Chapter Six: The Queen of Rags

Colea breathed in the floral air as she strolled through the hedge maze. Whenever she needed to take a load off and just relax, the garden was usually her favorite spot to do so. The soft melody of a meadowlark could be heard off in the distance, and every so often she would spot a hummingbird zipping between flowers, paying little mind to her presence. A honeybee would hover from flower to flower and collect nectar, the faint buzz of its wings bringing a sense of calm to the changeling.

While it wasn’t perfect, Colea would not deny that Equestria was a beautiful place.

Heavy footfalls snapped her out of her thoughts, and she was greeted by the sight of a weary Spike walking beside a concerned Daze. Her concern grew into worry as she saw the bags under Spike’s eyes.

“Spike, is everything alright?”

“Nnngh…” was his response.

Daze turned away from the drake and shook her head as she met Colea’s gaze. “He started feeling ill from what it sounds like. Something about stuffed sinuses and an achy gut…” Daze frowned. “If you don’t mind, Colea, I was going to help him get home so he can get some rest.” She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, but do you mind if I take a bit of time off to make sure he’s alright? We may need to stop by the pharmacy in Ponyville, just to see if we can get him something for his stomach and congestion.”

Colea nodded. “Of course, of course.” She flashed Spike a small smile. “Something must be going around, huh?” Spike gave a single nod. “Get well soon.”

“Thanks…” Spike replied in a distracted tone, rubbing one of his temples.

Colea watched as the two made their way out of the hedge maze. Well, if Spike was going to be sick, at least he was in good hooves. Daze wasn’t a skilled herbalist like Ebon, but she knew her fair share about medicine if her resumé had anything to say about it.

“Poor guy. I just hope it isn’t contagious…” She made a mental note to take an herbal supplement during her lunch today. Even if it wasn’t contagious, if a hardy drake like Spike was getting ill all of the sudden, there was a chance she could catch whatever it was as well.

As soon as Daze and Spike were out of sight once more, Spike’s eyes flickered a bright green. He swayed for a few seconds, then let out a groan and fell to his side. Daze caught him, letting out a grunt as he collapsed onto her back. She managed to support his weight with only slight difficulty on her part.

“For… a drake your age… unnf…” The changeling exhaled as she put a hoof forward. “You… you weigh more than I expected…” she grumbled, using her magic to lift up his backside so that it dragged behind her more comfortably. She looked over her shoulder and opened one of his eyes.

His sclera, usually a healthy white, were tainted green. He mumbled something and leaned against Daze a bit, mumbling something as he attempted to nuzzle her.

“Stop it,” she said in mild annoyance.

Spike mumbled again, and let his head droop once more.

Daze scanned her surroundings for several long moments and then sniffed the air. She flicked her ears around, listening silently for a whole minute, then took a second look around once more.

“Right… good…” she sighed, and her horn lit up. With a burst of green flame, the two vanished in an instant.

Seconds later, about a mile or three north, in a small apartment within Ponyville, the two reappeared. Daze set Spike down gently on the ground and let out a sigh of relief, happy to be back in her own abode and to have the several hundred pounds removed from her back.

She stretched her wings a bit, then walked towards a mirror. For a second time, Daze was engulfed in verdant flames. As the flames died out, a much taller, more elegant-looking creature stared back at her from the mirror’s surface.

“Chrysalis, you need to work out more,” the changeling said to herself as she stretched out her legs. “Honestly, he shouldn’t have been that hard to carry…”

The Queen of Changelings let out a small yawn as she turned back to the still unconscious drake.

“Now then…” She surveyed her humble apartment, searching for something. A smile crept onto her face as her eyes rested upon an open corner across the room. “Ah, that should do…”

The first thing Spike noticed upon awakening was that something was covering his mouth and nose. Oddly enough, though, he had no trouble breathing. If anything, he felt refreshed with each breath he took.

The second thing he noticed was that he was encased in a slimy, adhesive casing of sorts.

While moving his arms, legs, and tail proved to be near impossible, his neck still had a good deal of flexibility, allowing him to study whatever it was that was restraining him. His eyes widened as memories of Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding surfaced to the forefront of his mind. The slimy material strongly resembled the same stuff that the changelings had used to immobilize him and the girls. In fact, he would put good money down on the material being the exact same.

Something stirred within a corner of his apparent prison. His eyes darted to a lump of shadows shuffling around beneath a few blankets, a faint glow of green light tossing each blanket to the side and revealing what lay beneath them. His eyes adjusted to the darkened room, and as he took in the features of what was no doubt his captor, he felt a cold lump settle in his stomach. He let out a strangled sound, which would have been a gasp, were it not for the gunk covering his mouth.

Two green eyes opened, drifting over to him lazily. A pair of translucent wings flexed, buzzing as they did so. Slowly, the lithe form of Queen Chrysalis stretched before him. There were a few audible pops as she rolled her neck and flexed her hips and shoulders, grunting as she got the kinks out of her spine.

“Ugh… forgive me, I’ve been needing that all day,” Chrysalis hummed in apparent relief. “Good to see you’ve finally woken up. I’m sure you’re curious as to why you’re here.”

Spike narrowed his eyes and let out a muffled response. Were he not in the situation that he was currently in, he probably would have been more mindful of the somewhat minty, floral scent of the viscous substance covering his mouth.

“Ah, the casing, well,” Chrysalis said with a hint of amusement in her tone. “I’d rather not remove your muzzle until I’m confident that you won’t be trying to burn my apartment down. That’d be bad for my security deposit.” Spike gave her a flat look, and Chrysalis smiled. “Besides, I’m almost certain you enjoy being bound up a little… aren’t you?”

Despite his anger, Spike flushed a bit, and attempted to shout something at the changeling queen.

Chrysalis merely chuckled in amusement as she approached him. “First of all, no, I am not planning to kill you. That would be a mess I’m not ready to clean up after, both literally and figuratively. It’s not easy to replace outstanding civilians like yourself, especially when you don’t have any subjects to help you.” Her emerald eyes twinkled mischievously as she added. “Though… perhaps you’d be interested in becoming my personal servant, hm?”

Her eyes flashed for a moment, and Spike’s own eyes glazed over, flashing with a green light for a moment as he moaned quietly.

Chrysalis hummed softly to herself as she approached the drake, only to come to a sudden halt. “No. No, control it, Chrysalis. Control…” She exhaled deeply, and placed a hoof on Spike’s head. Her horn glowed, and the green tinge to his sclera faded once more.

He blinked several times, as though he had just woken up. He took in the sight of Chrysalis and let out a stifled cry while attempting to pull away from her hoof and failing horribly.

“Relax, I’m not hurting you. I was just… trying to calm you down. You were starting to panic.” She looked away for a moment. “I…was only helping.”

Spike gave her a unconvinced look, but said nothing further.

“Right then…” Chrysalis pulled her hoof away from the drake, and continued. “Yes, I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changeling Nation. Or… well, was, I suppose.” She straightened up a bit. “I will start by saying that I have not replaced any of the townsfolk with changelings, or placed them in pods. Nor have I eaten any of your foals, or sucked out their souls.”

Spike arched an eyebrow.

“You’d be surprised what the ignorant believe about us,” Chrysalis said in sardonic tone. Spike gave a muffled noise of agreement. “I have been living in Ponyville for about three years now, and—”

“Mmmph mphph?” Spike said, eyes widening dramatically.

Chrysalis sighed. “If I remove your muzzle, will you promise not to try and incinerate me—or my apartment for that matter?”

The drake looked to be mulling over the question for several long moments. He eventually gave a solemn nod. “Mmnph,” Spike answered with a single nod as his eyes narrowed.

Chrysalis studied him for a moment, her ears twitching as she cocked her head to the side. She nodded and gave Spike a small grin. “Seems you’re being honest. Good.” With a glow of her horn, she melted away the slime coating Spike’s nostrils and mouth with her magic. The rest of his body remained bound by the slime, however. “Better?”

Spike grimaced and smacked his lips. “I don’t remember that stuff smelling so nice back at the wedding.”

Chrysalis laughed. “Slime varies with the materials available. My personal touch tends to give it that lovely smell.”

“I think I got some in my mouth…” Spike grumbled.

“Don’t waste it; it’s highly nutritious, too.”

Spike’s cheeks turned a slight shade of green. “Ew.”

“So… ask away. I know you want to.” Her voice, while not condescending, held a definite smugness that Spike had heard all too often during his political days in Canterlot.

She waved a hoof, urging him to speak.

Spike wasted no time. “What are you playing at, Chrysalis? Why keep me alive? Better yet, why bother explaining this all to me in the first place?”

“Perhaps because I feel I can trust you. Well, that and you caught me without my disguise on,” she replied. “Maybe I figured I’d go to the hometown of the ponies that gave me so much trouble and figure out where I went wrong in my plans.” She frowned. “How much do you actually know about me, Spike?”

“I know enough,” the drake answered with clear disdain. “You tried to take over Canterlot, you wrangled up ponies, and you see most of us as nothing more than food. You weren’t that popular with your subjects after that whole fiasco blew over, and ran off at the first signs of civil unrest. You’re also sneaky and manipulative.”

To his surprise, Chrysalis nodded. “You’re right. A little far with that ponies as food, thing, but in an exaggerated, roundabout way, you’re right.”

“Not very good traits for a leader to have, I might add.”

Chrysalis smirked. “From what I understand, you’re not a big fan of political leaders. I’m sure Celestia or Twilight Sparkle would agree on that claim.”

Spike snorted out a thin cloud of smoke. “You know nothing about me, Chrys—”

“Your favorite gems are baby blue sapphires, which you prefer on pastries. You’re in a open relationship with one of Equestria’s best couriers, who also happens to be close friends with Rainbow Dash, who in turn is currently a Wonderbolt, and the Element of Loyalty… well, former Element if we’re being precise.” Chrysalis tapped her chin with a hoof for a moment, then went on. “You’re a skilled cook and baker, and while you’ve always been interested in trying meat, you haven’t out of respect for the ponies you live amongst. You still collect issues of The Power Ponies, though you think they lost a lot of their charm when the Mane-iac joined forces with the Power Ponies to defeat Professor Clawstein and stop him from using his time machine to take over the world back in issue #417.” She grinned as Spike’s jaw went a little slack. “You have a fond love for hard rock, and blame it mostly on your marefriend. Back during the Great Cookie Dough Incident of Ponyville, you valiantly attempted to hold back a wave of frosting with a large spatula, but ended up making things worse when—”

“Alright, alright, I get it! You know a lot about me… which I’m not sure if I should be amazed or creeped out by.” His frown deepened. “How do you know so much about me?”

“Well, seeing as you started the campaign to help my subjects in need of a safe haven while the rest of the Changeling Nation fell into political turmoil, can you really blame me for not being a bit curious about you?” Chrysalis answered. “You surprised me. I wanted to know more about you, especially after you up and left Canterlot shortly after the legislation passed.”

“That still doesn’t answer—”

“Spike, I am a changeling queen. I could transform into a fruit fly if I wished, and hang on your bedroom ceiling for days without you so much as noticing me.”

“You’ve been spying on me?!” Spike asked angrily.

“Only in public,” Chrysalis said, placing a hoof on her chest. “I’m not a big fan of voyeurism…” She smirked as Spike’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re really not doing well for yourself in my books right now,” Spike growled. “Spying on me? Infiltrating?” He glared. “So, let’s just pretend for a moment that I believe you. You came to Ponyville explicitly to learn more about me. What do—?”

“Not just about you. I came to learn more about ponies, about the Everfree House, and the magic that defeated us back in Canterlot so many years ago. It was love, but… we couldn’t feed on it. It’s an enigma.”

Spike, for his part, couldn’t help but agree with her on that one. He’d never gotten many details on that moment, but he recalled seeing Shining Armor and Cadance creating a spell simply by being with each other again.

He had found the whole ‘lovey-dovey’ spell thing kinda gross at the time, being a dragon whelp, but now…

“Yeah, you got me there,” Spike replied.

“Aside from that…” Chrysalis’ head drooped a bit as she continued. “I feel I have nowhere else to really go. I failed my subjects. Starvation was already an issue, and the invasion on Canterlot had only made things worse for us.” She looked up to Spike, and he was shocked to see her gaze soften considerably. “You managed to save many of my subjects’ lives, Spike. Equestria now has the second largest population of changelings in the world.”

“Yeah, though that all could have been avoided if you had just asked us for help with your food problem,” Spike said with an edge to his tone. “I’m sure Equestria would have been a lot more receptive if you’d done that.”

“Trust me, had I been in the right state of mind back then, I’m certain things would be much better for both our countries.” She shook her head. “I was a ruler unfit to lead. I realized that, and left before I made things worse for the citizens of the Changeling Nation. I have only what you see around you now, nothing else.” She waved a hoof, gesturing to her living room. “If I could find some way to end the infighting in Blackstone and solve the starvation issue, I would be content for the rest of my days.”

“Sounds like those two issues are something that need to be resolved by being in the Changeling Nation,” the drake remarked dryly.

“You don’t understand,” Chrysalis sighed. “My being there was not helping our country. I can have all the advisors I want, but my presence created equal amounts animosity and chaos in the Blackstone Palace. Half wanted me dead, the other half wanted to raise me up as their patron goddess and wage war against the world in my name.”

“Uh huh…” Spike replied, not at all convinced.

“Spike, half of the assassinations that took place before my self-exile had reports claiming the words ‘Praise the Hive Mother!’ had been carved into the victims’ backs.”

Spike blanched at that.

Chrysalis turned away from Spike and walked towards the main window of her living room. She pulled aside the curtains just enough for the daylight to creep in. “There’s none of that in Equestria. There’s still plenty of problems in politics, but at least there isn’t the threat of death hanging over an outspoken politician’s head. I’ve found myself falling in love with this country the longer I stay in it. Food is plentiful, tolerance towards differing beliefs is commonplace, not a rarity, and many of the ponies seem to genuinely care about each other’s well-being here.”

“Well, that’s also just Ponyville in a nutshell,” Spike added with a shrug, or what would have been one if he wasn’t held inside a casing made of slime.

“You also have one of the highest perecentages of ponies living comfortably above the average cost of living, a successful education system despite only having one schoolhouse in the town, and unemployment is almost a non-issue here,” Chrysalis countered.

The drake stared at the changeling queen before him, and she did likewise.

“How has Mayor Mare not made you a paid tour guide for Ponyville yet?”

Chrysalis gave a noncommittal hum, “I read the pamphlets at the city hall and committed the facts to memory.”

“What do you want, Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis smiled. “Nothing.”

Spike’s eyes narrowed. “Like I’m buying that.”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and walked towards a corner of the room and plopped down on a chair. “I’m tired, Spike.”

It wasn’t just the words that she chose at that moment. Spike could feel the weariness her voice. It was the same voice that he sometimes caught brief glimpses of from Celestia or Luna, even.

“I’m tired of having to hide constantly. Tired of reading about issues in the Changeling Nation that I have failed to fix. I’m tired of the emotional influxes, the dizzy spells, and magic issues. My transformation magic failed me today because I was so worn down from using it constantly…”

“I thought changeling disguises aren’t that hard to maintain,” Spike said, raising an eyebrow. “It shouldn’t have been that hard, keeping your disguise up.”

“You’d be right, if it weren’t for two facts. First, I’m significantly taller than an average changeling. That requires more magic usage to make myself appear smaller. Secondly, I was also masking my own magical signature as well. If any of the changelings in Ponyville or the Everfree House sensed my magic, they’d know immediately.”

Spike frowned. “What, is your magic that special?”

“It’s similar to trying to pass off an alicorn as an earth pony. There’s something fundamentally different in the latent magic that only ponies can sense.” She waved a hoof. “The same can be said for us. Changelings are fairly sensitive to magic, so they would almost instinctively know that I’m in disguise if I slipped in keeping my magic masked.”

“What about right now?” Spike asked. “You’re not disguised right now.”

“That’s because I have a dampening ward over my home. No one can sense my magic beyond these walls,” Chrysalis replied. “Changelings are capable of some pony magic as well, as you know.”

Spike nodded. “Fair enough, so you’re being honest about mana-drain. Still, why bother staying in a town where your magic would stick out like a chipped hoof?”

“Because I like it here,” Chrysalis answered. “Is it so wrong of me to seek things that I enjoy?” She actually sounded hurt by Spike’s question. “Look, I’m being honest, alright? I’m just asking for you to trust me on this.”

“Why should I?” Spike countered.

“Well, you gave Discord a second chance and even a third with the whole Tirek incident.”

Spike paused. She had a point. He still remembered how traumatized Fluttershy had been over that whole debacle. Ultimately, things had backfired for the Spirit of Chaos, but everyone had kissed and made up. Still, Spike suspected that Discord was beating himself up over that, even after almost six years had passed since that day.

He studied Chrysalis. She seemed to be a bit thinner than he remembered. There were bags under her eyes, hardly noticeable unless you looked for them. Her carapace didn’t seem to have that sleek luster that the changelings at the bordello had.

He frowned. “You’ve been starving, haven’t you?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “Not starving so much as suffering from malnourishment. I’ve been feeling better since I started working at the bordello, but for a long while, I was feeling weak. It might be hard for you to understand, but love is as essential as a mineral or vitamin might be in another species’ diet. Our bodies began to fail without love.

“Why didn’t you just pose as someone’s spouse or something?” Spike asked.

“Well, that’s part of what I assume to be the problem. Changelings could steal love all they want, sure…” Chrysalis sighed wearily. “That wouldn’t be making things any better for us as a whole, though. From what I’ve read and heard recently, changelings in Equestria may very well be the healthiest in the civilized world. With no need to disguise themselves, love that they receive is given to them, not to their disguise…”

Spike nodded.

Chrysalis chuckled weakly. “I’m just... doing some soul-searching right now. I believe that is what some would say. Trying to discover myself again.”

“You said something about not being in ‘the right state of mind’ during the Canterlot incident…” Spike began. “What’s that mean?”

Chrysalis gave a hum, and looked towards her window once more. “The downside to being the only queen amongst changelings is that you are the only example to work off of. Anything learned is from your own experience.” She frowned. “As far as I’ve come to understand in all these years that I’ve ruled, I’m very empathic during stressful situations. Dealing with a starving land, worrying about rogue dragon raids, and maintaining a stable political environment… all quite stressful.”

Spike said nothing, just looked to her, silently urging her to continue.

“I suppose I could blame it on the more... extreme-minded within the council. Many of them were of the opinion that changelings were meant to conquer, and prosper, simply because of our ability to hide among our enemies, as they would say. We have adapted to the harshest environments, have endured many hardships, yet the Changeling Nation still thrives…” Her gaze drifted from the window to Spike. “Their emotions and feelings eventually left a mark on my psyche, I suppose. I soon came to believe that we needed to take control of Equestria, a land overflowing with love.”

“I... find that hard to believe,” Spike said. “You make it sound like it was out of your hooves to control.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Chrysalis replied. “After Canterlot, things went downhill for us. Many doubted my ability to rule, and to be honest, they were right to do so.”

“So, you abandoned ship when things got ugly.” Spike let out a plume of smoke. “Sounds more like you just didn’t want to deal with all the fallout that was going on.”

Chrysalis just shook her head. “We can debate this all day if we wanted.” She was now in front of Spike, her eyes locked with his. “I’m going to let you go. Whether or not you report me is your choice. I would rather you didn’t, though.”

“You just expect me to just forget that this ever happened?” He let out a bark of laughter. “If I did that, and someone found out I knew, I would be accused of treason or harboring an enemy of the state. Besides...” His eyes narrowed dangerously, “How can I trust you? You attempted to conquer our land once and tried to replace a leading figure in the government; what makes this any different? How do I know you’re not going to try and cause a repeat of Canterlot here?”

“If I wanted to cause any trouble, Spike, I could have done so at any time now. I’ve lived here for three years, after all. Plenty of time to hatch some vengeful plan upon all ponykind.”

“Not helping your case,” Spike growled.

“I suppose you’re right. Look... I leave it up to you. You can trust me, or report me to the guard. I don’t have anything to gain trying to take over Ponyville, even if I wanted to. It’s a small town, but I’d easily be overpowered by the populous. The changelings living in Equestria are loyal to the country, not to me. The chances of an Equestrian changeling revolt are practically nonexistent.”

Chrysalis’s horn lit up, and the casing around Spike melted away. He fell forward, taking an awkward step or two to catch his balance. He dropped down to all fours, and took a wary step back from Chrysalis. The changeling queen gave no signs of hostility. She simply watched Spike in silent interest.

“I should report you,” Spike said slowly. “But I’m not going to.”

Chrysalis perked up a bit, but remained silent.

“I’m going to go against my better judgement and give you a chance, Chrysalis. You made a good point: if I can give Discord a second and third chance, I can do the same for you.” He pointed a finger at her. “It doesn’t mean we’re buddies, though. I still think you have to answer for what you did in Canterlot, and abandoning your country and subjects like you did... but I can understand where you’re coming from, in a way.”

Chrysalis’s lips curled into the faintest of smiles.

“You want to better yourself? Fine. Ponyville is full of folks to learn from. Just remember, if you hurt anyone, it will be the last mistake you make. Clear?”

“As polished crystal,” she replied, placing a hoof to her chest. “I think you should probably stay home, though. I did tell Colea that you were feeling ill.”

Spike frowned. “Yeah, I was going to ask about that. How did you get me here?”

The changeling grinned. “I’m not some frail little noblemare, Spike.” She wiggled her hips ever so slightly, enjoying the fact that Spike was purposely maintaining eye contact with her. “I have strength to spare, even if I’m a little weak right now.”

“Yeah, but how the heck did Colea not freak out when she saw you?”

“Ah,” Chrysalis took in a breath and engulfed herself in verdant flames. Seconds later, the female changeling Daze stood before Spike. She grinned a little, giving a small bow. “I believe you’ve met Daze, yes?”

Spike’s frown deepened. The fact that she had been so close to Scootaloo when she visited the bordello set him on edge.

Chrysalis reverted to her true form. “Being a nurturer changeling is probably the easiest way for me to remain so in tune with everyone’s emotions without being questioned about it too much. They tend to be the most empathic of the four classes, after all.”

“So, Daze was all just one big fabrication, huh? Make up a little tragic story and get some sympathy to feed on?”

Chrysalis’s smile disappeared. “No. Our histories are the same, excluding a few minor details such as Daze not being royalty. We worked at the Blackstone Palace since we were old enough to have a job, and we have no spouse or relatives to speak of…”

“You lied about the whole losing your children to that epidemic.”

Immediately, Spike knew the answer as Chrysalis’s wings drooped. She slowly shook her head, her gaze falling to the floor.

Spike’s growing anger petered out quickly. “O-oh... so... you did lose your... ” He sighed, “I’m s—”

She raised a hoof, gently silencing him. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t know. It happened years ago, but… I’ve learned to cope with it.” She swallowed hard and her gaze once more fell to the ground as she let out a weary sigh.

Spike moved a hand to comfort her, but pulled back at the last second. Instead, he simply sat there. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.

“Well…” Chrysalis enveloped herself in green flames and was once more Daze. “If you want, I’ll walk with you to your home. Then I’ll return to the bordello and explain that it was just a dizzy spell to Colea. Low fluid levels or something.” She shook her head. “Typical drake, forgetting to take care of himself in this warm weather…” She gave a ghost of a smile.

Spike couldn’t help but return it, despite his misgivings about the current situation. “Heh, I suppose that’d work for an excuse.”

‘Daze’ chuckled and gave a nod. “Sounds good, then. Do you want anything before we go back?” She walked to the icebox and opened the door. Spike noticed that it was rather empty, aside from a few carrots, a jar of jelly, some orange juice, and a carton of milk.

He walked over to her side and frowned. “Looks pretty barren in here.”

Daze hummed. “Yes, I... I’ve been meaning to go grocery shopping. Pantry’s almost empty too. Just a box of wheat flakes cereal, a bag of rice, and some potatoes.”

Spike hesitated, then asked. “Are you... having problems with money right now?”

Daze snorted. “Problems would indicate that things had been better. For me, this is an improvement from how I was living before I got my job. I at least have some choices for food in Ponyville. I didn’t have that luxury while wandering aimlessly through Equestria.”

Spike’s ear frills drooped a bit, and he arched an eyebrow while frowning with poorly hidden concern.

“Don’t fret over it,” Daze said with a wave of hoof. “Come payday, I’ll be stocking up on food.”

“That won’t be until next week,” Spike said with a disapproving shake of his head. He made his way towards the door of the apartment, stopping only to turn back to the disguised queen. “C’mon. We got a little time.”

Daze quirked an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

Spike gave a snort. “Seeing as I know you’re here in Ponyville, I’m making you my responsibility. The last thing we need is a changeling queen passed out in the middle of Ponyville square during market because she hasn’t been eating well.”

That... actually made a good deal of sense. Still, Chrysalis rolled her eyes, a wry look crossing her features. “How noble of you.”

“I have some bits on me. We’ll get you the basics to get you by until payday,” Spike said as they exited the apartment.

Chrysalis locked the door behind them and followed after Spike. “Wait, hold on, you are not going to be buying me groceries.”

Spike sighed, “Why not?”

“I’m not the kind of changeling that likes debts hanging over her head. Besides, you already know my secret. I’m not sure I want you with any more leverage over me,” Chrysalis grumbled, a buzz of her wings punctuating her sudden shift in mood.

“Okay, well, how about this: you and I go buy some groceries, or I can report you to the nearest officer and—”

“Alright, alright, ugh…” Chrysalis’s wings buzzed once more. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you’re practically oozing with smug satisfaction right now, I’d believe you were doing this purely out of the goodness of your heart.”

Spike smirked, enjoying his small victory. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Hmph.”

“So, come on, be honest with us, Scootaloo. Is he… you know…?”

One of Scootaloo’s ears flopped against her head as she held back a sigh. She loved Rainbow Dash dearly. Princess Luna, too. They were both the sister-figures she had always wanted in life.

However, she never considered that, with having two sisterly ponies in her life came unwanted things, like impromptu interrogations about her love life over an early lunch.

“Dash, please…” Scootaloo groaned before taking a particularly loud sip from her juice. Maybe if she drank through the straw loud enough, she would be able to drown out the questions. That or she could try sipping until she ran out of oxygen and blacked out.

“I’m curious as well,” Luna added with barely repressed laughter. Scootaloo suspected that Luna, in fact, was more amused with the situation than genuinely interested, like Rainbow Dash.

“He’s good. We’ll leave it at that.”

Rainbow gave her a flat look. “That’s it? Just a ‘He’s good.’?” Rainbow sighed. “Come on. Details, Scoot! Details!”

“Why are you interested all of the sudden?!” Scootaloo groused, immediately regretting her outburst as several ponies sitting to their own lunches gave her awkward glances. After the other lunch-goers returned to their meals, Scootaloo glared at Rainbow Dash and Luna, who were now snickering and on the verge of tears from holding back laughter.

Celestia, please, strike me down here…

As luck would have it, Scootaloo’s silent prayers were answered at that exact moment… just not how she would have expected.

“Ah, Luna and Rainbow Dash! How utterly delightful! Fluttershy had told me you two were in town.” The menagerie of animal parts that was Discord popped into existence beside the alicorn and older pegasus mare, wrapping a paw and eagle claw around them in a hug. “It’s so good to see you two again!”

To Rainbow Dash’s credit, the mare gave a lopsided grin. “Hey, Discord. Good to see you.”

Luna was slightly less enthusiastic at the draconequus’s arrival. “Would you please stop poking my mane?”

Discord hummed as he drew a few, final lines in the alicorn’s starry mane, forming a constellation that greatly resembled a draconequus of his description. He pouted, only to receive a stern glare from Luna.

“Oh, fine,” he sighed, snapping his fingers and doing away with his alterations in a flash of magic. “I thought it was a nice improvement, personally…” He looked between the three mares. Scootaloo patted a hoof on the empty chair beside her, and Discord graciously took the offered seat before promptly putting on a monocle and looking over a menu. “So, how are we this fine day?”

“Tired, but I thought it would be nice to enjoy some midday sunshine for once,” Luna replied. “Twilight Sparkle’s been wonderful in offering to cover more court time, so I’m adjusting my sleep schedule a bit.”

Discord adjusted his monocle, as he looked up from his menu. “Ah, yes, our little Twilight’s been a rather busy bee as of late, hasn’t she? She just came back from a tour of the minotaur lands, I hear.”

“A rather splendid visit, from what I remember her telling Celestia and I,” Luna said with a smile. “We’re hoping to open up more trade between Equestria and Bovidia soon.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, already growing bored with the political talk. Discord seemed to notice, and grinned. “I’m sure you were happy with Twilight’s return, weren’t you?”

Rainbow Dash frowned as a rosy hue spread across her cheeks, but she refused to meet Discord’s gaze. Luna held back a chuckle and Scootaloo just smiled sympathetically at her adoptive older sister.

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied.

Discord’s smile grew. “No need to be so grouchy, my dear.”

Rainbow Dash’s ears flattened a bit. “We’re trying to keep things quiet, Discord. At least for now. I’m pretty sure that none of the girls know about it. You three and Princess Celestia are probably the only ones with any idea about... us. Well, maybe Princess Cadance too, but if she does know, she’s been keeping it a secret.”

Scootaloo’s smile softened. “Are you both that scared about it?”

“How can we not be?” Rainbow replied. “She’s the newest princess in Equestria, I’m a Wonderbolt, and we’ve both saved the land on more than one occasion. The paparazzi would be all over us.”

“You have to let the others know at some point…” Scootaloo pointed out.

“I know, I know. It’s just hard, you know? I’ve never been in a serious relationship before and…” She groaned. “It’s complicated. We’re both pretty new to the whole dating thing. I mean, sure, we know each other pretty well, so that’s out of the way, but it’s just…”

“We understand,” Luna said, placing a gentle wing on Rainbow’s shoulder. “We never meant to put you on the spot, as they say.”

Rainbow smiled a bit. “No, it’s alright. I… I trust you guys.” She quirked an eyebrow as Discord blew bubbles out of a corncob pipe he’d seemingly produced from nowhere. “Even you, I guess.”

“You honor me with such trust,” Discord said as he polished his monocle with a polka dot hoofkerchief. “However, I actually came to speak with Luna. Do you have a moment, Princess?”

Luna quirked an eyebrow. Discord rarely used such honorifics, much less with anything resembling sincerity. She gave him a concerned frown, but nodded, rising from her chair. She saw two of her Night Guards that had been watching from a bench across the street rise as well. She gave them a gentle shake of her head, and they nodded before staying put.

With Luna close behind, Discord walked to a public garden a few paces from the cafe, and spoke. “I felt an odd magical fluctuation a few hours ago.”

“Odd how?” Luna asked. “Magic runs deep throughout the entire known world, Discord. Unicorns practicing spells, zebra shaman performing sacred rites and rituals, griffon wise-hens calling on ancient magics to help guide others…” She trailed off as she studied the draconequus.

Discord, for all his antics and inane pranks, was intelligent. Annoying? On many an occasion. Crazy? Most definitely. Stupid? Far from it. In his rare moments of seriousness, Luna had learned to listen. Even when battling against him.

“Nothing like that. I couldn’t place it to be honest. It was brief, and it felt like the source was trying to contain the magic, so pinning it down was hard to do. It felt close, though.”

“How close?” Luna asked, worry creeping into her tone. “Should we be worried?”

“I…want to say no, but I’m not positive. I just know that it was close to Ponyville, and it was a very brief surge of powerful magic. I barely noticed it myself.”

Luna’s wings twitched a bit. “Powerful?”

“And old.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Tirek?”

Discord’s own eyes widened. “Oh, good gravy, no. That old centaur is still locked away in the bowels of Tartarus last I checked. Still weak and bitter.”

“You’ve been checking on him?” Luna asked, more than a little perplexed by the idea.

“From time to time. Can’t say the visits are pleasant, but I promised Celestia to keep an eye on the old buzzard.” Discord shook his head. “Regardless, no, Tirek is still in Tartarus, grumbling about purple princesses and three-headed guard dogs.”

Luna released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “Good. The last thing we need is for him to be free once more…”

“Agreed. The last thing we need is that buffoon running around drunk with power again,” Discord said with a shudder. “I can’t say much else about the magic I felt, but I thought it wise to let you know. Twilight would start stressing out over it and probably map out some over-the-top plan to hunt down the magical influx. Celestia would probably send a detachment of Royal Guards to patrol the area within three shakes of a lamb’s tail. Cadance is up in ice-ville, so telling her would be rather pointless.” He smirked at Luna. “I figured letting the most level-headed of our princesses know was the best bet.”

Luna gave Discord a small smile. “I appreciate it, Discord. I’ll have my Night Guards patrol at all hours. They’re much more subtle about such things.”

“Mm, so I’ve noticed. I almost missed the mare watching us from the third story window.”

Luna chuckled, her own eyes briefly looking towards an apartment at the corner of Meadow Lane and Sparkle Road. “Noir is a new recruit, so I’ll take that bit of information as a compliment on her behalf.”

Discord polished his monocle, then popped out an eyeball to give it the same treatment before putting it back in place. “Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see you girls later when you’re hitting up the local bar scene.”

Luna’s smile vanished, having been replaced with an unamused scowl. “So as long as we don’t have a repeat of your visit to the Canterlot bars last month, I’m sure we’ll be happy to see you.”

Discord sighed melodramatically. “I shall live with the shame of turning everyone’s drinks at the Trotting Jenny Pub into cod liver oil for the rest of my days. It weighs heavily on my conscience.”

“I’m sure it does…” Luna said flatly. “Anyway, I shall remain vigilant for anything suspicious. Please keep me informed in the meantime.”

“But of course, Your Highness.” Discord gave a low, exaggerated bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m expected at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie has a new Habenero Surprise cupcake that she and Pumpkin have been working on.” He clapped his hands with delight. “I’m sure it will be scrumptious.” He snapped his fingers, and was suddenly standing on a strange, two-wheeled vehicle of sort with neon green helmet strapped to his head. “Ciao, Luna!” He clicked a button on the handlebars, then leaned forward and glided off as the device let out a quiet, electrical whirring sound

Luna watched in mild confusion as Discord coasted down the dirt road. She had never seen such a device before, but knowing Discord, he’d probably stolen it from some alternate universe. It simply wasn’t worth thinking too hard on the matter.

Her thoughts drifted back to the magical disturbance that Discord had felt.

Ancient. Powerful.

If one as old and magical as Discord was referring to something in those terms, then she knew there was a need for at least a little concern.

She made her way back to the table where Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had taken up a heated discussion of various upcoming sporting events—the very idea that Scootaloo thought Snowflake had even a chance against Fleetfoot in the Neiponese Iron Pony Marathon was apparently appalling to Rainbow. Numerous answers were dredged up from Luna’s vast store of memories, none of them a clear-cut reason for a sudden magical fluctuation that would make Discord, of all beings, concerned.

Whatever the case was, though, she could at least take comfort in the fact that Equestria was the safest it had been in years.

Luna had heard of Twilight’s fight with Tirek, after all. She only wished she could have seen it herself…

Celestia took in a few steady breaths as she wiped the sheen of sweat off her brow with a hoof. The boulder she stood behind cooled her as she pressed against it.

She was cornered. Somehow her opponent had managed to pin her down, and now she was trapped. Leaving her refuge would mean making herself vulnerable. Staying only provided her enemy with more time to plan her defeat.

She gazed up at the sky above her. A few cirrus clouds drifted miles above, but the sky was otherwise clear. Aside from being locked in combat, it was a rather lovely day if she were to say so herself.

Celestia felt an electric jolt run down her horn and through her spine, and she leaped away from the boulder seconds before it exploded into gravel. She rolled to the side as arcane bolts of magenta light battered the ground around her. She called forth a magical barrier and wrapped herself in golden light. The bolts of magic slammed into her shield, but went no further.

Her gaze rested on a figure floating overhead. They were encased within a sphere of pulsing, magical energy, arcs of pink and white lightning crackling around them every few seconds. Their eyes were glowing with a white light.

Celestia couldn’t help but smile with pride.

A little known fact about Twilight Sparkle: she enjoyed intense combat.

Not bloodshed. No, she just enjoyed the thrill of being in a situation where split-second decisions were necessity, and being able to outmaneuver and outsmart your opponent could mean the difference between victory and defeat. The kind of situations where pushing yourself to the limits was a must, not just an option.

Celestia understood that thrill, and perhaps could even say she’d felt the same at times. Though, if she were to be honest, Luna was far more in tune with her ‘inner warrior’ than Celestia ever would be.

Twilight Sparkle was a wonderful, loving mare, who sought peace and harmony between all. The young alicorn would never wish actual violence upon anyone if she could help it.

That didn’t mean, however, that Twilight didn’t want to improve her ability to stave off danger if need be, nor did it mean she didn’t wish to ensure that she had the capacity to survive such a situation to continue leading Equestria after the dust had settled.

And were she to have a bit of fun doing so, all the better.

Twilight met Celestia’s gaze, her eyes still glowing with magic. A smile crept onto her features, breaking the visage of a powerful, battle-driven alicorn. “Do you need a break, Celestia? I hope I’m not going too over the top with this fight…”

Celestia’s ears twitched. While she knew Twilight meant well with her concern, Celestia couldn’t help but feel slightly insulted by her former pupil’s worried tone. “Twilight Sparkle, I can assure that a little exercise will do me no harm. I’m not some graymane, after all.”

“You sure?” Twilight asked, and Celestia’s brows knit together as the younger alicorn giggled a bit. “You look a little winded. Maybe we’ll break for some cribbage or bingo.”

Let it be known that Celestia was a strong advocate for honor and courtesy. She was not the kind of pony to stoop to sneaky tactics in a duel. No, she always preferred facing her adversary with her honor intact. She had Luna to blame for that.

Still…

“Gyaaaah!” Twilight flitted to the left as a spear of solar-powered magic flew past her, missing her by the tips of her pinions. “I was only kidding, Celestia, honest!”

“I usually hold my tongue when it comes to jabs about my age, but that was too far, Twilight Sparkle!”

“There’s nothing wrong with cribbage! Granny Twilight played cribbage all the time when she was my—Oh that’s a big one!” Twilight blinked away with a quick teleportation spell, a blazing ball of yellow magic roaring past the spot she had been moments before. Twilight reappeared behind a large oak, daring not to peek around it, lest she risk the full power of Celestia’s righteous indignation. She closed her eyes for a moment, the white glow of her eyes fading to their normal violet. She calmed down the magic surging within her body and did her best to mask herself from Celestia.

Twilight took in a slow breath and exhaled.

Okay, so maybe she had gone a bit too far with the teasing. It wasn’t like it was the first time somepony had poked fun at Celestia’s age. Heck, she knew more than half a dozen jokes from her years in primary school that had a punchline regarding the princess’s age! Not that she’d dare utter them before Celestia, but still!

“I’m not that old…”

Twilight let out a quiet “Eep!” as she looked to her right to see Celestia standing beside her. She was giving Twilight an almost childish pout. “I-I…” Twilight sighed, “I’m sorry, Celestia. I… didn’t know you were so sensitive about such things.”

“I’m not, normally, but… hearing it from you of all ponies.” She shook her head. “I’m being a little unfair. It’s just that I’ve known you since you were still a filly. I suppose I just value what you say a little more than other ponies.”

“That’s flattering.” Twilight laughed. “I could say the same.”

The two chuckled. Celestia opened up a wing, a clear sign of forgiveness. Twilight smiled and walked forward, allowing herself to be gently embraced by Celestia.

“Sorry, Celestia.”

“It’s alright. I’m being foalish. I’ve heard far less flattering things from the Canterlot Sun whenever I approve a tax raise. Or lower taxes for that matter.” Celestia gave Twilight a tired smile. “I will be honest, though, I am a bit exhausted. We’ve been at this for… nearly two hours, I believe.”

Twilight and Celestia looked up to the sky, their gaze falling on something that was rather out of place, but was nevertheless there: a large clock face that silently floated in the sky, held by a powerful spell. The minute hand slowly ticked away, showing the two that it was nearly three in the afternoon.

“I’m sure the court is wondering where we are,” Twilight sighed. Her horn lit up and covered the two in a deep pink aura. A moment passed for the two, and then the dirt, grime, and wounds from their sparring session vanished.

Celestia admired her once-more unblemished white coat, and gave Twilight a thankful nod. “No rest for the weary, as they say,” she said with a soft laugh.

The two mares made their way towards a pile of stone ruins nestled near a hill. Large, broken pillars from an age long-gone lay scattered on the ground by the merciless hand of time. Moss and ivy grew over the stonework, the only part untouched being a stone door that appeared perfectly intact, as though it were brand new.

“I still can’t believe I’d never seen this room before,” Twilight said with a laugh as they opened the door. They walked through the doorway and found themselves within the walls of Canterlot Castle. Celestia produced a key with a spark of her horn, and locked the stone door behind them.

Celestia nodded. “The Pocket Chamber spell was one of Starswirl’s most favored spells, but I’ve only been able to use it to a limited extent.”

“Still,” Twilight said with a beaming smile. “Creating an entirely separate dimension must have been hard.”

“It’s only about twenty square miles, Twilight,” Celestia said in a humble tone.

“That’s twenty square miles more than I could create out of thin air. The stone ruins are very accurate to the Greco-Romarean ruins in the Serpent Isles, too,” Twilight continued.

“I didn’t create it out of thin air, either. I brought in seeds of plants from the area outside of Canterlot, and the sun in the sky is just a very large ball of solar energy that I created—”

“Celestia,” Twilight said, placing a hoof on the elder’s side. “It’s amazing. Please take a compliment, especially one from a peer.” She gave Celestia a playful wink as they continued down the hall.

“You’re shaping into quite the master of compliments.” Celestia chuckled.

“I had a good teacher.” Twilight flashed Celestia grin and winked.

Celestia and Twilight made their through the the corridors, bodies guiding them without much thought, having traversed the spacious halls of the castle numerous times before. As they neared the throne room, they were met by two guards standing on either side of the entrance.

“Your Highnesses,” said one of the stallions. “We were asked by Miss Raven to inform you both of Miss Orthopaes’ arrival upon your return. She is currently in the throne room.”

Twilight beamed. “Wonderful, we were hoping to speak with her. Anything else?”

“Nothing of note, Princess Twilight.” The two guards bowed, then opened the doors.

As the two alicorns entered the throne room, they were greeted by two female changeling drones.

The elder of the two grinned. “It’s a pleasure to see you both again, your Highnesses,” she said as both changelings bowed low, crossing their forelegs respectfully.

Twilight and Celestia gave respectful nods to the two. “Orthopaes. I trust your trip here was without trouble?” Celestia asked as the changelings rose.

“Mm, there was a delay, but nothing out of the ordinary. Getting out of Manehatten is never an easy task after all.” Orthopaes looked to her companion, and the younger changeling nodded before producing a manila folder from the saddlebag on her back. “This is my new secretary, Vesta, by the way. She’s a Manehattenite, born and raised. She has an informant back in the Changeling Nation who we’ve been keeping in contact with.”

Vesta gave another bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your Majesties.” She presented the scroll to Twilight. “These files contain all the information we’ve gathered on the Changeling Nation’s current political climate. It’s… less than pleasant.”

The frown and sudden change in mood didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight and Celestia. Twilight took the scroll in her own magic, and scanned it over. “Oh dear…”

Celestia looked to Twilight, then Orthopaes. “How bad is it?”

Orthopaes sighed deeply and rubbed a temple. “You may wish to have a seat before we continue.”

“Very well,” Celestia said with a nod.

She and Twilight made their way to their respective thrones, Celestia only stopping to speak with her personal secretary, Raven. The bespectacled unicorn mare bowed as they approached.

“Raven, good to see you. I hate to trouble you, but could you by chance have the kitchen brew us some tea?”

“Of course, your Highness. Any preference?”

Celestia looked to Orthopaes. The drone simply shrugged. “The stronger, the better.”

“Perhaps a blend from the homeland, then? We recently purchased a few pounds of a blend from a store that opened in town here. Nestlewatch Black tea is what I believe it’s called.”

Orthopaes let out a hum. “Mmm, that’s one thing I miss about home. The coastal tea plantations are still some of the best in the world, if you ask me.” She grinned. “Though, Equestria’s starting to figure it out.”

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, Equestria has a longer history of brewing ale than brewing tea, so that’s not much of a surprise. We try, though.” She gave a nod to Raven, and the mare left to retrieve the group’s desired beverage.

Twilight decided to speak up once more, looking up from one of the sheets of paper. “Is the starvation really so widespread?”

“Sadly, yes,” Orthopaes answered with a shake of her head. The glow in her eyes dimmed a little. “We’ve talked to everyone with political influence that we can, but not every citizen in the Changeling Nation wishes cross over into Equestria, nor should they have to. I actually have been in contact with Princess Cadance as well. We have an idea on how to help stave off some of the worst of the starvation, but our research teams need more time to ensure the project will be successful.” She nodded to the folder. “Starvation aside, though, the political unrest hasn’t improved. There are two parties striving for control of the Supreme Council. Neither represent the majority.”

Twilight nodded. “I’ve heard a bit about them. One faction calls themselves the Bestowed, I believe.”

Orthopaes let out a hiss. “Bestowed. Pah!” She stomped the ground, her mood shifting radically and becoming more aggressive. “Princess, the only thing ‘bestowed’ upon them was the shortsightedness they share with our former queen.”

“I… heard they’re rather radical,” Twilight said, her voice filled with concern.

“They’re not just a radical-minded group, but one with money to back them up.” Orthopaes sighed. “They’re close to what you Equestrians would consider to be nobility among changelings. Old families that have existed for generations. Many of those families contribute a lot to society, and share their wealth. Unfortunately, the ones that are a part of the Bestowed are vocal, and couldn’t care less about anyone who doesn’t share their views.”

“That leaves quite a few outside of their party,” Celestia stated.

“They believe that they are entitled to rule, and that changelings are the apex of speciation. Everything else is either food or resource to them.”

“That’s horrible,” Twilight said. “They’re an actual political party? How were they ever able to gain this much power in the first place?”

“Money talks, Princess,” Orthopaes said. “They technically aren’t breaking any laws with their founding beliefs, and as long as they conduct themselves within the boundaries of Changling Nation law, they’re untouchable.”

“What of this other group that you mentioned?” Celestia asked.

“Ah,” Orthopaes tapped her chin in thought. “They share a similar attitude to those who follow the belief of the Hive Mother faith.”

“Hive Mother faith…” Twilight thought for a moment. “All life was born from a single egg laid by a changeling queen, right? Even ponies, griffons, and minotaurs?”

“Correct. For them, it helps explain why us changelings are able to have children outside of our species.” She waved a hoof. “Religious beliefs aside, they also believe that, as changelings, they must help enlighten other species and bring about unity.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Twilight said. “I’m sensing a ‘but’, though.”

“The founding members of the faith had good intentions, but it’s become so convoluted in revisions of sacred texts and modernizing themselves. Now, they’re more focused on rampant expansion, even if it means dirtying their hooves to do so.” Orthopaes' tone grew bitter at the last part. “If they were in charge, the Changeling Nation would be a theocracy."

Celestia sighed. “Equestria has had its share of… incidents relating to religion. It’s the reason why Luna and I sought to create religious freedom within Equestria, so as long as it doesn’t break the laws of the land.” She gazed at the numerous stained glass windows lining either side of the throne room. “This land has had its share of dark times, but Equestria has strived to learn from its mistakes.”

“You said you had a plan with Princess Cadance?” Twilight inquired, trying to keep the mood of the conversation from darkening further. “What did you have in mind?”

Orthopaes grinned. “The Crystal Heart is a powerful resonator of emotionally-fueled magic. It’s the main reason that the Crystal ponies are able to survive so far north.”

The gears in Twilight’s head were already turning. “Of course… you think we could store that magic and transport it to the starving regions?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Orthopaes replied. “I’ll admit, my knowledge of magical storage is less than expert, but that’s where I was hoping you would be able to assist us, your Majesties. Such a strong concentration of positive emotions could be what we need to help give the starving branch hives a chance to survive and pick themselves back up.”

Twilight looked to Celestia, silently asking for her former mentor’s thoughts. Celestia simply smiled. “It’s better than doing nothing at all. Trading routes between Equestria and the Changeling Nation are all but nonexistent right now, though. Transporting the magic will be difficult, no matter what method we use.”

“The Badlands aren’t the most hospitable of places,” Orthopaes added. “Desert hydra, sandwurms, and bandits. That’s not even including the harsh weather and lack of water throughout most of the region.”

“It would be a difficult task, no doubt,” Celestia agreed. “We have ponies trained for these sorts of tasks, though.”

“Who?” Orthopaes asked.

“The Equestrian Couriers,” Celestia answered with a hint of pride. “Their job involves traveling long distances almost daily.”

“You don’t plan on sending a single pony alone through the Badlands, do you?” Orthopaes asked incredulously. “Princess, with all due respect, that’s signing a death warrant.”

“Of course not,” Celestia answered with a small frown. “We’d have a few trained military pegasi accompany them. The only issue will be finding those who can travel for long periods of time and not slow down the courier.”

“I thought the Royal Guard consisted of the ‘best of the best’,” Orthopaes said with a hint of doubt. “Are you saying there might not be any good candidates for an escort job?”

“The Equestrian Military consists of four branches: the Royal Guard, the Airship Legion, the Royal Navy, and the Equestrian Rangers…” Celestia paused. “Perhaps a member of the Rangers would best fit the bill…”

Twilight nodded. “Field survival is what most of them specialize in… I suppose pegasi from that unit would be a good choice.”

Orthopaes raised a hoof. “Keep in mind that we haven’t yet figured out if transporting the Crystal Heart’s magic is even feasible. For all we know, it might be impossible. For now, we shall keep this plan in mind and await for results from our researchers.”

Twilight deflated a bit. “Good point, no sense in getting ahead of ourselves here…”

At that point, the doors opened once more, and Raven returned with an earth pony mare pushing a cart with a kettle of tea, four cups, and a platter of biscuits following behind.

“Ah, good.” Celestia gave a thankful nod to the earth pony mare, who bowed before excusing herself. “Well, now that the tea is here… how about we discuss your plans for the first Equestrian World Soul festival you wish to hold in Manehatten?”

“By the Hive… how damned difficult is it to choose a head of lettuce?”

“Like you’re one to talk, Phylus.”

Two squirrels sat in an oak tree overlooking the Ponyville square, acting far too calm for a bunch of arboreal rodents. The squirrel named Phylus was placidly chewing on an acorn, not so much eating it as he was just scraping at it with his front teeth. He looked to his companion, and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on. Did you forget how long you took to choose a box of persimmons after that mission to Neighpon?”

“Hey, persimmons are serious business. They’ve got flavor to them, unlike lettuce,” Phylus defended. “Seriously, Palp, if you just—”

Palp held up a paw, and Phylus went silent. A moment later, a pegasus in dark blue armor landed silently on a tree branch next to them. He glanced at them for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a bunch of brave little critters, aren’t you?” He chuckled. “The animals are too tame around here.”

Phylus let out a string of high pitched chatters before he and Palp took off, running across a large branch and leaping to a neighboring maple.

They waited a moment, making sure the pegasus wasn’t watching them, then Palp spoke. “Damn Night Guards… bastard almost snuck up on us.”

“Tell me again where those guys were back when we were in Canterlot?”

“Shrill says they were planning a counterattack against us. Actually captured some of our soldiers. I think they’re still in Canterlot prison.”

Phylus shuddered. “They’re too stealthy to be ponies…”

“They’re not all ponies, you know. I heard that one Private… Umber, I think. I heard he’s an officer in their ranks.”

“Umber…?” Phylus repeated the name. “You mean the one that went AWOL about twenty-some years ago? Didn’t he cause a huge mess-up when he did that?”

“Yeah, he was supposed to be on lookout near the Ancients’ Run mountains when that big dragon raid happened.”

“The Charred Camp, you mean?”

Palp nodded. “Lost the whole company there. The lizards razed everyone inside before they had a chance to get out.”

Phylus grunted. “Think he’s here in town?”

“Don’t know. He’s probably not in disguise, though, since Equestria’s all open to us now.”

The two were quiet for a long time after that, continuing to watch the market below.

“Hey, Palp, mind if I be upfront with you about this mission?”

Palp’s beady brown eyes flickered green for a moment as he looked to Phylus. “Go on.”

“I honestly don’t have a problem with this Spike guy. I mean, sure, he’s a dragon… but he did save a lot of changelings from starving back home. He even told off Princess Celestia if the papers are right. Guy's got guts.”

Palp eyed his companion critically, then turned back to their target. “Yeah… same here. He’s a good kid, from what I know.”

The two squirrels resumed their silence once more, Phylus pulling the acorn he had been chewing on from his cheek pouch and nibbling on it once more.

“It’s just a head of lettuce, Daze. I’m sure it’s fine.” Spike looked to the mare selling the produce and gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Carrot Top. She’s a picky eater, I guess.”

The orange-maned mare waved Spike off with a smile. “It’s alright. I usually don’t have customers who are so savvy with their produce.” She turned to Daze. “Hopefully my vegetables are alright, though. I take pride in my work.”

‘Daze’ looked up from a rather leafy head of romaine lettuce, and smiled. “You mistake my pickiness. They’re all good; I’m just looking for the best one.”

Carrot Top beamed. “You flatter me.” She inspected her lettuce for a moment, grinning as she pointed to a particularly vibrant green head of romaine. “Here. This one. I remember it catching my eye when I was pulling the lettuce from my garden. Crispy, but not too crispy. Just keep it in the icebox and it should be good for a few days.”

The changeling hefted the lettuce in a hoof, inspecting it for several long moments. Slowly, a smile worked across her lips. “It’s perfect. I’ll take it, along with the rest of the vegetables.”

“Wonderful!” Carrot Top checked off all the items before her. “So… one head of romaine lettuce… two kohlrabi… a dozen potatoes, six red onions, one rutabaga, five carrots, aaaand… one bundle of asparagus.” She took out a pencil and notepad, and began crunching numbers. “That comes out to forty-two bits even.”

Daze smiled. “Good produce for a price like that? Well, that’s awfully generous.”

Carrot Top laughed. “I may have forgotten a carrot or two. Just be sure to pay me a visit next time you need more veggies.”

“I shall,” Daze said with a bow, then placed her groceries in a bag that Spike was carrying. “Come along, Spike. I still need some fruits.”

Spike grumbled as he lifted increasingly heavier bag onto his shoulder.

“Have a good day!” Carrot Top called out as they made their way through the crowd.

Spike followed Daze as she weaved through the afternoon market goers. She eventually paused, her gaze locked on a particularly group of ponies. Barrels of apples surrounded the stand, and the smell of delicious baked goods and a faint aroma of tea leaves and herbs filled the air surrounding it.

“Chrys—erm… Daze?” Spike called out to the mare had remained in place for almost a solid half-minute. “You alright?”

“H-huh?” Daze looked to Spike. “Oh, uh… y-yes.” She exhaled slowly. “It’s just…” She nodded to the two mares running the stand. “I’m sure you can understand my hesitancy.”

“Ah,” Spike replied. “Well, so as long as you don’t mention a certain wedding, I’m sure AJ will be just fine. She’s a great pony. Zecora’s fine, too. Just be yourself… except, you know… not really yourself.” He then added in a low tone. “They’re good friends of mine, too. Understand?”

The changeling nodded, and began to make her way over to the apple-laden stand, only to freeze in place once more. Spike almost bumped into her this time.

“What now?”

“Colea.”

“Huh, what about…?” Spike looked to the Apples’ stand, and sure enough, there was Colea, chatting with Zecora. “Huh… she must be on a lunch break.”

“She visits the market once in awhile. Chats with the locals, buys lunch. She loves Fuji apples, and the Apples have a small section of them on their land.”

Spike said nothing, instead simply nodding as the changeling fidgeted in place. “Well?”

“I-I can’t go over there.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

Spike frowned. “Chr…” He bit his lip, and began again. “Daze, what’s wrong?”

Daze sighed deeply after enduring Spike’s intense staring for a few heartbeats. “She’s a smart changeling. Very smart, and perceptive. I was lucky enough to get you past her when I was bringing you back to my place. In fact, I’m sure she’s already well aware that we’re here, and just hasn’t got around to us yet.” She shook her head. “Buck it, we may as well talk to her. She’ll just question us later otherwise.”

Spike raised an eyebrow and followed Daze as she continued onward to the Apples’ stand.

Applejack, busy fixing a display of Apple-family tarts, looked up and spotted Spike. “Well, howdy, Spike! Speak of the dragon, we were just talkin’ with Miss Colea about you.” Her smile faltered a bit. “She said you weren’t feeling too hot earlier today.”

Spike grinned. “O-oh, yeah. Yeah, I was a bit out of it. Dehydrated, I think. Daze here got me to her place, and let me rest for a bit.” He gave the farmpony a thumbs up. “Feeling right as rain now, though. Don’t worry. We’re just getting Daze some produce, then we were going to head back to work. Pretty sure it’s not contagious.” He looked to Colea, who was giving him and Daze an unreadable look.

“Well, nothing will help you feel better than a nice, crisp apple. Or perhaps you’re lookin’ into some of Zecora’s teas and herbs?”

The zebra mare gave Daze a welcoming nod. “Ah, I can tell you have a love for tea, Miss Daze. Tell me which of these catches your gaze.” She gestured to the dried tea leaves that were held within sealed bags. “Several are from trees grown by my sister-in-law and I. We have blends of green, black, rose, and even chai.”

Daze’s eyes wandered from blend to blend. She eventually looked to Zecora, and asked. “How did you ever procure so much?”

Applejack decided to answer. “Zecora actually planted a few trees in the Everfree years back. After she married my brother, Zecora planted some saplings from those same trees near the farmhouse. We got plenty of farmland, so it didn’t take up too much space. Not too many trees, mind you, one or two of each.” She waved a hoof. “They don’t grow too big this far north, but we’re taking good care of them. You won’t see healthier lookin’ trees anywhere in Equestria!”

“Indeed, though I believe Apple Bloom’s the one to credit to them doing so well. Were it not for her, these blends would not be fit to sell,” Zecora said, earning a grin from Applejack.

“Heh, ain’t that the truth.” Applejack chuckled.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Really? She never mentioned anything about tea trees.”

“Oh, she’s taken quite a liking to ‘em. Even made a few personal blends for herself from the dried leaves in storage back home.” Applejack snickered. “Girl’s got an eye for plant care. She’s an Apple, after all. She just don’t want somepony like Rarity catching wind. She likes the drink, not the etiquette and ceremony.”

Colea picked a blend from the stand. “I’ll take one bag of green if you don’t mind.” As Zecora took the payment from her she turned to Spike and Daze. “So, you’re feeling better, Spike?”

Spike grinned, doing his best to focus on not being nervous. He knew how well changelings could detect emotions, and he didn’t want her becoming suspicious. “Yep, just a little dehydrated. That’s all.”

Colea studied him for a long while, then sighed, the faintest traces of a smile on her lips. “Don’t do anything stupid like that again, alright? Take care of yourself. I don’t want Scootaloo saying I’m working you to the bone and not letting you rest.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So, if you’re both heading back to work, mind if I tag along?” Colea continued. “I can always use some company on the way back to the House.”

“Of course,” Daze answered before Spike could say anything. The grin on her face was perhaps just a bit too cheery, but if Colea felt at all disturbed by it, she said nothing. “We just need to make a quick stop to drop off my groceries at my apartment.”

“Alright then,” Colea said, adjusting her own saddlebags.

As Daze began to scan the copious amounts of apples on display, Applejack looked to Spike. “So, Spike, Rainbow Dash stopped on by earlier. Said you and Scoot are comin’ to the Grand Galloping Gala after all?”

Spike let out a huff. “Yes. Yes I am.”

Applejack’s smile fell. “Spike… sugarcube… c’mon, I ain’t trying to poke fun.”

Spike sighed deeply. “I know, I know. It’s just that I dread what’s waiting for me at the Gala.”

“Shoot, not all the politicians want your head on a plate, do they?” Applejack asked, a bemused look crossing her features. “Newspapers said you had a great approval rating right before you went and… y’know, resigned.”

“I did, and I have more than a few friends still in Canterlot. It’s just that avoiding those I’d rather not talk to will be rather difficult.” He gestured to himself. “Big target and all.”

“Spike, if you wish, we can have someone else accompany Blur and I to the Gala,” Colea said with a twinge of worry in her voice.“I didn’t mean to put you in a situation that you would be uncomfortable with.”

“No, no, it’s alright. I’ll be fine, but I’ll just have to avoid certain ponies while I’m there. That’s all.” When he noticed that Colea appeared unconvinced, he added, “Colea, two alicorn princesses aren’t going to ruin my whole night, okay? Besides, they’ll probably be busy mingling with others. I’m sure they’ll be thinking along the same lines as me. No sense in picking at old wounds. Besides, Scootaloo wouldn’t let me back out of this now if I wanted to anyway.”

“Have you tried to... salvage your relations with Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia?”

The dragon looked down at the disguised former queen and shook his head, trying to hold back his annoyance. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to get under his skin, so he played it cool. “No. Not really. There were some… less than pleasant things said between us. Things that, even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could take back.”

“Sugar, you know that ain’t true,” Applejack began.

Spike let out a puff of smoke. “Look, can we drop this?”

“Holding onto dark feelings will not help at all. Such things almost led to ponykind’s fall,” Zecora stated as she rearranged the tea display. “It is never too late. No one should ever yield to such a fate.”

The drake sighed and just shook his head. “Zecora, it’s a personal matter. I… Twilight said and did things that… that made me lose faith in her.”

Zecora looked like she wanted to say more, but withheld further comment.

“Well,” Daze eventually said, breaking the silence and gesturing to the apples she had set aside for Applejack to tally up. “I suppose this should be enough groceries for now.”

“Right.” The farmpony turned to the small pile and looked it over. “So, that’s two Golden Delicious, two Braeburns, and four Fuji apples.” Applejack crunched the numbers before saying, “Fifteen bits, please.”

Spike placed fifteen bits on the counter for Daze, who collected the fruits into a bag for Spike to take. “Thank you, Applejack, Zecora. Take care.” She gave a nod to Applejack and Zecora before leaving, Spike and Colea following behind.

“Alright, ya’ll take care! An’ don’t be a stranger!”

“Do come back whenever you like, especially you, dear sir Spike!”

Spike gave a half-hearted wave to Applejack and Zecora, slumping as soon as he was a good distance from their market stand.

“She has a point, you know.”

Spike glanced down to Daze, who remained facing ahead. He forced down an annoyed growl, instead deciding to humor the changeling. “Hm?”

“Zecora. She was right. Keep holding onto bitterness, and it’s going to eat away at you,” the changeling replied.

Colea nodded. “I have to agree, Spike. I… can’t say that it’s my place, but I know firsthoof that there are a few that I wish I’d had a chance to make amends with before I left the homeland.”

Daze paused for a brief moment, meeting Colea’s gaze. “Really? Who?”

Colea chuckled, a hollow, mirthless sound. “Some friends that didn’t agree with me leaving. I’ve been known to have a short temper and a rather sharp tongue. Something that I inherited from my mother.”

Daze frowned. “Really?”

“Mm. She always had a way of using her words to get you to do something, and she knew just how to get under your skin.” Colea shrugged, and looked back to Spike. “Anyway, that’s in the past. The point I’m trying to make, Spike, is you might find yourself wishing you at least tried to patch things up years from now.”

Spike gave a grunt, but nodded nevertheless. “I’ve already told my friends that I’ll think on it.”

Colea smiled. “That’s fine. We’ll be there, too, don’t forget that.”

The trio reached Daze’s apartment not long after, Spike and Colea waiting patiently outside for her as she brought her groceries inside. The two shared some small talk regarding Ponyville’s market, but the relative peace was short lived.

“Colea! Spike! Oh, thank the Hive!”

Both spun to see a winded Double Take buzzing frantically towards them. She skidded across the ground as she came in for a landing, tripping over herself as she did so.

“Double Take? What’s wrong?” Colea asked, her wings buzzing. “Geesh! You’re trembling, and you reek of fear. What is it?”

“A hydra!” She managed to breathe out. “It’s making its way towards the House. I-I… w-we couldn’t scare it off! Wisp tried transforming into a hydra herself to discourage it, but that only made it angrier! I-I think it’s an older hydra, our spells are just bouncing off it! It just came out of nowhere, and…” Double Take’s wings fluttered rapidly. “I’ve never seen a hydra so… so furious before!”

Colea’s features grew cold, and even Spike felt a noticeable shift in her mood. “How far from the House?”

“I-I think it’s… less than half a mile maybe?”

Colea cursed and looked to Spike. “Go tell Daze that I had to leave. Inform the Royal Guard station in town while I—”

“Hold on,” Spike interrupted. “Colea, there aren’t many hydra in those woods.” He looked to Double Take. “Did the hydra have a gash across the snout of one of its middle heads?”

The changeling blinked. “I-I don’t know? Maybe? I mean, it was really big, bigger than any I’ve seen before. It had four heads, and it’s an ugly brown color, like mud!”

Spike nodded and turned back to Colea. “I think I might know that hydra. The only creatures that have more control in the Everfree are the Ursas, and they’ve moved deeper into the woods last I heard.” He opened up his wings. “Double Take, take me to the hydra. Colea, go inform the Guard.”

“What?” Colea began. “Spike, I know you’re a dragon, but you’re not planning on taking on a hydra by yourself, are you?”

Spike frowned. “Huh? Oh, no, not if I can help it. I’ll just distract him long enough until the Royal Guard shows up.”

“You sound like you’ve dealt with this hydra before…” Colea said. “I…” She let out a hiss of annoyance. “Fine, but don’t go getting yourself killed! If things go bad, you retreat. Just get everyone to safety. Got it?”

Spike nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with the old guy before. He’s strong, but not too bright.” He flapped his wings, and gave a nod to Double Take. “Lead the way, Double Take.”

Double Take hesitated, looking to Colea for some hint of whether or not to go.

Colea exhaled slowly and gave a nod of resignation. Double Take crouched a bit, her elongated wings buzzing as she pushed off the ground with little effort. Spike followed her into the air, his wings kicking up loose gravel and dust with their powerful flaps as he took to the skies alongside the changeling.

Colea watched them go for several long seconds before running up to Daze’s apartment. Just as she was about to knock, the door opened and Daze walked out, halting before the younger changeling.

“Colea? What’s happening?” Her ears twitched, and she added. “Something’s wrong.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Her ears twitched some more, and she added, her tone a little more worried, “Spike’s gone. Where’s he off to?”

“The Everfree House.” She nodded for Daze to follow, and took off down the steps. Daze quickly shut and locked her door, and followed after Colea.

“What’s wrong? Has something happened at the House?”

Colea shook her head as they galloped down the road. “Not yet hopefully. A hydra’s rampaging through the forest. Double Take found us, and told us about it. Spike took off with her. He’s hoping to distract the hydra until the Royal Guard shows up, which means we need to hurry up and make our way to the guard station.”

“A hydra?!” Daze replied in disbelief. “That drake is going to get himself eaten!”

“I know, that’s why we need to move! I… he says that he’s dealt with hydras before, and I think this he might have a bit of a past with this one in particular. He’s not going to be alone in dealing with it. Sounds like Wisp and a few others are trying to slow the beast down, too.”

Daze bit down a growl. Damn it, Spike, the last thing any of us need is for you to become hydra bait!

Spike and Double Take covered the distance between Ponyville and the Everfree rather quickly. Spike could see four distinct, serpentine heads writhing above the tree line. Small, black dots buzzed around the hydra’s heads while a single, bird-like figure circled above the beast.

“Who’s all over there?” Spike asked.

“Wisp, Raxis, Fade, and Colm. Everyone else is evacuating the House.”

Spike flapped a little harder, crossing the remaining distance to the hydra within a few wingbeats.

“Hey, bog-breath!” Spike shouted.

One of the heads twisted towards Spike’s direction. Its eyes widened as a ball of green flame exploded upon impact with its muzzle. It let out a pained hiss, and the remaining three heads all directed their attentions at the young drake now hovering in the air.

“Spike?!” called out Wisp as she zipped up towards his side.

“Everyone okay?” He asked Wisp while keeping his eyes on the hydra, which was now slowly making its way towards him.

“Y-yeah!” Wisp replied. “Where’s Colea?”

“She and Daze are getting the Royal Guard,” Spike answered, dipping low as one of the heads snapped at him. He landed on the ground with a thud, and glared up at the hydra.

The hydra let out a snort from all four pairs of nostrils, the smell of swamp and decay washing over Spike, even from where he stood.

“Spike, be careful!” Double Take called out from above, still hovering in the air.

The hydra’s four heads let out roars as they lunged forward. Spike leaped back, flapping hard as he put a good dozen meters between him and the hydra. The four heads chomped down on the ground where he had been standing, spraying mud in every direction. As they rose back up, the heads all spit out mud and grass, glaring daggers at the young dragon.

“Let me handle him. If you see an opening, take it, but keep an eye on all the heads! The back of their skulls are good weak points,” Spike called out. He glanced up for a moment, noticing that Colm, Raxis, and Fade had joined Wisp and Double Take in the air.

The hydra bared its teeth and growled, and Spike felt the faint vibrations in his chest as it did so. He looked to the hydra head that was second from the far left. A nasty scar ran across its snout. A flicker of recognition flashed in their eyes.

Spike’s claws twitched.

“Long time, no see, huh?” Spike said as he cautiously circled the beast. “I got a little bigger since last time. Probably never saw me with these, huh?” He displayed his wings as the hydra eyed them warily. “I thought you ran back to Froggy Bottom Bogg.”

Spike noticed one of the heads twitch. He rolled to the side just before a set of massive jaws rushed forward, clamping down on thin air where he had been standing. Spike punished the hydra for its mistake with a quick jet of flame. The head let out a screech of pain while its counterparts let out roars of anger. The beast rose up to its full height and glared down at the little drake that dared attack it.

“Okay, big guy…” Spike let out a plume of sulphurous smoke. “Let’s dance!”

Author's Notes:

All pre-reading/editing were done by the ever-wonderful littlerobotbird. Thanks for the help, as always, friend!

Hope you all enjoyed this. I've been waiting to introduce Chrysalis into this story for quite some time. I only wish I could add a sixth character tag for her. Ah well, that's how life is sometimes, no? Thanks for reading! Keep on keeping on, everyone!