“Is it true?” Carrot Top leaned in close. Her face started to glow hint of red. “Is his magic really as dexterous as you know…”
Octavia gave the eager mare an unimpressed look. “That is such an inappropriate question, Carrot Top.” She sipped her tea before continuing. “No, I will not answer it.”
Octavia stole a glance at her coltfriend, Laser Pointer. He’s a stallion of average build, a white coat, and brown spiky mane. He adjusted his glasses a little while trying to suppress a smirk forming in his mouth. He’s clearly enjoying their talk.
She wasn’t quite sure how their idle chatting lead up to this rather raunchy topic. All she ever wanted to do was to spend the afternoon with her coltfriend and her friends over some tea, maybe a pointless chat here and there, not this obscene public discussion that clearly violates her personal boundaries!
“Oh don’t be such a prude, Octavia.” Carrot Top shot back. “We’re not fillies anymore. And if I were you, I wouldn’t act like a closed clam in things like this especially when I had a hot coal like him heating up my furnace.”
“Carrot Top!” Lyra said in a scolding manner.
“What?” Carrot Top shrugged. “I’m just being honest.” She then proceeded to take a sip of her tea.
“I’m sorry for my friend here, Laser.” Lyra said to the stallion with an accompanying apologetic look. “It’s just that Carrot Top’s fields here hasn’t been…’irrigated’ for a while now.”
Carrot Top slammed her teacup on the table in surprise. “Lyra!” Her face who was only showing hints of red moments ago was now fully scarlet. “Why’d you tell him that!?”
“Now, now.” Octavia said, with a bit of smugness mixed in. “What did you say about clamming up again? Just a moment ago?”
“Kick me while I’m down will you?”
Laser Pointer could only giggle at this exchange.
After everypony finished their drinks, they went on their separate ways. Carrot Top and Lyra decided to walk around the park while Octavia and Laser decided that it’d be best to head home. Once they arrived, Octavia didn’t bother putting her coat on the coat rack and dove headfirst into the couch. As she got comfortable, she let out a long satisfied sigh.
“I love those guys but they can be real exhausting at times.” She said in a low but still audible voice.
“Me too babe.” Laser replied, making himself comfortable on the couch as well while trying to cuddle with Octavia.
“What are you doing?” Octavia said, giving Laser a weird look.
“I’m spending some alone time with my girl.” Laser answered, not moving from where he was.
Octavia let out another sigh, but this time it’s of annoyance. “I’m not in the mood to play one of your games right now.”
“I’m not playing.”
“Please get off me.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Chrysalis.”
“I believe there should be a ‘Queen’ in there somewhe- what the, wait! Hey!”
With her hind legs, Octavia shoved Laser off the couch. Once his body made a loud thud on the floor, it glowed green. When he rose up he’s back to his original form, Queen Chrysalis. “You’re no fun.” She said to the resting Octavia. “No fun at all.”
Octavia sloppily got up from the couch and trotted towards the kitchen. “I’m making some tea.” She looked back at Chrysalis who was still on the floor. “Would you like some?”
Chrysalis tilted her head slightly. “Tea? Again?”
Octavia only replied with a shrug.
“If it’s a Earl Grey.” Chrysalis said as she stood up and took a seat on one of the chairs beside the dining room table. She rested her head on her hooves while looking at Octavia prepare the beverage.
Octavia grabbed a kettle, filled it up with water and placed it on the stove to heat it. She then went to their dish cabinet to grab some mugs, but before she could, she noticed that Chrysalis was looking at her funny.
“What’s going on with that face of yours?” Octavia said, raising a brow.
A mischievous smile crept on Chrysalis’ face. “Oh I was just wondering when you’ll get rid of me.”
“Curious question. What brought that up?”
“Well your friends despite meeting with you on occasion, still manage to tire you out. So I can only imagine how exhausting it must be for you for having me around all the time.”
“Well,” Octavia began. “If you put it like that, then logic states that it is.” She went to the pantry and grabbed the box of Earl Grey tea. She picked up two bags and put them in the mugs. “But it’s quite the opposite, actually. I am in fact, unfazed by your antics no matter how intense they get. Vinyl trained me well after all.”
“Oh right.” Chrysalis leaned to the back of her seat. “The DJ. I almost forgot about that one. So when is she coming back?”
“She still has two months left in her tour.”
“Two months is a long time, especially if you are alone. Good thing you have me as company.” Chrysalis flashed Octavia a toothy smile.
“I honestly don’t know what to say about that, considering that I am your hostage.”
“Hostage?” Chrysalis looked confused. “Since when?”
Octavia donned a confused look as well. “Since the day you took refuge in my home?”
Chrysalis gave a loud echoing laugh at the mare’s answer. “I wouldn’t call you a hostage.” She said, her laughter dying off. “If I did turn you into one, your fate would’ve gotten way worse than what it is right now.”
“So what am I then?” Octavia asked, unimpressed and a bit dissatisfied.
“You’re more like my royal caretaker. And frankly speaking, you’re the best one I had.”
“Sure I am.” Octavia replied with a tone of obvious disbelief.
“No really. I trained some of my children to be the very best there is when it comes to taking care of their Queen. And then all of a sudden a mare swoops in out of nowhere and took the title away from them.”
“Actually, it is you that came into my house first.” Octavia corrected.
“Oh hush you. You’re great at what you do and you know it. In fact, your pampering has been so great that it has become…distracting.”
The last word made Octavia stop what she was doing. “Distracting? Distract you from what?”
Chrysalis stared at Octavia flatly. “Come on. Really? Smart mare like you and you didn’t notice the obvious?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
With Octavia’s reply, Chrysalis hopped on top of the dining table and walked towards the mare.
“Hey!” Octavia cried, worried that their table might give out from the oversized bug horse’s sheer weight. But before she could scold Chrysalis any further, the Changeling Queen leaned in close to her. She was so close that their faces were just an inch away from hitting each other.
“Think caretaker, think!” Chrysalis tapped her temples with her forelegs.
“I-I’m sorry. I can’t.” Octavia said, turning scarlet.
“And why is that?” Chrysalis tilted her head a bit.
“You face. It’s so close.” Octavia replied, her face looked like red hot iron. It probably felt like it too.
“Oh you filly.” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes as she backed off from the flustered mare. “There, better?” She added once she had put a decent distance between them.
Octavia’s blushing calmed down after she backed away. But now she’s more concerned that she’s still sitting on top of the table.
“But the table.”
“I’m staying here.” Chrysalis insisted. “Come on. Squeeze that posh brain of yours and connect the dots being laid!”
“Do I have to?” Octavia whined.
“I’m breaking this table.”
“Oh Celestia.” Octavia muttered quietly. “At least give me a hint first.”
“You’re looking at it.”
“I’m looking at what?”
“You’re looking at me!”
“So what if I’m looking at you?”
“This is the clue!” Chrysalis gestured to herself to hammer her point even further.
Octavia raised both her brows. “You’re the clue.”
Chrysalis groaned in frustration. Are all earth ponies this dense, or are you just the rare exception? Now I know why you and that DJ didn’t become an item. It’s really hard for you to take a hint!
Octavia could only roll her eyes at Chrysalis’ words. “Okay, hang on. You’re Chrysalis.”
“Queen Chrysalis!”
“Quiet. You’re the Queen of the Changelings and a former villain of Equestria…”
“What do you mean former!?” Chrysalis said aloud, clearly offended. “I still am!”
“Then how come you aren’t doing evil stuff anymo-oh.” As Octavia finally got what Chrysalis was trying to say, the kettle let out a loud whistling noise. “I get it now.” She then switched the stove off and took the kettle away from it.
“Does your head hurt when realization strikes you? I bet it does.”
“Ha ha ha, very funny.” Octavia said flatly. “But do you want to know what’s funnier?” She poured the hot water on their mugs before continuing. “It’s the fact that the Queen of Changelings herself can’t concentrate from plotting evil schemes because she’s too engrossed of me taking care of her. Now off the table and sit like a proper mare.”
Chrysalis looked away in an exaggerated manner. “I’m not listening.”
“Off the table or no tea for you.”
“Silence, posh peasant.” Chrysalis said as she hopped down the table and sat back on her chair. “I’m only getting off because the table’s beginning to creak.”
“Of course.” Octavia said as she hoofed a mug to Chrysalis.
The both of them took a moment of silence to drink their tea. They both let out a satisfied sigh in unison afterwards.
“Distracted you say?” Octavia said, breaking the brief silence.
“I now regret discussing this with you.” Chrysalis replied, sipping her tea once more.
“Queen Chrysalis.” Octavia said, a smug expression forming on her face. “Distracted by my pampering.”
“Shut up.”
“Am I really that good? I only have Vinyl to be on the receiving end of it but if a royal vouched for its quality then I might have to start charging fees now.”
Chrysalis made her irritation apparent on Octavia’s quip and shot her a threatening scowl.
“I’m kidding!” Octavia clarified, taking notice of the ominous aura wafting towards her. She then took another sip from her mug. “You have gotten tamer though.”
“Excuse me?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at the mare who continued to drink her beverage like she didn’t just dropped a bombshell that could eradicate the Queen’s carefully built status in an instant.
“Ever since you came to Ponyville, all you did was enjoy life.” Octavia added. “You’ve been relaxed and carefree all the time. It’s like you’re taking a vacation instead of being in exile.’
“So what if I’ve been lax lately?” Chrysalis said in defense. “Aren’t villains allowed to take a break from time to time?”
“Villain.” Octavia hummed in contemplation. “About that. The reason why I called you a former villain is due to the kind deeds I’ve seen you do lately. Like that one time where you gave a famished stray cat a saucer full of milk. I hate myself for not taking a photograph of it.
“What!?” Chrysalis cried out in shock. “When did yo-” She cut herself off before she could reveal something big and humiliating. She then cleared her throat and regained her composure. “I was keeping appearances up. Behavior like that is just fitting with you lot. Because you ponies are all about friendship is magic and other rubbish like that.”
“Chrysalis,” Octavia said, looking down at her mug, contemplating something. “I have a question.”
“It’s Queen Chrysalis to you, posh peasant.” Chrysalis said, sipping her tea.
“Are you in the process of being reformed?”
Chrysalis spat out her tea like a broken fire hydrant. Octavia was thankful that the Changeling had the courtesy to spit her drink out in a direction away from her.
“R-reformed? M-me?” For a second, Chrysalis’ mind seemed like in shambles. “Preposterous! Perish the thought! Now!”
Despite the angry Changeling’s warnings, Octavia pushed forth with her assumptions. “The carefree demeanor, the lack of evil scheming, the kind deeds…I really think you’re reforming.”
“As I have said before, no I am not!!!” Chrysalis raised the volume of her voice for greater emphasis. “Anymore of these allegations coming from that inquisitive orifice you call a mouth and you shall face my wrath!!!”
“Uhuh.” Not once did Octavia show that she’s intimidated by the Queen’s threats. “So tell me, when was the last time you felt a strong craving for love?”
Chrysalis slammed her hoof on the table. “I will not answer that question!!!”
“I only saw you badly needing it once.” Octavia said while scratching her chin with a foreleg. “It happened on the next day, after we met. After that, nothing.”
Chrysalis was silent, but her face answered it all. Her formerly jet black features lit up like ember. She’s blushing like crazy. This blew away Octavia’s doubts out the water. She hit the target right at the center. And Chrysalis had the gall to call her dense.
A mischievous grin grew on Octavia’s face. “Is it because of me? Is my constant caring of you the cause of this? Am I a hero now?” Her grin grew even wider. “Maybe I should ask Canterlot for a medal.”
Octavia’s rapid fire teasing was halted when Chrysalis suddenly leapt off the table and tackled her. It sent their mugs flying and some chairs tumbling. Once the quick fumble was over, chairs were down, glass shards were all over the place, as well as the tea, and the two mares found themselves on the floor with Chrysalis on top of Octavia like a predator who has finally caught its prey.
“You.” Chrysalis growled. Her echoing voice sent shivers down Octavia’s spine.
“Me?” Octavia replied shakily. She was getting scared now.
“You talk too much.”
Even though she’s shaking like a newborn chick, Octavia still managed to retort. “No I do not.”
“Silence, posh peasant.” Chrysalis flared her wings open, a rare sight for Octavia, despite the long time they spent together, then an ominous display of magical aura wrapped around her horn, combine that with her menacing look really made Octavia feel like an ant that’s about to be stomped by a giant boot. The whole experience terrified her to her core.
“So you want to be Equestria’s hero, huh?”
“I was just joking.” Octavia was sweating profusely now. “It was all done in jest.”
Chrysalis smiled at the terrified mare’s reply. “Well here’s your moment of truth…hero!!!”
“No please! Don’t!”
And there she was, lying on the floor with this Changeling Queen acting like a predator and all of a sudden, she kissed her. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t choose this. And it’s treated no differently than playing one of her games with her. This was surprising on so many levels. But what surprised her more was that Chrysalis’ body started glowing. The light came out from her rapidly cracking chitin. The light glowed so bright that it engulfed her entire body, as well as the entire interior of their house.
Everything was white. It was blinding.
When the light slowly faded out, Octavia quickly rubbed her eyes to see what has become of her Changeling tenant. And what a sight it was. Octave was so in awe of what she was seeing that she could hardly keep her mouth closed.
To say that Chrysalis looked different was an understatement. The mare’s form took a complete overhaul. Her once jet black body was now replaced with a glossy ivory coat. The holes all over her limbs were no longer there. Her tattered insect-like wings were replaced with another insect-like pair of wings, but they looked better now because they’re similar to a butterfly’s. Surprisingly, her hair stayed the same, a smoothly flowing cascade of emerald strands.
“Happy now, hero?” Chrysalis said as she lifted herself off the mare.
Octavia scanned the reformed Changeling Queen one more time before giggling like a little filly.
“You look just like Celestia.”
She received a quick bonk after that.
Author's Note
This story is just an elaborate ploy to shove in an Invincible meme. Everything else is just ornamental...
