Author's Note
While I had a few ideas for ways I could potentially follow up Once Bonked, the overwhelming reception I got from everybody blew anything I expected out of the water! Thank you so so much for it all! (I still can't believe it was featured, yet alone second).
I was also super surprised at just how many people wanted a sequel, something that resulted in me finally narrowing down the idea that had the most promise.
Due to various reasons, this is going to be a two shot instead of a one shot, mainly since unlike some of my other ideas, this one has a natural point where you can break the fic up and I need more experience when it comes to multi chapter fics. Also while this chapter sticks close to dialogue from the episode in places, the next one might more loosely adapt it for various reasons.
I want to once again thank my friend for continuing to put up with me and making this fic into something you are all able to understand. Hope you all enjoy chapter 1!
Changing Discourse
“The gala?” Repeated Chrysalis, confusion visible all over her face as she took another sip of her tea. “That high society event in Canterlot? I had heard murmurings of it back when I was planning my ‘wedding’. So you’ve been invited again?”
“Y-yep… I’ve had my invitation for a w-while now… I just didn’t know when to b-bring it up…” Fluttershy spoke quietly, trying not to show her nerves as she sat next to her mare friend.
The two were sitting together in the pegasus’s cottage, enjoying each other’s company. It was a shame that moments like these were so few and far between, with both of them only seeming to get more and more busy in the months since they had first separated. The world just kept throwing more curveballs at them between the times they were able to get together in the cottage Chrysalis had learned to call a home, and the pony that made it one.
Fluttershy already had her animals to look after and care for, let alone the constant misadventures her friends dragged her along on every couple days. Chrysalis for her part not only had to find the hundreds of displaced Changelings that were sent flying out of Canterlot, but also teach them of her newfound experience and Fluttershy's teachings of kindness.
For a race that literally had the word change in their name, it turned out they weren’t particularly good at it.
Still, the respect they had for their Queen meant that very few had objected to the notion, Chrysalis even getting the impression that a few of her subjects were excited by the idea. The old her would have despised what she saw as a weakness, but she knew better now, that the kindness they possessed made them stronger than any of the others. Naturally she put those Changelings in her new higher council, the perfect advisors for their future and those still learning.
It took a few months and many secret meetings with Fluttershy for any definite progress to be made (on the Changeling front that is; they made many advances in their own relationship during that time), before a council member named Thorax’s embrace of love causing a change even greater than any of them were expecting. Unbeknownst to their race, feeding on love by force was far from the only option for them. An embrace of one’s own love could change their physical appearance dramatically, and make it so they no longer needed to feed on others to survive.
By all accounts it was an upgrade, one that would hopefully be the first of many steps in their redemption in the eyes of the rest of the world, most of the hive already undergoing it since Thorax’s discovery. Chrysalis only had one issue: the new colours threatened to make her go blind from the pastel, garish shades on display.
It was a small price to pay, she supposed. And even if it wasn’t to her tastes, Fluttershy’s face when she visited, her wide eyes shining in pride at all she had done, at how far she had come, made it all worth it.
Which still didn’t make it any less embarrassing or frustrating that every other Changeling called Fluttershy their new queen, despite specific instructions not to do so.
This had been their first meeting since that day, Fluttershy’s question coming after they had already spent a good amount of time together, the suddenness of it catching her off guard completely.
“And… you want me. To come with you. To Canterlot. Where Princess Celestia herself will be attending. The city I once led an invasion directly into. Excuse me if I am slightly sceptical if they will invite me back with open arms.” Chrysalis stated drily, her expression unchanging as Fluttershy giggled to herself.
“Well of course I do! You’re my marefriend! There’s nopony else in Equestria that I would want by my side.” Fluttershy spoke earnestly, smiling as Chrysalis's face turned almost completely red, the Changeling stammering as she was caught off guard by the reply.
“I-it’s lovely you think so Fluttershy… but your love does not eliminate the problems I’ve already mentioned. The fact is, nopony other than you knows anything about what has happened with me and my hive since the wedding.” The Queen’s eyes briefly lowered in regret, Fluttershy giving her a comforting look as she continued. “But even then I can’t exactly transform into a random pony and go with you. If it’s somepony who lives in Ponyville, it could cause an untold number of issues. And if it’s a pony I make up… I’ll get the Pinkie Pie treatment.” The fearless Changeling queen shuddered at the thought, the Pegasus humming to herself as she grew lost in thought.
“Well, Derpy knows about you! You could use her as a disguise maybe? It might make you feel better about slipping up in the first place with her too!” Fluttershy suggested.
“How was I supposed to know the mailmare checks the sender's name?! Putting “Queen of the Changelings” down in big bold letters should have made her look away!” Chrysalis grumbled, crossing her hooves and pouting while Fluttershy giggled to herself.
“That’s… n-not how ponies work dear… honestly we’re lucky she’s so understanding…” Fluttershy snuggled harder against her marefriend, trying to calm her down as the Queen smiled back.
“Fair enough. And that isn’t a bad idea. But not really ideal. While Derpy might be ok with it, it might cause some unnecessary questioning from your friends. Besides, you mentioned Rarity was almost certain she had a thing for that clockmaker or something.” The Changeling explained, Fluttershy frowning as she grew lost in thought once more.
“Right… that w-wouldn’t be fair to them if what Rarity said was true… well I suppose it might be about time we try actually telling my friends and the princesses about everything. I’m sure Twilight will understand! W-well I suppose she might still be a little upset about the wedding…” The pegasus trailed off, looking at her marefriend hopefully as Chrysalis sighed.
“Like I keep telling you, I’m not… I’m not ready yet. I want that to happen once the Changelings are the best we can be. I need to prove to them we are deserving of their forgiveness. We need to earn their favour and show we have truly changed for the better. Not this awkward, messy adjustment period we’re stuck in…”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, already aware of just how prideful Chrysalis and Changelings as a whole could get sometimes. She was used to dealing with it from months of experience by now. Instead she focused on alternative solutions, hoping there was something she missed, something instantly coming to mind as her eyes widened in excitement.
“I’ve got it! I know a pony you can use as a disguise! One that won’t cause any issues with ponies living here and get you out of a Pinkie Pie welcome party! Tree Hugger! I met her when I was studying the Breezies on that trip that I used to visit the hive. While I was with her I asked if I could maybe use her image for some things back home, and she agreed! So she can deal with any questions that she could potentially get asked too!” The Pegasus smiled excitedly at Chrysalis, her wings pressed together in excitement, the Changeling blinking before answering.
“First… why in Equestria did you ask that in the first place? You don’t advertise yourself. You don’t- wait, did you ask her that in case I needed a disguise!?” Chrysalis's mouth fell open as Fluttershy blushed and looked away.
“I was preparing for a worst case scenario just in case you needed it… I get worried sometimes…” The pegasus admitted, feeling more embarrassed by the second as she blushed.
“I had no idea you could be so crafty…”
“I guess y-you’re rubbing off on me…” Fluttershy meekly admitted, smiling slightly at her marefriend’s shocked expression.
“...I suppose I am. I’m personally happier that you rubbed off on me more though.” Fluttershy blushed from her words, looking both incredibly embarrassed and pleased.
“Now, I need to know about this pony. What she looks like. What she acts like. Anything that we can get our hooves on.”
“D-does that… does that mean you’ll come with me next week?” Fluttershy asked, her hopeful tone making the Changeling smile back.
“Yes. I suppose going to the gala with you wouldn’t be the worst use of my time. I’m sure the hive can last without me for a day if I make enough preparations.” Chrysalis mused, Fluttershy’s smile growing wider by the second.
“Thank you so much! Oh we’re going to have such a good time! You can actually meet my friends and we can have a proper date outside of my cottage and the hive and it’s going to be so fun!” The Pegasus beamed as she rambled in excitement, her eyes shining as Chrysalis listened silently, feeling just as giddy and warm inside at the thought, imagining them both together under the moonlight in the palace gardens, her love spreading for miles while they spent time together without having to worry about the rest of Equestria.
She really was going soft if she was having thoughts like that.
“I can’t wait. Now, about this Tree Hugger… how does she act? I’d hope it’s something relatively close to my behaviour…” Oh no. Fluttershy was doing her nervous shuffle now, which she always did when she was trying her best to think of a way to share bad news.
“Fluttershy. She does act at least a little like me right?”
Fluttershy shook her head.
“Not even a bit?”
Another head shake.
“H-how does she act then?” Chrysalis asked with a growing feeling of dread.
“She’s a little… let’s just say… open minded?”
In hindsight, she knew there had to be a catch.
Fluttershy shook in excitement, the train finally coming into view, stopping at the platform she had been waiting on for an hour now. The day of the Gala had come at last, the pegasus smiling wide, having to stop herself from running right to the station after finishing up in her cottage.
It was hard to believe that this was happening, that she was actually able to spend time with her marefriend in public. Sure she would be disguised as another pony, and her friends didn’t know that they had been a thing for months now, but it was more than she had ever dreamed!
Her smile filled her face as the ponies emptied from the train, looking around rapidly for any sign of Chrysalis’s disguise. Tree Hugger was instantly noticeable as she trotted out last, the slight frown on her face instantly lifting into a small smile at the sight of her.
“Tree Hugger! I’m so glad you made it!” She was also admittedly incredibly nervous, something that might have influenced her shout, feeling safer after the Changeling was at her side.
“Fluttershy! It’s so… like… righteous? To… see you… today?” Chrysalis looked like she was cringing at every word she spoke while Fluttershy nuzzled up next to her, the two of them trotting away from the busy station and into the open streets of Ponyville. The disguised Changeling smiled, looking around to see if there were any ponies nearby before leaning into Fluttershy’s ear.
“Are you sure there isn’t anypony else I can use as a disguise? Perhaps one that talks normally!?” Chrysalis whispered, before smiling at the blue pony that walked past them, trying not to draw any suspicion.
“I’m sorry, but it really was the best I could do. Just try and sound more confident like we practised! Then it will all be fine…” Fluttershy said, holding her marefriend’s hoof and smiling comfortingly. Even though it wasn’t something she particularly needed at this moment, it was welcome all the same.
“Thank you Fluttershy. I mean, that advice is… totally radical?” Chrysalis answered uncertainly, the pegasus’s grin of delight raising her spirits and confidence as they giggled together.
“There we go. Just like that! See, I knew it would be easy for you.” Fluttershy praised the Changeling, who had to resist the childish urge to spread her wings in pride and ruin the disguise.
“It’s only natural. After all, my essence and vibes cannot be disturbed by the burdens of anypony. I remain unmoved like the most steady of trees.” She let out another giggle at her own words, Fluttershy smiling happily as they walked past the ponies going about their daily lives.
“Of course. You’re obviously a very good actress. Even when you're acting like a grumpy bug.” She paused, looking uncertain with herself for a moment before continuing. “If you want, I was thinking of going to a cafe together before showing you around Ponyville? Since you’ve never been able to explore it. Outside of my cottage of course… so if Derpy is available, I was thinking we could explore together! Since you always seem to enjoy talking to people who know who you are and all...”
Her words warmed her heart, Chrysalis blushing through her disguise as she once again realised how good her marefriend was at reading anypony or animal she saw, noticing little details she never once shared. Her kindness was powerful like that, something she would never be able to understand, yet that alienness made it all the more beautiful to her. It was that kindness that broke through her stubborn walls, showed her and her subjects a different, better way of living, and it was that light that would drive them forwards.
“I would love to.” She replied, smiling before adding some additional Tree Huggerness at the end for the nearby ponies. “Spending time with the most radical pony in Equestria is like, the best way to renew my vibes right now.” Fluttershy laughed happily, the action feeding her more than love ever could, the most wonderful noise in Equestria right above the calming noises made by her hive.
“Oh my, you are funny!” Fluttershy giggled, Chrysalis’s heart beating faster, content in the knowledge that she would be able to spend an entire day with her. She didn’t have to worry about her disguise choice somehow backfiring, only needing to have faith in her acting ability and marefriend. With her by her side, this day was one she was confident in saying was going to be perfect.
“I guess every being in Equestria is funny today.”
Chrysalis held back her scream of alarm with every bit of her acting ability, staring at the face of the draconequus that had butted in between them and glared at her in dislike, making a mental note to really, really stop thinking those words.
Hearing that the embodiment of chaos had reformed was shocking enough, but seeing it with her own eyes was a very different matter, Chrysalis hoping to whatever higher being was listening for her marefriend to take the lead this time.
Unlike her, Fluttershy was completely unfazed by the spirit’s appearance. It was understandable that she had time to get used to Discord’s antics, but the way she adapted so quickly even put her improv skills to shame.
“Oh, how rude of me! Tree Hugger, this is Discord. Discord, Tree Hugger.” She spoke calmly, smiling as she gestured her hoof to the both of them, the draconequus facing away with his arms crossed in annoyance, a sharp contrast to the legends and murmurings the Changelings had of him.
She had never actually met Discord before. His reformation had taken place relatively early in her and Fluttershy’s relationship, and to this day Chrysalis held suspicions that Celestia asking her marefriend to reform a villain so soon after their relationship began was timed a bit too perfectly not to mean anything.
It was because of this that Fluttershy and her had both agreed to keep her and Discord apart, unsure how he would react to her so early in his experiences of friendship. She was hardly a shining example either, so it was bound to go as well as building a chocolate fireplace.
Of course, him being the worst secret keeper in Equestria behind only Pinkie Pie was a factor too.
It was then that she realised she probably needed to say something before it got weird, even if it had only been a few seconds since Fluttershy introduced her, Chrysalis only hoping her improvisation skills were as good as her marefriend’s.
“Radical to meet you. Really digging your vibe.” Spoke the Changeling as calmly as she could, trying her best to keep herself together, wondering just why Discord was here. Fluttershy had mentioned she had a meeting with him that morning, but he should have been long gone by the time she got here. Still, she was confident that her acting was flawless, certain that it would avoid any issues with the draconequus.
“My vibe?” Discord’s tone was very different from what she had been prepared for now, barely controlled fury lying beneath his words as Chrysalis stared into his glowing red eyes with an unflinching and unchanged expression. Said expression was in sharp contrast to her thought process though, her body frozen from the intensity.
“Oh Tartarus below, I’m dead. I’m dead. He’s going to open a hole in the ground and send my body to another universe full of giant robots! Or hit me with a giant fly swatter! Or Luna knows what! What did I do to deserve this? Wait. Not the best argument. But I’m a good Changeling now! I can change! My subjects need me! Fluttershy needs me! Please whatever higher being is listening SAVE ME FROM THIS DEATH!”
“It's a compliment.” While her marefriend’s thoughts of mild alarm kept her busy, Fluttershy swiftly salvaged the situation, whispering as Discord leaned forward with an unimpressed glare.
“Oh, well, I'm sure it is.” Chuckled Discord, sounding more dismissive and annoyed than frustrated before continuing, his words breaking the Changeling free from her mild alarm. “Well, I must be off.”
He vanished in a poof of energy, the two left alone once more as Chrysalis turned to Fluttershy in bewilderment, about to ask for some kind of explanation when another BING echoed from in front of them, both ponies turning to see Discord facing away from them, his arms crossed again.
“It has nothing to do with seeing you or not seeing you. You can be rest assured of that.” The draconequus laughed awkwardly, looking away as he spoke with the same dismissive, peeved tone as before, instantly vanishing with another BING.
It took only a few seconds for another BING to ring out, Chrysalis still as confused as ever as Fluttershy’s mouth fell open in surprise, Discord pointing finger guns at them as he forced out an annoyed. “Have fun at the Gala!”
He turned around right afterwards, stretching his face before vanishing once more, the two mares left in silence as they recovered from the sudden interruption of their conversation. For half a minute they didn’t say a word, just in case Discord reappeared again, Fluttershy breaking the silence with a sigh.
“So! That was… uh… Discord…” She muttered, trying hard to stay positive as Chrysalis gave her an unimpressed stare back.
“You don’t say.” Chrysalis replied dryly, her mind still processing what she witnessed was real and not part of some ridiculous nightmare that involved Fluttershy being taken away from her. Not that she had those. The hive would back her up on that, they were sworn to secrecy in all matters.
“I’m sorry about him Chrysalis, he’s not usually like that. I really did think he would be gone by now, but I mentioned the gala during our Tuesday tea and he got a little… irritated that I choose someone over him. Since I thought he was invited already and-!” The pegasus hurriedly explained, Chrysalis interrupting her before she could continue any more.
“Fluttershy, it’s fine! You don’t need to justify yourself to me. Sure, I wasn’t exactly expecting to see him… but it’s not like you can control him. As what happened with Tirek proves…” The thought of that made her eyes narrow in anger, fury filling her at the thought of what had happened, hating herself for not being there, the Changelings not even aware of it until Fluttershy let her know in the aftermath. And Discord had allied himself with him, put all of Equestria in danger. He was lucky ponies were so forgiving, and that she listened to her marefriend.
“A-alright. And shhhhh… it’s ok.” Fluttershy’s wing wrapped around the glaring Changeling, the pegasus whispering calmly to reassure her. “It all worked out. And Discord really is sorry. He feels just awful about it now. And he’s still new to friendship, it’s natural that he might feel a little left out. But I’m sure he will realise that by himself! At least I hope so… I want you both to get along!”
The warmth of her marefriend’s kindness brought a smile to her face even when she wasn’t planning to, the two ponies nuzzling their cheeks together as they walked past some ponies, the Changeling slipping back into her disguise’s persona just to be safe.
“That’s so totally righteous of you Fluttershy! Even if his vibes are… less than pleasant right now. He’s sure to be, you know, totally cooled the next time I see him. Besides, it will just be the two of us at the gala.”
“And the friends you’ve probably posted around the palace just in case? All dressed for the occasion?” Fluttershy whispered before giggling at the Changeling’s shocked expression, Chrysalis pouting and muttering back.
“Radical. Which one of the rocking volunteers told you? It was Pharynx wasn’t it? He’s been grooving for some action for a while now. Even the chance of invasion was good enough for him.” She grumbled, Fluttershy smiling at the fondness that slipped in despite her efforts, her marefriend continuing soon after. “After all, if the mighty and unstoppable Changelings could break through, who knows what horrid beasts could attack?”
“Dear? You're fretting. Calm down. The princess and all my friends are all coming. It will be fine. Not everything in Ponyville ends in disaster!”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.
“Not with that attitude at least…” Chrysalis giggled at Fluttershy's grumpy reply, her good mood slowly restoring as she smiled, speaking freely now they had reached the cafe, All of the ponies were far too engrossed in their own food to notice what they were saying, the two sitting down at an empty table.
“I know, I’m sorry for being like this. You know what I’m like. Discord just kinda threw me a little. It’s stupid.” The Changeling admitted, looking sheepish as Fluttershy gave her a comforting stare, both of them looking down at the menus laid out in front of them.
“Awwwww, don’t say that! That’s just something that takes a while to get used to. Being chaotic is in his nature. I remember what happened when I went away to study the Breezies and see you…” She paused in remembrance, silently thanking the pony that kindly brought them some water while they decided their order. “He ended up totally throwing the day Twilight and Cadence planned out of the window… I hear it was quite the mess…”
“Oh did he? At last, justice. Karma has finally struck. After all these months! Me and Cadence are finally equal!” The Changeling exclaimed excitedly, chuckling to herself while the waiter entering the building gave them a confused glance, along with the other ponies staring for a moment before rolling their eyes and returning to their food, Flutterrshy smiling as she settled into the comfort of talking to her marefriend.
“You say that every time something goes wrong with her! Have you still not let it go?” The pegasus asked playfully, the Changeling rolled her eyes as she made her point for what felt like the hundredth time.
“She knows what she did. And so does the universe! I will only let it go when the universe does. She has no idea of the pain I went through planning that honeymoon!” She muttered angrily.
“I know, grumpy bug. Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll apologise when you eventually explain it to her.” Chrysalis pouted, blushing a little from the nickname while silently sulking about it.
“I know… but I’m still going to be annoyed about it. At least she won’t be at the gala. Which will prevent me from doing anything… impulsive about it. And since Discord was clearly left in the cold, we won’t have to deal with anything too unpredictable.” She spoke warmly, feeling her worries slip away under Fluttershy's kindness.
“See? There we go. Let’s focus on the positives. With Twilight organising, I’m sure everything will be fine. Now let’s just order our meals and destress before we find Derpy and I show you around. Then we can rest up back home before we head out to the gala tonight.” The pegasus cheerily stated, looking thrilled at the idea, the Changeling smiling at the sight.
“I’ll be happy too. Although, this food won’t be as good as yours. I don’t think anypony in Equestria can put as much love into baking as you.” She paused to smirk, seeing her marefriend go red from the slightest compliment or praise as usual. “But you're right. I’ll try not to worry and stress so much. We will just have to make this the best night ever!”
Her words were supposed to set the tone for the night. But annoyingly, it felt like the slight cringe Fluttershy made at the last words would set the tone for the gala far more than she would have liked.
Author's Note
Chapter 2 is finally here! I'm not sure I'll work on any stories this closely based on episodes in the future but this was still an interesting learning experience despite that and I had a lot of fun working on it! While my next fic won't be connected to this or Bonked, this isn't going to be the end of fics set in this universe.
Anyways, this was great to work on, so I hope everyone enjoys! I also want to give another thanks to my friend for putting up with my obsession and making this fic the best form it can be.
At the Gala
The castle almost felt completely different this time. That was to be expected of course; she had spent her last visit invading the city, but it still struck Chrysalis nonetheless. Even the environment before her fake wedding was nothing like the feel of the gala as she arrived with her marefriend.
It wasn’t a bad vibe this time, the castle feeling warmer and more friendly, something she wondered whether it was due to the event or her own change in attitude, making the castle feel less like a goal and more like a living, real place. Whatever the reason, it helped her relax, the Changeling forgetting her stress and worries as she entered the hall with Fluttershy at her side, trying not to panic as they both walked towards the smiling Alicorns in front of them.
“Fluttershy! Oh I’m so happy you could make it!” Twilight exclaimed, hugging her friend close before continuing rambling. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t hang out with you or the girls more, but I had to help Celestia organise all of this! With all she had to do, I couldn’t just leave her to do it herself!”
“I-I wouldn’t miss coming for the world Twilight, and you don’t need to worry at all. It was really kind of you to help the princess.” Fluttershy warmly replied, Chrysalis shuffled awkwardly, looking nervously at Celestia’s knowing glance and quick wink.
“And who’s your friend here Fluttershy? I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.” Celestia asked innocently, Chrysalis noticing the smirk that flitted across her face for a fraction of a second.
“O-oh! How totally rude of me… I have to refill my chakra levels more often. My name is Tree Hugger. It’s filling me with so many good vibes to actually meet such legendary ponies.”
Thanks to some practice and help from Fluttershy and Derpy all afternoon, the Changeling was much more into the role than before, ensuring she wouldn’t slip up or make any other foolish mistakes. That made it all the harder not to look too annoyed at the princess of the sun’s wide grin, Twilight at least not looking like she was trying not to burst into laughter at a moment’s notice.
“Nice to meet you Tree Hugger! Sorry, normally I would love to get to know you better, but me and the princess have a bunch of guests to welcome tonight! I’ll try and catch up with you and the girls later! Great meeting you!” It was a surreal experience for the princess of friendship to be talking to her so normally after all that happened, not that she was aware of their shared history, Chrysalis' eyes briefly focusing on the princess’s new wings.
Yeah, she would never get used to that Bugbear in the room.
“It would be like… perfect to hang with you princess! It is such a radical honour to be here! Thanks for doing such a cool and awesome job on this! Fluttershy and I will totally love spending some time together!” She hoped her smile wasn’t too fake, feeling ever so slightly nervous being near the most powerful pony in the kingdom, who almost certainly knew her true identity, said pony waving goodbye as they both headed towards the main hall.
“She knows. She totally knows. I told you I was right! Oh Tartarus below, what if she kidnaps me!? Launches an attack on my subjects!? Oh this is awful!” Whispered the Changing, hiding her unease as best she could while the pegasus looked at her comfortingly.
“Calm down, it’s alright. lf she didn’t say anything, then she must not mind right? I’m pretty sure we’d have noticed if she didn’t approve.” Oh right, she’d have probably noticed being burnt alive on the spot, Chrysalis blushing a little at Fluttershy’s words as they grew closer to the hall.
“Where would I be without you?” She asked with a smile, nodding to one of the guards that they passed, the disguised Changeling almost blowing his cover by waving cheerfully, something she stopped with a harsh glare. He froze instantly, Chrysalis at least pleased that her scouts had managed to get into the castle successfully, only hoping they weren’t needed as she turned back to her marefriend.
“I don’t know. Knocked out on the floor from my lamp still I suppose.” She giggled, even the Changeling laughing a little as they walked past some other couples and ponies heading to the hall, Fluttershy whispering into her ear before they entered the dining area.
“Ok, remember. Act like Tree Hugger all the time in here. There’s probably going to be at least one pony with their eyes on you every minute. And I’d… well… rather not take any chances…”
“Oh please. I’m a professional at this. None of them will suspect a thing. Shall we have some fun then?” Asked Chrysalis, Fluttershy nodding while blushing at the confidence on display as they walked into the hall.
“Radical to hear, Fluttershy. I’m sure tonight’s going to be rocking!” She slipped back into her role, walking into the open dining room that was packed with ponies. Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies were there in equal measure, happily minging with each other in effortless friendship.
For her, it was still strange to watch. The cooperative system she had once found illogical was now the future goal of her race, something so many of her people had struggled with coming so naturally to these ponies. It was inspiring to her; she only hoped it was possible for them to see the effort her race had made when the time came.
She was still unused to romance, hardly one to share love, but despite that nature, they managed to make it work, together. Now she couldn’t even imagine life without the beacon of kindness that had taken her in and showed her this path of friendship. Those thoughts were a little bit too introspective for what was supposed to be a relaxing night out though, Chrysalis putting them to rest as she focused entirely on the beautiful pegasus in front of her.
“Everything ok, Tree Hugger?” Fluttershy asked in concern.
“Oh I’m like totally blissful right now Fluttershy! My vibes are totally perfect. This night is going to be like the most radical ever! Aside from what we got up to back when we went to my place.”
Fluttershy blushed, Chrysalis smiling playfully at her marefriend’s reaction, the pegasus soon noticing something else that caught her attention that made her grin.
“Oh! I can see Pinkie Pie! She looks like she’s having fun! Let’s go talk to her!” Fluttershy suggested happily, the Changeling’s smile growing a little strained at the suggestion.
“Just so you know, that is something that I can’t stop from giving me bad vibes, even though she’s your friend. But I know that it’s probably because I’m not used to that much… energy in a single pony. But in the long run, I’m sure this will bathe me in positive vibes.”
With that, they walked towards the pink pony, her eyes widening as she suddenly dashed towards them, a wide grin on her face as her guest slowly followed behind.
“Fluttershy! You made it! Oh, I was so worried you would get cold hooves and call off going since you were all stressed and panicky about coming here since the last gala was a bit of a mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh on the party scale. I know I was! But I was like no Fluttershy has to come, everypony is here! Not only all our friends but also Lyra, Bon Bon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, some guards that are like way more friendly than the rest which is super duper cool, Princess Celestia and MY BEST SISTER EVER!”
“Hello.” Added Maud, her expression neutral as Chrysalis attempted to sift through the word dump, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before she reminded herself that she was safe. Pinkie was Fluttershy’s friend. Despite how radically different they were, she was undoubtedly a good friend if they were as close as were. Based on what she had been told of course.
“Haha… I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself Pinkie! Don’t worry, I’m sure the gala is going to go better this year. We should know what to expect now. Anyways… this is my good friend Tree Hugger! We met when I was away on the trip to the Breezies; we had to look after this really stubborn, grumpy animal together when she was injured.”
Chrysalis glared at her marefriend for a moment, about to interject before Pinkie cried out happily.
“Oh my gosh, I knew I didn’t recognise you! And I was so curious, but didn’t want to say anything since that would be super duper rude and besides I needed to say “Fluttershy! You made it!” And all that stuff! So, so, so! You’re Tree Hugger? Nice to meet ya! I’m Pinkie Pie, which you probably knew already since Fluttershy hadddddddddddddd to have mentioned me by now. But you haven’t seen me before! Since I haven’t seen you! And I know everyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyypony in Ponyville! How did you both meet!? Was there drama? Action? SHENANIGANS!?”
“Wow. Your aura is like… so… energetic? That’s like so inspiring. And you have the vocal range of a squirrel.” Chrysalis replied, still struggling to handle the sheer amount of words being spewed out at once.
“A squirrel?” Asked Pinkie Pie in surprise. “Do they talk a lot? I’ve never heard a squirrel talk before! Should I ask them more things? Oh do I not talk enough to the-”
“Pinkie. It’s a joke. Since your voice is high pitched.” Maud calmly added, Pinkie “ohhhhhhhing” in understanding before smiling wide.
“Oh you’re funny Tree Hugger! Just like Maud! She’s the bestest at jokes!” The earth pony bounced happily, Chrysalis giving a small smile at her words as Fluttershy beamed with pride.
Pinkie then went off rambling to Fluttershy, a blessing for the Changeling, who wasn’t much in the mood to deal with somepony so unpredictable, her enthusiasm even putting Thorax to shame in his louder gushing sessions. Instead she was left with the grey pony, her blue eyes blinking slowly as she stared at her. Yes, this pony was much more her speed, talking to her was clearly the tactical edge she needed in this gala!
She really needed to stop thinking so militaristically.
“So like, hey there! Radical to meet you… Maud was it? My name is Tree Hugger. Or at least, that’s the name engraved into my chakra.”
“I know. You already said.” Came the emotionless reply.
Chrysalis looked around nervously, admittedly hoping she was going to get a reply with more to work with. For a moment, the only sound was the chatter from all around them, the Changeling starting to sweat a little from the intense stare from the other pony.
She tilted her head.
The Changeling sweated more.
Maud slowly blinked.
She panicked.
“RADICAL!!” She suddenly shouted, hoping that would somehow pose a good replacement for actual conversation. Pinkie, Maud, and Fluttershy all turned to look at her, the grey pony breaking the silence first.
“Thank you. I like rocks.” She plainly exclaimed.
“How… interesting?” Fluttershy glared at her harder for the dry remark, trying to remind her to act more like the pony she was taking the form of.
“Oh Maud knows allllllllllllllllllllllll about rocks! We grew up on a rock farm, so she was always really into them! And she knows even more now! She can go on for hours about them! ISN’T SHE THE GREATEST!?”
“Yeah. Her aura is like… so calming. And… intense! I just had to give you blessings right away. Since you're such like… a groovy pony? Anyways, we need to like, go and spend some time together before totes meeting with your other radical friends. Blessings!” The Changeling exclaimed, hoping her slight alarm wasn’t immediately noticeable to anyone other than Fluttershy, the pegasus picking up on the cues and nodding in agreement.
“Oh yes. Me and Tree Hugger wanted to have some bites to eat together before meeting with some of the others. Sorry Pinkie, but we can catch up more later!” Fluttershy quickly spoke, only hoping her friend would buy the excuse.
She wasn’t really sure why she was so stressed. Was she really this on edge all the time? Just because her life had mostly devolved into manga shenanigans didn’t mean it always was! She really needed to calm down.
“Okie dokie lokie! That totally sounds like an actual reason and not something pulled right from your-”
They were already gone before she could finish, the statement that could have been easily harsh or sarcastic coming off as completely genuine from her lips. The pegasus and Changeling both breathed sighs of relief as they headed towards a table.
“See! That went well! I knew you could do it.” Fluttershy spoke comfortingly, her words only making Chrysalis look back in confusion.
“What are you talking about? I totally blew it. It wasn’t radical or righteous at all! If I was a rocking marefriend, I’d have been able to talk for the entire night with any of your friends!” The Changeling blushed in shame, feeling embarrassed just to admit that she had messed up, the fact she had to talk in such an unusual way only adding to the feelings.
“Oh dear, don’t focus on that! You did great! I know how hard this is for you. The problem is, you keep thinking you have to do this perfectly. But that’s silly! I’m proud of how far you’ve come. We can just keep trying through the night until you get better. Besides, Pinkie and Maud can be a little… intense.” The disguised Chrysalis smiled from her marefriend’s comforting words, blushing a little as they reached a table.
“You're right. I guess I’m just not used to playing games this long. Somehow this feels so much more important than campaigns… I don’t want to mess anything up. I suppose I just feel like I have to be perfect for the hive and y-you’re the most important part of that. And it’s hard to talk to Pinkie when her aura is like really overbearing.”
“You learn to roll with it. Hopefully, me and my friends can do the same with her sister…”
“Oh thank Tartarus it’s not just me. I’ve had conversations with corpses more enlightening!” Spoke the Changeling, before laughing nervously at Fluttershy’s glare she got in return.
“That was a joke.”
The pegasus giggled.
—
A good half an hour and some refreshing cider later, Chrysalis found herself finally calming down, even her dress starting to feel less restrictive on her body. With the pegasus in front of her, even the rising volume of the surrounding gala didn’t concern her.
It put her more at ease than anything had in years, the thoughts of talking to more of Fluttershy’s friends (and her own former enemies) starting to feel more and more of a possibility. She still did the occasional look over of the dining room though, just to be safe, spotting some of the other element bearers and their sisters, along with the occasional disguised Changeling, walking in and out of the room as they checked every part of the castle for trouble.
Although why Thorax was talking to Twilight’s dragon was beyond her.
“Anyways, that’s how, according to some radical records I uncovered, the ancient Changelings unknowingly ended up supporting wildlife from their takeover of the city of Trot, creating habitats for all sorts of unique and diverse creatures that would bloom from the ruins.” Chrysalis spoke confidently, lost in her lover’s eyes, secretly giddy that the facts she learnt from nervousness were interesting to her marefriend.
“How fascinating! I had no idea something like that could have impacted wildlife like that! I guess cute little critters can come from almost anything. Especially the cuddly ones!”
“W-well… I always had a little fondness for animals… the good vibes and love everypony has towards them proved to be quite… n-never mind. You don’t want to hear about that…” She looked down, her eyes widening as the pegasus gently placed her hoof on her own.
“I don’t mind at all. It might be… eh… ironic to say in this situation, but you don’t need to hold anything back from me. I know exactly who you are now Tree Hugger. You haven’t even drained anypony since you met me. So don’t be so worried.” She spoke comfortingly, her words making Chrysalis blush.
“Sometimes I wonder what I did right to get a pony as kind as you into my hive.” Now it was Fluttershy who was blushing, her wings stiffening as she took a sip of her cider.
“O-oh… well… h-how about you tell me about t-the environments you’ve been to lately! I’m sure you’ve been to plenty of interesting ecosystems…” The compliments made her as flustered as usual, a sight that never got any less adorable to the Changeling.
“Oh they were as magical as your infinite aura of kindness Fluttershy! The wide open forests! The towering radical mountains! The way the entire world just shines with wonder! Like it was giving blessings to us all. I once journeyed to this amazing rainforest near home, and this waterfall just shimmered with life! Generating the most mystical of auras. So, like-”
The sight of someone made her pause for a second, Chrysalis' eyes narrowing as Discord, dressed in a suit, came into view towards them. She hoped it was a stress induced hallucination, but unfortunately the sight seemed very real indeed, the draconequus slowly walking across the room and bumping into her marefriend in what was clearly on purpose.
“Oh, Fluttershy! So sorry, I didn't see you there.”
The old Chrysalis from earlier in the day would have surely been freaking out by now, but several hours of mental preparation along with her greater experience in acting made all the difference. She simply took a sip of her drink, smug in the fact that Fluttershy seemed to be so focused on her she hadn’t even noticed Discord, prompting her to finish the sentence.
“Magic manifestation! It just shows that if you keep your eyes open, you can see all sorts of radical blessings all over!”
“Wow, Tree Hugger. How did you notice the environment that clearly? Oh you and your family are just amazing with your senses!”
Loud coughing echoed from behind the pegasus, Discord clearing his throat to try and get her attention, the irritable noise very obvious as the Changeling’s eye twitched in mild annoyance.
Perhaps Discord was like some animals; if you ignored him for long enough, then he would go away and leave her in peace with her marefriend already.
Unfortunately, the spirit of Chaos had instead started to hack on what looked to be nothing, outright demanding attention. Chrysalis wondered if perhaps if the entirety of Equestria ignored Discord at once, he would just blink out of existence, the thought keeping her calm under the rising anger, the sound finally getting Fluttershy’s attention as she turned to face the annoyed draconequus.
“Discord! I thought you weren’t coming!” Being the kind saint she was, the pegasus wasn’t even annoyed to see him, smiling wide as she greeted him.
“No, I actually never said that. But funny how you remembered it that way. Anyway.” He spoke dismissively, before leaning closer to the Changeling with a wide sinister grin on his face. “Good to see you. Tree Friend, is it? Bush Hugger? Weed Stomper? How strange. Your name is slipping my mind!”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Oh, two could play at this game.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Tree Hugger. Blessings.” She said normally, holding out her hoof and taking great joy in just how much Discord’s face showed his surprise and frustration all at once.
“You have met me before, actually!” The draconequus snapped, his annoyance even more obvious as he snorted in anger.
It was at this point that a normal pony would have stopped trying to antagonise a being that once ruled Equestria.
Of course, Chrysalis was anything but a normal pony.
“Cool! Like, in another life, maybe?” She faked curiosity, raising a hoof to her face as Discord didn’t even try and hide how offended he looked.
Fluttershy was frantically doing a hoof zipping motion over her mouth in a hopeless attempt to stop her comments. She would have considered it, but she had to get her payback somehow, the sudden appearance of the spirit more than worth it now.
“You've gotta be kidding. You don't remember me? We saw each other earlier today! In Ponyville! What, is there another being of chaos that I’m not aware of!?” Several flashing neon arrows appeared around him to emphasise the point, even taking off his hat to point at the mismatched horns on his head.
Realising her earlier attempt didn’t work, Fluttershy changed plans, her eyes wide as Chrysalis shut her open mouth, unable to say no to her marefriend’s pleas to lay off the teasing, although she very much wanted to continue.
“I’m sorry. But I’ve met a lot of different creatures, each one of them beautiful and unique.” She giggled, her marefriend’s nod confirming it passed her test of approval.
“Yes, well, as I was saying.” Discord said dismissively before leaning towards Fluttershy and wrapping his arm around her. “It's just great to be here at the Grand Galloping Gala! Especially with my oldest, bestest friend.”
Chrysalis would have been listening, or making some mental remark, but her eyes were narrowed, unable to help the possessive Changeling instincts going into overdrive from somepony other than her touching her marefriend. She almost changed back into her normal form and leapt onto him, Chrysalis considering it a testament to her self control and the pegasus anger management lessons that she did nothing, only glaring at Discord furiously enough to give any nearby Changelings unfortunate flashbacks.
“Am I really your oldest, bestest friend?” Asked Fluttershy in wide eyed surprise, completely missing the fuming queen in front of her.
“You?” He repeated, before laughing, Chrysalis's expression now causing one of the Changeling spies to back out of the room while deciding to guard somewhere else, Discord flying around the table as Fluttershy looked on in confusion. “Of course not! You think I don't have other friends? I'm centuries old! I have a bunch of friends!”
“Woah really? But I thought you spent all those radical centuries filled with bad vibes or taking a cosmic time out as a statue. Oh! Are you going to like, introduce us to the castle’s water fountain or something?” Despite her expert acting skills, the Changeling found it impossible to hide her own annoyance, Fluttershy trying her best not to hyperventilate at the idea of even well disguised venom being directed towards Discord. The draconequus simply narrowed his eyes, deciding to ignore the comment as he continued.
“Anyways, as I was trying to say before plant muncher interrupted me, I was talking about the Smooze!” He gestured behind Fluttershy, the pegasus turning around to see a large green blob a short distance away, a top hat and bow tie haphazardly placed on it in an attempt to make it look presentable. While she looked on in surprise and interest, the Changeling’s blood went cold, her eyes widening as the state of mild panic started to return to her.
“Smooze Face, John, Karen, the Smoozinator, well that’s what we all called him back in college. Ask him about the noodle incident, that was a real hoot!” Discord went on, oblivious to the Changeling’s inner turmoil as he grabbed hold of the blob before teleporting above the table and dropping it on top.
“SMOOZE!” He shouted, as if it explained the series of nonsense that had just left his lips, an awkward silence following as Fluttershy gave a confused smile. Chrysalis meanwhile was wondering if she could get away with grabbing her marefriend and leaping out the nearest window. Realising the awkwardness, Discord cleared his throat.
“I would like you to meet my dear friend Fluttershy. And her friend… um, hmm… what was it again? Oh what is with me today!?”
“I can't believe I've never heard you mention the Smooze before! It sounds like you two are really close! It’s so good meeting another friend of yours!” Fluttershy giggled, before looking at Chrysalis in concern, noticing the slight shift in her expression.
“Hey… totally random question about this… radical creature. But is this like the same Smooze that some ancient mysterious cultures said brought the end of days for a while? Before a rainbow gave it like, too many blessings to handle? The creature that these groovy geniuses said was almost unstoppable?”
Chrysalis tried not to sweat at the silence that followed, stepping back before the blob could grab hold of her necklace.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened a little.
The Smooze bubbled.
Discord rolled his eyes.
“Oh please! It was the 80s! I mean, everypony was being dramatic back then! You should have seen Celestia! Don’t worry so much though, he’s totally under control now.”
“Eh… Discord? Why is he sliding towards those guests over there?” Fluttershy asked in concern, a frightened scream ringing out shortly afterwards.
“Oh! Looks like somepony wants to mingle! Wait up Smoozie! Don’t have all the fun without me!”
The couple were left in stunned silence, unsure just what to say as they watched Discord try to stop the blob from assaulting somepony covered in jewels. After a few seconds, Fluttershy finally broke the silence, whispering to her marefriend in shock.
“S-so… was all that you… eh… said about the Smooze true?”
“Mmm hmm.” The shocked Changeling answered.
“S-so Discord’s brought a blob he’s friends with to the gala. That just so happens to be able to end the world if it wanted to?” Fluttershy asked in increasing concern.
“Maybe not quite that bad. But yes. The Changelings have heard of the Smooze’s terror many times over the centuries. One culture even wrote a song about it. Quite catchy too.” Chrysalis answered, her instincts on high alert as she recalled everything she had learned about the creature.
“Chances of this gala going as planned?”
“With Discord and the Smooze here? I’d say 1%. But I fear even that is optimistic.”
“Oh dear.”
Those two words summed up the situation better than Chrysalis ever could.
—
What followed was a slowly increasing mess, Chrysalis wondering if this it what it felt like to
watch an ever dawning disaster in slow motion, knowing it was about to peak at any moment. Admittedly it wasn’t too bad at first, Discord had interrupted them a few times, the Smooze absorbing a few shiny gems around the gardens and attracting the ire of both Twilight and Rarity.
She hoped that would be the end of it, but of course, the night was just getting started, Fluttershy calling her the funniest pony she knew a brief moment of joy amidst the chaos.
But then Discord started doing stand up.
Chrysalis spent those first few minutes reevaluating how her life had gotten to this point.
It wasn’t even good stand up! Was it really too much to expect the spirit of chaos to be good at that? Had her past sins been so great the universe was determined to ruin this one night with her marefriend? Celestia was the only pony in the room that laughed, some jokes even reducing her to uncontrollable giggling that only annoyed the Changeling more.
It didn’t make sense! The jokes were awful! How could anypony like them!? Chrysalis's eyes widened at another realisation, the giggling sounding like the exact kind Fluttershy made sometimes, Changeling ears sensitive to the emotion that lay beneath.
If the night couldn’t get more insane, she now had evidence that Celestia only invited Discord in the first place since she had a thing for him. Truly this was the peak of madness.
Not that she had time to dwell on the revelation before things got worse.
Worse being the Smooze suddenly bursting from a door and engulfing almost the entire room, trapping most of the guests in the sticky substance.
It was Chrysalis’s quick thinking that saved her, the Changeling having leapt on top of one of the tables like a frightened cat from the first sign of danger, floating on the ocean of ooze. Frantically, she looked around for Fluttershy, breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted her mostly unharmed, stuck to a wall upside down.
It took some careful movements, but Chrysalis managed to float her makeshift raft right next to the wall, Fluttershy’s eyes widening happily at the sight of her.
“Oh thank Celestia you’re alright! I forget your reactions are so good sometimes… sorry the date ended up like this though…”
“It’s not your fault Fluttershy. Discord’s just clearly filled with a lot of bad vibes tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if his chakra is like all black at this rate…” The Changeling muttered in annoyance, surveying the room in case any other pony had avoided the Smooze tidal wave.
“Don’t be too annoyed with him Tree Hugger… it’s a little unfair to expect him to learn about friendship so fast after all… you know that you’re not fully there either…” Fluttershy said warmly, smiling at her marefriend, who stared back in annoyance.
“I can tell. Since I am thinking very unradical and unfriendly thoughts at the moment… I just wish this didn’t have to happen on our date!” Hissed the Changeling, briefly wondering if it would be considered out of character if she decked Discord in the face.
“I know dear. Just try and calm down. I’m sure things can’t get any-”
BING
Chrysalis blinked, looking down at the sudden light, finding herself suddenly covered with bright, shining necklaces and bracelets.
For a moment nopony moved.
Chrysalis glared at Discord.
Discord whistled innocently.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in terror.
“Well… ponyfeathers.” Said the Changeling in dawning horror, watching in shock as the waves of Smooze suddenly began to advance towards her.
She cried out in alarm, leaping onto another floating chair as her former platform was engulfed by the green ooze, almost losing her balance before saving it just in time. She only had precious seconds before the Smooze noticed she had moved, not enough time to throw off the jewels, and even if she did they would just land in the creature itself.
Normally that wouldn’t be an issue, but one of the legends of the creature said how it only grew more powerful with each jewel it absorbed, something that would line up with its earlier interest in her necklace. She barely managed to escape her second platform’s demolition, awkwardly standing on top of an upside down punch bowl, sweating slightly as Discord and Fluttershy’s angry shouting echoed through the hall.
“I don't understand why you're doing this! We were all getting along so well! Then your friend flooded the gala!”
“As well as we could, considering you've already stomped all over our friendship by inviting her to the biggest night of the year as if I didn't matter at all! And just for the record, I have no control over what the Smooze does. I’m not his parent!”
“Did you really think I'd abandon you just because I have another friend?! Tree Hugger is really important to me! And you are too! Just in different ways!”
Slowly the waves of Smooze advanced around her, Chrysalis finding that mild panic was not an effective way to think straight, something suddenly occurring to her as she smiled. The Smooze did not know it, but it was trapped, trapped in a room of elite Changeling guards! Hoof picked by herself to provide the best defence for an event such as this! Any moment now, they would put their plan into action.
She smiled sinisterly.
She waited.
She waited some more.
Curiously, she looked around the room again, wondering if she could spot the first signs of an ambush.
None of her guards were here. Not even among the ponies stuck to the floor.
Her eye twitched.
“WHERE IN TARTARUS DID THEY GO!?”
—
In the very much not Smooze flooded gardens, the disguised Pharynx narrowed his eyes in focus. As head of the Changeling patrols, it was only natural that he would be assigned to a mission as important as this, something he was eager to capitalise on, even the threat of something going wrong enough to get him interested.
The changing life at the hive wasn’t bad per say, just a lot more lacking in action than he was used to, although it being the will of the queen meant he would never outright oppose it. Truly he was the best bet the queen had for protection anyways; the other Changelings were treating this as more of a vacation, going around enjoying themselves instead of actually looking out for threats.
He was different, he was a Changeling of action. One of the most loyal to their cause. One that was always alert towards any threat. Because of that, he was confident to take a few minutes watching his brother, certain that Thorax would say the wrong thing at the exact wrong moment.
Surprisingly, he seemed to be doing well, talking to, of all things, a small dragon, even looking like they were both enjoying themselves. It had been a while since Thorax had looked this happy, the changes in the hive had appealed greatly to him, his position in their queen’s new council proof that even she could see how effective his views could be for the future of the Changelings.
It was rare for him, but for now he would focus on Thorax for a bit, make sure his brother got along with his new friend, in case he caused an incident obviously. Besides, Chrysalis could survive for a bit without his surveillance.
With those thoughts, he returned to watching them both, oblivious to the sight of Smooze washing around and his ruler desperately trying to avoid it through the window behind him.
—
Without her guards, Chrysalis was forced to be evasive, barely managing to leap onto more and more of the floating tableware, something that was growing increasingly difficult with how aggressive the Smooze was getting.
“Oh this is totally unradical! Am I like the only pony that’s avoided this thing?” She lamented, only spotting Pinkie Pie out of the ponies present who looked to be using her sister as a platform. The sad part was, the night had gone so downhill that that tidbit didn’t even make the top five of strangeness. Oh and Fluttershy was shouting at the lord of chaos, that was also a thing that was happening.
“Discord! I invited a friend to a party! A party that I knew she wouldn’t have been invited to! While you almost certainly were going to be! I didn’t abandon you! What if you had a friend you could talk about chaos magic with? Or a close friend you wanted to go to a party with!? Does that mean we’re not friends anymore!?”
The Smooze was only getting more aggressive, the Changeling’s panic growing as she realised there was nowhere left to jump too. There was only one thing left to do, Chrysalis leaping onto a curtain and holding on tight, suspended above the pit of hungry ooze.
“W-well… I-I mean… no, I suppose not. It would just mean that I'd have different friends for different- oh. Oh dear.” Stuttered Discord, realisation dawning as his eyes widened in worry, a nervous laugh slipping out. “Looks like I might have… overreacted just a little.”
“YOU THINK!?”Shouted Chrysalis, mild alarm transitioning into full on panic as the fabric of the curtain started to rip, the Changeling noticing for the first time that the two emotions weren’t really that different from each other.
“Oh my. Oh dear. I guess I should probably do something about the-”
“YES!” The Changeling and pegasus screamed in unison, Discord hurriedly reaching down into the ooze and pulling out every jewel and gold that had been absorbed, the ocean shrinking back into the blob that had arrived with the draconequus. The gravity defying ball vanished with a BLING, the spirit of chaos snapping his fingers as the curtain finally ripped, Chrysalis landing onto a soft cushion that appeared just in time as the extra jewellery covering her vanished.
The disguised Changeling groaned into the pillow, Fluttershy smiling before flying towards Discord with a slightly peeved expression, crossing her hooves in disapproval.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy.” The draconequus muttered sheepishly. “I'm just so new at this whole friendship thing! It's so much more complicated than it looks. And I got so worried about all this that I may have fallen into some habits that are better off staying in the past…”
“I’m glad you see that Discord.” The pegasus’s expression softened, the kind warmth returning to her. “But do you think that you maybe owe somepony else an apology? That isn’t me?”
“Oh quite right!” Discord said, teleporting next to the dazed Smooze as the other ponies slowly got back to their hooves. “I owe you an apology too, Smooze. I spent the entire evening so focused on myself that I-” He paused, instantly noticing Fluttershy’s piercing glare as he chuckled nervously.
“You were talking about Tree Hugger weren’t you.”
“I meant Tree Hugger, yes.”
“Ah. Well, sorry again Smooze. But I have somepony else to apologise to.” He teleported again, appearing in front of the Changeling while she was gently stepping off the cushion.
“Er, Tree Hugger, I'm sorry that you got caught in the middle of my... you know... wrath. I’m usually better at this… can we start over?” Chrysalis blinked, part of her in shock that Fluttershy had managed to turn this around so fast, quickly recovering as she smiled.
“Oh it’s all groovy. But I need, like, some minutes to clear out my chakras before I can hug, or talk to you from a place of authenticity.”
“Oh you and your chakras. Fair enough. Anyways, how about we get this party really started!” Shouted the draconequus, warping away with a start as the gala hesitantly resumed. The Changeling was left standing in place, blinking as the pegasus flew down next to her.
“See? I told you he was a sweetheart once you got to know him.” Fluttershy beamed, Chrysalis nodding slowly, glaring daggers at the suddenly very terrified looking guards that had just entered from the gardens.
“I’m just glad that all ended well. Even if I almost had twenty heart attacks trying to avoid all that Smooze…” Whispered Chrysalis, Fluttershy fluttering her eyelashes back at her.
“Well, you were very brave. You looked so dashing out there! Like the kind of hero Rarity dreams of.” The pegasus giggled at how red her words made the Changeling, wrapping a wing around her as they headed towards the other guests to mingle.
“I-I wasn’t scared though!”
“Sure, you weren’t dear.”
“I was only mildly panicking!”
“I’m sure you were.”
—
After that little drama, the gala felt like it flew by, hours that Chrysalis would never forget for the rest of her days. Fluttershy introduced her to her friends, ponies that she could finally learn to know beyond the stories from her marefriend and memories of the wedding.
She seemed to get along with them too! Nopony seemed to notice how she slowly removed her walls over the night, acting more and more like herself, a personality that other ponies actually liked! Even Discord was more than pleasant once she got to know him, the two of them teasing Fluttershy throughout the night with their shared knowledge of her.
But it was the quiet moments she would treasure, the slow dances with her marefriend, the strolls through the moonlit gardens, all of it perfect, the kind of night she had dreamt of since she was small. Alas, it had to come to an end, the ponies slowly starting to leave throughout the night, until Chrysalis couldn’t put it off anymore.
“I had a wonderful night Fluttershy. Even with that rocky start. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else in Equestria.” Said the Changeling, a smile on her face as they stood at the entrance that divided the gardens and dining room.
“A-are you sure you need to go now? Pinkie’s going to make sure this party lasts a while you know! I-I wouldn’t want you to miss out…”
“I’m afraid so. I promised the others back home I would get there before sunrise. If I leave it too late they might even try to lead a search party! Plus, I need the time to remind someponies HOW TO DO THEIR JOBS RIGHT!” Chrysalis raised her voice near the end, the nearby guards stiffening as Fluttershy giggled.
“Don’t be too hard on them. It wasn’t their fault. Thank you for coming though. But… just wondering… has this changed your mind about revealing yourself to my friends?” The pegasus asked hopefully, the disguised Changeling staying silent for a moment before she finally answered.
“Maybe revealing it earlier than I planned wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world… so give me some time to think about it.” Fluttershy’s massive grin made her consideration more than worth it, Chrysalis blushing as they nuzzled.
“Goodbye, Chrysalis.” She whispered as quietly as a mouse.
“Goodbye. I’ll see you soon, Fluttershy. But please, try and stay out of trouble for a few days this time. Let me know how the rest of the gala went next time you write.” Chrysalis smiled at her marefriend’s giggling, before freezing as the pegasus leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.
She turned bright red, her eyes wide as she almost attempted to walk away backwards, Fluttershy continuing to giggle as the guards lead away their love dazed ruler, only one thought going through her mind as she smiled.
It really had been the best night ever.
—
“Ah, Fluttershy! There you are! I was looking all over for you!”
The pegasus looked up, watching Discord slither down from the ceiling, his eyes darting from side to side like he was looking out for somepony.
“Oh Discord! Have you been enjoying yourself with Celestia? You seemed to be having such a good time when I left to check out the gardens!”
“Well it was lovely to start off. Lots of fun discussing things together, planning a few tricks for the next gala. The usual. But then Luna shows up, accuses me of “corrupting her sister” and almost turns me into stone again on the spot! I barely got away with my life!” Explained the draconequus while stroking his goatee in confusion. “I wonder what she was so annoyed about?”
Fluttershy chuckled to herself, much more relieved to be spending time with a close friend when he wasn’t about to exact his wrath on her marefriend, smiling as she watched the other ponies remaining in the gala enjoying themselves.
“I’m glad you’ve been having fun. Don’t worry though, I’m sure you’ll be able to spend more time with Celestia in the future. I was just saying goodbye to Tree Hugger. She wanted to head home before it got too late.” The pegasus said warmly, taking a long sip of her cider and smiling, memories of the night still going through her head.
It wasn’t perfect, but then again nothing really was. What mattered was they did it together, and Fluttershy wouldn’t wish for it to be any other way.
“Oh by the way Fluttershy, just thought I should ask. But you are aware Tree Hugger is a Changeling, aren't you?”
Fluttershy spat out her drink.
