The Heart of The Queen

by Pumpernickel Rye

Making Memories

Making Memories

Once Nymph had finished reading aloud, she looked up at her two friends. “Your thoughts? I spent a lot of time and effort on this, so I need to know how you honestly felt about it. Don’t hold back!”

Cadance, found within the crystal ball as she sat in her bedroom all the way at the Crystal Empire, said, “That was so...so…”

“Romantic!” Rarity finished before squeeing. Because she lived a lot closer in Ponyville, Nymph didn’t have too much trouble maintaining a connection with her using the dresser mirror.

“It’s every mare dream!” Cadance swooned. “The way Glistening protects her from that dragon!”

“And how they cuddle in the cave during the storm!” Rarity kicked her hooves while giggling like a filly. “And don’t get me started on the love making! I feel tingly just from thinking about it!” She fanned herself as red crept onto her cheeks. “I need to hear the next chapter right now!”

“Patience, Rarity,” said Nymph as she put the paper stack aside. “I’m taking this slowly to ensure that the story stays on track. I have the next chapter planned and I will get to work on it soon. No doubt this will be the greatest tale of romance ever written in modern time!” She pointed at Cadance. “With you as the greatest romance expert in Equestria to offer good, realistic romance,” Nymph motioned toward Rarity, “you acting as the perfect pony for our demographic and providing me with knowledge of what ponies like you want,” she then pointed to herself, “and I providing the story with a variety of spices, in a manner of speaking, I will finally write something I can be proud of! And of course, with changeling and pony relationships being so rare, I’m sure it will stand out.”

“I think that it alone makes it so enthralling,” said Cadance once she calmed down. “It already feels something like something completely unique. Although, it does remind me of something.”

“Such as?”

Cadance leaned back in her seat, hoof under her chin. “I don’t know, but I feel like the two leads remind of me of some ponies. We have Glistening Hauberk, this unicorn knight who is incredibly noble and courageous, although kind of a goof, and then we Cicada, this changeling of noble heritage that dreams of true love and likes to have a green mane as part of her appearance. I feel like...I feel like I actually know them.”

Nymph nervously glanced over to Rarity, who also seemed lost in thought. “When you say it like that, Cadance, I also can’t help but think I know these two from somewhere.”

The author tugged the collar of her cloak. “W-well, real life does give inspiration.”

The alicorn studied her silently and moved closer. “And what exactly inspired you for these two characters?”

There was something about Cadance that rattled Nymph to her core. Her face was rather soft for one acting with suspicion, but her eyes seemed as if they were looking directly into her soul. “Okay, you caught me. The truth is I am sorta basing them around two people I know.”

Cadance picked up her hand mirror and held it close to her face, leaving only her eyes visible. “Who?”

“Chrysie and Luna.”

Immediately, both ponies gasped happily. “Oh, that makes so much sense!” Rarity gushed. “I can easily see the resemblance between Cicada and Chrysalis now.”

“And Luna does have the bravery of a dashing knight,” giggled Cadance. “I suppose their magical night provided you with a lot of material as well.”

“Absolutely!” Nymph picked up her latest chapter. “I think we were all surprised Luna was the one to make the move. Still, I feel so proud of her for finally breaking out of her shell. She gets so flustered whenever Chrysalis brings up sex.”

“Flustered is an understatement,” said Rarity. “She took nearly thirty minutes to put on that lingerie I made for her order and she nearly passed out when she looked in the mirror. How she found the will to present herself to Chrysalis in such a manner is a mystery.”

“I can only imagine what Chrysalis did once she had the chance,” commented Cadance. “If this chapter is anything to go by, then Chrysalis clearly pulled all the stops. I hope she didn’t overwhelm Auntie Luna with her...tastes.” A bright blush grew on her face. “On that note, Shining and I have a special night tonight and I wouldn’t mind trying that little technique with the horn.”

“Trust me, Cadance. That one will make the night memorable. Do you need a refresher on what to do?”

The princess’s blush darkened. “N-no need. I think I got it.” Cadance straightened her posture on the chair. “As I was saying, it was pretty good, but there is one little thing bothering me about the story so far.”

“Tell me.”

“As much I love our leads, I feel like things are getting a little rushed.”

Nymph banged a hoof on the dresser. “Rushed? I’ve already clearly established their relationship for several chapters!”

“Well yes, but it’s only been a few days in the story and they still don’t entirely trust each other. We’re jumping straight from enemies to romantic partners fairly fast while we don’t know all that much about either of them.”

“But love is spontaneous, Cadance!” argued Nymph. “You of all ponies should know this! Rarity, back me up here.”

“Sorry, Nymph, but I have to agree.”

Backstabber.

“I believe in love at first sight, but there’s falling for an attractive stranger and falling for somepony you consider to be your enemy. Imagine how strange how bizarre it would be for your sister to fall in love with Luna during the wedding. What the story needs is more bonding and friendship.”

“Every step is important in love and you can’t skip them,” spoke Cadance. “We can keep the sex scene, but you need to have them react realistically to someone sleeping with an enemy. Keep things awkward for a while and maybe this could be the start of their romance once they realize how much they enjoyed each other’s embrace. Let the real romance bloom after a few more chapters.”

Nymph groaned as she slumped on the furniture. She didn’t want to hear any of this, especially after so much typing and rewrites, but she asked for their help for a reason, so she had no choice but comply to their suggestions. “Fine. I’ll rewrite the chapter and make more friendship than love, but that will have to wait for later. I’ve got to go soon.”

“Of course.” Cadance waved. “See you later!” Her image disappeared from the crystal ball.

“I’ll be on my way as well,” said Rarity. “Oh, I almost forgot! You still need to send me your design idea, Nymph. The Gala is still quite a while, but I would like to get started on your dress as soon as possible.”

“My hooves are rather full at the moment, but I will come up with something as soon as I can. I need it be something I can wear with pride to my first gala in Equestria.”

“Take your time.”

“I will. Goodbye, Rarity.” When the mirror returned to her own reflection, the queen sighed. “What does Cadance know? I have hundreds of years of experience dealing with relationships! How much of an expert can she be compared to me?” Nymph paused before smacking her face with her hoof. “Okay, so maybe she has a point. I can’t believe she found a perfect pony like Shiny at such a young age.” She stood by her window, resting her forelegs on the edge as she watched people below. “How do you improve a relationship that’s already so perfect? Cicida’s the most beautiful changeling alive and he’s a heroic knight that protects her and they fall in love. That’s like every fairytale I’ve read and nobody has complained about those! Why are those stories loved and yet I can’t do the same?” She lowered her head on her forelegs. “What’s wrong with living happily ever after?”

Her long mane swayed in the breeze as she looked over to the beautiful landscape below the mountain. What exactly was “real” love? Essentially every book or movie she had seen depicted romance in just about the same manner. Her parents were proof that such love was possible. She must have asked her father thousands of times to tell her the story of him protecting Locera from those dangerous diamond dogs. To thank him for his selfless action, Locera stayed at the bedside of her guard every day to nurse him back to health. It wasn’t long until she had proposed to Scarab for marriage. If that wasn’t real love, she didn’t know what was.

In an instant, the answer clicked in her head. “Of course! It’s so obvious now! Cadance was raised as a commoner and this book is for commoners just like her!” She walked back to the table and skimmed through her book. “I was thinking something that would be more for upper changelings like me, but I need to start thinking of what lesser people would like.” She pulled out some parchment and a quill dipped in ink, jotting down a list. “Now what do they consider romantic? Flowers? Sure, every mare loves those. Candy?” She shuttered. “I guess if my friends in Ponyville love that stuff, it means mares commonly eat chocolates because it’s...romantic?” She shrugged and wrote it down. “What else? Gifts. Dates. Passionate sex. Kinky sex. Thoughts of marriage.”

After adding a few more items, Nymph kept rereading her list. “Wait, this is pretty much what I like! How is this any different than my story!?” She crumpled it up and tossed it into the wastebasket. “Developed romance. What does that even mean? Cicada provides him with comfort in his time of need, Glistening protects her from all sorts of dangers like monsters and…” She bopped the side of her head, laughing. “Oh my goodness, I feel so silly! This obviously only happens to people like me and not simple everyday citizens!” She returned to the window, looking at the people below off in the distance. “How does love work for such folk? How does one swoon another if not amazing achievements?”

She considered asking Cadance again, but Nymph felt rather embarrassed to ask her such a question. She was a changeling of over three hundred and fifty years of age and to ask her how love worked for certain people just seemed weird. Perhaps she could get some books on the subject, but no doubt many of them would contradict one another. Witnessing it for herself would be one thing, but what would be the chances she would stumble across two people falling in love? She would just need to take another crack at it and hopefully come up with something that would meet the princess’s approval.

However, writing would have to wait for another day. She still had an enormous pile of documents to sort through and would join Celestia later on for court. It wasn’t an ideal way to spend the day, but perhaps a mundane day would allow her to relax. Several days had gone by since Chrysalis appeared in Ponyville and for whatever reason, ponies were still talking about it. Newspaper articles and radio shows constantly speculating when and where the former queen would turn up once more and ponies were on edge. Many ponies had been hounding Nymph and Celestia about what they were planning to do with Chrysalis, expecting another betrayal as Discord had done not too long ago. Poor Trixie had been published on the cover of many various tabloid magazines with one going as far as claiming that she was pregnant with Twilight’s child. To ensure people weren’t panicking at the site of Chrysalis, Nymph needed a different approach to her plan, but she wasn’t sure where to begin.

Sitting herself down at the desk, Nymph picked up the first document and casually read it. She quickly skimmed through it before she caught something unusual. At the very bottom, she spotted her signature already written. She couldn’t recall reading this particular document, but perhaps she was simply tired. Celestia mentioned during breakfast that Nymph was working tirelessly through the night, so maybe she had more work done than she thought. Even stranger, when she skimmed through the small pile, she found that all of them had been signed. “I’m done? Is that even possible?” She shrugged. “Well...I guess that’s that. At least I can spend some more time with Celestia.”

With everything sealed in envelopes with her royal seal marked on each, she took them to Celestia’s personal couriers to have everything delivered as soon as possible. Happily humming to herself, Nymph strolled down the halls toward the throne room before bumping into Celestia herself. “You will not believe this, but I am completely free of paperwork for the day!”

“I am glad to hear that. You could use a day off.” Celestia walked on, for some reason away from her throne room.

Nymph quickly walked beside her. “Nonsense. We royals are always working to bring our subjects a brighter tomorrow. I shall join you in court once more to hear the pleas of ponies and changelings.”

The alicorn chuckled. “I’m afraid I’m not holding court today.”

Her words nearly brought Nymph to a complete stop. “You’re not? Has something happened?”

“Not quite. I’m going to my school to teach a class today. It’s been awhile since I’ve come to visit the children.” Celestia held her hoof against her chest, sighing happily. “So many star pupils to help brighten up my day. I really must find the time to see them more often.”

Nymph slowly nodded before asking, “Perhaps I could come along?”

“That would be lovely, but I think there might be someone who would appreciate a visit from you than the students.”

“Who?”

“Chrysalis, of course.”

Nymph’s heart jumped, but she absolutely refused to show any shock to Celestia. “You know she’s working today. Do you really want me to go down to Cupid’s Arrow with many desperate ponies and changelings clawing each other’s eyes out over me?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. She’s closed for today.”

Eye twitching, Nymph asked, “She is? Whatever for?”

“Because I asked her to take the day off. She did promise you a day to spend with her, after all.” Celestia turned to her and seemed to be not quite happy. “You’ve been staying Equestria for some time now, but I haven’t seen you two spend too much time together. Now and then, you two greet each other, spend a moment in your room, and then Chrysalis goes off to see Luna while you work or sleep.”

Nymph, taken aback, said, “That’s not unusual. We’re both really busy.”

“But you have told me how even though your kingdom was always in need of your leadership, you, Chrysalis, and your mother always made time for each other on a daily basis. Even with your crystal balls, it seems that you neither of you even attempt to contact each other at all.” Celestia then asked softly, “Are you certain everything is fine between you two?”

Nymph turned away from Celestia, staring out one of the large window. They were fine. Just fine. There was just one reason and after another they couldn’t be together for very long. At least, this was what she wanted to say. Instead, her words just came out. “I just...I both want to be with her and also I don’t. I think I may be still a little...afraid? Afraid of screwing up again? Afraid she will terrorize me like before? The thought of the two of us spending so much time together alone just...I don’t know.” She paused before looking to Celestia. “How did it go with you and Luna? Just forgive and forget?”

“I wish it was like that, Nymph.” Celestia joined her in looking over the landscape, wrapping the changeling in one of her soft wings that were warm to the touch. “No matter how difficult it may be, you have to try. No one said those wounds would heal in a day. Your relationship with Chrysalis is like one of the many beautiful flowers you have grown in your garden. If you take the time to care and nurture it, it will grow into something magnificent. Do not let it wither away.”

Nymph slowly nodded. “You don’t think Chrysalis will mind?”

“She wants to make it work. Your sister has been confiding with mine about trying to move on.” Celestia magically summoned a scrapbook and opened it up, showing Nymph a variety of photos consisting of the her and Luna. There was a picture of the two of them sitting together by the throne, one of Luna’s birthday, another with them staring into the night sky with Luna, looking much younger after being just purified, laying against Celestia, and one of them baking a cake together, both covered in batter and frosting. “My advice to you, Nymph, is to bury the past and make new memories. In time, the pain will be long forgotten as it will be far easier to recall good times rather than bad ones.”

Nymph took the book and turned the pages, finding more pleasant images within. It wasn’t long before she couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “I envy you, Celestia. Your wisdom is almost infinite and make my problems feels so trivial.” She closed the book and returned it to the princess. “I suppose there’s no point in stalling. I will head to Ponyville at once and make this day count.”

“I will have a scrapbook ready for you later so that you both can preserve your memories, so try your best to make today special.” The alicorn patted her back. “I hope you four have fun. I’ll see you tonight.”

Nymph backed away to prepare her teleportation spell. As the flames came up from the floor, they suddenly ceased to be when her horn flickered out. “Four? What do you mean?”

---

Upon warping into Cupid’s Arrow, Queen Nymph was met with a pair of blue eyes right in her face, prompting her to shriek and fly backwards. “You’re here!” Pinkie leapt into the air and grabbed onto her. Nymph, unable to fathom what was going on, yelled into terror as she flew around the room with the pony engulfing her field of view, frequently banging into a wall. “I was worried you wouldn’t come, but now we can make you and Chrysie loving sisters again!”

Chrysalis took hold of them both in her magic as Fluttershy pried her marefriend off, who wiggled wildly in her forelegs. “Sorry,” spoke the pegasus timidly. “Sometimes she gets a little too excited.”

Nymph took deep breaths and slowly landed on the couch, where Chrysalis sat waiting for her. “She takes a while to get used to,” the former queen said with a laugh. “I used to believe that one day, she would surprise me bad enough that I would drop dead.”

Once her heart had returned to normal rhythm, Nymph looked at her sister, feeling a bit skittish. “So how do we do this?”

“Easy!” Pinkie held up a camera, which only now Nymph had noticed was hanging around her neck. “We’re going to do all sorts of fun stuff together and I’ll keep taking pictures of you two!

“Fun stuff such as?”

“Well what did you two used to do for fun?” Fluttershy asked.

Nymph and Chrysalis looked at each other before picking their brains for some answers. “We always used to spend a lot of time in the royal garden,” Chrysalis said with a hint of nostalgia. “It was our little haven away from the troubles of the kingdom. We spent many years maintaining its beauty and we are proud of the work we have done.”

“There were also those times where we paid the guards in training a visit,” Nymph added. “Two beautiful princesses strolling by as their trained, calling to them and giving them flirtatious gestures. It was a good way to test their focus.”

“And who could forget about gorbfest?”

“Gorbfest!” The two changelings burst into a fit of laughter before noticing the confused and even disturbed looks Pinkie and Fluttershy were giving them. “It’s a lot more fun than it sounds.”

Chrysalis slouched in her seat and sighed happily. “Those were the days. As much as I enjoy living here in Equestria, it just doesn’t beat home. I think I miss the garden more than anything. It was the only place I ever truly felt at peace.”

Thinking back to their sanctuary filled Nymph with a sense of tranquility and a bit of longing. She really hoped that her changelings were taking good care of it, otherwise heads would roll. It was a shame Chrysalis didn’t have anything like that here, but perhaps that was the answer she was looking for. “Chrysie, that’s it! We’ll grow you a new garden!”

“Nymph, you are well aware I have one right outside my door, right?”

“Well we can do better than that.” She stood up, filled with vigor. “Why only do the front of your home with little, common flowers? We could have flowers growing from all sides, making it easily the most attractive building in all of Ponyville. It would be fitting for a royal changeling such as you.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. It will be just like old times.” Chrysalis transformed into Cherub and peeked through one of the window curtains by the front door. “Now what kind of flowers should I get?”

“Roses?” guessed Fluttershy. “I think they would be perfect for a place of love.”

“How about star flowers?” suggested Pinkie. “They look really pretty at night and would remind you of Luna!”

Chrysalis bit her lip. “Maybe I could get both? What do you think would look good, Nymph?”

“All of them.”

“All? Do you realize how many flowers there are? It would be an eyesore to have some many different flowers clumped together in one garden.” Chrysalis continued chuckling at the idea until she saw Nymph still holding her smile. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

---

Nearly an hour later, they returned to Cupid’s Arrow with Chrysalis hauling a cart filled with seeds, gardening tools, and bags of soil. For today, Nymph took Luna’s form to keep things simple. People would assume that the princess was spending time with her special somepony and none would dare bother them. Chrysalis pulled away from the cart and magically grabbed some seeds, distributing them between her friends. “I take it you two have grown something before?” Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded. “Perfect. Just pick a spot and let’s get to work.” The two ponies went to the left side of the house while Chrysalis and Nymph took the right.

Nymph grabbed a bag of soil and began spreading it next to Chrysalis’s current garden, consisting of simple daisies and tulips. “Chrysie, do you remember the last time we planted a flower together in the royal garden? You know? That special kind of flower with Mother?”

Chrysalis paused before exploding into laughter, nearly knocking the sunhat off her own head. “Yes! I completely remember that!”

Their shared laughter caught the attention of Fluttershy and Pinkie. “Did something happen?” asked Fluttershy.

“I’ll tell them!” Nymph motioned them closer and the ponies approached. “Many years ago, our mother traveled to Equestria to harvest vast amounts of love while Chrysalis and I kept watch over the kingdom. When Mother returned, she had brought back special seeds from a mysterious vender.”

“And growth formula,” Chrysalis added as she buried another seed.

“Yes, that as well. So once she had rested from her long journey, we went up to the garden to help her plant this beautiful flower called the...er...what was it again?”

Chrysalis shrugged. “Titan something. That’s all I could remember.”

“Maybe Twilight would have a book on it,” said Fluttershy.

“What doesn’t Twilight have a book on?” asked Pinkie.

“One on how to stop being addicted to books,” joked Chrysalis, causing Pinkie to laugh.

“Anyway, so Mother believed this flower to be very special from an image she the merchant showed her, but no doubt it was a forgery. She was so excited for this flower that she wanted to be part of her next garden party where all her friends and nobles could see it bloom right before their eyes. She even tested the growth formula on some flowers and it worked like magic!”

“So what happened?” Fluttershy asked worriedly before taking some of Pinkie’s popcorn.

It was difficult to hold back her snickering, but Nymph pressed on. “At the evening of the party, Mother waited for the time to be right before making her announcement. She thanked everyone for coming and for their hard work to keep the kingdom thriving. To honor this moment, she would allow them to witness the blooming of one of the world’s most beautiful flowers. She added the growth formula onto the seeds and they grew right before their eyes.”

Timidly, the pegasus asked, “Then what happened?”

“When they started to bloom, we saw that something was wrong. They didn’t look like how Mother described them, but they were rather ugly. All of the other changelings noticed something was off and went closer to the growing flowers, waiting for them to magically transform into something wonderful similar to how their queen described them. When they bloomed, all of Tartarus broke loose.”

“Oh! Oh! Was it just as crazy as Hearts and Hooves Day!?”

“Pretty much.” The way Chrysalis spoke made it sound as if it was killing her.

Nymph followed up with, “What happened was that while the flowers didn’t look appealing, they smelled far, far worse! They reeked of the dead and changelings were scrambling to escape that wretched stench if they had not already passed out. Mother, Chrysalis, and I managed to get back to the palace, but it wasn’t long until we were exposed once more. You both remember my garden, correct?”

“Of course. It was so very beautiful,” Fluttershy answered.

“And you recall that there was a barrier over it all to keep out the outdoor elements?” A sudden look of horror bloomed on Fluttershy’s face while her marefriend snickered loudly. “With so many flowers magically grown to a large size, each releasing their unholy stench, the smell had nowhere to go but down into Bugartha. The poor city was under its mercy, our subjects screaming and passing out in the streets. Since we were the only three changelings with magic, we had to go back to the garden to destroy those flowers and open the barrier to let the smell out.”

“My life flashed before my eyes.” Chrysalis dropped some seeds and moved some soil over them. “I’m pretty sure I threw up a little going back up there.”

“Once the smell was taken care of, Mother personally burned each and every one of those flowers. After that, she had to explain to the people that she, their queen, was tricked by a pony. It was the talk of the kingdom for years and sadly, she never could find that pony who gave her those seeds.” Giggling, Nymph took a bag and poured out more fresh soil. “Had Father been around, he would have hung the whole thing over her head every single day.” A sudden idea popped in her head. “Has Chrysalis ever told you how our parents got together?”

“Nope!” Pinkie zipped away and back before putting Fluttershy in a lawn chair next to hers. “Time for another story!”

Chrysalis huffed as she tried to pry a stone embedded in the earth using her spade. “You know for a group project, I seem to be doing a lot of the work.”

Waving a hoof, Nymph replied, “Oh, hush. Just use your magic more and it will be no strain to you. Besides, I will only be a couple of minutes.” She could her Chrysalis say something under her breath, but paid no more attention to her. “It’s quite a romantic tale. Father has told me it countless of times because it is so inspiring. I could even write a children’s book about it for all the little changelings to read. What happened took place many, many years ago.”

---

Deep under the changeling capital, Queen Locera and her escort of guards were to meet with their diamond dog neighbors to discuss new demands from the loathsome canines. While the diamond dogs proved to be valuable in helping expand the Changeling Kingdom via the tunnels they dug, they were a constant thorn in the queen’s side. Sometimes they wouldn’t dig without being given more in return or merely because they didn’t feel like it. The queen had been summoned to hear out even more tedious demands, which would no doubt prove to be a waste of time.

Leading her guards was the ever so handsome and strong changeling Scarab. With his trusty spear in hoof, he was ready to throw down his life to protect his beautiful queen as all the kingdom would crumble without her wisdom. He didn’t believe the diamond dogs would be foolish to take on a creature capable of magic, but he would be alert. They were capable of anything.

At last, they found King Bernard, a large, hairy, and very smelly diamond dog in a large cavern. The area possessed a small pool of water to the side that was barely seen by the dimly lit torches hanging on the walls with occasional ripples forming as drops of water fell from the jagged stalactites above. The whole place, like most tunnels, carried the smell of wet mud and the large fungi coating the walls and ceilings, but those were impossible to notice with their noses coming under the assault of a king who did not believe in bathing. His brown and white coat was tainted with dirt just like his own guards, a poor way to present oneself to royalty. “Hello, bug horsey,” he greeted. “We makes super good deal today.”

“Get to the point, mutt,” Queen Locera snapped, looking more bored than irritated. “I have a kingdom to run, unlike you.”

“Okay. We gets all the shinies from your kingdom and you dig tunnels for us!”

The demand set Locera and her guards into hysterics. However, Scarab didn’t laugh. HIs soldier senses told him something was wrong and he needed to be on guard. “Do you not know who I am, pup? I am Queen Locera, the most powerful and beautiful changeling in the Kingdom! You think you can ask me of such foolish demands?”

“Yes! With this!” The wretched king held up a black rock in his disgusting paws. “Magic rock stop magic! Now you gives us the pretty gems you’re wearing!”

All of the changelings laughed. The idea of some powerful stone randomly found by these hermits was too ridiculous to be true. However, Scarab did not laugh, keeping his weapon close. “My, aren’t you so demanding?” teased Queen Locera. “How about I give you something else? LIke a lesson in respect.” She grinned wickedly at the diamond dog before her expression turned into shock and confusion. “M-my magic!” All of the guards stopped laughing. “It’s gone!”

“Told you, stupid bug pony!” The king lifted his dirty paw and his guards surrounded their guests. “Magic gone! Time to gives us the shinies!” The guards, completely blindsided by their queen’s disarmament, were too distraught to put up a fight, dropping their weapons and holding each other.

Save for one.

As the king reached for Queen Locera’s crown, his paw was smacked by the blunt end of the spear. He barked in pain and Scarab took position in front of his beloved queen. “What are you doing!?” Locera cried. “You can’t fight them all yourself!”

Scarab held up his spear. “I have to! It’s my sworn duty to you!” He charged forward into the army of diamond dogs, swinging with fury-

---

All of Nymph’s efforts of sucking in her listeners into her fascinating tale were undone in an instant. On the grass, Chrysalis was dying to breathe as she kept laughing like a madmare. She rolled around, getting quite a bit of soil on her coat, and banged her hooves uncontrollably. It was quite the spectacle for anyone passing by and no doubt several pictures were being taken. “Is there something you would like to add!?”

It took a while for Chrysalis to compose herself, getting out every last laugh she had in her. When she was finally back to normal, she got up and quickly brushed herself off. “Is that what Father told you what happened?”

“Of course!”

Sitting down, Chrysalis crossed her forelegs while looking extremely amused. “A magic rock that made Mother powerless?”

“The world is full of strange wonders.”

“And Father beats up an entire army of diamond dogs alone.”

“The power of love knows no bounds.”

Chrysalis snickered. “I’m sorry to say this, but that story isn’t true in the slightest.”

“How could you say that? It’s a wonderful story!”

“As told by Father,” the matchmaker countered. “Mother told me the real story.”

“Why would Scarab make up a story about how they fell in love?” asked Fluttershy.

“Perhaps he was embarrassed to share the truth.” Chrysalis walked over to them, still grinning with amusement. “I’ll give you the short version. One night during a party thrown by Mother, she announced a new painting of herself that she made to be hung in the hall outside her throne room. When she revealed it, it was the ugliest thing they had ever laid eyes on.”

Fluttershy shrunk. “I can’t imagine how she felt when everyone told her that. I would be,” she gulped, “devastated.”

“Actually, they didn’t. They told her it looked amazing and loved the style.”

“They lied to her?” questioned Pinkie.

“I think they didn’t want to hurt her feelings,” said Fluttershy. “Sometimes it’s okay if you want to be nice.”

“A good guess, Fluttershy, but that wasn’t it. She was their queen, so who would dare insult her work? Would either of you ever say anything bad about Celestia or Luna to their face?” The ponies shook their heads. “Exactly. Mother knew this as well, which is why she made it hideous on purpose.”

“On purpose?” repeated Nymph. “Why? What would be the point?”

“I’m getting to that. She strolled around the party, often questioning changelings their opinions and as expected, they said they loved it. But when they thought she was out of earshot, they would talk about how disgusted they were by it. From what she told me, their booze supply had a sudden shortage that night.”

“Didn’t that hurt her feelings?” asked Fluttershy as she sank lower in her seat and began using her mane to hide away.

“Not at all. Mother was a tough queen. Words were nothing to her. Her mind was more focused on her goal as she was looking for someone. Someone who would tell her how they honestly felt about it. She questioned more and more changelings until one slipped up.” Chrysalis smirked. “Father was the unlucky changeling. He said that he thought the style did not capture her beauty and when Mother pressed him further, he said it was an eyesore. No doubt you could hear a pin drop in that room.”

“Then he beat someone up!?”

“No, Pinkie.” The pony slumped in her chair. “Mother dragged him out of the room alone and confronted her captain of the guard, demanding he explained exactly what he thought about it. Poor Scarab could not handle the pressure and began crying.”

“Crying!?” Nymph stomped her hoof onto the grass. “Our father was the most heroic and daring changeling in the kingdom and you claim that he broke down crying over a painting!?”

“Mother said it herself.” Her older sister looked dead into her eyes. “Do you doubt her?”

“I...no.”

“Anyway, he said that if he had to patrol the halls and was forced to look upon it even once every day, he would choose to blind himself to prevent the sickening feeling it gave him. Mother was highly amused and thanked him, promising to remove it at once. When Mother announced the removal of her work, the changelings publicly protested it, but in private, they praised Scarab for having more spine than any of them. Since then, they became closer and when he was deemed worthy enough, Mother took him as her king.”

“I still don’t understand,” said Nymph while watering some of the planted seeds. “Why did she make an ugly painting? How did this lead to their romantic relationship?”

“Because she was looking for a friend as opposed to a bottom feeder. A real friend would be truthful with you, no matter how much it hurts. When you’re a queen, who is there to give you constructive feedback? No one. Everyone is too afraid to offend their beloved and powerful leader. Mother knew she was not perfect by any means and needed someone to tell her if she was making some sort of mistake, even little ones like this. Scarab gave her balance.”

“That’s such a sweet story,” complemented Fluttershy, now sounding a lot happier. “I think I like this one better.”

“Even if it is the real story, there wasn’t enough action!” complained Pinkie. “Are you sure Nymph’s version isn’t true? What if your dad did something that was a metaphor for beating someone up?”

Sighing, Nymph buried the last seed she had on her. “Father never told me the truth and only now I find out after all these years. I’m not sure how to feel about this.”

A comforting hoof placed itself upon her shoulder and Chrysalis gently nuzzled her cheek. “It’s not that big of a deal. I believe he just wanted you to look up to him, which is difficult for any changeling that isn’t Mother. He had to compete with someone nearly perfect for our affection, so it’s no surprise he would tell a few fibs.”

The queen turned toward the sky, where several clouds hung above. “I still do look up to him. He was always around when Mother was busy preparing you for your own reign. Perhaps if I am lucky, our changelings will have a king like him soon.”

With the last seed watered, Chrysalis removed her hat to wipe off her forehead. “There. I hope this is worth all the effort.” She feigned a threatening pose with the spade in front of her sister. “My effort, mind you.”

Blushing, Nymph looked over the new garden planted all around Cupid’s Arrow. “Of course it is. It’s our family garden away from home. It will look wonderful in a few weeks and I’ll be sure to come by every weekend.”

“I’ll hold you up to it.” Chrysalis stood next to her and put a foreleg around her as they each admired it.

“Oh! That’s perfect! Now turn this way like that!” The changelings turned around to see Pinkie hold up the camera. The two sisters smiled as the flash went off. “First picture of the day and it looks great! We should go celebrate!”

“You’ll find any reason to celebrate, won’t you?” Chrysalis asked with a laugh and Pinkie quickly nodded in return. “Fine. But how should we celebrate?” Pinkie wore a grin that seemed innocent, but something deep down made Nymph feel rather unsettled. Her sister seemed to have felt the same effect. “N-nothing dangerous, right?”

---

“Go on, Chrysalis.” Nymph gave her a playful nudge. “Just stir in the milk and vanilla.”

Chrysalis looked as if she was in the middle of defusing a magical bomb. They were in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner and Nymph was trying to help Chrysalis learn how to bake a simple cake. When Nymph asked why she didn’t simply have Pinkie teach her, the pony responded by breaking out into a song and do everything far faster than they could keep up with. It was nice that her older sister was willing to try her hoof at baking again, but remembering previous meals prepared personally by Chrysalis, Nymph felt that maybe it would be for the best for everyone’s health if she stuck to using only the microwave and toaster. Hopefully with the help of Pinkie and herself, she would finally succeed for once. When she finally poured in the ingredients, Chrysalis looked up at her sister. “Did I do it right?”

“You did it perfectly.” Nymph looked at Pinkie, who was frosting cupcakes next to them. “Where do you keep the egg beater?” The pony flicked her tail, opening a drawer with it and tossing her the requested item from within, all without looking up. “Thank you.” She carefully mixed the ingredients together before pouring the batter into the pan. “Now to just bake it and it will be ready.” Chrysalis opened the oven door for her and she set it inside. Nymph turned the egg timer and placed it on the counter before giving her sister a pat on the back. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

“I don’t know how anypony can remember all those steps,” Chrysalis huffed, taking off her apron. “Thank you again for letting us use the kitchen, Pinkie. Let’s just hope something edible comes out.” Chrysalis took some sprinkles to help decorate the frosted cupcakes.

“Not a problem!” the baker pony chimed as she finished topping off another cupcake.

On the other side of the counter sat Fluttershy, happily entertaining herself with the two children of the business owners. Nymph joined her on the floor and magically took up the butterfly doll and made it flap its wings, causing the little foals to babble in delight. “No matter what happens, we did it together, so that’s all that counts.” Pony foals were certainly adorable, but they just didn’t have the same charm as a small grubling that could fit in her hoof.

About fifteen minutes later, the egg timer rang loudly. Nymph was surprised to see the children not react to its sudden ringing, perhaps as they were used to it going off all the time. Nymph opened up the oven and magically pulled out the pan, taking the cake out and setting it on a large plate. As Chrysalis and Nymph looked proudly upon their creation, Pinkie instantly covered it with chocolate frosting and got on the opposite side of the counter with her camera ready. “Smile!” The two changelings did so and the camera’s flash went off.

Fluttershy held each child in her forelegs and hovered over the cake. The sweet, chocolate aroma had Pound and Pumpkin drooling immediately and they desperately tried to reach for it. “Would you like to give them a little?”

“Anything for the little darlings.” Nymph picked up two plastic forks and gave one to Chrysalis. They both scooped up a tiny bite and held their pieces out to the foals, which were devoured in an instant. As they chewed, Nymph stood closer to them. “What do you two think? Divine?” Unable to speak, the Cake Twins answered her by spewing out the mushy bits of cake from their mouths before breaking out into bawling.

As Nymph ran toward the sank to vigorously clean herself, Chrysalis picked up the cake. “I don’t understand! We all worked together on this and yet it’s still repulsive!”

PInkie looked closely at the treat, poking it with her hoof. “Hmm. It looks fine, but it doesn’t seem to taste good. Did you two really cook by the book or did one of you get lazy?”

“We followed every step precisely!” Nymph snapped, returning as she dried off her face with a rag. “Perhaps the children don’t have good tastes.”

Pinkie loudly gasped. “Excuse me!? Pumpkin and Pound Cake were bakers before they came out of the oven!”

“Ahem.” They turned to Fluttershy, who set the two babies on the floor after calming them down. “I think there’s only one way to know what’s wrong.”

They each looked at the cake. It seemed silly to be afraid of a mere cake, but all were aware of the catastrophic results when Chrysalis got her hoof into making food. Four forks laid next to the plate and each pony and changeling slowly picked one up. Why did it suddenly feel like that they were taking part in a suicide pact? “Are we really going to do this?” questioned Nymph timidly.

“It’s the only way to get the answer,” Chrysalis spoke, slightly shaking. They looked up before nodding at each other. They tore off a piece and each took a bite. Nymph steadily yet cautiously chewed before the cake landed on her tongue. “It tastes so...bland.”

“It’s like I’m not tasting anything, but I’m also unsatisfied.” Nymph wiped her mouth with a napkin and tossed it into the trash.

“It’s not that bad.” They each looked at Fluttershy, their eyes daring her to take another bite. As the second piece came closer to her mouth, her courage wavered and she dropped it. “It’s not that good, either,” she whimpered.

Chrysalis magically lifted her creation and slammed it into the trash bin. “Thankfully, I have many servants back home who can do this for me while I focus on more important things. Sorry for wasting your time, everyone.”

Pinkie quickly jumped onto her for a hug. “It’s not a waste of time if you have fun!”

“I don’t even understand why it bothers you so much” Nymph poured herself a glass of milk to wash out the taste. “You usually just take food from the palace whenever Luna takes you there.”

“It’s merely a matter of personal pride. Let’s just depart before we ruin anything else.” After Fluttershy and Pinkie placed the babies in their cribs upstairs, they walked out of Sugarcube Corner onto the streets with the aftertaste lingering on their tongues.

As they traveled down the road, Pinkie was making circles around them while bouncing without end. “So what’s next? Kite flying? Bicycles? Look for pirate treasure? Drink heavily and cry about moments forever gone?”

“I can’t think of anything.” Nymph started to feel dizzy from watching Pinkie constantly bounce by and quickly looked away. “I rarely have this much free time as the queen and I don’t normally go to a town such as this. Chrysalis, what do you usually do to keep yourself amused?”

“When I’m not reading, I would visit one of my other friends. I help Applejack harvest her apples, Rarity wants me to model her clothes, as a changeling I'm perfect for her line of work, Rainbow Dash usually uses me for my shapeshifting powers to carry out…” Her words trailed off and they looked at her as a devious smile grew on her face. “Why don’t we pay a quick visit to Rarity?”

“That’s a good idea,” said Fluttershy. “She had some sister troubles with Sweetie Belle before, so maybe she has an idea of what you two could do to reconnect with each other.”

“Yes...that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Pinkie and Fluttershy happily strolled beside Chrysalis while Nymph watched from behind, suspicious.

---

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Carousel Boutique. Today, Rarity had many displays of dresses carrying a theme of spring, showing off designs similar to flowers or birds. The queen could only imagine what other designs the unicorn had crafted with her new supply of silk she personally provided. Nymph was about to knock on the door, but Chrysalis held her hoof back in her magic. “What are you doing? Didn’t we want to visit Rarity?”

“We could…” Chrysalis snickered. “Or we could make it interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

Chrysalis grinned, her real fangs exposed. “A prank.”

“A prank?” repeated Nymph, taken aback. “You want us to play some childish prank on dear, sweet Rarity? Our own friend?”

“Pranks are fun. You just have to be creative.” Chrysalis glanced at the two ponies. “Sounds like a good idea, right?” Pinkie nodded her head while Fluttershy shook hers. “Exactly. I have the perfect one planned, too. You and I will walk inside and pretend we’re customers looking for something specific. We’ll leave hints that we’re looking for something to...spice up our love lives.”

“You mean like lingerie?”

Chrysalis restrained some laughter. “I was thinking something extreme like bondage gear?”

Pinkie broke into giggles. “Rarity is going to be so surprised.”

“That’s so...l-lewd!” Fluttershy retreated behind her hooves. “Y-y-y-y-you couldn’t really ask her something like that! She would be so embarrassed!”

Chrysalis casually waved her hoof. “It’ll be fine. Heck, I’m sure she gets asked about that stuff all the time.”

Nymph saw that Fluttershy was still shaking and turned to her sister. “Perhaps we could tone it down a bit? Rarity is not exactly the best pony at dealing with stress.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s get started before one of you talks me out of this.” They took cover behind some bushes outside and the two changelings changed their disguises into two pegasi, Nymph being a purple pony with a red mane while Chrysalis kept her colors from Cherub with some alterations to her look such as her height and mane style. Pinkie and Fluttershy waited in the bushes while they walked up to the door. “Follow my lead.” The older changeling opened the door and they stepped inside. “Hello? Is anypony home?”

“Just a minute!” Rarity cheerfully called back. Nymph could hear the sewing machine from the other room and sighed. This talented pony was in the middle of her work and here they were, wasting her time with some juvenile game. It was nice that Chrysalis was willing to do something so silly, but she could use a bit of tweaking on her tastes. About a minute later, Rarity stepped out into the room. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! I am Rarity. How can I help you both today?”

Nymph could already see the sinister grin Chrysalis was holding back. “I am Rose Red and this is my sister, Purple Violet. We’ve heard about your business and we were hoping you could help us with our needs. We have very exquisite tastes, you see.”

“I believe I understand.” Rarity brought forth a mannequin in a purple and gold dress from the room behind her. “I think it would look great on your sister.”

Nymph walked around the display, admiring every little detail that Rarity had worked into it. “It’s very beautiful.”

“Yes, but it’s not what we’re after.” Chrysalis leaned closer to the unicorn. “I mean we’re looking for something...exotic. You know, something for fun late in the day and durable?”

Rarity rubbed her chin before inspiration struck, “Ah! I have just the thing!” Another mannequin was brought out, displaying a fabulous dark blue cocktail dress. “This one should make you stand out from the crowd, guaranteed!”

Chrysalis studied it and blushed slightly, perhaps because the colors were reminding her of a certain somepony. “I love it. I do, but it’s not we’re looking for either.”

Setting aside the mannequin, the unicorn started to look a little distressed, although she tried very hard not to show it. “I see. Perhaps you could be more specific on what you are looking for?”

“Oh, that would be rather embarrassing.” Chrysalis deviously looked to Nymph. “Sister, why don’t you explain what exactly we need?”

She should have seen this coming. Nymph being the one to ask her close friend something so humiliating and shameful. It was the icing on the cake the former queen had kept to herself, but Nymph found it be as tasteless as the cake they baked. It was time to end this game and deny Chrysalis the satisfaction she desired. “We are looking for your secret stash. You know, the secret clothing you keep that are intended for dirty ponies like ourselves. The type of clothes you keep away from the public eye because you have a reputation to maintain and do not want to be associated with something so dirty and inappropriate. Ha ha. Isn’t that just funny of us?”

As expected, Rarity looked shocked at such a ludicrous claim. “O-oh my.”

Nymph sighed and approached Rarity, ignoring Chrysalis’s facehoof. “Listen, I didn’t mean to-”

“Why didn’t you just say so!?”

The queen’s eyes practically jumped out of their sockets. “Wait, what?”

“I know exactly what you mean! Forgive me for not getting the hint earlier, but do not worry! Discretion is my specialty! Come right this way!” Rarity happily trotted the dressing room near the table with the flower design on top. This didn’t mean what Nymph thought it meant, right? She looked at her sister, who looked just as bewildered as she did. They followed the pony in and watched as she magically pushed in a wall, revealing a hidden doorway. “I didn’t take you two as the type of enjoy getting down and dirty, but looks can be deceiving, yes?”

Chrysalis peered into the darkness down the stairs. “You could say that again.”

“Well lucky for you, I can provide you with exactly what you’re looking for!” Rarity went ahead with Chrysalis following. Nymph took a moment to maintain herself before daring to pursue. This had to be a mistake. Maybe she herself was being pranked at this very moment due to some very convoluted scheme crafted by Chrysalis and Pinkie. She wanted to believe this because the other possibility was far worse. How long had Rarity been doing this? Who else knew about this? Nymph couldn’t dare let anypony else know this dark secret. What would ponies say about Rarity if they found out? What would Spike or Sweetie Belle think? What would her friends think? So many unpleasant thoughts filled her mind as she stepped into the dark room at the bottom. The little remaining light allowed Nymph to find Chrysalis and stand beside her, bracing for the worst. And then in an instant, the lights came on.

“WHAT THE!?”

“Howdy, y'all!” Rarity greeted in her new attire. “And welcome to Rarity’s Ranch!”

If this was a dream, now would have been a good time for Luna to swoop in and wake her up. Nymph stood in a room with the walls painted as if she was standing the middle of a farm. Bales of hay and even a scarecrow decorated the floor to give it a more authentic look. In the corner of the room was record playing that started right as the lights came on, letting out music that consisted of a banjo and a fiddle. The wares themselves consisted of boots, hats, bandanas, overalls, vests, and other articles of clothing to that would no doubt be found in Applejack’s closet.

And Rarity, sweet Rarity, stood before them dressed in overalls and a straw hat, talking in an accent Nymph could barely understand. “Ah’m mighty sorry Ah didn’t get the hint sooner!” Every time she spoke, Nymph could feel her sanity slipping away into the void. “If ya can’t find what ya lookin’ for here, then Ah doubt any pony in Equestria has it!”

The two changelings remained frozen for an unknown measurement of time. At last, Chrysalis lost her restraint and bellowed with laughter that drowned out the music. “T-t-t-t-t-this is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life!” She kicked her legs frantically in the air, trying desperately to breathe.

Rarity slowly backed away and Nymph could sense the rising dread within her. Unable to take anymore, the queen undid her disguise. “Rarity, calm down. It’s just us.”

“Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no!” Nymph reached out her hoof, but the unicorn scrambled against the wall. “Don’t look at me!”

“Rarity-”

“I SAID DON’T LOOK AT ME!” Laying against the wall, Rarity buried her face into her hat in a bawling fit.

Chrysalis immediately got a grip on herself and stood up. Before she could do anything, Pinkie and Fluttershy came charging down the stairs and slid to a halt. “What happened!?” Pinkie asked, head darting in every possible direction. “We heard shouting and...oh. Oh, wow.”

“Not you, too!” Rarity cried even harder, to which Fluttershy responded by holding her friend against her chest.

“I don’t understand.” Nymph pointed at the various clothing displayed in the room. “What is all this? Why do you have an entire secret room for this peasant clothing?”

“I just wanted to expand my stock.” Pinkie held out a tissue box and Rarity blew her nose. “Ever since Trenderhoof took an interest in Applejack and her lifestyle, I thought that maybe he was onto something. If a pony as famous as him could be so interested in farming, what if there were more like him out there? I decided in order to be ready for next time such a thing happened, I would have some clothing ready. Applejack has been helping me with the designs and her family have been very loyal customers.” Rarity stifled a hiccup. “How did you two even know about this? I thought I was so careful in keeping it secret.”

“We didn’t! We were trying to suggest that you had something like a secret stash of lingerie or bondage gear to-”

“Bondage!?” Rarity screeched. “How could you, Queen Nymph of the Changelings, even dare suggest that as a lady such as myself would partake in such...such...I can’t even begin to describe it!”

“Perversion?” Pinkie suggested.

“Perversion!”

Chrysalis hung her head, grumbling loudly. “From now on, I’m leaving it to Pinkie to come up with the pranks.”

“We’re so sorry for this whole mess.” Nymph knelt down and allowed Rarity to slump onto her.. “Is there any way we can make it up to you, Rarity?”

---

When Rarity asked for them to take her to lunch, this was the complete opposite of what Nymph had expected. This unicorn was full of surprises that not even she could have foreseen and perhaps it was best if she didn’t uncover anymore. Sitting in a booth with admittedly comfortable red leather seats in a small restaurant, she, Chrysalis, and Rarity waited for Pinkie and Fluttershy to make and pick up their order of pizza. The queen studied her surroundings in order to take up her time as well as get a feel to what sort of life Chrysalis had endured away from Bugartha. In the moderate sized establishment were many other customers on all ages, consisting of ponies, changelings, and even a griffon. It certainly didn’t feel like any restaurant she had been to as it was loud even though no music played and the floors didn’t look entirely sanitary. Nymph and Chrysalis decided to keep their pony disguises from their failed prank just so they could eat in peace.

Soon Pinkie and Fluttershy returned with three large white boxes, one being given to Nymph. What sat inside gave off a pleasant aroma that already had her licking her chops. “I hope you like it,” Fluttershy said shyly. “I know you can be a little...picky.”

Nymph chuckled while waving her hoof. “Oh, don’t be silly. If Rarity and Chrysalis think this is delicious, then how could I possibly refuse?” When she flipped open the lid, her pupils practically vanished. It was a large circle of greasy, slimy, cheese with various vegetables scattered on top. The thick edges of crust oozed of more cheese, as if all the cheese in the center wasn’t enough. She dared not think of how her poor body would react if she dared subject it to this travesty of a meal. Looking up, she found her friends were already biting into their own slices, taking enormous delight.

Swallowing her bite, Rarity said encouragingly, “Well, go on. Don’t let it get cold. It always tastes the best fresh from the oven.”

Magically grabbing it, Nymph cringed as she heard the greasy sounds coming from her slice. Holding up to her eye level, she found it to be far less appetizing up close and decided to drop it. “You know, I’m not that hungry after all.” Her stomach loudly growled and under her breath, she cursed her body’s betrayal.

“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked teasingly. She picked up the slice and slowly moved it in circles in front of the queen’s face. “Don’t you want this juicy, thick slice of heaven?”

“I’ll pass.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “My goodness, Nymphie. I know you care about your figure and all that, but loosen up. Even Rarity is enjoying herself.”

“That’s not the point. I just don’t think it may be my tastes.”

“Oh, do you have your fancy changeling servants make you like a royal pizza?” the party pony guessed excitedly. “It must be super delicious! Why didn’t you give us any the first time we came!?”

“I’ve never had them make anything like this.”

Pinkie’s excitement died down and she stared intensely the queen. “So where do you get your pizza?”

“I...don’t?”

“Ever!?” Pinkie launched from her seat and grabbed hold of her, shaking Nymph fast enough to make her a blur. “Are you telling me in your entire life that you NEVER EVER ATE PIZZA BEFORE!?”

All activity within the restaurant ceased at once. Every pair of eyes suddenly found themselves upon her and Nymph had no idea how to react. “Yes?” Many gasps and whispers erupted around the building. “What’s the big deal? Why is pizza-” The lights in the restaurant instantly went out and the windows were covered, leaving her in total darkness.

A sudden light above her turned on and shined upon Pinkie Pie as she stood on the table. “A thousand years ago, when Equestria was first discovered by the three pony tribes, they overcame their differences and united, saving this land from the windigos. To celebrate, they planned on a grand feast, but there was a problem. What could they possibly eat to mark such a joyous event? Earth ponies barely had fruits or vegetables because of the harsh winters. Pegasi only had military rations. Unicorns wanted everypony to try their new diet program and make a salad, but there was no dressing. It was a critical moment that could have undone the very founding of Equestria.”

“Pinkie, this doesn’t sound-” Chrysalis, Fluttershy, and Rarity loudly shushed Nymph.

“After days of arguing, they decided to just make something new, hoping it would satisfy all the ponies. Together, the earth ponies sliced up their fruits and vegetables to ensure they were divided between all populations. Unicorns magically made dough from their wheats stashes and flattened it so that it became large enough to feed an army. All the pegasi had left was tomato sauce because they were actually pretty bad at saving supplies, so they poured it all across the dough. The ponies were getting hungry, but there was a problem. They made it too big and not even the minotaurs had an oven big enough for it. Even if this mighty food was cooked, it didn’t have enough flavor to be worth the effort. All hope seemed lost.”

Suddenly, an angelic choir arose somewhere in the darkness. “As they all argued, a sudden light appeared. None other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came down from the sky to help resolve their plight. When they saw the mighty uncooked pizza, they had the answer. Together, they took pizza into outer space, where Luna decorated with her moon’s finest cheese.”

“But the moon isn’t-” Everyone in the restaurant shushed Nymph.

“When she finished, Celestia took the pizza all the way to the sun, for it was the only oven in the universe able to cook such a massive meal! Soon, it was ready and Celestia returned. The pizza was so hot, that it melted all the ice that claimed the previous pony kingdoms. All the pegasi had to create a massive gust to cool it down and had to stay a mile away to keep from getting burned. The hot winds blew south and turned the land into an eternal desert. And that’s how the badlands were made!”

Pinkie held up a slice of pizza, dripping with cheese. “When it was ready, all of Equestria feasted and because of the help of the alicorns in achieving this mighty feat, they were crowned eternal rulers of Equestria and they named pizza the official food of friendship!” The lights came on, showing four employees behind her that acted as the choir. “Thanks, fellas!” They nodded their heads and returned to their duties.

“Pinkie, that story was the most insane thing I have ever heard in my entire life.”

“You’re not the first one to tell her that,” Chrysalis chuckled before taking another bite.

“Where in the world did you come up with this story?”

“Well, pizza is the best food for any occasion! Parties, slumber parties, eating alone, coping with a bad break up. How else do you explain why it’s so good?” Nymph, unable to come up with any more questions to challenge this claim, forfeited before any more sanity was lost.

“This is why I looked forward to weekends back in my...scheming phase,” said Chrysalis. “Not something I would ideally eat on a regular basis, but it made me feel better. Treating myself on the weekend made it easier to endure the workweek.”

“And friends always make food taste better!” Pinkie chimed.

“As well as family.” Chrysalis, taking Nymph by surprise, nuzzled against her. Before the queen even realized what she was doing, the blinding light from Pinkie’s camera left her in a daze.

When her eyes recovered, Nymph said, “It’s nice to finally enjoy ourselves together in public without worrying of what other people think.”

“I hope ponies change their minds soon,” spoke Rarity. “The Grand Galloping Gala is mere months away and I think Chrysalis should be allowed to attend her first as herself.”

“I swear to Celestia, if Discord is allowed to go and not me, I’m going to burn something to the ground.”

Nymph quickly rubbed her hoof. “There, there, Chrysie. I am more than confident that the people will trust you soon enough. I promise that my next planned appearance for you will be better than the last!”

“Easier said than done,” spoke Rarity worriedly. “Talking about your sister to other ponies is difficult to do. I’ve scared off several customers already by bringing her up, hopefully not for good. You’d think some ponies would have changed by now.”

“Please don’t risk your business over me,” said Chrysalis. “I’d hate to responsible for any damage to your reputation.”

“Nonsense. What kind of pony would I be if I were to put my business ahead of a friend who was banished from her home? I will never stop trying to change the minds of ponies until you and Nymph are back home together.”

Chrysalis blushed while reaching for another slice. “Thank you, Rarity. I think have grown some respect for you today.”

“You mean you didn’t entirely respect her before?” The former queen swiftly kicked Pinkie’s leg under the table.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But on the subject of the Gala, perhaps you would like to order a dress ahead of time?”

Chrysalis shrugged before swallowing. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. I don’t know yet if I want one that looks better on red or black.”

“Our first Gala in Equestria.” Nymph happily sighed. “For such an historic event, I will need to craft something that will turn every head in the room, outshining even Celestia herself.”

“Won’t be as great as our Garden Galas, but I’m sure it will be some fun.” Chrysalis reopened Nymph’s pizza box. “But enough stalling. It’s time for you to eat.”

Even after the epic told to her, Nymph could not help herself from looking upon her lunch with fear and disgust. Her eyes slowly looked at each of her friends, all waiting excitedly. There was no way out of this. Slowly, a slice in her emerald magic rose from the box and parked before her lips. Mouth trembling, she braced for the worst, closed her eyes, and forced herself to take a bite.

Her eyes shot open. She couldn’t believe it. It was delicious. No. Amazing! Magical! Heavenly! Was this how perfection tasted? How could she have lived so long and not treated herself to this divine food? Equestria was truly a magical place and now her people could enjoy pizza for themselves. Or did they already have pizza in the Changeling Kingdom? Who cares! It was the best thing she had ever eaten! To Tartarus with her diet! She just had to have more! Not just for lunch, but dinner too! And breakfast! Everyday! She couldn’t get enough and was eager for the next bite. No doubt a bigger second bite would be even more satisfying!

“Come on! Snap out of it!”

It was as if Nymph was suddenly awaken from a dream. The first thing she noticed was how everyone in the entire restaurant was staring directly at her while frozen in place. Before she could ask something, her eyes looked upon the table, finding it to be a complete mess with sauce and crumbs coating the top. Less than a quarter of her pizza remained and looked as if a deranged beast ravished it with pieces scattered across the box and even the table. Turning to the window beside her, she stared back in horror of her reflection, finding herself covered in pizza sauce, cheese, vegetables, and crumbs. She slowly turned back to her friends, certain that nothing could possibly make this moment worse.

Until Pinkie flashed the camera.

---

It was a blessing that Nymph had gone to lunch in a disguise she would never again take. To think the Changeling Queen herself would...no. She didn’t want to think about it ever again. When lunch concluded so eventfully, they parted ways with Rarity, their debt to her fulfilled. She wasn’t even sure what her friends were talking about as she was so intensely focused on her own actions. Her mind drifted far from the world around her until Chrysalis gave her a hard pat on the back. “Nymph.”

“Huh?”

“Are you even paying attention?”

“S-sorry. I’m just having a hard time focusing. You cannot imagine how dirty I feel at this moment.” She looked at her hoof while once more taking Luna’s appearance. “Even with a new disguise, I can see some food coating me. I am in desperate need of a bath.”

“A bath?” Chrysalis rubbed her chin. “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Are we going to the spa?” asked Fluttershy.

“Not at all. I don’t feel like draining my savings just so my sister can feel clean again.” Chrysalis had a look on her face that always meant she was up to no good, but Nymph said nothing. All she wanted was to wash away her shame and would do anything to achieve that. After some walking, they found themselves heading toward Twilight’s castle. Surely Twilight wouldn’t mind letting a fellow royal have a quick bath, but why did Chrysalis choose to travel so far? Chrysalis walked up to the doors and knocked loudly. They stood back and waited, but no one came. “Guess no one’s home.”

“Maybe we could come back later,” suggested Fluttershy. “I’m sure Twilight is busy with oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What are you doing!?” The door clicked as Chrysalis magically undid the lock and it came open. “Y-y-y-y-you’re breaking and entering! You can’t do that!”

Chrysalis turned to the panicking pegasus, shrugging. “I’ve done far worse.”

Nymph and the two ponies gave each other looks of shock before following Chrysalis in. “You can’t be serious right now!” snapped the queen. “Twilight could actually punish us for doing this!”

“Oh, calm down. As the Princess of Friendship, I’m sure Twilight is kind enough to generously allow us use of her facilities. Since we are all such loyal friends, it only makes sense that she won’t mind. To be perfectly honest, I’m sure if she did find out, she’ll just laugh about it.”

“Makes sense to me!” Pinkie replied followed by a bounce through the doorway.

“No!” Fluttershy jumped forward and pulled on Chrysalis’s tail with her hooves. However, her efforts were for naught as the changeling kept walking, dragging the pony with her. “This is so wrong! Twilight is our friend and we can’t just break in like this!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Pinkie breaks into places all the time. We’ll just take a quick dip in her pool and be out before you know it. No harm done.” Stepping inside suddenly felt Nymph feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she was being watched, and wanted this over as soon as possible. She watched as poor Fluttershy tried to no avail to stop Chrysalis from going farther in the castle. At last, Chrysalis came to a stop on her own. “Nymph, do you feel that?”

Lifting her head, Nymph answered back, “Pride. Somepony else is here. The amount of ego is staggering.”

Both changelings pondered this new discovery before coming to the same conclusion. “Rainbow Dash.” They ran ahead, traversing several halls and stairways, before finding the door leading to one of the balconies. The amount of smugness was overwhelming, which wasn’t unusual for the athletic pegasus, but what was she doing here all by herself? Chrysalis put a hoof over her lips, shushing them, before creeping closer to the door.

“And that’s how I teamed up with Daring Doo a second time and saved the day!” Chrysalis slowly opened the door and they peeked through the crack. They saw Spike sitting in the pool drinking a soda along with a changeling who was in the middle of scribbling on paper with a quill.

“Spike, your stories are incredible!” praised the changeling. His voice was familiar, but Nymph could not quite place it. “I could write a whole book just on what you have done!”

The dragon shrugged. “That’s a hero’s life for you. Never a dull moment.”

“And I thought Rainbow Dash had a massive ego,” Chrysalis snarked as the doors parted. The two of them quickly turned to the four mares approaching, startled. “Is being the hero of the Crystal Empire not good enough for our little dragon?” He slowly sunk into the water.

“Princess Luna!” Nymph’s subject immediately bowed his head. “What are you all doing here? Have you come to praise Spike for another heroic deed?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Nymph chuckled. “We wanted to clean ourselves off and Cherub...invited us in herself.” She shot a look at the former queen, who gave her a smug smile in return. “Would you mind if we joined you?”

“Not at all.”

They climbed down into the pool and sat against the walls. Nymph submerged her head into the cool liquid and when she emerged, she flicked her mane around, sighing with content. She then closed her eyes, basking in the warm radiance of the sun. Already she could feel her woes fading into nothingness. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Princess Luna.” She opened one eye and saw the changeling smiling at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well...subject.”

“His name is Thorax, you forgetful hatchling.” Nymph lazily flung some water in her sister’s direction. “It’s not really the princess. That’s just Queen Nymph is disguise.”

“Q-Queen Nymph!” Thorax bowed his head much harder, briefly dunking his face into the pool. “Wait. Why are you disguised as Princess Luna?”

“Royal business.” Nymph’s answer was practically a moan of relief. The pool was too soothing for her to come up with a better explanation, but right now, she didn’t care.

“Hang on,” Spike said suddenly. “How did you get in the castle? Did you break in?”

“Do you watch movies Twilight says you aren’t allowed to when she leaves you alone?” asked Chrysalis. “Movies I have to rent because you’re too young and scare you enough to have Celestia come by to check for intruders?”

After brief silence, the dragon answered, “I won’t say a thing.”

Fluttershy, who had long thrown the towel on the issue, made herself very comfortable next to Pinkie by laying against her and giving her cheek a little nuzzle. “What were you two talking about?”

“I’m chronicling the heroic deeds of Spike the Brave and Glorious!” Thorax pointed toward a stack of about twenty sheets of paper sitting near the edge of the pool. “This is some of the most amazing stuff I have ever heard in my life! Maybe I should make another book that biographies his adventures! With so much done already, who knows what else he will do next!” He moved closer to Nymph. “Would you like to hear some of his heroics, Your Highness?”

Nymph moaned quietly, lost in bliss. “I think she’s not interested right now,” said Chrysalis. “Where is Twilight, by the way?”

“She’s at the town hall,” answered Spike. “She has to do some big speech and I was going to go with her, but Thorax came and saved me by asking me about my awesome life.”

“B-but surely Queen Nymph has interesting stories about herself, too!” Thorax scooted closer. “Perhaps you could share one with us?” She remained silent, still soaking in the soothing water. For her, all that there was around her was the cool caress of the cleansing pool. “Is she asleep?”

“Nah. She’s just relaxing a little too hard.” Chrysalis stretched her limbs and lowered herself until only her head was visible before gently kicking her sister in the shin. Annoyed, Nymph lifted her head up, eyes barely open as she stared back at her. “At least try making conversation.”

Sitting up, she looked down at Thorax, who looked back at her with eagerness. “So...how have you been? I hope your hunger still isn’t affecting you.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem anymore. Cherub has been giving me free love at her dating service.” He suddenly shivered. “I never knew ponies dating could be so intense.”

“Glad to hear that all the love isn’t driving you crazy anymore. You are now a normal citizen like everyone else.” Feeling that was enough to satisfy Chrysalis, Nymph returned to laying still in the water.

However, it didn’t last long. Something she had said had caused the changeling beside her to panic. “Oh my gosh! What time is it right now!?”

Pinkie looked up at the sun. “It’s one-ten!”

Thorax suddenly leapt out of the pool, flailing his legs and screaming, “I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” He scrambled for a nearby towel and in attempt to hastily dry himself off, but then he became tangled up and flopped onto the floor.

“Calm yourself, Thorax!” Nymph magically picked him up and dried him with the towel before setting him down. “What is it that you are so upset about?”

“I volunteered to help at the weekly love drive and I was supposed to show up ten minutes ago!”

“Love drive?” questioned Nymph.” ‘I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s something changelings put together now and then,” answered Chrysalis. “They set up booths and change into a pony that is requested so that the pony feels love and they harvest the results. Even ponies like to volunteer to help generate food for their newest neighbors. It’s a nice way to spread the love around Ponyville.”

“Really? Then we have no time to waste!” She magically removed all of her friends from the water. “We shall partake in the love drive with you!”

“We are?” asked Chrysalis. “Not that I mind, but I thought you would like to spend the day together.”

“And what better way to do that than help the changelings? You and me, working side by side to help produce enough love to feed an army. That should be fun, yes?”

“Well if that’s what you want, then I’m all for it.” Chrysalis held out towels so Pinkie and Fluttershy could dry themselves. “How about you, Spike? I’m sure there’s plenty of mares who would love to hear about your oh so amazing tales.”

“I can’t. Twilight left me a list of chores since I didn’t go with her.” He sighed as he tossed his towel aside. “Life of a hero, am I right?”

“Oh…” Thorax turned toward the balcony with his head hanging. “I’ll see you some other time, Spike.”

“Speaking of time, aren’t you super late now?” asked Pinkie.

Thorax gasped before taking off into the air and they followed him. It was rather difficult to keep up with the hasty changeling as Nymph and Fluttershy were carrying extra weight on their backs. Soon they arrived near the town hall, where a booth and several tables were set up and Thorax nearly slammed into the ground upon landing. He ran toward a larger changeling stallion and they landed nearby, hearing him plead to the stranger.

“I’m so sorry! I was caught up with something!”

The stallion marched over to Thorax, standing over him with his eyes locked onto him. “Sorry!? Is that all you have to say!?”

“Er...yes?”

“Well I would expect something more from the changeling who brought us our three biggest volunteers as well as Princess Luna herself!” He gave a strong pat to Thorax’s back. “You really had me worried there!”

Nymph took the opportunity to shake the stallion’s hoof to allow Thorax some room to breathe. “I apologize for our late arrival. We were caught in the middle of...royal business. So how do I partake in this love drive?”

“Come right this way!” He lead them into the small tent and inside were several crates of love crystals, some glowing and many more empty. Nearby was a table that ranked the most hard working volunteers who raked in the most love. Surprisingly, the top three volunteers were already standing beside Nymph. Third place was Pinkie, who no doubt had her methods of bringing out any positive emotion from any pony. Second was Chrysalis, which was no surprise as she was a master in harvesting the delicious emotion of amore. The highest rated volunteer, however, was none other than Fluttershy, whose love contribution somehow far surpassed Chrysalis’s. Just how in the world did this timid little pony manage to beat a changeling queen? “Take these love crystals with you and sit at one of the tables. When a pony comes up, just work your magic and the crystal will do the rest.” He gave her a light nudge. “Just don’t try too hard with your lady friend watching, eh?”

Chrysalis chuckled as she passed a crystal to each of her companions. “Don’t worry about me. I’m not the jealous type.”

They stepped outside and as soon as Nymph sat down, a giant line of ponies began forming before her. She could already sense a decent amount of love and was ready to milk every last drop. She just hoped Luna didn’t mind her using her image for a good cause. The first stallion came up to her and she started with, “You know, a thousand years ago, I was very open to the idea of polygamy.” The amount of love erupted from the pony was staggering and Nymph smiled in satisfaction.

About a half hour went by with Nymph constantly flirting with every pony who came to her. Of course, she had to tone down her charm as she feared of getting onto Luna’s bad side if she went too far with a pony. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to get ponies head over hooves over her. Luna was a very beautiful pony and even looking upon her caused many to emanate love. Chrysalis, however, didn’t mind heavily flirting and with nothing holding her back, she was filling up crystals at a much faster rate. Pinkie was doing well for herself by complimenting ponies and telling jokes, but as for Fluttershy, the pony had barely made a peep since they started. Perhaps there was a decimal error when they calculated her harvest.

As the next stallion left Nymph, she looked to Thorax, who she had completely forgotten about. Apparently the rest of Ponyville did too as he was completely alone, face pressed against the table. Ignoring the line in front of her table, Nymph got up and put her hoof on Thorax’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“No pony wants to talk to me,” he replied, muffled as his mouth still touched the table. The changeling lifted his head, staring at his queen with his sad blue eyes. “Is there something I’m doing wrong?”

“That depends. How were you trained in acquiring love?”

“I wasn’t. I lived in the lower colonies, so there wasn’t any point.” Gravity struck and his head fell back on the table.

“Oh.” A candle suddenly lit in her head. “What if I teach you how? Surely that would improve your performance.”

Thorax’s face brightened. “You would teach me? Really?”

“It will be no trouble.” Nymph walked around the tent and he scurried to catch up with her, neither aware of Pinkie shaking for a second. “With my help, you will be drowning in love before you know it. First, you will need a disguise. Try to make yourself as handsome as possible. If you want to acquire love, you must have the looks” Nymph waited with anticipation until she noticed that he was not transforming, but merely staring at his hooves. “Why are you hesitating?”

“Uh...I don’t think I can shapeshift with you watching me.” Rolling her eyes, Nymph turned away. It was a moment before a blue flash came from behind her. “Tell me what you think, Your Highness.”

Smiling, the royal changeling turned to him, causing her face to transform into one of displeasure. Standing before her was a feeble, blue earth pony with a mane and tail made of grey stripes and a cutie mark depicting some pottery. “I was expecting something more...rugged.”

Her words were enough to make the changeling shrink. “I’ve never really practiced shapeshifting before. What’s wrong with how I look?”

With a sigh, Nymph answered, “Nothing.” Not a great start, but nothing she couldn’t salvage. “The next step is to come up with a name. Nothing too complicated. Just a simple pony name. A good name is one way to catch a mare’s attention.”

Thorax rubbed his chin, murmuring under his breath. As he went on, Nymph found her smile becoming harder to hold and her eye involuntarily twitched. “Crystal…Hoof. My name is Crystal Hoof!”

“That’s your name? That name is…” Thorax suddenly lowered his head, ears pinned against him as he whimpered. “Is a very unique one. Perhaps we could pass it off as foreign.” She clapped her hooves together, feeling inspiration take over. “Prench! We’ll say that you are a Prench Stallion! No mare can resist that.”

“But I thought I could be from the Crystal Empire,” he quietly protested.

“We’ll compromise.” She leaned to the side to quickly glance at his cutie make of a vase. “You’re a Prench foreign exchange student visiting the Crystal Empire to study art. Oh, and you will be far more successful if you have a good career like being an actor or model. Don’t tell them that you’re an artist with no career in the future.”

“This sounds a little complicated. I don’t even speak Prench.”

“Not to worry. You will need to know a phrase or two and then you will be harvesting love like no other. Simply repeat what I say.” Nymph cleared her throat. “You are a lovely mare,” she said in Prench.

Thorax took a deep breath. “You is a fish hobo.”

Nymph could feel the split ends forming in her mane and her pleasant grin slowly turned into a deranged one. One of the most important things Queen Locera had taught her was to wear a mask when in public so that no changeling could see your bad side as they would never forget it. She had spent many years perfecting the art of patience and maintaining composure to ensure she could handle stressful situation like a royal changelings should. Thorax was about to hold the record for being the changeling to break it faster than anyone before. “You know what? Just use a Prench accent and you will be golden.”

“So talk like zis?” asked Thorax.

“Precisely.” She gave the feeble change a pat on the back. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.” He looked up at the queen. “Thank you so much for helping me, Your Highness. I know you have more important things to do than help someone like me.”

Nymph feigned a chuckle. “Thorax, my duty as queen is about helping my subjects thrive, including you.” She lightly booped him on the nose. “What you are doing today is important, so give it all you got just for me.”

Standing up straight, Thorax replied, “I won’t let you down!” He then flew back to his seat, sitting straight up with his eyes beaming with excitement.

The queen took her time to rejoin her friends as she couldn’t stop thinking about how upset Thorax was going to be when he inevitably failed in harvesting even an adequate amount of love. She sat next to Chrysalis, who was on break and had to chosen to pass her time reading a tabloid magazine with a picture of Trixie inside. “How did it go?” Chrysalis asked without looking up.

“We’ll see soon enough.” She looked over at Thorax, still full of energy as he awaited his first donor. “I’m afraid his lack of training shows and he’s going to find out the hard way that he’s not entirely qualified for this.”

Right as she spoke, a unicorn mare noticed Thorax in his new form and walked up to him. “Now just who would you be, you handsome pony?”

As Nymph expected, Thorax was caught off guard, but he managed to get a hold of himself. “Crystal Hoof.”

“My goodness. Is that a Prench name?” Mares behind her suddenly sudden started taking interest.

“Yes. I am a mere foreign exchange student visiting the Crystal Empire to study the history of its art,” Thorax said confidently.

“An art student? How delightful.” Nymph could suddenly see plenty of mares looking in their direction, forming a line. “Tell me, are you single?”

“Yes and I came all this way to search for the mare of my dreams. Well, that and to focus on my modeling career.” He was surprised to see many mares approach him with high amounts of love radiating from them, but he smiled and continued to work his charm.

“He seems to be handling it just fine,” Chrysalis spoke, putting her magazine away. “You know, I didn’t think we’d be doing something like this today, but I’m having a lot of fun.”

“Me too. We should-” A sudden flash of Pinkie’s camera interrupted her. When the spots in her vision vanished, Nymph continued, “We should do this more often. Maybe make it a contest between us?”

“A wager?” Chrysalis rubbed her chin. “I like the idea. Maybe if I put in my all, I can actually top Fluttershy.”

Nymph leaned to the side, looking at the mentioned pony. Barely any pony came to her and she still had her faced hiding in her mane. “Speaking of which, can you explain how-”

“Fluttershy!” From above, a changeling mare came down with a wooden pail in her hooves. “It is so good to see you again!” The pegasus suddenly looked excited as she peered into the bucket. “The little darlings could use some fresh air and I thought paying you a visit would be better than having them sit around in daycare all day.”

Something was happening to Fluttershy that Nymph had never seen. A certain emotion was breaking through the shyness that dwelled within her and she reached into the bucket. When her hooves reemerged, Nymph had all her answers. “Babies!” Fluttershy had many grublings crawling all over her forelegs and she was attempting to rub her face against each of them. The sudden eruption of love from this pony nearly made Nymph pass out. How much love did this pony have!? Spike and Shining Armor had plenty, but Fluttershy easily dwarfed them. The utter amount of sheer joy she felt was intoxicating and filling many crystals at once. The sight was so fascinating that no one noticed the pink pony trembling again, not even Pinkie herself. “Oh, you’re all sooooooooo adorable! Did you miss me!?” The infant changelings continued crawling all over her, chirping happily while drinking in the love.

“On second thought, maybe trying to outdo her is not the best idea.” Chrysalis shrugged before glancing to the side. “Oh my. Thorax is certainly getting a lot of attention.”

Nymph turned around, gasping when she witnessed the massive crowd of mares suddenly appeared before him. Looking back to her sister, she suddenly acted very confident. “Was there any doubt? I am as successful in creating love as you.”

“I don’t think that’s what you told me a minute ago,” Chrysalis jested. “Hope you’re as good comforting ponies through heartbreak. He’s going to have to tell them the truth soon because from what I sense, they want him for more than a love donation.”

“Chrysie, this isn’t like your dating business.” Nymph pulled a file from her cloak, which blended into her disguise as it was magically designed to, and got to work on her hoof. “They know that this is all for charity and pretty soon, the changelings here will have more love than they can handle! Besides, I think you are giving Thorax far too much credit for his ability to sweep mare off her hooves. This is his first time harvesting love, so he won’t be a casanova or anything.”

“U-u-u-u-u-u-u-uh o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh!” Nymph turned to Pinkie, who was strangely shaking intensely in her chair. “T-t-t-t-t-there’s a doooooooozy c-c-c-c-c-c-oming!”

“Pinkie, I can barely understand a word-” A bolt of magic flew by her head. “What in the world!?” Nymph turned toward her attacker, but she was not prepared for what awaited her.

“Crystal Hoof, take me as your bride!” cried a unicorn mare, reaching a hoof out to him as many other mares piled onto her.

Thorax took a step back before a changeling mare sprung out and landed on the table, snapping it in half. “I’m a changeling and know more about love than anypony! Marry me instead!” She reached in for a kiss before the mob pulled her back in.

“W-wait! This is all a big misunderstanding!” he cried as he slowly tried to distance himself from the flood.

Fluttershy gasped and returned the bloated and lethargic grublings into the wooden pale, handing them to their caretaker. “Go! Get them as far away from here!” Rather than question it, the changeling took the bucket and flew off in the distance while struggling with the heavy load. “We need to go save Thorax before it’s too late!” She, Pinkie, and Chrysalis jumped out of their seats and ran toward Thorax, who had now turned tail from his new admirers.

“Wait!” Nymph flew after them. “Wasn’t this the point to the love drive? So what if a few mares are madly in love with him? How bad could something like this possibly get!?”

---

“Please give a warm welcome to Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The audience applauded as Mayor Mare stepped aside and Twilight took her place. With her flashcards ready, the alicorn was eager to start her long prepared speech, one she felt would leave an impact on her subjects. It was a long, delicate process that took so many hours out of her days. Deep down, she wished Princess Celestia was here right now to witness the great effort she put into crafting her words. She could only imagine the pride in her mentor’s eyes as she inspired her people with her most excellent speech.

Maintaining a proper posture, Twilight placed her flashcards on the podium and opened her mouth the speak. The first sound she made was one of surprise as some earth pony she had never met body slammed her several feet away, knocking over the podium and scattering her hard work in the process. Onlookers gasped in horror and confusion as the assailant took the alicorn and shook her violently. “Twilight, you have to help me!”

“What?” Twilight muttered, her head still spinning.

“They’re after me and won’t leave me alone! All just because I’m a Prench foreign exchange student who studies art, works as a male model, and wants to make love!” All had fallen silent save for the loud feedback emanating from the speakers as his pleas were caught by the microphones on the floor beside them.

---

As queen of the Changeling Kingdom, Nymph had long studied the most efficient way to gather the most love from multiple ponies. With the existence of changelings now known to the world, research had become far easier as they could easily acquire many willing pony test subjects. There had been some failures, such as that love potion, but it was all necessary for progress. She had her top changelings working around the clock for months on end to devise a method that would harness the greatest amount of food for her subjects.

If they were here right now, they would have broken down into a crying fit when their goal was achieved in less than thirty minutes by total accident.

Nymph and her companions flew high above the stampede of mares, barely making out the blue dot that was poor Thorax. Ponies on the streets jumped out of the way as he ran down the road, somehow keeping ahead of all of them. “Would somepony tell me what the heck is going on!?” Twilight demanded as she flew beside Nymph and Fluttershy.

“It’s a lovedrive gone bad in the worst possible way!” Chrysalis answered, looking down as she sat upon Nymph’s back. She could easily just take the form of a pegasus or even herself, but if even one person saw the famous Cherub undergo transformation, it could lead to an even bigger disaster. “Let’s just grab him before he gets crushed.” As they flew lower, a sudden layer of pegasi and changelings appeared, trying to dive down and grab the stallion. “Where the heck did they come from!?”

“Twilight!” called Nymph. “Perhaps you could teleport these crazy mares away so we can reach him!”

“I can’t!” she protested. “It would be dangerous to warp a pony somewhere while they are moving so fast! They could run into something or somepony and get hurt!”

“Then send them to an open field!” suggested Chrysalis. “It’s either that or Thorax goes to the cemetery!”

The alicorn looked down to the sea of mares and she attempted to thin the herd. Several flashes of violet light appeared, but they seemed to have no impact. “There’s too many of them!”

“Maybe you could try warping ahead and teleport Thorax out when he’s close enough,” said Fluttershy.

“That would work for the ponies and changelings in the front, but all the others in the back won’t see it. When those in the front stop because they lost sight of him, those behind are going to keep running and it’s going to a massive pileup of mares. I don’t think the hospital could handle so many at once!”

“W-w-w-w-w-w-well I-I-I-I-I-I-I t-t-t-think w-w-w-we s-s-should d-d-do s-s-s-something s-s-s-soon!”

Chrysalis and Twilight both looked at Pinkie, terror in their eyes. “Pinkie,” Chrysalis started calmly, “please tell me you are not having another premonition.” Pinkie pointed far ahead down the road. It was too far to see what she saw, so Twilight used a spell to scan Pinkie’s eyes and produce a screen for all them to see.

A yellow earth pony stallion looked up to the new building with pride. His wife, a red pegasus, stood beside him, smiling as well. “We really did it,” she said.

“It’s hard to believe, but we finally replaced that old, worn down orphanage with this brand new one! All those poor pony and changeling children are going to have somewhere nice to call home.”

The mare looked upon the many little orphans standing outside, who were possibly happier than they have been in their entire lives. “And it was so generous of Fluttershy to give us so many baby animals for the petting zoo.” They walked to one of the many pens and she leaned over the fence. “Look at all these little chicks! They’re so precious!” When she stood up, she looked to her husband, suddenly concerned. “However, I’m still not sure about having an orphanage right next to fireworks store. That might be dangerous.”

“Nonsense! We’re responsible ponies and I know the owner. He would never let a foal go near one. Heck, he’s nice enough to even offer food for our grand opening.” He waved to the stallion in front of the other building, who waved back while barbecuing vegetables next to the open door of his shop. “And I was going to surprise you, but he offered to launch his biggest, most powerful magic firework to celebrate our grand opening he calls The Crater Maker! Right now, it’s in the shop for safekeeping. It’s so volatile that if it gets too hot or shaken around from like an earthquake or something, BOOM!”

The five mares screamed when they all came to the same conclusion. “Twilight, what are we going to do!?” cried Fluttershy.

Pinkie reached over to shake the alicorn in panic. “Half of Ponyville is gonna go kablooey!”

“I don’t know! M-maybe I could teleport some more ponies away and slow them down!”

More flashes erupted from the crowd, but more mares kept filling the empty spaces. “We need another plan!” Pinkie then happily gasped and jumped onto Nymph’s back, taking hold of Chrysalis. “I know! What if you two started spewing slime all over them and get them stuck?”

“We would need a lot more changelings for that to even work!” Nymph bit her hoof, looking to the stampede and then the doomed orphanage. “Maybe we could take a shot?”

“Maybe Fluttershy could use her stare on them,” suggested Chrysalis as she magically plopped Pinkie back onto the pegasus. “That should stop them all dead in their tracks.”

“Same problem as the wall!” Twilight countered, still teleporting mares away. “It will stop the front, but not the back!”

As her friends kept offering ideas, Nymph could feel her blood turn cold as their time was running low. Had Mother taught her anything about dealing with a situation like this? She knew not of a spell that could handle this many people. Even her mind control would be fruitless against a mob this size. On the top of her head, the only time she had ever seen anything remotely like this was during the garden party she told Pinkie and Fluttershy about earlier. A sudden last ditch effort popped into her head. “I have a plan! Twilight, we need to get to the flower shop!”

A second later, she, Chrysalis, and Twilight suddenly appeared in the floral store and Nymph had to slam her hooves onto the floor to stop herself from running into the wall. Various customers in the store where stunned at the sight of Princess Luna screeching to a halt with Cherub riding on her back and several had to jump out of the way. Once she came to a full stop, Nymph ran to the counter. “We need all the seeds of the worst possible smelling flowers you have immediately! It’s a royal emergency!” The cashier pony hurried into the back room as Nymph and Twilight tapped their hooves against the floor. Nearly a minute later, she returned with many bags, dropping them on the counter, and Nymph picked one up . “Helicodiceros muscivorus?”

“It’s a changeling plant they use to catch flies!” answered the pony. “It’s odor-”

“Good enough!” Twilight warped them out of the store and back over the river of mares. The sudden transport caught Nymph by total surprise and she had to frantically flap her wings to remain airborne. “I think I know what you’re doing. You’re going to use the odor as crowd control to disperse the crowd.”

“Oh! You brought stinky flowers?” Pinkie asked with delight, forgetting just for a moment the impending destruction.

“It’s the only idea I have and I don’t think we have time for another one. Chrysalis, do you still remember the growth spell?”

“Of course.” Chrysalis tore open a bag and poured the seeds into her hoof. She casted a spell on them and they immediately began to grow. In a matter of seconds, the seeds broke open as flowers buds appeared. “It would be long until they bloom. We better get rid of them quick.”

“Throw them to the back of the mob!” ordered Twilight. “We need to stop them first!” Chrysalis used all her strength to hurl the blooming flowers towards the mares behind them. Once they landed, they could see the mares either fall over or retreat toward another direction. “Keep growing them! We have a lot of mares and not a lot of time!”

Pinkie and Fluttershy took the bags from Nymph and removed the seeds, holding them out to allow Chrysalis, Nymph, and Twilight to begin their growth. The two ponies continued tossing them onto the lovestruck mares while Twilight waited until the last second before teleporting any blooming buds into the thicker parts of the stampede. It wasn’t long until the only mares remaining were the ones right on Thorax’s tail. Nymph noticed a delay in their efforts and looked to her friends. “What are we waiting for!?”

Pinkie shook an empty bag. “We’re all out!”

“I think the crowd is small enough to safely remove Thorax. Twilight, get him out of there.” Chrysalis looked over to the alicorn, who held her head in her hooves. “Twilight, stay with me! Just one more spell!”

“I can’t!” she wheezed. “I’ve been casting so much and flying so fast!” Twilight grunted as she flapped her wings harder, but she slowly began to fall behind and descend toward the ground.

Fluttershy saw Twilight struggling to keep up and turned around to help her, leaving only the two changelings. Up ahead, the orphanage was in clear view as well as the barbecue with flames erupting while it stood right between the oncoming mob and the open door. “Nymph, we need to get Thorax NOW!”

“Agreed! We’re going in!” Nymph dropped in altitude and was right behind the pegasi and changelings who were using flight to pursue their prey. With time running out, she summoned a giant broom to shove them aside and fly ahead. Once Thorax was finally in her sight, she magically yanked him off the ground, dropped him in her forelegs, and used her teleportation spell. When the fire cleared, they were hidden in a nearby alley. She peered around the corner of a building, seeing the few remaining mares coming into a halt, looking around in confusion while a few broke down crying.

“No! Leave me alone!” Thorax struggled by flailing his hooves, making it difficult for Nymph to keep a grip on him.

“Thorax! Thorax, open your eyes! You’re safe now!”

Finally, he calmed himself and took a look, finding himself in his queen’s hooves. “Am...am I alive?”

“Fortunately, yes you are.” Chrysalis exhaled in relief while climbing off her sister. “You should thank Queen Nymph. She managed to come up with the perfect plan to save your life.”

Those blissful words gave Nymph a brief stroke of euphoria and she gained another when she looked down at Thorax, his eyes wide with awe. “Oh, it was nothing,” she panted. “Just another day as the Changeling Queen. I go through this sort of thing all the time.”

From above, she heard the ponies fly down to them with Fluttershy supporting Twilight. “Glad that’s...huff...over…” the princess said with some struggle.

Pinkie zipped over to Thorax, grinning. “That was one of the craziest things I have ever been through in my life! I can’t believe you got so many girls to chase you and you almost blew up, too!”

Thorax gulped. “I almost what?”

“Yep!” She stood on her hind legs and waved her forelegs. “KA-BLAM! I wonder what’s going to happen at the next love drive!” Thorax suddenly went limp in Nymph’s forelegs and Pinkie waved her hoof in front of his face. “Thorax? Oh! Almost forgot!” Pinkie whipped out the camera and snapped a photo.

---

“Are you sure there is nothing I can offer?” Nymph pleaded, hovering before her subject while out of disguise.

Thorax shook his head and continued walking. “N-no, it’s fine. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Thorax, you were almost crushed by a horde of lovestruck ponies and changelings because of me! Surely there’s something I could do to make it all up to you. A trip to the spa? Some financial compensation?” She hesitated before adding, “Perhaps an order of pizza?”

“I couldn’t ask anything from you, Your Highness. I just want to go home and lie down.” Defeated, Nymph landed on the ground next to him and walked alongside him in silence. Stubborn was not a word she had expected to describe Thorax. Perhaps it was best to just drop it altogether and let him rest as he desired. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him looking up at her, slightly smiling. She gave him one in return, grateful that he was miraculously not holding any animosity toward her. They broke eye contact just for a moment until Thorax gasped. “Oh no! I left all the stuff I wrote about Spike back at his castle!”

“Twilight’s castle,” Nymph corrected, but her words went unheard as he had already taken off into the air. She magically grabbed him and set him back on the ground. “Calm yourself. You can go retrieve your book tomorrow. You have had a long day and need to rest.”

Sighing, Thorax replied, “Maybe you’re right. I don’t think I can even write today since I can’t stop thinking about what happened.”

“Ah yes. Your little book. How have you fared so far?”

“It’s going great!” Thorax was so overjoyed that his wings took him off the ground just by a few inches. “Twilight has taught me a lot about writing and Spike has been a great source of material! I have almost twenty pages written about Ponyville because I love living here and it’s so rich in stuff to write about. Other than that, I only have a few places written that my friends have told me about. It’s going to be a while before I get the rest of Equestria.”

Nymph saw the opportunity present itself and went for it. “That’s how I will make it up to you! I will take you to one of Equestria’s greatest cities so you can write all about it! How about the Crystal Empire? It’s the most beautiful city I have ever laid eyes upon and it is always overflowing with love. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor would even let you have a tour of the castle.”

Thorax was practically salivating, whether it was because it was a good offer or the love she mentioned, she wasn’t sure. “That would be amazing! Thank you, Queen Nymph!”

“It is no trouble at all.” Now that she thought about it, perhaps she could come along just to see the empire again. It had been a while and with the anniversary long over, perhaps her experience will be more positive. No doubt Thorax would be very impressed with the statue she and Cadance designed under the palace. On that note, something clicked in her mind. Perhaps Chrysalis also wouldn’t mind a visit, but she would have to give it some thought later.

They arrived at a large apartment building, looking striking similar to most houses in Ponyville with its wooden walls and straw roof, and went up the stairs outside. “This is where you live? I was expecting a house.”

“I can’t afford one,” Thorax reluctantly admitted. “Right now, Spike and Rarity have been helping me find gems so I can sell them. Appraising them is all I’m really good at and I don’t have enough money to open my own business. It’s not all bad, though. I really like living here. It feels cleaner than being underground.” At one of the doors, Thorax reached under the matt, the worst place to hide a key outside of just leaving it in the lock. He opened the door and stepped inside. “I guess I’ll see you later, Queen Nymph. Thank you again for saving my life.”

“Have a pleasant evening, Thorax. Go get some sleep.” He nodded before closing the door and Nymph summoned her fire, warping herself back to Cupid’s Arrow and finding Chrysalis handing a glass of water to the exhausted pegasus collapsed on her couch.

“I believe that’s one way to wrap up the day,” Chrysalis joked, although she was still trembling slightly.

“Not another word.” Nymph knelt down by Fluttershy’s side, stroking her forehead. “How are you feeling, you sweet pony?”

“Better,” Fluttershy whispered tiredly. It seemed the adrenaline rush had taken its toll since she last saw the pony. “How’s Thorax? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. Took the whole incident a lot better than I thought.” Nymph groaned as she sat on the couch next to Chrysalis, her body feeling like changeling jelly. “I think we’re done with our sisterly bonding for today. I can’t handle anymore excitement or even walking.”

“Truth be told, living in this town has given me nerves of steel. Something like this is actually pretty common,” Chrysalis commented as she watched Pinkie kiss her marefriend’s head, who now snored softly. “Why don’t you take her home and tuck her into bed? Maybe the two of you can snuggle up.”

“Okie-dokie!” Pinkie picked up Fluttershy and dropped her onto her back. “After that, I’m gonna get these photos developed so you can look back at how much fun you both had today! See you in a bit!” The pony bounced to the door, opened it, and bounced away.

Closing the door, Chrysalis at last took off her disguise. “It feels so good to be me again.”

“Thank you for putting up with me today, Chrysie.”

The eldest sister scoffed. “You make it sound like I was forced to be with you.”

“Well, I just thought…nevermind.”

Perhaps that wasn’t the right move as Chrysalis clearly caught on. “Nymph, I enjoy being with you. I wish that we could do something like this more often. Outside of nearly destroying half the town, however.”

Nymph could have left it like that. To simply agree with her and to end their time on a high note. And yet, for whatever reason, she pushed her luck. “Is that why you always avoid my calls?”

Chrysalis leapt up from her seat, turning to Nymph with alarm. “Oh, Nymph, no! That’s not it at all! I just...just have a lot going on right now.”

“Like what? You’re not in trouble, are you?”

“No. I have...been doing a lot of thinking about Luna.”

A shiver of worry caused Nymph to sit up. “Are things not well between you two?”

Chrysalis sighed and sat on the carpet in front of the unlit fireplace. “The truth is, sometimes I get afraid of where our relationship is going to go. The two of us being together is already putting her reputation of the line and I cannot risk hurting her again. I’m not a perfect mare by any means and Luna I think is just too good for me.”

“Would dumping her make everything better?”

“No. No it wouldn’t.” Chrysalis rolled onto her back and Nymph joined her on the floor. “I don’t think I even know who I am sometimes. I want to believe I’m a royal changeling who always wants the best for her people, but we know that’s not true. I was raised to be a brilliant and kind queen, and yet, I’ve caused so much pain. You’re my own sister and your cries of torment were once music to my ears.”

“Chrysie, it’s not your fault. I lied to you ab-”

“That’s not the point, Nymph. I had nothing to prove my claim and I went about as if I did. I loved you with all my heart for over three hundred years and like flipping a switch, I acted like a total monster to you.” Chrysalis rolled herself to face away and curled up. “Maybe...maybe I just am a monster.”

“You’re not! You’re my sister!”

“A terrible sister for sure. Sometimes I wonder if I even deserve the freedom granted to me. I hurt you for years, I invaded an innocent kingdom, and kidnapped and mocked an innocent princess during her own wedding. Mother raised me to be so much better and yet...I did all those things.”

“But that’s all in the past.”

“Is it? Ponies and changelings still say my name in fear for a good reason.” Nymph was startled by the fireplace suddenly lighting with changeling fire and within, an image of an unfriendly looking Chrysalis formed. “What if that part of me comes back? What if something happens that causes me to act cruel to Luna the same way I did to you? Sometimes, I just keep imagining the worst thing I could do and just like that, we’re done.”

The queen magically extinguished the fire and picked up her sister, who was limp. “What are you saying? Chrysalis, you understand her more than anypony. Celestia has told me of how much progress Luna made dealing with her trauma from becoming Nightmare Moon ever since she met you. Don’t you think Luna may be feeling the same way as you? Worrying that she will repeat her past mistakes and hurt you or Celestia as a result? I am certain she still feels dreadful about what she did on Hearts and Hooves Day.”

Chrysalis slowly lifted her head. “I didn’t even think of that.”

“You two are a perfect match. You both understand the difficulties of letting go and have been very supportive of each other. I think that if one of you starts to fall, the other will catch her. What’s more beautiful than that? After all, was it not your timid princess who came to you with the prosition of love making?”

“But the other thing-”

Nymph tightly embraced her. “We both made our mistakes. I think it would be better if we just moved on.”

“I’m still making plenty of mistakes, Nymph, and I need to come clean.” The green fire once again appeared, showing a little adorable image of Chrysalis looking rather small with big eyes and pointy hooves. The real Chrysalis laid back down on the floor and stared in the flame. Although she seemed to be feeling better, her voice still dripped with sorrow. “I love working as a matchmaker, but I still succumb to anger at times.” A little pony appeared and the flaming Chrysalis moved her mouth, likely shouting, and the pony ran away. A sudden crowd of ponies appeared around her and Chrysalis had her hooves on her head before exploding into more yelling and scaring them off. “Sometimes, I just have a bad day and I want to let loose. I have never been good at managing stress.” Two unicorns appeared, both wearing striped shirts and one with a mustache. They offered Chrysalis a tiny bag of money, who looked at it, grew angry, and unleashed a flurry of magic bolts at them as they fled.

“We all have our bad days.” Nymph padded Chrysalis on the hoof. “Even Twilight and Fluttershy find themselves at wit’s end.”

“They do, but they can handle their anger far better than I can. Neither of them can even dream of doing the things I have done. The truth is I brought Pinkie and Fluttershy with us as a precaution.”

“What?”

“I wanted you to visit ever since you came to stay in Equestria, but every time I thought about us being alone together, I kept thinking that something would happen that would make me hurt you.” The little Chrysalis walked in place up to an image of Rarity, shouting silently until the unicorn cried and ran away. The avatar of the changeling suddenly looked worried and called to her before Applejack came to scold her. “Even after learning how far I had fallen, I was still succumbing to my darker desires.” An image of Trixie, Twilight’s old roommate, popped up with a heart hanging over her head. Chrysalis stood nearby, grinning evilly as Trixie talked with Twilight. The two unicorns had a short conversation before the heart over Trixie’s head cracked in half and she ran away in tears.

“You’re at least doing better now, yes?”

“I guess I have, but I recently had a few...episodes.” Discord appeared, waving to Chrysalis, and she in turn pulled out a battle axe before pursuing him. “I’ve talked with Pinkie about this and she and Fluttershy are helping me cope with stress. I’m still learning, but I can count on them to keep me in line, especially during work. However, I can’t rely on them forever.”

Nymph’s heart shriveled at the next image. It was one of Chrysalis and running around her were two little royal changelings. Whatever they were doing, the Chrysalis in the fireplace was getting madder and madder until the inevitable happened. When she yelled, the two children broke into crying and ran away before Chrysalis gasped and ran after them. She found them by an angry Luna, who spoke silently to Chrysalis before exiting with their children in tow and leaving Chrysalis all alone. The image then faded, returning the fire to its natural state.

“Chrysalis, why didn’t you tell me this before? I can help you.”

“I didn’t want to scare you away. Would you want to be anywhere near me if you knew I was still having issues with my anger?” The queen couldn’t even open her mouth to answer her. “Exactly.”

“I...I haven’t made it worse, have I? By having you out in public in your true form and making everyone afraid of you?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “No. In fact, I think it may have helped because it shows me what can happen if I lose control. Although those days could have gone far better, I think they will make good motivators. If matchmaking can be this stressful, then helping run a kingdom will be merciless.”

From where she sat, Nymph magically opened the cabinet in the kitchen and brought out an open bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses. “Speaking of home, perhaps that is what causing you so much stress. You have been stuck here in Equestria for nearly a year, forced to live as a pony and worry about someone learning your secret. I think if we can get the people to accept you, that should fix your anger issues.”

Chrysalis waited as her sister poured her a shot and then drank it. “You think so?”

“Of course.” Nymph needed her shot before continuing this conversation. “Back then, you were angry because you couldn’t handle how I wronged you. How I took your crown. It was because I did something so selfish that you acted that way. Your life has been so stressful for many years and it’s affecting you. Once you’re home with me and have Luna by your side, then there will be nothing to worry about. You can finally breathe and no longer have to carry the world on your shoulders.”

“Maybe...maybe you’re right.”

“I am right.” Pouring another glass, Nymph proclaimed, “I will not rest until you are accepted and forgiven by ponies and changelings. It’s the only thing I can do to make up for what I did. My next plan will be far more successful.” Tilting her head back, the liquid went down easy. “Well, I hope so.”

“I have faith in you, Sister.” Chrysalis put her glass down and leaned against her. Blushing, Nymph extended her wing around her and they laid together, watching the comforting fire dance before them in peaceful silence.

Not even a minute went by before the tender moment was cut short by the door suddenly being thrown open. “I’m back!”

Chrysalis looked over Nymph. “Already? I thought photos take a lot of time to develop.”

“It’s a magic camera, silly!” Pinkie happily held up the yellow envelope. “I’ll just leave this here and let you two enjoy. They’re really cute!” Chrysalis took it and the pony hopped toward the door again. “Bye, Chrysie! See you tomorrow!”

“Goodbye, Pinkie.” When the pony was gone, Chrysalis poured the photos onto the floor and spread them out. “What? How is this possible!?”

Every single picture had something none of them seen coming. Somehow, each photo of either changeling showed them in their true form. “I guess this was what she meant by it being magic. I must say I’m a little surprised she owns something like this.”

“She doesn’t. She got it from Celestia.” They looked at each other, blinking. “Clever princess.”

Nymph looked at the photo of them planting the new garden outside Cupid’s Arrow. “Aw. We look so cute together. You made a good choice with that hat, Chrysie.”

A sudden snicker caught Nymph’s ears. “I think I like this one the best.” One look was enough to have the queen gasp and she cursed Pinkie for taking more than one photo of that moment. “That’s going to be a fun story to tell!”

“Not if I burn it first!” Nymph took it with her hoof and ran to the fireplace, but when she arrived, her hoof was empty. “Chrysalis, give me that this instant!”

“Oh no. This is something you see only once in a lifetime.” She suddenly chortled. “Actually twice! I certainly recall Luna making that exact face a few nights ago! Eyes rolled back and everything!” Chrysalis exploded into hysterics as Nymph could feel her body become numb and it was as if she was on fire. “You know, the newspaper once produced an article about Celestia and her cake eating habits. Maybe one about Queen Nymph would get readers excited!”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Nymph galloped and launched herself at Chrysalis, who took to the air. The matchmaker laughed non stop as her sister desperately tried to destroy the evidence of her loss of control, chasing her around the room for quite some time. Even with her reputation on the line, deep down, Nymph felt that she truly enjoyed this childish moment with her beloved sister and already looked forward for her next visit.

Comments

[changlinggod45]

nice chapter

[Razzy]

Pfft, poor Thorax.

Drowning in them ladies.

... Rarity's secret. XD

Hopefully they didn't plant any of those flowers around Chryssie's house.

Just get a Blueblood dumny to release your anger on, Chryssie. >.>

'summoned to hear our even more tedious demands' - hear out

'model her clothes as a changeling in perfect for her line of work' - clothes, as a changeling I'm perfect

'Looking back her sister' - back to her

[HeartfireFirebrand]

WHAT THE!?” “Howdy, y'all!” Rarity greeted in her new attire. “And welcome to Rarity’s Ranch!” If this was a dream, now would have been a good time for Luna to swoop in and wake her up. Nymph stood in a room with the walls painted as if she was standing the middle of a farm. Bales of hay and even a scarecrow decorated the floor to give it a more authentic look. In the corner of the room was record playing that started right as the lights came on, letting out music that consisted of a banjo and a fiddle. The wares themselves consisted of boots, hats, bandanas, overalls, vests, and other articles of clothing to that would no doubt be found in Applejack’s closet

I was not expecting this.

[Sweetblue]

Even stranger, when she skimmed through the small pile, she found that all of them had been signed. “I’m done? Is that even possible?” She shrugged. “Well...I guess that’s that. At least I can spend some more time with Celestia.”

Yeah i am sorry i cannot really carry on reading from something like this. She is too much of an airhead with this being her reaction. It just snapped me right out from my immersion, Thank you for writing the story, i really loved Chrysalis and her journey. I am sure it has a plot reasons and justifications but this combined with earlier Bee incident it just really broke the suspension of belief for me fully.

[Shenzy]

Until Pinkie flashed the camera.

Given tomato sauce and a headline like "TODAY ON THE MENU: YOU"! - changeling queen eats servant alive!

I would do so well on the PonyNews

[Shenzy]

“It’s something changelings put together now and then,” answered Chrysalis. “They set up booths and change into a pony that is requested so that the pony feels love and they harvest the results. Even ponies like to volunteer to help generate food for their newest neighbors. It’s a nice way to spread the love around Ponyville.”

If i wasn't such a nice guy... i might read something a bit more... - mature... here. Something about holes which won't come in form of legs.

If they were here right now, they would have broken down into a crying fit when their goal was achieved in less than an thirty minutes by total accident.

Hitchhiker guide trough the galaxy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbUfz2sNIgY < the professors killing the student accomplishing the impossible. That would happen. [that's how the books goes] - anyway, its all the same!

[HeartfireFirebrand]

“Anyway, he said that if he had to patrol the halls and was forced to look upon it even once every day, he would choose to blind himself to prevent the sickening feeling it gave him. Mother was highly amused and thanked him, promising to remove it at once. When Mother announced the removal of her work, the changelings publicly protested it, but in private, they praised Scarab for having more spine than any of them. Since then, they became closer and when he was deemed worthy enough, Mother took him as her king.”

“I still don’t understand,” said Nymph while watering some of the planted seeds. “Why did she make an ugly painting? How did this lead to their romantic relationship?”

“Because she was looking for a friend as opposed to a bottom feeder. A real friend would be truthful with you, no matter how much it hurts. When you’re a queen, who is there to give you constructive feedback? No one. Everyone is too afraid to offend their beloved and powerful leader.

Mother knew she was not perfect by any means and needed someone to tell her if she was making some sort of mistake, even little ones like this. Scarab gave her balance.”

That makes sense.

[iloveportalz0r]

Nymph was surprised to see the children not react to it’s sudden ringing

*its

The queen could only imagine what other designed the unicorn had crafted

*designs

He nodded before closing the door and Nymph summoned her fire warped herself back to Cupid’s Arrow

Something is wrong with this

[Baree]

Thorax and Queen Nymph huh? Well, why not. Should teach Nymph a bit about "lesser citizens" as well. Also, bit late to the party,I know. I only just now saw you are writing a sequel. Cool stuff ^^.