It had been about three hours since dinner.

Chrysalis was asleep and snoring up a storm. Really, that changeling could (and would) overindulge too often for Purity's liking. Even though if she was honest, she also tended to overeat, but how could she refuse the delicacies from hives far and wide? Unthinkable.

"But, I guess we did deserve a bit of indulgence, after all that hard work," she said with a smirk. Standing up, she stretched and headed out of the room, her horn aglow to tuck Chrysalis in. She closed the door behind her and glanced around the crystalline hallway.

All in all it was a dream hive, so why did she feel so… unsure about it? As a potential queen of the hive, it would be natural for her to simply step into the role, as destiny would demand. She started walking down the hallway, simply enjoying the sights, her mind busy trying to figure out her insecurities.

Oh, Chrysalis would be all about how dangerous it was to roam around a different hive unguarded but… quite honestly the other queens were unlikely to try anything right now, and Queen Apocrita's guard was on duty. Not to mention, it would put them at odds with Equestria and Chrysalis' hive if they did, and cultural faux-pas aside, the other queens were mostly pragmatic enough to realize that would be a bad idea.

She sighed, warily glancing around at the exquisite work the drones had done on the walls and windows. While she had nothing but respect for the drones of her own hive, it was very clear that the quality of work was vastly different. They had taken the time to not only produce the walls like in other hives, but to actually integrate it to the natural flow of the cavern.

Where other hives would dig straight through the rock, Apocrita's changelings had avoided that where they could, including the formations of stalactites and stalagmites into their overall crystaline-white design. The end result was a quite beautiful, fae-like hive that looked out of one of her many foalhood fantasy books.

That's why she found it odd to discover a red oak door framed in a much more pony-like arch made of stone, and with an unfamiliar cutie mark on it. She blinked and looked down at the blackboard sign outside.

"Changeling Martini," she read, her voice sounding perfectly intrigued, even to her. She smirked. "Okay, that's something I need to try."

"I can't believe Basara Nekki has been here all this time!"

Sunset Shimmer raised an unimpressed eyebrow and proceeded to pick up the now-empty glass from her guest. "He'd been here for about an hour before you dragged me and Rarity to your concert."

Sheryl Nome pointed wildly at the young man with the guitar—who was playing a soft, slow tune while Lena nodded to the music as she perused one of the magical tomes Sunset had lent her. "Sunset, that man has been missing from the known universe for a decade! His secret hideout is one of the century's greatest mysteries! Do you have any idea how hard it is to hide from my government?!"

"Considering the Vajra had to jump dimensions to avoid you lot, yeah, I have an idea."

"But still!" Sheryl gestured at Basara—who continued to ignore her—with her hands.

"Hey, lady," Lena called out, "can you keep it down? I'm trying to study here!"

Sheryl turned around, reached across the bar, grabbed Sunset by the lapels and brought her uncomfortably close to her face. "Are you dating him?" she whispered.

"No," Sunset growled.

"Tsk." Sheryl let go and sat down on her seat. She leaned back and sighed. "I keep telling you, just stay with us for a while at Frontier! You're a pretty decent singer, with some professional help, you could be great."

Sunset groaned. "Sheryl, I'm not going to join the army and become an idol singer just to date a pilot. I'm not interested in that. That was Minmei's thing and you know how that ended."

"But you've got such a beautiful singing voice!" Sheryl argued. "And you already care about people, so it'll be less of a learning curve."

That comment got her looks from Sunset, Lena, and even Basara.

"So I was a diva, sue me."

It was at that moment that the door to the bar opened and the silver bell chimed, announcing the arrival of another guest. "Hello?" a familiar voice called.

"Oh hey, a Rarity," Sunset said with a grin, then called out, "come on in! Welcome to Sunset's Isekai, my name is R-Rarity?""

Her grin faltered when a changeling queen walked into the room, but more importantly, this queen had Rarity's manestyle, only with a slightly green tone to them in between the purple, as if it shimmered between the two colors when it caught the light just right. And not only that, this changeling queen also had Rarity's cutie mark on her flank.

"I'm pretty sure your name is actually Sunset Shimmer," Lena called out without looking up from her book.

The changeling Queen looked surprised as she studied the others in the room, clearly having never seen humans or anthropomorphic ducks. But at the sound of her name, she turned to study Sunset with some curiosity. "Oh, I'm sorry, darling, but I'm afraid I don't recognize you! However you seem to be aware of who I am, perhaps you're one of Queen Apocrita's subjects?"

Sheryl was staring at her incredulously. "Bu-but I just saw you and you were no—"

"We don't work for her, I'm afraid," Sunset said as the Rarity changeling continued walking down the bar only to stop and stare at all the pictures. "This might come as a shock, but this is actually an inter-dimensional bar… where I've met quite a few of you, myself, and others."

"That's… quite a few changelings, dear, including my sister!"

"Yeah, changeling queens seem to be popular visitors, you must all be pretty stressed."

"She's a queen?" Sheryl asked, as if finally seeing the small crown on top of Rarity's head.

"Yes, yes," Purity said quickly, turning over to walk and take a seat at the bar, eyeing them curiously but also warily. "Not necessarily by choice, mind, I just didn't seem to have much of an option when Chrysalis found out I was alive."

"Wait, so you were pretending to be Rarity all along?" Sunset asked.

"Good guess," Purity said, smiling consiprationaly at her. "But not exactly accurate, you see, I am Rarity, and I am also Princess, or rather Queen Pupa. Our elder sister, who is not with us anymore used a spell to turn us into one entity to save our lives."

"A soul meld," Lena called out, "Magika did the exact opposite when she created me, according to one of your books."

Purity smiled brightly at her. "You're a smart young lady, aren't you?"

Lena grinned. "I'm not a lady, but I am smart." She waved a bit before going back to her book.

"Ah, that's—I'm sorry," Sunset said.

"Oh, don't fret, Sunset Shimmer, it has been, well. Quite a long time," Purity said kindly. "I am terribly curious about all of this." She waved with her hoof at the establishment. "But I did walk in because I saw that the blackboard was offering a 'Changeling Martini?'"

"Yes!" Sunset said, "Of course, let me get that for you."

"And I would like one as well," Sheryl said.

Sunset shrugged. "Alright then."

Purity studied Sheryl's clothes. "I have to say, darling, your style is magnificent!"

As Sunset busied herself with the ingredients, Sheryl turned to look at Purity. "Thank you! I put a lot of work on dressing for my performances! My name is Sheryl Nome," she introduced herself putting out her hand for the changeling, who after a moment looking at it, simply raised her hoof and bumped it. "Right, anyway, I am trying to convince Sunset here that she should date Basara, who's over there."

Purity glanced over at the guitarist, who simply shrugged and kept on playing the guitar, seemingly lost in his own world. Then she looked at Sunset. Then over to him, then to Sheryl. "But he looks like he's not interested, darling, and Sunset here doesn't find him attractive that way."

Sheryl blinked. "How would you know that?"

"She's a changeling," Sunset said, starting her mix. She smirked. "They know if you're in love. For example, remember Alto?"

Sheryl gave her a look.

"Tasty," Purity said after a few seconds. "Is he your lover?"

"Gah!"

Sunset chuckled and placed two martini glasses on the bar, sliding them over to her guests. "Two changeling martinis."

Both Purity and Sheryl studied the offered cocktail.

"Oh my, this looks amazing, darling," Purity said, "Why, it almost reminds me of your name, soft, warm, orange sunlight at the bottom with the deep blue of the night at the top."

"And these little blue crushed ice pieces could be stars," Sheryl said with a grin.

"And if you mix it up, it changes colors," Sunset added. She turned her attention to the changeling queen. "So, what brings you here, Rarity? Usually my guests are stressed out for some reason or another." She tilted her head. "The last few changeling queens were about to have, or just had, kids. Is that it?"

Purity chuckled, mixing her drink and watching in delight as it mixed into a vibrant lavender. "Thankfully not! I have enough trouble as it is keeping track of Sweetie Belle; I can't imagine having foals of my own yet."

"Then problems with your subjects?" Sheryl guessed.

"Of a sort," Purity said, sighing. "You see… I had been hiding away from the hive for several years, and my sister Chrysalis recently discovered I was alive. Now she wants me to take over Queen Apocrita's Hive, since I need it to live a long, healthy life as a changeling." She took a sip and leaned back dramatically. "If only that didn't conflict with my passion!"

Sheryl's eyes got a glint, and even Basara's guitar-strumming suddenly sounded slightly interested. Sunset warily eyed them both.

"Your passion?" Sheryl asked eagerly.

"Yes! For you see..." Purity sat straight, pointing a hoof at her chest. "I! Am a designer! A creator!
A seamstress of incredible talent!"

"Basically, Rarity," Sunset chipped in.

"Right!" the changeling continued undeterred. "And no matter how much I would love the adoration of a whole hive, I feel like my passion and creativity might be… stifled... by Queenly duties, should I take that role."

She sighed and settled back down. "It doesn't help that I feel somewhat… obligated to do this more out of trying to appease my sister than any enthusiasm I could muster for this kind of thing on my own."

"So, why don't you just tell her no?" Lena asked, looking up from her book. "No one should force you to do something you don't want to."

"The duck is right, even though destiny sometimes finds a way to be fulfilled, if you are given the choice, you should choose what your passion desires!" Sheryl said, earning a look from Lena who clearly didn't like the way she had called her "duck" but didn't seem to know if she should take it as an insult. Sunset shook her head, and Lena simply shrugged.

"But aren't changeling queens basically bred to rule?" Sunset asked. "No offense."

Purity took a sip of her drink, not looking up to them. "None taken, Sunset." She sighed, her glance going over to the pictures once more. "When I look at those changeling queens, I see a self-assurance and dignity that I lack… except for the one that's biting your head."

"That is actually Changeling Celestia, if you can believe it."

Purity didn't blink. "Oh, I can tell." She chuckled, then deflated. "The bottom line, darling, is that I wasn't born to rule. I was the third sister, the youngest of us. By the time Cocoon and Chrysalis and I would have had to fight for dominance, I would have barely reached nine years old. I stood no chance." She swirled her martini in her magical grip, studying the purple that so much resembled her mane's color. "I had already given up on the idea, you see, long before that fateful quest where Cocoon saved my life at the cost of her own."

"It sounds strange that if you were supposed to kill each other she would do that," Sheryl said after a moment.

"It does, doesn't it?" Purity laughed. "I wish I knew why she did it. She was mysterious, that one, and although Chrysalis says she loved me deeply… I don't know. I wish I could ask her… there are some things I wish I could just clear up with her, and I can't with Chrysalis." After a moment of silent contemplation, she raised her glass in salute. "I am happy to report, however, that after Chrysalis attempted to invade Canterlot, she and I did away with that awful tradition. My nieces are all safe and healthy, doing community service in Ponyville as a matter of fact."

"That sounds like a story of its own," Sunset said with a grin, levitating a beer and floating it over to Basara, who caught it in his hand without even looking, while he scribbled some notes on a small notebook.

"It is, and I—"

"Wait," Lena interrupted. "Sorry, sorry, but… why do you want to talk to Cocoon?"

"Well, darling, I would like to know why she saved me. As I said, I had no prospects of being a queen. Not then. It made no sense."

Sheryl turned to look at Sunset straight in the eye.

Sunset frowned. "No way."

"Sunset."

She shook her head. "Do you know—do you have any idea how many laws I would be breaking if I did that?"

Lena snorted. "As if Rarity wasn't skirting the law constantly. You can't tell me whatever she's doing she's doing legally." she paused, then somewhat reluctantly granted, "Ninety eight percent of the time."

"I'm sorry," Purity spoke up, "I'm getting lost here. What am I not doing legally?"

"Not you, my business partner," Sunset said, "she's a Rarity too."

"Ah." The changeling queen nodded, "then please, call me Purity, it's the name Chrysalis gave me when she found out what happened with Pupa and Rarity."

The others looked at each other and shrugged.

"But that's not important," Sheryl insisted. "Sunset. You have to."

"Sheryl, I'm telling y—"

"How long ago did this thing with Cocoon happen?" Sheryl asked Purity.

"The soul merge," Lena clarified.

"Yes. That."

Purity tapped her chin. "About twenty or so years ago?"

Sunset blinked. "You're almost thirty?"

"Oh, did I say twenty? I meant: 'don't you dare tell anypony or I will cut you' years ago."

"Yep," Lena said, "she's Rarity alright."

Sheryl whirled to face Sunset. "Twenty years, Sunset Shimmer! She's been wondering two decades!"

"Are you really trying to blackmail me into breaking interdimensional law?" Sunset asked, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea how much that could cost me? I could lose my bar!"

Sheryl smirked. "Then you can join me and we can become a duet act."

Purity looked from one human to the other. "I'm afraid I really don't follow."

It was then that there was a soft knock on the door and it was pushed open, making the silver bell ring once more. "Hello? Excuse me, I didn't think the cave was inhabited…"

The mare who entered the room stopped dead in her tracks, staring not at the humans, or even the duck, but rather at Purity who started back and blinked.

Sunset studied the pony. It was a young adult mare unicorn, with a lime-green mane, and a soft orange coat. Her cutie mark was a split orange, still with the stem on it. It wasn't anypony that Sunset had met before, but for some reason Purity stood up and stared openly at her, eyes wide.

"I, uh…" The mare cleared her throat. "Yeah, I should go."

"Wait!" Purity spoke up, and the mare immediately tensed, but did not move at all.

Purity gulped. "Cocoon?"

Among the gasps from Sheryl and Lena, the mare's face became expressionless, but her body was tense, ready to react.

"I-it's you, isn't it?" Purity asked gently. "I recognize that form… You used to take it when Mother sent you to the pony lands."

"I don't know you," the pony said tersely. "And I have no sister that is already a queen."

Sunset glared up at the ceiling of her bar. "And this is why we don't break time and space like that!" she sighed. "Anyway, come on, have a seat, I'll make you a changeling martini."

"I'm afraid I'm not doing this," Cocoon said, eyes narrowed. "For one, I don't know who you are, secondly I'm rather suspicious of a random changeling queen claiming to be my sister while I'm in the middle of a mission from my mother, and finally, I AM on a quest and I cannot dally."

"Oh, chill," Lena called from her side of the bar. "Time is not passing where you're from. You'll come out at the same time as you came in."

"Please," Purity said, "just for a little while."

The mare bit her lip, glancing behind her before finally settling her eyes on Purity. "You look really familiar."

Sunset wasn't sure what happened then, but suddenly Purity was covered in pink feathers, while still remaining a changeling. Cocoon's eyes were wide now, and her mouth hung open, even as green flames flashed around her revealing a changeling that looked somewhat similar to Purity, but she didn't have a cutie mark, and her mane was a more traditional algae-green.

"But… Pupa?"

Purity smiled and shrugged, eyes brimming with tears. "Surprise?"

"I think she'll have that drink," Sheryl stage-whispered.

"Alright," Sunset said, slightly exasperated. "But before we do anything, Purity, you're from the future. DO NOT talk about the past."

"R-right…"

"I'm not joking, if you do you might return to something horrific. Things could have changed drastically and not for the better, are we clear?"

"Y-yes."

"And you." Sunset turned to look at Cocoon in the eye. "Just because you figured out she's okay right now doesn't mean that it's guaranteed when you go back. We're in serious danger here of messing things up bad."

Cocoon nodded, eyes wide.

"Right." Sunset sighed.

Cocoon sat next to Purity, looking her up and down, taking in her mane, her cutie mark. "So… the future? Have you become better at shapeshifting?"

Purity laughed, "Yes, I have… even Chrysalis had a hard time figuring out I was a changeling."

Cocoon nodded, looking around the place curiously. "I take it from these creatures reactions that I wasn't supposed to be here?"

"Well darling, it seems that we did some unintentional time-travelling," Purity said, shrugging. "I for one… well." She smiled a bit sadly. "I'm glad to see you."

"I as well," Cocoon said after a moment. "So it seems that out of us you inherit the hive, correct?"

"Oh, heavens, no," Purity laughed. "That would be Chrysalis."

"Sure," Sunset interrupted, placing the glass right in front of Cocoon, who glanced at it curiously. "Ignore my warning, tell her everything, why don't you?"

Purity blinked, then her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh my. This is very difficult I—"

"It's okay," Cocoon said, putting a hoof on top of Purity's. "Just don't tell me how I died and I think it will be okay."

The others looked at her, and she shrugged. "It was plainly obvious." She chuckled and took a sip of her martini. "If Chrysalis is the Queen of the Hive, then I'm not around anymore, and Pupa's reaction was plainly obvious. She hasn't seen me in a long time. Plus she has a new name, and my other sister is alive, so she's either a queen of another hive or she escaped."

"I'm sorry," Purity said.

"Don't be," Cocoon countered. "I am happy you're well. Or that you'll turn out well. I was very afraid for you and your future, but I'm sure you're a great queen."

"But what if she doesn't want to be one?" Sheryl interrupted. "What if sh—ow!"

"You're coming with me and sitting with Basara," Sunset said, not letting go of her ear. "You two can write songs together."

"What?" Cocoon blinked, ignoring the struggling creatures, her attention on Purity. "But why not?"

Purity looked down at the table. "I… never expected to be one, not really. I thought you and Chrysalis would eventually just get rid of me… I never understood why you—" she bit her lip "—didn't just get rid of me."

Cocoon studied her face for a moment. "Of course we wouldn't," she said. "Both she and I care about you. The fact that you say her name like you do tells me she's at least made this obvious by now."

Purity nodded. "She… took me to another hive. The queen there is choosing a successor from among the living queens. Chrysalis wants me to inherit that… I'm not sure I should." She looked up at Cocoon. "I've lived my life raised b—as part of the ponies, away from the hive. I have good friends, I am a designer… I made the wedding dress for a princess!"

Cocoon smiled. "It seems like you have a good life."

"I do! But I so do not want to disappoint Chrysalis. And she said I wouldn't live as long without a hive."

Cocoon shrugged. "That is true… a Hive is as much a part of our lifespan as love and a healthy diet."

"I see."

"So what is stopping you, really?" Cocoon asked. "You seem capable, and smart. Certainly well-educated, at least. And if you already know princesses and are in good standing with them, the political contacts can only help you."

'It's not about… skills." Purity admitted. "It's about my life outside of the hive. About my friends, and my dreams, and my little sister."

"We have another sister?" Cocoon asked, blinking in surprise. "I never thought another drone would dare."

Purity laughed. "No, no, adopted would be the closest thing."

Sunset saw Cocoon glance at Purity's flank quickly. "Right."

"But I have plans, you see," Purity said, "I was going to grow my business. Open shop in Canterlot, then Manehattan. If I do this, my time and attention will be spent away from that."

Cocoon nodded in understanding. "So this new possible hive of yours is in a very sorry state of affairs?"

"Oh, goodness no," Purity said, eyes shining. "It's amazing! The changelings there have a healthy economy, a huge network, and are perfectly happy! They take good care of their hive, and worked it seamlessly into its surroundings, it's quite beautiful."

"And their market?"

"Sublime, with products from all over the world."

"What about the other potential queens?"

"Oh," Purity laughed, raising a hoof to cover her mouth. "You wouldn't believe them, they act so tough, but a bit of a nudge here and there and they're absolute darlings. Why, the red hive proposed an exchange program with ours in the future to see if Equestria would be willing to open trade."

"It seems to me you're already in love with this hive you say you don't want," Cocoon said, smiling. "It might just be that you're talking yourself out of doing this because you know you'll enjoy it."

Purity blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Cocoon nodded, sipping her drink. "You sound like you really like this hive. You didn't say a single negative thing about it, your eyes lit up when you talked about it, and you are very impressed with it. I think you love designing clothes and you're talking yourself down from really accepting this hive as well. But you don't have to give one up to do the other, you know?"

Purity's eyes went wide.

"You… are different," Cocoon said slowly, ponderously. "You aren't jaded; you're just the same hatchling as you were when I last saw you a few minutes ago at the entrance to the caves. You have an outlook on life that's very different than what Mother wanted us to do. Changelings are known to other species in your time. You, a changeling queen, designed a dress for an Equestrian princess. Why not break some more rules?" She leaned in, bumping her forehead gently against Purity's and smiling. "Why not change things more?"

Purity was silent for a moment. "I-I am surprised. I really did not expect this."

Cocoon raised an eyebrow. "Did not expect what?"

"You… to care this much for my happiness," Purity confessed quietly.

"Oh, little sister," Cocoon chuckled, gulping down before smiling a little more shyly. "I've loved you since you were born. I guess I didn't get to tell you before I died."

Purity shook her head, feeling a lump in her throat.

"You were adorable, and trusting. When I saw you after you hatched… I just knew I had to protect you. When the time to choose a new queen came, I was... " Cocoon chuckled. "I had considered spiriting you out and into the pony lands to make sure you were safe. I'd have to lie to Mother, but… well. Depending on how she meets her end, I'll have to figure things out."

Cocoon stood up, fishing a golden bit out of her saddlebags and placing it on the counter. "And that reminds me, I do have a little sister to keep track of."

Purity followed her to the door, then pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't know."

Cocoon chuckled, returning the hug herself. "Sometimes we are too good at hiding things, Sister."

"Cocoon, when you go back—"

The elder sister placed her hoof gently on Purity's mouth. "Don't. I don't know how it will happen… and I'd rather not. I don't want to live in fear of something that might or not come. I know now you end up safe, happy and with a bright future. That is all I need to keep doing what I'm doing."

Purity nodded and watched her sister walk out of the bar, into the familiar cave where she had seen her last.

Chrysalis woke up with a start, alert and ready to fight, her instincts pointing her to the intruder in the room. It was still late at night, but something was different.

She kept her eyes on the doorway as her horn lit up and illuminated the room proper. She blinked in surprise. "Purity?" She frowned. "Did you go out for a walk?"

She watched as her sister walked over to her, and then, surprisingly, pulled her in for a hug. "H-hey! What's going on? I refuse to be handled this way! Release me at once! The pride of The Hive cannot be ignored by this foolishness!" A beat. "Dammit, Purity! Lemme go!"

But her sister simply hugged her harder until Chrysalis rolled her eyes and returned the gesture. "There. Now I'm hugging you, and you're hugging me. We're all hugging. Warm embraces without words, just for the sake of hugs. And hugging. Like idiots."

She paused, sniffing Purity's mane. There was… a smell. Familiar, but she couldn't place it. Regardless, for some reason it made her gulp. "P-Purity? Is everything okay? Where were you?"

"I—" Purity sighed. "I'll be okay. I just need to be with my sister for a little bit."

"Right," Chrysalis said. "Sisters."

The scent was comforting. Loving. Familiar and brought such a sense of nostalgia in Chrysalis that she found herself sinking into her sister's embrace.

"Yes," Purity said, "sisters."

After a few moments of trying to figure out why that scent was familiar, Purity pulled back and smiled at Chrysalis. "You know, darling… I think I know what I really want to do now."

Author's Notes:

Story: The Three Sisters Series Relevant:Three Sisters Current Project
Sheryl Nome: Macross Frontier
Basara Nekki: Macross 7
Lena: Ducktales 2017