Author's Note

Character Coding:

Queen Chrysalis
Lily
Chrysalis's Mother

Questioning

I awoke to a strange but welcomed sight before me. Right beside me was Lily with a tray on her back with Pancakes, eggs, and, oh sweet Jesus, BAAACOOOONNNNN! I stared at her and the plate of bacon like it was some cruel trick Lily was playing on me because of what had happened yesterday but after staring for a couple minutes, it was still there.

"Good morning daddy. I brought you breakfast so you didn't have to get up and hurt yourself." Lily said, snapping me back from my bacon induced trance.

"Oh, well thank you sweetie. I appreciate that but have you eaten yet?" I asked as she laid down my tray.

"No, not yet. I wanted to wait for you to wake up so that I can eat with you. Is that okay?" She asked shyly as she tapped her hooves together.

"Of course it's alright Lily. I don't mind sharing my food with you." I said as I smiled down to the adorable filly.

She hopped to sit next to me as I brought the food closer to us and poured syrup onto the pancakes, took a piece, and fed it to her before cutting another piece for myself. I had to admit that these were really good that it was starting to make me question why I never thought to just stay for breakfast. I would usually go out and gather my own would food because I didn't want to bother running into Chrysalis there as I learned that she does in fact go get her own breakfast rather than have a servant bring it to her.

The two of us just sat there and ate in peaceful silence. When we were finished Lily took the plate back herself. I would've said something but seeing how the medic are keeping a close eye on me and they didn't want me moving I don't really have much of a say in the matter. So here I was waiting for Lily to come back as I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling. I sat up when I heard the door open but wished I hadn't as soon as I saw who had came into the medical wing. Heading directly towards me was Queen Chrysalis with her ever present glare she had whenever she was around me. I didn't keep her gaze for long as I slumped back into bed as I didn't really have any means of escape.

"Looks like you suffered through quite a few injuries yesterday didn't you?" She asked as she appeared by the side of the bed. I didn't bother saying anything as I knew I would somehow lead to her yelling at me about something and I wasn't really in the mood for it. "Still refusing to speak to me I see, well much longer and I may have to kick you out of the hive. Don't want your defiant behavior spreading to the rest of the Hive now do we?"

"Of course you have to kick me out. It would disrupt the order of how things have worked out for me in this world so far. Be discovered, live with whoever found me, make some friends, then do or say something stupid, and finally be kicked out and leave the only one that cares about me. It's definitely a cycle that'll keep repeating until I find some place in this world where I can live alone in peace." I said that more to myself more than anything considering that it was running through my head throughout breakfast. I know that it has only happened once so far and is about to happen again but I can't help but feel that no matter where I go that'll be the cycle until I'm either dead or isolated.

"You really do have a bleak outlook on life don't you?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah well it doesn't help the fact that I was forced to grow a whole lot faster than needed. Being forced to practically leave your childhood without anyone to help guide you at all really does a number a person. I've been forced to keep myself a secret for as long as I could remember and all I can remember is the loneliness that I've been shrouded in my whole life. The only ones to actually attempt to break through that darkness I have been, or will be, forced to leave behind to protect them from suffering." I'm not sure what has happened to my good mood but with the way I've been speaking for just the last fews minutes it seems like it was never there to begin with.

"Well then I guess it's about time I've apologized for my own behavior for the past few months now shouldn't I?" She said in an apologetic tone as her features softened.

"What do you mean? What do you have to apologize for, I'm the who's been an ass since I've gotten here." I looked at her as i said that, confusion etched on my features.

"Well I know that the reason you've been avoiding me is because of what happened when I asked you about your past. I realized not soon after that I was being harsh. You've been through a lot in your life that has forced you to automatically put up barriers to keep yourself feel safe. I know that you didn't mean to snap at me like that but there was lingering doubt sitting in my mind which is I approached you the way I did. I wanted to see if everything that you were feeling was real and not a ruse to convince me to let you stay with the Hive for reasons harmful to my changelings. You can understand that, can't you?" I only nodded before she continued Truth be told though I would very much preferred to keep you here as you've been a big help in improving the Hive and without even having to be asked from what I've heard. So David I want to end this with saying that I truly am sorry for the way I've treated you so far and I do hope that you do plan to stay but I'll understand if want to leave as soon as you're healed." Chrysalis apologized with her head down before turning around to walk away.

She looked back at me with surprise when I grabbed her hind leg though she smiled soon after when she spotted my own smile. I used my other hand to wrap under her barrel before I used what little strength I had to lay her on top of me making a cute little 'eep' noise when I lifted her up. I layed her down so that we stomach to stomach and her head on my chest which made her relax. "I forgive you Chrysi. I know you don't think I can be that forgiving, especially I know that you knew I was right there when Lily ran to you asking to protect her from the tickle monster. Heard the underlying threat that was clear by your tone when you said that you would have the guards take care of it," I felt her tense up at the mention of that as she used my chest and her hair to hide her face.

I cupped her chin in my hand and forced her to look at me and saw that tears were threatening to spill and I knew that she felt bad for what she had said. "Chrysi," I said stern to get her to look me in the eyes and returned my smile once she did, "I know you feel bad about that and I want you to know that I harbor no ill will towards you. Despite me avoiding you I still looked to you as a friend." Her tears started flowing freely after I said she was my friend and she pressed her muzzle into the crook of my neck.

"How....."

"How what?"

"How can you just say I'm your friend after that? How can you be so forgiving when I could have taken Lily from you? How can you still be willing to fight the same forces that seem to be bent on making you suffer!? There isn't a soul out there that wouldn't have given up already on end it themselves if they had suffered through the same miseries that you've been fighting for so long now. So how can you just keep being so strong willed after all of that!?" She shouted as with each passing second her sobbing and voice grew louder and louder while I held on to her. I know what answer she's looking for, the answer she wants to her for herself so she knows that she's doing something right as she already knows the same questions that she has just asked.

"Because Chrysi, as long as I'm willing to put in the effort, I can beat the odds that have stacked against me and use them to better myself. Because with each new challenge that presents itself I grow stronger, but it is mostly because I refuse to rollover and be kicked around, to let the world, the universe, to just sit there and say that I'm worthless. I'll fight as long as I have to to make that I shape my life the way I want to be and not what others think it should be. As long as I'm still kicking nothing is bringin me down without a fight!" I say that last part with as much conviction and determination as I can and hoping that it'll give her the strength she needs to finally move on from her failures and look towards success. I've watched a few times during all these months and I can tell by her hesitation on things regarding military movements or justing sending her soldiers to scavenge for supplies. She still feels bad for leading her changelings into the invasion of Canterlot and come out of that with even less than what they already had. Despite how many times they tell her that it wasn't her fault that they lost, that her wasn't her fault that Twilight had seen through her disguise when nopony else didn't, she still insisted that she was the reason why they've failed so many other times before and after the invasion.

By what I've heard though, it sounds as though Chrysalis may be beating herself up over these 'failures' for a different reason, and that reason being her mother. I've talked with others in the Hive to find out more about her as a way to figure out the best way to apologize and in the process found out a few other things that rather shocked me. As it turns out, Chrysalis never wanted to be queen, which explains why she never asks her 'servants' to do something like getting her breakfast, but her mother had forced her into it anyway. A lot of the things that Chrysalis has done has been because of her mother forcing her to try and be more like her older sisters. I don't the names of any of them but I swear the next time they try anything I will be there to help her out.

It is because of her mother and sisters that all of the other races that roam this world hate changelings and Chrysalis has been trying to change that. That may be slim now considering she invaded Canterlot and bested Celestia but maybe with my help I could help her but I needed that my suit and weapons to be built in order to do that. Before I could go further into detail in my thoughts though I felt a wet sensation on my cheeks which snapped me out of my reverie. I looked to Chrysalis to see that her tears were gone and she was smiling again.

"Thank you David, for everything you've done for me and this hive. You truly have been a blessing to us and I don't mean because you're letting us feed on your love for Lily. It is a bonus though as the other foals have been healthier than we've had in decades thanks to you going down to the nursery to play with them."

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything cute." I probably shouldn't have said that as she got an evil smile spreading across her muzzle.

"Oh really now, so if I were to turn into an adorable little puppy or kitten and I asked you to rut me silly would you do it?" She said with a sinister smile.

"No, no I wouldn't."

"Aaawwwww, why not. Don't you think that I would look cute as a little kitty?" She pouted at my refusal.

"You would definitely look cute as a kitty, yes, but what I meant was that you wouldn't have to change at all to ask me to do something." I told her with a sincere smile as she blushed at the implication.

"Mr. Herrera, are you flirting with me?" She asked, still blushing.

"Aaarrrggg, no, never call me that again Chrysi!" I shouted as I threw my arms up in the air.

"But I want tooooo." She said acting all cutesy.

"No matter how cute you are I won't make any compromises, I wouldn't even let Lily call me that."

"Oh alright." She said as she laid her head over her crossed hooves on my chest for a moment before she lifted it to look at me again. "Actually David, there was another reason why I came down here."

"Oh, and what reason would that be? Actually hold on, before you answer that I have to ask. Where the hell is Lily? She went to drop off the tray that we used for breakfast a while ago and still hasn't come back." I asked as I started getting a bad feeling about something.

Chrysalis was about to say something but it would seem that I asked a pointless question. "I'm right here daddy." Lily said from the left side of the bed before jumping up and laying next to Chrysalis. "I was waiting for you a the queen to finish talking so I didn't say anything."

"Well that's weird." I said scratching my head.

"What is?" Chrysi asked with her head tilted.

"Usually when I get a feeling something bad is about to happen it usually does. It wouldn't appear if it was something like worrying about Lily if she was right here the whole, whether or not I knew it, so it must be about something else."

"Like what?" I was about to give her my suggestions when we all heard a voice about ten feet away from my bed.

"Well, well ,well, it would appear that my daughter has finally gotten herself a mate, and an exotic looking one at that." We heard another mare say as I saw Chrysalis' eyes shrink down to pinpricks and I knew who it was.

We all turned to face the newcomer to find that there were in fact four of them but it seemed that the biggest of the four was the one that had spoke. We stared at them for awhile before, with a nervous edge in her voice, she said, "H-hello m-mother."