Apologies. I've had a crazy couple of weeks, what with me starting my new summer job and my grandpa passing away...

Anyway, here you go.

---

"So then I said to Sergeant Hornet: boy, that sure was a sticky situation!"

Lieutenant Bombus burst out laughing while General Mantis and Captain Acari rolled their eyes and groaned.

"With all due respect, General," Acari whispered, "why did we have to bring him along?"

"Queen's orders," Mantis grumbled. "Not mine."

"So, Acari," Bombus said as he flew up to the captain's side, "how's your food supply?"

"I'm satisfied," Acari bluntly replied. "Why?"

"Just wondering. But if you ever need a refill," he flashed a sultry look, "I'm willing to share."

Acari narrowed her eyes and threw her hoof in his face.

"Ouch!" Bombus cried out, rubbing his jaw. "A simple 'no' would've sufficed."

"Lieutenant," Mantis groaned, "how many times have I told you not to harass the female soldiers, especially when we're on duty?"

"Besides," Acari snorted, "you forget we're all related."

"Hey!" Bombus protested. "That doesn't seem to bother the general here!"

Mantis spun around with glaring eyes. "Excuse me?!"

"Oh, come on, dude! It's not like nobody in the hive knows how you feel about the queen! We're changelings, after all!"

The general said nothing and continued forward. Acari jabbed Bombus in the ribs.

"Nice going, Lieutenant," she whispered harshly before following her superior.

"What'd I say?" Bombus asked as he went after them.

"Just keep quiet for five minutes, please!" Mantis grunted.

The lieutenant shut his mouth and waited exactly five minutes before speaking again.

"So what's it like?"

The general groaned. "What?"

"Having a heart. You know, other than the prince, you're the only changeling left who still has his heart. The rest of us were born without them. So…is it worth it?"

"Hearts produce love," Acari said gruffly. "Love is for the weak, which the strong must use against them. If we had any such emotions to distract us in battle, we'd all be extinct."

"Hey," Bombus said with a shrug. "That never stopped the general, and he's the best general we've ever had. At least, I think so, since he's the only general I've ever known, but he's really great! And no offense, Acari, but we lost a heck of a lot of those battles despite our lack of distractions and, surprisingly, the winners of at least two of those battles had love on their side."

The captain snorted. "They just got lucky."

"You wouldn't want to be in my situation anyway, Lieutenant," Mantis sighed. "Yes, I have the ability to love, but it's a curse I've been forced to bear my whole life. I wish the queen hadn't spared me during the Reformation. She thought she was doing me a favor, but instead, she's punished me for all eternity. Nonetheless, I have my duty to consider before my emotions, as is the way of the soldier."

"You ever thought of telling her all this?" Bombus asked. "I mean I'm sure she knows, but maybe once she has her heart back…"

"It doesn't matter!"

The two soldiers jumped back at their leader's outburst. Mantis hung his head as he pressed forward.

"It doesn't matter," he repeated. "She'll be gone soon, anyway."

---

In the living room of the ship, Screwball, Mothball and Moonbeam, who had sneezed back into pony form and was wearing only her cap; were sitting around the coffee table with cards in their hooves.

"Got any eights?" Screwball asked Moonbeam.

"Uno!" the filly said, waving her single card.

Screwball picked a card from the pile and laid her cards down. "Gin!"

Mothball lowered his cards in confusion. "What are we playing again?"

"Every pony!" Twilight shouted from above deck. "Land ho!"

Trixie poked her head out of the kitchen. "We're there?"

"Yes! And you're not gonna believe where the brush led us!"

Everyone rushed up the stairs to see what Twilight was talking about. The alicorn was looking over the rail in disbelief. When the others joined her, their eyes beheld an enormous, dark, run-down castle on top of a swirling hill in the middle of a dreary brown forest. Below it stood the ruins of a village, covered in a dark green substance that looked like old crystalized mucus. The same substance covered lower parts of the castle.

"Where are we?" Screwball asked.

"The Forest of Leota," Twilight replied.

"Hey," Mothball said. "This is where the changelings were banished after the siege of Canterlot."

"So Trixie's…" Screwball paused as the unicorn gave her a warning glare. "…treasure is in that castle?"

"Definitely," Twilight said, holding up the blinking brush for emphasis.

"Huh," Trixie huffed. "Seems a little sloppy for Mother to hide something so valuable in one of her old hideouts. Then again, she does have a thing for old and abandoned places."

"So we get to explore a creepy, possibly-haunted old castle?" Moonbeam inquired. "Cool! Let's go!"

"Hold it, young lady! You're staying right here where it's safe!"

In truth, she didn't want her daughter to see the heart when it was retrieved.

"Aw, come on!" Moonbeam whined, crossing her forelegs. "You never let me go anywhere!"

"Your mother is right," said Twilight. "There's no telling what dangers lurk in the castle."

"I'm not scared."

"Seriously, that castle is not something you want to take lightly. Why, last time my friends and I were in there, there were doors leading to strange rooms, disembodied voices talking in riddles, winding staircases in all directions…"

"Sounds like home," Screwball snorted. "I think the kid will be fine if I'm around to take care of any booby traps or monsters."

Trixie scowled at Screwball and was about to say something when the chaotic pony clapped her hooves together and an anchor dropped over the edge.

"Come on, slow pokes!" she exclaimed as she slid down the anchor's rope. "I thought we were on a tight schedule here!"

Twilight sighed as she flapped her wings. "Just like her father. Always acting on impulse."

Mothball followed the alicorn's example while Trixie sprouted wings and Moonbeam went down the rope after Screwball. When they reached the ground, they gazed up at the castle in awe.

"It looks smaller from this angle," Moonbeam observed.

"Try this," Screwball said as she bent backward and stuck her head between her legs.

Moonbeam could not bend that way, so she turned around and bent down to look out through her legs.

"Oh yeah, much more intimidating!" she chirped.

Trixie looked accusingly at Mothball. "Trixie thinks your fiancée is a bad influence on Moonbeam."

The prince shook his head. "Bad? No. Unusual? For sure."

"Every pony, stay close," Twilight said as she led the group inside. "I've been here before, but Chrysalis might have upgraded security since then. We must be ready for anything."

"Noted," Screwball said as she summoned a baseball bat.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Trixie thinks we'll need more than that for protection."

"Hmm. You're right."

The bat transformed into a frying pan. Trixie put a hoof to her head.

"Hey," Screwball said. "Never underestimate the power of a frying pan."

As the group approached the castle's large door, Twilight, Mothball and Trixie illuminated their horns while Trixie held her daughter behind her back. The door automatically opened with a long, slow creak. They were about to step inside when a horrid, upside-down pink face jumped out at them. Mothball and Trixie staggered back screaming.

"Cool!" Moonbeam piped.

"What is that thing?!" Trixie exclaimed.

Screwball twisted her head upside-down to get a better look at the thing. It appeared to be an empty pink pony costume with an oversized head and bulging plastic eyeballs.

"It looks kinda like Aunt Pinkie," she observed aloud.

After composing herself, Twilight explained, "It is. She made it. Don't ask why. I commend Chrysalis for her attempt at poetic justice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mothball inquired.

"Long story. Come on. It won't hurt us."

Twilight used her magic to toss the hideous costume out of the way. Every pony gasped at the castle's interior. As Twilight had said, there were staircases twisting in every direction with sideways doors and once they were inside, a voice spoke from nowhere:

"To find what you seek
You must take a peek
Behind the right door
Or face horrors galore."

"This is like home!" Screwball exclaimed. "So I guess we try all these doors until we find the right one. I call the ones on the ceiling!"

"Actually, we won't have to try all the doors," Twilight said as she levitated the blinking brush into view. "The brush will show us the way."

Screwball floated down to the floor with a pout. "Way to spoil the fun, Auntie Twilight."

"Can we still see what's behind the other doors?" Moonbeam asked eagerly.

"We don't have time," Mothball said. "Which way, Twilight?"

The alicorn stepped forward and watched as the brush slowly turned right. "This way!"

They followed the hairbrush up a staircase to a green door with a heart etched in the wood.

"No, it can't be that obvious," Trixie grumbled.

"What's so obvious about it?" Moonbeam questioned as she tilted her head.

"This is it," Twilight declared as she touched the doorknob. "Ow!"

She retracted her hoof as a spark of electricity shot through her.

"Look!" Screwball pointed.

Inside the heart engraving, a series of strange markings appeared that to Twilight, Screwball and Moonbeam looked like squiggles.

"What in the world?" Screwball uttered.

"I've never seen writing like this," Twilight marveled.

"They're ancient changeling runes," Trixie explained.

"Before Equestrian writing was developed," Mothball continued, "this was what our ancestors used."

"So you know what it says?" Twilight asked.

"Of course," Trixie replied. "All changelings are required to know it from childhood. We use it to pass secret messages to each other, especially when we're undercover."

"So what does this say?" Screwball inquired.

"It says…" Trixie turned pale and glanced nervously at her daughter. "Um…"

"No heart shall pass through here," Mothball finished.

"What does that mean?" Moonbeam asked.

Screwball shrugged. "Probably just threatening ponies not to steal the heart in there."

"Heart?"

Trixie growled at Screwball, who quickly thought up a lie.

"Err…that's the name of the treasure! It's called, uh, the Heart!"

"Oh," Moonbeam replied. "So it's like a golden heart or something?"

"Yeah, sure," Trixie said, pushing through. "Can we just go in already?"

"Okay, hold your horses," Screwball said as she reached for the knob.

But as soon as she touched it, she was electrocuted just like Twilight.

"Let me try," Mothball offered.

But the same happened to him. Moonbeam reached to try it herself, but her mother stopped her hoof.

"No biggie," Screwball shrugged. "Who needs a door when you've got magic?"

She vanished and then reappeared a second later and was thrown back by an invisible force. Mothball knelt down to her side.

"I can't teleport in there!" Screwball gasped.

"Figures," Trixie said, shaking her head. "Mother built this vault against her enemies, and Discord was one of her greatest. It makes sense she would cast spells that would repel chaos magic."

"There must be a way in," Mothball insisted. "Mother would still have to create a way to get in herself."

"Maybe there's a clue somewhere," Moonbeam suggested. "There's always a clue around magically sealed doors."

"A clue," Twilight said as she squinted at the changeling runes. "A clue! That's it! That message isn't a threat. It's a riddle!"

"No heart shall pass through here?" Screwball said, scratching her head. "What could that…?"

Then her eyes widened and so did Mothball's as he came up with the same answer. Everyone except Moonbeam turned to Trixie, who was still confused.

"Why you all looking at Trixie like that?"

"Trixie," Twilight said slowly. "Do you know why Screwball, Mothball and I weren't able to open the door? Think about it. What do we all have that you don't?"

Trixie's eyes widened as she realized what they were all implying. "No, no. It can't…"

"Just try, Trixie," Mothball said.

Trixie turned to the door and took a deep breath. She reached out and twisted the knob. It clicked and the door opened into a dark staircase.

"Clever, Mother," she muttered. "Very clever."

"Mom?"

Trixie looked back at her daughter. "Not now, honey. Mummy's got a treasure to fetch."

"Mom, how come you can open the door when they couldn't?"

The unicorn bit her lip. "Your mummy's just more powerful, that's all."

"And what did Princess Twilight mean when she said they all have something you don't?"

"Moonbeam, I don't have time for this."

"And what did the message mean when it said no heart could pass through?"

"We'll discuss this later!"

Trixie was about to descend into the darkness when Moonbeam grabbed her leg. The filly was glaring up at her with impatience.

"No, Mom! I'm sick of you hiding stuff from me! What's going on here?"

Mothball sighed. "Trixie, just tell her."

"There's nothing to tell!" Trixie shouted as she attempted to shake her daughter off. "The reason Mummy was able to open the door is not important! What is important is that I get down there and get back my heart!"

Moonbeam blinked. "Your what?!"

Trixie covered her mouth, but it was too late. The words had already slipped.

"Mom, did you just say your heart?" Moonbeam asked again.

Trixie stared down at her daughter for a long while, unsure of how to respond. Twilight, Screwball and Mothball backed away to give the two some space. Finally, Trixie let out a sigh.

"Mummy hasn't been honest with you, Moonbeam. We're not here for a treasure, though it is something very valuable. Down there, probably locked away in a vault or something, is a heart. My heart."

Moonbeam let go of her mother's leg. "That…that's ridiculous! Your heart can't be down there." She touched the left side of her mother's chest. "See? It's right…"

She paused as her mouth twisted in confusion. She moved her hoof around her mother's chest, searching for a thump.

She felt nothing.

"But…" she uttered.

Trixie lowered her daughter's hoof and lifted her little chin so she could look her in the eye. Even without her heart, she knew this was going to hurt.

"You see, honey," she began slowly, "when your father left and broke my heart, the pain was too much to bear. I went back to my mother and had her cast a spell to remove my heart…so I would never love again."

Moonbeam shook her head. "N-no. That's impossible. You…you said you loved me."

Trixie winced. "That's…not necessarily true."

"You don't love me?" the filly choked as her eyes glistened with tears.

"I didn't know I was going to have you when I did it. I…I care for you in the way that you're the only reason I'm still living, but…"

"You don't love me."

"It's not that I don't love you, sweetie. I just can't!"

"So," Moonbeam sniffed, "you lied when you said you loved me?"

Trixie moved her hoof to wipe her daughter's tears. "Honey…"

The filly scowled and turned her back to her mother. If this sight was hurting Trixie now, she could only imagine what this would be like with all her emotions.

"Sweetie, I didn't mean to…"

"You lied!" Moonbeam snapped. "I can understand why you didn't tell me all that changeling stuff, but this?! This…this is…"

Trixie laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Moonbeam…"

"Get away!" the filly shouted as she raced to Mothball.

"Moonbeam, please! You have to listen to me! Having my heart removed was the worst mistake I ever made! I've regretted it every single day since you were born! But that's all going to change. Once I have my heart back, I'll be the mother you've always wanted, the mother you deserve! No foal should be with a parent who doesn't love them."

Moonbeam stared at her mother and then buried her face in her uncle's leg as she sobbed. Trixie hung her head in shame. Twilight approached her.

"You can still fix this," she whispered. "Once you're able to love again, she'll forgive you."

Trixie looked back through the door and down the dark staircase.

"Will you be alright down there?" Twilight asked.

The unicorn nodded as she illuminated her horn. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has faced worse."

The alicorn rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile as she watched her friend disappear into the darkness.

Normally, Trixie would've been nervous descending a dark stairway with no knowledge of what was on the bottom, but she was too determined to fix her mistakes to be afraid. However, she still remained cautious. A riddle couldn't be the only thing guarding her heart. Her mother wasn't that careless.

After what felt like hours of walking, she spotted some light up ahead. When her back hooves left the bottom step, she found herself in a circular room. Her horn glowed brighter so she could get a better look at her surroundings. The stone walls were covered in crystalized mucus that surrounded several small holes which looked like they once contained something.

Trixie put her hoof to her chest as she felt a sudden tingle. She glanced down and waited for it to return, but nothing happened. She shrugged and stepped further into the room. Her chest tingled again. Curious, she slowed her pace. The closer she got to the back wall, the stronger the sensation became.

On the far end of the room, a faint green light glimmered. Trixie squinted at the wall and saw that the glow was coming from behind the mucus. She shot a beam at it and destroyed the green substance.

Behind it was a small niche containing two chests. One was ivory and faded with time. The other was crystal and was the source of the glow. Like the feeling inside Trixie, the crystal box glowed brighter as she got closer. She lifted the lid and stared in awe at the beating green heart.

It was calling to her, now that it was within her grasp. She was about to touch it when she realized she didn't know how to put it back in. Perhaps one of the others would know.

So she closed the chest and looked curiously at the ivory one. She opened it to find another heart, though its green glow was very faint.

There was no doubt whose heart this was. All the changelings whose hearts were removed during the Reformation had died out centuries ago, and their hearts had crumbled to dust as a result. At least, that was what her mother had told her.

Trixie stared at her mother's heart in wonder. She knew the queen wasn't dead yet. Would her heart crumble to dust? Would she die without knowing what it was like to feel again?

As much as she resented her mother, Trixie couldn't wish that fate on her.

So she closed the chest and levitated it along with the crystal one.

"You got it?" Twilight called when Trixie's aura appeared in the darkness.

"Yup," the unicorn replied when she reached the top. "Trixie got Mother's too."

"Really?" Mothball said as he stared at the two boxes.

"Why's that one glowing?" Screwball asked, pointing to the crystal chest.

"It's mine," Trixie explained as she opened it. "It must know I'm near."

Moonbeam's eyes widened as they beheld the glowing green heart. "That's…your heart?"

"Yes, Moonbeam," her mother replied as she levitated the organ into her hoof. "My emotions…they're all here."

There was a long pause.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Screwball inquired.

"I…" Trixie stammered. "I don't know how to do it. Mother knows the spell."

Twilight rubbed her chin and looked at Screwball. "Maybe your chaos magic can…"

Screwball shrugged. "Worth a shot."

She took the heart and looked up at Trixie. "You sure this is what you want? You said so yourself you couldn't handle it before."

Trixie glanced at Moonbeam and took a deep breath. "Do it."

Screwball's hoof glowed yellow and the heart turned transparent. She held her breath as she slid it into Trixie's chest.

Trixie cried out in agony, making Screwball retract her hoof in alarm. The unicorn gripped her chest and collapsed to her knees.

"Mom!" Moonbeam exclaimed, rushing to her mother's side. "Mom, are you okay?!"

Trixie opened her eyes and turned her head to the filly. Familiar warmth welled up inside her, something she hadn't felt in years. It instantly brought tears to her eyes.

"Moonbeam?" she choked.

"Mom?" the filly said, tilting her head. "Are you…crying?"

Trixie smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am." She sniffed. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Moonbeam scrunched her nose. "Mom, you're not making sense."

"Maybe this will make sense."

She wrapped her hooves around her daughter and pulled her close. She sobbed loudly as she stroked her precious filly's mane.

"Oh, Moonbeam," she whispered. "Oh, my sweet Moonbeam. Mummy's so, so sorry. She didn't mean to lie to you. It just…happened. I never should've forced you to hide yourself. I thought I was trying to protect you, but the truth is…I just didn't want to be reminded of your father."

Moonbeam looked up at her mother. "Really?"

"Really." She then removed her baseball cap. "Oh, Moonbeam. You're so beautiful."

Now Moonbeam was tearing up. "Really?"

Trixie nodded and hugged her again. "You always have been, and…I love you. Oh, sweetie, I love you so much."

The others grinned as they watched the mother and daughter have their long-overdue moment.

Then Twilight frowned as a troubling thought entered her mind.

"Any pony else think this was a little too easy?"

"Maybe," Screwball said with a shrug. "But why complain?"

"It's just…I thought there would be more obstacles, considering this is Chrysalis we're dealing with. There should've at least been a…"

She was cut off as the front door slammed open behind them. Everyone spun around to see who had entered. Screwball recognized the general and Lieutenant Bombus, but the third changeling in light blue armor was new. They were all surprised to see their prince, his fiancée, the Princess of Friendship and the two strangers.

"Your highness?" General Mantis questioned as he buzzed over to them. "What are you doing here?"

"And with an Equestrian princess, no less!" Captain Acari hissed.

"Hi, Miss Screwball!" Lieutenant Bombus waved.

"Wow!" Moonbeam exclaimed as she trotted up to the soldiers. "More changelings! Though what's with the armor? Are you guys warriors or something?"

The three soldiers looked down curiously at the strange filly.

"And what is this?" Acari snarled.

Bombus sniffed the air and gasped. He quickly went down to his knees.

"Forgive us, your highness! We did not realize!"

"Huh?" Moonbeam said, tilting her head.

Mantis and Acari took a whiff too and followed the lieutenant's example. Moonbeam scrunched her nose.

"What are you guys doing?"

"You're a royal," Acari said, lifting her head. "Who are you, your highness?"

"She's my daughter," Trixie said, putting her hoof around Moonbeam, "and your next queen after me."

Mantis looked up and sniffed. His eyes widened.

"Princess Bellatrix!"

"You can get up, General," said Trixie.

The soldiers rose and Acari gritted her teeth.

"So, you found her after all."

"Nice to see you too, Acari," Trixie groaned.

"Captain Acari."

"You know each other?" Bombus asked.

"She and I were playmates," Trixie explained.

Acari rolled her eyes. "It was more like you bossing me and the other changeling children around than us being playmates."

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "I'd watch your tone, if I were you, Captain."

"She's right," Mantis nodded. "She is our queen-to-be, after all. But your highnesses, what are you all doing here?"

"What are you guys doing here?" Mothball inquired.

"We came to retrieve the queen's heart."

Screwball raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Sorry, but we beat you to it," Trixie said, levitating the ivory box. "We came here to get my heart and found Mother's along with it."

"Really?" Mantis blinked. "Then you've already defeated the monster?"

Trixie, Mothball, Screwball, Moonbeam and Twilight stiffened and said, "What monster?"

Suddenly, the ground shook and a roar echoed throughout the castle.

"That monster!" Mantis cried.

Twilight stomped her hoof. "I knew this was too easy!"

---

What? Did YOU think it would be that easy?