With All Things Considered...
The door to Sugarcube Corner opened to the outside world and a tan stallion began to step out with a brown paper bag suspended midair by his magic. He turned back in the doorway, looking at the bubbly pink pony behind the counter. “Thanks again, Pinkie,” he shouted happily across the room.
“You're super-duper welcome!” she replied, beaming from ear to ear. “Come back soon, Joe, I'll let the Cakes know and we can have a party and everything!”
“Haha, sounds great. See you later.” Waving to the earth pony as he left, Donut Joe turned and began heading for the Ponyville train station. Ever since last year's National Dessert Competition, Joe had been coming to Ponyville collaborate and trade ideas with Pinkie Pie and the Cakes. They were all still a little competitive with one another, but they kept it friendly and enjoyed each others' company.
As Joe walked through Ponyville he looked up at the grand clock in the centre of town, seeing that it was actually an hour before he needed to catch his train back to Canterlot. He decided to take this time to go for a little stroll on the edge of town – Canterlot was a beautiful city, full of spectacles and wondrous sights, but there was a rustic beauty about Ponyville that Joe really loved. Within a couple of minutes he found himself admiring the sight of the forest that bordered the town. He found a tree stump and set his paper bag upon it before taking a seat on the grass next to it. A light wind blew by, tickling his snout as he took a whiff of the warm late summer air. This was his favourite time of the year, when most of the summer heat had died down but the chill of fall had yet to set in – everything was still pretty and in bloom.
Lazily, his eyes scanned across the edge of the forest. A smile adorned his face until a strange sight between the trees caught his eyes – a form shuffled forward from the darkness, casting its head up, its piercing green eyes turned on him. He froze for a moment, shocked by the sight, before realizing that the owner of those eyes appeared to be frozen as well. Before he could even stand up, the creature hung its head and began shuffling back into the forest. Joe had no idea why he was drawn to it, but he had felt the need to see the source of those startling eyes. In an instant, he was cantering eagerly towards the forest – he had completely forgot about his paper bag.
Once he found himself at the entrance to the forest, his eyes immediately darted about in search of the being he was looking for. He found the creature rather quickly, but it too had now noticed him. Its eyes snapped to him, like a deer that had heard the breaking of a twig behind it. The two simply stood and stared at each other for a few seconds before the creature began retreating – its retreat, however, was more of a rough attempt at a swift shamble than a full out gallop. Joe began after it, careful to not move too quickly or menacingly, keeping pace with it easily. The thick branches and leaves kept the creature's form hidden – all except its eyes – so he still had no concept of who or what he was following. It had the form like a pony, but rather tall and slender – it was this tall body that betrayed the creature as it had to dip and duck awkwardly between the lower hanging branches.
They soon exited the thick foliage and found themselves in a small, mossy clearing. The creature stopped and looked up in fright as it saw the lack of branches above it – it was now completely exposed to the early afternoon sun. Joe also halted immediately, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of the being in front of him. It – no, she – was indeed tall and slender, with slick, angled features and skin that looked like obsidian. A set of long, translucent wings sprung up from her back, catching the sunlight and casting a beautiful set of thin shadows against the grass near her hooves. His eyes moved from the shadows up her elegant legs, jet black and impossibly smooth looking, riddled with holes that decreased in size and number as they ran up her legs. With a twinge of shame, he eyed her flank, noting the lack of a cutiemark, before surveying the rest of her form. Her thin, shapely torso looked as though it was partially wrapped in a sort of leaf-like material. The neck that sprung from her sharp, curved shoulders was long and beautifully poised, even as she stood frozen in fright. It was at the moment that he realized that she was staring at him again – staring at him with those piercing, multi-hued green eyes of hers.
“Uh...” was all Joe managed to force out his lips as he stood caught in her gaze. There was no doubt in his mind who the being in front of him was. After the invasion during the royal wedding only a couple of months ago, practically everypony in Canterlot, if not everypony in Equestria, now knew what changelings were and what they looked like, especially their leader, the one standing in front of him: Queen Chrysalis.
“Stay back,” the still startled Chrysalis growled, fear and a hint of sadness in her hollow, vibrating voice.
Joe swallowed hard and brought his front hooves back a half step, placing all four firmly behind him. “Alright, staying put then.”
“G-good,” the changeling muttered, seeming slightly less frightened, but still unsure of her situation.
“Uh... so...” He had no idea whether it was fear or lack thereof, but Joe continued with his attempts to communicate with the should-be-lethal queen of the changelings. “You're... Chrysalis.”
The insect-like pony simply stared at the tan unicorn across from her in bewilderment, fear all but gone from her voice, but still present in the subtle twitch of her gaze. “Yes... I am. And yet, you do not run from or attempt to take up arms against me.”
“Well, to be fair, I of have no arms to take up against you, except for maybe attacking you with branches.” Much like her, Joe was also confused as to why he did not run from the changeling, knowing full well what she had been capable of at what was likely the peak of her power.
“You're a unicorn, you still have magic.” Her eyes flickered about at the use of the last word, fear returning to her voice just to coat said word in the faint hint of terror.
“Yes, but so do you, unless that horn on your head is just for show.” As he spoke he freed his eyes from Chrysalis' for the moment, looking up at the gnarled and twisting spire of a horn that jutted from out her forehead. Something seemed off to him, however, as he began to observe her more carefully again. Before he could make any hypothesis on what seemed wrong about this picture, other than the whole situation to begin with, the changeling queen spoke, bringing his eyes back down to hers.
“Er, yes,” she muttered with a distinct lack of confidence. “I-I am the queen of the changeling, and have even bested Celestia herself with my magic.”
It dawned on Joe once he heard Chrysalis say the word 'queen' herself. “Your crown!” he exclaimed, perhaps a tad too excitedly, as he noted the lack of the crown that should have adorned her head. Upon seeing the terror in her eyes come rushing back, he tried his best to act more calmly. A part of him questioned why in Equestria he was trying to be mindful of his attitude toward a being as powerful as Chrysalis, but he should realized why: she was scared of him. He had no concrete idea as to why, but it now was painfully obvious that the changeling was incredibly frightened, if not by Joe himself, but by something else that just happened to extent to him by some unknown correlation.
“I...” The changeling queen visibly squirmed as she fruitlessly attempted to form a response. Joe continued to stare at Chrysalis, far more confident as to where he stood in this situation. To the best of his knowledge, she had yet to use any magic against him, and she was clearly frightened – he still had his magic and physical strength, which was surprisingly considerable for a unicorn. Most importantly, however: he did not find himself scared of the pony across from him. He stopped his train of thought as he realized he had just considered Chrysalis a regular pony, as if they were in the same category.
“Look,” Joe said, trying his best to sound kind to the changeling, and took a step forward. He immediately regretted this decision.
“No!” Chrysalis shrieked, flinging herself backwards only to crash into the trunk of a near by tree. Her form shrunk to the ground and, much to the tan unicorn's surprise, she began crying. She was clearly attempting to restrain herself, but it was to little avail as she cowered and wept at the base of the tree, head bowed to the ground with her long horn unintentionally scratching at the dirt in front of her. “D-don't... p-please... don't...” Joe could only stand in shock at the sight in front of him – he had realized that Chrysalis was frightened for some reason, but he never expected to see her reduced to a weeping ball, especially not by any part of his doing, however small. Unsure of how he should be approaching this, given that this was still the queen of the changelings – unless her lack of crown had changed this – he decided to handle this like he would with any other pony.
“It's alright,” he said softly, trying to sound reassuring. He folded his legs underneath himself and sat facing Chrysalis, careful not to move any closer this time. “I'm not going to hurt you.”
The changeling shot her head up, her piercing eyes snapping immediately onto him. “What?” She growled these words with a mixture of anger and fear, blended together with her strange voice to form one of the oddest sounds Joe had ever heard.
“I said: I'm not going to hurt you.” A little of the rage and terror left her face as she stared at the unicorn, tears staining her cheeks. Her tears, he thought – before it looked as though her body was too smooth to really hold onto any dirt or debris, as all but her crumpled mane and tail looked pristine, but yet tears stained her face. They were a light bluish-green colour and were splattered all under those piercing eyes of hers, giving her an even most desolate appearance. The more time went on, Chrysalis appeared to Joe more like a hurt and frightened mare than as the terrifying queen of the changelings. Those eyes of hers still shot straight through him every time he met them, though.
“Do you understand what I'm saying?” he asked after a long silence.
Chrysalis blinked her eyes, clearing a few of the tears away before sneering slightly at him. “I am no imbecile – I understand what those words mean.”
“Alright, good, then-”
“But you clearly must be one.” Joe did not respond but simply stared. “Here you are, alone with the dethroned and powerless former queen of the changelings, weeping before you in a disgusting display of weakness, and you say that you won't hurt her. What sort of fool are you?”
“I'm not really sure,” he responded with a bit of a chuckle. When the light sound of laughter escaped his lips, Chrysalis pulled her head back and scowled at him.
“Now I insult you and you laugh? I guess in your current position, you can do whatever you so please, as I'm powerless to stop you. Go ahead and get a good laugh then, if that is your goal.”
The unicorn let the momentary lightheartedness faded from his face, trying to look kind again. “I'm not laughing at you, Chrysalis.” That did it.
“Do not use my name so candidly!” she sneered shrilly, her eyes narrowing angrily. “If you refuse to treat me with a fearful respect, then I am nothing but vermin to you and your kind.”
“Hey now, don't go saying that, I-”
“Stop being so damned kind to me, your fool! You do not seem to understand the situation, so let me explain it again: I am nothing but an oversized insect to you, which could be squashed with relative easy. I am nothing... absolutely... nothing.” The anger had left Chrysalis' face as she began to lower her head once more, defeated by her own words. With nothing but the sounds of the forest around them, Joe gazed on at the dejected changeling in front of him and thought about the situation he was currently in. He had, of course, been shocked to discover Chrysalis in the forest, but never had he really stepped back from it all to look at the scope of things: little ol' Dount Joe was in the forest outside of Ponyvillle with who should be one of the most dangerous beings in all of Equestria, and possibly the known world. Despite all rational thought, he had decided to engage the changeling queen, with no prior idea that she had become essentially powerless, and thus put himself at immense at risk. However, the risk no longer existed, as Chrysalis was unable to harm him, and he was the one in control of the situation.
“I don't really know how to apologize without being nice,” he said softly, his voice breaking the silence and causing Chrysalis to perk her ears up, even if her head remained hung. “I can't really say I understand what's going on here, but I do know that you're scared and alone, which must be a big change for somepony that used to be a queen.”
The changeling continued to keep her head down as she spoke. “It is not as great a change as you believe it to be.”
“Oh no? Well, at the very least, you seem to be without a place to- ”
Once more the former queen raised her head and gave Joe a penetrating stare. “No.”
“I didn't even fin-”
“I understand you are a fool, but what completely brain-dead part of you thinks it is even the slightest bit reasonable to consider housing a villainous monster in a land where she's a wanted criminal?”
“Well, what else are you going to do – continue living in the forest?”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes and sat herself up a little more properly as she spoke. “Why is it that you care so much about me? I am the villain who invaded your capital, attacked your princess, and was set on enslaving your civilization so that I may feed your love to my...” She paused and looked down at the ground with a solemn stare. “... to the changelings.”
“I know most ponies would think I'm crazy for even thinking to consider your side, but I did – you did what you needed to for your subjects. The changelings relied upon you, didn't they?”
The stillness of the air became apparent as neither pony said anything for a few moments. Joe simply looked on to Chrysalis with a kind face while the changeling considered his words. “Yes, they needed me – they would never have been able to organize a way to get such a large and consistent about of love without their queen. Without me, my generation of changelings has begun to die off, and it will be many years before a new queen arises to lead the next generation. Thanks to my evolved form, I am cursed to die slowly, as the love I have absorbed will sustain me for much longer than any other changeling. I am now a queen with no subjects and no kingdom, doomed to shrivel and wilt in a land where I am feared and hated. So, yes, foolish pony, I am alone.”
“Do you regret any of it or feel any guilt?”
“Do I feel guilty about the invasion of Canterlot?”
“Yes.”
With a sigh, Chrysalis cast her gaze skyward. “No, I do not. My changelings needed loved or they would die. I was their queen, and as such, I was sworn to feed them and kept them safe – they were my responsibility, my burden, my sin, but I will never have them as my guilt. I never chose to be the queen of the changelings, but I was and I accepted my duty and fate.”
“And regrets?”
“With the limited choices I had, it would be difficult for me to lament over the 'wrong' decision. My crown was a link between me and every other changeling in my hive – I felt their need for love, much stronger than my own for they were hundreds and were so driven by instinct and lacked the intellect to at least calm their desires while unfulfilled. This all but blanketed any sense of compassion I could have for you ponies, or any other creatures, and instilled in me such immense feelings of obligation. You ponies think your obligations to society and your loved ones can burden you, but compared to what I went through, you all of no concept of obligation.
“Even if I could have had empathy for you and your kind, I would have still needed to make a choice: accept my fate and forsake the well being of other creatures for the good of mine, or deny my species their sustenance and wallow in guilt and pain as I felt my subjects die by my hooves. I know that they died, but I never did feel it while...” She paused, lowering her head and pulling her limbs closer. “I guess that psychotic alicorn may have done something good after all.” Once she stopped she began to cry again, making no attempt to restrain herself – her slow, heavy sobs sounded eery when coupled with her hollow tone and the constant vibrations in her voice.
Joe let Chrysalis cry for some time, deciding against asking her for any specifics on the event relating to the alicorn she mentioned, fearing it would only provoke more negative emotions. Eventually, he spoke again, careful to speak softly as she tried not to startle her too much. “Well,” he began slowly, catching her attention as her snobs had died down to sniffles, “I have nothing personally against you, and, while I can't say I know what it's like to be in your situation, I can at least have some vague idea of what it's like to be in your place. If they looked at it from the point of view your just described to me, I'm sure you'd be hard-pressed to find too many ponies that would still think of you as an outright monster. I, for one, think you did what probably anypony else would have done in that place.”
“You...” Chrysalis simply stared wide-eyed at the unicorn across from her, tears still lining her eyes, occasionally finding a path down her cheeks. Her thin, angled jaw hung half-slack, pulling her almost invisible lips open slightly to expose the series of small, pointed teeth that filled her mouth. With the almost child-like confusion in her wide eyes, Joe found himself thinking that her little fangs looked cute, given the circumstances. After almost a minute like this, Chrysalis relaxed her features, removing the juvenile confusion from her gaze and shutting her move firmly before opening it again to speak, the words coming out strangely soft. “You fool,” she remarked, the sound of relief in her voice.
“You call me a fool an awful lot,” he responded with a small smile on his face. “I expected a stronger vocabulary from a queen.”
The changeling turned her nose up in a show of disapproval, but there was a hint of humour in her tone. “All that gallantry in your words and thoughts, yet you see fit to mock me still? You are lucky that I am no longer a queen.”
“Even without a crown or a kingdom, a queen is still a queen, so long as she wishes to be.” The sound of birds and the rustling of leaves in the light wind filled the air as the two sat silently once more for a short while. Eventually Joe stirred, sitting up on his haunches and giving his back a stretch. “Hopefully I didn't miss the train to Canterlot just yet,” he announced as he rose, turning away from Chrysalis before looking back to her as he continued. “You coming?”
That same wide eyed expression returned to the changeling's face as she look at the unicorn. “You really do expect me to follow you, don't you?”
“Mhm, why not? You've got no where else to be and unless you've got some secret base here I don't know about, then you've got no place to stay either – seems like good plan to me.”
Chrysalis rose as she spoke, her tall, elegant form towering over Joe. “And, let us say, that I even do agree with this, how, pray-tell, do you plan on getting me into Canterlot without being detected?” The tan unicorn gave a smirk before his horn began to glow and he enveloped himself in a tin layer of his own magic. It swirled and sparked around him body before he quickly disappeared from the changeling's sight.
“See?” he said, his voice disembodied in the air around her.
She brought a hoof to her chin. “It's simple, but it may be our best plan – I do not currently possess the ability to use any of my magic, so my usual tactics are unavailable to me.”
“'Our' best plan, you say?” Joe stated more than asked as he dropped his invisibility spell. “Sounds like you want to come with me after all.”
Chrysalis turned her head skyward with an unfocused gaze. “I must at admit that while the whole situation seems absolutely ridiculous, I am without any other desirable option. I am now without a home to return to, a hive to rule, or any semblance of power to take anything for myself – I may as well be a helpless filly, lost and alone, with no hope of succeeding by myself.”
“It's a good thing I came along then, isn't it?” The tan unicorn turned and began walking through the forest, changeling in tow.
“Good is what I would have called a swift death, but, in the case that I do not have a better alternative, I will call this acceptable.”
“Are you saying a quick death would have been better than being rescued by me?”
“Rescued? Do not let my reluctant acceptance of your offer swell your ego too greatly.” After those words the pair continued on in silence, the rustling of the surrounding forest becoming the only sound to accompany them on the first leg of their journey. They soon reached the edge of the forest, which was still a good deal away from Ponyville itself. Chrysalis eyed the town worryingly, taking a half-step back as she did. Joe looked over to see the anxiety plastered across the changeling's face as they stood at the threshold. With a swiftness that startled the ebony mare, the unicorn reached out and placed a hoof upon her shoulder. Her curtain-like mane whipped through the air as she snapped her head back and turned to the stallion next to her. It seemed as though she wanted to recoil completely and back away from his touch, but she only leaned away slightly. Despite her reaction, Joe remained collect as he looked up at Chrysalis with a soft stare.
“Don't worry,” he said reassuringly, “we'll be okay.”
“How long can you hold that spell for?” she questioned him as he dropped his hoof back to the ground.
“Well, I've never really used it for long periods of time, so I'm not one-hundred percent sure.”
Chrysalis scoffed and flipped her head away from him, her silken mane tossed by the unicorn's face. “That's hardly reassuring.”
“You could still turn around now, you know?”
The changeling looked back down to Joe, eyeing him with a calculating stare. “I must really be a fool to entrust myself to one.”
“That's the spirit!” the stallion chuckled as his horn began to glow. The quiet thrum of his magic filled Chrysalis' ears as the aura enveloped her and she felt a small tingle creep across her body. She looked down to where her hooves should be to see only the ground beneath her – to the best of her knowledge, his spell had indeed rendered her completely invisible. “Alright, let's get going, we don't want to risk seeing how long my spell can last.”
“Indeed.” The pair quickly exited the forest and made their way towards the town. As they did Joe spotted the brown paper bag that he had left before chasing after Chrysalis. He stopped to inspect it and was about to pick it up in his magic when a realization dawned on him.
“Chrysalis,” he practically whispered, even though they were still a good ways outside town, “would you mind holding this for me while we walk?”
“What!” the changeling hissed under her breath. He could not see it, but Joe was sure she was glaring pretty angrily at him.
“If I hold this with my magic, it's only going to put more strain on me.”
“Are you really so weak as to not be able to levitate a small object and cast an invisibility spell at the same time?”
“I may be a unicorn, but I ain't the greatest at magic.”
“Evidently.”
“Look, just pick it up and carry it close to my horn, would'ya?”
With a seething, and invisible, anger, Chrysalis bent her neck forward and snatched up the bag in her teeth. Reluctantly, she kept her head lowered to horn level with Joe, mentally cursing him.
“Don't grip it so hard,” he scowled her quietly. The changeling looked down through where her muzzle should be – as concept that would have been disturbing to a normal pony, but the former queen of changeling was used to such magic – and saw the folded top of the bag crinkled and with dents in it from the pressure of her bite.
“You insufferable-” she began before being cut off by the unicorn once more.
“If you don't make it look natural, this isn't going to work too well.”
“The queen of changelings will not be made to be the servant mare of some lowly doughnut maker!” She was seething, but kept her volume low, still aware of the situation.
Joe smirked and raised an eyebrow, ignoring Chrysalis' tone and the situation for the moment. “You can speak pretty clearly with that bag in your mouth – sounds like you've gotten a lot of practice with talking with things in your mouth.” Although he could not see it, there was no doubt the changeling's eyes were wide with shock.
“Y-you..” Her voice was beginning to lower to a growl.
“Sorry, sorry – that wasn't called for at all, but I just couldn't resist. Joking aside, you really can't be crumpling the bag like that, else it's going to look a tad suspicious.”
“You are making this a great deal more important than it really is,” Chrysalis replied, calmly herself down as she let out a sigh. “However, I guess I am going to have to oblige your ridiculous wishes for the time being. Let's get to that train quickly now, for we've wasted far too much time bickering.” Joe responded with a nod as the changeling adjusted her grip on the bag to give it as natural a look as possible. They took off at a quick trot towards the train station, making no more attempt at communication along the way. Joe was surprisingly thankful for almost being late for his train, as it gave him a legitimate excuse to not talk to the ponies he passed for too long – a quick nod and hello would suffice.
When the pair reached the train station Chrysalis tried her best to remain calm – the journey there had already been a strain of her, walking unbeknownst all those ponies that feared and hated her. Despite what ponies may say, she did have a heart – at least, in the physical sense – and right now beating rapidly and threatening to burst. She had no idea if it was at all possible for a changeling to be subject to heart failure, but the thought of it was enough to distract her from all the ponies around her invisible form. In her mixed state of confusion and anxiety, the changeling hardly noticed the tan unicorn next to her purchasing two train tickets. Once they boarded the train and found an empty car, the realization dawned on her.
“Why in the world,” she began as Joe dropped the blank of invisibility from her, “did you purchase two tickets?”
The stallion relaxed into his seat, confident that no other pony was going to enter the car. “Because there's two of us,” he responded nonchalantly.
“You have a strange sense of morals – you find it perfectly reasonable to sneak an extremely wanted criminal into your home in the capital city, yet you cannot let your conscience be marred by not paying for the train ticket of your illegal and invisible cohort?
“Shouldn't you have realized I had weird morals when I took your side on the invasion?” Chrysalis stopped to consider this for a moment – so far this unicorn was the only pony that had even appeared to take her side of the story into consideration, much less actually side with her. There was a strange feeling in her chest as she came to the conclusion that he was the first living being to ever take her side of their own free will – yes, her changelings had always been on her side, but only because they were guided by their immense desire for love and their inherent duty to their queen. This stallion across from her, he was the only being to ever show Chrysalis anything other than hatred or fear.
She turned her head and cast a wistful gaze out at the sprawling scenery outside the train. As the silence continued, Joe looked up from his content seating at the pensive Chrysalis' across from him. With all the anxiety and rush of getting through the town done with, and a good while until they reach Canterlot, the unicorn had taken this time to relax. In this moment he found himself studying the features of the changeling's solemn face – despite the fact that being so close to the former queen of changelings would seem to most ponies a terrifying situation, he was completely calm. Now that he knew she posed no harm to him, and she was no longer enraged or bothered by him, Joe began to observe her objectively. He had already looked at her actions with an open mind, but this was truly the first time he had treated her physically as a pony, not too different from himself.
It took her a few minutes, but eventually Chrysalis realized that the unicorn had been studying her all the while she sat and stared out the window. She turned her head, only slightly, towards him, her eyes drifting lazily to meet his. They held each others' gaze for a few moments before saying anything.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked slowly, her hollow voice flecked with unhappiness.
Joe lowered his gaze, taking his turn to look out the window in a thoughtful manner. “I own a doughnut shop now, but before I did I worked as a bouncer.” Normally, Chrysalis would have interrupted him, questioning him in an annoyed tone as to what this had to do with her question – however, she decided to remain quiet and let him continue. “Since I got my cutiemark I always knew I would be a great baker, but I was a stubborn colt, and refused to work in somepony's doughnut shop or bakery. Youthful arrogance, I guess you can call it, that I assumed I'd be the best at making doughnuts, so I didn't want to work under somepony I thought I was probably better than. It was stupid and big-headed of me, but it was my attitude, and I stuck with it.
“My father hadn't been very successful, but he raised me to never play second fiddle to anypony. I got my stubborn pride from him, but my mother was a little different – she didn't really disagree with my dad, but she was more for the understand approach to a situation. She always taught me that I'd be more successful if I was understanding to other ponies. She never said it aloud, but I always got the impression that she thought my father wasn't very successful because he was too stubborn for his own good. Thanks to that stubbornness I inherited from my father, I didn't work in the business as I grew up, and instead took advantage of my surprising strength to be a bouncer for nightclubs.
“At the last club I worked for, I met a young mare, rather desolate and down on her luck. I had met a lot of different ponies after years of being a bouncer at a number of clubs, but something about this mare stuck out to me. She showed up one night and immediately caught my attention – she continued to come every night to drink and watch the other ponies dance. After a week, I found her leaving just as I was getting off shift, so I decided to talk to her. She began to talk almost immediately and was readily honest with me. I quickly found out that she had been disowned by her family because she didn't feel a strong emotional connection with them and didn't want to spend time with them. She explained how they never got along because her parents thought she wasn't doing anything with her life, and that every holiday involved her being told she wasn't trying hard enough and was letting them down. Eventually, she got tired of feeling like she was obligated to live her life for her parents, and told them she wasn't going to keep being part of a family that treated her so poorly. Her parents took this as a sign of disrespect, telling her that she had insulted and disgraced them. When she went to her friends for support, the few she had couldn't understand why she wouldn't just humour her parents at the very least. She admitted that she wasn't thinking clearly when she did it, but she cursed out her friends for taking her parents' side, telling them that they didn't care because they couldn't be bothered to consider her side of things.
“I didn't see her come to that club again for a week and got worried. I eventually found out that she had killed herself the night after I talked to her. I felt horrible – even though I didn't really know her, that mare had left such an impression on me. It was then that my mother's words about about having understanding for other ponies came back to me. I started to blame myself, even though I hadn't done anything to her before meeting her, but I felt like I should have done something for her. I cursed myself for a long while, believing that if I had only taken the time to try and help her that I could have saved her, made her life better. I might not have been able to, and getting close to her probably would have only made her death even harder to handle, but that feeling of never knowing kept me up for nights.
“After I opened up my shop, off the savings I'd made being a bouncer and some help from my parents, I vowed that I'd never let anypony walk out of my shop like that mare walked out of that club. I decided then and there that I wasn't going to treat my customers as just some random ponies, but ponies who all had hopes, dreams, fears, and problems. Sure, they weren't coming into my shop expecting to have a friend to talk to, but I'd be there if that's what they needed. I may not be able to do a whole lot more than make doughnuts and listen to ponies, but damn if I can't at least do those things right.” Joe finished his story and turned to Chrysalis, giving her a faint smile. It was a lot to take in at once, but the changeling did her best to consider everything she had just been told.
“You care a great deal,” she mused aloud, “about ponies who you are not well acquainted with, or sometimes have not even met before. I have seen ponies with much empathy for those they are close to, but why do you extent this kindness to strangers?”
The tan unicorn smiled once more. “Everypony is a stranger until you get to know them. A pony's best friend was once somepony they had never met, and the same goes for lovers. Heck, even your parents are unknown to you for a time. Everypony is just a stranger waiting for you to get to know them.” Chrysalis mulled over this thought as the pair returned to silence. Her head turned back out the window to observe the scenery that was passing them by. As a changeling, she never really had any interest in things like scenery, but she now found herself entranced by it – the beauty in the way the wind dipped and tucked through the branches and leaves, how the sun warmed the earth below and cast splendid shadows across the landscape spotted with trees. The clear, blue sky called out to her, making the ebony mare's wings tingle with a sort of anticipation – it was as if a long dormant desire in her had begun to stir, waking for the first time in years.
As her gaze drifted and became unfocused, Chrysalis soon caught a glimpse of her reflection. She studied her piercing green eyes and silken blue mane, remembering that amongst all this beauty, she was a still a creature of fear, set so far out of place. With another wistful stare, she turned her head back to the stallion seated across from her, thinking of the difference between the two of them. She was a creature to be feared and hated, one that fed off the warmest emotion ponies shared with one another, but her she was, being helped by a pony that not only did not fear or hate her, but seemed to understand, in some capacity, her side of the story.
The pair passed the remainder of the trip in silence, each kept themselves busy with their own thoughts and musings until the reached Canterlot.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Oh man,” Joe let out an exasperated sigh as he closed the door to his Canterlot home behind him. “That sure was nerve racking, eh?”
Chrysalis too was breathing a heavy sigh of relief, extremely glad to not be walking amongst all of those ponies anymore. “Indeed, I was worried you would be unable to hold up that spell under stress.”
“I get us all the way here from Ponyville and you still don't have faith in me?”
A small hint of a smile flashed across the changeling's lips. “Having faith in a fool would make a fool out of me, would it not?”
“Well, you're the one who let me bring you here, so I wonder who's really the fool. Come on, I'll show you around.” The tan unicorn led Chrysalis from the front door to the living room of the modest dwelling. A beige couch and matching chair were the main furniture that adorned the simply furnished room, decorated with a couple pieces of art and a few pictures of family and friends. An old gramophone sat in the corner of the room looking perfectly well kept and free of dust, but what caught the ebony mare's attention was the lone picture on a small tablet next to it. She moved closer to inspect the image, Joe following behind her quietly. When she brought her head down a little she took a good look: the picture was of a young mare grinning widely in front of a tacky photo-shoot backdrop.
“It's her high school photo,” the stallion behind her answered without being asked. “I couldn't find any other picture of her so genuinely happy looking.”
Chrysalis slowly brought her eyes away from the portrait and looked at Joe. “You've kept a picture of her all this time?” He nodded. “What is it that you expect this picture to do for you – keep you tied to a past you cannot change?”
“No.” He reached forward and gingerly ran a hoof along the frame. “It's there so I can remember that everypony can be happy, no matter what.” Without saying another word, Joe led her out of the living room and through the kitchen. As it may have been expected from a baker, his kitchen was far more extravagant than his living room – a myriad of high quality cooking and baking tools covered almost every inch of the room, save for the preparation spaces. “I've got no idea if eating pony food does anything for you, or if you even can, but I'm always happy to whip something up.”
The changeling stared with a quizzical expression at the many tools, attempting to understand their uses from their forms. “My body can break down food, but it provides no nutrients and I possess no taste buds, so I'd only ever eat to not give away myself while disguised.” The unicorn nodded in understanding as they exited the kitchen and returned to the main foyer to find a set of stairs – the house was one of those that was rather small width and depth wise, but had a second floor to fit more in vertically. The pair ascended the stairs to the upper floor and were immediately met by three doors – the upper landing was dived amongst the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and the washroom.
“Weird question,” Joe began with a nervous chuckle, “but do changelings...”
Chrysalis looked down at the unicorn and gave an unimpressed roll of her eyes. “Did we not just go through the fact that I do not need to digest food?”
“Right, sorry. Anyhow, this is my bedroom and the guest over here.” He motioned a hoof to the two doors next to him. “I'll stay in the guest room until we can figure something better out.”
The changeling titled her hear as she stared questioningly at the tan stallion, who return her enquiring gaze if only because he had no idea why she was staring at him like that. “Why would you be staying in the guest room?”
“Because you'll b-”
She waved a hoof to cut him off as she shook her head, tendrils at the ends of her mane snapping up just inches from Joe's snout. “I understand the idea is to have me stay in the master bedroom, but I do not understand why you would give up your comfortable and familiar sleeping area for me.”
“Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to ask: do changelings need to sleep?”
“Yes, we still sleep – it's when our bodies convert the stored love in our systems into energy for the next day.”
“Alright, so what's the problem then?”
The ebony mare sighed dramatically, her hair flipping out as she frowned and wrinkled her snout – he was about to say it out loud just yet, but Joe found the sight to be rather adorable. “I am the guest and should be given the guest room – it is called the 'guest' room for a reason. To be completely honest, though, I'm far less a guest than I am a fugitive, and fugitives have willingly stayed in far less hospitable conditions than the guest bedroom of a middle class house in the capital city.”
Joe laughed and shook the puzzled look from his face, stepping past Chrysalis towards the stairs. “You're really over-thinking this, aren't you?”
“I think that perhaps,” she began her retort as the descended the stairs, “you are simplifying the matter too much.”
“I willingly took the former queen of changelings, currently a wanted criminal here in Canterlot, into my home, and even had to persuade her to agree with it. My decisions are both the farthest and the closest to simple, so if you want to look at as simple, than it should be obvious: you get the main bedroom because I want you to have it for now, end of story.” The changeling remained silent as she followed the unicorn once more into his kitchen. With the quiet thrum of his magic the kitchen zipped to life – food began to exit single-file from the refrigerator, enveloped in the aura of his magic, as all manner of tools flew over to a large cutting board. With all the ingredients and tools around or on the board, Joe shut the refrigerator and sauntered over to begin.
“So,” he began slowly as he worked, “I'm not really sure what it is we'll do.”
Chrysalis had take a seat in a kitchen chair as the unicorn worked. “What do you mean 'what we'll do'?”
“I mean, I don't know if you've ever had free time, or had any hobbies or anything – I figure that being the queen of the changelings isn't much like living the life of your average pony around here.”
The changeling rested a foreleg upon the table and titled her head to the ceiling. “I indeed have never considered what I would do with spare time, as everything leading up to the invasion was constant preparation. Though, while I was imitating Cadence I did find myself at times where I had to use free time in a natural looking way while other ponies were around. I did a great deal of reading in this time, but I must admit, most of what I read during that time were mediocre romance novels.”
“That's a start then. I don't have a huge collection, but I've got more than a few books laying around here, with some pretty hefty classics among 'em. You're welcome to read anything you'd like – my bookshelf is up in my room on the left side, you can't miss it.” Slowly the ebony mare rose and made her way back to the second floor. She reached out a hoof to open Joe's door but stopped part way – a strange feeling rooted inself in her chest as she stared at the door in front of her. Though she could not shake the feeling, Chrysalis continued on, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Like the living room, the bedroom was very simply furnished, a few photographs and pieces of art about the room. A much new looking record player sat in the upper right of the room, a tall, narrow cabinet next to it lined with records. Her eyes fell over the bed and saw that it was rather large, even considering the stallion's size, and Chrysalis had an inkling that part of the reason Joe was making her take the master bedroom was for the larger bed. She scoffed at the unicorn's good intentions as she turned to face the bookshelf, dominating the left wall just as Joe had said. A few quick steps brought her in line with the many rows of books, and she began to scan across the options presented to her. Eventually she came a rather large book that hung out slightly from the rest, as though it had been put back in its place in a hurry. She reached out and removed the book, turning it over to inspect the cover. 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare' it read in swirling, golden lettering.
The changeling placed the book gingerly between her teeth, trying her best to not inflict any damage upon it, and descended the stairs once more. She quietly walked into the living room, not alerting Joe of her return, and made herself comfortable on the couch while opening the book in front of her. Chrysalis dove immediately into the work, currently content with having an activity to keep herself occupied – the time spent out in that forest had been dreadful for numerous reasons. While she had quickly grown accustom to it, the absence of Joe's voice was being enjoyed at the present moment. After some time, the tan unicorn eventually walked into the living room to find the changeling.
He eyed the ebony mare, poised almost elegantly on his simple couch as she read a book he immediately recognized. She looked picturesque, like a model of beauty seated wonderfully amongst the ordinary. The way her mane draped itself over her shoulders like a shimmering waterfall highlighted those vibrant green eyes, only half-visible as they scanned the pages beneath her. With her legs tucked under her body her flank was pushed up slightly and Joe found himself noting how surprisingly muscular it looked compared to the rest of her thin, shapely body. As Chrysalis flipped a page and her eyes flicked up from the bottom of the previous to the top of the current, she caught the sight of the unicorn's hooves in the door way. She looked up, in no rush, to find the stallion watching her once more.
“You do seem to enjoy eyeing me when given the chance,” she commented casually, a relaxed tone in her hollow voice. “Is there something about me you find interesting to look at?”
“Something like that,” Joe replied with a chuckle as he return to the kitchen for his food. He reentered the living room and took a seat in his chair as Chrysalis returned her eyes to her book. “He's an extremely well known writer, if you didn't already know.”
The changeling's eyes never left the pages as she spoke. “While I had not previously read his work, I aware of him before, as it would have been suspicious for not knowing such a prominent author – like a lot of things about your history and culture, I had learnt about them for the sake of keeping my disguises airtight. I must admit, that what I have read thus far is rather impressive – he has an interesting way with words to be sure.”
“That's good to hear. Like I said, you're free to read anything I've got up there – I only wish I could offer you something more than reading material while I've got you cooped up here.”
This was enough to force Chrysalis to lift her gaze from the pages, staring at Joe with that now familiar looking stare that she gave him every time he said something she thought to be idiotically kind. “You harbour me illegally of your own volition, for seemingly no selfish gain, and your only regret is that you can only offer me a plethora of reading material? I had almost forgotten how much of an idiot you are, so thank you for reminding me.” The tan unicorn simply laughed as the changeling returned her attention to her reading material.
The pair had little conversation for the next few hours to follow as Chrysalis seemed to be enjoying reading and Joe decided it was best to let her continue, feeling that this was the closest to happy she had been since they had met. After he finished eating, the unicorn also grabbed some reading material and sat in the living room, reading while keeping an eye on his changeling guest. On more than one occasion he once again found himself carefully studying the ebony mare, each time growing more and more fascinated by every aspect of her. What he saw in Chrysalis was a beauty that he believed to be the first to discover – it was likely that no pony before him had ever gotten past the fear and hatred that most felt towards the changelings to really look at their queen. He could not say whether it was natural for all changeling queens to be the tall, slender, and absolutely stunning creature that Chrysalis was, but he knew for sure that the most recent queen was indeed all of those things.
At a quarter past eleven, after Joe realized that he had reread the same sentence at least seven times, it was clear to the enamoured stallion that his focus was no longer even vaguely hinted towards his book. Thankfully, Chrysalis was as focused on her reading as the unicorn was on her that she never even noticed how little he tried to hide his staring – his thoughts were practically written on his face as he refused to take his eyes off of the captivating changeling. After another few minutes, Chrysalis stirred, rolling her shoulders as she let out a quiet yawn that sounded almost like a hum with the echoing drawl in her voice.
“Getting tired?” he asked softly as he levitated a bookmark from his coffee table onto the page Chrysalis was open to. She gave the rectangular strip a questioning stare for a moment before nodding and closing the book shut around it.
“I am indeed,” she replied as she began to stretch out her limbs. Joe watched the changeling flexed and pulled her muscles, specifically noting anything around her flank. After a few moment of stretching the ebony mare rose from the couch, dominating the room by sheer height. She was about to pick up the book she had been reading when it was enveloped in the tan unicorn's magical aura.
“I've got 'em.” Without another word the pair, led by Joe ascended the stairs and entered the master bedroom. He trotted over to the bookshelf and put the book he had been reading back before turning and dropping the collection of works that Chrysalis had become fond of on the end table next to the bed. “I've got a hunch you'll want to finish that before starting anything else.”
Chrysalis walked over to the large bed in the room and began inspecting it with a hoof, poking and prodding it. “I would indeed like to complete my reading of that book, and perhaps then enjoy more of the literature you have collected here.”
“Well, like I've said a bunch already: you're welcome to read anything I've got while you're here.” Joe let out a yawn himself now, turning and heading for the door. “Any how, I'm getting tired myself, and while I don't open the store too early tomorrow, I'd like to get up at a decent time. I'm just in the next room, so call me if you need anything.” The changeling rolled her eyes at the last statement before the unicorn exited the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her feeling alone again, even with knowing her host was just in the room over. She turned back to the bed, pulling the sheets aside and slipping in, feeling more comfortable than she had all week. Eventually, dreams took her and she entered into a fitful sleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
Joe was roused from his dreams of on an obsidian beauty caressing every inch of him by an unfamiliar sound nearby. He perked his ears up, quieting his breathing to listen to the sound more closely. The noise was coming from the master bedroom, but he still could not place the sound, though it had a familiar ring to it. With little hesitation, the unicorn tossed the sheets from himself and rose out of bed, leaving the guest room quietly and coming to a stop outside his bedroom door. He gingerly placed his ear against the door and gave an attentive listen. The sound had the same quality as Chrysalis' voice – the hollow, vibrating rhythm that he had come to recognize so well now. After a moment of thought he remembered back to when the changeling had broken down crying in the forest during their first encounter, and now understood what this sound was.
Taking a moment to compose himself, Joe reached a hoof out and knocked lightly on the door. There was a sharp breath from inside, the crying stopping for a moment before becoming sniffles and ragged breaths. The mare inside did no answer immediately, so the stallion outside venture to speak first. “Hey,” he called out softly through the wood, “are you alright in there?” There was a long pause, the changeling seemingly refusing to reply. “Chrysalis, I want to help, alright? You don't have to shut me out.”
“G-go away,” she muttered indigently.
“Good, so you can still talk, that's a start.”
“Start by leaving me alone.”
“Still got your wit, that's good too.” Chrysalis let out a an angry puff of air but did not reply to his comment. “Now look, I'm not leaving here until you tell me what's wrong, so you can sit in there and huff and puff all you like, or you can say 'Yes, Joe, come in' and I'll sit with you for as long as you need.” The house was all but silent, save for the faint end traces of the teary breaths of the mare in the bedroom. After a few moments Joe sighed and slowly let himself in, not waiting any longer for an invitation. He entered into the dark room, fruitlessly attempting to find the ebony mare in the darkness. Reaching out with his magic he turned his bedside lamp up to a third brightness, revealing the sullen changeling curled up on his bed, the bluish-green tint of her tears staining her cheeks. Once he turned on the lights Chrysalis rolled her face into the pillow, trying her best to avoid Joe's gaze. He could think of a dozen humours things to say about this situation, but knew that now was not the time. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed next to the ebony mare, he looked down at her and spoke with a compassionate tone. “Come on, talk to me.”
Chrysalis squirmed, rubbing her tear soaked face farther into the pillow, but managed to position her muzzle low enough to speak without muffling her voice. “Why are you even here?”
“Because I heard you crying in here and I couldn't just do nothing about it.”
“Yes, you could have... you could have just gone back to bed and ignored me completely.”
“Chrysalis, after all that's happened since I met you, do you really think I'm the type of stallion to do that?”
The changeling lifted her face from the pillow and turned it towards Joe – he was heartbroken to see the complete desolation in her eyes. “No, I know you're an incredible sort of fool, yet I seem to keep forgetting that and being surprised when you act like a complete idiot.”
“I really do admire your commitment and ability to keep mocking me even when you're so distraught,” he joked with a small smile.
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes a little before rolling them as a sigh of how unimpressed she was. “I repeat: you are an incredible sort of fool.”
“Joking aside, I really am worried about you – what were you crying about?”
With a sigh the ebony mare hung her head and avoided meeting Joe's eyes by staring at the bedsheets beneath her. “I suppose I have no reason to hide anything from you – there's nothing to gain or lose at this point. Ever since my crown degraded, an act that only occurs when all the changelings I had a link with have died, I've been subjected to an array of volatile emotions, mainly negative. I have my theories as to why this is, but they are rather irrelevant when the end result is the same: I am emotionally unstable and have on idea of how to fix that.”
“Do you really think that's it, though?”
She lifted her head and gave the unicorn a puzzled stare. “What, do you mean to suggest that I was in here weeping of my own free will?”
“No, I just mean that I could understand why you'd be depressed right now, so-”
“Depressed!” Chrysalis practically screamed. “You think I am depressed? Why in Equestria would I be depressed? It is not as if my entire meaning in life, that was forced on me to begin with, has been taken away from me! No, and I certainly have not had thoughts of guilt creep into my mind, wondering how I could have possibly let my changelings die! Do you mean to suggest to me that without my crown and the mental burden that the hive's hunger had on me to pacify my emotions, that I am start to think and feel like a pony? My, could you imagine if that were the case? Oh, I would be an absolute wreck, now wouldn't I!” By this point Chrysalis was standing, tears streaming down her ebony skin as she stared at Joe with a fiery intensity, her sullen gaze replaced by the piercing, fear-inducing one that she used to wear. The tan unicorn had sunk into the bed, his body involuntarily retreating from the raging creature in front of him, but he soon steadied himself, swallowing hard before speaking.
“Chrysalis,” he began slowly, trying to sound as comforting as he could be, but was immediately cut off.
“NO!” she shrieked, the shrill sound of her hollow voice echoing through the house. “I see what you are doing, and I will not listen to you try and tell me why everything is going to be okay!” Without a moments hesitation, she spun around and made her way out of the bedroom. Joe picked himself up and sped after her, galloping down the stairs and chasing her into the kitchen. When he arrived at the door way, he found the frantic changeling looking across all of his cooking tools. The realization hit him too late as she selected a large knife and withdrew it from the block in the green haze of her magic – in the chaos of it all, neither of them stopped to consider the return of her magic.
“Chrys!” he shouted frantically, shortening her name in his panic.
“Don't you see?” she growled, her volume much lower now as the desperation in her voice began to take over. “I cannot live like this – wrapped up in all of these emotions I cannot handle, stranded here, inside the city where I hated and wanted, while under the care of the most monumental idiot that is blind to the fool he has made himself by willing taking me in. I cannot live out the rest of my long days trapped in this house pretending I can get by on literature and meagre social interaction with you alone, all the while waking up weeping and lamenting my very existence. This is no life – it is torture.” She returned her focus to the knife she was levitating, beginning to position it for her intended goal. Before she could make another move towards that goal, however, Joe reached out with his own magic, much stronger than her currently returned power, and threw the blade onto a table away from her.
Chrysalis fell to her haunches as the tan unicorn stamped up in front of her, staring at her with fierce determination. “You are not,” he announced, his voice soft yet strong. “I repeat: You are not killing yourself. Understand?
“W-who...” she began to reply, her resolve visibly shattered. “Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do with my life?”
“I'm the pony that cares about you, that's who, and I'm not about to let somepony I love go and kill themselves.” There was a long pause after these words left Joe's mouth – silence returned to the house that had been filled with shouting and the noise of chase all but moments ago. The two ponies simply stared into each others' eyes for a great deal of time. Chrysalis sat on the floor, her mouth agape and her gaze so intently focused in confusion on the stallion in front of her. For his part, Joe continued to hold the changeling's stare, the same hard determination in his eyes never faltering. Somewhere along the line, the ebony mare managed to bring her jaw upwards, closing her mouth while taking a moment to compose herself.
“Did you say you loved me?” she finally spoke, her hollow voice so quiet it sounded like a mere echo.
“I did,” the unicorn replied in a slightly less rigid tone, beginning to relax his features.
“Why would you say that?”
“Are you really asking that?” Before she could reply, Joe sat down in front of her, his hard gaze turned into one of compassion. He raised his hoof and gently placed it upon her cheek. Chrysalis flinched, shocked by the gesture, but did not fully recoil, letting him cradle her cheek in his hoof. “I said I loved you because I'm in love with you. It probably seems completely ridiculous, but that's only because it is – how could a regular pony falling in love with the former queen of the changelings in a single day be anything but ridiculous? But think that's why I never found love before, because I was so caught up in it making some sort of sense, when, really, I should have just ignored all logic and let love work its magic. That's what love is: magic. Did you see it earlier? You had grabbed that knife with your magic, the magic you should have lost because all the love in your body was being used to keep you alive, and your powers were so diminished you could hardly turn the page of a book with magic. But, you used magic, because you had absorbed more love – that was the love I was showing you when I was worried about you crying upstairs.
“Just stop and think about it. No... don't think – feel. Just sit there and see how you feel, right now, in this moment with me.” He paused to allow Chrysalis to do as he instructed. She followed through, focusing all of her previously frantic thought on herself, looking for something inside of her. As she dug deep into herself, wading through her own clouded thoughts, her eyelids waned, revealing that she was having difficulties finding what she was searching for. Unaware of his moments, Chrysalis was caught off guard once more as she suddenly found the unicorn's lips pressed against hers. Her eyes snapped open wide, attempting to focus on the face of the stallion pressed up against her, but was met with only a blurry image of his shut eyes. As the kiss pressed on, Chrysalis began feeling herself kissing back, the warmth of his breath tickling her snout as they continued. Soon her eyes fluttered shut and she found herself fully engaged in kiss.
Eventually they parted, breathing out a single, heavy breath in unison before opening their eyes to meet each others' eyes. They held each others' gaze for some time, a wordless exchange passing between the two. Finally, Chrysalis took her turn to break the silence.
“I'm not sure what this is meant to be,” she said softly, the sadness in her voice practically nonexistent, “but something about it feels... right. Stealing the love from other ponies sated the hunger for my kind, but it never made us feel good. This... this makes me feel warm inside, as if there was a greater energy fuelling my body, driving me forward. I feel content, no longer possessed by the desire to constantly seek out more love for fear that what I had would run out. I feel... happy.”
Joe said nothing and simply smiled the most honest and caring smile that had ever adorned his face. A smile formed upon Chrysalis' lips as well, mirroring the origin and intent of the unicorn across from her. The two moved closer together, resting their heads upon each others' shoulders. Then they sat there, curled up together on the kitchen floor, the most unlikely lovers to ever, content enough to fall asleep there, cradled in each others' embrace.
And so, they did.
Author's Note
This was a lot of things: new, a bit challenging, written faster than I would have liked, given less (none) editing than it needs, but, overall and above all else, it was fun.
You might think I'm joking, but the hardest thing about writing this was trying to take Joe seriously with the name "Donut Joe". I'm glad I only used his full name once, or else I would have died laughing before I ever finished this.
Anyhow, I'm going to go back and do some editing on this later, touch it up, and eventually post a journal about a serial (or maybe just another long one-shot) story following Joe and Chrysalis after the events of this one.
Hope you all enjoyed, and thanks to everyone involved Garbo802's The Great Shipping Collab especially AcreuBall, who's submission to the collab, See White was what turned me on to the collab in the first place (and it's also a good story that needs more attention).
