The first thing that Celestia heard in the darkness was the soft ticking of a clock. The second and more alarming thing when the Solar Princess opened her eyes was that everything was pitch black. And the third was the headaches that wreak havoc on her ears, eyes, and head. Even casting a simple lighting spell was painful, yet, she did see her own reflection for a moment, as well as a table with a kind of box on it. However, she let this drop as well.

“My poor head,” the alicorn said to herself, and as she put her hooves to her temples in the dark, she quickly noticed that not only were her golden boots were absent, but her crown as well.

“W-Who’s there!” a voice demanded in the darkness. “Show your self- Ow!” she then heard something banging against the sold glass.

“Hello?” Celestia called out, “Is anypony out there?”

“Where are you?” by the sound of the voice, it was clear that it was a mare’s voice. However, to the Sun Princess, it sounded completely off, as if more than one pony were speaking at once. “I demand to know where I am!”

“Is that… Queen Chrysalis?”

“Wait, that voice. Is that…? Celestia?”

It was then, that the two of them were blinded by lights overhead. For a moment, they both had to keep their eyes shut for the sheer stinging of light that encased them. After blinking and forcing to open their eyes until it became focused, they were able to see where they were. First, they found that the other mare was in a small glass box that still had plenty of room for them, and the tables before them to move around in. They’ve also seen that across from their tables was a door, also made out of glass, however, as Celestia saw the Changeling Queen turn around, she stopped and looked up.

The Sun alicorn did the same, and noticed that the glass door was wired; she followed the thin line to the ceiling of a cave, where she spotted one of several hundreds of waiting bombs. Even more so, she found hanging on the chiseled out walls a ticking clock, where it too had wires that were attracted to it. As she turned around once more towards the table, she also saw that there (and on Chrysalis’s too) that the box was also wired. Eyes wide, she did a full circled around her glass room and spotted that there was a speaker in one corner, a microphone in the other, and sitting in another corner of the room, was a phonograph with a record that had the word’s “Play Me,” on it.

“W-What’s going on!” the bug like queen asked as her voice came through the speaker, “What is all this?”

“Chrysalis, can you hear me?” Celestia asked as she approached the phonograph.

“Of course I can hear you! Now answer my questions! Is this some twisted joke of yours?”

“No, in all honesty, I have no idea what’s going on… But maybe this will help.”

Celestia switches on the turntable and carefully placed the needle on it until there was a sound that came out of it. A smooth, male’s voice that didn’t sound like any either Royal had ever heard of before was projected around the box.

“Salutations Your Majesties, while I do regret that I may never meet either of you in the flesh, it has come to my attention that both of your countries are at the very edge of starting an unquestionably bloody war. From what I’ve heard, neither of you will ever rest with the endless planning, the recruits, the encouragement of creating the next best weapon to kill off your enemies, nor will there be anything sacred so that you can get what you want.

“So, I thought to myself, ‘Why not I do both of you a favor, to spare both of you of all of that, and get straight to it?’ Although I must apologize for the sudden foal-napping, especially to bribe your guards to slip in enough tranquilizers in your food to knock a Hydra out for a good three days, I found it the only way I could get you two together to take in part of this little game I’ve devised. Oh, and Chrysalis, you can try calling for help with that hive mind of yours all you want, but that special glass that keeps other forms of communication other than those speakers will do you no good.

“Also, if neither of you had open the doors to your glass chambers by now, I highly suggest that you don’t do that before midnight. Because if you do, then I’m afraid that both of your kingdoms, as well as yourselves, will perish by fire. The likes of which will be unheard of in history.

“However, there’s one way for either of you Majesties getting out unharmed. Do you see the table before you? Inside those boxes, there are two buttons. For Celestia, one will either blow up Canterlot, Ponyville, and the Crystal Empire to Mars, while the other will send out a powerful spell that unmasks every Changeling in Equestria for a whole a day.

“As for Chrysalis, one button will paralyze every living creature that isn’t a Changeling for a day, enough time, I hope for your Hive to get all the love you could ever want. While the other button, however, will send out a spell that no matter what form your subjects are at the moment you press it, they will remain in that form until the end of time.

“Oh, and one more thing, if neither of you pushes those buttons before twelve, those bombs above your heads will explode, thereby burying both of you alive under the weight of a mountain. So, who I wonder is it going to be? Will it be the Mistress of Disuse or the Bringer of the Sun? You chose.

“One very last thing, if I were either of you, I would decide quickly because the other, may not be quite as noble. And remember… I’ll be watching.”

That was it. The record had finished playing its message, and both mares looked at each other.

“There’s no way any of that can be true,” the Changeling Queen said, “All of this has to be some sort of twisted joke. There’s no spell out there to set a Changeling’s appearance permanently… Is there?”

“I wish this is a kind of joke,” Celestia said. “But whoever set this up; I think this is to be taken seriously.”

“To be taken seriously?” the Queen questioned, “What kind of madpony would go out of his way to foalnap us, and place us in boxes with bombs over our heads?”

“I want to say Discord, but this is not something he would do. Even if he does prank anypony, he always puts them in some comedic situation.” The Solar Princess looked over to the clock on the wall. It read 11:44. “We have about twelve minutes to figure out what to do.”

“You’re not seriously suggesting that we should… play along with this sick game. I mean, just look at this,” she approached the box, opening the lid she said; “These buttons look exactly the same! How do I know which one to press?”

Celestia too went up to the box and opened it to find two red buttons, both similar in size and color. She looked up at Chrysalis then down to the buttons before her.

“This is wrong you know,” Chrysalis said. “One button has everything I could ever need while the other brings the apocalypse. It’s true that I wanted a war just… not like this.”

“What if I were to teleport us out?” the white alicorn suggested, lighting up her horn, “and avoid this nasty trap altogether?”

“Wait a minute, are you sure that’s wise?” Celestia dimmed her horn and asked what she meant by that. “The end of the message said that our foalnapper will be watching us. How do we know that if we don’t follow along, he’ll flip a switch to blow us, and your Kingdom as well?”

“You’re right, that is a possibility. I guess it would make sense to keep an eye on us while having a hoof on the trigger, just to see what we would do.”

“And we’ve got about ten minutes left. So, Princess of Equestria, I think it’s quite clear that someone wants us to play a game of war.”

“That’s something I don’t get, why have you attacked us in the first place? We didn’t do any intentional harm to your kind.”

“Ha! Your kind didn’t do any harm? Do you have any idea what circumstance I have to deal with on a daily basis in my Kingdom? My Changelings, my children are starving. In fact, before someone drugged me, I received grim reports that another one-hundred-and-twenty have died from starvation, and that’s just one day! I’m losing them by the thousand a year, and yet, you ponies hog all the love, happiness and joy safely behind your borders, how could we not do what we did!”

“Chrysalis, calm down, I swear, I didn’t know about any of this until just now. In fact, why didn’t you come to us in the beginning if you needed food? Or send someone to represent your kind? After all, my doors are always open to ambassadors.”

“Oh great idea,” the Queen said with each word dripping with sarcasm. “Let’s send one of my children out to the world where they’ll just take one look and scream ‘Monster,’ especially if we told them that we need their positive emotions to survive.” She looked at the Equestrian Princess with a deadpanned stare, “Have you ever thought that I at least tried that at the beginning of my reign? I did send ambassadors to Dragons, Gryphons, Buffalos, Diamond Dogs, Zebras, and even Seaponies as well. But they’ve usually return injured or in a coffin. We tired asking everything, we plead with them for food. And yet, nation after nation, country after country, tribe after tribe, my children are chased out by mobs and armies. What then, do you think that I wouldn’t at least suspect that you ponies won’t do the same?”

“Because my ponies are not like that,” Celestia urged, “We’re a tolerant nation. It’s not for me or my citizen’s to discriminate another species when they are in need.”

“You don’t say? Then I guess what I’ve heard from someplace like Ponyville where the whole town would lock its doors and windows when a Zebra comes to town; or in Fillydelphia there’s a ghetto that’s specifically made for Dragons to be kept away from the general population; or maybe that incident with the forests that the Deer tribe live was being destroyed by some tycoon to build a theme park was all fantasy made up by my subjects?”

“I…” Celestia started, but she sighed, “Alright, you have a point. Equestria is by no means a perfect society. Yes, there is prejudice, but with every citation that you’ve just given; there are ponies that counter that. Such as a little filly that took the time to get to know that Zebra that came to Ponyville. Or Spike the Dragon who was in Fillydelphia to prove that the population of fellow dragons innocent when there were mysterious fires that were going on. And yes, even with the Deer Kingdom, there were ponies that lend a hoof to put a stop to an illegal takeover of land. Even if somepony objects assisting Changelings, I guarantee that they're always somepony to come to your defense.”

“Have you forgotten about what we had to do in Canterlot, at the Royal Wedding? Do you honestly think that we’ll even get an ounce of support after our desperate attempt to eat?”

“Probably not right away, but I always will be the first to offer the option of negotiation to prevent war if I can.”

“Are you blind? Look around you, there are bombs and who knows how many tons of earth above our heads! If those go off, maybe you would live since I’m told you and your sister are immortal, but as for me, I’m still vulnerable to being crushed! How can you negotiate with someling when that timer goes off that I would be dead?”

Celestia sat on her haunches, rubbing her eyes, “This is going to be more difficult than I thought,” she muttered. “You’re right, we don’t have much time. But what could we do? Whoever has forced us into this is making us chose something dreadful. Either press one of these buttons that would unleash chaos, or delay until twelve to sacrifice ourselves to save our Kingdoms.”

“Then again,” the Changeling Queen eyed her box. “With me, I have a fifty percent chance of my children getting everything they need. But then again, you have a fifty percent chance of stopping us as well.”

“Chrysalis, what are you doing?” the Sun Princess asked in alarm.

“Think about it, our foalnapper said that we can go as long as we press one of these buttons. One of which would lead to a favorable result, if anything, it would be completely bloodless. Imagine that, a war (if this is what it is) where there’s no loss in military, nor casualty of citizens. It would be so easy to just press-” the Changeling then raised her hoof over the box.

“Wait!” Celestia did the same, “Think you’re doing here, what about the other possibility? The possibility where there’ll be terrible consequences. What about losing the ability to transform, or the innocent ponies in Canterlot, Ponyville, or the Crystal Empire?”

“Why should I care? I have plenty of my children dying every single day! Yet, you cry foul because you might be risking your citizens when I’ve been doing it every day since my assentation? Even if I press the wrong button on my end, I still want my Changelings to have something to eat.”

“But think what you’re saying. You would rather doom entire kingdoms, including your own, for the sake of food?”

“We’ve been treated worse than animals,” she protested. “Do you have any idea how unfair it is to ask for help but only to be turned away because everything sees you as a monster?”

Celestia sighed, “I do. More than you could possibly know.”

“Oh what? Locking your baby sister away on the moon for a thousand years? Actually, what does that got to do with anything?”

“Because when it comes to monsters, I see myself as the biggest one there is in this room! At least you’re doing what you’re doing out of good intentions. I let my pride and ego get in the way of seeing how alone she was becoming to the point where she believed nopony cared for her, not even me! I was the one who turned her into a monster and did nothing about it until it was too late! For real, how could I forgive myself for not preventing something like that, especially when it’s my own family!” Chrysalis didn’t respond, her mouth hung open but her hoof still hovered over the box. “I’ve been trying ever since, that I could become better then what I did – trying to convince myself that I’m not a monster by treating everypony as a family to be listened to. Chrysalis, I really don’t want to press these buttons. I don’t want to put your Changelings or my Ponies in harm’s way.”

The Changeling Queen took a glance at the clock; it’s not too long now, only a few minutes away. “How would I know if you’re not lying to me right now?”

Celestia took a deep breath, “By doing this,” she took her hoof away from the box, and with her magic, closed the lid.

Chrysalis’s eyes widen, “What are you doing?”

“Giving you a chance,” she told her, “It’s clear that you’re desperate. That you will move mountains and drain seas so that you could see your kind safe and feed, however, you need to ask yourself one question.”

“And what’s that?”

“How do your Changelings want to remember you?”

There was a pause between them. Chrysalis looked at the buttons, then to Celestia and back again. “But… what will happen to my children? Where will they go? Who will protect them?"

“This I promise you, that if somehow one of us gets out of this, I want to give my ponies a message.”

“What message?”

“That I, Princess Celestia, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Raiser of the Sun, not only forgives you but pardons all Changelings for the invasion on Canterlot. It will be my wish to have the Equestrian government to have a priority to not only negotiate but to help feed and provide shelter to your kind that needs it. And to offer them citizenship if they so desired.”

Chrysalis stared at her, “Just like that? After all, I have done, you’re forgiving us just like that?”

“Yes, you have told me what you really needed, and I want my country to help you provide it. I have taken responsibility with my country, what about you?”

She looked at the box, thinking for a moment as she looked at the clock that approached twelve. Slowly, she bowed her head and used her hoof to close the lid. “My children are important, but their identity as Changelings is greater than that. I hope my subjects could forgive me.”

“I think they will understand. If we are about to perish, let it be out of the prospect of peace, then through the blind fury of war.” She looked at the clock, there was only a minute left now. “Mother, Luna, I did my best for my ponies.”

Chrysalis shut her eyes tight, “I hope my children will be safe.”

Three…

Two…

One…

Then, much to their confusion, nothing happened. They peeked at the clock, only to find that it was still ticking away.

“What?” Celestia asked, “Was something supposed to happen?”

The Changeling Queen turned to the door in her box; she gave it a few taps until it opened. Celestia opened her door as well.

“What happened?” Chrysalis wondered aloud, “Why haven’t these things gone off?”

“I’m not sure, but I guess whoever brought us here, must have decided to let us go.”

“Why?”

“Perhaps, we were able to come to a treaty.”

The Changeling Queen looked at her, “So, you really mean what you said? About pardoning us and all?”

“Of course, I meant every word of it.” She lit up her horn to illuminate the cave. “Perhaps we could discuss further peace while we figure a way out of this cave?”

Chrysalis eyed her suspiciously, “Very well, but since I’m out of the box, if I sense anything that you want to betray me, I will call my Changelings here.”

“Fair enough,” Celestia turned and spotted a passageway, “Let’s see where this will lead us.”

“Do you think that we’ll ever find out who brought us here, to begin with?”

“I’m not sure… although I might have a guess.” She turned stopped for a moment, “Twilight Sparkle! If you don’t come here right now, I will make sure you’ll be marked tarty on your record!”

They waited, but the cave still remained silent.

“I could be wrong,” Celestia said as she and the Queen exited.

_*_

Weeks later in Canterlot in the middle of the night, a disguised lilac Princess kept to the shadows with a folder in her wing.

“Do you have my payment?” a smooth stallion’s voice asked from the darkness of the alleyway.

She jerked her head towards the sound of the voice. “Is it you?”

“Of cour- wait! Stay where you are! I’m sorry Majesty, but I still wished to remain anonymous, especially for what I had to do.”

“But you helped bring peace to Equestria,” she said. “Although I admit, I never thought that you would foalnapped them and terrorized everyone.”

“My apologies then, I had to create a situation where both sides had to talk to one another, to be honest, I was taking a big risk myself.”

“You did what I asked for, and you produced it. So, Celestia and Chrysalis were never really been in any danger, or us… where they?”

“I don’t know, you did promise me to pay me.”

Twilight opened her wing, letting the yellow envelop drop before kicking it into the darkness before she heard the sound of hooves galloping away.

“Hey!” she cried out as she lights up her horn, but all she found was an empty alleyway.