Your pancreas is not safe.
Lieutenant Bright Spear cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the quiet throne room. "Now announcing Her Dread Majesty, Queen Chrysalis of the Badlands Hive!" His job wasn't to discriminate what ponies wanted to be called, his words were an exact repeat of what the supplicant had written down.
On the dais one alicorn sat. "Isn't the Badlands Hive under Thorax's control now?" Princess Luna shot Bright Spear a questioning look, and just got a shrug back. Slumping back into her throne, Luna waved a hoof for the doors to be opened.
Chrysalis looked the part of a queen. She stood tall and proud, she had that little crown-thing on her head that marked her a ruler of changelings, and she had all the arrogance of a ruler who cannot be voted out. That she had not a single subject was a moot point, apparently. She stared up at Princess Luna and sighed. "I wished it were your sister here today."
Luna watched Queen Chrysalis walk slowly along the floor, the red carpet soft under the evil changeling's hooves. Something looked a little off about Chrysalis now, compared to when she had foalnapped all of Equestria's royalty: Chrysalis looked even more gaunt than ever before. "Why? You had a special, secret weapon that would destroy only her?"
"No." Stopping at the bottom of the dais that bore Luna's throne, Chrysalis let out a resigned sigh. "You didn't fight me. You didn't attack me even when I invaded." Completely missing the fact Luna looked like she was trying to interrupt, Chrysalis continued. "You made a point of not harming my changelings when they came for you. I noticed it all, and appreciate it."
Luna, as was her prerogative as a princess of Equestria, interrupted Chrysalis' monologue (Luna knew monologuing when she heard it, she had done a little herself after all). "It wasn't actually for your sake I didn't attack at the wedding. I slept in."
"Well I don't feel nearly so bad for using this, now." Chrysalis' look improved, and she smiled up at Princess Luna. "But I am not a cruel conqueror. You are hereby served notice of my intent to take control of Equestria, and I ask that—for your own sake—you make things easier and just abdicate."
A small giggle left Princess Luna's snout. She trembled a little, and then actually laughed. A dark blue hoof shot up to cover her snout, but it was too late. The Princess of the Moon fell of her throne laughing.
Chrysalis bore the insult well. She sat, watching as Luna rolled around on the floor. When the gales of laughter slowed, Chrysalis finally decided it was time to act. There wasn't any anger at Luna's behavior, only pity for what was about to happen.
Inching her forehooves forward a little, Chrysalis slumped forward and with a flicker of green fire became nearly half her size. She kept her mane at its full length, however, and let it flop over one eye. She turned the other up at Princess Luna. The image of innocent sorrow, Chrysalis gave Luna the best delivery of "puppy eyes and pouting" that had likely ever been given by a changeling.
"Oh…" Luna stared down at Chrysalis. Sorrow and self-loathing filled her to—and past—capacity. She watched as the Queen of the Changelings' bottom lip started to wobble, and she wept. "I—I can't take this. Please stop; I'll do anything!"
"Equestwia?" Chrysalis had spent her time training, she even had the voice perfect.
"Anything! Just… Please don't look like—like that!" On her belly, Luna tried to cover her eyes but some force stopped her. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the adorable changeling, and for every second she gazed Chrysalis stole a little more of her heart.
The nail was yet to come, Chrysalis thought. She pushed her lower lip out a little further. "I-I can haz Equestwia?"
"Y-Yes!" Luna's yell resounded around the room.
Sensing his princess in danger, Bright Spear charged forward, his namesake brandished before him. He got exactly one pony length from Queen Chrysalis before the changeling turned on him. "Aggghhhh!"
"You woowdn't powk me wif dat?" The voice Chrysalis used was simpering, and her lip quivered all the more for the use of it, but its effect was immediate. The guard's spear clattered to the floor as his magic ceased. "Chryssi wanna hug!"
All thought of Luna's wellbeing evaporated from Bright's mind. His eyes filled with the sight of Queen "Chryssi" Chrysalis holding her cute little forelegs out for a hug. Walking the last few steps to his doom, Bright Spear wrapped his forelegs around Chryssi and pulled her into a hug.
Opening her mouth, Chryssi fed well from Bright Spear's induced love. "You taste cyoot!"
Luna, having managed to move down the dais only by keeping thoughts of "happy Chryssi" in her head, advanced on the two. She dipped her head. "Equestria is yours. Please don't—"
Chryssi turned her head to look at Luna, delivering the full power of her gaze upon her. "Woona wanna hug too?" The princess was putty to Chryssi's wiles, and she was soon cuddled against two ponies. This was her best plan yet.
The huge doors at the end of the throne room crashed open as wind and power threatened to tear them loose completely. Wearing magic like a cloak, Princess Celestia—furious and impeccable—strode into the seat of power with her former student at her side. "What is going on here?!"
"I'm sorry, Sister, but I couldn't do it. I abdicate. I give up." Luna sat on the floor of the throne room, hugging what appeared to be a half-scale Queen Chrysalis to her chest. The little changeling was too busy rubbing her cheek into the royal chest-fluff to turn around. Chryssi held Luna's power like a leash.
"Put Chrysalis down!" Celestia stomped forwards, each hoof-strike against the floor causing a web-work of cracks to appear.
Twilight didn't want to counteract her former mentor, but wanted to make sure Celestia knew she was still at her side. "Chrysalis, we know your tricks. They won't work this time."
Turning in Luna's grip, Chryssi looked at the two new arrivals. "Jus wanna 'qustwia." She let her mane tumble down the side of her face and delivered two puppy eyes to the remaining princesses. Holding to Princess Luna with one foreleg, Chryssi reached out towards Celestia with the other, waggling it a little in the air.
"You think this would defeat us all?" Celestia lifted a hoof to her chest and stood proud. Raising her snout a little, she looked over Chrysi's head to avoid most of the sympathetic magic-that-wasn't-magic from affecting her. "I have an iron will, Chrysalis, as does my former student. Neither of us would be—"
Twilight, her eyes wide at Chryssi's extended foreleg, wobbled on her hooves as she walked forwards. She didn't stop until she was close enough to reach to Chryssi and offer her own hug. The Queen of the Changelings happily accepted, and allowed herself to be passed to Twilight. She drank well.
"Twilight! Don't give in! You must stand strong against her!" Her own resistance was tested as Celestia watched her student literally give herself to the monster.
"But she's just the most adowable widdle queeny, isn't she?" Twilight rubbed her cheek against Chryssi's. The world felt lighter, simpler. She felt her love for the cutest evil dictator grow.
"Yus!" Chryssi nodded her head in agreement. "Can haz 'questwia?"
Kissing Chryssi on the nose, Twilight nodded in complete agreement. "Of course you can! And all the ponies!"
Clopping her forehooves together in excitement, Chryssi cheered. "Yay!"
"Stop!" The booming voice cutting off Chryssi's celebration. Snorting in disdain, Princess Celestia stomped her way forwards, her hooves leaving imprints in the stone floor behind her. Spreading her wings up and out, she turned her unreadable gaze fully on Chryssi. "Release them and this will go overlooked, Queen Chrysalis."
"Up!" Chryssi pointed towards Celestia, and at her merest words Twilight Sparkle held her aloft, offering the changeling queen to the Princess of the Sun. With nothing to hold on to, Chryssi held out all four legs towards Celestia, looked up at her and pouted. "You can hugz me; wuv me?"
Celestia was made of sterner stuff. "No, Chrysalis."
"Aww…" Chryssi's lip trembled, and she wiggled all four legs. "Wanna hug!"
"No."
"Wanna 'questwia!"
"No, Chrysalis."
Dipping her snout, Chryssi looked up at Celestia, her gaze almost parallel with her jagged horn. "Pweese?"
Her resolve had a crack, and while her eyes remained on Chryssi, Celestia's crack grew wider and wider. Then the wall crumbled. Reaching out her forelegs, Princess Celestia pulled Chryssi against her chest and cradled the changeling. "You can have hugs."
Chryssi was not one to be distracted. "Anna 'questwia!"
Celestia sighed. "And Equestria." It was impossible, she realized. She was still able to think rationally, but what Chryssi was doing spoke not to that part of her. The mother Celestia wasn't, the aunt she was by adoption, the sister she was to Luna; all the loving side of Celestia rocked Chryssi against her, and even giggled when the changeling nuzzled into the soft fur of her chest. "Did little Chryssi want anything else?"
Giggling as Celestia booped her on the nose, Chryssi looked up and pointed with a single hoof. "Cwown!"
"Ya gotta do it. Nopony can resist this." Applejack led the rush towards the gates of the throne room.
"If'n you don't defeat her we will all be under her control by the end of the week."
Ponies, most in a daze, wandered around the edges of the hall. Each of them wore a beatific expression on their faces; some had been lucky enough to hug their new overlord, others just wished they would one day get the chance to give Chryssi "upsies."
Five friends were rushing to the final confrontation. Four of them knew their job: they must clear the way. Applejack was first to reach the double doors. Pivoting—even as her four friends galloped straight at her, she delivered her hooves unto the heavy doors.
An irresistible force met a not-at-all unmovable object. Not a single rule book was needed to justify the outcome. The sound of shattering wood echoed through Canterlot as the inner bastion of the seat of power was breached.
Rushing past Applejack, Pinkie Pie was the next of the five to be up to bat. Just like when they had fought the Storm King's shock-troops, Pinkie readied her baked treats.
Facing her was a line of royal guard, each with a hoof-painted changeling face on their formerly pristine armor. They had shields and spears (with cute little corks on the tips so a particular widdle qween couldn't hurt herself on them), and braced for the charge.
They expected cupcakes (their shields were rated against such), but what they got was apple pies. Pinkie Pie's forelegs windmilled, spinning and grabbing a pie on every second spin, circling it around twice each before throwing.
A shield here and there buckled. One stallion lost his grip on his shield and had a pie slam into his face.
Hooves shook, and shields fell.
Nearly a dozen well-fed Royal Guard lay on the floor, groaning, as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash passed them.
Luna's guard were next, but not just any guard. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Shadow Surprise's eyes glowed, and a thick cloud-like mist swirled around the three remaining friends, and her. Wearing the uniform of Luna's Shadowbolts, the pegasus mare had a cocky grin. "No games this time. I'm the real thing, and you just—"
Rainbow Dash hadn't slowed a bit. Bracing her hoof, she collided with Shadow Surprise, clocking the spooky pony in the jaw. "Just as I thought: all talk."
While the two pegasi squared off for hoofticuffs, Rarity pointed with her hoof to the base of the dais. The smoke screen that Shadow Surprise had put up faded as her will seemed focused on battle.
"Come on, Fluttershy, it's up to us." Always turned out fabulously—especially when in the throne room—Rarity was done with galloping. Keeping herself to a trot, she edged around Rainbow Dash and Shadow Surprise's fight.
Fluttershy used her mane to shield the ongoing struggle from her gaze, which left her looking up the dais at the three mighty alicorns that glared down at her. Terror rose, but something more dangerous stepped between her and the withering looks.
"Just look at yourselves! You call this a throne room?" Rarity's gaze, as it flicked around, spoke volumes at her opinions on the state of things. "Look at this?"—lifting one hoof, Rarity showed the underside of it—"This is filthy!"
Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were disarmed. A fashionista in a mood outranked and out-commanded anypony—even a princess. They each dropped their gazes to hide their guilt.
"Celestia, a broom, now! Luna, you can find a mop. And Twilight, darling, you will fetch a brush and start on those horribly dirty windowsills. NOW!" The sharp tone, and her headstrong attitude was draining, however. "Fetch me a couch too, and be snappy!"
A deep breath. Then another. Fluttershy walked past the terrible despot who had taken over the throne room. "Thank you, Rarity." She got a wink back from her friend, and kept walking up to the top.
"Why iz widdle Chryssi all awone?" Chryssi had been doing well, and over the course of a day had secured her hold on the minds of all three alicorn rulers in Canterlot. But each of them had left, and due to her stature Chryssi couldn't see why.
"Um, hello?" Her hooves finally lifting her to the platform the thrones were on, Fluttershy saw Chryssi in her adorable and cute visage. "If—If you don't mind, Queen Chrysalis, can you please stop doing that?"
"No! Chryssi wanna hug!" Holding her forelegs out, Chryssi waggled them at Fluttershy.
Her mane falling a little further over her eyes, Fluttershy shrank back a little from Chryssi's gaze. "P-P-Please?"
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Chryssi felt her first thread of fear since seizing supreme executive power from the princesses. "B-B-But I wanna hug!" As soon as she spoke, Chryssi realized she was undone.
Fluttershy's face broke into a big smile. "Of course you want a hug, and I'll give you a big, happy cuddle just as soon as you climb off the throne." Fluttershy had dealt with bunny rabbits, kittens, and even baby bats using such tactics on her, and she had overcome them. Even a breezie with a sore hoof wouldn't shake her resolve—or kindness.
"N-No…" Chryssi's hooves moved on their own. She wasn't big enough to jump down from the throne without possibly hurting herself, so she turned around and slowly slid backwards to the floor. She thought she would turn around to find Fluttershy gloating, instead the mare was suddenly standing over her.
"Good filly. Now come on, Chryssi." Fluttershy held out a hoof to the changeling queen.
"C-Can Chryssi have a hug now?" What was worse than being defeated in such a way was the effect Fluttershy had on Chryssi. Chryssi. Shaking her head, Chryssi tried to shrug out of her persona, and failed. Tears welled up, and in an instant she was picked up.
"You don't need to cry, Chryssi. I'll take good care of you." Fluttershy carried the little changeling from the throne room, leaving destruction and devastation in her wake. "I have a little friend you will love to meet. His name's Angel Bunny, and I just know you two will get along fine."
Author's Note
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