One For The Archives

by ArtaFactia

Chapter Nine - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Palace

The hike out of the forest was mostly quiet. A few words were traded between Celestia, Chrysalis and Arta, but then they just as quickly lapsed back into silence. Perhaps it was an effort to save the important words for later, when they had arrived in Canterlot, or maybe it was the majesty of the forest impressing itself on them. Whatever the reason, their muzzles were shut, the only sounds being the wind through the trees, the rustling of animals moving through the undergrowth, and their hooves crunching on fallen leaves and other sylvan detritus.

Arta snuggled up close against Chrysalis' right side, whilst Celestia walked at her left. Chrysalis snuck curious glances at Celestia as they walked, and the solar princess soon caught onto it. When Chrysalis looked again, she found herself muzzle-to-muzzle with Celestia. "Gotcha."

"C-Celestia!" Chrysalis exclaimed, stumbling back and bumping into Arta, who let out a soft squeak of surprise. "D-don't...don't startle me like that!"

"I think our time together is going to be very enlightening." Celestia chuckled, giving the changeling queen a wry grin.

"Oh yes, me being easily startled is surely the revelation of the century." Chrysalis deadpanned. "Now you shall certainly seek many opportunities to catch me by surprise."

Celestia moved closer and rubbed shoulders with Chrysalis. "Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, Chrysalis. It's only some light teasing. Besides, I'm sure the positive feelings accompanying it are good food, yes?"

Chrysalis' horn glowed gently, drawing on the friendliness being thrown her way, and she licked her lips. Then she blushed and looked away. "Y-Yes...your emotions taste good."

"Should I be worried about being replaced?" Arta asked, looking between the two royals with a frown. Chrysalis gasped and shook her head vehemently.

"N-no! Arta, I will never replace you! Surely you know that!" Arta met her imploring eyes, then turned to look at Celestia, her frown turning to a mischievous grin.

"She really is too easy, isn't she?" Chrysalis slumped, pouting, as Arta and Celestia gently laughed, bonding over their mutual teasing of her.

It wasn't but a few minutes longer that they found themselves breaching the trees and stepping out of the forest, where two royal chariots awaited. The captain that Celestia had removed of his command was nowhere to be seen, having had a speedy, tearful head start back to Canterlot.

Bold Remark, who up until now had been keeping pace behind everypony else, chose now as the time to live up to his namesake once more. "Um...Princess Celestia? What will my reward be? As you can see, I revealed the changeling queen to you..."

"Of which I am most grateful." Celestia said, inclining her head slightly. "Truly. But let us postpone such matters until we are back in Canterlot."

"But—" He began, and she raised a brow.

"Please board your chariot, Bold Remark." Celestia spoke firmly, and the stallion quickly fled to the rear chariot, realizing he'd been pushing it. As two pairs of pegasi guards hooked themselves up to the chariots, Celestia turned to smile at Chrysalis and Arta. "Come, let us board my chariot. There is room for four in it."

"Wait, if it can fit four, then why not have Bold Remark board it as well? Would that not be more efficient?" Arta asked.

"Bold Remark is...well, I'm sure you've noticed, haven't you? He doesn't make for good company." She lowered her voice carefully to make sure the stallion in question did not hear. "As a princess I am expected to be polite and courteous, but I do not have to be overly friendly with all my little ponies. Some just rub me the wrong way."

Chrysalis and Arta shared a knowing look. "Oh, we definitely noticed." Chrysalis murmured, looking with distaste over at him. Bold Remark saw her glaring at him and he shrunk in his seat. Chrysalis smiled darkly. Good, be afraid of me, you fool.

"Chrysalis? Are you coming? Or did you wish to continue your staring match with Bold Remark?" Celestia asked teasingly, which was enough to get Chrysalis to tear her attention away from him and move to climb into the chariot. It was, as Celestia said, a four-seater, two seats in the front, and two in the back. Celestia had rightly positioned herself in the front right seat. Arta, instead of taking the seat beside Celestia, had opted to sit behind the princess. Chrysalis made as if to climb into the back with Arta, only to be forestalled by a heavenly soft white wing. "Sit up front with me, Chrysalis. I would love to have your company in the front of the chariot."

"B-but..."

"She sees me all the time, so it's not like she'll be starved of my attention or love if she doesn't sit with me." Arta chimed in. Chrysalis was warming up a rebuttal in the back of her mouth, which was prematurely thwarted by the pegasus. "I think it would be nice for you and Celestia to strengthen your relations at any chance you can get, Chryssy."

"O-ok, my jewel." Chrysalis murmured, and climbed into the seat beside Celestia.

"'Chryssy'? 'My jewel'?" Celestia asked, biting her lip, looking as if she was trying very hard not to laugh. "I know you've changed, but this side of you is so saccharinely sweet...I like it." Chrysalis buried her muzzle in her hooves in a poor attempt at hiding the green tinges of her blush.

"Can we just get going," came her small muffled voice, "before I perish of embarrassment at your hooves?"

"Certainly. Guards, let us be off!" The well-trained pegasi sprung into action, smoothly lifting the chariot off of the grassy ground. A few moments later the other chariot lifted off, conveying its lone passenger into the air as well.

Leaving the rainforest behind them, they weaved through the Smokey Mountains south of Seaddle. The domed peaks on either side of them gradually petered out and they emerged from the mountains to fly over fields and woodland.

The Hock Rainforest was a fair clip from Canterlot, and so the flight was by no means a short one. They had plenty of time with which to talk, but Celestia had not broached further conversation since their flight began. Arta too was quiet, and while Chrysalis would have loved to turn around and speak with her (or even climb into the back to sit with her), she knew that not only would that be rude to Celestia, but that Arta would direct her attention back to the princess. So, even though Chrysalis was not one to be cowed by silence, she found herself eager to break it.

"Celestia?"

"Hmm?" Chrysalis' voice seemed to stir the princess from whatever thoughts she had been ruminating on, and she turned her head to look at the changeling. "Is anything the matter?"

"No, just...I wanted to ask something."

"Then by all means, ask away!"

"Okay, well...um...I was wondering...do you think things will go well in Canterlot? I mean, I'm a virtual pariah in Equestria in general, but in Canterlot, the city which I wrought my terrible invasion..." She trailed off as Celestia unfurled her wing, curling it around Chrysalis in a winghug. Behind them, Arta giggled softly.

"I can make no promises, Chrysalis, but I shall do my best to quell the fires you left behind. I will do what I can, and you should do your utmost to earn their goodwill as well, but...you may need to just accept that some will not change their minds about you."

"I expected to receive a response like that." Chrysalis sighed and she unconsciously leaned in against Celestia. Her eyes shot open wide as she realized the position she was in, but before she could move to pull away, Celestia was holding her close with the wing and gently nuzzling her. Old memories, memories that Chrysalis had long since buried, suddenly broke free of their chains, and Chrysalis began to cry. Tears rolled down her black chitinous cheeks and she trembled and choked back a sob.

"Chrysalis, what's wrong?" Celestia asked, worry written plainly across her face. Arta leaned forward and pushed her head in between them, nuzzling them both. "Chryssy, talk to us."

"N-n-no one h-has held me like th-this since...since my mother died." She managed to say that, and then any other words got lost in incoherent blubbering. It took the better part of the latter half of their journey to finally calm her down, and Canterlot was in sight as her crying gave way to soft sniffles.

"Are you all right now, Chrysalis?" Celestia asked, their chariot gradually dropping in height as they approached the palace. She offered her feathers to dry Chrysalis' eyes.

"I...I th-think so. Yes." Chrysalis accepted the proffered wing, and gently rubbed her face dry on the white feathers. "I am sorry about that. I had not been expecting the hug, nor its unintended effect."

"It is fine, Chrysalis. No one should feel bad about crying. No matter the race, gender, or age, we all do it. And with your kind being so attuned to emotions, I can't see why you wouldn't experience all manner of feelings, and feel them even more intensely than others. I don't suppose you want to talk about your mother now though, do you?"

"What you say is indeed true. And I shall reveal more about my race to you still. I want to dispel the aura of deception surrounding me by being as open and as transparent as I can. And...yes, I think now isn't the time for that...I shall speak of her later. I...don't really like to think about...about what happened to her." Celestia nodded and let the matter alone, and Chrysalis slipped into a pensive silence.

The chariots swung about, and instead of taking them down in the courtyard, they came in for a gentle landing in the gardens behind the palace. Chrysalis shot Celestia a grateful look, and the princess merely shrugged and gave her a wan smile. "I figured you wanted to keep a low profile for now."

"You are the best, Celestia."

"Hey, what about me? Am I just chopped hay?" Arta asked, trying to sound miffed, but the mirth still shone through as she spoke. The chariot came to a stop, and they all three disembarked, their hooves sinking into the luscious grass of the gardens. Had Arta been hungry, there could be found no better grass to graze upon in all of Equestria.

"She is the best princess, then." Chrysalis said after a moment.

"That's what I thought."

"My, my, Arta certainly wears the horseshoes in your relationship, doesn't she?" Celestia tittered, leading them through the quiet gardens, passing by exquisitely carved statues and carefully sculpted topiary animals.

"Indeed she does, because I let her." Chrysalis said, holding her head high. "But when we make love, it is I who takes charge. Arta talks a big game, but at the end of the day, it is she who ends up beneath me, whimpering and begging for me to take her."

"W-well!" Celestia exclaimed, a discernible blush on her cheeks, and a riotous one on Arta's. Bold Remark had quietly appeared beside them, and he too had the decency to blush at what he had just heard.

"Chryssyyyy...did you really have to be so...explicit about it?" Arta whined in protest. Chrysalis paused, leaned down, and bit down firmly on one of Arta's ears, and the gravid pegasus practically melted right then and there.

"Mmm...that's what I thought." Chrysalis smirked, and continued on with Celestia, leaving Arta to hurry after them to catch up. Bold Remark cast a glance at the dazed pegasus, then scurried after Celestia, keeping a watchful, wary eye on the changeling queen walking beside her.

The back entrance lead into the ballroom, and Chrysalis gasped, looking at the sheer size of it. Here was where the Grand Galloping Gala was held every year, the room bustling with ponies dressed to the nines, and decorated in a flashy, opulent manner. Even without the decorations or the milling party guests, the room was a sight to behold. "I have never seen so large a room before in my life."

"It is that, yes." Celestia murmured. "It doesn't get much use, though...and to be honest, I'm glad about that. If there's a party to be held in here, I am honourbound to attend. Luna too. Neither of us really care for parties."

As they left the ballroom and entered into the anteroom of the palace, a figured called out to them from the top of the stairs. "Tia!"

"Speak of the devil, and she will appear." Celestia joked. "Lulu! I have returned. Bold Remark here was as good as his word." She gestured to the stallion, who smiled proudly and held himself high. "And here she is, Chrysalis, queen of the changelings."

In a flash of magic, Luna teleported and appeared in front of Chrysalis, pressing her snout firmly against hers. "THOU!" Chrysalis looked at her with wide eyes and took a step back. "THOU DARE TO HURT MINE SISTER!"

"Luna..." Celestia began in a warning tone, but her sister seemed not to notice.

"I-I'm sorry!" Chrysalis exclaimed, stepping back another step. And then another. Luna followed her, and Chrysalis kept stepping back until her rump pressed against the wall. "I'm s-sorry for what I did! Please, believe me!"

"WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THEE, YOU WRETCHED BUG?!?!"

"LUNA!" Luna heard Celestia this time, but it would have been hard for her not to, what with Celestia using the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Stand down."

"But—"

"Luna, I said 'stand down'. You are not to treat a royal dignitary in such a fashion. She is a guest of the palace."

"Dignitary?! GUEST?!" Luna shouted, looking at her sister in disbelief. "She should be in leg irons in the dungeon, not resting in one of our guest suites." Celestia sighed and shook her head.

"Luna, while I do appreciate you sticking up for me, this is not necessary. Chrysalis and I have made up. She made a mistake—"

"A carefully planned invasion We would hardly call a mistake!" Luna interjected, shooting a poisonous glare at the changeling.

"—but she has apologized and is prepared to do what is necessary to make up for what she did. Isn't that right, Chrysalis?"

"Y-yes!" Chrysalis blurted out, looking at Luna with wide, fearful eyes. She had expected Luna to be angry, but she hadn't expected just how scary the lunar princess could be. "Please, Luna, give me a chance! Let me make this right. Let me prove to you that I am sorry for the terrible things I did."

Luna looked back and forth between her sister and Chrysalis, both of them wearing pleading expressions. Then she stared hard at Chrysalis, narrowing her eyes. She lifted her hoof and prodded Chrysalis firmly on her breast with each word she spoke. "Fine. We will give thee a chance. But know this: should thee fail and prove to be the deceptive, treacherous creature We believe thee to be, then thou must prepare to kiss thine flank goodbye. Do We make Ourself clear?"

"Y-yes, Luna, crystal cl-clear!" She sputtered, wings buzzing frightfully on her back.

"...good." Luna stepped back, and then turned to approach her sister. "As you were, Tia."

"Was that really necessary, Lulu?" Celestia asked, her eyebrow raised.

"We thought it to be, yes. We do not wish to see thee hurt anymore. First, thou was hurt at Our own hooves, and then after Our return, Chrysalis struck thee down at the wedding of Cadance and Shining Armor. We cannot bear the thought." Celestia smiled and nuzzled her sister, and Luna's expression softened, the lunar princess nuzzling back. Luna paused, seeing a glow out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to look at Chrysalis, whose horn was glowing with her magic. "What are thou doing?"

"S-sorry...force of habit." Chrysalis cut her magic short. "It's hard not to taste on such strong love." Luna looked as if she was going to get heated up again, but then she relaxed, obviously thinking better of it.

"All right. But do not do anything devious with the love you collect, dost thou hear Us?"

"Of course, Luna. Just to feed my hunger, nothing more."

"We shall hold you to that." Luna gave Celestia another nuzzle, then pulled away.

"Do you wish to join us in my chambers, Lulu? The four of us were just about to head there to discuss matters over tea."

"Ah, the magic of thine tea." Luna smirked. "But no, We have other things to attend to, Tia. We shall see thee later." She gave her sister another nuzzle, then turned and walked away, but not before looking over her shoulder at Chrysalis. "Be good now."

"I will, I swear it." Luna gave the changeling a genuine smile, and then she turned her focus back to where her steps were taking her.

A long, awkward silence reigned for about half a minute as the party watched Luna leave, then Celestia looked at Arta, Chrysalis, and Bold Remark. "Shall we?" A chorus of yeses followed, and she grinned. "Follow me, then."

Celestia lead them up the imperial staircase, taking the right path on the landing. This lead to the east wing of the palace, where Celestia's quarters were. Luna, by way of contrast, had her chambers in the tower on the west side of the palace. Though their chambers were a good distance apart, it wasn't a long flight from the tower to Celestia's balcony, and vice-versa.

To get to her chambers, however, was not a simple feat. There were so many halls and passageways that it seemed the palace had been designed in such a way as to confuse and divert those not familiar with its layout. Many ponies over the years had asked if it was intentional, but Celestia never gave more than vague, noncommittal answers to the question, which only helped to fuel the fires of that belief. Chrysalis had been through many of these hallways before when she had disguised herself as Cadance, but she was no better off now, and so she was glad that Celestia was leading the way.

They turned a corner, one of the many turns they had made, only around this corner they ran into somepony of note. "Auntie!"

"Oh, good day, Blueblood." Celestia said, putting on a smile. Chrysalis could tell from the tension in the air that that genuine-looking smile was anything but. Celestia would make a good changeling infiltrator, given how good she is at disguising her emotions, she thought.

"It is good to see you, and...I..." He trailed off, his eyes falling upon Chrysalis. "...ch-ch-ch-ch-changeling!"

"Yes, she is a changeling, Blueblood. I believe you know of Queen Chrysalis, yes?" Celestia asked, her tone light and nonchalant.

"She...you...h-how...A-Auntie, are...are y-you even Celestia?!" He shouted, the strong Adonis of a stallion quivering like a frightened foal.

"Oh, come off it, Blueblood. I am who I am, and so is Chrysalis. She is here to set things straight."

"...I s-see." He murmured, looking warily at both Chrysalis and Celestia.

"We are heading to my chambers now to discuss matters. I would be most glad if you joined us, nephew."

"Um....y-you see, I think I have...a lunch d-date..."

"Then consider it cancelled." Celestia's tone was still gentle, but her raised eyebrow spoke volumes. "It wouldn't do to proceed in our talks without a member of the nobility present." Blueblood hesitated to respond, nervously running a hoof through his light amber mane, and Celestia's eyebrow climbed even higher and she cleared her throat.

"Ah, y-yes, that...I would be delighted to attend." Blueblood responded, forcing down the evident demonstration of his nervousness.

"Then do come along." Celestia spoke sweetly, and he attached himself to the group, keeping a safe buffer of space between him and Chrysalis. Chrysalis let out an annoyed click and rolled her eyes.

It took a few more minutes of navigating the maze of hallways before they reached Celestia's chambers, large double-doors emblazened with a stylistic representation of her sun. She unlocked the door with her magic, dispelling the wards, and the doors swung inwards, revealing the luxurious bedchamber within. Celestia stood to the side and let them shuffle in, and then she entered and closed the doors behind her. She gestured to a number of pillows encircling her tea table. "Come, get off your hooves, sit and be comfortable."

Chrysalis and Arta sat down side-by-side, with Arta letting out an appreciative sigh as she took the weight of her hooves. Bold Remark and Blueblood both sat several pillows away, neither feeling all that comfortable being near the changeling queen. Celestia sat on the grandest pillow (fitting not only for a princess but also for a mare with a rather sizable posterior), made of crimson velvet, which did indeed have her name stitched into it with gold thread.

"Now, before we begin, I have a serious question to ask all of you." Celestia said, her gaze sweeping back and forth between her assembled guests. Then she produced two bags of loose leaf tea, and she beamed at them, giggling. "Oolong or Puerh?"

Author's Note:

Sorry about the long wait. I should have an even longer chapter than this, but...this felt like a good place to cut it. Lots of talking from all involved next time!

Comments

[Razzy]

Well, it went pretty well. I still like how you write the canon characters. And Chryssie really changed. I suppose she's also simply tired of all the fighting after all those years.

[ArtaFactia]

7655555 I'm handling the canon characters all right, do you think? And yeah...I've always seen Chrysalis as someone whose emotions got atrophied and she became overbearing and malicious...she just needed a good wake-up call.

[Razzy]

7656227 Yeah, you're doing fine. And I like that interpretation of Chryssie as well. It's always so heartwarming seeing her happy with someone.