A single, grand window whose frame was crafted from that of the most expensive wood this place could offer was structured in the middle corner of the room. Sunlight beamed from it, basking the room in the morning's warming embrace. In the middle of the room were a set of chairs positioned to face each other. In the middle of the chairs was a small, modest coffee table.

This particular room of the castle was much more spacious than my bedroom, which is exactly why my tormentor and I relocated here to discuss further.

I sat on one of the many flashy chairs this room had to offer, grasping my left hand that now has a missing finger as I eyed my half-torn pinkie in anguish. "You cut my finger off..." I muttered audibly, without even turning my gaze towards the insectoid creature sitting on a chair.

"Oh. Quit the depressed act." She scoffs at me. "We're even now. You basically removed our primary food supply from us. In technicality, we're even."

I disregarded those words as I continued on muttering, "You cut my finger off." This time, I raised my head to glance at her. My expression was devoid of any joy. Quite contrary, actually. It was brimming with grudges and pain.

Chrysalis clapped her hooves together, "Now then, let's talk business. Those Royal Guard bastards are going to kill you, and as if to assure that goal, they hired the gryphon mercenaries."

Chrysalis waves her hoof dismissively. "I don't think I need to elaborate on that. They're gryphon sell-swords; nothing more. They have a grudge against us changelings, however, and they know where we reside. With the Royal Guard and the mercenaries teamed up together..."

"They're going to kill you," I finished for her. I see her nodding her head in reluctance as I finished saying that sentence. I folded my arms together as I shook my head. "If you're expecting help, don't expect it to come from a person you just accosted for no justifiable reason."

Chrysalis sighs as she lifted herself up from the chair. "If you're looking forwards for me to apologize, I'm afraid I won't be doing that." Chrysalis raises from herself from the chair and approaches the window, staring intently on something in the distance. "Care to open the window for me? I'd like some fresh air."

I hesitated on complying, but it would be unwise to irk someone powerful like her. Sighing, I stood up from my chair and approached the window. Lifting the rather heavy glass pane, I was relieved as gusts of fresh wind caressed my face.

"Refreshing, isn't it?" She spoke. "But enough of this, you are aware that those gryphon bastards, along with the Royal Guard, are coming for you, correct?"

I rolled my eyes before replying, "Yes. Well, thanks to you anyways. What perturbs me is the fact that they found me so quickly."

"The train, you unperceptive mongrel." She plants here hoof on her face in incredulity before continuing, "All it took for them to find you was locating that half-wrecked train of yours. Truth be told, it wasn't that difficult. Anyways, you're not going to make it out of this alive."

I shrugged off that last statement with a stern, neutral look. "I think I'll take my chances."

"Very well then," Chrysalis turns around and began casually stepping towards the table in the middle of the room. "If it's any compensation, you can have this knife." Undoing the scabbard tied to her back, she tossed the sheathe onto the surface of the table. The knife, which was safely concealed in its scabbard, made a thumping noise as it landed on the table.

"Really?" I questioned her in disbelief. "You're going to give me a knife. A knife that you used to cut my finger off?" I couldn't grasp the logic behind this creature as I gawked at her. Despite that, I still examined the knife in my hand. It was ridiculously sharp. It could pierce even the most thickest of hides, or so I think. Honestly, I'm not good at weapons.

"Oh no." Chrysalis smiles at me. "It's not just any knife. Its blade is smothered with a specialized type of poison."

My brain suddenly failed to function as I basically plunged headfirst into panic. Despite my seemingly calm demeanor, my inner self was basically thrashing about in panic. My eyes went void of emotion as I spoke, "So that's why you barged into my room..."

Chrysalis laughs. "Ah. You catch on quick. Yes. That is exactly why I did such a thing. You see, the ponies and the gryphons don't exactly favor changelings. In fact, they despise us."

Chrysalis turned to leave the room, "Don't worry, seeing that you've only a bit of it injected in you, I'd say you have a full week to live. Of course, I would have happily give you the antidote, should you have accepted my request."

"Oh well," Chrysalis said as she turned around and began walking towards the door. "Say, you won't mind if I move in? You did a great job reorganizing this place." She snickers as she exited out of the room. Her taunting voice came from the distance as she spoke, "Ah. Of course you won't. You'll be a corpse at the end of the week."

I bit my lip as I braced my hands into a fist. "Wait!" I called out to her as I dove outside the door. Catching her attention, she looks back towards me with an expectant look. "Fine. Fine. I'll order some of my troops to safeguard your base, or hive--whatever you call it," I said, my voice laced with prejudice and defeat.

Chrysalis turns around and approached me, a triumphant smile on her face, "Good. Those gryphons are primarily here because of me, just so you know."

She chuckles as she opened the door. "You can say that I'm a prime target of theirs. Now then, don't expect me doing nothing for this collaboration. My changelings excel at crafting traps. Expect your castle to be encompassed with explosives at the end of the day. Now then, if you don't mind, I'll be taking half of your army now."

I recoiled in surprise as those last words struck my ear. "What? You can't be serious!" I yelled out in disbelief. "What will I use to defend myself with?"

"It's the least you can do for me." She turns her head around to face me. A sly grin forms on her face as she spoke, "Should the Royal Guards have caught you off-guard, you'd be done for before you even find out what's happening. They aren't Celestia's military force for no reason, you know?"

The image of this castle being surrounded by those murderous little horses flashed in my mind. I couldn't even began to grasp the horror of them firing beams of death at this place, causing it to fall to the ground while I'm still in it. "If the only reason I escaped Canterlot is because they were disorganized due to the discord I've put them through, what would happen if they lay a full-on, coordinated siege on this place with most of it unguarded?"

"I'd say you're going to die." Chrysalis muses both of us, but mostly to herself, "Or worse, you're going to die and then get eaten by those gryphons. They are, after all, known omnivores."

"Exactly! I won't live long enough to see tomorrow!" I protested.

"Heh. Hiding behind those that protect you, quite cowardice, don't you think? Why don't you use that book like what you did back in Canterlot? I've heard you've caused magical infernos that took an entire day to put out," Chrysalis said as she began walking down the hallway of this castle.

Morbid thoughts lingering in my mind, I chased after her. Walking beside her, I protested further, "I have no idea how I did that! The only thing this book can do for me now is bring in an army and mend wounds for me!"

"Then summon an army?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes as she continued walking.

"If I do that, I'm forced to un-summon the army that is currently active--which is, if it wasn't obvious enough, the gun-wielding psychopaths you are seeing right now," I exclaimed as I extended my hand to a random pirate who was walking down a distant corridor.

"This is growing stale," Chrysalis rubs her forehead, as if she's treating a headache. "Fine then. I'll personally ensure that your life isn't wasted by some stray arrow."

My steps faltered as I stared at her in doubt, "Personally? As in, you'll protect me from the probably endless waves of laser-firing horses?"

Chrysalis shrugs before responding, "Whatever. I need the practice anyways. Furthermore, your are promisingly becoming an asset of mine. It'd be a shame if I lost someone of your caliber so soon."

I paused as I grimaced at the fact that I was reduced to a mere asset. "So-" I began, but was interrupted by sudden explosion quaking the castle. I felt myself staggering as the blast threw me off. Reflexively, I planted my hand on the wall, saving me from stumbling down. "What the hell?!"

The sudden blast was soon accompanied by the sound of gunfire and indistinguishable screams. The sound of the castle's recently integrated siren echoed in the distance. Soon enough, pirates began rushing by me.

Chrysalis' face grew bitter as she spoke, "It seems that they've arrived early." Green flames licked up and down her horn as she chanelled magic.

"Woah. What are you-" Suddenly, a bright flash engulfed me, drowning my vision. In seconds, the bright flash dissipated. Looking around me, I was appalled that I was no longer in the castle's corridors, but in the main entrance. Suddenly, a wave of nausea cascaded over me, threatening me to vomit.

I stumbled to the ground, clutching my head. "Ow. What was that? A teleportation spell?" I stopped myself from speaking as I slowly regained composure. "Could you please warn me next time when you're about to do that?"

Chrysalis brushes past me as she bolted towards the exit. "Whatever. Get used to it!" she yelled out to me. "Now come on! We've not the time to waste!"

I shook my head as a retort. I darted after her as my distraught footsteps echoed in the now empty castle as I left the protection of the interior. "I thought you were supposed to protect me?!"

As I my foot stepped on the blood-tainted grass, the smell of blood filled my nose, forcing a grimace on my face. Everywhere around me, there were pirates either killing or being killed. Gunfire constantly deafened every single being within a good radius of the forest as scores of bullets dent the trees and flesh alike.

I was paralyzed by indecision as I saw a cluster of pirates taking refuge behind a pile of crates and wooden beams. Suddenly, a large blast incinerated both their makeshift cover and themselves. The pirates ran around frantically, flailing their arms as they desperately tried to smother the flames enveloping them.

"Over here, you idiot!" A voice snapped me out of my daze. Looking towards the source of the voice, I saw a lone, disgruntled Chrysalis taking cover behind a fallen tree. "Don't get hit! You're useless to me if you're dead!"

Adrenaline muffled the last sentence she yelled out as I sprinted my way towards her. The air behind me sizzled as beams of magic seared through the space behind me.

My legs began to become weary as I closed the distance between me and Chrysalis. Desperately, I dove to the ground, landing just inches away from Chrysalis. "Does this suit the definition of "protecting" for you?" I sharply whispered to her.

"Shush. Look over there." Chrysalis points her hoof subtly to something faraway. "You're definitely not going to like it."

Complying, I poked my head just enough to see what she's pointing at, lest I be sniped by those ponies. I saw trees chopped down by bullets as both gryphons and ponies desperately made their appearance as small as possible as they hid behind the foliage, praying that they won't get shot.

My jaw went agape as I shifted my gaze towards the heart of the battalion of opponents. There, spectating the battlefield with sentinel-like posture, stood Luna. As if misfortune wanted to have a laugh, she turned just in time to see my face. I could see her form a scowl as she suddenly disappeared in a display of radiant, blue light.

"Oh... She really does have a grudge against me, doesn't she?"