The Ap-parent Trap

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Chapter 1

Uncivilized. That was the best way Chrysalis explain how she looked at the moment. Another wave of nausea hit the Queen, causing her to shove her head back over the toilet bowl as she anticipated the following reaction. A dry heave later, the changeling let out a groan as she propped herself up against the bathroom wall. Levitating a bottle of water to her lips, Chrysalis gargled the water and spit it out so she could get the taste of vomit out of her mouth.

After waiting to see if her sickness passed, the Queen stood up before dragging herself into the shower. This has been her routine for the past week. She would wake up early in the morning and rush to the bathroom only to throw up what little was still in her stomach and dry heave for a few minutes. Then, after a hot shower, she’d feel perfectly fine aside from the fact that she could out eat all of the drones in the hive once she got down to the dining hall. There was a knock on the bathroom door as she tried to rinse the soap out of her mane.

“What is it?” groaned Chrysalis. She gave out a low moan as the water worked out one of the kinks in her shoulder. There was a shuffle outside of the door before someone answered.

“My Queen, the doctor is her to check on you as requested.” answered a drone. Chrysalis grunted a response before rinsing herself off. Shutting off the water, Chrysalis used a quick spell to dry herself before brushing through her mane quick to get the snarls out.

Opening the door into her bedroom, a single drone dressed in a white coat stood waiting for her. The drone gave a quick bow before gesturing to the bed. Chrysalis gave a nod before seating herself.

“So what has been ailing you, my Queen?” asked the drone. With a flash of green, a clipboard with what Chrysalis could imagine was her medical record appeared before the changeling.

“I’ve been waking up sick and throwing up last night’s dinner for the last week.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “Then I feel fine for the rest of the day, but could eat a manticore for every meal.”

“I could think of one thing causing it.” said the doctor, putting down his clipboard. “But it isn’t something changelings usually get. It is more of a mammal trait.”

“Mammal?” asked Chrysalis, watching as the doctor started rummaging through the bag he brought with.

“Yes, mammal.” said the doctor, coming out with a small thermometer looking device. “Have you went to the bathroom yet this morning?” After a shake of her head, the doctor handed the device to her. “I want you to pee on the narrow end of that, wait a couple minutes and we will see what it comes out as.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, but followed his orders. Afterwards, Chrysalis stayed seated as she watched the screen on the device. She did not understand why she had to pee on it of all things, as she was not sure what that would accomplish, but she just wanted to be over with her sickness.

Suddenly, a small red plus sign appeared on the screen. “Its a plus.” shouted Chrysalis through the door, puzzled.

“Are you sure?” replied the doctor.

“Yes, I am not blind.” said Chrysalis with a scoff.

“Then congratulations, my Queen.” said the doctor. “You are pregnant.”

“...Pardon?” The fact that changelings can get pregnant was not unheard of. It normally was after said changeling would come back from a mission where they gained love from more carnal means than just wooing a stallion. However, Chrysalis had not done such a thing, at least not successfully.

“How could that happen?” asked Chrysalis, opening the door to her bathroom. “I haven’t been with a stallion in ages!”

“Well, there are multiple ways. The obvious one, some have gotten pregnant from having seed planted inside them, which I doubt you did, and in extreme cases, powerful magic can carry the genes of the caster as they are using their own essence after a certain point. It could be that if you recently locked horns with a powerful unicorn, it could have caused this reaction.”

Chrysalis thought for a moment. She battled with at least four unicorns recently. She’d hardly call Shining or his sister powerful, and Cadence barely any strength in her when they battled. The only one that took a good amount of energy to battle was…

“Oh shit…”

Celestia let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The past week had been busy after a guard stumbled upon another underground passageway in the castle along with rumors of changelings in Canterlot, again.

Since the invasion, both the residents of the city and the guard have been paranoid about another attack. Even Shining Armor called off his honeymoon to chase the rumors of changelings, much to the annoyance of his wife. Every day a new supposed threat or rumor was brought to her attention, the list seemed to go on for miles.

“I’ve had the guards check the new passageway multiple times for changelings and posted a guard at both entrances.” said Shining Armor. Next to him, Cadence stood annoyed as she was initially there to talk to Celestia about something. “If any changelings try to enter the castle, we will know.”

“And we didn’t close off the entrances and put wards on where they used to be to detect magic use, why?” asked Celestia, raising an eyebrow. “If we continue to waste resources on supposed rumors and putting soldiers where we don’t need to, we won’t be prepared if, and I mean if, there is another attack.”

“But if we keep guards at the entrances, we can catch them sneaking in!” countered Shining.

“No, that's why we have wards. If you want to catch them, guards will make them steer clear so we can’t catch them.” said Celestia with a sigh. “No one is that stupid to try and use those entrances now.”

Almost on cue, the door opened as a group of guards escorted in Queen Chrysalis. She wore a magic limiter on her horn and had multiple spears pointed at her. “Princess, we caught her trying to use the cave entrance.”

“Ha! I told you so!” said Shining Armor as he trotted towards his new prisoner. “I’ve always awaited the day of your capture.”

“Get any closer and you will need a seeing-eye dog.” growled Chrysalis, causing Shining to take a step back, much to Celestia’s amusement.

“So, instead of proving Shining Armor’s point, why did you return so soon after your failed invasion?” asked Celestia. “Surely you knew our security would be tighter.”

“I came because I had a message and I came in peace.” said Chrysalis. “I tried to explain it to these dunderheads, but they seem pretty poke-happy with those spears.” Celestia nodded and the guards lowered their spears, but did not leave her side.

“There, now what is this message that you have?” asked Celestia, staring at the changeling. Chrysalis took a deep breath before answering.

“I’m pregnant.” The room fell quiet as all eyes fell on Shining Armor. The stallion looked around before starting to panic.

“W-what?! N-no! I swear I didn’t do anything!” exclaimed Shining, turning to Cadence. “Caddy, please! You have to believe me!”

“It’s not you, dumbass.” said Chrysalis, rolling her eyes. “You couldn’t even make it past foreplay.” The changeling started making her way towards Celestia. “The only way I could get pregnant is by connecting magic with a powerful unicorn. Since Spineless over there is only good with shields, and his little sister wasn’t any better, that only leaves one option.” Chrysalis stopped just at the foot of the throne, quickly surrounded by guards. “It’s yours, Princess Celestia.”

“...What?”

Chapter 2

Celestia stared at the changeling before her, trying to figure out if what she just said was true. The two of them did fight each other with magic, but while she wanted to deny the fact that it was a possibility, there had been tales of such a thing happening. But normally it was when the two unicorns were already intimate, not trying to battle to the death.

With a sigh, the princess rubbed the bridge of her nose, she could swear a migraine was building up. Because what she need on top of the changeling scare was the Queen of said changelings being pregnant with her child. Out of all the suitors that she slept with, never did either of them get pregnant. But she battles with a changeling Queen and a child somehow becomes a product of said battle.

“Since I can’t arrest you due to your pregnancy, and I can’t just let you go waltzing back to your hive, then I am going to need you to take another pregnancy test to confirm and I’ll figure out what to do with you in the meantime.” said Celestia with a sigh. As the guards took her to the medical wing, Celestia got up to head to her study only to be cut off by Shining and Cadence.

“You can’t seriously be thinking of letting her stay her, Tia.” said Cadence. Celestia sighed, pushing past them.

“I don’t have much of a choice.” said Celestia. “Like I said, I can’t let her go, and imprisoning a pregnant mare, enemy or not, would be a political nightmare and I would lose trust from multiple allies for doing so.” She turned around so she could face the two of them. “If she is indeed pregnant, aside from the nightmare that will cause once it becomes public its mine, the only thing we can do is have her live here under supervision. Once the foal is delivered then we will decide what to do with her.”

“Then I will keep a group of guards on her at all times.” said Shining Armor, stopping outside of Celestia’s study doors. “She won’t be able to do anything without us knowing.”

“No.” said Celestia, entering her Study. “Stress and pregnancy don’t mix well. I will watch over her. Besides, knowing you, it won’t end well anyways.” Before her could argue, Celestia closed the door and locked it. She let out a heavy sigh as she made her way to her desk. With a loud thump, Celestia slammed her head into the desk.

A child. thought Celestia. Over a thousand years and now of all times life presents me with a child. The Princess let herself fall back on the pile of pillows the surrounded the desk. She had tried multiple times in her youth. But the unfortunate truth was that she was not actually fertile. No magic could fix that, and yet…

A knock on the door snapped Celestia out of her thoughts. After unlocking the door, she beckoned whoever it was to enter. Sitting up, she watched as a guard, Chrysalis, and the resident doctor all entered the study.

“I’m not sure how, but she is pregnant.” said the doctor with a sigh. “From the research I did on changelings, pregnancy should be impossible, and yet she is at least four weeks pregnant. A couple of months I can even tell you the gender.”

“Changeling anatomy changes depending on who we are intimate with.” said Chrysalis. “In this case, its female pony anatomy because Celestia’s magical essence mixed with mine.”

“Only explanation I can think of.” said the doctor with a sigh. “I never seen it, but it can happen.”

“Perfect.” said Celestia with a sigh. “You two can leave us. I need to speak with her alone.” The two other ponies nodded before exiting, although Celestia had a feeling the guard stayed outside the door on Shining’s order. “I don’t suppose you know what to expect from pregnancy, do you?”

“Not in particular.” said Chrysalis with a shrug. “Changelings normally lay eggs similar to reptiles. Not really common for this to happen.” Celestia nodded, standing up so she could start pacing.

“Well, it will take about nine months before you go into labour and it will be extremely painful.” said Celestia, noting Chrysalis’ immediate look of discomfort. “I hear the pain is worth it in the end. Anyways, some mares get mood swings, odd food cravings, etc. There is also morning sickness, which you should already be having.”

“So just being moody and hungry? That doesn’t sound so bad.” said Chrysalis, gaining some confidence.

“You will also gain weight, which will go to your womb. By you third trimester you will have a large bump that feels like you are carrying a fifteen pound weight around your waist and you will have back problems for months.”

“I am starting to hate you.” said Chrysalis with a pout, sitting herself on the ground. “So what is going to happen to me in the meantime? I doubt I am going to spend the next nine months in a five-by-five cell with crappy meals and minimal sunlight.”

“If I did that I would be labeled a monster.” said Celestia with a sigh. “No, you will live with me, essentially. You will sleep in the room next to mine, dine with me, basically shadow me so I can watch you. If I decide I can trust you on your own, you get far enough in your pregnancy that moving more than a few feet is too much work, then I will let you be by yourself.”

“Basically you are still scared this is all just a trap and a ploy for me to get control of Equestria somehow.” said Chrysalis with an eyeroll.

“The thought crossed my mind.” admitted Celestia. “But you are still carrying the child of a royal princess and are a changeling. Eventually the news will surface that you are pregnant, then pregnant with my child no less.”

“You are afraid of attacks?” asked Chrysalis. “Please, Princess, I can easily handle myself.”

“I don’t doubt that, I rather not run the risk.” said Celestia. She turned, putting her face inches away from Chrysalis. “I just hope you know I am doing this for the child, not you. As far as I am concerned, you can be locked away to never see light again. But until the child is born you are safe.”

“I sure feel safe.” mocked Chrysalis. “Try to intimidate me all you want, Celestia. My only intention is to give birth to this child. And like it or not, it is both of ours to raise. Until then, we can at least try to get along.”

“This coming from the changeling that locked a princess in the caves, brainwashed the captain of my guard, and invaded a wedding with the intention of taking over the city?” replied Celestia. Chrysalis let out a scoff.

“Let's say you need food, but the only way you could get food for you and your family is scraps from a restaurant that has plenty of food.” said Chrysalis, standing so she could be level with the princess. “Now, these scraps aren’t enough for your large family, and no one will give any food willingly cuz you are a rat. So would it not make sense that the best way to try and get this food is to take over the kitchen?”

“I see you point,” admitted Celestia. “But I would at least negotiate with the chef before I start injuring ponies.”

“We’ve tried explaining our plight to ponies in small groups.” said Chrysalis with a huff, turning away. “We just get shooed away and called us monsters. Look at me, Celestia! I am an insect with holes in my legs, a twisted horn, and my main source of nutrients is the emotion of love. Would you look at me and willingly give me what I want?”

Celestia stayed quiet. She admitted that she would be hesitant. As much as she hated to admit it, Chrysalis’ actions were justified. It could have probably been handled differently, but with how things were, it made sense.

With a sigh, Celestia sat down. “I suppose for the purpose of soon to be parents and rulers of our nations, we can try to make this work.” said Celestia, motioning to the seat across from her. Chrysalis eyed her for a moment before sitting with a small smile.

“I supposed we can.”

Chapter 3

Celestia was shook awake by the sound of vomiting. Looking over at her clock she saw she had only a few minutes before she would raise the sun. She grimaced as she could her Chrysalis dry heaving through the thin walls. There was a knock on her door as the guard outside their doors peered inside.

“Princess, is she okay?” asked the young stallion. Celestia yawned before nodding.

“She is probably still experiencing morning sickness. Make sure the cooks are preparing breakfast and tell them to double Chrysalis’ plate.” The guard nodded before leaving the room. Celestia let out a sigh as she walked out onto her balcony. She started the spell to raise the sun when the balcony next to her opened.

A white unicorn mare with a crimson mane walked out onto the balcony, her man a mess as she was drinking from a water bottle. Looking at her eyes, she could see Chrysalis was too tired to disguise herself fully as they were still a bright green.

“I am starting to hate being pregnant.” said Chrysalis, her voice unmasked. The changeling stared at the sun as it made its way up the horizon. The two of them were quiet until the sun was up in the sky and could move on its own.

“So will be coming for breakfast soon?” asked Celestia, turning to the changeling. “I asked them to double your pancakes since I heard you dispose of last night’s meal.” Chrysalis grimaced before finishing her bottle of water.

“I need to shower and brush my teeth before I let food go anywhere near my mouth.” said Chrysalis through a yawn. “A hot shower and I should feel better. I’ll have the guard let you know when I am ready.” Celestia nodded. She turned to head inside, but stopped, turning to Chrysalis.

“Around castle staff I want you out of disguise. They are required by law to not disclose who is visiting the castle for security reasons.” said Celestia. “It's only around and in public that I want you disguised.” Chrysalis just nodded before groggily heading into her room.

Celestia went back into her room and finished making herself presentable. She also had to figure out how she was going to explain the mare that was accompanying her to court. There was a lot of things she had to now accommodate for, not even thinking ahead to when the child itself comes.

“I heard from the guards we have a new guest.” Turning around, Celestia watched as Luna landed on her balcony. “I have to say, sister, this is an odd predicament you found yourself in.” said the younger alicorn with a smirk. Celestia rolled her eyes as she levitated over her hair brush.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting this to happen.” said Celestia with a sigh. She let out a groan as she caught a snag in her mane. “I was just hoping she was turning herself in when suddenly the forces that be decided to give me whatever this is.”

“I am sure it is called a foal.” said Luna with a chuckle. “I do admit I was not expecting you to be the so called father, but I had the feeling that she was pregnant with a pony foal for a little while now. Her dreams have been plagued by the figure of a foal since it was conceived.”

“Well, at least you were somewhat prepared for the news.” said Celestia with a sigh. She set down her bush before slipping on her daily attire. Luna raised an eyebrow, walking over to face her older sibling.

“And from what I can tell, this is weighing heavily on you, sister.” said Luna, a somewhat concerned look on her face. “Do you want to talk about it.” Celestia let out a heavy sigh, setting her tiara off to the side before taking a seat on the ground.

“I just don’t know what to do, Luna.” admitted Celestia. “I have dealt with plenty of difficult situations in my many years as ruler of this country, but now I am stuck with two different problems. An enemy of the state came to my home and I cannot jail her, I also I have a child on the way and the mother of said child is also said enemy of state.”

“You can’t jail her, but you can’t exactly let let her be free.” said Luna, following along with her predicament.

“Correct.” sighed Celestia. “Which is why she is shadowing me so I can maybe keep an eye on her. I am secretly hoping that I can convince to reform, I guess?” Celestia let out a groan before plopping her body on the floor. “I don’t know what I am doing, I am literally making it up as I go along and hoping it doesn’t crash and burn on me.”

“This isn’t like you, sister.” said Luna, lowering herself next to her. “You would make a plan of attack, carefully adjusting it to make sure it all goes smoothly. Making things up on the go is not how you do things and we both know it never works the way we need it to.”

“I know.” said Celestia, pushing herself off the ground. “But with all these changeling rumors and now the fact I have to have Chrysalis with me at all times, it is becoming difficult to really come up with solutions.”

“Then how about you take today off?” asked Luna bouncing up. “I will handle the courts for awhile and it will give me a chance to get to know the mother of my niece.”

“Aside from the fact we don’t even know it’s gender,” said Celestia, raising an eyebrow at her younger sibling. “Are you sure you are up to handling day court? You are normally asleep during it and I’m not sure how much of the currents events you are even aware of.”

“Oh please, sister. I am sure I can handle it.” said Luna confidently. “All you need to do is relax for today. Then maybe you can better figure out what to do with this situation.” There was a knock on the door as a guard poked his head into the room.

“Princess, Chrysalis says she is ready for breakfast.” said the guard before leaving. Luna turned to her with a big grin before prancing out of the room. Celestia could only sigh as she followed her out of the room.

Outside, Luna was hovering over a slightly concerned looking Chrysalis, asking her question after question. Upon seeing her, the changeling gave her a questioning look.

“Be thankful it isn’t Twilight.” said Celestia, turning around. “She’d be taking notes and asking for every detail about you since the dawn of time.” Chrysalis could only sigh before following in her hoofsteps towards the dining hall.

Celestia had a feeling that even though she was going to get to relax, the castle resident was going to find out just how much of an oddball the other royal sister really is.

Chapter 4

Chrysalis found herself following behind the lunar princess. During her time in the castle in preparation for the invasion, Chrysalis had never seen Luna up close. Unlike her older sister, Luna was not around when Chrysalis was initially growing up, as she was hatched shortly after the banishment of the younger sister.

In all of the stories and tales of the Lunar Goddess, however, there was nothing about her almost foal-like behavior. The princess hopped forward towards the courtroom, humming a tune that the changeling had not heard of. Before they left, however, Celestia warned her to be on the lookout for pranks.

According to Luna, she had given her sister the day off due to the stress of work and her sudden pregnancy. Chrysalis only went along with it as she was not sure what else she could do since she was more or less a prisoner in the castle, she was just missing the chains and the constant platoon of guards following her whenever she needed to go to the bathroom.

The castle’s court hall was nothing overly special in Chrysalis’ opinion. Aside from the throne and red carpet, the only other decoration in the hall was the large stained glass windows that depicted some of the recent events. Nightmare Moon’s return, the gathering of the elements and other such moments. Chrysalis stopped with a frown as she got to the section that depicted her failure. The window made sure to make her out to be a hideous monster.

“All of these are subject to change.” said Luna. She was now calmly walking towards the throne. “If future events go well, these windows might paint you in a better light. But that is all in how you act, your decisions. You could always escape, raise your child in secret and attack Canterlot, and this theme will continue.”

“Or try and make amends with the ponies and change my fate as it were.” said Chrysalis flatly, changing into her disguise in a flash of green. Luna shrugged with a smile as she took her spot on the throne.

“As I said, it is your decision. But now you have more than just yourself and a kingdom to think about.” said Luna. “Now you are creating a life that will be more like you than any of your changelings could hope to be. And whether you like it or not, you grow emotionally attached to the foal you spent so much time creating and it will be up to you and Celestia what world that foal will grow up in.”

“See, at first,” started Chrysalis, walking towards the Princess. “I thought you were just a childish god, but now you got all philosophical and I am not sure what you are anymore.” Luna burst out laughing, motioning to the cushion next her. Chrysalis eyed her carefully before taking the seat. Suddenly, the hall was filled with a flatulent sound as Chrysalis seated herself, causing the Lunar Goddess to go into a fit of giggles. Chrysalis didn’t even see her hide the whoopee cushion.

The next couple of hours made Chrysalis want to take another long nap. Chrysalis held her own courts in the hive, but they were but love gathering missions and other important situations. However, she had listened to the same complaint three times all told from three different outlooks as three different nobles bickered about one another.

Looking over, Luna displayed an amount of alertness and patience that Chrysalis found ungodly. If her changelings did anything like this to her, she would have immediately booted them from the court and told them to get along. And yet, Luna listened to all of their sides and tried to come up with a compromise.

Finally, just as Chrysalis thought she was going to pass out from boredom, the does for the court closed for the day, causing her to groan in relief.

“I have no idea how you two put up with this.” said Chrysalis, groaning as she stood. “If my drones did this I would have banished them to scrubbing the floor of the hall with leaves or something.”

“Ponies can be a bit trivial.” said Luna, standing. She let out a low moan as she tried to relax her muscles after sitting for so long. “Especially the nobles, who grew up in wealth and in connection to the throne in some way. It causes them to be stuck up and think that everyone is beneath them.”

“Then some of them need to be taught a lesson.” huffed Chrysalis. “So now that court is done, what is your next idea? Or am I just going to stay in my room for the remainder of the day?”

“Nonsense!” said Luna cheerfully. “I could think of a few ways to entertain us. But first it is time for lunch!”

Celestia let out a low groan as a pair of hooves massaged her shoulders. It is not often that Celestia gets a chance to be free of her duties, maybe once or twice a month. And even rarer is how often she is able to get all the built up tension out of her shoulders. Thankfully, there was a shop not far from the castle that is always glad to free their schedule for their Princess.

After paying the store, even though they would have done it and more for free, Celestia made her way out into the busy afternoon streets of Canterlot. Ponies made their way in out of vendors while others took advantage of the clear skies and ate lunch outside.

While she was hesitant to admit, a day off was what she needed. She felt a lot more relaxed and clear headed. However, she had a feeling that she had been gone too long, over exposure to Luna could not be good Chrysalis.

As she prepared to make her way back to the castle, she felt something latch onto her leg. Looking down, she found herself face to face with her young pupil.

“Princess Celestia!” chirped Twilight, hugging her leg once more before hopping off. “I was just about to visit you before leaving back to Ponyville.” Celestia gulped, she had hoped that Twilight would not visit before she could figure out what she was going to do about Chrysalis, or at least give her enough time to hide the changeling.

“Twilight! I was not expecting you anytime soon.” said Celestia, faking a smile. “While it is nice to see you, I really need to head back to the castle and check on my sister.”

“That’s alright, I wanted to go say hi to her before I left, as well.” said Twilight following along with Celestia. Horseapples thought the princess as she allowed her to follow. The two of them walked in silence, Celestia secretly hoping that court was in extended session so Chrysalis would still be disguised, but she doubted it.

“So have you had any leads with the changelings?” asked Twilight, going to a subject Celestia hoped to avoid.

“Uh… just rumors and the such.” replied Celestia, really wanting a change in subject.

“Well what kind of rumors?” asked the unicorn. “Shining mentioned that they found another secret entrance. Do you think any changelings used it?” At this point, Celestia found herself hating Twilight’s inquisitive nature, trying to think of ways to dance around the subject.

“I was hoping to keep these things a secret for now.” said Celestia. “I may have to talk to Shining about discussing work when he is off-duty.” Twilight hopped in front of her, pouting.

“I’m sorry, Celestia! I didn’t mean to get my brother in trouble. I just got curious about it.” pleaded Twilight. Celestia cursed for Twilight being so cute.

“It is alright, my student. I just want him to know I expect him to be more secretive.” said Celestia, soothing the young unicorn. As they approached the doors to the castle, Celestia found herself hoping that she could get through this without any incidents.

Almost to prove her wrong, Celestia found her vision obstructed by what she could interpret was cake just shortly after opening the door. Inside the main hall, Chrysalis and Luna lay on the floor cackling madly. Celestia had feared her sister’s hobbies would rub off on the changeling.

“Oh gods, that was hilarious!” cackled Chrysalis, standing back up on her feet. “I am glad I took up your offer, Luna. We should do this more often.” Luna nodded as she picked herself back up.

“I must say, it is great to have an accomplice.” said Luna with a content sigh. “I normally would prank with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie but they do not visit enough to sate my urges.”

“What is she doing here?!” shrieked Twilight, causing the two to jump. Luna quickly put herself in front of Chrysalis to shield her.

“Look, Twilight. We can explain.” said Luna, flaring her wings to try to wide the changeling. Chrysalis backed up slightly, but readied her own magic if she needed to. Before Twilight could react, her eyes glowed gold for a split second before they rolled into the back of her head, causing the unicorn to fall the the ground unconscious.

“You know,” said Celestia, wiping the cake off of her face. “I was actually enjoying my day off.”

Chapter 5

Twilight groaned as she started to wake up. She could barely make out voices arguing through the hazy fog that filled her mind. She did not know how she ended up where she was, just the events leading up to her sudden unconsciousness.

Opening her eyes, Twilight had to blink a few times before the room she was in came into focus. She instantly recognized the shelves filled with scrolls as Celestia’s Private Study. In front of her stood the two princess sisters. Celestia looked visually upset, walking back in forth. Twilight only ever saw her this way when she is extremely upset.

“Pranking, Luna?” questioned Celestia, looking at the younger sibling. “I leave you two alone for a few hours and you spend your free time pranking the castle?” Luna looked unphased, shrugging off her sister’s question.

“We were bored and needed something to do.” said Luna calmly. “She agreed to it, though it took a little convincing.” Celestia just let out a sigh before plopping herself on the floor. Looking over, she noticed Twilight was awake.

“Good to see your awake.” said Celestia, moving over to the younger unicorn. Twilight tried to move, but noticed she was bound. She could also guess she had a magic limiter. “Those are for precautions.” said Celestia, answering her question before she could say it. “I know you are confused, but we can’t have you go telling everyone what you saw just yet.”

“But why am I the one that is bound and not that witch!” snapped Twilight. Celestia just let out a sigh, taking a seat in front of her.

“It’s not as simple as that, Twilight.” said Celestia. “Trust me, if I could, I would have had her thrown in cuffs the minute she stepped hoof in my hall, but unfortunately, things are more complicated than that right now.”

“Complicated how?” asked Twilight.

“In ways you could only imagine.” said a voice from behind her. Walking to where she could see her, Chrysalis took a seat next to Celestia. “If I had my way, I’d stay in hiding for the next twenty years until things relaxed and continued with getting love the safe way, however something came up that neither of us really could expect.”

“What could be so important that you would become allies with the changelings?” said Twilight, glaring at her mentor.

“Pregnancy.” said the two of them in-sync. Twilight froze, staring at the two of them in shock. She went through many situations in her head, trying to calculate how something like this could happen.

“I.. but how?” muttered Twilight shaking her head. “You are both mares. Unless…” Twilight whipped her head to glare at the changeling queen. “You! You planted eggs into Celestia to gain control over Canterlot!” Chrysalis blinked a few times in shock before shaking.

“That’s not even how changelings work.” said Chrysalis. “Besides, I’m the one pregnant. Before you ask, changelings adapt to who they are mating with, this includes pregnancy if the ‘father’ is a mammal.”

“That still doesn’t explain how it happened.” said Twilight, shaking her head. “Unless you two actually… you know… “

“No!” exclaimed the two of them. Celestia let out a groan, dropping her head for a second. “Look, you heard of the theory of mares getting pregnant from strong magical connection, normally caused by two horns locking together while using a large amount of magic, right?”

“Yes.” said Twilight, perking up. “The chances of it are low, and in some cases causes birth defects due to the fact that natural conceivement was not involved.” Celestia noticed Chrysalis’ physical discomfort at the news. She wanted to comfort the mare, but not sure how her reaction would be. Instead, she gently bumped her side to get her attention, giving her a reassuring smile. The changeling smiled slightly but still seemed concerned.

“Anyways,” said Celestia, turning her attention back to Twilight. “We have yet to decide how we are going to approach this situation. We can’t hide it, and we can’t ignore it either. For now Chrysalis will live her till the foal’s birth and the less ponies that know of her existence, the better.”

“You are aware that a child between two leaders normally marks the merger of countries, right?” questioned Twilight.

“It wasn’t my idea to get pregnant.” said Chrysalis, slightly annoyed. “However, we already agreed that we will try and mend things for the sake of everyone. If not for the fact that we will have to raise a foal together.” Twilight just let out a sigh, shaking her head.

“I still don’t agree with any of this, but I just doubt I can change any of this.” said Twilight. “But can you guys let me go now? I already missed my train so I better get back home to my parents and buy another ticket.”

Twilight left after promising that everything she heard would be kept a secret from anyone else. After she left, Celestia found herself craving dinner as she missed lunch due to events earlier. Luna bid the two of them farewell, as she went off to start raising that moon before sleeping away her fatigue.

Dinner was uneventful. Afterwards, Celestia went back to her study to finish some paperwork before the next day, Chrysalis coming along only so she could have something to do. As she started to comb through her piles, the changeling sat herself in a corner, picking a book off one of the many shelves.

After a moment, Chrysalis sat the book down with a heavy sigh, turning to the princess. “Is she right?” asked Chrysalis. “Is there a chance that our foal will have birth defects?” Celestia was quiet for a moment. After a while she set down her quill before facing the changeling.

“Birth defects are a high risk in foals of interspecies parents, as well as magical conception.” said Celestia with a solemn nod. “The best we can do is hope for the best.”

“But what defects are we talking about?” said Chrysalis, a touch of concern in her voice. “Physical deformities? Mental diseases?” Celestia could see the fear that was hidden in her eyes. She never thought she would see such emotion from the Changeling Queen, let alone feel slightly afraid herself.

“Listen, I am sure everything will be fine.” said Celestia soothingly. She scooted herself so she was sitting next to the Queen. “Even if we don’t put aside our differences, I will help you raise this foal despite all that.” Chrysalis gave a small smile before chuckling.

“Look at me, getting worked up about things out my control.” said Chrysalis with a soft sigh. “I got to thank you Celestia. While we might not be good friends, hell, a few weeks ago we were trying to defeat one another, but I am glad you are at least willing to try to help me through this.” Celestia giggled, wrapping a wing around the changeling. Chrysalis jumped at the touch, but went with it as she was unsure of her own emotions.

“As I have said before, we have to get along for the sake of our people and for our child.” said Celestia, giving the changeling a squeeze before letting go. “But we still have a few challenges ahead. We have to find a way to patch up the wound left from the invasion. Twilight was right, this in a way has solidified a merger that we are not ready for quite yet.”

“Then I suppose we should prepare for one.” said Chrysalis with a shrug. “It was essentially what I was trying to achieve, albeit a bit forced. If we could integrate changelings into normal life and make them somewhat excepted, just living in town with ponies could be enough to feed changelings.”

“That is the goal, then.” said Celestia with a smile. “However, we still need to explain to the public that I somehow knocked up the Queen of Changelings, so that will be interesting.”

“Just say I seduced you and we had a night of fun.” said Chrysalis. Celestia let out a sigh, shaking her head.

“That would gain the opposite reaction we want.” said Celestia. She let out a chuckle before falling onto her back. “We will figure out this mess eventually. One way or another.”

Chapter 6

Cadence let out a sigh as she made her way through the castle halls. Shortly after the return of Chrysalis, Cadence thought that it was the perfect time to start that honeymoon her husband decided to push off. He protested, but a couple sleep spells and a quick flight later, she was able to forget the troubles that had been brewing in Canterlot.

Unfortunately, she could only slot a one month leave and she returned much to her own annoyance. From the lack of panic in the news articles and only the usual rumors going around, it was safe to say that Chrysalis’ existence was still hidden to the country, but for how long was still to be determined.

Cadence knocked on her Aunt’s study, waiting a moment before entering. Much to her surprise, Luna sat at the cluttered desk, Celestia and the changeling queen were both absent. Luna turned at the sound of the door opening, standing with a warm smile.

“Ah, Cadence. It is good to see that you have returned.” said Luna, giving a slight nod. “I hope you enjoyed your late honeymoon.”

“Thank you.” said Cadence, looking around. “Where is Celestia?” Luna chuckled before turning back to the pile of paperwork.

“Chrysalis and her went over to the Medical Wing for an appointment.” said Luna. She levitated a small pile of papers. “Meanwhile, I have been attempting to iron over how we can bring the changelings into Equestria.”

“A well crafted plan can go a long way.” said Cadence with a sigh. “Celestia is sure she wants to go through with this? My own reservations about Chrysalis aside, she is still an enemy to a majority of the country. I don’t see how we can convince the populace to this.”

“If you remember, so were most of our allies.” said Luna, putting the paperwork to the side. “The zebra colonies, gryphon territory, the dragons for a long while thought of us as only food. It will probably be a few years before things will mend between our two species, the newest member of the royal family could be a young adult by then, but it is a process we have to start before it will eventually come to fruition at the end.”

“It will still take more than a sudden pregnancy to make me change my mind.” said Cadence, rolling her eyes. She sat down, levitating the pile of paperwork Luna was working on towards her. “But I might as well try to help with this train crash of a plan.”

“Well, you seem fairly healthy, as far as I can tell.” said the doctor as he stepped back from Chrysalis. “I haven’t really worked on changelings, you being my first, so assuming you are similar to ponies in most cases, then both you and the foal should be in rather good condition.”

Chrysalis and Celestia sat in an office tucked in the medical wing of the castle. The doctor demanded to see Chrysalis around the one month of the conception of the foal, seeing as he was her maternity doctor since he was the only doctor aware of her presence in the castle.

“And as you two are aware, I am more of an emergency care professional, pregnancy is a ways out of my field.” said the doctor, sitting himself across from Chrysalis. “I suggest bringing an a professional in the next couple of months. I can do regular physical check ups, but I am not qualified to deal with the rest of the care you require.”

“I am sure we can figure something out.” said Celestia with a warm smile. “Now if you excuse us, we have other business to attend to. Thank you for seeing us.” Celestia stood, motioning for Chrysalis to take the lead out of the office.

“I still have questions.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. She followed behind Celestia as she led them back to her study. “I know it is not in his field, but it might still be good to ask him about the risks.”

“And that should wait till we find a proper specialist.” said Celestia. “Not only do we have to find a doctor who specializes in foals, we always have to find one that has some knowledge in magical conception and is less likely to freak out that his patient is a changeling queen.”

“I… can see how that may be difficult.” said Chrysalis. “We also have to figure out how to deal with the situation between our nations before I go into labor.”

“I asked Cadence to assist once she returned from her late honeymoon.” said Celestia, stopping outside her study. “She may not be thrilled by you, but she does have an idea on pony relations and can probably find a somewhat easy way to go about this.”

“You cannot be serious!” cried Luna from inside the room. Celestia and Chrysalis glanced at each other before quickly entering the study. Inside sat Luna, looking appalled at the pink unicorn that sat opposite of her.

“What’s the matter?” asked Celestia, closing the door behind them. Cadence glanced at Chrysalis a moment before standing. The queen could have sworn she saw a plotting look in her eyes.

“We were discussing possible solutions to try and mend things.” said Cadence, a smile on her face. “I think I found one that may work, and is fitting with everything that has occurred lately.”

“And I am shocked that she thought of such a thing!” exclaimed Luna, shaking her head. “Even if it did work, there would be rumors of a scandal! The nobles would go into a panic. It would fix things, yes, but the panic ensued would be tremendous.”

“May I ask what exactly we are talking about?” asked Chrysalis, slightly confused. Cadence walked up to the queen, her smile making Chrysalis nervous.

“I want you and Celestia to get married!” said Cadence proudly.

“What?!” exclaimed Chrysalis and Celestia in union.

“Mirroring what Luna said, that would cause mass panic!” said Celestia, shaking her head. “Let alone the rumors that I was brainwashed into it!”

“Mind control magic doesn’t really work on Alicorns.” said Chrysalis. “It's why I chose Shining Armor instead of Cadence. I could mold his mind more than I could hers.”

“Look, I know it seems crazy, but it fits everything we need it to.” explained Cadence. “We need to find a way to unite two nations, as well as the fact that both of you are expecting a foal together. Foals normally mean a marriage and a merger between nations if it is between two rulers.”

“I hate that this makes sense.” said Celestia with a heavy sigh. “And if this were to work, we would have to do this within the next few months, since I rather have my future child under legal, royal protection by the time they are born.”

“May I just add, that in two months, I failed to invade Canterlot, got pregnant, and basically got engaged to the ruler of the country I tried to invade.” said Chrysalis. “This at all doesn’t sound insane to anyone else?”

Twilight busied herself with cleaning the bookshelves in her library. Even though she knew it was unhealthy to try and hide from her friends, Twilight made sure she was spending as little time with them as possible to prevent her from accidently spilling her teacher’s secret.

“Twilight, you got mail!” called Spike from downstairs. “It looks like its from the castle.”

“Weird.” said Twilight, trotting down the stairwell. “Normally I get those messages from you.” The unicorn took the letter from the drake, unrolling the scroll.

You are cordially invited to the marriage of Princess Celestia Solar and Queen Chrysalis Nymphadora.

The wedding will be held in two months time at the Canterlot Castle Event Hall. Upon request by Princess Celestia, you are asked to be the Best Mare. Both the Bride and Groom would appreciate your response and if you could find time to make it to the wedding. Please reply soon.”

Sincerely

Princess Celestia Solar and Queen Chrysalis Nymphadora.

“Oh horseapples…”

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait, I took a bit of break to get away from this story, then it took me a bit of time to decide where I wanted to go with this. We are now at the point where time will hop forward every few chapters, so that is how it is looking.

Chapter 7

Twilight let out a heavy sigh as she took another swig of coffee. In front of her was the invitation that she got earlier that morning. She could see the point, even though it wasn’t a smart idea. She just wished she got a better heads up before they sent out similar invitations to the other five elements of harmony.

“I think we should just go over there and kick Chrysalis’ butt!” yelled Rainbow Dash, slamming her forehooves together. “This has to be some kind of trick. Celestia would never marry a creep like that monster!”

“Now, now, darling.” said Rarity calmly, taking a sip from her own cup of tea. “While I agree that Chrysalis is up to something, I do think that we should come up with a plan first. Just running in there blindly is how we were defeated last time.”

“Now Ah agree with ya and all, but if we wait, it may be too late for the princesses.” said Applejack. “We already tussled with her once, Ah’m sure we are more prepared this time than last time.”

“We aren’t going to go and attack anyone.” said Twilight with a sigh, pushing aside her cup. We will just do as our invitations asked of us. Rarity, I’m sure you have been requested to do their dresses.” The white unicorn nodded before Rainbow Dash pushed herself into Twilight’s face.

“What do you mean we aren’t going to go attack?!” exclaimed Rainbow. “Princess Celestia is in trouble! As the Elements of Harmony we are obligated to go help her!”

“If she was actually in danger, than yes, we would.” said Twilight, standing up so that she stared back into Dash’s eyes, causing the pegasus to backup slightly. “But since I know she is not in any kind of danger, then we will just prepare for the wedding in two months.”

“Now hold up, sugarcube.” said Applejack, walking towards Twilight. “There is something ya ain’t tellin’ us.” Twilight let out a deep sigh as she massaged the bridge of her nose. She sat down for a moment, taking a quick sip of her coffee.

“Before I came back from Canterlot, I went to the Castle and saw Chrysalis on accident.” said Twilight calmly. “Celestia assured me that she was not brainwashed and that Chrysalis was staying under goodwill. And that… there is more to her stay and this marriage than it seems.”

“Like what, darling?” asked Rarity. Twilight bit her lip, turning away.

“What do you mean, pregnancy?!” shouted Blueblood. Out of courtesy, Celestia invited him to the wedding only because he was of noble blood. If it weren’t for that, Celestia would never invite him to any kind of formal castle event, maybe even ban him from the castle.

“I mean that my bride to be is pregnant, Sir Blueblood. I don’t believe I stuttered.” said Celestia calmly, not showing emotion either way. “This unexpected event is why I chose to declare a political wedding. I deemed that it was the best way to solve our differences between our nations.”

“She is an enemy! Just a few months ago she tried to take the throne!” cried the stuck up noble.

“So would you if it meant you could save yourself from starvation.” said Celestia. “This is political move to make an allie out of an enemy. We have done similar things to gain friendship from the gryphons, zebras, and even the yakks.”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to marry to achieve that goal, and neither of those invaded the country.” said Blueblood. Celestia let out a sigh as she stood from her throne.

“My decision has been made.” said Celestia. “In two months time, I shall be wed to Queen Chrysalis and our nations shall be united. It will all happen whether or not you want it to. Now if you don’t mind, I have a press conference in a few minutes.”

The white stallion huffed before turning around and storming out of the courtroom. There was a flash, and Chrysalis appeared next to Celestia, causing her to jump.

“He’s bit of a dense idiot, isn’t he?” remarked Chrysalis. “Also, I was the chalice on the ground next to your throne. I appreciate you not attempting to drinking out me since the water was just an illusion.”

“Eavesdropping aside, yes, he is quite an idiot. Unfortunately, he had the luck to be born into a rather influential family that just so happens to have a slot in my cabinet.” said Celestia with a sigh. “If I could, I would ban him from Canterlot, some of the restaurants in town would praise me for it, even.”

“Your politics confuse me, Celestia.” said Chrysalis, making her way down the short flight of stairs, Celestia following behind her. “So am I to join you in this press conference? It has been a few days since we sent out the invitations, news of our engagement should have travelled halfway across the world by now.”

“I’m sure it has, my star pupil already shared with me the chaos it caused between the other elements of harmony.” said Celestia. “As for you joining me, it would probably be best if you did. I can no longer hide you, so we might as well answer as many questions as possible.”

“And what of my pregnancy?” asked Chrysalis. “Should we explain that, or leave it for after the wedding?”

“Hiding it now would be pointless.” said Celestia. “It will already stir up controversy as it is, but if we wait until you are visibly pregnant during the wedding it would only be worse. The trick is trying to find a way that doesn’t sound like you seduced me.”

“Accidental pregnancy through magic conception isn’t enough?” asked Chrysalis, raising an eyebrow at the alicorn. “I am not sure how else we can really explain it. The whole situation sounds ridiculous to anyone who doesn’t know how magic works, even then only a few unicorns are bound to know this sort of anomaly.”

“I normally don’t try to just hope things work out.” said Celestia with a sigh. “Any other ideas? Or should we just say how it is and hope it works well?”

“I may have an idea on how to get them to be less against me, though it could easily go the opposite direction and prove against me.” said Chrysalis, stopping next to the main entrance.

“I don’t suppose you would like to share this plan with me?” asked Celestia, questioning the Queen. Chrysalis just shook her head.

“You will just have to play along, and try not to seem like you are under my control.” said Chrysalis. Before Celestia could question what she meant, the doors opened to reveal the crowd that laid beyond. Celestia took a deep breath before collecting herself and walking towards the podium, Chrysalis in tow.

Lights flashed as a flurry of pictures were taken. Looking around, she could catch some of the nasty looks that were thrown towards Chrysalis. However, the changeling kept a neutral, almost glossed over look as she followed behind the Princess. It was only then that Celestia noticed that Chrysalis had taken off her crown.

As Celestia took her spot at the podium, she took a minute to look over the crowd before her. On top of the normal press and journalists, there was an increased number of guards that patrolled the courtyard, as well as a fair number in the sky. Celestia also suspected a number of changelings hiding in the crowd of civilians that came to watch as bystanders. Chrysalis even admitted that a few changelings approached her after the invitations went out, believing she was being forced and needed rescuing.

The emotions in the crowd was a mix of curiosity, anger, and fear. The ponies gathered at the base of the stairs fidgeted as they awaited the announcement to confirm the rumors. Celestia took another deep breath before clearing her throat to gain their complete attention.

“In the past couple of days, rumors have spread that invitations have been sent out to the noble families as well as out to certain ponies throughout the kingdom, inviting them all to the wedding of Queen Chrysalis and I. These rumors are correct. For multiple reasons, Queen Chrysalis and I have decided to a political marriage that will bring together our nations.”

“Only two months ago, we were invaded during a time of celebration and love. The changelings attacked, trying to feed on love, only to be defeated by the very thing they seeked. However, we have come to an understanding, and have found the true reasons behind the invasion was merely starvation. A motivation similar to the zebras. We went into their territory and started taking their food. They would attack our citizens to regain the land we were taking over. And yet, the zebras are a strong ally of ours only a few centuries later.

“The same can be for the changelings, a species that merely needs food that has become increasingly harder to get. However, if we accept them into our society, show them the respect that we show for our fellow pony, than the changelings can prosper, and we can no longer fear for another attack, no longer fear if a pony is who we thought they were. It is a step we must take to gain another powerful ally, and friend, and not another enemy.”

As Celestia finished, there was another frenzy of lights and shouting as the crowd processed what happened. Before the crowd got too rowdy, Chrysalis stepped forward to the podium, causing the crowd to go quiet.

“Our understanding on our needs is not the only reason why Princess Celestia and I have decided to marry.” said Chrysalis, scanning the crowd as she picked her next words carefully. “After the failed invasion, I noticed a change in my health in behavior that was later found to be pregnancy. However, before hooves are pointed, understand that the only way I was able to become pregnant was through magical influence. It has found to be, that during my duel with Princess Celestia, our DNA was mixed in a rare instance that can result in conception of a foal.

“For one reason or another, I was impregnated with the foal of princess Celestia. It was not something I planned, nor was it something I was aware was possible consider the difference in species. However, I have stayed in the castle with Celestia for over a month now, shortly after I became aware of my condition. I have been treated with a shocking amount of kindness I did not expect considering the circumstance. Princess Celestia has showed me hospitality that one would give and old friend, and has made sure to keep up with my condition and try and work this throw with me.

“That is why, prior to our wedding, I want to declare my love for Princess Celestia.”

Chapter 8

There was roar of shouting and lights as Chrysalis stepped away from the podium, taking her seat off to the side. Celestia was left in a state of shock, not sure how she should respond. Not sure if Chrysalis was telling the truth or not.

The next couple of minutes Celestia answered the questions of the journalists that had gathered. All the while, Chrysalis’ statement rang in her mind. Along with shock, Celestia could feel a warm sensation that swept over her. She did not know why, but she felt happy.

Just as it was approaching time for the sun to start its downward descent behind the horizon, Celestia finally called the conference to a close. As the barrage of lights picked up again, the alicorn turned to start entering the castle. She caught a glimpse of Chrysalis, the changeling giving a warm smile and wink. Blushing, Celestia turned away as she hurried into the castle. As the doors closed behind them, Celestia whipped around to face the changeling.

“That was your idea?!” exclaimed Celestia, her voice cracking slightly. The changeling chuckled as she walked up to the alicorn.

“Yes, it was. It proves, in a sense, that I am not just merely lying about all this and am trying to control you.” said Chrysalis walking past her. “Some of that was true, though. It is up to you to find out just how much of it is.”

“You are getting some kind of satisfaction out of this, aren’t you?” asked Celestia. The changeling cackled, glancing back at the princess.

“We are going to spend a lot of time together, Celestia.” said Chrysalis. “You will learn that I only mess with those I care about.” Celestia’s cheeks burned red as the changeling disappeared down the halls. The princess huffed, before shaking her head with a smirk.

“This will be an interesting wedding.”

The sun had just gone down as Celestia sat in front of her desk with a heavy sigh. In front of her sat a stack of suggestions from Cadence. After they had agreed to the wedding, the younger alicorn spent days thinking of ideas for the wedding. Celestia ended up being the final decision, as Chrysalis didn’t really know much about weddings, despite having invaded one.

The suggestions ranged from color schemes, flower choices, if the castle should cater or if they should higher one of the nearby restaurants. Cadence had spent months doing almost nothing planning her own wedding, and Celestia didn’t doubt that she would spend every waking moment planning.

As she combed over the list, her mind couldn’t help but wander over to the conference earlier that evening. Chrysalis’ ‘confession’ played back in her mind, her cheeks growing red. Many stallions and mares alike have tried wooing her over the many years she has lived. She has been flattered, but never was really interested. Few have claimed to have gotten to her heart, but they lasted only weeks before they simmered out.

However, something felt different with Chrysalis. Another being who has stood in her hooves, that cared only for her people and would go to extreme lengths to protect and save them. Out of the other ponies that have courted her could never understand her pain, but Chrysalis did.

“Has Little Celly been lovestruck?” Celestia jumped, looking up to see a smirking Luna on her balcony. “I heard how the conference went. True or not, one has to think.”

“True or not, things will go as they are planned.” said Celestia, trying to rid herself of her blush to no avail. “What was said will not change anything except how the country views things.”

“We both know that is a load of crap.” said Luna, rolling her eyes as she approached her older sibling. “One just look at you and see that you see Chrysalis as more than an ally. She wooed you, lying or not!”

“Fine!” exclaimed Celestia with a groan, flopping onto the ground. “I will admit that I feel like a school filly all over again, crushing on a pony who I don’t even know likes me back.”

“Then find out.” said Luna, laying next to her. “You two spend a lot of time together as it is, are engaged to be married within two months, you have plenty of time to find out just how she feels about you, and explore more on your own feelings.”

“When did you become my counselor?” asked Celestia.

“When you couldn’t figure things out yourself.” said Luna, sticking her tongue out. “These next few months are about you, whether you want it to or not. If you try, it can be about both of you.”

“You sound like Cadence, you know that?” teased Celestia. Luna chuckled as she stood up.

“I wonder who she got it from, then.” said Luna with a sigh. “Anyways, I will leave you to your thoughts. I must prepare for my walk.” With that, the younger alicorn disappeared in a plume of smoke. Casting a quick spell to remove the smoke from her study, Celestia let out a sigh.

“I do hope you are right, sister.”

Chrysalis sat at the desk that was in her bedroom. On it was a stack of books on pony wedding rituals. After learning of her lackluster knowledge of weddings, Cadence was quick to pile on ‘homework’ on the subject. She had already finished one of the books and had a good idea on how they functioned, but out of boredom decided to read all of them that was given to her.

Aside from the conference and a quick dinner, Chrysalis spent her evening alone. Luna went back to her evening schedule to do her dreamwalk, and Celestia had been busy trying to close some bill that she did not try to understand. When your nation functions more like a beehive than mess that needs to be directed, you tend to be confused by most politics.

With a sigh, Chrysalis closed the book before her before moving over to her bed. With a slight groan, the queen fell backwards onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Without realizing it, she wrapped her hooves around the very slight bulge that had began to grow.

“How the hell did you get her, Chryssie.” muttered the Queen to herself. She jumped as she heard a slight thud outside her door. Quickly, she put out the candles in her room and watched the door. It opened to reveal a couple changelings that quickly entered the room.

“My Queen, we are here to rescue from the treacherous Princesses!” said the lead changeling. Chrysalis let out a groan, a hoof planting itself firmly on her face.

“I am not a prisoner here, you idiots.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “I came here on my own accord, and plan to stay here, possibly permantelly.”

“Then what about the guard outside the door?” asked the changeling. “If you are not a prisoner, than why was he guarding you?”

“Because Celestia has the next room over, you dolt!” growled Chrysalis, causing the changelings to back away. The Queen let out a deep sigh. “Look, I am not a prisoner, I am not under any control, physical or mental, I don’t plan to take over Equestria, there is no plot against the Princesses. I came here for the months of pregnancy and to give birth to the foal I did not plan on having. I will be wed to the Princess of Equestria, and if things go well, changelings can live in Equestria without fear. That is the plan, if there is one out of this mess.”

“Then who shall lead in your absence, my Queen?” asked the changeling.

“The Alpha Drone.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “He will organize any feeding missions, but you must not harm a pony nor must you get caught. Only go on feeding missions if you need to. Use reserves for now. We must tread carefully from now on. If the Alpha needs me, he can find me here.”

The drones bowed before leaving her room. As the door closed, Chrysalis let out a sigh as she fell back onto her bed. She was going to have to get used to living at the castle. Even if the marriage goes smoothly, she doubt she would be able to leave often without painting a large target on her head. Especially with her foal on the way.

She wrapped her hooves around her stomach once again as she stared at the ceiling. Her declaration of love wasn’t too far off from the truth. She had been surprised at the kindness she had been shown, and her overexposure with Celestia had taught her a lot about the mare that was as old as she was.

Celestia would make a great mother, even if Chrysalis wasn’t.

Chapter 9

“Are you sure she didn’t go overboard?” asked Chrysalis, looking over the long list of suggestions that Cadence had put together. Celestia asked Chrysalis for her opinion on some of the suggestions so they could try and get it planned before preparations had to begin.

“Love is her specialty. And with that comes one of the most romantic things two ponies can do.” said Celestia, leafing through the flower catalogue Cadence gave them. Highlighted inside was her suggestions. “If there is anyone who can be considered an expert at weddings, it would be Cadence.”

“I understand the concept, but I don’t understand the need for everything to be so fancy.” said Chrysalis with a huff, tossing aside the color schemes. “I understand the rings, flowers are always nice, dresses make sense for the occasion, and the party at the end is always welcome. But why must so much money be spent on things that will be used once? Even the dresses, most of the ones I’ve seen are elaborate, expensive, made to fit one pony, and only ever used for that one time. The groom will get more use out of his Tux, than the bride with her gown.”

“Then ask Rarity for something that can be universal.” suggested Celestia, looking up from the catalogue. “Something that is stunning and suits you, but can be used for any formal event. Though, you may find that having a dress with such importance is best used once, as it has a special meaning. Taking it to some other formal event that doesn’t have the same amount of emotion to it won’t feel right. It is why many mares where it once then keep it in a safe place.”

“I suppose.” said Chrysalis, thoughtfully. She combed through a couple more pages before letting out a sigh. “I do admit this has all gone by rather fast. I almost expect to get whiplash from how quickly these last months have gone.”

“Sometimes, that is how life works.” said Celestia, setting aside her catalogue. “It is a series of unexpected events. A few months ago neither of us expected to be planning our own wedding, nor to be expecting a foal. However, that is what was planned for us in some twisted fate.” Chrysalis let out a chuckle as she picked up her pile again.

The two of them spent the next hour picking out different color schemes, flower choices, etc. They bickered for a solid half hour on who should be the groom. Finally, they decided on Chrysalis, as it fit her demeanor more.

After awhile, they had decided on most of what needed to be done. Shining Armor was in charge of security during the wedding, similar to how he was in charge during his wedding. Chrysalis poked fun at the stallion after he was appointed head of head security, much to the annoyance of the stallion and amusement to Cadence.

“Rarity should be here in a few minutes.” said Celestia, looking at the clock. “She will have to see you first since there is a few things that I have to attend to. Try not to terrify the poor dear, she is truly a gifted dressmaker.”

“I don’t make any promises, Tia.” said Chrysalis, winking. Celestia’s cheeks burned red, the alicorn coughing as she turned towards the door.

“Well then, I will leave you to prepare. I will meet up with the two of you in an hour or so.” said Celestia. With that, Chrysalis was left to herself. The changeling sighed as she picked up the various papers that were scattered on the ground, organizing them as she set them on top of Celestia’s desk.

“Oh!” Chrysalis turned around to see a white unicorn with luggage in tow in the doorway. “Excuse me, I was just looking for the Princess.”

“She is busy.” said Chrysalis. “You are to see me first. She will join us in an hour or so.” The unicorn nodded slightly as she began to enter the room cautiously. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow before sighing. “You do not have to fear me. I have no intention in attacking you, I do not prey on love like some rabid vampony and drain life from you. I just wish for attire for my wedding and that is all.”

“You will have to excuse me for not being completely comfortable, darling.” said Rarity, eyeing Chrysalis as she opened up her bags. Out came a notepad and pen, followed by a pair of glasses and a tape measure. “However, as is my duty, I shall work on despite my fears.” The mare put up her chin confidently as she circled the changeling. “Now, am I making a gown or tuxedo for you, my dear?”

“Tux.” said Chrysalis. The changeling stood straight, her head forward as she watched the tape measure fly around her waist. “I may suggest going slightly larger around my waist. I don’t know how much the foal will grow by the time the wedding is to be held.”

“I figured.” said Rarity, the pen scribbly quickly beside her head. “I was hoping you would be the one in the gown. I could have put in elastic for the waist to compensate for growth. However, I will need to be creative. Any color suggestions?”

“Something to compliment dark green.” said Chrysalis. Rarity nodded her head as she moved to her front.

“A dark red would compliment your mane. Not sure how it would clash with Celestia.” said Rarity with a sigh. “Your colors are complete opposite! She is light while you are dark. It will make things difficult, but I can find a way to work with it.”

“They do say opposites attract.” said Chrysalis with a smirk. “Is this any different?”

“From what I heard about the conference a few days ago, it isn’t.” said Rarity. The mare moved to where Chrysalis could see her. “I may be a fashionista, but I am not daft. I must know was what you said really true, or were you just playing for the press?”

“Initially it was to make it seem I was less likely to be controlling Celestia.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “However, I have started to wonder the sincerity of my words. I many ways, I have found myself attracted to your Princess. She has shown me more kindness than any other pony. As a mother to be, I find that to be a perfect trait in a pony I am bound to marry by law.”

“Oh how I love budding romances!” squealed Rarity, going back to measuring. “Do tell me, have you thought about expressing your love yet? I doubt much could go wrong with the situation you are in.”

“Explain.” said Chrysalis, raising an eyebrow.

“Well think about it. You two are engaged to marry under a political stance for peace. You are also pregnant with the heir to not only Equestria, but to the Changelings. You two are bound almost by fate. Even if things do not work out, you will still have a working relationship as rulers and as parents.” said Rarity.

“I think there are some flaws in your reasoning, but I see your point.” said Chrysalis. The Changeling let out a sigh, shaking her head. “I have thought about it, but the times have not really been right for it. Plus, I am afraid to share how I feel. For one reason or another.”

“Well you have the perfect opportunity in just a few months.” said Rarity, closing her notepad. “I am sure, come around your wedding, you will find the perfect time to express how you feel. Now, I should have all of my measurements, I will get back to you in a couple of days with some designs for you to choose from and once you have decided I can work on trying to get both of your orders complete before wedding practice.”

“You have my thanks.” said Chrysalis bowing her head. “And thank you for you advice. I just might follow your suggestion.”

“Anytime, darling.” said Rarity with a smile. She picked up her luggage and made her way out of the study. As the door shut behind her, Princess Celestia made her way around the corner.

“Ah, Rarity. I had something I wish to speak to you about.” said the Princess.

“I am all ears, Princess.” said Rarity with a smile. “We can talk on the way to my room, we can measure you there.” Celestia nodded as she walked beside the unicorn. “So what is you wanted to discuss?”

“Well I did hear that romance is a hobby of yours, so I could use some advice.” said Celestia, a slight blush adorning her cheeks. Rarity blinked, before glancing back at the room she just left.

“I would gladly help you, Princess.” said Rarity. She had no doubts that the wedding would be a night to remember.

Chapter 10

Chrysalis woke up with a groan, being careful as she rolled over to get up. The slight bump in her belly was now more noticeable, but not as large as it is supposed to get, according to the other mares that worked around the castle. Chrysalis was already to get slight back pains, she feared that by the time she went into labour she would need a wheelchair to get anywhere that wasn’t within easy reach.

Celestia’s bright, annoying sun blazed through her window, causing her to squint as she shuffled over to the bathroom. She knew she shouldn’t be too rough on the Princess, especially as they were to be wed the next day. After that, both Luna and Cadence have vowed to kick them out of the castle for a month for a honeymoon. They both argued the fact that they did not need such a thing, especially with all the other paperwork that needed finalization. However, it quickly became clear that it was not a choice.

Chrysalis walked out of her room with a yawn, her mane neatly brushed. The changeling groggily made her way into the dining hall. The other Princesses were already eating as Chrysalis sat down, not wasting any time to drink the coffee that was presented before her.

“Well good morning to you too.” said Celestia with a chuckle. “Are you prepared for the wedding practice later today?”

“As I will ever be.” said Chrysalis through a yawn. She took another swig of her coffee to wake her up, shaking her head. “I promise not to imprison anyone beneath the castle this time.”

“I would hope not.” said Celestia, cutting into her pancakes. “Not exactly a good way to start off the merger of our nations. It would be kinda awkward to explain, as well.”

“Tell ‘em they annoyed me and I couldn’t find the dungeons.” said Chrysalis, taking a bite out of her pancakes. She let out a low moan as she revelled in the taste. She would take the castle’s food over the hive’s any day. “What other plans do we for today aside from the practice? I doubt going over the wedding would take more than a few minutes.”

“About a half hour.” said Luna, taking a sip of her own coffee. “After that, I believe Cadence has some plans for you. As for Celestia, Twilight was taking her out for a treat from what I heard.”

“Wait a minute.” said Chrysalis, eyeing the pink, grinning alicorn. “You aren’t taking me out on a bachelor party, are you?”

“Of course I am!” squealed Cadence. “You don’t really have any other friends here in Canterlot, somepony has to throw you one. It’ll just be the two of us, and I know exactly where to go!” Chrysalis eyed the mare before letting out a sigh.

“I feel like I am going to regret this, but I will go along with your plan.” said Chrysalis, much to the enjoyment of Cadence.

Chrysalis spent the better part of an hour going through the wedding proceedings. As she did not have a mother to walk her down the aisle, she was going to end up walking herself down the aisle. As Cadence pointed out earlier, she would be Chrysalis’ Best Mare, while Celestia had the entirety of the Elements of Harmony as her Bridesmaids.

The wedding was similar in most ways to the wedding Cadence and Shining had, only the colors and vows were different. It was going to open to the public with a more selective reception that was mostly nobles. Chrysalis became fully aware of just how alone she was as she realized the entire wedding was ponies that were there more for Celestia than her. As they left the hall where the wedding was to held, Chrysalis rolled her eyes when she saw Cadence, the mare almost bouncing in place as she waited for her.

“I am scared at you have planned, I am just saying this now.” said Chrysalis, eyeing the alicorn. Cadence just laughed as she led the changeling out the castle doors.

“I would never lead you astray.” said Cadence, looking back at the changeling. “I don’t ruin ponies weddings.” Chrysalis winced, looking away from the alicorn.

“I never did say I was sorry.” said Chrysalis quietly. “I have realized recently how much these things meant to you, and out of my own selfishness I ruined a day that was meant for you.”

“You did for your people, which I can understand.” said Cadence with a shrug. “In the end, I still had my day. And after all this, you will have yours, and you will achieve the goal that were after all this time.”

“Weddings are meant for love, not politics.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “And I feel that is all that this is.”

“Because that is what it is.” said Cadence, raising an eyebrow. “Unless, you want it to be more than that?” The changeling grew a deep green blush, turning her head away. Cadence’s face lit up with a smile as she suddenly turned around. “You actually do love Celestia!”

“Shush, woman!” growled Chrysalis, her blush growing. “Yes, I admit it! But I have not found out how I want to tell her, or even if she feels the same.”

“Oh Chrysalis,” said Cadence, shaking her head. “Tomorrow is the perfect time. A day that will be full of love, even if it doesn’t seem like it. You just have to tell her when you feel the time is right.”

“You sound like Rarity.” said Chrysalis with a smile. “I have thought about telling her after the reception. Though I have not decided if I really want to go through with it.”

“I am sure you will make your choice when it is right.” said Cadence. “Anyways, we are now at our first stop for this evening!” Looking up, Chrysalis saw that they were at one of the fancy restaurants that were near the castle. She recognized the name from the list of suggestions that Cadence had made for food caters.

“You want to bring a Changeling Queen, that ponies are bound to still hate, into a fancy restaurant in the middle of Canterlot?” asked Chrysalis, looking over at Cadence.

“Why not?” said Cadence with a shrug. “You are about to be part of Equestrian Royalty. Might as well go out into the public, even if that means going to a restaurant.” Cadence started to head inside, Chrysalis hesitantly followed behind, tempted to disguise herself before anyone could notice.

Inside, Cadence apparently already set up a table and motioned for Chrysalis to join her. The changeling looked at the other patrons, who were all staring at her the moment she entered. Taking a deep breath, Chrysalis held her head tall and made her way towards Cadence, taking her seat opposite of her, still conscious of the looks she was getting.

After they ordered, the two of them sat and made small talk. Chrysalis found it hard to make conversation at first, not sure what she could really talk about. However, Cadence quickly started asking questions about changelings, which Chrysalis was willing to answer for the sake of conversation.

After their food came, they spent the next hour talking about changeling culture before changing subjects to past love escapades.

“Celestia is not the first pony to catch my eye.” said Chrysalis, bringing up another fork full of her salad. “I have actually dated a few different stallions, and a few mares in my time.”

“Oooh, I can always go for stories about ex-lovers.” said Cadence with a grin. Chrysalis set down her fork with a laugh.

“My first ever coltfriend was a rather dashing pegasus. At the time, he held all the different speed records, but this was over six or more hundred years ago so they have been long broken.” said Chrysalis, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, he was a sweetheart at first, but after awhile I realized that he was just a big airhead that just wanted sex, and my disguise at the time was pretty good if I do say so myself.”

“Were all of your dates only when you were disguised?” asked Cadence, raising an eyebrow.

“Not all of them.” said Chrysalis. “I try and gauge what their reaction would be prior to revealing myself. If I think it won’t go well, I don’t risk it. If it seems safe, I will carefully reveal myself and see how it goes. If it seems like things will go south, I erase their memory and just continue with the disguise for awhile or just call it off afterwards.”

“Not exactly very romantic.” said Cadence, taking a sip of her wine.

“You try to be romantic when you are a giant bug queen that feeds off of love.” said Chrysalis with a huff. “I did try to have a serious relationship outside of a disguise plenty of times, but after awhile, it became clear it would not work, and I stopped trying.”

“So when was the last time you actually tried to date a pony? Or at all, for that matter.” asked Cadence. Chrysalis thought a moment before shrugging.

“I don’t know. I think my last date was around the lunar eclipse of 631 A.N.?” said Chrysalis. Cadence looked at her in shock.*

“You mean you haven’t been in a date in over three hundred years?” said Cadence.

“Nope.” said Chrysalis with a shake of her head. “Haven’t been rutted in just as long, now that I think about it.”

“Okay, first of all, girl you need to get laid. And second of all, how could you have went that long without even trying to date?” asked Cadence.

“Same Celestia probably has.” said Chrysalis. “You worry about only running your country, or in my case a hive, and not give yourself time for such things as relationships.”

“You two really are sad.” said Cadence with a sigh. “Which means we should go to the second part of our bachelor party.”

“And what exactly did you have in mind?” asked Chrysalis. Cadence looked at the changeling with a big grin.

“You can’t be serious.” said Chrysalis looking up at the pink neon sign that hanged on the building in front of her.

“Of course I am.” said Cadence proudly. “I told you had a party in mind.”

“Yes, but I didn’t expect a strip club!” exclaimed Chrysalis, pointing at the posters of scantily clothed mares.

“Oh come on, it is almost tradition for the groom to go to a strip club before his wedding.” said Cadence, walking inside. From where she stood, Chrysalis could smell the lust that poured out of the doors. Having a little taste, she let out a small moan before following Cadence with a defeated sigh.

Once inside, her senses were assaulted by a multitude of things at once. Bright lights danced across the darkened wall, but weren’t quite overbearing as those who sat in the drinking booths weren’t disturbed. Stallions stood around the runway as a white unicorn mare worked the pole in the center.

The smell of the lust hit her like a wall, just the scent causing her head to get fuzzy as she followed Cadence to a booth. She sat down across from the alicorn, her eyes following the mares in the room as Cadence ordered drinks.

“I made sure only pop and water for you.” said Cadence, looking over at Chrysalis. “You okay?”

“Lust is similar to love to changelings.” said Chrysalis, shaking the fuzz momentarily. “However, the effects of absorbing it is similar to drinking alcohol. It makes you ditzy.” Cadence giggled at Chrysalis as the changeling swayed slightly.

“You just walked in here and you already looked hammered.” said Cadence with a content sigh. “I will make sure that next time we go out not to take you to a strip club again. We’ll stay here for a little while and head back before you get too wasted.”

Chrysalis absent mindlessly nodded. She swayed in her seat to the beat of the music that played from the speakers. She was fixated on the stripper in the middle of the room, her eyes following her every movement. Chrysalis could barely hear her name as everything blacked out.

Cadence let out a heavy sigh as she closed the door to Chrysalis’ room. They were in the strip club for only a few minutes before Chrysalis blacked out from too much lust. She made a mental note to steer clear from strip clubs and some bars when she is with Chrysalis.

She carefully made her way next door to Celestia’s room, opening the door enough to peek inside. The alabaster alicorn laid face first in her bed, a lamp shade off to the side of her head and confetti stuck in her head. Cadence had no doubt that Pinkie Pie was in charge of the Bachelorette party. If it wasn’t for the foal, Cadence might have had Pinkie plan the Bachelor party as well, but she knew of the mare’s tendency to spike the punch at parties. She let out a giggle as she closed the door to her aunt’s room.

“They would make a great couple.”

Author's Note

*A.N. stands for After Nightmare since idk if MLP has an actual year system. I would also assume that this is around 1001 A.N. as comparison to Chrysalis' comment on her last date.

Whew! So this was actually finished the same day I finished Ch.9, which I finished the day Ch.8 was published. >.> So I wrote 3 chapters in 2 days. Yay for being jobless! (It actually sucks) The next chapter is the Wedding, it will probably take up more than one chapter, idk yet. It will probably be pretty long since I have to fit some pre-ceremony shit in, the actual ceremony, and then more than likely the reception with some stuff mixed in there. ;)

Chapter 11

Chrysalis let a loan groan as her head throbbed. She barely remembered much of the night before, but she knew enough that she shouldn’t let Cadence take her out on any more of her parties.

“I do hate you.” said Chrysalis as she took a sip of water. Cadence stood behind her, brushing out her mane. Chrysalis let out a small growl as the alicorn hit a snag in her hair.

“You enjoyed it up until you passed out.” said Cadence, rolling her eyes. “Besides, how was I supposed to know you’d get wasted off of lust?”

“By actually asking me and finding out?” suggested Chrysalis. “I just have to hope this hangover passes enough that the wedding won’t give me more of a headache than I feel creeping on already.”

“If it makes you feel better, I heard Celestia got just as wasted, and I sure the others are no better.” said Cadence with a giggle. “I am sure that Luna and I are the only ones who won’t be battling a hangover during the wedding.”

“Good for you.” said Chrysalis. She watched as put her mane up into a tight bun, a hairstyle that she admittedly never tried. Once Cadence was finished, Chrysalis started putting on the tux that Rarity delivered earlier that morning. The tux was a normal black tux, as per usual with weddings. However, the tie was a dark red that matched with Chrysalis’ mane and eyes.

The changeling let out a sigh of relief as she buttoned up all the way, the suit fitting perfectly over the slight baby bump that she had grown. Chrysalis doubted she would get much more use out of the tux considering the size difference, but it was serving its purpose for today.

“I do have to hand it to Rarity.” said Chrysalis, examining herself in the mirror. “I somewhat doubted her ability to make this tux fit a pregnant mare.”

“There is a reason I have her custom make my dresses.” said Cadence with a giggle. “Though I have thought about commissioning some more… risque clothing from her.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes at the comment as she looked herself over once more.

“Ignoring your comment on lingerie, I should give the mare my thanks next time I have the chance.” said Chrysalis as she sat down with a sigh.

“I did wonder why you chose to be the groom.” said Cadence, brushing through her own hair. “My color choices hinged on you both wearing gowns. “

“Celestia wanted to stick with tradition.” said Chrysalis with a shrug. “I told her that she was the ruler of a country and could do what she wanted, but she wanted to keep to tradition and said the the roll of groom fit me better.”

“You have the blunt attitude of a stallion.” said Cadence, putting her man into a bun. “Blunt, stern, quite different from the more relaxed behaviors of the rest of us Princesses. It is no wonder why ponies are afraid of you.”

“You’re saying I’m scary?” asked Chrysalis, raising an eyebrow at Cadence.

“In a way.” admitted the alicorn, turning around to face Chrysalis. “Getting to know you, you can be sweet in your own way, but when you address those who you do not know personally, you come out as strict and uptight. Combined with your intimidating looks, it could come off as terrifying to some.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” said Chrysalis dryly.

“Someone could have warned me about Pinkie Pie parties.” said Celestia with a groan. The alicorn was in a similar position as Chrysalis, battling a hangover she did not intend to give herself as Rarity wrestled to tame her mane.

“If we warned you, it wouldn’t have been a surprise party.” said Rarity, running a brush through the alicorns mane. “Though, her parties is why I now bring my own beverages to parties if I can. Hangovers are very uncouth.”

“You’re telling me.” said Celestia. The princess took another swig of her water as she hoped for her headache to calm down before the ceremony starts. “I am still not sure if I really want to go through with this.”

“I thought you really couldn’t get out of a political wedding?” asked Rarity, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you can, but that's not what I’m talking about.” said Celestia with a sigh. “I mean telling Chrysalis how I feel. While I have started to find a friend in the changeling, somehow, I am not sure if I want to risk making this political nightmare we are in any worse than it is.”

“Oh I am sure it will be alright, darling.” said Rarity, thinkin back on her previous conversation with the changeling. “You just have to look into your and decide if this is something you want to do. I am sure it will go better than you expect it to.”

“I do wonder how you know so much about these things.” said Celestia with a chuckle.

“One too many romance novels, I am sure.” said Rarity, finishing off the braid she was constructing. “There, I will leave you to put on the dress. I am sure you will find that it fits exceptionally well.”

“I have no doubts about your talents.” said Celestia as she walked behind the changing screen.

Chrysalis took a deep breath as she stood outside the doors to the hall. It still felt like everything she was doing was unreal. In a short amount of time she was back in the same room she invaded only a few short months ago. It was unbelievable how fast everything moved, almost as if it was all being written by someone who did not understand the concept of pacing.

“Don’t look so nervous.” said Cadence, walking up behind her. “This isn’t your first wedding.”

“It's the first that was actually meant for me.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “In all hindsight, I should have picked something less personal to invade. It would have made this a lot easier.”

“On the brightside, it looks like a good amount of ponies that aren’t nobles showed up.” said Cadence with a smile.

“Half of them are changelings in disguise.” said Chrysalis with a sigh, causing Cadence to look again. “I invited a couple, a few are here out of interest, others to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“I’m not sure if I should be alarmed on how well they blend in or not” said Cadence, shaking her head. “I still haven’t fully realized the idea that the are hundreds of changelings walking around that I never notice.”

“Just means they are doing their job correctly.” said the queen with a smirk. “It looks like it is time for you to go up.” Chrysalis nodded to Shining Armor who was walking up to them in his formal wear.

“Then I will see you at the altar.” said Cadence with a smile. “Good luck.” Chrysalis flashed a quick smile as the mare made her up the aisle. Once she made it up there, Chrysalis would have to make the journey by herself.

As Cadence made it to her spot on the altar, Chrysalis took a deep breath before she started making her way down the aisle. As she passed them, multiple ponies gave her odd looks while the changelings had a look of happiness yet hesitation. It wasn’t everyday that a pregnant, former terrorist gets married to the Princess of Equestria.

Chrysalis let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding once she made it to the altar. She turned herself to look down the aisle, flashing a quick smile to Cadence before going back to her straight face. She jumped a little as the music started, barely enough for anyone to notice.

Escorted out by Luna, Princess Celestia made her way up the aisle. Chrysalis felt her breath hitch as she stared at the Equestrian Princess. She felt like she was a filly once again with a crush on the most popular filly.

Celestia was adorned in a beautiful long, white dress that blended perfectly with her coat. There were dashes of green that flaked in with the dress that still managed to compliment her features. Chrysalis will have to make a reminder to thank Rarity once she had the chance.

Finally, Celestia stood across from Chrysalis, giving her a warm smile. The Queen felt her cheeks burn as she returned the favor. Luna gave a slight chuckle as she took her place in between them. The Lunar Princess cleared her throat, the echo that followed gaining the full attention of the audience.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here for the binding of Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis in marriage. For hopes of peace and coexistence.” said Luna, motioning to the two of them. “And may the two of them live on in love.”

“Now, Celestia, do you vow to support and care for Chrysalis, through highs and lows?”

“I do.”

“Chrysalis, do you vow to support and care for Celestia, through highs and lows?”

“I do.”

“Celestia, do you vow to listen to Chrysalis in her times of distress?”

“I do.”

“And do you, Chrysalis, vow to listen to Celestia in her times of distress?”

“I do.”

“Then do you, Celestia, take Chrysalis Nymphadora as your wife, till death do you part?”

“I do.” said Celestia, her smile staying true. Chrysalis could feel her cheeks heating up.

“And do you, Chrysalis, take Celestia Solar as your wife, till death do you part?”

“I do.” said Chrysalis, holding her head high. Luna gave a small smile before continuing.

“Then by the power vested in me as Princess of Equestria, I pronounce you as wife and… wife.” said Luna with a small giggle. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Chrysalis’ heart started to beat widely as Celestia leaned forward. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, Chrysalis closed her eyes with a slight squint as she met her halfway. Not wanting to linger to long, Chrysalis pulled back with a blush.

Three fillies that Chrysalis never learned the names of, despite having been at Cadence’s wedding, brought the rings up to them. Being the groom, Chrysalis took Celestia’s ring in her magic first before carefully slipping it over the Princess’ horn. She let a small smile creep on her face as Celestia did the same to her. This was the happiest she felt in a long time.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

The reception moved out into the gardens. Toasts were made, though little was said to Chrysalis. Cadence made a joke or two about the invasion that gained a few chuckles. It became slowly obvious just how unwelcome she was.

Only a few ponies were comfortable with her. Cadence seemed to change her tune rather quickly, making Chrysalis nervous. Shining Armor was hesitant, but got over his grudges after Celestia spent an hour ripping him a new one after he was caught spying on her.

Luna didn’t require any effort to make a friend, declaring Chrysalis her best friend shortly after meeting. There were also a number of guards that she befriended. But aside from the small group, most other ponies stayed suspicious of her, waiting for her to act up.

Dinner was served and cake was cut. Chrysalis had to give it to the castle staff, the cake was the best that she had in awhile. She never got to taste the cake for Cadence’s wedding, but she almost wished she had tried to sneak a taste.

As dinner came to a close, focus was brought over to the dance floor that was built. Chrysalis was content with watching the others dance, but before anyone made their way onto it, she found herself being pushed towards it.

“The Bride and Groom dance first.” said Cadence as she shoved her onto the dance floor. Before she could protest, Celestia made her way towards her. Chrysalis gulped as she made her way over.

“I have to confess, I never did learn how to dance formally.” said Chrysalis as Celestia started to place her hooves on her.

“Then follow my lead.” said the princess with a soft smile. “And careful not to step on my hooves.”

Chrysalis silently nodded as she wrapped her hooves around Celestia. The music started to play, causing Celestia to take her first step. Chrysalis carefully mimicked her every step, trying to keep in time with the music.

“See, it isn’t so hard.” said Celestia with a chuckle. Chrysalis smiled back before biting her lip.

“Celestia, I have to something I need to tell you.” said Chrysalis with a sigh. “Over the past few months, I have found myself becoming more attracted to you. I don’t know what started it, but I started to see you as more than a friend that took me in when I became pregnant.”

“Then I should tell you that the feeling is mutual.” said Celestia warmly, nuzzling into Chrysalis’ neck. The changeling could feel her cheeks heating up as she smiled. That stupid, pink alicorn was right after all.

Author's Note

Holy fuck I finally finished this damn thing. I'm sorry if it seems rushed and poorly written, this thing has been the literal death of me. And now the romance tag is in full swing! I am not sure how much longer this will go on, but I feel like this will end in a couple chapters. However! I do have some plans for a sequel, and will probably start on that shortly so I can have a few chapters in reserve for when this story is wrapped up. Soon we will be introduced to the newest member of the royal family.