Chapter 10: Sit, Stay, and Roll Over
There wasn’t a strong enough word that Applejack knew to describe the gloom weighing on her withers as she muddled through her work. More than once she caught herself looking back at the homestead’s second story window, trying to catch a glimpse of the wispy shimmer of Luna’s aetherial mane. When she’d walked past the room, she could tell Chrys was still upset, even if she wasn’t the sobbing mess Applejack had left her in. She just hoped everything would work out okay.
After Zecora headed back to the Everfree Forest, the farmer had gone back to the orchard to try to get her mind off of things. Unfortunately, the trees were also less than useful for her mood today. Her go-to of apple-bucking her worries away wasn’t doing its job. She couldn’t even blame it on being drained of love. In fact, she could probably argue the opposite knowing Chrys hadn’t taken much at all from her combing earlier. Anytime Applejack felt like she was getting back in the zone, she’d remembered what the zebra had said about dissociation. It made her hyper aware of becoming unaware of what she was doing and stopped her from getting into a good flow. She was caught in a trap between focus and distraction as she continued her work.
“Uhh, sis?” Apple Bloom asked warily.
Applejack turned to her younger sister, who was carrying a small stack of bushel barrels on her back and looking at her with concern. “Yeah, Apple Bloom?”
“We already did that row.”
Applejack blinked and looked to see she was third down the line of bare trees in her blind bucking. “Oh. Sorry about that.”
Scanning the treeline, she spotted the next set of apple trees and trotted over to them to restart her work. She lined up to find the sweet spot and launched her hooves back, sending another cascade of apples down.
“Hey!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“What is it now, AB?”
“I wasn’t done setting up!” the filly whined, shuffling the barrels balancing on her back.
“Well, set it up faster,” AJ complained.
“How am I supposed to do that when I didn’t even know which row ya were gonna start on?”
Applejack smacked herself on the forehead. “You’re right, Apple Bloom. Mighty sorry about that.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Apple Bloom looked around her sister’s foreleg to get a better look at Applejack’s face.
“I already said I was good for apple-bucking the last four times you asked."
“Yeah, ya said you were good for bucking trees, but now that I think about it, that ain’t the same thing as being alright, is it?”
“Guess that’s fair,” Applejack admitted with a huff as she moved onto the next tree. She kept her eyes behind her, waiting for her little sister to set up the next barrels to catch the goods. She waited, waited, and then waited a little more before turning her head back around. “Apple—”
The mare was cut off by coming face to face with her sister. Applejack backed up as Apple Bloom levied a stern glare at her.
“Aren’t you the one always saying I need to be more careful when working?” Bloom asked pointedly.
Applejack nodded.
“Well, what’d ya call bucking three empty trees in a row? Or bucking before I even grabbed the bushel barrels?”
The second one made AJ’s heart sink. Had her sister been behind her putting down barrels, she might’ve kicked her instead of the tree. “You’re absolutely right, sugarcube. Why don’t we take a break?”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom nudged the stack off her back and placed them under the next tree.
With a sigh, Applejack began picking the grounded apples up by hoof and putting them in barrels under the tree. Her little sister followed suit and began picking up the loose fruit as well.
“You can go on and take a breather, Bloom. I’m the fool that made this mess.”
“You’re the one that needs the break though,” she replied as she placed another couple of apples in the barrel.
Applejack couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Bloom. And I’m sorry I’ve been so short with you today.”
“It’s okay.”
Applejack shook her head. “No, it’s not okay. You don’t need me being ornery on top of being stubborn when ya ain’t done nothing but help me today.”
Apple Bloom bit her lip. “Is it something to do with Chrysalis?”
“It is, but it ain’t what you’re probably thinking. She’s having a tough go of it, and I went and made it worse.”
“Oh.” Apple Bloom looked up and pursed her lips as she tried to think through her next words carefully. “Did you feed her bad love?”
“No, I—” Applejack paused as she thought about it. “Well, ya ain’t exactly wrong with that one in spirit. Maybe tough love would work if you took a lil’ liberty with the meaning, but really it's just me not keeping my dumb mouth shut when I needed to. I hurt her.”
“You hurt her?” Apple Bloom asked in disbelief.
AJ bristled at her sister's shock. “I did. I hurt her feelings, and let me make one thing crystal clear: it wasn’t right of me to do so. Got it?”
“Y-yeah.” The filly rubbed her hoof on the ground. “Sorry, sis. I’m kinda still trying to get used to it is all.”
“I know. Given the history, it was a big ask to let her stay with us while she’s working on the farm. I’m glad you’re letting her.”
Apple Bloom blinked owlishly. “You are?”
“Of course I am.”
“You mean, if I’dda said no, she wouldn’t be staying with us?”
“That’s right. In fact, if anypony wasn’t okay with having Chrys on the farm, she wouldn’t be here.” Applejack trotted over to her sister and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You having second thoughts, Bloom?”
“Well… No? Kinda?” Apple Bloom sighed. “I dunno.”
“If you don’t want her here, it’s fine. This is your home, and you should feel safe.” Applejack turned Apple Bloom’s face to her and looked into her eyes. “Now, lemme ask you again. Are you okay with her being here or not? Tell the truth. I won’t be mad.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes darted away for a second but came back to meet her older sister’s honest gaze. “Is it okay if I’m not, but I don’t want her to leave neither?”
Applejack tilted her head. “What?”
“I was waiting for you to, uhh… finish ‘giving her some lunch,’” Apple Bloom said slowly trying to hide her disgust with the notion. “And I kinda heard her crying.”
Applejack sucked in a breath through her teeth as she nearly started chewing her lip until she remembered seeing Chrys’ bleeding. “Yeah. That was my fault."
“I didn’t think she could cry like that.” Apple Bloom looked away as she grabbed at her leg. “She sounded so sad.”
“I know.”
“What did you say to her?”
“Something that in hindsight was incredibly insensitive.”
“Is—is she gonna be okay?”
“I…” Applejack wanted to assure her, but she wasn't sure herself. The weight of it all forced down to her haunches. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“Can I do something to help?” Apple Bloom offered as she put her hoof on her sister’s to support her.
The innocent question caught Applejack by surprise. “You wanna help Chrysalis?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Not really, but I know she needs it. Kinda like Diamond Tiara did. That’s why I don’t wanna send her away. Chrysalis is scary, but she’s also gotta be plenty scared, right? I mean, she’s only got you to… eat.”
Applejack coughed at the phrasing. “Well, you’re right about that. So far I’m her sole source of love.”
“And my special talent is helping others as best I can along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle…”
“But that don’t mean ya gotta force yourself to do something you’re not keen on doing,” Applejack assured her little sister. “It’s not like I’ll just give an apple to anyone that happens along the farm.”
“But you wanna help her, right?”
“That I do.”
“Then so do I. We’re Apples, and we Apples gotta stick together.”
Applejack beamed with pride as she pulled her beloved sister into a tight hug and smooched her on the back of her mane. “When did you get to be such a mature filly on me?”
“I had a good role model.”
Applejack held her sister tighter. “You can be sweeter than honey sometimes, lil’ sis.”
“Yeah. Miss Cheerilee’s a great teacher,” Apple Bloom added.
Applejack chuckled and shifted her grip into pulling her sister around the neck and started to noogie her snarky sister’s mane. Bloom began squealing and laughing as she struggled to break free of her big sister’s grip.
“Cut it out, AJ!” the filly complained.
“Shoulda thought about that before ya chucked the mood straight into the river.”
The sisters playfulled wrassled in the grass, giggling and laughing as the stress of the day was swept away by their foalish fun. Despite it being a break, Applejack was working up a bigger sweat trying to catch her slippery sister. She’d almost get her when Apple Bloom would counterattack with a strategic tickling to break free.
After a good ten minutes of horsing around, Applejack fell on her back to catch her breath. Apple Bloom joined her side as they both looked up at the clouds. Seeing the apple barrel next to her, she reached inside and grabbed a couple fruits and passed one to her sister as they chowed down while enjoying the lovely weather. However, the sun quickly slipped away, replaced by an expanse of nebulous night. Tilting her head back to see the source of the sudden time shift looking back at her.
“I believe you are eating into your profits, dear Applejack,” Luna commented with a smirk.
“Eeyup. Want one, Luna?”
Smiling from the utter lack of decorum, the princess reached into the barrel with her hoof and picked an apple for herself. “Would you like one, Chrysalis?”
“Chrys?” Applejack asked as she rolled onto her belly and looked to see Chrysalis standing a little ways off. She quickly scrambled to her hooves to give the mare a proper apology. “Chrysalis! I’m so—”
“Don’t bother,” the changeling stated firmly as she stepped forward. “I heard you the first time.”
“Right.”
Luna frowned slightly, but Chrysalis said nothing.
Apple Bloom quickly righted herself from the grass and looked up at the towering mare. Sensing the added attention, the former queen shifted her eyes down to the little filly. When the two gazes met, Apple Bloom stepped back slightly, almost retreating behind her big sister again until she noticed the changeling's knitted brow was accompanied by her ears drooping. Swallowing her nerves, Bloom made the first move.
“A-are you feeling better, Chrysalis?” she asked in fearful concern.
The genuinity of the question caught the changeling off guard. Her ears popped to attention as she turned her head down to face the filly. Apple Bloom flinched from the sudden shift in the larger mare as the filly forced a nervous smile.
“Yes, little one.”
“Oh. Good.” The filly shrank back at a loss for words. She cleared her throat. “Umm… my name’s Apple Bloom.”
“It is,” Chrysalis agreed.
“If you knew that, then why did you call me…” Apple Bloom trailed off seeing the rapt attention the changeling was giving her. Another awkward silence settled on the two. The filly scratched the back of her head. “Well, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Chrysalis nodded. “Relatively speaking.”
Apple Bloom nodded back and turned to her big sister, silently pleading for AJ to save her from the conversation with the changeling.
“I might be able to help you feel a bit better if ya need a bit of love, Chrys,” Applejack offered.
“That would be wonderful,” Luna agreed before Chrysalis could say anything. The changeling shot a withering side-eye towards the princess. “Please Chrysalis. You must be willing to take care of yourself and accept those that are offering to help you do that.”
Chrysalis sucked in a patient breath and nodded as she sat down with her eyes closed.
“Great! I bet you’re plenty hungry, girl.” Applejack took off her hat and reached in to grab the little comb she stashed away.
“That will not be necessary. Please give Chrysalis a hug, Applejack.”
Applejack furrowed her brow and looked at the changeling who was sitting rigid. “She don’t look like she’s too keen on getting one.”
“No, she does not.” Luna walked to the other side of the changeling and hummed in thought.
Chrysalis’ opened one eye and growled. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“Applejack only wishes to share her love with you, Chrysalis.”
“Yeah, I got that,” the changeling scoffed. “Not sure why—”
“Because she cares about your wellbeing. Applejack is your friend, not your prey.”
Chrysalis sneered at the princess who calmly looked upon the changeling. Applejack felt like she was missing something as Chrysalis’ narrowed glare widened into an aggravated stare before finally falling away with a sullen frown.
“I… would like a hug,” Chrysalis grumbled under her breath.
Applejack regarded the indignant changeling and shook her head. “I ain’t gonna give ya one if the princess there is forcing you to. I got my comb right here if you’re more comfortable with that.”
“But it’s slow,” Chrysalis replied with a quick, furtive glance at Luna. The princess nodded in support while keeping her same, soft gaze. Chrysalis’ irritation faded as she cleared her throat and turned back to Applejack. “And you can’t buck apples and do my mane at the same time. It’s not fair to you to keep you behind on your work. And, I need to…” Chrysalis looked again at Luna who was still maintaining her same quiet look. The former queen took one more patient breath. “And I need to…”
“That is enough for now, Chrysalis.”
“Shut up! I can do it!” she snapped back. Taking another calming breath through her nose, Chrysalis looked straight at Applejack. “And I need to be more…”
Applejack waited patiently for Chrysalis to finish whatever she was saying, but as time went on, the mare seemed to shut down as she looked at her hooves. Applejack ducked down, trying to catch the larger mare’s gaze, but the changeling closed her eyes.
Luna smiled knowingly and tapped her hoof on the changeling’s shoulder, snapping Chrysalis out of her funk. “That was good. Thank you, Chrysalis.”
“Don’t patronize me!” Chrysalis barked angrily.
“I promised you before that I would never look down on you for trying in good faith. It is important to acknowledge genuine mindfulness. As I said before, there is always room for improvement, but that is no reason to chastise yourself. Perhaps you should work on the wording if it is too difficult to convey.”
“It’s not—” Chrysalis bit back her hasty words and gritted her teeth. “I already told you that it was fine.”
“Begging your pardon, but between the two of y’all, I’m a bit lost,” Applejack asked to her little sister’s nodding agreement.
“That is most understandable, Applejack. But regarding this matter in particular, it is not my place to say,” Luna insisted. “Only Chrysalis may speak of it if she desires.”
Chrysalis crossed her legs and sneered. “Why not tell her? It’d be easier that way.”
“Your dreams, therapeutic or otherwise, are bound to confidentiality. I am not in the practice of removing one’s agency when it comes to sharing such experiences.”
“Really now? You sure are bossy when it comes to me consuming the love of your subjects, your highness.”
“When it comes to such matters, I will not hesitate nor apologize when making sure you take care of yourself.”
“Even at the expense of your precious little ponies?” she prodded with a predatory grin.
“I will not be antagonized, Chrysalis,” Luna said, drawing a line at the changeling’s word games. “Please do not needlessly hurt yourself.”
This was getting nowhere in a hurry with the stubborn drama queen. There had to be something that could make Chrys more comfortable with eating. Otherwise, she’d have to get real good at brushing manes in a jiffy. Applejack looked around, trying to see if there was anything, but there wasn’t much outside of bushel barrels and apple trees.
But maybe that'd be a way to start things proper for the predator.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Hey, Chrys?”
“What?”
“Wanna put that apple-bucking lesson from the other day into practice?” the farmer asked while looking at the next tree on her current row.
“We never finished,” Chrysalis muttered flatly.
“Then let’s fix that real quick,” AJ suggested as she approached her targeted tree. “Mind helping me set up, Apple Bloom?”
“Uh, sure, sis. No problem.” Apple Bloom scampered to grab a few collection barrels as Applejack started practicing her apple-bucking form. All the while, Luna and Chrysalis watched curiously.
Nodding in approval, she turned back to her queenly student. “Alright, Chrys. Let’s get ready for your first proper apple-bucking.”
Chrysalis narrowed her gaze as she approached the peasant. “What are you playing at, AJ?”
“No games here. Not yet at least. Can’t have ya hurting yourself on account of inexperience. Now, get over here and do your copying thing.”
“You said I had to develop my own method.”
“Well, maybe that’s copying Mac and me until you get a feel for it. If not, we’re just doing the one for now, so it'll get the job done this time.” Applejack began waving her over. “Now c’mon. Hop to it, Chrys! Ain’t got all day.”
With a drawn out sigh, the changeling picked up the pace to join the smaller mare’s side. “If it will get you to shut up.”
“It will,” AJ said, not letting a single one of Chrys’ barbs get caught in her coat. “Now, I want you to copy exactly what I’m gonna do, except for the last bit where you actually need to put a bit more power when kicking ol’ Merryweather here.”
“Another one of your weird tree names?”
“You know it, Christopher. Now do your staring thing.”
Chrys rolled her eyes and shrugged off the bad joke before bugging her eyes out once more to take in every single aspect of Applejack’s movements. Apple Bloom gasped in horror at the predator's hyperfocus bearing on her big sister. Testing the motions, AJ bent down, which the changeling copied to the letter. Even Luna seemed slightly unsettled by the mirroring movement Chrysalis was capable of performing.
After a few more moments of mimicry, Apple Bloom's fear gave way to awe seeing AJ buck and Chrys doing the same exact motions with perfect precision. “Woah… that’s so weird.”
Applejack chuckled as she pantomimed a proper apple-buck at Merryweather’s sweet spot. “Freaked me out the first time too. You get used to it.”
“Thanks,” Chrysalis replied with copious amounts of snark.
“Alright. You saw where I was aiming, right?” Applejack asked, earning a confirming nod from Chrysalis. “Good. Now stand right around here and give it your best shot. Don’t go trying to knock the fool outta it. Last thing we want is you hurting yourself on your first real go.”
Mimicking her movements to a T, Chrysalis reared back into a flawless buck as if she’d be doing it for years and launched her hooves backwards, hitting right on the sweet spot with all of her strength. And nothing happened.
“Be sure you put a little magic in your hooves. Should make it easier to shake the fruit off.”
Chrysalis grunted as she reared back and did it exactly the same, but with her hooves lit with green changeling magic. An emerald surge flickered all across the trunk of the tree, but nothing outside of a hollow tonk sounded from the hooves meeting bark. Looking up, at least the leaves rustled a bit.
“You almost had it that time, Chrys.”
“This stupid little—” Chrysalis yelled as she exploded into green flames, turning into a second Applejack. Adjusting herself to the exact spot that Applejack herself had bucked from, she readied her rear hooves to launch like a cannon. “Take this!” the fake farmer yelled with no change to her dual-toned trill.
Chrysalis grunted as she kicked the tree once more, but nothing happened. With more frustrated pants, she fruitlessly kicked again with not a single apple dropping from the tree. At this rate, the mare was going to hurt herself. Even if she was doing the proper form, without the weight behind the hit, it’d be impossible to get anything to fall off.
“It’s okay, Chrys. Maybe if you eat something first—”
With one final, obstinate roar, Chrysalis shot her rear hooves out with a surge of changeling magic, resulting in an audible crackle from the surging impact. As the magical aura surged through the tree, a single apple finally fell from the branches into the barrel below.
Chrysalis discarded her disguise, her barrel flickering from the expended energy. She panted as she looked at the fruit of her labor. “Just… one?”
“Don’t worry, Chrys. That’s all I needed. Now, bring it over here.”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes in exhausted befuddlement. “Wha—what?”
“Pick it up with your hoof and bring it here to me, please.”
Despite being completely thrown by the series of hoops she was jumping through, Chrysalis snatched the apple out of the barrel and approached Applejack with it outstretched.
AJ smiled and admired the apple. “Thanks Chrys! I was still a bit hungry.” She took a generous chomp out of the snack and licked her lips from the delectable sweetness. “Now, why don’t you have something yourself?”
“Can I at least just grab one out of the barrel?”
“That ain't what I'm talking about. If you’re gonna be helping keeping everyone fed around here, you’ll need to keep your strength up. That means you gotta eat too.” Applejack waved at Chrysalis closer to come. “Now, c’mon. The more the merrier.”
A fiendish grin pulled at Chrysalis’ face. “I see. So that’s what you’re playing at.”
“Eeyup,” Applejack said without a care in the world. “You’re too clever for your own good. Wasn’t expecting to get away with it neither.”
Chrysalis’ mocking laughter rang hollow until she killed it to level a glare at Applejack. “I already asked you to hug me, so just do it already and get it over with!”
“See? That’s not how it's gonna happen. I ain’t force-feeding you, Chrys.”
“But that’s what you’re always doing, Applejack,” the changeling dismissed bitterly.
“Not if you come here on your own. I asked you to get me the apple and you did. I told you once before that I love hard workers, and getting this here apple for me was mighty hard on you. I really appreciate you doing your best to get me something to eat.” Applejack sat on the grass and patted the ground next to her, offering for Chrysalis to take a seat. “Thanks to you, the table’s all set, sugarcube. Even if we’re having different things, we can still share a meal together.”
The cynical anger scrawled on Chrysalis’ face slowly evaporated. Applejack kept smiling warmly, waiting for the mare to join her before she took another bite. The former queen searched for some sort of trick on the peasant’s part, but the farmer had laid everything out in the open. A battle raged within the changeling as she fought with something unseen. Applejack nodded once more and waved her hoof to let Chrys know it was okay. She was welcome to join her. Applejack wanted to share her love.
The changeling took a deep breath through the nose and mouthed something to herself for strength as she approached the little pony. She sat down and tepidly leaned against Applejack, frowning the entire time. Applejack reached up to try to hook her leg around the mare, but Chrysalis’ sitting height was making things difficult.
“Problem?” Chrysalis asked with a knowing smirk.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think this part through. Think you could lay down?”
Chrysalis snickered and lowered herself. “Better?”
Applejack leaned over, trying to get her leg all the way around Chrysalis’ neck from the side. Despite being thin and lanky, there was still too much mare to work around comfortably while the changeling was leaning against her. Applejack knew Chrys was big, but trying to get her hooves around the statuesque mare was really driving their size difference home for her. Either way, this wasn’t working, but the stubborn earth pony wasn’t about to call it quits on eating together.
Applejack stood up and walked around to the changeling’s front. Chrysalis eyed her curiously until the farmer pulled her in like she had several times before, wrapping her legs around her neck and resting Chrys’ head on her shoulder. She then tried to reach her apple around the mare’s back. It was just close enough to catch the flesh if she leaned towards her hoof to take a bite.
“You’re getting apple juice all over my back,” Chrysalis complained.
“Well, this is about the best I can do to get a good grip on you and eat at the same time,” AJ replied as she tried to catch the fruit in her teeth.
Chrysalis grunted from the pressure around her throat. “This is uncomfortable and embarrassing.”
“But at least you’re eating, right?”
“No.”
“No? What’d ya mean no?”
“Choking me is not the same thing as hugging,” Chrysalis growled. “The only thing you're serving is a full moon to Luna.”
Applejack’s face flushed red as she quickly let go of Chrysalis, nearly dropping the apple before the changeling caught it in her magic. “Well, how am I supposed to hug you and eat this apple at the same time?”
The changeling glared at the little pony and scooped her up with her magic. She sat back up as she popped Applejack back down next to her. Instead of Applejack hugging her, Chrysalis reached her long leg around Applejack and pulled her into a hug as she leaned her lithe, black barrel against the sturdy earth pony. The sudden forwardness brought a fresh wave of redness to her face. She’d hugged Chrysalis a several times already, but this was the first time Chrysalis had ever hugged her.
After a few moments, Applejack realized Chrysalis was hovering the apple in front of her muzzle with her magic.
“Well? Aren't you going to eat?” Chrysalis asked, her patience wearing thin.
“Y-yeah,” Applejack sputtered as she calmed herself. “Thanks.”
She grabbed the apple out of the green aura and took another bite. As she ate, she could feel the familiar warmth across her back where Chrysalis’ leg was wrapped around her as well as a little where her body was meeting Applejack’s. The curious draw of emotions felt somehow less substantive than when she was the one hugging her, but the drain was still there.
As the moments passed, she didn’t know what kind of face Chrysalis was making, but her breathing had relaxed as she leaned more into Applejack’s side. She wasn’t sure if it was from her love somehow making the big girl weigh what she looked, but if it meant she was healthy, it didn’t matter much to her. Turning towards their audience, Luna smiled softly with approval while Apple Bloom simply stared at them.
Before the emotional drain drifted into cold uncomfortability, Chrysalis released and pulled away. “Okay, that’s enough.”
“What? But I’m pretty sure I got a little more where that came from.”
Chrysalis put some distance between herself and Applejack by trotting back over the Merryweather. “No. You get grumpy when I drain you completely.”
Applejack tossed the rest of the apple into her mouth and stood up resolutely. “But you haven’t had anything since the day before yesterday. I don’t mind being a bit short-tempered if it keeps you going.”
“I’ll live.” Chrysalis reared back and, pantomiming the seasoned professional, apple-bucked exactly like Applejack with a powerful blow, knocking more apples into the barrels below. “See?”
Applejack hummed to herself as she inspected the tree. “You’re still not back to a hundred percent, Chrys. If ya were, that would’ve easily gotten all of ‘em.”
“Whatever. It’s impossible anyway. I’m always hungry.”
“That's it?” Apple Bloom asked, cutting into their conversation.
“What’s it?” Applejack asked.
“The love eating. That's all there is to it?”
Applejack nodded. “Eeyup, though she should’ve taken more.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes as she kicked the tree again, knocking a few more apples down, but still leaving a few on the branches.
“But what about the magic beam to the head and the loopy eyes and everything?”
“I’m not mesmerizing her,” Chrysalis corrected as she did one final kick to get the last of the apples down. “If I was doing that, your princess here would’ve tossed my petrified carcass into Tartarus already.”
Princess Luna furrowed her brow at the accusation. Before the princess could object, Apple Bloom took a bracing breath and dove for Chrysalis’ leg, wrapping herself around and clutching onto it as she squeezed her eyes shut. Everyone stopped and watched the little pony curiously. Her teeth rattled as she waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
Apple Bloom slowly cracked open an eye to see everyone looking at her. “Huh? I don’t feel anything.”
Chrysalis craned her head down to meet the filly at her level. “No, little one. This isn’t how it works.”
“What?”
“You feel nothing but fear towards me.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she gripped the leg tighter despite who it belonged to. “You—you can see my emotions?”
Chrysalis huffed in growing irritation. “No, but it doesn’t take a mind reader to feel you shaking against my leg. The one that you’re still holding onto.”
“B-but I wanna help!”
“You want to…” the changeling trailed as her eyes widened in shock. Shaking the surprise away, Chrysalis furrowed her brow at the filly. “You can’t.”
“What? Why not?”
“Your heart isn’t in the right place.”
“But I’m hanging onto your leg right now!”
Chrysalis laughed. “Trust me. I am very aware, but that’s not what I mean. You want to help your older sister, not me.” The mare shut her eyes as her magic sparked to life. “I can sense the love running through the deep bond you share.”
“You can? How do I give some of that to you?”
Chrysalis smiled a fang-filled grin and tapped the filly on her forehead. “You don’t, little one. What happens is that I fool you into thinking I’m her and then steal it from you.”
Apple Bloom gulped as she returned the predatory gesture with a nervous titter.
Chrysalis grunted as she tried to shake the filly off. “You can let go of my leg now.”
“Oh! Right. Sorry.” Apple Bloom scrambled off of the holey leg. “I’ll just… go set up the next tree!”
“Sure. You do that.”
“Why don’t you help her, Chrys?” Applejack suggested.
Apple Bloom gasped in horror. “What?”
“What? Why?” Chrysalis barked back.
“Until you get more of your strength back, you’re on staging duty. Don’t want you hurting yourself trying to buck a tree.”
Chrysalis laughed. “Oh, please, AJ. I’m not that weak.”
“If you can’t lift your leg while a little filly like her is holding on, you ain’t gonna be bucking any trees on my watch, ya hear?” AJ ordered firmly. “Apple Bloom, can you show Chrys the ropes of a proper setup?”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom looked up at the massive mare next to her. Chrysalis sighed as she turned away from the frightened filly with a sullen frown.
“And Chrys? No magic. Don’t need you burning through love when your hooves will work just fine.”
The changeling flashed her fangs and sneered for a second, but bit it back her temper as quickly as it had surged. She took a few seconds and a deep breath. “As you wish.”
Gathering her fortitude, Apple Bloom took charge and trotted around to the front of the changeling. “Alright, Miss Chrysalis. Ready to go?”
“Lead the way, little one.”
“My name’s Apple Bloom,” she reiterated.
“I know.”
Apple Bloom tilted her head with a puzzled scowl. Chrysalis said nothing, her face being unreadable as she regarded the little filly. After another few seconds of silent staring, Apple Bloom began walking towards a nearby stack of bushel barrels as she explained the finer points of their placement to the changeling who listened and nodded along.
“You have a better understanding of Chrysalis than I thought,” Luna finally said after the two were out of earshot. “It will be interesting to hear how she acclimates to farm life.”
“Yeah. I just need to not mess up any more than I already have with her,” Applejack mumbled, the sight of Chrysalis crying in bed still weighing heavily on her mind.
“It was an honest mistake, dear Applejack. As she must practice mindfulness around others, you too must learn to take control of your emotions after she feeds upon your love. I am painfully aware of the vitriol that can spew forth from an unbridled mouth devoid of compassion.”
“Yeah. I can get a little short when my patience runs out.”
“It takes emotional energy to curb curt responses," Luna noted as she shifted her attention to Chrysalis listening intently to Apple Bloom's staging explanation. "It might be especially difficult for a creature who must live off of such energy. You both will need to care for each other and do your best to take the time needed to understand one another. Likewise, I will continue to see Chrysalis in her dreams nightly.”
Applejack blanched. “Every night?”
“Indeed. I cannot discuss the content of our sessions, but for now, I believe it to be absolutely vital to her mental health to see her as often as I can. You must make sure she always sleeps in the presence of the dreamcatcher. Otherwise, I will not be able to sense her presence when she sleeps. Captain Fleur de Lis will also visit every day during her patrols to make sure your family is safe.”
She remembered Luna talking about certain conditions that Fleur needed to follow if Chrys was gonna stay in Ponyville, but this all seemed a little extreme. Sweet Apple Acres was a farm, not a prison.
Sensing Applejack's disapproval, Luna looked away, crestfallen. She took a patient breath before regarding Applejack with grim resolution. “You may have formed a friendship with Chrysalis, but it does not change the fact that she is still incredibly dangerous.”
“I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
“Please understand, Applejack. After seeing your relationship for myself, I do think that this may be the best place for her, but that does not mean I will lower my guard. Whatever led to that feral attack against Thorax is still unknown to me. Likewise, you must remain vigilant as well.”
“I will. You can bet on that one, Princess.”
Luna shut her eyes and took a calming breath. “I understand, dear Applejack. I am sorry it must be this way.” She opened her eyes, a shimmering softness glowing underneath. “For what it is worth, I find the trust you have placed in your friend to be admirable. I will do what I can to ensure it is protected.”
“Sorry, Luna. That was a bit harsher than I meant.”
“Neigh, you were defending your friend. I only wish I could have the faith that you bear. Perhaps your conviction will move me during our sessions.”
“Yeah—” Applejack’s words died on her lips as she registered the last part. “Wait what? You never said anything about me getting therapy.”
“Chrysalis may not physically attack you, but her disharmonious temperament may test the limits of your emotional stability. Even if it is not her intention to harm you, there are personality patterns resulting from her inability to express love for you or your family which may prove damaging. I pray it will prove to be unnecessary visits that we can both enjoy, but please. I only wish to keep you safe.”
“I guess there’s no harm in it.” Applejack sighed. “Shoot. After how I messed up today, I could probably use some pointers so I’m not the one damaging her.”
Luna blinked in surprise, but smiled warmly as she placed a supportive hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Then I look forward to our pleasant dreams, dear Applejack.”
If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!
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Ah, the sass only a sibling can get away with.
It seems that one paragraph was duplicated here and now there are two of them. Is it supposed to be like this?
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Thanks for the catch! Full transparency, I keep my original draft and editing drafts for the reviewers separate, and I accidentally edited the original rather than my shared editing doc. I had to merge the two and I guess I got a little carried away copying the corrections over. Sorry about that!
An hour later Edit: Everything should be fixed. Sorry about that!
Chrysalis has used her magic to change into a cuddlebug, the most adorable of her fearsome queenly powers.
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Being the youngest, I know this move very well.
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It took a lot of negotiation, but we finally got a hug!
Oof. I know that feeling. Thinking too much about thinking about not thinking just loops into not fun times. Have to distract yourself with other concepts until things shake out. Or take a break, that can work.
Apple Bloom here is excellent as well. Characterization on point, of course, but just her wanting to help Chrysalis because she needs help, even if she doesn't like her warms the cockles of me heart. Just taking a moment to demonstrate the love shared between the Apple family through their interactions here helps display the environment nicely.
media.tenor.com/FseuxhCywF4AAAAC/frodo-keep-your-secrets.gif
No but seriously, it's really cool seeing therapist Luna in action. I'm looking forward to seeing sessions with her in the future.
What! Compassion?! Consideration for others?! In my Chrysalis? It's more likely than you'd think.
Inb4, friendship. I expect a solid and entertaining friendship between those two.
...hey, some people crackship, I crackfriendship.
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To me, it'd be rude not to get their feedback on the new state of affairs. After all, it's their home first. Kinda sucks to have an evil bug queen move in.
I'm not looking forward to the sheer amount of research needed to get it right. Last thing I want is someone pointing out that Luna is a bad therapist. Not to be mistaken with "she needs to be flawless" mind you.
Interesting how different internal motivations can result in the same action.
Apple Bloom is going to be fun. She's a character I've always had in the back of my mind wanting to write. Really, the whole fam damnily is something I'm looking forward to exploring. Granny Smith was unexpectedly a blast to write in Chapter 6.
At least no tree or tiny apple horse were sent into the stratosphere.
Apparently Luna's damn good at anger management lessons.
Chryssie could try passing Apple Bloom as a fashion statement accessory.
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Nah, red is out this season unfortunately