A Guard for The Queen

For the next month, in between his duties as a Captain, Shining Armor made attempts to find out the hidden truth about Chrysalis. He snuck into Celestia’s chambers, as she would make her bi-monthly trips to Ponyville, looking for any of the letters that were from Strong Heart. He found none; he wasn’t aware that the letters were exclusively sent to Luna, but she was his next stop.

During the night, as she watched upon Equestria, he searched through her things, and found most of the letters. THE letter, and the letters that followed, though, were out of his grasp. Unbeknownst to him, Luna destroyed the letters, knowing that if they fell into prying hooves, it could bring about some unpleasant events.

Cadance felt for Shining Armor; she knew what he was doing, and grew as frustrated as he did. Unfortunately, for the time, her duties as a Princess prevented her from assisting in his search. It wasn’t until over a month of search had passed, when she was able to get away from her responsibilities, and could help her husband.

One particular afternoon, Shining Armor was called in to escort Celestia into the Everfree forest, to settle a matter of an escaped hydra from Tartarus. Taking the opportunity, Cadance took the next train to Ponyville. She knew that if she wasn’t going to find answers in Canterlot, she was going to find them at the source.

Visiting Strong Heart and Chrysalis made her incredibly nervous, it’s been months, since she last saw one of her best friends threaten Shining Armor’s life, in favor of a Queen who she was convinced to be made entirely out of evil.

The Princess disguised herself; hiding her royal looks with a cloak, so that nopony in town could recognize her. She went to the door, and cautiously knocked on it a few times. Within moments, the door opened, revealed Strong Heart on the other side. The disguise didn’t fool him; he knew who he was looking at. Cadance tried to give her best smile, but he was not impressed.

“Cadance?” he said, “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t visit my friend, after all this time?” she asked. He did not respond. He’s waiting for the real answer. “How have you been?”

“We’ve been good.” he replied, “We were just about to have lunch.”

“Do you mind if I come in?”

He cocked an eyebrow. Instincts tell him to say no, but the thought of her being genuine crossed his mind. Maybe she wanted to apologize, make up for her behavior to him, and maybe make an attempt to be friendly with Chrysalis. Their encounter with Twilight proved to be a success; maybe this will too. Still, he was cautious.

“One second.” he said, closing the door.

For a full minute, Cadance stood there, wondering what was going on inside the house. She considered leaving, before the door opened back up.

“Okay.” he said to her, allowing her to enter.

Strong Heart lead her through the house, into the dining room, where Chrysalis sat, waiting for her. She was all smiles, like there was no past between her.

“Princess Cadance, it’s so nice to see you.” she welcomed Cadance, pleased to see her.

The Princess on the other hoof, was the opposite. However, learning from Celestia, she was able to master the art of the lie, and could fool Chrysalis into thinking that she was there with friendly intentions. Cadance sat down across from her, as Strong Heart served her a daffodil and daisy sandwich, along with a glass of dandelion wine. She had to admit, the food looked quite tasty, but one thing caught her eye. Strong Heart was having the wine, but Chrysalis was drinking plain old water. It was interesting, but she disregarded it.

“It’s not often we have visitors. The last one who visited us was…Twilight. Right?” she asks Strong Heart, who nods. Cadance was shocked to hear that Twilight disobeyed her brother’s orders, but now was not the time to dwell on it.

Looking at her figure, Cadance was surprised to see that Chrysalis didn’t look like her usual, seemingly frail self. Instead, she was much fuller, especially around the stomach. Not fat, but definitely different from the last time she saw her.

“I must say, Chrysalis; your physique has gotten much more defined.”

The Queen looked at her stomach, giving it a quick pat, and letting out a flattered chuckle.

“All this time in Ponyville has gotten me a little rounder, I do admit.”

“I still think you’re beautiful.” Strong Heart was quick to tell her, giving her a peck on the check, which she enjoyed.

“Thank you.” she tells him timidly.

“Speaking of which…” Cadance continued, “How do you like it in Ponyville?”

“It’s certainly better than living in a cave full of slime for most of your life!” Chrysalis laughed, “Sure, we had some uncomfortable moments in the beginning, but I really like living here.” she takes a sip of her water, “Actually, I’m glad you’re here, Cadance. I’ve wanted to talk to you.”

“You have?” Cadance wondered, “About what?”

“It’s about what I did to you, and to Shining Armor.” she was being serious, and Cadance listened intently to see where this was going. “I have no excuse for doing what I did, I could come up with one, or many if I want to, but the truth is that I have none. That…creature you saw, was all me. In some way, I feel that I deserved my imprisonment. However, my time with Strong Heart has shown me that even a creature like me can find happiness. I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while, and now I think it’s a good a time as any. Cadance…I’m sorry; to both you and Shining Armor. I hope that one day, we can be friends.”

Cadance hid what she was feeling at that moment. Instead, she smiled.

“Me too.” she said, as she took a bite out of the sandwich. It was good.

Shining Armor trotted around his bedroom, wondering where his wife had gone. It was nearly night time, and he hadn’t seen her all day. He was ready to go outside to search for her, when she then walked into the room. From what he saw, she didn’t look happy.

“Cadance? What’s wrong?” he asked her, concerned.

“I visited them.” she said with disgust. Shining Armor immediately knew of who she spoke of.

“What did you learn?”

“Nothing. Just that they’re happy, and in love. I suppose that’s a good thing, but…”

“But what?”

“Every time I looked at her, my stomach turned, my blood boiled, I just wanted to jump over there and crush her long neck with my hooves! Strong Heart was holding her, kissing her! It made me sick!”

Shining Armor liked this angry side of Cadance. He doesn’t see it often, but when he did, he feels even more attracted to her than he already was. She was seducing him with her anger, and she didn’t even know it.

“They saw Twilight, as well. Even after you told her to stay away from them! I can’t believe her!”

He doesn’t respond, but a look of disappointment falls on his face.

“You know what the worst part was?” she asked.

“Hmmmm?” was all he could get out.

“She said she was sorry about what she did to us, and hoped that we would be friends! Like an apology was all it was going to take for me to forgive her! What did she think? That we would be friends and the story of our wedding day would be some funny story to tell to the fillies? ‘Oh hey my little foals, let me tell you the story of the time a Changeling put me in a crystal cave, and tried to take over Equestria! It’s a hoot!’ Like that’s going to happen!”

Shining Armor approaches her slowly, and embraces her.

“I love it when you’re angry.” he tells her. He then gives her a passionate kiss. She was more than appreciative of it. After a while, they break from it, just long enough for him to ask “What are you going to do now?”

“They’re definitely hiding something. The next time I have the day off, I’m going to visit them again.” she puts a hoof on his chest, “Enough of me, I want to know what YOU’RE going to do now?”

Shining Armor gives her a look that she is all too familiar with.

It wouldn’t be another month, before Cadance would have the opportunity to come down to Ponyville again. She arrived at their doorstep with a bottle of Dandelion Wine, ready to greet the two with all smiles. Knocking on the door, she is surprised to see Chrysalis to be the one to answer. Her physique, particularly her stomach had grown quite a bit since Cadance last saw her.

“Princess Cadance?” Chrysalis says, not unwelcoming to her presence.

“Hi, Chrysalis. Is Strong Heart home?”

“You just missed him. He’s out buying some…furniture for the house.”

“Really? You two seem to have more than enough.” Cadance is suspicious.

“Well, you never know when we might have…guests.” Chrysalis sees the wine, taking the opportunity to change the subject. “Is that wine?”

“Yes. Vintage Dandelion Wine.” she proudly proclaims, holding the wine up with her magic. “I figure you and Strong Heart would like to have it.”

“Thank you, I know Strong Heart would like it. He enjoys a drop every once in a while, but I don’t drink it.” Chrysalis takes the bottle, and places it at a nearby table.

“You don’t? I’m surprised.”

“I used to, but I’m off it, for the time being.”

“How come?” Cadance questions her. She can see that she’s verbally pushing Chrysalis into a corner. The Queen looks nervous.

“It doesn’t agree with me, right now. That’s all.”

“What, are you pregnant or something?” Cadance jokingly says.

A pause. A pause was all that it took for Cadance to figure it out. Chrysalis couldn’t lie her way out of it, she knew she was caught. All she could do was fix her gaze down to the floor in embarrassment, as Cadance’s eyes grow wide.

“You’re pregnant?!” she said.

“Yes…” she said softly.

“But…but I thought…how?”

“I don’t know. It just happened.”

Seeing the Queen’s stomach, it all made sense. She could slap herself for being so stupid, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

“When is it due?”

“A couple months maybe. They said the development cycle would be faster than most pregnancies.”

Cadance was in complete shock. Slowly, she steps forward, setting her sights on Chrysalis’ pregnant belly.

“May I?” she asks, kneeling down. Chrysalis was nervous, scared even, but she allowed Cadance to proceed. The Princess put her ear to the Queen’s stomach, listening to the heartbeat of the creature inside of her. It sounded normal, but to her, it was still unnatural. She feels a light kick, causing her to lean back. “It kicked.” She said.

“It does that.” Chrysalis chuckled, “It must mean it likes you.”

“If it does it constantly, it must like you a lot.” Cadance laughed. Chrysalis returned the emotion. “Congratulations.” She said.

“Thank you.” Chrysalis replied, “It’s nice to hear.”

“I have to go.” Cadance said, “I’ll see you and Strong Heart later. When the foal is born, enjoy the wine.”

Cadance walks away, as Chrysalis stood there, now confronted with having to tell Strong Heart of what has transpired.

Strong Heart returned to the house a couple hours after the Princess’s visit. He has a wagon with him, filled with items and furniture for the foal. After detaching himself from the wagon, he walks inside the house.

“Chrysalis, I’m back.” he announces himself. No response. “Chrysalis?” Still nothing. He walks into the living room to see her on the couch, sad. “What’s the matter?”

“Cadance came by today.” she says.

“What did she do?” he said sternly, fearing the worst.

“Nothing. But…she knows…about the foal.” A tear rolls down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

He holds her. He’s not mad at her. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

“It’s okay. We were going to tell them, but I was hoping after it was born.”

“She did seem to be happy, but I don’t know how Shining Armor will react, when she tells him.” Chrysalis thinks a terrible thought. “You…you don’t think that he’ll…!”

“No!” Strong Heart interrupts, “I told you what I said to him, back at Canterlot, and I meant it.” She rests her head down on him. “The foal will be born in a couple months. If he tries anything, I’ll be ready.”

“I wish I could fight with you.” she says, “My magic has been dwindling lately.”

“Don’t worry about it. Save your strength.” he tells her.

Being pregnant is having an unfortunate side effect of Chrysalis. Though Strong Heart’s love for her has been keeping her healthy, most of her power is being concentrated on the foal growing within her, making her feeble when it comes to spells and strength. She could barely even stand at this point in the development process, regulating herself to the couch on most days. She hates being so weak, but she is also grateful for Strong Heart’s loyalty to her.

“Soon…” he says, “It’ll just be me, you, and our foal.”

As the sun came down, Shining Armor retired to his quarters after a stressful day at training. As proud as he is of his soldiers, everypony was off their game today, and that made Shining Armor disappointed in them. However, he did ultimately cut them some slack, as he remembered that he and Strong Heart used to slack off in their days at the academy. He chuckled at the situations they would get themselves into, but after a while, reminiscing about the former Lieutenant makes him upset.

He enters his chambers to find Cadance lying on the bed.

“Not tonight, Cadance.” he says, mistaking her position for something else. “I didn’t exactly have a good day.”

“Chrysalis is pregnant.” she says, getting straight to the point. Shining Armor freezes in mid-disrobing, his armor floating in the air. He looks back to Cadance. “I found out this afternoon.”

His armor drops to the floor. He’s too shocked to put it away normally.

“Are you sure?” he says.

“I felt the thing kick me. You better believe I’m sure.”

“Kick you? How long has it been inside her?”

“I don’t know, but she says it’s due in a couple months, at least.”

Shining Armor stays in place, the news rocks him to his core, to the point where anything he would try to say, results in an incoherent sequence of stammers. Cadance has no such trouble.

“Shining Armor…we have to kill it.”

He shoots a look at her, but he does not disagree. He’s just surprised that it came from her. More and more, does the idea sound good to him, but…

“It’s too risky…” he says, “If Strong Heart is aware of our intentions…”

“He won’t be.” Cadance is confident, “I think I know what to do about him.”

“We can’t kill him!” Shining Armor again misunderstanding her.

“No. I know of a spell, but it will take time. He is very resilient to magic, so I have to make sure what I have is particularly powerful.”

“What about Chrysalis?”

“Her pregnancy has made her fragile, but she could probably still try to take us, to protect her foal. I don’t know about her, yet.”

It was then, that Shining Armor remembered the dungeon that she was in; the chains that bound her. An idea forms in his scheming head.

“I know what to do.” he tells her, “But, like your spell…it will take time. We will have to move quickly. The foal must not be born.”

For the next month, the two began to make their plan a reality. Like most ponies with a secret, they were subtle about their behavior around the castle. Both of them wouldn’t risk getting caught, and would only continue with progressing their plot when they weren’t distracted by their duties. The two discussed how the plan would go down, with variations, back up plans, and outs. Shining Armor became concerned about a particular part of the plan, but Cadance convinced him that it had to be done, to which he agreed.

Neither Celestia, nor Luna were aware of what they were up to, nor were they even suspicious.

The time went by in a flash, and soon enough…the day arrived.

It was mid-morning; Chrysalis was sleeping on the couch, while Strong Heart watched over her, getting whatever she needed to relax. The foal was to be born soon, and he wanted to be sure that she was as comfortable as possible. She’s never experienced foal-birth before, and he wanted to guide her every step of the way.

He hears a knock on the door. He wasn’t expecting visitors today, so he approached the door with caution. Slowly opening it, he sees Cadance on the other side.

“Cadance?” He was even more suspicious of her visit than he was the last time he saw her. “It’s weird that you keep coming here once a month.”

“Hi. I’m sorry I haven’t been visiting more often. I would, but you know how it is.”

“What are you doing here?”

“We came to visit you.”

Strong Heart looked around her, he sees nopony.

“Who is ‘we’?”

“Shining Armor wants to talk to you.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s waiting for us at Twilight’s house.”

Strong Heart chuckles, shaking his head.

“Our foal is due in less than a month, if he wants to talk to me, he can talk to me here.”

As he tries to close the door, Cadance blocks the door with her hoof, preventing it from closing.

“Please. He wants all of us to talk. Me, you, him and Twilight.”

“What does Twilight have to do with this?”

“She wasn’t supposed to see you, but she did. He was pretty mad about it, but he’s calmed down now. We’ve all known each other since we can remember, and now he wants all of us in a room together, like we were before.”

Strong Heart glances at Chrysalis.

“I can’t.” he says, “Chrysalis can barely stand; I can’t take her along with me.”

“It’ll only be for ten minutes.”

“Does he really think ten minutes can fix what he’s done?” Strong Heart is in disbelief.

“I promise. It’ll be like you never left her.”

He thinks about this for a few moments. He doesn’t want to leave Chrysalis, but the prospect of Shining Armor wanting to be friends again could be a step to him accepting the Queen, and the foal to be.

“Okay.” he replies, “Fifteen minutes, at the latest. I don’t care how rousing his speech is, if he doesn’t make his point in fifteen minutes, I’m gone.”

“Alright. Fifteen minutes it is.”

Strong Heart goes to Chrysalis, adjusting her blanket, covering more of her.

“I’m going to Twilight’s for a few minutes. I won’t be gone long, okay?” he gently tells her.

“Mmm…okay…” Chrysalis mumbles.

“I love you.” He kisses her on the cheek. She mumbles something back, but he doesn’t hear it. He goes back to Cadance. “Let’s go.”

The two make their way to Twilight’s house, his suspicion of Cadence never leaving his thoughts. Though she has treated them with a small amount of respect in the last couple months, something was eating at the back of his mind that this could be a set up.

They get to Twilight’s house within moments. Strong Heart knocked on the door, preparing to see Shining Armor on the other side. The door opens, and instead, he sees Twilight. Something is wrong from the outset; she looks at him like she wasn’t expecting him.

“Strong Heart? Cadance? What are you two doing here?”

“We’re here to see Shining Armor. Cadence told me he was here.”

“What? Shining Armor isn’t---“

A burst of magic EXPLODES from Cadance’s horn as Twilight and Strong Heart look at each other. She’s done this spell many times, but never at this level. She knew Strong Heart could withstand many mind control spells, so she had to make this one with an extra kick. His eyes began to flicker, so did Twilight’s. He fought to shake himself out of the enchantment, but it was to no avail. In seconds, the spell left as quickly as it came, and Twilight and Strong Heart looked at each other, not in confusion, but out of love.

“What were we talking about?” he asked her.

“I…” Twilight pauses, looking at Strong Heart with seductive eyes, “I believe you were going to come in for a…talk.”

“…Right.” He said, wide eyed and happy, like a young colt going on a date for the first time. He goes inside the house, shutting the door behind him, forgetting that Cadance was outside with him. The plan was working.

Shining Armor emerges from the side of the house, happy that the spell was a success.

“I told you it would work.” Cadance said.

“How long will it last?”

“Quite a while.”

“Will Twilight be okay?”

“Of course, she will. He’s not going to hurt her, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Okay. Come on, we have work to do.” he tells her, prepared to do what he came to do.

Chrysalis is sleeping peacefully, no worries in the world. The front door creeks open, and she can feel the warmth of the sun. She’s half awake, but she can hear the approaching hoofsteps.

“You’re back. What happened?” she said practically in a whisper.

A ring is suddenly, forced onto her horn, jerking her out of her slumber. A pair of hooves grabs her by the head, moving it to the assailant’s face. It’s Shining Armor, giving her a sadistic grin.

“Hello, Chrysalis.”

He throws her off the couch, and hard onto the floor. The impact with the floor gives her a nasty cut on the head. She crawls away from Shining Armor in a panic. Immediately, she attempts a spell. Nothing. She tries again. It’s not working.

“Your magic isn’t going to help you, my Queen. That ring on your head was made from the chains that bound you back in the dungeon. The only way to remove it…is through a magic user.”

Chrysalis is too weak to run; she can only continue to crawl. She backs herself into a corner.

“L-leave us alone! If Strong Heart finds out, he’ll…”

“I’m afraid he won’t be coming to your rescue.” Cadance says, walking into the room, shutting the door.

Chrysalis’ eyes widen in horror. “Cadance? W-why?” she can’t believe Cadance is a part of this.

“WHY?! You tried to ruin our lives! You took away our best friend, and now you’re having an abomination of a foal!”

“B-but I thought you wanted to be friends…” Chrysalis is in tears.

“Friends?!” Cadance and Shining Armor share a laugh. “I hate you! Why should we allow you, a monster, a parasite, to share the same kind of happiness as us?! You don’t deserve it! And now, my dear Shining Armor is going to take it away.” Cadance and Shining Armor look at each other with love and admiration.

“P-please…” Chrysalis pleads, “I’m pregnant…”

“We know…and we don’t care.” Cadance says to her, with all the hate she can muster. “I’m going to let my husband do whatever he wants to you. I know he’s been waiting a long time for this.”

Shining Armor approaches Chrysalis. She tries to get up, but she can’t. She is frozen with fear.

“When I’m through with you…” Shining Armor tells her, “You will beg for death.”

Hours pass, evening approaches. Shining Armor and Cadance walk inside Twilight’s house, filled with accomplishment. Cadance lovingly wipes off a hint of green blood on Shining Armor’s horn. They then turn their attention to where they are.

They walk into Twilight’s bedroom upstairs to see Strong Heart and Twilight sleeping peacefully together. They are in each other’s forelegs, bathed in sweat; it’s obvious that they have made love.

“See? She’s fine.” Cadance assures him.

“I feel a bit bad that we had to involve her in this.”

“Don’t worry about it. She won’t remember a thing, when we’re done. Neither will he. We have to clean them up.”

“Alright, you take Strong Heart, I’ll take Twilight. There’s a second bathroom downstairs you can use.”

Cadance carries Strong Heart with her magic down the stairs, taking him to the bathroom in the far back. Shining Armor carries Twilight on his back, bringing her to the bathroom nearby. He placed her in the bathtub, and fills it up with water. Gently, he rubs her body with a bar of soap, cleansing her of what she received from Strong Heart. He looks at her with affection, but also ashamed.

“I’m sorry I had to do this to you, Twily.” he tells her, “But, believe me, if there was any other way, I would have taken it. Then again, you did disobey my order. I know you won’t remember any of this, but I did it with the best intentions.”

Twilight softly moans. Shining Armor sees that it’s the result of the way that he’s touching her. He recoils his hoof back from her body, shaking it like it was possessed. He looks back at Twilight, as she relaxes in the warm water. He gently caresses her face, smiling.

“I love you, my Twily.” He approaches her face, and kisses her. It’s a simple kiss, but then, it begins to evolve into something else, and the brotherly kiss becomes a lustful one. His kisses become harder, more passionate, driving his tongue into her mouth. Her mouth eagerly opens for him; he assumes she’s having some kind of dream. He prepares to put himself in the bath to finish what he started, but before he could go any further, he pushes himself away from her, realizing what he’s doing.

“Sweet Celestia.” he whispers to himself.

He shakes his head, trying to forget what he just did, and goes back to cleaning her. This was something that neither Cadance, nor Twilight would ever know.

Strong Heart groans as he lies on the wood floor. He is suffering from the mother of all headaches. He grabs his head, feeling his horn, as he slowly opens his eyes. He sees that he’s in Twilight’s house, and along with her, Cadance, and Shining Armor are looking down at him.

“What happened?” he asks groggily.

“You fell down, buddy.” Shining Armor replies, “Fell right onto Twilight. You were both knocked out.”

“I’m sorry, Twi.” Strong Heart tells her, “Did I hurt you?”

“Not at all. I’m fine. A bit sore, but I’m okay.”

He nods, happy that he didn’t cause her any harm. Looking out the window, he sees that evening has almost arrived.

“Oh no!” he says, “I’ve been gone for too long. I have to go.”

“Wait!” Shining Armor yells to him. “I haven’t said my peace, yet!”

Strong Heart pauses. He wants to go back to Chrysalis, but he did agree to hear him out, if only for a little bit.

“Fine.” he reluctantly accepts, “What is it?”

“I…I feel really bad, how we left things back at Canterlot. I know we both said some things that we regretted, and I just want you to know that…I’m sorry.”

Strong Heart stares at him with a blank slate face. Shining Armor smiles, with an attempt at looking sincere. Suddenly, Strong Heart bursts out laughing. Nopony in the room has ever heard him laugh like that in a long time.

“Really?” he says, in between fits of laughter. “It took you over a year to say that?” He laughs some more, before abruptly going into a serious face. “I don’t believe you.” He walks right out the door. Shining Armor follows.

“Wait!” he calls out, “Don’t go! I’m trying to apologize!”

Strong Heart turns, getting close to Shining Armor’s face.

“I gave you fifteen minutes, and you barely talked for fifteen seconds. Did you think that apology was going to work? Maybe, if you said that the week after I left, I would have believed you, but now it’s pathetic!”

“I’m trying to say I’m happy for you!”

“You’re happy for me? Now? After all this time? After you turned you back on me?”

“You turned your back on us first!”

“And it was a long time coming!”

Shining Armor’s mouth is agape.

“What do you mean?”

“I stuck by you, through thick and thin, when we were young colts. We were best friends, brothers even, and I never left your side. Not even when you started dating Cadance, when you KNEW that I liked her. I was mad for a little bit, but you know what? I forgave you, because that’s what friends do. You want to know how long it took me to forgive you? Two weeks! Not a year, two weeks! I was happy for the both of you. From then on, I was always happy for the both of you! And when I tell you that I found somepony, you refuse to talk to me for over a year?”

“That’s not fair! This is different!”

“Oh right, I forgot, she’s a monster, she tried to ruin our lives, blah, blah, blah! I don’t care what you think, anymore! I’m in love with Chrysalis! We’re going to have a foal, and I plan on marrying her, once it’s born, and you cannot stop me! We’re done, Shining Armor. I never want to see you again.”

Strong Heart turns to walk away, but he sees something off in the distance. More specifically, he doesn’t see something.

“What’s the matter?” Shining Armor says, knowing that he’s finding out.

“Chrysalis turns on the lights, when it’s getting dark.” he says.

Strong Heart takes off running to the house. Shining Armor doesn’t follow.

Upon getting there, Strong Heart burst through the door, nearly tripping over a fallen lamp.

“Chrysalis!” he yelled. It’s a mess. Tables are knocked over, sofa has been flipped, books, papers, all on the floor. As he slowly walks though, he notices traces of green blood. His heart races, his breaths become shorter; he is in a full blown panic.

Then, he sees her…back against the wall, bleeding profusely. Her face is bruised, bloodied, her once beautiful face is barely recognizable, and she is unconscious.

“CHRYSALIS!” he screams at the top of his lungs, rushing to her. He cradles her body in his forelegs, shaking her, desperately trying to wake her up. “Speak to me! Speak to me, please!” Tears are flowing out of his eyes. “Chrysalis…wake up…”

She’s not waking up. Thinking fast, he places her on his back, and races to the hospital.

The rest went by so fast. The doctors questioned him about what happened; he couldn’t tell them, how could he? He was in complete shock; he wasn’t going to talk to anypony. Shining Armor and Cadance were there with him, feigning support, when in reality; they were there to see if she was going to die.

The hours of the night were flying by; Strong Heart didn’t move a single inch as he sat in the waiting room. Soon, the Doctor that told them that Chrysalis was pregnant, came out of the ER. For once in the past few hours, Strong Heart moved, rushing to the Doctor.

“Doctor…” he said, “How is she?”

The Doctor was hesitant to tell him. “I’m…afraid that I have some bad news…”

Strong Heart prepares himself, “Is she….?”

“No. She’s alive, but barely. She…” The Doctor shakes; he’s never seen anything like this before. “She was beaten pretty bad. Multiple fractures, internal bleeding, and…we found…her lower body had traces of…”

Strong Heart couldn’t hear any more. He backs up to a nearby wall, sliding down, as he starts to cry. In between his sobs, he could only say two words, "The…foal?”

The Doctor kneels down, facing him at eye level.

“I’m so sorry. The trauma was too great.”

What was sobs, became a total breakdown of tears. Cadance and Shining Armor looked upon their once stone faced friend with pity, but a hint of satisfaction. They succeeded in their goal; the foal is dead. Still, their deception had to continue.

Shining Armor places a hoof on Strong Heart’s shoulder.

“I’m so---“

Strong Heart gets up in the beat of an eye, pushing Shining Armor away from him so hard, he nearly broke the window behind him.

“Shining Armor!” Cadance yells.

“Both of you…get out.” he tells them. They do not move. “GET OUT!!” They approach him, still trying to seem genuine. “Don’t even TRY to touch me. You never wanted me to be happy! You’re glad this happened. Get out!”

The two stop their advance. Slowly, they back away from him, until they finally leave the hospital.

“The foal…was a girl.” The Doctor said, causing Strong Heart to turn around to see him.

“A girl?” he asks, “I always felt we were going to have a girl.” He smiles, thinking about times that will never be. “Can I see her?”

“I don’t know if…”

“Please. I want to see what she looks like.”

The Doctor looked upon his pleading eyes; he couldn’t refuse his request.

“I’ll have the Nurses clean her up.”

The Doctor walked Strong Heart slowly down the hospital corridor, giving the nurses time to clean up the deceased foal. They passed by a room filled with crying fillies, awaiting their parents. Strong Heart felt the sting inside him, knowing that she wasn’t in one of those tiny beds.

He is brought into a nearly empty, darkened room, with a single light shining over a hospital crib. The Doctor stood back, as Strong Heart walked to the center of the room, where the crib lied. He looked inside to see her; a beautiful foal, half pony, half changeling. He smiled, noting all her features that made her unique.

“She’s perfect.” he says, lips quivering, trying not to cry again. “She has a black coat, not a shell.” Slowly, he reaches inside, and picks her up with one hoof, cradling her carefully, like she was alive. “Her wings are definitely like her mother’s…and a horn like mine.” He opens an eyelid, revealing a gorgeous blue eye. Finally, he looks at her hooves. He chuckles. “Her hooves are like Chrysalis’…she definitely would have been looked at funny. But, we would’ve been there for her, protecting her, caring for her.”

“Did you have a name for her?” The Doctor asks.

“No. Chrysalis wanted to be the one to name her.”

A tear falls on the foals face. He places her back down into the crib.

“Where is she? Where is my wife?”

“She’s in intensive care.”

“I want to be with her.”

“Of course.”

In minutes, the Doctor leads him into Chrysalis’ room. Strong Heart looks in horror at her condition. The Queen that he loved is covered in casts and bandages, her face is swollen, and jaw nearly wired shut. The heart monitor is beeping, but slowly.

“Can…I be alone with her?” Strong Heart asks. The Doctor nods, and takes his leave.

He comes to her side, placing both his hooves on her, kneeling down on the floor.

“I made a promise to always be there for you…and I wasn’t.”

Chrysalis’ eyes slowly open. She is conscious. He looks at her, and sees she’s awake. He has no look of surprise, but deep down, the news he’s about to tell her will be even more difficult.

“The foal…didn’t make it.” he grits his teeth, fighting the tears, “It was a girl, too. She was so beautiful, Chrysalis. You would have loved her.”

Tears flow out of Chrysalis’ eyes. She could barely open her mouth; any attempt to cry only resulted in pained whimpers.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Chrysalis tries to speak. It’s unbearable for her to talk.

“My….h..or..n…..”

“What?” he could barely hear her.

“My….horn…”

“Your horn?” He looks at her horn. As he looks closer, he sees a small shimmer of a metal ring at the base. “What is that?” he whispers.

“Re…m…ove….it…” she strains in her speech.

Using his magic, he removes the rings from her horn, freeing her of its effects. He examines the ring much closer. The material looks familiar to him.

“I’ve seen this metal before…”

Chrysalis’ body begins to shake…violently. Strong Heart drops the ring, placing everything he has on her, trying to hold her down.

“Chrysalis?! What’s wrong? Chrysalis!”

Suddenly, her eyes snap open, revealing a bright green glow. It’s so strong; he has to shield his eyes. He can hear her bones snapping back into place, healing her. When the light calms, he sees her bruises disappearing, her swelling subsiding. She opens her mouth wide, ripping the wires from her jaw, and the resulting wounds closing up. He looks at her; amazed…and terrified.

Minutes ago, she was in indescribable pain, now…she’s healed…and angry. When the last wound is healed, she yells a loud roar of absolute rage, and an EXPLOSION of magic rocks the room, knocking Strong Heart back into the wall, and destroying nearly everything inside. He recovers from the shock, looking up to see his love, floating in the air, slowly descending back down. She walks over to him, helping him up to face her.

“Did I hurt you?” she asks. He shakes his head, still amazed at her recovery.

“That ring…” he stutters, “W-was it from the dungeon?” She nods. “Who did this to you?”

“Shining Armor.” she replies.

Strong Heart feels the same sensation of rage that she is feeling right now. He is ready to kill.

“We’re going to Canterlot, and he will pay for his crimes.”

“Not just him…all of them.”

“What?”

“I’m leaving, Strong Heart. I’m getting my army, and when I do, I’m going to kill them all. Every guard, every servant, anypony that is loyal to him…will die.”

“He’s the one that wronged you, nopony else!”

“They wronged me just by looking at me with the same hate that he did!”

“What about Celestia and Luna? They supported us!”

She remembers the kindness they gave her by allowing her romance with him to go on. She smiles, gazing at the floor, and then back to Strong Heart. She inches closer to his face, and delivering a soft kiss on his lips, which he was more than accepting of.

“I’ll be there at dawn.” she tells him, after breaking from the kiss, “Take them somewhere safe. Tell them what happened, and why. When I arrive, no pony can stop me…not even you.”

“I won’t stop you from killing Shining Armor, but I can’t let you kill anypony else.”

She smirks. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait!” he yells to her. She stops. “If you do this…there’s only one way this story can end.”

“I know.”

Suddenly, a bright surge of magic fills the room, blinding Strong Heart, and just as quickly, it leaves. He looks around the room. She is gone.

It’s time to go to Canterlot.