The creak of the wagon wheels created a cacophony across the clear, quiet night in the Everfree. Chrysalis groaned with effort as she pulled the overladen wagon down the trail. She was lucky there was a full moon out as she didn’t want to start a light and attract any of the nastier monsters.

“Just a little bit farther. I can make it this time. It’ll be all worth the effort,” she said to herself. “Just keep moving and I’ll be there in no time.” Chrysalis didn’t dare to stop and rest despite her legs screaming for a rest. To stop was to let predators catch up to you, and she could have sworn she saw some flashes of something blue moving in the trees back there, watching her every step.

A quick glance behind her revealed that she still had all of her cargo with her. About a hundred or so crates labeled ‘Love’ that she was delivering to the Hive, all somehow staying onboard despite their precarious positioning.

“More than enough to feed the people. If I can make it, everything will be better. They’ll see!” She marched forward with a renewed pep in her step.

Said step was soon stopped by a sudden sticky substance.

“What in the-?” Chrysalis started, but whipped her head around when an almost silent clicking noise reached her ears. Lighting up her horn, Chrysalis prepped a stunning spell. “Who’s there?! Come out and face me!”

A sinister chuckle filled the air. “‘Welcome to my parlour’, said the spider to the fly. Are you lost, little fly?” asked a familar voice.

“That’s none of your business!” Chrysalis shouted back. She took the moment to try and free herself from the white goop.

“Oh, how rude of me. You’re carrying so much weight for such a long trip. How about I relieve you of it? A weak thing like you shouldn’t carry so much.”

Chrysalis blasted a rustling bush. “You will do no such thing! This is my love and I will take it back to the hive!”

“But that’s where you’re wrong.”

A loud thud and rattle behind her forced Chrysalis to turn around. Her eyes went wide as she saw the massive beast that was perched on her precious cargo. The massive spider clicked it’s mandibles as it creeped its way closer to Chrysalis.

“After all, you’re too tied up for such trivial things.” it said, directing many of its eyes at her.

Chrysalis looked away and gasped as she found the small army of spiders that snuck up and had started wrapping her in their thread. Already, she couldn’t move her legs and her arms were slowly becoming stuck as well.

“I think I’ll take this off your hands.” the spider said before wrapping all the cargo in a neat cocoon.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Chrysalis said as she tried to rip the threads off herself. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, but I can, and I have.” It stared at her once more and clicked its mandibles again. “You know, this whole robbery has left me quite hungry.”

Chrysalis didn’t have time to scream when the spider leapt upon her and wrapped her in a loose cocoon. The last thing she saw as she was dragged away into the bushes was a flash of moonlight and a thunderous roar in her ears.

*****

“Hmm!” Chrysalis purred as her eyes jolted open. ’Huh?’ she thought blearily, ’Where am I? Why do I feel so sore all over? What happened?’ Turning her head, she gazed around the room, but when her eyes fell upon the bed’s other occupants, Chrysalis’ eyes went wide as the memories of last night came rushing back like a flood.

’Oh Faust, I...I…I just had sex,’ she thought in amazement, then upon remembering certain details, she added, ’And it felt so good. Her ass disagreed with a small twinge of pain. Chrysalis’ face blushed redder than a tomato as she remembered what Shining did to her. ’I don’t think I’m going to be walking straight for a while, or at all for that matter. At least the bed is comfy. Really comfy, actually. Five more minutes won’t hurt much. Just have to adjust myself so my butt can stop getting poked.’

Gently twisting herself so as to not spike any sore muscles, Chrysalis found herself facing a wall of warm, white furred muscle. A quick glance also discovered exactly what was poking her. She turned away again with a blush creeping upon her face and eyes wide awake with adrenaline.

‘HisdickispokingmybutthisdickispokingmybutthisDICKISPOKINGMYBUTT.’ she thought as the fresh image of his half hardened member was burned into her memories. It took all her willpower not to jump away and risk waking the others. After taking a minute to get her breathing under control, she wrestled with her thoughts.

‘No. It’s just a body part. A very thick body part used for reproduction. And pleasure, absolutely incredible amounts of pleasure.’ Chrysalis chewed on her lip. ‘This would be a good chance to familiarize myself with male reproductive organs. Who knows if I’ll end up doing this again? Besides, I don’t recall actually touching it last night, minus the penetration. Yes, I just need to do my own examination of it and it will be okay.’

Chrysalis’ hand snaked down behind her as she tried not to think about what she was really doing. Her fingers twitched when they touched smooth flesh. Pressing on, she managed to wrap her hand around the hardening member. In her mind’s eye, Chrysalis could picture what the penis looked like.

She gulped. ‘It’s...big. It’s also warmer than I thought. Did this really fit inside me?’ Her hand moved slowly up its length until it covered the tip. She pulled away when Shining groaned and shifted, her face aflame with blush. ‘Oh, Faust. I can’t believe I just did that. What was I even thinking? Gah, it’s probably all this love energy that’s messing with my head. I need to get out of here before something else happens.’

She started to shimmy herself out from under the covers, but before she could make it very far, a pair of strong arms pulled her back, wrapping around her like a precious pillow.

“Mmm...Cadance,” Shining said as he cuddled Chrysalis closer.

Chrysalis, for her part, tried not to squeal when a certain body part poked its way between her thighs and began grinding away. She wasn’t as successful when it came to the groping of her chest or the butterfly kisses on her neck, her moans encouraging him for more.

‘Nonononono! Cadance wake up and get your grope happy husband off me! I don’t think I can last much longer.’ She gritted her teeth as Shining nibbled on her ear. ‘Too sensitive. I can’t focus. I can’t…’ It was when Shining turned her face for a deep kiss that her mind lost it and her disguise dropped.

And that's when the screaming began.

First it was Shining, then Chrysalis, then Cadance, then back to Chrysalis and then Shining before the loop started again. The first one to act was Chrysalis, who tried to jump out of bed but ended up face planting on the floor with one leg caught in the sheets. Shining jumped after her with clear intent to subdue her, but Chrysalis’ foot got loose from the sheets and found a new, soft target, leaving him whimpering on the ground next to her. The only indication that Cadance moved was the loud thump on the other side of the bed. The air was soon filled with a chorus of groans.

“Ow ow ow. Not the best wake up call I’ve had.” Chrysalis said, rubbing her face.

“You okay, Chrysalis?” Cadance asked from the other side.

“Yeah, I’m just peachy. The floor tastes great by the way. You must have some good maids.”

“I’ll pass it on to them. Is Shining okay?”

Chrysalis looked over at the stallion clutching his crotch and trying not to cry. “Define ‘okay’?”

“Are you okay?” Cadance asked.

Chrysalis tried to find strength in her limbs to get off the floor. “Considering everything that’s happened, yeah.” Using the bed, she pushed herself up into a standing position, though her legs were shaking like crazy. Chrysalis saw that Cadance had at least gotten back on the bed and was crawling to her side of it.

“What did you do to Shining?!” Cadance asked upon seeing her fallen husband.

“It was an accident! Besides, my butt is really sore so it’s a fair trade.” Chrysalis said, massaging her lower cheeks.

Cadance gave her a stern look. “Well, I’m going to be using it again soon, so I hope you didn’t damage him too bad.”

Chrysalis pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Look, I need to get going, so thank you for the love energy from last night. Goodbye.” She turned to leave, but didn’t get very far when she tripped again. “What the-?” Looking down, she saw a magenta magic aura wrapped around her ankles that was now trying to bind her legs together.

“Oh, no you don’t, Chrysalis,” Shining rose to his knees with horn aglow. “The only place you’re going is straight to the dungeon. You’ve messed with my family for the last time.” A flash of his horn and Chrysalis was now trapped in a blue bubble.

Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis said, “Please, as if you could keep me trapped in here.” She tried to blast her way out using the love energy she had, but the bubble barely budged. Not one to be deterred, she blasted it again and again, each time with more force. “What the-? How?”

Shining folded his arms and wore a smug grin on his face as his captive tried more spells to escape. “If I can shield a city for days, then a small containment field like this would be nearly impossible for you to shatter, even if you were powered up on love. Feel free to struggle, but this time you won’t get away.”

Chrysalis felt her heart sink. Here she was, at the complete mercy of a couple who had all the reason in the world to beat her into a bloody pulp, and all it took was a promise and a night full of love to lure her into the trap. A fly to Faust-damned honey. She was right earlier. Cadance is an evil mastermind. Speaking of the bitch, Chrysalis twisted around to face her.

“You lied to me! You said this wasn’t a trick and I trusted you!” she yelled, clawing at the barrier. “I should have dragged your sorry ass off when I had the chance!”

“I wasn’t lying!” Cadance said. She then turned to her husband, “Shining, you let her down this instant! She’s safe and I promised she wouldn’t get hurt.”

Shining gave her an incredulous look. “What are you talking about? This is Chrysalis! Not some stray dog. She attacked us at our wedding. She brainwashed me. She almost killed you and Twilight! The only thing stopping me from beating her within an inch of her life is my duty as captain of the guard to lock her away.”

“Well, then you’re going to have to lock me away, too,” Cadance said. “It’s illegal to harbor enemies of the state, correct?”

“Harbor-” Shining blinked in confusion, then shook his head. “Why? Why would you help her? You should be as mad as me! Unless…” He conjured up some magic bindings around Cadance, and then turned to Chrysalis again. “You brainwashed her too, didn’t you? What are you planning? Another invasion? Foalnapping my wife? Tell me!”

“Well, that was the plan, until Miss Mastermind over here decided to make a deal with me. I’m beginning to regret that decision now,” Chrysalis said. She had given up on trying to break out for the moment, and instead tried to cover her naked self.

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” Shining asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Why bother? You won’t believe me anyway.”

“Absolutely. Now as much as I would like to deal with you right now, I need to remove your influence from my wife,” Shining said.

Chrysalis really wanted to roll her eyes. Stubborn stallions. “You do that. I’ll help myself out of this shield of yours.” She didn’t want to waste the amount of love energy she had, so she had to make sure to use just enough to pop this bubble. However, before she was halfway charged, she heard Shining speak once more.

“Yeah, no. Left hook.” Faster than she could react, Shining reached through the shield and Chrysalis’ world turned to pain and darkness.

*****

“SHINING ARMOR!” Cadance shouted in rage as she watched Chrysalis crumple into a heap in her makeshift cell.

“It’s okay, Cadance. Everypony has a plan until they get punched in the face. With her knocked out, any influence on you should be much weaker,” Shining said. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Twilight was able to teach me a spell that removed any mental control. This might tingle though.” His horn lit up and a wave of magic passed through her.

He was right. It did tingle her brain a bit. But her opinion remained firm. “Shining, I want you to let Chrysalis go.”

Shining frowned. “Hmm, maybe I should put more force into it.” He cast it again, this time a bit stronger.

“She’s telling the truth. She did attack me, but I was able to make a deal with her so she wouldn’t foalnap me.”

Once more, but stronger.

“I invited her to join us in bed so she could get love energy.”

He cast it as strong as he could this time.

“Shining, I love you, but if you don’t stop being stubborn about this, I’m going to be very upset with you.”

He was starting to breath heavily from all the magical exertion.“No, that…that can’t be right. Why would you do that?” he asked, almost shouting. “She’s evil!”

“She’s not evil. I mean, yes, she invaded Equestria, but I’m sure she had her reasons to do so. The fact that I was able to reason with her and negotiate my way from being a captive to a partner means she’s either desperate or not wholly evil,” Cadance said. Shining’s words were really starting to get on her nerves.

“Cadance, she tried to hurt you and Twilight. She almost got everypony killed! How can you forget that?”

“I haven’t, Shining,” she said. “I haven’t quite forgiven her for the whole wedding fiasco, but if Twilight can make friends with Discord, then I should at least be able to overlook Chrysalis’s past actions.”

Shining’s horn lit up and Chrysalis’ bubble lifted off the ground and began to move. “I don’t care. Chrysalis committed a crime against Equestria and I intend to see her brought to justice.” He was stopped by a diamond blue wall of magic.

“No, Shining. I Pinkie Promised her that no harm will come to her and I intend to keep that promise.” Cadance glared at her husband as her magic snatched Chrysalis out of his, popping the bubble prison.

Shining, on the other hand looked like he was about to blow another fuse. “Why would you promise that…that bitch anything?! I will not risk you, my family, nor Equestria for her!” He took Chrysalis back in his magic and chained her to the floor for the time being.

“I know you wouldn’t, but like my aunt, I believe everypony deserves a second chance, Shining. You should know that,” she said in the most even tone she could hold, “Now I want you to get out and don’t come back until you’ve cooled off,” she quickly added, “And don’t you dare call the guard upon her or so help me you will be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the year!”

Shining glared at her for a moment before throwing on some clothes and leaving. He grumbled under his breath as he slammed the doors behind him on the way out.

Cadance fumed, but that was replaced with concern as she approached the unconscious queen, who had been set down none too gently. The magic bindings were broken thanks to a bit of alicorn magic and knowing her husband’s magic signature. The knockout punch Shining delivered to Chrysalis’s face was definitely going to leave a bruise, if the jaw wasn't broken already. Using the few medical spells she knew, Cadance made sure there were no serious injuries and healed the cut in the lip that was spilling quite a bit of blood.

Using her magic, Cadance levitated Chrysalis to the couch in the living room. Once the changeling was as comfortable as can be, Cadance rushed back to the bathroom and dug through the cabinets.

“Oh, where did I put that stuff? Aha, there it is!” Cadance pulled out a small, decorated jar full of smelling salts and headed back to the living room. “Didn’t think I’d have to use Luna’s present this soon. I just hope it works as well as she says it does.” Releasing the stopper, Cadance held the jar under Chrysalis’s nose for a second before said changeling gasped awake.

“Wow, that worked fast.” Cadance said. She closed the jar and set it on the table before leaning towards the coughing changeling. “Are you alright?”

Chrysalis flinched and threw her hands up in defense. “Stay back!” Her eyes darted around the room. “Where’d Shining go? He’s not getting the guards is he? I’ll fight you! You’re not going to catch me!”

Seeing the panic in her eyes, Cadance backed away and held her hands up. “It’s okay, calm down. Nopony is going to hurt you. I sent Shining away so he could cool off after I convinced him I wasn’t under your control. See? I kept my promise you wouldn’t be caught” Her words seemed to have a calming effect on Chrysalis, as her frantic motions slowed and focused on the pink mare.

“Shining caught me. And punched me! I can still taste blood in my mouth,” Chrysalis said.

Cadance had a guilty look on her face. “Yes, yes, and I’m really sorry for that. I hadn’t anticipated your reveal. I was hoping we could part ways and he would be none the wiser.”

“Well, you failed. Spectacularly, if I might add,” Chrysalis said. “To be fair, I didn’t know how sensitive I would be after that. I’m surprised my disguise fell so easily. Maybe that’s why most changelings only do one night stands when gathering love.”

“You want some tea?”

“Yes, please.”

Cadance levitated over a tray of hot tea and cookies. She gave Chrysalis a fresh cup and helped herself too. “Feel better now?” Cadance asked.

Chrysalis sighed, “Much. Thank you.” Her eyes were drawn to the cup, as if trying to figure out some sort of hidden truth or something. “I should have known that something would go wrong. This whole situation was too good to be true. I should have stayed in the bathroom, or better yet, left when I could. But then I would have missed out on all the love I received. I just…” Tears started to well up in her eyes, and she gave a sad chuckle. “I’m a failure of a changeling.”

Cadance was content to listen, but that last sentence struck a chord in her. She moved closer and hugged Chrysalis. “Don’t talk like that. Everypony messes up at one point or another, but that doesn’t make you a failure.”

“Yes, I am,” Chrysalis said. Her voice caught on her sobs. “I couldn’t take over your wedding, I just failed to take you hostage, and to top it all off, you’re trying to comfort me! Me! You have all the reason in the world to hate me and yet, you pity me now because I can’t do a single thing right.”

Cadance started to object, but she found no reasonable argument. So she decided to settle for encouragement. “Okay, so you’re not the best at being evil. I’m sure you’re still a great changeling Queen for your subjects. Right?”

Chrysalis just kept staring at the cup in her hands, which was almost about to spill over as it tilted, then just set it down on the tray with a small rattle. She muttered something but it was inaudible.

“What was that?”

Chrysalis looked up at the alicorn with sad eyes, “I’m not a Queen. I’m more of a Princess, actually. That was just me being arrogant in my victory. If I had pulled off the wedding invasion, then I would have been Queen. Now, I’m just Princess Chrysalis, and barely even that thanks to my screw ups.”

“I see. Do you want to talk about it?” Chrysalis just shook her head. “Fine, but can you answer a question for me?”

“Sure, I guess.” Chrysalis said. She glanced at Cadance with a curious look.

“When you put me in the caves under Canterlot at my wedding, why did you leave me there? I mean, you could have killed me and no one would be the wiser.” Cadance said. “You probably would have succeeded too.” It was then she noticed the uncomfortable look on Chrysalis’s face.

“Most changelings try not to engage in violence since it doesn’t produce love, except when it comes to hunting for meat when impersonating a griffon. Personally, I despise violence. First time I killed a rabbit, I cried for days. Don’t get me wrong, I can fight, but I’d rather not,” Chrysalis said. “Honestly, it was out of convenience. It’d be pretty awkward if one of the maids found you stuffed in a closet. Plus, if things went south with the invasion, I had hoped to hightail it out of Canterlot with you in tow.” Chrysalis looked up into Cadance’s eyes, “It was nothing personal, but a changeling’s rite of passage is to acquire as much love as they can and with me being royalty, I had standards to uphold. Very high standards.”

Cadance bit her lip as the info sank in, “That…explains a lot. I always did wonder why you didn’t just kill me from the start. I thought it was meant as slow torture.”

Chrysalis grimaced. “Don’t get me started on that. Please.”

In the following silence, Cadance didn’t know what to say. If somepony had told her half a year ago that this was the real Chrysalis, Cadance might have politely sent them away with a guard and directions to the nearest mental facility. But now, Cadance wanted to help her however she could. A rational pony may suspect an emotional trap so Chrysalis could take her love, but Cadance had experience with the Canterlot nobles and they were probably more cunning than Chrysalis ever was. It was only by Celestia’s experience that they never got very far with their plans.

There were still many questions Cadance wanted to ask, but now was not the time. However, Cadance was sure of the one unspoken question in the air: Can you forgive me?

Chrysalis started to get up. “I should go. I’ve already caused enough trouble. I got my love and you got your night. Fair’s fair. With luck, we shouldn’t meet again.” She began walking toward the bathroom when Cadance jumped up and caught her hand.

“Chrysalis, wait! I know we started off on a bad hoof-”

“That’s an understatement.”

“-but I want to start over. Yes, I am still a little upset over the wedding, but that was Chrysalis the evil invader. I want to meet Chrysalis the changeling,” Cadance said. “Ahem. Hi, I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but my friends call me Cadance. Nice to meet you.”

Chrysalis stared at her in slight confusion, but she responded. “I’m Princess Chrysalis, but I guess you can call me Chryssy.”

Cadance’s smile was a mile wide as she squeaked and gave Chrysalis a bear hug. She let go when Chrysalis was tapping for air. “Sorry, you were just so cute. I couldn’t help it,” Cadance said. Her guilty smile was met with an eyeroll.

“So does this mean I’m forgiven or not?” Chrysalis asked.

“Think of it more like a second chance,” Cadance said. “We are going to be the best of friends if I have anything to say about it.”

“Friends, huh?” Chrysalis mulled over the thought, and then she smiled. Not an egotistical, evil smile like she had before, but a genuine, happy smile. “That sounds nice.”

Cadance couldn’t help herself. “Don’t worry. If last night was any indication, I’m sure you’ll love the benefits that come with it. That is, after we convince Shining to like you.” She tried not to laugh at Chrysalis’s blushing face.

“That is not why I’m agreeing to this!”

“Relax,” Cadance said. “I’m only teasing you. Well, mostly teasing. Having a third person would open up some possibilities.” Cadance giggled at Chrysalis’s squeaks of embarrassment. “You know, I just realized that we’ve been naked the entire time and we still smell like sex.”

Chrysalis blushed harder as the newly noted scent filled her nose and she scrambled to try to cover herself. “I don’t suppose you could let me borrow your shower?” she asked.

Cadance grinned. “Sure, but why waste water?” She yanked Chrysalis off the couch and towards the bathroom. “I haven’t showered with another mare since college.”

“O-On second thought, I changed my mind.”

“Too late!” Cadance shut the door behind them, and the sounds of rushing water and a one sided grope fight filled the air.

Author's Note

Changelog: Rewritten so that Shining's reaction is much less violent than before and the silly security system is removed. Dream sequence is more meaningful and isn't as cheesy. Personalities and Reasonings altered to fit.

Notice: The first chapter has been edited as well. Not enough to warrant a new chapter, but still significant changes to the characters.

You guys have no idea how long I've waited to publish this. I wanted to when I finished, but I held off until I did the entire first arc to make sure I was dedicated. That means I have up to chapter 7 ready to be published. I'm going to be publishing them on a weekly basis until I'm caught up. In the mean time, I will be dividing my time between editing the next chapter and a new project I've got in the works.

Now so far everything has changed except the cover art. After a couple of chapters, I will make a (new) poll on what should replace it. I had made one previously, but I didn't consider how few people actually see my blog posts when I don't link it in a chapter.

Anyways, I hope you like the new edits as much as I do. Comment and tell me what you think.