At the Gala
The castle almost felt completely different this time. That was to be expected of course; she had spent her last visit invading the city, but it still struck Chrysalis nonetheless. Even the environment before her fake wedding was nothing like the feel of the gala as she arrived with her marefriend.
It wasn’t a bad vibe this time, the castle feeling warmer and more friendly, something she wondered whether it was due to the event or her own change in attitude, making the castle feel less like a goal and more like a living, real place. Whatever the reason, it helped her relax, the Changeling forgetting her stress and worries as she entered the hall with Fluttershy at her side, trying not to panic as they both walked towards the smiling Alicorns in front of them.
“Fluttershy! Oh I’m so happy you could make it!” Twilight exclaimed, hugging her friend close before continuing rambling. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t hang out with you or the girls more, but I had to help Celestia organise all of this! With all she had to do, I couldn’t just leave her to do it herself!”
“I-I wouldn’t miss coming for the world Twilight, and you don’t need to worry at all. It was really kind of you to help the princess.” Fluttershy warmly replied, Chrysalis shuffled awkwardly, looking nervously at Celestia’s knowing glance and quick wink.
“And who’s your friend here Fluttershy? I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.” Celestia asked innocently, Chrysalis noticing the smirk that flitted across her face for a fraction of a second.
“O-oh! How totally rude of me… I have to refill my chakra levels more often. My name is Tree Hugger. It’s filling me with so many good vibes to actually meet such legendary ponies.”
Thanks to some practice and help from Fluttershy and Derpy all afternoon, the Changeling was much more into the role than before, ensuring she wouldn’t slip up or make any other foolish mistakes. That made it all the harder not to look too annoyed at the princess of the sun’s wide grin, Twilight at least not looking like she was trying not to burst into laughter at a moment’s notice.
“Nice to meet you Tree Hugger! Sorry, normally I would love to get to know you better, but me and the princess have a bunch of guests to welcome tonight! I’ll try and catch up with you and the girls later! Great meeting you!” It was a surreal experience for the princess of friendship to be talking to her so normally after all that happened, not that she was aware of their shared history, Chrysalis' eyes briefly focusing on the princess’s new wings.
Yeah, she would never get used to that Bugbear in the room.
“It would be like… perfect to hang with you princess! It is such a radical honour to be here! Thanks for doing such a cool and awesome job on this! Fluttershy and I will totally love spending some time together!” She hoped her smile wasn’t too fake, feeling ever so slightly nervous being near the most powerful pony in the kingdom, who almost certainly knew her true identity, said pony waving goodbye as they both headed towards the main hall.
“She knows. She totally knows. I told you I was right! Oh Tartarus below, what if she kidnaps me!? Launches an attack on my subjects!? Oh this is awful!” Whispered the Changing, hiding her unease as best she could while the pegasus looked at her comfortingly.
“Calm down, it’s alright. lf she didn’t say anything, then she must not mind right? I’m pretty sure we’d have noticed if she didn’t approve.” Oh right, she’d have probably noticed being burnt alive on the spot, Chrysalis blushing a little at Fluttershy’s words as they grew closer to the hall.
“Where would I be without you?” She asked with a smile, nodding to one of the guards that they passed, the disguised Changeling almost blowing his cover by waving cheerfully, something she stopped with a harsh glare. He froze instantly, Chrysalis at least pleased that her scouts had managed to get into the castle successfully, only hoping they weren’t needed as she turned back to her marefriend.
“I don’t know. Knocked out on the floor from my lamp still I suppose.” She giggled, even the Changeling laughing a little as they walked past some other couples and ponies heading to the hall, Fluttershy whispering into her ear before they entered the dining area.
“Ok, remember. Act like Tree Hugger all the time in here. There’s probably going to be at least one pony with their eyes on you every minute. And I’d… well… rather not take any chances…”
“Oh please. I’m a professional at this. None of them will suspect a thing. Shall we have some fun then?” Asked Chrysalis, Fluttershy nodding while blushing at the confidence on display as they walked into the hall.
“Radical to hear, Fluttershy. I’m sure tonight’s going to be rocking!” She slipped back into her role, walking into the open dining room that was packed with ponies. Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies were there in equal measure, happily minging with each other in effortless friendship.
For her, it was still strange to watch. The cooperative system she had once found illogical was now the future goal of her race, something so many of her people had struggled with coming so naturally to these ponies. It was inspiring to her; she only hoped it was possible for them to see the effort her race had made when the time came.
She was still unused to romance, hardly one to share love, but despite that nature, they managed to make it work, together. Now she couldn’t even imagine life without the beacon of kindness that had taken her in and showed her this path of friendship. Those thoughts were a little bit too introspective for what was supposed to be a relaxing night out though, Chrysalis putting them to rest as she focused entirely on the beautiful pegasus in front of her.
“Everything ok, Tree Hugger?” Fluttershy asked in concern.
“Oh I’m like totally blissful right now Fluttershy! My vibes are totally perfect. This night is going to be like the most radical ever! Aside from what we got up to back when we went to my place.”
Fluttershy blushed, Chrysalis smiling playfully at her marefriend’s reaction, the pegasus soon noticing something else that caught her attention that made her grin.
“Oh! I can see Pinkie Pie! She looks like she’s having fun! Let’s go talk to her!” Fluttershy suggested happily, the Changeling’s smile growing a little strained at the suggestion.
“Just so you know, that is something that I can’t stop from giving me bad vibes, even though she’s your friend. But I know that it’s probably because I’m not used to that much… energy in a single pony. But in the long run, I’m sure this will bathe me in positive vibes.”
With that, they walked towards the pink pony, her eyes widening as she suddenly dashed towards them, a wide grin on her face as her guest slowly followed behind.
“Fluttershy! You made it! Oh, I was so worried you would get cold hooves and call off going since you were all stressed and panicky about coming here since the last gala was a bit of a mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh on the party scale. I know I was! But I was like no Fluttershy has to come, everypony is here! Not only all our friends but also Lyra, Bon Bon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, some guards that are like way more friendly than the rest which is super duper cool, Princess Celestia and MY BEST SISTER EVER!”
“Hello.” Added Maud, her expression neutral as Chrysalis attempted to sift through the word dump, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second before she reminded herself that she was safe. Pinkie was Fluttershy’s friend. Despite how radically different they were, she was undoubtedly a good friend if they were as close as were. Based on what she had been told of course.
“Haha… I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself Pinkie! Don’t worry, I’m sure the gala is going to go better this year. We should know what to expect now. Anyways… this is my good friend Tree Hugger! We met when I was away on the trip to the Breezies; we had to look after this really stubborn, grumpy animal together when she was injured.”
Chrysalis glared at her marefriend for a moment, about to interject before Pinkie cried out happily.
“Oh my gosh, I knew I didn’t recognise you! And I was so curious, but didn’t want to say anything since that would be super duper rude and besides I needed to say “Fluttershy! You made it!” And all that stuff! So, so, so! You’re Tree Hugger? Nice to meet ya! I’m Pinkie Pie, which you probably knew already since Fluttershy hadddddddddddddd to have mentioned me by now. But you haven’t seen me before! Since I haven’t seen you! And I know everyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyypony in Ponyville! How did you both meet!? Was there drama? Action? SHENANIGANS!?”
“Wow. Your aura is like… so… energetic? That’s like so inspiring. And you have the vocal range of a squirrel.” Chrysalis replied, still struggling to handle the sheer amount of words being spewed out at once.
“A squirrel?” Asked Pinkie Pie in surprise. “Do they talk a lot? I’ve never heard a squirrel talk before! Should I ask them more things? Oh do I not talk enough to the-”
“Pinkie. It’s a joke. Since your voice is high pitched.” Maud calmly added, Pinkie “ohhhhhhhing” in understanding before smiling wide.
“Oh you’re funny Tree Hugger! Just like Maud! She’s the bestest at jokes!” The earth pony bounced happily, Chrysalis giving a small smile at her words as Fluttershy beamed with pride.
Pinkie then went off rambling to Fluttershy, a blessing for the Changeling, who wasn’t much in the mood to deal with somepony so unpredictable, her enthusiasm even putting Thorax to shame in his louder gushing sessions. Instead she was left with the grey pony, her blue eyes blinking slowly as she stared at her. Yes, this pony was much more her speed, talking to her was clearly the tactical edge she needed in this gala!
She really needed to stop thinking so militaristically.
“So like, hey there! Radical to meet you… Maud was it? My name is Tree Hugger. Or at least, that’s the name engraved into my chakra.”
“I know. You already said.” Came the emotionless reply.
Chrysalis looked around nervously, admittedly hoping she was going to get a reply with more to work with. For a moment, the only sound was the chatter from all around them, the Changeling starting to sweat a little from the intense stare from the other pony.
She tilted her head.
The Changeling sweated more.
Maud slowly blinked.
She panicked.
“RADICAL!!” She suddenly shouted, hoping that would somehow pose a good replacement for actual conversation. Pinkie, Maud, and Fluttershy all turned to look at her, the grey pony breaking the silence first.
“Thank you. I like rocks.” She plainly exclaimed.
“How… interesting?” Fluttershy glared at her harder for the dry remark, trying to remind her to act more like the pony she was taking the form of.
“Oh Maud knows allllllllllllllllllllllll about rocks! We grew up on a rock farm, so she was always really into them! And she knows even more now! She can go on for hours about them! ISN’T SHE THE GREATEST!?”
“Yeah. Her aura is like… so calming. And… intense! I just had to give you blessings right away. Since you're such like… a groovy pony? Anyways, we need to like, go and spend some time together before totes meeting with your other radical friends. Blessings!” The Changeling exclaimed, hoping her slight alarm wasn’t immediately noticeable to anyone other than Fluttershy, the pegasus picking up on the cues and nodding in agreement.
“Oh yes. Me and Tree Hugger wanted to have some bites to eat together before meeting with some of the others. Sorry Pinkie, but we can catch up more later!” Fluttershy quickly spoke, only hoping her friend would buy the excuse.
She wasn’t really sure why she was so stressed. Was she really this on edge all the time? Just because her life had mostly devolved into manga shenanigans didn’t mean it always was! She really needed to calm down.
“Okie dokie lokie! That totally sounds like an actual reason and not something pulled right from your-”
They were already gone before she could finish, the statement that could have been easily harsh or sarcastic coming off as completely genuine from her lips. The pegasus and Changeling both breathed sighs of relief as they headed towards a table.
“See! That went well! I knew you could do it.” Fluttershy spoke comfortingly, her words only making Chrysalis look back in confusion.
“What are you talking about? I totally blew it. It wasn’t radical or righteous at all! If I was a rocking marefriend, I’d have been able to talk for the entire night with any of your friends!” The Changeling blushed in shame, feeling embarrassed just to admit that she had messed up, the fact she had to talk in such an unusual way only adding to the feelings.
“Oh dear, don’t focus on that! You did great! I know how hard this is for you. The problem is, you keep thinking you have to do this perfectly. But that’s silly! I’m proud of how far you’ve come. We can just keep trying through the night until you get better. Besides, Pinkie and Maud can be a little… intense.” The disguised Chrysalis smiled from her marefriend’s comforting words, blushing a little as they reached a table.
“You're right. I guess I’m just not used to playing games this long. Somehow this feels so much more important than campaigns… I don’t want to mess anything up. I suppose I just feel like I have to be perfect for the hive and y-you’re the most important part of that. And it’s hard to talk to Pinkie when her aura is like really overbearing.”
“You learn to roll with it. Hopefully, me and my friends can do the same with her sister…”
“Oh thank Tartarus it’s not just me. I’ve had conversations with corpses more enlightening!” Spoke the Changeling, before laughing nervously at Fluttershy’s glare she got in return.
“That was a joke.”
The pegasus giggled.
—
A good half an hour and some refreshing cider later, Chrysalis found herself finally calming down, even her dress starting to feel less restrictive on her body. With the pegasus in front of her, even the rising volume of the surrounding gala didn’t concern her.
It put her more at ease than anything had in years, the thoughts of talking to more of Fluttershy’s friends (and her own former enemies) starting to feel more and more of a possibility. She still did the occasional look over of the dining room though, just to be safe, spotting some of the other element bearers and their sisters, along with the occasional disguised Changeling, walking in and out of the room as they checked every part of the castle for trouble.
Although why Thorax was talking to Twilight’s dragon was beyond her.
“Anyways, that’s how, according to some radical records I uncovered, the ancient Changelings unknowingly ended up supporting wildlife from their takeover of the city of Trot, creating habitats for all sorts of unique and diverse creatures that would bloom from the ruins.” Chrysalis spoke confidently, lost in her lover’s eyes, secretly giddy that the facts she learnt from nervousness were interesting to her marefriend.
“How fascinating! I had no idea something like that could have impacted wildlife like that! I guess cute little critters can come from almost anything. Especially the cuddly ones!”
“W-well… I always had a little fondness for animals… the good vibes and love everypony has towards them proved to be quite… n-never mind. You don’t want to hear about that…” She looked down, her eyes widening as the pegasus gently placed her hoof on her own.
“I don’t mind at all. It might be… eh… ironic to say in this situation, but you don’t need to hold anything back from me. I know exactly who you are now Tree Hugger. You haven’t even drained anypony since you met me. So don’t be so worried.” She spoke comfortingly, her words making Chrysalis blush.
“Sometimes I wonder what I did right to get a pony as kind as you into my hive.” Now it was Fluttershy who was blushing, her wings stiffening as she took a sip of her cider.
“O-oh… well… h-how about you tell me about t-the environments you’ve been to lately! I’m sure you’ve been to plenty of interesting ecosystems…” The compliments made her as flustered as usual, a sight that never got any less adorable to the Changeling.
“Oh they were as magical as your infinite aura of kindness Fluttershy! The wide open forests! The towering radical mountains! The way the entire world just shines with wonder! Like it was giving blessings to us all. I once journeyed to this amazing rainforest near home, and this waterfall just shimmered with life! Generating the most mystical of auras. So, like-”
The sight of someone made her pause for a second, Chrysalis' eyes narrowing as Discord, dressed in a suit, came into view towards them. She hoped it was a stress induced hallucination, but unfortunately the sight seemed very real indeed, the draconequus slowly walking across the room and bumping into her marefriend in what was clearly on purpose.
“Oh, Fluttershy! So sorry, I didn't see you there.”
The old Chrysalis from earlier in the day would have surely been freaking out by now, but several hours of mental preparation along with her greater experience in acting made all the difference. She simply took a sip of her drink, smug in the fact that Fluttershy seemed to be so focused on her she hadn’t even noticed Discord, prompting her to finish the sentence.
“Magic manifestation! It just shows that if you keep your eyes open, you can see all sorts of radical blessings all over!”
“Wow, Tree Hugger. How did you notice the environment that clearly? Oh you and your family are just amazing with your senses!”
Loud coughing echoed from behind the pegasus, Discord clearing his throat to try and get her attention, the irritable noise very obvious as the Changeling’s eye twitched in mild annoyance.
Perhaps Discord was like some animals; if you ignored him for long enough, then he would go away and leave her in peace with her marefriend already.
Unfortunately, the spirit of Chaos had instead started to hack on what looked to be nothing, outright demanding attention. Chrysalis wondered if perhaps if the entirety of Equestria ignored Discord at once, he would just blink out of existence, the thought keeping her calm under the rising anger, the sound finally getting Fluttershy’s attention as she turned to face the annoyed draconequus.
“Discord! I thought you weren’t coming!” Being the kind saint she was, the pegasus wasn’t even annoyed to see him, smiling wide as she greeted him.
“No, I actually never said that. But funny how you remembered it that way. Anyway.” He spoke dismissively, before leaning closer to the Changeling with a wide sinister grin on his face. “Good to see you. Tree Friend, is it? Bush Hugger? Weed Stomper? How strange. Your name is slipping my mind!”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Oh, two could play at this game.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Tree Hugger. Blessings.” She said normally, holding out her hoof and taking great joy in just how much Discord’s face showed his surprise and frustration all at once.
“You have met me before, actually!” The draconequus snapped, his annoyance even more obvious as he snorted in anger.
It was at this point that a normal pony would have stopped trying to antagonise a being that once ruled Equestria.
Of course, Chrysalis was anything but a normal pony.
“Cool! Like, in another life, maybe?” She faked curiosity, raising a hoof to her face as Discord didn’t even try and hide how offended he looked.
Fluttershy was frantically doing a hoof zipping motion over her mouth in a hopeless attempt to stop her comments. She would have considered it, but she had to get her payback somehow, the sudden appearance of the spirit more than worth it now.
“You've gotta be kidding. You don't remember me? We saw each other earlier today! In Ponyville! What, is there another being of chaos that I’m not aware of!?” Several flashing neon arrows appeared around him to emphasise the point, even taking off his hat to point at the mismatched horns on his head.
Realising her earlier attempt didn’t work, Fluttershy changed plans, her eyes wide as Chrysalis shut her open mouth, unable to say no to her marefriend’s pleas to lay off the teasing, although she very much wanted to continue.
“I’m sorry. But I’ve met a lot of different creatures, each one of them beautiful and unique.” She giggled, her marefriend’s nod confirming it passed her test of approval.
“Yes, well, as I was saying.” Discord said dismissively before leaning towards Fluttershy and wrapping his arm around her. “It's just great to be here at the Grand Galloping Gala! Especially with my oldest, bestest friend.”
Chrysalis would have been listening, or making some mental remark, but her eyes were narrowed, unable to help the possessive Changeling instincts going into overdrive from somepony other than her touching her marefriend. She almost changed back into her normal form and leapt onto him, Chrysalis considering it a testament to her self control and the pegasus anger management lessons that she did nothing, only glaring at Discord furiously enough to give any nearby Changelings unfortunate flashbacks.
“Am I really your oldest, bestest friend?” Asked Fluttershy in wide eyed surprise, completely missing the fuming queen in front of her.
“You?” He repeated, before laughing, Chrysalis's expression now causing one of the Changeling spies to back out of the room while deciding to guard somewhere else, Discord flying around the table as Fluttershy looked on in confusion. “Of course not! You think I don't have other friends? I'm centuries old! I have a bunch of friends!”
“Woah really? But I thought you spent all those radical centuries filled with bad vibes or taking a cosmic time out as a statue. Oh! Are you going to like, introduce us to the castle’s water fountain or something?” Despite her expert acting skills, the Changeling found it impossible to hide her own annoyance, Fluttershy trying her best not to hyperventilate at the idea of even well disguised venom being directed towards Discord. The draconequus simply narrowed his eyes, deciding to ignore the comment as he continued.
“Anyways, as I was trying to say before plant muncher interrupted me, I was talking about the Smooze!” He gestured behind Fluttershy, the pegasus turning around to see a large green blob a short distance away, a top hat and bow tie haphazardly placed on it in an attempt to make it look presentable. While she looked on in surprise and interest, the Changeling’s blood went cold, her eyes widening as the state of mild panic started to return to her.
“Smooze Face, John, Karen, the Smoozinator, well that’s what we all called him back in college. Ask him about the noodle incident, that was a real hoot!” Discord went on, oblivious to the Changeling’s inner turmoil as he grabbed hold of the blob before teleporting above the table and dropping it on top.
“SMOOZE!” He shouted, as if it explained the series of nonsense that had just left his lips, an awkward silence following as Fluttershy gave a confused smile. Chrysalis meanwhile was wondering if she could get away with grabbing her marefriend and leaping out the nearest window. Realising the awkwardness, Discord cleared his throat.
“I would like you to meet my dear friend Fluttershy. And her friend… um, hmm… what was it again? Oh what is with me today!?”
“I can't believe I've never heard you mention the Smooze before! It sounds like you two are really close! It’s so good meeting another friend of yours!” Fluttershy giggled, before looking at Chrysalis in concern, noticing the slight shift in her expression.
“Hey… totally random question about this… radical creature. But is this like the same Smooze that some ancient mysterious cultures said brought the end of days for a while? Before a rainbow gave it like, too many blessings to handle? The creature that these groovy geniuses said was almost unstoppable?”
Chrysalis tried not to sweat at the silence that followed, stepping back before the blob could grab hold of her necklace.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened a little.
The Smooze bubbled.
Discord rolled his eyes.
“Oh please! It was the 80s! I mean, everypony was being dramatic back then! You should have seen Celestia! Don’t worry so much though, he’s totally under control now.”
“Eh… Discord? Why is he sliding towards those guests over there?” Fluttershy asked in concern, a frightened scream ringing out shortly afterwards.
“Oh! Looks like somepony wants to mingle! Wait up Smoozie! Don’t have all the fun without me!”
The couple were left in stunned silence, unsure just what to say as they watched Discord try to stop the blob from assaulting somepony covered in jewels. After a few seconds, Fluttershy finally broke the silence, whispering to her marefriend in shock.
“S-so… was all that you… eh… said about the Smooze true?”
“Mmm hmm.” The shocked Changeling answered.
“S-so Discord’s brought a blob he’s friends with to the gala. That just so happens to be able to end the world if it wanted to?” Fluttershy asked in increasing concern.
“Maybe not quite that bad. But yes. The Changelings have heard of the Smooze’s terror many times over the centuries. One culture even wrote a song about it. Quite catchy too.” Chrysalis answered, her instincts on high alert as she recalled everything she had learned about the creature.
“Chances of this gala going as planned?”
“With Discord and the Smooze here? I’d say 1%. But I fear even that is optimistic.”
“Oh dear.”
Those two words summed up the situation better than Chrysalis ever could.
—
What followed was a slowly increasing mess, Chrysalis wondering if this it what it felt like to
watch an ever dawning disaster in slow motion, knowing it was about to peak at any moment. Admittedly it wasn’t too bad at first, Discord had interrupted them a few times, the Smooze absorbing a few shiny gems around the gardens and attracting the ire of both Twilight and Rarity.
She hoped that would be the end of it, but of course, the night was just getting started, Fluttershy calling her the funniest pony she knew a brief moment of joy amidst the chaos.
But then Discord started doing stand up.
Chrysalis spent those first few minutes reevaluating how her life had gotten to this point.
It wasn’t even good stand up! Was it really too much to expect the spirit of chaos to be good at that? Had her past sins been so great the universe was determined to ruin this one night with her marefriend? Celestia was the only pony in the room that laughed, some jokes even reducing her to uncontrollable giggling that only annoyed the Changeling more.
It didn’t make sense! The jokes were awful! How could anypony like them!? Chrysalis's eyes widened at another realisation, the giggling sounding like the exact kind Fluttershy made sometimes, Changeling ears sensitive to the emotion that lay beneath.
If the night couldn’t get more insane, she now had evidence that Celestia only invited Discord in the first place since she had a thing for him. Truly this was the peak of madness.
Not that she had time to dwell on the revelation before things got worse.
Worse being the Smooze suddenly bursting from a door and engulfing almost the entire room, trapping most of the guests in the sticky substance.
It was Chrysalis’s quick thinking that saved her, the Changeling having leapt on top of one of the tables like a frightened cat from the first sign of danger, floating on the ocean of ooze. Frantically, she looked around for Fluttershy, breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted her mostly unharmed, stuck to a wall upside down.
It took some careful movements, but Chrysalis managed to float her makeshift raft right next to the wall, Fluttershy’s eyes widening happily at the sight of her.
“Oh thank Celestia you’re alright! I forget your reactions are so good sometimes… sorry the date ended up like this though…”
“It’s not your fault Fluttershy. Discord’s just clearly filled with a lot of bad vibes tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if his chakra is like all black at this rate…” The Changeling muttered in annoyance, surveying the room in case any other pony had avoided the Smooze tidal wave.
“Don’t be too annoyed with him Tree Hugger… it’s a little unfair to expect him to learn about friendship so fast after all… you know that you’re not fully there either…” Fluttershy said warmly, smiling at her marefriend, who stared back in annoyance.
“I can tell. Since I am thinking very unradical and unfriendly thoughts at the moment… I just wish this didn’t have to happen on our date!” Hissed the Changeling, briefly wondering if it would be considered out of character if she decked Discord in the face.
“I know dear. Just try and calm down. I’m sure things can’t get any-”
BING
Chrysalis blinked, looking down at the sudden light, finding herself suddenly covered with bright, shining necklaces and bracelets.
For a moment nopony moved.
Chrysalis glared at Discord.
Discord whistled innocently.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in terror.
“Well… ponyfeathers.” Said the Changeling in dawning horror, watching in shock as the waves of Smooze suddenly began to advance towards her.
She cried out in alarm, leaping onto another floating chair as her former platform was engulfed by the green ooze, almost losing her balance before saving it just in time. She only had precious seconds before the Smooze noticed she had moved, not enough time to throw off the jewels, and even if she did they would just land in the creature itself.
Normally that wouldn’t be an issue, but one of the legends of the creature said how it only grew more powerful with each jewel it absorbed, something that would line up with its earlier interest in her necklace. She barely managed to escape her second platform’s demolition, awkwardly standing on top of an upside down punch bowl, sweating slightly as Discord and Fluttershy’s angry shouting echoed through the hall.
“I don't understand why you're doing this! We were all getting along so well! Then your friend flooded the gala!”
“As well as we could, considering you've already stomped all over our friendship by inviting her to the biggest night of the year as if I didn't matter at all! And just for the record, I have no control over what the Smooze does. I’m not his parent!”
“Did you really think I'd abandon you just because I have another friend?! Tree Hugger is really important to me! And you are too! Just in different ways!”
Slowly the waves of Smooze advanced around her, Chrysalis finding that mild panic was not an effective way to think straight, something suddenly occurring to her as she smiled. The Smooze did not know it, but it was trapped, trapped in a room of elite Changeling guards! Hoof picked by herself to provide the best defence for an event such as this! Any moment now, they would put their plan into action.
She smiled sinisterly.
She waited.
She waited some more.
Curiously, she looked around the room again, wondering if she could spot the first signs of an ambush.
None of her guards were here. Not even among the ponies stuck to the floor.
Her eye twitched.
“WHERE IN TARTARUS DID THEY GO!?”
—
In the very much not Smooze flooded gardens, the disguised Pharynx narrowed his eyes in focus. As head of the Changeling patrols, it was only natural that he would be assigned to a mission as important as this, something he was eager to capitalise on, even the threat of something going wrong enough to get him interested.
The changing life at the hive wasn’t bad per say, just a lot more lacking in action than he was used to, although it being the will of the queen meant he would never outright oppose it. Truly he was the best bet the queen had for protection anyways; the other Changelings were treating this as more of a vacation, going around enjoying themselves instead of actually looking out for threats.
He was different, he was a Changeling of action. One of the most loyal to their cause. One that was always alert towards any threat. Because of that, he was confident to take a few minutes watching his brother, certain that Thorax would say the wrong thing at the exact wrong moment.
Surprisingly, he seemed to be doing well, talking to, of all things, a small dragon, even looking like they were both enjoying themselves. It had been a while since Thorax had looked this happy, the changes in the hive had appealed greatly to him, his position in their queen’s new council proof that even she could see how effective his views could be for the future of the Changelings.
It was rare for him, but for now he would focus on Thorax for a bit, make sure his brother got along with his new friend, in case he caused an incident obviously. Besides, Chrysalis could survive for a bit without his surveillance.
With those thoughts, he returned to watching them both, oblivious to the sight of Smooze washing around and his ruler desperately trying to avoid it through the window behind him.
—
Without her guards, Chrysalis was forced to be evasive, barely managing to leap onto more and more of the floating tableware, something that was growing increasingly difficult with how aggressive the Smooze was getting.
“Oh this is totally unradical! Am I like the only pony that’s avoided this thing?” She lamented, only spotting Pinkie Pie out of the ponies present who looked to be using her sister as a platform. The sad part was, the night had gone so downhill that that tidbit didn’t even make the top five of strangeness. Oh and Fluttershy was shouting at the lord of chaos, that was also a thing that was happening.
“Discord! I invited a friend to a party! A party that I knew she wouldn’t have been invited to! While you almost certainly were going to be! I didn’t abandon you! What if you had a friend you could talk about chaos magic with? Or a close friend you wanted to go to a party with!? Does that mean we’re not friends anymore!?”
The Smooze was only getting more aggressive, the Changeling’s panic growing as she realised there was nowhere left to jump too. There was only one thing left to do, Chrysalis leaping onto a curtain and holding on tight, suspended above the pit of hungry ooze.
“W-well… I-I mean… no, I suppose not. It would just mean that I'd have different friends for different- oh. Oh dear.” Stuttered Discord, realisation dawning as his eyes widened in worry, a nervous laugh slipping out. “Looks like I might have… overreacted just a little.”
“YOU THINK!?” Shouted Chrysalis, mild alarm transitioning into full on panic as the fabric of the curtain started to rip, the Changeling noticing for the first time that the two emotions weren’t really that different from each other.
“Oh my. Oh dear. I guess I should probably do something about the-”
“YES!” The Changeling and pegasus screamed in unison, Discord hurriedly reaching down into the ooze and pulling out every jewel and gold that had been absorbed, the ocean shrinking back into the blob that had arrived with the draconequus. The gravity defying ball vanished with a BLING, the spirit of chaos snapping his fingers as the curtain finally ripped, Chrysalis landing onto a soft cushion that appeared just in time as the extra jewellery covering her vanished.
The disguised Changeling groaned into the pillow, Fluttershy smiling before flying towards Discord with a slightly peeved expression, crossing her hooves in disapproval.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy.” The draconequus muttered sheepishly. “I'm just so new at this whole friendship thing! It's so much more complicated than it looks. And I got so worried about all this that I may have fallen into some habits that are better off staying in the past…”
“I’m glad you see that Discord.” The pegasus’s expression softened, the kind warmth returning to her. “But do you think that you maybe owe somepony else an apology? That isn’t me?”
“Oh quite right!” Discord said, teleporting next to the dazed Smooze as the other ponies slowly got back to their hooves. “I owe you an apology too, Smooze. I spent the entire evening so focused on myself that I-” He paused, instantly noticing Fluttershy’s piercing glare as he chuckled nervously.
“You were talking about Tree Hugger weren’t you.”
“I meant Tree Hugger, yes.”
“Ah. Well, sorry again Smooze. But I have somepony else to apologise to.” He teleported again, appearing in front of the Changeling while she was gently stepping off the cushion.
“Er, Tree Hugger, I'm sorry that you got caught in the middle of my... you know... wrath. I’m usually better at this… can we start over?” Chrysalis blinked, part of her in shock that Fluttershy had managed to turn this around so fast, quickly recovering as she smiled.
“Oh it’s all groovy. But I need, like, some minutes to clear out my chakras before I can hug, or talk to you from a place of authenticity.”
“Oh you and your chakras. Fair enough. Anyways, how about we get this party really started!” Shouted the draconequus, warping away with a start as the gala hesitantly resumed. The Changeling was left standing in place, blinking as the pegasus flew down next to her.
“See? I told you he was a sweetheart once you got to know him.” Fluttershy beamed, Chrysalis nodding slowly, glaring daggers at the suddenly very terrified looking guards that had just entered from the gardens.
“I’m just glad that all ended well. Even if I almost had twenty heart attacks trying to avoid all that Smooze…” Whispered Chrysalis, Fluttershy fluttering her eyelashes back at her.
“Well, you were very brave. You looked so dashing out there! Like the kind of hero Rarity dreams of.” The pegasus giggled at how red her words made the Changeling, wrapping a wing around her as they headed towards the other guests to mingle.
“I-I wasn’t scared though!”
“Sure, you weren’t dear.”
“I was only mildly panicking!”
“I’m sure you were.”
—
After that little drama, the gala felt like it flew by, hours that Chrysalis would never forget for the rest of her days. Fluttershy introduced her to her friends, ponies that she could finally learn to know beyond the stories from her marefriend and memories of the wedding.
She seemed to get along with them too! Nopony seemed to notice how she slowly removed her walls over the night, acting more and more like herself, a personality that other ponies actually liked! Even Discord was more than pleasant once she got to know him, the two of them teasing Fluttershy throughout the night with their shared knowledge of her.
But it was the quiet moments she would treasure, the slow dances with her marefriend, the strolls through the moonlit gardens, all of it perfect, the kind of night she had dreamt of since she was small. Alas, it had to come to an end, the ponies slowly starting to leave throughout the night, until Chrysalis couldn’t put it off anymore.
“I had a wonderful night Fluttershy. Even with that rocky start. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else in Equestria.” Said the Changeling, a smile on her face as they stood at the entrance that divided the gardens and dining room.
“A-are you sure you need to go now? Pinkie’s going to make sure this party lasts a while you know! I-I wouldn’t want you to miss out…”
“I’m afraid so. I promised the others back home I would get there before sunrise. If I leave it too late they might even try to lead a search party! Plus, I need the time to remind someponies HOW TO DO THEIR JOBS RIGHT!” Chrysalis raised her voice near the end, the nearby guards stiffening as Fluttershy giggled.
“Don’t be too hard on them. It wasn’t their fault. Thank you for coming though. But… just wondering… has this changed your mind about revealing yourself to my friends?” The pegasus asked hopefully, the disguised Changeling staying silent for a moment before she finally answered.
“Maybe revealing it earlier than I planned wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world… so give me some time to think about it.” Fluttershy’s massive grin made her consideration more than worth it, Chrysalis blushing as they nuzzled.
“Goodbye, Chrysalis.” She whispered as quietly as a mouse.
“Goodbye. I’ll see you soon, Fluttershy. But please, try and stay out of trouble for a few days this time. Let me know how the rest of the gala went next time you write.” Chrysalis smiled at her marefriend’s giggling, before freezing as the pegasus leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek.
She turned bright red, her eyes wide as she almost attempted to walk away backwards, Fluttershy continuing to giggle as the guards lead away their love dazed ruler, only one thought going through her mind as she smiled.
It really had been the best night ever.
—
“Ah, Fluttershy! There you are! I was looking all over for you!”
The pegasus looked up, watching Discord slither down from the ceiling, his eyes darting from side to side like he was looking out for somepony.
“Oh Discord! Have you been enjoying yourself with Celestia? You seemed to be having such a good time when I left to check out the gardens!”
“Well it was lovely to start off. Lots of fun discussing things together, planning a few tricks for the next gala. The usual. But then Luna shows up, accuses me of “corrupting her sister” and almost turns me into stone again on the spot! I barely got away with my life!” Explained the draconequus while stroking his goatee in confusion. “I wonder what she was so annoyed about?”
Fluttershy chuckled to herself, much more relieved to be spending time with a close friend when he wasn’t about to exact his wrath on her marefriend, smiling as she watched the other ponies remaining in the gala enjoying themselves.
“I’m glad you’ve been having fun. Don’t worry though, I’m sure you’ll be able to spend more time with Celestia in the future. I was just saying goodbye to Tree Hugger. She wanted to head home before it got too late.” The pegasus said warmly, taking a long sip of her cider and smiling, memories of the night still going through her head.
It wasn’t perfect, but then again nothing really was. What mattered was they did it together, and Fluttershy wouldn’t wish for it to be any other way.
“Oh by the way Fluttershy, just thought I should ask. But you are aware Tree Hugger is a Changeling, aren't you?”
Fluttershy spat out her drink.
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Fantastic
11308263
Thank you!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
D'awwww, that was great, though I foresee some punishments in the guards' future. Oh nothing painful, but stuff like clearing out that tunnel that's been pushed back for decades or being thrown into the nymph pits while covered in concentrated love. :3
Well, I know I'll be certainly waiting for more fics from this verse.
11308363
Glad that you enjoyed! And Chrysalis can be a cruel mistress, but I'm sure it be nothing too bad.
Great to hear it!
Can't wait for more of this verse and new stories from you.
11308412
Thank you!!!
oh. I expected that there would be a possible "love triangle" with a big conflict between Chrysalis and Discord. And here it looks like "Dislestia". I have nothing against it, but for some reason I wanted more conflict between the characters.
P.S. The ending is really funny.
Weeeeeee
Thanks for the story :)
Amazing story. Hope to see more of this pair and maybe a celstia and dicord fic. Or derpy fic would be nice
11309735
Thank you for enjoying!
11310095
Thank you! And I definitely have plans for more of this pairing. You will need to wait and see for the other two though
I was wondering who was going to out her first. Very well done, makes me want to go back and rewatch the series.
11313374
Thank you for the kind words!
And now all we need is a final story to round out the rule of three. The trilogy completed with a story telling the reveal of Chrysalis to her friends.
11321126
Guess you have to wait and see when I get around to writing part 3
11321216
This is really cute! It's nice seeing some uncommon pairings.
11330066
Thank you!
I somehow missed there was more Flutter Bonk, cute and chaotic this was.
Look forward to whatever might come next.
Delightful this was so enjoyable on al many different levels! Truly another masterpiece of the most unique and strange ship I've ever seen and I eagerly look forward to more!~