Transcend - Part 5
#5 of Transcend
A week passed, and soon Evergreen began to show signs of sickness. He became distracted and listless, and was given over to the occasional odd twitch.
Chrysalis knew it was her fault; knew it was the fact that she'd fed her changelings three times since the first feeding. They were ravenous from their ordeals, and as they had no partners to draw upon, she took the entire burden of their needs upon herself. Unfortunately, that burden was also Evergreen's to share.
She tried to hate him. She tried so hard. But she just couldn't. Her heart was a traitor to her duty as a queen. She wanted to feel nothing. She needed to feel nothing for him. She needed to be able to watch him waste away and be the imperturbable queen she had always been.
But it broke her heart more and more as she watched his decline.
Every night she pretended to sleep until she knew Evergreen was dozing next to her, and then wept until the blissful darkness of unconsciousness took her. She couldn't leave him; but she couldn't stay, either. The world contrived to put barriers between her and the one place thing she had been truly happy.
And still, the changeling army was insatiable in its demands. Every evening, Messenger would turn up at the cottage and wait patiently for her to come outside and speak to him so he could relay messages and the needs of her much-reduced army to their Queen.
Chrysalis could deny her changelings as readily as she could deny her own heart. She was torn between them.
Each step towards her Evergreen was a step away from her army, and each step towards her army was a step away from her love.
But it was worse than that. There was no way to maintain both. Evergreen was already sick; he was only going to get worse. And if she denied her army, they would wither and die with the lack of leadership, or, even worse, rebel. Her army would be decimated, wiped out, if they were found.
It was an impossible choice. Between the stallion she loved, or her very race.
And looking between them, Chrysalis couldn't choose.
And so Chrysalis found herself alone one night, lying by a lake. She convinced herself that she needed to think, but she really needed a break from thinking. From worrying. Part of the true draw of this place was the break from worrying, from the stress; but now, the stress had followed her, and it was so much worse than before.
She had to leave Evergreen. Had to. But she didn't think she could bring herself to leave him; and if he came after her, she wouldn't have the strength to turn him back.
It was an impossible situation, and the indecision ate at her.
All of her choices as queen thus far had been easy, simple, compared to this. No matter what she did, she had to hurt someone she loved, and hurt herself at the same time.
The changeling stared down into the lake, watching her reflection in the light of the moon for a moment, staring into her own soft pink eyes. A ripple crossed the water, and suddenly, she saw a glimpse of what lay underneath the false veneer of her outward appearance as a unicorn.
Demonic green eyes, black skin, pointed teeth, a twisted parody of a unicorns horn, hooves with holes eaten right through them. A hoof quickly swept the water, disrupting the reflection as Chrysalis' thoughts turned inwards.
What was she? She was, for want of a better term; a parasite. She fed on the love of others. And while that seemed a noble thing, her kind did not garner love through their actions, but rather through subterfuge; tricking a pony into loving them and feeding from the bond.
Chrysalis turned her thoughts to the shopkeeper, to the sensation of his life ebbing from his struggling form as she choked the air from his body. And she had enjoyed it. Enjoyed it.
Chrysalis stared down into the water of the lake, and watched her reflection, letting her changed form drop, revealing the Dark Queen in all her splendor. Her dark form shone in the moonlight, the membranes of her delicate wings sparkling as she stared down at her reflection, gazing into it as though hoping for answer.
Ripples spread outwards from her teardrops as her head drooped, and a single, broken whisper left her as she came to an inescapable conclusion.
"...I'm a monster..."
Chrysalis wasn't sure how long she lay there for, but a voice finally interrupted her depressed musings.
"Ah knew yer were keeping secrets," a familiar voice said in an accusing tone.
Chrysalis' head shot up, and her pupils dilated as she saw Evergreen standing a stones throw away, his head lowered, as he watched her with narrowed eyes. The queen's ears splayed backwards, and she shuddered, quickly drawing her unicorn form about herself like a protective blanket, rapidly changing into what she had come to view as a completely different pony to her usual self.
Chrysalis berated herself for her stupidity. Why had she let her guard drop? He had seen her true form. She had to leave now. There was no way to stay. He wouldn't love her anymore, and she wouldn't have enough energy to sustain herself.
Her mind seemed to hang there as she stared at Evergreen.
He wouldn't love her any more.
Chrysalis felt her eyes blurring with growing tears, and her bottom lip trembled. She bit down until she drew blood to try and stave off the tears, before just laying her head on her hooves and sobbing faintly.
Her entire world was falling apart in front of her eyes. Her army was decimated, the handful of survivors dependant on her for energy. And the one source of energy she had found, she had fallen in love with. And now, she had alienated him in a fit of stupidity the likes of which she hadn't come close to since she was but a child.
A detached part of her mind decided that it was perhaps a good thing, as she heard the stallion rise and then thunder off down the forest trail in a gallop, heading towards Ponyville. He didn't love her any more. And since he now knew her dirty little secret, there was no way she could stay. His hate was a fortifier for her.
It was over. It was all over. Her existence in Equestria was done. A mere side-chapter in the story of the changelings.
And it was a bitter lesson that Chrysalis would take to heart; never love your food.
Chrysalis rose to her hooves, her mind more ordered now. She was free of Evergreen. Free to pursue a new target. Her changelings needed her, and she needed to be a strong queen for them. It was her duty to lead them out of the horror that was their little foray into Equestria.
She hardened her heart against Evergreen. She would forget him, in time. All pain faded eventually. But these were scars she would have to bear.
The queen turned to begin down the path away from Ponyville to start her new life, but found a broad-chested form blocking her path.
Chrysalis' heart raced as she turned to look upwards, expecting a royal guard. She found only the narrowed green eyes of Evergreen staring down at her, and her heart seemed to stop in her chest.
"What?" Chrysalis asked, her tone hard, as she tried to keep her heart closed to him.
"Yer a Changeling," he stated.
"You caught on, finally. Stupid oaf," Chrysalis breathed, tossing her mane and turning away to hide the tears brmming in her eyes.
"Why...?" Evergreen asked, lifting a hoof placatingly, his expression confused and hurt. "Why would yer make me love yer? Is that all I am to yer? A quick meal?"
Evergreen's accusations sruck at a vulnerable place deep in Chrysalis' heart. It took several steady breaths to keep the pain out of her voice as she responded, "I... at first. Yes."
"What? Yer gonna tell me that yer fell in love with me?" he asked, his tone hard, eyes still narrowed on her.
"I... don't want to lie to you," Chrysalis said, fighting back fresh tears, staring at the ground in front of her hooves so she didn't have to meet Evergreen's accusing gaze.
"But yer a changeling!" Evergreen said, waving a hoof. "A blooming changeling!"
"I know," she murmured, turning away from him. "I don't deserve your love."
The stallion snorted slightly at that, beginning to pace back and forth in front of her, growling, "Yer lied to me."
"Of course I lied to you," Chrysalis said, seeing no reason to be untruthful. Her happy life with him was over; what little of it she could have enjoyed. The least she could do was give him closure before she disappeared. A final unselfish act before she returned to her children.
"All of what yer did, was just ter seduce me?" Evergreen snorted, pawing at the ground with a hoof, braying at her in anger.
"I... No," Chrysalis said, shaking her head once. "I... never lied about my feelings for you."
"Ah suppose back there in that field was a lie, too?" Evergreen accused, pointing a hoof in the general direction of where she had giving herself fully to someone for the first time.
Chrysalis shook her head, but didn't have the heart to respond.
The stallion snarled, resuming his angry pacing back and forth in front of her. "Ah should turn yer in ter the guard, Ah should."
"I thought that's what you were doing?" Chrysalis queried. She had expected to see guards watching them from the sky; but a quick glance proved that they were alone.
"Ah was going to," Evergreen said with a growl, still pacing, before turning and staring at her. He strode forwards to stand in front of her. "Ah changed my mind though. Ah want yer ter tell me the truth before ah turn yer in."
Chrysalis splayed her ears back at that, looking up at him, whispering, "...Whatever you want."
"Ah want yer to change," Evergreen stated flatly. "Change in ter the demon. Ah want ter look yer in the eyes when yer say it."
The queen gave a sad nod and closed her eyes, letting the changes in her form drop. Her silken wings unfolded from her back, delighting in their freedom as her form resolved itself from white unicorn, to Dark Queen in a few short seconds, leaving her standing before the stallion in all of her glory.
"Now look at me, and tell me that yer don't love me," Evergreen demanded, eyes narrowing at her.
Chrysalis lifted her eyes to peer into the angry green eyes of the only creature she ever loved, and tried to say what he demanded of her. She fumbled over the words, unable to choke them out through the lump in her throat.
"Say it!" the stallion hissed, lifting a hoof as though to strike her.
Chrysalis recoiled at the raised hoof, and in between broken sobs, managed to choke out; "I-I never l-loved y-you..."
Her duty done, Chrysalis laid her head on the ground and covered her face with a foreleg to try and block out the world.
It was several long, long moments before she felt something. A spark.
The forming of a bond.
Tentatively, she moved her hoof from her face to peer up at Evergreen, who was now sitting on the lakeside nearby, staring into the water thoughtfully.
And the bond was growing. It was impossible; but she felt it.
"Ah..." Evergreen started, opening his mouth, and then closing it again. He turned accusing eyes on her, "Ah don't believe you."
Chrysalis' eyes widened, and she spluttered for a second, before she choked out, "N-no. I-I don't love you!"
"Ah don't believe you," the stallion said flatly, turning towards her properly and rising to step closer, staring down at her.
"I-I was just u-using you!" Chrysalis protested brokenly. He had to hate her. He had to! This was already breaking her heart to leave him when he hated her. If he still felt something for her... how could she ever leave? He was going to make her choose between his love or his life.
"Ah don't believe you," Evergreen repeated stubbornly, staring down into her demonic eyes, his own eyes resolute. "Yer a terrible liar, Cee. Or whatever yer name is."
Chrysalis felt the bond strengthening, and every passing second was breaking her heart more and more.
"No!" she cried, trying to hit him with a hoof, her voice shaky and shrill, "You have to hate me! Y-you have to go!"
"Ah will not leave," Evergreen said, suddenly lying himself down in front of her. He rested his nose on his hooves, staring resolutely into her eyes. "Ah won't go until yer can say that yer don't love me, and yer are being truthful."
"I don't love you!" Chrysalis shrilled, almost in hysterics. "I hate you! You have to go! D-don't make me choose Evergreen! Just go!"
Evergreen watched her with sad eyes as she spoke, and shook his head slowly. "If yer ask me to go again, I will, and yer'll never see me again."
Chrysalis opened her mouth to tell him to leave, but the words failed somewhere in between her throat and her mouth, coming out as a choked sob.
"Ah listened to yer crying yerself ter sleep every night," he stated, watching her reactions. "Ah thought yer were jus' feeling guilty... but there's more ter it than that, isn't there?"
The changeling stared up at Evergreen helplessly, her ears pinning back further as she tried to stem the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I-I don't want to hurt you..." Chrysalis breathed, shaking her head. "But every moment I'm with you just hurts you more."
"Yer were... crying fer me?" Evergreen asked, ears perking up at her for a moment.
"A-and b-because I have to choose between you and m-my entire species... a-and I think you were going to w-win," Chyrsalis stuttered, closing her eyes and burying her nose between her forehooves.
The stallion nodded gently at that. "Ah see... And why is it so hard ter choose between me and yer entire species?"
"B-because I hate you, you stupid oaf," Chrysalis said, trying to inject determination into her tone, lifting her gaze to him again.
Evergreen pulled himself closer to her across the ground. At first, she tried to shy away, but he doggedly pursued her until he could wrap his hooves around her neck. She stiffened at the sensation of someone touching her true form. She never let anyone touch her true form, ever. But the warmth of his body against her own was impossible to resist and eventually, she just slumped against him, burying her face in his mane.
"I hate you," Chrysalis repeated, beating at his chest with her hoof impotently as she sobbed brokenly into his mane. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."
The stallion waited out her hysterics patiently, holding her close with his hooves around her, gently rubbing back and forth in a soothing fashion.
Eventually, Chrysalis' tirade and her sobs stilled, and she resigned into quiet weeping against his neck.
"W-why are you making me choose, you stupid o-oaf?" she asked brokenly, staring up at him.
"Because yer love me," Evergreen stated.
"I hate you," Chrysalis whispered hopefully, pushing at him with her hooves. "You have to hate me."
"I can see it in yer eyes. Aint no demon gonna go crying over the feelings of a stallion they don't care nothing for. Yer a demon. A changeling. Yer feed on love all the time. But ah bet yer never felt real love before, have yer?" Evergreen accused, nudging her once with his nose.
Chrysalis' ears splayed backwards and she gave the faintest of whimpers at the cutting truth of his words.
"Ah'm not good at this sappy emotional stuff. But yer love me. Ah came up here wanting ter hate yer...Ah was hurt cause I thought yer were using me. But yer just like a lost little filly in love fer the first time," Evergreen said, his eyes staring down into her own.
"I-I am not..." Chrysalis whispered in defiance.
"Yer are. And we need ter talk about me and yer." he said seriously, staring down at her. "Yer a demon. And there aint no getting past that."
His words stung, but she knew the truth behind them. She was a monster.
"And Ah figure that pegasus from earlier was a changeling too. And Ah can't permit in good conscience having them running around free... but demon or no, Ah can't watch yer cry without feeling it in my heart," Evergreen explained, staring down at her. His hooves soothingly rubbed up and down her form. "My momma always said that love was a fleetin' thing. And that when it comes, yer gotta grab it with both hooves and hold on no matter how hard it bucks, 'cause yer might never get that chance again."
Chrysalis stared up at him, shaking her head in rebuttal. She opened her mouth to speak, but Evergreen cut her off.
"And ah know one thing. Ah never wanted this. Ah was happy in my cottage all alone. But ah look forwards, and know that if ah was to look back, I'd regret it one day fer not giving yer the chance. And if yer can say that yer can look back on this and never regret it a bit, then ah'll let yer walk away right now," Evergreen said fiercely, staring down into her eyes.
Chrysalis' ears splayed backwards, and she couldn't answer him. Staring down at her hooves for a moment, she lifted her gaze back up to him, sniffling once and trying to stem her tears, shaking her head helplessly.
"I-I hate you, you big oaf," Chrysalis whispered as she wrapped her hooves around Evergreen and held him close.
"So...just what are yer?" Evergreen asked. He was staring at Chrysalis, looking her up and down and taking in the strange contours of her form.
They were inside now, the light from the fireplace casting a warm yellow glow over their forms. It was the first time that Evergreen had gotten a look at the changeling in proper light. She was a completely different creature to the unicorn he had come to love.
Chrysalis' body was smooth and black as the night, though slightly reflective. It looked as if her entire form had been lacquered and polished with the greatest of care. The wings sprouting from her back could only be described by the woodspony as 'insectoid'. Composed of layers of thin, translucent membrane, they looked more at home on an insect, and never on anything as large as she was. Her mane and tail were the same blue as Cee's familiar mane, but was far less styled. Instead, her mane cascaded down her neck and shoulders.
The eyes were the most unnerving thing about the creature.The soft pink of Cee's eyes were gone, replaced by a set of vivid green irises with a demonic slit-pupiled layout, devoid of warmth or emotion.
"I am a changeling," Chrysalis explained tentatively, looking up at Evergreen a moment. It was almost a shock to hear herself say the words. It was her darkest secret, the one thing she had been certain she would never tell anypony. It was difficult to just come out and talk about it without feeling as though something was wrong.
"Ah know yer a changeling," Evergreen stated, shaking his head once. "But ah don't know what that means. Celestia didn't come down and explain it ter the regular ponies on what exactly yer are."
The changeling paused at that, trying to phrase the words right in her mind, to better explain exactly what she was.
"I'm... a changeling. I don't know how to explain it any better than that," Chrysalis admitted, giving an exasperated sigh. "That's like asking a pegasus to explain to someone what a pegasus is."
"But...yer not nothing like we are," Evergreen pointed out, raising a brow at her. "Yer a demon. And yer can change yer form."
"That is how we feed," Chrysalis explained, lifting a hoof and waving it vaguely. "We take the form of somepony and feed from the love that others give to them."
"Yer kill them?" Evergreen asked uncomfortable.
Chrysalis winced, shaking her head firmly. "No. We don't kill those we impersonate. Not usually. We merely take their place and immobilize the original until we're done feeding."
"And what do yer do once yer done feeding?" the woodspony asked suspiciously.
"We wipe their memories, usually. And then we just... leave," Chrysalis said, looking down at her hooves, shifting them uncomfortably.
"And that's all yer do? Over and over again?" Evergreen asked, staring at Chrysalis.
The queen pondered on that for a long moment and she nodded hesitantly. "I... suppose that's correct."
"But yer didn't do that with me," Evergreen pointed out.
"I was dying. I used the last of my energy to change into a unicorn so that my body wouldn't get strung up as a trophy. And then you came wandering through the storm to help me," Chrysalis responded, lifting her gaze to his own. "I've never... felt this kind of connection before."
Evergreen canted his head at her words, an expression of curiosity coming over his features. "Yer never been in love before?"
Chrysalis shook her head sadly for a moment. "Never before... I never let myself get close. My mother taught me 'Never love your food', and I can kinda see why now..."
"Why?"
"Well... I love you, Evergreen. And you love me. But that's the problem. The longer I stay with you... the weaker you'll get. You're already sick; I've seen it. And it's only going to get worse. You'll either slip into a depression, or dementia, or just give up and commit suicide. I've seen it happen... I don't want to watch you destroyed," Chrysalis murmured, feeling fresh tears trail down her cheeks as she spoke.
A shadow fell over Chrysalis' face and she looked up in time to see Evergreen leaning in to hug her.
The changeling tensed up at first, still very hesitant to let anyone touch her true form. She quivered, rigid, as the woodspony wrapped his hooves around in a firm hug. After several long moment, she managed to relax, leaning into the hug and resting her cheek against Evergreen's neck.
"We'll find some way to make it work. Promise," Evergreen soothed, gently stroking down her back with a hoof and letting it trail along the edge of one of her wings.
"But... You'll die. And I'm a monster..." Chrysalis whispered, pulling back at stare at the woodspony.
Evergreen nodded at her words. "We all die, Cee. But it's not what we die for that matters, when yer think about it. It's more like what we live for before we die. Any I wanna live fer you. I don't care if yer a monster. Yer my monster."
Chrysalis stared at him, feeling tears brimming in her eyes.She wrapped her hooves around Evergreen and clung to him fiercely, holding him close. Soft, distraught whimpers left her. "It's not fair... I only just found you and you're going to be taken away from me, one way or the other..."
The woodspony nuzzled against her comfortingly, before drawing back and sitting down, staring at her, before delicately saying; "Speaking o' losing me..."
The changeling stared at him for a long moment, her ears splaying backwards. "No. Y-you can't be leaving."
"Ah might have ter." Evergreen stated flatly, looking her up and down. "Ah need yer ter turn in the other changelings."
"What? No!" Chrysalis said, instantly on her hooves. "I won't!"
Evergreen stared at her solemnly, and then shook his head slowly. "Yer gotta choose, Cee. Ah can't allow yer to let the other changelings run free and ruin relationships."
"But... I... they won't!" the changeling protested, fresh tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "They won't! I promise!"
"Yer can't promise me that, Cee." Evergreen stated, shaking his head once at her, sadly. "If yer choose me... then yer would abandon the rest of the changelings, and then yer'd have no say in what they do."
"I... but..." Chrysalis trailed off. He was right, of course. If she abandoned the changelings, they would choose another changeling to lead them. And without her energy to leech from, they would quickly grow desperate. And desperate changelings were sloppy and violent.
"Ah assume yer their leader," Evergreen stated, watching her closely. "Yer wouldn't be so cut up about having ter leave them if yer were just another changeling. They're all relying on yer, aren't they?"
Chrysalis nodded, remaining quiet.
"If yer leave em... what'll they do?"
"They'll... They'll eventually find another Queen to lead them. They'll probably infiltrate Ponyville; but there's too many of them. They'll likely start killing off the female population. Unicorns first, and then the pegasi," Chrysalis explained emotionlessly. There was no point mincing words.
Evergreen nodded and nudged her with his nose. "Yer gotta turn em in, Cee. Yer have to. Yer can't be my queen unless ah can be assured that the changelings won't hurt the other ponies. Either yer turn them in, or leave with them. Celestia'll find a way to keep them contained."
"I know," Chrysalis whispered, staring down at her hooves. "But... I can't choose."
Fresh tears spilled onto her hooves, and she felt her vision blurring slightly. She tried to remain coherent; tried not to dissolve into tears at the hopelessness of it all, but she was fighting a losing battle.
"Ah'm not telling you to choose now, Cee. But... yer have to choose. Before it's too late." Evergreen's hoof gently slipped under her chin, pulling her gaze up to meet his own. "Ah love yer Cee, but we can't be together if yer changelings are gonna destroy Ponyville. And yer gotta choose before the choice is made for yer."
Chrysalis nodded, and turned her head away, before laying her chin on her hooves and closing her eyes. She let her tears run down her cheeks as she tried to make the biggest decision of her long life.
The changeling heard Evergreen climb up into bed, settling down to sleep, but she wouldn't be joining him tonight. Not this time.
The Changeling Queen picked her way through the underbrush with careful, deliberate strides. Her eyes glowed green in the darkness, her demonic gaze allowing her to see clearly. Delicate wings folded close to her sides to avoid getting them caught on branches, horn leading the way, she delicately pushed aside hanging vines or branches as she strode towards her changelings' hideout. A sack was slung over her shoulder, containing the few things she needed.
Chrysalis had left Evergreen's cottage as he slept, slipping away into the night. It was easier this way. There was no way for the changeling to face the woodspony now; she couldn't bear the thought of having to explain to him what she was doing. To inform him of her betrayal. She had made her choice, and she would stick with it through to the bitter end. But avoiding Evergreen was the only way to compartmentalise.
The queen's tears had long since dried. She had steeled herself for her decision. She had faced loss before; faced hard times. This was no different. She would just have to try and forget... And hope the memories didn't drag her down.
Chrysalis had thought long and hard about what she was to do. There was only one logical path she could follow, especially with the facts. She was madly in love with Evergreen and Evergreen was madly in love with her. But she was a monster, a demon. His love was literally his end. A few weeks would be all the time they would have together before he was gone. Her army, however, would find a new leader were she to leave. Worse. It might splinter without leadership and the individual changelings would likely resort to desperate violence to attain a new source of sustenance. The most desperate would commit the cardinal sin: killing a pony, hiding the body, and taking their place.
Such destructive practises had been stamped out a generation ago by Chrysalis' mother, the former queen. It was a destructive way of acquiring a partner, and ultimately it thinned the numbers of the very ponies whom the changelings fed upon. A 'no kill' mandate had been set, and any changelings found in violation of the rule were executed. But desperate changelings had been known to violate the rule. And no doubt, without a queen to enforce the rules, they would not hesitate to kill to survive.
Even turning the changelings over to the guard was dooming them to a slow, grim death of starvation. There was no feasible way to feed a single changeling, let alone seventeen. And if the changelings were turned in, then Chrysalis herself would be exposed as well.
Chrysalis only had one choice. One option to retain her sanity. But the thoughts of what she was doing almost broke her. She wanted to run back to Evergreen and to cry into his shoulder until the world faded away and only the two of them remained.
All at once, the Queen was struck by just how dependent on the woodspony's presence she had become. She could no longer think about the future without him there. Everything was just... bleak and meaningless to her without him. Chrysalis' thoughts, instead, turned to the future, to what she had to do to make sure that Ponyville was safe.
The hollowed-out tree came into view, and Chrysalis almost turned around then and there. The sheer knowledge of what she was about to do cut at her heart in ways that she couldn't have comprehended a mere month ago.
Chrysalis' heart told her that there was still time to turn around, to flee back to Evergreen's cottage and into his hooves where everything would be okay. But her mind, the ever-practical mind of a Queen, knew the truth of the matter. This had to be done.
A rustle from the treetops jogged Chrysalis from her thoughts, and she looked up to where Messenger was sitting, watching her.
"Your Queen has returned!" she called up to the changeling as she strode over the entrance of her kingdom. It was harder to get inside in this form, as the unicorn was so much smaller than her regular self. Inside, her beautiful children were waiting for her, looking up at her expectantly.
"I must apologize, my children. I cannot feed you this night. But I have a plan to enact that will ensure that none of you will hunger ever again," Chrysalis assured with a painted smile.
Inside, her heart was breaking with each word.
Taking a deep breath, Chrysalis stepped past her disappointed subjects and began to climb the inside of the tree to the topmost branches where Messenger sat, waiting for her.
"My Queen. You come," he said, bowing respectfully.
"Yes, I come indeed," Chrysalis responded, moving to sit besides her changeling and looking out over the canopy for a long moment. She entertained the idea that she could see the glow of Evergreen's cottage in the distance, but she knew that she was just imagining things. Her heart was breaking as she tried to keep her composure.
What was a few weeks, anyhow? It was nothing. It was nothing more than a collection of days. A collection of days marking how long she would have with Evergreen if she went back to him...
"What are your plans, my Queen?" Messenger inquired, his tone respectful.
Chrysalis turned to regard him for a long moment. "I... I'm afraid I had to leave my current target."
"Do you have a new partner to feed upon, my Queen?" came the immediate query.
The Changeling Queen looked Messenger up and down. He had a one-track-mind. His entire focus was his next source of energy. It was still too dangerous for them to venture forth and find sources of energy themselves, and they were reliant on her. Her burden as Queen.
"Messenger..." Chrysalis started, and watched as her beautiful changeling lifted his head attentively to better catch her words. She leaned down to rub her nose against his own.
"How could I ever choose someone over you?" Chrysalis murmured quietly, as though to herself.
Messenger pricked his ears upwards at that. "My Queen?"
Chrysalis shook her head, to clear it. She closed her heart to outside influences, becoming an emotionless automaton. A hoof lifted to gently stroke along Messenger's cheek as she whispered; "My beautiful child... I will always love you."
A low chittering croon rolled from Messenger's throat as he leaned into his Queen's caresses Chrysalis let the shifting of his weight push his form closer to her own.
One of Chrysalis' perforated hooves lifted to wrap around Messenger, holding him against her side as she stroked gently at his delicate, membranous wings. He was beautiful. Her child in all but blood. "Come, little one. I have something to show you."
The tree burned in the distance, a beacon in the night, a pyre for the changelings who had perished there.
Chrysalis was slumped in the grass, weeping, sobbing helplessly into her hooves. She had collapsed there a few minutes previously as the full realisation of what she had done hit home. She had killed them. She had killed them all.
A slideshow of horror flickered across her mind's eye as she remembered what she had done. First came the candles, those same, herb-infused candles Evergreen had used in the flower field. Once her army was under the effect of the candles, she had stalked among their sleeping forms, and held a jar filled with nightshade against their noses until their breathing ceased.
Last of all had been messenger, his beautiful green eyes looking up at her as she opened the jar with a shaking hoof to move near his nose. Even as the deadly niteshade invaded his system, he had watched her, his confusion and alarm suppressed by the soothing nature of the herbs in the candle. And she had killed him. She had held the niteshade to his nose and killed him, all while whispering a broken rendition of 'hush now, quiet now' to her beautiful child in between broken sobs. His green eyes, slowly glazing over in death as his heart stopped beating, would haunt her forever.
A rustle in the grass nearby alerted her to the presence of Evergreen. Chrysalis drew herself up into a sitting position to stare at him, her face streaked with tears. He had followed her. Of course he had followed her. She realised now that it was stupid to believe that he didn't know when she left the cottage.
The woodspony moved to hug her, and she pushed at him with her hooves in resistance as she screeched, "No! No! I hate you!"
Evergreen drew back for a moment, staring at her wordlessly, and she snarled at him vehemently.
"I killed them! I killed them all for you, you stupid oaf!" Chrysalis roared, her horn beginning to glow with angry green magic.
Demonstrating bravery that Chrysalis knew she could never match, Evergreen ducked in underneath chin and pulled her into a firm, rough hug.
Chrysalis tried to bite him, to hit him, to make him hurt like she did, but he held on doggedly throughout her violent anger until she wore herself out against him. Chunks of his mane fell as she tore at him with her teeth, and blood streaked his hide where she had gotten a lucky flash of teeth against his neck, but still, he just held her close, weathering her anger.
And then she was done, dissolving into pained sobs against him, limp in his grasp.
"I-I killed them! I killed them all!" Chrysalis wailed, beating against his shoulder weakly with a hoof. "I killed them a-all and it's yourfault!"
The woodspony stared down at her for a long moment, and then off towards the burning tree in the distance. His tone was soft as he murmured, "It had to be done, Cee."
Evergreen didn't say anything else. He didn't say that he hadn't wanted this. He had wanted them turned into the guard, not just... wholesale killed and destroyed. But it was over now, and there was nothing to do but comfort the one he loved.
Chrysalis didn't reply, weakly beating at Evergreen's side with her hoof until she went still. The Changeling Queen collapsed limply against him and wept for all that she had done.
-The changelings stand as the ultimate warning to the avarice of the spirit.
As a species, their entire well-being depends on the love of others. Their methods though, are insidious. Instead of garnering love through regular means, a changeling seeks to use subterfuge and trickery to attain its love.
But many do not know the history of the changelings, do not know of a time when the changelings were not just accepted, but adored in the same fashion as the Alicorns themselves.
Once upon a time, the changelings stood as rulers of Equestria alongside the alicorn Princesses Celestia and Luna. They were beautiful and radiant, a splendorous sight in any setting. They were an offshoot of the alicorn race, with a very special trait; they were shapeshifters.
While they gained sustenance through normal food like any other pony, their magical prowess was gathered from the adoration of their subjects.
The changelings, however, were not perfect. No one is sure why the first changeling turned on the princesses. Some say it was the influence of Discord, while others say it was a stallion. But either way, the beautiful changeling and the princesses fought bitterly.
Defeated by the the combined power of the two princesses, the changeling faded from history. It is said that she used her shapeshifting powers to survive, and that the bitter evil in her spirit warped her. Rumours spread throughout the ages of that changeling's twisted children: evil creatures who used their magic to steal love from unsuspecting ponies.-
"My ancestors beat yours, hooves down," Chrysalis stated, as she looked up from the old tome. The book had been pilfered from the Canterlot library, after a very scary infiltration requiring Chrysalis and Evergreen to masquerade as guards.
"Nothing in there about fixing yerself?" Evergreen asked, voicing a low sigh, rubbing his hooves against his temples quite firmly.
It was getting harder and harder for Evergreen to concentrate, Chrysalis had seen it getting worse over the previous days. He could barely even concentrate on reading his own book.
Open books littered the floor of the cottage, discarded when one of the pair deemed them to not contain any relevant information.
Chrysalis sighed and shook her head. "Just some rubbish about how my ancestors were adored once upon a time, and apparently helped rule the land beside Celestia and Luna. And then Discord came and corrupted us or something."
"Fascinating," Evergreen stated, giving a low sigh and then just laying his chin on the open book. "Ah need ter rest."
Chrysalis gave a faint whimper, climbing to her hooves and ignoring the tome, picking her way through the maze of discarded books to pull her stallion into a soothing hug. "I'm sorry Evergreen... I'll just... I'll go away. You can come visit when you're better. It'll be like... Like a holiday."
Evergreen shook his head, scowling. "That won't work, and yer know it. It's either all or nothing, Cee."
Nodding gently, she rubbed her cheek against his own, a teardrop spilling down her cheek. "I just... I don't want to watch you die, Evergreen. I can't watch that. Don't make me watch that."
"We still got some time left," Evergreen stated fiercely, lifting a hoof to hug her in return. "Ah'm not dead yet."
"But you're getting worse..." Chrysalis pointed out helplessly, nuzzling against her stallion firmly, her ears flattening.
"Then hurry up and find a blooming cure!" Evergreen snapped, pushing at her shoulder hard enough to send her dancing a few steps away, unbalanced.
The stallion glowered at her for several long moments, before his expression softened, and his own ears splayed back. "Ah'm sorry Cee... Ah don't know what came ov-"
Chrysalis shook her head, easing back over close to him again, and wrapping her hooves around him tightly. "No, no... It's fine. It's me. I'm the problem."
Evergreen shook his head determinedly, wrapping his hooves around her once more, squeezing firmly. "Yer not a problem Cee. Yer are my life... Ah love yer. No matter what ah say. No matter what happens when this gets worse, ah love yer. And don't yer ever let yerself be convinced otherwise."
Nodding, Chrysalis nuzzled against her love slowly, tears forming silent trails down her cheeks. "I won't forget, I promise."
"No matter what happens, Cee," Evergreen reiterated, pausing to grind a hoof against his temple, wincing, his expression pained.
"Lie down, Evergreen. Rest." Chrysalis' tone was strained. She didn't like to see Evergreen in pain. She just couldn't bear to know that she was putting him in so much pain.
"Ah will," Evergreen said distractedly, grinding his hoof against his temples again. "Mah head hurts."
"I know, I know," Chrysalis soothed, pulling Evergreen down to lay flat on the bed, trying to force him to rest. She gently kissed his forehead, her tears wetting the pillows.
A silence stretched out between them, and Evergreen slowly looking up at her, his expression turning sad. Quietly, he said, "...Yer gonna leave, aren't yer?"
Chrysalis bit her bottom lip, fighting back fresh tears, and she nodded mutely.
A low sigh left the stallion. "Ah can't afford to lose yer Cee. Not now. Yer can't come and take my heart and run."
"I wouldn't be running," Chrysalis whispered brokenly, pushing, and then pulling at his chest with her hooves uncertainly. "I need you Evergreen. You're the best thing that ever happened to me... But I can't watch you die. I can't watch you die and know that I'm the one doing it. I can't lose you like that."
Evergreen looked up at her for a long moment, and then pulled her into a deep kiss. "Ah can't change yer mind... But ah told yer. Ah'm fine with dying. Ah don't care when I die, ah just care what I live for, and yer're worth living for, Cee."
Chrysalis felt tears streaming from her eyes again, and she fought down the sobs trying to bubble up out of her throat. "T-this is the only way, Evergreen. W-we can't be together."
The stallion lowered his eyes, closing them and then nodding sadly. "Ah... Ah'm glad I met yer, Chrysalis. yer the best thing that ever happened to me... Ah wish it were different."
"I'm a monster," Chrysalis whispered softly, lifting a shaking hoof to stroke through Evergreen's mane. "I don't deserve happiness."
"Yer not a monster," Evergreen said tenderly, lifting a hoof to gently lay on Chrysalis' cheek. "Yer my Cee."
"Cee is a unicorn. Unicorn's do not slowly kill their lovers," Chrysalis stated, sadly shaking her head.
Evergreen gave a wan smile at that, and then pulled Chrysalis close again, leaning down to kiss her muzzle. "Yer trust me, right?"
"Stupid oaf... Of course I tust you," Chrysalis whispered in response.
"Change for me, Chrysalis. Let me show you my love for you one last time..."
...
Chrysalis fought back her tears as she strode up pathway towards the palace. It was perhaps fortuitous that their was a party going on. All of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would be there, ready to go.
She had left the cottage that morning, leaving a note for Evergreen not to follow her. She was certain that he ignored it though, and would be, even now, chasing her trail across the Everfree Forest, all the way to Canterlot.
But Chrysalis had a plan. A desperate plan. A stupid, foolish plan.
She wanted the Elements of Harmony used on her. They were the ultimate tools of 'good'. They were not tools of destruction. If there was anything that could heal her, it was the Elements of Harmony.
Of course, it was a foolish plan with a slim chance of success. But Chrysalis had to try. She couldn't stand to watch Evergreen slowly die, and she couldn't stand to be apart from him. Even if the Elements destroyed her, then that would be preferable to the current options. At least then Evergreen would be free. A final unselfish act she could perform in her demise. Giving her love a chance at life.
Celestia was unconcerned as the young earth pony stalked towards the table she was seated at. There was nothing to fear, really. Chrysalis had already subdued a serving pony outside, and assumed her form. So as far as Celestia was concerned, it was her serving pony walking towards her, not the Queen of the Changelings.
But as Chrysalis allowed her changes to drop, Celestia's eyes widened, and she abruptly pushed back from the table.
Chrysalis grinned, and hit the table with a blast of magic, sending food splattering across the room like so much soggy shrapnel. Her second blast hit the large stained-glass windows, shattering them. With a few quick bounds, Chrysalis was through them, and outside, even as the first screams of stunned, confused, and scared ponies rose in a chorus throughout the palace.
Behind her, Chrysalis heard Celestia call 'Get her, girls!'. She grinned, and began to run at full speed towards the edge of the Canterlot Cliffs.
A single large leap sent her out over open air, and her membranous wings extended, catching her weight as she glided towards the edge of the Everfree Forest before the guard even know what had happened.
The Changeling Queen's chest was heaving, and the unconscious forms of Royal guards littered the ground around her. Blood trickled down her chest, and one of her wings lay crumpled at her side, unwilling to fold back into place. The burnt remains of the tree where she had destroyed her children stood nearby, blackened and smouldering.
It was a fitting place to bring to a close the glory of the changeling empire.
In front of Chrysalis, two ranks of Royal Guards stood, guarding the ponies behind them.
A colourful assortment of ponies stood there, led first and foremost by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, standing side by side, ready to enter battle together in a way that they hadn't needed to since the days of Discord.
Six mares stood in front of the Princesses, five of them wearing special necklaces, while the sixth wore a tiara. The six ponies who carried the Elements of Harmony.
But Chrysalis had eyes only for one pony there.
Evergreen.
He stood uncertainly off to the side, behind the guards, but away from the Princess' and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, watching with wide, scared eyes.
"It's over, Chrysalis." Celestia called from behind her guards. "You're defeated, and alone. Give in, and we promise mercy."
A low laugh rumbled from the Changeling Queen's throat, before she called back to the princess; "You think I am scared of your precious Elements of Harmony?! I will never surrender!"
A Royal Guard twisted on the ground at her feet and attempted to roll over and attack the changeling, but Chrysalis just smacked him quite sharply in the face with a hoof, returning him to unconsciousness.
"Twilight. Do it." Celestia stated, eyes narrowed on the Changeling Queen.
Chrysalis' eyes narrowed as the six mares began to levitate, magical energies rolling off them in sweeping coronas of power, their eyes glowing an unearthly white.
As the Elements of Harmony that the six ponies bore began glow, Chrysalis squared her stance, readying herself for the coming blast. Words from the tome echoed in her mind. The history of her people. The history that she had turned her back on.
Chrysalis' scowled as the Elements of Harmony glowed even brighter, before a cascading wave of rainbow-like energy shot towards her.
This was it. This was the end.
The Changeling Queen lowered her head, her horn glowing intensely bright, right up until the point when the magical energies impacted her.
There was a flash of light, and a powerful magical explosion. Unconscious Royal Guards were sent spinning and tumbling away from the epicentre of the maelstrom. The ponies lined up to confront the changeling were all blasted off their hooves by the energetic expulsion of magical energies.
The magical energies faded slowly, and in the centre, nothing remained.
The changeling known as Chrysalis had ceased to exist.
She was gone.
Cee. Chrysalis. Was gone.
And he had watched it happen.
Evergreen barely remembered anything from after the confrontation. He just remembered Chrysalis, standing there as magical energies assaulted her form, rending her existence from the world, taking her away from him.
The guards had tried to ask him questions, but he was numb, unfeeling and unresponsive. He didn't even answer a single question.
They had released him, and his hooves had carried him home. But it wasn't his home. It was empty without Cee. It amazed him and stunned him how large of an effect she had in such a short time.
Evergreen listlessly laid down in front of his cold, empty fireplace. Cold and empty like his life now was. He felt tears brimming in his eyes, and tried to swallow them down. He was a stallion, strong, and not given to brazen shows of emotion.
But there was only so long he could hold back the floor of tears. He tried not to think about it. Tried not to feel. But every time he remembered the sound of Cee's voice, or one of her jobing remarks, or just remember her face, the stabbing realisation that he would never have any of that again just hit him like a runaway train. It hurt.
She was gone.
Evergreen stared into the cold empty fireplace, a trail of tears falling down his cheeks. he slowly curled up on the floor and covered his face with his hooves, blocking out the world. And for the first time since he was a foal, Evergreen wept.
Two days after the confrontation, Evergreen was lying in bed, in mourning. She was gone. She had come in, stolen his heart, and now she had been destroyed. He didn't cry any more. He didn't sob. It wasn't his way. He just lay there, eyes closed, as though sleeping.
Even when the door to Evergreen's cottage creaked open, he didn't move. It was probably a guard come to check on him, perhaps even a shopkeeper concerned by the stallion's long absence from the town. The woodspony didn't stir.
But then a familiar voice made him sit bolt-upright and spin around.
"Stupid oaf. Don't even get a hello," Cee grumbled as she limped through the door.
The woodspony stared for a long moment. He blinked slowly, stupedifed, and then launched himself at her.
Cee and Evergreen went down in a tumble of manes and tails. The woodspony proceeded to smother her face in rapid, exuberant kisses.
"Ah thought Ah had lost yer!" he exclaimed, with the most profound sense of relief in his tone.
Cee pushed at him with her hooves a moment, twisted to get out of his grip. She stared up at him for a long moment, before leaning up to kiss him gently. "You did...but only for a little while."
Evergreen wrapped his hooves around Cee, holding her close against him. She was dirty and bedraggled with twigs and clumps of dried mud hanging from her mane and tail. She looked like she'd been through hell.
"What happened?!" Evergreen demanded, drawing back to stare into her eyes. "Ah saw you get hit... And...."
"I...don't know. I think it blasted me away like the spell in Canterlot did," Chrysalis admitted, burying her face against him. "I woke up in the forest. I was lost. Took me an entire day just to find my way back to Ponyville."
Evergreen winced, his ears splaying backwards as he whispered, "Ah'm sorry, Cee."
The unicorn peered up at him for a long moment, brow raising. "Sorry for what?"
"...Fer giving up on yer so quickly," he responded, hanging his head. "Ah didn't think yer go looking fer yer... Ah just thought yer were gone."
"Wistful thinking, I'm afraid," she said, tenderly touching his cheek with a hoof. "It'll take a lot more than the Elements of Harmony to keep me from you. And there was no way for you to know it wouldn't destroy me... No way for me to know, either."
"What were yer thinking, taking on the Elements like that?" Evergreen asked, confused, clinging to her tightly to make sure she was real.
"I... I just got it in my head that the Elements of Harmony are a force of good. They're not a weapon... They're an equalising force. I was hoping, maybe... Maybe they could make me normal," Chrysalis admitted, looking down at her forehooves.
Evergreen nodded, wrapping his hooves around her and holding her close. "How do yer feel?"
"...I feel weak," Chrysalis murmured, looking up at him for a long moment, before she admitted with a soft sigh, "I can't feel our bond any more. And I have a strange sensation in my centre that I cannot describe. I think something went wrong."
The woodspony stared at her for a long moment, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "H-how long?"
"I... Can't tell. I think it just... Took away my ability to feed on love. Not the worst outcome... But not the best, either," Chrysalis said with a strained smile. "Well... At least I won't kill you."
"Ah guess so... but ah don't want to lose yer..." Evergreen said, a pained note creeping into his voice. "Yer can't just come steal my heart and then run off with it."
Cee shook her head slowly. "I'm not going anywhere, Sir Evergreen. Not until the end. And that could be, hopefully, at least another week from now."
A faint sigh left the stallion and he pulled her back into the hug, resting his head on her chest. "Ah love yer, Cee. Or Chrysalis, if that's what yer want me to call yer."
"Chrysalis is dead. I'm Cee now. Cee the unicorn. I can't ever risk changing back into my 'true' form, and if I tried, I'd just lose energy and time. Chrysalis doesn't exist any more," Cee said, nuzzling the top of his head gently.
"So it all worked out then?" Evergreen queried, turning his head to look up at her.
"My impending death through lack of energy notwithstanding," Cee corrected. "Which... I think is a better way."
"Better than what?" Evergreen asked, blinking once.
"Better than watching you waste away, stupid oaf," Cee responded. Her tone softened. "I just...I I wouldn't be able to watch that... I'd rather it be me."
The stallion stared up at her mournfully for a moment, and hugged her a little bit tighter, closing his eyes. "And now ah have to be the one to watch yer waste awayl."
"I've lived a very long time, Evergreen. No one lives forever. I'm just... sad that it had to be so soon after I found you." Her voice broke and she swallowed hard, trying to fight back the tears as she stroked gently through his mane. "But I'm glad I met you, Evergreen... You showed me what love is. And that's worth more alone than all the days I've lived so far."
"It's not fair," Evergreen stated.
"Life isn't fair," Cee replied with a shake of her head. "But we'll make the most of our time together, yes?"
The woodspony looked up at her for a long moment andhe nodded slowly. "Ah promise. These'll be the happiest days of yer life."
Wrapping her hooves around the stallion and gently stroking down his neck with a hoof, Cee didn't respond.
Several long minutes later Evergreen lifted his head and blinked at her. An expression of surprise appeared on his face as he stated, "Yer stomach grumbled."
Cee stared at him for a long moment, bewildered.
"Yer stomach, it grumbled!" Evergreen repeated, rising to his hooves excitedly.
The unicorn just stared up at Evergreen for a long moment. "I fail to see the significance."
Evergreen bounced in place for a moment, before bolting off into the other room with a quick, "Wait here!"
Cee shook her head slowly. She rolled over to lay her head on her hooves.
The stallion returned a few minutes later, holding aloft a steaming bowl, which he placed down in front of her. "Try that!"
The unicorn stared up at him for a long moment, wrinkling her nose, "I don't think your herbs are going to help me with this."
Evergreen stamped his hoof once, and narrowed his eyes at her with such a pointed glower that she went silent and pulled the bowl towards her. A wooden spoon was stuck in one side of the bowl, and she tentatively pulled it out, watching the thick stew drip back into the bowl. She sighed faintly, and then popped it in her mouth, drawing the pulpy mass of stewed vegetables off of it.
The taste was strong and potentl, with a hint of spice in the aftertaste. But it wasn't until Cee swallowed that she felt her stomach seeming to flip-flop inside her. She shuddered faintly at the odd sensation and in an instant, she fell ravenously on the bowl of food. Spoonful after spoonful of food was shovelled into her maw, the unicorn disregarding the burning of the hot meal sliding down her throat.
It was like feeding from love; the same kind of warmth filled her, soothing her hunger. But it was strange; whenever she had eaten food previously, she garnered no enjoyment from it. The taste had been the only redeeming factor but now, a heavy weight settled in her stomach, pleasantly warm and soothing.
A happy sigh left the unicorn, and she pushed the bowl aside before splaying out on her stomach with a low grown.
Evergreen's grinning face appeared above her, upside-down, as he said joyously, "Ah knew it!"
"Knew what?" Cee asked, staring up at him.
"Yer a changeling," Evergreen stated.
"...I thought we got past that revelation a few days ago," Cee said bluntly.
"No, Ah mean, yer an old changeling! Like before yer all got twisted and evil and monster-ish," Evergreen corrected with a grin.
"How very eloquent," the unicorn responded with a roll of her eyes. "So... you think I'll be sustained with regular food now?"
"It looks like it, don't it!" Evergreen responded with a smile, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Try ter change!"
Cee looked up at him uncertainly for a moment, her ears splaying backwards. After a few seconds she peered up at him, her expression uncertain, "Did it work?"
Evergreen peeked down at her, raising a brow. "What did yer change?"
"I tried to change my eyes...They're still normal?" she asked, starting to sound worried.
"They're still unicorn eyes, if that's what yer mean."
The unicorn lifted herself to her hooves suddenly, pulling out from underneath the woodspony and galloping over to the mirror. She stared at herself in it, eyes wide. Her face contorted as she tried to change her form, getting more and more desperate with each failed attempt.
Evergreen ambled up besides her, gently placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Cee, stop it. It's not gonna work."
Cee stared at him in the mirror for a moment before deflating, "I... suppose so."
The woodspony wrapped his hooves around her in a firm hug, holding her close. He murmured soothingly, "It's better than the alternatives."
"I know... It's just..."
"Would yer be wanting ter change at all again?" Evergreen asked bluntly.
Cee leaned against him slightly with a soft sigh. "I... guess not. No. but... it was the only thing I had left. It was the only thing left that made me, me."
Evergreen shook his head slowly a moment, and kissed her cheek gently. "Yer not Chrysalis any more. Yer Cee. My Cee."
The unicorn nodded, leaning up to kiss him in return, wrapping her hooves around him.
Everything that made her a changeling was gone. She couldn't change. She couldn't feed on love. She didn't even have her changeling army more, thanks to her own actions.
Cee looked back on everything she had done for this simple woodspony, everything she had sacrificed just to be with him. She had given up who she was, as a changeling, for him.
"No regrets." Cee whispered, as she wrapped her hooves around him in a warm hug, resting her cheek against his own with a smile. "I love you, Evergreen."
The woodspony smiled and nosed against her. "Ah love yer too, Cee."
Cee looked about the cottage, and the simple life that was now her future. And she smiled. She was content. She would have no regrets. All that mattered now was her future with Evergreen; everything in the past was in the past.
And looking up into Evergreen's eyes, Cee realised something.
After all was said and done; it wasn't perfect.There were things she had done. Horrible, terrible things, to arrive at this point. And all her days would be tainted by that. But this imperfect situation was the end of her story. The end of her reign as Queen.
But most of all,
This was her happily ever after.