//------------------------------//
// Dampened by SeanofTheDead 
// Story: Tainted Love: A Twysalis Prompt Tag Collab 
// by Foals Errand 
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by SeanofTheDead

Chrysalis stumbled through the Palace of Friendship, lost in her own despair. Twilight's friends had abandoned her weeks ago in favor of sitting beside their friend each day as she lay in the hospital feeding tubes and a breathing apparatus making her look more like an alien and  less like the mare that had warmed her heart. The same questions continued to pour through her mind, and this time she spoke them aloud to the deadened echoing halls of the home that seemed as empty as her heart. "Why? Why Twilight and not me? Or somepony else? What did I do to deserve this kind of pain? What could she have done?!" Chrysalis was now screaming louder than she thought she could, but she didn't stop. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!! HOW CAN I KEEP GOING LIKE THIS?! HOW CAN SHE?! WHAT THE BUCK IS STRONG ENOUGH TO KEEP HER CLINGING TO SUCH A FRAGILE STATE!!!? WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER SOO MUCH WHIST EVERYPONY ELSE JUST FEELS BAD ABOUT IT?!"

Unbeknownst to her, Celestia was standing in the entrance to the hall she was in tears streaming down her face as she wept at Chrysalis' pain. Someone so new to love going through the kind of pain she herself had recently experienced with her own other half. Her student suffered and her student's wife was basically incapacitated as well.  She was brought from her reverie by near strangled scream of Chrysalis' next words, "AND WHY AM I TOO AFRAID TO END IT!!?" And with that Chrysalis broke down simply slumping to the floor as she wept. Celestia's covered her mouth at these revealing words from her friend. Had she tried to...? Yes, she could see the marks on her chitin left from the tight rope that had been around her neck, possibly only minutes before she had come here. Celestia knew she needed to act, NOW. Given enough time, whatever was holding Chrysalis back from her dark deed would disappear. And yet another life would be lost to this tragedy that had befallen those she loved.

"It's not about fear. Not all of it anyway, it is about hope. You are still hoping that with the love you and Twilight share, you will escape the cruel fate that has been given to you. And as far as the fear part goes, you are afraid that WHEN Twilight comes out of whatever has happened to her, if you aren't here she might make the same mistake. And you don't want her to die, by your hooves or another's."

"Alright, *sniff* let's say you are correct. *sniff* How much hope is there Celestia?! How well has the interrogation been going hmm?! Exactly what have the doctors found out about her condition?!" Chrysalis asked "You are likely right about the fear part of it, but show me where the hope is in this." Chrysalis stared down Celestia with the kind of rage one might expect from a griffon looking at the creature that destroyed their chicks.

And eventually Celestia hung her head... before speaking again. "I can't do this in front of anypony else they all look up to me, they need me to be strong and hopeful... but maybe in front of you... I will be safe. T-Twilight..." Celestia's voice began to warble and shake as she continued, "Twilight is the cl-closest thing t-to a daughter that I have... I miss h-her s-s-soo much..." And with those words, she collapsed to the floor, and began to weep just as hard as Chrysalis before her. Chrysalis looked on in awe as the single most powerful alicorn broke down and sobbed like a foal in front of her. Chrysalis' eyes began to water as she picked up the weeping immortal in her magic and carried her to what was once her and Twilight's bed. And as she laid her down on Twilight's pillow she seemed to stop crying as she smelled the last remnants of her student's- no. Her surrogate daughter's scent. But that hardly mattered, the pillow would need to be washed soon anyway. It was now dampened by two sets of tears.