Queen Chrysalis was having an absolutely marvelous day.

The final stragglers from the ill-fated invasion of Canterlot had finally been returned to the Hive, her drones had begun the long process of re-infiltrating the outer cities of Equestria, and-most importantly to Queen Chrysalis- her belly was full.

The light purple mare with the grape and strawberry cutie mark was carried out of her chambers by a quartet of her personal servants as Chrysalis lightly dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. While Changelings didn’t actually use their mouths to feed, instead relying upon their inherent magic to siphon emotional energy from their victims, some pony habits had gradually made their way into Changeling culture. Spending large amounts of time impersonating another species tends to have that effect.

Her afternoon meal, meanwhile, would have her recent memories erased and be placed back in her home in Ponyville. It was not the first time they had abducted this particular pony to use as food; her reputation as a lush around the small hamlet lent credibility to her short, frequent disappearances. She would wake in a day’s time, feeling effects similar to a severe hangover and be back to full health within the week. In a month, she would most likely be ponynapped again and the cycle would repeat. The Swarm kept a small list of ponies on rotation to survive upon until they were prepared to once again launch their assault upon Equestria. Then they would gorge themselves.

Chrysalis, meanwhile, merely collapsed onto a large pile of fine, silk pillows. She drifted in a state of half-wakefulness and savored the feeling of being full. It was a rare sensation as of late; her drones had once been able to acquire many more ponies for food, but the Invasion had changed all that. The Equestrian Royal Guard had been retrained to deal with her subjects, and ponies everywhere had been put on alert.

Even before the attack food had been short. She had gambled that an open invasion would obtain for them the resources they required, but her plan had failed and nourishment was harder to come by than ever.

‘It’s no matter,’ she thought darkly, ‘next time I will be more thorough. Eliminate any possible threats before making my move.’

The Equestrian Princesses would prove a challenge, but Celestia was thought to be the strongest among them, and Chrysalis had beaten her once. Even without Shining Armor’s love, she could find a way to do it again. With Celestia out of the way, Luna alone would be no match for her. Cadance was a problem easily solved; she was naïve and easily fooled. By the time she suspected anything she would be waking inside a cocoon.

That left Twilight Sparkle.

‘The little brat.’

The Element of Magic was dangerous, that was certain. It was through her actions that the invasion had failed in the first place. Without her suspicions of Chrysalis’ impersonation and subsequent rescue of Cadance, the whole thing would have gone off without a hitch. Wings and the magical might of Alicornhood would only make her more of an obstacle.

Still, Chrysalis was a clever mare, and she wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating the youngest alicorn again.

Content with her musings for the moment, Chrysalis allowed the many plans and schemes constantly running through her head to fall by the wayside for the moment. She would bask in the harvested emotion while she could. There was plenty of time for her ambitions when her stomach, or its Changeling equivalent at least, was less satisfied.

A small shiver ran through her and she grimaced. The underground caverns were cold. They never cooled to the point of being unhealthy, merely somewhat uncomfortable. Chrysalis wished they could be heated, but that would require energy that could not be spared. Instead, she used her magic to pull a thick blanket from a nearby pile over herself. The heavy warmth settled over her and delivered her comfort anew. A blissful sigh escaped her as her head sank into the Saddle Arabian cushions.

Her mind free, memories of her youth bubbled to the surface and allowed a rare smile to bloom. It was not her usual leer or even an arrogant smirk, but a soft and genuine grin she had so few occasions to use. Thoughts of scampering through small patches of desert flowers with her Brood Sisters danced across her mind’s eye. She remembered when she and Carapace would spend entire days playing never ending back and forth games of tag and hide-n-seek. Light, girlish giggles echoed in her ears from days long past, and for a few moments Chrysalis was happy.

A loud knock on her chamber doors brought her back to real world. A cool, underground cavern replaced the homes carved out of canyon walls of her youth. What flowers still bloomed in the scorching heat of the Badlands wilted and died in the decades-long draught. Carapace, her dimpled chitin still fresh behind Chrysalis’s eyes, was long dead and buried.

Chrysalis growled.

‘They should know better than to bother me after my meal.’

“What is it? Why have you disturbed your Queen?” she barked at the door from her pile.

The nervous stutter of a drone answered her. “Y-y-your Majesty, We have captured a trespasser o-on the s-surface. It is the S-sun Princess.”

‘What?’

Chrysalis’ ears peaked in interest. She pushed herself to her perforated hooves, despite her body’s encouragements to sink back into their soft embrace, and opened her door. Before her an unremarkable Changeling bowed deeply on the ground between the two larger Warrior Drones who guarded her door.

“Did I hear you right? You say you have captured the Sun Princess? As in, Celestia?” she asked, disbelievingly. The drone nodded eagerly.

“Y-yes Your Majesty.” If possible, it seemed to be trying to sing even further into the ground.

Chrysalis raised a skeptical brow. “And how, I ask, did you manage such a feat?”

“S-she came upon a party of workers near the South-Eastern burrow and surrendered herself, s-saying she wished an audience with you, Your Majesty.”

‘What game is she playing?’

Chrysalis considered the situation for a moment before remembering the cowering drone in front of her. “Where is she now?”

“The Outer Barrack Cells, Your Majesty,” it squeaked out pathetically.

“Lead me there. Now.” Her subject pushed its head even further to the ground and acknowledged her command before practically scurrying away through one of the poorly-lit tunnels that made up the Changeling Hive. Chrysalis rolled her eyes before casually striding after it, her two Warrior Drones following a respectful distance behind. Sometimes ruling through fear and intimidation was quite trying. She truly cared for her subjects, but to show compassion was to show weakness and invite one of the juvenile Princesses to make a grab for the throne. Such was the way of the Hive.

The earthen tunnels wound confusingly through a network of dead ends, access ways, and express lines. It was all designed so that were an invader to brave the horrid environment that was the Badlands above, they would become confused and lose cohesion in the subterranean complex. It was a system that had protected the Changelings for as long as could be recalled. After living most of her life in the labyrinth, Chrysalis was able to navigate it with ease, but it would be improper for her to travel without at least a single servant or guard. She was a Queen, and Queens did not travel without a retinue.

It did not take long for Chrysalis to reach the Outer Barrack Cells, as anyone who found themselves in her path made themselves scarce. When she arrived she found the facility was almost empty, save one cell. Envisioned as a method of storing various species for food reserves, it was almost depressingly unutilized.

The cells themselves were each two-room designs. One half consisted of the cell itself, with thick iron bars with magic resistant gem cores. The second half consisted of a chamber hidden behind a layer of special ichor that acted as a one-way mirror. The ichor was crafted in such a way that it appeared as simply a normal section of granite wall, but allowed those in the second room to spy on prisoners without being detected.

Chrysalis stepped into the observation room of the only occupied cell and found a strange sight; Princess Celestia, the Thousand Year Monarch and Goddess of the Sun, laying on the hard floor and casually flipping through a small magazine. Her demeanor was that of someone in a waiting room rather than that of a prisoner.

‘I’ll give her this, she can play the calm and collected card quite well when she wants to.’ As a professional actor whose performance was literally life or death, Chrysalis had to appreciate good acting when she saw it.

“Has she said anything since she was brought in?” Chrysalis demanded. The drone shook its head so quickly Chrysalis was sure she heard something pop in its neck. The thought nearly made her grimace, but her visage remained stern.

“Very well. I shall interrogate her myself.” She strolled from the observation room towards the hall that connected to the cell and turned to her two personal soldiers. “Ensure we are not disturbed.” Both bowed deeply and took up places on either side of the cell’s only door. Chrysalis lit her horn and closed the observation room’s door before prying open the cell’s bars.

She strode through confidently, exuding royal prestige and authority with her chin held high. She looked down her nose at the white alicorn who hadn’t bothered to look up from her reading.

“So lovely to see you again, Celestia,” she said loftily. She made sure to look down her snout at the Equestrian enough that it was obvious she was doing it, but not so obvious as to make herself vulnerable to an attack. Her horn remained lit with her most powerful offensive spells, the sickly green light shining onto the hard rock walls.

“Good afternoon,” Celestia acknowledged warmly, as if she were just another pony. Still her eyes remained on the magazine, which annoyed Chrysalis.

“Have you come to surrender yourself and plead for mercy?” she asked.

‘Best to at least appear confident in your power, even if right now you couldn’t capture a sand castle.’

“Actually I wondered if I might get your opinion on something.”

Chrysalis raised a curious eyebrow. “Oh? And what might that be?”

“Do you like tea?” Celestia asked, looking up from her magazine for the first time since Chrysalis had seen her.

‘What.’

“W-what?” Chrysalis stammered, thrown off by the odd question. Celestia tittered lightly at her expression.

“Oh, I apologize. That question must have seemed like a bit of nonsense.” Celestia giggled and held a hoof to her chest. Her horn lit in golden light that overpowered the room’s single torch and Chrysalis’ own magic glow. Chrysalis started to recoil before she noticed the yellow light surround the magazine which floated up to reveal the title; ‘Tea Time Variety Catalogue.’

“You see, my sister and I have recently revived an old tradition of ours. Once a week we present each other with the gift of a new tea blend for the other to enjoy. Luna always manages to find the most wonderful flavors, but I’m afraid I can never quite compare. I had hoped you might be of some assistance?” The sincerity in her tone was for some reason deeply unsettling to the Queen.

“W-Changelings don’t drink tea. We don’t drink anything.” It was common knowledge that normal food and drink was of no value to Changeling physiology.

Celestia frowned. “Shame. I had hoped your experience in impersonating ponies would have given you some personal favorites at the very least.”

Chrysalis had momentarily lost control of the situation. It was just so odd that it left her stumbling.

“You crossed two hundred miles of scorching desert to ask me what flavor of tea I like?”

“Well of course,” Celestia rolled her eyes as if it was obvious.

Bewildered, Chrysalis could only think to ask, “And what led to your decision to seek out my counsel, of all beings?” Celestia sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly in light exasperation.

“I couldn’t very well ask Luna," she said in a tone reminiscent of a teacher instructing a particularly dense student, "and my staff would simply say ‘whatever you prefer, Your Highness.’ Twilight has always been more of a coffee drinker, and Cadance is, well, she and Shining Armor have been… indisposed I suppose is the polite term. You know how newlyweds are,” she giggled again.

Chrysalis did in fact know how newlyweds could be. She had taken the place of newly minted brides (and the rare groom, too) on many occasions. The exchange of emotion, the cataclysmic rolling bombardment of feeling that recently married ponies gave off was absolutely splendid. Creatures prone to more physical foodstuffs would compare it to the finest of meals soaked in the most expensive of wines and served with solid gold cutlery.

“And how is the blushing bride?” Chrysalis asked in attempt to regain control of the conversation. If she could get Celestia angry, it would give her a chance to manipulate the alicorn’s emotions. As it was, trying to sense the Princess’ state of mind was like trying to run through a brick wall.

Instead of rising to the prod, Celestia gave a small smile. “She’s doing wonderfully. Her time in the mines didn’t do nearly as much harm as I had feared, and Shining Armor has supported her dutifully through what difficulties there are.” Chrysalis leered lecherously.

“Yes, I do remember how dutifully he supported my own enterprise.” Again to her surprise Celestia agreed.

“He’s quite the stallion, that much is sure. It is no wonder Twilight turned out as amazingly as she did with an influence such as him.” Pride radiated from the Royal and saturated the air.

“Oh yes, quite the stallion indeed,” Chrysalis purred. “I’ll make sure he is captured unharmed once my Swarm falls upon your Kingdom. It would be a shame to waste such a delicious specimen.”

Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “You sound quite sure of your eventual triumph. Personally, I am somewhat skeptical of your capabilities. The individuals who escorted me here seemed a bit gaunt for soldiers.”

“Perhaps my Changelings aren’t at their physical best,” Chrysalis huffed, “But without their precious Princess, the ponies will fall easily. I have learned from my mistakes, and I shall not make them again. Next time I will succeed, and my subjects will set upon Equestria like a swarm of locust!”

For once, Chrysalis spoke with complete sincerity. With Celestia captured, she would be able to infiltrate the highest levels of Equestria. None questioned Celestia, and with that kind of influence she would be able to isolate and destroy Equestria's defenses in a manner that not even Cadance's position had allowed. Even with her subjects weakened by famine, victory was surely within her grasp. Whatever game Celestia was playing was irrelevant. She was alone, surrounded by thousands of Changelings, and Chrysalis was both well fed and still retained a shadow of the power given to her by Shining Armor's love. She would never have a better opportunity, and yet at the same time a voice in the back of her head nagged at her, asking why Celestia would willingly allow herself to fall into such circumstances.

Celestia looked down, her face obscured by her billowing mane. When she looked back up, she bore a contemplative smile. “Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not.”

Shrill tones of shattering glass echoed in the small chambers as Chrysalis laughed. “Oh?” she questioned humorously, unable to keep an arrogant smile off her face. “And how do you expect to stop me? I bested you in your very own Throne Room, and based on your performance I could have done it even without your Captain’s love. Truly, I was surprised at your pathetic performance.”

Princess Celestia’s enigmatic smile widened, and Chrysalis felt a bead of sweat gather on her brow. She lifted a hoof casually to wipe away the sweat and-

Wait, sweat?

“Ah, you’ve noticed have you?” Celestia asked casually and nodded to herself. “You know, for a creature that relies so much upon small nuances for deception, your observational skills could certainly use some work,” she giggled behind a hoof. It took a moment for the information to process, but when it did Chrysalis's stomach dropped; the cave was warm. More than that, it was hot.

“What have you done?” Chrysalis demanded, towering over the prone monarch. Her horn emitted raw power with sickly green light, throwing the chamber into an ominous shade of half-darkness. She used all her arcane senses to detect Celestia's trickery, but she could feel nothing.

“What have I done? I do believe that is the wrong question.” The same arrogant, overbearing, motherly tone that was as much the Sun Princess as her cutie mark drove Chrysalis to grind her teeth in rage. With her attention drawn to it, she was having an increasingly difficult time ignoring the rising temperature in the cell.

“Then what is the correct question?” she snapped. Whatever the Sun Hag was doing, she would put a stop to it. Until she could determine exactly what trick she was performing, however, there was nothing for her to direct her magic towards. Celestia’s horn showed no signs of life, leaving the Changeling Queen bewildered.

“The correct question is what have you done? And I must say, the list is quite long.” For the first time, Celestia raised herself to her haunches and counted off on her hoof. “Wrongful imprisonment, assault on not one but two sitting Princesses, assault upon Equestrian citizens both individually and as a group, assault on the Captain of the Royal Guard,” each time she added an accusation, the temperature rose noticeably, “conspiracy to commit assault upon the Royal Guard, conspiracy to commit assault upon the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony… I could quite literally go on for hours. The Royal Magistrates were quite thorough in amassing charges. I believe there are even several thousand bits worth of fines for unauthorized flight above the Palace grounds.”

By the end of her indictment, Chrysalis was forced to shift from hoof to ragged hoof to prevent the chitin from searing. The heat was becoming unbearable, and when her guards knocked on the door to the cell she knew the heat wasn’t isolated. Her Warrior Drones would never allow her to be disturbed unless they feared her safety was endangered. As powerful as she was, it felt as if she stood in an oven. The heat could have easily been ten times worse for her subjects.

“ENOUGH!” The green magic around Chrysalis’s horn swelled and exploded towards Celestia. Foul magic fueled by stolen emotion came within an inch of the alicorn’s unflinching eyes before being incinerated. Chrysalis blinked, unsure of what she had seen.

No yellow light had erupted from Celestia’s horn, no spell had been cast. Instead, her attack had simply burned. The impossibility of it resounded through her, everything she knew of the arcane destroyed in a single moment. When she turned her eyes away from the dissipating cloud of smoke and back to Celestia, she saw the pony Princess sitting as if nothing had happened.

Celestia stood, and with her the rose the temperature once again. Steam rolled off Chrysalis as sweat instantly vaporized in the torrid air, her eyes dried out when the tears evaporated. No matter how quickly she shifted her hooves, the chitin scorched on contact with the floor. The gem-cored iron bars burned red, and the knocking on the door grew frantic until it stopped completely.

“Now, Queen Chrysalis, that’s no way to treat a visiting head of state,” Celestia scolded as she strolled across the singed glass. Her gilded horseshoes seemed immune from the sizzling fire that should have rendered them to slag. Chrysalis, in agony she could barely comprehend, did her best to stare down her opponent. She was still again, the nerve endings in her hooves burned to nothing. The air was too blistering to breath and rendered her unable to speak. She drew in a single breath when she could resist no more and it baked her throat and lungs.

Robbed of oxygen, her body gave out. She dropped like a stone, the chitin on her stomach fusing with the bubbling rock almost instantly. Celestia looked down at her with sad eyes. Had she the capacity for movement, Chrysalis would have snarled.

I don’t need your pity.

It was a testament to the Queen’s mental fortitude that she was still able to think coherently.

“I am sorry that things turned out this way. I am fully aware that your people were not monsters.” She sighed. “Merely the victims of their nature. No, you’re not a monster Chrysalis.” For a brief, infinitesimal moment in her delirium Chrysalis thought she would be spared. That somehow, the Sun Goddess would turn away the fury of her charge and spare the Changeling Race.

“Unfortunately for you,” she continued darkly, dropping her head to stare into Chrysalis’s boiling eyes, “I am.”

Her hope shattered, followed quickly by the charred chitin of the Queen’s face. Cooked muscle pushed through the broken shards of insectoid skin before turning to ash.

...my......children.....

The final thought of the last Queen of the Changelings echoed through her dying mind before she, and her race, were consumed.

Celestia watched impassively until the last vestige of the Changeling Queen was reduced to nothing by the fiery wrath of the Sun. Satisfied, she ambled through the molten stalactites that had blocked her way. It took her several minutes to make her way to the surface, passing piles of charcoal and soot that were once living beings. She didn't spare them a glance when she passed.

When she reached the surface, she spread her wings and took to the skies. The air would have been hot to any of her subjects, but after the pleasant warmth that had annihilated the Swarm it felt like a brisk winter’s night. Her flight brought her to the edge of her dominion where she was joined by the pair of Pegasus Royal Guards she had left at the border. They asked no questions as they took up a formation behind her.

It was hours later when the trio reached Canterlot. Her sun was falling below the horizon, bathing the land in pleasant shades of twilight. Celestia landed gracefully on her balcony and dismissed her guards with a gentle smile. The stallions saluted and leapt into the creeping darkness, their duty complete.

“Welcome back, sister,” a velvet voice caressed her ears and announced Luna’s presence. Celestia turned and gave the first genuine smile of her long day. After a thousand years apart, just seeing her sister again was enough to put Celestia in good spirits. Luna dissolved out of the shadows with uncanny skill befitting her station as Mistress of the Night. In her magical grasp was a small, light green box tied with yellow ribbon.

Celestia wordlessly approached her sister and embraced her tightly. No words were needed between them. After a moment, the two broke apart and Celestia retrieved her own tribute from her night stand. In minutes, Celestia’s stress melted away as the warm scent of honey roses and lemon jasmine filled her chambers.

As they sipped from the expensive china, the two gazed out through the glass balcony doors at the rising moon. Silver light bathed their shared kingdom in an innocent aura, and their ponies slept peacefully.

"Do you regret it, sister? The things we are forced to do?" Luna asked. There was no need to specify what she referred to. Celestia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she lowered her gaze slightly to watch the streets of Canterlot. Ponies finished with their business for the day were returning home to their families, couples strolled together under the emerging stars, and foals ran under hoof in seemingly endless play. She blinked, and for an instant the multitude of coat colors was replaced by black chitin, long canine fur, and hard reptilian scales. Luna watched as the full weight of thousands of years of watching over and protecting their ponies collapsed on her sister. When Celestia finally spoke, her voice was soft, quiet, and filled with the kind of sadness and regret known only to immortals.

"Not for a single moment."