Unconditionally

Daniel was awoken by a thunder crack just over his house. He thought it odd, having not heard about potential rainstorms on the evening news. Even weirder was the fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky. He dressed himself in his bathrobe and slippers and went outside to try and discern what made that noise. He had stumbled around for only a few minutes before finding a figure, bloody and unconscious in the farthest reaches of his yard. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was some sort of pony-insect hybrid with the build of a 27-year-old female human. He gingerly picked it up and carried it back inside.

Chrysalis awoke with a pounding in her head. Though her vision was hazy, she could make out the basics of her surroundings, and her instincts told her this was not Equestria. As her vision adjusted, she could see she was in a bedroom devoid of anything, save a small TV at the foot of the bed, a nightstand, a window to the left, and a door to the right. She also noticed that her body had...changed. Instead of sporting four legs, she now had two legs, and her extra appendages had become shorter, with added muscle and bone on the end that seemed to be able to grab things within a certain range. Instead of an equine body, it now seemed more accustomed to walking erect. Looking down, she also saw she had strange, round growths on her chest that felt a bit heavy. She used her new hands to hold them still and inspect them.

Suddenly, Daniel came through the door, dressed in a sky-blue polo and khaki shorts. His hair was jet-black and slightly trussed. He also had some 5'o'clock shadow coming in on his temples. Chrysalis was shocked at his entry and immediately jumped back, causing her insides to cramp up from the sudden change in pressure. She cried and winced. Daniel rushed to her side and put two fingers to her neck. Chrysalis was in too much pain to hurt him and just groaned, "Who...who are you? Where am I!?"

Daniel said nothing for awhile, only checking Chrysalis' vital signs and bringing out an ice pack. He said, "Lay back down, miss." Chrysalis was still cramped up and did as he said. He gently placed the ice on her forehead. He nodded and looked at her.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Chrysalis was silent, trying to decide how to proceed. Should she try feeding off of him? No, she barely knew him. Fight him? No, she felt like she had been hit by a freight train. She guessed the only way forward was to talk, for now.

"I...I feel horrible," she answered.

Daniel sighed. "I don't blame you. You looked horrible when I found you."

He lowered his head and looked back at her. "I apologize. My name's Daniel Walters. You can call me Danny, if you want too," he said.

Chrysalis tentatively said, "I...am Queen Chrysalis...leader of the changelings...do you know the way back to Equestria? I have...unfinished business to attend to."

Daniels scratched his chin and said after awhile, "Hm...never heard of a place called Equestria before. Guessing you live there, huh?"

Chrysalis was about to tell Daniel that his question was extremely idiotic to ask, but before she had the chance, Daniel continued, "And you say you're a changeling? Certainly different from most stories I've heard about changelings. I envisioned a small child fitting that role. Equestria certainly sounds different, though. Wish I could go there."

He wishes? she thought. Does that mean...? She choked out, "You said that, 'you wished...' Does that mean...does that mean, there's no way back to Equestria?"

Daniel looked down and sighed. "I'm afraid not. Certainly none I've heard about."

Chrysalis tried to curse again, but she felt her body rejecting its God-given nature. Daniel saw the pain she was in and immediately rushed back outside and when he came back, he held an ornate teacup and saucer in his hands. He hurried to Chrysalis' side and told her, "Drink this. It's my special herbal tea."

She was about to protest and tell Daniel changelings rely on love as their primary source of food, but he brought the cup to her lips and her weakness wouldn't allow her to try and resist. The warm liquid slid down her throat and she felt it cause an odd sensation when it hit her stomach. Slowly, the tension of the cramps began to fade and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

Within seconds, Chrysalis had fallen into peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Chrysalis awoke sometime later. When it was, she couldn't tell. When she looked around, she still saw the same room she had been in. Her heart sank. "It wasn't a nightmare?" she expressed hopelessly.

She sighed and got up out of bed. She saw she was totally naked, but she was a changeling, and changelings never wore clothes, unlike some pony-folk. Chrysalis walked out of the bedroom to a simplistic house. It was only one story, and to her left was a kitchen that gave way to a study of sorts. There were bookshelves on the walls, yet it had different hobbies scattered around the vicinity; among them was a telescope looking out a large bay window and a sewing machine, which Daniel currently occupied. He was pressing dark grey fabric through the needle. It looked to be made of flannel.

Chrysalis only took one step forward and Daniel's head shot up to look at her. There was a look of surprise on his face. He stood up quickly and walked over to her, saying, "Chrysalis, what are you doing? Get back into bed right now!"

Chrysalis was peeved to hear this. She may be broken, but she was still Queen of the Changelings, and no stranger was going to order her around. As soon as he had come within eighteen inches if her, she forcibly put a finger to his lips and stared deep into his eyes. She thought it time to use a new puppet.

"Listen, slave," she cooed in the most sultry voice she could manage, "Your Queen doesn't like it when her subjects talk back." Her eyes began to glow lime green, and she could see Daniel's eyes slowly following suit. "Yes...that's it," she said softly. "You don't think for me; I think for you." Daniel's eyes finally closed as he kept his erect posture. Chrysalis smiled with evil glee. She now had a mindless drone. Just a few thousand more, and she could rebuild what she had lost.

But Daniel opened his eyes again, and the green coloration was gone. Chrysalis wasn't surprised by this. Hypnotized subjects usually absorb the color before it appears in their eyes. What she was surprised by, however, was the fact that Daniel's face seemed to be slightly annoyed. Drones weren't supposed to show emotion unless instructed.

Then, slowly, she felt something go wrong. The hypnosis spell was quickly being cast out of his body. Chrysalis couldn't understand what was going wrong. It always worked before. Was she losing her magic? Was this creature immune to her magic? No. No, impossible...

She soon realized she was being led by the hand to the bedroom by a very agitated Daniel.

"This no time for games, Chrysalis. You are very hurt. You need to rest. Now."

He brought her back and sat her back down on the bedside, for she was still trying to process the shock from seeing her magic fail.

When she overcame her emotions, she noticed Daniel had left. She stood up, determined to find him and try her spell at least once more, but before she could even step out, he came back in with the flannel he had been sewing earlier. He held the clothes by the shoulders and flapped them out. Grey and green pajamas came forth from it. Chrysalis was about to try and hypnotize Daniel once more, but she eyed the pajamas curiously.

"What...are those, Daniel?" she asked. He smiled and held them out to her.

"Pajamas. I knitted them for you," he replied innocently. Chrysalis was transfixed on the flannel pajamas.

"Am I...do you expect me to wear that?" she said begrudgingly.

"No," Daniel answered. "Only if you feel cold. The Irish highlands get pretty chilly, even during the day."

Chrysalis felt odd. She felt that Daniel was treating her as a kind of pet. But still, she was a queen, and queens are to take offered gifts with gratitude, awful or insulting as they may seem. She supposed she could at least try them on and humor him. She could just throw them off when he left her alone. She took the pajamas from him and cautiously put them on. They were...surprisingly comfortable. She had never worn clothes in her life because, one, she didn't need them, and two, they looked uncomfortable. But this...this changed everything. Still, they were a bit itchy. She pretended not to be too excited.

"Hm...these are comfortable, I suppose," she commented. This kind gesture didn't do much, but Chrysalis had decided not to try and hypnotize him. He'll have other uses, she thought.

"You like them?" Daniel asked. "I got the wool from a friend at the small town not far from here."

He paused and continued, "So, Queen Chrysalis, how do you feel? Better?"

Chrysalis hadn't realized how much more loose she felt. "Yes," she said. "Whatever magic broth you made, it's done its job. I feel fine, so if you'll excuse me, I must go out and find somepony who may actually know how to go back to Equestria."

She stood up to leave, but Daniel immediately blocked her path. "What are you doing, foal?" she questioned sharply. "I command you let me pass. Your potion made me better, now move!""

"I'm afraid not," Daniel stated, his laid-back voice turning serious. "That potion wasn't magic, contrary to what you may believe."

Chrysalis drew back in surprise. "W-what!?" she cried. "You mean to tell me that you have no connection to magic!? Th...then how did you...?"

"A blend of natural painkillers laced with organic sedatives I grow on my roof," Daniel explained. He sighed. "I can see this is hard for you to understand, so I'll elaborate as much as possible: I'm no doctor, but I've studied human anatomy, and I believe that this carries over to you. You've effectively broken almost every bone in your body, or your exoskeleton, whichever, as well as a few internal organs suffering intermediate hemorrhaging. However, due to your insectoid traits, I think you'll pull through with enough rest."

"You do not understand," Chrysalis insisted. "I need to return to Equestria now. I still need to-"

Pain wracked through Chrysalis' body in a flash. The same pressure and stress from earlier returned with a vengeance. She screamed and doubled over. Daniel rushed in and supported her and helped her lie down in bed. She whimpered a little, silently pleading for death, just to end the pain. He ran off again and came back with a pill and glass of water. He dropped the pill into the glass and brought it to her lips, like before.

"Shh," he tried to comfort her. "Drink this."

Chrysalis took a small sip of water, leaving the pill still suspended. "All of it," he said.

She did so without question, but she mumbled, "Will...will this *erk!* h-heal me?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, but it will ease the pain. I'm sorry. I wish I could just wave my hand and make you better, but bones don't work like that," he sighed. "Especially ribs."

Chrysalis winced as the spasms of pain faded away, however gradually. "Just try to keep as still as you can," Daniel advised her. He got up to leave when he thought of something that might help his guest feel better. "Queen Chrysalis?"

She only opened one eye. "Do you...want a goodnight kiss?" he finished.

Chrysalis scoffed in disgust. "Why do you think you should give me a goodnight kiss?"

Daniel nodded to her humbly. "Only a suggestion, ma'am." He gently closed the door, leaving Chrysalis in the dark room.

Chrysalis sighed. Sleeping facing a pure satin ceiling was boring. Maybe if it had been her chambers, she could count the organic webbing that stretched to the roof. She lamented over how her magic had failed her, and how she could enslave Daniel some other way. She knew that if she kept her indifferent demeanor, he wouldn't suspect she was plotting anything, so perhaps she could overpower him with sheer force...at least when her body mended. She constantly thought about the best way to take him down until sleep claimed her.

Daniel had waited outside Chrysalis' room for an hour before he was sure she was asleep. Then, slowly, he opened her door to see her form on the bed, blissfully snoring the night away. He walked up to her side and planted a light kiss on her cheek and walked back out.