Bug Wife

Twilight Sparkle walked around town. She had walked through every street of Ponyville in her time living here so many times she could probably accurately navigate with her eyes closed. Today though, walking the streets she was so familiar with, she felt lost.

Chryssi was not who she said she was. She was no human from another world. She was, in fact, Queen Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen that had attempted to destroy Equestria more than once.

The thought was so outlandish as to be laughable. Chryssi baked goodies and taught foals their multiplications. She was no power-hungry monster hellbent on destruction. Somepony would have noticed something was off about her; she would have noticed. She had been easily able to tell when Chrysalis was Cadence after all.

When Thorax’s brother had come to her with the revelation she hadn’t believed it. She insisted that he had made a mistake. If nothing else, why in Celestia’s name would Anonymous lie about having a wife? She knew for a fact that any magic that affected the mind did nothing to him, so she wouldn’t even have been able to dominate him!

Pharynx was insistent, and with that insistence came doubts. She thought about the Gryphon vendor, and how strange it was that another human just appeared outside of Ponyville. There was also a story about a foal seeing a big black figure darting through the market after a guard’s detection spell went off accidentally that had been purported to her.

Twilight did not consider herself a suspicious mare by nature, but just the idea of somepony so dangerous living right under all their noses was some cause for concern. Was she concerned enough to confront Chryssi and Anon? Absolutely not. Would she take a trot around town and talk to some ponies to see if they noticed anything strange or troubling about the town’s second human? Yes.

The princess found herself making her way to Sugarcube Corner. It was just after the lunch rush, so when she opened the front door and stepped inside the building was mostly empty. The few ponies still there eating their sweets called with greetings or waved, but mostly kept to themselves.

Twilight made her way over to the counter, manned by Pinkie Pie. The earth pony, who had been balancing a pen on the tip of her muzzle, very clearly bored, visibly brightened when she saw her.

“Hiya, Twilight! Is there something I can get for you? A coffee? Donut? Cookie? Mr. Cake just finished pulling out some sweet bread from the oven if you’d like that. It’s suuuuper yummy!” Pinkie said, her tail wagging.

Twilight gave her friend a smile, though it didn’t come as easily to her face as she would have liked. “It all sounds really good, Pinkie, but could you actually get Mrs. Cake for me? I’d like to speak to her about something. Something private.”

Pinkie stared at her for a long moment, then smiled and nodded. “Okie dokie! Give me a sec and I’ll go get her for you!” she said. “After you’re done talking though, you really should get some of the bread. It’s really, really, really good.”

“Save me a loaf then.”

Pinkie saluted, then cartwheeled back into the kitchen. Twilight shook her head at her friend’s antics. She knew that there was a good chance that Pharynx would tell his brother what he had seen. Thorax wasn’t the sort of monarch that would overstep his bounds, but he might if he knew Chrysalis was within reach. He could insist on sending a large force to apprehend her. If that did happen ponies might panic seeing so many Changelings in town, and Celestia only knows what Chrysalis would do. Again, if Chryssi was actually Chrysalis.

“Good afternoon your highness! Pinkie said you wanted to talk to me?”

Startled out of her thoughts, Twilight turned to see Mrs. Cake standing behind the counter. The earth pony had her signature apron on, her cheek and neck speckled with flour.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Cake,” she said. “I’m sorry to bother you out of the blue like this.”

The earth pony laughed. “Bother? Oh, you’d never bother me, Twilight. You’re welcome here anytime; you know that. Now, what seems to be the problem? Pinkie said something about it being a personal matter? If it would make you more comfortable we can go upstairs to talk privately.”

“Actually… if you don’t mind that would be ideal.

“Then right this way.”

Twilight allowed herself to be led to the upper floor of Sugarcube Corner, all the while trying her hardest to think of a way to explain the situation tactfully. Mrs. Cake wasn’t a gabby gums like Rarity, but she was a prominent figure in town. Ponies would take what she said seriously, especially if she said a princess came to her.

“Pound and Pumpkin are taking a nap, so I ask you try to keep your voice down please,” Mrs. Cake whispered. “So, what seems to be the problem? It’s not something I or my husband have done, is it?”

“Oh no, of course not,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “It’s… well, you know how we’ve been on the lookout for a dangerous individual?”

“Of course.”

“There’s been a lead that I’ve wanted to follow, but first, if you don’t mind, I’d like to check you for something.”

A look of confusion crossed Mrs. Cake’s face. “Check me?”

“I’d like to see if anypony has tampered with your mind,” Twilight explained. “It will only take a moment. Completely painless, I promise.”

Even though she seemed unsure, the earth pony nodded. “Go right ahead, dear.”

Leaning forward, Twilight placed the tip of her horn against the mare’s forehead. Her horn glowed, and a wash of purple aura traveled down the length of her body. Mrs. Cake let out a surprised gasp at the sensation, but didn’t move from her position until Twilight moved away.

“You’re perfectly fine,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Fantastic.”

“Wonderful,” Mrs. Cake replied.

The mare suddenly looked unsure, biting her bottom lip. Twilight watched as she quietly wrestled with a thought before once again speaking.

“This dangerous individual, Twilight dear. I don’t think they’re in Ponyville,” she said. “We… we might have some folks that aren’t who they say they might be, but they’re not dangerous.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“You know, I was so honored that Chryssi wanted me to be her maid of honor at the wedding the other day,” Mrs. Cake continued. “I really didn’t know what to think of her when she came into the store asking for baking advice. She was strange, even stranger than that husband of hers in some ways, but I realized, after a few weeks, she was just a filly that needed a helping hoof.”

The earth pony took a step toward the princess, some confidence coming to her voice.

“Chryssi seemed really focused on the love aspect of baking whenever I spoke to her about it. Not like a normal pony would mind you. It was almost like she was more interested in the love than the cooking.”

The older mare smiled.

“There were a few other things. Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed, but I’m a baker. We need to have an eye for detail. I’d notice things change with her appearance for the first few weeks we were together. Her eyes might be bigger or smaller, or her hair was a different shade of black. Celestia above, even now her teats are all over the place. Some of the other mares noticed as well of course, but none of us wanted to say anything.”

“Why?” Twilight asked. “Did she threaten you?”

“Threaten? Oh, of course not,” Mrs. Cake said, softly laughing. “We were… curious. Maybe confused as well. Why would a big, bad villain go through such an effort just to blend in? A few of the gals figured you had settled her down here yourself until we have the town hall meeting about it.”

“Mrs. Cake, if you…” Twilight was lost for words for a few moments. She could only look into the mare’s eyes. “If you knew something was going on, especially after that meeting, why didn’t you say anything?”

Mrs. Cake smiled. “Because, the critter you’re looking for isn’t here. She might have been here in the very beginning, but not anymore. Chryssi is a sweet filly with a wonderful husband that she loves. The foals in town love her, and the parents do as well. She’s also a very near and dear friend of mine, and I pray she continues to be for a very long time.”

The mare puffed her chest out a bit.

“She’s also the second best baker in Ponyville, and I’d tell anypony that without a second thought.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “I see. Thank you for telling me all this, Mrs. Cake.”

Mrs. Cake placed a hoof on her shoulder. “She might not really be a human, but I can tell you she loves Anon. I don’t care what she is or what she’s able to do. There was no faking the look on her face when she saw him up on that podium.”

~_~_~_~_~_~

With a brown paper bag filled with goodies secured in her saddle bag, Twilight left Sugarcube Corner. She had gotten answers, but she didn’t feel confident or sure as to what needed to be done. In fact, the answers she had gotten might have raised even more questions.

The princess meandered thoughtfully through the market. She spoke with ponies, glanced at the wares, all the while keeping an eye out. Her ponies seemed happy and content, not at all troubled or worried.

Did they need to be worried? If what Mrs. Cake said was true, and Twilight had no reason to doubt the mare, then there might have been cause for at least a little concern. This whole thing could have just been an elaborate ploy by Chrysalis to try to take over Equestria yet again, or maybe steal the Elements of Harmony, or foalnap her or one of the girls, or a million other things. Should she at least check up on Anon? Maybe try to talk to him about the fact he married a super villain that had tried to have them all stuffed in pods and milked for love on more than one occasion? If nothing else, she would have been interested in how he managed to wrangle such a dangerous creature. She would also be upset with him, for many reasons. Extremely upset no doubt.

“Princess Twilight, are ya alright there?”

Twilight jumped in surprise. She turned to see little Applebloom. Behind her were Sweetie and Scootaloo, who was seated on her scooter. All three fillies were staring up at her with various levels of concern.

“Oh, good afternoon, girls,” she said with a smile.

They all bowed respectfully, and it took all of Twilight’s willpower not to visibly cringe. She didn’t like when the nobles in Canterlot bowed to her, but she hated when they did it here.

“We didn’t mean to bother you, princess, but you looked sorta lost so we decided to come over and check on you,” Sweetie said.

“Hey, if you’re looking for something to do, Twilight, you can come watch me do some scooter tricks,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “We finished building a ramp that I wanna test.”

Twilight’s smile lessened, and her brow furrowed. “A ramp? How in Equestria did you build a ramp, girls?”

“With tools,” Applebloom said. “Big Mac let me use’em.”

While Twilight was no expert in ramps or anything of the sort, she couldn’t help but question the engineering ability of ten year olds.

“Why don’t you let me take a look at this ramp before you do any tricks,” she said kindly. “I’m free for another hour or so before dinner time. I could watch you girls for a little while.”

The girls let out a cheer at that, making her smile. Scootaloo, with a buzz of her wings, rode down the street, riding around potholes and the occasional pony. The other three hurried behind her toward what Twilight guessed was Sweet Apple Acres. She watched the fillies run along on their little legs. These three were infamously bundles of energy, but she couldn’t remember the last time they seemed this happy.

“I heard from your sister the other day that you got straight A’s on your report card, Applebloom,” Twilight said. “Congratulations.”

Applebloom puffed her little chest out. “Thank ya. I worked hard,” she said. “Applejack said she’d get me a wagon ‘cause I did it too.”

“I did really good too, Princess,” Sweetie said, trotting in front of her friend. “I got a bunch of A’s too, and just one B!”

“Well, good job to you as well.”

“Scoots did pretty good too,” Applebloom said. “Usually she’d be happy with C’s, but I’m pretty sure she got an A or two on her report card too.”

Twilight looked at the filly racing in front of her, filled with energy and excitement. She remembered seeing Rainbow look particularly happy while bucking clouds the other day. If she knew Rainbow like she thought it did, that joy during a boring duty must have been because of her “adopted” little sister.

“Mrs. Cheerilee must be proud of you all,” she said.

“She is,” Sweetie replied. “She told us today that we were gonna have a pizza party for the class this Friday because we’re all doing so good.”

“Mrs. Cheerilee was real excited ‘bout it too,” Applebloom said. “She’s real excited about a lot of stuff lately.”

“Yeah! Before she’d seem really tired when we were all about to leave, but she’s smiling all the time now.”

Applebloom leaned toward her. “It’s ‘cause of Ms. Mous I think.”

Twilight perked up. “Ms. Mous?”

Both fillies nodded.

“She helps us a lot with homework and school stuff,” Sweetie explained. “She’s really smart, and she knows a lot of things. Because of her we don’t need to ask so many questions to Mrs. Cheerilee after she teaches us stuff.”

“I see… and you all like Ms. Mous?” Twilight asked.

“Of course!” Applebloom said without hesitation. “You know how hard spellin’ things is? I used to be the worst at it, an’ now I’m spellin’ things like xylophone! I still don’t rightly know what the hay a xylophone is, but I know I can spell it!”

“She is really nice,” Sweetie said, looking down at her hooves bashfully. “She’s really pretty too. I like when she combs my mane and tail…”

“She’s married to Anon too, an’ Anon is a real too worker at the farm,” Applebloom said with a giggle. “She told me if Anon gives any of us too much lip to let her know and she’d spank him.”

Both fillies giggled at that.

“Tell me girls, since you both know her so well, does she do anything… strange while you’re around her?” Twilight asked.

“Strange?” Applebloom said.

“Whatcha, mean, Princess Twilight?” Sweetie added.

“I mean, anything that seems out of the ordinary or strange. Even something little,” Twilight told them. “Has she done any magic on any of you, or taken you somewhere, or said something that an adult shouldn’t?”

The fillies went silent, both looking thoughtful as they all made their way past the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Well… Ms. Mous does make a weird sound when combs our manes sometimes,” Sweetie said. “It kinda sounds like… like a…” She trailed off, her face scrunching up.

“It sounds mighty like a cricket or somethin’,” Applebloom supplied.

Sweetie smiled. “Yeah! She chirps like a cricket would!”

“A cricket, huh?”

“Yep. I don’t rightly think she knows she’s doin’ it though. Other ‘an that I can’t think of anythin’ else, princess. What about you, Sweetie?”

“Nope.”

Before Twilight could say anything else, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, looking back toward them. “I hope you’re ready to be amazed, Twilight! Me and the girls worked on this thing for two whole weeks. I’ll be able to show you all sorts of tricks!”

The little pegasus gestured in front of her. Twilight saw many blocks of wood that had been nailed, glued, held together with rope and what appeared to be bubblegum. This mass had been haphazardly splayed out on the unfortunate ground in, if she were to squint really hard, what might have been considered a ramp. Even with everything holding the wood together, Twilight had a feeling that the whole mess was just a hairsbreadth from falling apart. A strong wind would break this thing to pieces, let alone an overactive filly on her scooter.

“...Why don’t you let me take a good look at this, girls. I might be able to make some improvements on it.”

It wasn’t until Celestia’s sun was about to disappear behind the mountaintops that Twilight was able to walk back to her castle. Even with her magic, it had taken some considerable effort to make a ramp that the crusaders wouldn’t hurt themselves on. Once it was finished, all of the girls insisted on trying it out. Of course, Applejack and Big Mac had come to see what all the commotion was about, and she had found herself having dinner with the Apple family quickly after.

It was a lovely time, and it gave her some time to think about her predicament. If Chryssi actually was Chrysalis, something did have to be done about her. She was dangerous, and had the ability to harm ponies. If she was the evil Changeling that she had fought so many times though, why in Celestia’s name hadn’t she done anything evil?

She helped foals with their homework, and came into town twice a week to shop and gossip with the other married mares at Sugarcube corner. If she had just stayed in Anon’s house, nopony would have thought it was strange; they would have just figured she was overwhelmed by this new world. But no, she was an active, seemingly earnest member of the community. An evil creature intent on causing harm wouldn’t go to such lengths.

As Twilight walked, she thought of asking Princess Celestia and Luna for advice. Unfortunately for her, both were somewhere in the Amarezon on an adventure enjoying their retirement. Even if she were able to send a letter via dragonfire to them, who knows when they’d be able to respond, or even if they’d get the letter. Still, there was another princess she could speak to about this.

She would just need to make sure Cadence didn’t send the entirety of the Crystal Guard to apprehend the Changeling.

~_~_~_~_~_

The pod wasn’t the standard affair. This one was thrice the size of a normal birthing pod. Its foundation was wide and round, and its supports had been secured deep into the earth. The pod's frame was thick enough that the entire house could have fallen on top of it without issue. The organic, see-through film was completely clear and without blemish or defect. It was, by the impeccable standards of the Changeling race, a work of art.

Chrysalis had never seen a Royal Birth Pod, much less made one herself. These were a once in a thousand years occurrence, when a Changeling Queen was able to acquire enough resources and love to attempt to birth another queen.

The process, she had been told, was dangerous for a Queen. Converting normal eggs into a royal egg took an astronomical amount of love, and then even more love to fill the pod and keep the egg continuously fed. She had been told stories from her own mother about Queens dying in the attempt.

Ithad been no effort for her. In fact, Chrysalis hadn’t even realized she had made a royal egg until she had started making the pod in the space she had dug out underneath the basement. It had also been an absolute breeze transferring the egg into the pod and filling it with pure, undiluted love. She could see the little egg floating in the pod, a black speck surrounded by warm, glowing gold liquid.

“There she is. Your little girl.”

Anon was crouched beside the pod. He was staring intently at the egg, which was currently the size of a pebble, his hand on the film. Chrysalis was right beside him, her stomach a ball of anxiety, her hands held into fists against her chest. She was doing her best not to shuffle around like a scared dog.

“You’re sure it’s a girl?” Anon asked,” tapping the film with his finger.

The liquid inside grew brighter for a moment, then settled.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Chrysalis replied. “What I… produced will be like me, and that means it will be a female. At least I’m nearly positive.”

Her husband slowly nodded his head.

“How long will she be in there?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” the queen admitted. “It will take months, but I’m not sure on an exact date. It will mostly depend on the amount of love she receives.”

Anon smiled. “I was looking forward to seeing your belly grow, but this is pretty neat too,” he said. “I’ll get to see my little girl grow right in front of me.”

The smile widened, and she felt his love well up. The pod once again flooded the room with light as it absorbed the emotion. Anon pressed his hand forward against the pod for a few moments before standing up.

“She’ll have as much of my love as she can stomach,” he said, pulling her into a hug. “Just like you, sweetie.”

Chrysalis released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She returned the hug, resting her head on his shoulder. Staring at the pod, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, just holding each other.

“...Anonymous?”

“Yes dear?”

Chrysalis swallowed. Pulling away from the hug she stood in front of him. It took some effort, but she was able to look him in the eye.

“I feel as if I should tell you something. I have… I have not been honest with you,” she said. “I’m not a love horse. I’m--”

Before she could finish her sentence, Anon placed a hand gently over her mouth.

“You are my wife. The mother of my child. A valued member of the community,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful, smart, perfect creature I’ve ever met, and every day that you’ve been in my life has made that day so much better.”

He moved his hand away from her mouth, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“That’s what you are to me, dear. It’s what you always will be, no matter what you did or who you were before you met me. Okay?”

Chrysalis stared up at him, her mouth agape. She clawed for words, but could find none. To add insult to injury, she also found herself quickly blinking away tears. Anon hugged her again, and she hugged him back as hard as she could, sniffling. She felt a hand move to the top of her head, and she couldn’t help but lean against him.

“I love you…”

“I love you too. So, so much.”

Behind them, the pod became a miniature sun.