Queen Chrysalis, Relationship Doctor

by Prismfire Productions

Setting Guidelines

The midnight moon hug in its place over the Crystal Empire, the realm itself having fallen into a blissful slumber. The nation was still, but if one listened close enough they could hear the faint and mystical language of sugar plums dancing from house to house. Legends spoke that the fae, a distant relative of the breezies that lived in seclusion, could understand the words and translate in perfect detail. In fact, it was said that should a pony come across one of the elusive folk, what was spoken by their sugar plums would be brought to fruition, whether it be good or bad. However, even in the relative tranquility of the landscape, there was one pony that was not having a restful night's slumber. Sure, he was in the depths of his personal dreamscape, but his dreams were far from pleasant.

“What is wrong Shiny?” Cadance’s voice echoed in the Prince Consort’s ears, but had a reverb to the underlying tone that he had come to hate with a fiery passion. Galloping across the expanse of the training grounds, he had a clear path to the building that took up the furthest corner of the Spire’s grounds. It was there that the more advanced, and prototype, majika devices were kept, with access restricted to only himself, Cadance, and the guard captain. Yet, pure adrenaline flowed through his veins as he fired mini explosive shields behind him to get a bit of separation with his pursuer. “Now now love, I only wish to talk to you dear. So, please, lets just talk this out ok?”

“Shut up you monster!” Shining roared, reflexes honed from years of training under Celestia allowing him to dodge a spell from the former, disgraced princess. With a well-timed counter, he swung his body in a sweeping arc, connecting a blow on the drone’s muzzle and sending her off hissing in pain before resuming his gallop. “You are not my wife, just wearing her face and voice to lure me into a trap of corruption.”

“Do you honestly think I would do such a thing to my husband?” With a quick teleport, the Queen of Love teleported into Shining’s path, horn flaring to life as she suspended the flailing, enraged unicorn in midair. “I just want us to have a long and happy life together, is that really such a bad thing?”

“I would gladly spend the rest of my days at Cady’s side,” Shining knew that, as things stood, he was trapped. With his magical capabilities limited outside of his superior shield magic, and his channeling flow currently being suppressed, he had no choice but to look at the mockery of his love with the fire of a thousand Tartaruses. “With you, however, I would rather see your body withering away from a reduced trickle of love and being subjected to the raging blizzard outside of the Empire for eternity. Unable to die due to the miniscule amounts of love that the Heart pulses out, forever to suffer for what you did to the mare that means the world to me.”

“Pray tell, what doest thou have to say for the mare that holds our heart?” Luna's cold tone pierced the dream as the Warden of the Dreamrealm made herself known in a burst of purple and blue shadow flames that made the dream itself freeze in place. To Shining’s relief, this meant that he was freed from the captive magic the faux Cadance had placed on him, but as the Lunar Mare approached he felt as if he had leapt out of a fireplace and into a raging volcano. “The self-same mare that you had the gall to knock out and re-aggravate her prior head injury!”

“In my defense-”

“Spare us thy pity, former Captain Shining Armor,” Luna sneered, her eyes narrowing as her horn flared to life, the surroundings changing to that of the surface of the moon. The rational part of Shining’s mind briefly panicked from not having any air to breathe, but an unamused eyebrow raise from Luna reminded him that they were still in the dream realm. “Chryssy told us that she was just talking to thee when the blow was struck. As is, you better have a good excuse for doing what you did, or there will be repercussions levied.”

“She is trying to take Cady from me, do you think that I am just going to stand by and let her succeed?” Shining sneered, waiting for Luna to interrupt, but when the starry princess stayed silent he pressed on and letting his pent-up rage boil out like an erupting volcano. “Seriously, considering that she failed at the wedding invasion by using me with her manipulative magics, this time she is taking a mare-on-mare approach by using Cady to drive the wedge. The fact that she is bringing Harmony into this as a cover to gain a respective motive is insulting to everything everypony believes in. I mean, even the Crystal Heart is being twisted by her vile magics.”

“Unfortunately for thee, our wife speaks the truth.” Having quelled her own emotions, Luna started slipping more into modern Ponish, something that she was thankful to having learned from Twilight and greatly aided in helping get her more firmer points across. She could tell that her answer only made her nephew angrier, but like a bandage, she knew it was better to get the point over in one go. “Everything she claims that Harmony told her is fact, for Harmony visited me several nights ago warning me to be ready for an attack close to my heart soon after she revealed information to someone close to me.”

“Is that so?” Shining deadpanned, a tiny part of his mind crying out that Luna had spent so much time around Chrysalis that her points had become clouded, but overall a sinking feeling started to dominate his mind. “With that vague of a descriptor, it could have been anypony, even Celestia since she is your sister.”

“Be that as it may, there is a place in my heart for Chryssy that even my dear sister cannot touch,” Luna said, a small smile briefly forming before her facial expression resumed being stoic. “Seeing as how she is my wife-”

“Before you continue that, I have a very important question to ask you,” Shining could tell that cutting in did not sit well with the older mare, a deep frown and agitated tail flick being her response. “Do you see her as your wife? Considering that the two of you spent so long apart, and you refused to believe you were married until seeing your daughter, do you trust that she will not use that as leverage to try and bend all of us to her whelm as leverage?”

“Being married to Cadance, I would have thought that you have learned by now that love has many different forms,” Luna’s statement made Shining wilt, his pride being dealt a blow from how close to the chest it struck. “Whereas recent events have been turmoil, me and her have been trying to once again draw close. It is the least I can do considering how even after all this time her love of me has never faltered, and, being honest, I am finding myself falling in love with her all over again. It truly is amazing at how tender she really is, she is caring, understanding, and is an excellent multitasker. Then again, considering she has to keep up with all her drones, it is only natural that is the case. Tell me Shining, have you seen this side of her since she submitted herself to you and our niece’s authority?”

“I have,” Shining sighed, sinking onto his haunches and looking at the lifeless, grey powder that composed the moon’s surface as he spoke. “She has been doing wonders with that therapy endeavor of hers, and I honestly thought that she was turning a new leaf with everypony. Hay, she is a great foalsitter for Flurry Heart, but Cady proposing that I be made into a changeling royal so soon after Celestia got turned into one as a punishment…”

“It triggered the trauma,” Wrapping a navy-blue wing around the stallion, Luna brought him close and held him in a soft hug. Shining, caught off guard by the sudden change in the princess’ demeanor, briefly flinched before allowing himself to relax against the soft, lavender and lilac smelling fur. “I am sorry that it brought those feelings to the surface, but seeing as you are now calm, may I ask if you still harbor those intrusive thoughts towards my dear wife?”

“No,” Shining sighed, his muscles feeling heavier as the adrenaline poured out of his body and left him feeling as if his tendons had been replaced by cement. He knew that he had acted harshly by knocking out the reformed changeling queen, and knew that multiple apologies would have to be told to more than one individual.“It was merely out of reflex from how my past experiences with her fueled my panic and anxiety. Still, even though I can see my foolishness, I still remain steadfast in my position regarding turning me into a changeling and my life span. When I die, no matter when that may be, that is when I will pass on. Granted, I know that Cady will be heartbroken for a bit, but I know that she will have a support circle to help her cope.”

“Already accepting your mortality, how noble,” Luna knickered, earning a rather confused look from Shining as he pulled himself out of the hug, having felt it had drawn out to the point of awkwardness. “Not many in your position have accepted those terms in my time, often doing whatever it took to try and give themselves as much time as possible. Duty coming before honor and morals, something that often had rather tragic results of their own doing. More than once, an elder captain or commander suffered a rather gruesome death from their mana pool burning their bodies from the inside out in a balefire. Not a pretty sight to witness, even the aftermath is pungent with burnt copper and sulfur, and the bubbling biomass is enough to make even the hardiest of soldiers lose the contents of their stomachs. Luckily for whom we know, you will not have to suffer that considering that you have come to terms with your eventual death.”

“Yeah, lucky,” Shining Armor had a reputation in the ranks for having an iron stomach, something that helped on more than one occasion when he had to endure drills the day after a cider binge. However, hearing what attempting to unnaturally extend his lifespan cemented two fundamental facts in his mind: It reassured his statement to Cadance that he wanted to have a normal lifespan if he could help it, and it also made him wonder if throwing up in a dream meant throwing up in the waking world. The latter making him a bit wary to wake up at the approaching dawn. “Anyway, is there anything else that you think we need to talk about? No offense, but hearing that description has me feeling a bit… queasy.”

“Oh? Has something finally pierced the unbreakable hull that is your stomach?” Despite the question being playfully asked in jest, she knew that the unicorn was probably regretting any meal he may have had before retiring for slumber. She had deliberately went into as much detail as she could to get her point across, but having seen it first hoof, the visual was something that would remain with her until her grave. “A bit of water and a salt lick should help settle your stomach when you wake up, but before I disperse this place to allow you to get that remedy, what are your plans for today?”

“Well, I was going to just take things in stride, and spend some time training of course,” While the answer was the truth, what he did not tell Luna was that he was going to imagine the innocent training dummies being Chrysalis as he pummeled them into oblivion. Now, however, he knew that the day was going to be spent doing something far more important. “However, I think that I will spend the day trying to patch things up with Cady. I love her, and it was wrong of me to walk out like I did thinking that she was the source of the issue.”

“Good thing that you know a good therapist then,” Luna giggled, making Shining blush slightly in embarrassment at the situation that was being offered. “In all seriousness, you should get to know Chryssy more, the mare she is, not the image that she is having to keep up in public. You may be surprised with what you find out for yourself.”

Once again pulsing her horn, Luna vanished from Shining’s sight, the Land of Nod leaving with her as a state of consciousness brought him to full attention. Rousing out of bed and making his way over to the area where the salt lick was kept for any guests that rented the abode, he took a slow drag across the rough surface as he fell into his thoughts. Luna identifying trauma as the source of his actions did not sit well with the former Captain of the Guard, and while Shining knew that Cadance and Chrysalis would both eventually forgive him, his pride felt wounded that he decided to let something get under her skin to the point that it nearly developed into a grudge. He had done his hardest to be the best husband possible, and now that the anger had evaporated, only shame remained.

“Have I really fallen this low…” Shining muttered, looking at himself in the mirror, the deep bags under his eyes matching his gloomy complexion as he finished the salt lick and throwed the empty stick in the trash. “I really do need to fix this, for us.”

Channeling his magic, he popped himself into the royal bedchamber in the Spire, and what he saw nearly broke his heart. Cadance was laying in bed, the pillows soaked with tears, and looked as if she had not bathed in a week. Her coat, mane, and tail all were ragged and disheavled, and her sniffles had a light raggedness that indicated a sore throat. Seeing her in the state put in perspective that while he had been angry, his wife had clearly been suffering from guilt, just as Chrysalis had told him the previous day.

“Hey, Cady,” Shining said, effortlessly gliding over the covers and pulling the alicorn into a cuddle, not minding the faint smell of salt that was evident from the dried, bitter tears. “It is ok dear, I am here, everything is going to be ok.”

“S-shiny?” Cadance rasped, blinking a few times in confusion until she realized that her husband was in fact holding her and it was not a mirage. Realizing this fact, she snuggled deeper into the embrace, clinging to him as if her life depended on it and wrapping a wing around his barrel. “I am so sorry, can you forgive me?”

“Shh, it is not you who needs to be apologizing,” Nuzzling the top of her head, Shining could feel her wife’s muscles briefly tense at the statement before they eased once more. “I am the one who messed up by letting my own personal feelings take control of the discussion. Instead of talking things out with you, about how we both feel, I put up a shield and blocked your emotions out. It is just, considering all Chrysalis put us through in the past with her imitation and infiltration, I thought that she was trying to steal you from me. That, combined with my thoughts regarding my death, made me snap.”

“I did the same thing,” Cadance sighed, her sore eyes welcoming the soft feeling of Shining’s fur. While the pillows had done a good job of absorbing the torrent of pain the previous night, the vanilla cream scent that flooded her senses never failed to calm her nerves, no matter how upset or depressed that she was. “I knew when I married you that the lifespan issue would come up at some point, but since I was given a potential option to increase your lifespan… I kind of went with it and pressed the issue instead of asking why you wanted to turn it down. So, with apologies out the way, may I ask why you do not want to take it?”

“I was born a unicorn dear, and seeing as how I am male, I know ascension is out the question,” Shining said, gently rubbing Cadance’s back with a hoof as he continued. “Sure, there are spells that can turn me into a mare, or take the presented offer, but I do not want to. The way I see it is if I did, then how is that honestly fair? Life would become a daily slag through the same old routine, and that would take the joy out of it. Knowing that I am on borrowed time makes me enjoy each little moment more in my mental house of memories, because it is an opportunity that may never come back up again.”

“Whereas I will have to eventually face that,” Cadance mused, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she closed her eyes and thought over Shining’s point. As she did, she could see his reasoning, and it made her realize that she had taken her own ascension for granted. Had she not become an alicorn, she would not have even lived long enough to meet Shining Armor considering pegasi had the shortest lifespan out of the three base tribes. “Well, buck…”

“Language dear,” Shining chuckled, giving Cadance a soft boop on her snoot and making her go crosseyed as a result. It was a reaction that he loved to see, and while the Crystal Princess denied it with a fiery passion, he thought the expression she made was simply adorable. “Anyway, I will do better going forward on not letting my past control my fears and emotions. I am not perfect, but since I recognize the issue, it is something that I can work on.”

“And I will do better by not pushing a sensitive issue without consulting your emotions,” Cadance said, leaning her head up and giving Shining a quick kiss on lips. “So, where does this leave Chrysalis? We have talked about letting her in before, has your position changed or are you still on the fence and need more time to recover?”

“I have made my decision,” Once more, Shining could feel Cadance’s breathing hitch, all while mentally readying himself for saying what he knew that he would never come back from. “All things considered regarding her redemption, and with recent revelations in mind, I have decided to give you two my blessing.”

“Wait really?” Cadance exclaimed, her tone pitching in surprise while her eyes widened in shock. She had thought that Shining would have said no since he had reacted the way he did at Harmony’s suggestion, so it was a genuine shock that he relented. “You are not just saying that out of guilt I hope.”

“Not in the slightest, I mean it,” While a tiny part of him took offense to the barb, Shining dared not to let it show, instead smothering it from gaining any traction. He had made a vow on his wedding day to be there for Cadance no matter what, and he was determined to fulfill it. “I am not going to be around forever Cady, and seeing how Chryssy pained for Luna after all that time apart, I know that you and Flurry will be in good hooves when I depart for the Great Pasture. Is she still in medbay?”

“She got released about fifteen minutes or so ago, according to one of the guards anyway,” Cadance got off the bed as she talked, entering the bathroom and started to draw up a bath as Shining followed her. “However, the nurse limited her to staying in the Spire for the time being until she fully recovers from her concussion, so I suggest checking her room first before starting around everywhere else or pestering the guards.”

“Thanks love,” Stealing one last kiss, Shining headed out of the royal suite, the guard stationed outside the door snapping to attention in alarm before relaxing at the sight of the Royal Consort. Giving the mare a gentle smile and returning the salute, he headed towards the guest chambers, only to meet a set of blue eyes that burned like a frostbite. “Oh, hello there Glacial, is Chrysalis around? I need to speak with her and apologize for my actions yesterday.”

“You? Apologize? That is rich,” Glacial scoffed, only to soften her look when she sensed no ill-will from the stallion. The anger remained, but it was muddled due to seeing that Shining was sincere with his statement, his guilt nearly making her blanch from the sour flavor. “Well then, you seem to be speaking the truth. My sister is currently in the library alone, do not make me regret telling you this information.”

“You won’t, I swear it on my rank,” Crossing a hoof over his chest and giving a slight bow, Shining glanced at the saddle bags that fit snug against the queen’s sides, as well as the miniature trunk that was propped against the doorway. “You leaving already? I thought for sure that you and your sisters would have wanted to spend more time with Chryssy before departing.”

“Deci and Fire left last night, I stayed behind to make sure Chrysalis would fully recover,” Glacial’s tone had a slight bite that made Shining flinch, the reaction making her smirk. There was a reason that her drones feared her, and why anyone who was deemed an enemy took the “Card of the Blizzard” as a serious threat. She was ruthless when mad, and more than once had frozen a victim in a layer of unmeltable ice, a frozen tomb that zapped the strength while the encased was alive. "We do have to uphold our end of the plea deal for the mess in Baltimare after all, besides, Luna is our sister. Whether by ichor or marriage, she is still family."

"Just like one day Cady and Flurry will be," Shining's remark made Glacial blink in confusion, but by the time realization set in the Prince Consort had already departed and made his way into the library. True to Glacial's word, Chrysalis sat alone in one of the plush chairs reading a book, a concussion recovery wrap firmly in place on her scalp. "Hey Chryssy, got a moment to talk about yesterday?"

"I do," Chrysalis said, putting down her book and turning to look at him. "But spare the apology, regret always tastes like rancid peanut butter."

"Then why should I even bother talking," Shining sighed, sitting across from Chrysalis and letting out a soft groan as the comfy seat went to work taking the tension out of his back. “Look, I know I screwed up but I was hoping that we could at least be civil about this and put it behind us.”

“Quite right, it is best for the Empire after all,” Stretching her long, hole-filled legs, Chrysalis shifted her posture so that one leg was draped over the other as she raised a figurative eyebrow at the stallion who nearly ended her existence. “So, how long do I have until I have to close up shop and leave the Empire?"

"You don't," Shining could tell from how Chrysalis' position shifted that it was not the answer that she had been expecting. "I want to lay out some concerns that I have regarding you dating your fiancee."

"Fianc-" Chrysalis started, shocked at Shining's statement, only to stop herself once the unicorn gave a slight shake of his head. "Alright, you have my attention, you may proceed."

"Thank you," Relaxing his aching muscles and allowing gravity to do its job, Shining eased into the lush seat and let out a satisfied hum. For the briefest of moments Luna's realm threatened to steal him away, but he matched it with his resolve to set things right and was able to fight it off. "Now then, you are aware that Cady is related to Luna, have the two of them discussed that with you?"

"They have," Chrysalis nodded, her magic sending her book back to its proper place on the shelves."While there was an initiaawkwardness, it was agreed that considering the generation gap, there are no issues regarding me and Cadence being a couple."

"Ok, good to know," Shining sighed, not wanting to press forward but knew he had no choice. "Flurry Heart, what are your feelings regarding her?"

"An adorable but chaotic bundle," Chrysalis chuckled, and despite himself Shining could not help but agree considering the shenanigans the filly had already gotten into. "But to answer the question, I wish to have a hoof in raising her, and eventually help guide her into being an adult mare and give what advice I can with whatever path she chooses in life."

"Fair enough," Shining sighed, not looking the changeling queen in the face as he steeled himself for the heaviest question on his mind. "Now then, does Cady love you?"

"Somewhat, a mere spark in comparison to mine and Lulu's love, or yours and her's,' Chrysalis saw Shining ease at the answer, a flood of relief threatening to drown her before she cleared her throat. "Doesn't matter though, you will always have her heart Shining Armor. On that point, you have my word as a changeling queen."

"It isn't that Chrysalis," Shining sighed, slinking deeper into his chair as the world around him suddenly seemed bigger. "I just never in a million years thought that love could be so complicated."

"Love is sweet, but also ruthless. A gentle shield but a flaming sword. It can build, but also destroy. Give life, but also give death." Chrysalis said, making Shining blink in surprise at the description, a look that made the changeling queen giggle. "Bear in mind, it is my species' life force and source of food, so I know first hoof about the intricate matters of it. Tell me Shining, is Cadence the only mare in your eyes, or perhaps is there someone else as well?"

"There is," Shining sighed, knowing good and well that if he tried to lie about the matter Chrysalis would slice through it. "However, I am not paying any mind to those thoughts, seeing as how I believe them to just be a result of how I've been feeling recently about the idea of Cady seeing someone other than me. No offense."

"It takes far more than that to offend me," Chrysalis chuckled, feeling amused at the fact the stallion she once had to mind control was being so freely open with her. "However, you are still wise enough to see that those feelings are, to your mind, an illusion. Tell you what, I do think it is unfair that this mess has caused such great distress to your mental health, so how about I treat you to a date after I hold down a shift at my station. It would be just the two of us, and give you a chance to actually see the real me, instead of the love-starved psychotic queen that you met me as."

"Sounds reasonable," Shining said, nodding at the suggestion. Considering the nightmare the prior night, and how well she was liked by the citizens of the Empire, he saw no fault in the offer on the table. "It would give me a chance to have closure with our history at least."

"Mhm," Chrysalis smiled, giving Shining a look that was a far softer version of how she used to enchant him with no magic added. "As far as the closure, who better to help than a professional therapist?"