“To Miss Celestia, Miss Luna, and Sunset Shimmer,
Queen Chrysalis is gone from my head. That means you guys took care of her one way or another, which means you’ve probably figured out I’m not the real Sunset. I’m high-tailing it out of here before you come home and shoot me.
It’s weird to say this to people who might kill me on sight, but: THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’m free now, and I’m not going to waste it. I want you to know I never wanted to hurt any of you (except pre-Fall Formal Sunset Shimmer). This is the best day of my life, and one day I’ll find a way to pay you back for it.
XOXO! See you at school!”
Coming awake, Chrysalis felt the chains on her hooves, spreading her out on her back. She felt the dull numbness of a nullification ring on her horn, and squeezed her eyes tight before they even opened.
Another stinking loss. She never should have gone to that other world. The humans’ violent tendencies made them seem the perfect weapon, yet it was that very trait that brought the whole plan to ruin. She should have went with a safer, slower plan. Like that one to resurrect Tirek! Yes, that would have been foalproof. Instead she got impatient, and here she was.
At least ‘here’ didn’t seem half bad. The air wasn’t that of a dank dungeon, but carried a warm scent of spice and roses. Her chains were loose as far as bindings go, and a quick peek showed them to be made of the finest gold. That peek also revealed her surroundings – Chrysalis was in a bedroom, but only in the same way the Crystal Palace was “a house.” She was tied to a magnificent bed, and a second, matching one sat apart from it. Actual gems were laid in the walls, patterned in images of birds and flowers. A low table held a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, with a far more decadent treat sitting next to them: a tall, regal white alicorn.
It had been a long time since Chrysalis saw Princess Celestia this close. Off-guard, Chrysalis felt her breath seize, and her butt clench on the sheets. Sweet Celestia, Celestia was beautiful. Forget the humans’ silly models, with their stick frames and swollen mammaries. Here sat the mare of mares: pillowy rump, succulent haunch, giant wings… oh, those wings. All those feathers surely needed preening, and Chrysalis’ forked tongue could preen like no other.
And the voice! The melodic voice that now spoke to Chrysalis!
“You’re a difficult case.”
“I’ve never played by the rules.” Chrysalis smirked, hiding her shudder. Did that sound cool, or pathetic? Celestia’s face offered no hints. The white mare rose, stretching her amazing legs to the floor.
“We won’t kill you,” Celestia began. Ponies didn’t fight to kill, a weakness Chrysalis had never shied from exploiting. “But I can’t let you go free. Every time before I hoped you’d learned your lesson, and every time you returned with a new scheme for misery and conquest. No more, Chrysalis. Your wickedness ends here.”
“So, what?” Chrysalis asked. “You lock me in the dungeon?”
Celestia shook her head, letting her majestic hair wave out. “No. Imprisonment for you would be a slow and cruel execution. I hope we might make an arrangement instead.”
“An arrangement?” Now was the time to be clever. Chrysalis desperately tried to focus, but her attention scattered as Celestia licked her lips, poking out that delightful little tongue…
“I know you need love to survive,” Celestia said. “So I’ll give you my love. That way, you won’t have any more reason to fight.”
“What’s the catch?” Chrysalis’ dry, quivering lips somehow managed to produce the words, making her proud. It wouldn’t do to seem eager, oh no. She had a reputation to uphold.
Celestia lifted one of the strawberries in her magic, studying it as she spoke. “The ‘catch’ is that I don’t trust you. You will not be allowed to leave this castle, and your magical bindings will remain in place. Further, I shall put you to work. You shall earn your keep, like a respectable pony.”
“I am a queen,” Chrysalis said. “I won’t do anything menial.” Which was a flat lie – she’d clean the castle sewers if it meant Celestia’s love.
Celestia nodded, arcing her soft, slender neck. “You will work directly for me. A princess has many minor tasks she needs somepony to perform, and that pony shall be you.”
“What kind of tasks?”
“The burden of the crown is stressful, Chrysalis. I shall require back massages…”
Chrysalis’ eyes shot wide.
“Hoof rubs…”
Those wide eyes looked to Celestia’s hooves. Chrysalis wasn’t a “hoof” girl by any stretch, but she would make an exception for four very specific ones.
“On bad days, I shall require somepony to feed me strawberries and tell me I am beautiful. On even worse days, I shall require this pony to be the outlet for my anger. It will be painful, but not damaging – I use padded riding crops, and sometimes am able to content myself with tickling.”
Chrysalis was beyond thought. She trembled in her bonds, mind awash with images of Celestia’s words in action.
“Oh, yes. You shall also be my plate.”
Yellow magic brought the strawberry over to Chrysalis, and settled it on top of her belly. Chrysalis could only stare as Celestia leaned in closer, licking her lips…
The door slammed open. Celestia froze, and in strode the eternal frown that was Princess Luna.
Chrysalis’ lust turned to rage in an instant. “YOU CELESTIA-DAMNED KILLJOY, WE’RE BUSY!”
“I do not approve of this,” Luna said acidly. She strode brusquely past the frozen Celestia, raised her hoof, and flicked the strawberry off Chrysalis. The hoof then came down, pressing against the soft black stomach.
“Well I don’t approve of your face,” Chrysalis sneered. “Now get out. It’s time for her snack.”
Luna blinked and flinched at the insult. But she rallied, and a smirk appeared as she leaned down over the captive queen.
“Actually, Chrysalis… it is time to wake up.”
The slow climb from slumber brought Chrysalis a sense of déjà vu. She felt the anti-magic horn ring, and the bindings on her legs.
Sadly, that was where the similarity ended. Opening her eyes revealed the bonds to be pink ribbons of all things, tying her hooves tightly together. Several wadded bows formed a gag in her mouth, and more were taped on her side.
The humiliating truth was obvious: Chrysalis had been gift-wrapped. A steam of muffled swears muttered from her mouth. She scrunched her eyes back closed, illogically hoping to fall asleep and return to her dream.
It seemed for a second like she succeeded, for Celestia’s melodic voice returned. “A present and a card! What a wonderful surprise, it’s so nice to hear from Sunset.”
Chrysalis opened her eyes, and once more drank in the beautiful goddess. A little more weathered than she appeared in the dream, but that was alright. What wasn’t alright was that she looked not at Chrysalis, but to a letter in her hoof. And when she looked up from it, her gaze went to a depressingly familiar purple alicorn and her misfit friends.
Worst of all, the blue she-demon was also here, and replied. “Quite so, sister. We shall have to visit this ‘Earth’ ourselves soon. I am curious to meet the Luna of which she speaks, as well as your own twin.”
“That would be great!” Princess Twilight clapped her hooves. “I’ll write to Sunset. We can definitely set something up.”
Celestia looked away, a small, tender smile on her face. “Ah, yes. I won’t deny curiosity about this other me, but more than that… it would be good to see Sunset again.”
Her soft eyes found Chrysalis, and she frowned. “Hm. The queen has roused.”
Luna looked to the purple walls. “Twilight, is this room secure?”
“My whole castle is resistant to magic.” Twilight shrugged. “With the horn ring on, she can only do basic telekinesis. I think we’re fine.”
“Which raises the question of what to do with her.” Celestia met Chrysalis’ gaze, and the changeling queen looked away – down to the white neck, where she undressed the regalia with her eyes. Why did Celestia wear that heavy amulet when her neck was so long and beautiful? It had to be so sensitive right at that curve… what noise would Celestia make if it was nuzzled? Would she giggle? Coo? Moan?
Twilight’s buzz-killing voice snatched Chrysalis back to reality. “This is tricky. We can’t just lock her up; she’ll die without love.”
Luna gave her own addition. “We can’t let her go like the other changelings, either. She’ll resume her schemes the moment she is out of sight.”
“Indeed.” Celestia stood over Chrysalis, her face a steady mask. “We shall have to strike a balance between mercy and safety. I wonder, would the palace do?”
Chrysalis gasped, and listened very carefully as Celestia went on. “She would have some measure of freedom, and I could keep an eye on her.”
Green eyes found purple as Chrysalis gazed upwards, mentally pleading for it to be made so. She glanced to Twilight, but there was no support there. The young mare hung on Celestia’s words, as did her friends.
Chrysalis’ gaze accidentally found Luna on its way back to Celestia. Luna met her eyes inscrutably, frowning as per her norm.
The frown broke, just for a second. A tiny smile.
“Sister,” Luna began. “I believe this falls under Twilight Sparkle’s realm of expertise. She has reformed villains before, surely she can do so again.”
“What?” Twilight asked, distracting them from Chrysalis’ gagged “HMPH!”
“It would be a great challenge,” Luna admitted in an honest, gentle tone. “I can understand if you wish to refuse, but please know that Celestia and I would admire you greatly if you were to succeed.”
“ROU BIFCH!” Chrysalis thrashed against her bonds, glaring Damnation at Luna. She didn’t need to watch to know what Twilight’s reaction would be.
She didn’t need to listen either, but that part wasn’t optional. “Of course I’ll do it! If we made friends with Discord and Cranky, we can definitely make friends with Chrysalis!”
“YAY! NEW FRIEND!” A pink mare screamed, and set off a confetti cannon directly in Chrysalis’ ear.
A white hoof lifted part of her mane. “Oh, darling, we can do so much with that black coat of yours! And this is beautiful hair, but you’ve really let it go to the wolves. No matter, it’s nothing a trip to the stylist won’t fix.”
Chrysalis’ brain didn’t even register the words. Her wide eyes looked to Celestia, begging the kind princess to bring salvation.
“Are you fast with those wings? Do you like racing? Do you like the Wonderbolts? If you don’t, no worries. We can go to a Wonderbolts show together, and I guarantee you’ll think they’re nearly as awesome as I am!”
“Um… I think playing with animals might help her become a nice pony. No one can be mean when they have a cute kitty in their lap, or are feeding the little birdies.”
“Shucks, sugar, ain’t nothin’ gonna turn around a baddie like some honest farm work. Good for the soul, it is. Ah don’t know about y’all, but Ah ain’t never heard of a pony stayin’ evil after a good season of apple buckin’.”
“Hi, I’m Starlight Glimmer! I’m Twilight’s student too, so that kind of makes me your senpai! Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes, and I’m sure we’ll be great friends before long!”
Chrysalis didn’t see who, but someone screamed, “Group hug!” She found herself wrapped by countless hooves, above which raised candy-colored heads with closed eyes and happy smiles.
One of the legs partially covered her face. Above it, Chrysalis got an imperfect view of Celestia and Luna speaking lowly with each other. Luna smiled and pressed her body to the older sister’s, steering it gently away from the pile. The pair strode out the door, each with a wing gripped tightly around the other’s back.
The free blue wing gave a lazy flap, waving goodbye as the hugging ponies burst out in song.