Twilight sometimes hated her mind. It was a wonderful thing that seemed to absorb anything she read with brilliant recollection. And the fact her special talent was learning magic from just seeing it cast made her the most powerful unicorn, now Alicorn, to ever have existed.

But her obsessive nature also meant it was impossible to let things go without getting them resolved internally, and a thought had been nagging her all day. Without a proper outlet for it, it had grown and eventually filled her entire consciousness, meaning nothing else could get done.

Twilight was lying in a chair on the ground floor of her home/library/secret government testing lab, staring at the front door waiting for her house-guest to return after spending the day with her subjects. She wished she could let the thought go, to not make a scene, but no there was no other way to get rid of it but confront her lover.

The Queen eventually made her way home, and walked through the front door in a very good mood.

“Chrysalis, I need to speak with you” Twilight's voice was a little cold and serious, speaking as soon as the changeling entered

“Yes?” Chrysalis replied surprised at the sudden welcome.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that night before the wedding”

The Queens face began to spread into a smile, but it was quickly withdrawn when Twilight harshly replied “NOT in that way”

“Oh” was Chrysalis’s only reply.

“I need to understand something…about what you did”

“Okay…can I take a seat?”

“Of course” Twilight replied, but her voice was still cold.

“So what is on your mind Twilight?” The Queen asked, genuinely concerned.

“I need to understand a little more about why you did what you did” Twilight put up a hoof to silence Chrysalis from interrupting her “I know why you did it in general terms, but there are some specifics bothering me”

“Specifics, like what?”

“Let’s go through this step by step…who did you start off impersonating?”

“Well, first of all I was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza...Cadence”

“Turn into her”. The request was not friendly, but an impersonal order

“But…” the Queen started to protest

“I said…Turn into her” Twilight repeated harshly.

Chrysalis stood up, and took the form of the Princess of Hearts, Twilight sister in law and former foalsitter. She stood there very nervously as obviously Twilight was upset at her for some reason.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked, watching the queen shuffle a little on her hooves

“I froze you with a spell”

“Yes, and that was all part of the plan. But rather than continue to take her form, which I clearly had feelings for, you changed. Why?”

“Honestly?”

“I expect nothing less of you, Queen Chrysalis”. The formality of the name underlined how serious Twilight was being. This was not a conversation between friends, but from the ruler to what was now one of her subjects.

“Well, whilst you did have strong feelings for her, they were from when you were a foal and a very young filly. Abusing those memories, especially for what I wanted from you, seemed too…disgusting.”

Twilight cast her a bit of a sceptical look.

“Hey, I may be evil, but everyone of us has some form of line. I have never killed except to eat – I didn’t kill Cadence just imprisoned her. And I would never, or let any of my subjects, abuse any youngling of any species. We wouldn’t even feed on them except as a very last resort!”

Twilight looked into Chrysalis eyes and saw a burning passion that spoke the truth.

“Well, thanks for that…I guess you did have some form of morals before I came along then”

“Some…but in all truthfulness not many!” The queen replied ruefully.

“And then after being your true self, what form did you take next?”

The queen thought back “I turned into Celestia?”

Twilight gave Chrysalis another stare, and the changeling morphed into Celestia’s shape.

“Now, why did you do that?”

“Please Twilight, I…” ‘Celestia’ began to beg, not wanting to remember what she had done to what was now her friend.

“I asked why!” Twilight nearly shouted

“Well, I knew how much you loved and respected her like Cadence, but the memories were more recent and mature. You…have very strong feelings towards her and she is clearly an important pony to you. I thought I could abuse that”

Twilight looked at Celestia “Well, thank you for being honest. And then what?”

Chrysalis had never looked so small despite being Celestia’s height “I turned into Spike” and Chrysalis turned into the dragon before being stared at again.

“But that’s when you really took it up a level!”

“I…” the Queen stammered

“That’s when you used his form to abuse me! To touch me where nopony had touched me before!”

“I…”

“Do you have any idea how it felt to be abused by somepony… somedragon…who you almost consider a brother…a SON!” Twilight was shouting by the end of this.

Chrysalis shrunk away from Twilight who was seemed like she was on the verge of exploding, almost scared at what could happen. The reality of what she had done when in Spike’s form hit home “I…I…I didn’t know you felt about Spike that way then.” Chrysalis broke down sobbing, reverting back to her natural form having lost control of her emotions “Honestly, I didn’t…I wouldn’t…”

Twilight turned her back to the changeling in disgust, almost breaking the Queens heart “Do you know what happened? Once you were defeated and we had discussed your surrender, I returned to my room after being away for a day and lay down exhausted. Spike must have heard me come in and he climbed in with me to give me a hug…”

Twilight wiped a tear from her eye

“…and I kicked him away, right off the bed to the floor”

Twilight wiped another few tears away, and then looked towards Chrysalis speaking in a tone of sadness and aggression

“I will never forget the look on his face, looking up to me with his eyes so full of confusion and hurt. I levitated him back into bed, made sure he wasn't hurt and hugged all night. We never spoke about it, but I could tell he was emotionally traumatised”

Twilight cantered up to the Queen and jabbed a hoof into her chest “And you made that happen”

Chrysalis couldn't take any more of this, and went running out of the library. Twilight thought about stopping her, but was too angry to really care.

After about half an hour, long enough for Twilight to have regained a little composure, the Queen returned with Spike riding on her back.

“Chrysalis, Spike, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked in surprise, not expecting to see either of them for a while.

“I don’t know” the dragon shrugged “I was over with Rarity when the Queen asked me to join her. So I did, and she brought me here, and thats why I'm here”

“Spike, I have something to tell you” Chrysalis began “Please take a seat”

“Chrysalis, I don’t think that’s a good…” Twilight started but was interrupted by a wave of the Queens hoof.

The dragon pulled up a chair, and the Queen continued “Spike, Twilight and I have been discussing what happened back in Canterlot. I don't know what she has told you…but I did some bad things to her”

“I guessed something had happened” Spike shrugged his shoulders “I don’t think Twilight turned into an Alicorn just so there was a new Princess for the royal collectable manufacturers to make models of!

“No…that indeed would be silly.” Twilight joined Spike in laughing, and Chrysalis almost smiled at the bond between them, before realising how much worse that made what she was about to say

“But, I used my powers to try to corrupt Twilight. And as part of that I…took your form”

“Me? Why?” Spike asked

“I knew that Twilight had strong feelings about you…and I was abusing that to get Twilight’s mind where I needed it!” It was the truth, albeit it not the whole truth which Twilight was thankful for.

“Oh” the dragon replied, looking towards his mother figure.

Twilight ran over and grabbed “Spike, I'm so sorry. That’s why for a few days I was a little…lets say off…with you when you surprised me. I just…needed to work things out”

Spike hugged the pony back “I never told you this…but I thought it’s because you had become an important Princess and didn’t love me anymore!”

“Oh Spike, I would never do that to you! I love you more than you can imagine!” Twilight cooed back

“I know that now...mum. You’re just as cool as the other Princesses, but for a while I thought you were going to leave me behind in Ponyville whilst you…” Spike tapered off, unable to talk.

Twilight had never heard Spike refer to her as mother before, and it broke her heart to her him say it. Spike and Twilight sobbed in each others arms, and Chrysalis felt sick like she had never felt before.

During her long reign, she had caused a lot of pain and destruction, and never gave it a second thought. She wasn't sure if she had enjoyed it, but she certainly never regretted any of it. And despite what she had done to Cadence and Shining Armour, she didn't feel she owed them anything.

But looking at the pony who had saved her entire species reduced to tears by her, she felt queasy. And a baby dragon, such a young innocent creature of a noble race to be caught up in it? It had been, even if she hadn’t known it, a truly evil act.

Once the pair had finished hugging, Chrysalis bowed down as low as possible in front of the dragon “Spike, I cannot begin to apologise enough for what I did. Twilight and I are slowly getting over some of my acts…but I didn't realise I had hurt you as well”

Spike looked at the creature begging him, so he did the only thing he could, that he ever did when somepony hurt him. He lifted Chrysalis head and gave her a hug around her neck “I forgive you!”

“You do?” the changeling sputtered out around her tears.

“Of course, everybody deserves a second chance. I mean, I destroyed nearly half of Ponyville, and abducted Rarity, and do you know what she did?”

Chrysalis shook her head as she hadn't heard this story

“She came and told me how proud of me she was, and kissed me. I had caused thousands of bits worth of damage, defeated the Wonderbolts and taken her captive for goodness knows what reason!” Spike spread his arms dramatically before hugging the changeling again “And she kissed me in forgiveness. Whatever you did to Twilight as me can’t have been that bad, so if Rarity can forgive me, I can forgive you”

The thousands of years old changeling Queen looked at the dragon still hugging her “Spike the Dragon, you may be so young yet your heart and head is so mature!”

“I guess I learnt from the best” Spike replied, looking over proudly to Twilight “Can I go back to Rarity now? I was helping her with some dresses”

“Of course Spike, and if the work takes all evening and night, don’t worry about checking in with me” Twilight replied, smiling a little.

Spike blushed as he ran out the Library back to his lover’s workshop…and bedroom.

This left the two rulers alone in the tree library, both of them a little shaken up after the conversation with Spike. Twilight had no idea Spike had felt as he did after her ascension; she always assumed the new relationship with Rarity had distracted him.

But Chrysalis looked to be in pretty bad shape emotionally, and just lay there sobbing into her hooves. Twilight was torn between wanting to comfort her, and still being mad. But if she had learnt anything from her time in Ponyville, it was you sometimes have to move on past difficulties and remember the good times.

She lay down next to her new friend and embraced her “Chrysalis you didn't know what you were doing” Twilight tried to comfort her “I believe you when you say that”

“It doesn't change the fact I did some terrible things to you, and your brother”

Twilight pulled the changeling into her body with her wing, and the “We’re all okay now, even your whole swarm is in it's best shape ever, isn't that what matters most?”

The changeling couldn't really respond, and just lay there next to Princess Sparkle, enjoying the feeling of somepony showing her genuine friendship.

“I’ll be sad to leave your side” Chrysalis admitted

“I know, but there’s still some time before you have to move on, and we can stay in touch via Spike-mail” Twilight responded with a kiss on the check.

That night there was no games, no fooling around, just a pair of ponies spending quality time together.