Taking the Queen

Chrysalis woke up the next morning to the sound of her cell opening. A large plastic box was being wheeled into her cell, standing completely upright with doors on the front. Two guards had come in to set it up against the wall, and once it was in the right place, remove the wheels. Once situated, one of them pulled out a key and unlocked the box. The doors swung open and from the inside came a wicker basket, which was placed next to the box.

"This is your new wardrobe," informed the guard that had finished the setup. "In accordance with Starlight's orders, you are to keep your clean clothes inside, and drop the dirty clothes in the hamper, here." He indicated the wicker basket he'd set off to the side. "There's also a box inside of there that I've been informed is new, and that it is to stay that way. I'm not going to enforce that, as I'm still on the clock and have more important matters to attend to, so make sure you leave that box untouched."

The guard walked out of the room and locked the door. Chrysalis lowered her head back down to the pillow and sighed. She didn't know anything about the box that had been delivered. She wasn't even expecting a wardrobe and hamper. She was expecting the return of the rack and its hangers.

It was a few hours before she actually stood up. As her meal service was unique among those locked in this dungeon, she did not need to be active for breakfast. As Twilight and Starlight would come by in the afternoons, she used the squeaky wheels of the lunch cart to decide when she would put on her dress. As soon as she heard that squeal, she stood up and walked over to the wardrobe.

She picked a very simple dress today, a dark green shift with a belt to match. As she looked down into the wardrobe, there sat the box. It was a very normal-looking box, looking as if it were made of wood, with the corners rounded, and the whole thing covered in a wicker weave. The latch was a simple hook and eye, meaning a quick prod with her hoof would see it open. There was even a large handle on top, so she could pick it up and carry it, and the latch would keep it closed.

She closed the doors and left the box where it sat. Whatever it was, Starlight had intended it to be unopened. She would not let her curiosity force her hoof. She would wait until she was given a good reason to open it. She had heard tales of boxes that, when opened, would hit a trigger that would cause some sort of damages. Paper snakes were well-documented, but a dye pack could be in there, as well, and that would stain her dresses. Or worse, some kind of explosive.

It wasn't too long before Twilight showed up, as expected. "I see they delivered your wardrobe and hamper. Were all of your outfits inside?"

"As far as I know. I didn't count them, nor did I memorize what was in there previously."

"Well, let Starlight know if there's anything missing tomorrow. I'm afraid that I won't be around for very long today, as I have business in the Crystal Empire for the next few days. Starlight's going to take you every day for the next week or so. I'm actually leaving in two hours, and I still have to pack, so let's make this quick."

Chrysalis nodded, and a silence fell between them. For a moment, they just stared at each other, not saying anything until Twilight gestured for Chrysalis to start.

"What's the lesson today?" asked Chrysalis, shrugging. "Are we on a tight schedule, or aren't we? You know I heard you; I answered your questions. Let's go, already."

"You need to grab your equipment, first."

"What equipment?"

Twilight furrowed her brow. "They brought you the wardrobe. Inside was supposed to be a bag filled with buckles. Starlight said you needed somepony to help you with your buckles. That's what we're supposed to be doing today."

Chrysalis turned her head to the side. "There wasn't any bag." She stepped back and grabbed the hamper, upending it to show that it was empty. She also opened the wardrobe to show Twilight that there was no bag.

Twilight pushed the door open and walked in, unlatching the box and pulling out a cloth bag. "This bag. Didn't you look in the box?"

"I was told not to."

"The guards were told not to."

"Yeah, and they passed that along to me."

"The captain did tell her to leave the box untouched, ma'am," chimed the guard. "He said he didn't want her to damage it."

Twilight sighed. "Fine. Whatever." She opened the bag and dumped its contents on the bed. A large assortment of gags, strap-ons and belts spilled out in a pile. Within seconds, Twilight had sorted everything out into columns and rows. "Wow. She must have put more in when I walked out. I don't even have some of this stuff."

"So..." Chrysalis waved her hoof over it. "What are we supposed to do with all of this?"

Twilight raised her head proudly. "These are the forty-five most common harness latches found in Equestria. There are over a hundred total, but right now, we're going to go over the ones you're most likely to encounter." She picked up the double D-ring canvas strap, the same one that Chrysalis had been unable to figure out yesterday. "This one, for example, is a common choice for belts that need to be adjusted. You feed the belt through both rings first, then around the outside of the second ring and through the inside of the first ring again. When tension is applied to the belt, the rings are the same size and cannot pass through each other, and the pressure will keep a bite in the belt and stop it from coming undone.

"The next one is a simple button and eye, and you'll find this on shirts and pants and all manner of other things. It has a lot of failure points, but each piece is easily and cheaply repaired. A button, some thread, and it's all cleaned up.

"This one's a fun one. It's just simple snaps. You press one side against the other, and they click into place. Either side is riveted into place, too, so they're not likely to break, though they will wear down after a few years of use."

Twilight continued on, detailing the many ways one could attach a belt, from braided leather to jewelry clasps. As mundane and humdrum as it seemed from the outset, as one would think when talking about buckles, Twilight made sure to point out every detail with such passion that Chrysalis had to pay attention. Even if she only needed the information to be able to operate them, Twilight would list out their peaks, their failings, how to repair them, and how to attach them. By the end, Twilight had talked beyond her time limit, and had to leave in a rush, leaving Chrysalis unfed for that day.