Totally platonic cuddles
The Apple family was rounded up in the living room. None of them seemed too happy about being robbed of their precious time that they could have spent cutie mark crusading, apple bucking, or doing whatever Granny Smith liked them to do.
Apple Bloom, as usual, couldn't stay still and kept bothering Macintosh, poking him to the side and asking him 'What's up?'. Granny Smith was sitting in her chair, head resting on the side and snoring loudly.
"Ehem... dear Apple family!" Applejack exclaimed, standing before them, like an actor on stage. They quickly turned their attention to her — Apple Bloom stopped bothering Big Mac, Big Mac started looking like he actually cared, and Granny Smith opened her eyes, looked around, and, after realizing that something was going down, shook her head and looked at Applejack.
"Ah know that will be a great shock for y’all. But please, do not panic; what Ah am about to show y’all ain’t dangerous and will not hurt ya..." Applejack assured. "...Ah think."
"Wow, Applejack is going to show us a dangerous trick!" Apple Bloom jumped, clapping her tiny hooves. "What's it gonna be? Ridin' a timberwolf? Wooow, you brought a timberwolf here?! Yer the best sister ever!"
Once Apple Bloom got an idea, there was no way to stop her.
"No, no, Apple Bloom, no tricks," Applejack said whereto Apple Bloom turned sad, expressing her dissatisfaction with a loud 'aww'. Disappointed, she sat down near Big Mac and made a frowny face.
"Ain’t dangerous, huh?" Granny tapped her chin. "What’re ya waiting for, huh, show us yer not-dangerous... thing!"
Applejack took a deep breath, counted to four, gathered all her courage and finally spoke the words.
"You can come out." she stated and Chrysalis walked into the room, turning her head away when she noticed all three staring at her, and sat down near Applejack, looking at her family stone-faced.
"That’s... Chrysalis, and...err... she's a changeling," Applejack introduced lamely. Chrysalis poked her in the side.
"I would prefer 'pony', thank you very much," she grumbled, and looked back at Apple family, who were all staring at her blankly. Maybe it was because it was the first time they'd ever seen a changeling so up close.
"I's another one o’ yer pranks, Applejack? Why did ya paint Scootaloo black and put a razor on her forehead?" Granny Smith mumbled, squinting her eyes, trying to take a closer look at this new pony. "Oh, wait, this ain’t Scootaloo. Her eyes are different."
Chrysalis stifled a chuckle. Having no idea who this Scootaloo was, this little detail could help her a lot when coming up with new ideas for pranks.
"A changeling? Like those y’all fought in Canterlot! Woooow!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, jumping off the couch. "A real changeling! Sweetie Belle is gonna die of jealousy!"
"Hold yer hippogriffs, Apple Bloom. We've got some rules to set up; first of all, Chrysalis will live among us for the time being, eat with us, work with us, and sleep near us as well. So, please, treat her gently..."
"And with appropriate respect," Chrysalis grumbled.
"Yeah... Is everypony alright with that?" Applejack asked, and her family nodded. Even though having a changeling near you was unusual, to say the least, Apples never had a problem with accepting new members into their wide happy circle. Besides, it was only temporary. The second rule, though.
"Fine, then. The second rule: nopony must know about Chrysalis' presence here. Not a soul!" Applejack exclaimed. "That goes double for you, Apple Bloom. No, ya can't tell yer friends. "
"Awwww..." Apple Bloom turned glum and turned away, because her possibilities of getting a cutie mark in changeling training had been ruined even before they were formed.
"And finally: in case she's trouble, report to me. Ah'll figure out how to calm our raging rebel down." Applejack leaned closer to Chrysalis. "And believe me, Ah know exactly what'll calm ya down."
Chrysalis let out a chuckle, preparing a soft spot in her heart for this earth pony's impending fall from grace. Because, while she might not be the most genial pony in the world, but very close to it, Chrysalis knew one thing for sure: she was unbreakable. Nothing in this world could put her in line, especially an adult.
***
“Nice apples,” Chrysalis said, admiring Applejack’s impressive collection of the delicious, juicy fruits, hanging from the trees. “Did you grow them yourself?”
“The Apple family once settled here and help found the town of Ponyville. And some trees in this garden are as old as the town itself.” Applejack closed her eyes, diving into the sweet memories of her childhood stories.
“So, you didn’t grow them yourself, I get it,” Chrysalis finished Applejack’s thought with her own conclusion, taking the lead and trotting deeper into the apple orchard. The dull landscape of trees, grass and insects, buzzing in the air, felt even duller when accompanied by the small version of Applejack who just wouldn’t shut up.
“Don’t be so gloomy! Working in the garden is a lot of fun! Ya’ll see — you buck apple trees, catch the apples in the bucket!” Apple Bloom was jumping around Applejack, constantly uttering the sounds of pure joy. Chrysalis looked at these two, and could not comprehend which one of them looked more stupid.
Though, in her opinion, the ratings of their stupidity were nearing the level of Nightmare Moon’s. The only achievement that Chrysalis wasn’t proud of: being the discoverer of idiots was not what she had planned herself to be.
Finally, they had arrived at a small field, more or less clear of apple trees, and Applejack put the buckets down and sat down on her haunches, taking a deep breath. The sun was going mad today, bombarding the ground with scorching heat.
“Alright team, Ah’m giving yer an easy job today. All ya need to do is to collect the fallen apples in the buckets and carry them to the barn.” Applejack swept the sweat off her brow. “There, Mac and ah’ll sort ‘em out. Thas it for today.”
“Sounds easy enough! We’ll do this, sister!” Apple Bloom widened her mouth in a bright smile. Chrysalis imagined herself smiling like that — the results would be at least several ponies with severe seizures.
“Ah trust ya will!” Applejack trotted away and soon disappeared behind the thick trees. Apple Bloom jumped towards Chrysalis, smiling just as brightly, if not even brighter.
“Wow! A real changeling! Ah didn’t know you could be so small, though…” Her chattering made Chrysalis’ head hurt, and she wasn’t going to stop. Making up a fact after fact about changelings, like their size, their behaviour and their hierarchy, Apple Bloom became one long, buzzing, irritating noise, like a fly looming over your ear when you’re sleeping.
“Just several minutes ago, I thought you actually had some sort of intellect if compared to a certain pony I had the displeasure to be living with,” Chrysalis stated matter-of-factly after what felt like three hours of Apple Bloom profusely splattering nonsense all over the place, “but it seems I’ve judged you too kindly.” Chrysalis’ sigh finally made Apple Bloom shut her mouth and listen for a change.
“I will not repeat the same mistake again.” Chrysalis turned away and hissed. “Out of all ponies I’ve met so far, only one was intelligent enough, anyway.”
“Wha-?” Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow, confirming Chrysalis’ theory about this pony’s intellectual level. Below rock bottom — Chrysalis checked this point in her imaginary checklist and tried to rescue this dumb little filly from her confusion.
“Nevermind. Just thinking out loud.”
“Err, fine. Well, if you’re done thinking out loud, let’s get to work!” Apple Bloom smiled once more. “You take this side, Ah take another. This way, we’ll do this in no time at all! Oh, and when we’re done, yer going to tell me e-e-e-everything about yerself! Ah wanna know everything ‘bout ya!”
Chrysalis sneered, when the pony finished her speech, turned around, grabbed the bucket and ran away.
“Sure I will.” Licking her fangs, Chrysalis ventured into the orchard, ogling the delicious fruits, hanging on the branches of the trees, like the long awaited reward for a tired traveller. Chrysalis was such a traveller.
The apple juice poured into her mouth like a river would flow down the stream. Chrysalis moaned in pure bliss and pleasure, as her fangs pierced the fruit’s measly skin and reached the juicy meat. Slowly, she clenched her jaws, biting a huge chunk off of the delicious apple. The smell of its juices filled her nostrils, enticing her to sink her fangs even deeper. Her heart beating like an engine, blood pumping in her temples, she let go of all sense and devoured the moist apple, spitting the seeds out once she had finished chewing it.
Surely, after such a relief on a hot day, she was not going to stop pleasing her mouth with the sugary juice. Without hesitation, she flapped her wings and hid herself in the foliage of the apple tree. Pushing some empty nest off its top, she quickly made her own, making herself comfortable.
Now, all she needed to do was burp whenever she had finished eating the fruit: her horn did all the work for her, levitating the fruits right into her mouth. The sun now felt soft and loving, its beams caressing Chrysalis’ skin, tickling her nose. After the seventh fruit, she looked at her belly, which certainly had grown, closed her eyes and started slowly rubbing it. Purring from enjoyment, she burped one more time before smiling and chirping “Thank you, Flutters.”
Time was passing, the sun was getting hotter, and Chrysalis was getting more and more gluttonous. Apple after apple fell victim to her insatiable hunger, but Chrysalis wasn’t worried a bit — this garden was full of these delicious fruits.
Apple Bloom sighed heavily, leaned on the apple tree and slowly slid down on the ground. The basket stationed not far from her was filled with apples — good and bad ones. There were none in the approximate area of fifty meters around Apple Bloom: she checked under every rock, in every bush to ensure that; so, with clean conscience, she decided to take a short break. Not that she needed it; she wasn’t tired, at all.
“Ah wonder what Chrysalis is up to. She probably hasn’t done half as much as Ah did!” Apple Bloom thought out loud, and her muzzle brightened up. She could check on her and help her out if need be. That way, she could make a new friend, or even get a cutie mark in helping changelings out! Excited by the opportunity, she rushed to where Chrysalis was supposed to be.
All she had managed to find were the apple cores and an empty bucket. At first, Apple Bloom did not understand what had happened, but when another eaten apple fell right in front of her nose, she raised her eyes to the tree top.
“Chrysalis! You’re not supposed to eat these apples!” she exclaimed indignantly, watching angrily as the changeling gobbled up another one. “They’re for pie-bakin’ and sale, not eatin’!”
Her frustration grew even more when Chrysalis ignored her and just proceeded to eat another apple.
“What will we sell? This is our livelihood you’re eatin’!” Apple Bloom bucked the apple tree, trying to get her attention. She noticed that the tree was shaking a little bit: she still lacked the power her sister had, but she was getting close.
“Oh? Err, sorry, didn’t notice you there.” Chrysalis yawned and looked down at an angry Apple Bloom.
“Get down from there!” Apple Bloom shouted, but Chrysalis only sneered in reply.
“What’s that, Bloom? I can’t hear you from where I’m sitting,” she exclaimed. “Try jumping. That might help!”
Apple Bloom did not realize Chrysalis’ trick and started jumping and shouting at Chrysalis to cease eating the apples and get down. The sight of the young filly hopping in place like a bunny sent Chrysalis into a laughing frenzy. The branch on which she was lying finally snapped under the pressure and her weight, and the changeling fell right into the bucket she was supposed to have been filling with apples.
“Ha…ha-ha-ha…. Ouch… Totally worth it.” Chrysalis leaned on the side of the bucket, giggling.
“Why did you do this?” Apple Bloom asked. “This…”
She looked at the eaten apples, at the empty bucket, and at the fallen fruits, that were still waiting to be picked up.
“This is the complete opposite of what ya were supposed to do!”
“Well, I kind of didn’t feel like it,” Chrysalis replied, rubbing her head. “C’mon, have some mercy. I need time to get used to the new environment and all…”
“New environment? Applejack is gonna kick yer flank for this. What environment are ya talking ‘bout?” Apple Bloom exclaimed angrily. “C’mon, get out of the bucket and let’s gather as much apples as we can before big sis comes here!”
She quickly raced around the bucket, grabbing any fallen apple with her teeth and throwing it into the bucket as fast as she could. There was no time to lose: Applejack could come at any moment.
“Don’t just stand ‘round! Help me out!” she exclaimed, turning to Chrysalis and scowling.
“I appreciate your help but, honestly, I’m not interested.” Chrysalis leaned on the edge of the bucket and smiled. Judging by the expression on Apple Bloom’s face, she either thought Chrysalis was a lunatic or just very stupid. This meant this was going exactly in the direction the little changeling wanted it to.
Applejack was going to be so pissed. Then, Chrysalis would see how far her anger would go. Fluttershy endured quite a lot before exploding and sending her here. Maybe she just didn’t want to get her hooves dirty and sent her off here, thinking that the orange pony, who clearly had more guts than her, could ‘deal’ with her.
“Yer insane! Applejack’s gonna be absolutely livid! C’mon, I’m trying to save ya here!” Apple Bloom threw another apple into the basket, which Chrysalis managed to swiftly dodge.
“Yet again: thank you very much, but I don’t need help.” She smiled slyly. The sound of hoofsteps in the distance reached her ears. She bit her lip, wondering just how loud Applejack was going to shout.
The orange pony appeared on the horizon, walking steadily towards the two fillies. Apple Bloom squealed and hid herself behind the nearby bush, afraid of her big sister’s mighty wrath. Carefully peeking outside, she watched Applejack approach Chrysalis who was still smirking.
Applejack carefully eyed her surroundings, noting the apple cores and the fallen fruits, which hadn’t even been touched. Minding her step, she walked around the basket, where Chrysalis was lying, raising her eyebrow at the sight of each eaten apple. Then, she looked at the foliage above her, noting the disappearance of at least half of apples on this tree, and her cheeks turned slightly red.
Her face had the menacing mix of orange and red, blood pumping through her body and reaching the one destination it had at the moment — her cheeks, to make her look as angry as possible.
“Ah see ya had better things to do,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes at Chrysalis. The changeling shrugged innocently and switched her smirk into a smile.
“’Twas too hot. I thought that you wouldn’t mind if I take a small break and... have a tiny, tiny snack.”
“Oh, Ah don’t mind ‘gainst snacks and breaks, but those things are for ponies that deserve ‘em,” Applejack hummed, looking around for Apple Bloom. “What did ya ever do to deserve either?”
“Err…” Chrysalis stumbled, put her hoof to her chin and made her young brain work its magic to come up with a witty response.
“Pweease?” Chrysalis widened her eyes as much as she could and pouted. “I reaaaaally wanted a snack. You wouldn’t deny a filly in need her super-duper tiny snack, would you?”
“Judging by the amount of weight ya got in that body o’ yers, a super-duper tiny snack would be too much for ya.” Chrysalis turned crimson, when she heard such an insult.
“I’m not fat!” she exclaimed angrily, leaning over the edge of the basket.
“Ah’m the Element of Honesty, dear. When Ah say ya have a lot of weight, Ah’m dead serious about it.”
Chrysalis scowled while Applejack circled around her.
“Don’t worry, yer little weight problem is easily solvable. Ah’ll help ya. My way.”
“No , thank you, I do not need your help. There’s never a need for help when there’s no problem.” Chrysalis scowled in reply, looking at her belly. Was she really fat? No, she wasn’t!
Applejack shrugged and smiled. Hiding a devious plot in her mind, she turned away and slowly trotted in the direction of the farm.
“Ah’ll see y’all at the dinner,” Applejack said, addressing both ponies. “Don’t be late.”
When Applejack disappeared from sight, Chrysalis angrily put her tongue out. Apple Bloom came out of her hiding spot and sighed with relief, swiping the sweat from her brow.
“That was close. For a second there Ah thought you were a goner,” she turned to Chrysalis. “Yer a lucky one. If I did somethin’ like this, she would definitely leave me without dinner.”
“Pff,” Chrysalis huffed and crawled out of the basket. “I suppose she could do better than that.”
The little changeling swiped the sweat from her forehead just below her jagged horn, licked the remains of the juice from her lips and took a deep breath. Applejack surely could go beyond Fluttershy’s limits — she was so close. She just needed one more push, one more little prank, and Applejack would explode, and then… her theory would be proven.
“Let’s go. I’m eager to find out what you eat for breakfast besides foals.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nevermind.”
***
The kitchen of the Apple family could be found in two different states: the unused state, the most boring and usual one with all the cutlery carefully hidden in the drawers and the air filled with the stoic smell of dough and flour; and the used state, when the whole family was sitting at the table, all ponies eager and ready, drooling over the smell of freshly baked bread and apples teasing their nostrils and gnawing at their hunger.
For a pony who had never tasted the smell of fresh bread, this was more intoxicating than any rum, cider or ale in the entire existence of this fragile world. And for Chrysalis, who had no clue that such smell could ever exist, the amount of intoxication reached its limits.
The instant she entered the kitchen and sniffed the air the world started spinning around her, and she reeled from side to side, her belly instantly forgetting it was filled with delicious apples and rumbling in burning desire for the apple cake.
“Wha- what is this?” Chrysalis murmured, slowly making her way through the howling, breathing, living kitchen.
“Apple cake!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, jumped on the chair and started drumming a beat on the table. “Apple cake! Apple cake!”
“Hold yer hippogriffs, Apple Bloom!” Granny Smith furiously kicked the oven, since the sodding thing just refused to open. “It’s almost… ready!”
With one final buck, the door of the oven opened with creaks and the delightful sound of oven finishing its work clicked in their ears. The cake, buried in the metal dish, glistening in the light of the lamp on its bright, sugary surface, immediately caught Chrysalis’ attention. She gazed at it with utmost hunger, the delicious smell striking her nostrils, filling her lungs to the brim.
“Ah hope ya didn’t forget to add the orange juice this time.” Applejack grabbed the cake and dropped it on the plate near the knife stand. Her most recent idea: adding orange juice into the dough before shoving the cake into the oven. It improved the taste of the dish tremendously, and also added a special flavour.
“Of course Ah didn’t forget, young one! Ah never forget anything!” Granny Smith proclaimed. “Now, where did Ah put that chair? It should be right over ‘ere.”
With swift motions of the knife, Applejack divided the cake into several big parts and then carried the sweet treat to the table. Apple Bloom stopped drumming and sniffed the air.
“Ah, smells deliciously good!”
“Ah don’t think you can word it like that, Bloom.” Applejack noted, while hoofing out the cake. The biggest chunk was for Big Mac: the hardest working pony had to receive the biggest portion. Granted, he would always cut it in two and share it with Apple Bloom or her. He was soft-hearted like that.
Chrysalis looked with awe at the huge piece of cake that Big Mac received and licked her teeth, almost drooling with hunger. She had already prepared herself to sink her teeth into the cake and taste its delicious insides, which consisted of apple jam.
However, her dreams were crushed when she saw that the big plate was empty, the Apple family had already got to eating and her plate was still as empty as a desert.
“Err, you’re not forgetting anypony?” She raised her eyebrow and looked at Applejack, who was about to bite into her portion of the cake. “I’m not that hard to notice.”
“Why so surprised?” Applejack swallowed and looked at Chrysalis. “Ah thought ya already had yer snack?”
“That was a snack, not dinner,” Chrysalis replied.
“And yer not going to take yer plump figure into account?”
Chrysalis chuckled nervously, and then her face turned stone cold.
“Okay, nice joke. You got me. Funny. Now, can I eat or not?” She said. “I am hungry, you know.”
“Ya wanna be serious? Fine, let’s talk serious.” Applejack put her hoof on the table, and the grim silence overtook the room. Even Big Mac swallowed nervously and turned silent, looking a little scared by Applejack’s anger.
“Ooh, yer in deep trouble now,” Apple Bloom whispered and crawled underneath the table.
“Let me tell ya the mantra we Apples live by.” Applejack got up and gazed at Chrysalis. “Ya only eat what ya worked for.”
Chrysalis snorted, but Applejack paid no attention to her attempts to disrupt her.
“Ah’m serious. What did ya do to make this little cake possible? Did ya gather the apples for it? Did ya gather the wheat? Did ya make the flour? Did ya grow the oranges for the orange juice — no, ya didn’t. Ya did exactly nothing, nada, not a single thing. Ya just come here and expect to get fed out of the blue. Why should we pay for the food you eat if yer able to do it just fine?”
Applejack took a deep breath, made a long pause to let the information sink into Chrysalis’ brain and continued.
“Remember this: to eat our cakes, ya have to either pay for it, help us make it or be a good friend and guest to my house.” She leaned closer to Chrysalis. “Let’s recount: ya didn’t pay for it; ya didn’t help us make it; and yer definitely not our good friend.”
After finishing her speech, Applejack backed away and sat down at her chair, calm and collected as before and as though the preceding speech hadn’t happened.
“Ah’m done, y’all can resume eating,” she exclaimed, and the ponies at the table slowly got back to their senses and resumed eating. Apple Bloom crawled back onto her chair and looked at Chrysalis.
The changeling looked furious and yet kept completely quiet. Apple Bloom felt a bit guilty eating in front of her, so she took but a few small bites and excused herself, saying that she wasn’t hungry.
Chrysalis watched with jealousy as Applejack took the Bloom’s piece of cake and put it onto her own plate. Of course, sisters don’t mind finishing each other’s dish, how cute. Angered and offended, she sat glumly all throughout the dinner, ruining the appetite for each Apple except the one ending with Jack.
Big Mac left soon as well, then Granny told that she had ‘important matters to take care of’ and so Applejack was left face to face with the hungry changeling.
“Well, Ah guess the dinner is over.” Applejack exclaimed, after finishing her plate. “And it’s the break time. Ah guess Ah should show ya where ya will be sleeping.”
Chrysalis nodded glumly and followed Applejack, keeping quiet. However, her expression changed when they went outside.
“What, shall I be sleeping under the sky on the naked ground too?” grumbled Chrysalis.
“Nah. Ah’ll make ya a comfy bed in the barn. Ah just thought that since ya don’t like any of us, ya would want yer privacy, so…”
Applejack pushed the door open and entered the barn, Chrysalis following right behind. She looked around: huge piles of hay everywhere, and not much besides that. Occasionally, she noticed several bird nests underneath the roof and the mommy birds flying in and out.
“Here’s yer bed.” Applejack pointed at the moderately sized mattress with pillow and a thin blanket. “Sleeping in hay feels good, before ya wake up and realize ya got the whole stacks stuck behind yer ears, so don’t fall off. The nights are hot this season, so Ah gave ya a thinner blanket. That should feel comfy at night.”
“Can’t get more comfortable than this,” Chrysalis grumbled, approached her bed and lied down, or, to be correct, crashed into it.
“Going to sleep already? Fine, Ah would love a shut eye m’self,” Applejack said. “Get yerself comfortable. See ya later this day — ye still have a lot of work.”
“Oh, so you’re leaving me here alone?” Chrysalis shouted, as Applejack was leaving. “Just leaving me to sleep alone in the barn? Nice caring, Applejack! Top notch! Leave a child to care for herself!”
Applejack did not pay any attention.
“Careful ‘bout the door. It doesn’t swing both ways!” she exclaimed, before exiting the barn.
“Yeah! Barn doors!” Chrysalis shouted with sarcasm as Applejack left. “Let’s ignore the fact that I’ll be sleeping alone! Wait, no, there are cockroaches! Nevermind, I’ll be fine!”
Applejack sighed. It didn’t seem like leaving Chrysalis without dinner put her mood down a bit. Maybe this wasn’t what she needed to keep her in line? No, it was too early to judge: she should wait until later. Chrysalis would come to her senses, after staying hungry for an evening or two. Then she would start doing her job, and then, Applejack could actually start building some kind of a bridge. At least, that was what she was hoping for.
Apple Bloom took a deep breath, gathered all courage, whispered a prayer and pushed the barn door open. The last rays of the setting sun were slipping through the tiny cracks in the walls, creating a mysterious and somewhat spooky atmosphere. Carefully treading through the piles of hay, Apple Bloom tried to keep the tray with a huge slice of cake on her back still.
A week and a half had passed since Chrysalis first arrived at their farm, but throughout all this time, she had managed to stir up Apple Bloom’s mind quite heavily. And, as the time passed Apple Bloom felt more and more guilty. She didn’t know why.
Why would she feel guilty: it was Chrysalis who would always cause trouble. It didn’t matter what task Applejack would give them, Chrysalis would never do anything asked of her. With sarcasm, puns and witty remarks she would watch Apple Bloom do all the work. Each and every time. And each time, each evening, she would be left without dinner. Apple Bloom even got used to her jokes.
However, Apple Bloom noticed that Chrysalis started to lose her snark; she was much quieter than on the first day, and joked much less. It seemed as though she was slowly fading, and it worried Bloom greatly. She figured that it might be because of hunger, so, today, she slipped a big piece of cake and decided to bring it to Chrysalis. Maybe that would cheer her up — looking at her grim muzzle every day made Bloom’s heart shrink.
Slowly trotting deeper into the barn, Apple Bloom wondered if this was a good idea at all. Two voices were speaking inside: the voice of reason and voice of her heart.
“What are you thinking? This is silly!” Reason spoke. “Are you still hoping to be her friend? She doesn’t want a friend. Just forget it! Eat the cake yourself!”
“No!” Heart spoke. “You can’t leave a pony in need like that! She’s probably hungry: you can’t be satisfied with just apples! Come on, just help her; nothing bad will happen.”
Apple Bloom didn’t know which voice to listen to and she really didn’t know what to say to Chrysalis once she’d found her. Maybe greet her first, and then offer the cake, or just put the cake near her and run away? That seemed like a good idea. And yet, she really wanted to talk to Chrysalis, find out a bit more about her. She just seemed so cryptic, and Apple Bloom did not like that.
She leaned over the pile of hay and finally saw Chrysalis, peacefully lying on her bed, seemingly sleeping. The opportunity was golden: she could just put the tray there and slip away without making a sound. She would do that and would not have to talk to her.
Apple Bloom approached the bed and carefully put the tray near her. There, the deed was done. She could leave now. But why did she feel so guilty?
No, she couldn’t leave. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to help.
“Hey. Hey!” Apple Bloom poked Chrysalis’ side. “Wake up!”
“Huh? Wuh?” Chrysalis opened her eyes and turned to Apple Bloom. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”
“Ah… err…brought ya something.” She pointed at the slice of cake, lying near the mattress. “Ah… thought ya were hungry.”
Chrysalis carefully eyed the cake and then Apple Bloom. Slowly shifting her eyes from one target to another, she rose from her bed.
“Is this some kind of a trick?” Chrysalis hummed. “Definitely. I bet if I eat this cake, I’ll spend the whole next week kneeling before a toilet.”
“Err… No. It’s a cake. It’s… delicious.” Apple Bloom replied, hiding the hurt she felt because of Chrysalis’ suspicion. “Go ahead, eat it. It’s all yours.”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, reached for the cake and sniffed it carefully. The smell was the same as it was in the kitchen, maybe a little weaker. The cake looked exactly the same as the one Applejack made, no different colours.
“So… no tricks?” Chrysalis asked one more time, and Apple Bloom nodded. After taking a deep breath, she took a bite.
Chrysalis slowly chewed the delicious treat, and then swallowed, as if expecting something bad to happen. And yet, nothing happened.
When she realized that there was no mean trick hidden in this present, she started eating. Apple Bloom felt a little better once she heard the gluttonous gulping she was so used to hearing.
“There, ya see? No tricks, no pranks, no nothin’! Just a plain old piece o’ cake.” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
Chrysalis took a few more bites and then put the cake down, frowning. “Why?” She asked bluntly.
“Why? What d’ya mean why?”
“Why are you helping me?” Chrysalis exclaimed. “I’m not your friend. I’m not even your pal! I’m just a stranger in a family that doesn’t accept me; in fact, even hates me. Why are you helping me?”
“Hates ya? Pff! Nopony hates ya here!” Apple Bloom giggled. “Well, maybe yer looks are a little scary, but ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.”
She moved closer to Chrysalis.
“Ah’m helping ya because Ah think ya need my help. Why d’ya think Ah need a reason to help?”
“What do you mean they don’t hate me?” Chrysalis felt a bit shocked. “Your sister leaves me starve here and you say she doesn’t hate me?”
“Well, yer kinda not doing what she’s asking ya to. Ya just need to do the work she gives ya and ya can enjoy a nice meal. Ah know, this is a silly system, but that’s how Apples work — no work, no meal.”
“And you say if I work, she will give me cake? Despite me being younger, and despite me playing pranks on her?”
“That’s the silliest thing Ah ever heard. Not giving food ‘cause yer younger? O’ course she’ll give ya food, don’t worry. Just try doing what she asks. Ah’ll help ya, Ah promise.”
Chrysalis swallowed at such words. She found it touching that the filly cared even after all the hours of her bullying her.
The weirdest thing was the fact that her usual sense of possibility a good and mean prank was silent. She… did not want to drive Apple Bloom away. Chrysalis’ cheeks turned crimson when she realized that she actually liked Apple Bloom, her naïve and hearty smile, her colourful pudgy cheeks.
“Finally!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, prompting Chrysalis to raise an eyebrow. “Ya smiled!”
“What do you mean?’ Chrysalis felt confused, and finally realized that she was smiling. Not grinning: smiling. An honest smile that had never crossed her face before. “Oh… Err… I just remembered a funny joke, that’s all.”
“Really? How funny?”
“Very funny.”
“Tell me!” Much to Chrysalis’ shock, Apple Bloom crawled closer to her and went as far as to wrap her foreleg around her neck.
She was used to confined and populated dormitory caverns where you couldn’t avoid touches and changelings who’d grab you in their sleep — not that she minded the warmth that came with it — but never had she gotten this close to a pony, for they preferred to run away from her kin.
“I…err… ehm…” Chrysalis stumbled, surprised by such a sudden move, and accidently put her hoof on Apple Bloom’s belly, and…
Sweet caves, she’s soft! Chrysalis thought. Grass, silk blankets, puffy pillows — all of these paled before the softness of Apple Bloom’s body. She had quite puffy and well cared fur coat, Chrysalis’ hoof was almost drowning in fur. The tiny hair tickled. Enthralled by the tickling, she reached for Bloom’s belly with her other hoof and gave it a slow, gentle rub.
She shivered, losing herself in the sweet softness. Chrysalis pressed her belly a little and her eye twitched when it gave away. A changeling can’t do that.
“Tee-hee, stop! What’re ya doin’?” Apple Bloom giggled, swinging carefully at Chrysalis’ hooves. “It tickles!”
“What do you wash yourself with?!” Chrysalis exclaimed. “I swear, you are the softest creature I have ever touched! Do you rub yourself with bunnies or something?”
“What? No, it’s just soap. Why are you asking?”
“Your fur! It’s the softest thing I have ever touched!” Chrysalis exclaimed, continuing to rub Apple Bloom’s belly. “I can’t stop!”
“Well, Ah’m not stopping ya. Rub all ya want, just don’t tickle too hard.”
Apple Bloom suppressed countless giggles, as Chrysalis, unaware of her sensitive places, continued to tickle her. Her hooves felt like sticks: very pointy and a little sharp, but Chrysalis treaded with extreme caution. Apple Bloom felt relaxed: it wasn’t every day she got a free belly massage, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed it thoroughly.
“Wow… you feel so good… I wish I had you for a pillow: I would dread the moment I’d wake up,” Chrysalis said, and Apple Bloom smiled in reply.
“Ya really think so? Ah mean, I’m not the softest pony in Equestria. Ah wager my big sister is softer. Flutters is quite soft as well. But, in my opinion, Rarity is softest of all. She’s like marshmallow.”
“Oh…” Chrysalis skipped Apple Bloom’s words past her ears.
“Anyway, enough ‘bout me! How do you feel like?” Chrysalis almost jumped from fright and wanted to stop Bloom from touching her, but it was too late.
“Wow…” Apple Bloom mumbled, rubbing Chryssie’s belly. “It’s—”
“—horrible?”
“No. It’s different.” Apple Bloom said. Indeed, Chrysalis’ belly felt rough to the touch at first, because of the harsh, hard surface of the chitinous green carapace that encased her back and parts of her midsection. The most notable thing, however, was neither that nor her leathery skin, it was that she was incredibly warm.
The weird thing was that with every beat of her heart, it seemed as if a wave of warmth would spread from it and through her body. Apple Bloom felt a bit wobbly as the warmth seemed to seep into her and lull her to sleep.
“It’s… so… warm,” Apple Bloom whispered closing her eyes.
“Warm? I think you’re mistaken. Maybe, you’re fresh from the outside, and touching me would feel very warm to you. Maybe you have a cold. But I can’t feel warm. Whenever I touch my belly, it’s never warm. And also…”
Chrysalis was interrupted by Apple Bloom’s loud snoring.
“Hey! What, you’re just going to sleep here? Hello? This is my bed, y’know. Don’t you at least want to treat me to dinner before we—” She was once again interrupted by Apple Bloom who wrapped her forelegs around the changeling’s neck and hugged her tightly, burrowing her muzzle in Chrysalis’ mane.
“Hey, that’s… It’s…. Ugh…” She sighed heavily and gave up, realizing that there was no waking Apple Bloom up. So, while she was stuck in this situation, she might as well benefit from it. Chrysalis pulled Apple Bloom closer and rested her head on the earth pony’s belly.
“Aaaah…. Divine!”
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interesting development
Am I witnessing the birth of a ship between Applebloom and Chrysalis!?
Magnificent!
Chrysalis and soft creatures, I swear...
AND WE HAVE PILLOWS
Darn. I was hoping Chryssi would hold out for longer.
4652052
!!!
I think the timing was appropriate. While I could understand her rebellious nature, I think that all the changling needs is...a little...love?...
....
HOLY CRAP!
Maybe that's why she was being such a b**ch! Because changlings need
Filly pillows... DAAWWWW! I can just see all the Crusaders and little Villains piled up together at a sleepover. Hopefully Chryssie has learned her lesson and will be a much better ponyling.
4652190
I thought that same thing, that's why she had been a snarky grouch since day one. Their bodies need love beyond more than other creatures.
Chrysalis.... For once I actually don't hate you. That's new!
HNNNG!!!!
I love this
can't wait for the next chapter
After working out the previous diabetes, lets...........FUCK
.
Got it again
Applebloom is best pillow
Finally some progress with her. I wonder how the others are doing though
Hurray for updates! I cannot wait to read more!
Finally, this is exactly what I said she needed. A true heart to heart to get her to open up. I can only imagine the kind of ridicule she's gotten merely for being a changeling, that would make anyone cold and distant. She only needed to realize that not everyone out there is going to abandon her or hate her for what she is.
4652574
I know right?
hm so the changlings are not kind to young one or weak ones?
do you yo have to be "strong" to get anything?
4653304 and it's a good thing! Also the scenario fit well with her character! I like the new Chrissi. She is more curious and lovable than the unforgivable trash talkin' outer layer of her that we saw at the cottage.
4653696
Going without cake... it will change a mare XD
I'm not sure how to respond to this chapter... Cake, cuddles, and oranges in Apple dishes. I just...
4651984 my thoughts excactly, all we need now is some sweetie-mash, scoota-spoon, and dink-squeak to make the world have a collective diabetic grand-mall seizure.
Well this was unexpected but not unwelcome. And now we have the second cute pairing in the story. Kawai.
Well that worked out!
Ah, vengeance is sweet.
Still, nice that Chrysalis seems to be coming around. Though I can't help but wonder if it will last, she is a creature of deception after all.
loved the ending
it was trolrific
EVERYTHING IS SO KAWAI
I thought the title was about NMM and Sombra. But that is fine too.
(Please have more Sombta-NMM cuteness.)
You just gave me all of the diabetes.... TOTALLY WORTH IT!
The cuteness is too much!
She doesn't care for Applebloom she wants to feed of her love
4656256
Hedgehog spines? Nope. Hedgehogs can be comfortably held without gloves. You're thinking of Porcupines. It's porcupines that have barbed quills that come out, not hedgehogs.
It seems that Fluttershy was wrong. It wasn't Applejack that straightened Chrysalis out. 'Twill [probably] be Apple Bloom.
4653307
OH NO!
4659458 WARNING! WARNING! EVERYPONY PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND HEAD TO THE NEAREST EVACUATION ROUTE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! PLEASE DO NOT PANIC, HELP IS ON THE WAY!
4659925
*I kick down the door*
Help is here!
Now we're getting somewhere!
the end has feels!
there is hope for chrysalis!
Read the whole thing! I like it, but I'm not very good at giving praise or compliments, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it and leave it at that in terms of positivity. However, like any story, there's room for improvement. As I read, I compiled a list of mistakes in dire need of fixing.
Chapter 1
Twilight, you do realize that talking to yourself is often a sign of mental instability, right?
Chapter 2
How do you "gently" allow something? Granting permission isn't the kind of activity in which gentleness is a factor. "Kindly" would be a better word.
"Was" a good idea
"Loser". This one always drives me nuts when I see it.
Chapter 8
"Live" should be "life".
9
How do you hide furniture in a drawer? So they have the table and chairs stashed next to the silverware, then? Or maybe Doctor Whooves just got carried away when helping fix them...
Did you mean "the oven"?
You accidentally the word "be".
Well, that was fun. Normally, I'm all business when pointing out errors, but these mistakes set the commentary up so nicely, I just had to have a little fun with it this time.
4670280 I'll get to fixing these eventually, but
was on purpose, to imitate the accent.
4670818 I know that. That wasn't what I was pointing out. In that sentence, you're missing a word between "should" and "right".
4670280 Alright, done fixing that.
4658763 Well, Applejack had to wear her down first! ^_^
4675546
I suppose . . .
4652273 The crusaders and the little villans eh? How Ironic would it be if, in fact, they wind up being the next generation of bearers?
4758467
OH MY GOD THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!! I think Moonie and Sombra would be down... my worries would be Chryssie.
4758856 Upon first glance, wouldn't there be doubts about the main six as well? Rainbow Dash didn't exactly strike me as hero material when we first met her, nor did Rarity. Particularly Rarity actually. Pinkie acted like she had some serious substance abuse problems too. Everypony has their problems, it's the strength to work around and past them that makes them heroes. If there was somepony else to save the world, I think they'd let them handle it, but there isn't just them. It's what makes them "That Mare".
4758862 Very true. But Moonie and Sombra seem like good candidates for Kindness thanks to Fluttershy, though Sombra might be geared more towards Loyalty given that he's stuck with both Chrysalis and Moonie on their misadventures
You really know every little thing about writing a perfect story. This is the kind of story I easily lose myself in while reading it. Thank you so very much for your sincere effort. It was a great pleasure to read and I sure cannot wait for more.