A Guard for The Queen

“Her name is Chrysalis; Queen of the Changelings. A few weeks ago she attempted to sabotage the wedding of Shining Armor, by stealing the identity of his bride to be, Princess Cadance. Fortunately, due to the efforts of Princess Celestia’s faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, the real Cadance was found, and Chrysalis was ultimately defeated. A few days later, we found Chrysalis in the Everfree Forest, wounded and weak. Her army of changelings left her, probably thinking that she was done for. We brought her back here, to Canterlot, where we have kept her under lock and key. However, she has attempted to escape countless times, almost succeeding too. Despite my objections, Celestia is certain that she can be reformed. She’s probably trying to make up for her rash actions against her sister a thousand years ago, but I think this Chrysalis is a lost cause. Nevertheless, I can’t leave her alone to her own devices, even though she’s now bound by specially made chains, nullifying her powers. Until Shining Armor gets back from his honeymoon, I’m Captain for now. I asked him who was his best guard, and he said that he trusts nopony more than you, Lieutenant….?”

“Strong Heart.” The guard pony said.

Strong Heart looked like he lived up to his namesake. He was tall, athletic, and proud. A unicorn you wouldn’t want to mess with if you were on the wrong side of the law. He was Shining Armor’s best friend for many years in the Canterlot Royal Academy; you could almost say they were like brothers. He knew Shining Armor and his wife Cadance very well; the three were practically inseparable when they were young. Even after becoming a royal guard, he would see them whenever possible. Strong Heart always put his friends above himself. If that meant throwing himself in front of danger to protect them, he would do it with no hesitation.

Unbeknownst to many, it’s because of that mindset that Strong Heart had many scars underneath his fancy armor. Only Shining Armor and Cadance knew each and every story those scars held.

The events in his life made Strong Heart tough, intimidating, and above all soft spoken. If you were his friend, he would be more than happy to tell you about his day, but if you were his enemy, he would give you the coldest stare imaginable. There were a few mares out there in Canterlot that took a shine to him, including Shining Armor’s sister, Twilight Sparkle, but he had no time for that, always favoring duty over love. Among those who did not know him, other than for his demeanor, he gained the nickname “Cold Heart”, a name he wasn’t too fond of, but didn’t let it bother him.

When Shining Armor got the job of being Captain of The Royal Guard, Strong Heart never resented him. He was proud of his best friend’s accomplishment, and stuck by him. Even when he was assigned to the outside of the castle, when Shining Armor and Cadance got married, he was undeterred, happy for their wedding day.

During the siege by Chrysalis’ army, Strong Heat was preoccupied fighting off the Changelings, to know the true story of the events that day. Only now, has he discovered the true mastermind behind what happened.

“Here’s the deal, Strong Heart,” the Captain said, “I was told that she needs to be on permanent watch, twenty four seven, until she decides to behave herself. You think you can do it?”

“If Shining Armor thinks so.”

“That’s good to hear. Despite her bounds, I’d watch my distance. Her powers may be nullified, but she’s still a manipulative one. Don’t listen to anything she says, don’t even talk to her.” The Captain was stern, almost as if he’s fallen victim to her tricks before.

“I won’t let you down.” Strong Heart said; unmistakable certainty in his voice.

The Captain led Strong Heart to the dungeon. It was a cold, grimy place, a massive contrast to the beautiful castle above. All along the dungeon were various doors, all empty. Canterlot had barely seen any dangerous prisoners, until now.

“Here she is.” The Captain says, stopping at the last door at the end. There was no window, no way to look inside, unless you had the key.

The Captain gives the key to Strong Heart, which he places around his neck, slipping it into his chest plate.

“Keep this on you, at all times. If you need to take a break, just step outside, and lock the door. You remember what I said about her, right?”

“Don’t listen to what she says.”

“Good.” He pauses, trying to remember anything else about this Chrysalis, “Oh, don’t stare at her hooves. She hates that.”

“Sir?” Strong Heart inquired.

“That’s all. Good luck.” The Captain leaves in a hurry. He was afraid of her, Strong Heart could sense it from the moment he met him.

Nevertheless, this was a job he had to do, and he wasn’t going to let somepony, even one as allegedly evil as this Chrysalis, get the best of him. With one deep breath, he entered the room with no hesitation.

It was dark, dim, with light from the sun protruding from the single window on far right side of the wall. Strong Heart sees for the first time, Chrysalis herself. Her hooves were bound to the floor by glowing chains, with her neck chain attached to the wall. She can move if she wanted to, but not by much.

Strong Heart took note of her thin physique, her contorted horn that looked more like a sword, and the holes in her hair and hooves, as if chunks of her were missing. If anything, he found her to be a curious sight.

“What’s this? Another Royal Guard?” she says. Her voice sounded as if two were talking at once, both unmistakably feminine, with one voice being higher pitched than the other.

“Let me get a good look at you.” She raised her head to Strong Heart, a devilish grin stretching across her face. Her sharp fangs gleaming in the sunlight; if Strong Heart was any other pony, they would be quaking in their hooves. She looks over Strong Heart inch by inch, licking her fangs with evil intent.

“Hmmm….not bad.” she admits, “You look strong. Stronger than the other pathetic excuses for guards that I’ve seen. Not much for the face, though. You care to take that helmet off, young colt? I want to see what you look like under there.”

Strong Heart stayed silent, remembering the Captain’s words. He looks away from her, staring at the walls instead.

“What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll give in to me?”

Nothing.

“Speaking of which, where is that temporary Captain of yours? Is he too cowardly to face me again?”

Strong Heart doesn’t answer with words, nor looks back at her; he just gives her a nod. She laughs, pleased with his silent honesty.

“Why are you so quiet, hmm? Did he tell you not to talk to me? That I’ll try to control your mind? It’s only happened once; with him. I had him clawing at my hooves. You should have seen it, it was positively darling.” she chuckles.

Strong Heart remains silent.

“Come on, young colt. If you’re going to watch over me, you can’t ignore me forever.”

Strong Heart didn’t budge. Even though staring at a wall would be pretty boring, he made a promise.

“If you won’t talk to me, the least you can do is look at me. I’m all chained up, see? I don’t bite. Not anymore.”

Strong Heart rolled his eyes. “What the hay?” he thought to himself.

He turns his head and makes eye contact with her. For somepony who was built up as evil incarnate, she did have a gorgeous pair of green eyes.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it? What’s your name?” She asks him. He doesn’t say anything. She cocks her head to the side, giving him a very annoyed look. “I’m waiting…”

“…Strong Heart.” he tells her, breaking his vow of silence.

“Ah, an admirable name. Sounds like royalty to me. Are you royalty, Strong Heart?”

“No. I’m just a guard.”

“I doubt that. It’s not often I see a unicorn in the Royal Equestrian Guard. Last one I was aware of was Shining Armor.”

“There are a few of us around.”

“I see. So, Strong Heart, what did the temporary Captain say about me?”

“That, if I talked to you, you would try to…seduce me.”

“Seduce ? That’s a strong word, with many meanings. Obviously couldn’t have come from somepony as simple as he. Were those really his words?”

“No. I just figured that’s what happened.”

“And what gave you that idea?”

Strong Heart became silent again. He sits down, looking away from her once again. Chrysalis stares at him. She laughs.

“I see how it is. Put on the spot, and you shut your mouth, just like all colts. How…disappointing. I was hoping you would be different.”

He continues to remain silent.

Suddenly, she runs at Strong Heart, a terrifying hiss leaving her mouth. With a loud CLANG, she stops inches away from his face, the chains holding her back.

He looks back at her. She snaps her jaws at him, attempting to scare him. Strong Heart keeps looking at her with the deadest of expressions. Nothing can get through to him.

“You may look like a big tough guard, but I see right through you. You will take pity on me, treat me like a friend, and then, you’ll try to save me. I don’t need saving, I don’t WANT saving! I’m not some helpless Princess calling for a Knight. I am a QUEEN! And one day, you will bow to me.”

He continues to look at her. His blank expression never changing.

“Are you afraid, Strong Heart?”

“No.”

“You will be.”

Strong Heart’s horn glows. He gets her chains to pull her back to where she started.

“Stay back.” he tells her.

She glowers at him, hatefully. She sits down, keeping her eyes on Strong Heart, while he looks away from her, once again focusing his attention on the wall. If that’s how it was going to be, then so be it.

A heck of a first meeting.

The extent of their relationship for the next month could be summed up by their first meeting alone. Any attempt from Chrysalis to frightening this strong willed guard proved unfruitful, some failures bigger than the last. She tried scaring him, telling him stories of her exploits throughout Equestria. How she killed unsuspecting ponies, and the gruesome methods of her army. Despite all that, Strong Heart didn’t say a word, nor showed any sign of being afraid of her.

Her daily meals were disgusting slop, while Strong Hearts’ were nicely made daffodil sandwiches. She ate the slop for a while, despite its horrific taste, and the displeasing effect it had on her stomach, but eventually, she would toss it at Strong Heart whenever she got the chance. She even managed to hit him with the sludge one day, which got a great deal of amusement from her. Not only was he covered with the stuff, but his own meal was ruined in the process. The next day though, before she got the chance, he lifted the tray up with his magic, splashing her with the food. She didn’t see it, but he actually smirked upon seeing his successful payback. To say she was unhappy about that turn of events would be saying it far too kindly.

Days turned into weeks, and Strong Heart continued to fulfill his duties like a good solider should. The only time he ever left her sight, was when either one of them required a bathroom break, or when he had to sleep. Keeping watch while sleeping would be a task all on its own. He only slept for a couple hours, after that, he had enough strength to watch her for hours on end.

There were some nights where Chrysalis attempted to get the key from him, thinking that it would unlock her chains. While her hooves were too far to reach him, she made attempts to use her horn. Whenever she was close, he would awaken, sending her right back to where she started. She became more and more agitated with him, while he continued to be as emotionless as ever.

The first month passed. Princess Celestia stopped by to check up on Chrysalis. Strong Heart was kept out of the room during their initial conversation, but what he saw and heard when the door re-opened didn’t signify any sort of hope for the Queen’s rehabilitation. Celestia came out of the room, with Chrysalis screaming at her, cursing her name and her family, throwing out any possible insult she could think of. Even so, Celestia kept her cool, never raising her voice to her.

“Keep watching her.” Celestia said to Strong Heart, “She’ll come around.”

When he re-entered the chamber, Chrysalis stopped with her flurry of vulgar words. Seeing that the Princess was gone, she laid back down on the floor. Turning back to Strong Heart, she noticed that he had been looking at her since he came back in.

“What are you looking at?” she questioned, left eyebrow raised. He did not answer her, instead going back to his normal guard-like stance.

Since Celestia’s less that peaceful visit, Chrysalis had been refusing to eat, more than usual. Strong Heart started dodging her food strikes daily, rather than every other day. Her newfound habit begun to affect her appearance; her already thin body was becoming even thinner. Small, but noticeable looks of pain could be seen on her face. Two weeks later, it got to the point where she could barely even walk. Not even Strong Heart could have ignored this.

“Let her starve.” he thought to himself, as he watched her groan in pain, “She’s been nothing but trouble since you met her.”

“She may be evil, but Celestia seems to think she can change.” he continued to battle with his thoughts, “I can’t stand by, while she starves to death.”

One day, when their meals were delivered, Chrysalis no longer had the strength to even kick the food over at him. It was then, Strong Heart did something that she didn’t expect; he walked up to her, holding his sandwich up with magic, and placed it down at her muzzle.

“Here…” he tells her, “I’m not hungry.”

He then kicked the sludge to the wall for her. As a sign of good faith, she probably presumed. Despite her continually aggressive attitude towards him, even she couldn’t pass up a good meal. Once he went back to his position, she ate the sandwich rapidly, as if it was her last meal in Equestria. She reveled in its deliciousness. The sensation was strong.

Even so, she refused to thank him, though a small part of her wanted to. The only thing that came out of her mouth was a halfhearted scoff.

Strong Heart could take what he could get.

Halfway into the second month, and Strong Heart decided to give her half his meals every day. In return, she didn’t throw her bad food at him. Instead, she would toss it at the wall, where the occasional rat or two would come out from the window to feast. They still didn’t talk to each other, neither one believed that they even liked the other, but they came to an understanding. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless.

Strong Heart tried to order the chefs in the castle’s kitchen to make her good edible food, rather than what she was given. He was hesitant to tell them that he was giving her some of his meals, as he was concerned that something like that could have been interpreted wrong. He was adamant about keeping her healthy, despite being told numerous times by not only the chefs, but the Captain, about what she is, and what she had done.

They refused his request outright, much to his chagrin.

One night, Strong Heart couldn’t take the silence any more. Despite being told not to, he asked her about the one thing that crossed his mind when looking at her appearance.

“Why are your hooves like that?”

Chrysalis stopped eating her half of his sandwich.

“Excuse me?” she sounded offended.

“I was wondering why Changelings have holes in their hooves.”

She scoffs at his question. The fact that he doesn’t know the basics of Changeling anatomy insulted her to no end.

“How long, have you been a guard here, exactly?” she says, in a condescending tone.

“About…five years.” He couldn’t believe it had been that long.

“And you do not know a thing about Changelings?”

“Not much, Ma’am.” he shakes his head, “I wasn’t aware Changelings existed, until you invaded Canterlot.”

Chrysalis wasn’t sure what to make of him calling her ‘Ma’am’, but she was too caught up on his ignorance to have much of a reaction to it.

“We’re what you NORMAL folk call insects.” she answered, the word ‘insects’ leaving her mouth like a wave of bile. “Enough, I don’t want to hear any more of this.”

“I find it interesting that Changelings look like ponies.”

“Ha!” she laughs, “More like you ponies look like us Changelings!”

“I meant no offense. It’s fascinating that compared to your army, you look so…..”

Chrysalis shoots a look at him, waiting for his response. Strong Heart stops himself. Chrysalis almost smirks; she managed to see a genuine emotion from him. He looked nervous.

“Ummm…” he clears his throat, “Nevermind.” Strong Heart says.

Silence envelops the room. Chrysalis goes back to eating her food.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must have been, though.” Strong Heart continued.

“What?” she inquired, mouth nearly filled with food.

“Being different.” he replied, thinking nothing of what he said.

Once again, Chrysalis stops. She looks at Strong Heart, fury in her eyes. If it weren’t for her chains, and that she was still weak, she would attack him with all she had.

“What would you know about being different?”

Strong Heart saw a look he thought he would never see; the look of somepony that he just hurt, and he instantly regretted ever saying anything.

“I..I just...” he stammered, trying to calm her.

Chrysalis runs at him, once again stopped by her chains.

“You think you know me? You know nothing about me! I told you, I don’t need your pity! I don’t need anything from you! I’m not looking for help!”

“I…I didn’t mean…”

Chrysalis goes to whatever remained of her sandwich, and kicked it at him. It’s a direct hit; he made no attempt to avoid it. He sees the tears welling up in her eyes.

“I don’t care that I’m different! I didn’t care that they laughed at me, made fun of me, and bullied me! I didn’t care about any of that! Look at me now! I am the proud ruler of the changelings, and when I get out of these chains, I’ll show you how powerful I really am! You’ll see! You’ll be the first to see what I am truly capable of!”

Slowly, Strong Heart started walking to her.

“Chrysalis, I…“ It was the first time he ever called her by name.

Chrysalis quickly shoots a murderous look at him.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” she shouts at the top of her lungs, stopping Strong Heart dead in his hoofsteps. “You take one more step towards me, and I’ll kill you! You understand? I’LL KILL YOU!”

Chrysalis lay down on the floor, crying. He couldn’t help but look upon her with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry.” he said, “I’ll let you be.”

Strong Heart walked out of the room, and stayed outside for the whole night, allowing her to cry away the pain that has been held up inside her for years and years.

They didn’t talk to each other again for weeks. He kept his mouth shut, and she stayed in one place. He continued to give her food, but at a distance. He either believed her threat, or he just wanted to be careful. She would look at him occasionally, but the look was never good. It was always one of anger and hate. As the days continued, the look began to fade.

The beginning of the new month came, and Celestia stopped by again; this time, Strong Heart was allowed to stay in the room.

“Hello, Chrysalis.” Celestia said, her voice gentle as always.

Chrysalis raised her head slightly, acknowledging her presence.

“How are we today?”

“Okay…” she says, quietly.

Celestia looked at her for a while, noticing her sad expression. She looked back at Strong Heart, almost judgmentally.

“Is the guard treating you okay?”

Chrysalis looked at Strong Heart; no longer did she have hate in her eyes whenever she saw him.

“He’s…fine.”

Celestia sees her thinner frame. A look of worry crosses her face.

“Oh my. Have you been eating?”

Chrysalis remained silent. She was embarrassed to even talk about Strong Heart’s generosity to her. Tried as he might, he couldn’t remain stoic any longer.

“Your majesty…” Strong Heart spoke out. Both Celestia and Chrysalis looked at him, surprised.

“This probably isn’t my place to say, but for the past couple months; her meals have been…less than satisfactory. I’ve tried to get the chefs to make her something else, something more edible, but they’ve refused, saying that because of her…actions, she couldn’t have the same treatment at everypony else. So, I’ve been giving her some, sometimes all of my meals to try and keep her healthy.”

The pause felt like it could have lasted a lifetime. Finally, Celestia looks at Chrysalis.

“Is this true?”

Chrysalis thinks for a long while, looking at both Celestia and Strong Heart back and forth.

“Yes…” she responds sheepishly, “It’s true.”

Celestia’s confused look turns into a small smile.

“Then, I suppose I’ll have a little talk with the chefs.” Celestia gives Chrysalis a nod. “It appears you have somepony watching out for you. Get well soon, Chrysalis.” As she walked towards the door, she looked to Strong Heart. “Strong Heart, I would like to talk to you, in private.”

The two exit the room, closing the door to prevent Chrysalis from hearing them.

“I appreciate you taking care of her like that.” she says, “I’m sure she appreciates it as well, even though she may not show it.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“However, I still recommend caution. She seems to be improving, but this could be an act. Try not to fall into it.”

“With all due respect, if we’re trying to reform her, why do we continue to treat her like a monster?”

Celestia has no reply. She didn’t want to admit it, but she saw his point clearly.

“Just…keep your distance.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Chrysalis was from then on treated like royalty, at least from a food standpoint. She regained her strength enough to stand for long periods of time, and her body was becoming much fuller to its normal state. Slowly, but surely, she even began to engage with Strong Heart into conversation, though they ended up talking more about his own past than hers. It was still a sour point that she refused to talk about, but Strong Heart didn’t mind. He kept to his own business.

He told her about his friendship with Shining Armor, and his days at the Royal Academy. Chrysalis personally found his stories of Shining Armor boring, considering their history, but she still listened to him, allowing him to go on about his life. The material he spouted may not have been the most interesting, but it was better than seeing him standing there like a statue for most of the day.

One particularly cold night, Chrysalis was shivering. Strong Heart was given a blanket for himself, and though it was large enough to support both of them, he didn’t want to take the chance, but he also didn’t want to see her uncomfortable. Cautiously, he draped the blanket over her, and slept through the night without it. His strong body could handle a little thing like cold weather.

When she woke up early in the morning, she was shocked to see the blanket on her. She quickly kicked it off her, like it was a giant spider. She saw Strong Heart sleeping peacefully, and all she could do was look at him. It was as if in that brief moment, she felt something for him, something that she never felt in her life. She brushed it off as quickly as it came, and went back to lying on the floor.

Even after spending so much time with him, Chrysalis couldn’t get a bead on him. On the one hoof, he was a fine guard, friendly, when need be, generous, compared to the other ponies that she’s met, and not too bad looking, though the helmet covered most of his features.

On the other, he was an obstacle to her potential escape.

There was a storm one fateful night. The window showed strong winds and showers; lightning strikes and booming thunder. The perfect cover, if there ever was a lot of noise. Strong Heart left the room while Chrysalis ate, thinking that everything was going to be alright. He felt their relationship was becoming friendlier, and she was less hostile to him that she initially was.

When he came back, he found her on the floor, not moving. No sign of life. Instantly, panic fell across his face.

“Chrysalis!” he yelled.

He ran over to her and put his ear to her mouth, she wasn’t breathing. Did she choke? Or worse, did somepony poison her food? He attempted to administer CPR, but her chains prevented her from being moved into the proper position. Against his better judgment, he unlocked her chains, using his magic.

Instantly, her eyes snapped open.

She tackled Strong Heart to the floor, holding him down. She was shocked at her own strength. Even being imprisoned for the past few months, she didn’t miss a beat.

“You’re mine!” she shouted with triumph.

Her powers now active, she attempted to control his mind, making him her slave. The green beam from her horn hit his head. For moments, his eyes were flickering green, but he was resisting. He was stronger than she thought. She became confused, angered even.

He kicked her off of him. Not able to control him, she tried to blast him with a powerful burst of energy, hoping to knock him out. He fired back, and the two beams collided, neither one moving.

“Why won’t you yield?!” she yelled.

Frustrated to her very core, she charged Strong Heart, and the two tussled all over the room, smacking each other into the walls and floor, neither one showing any signs of giving up. His training at the Royal Academy was proving him to be more than a formidable match for the Queen.

He slams her against the wall, and headbutts her, causing her bottom lip to bleed green blood. Seizing the opportunity, Chrysalis spits the blood in his eyes, and hits him so hard, that she managed to knock off his helmet, giving her a good look at his features. Black hair, brown eyes, and a large scar across his face; compared to what he’s probably been though, this is nothing.

It didn’t matter, though. She continued to fight him, managing to cut his cheek with her sharp horn. Another scar for the collection. She grabbed onto him, and again, slammed him onto the floor, this time with greater force. She held him down with all that she had. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Both stared at one another, both breathing heavily, both bloodied, both still able to fight, the moment could have lasted for longer than it did. He had the opportunity to try and knock her off; she had the opportunity to end him, once and for all. But then, for the second time, Strong Heart did something that she never expected him to do.

He leaned up and kissed her.

She was wide eyed in shock, to say the least. She was ready to push him back down, but for whatever reason, she chose not to. She let it continue, treating it like a curiosity at first. Then, she got into it, and the simple kiss became a passionate one. Every fiber of her being was telling her to stop and just kill him, or at the very least, knock him out, but she couldn’t…she wouldn’t.

She was so conflicted with her feelings, that she didn’t notice his horn glowing, and the chains approaching her.

In a quick series of snaps, the chains latched back on to her hooves and neck, dragging her back to her spot.

She tried to break free again, but it was to no avail. As hard as she struggled, nothing happened. She looked at Strong Heart, and finally realized what was going on. She realized why her powers were still strong, why she was able to take him in a fight, but most of all, why he had been showing kindness to her almost the entire time during her imprisonment, it all made sense to her.

Strong Heart was in love with her.

The one thing nopony told him was that she fed off of the love of others, and his love for her had constantly been feeding her power, even when she couldn’t feel it. This made her strong enough, that if she defeated him, she could have escaped the castle easily.

She couldn’t talk, couldn’t say anything, not even a simple word. This revelation left her stunned, confused, but most of all…enraged.

She delivered a loud primal roar of anger at him, tears streaming from her face. How can this simple guard pony, fall in love with a monster such as herself? Her mind raced with this question as she screamed at him, still trying to break free, still trying to get to him. The thunder from outside deafening her screams from being heard by anypony else. He continued to look upon her, saddened, but his love for her was still visible in his eyes. Deep inside though, he felt guilty. He watched her scream at him for as long as she could, until she eventually broke her voice, stopped, and cried herself to sleep.