Epilogue
Luna slouched toward her sister's room, sans regalia and still wearing her fluffy moon slippers. After the third day in a row of bad sleep, she had given up any pretense of caring what the castle staff thought of her appearance. After she had dealt with whatever problem had cropped up now, she resolved to declare tomorrow a national holiday just so that she could get some sleep. There were deep bags underneath her eyes, her mane was limp, and her wings drooped. Worst of all, she'd been informed that it was an Emergency—one which warranted the capital E—so there had been no time for coffee.
Once she had learned the details of the supposed emergency, her mood had soured immediately, and her frantic gallop had dropped to a surly trot. The poor member of the Royal Guard that had alerted her didn't seem to understand why she had slowed after learning more about what was going on. He was, in fact, still hurrying ahead and looking back at her, unwilling to rush one of his rulers, though he clearly wished to.
It wasn't his fault. Given what Luna knew of modern Equestria, he could hardly be expected to know that when she got like this, Tia hated to be interrupted. The first time Luna had tried to interfere in what her sister termed a "personal duel", it had taken three weeks for the fur on her rump to grow back. To say nothing of what she had accidentally seen in her sister's tent later that night. She shuddered. The modern "sock on the doorknob" was a much more elegant solution.
Tia was a big girl. She could handle herself for a few extra minutes. Still, Luna had better check on her, just in case—the changeling queen was probably no pushover.
Luna was also sort of hoping that she could show up after the fact—she was reluctant to get involved in her sister and her soul mate hashing out several centuries of baggage. The fact that her sister's soul mate was a bizarre, alien, shapeshifting, love-sucking monstrosity certainly didn't help.
She sighed as she approached the door to her sister's chambers. The other guard posted at the door saluted, his expression a mixture of relief and terror. The guard that had been leading her resumed his post at the other side of the door, and was visibly fidgeting in his attempts to not prance nervously. "Thank goodness you're here, your majesty," said the first guard. "I assume you've been apprised of the situation?"
"Indeed. Rest assured, there is no need to fear. My sister is resilient—if she commanded you to remain uninvolved, I am certain that she judged herself more than a match for her foe."
Luna nodded at the two guards and without a further word, entered her sister's chambers.
She closed the door behind her, and surveyed the room.
Well.
There was no sign of her sister, and the room looked like been intimate with a tornado. It could have been worse, she supposed. There could have been holes in the—
Wait, no. It had been hidden by the remains of the drinks cabinet, but there was something embedded in the wall next to the kitchenette. Luna trotted closer to get a better look. It was some sort of black oblong, so deeply embedded that it was nearly flush with the wall. Luna worked her magic around it and gave it a single sharp tug, wrenching it free with a small shower of stony fragments.
Though squashed and cracked almost beyond recognition, Luna knew what it was immediately. Celestia's favorite—and heaviest—teapot. A solid cast-iron exterior, with a ceramic-lined interior, it had enough heft that most ponies struggled to lift it.
If Celestia had been willing to use it as a projectile, or unable to prevent it from being used as one, this was more serious than Luna had thought.
Ignoring the rest of the shattered bookcases, ashy remnants of the coffee table, and the vaguely changeling-shaped impression in the wall she had missed earlier, she trotted to the bedchamber door and slipped inside.
And stopped.
The first thing she noticed was that Celestia was asleep in the bed. Definitely asleep, and not unconscious, as indicated by the bone-rattling snoring. The second thing, which had stopped her in her tracks, was the changeling queen standing next to the bed, close enough that her chest was touching the covers.
At Luna's entry, Chrysalis' head whipped toward her, and she bared her fangs. Luna stood motionless, face impassive. Then, with glacial slowness, she lifted a single eyebrow.
After several seconds of silence, Chrysalis broke first. "What?!" she hissed.
"While I am glad my sister took my advice to heart," she said slowly, "I did not expect her to move quite so quickly."
Chrysalis frowned in confusion. "What do y—" Her face reddened and she choked as she grasped Luna's implication. "That is not what happened here!"
She made as if to step toward Luna, but was brought up short when one foreleg refused to move. Luna cocked her head and looked closer. Then, puffed up her cheeks in a mighty attempt to hold back a snicker. Celestia's forelegs were dangling off the bed, and wrapped around one of Chrysalis' legs. As Luna watched, Celestia's grip tightened, and she muttered something sleepily, then nuzzled Chrysalis' chest.
Chrysalis froze, and her blush intensified. She shot Luna a murderous look. "Not a word."
Luna was nearly shaking with the effort of restraining her laughter. "I believe it is traditional," she managed, "to allow soul mates their privacy to get to know one another. I see," she nodded at the destruction of the room behind her, "that you've already begun. I shan't intrude any further. I shall inform the guards that you are not to be disturbed. Good night!"
Luna gave Chrysalis a brisk nod, and left the room without a further word. Chrysalis ground her teeth together as she heard Luna finally give up the battle against her laughter in the other room. Then, she waited until she heard the outer door open and close. Then, she waited a little more. Then, she glanced around to make absolutely sure there was no one watching.
Finally, she leaned in close to Celestia, briefly nuzzled her cheek, then jerked away. She tried to ignore the way Celestia's happy smile sent a little spark of satisfaction deep into her core.
She was just in it for the love energy. That was all.
Really.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- AlphaRidley · 3k words · 368 13 · 8.4k views
- Some Leech · 4.5k words · 340 4 · 3.4k views
- Some Leech · 4.4k words · 436 8 · 4.8k views
- Rune Soldier Dan · 1.6k words · 386 9 · 6.7k views
- Chaospaladin · 11k words · 557 42 · 8.5k views
- Some Leech · 5.1k words · 371 5 · 4.1k views
- Leafdoggy · 24k words · 615 14 · 8.8k views
- PingZing · 7.1k words · 176 36 · 2k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.174 seconds
Total duration
814 users online
1,014,931 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Well that was a cute story, honestly glad tia had to kick bug butts ass first before any serious talking happened.
Daww, such a sweet ending. I love this.
I can see Luna doing the calculations now. "This should give me roughly 438 years worth of ribbing material. This is better than the chickens!"
Mhm... Sure, Chrysy... sure...
Oh, wow, I am really looking forwards to getting a chance to read this! Hopefully later this evening
Chrysalis: Not like I like you or anything.
Tsundere bug is adorable bug.
10278458
You might be thinking of this fic?
That or just... I dunno. It's not an uncommon premise.
10278505
You appear to be correct. The little checkbox by that story's first chapter was ticked indicating that I've read it before.
Knew there was something familiar.
I am so happy you wrote this! Those two are definitely the most interesting pairing in MLP. And the notion of them being forced together like that makes for a great story. I liked how it took us through A Canterlot Wedding but then changed it once they met, that was a good change of course. Also, I loved the way you built it up with the opening chapter, it made those few paragraphs of the fateful words being said really very dramatic indeed. A fantastic way to bring Sunset's backstory into it, too.
I had a few issues, here and there. Aside from the entire tsundere thing being hideously problematic at best, I just don't think it fits that well with an immortal character. You'd think that after six centuries with themselves as the only constant company, they'd know themselves, and be honest with themselves. And the ending, hmmmm - none of Chrysalis' points have actually been addressed. Ponies will tame and defang changelings, whether intentionally or not, and ultimately leave them defenceless. There is nothing ponies require from changelings in anything like the absolute sense that changelings require love from ponies, so changelings will forever be effectively enslaved by whatever conditions ponies wish to set. Hard to see Chrysalis condemning them to that fate as her 'being a hero.' I liked the way you wrote Celestia's perspective during their fight, but it felt rather one-sided. I liked how that fit with Chrysalis already running on empty, and agree that changeling strengths are very much subterfuge and not direct confrontation, so it made sense. I just think the pairing works better when they're more equally matched.
I liked how you showed Chrysalis being present through the intervening scenes, especially the maid Celestia barely even noticed other than to thank for tea. I also really liked the quiet, unassuming nature of Celestia's private quarters, and her forgoing tea for something stronger. The line about moonshine was great too. I'm not much of a Cadence fan, but I really liked the idea that all her outrage over what she's gone through at Chrysalis' hooves was balanced out by 'Yes, but, soulmates!' ...I also like how there was no mention of Cadence and Shining Armor being soulmates
I wish there were more Chrylestia stories on the site, and this is definitely a good addition to their ranks. Thanks again for writing!
For a shapeshifting monster whose very being is centered around deception... You're a terrible liar.
AND THEN THEY FUCKED!
That was fun. Love Luna’s reactions especially.
Diggin it :D
Hrm
Short, sweet, and straight to the heart of the matter. I love the unique addition of the soul-mark and how it played a twist on the "first words of your soulmate" trope. I would love to see Chysalis' side of the story and learn about what the changelings know/believe about the soul-mark.
~GjallarFox
Absolutely brilliant!
Original and engaging storyline, very well written.
Look forward to more from you.
10278559
aaaaaaaaaaaa this is a really good comment. Okay. Let's see.
Yep, can't argue with that. I probably could have defused some of this by being a little less flippant in the closing lines, but I didn't even pick up on it until just after publishing. Next time.
This is the part where I huddle behind a thin shield of artistic license! This is pure character interpretation on my part; all the canon examples we get of Chrysalis seem to demonstrate someone who is a) stubbon, b) proud to the point of mania, and c) aggressively uninterested in introspection. I don't think it's unreasonable to for her to be someone who would be deeply in denial about any hint of sentimentality she feels--she'd see it as weakness, and something to be abhorred.
Which brings us to...
True! And this is the weakest part of the story's framing, I think: I (almost) never allow the PoV inside Chrysalis' head. That means that unless her actions reveal her thoughts, or she says it outright to Celestia, we have no idea what she's thinking. And her entire decision making process here is internal, and goes something like this:
In canon, she gets blasted out of Canterlot after overplaying her hand, revealing the changelings, and all her work is for naught. She's got no choice but to scramble to find some kind of solution (and presumably does). But here, she flees of her own accord, and remains in (or near) Canterlot because she's
intensely curious now that she's realized who her soul mate isconvinced she can salvage this somehow. But then she meets Celestia who promptly wipes the floor with her, which impresses the hell out of her.Even though she manages to turn the tables on Celestia afterward, Celestia's words still leave her rattled. It's an inflection point; if anything had happened in that moment to send her winging away, events probably proceed pretty similarly to canon. But here, she has a moment where she's alone, desperate, and the consequences of her choices are crashing through her mind...
...and maybe Celestia doesn't seem like such a bad choice.
But! All of this is internal! And it is at best, implied. And it makes total sense that not all of that came through. That's on me!
Thank you for reading and leaving such a detailed, thoughtful comment! I love it! I want to respond to every piece of your comment but don't have tiiiiiime
damnit! I didn't realise this was the epilogue and was fully geared up to see what happens next.
Fantastic work though
well, somewhat of a disturbing premise, and rendered free from the usual overarching lovesongs, but very interesting bit of writing, and certainly leaving me wanting more :)
"It's not like I like you, b-baka!"
Nice story, i like it.
I. Want. MORE!
Edit as of July 26, 2020; this is still true.
Not sure what this has to do with celebrating LGBTQ people, but it was fun.
Just keep telling yourself that Chrissi. Whatever keeps you sane. Wait...
But yeah. I don’t expect Chrissi to be ready for a healthy relationship of ANY kind right away. But it’s a start. Definitely a start.
Ended to soon. Needs a sequel and more content. I want to know the aftermath and more funny moments. Will Celestia ever get a new teapot?
10280131
Error: Tale of Soulmates missing scheduled update. Recommended action: Sequel to be written.
10280030
Well, Celestia and Chrysalis are both females, and they are soulmates. Lesbians, if you will. There is so much Lesbianity on this website that the implication that this is supporting LGBTQ almost goes over one's head. You just kind of take it for granted with all of the appledashery.
Haven't read this, but it sounds like it's the sort of gift where you hope that someone kept the receipt so it can be exchanged
It's time to review
I really hope you decide to write a sequel to this!
This is really quite gorgeous! The book excerpt with the first chapter is so great—bit of a risky move but it paid off. You sell the soulmates aspect of this story immediately and it doesn't make the following chapters feel too disconnected from the characters we know and love as a result.
The development of Celestia and Chrysalis's relationship is well done. 'Conflict Resolution' was a proper climax to what you were building up to. I'll say that I felt like the epilogue was a little fast. I would have loved one more chapter in there. But maybe that's just my thirst for more of this story talking
The length of this story is something that I'm extremely jealous of. It's so concise and the chapters are, for the most part, very well-paced. Great job with this. I knew I'd love it as soon as I read the description, and I'm glad you didn't prove me wrong. Looking forward to more of your writing. You've more than earned a follow from me.
It puts a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart to know that not only did I inspire somebody else to write a Chrylestia story, but a soulmate one at that! My favorite shipping and my favorite "genre" of fic combined together, It instantly put a smile on my face.
I had a fun time reading this fic! I have a soft spot for fluff, so discounting the entire second half of the epilogue which instantly gets claimed as my favorite part, I'd have to say my favorite moment was this paragraph right here:
"Of course you do," Chrysalis purred, stalking forward, coming over the table now and looming over Celestia. "Help us until we're so dependent on the ponies that the threat of expulsion is enough to control us. To chain us. Maybe you don't want to end the monsters, hmm? Maybe you want," she trailed a forehoof gently up Celestia's neck, ending atop her soul mark, "to tame them."
I adored this part, it was absolutely wonderful.
10296198
I'm glad you liked it!
And wow, reading that paragraph now that I'm not elbow-deep in writing the story, uh... that's a lot more sexually-charged than I realized. Damn Chryssy, coming on a little strong there, aren't you?
10292010
I waffled very hard on that first chapter, but I had such a blast writing it that I couldn't bear to cut it. It seems to have worked for most people though, so I'm glad I kept it!
And I lay credit for the pacing at the feet of my editor. Chapter 3 especially would have wandered all over the place if not for her. Part of it may also be my distaste for characters spending time faffing about--Chrysalis knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to break a few bottles over a few faces to get it.
More please!!!!! This was awesome!!!
That was quite good, nice mix of drama and humor. The romance angle had a good foundation but it felt like it wrapped up a hair quickly. I'd have loved another chapter or so of Chrysalis and Celestia interacting. You do manage to make it feel like they have chemistry without being too far out of character. It's not even that anything's rushed, I just would have liked to see Chrysalis hit the point where she could admit a few more things to Celestia, at least out loud and while she's awake. That said, the epilogue is both cute and amusing. It's well written.
10354625
Oh sorry, it's a reference from the Codex Alera books. It's a concept from one of the cultures in the book, and the short version is that Gadara are 'best enemies'. They respect each other, they really do fight and try to defeat each other, and they can't. The whole "Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!" thing. The culture considers having a gadara better than having a friend: friends can always betray you, but your gadara will always be your enemy.
Except everyone would expect her to hold an long, public speech to celebrate the holiday...
Luna: "To be fair, I was about to say the same."
Awww...
Luna is running off torwards the editorial staff of Equestria Daily any moment, right?
Of course, Chryssi. Of course you are.
Good story!
I enjoyed reading it.
Two hooves up! Excellent story.
Would love to be a fly on the wall when Tia explains all of this to Twilight.
Does this actually warrant the Romance tag though? :O
10603896
You know, I hadn't even really considered that it didn't? I certainly wrote it as a romance. But thinking about it, the story itself is pretty open to interpretation, with any romantic overtones being implied rather than stated outright.
Think I'll plead death of the author here--let your headcanon ride.
10611248
You can definitely read romance there if you wanted. I mean, it's not that much of a stretch. I more saw it as Celestia really hoping she would find a romantic partner at long last, and being disappointed. So maybe just maybe, she's acting a little "do you want to go out with me y/n" while Chrysalis is just having none of it.
10735103
Considering study over sexuality can lead to legitimate studies of the physical acts that can be involved, I'd say it'd be surprised if there weren't any texts like that in this universe. Though, I'd agree about this one not coming across that way.
Oh, but it just ends there? Surely you aren't so cruel, author!
in other words i liked it
11616430
Oh, wow, I am incredibly flattered. That 7 people spent two hours picking apart my story--regardless of whether or not they liked it--is incredible.
The fact that you all actually did like it is even more amazing.
Thanks for the awesome analysis, and the the really insightful, valuable critique, to all of you!
Yeah this is a good one
This would be the first soul mark story I’ve ever read! I was vaguely aware of the concept before, but it was always one of those ancillary fandom things that crops up. Like coffee shop AU.
My way of saying, that I really appreciated your encyclopedia entry in the beginning for us novices to the whole concept. Considering ponies already sprout glowy marks on their behinds, having *another* destiny defining mark on their body doesn’t seem too absurd.
I like the interactions of the story, Celestia’s thoughtfulness and the verbal (and not so verbal) sparring with Chrysalis was delightful. I always appreciate Celestia when she’s a kind Gandalf-type and I giggled plenty at the Chrysalis-shaped hole in the wall made when she was spurred into action.
Thank you for writing this!