We Are Each Other

It had been almost two weeks since Chrysalis had seen Celestia. Almost two weeks and while she had continued to diligently clean the Princess’s quarters, the rooms had been empty by the time she got there. The first few days, it had been a surprise, then a disappointment, now she was expecting to find the rooms devoid of life. So it was, when Shieldwall knocked on her door this Sunday morning, she expected it to be the same.

Making sure she was fully transformed into Bedpan; Chrysalis opened the door with a big beaming smile on her face. She had a lot of time for the guard pony, and she considered him one of her few friends. “Good morning, Shieldwall!”

“It's seven in the morning on the weekend and I'm working,” the guard grumbled, though the smile on his face rather ruined the look he was going for.

“Yes you are, but that's only because your mare is expecting,” Chrysalis smiled, for she remembered back when she was cooped up in the internment camp when she first met Shieldwall when she advised him on his first date. Now he was expecting his first foal in a matter of months. “You haven't stopped smiling since you told me the news!”

“One more mouth to feed and extra milky dessert for me,” Shieldwall chuckled happily.

“I've never seen you so happy, my friend.”

“I’m sorry I can't share the happiness, ‘Bedpan’,” Shieldwall placed a heavy emphasis on the name, even going so far as to add a very knowing wink.

“That's alright,” Chrysalis returned the wink with one of her own, “You aren't my type.” Perhaps wisely, Shieldwall chose not to say anything to that, electing instead to just watching as the disguised changeling let herself into the Princess’s quarters.

Once she was inside, and the doors closed, Chrysalis got ready to do some cleaning. She was confronted by the usual unmade bed, and some books scattered haphazardly on the floor. She was also greeted, for the first time since Monday, by Celestia, who was having her morning tea on the balcony. “Good morning, Mistress!” the maid greeted her, and she clopped her hooves extra loud on the marble floor.

At first, Celestia did not respond to her maid’s presence, when she heard her hooves, she glanced up from her tea and she nodded silently before she went back to looking out over Canterlot, leaving Chrysalis frustrated. 'Mother's sake!' she grumbled under her breath as she got busy straightening out the messed-up bed, purposefully not doing her best work.

All the time that Chrysalis was working, Celestia never even glanced into the room to see what the changeling was doing. Never once did she check on her. Never did she pay her the slightest attention whatsoever. Deeply annoyed, Chrysalis decided she’d had quite enough of that. To get back at the distant alicorn, she placed three books on the shelves in the wrong order and upside down. “I'm done, Mistress.”

Then, and only then, did Celestia glance briefly into the room. “If you are satisfied with your work, then I will see you tomorrow, Bedpan,” was all she said.

Chrysalis smiled at the Princess, but internally she was fuming, and it was only through an act of will that she kept her voice even, “Might I go out, Mistress?”

“You may,” Celestia waved her away dismissively, “As long as you've returned before the moon reaches its zenith.”

“As you wish,” without another word, Chrysalis then turned and walked out, stomping angrily back to her room where she screamed pointlessly into her pillow for several minutes until her temper was spent. That done, she threw on a light-yellow sundress and a wide brimmed hat. “If I'm wasting my time,” she muttered in the hall, “I can waste it outside...”

After Chrysalis had taken her leave, Celestia finally took the time to thoroughly inspect her maid’s work closely. She saw that her bed had not been made right, and that a few of her books had been replaced upside down. Instead of being angry though, the alicorn clapped her hooves and skipped delightedly on her way to her breakfast.

Predictably, Luna was seated at their table when her older sister skipped in. The lunar alicorn looked up from her creamy chocolate pancakes and she grinned, “Somepony's in a suspiciously good mood today.”

“I am!” Celestia all but pranced over to the table she shared with her sister and she sat down to eat, “Chrysalis was extra naughty this morning!”

“Extra naughty?” asked Luna with a smirk plastered all over her face, “I'm surprised she hasn't lost her temper yet.” She paused momentarily to take a huge bite of what for her was her evening meal, “I do like the good mood though. It suits you.”

“I ignored her today,” Celestia explained, “And she did look like she would explode.”

“Just be careful how much further you push, Tia,” cautioned Luna as she reached out with her magic to summon her coffee to her.

“What would be a good mare for Sunny Day, do you think?” Celestia asked instead of answering her sister’s comment, “I mean what do you see in a mare, or what do you think I would see in a mare…” she paused, and her eyes went wide, “I'm rambling, aren't I?”

“Yes, you are, ever since Sunset had to go back home a couple of days ago, you’ve been rambling, but you are cute when you ramble, so I'll let it slide.”

Celestia pouted adorably and shot her sister a playfully outraged look before she summoned a cup of tea to her to hide behind. It had been a shame her daughter had to leave, but her Applejack had needed her. “It's been three hundred years since I went on a public date. The papers...”

“It won’t be you though, will it?” Luna pointed out, “It’ll be Sunny Day. Unless, of course, you were asking for a good mate for you. Which would be a different question, with a different answer.”

“Don't play coy, Lulu,” Celestia flashed an irritated look at her smirking sister, “You already know who the date is going to be and who it’s for. I just need to figure out what she should look like, Sunny is a pegasus.”

“You know,” Luna smirked ever more as she chewed and swallowed her food, “Equestria won't burn if Celestia went on a date,” she then held up her hooves at her sister's glare, “Alright, alright, what about a tall sexy unicorn?”

“While there are aspects of Bedpan I like,” Celestia shuffled on her seating pad, her own food as yet untouched, “Her height, or lack thereof, isn't one of them. I prefer tall, like that mare that Fancy Pants is always seen with, Fleur de something?”

“You mean Fleur De Lys,” Luna supplied the name, “Well, you have good taste, choosing a super model body to play with.”

“Hmm…I don't know,” Celestia mused, “She is rather thin, but she is nice and tall.”

“Tall enough that you can get Chrysalis to fill out some of the thinner bits to your liking.”

Suddenly, Celestia wore a faraway dreamy look, “Especially between the hind legs…”

Smirking once more, Luna leant in over the table like she was planning a conspiracy, “You do know you can get them to be as big as you like, right?”

“Not milk mare sized,” Celestia said with a smile that almost allowed for drool to leak from her mouth, “More like pregnant size. If Bedpan hadn't been a scullery maid, I might have noticed her when she lived. Oh well, that’s water under the bridge.”

“Hmmm…” Luna thought, “I think your theoretical mare would look good. Tavi's teats would look nice if they were a little bit bigger...”

There was a sudden flash of golden magic and a large room paint colour chart appeared, “Now for the coat!”

Startled, Luna jumped, “Jeez, warn a mare next time!” she giggled, having almost dropped her coffee mug, “A chart? Twilight would be proud of you.”

Not really listening, Celestia had has the purple section open, “Oh, do you think so?”

“I do think so!” Luna smirked, doing absolutely nothing to hide her giggles at her sister’s antics, “That's a nice colour there, the dark purple one.”

“I think Sunny would like that, too,” Celestia commented absently as she used her magic to run through the pages of the chart, “Mane colour. Something that would complement Sunny, I think.”

“Sunny's yellow, right?” Luna observed, “What about a gold yellow mane for your unicorn?”

“Yes, golden yellow,” Celestia agreed, “But it needs to be two tone She is a unicorn. I’m thinking some sort of white…” she continued to mutter about colours as she flipped the chart to the shades of white section.

“What about the pure white,” Luna offered, “Like ‘Rarity’ white?”

“Hmmm,” Celestia considered that but ultimately she shook her head, “I think I have enough white in my life. Oh this one!” she stopped at a shade she found appealing, “Cloud. It’s a sort of a silver white.”

“That works too, course, I'd go for a sexy dark grey, but that's just me.”

“I think you may be a bit biased.”

Luna giggled, “No, really?”

“Do you think a Trottingham accent would compare well with Sunny's?”

“I really do,” agreed Luna, “Sunny's northern, so a south eastern accent would be nice.”

“Now, location. I was thinking Les Règles du Soleil for dinner Monday night.”

“Really?” asked a surprised Luna, “All out to impress, huh?”

“What? It's a nice place.”

“I agree it's a nice place, Tia.”

A sudden doubt crossed Celestia’s mind, “Do you think opera would be too much?”

“No, I don't think so. Get a box seat, and you can have some 'fun' while you watch it.”

“I know how you feel about opera. I’m not sure I'm ready for a night club.”

“While I would happily swap my crown to watch you 'get on down',” Luna laughed out loud at the very image that entered her head, that of her sister attempting to dance, “I think the opera is a good choice. “Hey,” she started after a moment’s thought, “What's bought all this on, sis?”

Pointedly, Celestia stared at her younger sister, “Somepony tossed me into the Sunset.”

“Guilty as charged. Sorry, totally not sorry. It wasn’t just me,” Luna was only too happy to sell out her partner in crime, “Twilight was my willing accomplice.”

“Well,” Celestia conceded, “You did have to get the information to her. The Dean at my school went crazy too, frankly. There’s a problem unicorn there, but she went overboard on punishment. The unicorn is a sadist though and that got my attention. I haven't been doing this right,” Celestia admitted, “So I'm going to see if Sunny can handle being with her. If it works out, maybe the Princes of the Sun can find love with her too.”

Quietly, Luna walked around the table and she embraced her sister in a tight hug. A hug that lasted for a good few minutes. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that,” she said with a smile and an affectionate nuzzle of Celestia’s cheek.

Smiling, Celestia hugged her sister, “Just don't hold your breath. I will try, but she has to try too.”

“If she tries any harder, they'll be giving her a medal!” Luna laughed, “I'm just glad you finally have your head on straight in all this.”

“I'm going to put her through her paces tomorrow morning,” Celestia said with determination, “She was extremely naughty this morning. Then, I'll lay down the surprise.”

“Sounds like a plan, sis!” Luna then placed a forehoof on her sister’s chest. “Listen to this, and you won't go far wrong.”

“I hope you're right,” Celestia sighed, “I just couldn't live with myself if I destroyed her and her changelings. Now I need to see if I can live with myself if she is a part of my life.”

About to reply, Luna suddenly let out a huge yawn that spoke of a deep weariness. “Only one way to find out,” she said as she rubbed her eyes and yawned again, a desire for her bed and her wife at the forefront of her mind, “Faint heart never won fair mare, and all that jazz…”

~ ~ ~

It was late in the evening, after a full day of retail therapy in Canterlot, when Chrysalis found herself aimlessly wandering in the Royal Gardens. Aimlessly, that is, until she heard the unmistakable sounds of cello music nearby. She followed the sounds until she saw Lady Octavia stood by the statue of a rearing pegasus mare.

When she saw Chrysalis approaching her, Octavia stopped her warm up session. Not that she minded too much, she’d only just begun anyway. And she always had time for Chrysalis. “You seemed to be in contemplation, and I'm sorry if my music disturbed you.”

“Oh, good evening, Lady Octavia,” the disguised changeling responded with a deep morose tone in her voice, one she didn’t try to conceal, “It's me who should apologise to you, for disturbing your practise.”

“So formal,” Octavia giggled, though she did note the tone in which her friend spoke, “Do you wish to listen or talk?”

“Talking would be nice,” Chrysalis admitted, “Then again, so would being noticed, or seen even…”

With a sigh, Octavia put her cello away in its protective case, “It does upset me when my Mistress ignores me. Especially when I've worked hard to be naughty.”

“Tell me about it,” ‘Bedpan’ grunted in frustration as she laid down on the grass in front of the statue of the pegasus. “I haven't even seen Celestia since Monday. She was there earlier, though she may as well have been in Vanhoover for all the notice she took of me!”

Octavia got down on the grass and she nestled deep into the other pony’s side. “Has she ever told you about Sunset Shimmer?”

“Who?” asked Chrysalis curiously, for the name meant nothing to her at all, “And no, she doesn't even speak to me most times. I just get used like some sex toy then get told to come back tomorrow when she’s done with me.”

“Okay,” Octavia sorted her thoughts in her head, “I recommend you don't bring Sunset up. It’s a very personal matter for Tia, and she was a visitor she had this past week. Things went badly at her school too. Now, if you have a choice to leave, will you take it?”

“Oh, I don't know!” Chrysalis exclaimed as she threw up her hooves, “Where would I go? Where would I be allowed to go? Back to the camp?”

“There isn't really anywhere else, is there?” Octavia mused thoughtfully, “What is it you want from Tia?”

“She knows what I want, Octavia,” Chrysalis slumped back to the grass and she held her head in her hooves. “She knows how I feel about her. I want...I want her to either reciprocate or...if she can't, or if she won’t…I want her to stop using me.”

Supportively, Octavia draped her foreleg over the ‘earth pony’s’ shoulders, “How much more time will you give her?”

“A couple of days, I suppose,” Chrysalis admitted with a reluctant sigh, “No more than a week. I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t.”

“She will test you. Trust is not an easy thing to gain with Tia.”

“Oh, right,” Chrysalis scoffed, “Like she hasn't been 'testing' me for nearly a year now.”

“That may be so,” Octavia shrugged, “We've seen it and we have tried to intervene. One thing that will definitely get Tia to dig in is trying to push her.”

“I'm just sick of being abused, Octavia!” Chrysalis cried, at the end of her rope, “I've only stood it out of fear for the changelings in the program. But, I know I haven't been needed for that for months now.”

“There was a time when Tia thought it unlawful for same sex couples to exist,” stated as she hugged Chrysalis close, “I would say to you, give it time, but you already have. A lot has happened this week, if you feel the same on Friday, I'll find a better situation for you. There is that mare that helps you in the evening, and there is Royal Ribbon too.”

“Bluegrass has been a delight,” Chrysalis muttered softly, “The same with Shieldwall…” she scuffed her hoof at the ground, digging at the grass, “I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so maudlin, I just...I look at you and Luna, and I want that, what you have.”

“Lulu and Tia are not the same,” Octavia giggled, “Night and Day, you might say. You and I are not the same either. Your needs run a lot deeper than mine.”

“I suppose you're right. I just want...to be loved would be too much, cared for? Needed? I know why I want to be her pet. For the sense of purpose, to have a reason to be, you know?”

Octavia smiled, “I'm enjoying pet play. Then again, I enjoy Luna and everything we play.”

“See?” Chrysalis shot back, “You're so happy with each other! You have literally everything, next you'll be telling me you're pregnant.”

As soon as Chrysalis said that, Octavia’s cheeks coloured up in a huge, huge blush, a blush that went up to her ears. “Um, well , you see, when two mares get together. No one gets pregnant…”

“Life finds a way, that’s what Royal Ribbon says,” Chrysalis smiled, “And don't tell me for a second you don't want a foal. I saw you, when the primary school had the day trip to the palace and you, and Luna had lunch with them.”

“A mare can dream, can’t she?” Octavia asked, not even trying to deny what her heart genuinely wanted or to hide the intense blush that was now reaching her neck.

“So,” Chrysalis couldn’t help but tease, despite of her down mood, “Do you do want one, or three?”

“One would be nice,” Octavia admitted, “For now, anyway.”

“Have you shared your dream with Luna?”

Octavia shook her head, her blush lessening by the moment, “She has enough pressure as it is. I don't need to add to it.”

“Pfft...pressure,” Chrysalis snorted and laughed, “She'd move mountains for you, and you know it. Maybe she wants a foal too and is too scared to mention it to you?”

Octavia’s blush was replaced by a shy smile that wouldn’t look out of place on a teenage schoolfilly. “Maybe. I know I'm not getting any younger,” she then reached out and touched Chrysalis's hoof, “Stay strong. Give her a week.”

“You too, mention the foal thing, I mean. I'm sure you can get one of those nice thestrals Luna uses as her guards to do the deed with you.”

“Sometimes you presume to much, Chryssie,” Octavia wanted to scold her friend, but unfortunately right then, her blush had returned, and it had returned so much that her whole coat was almost deep glowing red. Instead, she hugged Chrysalis, “I'm going to practice, you're free to listen.”

Smirking, Chrysalis hugged Octavia like she was a long-lost sister, “Please, continue your piece. I do love your music.”

After two hours of playing, Octavia asked, “When do you need to be back in your room?”

“By midnight,” Chrysalis sighed once the music stopped, “I suppose I should be getting inside.”

“Maybe we can have a snack in the cafeteria. No need to disturb the sisters.”

“I could go for a snack, Octavia.”

“Then, my dear Bedpan,” the earth pony declared as she placed her cello in its case and balanced that on her back, “Let us adjourn to sample what the staff eats. Lulu says it keeps them on their toes.”

“Oh yes,” Chrysalis giggled, “Her random once in the month food inspection!”

“I think they eat better than she does at the royal table. Sometimes Lulu agrees with me.”

“Come on then, my friend, let's go and eat.”

~ ~ ~

The next morning, it was Bulwark instead of Shieldwall who knocked on Chrysalis’s door and escorted her, as Bedpan, to Celestia’s quarters. When she pushed open the large door, she saw that the Princess was sat at her desk and the room, for once was not messy. It looked exactly like it did when she had left the day before. “I told you yesterday,” Celestia spoke up, “That you could leave if you were satisfied with your work. If you still are then there is nothing for you to do.”

Chrysalis looked about the alicorn’s room. The bed sheets were in the state of disarray she had left them in. The books were upside down and out of order. She looked at the shoddy work she had done, and she felt a vindictive pleasure bordering on revenge at what she had left. “I'm satisfied with how I left it, Mistress.”

“I am not,” Celestia announced matter of factly, like she was discussing the weather with her sister, “So I guess it’s best to send you back to the camp.”

And just like that, the vindictive pleasure Chrysalis felt evaporated in a micro second.

“Wh-What...n-no!” very quickly, though she was hampered by Bedpan’s size, weight and her teats, Chrysalis scrabbled on her hooves over to the books and she frantically started to sort them out into their proper places on the shelves, “I'm sorry!”

“Stop!” Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice echoed through her rooms, stunning the ‘earth pony’ to rigid immobility. “What makes you think you can correct what you intentionally left in error?” she asked as she stalked towards the still mare, “Did you think I wouldn't notice?”

Chrysalis, who was paused with a book in her hoof, had at least the good grace to look ashamed. “Um...y-yes, I thought you wouldn't notice, Mistress,” she answered honestly.

“I did notice,” Celestia stated coldly, “And that is why I asked if you were satisfied yesterday. You seem to revel in shoddy work, and I don't need that in my castle.”

“I-I'll do better, I can do better!” Chrysalis squeaked in genuine fear now of being sent away, “It's just...this past week, you haven't been here, and yesterday...it was like you didn't care!”

Celestia glared at ‘Bedpan’ like she was an insect, as beneath her as an actual insect. “You're a scullery maid elevated above her station. Why should I care about you?”

Poor Chrysalis was at an utter loss. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! “Bu-But...” she spluttered, “L-Last week...y-you...we, what we did...I thought...”

“You are here to serve me to the best of your ability,” Celestia couldn’t help but feel a savage pleasure in the desperate state she had so quickly reduced Chrysalis to, “I took a lot of time to correct you at the start, and now you disrespect me with...” she gestured with a forehoof at the bed and the book that Chrysalis was holding in her hoof.

“And what about you disrespecting me?” Chrysalis’s frantic desperation had lit a fire in the changeling’s belly. If she was going out, she’d go out kicking and screaming! “I love you! I wore your collar because I love you! I've given you my best because I love you! I was shoddy yesterday because I wanted your attention...b-because, I love you!”

It was only through a supreme effort that Celestia stopped herself from smiling. Fortunately, over the millennia of dealing with nobles and dignitaries, she had learnt to keep a cast iron lid on her emotions. “Do you feel any love from me right now?”

“No,” Chrysalis’s fire went out as quickly as it had ignited, “No I don't, Mistress.”

Celestia raised her voice. It wasn’t quite the level of the Royal Canterlot Voice, but it wasn’t far away. “You will do what I brought you here to do! If not, by Tartarus, I'll send you back to where I found you!” the alicorn’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “And I do mean 'exactly where' I found you. I'll be back in thirty minutes.”

Before Chrysalis could even think of responding, Celestia had swept out of her quarters and slammed the doors behind her. “Oh fuck...oh fuck…oh fuck!” Chrysalis spent the first three of the thirty minutes dancing in place while she panicked. Then, after slapping herself hard across the face, she began to work extremely quickly to get things rearranged just so.

After precisely thirty minutes, Celestia returned literally seconds after Chrysalis had finished tidying up her mistakes from the day before. “Stand on the balcony.”

“Yes Mistress!” Chrysalis hurried and she scampered over to the balcony that overlooked the capital city. You could also see Ponyville in the distance below if you looked hard enough, but she wasn’t looking.

While Chrysalis was stood on the balcony, Celestia made a big deal of inspecting her work. “Your attitude is no reason for you to not do exemplary work like this. I'm satisfied. Stand here,” she pointed with a hoof to the centre of the room.

“Thank you, Mistress!” relief that she wasn’t going to be sent back to the internment camp or worse, back to what was left of her hive – no doubt it was by now overrun with maulwurfs - she hurried back to the middle of the room.

Slowly, Celestia walked around the disguised Chrysalis and she made a series of pointless little adjustments to the maid outfit that really changed nothing, other than one adjustment that caused the mare's teats to fall out of the teddy. Then, she moved to sit at her desk facing her. “Remove your outfit and place it on the table,” she indicated the small table next to her desk.

“At once, Mistress,” quickly, the maid's dress was removed and Chrysalis folded neatly on the small table, along with the shoes which were placed under it.

Celestia had to stop herself smiling with glee. When the mare was undressed, the Princess made a twirling motion with a hoof and she watched intently as Chrysalis turned a complete circle before her. “Hmm,” she mused, “Can you make those grapefruits look more like lemons?”

“Yes Mistress,” Chrysalis summoned her magic and instead of the green flames, there was a green glow that surrounded her, and the large teats shrank in size.

Bending down for a good look, Celestia suggested, “How about plumper, can you be plumper?”

“Of course, Mistress,” again the green glow surrounded the earth pony’s body and seconds later, her belly was significantly rounder.

“Taller,” Celestia requested after another moment, “Maybe Luna's height?” there came a slight sigh from Chrysalis at the constant changes and she closed her eyes and again the glow came, and she grew taller by a couple feet. However, that wasn’t good enough for the Princess. “Plump doesn't look good with that height. Thinner, but not like one of those runway models. That is too thin.”

“As you wish…” Chrysalis grunted with the effort as she magically reduced her waist and belly, so that she was a little pudgier than Fleur, which was when Celestia held up her hoof for her to stop.

Smirking, Celestia got up from her seating pad and she walked around, then, from behind, she said, “Wings! Try wings.”

Chrysalis was panting ever so slightly as this time she summoned the magical green flames for the larger transformation, one that turned Bedpan into a pegasus. “Like that?”

“Hmmmm,” Celestia rubbed her chin with a hoof, she knew exactly what she was doing, and she was thoroughly enjoying making Chrysalis do all these changes, “If Bedpan had wings she probably wouldn't have gone mountain climbing. Dump the wings. Put on a horn.”

“I'm amazed she went mountain climbing with teats her size...” Chrysalis muttered not quite under her breath as she once again summoned the flames for a big change. The wings vanished and a horn grew on her head. “Whoa...” she winced, staggering two steps from the head rush.

Walking back around to the front, Celestia sat back on her seating pad and she clapped her hooves as an idea seemingly came to her. “Change your body to match that colour,” she pointed at a lime green pillow, “And your mane and tail to match that,” she then pointed at a burgundy pillow, “With streaks of that colour,” she indicated a grey pillow.

“Oh what the...” Chrysalis had a most fed up look on her face as she again summoned her magical green flames and she applied the changes that Celestia had requested. When they were gone, her coat was lime green, her mane and tail were burgundy with streaks of grey. She staggered and almost dropped to a knee, she was breathing heavy and sweat was on her brow.

Smirking like the cat who had all the cream, Celestia walked a circle around Chrysalis, “Has this little challenge proven to be too much for you?”

“N-No Mistress,” Chrysalis gasped, “It's just...so many changes...in such a short time…takes effort.”

“Putting forth effort should be joy in serving me.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

“That colour isn't doing it for me,” Celestia stated after her latest inspection was completed. She then walked to her closet for a silvery white and golden yellow scarf. Then, scarf held in her magic, she walked over to the curtain which had rich purple tassels. “Okay, I want your coat to be this purple and the mane and tail these colours.”

Looking at the examples of the colours, Chrysalis really had to force the change. She glowed green, but it was a dull lifeless green, not a bright glow, and her colours changed, her head spun, and she ended up flopped on her ass.

Celestia looked at the exhausted changeling sitting there, and she smiled broadly. “Thank you for reminding me. Missing just one more thing. Bring back the grapefruits.”

“Is...” Chrysalis panted hard, “Is...th-this necessary?” she asked as the green glow returned and it flickered once or twice, and only on the third try did her teats swell bigger.

“Yes,” Celestia nodded, “That is just prefect. Well done, Bedpan. You may return to your normal maid self and you are free for the rest of the day. You still have a midnight curfew,” Celestia then sat back at her desk. “Don't forget to take your outfit with you.”

“Wh-What?” Chrysalis’s eyes went wide as dinnerplates, “Th-That's it? I went through all that, and for what? 'You may return to your normal maid self and are free for the rest of the day?' What was the point of wasting all that energy!?”

As soon as she heard the outburst, Celestia lifted her nose and she looked down at Chrysalis like she wished she could look at the nobles in her court. “Who are you to demand an explanation from me?”

“I am Chrysalis!” she snapped angrily and stomped her hoof into the white marble floor, “And I'm sick of your crap! I am not a monkey performing for the organ grinder, I just want one bit of love from you, as much as I love you!”

For just the briefest of moments, Celestia’s expression softened, then it hardened again. “Do you think I would be seen in Canterlot with Chrysalis at my side?”

“As if!” Chrysalis scoffed, “You'd have to…” her eyes grew wide as a large penny started to drop in her head, “You’d have to choose...a...” that penny suddenly got bigger, “A form for me!”

As soon as Chrysalis had come to her dawning realisation, there was a flash of magic, this time from Celestia. When the blinding flash of golden yellow light had faded, the alicorn was gone and in her place was a pure white pegasus with a yellow mane and tail. “Well, hi there,” instead of a rich Canterlot accent was a regional Whinnyapolis one, “I'm Sunny Day, and it’s good to meet ya!” she held out a hoof in greeting, “Wayfair. I'll have to let you pick your own cutie mark.”

The look of utter disbelief on Chrysalis’s face was priceless to behold. “What...” it took the changeling’s brain a few moments to catch up with that her eyes were showing her, “What...” she looked the pegasus up and down, “What...” dumbly, she found herself bumping hooves with the mare, “Pleased to meet you Sunny…”

“Me too!” ‘Sunny Day’ beamed like her namesake, “Um, can you do a Trottingham dialect? That would go so cute with my Whinnyapolis.”

“Trottingham?” Chrysalis asked, having never been to the city herself, she wasn’t sure if she could. Then, she remembered that in another life, her drones had been there. And, through the Hive Mind, so had she. The former queen sifted through her memories and there it was, the way ponies in the south eastern city spoke. “Too bleedin' right I can, love!”

Just as suddenly as Sunny Day had appeared, so too did she vanish in a flash of light, to be replaced with Celestia. “Good,” she said once the illusion was dropped, “Now back to Bedpan, but don't forget this form.”

When the glowing green flames had receded and Bedpan had replaced the form of the purple unicorn, Chrysalis was very much confused. “What was...why?”

Celestia let out a long, deep sigh, “Some ponies I trust, and one I barely know, told me I was doing it wrong with you. This is a chance. I'm giving you a chance, and maybe a chance for myself too. Your guard will not be surprised by Wayfair in your room. You have an appointment tomorrow at noon,” the Princess giggled, “After Bedpan fixes the damage I do in here.”

“You were testing me…”

Celestia made sure to look Chrysalis in the eye when she spoke next. “I would have sent you back to the camp, or worse, back to some hole now full of those mole creatures. I was extremely disappointed when you left yesterday. Luna talked me off the cliff.” That said, she took a deep breath to steady herself. “As for Wayfair, I knew what I wanted before we started. I just wanted to push you.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to retort but, as she did, she sensed something she had not felt from the solar alicorn before.

She felt hope.

There was no love, but there was hope.

There was hope, and it was thick in the air. It radiated from the Princess like light shone from her sun, it filled the whole room. Chrysalis extended her magic and she tasted the new emotion. ‘Oh...that's new...and it’s tasty!’ she thought, sampling the emotion as a food critic would a gourmet dish, “All I've ever wanted is a chance, Mistress.”

“Don't squander it,” Celestia’s cold tone gave way to a much warmer, more tender one that was bordering on affectionate. “Enjoy your day...Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis opened her hooves, but straight away she realised a hug might be too optimistic and she lowered them. Then, she realised she was blushing! “Thanks, u-um…thank you. You too, Mistress…” Celestia though had turned her attention to some paperwork on her desk.

Chrysalis, who was left in something of a lightheaded daze, made her way out of the Princess’s rooms and back to her own. She was so happy, so giddy, she barely noticed her hooves touching the floor.