A Guard for The Queen

The morning after, she wouldn’t look at him, not even acknowledge his presence. He would try to talk to her, attempt to explain himself, but he couldn't. She still ate the food that was given to her, but talking was out of the question. It was back to square one.

As the days continued on, she began to look at him, and he looked back, but only small glances at best. As time passed, he saw that she was no longer mad at him; at least, that’s what it looked like. There was a day where she opened her mouth to talk, but she refrained.

“What did she want to say?” Strong Heart wondered. He didn’t want to ask her, afraid of her reaction.

During one particular afternoon, somepony knocked on the dungeon door. Thinking it was Princess Celestia making an early visit, Strong Heart opened the door.

It was not Princess Celestia. It was Shining Armor.

“Hey!” Shining Armor said, happily.

He surprised Strong Heart, coming down to the dungeon to see him. He was more than happy to see his good friend, but the last few days have made him down.

“What’s the matter? You look upset.” Shining Armor asked.

“Nothing.” said Strong Heart, “Long night.”

Shining Armor walked in, glaring at Chrysalis, who wouldn’t give the courtesy of looking at him.

“How is it, taking care of this beast?”

Strong Heart flinched behind Shining Armor’s back. Chrysalis had no reaction to the comment. She had heard it all.

“It’s been…fine.” Was all that he could muster.

“I know you’ve been away from home for a few months. Celestia only knows how stir crazy you must be. If you need somepony else to watch her…”

“No!” Strong Heart quickly interrupted, “I don’t mind, really.”

“Personally, I think this is a big waste of time. If it were up to me, I would just get rid of her, if you know what I mean. Things would be much different if I ruled this kingdom, that’s for sure.”

Strong Heart winced at the idea. All this time with her would have been for nothing, if that came to pass. In that moment, he was happy Shining Armor wasn’t ruler of Equestria.

“You look out of it, Strong Heart. You know what you need? A Marefriend.”

Shining Armor laughs at his own comment. Strong Heart could only conjure a halfhearted chuckle.

“I’m serious. How long has it been since a mare was interested in you? Two? Five years, tops? I have an idea, how about I set you up with my sister, Twilight? You remember her, right? I think she’ll be a good…”

“I appreciate the thought Shining Armor, but…”

He quickly glances at Chrysalis, whose head is perked up, looking at him. Not only did the name Twilight ring a bell with her, she was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“I met somepony already.”

Shining Armor looked at him, surprised with a brow raised. Chrysalis looked back down at the floor. She knew he was talking about her.

“Really? When?”

“Recently.”

“Who is she?”

“I can’t say yet.”

“And why not?”

“Because…” Strong Heart had to think fast, “We haven’t made it official yet. I told her how I felt, and she’s…not sure. If she agrees, then I’ll introduce you to her.”

A pause. Strong Heart sees Chrysalis looking back at him.

“Hmm…okay.” Shining Armor says, “When this is all over, AND she agrees to be with you, I want to meet her. I can’t have just any mare trotting around with my best friend.”

Shining Armor walks out the door, unaware that behind him is the mare that Strong Heart had been speaking of.

“Do you want me to bring Cadence down here? She got some great treats from Manehattan and…”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, considering…” he motions to Chrysalis, hinting at the past between the two.

“Oh, right. I’ll see you later. Remember, when this is finished, I want to meet her!”

Shining Armor walks out of Strong Heart’s sight.

“You already have.” he says quietly.

Nopony but Chrysalis heard him say it. As he closed the door, he looked back at Chrysalis. The two stared at each other for what seemed like ages, before she put her head back down.

It was quiet later that night. The storms from the last few nights left as quickly as they came. The moonlight bled into the dungeon chamber. Chrysalis was fast asleep, but Strong Heart was wide awake, watching her.

He slowly walked to her, his horn glowing. Subsequently, her chains quickly snapped open, waking her from her slumber in an instant. She looked up at him, wondering what he is doing. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he walks back to the door, pulling it wide open. She could see the hallway to freedom, but the question she had still remained.

“I’m sorry.” he tells her, “I shouldn’t have done what I did. You probably hate me more than you already do. Just so that you don’t have to look at my face again, I’m letting you go. You can change into me, and walk right on out of here. If anypony stops you, tell them Shining Armor took my place.”

Chrysalis stands up, and walks to the door. She never stopped looking at Strong Heart.

“Why?” she asks.

Strong Heart looked into her beautiful green eyes. He knows she wasn’t asking about her escape, but why he felt the way he did for her.

“I know you’ve done terrible things, unforgivable things, things that I don't want to imagine. When I saw you for the first time, I thought what the others out there think now; that you wouldn't change, that this would be a waste of time. But, after a while, I had this unexplainable need to help you, to be kind to you, to show you that maybe there was somepony out there that…cares about you. I guess what I’m trying to say, if I'm saying anything, is that…I wanted to save you.”

“I told you, I didn’t…”

“I know you did. But, I’m an Equestrian Royal Guard. It’s my job to save ponies.”

Chrysalis chuckles at his statement.

“I’m not a pony.” she says.

“I don’t care.”

She shakes her head, but a smirk has graced her face.

“Stubborn colt.”

The two continued to look at one another, until he steps away from her, preventing himself from wanting her to stay.

“Go.” he tells her, “When they find me, I’ll just say you overpowered me.”

He looks away from her, as a tear rolls down his check.

She stands still, unsure of what to do. On the one hoof, she could finally leave this place, return to her army, and be free. But, on the other, she could lose the one colt in all of Equestria who cares for her. To some, this might be an easy decision, but at this moment, for her, it was an impossible one.

Strong Heart hears the door close. He finches at the noise, then takes a deep breath, ready to accept that she’s gone.

Suddenly, his helmet and armor glows green, as they float off him, and onto the floor. He looks to see Chrysalis still in the room with him, smiling.

“What are you doing?” Strong Heart asked, in disbelief that she is staying.

She doesn’t answer him. Slowly, she walks up to him, and floats her hoof across the large scar on his face.

“What happened here?”

Strong Heart smirks, his heart racing at her slightest touch.

“Manticore attack. First year as a Guard.”

She looks down to see an even bigger scar on his chest that his armor was covering. She puts her hoof on it.

“And here?”

“Attacked by a Hydra; third year. Got hit by its tail after I pushed Shining Armor out of the way. Almost got myself killed that day. Not exactly my proudest moment.”

There were plenty more on his body, some more interesting than others. There appears to be a giant bite sized scar that goes from his back, all the way to his stomach. His cutie mark, which is a dark red heart, has a scar right across it, making it look like a broken heart. But, the last one she stops at is fairly recent; located on his cheek.

“And this one?”

Strong Heart paused.

“A few nights ago, I was fighting a Queen with a really sharp horn.”

Chrysalis smiles.

“But she was beautiful. Even though I knew what she’s done, even after she threw food at me, threatened me, and tried to kill me, I couldn’t help but…fall in love with her.”

Chrysalis moves closer to him. She nuzzles the side of his face.

“If you were any other colt, I’d think that what you just said to me, was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.”

“But I’m not any other colt, am I?”

Chrysalis wraps her forelegs around him.

“No…you’re mine.”

She brings him down hard to the floor, and the two engage in a passionate kiss. They roll around, lips locked so tight, you couldn’t separate them if you tried. They slammed each other against the wall, not out of violence, but out of uncontrollable ecstasy. While Strong Heart didn’t tell her explicitly, she knew that he wanted this for a long time.

It was the first time he really felt her skin, considering he was fighting her mere days ago. It wasn’t fur, like ponies have, but a soft, yet tough exoskeleton, that was smooth, and to him, very alluring. He rolled over on top of her, and proceeded to make his way down her body, kissing every part on the way down.

However, before things got too far, Chrysalis suddenly stopped. She wanted him to go on, but she fought to refuse it. She pushes Strong Heart off of her, leaving him on the floor, confused.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asks her. She is slow to respond.

“I’m sorry.” she says, “We can’t do this. Not now.”

He gets up off the cold hard dungeon floor and grazes his cheek against hers. She grazes back.

“It’s okay. This floor isn’t exactly the most ideal place.”

A genuine laugh is heard from her. Her smile turns to tears, even as her laugh turns into a chuckle. Strong Heart comforts her, holding her against him. She revels in the moment.

“In all my years, I never felt this before.” she tells him.

“What?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

Strong Heart smiles. He knows exactly what she’s talking about.

“You know, I’m going to have to put the chains back on, when the sun comes up.”

“Will you take them off tomorrow night?”

“Of course.”

He slept next to her the whole night. True to his word, he put the chains back on her the moment the sun came up. She woke up, soon after that. She saw Strong Heart standing back at his post, but instead of staring at the wall, or the window, he was looking at her…smiling.

The nights like this continued for the next couple of weeks. When the sun would go down, he would unshackle her, letting her roam around the room. It was nice; considering her chains made it very uncomfortable to sleep. He would lie next to her, keeping her warm during the cold nights. Some nights, they would lie together, kissing. Others, they would simply hold one another, looking into each other’s eyes. In some ways, that was even more intimate.

It was approaching the end of the month; and Celestia would be coming by in the next couple of days. Neither Strong Heart, nor Chrysalis wanted to tell her about their newfound affair, and agreed to keep it secret, for the time being.

Just then, somepony came knocking on the door. While they were both surprised, they were also prepared.

Strong Heart opened it to greet Celestia, like it was any other day.

“Princess Celestia, I wasn’t expecting you for another couple of days.”

“I decided to do my evaluation early.”

“Hello, Celestia.” Chrysalis said.

Celestia is taken aback by the friendliness in her tone. Normally, it would be an evil hiss, or silence, but here, it was different.

“Good morning, Chrysalis.” Celestia quickly composes herself, “How are we this morning?”

“Much better.” She replied, her manners being much more polite. Celestia can’t help but grin at Chrysalis’ newfound attitude. She takes note of her fuller physique, even better than how it was when she faced her all that time ago.

“How has the Lieutenant been treating you?”

“Very well, thank you.” she said. Celestia couldn’t find a shred of doubt in her voice. “I’m feeling much better now, thanks to him.”

She looks back at Strong Heart.

“A moment, please.” she tells him, escorting him out the door, closing it.

“It appears she has improved exponentially during the last month, both in health, and manners. Tell me, Lieutenant, what’s your secret?”

“I have none, your majesty.”

“Whatever it is, it’s working. I have some good news. Well, possible good news.”

“What is it?”

“Shining Armor has been…adamant about getting Chrysalis out of Canterlot. He finds her presence uncomfortable, to say the least. I told him if she didn’t improve in the next few days, I would have no choice, but to banish her from Equestria.”

“And if she did?”

“Naturally, I would set her free. So far, a strong case has been made to let her go.”

“Just like that? After speaking to her for only a few moments?” Though the thought of her being free made him happy, he had to put on a good show for the Princess. Still, his question was quite genuine.

“I’m a good judge of character, believe me. But, before I make my decision, I need one more thing; your opinion.”

“Are you asking for a consensus from me and the other guards, or my personal opinion?”

“You’ve known her longer than anypony has. I’m asking for your personal opinion.”

Strong Heart thinks about this for a while. He had to make sure that what he says next, wouldn’t hint to Celestia that he and Chrysalis are involved.

“I admit, the first couple months were…rocky. She threatened to kill me a few times, and tried to escape just as many. But, the months that followed, especially when we started to treat her with a little bit of respect, she has shown considerable improvement, and made no attempts to threaten mine, or anypony's safety. I guess to sum it up, I think she is fit to leave the castle, and go wherever she pleases.”

A pause. It was so silent; you could hear a pin drop. Celestia inspected the look on Strong Heart’s face. It was a perfect stone cold expression. You could never guess that he was hiding something big from her.

“Then…she is free.”

Strong Heart tried hard to not show how pleased he was with her decision.

Celestia opened the door. Chrysalis stood there, anticipating the verdict.

“Queen Chrysalis, I hereby set you free.”

Celestia’s horn glows, unlocking her shackles. Chrysalis looked at her freedom and at Celestia with unimaginable gratefulness. Tears welling up in her eyes, she could almost hug her.

“Celestia…” she quietly says to her.

“Lieutenant, I have one more job for you.” She sees the Lieutenant stands at attention, awaiting her orders. "I want you to escort the Queen to wherever she wants to go. A train will be waiting outside Canterlot. After taking her to her destination, I want you to report to me and my sister, Luna, back here.”

“Yes, your highness.”

As Celestia turns to face away from them, the two looked at each other with happiness. In the back of Strong Heart’s mind, though, doubt that she would stay with him settled in.

The long walk to the train was an awkward one. Chrysalis and Strong Heart looked at every guard, including Shining Armor and Cadance, looking back at them, mainly at Chrysalis. They were all happy to see her go, but they didn’t shy away from the hate that they had for her, glaring into her very soul. She looked away from them, avoiding any eye contact.

“Everypony is staring at me.” she whispered to him, wanting to get closer to his side. He gently nudges her away, not wanting to draw any suspicion.

“Don’t worry.” he whispered back, “We’ll get to the train soon.”

Sure enough, after a couple miles of judgmental eyes, the two arrived at the Canterlot station. The train was empty, save for the conductor, practically a ghost train. Once the two got on-board, the train immediately exited the station.

Compared to the miles long stares, the train ride was calm, peaceful, and an opportunity for Chrysalis and Strong Heart to be alone for a few moments.

“I suppose you want me to take you back to your army?” Strong Heart says, prepared to say goodbye again.

“My army abandoned me the day before I got captured. They probably think I’m dead, by now. I want to keep it that way.”

“Then, where would you like to go?”

Chrysalis pauses. She looks into Strong Heart’s eyes, lovingly so.

“I want to see where you live.”

After arriving at the station, and another walk, the two make it to Strong Heart’s home. It’s a nice two story home, no doubt because of the hefty salary being a guard earns. Being away from it for the past few months did leave a couple of side effects. The lawn had grown substantially, the small flower garden has wilted, and the windows have gathered a large amount of dust.

Strong Heart led Chrysalis through the grass, into the walkway, leading to the door. With a quick flick of his horn, the door opened, revealing the dark interior.

Only the sunlight came through the windows of the house, and Strong Heart had to light a couple candles to make it brighter.

The inside of the house could be considered clean, if you excuse the dust all over the place, and cobwebs on the ceiling. Chrysalis didn’t mind, though. She found the house rather charming.

“This is it.” he said, “Sorry about the mess.”

“No, it’s fine.” she replied.

“There’s a shower upstairs, and my…bedroom is right next to it.” Strong Heart clears his throat, nervous that she is in his house.

Chrysalis looks around the living room, spotting a shelf full of pictures. She sees Strong Heart as a foal, popping a ball with his horn.

“Is that you?”

Strong Heart looks at the picture, laughing at the image.

“Yeah, I was only a few months old.”

She scans through the other pictures. She sees pictures of him as a young colt with Shining Armor, pictures of him with Cadance, during his training as a guard, smiling with a young Twilight Sparkle, who has her head buried in a book. Chrysalis smiles at the history lesson she is getting.

“So, what do you think?” Strong Heart asks.

“It’s lovely.”

Strong Heart smirks as a noticeable blush is seen on his dark grey cheeks.

“I…have to go back.”

“Now?” Chrysalis does not want him to go.

“Yes. I have to tell Princess Celestia where I took you.”

“What will you tell her?”

Strong Heart pauses, giving a deep sigh. “The truth.” he looks into her eyes, “Will you be here, when I get back?”

Chrysalis moves closer to him. She softly kisses him for a few brief moments.

“Of course I will.”

Strong Heart returned to Canterlot; nervous, afraid, but he held it all in. He didn’t want anypony to see what he was feeling. That was the easy part; it was a skill he was good at. His return was quick, with ponies turning their heads to him in surprise. When he got to the castle, he was greeted by the other guards, congratulating him on a job well done. The last two at the end of the crowd were a proud Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance.

“Strong Heart!” Shining Armor said. He was happy to see his friend return.

Cadance gave him a warm hug.

“We’re so glad you’re back. Where did you take her?”

“I’m going to brief the Princesses on it now.” Strong Heart said, skirting the question.

“We’ll come with you.” Shining Armor said.

While walking to the throne room, Shining Armor and Cadance tell Strong Heart all about their honeymoon, unaware of the truth that is eating away at him.

Entering the massive throne room, he saw Princess Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna, awaiting his arrival. Guards from the castle come into the room, to hear of the news. Strong Heart is overwhelmed by the congratulatory greetings that he is receiving; knowing what awaits them in mere moments.

Cadance and Shining Armor go off to the side, as Strong Heart bowed to the Princesses. Celestia was the first to speak.

“Lieutenant Strong Heart, your arrival was expected…but not this quickly. Did everything go alright?”

“Yes, your highness. Queen Chrysalis was very specific in her destination, and finding it was no problem.”

“I take it she is back with her army, outside the Everfree Forest?”

“No. She was sure her army had abandoned her, and wanted to go somewhere else.”

“Very odd, for a Queen to leave her army.” Luna interjected.

“I thought so too, but I made no arguments.”

“Tell me, Lieutenant.” Celestia continued, “Where did you ultimately take her?”

This was it; the question he was dreading. The pause was the longest he ever experienced. He looked to Shining Armor, to Cadance, to the Guards who were happy for him, and finally to the Princesses awaiting his reply.

“I took her…to my home.”

The confused murmurs from the ponies inside were immediate, just as expected. Cadance looked at Shining Armor with worry. He couldn’t help but laugh at Strong Heart’s answer.

“Forgive him, your Majesties. It appears Strong Heart decided to bring his sense of humor to the proceedings. He is only joking, I assure you.”

Strong Heart looked to Shining Armor.

“No, it’s not a joke.” he said, deadpan as possible.

“Strong Heart, be serious!” Cadance stepped in, “You wouldn’t bring such a monster to your home!”

He had no words for her as she looked into his eyes. She saw that he was as serious as he could be.

“You…you did, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Why would you do such a thing?” Shining Armor demanded.

“I…” Was all Strong Heart could say, before relapsing back into the silent treatment. It didn’t take long for Shining Armor to finally see what is going on.

“Wait…” he said, “You don’t…fancy her, do you?”

More silence. Shining Armor is figuring this out without a word being spoken. He bursts into laughter.

“Are you kidding me?! Whatever she said to you, do you really think that any of it was real?! She’s tricking you, just as she tricked me! When you return home, she’ll be back with her army, and she’ll come back for Canterlot! Be smart about this, Strong Heart, she’s playing you!”

“Maybe you’re right. A part of me does think she won’t be there when I return. But, it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

Shining Armor pleads to the Princesses.

“Your Majesties, please! Show him reason! Chrysalis has poisoned his mind into believing this…dreck!”

“My eyes aren’t green, Shining Armor. My mind is my own.”

“Is it?!”

Shining Armor and Strong Heart stare each other down. If nopony stops them, they could have a brawl on their hooves.

“Dost thou love her?” Princess Luna asks.

Strong Heart was so distracted by Shining Armor, he didn’t hear the initial question.

“What?”

“Tis a simple question, Lieutenant. Dost thou love her?”

Strong Heart thinks about this for a few moments.

“I do.”

“Ridiculous!” Shining Armor scoffed, stepping back from his now former friend.

Princess Luna stepped down from her throne, approaching Strong Heart slowly, methodically, like she is thinking of her response as she makes her way over to him. Celestia watches her sister carefully; she has never done this before to a Royal Guard.

Even though she is shorter than Celestia, she is still taller than Strong Heart, though just by an inch or two. He bows down to her, full of tension. She gently lifts his head up to her with her hoof, she is smiling.

“We wanted to see thine eyes. We see so much love in them.” she silently tells him, “We have never seen anything like it for a long time.”

Luna looks to Celestia. They don’t say a word to one another, only a nod. She looks back to Strong Heart. Her horn glows, and in an instant, Strong Heart’s armor falls off his body, onto the floor. He looks at her in surprise, but her smile never leaves.

“Lieutenant Strong Heart, thy services as mine Royal Equestian Guard are no longer needed. However, we have a new duty for thee to fulfill.”

“Anything.”

“Watch over Queen Chrysalis. Care for her. But most of all, love her. For as long as it lasts.”

Strong Heart smiles. “Thank you, your highness.”

“We are no longer your highness. Call us Luna. As thou once did.”

“Thank you…Luna.”

Strong Heart bows to Celestia and Luna for the last time in his life. Shining Armor cannot believe what has transpired.

“Celestia! You can’t--!” Shining Armor protests.

“My Sister has made her choice, Captain. This hearing is finished.”

Shining Armor and Cadance chase after Strong Heart, who has already left the throne room.

Strong Heart was greeted by many of guards, all of which now look upon him with the same level of hate and disdain that they gave Chrysalis. He is no longer one of them, his scarred body now uncovered for every pony to see. He is now nothing but an outsider to them.

“Strong Heart, wait!” Shining Armor yells as he and Cadance catch up to him, “What are you thinking?! You have to go back, and tell them you’re sorry.”

“I’m not sorry, Shining Armor. They made their decision.”

“Now, you’re going back to her?” Cadance interjects, “You know what she is! What---“

“What she’s done?!” Strong Heart’s stone cold demeanor breaks in an instant. He is through with playing the statue. “I know! I’ve been told more times than I can count! It hasn’t stopped me then, what makes you think it’s going to stop me now?!”

“Hey!” Shining Armor yells back, “That’s my wife you’re yelling at! Your friend! You dare turn your back on everything we’ve stood for? On our own friendship?”

“We can still be friends.” he replies, “Just respect my decision.”

“It’s unnatural!” Cadance yells, “She’s a Changeling! You can’t do this!”

“I don’t want to talk about this. You can come by the house, when you grow up.” Strong Heart has had enough. He turns to walk away.

“It won’t last, you know!” Shining Armor says.

Strong Heart stops in his tracks.

“One day, you’ll see what she truly is. When it comes, I’ll be there to do the job that you, and the Princesses could not.”

Strong Heart realizes the friend he once knew is gone. The friendly personality, the kindness he showed him before, has been replaced by a soldier, with only Chrysalis’ downfall on the mind. He never believed that she could be redeemed; all he wanted was to see her banished, or worse, executed.

Even when she is free, he will continue to see her as a threat to Equestria, and he will never know the Chrysalis that Strong Heart knows and loves. He won’t stop until Chrysalis is no more, and now, his closest friend, has become a barrier, an obstacle…an enemy. One that must be avoided…or destroyed.

Strong Heart faces Shining Armor. No emotion, no tics, no nothing. A blank wall of non-emotion.

“You listen to me. If you ever harm her, if you even come near her, with the intent to harm…I will kill you. I will not hesitate, or even give you a warning. You understand me, Shining Armor?”

Shining Armor says nothing. He is frozen in absolute shock. Strong Heart walks away from the both of them. Cadance goes after him; Shining Armor stays.

He makes it to the station, the last train out of Canterlot for the day. Before he can step on-board, Cadance calls out to him, stopping him.

“Strong Heart!” she yells, “You didn’t mean that. Please, tell me you didn’t mean that.”

As he approaches her, she becomes increasingly nervous, scared of what her friend has become. She flinches as he gently touches her cheek.

“You’ve been a good friend, Cadance. For a time, I was jealous of Shining Armor, when you two got together. I always thought somepony like me, would have a chance. Now, I’m happy for you. Please…feel the same for me.”

“I can’t. She’s a monster.”

Monster, the word he has heard most often when others spoke of her. Before he met her, he thought nothing of it. Now, it stings him every time it is uttered. They can’t understand, they never will understand, how much she now means to him. He backs away from Cadance, unable to look at her. It hurt him to see Shining Armor turn against him, but seeing her do the same, hurt him even more.

“If you love Shining Armor, you best keep him away. I will not warn you again.”

He steps on the train, leaving the life he knew, leaving his friends behind. He is still a guard, but he is a different guard…her guard. As the train approaches his stop, he prepares to step into a new life, one without Shining Armor, without Cadance, only himself, and Chrysalis.

He came home as the sun went down. It was quiet. The candles were still lit, the place had been cleaned. He looked around for signs of Chrysalis. None.

“Chrysalis?”

Nothing. Not even a creak of the wood. Had she left? Was everything he said at Canterlot all for nothing?

“Chrysalis?” he says again.

“Up here…” Chrysalis quietly says, voice coming from upstairs.

The source of her voice came from the bedroom. Strong Heart slowly walks in to see her laying the bed, tired, cozy, and most interesting of all…clean.

“You have no idea how dirty that dungeon was. I think a few cogs fell off me.” Chrysalis jokes.

“I think I had a good idea. You did throw me all over that muck.”

Chrysalis chuckles, thinking about their little scuffle that fateful night. Strong Heart blushes at the sight of her. The way that she lays on the bed, to him he finds quite sensual. He hadn’t felt this flustered feeling in a long time; his heartbeats becoming erratic.

“I should…um…take a shower too.”

“No.” she says before he can leave, “Come here. Lie with me.”

He paused for several moments before giving in to her request. He slowly, nervously lies on the bed, making his way down to face her. She takes his hoof, and places it on her cheek. He caresses it with much care.

“Did you tell them?” she asks him.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“The Princesses took it rather well. Shining Armor and Cadance, on the other hoof…”

Chrysalis holds him close to her, bodies pressed together. The warm sensation that emanates from her comforts him.

“Don’t worry about them.”

“I said some things; things that I shouldn’t have said. But, the thing is, I meant what I said. It’s just us now.”

She looks into his eyes, pressing her forehead against his, their horns connecting. His eyes begin to water.

“What’s the matter?” she says.

“I…I apologize. I just don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Do you doubt this?”

“I shouldn’t. But I…”

Chrysalis places her hoof over his mouth, silencing him.

“I don’t blame you, you know.” She tells him, an air of gentleness in her voice. “Everything they told you about me, everything I’ve done, was all true. I’ve tricked, I’ve seduced, I’ve killed. You have every right to question my intentions. But I promise you, that what is happening right now, what will happen from here on out, will be as real as it always was. Besides, I cleaned your house, and I never do that.”

Strong Heart chuckles, the tears fading away. He kisses her softly on the lips, she kisses him back. The two embrace one another as she rolls on top of him, pinning him down, like she did the first time they fought.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks her.

“Absolutely.” she says, no doubt in her voice.

They made love for the first time that night.