Chapter 8
As she was dragged on the ground by the Princess of the Night, Queen Chrysalis, found herself in a tour of the camp, getting to see this vast complex that threatened her plans.
From what she observed from the ground, she was able to see that this was a well-armed and sizable force, with hundreds of ponies, armor, and weapons that she was all too familiar with. She remembered seeing them before during their fight in the badlands and she still shivered in fear at the sight of some of them.
All she wanted to do was to warn her drones, to tell them to get away. But any hope of that was impossible, as she was too weak to escape the grasp of her enemy. She looked on in dismay, as she was dragged and displayed upon the ponies who she once threatened in her first and failed invasion.
Passing by the ponies, she noticed them giving her glances, as they all stared at her and her captor. No doubt that they were joyful at the fact the she was captured, as she was now the victim of Princess Luna who, she assumed, was the leader of this force.
Suddenly, the dragging stopped and she soon felt herself being lifted up from the ground.
With a swift and rough toss, Chrysalis was plopped onto the chair and forced to stay on it. Groaning in pain, she felt the great and sudden after effects of being slammed on top of a seat by a deranged alicorn princess.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she closed her eyes and tried her best to remove the pain. Having just been dragged across the camp, under a firm and painful grip, Chrysalis’s neck felt sore, while her entire body felt tired and stiff, due to both the dragging and lack of nutrition.
Slowly opening her eyes and looking around her, she found herself sitting in front of a make shift tent, where a group of wooden boxes were placed one next to the other to form a long table. Behind the table, was an orange earth pony who was cleaning a glass mug as she gave the two strange looks, as his gaze shifted to her and to the lunar princess who brought her here.
Piled behind the pony were rows and rows of bottles, filled with contents the Changeling Queen was well aware off, alcohol.
Finally composing herself and training her eyes trained on Luna, her face turned into a smile, as if she finally recognized who it was.
“Well, howdy there, Princess Luna, how can I help you on this fine day?” She asked in a cheerful tone.
“Why, fair Applejack, you can help me and my friend over here…” She said, roughly patting Chrysalis on her back. “…by serving us some drinks.
Because you see, the two of us ran into a disagreement and we would like to settle it the old fashion way, with a Royal Drinking Contest.”
“A drinking contest you say?” Applejack said, a grin plastered on her face. Turning around, she used her hoof to pick a certain bottle before presenting it to the two.
“Well, may I suggest this drink over here?” She said, placing the bottle on top of the long table. “This is one of the finest and strongest drinks I have and the perfect one for a drinking competition. I call this one, the Buck Cider. You know why?”
“Because whenever two ponies drink it, they find themselves under the sheets of the same bed?” Luna guessed.
“Ummm….uhhh….well, no…well, it only happened a couple of times…” Applejack said, blushing lightly as some thoughts entered her mind.
Shaking her head to remove any other thoughts, she returned her attention towards the cider.
“You see, I call this thing right here the Buck Cider, because once you get one swig, you’ll feel like you’ve been buck right on the face.”
“Oh, I see, very good, very good indeed.” Luna said, nodding her head in glee as she now understood the drink’s label. “That would do as very well.”
“I’m glad that you agree, Princess.” Applejack said, pouring one mug and putting in in front of Luna before pouring another one for Chrysalis.
Looking at the drink in front of her, Chrysalis could smell the heavy and strong scent of the drink, as it entered her nostrils. So far, she could tell that the drink was living up to its name, as the smell alone felt like a buck to the face.
“Alright, you…” Luna said, pointing a hoof at Chrysalis and poking her. “…we’re going to use the usually rules, no pausing that is longer than five seconds, no spitting, and no regurgitation. The last one sitting up straight wins, you got that?”
Chrysalis gravely nodded, knowing all too well that she would at least do one of those things.
She didn’t know when was the last time she ever drank anything as strong as this, but she did know that something this strong would mostly
likely bring shock to her body. And from the description she was given, this thing would surely buck her in the head.
“Well…” Luna said, as she drank her mug in one big swig, some of the fluids spilling on the side. “…what are you waiting for? Drink up.” She said, as Applejack poured more of the drink into Luna’s mug.
Contemplating her options, Chrysalis tried to think of the possibility of running away. But being too tired, she knew that she wouldn’t get far, as the alicorn beside her would just pull her back with her magic. The only option now was to try her best and stay sober from the contest.
Giving the mug in front of her one last weary look, before slowly lifting it up towards her mouth. Angling the cup so that its contents moved towards her lips, she began to taste the sweet cider on the tip of her tongue.
Closing her eyes, she tilted the cup to a greater angle and soon, the hard cider was pouring down her throat.
The next thing she knew, everything turned dark, as a loud thud hit the long table, while a knocked out Chrysalis lay on top of it, cup toppled and spilling out its contents.
“Hmmm…” Luna said, holding her mug. “….I guess I win.”
Shrugging, she drank the rest of the cup’s contents before looking towards Applejack. “Charge this on my sister’s card.”