Tales of Old: The Princess's Mistake
Chrysalis sat gazing at the painting. It was by a mare named Cherry Garden, and all it really showed was an abstract portrayal of a bedroom. Yet somehow the painter had poured raw emotion into every stroke on the canvas. To Chrysalis, it called forth several memories…
***
It is amazing how time works.
Celestia and all other alicorns could easily tell you this much. While not immortal, alicorns are long-lived, only matched by dragons and the ancient draconequi.
Magi are also gifted with longevity. Starswirl the Bearded lived to the age of 563, and the earth pony wizard Binky Pie the White lived until the age of 498 (and supposedly left the instructions on how to throw the best after funeral party in the world after he was put in the ground.)
Even normal creatures can stretch out their lives if they are careful. Granny Smith is at least 200 years old, and her grandmother Terrapin still roams the hills near Appleoosa. There are diamond dogs who are at least 100, and the White Spirit, the shaman-of-shamans of the buffalo, has been around for at least 400 years. This is to say nothing of the members of the Whooves clan, with Time Turner’s, Clockwork’s, Zerum Varnish’s, and Colgate’s estimated maximum age limit being somewhere in the 800s.
Then there are changelings.
The average changeling has the same lifespan as a normal pony, anywhere between 70 and 300. Royal changelings live substantially longer, though nowhere near an alicorn’s lifespan. The casual observer would easily estimate Chrysalis’s age as in her 40s, when she is actually MUCH older.
This story takes place 200 years ago, when dragons were more common, ancient evils still posed a threat, and when Chrysalis was a teenage princess.
It is a tale of love, and one of sorrow. A tale that was passed down and corrupted as time passed, to where the names and species of the two lovers were forgotten and simply called the Prince and the Princess, and were believed to be ponies.
This is the TRUE story of the Love Poison…
~~~~~
THE PRINCESS’S MISTAKE
200 YEARS AGO… THE BADLANDS…
Chrysalis gazed out the small window of her circular room. It wasn’t a big room, nor was it overly fancy. A small desk, a bookshelf, a vanity mirror, a wardrobe, and of course, her bed were the only things she had in the room, made of the same grey stone as the rest of the castle.
Her mother, Queen Thorax had taken Chrysalis’s two daughters, seven-year old, golden-maned Hope and five-year-old albino Moth, for a small visit to another Swarm, leaving the young mother alone with her changeling subjects. Chrysalis closed her eyes and sighed. Being a princess was… boring, at times. She would sign some documents, attend meetings and royal functions, and occasionally write letters to her friend Cadence, daughter of Castellan, middle brother of Celestia and Luna. But Chrysalis had a longing for one thing more. She wanted a special somepony.
It was true, she had thought she had a few before, but Hope and Moth’s fathers had “abandoned ship” upon finding out that Chrysalis was pregnant. Too bad, as both had been handsome changeling stallions. But the fact remained that though Chrysalis had family, friends, and loyal subjects, she was lonely.
The sound of a pebble striking the window caused her to open her eyes.
Hovering there was a royal changeling stallion with a brown shell, his unshorn fetlocks indicating he was a rogue unaffiliated with any Swarm. The healed-over scar on his cheek also indicated this was Hope’s father, Hornet. Chrysalis glared and turned away. He persisted until she opened the window.
Hornet came in. “It’s good to see you…”
Chrysalis scoffed. “What reason do you have for coming back here?”
“Do I need to have one?”
Chrysalis glared at him, a mixture of rage and love boiling inside her, love for what they had once shared, and rage for him abandoning her and their daughter.
Hornet spoke again. “You have every right to hate me, and I hate myself. But the fact is, I actually do love you, and I hope you can forgive me by answering me this.”
He kneeled down, proffering a box. He opened a small box, revealing a changeling wedding bracelet, silver, inlaid with blue diamonds like those on her crown.
“Chrysalis, Princess of the First Great Swarm, daughter of High Queen Thorax, would you make me the happiest stallion in the world?”
The changeling princess gasped. “Yes! Of course I will”
The kiss that followed seemed to last forever.
***
Roughly one month after the ceremony, the marriage hit a rough patch. What this meant was that Chrysalis didn’t like the way Hornet occasionally eyed other mares. While he was now an official Swarm member, he still acted like a rogue, a mysterious loner with motives of his own. And Chrysalis knew that rogue stallions preferred harems to single mares. You could make a rogue join a Swarm, but the lifestyle never really changed.
It was then that she made the decision that she would regret for the rest of her life.
Slipping away from her husband one night, she went into one of the many secret rooms. This one was full of ancient magical texts, and was taken care of by a single changeling. The room appeared empty, nothing but ceiling-high shelves full of dusty tomes, torches on the walls making the shadows dance, throwing images of demonic entities on the walls. In the center of the maze-like room was a pedestal, upon which rested the bleached white skull of a royal changeling, rubies staring from the eyesockets. Chrysalis smirked. “Hello, Grandfather.”
The skull’s ruby eyes glowed, and it hovered a few inches above the pedestal. Thromnombular the Lich shook himself to clear his sleepiness, and then regarded his granddaughter.
“It’s good to see you, Chrysalis. What brings you here?”
Blushing slightly, she told him. He stared at her with his unreadable expression.
“I have been working on something… but I’m not sure of the side effects…”
“I don’t care. I don’t want him to be unfaithful.”
The skull seemed unsure, but nodded and presented a glowing purple phial.
“The both of you must drink it.”
Chrysalis nodded and rushed off. “Thanks Grandpa!”
***
It had been three days since the married couple had fallen under the mysterious illness, staring into each other’s eyes constantly. They were surviving on the ambient positive emotions in the air, but their bodies were emaciated from lack of actual solid food, and they barely drank anything. Chrysalis had enough presence of mind to tend to her daughters, but that was the most attention she showed to anyone besides Hornet. This was a problem when her mother died, as she was now High Queen of all the changeling Swarms. Her duties were tended to by a regent, as was normal when a ruler was unable to do so. However, there was something more serious.
Near the castle lay the ruins of Tambeleon, the Caprine Necromancer Grogar’s prison. He had waited for a chance to escape, but never could due to constant guard kept by the changelings. He escaped, and a message would be sent to Canterlot with incredible speed. But now, he saw his chance. He had been gathering power, and he used it now.
He burst from his prison as a mighty blue dragon with curling ram horns and red eyes. The bell around his neck tolled as he laughed. He paused on seeing the castle, then smiled and blasted it with fire, killing many changelings. He then flew off, laughing.
In Chrysalis’s chambers, there was activity of a different sort, and Chrysalis’s scream of pleasure was plainly heard.
***
It was a few months later when the spell wore off, as Staghorn was unwilling to leave with any speed, and so the contractions left Chrysalis in a state of semi-unconsciousness for a long time.
Grogar had once again been sealed away by Celestia, but the damage was done. Chrysalis, feeling that it was honestly her fault, was inconsolable, and Hornet, feeling as though he was indirectly responsible talked to her. Their marriage was annulled, and he went off.
She now looked at the young colt sleeping in his crib. At least something good had come out of this entire ordeal, and she felt her son was destined for great things.
~~~~~
THE PRESENT…
Thinking back, Chrysalis realized she had been right about Stag. She gazed at the painting, now reminding her of all the good things that had happened since that one mistake, and she smiled.
Author's Note
My first one-shot fic.
MLP:FiM and all characters are property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust
Stag, Hope, Moth, Hornet, and the idea belong to me.
Idea for Cherry Garden belongs to Hearttortoisepigeondog.
