Queen Chrysalis' Journey

by Frube94

Chapter 3: Starvation in the Kingdom!

It was the middle of the day and Sam was lying on his bed reflecting on the heartfelt conversation he'd had with Chrysalis. But while he was reflecting, the Changelings were getting suspicious. Things had not been going well within the Changeling Kingdom, as food was getting scarce and the Changelings sent to gather food while disguised kept having difficulties with even the simplest of tasks.

Chrysalis had been hiding away since Sam's talk with her. No Changeling had seen her at all and they were all getting worried as to her whereabouts. Rumours began to spread around the kingdom: some said she died, some say she was imprisoned in stone like Discord had been and others even went to the trouble of saying that Sam had killed her. But most of the Changelings knew that she was still alive, yet something had happened which was causing her extended absence.

As for Sam, he found it increasingly difficult to walk around the kingdom. He was shunned by Changelings who either thought he had killed their Queen or simply despised him for not being one of them.

Everything was problematic within the kingdom, and only one pony could fix all of it.

Chrysalis, Sam thought. I need to find her and ask for her assistance since, despite being a Queen, she isn't helping much and I need to let her know that. Yet at the same time I need to protect the feelings she has for me and her Kingdom.

Sam walked into the castle, making his way through the various stairs and corridors before he finally reached Chrysalis's room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. "Chrysalis?" he asked gently. "It's me, Sam. Are you in there?" Faint sobbing could be heard through the walls. "Please, Chrysalis, I need you to open the door. I... need to speak to you."

There was a small glow on the handle as the door unlocked and opened, allowing Sam to walk inside. After he entered, the door was closed and locked behind him. Chrysalis glared at him, tears running down her face. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"Assistance," Sam replied. "Your subjects are running out of food, they need you. And I... I need you as well..."

Chrysalis stopped crying. "What do you mean you need me?" she demanded.

"I... I need you..." Sam repeated. "My time with you and your Changelings has changed me, and I need you to continue with ruling them. And if you wanted, you could continue your life... with me." Sam was nervous and excited, scared and happy. He didn't want to be hurt yet he didn't want to hurt her.

Chrysalis got out of bed. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes," Sam mumbled, swallowing nervously. "Well, at least, I think I am."

"Oh, Sam!" Chrysalis squealed as she charged towards Sam, knocking him down and proceeding to squeeze him tightly. "You don't understand how happy I am right now!"

"Okay, okay," Sam gasped. "Please stop, Chrysalis, you're crushing me!"

"Oh... my apologies," Chrysalis giggled. "But thank you, Sam, seriously. I've been so worried about everything recently, but with you around there's no difficulties. No pain, no troubles... around you I feel comforted." She paused for a moment. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I I -" her words were cut off by a knock at the door.

"Excuse me, your highness," said a frail male voice. "Are you in there?"

"Yes, now what do you want?" Chrysalis snapped. "I'm busy!"

"There's a problem in the town centre," the voice replied. "Others have been attacked and they are claiming that Canterlot are attacking everypony!"

"What?!" Chrysalis said, sounding worried. "I shall be down in a moment." She turned to Sam. "We... we should go."

"Oh, right..." Sam replied, sounding just as nervous. "Yeah, let's go."

They left the room and walked through the castle, out the front doors and straight to the source of the commotion. Outside the castle were several Changelings, all of whom have been grievously injured and some who looked as if they were ready to die on the spot.

"Hear me, my subjects!" Chrysalis bellowed. "What is the issue?"

Upon seeing the presence of the queen, all of the uninjured Changelings bowed in respect. One of them, a male, addressed Chrysalis. "We... we went to Ponyville to find food, and they attacked us," he whimpered. "Most of us were killed while attempting to flee and the rest, as you can see, were injured."

"How did they see past your disguises?" Chrysalis demanded, but with a hint of care and sensitivity in her voice.

"The purple one!" a female Changeling screeched, before coughing up blood. "She has a machine!"

"This purple one," Chrysalis said, sounding worried again. "Does she have a horn by any chance?"

"Yes," another male replied. "There were 6 of them: the purple Unicorn, a blue Pegasus, a pink Earth pony, a white Unicorn, a yellow Pegasus and an orange Earth pony!"

The injured Changelings used the last of their strength to transform into the ponies who attacked them, their transformations striking fear into Chrysalis' heart. For standing there before her were six mares whom she had heard of before.

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack. Although Sam had never met them before, he could tell that Chrysalis was gravely worried by the doppelgängers in front of her. Sam wasn't sure if he was the only pony to notice this, but he assumed that he could due to the special bond which he shared with her.

"I see..." Chryalis trailed off for a moment. "I will deal with this. Now don't just stand there, everypony, get the injured to the hospital at once!" With Chrysalis being an aggressive ruler, she knew that she had to show anger and domination in front of her subjects, no matter how worried she was for their safety. "Come, Sam, we must make plans for this new threat..." she stated before walking back towards the castle.

"Er... sure," Sam replied hesitantly, before eventually running to catch up with her.

Sam and Chrysalis made their way back into the castle and into a large circular room with a map of Equestria in the middle. Chrysalis pored over it for a moment before addressing the guards stationed outside. "Nopony is to disturb us unless it's of the utmost importance, understand?!" she barked.

"Yes, your Majesty," both guards agreed in unison before turning away and starting their patrols. Chrysalis closed the door and sat down on one of the largest chairs. She didn't speak or move for a few seconds before Sam started talking.

"Er, Chrysalis?" he muttered.

"Oh, Sammy," Chrysalis cooed. "We've been in each others company for a long time now so please, call me Chrissy."

"Oh, okay," Sam smiled sheepishly. "Erm, Chrissy, who are those ponies the injured Changelings transformed into?"

"Those.. well those ponies are nothing special by themselves really, but I've heard rumours about how they are now being hailed as the Bearers of Elements of Harmony," Chrysalis replied, before catching a glimpse of Sam's confused face. "The Elements of Harmony were six supernatural artifacts thought to contain powers beyond Equestria's control. They were used to defend Equestria from evil on several occasions and have been defending Equestria ever since they were recovered." Chrysalis finished speaking as tears started to form around the base of her eyes.

"Elements of Harmony?" Sam questioned. "Supernatural artifacts? I... I don't understand, Chrissy, what do you mean?" He did not want to upset her any more, but he had to know.

"Well..." Chrysalis began. "I'm sure that you have heard the story of Discord, have you not?"

"I've heard he was an ancient ruler who brought chaos to Equestria," Sam nodded. "But he was beaten by Celestia and Luna."

"NEVER MENTION THEIR NAMES AGAIN!" Chrysalis shouted suddenly. Sam flinched, his ears flattening against his head, which caused Chrysalis to cough slightly and recompose her figure. "I'm... I'm sorry." She said. "It's just that I've had some previous issues with those two disgusting specks of dirt." She spat the last word angrily, slamming a forehoof into the desk.

"I apologise, Chrissy," Sam soothed, his ears slowly rising back up to their normal positions. "I didn't know."

"No, it's my fault," Chrysalis sighed. "I didn't mean to over-react, it's just... I've just been so stressed out lately." She covered her face with her forehooves. "I think being a queen is finally getting to me."

"It's OK, babe," Sam said reassuringly. "We'll think of something. In the meantime, how about I do this?" With those words, he pulled up a seat behind Chrysalis and started giving her a massage.

"Thanks," Chrysalis murmured. "But what can we do? Ponyville was a great source of food for us, and if that piece of sh— ouch!" The sudden surge of pain interrupted her, and she gave Sam a look of discontent.

"Tight muscle," Sam gave her an awkward smile. "My bad." He continued what he was doing, his motions more delicate than before.

"As I was saying," Chrysalis sighed contentedly. "If Twilight can make more of these machines then we'll starve, and I can't let that happen! We must defend ourselves, but at the same time we can't take too many risks because it's too dangerous!"

"I'm sure we'll think of something eventually," Sam replied. "It may take a bit of time but we will prevail, my dear." He smiled. "I'll talk to the injured, perhaps they can assist."

"Okay, but please be careful," Chrysalis warned. "Changelings may be creatures who feast upon the strongest feelings, But we have feelings ourselves and upsetting them wouldn't be very helpful to our cause."

"I promise I won't hurt them," Sam stated assuredly. "I'll head over there now and see how they are."

"Be back soon, please," Chrysalis pleaded. "I could do with another one of those massages."

With a kiss and a wave Sam left the meeting room and headed to the infirmary, taking a direct route and not stopping for any reason. After a few minutes of galloping he reached his destination, softly opening the door to reveal several injured Changelings lying in hospital beds. Deciding to talk to one of them and get some information, he trotted to the nearest one he could see. "Er... hello?" he said cautiously.

"Oh, hi," responded the Changeling, its voice identifying it as a female. "You're Sam, aren't you? I saw you earlier when we got back."

"Yeah, that's me," Sam smiled. "Anyway, how are you holding up?"

"The doctors and nurses magic has certainly helped physically," the Changeling lowered her head. "But the mental scars cannot heal as fast..."

"I'm.. I'm sorry," Sam stated nervously. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's all right, my friend," the Changeling replied. "But can I ask... what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be meeting the Queen?"

"Yes, I did," Sam said. "But I decided to come down here and check on everypony, and maybe even ask a few questions... if you feel up to it, that is?"

"The mental damage has already been done," the Changeling sighed. "So I guess I can. Please, ask away."

"Well, I first wanted to ask about this machine and what it does," Sam stated. "Perhaps I could find some way to stop it..."

"Hmm, It might not be as easy as it may seem, as I highly doubt any of us got a good look at it," the Changeling said despairingly. "From what I believe, this machine has some sort of radius detection. So if anything were to enter this radius, it would automatically alert the townsponies somehow. I'm sorry, but that's all I know."

"Every piece of information is helpful, thank you," Sam smiled. "I also wanted to ask you... what was the condition of Ponyville when you got there?"

"Excuse me?" the Changeling responded, confused. "That seems like an odd question to be asking."

"It's... sort of a personal thing," Sam quickly mentioned. Please don't catch on...

"Oh.. okay," the Changeling stated. "The town itself was pretty much normal. They were building a few more houses, doing some renovating, buying and selling at their market, playing in the sun and doing everything else you'd expect to find in a town such as Ponyville."

"Um, right," Sam said. "Thanks for your help." He turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait, was that all?" The Changeling was clearly confused and didn't quite know what to do.

"Er.., well," Sam paused for a moment. "Yeah, it is. Why do you ask?"

"When you came in you informed me that you wanted to ask a few questions," the Changeling replied. "Two small questions like those makes it seem like it might not have been worth talking to me."

"I don't intend to hurt anypony here," Sam said. "You've already been physically and mentally scarred, so to increase the damage wouldn't be very effective from my side, not to mention unfair on you."

"Are you sure you're alright?" the Changeling asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You seem tense and stressed."

"Um, yes? I... I have to go now, thank you for your help!" Sam quickly stated before running out.

"Goodbye my friend!" the Changeling shouted after his retreating form. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more!" Why he was running, the Changeling didn't know. Then again... maybe I don't want to know.

As for Sam, he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as he could. Thoughts rushed through his mind as he tore along the corridors: Ponyville, his 'friends', his family, this unforeseen attack — things were whizzing by too fast to understand, but he had an idea. An idea that perhaps could save the Changelings from extinction.

Sam ran back to the meeting room to talk to Chrysalis, as he needed her opinion on his idea. He ran through the castle and skidded to a halt outside her room. After a small knock on the door he walked into the darkness. "Chrissy? Are you here?" he asked.

"I'm over here, dear," Chrysalis replied, though only her eyes were visible.

"I have an idea, but it's incredibly risky," Sam said. "Can I turn a light on, please?"

"You do?" Chrysalis questioned as Sam turned the lights on, her face showing an expression of immediate joy to Sam's potential idea. "Have a seat and explain it to me please."

"Well..." Sam started as he sat down. "If this machine only detects Changelings, then what's to stop a non-Changeling from sabotaging it?"

Chrysalis' expression changed immediately to one of worry. "Are you suggesting what I believe you're suggesting?" she asked quietly. For a brief moment after these words left her lips, Sam thought he was able to read Chrysalis' mind. Is he sacrificing himself? She asked internally.

"I think so," Sam shrugged. "As a Changeling you or anypony else here would be unable to act. However, I'm not a Changeling, so I could potentially sabotage the machine."

"I... I thought so..." Chrysalis' face dropped and she appeared to be on the verge of crying.

"I know this sounds like a tough choice, but I am willing to do it," Sam said sternly. "For the Kingdom, for the Changelings, and most importantly — for us."

"I... I can't let you do that," Chrysalis said softly. "While I applaud your determination and loyalty, I do not want to lose you. These last few years between us have been special. I've experienced feelings I never thought possible, I've done things that nopony here would have believed. I love you and I can't risk losing you!" She started to cry. "I've always seen love as a delicacy, a meal fit for the gods, despite the fact it is part of a Changeling's basic diet. And now that I am experiencing it for myself, I feel as if I can no longer let it go. So please, I'm begging you, don't do this!"

"And I'm begging you to at least let me try," Sam replied. "I understand your pain and I thank you for your remarks, but I don't see any other choice just now. It's for us and for the good of the kingdom! I don't wish to see you suffer the pain of losing your royal status, I just want you to be happy."

"I'd rather be a peasant," Chrysalis spat. "A mere insignificant speck of dirt. I'd be anything - no matter how degrading or disgusting it is - as long as I had you."

"I feel this is something I can do, but I just need you to believe in me. I'm willing to do this for us and right now, it's our only chance!"

Chrysalis didn't know what to do or say. She was frightened for two reasons: her first being she didn't want to lose Sam. To have finally discovered the power of love she never wanted to lose it, yet she knew she had to trust him. For having a relationship where one doesn't trust the other is a dangerous path to walk.

Her second reason was her royal status. She had mentioned to Sam that when the Changelings had been overthrown from their previous home, they were broken. They needed a fearless leader to help them rise up and return to normality — they needed her.

This was a difficult choice for Chrysalis to make. While Sam was a stallion who could do whatever he wanted, she knew that he wouldn't go if it affected her too much. But she decided to make her choice.

I only hope this is the right choice... she thought. "Alright, Sam, if you have faith that you will succeed, then I will not oppose your decision to carry out this plan. However, I would appreciate it if you shared the details."

Sam nodded and began explaining his plan to her. As he talked she slowly started to feel easy again, the stress of the kingdom and the sudden exposure to a potentially life-threatening idea having taken its toll on her. But, deep down, she knew that he was willing to do this for the bond of love between them.

He was a noble spirit offering a sacrifice to secure their happiness.