A Modest Proposal
Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The lavender alicorn stood in stunned silence, shaken, mouth agape, eyes wide in confusion, too many feelings racing behind them to speak.
It had taken several years of negotiations, ranging from tense and suspicious to table-flipping outbursts, goodwill meetings, gala events, cultural exchanges and many MANY false-starts and misfires to make it happen, but through the power of friendship and no small amount of perseverance, the changelings had been successfully integrated into pony society. She had made it her personal goal to see this hatchet buried, attending every meeting with every delegate, no matter how inconsequential it might seem or what other burdens she carried at the time. She got to know the changelings, reached out to them with compassion and had come to understand their differences- enjoy them, even- and see them as the potential friends they were.
With their centuries of skills acquired through infiltration and their amazing capacity for productivity as hive creatures, there was no limit to what good the new alliance between their peoples would bring. Already, from Ponyville to Manehatten, changelings and ponies worked side-by-side at construction sites, shared laughter at joint-production comedies and walked hoof-in-pitted-hoof on dates, both as friends and much more. Love was freely given and happily received between the two species in a harmonious relationship of mutually beneficial symbiosis.
But this... this moment was something else entirely...
Before her, the towering form of the changeling queen, Chrysalis Bladequeen, the terrifying monarch whom just a few short years ago had foal-napped her, her friends and all her family, had personally led the invasion of The Crystal Empire, had tried to kill her even, MULTIPLE times... stood silently, gently, delicately holding Twilight's smaller, slender, lavender hoof in the pitted chitin of her ebony hooves.
She was easily thrice Twilights size and fearsome to behold. Her serpentine eyes with their alien dual-irises had haunted Twilights nightmares for years. Her fanged smile, sneering with evil intent as she hatched yet another scheme to destroy all the ponies held dear had until recently been immortalized in stained glass in the hall of history as one of Equestrias foulest villains. Her power was nearly as fierce as Celestia's own and she had used it time and again to work her selfish desires upon the innocent creatures of the land.
...but here, now, she was penitent, imploring. The flowing cerulean waves of her spider-silk mane framed her dark face like a waterfall. Her fanged lips were turned into a warm, tender smile. Chrysalis craned her neck to meet Twilights eyes. Her dual-irised emerald pools were wide and gleaming, hopeful, pleading, perhaps even a little misty. What she held behind them was something far sweeter and deeper than anything Twilight had ever seen.
Twilights hearts skipped a beat as the changeling monarch spoke.
"Twilight... We've known each other for so long..." The dual-toned voice came through slow, soft and imploring. " ...and what we've shared, I know it... I know... I haven't always been the best of friend to you... and I'm so sorry for that. " The queen shook her head and sighed heavily, regretfully casting her glance downward in shame. Her fangs nervously nipped into her ebony lips as she tasted the words in her mind. The towering queen gave Twilight's hoof a hopeful squeeze and continued. "...but with this alliance, with our two peoples finally being at peace..." She looked up again to meet Twilights eyes, her own even wider still now as she smiled, warm and affectionate. "With...US finally being at peace... I'm so proud to call you my friend. Finally I can be free to articulate things to you.... Things I've wanted to say for a long time." Chrysalis eye took on a much deeper, richer shade as her smile somehow became even more tender and pointed. " ... things I've ...needed to say"
At that, the mighty queen lowered herself to one knee.
Twilight gasped.
She felt her hearts stop.
She was in shock.
Was this really happening?
Eyes glimmering with promise, Chrysalis held her gaze with a resolute determination and swallowed hard.
"Twilight... there's something I've wanted to ask you... for a VERY long time...ever since we first met... ever since... I first saw ...you..."
------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Twilight lay wide-eyed in the large four-poster bed in silence. She brushed a lock of her disheveled indigo mane from her face with a weary, shaken hoof. The strands of hair were heavy with sweat and flopped defiantly, almost comically, back to rest between her magenta eyes. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look to her left. A small cough escaped her lavender lips as she took stock of the situation.
The room reeked of incense, sweat, black licorice, cotton candy and... other more aggressive, extremely intense activities.
Laying beside her in the bed was Queen Chrysalis, also somewhat disheveled, forelegs folded behind her head. The queen looked to the ceiling with a wide, razor-sharp, extremely proud-of-herself smile. A cigarette hung lazily from her lips, trailing a line of smoke to the rafters above like a victory signal.
On the opposite side of the gigantic changeling was some other... creature... maybe it was a pony. She was definitely female. Twilight could vouch for that, now. She looked kind of like a pony- maybe if you covered a mare in glue and rolled her in thirty miles of pink fluff. From the mass of her poofy pink coat, two brilliant blue eyes peeped out, a silent smile on her face. Well, as much of her face as was visible. Her tiny pale rose hooves clasped the covers to her ...chest-like region in a joyful afterglow.
Twilight turned back to stare across the bedroom into empty space. She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples for a moment, then her eyes, rubbing away the sinking realization of what they'd all just done.
"How... did I let you talk me into that...?"
Chrysalis grin didn't fade in the slightest. "I can be VERY persuasive, Twilight"
"Thppt!" Agreed the fluffy pink furball, tongue sticking out with a smile.
-fin-