Taking the Queen

Chrysalis barely said a word while Rarity worked. Every so often, she would answer a question directed at her, but she otherwise stayed quiet. She felt small, like she was an insect about to be crushed. She thought that a fitting analogy, and latched onto the idea.

No tears, though. As much as she felt like crying, as much as she wanted to curl up in the corner and await the inevitable, she had to at least try to stay strong. The amount of damage she'd done to Equestria and her citizens was monumental. Having found a respect for ponykind, she knew that she deserved this. Perhaps not execution, but certainly some irrevocable harm; an endless reminder of what she'd done.

She couldn't help but notice the colour of the dress Rarity was making right in front of her. It was a muted turquoise, the same colour as her changeling blood. Even if it did end up stained, nopony would notice. It wasn't showy or flashy, but she supposed it didn't need to be. All eyes would be on her, regardless of what she wore. This was a special occasion, as Rarity had said.

A special occasion... Rarity had mentioned that if she ever wore the dress again, it would be for a similar event; something of equal importance. She couldn't be killed twice. The only other time she would wear this if she was being beheaded would be at a memorial service, but who would mourn her? Spiceberry and Starlight were the best guess for who might show up. Perhaps even Shining Armor, if he cared to check in again. Even then, would they really give her a nice dress to be burned or buried in?

"Time for a fitting," announced Rarity, walking across the room with a half-finished dress. Chrysalis hadn't been paying attention to the method of processing the cloth into the form of a dress, having been lost in her thoughts. She was aware, however, that most dresses, during production, were held together with pins. Usually safety pins if the dress was going to be tried on before being sewn together, to protect the model from being poked. For some reason, Rarity was using clamps. Tiny spring-loaded clamps that pinched the fabric together.

"These look like clothespins," observed Chrysalis. "Don't you usually have pins?"

"I switched to clamps a little while ago," admitted Rarity. "It wasn't my idea, but the stallion who told me about it made a very compelling case. Savage, I think his name was. He did a lot of work with faux leather, and the thing about using pins in faux leather is that the pinholes don't disappear, ever. So he came up with this idea while welding to just use clamps to hold the faux leather sheets in place while he was sewing them, and that would keep everything in alignment. It has a few other benefits, too. If something's too tight with a pin, for example, it could rip out the fabric. With a clamp instead, it'd just pop right off and land on the floor. Plus, you can't stick yourself. They do take up more space, but that's a small price to pay."

"So now you just use clamps?"

"That's correct, dear. Anymore, I find it does less damage to the fabric, and they're easier to clean up, too. Not to mention, if I leave a clamp in one of my dresses, and the customer sits on it, it won't hurt nearly as much. How's that feel?"

In truth, it felt a little too tight around the chest, and needed to be let out a little bit more. If it was stitched up exactly as it was, then any strenuous activity could crush her wings under the pressure. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?" confirmed Rarity. "It looks a bit tight around the chest and loose around the hips." She undid the clips behind Chrysalis' shoulders and lowered the cloth, loosening the chest. She did the opposite at her hips, and the taut cloth gave some extra support to her breasts. "How's that? Better or worse?"

Chrysalis turned her head away. "B-better..."

Rarity took the dress off and fired up the sewing machine. "Is something troubling you, dear?"

Chrysalis shook her head. "I don't want to detract from what you're doing."

"Oh, nonsense, dear, this isn't a part where I need to let my mind wander. I just need my eyes and hooves for this part. If you're nervous, talking will help with that."

"I don't think talking will help me. Not with what's going on tonight."

Rarity raised her voice to be heard over the sewing machine. "So you've figured out what you're going to be doing?"

"Not entirely," called Chrysalis, raising her voice similarly. "Only that it's some kind of punishment."

Rarity suddenly stopped and turned around. "Really? Starlight told me you'd enjoy it."

Chrysalis just shrugged.

"Shame. He seemed so nice when we talked this morning."

Chrysalis sat down on the bed, noting how much more comfortable it was than her own. Starlight had thought this a good idea. She had thought Starlight, of all ponies, would have been able to note her progress. Sure, she'd fucked up with Fluttershy, but would she enjoy being punished?

Rarity tried to bring up bits of conversation again with little luck. Chrysalis would give direct, curt answers without prying back. She did not let up from her work, focusing on finishing the dress as quickly as she could. She only had a few hours, after all.

It was a beautiful dress when finished, an elegant pleated evening gown. The fit was exact. The colour was beautiful. The zipper... was cheaply made, honestly. It ended up sticking as it was being pulled up, and the tab broke off. Rarity had fixed it with a paper clip, but she promised to replace it properly when she had more time.

"We only have about half an hour left before he arrives," said Rarity, pulling up a chair to sit in front of Chrysalis. She opened a small suitcase that turned out to actually be a toolbox filled with makeup supplies. "No more of that sour mood, now. All the makeup in Equestria can't help you if you wear your emotions on your sleeve."

"It's a sleeveless dress."

"I'm saying, you need to cheer up. I know you say it's torture, but even a fake smile will do. The night will be over before you know it, and if you can trick everypony into thinking you're happy to be out there, they just might grant you release."

With a deep breath, Chrysalis lost her sour face, replacing it with one that could have fooled anypony. "As queen of the changelings, I pride myself on being able to hide any aspect of myself at any time."

"Former queen," reminded Rarity.