//------------------------------// // Longing by Palaikai (Dancing the line Romance) // Story: Tainted Love: A Twysalis Prompt Tag Collab // by Foals Errand //------------------------------// By Palaikai The Everfree Forest was home to many things; some benign, some dangerous. There were very few sentient creatures in residence, however. It was an unnatural, chaotic place, completely independent from the magical whims of the ponies who tended to the rest of the Equestrian landscape. Very few stayed willingly for more than a couple of hours if they could avoid it. Chrysalis – no longer a queen since the disastrous events that had seen her hive repelled from Canterlot – walked aimlessly, only stopping every now and then when her hooves ached too much to continue. She caught sight of herself in a stream, and wondered what had happened to that proud, noble bearing. The lines criss-crossing her face, the slump in her withers, was less to do with exhaustion and more to do with starvation. The cuts, the scratches, the dents in her tough, black hide, the muck and grime that coated the perforations in her legs … While there was plenty of food and fresh water to be found in the forest, none of it quite met a Changeling's unique biological needs: they were emotional vampires, leaching off particularly strong feelings. In Chrysalis' – former, she had to remind herself – hive's case, they needed to ingest huge quantities of love in order to function. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent meal; the lonely months of wandering through the Everfree Forest had left her drained, and the being who had once gone hoof-to-hoof with Princess Celestia herself slumped to the ground, defeated. Love, perhaps the most plentiful emotion in this world – given so freely by the ponies, even to complete strangers – was denied to her. It took her a while to realise that she was not alone. “I do not wish my last moments to be observed,” she said wearily, assuming it to be some small critter or other that would take one look at her frightening, chitinous visage and go scurrying off into the bush as so many had done before. When it didn't leave, Chrysalis turned to face it, intending to scare it off with a blaze of her green eyes. “You!” she croaked, not quite believing who was standing before her. “Fluttershy was wondering why so many animals had been fleeing to her cottage lately,” said Twilight Sparkle, barely suppressing the shock of finding the Changeling Queen here of all places. “I guess that answers that question.” “So sorry to be a problem,” muttered Chrysalis, letting her head drop to the ground once more. Her energy reserves were all but depleted, and she didn't intend to spend her last moments trading barbs with the wily unicorn that had uncovered her ruse and defeated her plans. “Very soon, I shall be nothing but an empty shell. My carcass will make an excellent nest for one of the rodents that infest this swamp.” A look crossed Twilight's face. On the one hoof, this monster had manipulated her brother, impersonated a princess, had almost brought ruin to an entire kingdom and had attacked Celestia, but on the other … this was a living being who had been trying to provide for her subjects as best as she knew how. Now Chrysalis was starving, weak, near death and she needed help. Help that Twilight could provide. Showing compassion to the enemy? But it wasn't an enemy lying at her hooves. Nor a monster. Nor a queen. Just a scared, broken creature who needed rescuing. Twilight's horn blazed with light and she enveloped Chrysalis in her teleportation field. They arrived back at the library, and the unicorn manoeuvred the Changeling into the bed. “Why do this?” asked Chrysalis weakly. She wanted to sleep, but was afraid to do so in case she didn't wake up again. The warmth of the library was helping, as was the feeling of concern radiating from the unicorn, but it wasn't quite enough to fully revive her. “Because I can't find it in my heart to hate you, or fear you,” Twilight explained. “I feel sorry for you. It can't be an easy existence.” “No,” the Changeling agreed, “it isn't.” “What will happen to your hive without you?” “Those that didn't perish in the attack will regroup and fight it out until a new ruler is appointed,” Chrysalis explained. “They'll probably go back to being scavengers, digging for whatever scraps they can get in and around the smaller pony-inhabited areas.” Twilight disappeared for a moment and returned with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cloth. Chrysalis eyed her warily. “What's that for?” “Your shell has multiple chips and scratches in it. If any of them get infected, the bacteria could eat through the entire thing,” replied Twilight. It was fortunate that she'd spent so much time in the company of Fluttershy, Twilight reflected, as she got to work on Chrysalis' many wounds. While her technique was not as refined, she was able to get the worst of the sludge out of the cracks in the Changeling's shell without causing her undue discomfort. All that changed when Twilight approached one of the holes in her legs. An animal howl erupted from Chrysalis' throat and she recoiled as if she'd been struck by a hammer blow, rather than a gentle brushing. “Are you alright?” asked Twilight, waiting for the Changeling to calm down a bit. She was still panting heavily and her legs were twitching. “I … I should have explained,” said Chrysalis, sounding … embarrassed? “The area around the holes isn't part of our shell, but is a rather a collection of nerve endings. They are extremely sensitive to touch.” “I see,” said the unicorn, frowning. It made sense. With no exposed flesh on their bodies, the Changelings needed something that would allow them to experience feedback from their surrounding environment. She bit her lip gently. “I still have to clean them, though.” After a moment's hesitation, Chrysalis nodded. “Proceed. Carefully.” The former queen tried to keep her cries to a minimum, but even the softest of strokes was sending tingles throughout her body; normally, the bundles of nerves had little more to deal with than the rush of air during flight. Direct physical contact was … unusual and Chrysalis had absolutely no idea what that sensation was pulsating through her spinal column, nor what that throbbing was centred squarely in her pelvis. All she knew was that she liked it; loved it, even. And she didn't want Twilight Sparkle to ever stop touching her holes.