The Queen of Canterlot

Deep beneath Canterlot, in the crystal caverns where nopony would ever interrupt them, Chrysalis and Cadence made love. And that’s what it was. Making love. Even if Cadence was flush, even if she was drunk, even if she kept saying, “we can’t do this,” even as she followed along, she wasn’t simply horny.

She loved Chrysalis. She wanted to show it. She wanted Chrysalis to taste it.

They parted ways at 3 AM, and the next morning, Cadence showed up at Shining’s house with a blanket and a picnic basket and a day full of romantic activities planned, if one could ignore the bags under her eyes and the smile on her face had a stiff and desperate character.

And when Shining opened the door, the correct words came into his head: Cadence, you cheated on me, and that’s not okay, but under the circumstances I’m not blameless. I’m extremely mad at you but we need to talk about what happened.

But what he said was, “You only do this when something’s wrong. You want to tell me what it is?” His tone was cold, unsympathetic. A sharp pony might even have detected notes of suspicion.

“I’m really stressed,” Cadence said, “with wedding planning, I thought we could get away for awhile. Relax. You know?”

Her eyes went to the floor, and she fiddled with her hair. She was a terrible liar.

“Cadence,” Shining repeated, his cold tone turning frigid, notes of suspicion becoming notes of anger. “You want to tell me what’s actually wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing.” She said, trying and failing to laugh. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine. You know?”

Their signal. Her distress call. The sign she needed her special somepony to hold her.

“Well I’m busy today,” he answered, turning away from her. “Maybe later.”

“He’s never been that cold to me before,” Cadence said, leaning against Chrysalis’s side. “I can’t help but think… he doesn’t know. He can’t know. But he might, like, know. We know each other really well. He might sense that I’m feeling guilty about something. Something about him.”

“Princess,” Chrysalis said. “I’m not your therapist. I don’t care.”

“I just need somepony to listen-”

“Well I’m not a damn pony, am I!?” Chrysalis snapped. “I don’t care! Vent to your maidservant if you like. She listens.”

“Oh, are you my maidservant? Is that you, Daisy?”

The queen snarled, “No!” with such intensity her voice echoed off the crystal caverns, repeated over and over as it faded into the distance.

“Shining,” Cadence asked. “Am I easy? You… seduced me, I guess. Am I an easy mare?”

“Of course not,” Shining said, tone mechanical. It was what he was supposed to say. “Why would you think such a terrible thing?”

“Princess,” Chrysalis replied, “I have never cared about a pony’s sex life before, and I’m not starting now.”

“Right,” Cadence said. “But all I’m saying is, we aren’t married yet. So this isn’t cheating. Right?”

“By what definition is this not cheating!?”

“Shining,” Cadence asked, “do you love me?”

And all he had to do was say no, the wedding would be off, and he would be free of this nightmare.

But it wouldn’t have been true.

It went on like that, until, finally, one night, Cadence stood behind the abandoned grocery store, looking at Chrysalis on her throne, surrounded by her court. “My wedding is tomorrow.”

“So it is,” Chrysalis said, and her tone had an inquisitive hook, accentuated by the arch of a single eyebrow. “Were you going to extend me an invitation?”

“I think you’re already going to be there,” Cadence said, spitting the words. Her ears were held tight against her skull, her tail tucked between her legs. “You’re one of the guests.”

“Guest, servant, something like that,” Chrysalis waved the matter away. “What of it?”

“Don’t come.” And if saying it made her eyes well with tears, if it tore at her voice and made her lower her head in shame, she still said it. Worse, she kept speaking.

“You’re right,” she said, “my perfect little pony princess life makes me unhappy. But Shining Armor is a good stallion, who has always been there for me when I needed him. Even before we were a couple, I loved him as a friend, and I knew he loved me. And since we became romantic, he has never been anything but faithful. He keeps no secrets from me, he tells me everything, and when he holds me I feel safe even in my worst moments. Just being with him brings me joy, and peace. I love him, and he loves me, and you are the homewrecker trying to tear us apart!”

Cadence blinked and hot tears ran down her face, splattering onto the alley’s rough ground. “I’m sorry for whatever you’re going through. And I’m grateful for… for you helping me enjoy this fantasy for a bit. But it’s a fantasy. I need the stallion who loves me, and who I’m going to be with forever. Not the changeling whore who throws bricks at buildings and huffs paint.”

And then she said: “I have a life, Chrysalis, and you don’t fit in it.”

For a time, Chrysalis waited for the right words to come, for something, anything to pop into her head. But nothing did. She felt numb, detached from the world. The universe shrunk to Cadence and the ground beneath them, and a ringing grew in her ears.

But she had to say something.

“Princess,” Chrysalis said. “If you don’t want to be here, don’t come.”

Cadence left.