"Wh-What happened to you? Who did this?" Celestia asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the bloody and beaten Queen.

"Our hive was invaded," Chrysalis explained. "The enemy struck hard and without warning. We fought as best as we could, but it soon became obvious it was a losing battle. We are all that escaped." She sighed. "As much as it makes me cringe to say this... I need you to help liberate my lands and my people."

"Quite the ironic situation," Rarity muttered, earning a glare from Chrysalis.

“And just why would we help you!?” Rainbow Dash shot back. “If anything, I say karma finally bit you in the flank!”

“Rainbow Dash, please!” Celestia chided before turning back to the Changeling Queen. “Despite what you may think, I do have sympathy for your situation. But you said this was a ‘mutual problem.’ I have yet to see how this affects Equestria.”

“Because I’m certain they’re coming here next, or at the very least are going to hit Canterlot eventually.” She chuckled. “Quite honestly, I probably would’ve helped if they’d just asked, but it seems they wanted to do everything themselves.”

“And what makes you so sure they intend to attack us?” Luna asked, ignoring that last comment.

“Because of who they are, Princess. I’m sure they want revenge for what you did to them.”

“‘Revenge?’ What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“Their imprisonment. More than a millenium of being locked away will do that to you,” Chrysalis answered with a smirk.

“Wh-What!?” Luna gasped. “You can’t mean… You were invaded by-”

“Demons,” Chrysalis finished. “The demons of Tartarus.”

The entire crowd went quiet, most of the ponies looking on with disbelief, complete fear, or both.

“Th-That’s impossible!” Twilight shouted. “For that to be true they’d have to get past the gates! And Cerberus!”

“What makes you so sure that it is them?” Celestia asked.

Chrysalis chuckled. “Not all of us have forgotten the days when monsters, both literal and figurative, roamed Equus.”

Once again there was silence until Celestia ushered her sister over and trotted a decent distance away for a private conversation.

“What do you think, Luna?” the solar diarch asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know. I doubt Chrysalis would attempt to take such a route as bringing such a small number of her forces and injuring herself to such an extent just to fool us. Whatever is responsible for this, demons or not, she does seem to need our help.”

“Then how do we check if her words are true?”

“... Well, there’s really only one way, isn’t there?”

“You’re right. However, I think we need to test her as well.”

“How?”

“Follow my lead.”

The two alicorns turned and approached the hive mistress, who waited patiently for their return and ignored the glares she received from other ponies.

“We have decided to investigate your claims,” Celestia began. “While we check on the status of Tartarus, you and your subjects will remain here as our prisoners. If what you say turns out to be true, and for your own sake I hope it is, we will aid you in freeing your lands and people. Though not without reparations.”

“What do you mean?”

Luna nodded and took over. “Our terms are that if we save your people you will remain here and accept punishment under Equestrian law.”

“WHAT!?”

All heads, aside from Chrysalis, turned to face one of the changelings, the same one with the scar over his eye that opened the door to the carriage. The other changelings were hissing in anger, buzzing their wings.

“You dare! You dare to take our Queen from-!”

“I accept,” Chrysalis interrupted.

Both the ponies and the changelings were shocked to hear that. After a moment the scarred changeling galloped over to his ruler.

“Your majesty, what are you doing!?”

“Silence, Commander Thorax,” she ordered through a scowl.

“B-But my Queen, you can’t accept this! We will be lost without you, even if-!”

“BE QUIET!” Chrysalis exploded with a volume equal to that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. The changeling stepped back, his eyes wide in terror. “I DISGRACE MYSELF ENOUGH COMING TO MY ENEMIES FOR AID! YOU WOULD DARE HUMILIATE ME MORE!?”

The changeling, Thorax, immediately grovelled before his ruler, laying prone in front of her with his head down, his horn touching the ground, an almost universal symbol for complete submission.

“Forgive me, my Queen! I know not my place! Please punish me! Take my head so I may not shame you more!”

Chrysalis grunted and turned back to the Princesses. “And kill my best soldier? Don’t be ridiculous. Now return to your place.”

“Of course, my Queen! Thank you!” he said before shuffling back to the group, his head still held low as he did. All the other changelings had taken a similar stance.

“As I said,” Chrysalis continued, attracting attention back to her, “I accept your terms. I knew this would be the likely outcome when I chose to come here.”

Celestia cleared her throat. “Very well. Lieutenant Starshine, gather your squad and take them to medical, and bring a stretcher for Chrysalis. Bring cuffs and inhibitor rings for them, take their weapons, and I want no less than three guards to each of them when they are not in a group.”

The grey unicorn stallion saluted. “At once, Princess.”

“I should also mention that if you plan to keep us here, then know we will need to feed on love. Unless you intend to starve us,” Chrysalis explained.

The sisters shared a glance with each other before turning back to the monarch.

“We’ll figure something out,” Luna said.

“I’m sure you will.”

The Royal Guards approached the changelings, who hissed in response.

“Do not resist them,” the queen ordered before levitating her weapons onto the ground. Her subjects hesitantly obeyed, relinquishing their own weapons.

“Will the highest ranking pegasus guard please step forwards?” Luna ordered. A moment later a sky blue pegasus mare landed in front of them and bowed.

“Major Skyranger, reporting for duty, your majesties.”

“Take a few of your best pegasi and investigate Tartarus immediately. This is a reconnaissance mission, so do not engage any hostile forces. Your goal is to report your findings to us.”

“Of course,” she replied with a bow before ordering four other pegasi to follow her as she took off.

Most of the changelings had already been escorted away, but Commander Thorax approached the Princesses as Chrysalis was levitated onto a stretcher.

“May I please accompany her, Princesses?” he asked.

The two alicorns noticed the desperate look in his eyes and nodded. “If she has no objections,” Celestia replied.

Thorax turned to face his Queen who nodded. He turned back to the alicorns and bowed. “Thank you,” he replied simply and trotted off beside Chrysalis, the guards eyeing him warily.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, is it true?” Twilight asked, worry in her eyes, as well as everypony else's.

“... I’m afraid we’ll have to see,” Celestia answered.

It had been a little over an hour after Skyranger and her hoof-picked Guards approached the gates of Tartarus. The gates had a rather interesting security system in place, having not only nearly indestructible doors and the largest guard dog the world had ever seen, but also it literally couldn’t be found unless you knew where it was. It was a spell that the Princesses had put on it long ago to keep any fool curious or stupid enough to try and find it from harm.

The five pegasi touched down and Skyranger turned to her troops. “Alright everypony, listen up! I want no stone unturned! We are going to find out for sure if there’s anything going on here, and I don’t want to miss a single detail, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am!” they saluted in response.

“Alright then!" she continued as she turned around and began the last few steps through the trees to the the gates. “Now let’s get this… oh my Celestia.”

All five of the ponies stared in shock and horror as they found the imposing gates of the world’s oldest prison ripped off their hinges and lying on the ground. Skyranger’s mind went completely blank, trying and failing to grasp the gravity of this situation.

“Major, ma’am!”

“Wh-What?” she said, snapping out of her trance, looking to a young stallion.

“Your orders, ma’am?” he asked, trying to look professional but the look of dread in his eyes showing he was begging her for some guidance.

“R-Right! Um… two groups, you two try and find Cerberus, the three of us are investigating just how this happened. Under-?”

“Um, Major Skyranger?” a mare interrupted, pointing past the tree line to their right.

The others arrived and turned white with terror, most followed by turning green with disgust. In front of them was a massive pile of what was likely not too long ago a living being. It was hard to tell, what with it being slashed, pummeled, and burnt beyond nearly all recognition. However, there was one telling feature about it: the creature, when it was alive, had three heads.

“Oh… Oh my-” one of the them began before rushing into the bushes and hurling.

“Wh-What could do this?” one of them muttered. “Why would something do this?”

Skyranger ignored him and galloped over to the gates, investigating them as closely as possible. After a minute a horrible realization dawned on her.

“These gates,” she began, catching the attention of her comrades. She turned to them, eyes wide with fear. “They were torn open from the outside.”

“Alright, that’s the best we can do for now,” the doctor said, finishing the last bandage over the Queen’s eye. “Can you walk, or should we-?”

“I can go myself,” Chrysalis replied as she stood up to her full height, causing the medical ponies to scoot back in fear. “But first,” she turned to her commander who had followed her the whole way. “Could we have some privacy?” The guards exchanged glances with each other. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Lieutenant Starshine finally nodded. “We’ll be outside the door. You have five minutes,” he said before the rest of his troops, and the doctors, followed him out of the room.

“My Queen? What is-?”

“I’m sorry, Commander,” she interrupted, closing her one unbandaged eye and sighing. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, especially after how long and how much you’ve done in your service. You were only trying to stand up for me, and I deeply appreciate it.”

“I’m most grateful, your majesty, but the fault was mine. You were right to stop me before I… mentioned her. But, my Queen, she is not ready. How will we survive without you?”

“She will manage. She must, for the sake of our species. And you will guide her, as you’ve assisted me.”

“...I understand, but I still hold out hope that you will be able to lead us in some way or form until she matures into her role.”

“As do I. And commander,” she said as she wiped a tear from her eye and her voice quivered. “Thank you for not putting forth the possibility that she… that she-”

“Until there is undeniable proof, I will have faith that such a thing has not happened, my Queen.”

Chrysalis took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you, Commander. Now let us go before they start causing trouble for us.”

Author's Notes:

Hey guys. Just wanted to post this up here to get things started, hence the shortness. As you can tell, if not by the tags then by what happened, things are getting a bit darker now. I hope I know what I'm doing.

In the meantime, goodnight. I'm sick and I need sleep.