Date With The Queen

Chapters

The Request
Get To Know You Questions
Flowers and Pies
Beauty and the Beast
Quiet Moments
Bonding
Old Friends
Better Conversations
Walk In The Park
Changing Face
Reformation
Deeper Feelings

The Request

“I will never reform!” Chrysalis loudly declared, pointing an accusing hoof at Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. “Never! It will never happen, so you may as well relinquish control of the Crystal Empire to me now before you suffer the forces of a thousand changelings!”

The queen of the changelings had them cornered, both literally and metaphorically. She was standing in front of the two who were huddled in a corner of the throne room of their castle, ready to fight them if that's what it took. Not that she really had a thousand changelings to fight for her, but it was a good bluff anyway. Unless of course, they called it, but she didn't see that as a possibility. She was a changeling queen! A fearsome creature in her own right! She was certain they would do what was in their best interest and surrender the kingdom to her.

Cadance and Shining gave each other a knowing look before turning back to the bug queen, the former telling her, “Oh, I’m not sure you want to do that.”

“And why not?” Chrysalis asked threateningly, taking a step forward towards the two and trying to figure out why in the wide, wide world of Equestria the two of them were smiling. They weren't really calling her bluff, were they? They would be foolish to!... well, perhaps not, but still! The queen hoped that they wouldn't.

“Because you’d be so lonely!” the princess responded, she and her husband taking a step forward of their own. “I mean think about it! How many friends do you have now? If you reformed, you could have as many friends as you wanted! Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“N-no!” Chrysalis stammered. “That- that sounds awful! I don’t want your friendship! A-and even if I did, I could have a hundred friends by now if I wanted without reforming! I just- I just- I like being alone! That’s all! I can make all the friends I want!”

Not that she needed friends. She had an army of changelings! Well, she had an army of changelings, but she'd get them back as soon as she took control of the Crystal Empire. Then they would learn their lesson for betraying her. She would show them!

“I bet you could,” Shining Armor jumped in, “but it wouldn’t be the same if you force ponies to be your friend. I mean, wouldn’t it be so much nicer if ponies were your friend because they liked you?”

“P-ponies like me! They do! And- and if they don’t, it’s because you’re spreading lies about me! That’s all it is! Nothing else!”

“I’m sure ponies do, but you could have ten times the friends if you reform. Wouldn’t that be nice? Imagine how much love you’d be consuming with all of those friends.”

“I… you… it…” Chrysalis got out as she thought it over for a second. It did sound like a lot of love, and the changelings who did reform seemed much happier as a result. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

But it was a thought that only lasted for a second. She was a queen! Ponies, changelings, and creatures of all types flocked to her! She didn’t have to reform to make friends, nor did she need friends! She didn’t have friends in the past, and she didn’t need them now! She wasn’t going to give in to their demands! Who did they think she was?

“No!” she told them loudly, firmly. “I don’t need friends, and if I did, which I don’t, I could make all the friends I ever wanted! I swear! Now hand over the Crystal Empire!”

“Hmm… she does make a pretty strong point…” Shining said thoughtfully, putting a hoof on his chin as though thinking the outcome over. “What do you think, Cadance?”

“I don’t know… maybe you’re right. It might just be a matter of time before she takes our kingdom from us. We might as well just hand it over now peacefully, shouldn’t we?” They said it with an obvious air of sarcasm, smirking as they did so, but the queen of the changelings didn’t seem to pick up on it.

“Y-yes! You should!” she got out. “Now no more wasting time! Get to it!”

“Oh, of course, we’d never be able to go against some creature as strong as you,” Cadance responded playfully. “We might as well just give in, seeing how your victory is assured. But…”

“N-no buts! Th-there won’t be any negotiation! Now hand over the empire to me!”

“Just one small tiny but for us? I mean, a gracious queen like you would be willing to offer Shiny and I one last request, right?”

“I… well, I- is that-” she stumbled over her words surprised at both the speed and how well the conversation was going. She expected a fight, not negotiations over the conditions for handing the country over. Not that she would complain, given the circumstances.

“Of course, you’ll give us a last request!” Cadance decided firmly for her. “After all, it’s it the proper thing to do in these sorts of situations as you know. I mean, you are a royal like us after all, so you know all about these things.”

“That- that’s right! I do! And I understand, so… what’s your last request before you give me the Crystal Empire? And make it quick! I don’t have all day to waste with you vermin.”

“Oh, we understand,” Shining Armor said. “You’re a very busy mare, obviously, with no time to waste with us. We have just one tiny thing we’d like before we give it to you.”

“And what is that?” she asked, getting annoyed that they hadn’t told her yet. “Spit it out!” She was already tired of the mystery they seemed to place over whatever it was they wanted. She simply wanted to take control now, not waste time bargaining.

“We want you to go on a date with us,” Princess Cadance finally said, she and her husband giving wide smiles as she said it. In return, they watched the queen of the changelings change her expression from the annoyance she had to shock, and then from that to embarrassment as her cheeks went bright red and her ears flattened.

“What? N-no! I- I won’t be entertaining joke requests! Be serious now before I decide to be not so benevolent to you! Just because it's proper to have a last request doesn't mean I have to comply!” She should have had them thrown in prison for even daring to make such a joke. The nerve!

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing it’s not a joke,” Cadance smiled, Chrysalis’s blush deepening as she looked at the floor. “Come on! Surely a changeling queen like you gets a lot of date requests. This can’t possibly be your first time being asked out, can it?”

In reality, it was, which was the first thing that came to mind when the queen was given the request. Not because she wasn’t worthy of being some creature’s date though, oh no! It was clearly because every creature else was just so far beneath her and knew that they shouldn’t waste their time with their obviously futile requests! Yes, that was it! Every creature else just wasn’t fit for her to go on a date with!

At least, that was the case until now, and she was in a difficult spot because of it. The obvious solution would be to smite them down for thinking that a queen like her should entertain a prince and princess. Clearly, despite the fact that all three of them were rulers, there was still a level of authority separating them. However, she wasn’t sure if that would be considered the proper thing for a ruler to do to another royal counterpart. As well, there was the very minor issue that she couldn’t claim to have experience in such activities (not that that was an issue. A queen like her would have no trouble entertaining her lesser counterparts!). But still, she didn’t know what to expect from it. Likely, it would just be an attempt to humiliate her. To ambush her! To get her alone and do all kinds of despicable things, like teach her about friendship and try to reform her. She wouldn’t stand for it!

“Absolutely not!” she decided, sending a scowl their way. “You’re trying to set me up, and I see right through your plan! You’re going to try and attack me, or worse! Turn me into one of those awful colorbugs with your so-called ‘friendship’. You must think I’m a fool if I would fall for your trick!”

“Aww, we’re not tricking you. We wouldn’t do those things to you, Chryssi,” Shining Armor assured her.

“Ch… Chryssi?” Chrysalis got out, completely aghast at the nickname she’d been given. "Don't call me that!"

“I mean, a beautiful mare like you,” the stallion continued, “I don’t see how you don’t have swarms of creatures at your hooves. Cadance and I think you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

“I- no! Don’t call me- I’m- I’m not gorgeous! I mean, I am a goddess, but- but it’s just strange coming from you! What’s gotten into you both?”

She didn’t understand what was happening. Clearly some creature was playing a prank on her. Perhaps it was even twp of her former subjects, taking the place of Cadance and Shining Armor to try and pull a fast one on her!

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Cadance replied, still smiling widely, much to the bug’s annoyance. “We just want to go on a date with you. What’s so strange about that?”

“I was thinking of something nice and romantic for the three of us to do,” Shining continued, “like a candlelit dinner under the moon, or a nice walk in the park.”

“Although if you want, we can do what I thought we should do for a first date, like bowling or a movie. I mean, I think first dates should be fun, and I’m the Princess of Love, so I would know.”

“But why?” the queen asked, struggling to figure out what the two of them got out of it, almost certain this was a prank. “Why- what- why? What exactly do you want this from me? You can’t possibly be serious in this being your last request!”

“Well, I mean, you started it, Chryssi,” Cadance explained to the bug queen, who grimaced at the new nickname she acquired, “when you took my place at the wedding. At first, I was angry, but after talking to Shiny here, we decided the best way for me to move on would be for me to date you, too! Then everything would be fair again!”

“But- that- that’s not how-”

“Plus I told Cadance here how nice of a mare you are, and it just made her want to go on a date with you that much more to see for herself.”

“I- no! What has this devolved into? I’m not going on a date with either of you! This is all completely ridiculous! Hand over the Crystal Empire now and admit defeat!”

“Well, in that case, I guess we’ll just have to call Twilight Sparkle and her friends to come and take care of you, right Shiny?” Her husband nodded in agreement as she continued, “Or… you could go on one tiny little date with us?” the alicorn princess asked, giving her a hopeful smile that begged her to say yes.

Chrysalis, for her part, managed to scowl, her cheeks still bright red as she weighed over her options. She could try to take these two on and win… and then the group that was Equestria’s protectors would swarm on her and she'd be burnt toast. Or…

She had to admit, spending time with Shining Armor and feeding off his love was quite nice, and she’d love to have another chance to take some. Or maybe even have some love directed her way specifically? Would that happen? Probably not, seeing as this was an obvious trick. But still…

Chrysalis’s angry expression eventually turned into her growling and stomping a hoof before she finally yelled, “One! I will go on one single date- no, outing, with you and Shining Armor, and that’s it! No more! Then you will relinquish control of the Crystal Empire to me! Do you understand?”

“Yup!” both Cadance and Shining said at the same time, a cheery tone in their voice. “One date is all we want! Oh, this is gonna be perfect! Let’s get to planning, Shining!” With that the two skipped off, leaving Chrysalis standing alone wondering how exactly the conversation turned out so strangely.

“What have I gotten myself into?” the queen of the changelings asked herself worriedly.

Author's Note

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Get To Know You Questions

“One date, Chrysalis,” the queen of the changelings told herself as she paced back and forth in front of the castle in the Crystal Empire. “One date, and that’s it. Nothing more. Humor them once and then the Empire is yours. Just a few hours. Then you can punish these fools for forcing their Queen into fulfilling such a ridiculous request.”

She realized that just a few hours would be easier said than done as she knocked her hoof on the door and was immediately greeted by a giddy-looking Princess Cadance, one who wore a bright smile, eye shadow and mascara, and a flower in her hair. She seemed just as the Queen feared, which was that she was being very much serious when she said she wanted to take her out on a date.

“Hurray! You’re here, Chryssi! And might I add that you look very pretty this evening. I love the way you did your hair.”

Chrysalis, for her part, did absolutely nothing with her hair, nor with the rest of her appearance. She felt no need to, deciding that this whole thing was a silly waste of time, a formality at most. However, she was embarrassed anyway by the remark, and frowned because of it.

“Do not call me that,” she instructed as she entered the building. “I’m only here because as a Queen, it’s my duty to uphold your last request. You should thank me for being so generous, as not many would be so, especially with a request such as this.”

“Which one do you not want me to call you: Chryssi, because it’s adorable, or cute, because you’re an absolute cutie when you hold your head up high and huff angrily like that?”

“I- no! Neither! I’m not- stop that!” she demanded, stomping a hoof as she couldn’t help but blush deeply. “Why are- I know you’re trying to embarrass me, so just… cut it out!”

“Awww, you’re so adorable, you know that?” the mare teased as she pressed up next to her. “So what do you think we should do first? Shiny and Flurry are out visiting her grandparents, so we have the whole night to ourselves if you know what I mean…”

“I- I have absolutely no idea what you mean! And why isn’t Shiny- I mean, Shining Armor- here? I only agreed to one date, not two!”

“Well, technically, I said you have to go on a date with us. I never said at the same time. Besides,” she asked, “isn’t this more romantic? Two lovebirds, alone?” Cadance stared her in the eyes and raised an eyebrow as she said, Chrysalis taking a step back in response to the gesture.

“It’s hardly romantic if you have to threaten your date to get them to see you,” Chrysalis mumbled. “I’m hungry. What do you have to eat in this darned place?”

“Oh, we’ll have dinner soon, but first, why don’t we do a little ‘get to know each other’ game? Then we can do each other’s hair and make up, and after dinner, cuddle up to watch movies. Doesn’t that sound nice? And I can feed you as much love as you want while we do it.”

She had to admit, it did sound quite nice, and judging by the excited and slightly affectionate emotion coming off of her, she had to assume she was telling the truth. But it didn’t make any sense! What could those two possibly gain from wanting to do something like this? Why did they want to do this? Well, they told her why, but their excuse didn’t seem genuine. It was completely ridiculous.

Although the affection Cadance gave off, even though it was just a tad, it did taste quite nice…

“Fine…” Chrysalis finally said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s get this over with so we can be done with this.”

“Perfect! Come over here, I have some cards right here somewhere…” She quickly scampered down the hall somewhere, Chrysalis following her quickly. She glanced at the walls of the castle as she made her way through, deciding that there would need to be many more holes and a much darker and more damp atmosphere when she finally took control. And a dungeon, one to stick those two in for their crimes of trying to make a fool out of her. But those were plans for later. For now, she found herself in a bedroom as Cadance dug through a few drawers before pulling out a small stack of cards.

“Got them! Come on, sit on the bed! We’re gonna play ‘would you rather' to get to know each other!” She patted a hoof on the mattress indicating where the queen should sit, who reluctantly followed her orders, although made sure she kept her distance as the mare sat across from her.

“Here are your cards,” she told her as she sat on her haunches and shuffled the deck before dividing it in half with her magic. “You have to pick a question from oneof those cards to ask me, and I pick from my deck what to ask you! Don’t worry though, it’s not intimate, well, not too intimate, hehe. They’re just fun, silly questions. I’ll go first as an example. Hmmmm…” she quickly looked through her deck before asking, “Would you rather… go out with Sombra or Tirek?”

“I thought you said there wouldn’t be intimate questions,” Chrysalis complained, immediately scrunching her muzzle. “And yet that’s the very first question you asked.”

“That’s not intimate, that’s a normal question! Besides, the blush on your face says you have somepony in mind. Who is it? Tell me! I bet it’s Sombra, isn’t it? You two would make a cute couple!”

“It's not! I would rather neither, honestly, seeing as both are completely inferior to my prowess. I would crush them beneath my hooves in a second, just like I could every creature who dares try to oppose me. I’m a queen, and queens such as I don’t need other creatures to hinder them or occupy their lives and bring them down.”

“Awww, it is Sombra, isn’t it! You two would be so cute together! And maybe if you had each other, neither of you would be so mean. It’s what both of you are missing from your lives, just a little bit of love. Now you ask me a question! Oh, this is fun already, don’t you agree?”

“Quite,” the queen of the changelings answered simply as she desperately tried not to have her cheeks turn red, picking out a card at random. Not that she actually answered the question, but she ignored it if it would help her get through this… thing faster. As if she could even call it a date at that point. She’d never been on one, but before when Shining Armor described a candlelit dinner under the moon, that seemed more like a date to her. This, for now, appeared to be a kind of slumber party, something she’d heard about happening in her hive before she’d forbade it from her subjects.

“Would you rather eat blank line or blank line?” Chrysalis asked with a completely bored expression.

“Haha, you have to fill in the blanks, Chryssi!” Cadance laughed. “Have you really never done this at all?”

“I cannot say that I have, as I’ve had no need. As well, I know I need to fill in the blanks. I’m not the idiot you think I am. I was using a little thing called sarcasm. Even though I’m a queen, I do have the ability to take part in the telling of jokes.”

“Awwww, you’re so adorable! But really, you have to fill in the blanks, so give me the question!”

“Fine. Would you rather eat somepony’s reverence or somepony’s affection?”

“Hmmm.. well ponies don’t really eat things like that, so I don’t know… but I’d have to go with affection because it feels nice when somepony has affection for you, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t. Although affection does taste quite nice, reverence is far more important to have. A healthy amount per day is a sign that power is being maintained and all is well with one’s hive. Although on the subject, I notice there’s no reverence coming off of you, which is quite rude, I must say. It seems I'll have to change that once power is transferred to me.”

“Awww, I’m sorry, I don’t think of you like that,” Cadance responded, putting on a frown to show her apology. “But I do think you’re cute and cuddly and very adorable, and the way you blush when I tell you that is amazing.” She sent a wide smile her way as Chrysalis did her very best to not show her embarrassment, leaning back a bit as Cadance leaned forward to keep the two’s distance.

“You know what, forget the game. Wanna cuddle? I know you eat love, and I have a lot of it to give you.” The changeling flattened her ears and looked away as the mare continued, “Wouldn’t that be nice? Having your body wrapped around my hooves while I pet your mane and you feasted on my love? That would make for a nice date, and I bet you would agree. Don't you just wanna eat up my emotion?”

Chrysalis once again had to admit to herself, that did sound quite nice. She could feel the affection drifting off of Cadance, and it tasted good, better than any other affection she’d eaten. She wondered what the difference was though. Maybe because she was the Princess of Love? Maybe she should just go along with it, seeing as it was a date after all, as Cadance said.

But no! She was a queen! She couldn’t let herself get distracted and caught up in such things! She knew what the princess was trying to pull. She knew she was secretly trying to get her to reform, and she wouldn’t let her succeed. She would rise above such elementary tactics. It might have worked on the rest of her hive, but it wouldn’t work on her. The ability to overcome such things was why she was a queen, after all.

“Let’s just keep going,” Chrysalis decided firmly. “Give me the next ridiculous question so we can get this over with.”

"Okie dokie! Let's see... would you rather be the dominant one in the relationship or the submissive one? Actually, you don't need to answer. I can see you being a very cute little spoon in our relationship and secretly liking it, even if you'd never admit it."

"Hey!"

Author's Note

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Flowers and Pies

“How is your stomach grumbling, Chryssi?” the pink mare asked after a while of asking what the bug queen thought were silly questions, some of which included picking between two eligible stallions or mares, others that had deeply intimate questions on them, even though the mare said there would be none. Although she had to admit, it was a tiny bit amusing to play along, but only because there was nothing else to do. As well, she noticed that there was a small stream of love leaking from Cadance that Chrysalis hungrily devoured.

“Don’t you feed off emotion? How can your stomach growl? Or maybe you’re ready to cuddle now because you’re hungry for affection?”

“We still need physical food,” the changeling explained. “We only feed off of emotion because food alone isn’t enough to sustain us. A good analogy would be a pony who ‘dies of a broken heart’. In the same way, we’d perish without feeding off of the emotions around us.”

“Awww, that sounds absolutely adorable!” Cadance squeed happily, putting her hooves on her cheeks as she said it. “It’s adorable that you eat my love to keep you alive! It’s the cutest thing ever!”

“Wha- that- that’s not c-cute!” Chrysalis scowled. “It’s serious business, a matter of life and death if you will! How can that possibly be cute? To call it that is an insult to changelings!”

“It's cute in the same way a romantic dinner can be cute to Shining Armor,” the mare replied. “I mean, both of us would die without food, but eating out with him is still very fun and romantic and adorable. And it’s the same with you eating my love. I bet you’re eating it right now, aren’t you cutie?”

“I- no! Absolutely not! I- just make me dinner now! Chop chop!” the queen demanded, clopping her hooves together as she said it.

“Well, I can make you dinner, but since it’s a date, that means you have to help me. We can bake something nice, like a chocolate cream pie, served with a side of spaghetti and sauce.”

“Don’t you mean that the other way around?” the bug asked. “Spaghetti with a side of chocolate cream pie?”

“Nope, I meant what I said and said what I meant. Tonight we’re gonna have dessert for dinner while I get to know you more, and then we can cuddle up and watch a funny movie. How does that sound?”

“Quite ridiculous. I’m certain Shining Armor wouldn’t subject me to this torture.”

“Oh, stop it you, you and I both know you’ll love it. Now come on, we don’t wanna waste the whole night talking.”

The queen huffed and flicked her mane before following the alicorn into the kitchen, feeling ready to do absolutely anything else. Well, almost. She did have to admit it was slightly amusing watching the mare’s attempts to woo her. She couldn’t say she remembered the last time some creature chose to try and do so on their own. It was a nice change of pace from ordering her subjects around, she had to admit.

“Amusing, and nothing else,” she told herself. “You know they’re trying to trap you into being reformed, and you can’t let them. You won't let them. They will lose out in the end and be crushed beneath your hooves and realize just how foolish this pathetic attempt was.”

“Come on, Chryssi!” Cadance called. “Stop standing there brooding and let’s get baking! We don’t have all night!”

“I told you not to call me that,” she huffed, “and I’m here. I’ll watch and you bake it and I’ll let you if it’s acceptable for a queen such as I.”

“No, you gotta help silly. It wouldn’t be much fun for you if I did all the work, would it?”

“Ugh, fine, whatever, just tell me what to do.”

“That’s the spirit! Okay! You can start by getting me… flour, sugar, and salt! And I’ll get the bowls and spoons to mix with, okay?”

“If you insist, but I can’t imagine who in their right mind would ever put salt in a pie.”

“It’s just what the recipe tells us to do, silly filly,” the mare giggled. “You’re adorable. Now go get us what we need.”

"I am not a filly, and do not call me that again," Chrysalis told her, annoyed, although she could tell her hostess wasn't paying much attention, singing a song to herself as she got stuff.

With that she left, browsing the kitchen to see if she could find what the mare was looking for. Salt was easy, and so was sugar, but flour… she had no idea what that was. Chrysalis couldn’t say she was one who knew very much about cooking, and knew she would have a hard time spotting such an ingredient even if she did know what it was. Did Cadance mean flowers? She’s never heard of such a thing going into a cake, but she did remember eating a few daisy sandwiches once or twice and thought it might taste good baked into a cake. She decided to assume that was what she meant.

It took her more than a few minutes to collect a large enough amount of flowers from outside the castle to say that she did something, but she knew she wouldn’t be surprised if Cadance sent her back out, or got angry with her for taking so long. The whole situation was quite annoying, but she made sure to keep her outward frustration to a minimum so that she could push through these activities.

Over thirty minutes had passed when she returned, her magic filled with all of the flowers she plucked from the dirt outside, as well as a bit of salt and sugar. When she got back, she saw the mare already somehow covered in white powder, stirring the batter that would become the cake.

“What took you forever, silly filly?” Cadance asked as she turned around. “I thought for a second you just up and up left! What were you doing that took so long?”

“I was doing exactly as you requested,” the changeling queen explained. “Gathering salt, sugar, and flowers, see?” As she said it, she showed off the collection of things she had, especially the flowers. Daisies and dandelions and many other types filled her grasp, so many that she was almost proud of herself. However, Cadance only giggled at the sight of it, and it made her scowl.

“What is it?” she asked, the annoyance clearly evident in her voice. “Why are you laughing at me? I did as you requested, didn’t I?”

“Well, part way,” the mare laughed. “Do you not know the difference between flower and flowers? Or were you just trying to be romantic and get me a bouquet?”

“I- no! You said flowers, and so flowers are what I got! It’s your fault for not being clear with your instructions.”

“You’re absolutely adorable,” Cadance practically squeed. “I can’t believe you don’t know what flour is. But it’s okay, because we can make a nice salad instead of spaghetti with them. How does that sound?” The mare didn’t wait for a response, going back to her mixing as she said, “Please put them in the sink so we can wash them later, then come here to help me, okay sweetie?”

“I- I’m n-not a sweetie,” Chrysalis responded, blushing quietly but doing as she was told. She plopped the flowers she gathered down into the sink and turned the water on to wash the dirt off of them before returning to Cadance, who was standing in front of the bowl with pie ingredients in it.

“Mix this bowl for me, Chryssi?” she asked, the bug flattening her ears and giving her a suspicious look. “My hooves hurt, can you do it for me?” She gave her a kind hearted smile and a tilt of her head to try and convince her, and after a few seconds of hesitation, the queen snatched the bowl and did as she was asked.

“Humph, simpleton,” Chrysalis muttered as she stirred quickly for a second before Cadance moved behind her. "I don't see why you can't do this. You're just being lazy."

“Am not! Besides, it's fun for both of us! But you’re doing it too quickly. You have to do it like this.” She demonstrated by grabbing one of the changeling’s hooves and moving it for her in a slow motion. At the same time, she placed the other on her hip and rested her head on her neck. Chrysalis squeaked and shivered slightly at the contact but didn’t say anything, greedily eating up the wall of love she gave out.

“This isn’t so bad…” she thought to herself. “I won’t fall into her trap though. I know what she’s doing, and I won’t fall into it, but taking advantage of this won’t be a bad thing to do.”

“Mmmmm you like this, don’t you?” Cadance asked, wearing a gigantic smile as she turned to look her in the eyes for a moment. “Helping me make us dinner, I mean, of course. This is fun, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘fun’ to describe this activity, but I will admit it’s not the very worst thing possible like I expected it to be.”

“Hmmmm, I see…” she said thoughtfully, helping her stir for a minute longer before stopping and closing her eyes. “What if we just stood here for a moment and enjoyed the feeling? It’s a nice one, isn’t it? Feeling the love, especially without having to trick somepony?”

The bug sighed and went along with it, closing her own eyes to take in the moment for a second. It was a very nice feeling, being held and given love while Cadance softly hummed in that second. Just one second though, not nearly long enough to let herself get caught up in the princess’s trickery. She was a queen, and certainly above such things. Besides, there were more important matters to attend to at that moment.

“You’ve had your moment, now I want us to finish preparing this meal. I’m very hungry.”

Beauty and the Beast

“I will admit, this meal is… quite enjoyable,” Chrysalis commented as she took a bite of cake. “It’s quite different than anything I’ve had before. Thank you. Not that a queen needs to thank her subject, mind you.”

It was more than enjoyable. It was the best meal she’d ever eaten, by far. Even the flowers for the salad that she gathered were somehow very delectable. She didn’t understand why, but it felt more filling to her than anything she’d ever eaten in her whole life. Quite strange she thought, and maybe a tad suspicious.

“What have you put into this to make this as filling as it is?” she asked curiously, taking another bite of cake.

Cadance shrugged, replying, “I didn’t add anything special. I just followed the recipe book for everything. There’s nothing different about it.”

“You must have added something to it, because it’s very deli- I mean, it’s a meal that’s acceptable for a queen such as I. Even the salad, it shouldn’t be nearly as tasty as it is. What did you add?”

“You were with me the whole time,” Cadance smiled, one that revealed that she clearly knew the answer. “You didn’t see me add anything in, did you? Maybe it’s just in your imagination that the food tastes so good.”

“I don’t believe it’s in my imagination,” she said, now starting to get frustrated and frown at the alicorn. “What did you add to this?”

“Nothing! Really! I promise!” Cadance told her, holding up her hooves defensively but still smiling. “Maybe you’re just able to taste the love we put into it when we made it, I don’t know.”

“I- no!” the queen of the changelings blushed. “I mean, of course I’m hypersensitive to these things, but it certainly can’t be that making it taste different.”

“You can tell yourself that, sweetie,” Cadance shrugged as she took a bite of cake. “I didn’t do anything to it. I’m glad you like it though. It was fun to bake with you, and I put a lot of love into it because we did it together.”

Chrysalis mumbled something under her breath as she took another bite as well. Now that Cadance mentioned it, it did taste a lot like love. And not normal love, either. She could say this particular flavor was one of deep affection, which made her feel embarrassed. Queens of her stature were not expected to have deep affection directed at them, especially not as a genuine feeling on the giver’s part. The love she expected to receive was one of respect and fear, as her hive used to give to her. She struggled to comprehend why she was doing this.

“I have a question for you, Cadance,” Chrysalis asked as she stared down at her plate, not wanting to make eye contact when she asked what she did. “And I demand a factual and reasonable answer.”

“We already finished doing get to know you questions, remember sweetie?” the alicorn smiled. “Did you forget about that?

“I know we did, but- I am not a sweetie- why do you emanate such affection for me?” She sounded as serious as possible, trying to make it seem like she couldn’t possibly care. “I mean, of course I expect it,” she continued. “I am a queen after all. However, it’s surprising to feel it coming from you, especially given how at odds we seem to be.”

“Oh, well, I know about all of that, but you’re just so darned cute,” she replied, giving a wide smile as the queen blushed. “Seeing your cheeks go red like that is adorable.”

“Be serious with me! And know that I don’t return such affection in the slightest.”

“Oh, I’m sure you don’t,” Cadance said playfully. “And why does it matter? Don’t you love feeling the love coming from me?”

“I want to know how you can possibly say that after… certain events between us.”

“Well... “ she started, looking up and pondering what to say. “I think that, despite our differences, deep down, you’re a good pony.”

She made a face at that. “I am a queen and I demand-”

“Let me finish, silly filly. You’re a good pony, err, changeling, it’s just you have a silly way of expressing it,” she told her. “I mean, with how much you talk about your hive, you clearly love them, and you did say you were invading because you needed to find food for them, so it’s not like you’re King Sombra and trying to just enslave ponies. Did you build that hive yourself? Lay all those eggs?”

“I- of course I did! Who else would’ve done it?”

“So then that would make you a mother, too! That’s adorable! Have your foals ever call you mommy?”

The bug blushed again, now deflecting. “Let- I’m hungry! Stop distracting me from my meal!”

“And what exactly would this be?” Chrysalis asked as the two sat on the bed in Cadance’s bedroom. “I cannot say I’ve seen anything like this.”

“Oh, it’s just a little something Twilight Sparkle and I were able to get from the mirror version of Equestria. This is a movie called Beauty and the Beast. It’s supposed to be quite a good one from what she tells me.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I expect to be thoroughly entertained,” she replied as she laid down, setting her head on the alicorn’s stomach. “I will make it known if I am not,” she said as she looked up in her eyes.

“I’m sure you will,” Cadance said, using a hoof to touch her mane before the bug told her off.

“Do not stroke my mane,” she told her. “I’m only laying on your stomach because it’s more comfortable. Do not mistake my using you for personal pleasure as something else you believe I reciprocate for you.”

“I would never,” she said with a smile, using her magic to start the program up. “Not in a million years.”

With that, the two focused on the movie, Chrysalis commenting on every little thing and Cadance explaining it all to her. At one point, she’d got in her head that she was meant to be the beast and Cadance, Belle. Clearly this movie was made to mock her and tell her how resistance to friendship was futile, and she sat up in bed in protest.

“I’m not a puppet, you know,” Chrysalis said as the alicorn paused the film. “I will not reform, especially not with such pitiful tactics as the ones you’re using.”

“Okay,” was all Cadance replied with, sending a kind smile her way, one that made the changeling scowl.

“That’s all I get?” she asked. “An okay? No ‘I’m sure you will’? No speech about something involving the power of friendship? Nothing?”

“If you don’t want to reform, then you don’t reform, silly. Making you reform isn’t something I can do, even if I can try to help you on that path. It would be great if you reform, but if you don’t, then that’s just how it goes.”

“Then why do you-”

“Because I like you for you,” she told her, pressing a hoof against her chest. “I know you don’t believe me, but I wanna date you for you, whether you reform or not. Now let’s start the movie up again.”

With that, she pulled the bug back down, letting her rest on her stomach again. Chrysalis grumbled, but didn’t refuse, closing her eyes to listen for a moment as the movie started up again. As they watched, she felt Cadance’s hoof make its way to her mane to pet, and she considered telling her off for doing such.

“Well, I guess it’s not that bad,” decided, breathing deeply at the slow, methodical motion. “There are worse things that could be happening. But this is an opportunity to take her love. I don’t understand why she continues though, especially since I told her I didn’t plan on reforming. If she doesn’t care about that, what does she care about?”

“Awwwww are you purring, Chryssi?” Cadance asked, a wide smile forming. “That’s adorable! I thought you didn’t want me to pet your mane because you didn’t like me, not because you loved it so much!”

“I am not purring!” she said angrily, although she didn’t move away. “I’m merely digesting the food that we ate before, as well as consuming your love. This is not what you think it is.”

“Oh? It’s not?” she asked cheekily. “Then how come you haven’t moved away yet? The evil bug queen I know would’ve already been gone had she been caught purring, and yet you’re still here.”

“E-exactly! I’m not moving because I’m expressing my current… my current…”

“Contentment?”

“Yes! Contentment! Contentment at being full from a meal. It has nothing to do with your hoof in my mane. That is why I haven’t moved, because there’s no reason to. Moving away implies that I'm embarrassed by some reciprocation of feelings you have for me, which I am not because they don't exist.”

“I see.”

"And- and even if, on the off chance, I were indeed purring,” she continued, “and it was for such a ridiculous reason, it is not a princess’s place to question the actions of a queen. Queens such as I are above reproach.”

“Oh, that wasn’t reproach silly filly,” Cadance smiled. “But if you don’t want me to, I won’t comment on it anymore. I just think it’s absolutely adorable.”

“Good, you’d do well not to,” she told her as she looked up into her eyes for a moment before turning back to the TV. “Also a little to the left would be nice. That’s an order from a queen to her future subject... and I'm not adorable.”

“Of course it is,” Cadance laughed. “No trouble.” There was a moment of silence before she added, “You know, this is a little bit like Beauty and the Beast. I’m taming you right now, because before-”

“Stop it!” Chrysalis shouted, blushing in embarrassment.

Quiet Moments

“Well, this proves it,” Chrysalis decided as the movie came to a close, watching the beast transform into a handsome prince. “You’re trying to get me to reform, aren’t you?”

“I promise I would do no such thing,” Cadance told her, trying to convince her. “I just thought it would be a cute, romantic movie for us to watch together.”

“I hardly think so,” the bug continued. “I know you have ulterior motives. I’m not as easy to fool as you think I am.”

“I one hundred percent promise you, it was just a movie,” Cadance told her as she petted her mane, the bug still resting her head on the comfortable part of the alicorn’s stomach. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Yes, well, you can never trust your enemies,” Chrysalis firmly decided as she closed her eyes. “If I were in your position, I wouldn’t announce that I hope to die after spouting such obvious lies. Even a fool can see what you’re trying to do.”

With that, no more words were spoken, Cadance quietly petting the changeling’s mane as she rested, able to feel her purring softly. Even as she said the alicorn was lying, Chrysalis couldn’t help but know it was the truth. She didn’t know what it was, but it was a feeling she got. It was foolish to think she was being honest, that she knew, but she couldn’t help it. Still, she had to be on her guard, even right now as she purred because of Cadance’s stroking.

It was a nice feeling to be loved though, she decided. She couldn’t tell why Cadance loved her so, but decided she was through questioning it. If the mare wanted to feed her love, she would gladly take it. Not because she liked the affection, of course. It was only because she was a lesser to her, and lessers needed to honor and respect their superiors. Cadance just did it in a weird way, was all.

She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the feeling for a long moment before her enjoying the feeling was interrupted by the voice of the mare.

“Come up here,” she instructed. “Let me cuddle you properly.”

She obliged her, not bothering to argue, and went to lay her head into her neck. She was only doing this to humor her, no other reason at all. Surely not because it felt incredibly lovely to be held and Cadance was still feeding her love. It didn’t hurt that her fur was nice and soft, and being under the covers with her made her feel warm inside.

“You know, I’m only doing this as your last request,” Chrysalis mumbled, her eyes closed as she pressed into the mare. “I promise I will take the Crystal Empire as soon as I’m finished with you and Shining Armor. I swear it.”

“I’m sure you will, sweetie,” Cadance said softly, petting her side. “If that’s what you want to do, you go ahead. I won’t be able to stop you.”

“That’s right,” the bug agreed tiredly, pressing father into her, wrapping a hoof around her. “There’s nothing you can do. I’m glad you know that now.”

“Of course,” Cadance said, a smile in her voice. “I wouldn’t ever forget.”

The two went back to being quiet, Chrysalis still enjoying the petting she received before Cadance softly said, “I love you Chrissy.”

“Mmm I love you too, Cadance,” she responded automatically, not even thinking about what she was saying. She settled into her more though, feeling… she didn’t know what. More satisfied perhaps? Fuller? It was a strange feeling, one that worried her a bit, but felt good anyway.

She found herself wanting to hold onto the feeling, taking it in and holding the warmth it brought close to her. It made her feel less hungry, if that was even possible. She didn’t think much about it though, only enjoying the feeling and cuddling the alicorn even tighter to receive more of it.

“Hey, Chrysalis?” Cadance asked gently, shaking her shoulder for a moment. “Maybe you should wake up and take a look at yourself, sweetie.” The bug did as she was told, opening her eyes to see, to her surprise, her limbs and body glowing. She had no idea what was happening, and looked to the alicorn to see what was going on.

“Wh- what’s happening to me?” she asked fearfully as she looked at herself, watching as her body became brighter and brighter. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Cadance responded, raising her hooves casually. “I was just petting you and cuddling you when it happened. It was right after you said you loved me.”

“What!”

“I think this is what happens when you reform, Chryssi. That might be what’s going on.”

“Reforming!” she yelled angrily as she looked down at herself. Of course she was reforming! She knew it was a trap! Cadance was waiting gleefully for this moment for ages, wasn’t she? Tricking her with all of that cuddling and movie watching and ‘I love you’ business. She shouldn’t have been surprised by such a maneuver from her enemy. It made her scowl deeply in anger.

Just like that, the show ended. The light show shut off abruptly, almost making Cadance jump in surprise. The queen of the changelings stopped glowing, staying her normal black coated self. She glared angrily as the mare for a second before pushing her away, getting up and out of bed.

“Wh- where are you going?” Cadance asked, confused. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Don’t call me that!” she suddenly snapped, causing the mare to flinch as she sent her a look of hate. “You did that on purpose! I knew you were trying to get me to reform! Your plan was completely obvious!”

“I promise, Chrysalis, I wasn’t trying-” Cadance started before being cut off.

“Don’t give me that!” she yelled. “I don’t want to hear that! I know you were plotting this! You only wanted me to reform! You don’t actually love me!”

She didn’t know why, but the idea upset her. She knew the whole time that the alicorn was just tricking her, but she couldn’t help but be upset and hurt by it. Despite her queenly status and her obvious superiority to Cadance, it felt rather nice to think that she was loved.

“Chryssi, you know I-”

“No! I know you did! Don’t lie to me!” She turned away from her and folded her front hooves together as she sat on the bed angrily. “I suspected I was being tricked, but your awful love worked its way in.”

“I promise you, Chrysalis,” Cadance tried to assure her, “I was not trying to reform you. I only want to cuddle you and tell you you’re a good pony… err, changeling. If you don’t want to reform and become bent on taking the Crystal Empire after tonight and your night with Shining, then that’s okay with me.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said grumpily, angrily, not looking at her. “I know you’re lying, and I don’t want to hear any more of your lies. Now tell me where we’re going to sleep- where I’m going to sleep.”

“Oh, we’ll we’re going to be in here, silly,” she explained. “It wouldn’t be much of a date if you went to sleep on a couch somewhere, would it?”

“Well then, I guess I’ll be taking the spot on the floor then,” she decided, already moving to lay down on the crystal.

“Come on, don’t be like that! You’re overthinking what happened. I wasn’t trying to reform you!”

“Yes you were, and I don’t appreciate being lied to or manipulated,” she decided, curling up.

“Well, there are two things about that you should know,” the alicorn started. “One: you’ve manipulated quite a lot of people. Quite a lot, my husband for one. And second: I wasn’t trying to manipulate you. I honestly, truly wasn’t trying to get you to reform. Can’t you see my emotions and know I wasn’t lying?”

It was true, she could, and her emotions did say that she was being truthful. Still, she didn’t believe her, or at least, didn’t want to believe her. There was no way she would ever reform, not without being tricked at least. She would have to be on her guard even more after this, that much was certain.

“Come on, Chrysalis,” Cadance continued. “Get on the bed, even if we don’t cuddle. You’re gonna throw out your back if you sleep on the ground like that.”

That was true, she guessed. She couldn’t sleep on the ground, not when she had ponies who were clearly enemies to her nearby. Throwing out her back sleeping on the floor would not be good should she need to go on the attack.

“Fine,” she decided, “but only because the bed is more comfortable. Do not touch me or pet me or snuggle me, or I swear to faust, you’ll get it.”

“I promise, I will not snuggle you or cuddle you or pet you,” she assured her. “Now get up here.” She patted her hoof on a spot on the bed to indicate where she should go.

She did as she was told, but made sure to keep her back faced to her the whole time, wanting the princess to know just how upset she was.

Bonding

Chrysalis was drooling with her mouth open by the time Cadance was shaking her awake. She’d fallen asleep deeply and soundly despite her proximity to her adversary. How the alicorn didn’t attack her during her moment of weakness was beyond her, but she was grateful for it. It only showed how the princess was inferior to a queen like herself. It wouldn’t have been something Chrysalis passed up on, that was certain.

Or perhaps she had, since she was suddenly finding herself being awoken with the shake of her head by a hoof. She sat up suddenly, almost forgetting where she was for a moment before remembering the events of the night before. The date and the meal and the movie and her (almost!) reformation that she managed to thwart. It was quite an active night. She had no idea how she managed to survive their attempts at friendship, except perhaps by her queenly aura.

She glared at her adversary as she turned to look at the alicorn, sending an expression that told her she didn’t appreciate what Cadance had planned last night. Of course, though, the alicorn only sent back that dumb, dopey smile that she wore the whole night last night. She almost turned her own expression up at the sight, before she remembered what her plan was. Friendship was infectious like that, completely unbearably so. She could see how every creature else bought into the evilness that was their friendship, but not her! She would never, even if she did think Cadance’s smile was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen in her whole life.

“Morning, missy,” the princess said to her cheerily, causing the queen’s glare to turn into a scowl. “How did you sleep?”

“Acceptably,” she responded grumpily, “although I can hardly see how this would be a room even fit for a princess. In my old hive, I had servants at my beck and call at a moment’s notice. And yet here you see fit to grab things yourself. It’s a torturous way to live.”

It was something she knew well, seeing as she’d been mostly living in Everfree in the months since she’d been dethroned and had her hive destroyed. It was not a way to live, she had to admit, especially for some creature of her status. She couldn’t see how any member of royalty would choose to live life like this.

“Well, it’s more fun to do things for yourself sometimes,” Cadance explained. “Making your lunch, seeing how your foal’s doing- it’s something I enjoy more than telling a servant to go do for me.”

“Well, of course you’d check on your own foals yourself,” Chrysalis said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not that uptight as you think I am. Every foal needs the love of their mother until they’re old enough to understand how to obey and defend the hive. Until then though, love and care is what they need, as dictated by nature.” She had to say though, if she were in charge of nature, she’d change a thing or two about that. Losing that awful affection she seemed to have for her newborns would do some good in her opinion.

“Oh yeah! You’re a mother, too!” Cadance exclaimed. “You know, with as tough and unforgiving as you are, it’s sometimes easy to forget something like that. I guess that even you have to have some sort of motherly love, don’t you? I bet you hate it though.”

“Of course, I do. Who would want to be burdened with something like love?” she asked. “If not out of necessity for the hive, I wouldn’t have a single foal. It’s unbearable.”

Even as she said it, even as she thought about how she wished she could change nature, she had to at least admit to herself that it did feel a little nice being able to nurse her newborns, if only for a little while. And sure, perhaps she still had a tiny bit of love for her old hive, but so what? Those feelings were only there to tell her who to protect. It wasn’t like she actually cared about them. She was their queen, and they were her subjects.

“Oh, I wish though I could see how adorable you would be raising foals! I bet it was precious!”

“It most certainly was not!” Chrysalis argued, blushing a little bit. Of course Cadance would think motherhood was precious. That’s how these ponies were, having children because they desired to. They didn’t see how it was done by changelings for survival, as should have been the rule across the continent. These creatures were too privileged, she thought.

“It was a horrible mess, that’s what,” she said firmly, crossing her hooves. “Not in the least bit cute as you think it was. Having to feed foals my own love? It was horrendous, but they can’t eat anything else. Not that you would know.”

“Awwww, that sounds adooooooorable! It’s like you were nursing them! I bet you made sure they were all big and strong, didn’t you? I bet you loved them so much!”

“Well, they were strong, but I didn’t love them! We take love, not give it! So no, I didn’t!” Cadance gave her a simple raised eyebrow that made her shrink back and continue, “I- well, I did, but only because it was necessary for nourishment! Newborn foals can’t eat pony love! They have to grow into that!”

“It sounds absolutely precious, not very different from when I breastfed Flurry Heart. Anyway, speaking of doing things for ourselves…” A sly smile crept onto Cadance’s face as she said, “Wanna help me make breakfast? I think it’d be an amazing way to end our date.”

“No, thank you very much. I consider this little event over now. A night spent with you was your final request, and that request thus far has been granted. No more is owed by me on your part, except to Shining Armor.” They were still lucky she was granting their wishes when she didn’t have to. She only did it because she was just that gracious. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she liked the company of them, not in the slightest. Their friendship wasn’t rubbing off on her at all.

“Aw, come on,” Cadence pressed. “You’re saying you don’t want to help me make pancakes and hashbrowns? You have to be hungry after all that snuggling you did to me last night while you slept.”

“I did not snuggle! You know that’s not true! I was only looking for warmth, and found it the easiest by pressing our bodies together!”

“You absolutely snuggled, and it was the cutest thing ever,” she replied. “Now get up and help me make pancakes and hashbrowns for breakfast. It’ll be fun.”

Reluctantly, she sighed and stood up to follow her to the kitchen. She did have to admit, she was hungry, both for sustenance and love, and would take both if she could. And it might have sounded a little fun to prepare pancakes and hashbrowns with Cadance. It wasn’t a meal she had very often at least.

“So what do we do?” she asked, following the alicorn in. “I want to make this as quickly as possible so we can end this event as quickly as possible.”

“If you say so, Chryssi,” Cadance smiled. “First thing’s first: we need flour. And this time, go get the flour that’s in the bin, not flowers from outside, silly.”

“I understand that now,” the changeling blushed. “You can’t fault me for not knowing something my servants did for me.”

“Oh, of course not! Never! I just think it was very adorable,” she said. “The salad you made with those flowers was very tasty, don’t you think?”

“I guess, no more good than any other salad in my opinion,” she said. “Although I still wonder if you put something else in it.”

“I promise, I didn’t add anything to any of the food. You were with me the whole time while we were cooking! Did you see me put anything in?”

“No, but I still wouldn’t put it past you to try and pull a fast one,” Chrysalis said. “That’s just the kind of pony you are.”

“If you say so, sweetie. Now why don’t you go get me that flour, please? I’ll show you how to make pancakes in a second.”

She did as she was requested, grabbing the flour and helping Cadance make the meal. She had to admit, it might have been a little bit fun to make breakfast with her, but only because there wasn’t anything else to do. Certainly not because she could feel the affection coming off of the alicorn. And even if it was, affection was naturally the tastiest emotion. Nothing more. No other reason, certainly not because she was feeling affection for Cadance in return.

After they finished, they sat down to eat, Cadance staring at her with that adorably dopey smile the whole time they did, watching her. It got her to return a smile back to her, holding the expression until she realized what she was doing. When she did, she frowned and looked back down at her food, embarrassed.

“You know, it’s adorable when you smile like that, Chrysalis,” Cadance told her. “It makes me happy to see.”

That made her hide her face in her hooves so she couldn’t see the next smile she wore. She kept herself hidden, doing everything she could to wipe the smile off her face, but had a hard time. It didn’t make any sense why she was, and she found herself almost frustrated by it.

“You’re absolutely adorable, Chryssi,” the pink pony continued. “If we can, I’d love to do this again. I bet Shining Armor will think so next week when you see him.”

“Argh, stop it!” she demanded, her ears now flattening against her head as she kept her face hidden. “I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m not going to fall for it! I won’t fall victim to your friendship!”

Even as she said it, she knew she probably was. She could feel herself almost enjoying the idea of spending more time with these two, as ridiculous as it was. She was a queen! Queens like her shouldn’t have wanted to spend time with their lessers. And yet, here she was, having to hide her smile at the thought of another date.

“You’re adorable, Chryssi,” Cadance told her again. “For someone who acts so tough, you really do have a soft gooey center. You’re like that thing everyone talks about in the mirror world, a tsundere.”

“I don’t know what that is, but that’s not me,” she said defiantly. “It’s probably something you think is adorable, but doesn’t fit me at all.”

“There it is, you acting like a tsundere,” the princess laughed. “I love you.”

She stomped a hoof, still keeping her face hidden in her hooves for a second longer. When she finally did look up, her cheeks were bright red in shy embarrassment. She tried to wear a threatening expression, but it only made Cadance laugh lightly. Even still, she tried to assert her dominance.

“This date is officially over,” she declared. “I will admit, it was… satisfactory, but nothing more. Certainly not enjoyable like you think it was. Now let me know when I’m to see Shining Armor so I can take the Crystal Empire for my own.”

“Oh, I think that’ll be in a week or so. That way you can have some time to recover from all the love and affection I’ve been feeding you. Was it tasty?”

“I- it was- I’m leaving!” she told her, almost yelling. “I’ll be back in one week to spend time with your husband, and then nothing more! Your tactics will not work on me! I will never accept your friendship!”

“Okay, miss I-almost-reformed-while-being-cuddled,” Cadance teased. “I’m sure you won’t.”

“Gaaah!” the bug yelled angrily, stomping out of the castle in a huff.

Old Friends

“Hi, Chryssi,” Shining Armor started as the queen of the changelings approached. “It’s been a little while since we saw each other on an official date, hasn’t it? Since you were in the Crystal Empire, right?”

She couldn’t believe she was feeling ashamed of herself for doing that, but she was. “That…” she stared, expecting him to be angry. “That was not about being with you,” she explained. “That was simply a battle tactic, nothing more. Not about romance or stealing your lover or whatever you ponies think that was about. I was only looking to feed my hive, so you should be looking for a date elsewhere. In fact, it’s a bit pathetic that you’d be seeking me out when I’m clearly not interested.”

That was a lie. That was a big lie and she knew it. But it wasn’t because she actually liked the stallion, she didn’t. She was only doing this because she liked the love she got from the two of them, nothing more.

No! She wasn’t doing this for that! She was doing this to take the Crystal Empire! How could she ever slip up and think it was anything else? She knew they were trying to get their friendship to work into her head, and it was working! She couldn’t let herself fall for their tricks!

“Oh, you’re absolutely fine,” he assured her. “Both Cadance and I have forgiven you for that. Actually, it’s what made us want to consider dating you. You were just always so affectionate with me, it was absolutely adorable. The way we cuddled together? Cadance couldn’t believe it when I told her.”

“I- you… we didn’t cuddle that much! I don’t remember that… and if we did, it’s only because I was eating your love and trying to feed my hive! Nothing more!”

“Oh, I’m sure it was nothing more,” he smiled slyly. “But at least Cadance believes me now. She told me you snuggled her all night while you two watched movies together.”

“I- gytrkfvjd! Why are you doing this to me?” she asked, wanting to fall over and die of embarrassment right there. “What sick joy do you get out of making me relive those awful memories?”

“Can’t possibly be that awful since you’re blushing,” he quipped. “Besides, it’s super adorable to see you make flustered noises. You’re so adorable, you make it too easy!”

“I’m not easy! How am I easy?” she demanded to know, stomping a hoof in defiance.

The stallion took a step closer to her, his muzzle inches away from hers. “Because you get so cute and blushy and shy when I tell you that you’re the prettiest, most adorable, most beautiful changeling I’d ever laid eyes on, especially with those amazingly gorgeous piercing green eyes of yours.”

He smiled kindly as he said it, a gesture that nearly caused the queen of the changelings to fall over. Luckily though, he was there to catch her, swooping down and placing a hoof behind her back as he leaned forward. He gave her a handsome smile as he tilted his head, staring right into her eyes for a long moment before gently setting her back on her hooves. She blushed profusely, but smiled shyly at the move he made.

“Wow, that was sm- sm- sm…” She was about to say ‘smooth’ but stopped herself before she could. She, however, didn’t have an alternate response at the ready. As well, Shining Armor could see what she was clearly about to say.

“Sm- sm- smooth?” he asked, giving her a wide smile now and raising an eyebrow as he imitated her stutter. “It was, wasn’t it? But you know just how smooth I can be, don’t you?”

“No, I was not going to say smooth!” she declared. “I was going to say sm- sm… sm- smite worthy! Yes, that’s it! It’s smite worthy that you think you can dare put your hooves on the back of a queen such as I!”

“Ah, you got me, your majesty!” he played along, clearly joking. “My apologies,” he told her, giving an overexaggerated, overdrawn bow. “Now, though, are you ready for the evening? Or do you need time to gather yourself or dress up?”

“Don’t act so sarcastic,” Chrysalis replied, suppressing a smile. “Let’s just get this over and done with. What do you have planned? More movies about beasts intended to reform through the power of friendship?”

“Oh, I was thinking we could go out to eat,” he told her. “I actually made reservations for the two of us at a local restaurant here in the Crystal Empire! I think you’ll love it! They call it ‘Italian’ in the mirror world of Equestria. It’s great!”

“I- and you expect me to go out in public where ponies will see me?” she asked nervously, sending a glance his way. “Or will you be expecting me to put on some cutesy pony disguise for you?” she asked, frowning at the thought of it.

“Oh, I’d never ask you to cover up your natural beauty, Chryssi,” Shining smiled, the bug's frown turning into a scowl at the nickname he stole from his wife. “And what are you worried about it ponies see you? Are you afraid they’ll faint at the sight of you because you’re drop dead gorgeous?”

“I- ah, y-yes,” she got out. “Of course I do. As they say, looks can kill, and I don’t need my looks to kill anypony just yet. So…”

Yes, that was it. A queen such as her just had too much natural beauty to show off for ponies to handle, ponies who weren’t royalty like Cadance and Shining Armor. It certainly wasn’t because she was afraid of the looks she might get at the sight of her, or ponies wondering what she might be doing with the stallion. That wasn’t it at all.

“I mean, even if you weren’t so amazingly beautiful, which you absolutely are, you’d have to go out eventually to greet your subjects. After all, when you become queen of the Crystal Empire, how are ponies supposed to bask in your glory if you never show them your face?”

“O-of course,” she stuttered. “They will be doing plenty of basking, after all.” With that, she quickly started walking ahead of him so he couldn't see how embarrassed she was. “Show me where this restaurant is,” she demanded.

“So how was your time with Cadance?” Shining asked casually as the two walked under the evening light. “Did you eat her love as much as she said you did?”

“I- that’s a private issue,” she huffed, flicking her mane. “How much love a changeling eats of another pony is quite a rude question to ask.”

“Well, if you say so. I only asked because Cadance said she fed you quite a lot, and you gobbled it all up and then cuddled her all night.”

“She’s twisting what happened,” she complained. “It was only for warmth. I would never-”

“Oh, you don’t have to lie, Chryssi,” Shining smiled. “You can tell me that you like her. She is the most amazing pony in all of Equestria, and a pretty good cuddler, in my experience.”

“...” She paused, flattening her ears and scowling in embarrassment before saying, “It was acceptable. Nothing more.“

“Aw, are you saying they weren’t snuggles fit for a queen?”

“This is going to be a repeat of my time with your wife, isn’t is?” Chrysalis asked. “You’re going to hound me all night about how adorable you think I am, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Oh, Cadence loves that stuff, and I think it’s adorable, too.” She frowned, raising a hoof to say something before he continued, “But if you don’t want me to, I won’t. As much of a tsundere as you are, if you don’t want me to fluster you, I’ll try not to… unless you do want me to?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and giving a little smirk.

“No, I do not enjoy being embarrassed,” she remarked with a huff. “I can’t imagine anypony who does. Now tell me: what exactly is ‘Italian’ food?”

“I don’t know, but Twilight and Cadance both love it, and I agree with them. They serve pasta mostly. Things like macaroni and spaghetti and rigatoni and ziti. Plus, they have lasagna and pizza there, too. It tastes great, and it’s the best restaurant in the whole Crystal Empire. Maybe all of Equestria.”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure what a ‘lagana’ is, but I assume it will have to do,” Chrysalis decided. “But I’m trusting your opinion to be a good one. If it’s not, I will let you know.”

“And I will so deserve it,” he said firmly. “It’s great though, I’m telling you,” he assured her as the two walked up to it. “You’re going to love it.”

Perhaps she was going to, but she sure didn’t love the stares she was getting. The receptionist who greeted them about fainted at the sight of her. Which, of course, was expected, seeing how queenly she was, but still rather annoying nonetheless.

“H-how c-can I h-help you two, Prince Shining Armor and… C-c-c…” the receptionist stuttered out, barely able to keep herself upright.

“Chrysalis,” Chrysalis finished for her, sending a threatening gaze her way. “And you can help us by not sending that stupid look you have on your face our way.” She took a step forward, staring into the receptionist’s eyes, causing the mare to falter backward and fall on her flank.

“Oh, stop it, Chryssi,” Shining Armor reprimanded lightly. “Be nice.” He then used his magic to help the receptionist to her hooves, telling her, “She’s not herself when she’s hungry. Princess Cadance will tell you that. But luckily, we’re here, so she should be nicer by the time we’re done. Isn’t that right, Chryssi?” he asked, turning back to the changeling.

She only scowled and stomped past him into the restaurant, ready to get the second date over with.

Better Conversations

Chrysalis thought the waiter was taking an unacceptably long amount of time. She was a queen! She shouldn’t have had to wait on peasants to get what she wanted! How Shining Armor was able to put up with it, she didn’t know.

Or maybe she did know. He had a hoof on his chin as he stared right into her eyes, seemingly captured by her beauty. She stared back at him, a little glare on her face, trying to deter him from looking at her so idiotically. It didn’t seem to work though. In fact, she wondered if he was liking her more like this.

“Have you always been this beautiful, Chryssi?” he asked dumbly. “I don’t remember being this trapped by your beauty before. You could steal any stallion in all of Equestria with how gorgeous you are.”

She had to force herself not to blush as she replied, “They have. My natural beauty is apparent and doesn’t need to be commented on. Everypony around us already knows. I can say you yourself are quite… acceptable.”

That was a lie. She thought he was insanely cute and adorable. Adorable, yes, the right word because he was beneath her, as princes were meant to be beneath queens. It was adorable that he thought he could measure up to a being such as her. There was no way he was an incredibly handsome stallion, extremely rugged, not one tiny bit.

“Oh, of course, acceptable is all I’ll ever be able to hope for in your presence,” he said. “I will certainly try my best to measure up though, just you wait.”

“Hello,” the waiter suddenly said, making their way up to their table after a long minute. “My name is Tappy Hoof, and… you… y-y-you– you’re C-c-chrysalis…” the waiter stuttered out, suddenly changing his look from serious to fearful.

“That’s Queen Chrysalis to you,” the changeling responded, “and what of it?”

“I- I- I… you… P-p-prince Sh-shining Armor…”

“It’s okay, Chryssi is here with me,” he smiled brightly, reaching over to take her hoof in his own. She shivered as he did, but didn’t move away, something she knew she should have done, if only to show that she was only going along with this because she had to. The idea that she was attracted to this prince and his wife was absolutely ridiculous.

“She won’t be any trouble at all, right, Chryssi?” he asked.

“I’m not a foal,” she said, taking her hoof back. “I can speak for myself. And whether I make trouble will be dependent upon how well your services here today are. I am a queen, and will raise a ruckus if I’m not delivered the services of a queen.”

“Of- of course, m-ma’am… wh-what can I g-g-get you to drink to start with?” the stallion asked nervously, sweating already just from being in her presence.

“Well a tall glass of your finest champagne to start off with would be lovely,” she requested. “Assuming this place is prim enough to afford that.”

“N-no trouble m-ma’am,” the stallion said, silently turning to Shining Armor to see what he wanted after.

“Just water with no ice for me please,” he smiled politely. “And don’t mind her, she’s just grumpy because she hasn’t eaten yet. I’m sure when you come out here with a nice, hot plate of lasagna, she’ll change her attitude.”

She didn’t know what that word meant, but replied anyway, “I’d prefer a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, one that I expect to be made to my tastes. I will not settle for mediocre, I do want to make that clear.”

She’d never had spaghetti and meatballs, either, but had seen numerous instances where it had been cooked. In books and stories and some of the ponies in Canterlot, too, when she visited. It seemed like the food was highly regarded, and so she wanted to try it for that reason. Certainly not because it looked like a dish served in romantic circumstances. What would ever give anypony that idea?

She had to admit though, the situation was… a little bit romantic. Music in the air and candles lighting the place– this seemed like the textbook definition of a romantic evening. She thought she remembered Shining Armor saying something about how he liked things like this. Heck, she remembered a few evenings when she was infiltrating Canterlot that she had nights out with the pony like this.

And the stallion across from her himself. She couldn’t imagine a more dashing stallion to be spending the evening with, a specimen almost as handsome as his wife was beautiful… not that either of them were pretty, of course! They weren’t, not compared to her, but she did have to admit they were both quite the lookers. And nice company she guessed, even if they could both be infuriating at times with their awful friendship. And after yesterday, she could say she had firsthand experience with how good they both were at cuddling. Honestly, if she had to pick two ponies to spend time with, as much as she would dislike it, she figured she would pick these two.

Before she knew it, she was blushing when she realized that she would. She was not falling in love with these two. She was not. There was probably something in the air, perhaps a nearby bush of delirium causing morenta flowers, because there was no way she on her own would be thinking of how nice it would be to continue spending time with these two after her dates were done.

“Watcha thinking about, sweetie?” he asked kindly as he smiled at her, Chrysalis noting that he used the same word as his wife did referring to her. “You’re looking a bit lovestruck. You’re not falling in love with somepony else in here, are you?”

“With these peasants? Certainly not,” she scoffed. “What a ridiculous question. I wouldn’t date outside of royal blood, let alone marry.”

“Ooo, you’re already thinking of marriage?” Shining Armor smiled, trying to tease her. “We’ll have to speak with Caddy to see about getting our marriage laws changed if that’s what you want. They’re a bit outdated, but she should be able to look into it with no problem.”

“I am not looking for that!” she said quickly, forcefully, staring at him angrily at the thought of it. “Get whatever ridiculous idea you have out of your head now! My only goal is to take the Crystal Empire from you and then take back my hive, nothing more!”

The whole room was silent now as they stared at the two of them. Chrysalis was leaning over the table angrily as the stallion she was out with continued to smile at her, as though the whole thing was adorable to him. It only made her more angry. She was not adorable! At least if they thought this was humorous, they’d be giving her some amount of respect. Being considered such a terrible thing meant practically no respect at all! No fear!

“Um, I- I don’t mean to be a bother,” the waiter suddenly interrupted, “but I st-still need your order, p-p-please.”

“Did I not say spaghetti and meatballs?” she asked irritatedly, not turning her gaze from Shining Armor’s. “Your subjects need to learn to listen, I must say. I certainly never had to repeat myself when I had my hive.”

“Q-quite sorry, I- we’ll have that out for you in a jiffy. A-and wh-what about you, Prince Shining Armor?”

“Oh, a plate of lasagna would be nice, please,” he answered politely. “Actually, if you could put extra on there, that would be great, since Chryssi here hasn’t ever had lasagna.”

“Any breadsticks or salad, sir?”

“Both please, with garlic dressing on the salad.”

“Of c-course, it’ll be right out.”

With that, the waiter left, and Shining Armor went back to his position, hoof on chin as he stared into the changeling’s eyes once again.

“You don’t have to do that,” she sighed, setting her chin on the table. “I don’t need you to pretend to think I’m beautiful. I know most of you ponies think of us changelings as ugly monsters. Most changelings think of changelings as ugly monsters. I know you think the same, so you can end this little show you’re doing.”

“I’m not putting on a show,” he said, now frowning and sounding a little sad. “What happened to all that confidence you had just a second ago?”

“It’s just off putting seeing all of you tell me how I’m adorable every few seconds, and then go above and beyond to try and please me as if I need the attention. I am a queen. I already know my royal blood is the highest there is in Equestria. And while I do like to be reminded of it, my enemies being overbearing as they tell me if off putting, and lets me know what you think of me.”

“Chryssi, we say those things because they’re true,” Shining told her, now frowning in seriousness. “Not because we think it’ll make you feel better or something. Cadance and I aren’t like that.”

“Yeah, right. I know this is a trap to try to get me to succumb to friendship.”

Now Shining Armor was looking at her with nothing but complete seriousness. “Chrysalis. I don’t like bringing this up, but after… the things that happened during my and Cadance’s wedding, there’s no way we would ever humor you with something like this.”

Chrysalis’s ears dropped in shame. She hated hearing that brought up, as though she was intentionally trying to cause emotional pain. That wasn’t her style, even though it might have been other creatures. She was sure he thought it was though, and this was the part where he would tell her to leave because of what she did.

The stallion didn’t, instead finishing, “That means when we spend time with you and give you compliments, we’re being genuine. We wouldn’t entertain trying to reform you or something like you think. We just genuinely want to spend time with you.”

It made her blink in surprise. She tasted their love, and knew their emotions weren’t shallow or forced, but it was still strange to hear. She honestly, truly thought they didn’t actually care for her, that they were only doing this to try and force her into reforming. But hearing it from Shining Armor so bluntly… he had to be telling the truth, right? She imagined how nice it would be if he was, having two ponies genuinely like her instead of just being subservient to her. Two ponies who were her equals… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to send back a little bit of love their way.

“You’re amazing and beautiful, and even though you’re abrasive, Cadance and I love you for who you are anyway,” Shining told her, taking her hoof in his own as she started to faintly glow. “I know if you try, you could see that we really do care about you, whether or not you choose to reform. It wouldn’t change how either of us feels about you.”

That almost got her. Almost. A second before she could change over though, the waiter interrupted them.

“I just wanted to give you both these breadsticks you ordered,” he said, getting a death glare from Chrysalis. Of course, somepony had to come in and ruin the moment. Not that it wasn’t a good thing. She knew it was. She was just a second away from letting those two win against her, and she was just letting it happen. She knew she had to be more careful than this, otherwise she’d be changed by the end of the night.

“I’ll have you know, it’s quite rude to interrupt royalty like that,” she said, stealing a breadstick and chomping on it angrily. “Now fetch our drinks, peasant.”

Walk In The Park

“It’s a nice night out here, isn’t it?” Shining Armor asked as the two walked beyond the border to the Crystal Empire. “You can see the moon and all the stars perfectly.”

“Rather cold, if I do say so myself,” the bug queen commented. “You do this for fun?”

“All the time. Cadance likes it too, but not as much as I do. I come out here with her and Flurry Heart a lot. Sometimes it’s just us two. I’ll even walk out here alone. I love the scenery.”

The scenery. Right. There was nothing but snow in front of them, flat snowfields as far as the eye could see, except maybe a few mountains in the distance. It looked incredibly boring, and she couldn’t see herself ever doing this willingly for fun. Maybe if Shining Armor or Cadance came out here with her, but never alone.

Not that such a thing would ever happen, of course. When she finally ruled the Crystal Empire, it would be alone, with Shining Armor and Cadance as her slaves. She would not take them as her partners, no at all, because partnership implied equality to her queenliness, which they were not. But maybe when they were her servants, she’d let them come out here to walk with her. Maybe it could be a little nice if she could find a way to get rid of the snow. Perhaps lay a blanket down and set up some candles, as well as have a band play music. That could be a bit nice, perhaps.

“So what do we do out here?” Chrysalis asked. “Just walk and talk and… take in the boring plain? That’s it?”

“Sometimes we don’t even talk when we walk out here, and that’s okay,” the stallion explained. “Just being quiet while you’re in the presence of somepony you love can be nice.”

She couldn’t see how that would be nice at all, but she went with it, staying silent as the two of them walked. It was cold, but other than that, it was nice. The stars shone brightly on them, and the moon hang high in the sky, illuminating the darkness. She wished she knew where they were going through. It would’ve been nicer to be curled up in bed with him… or somepony in general. Only because she was cold though.

She let out a breath, able to see the vapor hanging in the air before she pressed herself against the stallion as they walked. They kept the Crystal Empire itself warm, but not the area surrounding it? That was a weird choice. When she was queen, she would make sure those weather pegasi she heard about before got on that. A climate controlled kingdom sounded very nice. She had nothing like that with her hive.

Eventually, the two stopped in front of a weird looking red crystal in the snow, one that made Shining Armor tilt his head curiously. Chrysalis only frowned at it, knowing exactly what it was. She wondered if Shining Armor intentionally led them out here, but decided against it. He was probably ignorant of the history surrounding the crystal.

“Huh? What’s this?” he asked, reaching a hoof out to see if he could pick it up.

“Don’t touch that,” the changeling queen instructed, making the stallion pull back instantly. “That’s the prison of the Umbrum. It’s best if you don’t go messing with them and riling them up, lest they accidentally be released.”

“The Umbrum? What’s that?”

“That’s a topic for another day, not something suitable for a date. Let’s just say you don’t want to know and leave it at that.”

“Well, I’m interested in listening to a story if you have the time,” he said. “I mean, we’re out here anyway. I’d love to hear a story, if you’re willing to tell it.”

“No, I’m not willing,” she said grumpily. “I can see where this will go. I’ll tell you, and then you’ll find a way to release them, whether accidentally or on purpose, and then I’ll have to save you, and I won’t be falling for it. This isn’t like that movie Cadance had me watch on her date.”

“Ha, you’re silly if you think that’s what’s gonna happen. But if you’re worried about fate or circumstance or the universe watching us, then I’d like to hear a different story instead. Maybe about what your foalhood was like?”

“That’s an even worse story! Why would you care to hear about that at all?”

“Ooo, now that makes me wanna hear it even more! Tell me what it was like! I bet you were super cute.”

“I most certainly was not,” she said defiantly. “And it’s not like those things matter anyway. They all happened hundreds of years ago. It’s all well in the past.”

“I’m sure it does. You know what they say: your past makes your future.”

“I’ve heard not one creature say that, but if you insist. It’s not any different from any other changeling however. I was born from an egg of the previous queen, and raised until I could serve the hive in full capacity. And then after that, I became queen. There’s not much of a story.”

“How did you become queen though? I bet that’s an interesting tale.”

“I staged a coup and killed my mother,” she said flatly, sending a bored look his way. It made him flinch, and she continued, “Exactly as I expected. I knew you wouldn’t appreciate my tales.”

“Maybe that’s a story for a future date,” he admitted. “That sounds a bit, um, rough.”

“Would you like to go back to being silent and walking back?”

“Sure.”

The two of them went quiet again after that, Chrysalis letting out a breath as she thought about this day. Shining Armor was nice, but she knew a little more time with him and he’d realize that she just… wasn’t. Cadance, too. She wasn’t one to open up like that, nor would she likely ever. She wouldn’t ask for dates or to cuddle or to go on walks or anything like that, not ever, even if she did enjoy doing things like that. It just wasn’t in her nature.

She sighed to herself. It wasn’t ever going to get to any future dates. She wasn’t interested in becoming a docile third wheel in their relationship. Because that’s what would happen. They were treating her special now, but the novelty of her would quickly fade. She almost didn’t even think of the fact that she also was going to be taking control of the Crystal Empire.

“I don’t even see why you’re trying to entertain me with this,” she said. “It’s obvious that you’re just trying to appease me and make it so that I have a connection with you so I don’t take the Crystal Empire for myself. I’m no fool.”

“Chryssi, we already had this conversation,” Shining Armor said gently. “Cadance and I love you for who you are, no matter what. We’re not trying to appease you or something.”

“Even still, it’s silly. We both know that I’ll be the odd creature out in the relationship in a few months, assuming you’re being legitimate in saying you love me.”

She knew they were. Cadance’s love tasted strongly of deep affection, and Shining Armor’s tasted like romanticism. There was no way they were lying, unless they had a spell that could get past Chrysalis’s sensing of emotions.

“I’ll be the one left out if things continue,” she said, turning away. “It’s obvious to me now.”

“You certainly won’t,” Shining Armor said. “I can’t say I love you as much as Cadance, not yet anyway, but I know for a fact that once Cadance loves someone, she loves them, and latches on with her whole heart.”

The changeling didn’t say anything, silently remaining turned away. That was impossible and she knew it. There was no way she’d ever be loved as strongly by Cadance as Shining Armor was, no matter if she had a thousand years. It wasn’t going to happen.

“Cadance once told me a story,” Shining Armor suddenly said out of nowhere, taking Chrysalis by surprise. “She said when she was a foal, she had a coltfriend named Piercing Wind who she loved very much. Apparently, the two of them went out together for a few months, and they were happy together.”

“Okay?”

“And then she met another colt who she also fell in love with, one who loved her back just as much. But it didn’t make her stop loving the first colt. She loved them both equally, just the same. She was conflicted.

“She went to the first colt and explained her problem and how she felt, and he told her she had to pick one or the other. So then she went to the other colt, and explained that she wouldn’t be spending time with them anymore because she could only be in love with one colt. That other colt suggested they all three be partners, but his idea was shot down, so he eventually told her that she should be with him between the two because he didn’t want to have to make her choose.”

“Okay, so? What happened?”

“Well she chose, except not the one who said she could only remain with one partner.” He smiled widely as he spoke, saying, “What I’m telling you is that, with the way Cadance is, you’ll never be a third wheel. She’s not gonna love you less than somepony else. I don’t think she’s capable of it, being the Princess of Love after all. And neither am I, having spent time with you before and now.”

“Yeah, well… we’ll see,” she said, trying to stay neutral but unable to stop herself from giving a little smile. Maybe they would see. Even when she conquered the Crystal Empire, maybe she’d keep them around. After all, it’d be more love to eat, at least.

“Let’s head back now though. Cadance and I have a surprise for you back at the castle.”

Changing Face

It was a quiet walk through the snow back to the Crystal Empire. Neither Chrysalis nor Shining Armor said anything, the only sounds being the crunch of snow under their hooves and the very occasional gust of wind. The stars were still just as bright, and the two of them stopped at a bench just outside of the Crystal Empire to sit.

“I had a friend in the Royal Guard who loved the stars,” Shining Armor started. “He used to go out every night and look up and imagine what it would be like to work for Princess Luna in her royal court before she turned into Nightmare Moon. He talked about it all the time.”

“Okay…?” Chrysalis tilted her head as she listened to the story. This had come out of nowhere.

“He read stories about Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon when he was a foal, and was one of the few ponies who actively rooted for her to come back. We all thought it was just an old mare’s tale, but still, he talked a lot about how he wished it was real so he could meet her in real life. He didn’t want eternal night or anything like that, but he did want her knowledge on the stars. He was enthusiastic about it.

“Well, as you know, one day, she really did come back. It was during the Summer Sun Celebration several years ago. I wasn’t there to see it personally, but from what I heard, he was there to protect Princess Celestia from anyone who might show up during the holiday. Well, of all ponies, the pony he wished for the most, Nightmare Moon, appeared.”

“Where are you going with this?” she asked as they sat, shivering from the cold. The stallion saw this and moved in closer to her so she could have some of his body heat. He wrapped his hooves around her and leaned into her, a move that caused her to sigh.

“Sorry. I know it’s cold out here,” he apologized. “Anyway, to continue, he was sent there to protect Princess Celestia from any attackers, and Nightmare Moon was indeed an attacker. He was conflicted on what to do, but in the end, he decided to go up to her and talk to her. The rest of his squadron told him that he shouldn’t do it, that he should just do as he was told and attack, or at least stay back if he didn’t want to, but he didn’t listen.”

“And what?” Chrysalis asked, extremely annoyed and certain she knew where this was going. “He was right and she was reformed by him just talking to her and appealing to her? Is that where you’re going with this?”

Shining Armor sighed, and let go of her again. He stared down at his hooves for a long moment before meeting her eyes. “When he went up to talk to her, she slapped him out of the air and into a wall with a wing and broke his back. He hasn’t been able to fly right since, and had to retire from the guard early because of it. Princess Luna did apologize and gift him lots of money when she learned about it after my sister and her friends helped out, but still. His life hasn’t been quite the same in the years since then.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. She thought this would somehow tie back into how he was doing the right thing trying to push this friendship religion on her.

“What does this mean though?” she asked. “What exactly are you getting at?”

“What I’m saying is this: Being stuck in your ways when people try to ask you to change can’t be good for you, and almost certainly won’t end well.”

“Are you threatening me?” she asked, not angrily, only raising a curious eyebrow. “That’s certainly an interesting way to try and get me to convert to your friendship cult.”

“No, it’s not a threat, Chryssi. I’m saying I don’t want to see you alienate the people around you and then starve to death or go insane from lack of love. I'm saying listen to us when we tell you we know what's best for you. That's all.”

Her face went red and she turned away. That wouldn’t happen to her, no way… would it? She was hungry all the time, especially for love, but that was just the way things were meant to be. Being hungry told her that she needed to hunt for love. How would she know otherwise?

Sure, the changelings of her former hive seemed happier now with no hunger, but that wasn’t going to last long. Surely someday soon they’d come running back to her, asking her for her expertise and wanting help in changing back. It was going to happen. Their happiness was just a sham. No changeling was ever happy.

The changeling queen shivered again, and the prince pressed into her even more, rubbing his coat against her skin. “You can be happy and share love. You don’t have to be so cold and hard all the time. I know there’s a warmth inside of you, because I’ve seen it before. And Cadance is the Princess of Love, so she knows, too.”

“I’m not going to join your cult,” she replied, turning away angrily. “Stop asking me to, because it won’t happen.”

“Okay. I’m sorry,” the stallion apologized sadly. “Do you wanna head back now? I can tell that you're cold and want to get back into some heat. Plus, Cadance and I have that surprise for you, too.”

“Yes, let's shall, if only to get this date over with.”

The two stepped back into the snow, making their way back to the warmth of the Empire and quickly back to the castle.

“Do I have to spend the night with you, too, or is this date over?” the bug asked, only a little annoyed. She would’ve been more annoyed if it was somepony else. These two should’ve considered themselves lucky to be such nice company.

“Of course you have to spend the night with me, silly,” Shining Armor smiled kindly. “You spent the night with Cadance. It’s only fair. Besides, I bet you’re just as nice and cute as I remembered when we last slept together.”

Her face went bright red at those words. “Can you not phrase it like that? We shared a bed together. Not whatever sexual thing you’re thinking.”

“You know what I mean. Now come on. We have a surprise.”

They stepped into the castle to see Cadance rocking Flurry Heart to sleep in her hooves. The alicorn princess looked up and smiled, gently setting the foal down before moving up to greet the bug.

“Hey, Chryssi sweetie,” she said happily, hugging the changeling tightly before looking into her eyes. “Wow, you’re just as pretty as the first time I saw you. How do you keep up your appearance so well?”

“And you’re just as annoyingly upbeat as you’ve always been,” she replied flatly, although couldn’t help the little smirk that formed at the assertion that she was pretty. “Now please show me the surprise you said you had so I can be on my way.”

“Of course! But first, you need to close your eyes so Cadance and I can lead you there.”

“And leave myself open to an attack?” she scoffed. “Do you take me for a fool? Because I assure you, I’m not. I can see your plan from a mile away.”

“Well I guess you’re just gonna have to trust that we won’t do that then, cutie,” Cadance told her, a happy tone in her voice and a smile still on her face. “I promise you’ll like the surprise.”

“Mmmm… fine, but know that if you betray me, you’ll feel the full fury of my wrath, I assure you that.”

She was led up the stairs to the bedroom, her eyes fully closed, when she was suddenly tackled from the side. A trap! One she knew was coming, and yet took her by surprise anyway! She should’ve known better than to let her guard down, even for an instant. This was what their friendship plot amounted to: forced conversion through violence.

She struggled to push Cadance and Shining Armor off as they settled on top of her, wrapping their hooves around her in their attempts to subdue her. She didn’t give up though, wiggling her arms and legs and trying to move them. She certainly didn’t feed on the love they gave off as they snuggled her. No way would she ever. It was clearly a diversionary tactic to throw her off.

She certainly didn’t enjoy it as she settled into the weight on top of her. She would never.

“You do understand this constitutes an act of war between nations, correct?” she asserted, trying to look and sound angry as the stallion laid his head on her chest and Cadance nuzzled her muzzle into her neck. “The Crystal Empire and the Changeling Empire are officially at war now because of this attack on me.”

“Oh, shush now, Chryssi,” Cadance said with a smile as she took a moment to look her in the eye. “You just be a good bug and lay there and enjoy feasting on our love.”

“And besides, I thought you were going to take over the Crystal Empire once these dates were done,” Shining Armor chimed in. “How can there be a war if you’re going to be the ruler?”

“You know what I mean!” She picked up a pillow and threw it at his head before crossing her hooves. “You’re just trying to provoke me.”

“You’re absolutely adorable when you’re pouty about being happy,” Shining Armor replied. “You’re a cutie pie.”

“Well you’re both just annoying, and I’m still not interested, even as nice as this whole… experience has been.”

It was more than nice. It was downright wonderful. It was nice that they were being nice and giving her love to feast on in spite of her abrasiveness. Genuine love, too, at that. It tasted even sweeter somehow knowing that it was affection for her. It almost made her want to change.

She didn’t though. She would not be changing, not ever, and that was final. Maybe she could settle into their embrace though, and enjoy the weight of two ponies who wanted to feed her affection on top of her. That might not have been the worst thing in the world.

Reformation

Chrysalis awoke to a couple of ponies sleeping on top of her, their love radiating her way. She’d been slowly consuming it all night, but was still hungry regardless. However, her hunger wasn’t as intense as usual somehow, and when she opened her eyes, she could see her black skin faintly glowing.

No, I won’t be reforming, she thought to herself. This date is almost over. I won’t be giving into their plans of reformation, even if their company is lovely. By the end of the day, the Crystal Empire will belong to me.

Even still, she didn’t move, letting the weight of the two of them on top of her give her more love. She happily, heartily consumed it, not stopping as they slept, certainly not disturbing them lest their stream of love be interrupted and she be left to starve. However, it was only a few minutes after she opened her eyes when the two woke up.

“Wow, Chryssi, Cadance was right,” Shining Armor smiled as he and his wife stretched and yawned. “You’re even super cute when you have bed hair.”

“I am no such thing,” she replied, “but regardless, I believe we can say this date is officially concluded. Feel free to relinquish the Crystal Empire to my hooves at any time, although preferably as soon as possible.”

“Nope, it’s not done yet, silly,” Cadance told her. “Remember how we had breakfast last time? We’re gonna have it again now. Shiny and I want to talk to you before it’s over.”

“Of course you do,” she rolled her eyes. “But I guess I’ll allow it. But don’t think you’re going to talk me out of giving up the Empire. It won’t be happening.”

“Oh, no! We would never!” Shiny smiled, wearing an expression like this was perfectly acceptable. “But why don’t we get up and make some breakfast before we talk? How do blueberry pancakes sound?”

“Humph. Well, I’d honestly prefer chocolate chip, but I guess that’s acceptable since this is likely to be a negotiation.”

“Nope, no negotiation, and sure, chocolate chip it is. Come on, Caddy. Let’s let Chryssi pretty herself up while we make breakfast.”

The two left the room with that, leaving the bug queen alone. She sighed and stood up, making her way to the mirror to brush her hair. She might as well have looked beautiful for this occasion, not that she wasn’t always such. This was going to be a crowning moment. The day when all her hard work finally paid off. She knew if she kept at it, she would finally be in the position she expected herself to be in. This was it.

But if it was it, why did she want to keep spending time with those two ponies? Even though she knew they were intentionally trying to worm their way into her head, she couldn’t help but enjoy it. She liked being called pretty and being told she was loved despite who she was, and knew that their emotions were genuine. She knew that every time she tasted them. Were they just exceptional at acting? If not, what had she done to make them like her?

She didn’t know and did her best to put the thought out of her mind as she brushed her hair. This was it. No distractions. She wasn’t going to let however they did or didn’t feel about her take away from her achievement.

There was certainly nothing she felt that would become an issue. Nope, not at all.

It wasn’t long before she was stepping out of the room and making her way into the dining hall and eventually into the kitchen. There she saw the two of them working passionately to fix a meal, one highlighted by chocolate chip pancakes as she requested. The smell was wonderful, and even better than that was the taste of love that filled the air even still. It was unbelievable.

“We’re not quite ready, Chryssi,” Cadance said, not turning around as she and her husband worked, “but if you want to, you can try some of the food.”

“I’m quite alright. I’m a patient queen. But I must ask where you keep legal documents. I want to get the process of handing the Crystal Empire over to me started right away.”

“Always the eager one,” the alicorn smiled, finally turning around. “We’ll get to that, okay sweetie? Let’s just enjoy breakfast for right now,” she told her. “Taste this.”

She used her magic to shove a piece of something in her mouth, something that was both sweet and salty at the same time. She didn’t appreciate the gesture, but ate it anyway, finally commenting after she swallowed, “It’s acceptable.”

“And always so grumpy, too, Chryssi. You’re adorable.” Then she turned back to the food and said, “Give Shiny and I about five minutes, and we’ll be ready, okay?”

“If you say so,” she sighed, shaking her head as she exited the kitchen. She made her way to the long dining table and sat down, taking in the castle as she did. It was a beautiful palace, one where crystal lined the walls. A large, quiet place, one fit for a queen like her. It would be perfect for her habitation.

She could also imagine that it would be quite lonely in a place this big, but perhaps that wouldn’t be an issue. After all, she’d have thousands of subjects to look after, not to mention, she’d need to make plans to take back her hive. There’d be much to do, that much was certain. It would be hard work. But still…

It truly was only a few minutes before the prince and princess showed themselves again, the latter carrying in her magic a dozen dishes and spreading them around at the table. It all smelled wonderful, almost as wonderful as the romanticism coming from Shining Armor and the heartfelt affection from Cadance tasted. Once they set everything out, they both sat down next to her, one pony on either side, and filled their plates with food.

“This is all very lovely,” the changeling queen started, “but we must get down to business on the Crystal Empire.”

“We will,” they both said at the same time, Shining continuing, “but first, Cadance and I want to know something.”

She rolled her eyes, but went along with it. “What is it?”

“Do you remember that conversation the two of us had yesterday?” the stallion asked. Chrysalis nodded, and he continued, “Well, Cadance and I want to know… how would you feel about the three of us becoming a polycule?”

She was expecting it, but the changeling nearly choked on her bite of food, it was so sudden. “Wh- why exactly are you asking that?” she asked. “If this is a trick to try and get me to relinquish what I’ve already taken from you–”

“It’s not, sweetie,” Cadance smiled sweetly. “If you want to take the Crystal Empire, you can take it. We just want to know if you’d like to form a polycule with us.”

“Why are you asking then?” she asked, completely confused. “If this isn’t about the Crystal Empire, then what?”

“Really? You still don’t get it?” Shining Armor asked. “We’ve been saying all day on both of our dates that we like you.”

“But why?” she asked desperately. “What about me could possibly be attractive to ponies like you?” She gave them both sincere looks, ones that said she truly didn’t know and wished they would explain it to her.

“Well, the very first thing was the fact that, deep down, you truly care about your subjects,” Cadance started. “I mean, that much was apparent when you said you were invading Equestria for your foals. Not to mention, you’re exceptionally beautiful.”

“And your personality is absolutely adorable,” Shining jumped in. “The way you carry yourself– we love to see it. Everypony else we’ve met treats us like royalty, but whenever you interact with us, you show nothing but confidence, and it’s wonderful to see. You always tell us how you’re pretty and amazing, and, honestly, that confidence starts to rub off on other ponies.”

“Also you’re a huge tsundere,” Cadence finished, “and it’s the cutest thing ever.”

By the time they finished, her face was bright red and hidden in her hooves. It felt nice to be told nice things, nice to be told she was loved, something she never really experienced before these two. She thought she could withstand them, and yet here they were, walking all over her, crushing her with nice words and delicious love.

“And what of my reformation?” she asked carefully. “I’m never going to reform. Never. If you're expecting that from me, you’ll be sorely mistaken, because it’s not going to happen.”

“You don’t have to reform, silly,” Shining Armor told her as he and his wife hugged her from either side. "You don’t have to do anything. If you want to take the Crystal Empire and kick us out and never see us again, fine. We just want you to know that we like you for who you are.”

“I cannot understand why,” she whispered, using a hoof to wipe the little bit of wetness that started to build up in her eyes. “But please, let’s eat breakfast so I can take control of this nation and be done with it.”

“Of course, sweetie,” Cadance said. “We hope you enjoy it. We made it with love.”

The three of them ate a quiet meal, and once it was done, they headed back to Cadance’s office. The princess brought out legal documents to begin the transfer of power to Chrysalis, who stood silently watching them. She observed the two of them carefully, making sure they were marking down the correct things and not trying to trick her into doing something different than what they agreed. To her surprise though, they seemed to be doing no such thing.

Are you surprised? she asked herself. They’ve done nothing but offer themselves to you this entire time. Why would they change that now?

She had to admit to herself as she watched them that they’d been wonderful hosts, hosts that matched what she would seek in partners perfectly. Royalty, as she was, gracious, perfect looks like she had, and rulers who commanded their kingdom with total authority. She couldn’t imagine she’d find any creature else quite like these two to be with, if she’d find any creature else at all.

They are quite nice…

It was only a minute before the two of them were finished, handing the papers over to her to sign. She looked them over to make sure they were all correct, and after just a moment’s hesitation, signed them, taking the Crystal Empire for her own.

“Well, I guess that’s it,” she said quietly, sending a look the two’s way. “Now you must go, like I said you would have to.” She felt exceptionally bad about doing it, but it was for the best. Drive them away now before their love took further hold into her heart. She was lucky to have lasted this long against it.

She expected them to protest, or have sad looks in their eyes, or be angry, or something, but they only smiled at her before heading out. It was the opposite of what she expected, but tasting their emotions, she found no trick or secret plot against her. It confused her greatly.

“Wait,” she stopped them. “Why are you just leaving like this?” she asked. “With no protest or anger or anything?”

“We told you we would do whatever you asked,” Shining Armor said. “We weren’t trying to change your mind or anything, and we said we weren’t going to. We just wanted you to know that we liked you a lot.”

“But how can you just act in this way?” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense!”

“What doesn’t make sense about it, sweetie?” Cadance asked with a warm smile.

“This isn’t supposed to be how it goes! You’re supposed to protest and fight back and…”

“And what?” Shining Armor asked. “Defeat you? We said we’d give you the nation once we had our dates, and now we have.”

“No, I’m not supposed to be defeated! You’re supposed to try and reform me!”

“Do you want us to try and reform you?”

“No, but…”

“Then what’s the issue, Chryssi?” Both of them looked at her like they were genuinely curious and legitimately didn’t know what she meant. Chrysalis blushed in embarrassment again, but before she could stop herself, said what she wanted to say.

“But maybe I want you to stay here with me,” she said quickly, looking down at her hooves in absolute shame. She looked back up at the two of them to catch their heartfelt eyes and kind smiles, but only for a second. After a second, she put her eyes back to the floor.

“We can stay here with you, Chryssi,” Cadance told her. “That’s no issue.”

“That would be preferable… but only until I’ve established myself as queen over these ponies,” she said quickly. “This is certainly not happening because I like you, I do want to make that clear, and once I get into the hang of running things, you’ll be told to leave. Is that understood?”

“Oh, of course. We’d never want to stay here if you don’t want us here,” Shining Armor said, moving up to her to nuzzle one side of her neck.

“But you know, Cadance said, nuzzling the other side, “if you like us, you can let us know. We don’t mind. In fact, we’d like it if you loved us as much as we love you.”

“Well, I don’t. Perhaps I enjoy your company, but l-let me make clear that that doesn’t amount to love. I’m not reforming. I’m not!”

“Of course not, sweetie. But how about we go out for a walk in the park and then get some lunch? To show you what other parts of the Crystal Empire look like and to explain how to run things?”

“Y-yes, that sounds enjoyable,” she agreed. Not that she loved them. She didn’t. But she had to admit, she did like them more than any other creature she’d met. Not to mention, it might take years to learn how to operate the Crystal Empire with the smoothness they did. Maybe even a lifetime.

Surely she’d have to keep them around for all that time. But only for that reason. Not because she loved them, of course.

Author's Note

The end!

Deeper Feelings

“Why are you two so bent on reforming me?” Chrysalis asked in between taking bites of spaghetti and stealing bits of Shining Armor’s lasagna. It was harder to eat than she expected, getting sauce on her hooves and face and leaving her a bit undignified looking. Not that a queen had the potential to look undignified, of course, but if she wasn't one, she'd certainly look quite messy.

“It’s never going to happen,” she said. “You might as well give up. If I can help it, and I certainly can help it, I won’t be reforming, not ever.”

“If you say so, Chryssi,” Shining Armor chuckled. “You definitely weren’t a second away from reforming before the waiter came back to us.”

“I just like to tease,” she said defiantly. “Show you what could happen, and then stop so you can know what will never be.” With the words, she reached her fork over and stole another piece of her companion’s food.

“Sure, sweetie,” the stallion smiled. “Although it sure seems like you’ve taken a liking to Cadance and I. And my lasagna for that matter. You must have eaten a third of it.”

“Are you angry?” she asked. “I was under the impression that sharing was a part of this friendship business you ponies seem to love to chant about.”

“Haha, no, I’m not angry. Actually, it’s pretty adorable. I didn’t think you liked eating regular food as much as you did love.”

“Well as I was telling your wife, it shouldn’t be surprising that we need regular food to sustain ourselves as well.” She reached over and stole another piece of lasagna from him, chewing with a defiant smirk.

“Anyway, Cadance told me you had plenty of kids. In fact, she was telling me that every changeling in your old hive is a nymph of yours. What’s it like mothering so many foals?”

She gasped at that comment, almost choking on her food. “That– that is a private question, something no stallion can understand. I can’t believe you’d ask something like that.”

“Awww, you’re still gonna be shy. Cadance told me you were being shy when she asked that. She really wanted to know, too.”

“I… it’s a lot of work,” she blushed quietly. “Making sure they all know how to hunt and feed themselves, taking care of them until they’re ready.” She paused and turned away angrily. “Teaching them that ponies hate them and will scream at the sight of them.”

It made Shining Armor frown. She knew he was going to say something about how it was actually her and her foals fault, how the changelings should’ve known better. That’s what Starlight told her during their brief conversation before she told her hive from her.

“I’m sorry,” Shining Armor apologized. “That’s something we should’ve been better about. We’re getting better now, but we should’ve been willing to make friends with any creature, not just ponies.” He looked her in the eyes as he genuinely told her, “I’m sorry.”

“So what? This is the part where you only try to date me because you want to appease me and say you’re sorry for the way you treated my kind and I? Because forgive me if I think a gift basket seems more appropriate in that case.”

“Nope. I told you before, Cadance and I aren’t in the business of making ponies feel better by going on dates with them. We want to date you because we like you, not to try and ask for forgiveness. You’re right though that a gift basket would work better if that was the case. Maybe one full of lasagna with how much you like to steal mine.”

He gave her a charming smile as he finished, one she couldn’t be mad at. It was one that reminded her of when she was pretending to be Cadance, one he sent her way often. It was hypnotic somehow, and something she had to avoid seeing if she was going to be successful against the reformation that seemed closer and closer to happening.

Did she mind reforming? She didn’t know. It was still a scary thought to her.

“Anyway, what do you say to some desert while we keep talking after we finish? I’m certainly gonna still be hungry with how much of my food you’ve stolen.”

“Of course, I’d like dessert. It’s how a stallion treats a mare, am I correct? I expect to be treated like a queen at all times.”

“Oh, of course you do,” he said with a smile. “And you know what? Even if you weren’t a queen, I’d still treat you like one, because that’s what you deserve. You just radiate nothing but royalty and resplendence.”

“That’s absolutely correct, and I’m glad you see it, too.” At least he wasn’t blind.

The two ate in peace for a little while, Chrysalis occasionally stealing parts of his food as they did. She had to admit, she was extremely hungry, but it was for more than just lasagna and spaghetti. The love she ate off of him though was less like a flood like it was with Cadance. His came out more like a trickle, a steady, never ending stream that she could drink from, just like it did when she spent time with him before. It tasted just as sweet, too, like a pot of honey. While Cadance’s was more fluffy and hearty like meat and bread, his felt more thin and stringy… like the spaghetti she was eating. Not that it was any worse to her though. It tasted great just the same.

A few minutes later, they were being served a couple of plates of baklava, something Chrysalis found to be extremely tasty. As they ate, Shining Armor continued to engage her with questions, and difficult ones at that.

“Can you tell me why you’re so against friendship?” Shining Armor asked. “Honestly, I mean. I want to know what we can do to help.”

“Because all you ponies have turned it into a cult,” she responded quickly, seriously. “It’s a ridiculous cult that seeks to turn into a villain every creature who’s uncomfortable joining. ‘Oh, we can’t share our love unless you join our friendship’. Blech. No thank you.”

“Friendship isn’t a cult. It’s just–”

“Then why villainize any creature who doesn’t automatically praise it?” she pressed. “My hive was villainized for simply wanting some love to eat until they converted to that cult. How can that be anything but evil? Explain it to me.”

“Nopony cares that you eat love! We cared that you were taking the place of our friends! That’s what creatures are bothered by! If you just ask, I’m sure–”

“Believe me, we did, but every time, the response was, ‘let’s be friends’ and ‘join our friendship cult’. Whenever we refused, we were always turned away and left to starve. How can that possibly be anything but you wanting us to join your cult?”

“I… think you’re misunderstanding friendship, Chryssi,” Shining Armor said. “It’s not a cult. When somepony says, ‘I want to be your friend’, that’s them saying that they like you and want to get to know you better.”

“Well someponies don’t want to be known that closely,” she replied, pushing her mane with a hoof.

“And that’s okay, but friendship isn’t a cult,” he said. “It’s just… well, the best way to think about it is an agreement to be nice and kind and have fun with each other,” he explained.

“That seems awfully strange.”

“It can be if you think about it. But if it means anything, I would say we’re friends.”

“What?” she asked, completely flabbergasted. “How in the wide, wide world of Equestria could you possibly say that we’re friends?” she asked.

“I mean, we’re talking here now, aren’t we?” he smiled. “And we’re eating out at a restaurant like friends do, and are gonna go for a walk later. Plus, you’ve gotten to know my wife, and you got to know me the last time we were in the Crystal Empire. I can safely say we’re friends. Or, at least, you’re my friend.”

“Yes, well, I can’t say the same about you, not yet at least,” she responded defiantly. “Perhaps, perhaps we’re acquaintances at the very most. But don’t go pushing your luck on that either.”

“Of, of course not,” he laughed. “But I have to ask: what do you like to do for fun?”

She didn’t see why he cared, but went into detail about how she enjoyed listening to stories told by her guards and giving orders to her subjects. He explained that he liked playing a game called ‘croquet’ and telling stories. It wasn’t a coincidence that she knew. He was just trying to get into her head by saying that, but didn’t mention it.

She laughed and listened though as he started to tell stories to her, eating baklava as she did. Just like before, when she was infiltrating the Crystal Empire, he was quite the charmer, engaging her as they talked and keeping her entertained. Eventually, they were done with their desserts, but they kept on talking anyway, going on so long that everypony else had left and the wait staff had to inform them they were closing.

“I will admit, this has been better than I thought it would be,” she told him as they stood up from their spots at the table. “Thank you… I appreciate it.”

“Oh, you don’t need to thank me. Thank you for coming along! I love eating here, and so does Cadance. She and I both knew you would like it.”

“Yes, it was indeed tasty. But now, you must hand over the Crystal Empire to me,” she said seriously, getting down to business. “I gave my end, now I expect you to give your end.”

“Our date’s not over yet, silly! It’s only just beginning! We haven’t even gone for a walk under the stars or cuddled up in bed like we used to do! You can’t flake on me now!”

“There’s more?”

“Of course there’s more! If you think you’re getting away from me that easily, you’re mistaken. Now let’s get out of here and look at the stars.”