Death of a Queen

by Arkane12

16: Crystal Conundrum

“Shining Armor? Princess Cadence?” What are you doing here so soon? I wasn’t expecting you until later tonight.” Twilight positioned herself between her two guests and the doorway behind her, blocking their sight as effectively as possible.

“When we heard about Celestia,” Cadence started, “we came as quickly as we could.”

“We barely had enough time to find a sitter for Flurry,” Shining continued.

“Aww, you didn’t bring little Flurry? I was hoping to see her. I bet she’s gotten so big. It’s been too long since I visited you guys up in the Crystal Empire.” Despite her tone, relief washed over Twilight. She crossed that potential disaster off the list. The long, long list.

“So, are you going to show us what you’ve been up to?” Cadence motioned toward the study.

“Nothing that interesting,” Twilight said. Her haste roused Cadence’s suspicion. She tried to inquire further but Shining intervened.

“I get it. Working on some nerd stuff?” He asked, nodding.

“Yup. Just a whole bunch of nerd stuff.” She chuckled nervously.

“We’ll leave you to it, then. We’ll be sure to check back in with you later.” Shining wrapped a muscular foreleg around his sister and giving her a tight squeeze. As he pulled away, he winked, quickly enough that Twilight missed it at first.

Cadence’s pout melted away. She likewise hauled Twilight in close.

“I’ll see you both at dinner tonight. Deal?” Twilight proposed.

“Deal,” Cadence confirmed.

The two of them left, heading back in the general direction of the throne room. A herd of crystal ponies followed close behind, cloaking in their glossy armor and glossier coats. Before disappearing around the corner, Shining Armor cast one final, worried smile in her direction. Then they were gone.

Twilight’s muscles slackened.

“It’s safe for you to come out now,” Twilight whispered, peeking her head back into the study.

“Did they notice me?” Twilight’s attention drew upward, to where Chrysalis had curled up in the gap between two of the exposed rafters.

“I think you’re clear.”

The changeling buzzed down from her hidey-hole. “That was too close.”

“I thought we would have more time before they arrived.”

“It looks like our date will have to wait.”

Twilight’s cheeks turned bright red. “What date?”

“Our plans,” Chrysalis explained. “We were going to go for a stroll through the gardens.”

“Oh. That. I don’t know if I’d call that a . . . date.”

“Our appointment, then. Or our meeting. Our rendezvous. Whatever you wish to call it. You ponies are so particular with your word choice,” She huffed.

“Oh . . . you meant it like . . .” Twilight cleared the awkwardness from her throat. “Anyway, you’re right. It seems like we’ll have to postpone our . . . date.”

Chrysalis waited for Twilight to turn away before she let a smirk crawl across her lips.

“What’s the plan?” She asked. “For dealing with those two, I mean.”

“I’ll just have to convince them to go easy on you.”

Chrysalis could feel the chains weighing her down already.

“You really think that’ll work?”

“No. We aren’t exactly swimming in alternatives, though,” Twilight pointed out. “Luna has already told them about Celestia, so I assume she told them about your presence, too. You can’t hide from them forever.”

Chrysalis sighed, throwing her head back in defeat. “If that’s what you think is best, then I trust you. Can we at least put off telling them until tonight? Let me enjoy the free time I have left.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Twilight consoled. “Any suggestions for how to spend today? You have until dinner.”

“I think I’ll just head back to my room. Enjoy the comforts for a bit.” Chrysalis lowered her head.

“Want me to come with you?” Twilight sank down to her level.

“I think that would be lovely.”

Twilight made sure to take the lead on their exodus back to the bedrooms. Every corner they crossed, she rounded first, ensuring a clean break for Chrysalis. Neither hide nor hair of a single crystal pony could be found on the way. If Cadence and Shining had not clued Twilight to their presence, she never would have guessed they had arrived yet. Except, of course, for the door at the end of the hall, emblazoned with a crystal heart and purple shield.

Twilight felt an odd twinge of discomfort at the sight of her brother’s mark, so much like her own. It had been a comfort to her for as long as she could remember. Now, it felt cold.

“Perhaps you could start a fire for me?” Chrysalis asked, once they were safely in her room.

“No. I’m not burning the castle down to help you,” Twilight scoffed.

Chrysalis turned to look at the smaller pony, her face twisted in disbelief. “I meant the fireplace, Twilight.”

“Oh,” She squeaked. “Right.”

Chrysalis shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. “How did you beat me? You might be the dumbest genius I’ve ever met.”

“What? You’re telling me you would never burn down a building,” Twilight half-shouted half-whispered.

“We’re changelings, dear. We don’t need to start fires to tear down a kingdom.”

“Yeah, you’d just . . .” Twilight trailed off as a realization struck her square in the forehead. “You’d just seduce the royalty.”

Chrysalis clicked her tongue affirmatively.

“Is that . . . Am I . . .?” Twilight narrowed her eyes.

Chrysalis couldn’t contain the hearty chuckle that broke from her lips. The sound died when she realized Twilight was still watching her. Her face shifted to anger, then to pain.

“After everything, you really think I’m still playing some sort of angle?” She asked.

“It is exactly what you’d do, isn’t it? I’m the most naive princess. The newest one. The easiest to manipulate. I guess . . . it’s a possibility.”

“I thought we were past this.”

“I believe you,” Twilight said sorrowfully. “They don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I trust you, Chrysalis. Maybe that’s the angle you’re playing. You get my trust and I act as a shield for you.”

“Twilight, I wouldn’t—”

The princess demanded silence with a wave of her hoof. “But is it what you would do? If you meant to infiltrate Equestria? Celestia would be dead and I’d be your puppet”

“I . . . suppose. But I’m telling you things are different now. You have to trust me.” Chrysalis pleaded.

“I do, Chrysalis. But that’s why Cadence and my brother are here.” Twilight pressed her hooves to her temples, massaging the impending rage with tight little circles. “Luna doesn’t trust you. You’ve been spending a lot of time with me. Which means Luna doesn’t trust me. She asked Cadence and Shining here to protect me.

“She’s using my own flesh and blood against me.”

Chrysalis’ features hardened. “That sounds like something I’d do. Clever. I guess I can’t really blame her.”

“Then we have to convince them that you’ve changed. I have to convince them that you’ve changed.”

“No.” Chrysalis practically whispered, but her voice carried enough force to rival Celestia herself.

“No what?”

“I don’t think any force in Equestria could convince them I meant no harm. We’d have to look to the heavens.”

“You’re not making sense.”

“Celestia.”

The mental fog cleared.

“Celestia saved me,” Chrysalis explained. “She must have some faith in me. She could make Luna believe.”

Twilight sighed. “Then it’s a good thing we’ve already made some progress on that front.”

“That’s not all, Twilight.”

“What else is there?”

“You need to stay away from me.” Chrysalis’ words tasted foul.

Twilight wanted to argue, but on a deeper level, she knew the truth.

“We’ve still got today.”

The room brightened as Chrysalis beamed.

“That depends. It might take you all day just to light that fire for me.”

* * *

After she saved her life, Twilight would need to have a chat with Celestia. Days moved too quickly. She realized that as the sun started to set. With a solemn goodbye, Chrysalis and Twilight parted. Her loved ones would be waiting for her at dinner. The thought of calling them her loved ones filled Twilight with an unexpected anger. If they loved her, they wouldn’t treat her like this.

No.

Their love for Twilight is why they treated her like this; it’s what kept them from believing Chrysalis. They were trying to defend her. That idea brought less comfort than it should have but succeeded in extinguishing her vexation. She believed any of her friends would have done the same if they felt it necessary.

Twilight stepped into the throne room. The last vestiges of daylight poured through the skylight, erecting a burning halo around the empty royal seats. Here, the aroma of the nearby mess hall finally reached her. Sudden regret filled her empty stomach. How long had it been since she ate a proper meal?

None of the ponies glanced up from their evening meals to notice the princess as she entered. Nearly every seat had been filled. They drew into close huddles, discussing their adventures of the day over a variety of meals set out for them. In the farthest corner, a stallion and mare spoke gently to one another between each bite.

The longing gaze that accompanied each word told their story. While nothing in the rules forbade fraternization between soldiers, that didn’t mean it was blindly accepted. Regardless, Twilight had no intention of denying them companionship.

Twilight opened the door just wide enough to slip through, letting it fall shut behind her with a soft thud. Cadence, Shining, and Luna were already here, prattling on about a new law to be introduced across the Crystal Empire. The room fell silent as Twilight entered. All three greeted her with a mix of joy and familiarity only used for old friends.

“About time you got here,” Shining Armor started, “I’m starving.”

“No breakfast, no lunch, late to dinner, and your brother is still the one who has worked up more of an appetite.” Luna joked. “Why am I not surprised?”

The three of them laughed. Even Twilight couldn’t stop her gentle smile. She trotted over to her regular seat. Luna clapped her hooves twice in rapid succession, summoning a troupe of servants from the kitchens. In perfect synchronization, they placed a silver tray before each diner, bowed, and returned to the kitchen.

The chefs had prepared a salad for the first course. Cherry-red tomatoes and slices of carrot nestled beneath the sliced crisped greens. Twilight drooled at the sight.

“Twilight?”

She snapped her head toward Luna. “Huh?”

“Did you hear me?”

“No . . . I was . . . focused on something else?” Twilight blinked.

“I think we should probably just let her eat, Princess.” Shining teased.

His comment turned Twilight’s cheeks red, but she knew better than to take offense to it.

“I heard you two went to visit Twilight in her little lab this morning,” Luna said.

“Yeah, we caught her on her way out,” Shining explained.

“Apparently, someone was more interested in seeing the renovations out back than Twilight’s ‘nerd stuff’.” Cadence explained, elbowing Shining in the shoulder.

“Nerd stuff?” Luna inquired.

“I was testing my hypothesis,” Twilight expounded. “I’m letting the experiment sit overnight to see if there are any long-term effects I need to try and iron out before we try it on something a little more advanced.”

“Tell us what you found,” Cadence commanded, skewering a utensil through several leaves and a small cucumber slice.

“It’s a solution meant to nullify changeling magic. I’m hoping it will work to heal Celestia.”

The temperature of the room dropped just enough to notice. Cadence turned away, pretending to take interest in something on the far side of the room. Shining shoveled away a mouthful of food, chewing slowly enough to avoid any conversational responsibility.

Twilight and Luna shared a brief glance, simultaneously aware that while they’d grown numb to the pain of hearing Celestia’s name, the newcomers had not.

“Tell me, what did you think of the renovations?” Luna changed the subject.

“Oh? They were quite beautiful. I can see the new Gardens becoming quite the hotspot for tourists.” Cadence latched eagerly on to the sudden shift.

“That was the plan.” Luna grinned proudly.

Shining finally rejoined the conversation. “I couldn’t help but notice a few missing decorations, though.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“There’s these strange stone blocks over the fountain. Seems kind of plain and out of place compared to the rest of the Gardens. Almost like the statue just got up and left.”

“He did get up and leave. That was Discord’s pedestal,” Luna explained.

Shining and Cadence nodded in mutual understanding. Cadence was the first to speak. “So, any plans to build a new statue for it?”

“I have a few ideas of what to put there.” Luna scowled.

Twilight choked, covering her mouth with a napkin to hide the insistent coughing fit.

“That’s what happens when you eat too fast,” Shining chuckled.

“You should listen to him. He’s an expert on the subject.” Cadence mocked.

“Yeah. I can’t deny that.” Shining shrugged contentedly.

As soon as their first course finished, the second arrived, carted in by the same servants as before. This time, elaborately decorated porcelain bowls were brought in, filled nearly to the brim with a golden-brown soup. The salty broth warmed Twilight as she downed a spoonful. This portion of the meal passed silently, save for the rabble of soldiers on the other side of the wall.

“I suppose we’d better get to the reason you asked us here, Aunt Luna.” Cadence pushed her empty bowl away, silver spoon clattering against it as it moved.

“If you wish.” Luna dabbed her lips with a white cloth.

For the third and final time, the servants poured from the kitchen, clearing away the remnants of the meal. Four tall crystal glasses were left before Luna, along with a bottle of red wine. When the others denied her offer, she poured a glass for herself. Her magic curled around it as the same dark claw it always did.

“What exactly is the reason you asked them here?” Twilight inquired.

Luna inhaled deeply, catching the scent of the wine in the air. “We must decide what should be done with Chrysalis.”

Twilight watched Shining’s features curl into a snarl at the sound of her name.

Cadence reconsidered Luna’s suggestion, filling her own glass without ever slipping the relaxed demeanor of a dignified princess.

“She is your prisoner, Luna. That’s outside of our jurisdiction,” She said.

“Then consider it as advice. The two of you know Chrysalis best, so I decided it best to hear your suggestions before reaching my decision,” Luna insisted.

“The first thing to establish is where she is,” Shining began. “We haven’t seen her around here, so I assume she’s down in the dungeon.”

“You assume incorrectly. She is in one of the guest bedrooms for the moment, under constant guard by two sentries.” A mystical claw tapped against the wineglass.

“The guest rooms?” Shining questioned. “As in, the rooms right beside yours and Twilight’s?

“The very same. Her mark is on the door. I did take the liberty of moving you as far away from her as I could.” Luna frowned.

“Forgive my disrespect, Luna, but I think that’s a bad idea. If I might offer some military advice?” Shining waited for permission before continuing. “I would suggest a far more secure cell and more guards. I’d say a bare minimum of six.”

“I agree,” Cadence added.

“As do I.” Luna huffed. “But the decision was not mine to make.”

“Then whose?” Shining and Cadence asked in unison. As the dots connected, they turned to Twilight.

“Twily?” Shining assumed in a hurt voice.

“I needed her help,” Twilight defended.

“With what?” Cadence didn’t sound angry, just disappointed. Anger would be easier to deal with.

“I told you I’d designed something to counter changeling magic. She knows the most about it. She’s been helping me design a countermeasure.”

Twilight flinched at the sound of a wooden chair scraping against the stone. Shining rose from his seat, hooves flat on the table.

“What were you thinking, Twilight? She’s the once responsible for all of this. What makes you believe she would ever help?”

“Because she did,” Twilight burst. “She’s the one who helped me make the one I’m testing now. It shows promise. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her help.”

“And what did she ask for in return? What deal did you make with her, Twilight?”

“I . . . A favor. I offered her a favor.” Twilight sighed, defeated.

Shining fell back into his chair, a look of horror plain on his face. Cadence frowned, but her whole body tensed, as if holding herself back.

“That’s a dangerous game, Twilight. One you won’t win.”

“And what if it’s not a game? What if she really does want to help?”

“Did Chrysalis tell you that?” He yelled.

“No, I—”

“Princess Luna.” Shining turned to the reigning monarch. “I’m requesting that Chrysalis be put under my watch. I brought guards with me that I trust to do the job.”

“No, Shining. I can handle this,” Twilight pleaded.

“You don’t know Chrysalis like I do.”

“And maybe that’s the problem.” Twilight slammed a hoof into the table.

All present took a moment to gather themselves.

“It looks like you were right, Aunt Luna,” Cadence said. The red liquid in her glass rippled gently in her grasp.

“Unfortunately. I was hoping you might be able to talk some sense into her.” Luna shook her head.

“I knew it.” Twilight ground her teeth. “You asked them here to keep an eye on me.”

Luna assumed a neutral appearance. She didn’t need to answer.

“I can’t believe this.” Shining pinched the bridge of his nose.

“If I may, Aunt Luna.” Cadence set her glass down.

Luna nodded.

“Twilight, you said you were testing your experiment. I take it that means you’ve finished?”

“I have.”

“Good. Shining Armor and I will be dealing with her from now on. Shining, I want your guards watching her at all times. If necessary, I expect you to step in. Twilight, you are not to go near her again. Is that understood?”

“No.” Twilight growled.

“Twilight, you need to let me and Cadence handle this. We have experience dealing with Chrysalis. We know how she operates.” Shining ordered.

“You don’t know anything about her.”

The eerie ring of shattering glass ushered silence into the dining hall. The occupants drew their attention to Cadence’s pink magic aura. Or rather, to the shattered, wine-soaked shards of her crystal contained within it.

Twilight retracted, regretting her words.

“I think we know all too well, Twilight,” Shining whispered.

“Perhaps it would be best if we postponed this conversation for another time,” Luna suggested. “I can have the kitchen staff bring dessert to your rooms.”

“Don’t bother.” Twilight rose, knocking her chair over.

“Twilight,” Luna glowered.

“I’ve lost my appetite.”

“We’re doing this for your own good, Twilight,” Shining offered.

“I know. I just need to be alone right now.”

And with a purple flash, Twilight appeared in her bedroom. Rage and regret swirled within the moonlight reaching in through the curtains. With a sigh, she pressed her body to the cold floor tile. She needed to relax. She needed to think. She needed a shower.

Comments

[Razzy]

That's a lovely train wreck of a meeting.

[Azure Drache]

Finally someone with a bit of common sense! Shiny and Cadance are very reasonable.

[Kadigan]

Chrysalis pleaded.

Chrysalis doesn't plead. :D

It's very painfully clear that your idea of Chrysalis is very different to mine. I could probably deal with it if it were any other character (up to and including Celestia*), but no matter which way I stretch Chrysalis, she always comes back as either cackling-evil (when she in fact is evil), aloof and domineering (when she isn't necessarily evil), or just plain tired and cynical (when she's just misunderstood). I still feel that getting "squishy" out of her would require at least 10 chapters of open romance.

* in fact, I've recently been reading a very lovely interpretation of Celestia as a cold-hearted Chessmaster in Twilight's Nightmare

---

... yeah, I have to agree with Azure Drache here - while Cadence and Shining might be heavily biased against Chrysalis, you really can't blame them for their approach.

Of course, that also means that if she did change, neither would allow that option to enter their minds - they would consider this a con, perhaps a long-term plan, nothing else. They would never allow her to change, because they don't want to stop hating her. They still hurt too much, and this latest development with Celestia only drove that particular stake deeper in.

The only way they could allow this would be if Twilight managed to change their mind - but she would first need to understand why their minds are like this to begin with... and I'm not sure this Twilight is up to the task, from what I've seen so far. For some reason I don't get the feeling that she understands herself here, much less others.

[luigipwnsall]

I think my biggest gripe so far is literally how fast Chrysalis seems to changed. They had one decent day and its completely different character now.