Chrysalis woke up with a moan her body still feeling as if it was ripped apart then set on fire. She recognized the floor she laid on to belong to the Friendship Castle, and a quick look around proved it. The walls were made of pure crystal, the only piece of furniture in the room being the odd one out.
The window had a lavender glow around it, matching the equally glowing door. She didn’t need to try and find her reflection to know she was wearing a magic limiter and the extra weight on her neck meant she was chained to the ground. All in all, she woke up to much worse conditions.
The queen sighed as she laid down, cursing her timing as she should have been back in the hive by now, relaxing in the hot springs in the caves. She also cursed herself for being so stupid and not leaving much earlier.
She perked up as she heard movement on the other side of the door, wincing as the sudden movement flared up her wounds. Soon, the magic around the door dissipated and opened to reveal a site that only dropped Chrysalis’ heart lower.
Within the time she was knocked out, no only was she thrown into a makeshift dungeon, the other three princesses were called and arrived in a timely manner in which a business pony during rush hour would envy. The four princesses quickly filled the semi small room, causing the queen to back into the wall out of fear and general curtsy.
Cadence and Twilight both glared holes straight through her, making Chrysalis quickly wish she would be executed already. Meanwhile, Luna seemed bored of the situation and slightly tired as if she was just taken out of bed. Celestia, however held a neutral look that showed no hate, but did not feel welcoming either.
“Queen Chrysalis, I almost thought we’d never see you again.” said Celestia, raising an eyebrow. “But a pony specializing in Couples Counseling in Ponyville within walking distance of Twilight is a little obvious, isn’t it?”
“If it was obvious, why did it take five years and a freak coincidence to catch me?” The princess’ cheeks turned crimson as Luna snickered. With a sigh, Chrysalis stood. “Whether it took five years doesn’t matter. I really have nothing planned aside from a very well needed hot bath since it feels like I was sat on by Tirek.”
“Then why were you in my library!” snapped Twilight. Chrysalis avoided eye contact, clearing her throat before answering.
“It is a public library, is it not? Shocking as it may be, I do like a good novel every so often. It is an escape from the harsher reality.” The queen scuffed the ground, gaining a look from Celestia.
“Then why Ponyville, may I ask?” The queen sighed, sitting back down.
“Well, after the failure of our last hope, I left to find more about the group of ponies responsible. Their leader more in particular.” said the Queen. Cadence, now intrigued, leaned forward a little.
“What do you mean ‘Last Hope’? I thought your goal was to rule over Equestria and use us as a buffet?” Chrysalis chuckled.
“Not quite. Love to a Changeling is as vital as food. We get calories to use for energy from regular food. Meat, veggies, sweets, etc. Nutrients, however, come in the sweet form of Love. An Invisible concept that we can detect and feed on.” Chrysalis paused a moment, looking over to find that Twilight found herself a quill and paper and was fiercely taking notes. Chuckling, she continued.
“Malnutrition and sickness due to the lack of a strong immune system has plagued our race for the past decade. Canterlot was a last effort as all other options failed. I wanted to avoid it, but it seemed that the rest of the race seemed in a hurry to fix things.” Silence befell the room, the princesses mulling over the information they received.
“But why didn’t you just ask for assistance?” asked Twilight, stepping a little closer. “Asking for help would have been a much easier solution and would have avoided unnecessary conflict.” Chrysalis chuckled.
“So if a race of bugs that no one has ever heard of comes asking to feed off of love from your country, you would open your arms?” Twilight ducked her head, shying away. Chrysalis sighed. “Changelings are not the most pretty of species, our presence instills fear and the thought of something feeding off of your most prized emotion is not a comforting one. You would have turned us away and we would be in the same position as we are now.”
“I have to agree with her.” said Celestia, shaking her head. “Without our current knowledge of what has happened, it would be unlikely we would have accepted. If I did, the public outlash would have been severe and our ties would be severed by the ponies of Equestria.”
“I do have a suggestion.” Luna stepped forward. “If we play our cards right, we can support the changelings by creating a merger with the Chrysalis. To us, it would be a political movement to help ensure their growth, but to the public, we would have captured her and gave her the option of this or imprisonment.”
“They would still be mad.” pointed out Chrysalis. “I bet there are a lot of ponies that would rather see my head mounted on a stake before they accepted me as an ally of Equestria.”
“But then you would be protected by international law.” added Cadence. “If another country or individual tried to attack you, Equestria and it’s allies would defend you as it would any other of it’s allies. It would be illegal and be punishable with severe consequences.”
“So the punishment of trying to kill you would be equal to kill one of us.” said Celestia. Chrysalis thought it over. Her options were pretty obvious. She would either have to side with the princesses and be considered one with international protection, or refuse the offer to save her dignity and be imprisoned while her kingdom suffers. Not much of a choice.
“I will have to accept then, don’t I?” sighed Chrysalis. “I will do whatever I can to ensure the wellbeing of my race. I have let them done too many times.” Twilight shook her head and stepped forward.
“How can we just let you be a part of our country with the protection as a princess? You attacked our capital, kidnapped a princess, and inured Princess Celestia! How can we just ignore all of this? She could have lied about her race being in danger and just wanted the powe-”
“I DO NOT WASTE LIVES FOR AMUSEMENT, SPARKLE!” screamed Chrysalis. The changeling was pushing the bounds of her restraints, having backed the smaller alicorn against the wall. “I may have lied and cheated my way into Canterlot, and my main skills may be lying, but going on an invasion for personal gain when the odds of succeeding are low, IS NOT something I indulge in.”
“If I really wanted the throne for power, would you really find me sulking around Ponyville for five fucking years as a couples counselor? Wouldn’t it make sense for me to be where my enemy is, plotting her downfall? Hell, if I really did care, you guys gave me numerous opportunities to strike when you were down. But instead I stayed helping a big red farm horse confess his love to a school teacher.”
“I have been trying to solve the issue with my people with as minimal conflict as possible, and maybe get out of the depression we fell into. My choices are to be a political prisoner, another royal of Equestria to try and help my people, or find myself in a jail cell for the rest of my unnaturally long life. Which do you think I chose?” Chrysalis sighed, sitting back down in the corner. “Whether you like it or not, it is my only choice and I will stick by it until my unnatural death.”
The room stayed quiet, the only to be heard was the birds outside. Chrysalis had exhausted herself and wanted nothing more but for this to be over. While she didn’t like the idea of being a pet of the Princesses, she would do what she had to for the betterment of her people. Finally, clearly her throat, Celestia spoke.
“Well, we go and discuss the terms of our arrangement before you make anything final. Until then, feel free to roam, just keep yourself disguised when in public areas.” Twilight opened her mouth to object, but a quick look from Celestia kept her quiet. The four alicorns left the room single file, Chrysalis’ restraints disappearing as the door closed. The Changeling queen sighed, laying herself down.
“This is going to be interesting.”