16 - Giving Freely
“We have some things to discuss.” Twilight said simply, sitting down in a chair on the other side of the bed from the sagging changeling. Even with the help of the chair Twilight was only just at eye level with Chrysalis, who scoffed quietly in response, but said nothing more. Twilight observed Chrysalis for several moments, noticing instantly how she ignored her almost immediately to look back at Tone Shift on the bed.
Twilight felt her gaze lose some of it’s intensity as she took in a number of the little details here. Chrysalis’s distraught appearance, the fresh tear stains on her cheeks and on the side of the bed, as well as Chrysalis showing no aggression or hostility. She simply seemed resigned to whatever would happen next, her eyes having lost a great deal of whatever passion or intensity Twilight remembered the having on the occasions they had met in the past.
“If we have things to discuss, start talking.” Chrysalis said shortly, earning a nod from Twilight.
“First, I want to know how long you’ve been in Ponyville. How long have you been staying with Tone Shift?” she asked carefully, carefully observing Chrysalis’ response.
“If we discount time away in Baltimare with him, then maybe a week.” Chrysalis replied without hesitation.
“I see…” Twilight sat back in her seat slightly, closing her eyes and giving some thought. “Then we need to talk about the terms of your stay.”
Chrysalis shot Twilight a glance, narrowing her eyes but otherwise reacting very little. “A cage with visiting hours would be preferable.”
Twilight clamped her jaw shut at that, tilting her head at Chrysalis. “Uh… what?”
“You’re going to put me in a dungeon, aren’t you?” Chrysalis guessed bluntly, returning her eyes to Tone Shift. “I’d like to make sure I can get visitors…”
“Wha… no, no we’re not throwing you in a dungeon!” Twilight said quickly, drawing Chrysalis attention far more than before.
“What?”
“When I said ‘terms of your stay,’ I meant the ground rules you’ll have to follow in Ponyville to avoid serious backlash.” Twilight explained, giving her hoof a few rolls to emphasize the important points.
Chrysalis blinked disbelievingly. “Forgive me if I am completely confused. Why do any of that?”
“Because we know you’re different now, Chrysalis.” Twilight said gently, leaning forward slightly with an almost friendly smile appearing on her face. “Luna knows you’ve been here for a few days already. She filled Princess Celestia and I in on what she knew when we found you in the forest after your fight with the Ursa.”
Chrysalis stiffened at those words, looking at Tone Shift. “...The Lunar Princess knew?”
“She found out during one of Tone’s nightmares about you getting caught. She heard the entire story from him and replayed all of the memories he had of you to confirm his statements.” Twilight furthered, leaning back into her chair once more.
Chrysalis was silent for what felt like years. Finally, she looked down and sighed. “Okay, fine. What is rule one?”
“Well, following the laws here in Equestria is the big one. Rule number two is that you don’t go taking love energy from anypony without consent-”
“Done.” Chrysalis butted in simply, looking down at Tone Shift. Her lips began to press into a thin line. “Is one of these machines keeping him from waking up?”
“Uh, yes. Why?” Twilight asked, somewhat caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic.
“His bones were put back into line. I ran a healing spell over him just before you got here; that was the spike in his heart rate.”
“Ah, right. The heart beats really fast for a few seconds to get blood moving through the newly available tissue when healing magic is cast on somepony.” Twilight deduced immediately. Chrysalis only nodded.
Chrysalis looked down at Tone Shift sadly. “I want to talk to him… Talking at his unresponsive face doesn’t exactly move the conversation anywhere.” she gained a very small smile at her attempt at morbid humor, but quickly lost the expression. “There are a few things I need to tell him…”
Twilight stared at Chrysalis thoughtfully for several seconds. Then, a genuine, warm smile crept onto her face. “I guess Luna wasn’t exaggerating… you’ve definitely changed, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis looked at Twilight skeptically, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.
“The changeling queen I met years ago at my brother’s wedding would have rather starved than say any of that. She would have been growling at me, mocking me insulting me and would have had this incredible ego around herself.” Twilight leaned forward again, her smile widening. “But look at you now! You’re being reasonable, if a little blunt. You’re not outright disrespecting me or your surroundings and hay, you came to this hospital to talk to a pony you hurt. To apologize. Because you care about him.
“You’ve changed a lot in these last six months Chrysalis. I’ll be honest, I’m happy for you.”
Chrysalis grunted impatiently. “As touching as this discussion is, I would appreciate you turning off whatever contraption is preventing him from waking up!”
Twilight jumped slightly at Chrysalis’ sharp tone and quickly went to unplug the sedatives from Tone so he could start to wake up. As she went about doing so Chrysalis softened her expression and sighed.
“...Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
The sedatives were undone. Tone Shift remained asleep, though now there was nothing entering his body to keep him that way. Now it was just a waiting game. Chrysalis shifted uneasily. “How long until he wakes up?”
“It’s probably going to be a little while. He already has a fair amount of pretty potent sedatives in him. I’d give him an hour before he wakes up enough to be coherent.” Twilight answered simply, running the numbers in her head rapidly for her result.
“Joyous… fine, then run the remaining ‘terms’ by me. It’ll give me something to pass the time, if nothing else.”
Twilight nodded with a smile before clearing her throat and getting underway.
* * * * * * *
“Wake up, sleepy head…” Chrysalis said gently to Tone Shift maybe forty minutes later. He had shown signs of waking up for a while, slipping in and out of consciousness periodically. Twilight and Chrysalis had finished running through the terms of Chrysalis’ time in Equestria maybe five minutes prior. Twilight was figuring that Tone Should be coherent by now.
Tone gave a low groan through his rather dry throat as he began to fully wake up. He shifted slightly, wincing as his still very tender skin moved. “Gah, mother bucker…” he tried to exclaim, though it only came out in a weak murmur. Chrysalis smiled slightly before looking over at Twilight.
“Could you bring us some water?”
Twilight nodded slightly. She trotted over to the sink and set about filling one of the disposable plastic cups with water while Chrysalis stayed next to the waking voice actor.
“What…. What happened? Oooooagh, my head… where am I?” Tone grumbled, moving a forehoof up to rub at his face and discovering that one of his eyes was covered up by bandages.
Chrysalis couldn’t help but giggle slightly as she realized something. “Wow… you look pathetic.” she whispered to him. Tone tried to open his good eye, then slammed it shut again as crust fell into it.
Grunting and groaning uselessly, he tried to scrape and brush the offending material from his eye before Chrysalis stopped his hoof with telekenisis.
“Here, allow me.”
Twilight finished with the faucet, levitating the water cup to Chrysalis, who then, with her own magic, dipped a small cloth under the faucet. She got the fabric wet under the water before bringing it over and gently, so very gently scrubbing Tone’s good eye to clean it of intruders. When she was done, he managed to blink his eye open and look around, no doubt only seeing blobs at the moment.
“Where am I? What’s going on?” Tone asked before Chrysalis passed him the cup of water.
“Drink up, first.” she looked to Twilight. “Leave us, please.”
“Alright.” Twilight gave a small nod and professional bow of her head before stepping out. Chrysalis snorted before looking back at Tone, who had just finished the cup and looked greatly refreshed.
“Oh, that’s much better.” his vision must have corrected itself, as he looked at Chrysalis with a mildly confused expression. “Chrysalis? What happen-” before he could finish the question, he must have remembered what happened to put him here. His eyes widened and he looked at Chrysalis with a rapidly wilting expression. Chrysalis’ own face fell upon seeing his shift like that.
“I’m so sorry that I got you hurt, Tone Shift… you didn’t deserve that.” she sghed and closed her eyes. Don’t think about it… just do it.
“Chrysalis… I-”
“Quiet.” Chrysalis suddenly said more harshly than she intended, flinching immediately. “Sorry… I just… this isn’t easy for me, I hope you understand.” she looked back up at him directly in the eye.
“What are you-”
Chrysalis shook her head sharply, looking at him with pleading eyes. “Tone, please. Just.. don’t say anything. Don’t make me think about this.” she took several deep breaths before continuing, making sure Tone stayed quiet. “You have given me so much to think about. You’ve helped me in such a way that I can never hope to repay you in full. You saved my life, even when you had no good reason to do so. You kept me in your home and befriended me when you had even less reason to do so…”
Chrysalis reached a foreleg up to her chest and rested it there. Tone’s eye widened as he realized there was a very soft, gentle light coming from her heart and shining through her chitin. “You came to see me as more than a refugee… first a lost soul to be put back on track, then a good friend you’d go out of your way for. Then…” she closed her eyes and smiled softly, a tear streaking down her cheek. “And then you began to love me without even realizing it. You saw so much in me even though you knew who and what I was.”
She opened her eyes to look at him again, reaching her other foreleg out to rest on the side of the bed next to Tone’s foreleg. “I have never felt a pony give love so freely, especially when knowing it was me, Chrysalis, queen of the changelings they were giving that love to. It was unconditional… pure…”
Chrysalis stood and set the hoof on her chest down next to Tone’s head. She leaned over him and saw him looking back up at her with his good eye as wide as a dinner plate and a soft red tint coming to his cheeks. That sealed it. No turning back now.
“I never really let that love go returned without some string attached… no more. It’s time I give freely.” she whispered before, with no other warning, leaning down and kissing Tone Shift on the lips. Tone Shift tensed up in shock at the sudden contact before melting into it, wrapping his forelegs around Chrysalis’ shoulders and returning the kiss honestly, though a bit sloppily.
A few seconds later, Chrysalis slowly, almost reluctantly pulled away. Tone’s eye looked down and then squinted as the light from Chrysalis’ heart began to grow in brightness and intensity rapidly.
“Chrysalis?! What’s happening?!” He asked in alarm as Chrysalis felt herself lifting off of her hooves without any input on her part. She looked down at herself for a moment, a final flicker of fear and anxiety on her face before she smiled and softened, her face becoming peaceful and relaxed.
“It’s fine, Tone Shift. This only solidifies what I’m about to say.” with a deep breath, Chrysalis closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come. “...I love you.”
The light from her heart expanded and grew in intensity to the point it was blinding. The energy externalized itself from her body, appearing as glowing sheets that wrapped around her and then solidified into a bright blue cocoon. The cocoon floated lazily in the air for a moment before drifting down to touch the floor.
Another explosion of light, forcing Tone to cover his eye and shield it with a foreleg to avoid being blinded. Finally, the light faded away and he could see again. Opening his eye slowly, he gasped as he saw Chrysalis, who had just undergone a sudden and impressive change.
Her chitin was no longer black. It was now a bright yellow at the tips of her hooves, fading into an almost white, buttery color the farther up the body he looked. Her mane and tail were now beautifully colored in a soft gradient from bright blue to an almost yellowy-green. Her wings were no longer the ragged shapes they used to be, now appearing as full bright purple wings that carried a profound grace to them. Her horn was no longer crooked, coming into a perfectly curved point. The holes in her legs had filled in completely.
Most noticeable of all were her eyes. They had become deep pools of bright blue that slowly opened with uncertainty, looking towards Tone Shift almost as if she were seeking his approval.
His jaw was slack at the sight. For almost a minute, he simply looked at her, dumbfounded, before an enormous, goofy grin broke out across his face. Then he started laughing.
Chrysalis frowned in confusion. “What the hay is so funny?”
“N-nothing, heh, so to speak,” Tone said before taking a deep breath to hold off his giggles. “Just… that was one hell of a first kiss you just gave me.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, shush. I’m certain that you’ve kissed somepony before me.”
“Actually, no. You just gave me my first kiss, honest. Frankly, I don’t think even your most powerful memory wiping spell could make me forget.” Tone said with a giddy smile still clinging to his face. Chrysalis simply tutted at him before shifting uneasily.
“Well… how do I look?” she asked almost timidly. Tone simply smiled more softly and affectionately, reaching a foreleg out in a ‘come hug me’ gesture. Chrysalis didn’t hesitate, coming in and hugging him once more. After a moment, Tone leaned back just enough to kiss her softly on the lips before smiling at her.
“You’re beautiful… just don’t forget that your appearance doesn’t matter to me.” Tone Shift said before poking her in the chest. “You do.”
Chrysalis simply gave a content hum before stealing another quick kiss. “...I could get used to this.”
“Please do.”
For several moments, the two simply basked in the comfort of the other’s presence. Finally, Chrysalis looked at him in the eye with a hopeful look in her eyes. “I think I’ll ask for that happy ending, now.”
Tone chuckled before nuzzling her affectionately. “I think you already earned it…”
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Really author? Really? *sighs* Well, it was a good enough while it lasted, and I won't switch to dislike even if it's surely tempting right now.
On the other hand a decent surge of hatred is surely good for my motivation, so I guess thanks for that too.
GLHF.
Aww, Chryssie changed into one of the barflings. Though, in all honesty, she still looks better than Thorax - not as garish colouring and that fur-lined part in front looks cool.
And the three 'lesson' here is still vastly better than in the finale.
'intensity Twilight remembered the having on' - remembered them having
A happy ending for Chrysalis? That's inconceivable!
I very much like this new transformation. It has a strong "moth" vibe to it that lends itself well to the cuddly-fuzzy ponies theme. I noted she still kept the deadly horn with it's saber like appearance. Two opposeable thumbs up!
Twilight FFS please don't blow it.
Fucking finally!
So..... she goes from Absolutely stunning to pretty for finding actual love in her heart.....
relatably.com/m/img/table-flipping-meme/table-flip-bodybuilding_o_2110879.jpg
the new form kinda reminds me of an Eevee, and I find it adorable.
Oye! He's in no condition to produce a "happy ending"! Let him heal up first!
I was about to cringe at the transformation until i saw a picture
HOLY HECC YAS I LOVE THIS BUGGO HNGGGG
Oof, the comments on this chapter. I can't wait for these people to either mellow out or cycle out of the fandom so newer and less toxic fans don't post crap like "eww nulings" on every single fic that has one in it. It's a thing now, guys. Get over it lmao
If that was Tone’s first kiss, then he’s probably young. He’s probably in his teens or twenties. Call me old-fashioned Chrysalis, but maybe you ought to get his father’s blessing for this.
9984283
No, he's in his early twenties. He just wasn't very romantically active, much like the person he is based on.
9984293
I said “he’s probably in his teens or twenties”. If Tone is a young man who’s never even been kissed, and Chrysalis is an older woman who’s already a mother: I do think it’d be more appropriate, and more honorable, if she had the blessing of Tone’s father.
9984316
To be fair, Tone is a legal adult. He doesn't need his father's permission.
9984318
“Legal adult” doesn't mean that much my book: I'm not a fan of the “She's 18” defense. And I know that young people are still need guidance from their parents, and their elders, after reaching their 18th birthday.
I'm okay with people in their teens and twenties getting into romances, and getting married, and all. So long as it's done right. So long as it's done with the blessing, and guidance, of the young person's elders. Without that guidance: They're going to get themselves into trouble!
Despite what I've said here: I'm not saying that Tone can't or shouldn't be a young adult. I'm not a fan of the way modern society's extended childhood into the teens and twenties! But part of growing up, is realizing that you've still got some growing up to do. That you still need guidance from your parents and your elders.
9984344
What if said elders are idiots, though, as is so often the case?
9984348
There are times when a young man or woman, has adult children for parents. That’s unfortunate. Hopefully, our young person has some other elders in his life. Elders who are actually adults, not adult children. And if he doesn't, hopefully he can make some good trustworthy older friends.
So I’m well aware that what you’re describing is a problem! Some people become adults quickly, others never do. There are 14-year-old men, and 40-year-old boys. Along with 14-year-old women, and 40-year-old girls.
I’d hope that Tone has some trustworthy older person in his life, who can give him guidance. And if he does, I think he and Chrysalis really ought to have a talk with that person.
And come to think of it: Tone does have a trustworthy older person in his life. Princess Luna’s got to be keeping an eye on this. Remember Chapter 11?
9984381
Eh. Ultimately, the way I see it, Tone is old enough at this junction that he does not need his father's guidance on the matter. Or at the very least, not his blessing. And Chrysalis sure as hell doesn't need it, given that she's dozens of times older than Tone's dad.
9984390
If Chrysalis is dozens of times older than Tone's dad (and Tone's in his early twenties), that's part of why she could use his blessing.
Remember, I'm not a fan of the “She's 18” defense. I don't see much difference between the late teens, and early twenties. So I'm not seeing this much differently then I'd see it, if Tone were 17. And older people do have a reputation for taking unfair advantage of young people, when it comes to sex and romance. There's a reason society has taboos and laws about that kind of thing (as inadequate as I think those taboos and laws are).
I seriously doubt Chrysalis is just saying whatever she needs to say to get into Tone's pants. That she's talking about how she loves him, only to leave him after she's gotten what she's wanted. It really does seem like she cares about him. But if I'm Tone's father: I'm probably going to want to have a talk with my kid, and with this older women he's smitten with. Especially once I learn that this women has a very shady past.
9984390 I'm with you on this one. I'd be with you even if Tone was in his teens.
If a person treats himself as a grown-up person who can make decisions, that's good enough for me.
However, if Tone were to say, "I have to consult with my parents about this, I'm too stupid to make decisions.", and Chrysalis would go ahead and rape him before that, then I would not be okay with it.
10018258
On that note: That Tone didn't talk to anyone about this makes me worry about him. It feels like the closet thing he has to a friend in Ponyville, is Twilight. And Twilight feels like an acquaintance, not a friend.
Part of the reason we have friends, is so that we have people to talk to before making important life decisions. People who can give us advice, and keep us from being idiots.
I really liked your story. Dramatic moments mixed with everyday milata made me read in one gulp.
however I am not very happy with your choice of the reformed Chrysalis form. For me, it would be better if she remained as she is, but if you really follow the canon, then you could choose something else
P.S. in general, I do not perceive the shown concept of the Changelings reformation, since this not only cancels the message "no matter what you are outside, the main thing is what you are inside" and "do not judge the book by the cover", but also from the fact that the swarm of Changelings is self-sufficient in love just by sharing love I associate with each other with a perpetual motion machine which is impossible "the consumer can never generate more energy than it consumes". it was possible to beautifully beat the transition from parasitism to symbiosis between ponies and Changelings, but the authors did everything so clumsily turning an interesting race with a potential drama mixed with evil irony into a gray (multi-colored) mass