> Pony Courtship Rituals
>  by Codex Ex Equus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One: Twilight Prepares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Well now, ain't you just the prettiest mare at the ball?"

        Twilight spun around, blushing. The fact that it was visible at all was impressive, considering the rouge on her face. Adding to that makeup was light-blue eye shadow, and a darker-blue eyeliner, all of which matched the powder-blue dress she wore, a simple outfit with a bit of ruffle along the neck and a silk bow around her waist.

        "Applejack!"

        "No lipstick, though?" asked the farm pony, taking a few steps into Twilight's dressing room.

        "No. Um… Chrysalis thinks it… tastes funny." Twilight finished in a mumble, her face now so red the rouge almost looked pale.

        Applejack let out a low whistle, eyebrows rising. "I didn't know things were gettin' so hot and heavy between the two of ya."

        "I-it's not like that! I mean, it kind of is I guess, but…" Twilight started shuffling her hooves on the floor, practically prancing in place. "Well, after a date, i-it's perfectly normal to kiss each other goodnight—"

        "Easy now, sugar," said Applejack soothingly. "I'm not tryin' to embarrass you or anything like that."

        "I know, I'm just… nervous, I suppose." Twilight turned to look at herself in the vanity mirror. The sight of herself wearing a dress and makeup did little to calm her mind, though.

        "I've never seen you so dolled-up before," said Applejack, moving closer again. "It's the big date tonight, right?"

        "Y-yeah. Six months since Chrysalis decided she was going to, um, 'woo' me. And I said this is when I'd give her an answer. When I'd decide…"

        "Whether you feel the same way about her as she does about you," finished Applejack with a nod. "What's it gonna be, if you don't mind me askin'?"

        Twilight opened her mouth, then paused, giving Applejack a glance before looking away again.

        "Still?" said Applejack disapprovingly. "I mean, I'm not trying to pressure you, but you still don't have an answer after six months?"

        "It's complicated!" Twilight burst out, stomping a hoof. "I got over the whole thing where she, you know, defeated my mentor in combat and tried to enslave everyone I know, but she's just so… inconsistent now. She's been acting different since this whole dating thing started. And it's not just because she actually spends time away from me now. It's like… it's like she's become a different pony. Or, well, changeling."

        "How bad can it be?" Applejack inquired, with a tilt of her head. "Celestia knows I've got my issues with that Queen, but she seems stuck on you like horseflies on Granny Smith's apple pie."

        Twilight was quiet for a time, then, almost inaudibly, said, "She ditched me on our first date."

        "WHAT?!" Applejack's eyes blazed with fire, and she smashed one hoof into the crystal floor.

        Twilight gave a small nod. "We were at a nice restaurant, nothing especially fancy. She'd picked me up, but she was nothing like herself. The whole night she was practically silent. We barely talked while waiting for our order, and when she did say something it was all monosyllables, three words at most at a time. And after the food came… we were maybe halfway through eating when she stood up and said 'I'm done', then just walked out the door. I had to pay for all the food and find my own way home. The food especially was a waste… I wasn't able to eat any more of it after that…"

        Applejack was gaping at Twilight. "What… how… why would you keep this up after that?! That shoulda been an instant 'so long, hope I don't see ya again'!"

        "I felt the same way," Twilight said, head down. "I was furious, and I wrote her a letter saying that if that's the way she was going to treat me, then… we were done. It was all over, and she could forget ever even talking to me again."

        "I'm assumin' something changed your mind, then, but for the life of me I don't think I could guess what it was."

        Twilight's head came back up, and she let out a sigh, expression dreamy. "The night after I sent her that letter, she attacked my castle."

        "What?! How is that—" Applejack paused for a second, then rolled her eyes. "Oh. Right. Changelings."

        "I was reading in the library… well, I was trying to, but I was still so upset about Chrysalis that I couldn't focus. Then suddenly there were changelings everywhere, and before I could even move they had me at spear-point. I could have disarmed them with my magic or even just teleported away, but then Chrysalis kicked the door open and strode in."

        There was another sigh from Twilight. "She was doing the whole Queen thing, of course. I think she's taller than Princess Celestia when she stands up like that, especially with her nose in the air. Her eyes were so narrowed I was surprised she could even see enough to walk, and she had that sneer on her face she gets when she's really concentrating on something…"

        "Uh-huh. Sounds real romantic," Applejack said in a flat voice.

        "She stopped right in front of me, just peering down at me from under those shining eyelids of hers, and then… she got down on her knees and started pleading for me to take her back."

        "Chrysalis was pleading with you?" Applejack's jaw fell open. "Queen Chrysalis?"

        "Begging me. She might have even been crying, too. I think I saw tears. And… well, I couldn't refuse her, not like that. So I said I'd give her one more chance, and she immediately whisked me away on another date, this one in Canterlot."

        "It must have been one heck of a date to make you forgive her so easily."

        "Well…"





        "Is the blindfold really necessary?" complained Twilight from the chariot seat next to Chrysalis, her mane whipping in the wind.

        "Of course!" replied Chrysalis. "I want this to be a surprise."

        "It just kind of feels like you're kidnapping me, is all."

        "I'd never do something like that to you, not anymore."

        Unless… mused Chrysalis, maybe kidnapping prospective loved ones is sometimes what ponies do—a flurry of negative responses came at her from the hivemind, and one of the changelings pulling the chariot turned to look at her and shake his head firmly. Well, I'll keep that in mind as a backup plan, then.

        For her part, Twilight just leaned back in her seat and sighed. She was starting to think this had been a mistake. As much as she liked Chrysalis—and after spending the last few weeks with the Changeling Queen, she had grown rather fond of her—she still didn't want to be married to her. The only reason she had waited so long to let Chrysalis know her true feelings had been that she'd accepted the marriage for political reasons. Well, and out of fear. First fear of just plain Chrysalis herself, then later out of what the changeling would do if she knew the truth, and then finally fear of hurting the feelings of her 'wife'.

        That last was why she'd agreed to date Chrysalis. The Queen had been so sure that she could awaken the same feelings in Twilight's heart that she had in her own that Twilight had felt she should at least give Chrysalis the chance. But the key word there was 'chance', and as far as Twilight was concerned Chrysalis had ruined the only one she got.

        Just as she opened her mouth to say so, she felt the chariot dip and start descending, and grudgingly decided to remain quiet.

        The black chariot swooped down upon Canterlot, threading its way between towers until finally bouncing to a stop in the middle of a busy street. Ponies yelled and cursed, then noticed who was in the chariot and who had been pulling it, and quickly decided it was better to just move on—preferably as fast as possible and without looking back.

        Chrysalis stepped down from the chariot as the team that had been pulling it disconnected themselves from their harnesses and split up, forming a perimeter around their royal charges. A rather useless perimeter, as one had already been formed by their sudden landing and had never closed up, due to the fact that nopony seemed eager to get close to a group of changelings. They may have technically become citizens of Equestria, and the wedding had made it plain that there was nothing sinister going on, but seeing changelings walking around in the open was still a new experience for most ponies. To say nothing of the fact that the Queen herself was there.

        Said Queen helped Twilight down from the chariot with one hoof, then led her across the sidewalk before stopping her.

        "I would have liked to wait until we were inside to take this off, but there's a lot of steps to go up," she said apologetically. "I wouldn't want you to trip. I've… hurt you enough lately."

        She untied the blindfold with her magic, then stepped back, waiting with bated breath.

        "Listen, Chrysalis…" Twilight said, blinking in the sudden light and looking around to get her bearings. "I think I’ve changed—"

        She stopped as she realized where she was. They were in the old part of Canterlot, only a few blocks from the palace. The steps Chrysalis had been talking about were very familiar; she'd seen them often enough as a filly. Aside from her parents’ house and the palace, she was probably more acquainted with the building in front of her than any other structure in the city.

        "This is… the Canterlot library?" asked Twilight breathlessly.

        "And I thought maybe, afterwards, we could go to a used bookstore…?" said Chrysalis, eyes wide and hopeful. "I can buy you some books. As presents."

        Twilight didn't answer for quite a long time. Chrysalis began to get worried, first darting her eyes back and forth nervously, then shuffling in place. Finally, Twilight half turned to look at her out of the corner of one eye.

        "How many books?"

        She let out a squeak a moment later as Chrysalis swept her up in a hug.





        "Uh… oh! Sorry, I thought there was more to the story still," Applejack said into the silence left as Twilight stopped talking.

        "Why would there need to be?" sighed Twilight, that dreamy look still on her face. "It was such a beautiful night. I knew she cared about me, but to show me like that, to do something so meaningful… if it hadn't been for that first date, I think I would have said yes right there."

        "Look, Twi, I know I ain't no expert on romance or anything like that…" said Applejack hesitantly, "but just because you like books and she took you somewhere with books, well, that don't exactly make that an amazin' date."

        "Applejack, it meant more than that!" scolded Twilight. "When my parents were dating, that was the date my mother took my father on! They told Chrysalis that story when she met them, and she did the same for me."

        "Oh! Shucks, Twilight, I didn't know that." Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, an embarrassed grimace on her face. "Sorry about what I said, then. You're right, that is pretty darn romantic. I was worried that the Queen just showed you a pile of books and you fell all over yourself givin' her sloppy makeouts or somethin'. That does seem like the kind of thing you would do."

        "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," said Twilight, turning away and lifting her nose into the air.

        "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Jus' worried about you, is all."

        Twilight made a little 'hmph' noise and started aimlessly moving around the makeup on her vanity. Applejack watched her for a while, then tilted her head curiously.

        "So if that night was all fancy and romantic, why are you havin' trouble makin' up your mind?"

        Twilight stopped her fidgeting, letting out a sigh. "Because she's different somehow. Those first and second dates were just the extremes. Since then, I just never know how she's going to act. Sometimes I get the Chrysalis I know and… like. Other times I get this cold, indifferent changeling. In the same night, even!

        "We might meet up for a date and she'll insult my dress—well, never straight up insult, but she makes snide comments. Then she'll pull out my chair for me at the table and order my food, and she always knows exactly what my favorite meal is, no matter what restaurant we're at!"

        Her ears drooped and she looked longingly off to the side. "I miss that last Chrysalis. I miss the Chrysalis that made me feel special, like I was the only pony in the world who mattered to her. And I feel like she's doing this because I hurt her."

        "Hmm." Applejack stared at Twilight through narrowed eyes, a frown on her face. "Is that really the kind of pony you'd be wantin' to spend all your life with? The kind who would do something like this just because she's upset with you?"

        "I-it's not like that, Applejack, it's just…" Twilight sighed, slumping down. "I'd never believe she'd purposely act like this. But I hurt her very badly. She was devastated when I told her the truth—I could barely get through the entire confession. If she is doing all these passive-aggressive things, it must be subconscious. There's no way she's doing all of this intentionally."

        Twilight let out a snort, a small smile managing to make its way onto her face. "If I'd told a pony everything I told her that night—that our 'relationship' was a misunderstanding, that I'd never loved her at all—I think they would have just slunk away and I'd never have seen them again. I would have had to hunt them down, just to make sure they weren't going to do something… unfortunate to themselves.

        "But Chrysalis… she's a changeling. A Changeling Queen. And she saw my confession the same way she sees everything: a challenge to her power and respect. She hadn't been wrong all that time; I had, and so she was going to fix me."

        "Okay, and I apologize for sayin' this again: that's the kind of pony you want to be married to?" asked Applejack skeptically.

        "It's awfully flattering, that she thinks so highly of me she's willing to go through all this. I mean, think of how humiliating it must have been for her—she basically admitted to all of Equestria that everything she'd done had been a mistake, because she'd misinterpreted how I felt about her. She publicly admitted she'd been wrong, and that she'd spent the last few years chasing after an unrequited love because of how… well, stupid and unobservant she'd been. And she admitted all of that to let me know how much she cared about me, and how much she was willing to fight for me."

        Twilight averted her eyes, a small blush forming on her face. "And I like how determined she is. How forceful she acts. She doesn't care what anypony thinks, she does what she feels like and takes what she wants. I… kind of enjoy that she treats me that way, as something that she's going to take no matter what I have to say. It's so different from how most ponies act."

        "Ah, I see," said Applejack, a sly, knowing grin on her face. "You've got a thing for bad mares, don't you?"

        "T-that's not… I don't…" Twilight's blush was threatening to make its way down her neck. "Well, m-maybe a little bit…"

        Applejack chuckled, giving her a pat on the shoulder with one hoof. "Nothin' to be ashamed of, sugarcube. Heck, I'm hardly even surprised. Opposites attract, and all that."

        "That's… well, it might be sort of accurate. It makes sense to match someone who's saved Equestria so many times with someone who's tried to take it over. I've been able to stop her from killing Celestia and Luna, at least."

        "You…" Applejack's mouth fell open. "You've had to stop her from killin' the Princesses?!"

        "Oh, sure." Twilight waved a hoof nonchalantly. "She's tried a few times now. She actually poisoned Celestia the first time the three of us met."

        "Poisoned. Poisoned. As in, Chrysalis actually got Celestia to drink poison." Twilight nodded, and Applejack put her hooves to her head. "How… how are you okay with that?!"

        "Applejack, she can't help it," scolded Twilight. "Changelings instinctively try to kill anyone they see as having more authority and power than them. She doesn't even mean it; all I had to do was ask her for the antidote and she gave it to me. Well, eventually."

        "And what happens when she succeeds?" demanded Applejack.

        "It's simple, she's not going to." Twilight looked at Applejack's outraged face and sighed. "Look, if she actually wanted to kill them, she would. Do you know what she did a few weeks ago? She mailed a bomb to Celestia. And then she came to me bragging about it, giving me plenty of time to intercept the bomb. She wanted me to stop her, because all she was doing was challenging me. It was… cute."

        "And if you hadn't stopped her?"

        "It was a small bomb… it might have damaged Celestia's office, but she would have been fine. I mean, it takes more than a simple incendiary device to hurt an alicorn, especially one like Celestia."

        "Twilight…" said Applejack slowly, "You seem to think all of this is… adorable, in some way, but it's not. She could really hurt somepony. And I know you have at least some feelings for her and you trust her, but… she could just be doing this to get you to lower your guard so she can really kill the Princesses."

        Applejack stopped, backing off a step as Twilight gave her a furious, tight-lipped glare. After a moment, Twilight looked away, letting out her breath in a long sigh.

        "I understand why you would think that," she said in a low voice, head down. "Everything she's done makes her seem like a monster to you. I know that's how she used to look to me… and I won't lie, if it wasn't for the way she feels about me, you'd be right. She's a Changeling Queen, and subterfuge, sabotage, and assassination are how she works.

        "But I know her, Applejack. I've spent months with her now, and I trust her with not just my life, but everypony's. I know she would never do anything to deliberately hurt me, and she knows now that means never hurting my friends. Even if she doesn't quite understand why those two things go together."

        Twilight turned back to Applejack, a shy smile on her face. "Besides, when she tries to kill the Princesses… well, that's just her idea of a date. If she can sit with me in a library or listen quietly while I talk about my latest research over dinner, I can foil her attempts on the Princesses' lives."

        Applejack stared back at her for a long moment. Then her lips moved, a little "Snrk!" sound escaping between them as they began to writhe. She brought her hooves up to cover her mouth, but her body began to shake, and finally it was too much. She burst out laughing, moving on to full belly guffaws before falling over and rolling around on the floor.

        Twilight watched her with an irritated expression, her cheeks puffing out more and more, until finally she lifted Applejack off the floor with her magic and gave her a shake.

        "And just what is so funny?" she demanded, setting the farm pony back down.

        "I-I'm sorry," gasped Applejack, wiping a tear from her face. Groping around on the floor, she scooped up her hat and put it back on her head. "It's just… I think you finally answered the question of how you feel about Queen Chrysalis."

        "W-what do you mean?"

        "Only a pony in love could be crazy enough to think anything you just said makes a lick of sense."

        Twilight managed to look furious and embarrassed at the same time, turning away and stalking off towards a corner of the room to fiddle with her dress, making grumbling noises the whole time.

        "Now, don't be like that, Twi," said Applejack with a sigh, trotting up behind her and putting a hoof on her back. "I think you really care for that Queen. And I'm still a mite nervous about you letting her go around attemptin' regicide and all, but I do trust you. So if you say she's really not up to no good, then that's enough for me. And it makes me happy to see that she makes you happy. I don't quite follow how exactly she does that, but I'm still happy."

        "Thank you, Applejack," Twilight said, giving her a warm smile. "The support of my friends is just what I need to help me work through this and figure everything out. I just wish… well, no offense, but I wish I could get advice from someone with a little more, um, romantic experience."

        "No offense taken, Twi," replied Applejack, holding up a hoof. "I know apples and farmin' and that's about it, and right now that's enough for me. Got plenty of time for all that 'frou-frou romantic stuff', as Rainbow would say, later."

        She cocked an eyebrow upwards. "Ain't you been getting' any help from that sister-in-law of yours, though? I mean, Princess of Love, think you wouldn't need to go to anypony besides her."

        "Cadance hasn't been able to reply to any of my letters." Twilight gave Applejack a smile that seemed a little too bright to be sincere. "It's okay though. I mean, she's a Princess. I understand perfectly well how busy things can get. Shining Armor says she's been reading each letter, though, and he's even passed on a few words of advice from her. I guess she has some big project going on that's taking up all her time."

        "It's still surprisin', though. I'd think the Princess would make time, seein' as it's her kin needing help and all. Er, not that I'm sayin' she's doing anything wrong, it's just—"

        "I understand Applejack, you're not being insulting," said Twilight soothingly, "but you know how busy I've been since becoming a Princess, and I hardly even do anything when there isn't a major crisis on hoof. Cadance runs an entire empire. I can't exactly expect her to drop everything and come galloping just because I've got a… a marefriend. Besides, getting advice from the Princess of Love feels like cheating."

        "Well, then you should just ask a normal pony. Ponyville's self-appointed expert on love is one of your friends, after all."        

        "Um…" Twilight glanced at Applejack then looked away, and the orange pony dropped her head into her hooves with a groan.

        "Don't tell me Rarity still ain't talking to you?"

        "I committed a 'crime against romance', Applejack," replied Twilight, making a horrible attempt at imitating Rarity's voice. "Apparently, not falling head over hooves for the first member of royalty to express an interest in you is unforgivable."

        "You should bring up Blueblood when she says something like that," chuckled Applejack.

        "I did. That's why she isn't talking to me." Both ponies shared a laugh.

        "I'm sure what happened with Greenblood didn't help much either," Applejack said after a moment.

        Twilight rolled her eyes. "I told Chrysalis to just use a drone, or maybe a gatherer for him, but nooooo, she wanted an infiltrator. 'Only the best for my love's friends', she said. And what happens? He gets way too into the part, and now for all intents and purposes we have two Bluebloods running around. And he's so conceited they've become best friends and teamed up! I keep asking Chrysalis to recall him just so Canterlot can get some peace, but he's a 'method actor' and he 'is' the role now, and she refuses!"

        "Well, if you ever decide to listen to Chrysalis and take over Equestria, you can just get a few more of them to turn into Bluebloods," said Applejack with a smirk. "I'm sure an army of those could bring Canterlot to its knees in a couple hours."

        "Don't even joke about that!" Twilight gave a shudder. "Chrysalis has told me what happens when a meme infects the hivemind. Apparently the last time that happened… it was Prench maid outfits."

        "Prench…" Applejack's jaw dropped, then she brought a hoof up to smother her chuckle. "Well, I sure would have liked to see that. A whole hive full of ponies dressed up like maids?"

        Twilight shook her head. "Not ponies. They only wore them while undisguised."

        Applejack froze as that image took root in her mind, a look of horror and disgust on her face, and she made a retching noise. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she began to stammer out an apology.

        "I-I, uh, didn't mean—"

        "It's alright Applejack, I understand. I'm used to them now, and I still wouldn't want to see one wearing an outfit like that. For that matter, Chrysalis loves her changelings as much as she loves me, and she doesn't want to see that either. That's why she banned them from traveling to Prance."

        "Okay, then I don't feel as bad," Applejack said with a giggle. A thought struck her, and she cast a sly glance over at Twilight. "Imagine Chrysalis wearing an outfit like that."

        Twilight's body went rigid, her eyes widening and wings twitching.

        "Well, I think we have bit more evidence about what you feel for Chrysalis," sang Applejack teasingly.

        "You get out of here!" huffed Twilight, blushing furiously as she pushed her friend out of the room. "I-I need to finish getting ready."

        Applejack was still chuckling when Twilight slammed the door behind her.





        Finally, Twilight finished her preparations for the date, taking one last look in the mirror before she headed out.

        After much thought, she'd decided to wear her mane up. Not all the way, not in her 'official Princess business' style, but she'd at least twisted the end of her mane into a simple braid and pinned it up, and brushed her bangs to give them a bit of a curl.

        A plain silver chain had gone around her neck, with a smaller one on the end of one foreleg. She'd also given her wedding ring, kept on a stand on the dresser, a long look. She'd felt... something as she'd looked at it, a kind of fluttering in her stomach. Having no time for introspection, she'd turned away shaking her head and continued her preparations.

        At least perfume wasn't something she had to worry about. She'd tried it once, only to find that such intense and prolonged exposure to the scent had thrown off Chrysalis's pheromone senses, disorienting her. While it might have been amusing to watch Chrysalis miss a door and walk into the wall, Twilight had only been concerned at first, and then upset when she'd realized what she'd done. At the least, Twilight had spent the rest of the night taking care of Chrysalis, so it hadn't ruined the date.

        While it was possible something in that specific perfume had been the problem, Twilight hadn't wanted to experiment, and had eschewed any scents from then on… which had led to Chrysalis rather uncomfortably mentioning her appreciation of Twilight's natural scent, but that had been a different issue.

        With a nod to her reflection, she left the dressing room, making her way through the halls of her castle and pushing open the main doors. The train was going to leave soon, and if she missed it she'd either have to be late to the restaurant or fly herself, which would leave her messy and exhausted—

        She stopped two steps down from the entrance to the castle, staring with wide eyes.

        Off to one side, waiting patiently, was a chariot with two pegasi harnessed to it. It wasn't just any chariot, though; it was Princess Celestia's personal chariot, complete with golden filigree, velvet plush throne, and drawn by armored royal guards.

        Directly in front of Twilight, though, was a group of all her friends, plus Discord, and all standing under a banner that read 'Good Luck on Your Date!'

        "Good luck, Twilight!" they all cheered when they saw her, waving their hooves, jumping up and down and basically doing their best to make as much noise as possible.

        "Girls…" said Twilight, making her way down the last few stairs and walking over, "Thank you… I…" She stopped talking, unable to get the words out of her throat as tears welled up in her eyes.

        "What, you didn't think we'd be here to see you off?" asked Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes. "It may be mushy stuff, but you're still our friend."

        "Shoot, I had to go up there and distract you so they could finish setting all this up," Applejack said with a grin, "and I did, even if that was awful close to lyin'."

        "We're so excited, Twilight." Fluttershy smiled widely, looking up at Discord. "Even Discord came to wish you good luck."

        "Yes, yes, have fun with your bug waifu or… whatever," he replied, waving one hand dismissively. Fluttershy elbowed him in the side, and he rolled his eyes and turned to Twilight. "Okay, okay, I hope you figure out how you feel about that Queen and are happy. Alright? Is that good?"

        Fluttershy smiled approvingly, and he let out a sigh. "Good. And tell Chrysalis to keep her changelings away from me! I don't like it when I turn a pony into something and they just change back. It's… disconcerting. Not to mention a waste of my talents."

        "You've been turning ponies into things again?" asked Fluttershy with a stern glare, turning to Discord.

        "Oh no, look at the time!" he cried, pulling back the sleeve of the coat he was suddenly wearing and looking at his bare wrist, as grandfather clocks fell out of the coat. "I have to go launder my dishes, goodbye!" The draconequus snapped his fingers and disappeared, along with all the clocks.

        "He really is very happy for you, I promise," said Fluttershy with a bright smile.

        "Uh-huh. I'm sure." Twilight rolled her eyes, happening to catch sight of the banner again as she did so. "I know I shouldn't be surprised, Pinkie, but you managed to get this banner put together fast. I think I only finished talking to Applejack a few minutes ago!"

        "Haha, you know me! I can put a party together like that!"

        Twilight, though, was well versed in Pinkieness by this point, and caught the almost infinitesimal glance Pinkie threw at a nearby bush. Pinkie tried to block her, but she managed to juke around the party pony, and found a pile of banners on the ground behind the bush.

        "Oh, so you just made a banner for each of the three possible outcomes?" Twilight used her magic to pick up a banner that read 'Congratulations on Your Marriage to Queen Chrysalis!'

        "Yep! Just those three, so there's no need to…"

        Pinkie trailed off as Twilight, not listening, picked up the third banner. This one said 'Sorry Things Didn't Work Out'. That gave her odd feelings that she wasn't prepared to deal with but that she had become proficient at suppressing, so she quickly put it aside without much thought.

        "Wait, why are there more than three?" She held up the next banner, unfolding it and revealing the words 'Congratulations on Your Marriage to Fluttershy!'

        "What?!" she cried, as there was a squeak from Fluttershy.

        "I know you're still thinking things over, but it would be a huuuuuuge favor for me if you could marry her," said Pinkie pleadingly. "The marriage doesn't even have to last that long! It's just that I had her in the pool that Cadance and Shining Armor set up, and I could really use a win right now—"

        "No. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with you Fluttershy, you're a great friend and I really like you, but—" Twilight threw the banner off to the side, then stared down in shock. "How are there more?!"

        She lifted another banner. 'Congratulations on Your Three-Way Marriage to Queen Chrysalis and Princess Celestia!'

"What?" said Pinkie, as Twilight glared at her. "Everyone's been saying that's how all this should end anyway."

        Twilight began throwing banners in every direction, muttering to herself as she went through them.

        "This one's ridiculous… I mean, I like him, but not like that… no… no… I don't even know who he is… her either… I think that one's probably illegal… well, Gilda turned out to be not too terrible, I suppose… alternate universe me?!"

        She glared at Pinkie, who just smiled back. "She's the perfect match! I mean, you like all the same things, you basically have the same friends…"

        "Pinkie, that's sick! It's like… it's like incest!"

        "Silly Twilight, it can't be incest if it's with yourself!" Pinkie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Why do you think a month passed between when I first found the mirror pool and that day I accidentally created too many clones?"

Twilight stared with her mouth open, then quickly folded all the banners back up, placed them neatly in a pile, then moved away.

        "Okay, somepony else. Anypony else. Starlight Glimmer!" She trotted over to her house-guest, newest friend and first student. "So, how are you doing? Glad to see you're here. I mean, I wasn't expecting you not to be, but I would have understood if you weren't. You and Chrysalis have had your… differences ever since she basically moved in."

        "She set my bed on fire—with green fire—and then threw me out of the castle so hard I flew three miles before I was able to catch myself with my magic," said Starlight, eyes flat, but then a smile cracked her face. "But hey, anypony who tries to take over Equestria can't be all bad, right?"

        "Thank you, Starlight," said Twilight, pulling the other pony into a hug.

        "Just promise me one thing?" replied Starlight, and Twilight cocked her head inquiringly. "Invest in a silence spell for your bedroom during your honeymoon. We might be fond of you, but there are some things Spike and I don't want to hear."

        "Spike! Time to talk to Spike!" Twilight turned to the small dragon as Starlight snickered into a hoof. "Say, where's your friend? You two have been almost inseparable."

        "Oh, Thorax had to go back to the hive. Chrysalis was—"

        "Spike, you know his name is K85-348IL," admonished Twilight. "I wasn't too comfortable with it at first either, but that's just how changelings do things. They have reasons for it, and we need to respect that."

        "I-I know, Twilight, but he really likes the other name!" Spike looked up at her, eyes wide and pleading. "Maybe… it can be a nickname? One only his friends use?"

        Twilight glared at him for a moment longer, then lowered her head and sighed. "Alright, Spike, I think that might be okay. But if Chrysalis has a problem with it, we're all going to have to sit down and have a discussion."

"Okay, thanks! Anyway, Chrysalis called all the changelings back to the hive. She's going all out for tonight." Spike beamed proudly, gesturing over his shoulder. "That's why I sent a letter to Celestia and got her to let us borrow the chariot."

        "Spike… thank you."

        "Well, you know, Thorax is my friend, and he really wants Chrysalis to marry you… so I wanted to help too…" He looked up at her shyly. "Is Chrysalis going to be living with us now?"

        "Things are… complicated, Spike," Twilight said with a sigh. "I really like her, and I know you do too…"

        "She lets me do whatever I want!" Spike said happily. "I just have to ask, and she says okay!"

        "Yes, well, I don't think she knows how to deal with a baby dragon as well as she does with a swarm of changelings," said Twilight, chuckling, "but even if we both like her… marriage is a serious thing. Just liking something isn't enough, it has to be love… and that's a tricky thing to figure out."

        "Okay… but I'm sure you'll figure it out! After all, you always do." He gave her an encouraging smile, and she returned it.

        "Thank you, Spike." She gave him a quick hug, then trotted towards the chariot, turning her head to address her friends. "Thank you all. It makes me so happy to know that you—"

        She stopped, having nearly walked straight into the fuming white unicorn that stood between her and the chariot.

        "Oh! Rarity! Um…"

        "Twilight…" Rarity let out a growl, leaning forward to plant a hoof on Twilight's chest. "You go to that changeling, and you make her your Queen, or I'll never forgive you!"

        "She's already a Queen, Rarity, and I'm still not sure about—"

        "Twilight, you do what I say!"

        "Okay, okay, I'll… I'll try?" Rarity held her glare, and Twilight shied away. She looked back and forth, trying to find a route to the chariot. Finally, she circled gingerly around, keeping a wide berth between herself and the bristling fashionista, and climbed into the chariot.

        "Goodbye!" she called, turning to wave over the edge of the chariot. "Thank you all, for everything!"

        "Good luck, Twi!"

        "Go get her!"

        "We're all rooting for you!"

        "I swear, Twilight I will find a way to end you if you disappoint that Queen!"

        Twilight sat back in her seat with a happy smile on her face. As always, her friends had cheered her up. While she might still be unsure of exactly how she felt and what she should do, she could at least count on their support no matter what happened. Thanks to them, the cloud of butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach seemed to have flown back to their usual home. Instead, she now felt only a solid sense of confidence, and the trepidation that had slowly filled her heart over the last few days had been replaced by excitement and anticipation.

        Whatever happened, this was going to be a night to remember.
> Chapter Two: Chrysalis Prepares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Where is my dress?!" screeched Chrysalis, her voice echoing throughout the halls of the hive. "How long could you possibly take to find a simple dress?!"

        Emerging from the cavernous closet, G22-745AA trotted over with a pile of silk and lace held in his magic. Chrysalis snatched it from his grasp before he was halfway across the room. Shaking it out, she began hurriedly shoving herself into the dress without the slightest thanks. 

        Once she'd managed to get it at least mostly on her body, she rushed across the dressing room to stand in front of the wall-length mirror and anxiously look herself over. 

        This dress—the fifth attempt—was light yellow. It clung to her body, flowing down her hind legs to trail behind her, and puffed up around her chest, making her look somewhat like a lemon crossed with a robin. She calmed down for a moment as she admired it in the mirror, fluttering her eyes and wings and pouting her lips, then suddenly flew into a rage.

        "No, no, no!" she screamed, tearing the dress from her body so violently she nearly ripped it to shreds. "This isn't the one I want either! How hard is it to find the exact dress I'm thinking of?!"

        A few of the changelings around her frowned in concentration, trying to make sense of the disjointed, frantic series of dress images that were flooding the hivemind, while the rest simply rolled their eyes at each other and tried not to let their exasperation become evident, either mentally or visually.

        A pony viewing the scene would have been surprised at the changeling's lack of reaction to Chrysalis's ranting, berating and insulting. Twilight herself had felt the same way, and had intervened a number of times before being made to understand a few things about the relationship between the changelings and their Queen.

        The first, of course, was love. Love was what bound changelings to the Queen, the fuel for the link that, to them, was the same as life. Without love, there was no hivemind, and without the hivemind there were no changelings. It was inviolable, absolute, and ever-present, and no matter what their Queen might say to them, questioning that love was unthinkable.

        The changelings also understood Chrysalis. They knew that the Queen lacked the same control over her emotions that they had, and did not begrudge her her ranting and venting. Almost subconsciously, they understood that her lack of control is what gave them theirs. By acting as a pressure valve of sorts on the hivemind, she let them maintain their facades, staying calm under even the most intense scrutiny of their disguises while out in the world feeding. In a very real way, her occasional screaming fits helped them all survive. Given that, and the fact that she spent an equal amount of time coddling and spoiling them, they could put up with a few insults when she got upset, or nervous, or just felt like it.

        The final reason, as with most things involving the changelings, was the hivemind. They knew, with no doubt whatsoever, that Chrysalis meant none of the things she said, no matter how vitriolic or crass she might get. They felt what she felt, and so they knew that in this case, she was raving out of fear and nervousness, not anger. They also knew that she was on the verge of collapsing and weeping due to sheer dread of what the night's end might bring, and much preferred her anger to that. That same access to the hivemind meant they knew how much pressure she was under, and that her anger about the dress (and the dozen or two other things she'd raged about so far that night) was simply born out of anxiety. They felt her love and desire as their own, and were determined to do whatever they could to calm it.

        And so, G22-745AA waited patiently as Chrysalis finished removing the dress from her body—in a manner that, though violent in its movements, actually didn't damage the dress beyond the point where a few minutes with a needle and thread could repair it—and balled it tightly in her magic. Turning, she flung it at the hapless changeling with all her might.

        He stood still as the dress hit him full in the face, poofing out to float gently down over his head and body. Turning around, he trotted back into the closet, passing another changeling who was carrying a purple dress. 

        Once again Chrysalis ripped the dress from a changeling's magic and tugged it onto her body. This dress was slinky and covered in sparkles, held up on her barrel by thin straps over her shoulders and slit on one hip to expose her left hind leg.

        She dashed over to the mirror once more, and again opened her mouth to cry her fury at the ineptitude of the changelings who had brought her this dress. Before she could, a voice from across the room interrupted her.

        "Are you really wearing that dress?"

        "Cadance!" Chrysalis flew across the room once more, this time stopping to prance in front of an enormous vanity covered in makeup and jewelry. Sitting on one corner was a large crystal ball, from which the Princess of Love stared out with a small frown on her face.

        "Do you like the dress? Actually, I don't care what you think. But do you think Twilight will like it?" Chrysalis peered down into the crystal ball, a look of desperate hope on her face.

        Cadance looked back, tapping her hooves together and pursing her lips in thought.

        "I think it's exactly what you should wear," she answered finally. Chrysalis brightened up, a gleeful grin starting to form on her face, until Cadance continued. "That is, if you never want to see Twilight again after tonight."

“W-what?” Chrysalis’s ears drooped in dismay as she stared back into the crystal ball, her eyes searching back and forth. “But…it’s such a beautiful dress… I even picked one that will match her coat—”

“Chrysalis, Chrysalis, Chrysalis.” Cadance let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple with one hoof. “We’ve been through this already; if you want Twilight to love you, you can’t do anything special for her. No little gifts, no compliments, no special, meaningful dates, and definitely no dressing up or wearing makeup.”

        “I know Cadance, it’s just...” Chrysalis looked down at her hooves, as she shuffled them nervously. “It feels wrong to treat her like that. I'm the one in charge, I should be feeding her love. I see all these ponies going around on their own dates, and they’re always so affectionate to each other. They dress up, and give each other gifts, and… and hug, and gaze into each other’s eyes… I want to do all that with Twilight.”

        “Those ponies have already developed their relationships. You haven’t,” replied Cadance, pointing a hoof at Chrysalis. “You and Twilight still need to build things up, and you’re just going to drive her away if you constantly shower her with gifts and love and attention. If you do all that, why should she care? There’s no mystery there, nothing for her to work towards. You need to excite her, give her a challenge. It’s not too different from how you changelings do things, it’s just that instead of actual physical combat, it’s mental and emotional, and focused more on love and kindness."

        “Then why did you make me leave Twilight at the restaurant on our first date?” asked Chrysalis plaintively. “I felt so bad treating her like that…”

        “I keep telling you there's no reason to feel guilty about it,” Cadance said patiently. “It’s expected that you do something like that on the first date. It builds up interest, and makes the other pony wonder what an actual, full date with you would be like. You look more confident, like you don’t even need the other pony, and that makes them want you more. I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘playing hard to get’; that’s what you were doing. You were doing it really well, too, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Twilight had admitted her love for you the next week.”

        She bowed her head and let out a mournful sigh. “But you were too impatient, and you thought Twilight’s letter was actually sincere. And you didn’t even consult with me before deciding to act. Honestly, going to her straight away and taking her on a romantic date? I’m surprised she still wants anything to do with you. If you’d listened to me and gone back to her a week later, maybe offered to take her to the cheapest restaurant in Ponyville or given her a bouquet of half-dead flowers… well, who knows how close you two could be right now?”

“I know, but…” Chrysalis looked down, shuffling her hooves. “She just sounded so upset in that letter. And she said she didn’t want to see me anymore! I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing…”

“But that was exactly what you were supposed to do!” Cadance shook her head sadly. “Your date a few weeks ago was just as bad…”





“Isn’t this exciting?” gasped Chrysalis, the earring in her ear flashing in the spotlights as she clapped her hooves.

“Oh, um, yeah,” responded Twilight, trying to force interest into her voice as she stared at the two ponies who were grappling in the ring before her. “Wrestling is… woo.”

“I’m glad you’re so excited,” said Chrysalis, as one of the ponies finished pinning the other and both moved off stage, “because you’re up next!”

“Wait, what?!”

Before Chrysalis could reply or Twilight could object again, a pair of spotlights hit the two.

        “Fillies and gentlecolts!” boomed the voice of the announcer. “We have with us today one Queen Chrysalis, and her wife, our very own Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The crowd roared, and the announcer had to wait for them to calm down before he could continue. “And Princess Twilight has agreed to an exhibition match against the current champion!”

“I agreed to what?!” Twilight gave Chrysalis a look of combined confusion and anger.

“Have fun!” chirped Chrysalis, pushing the protesting pony up into the ring.

“Okay, now…” whispered Cadance, the earring Chrysalis wore carrying the Princess’s voice to her ears only, “Make sure to cheer for her opponent, and cheer loudly.”

“What?! But she—“

“Remember, you can’t let her know you care! The best way to do that is to make it clear you want the champ to win rather than her.”

“I… I guess…” Chrysalis turned to face the ring, raising her head as she called out hesitantly, “Go champ.”

The crowd was still making noise, and Chrysalis hadn’t particularly tried to be heard over them, but her voice was distinct enough that it carried to Twilight, who turned to look at her in disbelief.

“You should … win… champ…” Chrysalis faltered under Twilight’s hurt, uncomprehending stare, but before either could act the telltale sound and flash of light of a teleport spell came from behind Twilight, and she was eclipsed by a shadow.

“And now, introducing the champion of the Equestrian Wrestling Federation!” the announcer's voice filled the auditorium, drowning out anything Twilight or Chrysalis might have said. “The Terror of Tartarus, the pony who once wrestled an Ursa Minor to a standstill… you know her, you love her—The Mad Unicorn!”

Gulping, Twilight turned around, then immediately shrunk back. An enormous unicorn loomed over her, seemingly as tall as Celestia, and layered with so much muscle she looked like two Big Macs standing side-by-side. Her coat was steel grey, her mane a bright yellow, pulled back tightly into a simple ponytail, and her actual pony tail was braided so tight it looked like a whip. Slowly, she leaned forward until she was face-to-face with Twilight, bending nearly in half to do so.

“I will break you, little pony,” she rumbled in a heavy accent.

        Twilight scrambled backwards, eyes wide, and instinctively tried to teleport away. Instead of appearing somewhere else, a burst of sparks came from her horn.

        “It looks like the suppression runes are in good working order,” said the announcer over the speakers. “No magic or flying for either competitor in the ring! This is a contest of physical strength, after all.”

        Lumbering forward, the Mad Unicorn advanced on Twilight, who continued to retreat backwards. Her hind legs bumped up against the ropes at the edge of the ring, distracting her enough for the other wrestler to leap forward and wrap her forelegs around Twilight’s body, squeezing her in a bone-crushing bearhug. Twilight let out a grunt, pushing at the other pony’s chest in an effort to escape. The Mad Unicorn, having underestimated the earth pony strength of an alicorn even as small as Twilight, looked down in shock as Twilight began forcing herself away, nearly creating an opening large enough to escape. Before she could, The Mad Unicorn swung around and fell forward, slamming them both to the mat with herself on top.

        “Oh no!” gasped Chrysalis, hooves going to her mouth. “T-this was a mistake! I need to help her!”

        “Don't do it,” warned Cadance. “This is what we wanted to happen. Now Twilight will have to wonder what she could have done to get you to help her, and for you to cheer for her instead of the champ. It will draw her to you more.”

        “But she might get hurt!”

        “Well, good, then you can win some points by taking care of her.” The sound of air swishing came over the magic link, as Cadance waved a hoof dismissively. “Not too much, of course. Give her a bandaid or something.”

        Groaning, Twilight staggered to her hooves, not noticing as the champ circled around her. She did notice, however, when a foreleg was wrapped around her throat and she was lifted off her hooves once more. Not giving Twilight time to attempt an escape again, The Mad Unicorn shifted her weight to one side, then spun in a circle.

        “Ohh, this seems really familiar—“ Twilight had time to moan, before the champ completed her spin and flung the Princess across the ring.

        She hit the elastic ropes with her back, and as they stretched out, she had one endless moment to see The Mad Unicorn with a savage grin on her face and her foreleg held out to one side, ready for the clothesline. Then the ropes snapped back, and, screaming and flailing her hooves helplessly, Twilight shot back across the ring—

        —only to be jerked to a halt in midair, held in place by a green glow. Blinking a few times in confusion, she looked to the side as she sensed movement.

        Chrysalis stopped next to her, sparing one glance down to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Then she continued on, the magic suppression runes in the ceiling above her path sparking and exploding one after the other.

        “H-hey, what’s with all the pyrotechnics?” The Mad Unicorn was looking around nervously, her harsh accent suddenly replaced by a voice that made Fluttershy seem assertive. “There wasn’t anything in the script about those. O-or about a Changeling Queen—”

        “Well, you see, I think I made a mistake when I signed Twilight up for this,” purred Chrysalis, and while her grin was every bit as savage as The Mad Unicorn’s had been, it also held an unreasonable amount of glee. “Maybe you need to fight someone your own size…”





        “I can’t believe you got us banned from the arena! For life!” complained Twilight, stomping down the Canterlot street. “You know how long that is for us!”

        “You’re not hurt, are you?” asked Chrysalis worriedly, nearly cantering as she tried to keep up with Twilight.

        "Don't try to change the subject," snapped Twilight. They trotted along in silence for a moment, then she lowered her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Chrysalis. I'm just upset. I know you meant well, but attacking somepony wasn't the right thing to do."

"But… you're not hurt, right?"

Twilight tried her best to stay disapproving, but a small snort of laughter came out of her mouth, and she smiled. "No, no, I wasn't hurt. And… thank you for saving me. Even if you really didn't need to."

She leaned over, resting her head against Chrysalis's shoulder momentarily. The Queen looked down at her in surprise, then smiled, the chitin on her face darkening in a blush. Cadance's voice came through the earring, objecting and telling her to push Twilight away, but Chrysalis suddenly found it much easier to ignore the Princess's advice.

"I mean, facing down the champ to protect me… that takes some real bravery," Twilight continued teasingly, straightening back up to walk normally again.

"Ha! Some champion!" Chrysalis raised her nose into the air with a sniff, a slight sneer on her face. "I have followed her career for years, and for a pony that single-hoofedly beat Princess Smash and The Griffin Grappler at the same time, she hardly put up a fight."

"You… do know wrestling is fake, right?"

"What?!" cried Chrysalis in dismay.



	

        "Oh, that night was just perfect," said Chrysalis dreamily, gazing off into the distance. "We didn't have anything else to do, so we just… talked, while walking around the city. I've never done that before with anyone, but with Twilight it was amazing. Of course, just being around her is like that. And that was one of the only times she let me kiss her goodnight—"

        Chrysalis stopped talking with a long, happy sigh, which was interrupted by Cadance letting out a snort.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said, with narrowed eyes, "because it might have been the last night you spend with her."

"Cadance…" moaned Chrysalis.

"Well, you ignored almost everything I said, you 'saved' Twilight—no doubt making her feel that you don't trust her to take care of herself—you spent the night having meaningful conversations with her… it's like you don't love her at all!"

"You know that's not true!" Chrysalis stomped her hoof on the floor, power crackling along her body. "She means everything to me! I would do anything for her… I have done everything for her: given up most of my plans of conquest, held back from killing all you Princesses, tried my best to let my changelings interact peacefully with those weak ponies… just asking to be kidnapped, to be replaced and give up all their delicious love…"

She paused for a moment, licking her lips, and a buzzing came from around the room as the changelings fluttered their wings and twitched their hooves.

"But that doesn't matter!" she continued after a moment. "I gave all that up for Twilight, because she wanted me to. Because she said we could get that love freely, and I trusted her. I love her… I love her more than anything, as much as I love the hive and all my children. All I want to do is spend my life with her… all I want to do is make her happy."

        Cadance wore what looked to be a wide smile on her face. The sound of teeth grinding came faintly through the crystal ball, but though a few of the changelings cocked their heads curiously at the almost inaudible sound, none said anything. After a moment, Cadance took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. 

        “I wish you would try harder at this, Chrysalis,” she said in a soft voice, her head lowered. “I’m trying to help you. And I’m trying to help Twilight most of all. If you aren’t going to take my advice, I might have to… do something else.”

        “I’m trying, Cadance!” protested Chrysalis. “But so much of what you say just doesn’t make sense to me!”

        “Okay, okay,” Cadance smiled indulgently at Chrysalis. “Do you need me to explain how ponies date and court again?”

        “Maybe,” said Chrysalis, giving a hesitant nod and sitting down on her haunches in front of the crystal ball. Changelings swarmed around her, sitting up attentively as well.

        “Now then, what are changeling relationships based on?”

        “Dominance!” declared Chrysalis, shooting back to her hooves and sending changelings flying in all directions. “I am the Queen of this hive! And I defeated Twilight in combat, making me her Queen as well! As hive Queen, it is my duty to find love for my children to feed on. As Twilight's Queen, I must provide for her every need, giving her all my love, catering to her every whim—“

        “Okay, that’s enough, I understand,” said Cadance soothingly, motioning the changeling back down with one hoof. Chrysalis blinked a few times, then slowly sat back down. As she did the changelings, completely unmindful of what had happened earlier, flocked back to cluster around her again.

        “Now, can you tell me what pony relationships are based on?”

        Chrysalis blinked a few times, face blank, then turned to her changelings. Cadance’s eyes narrowed as they chirped and chattered at the Queen in their own language, and then her face went back to normal as Chrysalis looked up at the crystal ball once more.

        “…love and tolerance?”

        “Hahaha! Oh, no, no, no,” Cadance chuckled, shaking her head.

        “Then… I don’t understand,” said Chrysalis plaintively. “Isn’t loving someone supposed to be all about, well, love? Isn’t that the most important thing there is?”

        “For changelings it is, but not for ponies,” pointed out Cadance gently. “It’s something we find wonderful, but it’s not the most important thing in our lives the way it is for you. That may seem strange coming from me, the Princess of Love, but I would never say I'm more important than Twilight, or that the Sun is more important than the Moon. We all have our parts to play, and love is just one small piece of that puzzle. That’s why ponies have to be careful with their love, and make sure not to waste it on somepony who won’t return it. After all, think how terrible it would be to give love to a pony who just wanted to be your friend!”

        “But… Twilight always talks about how much she loves her friends…” Chrysalis said doubtfully.

        "That's just a figure of speech. When ponies say they love their friends, they just mean they like them a lot. And Twilight tends to exaggerate about that kind of thing. You know, Princess of Friendship and all."

        "I guess that makes sense." Chrysalis looked around at her changelings for a moment, then turned back to the crystal. "So then what is the basis of pony relationships? How can I make Twilight love me?"

        "By not loving her," declared Cadance triumphantly. "It might not look like it, but in a way, that whole mess where you married her and declared your undying love is actually an advantage. She knows you care, or at least thinks you do. She's also seen how you treat her when you do love her. So now all you have to do is stop all of that and instead treat her as though she's beneath you. As if she's not worth your time. As if you couldn't care less about her if you tried."

        "I-I could never do that!" cried Chrysalis, hooves going to her mouth in horror.

        "You'll have to if you want her to love you," Cadance said firmly, glaring out of the crystal ball. "She's already taken the bait. She's seen what your love is like. But if you try to press that, if you pressure her too much, she'll lose interest. You need to make her strive for your love, and that means not giving her any until she's desperate for it.

        "You see, that's what ponies do when they're in love. They let the other pony see a little bit of that love, and then freeze them out. That way, the pony they love will have to work to get more love, and that draws them in until both ponies love each other. If one pony just gives the other pony all their love, then that pony has no reason to give any love back."

        Cadance gave Chrysalis an encouraging smile. "And that's why all those ponies you've seen are always giving each other gifts and hugging and generally sharing their love with each other. They're both in love, so they can freely share their love. That's what you have to look forward to, as long as you can do what I say and keep Twilight from seeing the love you have for her until she can give you her love back. And the best way to do that is to act like she means nothing to you."

Chrysalis bowed her head in thought, and Cadance watched with obvious trepidation on her face. Chrysalis's horn glowed faintly as she conferred with the hivemind, the changelings around her making the occasional chittering and chirping sounds. Cadance opened her mouth, raising a hoof, but bit back what she'd been about to say and instead stayed quiet, chewing her lip nervously. 

"Okay," said Chrysalis finally, an unhappy look on her face as she raised her head once again, and Cadance let out the breath she'd been holding. "I'll follow your advice, even if it hurts me so to treat Twilight that way. But it's for the greater good."

        "Perfect," grinned Cadance. "Trust me, after tonight, Twilight is just going to love love love you."

        Her entire body drooping, Chrysalis averted her eyes, nodding. Around her, most of the changelings mirrored her posture, but a few seemed a little too defiant for Cadance's comfort.

        "Now Chrysalis, I want you to tell me what you're going to do tonight," she said firmly.

        "... ignore Twilight," Chrysalis replied sadly.

        "And?" prompted Cadance after a moment.

        "Not give her gifts, or dress up for her, or do anything nice for her during the date," was the despondent response.

        "How many compliments will you give Twilight?"

        "N-none. I'll actually try to insult her instead."

        "But nothing obvious!" Cadance cautioned quickly. "Just your usual snarky comments and backhoofed compliments. You know, treat her the way you treat all ponies."

        "I'll try." The Queen let out a little sigh. 

Cadance looked down at Chrysalis with a frown, her expression calculating, and then a large, cheery smile grew on her face. "Very good," she said encouragingly. "I know you can do this, Chrysalis. Remember, this is the big night. You do what I say tonight, and you'll never have to do it again. Twilight will be all yours, and you can give her all the love you want. And she'll love you, too."

        That seemed to work, and Chrysalis raised her head, a look of determination filling her face. "Okay, Cadance. I'll do what you said. For Twilight."

        "Good. Now take that dress off, put away any jewelry you have out—except the earring, of course—and prepare yourself for the most important night of your life."

        With a wave, she cut the connection, and Chrysalis slumped back down again. "Put the dress away," she said listlessly, stripping the garment from her body and dropping it. A changeling caught it before it hit the floor, trotting off with it in his magical grasp.

        "Are you really going to follow her advice?" asked one changeling carefully.

        "She is the Princess of Love," said Chrysalis, climbing to her hooves. "She'd know best what it takes to create love in a pony. Unless you've found a better way?"

        The changelings looked at each other, disappointment painting their faces.

        "It's hard," said one.

        "We've tried impersonating ponies who don't have any loved ones, to try to get new ones for them, but it didn't work out," said another. "They grew up learning all the social context and cues. We can't just learn it all in a few months."

        "ILS-934GJ found a bunch of ponies who were interested in his disguise," added in a third, "but apparently something bad happened. He just says he saw things that no changeling should see, and that's all he'll say. He's even cut himself off from the hivemind."

        "Then we'll stick with Cadance's suggestions. It might not feel right, but… obviously ponies do things much different than us. Twilight made that clear, at least," Chrysalis finished with a sigh.

        "Are you sure you don't want to wear something?" queried a changeling. "I'm sure you could get away with a bow in your hair, or maybe—"

        "Cadance said no," said Chrysalis severely. "I need to do what she says if I'm going to have a hope of winning Twilight's heart."

        She glanced over at the vanity nervously. "Besides, as long as I wear that earring, she'll see and hear everything I do. I can't take the chance of angering her and losing her help. Imagine if that happened in the middle of the date!"

        The changelings looked at each other. "Well... " said one hesitantly, "she can't smell through the earring, can she?"

        Chrysalis perked up. "Of course!" she exclaimed gleefully.        

        Her horn lit up, and an entire section of wall folded back to reveal shelf after shelf of bottles. She trotted into the little alcove, browsing through the various perfumes.

        "Now, we need something a pony would like… something Twilight would like," she muttered half to herself.

        "Books?" suggested a changeling.

        "Don't ponies like crystals?"

        "I think that was just one of them…"

        "We're trying to make Twilight fall in love with our Queen, yes? She should use the love scent. Ponies like love, too."

        "Ooh, that's a good idea."

        "Wait, can ponies even smell love?"





        In the end, Chrysalis ended up with two bottles of scent.

        "Hmm…" She looked back and forth between the two. "Wild jasmine might be nice. I know ponies like flowers as snacks, and they're also romantic. Jasmine doesn't grow near Equestria, either, so the fact that's from a far away land might impress her. She'll think it's exotic."

        She looked at the other bottle. "But dead manticore… Manticores prey on ponies, so the scent of a dead one should put her at ease. And if she smells the scent on me, she'll think I was the one who killed it, making her feel safer around me and thus more attracted to me."

        For several moments she agonized over the choice, looking more and more frantically between the two bottles as conflicting opinions and arguments surged through the hivemind.

        Finally, things began to calm down, and a consensus was reached. Nodding firmly, Chrysalis passed one bottle to a nearby changeling and opened the one she had kept.

        Carefully, she extracted a swab, and dabbed the smallest bit on either side of her neck, just above her scent patches. Too much would overwhelm her pheromone receptors (an experience she was not eager to repeat) but a small amount, mixed with her own scent, would be safe. And, as a bonus, it would be spread that much easier, as it was carried with her scent.

        "How's this?" she asked, turning to the gathered changelings. Her wings were fluttering nervously, helping the scent spread around the room, and the changelings chittered their delight and approval.

        "Perfect!" Chrysalis trotted over to the vanity, beginning to rummage through its drawers. "Now, to comb my hair, and I can wax my carapace, and polish my crown—"

        "Excuse me, ma'am, but do you really think that's a good idea?"

        A hush fell over the room, and Chrysalis turned slowly to face the insolent changeling. 

        "Would you care to repeat that?" she asked quietly, barely restrained rage audible in her voice.

        "My name is P75-578DA," said the changeling wearily.

        "Oh."

        While the collaborative and information sharing abilities of the hivemind were enormous, it also lent itself extremely easily to creating an echo chamber effect. Chrysalis's position as Queen, and therefore the final arbiter of any decisions, tended to make things even worse.

        The solution had been changelings like P75-578DA. While they were generally of the information-collating and decision-making caste, their specialized job was simple: to disagree with anything that was being discussed. If the hivemind began tending in one direction, they would take up the opposite side. If everyone wanted to go west, they said east. They rarely were ever able to actually change what the hivemind was planning on doing, but they could at least bring up problems with the direction things were going in and help the hivemind consider situations from different angles and think up alternate solutions.

        As such, they were also the only changelings allowed to, in her own words, 'mouth off' to Chrysalis. While she made it abundantly clear that they were some of the most important and valued members of the hive, she also did not like being opposed. So her interactions with them tended to be a bit… strained.

        "Okay, P75," she said with a suppressed disgruntled grumble, which echoed through the hivemind anyway, "Why don't you think I should get myself looking as good as possible for my date?"

        "Because Cadance specifically told you not to," pointed out the changeling. "She said not to do anything special, at all. And if you start styling your hair and gussying yourself up, you run the risk of losing Twilight."

        "Didn't you tell me not to trust Cadance when I first met with her?" queried Chrysalis, eyes narrow.

        "She has every reason to despise us and want revenge for what we did at her wedding. We also have no easy way of verifying the information she's been giving us. But it's my job to disagree with what you want to do, ma'am. And making yourself look good for tonight goes against everything we've been told."         

        "It's not like I'm putting on a dress or anything, though! Just brushing the tangles out of my hair, waxing up my carapace so the chitin's nice and shiny—"

        "And how often do you do that?" demanded P75. "If you turn up for the date looking like a picture-perfect Queen, it's going to be obvious you did something special. That's not going to be helpful for you at all, according to what Cadance has told us. Quite the opposite, in fact."

        "Well… I mean…" she looked at the changeling meekly, eyes wide. "I can at least brush my hair, right? There's no reason to go out with it in tangles. I'd never do that, no matter what!"

        "I'm not telling you what you can and can't do," replied the changeling with a sigh. "I'm just saying that Cadance told us to do one thing, and you want to go against her advice despite doing your best to trust her."

        He considered the forlorn Chrysalis for a moment, then said, "Okay, if you want to brush your hair, that's fine. It's a… Queenly thing to do. And maybe your crown could use a slight buffing. It got a bit scuffed when you threw it at one of my colleagues for suggesting green didn't look good on you. But I think the carapace wax should be right out."

        Conflict surged through the hivemind once more, but less so this time, and not driven by Chrysalis's frenzied panic. P75-578DA's suggestions were reasonable and logical, and calmness quickly flowed over the hive again.

        "Very well," said Chrysalis stiffly. "I will not wax my carapace, and my crown shall only receive a modest buffing. But my mane shall be brushed, one hundred strokes from each changeling—"

        P75-578DA cleared his throat, and Chrysalis glared at him, then let out an angry sigh. "Fine, fine. A normal brushing, so that it is no longer apparent that I put on and took off several dozen dresses just now. Is that good? Is that okay with you?"

        P75 nodded and smiled, and Chrysalis whirled away with a huff. After a moment, though, she turned back.

        "And… thank you, P75-578DA," she said, a strange expression on her face. "I know you're helping, and I appreciate it."

        Every changeling in the room stared at her, mouths gaping open, and she quirked an eyebrow up at them. "What's the matter with all of you?"

        "You've never actually thanked any of us out loud before," said P75 cautiously. "Normally you just let us know how you feel through the hivemind." 

        "You sounded like a pony just now," a changeling said.

        "I think Twilight's rubbing off on you," said another teasingly.

        "T-that's enough out of all of you!" barked Chrysalis, face darkened from a blush. "I can always send you off to dig more tunnels without any safety equipment! Get to work, you know what you have to do!"

        The Queen stretched out on the floor, eyes half-lidded in contentment, as changelings surrounded her and began their ministrations. Several groups gathered at her head and tail, pulling soft-bristled brushes through her mane and making sure its holes were smooth and round. Her crown, meanwhile, was in the middle of three changelings fight over the polishing cloth, tugging it in every direction.

        Chrysalis let her eyes slip fully closed, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in days. The hivemind was confident and gleeful, Cadance was providing her with all the insight she needed on how ponies worked, and it looked like everything about this night was going to go just perfect.

        And even if it doesn't, I can still fall back on that kidnapping plan, she thought idly, and a happy smile blossomed on her face.
> Interlude: Cadance (I)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Cadance turned away from the deactivated crystal ball, stomping across the room of her small apartment. She tried taking deep breaths, mirroring the motion of her chest with one hoof, but even her go-to calming technique could do nothing when her teeth were clenched tight enough to crush boulders. Giving up, she scooped a pile of darts up in her magic and began to peg them into a picture of Chrysalis that was pinned to a dartboard across the room.

        Why does Chrysalis have to ruin every... single... thing?! With each word, she slammed a dart into the picture with a wall-rattling thump.

        First had been her wedding. The day she'd dreamed of since even before becoming a Princess and the literal embodiment of love. The day that should have been perfect. Instead, she'd been kidnapped, knocked unconscious, locked in a cave beneath Canterlot, half starved, had her husband-to-be brainwashed and nearly stolen from her, had her Aunt knocked out and imprisoned, and to top everything off, the kingdom that was her responsibility had been taken, however briefly, away from her.

        But that hadn’t been enough. Oh, no. Now Queen Chrysalis was back, attacking Cadance’s family once again, this time going after her very own sister-in-law. Cadance’s shock at reading Shining Armor’s letter about Twilight’s marriage had quickly given way to a burning, molten anger, as she contemplated all the horrible ways the changeling had warped the minds of those closest to her. She’d immediately made plans to head for Canterlot to free them, only to be hit with another shock as a wedding invitation arrived less than a day later. Clearly the corruption had spread further than she’d thought, and so she had spent days readying herself—girding her mind with spells to resist whatever tricks Chrysalis tried this time, fortifying her body with powerful shields, and steeling herself against the prospect of Chrysalis using her own family against her.

To her surprise, Chrysalis had sought her out as soon as she'd arrived in Canterlot. Cadance had agreed, and spent hours scouting out the meeting location, preparing wards, planning escape routes, and getting a feel for the type of ponies in the tavern to see if any were changelings. With a deep breath, senses on full alert, suspicious and cautious of everything, she had gone in to meet Queen Chrysalis face-to-face.

        What she had been met with instead had been the cruelest, most twisted joke of all: the changeling actually thought she was in love with Twilight. It would have been funny, if it hadn’t been both so sad and so incredibly dangerous. As long as she held the delusion that she was capable of love, Chrysalis was a threat to Canterlot and everypony in Equestria. Motivated solely by a lust for power, the Queen had come within a hair of conquering the kingdom. But if her 'love' was rejected, if her despair and anger caused her to start lashing out, if it became personal...  

        Chrysalis had explained everything that had happened: her wedding to Twilight, Twilight's confession that she wasn't actually in love with Chrysalis, and Chrysalis's declaration that she would win Twilight's heart. As she'd listened to the changeling's story and plea for assistance, a plan had crystallized in Cadance's mind. She would give Chrysalis advice… advice that would prove to Twilight once and for all that the changeling was incapable of love, that she was as uncaring and callous as Cadance knew she was. It was the best chance to get the whole mess cleared up without violence; the changeling’s illusion of love would force her to accept Twilight’s rejection and she would slink off back to her hive, and everypony would be happy.

        And the near-collapse of that plan was what had Cadance so infuriated. The changeling had had the arrogance, the sheer, unmitigated gall, to reject her advice. Her, the Princess of Love herself!

The first date had gone perfectly. Chrysalis had done everything Cadance had told her to through the magical earring, being her usual cold, dismissive self. Convincing the changeling to leave in the middle of the meal had taken some doing—she’d had to spring that idea on Chrysalis without warning, because if she’d told her beforehoof there would have been nothing but argument, followed by a failure to actually accomplish the task. But by giving her the order in the middle of the dinner, she’d been able to pressure Chrysalis, ordering her to either leave or make do without advice. Reluctant and dragging her hooves, Chrysalis had complied, and Cadance had spent the rest of the night giggling with glee at how well everything had gone. 

But the next day, disaster had struck.

Panicked by Twilight’s letter, Chrysalis hadn't even bothered to consult with Cadance before heading out to abduct the Princess and take her on another date. And somehow, somehow, she had actually managed to come up with a meaningful and romantic date, completely undoing all of Cadance’s work from the night before. She might have even made ground on tricking Twilight into loving her!

Cadance had been livid, and had verbally torn a strip off Chrysalis’s hide—well, carapace—but the changeling had just nodded sadly, acting apologetic while still stubbornly refusing to admit she was wrong.

Things had not gone well after that. Every bit of progress Cadance made was undone by Chrysalis either refusing to obey her commands or going rogue on a date and ignoring repeated orders to stop treating Twilight with kindness. Cadance reprimanded Chrysalis each time it happened, but there was a limit to how far she could go. No matter what she threatened, she couldn’t actually abandon the changeling to her own devices. She hadn’t even dared trying to push Chrysalis into doing something as extreme as leaving Twilight during a date, either. If she had, and Chrysalis refused, the changeling might have figured out how powerless Cadance actually was in their relationship. So she had to sit there, watching through the crystal ball and fuming, as the changeling pretended to love her sister. As the changeling pretended she had a heart.

Cadance sighed, trotting over to pull the darts out of the board and inspect the picture. In it, Chrysalis was snarling—for some reason, she was always snarling in every photo that was taken of her—and thanks to the darts, she currently had more holes in the picture than she did in real life. Cadance let the picture fall in a nearby trashcan, and pulled another off the tall stack that stood nearby. She’d already gone through half of them over the past six months. Three broken dartboards also lay littered about the floor of the small apartment—they were at least somewhat more sturdy than the photographs.

She didn’t truly hate Chrysalis. And she knew, for a fact, that the changeling did have a heart. After all, she clearly cared about her children more than anything; Cadance had heard her talk about them often enough to know that was true. But the idea that a changeling could love a pony was ridiculous. Ponies produced love, and changelings consumed it. The end. It was a relationship that only went one way; reversing it somehow was unthinkable.

There was no hate in Cadance’s heart. None at all, she assured herself firmly, nodding. But there was an order to the world, a place for each pony, changeling and other creature. Nowhere in that order did changelings love ponies. She didn’t begrudge the changelings the love they ate—after all, her love was for all the creatures of the world, even if they were parasites, and it brought her nothing but joy to know her love was so, well, loved. But changelings loving, rather than stealing and consuming love, was just… unnatural. It went against everything she knew about their kind.

Besides, as Princess of Love she had a duty to make sure her love was used wisely and responsibly, and to make sure ponies loved who they were supposed to love. To make sure that they would love ponies (or other creatures) that would return their love properly. That, more than anything else, was what this was all about. 

She’d already planned Twilight’s love life out for the next half century, and nowhere in that plan was Queen Chrysalis, or any changelings at all for that matter. Sunset Shimmer coming through the mirror portal in Cadance's very own castle had been a stroke of luck; she'd convinced her aunts that Twilight should follow through alone, and the newly-minted Princess had been able to have her first little fling on the other side. Cadance had even arranged for Twilight to get together with the Flash Sentry of this world afterwards, and had watched with approval as they drifted apart after the first little spark of interest. That had been a nice, safe way for Twilight to experience a bit of romance. 

After all, Twilight had a long road ahead, and at the end of it lay the Princess of the Sun. Celestia thought she was being subtle about her little crush, but she couldn’t fool the Princess of Love, and Cadance could think of no better gift for her aunt than the pony she loved.

Or, maybe Princess Luna would be the pony for Twilight. There could be a certain coolness between the two at times, but Luna's gratefulness to the pony who had saved her from her own jealousy was abundant and obvious. It would be easy, too; a night spent stargazing, their hooves touch, their eyes meet… and then magic is made under the night sky.

For that matter, there were any number of ponies that were appropriate for Twilight—ponies, or griffins, or dragons. Even Discord was a better option, for Celestia's sake. 

Because the point was, none of them were changelings. They would love Twilight the way she deserved to be loved, and they would deserve the love that Twilight would give back to them. Queen Chrysalis could do neither of those things.

Yes. She had a plan, and Chrysalis’s appearance in it was merely an anomaly that she would correct, whatever it took.

It’s not like Twilight, or anypony, could ever love Chrysalis anyway, she thought with a shudder, stretching out on a couch to relax before the most important date of her life. Nothing that changeling did could endear her to a pony. Why, just look at how she had acted during a simple walk in the park…





The night was warm, cooled by a breeze that pushed a few wispy clouds across the sky. Luna's moon seemed brighter than ever, and the stars twinkled cheerfully as they looked down on Canterlot Central Park. Between the park's trees, ponies walked, many of them couples out for a romantic stroll, but most just there to enjoy a beautiful night.

"See? Isn't this nice?" asked Twilight with a hopeful smile, ignoring the invisible circle around them that the other couples wouldn't cross into.

"Oh yes, walking through a field with trees is… I believe the word you would use is 'woo'", replied Chrysalis dolefully.

"It's a park, not a field with trees," scolded Twilight. "How can you not enjoy this? The night is beautiful, the grass is green…"

"I will admit this night is quite pleasant. The Moon Princess does good work." Twilight turned, a glare forming on her face, and Chrysalis held up a hoof hurriedly. "She said I could call her that!"

Twilight held her suspicious gaze for a moment longer, then gave a small nod, and Chrysalis surreptitiously let out the breath she'd been holding.

"But yes, I am enjoying the night. Luna has said she may let me design the stars one night, and I look forward to it."

"She actually asked you to do that?!" gasped Twilight, and let out a small 'squee!' when Chrysalis nodded in puzzlement. "It was years before she asked me to! Oh, I'm so happy to see you learning about friendship!"

"Friendship is… pushing it a bit far," said Chrysalis uncomfortably, looking away. "We merely like spending a little bit of time together, doing things we both enjoy, talking…"

"That is friendship, you big silly changeling!" Twilight gave Chrysalis a push on the shoulder, and she turned away.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Chrysalis said grumpily.

"Fine, fine." Twilight rolled her eyes, but she had a happy smile on her face. "Let's talk about the grass, then. What don't you like about that?"

"Look at it!" cried Chrysalis, with a vicious jab of her hoof towards the side of the path that sent a couple sitting under a tree running for cover. "It's green! Such a hideous color!"

"But… I've never seen anything more green than the inside of your hive, and you're almost half green—"

"Those are proper greens!" declared Chrysalis imperiously. "The greens of my eyes, my mane, my shell. The green of slime, shimmering gently on a hive wall, the green of a pod filled with a fresh victim—"

"Okay, those are all good greens," Twilight said hurriedly, glancing around at their fellow walkers, who were now shying away more than ever. "What's wrong with the grass's green?"

"It's… plant green." Chrysalis shuddered. "Disgusting."

"Okay, you don't like the grass. Fine." Twilight humphed angrily. "Maybe we should just call this night off right here, then."

"I would be more than glad to," sneered Chrysalis, and Twilight spun to face her, face shocked and hurt.

"No, wait! I mean… don't leave. Please. I do like it here. Because you're here." 

She smiled pleadingly, the ear that she wore an earring in flicking as though shooing away a fly, and finally Twilight smiled back. 

"Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that anyway. And… I like being here with you too."

Their eyes met, their smiles deepening, and Chrysalis's ear began fluttering like a flag in a gale. After a moment, they began walking again, side by side and closer than before.

Eventually they reached a fountain. A statue stood upon its stone plinth, depicting Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rearing up, hooves held to the sky as though blessing their city. And, in a bizarre and hilarious touch, water sprayed from their mouths. Twilight knew for a fact that both Princesses had overlooked that little fact prior to the fountain's construction, and that Celestia had been trying for years to get 'that abomination' removed from the park.

But here, in the night, it didn't look so bad. The water that arced up and then drifted down in a spray danced in the light from the nearby lampposts, seeming almost to glow on its own. Twilight smiled happily at the sight, and trotted ahead quickly to lay on its edge.

"Come on," she said, beckoning Chrysalis over with a toss of her head before turning to trail a hoof in the water.

"This is perfect," whispered Cadance in Chrysalis's ear before she could move. "Splash her with water when you sit next to her."

"What? But, her dress—"

"Yes, it will get all wet!" said Cadance triumphantly. "Get her mane, too. Try to get her as wet as you can before she finally leaves."

"I-I don't know… I don't think she likes getting wet. I mean, you ponies have all that fur…"

"Trust me, she'll like it if you do it," Cadance said with confidence. "Make sure to laugh at her, too."

Chrysalis still hesitated, shuffling her hooves, but suddenly a mischievous smile grew on her face. "Actually, I have an even better idea," she said with a smooth chuckle.

She slunk closer to Twilight, creeping along with her belly nearly on the ground, then suddenly lunged forward and shoved her with two hooves. The Princess flew into the fountain, thrashing and sputtering, and Cadance had to lean back from the crystal ball and put her hooves over her mouth to smother her laughter. That was a better idea!

Twilight got her hooves under herself and stood up, water running off her back in streams, her mane and dress sticking to her body. She glared down with puffed out cheeks at Chrysalis, who was rolling back and forth on her shell and laughing like a madpony.

"And just what do you think is so funny?" growled the dripping pony.

"Insult her!" cried Cadance, having gotten her own laughter under control. "Make a joke about her!"

"I'm laughing," said Chrysalis, pushing herself up on one hoof to smirk at Twilight, "Because I always thought you were a bit of a drip, and now I know for sure."

"A drip, huh?" said Twilight with a glare, her horn glowing. "Well, I don't think I'm the only one…"        

        Chrysalis blinked, realizing that the fountain seemed to have suddenly stopped running. She looked up, into an enormous ball of water held in Twilight's magic. Futilely, she tried scrambling to her hooves, not even coming close before the entire ball fell straight down on her.

        Dripping, Chrysalis rose slowly above the edge of the fountain, water beading on her carapace. Her mane hadn't been affected much by the water, aside from sticking to her face, but her tail now drooped to the ground and lay in a puddle. She glared angrily at the smirking pony standing in the fountain.

        "Looks like I was right," said Twilight smugly.

        Chrysalis held her glare for a moment longer, then spoke three furious words.

        "You are dead."

        She launched herself at the soaked Princess, who squealed and tried to run away. She was too slow, though, and Chrysalis caught her and dunked her head in the water. Chrysalis pulled back to gloat at Twilight as she sputtered and laughed, which gave the Princess the opportunity to kick the changeling's forelegs out from under her and send her tumbling down into the water as well.





        Cadance shuddered again as she recalled that horrific scene. Chrysalis had actually been trying to drown Twilight, and laughing as she did it! Luckily, Twilight had been able to fight back until the changeling had finally relented and let her scramble out of the fountain. Even then, Twilight had been so traumatized by the experience she'd been too scared to try and leave Chrysalis's side, and she'd been forced to spend several more hours with the changeling before finally making her escape.

        The worst part had been the next few days, although Cadance hadn't learned so until later. After getting wet and spending the night out in the air, Twilight had caught a cold and been confined to her bed, shivering and coughing. It had broken Cadance's heart that she hadn't been able to help her, and instead Twilight had been forced to make do with Chrysalis. The things Chrysalis had done while trying to take care of Twilight had been horrifying to learn.

The fact that Twilight still hadn't told Chrysalis to get lost was absolutely baffling to Cadance. At this point, she was putting it down to Twilight's sheer terror of the changeling, her fear at what Chrysalis would do if she were shunned. Celestia knew the changeling was violent and erratic; there was no telling what she might do if her fictional 'love' were thrown back in her face.

        There was one other possibility she'd been considering: some kind of subtle brainwashing, maybe a poison or venom of some sort. The leftovers of Twilight's food she'd managed to get ahold of hadn't shown anything, but it was possible Chrysalis was biting her while Cadance wasn't watching, or maybe exuding an invisible gas of some kind. They also seemed to spend a suspicious amount of time looking into each other's eyes, and she couldn't rule out that Chrysalis was hypnotizing her during those moments.

        She had to figure out how Chrysalis was tricking Twilight like this. There was no other way that monster could get real love, and if taking it away from her was what she needed to do, well then it was perfect that her revenge could be such a delicious bit of ironic justice—

        No, no! Cadance put a hoof to her forehead, taking a deep breath. This wasn't about revenge. This wasn't even about Chrysalis. It was about one thing and one thing only: Twilight.

        She had to save Twilight. She'd known Twilight since foalsitting her when she was a filly, she was her sister, and on top of all that they were good friends. She owed it to Twilight to save her, to free her from the changeling's clutches and find her somepony that could actually love her. Not only was it something she had to do as a friend and family member, but she was the Princess of Love. It was her responsibility, her duty, to see that Twilight and Chrysalis were no longer together, making a mockery of the very concept of love. It didn't matter what she had to do to stop them, either; she had justice and righteousness on her side.

        She pushed herself off the couch, getting to her hooves and trotting over to the table that held the crystal ball. She stopped once in front of it, gazing lovingly at its shining surface, and reached out with a hoof to gently caress it.

        "Don't you worry about a thing, Twilight." she whispered softly. "I'm going to save you."
> Chapter Three: The Date (part one)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A black chariot, pulled by changelings, sat in the middle of Canterlot's fanciest downtown restaurant district, blocking off most of the street. At this point, such a sight was so routine that only a few of the most curious ponies stood gathered around. 

One such pony, a small filly, crept close to one of the changelings that stood in the chariot's harness. She looked up at him in amazement and wonder, and then suddenly he turned, mouth opening to reveal pointed fangs and a forked tongue as he let out a long, fearsome hiss. With a squeak of fear, the filly scrambled back until she was safely behind her mother's legs, and then peeked back out, trembling slightly.

The changeling blinked, staring after her with wide, puzzled eyes, then turned to the changeling harnessed beside him. 

"Is that always how ponies react when you say hello?" he chirped questioningly, and the other changeling sighed and put a hoof over his face. 

"You really need to get out of the hive more often."

Both changelings faced forward again, trying to ignore the ball of nervous, vibrating energy that was sitting upon the seat far above them and flooding their hivemind link with panicked thoughts.

Queen Chrysalis sat upon her haunches, breathing rapidly with her eyes wide and unfocused as she tried to calm her frantic nerves. Whatever reassurances she'd gotten from Cadance's advice and the help of her changelings had disappeared once she'd been airborne and left to her own devices. 

What if Twilight had already decided she didn't love her? What if she messed up this date somehow? What if Cadance's earring broke and Chrysalis couldn't hear her advice anymore? What if she'd had her chariot land on the wrong street?! What if she'd forgotten the correct time and had already missed the dinner and now Twilight hated her again—

Murmurs from the crowd caught her attention, and she looked up to see a royal chariot swooping down to land on the opposite side of the street from her own. Expecting to find one of the Royal Sisters upon its seat, she was shocked to instead see Twilight looking back at her. Concerns gone, she scrambled to her hooves and leapt down from her chariot, ignoring the cracks she left in the cobblestones as she galloped across to Twilight's chariot.

"You made it!" she cried, prancing next to the chariot, and Twilight giggled.

"Of course I did, silly. Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"No, no… of course not."

She stood there, lost as she stared at her love. Twilight had worn makeup, just to look special for this date. And she'd worn a blue dress, one that brought out the navy of her mane but was light enough to match her coat. Her jewelry was perfect, too. Gold might work on a pony like Princess Celestia, but silver was definitely more Twilight's color…

Finally, Twilight cleared her throat and shifted nervously.

"Oh! Here," Chrysalis held out a hoof, "we should go inside. Let me help you down."

"You really don't need to," said Twilight, a slight blush on her face as she got up from her seat.

"But I want to." 

Chrysalis's heart raced as Twilight placed her hoof in her own, and she held it steady as the pony climbed down to the street. They stood there for a moment, gazing at each other.

"I can't believe you actually got us a reservation here," said Twilight finally. "This is one of the most exclusive restaurants in all of Canterlot. They say even Princess Celestia has to call at least a week in advance!"

Most high class restaurants in Canterlot made sure ponies knew they were getting what they paid for: marble columns lined the walls, the tablecloths were made of silk, the silverware was actually gold, and so on. Others took the opposite approach, cultivating the appearance of a dive while still keeping prices high enough that most ponies would need to take out a second mortgage to pay for a meal.

This restaurant, Le sac d'alimentation, stood out by doing neither. It was nice enough—the restaurant's name was prominently displayed on the awning over the entrance, vines grew on its quiet and unassuming brick facade—but the clue as to its real nature was the maître d' standing just inside the entrance, ready to turn away the unworthy.

"Hmph. I am the Queen Princess of Equestria," proclaimed the changeling proudly, putting a hoof to her chest. "A mere visit, and they were trembling and begging for me to dine in their establishment!"

"Uh huh." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I know the most you did is threaten a maitre'd or two, since I would have gotten a letter about it otherwise. And you know you're not supposed to call yourself a Queen Princess! Princess Celestia gets upset every time she hears about it! And, and, you're not supposed to declare yourself the Queen Princess of all Equestria! It's not just you!"

"Oh! That's not what I meant!" Chrysalis put a hoof to her mouth. "You're a Queen Princess too, of course!"

"That's…"  despite herself, Twilight let out a small snort, trying to stop herself from smiling. "Alright, alright, let's go. We can talk about it later if we need to. This is supposed to be a special night, after all."

This time she was the one to hold out a hoof. Chrysalis blinked at it, then, slowly, reached out and took it.

"Your dress…" said Chrysalis, as their eyes met.

"Oh? Y-yes?"

"It… it makes you look…"

"Frumpy!" suggested Cadance through the earring. She'd allowed Chrysalis a few moments of tenderness with Twilight, but only because of the hope that letting her perform those small kindnesses would make the changeling more susceptible to her pressure to insult the small pony. "Dumpy! Dowdy! Like a mop bucket with a rag on it!"

"... beautiful," finished Chrysalis.

"O-oh. Well… thank you. I'd say the same back, except you're not wearing a dress." Twilight gave a nervous swallow, looking away momentarily. "But… you don't really need one."

Matching blushes on their faces, the pony and the changeling climbed up the curb and passed through the doors into the restaurant together. As Chrysalis walked, she did her best to ignore the snorts of rage and grinding teeth that came to her over the earring.





Chrysalis had made sure to get a private room in the restaurant for their dinner. Everything had to be just right, and having other ponies around could only cause problems, whether they were gawkers, ponies nervous at simply having a changeling around, or even the rare occurrence of protesters.

Getting to the room was accomplished with little trouble, 'little trouble' in this case meaning Chrysalis threatening the maitre'd with death, making snarky comments about the restaurant's decor, and suggesting that the restaurant might have larger issues with fire if any of their food were overcooked. Twilight had finally scolded her and told her to be nice, and the conciliatory apology she'd given had seemed to make Twilight happy.

The room itself was small and intimate, blocked off from the main dining area by a thick velvet curtain. Inside, the room was lit by candles in wall sconces, and there was simply a table with two chairs. Lush carpeting met up with the edges of walls painted a rich red, and a painting hung upon one wall, depicting a lush forest dappled with shafts of sunlight.

"Use your magic!" whispered Cadance urgently as they moved towards the table. "Pull Twilight's chair out from under her when she tries to sit down. It'll be a joke."

Chrysalis glanced towards Twilight, an almost fearful expression on her face, then turned away, shaking her head quickly.

"You listen to me, Chrysalis," growled Cadance. "I am trying to help you. Do as I say!"

Chrysalis stared straightforward, shaking her head even more frantically, and sat down in her chair, motions robotic. There was silence for a moment, and then Cadance's frosty voice came to her through the earring.

"You are on thin ice here, Chrysalis."

The changeling hunched over, burying her face in her menu, as though that could somehow block Cadance's voice from her mind. From a changeling point of view, the menu was quite boring; very few pony restaurants served meat. But thanks to Twilight, Chrysalis's culinary horizons had broadened a bit—when it came to solid food, that is—and at least a few of the dishes didn't look too gut-wrenchingly awful.

"It all looks so good," said Twilight cheerfully after a few moments of inspecting her menu. "Really expensive, though."

Angry whispers came through Chrysalis's earring. She bit her lip, trying to object, but the whispers grew more heated, and finally she looked up.

"Well, that doesn't matter to me. After all, you're paying." Twilight's mouth dropped open as she looked at Chrysalis in shock, and the changeling sneered. "What, do I look like I'm made out of bits?"

"N-no, I just thought—it's fine, I can pay." She tried to give a cheerful smile. "I have quite a bit of royal funding that I hardly ever use, not to mention a small income from all the papers I write and spells I create, so I'm not hurting for money. Order anything you want, it's my treat."

Chrysalis stared across the table at her, heart melting all over again. "No, I didn't mean it like that." She reached a hoof across the table. "You don't have to—"

"Please." Twilight reached out as well, laying her hoof on top of Chrysalis's. "I want to. It's the least I can do, after you put all this together for me."

Chrysalis blushed as she locked eyes with Twilight. They held their hooves together for a long moment, despite the increasing volume of grinding teeth that Chrysalis heard through the earring.

They ordered their meals, the waiter returning after a moment with the bottle of wine they’d chosen. Chrysalis popped the cork, pouring Twilight a glass before her own, and then lifted her glass as she set the bottle aside.

“To you,” she said softly, green magical aura around glass of red wine making a cheery sight.

“To… us,” responded Twilight.

She floated her glass forward to clink it carefully against the one held by the suddenly-frozen changeling. Chrysalis managed to regain enough control of her movements to tilt the glass in acknowledgement, and they drank.

Twilight just sipped at her wine; she was giddy enough as it was. This was exactly the kind of date she’d wanted from the beginning. No wrestling matches, no symposiums on new advances in griffin magical theory (even she’d admitted that one had been a bad idea), no apple picking outings that turned into them being chased off the property by pitchfork-wielding ponies (although Applejack had been very understanding about the whole incident once she’d calmed down). This was a classic romantic date: dinner in a fancy restaurant, wine, a private room lit only by candles… it was just like in all the books she’d read to prepare for this. Even better, it was with the Chrysalis she knew and lov… liked. She was prickly and grumpy like always, and that just made the sudden doses of sweetness all the better.

Chrysalis, for her part, took several gulps of her wine. She needed something to calm her jangling nerves. Everything had gone well so far, but experience had already proven that disaster lurked around every corner, even with Cadance’s help. And those thoughts of her teacher and guide didn’t help, either. She’d followed the instructions to make Twilight pay for the meal, but she’d also ignored two of Cadance’s other orders, and the seething silence coming through the earring now was frightening. Above all, though, the unknown was what worried her. She’d never been nervous before, and that was making it all worse. She was a Queen, other changelings and ponies got nervous around her; she didn’t get nervous about anything! The entire idea was ridiculous. But then she looked across the table at Twilight from over her lowered wineglass, and perversely felt herself calm slightly as she realized exactly why she was so nervous in the first place: because that was her Queen sitting there.

"I like your perfume," said Twilight suddenly, breaking Chrysalis out of her reverie.

“Oh! T-thank you.”

“It’s a really nice scent. I can’t place it, but it’s quite exotic.”

“Just a little something I had in my collection,” Chrysalis replied nonchalantly with a wave of her hoof, even as she smiled with glee internally. I knew dead manticore was the right choice!

"So, how have you been?" asked Chrysalis after a moment. Twilight’s compliment had been a huge boost to her confidence, but her hooves still fidgeted nervously on the tabletop. "Anything exciting happen recently?"

"Oh, the usual. Pinkie 'invented' a new kind of cupcake that set things on fire, Spike's been moping around because Rarity went on a date with some stallion recently… oh, and Rainbow almost got fired from the weather team for making clouds in certain 'suggestive' shapes. Again. Nothing really new."

"Ah. So, no exciting battles against villains trying to take over Equestria?" teased Chrysalis, and Twilight snorted.

"No, no, everything's been all quiet on that front." She lifted her wineglass to take a sip, and gave Chrysalis a glance over the top of its rim. "I think they're all too scared of the big, mean villain that seems to have taken up permanent residence here."

"I think you forgot to add beautiful and intelligent, too," said Chrysalis, giving a toss of her mane and winking.

Twilight chuckled, but then quickly sobered up. "Actually, I am worried about something along those lines, but it's more of a domestic political thing."

"Oh?"

"Yes. How have your changelings been doing, trying to fit in?"

"Ah." Chrysalis leaned back in her seat. "You're talking about all the protests."

"Yes. Not all ponies are happy to forgive you after what you did, and tried to do." Chrysalis let out a dismissive snort and rolled her eyes, and Twilight frowned. "Don't be that way! I'm trying to help you and your changelings, and your attitude is not helping. The fact that I had to apologize for your actions on your behalf only hurts things as well."

Most ponies had been terrified to learn of the wedding of one of their Princesses to the Queen of the changelings who had attacked their kingdom, fearing it was another ploy. The actual wedding itself, along with the obvious support of the other Princesses, had quelled much of that fear. But no matter how much harmony and friendship Equestria held, there would always be some ponies who distrusted such obvious outsiders. It didn't help that the changelings were hard and dark compared to the soft and bright ponies, nor that they could only speak in hisses, snarls and clicks in their natural forms. Beyond that, it was just hard for even the most forgiving ponies to put the invasion behind them, and when a pony wasn't inclined towards forgiveness in the first place…

To the shame of the Princesses, and most of the rest of Equestria, a number of protests had cropped up, demanding various things—the banishment of all the changelings being a popular goal, but worse ones as well, up to and including the impeachment of the Princesses for even considering amnesty, and the execution of Chrysalis.

Naturally, the Princesses were disinclined to listen to these demands. Especially the latter, in Twilight's case. One particularly egregious protest had resulted in a mad scramble through ancient legal documents to prove that it was actually legal for a Princess to destroy any part of Canterlot she wished, provided no life was lost and the damages were repaid. But at the same time, they could not forbid the protests, free speech being cherished in Equestria as it was, and they had to just counter the protests and attempt to sway public opinion in their favor as best they could. At least when a protest descended into violence, arrests could be made, but that was an outcome no one wanted to see. Fortunately, no changelings or ponies had been hurt, at least so far.

"I don't have anything to apologize for," sniffed Chrysalis dismissively, turning up her nose. "I do what I need to do to feed the hive. That is all that I care about."

"What about me?" asked Twilight, and Chrysalis gave a little jump. "I mean, you did attack my kingdom, all of my friends and family. Why, you didn't even know about me at the time! What if we had never met, and I had gotten hurt in the attack?"

"That's not fair," huffed Chrysalis, crossing her forelegs. "You're asking about something I couldn't possibly have predicted."

"Okay, fine. Then what if you had known about me? What if you had met me before even beginning the invasion and fallen in love with me? Would you have still gone through with it?"

Chrysalis looked at her for a moment, then grinned widely, fangs dripping venom. "Without hesitation. I would have redoubled my preparations if I had known about you beforehoof. I would have taken no prisoners and allowed no chances at failure, and I would have made you mine."

Twilight stared back at her, mouth struggling. "You're terrible…" she said finally, trying to hide her smile and blush behind a hoof.

"And that's what makes me so irresistible, isn't it?" Chrysalis asked, tilting her head to give Twilight a sultry stare.

With a bit of effort, Twilight managed to get herself under control, and gave Chrysalis a stern look. "What it makes you is in danger, Chrysalis. You and your changelings. These protesters aren't just going to go away, and some of them have been making threats. You do know that there are anti-changeling groups forming, right? Some of the reports we've been getting about them are frightening, too. They've been talking about actual violence."

"I'm sure it will be fine," said Chrysalis unconcernedly, shrugging.

"How can you be so calm?!"

"Because we're not going to let them actually do anything."

"What…" Twilight glared suspiciously at Chrysalis. "What do you mean?"

"We're the ones who formed all those anti-changeling groups," replied Chrysalis smugly.

"W-what?!"

There was a flash of green light, and suddenly Applejack was sitting at the table across from her. "Well, shucks, pardner this ain't our first rodeo, y'all know what I'm sayin’? Yeehaw, yippee-ki-yay—"

"Stop that!" snapped Twilight, and Chrysalis switched back into her true form. "I told you not to change into my friends! And your Applejack is terrible, anyway."

She glared at Chrysalis until the changeling hung her head, and then nodded. "That's better. Now, tell me exactly what you've been doing."

"As I was trying to say, we know how all this works. Ponies are so distrusting, just because you want to imitate their loved ones and feed off their love."

"Yes, imagine that," said Twilight dryly.

"We knew what to expect when we decided to try integrating with Equestria. Even if we hadn't, it's not too hard to guess how ponies would react to our presence. You talk about what a shame it is that your ponies are protesting, that they fear the unknown, but that's just normal behavior. We've seen countless civilizations over the centuries, all across the world, and yours is no exception."

She held Twilight's eyes for a moment, then continued.

"These anti-changeling groups were going to form anyway, so… we simply formed them first. We're the leaders of the groups, we direct their actions and control their moves." She smiled evilly. "We keep an eye on them, keep ourselves safe… and if a member or two happens to be a little bit too enthusiastic, we arrange things so that they stop being a problem."

"What… do you mean?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes upward, expression innocent. "Did you hear about those ponies who tried to firebomb a 'changeling owned' store downtown?"

"You didn't."

"The Royal Guards showed up just in time, didn't they?"

"What if they hadn't?! Someone could have lost their business! Or even gotten really hurt!"

"But they didn't." Chrysalis gave Twilight an uncomfortable look. "We're being… careful, Twilight. For you."

Twilight groaned and buried her face in her hooves. "Thank you, but… don't do anything like that again. Nothing that could even possibly hurt a pony."

An angry sigh came from the changeling, but she nodded. "Fine."

"And… I want to tell you to stop leading the anti-changeling groups, but it is keeping your changelings safe..."

"Then why would you want us to stop?" asked Chrysalis, looking puzzled and almost hurt.

"Because it's just so… evil!" cried Twilight. "You're using your shapeshifting abilities to manipulate ponies! That's… that's wrong, even if it is for a good reason!"

"Sometimes I don't understand you ponies at all," said Chrysalis softly, shaking her head.

"I know. I feel the same way about you." Twilight's head was bowed, but then she raised it and gave the changeling a trembling smile. "But, I do like learning about you. So that I can understand."

Chrysalis smiled back. "I've found I actually feel the same way."

They made small talk for the next few minutes, just the meaningless talk of two ponies who liked to be around each other. And when they ran out of things to say, they didn't have to say anything. Just happy to be together, they sat in comfortable silence—aside from Chrysalis's humming, of course...   

They were almost disappointed when the waiter returned with their meals, but the chefs had lived up to their reputations. Twilight had a salad made from what seemed to be the lushest, greenest lettuce ever grown. Crisp tomatoes and cucumbers decorated the leaves, along with a few rare and expensive truffles. There was even a sprinkling of pepper in her dressing, just the way she liked. Chrysalis, meanwhile, had a plate that seemed to be dripping with zap-apple jam. From experience, though, Twilight knew there was a pile of other vegetables underneath all that jam. It really was one of the most expensive things on the menu—zap-apple jam was not cheap, there being such a limited supply of it—but it was one of the few vegetarian meals Chrysalis truly enjoyed, and Twilight decided it was worth the bits to see the changeling so happy.

"You keep eating food full of that much sugar and you're going to lose your fangs," observed Twilight. She might like to see Chrysalis happy, but that didn't mean she was above some friendly teasing.

"Well, what can I say? I like to eat sweet things." Chrysalis gave her a smoldering glance across the table, running her tongue slowly over her lips. "Although, I haven't gotten a taste of the sweetest thing in the room yet..."

"Okay, okay, let's just eat," said Twilight, a flustered blush on her face.

They ate eagerly, talking little besides sounds of pleasure at the taste of their meals. What they did say consisted mostly of Twilight raving about how good the food was and complementing the chefs, and even Chrysalis grudgingly admitted her meal was delicious.

They were partway through the meal when Chrysalis suddenly jumped, nearly sending her wineglass flying.

"Are you okay?" asked Twilight, concern clear on her face.

"Oh, um, yes, I-I just…" Chrysalis coughed into her hoof a few times. "I just got something caught in my throat." She gave Twilight a wide, uncertain smile. "All better now!"

Twilight looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded and resumed eating, while Chrysalis looked down at her plate.

"Don't pretend you can't hear me," came Cadance's voice over the earring, icily calm with fury. "Do what I say!"

"But… but everything's going so well!" Chrysalis whispered quietly but intensely into her meal. "I just want to talk with her a little more. Please, don't make me do this."

"I am trying to help you here, Chrysalis!" Cadance had abandoned all pretense at kindness and was simply shouting orders now. "This is your last chance, and if you don't do this I am done with you!"

Chrysalis remained staring down at her plate.

"Now pick up your food and throw it on the floor, then tell Twilight dinner's over. It's time to move onto something else."

The changeling's breath started to become ragged and she shook her head, but otherwise didn't move.

"Pick up your food, Chrysalis, and dump it on the floor."

Slowly, Chrysalis brought her hoof up to her plate. She held it there for a moment, then raised it further and pulled the earring from her ear.

"Chrysalis? Chrysalis, what are you—!"

Cadance's voice faded as Chrysalis moved the earring down and dropped it on the floor. She hesitated for a second, then brought her hind leg down, grinding the earring under her hoof. There was a crunch and a brief flash of magic dissipating into the air, and then nothing.

Twilight looked up as she saw Chrysalis's body jerk with the force of the stomp, and felt the slight tingle of magic.

"Chrysalis? What was that? Are you alright?"

Chrysalis continued to stare at her plate, getting her breathing back under control, then looked up.

"Yes, Twilight. Everything's fine." She smiled. "Everything's just fine, now."





Cadance's head jerked back as the image of Chrysalis's hoof grew large on the crystal ball's surface, then there was a squeal of magical feedback and the crystal went blank. She stood there for a long moment, staring unbelievingly at the dead crystal ball.

"She… she didn't."

The crystal ball remained totally, tauntingly empty of any images.

"She didn't!"

There was an explosion of magic, as Cadance summoned her regalia to herself and her hair twisted about her head, styling itself back into its usual regal form.

"That arrogant, insolent little bug!"

She walked to the balcony door, kicking it open and striding out. Silence descended over the street below as the passing ponies looked up and beheld a Princess blazing with righteous fury climbing up onto the railing outside her room.

"Fine, then!" she bellowed. "If I have to bring the love myself, I will!"

She kicked off from the balcony, spreading her wings and sweeping out over Canterlot.





Their meals had been finished and the plates taken away, but Chrysalis and Twilight had remained at their table, chatting happily for several minutes.

"Thank you for this night, Chrysalis," said Twilight finally. "I—"

"Don't say anything else, Twilight, please." Chrysalis reached across the table towards her, eyes pleading. "I have so much more planned for you tonight, so much more I want to show you. I… I just…"

"It's okay, Chrysalis." Twilight laid her hoof on top of Chrysalis's once more. "I understand how special you want this night to be, and it has been, even just this meal. Anything you want to do, I will." She smiled. "But maybe… we could delay your other plans a bit? I like just sitting here, talking to you."

"Of course, Twilight. Anything you want."

They looked at each other, then, at the same time, both moved forward, leaning across the table towards each other. 

A commotion suddenly interrupted them, and they sat back. Muffled voices came through the curtain blocking off their room, strident at first then changing to a nearly inaudible apologetic tone. More murmurs arose after a moment, with what sounded like a few angry shouts, and then the sound of multiple tramping hoofs that slowly faded away to silence. 

Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other.

"What do you think that was about?" asked Chrysalis, arching an eyebrow upwards.

"I don't know, but I kind of want to see. It might be trouble!"

Chrysalis sighed and rolled her eyes, but got out of her chair as well. "The trials of being married to a curious pony," she muttered under her breath. Still, Twilight had been right about the possibility of changelings being in danger in the city. The chances of something happening here was remote, but better to be safe.

Twilight started to draw back the curtain, then paused.

"Listen," she said in a hushed voice. "Do you hear that?"

They both listened, cocking their ears towards the slight gap in the curtain. There were no sounds, none at all. Not the clink of silverware on plates as diners ate their meals, not the murmur of patrons conversing quietly, not even the muted chaos that always leaked out of a restaurant's kitchen.

Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other again, then slowly pushed their heads through the curtain.

The entire restaurant was empty. It was completely devoid of both customers and employees, but there were signs they had been there recently. Nearly every table had a meal on it, all in various states of having been partially eaten. Carts of deserts lay scattered about like abandoned carriages, and trays of food looked to have been hurriedly placed on the ground. Most tables appeared pristine, but a few chairs were knocked over, and one or two evening coats remained on seats.

"What is this?" asked Chrysalis quietly, emerging from the curtained doorway with Twilight right behind her. "Did all the ponies disappear? Is that something ponies can do?"

"This better not be the rapture," said Twilight grumpily. "Celestia promised me there was at least another three millennia left."

"Oh, don't worry about all this," said a voice that caused both pony and changeling to jerk around. "I just figured we could use some privacy for what's about to happen."

From the entryway, Cadance trotted in, beaming happily.

"Cadance!"

"Cadance?"

The three stood for a moment in silence: Cadance with a smile on her face, Chrysalis looking worried and surprised, and Twilight just looking surprised.

Finally, Twilight looked at Chrysalis.

"Was this your doing?" she said slyly, nudging the changeling with an elbow. "Did you bring her here to meet us, finally?"

"I… think I did?" said Chrysalis slowly.

"I'm going to go say hello—" Twilight started to move forward, then stopped and looked up at Chrysalis. "Oh, I mean… if that's okay. This is our special night, I shouldn't just run off to greet somepony, even if they are a friend."

"No, no, it's fine. Go ahead."

Chrysalis watched as Twilight trotted across the empty restaurant, gnawing on her lip as fear gnawed at her innards. What was Cadance going to do? Was she going to—Chrysalis let out a little gasp. Was she going to tell Twilight about the help she'd been giving her? Was that going to be her punishment for destroying the earring? And if it was, how would Twilight take it? Would she be flattered that Chrysalis cared so much about her that she'd sought out the Princess of Love herself to help win her heart, even though they were mortal enemies? Or would she be furious when she realized that all the romantic pony things Chrysalis had done had actually been Cadance's ideas?

She held up a hoof, wanting to call Twilight back, then dropped it. If there was one thing she had learned about ponies, it was that they didn't like lies. It had explained so much of their dislike of changelings, whose entire lives were built around deceit. Maybe it would be better if Twilight found out now. Better to end it all here than have years of happiness turn to bitterness, regret and hatred.

Chrysalis tried to convince herself that was true, and couldn't. But she did trust Twilight. And she loved her. Whatever the pony felt, she would accept it.

"Cadance!" Twilight bounced to a halt in front of Cadence, and began to do a dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…"

She stopped, to let Cadance continue their traditional greeting, and the other Princess obliged. 

Almost.

"I am here to make you and your wife separate!" sang Cadance cheerfully.

She smiled down at Twilight as the smaller pony slowly backed away, fear and confusion beginning to grow on her face.

"I know, it's not very good, is it? Sorry, that was the best I could come up with on such short notice."
> Chapter Four: The Date (part two)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Cadance?” asked Twilight warily once she’d retreated to a safe distance. “Cadance, what are you doing?”

“I’m here to help you, Twilight,” she said softly, taking a step forward. “I’m the Princess of Love. I know what you want, what you need. I’m going to save you.”

“I-I don’t understand. Save me from from what?”

“From me,” said a soft voice, and Twilight swung her head around to stare at Chrysalis, who stood with her entire body drooped and her gaze averted. “I told you I would win your heart, but I… I didn’t have any idea how to. I don’t know how to create love. So… I went to Cadance and I… I…”

The changeling gagged, one hoof going to her mouth, but she managed to keep her bile down and continued. “I asked her for help. To help me make you realize how much I love you, how happy I could make you. She’s been giving me advice this whole time, telling me what to do on each date.”

“So… all those things you did…” said Twilight slowly, “All the terrible things you did during our dates…”

“They were because I was weak. Because I couldn’t do what Cadance told me to.” She turned further away, something that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle coming through her mane. “If… if I’d just listened to her, if I'd left you alone after I walked out on our first date instead of taking you away the next night, then maybe… maybe…”

“Wait. Wait.” Twilight held up a hoof, a look of horrified comprehension dawning on her face. “Cadance told you to leave me like that?”

“Of course,” sniffed Chrysalis. “That way you’d be more interested in me. She called it ‘playing hard to get’.”

“Cadance…” growled Twilight, turning back to the other Princess.

“Do you see it now?” asked Cadance, nearly whispering, a serene smile on her face. “She doesn’t love you. She can’t. Look at how easily she threw away her supposed ‘love’, how easily she listened to what I told her and hurt you.” Cadance took another step forward and held out her hoof. “Come here. Come to me and this whole nightmare will all be over.”

Twilight gave her a furious glare, eyes tight, then spun around to march back to Chrysalis's side.

“Don’t turn your back on me, Twilight,” said Cadance warningly, but the pony just ignored her.

“Chrysalis?” Twilight spoke gently, reaching out a hoof only to pull it back at the last second. “Chrysalis, are you telling me that every time you insulted me, every time you ignored me or said something cruel… when you left me during our first date… that was Cadance telling you to do those things?”

“Of course.” Chrysalis gave Twilight a quick glance, eyes wet, then turned away again. “She was trying to help me, but I… I couldn’t…”

“No, Chrysalis, no! Cadance was lying to you!” She threw an angry look over her shoulder at her sister-in-law. “I don’t know why, but she was! You don’t make a pony love you by pushing them away and hoping that makes them want you more. You make them love you by doing exactly what you were trying to do—by sharing your love with them, by showing them how much you love them, by treating them with kindness…”

“Then… you mean…” Chrysalis turned to meet Twilight's eyes, her own wide. “When I left you at the restaurant on that date, and you wrote me that letter—“

“I meant every word in it. I was furious. What you did was horrible, and… and I wanted nothing to do with you after that.” Twilight, eyes wet, mouth trembling, met the changeling's gaze. “But then you took me on a date to the Canterlot library, and then a used book store—the same way my mother did with my father. That wonderful, amazing night…”

“It was a fluke!” spat Cadance. “She did it by accident! She doesn’t love you, Twilight.”

Twilight glanced at the look of understanding slowly growing on Chrysalis’s face, then turned to Cadance. “Are you telling me,” she said in a low, angry voice, “that everything Chrysalis did that was kind, and sweet, and caring… that was all her? And those terrible things, leaving me behind on dates, insulting my outfits and hairstyles… that was you, lying to her, Cadance?”

“I wasn't lying to her, Twilight. I was showing you the truth. That is what she's really like.”

Twilight dismissed her again, turning back to focus on the changeling. “So, when you ditched me on that date… you never wanted to?”

“Of course not!” gasped Chrysalis. “Why would I ever not want to spend time with you?”

“All those times you ignored my suggestions about where to go on dates…”

“Mostly her idea.” Chrysalis gave a weak smile. “You know, I actually wanted to go to that museum last month, too. They had their first exhibit with an artist who was out as a changeling.”

“The dance contest?” asked Twilight breathlessly. “Where you took a stallion as your partner, because you ‘wanted to win’?”

“The only thing I wanted, more than anything else, was to dance with you,” said Chrysalis softly, running a holed hoof through the pony’s mane.

“And… when I beat you in the dance contest and you set the building on fire…?”

This time Chrysalis turned away, clearing her throat uncomfortably and refusing to meet Twilight's eyes.

“No, that one was all her,” said Cadance from behind them. “Not that I tried to stop her, mind you. And it’s a bit disingenuous of you to say you ‘beat’ her in that contest, Twilight. Just because she got disqualified before you did doesn't mean you won.”

“So, all this time…” said Twilight slowly, “everything you did that seemed mean, or cruel, or uncaring… that was because you love me? Because you were following Cadance's fake advice to try and get me to love you?”

"I just wanted you to love me so much, Twilight." Chrysalis's voice was low and hoarse. "I'd do anything for you, and I guess that's why I was foolish enough to let her trick me so easily. Do you… do you hate me?"

Twilight's response was to wrap her forelegs around the changeling and, forgetting her alicorn strength, squeeze so hard she would have hurt any other pony.

"Oh, you are just the sweetest thing!" she cried, burying her face in the shocked changeling's mane. "I'd never hate you, not for something like that."

Chrysalis stared down at her, then slowly raised a hesitant hoof to drape it over the pony's neck. They pulled back, looking at each other, but before either could speak the sound of clapping hooves interrupted them.

"Well, bravo, she knows the truth now," said Cadance happily. "But… why don't you tell her the whole truth, Chrysalis?" Chrysalis froze up, her body stiffening around Twilight.

"Chrysalis? What… what does she mean?"

Instead of responding, Chrysalis slowly removed her leg from around Twilight and slunk away, head down.

"Chrysalis, please…"

"Oh, come on, Chrysalis," Cadance said teasingly. "Why don't you tell her what you told me? Tell her… why you didn't decide to marry her until after she became a Princess?"

Twilight gasped, causing Chrysalis to flinch and shy further away. The pony turned, taking a step towards the changeling. Her mouth moved, trying to form words, but none came.

"Oh, no, nothing to say?" A giggle came from Cadance. "Come now, Chrysalis, tell us how a simple unicorn who lived in a library wasn't good enough for you."

A dead silence filled the air of the restaurant, none of the ponies moving.

"C-Chrysalis," said Twilight finally, then licked her lips, cleared her dry throat and tried again. "Chrysalis, you can tell me. Please. I… I won't be mad. I just want to know."

"The hive… has to be safe," said Chrysalis hoarsely. "It has to be strong. So, my mate must be strong. You were strong, Twilight Sparkle. Brave, intelligent… beautiful.

"But… you weren't strong enough. You weren't a leader. And when it came to the hive, to my children, versus my heart… I did what I've always done, what I have to do—what's best for the hive—no matter how it hurt my soul, no matter how it killed me inside to have to turn my back on you."

She raised her head, trying and failing to smile. "I thought my heart would burst when I heard you became a Princess. That I could finally, finally, combine my duties and responsibilities with where my heart was leading me. The only thing that's ever made me happier was when… w-when I thought you had accepted my proposal."

Chrysalis trailed off, and Cadance let out a snort. "There you go, Twilight. The truth. If you weren't a Princess, she wouldn't have given two bits about you. You're nothing more than a safety net, someone to deal with all those ponies that come seeking justice from her, someone to swat them away like they're nothing more than pesky flies."

She sneered at the pony, whose head had dropped and now faced the floor. "How do you feel now, Twilight? Still think a changeling can actually feel love?"

"I'm so sorry, Twilight," Chrysalis managed to get out, her voice a husk of its usual self. "I'll just leave—"

Twilight, with her head still down, started shaking. Princess and Queen stared at her, and then suddenly she threw her head back, laughing uproariously.

"Hahaha! That's… t-that's the best you can do?!" she chortled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Do you really think I don't understand duty? That I don't understand responsibility and sacrifice?! I may have only been royalty for a few years, but give me some credit!"

She got down on her haunches, gently lifting Chrysalis's chin with one hoof to look her in the eye. "Chrysalis. I would never, ever ask you to put my happiness above that of your hive. Even if it meant a thousand years of bliss for the two of us. I wouldn't see one single changeling be hurt. It may sound a bit cold, but putting your hive first was the right thing to do."

"You can't be serious…" growled Cadance through clenched teeth.

Chrysalis stared at her, face disbelieving, then squeezed her eyes shut with a happy smile, a single tear leaking out. "I always knew you were the one, Twilight," she whispered.

"Are you kidding me?!" Cadance yelled. She stomped one hoof on the ground, the shockwave interrupting the two. "Twilight Sparkle, you cannot tell me you actually love that changeling!"

Twilight gave Chrysalis her hoof, helping her back to her hooves. "I don't know if I do or not," she said, missing the look Chrysalis shot her as she turned to face Cadance, "but what do you think you're doing here?! Why are you trying to force us apart?! And with such dirty tricks! How could you do this to me?!"

"I'm doing this for you, Twilight!" cried Cadance desperately. "I'm trying to save you! She doesn't love you!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Twilight shouted back, stomping her own hoof. "You heard what she just said to me! You've been spying on all our dates! You had to force her to be mean to me!"

"What about all the awful things she did? She set that building on fire, she laughs when she sees other ponies get hurt, she dismisses ponies she thinks are lesser than herself and insults them constantly—"

"But she doesn't do any of that to me, Cadance. She does love me. And I don't like seeing her be so mean to other ponies, but she's working on it. For me. Because she knows I don't like it, and no matter what you say, she loves me."

Cadance was shaking, head down and teeth clenched. Suddenly her head snapped back up. "What about the park, Twilight?! She pushed you in the fountain and tried to drown you!"

"What—?" Twilight's frown of puzzlement turned into comprehension. "Do you mean that night we went strolling in Canterlot Central Park? And she pushed me in the fountain and we roughhoused for a bit?" Twilight giggled, sharing a smile with Chrysalis. "That was just a bit of fun, Cadance. I dunked her quite a few times myself."

"But—you were so scared after that, you couldn't even leave! You thought she'd hurt you if you tried."

"Cadance… I stayed with her because I was enjoying myself. We spent the whole night talking." She gave Cadance a puzzled look. "You were listening, how did you not pick up on that?"

"You caught a cold because of her!"

Twilight chuckled. "That was my own fault. I got so caught up in talking to her that, well, I didn't even think about drying myself off or getting somewhere warm." She looked over at Chrysalis, who smiled back. "And this big sweetie came to take care of me."

"Twilight, she force-fed you meat!"

Twilight's expression turned sour, and Chrysalis turned away, whistling a few innocent notes. "Yes, while it was really nice of her to feed me soup while I was sick, I really wish she had told me it was chicken soup before I'd eaten most of it."

"Old changeling folk remedy!" cried Chrysalis desperately. "Chicken noodle soup is very good for colds."

"Don't you see, Cadance?" pleaded Twilight. "She loves me. There's no tricks this time. No invasion. It's just… love."

"It's… not, Twilight." Cadance's breathing was ragged as she stared at the two standing side by side. "It's not love! It can't be! Changelings cannot love. Period."

"How can you keep saying that?! You've seen Chrysalis with me, you've heard what she says, you know how she acts around me. You've even talked to her in private about her love for me! And you know exactly what you've put her through over the last six months! Chrysalis put aside her pride to ask you for help, and even when you tortured her by making her do things that went against what she believed in, she kept it up, because she thought that's what she needed to do to earn my love! How can you not call that love?!"

"Because changelings can't love, Twilight," said Cadance desperately. "They just plain can't. Ponies give out love, changelings eat it. It's one way. It can't go backwards."

"Why not?!" thundered Twilight, and Cadance gaped at her in shock. "You should know this better than anyone, Cadance. There's no limit on love. The fact that changelings need more of it just means we need to give them more. And we should cherish what they give back."

Cadance took an unsteady step backwards, shaking her head in a simple, flat refutation of everything Twilight had said. "You're wrong, Twilight. You're wrong. And I'm doing this… I'm doing this for you, don't you understand that? You never asked for this. It was all a misunderstanding, wasn't it? Maybe she tricked you, maybe she didn't. It doesn't matter now. Just… just leave her, come over here to me. She said herself she'd agree with whatever you decided, so make the right choice and come to me now."

"I don't know if it is the right choice, Cadance," said Twilight softly, and the Princess flinched back like she'd been struck. "I don't know what the right choice is now. You've… you've poisoned everything so much I can't see anything clearly anymore."

"I did what I had to, Twilight. She's not right for you. You shouldn't be in love with her! It's not right!"

"That's not for you to decide! Love comes from what one pony feels for another, not from the decision of some third party. What gives you the right to decide that for me? For anyone?!"

Twilight knew those words were a mistake as soon as they left her mouth. Cadance froze, then drew herself up to her full height. Her eyes were wide and cloaked in shadow as she lifted her head and her mane fell down over her forehead, but her pupils were highly-focused pinpricks.

"I am Cadance, Princess Mi Amora Cadenza, the Princess of Love," she said in a proud, cold voice. "I am love. I decide which ponies get to love each other… and which ones don't." She spat the final word from her mouth like it was something foul.

"Cadance…" said Twilight, careful to keep her voice calm as she retreated one hoofstep at a time, using a wing to nudge Chrysalis along with her, "Cadance, that's not how being a Princess works, and you know it. You were one of the ones who taught me, remember?"

"Isn't it, though?" Cadance asked cheerfully, beginning to pace side to side. "Princess Celestia decides when the Sun rises, Princess Luna decides when the Night falls. Why shouldn't I get to decide who loves whom?"

“Because love isn’t predictable! It doesn’t appear and disappear at the same time every day! It doesn’t follow a cycle!”

“Well maybe it’s time it did! Maybe it’s time it was regulated, that it was given to those who deserve it, and taken from those that don’t.” Cadance's eyes moved from Twilight up to Chrysalis. “And who better to start with than the Queen of the changelings?”

“You can’t,” objected Twilight in a terrified whisper.

“Why not? I can bring out the love two ponies feel for each other.” Her grin turned into a sneer. “So who says I can’t put it back? Who says I can't take love away when I see fit?”

“She’s a changeling, Cadance! She needs that love to live! You’ll kill her!”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll leave her just enough to let her crawl back to her little hive.” Cadance's smile reappeared, mocking now. “Besides, I’m not going to take away all her love. Just whatever little delusions of love she might have for you.”

“I forbid it,” declared Twilight. She stood up straight, her horn glowing, and a magenta dome formed over Chrysalis, leaving the changeling blinking at the brilliant, coruscating light surrounding her.

“Is this really what it’s come down to, Twilight?” asked Cadance softly. “Are you really going to raise your horn against me? When all I'm trying to do is help you? When all you have to do is just walk away and no one will be harmed?”

“I don’t want to do this. You’re forcing me,” growled Twilight. “I won’t let you hurt my friend!”

Cadance stared at her for a long moment, then let out a dreary sigh and turned away. “Maybe… you're right, Twilight,” she said, voice barely audible. “I am the Princess of Love, after all. I don’t even know if I can take love away. Even if I can, I probably don’t even have it in me. My purpose is to give love, not take it.”

There wasn’t even time for Twilight to let out a sigh of relief before Cadance spun back around, jabbing her hoof out at Twilight.

“SO LET’S GIVE YOU SOME LOVE!” she bellowed.

Twilight cried out as Cadance’s magic gripped her body, canceling out her own spell and making the shield around Chrysalis pop like a bubble. The magical aura dragged her across the room, knocking tables aside as she went, forcing the pony to raise her forelegs to protect her face. A dozen feet before reaching Cadance she suddenly launched into the air and hung there, above Cadance’s head, struggling in the magical field.

“So who’s it going to be Twilight?” asked Cadance, grinning up at the pony past her outstretched hoof. “Ready for round two with Flash Sentry? Or maybe you want Fluttershy, instead. I’d hate to lose the pool to Pinkie, but you two would go good together. Although, pretty much anypony at all works. Heck, maybe even a griffin or two! Just take your pick, and I’ll fill you with so much love you’ll forget the bug even exists!”

“Cadance… please…” Twilight tried to struggle, tried to cast the most basic of spells, but Cadance’s magic had overwhelmed her completely.

“Or, maybe I should just skip right to Celestia! It’s a century or two early, but better safe than sorry!”

“N-no…”

Cadance grinned wider, the glow of her horn ramping up in intensity, then she suddenly let out a cry as something impacted against her head with a skull-shuddering thump. When she opened her eyes after the momentary shock had passed, she saw Chrysalis, forehead equally bruised, pushed up against her face.

"That’s my wife you’re bucking with,” said the changeling.

Her twisted horn, locked with Cadance's, gave off a flare of light, and the pulse of magic threw the Princess back into a pile of tables. Turning quickly, Chrysalis caught Twilight in her magic, lowering the plummeting pony gently to the ground.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

Twilight let out a breath and nodded, placing one hoof on the changeling’s shoulder. “I am. Thank you—“ she suddenly stopped, stiffening and her eyes going wide. “Cadance! We have to stop her! We need to find some way to restrain her, before—“

She was interrupted by the pile of tables exploding apart, filling the room with a cloud of sawdust. When it cleared, Cadance was standing before them, body glowing as raw magic leaked off her very being.

“Another suckerpunch,” she said, sniffing dimissively. “Well, what can you expect from the Queen of Cheapshots?”

She pushed herself into the air, wings spreading wide, and all of that power concentrated itself in her horn. “Let’s see how you handle me when I’m ready for you!” she shouted with unmistakeable eagerness.

“Chrysalis—“ Twilight started to shout and move, only to find herself swept back by a holed leg.

“Get behind me, Twilight!” cried the changeling, and lit up her own horn.

A shield sprang up before them, and Twilight's mouth dropped open. Chrysalis’s shield was a wall of interlocking hexagons, a honeycomb of thick magical plates. Each section looked corrupted, holes opening and closing on their surfaces, but the magical signature of the spell was solid. Raw magic dripped off the shield, magic that should have floated away as a fog but was so heavy it flowed more like slime. And the entire structure shone with a brilliant, beautiful emerald light.

Even as Twilight’s eyes were widening in awe, Cadance fired. This wasn’t some simple bolt from the tip; her spell came from the entire length of the horn, a thick, concentrated beam of pure, destructive love. It crashed into Chrysalis's shield like a landslide of affection, splattering vicious pink hearts in all directions that slowly floated upwards and faded before being replaced by more.

Twilight flinched back from that cataclysm of love, but the shield held like a rock. Chrysalis, though, clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut at the impact.

“You’re doing it…” said Twilight softly, then raised her voice. “Chrysalis, you’re doing it! Keep it up, she can’t last forever!”

“I can… If you stop… d-distracting me…” panted the changeling.

“FOOLS!” bellowed Cadance, glaring at them from eyes swamped by the pink light of love. “DO YOU TRULY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT LOVE? THAT THERE IS AN END TO THE AMOUNT OF LOVE IN THIS WORLD?!"

She lowered her head, amping up her power, and even more pink hearts filled the air. “IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU WANT THIS OR NOT, TWILIGHT! I WILL FILL YOUR HEART WITH LOVE!”

“Oh, no…”

Cadance’s power increase was clearly too much for Chrysalis's shield, and even as Twilight watched it began to fall apart. It didn’t crack the way a pony shield would, but the holes in its surface were becoming more real. A pink gas began to seep in, and she suddenly had to skip aside to avoid a heart that came floating past.

“Twilight… I’m so sorry…" groaned Chrysalis, now shaking and sweating with the effort of holding the shield in place.

“Please, hold on Chrysalis! We can—wait!”

Twilight's eyes went wide as inspiration struck, and she bounded over to the changeling’s side, dodging some slowly wavering hearts in the process. She got up on her hind legs, putting one foreleg around Chrysalis for support, and stretched herself up until her head was level with the changeling’s.

“Twilight, what—“ Chrysalis started to say, turning to Twilight with fear and confusion in her eyes, and the pony interrupted her.

“Let me help!” she cried out. “Use my magic!”

Her horn lit up, magic flowing out to combine with Chrysalis’s. The beams twisted together, forming a corkscrew of green and magenta light that grew tighter and tighter until it merged at the shield. As it did, light blossomed once again, and six-pointed magenta stars appeared over the holes in the shield, slowly pulsing.

“We’re doing it!” cried Twilight giddily. “We’re going to—“

“NOOOO! I WON'T LET YOU STOP ME FROM SAVING YOU, TWILIGHT!” screamed Cadance.

More magic poured out of her horn, flowing down to envelope her body, and the debris scattered about the floor below her began to rise into the air, caught up in the sheer amount of power she was putting out. The lights around the room, powered by magic, first flickered and then dimmed as Cadance's magical field began to interfere with theirs. With another scream, a brilliant nova of light exploded off her body that battered and beat at the shield like waves tossed up by a hurricane.

“We can hold it…” groaned Twilight, even as her magic began to falter, the stars on the shield shrinking and letting the magical love gas seep back in. “Just a little longer…”

The shield suddenly began to grow unstable, and Twilight, hearing a rasping sound, looked over at Chrysalis and gasped. The changeling's mouth was open, sucking in the love that was flowing through the damaged shield, and even with Chrysalis’s eyes half-lidded Twilight could see the intensity of the power glowing within them.

“Chrysalis?! Chrysalis, stop!” Twilight tried shaking the changeling, to no effect. “That’s pure love! You can’t handle that much power!”

“Can’t… stop…” said the changeling faintly, with a sluggish shake of her head. “So much love… need to feed…”

The end came quickly and spectacularly. Chrysalis lost all control of the magic she had siphoned and it surged into the shield, overloading it and blowing it apart in a burst of magical feedback that sent royal bodies flying in all directions.

Silence reigned for a moment in the restaurant. Plaster dust drifted down from the ceiling, decorating the circular area in the middle of the dining room that had been swept clear by the blast. A table that had been teetering on three legs finally collapsed, and one miraculously intact plate rolled out of the wreckage. 

Then Cadance stood up.

“Do you see, Twilight?” she said, walking slowly over to where her sister-in-law, now barely conscious, lay. “Love wins. Love always wins.”

She lit up her horn, holding her head high, tears of relief and joy starting to leak out of her eyes. “I saved you, Twilight! I sav—grrlk?! Grrlkhhk!”

Her hooves lifted off the ground, her body wrapped in a bright green magical aura. She tried to struggle against the magic, legs flailing uselessly in slow motion, and then the glow intensified and she was held rock still. Carefully, gently, she was rotated onto her back, then turned upwards, to face a changeling Queen nearly bursting with magical energy.

“You’re right,” said Chrysalis, voice crackling and jumping with power. “Love does win.”

Cadance began struggling, managing some slight movements even against the power Chrysalis now wielded, and she tried to bring up her own magic once more. But she’d given too much of it to the changeling, and Chrysalis suppressed her efforts with ease.

“This… isn’t… fair!” Cadance forced out as Chrysalis began carrying her to the other side of the room. “You don’t deserve Twilight!”

She managed to get her lips up into a snarl. “You tried to steal my love from me! I deserve to steal yours!”

Chrysalis, utterly ignoring Cadance’s ranting, had been scanning the far wall of the restaurant. Her eyes lit up, as she spotted a wide section that was relatively free of decorations or damage. Floating Cadance over, she gently pushed the Princess through the wall.

Chrysalis spent several moments inspecting the resulting pile of bricks. It didn’t look like anything under them would be getting up anytime soon, so she nodded happily and turned away.

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she let the excess magic she had collected flow away and dissipate into the air. Once it was gone—Well, most of it; waste not want not! she thought with an internal grin—she trotted over to Twilight's shifting body.

“Easy there,” she whispered gently, helping Twilight to her hooves. “Are you alright?”

“I-I think so,” groaned Twilight, rubbing her forehead. “But my head feels like the time Pinkie thought rocksalt was a proper substitute for confetti in her party cannons.”

She wobbled, and Chrysalis carefully helped her sit down on her haunches.

“I can’t believe this,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I never thought Cadance would attack us, attack me, like that. She—“

Twilight suddenly jerked upright, body quivering. “Oh no. Where is she? Is she going to—“

“Shh, Twilight, relax.” Chrysalis gently stroked Twilight's mane with one hoof. “We’re safe. I… took care of Cadance.”

“W-what do you mean?” stammered Twilight, looking fearfully up at Chrysalis.

“I mean…” repeated the changeling, giving a wide, fang-filled grin. “… I took care of her.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no—“ Shaking, Twilight managed to stagger to her hooves. This earned her a disgusted sigh and eye roll from Chrysalis, who simply nudged her with a hoof and sent her back down to her haunches.

“As you said earlier, give me at least some credit,” the changeling said dryly, grin now a mischievous smile. “I know what she means to you, even after all this. And I know how you feel about ponies you like getting hurt, even if they might deserve it.”

She gestured at the opposite side of the room, where, on the other side of a roughly alicorn-shaped hole in the wall, a pink leg wearing a dented golden hoofcuff waved from a pile of bricks.

“I’m fine,” came Cadance’s faint, unsteady voice, and then the ragged hole shed a few more bricks, burying the leg.

“See? She’s fine,” said Chrysalis, offering a hoof to Twilight once more.

Twilight took it, letting Chrysalis help her walk out of the debris she’d landed in and towards the exit.

“What a mess,” groaned Twilight, rubbing at her head with her free hoof. “You know, it’s technically treason—or an act of war—to attack a Princess like Cadance just did. You only got away with it because we were able to use that ‘foreign wedding customs’ loophole. Cadance is also a Princess, though, which means that law shouldn’t apply to her either—that’s why Luna wasn’t executed after we subdued her with the Elements—but… argh, she’s officially a foreign Princess, an ally, so it does actually apply. Does she have diplomatic immunity, I wonder? She does most of the negotiations for the Empire, from what I understand. Oh, Celestia and Luna aren’t going to like this at all.”

Chrysalis giggled at her, and Twilight looked up with a frown. “This is all funny to you isn’t it?”

“Kind of,” admitted the changeling. “But I’m mostly laughing at you. It’s nice to see you like this. It’s how I want to remember you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Twilight sighed, and her whole body sort of flopped down even as she stayed upright. “Well, we can let the other Princesses handle this. Let’s go home.”

She started to trot forward, only to find herself stopped by the hoof she was holding. She looked back, puzzled, as the changeling smiled at her.

“No, Twilight.”

“What?”

“I mean I’m not going back to your castle with you. I’m returning to the hive, and I’m not coming back.”

“But… but…” Twilight dropped Chrysalis's hoof, and the changeling’s smile warmed briefly before she turned away.

“Twilight, when Cadance asked you if you loved me, what did you say?” Chrysalis asked softly.

“I said…” Twilight trailed off, then swallowed and finished, “I said I didn’t know.”

“And when Cadance said she was going to remove my love for you, what did you say?”

“I… I…”

This time Twilight refused to continue, and Chrysalis finished for her. “You said ’I won’t let you hurt my friend’.”

She moved back, the same smile still on her face, and stopped in front of Twilight.

“Twilight,” she asked gently, “do you love me?”

“I…” Twilight paused to lick her lips, before continuing in a hoarse voice. “I don’t know.”

Chrysalis’s smile didn’t waver. “Then we’ve answered the question this whole night was about, haven’t we?”

She started to move away, and Twilight scrambled after her.

“Wait. Wait! We… we can try again!” she pleaded desperately. “It’s not fair! Cadance… she interfered! You didn't get an honest chance!”

Chrysalis paused, then turned back around. “Twilight,” she said again, “Do you love me?”

“I don’t know,” said the pony, repeating herself as well. “But I want to! I want to try!”

“Do you want to try because you might love me… or do you want to try because you don’t want to hurt a friend?” asked Chrysalis with crushing finality.

Twilight stood there, shaking her head slowly, and all she could do was whisper, “I don’t know.”

Chrysalis held her smile on Twilight for a moment, then bent forward and gently kissed the pony on her forehead.

“Goodbye.”

She turned away, moving slowly but with her head held high, towards the exit. Twilight stared after her, then tried to follow despite her stiff, pain-filled body.

“Wait,” she called out, but Chrysalis continued until Twilight called out again. “Wait, please!”

They stood there in silence, Chrysalis facing away, Twilight breathing hard. Finally, Chrysalis turned, peering at Twilight out of the corner of her eye.
   
“I’ll contact the palace, get them to draw up some papers annulling our marriage. I’m sure Celestia will be happy to approve them.”

“Chrysalis…”

“Have no fear for your kingdom, either,” continued the changeling. “Your hive and mine are allies, now and forever. I’ll send a team of changelings to be diplomats in my stead. If you ever need anything, anything at all, let them know, and we will do all that is within our power to meet your desires.

“Except one thing. You can never contact me again.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, body stiffening in shock. “No, Chrysalis—”

“I will retire to my quarters, and direct the hive from there,” Chrysalis said, heedless of Twilight's protests. “I have no plans to ever leave that chamber. The hivemind can be directed unconsciously, though. I need not be awake to monitor it. So one day, perhaps... I will go to the deepest spot of the hive, to burrow down and slumber deep under the earth for the rest of time. Just as mother did, centuries ago.” She stared into the past with far off eyes, then faced forward once again and began walking.

"Chrysalis, no…"
   
The changeling didn't respond, just continued to walk. The remnants of a plate crunch under her hoof, she had to sweep aside half a table with her magic, but she kept walking.

"Chrysalis, I am telling you to stop!" shouted Twilight frantically. "If you love me, then you have to come back here and talk to me!"

This time Chrysalis did stop, right at the door to the restaurant's lobby.

"I'm not coming back, Twilight, because I do love you," she said, not turning, and Twilight couldn't tell if she heard tears or a smile in that voice. "And you deserve someone you can love."

Suddenly, she was gone. Twilight heard the tinkling of the bell over the door, the faint buzz of wings that quickly faded, and then there was nothing.

After some time had passed, Twilight noticed that she had raised her hoof, reaching after Chrysalis. She lowered it now, letting her entire body slump down to her haunches, and stared at the empty doorway.

Chrysalis was gone.

Twilight had spent so much time trying to make that happen, all because of a little misunderstanding. All because someone she thought was a monster had turned out to have a heart. She'd enlisted her mentor, her friends, her family, nearly everypony she knew in an effort to escape the marriage. She'd even gone as far as agreeing to this dating idea, half hoping she could convince the changeling that things weren't going to work out.

And now Chrysalis was gone.

She'd gotten exactly what she'd wanted.
> Interlude: Cadance (II)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"How could you?"

Cadance jerked her head up at the sound of the voice.

The dungeons under Canterlot were actually quite comfortable, all things considered. They were cleaned out regularly; the food was serviceable enough; and the benches, while not soft, weren't simply bare stone. There was also plenty of light, as befit dungeons built by the Princess of the Sun. Even the sections Luna had designed were well lit, though there it was with the silvery glow of the moon rather than the golden warmth of the sun.

Along with all of that, every door was well oiled, which meant Cadance hadn't even realized there was another pony in her cellblock—other than the guards—until that pony had spoken.

"Twilight!" Cadance jumped up from the bench where she'd been spending her time in silent contemplation—as one properly should while in a jail cell—and bounded over to the bars.

She recoiled a moment later, as she saw the white-hot fury on Twilight's face.

"How could you?!" shouted the other Princess, stomping across the stone floor to stand directly in front of Cadance's cell.

"Twilight, I was just trying to—" Cadance spoke hurriedly, only to be interrupted by Twilight.

"No! No, Cadance! I don't want to hear that you were trying to save me, or that changelings can't love ponies, or that Chrysalis doesn't love me!

"Because she does love me, Cadance! She loves me more than anypony else ever has in my entire life! I never knew a pony could be so kind, could show me such sweetness. She cares about me more than anything, almost as much as her hive. And I don't think you can even understand how much that is.

 "No one… no one's ever understood me the way she does. She knows all my favorite foods, she knows just when I want them and how I like them made. She knows how to cheer me up, and when to leave me alone. She knows the things that annoy me, and the little things that make me happy. She knows how to make me laugh.

"And… she accepts me. If I want to read a book, she'll just sit there and let me read it. She doesn't tell me I need to get outside more or get my muzzle out of a book." She paused, blushing. "Okay, maybe that’s actually pretty good advice sometimes, but I don’t need to hear it every single day! No matter what some of my friends think.

"A-anyway… she would actually ask me to read to her, did you know that? I'm not sure how much of my more advanced magic texts she understood, but she was surprisingly fond of scientific treatises. Horror stories and murder mysteries, too. Hated romance novels, though. Which, I mean, thank Celestia, but wow, surprising, right?

"And… and… the way she laughed was like music. She mostly laughed at other ponies, but she would always apologize when I told her to, and she'd always get this adorably guilty look on her face…"

She trailed off, breathing in long, shuddering gasps. Cadance stared at her, shock and a slowly growing look of horror on her face.

"Twilight…" she said unsteadily, "Twilight, do you actually love Queen Chrysalis?"

"I DON'T KNO-O-OOOW!" wailed Twilight, throwing herself against the bars and beginning to sob.

Cadance moved forward, reaching through the bars to wrap her hooves around Twilight and cradle her. The two guards stationed at her cell started approaching, but Cadance rolled her eyes and shook her head at them, and they sheepishly moved back to their posts.

"Shh, Twilight, shh." Cadance whispered comforting sounds to Twilight, stroking her mane and squeezing her tightly. She rocked her as she cried, and slowly, over several minutes, Twilight calmed down. Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her eyes with a hoof.

"Why, Cadance? Why did you do that to us?" asked Twilight, voice trembling.

"Twilight—"

"Do you even realize what you did? What you took from us?" Cadance shrank back, refusing to meet Twilight's eyes. "I liked Chrysalis, Cadance. She was a good friend, and she wanted to mean more to me, and… and I really wanted her to mean more to me, too.

"That's why I agreed to let her try. I could have refused. She might have argued, but if I'd insisted, she would have listened. I didn't, though, because I thought it would be easier to let her down if things didn't work out. And… and I think because I was interested. She'd grown on me after so long together. She was so fascinating, so different from every other pony. I wanted to know about her, to learn what made her tick.

"So... I dated her. I really enjoyed it, most of the time. The rest of the time… the rest of the time was what you did."

Twilight took a deep breath, letting it out slowly with only a slight shudder.

"Why would you do something like that, Cadance?" she asked.

Cadance made the mistake of looking up to meet Twilight's eyes, then flinched away. There was anger in those eyes, yes, but worse was the sadness, the dismay. And even worse than that was the disappointment. She closed her eyes, trying to think, but as she did a realization came to her. All those emotions on Twilight's face, all the anguish and betrayal… she felt those same things in her own heart. Slowly, she turned back to face Twilight.

“I could ask you the same question, Twilight,” she said, voice stinging like a whip, and this time it was Twilight who recoiled. “You know what that… that monster did to me and Shining Armor. What she did to Celestia, what she did to you and your friends… what she tried to do to all of Equestria.”

“Cadance—“ Twilight tried for indignation, but Cadance overrode her like a raging Goddess.

“You can sit there and talk about how much she cares for you, but you know she doesn't give a damn about any of the rest of us. I was scared for you, Twilight, because unlike you, I’m not letting myself be blinded to what she really is. All the sweet talk and all the kindness in the world don’t change the fact that she is a terrible person, Twilight, who has done terrible things. And you’re going to sit there and talk about her to me like she’s as harmless as Fluttershy?”

Cadance rose up to her full height, looking down at the smaller pony, and Twilight shrank back under her furious glare.

“So it’s not about how could I do this to you, Twilight. It’s about how could you do this to me. How could you betray me like this?!”

“S-she’s not really evil, Cadance,” Twilight tried to say. “She just—“

“She just does evil things,” finished Cadance with a sneer. “And that makes her actions excusable, does it?”

“No, but—“

“Did she ever apologize to you, Twilight?” Twilight flinched back again, and Cadance stepped forward, seeing the answer in the other pony’s eyes. “I didn’t think so. She attacked your kingdom, Twilight. She hurt your friends and family, oh so cruelly, and she hasn’t even apologized to you for it?!”

She bent down, to look Twilight right in the eyes. “How can you even look at her without hearing Princess Celestia tell you you had a lot to think about? Without hearing your own brother dismiss you from his wedding? Without remembering when you found me in those crystal caves under Canterlot?”

Twilight looked back at her, and tears started to fall from her eyes. “Because I think I might love her,” she whispered.

She bent her head again, and Cadance stared at her in dismay. She shook her head slowly, gazing at the gently weeping pony, then took a step back and went down on her haunches.

“Oh, hell,” she muttered.

“Why didn’t you just ask?” said Twilight in a choked voice. “You didn’t even try talk to me about anything!”

“I… couldn’t, Twilight,” Cadance said faintly. “If you’d been brainwashed, if it had just been some trick—“

“So instead you decided it was better to just sneak around behind my back,” spat Twilight bitterly. “Was it all just for revenge, Candace?”

“N-no, Twilight!” Cadance’s hoof flew to her mouth. “Whatever you might think of her, you know what horrible things Chrysalis did! It doesn’t matter what her reasons were or how you feel about her, she did those things willfully, even gleefully! She needed to be punished for what she did, Twilight. And if seeing justice done meant I could steal her love the way she tried to steal mine, well then that was just appropriate—not to mention a nice bit of icing on the cake.”

She gasped, blinking in surprise. “Oh my. Well, maybe it was a little bit about revenge,” she admitted guiltily, with an uneasy ruffle of her wings.

“Well then I hope you’re happy, because you got your revenge.” Despite the bite of the words, there was no venom in Twilight’s voice, just a bland nothingness. Dampness dotted the fur of her cheeks, but her eyes, while red, were dry. “Because that beautiful, amazing, wonderful—and, okay, frequently very mean and nasty—changeling is sitting in her hive, probably crying her eyes out, because you took her love away. You got yours back, but who’s going to help her?”

“I don’t know, Twilight,” Cadance shook her head, then blinked in surprise as she noticed Twilight was holding her hoof out. “What are you doing?”

“We can help her, Cadance.” Twilight sniffed back a few more tears and nervously licked her lips. “Just like her...  I don't know much about love. So I need your help to figure out how I feel. And if there's ever going to be any peace between you two, one of you has to make the first move. I want it to be you, Cadance.”

Cadance just stared at her, and Twilight took a deep breath. “I know how much you must hate Chrysalis. What she did to you was terrible. But now you’ve done something awful back to her, Cadance. You’re even, the scales are balanced. Now we just need to stop the cycle, to stop something like this from happening again. If you really hate her, if you think she’s a monster, then you can prove you’re better by helping her now, by being better than you think she is. And I think you might be surprised by how much better she can actually be.”

Cadance didn’t say anything, but she shifted uncomfortably, and Twilight took that as encouragement to continue.

“I know you want an apology. You deserve an apology, one that’s serious. Not an apology that I force her to make, or one that I make for her as her fellow Changeling Queen. An apology that she means, because she understands exactly what she did and why it was so wrong. After what you put her through yesterday, I think she actually might.”

Cadance hesitated a moment longer, then, slowly, began to reach out with her hoof.

“And… I want you to help me too, Cadance. Because I feel something for Chrysalis. I know it’s at least friendship, but that’s all I know. Maybe I do love her… or maybe I dislike her still, even if I see her as a friend now. I don’t know, because I can’t separate what she's done from who she actually is. And you just made things worse. I might love her, and even if you hate her... I think you’d want me to know that. And if I don’t, I need to be able to move on, instead of being trapped in this fog. I can’t think of anypony more able to help me with that than you.”

Cadance’s hoof touched Twilight’s, and for a moment she held it there. Then she pulled away, retreating several steps back into the cell.

“Please, Cadance—“

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Cadance said, voice low and sorrowful. “I know it’s terrible of me, but as much as I want to help you, I can’t. After everything that's happened, I… I just can't—“

“It’s okay, Cadance,” hushed Twilight, giving her a small, not quite steady smile. “That’s actually kind of the answer I was expecting. After what she put you through...”

“Thank you for understanding,” Cadance said quietly, and they shared a brief moment of silence. “So, what will you do now?”

“What I always do,” said Twilight, and now her smile was normal again. “Ask my friends. I just decided that the one I asked first should be the one that could help me the most.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“It will,” said Twilight confidently. “Because friendship is magic!”

“I’m kind of starting to get tired of hearing that catchphrase of yours,” said Cadance, with a small smile. “You overuse it a bit. But what if your friends can’t help?” Twilight gave her a look, and she shrugged. “I do want to help you, Twilight. And if I can’t bring myself to do it directly, I can at least help you make a plan.”

“Well, in that case… I’ll have to come up with the answer myself. I can make my own decisions, you know. I do it quite a lot. I even did it before I became a Princess.” She suddenly brightened up. “I could make a checklist! Or a pro/con list, the only list almost as good as a checklist!”

“Con: attacked your sister-in-law and locked her in a cave on her wedding day,” said Cadance sourly, making a face.

“Pro: is very attentive to my wants and needs,” shot back Twilight.

“Con: tried to enslave everyone you know and love.”

"Pro,” said Twilight, then blushed and continued in a quiet voice, “...is a very good kisser.”

“Ewww! Ew ew ew! I needed to hear about that as much as you need to hear about Shining Armor and me.” They made disgusted faces at each other, then broke down into giggles.

"Thank you, Cadance," said Twilight, once they'd calmed down. "Even if you can't help, at least you're willing to try understanding."

"Anytime, Twilight. Take care, and good luck."

Cadance watched her leaving, chewing her lip in thought. Just before Twilight opened the door, she came to a decision.

"Twilight, wait!" she called out, unlocking her cell door with a spark of magic and trotting out. Both guards tried to move forward to stop her, but she brushed past them like they weren't even there, coming to a halt a few steps from Twilight.

"I do want to help you, more than I have," she said to the surprised pony. "And there's one thing I can do that might at least answer some questions for you."

She lifted her head, magic running along her horn, and then fired a beam down into the center of Twilight's chest. Twilight shied back in surprise—and a little bit of fear—and Cadance pulled back at the same time, drawing the beam back like a fisherpony working a pole.

When the beam came out of Twilight's chest, it carried a cloud with it. It was spherical, a roiling mass of gray that occasionally shot out flashes of black and red light, mostly black. Twilight stared at its tumbling, swirling surface with horrified fascination.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It's your heart, Twilight," replied Cadance, closing her eyes. "Or, at least, it's a representation of a part of your heart, one that deals with your feelings for Chrysalis."

"Oh." Twilight stared at the nightmarish cloud, face falling. "Do I really hate her that much?"

"What? Oh, no." Cadance shook her head. "You're just confused. That's why it's a giant mess of clouds instead of a pure ball of light. Those flashes of light are your feelings towards her, trying to shine through. As you can see, your confusion has mixed up your feelings: red light for hate, black for love." She grimaced. "I never knew love for a changeling was black, yet I'm hardly surprised."

"So… what you're saying is… I'm confused," said Twilight dryly.

Cadance sighed and cancelled the spell, causing the cloudball to fade away. "Yes. Sorry, that wasn't as helpful as I thought."

"It's okay, Cadance." Twilight gave her a smile. "At least I know there is some love in there."

"I'm… glad to hear it too. Kind of..."

They waved goodbye, and Twilight started for the door. Just as she put up a hoof to push it open, Cadance stopped her again.

"Twilight?" The pony looked back at her. "I'm… I'm sorry. About everything. Maybe… you're right, maybe she actually can love. Maybe she actually loves you, and you love her." Cadance let out a sigh. "And if that's true… I'm a terrible Princess of Love."

"No, Cadance, no." Twilight trotted over, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "We have a difficult calling, being the Princesses of Friendship and Love. It's the kind of thing we're always going to be learning about. And if I can learn something new from Starlight and Trixie, you can learn something from Chrysalis and me. It's not like we're Princess Celestia or Luna, where our special talents are predictable."

She snorted. "Let me tell you, that was one awkward conversation for a filly. 'Look Princess, I've mathematically solved your most important duty!' I got a bit of a lecture that day, trust me."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Twilight. And so forgiving." Cadance shuffled her hooves nervously. "Do you think… maybe you can put in a good word for me with my aunts?"

"I'll… think about it," replied Twilight, with a sigh.

Cadance smiled back. "That's fine. Probably more than I could reasonably expect, actually. Thank you."

Cadance saw Twilight out, then turned away. Head down, lost in thought, she trotted back to her cell, ignoring the pained expressions on the guards as she walked inside and locked the door behind her. Climbing up onto the bench, she lay down on her side, head on her forelegs, to contemplate her future.

I wonder what being a statue will be like, she thought idly. At least the weather in Canterlot is pretty nice. And the castle's groundskeepers take good care of the Royal Gardens. Maybe it won't be that bad.
	

> Chapter Five: Of Princesses and Depositions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"And… then she flew away. I haven't seen her since."

Twilight didn't look up, her muzzle nearly touching the bare metal table she sat at. A stallion, light-blue with short, gray hair and a pair of thick glasses, sat across from her and scribbled busily on a yellow legal pad. The only other ponies in the room were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both standing off behind the stallion. Luna's face was troubled, but Celestia wore a look of such deep concern that if Twilight could see it she would have fallen over herself trying to convince the Princess that such worry on her behalf was unnecessary.

"Okay, I've got everything, your highness," said Stenotype, finishing up his notes. "And let me thank you for providing such a thorough report for this deposition, despite the personal pain I'm sure it caused you."

Twilight hardly moved, simply nodding her head. Celestia's look of worry deepened, but Luna only seem to become angry.

"I am most disappointed in our niece, I must say," she growled crossly. "To think she would do such a thing! And to ponies who are such good friends of ours, no less!"

"Luna, one of those ponies put a knife in your back not more than a month ago," reminded Celestia.

"Yes, that was most disappointing as well," said Luna, nodding. "I must teach Chrysalis how to do it properly. If, that is… we ever see her again."

The mood in the room, not exactly chipper, plummeted. Twilight slumped down, her face finally coming to rest on the table's cool surface. Celestia observed this, forehead creasing in dismay, and then she set her jaw and moved forward to place a hoof on the table next to the stallion.

"Stenotype," she said softly, "Given the… personal issues that already surround this case, I think it might be better if all of the events after Cadance was subdued were to be left out of Twilight's statement."

"What?" He blinked up at her through his thick lenses. "I-I don't think that would be proper—"

"I would consider it a personal favor, Stenotype." She cut him off, tapping the corner of the table a few times for emphasis. It was quite a bit of emphasis, as it left the corner bent down at a forty-five degree angle.

"Ah, I'm not quite sure if we can legally—" He tried again, only to find the shadows around him darkening.

"If the law is your only concern, then worry not, friend Stenotype," breathed Luna softly from behind him, "for the law is in this very room with you. And we say it is acceptable, in this case, to withhold said testimony."

"Ahem, yes, very well." Stenotype quickly peeled off the last few pages from his notepad and held them up in a slightly shaking hoof. A blue magical aura plucked them from his grasp, crumpling them into a ball, and then a nearly invisible beam of sunlight neatly and quietly vaporized them.

"You may take your leave now, Stenotype," Luna said graciously, and the thankful law pony quickly scrambled from the room.

The three ponies stayed silent as the door clicked shut and Stenotype's hurried hoofsteps slowly faded away down the hall. Only then did Celestia move, the quick tap-tap of her hoofcuffs echoing in the small room as she rounded the table and knelt next to Twilight, wrapping the pony in her wings.

“Twilight,” she said, sorrow filling her voice, ”Twilight, I am so sorry.”

“Indeed,” spoke Luna from Twilight’s other side. “If we have truly seen the last of the Queen, than all of Equestria is now lesser for this loss.”

“No, no, you don’t need to apologize,” said Twilight, raising her head. She didn’t look quite as bad as both Princesses had expected; more resigned than anything, with a spark of what could be determination. “Nothing that happened is any of your fault.”

“But it is, Twilight,” said Luna softly, “for we did not stop this before it began.”

“She’s right.” Celestia nodded as Twilight turned to look at her. “We knew—all of us, Shining Armor and your parents included—how cruel Chrysalis was to Cadance during their first encounter.”

Twilight flushed and looked away, and Celestia gave her a squeeze with her wings. “I know we’ve decided to… overlook what the changelings did during the wedding, given the rather delicate reasons for which they did so. Or at least, the reasons for which they eventually did so. That still doesn’t mean we should shy away from calling their actions out for what they are, nor should we forgive Chrysalis for what she did quite yet.”

“I know,” whispered Twilight.

“At the same time, we did Cadance a disservice by assuming that she had forgiven and forgotten the trauma she was put through,” continued Celestia. “The fact that none of us, aside from Shining Armor, thought to speak of this to her is a mistake we are all guilty of. Unfortunately, we merely assumed that the fact that she didn’t immediately show up breathing fire indicated acceptance. None of us thought she would seek out more... circumspect means to address her grievances with the Queen. That error is on all our heads. Communication is one of the mainstays of friendships, and we should not have taken it for granted that she would be the one to initiate the communication.”

“We must not blame Cadance for this, either,” put in Luna softly. “She has enough on her head as it is. The omission was ours and ours alone; it should not be added to her list of crimes.”

“Agreed,” said Celestia, and she and Twilight nodded.

“What is going to happen to Cadance?” asked Twilight timidly, looking between the two Princesses.

Celestia let out a sigh. “It's a tough decision. On one hoof, some kind of punishment is clearly needed. Cadance attacked two Princesses of Equestria, along with severely damaging a private business, and that is not the kind of thing we can simply allow to pass without comment. It sets a bad precedent. Moreover, to just pardon her offhoof would open us to obvious—and, let’s face it, true—accusations of nepotism.”

“Would be the first time anyone’s accused Celestia of that," muttered Luna out of the side of her mouth.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“On the other hoof,” continued Celestia after a glance at Luna, “Leniency is most likely called for in this case. Cadance suffered at Chrysalis’s hooves, no matter what excuses or ‘cultural differences’ we bring up. She deserved restitution, or an explanation and heartfelt apology at the very least, and she got nothing. Under the circumstances, the fact that she would take matters into her own hooves is understandable, if not something we can approve. A punishment of some kind is warranted, though what exactly it may be, and its severity, is something my sister and I are still discussing.”

Movement caught Twilight’s eye, and she glanced over. Luna was pointing at Celestia, then, seeing she'd caught Twilight's gaze, moved one hoof in a rising arc, as though imitating a pony being shot into the sky, and mouthed the words To the moon!

Celestia spun suddenly, to see only Luna standing on all four hooves, expression blank and innocent. She stared at her younger sister for a moment, then let out a small snort and turned back to Twilight.

“In any case… yes, we will be punishing Cadance, Twilight. We haven’t come to a conclusion on that punishment’s severity yet, and won’t until after she’s had a trial and a chance to defend herself, but she will not simply be walking away from this.”

“Okay,” said Twilight quietly, nodding. “Thank you, Princess.” She slid out of her chair, heading for the door, only to find herself stopped by a soft white wing.

“Don’t you think there’s something else we need to discuss?” asked Celestia, a warm smile on her face, and Twilight flushed and looked away.

“W-well, there is something I need advice on, but, um, Princess, I don’t know if you should… if you should be the one I talk about it with. This particular subject, I mean. You know I always value your counsel and I know I’m free to ask you anything, but you might have a personal preference for which decision I make and I’d hate to put you in a position you feel like your feelings might compromise the advice you give—“

Twilight’s rambling was interrupted by Celestia’s giggle. The Princess moved to sit at the other side of the table, where her sister joined her, and she gestured with her head for Twilight to hop back up in her seat.

“You really always have been my silly little pony,” she said, and Twilight blushed. “I already told you that my interest in you is only that, interest. Any romantic feelings I have towards you are simply an extension of my love for you as my most faithful student, and, as cold as it may sound, I have no problems putting them aside. If I feel anything right now, it's merely me kicking myself for having waited so long to let you know how I felt.”

“It’s probably a good thing you did,” said Twilight, managing a shaky smile. “I don’t think Chrysalis would have been happy about her fiancée dating another pony.”

“Yes, that would have most likely been an awkward scene,” agreed Celestia with a laugh. “While I appreciate your concern for me, it's not necessary. And please don’t waste any time on my behalf trying to find a way to make us both happy. For one, I fear what kind of magical abominations your solution would unleash upon the world; I doubt either Chrysalis or myself would appreciate, for example, half a Twilight. Even if such a thing did walk and talk. But furthermore, there is no perfect outcome for both of us in this situation.”

“But there could be,” sang Luna tantalizingly. She produced a scroll from under her wing, floating it in front of Celestia’s face. “I’ve already signed this; simply do the same and polygamy will be legal in Equestria—“

A flash of light from Celestia’s horn vaporized the parchment, and Luna sat back with a disappointed sigh. "You'll give in eventually."

“I’m going to find where you’re hiding those things one of these days,” growled Celestia.

“The point is that we want you to be happy, Twilight,” Luna said, turning to face her. ”We care about you, and in this situation your feelings are paramount to all others. No matter our own interests, my sister and I would never do anything that might hurt you.”

“Just tell us what you want, Twilight, and we can help you get it,” finished Celestia quietly.

“But that’s just it. You heard me tell the entire story just now; I don’t know what I want.” Twilight slumped forward on the table. “After our wedding—well, our second wedding—when Chrysalis refused to accept what I said and claimed she was going to win my heart… I’ll admit I was intrigued. We’d been together for a few weeks at that point, and I’d gotten to know her quite well.

“It was fascinating to learn that she actually had a heart; that underneath the cold, arrogant, vicious exterior, there was an actual kind and caring pony. Not in quite the way we think of it, of course, but it was there, and the differences, the contradictions, just made me more interested. I wanted to know more about her, and I think if there was any reason I agreed to date her in the first place, it was that.”

She tilted her head to the side in thought. “Which, really, is a pretty good reason to start a romantic relationship with somepony.”

“And your feelings now?” asked Celestia carefully.

“I… well, I already said I don’t know. But I want to spend more time with her, I want to be around her. I just don’t know if I want that as a friend, or something more. And… if it is just as a friend, then I think she was right to leave. She said I deserve someone I can love, but she deserves someone who loves her. If that’s not me, then it’s not fair to ask her to stay around when just seeing me would cause her such pain. Even if… e-even if it hurts me, I’d rather spare her that.”

“The depth of your love for Queen Chrysalis is amazing, Twilight,” Celestia said, leaning forward to touch her shoulder. “Whether that love is for a friend, or something more.”

“Then why don’t I have an answer?” asked Twilight desperately, looking between the two Princesses as her eyes began to tear up. “I-if I care about her so much, why can’t I tell if I’m in love with her or not?!”

“Love is a very complicated thing, Twilight, and often very secret," Celestia said softly. "It can easily be hidden behind other feelings. Sometimes… no matter how much you care for someone, those other feelings can rise up and cloud your love.”

She shared a sorrowful look with Luna, and the two Princesses extended their wings for a brief hug.

"What do I do, then?" asked Twilight once the sisters had separated. "I need to figure out how I feel. I know I shouldn't ask for a simple answer, but is there one? Or at least some kind of plan, some sort of path I can follow?"

"The answer is easy, sometimes," replied Celestia. "Sometimes, you'll just suddenly know. An idle thought will spring to mind, revealing your heart to you. Or a memory of a special moment may suddenly come to mean much more than you ever thought. Other times, you must work at it. You must ponder your thoughts and feelings, meditate on your relationship, think about every time you interacted with that pony. In either case, it's very hard to simply force your feelings to show themselves. It takes time, and often quite a bit of luck, to find that one trigger."

"I don't know how much time I have. Chrysalis has probably already sent a letter to your palace, requesting a divorce from me." Twilight let out a snort of laughter that sounded more like a sob. "I never thought I'd say anything even remotely like that… or that I'd feel so sad about it."

"Well, you've at least made a good start at it so far," Celestia said, and smiled when Twilight looked up at her. "You've decided to ask your friends, the ponies who know you best. If anypony's going to be able to help you find out what lies in your heart, it's your friends."

“Okay. So… help me?”

She spoke in such a small voice, looking up with wide, hopeful eyes, that both Princesses had to suppress their initial reaction, which was to cuddle her and say “Awww!” Instead, they exchanged glances, and Luna gave a nod and leaned forward while Celestia sat back.

“You know, Twilight, that I have been spending quite a bit of time myself with the Queen over the past few months, yes?” Twilight nodded, letting Luna continue. “I too consider her a dear friend. Like you, I’ve seen the core of goodness that lies under her hard exterior—both literally and figuratively—and I wish I had such unrestricted access to it as you do. She can be quite amusing when the mood takes her, which it always seems to do around you. Why, the pranks she has been playing on my sister are evidence enough of that.”

“Luna, for the last time, assassination attempts are not pranks, even if the intended victim is immortal. And I don’t appreciate you helping her.” Celestia let out a snort, crossing her forelegs. “I’ve never been lit on fire so many times in my life before all this started. If I wasn’t immune, I’d be quite annoyed by this point.”

“What I am trying to say, Twilight, is that I know her as I know you,” continued Luna, ignoring her sister’s obviously unwarranted whining. “Perhaps I don't know either of you as well as I'd like to, but it is enough to call you friends. Which is why I was so puzzled by your behavior during those first few days after you introduced your wife to us.

“That the Queen loved you was obvious. Everything she said and did practically screamed it. She nearly seemed to suffer physical pain when separated from your presence. You, on the other hoof, seemed significantly uncomfortable around her. You went stiff as board whenever she hugged you, and I found the expressions on your face whenever she tried to nuzzle you to be most amusing. I had thought your reactions merely a product of your discomfort with such public displays of affection, as tame as they were.

“When the news of your true feelings came out, your reluctance suddenly made more sense. And yet… as I watched the two of you over the last six months, I saw that hesitation disappear. I saw you walking hoof-in-hoof with her through the halls of this palace, I saw you cuddle with her on a couch in our drawing room… and don’t think I didn’t see the time you tried to steal a kiss from her during our movie night, Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight went red, immediately knowing what Luna was talking about. “I-it wasn’t like that! I just wanted to tell her something, and…”





“I can’t believe my wagon broke down,” griped the stallion to his marefriend, as they tramped through the woods behind their friends. “I just got that axle replaced!”

“Now, now, it’s not all bad. We were lucky we found this abandoned summer camp.” The mare gave him a sultry glance. “And I'm sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to sneak away and be all by ourselves…”

Twilight shifted in her seat as they watched the movie, leaning a bit more against the comforting bulk of Chrysalis behind her. The changeling had stretched out on the couch while Luna was setting up the projector, and Twilight, knowing her place, had jumped up with her. She’d snuggled up to Chrysalis’s soft belly as one of the changeling's forelegs draped itself over her body, and as they'd settled in for the movie she'd kind of drifted down, to the point where she now lay with her head on Chrysalis's foreleg. Other than the changeling attempting to strangle her to death every time there was a jump scare in the movie, it was comfortable.

Now she shifted her head, peering over at Celestia and Luna. They sat on their own couch on the other side of the projector, sharing a blanket. Whenever they got scared, both would jump, then break down into giggles.

Laying back, she shifted her gaze up to Chrysalis. The changeling was absolutely enthralled by the movie, her wide eyes reflecting the light from the screen, and Twilight licked her lips nervously.

Chrysalis had been nice lately… well, nice to Twilight, at least; she still seemed to enjoy tormenting other ponies. There'd been none of the weirdness that had been around since they'd started dating, and she wanted to show her appreciation. So, maybe…

"Hey, Chrysalis?" she whispered quietly, steeling herself to push up and meet the changeling's lips as she turned to respond.

"Yes, Twilight? What is—" Before Twilight could make her move, Chrysalis jerked her head back around, foreleg once again tightening around Twilight's neck.

"NO! Don't go in there, the Hookpony is hiding in the closet!"

Twilight fell back with a sigh as Chrysalis released her, all her determination fading away with that near miss. But still… Chrysalis deserved something. So she lay there, watching the movie with half a mind, slowly building her courage back up. Finally, she looked up at Chrysalis again.

"Chrys—"

"He's not dead! Don't check the body, run for it!"

Once again Twilight found herself shaken around, and slumped back down as she was released. There wasn't going to be enough time to try again, and she doubted she'd be able to bring herself to anyway. Which gave her a strangely melancholic feeling…

So, after a few minutes, she pulled herself up and nuzzled up against Chrysalis's neck. The changeling looked down at the small pony in surprise, then nuzzled her back.

"It's okay, don't worry," she whispered gently. "I'm sure they finally killed the Hookpony. Nothing could have survived that."

Twilight let out a small giggle, leaning into Chrysalis. She didn't have the heart to tell her that she'd already seen every movie in the Nightmare Night series.





Twilight trailed off, letting her head drop as she realized the futility of her protests. “O-okay, you’re right. I think that must have been when the Yakyakistan delegation stopped by the Crystal Empire, because Chrysalis was so sweet that week. I wanted to do something nice for her, and I thought she deserved a kiss, but… she was so distracted by that stupid movie I couldn’t get her attention, and then, well, I chickened out.”

"Yes, I know." Luna chuckled. "I saw you trying, and I was tempted to assist you. But, I felt it best to let you go at your own pace."

"Do you kiss all your friends when you want to do something nice for them, Twilight?" asked Celestia slyly, and the small pony flushed. As usual, Celestia had been able to cut to the heart of the situation immediately.

"No, of course not." Twilight paused. "Well, there was that one time with Rarity… but, I mean, we were at the spa, and we were relaxed from getting massages, and then we were all alone in the sauna and one thing led to another…"

She coughed into a hoof, trailing off, and all three redfaced Princesses did their best to avoid the other's gazes.

"I don't remember getting that friendship report…"

"Okay, so, I like to kiss Chrysalis," Twilight said, hurriedly moving on. "We're dating, and it really makes her happy, and… and I really like doing it too. Is that love? Because it seems more like physical attraction. Of course, that is generally considered a part of love, usually both partners need to find at least something appealing about each other's physiques. Not saying the mind isn't important, of course, but....”

“Hmm…” Luna considered Twilight for a moment. “Do you know why Chrysalis fell in love with you in the first place?”

Twilight’s body went rigid, and then she turned away with a dismissive snort. “Because I’m a Princess, apparently,” she said bitterly, then let out a yelp as Luna leaned across the table and rapped her sharply on the head with one hoof. “Ow!”

“That is enough of that, Twilight Sparkle,” spoke Luna sternly, Twilight looked up at her with a pout, and her expression softened. “You know that’s not true, and by now you should know better than to put yourself down like that. Queen Chrysalis fell in love with you because she saw the same potential in you that my sister and I did: the potential to be a leader. You were already brave, strong and intelligent when she met you for the first time, when she first became infatuated with you. With how much you grew over the next few years… well, how could you be surprised that she fell completely in love?”

“I’m sorry, but…” Twilight gave an uncomfortable shrug. “It still sounds like you’re talking about my becoming a Princess.”

"Very well, then consider this," responded Luna. "You say you know how much Chrysalis loves you, but do you really? Tell me, do you know how she refers to you when we talk?" Twilight shook her head. "She called you *hiss chitter chirp*."

Celestia merely furrowed her brow in puzzlement, but Twilight gasped, and her hooves went to her mouth in shock. Partly out of hearing Luna speak Hemipid; she hadn't even known Luna could speak the changeling's own language, and especially not with such a flawless accent. But more important than that was the meaning of the phrase she had spoken.

"I trust you know what that means, then?" asked Luna, arching an eyebrow. "The Queen has been a most excellent teacher, but she refused to tell me the meaning of those words. Her attitude when I questioned her was most perplexing, as well."

"Does… does she really call me that?" Twilight gulped, trying to wet her dry throat. When Luna nodded, a nearly stupefied look came over the small pony. "I-I never knew…she always talked about how much she loved me, but I never knew she felt that way… that her feelings were so strong…”

She trailed off, and after a few moments Celestia cleared her throat. “If it’s so personal, you may keep it to yourself, Twilight,” she said gently.

“Oh! No, it’s okay, Princess, I just never thought she’d say…” She broke off, rubbing at her face with one hoof, then took a deep breath. “*hiss chitter chirp* means something like… well, a direct translation would be ‘my Queen’, but it has connotations that go far beyond that. It’s like how we're sometimes called ‘your highness’ or 'your majesty’ instead of just ‘Princess’, except it’s more than just a formal way to refer to the Queen.

“It means trust. Absolute loyalty. A willingness to obey every order that Queen gives, to put her above all else in your life. To die for her, if necessary. It means you are devoted to her before any other obligations.” Twilight’s face lit up, and she leaned forward to tap a hoof on the table. “That’s the word! Devotion. Complete and utter devotion to your Queen."

She stared down at her hoof, then slowly sat back. "And… I let her leave. She felt that way about me, she loved me with all her heart and was completely devoted to me in every way… and I just let her walk out the door."

The other Princesses stayed silent, leaving Twilight to her thoughts, and after some time she lifted her head slightly.

"I feel like… like I got hit in the stomach. Like I'm completely hollow inside. Does that mean I love her? Is this what it feels like when someone you love leaves?"

"Absolutely," replied Luna without hesitation. "You love her, and you should go now to tell her how you feel—"

"Luna!" snapped Celestia, interrupting her. "You know that's not true!"

"Can you blame me for trying to help my friends?" Luna shrugged, face innocent.

"I think I might need to send you to live with Twilight. You seem to need as much help with friendship as Starlight does." Celestia turned to the smaller pony. "Twilight, ignore Luna. It doesn't necessarily mean you love her… just that you care about her very, very much. Think of it… as another data point to consider. You could make a graph, even."

That at least got a shaky smile out of Twilight. "That actually would make me feel a bit better."

"There is something else we can try, Twilight. If you'll let me."

"Let you?"

"I want to… hypnotize you, in a way," explained Celestia uncomfortably. "It's a spell that will soothe your mind, let you answer any questions we ask as truthfully as possible. I don’t know if it will be any more useful than Cadance’s spell was, but we can at least try."

"Oh. That sounds fine, actually, Princess. I trust you."

"Very well."

Celestia raised her head and lit her horn, a golden glow enveloping Twilight's head. As it did, her face calmed, the lines of worry smoothing out, and her eyes slipped closed.

"Twilight, Chrysalis is standing in front of you," said Celestia softly. "Tell me, what do you see when you look at her?"

"I see… the Queen of the changelings," Twilight said in a dreamy voice. "She's the one who abducted Cadance and tried to take over Equestria. She also treated me so horribly when we were dating, even if that was because of Cadance. And… she's the one who loves me, more than anyone else in the world. She'd do anything for me, just to make me happy."

"And how do you feel when you see her?"

"I feel happy." Twilight smiled. "She's fun to talk with, and just to be around. I feel safe and loved and comfortable when she's with me."

"I was right, this isn’t much more helpful than Cadance's spell," sighed Celestia. "Tell me, Twilight… do you love Queen Chrysalis?"

"I…" Twilight's brow furrowed. "I love her the way I love all my friends. Sometimes it feels different, but… but I don't know what that means and it scares me, so I try not to think about it."

"Well, that's something," Celestia muttered, glancing over at Luna. "I don't think we're going to actually get an answer out of her like this."

"Hmm…" Luna looked back at Celestia, then turned to Twilight, and the golden glow around the pony’s head changed to blue. "Twilight, now Celestia is standing in front of you. What do you see?"

"It's the Princess!" Any worry on Twilight's face had been replaced by a wide smile. "She's been my mentor for almost my entire life. I think she's one of the most beautiful ponies in Equestria, especially her mane."

Celestia blinked in surprise, face flushed, and Luna grinned as she continued. "How do you feel when you see her?"

"Happy, of course! She's my oldest friend. Almost nopony else makes me feel as special as she does. I'm always nervous that I'm going to disappoint her, but I know how proud she is of me. We always hug when we see each other, and I hope she'll hug me now."

"Th-this isn't helping, you know..." Celestia stammered out, her eyes not leaving the pony's smile.

"And now, Twilight, Celestia is wearing a saddle and stockings. Something silk, something from the back room at Rarity's Boutique. How does that make you feel?"

"Luna, no!" cried Celestia, before the red-faced Twilight could start to respond. "Stop it!"

"We are going to learn the truth, sister!"

The light around Twilight's head began flickering between yellow and blue. She started to rock back and forth as the royal sisters fought over her mind, then suddenly tipped over, spilling out of her chair and onto the floor.

"Look what you did!" huffed Celestia, hurrying over to help Twilight up.

"Okay, no more messing with my mind, alright?" groaned Twilight, rubbing her forehead.

"I'm really sorry, Twilight," Celestia said.

"We shouldn't have let ourselves get out of control like that," admitted Luna.

"It's fine, it's fine." Twilight sighed. "At I least got a little more information to add to what Cadance showed me. Now I know I do feel something. I just need to find a way to make myself confront it. Because even if I do love her, it doesn't mean anything if I can't actually feel it."

"What will you do now?" asked Luna, as Twilight took a few steps towards the door.

"Keep talking to my friends and family," she replied. "That’s the plan, of course. You two gave me some help, and so did Cadance, so maybe if I talk to everyone I can figure this out."

"We wish you luck, Twilight," said Celestia, and Luna nodded in agreement. "I feel you should go to your family first. Not only are they right here in Canterlot, but talking with Shining Armor will most likely be… uncomfortable. You might want to get that over with as soon as possible."

"You're right." Twilight nodded, then, after a moment of thought, looked up nervously at the two Princesses. "Speaking of that… when I was talking to Cadance, she asked to me to put in a good word with you. So… go easy on her?"

Celestia smiled warmly. "The fact that you can ask that, as one who was wronged by her, will carry weight with us. Have no fear."

"And when you see her next… tell her I'm willing to forgive her. If she's willing to do what it takes to be forgiven, to make up for what she's done."

"We will, Twilight."

"Is Chrysalis ready to forgive Cadance, as well?" asked Luna, a slight teasing lilt to her voice, and Twilight snorted.

"Oh, yes, I can just imagine how she'd react to being asked if she forgives Cadance." She pushed herself up onto the tips of her hooves, pressing one hoof to her chest and deepening her voice in an attempt to imitate Chrysalis's echoing tones. "That pink pony challenged me to battle, and I defeated her soundly. As far as I am concerned, everything between us is settled."

Twilight went back down to her hooves with a giggle. "And now she's going to be all mad at me—" She looked over to her side and froze, then drooped down. "Oh. Right."

"You really miss her, don't you?" asked Celestia gently, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"I do," whispered Twilight, looking up at her with wet eyes.

"Go on then, my faithful student," Celestia said, guiding Twilight to the door. "Go out there and find what's in your heart."

"Oh, and Twilight," said Luna, just as Twilight opened the door, and the pony looked back over her shoulder. "Don't forget that while polygamy may still, unfortunately, be illegal, open relationships aren't. So as long as Chrysalis agrees, there's no reason you and Celestia can't—"

"Okay, bye!" said Twilight hurriedly, escaping out into the hallway and slamming the door behind herself.

"I can't believe you did that!" cried Celestia as soon as Twilight had gone. "You went way too far!"

"I'm merely trying to help you, sister," replied Luna innocently, turning away with a flip of her tail.

"You're pushing her too hard! You're going to scare her off. I have time to be patient, Luna. If I have to wait decades to interest her in my offer, I can."

"Fie on that!" declared Luna. "If you love her, you shouldn't wait."

Celestia glowered at her for a moment, then tilted her head with a small smile. "I'm surprised you were pushing so hard to get Twilight and Chrysalis together. You know, considering your own feelings for the Queen…"

"W-what do you mean?" Luna turned back to Celestia, eyes wide.

"Oh, come now, sister. I saw how excited you were whenever Chrysalis came over, the way you followed her around and hung on her every word. Also, I saw you staring at her butt."

"Lies! Lies and vile slander!" Luna reared up, shaking her head violently.

"Now, now, Luna, there's nothing wrong with that. It is quite an attractive butt, in its way." She cocked an eyebrow upwards. "In fact, considering our feelings for the two of them, perhaps we should be preparing Twilight for the possibility of a foursome instead."

"What?!" Luna's face turned red as she blushed furiously. "T-that might be a little awkward for the two of us. Not to mention how inappropriate it would be."

"Would it?" Celestia's looked up at Luna from under half-lidded eyes, her voice purring, as she moved forward. "We are only sisters, after all. It's not like there would be any of the unfortunate consequences one of us being a stallion could produce."

"W-what are you saying?" stammered Luna, backing away.

"I'm saying, why not be more than sisters? Why not prove how much we really love each other?"

"T-that's not… we can't…"

"Why can’t we? Would it truly be so wrong, to love each other so intimately?"

"I… I…" Luna ran out of space to retreat in the small room, jumping slightly as she backed into the wall. Before she could move, Celestia was directly in front of her, placing a hoof on her chest.

"Who better than your sister to give you the love you deserve?" Celestia whispered huskily. Her wings unfolded, wrapping around Luna to trail gently along the other pony's wings and side. "After all these centuries, we know each other better than any other pony ever could. I know what you like, what you need, where you like to be touched…"

Her wings moved down, circling under the Luna's barrel. Luna froze in place as her body was caressed, her only movement a slight tremble. Celestia leaned forward, breath hot, to whisper her next words right into her sister's ear.

"... and I know exactly where you're the most ticklish."

Her wings jabbed into her sister’s ribs with the accuracy and ruthlessness of an assassin, and Luna collapsed with a shriek of laughter.

She tried to escape, but Celestia kept up the attack, wings relentless sweeping up and down her sides. Attempting to crawl away proved futile, as the convulsions of mirth wracking her body left her so weak that Celestia was able to keep her in place with one hoof, even using it to add to the assault when she gave up. With no other option, Luna was forced to resort to pleading.

"No, no! Haha! S-sister, please… hahaha! Please stop! I-I yield!"

"Oh?" Celestia let up, keeping her wings moving just enough to stop Luna from entertaining any ideas of escape. "So then you apologize for what you said here today? And you promise to stop pressuring Twilight?"

"Never!" gasped Luna definitely. "I'm doing this for your own good!"

"Then no mercy!"

She dove back down with the lack of compassion she showed to all of Equestria's enemies, and Luna's protests dissolved into breathless laughter.
	

> Chapter Six: Family Matters and Reproductive Strategies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	For as long as Twilight could remember, there had always been a clock in the living room of her parents' house. It was an antique, all brightly polished brass, and in the shape of a stylized sun not too unlike Celestia's cutie mark. And for all the time she'd spent in that room, all the millions of times she'd heard it tick, never had it been louder than it was right at this moment.

Twilight sat on the small couch she had shared with Chrysalis whenever they came to visit. Across from her, on their own love seat, were her parents. Night Light's face held an expression of pained worry, mostly as a result of the disappointed frown on Twilight Velvet's face. Worst of all, of course, was the looming, icy presence of Shining Armor standing off to their side.

"So," he said suddenly, shattering the silence and making everypony in the room jump, "how is my wife enjoying the palace dungeons?"

"About as much as my wife is enjoying being all alone, probably," shot back Twilight as a spike of anger suddenly ran through her. She gasped as soon as she said the words, her hooves going to her mouth. "I'm sorry, Shining Armor, I didn't mean that—"

"No, no, tell us how you really feel," he interrupted, all fake sincerity. "Tell us about how you sided with a monster, rather than your own family."

"Don't call her that!" shouted Twilight, pounding a hoof on her seat’s armrest. "You don't know anything about what Chrysalis is like, so you have no right to call her a monster!"

"She really got to you, didn't she?" said Shining Armor softly. "Worse even than she did with me, because you're doing it willingly."

Twilight glared at him for a moment longer, then slumped back in her seat, shaking her head. "Please, Shining Armor, this shouldn't be about who's on whose side. Ponies we both care about are hurting, and we need to help them.”

Shining Armor stared back at her, face slack and disbelieving. “You don’t get it, do you Twilight?” he said finally, shaking his head. “I want to help you, but I will never help Chrysalis. Everything that’s happened has been entirely because of her. As far as I’m concerned, we’d all be better off if she does exactly what she said and never comes back.”

He stopped, blinking, as he saw Twilight's face. Her lips were trembling, tears leaking out of her eyes, and she snuffled, wiping at her nose with one hoof.

"H-how could you say that?" she asked, voice hoarse.

"Twilight, you… are you seriously… arrrggh!" With a frustrated groan, Shining Armor turned and stomped out of the room. The sound of his hoofsteps was clear as he climbed the stairs to the upper floor, then a door slammed.

Twilight, rubbing her eyes, looked up as she noticed a glow. A handkerchief hung in the air nearby, held by her father's magical aura, and she took it with a grateful smile. After spending a moment cleaning her face off, she set the handkerchief off to the side and looked up at her father.

"T-thanks, dad," she said, voice back to normal.

"Well, you know, I just want you to be happy. No matter what, or who, makes you feel that way," Night Light replied, a small, sad smile on his face.

"Oh." Twilight looked down. "You don't like Chrysalis either, do you?"

"It's complicated." He sighed, running a hoof through his mane. "You and Shining Armor… you're my little filly, and my little colt. I'm your father, I'm supposed to protect you. And when Chrysalis attacked the wedding… I couldn't. I was completely and utterly helpless."

"To be fair, she knocked out Princess Celestia with one hit," pointed out Twilight. "I don't really think you need to beat yourself up about it too badly."

"Well, yes, there is that. And you two—especially now—have never had any trouble taking care of yourselves." He let out a chuckle, quickly sobering up. "But the point is… she hurt our family, Twilight. That wasn't just supposed to be a special day for Shining Armor and Cadance. It was for all of us, and Chrysalis ruined that."

"I know." Twilight closed her eyes. "That's why I've been having so much trouble trying to figure out what to do. I… I hated Chrysalis for so long. When we got married, I was terrified because I thought she was actually going to tear my throat out. It took me days to even start believing she was telling the truth every time she said she loved me. She coddled me, gave me everything I asked for, spent every moment following me around… and I spent a week thinking it was all just a trick. That's how little I trusted her, how little I believed she even could love."

"So you can understand how we feel, then," said Night Light. "All we know about this is what you've told us. We believe you, Twilight, when you say she's not quite as bad as we think she is. But your word is all we have to go on. We don't see her the way you do."

"I really wish you could," said Twilight quietly. "She's… she's special. You just know how cruel she is… and I do too. But I also know how kind she is, how caring. It's just… she only acts that way towards me and the hive."

"Is that really okay with you? That she treats your friends so inconsiderately? And that she does the same to every single pony she meets?"

Twilight took a deep breath. That, really, was the million bit question. She was the Princess of Friendship… and she was married to the Queen of the changelings, who seemed to think friendship was pointless, at best, and something beneath her at worst. If there was ever going to be any kind of long term relationship between them, she needed to come to terms with that.

"I think," she said finally, "That… I am okay with what she's like. She is not a friendly pony. She's a Changeling Queen, and she's not going to be everypony's friend. She's probably not going to be friends with that many ponies at all, in fact. But, she has made friends with Princess Luna. She's also at least mildly respectful to my friends now, too. She hasn't cut back on insulting the ponies we meet on a day-to-day basis yet, but I think she might actually be trying to work on it.

"And I don't really want her to change all that much. I… I like her the way she is. It's actually kind of, well, cute the way she hates everything. Especially since she's almost always forced to admit she's wrong, except she won't, and then she gets all mad and pouty. I know what she's like, and I accept that. She's not going to change, and I would never ask her to, because then she wouldn't be her. But she can do better, and she's trying to. For me. And that's enough."

Night Light looked at her, and smiled. "I think that's enough for me, too."

Twilight clasped her hooves together. "So… you mean…"

"Twilight, I'm not going to lie to you. On a personal level, I don't think I'm ever really going to like Queen Chrysalis. There's too much history there for me to. But I can forgive her, I think, given how happy she makes you. And I can accept her. I know you two don't really need my permission, especially since you're already married, but you have my blessing."

"That's… thank you, dad. That really means a lot to me." She paused to blink back a few tears. "I just wish I could get Shining Armor and Cadance to understand the way you do."

"That's going to be a bit trickier," he agreed with a nod. "I'm not happy about what Chrysalis did because it hurt the family, but it was those two that she hurt personally. She tainted what should have been their most special day. I don't know if even a direct apology can fix something like that."

"And Chrysalis would never do that anyway," admitted Twilight. "She hasn't even apologized to me yet. Which, mostly, is because she thinks I should be flattered she went through so much trouble for me." She dropped her head and sighed, then looked back up. "Mom, do you—"

That was a mistake. She immediately remembered why she'd been avoiding her mother's gaze as soon as their eyes locked and an icy glare hit her. She squirmed, trying to sink back into the couch. A glance to her father was no help; as soon as Twilight had turned to her mother, he'd sucked his breath in between his teeth, then had very carefully started looking at everything in the room besides the other two ponies.

"So, what, is a Queen not good enough for you?" snapped Twilight Velvet, voice frigid.

"Mother, please—"

"I'm sure you can find another Queen, though," continued Velvet, as if Twilight hadn't spoken. "Plenty of those in Equestria, am I right? Or maybe you can find an Empress, or a Queen-Empress even. I mean, they just have to be the Queen of one kingdom and the Empress of another, right? That shouldn't be too hard. No, you can definitely do better than just a Queen, Twilight."

"Mom—"

"And luckily I don’t need grandchildren. You just send all those darling little changelings right back where they came from. I'm perfectly fine dying without ever being a grandmother. That's exactly what I want, Twilight, so thank you for being thoughtful."

"They're not even my children, mom! So they wouldn't be your grandchildren!"

Velvet gasped. "Twilight, how could you?! Are you saying you wouldn't accept the children of your wife as your own?"

"W-what? No, that's not what—"

"Because that's a terrible way to think! I accepted them with all my heart. It doesn't matter if you didn't actually give birth to them, Twilight. They're still your children. You have responsibilities when you marry somepony, and you need to be mindful of that."

"I… I am." Twilight looked down, as a horrible sense of guilt came over her. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Hmph. I should hope so." Velvet smiled, for the first time all night. "Such polite little things. And so respectful of their grandmother. I spent an entire weekend baking cookies, and they lined up around the block to get them. And they ate every single cookie, too."

"Oh. Um, that's nice."

"Because when a grandmother makes cookies for her grandchildren, she puts all her love into them, Twilight," continued Velvet. "And that makes them more delicious than anything. You don't need to be a changeling to taste that, believe me."

"I do mom, I do," sighed Twilight.

"Now, of course, just because you have those changelings doesn't mean I don't want you and Chrysalis to get busy on making some children of your own as soon as possible."

"M-mom!"

"Well, it's something the two of you need to be thinking about."

"No it's not, we—" Twilight grimaced. "I don't even know if we're going to stay together. I think I love her, but I don't know for sure, and even if I do I don't know if I can get past all my other feelings about her."

"Oh, of course you love her," said Velvet with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "I'm your mother, I know these things. Now, back to my future grandchildren—"

"Mom, please." Twilight squirmed in her seat, her face reddening. "Even if we do stay married and… want children someday… we're both mares. It's not easy for us to have children just like that."

"Now, Twilight, you know there are all kinds of ways around that. Why, I can think of a few spells already that would let one of you impregnate the other—"

"Okay, okay!" Twilight, face now fully red, was carefully studying the ceiling. "Yes, I know there are spells like that. But even if we did decide to have children—at some point, years in the future!—I don't actually know any spells like that."

"Why that's no problem at all, dear!" said Velvet cheerfully. "I had a long talk with Chrysalis about this very subject, and she assured me that she knows all of those spells and techniques. Why, we even think she might know a few that have either been lost over the years or are from faraway lands!"

"You… you've talked to Chrysalis without me?" asked Twilight, embarrassment now total as she stared at her mother. "About this?"

"Of course. We've been having tea about once a month for a while now. And you know, it seems like the best option for you two has to do with her being a changeling. Apparently, she really does have an ovi—"

"Oh, sweet Celestia." Twilight interrupted her mother, burying her face in her hooves. "Mom, no, we're not talking about this."

"It's a perfectly natural thing, dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," replied Velvet primly.

"No. No it's not natural, at least not as a subject to talk with my parents about. If I was married to a stallion, I wouldn't talk about his stallionhood with you. If I was married to a mare, I wouldn't talk about her marehood. And I'm not going to discuss Chrysalis's…. queenhood, either."

"It's called an ovipositor, Twilight. You can say the word, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. As I said, it's probably the way you should go when you have children. It sounds like all you have to do is—"

"No! Nonono!" Twilight shook her head violently, clamping her hooves over her ears. After a moment, she lifted one hoof to check things out.

"—been fertilized, Chrysalis will then extend her—"

"LALALA, NOT LISTENING!" Twilight's hoof went back to her ear and she started to sing loudly. "I used to wonder what friendship could be~! Til' you all shared its magic with me~!"

After a few lines, she dared to peek again.

"—and after the eggs have gestated inside you long enough, you just have to lay—"

"Okay, all done here, going to talk to Shining Armor and try to repair a possibly damaged relationship with my only sibling, bye!"

Twilight took off, flapping her wings once to shoot across the room and halfway up the stairs, and Velvet turned to scowl after her.

"No flying in the house! You know that's not allowed! And tell Shining Armor we need to talk about grandchildren again!"

She sat back with a huff, crossing her hooves. "I can't believe that girl. Night Light, did you—"

She stopped, looking around as she realized she was now alone in the room.

"Really? We can't even have a conversation about a few simple facts of life?" Velvet snorted. "Well, excuse me for being interested in my future grandchildren!"





Twilight paused at the top of the stairs, letting out a sigh of relief at her escape. Raising her head, she walked out into the hall, a quick glance proving that it was indeed the door to Shining Armor's old room that had been slammed. Walking up to it, she knocked softly.

"Shining Armor? You in there?" There was no response, so she carefully turned the doorknob and trotted in.

After a few steps, she stopped, her heart sinking. Shining Armor was sitting on the bed facing the door. He didn't look up as she entered, instead keeping his attention focused on the book held in his hooves—an old copy of the Monster-pedia.

"Oh." Her ears drooped, and she ventured a guess. "Page seventy-six?"

"Changeling Queens," read Shining Armor, not looking up. "A Changeling Queen is one of the most dangerous creatures a pony can encounter. Physically larger and stronger than even the biggest earth ponies, their wings also enable them to fly like a pegasus, and their magic surpasses that of any unicorn, sometimes exceedingly so depending on how well they've fed recently.

"But their real strength lies in deceit. They can take any shape they please, all the better to trick their victims. Even if their disguise is seen through, they have a wide variety of hypnotic powers and mind control abilities to erase any such slip-ups. Their ability to lie, deceive and otherwise fool ponies into doing what they want is nearly unparalleled.

"A Changeling Queen is also possibly the cruelest monster in all the lands. They devour love, and think nothing of destroying all who stand in their way of stealing more, even tearing apart entire families in their quest to feed."

"Ice cream!" blurted out Twilight, and Shining Armor finally looked up, surprised. "Does it say anything in there about ice cream?" she asked, and he shook his head, mystified.

"Because Chrysalis loves ice cream, Shining Armor," she said hurriedly. "She says it tastes like love. We went to an ice cream parlor once, and got some cones. As soon as we got outside she dropped hers on the sidewalk. I thought she was going to cry, right there on the street in front of everypony. So I scooped up as much of it as I could and put it on my cone, and we sat on a bench and shared it."

"Twilight—"

"There's also this thing she does. I've never seen her do it in front of anybody else, not even her changelings, but sometimes at the end of the day, she would come into our room and just collapse on a piece of furniture. Like, boneless, full-body sprawl, her legs sticking out everywhere. Couches, easy chairs, beds, sometimes me if I was laying down—which makes it hard to read; she's actually surprisingly heavy—it didn't matter, she'd just fully relax, completely limp, no dignity whatsoever."

"Twilight, this doesn't—"

"And sometimes when she sneezes, she—"

"Twilight! That's enough!" shouted Shining Armor.

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, and finally Twilight closed her eyes.

"She's a person, Shining Armor," she said emphatically. "Not a monster, not some entry in a book. She has real feelings, the same as any of us."

“So she’s just all sunshine and rainbows, then?” he asked bitterly, eyes narrowed.

“No, Shining Armor, I’m not saying that.” She opened her eyes to stare, downcast, at her hooves, and sighed. “Though maybe I was trying to gloss over that a bit.”

“Well, come on, then,” he challenged. “Let’s hear some of those other stories."

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “This one time… she popped a little colt’s balloon. And then laughed at him when he started crying. I think that was actually her, too, because it wasn’t really a ‘date’ date, and I don’t think she was wearing the earring. But I had to apologize for her, because she refused. I did make her buy him a few extra balloons to make up for what she did, though.”

She looked off to the side, a frown on her face. “Little brat made her buy him five balloons,” she muttered.

“Twilight!” snapped Shining Armor, and she swung around to stare at him, blinking.

“What?”

“That…” he stopped, licking his lips nervously, then continued. “That sounded like something she would say.”

“W-well, it’s not like I’m being unreasonable!” stammered Twilight. “I mean, one balloon to replace the one that got popped, sure, that’s just assumed. A second one to make up for how mean Chrysalis was, okay, that’s good too. A third would even be acceptable compensation. But five?! That’s just greedy. At that point, he was taking advantage of us.”

Shining Armor’s expression was turning thunderous, so she quickly hurried on. “Okay, different example, let’s see…. Oh, I know.

"A few weeks ago, Pinkie was throwing us a party. I invited Chrysalis, and she came with, but you remember what she thought of Pinkie's parties when she was pretending to be Cada—ahem! Anyway, she was unenthusiastic, let's say. So Pinkie went walking past her with the cake, and… Chrysalis tripped her. Pinkie fell face first on the floor, and then the cake landed on her head. And Chrysalis laughed, of course."

Shining Armor winced. "And you're still trying to defend her?"

"Well, I mean, it's Pinkie. Massive head trauma is kind of a non-issue for her. And then she just licked the cake off the top of her head and laughed too."

"You can't tell me any of your other friends were happy about that."

"No, they weren't. It did kind of ruin the party, after all. Rainbow was especially upset. And it didn't really help any of their opinions about Chrysalis. She was so obviously just being mean that it took down the mood of the entire party. Well, except for Pinkie, of course. She just thought it was funny."

Shining Armor shook his head. "Twilight, I can't believe this. Ignoring for the moment that we're talking about Queen Chrysalis—you know, the changeling who's done some utterly horrible things to our family over the years—you just described to me a pony you call a friend who was mean to a young colt and then ruined a party for your friends. And I'm sure those are just a few of the stories you have. How can you call her a friend? You, the Princess of Friendship! Nothing that she does is what a friend does! You can't even say you forgive her when she does these things, because to forgive somebody they actually need to be sorry for what they've done in the first place!"

"Aha, but she was sorry about the party!" cried Twilight excitedly, pointing a hoof at Shining Armor. "I didn't even tell her that she should make up for what she did, just that I was disappointed in her. And the next time we all met, she brought a cake for us!"

She deflated slightly, hoof drifting back to the ground. "Of course, it turned out she'd stolen the cake, but it was still a nice gesture."

“So, that’s who you’re trying to defend?” asked Shining Armor, arching one eyebrow critically. “Someone that hurts little children, trips your friends, ruins parties, steals, laughs at other’s misfortunes… but hey, she likes ice cream, so she can’t be all bad right?”

“It’s a really pretty laugh,” said Twilight in a small voice, shuffling her hooves nervously. “And… sometimes, I think it actually gets nicer the crueler she is.”

Shining Armor stared at her, complete bafflement on his face. “How, Twilight?" he asked hoarsely. “How can you think anything she does is okay? How can you even say what you just said?”

“Because I like her, Shining Armor. A lot. I’m not claiming she’s perfect—nopony is. She has some serious flaws, personality-wise. But I think her good points, everything I’ve seen about her that I like, outweigh those flaws.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.”

Shining Armor stared at her, expression blank. Just as Twilight was beginning to fear something was wrong with him, he slowly tilted back, flopping onto the bed and covering his face with his hooves as he let out a frustrated groan. Taking that as a signal, she trotted over, climbing onto the bed to sit next to her brother.

“I’m… sorry,” she said lamely.

“Why does everything with Chrysalis have to be such a mess?” he moaned plaintively, voice muffled by his hooves.

“She did kind of make a bad first impression. And then continued that impression for several more years,” Twilight admitted with resigned nod.

“Yes, I think ponynapping my bride, ruining our wedding, and taking over Equestria counts as a ‘bad first impression’.”

“Although it was kind of romantic.” Shining Armor raised his hooves to glare at her. “I-I mean, not the wedding stuff, but conquering a whole kingdom for me? How many ponies can say their wife has done that?”

“Me, for one. In a way."

"I suppose so." Twilight looked up at the ceiling, face innocent. "You know, they're not really—"

"Stop right there," warned Shining Armor, bopping her on the back of the head with a hoof. "Do not compare Cadance to Chrysalis. They're about as opposite as opposites can get."

"Well, there are a few similarities," Twilight pointed out cheerfully. "They're both all about love, even if they differ on the specifics. Also, they both love me… and I care about both of them. And.... now they've both tried to destroy each other's marriages."

"I…" Shining Armor lapsed into silence for a moment, then sighed. "Twilight, I'm sorry about Cadance. My feelings about Chrysalis aside, I'm absolutely furious about what she did to you. Part of the reason I was so mad earlier was because I'd just come from visiting Cadance, and I kind of went off on her when I was there."

"Oh," said Twilight quietly, head down. "I'm sorry. You're not too mad, are you?"

"No, Twilight. Just… upset that she would treat you that way. All I did was yell at her a bit. Asked her what she was thinking, how she could do something so cruel." He let out a guilty sigh. "Actually, I should probably go back and talk to her again. Let her know that while I may be angry at her, I do still love her."

"Well, at least I won't have that on my conscience," said Twilight with relief. After a brief hesitation, she looked back at him. "What was Cadance like? During the last few months, I mean. When she was doing… what she was doing."

"She seemed… completely normal." Shining Armor shrugged. "Maybe a bit more preoccupied than usual. There was no real way for me to tell the difference between her using that crystal ball to talk to Chrysalis and her being in one policy meeting or the other. I didn't even notice the times she went to Canterlot."

He paused for a moment, musing. "One thing that I did notice was that she didn't seem as interested in your marriage as I would have thought. And she didn’t even seem to care that Queen Chrysalis was back, which was definitely odd considering everything we went through.”

“Did you ever talk to her about it?” asked Twilight, and he nodded.

“Of course. But she seemed completely fine with everything. Ominously so, I suppose. She acted at least a little bit excited whenever we discussed your marriage, though in retrospect maybe not as much as I really would have expected. Whenever I brought Chrysalis up, though, she had almost no reaction. She’d just say that everything was going fine, and that she would ‘handle it’.” He paused for a moment. “That was probably a bit ominous too, now that I think about it.”

“I’m sorry about what happened, Shining Armor,” Twilight said quietly.

“No, no… Cadance made her own decision on how to act, and now she's going to face the consequences for it.” He took a deep breath. "As she rightly should. What she did was awful, and I'm very upset with her right now. But none of it was really your fault."

“It was, though. I should have talked to Cadance too. Talked to her for real, not just written a few letters where all I did was ask for advice. The Princesses said the same thing; we all really should have talked to her, and we let her down by not doing so. So I’m sorry.”

“If anypony should be apologizing, Twilight, it's her. And I should have been the one to notice something wrong with Cadance more than anyone else. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty over.” He sighed. “So… did they say anything about what’s going to happen to Cadance? I know right now she’s just being detained until a hearing can be held, but…”

“They said they’re going to be as lenient as possible.” Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “Obviously they can’t be too lenient. Showing too much favor to her would be an obvious bias. But, well, after everything Chrysalis did to her… it was kind of justified. So there are extenuating circumstances they're going to take into account.”

“You don’t think they’re going to turn her to stone for too long, do you?” asked Shining Armor anxiously. “It’s just that I’m mortal, and…”

“It’ll be okay, Shining Armor, I’m sure they won’t do that,” said Twilight. “Or, at least, it won’t be for that long.”

She gave his leg a pat, then opened her mouth, seeming to start to say something else. Instead, she hesitated, then turned away, chewing her lip nervously. Finally, after a long moment of thought, she looked back at him.

“Shining? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what’s up?” he asked, pushing himself up slightly on the bed.

“Could you, maybe… help me?”

“Help?” He looked at her, at her wide, pleading eyes, then let out a groan and pushed himself all the way up into a sitting position.

“You're asking me to help you with Chrysalis,” he said, a statement, not a question.

“I am. I know this is kind of an awkward thing to ask, but…”

“'Awkward' is a bit of an understatement.”

“I’m asking you this for me, Shining Armor. Please.” She looked over at him, eyes begging. “I’m the one who needs to know this. I’m not asking for you to forgive Chrysalis; I don’t even know if you can, or if she deserves your forgiveness. But I need your help. Even Cadance was able to help me a little.”

Shining Armor looked back at her for a long moment, then turned away, letting out a long sigh and running his hoof through his mane.

“When I first found out you were married to Queen Chrysalis…” he said, speaking quietly, “I actually didn’t mind that much. It didn’t fix what happened at my wedding, but at least it gave it… purpose. A meaning. I thought she made you happy, and for that, I could forget and move on.

“Then you told us all you didn’t really love her. I was… less than happy about that. But you were willing to give her a chance, to give love a chance, so I said nothing. And again, it didn’t make the wedding any better, but a misunderstanding was at least something that made sense.”

He sighed again. “And now… Cadance did something terrible and is in the dungeon, and I still can't help feeling that it's because of Chrysalis. Who is now gone, apparently forever, because of what Cadance did. And now you're asking me to help you bring Chrysalis back. After everything she's done, all the problems she's caused…"

"Because I miss her, Shining Armor," Twilight said, voice breaking slightly. "And she's as alone as Cadance is right now, even with her changelings. I want to help both of them. This needs to stop, now. No more hurting each other, no more trying to wreck each other's marriages. We need to bring both of them together, so they can finally understand.

"You were right, it was all a misunderstanding, from the very beginning. The changelings don't understand us, and we've never understood them. And until we do, things like this will just keep happening. We can all live together, in harmony, and be stronger than we ever were apart. Whatever horrible things they've done to us—and now we've done to them—we can put that aside, and be closer than we would have otherwise.

"Chrysalis and I are proof of that."

Shining Armor didn't look back, his head still down. "Do you really love her?"

"I don't know. But the more I talk with all of you, the more I think the answer is yes. Because I don't think I could feel this strongly about someone I don't love."

"And what about Chrysalis?" He turned to look at Twilight, face carefully blank. "Does she love you? Not to open some recent wounds, but as Cadance said, can she love you? And does she deserve your love?"

Twilight winced, but her expression smoothed out, and then she smiled. "Well, we went to the Summer Sun Festival last month, and…"





Ponies of all shapes and sizes pranced about the midway, some wearing costumes, some with their faces painted, and others on stilts. And those were just the fairgoers; the entertainers wore even gaudier outfits, cavorting and capering for the amusement of all as they moved between the brightly colored tents.

Twilight and Chrysalis moved through the crowd, for once in a place where they weren't the center of attention. Ponies didn't even seem to mind the nearby presence of a Changeling Queen, either. When they bumped against her in the press of the crowd, they quailed back, but simply apologized. And with Chrysalis's only response being a nod of acknowledgment, many had stopped quaking in fear or being overtly apologetic, simply giving a cheerful "Sorry!" before disappearing back into the crowd.

Chrysalis's good behavior, of course, might have had something to do with the fact that the rollercoaster hadn't allowed loose items or jewelry on the ride. And while she'd made sure to grab her crown, she'd 'forgotten' about the earring she always wore on these outings.

"Want to go on some more rides next?" asked Twilight cheerfully, looking up at Chrysalis. "Or we could grab some cotton candy. Though, if we're going to go on more rides later, that might not be a good idea—"

"Why, hello there, little Princess!" said an energetic voice from off to their side.

"And a fine hello to you as well, big Queen," said an identical voice.

Twilight groan as she turned and trotted up to the booth, recognizing those voices.

"Hello, Flim. Hello, Flam," she said to the striped-shirt wearing unicorns standing inside a booth. "What are you two doing here?"

"Why, just running our game of skill, of course!" said Flim.

"No law against that, is there, Princess? Unless you just made one right now, haha!" said Flam.

"No, I mean…" Twilight looked between the two, shaking her head. She still wasn't sure which was which. "The last I heard, you two were still in Las Pegasus."

"Well, what can we say? We're traveling salesponies!" said the one with the mustache. "We get uncomfortable if we're off the road for too long."

"Not to mention those ponies in Las Pegasus can be so uptight," added the other brother. "You sell a few tickets to shows that don't exist and suddenly you're the bad guy!"

"Uh huh." Twilight carefully looked over their booth, enjoying their discomfort at her inspection. The booth was a simple wooden frame, covered by canvas with the same red stripes as their shirts. "So, what's the scam here?"

"Scam? You wound us, Princess!" Flim put a hoof to his chest, then gestured at the milk crate behind him. "Simply knock over these bottles with a ball and win a prize! A simple game, for ponies that just want some simple fun."

"Are there magnets holding the bottles in place? Or is the ball just not heavy enough to actually knock the bottles over?"

"Neither, my dear, neither!" Flam, off to the side, picked up a ball in one hoof and gave it a light toss at the bottles as Flim kicked a hidden switch on his side of the booth that deactivated the magnets. The ball bounced off the bottles, scattering them in all directions, and with a wide smile he grabbed them in his magic and set them back up. "So, how about giving it a try or two?"

"Yeah, no thanks."

She turned and started to trot away, but Flim held up a ball. "How about you, tall, dark and shapeshifting? Win a prize for your sweet little Princess there? Only two bits for three balls."

"No. Come on Chrysalis—" Twilight was cut off as a holed hoof was held up in her face.

"I will win you a prize, Twilight," said Chrysalis determinedly. "One that you deserve."

Twilight just sighed and shook her head, but she still smiled as Chrysalis put two bits down in the booth's edge and grabbed up three balls in her magic.

"Uh-uh, no magic! We like to keep things fair for the ponies who don't have any," said Flam cheerfully. Chrysalis's horn turned blue as he overrode her magic and placed the balls back on the counter.

Slowly, no other part of her body moving, Chrysalis turned her head and stared at him. He smiled back, with the immunity to fear a lifetime of running cons had given him, then stumbled back as a burst of sparks exploded off his horn.

Chrysalis turned back to face the bottles, her horn once again glowing green, and lifted the balls off the counter. In deference to the rules, though, she plucked one out of the air and aimed carefully with her hoof. Winding up, she threw a blistering fastball across the length of the booth, just missing the bottles.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at her untouched target. Flim, having learned nothing from his brother's unfortunate experience just seconds earlier, let out a chuckle. "Wow, you're a natural! You should try out for hoofball someday, my dear. You may want to work on your aim before that, though."     

An angry hiss came out of Chrysalis's mouth, and she scooped up both remaining balls, quickly firing them off as well. Again, both missed, the magically enchanted patch of air in front of the bottles deflecting her shots just enough to make them miss.

"Well, better luck next—"

"Two bits!" Chrysalis slammed her coins down on the counter, collecting her balls and trying again.

Whoosh!

"Ooh, there was some pepper on that one, but you're supposed to hit something with it!"

Whoosh!

"Almost had it there!"

WHOOSH!

"You know, I think I saw that bottle wobble?"

SLAM.

"Two bits!"

WHOOSH—CRACK!

A ball bounced off the wooden frame of the booth behind the bottles, sending it flying back at Twilight, who calmly caught it in her magic and placed it back on the counter.

"Ah, you don't need to throw so hard..." Flam said nervously. The patch of deflecting air had only been meant to stand up to normal ponies—at this rate, it looked like the Queen might actually win a prize! That went against the rules, of course, so he tapped hurriedly with one hoof, and Flim, hearing the signal, switched the magnets back on.

WHOOSH—CRACK—BAM!

The next ball hit the frame again, this time rebounding and striking the crate the bottles rested on dead center. It actually slid forward several inches, but the bottles stayed dead still.

"I think we have consolation prizes around here somewhere… some kind of paper hat—" Flim started to say.

WHOOSH—"AAAAH!"

The third ball ripped a hole in the canvas cover, flying off into the distance, and a faint scream floated back.

"Well, you tried your best—"

SLAM.

"Two bits!"

"Ah…"

The cooperation of the shyster ponies had long since stopped being required, as Chrysalis scooped three balls out of the bin with her magic, grabbed one in a hoof, and took careful aim.

The patch of air in front of the bottles was a spell long used by the brothers, honed years ago when they'd first gotten their start conning ponies in a fair just like this one. It was exquisitely shaped, deflecting the balls gently enough that it was nearly unnoticeable, but with the angle precisely placed so that the balls never quite came close enough to touch the bottles.

Of course, it was only designed to work on balls thrown with the force an average pony could muster. It had never been intended to stop a ball with all the might of a pissed off Changeling Queen behind it.

Chrysalis reared up, one long foreleg stretching behind her with a ball held in her hoof, and then she came down, putting all her power into the throw.

WHOOOOOOSH!

The ball tore through the air, ripping through the magically enchanted air like it wasn't there, and hit the bottles dead center. Which is where Flim and Flam's extra precautions came back to bite them, as the magnets turned the meeting of ball and bottles into the proverbial unstoppable force hitting an immovable object.

Luckily for the local laws of physics, but unluckily for the two brothers, the rubber ball was not quite an unstoppable force. It ricocheted off the bottles, hitting Flim on the head hard enough to toss him into the booth wall before he fell down unconscious. Continuing on its way, the ball flew across the booth to strike Flam in the head as well, sending him reeling. With a few more bounces, the ball came to a rest in the dead center of the booth.

Flam shook his head, trying to get his bearings back as he straightened up. Smelling something burning, he raised his eyes, to behold Chrysalis with all her fangs on display in a horrifying snarl and a gout of flame flickering from her horn, causing the canvas of the booth above her to smolder.

"Ah, y-you know, I think you might have gotten them that time... " stammered Flam, as he staggered across the booth to inspect the bottles. "Let me just take a look…"

Flim was still unconscious on the ground, blocking the magnet release—not that Flam could blatantly walk over and hit it, of course.

"You know, it does look like you got them all!" he cried cheerfully, looking back over his shoulder as he frantically tried to separate the bottles. Loud banging sounds came to the two impatiently waiting ponies as he began attempting to pull apart the crate with his bare hooves. "Yep, just checking things over. You know, we really value honesty here, and that goes for our customers as well as ourselves. Just want to make sure everything's fair…"

Finally, there was a loud crash, and Flam turned back around. "I was right, you won!" he said, giving a grand flourish to a milk crate laying on its side, the three milk bottles still attached to its top now sticking out perpendicular to the ground. "All knocked over, see? You get a prize!"

"Good…" hissed Chrysalis. "And what is my prize?"

"Why, a stuffed figure, of course! We have dolls of the most beautiful Princesses of Equestria!"

Chrysalis watching him with burning eyes as he dug under the counter hurriedly—and, unwisely, without looking. Grabbing the first doll his hooves found, he held it up, forelegs shaking.

What came from Chrysalis wasn't a noise, but the absence of noise, something Flam hadn't know could be so terrifying until that moment. Her nostrils flared, but otherwise she didn't move, and Flam slowly looked down… at the doll of Princess Cadance he held in his hooves.

Sometimes even a pony who seems to only make unwise choices will, at the most critical point in their lives, make exactly the right decision. Flam did that now, choosing to throw the doll to the back of the booth and dive back under the counter to dig through the prizes without looking back up.

"Come on, we have to… only these two?! I thought I told Flim to get all the Princesses… there have to be some others…"

A loud banging began to echo in the space under the counter, as Chrysalis grew impatient and started tapping her hoof on its wooden top. With a gulp, Flim grabbed the only other model of doll, standing back up and holding it in outstretched hooves as he turned away, eyes closed.

For a long moment, nothing happened, and the a hoof gently took the doll from him. When he wasn't immediately incinerated, he cracked one eye open, to see Chrysalis staring at a doll of Princess Celestia with a horrifying frown on her face. Reluctantly, she turned, to present the doll to Twilight.

"Here you go, my love," she said, in a resigned voice. "Your prize; a doll shaped like my rival."

Twilight took it with a smile. "Shaped like one of my best friends, you mean. And besides, it's from you. So I'll think of you whenever I see it. Thank you."

She used one wing to give Chrysalis a squeeze, and then they turned and started off back into the fair.

"Oh, and I'll be sending some Royal Guards by in a bit to check on things," Twilight called back over her shoulder. "So there better be some ponies around who can say they've won by then."

The Princess and the Queen disappeared into the crowd, leaving Flim and a groggy Flam, just now starting to sit back up, to nurse their head injuries. After a moment they looked up, realizing Twilight was standing at the counter again. She reached out, scooping up all but two of the bits that Chrysalis had paid.

“Don’t say anything,” she said before they could object. “You tried to swindle someone I care about. You’re lucky I’m not burning this booth to the ground.”

The two conponies winced as she trotted away, then flinched back when Chrysalis suddenly walked up to the booth. She reached out, putting a hoof over one coin and starting to slowly slide it off the counter. Flim tried to say something, but Chrysalis’s eyes simply narrowed and he closed his mouth again. Coin firmly in her grasp, she walked away.





Shining Armor stared at Twilight's beaming face, puzzlement evident on his own.

“Well, that’s a nice story, but I don’t really see what it proves,” he said finally. “It just sounds like you two went on a normal date at a carnival.”

“That’s the point,” said Twilight softly, smiling. “It was just a normal date. We went to a carnival, ate some fair food, she won me a prize at a game booth… the exact same things any two ponies who loved each other would do. Because she does love me. She could have done any number of terrible things to Flim and Flam—and they would have deserved it—but she didn’t, and we ended the night like any two ponies on a date would, without a single huge disaster.”

“Wait, didn’t I hear about the ferris wheel coming loose during this year’s Summer Sun Celebration? And crashing into the palace?”

“Unrelated,” said Twilight quickly. “Apparently the mailmare delivered the wrong lubricant for the ferris wheel, and it wore through its bearings. We weren’t even close enough to see it happen.”

He kept his gaze on her for a moment, then turned away again with an angry snort. "That doesn't prove anything," he muttered angrily.

"Fine," said Twilight. "If you won't help me with Chrysalis… then tell me about Cadance."

"Cadance?"

"Yes. Tell me about how you dated her. Tell me how you fell in love with her, how you knew you were in love with her."

Shining Armor let out a happy sigh, leaning back crossing his hooves behind his head to stare up at the ceiling. "When wasn't I in love with her?" he said dreamily. "She was a Princess, the only Princess in my high school—the only Princess in Equestria who wasn't over a thousand years old. She was beautiful, she was kind, she was the most popular pony in school…"

"Is that really love, though?" questioned Twilight. "It's a crush for sure, but…"

"It's different when it's love, though," replied Shining Armor, waving a hoof vaguely in the air. "You just… know."

"And when you thought you'd lost her?" Twilight asked cautiously.

"...like everything was pointless," he said after a moment. "Like there was no reason to keep going."

"Like you were empty, like everything important to you was gone," whispered Twilight.

Shining Armor nodded, then looked at her, eyes widening in surprise. "Twilight, do you—"

"Of course, you got her back. With that big dumb prom plan, right?" said Twilight, interrupting him with a teasing smile.

"It was not dumb!" protested Shining Armor. "For one thing, it worked."

"Well, I don't have a prom I can use to get Chrysalis back, but I could always sing a rock ballad like you did—"

"Don't you dare."

Twilight was silent for a moment.

"I love pretty black mares, they make me feel so good!~ I love Changeling Queens, they make me feel so bad!~"

"Okay, shut up." Shining Armor glared at her, then his expression softened. "Do you… really love her, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed, dropping her face into her hooves. "I think I have to," she said softly. "I don't see how I could miss her this much, how I could feel so much like nothing without her around. But… but I can't feel any love for her! I love her like a friend, like I love all my friends, and sometimes I think it's more, but then… something stops it. It's like there's a wall, and my feelings just run into it."

"It's because of Cadance, isn't it?" asked Shining Armor bitterly, and Twilight shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. She made Chrysalis do some really horrible things, but I half expected that out of Chrysalis anyway. I was feeling my way around a relationship with her, so I was doing my best not to be surprised by how she acted, trying to keep an open mind."

She shrugged. "And, well, Chrysalis never did a great job at listening to Cadance. As much as she was trusting in Cadance's advice, she couldn't stop herself from doing what she thought was right. The real her always shines through. Even when she was impersonating Cadance, she couldn't help being herself."

"Then… what is the problem? If you don't mind me asking."

"Because she did impersonate Cadance! Because she attacked your wedding, because she did so many horrible things. Because I hated her for so long. She's explained why she did that—well, most of it—and I know it's all just been a big misunderstanding on both our parts, but… even if I've forgiven her in my head, even if I understand her there, I don't think I do in my heart. And I don't know if I can."

"Twilight... " Shining Armor looked over at her, then sat up and pulled her into a hug.

"You can forgive her," he said quietly, patting her on the back. "You're one of the kindest, most forgiving mares I know. If anyone can forgive that changeling and make her happy, it's you."

"Shining Armor…" Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out, and gave him a bone-crushing hug back. "Thank you. I don't deserve a big brother like you."

"Well, no, nopony does. But you're a Princess, so you come closer than most."

"Alright, you jerk." She pushed him away, sending him tumbling across the bed. "But still, thanks."

"Don't mention it. If you can forgive Cadance already after what she did, I can at least give Chrysalis a chance. Well, like a fifth chance, but still." Shining Armor pushed himself up, watching Twilight slide off the bed. "What now? Back to your castle?"

"In the morning." Twilight paused in the middle of the room, looking back. "I'm almost there, I can feel it. I just need to talk to my friends now."

"Alright, well, good luck."

"Thanks."

Twilight put her hoof to the door, then paused. Her mother was lurking out there somewhere, no doubt waiting to pounce. She could just teleport, but she'd already broken the no flying rule, and she didn't want to add any more oil to that fire. So how—

An evil smile grew on her face. "Oh, Shining Armor?" she called back over her shoulder. "By the way, I think mom wanted to talk to you about something…"





Shining had proved to be a suitable distraction, and Twilight had managed to go the rest of the night avoiding any uncomfortable conversation about her future reproductive activities. But equally as uncomfortable as those conversations was her old bed, and she squirmed around in it trying to find a position that didn't leave her wings either cramped against the wall or hanging over an edge. Nearly fifteen minutes of tossing, twisting and turning left her convinced there was no such possible physical position. She'd even started wondering how she'd ever slept in this bed in the first place, and had started entertaining thoughts of the couches down below, despite the risks of running into her mother that would entail.

As if on cue, there was a soft knock at her bedroom door, and the knob slowly turned.

"Twilight?" whispered Velvet, voice hushed. "Are you still awake?"

For a moment Twilight considered faking sleep, but even knowing what would happen she couldn't bring herself to ignore her mother. So, with a sigh, she pushed herself up on one foreleg. "Yes, mom."

"I just came to say goodnight." Velvet paused, shuffling her hooves, then continued. "And… I should probably apologize for earlier, too. You know I would love grandchildren, but it's not my place to try and force that decision on you. And I'm well aware you know where foals come from, so there was probably no need to embarrass you by discussing it. Especially given the… unique situation you're in."

"Dad yelled at you, huh?" asked Twilight dryly, and Velvet laughed.

"A little bit, yes. Your father reminded me that, among other things, I shouldn't be trying to force you into a marriage just so I can get grandchildren. Especially not when Shining Armor and Cadance are available."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate your help," said Twilight, feeling no guilt at all about throwing her brother under the carriage once again. "And there's no need to apologize. I know you're just excited about being a grandmother."

"Thank you, dear." Velvet gave Twilight a warm smile, and started to close the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite." Velvet stopped, then opened the door a bit more to lean in. "I mean, unless that's the kind of thing you and Chrysalis enjoy. Celestia knows your father—"

"GOODNIGHT, MOM." Velvet manage to duck out the door just as a pillow thrown at near supersonic speed slammed it shut.
> Chapter Seven: A Friendly Discussion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Six ponies and one young dragon sat around the table in the throneroom of Twilight's castle. Twilight herself was slumped over on the table, face down, hooves limply splayed out next to her head. Every once in awhile, she let out a deep sigh.

"And… she's been like this for how long?" asked Applejack, cocking an eyebrow.

"About a day," Starlight said with a shrug. "She was fine after she came back from Canterlot, but then yesterday she got some sort of a letter."

With another groan, Twilight pushed an envelope out from under her face, sending it sliding across the table. It stopped in front of Fluttershy, who hesitantly picked it up.

"Oh," she said sadly after looking through the papers inside for a moment. "It's from the palace. It's… the forms Twilight needs to fill out to divorce Queen Chrysalis."

"I'm going to lose her," moaned Twilight into the table, as the other ponies looked at her with varying degrees of sympathy. "I messed up everything and I can't get over what she's done, so now I can't love her even though I do and I'm going to be all alone forever—"

"No, Twilight, everything's going to be just fine!" Pinkie said cheerfully, bouncing up and down next to Twilight's chair. "We can figure this out! You just need to cheer up and give it a good think! And there's no better way to do that than with a PARTY!"

She slammed her party cannon onto the table and set it off right next to Twilight's head. The explosion of confetti blew the alicorn's mane off to the side and decorated it with confetti, but otherwise had no effect.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie," said Twilight despondently, "but I don't think a party can help me right now."

Pinkie, staring at Twilight, blinked. Then she blinked a few more times. "I know the words you just used, but I don't understand the way you used them," she said finally.

"Look, I don't see what the problem is," said Rainbow Dash, waving a hoof dismissively as Pinkie slunk back to her seat. "Who cares if you got some papers from the palace? Just don't sign them."

"It's not that easy, Rainbow," sighed Twilight. "If I don't sign them, the divorce will be contested. Then we'll have to go to court to settle it, and… I'd rather not put Chrysalis through all that."

"Well, what if the papers 'accidently' got destroyed? There's a lot of candles in your study, right? So—"

"It's a felony to destroy official palace documents."

"Okay, then what if you lost them? I can hide them somewhere you'll never find them!"

"Underneath one of the tables at Sugarcube Corner," Twilight said with a sigh.

"How did you know—I mean, no, I'm talking somewhere really hidden!"

"Behind your framed and autographed portrait of Spitfire."

"Stop it!"

"The point is… there's a time limit on this. If I don't sign and return the papers soon enough, it becomes a court issue. Then it becomes a media circus, and I'd really like to avoid that. Not just for myself, but…" Twilight sighed again. "If I just sign the papers, this will all end quietly. There will be some noise when it gets out, sure, but Chrysalis will be safe from that. She'll be in her hive, and you can be sure none of the changelings will let any reporters in.

"But if I turn it into a contested divorce, if we have to go to court, she'll have to see me again. That's the last thing she needs when she's trying… trying to get over me. And after what she already did—admitting I never loved her, vowing to all of Equestria that she would win me over—putting her through another gauntlet of reporters when she has to go to the courtroom would be cruel. I can't do that to her."

"Okay, then what if we delay it somehow?" asked Rainbow Dash. "We could—"

"Dash, please." Twilight finally raised her head, a tired, resigned smile on her face. "I appreciate you trying to help, but… I don't think there's anything that can be done. I think it's over."

"This isn't just about you," huffed Rainbow Dash, sitting back and crossing her forelegs. "Other ponies are going to be affected by this."

"What are you talking about?" asked Twilight, tilting her head to the side in puzzlement. "Are you really that concerned about my romantic relationships?"

"No, it's just…" Rainbow Dash looked around at her friends looking back at her, and sighed. "Look, Queen Chrysalis really likes you. Like, a lot. You make her happy. And that makes the changelings happy. And… they're really cool, okay? After I fought them off during your wedding—"

"CoughBLACKEYEcough!" Applejack suddenly started coughing into her hoof. "CoughTWOBROKENRIBScough!"

"After I fought them off," continued Rainbow Dash loudly, "We went to a bar and had a few drinks. It's not like there was actually any bad blood between us. And… well, like I said, they're actually pretty cool. I've started hanging out with a couple of them. We even fight every once in a while. Well, more like sparring, I guess. That whole hivemind thing is really annoying too because as soon as one figures out something that works against me they all know it. It's been taking everything I have just to keep up with them!"

"CoughKICKEDYOURFLANKUPANDDOWNPONYVILLELASTWEEKcough!"

"It sounds like you've got something in your throat there, Applejack," growled Rainbow Dash, glaring across the table at the smirking farm pony. "Do you need a pitcher of water for that? Like, upside your head maybe?"

"Careful now, sugarcube," Applejack said with a challenging grin. "I might be a changeling, and then you'd really be in trouble."

Fluttershy let out a gasp. "But you're not, are you?"

"Would it matter if I was?" asked Applejack, shrugging.

"Look, Twilight." Rainbow Dash turned back to her, dismissing the other ponies. "All I'm saying is, if you actually do sign those papers, everypony will be miserable. Queen Chrysalis, the changelings, and even you. I don't know if you do love her or not, but it's pretty obvious you care about her a lot. It’s just…” 

She took a deep breath, then continued. “Look, you’re my friend, and the changelings are my friends, and I just want you to be happy, okay? And… I think you staying with Queen Chrysalis would make all of you happy.”

“You do?” asked Twilight breathlessly, and Rainbow Dash nodded uncomfortably. “Why?”

“Oh, geeze…” Dash squirmed in her seat, but she was no match for Twilight’s wide, hopeful eyes, and she finally slumped down. “It was just this look you gave her sometimes, you know? You’d smile, and… okay, this is really sappy, but… you looked like she meant the world to you. And even when you got mad and yelled at her, it always seemed like you were never really angry. Just disappointed. Like you weren't surprised she'd done whatever it was that made you angry, but you wanted more out of her. And, well… I think that's how you act when you love somepony.”

“Dash…” Twilight was trying to blink back a few tears, reaching a hoof out across the table to the blue pegasus. “Thank you. I never knew you had so much insight into relationships—“

“Alright, cut it out,” grumbled Rainbow Dash. “I’m just telling you what I saw. Don’t go trying to turn me into another Rarity or something, all obsessed with romance novels and trying to get ponies to fall in love.” She gestured across the table, at the throne with three diamonds on its back that was currently occupied by Starlight Glimmer. “Besides, we had enough trouble sneaking in here without being noticed. I don't think all of you could have gotten past Rarity and me.”

Twilight made a face, then it relaxed into a smile. "Thank you, though, Dash. Seriously."

Dash waved a hoof in nonchalance, and Twilight sat up, straightening her back and looking determinedly at her friends. For the first time since they'd seen her that day, she looked back to her normal self.

"This is exactly why I came to talk to you all," she said confidently, tapping a hoof on the table. "I know that with your help, I can figure out how to confront my feelings. After all, you all support me in this."

Silence raced around the table, as most of her friends fidgeted nervously and did their best to avoid eye contact.

"None of you think I should stay together with Chrysalis?" she asked timidly.

"I do!" said Spike from her side, enthusiastically waving a claw.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof, frowning around the table at the others. Fluttershy kind of shrugged her shoulders, looking like she wanted to raise her hoof but ultimately not doing so. Applejack's hoof made it almost halfway up, then slowly descended back to the tabletop. Pinkie Pie continued to stare off into space. And Starlight didn't move at all, her forelegs resolutely crossed over her chest.

"Why?" asked Twilight, ears drooping, her voice sounding small and lost.

"Because she's mean, Twilight." Fluttershy, to everyone's surprise, was the first one to speak up. She even had a bit of a frown on her face. "Gilda mean, almost. But at least Gilda didn't enjoy it the way Chrysalis does. She thinks it's funny to push ponies, or trip them, or call them inferior. 

"She's nice to you, but… not anyone else. And we know you like her, and she really likes you. It's not that we don't want the two of you together, especially if it's what you want… but we're afraid that she might not be right for you. You're the Princess of Friendship, and it just seems like you should have someone friendly as your special somepony."

"You don't think maybe someone who's kind of unfriendly would work?" asked Twilight pleadingly. "I-I could teach her about friendship! Doesn't that make more sense than someone who's just like me?"

"I'm not saying it wouldn't work, that you two couldn't be happy together," said Fluttershy, lowering her head and looking up at Twilight with nervous eyes. "J-just… we're worried about you. I'll support you no matter what you want to do, I'm just not sure how I feel about having Queen Chrysalis around more."

"Oh. That's… understandable, I suppose." 

Twilight looked down at the table and sighed, and Fluttershy frowned. "I'm sorry, Twilight, I didn't mean—"

"No, Fluttershy, it's okay," Twilight cut her off with a raised hoof. "The fact that you'll stand by me no matter what decision I make means a lot to me. And I can understand that you might not be excited about Chrysalis becoming a permanent part of our lives, even if you are happy for me."

Twilight shifted her gaze to the farm pony who was currently tapping her hoof on the table and frowning in thought. "What about you, Applejack? Just a few days ago you were fine with the idea of us staying married. You even seemed upset that I hadn't decided yet. Well, I suppose you had a few reservations about the whole assassination thing…"

"And I still do." Applejack looked up, eyes level as she met Twilight's gaze. "But that ain't my problem with the Queen. Or, not the part I'm concerned with right now. Fluttershy's right, though. It just doesn't feel like Chrysalis is right for ya. She's… dishonest. I don't mean lyin'—even I gotta admit, I don't think I've ever heard her straight up tell a lie, at least not while she's walkin' around as herself—but not lyin' and being honest are two different things.

"She's… slippery. She sneaks around. I know she's a changeling, and that's just how they are and we shouldn't judge them... but it sets my teeth on edge. A lie of omission is still a lie, and she seems perfectly happy tellin' all of those she wants."

"So, you think she's wrong for me too?" 

"Well, now, I didn't say that. She does seem to make you awfully happy, and I ain't gonna say you should stay away from somepony who treats you so nicely. It's jus'... I think she might be a bad influence on you. You like her, and you accept what she's doing, or at least shrug it off, and the next thing we know you're acting like her too, all manipulative and what not."

"Oh." Twilight looked at Applejack guiltily. "Is this about how I lied to all of you about loving her in the first place?"

"Shoot no, Twi." Applejack gave her a grin. "Matter of fact, I happen to think the only one you were lyin' to about that was yourself."

Twilight blushed, a smile on her face. "Well, m-maybe…"

"It's like Fluttershy said, we're just worried about you, is all. We just want to make sure your special somepony is someone who can treat you right, the way we want to see our friend treated. And we're just having trouble gettin' Queen Chrysalis to fit into that image, even after seein' how she's been actin' towards you over the last few months."

"She really can be very nice," Twilight said insistently. "It's just that you aren't around her enough, and she tends to reserve a lot of her affection for the hive, and me. And she always has to be 'a true Queen' out in public… you don't get to see what she's really like."

"I'll admit, y'all got a point there," said Applejack with a nod. "So what is she like in private? What is it about her you like so much?"

"Well…"





Twilight, facedown on the bed, groaned into the sheet as Chrysalis's hooves worked their way up her spine, and the changeling let out a small chuckle.

"You really need to relax more," she chided the pony, who squirmed beneath her. "You know, I spent a year in Canterlot disguised as a masseuse before I managed to get ahold of Cadance, and not once did I have a customer whose muscles were as tense as yours can get."

"That's not exactly the kind of story that makes me want to relax…" grumbled Twilight, any further attempts at a reprimand fading away into a long sigh as Chrysalis put a hoof directly between her wings and dug it in with all her force. Unlike the ponies at the spa, Chrysalis had enough power to break apart the stiffness in Twilight's alicorn muscles, and she knew she could use that strength without hurting the pony.

"Now, now, conquests and kidnappings are actually great ways to relieve stress." Chrysalis let out a throaty chuckle, increasing the speed of her massage. "How would you like to give it a try? Say, Canterlot, a few days from now…"

"Mmm, sorry, but I'm onto your tricks," Twilight sighed. "You're going to have to do better if you want to bribe me into something like that…"

"Bribe, you say?"

Chrysalis's hooves start to travel down her back, moving in small circles and breaking up the pockets of tension they found. But they didn't stop, continuing down until they were just above her hips, slowly massaging her sides. Twilight let out a soft moan; Chrysalis had shifted her position slightly, and she could just feel the changeling's breath, hot on one of her ears. Slowly, Chrysalis's hooves moved inwards, stopping just above the small of her back. For a moment, they seemed about to move downwards, then instead swept upwards in a simple back rub, gently massaging the pony's back rather than giving the deep, tension-relieving strokes they had been earlier.

Twilight did her best to stifle a groan. She knew exactly what Chrysalis was doing, and she wasn't going to give the changeling the pleasure of knowing her attempts to turn this into anything more intimate than the kind of massage one might receive from a spa—a reputable spa—were bearing fruit. Of course, Chrysalis, with her hooves pressed firmly into Twilight's back, felt the groan anyway, and let out another chuckle.

The pressure on her back suddenly disappeared, and for a moment Twilight wondered what was going to happen next. Then one of her wings was firmly grasped in two hooves and pulled, and she grunted as sore, underused muscles were suddenly stretched to their full extent.

"You need to fly more," tsk'd Chrysalis, shaking her head. "It's not good to keep these wings folded up all the time."

"You sound like Rainbow Dash," grumbled Twilight.

Then she gasped as Chrysalis began to preen her wing. Twilight's own teeth were flat and blocky, and did a serviceable enough job cleaning her feathers and pulling out broken ones. But Chrysalis's teeth were pointed, and she enjoyed letting them scrape along the skin of Twilight's wing, which sent a wonderful shiver of pleasure along the pony's spine.

The massage was nice, and the teasing of something more had been… intriguing, to say the least, but this was pure bliss, and Twilight let out a sigh and melted down onto the bed as Chrysalis slowly worked her way along the wing.





Twilight's friends stared at her. She hadn't said a word after trailing off, but her face had gone an alarming shade of red as she stared into her own memories.

"She treats me like I'm the only thing in the world she cares about," said Twilight finally, blushing even harder as she realized exactly what she had just been thinking about in front of all her friends. "And… she has strong hooves and sharp teeth."

"I'm… not going to ask what you mean by that last part," said Applejack, a puzzled and slightly embarrassed look on her face. She glanced away, drumming one hoof on the table, then sighed and turned back.

"Look, Twi," she said, face stern, "I gotta be honest with you. And not just because of my element. Queen Chrysalis is… not a pleasant pony to be around most of time. I'll be the first to admit she's not quite as bad as we thought, and I've actually seen her be downright kind once or twice to ponies who weren't even you. But she's still one of the meanest, orneriest critters I've ever met. I ain't never seen somepony get so mad about the number of sprinkles on their cupcake! And that just ain't the kind of pony I think you should spend your time with, let alone the rest of your life.

"But… she loves you. Shoot, anypony can see that! I can't imagine anything else that would make that changeling do some of the things I've seen her do for you. I don't think there are many ponies that would give you everything the way she does. Or give up some of the things she has. And just looking at the way you're sufferin' makes me think you feel the same way about her, even if you can't get over all the things she's done. 

"That might make me okay with the two of you stayin' married. You ain't just gonna forget what she's done, but you can forgive her, I think, and even somepony like her deserves to have somepony who loves her. Plus, since you won't forget, you won't be lettin' her try something like that again, and I doubt she can change who you are. So all them worries I have about her corruptin' you probably mean about as much as the slop I feed the pigs. Heck, if anything, you might actually make her nicer."

"Applejack…?" asked Twilight quietly. "Does that mean…"

She trailed off, and Applejack shook her head. "Nope. I ain't sayin' the two of you should stay hitched. But I ain't sayin' y'all shouldn't either. I'm sayin'... I trust you. Same as I said when I first found out you'd married that Queen. I think you know what you want to do, and I don't think it's my place to tell you either way. You don't need any of us to tell you what to do."

Twilight stared at her for a moment, then gave her first real, confident smile of the day. "Thank you, Applejack. That means a lot."

"No big deal, ma'am," drawled Applejack, with a grin and tip of her hat.

"So, then," said Twilight, shifting her gaze, "that leaves…"

"The pony that Chrysalis has done her best to kill, torture and/or drive out of the castle," confirmed Starlight, with a sharp nod of her head, and Twilight winced.

"That's not—"

"Fair?" asked Starlight, arching an eyebrow. "A completely reasonable description of the things she's done? Exactly what happened?"

"I-I was going to say it's not the full story—"

"Oh, right. I forgot the part where she did all of that just because she couldn't stand you living in the same building as another pony. That does make everything she's done completely understandable. Sorry for overexaggerating."

"She's just kind of protective—"

"Twilight, she's a jealous monster!" Starlight banged a hoof meaningfully on the table. "And I know a thing or two about being a jealous monster."

"Of course she's jealous, she loves me!" huffed Twilight. "And we're married! How did you expect her to react to me living with another pony while she had to stay in her hive most of the time?"

"Not with attempted murder!"

"That just means she respects you." Twilight looked at Starlight's face and winced. "I'm not saying it's a good thing, it's just how she is. And she did tone it down after I asked her too, didn't she?"

"Oh, yes, it's been fantastic," said Starlight, voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. "After all, now I only have to worry about being crippled by a Changeling Queen who's mad with jealousy over a completely platonic student–teacher relationship."

"Wait, crippled? That's not right, I told her nothing more than mangled." Twilight winced again at Starlight's expression. "Sorry, sorry, bad joke." 

"Twilight, that's my problem, right there." Starlight leaned forward, scowling. "You let her just… get away with everything! She burns down a building? Oh, she paid to have it rebuilt, and now she knows she's not supposed to do that kind of thing. She tries to kill me? Oh, she's just a little jealous that we live together, she'll only try to wound me now. She tries to kill the Princesses? Oh, she's just trying to assert her dominance, it isn't serious."

"Starlight, she doesn't—"

"Don't tell me she doesn't mean it! You know she does! The only thing, the only thing holding her back is that you've told her she can't do any of those things. You're relying completely on trust, that the maniacal villain is so in love with you that she's willing to put aside everything else she wants in her life just because you say so."

"Um, sorry, Starlight, but it sounds like you're actually arguing that I should stay with Chrysalis," said Twilight meekly.

"Do you know what the most infuriating thing is?" Starlight asked after a long, uncomfortable moment of glowering at Twilight. "She's never had to apologize for any of the things she's done. Queen Chrysalis tried to take over Equestria, she tried to enslave everypony, and what do you say? 'Oh well, changelings will be changelings'. She hasn't had to grovel and beg for everypony's forgiveness! She doesn't have to spend every single day trying make up for the things she's done! She doesn't have to do friendship lessons!"

"Starlight, what…" Twilight cocked her head to the side. "I'm not quite sure I follow what you're saying."

"DON'T YOU THINK I WANT TO TAKE OVER EQUESTRIA TOO?!" yelled Starlight, slamming one hoof to the table and pushing herself up with it while holding the other to her chest. "I've filled up three notebooks with plans since I came to live here! Oh, but I can't act on any of them, can I? No, the slightest hint that I'm backsliding and I'm sure I'll get rainbows in places rainbows aren't meant to go. 

"But then little miss perfect changeling comes along, shakes her flank in your face and gives you a ring, and suddenly you're completely fine with a 'former' villain who gets to be your friend and try to take over Equestria at the same time. Suddenly it's 'cute' and 'amusing'."

Twilight blinked disbelievingly at Starlight. "Are… are you jealous of her?"   

"No!" Starlight sat back down with a huff, crossing her forelegs again.

"Listen, Starlight…" Twilight hesitate for a moment, then continued. "I'll always be your friend. You know that, right? But… I also have other friends. And a pony like Chrysalis is a very special friend who means more to me than my other friends. That doesn't mean that you and all my friends are any less important or special to me than you were before, just that my feelings for Chrysalis are… different. You see, when two ponies really like each other—"

"Oh, Celestia." Starlight buried her face in her hooves. "Twilight, I am well aware of what love and marriage are and what they mean. I am not jealous and I don't feel like she is somehow going to 'steal' you away from me! I'm just worried that you're giving her too much leeway. And it's a bit of a double standard, too. I get forced to apologize and start learning about friendship, but you just wave off everything she does? Why were my attempts to take over Equestria so much worse?!"

"You did destroy the world with time travel," pointed out Rainbow Dash after an uncomfortable silence. "I mean, Chrysalis just tried to take over Equestria aaaaand I'll be quiet now."

Starlight turned her glare from Rainbow to Twilight.

"It's… different, with Chrysalis," said Twilight, fidgeting under Starlight's gaze. "She's a completely different kind of pony than you are. In fact, she's not a pony at all, she's a changeling. Telling her to stop trying to take over would be like telling a pegasus not to fly. The things she does are just… the way she is. 

"And she doesn't mean it, not really. If she actually wanted to take over Equestria, she could have by now. She has, I will admit, gotten me to lower my guard enough that I wouldn't even see it coming. But she hasn't conquered Equestria. In fact, she almost goes out of her way to let me stop her. I don't think it really matters to her whether she wins or not, just that she makes the attempt. And I think as long as I'm around, she doesn't actually want to win. Because she knows how that would make me feel."

Twilight took a deep breath, looking levelly back at Starlight. "And I don't think you're that kind of pony. I think you truly want to be friends with everypony, that you want to move away from your past and become a different pony than you used to be. Am I wrong?"

Starlight sighed and closed her eyes. "No, Twilight, you aren't. And… I don't really want to take over Equestria anymore. Not seriously. Making all those plans, writing them down… it's just a way to get it out of my system. I do still feel the urge, every once in awhile, and that's how I deal with it."

"And that's good!" Twilight said encouragingly. "You can always come talk to me, too, if you need to. Just like Chrysalis can always count on me to foil her plans."

With a exasperated groan, Starlight threw up her hooves. "I give up. You really are in love with her, aren't you?"

"I'm almost sure I am," said Twilight meekly, a small smile on her face. "Maybe ninety-five percent sure?"

"I don't know what you see in her." Starlight shook her head slowly. "I certainly don't see it, that's for sure. But if you really want to go through with this… I won't stop you. I'd never stand in the way of happiness for one of my friends, even if I can't understand it. And if Chrysalis does end up living with us, I'll do my best to get along with her. Hopefully being actually married to you will mellow her out a bit."

Starlight leaned forward, pointing a hoof at Twilight. "But I'm telling you right now, I don't trust her. Just like you didn't trust Trixie... but at least she was reformed. And when this all blows up in your face and I have to rescue everyone, I'll definitely say I told you so."

"Duly noted," said Twilight with a smile, and Starlight gave a nod and sat back. But as she did, the smile slowly ran off Twilight's face, and she took to studying the table's surface again.

"Is Starlight right?" she asked after a moment, lifting her head to gaze around at her friends. "Is it a bad idea to stay with Chrysalis? She is dangerous, Starlight's right about that. And I can't seem to find that love inside me that I know is there, so maybe… would it be better to just let her stay away now that she's decided that's what she wants? Just chalk all this up to a big misunderstanding, something that might have worked out but ultimately didn't?"

"That would probably be a really bad idea," said Pinkie, speaking for the first time since the discussion had begun. All the ponies turned to her, blinking in surprise, but she didn't look up and just kept idly tracing circles on the table with one hoof. "I mean, just think of what Queen Chrysalis would do. We all know she loves you with all her heart, and with a changeling that can be an awful lot of love. You know, depending on her diet. But imagine what would happen if she was forced to keep all of that inside herself for years… maybe even decades. She won't just pretend you don't exist, Twilight. Oh, she says she doesn't want to contact you ever again, but you know she's going to be watching you just like she was before. Except even more so now, with how you'll probably be interacting with changelings on a daily basis as they become citizens of Equestria. You may not see her, but she'll see you in the hivemind every day. She'll start finding excuses to have changelings visit you, so she can glimpse just a few extra minutes of you in their memories. 'Why not me? What did I do wrong?' she'll ask herself, day in, day out. And that love in her heart, once so pure, will fester, turning into a black bile that chokes her every time she thinks of you. Eventually it will become hate, but she'll be so consumed by it at that point that she won't even notice, and finally she'll unleash her legions upon Equestria, crushing all resistance under her hoof and taking you by force. But at that point there won't be any love left. She'll try to love you, and she might think she does, but it will all be hate, a dark, bitter hate that she can't get rid of no matter how she tries, and the twisted mockery of a relationship she forces you to have with her will turn both your lives into an eternally suffering hell from which there will be no escape."

Twilight and her friends all wore the same expression—that of a pony who had been hit by a cart and was trying to figure out exactly what had happened and how they had come to be laying halfway down the street from where they had been standing a quarter of a second earlier.

"And things might actually end up even worse for everyone if she doesn't do that, Twilight. Because of you," continued Pinkie, not noticing any of this. "You know you love her, but you can't admit it, can't bring yourself to feel it. So in every relationship you have from now on, that will always be in the back of your mind. 'Do I love this pony as much as I love Chrysalis? What happens if I suddenly realize I do love Chrysalis?' It will poison every attempt you make at trying to love another pony, like a venom running through your heart. You'll grow bitter, blaming Chrysalis for your failures at forming meaningful relationships. Eventually you'll shut yourself away, refusing to even try forming those relationships at all on the off chance that you might suddenly decide to reject them for Chrysalis. And so you'll wait, alone in your castle, your love congealing in your heart until you can't feel anything at all anymore. And finally, after who knows how many interminable, dreary years, you'll give in. You'll go back to Chrysalis, claiming you love her, asking her to take you back. And she will, because she loves you so very much that she won't even notice your lies. Because they will be lies, won't they, Twilight? You won't love her at all. No, not after so long. Not after blaming her for the failure of every relationship you've ever tried to have. You'll be resentful, spiteful. Everything she does will be wrong, every imperfection in your lives will be her fault. She'll keep trying, though, dying of thirst and begging for even a drop of your love. And that will be your marriage. You, an icy, bitter matron, hating your wife with every fiber of your being even if you don't realize it. And Queen Chrysalis, reduced to a fawning sycophant, desperate for nothing more than a nice word from you, a kind touch. Just a smidgen of love that never, ever comes."   

Done talking, Pinkie went silent again, still making circles with her hoof. She didn't notice her friends staring at her, which made sense seeing as they were all sitting in a shocked silence, their eyes wide and jaws hanging agape.

"Uh, wow, Pinkie, that's—" Twilight started to say, being the first to recover.

"What?" Pinkie looked up, blinking a few times. "Oh, hi, Twilight! Sorry, what did you just say? I was thinking about parties!"

"Um…" Twilight opened her mouth, raising a hoof, then sat back, shaking her head. "Just… wondering what you think about Chrysalis and I staying married? Or not being married?"

"Oh, you should definitely stay married!" said Pinkie, nodding her head energetically. "You two are just so adorable together! Plus, if you broke up…"

She trailed off for a moment, and everypony in the room held their breath. "If you broke up, everypony would be super duper sad!"

A gust of wind blew around the room, as the ponies in it started breathing again.

"So then, you like Chrysalis?" asked Twilight nervously.

"Oh, she's so much fun!" said Pinkie happily, bouncing up and down a few times in her chair. "She likes playing tricks just like me! She doesn't seem to like surprise parties very much, though… which is why I found this neat crepe paper that burns up really fast and clean, so next time we probably won't have to call the fire department! Plus I'll get extra balloons, since she likes to pop mine so much!"

The other ponies in the room looked at each other, and they all instantly and silently decided to pretend that Pinkie hadn't said anything before Twilight asked her what she thought.

"Well, there's still someone here I should talk to," said Twilight, smiling down at the dragon next to her, "but I think I already know what his opinion is."

"I do like Chrysalis," said Spike, almost shyly. "And all the changelings, too. They've all been really nice to me. And… it's been like having two moms."

Twilight blushed as her friends giggled, but then her face became serious.

"Two moms… I wonder... " she murmured thoughtfully. After a few moments her friends became restless, and she shook herself. "Sorry, I just had a thought. Chrysalis is always kind to her changelings—it, uh, may not always look like it, but long-term she really is. And since she's nice to Spike, too… she might see him as my changeling, my 'hive'."

"Well, that is kind of interestin', I guess," said Applejack with a shrug.

"No, don't you see?" Twilight said excitedly. "That's why she's always so mean to everyone! Well, okay, that's not right. It's why she's nice to the changelings, and to me and Spike. We're part of her hive, and everything she does is to keep the hive safe and happy. If you're not part of the hive… you're her enemy, or at least unworthy of consideration. After so many years alone, protecting her changelings, that must be the only way she can see things now. That doesn't really change anything, but at least it's a step towards understanding. Towards getting her to interacting more casually with ponies."

Twilight deflated slowly. "If, that is… I get her back. If I want to get her back."

"Twilight…" Starlight shook her head in frustrated puzzlement. "You just spent five minutes arguing with me that she's a perfectly harmless and sweet little bug who means the world to you. And now you're going on like you two have broken up for good and you don't ever want to see her again. I mean, I'm sorry, but make up your mind!"

"I'm trying!" cried Twilight desperately, flopping forward on the table. "But everytime I think I've figured out my feelings something else pops up and I start leaning the other way! It's just all so confusing that I can't figure out what I want!"

"Well," said Fluttershy timidly after a moment, "I know someone who's really good at figuring out things that don't make sense…"

"No!" Twilight's head snapped up "Don't say his name, don't even think—"

"Too late!" said Discord cheerfully, head snaking out from behind her throne. "Even an oblique reference is enough to get my attention."

He looked around the throne room, smiling widely. "Good to see everypony's here and doing well—Twilight!" he cried, suddenly noticing who it was he'd responded to after popping into the room. "It's really nice to see you here. And not stone anymore, either! Celestia figured out that whole mess much faster than I thought she would."

"I… what are you—"

"Whoops! Dear me, am I not where I thought I was?" He pulled out a pair of reading glasses to peer intently at a tattered, leather bound book in one hand. "Ah, yes, of course. You're the one who got married to the bug queen. See, look, I made a left at Amblequerque to get here, not a right." 

"What are you—" Twilight followed Discord's finger to the page he'd held up in front of her face, then suddenly jerked back, her hooves going to her eyes "GAH! W-what is that?!"

"Oh, you act like you've never seen a hyper-multidimensional travel log before," complained Discord, with a roll of his eyes.

"I've never seen anything like that before!" She shuddered, her eyes still covered by her hooves. "What language was that? And the… pictures? Maps? I don't think those were even images! Ugh, it hurts my head just thinking about it! Not a headache, but the thoughts themselves hurt!"

"Oh, fine, I'll put it away." Discord tossed the book over his shoulder and it disappeared with a flash. "But someone's going to have to teach you how to travel on the quantum fractal highways and leap from manifolds to D-branes eventually, and if your little Sun Princess isn't going to do it I might as well."

"If it's going to be anything like that, then no thank you." Twilight sat up, rubbing her head and glaring at Discord. "Why are you here?"

"I was going to ask you that very same thing! I just heard you call and came to help." He stretched out on the table, cradling his head in his palms and fluttering his eyelashes at Twilight. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing at all! In fact, we were just finishing up, so—"

"We've been talking about Twilight's marriage to Queen Chrysalis," said Fluttershy, making Twilight groan. "Twilight isn't sure if she loves Chrysalis or not, and Chrysalis is divorcing her now."

"Hmm…" Discord rubbed his chin with one hand, apparently actually giving the idea some serious thought. "That is tricky. Love can be quite chaotic, of course, but I can't actually say it's in my wheelhouse. So I might have to—"

He suddenly snapped his fingers, then looked at the frozen ponies surrounding the table. "Good, that should let us talk in privacy."

"What did you…" Twilight looked at her friends as well, and suddenly realized they were all standing as stiff as boards, not even breathing. "What did you do?!"

"Oh, I just stopped time for a moment, no big deal," Discord waved a hand. "Although we don't have much time—that is to say, our time—to talk."

"Why not?"

"Well, let's say you have an engine running at full throttle. And then you decided to hold the crankshaft still. It might be okay for a fraction of a second, but what would happen to it after… well, not very long at all?"

"It would… tear itself apart?" ventured Twilight worriedly.

"Yes, exactly! Now imagine that engine is time." Twilight gulped, and Discord nodded. "That's right. Also, this obviously doesn't work on alicorns, and Cay-Cay gets ever so upset if I do it for too long."

"Alright, fine, make all your jokes and let's get this over with, then," said Twilight, with a sigh.

"Jokes? Moi?" Discord put a hand to his chest. "Why, if I was going to joke, don't you think I'd have kept the audience?"

"Then what is all this about?!" snapped Twilight impatiently. 

"I just want to tell you that you do love that deliciously twisted Queen, of course."

"I—" Twilight paused, blinking. "What?"

"Think for a moment, my precious little Princess of Books. In all the worlds, across all of time and space, what causes more chaos than love? It positively drips off you whenever the two of you are together. In fact, I can see it on any two ponies who are in love. I bet you didn't know this, but I'm almost as good of a matchmaker as Cadance."

He leaned in closer to Twilight, speaking in a low voice. "Don't tell her this, but I was actually up for the title of 'Princess of Love' back in the day. Turned it down, though. The tiara clashes with my beard."

He sat back. "And love aside, the sheer amount of chaos the two of you together would create would just be a positively delightful show! I mean, Equestria being peacefully invaded by an army of changelings, all trying to adapt to pony culture? And ponies, trying to coexist alongside a species that lives off their emotions? Why, the chaos that would create is second only to the potential for violence and bloodshed!"

"You—wait, what?!"

"Let me break this down for you," said Discord, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. Twilight gulped and shrank back in her seat as he loomed above her, his eyes now burning red embers.

"The love you and Queen Chrysalis share, the chaos that represents, is so great that it rivals even the most magnificent of my works. To not see you two together would be to go against the very fabric of my being. I want the two of you to be together, in happily married bliss, more than I ever wanted to bathe Equestria in chaos. To put it another way… I ship you so hard it bends reality."

"Um…" Twilight, shaking and sweating, glanced around. The room had grown dark and oppressive, and a heavy fog had begun rolling out of the shadows. Things lurked in the fog, things that at first appeared to be ponies but, the more she looked at them, the more they seemed to be shaped horribly wrong, twisted and bent in ways no living creature should ever be. Faintly, just at the edge of her hearing, she could hear whispers, promising her all the horrible things she lusted after in the far, dark corners of her heart, the things she'd never admitted even to herself that she wanted.

"And moreover," continued Discord, "I am, despite your objections, your friend. That means I want to see you happy. And you have no idea how happy Chrysalis would make you. I used the phrase 'happily married bliss' before, but that's only because I don't know any words stronger than bliss. That is what the two of you would share. Your marriage would become one of legend, heralded throughout the ages as the pinnacle to which two lovers can aspire. If you were to go through with your silly little divorce, I can guarantee you would feel regret later. But that would be only a simple pond, compared to the ocean of regret you would feel if you knew how wonderful and sweet your marriage would have been. Twilight, no matter what direction your life takes from this point on, I can promise you this: there is no future in which you will be happier than the future in which you stay married to Queen Chrysalis and finally get it through your little pony head how very, very much you love her."

"Are you...." Twilight blinked at him in stunned surprise. "Are you saying I do love her? And you think we'd be happy together?"

"Of course," Discord replied, his voice a sibilant hiss. "What does it sound like I'm saying?"

"Well, it's just, your eyes are glowing red, and the whole thing with the room and the darkness…"

"What?" Discord turned to look at his eyes in the wall mirror floating next to him. "Whoops!"

He turned around, waving his hands at the smoke and slowly dispersing it. "Sorry about that, it's been so long since I've done this. Had the thing still set to 'evil'. This was supposed to be fluffy pink clouds and cherub ponies with bows and arrows that had little hearts on the end!"

"Well, maybe if you ever actually came to a dress rehearsal…" said one of the shadowy figures over its shoulder, as it slowly exited with the fog.

"Oh, really Jerry, you're going to do this now?" Discord snorted in anger. "I thought you were supposed to be a professional. Look, all of you just head back to casting and find some cherub outfits. And put the eldritch horror stuff back in storage."

"Hmph. Calling me unprofessional…" muttered the figure, finally vanishing.

"Jerry's actually a really great guy," said Discord apologetically. "He's just been under a lot of stress lately, I guess his relationship with his girlfriend hasn't been going well… you know, I should do something nice for them, maybe take them out to dinner at a fancy restaurant…"

"I, uh…" Twilight scratched her head. "Can I just pretend none of that happened?"

"Probably for the best."

Discord walked across the table to sit on its edge next to Twilight. He reached out a paw and she tensed up, but he just put it gently on her shoulder.

"Look, Twilight," he said, voice earnest, "I could go on about how the two of you are a nexus of chaotic love like nothing I've ever seen and so on and so forth… but that wouldn't mean anything to you. So I'll just keep it simple.

"I've seen enough of both of you to know you love her. The two of you are good together. She did hurt your family, but I think you can get past that, to see her for who she really is, to see how much she cares for you. If you can forgive me for all the terrible things I've done, you should be able to do the same for her. Go to her. Love her. It's what you want in your heart."

"That's…" Twilight wiped a tear from her eye. "That was beautiful. Thank you, Discord." 

"Yeah, well... " He stood up, walking away from her so she couldn't see his expression. "That's why I wanted to do it here, in private. I do have a reputation to uphold, you know."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Twilight snorted, then suddenly looked at him suspiciously. "So is it wrong that I'm actually even more confused now? I do want to love her, but the fact that you also want me to makes me think I should do the exact opposite. Sorry, but I still find it kind of hard to trust you."

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with that at all," said Discord quietly. Suddenly the room was black again. Discord's face shoved up against hers, his eyes blazing like two little windows into the fires of hell. "That just means you're learning."

He snapped his fingers, and the room was back to normal, sans one draconequus. Twilight looked around wildly, blinking, and her friends stared back at her.

"Are… you alright, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash, concern in her voice. "You kinda spaced out there."

"Wha… bu… Discord was just here, and… the shadows..." Twilight stammered, trying to put together a coherent explanation of what had just happened.

"Um, sorry, Twilight, but no he wasn't," Fluttershy said apologetically. "I invited him, but he said he had dinner plans. He did say he wished you luck, though. Um, and that Jerry did too? I'm not sure who that is…"

"Urgh, that annoying son of a bi—ahem." Twilight sat up straight for a moment, then slumped down again. She looked around the table, at each one of her friends in turn, then looked away and sighed.

"We weren't very much help, were we?" asked Fluttershy, ears drooping.

"No, no, you were! You girls all gave me a lot to think about. It's just... " Twilight let out another sigh, which turned into a groan. "I didn't need more to think about. I need to know what to do next. I was hoping you'd all agree, that I could use whatever consensus you came to as a guide. But instead, all I got were the same arguments I've been going over in my head for the last few days."

"Sorry, Twi, but you should have known it wouldn't be that simple," said Applejack, with a shake of her head. "I think that the fact we can't agree should tell you this is something you need to decide for yourself. You can't just count on us to give you an easy answer."

"Count on you? Easy answers? That's it!" Twilight beamed happily at her friends. "I trust all of you, so I can just have you vote, and whichever answer gets the most votes is what I'll do!"

"Wait…"

"Okay, who thinks I should stay married to Queen Chrysalis?"

Rainbow Dash, Spike and Pinkie Pie put their hooves (and a claw) in the air.

"I also vote for parties!" put in Pinkie Pie. "Parties and cake!"

"Noted," Twilight said, nodding gravely. "Now, who thinks we should separate?"

Starlight raised her hoof forcefully, and began waving it around. 

"No!" said Applejack.

"Okay, so that's two for no—"

"I mean no, you can't do this, Twilight!"

"Wait, so is that a yes? You should have voted during the first round then, Applejack."

"Consarnit, stop pretendin' you don't know what I mean!" snapped Applejack, banging her hooves on the table. Twilight drew back, blinking, then slumped down with a guilty, sheepish expression on her face.

"I-it's just so hard…"

"I know it is, but that ain't no excuse for trying to cheat or take shortcuts." Applejack glared at Twilight for a moment, eyes narrowed. "You know, I'm just about ready to get our resident expert on love in here to sort you out once and for all."

"No!" Twilight jerked upright, a look of terror on her face. "I'll be good! Please, anything but that!"

"I don't know, she might set you right in order…" mused Applejack, a sly grin on her face.

"That's the opposite of what you want, Applejack, trust me," Twilight pleaded. "You're telling me I should decide for myself what I want, and you're right! But if she were here, I wouldn't be able to do that. You know exactly what she'd tell me to do, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She'd say—"

"Oh Twiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiight, where aaaaaaaaare yoooooou?" Rarity's voice suddenly rang throughout the castle, and everypony around the table froze. "I know you're in here somewhere…"

"Run," said Twilight.

She and Starlight used their magic to grab up whatever loose furniture lay around the throne room, barricading the entrance. That done, Twilight quickly flapped her way up to one of the windows, pushing it open.

Rainbow Dash went first, quickly turning into a pale blue dot that vanished into the distance. Fluttershy followed behind her, though not nearly as fast, and then there was a flash as Starlight, with Spike on her back, teleported onto the sill next to Twilight. She hopped out into the air, magic wrapping around her body to guide herself gently to the ground, and then Twilight turned back to the room.

"Okay, you're first, Pinkie—" she started to say, only to realize the pink pony was nowhere to be found. 

"First for what, Twilight?" said a voice from behind, and Twilight spun, blinking as she saw Pinkie sitting on the sill and regarding her with a questioning look.

"Um… first to… leave now that everyone who can fly is out of the way?" said Twilight hesitantly.

"Oh, okay! Bye!" With a cheerful wave, Pinkie jumped out the window, sliding down the steep side of the tree-shaped castle on her back. "Wheeeee!"

As the sound of her merriment faded into the distance, Twilight turned back to the last pony still in the room. 

"Hold on, Applejack," she called, flapping her wings.

She'd hardly moved at all before jerking to a halt, as someone began to pound, hard, on the door to the throne room, shaking the hastily thrown together barricade.

"There's nowhere else you can be Twilight!" cried out the enraged Rarity. "So you let me in this instant!"

Twilight hesitated, eyes darting between Applejack and the door. 

"Don't you dare, Twi!" yelled Applejack, just as an end table fell off the barricade and the door cracked open an inch.

"I'll tell everypony you died a hero!" called out Twilight over her shoulder, as she shot out the window.

"You lousy, no good, yellow-bellied—"

Applejack's ranting cut off as the doors burst open, scattering furniture across the room, and a fuming Rarity strode in.

"Oh, Rarity! W-what a surprise to see you…"

"Where is she?" growled the fashion pony, trotting forward.

"I don't know who you mean… oh, are you talking about Twilight?" Applejack let out a nervous laugh, studying the ceiling a desperate attempt to avoid Rarity's eyes. "You know, I just heard her talking the other day about, uh, wanting to… visit Sunburst! Yeah. You know, Starlight's old friend, also studies magic? They were meeting to discuss… uh, magic. So I think she's in the Crystal Empire right now!"

Rarity had stopped, blinking in surprise. Now, seeing Applejack's scrunched-up face, she chuckled and started forward again.

"Oh, Applejack, you should know better to try to lie. Especially to me. Now, come on… you're going to tell me everything."

Applejack gulped and tried to back away, but she had already been as far from the door as she could be when Rarity burst in. So all she could do was whimper and slide to the floor as Rarity advanced, a grim smile on her face.





The rest of the day was filled with a merry chase through Ponyville, Twilight managing to stay a hoofstep ahead of the meddling-intent Rarity for longer than she had thought possible. Rarity had finally caught her, but with both ponies exhausted from the chase all she'd been able to do was growl a few disapproving words at the Princess before both had trudged back to their homes.

But at night, things were different.

Nights always woke somber moods in ponies. Luna had often been asked if that was her intention, but an enigmatic smile was always the only response. Ponies that had been bright and cheerful during the day became thoughtful and solemn when the night fell and darkness overtook the land. Optimistic thoughts became pessimistic, and the worst outcomes always seemed the most likely.

So Twilight paced in her study by the light of candles. Occasionally she'd glance over at her desk, where the packet of papers from the palace sat waiting to be signed.

She had a choice to make, one that would affect not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her, and possibly the lives of everyone in Equestria. With a deep breath, she stopped her pacing, and tried to put everything into simple terms.

Queen Chrysalis loved her. And she loved Queen Chrysalis… except she couldn't seem to actually feel that love.

There was too much history between them, Chrysalis had done too much, pushed things too far. Twilight knew now that all of it—well, most of it—had been done out of love. It had all just been Chrysalis's way of expressing her love, and she thought Twilight had known that and had been going along with it. But Twilight hadn't, and it was too hard now for her to separate what she'd thought Chrysalis had been doing from what the Queen had actually been doing. She might understand it all intellectually, but her heart was another matter.

And despite all that, she still wanted to be friends with Chrysalis. She even wanted to love her, to return her deep, fierce affections. She'd tried to love the changeling, she'd tried her absolute best—she'd dated Chrysalis for months, gone to her friends and family for advice… but nothing has been able to break through that barrier. She still wasn't able to feel the slightest bit of love beyond what she felt for any of her friends.

Was she scared to? Was she just afraid of being in love? Or had everything Chrysalis done just been too much for her heart to forgive? Was her love lost forever because of a simple misunderstanding?

Maybe so. Chrysalis had certainly believed it to be true, and she had left. Partly because she had known the futility of continuing to try and draw love from what seemed to be an empty well… and partly out of her own love for Twilight, to free Twilight from any obligation to try loving her. To, as one final act of love, free the pony she loved to go and find her own love.

The worst part was… Chrysalis had been right. There was no point in pretending; Twilight could fake being in love, they could even have a real marriage and a real relationship like that. It wasn't like she didn't love Chrysalis, she was just hung up on a few issues. Surely with time, and enough love from Chrysalis…

But Pinkie's words had cut deeper than Twilight had thought. Now she could see another future, one where she and Chrysalis tried to pretend they both loved each other. It could work with anypony else in the world… but not with Chrysalis. Not with a changeling. No matter how they pretended, Chrysalis would know. And the longer things went on, the more they tried to lie to each other, the more bitter and angry Chrysalis would become. No, that path would only end in disaster.

So, if Twilight couldn't pretend to love Chrysalis, and if she couldn't actually love her…

...then Chrysalis had been right to leave. Maybe this was how it had to be.

Twilight slowly approached her desk. The papers sat on it, waiting. Sitting down in her chair, she began to leaf through the stack of forms. They all seemed fairly standard; initial here, sign this, put a date here, and that pony you're married to will be out of your life forever. There was a familiar pang of sadness at that thought, but thinking of Chrysalis at all now brought that feeling. Other than that… she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

So she began to fill out the paperwork. Initial here, sign this, put a date here… She worked slowly, methodically. She didn't want to mess this up, didn't want to draw things out. Finish it all here, end it cleanly. Just like Chrysalis wanted. There wasn't much Twilight could do for her anymore, but she could do this right. It would be her last gift to the Queen. That's why she held the quill in her hoof, rather than simply using her magic; this was personal.

Finally, Twilight came to the last page. There was one final signature, this one confirming that all of the above signatures were correct and that this truly was what the pony signing wanted. It was the last key that, when turned, would lock all of the chains in place. Signing this would remove Chrysalis from her life forever.

Twilight thought all of this, staring at that empty line waiting for her signature and felt… nothing different. Nothing that she hadn't felt before. So, with a steady hoof, she signed her name.

Then she sat back, staring at her signature, the quill still in her hoof. That was it. Chrysalis was gone now, for good. It was all there, on official palace documents and signed by her, a Princess. Now bound by the iron hand of law, she would never, ever, ever see Queen Chrysalis again. The words saying so were right there in front of her, in cold black ink. The harsh reality of what that really meant was laying on her desk, and that realization began to beat inside her head to the pulse of her heart.

Her hoof started to tremble.
> Chapter Eight: Changeling Courtship Rituals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was pointless, but Queen Chrysalis pushed herself upright in her bed anyway.

What she wanted to do was just lie there, like she had for the vast majority of the last few days. Just lie in her bed and… do nothing. Not even think. Just doze, just stare at the ceiling. And there was also the temptation to do what she had told Twilight she would, and sleep for the rest of time.

But she still had responsibilities. The smooth integration of her hive with Equestria had to be assured—if she wasn't going to be around in the future to guide her changelings and help them steal love, they'd need the ponies as a voluntary source of sustenance to survive. She'd also have to appoint a regent, pick lieutenants to run things in her absence, possibly even set up departments among her changelings to specialize in handling the different responsibilities involved in running a hive. She could guide the hivemind in her sleep, but without her personal involvement the changelings would need a government that wasn't just her telling them what to do.

And besides… Twilight had written her a letter. She'd barely been able to bring herself to read it, and her sight of the words had been blurred by tears, but the gist had been easy enough to glean: today, Twilight would be coming to the hive to get the last of her things. She'd left very few belongings behind, mostly books, but also a few personal effects. Chrysalis had to make sure all of that was out of her quarters and the hive itself, so Twilight would have no reason to enter.

So after a few moments of sitting listlessly on the bed, Chrysalis pushed herself to its side and slid off. She stood for a moment, then slumped to her haunches, head drooping. She didn't even notice her mane falling limply to encircle her head; she just stared down at the floor beneath her hooves, mind blank.

She winced momentarily when she finally moved, her muscles sore after being unused for so long while she was lying in her bed. Giving her head a shake, she sent her mane tumbling into a position that was at least somewhat close to how she normally wore it. As she shook her head, she caught a glimpse of the letter from Twilight she'd received the night before, and winced again.

She really should destroy that letter, along with all of the newspaper clippings and photos and such of Twilight that she had collected in her scrapbook over the years… but she didn't want to forget. No matter how it hurt, she wanted to remember the pony she loved so much.

Turning away from the nightstand, Chrysalis looked for her breakfast, and her eyes narrowed menacingly when she noted the absence of a tray with her meal on it. She'd told her attendants exactly when she intended to wake up and what she wanted to eat, and yet there was nothing here now. If they thought her lethargy meant they could slack off, they were about to learn many, many new and painful things.

Striding to the entrance to her quarters, she swept the curtain aside, and her eyes widened as she found her attendants and guards nowhere to be seen. One corner of her mouth curled up as she let out a low hiss.

Now, for the first time in days, she felt something. Oh, she felt something indeed—a pool of anger bubbling up inside her like lava, pushing aside her earlier apathy. How dare her changelings abandon their posts?! Dimly, she felt gratitude towards them for at least partially breaking through her despondence… but mostly what she felt was an all-consuming rage.

Grimly, she fired up her horn, making contact with the hivemind and getting ready to dispense swift and brutal, but deserved, justice—and then froze.

The hivemind was empty.

After the first moment of stunned shock had passed, she began sweeping her mind through their shared consciousness, frantically searching every dark corner for some sign of her changelings, but all she found was blank nothingness. Panic growing, she began to lurch from spot to spot in the hivemind, desperate to find any hint of her changelings, before finally forcing herself to stop and drop fully back into reality.

They can't all be gone, she told herself firmly, breathing hard. There has to be some sign of them somewhere!

Once she'd calmed down, she entered the hivemind once again, this time more cautiously. She probed around, seeking any sign, any hint of what had happened to her changelings. At first she found nothing; it all seemed exactly the same, except she couldn't feel any other minds, at all. Which should have been impossible, unless some kind of powerful spell was…

There!

At the edges, she caught just the faintest hint of a changeling. It was bare, little more than a ghost, but it gave her a direction. She followed it, only to find that after a short distance, to her surprise, she could go no further. Something was blocking her. A wall, almost, keeping her separated from the rest of the hivemind. Again, impossible… but the hivemind was hers, and she would not let anyone keep her from using it as she saw fit.

Her horn began to glow brighter, as she attempted to force her way forward. There was resistance, but she had centuries of experience with the hivemind, and she wouldn't be stopped.

"You think you can defy me?!" she growled, eyes clenched, speaking out loud without realizing it. "I am the QUEEN!"

For a moment, she slipped past whatever barrier had been set up—just for the barest fraction of a moment, and what she got could barely be called a glimpse. But it was enough, and stunned, she hardly even noticed when she got pushed back out again.

All her changelings were being kept from her. Whatever that barrier was, they were all behind it. She'd gotten a feeling in the second she had touched them… she didn't know what she'd felt, but she knew it made her mad. It had felt like they were mocking her, almost. But she'd also gotten something else from that touch: a physical location. She knew where they were now—just outside the entrance to the hive.

Face set in a grim frown, Chrysalis started off down the tunnels of the hive. Something or someone had taken her changelings, and they were going to pay. In blood, preferably, but she could think of all sorts of other fun choices.

As she stomped her way towards the entrance, though, her mind took another turn. The hive was so… empty. So quiet. Normally it was filled with busy, purposeful activity—changelings rushing to and fro as they dug new tunnels, prepared to raid a town of ponies and harvest love, or just went on their way to take care of any of the hundreds of odd jobs that a living, breathing hive required to survive.

And now there was nothing. Just the heavy clop of her hooves echoing back at her off the tunnel walls. Just her, by herself, all alone. She had trouble finding a word to describe the experience, but finally came upon one—creepy. It wasn't a word used often by a love-devouring, shape-changing, slime-secreting changeling, but it fit.

Is this what it's like for Twilight right now, all alone in her castle? wondered Chrysalis. She doesn't have any changelings either… just like me.

No, of course this wasn't what things were like for Twilight, she realized a moment later. Twilight had friends, Twilight had family, Twilight had all manner of ponies and other creatures to keep her company. Chrysalis only had her changelings, and with them cut from the hivemind, she now had no one.

She slowed, surprised as she realized what the strange feeling she had was. She was… lonely.

Her changelings had always been with her, of course, so this was the first time she'd ever truly been alone, with not even the hivemind to rely on. But even then, after everything she'd experienced with Twilight, at some point she'd come to feel lonely and hadn't even realized it until now. Even the hivemind hadn't been enough to fill that gap; it wasn't exactly like talking to herself, but like a shadow, an echo of her own thoughts. Her changelings had their own wills and thoughts, but those thoughts naturally tended to line up with her own.

She'd never known until recently what it was like to actually interact with ponies—in ways that didn't involve deceiving them and controlling their minds—and now, strangely, she missed the experience.

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Princess Luna—especially Luna, for some reason she couldn't quite put a hoof on—she missed them all. She found she actually wouldn't mind having one of them around now. Provided they didn't bother her, or talk, or do anything disrespectful, of course, but she still would have enjoyed their company. She would've even accepted Starlight Glimmer, that dead pony who was living in Twilight's castle and trying to steal her away.

Her gait, already slow, came to a halt as a series of thoughts suddenly raced through her head. Did… she want friends?

No, of course not. Of course not! She didn't have friends. She'd thought Twilight would change things… but she'd been wrong about that. Sadly so, and it simply reinforced the point that a Queen did not have friends.

Although… Princesses did. And they seemed just as respected as Queens. Feared, even, though maybe not as openly as Chrysalis herself was. If they could have friends, and still maintain their dignity and their control over Equestria, was there any reason she couldn't? Was she really so different?

Her changelings didn't seem to think so. With a sort of vague disapproval, she'd watched their first tentative steps towards fitting in among the ponies. No matter her feelings for Twilight, she couldn't see the ponies as anything more than a food source. But the other changelings had taken to them like… well, like ants to ice cream, to use a fitting but rather unflattering comparison.

Rather unnervingly, she'd noticed feelings in the hivemind starting to form towards the Princesses. Her changelings… respected Celestia and Luna, in a way they previously had only Chrysalis. The ponies had told tales of the Princesses to her changelings, and as those tales spread through the hivemind, the changelings respect for them only grew. Somehow, somehow, their brand of leadership, of kindness and understanding, had won them the same deference from the ponies that Chrysalis got from her changelings through unwavering discipline, and occasionally fear. 

And, perhaps most disturbing of all, some changelings had questioned her. Normally such an unprecedented act would bring swift retribution, but they'd asked her to be nicer. To find compromises to problems that made everyone happy. To be friendly. She'd been so confused by the requests that she'd simply denied them in a huff, and the displeasure that radiated through the hivemind as she'd done so had quickly discouraged any other changelings from doing the same. 

Doubt had still gnawed at her, though. All she needed to do was look at Equestria to see how things could be. It was a large nation, a powerful nation, full of happy citizens. And Celestia and Luna had done all that peacefully. They'd fought only in self-defense, instead relying on harmony and understanding to build their kingdom.

She had indulged Twilight during all the times the pony had spoken of the power of friendship, listening patiently despite her own lack of faith in such a thing. Or, at least, that it was as strong as Twilight claimed. But now, as she reflected upon it in her loneliness… was friendship actually magic?

If so, perhaps there was another way to rule. If the Princesses could do it, then maybe she could do the same...

The shape of a new world formed inside her mind. One where changelings were friendly, spreading out across Equestria, earning their love rather than stealing it. They might not know much about friendship right now, but they could learn. Next to communication, knowing things was what the hivemind was best at. And that aside, the hivemind already had a multitude of skills, gathered throughout the generations. There was so much in Equestria they could help with, so much they could fix, so many ponies they could make happy. 

And Chrysalis herself… maybe she really could learn what it took to be a friend to other ponies. Ponies who weren't just Twilight. She could become a beacon of friendship, leading her changelings in spreading its magic across the land. She could be a gracious Queen, beloved by ponies and changelings alike. And… maybe, just maybe… Twilight would see that, and realize Chrysalis had changed. Maybe it would open her heart up, the way it could have been, the way it should have been from the start, if only Chrysalis hadn't misunderstood things so terribly. That might be hoping for too much, but regardless, she could build a new world. She could ensure her people not only survived, but prospered. She could make the changelings, and herself, as loved in Equestria as the Princesses themselves.

Maybe, she could even be... nice.

Thoughts bouncing around in her head, visions of a world of harmony and friendship led by changelings dancing before her mind's eye, Chrysalis resumed walking, unconsciously following the path she had been on before her revelation. She threaded her way through the tunnels with familiar ease, not even having to watch where she was going as she ruminated on her revelation. 

Then she rounded the final bend and exited the hive. Seeing what was waiting for her, she snapped back to reality and stood frozen in place, eyes wide.

She had built this hive in the Macintosh Hills, down in southern Equestria. The reasoning had been simple; placing the hive in already existing caves was easier than burrowing it out themselves, and the Macintosh Hills were riddled with tunnels. And as a bonus, the hills gave her a spectacular view of much of Equestria, including Twilight's current home, Ponyville. Aside from her beloved's castle, it was still a beautiful sight—the hillside her hive was built on sloping gently downwards, eventually becoming lost in trees, and the wide plains of Equestria beyond that.

Right now, the entire hillside spread out below her seemed to be covered with changelings. Her changelings, she realized with a shock, despite the fact that they all seemed to be glowing with a magenta aura. None of them were moving; they stood stock-still, faces expressionless as they stared up at her. 

After the moment of shock passed, she lit up her horn again, forcing her way into the portion of the hivemind the changelings were sharing. She was pushed out again, but now that she was physically near them she'd been able to penetrate much further past that barrier. She hadn't been able to pick up any thoughts, but their emotions had come through clearly. Strangely, there had been no malice. In fact, it had felt just like the normal hivemind, full of love and devotion for her. The only thing different had been a sense of anticipation, a gleeful laughter that she had earlier mistaken for mockery.

It is some kind of spell! she thought disbelievingly. But why would someone want to block me out of my own hivemind?! And who would have enough raw magical power—

"I see you made it at last," said a haughty voice from above, and Chrysalis jerked her head upwards.

Twilight Sparkle floated in the air, wings flapping gently to hold her aloft. Her mouth curled up in what could have been a smile, but the set of her eyes and the arch of her eyebrows turned her expression into a disdainful sneer. And her horn glowed, channeling a spell. The same spell, it was suddenly obvious, that was cutting Chrysalis off from the hivemind.

"What… you're…" Chrysalis tried to speak, but found that she couldn't quite process what she was seeing enough to form a coherent question about it.

"I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me that you've decided to agree to my little proposal," continued Twilight with a chuckle that sent a shiver through Chrysalis's carapace.

"The hivemind… my changelings…" Chrysalis finally managed to get out, focusing on what had brought her out here in the first place. "Why… why are you doing this?!"

"Ah, yes, you and your little changelings." Twilight peered down at the mass of changelings gathered below her, eyes narrowed in malevolent glee. "I had to do something about them before we got to the fun part. I don't want them interfering this time, after all."

She held a wickedly happy glare on the Queen, who simply stared back in befuddlement… until the bit dropped.

Chrysalis's mouth fell open, her pupils shrinking, and she staggered to the side as she remembered where she'd heard those words before. She had been the one to say them after all. She shook her head, unable to believe what was happening… but then she looked up to meet Twilight's eyes, and saw it. The pony's eyes were still narrowed, there was still a sneer on her face, but deep in her eyes, just barely visible—possibly only leaking out because it was Chrysalis she was looking at—there was a faint twinkle. A sparkle.

"Twilight, you're… I don't understand," Chrysalis finally managed to say, though she was just barely able to get the words out without stammering. "After everything that happened… the letter you wrote, it said—"





Twilight slowly approached her desk. The papers sat on it, waiting. Sitting down in her chair, she began to leaf through the stack of forms. They all seemed fairly standard; initial here, sign this, put a date here, and that pony you're married to will be out of your life forever. There was a familiar pang of sadness at that thought, but thinking of Chrysalis at all anymore brought that feeling. Other than that… she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

So she began to fill out the paperwork. Initial here, sign this, put a date here… She worked slowly, methodically. She didn't want to mess this up, didn't want to draw things out. Finish it all here, end it all now. Just like Chrysalis wanted. There wasn't much Twilight could do for her anymore, but she could do this right. It would be her last gift to the Queen. That's why she held the quill in her hoof, rather than simply use her magic; this was personal.

Finally, Twilight came to the last page. There was one final signature, this one confirming that all of the above signatures were correct and that this truly was what the pony signing wanted. It was the last key that, when turned, would lock all of the chains in place. Signing this would remove Chrysalis from her life forever.

Twilight thought all of this, staring at that empty line waiting for her signature and felt… nothing. Nothing that she hadn't felt before.

So, with a steady hoof, she signed her name.

Then she sat back, staring at her signature, the quill still in her hoof. That was it. Chrysalis was gone now, for good. It was all there, on official palace documents and signed by her, a Princess. Now bound by the iron hand of law, she would never, ever, ever see Queen Chrysalis again. The words saying so were right there in front of her, in cold black ink. The harsh reality of what that really meant was laying on her desk, and that realization began to beat inside her head to the pulse of her heart.

Her hoof started to tremble.





"Goodnight, Twilight."

Twilight let out a sigh as Chrysalis climbed into bed with her. No matter where she lay, Chrysalis's bulk always pushed the mattress down and caused Twilight to roll back against her. And Chrysalis always took that opportunity to wrap her legs around Twilight and give her a squeeze, nuzzling her face into Twilight's mane. So, as always, Twilight had to rearrange their limbs, freeing her forelegs so they weren't trapped tightly against her barrel. That tended to leave her foreleg draped over Chrysalis's in a rather friendly and almost intimate manner, as though they were holding hooves as they slept, but somehow she didn't care anymore.

The last—three days? Four? Had it really only been that few?—had been equal parts terrifying and confusing. Her confidence that Chrysalis had been engaged in some long term plan to trick her had started to waver. At the same time, she still couldn't believe that Chrysalis loved her. Well and truly loved her. She was still waiting for the other horseshoe to drop.

And yet… somehow sleeping like this had become normal. Almost comfortable, in a way. It hadn't even been a full week yet, but she still had trouble picturing herself not sleeping with Chrysalis wrapped around her.

"Goodnight, Chrysalis," she said hesitantly. As always, that made the changeling happy, and she nestled her head more firmly down onto Twilight's, humming a few notes as she did so. They both drifted off to sleep quickly, but Twilight still heard Chrysalis's sleepy murmur just before falling asleep.

"I love you."





Twilight picked at her food, fork moving with desultory slowness.

She'd been in Chrysalis's hive for over a week now, and the conclusion was impossible to ignore. Chrysalis did love her. 

Now she was trapped in an impossible conundrum. She didn't return Chrysalis's love. How could she? The Changeling Queen was one of the worst enemies she'd ever faced, one who'd come far too close to taking over Equestria, and she had hurt Twilight's family in the process. To say nothing of the other things she'd done…

But at the same time, she couldn't just come out and say that. Chrysalis's reaction was all too predictable. Worse, she would be heartbroken. And while a week ago it would have been hard to find something Twilight cared less about than Chrysalis's feelings… things had changed. She'd slowly started to get to know the changeling, to realize that she had hopes and feelings and dreams just like any other pony—well, more or less. And now, somehow, Twilight didn't want to hurt her.

A sound caught her attention, and she turned, to see Chrysalis let out a feral snarl right in her face. Which would have been terrifying, except Chrysalis had stuck two carrots onto her upper fangs, which turned the growl of a monster into something utterly and completely ridiculous.

Twilight couldn't help it. Her hoof went to her mouth and she giggled, giving her first real, honest smile since finding out she'd married Chrysalis.

"Thash betta." Chrysalis's tongue snaked out, pulling the carrots into her mouth and crunching them up. "You look so pretty when you're smiling."

Her guard already lowered by the unexpected silliness Chrysalis had just displayed, Twilight suddenly found herself blushing at the compliment. That immediately sobered her up. She couldn't possibly find anything to like about Chrysalis… could she?

She looked up, to find Chrysalis gazing at her.

"I love you, Twilight."





Their lips separated, and Twilight stood stunned.

It was tradition for the couple to kiss at a wedding. Twilight had known that, and yet had still managed to be surprised when Chrysalis kissed her. 

The kiss itself hadn't been the only thing to surprise her. The passion in the kiss, the love Chrysalis had managed to get across through such a simple thing as two ponies pushing their lips together… Twilight had kissed Chrysalis before, but compared to this, that had been a simple peck on the cheek. 

She looked up at Chrysalis, lost in those dual-colored eyes, unable to look away. And, for just a moment, unable to deny the feelings she could feel beginning to stir. In that moment, she wanted this marriage, and she wanted to stay with Chrysalis.

It was hard to call it a quiet moment, with both sides of the wedding chapel cheering at the top of their lungs, but there was silence between the two of them until Chrysalis spoke.

"I love you."





"What happened yesterday… I never meant for it to be like that."

Twilight looked up, surprised, as Chrysalis spoke into the silence of the Canterlot Library.

"The way I left you, I mean. That just wasn't…"

She trailed off, and Twilight tried not to smile. Chrysalis was clearly attempting to apologize for leaving her during their first date, and was clearly unable to bring herself to actually say she was sorry for something.

Twilight considered the changeling for a moment. She was still mad that Chrysalis had walked out on their date. But this… recreating the date her mother had taken her father on—a date that also happened to be Twilight's exact idea of a perfect date—well, that was special. As far as Twilight was concerned, that earned a lot of forgiveness.

"It's okay, I understand." She pulled Chrysalis close, giving her a quick hug. The changeling blinked at her in surprise, then smiled.

"I love you."





They stood on the steps of Twilight's castle, under the glow of the moon, their lips pressed together.

They separated, and Twilight, face flushed, smiled up at Chrysalis.

"Good night, Twilight," said Chrysalis.

"Good night, Chrysalis," Twilight replied pushing open the door to her castle.

"I love you, Twilight."




    
They walked home slowly. It was raining, but they were together so it was fine. Twilight looked over as Chrysalis nudged her with a shoulder, then smiled down at her.

"I love you."





"I love you, Twilight."




    
"I love you."





"I… love you."

Twilight sat bent over her desk, tears running freely from her eyes. Those tears had done a good job at obliterating her signature on the divorce form, and her quill had finished things off as it was shook about by her hoof until the ink it leaked had turned the entire bottom quarter of the page into one big blot.

Now she swept the papers aside, scattering them across the room, and collapsed, sobbing, onto her desk.

If this was love, no wonder she'd had so much trouble admitting it to herself! Her heart ached and soared at the same time. She missed Chrysalis, like a part of her own body, and just knowing she'd signed that stupid, stupid divorce form made her want to tear down buildings and raze kingdoms to see that changeling just one more time.

She loved Queen Chrysalis, absolutely and with all her heart. She loved everything about her; the brush of her mane against her chitin, the greens of her eyes glinting with mischievousness or promising death to a pony who'd upset her, her arrogance and refusal to admit she was wrong even when she knew she was. Every single thing about Chrysalis was just perfect.

Sure, Chrysalis had a streak of megalomania in her. But that didn't even need to be changed, just redirected. With all that energy put towards making Equestria a better place, rather than simply trying to take control of it, there was no telling what they could accomplish. And all her past sins could be forgiven, as well. After all, who hadn't tried to use magic to force a bunch of ponies to do what they wanted? At this point, the list was getting pretty short.

In the end, it didn't matter to Twilight what Chrysalis had done in the past. All that mattered was the present, and what Chrysalis would do in the future. And as far as she was concerned, the top two things on those lists were 'love Twilight' and 'be loved by Twilight'.

Sniffing, she pushed herself back upright, rubbing at her still wet eyes. Her gaze happened to fall upon the papers she had thrown about the room, and in a fit of anger she gathered them all up and shoved them into a trashcan. Then, for good measure, lit it on fire. It was what Chrysalis would have done after all.

She might have told a minor untruth to Rainbow Dash when she'd said they couldn't just destroy the papers. It was still a felony, that was true. But she was a Princess, and the odds that anyone would care she'd destroyed official palace documents was miniscule. Besides, even if someone had a problem with what she'd done and actually wanted to press charges… let them try. They'd have to get through her wife first.

Assuming, of course, that Chrysalis still wanted to be her wife. Twilight had finally managed to find her love for the Queen, but Chrysalis didn't know that. And, judging by her final words before departing the restaurant, she might not believe it. Simply pleading with her for another chance, for an opportunity to prove her love, wouldn't work; Chrysalis's decision had been too final, her mind too made up. It would take something extraordinary to get her attention, let alone convince her to give Twilight a chance to explain.

Twilight frowned in thought. Could Rarity help her? Celestia knew the fashion pony was invested enough in this relationship as it was. She'd kill to be the one to help Twilight put together some romantic spectacle to win back Chrysalis's love. And it would go a long way towards getting Rarity to forgive Twilight for their… disagreements over the past few months.

Then again, Pinkie Pie could help too. If she wanted something big and eye-catching, Pinkie was definitely the way to go. It would be hard for Chrysalis to ignore a cake baked in the shape of her hive, and to scale, for instance. Plus, Pinkie's ability to go wherever she wanted to would help when it came time to deliver Chrysalis an invitation.

But Cadance was the Princess of Love, and if anyone would know what to do, it would be her. Maybe now that a few days had passed, and Shining Armor had had a chance to talk to her, she would be able to bring herself to help with Chrysalis. That would also be a good step towards patching up their relationship.

Or maybe Luna, as Chrysalis's friend—        

Twilight's thoughts paused. She was going about this the wrong way, wasn't she? She was sitting here, trying to come up with a way to win back the love of a pony, going about it like a pony Princess.

When what she should be doing was thinking like a Changeling Queen.

With a wicked smile on her face, she ripped some parchment off a nearby shelf, picked up her quill and fresh pot of ink and, after a few false starts, penned a letter…



My Darling Queen Chrysalis,

We've had many disagreements and misunderstandings over the years we've known each other, and I'm afraid our last conversation falls squarely into that category. While you made some good points and were clear when you said you wished never to contact me again, I'm afraid I must take issue with your declaration.

Accordingly, I shall be by tomorrow morning to take possession of everything in your hive that belongs to me. Every single thing, with no exceptions made for anyone or anything. Including you.


Counting the minutes until I see you again,

Princess Twilight Sparkle




Chrysalis stared up at Twilight with her jaw hanging open. Her tongue flicked out, almost involuntarily, and she caught a flavor in the air. It was faint, given how far away its source was, but as all her thoughts of a new world of love and harmony rushed away, she recognized that flavor.

Strawberry ice cream. 

With a snap of her teeth, she shut her mouth. She wanted to burst into a goofy grin, to cheer and dance and celebrate, but with a struggle, she managed to suppress those urges. After all, she was a Queen in the presence of another Queen who was threatening her hive. There were appearances to be maintained in these situations.  

"Twilight Sparkle," she growled through clenched teeth, as her wings buzzed and lifted her up until she was face to face with the pony. "I don't know what you're planning or what your scheme is here, but I'm not going to let you get away with it!"

They smiled grimly at each other, their expression mocking. But their eyes met, and for just a moment their faces softened, and they shared the smiles of two ponies in love.

Then, at the same second, they both swept forward, power crackling along their horns. They crashed together, their hooves flailing as each grappled for an advantage. Then their magic clashed, and the towering flare of power it threw up lit the surrounding countryside green and magenta for miles in every direction.
> Chapter Nine: The Ceremony, Take Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The library in Twilight's castle was always orderly. Case upon case and shelf upon shelf of books sat peacefully, carefully arranged by whatever system Twilight had decided on that week. Subtle spell runes glowed along the shelves to keep the books safe, and others lined the walls to mute outside sounds. A quiet hush filled the room, as befit such a solemn temple of learning.

That silence was shattered, along with most of a window, as a tangle of purple and black limbs came crashing through the stained glass panes. Slamming into the floor, the clump of legs split apart, revealing itself to be bruised and battered pony and changeling.

Twilight slid across the floor, sending several tables and chairs flying before coming to a rest in a pile of furniture. Chrysalis bounced off a pillar, spinning across the room and crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to make the books on the shelves jump, even with the protective spells on them.

Wobbling, both climbed back to their hooves. Instinctively, their first action was to look over at the other, doing their best to remain circumspect, almost as though carefully making sure their partner wasn't hurt. Only then did they check themselves out, stretching out a sore limb or patting disheveled hair back into place.

Twilight attacked suddenly, sending a storm of chairs flying across the room. But Chrysalis was at the ready, and a heavy beam of magic from her horn burned them all down mid-flight.

For a moment, there was peace again as the two circled the room, heads down, stalking each other. 

Once more, Twilight was the first to act, charging across the crystal floor at full gallop, her head down and horn leading the way. Chrysalis ran out to meet her, horn similarly at the ready. But just before they collided Twilight disappeared with a flash of magenta light, reappearing behind the changeling and unleashing a powerful bolt of magic from her horn. What Twilight had forgotten, however, was that Chrysalis had been obsessively following her every move over the past few years. So Chrysalis had been ready for the same tactic the then-unicorn had used against Nightmare Moon, and Twilight's magic spattered harmlessly off the shield protecting Chrysalis's back.

The Queen's sneer of triumph turned to shock as the Princess charged back across the room, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the shield. Normally, even the impact of an alicorn at full physical strength would hardly be noticeable, and Twilight was tiring out, but after the running battle the two had been fighting, both their magics were also nearing their end, and the shield cracked under Twilight's assault. With two more blows it shattered, sending Twilight crashing into Chrysalis and knocking them both to the ground.

For the next few moments they simply wrestled upon the floor of the library, hooves flailing and bodies twisting as each fought for an advantage. Twilight could get on top and try to pin the changeling down, but she never quite managed it in a way that gave her the leverage to stop the larger changeling from simply shrugging her off. Chrysalis similarly found herself unable to keep the pony in place; no matter what she did, the small pony wiggled and squirmed her way free.

They separated again, panting, each carefully watching for a moment of weakness.

Chrysalis took the first shot this time, grabbing chairs in her meager remaining magic and smashing them all together on top of Twilight even as she charged the pony. Twilight simply leapt lightly over the chairs with an assist from a flap of her wings. Chrysalis arrived as she touched down, rearing up and then slamming her hooves down.

She struck only the hard crystal floor of the library, as her hooves passed through a magenta flash. Twilight reappeared directly above where she had been, flapping her wings to hover in place as she unleashed the last of her magic in a stunning bolt at Chrysalis.

A bolt that struck only the air. Chrysalis appeared out of her own teleport in the air just above Twilight, having correctly guessed the use of the pony's favorite spell once again. Now out of magic herself, she struck down with both rear hooves, catching Twilight in the back and sending her crashing to the ground with a cry.

Chrysalis landed just behind the pony, wobbling on her hooves. Twilight looked at her with wide, fearful eyes, then turned and began to struggle away. She dragged herself along with her front hooves, managing after a moment to begin getting her hind legs under herself so she could stand up.

And as she did, Chrysalis pounced.

She landed on Twilight, sending them both crashing to the floor. Twilight struggled violently, throwing her body back and forth as she sought escape, but Chrysalis followed her every move. She crouched above Twilight, stalking along with her movements, hooves herding the pony closer and closer to her own body, cutting off her every escape attempt. Finally, Twilight could move no longer, pinned firmly under the changeling. She gave a few weak wiggles, struggling with all the might she had left, but she may as well have been trying to move a boulder.

They lay there for a moment, both breathing hard. Twilight was on her back, forelegs firmly caught between her barrel and Chrysalis's, wings pinned under her own body. Chrysalis squatted atop her, hind legs trapping Twilight's body in place, her front hooves planted to either side of the pony's head.

Finally, Twilight turned her head to the side and lifted her chin, exposing her neck, and gave the changeling a meaningful look. Grinning widely, fangs on full display, Chrysalis began to lower her open mouth.

Twilight closed her eyes, just like she had the first time. She wanted to savor the moment.

She felt Chrysalis's hooves, tight around her body. She heard the changeling breathing, panting partly out of exhaustion from their fight and partly out of anticipation. She smelled the scent of Chrysalis's carapace, a faint wisp of black licorice. Just as Twilight felt hot breath upon her neck and a set of fangs brushing against her coat, Chrysalis paused. Then she pulled back, and Twilight open her eyes, looking up in confusion and worry.

"Chrysalis?" she asked nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"No," replied the changeling slowly, shaking her head, "but while I appreciate you going through a changeling wedding for me… I think I like the way you ponies end this thing better."

The pony continued to look puzzled, and Chrysalis smiled down at her. "I do," she said softly.

Twilight's confusion disappeared, and a bright, warm smile took its place. "I do," she replied.

Chrysalis started to move down again, then almost reared back in surprise as Twilight launched herself upwards, wrapping her hooves around the changeling's neck and kissing her fiercely.

This was no peck on the cheek, no hesitant enjoyment of a surprisingly tender wedding kiss, no simple kiss goodnight. Twilight melted into Chrysalis's embrace, letting herself finally express all the feelings that had been bottled up inside her for months. All the anxiety, all the fear and sadness, all the unfelt desire exploded out of her in that fiery, passionate kiss.

They paused for a moment, foreheads resting against each other as they took deep, shuddering breaths, and then, mouths still open, came together again. 

Carefully, Chrysalis lowered Twilight to the ground, their bodies still wrapped together. Tentatively, almost shyly—still remembering what had happened the last time she'd kissed Twilight like this—Chrysalis's tongue poked gently into the pony's mouth. Again Twilight hesitated at the unfamiliar sensation of a forked tongue in her mouth, but only briefly, and both pony and changeling let out deep moans as their kiss deepened.

For an endless, dreamy time, the two lay on the floor of the library, exploring each other's mouths, lost in the sheer pleasure of finally being able to express their love physically, the anticipation of knowing there was only more to come only heightening their pleasure.

At some point, through the haze of joy, Twilight realized Chrysalis was silently weeping. Carefully separating herself from the changeling, she gazed sadly at her for a moment, not noticing her own tears, then moved forward and gently kissed the tears off Chrysalis's cheeks. Changeling tears had a bitter taste, but she didn't mind, and didn't stop until they were all gone. At the same time, Chrysalis saw the pony's tears, and Twilight let out a giggle as a forked tongue tickled across her face and lapped up her tears.

"I missed you so much," whispered Chrysalis hoarsely. "I thought I'd lost you forever…"

"So did I," Twilight replied breathlessly, eyes wide with wonder as she stared at the face she loved and gently stroked Chrysalis's cheek. "I thought I'd never be able to find my love for you, and then I signed those stupid papers and realized you would be gone for good…"

She stopped, letting out a shuddering breath, and then buried her face in Chrysalis's neck, kissing up and down her chitin. In turn, Chrysalis wrapped her forelegs around the pony and squeezed, taking up her favorite position with her chin resting on the top of Twilight's head.

"I love you," murmured the changeling into Twilight's mane. "You do love me too, right?"

"You know I do," Twilight replied with a happy sigh. "Would I have gone through all this trouble if I didn't? Besides, you can taste it."

"Yes, but that's not the same as you saying it," insisted Chrysalis. "Hearing the words, hearing them come out of your mouth, knowing you mean them while seeing you actually say what I've waited so long for—"

"I love you, Queen Chrysalis," said Twilight, an adoring smile on her face. "You mean everything to me. There is nopony in Equestria, in the entire world, that I would rather be with than you. All I want to do—"

She stopped talking. She had to, as Chrysalis had begun smothering her face with kisses, and obviously she had to return the favor. Eventually, Chrysalis calmed down and settled for simply embracing the pony tightly. After only a moment of that, she raised her head.

"So what do you love about me?"

"Really?" asked Twilight dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"I spent six months telling you how much I loved you and why," Chrysalis replied with a pout. "Don't I deserve the same?"

"Well…" Twilight slowly ran one hoof up and down Chrysalis's neck. "I love your chitin. How it's so smooth, and tough yet flexible."

Leaning in closer, Twilight rested her forehead against Chrysalis's. "And I love your eyes. So many shades of green, all mixed into two perfect circles. It's like staring into a pair of the most beautiful jewels imaginable."

She lifted up one of Chrysalis's forelegs in her own. "I love your hooves, and every hole in them." She began kissing the hoof she held, and as she neared one of the holes Chrysalis suddenly snatched the leg back, something that looked suspiciously like a blush on her face.

"Oh my, they are sensitive. I see, I see..." Twilight chuckled, then, seeing the changeling's mortified expression, relented. "I love your wings, the way they shimmer in the light." Twilight ran a hoof down Chrysalis's back. "I love the softness of your shell… I love everything about you, my Queen."

A shiver went through the changeling's body at those words, but then she turned away, looking back at Twilight out of the corner of one eye. "So you're only in this because of my body, then?"

Twilight let out a groan, rolling her eyes, but obliged. "Well, I love your arrogance—"

"Confidence," interjected Chrysalis, with an offended sniff.

"And I love that it makes you refuse to admit you're wrong, even when you know you are. And I can always tell you know, because you get an adorable pouty look on your face and refuse to talk." Chrysalis glared at her, cheeks puffed out, and Twilight chuckled. "Yes, that's the one."

Chrysalis turned away with a huff, but Twilight put her hoof on the changeling's cheek and gently turned her head back to look her in the eyes. "And I love how much you care about, well, everything. Especially me. That intensity sometimes makes you do things I don't exactly approve of… but I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Thank you. That's… that's all I can say." Chrysalis smiled widely, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes. Twilight could still remember a time when the sight of that smile would have sent her running for cover… but now all she did was smile back.

"If anything, I should be thanking you," replied Twilight softly. "If you hadn't… well, messed up so badly and started all of this, I never would have known I could feel this way. So thank you."

"We can call it a draw," Chrysalis said, with a toss of her hair and a widening of her grin.

They kissed again briefly, then pulled back to gaze into each other's eyes.

"So…" said Chrysalis after a moment, "where shall we go for our honeymoon? I was thinking of Canterlot. After all, we'll need to claim our new thrones."

Twilight turned her head sharply, gazing at Chrysalis with narrowed eyes, and the changeling threw her head back with a cackle. "Or would you prefer the Crystal Empire? Either is fine with me. Our legions should be gaining control of both capitals within the hour."

Twilight's expression softened into something that could have been called a smirk if there hadn't been so much love in it. "I wouldn't mind visiting the Crystal Empire—it's beautiful, and I can't wait to show you around—but it might be better if we avoid it for some time. At least until certain issues have been cleared up. As for our legions invading both of them… no, they aren't."

"Excuse me?" asked Chrysalis, a fearsome frown on her face. "What exactly makes you so sure of that?"

"Because," said Twilight smugly, "one of their Queens informed them that, at least for today, any such actions would have to be approved by both their Queens."

Chrysalis stared at her, mouth dropping open. Then she snapped it shut, fury blazing in her eyes. "You went over my horn?!" she snarled.

"Not exactly over… more to the side," replied Twilight, the smile still on her face. "They are my legions too, aren't they?"

Chrysalis stared at her, mouth working silently as she tried to get out some kind of response, then she turned away. "Yes," she admitted, grumbling.

"I won't do this again, Chrysalis, or at least not very often," said Twilight gently, touching the changeling's shoulder with one hoof. "But today is a very special day, and I wanted it to be all about us. No invasions, no kidnappings, just… us. In love, and married."

Twilight's hoof suddenly tightened on the shoulder, and she flipped Chrysalis over, pinning her on her back. "And don't think you're going to get away with anything like that from now on anyway," she growled in Chrysalis's face. "You're stuck with me forever, and I will stop you. Every. Single. Time."

Chrysalis blinked at her in something almost like fear, and then a smile grew on her face. "Good," she snarled, "I look forward to it."

"The changelings are busy right now, though," commented Twilight after a moment, and then smiled when Chrysalis looked at her questioningly. "They're getting ready to move into their new hive."

Chrysalis's expression didn't change for a moment, and then she gasped. "You mean… you asked them to move here? A-and build a new hive under your castle?"

"That's right. They should be here tomorrow, to start surveying the area and planning the excavation. Luckily, the castle has plenty of room for guests, and on top of that, I'm sure the Ponyville hotel wouldn't mind a few hundred extra customers for however long the construction takes."

The smile suddenly fell off Twilight's face. "Oh. That was okay, wasn't it? I know I'm a Queen now too, but I don't want to step on your hooves or anything and start ordering the changelings around all the time, and this was a pretty big move to make, telling them to abandon your current hive and all—"

"No, no, it was fine," hushed Chrysalis soothingly, stroking the pony's hair. "I told you I was planning on moving the hive under your castle, and you remembered and gave orders to that effect. I have no issue with you ordering our changelings to carry out decisions I've—we've—already made. And on top of that, you are a Queen, the same as me. Your orders are my orders, and the other way around."

One corner of her lips curled up, into a smirk. "But if you truly wish to rule as a Queen, you'll have to get out of that habit of apologizing. Royalty does not ask forgiveness; you command, and your wishes are carried out. There is no discussion afterwards."

"Well… that's something else we might have to agree to disagree on. Or, at least, it's a topic where we both have something that we can teach the other." Twilight gave her head a shake. "In any case, I may have jumped the gun a bit with that order. I don't even know if this kind of construction is allowed in Ponyville. We'll have to get official surveyors out here, look up property and zoning laws, get some permits from the Mayor's office…"

"The Mayor's office, you say…" mused Chrysalis, then looked down cross–eyed as Twilight booped her in the nose.

"You are not laying siege to the town hall again," growled Twilight. 

"Bah! 'Jaywalking'... what kind of a law is that?! I will not pay a fine for simply strolling across a street that I own!"

"For the last time, you do not own Ponyville! Neither do I! And if you'd simply showed up at your court date and apologized, they would have forgiven the ticket!" A thunderous expression grew on Chrysalis's face, and Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't mean apologize apologize. But all you had to do was walk in and explain you hadn't meant to do anything wrong. That's it. 

"What you didn't need to do was bring three full changeling legions into Ponyville and attempt to storm city hall over a ten bit ticket! And you definitely don't need to do it again! Mayor Mare was very forgiving after we got it all sorted out, but pushing her goodwill is the last thing we want to do, believe me."

Chrysalis started to object, then stopped with a frown. "You may be right," she conceded. "I have to admit, the town hall's security force was much tougher than we had expected. And the Mayor herself…" Chrysalis gave a little shiver. "I consider myself lucky that the other pony officials don't have her… tenacity. Or her ferocity. If Celestia had possessed such qualities, scaled up to her size and position, my first invasion may not have ended as well as it did."

"Far be it from me to say anything against the Princess, but…" Twilight looked around guiltily before continuing, "Celestia is 'Princess for Life' of Equestria. Mayor Mare is an elected official. She has to fight for her office, and that tends to toughen a pony up pretty fast."

"Plus she doesn't just sit around on her big flank eating cake all day," pointed out Chrysalis.

"Don't say things like that!" objected Twilight, squirming uncomfortably until Chrysalis calmed her with a flurry of kisses.

"There is still one thing we need to work out, though," said Twilight seriously, as they snuggled closer on the floor.

"Oh?"

"Yes. It's… about the wedding."

"Wedding? Of course!" Chrysalis clapped her hooves happily. "We need to have another wedding in Canterlot! With all your friends and family, and all our changelings!"

"That's not what I—"

"We can have another bachelorette party, and Rarity can make us new dresses..."

"I wasn't—wait, why would we need new dresses? Our old ones are perfectly fine still! It's only been six months!"

"We can't wear old dresses to our wedding!" gasped Chrysalis in horror. "Besides, it's for real this time! It needs to be perfect."

"You've been spending too much time with Rarity," Twilight groaned. "Okay, fine, new dresses. She won't mind anyway. And we can work out all the other details later. But… that wasn't the wedding I was talking about."

Chrysalis looked at her in puzzlement, and Twilight took a deep breath. "I meant the first wedding. The one where we met."

"Oh." Chrysalis shifted uncomfortably. "You still want me to apologize. Even though I was just doing what I had to do."

"I do want you to apologize, yes," said Twilight, nodding. "I'm not going to argue about whether or not everything you did was necessary. We've been over that. I would still like for you to apologize for what happened, though."

She held up a hoof. "But. I want you to mean it, Chrysalis. I don't want you to say you're sorry just to make me happy. You need to truly understand what you did, how it made me feel, how it made us all feel. If you understand that, if you actually do regret what you did, then say so. But I don't want an apology you don't mean.

"And… don't think you have to do this. I won't love you any more than I do now if you do, or any less if you don't. What you did was terrible, but… at least you had reasonable motivations, even if your actions can't really be called good or well-intentioned. And I think I forgave you for what you did a long time ago. Even when someone does something horrible, it's hard not to forgive them when they do it out of love and duty. 

"So I'd like you to apologize. But you don't have to, and I don't want you to if you don't mean it."

Silence reigned in the library for a time. Twilight could almost feel Chrysalis struggling to come to a decision—in fact, she actually felt the changeling shift in place, and take a breath to give a reply before halting and then letting the breath out in an almost silent sigh. Finally, just when Twilight had resigned herself to the thought that Chrysalis wouldn't be giving her an apology that day, the changeling raised her head. As she did, Twilight's horn glowed briefly.

"Twilight…" she said slowly, her eyes not quite meeting the pony's, "I'm… sorry.

"I'm sorry I didn't just talk to you, to any of you. If I'd known what I know now, I could have just talked to you and let you know how I felt, or maybe even tried negotiating with Celestia. Even though conquest is just and honorable, and the way I do things—the way I prefer things—I could have saved so much time and effort and heartbreak if I'd just asked.

"And… I'm sorry for what I did to Cadance. I-I felt like I was going to die when I lost you, and Cadance must have felt something like that when I replaced her. A little bit, at least. On top of that, I didn't need to do it all on her wedding day. That made it personal, and there was no reason to do that.

"Most of all… most of all, I'm sorry for what I did to you and everyone you love. You were all there for a special day, and I ruined that. I hurt you and your family, and that hurts me."

She let out a defeated sigh, giving a lackluster shrug of her shoulders. "So… there. An apology. A real one, probably the first one I've ever given that wasn't directed at my changelings."

"Thank you, Chrysalis." Twilight's horn lit up again as her hooves encircled the pained-looking changeling and squeezed tight. "You have no idea how happy it makes me that you did that for me."

Chrysalis sighed, but hugged back. "I have at least some idea. Only someone who loves me and is this happy with me could taste like you do right now."

"And just think!" said Twilight excitedly. "This is just the first of many, many apologies you'll be giving over the rest of your life! You are going to make a wonderful Pony Princess, my dear heart."

"What?!" Chrysalis's head snapped upright. "You are out of your little pony mind if you think I am ever going to apologize again for what I've done or what I will do!"

"Not even to my friends and family for the wedding, like you just did to me?" asked Twilight with a pout.

"Especially not for that!"

"Well, that's fine." Twilight's horn began to glow, and a set of crystals floated up from a nearby desk wrapped in her magical aura.

In the middle was a large, dark purple crystal, roughly egg-shaped and covered in a multitude of facets. A faint shimmer came from deep within its surface, where motes of light danced. Surrounding it were four other, smaller crystals. These four were white and translucent, almost empty looking.

"What… is that?" wondered Chrysalis, as Twilight's magical manipulation produced a brighter light inside the larger crystal. The light gathered in the crystal's facets, and then flowed out, forming four beams that connected to the smaller crystals.

"Oh, it's this amazing artifact I found in the Crystal Empire after we defeated Sombra," said Twilight happily. The light in the bigger crystal disappeared, leaving the smaller crystals glowing faintly purple.

Twilight's horn glowed a bit brighter, lifting one of the small crystals higher. She let out a pulse of magic from her horn, and an image sprang to life in the air.

"Twilight…" said the ghostly, floating Chrysalis, "I'm… sorry."

The real Chrysalis's mouth fell open as a perfect recreation of her apology played out in the air before her.

"Isn't it fascinating?" asked Twilight giddily, talking over the replay. "The main crystal can record any event that takes place in a cube up to fifteen feet across, and then play it back with complete accuracy at any time. And as many times as you want! And the smaller crystals can copy anything the main one has recorded, so you can distribute perfect copies of a recorded scene to as many ponies as you have crystals!"

"N-no…" stammered Chrysalis, futilely trying to get to her hooves as the copied crystals floated away. She managed to get her legs under her body and reach the crystals just as they disappeared in a flash of magenta light.

"No! No no no!" Chrysalis reared up, hooves flailing wildly through the air where the crystals had been, "W-where'd they go? Bring them back! Bring them back now!"

"I sent them away, to some safe places that only I know about," replied Twilight. "I'm going to show one copy each to my parents, Cadance and Shining Armor, my friends, and the Princesses. Then I'll erase each recording." 

Chrysalis turned around, raw fury and panic burning in her eyes. "You can't. You… you can't!"

"I can, Chrysalis," Twilight said soberly. "I want them to see you. The real you, not the monster who's attacked their kingdom repeatedly and ruined a wedding. It may only be once, but I want them to see what you're really like. To understand that while you willingly did every single horrible thing they experienced… that's not all you are. They can learn to tolerate you over time, maybe even like you, but if they can see you apologizing for what you've done it will make everything quicker and so, so much easier."

Breathing hard, one eye twitching, Chrysalis began to advance on Twilight one lurching step at a time.

"But… if you don't want me to, if you really don't want me to, I won't. I know how important your image is to you, and I know you think being seen apologizing will make you look weak. If this is something you really object to, I'll destroy those recordings.

"I just want you to know, it's important to me that you let me do this. I love you, and I want everyone in my life to know exactly why that is. I know you'd never show them willingly, and that's why I… well, I tricked you, a bit. I was even planning to wait to ask you for the apology if I didn't have something handy to record it with when we ended our wedding.

"I'm only doing this because I love you, *hiss chitter chirp*. And I want to keep things between you and my other loved ones as peaceful and happy as possible. I've let you do a lot of things I didn't agree with—like trying to murder all my friends at one time or another—because I love you, and I understand it's just something you do.

"So… if you love me, truly, then please. Let me do this."

Chrysalis had made it to where Twilight still lay upon the ground, standing at her hooves. Now she stared down at the pony, eyes wide and blinking.

"You... " she rasped. "You're… blackmailing me? You're using our love to force me to do something against my will?!" 

"I'm not, Chrysalis," said Twilight with a smile, shaking her head. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I'll still love you regardless."

"You are!" insisted Chrysalis hoarsely, pointing a shaking hoof down at Twilight. "It's not a choice if you say I'll do it if I love you!"

"That's not what—" Twilight cut off with a squeak, though she kept her smile, as Chrysalis's hoof pressed down on her throat with a not-inconsiderable amount of force.

"You're lying there, blackmailing me into going along with your little plan to make me look weak," growled Chrysalis, leaning forward, breath coming in ragged gasps. "You're using your love as leverage, forcing me to do what you wish against my will…"

She started to shake, and a snarl began to rise in the back of her throat.

"You… you…"

Chrysalis suddenly lunged forward, her fangs snapping shut close enough to the pony's muzzle to ruffle the fur on her coat, and Twilight didn't even flinch, the smug smile staying unmoved on her face.

"You… are going to make a spectacular Changeling Queen," declared Chrysalis finally, and kissed her.


The End








> Epilogue: Cadance (Finale)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The wind howled through the courtyard in front of the Royal Canterlot Gardens. The sky was sunny, but a cloud hung over this square, turning it drab and dreary. Aside from a few leaves skittering over the cobblestones, there was only stillness. The rest of the city hustled and bustled with multitudes of ponies going about their days, and the faint sounds of a celebration could be heard off in the distance, but in this courtyard nopony spoke.

Shining Armor sat in front of the statue of Princess Cadance, staring up at his wife, and then slowly lowered his head.

"Cadance…" he said softly, "Cadance, I'm so sorry about this. I'm going to miss you, and I wish you could be here with me today. I know everypony else does, too.

"But… what you did was awful. No matter what the excuse, what the provocation, you have to be punished. It hurts that you'll be gone, but if justice is going to be done, this is the way it has to be. The actions of ponies have consequences, even if that pony is a Princess. And even if that Princess is you.

"I know it might seem like it will be forever, but we'll be together again soon. I'm going to miss you for every second that we're apart, and you'll be the only pony I think of all that time. And hopefully, when we see each other again, you'll be able to understand why things had to be this way."

Pushing himself to his hooves, he turned to head into the garden. "Goodbye, Cadance," he said softly.

"But it's not faaaaair!" whined Cadance behind him, prancing up and down in front of the statue of Princess Twilight that flanked the other side of the entrance to the Royal Gardens. "I already missed their wedding, now I have to miss the reception too?!"

Shining Armor let out a sigh, turning back to trot over and stand by her. "Yes, you do. That's what a restraining order means. And even if Twilight and Chrysalis didn't have one on you, you have one on them too, remember?"

"But… but…"

"You need time to calm down, Cadance, and time to come to terms with the two of them being together. And after what you did… well, they need time to forgive you and recover from what you tried to do to them."

"I know… but…" Cadance looked over at him, her lower lip quivering. "Can't we forget about that? Just put it all on hold, just for today? I should have been there for Twilight's wedding!"

"Cadance…" Shining Armor let out another sigh and shook his head. "You could have been at her wedding the first time. You had the opportunity; she invited both of us. And you chose to do… what, instead?"

Cadance mumbled and kicked at a cobblestone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that."

Cadance let out a groan, but said, "I prepared myself for a war on Chrysalis."

"Which isn't a problem. In fact, had I not already known about them, I would have done the same. I'm talking about what happened after that, when you found out that Chrysalis really did love Twilight. What did you do when you knew it was true love, Cadance?"

"I... unilaterally decided that she didn't deserve Twilight."

"And then?"

"And then I spent months giving Chrysalis purposefully wrong advice for the explicit reason of destroying any hope of love between the two of them."

"And then?"

Cadance winced. "Then I… kind of attacked them, destroyed a restaurant, almost tried to kill Chrysalis, and tried to make Twilight love a pony that I had decided she should love rather than letting her choose for herself."

"Do you really think you deserve to go to their wedding and reception after all of that?"

Cadance hung her head. "No," she mumbled.

Shining Armor leaned against her, putting one foreleg around her and nuzzling up to her. "So you do understand then," he said gently. "After everything that's happened, it's better for all of you to stay apart, until the wounds can heal. They need to see that you truly can accept their love… and Twilight will, trust me. She's very forgiving."

"I know," said Cadance with a nod.

"And you need to see that they truly are in love," continued Shining Armor. "As amazed as I am by the whole thing… they are. They actually are. Even more frightening, I think they're good for each other. Twilight can learn a lot about being a leader from her—the parts that aren't as nice, that is. As for Chrysalis… well, the more she learns about friendship the better. Even a little bit would be a huge improvement."

"They are kind of cute together…" said Cadance hesitantly, then blushed when Shining Armor gave her a small smirk. "Well, they are! A-and you're right about them being good for each other. If anypony can keep Chrysalis under control, apparently Twilight is the one."

"And Chrysalis…?"

"And Chrysalis… might be able to help prepare Twilight for some of the more ruthless parts of being a Princess," admitted Cadance grudgingly.

"Like, say, trying to attack your sister-in-law's wedding and ruin her marriage?" Shining Armor asked with a raised eyebrow, and Cadance frowned at him.

"You know, as a Princess, I can issue my own restraining orders," she said frostily, lips pursed and eyes narrowed, "and I can apply them to things besides ponies. For instance, beds, and the activities that take place in them."

"Okay, I'm sorry," said Shining Armor nervously, holding up a hoof in a gesture of truce. "I don't mean to keep bringing that up. I won't do it again."

He gave her a look, seeing as how even as she nodded, her head was drooped and her shoulders slack.

"It's okay," he said softly, squeezing her again. "Everyone knows you didn't really mean what happened. They'll forgive you. And I'll always love you, no matter what."

"I know," she said quietly, hugging him back.

"And how is our other project going?" Shining Armor asked, taking a step back.

"It's… going," responded Cadance, making a face, then groaned when Shining Armor frowned at her. "I'm taking it seriously, I promise! It's just… letting a bunch of changelings into the Crystal Empire? That's like letting foxes into a hen house!"

"They're coming to help, Cadance! At least, they'd better be. But we need them. You know what a pain it's been trying to drag the Empire into the modern age. And not only do the changelings give us the bodies we need to do the work, thanks to Queen Chrysalis and the hivemind they actually have experience with how things have changed over the past thousand years. It might not make up for what happened at our wedding, but I'm happy with a bit of forced labor for the Empire as payback for that."

"It's a fitting punishment, I'll agree with that," admitted Cadance grudgingly. Shining Armor cleared his throat meaningfully, and she winced. "I'm working on my end too, but it's hard! I mean, finding a way to store love? I'm not a miracle worker!"

"I know, I know," Shining Armor replied soothingly. "And we're not asking for miracles. Or at least not quick ones. But collecting and storing all the excess love the Empire and Equestria produce is going to be the key to living in peace with the changelings. It's too diffuse for them to feed off of properly, and there's a limit to how much they can all feed on individual ponies."

He looked at her firmly. "And finding a way to solve that problem is part of your punishment too, Cadance. After everything you did to destroy love for a changeling—"

"I know, I know, now I need to find a way to get love for all of them." Cadance shivered. "I remember what the Princesses said at the trial. I've never actually heard Auntie Celestia use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but I think I would have preferred it to how she sounded."

"Yeah, well, if you'd been at some of the Royal Guard reviews I have… you wouldn't be saying that. I couldn't hear for a week."

Cadance giggled at him, and Shining Armor smiled back. Then his expression sobered.

"Well, I'm glad everything seems to be going well on that end, but I need to head off to the reception now," he said gently. "I'm sure they'll be wondering where I am. Are you going to be okay by yourself for a few hours?"

"I'll be fine," said Cadance, shuffling her hooves nervously. "Will you tell them… I'm sorry? Please, ask them to forgive me."

"I will," promised Shining Armor.

"And… can you give Twilight and Chrysalis this?" 

Cadance reached back, pulling a small, gaily wrapped box out from under her wing. Shining Armor took it, eyeing it warily, and pushed the lid back to look inside. There was a long moment of silence.

"Oh, Cadance…" breathed Shining Armor finally.

Inside the box, nestled in its soft silk lining, was a pair of earrings. One was shaped like a six-pointed starburst, carved out of a deep green emerald. The other, in brilliant amethyst, was a pair of hole-riddled insect wings. Both were placed in settings of the purest gold.

"T-they're enchanted with the same spell I used when I was trying to—when I was talking with Chrysalis," explained Cadance meekly. "They can't share the hivemind, but this way they can at least talk to each other whenever they're apart—"

She stopped with a gasp as Shining Armor pulled her into a fierce hug.

"It's an absolutely perfect gift, Cadance," he said, pulling back to smile warmly as he gazed into her eyes. "They're going to love it, I promise. Trust the Princess of Love to come up with something as fitting as this, huh?"

Cadance blushed. "I really am sorry about everything I did. And I thought that since I tried to break them apart, maybe I could do something that would help bring them together…"

"It's a wonderful thought. I'll be sure to pass it on." He gave her one last squeeze, then turned to head into the gardens. "Okay, I'm going now. I'll see you again in a few hours. Try to find something fun to do, maybe see a play or go to a concert. Just… try to take your mind off everything for a while, okay?"

"Okay, Shining Armor, I will."

She watched him go as he walked into the gardens, until he disappeared around a hedge trimmed into the shape of Celestia and Luna's cutie marks. Hesitantly, she took a few steps forward, but then the warning tingle of the restraining order spell crawled up and down her neck, and she backed away with a small whine.

She stood gazing at the gardens for a moment longer, then turned away, head down, and began to trudge back to her hotel room.

There was no way to deny it: she had messed up. Bad. It was even worse than when Aunt Luna had turned into Nightmare Moon. At least Luna had had the excuse that she actually wasn't being given the respect she deserved, even if her reaction had been a bit out of line. But Cadance… she had acted out of spite, and jealousy, and pride. There was no excuse for that.

And look where it had gotten her. She had nearly destroyed true love—an action anathema to her very soul—because she had been so caught up in her own prejudices and preconceptions that she'd been blinded to its existence. She had hurt the sister-in-law and friend she loved so dearly, and even now she still wondered if Twilight would ever want anything to do with her again. And she'd done it all because she thought she knew the one true answer: that the only pony who Twilight deserved was Celestia. And why had she thought that? Because she was the Princess of Love, and therefore anything she thought about love had to be true.

She let out a snort as she trotted drearily through the streets of Canterlot. That had turned out well, hadn't it? Not only had she nearly destroyed Twilight's love, but everything she had put Twilight through may have even hurt her relationship with Celestia. No doubt Twilight would be looking at her mentor through different eyes now that Cadance had nearly forced her to fall in love with Celestia. And to top it all off, Celestia was still alone.

Her head slowly came up. Yes… Celestia was still alone, wasn't she? She might still have a bit of a crush on Twilight, but that would no doubt be fading soon now that Twilight was married. Celestia was nothing if not practical, and she would do everything she could to not let her feelings get in the way of her friendship with Twilight. So… she would need somepony new to love now.

Cadance began to trot faster. The immortality issue was something she'd have to consider, but when all was said and done, it wasn't a deal breaker, just something that would be nice to have. More important was the pony themselves. They had to be kind, respectful of Celestia's elevated stature while not being intimidated by it, able to deal with the heightened public attention they would receive… she didn't have to worry about whether or not they would be attracted to Celestia—what pony wouldn't be?—but getting Celestia to fall in love with them, on the other hoof…

Well, I am the Princess of Love, aren't I? Cadance thought cheerfully, nearly prancing now. And if there's one thing I can do, it's make two ponies fall in love…

Head held high, mind considering and rejecting various suitors for her aunt, Cadance continued down the street towards her hotel room. She had plans to make.