Oh, and I guess Thorax was there too.
It was Hearth's Warming once more and all was happy in Ponyville. The town had spent the last week in final preparations for the holiday: decorations strung up; presents shopped for; carols sung by the dozen; and the great tree in the town square was decorated with every form of ornament ponykind could envision.
Throughout the snowy streets, celebration permeated the air just as much as the scent of hot chocolate. Everypony was smiling, wishing each other well, and making cheerful inquiries about each other's plans for the holiday.
It made Queen Chrysalis sick.
Unfortunately, it was also something she needed right now.
As she had once spoken, the hunger of changelings could never be satisfied. That was true, and as much if not more for her than any of her subjects. They could not and would not ever be satisfied. That said, admittedly lately it had been a bit more lean than normal. Various problems and incidents - all the fault of her worthless minions - had strangled the flow of incoming love to a trickle. Which is why she was in Ponyville for Hearth's Warming.
The town was almost literally oozing with joy, happiness, and unfocused love for one's fellow pony. Disgusting as it was, it also meant the town was a changeling buffet. Ponyville was also - unlike Canterlot or the Crystal Empire - minimally defended and not on guard for a changeling queen who intended to gorge herself.
Having it remain that way, however, did require a certain measure of subtlety. Bringing in an army of troops would ruin things and render Ponyville worthless to the Queen. A cadre accompanied her - a Queen should never be without a retinue, of course - but one small enough to not draw attention.
Most were not with her at the moment, however. This was because her disguise was a stroke of genius only she could have managed. A group of new and strange ponies would have raised suspicion, while just one new pony would have left her isolated in case of trouble with Twilight Sparkle and her idiot friends. But what if she wasn't a pony to make them suspicious? They would never notice.
Which is why Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, First and Only of her Name, was currently a tree.
To be specific, she was the massive Hearth's Warming pine tree in the town square. Hiding in plain sight, central to all of the joy and love of the holiday, and raising no suspicion at all.
This was also the reason for the absence of most of her retinue: they had been charged with getting rid of the real tree, carrying it off in the dead of night. They hadn't yet returned, but that didn't raise any real concerns in Chrysalis' mind. The slackers were likely just going around town disguised, taking love from the crowd to feed their own greedy bellies. (The thought that they might have had issues with returning a tree to the nearby forest was laughable and never occurred to Chrysalis.) Only one remained - a rather useless drone, but he would suffice to lure victims closer in their celebrations.
"Thorax," whispered the Chrysalis-tree. "I require more."
The hapless drone - currently disguised as an earth pony foal - picked up a watering can with his mouth.
"No you idiot," hissed the tree. "Lure more ponies over here so that I may consume their love!"
Thorax blinked and slowly put the watering can down. "Oh. Um. Yes, of course your majesty." Then he dashed off, disappearing into the town.
She sighed. Of course the only one of her subjects to show any appreciable loyalty today was the one with the weakest will and the least ambition. (That there was a correlation there also did not occur to Chrysalis.) Still - he would be enough. After all, these ponies were pathetic fools. He merely had to ensure a steady supply be nearby so she could feed off their ambient emotions. The task was so simple even a nymph could do it.
Which was an ironic thought as Thorax returned, leading a group of pony foals with him.
Ah, excellent. Foals. Even more gullible and foolish than the adult ponies - and often brimming with all the greater love. Thorax's method to get them closer was even slightly impressive: he had thrown a snowball. The foals had foolishly presumed it was part of a game and chased him to the tree so they could continue to play. An open attack that went unnoticed by the victims. Positively devilish. Perhaps there was hope for Thorax yet.
He dodged fairly well, too, juking and ducking as he avoided a barrage of snowballs from the dozen or so foals hot on his tail. A few strays hit Chrysalis' outer branches, but she tolerated the indignity. It was part of the disguise, after all, and trees did get snow on them. It was worth it as the dozen foals chasing Thorax swarmed around her base, feeding her sweet sweet laughter.
The tide of the battle turned abruptly as another group of foals arrived on the scene: one of the new trio shouted something about a tiara before they plunged into the fight - on Thorax's side. The unexpected change scattered the attackers, sending them running for cover elsewhere in the square. A brief stalemate emerged as they sheltered behind benches and lampposts while the trio with Thorax used Chrysalis's branches for cover.
In the lull, one of the three turned to the disguised drone. "Hey. What's your name?"
Like an idiot, Thorax hesitated. "Um. It's, uh… Colt. Colt Mustang."
Chrysalis held her disguise, fighting off the urge to smack him.
The lie got a confused look from the foal, but she seemed to accept it enough. "I'm Scootaloo. This is Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle." Hooves were shaken. "Hope you don't mind us coming to your rescue, but Diamond Tiara's a bully and any chance to hit her with stuff's a good one."
Thorax laughed uneasily. "Okay? This… this is just a snowball fight though."
"No." Scootaloo drew lines under her eyes with slush. "This is war."
Chrysalis silently decided she rather liked this foal.
"They're gonna regroup soon," Apple Bloom drawled as she watched from behind the branches. "Ain't gonna take much for them to realize they've still got us outnumbered an' then this tree ain't gonna save us."
"We need better cover," squeaked Sweetie Belle. "There's a snow fort that Snips and Snails built two blocks over."
"No!" Thorax's near shout startled them. "I, uh, I mean no, we'd never make it. We should stay right here where it's safe."
There was a moment of thought. "He's got a point," Scootaloo agreed. "I might be able to make it to the snow fort, but you're all too slow." That earned her a smack from both her friends. "You are!"
"We could build our own fort," Apple Bloom suggested.
Sweetie Belle objected to that. "And use up all the snow so we don't have any more snowballs? There's already not a lot down here." She demonstrated by scraping up some to form a new snowball with her magic, showing the dirt only a little underneath.
"Naw." Apple Bloom reached into her mane and pulled out a hammer. "You three keep me covered while I get to work."
Chrysalis wasn't sure what was happening - for about ten seconds. And then she had to try very, very hard not to scream as she felt Apple Bloom sink the first nail.
Cheerfully, Apple Bloom whistled as she worked to build a makeshift wall from branches, scrap wood, and present boxes. "We could use this as a second clubhouse!" The other two Crusaders cheerfully agreed.
Thorax could only watch in horror as the Apple foal sank nails into the Queen. He knew he had to maintain his cover - but he also knew he was going to get so yelled at for this if he didn't stop them right away. In a full blown panic, he ducked briefly out of sight behind the tree trunk before quickly changing into the pink filly he'd seen in the other group before. Then, coming out of hiding behind them, he threw a snowball into the back of Sweetie Belle's head.
"Diamond Tiara!" Panic ran through the trio. Building a fort was forgotten and replaced by a far more important objective: hitting their hated opponent with every snowball available.
Thorax went down like a sack of potatoes under more than a dozen point-blank shots. Then the trio scampered off, racing for Snips and Snails' snow fort with the other group of foals charging after them.
As soon as the cluster was clear, Thorax returned to his own foal form and started prying the nail out. "I'm so sorry your majesty I'm sorry I'm sorry–"
"Idiot." Chrysalis fought to keep her voice down while still trying to get the proper amount of ire in it. "They attacked me and you let them get away? I should have you thrown into the sea for that!"
Thorax paused. "I've never actually been to the sea. It sounds kind of nice? Beaches and sun and colorful fish--"
"IDIOT." Both of them realized she'd shouted that and braced, watching to see if it attracted attention. It did not - at least none towards the tree - and Chrysalis continued much more quietly. "Get back to work and try to redeem yourself. Find the pony with the most love and bring them here. And no more foals."
Thorax saluted before scampering off.
A few minutes passed, giving Chrysalis a chance to relax. No annoying subjects to worry about, no intricate plots to coordinate, no fools to trick. Just the chance to sit around in an easy disguise and soak up the tasty, tasty ambiance. It was… peaceful. Perhaps not satisfying forever, but a welcome opportunity to breathe and relax. Drifting into a light half-doze, Chrysalis thought for a moment how this could be a fun mini-vacation. She'd like to be a tree. Sometimes.
And then Thorax was back.
He had discarded the foal disguise for that of an elderly stallion - once tall, now bowed and bent with age. He shuffled along, aided by the pony he had-- the idiot had brought one of the Princess' friends. Granted the yellow pegasus was the least threatening of them and she was brimming with love and joy, but Chrysalis still wanted to strangle him for such a stupid, risky mistake.
"Is this where you wanted to go, Mr. Mustang?"
And he was still using that obviously fake name, too.
Thorax smiled at Fluttershy. "It is, young lady. Thank you." He cracked his neck. "I'm not as good with directions as I used to be. But I'd hate to not get a look at this kind of wonderful sight." He sighed wistfully. "Why, my beloved--"
But he stopped, because he sensed something was wrong. Chrysalis did too: her meal had gone sour. Both looked to Fluttershy and found her face contorted with anger.
"Um, miss?" Thorax attempted to get her attention with a tap on her shoulder. "Is everything alri--"
"No." The firmness of her answer stopped Thorax dead. "No, everything is not alright." She turned to him, eyes ablaze with righteous fire. "I am very, very angry with the Mayor right now."
Any story Thorax was concocting was immediately thrown out the window. "The... Mayor?"
Fluttershy stomped with adorable anger. "Yes! Oooh I'm just so… so angry!" Her head spun and she whistled several notes. In response a nearby bluejay took off flying. Then Fluttershy's ire turned back to the tree. "Mayor Mare knows she's supposed to consult with me about the tree! And I told her not to use this one!"
Behind her disguise, Queen Chrysalis held her breath. This could go badly.
Still running blind, Thorax tried to get more information. "So you're a, um… tree… expert?"
Somehow, that stumbling question was sufficient. "Oh, no, not trees!" Fluttershy's natural cheer leaked through despite her anger. "But I am an expert on animals. And Mayor Mare said she would talk to me before chopping down any trees so I could make sure it was okay. That tree," she said with a point, "Is Darren's."
"...Darren's?"
"Well, and the rest of his family," Fluttershy admitted. "They've lived in it for generations! And now it's been cut down. They're homeless for the holiday." She sniffled at the thought.
Thorax took a small step closer and patted Fluttershy on the shoulder. "There there, I'm sure it will be alright. Ponies look after their own, don't they? Darren will be on his hooves in no time."
Fluttershy sniffled again. "Oh.. oh no, Darren's not a pony."
"He's… not?"
Fluttershy didn't have a chance to respond before Darren arrived. Guided by the bluejay, a rather cross-looking squirrel came rocketing across the town square. And - before Thorax, Fluttershy, or Chrysalis could react - the squirrel leapt into the tree.
To an outside observer, it would have appeared the tree was shaking because a crazed squirrel was scrambling through its branches. Thorax, however, knew different. He could hear the barely muffled laugh-screams as Queen Chrysalis desperately kept herself quiet as the aforementioned crazed squirrel careened around inside her. All he could do was stare in terror, thinking of how much trouble he was about to be in.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, watched like a mother waiting for her child to finish on the playground.
After perhaps a minute, Darren's head popped out of Chrysalis' branches. A sequence of rapid chitters followed that sent Fluttershy's cheeks blushing. "Oh. Oh my."
Still confused, Thorax wasn't sure how to respond. "Um."
"This isn't his tree," Fluttershy explained. "Oh dear, and I got so mad." She cringed at the memory of her own actions just a minute before. "He said it's not his and that, um, it's bug-infested." A barrage of chitters made her pause. "And he's offended that I made the mistake and got him worried for nothing."
Thorax laughed nervously, eyes darting between the pegasus and the 'tree'. "Ah ha! All's well that ends well, eh?"
Fluttershy frowned.
Thorax's heart stopped.
"I should still tell Mayor Mare to be more careful about the trees she selects," Fluttershy mused aloud. Darren scrambled out of the tree and up on to her back, chittering and squeaking all the while. "But if she brought this one in because it's infested, that's probably why she didn't consult me first. It would have needed to come down anyway." She sighed and then put on her best smile. "Anyway! Have a happy Hearth's Warming, Mr. Mustang!" Friendly waves were exchanged and she trotted off.
Thorax was instantly at his Queen's side. "Are you okay?"
Chrysalis thanked him for his concern with an angry hiss that made Thorax cower into a ball. "I will drown you in a vat of hot cocoa if you ever speak a word of this to anyone!"
Timidly, Thorax peeked out from behind his hooves. "...I do like cocoa."
"Idiot." Chrysalis would have strangled him if her current form had arms. "Just… go. Feed yourself or whatever. Leave me be and allow me to do my work without further interference, you worthless blob of chitin."
"Y–Yes your majesty."
"And find a better name for your disguise!"
Thorax didn't respond further - he simply scrambled away to lose himself in the far nicer crowd.
Left to her own devices, Queen Chrysalis settled in. Yes, there had been a few problems with the plan thus far. Not her fault, of course - good help was so hard to spawn these days. At least the idiot had stayed to serve properly, unlike the others who didn't bother coming back after their trip into the nearby forest. Then again, the ache in Chrysalis' side suggested that stupid minions did more damage than negligent ones.
An uninterrupted hour of peace and absorbing love from the crowd did wonders, however. Her worries drifted away, her belly was full, and there was no one nattering in her ear about something stupid like tunnel construction or guard rotation schedules or how all of her minions were starving. No - just peace and bliss.
Heck, Chrysalis was so relaxed she barely noticed how the town square filled up and gathered around her. It was only when a dull-looking pony with gray hair - likely the previously mentioned mayor - took a podium to speak that the Queen deemed it all worth paying attention to.
From her place, Mayor Mare motioned for everypony to quiet down. That took a minute - but in time, the rumble of the crowd hushed to a murmur. Satisfied, the Mayor began. "Thank you all for coming and helping out with yet another wonderful Hearth's Warming celebration here in Ponyville! I know that each and every one of you has done your best to make the holiday bright, and it is only through all of your efforts that it has once again been a smashing success!" She paused for applause - which was light but sincere. "And if you don't believe me, simply look around at the smiling faces of your friends, family, and neighbors who have been enjoying the festivities." That drew more enthusiastic applause, as well as a few cheers.
Queen Chrysalis took a deep breath, soaking up the surge of delicious positivity.
"That said, I'm certain all of you would rather be with them than listening to an old mare like me," chuckled the Mayor. Much of the audience did as well. "So I'll save the speeches for election season and get to the point." She paused to clear her throat. "Many generations ago, our ancestors journeyed to this land to escape the windigos and founded Equestria in a land of plenty. A safe haven for all ponykind and a place where we could all flourish. But it was not without difficulty and not without trials. If not for the selfless hearts of three normal ponies, all would have been lost. In commemoration of them and the lessons they taught us, we celebrate this holiday of Hearth's Warming. And - just as our ancestors did - we show our continued commitment to upholding the virtues and values of Equestria and ponykind by lighting the Fires of Friendship!"
Cheers went up all around the square as Mayor Mare held a hoof high - then dropped it. At her signal, several of the town's unicorns all cast as one, sending streamers of magic towards the tree. Each struck a designated spot, igniting a pink flame that curled into the shape of a heart: the Fire of Friendship, just as it had been discovered so long ago.
The entire population of Ponyville froze as the great Hearth's Warming tree started screaming, leapt up, ran around in several circles as it tried to put the fire out, and then transformed into an eagle before flying off.
Silence.
More silence.
And then Mayor Mare turned to glare up the street. "SPARKLE! YOU HAD BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS!"
Author's Note
A special thanks go to Vinylshadow and Tipper, who made a brief ditty of 'Oh Chrysalis tree' a year ago and that I shamelessly used as inspiration for this.
And my prompt was a very straight forward "Thorax and Chrysalis, Comedy."
