Can a Changeling Really Change?
Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings and ruler of the Love-Starved Lands, groaned as she pried her eyes open. She let out an eloquent yawn before she realized she was not in her own bed.
She shot upright – thrown off by the soft, encompassing feeling beneath her, she crashed back down onto the bed. It was a bed... a soft, luxurious bed, in a spacious bedchamber. But how had she gotten here? She couldn't remember right away. She didn't recognize this part of the palace... and why was she un-disguised?
Quickly, she flashed green and changed back to her Princess Cadenza disguise. Hopefully nopony had seen her while she foolishly slept in such an exposed way! Today was the day of the inva... Wait, no. That had to have been just a bad dream, a nightmare.
But it would explain why she was in a bed she didn't recognize, why she was in changeling form.
How could this have happened? She had it all planned out perfectly! Her poor drones – what had become of them? Her poor self! Where was she? How had she gotten here? She didn't remember anything after the point when the real Cadance and her fiance sent out that big burst of light-love. It would have been so delicious if it hadn't been so... destructive.
The room around her was bare and circular, leading up to a high dome at the top where some sort of pony-magic lamp burned. There was one door on the opposite side from the bed, and a notable lack of windows. A prison then. It was a richly appointed room, opulent even... but gilded as the bars may be, it was still a cage.
She rose and paced around the room. It didn't take long. She would have preferred to stomp menacingly on cold stone, but the plush carpet did feel marvelous on her sore hooves.
The brass door opened. A royal guard stepped just inside, and she could see he had at least two more flanking him, perhaps more in the hallway outside where she couldn't see. “You have been summoned to the throne room. Come with us.”
He brusquely marched back out without another word.
One of Chrysalis' eyebrows slowly rose. Just what did these ponies think they were doing? Only one way to find out.
Outside, after only the first turn, she recognized where she was. She'd been prowling this palace for months already, after all. The throne room shouldn't be far, and indeed, it soon loomed ahead.
The guards had kept a close eye on her – too close an eye for a newlywed pony princess. They weren't buying her disguise... but they weren't attacking either. She could make a break for it now, but alone without her drones, in the middle of the most closely guarded castle in all of Equestria, completely unsure of her situation... now wasn't the time. She needed to figure out what had happened and what the ponies intended to do to her.
When the throne room doors opened, Chrysalis calmly and proudly walked through, still imitating Cadenza. Whatever faced her there, she would face it like royalty – like a queen.
Princess Celestia looked down from her gaudy throne and smiled at her faux niece. “Welcome, Queen Chrysalis.”
That settled it. Her disguise wasn't fooling anypony.
Celestia glanced at her guards. “I can handle her. Leave us, please.” And with that, they departed, closing the door behind them with an ominous thud.
Chrysalis shed her disguise. No reason to waste the energy – she might need it.
“Thank you. I must admit, it was somewhat disconcerting to see you like that again.”
“Hmph.” Chrysalis turned her nose up. “I want my lawyer.”
That earned her a slight squint from the pony on the throne.
Her stomach complained, and captive as she was, she elected to elevate its concerns up the chain of command: “And a sandwich would be nice, too.”
“Chrysalis...”
Putting even more haught into her haughty aloofness, Chrysalis turned away in disgust.
“Chrysalis?”
She continued ignoring the big white oaf's manifestly deliberate snub.
“Chrysalis, we need to talk.”
She wasn't getting the hint. With an eloquent eye roll that was completely wasted for being pointed away from the Princess, Chrysalis reached up and pointedly flicked the little bundle of antennae on the top of her head, making them wiggle back and forth slightly.
There was a slight pause and then, “Oh... Honestly, I thought we wouldn't get caught up in such formalities.”
Chrysalis continued to wait her out.
“Very well. Queen Chrysalis, we have much to discuss.”
“Not likely,” Chrysalis responded. “I do not wish to discuss the manner of your plans for my demise.” She gave a withering glance. “No spoilers.”
Infuriatingly patient as ever, Celestia didn't let her polite smile slip in the slightest. “That is not what I asked you here to talk about.”
“Nice weather we're having, isn't it? Sunny. But you knew that already, didn't you?”
That brought a long, slow sigh. Excellent – Celestia was becoming agitated! “Neither did I bring you here to remark upon the weather.”
“Thank goodness. You're positively intolerable when the subject of sunshine comes up, or at least you were last time we met.”
The Princess glanced away. “That was a very long time ago.”
“Not long enough.”
“Too long.” Celestia glared down at her sternly, which was not without effect. “Although you needn't worry about your demise, I did bring you here to discuss your fate.”
“A confession! I knew it!” Chrysalis danced across the throne room's vast expanse of polished marble with undue glee. “So what is it? Torture? Brainwashing? Endless rotting in a dark cell?”
Another sigh. “I had hoped we could rekindle the friendship we once shared, back when you styled yourself 'Princess of the Flutterponies'.”
Her dancing stopped abruptly, and she gave Celestia a smug, accusatory grin. “Ah, so brainwashing it is.”
“You are making this more difficult than it needs to be.”
Chrysalis bowed low – obscenely low. She scraped her horn against the marble. “My sincerest apologies if my life and/or free will is causing you any inconvenience at all, Your Highness.”
Celestia just shook her head slightly. It was infuriatingly difficult to get a rise out of her. “First of all, since you are a very dangerous creature, you will be stripped of your magic.”
“What? ... What?” She couldn't do that! There was no spell in all the known—
A flood of warm, yellow magic rushed into Chrysalis. She struggled against it, throwing up a hasty shield, but bereft of her love-energy from Shining Armor and depleted after yesterday's fight, she didn't stand a chance. The hot solar magic cut through her shield and burned through her crooked horn. She could feel the connection snapping. Her link to all the power in the universe was... broken. She felt sick... but she didn't let that weakness show on the outside.
“Ugh...” Well, maybe it would end up showing on the outside a little anyway. “So now that you've rendered me helpless, what will it be? Hard labor in the Crystal Mines? Sex slave? A caged court pet to amuse your petitioners? So many options – which is to be my fate?”
“My intent is for you to stay with me and learn the magic of true friendship.”
“Alas! The cruelest fate of all.” Chrysalis shook a hoof at the ponies' imaginary sky goddess. “I was hoping for the mines.”
Celestia's face scrunched up slightly. “I can tell today isn't a very good day for this...”
“Yesterday was much better.”
“... but I can afford to be patient.” Celestia's horn glowed, and she spoke with a peculiar ethereal, piercing quality: “Return to us, please.”
The guards – more than a dozen of them now – burst in through the enormous doors, nearly breaking them down in the process, all eager to rush to their Princess' aid. Evidently, after yesterday's defeat, they weren't as confident in Celestia's abilities as she herself was. Perhaps that was an exploitable weakness...
But when they saw Chrysalis and Celestia calmly facing each other and talking, the guards slowed and composed themselves... with a certain air of disappointment.
Celestia nodded at them. “Thank you.” To Chrysalis, she said, “Silver Spur and his squad will escort you back to your room and give you the time you need to come to terms with how things turned out. I will also arrange for the kitchens to bring you a suitable meal... any requests?”
“Your heart, medium rare on a silver platter and, hm... a good Merlot? No, Chardonnay would be better. Something crisp.”
The guards scowled at her with adorable levels of menace.
Celestia only widened her grin slightly. “I'm afraid they're all out of royal heart at the moment... but I'll see what I can do about the Chardonnay.”
* * *
Princess Celestia knocked on the holding chamber's door. She refused to think of it as a cell.
Though she waited a truly excessive amount of time, there was no response. Was the Queen sleeping, perhaps?
“Guards?”
The two unicorn guards on either side of the door snapped to attention.
“Have you been monitoring her through the magic lens? Is she sleeping now... and what has she been up to?”
With a salute, the more senior guard gave his report: “For the first three hours after her meal, she paced counterclockwise around the circumference of the chamber. She then turned the lights off and spent approximately fifteen minutes beating a pillow and yelling something about Twilight Sparkle. Since then, she has been standing just on the other side of the door and staring at it.”
She glanced at the ornate brass door. “So she's right behind the door... she can hear us?”
“Most likely.” The guard used his magic to lift up a small crystal orb. He stared into it. “It's difficult to tell now that the lights are off, she's difficult to see, but... yes. Yes, she does seem to still be standing at the door, staring at it.”
“Queen Chrysalis,” Celestia said clearly to the door, “Can we talk now?”
There was no response. Celestia glanced at the guards, then back at the door.
“I'm sorry to intrude upon you so rudely, but we do have many things to discuss. I'm coming in.” With a nod to the guards, she used her magic to gently push the door open.
Chrysalis wasn't in front of the door anymore. Only a blank expanse of darkness waited inside. She couldn't see anything. “Queen Chrysalis?”
A pair of slitted green eyes appeared beneath the vague shadow of the bed, glowing brightly in the gloom.
“It isn't necessary to hide from me.”
The eyes didn't move. They didn't even blink.
Steeling herself for another struggle, Celestia stepped into the room, but she stayed within the wedge of light from the doorway. “You have been treated well, I trust? No complaints?”
“Room service attempted to poison me with vegetables.” A silver tray slid out from under the bed into the light. It carried a generous plate of artichoke hearts and an empty wine glass that tipped over and cracked when the tray stopped moving. “I will not be leaving a tip.”
“That is regrettable. I left specific instructions that you should not be poisoned.” Celestia picked one of the now-cold artichoke hearts and snacked on it daintily. “Is there anything else we can offer?”
“My magic back, an exit to the outside, and... oh yes – your throne.”
Breathing exercises. They were the key to staying calm no matter what. Celestia indulged in a couple of them before continuing. “Anything reasonable we can get for you?”
A growl emanated from beneath the bed, but it quickly trailed off as if the Queen had changed her mind about the response. “This room is not equipped with a commode.”
“If you asked the guards, they would gladly escort you.” Celestia was thankful for her long years of experience that helped prevent her from giggling.
“Treacherous beasts. They cannot be trusted.”
“I will see what I can do about upgrading your accommodations to a full suite.”
The glowing eyes widened.
“But no windows.” Celestia glared at them.
The eyes narrowed. “When does my friendship torture begin?”
“I hope you will find it more enjoyable than you think, and it begins whenever you are ready. In fact, I came here to offer you an invitation to accompany me to the Guard Academy graduation ceremony today.”
“It sounds atrocious.” There was a rustling under the bed, and the eyes disappeared.
“It is dreadful.” Celestia allowed herself a soft chortle. “But it's much more bearable when you're with a friend.”
“Is it too late to opt for the guillotine?”
Celestia shook her head. She knew it wasn't the Queen's point, but... “The death penalty has been abolished in Equestria for hundreds of years, Queen Chrysalis.”
Only darkness and silence came in response.
“At the ceremony, you would be able to meet many wonderful ponies.”
Sheets ruffled, and the eyes glowed from under the bed again. “Don't want to meet ponies.”
This was going to take more time, evidently. “Very well. Stay here alone in the dark... whatever makes you happy.” Celestia turned and walked back into the hallway. Before she shut the door behind her, she called back over her shoulder, “If there is anything you need, just ask the guards.”
An artichoke heart shot out from the darkness, but Celestia caught it in her magic easily, then daintily nibbled on it. She walked away calmly as the guards shut the door, but inside, her mind was racing.
* * *
Chrysalis waited just long enough to be sure that Celestia would be gone from the hallway, then she abandoned her under-bed lair.
It was infuriatingly embarrassing that she hadn't thought of asking the guards for what she wanted. But, of course, she had been thinking of herself as a prisoner, and had assumed their only duty was to keep her inside her gilded cage.
She didn't need it, of course. Changeling biology barely required it, and after all she'd only had a single glass of wine to drink anyway. But she had other plans.
Hovering over to the door on her flittering wings, she pounded on it heavily. “Pony captors, I require your services.”
Amazingly, the door opened. “Yes?” one of them asked gruffly.
Still, there were two of them, plus backup not far away, and only one of her. She didn't even have her magic. She would need to use subterfuge. “Restroom. Immediately.”
They nodded, and one of them trotted off down the hall. When she followed, the other dropped in behind.
This would be her best chance, since it was probably the only way they would allow her to leave her room. She would at least get a chance for some valuable reconnaissance, and perhaps they would even be idiotic enough to give her a bathroom with a window.
Before long, they arrived at a pair of small, unassuming doors at the end of the hall. One was marked with a blue circle, the other with pink. She calmly walked into the pink door, and when the guards moved to follow her, she gave them a withering stare.
They backed off and took positions next to the door. Pony ideas of modesty were yet another weakness to be exploited.
Once inside and in private, she scoured the room. Several stalls, each with a commode, a matching number of sinks on the opposite wall with a mirror above, a stack of luxurious silk napkins and a laundry bin beneath them... No windows.
She groaned in her frustration, but quietly. She didn't care to think what the guards would make of such noises while she was in here.
There was no reason to waste the trip, at least. She relieved herself, and moved over to wash her hooves. As she struggled through the long process of cleaning out her leg holes, though, a pony mare walked into the room.
Her coat was white and her mane pink, and she froze in place when she noticed the Queen.
Chrysalis grinned wide. Now this was an opportunity. Celestia might think her helpless without her horn, but very little of a changeling's abilities were based on magic. She swung her forehoof and expertly flung restraining slime from her leg holes.
Her aim was perfect, of course. In a moment – and without a sound – the mare was on the bathroom floor, green goo holding her mouth shut and binding her legs together. She left the mare's nostrils unplugged. Ponies were a valuable food source, and this one would be as useful as the others once Chrysalis managed to take over. It would be wasteful to suffocate her.
With appalling slowness, Chrysalis took the mare's shape. Shapeshifting was much more difficult without the aid of magic, but being cut off from her horn couldn't prevent her from using her species' innate capabilities. In a few minutes, she was a perfect copy of the terrified mare.
Chrysalis caught a whiff of a horrid smell. The mare had soiled herself. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to let her use the bathroom before restraining her. No matter. It was time to leave anyway.
She turned and left the pitiful creature on the floor, calmly stepped out through the door, and brazenly walked right past her two guards.
They didn't move! They'd been fooled!
Chrysalis fought to contain her glee. She had to maintain her disguise, after all. She didn't dare glance back at the guards as she paced down the long hallway, but she didn't hear anything from behind her. It had worked! She was free! As soon as she reached the end of the hall and passed out of the guards' sight, she would be able to make a break for it. All she needed was a window, then she could take flight and be gone before anypony noticed.
She reached the end of the hallway. Still no response from the guards. Her heart was pounding as she turned the corner... and success! She was free! She was—
“Ah, Queen Chrysalis, so you've decided to join me at the graduation after all?”
Chrysalis slumped, and her jaw dropped. Princess Celestia stood right in front of her, blocking the next hallway with a smirk. But the Queen quickly recovered her composure. “Why yes. What other reason could I possibly have for being out in the hall?”
Celestia walked beside her down the hallway. “What other reason indeed?”
* * *
Celestia paused when the two of them reached the auditorium's door, glancing sidelong at the changeling. “Now this is a formal occasion. I trust you'll be on your best behavior?”
Chrysalis just grinned a toothy grin, keeping her wicked thoughts private.
Oh yes. This was going to be the most interesting graduation ceremony in years. Suppressing her glee, Princess Celestia opened the door and entered, along with her still-disguised entourage.
The trumpets played and ponies oohed and ahhed at the sight of her majestic mane. Still, she caught more than one hushed whisper wondering who the white-and-pink unicorn at the Princess' side was. Celestia let her grin grow a little more enigmatic and left them free to speculate. The rumor mill would be busy tomorrow!
After a brief speech by the headmaster and an unendurably long, droning speech from the head of the class, it was Celestia's turn to take the podium. Soft, polite clapping of hooves greeted her... as well as a loud “Booo!” from behind her on the stage.
Ponies in front of her gasped at the strange mare's audacity, but when Celestia carried on with her speech without so much as a glance, they settled down.
She managed to complete her speech with only a few more rude interruptions, then she stepped away from the podium, taking her customary place of 'regal backdrop' as the headmaster began the bulk of the ceremony: pinning on an accomplishment medallion for each new academy graduate.
“Psst!”
Celestia grit her teeth and did her best to ignore Chrysalis.
“PSST!”
A few ponies were already staring at the mare. If she got any more obnoxious, they all would be.
“What?” Celestia whispered from the corner of her mouth as another stallion earned his pin.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“You just came from the bathroom, where you were trying to escape, I might add.”
Chrysalis squirmed in her seat theatrically, practically begging for the crowd's attention. “But I really need to go!”
“No.”
A few blessed moments of quiet and order passed.
“Psst!”
Celestia took a deep, calming breath and whispered, “Yes?”
“I've picked out which one I want.”
“What?”
“I want that one.” She made a little motion with her hoof. “Second row, third from the left.”
Celestia watched as Chrysalis made eye contact with one of the brand new pegasus guards and winked at him. The guard blushed noticeably and gave a sheepish smile.
“No. Definitely not.”
“Aw! But what's the point of this parade of stallions if I don't get one to keep as a pet?”
“You are not who this ceremony is for.”
“Inconceivable.”
Thankfully, it was a relatively small graduating class this time, and only a few proud young stallions remained to be pinned. “Well, at least you're interacting with ponies in a manner that's only indirectly predatory.”
Chrysalis smiled wide, and she didn't disguise her fangs.
The stallion she'd been eying in the second row blanched at the sight, but nopony else seemed to notice.
After the last stallion was given his pin, Celestia once again stepped to the front of the stage. No speech this time. She was only there to receive the traditional salute as Equestria's anthem played. When she stole a glance at the back of the stage to check on Chrysalis, the fiend was gone.
* * *
Grinning maniacally, Chrysalis ran through the castle's endless halls, batting and bumping any inconveniently placed ponies out of her way. After three more blind turns, she finally spotted the perfect route: a balcony overhanging the Canterlot cliffs. She would fly away, find her drones, and regroup. Celestia would rue the day she held Queen Chrysalis captive!
Almost free. She could taste it already! Just one more leap and whoosh – she was flying away from the balcony.
Or, rather, she was falling from the balcony. In her haste she'd forgotten she was imitating a wingless unicorn pony. She could just change back in midair and have her wings free... but without her magic, that would take a few minutes.
She felt the wind blasting through her mane, saw the valley floor below rushing up toward her. She didn't have a few minutes. Fear gripped her as she realized just how helpless she really was. She plummeted, screaming and kicking and swinging her legs wildly, but of course, none of it helped.
A bright yellow flash glinted next to her, and then Celestia was by her side, falling along with her. The Princess kept a calm standing position as Chrysalis flailed next to her. She extended a hoof.
Chrysalis stopped her useless struggling and stared at the hoof for a moment that probably felt longer than it actually was. She crossed her forehooves and looked away.
The light flashed again, and Celestia was gone.
Chrysalis' eyes shot open wide. She didn't expect Celestia to give up that easily! Flailing again, she fell rapidly toward her inevitable doom, screaming as she went.
Another flash of light, and Celestia was there again.
This time, Chrysalis grabbed the proffered hoof. She glanced down just in time to see the ground almost ready to smash her to bits and flash, they were both sitting calmly back on top of the balcony. Chrysalis shuddered, panting out quick, harried breaths. She had been mere moments from a very messy death.
“It's a good thing we have a tracking spell on you, isn't it?”
Chrysalis glared at the Princess, but for once, she couldn't bring herself to make a retort.
* * *
Dear Tyrannical Monster Celestia,
Today I learned that Friendship is about constantly stalking the pony you want to be friends with, holding her captive in deplorable conditions, and subjecting them to the cruelest of tortures, but that it's all fine as long as your obsession for control ends up accidentally saving their life.
I hope you choke on your cake.
Your Faithful Prisoner, Queen Chrysalis
* * *
Celestia stared down at the letter and raised an eyebrow. Of all the ways the changeling might have reacted to captivity, this petty vindictive humor wasn't what she expected at all. “Thank you for the delivery, Iron Hoof.”
Sensing his dismissal, the guard left her chambers.
“Well,” Celestia said to herself, “at least that explains why she wanted pen and paper last night.” Yawning, she dutifully raised the sun, then allowed herself a luxurious stretch. “Better go check on her.”
When Celestia arrived at the hall to the Queen's chamber, she had to pass through no less than four guard checkpoints, each one using a changeling-detecting spell on her. They also insisted on inspecting the contents of the slim box she carried. The guards were taking yesterday's failure seriously. Good to see that discipline was still in order, especially since their captain had just left on his honeymoon.
When she reached Chrysalis' door, she found a sheet of paper taped to it, crudely lettered with 'No princesses allowed'.
One of the door guards followed her gaze to it. “Sorry, Your Highness. She insisted.”
“No worries. I did tell you to indulge any request of hers, as long as it was harmless.” She gave the guard a reassuring smile before knocking on the door.
“Read the sign,” Chrysalis' voice called out.
Celestia used her magic to give her crown to the guard for safekeeping. He cradled it with awe, as if it was some holy relic, not just some silly scrap of gold ponies put too much stock in.
When Celestia entered the room, Chrysalis hissed from behind a stack of pillows and blankets. Another sign, this one reading 'Fortress of Solitude' adorned the pile. “Stupid illiterate pony. The sign says no princesses allowed!”
Celestia pointed to her crownless head with a hoof and switched the lights on, which earned another hiss. “I didn't come here to be Princess Celestia. I came here to be just Celly. Your friend.”
A black head popped out of the pillow pile for a moment, glared at her, then disappeared into it again.
“It was not so long ago that I used to look forward to making trips in the Flutter Forest, where I would play with my best friend in the world.”
Something rustled inside the pillow fortress. “I was not your best friend. You always liked Discord better.”
“I did consider you my best friend. Honestly, he was more of a romantic thing.”
“Ew, gross!”
Celestia rolled her eyes. Some ponies would never understand what she and Discord had shared... before he snapped. Maybe if she brought him back from stone, she could find some way of reforming him back to the sweet, playful days of their youth. Twilight and her friends, perhaps?
Bringing herself back to the present, she approached the flimsy structure, but kept a safe distance. “The point is, there is no reason we must fight.”
“Freedom, revenge, survival of my species...”
“The changelings – the flutterponies – could survive on freely given love if they tried.”
Chrysalis hissed loudly. “We did try! You ponies abandoned us to starve!”
Sitting down with a sigh, Celestia thought back to a time she'd been repressing for centuries. “Yes, the days after Nightmare Moon's banishment were hard... difficult on all of us. Ponies didn't have love to spare – we didn't have much of anything. But those days are over now.”
Only silence came from the pile.
“When my student, Twilight Sparkle, brought my sister back from the clutches of Nightmare Moon, I was so happy I cried. The good days can come back, Chryssy. You just have to believe in them. When Twilight and her friends—”
“Yes, your faithful student Twilight...”
Celestia froze, surprised to have elicited a response from the Queen, even if it wasn't quite what she was hoping for.
“She has a pet dragon, no?”
“Well, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable calling him a 'pet'...”
“Servant, assistant, slave, something like that.”
Celestia nodded slowly, wondering what Chrysalis was on about now. “She does have a dragon assistant, yes.”
In the crevice between two pillows, a glowing green eye appeared. “I want one. A bigger one.”
Celestia shook her head and then stared at the crevice, looking into the eye.
“I requested one from the guards, but they said that I wasn't allowed to have dangerous things.”
“I'm afraid the answer is no... at least until we come to an understanding.” Where did she come up with these notions, Celestia wondered. “In the meantime, though, I brought your favorite board game.” She quickly opened the box, laying it out carefully and beginning to set up the necessary pieces.
“Is that... Candyland?” The glowing eye was much closer to the crevice now, peering out intently.
Celestia smiled as she completed the simple setup. “It is indeed.”
“The royal version?”
“Of course.” Celestia carefully slid the game board – loaded with real candy – closer to Chrysalis' fortress.
An avalanche of pillows and cushions came from one side of the pile, and the Queen emerged.
This time, Celestia's smile came all the way from her heart.
* * *
Chrysalis indulged in a long, squalling hiss when her prison door opened. She squinted at the bright light and bared her teeth, but she didn't rise from the bed.
“I see you're feeling feisty today,” Celestia's voice said from the door. “Perhaps then you'd care for an evening stroll in the palace gardens?”
Chrysalis snorted and flopped back down on the bed.
“It's very dark and dank in here.”
She rolled her still-closed eyes. “Better that way.”
“Well, if that's how you like it.” Celestia's hooves padded into the soft carpet. She'd ventured inside the room. “It's lovely outside right now. All the flowers are in bloom, and their fragrance is intoxicating in the evening air.”
“Sleeping.”
“You don't sound like you're sleeping.”
Chrysalis replied only with a loud, exaggerated snore.
“Right.” Celestia let Chrysalis continue with her melodramatic snoring for a few moments. “But you just might meet a friend there.”
“Don't want any new friends.”
Celestia chuckled. “She's not a new friend. She's a very old friend. Don't you want to meet her again?”
“I hope she dies.”
There was a long, heavy sigh. “Oh, very well. Stay here and sulk in the dark. It suits you.”
On second thought, being in the gardens – outside – might present an opportunity for escape. Chrysalis suddenly rose from her bed and loped to the door, jumping through it before Celestia shut it with her magic.
Now standing with her out in the hall, Celestia turned and looked at her curiously. “So, are you coming, or are you just attempting to escape and hoping I won't notice you there?”
Chrysalis ignored her and strutted down the hall, relishing the baffled looks on the guards' faces as they tried to decide whether to stop her or not.
* * *
Celestia bent down to sniff at a few bright colored sprigs of flowers. In the evening twilight, their indigo blooms almost seemed to glow. “These, Queen Chrysalis, are Lupines – they're one of my favorites.” She took a dainty nibble off of one of the better ones. A lesser pony might be banished from the palace grounds forever for grazing in the palace garden, but rank does have its privileges.
The Queen rolled her eyes and huffed. “Nasty plants. Not fit for food. How about some emotions, how about some flesh?”
Celestia gave her a stern look. “No.”
The changeling's eyes kept darting around, no doubt looking for an opening to make a break for it... but of course she wouldn't find one. Celestia had seen to it that the gardens would be crawling with royal guards, and the Wonderbolts just happened to have an aerial practice session scheduled just above. Chrysalis visibly flinched every time they flew over.
“You seem tense,” Celestia ventured.
Chrysalis gave her a baleful glare. “You would be tense, too, if you were held captive by your worst enemy, constantly wondering when you would be executed, or turned into stone, or sold into slavery, or sent to Tartarus, or blasted to bits, or – worst of all – 'reformed'.” She shuddered.
“I do know how that feels, actually.” She favored Chrysalis with a sidelong glance as she sniffed at another sprig of flowers. “I did enjoy the hospitality of your cocoon for a time.”
“If only you had stayed in there...” Then they could have been friends again. Chrysalis, queen of the changelings and Celestia, Princess of the Changelings. It wasn't as if she were trying to depose the ungrateful alicorn – her plan had been to leave Celestia in charge of Equestria's hives... after suitable brainwashing, of course. They could have been friends!
“We don't have to be enemies. I called you a friend once, and I would be happy if I could do so again.”
Chrysalis stared at her. Was Celestia reading her thoughts as well? Shrugging it off, she began walking away, testing the limits of how far Celestia would allow her to stray. No, the big dumb alicorn was probably just blabbering on about friendship like she always does and merely got lucky. She glanced back...
Celestia wasn't there! She was entirely out of sight.
Chrysalis increased her pace. She needed to outdistance Celestia, but she couldn't risk the guards nearby or pegasus ponies overhead thinking she was escaping... because that was exactly what she was doing.
She was also getting thoroughly lost in the maze-like gardens, but that was okay. All the random turns and circlings would make it difficult for Celestia to track her down. But as she darted around another shrubby corner, a voice cried out.
“Chrysalis?” There was a gasp. “Fie upon me... It is you!”
Before she could say 'That's Queen Chrysalis to you,' strong blue hooves tackled her in a massive hug. She stared down at the pony latched onto her. The mane was different now, and she was taller, but... “Luna?”
“I have missed you for ages! Where have you been?”
“I... ah...” Drat. So much for the escape attempt.
“Did you come to attend the wedding? Did you find it pleasant?”
Slowly, Chrysalis was able to pry herself from Luna's hooves. “I was... otherwise occupied.”
“Alas... I was as well. Slumbered through the whole thing, by all accounts. Celly tells me there was some manner of invasion! Is that what kept you?”
Cringing, Chrysalis settled for a simple nod.
“A shame.” Luna shook her head, but then broke out into a wide grin. “But you are here! I have not seen you since... Truly, I haven't seen you in a thousand years.”
Better to ingratiate rather than alienate... “Yes, it was a shame, what happened a thousand years ago.”
Luna leaned in conspiratorially close and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, “Actually, I have been considering a little revenge for that, and I could perhaps use your help...”
Now this was a prospect for escape! If she could get Luna – or Nightmare Moon – on her side, Celestia's downfall would be assured. Chrysalis grinned wickedly. “Count me in.”
“You are still able to change shape, correct?”
Chrysalis nodded.
“Well...” Luna gave a smug grin as she glanced side to side. “Have you made the acquaintance of Celestia's star pupil, Twilight Sparkle?”
She barely managed to restrain her feral snarl, turning it instead into a grim nod. Yes, she had met the brat.
“I was planning to simply bribe the mare, but she is dreadfully loyal and will have none of it. But if you were to imitate her form...”
Chrysalis began the slow process of imitating Twilight without using magic.
“I have long suspected – nay, known to a near-certainty – that Celestia's interest in the unicorn is more than platonic. I want you to go to her... a chance meeting in the garden is perfect... and seduce her. Get a kiss. Meanwhile, I will use this contrivance”– with a flash of teleportation, a small camera popped into Luna's hooves –“to capture the kiss for posterity.”
Mouth hanging open, Chrysalis stared at her. This was her revenge?
“Have no fear: I shall not allow it to be published... as long as she behaves. But every time she deserves it – and she deserves it most of the time, I am certain you know – I will need only to show her this pictogram and she shall be reduced to a blushing, inconsolable wretch!”
Well, it wasn't exactly 'Let's team up and take over Equestria,' but it was something. And since she was already halfway transformed into Twilight Sparkle, she might as well try. “Very well.” She nodded. “Follow me at a distance. The transformation should be complete by the time we find her.”
* * *
Princess Luna hung well back from the imitation Twilight Sparkle as the two of them made their tortuously winding path back to where Celestia must have still been. She couldn't help but chuckle occasionally at what she knew would be coming.
This would be the best prank she'd ever managed to pull on Celestia. Well, she had never successfully pulled a prank on Celestia... but this time she had help. Victory was certain, and it only seemed more and more so as they continued on through the twisting paths.
When she finally caught a glimpse of white wings and fur, she froze, letting 'Twilight' go on ahead without her. She'd hang back with the camera box, ready to capture the inevitable moment.
Up ahead, Chrysalis walked brazenly up to Celestia, but not just any walking. She put an extra little swagger in her step – a swagger of unmistakable intentions.
Celestia blushed the moment she caught sight of her faithful student approaching.
Perfect! Luna took the opportunity to take a quick snapshot. Who knew – maybe Celestia would catch on and this was the best shot she'd get. Better not waste it.
Chrysalis was talking to Celestia now. They were too far away to pick up the words, exactly, but the tone said it all: things were going swimmingly. The two of them stepped close, very close, together, looking into each other's eyes.
Yes... things were going very swimmingly. Luna took another picture. If only...
Celestia leaned down and planted a kiss right on her student's lips.
Luna was almost too shocked to take pictures properly... almost. She fired off a quick burst, as fast as the camera would allow, but that turned out to be unnecessary. The pair of them kept on smooching, getting more and more vigorous with their efforts as time elapsed.
Luna stopped taking pictures – she only had one more shot left on her film roll now. Might as well go for the challenge: a close-up shot!
She crept closer, silent as only a Goddess of the Night creeping through the deepest evening darkness could be. Thankfully, the two of them were so enthralled with each other now there was no chance of them noticing her approach. Finally she stopped, only a few pony-lengths away, bringing her camera up for the perfect final shot.
The two broke apart.
Drat and blast! If only she hadn't spent so long on perfecting the composition of the shot! Still, they hadn't seemed to notice her, so she held still, camera still raised, waiting to see if they would resume their activities... or perhaps escalate them.
“I love you, Celestia,” the not-Twilight whispered softly.
“I love you too, Chrysalis.” Celestia broke out into a huge grin.
Chrysalis' eyes shot open wide and she jumped back. “No! My disguise was perfect!”
“Twilight left for Ponyville yesterday morning. I sincerely doubt she would be back already, though it was a valiant effort, Sister.”
As Chrysalis stomped away, Luna nevertheless triumphantly approached her sister. “'Tis of no matter! I have captured the many images of your amorous tryst, and nopony who views such shall believe it is not Twilight Sparkle, your prize student!”
Celestia grinned and shook her head. That wasn't a good sign. “Sister, has anypony explained the principles of 'flash photography' to you yet?”
“Flash what?”
“Lulu, cameras need lots of light to work. If you're using one at night, it must have a flash bulb to produce the light it needs. I'm afraid all your pictures are going to show little more than blank blackness.”
“Aargh! Fie upon this infernal contraption!” Luna threw the camera somewhere out into the bushes. “I shall go and entertain myself with the good mare Chrysalis, and we shall devise a prank that will destroy you once and for all!” She ran off, giving an intentionally Nightmare-Moon-ish cackle as she went.
* * *
By the time Luna found her, Chrysalis had managed to change almost entirely back to her native form. She should have known better than to play by these ponies' rules. What she needed was to—
“Hail, Chrysalis!”
She stopped walking and saw Luna trotting toward her. “Hi, Luna,” she moaned.
“Be not discouraged, good changebug! It was a noble effort. We shall be victorious next time!”
Chrysalis started walking again.
Following her, Luna laughed. “'Twas good while it lasted though, was it not?”
Chrysalis couldn't help but smile... which was very disturbing, and yet, it was true.
“And we will be victorious,” Luna assured her. “With a friendship as old and powerful as ours, what can possibly stand in our way?”
'Friendship'? Preposterous. If Luna only knew what had really happened at the wedding, it would all be... forgiven, the word came, completely unbidden. This wasn't like her, not like her at all! “Get out of my mind, you scoundrel Celestia!” No change... either Celestia refused to relinquish her influence... or there was no influence to begin with. Very disturbing, either way.
“Verily, she is a scoundrel indeed, but I have another plan.” Luna leaned in conspiratorially close. “Are you capable of imitating a baker?”
Chrysalis gave a toothy grin. “Of course.”
“Come then! There is no time to lose if we are to make the special modifications to Celestia's Tuesday-day cake before the real bakers finish. We sally forth!” With that, Luna ran off toward the castle.
Chrysalis followed close behind, grinning wide and unabashedly. Grinning authentically. Something about it felt so very wrong... but something also felt very right. She didn't know what was happening to her, why she felt this way... but somehow, she actually liked it. That was disturbing indeed... but change was her specialty. Maybe she could change in more ways than one.
The End
Author's Note
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