Tainted Love: A Twysalis Prompt Tag Collab

by Foals Errand

Roses by Europa (Sequel)

Author's Note:

Read this first

by Europa

Twilight was certain she'd found it. The rose was enormous. One of its orange-striped red petals were the size of her head. The brown stem had thorns the size of her hooves, and with the yellow stamen and pistol sticking out in an odd spiral shape, Twilight wondered if it was not instead a carniverous plant.

But that was silly. She was confident she'd found it.

After her discussion with Chryssy about why changeling tongues were so long, she'd gotten the idea in her head to find the flower their ancestors had used to supplement their diet of love. It was likely a foal's mission; from what she could tell of changeling prehistory it'd have been hundreds of thousands of years ago, so if the flower hadn't gone outright extinct it'd likely evolved into something else. But that didn't stop her from trying.

Equestria had formed when the three tribes moved there to escape the Windigos, the land they came from turning into the Badlands, which the Unified Changeling Swarm had taken for their own. Before that, similar to ponies, the changelings had been divided into multiple hives before being united by one 'Queen Tenodera'. Tracking down where changelings had lived in prehistory was difficult, and even more so was predicting what flower they would've used as food, and what would've happened to it.

But Twilight Sparkle had never shied away from an academic challenge, especially not for her workerfriend's hatching day that was coming up. Now, in the uninhabited Jungle of Despair (It was just a name), slicing through brushes with anti-tick and anti-mosquito wards around her, Twilight found it. She hoped.

She encased it in a temporal stasis field, so the nectar would stay fresh and it wouldn't decay, then shrunk it so it was no larger than a normal rose, put it inside a glass box, then slipped that into her pack. With that done, she took off into the air and began the long, long journey back home.

***-_***_-***-_***_-***-_***_-***

Chryssy's hatching day party was a marvelous occasion, as was always the case with the leaders of a nation. The changelings of the Badlands had gone all out for it, getting days off from work, school, and so on. It reminded Twilight a lot of the celebration the Minotaurs had of the birthday of Chancellor Minos. The portion of the hive that served as 'royal grounds' was carefully cordoned off, with only some of the Praetorian Council as well as Chrysalis's Imperial Guard allowed inside. And, of course, Chrysalis's close friends along with Twilight herself.

The party was long and Twilight would've said it ventured into the night, but that was very difficult to tell underground. Some of Chryssy's friends among the changeling praetorians spoke at length of their lives in the hive, with Twilight respectfully nodding along and slowly nodding off. Eventually, gifts were given to Chrysalis herself, though Twilight noted there wasn't a cake.

In retrospect, that wasn't a surprise at all.

She herself didn't give her present, and waited until she and Chrysalis retired to her chambers.

"So," the changeling queen said. "You said you had a present for me?" she said, laying down on her bed and flicking her tail alluringly.

With a light blush, she opened up the dimensional pocket she'd conjured and brought out the case holding the rose - scientific name pending - that she thought was most closely related to the kind Chryssy's ancestors had drank from. She took it out and returned it to its full size.

Chrysalis cocked a brow. "What is this?"

"Well, remember how a while back you told me why changelings have such long tongues? And, um, how nopony - noling, I mean - knew what flower it was?"

The changeling's multi-irised eyes went wide. "This isn't - "

She floated the flower over. "Happy hatching day, love," she said while actively keeping her voice from shaking.

Chrysalis took it in her magic and floated it over. With a snap of eldritch-green magic she removed the stasis spell from the flower, brought her muzzle to its opening, and breathed deep. "It smells... wonderful." She extended her tongue and pushed it into the flower, then drew it back with some pale yellow liquid along it, and hummed delightedly. "Tastes just like adoration," she whispered.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure this is the right one," Twilight said. "But it's the closest thing I could find, so I hope it's - "

"Twilight," the changeling cut off with her double-voice. She set the flower aside on her bed, clambered off to stand before Twilight, and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Thank you. It's lovely." Chryssy leaned down to nuzzle Twilight, a motion she returned. "I couldn't have asked for more."

Comments

[nioniosbbbb]

D'aaaw how cute!