“Thanks again for having me, Aunt and Uncle Orange. It was mighty nice to see y'all again, after so long.”

Applejack leant forwards to pull her aunt into a hug. There were other ponies about on the street, but she knew that Aunt Orange wasn't afraid of a little public hug – just because she was from high-society Manehattan didn't mean she had to be a snob.

“The pleasure was all ours, Applejack, dear,” she said. “You simply must come and visit us again soon.”

Uncle Orange nodded his approval. “Indeed! Perhaps sometime around Hearth's Warming? Surely you can't be too busy during the winter months?”

Applejack chuckled as she pulled back from the hug. “There's always somethin' to keep me busy on the farm. But I reckon Hearth's Warmin' sounds like a fine idea. I'll make some time, promise.”

“Do be sure to write us between then and now, won't you?” said Aunt Orange. “I would so love to hear from you.”

“You bet! I'll get a letter out at least once a fortnight,” said Applejack with a smile. “More than one, if I can find the time.”

Aunt Orange returned the smile. “Splendid! We'll look forward to it.”

“Now, Applejack, are you sure you wouldn't like me to accompany you to the train station?” said Uncle Orange. “It would be no trouble at all, I assure you.”

Applejack waved a dismissive hoof. “Naw, I can manage. Us country folk are as tough as we look!” she said lightly. “Y'all take care of yourselves, now! See ya soon!”

With a last smile and a wave to each of them, Applejack turned to start down the street.

It was still late afternoon, so there was no need to rush – the train wouldn't be there for another half hour, at least. So she just moseyed on down towards the station, taking her time and smiling at the warm memories of her latest visit with her aunt and uncle.

About five minutes along, she heard a funny kind of noise – kind of like a groan. She turned her head down the alley to her right, curious as to what strange, city-dwelling thing would make a noise like that. But there was nothing there, so she just kept on walking.

Then she did a double-take.

A little ways down the alley, there was a blanket laid beside one of those garbage dumpster thingers. The blanket was draped over something long, about half of Applejack's height. And it was moving.

Applejack frowned and glanced about. Nopony else seemed to have noticed – they were all walking on by. This was probably one of those things that only seemed strange to country folk, and was perfectly normal if you'd lived in the city your whole life. But still...

Slowly, Applejack started down the alley, keeping her eyes on the blanket. There was definitely something alive beneath it, because it shifted every now then. Maybe a sick animal? Or worse, a sick pony...

“You okay down there?” said Applejack, as she drew up alongside it.

The thing made no response.

Applejack curled her lip in consideration, then cautiously reached out to lift the blanket away. As she did, she saw the beginnings of a dark figure... then an eerily familiar, jagged horn... and finally a pair of half-lidded, poisonous eyes.

“Gah!” Applejack squealed, jumping back and letting the blanket fall to one side. “Queen Chrysalis!”

It wasn't just her, either – two changeling drones laid beside her, in some kind of dormant, pre-battle state.

Cursing herself for falling into such an obvious trap, Applejack lowered herself into a battle stance and cast her eyes about, ready to fight off the ambush that was no doubt a split second away.

...But nothing came, other than a groan from the weary-looking Chrysalis, as if she'd just recognised Applejack and was not happy to see her.

“What do you want?” the queen growled. “Come to hit me with another love spell? Kick me while I'm down?”

Applejack blinked in surprise, but was quick to refocus – this was obviously some kind of ruse. “I ain't here to kick nopony. Least, I wasn't, 'til I saw you. I warn ya, I've got the quickest hooves this side of Appleoosa, so if you're gonna try somethin'--”

“Try something?” Chrysalis repeated with a scowl. “Do I look like I'm in any position to try something?”

Applejack glared solidly at her for a second longer, before chancing a look over the changelings before her. The queen herself looked thin – even thinner than she'd been during the attack on Canterlot – and her eyes were weary, as if she'd been unwell. Beside her, the drones seemed little different than they had back then, except that their eyes were closed and their breathing was soft. Almost like they were... sleeping.

Now that she thought about it, none of them looked particularly threatening, despite the death glare that Chrysalis was trying to pull off. In fact, it looked almost as if none of them had moved in days...

Applejack relaxed her stance a little.

“No, I guess not,” she muttered. “...What happened to you?”

Chrysalis scoffed. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“Ain't laughin', am I?”

Chrysalis stared at her for a long moment, before letting out an exasperated huff. “What do you think happened to me? I wound up here after your little pony friends cast that love spell – whatever the hoof that was. It severed my connection to the hive, and drained nearly all of my energy too. It's been all I can do to keep myself alive.”

“Severed connection...” Applejack repeated, cogs working in her brain. “Wait a minute... You're saying you've been alone here since Canterlot? But that was months ago!”

“Was it?” said Chrysalis indifferently. “I hadn't noticed. Not much use in keeping track of time when you're living like a wastrel, leeching off of what little love there is to find in this pathetic city.”

Picking up on that, Applejack narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Leechin'? So, you're stealin' ponies' love again, are ya?”

“Don't you dare get all self-righteous!” Chrysalis spat. “I'm not hurting anyone, nor deceiving them. No-one even knows I'm here.”

Applejack held her glare, unconvinced.

Chrysalis huffed. “There's a newly-wed couple in the house behind me--” She jerked her head in the general direction. “--I don't have the energy I need to pull off another ruse like in Canterlot, so I've had to resort to feeding off of the love in the air... as sickening as that sounds.”

Applejack blinked. “Y'all can do that?”

“Don't presume to think you know anything about changelings,” said Chrysalis. “Yes, we can do that, and yes, it's a pathetic last resort. It's not much, but it's enough to sustain me and this useless pair of whelps.”

The two changelings at the queen's side stirred, but didn't wake.

“So,” said Applejack, glancing between them and Chrysalis. “What's the plan then?”

Chrysalis threw her a glare. “There isn't a plan.”

“You're really sittin' here in this gutter, eatin'... scraps, and just... survivin'?” said Applejack doubtfully. “What do you take me for?”

“Believe what you want, Applejack,” Chrysalis snarled. “I'm of no threat to you, or any of your friends. I have nothing left. Just leave me alone.”

Despite how strange it seemed, Applejack got the distinct feeling that she was telling the truth. In her current state, Chrysalis didn't look like she could be much more hassle than a fly. And it looked like she'd been that way for a while now...

“...There anythin' I can do?” Applejack found herself asking. She knew the answer before the words had even left her mouth, but saying them anyway gave her a sense of fulfilment. “You got a home or somethin' I can help ya get back to--”

“I don't need your help!” snapped Chrysalis. “And I certainly don't need your pity! And besides that, even if I could get home, there'd be no point – I'd be just as alone there as I am here, with all my underlings lost in your world...” She shook her head and scowled. “Now, if you don't have anything useful to say, just get lost. I'm tired of talking to you.”

Applejack curled her lip in thought, staring down at the fallen queen for a long moment of silence. Then she shrugged.

“Sure, I'll go. Ain't much reason for me to stay if ya don't want my help--”

“I don't,” Chrysalis reaffirmed.

“Well, I'll just go then,” said Applejack decidedly. She turned and started towards the alley's exit, muttering under her breath as she went. “Talk about disappointin'...”

She'd gotten almost half-way out of the alley before she heard another groan from behind her – this one more angry than tired. “What are you on about now?” said Chrysalis.

Applejack turned and fixed her with a stare. “I said it's disappointin'. I mean, last time we met, y'all had this huge – although admittedly kinda simple – plan to take over Equestria and replace all our loved ones or some such. And now you're all washed up in a gutter in Manehattan. Not exactly movin' up in the world, are ya?”

Chrysalis scowled. “Sorry that I couldn't live up to your expectations, but there's only so much I can do.”

“Is that right?” said Applejack. “Well, you sure ain't tryin' very hard. Y'know, if it was me who suddenly lost everythin' I loved – my farm, my family and my friends – I wouldn't be sittin' in some bar, drownin' my sorrows in milkshakes and just survivin'. I'd be out there, tryin' to get it all back!”

“Tch, get it all back?” Chrysalis repeated amusedly. “Seriously?”

“Darn right I would. Even if I knew it would take years, or if I might not even get anywhere in the long run, I'd be workin' my flank off just tryin' anyway.” Applejack paused to savour the look on Chrysalis' face, which was fast becoming blank. “I'd never settle for just survivin', 'cause that ain't worth nothin' compared to livin'.”

Chrysalis blinked at her a couple of times, mouth part open in a dumbstruck kind of thought. “...So, what're you saying?” the queen asked, adding a non-convincing edge to her voice in an attempt to hide her curiosity.

Applejack just shook her head. “I ain't sayin' nothin'. Except that changelings obviously ain't as tough as I thought.”

With that, and not another word, she turned and left the alley, leaving the fallen queen in her wake.

Chrysalis watched the straw-coloured tail vanish around the corner. She tried to call out, to come up with some barb or comeback that would put the stupid pony in her place, but nothing availed her. And then it was too late.

Left alone again, Chrysalis breathed an angry, exhausted huff and levitated the blanket over herself and the whelps, ready for the evening that was soon to come. She made to lay her chin against the cold, stone floor and settle in for another long sleep, only to stop herself half-way.

Slowly, she turned to look down at the slumbering face of the drone to her left – emotionless, but content, at least. Her lip curled itself in thought and, though she was tired, she couldn't keep her mind from dwelling on Applejack's words.

...Just surviving...

She turned her eyes to the little patch of sky she could see from her alley. Dark clouds loomed overhead – a rainstorm was coming. Tonight was not going to be comfortable.

As she cuddled down and tucked the blanket more tightly around herself and the whelps, bracing herself for the rain, her wings shifted at her sides. That night, the thoughts of that stubborn pony's words brought an unpleasant heat to her chest. A heat that soon spread to set smouldering the embers of something she'd thought forgotten... since Canterlot...

Author's Notes:

There you have it - my rendition of a random fic. If anyone is wondering, I have no plans to 'continue' this. But if anyone gets an idea for a how to do so, and wants to write their own story to continue from it, please be my guest! Just let me know so that I can check it out.

Thanks for reading!