply let out a short snort, she looked at Rarity with a sideways glance.
“For your information, I was here well before you were, ifin’ anything ya’ll should be apologising for not sayin’ hi to me.” She stated with a grin.
Rarity gave her friend a deadpan stare. “Now, if I didn’t know any better Applejack I’d say you were lying, there was nopony here except me and that old Gentlecolt down the side there.” She pointed to the old Stallion, who conveniently looked back at her, giving the group a friendly wave.
“Well yeah, did ya not look next to him, I was sittin’ right there talking to him.”
Instantly Rarity adopted a more sheepish expression, as she stared back at the green coated stallion. How had she not noticed Applejack was easily a hoof taller than the old colt? She should have been easy to spot, she was sure she would have seen Applejack positive even, obviously Applejack couldn’t have blended into her surroundings, unless she was hiding some sort of horn under that Stetson. Oh, it must have been that blasted headache of mine, Rarity now found she couldn’t wait to rest on the train.
“orry Appleja—“ Fluttershy stopped her apology when Rarity gave her ‘that look’. The one that she had used many times, when Fluttershy was being too self defeating or modest. It was a look that had been used more that once in Fluttershy's life.
Applejack snorted a laugh, “I’m kiddin’ Shy.” It’s good ta’ see ya’ again, even if it were only a day ago we last meet up.”
“A day of putting you girls together for the dress making might as well constitue a week. My word, how you lot make such a herculean task out of the mundane, I’m surprised I even had the time to finish them all.” She finished with a cocky grin.
“Ha, says the girl that spends all her daylight hours racing to that spa. Surprised you don't just move into the sauna for what it's worth.” Applejack baited back, earning a well meaning, equally playful, huff from the fashionista.
Fluttershy simply smiled, she loved those feelings she felt around the girls, the sense of loving camaraderie, even if it was playful jabs, if felt almost sisterly in a way. She had never felt these before meeting the group as a whole. Sure, she had meet Applejack and Rarity before, but it was more in passing, the only exception to that was Rarity, who lived right in the heart of town near the food market, thus making it impossible not to meet in a passing encounter, she had never said, or whispered more accurately, more than a few extra words to the mare. Now however, she couldn’t even consider what her life would be like without this now.
She found back in the day, she couldn’t be around pony’s long enough to truly know any of them. In fact, if it wasn’t for a certain cyan friend, she wagered that she would probably never even see anypony, except for those that took their pets to her for medical care.
Speaking of cyan friends.
“What were you talking to the stallion about anyway!?” A tomcoltish voice called up from the roof, as she leaned over the black shingles, so that only her face was visible above them, her voice raised just enough to make all three jump in response.
“Gosh darnit R.D! What’s wrong with ya’, the sun ain’t even risen yet and you’re already pullin’ pranks, get down from there gosh darnit!” Applejack yelled more shocked than angry.
Rainbow dash simply lowered herself, gliding down with her wings, cackling all the way. “Sorry couldn’t resist.” She fictitiously apologised.
Rarity collected herself first, giving Rainbow, and then Applejack a grumpy look. “If it wasn’t at my expense as well Applejack, I would say that was a bit of karmic justice Applejack!” Rarity lifted up her muzzle turning away from Applejack towards Rainbow giving the mare a disapproving stare as she stared down her muzzle at her.
“And what took you so long? Don’t tell me you were sitting up there all this time as well.”
Rainbow waved her hoof at her. “Nahh, I was round Sugarcube Corner, only got here like two minutes ago. Wanted to make sure Pinkie was okay. You know she’s been actin funny all week, well not in her usual Pinkie haha funny way, you know?”
The other Girls looked at each other nodded in turn. Pinkie had been acting strangely since the last two weeks, distracted, distant and disorientated, definitely not her usual idiosyncratic way. It was actually a sad sight for the residents of Ponyville, to see the mare simply walk towards her destination, instead of her usual darting, skipping and jumping movements.
She assured everyone she was fine. But still the girls couldn’t help but worry, to the point that they had sat her down and told her that after this trip, she would have to see a doctor. They couldn’t bare to have some awful, possibly avoidable illness befall her. Pinkie had reluctantly agreed, but as it happened she wasn’t a fan of needles, or doctors, or waiting rooms, so the group needed quite a lot more time and hot cocoa to convince her.
“How is she?” Fluttershy asked first in earnest, ever concerned for her friends wellbeing.
Rainbow bit her lip for a moment in thought, considering how to phrase it. “She’s… Better, she said she was still coming, I told her there was no way Twilight would hold it against her if she didn’t make it. I said if she felt like she wasn’t going to be able to take the long train journey, don’t chance it. But she was pretty sure she was good to go. You know how she is when her minds all made up, there ain’t any way of stopping her.”
Applejack and Rarity exchanged knowing, ironic gazes to one another before shaking their heads.
“Hey, I saw that!” Rainbow yelled, pointing her hoof accusingly at them.
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well at least she’s fine, but let’s keep an eye out for her this trip.”
“I’ll do it…” Fluttershy was the first to volunteer “I mean, I have some medical experience, with my animals I mean, not that Pinkies an animal, but well, I could help her, if she feels unwell on the train.”
“We get ya girl, don’t worry that ain’t a bad idea. I’m sure when we get to the castle we can ask Twilight's brother to get someone to look at her, make sure they don’t use an needles or what not, or at least get someone to keep an eye out for her.”
Rarity eyes darted towards the platform entrance. “Speaking of Twilight, where is she, she would be the last pony I would have wagered to have been second last to show?”
The other girls shrugged. Looking at the bottom of the station staircase. Nopony showed.
“Aah, we still got like twenty minutes till the train shows. She’ll be fine. She’s probably stressing over which quill she needs, or what book will teach her about weddings or somethin’.” Rainbow chuckled at her own joke as the others kept their peripheral sight on the entrance.
The group lapsed into a small silence, as they settled into a small circle around and on the bench.
“Anyway you didn’t answer my question A.J.” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Huh? Oh the Stallion you mean? Yeah gotta’ talkin’ while I was waiting for ya’ll. Funny, he came up to me first, not that I minded the company, he was a kindly sorta’ guy, he said he recognised me from a photo and he couldn’t put my face to a name.” Applejack smiled, she wasn’t so deterred by the odd set of question as much anymore. Being heroes of Equestria came with all sorts of fame in itself, and with fame came the unspoken clause that strange ponies sometimes approached her with these sorts of questions, and the odd autograph every blue moon.
Rarity hummed in understanding “You mean, the stallion recognised you from a news clipping?”
Applejack chuckled. “Funny, I asked him somethin’ similar to that, but nah he said it was a photo of all of us from Sugarcube Corner, apparently he was here visiting Pinkie, said he was family, distant relative or something like that weren’t too specific. Guess he’s just getting on in the years, I didn’t pry too much, still though I thought it a mite-bit strange seein’ as how she never mentioned anypony like him before and he looked nothing like her.”
“Yeah, but she never mentioned any of her relatives, you know, I heard from Miss Cake that she has sisters, like three of them!” Rainbow added with an exacerbated wave of her hoof for effect.
Rarity and Fluttershy looked at one another in shock and a little bit hurt that Pinkie never mentioned her relatives, a slight bit of curiosity hit their mind as well, where they as sporadic and boisterous as Pinkie was? Or were they even weirder, even more Pinkie Pie than even Pinkie Pie herself. The thought intrigued and also scared them slightly.
“That was my point exactly hun. But seeing how our track record for hidden siblings is going, I guess it weren’t that strange now that Twilight only told us two days ago that she even had a brother.”
“Yeah she practically screams only child, what with her being so out there and in pony’s faces and all.” Dash said with another chuckle.
“Rainbow,aren’t you an only child to?” Fluttershy pointed out, finally feeling comfortable removing the scarf from her nose, noting that there wasn’t as much blood on it than she thought, thankfully, and that it was only slightly noticeable, mixed into the dark red fabric. Maybe she could wash the scarf and bring it back to Rarity, she would hate to ruin something so nice and warm.
Rainbow blinked, looking at Fluttershy oddly. “Well yeah, what do that have to—“
“Hi every pony, sorry I’m late!” A lavender pony in the distance yelled, racing down the platform, spare pages and other stationary materials falling from her oversized bag, as she galloped down the platform. An equally purple ball of scales racing behind her picking up the items that fell behind her.
“Geeze girl, slow down, train ain’t even here yet.” Applejack yelled as she caught Twilight in her hooves, before she rammed into the group. She eyed her Lavender friend, she looked… Well, she wasn’t a doctor or anything, but she had heard of schizophrenia before, now she wasn’t saying her Lavender unicorn friend had such an awful mental illness. But it was safe to say that the usually patient, happy, studious Twilight, was not in the vicinity at the moment, and instead in her hooves she held the twitchy, addled, unstable Twilight.
Or as Rainbow Dash classfully coined it, crazy Twilight.
She didn’t care for the prospect of another want it need it spell so, she decided to cut the stem of those problems before it budded.
“Okay, easy girl, it’s all good, everything’s fine.”
“Of course everything’s fine, why wouldn’t it be fine, I can’t wait to get to Canterlot and give my brother a piece of my mi—loving admiration for marrying a total stranger and telling me a mere few days before hitching up together and getting married, and to royalty no less. Some stuck up pony from who knows where. Why wouldn’t that be totally fine!?” Her eye twitched twice as she nervously chuckled. Applejack cringed a bit, did her eyes always point in different directions when she was like this?
Spike had finally joined the group grunting and huffing as he fought to get in as much oxygen as he could. “She’s. *huff* She's been like this for two *huff* days now. I would have warned you, but she made me re-shelf the bookcases every two hours so, *huff* couldn’t get out of the house.” Spike croaked out, falling down where he stood, momentarily dead to the world. The group turned from him to exchanged worried glances at one another before they turned back to eyeing their beloved friend twitch, mutter and pacing on the spot.
Rarity had to fight with all her might not to immediately start brushing that mess of tied knots and cully disaster zone she called Twilight's mane at the moment. It looked like a bird had come to nest in it, and was that a burn mark on the left side of her bangs? Rarity shuddered. Calm her down first Rarity, then you can save it, or you can save what’s left of it.
It was Applejack who came in to save the day, lightly touching her friends back and guiding her onto the bench in an attempt to avoid this meltdown.
“Well why don’t you just sit here Pumpkin, that’s it now take a few deep breaths, there you go, that’s it. Now let’s all try and stay calm, everything’s going as planned, right, you got your checklist for the day right.”
Twilight nodded looking down distantly, her sporadic movements cleared up by the calming tone. Much like Celestia used to do.
“All right that’s good, now the trains running on time, you got your ticket and dress all set and ready?”
“Rarity should.” Twilight mumbled, as she looked up at her alabaster coloured friend, who smiled with a bit too much teeth, and nodded with too much vigor at her. The normally educated cadence in Twilights voice returned into her tone.
Spike looked at Applejack in shock, like she had just tamed Cerberus with a hug, he couldn’t get her to calm down in two whole days. Now, Applejack was doing it with just a few sentences. He would have to get lessons after all this was over. He had no idea Applejack had super calming powers!
“All righty then, I’d say everything just perfect nothing to go craz— uhh, get yourself all worried over. Everyone’s here waiting for the train as planned. The longn five hour train, with only one break, and only one room for us all to share, calmly yeah.”
Twilight sighed, letting the knots and pressure inside herself untangle and free themselves with that one single breath. “You’re right, Thanks Applejack I—
“Actually Applejack, that’s not true, Pinkies not here.” Fluttershy stated to her side, not clued into what she had just done.
Before Applejack had time to panicky shush her, as if by the very graces of the universe itself had noticed, the sounds of the train whistle perforated through the air. The group turned to see the train speedily in the distance, come closer and closer to the Platform, it would be here in a mere few minutes
Hoof still on Twilight back, she felt Twilight body twitch again, her eye was doing that funny thing it did and not in a haha funny sort of way almost immediately, everything that Applejack had just done was undone in a matter of seconds. She only had one word to comment on that.
“Ah horseapples!”
Pinkie made her way through the streets of Ponyville, careful not to over exert herself.
She still had all her Pinkie like energy, that boisterous happy energy that’s only rivaled a foal in Candyland. But she still felt different, she knew that all too well.
The sun was slightly higher now, than when she had awoken, the bright celestial beams were cutting through the icy chill of the morning, speedly making its way up the deep blue sea in the sky, it warmed her body, but did little to warm her spirits. No matter how many times she tried to fill her mind with happy thoughts, that one specific thought kept shooting its way back into her mind, cutting through the happy thoughts like butter. She couldn’t shake it. Literally she had tried, but it only seemed to make her dizzy.
She frowned, an act that brought more pain to her than most ponies, but even she knew that sometimes such expressions were needed, she wasn’t crazy. Contrary to popular belief she knew suppressing one's true emotions was unhealthy and that you couldn’t be smiley, cheery joy joy aaaall the time. Even if it did make her look like a grumpy gumpy.
Should I tell them? The idea like an alien voice in her mind she didn’t recognise, It had returned to her every few moments, stopping any form of thought in her mind, it was all her mind would focus on.
Well she knew she should, or at least she would, it was the right thing to do. Pinkie was horrible with keeping secrets. But this one was super duper important. Was it right to keep a secret if it could hurt her or somepony else more than if she didn’t say?
She knew it would hurt, maybe even crush, her friends feeling, to find out she had been keeping it a secret for so long, especially Applejack, a mare who prided herself on being able to sniff out a lie twenty acres away. But she had to keep this lie going for now, she couldn’t tell, she had been living with it for so long, how could she?
But they were her best friends, they had a right to know. Especially now, she wouldn’t be able to hide this anymore. She would tell them…After the wedding that was. This wasn’t her special super duper romantic day. She would never steal someponys limelight, even if this was very important to her.
Then again, maybe she was just trying to postpone the inevitable, the ramifications of her actions was all she could think about. Made worse, only by the idea that she just didn’t know what would happen, once she told them.
Ohh all of those thoughts were making her heart, head, and her--.
Pinkie Pie opened her eyes wider than before, sucking in a shocked breath.
“OH-oh, no-no-no not now!”
Panicking she bolted forwards galloping at full Pinkie speed up the cobbled street. The train station was about two hundred hooves from her. But she easily closed the distance in next to no time at all, jumping most of the stairs to the platform top. As soon as she made it up the line, she thanked Celestia, the Conductor was about to call for last orders as he stood at the last carriage.
“Waiiit!” Pinkie cried out, jumping at the conductor, who didn’t even have the chance to scream in surprise, as she bolted on top of him and into the carriage in search of a restroom.
Rainbow Dash, along with Rarity, kept their heads out of the train window, hoping to spot their friend Pinkie, so that they could warn the conductor to stop, should she arrive in the nick of time. However, it was Rainbows keen senses that caught sight of her first, out of her peripheral vision, before Rarity, as she noticed the Pinkie blur pounce up the stairs with terrific speed and agility.
Rainbow screamed to her.
“There she is! Hey Pinkie, over here come on the trains leaving!”
The rest of the group turned, looking out the window, only to witness and cringe as they saw the savage collision between mare and conductor.
Pinkie Pie barely considered her friend’s words, too preoccupied by the need to find a safe room as the build-up in her body was becoming too much to control. She would meet her friends further down the train, when she got herself under control again.
She just hoped they weren’t too curious to come find her first.
She let out a thankful prayer to Celestia as she found the unisex toilets in the caboose was currently not occupied. Bolting into it, she slammed the lock down, just in time.
“You’ll never get away with this!” The mare behind Chrysalis yelled, despite her fatigue, she was still as rowdy as she had been the first week they had captured her.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes, as she dipped the quill into the ink pot, she was getting tired of this mare. Admittedly, she could have gone into another room to finish her work, but with her plans so close to fruition, she had to make sure everything was in order. She trusted her children with her life, and her royal guards especially. But in the back of her mind she could not rest easy without making sure that everything was going perfectly according to plan. And if that meant playing guard to the alicorn herself, so be it.
“They’ll find me, it’s only a matter of time. You can’t win this!”
She continued her scratching on the paper, ignoring the princesses bewailing and morose threats. She had to admit, somewhere deep within her, she had a little bit of respect for the audacious little mare. Defiance, even in the heart of the enemy’s nest. The gall to talk down to a creature vastly superior to her in both strength and wisdom.
In some ways it reminded her of herself, when she was that age. Belligerent, difficult and undeniably rambunctious.
It was also something she deeply despised about the mare. She was like a living nostalgia, a version of her halcyon days before that night, that had come back to torment her. Some sadistic side of her wanted to turn around and prove the mares unfounded arrogance wrong. Show her the awakening, enlighten her of the consequences she herself had once faced for such defiance. Chrysalis had her magic and she knew some spell that could make it happen.
Deep dark awful spells, reserved for only the worst of her enemies, ones she hadn’t used in over five hundred years, on a select few Lings that had led, or more accurately caused, her to plan this very day. Oh it would be so easy, all the little mare would have to do would be to look into her reptilian eyes and she would be a babbling mess of flesh for the rest of her long long life. Never to know true comfort or even sleep without her deepest fear rushing to the forefront of her mind’s eye.
Yes it would have been easy.
But Chrysalis was not going to go that far. She had learned to control that anger, mitigate her sullen and morose habits, she had to, if she was going to be a ruler. Only a few times had she ever let herself become that all-encompassing anger, one of her many sisters was the last that she remembered invoking it upon. Besides, there was no point, she knew her anger towards the mare was purely coincidental. It wasn’t as if the mare was actively trying to dig up old wounds simply by being herself. How would she even know?
Besides if Chrysalis was any example, she would know these pains eventually. Alicorns, like herself, lived a long long life and if anything was ever to present itself as the meaning of living it was moments of peace and happiness set atop a backdrop of horror and suffering.
The Alicorn would learn on her own.
Chrysalis shook her head, sighing at herself, as she realised she had just wrote the same sentence three times in her distraction. She shook her head, scrunching the paper up in her magic and throwing it away. Before lifting up a fresh scroll and starting anew.
“If you harmed even a single hair on his head, I swear I’ll hunt you down and bury you in the deepest part of Equestria!”
The Queen chuckled to herself, she didn’t think that what she did to him these last two weeks could be constituted as hurting the stallion, contrary to what some might have believed, most forms of love extraction was fun for both parties. But she wasn’t about to debate that with the defiant little filly behind her.
“Why are you even here? Equestria will never accept you as their ruler!”
My my she had spunk, had she even slept, it had been weeks and she was still yelling, sure she kept the princess feed and watered contrary to how she looked. Alicorns sure where powerful creatures. She almost wished she could keep this filly longer, experiment on her, perhaps she could come up with a whole new line of Changelings with enough time and understanding of her magic.
But alas, time was not a friend to Chrysalis as of late.
A knock came behind the prismatic wall, Chrysalis lifted her head looking towards the florescent blue cavern wall, the whole cavern had been carved out perfectly to her specifications, though it was a little easier when they worked through the pre-existing mine shaft. The room she was in was to be as impenetrable as a vault. Especially since it was to contain something as valuable as any diamond.
“Enter.” She stated, she knew that she could have simply commanded through the Hive link, but she had commanded against such actions in the presence of the prisoner. She wanted to make sure that the Alicorn would have no viable information on the Changeling race, besides the obvious, once they had left Canterlot.
If anything, it would only simply be to put the other Queens minds at ease, once they found out what had happened. The last thing she wanted after her plans had succeeded was an all-out hive war between them. Her actions now would have been charge for a dethronement of her queenly stature, should all go amiss. But It wouldn’t, there was to be literally no conceivable way that she would be found out. She was sure of it.
The walls were in gulped in green light, Two seemingly inseparable parts of the crystal dungeon moved to either side, with a deep foreboding rumble, that shook the room. As they parted from one another the only thing left on the other side was a comically small changeling, by comparison to the enormous chamber doors waiting patiently for them to stop. The drone was small but seemed to be around its pre-adult phase. The little ling must be due to shed his last chitin in the next few days. Chrysalis mused to herself as she set down the scroll and turned her body towards the little Ling.
“My queen.” The Ling said bowing deeply, Chrysalis nodded and the ling approched her quickly.
“Yes my child, what is it, and why have they sent you, I had orders that one of the infiltrators would carry out intelligence drops to me?” She refrained from using her real name for security purposes, an idea that had be proven appropriate when the loud squawking Princess had finally turned quite behind her.
Though, now that she thought about it she was sure that the little mare would have no way of differentiating between any her children. Ponies seemed very aloof with the differences between her Children. But Chrysalis could tell even without the Hive minds help. Still though, the added security helped.
“S-sorry my Queen, they were busy and I was closest to your room.” He stated meeting her eyes with ill ease, before fixating them back towards the ground once again.
The little Ling was shaking, it must have been the first time he had an audience with her. The poor little Nymph.
“No need for apologies, just say what you have to say child, I have much to do even before the sun starts to rise.”
The Little Ling almost jumped up from his spot “Yes my Queen, Infiltrator General S—
“Yes I know his name, need I remind you what I said about uttering names child.” Chrysalis chided back, letting a bit of anger out in her voice as warning. Usually she was very patient, especially with the young, but she was not going to allow any of her children to fall into danger over a stupid, easily avoidable blunder. She turned her gaze to the disgruntled princes, who was staring adamantly at the conversation. She didn’t even know how the mare had sussed out their language, she must have cast the bilingual spell before they had been able to restrain her. The spell took time to adjust to a language, around three days though. Enough time for Chrysalis to realise what the mare had done. She was cunning enough to hide it at first, but Chrysalis was smarter, She feed her faulty information from the start, going so far into the absurd that even the mare knew she was being played. Now the mare just used it to but in every once in awhile and to occasionally annoy or interrupt her.
Though it would be amusing if she still thought we bleed acid. Chrysalis almost chuckled at that thought.
“Sorry—
“Get on with it already.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes.
The little Ling snapped back up to attention. “The general said they are in position, also they have located the package.”
Chrysalis eyes lit up at the news her lips, split into a naturally giddy smile, she had expected her children to spend the rest of the day locating what she had needed.
“He is not some package!” The mare behind her growled.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes at the aloof statement, young love really did make ponies blind.
“Where was it then, the vault under the east wing, one of the forbidden spires or was it in the cordoned off part of the royal archives?”
“U-Um neither of those your majesty. It was in the gardens.”
Chrysalis blinked a few times, waiting for the little Ling to finish his sentence. But he just stood there waiting with his eyes staring at the ground still.
“The Gardens?” She repeated to herself. “Why on Ash would the package be there?”
She looked at the Alicorn for a second, not sure what she could hope to find from staring at her. Especially considering that the mare was looking back at her with her head cocked to the side now, not quite sure what the two Changeling were actually talking about anymore.
“Was there spell wards on the package? Griffon runes? A platoon of Guards?
The little Ling shook its head.
“Nothing your Majesty, the package is just there out in the open, there is a barracks, but that’s at least six hundred yards away from it. It’s for the most part unguarded, save for passing patrols. The general said one of his Infiltrators found a leaflet explaining about some tour that is happening sometime next year, the leaflet even encouraged colts and fillies to go.”
“Strange, how very strange indeed…has the old mare finally gone soft of mind?” She spoke the thought out loud looking down in complete befuddlement.
“My auntie is not soft of mind you big ugly bug!” Cadence screamed finally clocking on enough to join back into the conversation.
“Oh for the love of the Old Mothers.” Chrysalis whispered, levitating a piece of cloth and wrapping it around the mare’s snout, like a dog muzzle. “There, much better, don’t know why I didn’t do that a while ago.”
Cadence immediately fought to bring the cloth from her muzzle using her wings and hooves to pry it off. But without the assistance of her magic, the cloth wouldn’t budge. After a minute, she simply stared daggers back at Chrysalis growling and mumbling incoherent insults back at her.
“Like an angry pink puppy.” Chrysalis cackled, before turning back to the little Ling.
“Have the general keep the squads there, I want no complications or outside interference, the package is the most vital part of the plan. Even more so than the wedding itself, make sure they all understand that clearly, or there will be dire consequences.” She stated making sure to emphasize the dire part. She had gone over this plan more than a hundred times, prognosticating every conceivable outcome and planning every single second of it making it as perfectly executed as one could get, when considering that two of the most powerful beings would be in the presence of this scheme.
Though, if all went perfectly well, the plan would be executed without them even knowing she was there, until it was far too late.
“Oh and before you go.”
The little Ling turned so fast and bowed he almost hit his head on the crystal floor. “Yes my Queen.”
“Give this to the general as a surprise gift from me. He has done everything I have asked with perfection, and such actions don’t go unnoticed from his Queen.” She stated, lighting up her horn. The little Changeling’s horn lit up in response as a wave of euphoria hit him like a tsunami, almost knocking him off of his hooves.
“There, you may keep a small portion of that for yourself as a reward as well, I know how draining those last few phases of chitin shedding can be, now go!” She commanded, waving him away with her hoof. The little Ling nodded dumbly, stumbling up and hitting the door with his flank as he bolted away, almost drunk off the levels of love he had just absorbed.
Chrysalis knew that feeling, she had never had so much come from such a raw fountain as when she meet this stallion, or the Alicorn sisters. She would need all of it and more if she was to accomplish her goal however. She would have to wait until the peak of the wedding, the exchange of kisses the point where a pony couples love almost peaks to new levels. Then and only then would she be able to have the power to undo the petrification and take back what was hers.
Her horn glowed with that sickly yet enrapturing green, that even Cadence couldn’t take her eyes away from each time she looked at it. No magical aura had even been that shade of green in recorded history.
Chrysalis sighed. It wasn’t a tired sigh, it was more to psych herself up, one more day, she was to win or die trying.
Turing as Cadence, to Cadence she smiled everything an exact facsimile of herself, save for the fangy, malicious smile . “Well, the time is nigh little puppy, wish me luck!”
Cadence simply humped, flaring two of her primary feathers up at Chrysalis. A Pegasus gesture and not a nice one.
“Well if you’re not in the mood for a little joking around and fun, then I’m sure your little squeeze won’t mind if I take over.” She cackled when Cadence growled and bucked the crystal over and over in frustration.
Chrysalis smirk widened at her futile efforts. Well, she didn’t exactly promise that she wasn’t going to tell her what she was doing with that hunk of Blue and white. She flared her magic engulfing herself in Flame completing her disguise she gave herself a once over in the crystal reflections of the cavern to the background noises of huffing, frustrated cries and clashing against crystal. This wasn’t how she thought her life was going to end up, but stranger things have happened and life especially for one of her kind was a fickle thing.
She shook her head, pondering her destiny could wait, she had two daughters to greet.
With a flair of her Horn she teleported.
Tomorrow was going to be one for the ages.