Ponyville, Equestria. A lovely little town, just out of the way, filled to bursting with a good community of hard working ponies. It wasn't the sticks, but it was no city either. It was just the right mix of the two. It was just as it neared nightfall, the pegasus had a scheduled rainstorm to prepare. On the weather team was the famous Rainbow Dash, a cyan pegasus of much renown. But, this story isn't her's.
Just on the outskirts of town there was a forest, known by all as Everfree Forest. A dangerous place full of hostile creatures, poisonous plants, all manor of creepy-crawlies, and one dragon. This dragon was, however, probably the least threatening thing in that forest. He was known as Spike, and for at least a year now, he had been living out there.
The wind howled outside the cave's mouth, and he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. He hated thunder, and couldn't sleep while it was booming just outside his home. He prepared himself for a full night of laying on the cold floor to wait out the storm.
He had grown, very much so, over the years he had lived in Ponyville. He was just happy he had grown only to be the size of an average adult stallion. At first he had been distraught by the mere notion that he would need to leave, but he had slowly become accustomed to living on his own, and was even enjoying it at this point. Besides, it wasn't like he was far from his friends and surrogate sister.
He silently wondered to himself, letting his mind drift, trying to ignore the patter of rain just outside. He was getting to the age where his instincts wanted him to settle down with a nice dragoness and have some hatchlings. Sadly, he knew of no female dragons anywhere near Ponyville, and that is besides the fact that most dragons, no matter the gender, were hostile to the point of savagery. He let his thoughts go to a certain mare he'd known for a long time. Rarity was beautiful, to be sure, as well as generous and kind to her friends. But she had settled down ages ago with somepony else, shattering his dreams of being with her.
Spike let out a sigh, he wouldn't go down that road again. He had decided long ago that he would let her be happy, if he really loved her then he would have to. Besides, just thinking about it made him depressed.
The sound of insects was almost deafening, but to the former queen it gave her a sense of belonging, reminding her of home, of her family. The fireflies were flying low, which means they predicted rain. She just hoped they were wrong, as she had no shelter at the moment. Of course, as if just to spite her, she felt a drop of water fall on her head. She groaned in displeasure, just great.
Chrysalis started her full gallop through the forest, dodging bushes, low branches, and roots. She would need to find somewhere to stay until the storm blew over, lest she be soaked to the bone. She remembered when she didn't need to hide, back when she had a whole swarm of minions at her beck and call, back when she was still a leader, doing everything she could for her subjects. It felt like decades had passed since that day when she lost her reign when, in reality, it was ten years ago. That fateful day she tried to take over Canterlot.
Then she spotted it, coming to a screeching halt, a cave. Perfect! She could wait out the storm there. Just in time, too, as the downpour had just started in earnest. A clap of thunder signaled her to go inside with gusto. The inside of the cave was the same temperature as outside, but at least it was dry. The queen herself hadn't changed at all over the years, physically at least. Her mentality hadn't taken much of a blow, either. One would expect to be humbled by years of exile, but not her. All her outcast-status had done was assert her survivalist nature. She would feed where it was possible, travelers and small animals, easy targets. Then she would wander, always looking for more.
Speaking of 'more,' she heard movement, a sort of scraping sound. Spike dragged his claws across the stone ground as he shifted, he could' have sworn he heard somepony come in. He rose to his feet and glanced around, he saw his few belongings, mostly just trinkets, not much of a hoard. He saw what, at first, he thought were emeralds, floating in the darkness. But he quickly realized, emeralds don't float. His instincts kicked in, it was an intruder, somepony who didn't belong here.
Chrysalis watched as the dragon rose to his full height, and boy was he unimpressive. She had been under the impression dragons were huge, fire-breathing, monsters. Something you would run from. His scales were purple, purple for goodness sake. You can't be scary and purple! She decided, she could take him, probably with ease too.
“Who's there?” He called, trying his best to sound threatening. It didn't work, as a hint of fear could be heard. He was on edge, and she hadn't even done anything yet. This would be easy. She approached him, taking calm, even steps until she was mere feet from the dragon. He glowered at her, obviously not recognizing the changeling. “What do you want?” He questioned, sounding much more confidant then before. He probably thought she was just some mare thanks to the low light. His wings unfurl and expand outward, making him seem larger and more powerful by extent, but his wings are far from mighty and all it does is make her hold back a laugh.
“My, my. We are hostile, aren't we?” She drawls in a bored tone, taking a few more careful steps toward him. She's close now, almost close enough that he can see her clearly. This mare, she sounds familiar to him, but it's a distant memory and he can't place it. “I'm simply trying to get out of the rain, can't you just bare with me until it lets up?” She sounds innocent, though she is far from it. The first thing that should have set off a red flag was that she didn't even flinch at the sight of him. He may not be a dangerous dragon to most, but he was still a dragon, and that scares most ponies. He didn't take notice, however.
He slowly reeled in his wings and folded them at his sides, not taking his eyes off her shadowy figure. There was something alluring about her, even if he couldn't see her clearly, despite himself he could feel his heartbeat quicken. She was so close now, he could make out only a few details. He cursed his extremely dim cave. The intruder had a horn, so she must have been a unicorn, though something was definitely off.
Chrysalis was so close she could touch him, she could feel the faint hint of something in the air, swirling like cigarette smoke. Invisible to most creatures, the emotion called 'love' was a delectable treat to her kind, and this dragon was experiencing it. She nearly laughed, he didn't even see her clearly and he was infatuated. This could work to her advantage.
Spike cursed his hormones, he didn't know this mare. She was too close now, her felt something dry and hard drag across his scaly chest and he nearly jumped through the ceiling at the unexpected touch. Chrysalis drew small circles on his chest with her hoof, smirking as she felt him shiver. He thoughts were hazy, a single thought piercing through the muck. Run away. He tried, to his credit, but his legs refused to respond to any stimulus.
She could taste it now, his love, so close to it, all she would need to do now is reach up and take it for herself. Nothing would stop her, so she did just that. Spike closed his eyes, he felt fear, unbridled terror. Whoever this was had some sort of power over him, and he didn't like it one bit. All those instinctive thoughts, however, fled him when he felt something dry brush over his lips. It was hard and cold, he wanted to fight against it, but instead he snaked his arms around whatever had captured his mouth. She felt his arms around her neck and smirked into the kiss, just the reaction she was looking for.
Chrysalis let her tongue glide gently over his scaly lips, demanding entrance. Spike granted it, and instantly regretted the action. As soon as he opened his mouth he felt her forked tongue shoot down into his throat, it was dry, contrary to what one would think, and it tasted sour. He wanted to gag, but even basic reflexes ignored him. He wanted to fight back so much, but couldn't muster the courage for the actions. He just stood there, stock still as he was ravished by the strange mare. He couldn't say he enjoyed it, but some twisted part of him told him he couldn't say he didn't either.
Chrysalis thought he tasted divine, in both a physical sense and an emotional sense. His love would sate her thirst, and she thought, for just a second, she might even keep him. Spike felt exhausted, and extremely so. One of the side effects of having your emotions eaten by a Changeling, as he would find out eventually. But right now, it was getting to be a bit too much to handle. He felt like he would faint dead away. His grip on the mare's neck started to slack, and continue to get more and more loose until he had let go all together.
Chrysalis felt him release her from his hold, only to stare into her eyes, obviously conflicted. She let her smirk turn into a full grin, he was wobbling, back and forth, trying to stay standing. She might have gotten a bit carried away with her feeding, but it was of no consequence. Spike was going to fall, he could tell, he knew it was coming, but hadn't the strength to brace himself. He just let it happen, his vision blurring substantially, he collapsed. He expected the ground to come rushing to meet him, but it never did. He felt a tingling sensation all around him as he was slowly laid on the floor of his cave. He didn't register how cold it was this time, he was numb, and if his mind wasn't so clouded, he would've realized that.
It would do her no good if her new toy were to break on the stone, so Chrysalis saw it fit to save him the pain of hitting it full force. She let him down gently, and almost within seconds he was out like a light. The former changeling queen licked her lips, savoring the lingering taste of his lips, the taste itself almost like fire. Yes, she would definitely keep him. She lowered herself next to him, cuddling into his prone form, and closing her eyes. The buzz the emotions had given her would keep her up for some time, but soon enough she would drift into a restful slumber.
The sunlight pierced through the canopy, dyed a pleasant shade of light green from the leaves. Chrysalis was trying her best to enjoy it, the sounds of the forest accompanying the warming rays brilliantly. However, she had a remnant of a thought. When that dragon awoke, she would need to strike some fear into him, force him to keep her a secret from whatever visitors he would have. It's not that she didn't enjoy the fact that she could terrorize a dragon, a creature not usually on the receiving end of such a thing, it was just that she didn't want to exert herself too much. Stress was not good for a changeling, after all.
A small stream had formed near the cave, not too close but not too far. A perfect place for a drink, which she realized she desperately needed. Chrysalis trotted over to it and inspected it with a critical eye. Nothing seemed overly wrong with it, so she lowered her head and started to drink from the brook. The water was clean, and definitely refreshing, she relished the hydrating water, her mind blank of all troubled thoughts.
Spike was beginning to stir, he unconsciously clawed at the floor beside him. Something was missing, a source of warmth that had been there previously. Realizing that whatever had been there was gone now, his mind started to awaken, relieving him of the clouds that fogged it. His eyes fluttered open on their own accord, and he was met with the dim light of the cave he had grown so used too. Now it seemed to cramped and depressing then ever before.
“It seems the beast has awoken.” Came a voice, he instinctively turned toward the noise, his mind suddenly alert. There she stood, the mare he had seen so little of the night before. The memories, which had been lost on him only a moment ago, had come back to him in full force. She had kissed him, and he had kissed back, though not consciously. Seeing her in the full lighting, he couldn't imagine what had attracted him to her. Her body was unshapely, the creature's horn was bent at odd angles and she had strange holes in her hooves, mane, and wings. That was to only name a few of the things wrong with the way she looked. He had to admit, somewhere in the back of his mind, she was a good kisser. He tried to raise himself up, to curse at her, to spit in her general direction, but he couldn't find the strength. He settled on just cursing at her.
“What the buck are you?” He questioned, and much to his dismay, she laughed at his struggle.
“I don't think I will tell you.” She spoke through her fit of giggles. He was such a sorry sight that she couldn't contain herself.
Spike tried a different tactic. “What do you want with me?” And for his trouble, she was on him in a second. Her hoof pressing down on his head, he hadn't the courage or power to fight back as she started to press down. It didn't really hurt, but the fact she could do this to him was shameful to the dragon.
“I want one simple thing,” She chose her words carefully and spoke slowly, like talking to a child. “love.” Her wicked grin unnerved him, and he wondered just how far she would go to get the love she wanted to fiercely. Chrysalis released his head from underhoof and strode around the cave, he followed her with his eyes, which he couldn't keep off her flank for whatever reason. A sudden force pushed him against the cave wall, he saw through squinted eyes that, even though she wasn't facing him, the mare's horn was glowing. She was trying to rough him up!
“What makes you think I'd give you what you want?” He croaked, he didn't want some weird filly pushing him around like he was her punching bag.
“Give? What makes you think that I need you to give it to me when I can just..” She trotted over to him until she was close enough that he could feel her breath on his face. “Take it.”
The changeling didn't seem to care about whatever he wanted. In their current position, he could even feel her smile. It drove him crazy, just how different she was then anypony else he knew, it made him that special mix of anger and sadness that formed depression. She was dominant over him, and she knew it.
That fact was most apparent now, while she captures his lips with her own. It was nothing like the stories he had read. There were no fireworks, time did not slow down for them, no eternity waited on them, she did not taste sweet or like any real kind of fruit, she had a unique sour tang. Instead of all this, he felt a gaping hole in his chest, a pit in his stomach that he thought would never fill. It was wrong, just so wrong. She wasn't pleasant, she wasn't perfect, she was far from it. She was evil, she was tainted and ugly. Most of all, she was horrible, and he hated himself for enjoying the sensation.
He had, lately, felt so strong relative to the ponies he had come to know. He felt powerful, and great, like he could take Big Mac in a fight and come out on top, even. Now he felt so frail, so weak, like he was nothing and she was everything. He felt like he would die right then and there, only to be risen from his ashen remains like a phoenix by her power over him. The kiss wasn't passionate, it wasn't loving, it was forceful and filled with need, but at the same time a lack of want. She didn't want him, she needed him. Something about that made him feel pride, the kind of pride that comes with being useful. He didn't want to feel that pride, it wasn't right. The lip-lock, however, didn't last long. A mere few seconds and she pulled away from him and slowly let him slide down the wall until he was met with the floor, he felt so powerless. He wanted to sob, but couldn't find the energy to do even that.
Chrysalis licked her lips and watched him sit there, staring ahead. The thousand-yard stare was a well known sign of trauma. He was shell-shocked, she couldn't help but let out a little giggle. The dragon was broken so easily, he probably never even kissed a mare before this and now she was forcing herself on him. She could feel the power coursing through her, it was the love she wanted oh so much. She had looked for it before, made elaborate plans on how to get it, and now she had it in the most simple of ways.
Spike took in a shaky breath, inhaling deep and filling his lungs until he felt a stab of pain. He wanted to dissolve into the floor, to disappear and be done with this mess. The changeling would never allow that, though. She needed him alive if she was going to feed on him. The drake released his held breath when the monster in question decided she had better things to do, like wander around his cave. She never really took the chance to survey what would probably be her home until further notice.
It was rather drab and empty. A small hoard of various gems in the corner, which he stockpiled as a sort of emergency snack supply. A few pictures tacked to the walls with some sort of sticky putty. A large, forest green comforter blanket that looked like it could cover her and two others completely and still leave room. Even a bookshelf housing a few tomes. Yeah, this place was a dump. It obviously needed a mare's touch. She began to formulate ideas on how to improve the living area when she heard a low growl.
At first, she assumed it was her dinner, growing a pair and trying to intimidate her once more. However, once she turned to the noise, she saw his mouth firmly shut, his eyes closed, and a hand on his belly. She recalled that she needed him alive, and he was obviously to weak to even move, let alone feed himself. Damn it all to Tartarus...
She strode over to him and delivered a swift, though not to harsh, kick to the side. He groaned in response, not bothering to make any attempt to fight back. He couldn't anyway, he was to tired from the seemingly constant molestation. Chrysalis gave him a moan of agitation to rival his pained noises. She was hoping it wouldn't come to this.
She really wished it wouldn't have come to this. Feeding the poor bastard wasn't exactly her idea of a fun time, especially when he was resisting. In fact, why was he resisting? It was just food, damn it!
“Just open your mouth already.” Chrysalis growled, earning a tired glare from the rebellious dragon and nothing else. Chrysalis was agitated for even needing to feed him, now she was confused as to why he'd deny the meat she'd gotten. What else do dragons eat, if not a nice, juicy slice of innocent, wild animal?
Truth be told, Spike wanted to puke, but his stomach was so empty that nothing would come up. How could she kill something and then expect him to eat it?! He wasn't about to give in and eat something so sick if he could help it. It was at this thought that he suddenly found his air supply cut off. Something was covering his nose, meaning he would need to open his mouth to breathe. Spike tried his damnedest to keep his mouth shut, but it was becoming harder by the second. He gave the changeling another glare, seeing her horn aglow. It was obvious she was trying to get him to eat that food, if one could even call it that.
It wasn't long before his pitiful struggle was proven futile, not that he didn't know from the start. He gasped for air, taking it in greedily before something was shoved into his maw, something warm and slimy. He gagged on it and tried to spit out the disgusting thing, only to find that now she had forced his mouth closed with her sickly green magic. He wanted someone to show up, anyone. One of the princesses, Twilight, hell even Fluttershy would be great.
No one came.
With no other options, he swallowed the dead meat. It left a strange after taste in his mouth, not that it mattered what it tasted like. It was once a living, breathing thing just like himself and he had just eaten it. He could feel what little bile had formed in his stomach start to rise.
“One would think a dragon of all things would love to have a nice meal fed to him.” The changeling crowed, looking down at Spike strangely. She must think he's a freak or something, not that he cared. He thought she was a freak too. The dragon found his voice, though it was tired.
“You'd think...” His sarcasm wasn't very becoming, but then, he was a dragon. He motioned to the pile of gems. “I'm a vegetarian.” He informed, anger evident, though not prominent. He merely received laughter for his trouble.
“A dragon? A vegetarian? I've never heard anything so ridiculous!” She howled. Spike wanted to slug her, even if she was a mare. He was raised to never hit a girl, but it's hard to think that way when one is this cruel. Once her laughter finally subsided she turned to Spike to see him finding the floor very interesting. Her words hurt, yeah, but what hurt more was that he couldn't see an end to this.
All he could do was hope somepony found him soon.
Elsewhere, a certain purple mare's eyes lazily drifted to her bedside clock, which hadn't stopped it's incessant beeping. The two have been battling it out for nearly a half an hour, if the clock itself was to be believed, but Twilight Sparkle was never one for giving up.
Well, sometimes, at least.
The gifted unicorn had a bad feeling all morning. Though, her logical mind told her it was just her usual worrying about Spike. It came daily, really. As she threw the clock against the wall with such force it rattled the bookshelf nearby, she couldn't help but feel regret. She missed having him in the library, his childish laughter, his immature wit, heck, she even missed his embarrassed groaning every time he did something stupid.
The trails of thought stopped, she couldn't go down that road. Twilight had already dealt with the issue regarding his housing, and made sure he was walking distance from Ponyville. Even made sure he was in a (relatively) safe part of Everfree Forest. She had nothing to worry about.
Then why was she so scared for him all the sudden?
Trying her best to ignore her growing concern, she carefully traversed the steps down into the library's main room and unlocked the entrance with a quiet click. What she wasn't expecting was for a blur of pink motion to throw the door opened and nearly topple her onto a stack of books. In the back of her mind, she thought, she missed having someone clean up after her as well. If Pinkie hadn't caught her and held her in place as she spouted words at mach five, she would have fallen into the book mountain.
“-And someponies in serious trouble!” The pink earth pony with the cotton candy mane cried, though that was the only part Twilight caught.
“Whoa there, Pinkie Pie. Who's in trouble?” Twilight questioned, finally regaining her composure and allowing Pinkie to release her.
“I don't know, but whoever it is, we need to find them! See? Twitchy leg, itchy mane, and- Ow!- bubbly stomach.” She recited. Pinkie senses, something no one but Pinkie could ever hope to understand. While Twilight would have questioned her about a shower, considering the itchy mane, or even how she might have eaten to much sweets, she knew better.
This was Pinkie Pie they were talking about, of course.
“Should we tell the police?” Twilight asked, uncertain. What would the police even do, with nothing to go on but some random pink mare saying nothing more then someone's in trouble? “Do you have anything else to go on?” Twilight always wanted to be a detective, all those mystery novels certainly helped!
“Twitchy leg, its someone we know.” The pink pony spoke solemnly and suddenly, Twilight's bad feeling rocketed up to intense worry.
“Could it be... Spike?” She interrogated, her voice laced with worry.
“Could be.” Pinkie said, and that's all Twilight needed. She took off at full gallop, her mind in a haze of concern.
Her lips tasted just as sour as last time, and her tongue just as intrusive. It wrapped around his and attacked like a angry serpent, striking his again and again. Her curves felt strange against his body as he was forced to the ground, with the changeling on top of him. Her carapace was dry and cold against his scales, though the feeling, while alien to him, was... Good.
Good. Everything about his situation could be described as the opposite, and yet here he was, his vision blurred, his brain refusing to respond to any stimulus, besides one. Love her. Love her physically, and somehow, emotionally. Though he couldn't bring himself to accept that, he couldn't dwell on it now. He could merely hold onto her as she forced herself upon him
He loved every second, and hated himself more and more as he did.
