I met Chrysalis on the grand staircase. When she caught sight of me, her expression remained fairly neutral but her eyes narrowed slightly and her tail swished sharply back and forth in what I hoped was irritation.

Periwinkle approached us and formally bowed. Usually, my secretary acknowledged protocol with a little nod, but with foreign royalty present, she was playing the perfect servant. "Princess Luna has requested that dinner be served on the balcony, as the weather is so fine this evening."

"She's here already?

"Yes, Your Highness. She arrived shortly after moonrise."

"That's fine," I told her. And then, as I passed by her near enough not to be overheard, I whispered, "She wants room to maneuver in case a fight breaks out, right?"

Periwinkle inclined her head ever so slightly.

Dinner as battleground. Well, such a thing was no longer outside my sphere of experience, and I needed to be flexible. I trusted Chrysalis to behave herself much more than Luna did, but if that's what my lover felt comfortable with, I wasn't going to deny her.

My lover. I realized my face felt so tight because I was grinning my head off. Before the guards opened the doors to the balcony, I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. I tried to remember Rarity's advice as I had categorized it:

1) Do everything at three-quarters of your normal speed, or half speed if you're feeling excited or nervous. Slow down and breathe deeply.

2) Speak softly. Never raise your voice! It seems odd, but you'll find ponies will pay more attention to you if you suddenly lower your voice.

3) Lower your eyelids but not your gaze and don't look directly at anypony for more than a second or so. Don't bite your lip like that, it makes your mouth go all crooked.

4) Save your best smiles for Luna. Turn to look at her, wait a beat, then smile with your mouth closed. Look at her as if you were alone in bed together, even if she's just asked you to pass the salt.

5) If you walk about after dinner, keep a wineglass with you. Don't gulp, don't even drink if you don't want to, just float it next to your face or chest as an accent. When you do sip, raise it slowly to your lips but keep your eyes on hers. Touch your lips to the glass like a soft, gentle kiss.

6) If you find yourself facing away from her, cock a hoof and lean forward a bit. A little more... good. You can look back over your shoulder and smile at her if you really want to drive her wild. Yes, you're showing off exactly what you think you are, that's why the dress drapes like that, darling.

The doors swung wide, revealing a large table, set with silver, under a silk canopy. Candles on the table and lanterns hung around the balcony made it an enchanting sight, but it was Luna that captured my attention.

She had been standing at the railing, looking out toward the distant lights of Canterlot. She wore nothing but her accustomed regalia, which was fine with me; I couldn't imagine anything that would enhance her beauty. She turned toward us as she heard the doors open and paused. Her mane began rippling and sparkling a little more energetically than usual, and her lips parted just slightly.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk over to her slowly, eyes half-lidded, holding back my smile until I was near her. Then I lifted my head for a kiss and kept my legs from shaking by a sheer act of will.

Luna's kiss was passionate for the brief few seconds it lasted. Then the staccato, sharp sound of Chrysalis' hooves on the floor reminded us that we were not alone.

The lessons from my royal etiquette book nagged at me. "Luna, you remember Queen Chrysalis, of course. She is my guest here until we leave for the Badlands. She will be aiding us in the battle." Luna knew all this, of course. Periwinkle would have filled her in as soon as she'd arrived, but it was a comforting ritual to go through. "Your Majesty, I believe you already know Princess Luna."

They nodded warily to each other, their horns not quite coming low enough for a quick thrust.

Surprisingly, we got along fairly well at dinner. Chef Soupçon had outdone herself and had even prepared a special dish for Chrysalis that smelled vaguely, but inoffensively meaty. The conversation didn't focus on the upcoming battle, but Canterlot gossip. Luna and Chrysalis traveled in very different circles, but there were many areas of overlap, and they seemed to enjoy filling in the gaps of each other's experiences. I didn't have much to contribute, so I mostly just listened and took mental notes.

I learned quite a number of fascinating things.

"I am very lucky to have found such a handsome, unsentimental stallion. He uses mares and throws them away like they were old handkerchiefs," Chrysalis said at one point, regarding her stallion friend. "I am the only one unique enough for him to value. We even play games sometimes, luring in some desperate social climber for a little confusing fun between the three of us. Confusing for her, that is."

"That's awful!" I said, before I could stop myself.

"Worse than any of the countless females that throw themselves at him, hoping for riches and titles? I assure you, I can't sense the slightest whiff of love from any of them."

"Wait," I frowned. "You're not talking about..."

"The prince, of course!" Chrysalis snorted. "I am a queen! Do you think I'd stoop to association with any lesser nobles?"

My treacherous brain summoned up a very brief image of Chrysalis and Blueblood together and then banished the picture in a frantic effort to avoid a mental meltdown.

"I think you two are a perfect match," Luna said, with every evidence of complete sincerity.

"Thank you," Chrysalis said, taking a sip of her wine. "I wish your sister shared your opinion. We are very definitely discouraged from attending events at the palace together ever since the little incident at the charity ball."

"Yes, I heard about that." Luna grinned at her.

Chrysalis shrugged. "The young countess was being a pest. She was far too forward with the prince and I just warned her off. I simply let my 'mask' slip for a moment. I really don't see what all the fuss was about."

"You'll be happy to know she's stopped having nightmares about it," Luna said.

"Will I be?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

Luna shrugged. "Perhaps not."

"I get the distinct impression that your sister doesn't quite approve of you and Twilight, either." The queen spoke with a trailing intonation, inviting comment.

"She just had to get used to the idea," I broke in. "It was a bit of a shock. I'm sure everything is fine now."

"Oh yes, true love conquers all." Chrysalis grinned in a way I didn't much care for, and it wasn't because of her sharp teeth. "I ought to know."

Thinking back to the horrifying bit of personal history she had related to me in the ruined city about killing her lover, her sarcasm was obvious. But there was no way I was going to relate details of our personal lives to Chrysalis. What did I care for her opinion, anyway?

"Celestia will endure," Luna said quietly. "She's very good at that."

Of course, we did talk a little about the upcoming battle to relieve the siege of the changeling hive. I laid out my new operational plan[1] and invited comments and criticism.
----------
[1] I didn't actually bring the charts, break-downs, and spreadsheets to dinner, although I had been tempted. Rarity threatening to have a "hissy fit" if I dared to sling saddlebags over her dress was a deciding factor. I used saucers and a bread plate for the airships, silverware for pegasus formations, and petals from the centerpiece for monsters. It was a good thing the table was fairly large.
----------

"Well," Chrysalis said, after a moment of thought. "You are certainly no fool."

Luna frowned a bit. "I mislike that you intend to expose yourself to such risk, Twilight. This plan depends on very precise timing. Can you not let the proper warship take the brunt of the assault?"

I shook my head. "This is the best way to get them all into a concentrated group. If we go at them piecemeal, it could take a very long time finish them off. That would also greatly increase the risk that the monsters at the hive will be able to communicate back to the main force around the city and warn them. We've seen how fast they adapt. We don't want to give them any time to adjust to our tactics."

"I see the wisdom in it," Luna admitted. "But again, I do not like it overmuch."

"Don't worry, Solar Flare will be first into battle at the city. That's where I'm expecting the heaviest concentration of the enemy."

My mention of the ruined city reminded me of something I had intended to ask Chrysalis. "In all the documents I found there, the city's name was never mentioned. What was it called?"

Chrysalis blinked and looked aside for a moment. "We called it the Spire. Ponies always said the Spire when speaking of it."

"That's odd. There were several towers there, but nothing I would have called a spire. The mesa didn't look very much like a spire, either. Do you know the origin of the name?"

Chrysalis shrugged. "I can't remember why, if I ever knew. What does it matter?"

I bit back a comment on her appalling lack of intellectual curiosity and moved the airships and troops aside to make room for the dessert course.

Later, after the light dessert, I rose and walked over to the edge of the balcony. I remembered to take a flute of sparkling cider with me. "I've always loved watching the evening sky from here. The lights of Ponyville are so few, they hardly dim the stars at all." I lifted one hind hoof slightly, leaned forward against the railing, and looked back at Luna. "And now I have the perfect companion to share my nights with."

Was it manipulation? Was it really a game? Maybe. But I wasn't promising anything I wasn't willing or even eager to give. Games are just fine when both ponies know they're playing, and the look on Luna's face was completely worth it. Behind her, Chrysalis stared for a second, then rolled her eyes for my benefit. I could feel myself blushing, but Rarity had assured me that doing so at the right time was a good thing.

Luna arched her neck as she approached me with a high, stiff gait. "I think you will need to excuse us, Your Majesty," she said to the queen without ever taking her eyes off of mine. "The princess and I are going to retire now."

Chrysalis had a surprisingly pleasant laugh.

I woke to find the bed empty and had a bit of a bad moment until I saw Luna at the window with her horn alight. I reached out with my magic and softly twined it with hers as she moved the lunar mechanism. The moon smoothly slid below the horizon and we released the Great Wheel, but kept our magic joined.

I rose and crossed the bedroom until my horn touched hers, and then our mouths met, completing the circuit. The tingle was delightful.

"Come back to bed?" I asked her as I drew back, shedding cool sparks from my lips.

"There is much to be done," she replied. But she was already moving back into the room.

"This is the last time we'll have alone together until we leave for the desert. I've scheduled in a free hour. An hour fifteen, if I skip breakfast."

"I would not deny you sustenance, my love."

"Then..." I grinned, rolled her over with a burst of telekinesis, and pounced on top of her. "I will have to feast on you!"

"E-gad! Am I to be devoured by this ravenous beast?"

"Very likely," I said, my voice lowering as I pressed my muzzle against her belly and drank in her scent.

I missed breakfast.

When I went to put on my armor for the day, Luna stopped me and insisted we send for Rarity first. It was obvious that something was up, but I somehow couldn't work up to my usual frenzy of analysis/prediction/anticipation. Instead, I leaned over and nibbled at the base of Luna's neck. I loved the way the light played on the interweave of muscles from her neck, wings, and shoulders there. Also, her mane tickled my nose.

"Ah!" Rarity said from the doorway when she arrived. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Luna made a slight noise of disappointment when I lifted my head.

"Not at all. Come in," I said, suppressing a sigh of my own.

All the things that Rarity had brought into my chambers the day before, aside from the clothing that could be hung in the closets, had been stacked to one side of the sitting room. We followed her there and I watched with building curiosity as she unearthed a large chest. I noticed that the top had my cutie mark carved into it, and when Rarity opened it, I thought at first she had brought me a chest full of gold bits.

Then she lifted out a splendid suit of armor.

Even in the softly lit room, it shone. It was golden and polished to a mirror finish. Intricate etching lined the edges of each part and large gems the color of my coat studded the center of six-pointed stars on each of the major pieces. Looking closer, I could see that the head of every rivet had been set with a small star-cut diamond.

I took the chamfron in my magical grip, gazing in amazement at the coronet that rose from the crest, and the spells that had been forged into the metal came to life. The suit of armor had not only been made for me, it had been attuned to me. I could feel an impetus woven into it, a will to serve and protect me that matched my own style and level of magic. It was a stunning piece of spellcraft as well as a masterpiece of metalworking.

"It is a gift from both of us, dear," Rarity explained. "It was Luna's idea to get you proper armor of your own, and I contributed my own particular design skills to the effort."

"And the spells are the work of Celestia," Luna said. "A 'measure of her sincere regard,' she said to tell you. They mostly reinforce the protective qualities of the metal, but they also make it easier for you to wear, and there are wards to channel away magical strikes or attempts to immobilize."

Is it weird that I was so much more thrilled and eager to put it on than I had been with my slinky black dress?

Each piece slipped on as if it wanted to be there. There was none of the shrugging it into place as I'd had to do with Luna's barding. It covered quite a bit more of me than Luna's old suit had, but it seemed to weigh a bit less. It moved and shifted with me as easily as my dress had done.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you both so much!" And then it hit me. "But I can't wear this!"

"What? Why ever not, darling?"

"It's too beautiful! It'll get it all scratched and dented up!"

Luna chuckled and lifted my chin with a wingtip. "By that logic, I should not allow you to go into battle, Twilight, my love."

Rarity dismissed my concerns with a flip of her hoof. "It's much easier to repair dented armor than a torn dress. Oh, that reminds me!" She levitated a smaller box out of the armor chest and opened it to reveal a small mound of gems. "Replacements, in case you lose any. You see? I've thought of everything! Besides, you don't want me to outshine you, do you?"

"You mean...?"

"Well, of course! We're all going off to war together. We should have coordinated ensembles! The rest of us won't be quite as magnifique as your royal self, but we won't look shabby by comparison, either. I even had the most adorable little cuirass made for Spike. I'm sure he'll love it."

For the moment, I put aside the question of whether I was irresponsible enough to take a baby dragon into battle. I was almost convinced that I had unknowingly stumbled through a magical mirror portal sometime during the night.

I took the armor off and carefully stowed it away, piece by piece. I assured Rarity and Luna, once again, that I was absolutely delighted with the gift, and would publicly wear it for the first time when we boarded Evenstar the next day.

"Oh, what a lovely idea, Twilight!" Rarity said. "We can all make an entrance together! What time is dawn? The low light will be perfect."

I shifted my stance uneasily. "Umn... I think Rainbow Dash will be on Solar Flare for the trip to Dodge Junction, and I'm not too sure Fluttershy will like the idea, and—"

"Oh nonsense, darling!" Rarity said with a toss of her head. "Rainbow is in the dining hall right now, and Fluttershy can be talked into almost anything."

"Wait! Dash is here? She's supposed to still be resting in the hospital! How did she get here?"

"Chewed through her straps, or so Fluttershy told me. At least she took the train instead of flying all the way. For our dear Rainbow Dash, that is practically the height of responsibility."

"It will be a very inspiring sight," Luna said. "Soldiers love that sort of display."

"Fine," I sighed. "But no banners and trumpets and all that, okay?"

"No promises, darling. Pinkie Pie wanted to contribute, too."

It was torture, saying goodbye to Luna, but she had her final inspections and preparations to make. Solar Flare would rendezvous with us late the next day at a prearranged location north-west of Dodge Junction, and we would see each other then.

When Luna had gone, I kept my promise to Rarity by attempting to give her a brief, concise summary of the previous night's dinner. But she insisted on minute details and even speculation, for Celestia's sake! The fact that Prince Blueblood turned out to be Chrysalis' mystery lover was the only thing that allowed me to escape her clutches. She practically galloped out of the castle to hook up with her "network" only moments after I told her the news.

I had to make up the extra half hour I'd lost by leaving the last logistics inspection to Applejack, but she was happy to take over the task, and she had my checklist to work from.

Most of the rest of the day was taken up with tedious details of one sort or another, but they were important details.

Right after lunch, I got to perform one duty that I thoroughly enjoyed: I introduced Rainbow Dash to the team she would be leading.

"You will be responsible for scouting only, do you understand?" I told her as we descended the steps of the tower. "No engaging the enemy under any circumstances, right?"

"Sure, Twi," she said, casually. "Anything you say."

"I mean it, Dash! And intelligence comes second. Your number one priority is to keep your team and yourself safe."

"Hey, they're big bad military types!" Dash gave a careless toss of her head. "They can take care of themselves!"

"What ever gave you that idea?" I said, forcing myself not to grin.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm going to be in charge of a couple of the pegasus soldiers, right?"

"They've got their own officers, Dash. You are going to be commanding volunteers."

"What? Who? You're not going to saddle me with some random strangers!"

"No, of course not. You know them; Downdraft and Ditzy Doo."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Downer and Derpy? No way!"

Right into my trap, Rainbow Dash. I turned to face her slowly. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"Well..." Rainbow looked away and rubbed at her mane. "Ditzy Doo is... um... directionally challenged."

"She's a strong flyer and she will be following you all the time. What about Downdraft?"

"Aw, Twilight!"

"What are your objections? If they're valid we can find a replacement. I think Bulk—"

"Okay, now I know you're messin' with me!"

"Rainbow Dash, right now you are in no shape to go slugging it out with a swarm of monsters, and, frankly, Downdraft and Ditzy Doo will never be capable of that sort of thing. But with you leading them, they can still be a very important part of this battle. You can command a scouting flight, play a critical role, and gain some very valuable leadership experience, or you can leave Downer and Derpy to flounder around as best as they can manage on their own. How do you think that will turn out?"

Dash scowled and folded her hooves over her chest.

She was teetering on the edge of acceptance. I'd already played the loyalty card, so it was time for a bit of carrot. "I thought you might enjoy being the forward observer for the Alpha Squad."

"Wait... I would be assigned to the Wonderbolts' combat unit?"

"Yes," I said, pretending to misunderstand. "You'd be wearing only the uniform because armor would slow you down and might give you a false sense of security. You'll report directly to Spitfire. Do you have a problem with that, too?"

"I... I guess not." She gave it one last try, however; "But can't I work on my own? Maybe you can find something else that's safe for them to do. I mean, I like Ditzy well enough, but Downer—"

I nodded. "She may be a bit gloomy in her outlook, but—"

"She's as much fun to be around as a bucket of ticks!"

"Rainbow!"

"Okay, okay, okay!"

"I've talked to her about this. You will be making the decisions, and whatever her opinion of them, she will be following your orders without comment."

Rainbow sighed and said, "Fine." And she said it in the tone of voice that meant she really had agreed.[2]
----------
[2] Which was good, because my backup plan was to chain her to a bed in Ponyville Hospital.
----------

That was my one last big job of the day out of the way. One fewer thing to worry about. Rainbow wouldn't take any unnecessary chances when she had two ponies who really depended on her.

Now, all I had to worry about was all the ponies who were depending on me.

Author's Notes:

Yes, dudes and dudettes, I totally did it. I shipped Chrysalis and Blueblood. This might give you a clue as to what sort of maniac you're dealing with here... except several of you came up with this paring as the most probable all on your own. And what does that say, hmn?

Thanks to Academic "I can kill you with my brain" Pony and "Laser Gaze" statoose for the awesome assistance.