Chapter 3: Let the Sleeping Queen Lie
Applejack paced around the floor of the Castle of Friendship outside the Cutie Map room. It was almost one in the morning, but despite a full day of work and an evening in the Everfree, she was still wide awake. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute. It’d only dawned on her what she’d done after the princesses and her friends had shown up at the castle.
She was nervous. Why was she so nervous? She shouldn’t have been nervous. Applejack was a farmer. Her calling in life was growing food for others. That meant feeding the hungry no matter who they were. Her momma and daddy had taught her that much. She was living her Apple family values. Applejack had done the right thing, even if it was for a monster.
“Geez AJ. Relax already, will ya?” Rainbow Dash said from the cloud she’d brought in from outside to sleep on. The grumpy pegasus rolled over trying to steal a few more winks before she was needed.
The farmer sighed. “Sorry, Rainbow. Just a bit overwhelmed is all.”
The speedster perked up her ear and tilted her head back, letting her rainbow mane drop off the side as she looked upside-down at her friend. “Why? All you did was kick some changeling butt.”
“Evil changeling, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity corrected while politely stifling a yawn. “Let’s try to be more precise with our language. We wouldn’t want to lump Thorax and the others in with that wretched Chrysalis now, would we?”
“Right. My bad. Still, AJ brought down Chrysalis by herself. That’s pretty awesome in my book.”
Applejack looked away. “Ain’t nothing awesome about what I did, Rainbow.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Fluttershy asked with concern.
That was the million bit question, wasn't it? Not so much the talking, but what to say. After Applejack had “defeated” Chrysalis, the evil villain had either cried herself to sleep, or cried and passed out from exhaustion. AJ wasn’t sure which was which, or if the difference was even worth considering. Regardless, the Ponyville native wasn’t comfortable leaving a vulnerable mare out in the middle of a dangerous forest. She’d draped the former queen over her back and carried her out, which was troublingly easy. Despite Chrysalis standing as tall as Princess Celestia, Applejack was pretty sure her little sister weighed more. She wasn’t familiar with how heavy changelings were supposed to be, but Chrysalis sitting lighter on her withers than Apple Bloom couldn’t be healthy.
Fleur and Zecora shared similar concerns when they caught up with the farmer halfway out of the Everfree. When Fleur took over carrying the deposed royal, the guard grimaced at how little effort it took to lift Chrysalis in her magic. They’d hurried back to the Castle of Friendship, entirely unsure what to do with the wanted mare.
Upon seeing the fallen changeling, Twilight sealed the villain in a spare room and called an emergency meeting with the other princesses and Thorax. Only Celestia and Luna had shown up so far since they had access to Spike’s dragonfire letters. It’d be at least a couple days before seeing hoof or horn of the others. But all that wasn’t what was bothering Applejack. She hadn’t exactly figured what it was that was bothering her, and that just bothered her more.
“I dunno, Fluttershy. When Chrysalis teleported us away, I was readying for the fight of my life, but that ain’t how it played out at all. Felt more like I threw an anvil at a drowning mare.”
“Oh please!" Rainbow leapt off her makeshift bed and landed in Applejack's face. "This is Chrysalis we’re talking about. Did you forget that she tried to take over Equestria? Twice?”
“I know all that, but that ain’t the point, Dash! Had I landed a cleaner buck, there might not be much of Chrysalis left to talk about!” Applejack could still hear that crunch and bone-chilling cry when the changeling collapsed.
“W-well, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs and looked away, forcing a scowl on her face.
Fluttershy gasped in horror. “Rainbow Dash! I can’t believe you! We’re supposed to be better than that!”
Rainbow briefly winced, but shook the shame away and doubled down. “Come on, Fluttershy! This isn’t Starlight or Discord.”
“Don’t forget Queenie Miss Meanie Pants from the moon,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “We helped her like nopony’s business!”
“Pinkie, we didn’t really help Nightmare Moon as much as we shot her with a rainbow beam to free Princess Luna,” Rarity clarified.
“Who cares? The point is, Chrysalis had her chance and she still said no." Rainbow flashed over next to Starlight and pointed her hooves at the groggy unicorn. "She literally swatted Starlight’s friendship away and swore revenge in front of all of us for crying out loud!”
Starlight reached up and lowered the pegasus' hooves out of her face. “Dash, I completely understand, but trust me on this one. You don’t want to be like I was. Holding a grudge doesn’t help anything.”
“So, are we not supposed to be happy that AJ just beat down one of the biggest bad guys out there all by herself?”
“We all know who we’re dealing with here, but hating anything that much will ultimately hurt you too,” Starlight said as she looked away with a reflective frown.
“Starlights right.” Applejack nodded once in agreement before her eyes wandered away too. “Plus, I really don’t know if Chrysalis is all that evil anymore. A little rough around the edges, sure, but…”
“Now, now. Let’s not get too carried away.” Rarity tittered as she dismissed the notion with a gentle wave of her hoof. “May I remind you that she still attacked the three of you in the forest? That’s more than just ‘a little rough.’”
“But it ain’t that cut and dry, y’all!” AJ urged, looking to her friends for support. “She could’ve replaced me or Zecora last night if she wanted to go around stealing love, but she didn’t.”
“Perhaps she simply knew better than to try. Unless Chrysalis is a natural wordsmith, I don’t think even she’d be capable of reproducing Zecora’s rhyming for long. You should’ve seen the last changeling that got caught up with her.”
“Well, that doesn’t explain why she didn’t take me down when she had the chance. I’m just a farmer.”
Rarity giggled at the thought. “Oh please. An honest, hardworking mare like you? That liar wouldn’t have lasted five seconds in your horseshoes.”
“Oh, oh! I know!” Pinkie raised her hoof like a filly begging to be called on in class. “Chryssi should’ve totally replaced me! It was Peppermint Twist’s birthday today. She would’ve had a blast pretending to be me at the party.”
Rarity mouthed “Chryssi” in concern, but brushed the nickname away with a flourish of her elegant mane. “Forgive me, but I think she’d give up after a single second in yours, Pinkie.”
“Look, the point is that she could’ve done any number of things to steal our love, but she didn’t, okay? Even when she was flickering out right in front of me, she wouldn’t take a single bit of it! I-I couldn’t just…” Applejack trailed as an uncomfortable bedside flashed through her memory. “I just had to do something!”
“Oh dear!” Fluttershy quietly exclaimed as she laid a hoof on Applejack’s shaking shoulder. “You didn’t mention it was that serious before. What did you do?”
“Aww, hayseeds,” AJ cursed under her breath. Her and her big, dumb mouth. Of course Fluttershy had to ask about that. Applejack swallowed a nervous laugh as she desperately wished she wasn’t so quick to blurt out what was eating at her all the dang time. “Well, Chrysalis wasn’t gonna take anything from me, so I might’ve had to force it by, you know, feeding her love by hugging her?”
The entire room fell silent as everypony froze in varying levels of shock. As the information trickled in and registered in their heads, they each popped like popcorn.
“Oh… my,” Fluttershy mumbled into her mane.
“You did what?” Rarity screeched.
“That’s different,” Starlight noted with a smirk.
“What the hay, AJ?” Rainbow yelled.
“Did she chirp like a cricket?” Pinkie asked.
“Hey now! It’s not that big of a deal! I mean, she said my love tastes like apples, and I’m an apple farmer. So the way I see it, it’s not that big of a leap, right?” She could feel the shovel in her mouth from the hole those words were digging.
“Oh, Applejack! No wonder you’ve seemed so out of sorts.” Rarity rushed to AJ's side and quickly hugged her before beginning an impromptu health inspection. “Are you feeling okay, darling? Did she do something to you?” She leaned in, closely inspecting AJ’s eyes. “Your lovely irises don’t look any greener than usual…”
The farmer shooed the beautiful fashionista out of her face. “Cut it out, Rarity. Y’all are making a fuss over nothing. I just gave her some excess is all. There’s a big difference… at least I hope there is. Besides, everypony seemed fine with helping Thorax out.”
“But Thorax wasn’t Chrysalis,” Fluttershy mumbled as she pulled at her pink mane trying to calm herself down.
AJ blinked and turned to the quivering pegasus in confusion. “You too, Fluttershy? But you believed Discord could be reformed when none of us did.”
“Discord might’ve been a horrible bully, but at least he didn’t reject our friendship when we offered it to him. Chrysalis is just big and mean and t-terrifying…” she trailed off in a panic. Just listing the changeling’s qualities frightened the poor pegasus more and more.
Looking around the room, it seemed the rest of her friends were in agreement. None of them wanted to give Chrysalis a chance, and not for nothing either. Applejack knew part of her wanted to agree with them herself. Chrysalis was a lying, love-stealing snake that was simpler to declare to be evil, pure and simple.
But she couldn’t. All of those lies Chrysalis told were still prodding her in the back of her head. Why did all of her evil intentions have to be lies as well? Why did she have to act so evil while trying to chase AJ away? There was only one time she’d been completely honest, and it’d been the most confusing truth of all.
The double doors opened to the Cutie Map room and Fleur de Lis motioned towards Applejack. “The princesses wish to speak with you now.”
Applejack bit her lip and nodded. Seeing the three waiting expectantly behind the captain, she realized why her nerves were shot. She knew she didn’t have any good answers about what happened. She had nothing for them or for herself.
“And that’s about the long and short of it, your highnesses.” Applejack pulled at the back of her neck and forced a smile.
All three had listened without asking a single question. Applejack wasn’t sure if she liked that or not. Twilight had taken notes like she usually did and probably was full to bursting with questions. Celestia had nodded along with moments of genuine emotion peeking through her carefully crafted mask. The wildcard was Luna. The Princess of the Night had simply sat and listened patiently with a resolute stare. The most she showed were subtle nods, and she wasn’t even phased when hearing the most outlandish details of Chrysalis’ strange behavior.
“Your story matches the accounts of Captain de Lis and Zecora, but one detail still confuses me, Applejack,” Celestia said as she considered her words carefully. “You said she refused to take love from you, even though you offered yourself freely when she clearly needed it the most.”
“That’s right, Princess. If I didn’t force some into her when I did, we might be talking about something different entirely. I know she’s evil and all, but I can’t just sit back and watch someone suffer in front of me if I know I can do something.”
“And for that, I am so proud of you, Applejack.” Celestia beamed with joy as gentle as a sunbeam, but its warm light faded as quickly as it came. “However, I’m afraid no good deed will go unpunished when it comes to a creature like Chrysalis. Before we say anything else, my sister would like to ask you a question.”
Luna nodded as the sun yielded to the moon. She took a deep breath before addressing her subject. “I will be blunt, Applejack. Do you believe Chrysalis is capable of reformation?”
“Reforming? Well shoot, I think anyone can change for the better if they want to, your highness.”
“That is not what I’m asking you. Chrysalis told you that she is unable to metamorphose. Do you think she is telling you the truth? Yes or no.”
“Yes?”
Luna’s prickly gaze pierced Applejack’s very soul. “You sound uncertain of your answer.”
“Well, it ain’t that simple, your highness.” Applejack scratched at the needling lies that were messing with her head. “I think she’s telling the truth when she said she couldn’t change like the rest of her kin, but I don’t see what that has to do with becoming a better pony—err critter.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Applejack.” Luna smiled briefly before turning her grim determination towards her sister. “And so my answer to you remains unchanged.”
Celestia put a hoof to her forehead. “Luna…”
“What more must you hear?” The lunar princess flared her midnight blue wings and stood to her hooves. “If there is even a shred of doubt, it is far too dangerous to permit Twilight’s method!”
Twilight bit her lip, but seeing Celestia waiting for her to answer, the young ruler forced herself out of her own way to address her equal. “But we can’t just unilaterally decide something like this without at least giving her a chance!”
Applejack couldn’t help but think she’d passed her confusion onto them. “Pardon me for interrupting, but what’s my opinion gotta do with anything?”
“We are divided on our decision of what to do about Chrysalis,” Celestia answered. “Twilight wants to try to help her reform on her own, but Luna—”
“Do not put words in my mouth! I offer Chrysalis the same mercy with far more expedience, dear sister.” Luna retook her seat and regarded Twilight with waning patience. “There is no cause for alarm if the liar’s desire is true.”
Twilight shook her head, unphased by Luna’s terseness. “But there is no telling what the Elements will do to her. For heaven’s sake, you were banished for a thousand years!” Twilight shouted, causing Princess Celestia to wince from the painful memory.
Despite the youngest princess’ resistance, Luna remained undaunted. “And because of that, Harmony was maintained for a thousand years, despite my worst intentions. If Chrysalis’ desire to change is genuine, then she has nothing to fear. If it is a lie, then she will be dealt with accordingly.”
“Wait a second,” Applejack chimed in, finally catching the quick of their quarreling. “Y’all are wanting to use the Elements of Harmony on Chrysalis?”
Luna nodded firmly. “Considering the circumstances, I believe it is the only viable course of action. If the former queen is to be believed, then perhaps it is truly impossible for her, or at least without aid. I simply wish to extend a swift hoof so she may find redemption with the rest of her kind, if she truly desires it.”
Applejack chewed the inside of her lip as she considered the idea. “I suppose I can’t argue with that way of thinking, Princess.” She turned her attention to her friend. “You said you blasted that Sunset Shimmer gal with something like the elements in the other world, right? What’s the problem with that, Twi?”
“I’m afraid it’s not that easy,” Twilight clarified. Her magic sparked to life, showing images of both Nightmare Moon and what she assumed was an evil Sunset Shimmer, though she’d never exactly seen what those bipedal ponies looked like over there. “In both cases, there was a magical darkness to be purged from the corrupted individual.” A rainbow blast hit them both, leaving behind a small, depowered Luna in Celestia’s embrace and a battered Sunset at the bottom of a crater. “We simply don’t know what we’re dealing with when it comes to Chrysalis.”
Luna slammed her forehooves on the table, dispelling the images of her weakened self and Sunset. “All the more reason to see if the Elements will help her. Chrysalis cannot be allowed to exist as she is now!”
Applejack’s heart iced over the bitterness of Luna’s words. “Wait, what now?”
Celestia sighed and looked at the precious sister and former student she was caught between. “And this is where we’ve reached an impasse, Applejack.”
“Understand, dear Applejack. Chrysalis is a parasitic life form, and an incredibly dangerous one at that," Luna explained. "You will recall that the powerful love of a single pony was enough to overwhelm my sister at Princess Cadance’s wedding. Consider for a moment if her desire to reform is a lie, and she’s allowed to feed herself freely.”
It was Luna’s turn to conjure an image as she brought two tiny versions of Chrysalis and Tirek to life on the table before them. Luna fired a beam of magic into the villainous visages, causing them to spark with power. As Tirek absorbed pony magic, he quickly overtook Chrysalis in size just like he had before while Chrysalis simply glowed brighter with all the love she absorbed. Tirek spiked quickly, but stopped growing as he absorbed the princess’ alicorn magic. However, love still flowed into Chrysalis.
“Unlike magic, love springs eternal from the hearts of all harmonious beings. If there is no limit to how much love she can harvest…”
Chrysalis waltzed around the map, turning the land black with each step. As she conquered more territory, she pulsed with power as more and more love flowed into her. Soon, she began to grow larger as well. It was slow at first, but the bigger she got, the faster Equestria fell to her subjugation. It wasn’t long before her body began contorting under the corrupting power’s influence. The holes in her body sparked to life with blinding energy as every emerald part of her surged with her sickly green light.
After another moment, she was standing taller than Tirek and swatted him away with ease. Tirek picked himself up to strike back, but as soon as he turned to face his foe, she was as large as the table itself. The queen cackled maniacally as she overpowered the almighty centaur with ease and began feasting on his stolen magic. She gleefully drained every ounce as her malevolent power filled the entire room.
“I believe you’ve made your point abundantly clear, Luna!” Celestia shouted as the all-consuming titan turned her hungry gaze to the blackened land below her. With one final, demonic roar, the massive Chrysalis dove at the Cutie Map and exploded into illusory starfire.
Applejack caught the breath she didn’t know she’d lost. Chrysalis was bad—she knew that for a fact—but AJ had never even considered what the villain might be capable of doing. Even still, that wasn’t the Chrysalis she’d met in the forest. Not by a longshot.
“But we don’t know if she can do that, Luna!” Twilight argued. “Discord could’ve done the same thing, but we still gave him a chance.”
Luna shook her head. “Had Discord truly wished to destroy the world, he would have done so long before we found the Elements of Harmony the first time. With Chrysalis, it is impossible to know what she is truly capable of becoming. Thus it is far too dangerous to let her true desires come to light if this is all a clever ploy.”
“I’m sorry, Twilight, but Luna is right.” Celestia took a breath before sternly looking at the map below them. “While I may wish it differently, we must put the needs of Equestria first. With so many unknowns, the risk is simply too great to not utilize the Elements.”
“Then it is decided. We must act now while she is incapacitated. We cannot afford to wait for the others.” Luna’s gaze drifted between Twilight and Applejack. “But I know from experience that you must be in harmony as well. Please, use this night to prepare your hearts to use Elements effectively. Whatever fate Harmony has in store for Chrysalis, we must be ready to accept it come tomorrow morning.”
Seventy-six. Applejack had counted twice, and there were seventy-six little squares and rectangles on the double doors’ pattern in front of her. Looking over them again, she wasn’t sure if she should’ve counted the partial ones at the edges of the trimming or not. If she only counted the solid shapes, there were forty-four. She liked that number better, but it left a lot out to dry. It was the problem with fitting a bunch of square pegs into a rounded hole. Maybe she’d get a better count if she started combining the partial shapes to form into full ones.
“Unless there’s a spell behind your stare,
You must use a hoof to enter there.”
Applejack snapped out of her mathematical daze to see Zecora meditating against a nearby wall. She wasn’t sure how long the Zebra had been balancing on her stick with only one hind leg, but it didn’t look the least bit comfortable. “It’s magically locked, but thanks for the tip, Zecora.”
At Applejack’s reply, the Zebra pushed off her stick, flipping forward with a tumble. As she rolled onto her hooves, she sheathed her staff on her back. AJ wasn’t sure if she was showing off or it was just how Zecora was. Probably a bit of both.
“While the saying goes ‘a bit for your thoughts,’
I don’t need money to connect the dots.
The manner you’re staring at the sealed gate,
Tells me your thoughts are consumed by her fate.”
“I ain’t exactly known to keep my opinions under my hat.” Applejack frowned under the weight of the evening. “Fleur told you the plan, right?”
Zecora confirmed with a nod, but AJ couldn’t tell what the zebra felt about it either way.
“It’s just that, I dunno.” Applejack nickered bitterly. “This doesn’t feel right. It’s like we’re not giving Chrysalis a fair shake.”
“Her terrible plight is familiar to me,
But given the stakes, I’m inclined to agree.
While a small part wishes to give her a chance,
I fear all the power that love also grants.”
“I know that! Sweet Celestia, do I know that.” The mare shuddered at the memory of that colossal fiend assaulting the meeting room. “But she perked up a bit after I hugged her. Maybe all I gotta do is not give her too much so she won’t go all power crazy.”
“It’s true she needs plenty of love to take,
But your concern is born from pity’s sake.”
“Well, what’s wrong with that?” AJ fired back. “I do feel sorry for her, and I ain’t sorry about it! I know full well what it’s like for your life to suddenly be turned upside down.” Applejack’s memories were drifting again to that bedside, but she forced it down. “But at least I always had Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom. Who does Chrysalis have left?”
Zecora closed her eyes and hummed to herself in thought.
“You bear admirable and honest notions,
But not enough to maintain strong emotions.
Such shallow feelings cannot be sustained,
The well of such love will quickly be drained.”
“So instead of trying to actually help, we’re just gonna blast her with a rainbow and see what happens? What if she gets turned to stone or sent to the moon?”
Zecora’s piercing teal eyes shot open.
“Unless you want to put your love to the test,
This blunt force solution might be for the best.
You said Chrysalis desires for her life to be changed,
So it may be a cruel mercy if that can’t be arranged.”
“Well I don’t like that, okay? It just feels like we’re throwing in the towel too quick, you know? She didn’t steal our love when she could’ve, Zecora. That counts for something!”
“It is true that it has yet to be seen,
If such little love can sustain a queen.”
Zecora reached into her saddlebag and produced a small vial. She poured its contents on the door’s hoof-hold causing a small puff of alchemical smoke. At once, the flash of magic as the spellwork around it collapsed. The doors slowly creaking open, revealing the dark abyss inside. Applejack gulped and took a step forward, but was met with Zecora’s staff blocking her way.
“Be on your guard if you choose to provide,
You’ll be in mortal danger if she lied,”
The zebra pulled her weapon back, allowing Applejack to enter. As she crossed the darkened threshold, the door closed behind her, and the locking spell flashed back into existence. There was no turning back now.
With a quiet stride, Applejack ventured further into the room. All the lights were out, save the moonlight pouring in through the windows. As she approached the alicorn-sized bed, she could see the former queen’s back was turned towards the door. She’d cocooned herself tight enough in the sheets to make out the bindings the captain had tied around her back. Walking around to the other side, she saw Chrysalis was still asleep, her barrel rising and falling rhythmically with each breath.
There were scant few places to take a seat in the room. After a quick glance, AJ spotted a stool from the nearby vanity and pulled it next to the sleeping changeling. As she gave Chrysalis a once-over, she could see that she was doing much better than the night before. Aside from the magic-sealing inhibitor ring around her horn, she looked fuller than she had when they’d stumbled upon her in the timberwolf cave. That was good.
Applejack caught her relieved smile and she buried her head in her hooves with a sigh. Just what the hay was she doing feeling happy about this? Chrysalis was an enemy of Equestria, and AJ’s helpfulness was only helping put her friends in danger. And for what? Because she’d been duped by Chrysalis’ dog act? The spark in Classy’s eyes when she was getting love looked genuine enough, but that just meant the mare was a bigger fool than she thought. Classy wasn’t even real!
Applejack took a break from beating herself silly and looked up to see Chrysalis’ glowing eyes staring daggers at her.
“Come to laugh at me, Applejack?”
“Jumping jackalopes!” she yelped, nearly falling out of her chair. She took a second to shake the sudden jitters away. “Dang near gave me a heart attack!”
The changeling flashed a fang-filled grin. “That could be arranged.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. And to answer your question, no. I came to check on ya. Figured you’d still be asleep.”
Chrysalis scoffed. “Hardly. Who could sleep in a bed as terrible as this?”
If the liar didn’t look so snug being the bug under the rug, Applejack might’ve at least tried to believe her. “Plenty of floor around us, sugarcube.”
The greedy drama queen hissed defiantly and pulled her bedding tighter around her, refusing to relinquish its comfortable grasp. Applejack didn’t even bother stopping her eyes from rolling.
“How’re ya holding up?” Applejack asked.
“You’re still playing that game?”
“Yeah, I know. Pretty dumb of me to fall into your trap, right?” The farmer chuckled to herself. She hoped she was being played so there was a reason to stop caring.
“Incredibly,” Chrysalis agreed with a taunting cackle. “I can’t believe I lost to a pony as stupid as you.” The victorious loser grinned from her little win.
Undeterred, AJ simply sat, waiting for a response. After a while, even the farmer’s patience was wearing thin. “So?”
Chrysalis furrowed her brow. “What?”
“Haven’t answered my question yet. How’re you feeling?”
“Hungry,” Chrysalis spat back bitterly, “but I’m always hungry.”
“Want me to rustle you up some grub?” Applejack slapped on her most neighborly smile until the word choice occurred to her. “Oh wait, ‘grub’ probably means something different to you, huh?”
“It does, but don’t bother. I’ll figure it out myself.”
“Gonna try your ‘Classy’ act again? It’d probably go over pretty well in Vanhoover. Just don’t mention Trixie and you’re probably golden.”
Chrysalis popped up out of the bed and leaned into Applejack’s face, a predatory rage burning in her vicious eyes. “I said I’ll figure it out! I don’t need your ‘help’!”
It took all of Applejack’s willpower to not duck out of sight from the predator. She’d nearly forgotten just how terrifying Chrysalis could be when she wanted to look threatening. That being said, AJ might not have known a thing about the mare, but she knew a stubborn fool when she saw one.
“Made that mistake before. There’s a world of difference between want and need, you know. If I’m behind on work, I don’t want to sleep, but I know I need to. Ain’t no shame in admitting that,” Applejack assured, making Chrysalis back down in confusion. “Come to think of it, I’ve lost out on a lot of sleep thanks to you.”
Chrysalis laughed at her captor. “That’s because you ponies are a bunch of bleeding hearts. Find a troubled mutt in the middle of the night and you go into smothering mode.”
“So, you were Classy?”
Chrysalis snorted in disgust. “Would you shut up about that? You already figured me out.”
“True, but you still hadn’t fessed up to it,” AJ said with a shrug.
“Oh! Congratulations on getting your confession, detective!” Chrysalis cheered in with a slow, scornful clop of her hooves. “Tell me, are you the good cop or the bad cop?” In a towering flash of green, Fleur de Lis appeared in bed wearing most of her armor, except her helmet. The fake flower crossed her legs and played with her long, flowing mane. “I can be pretty bad if I want to be.”
Applejack’s breath hitched as she looked over changeling turned unicorn. “You—you can still use magic?”
“I’m just barely getting by after you so rudely forced yourself on me,” the overly sexy mare cooed.
“B-but the ring!”
“The what now?” The disguised Chrysalis followed Applejack’s stunned gaze up to the base of her mask's perfect horn. “Oh? Is that what this annoying thing is?”
In another green flash, Applejack was sitting face-to-face with her hatless self. Her doppelganger chuckled darkly as she tilted her head to the side, letting the ring slide down her untied mane and into her open hoof.
“Gonna take more than this lil’ trinket here to stop yours truly, partner.” The faker snatched Applejack's hat and donned it in place of the ring. She tipped its rim to AJ and flared a pair of orange pegasus wings behind her.
“You mean you could’ve used magic this entire time?”
The room flashed green as Chrysalis stood up and loomed over Applejack, still wearing the cowboy hat over her crown. “Oh, yes. I can do whatever I want thanks to your pitiful donation, and nopony can stop me.” An evil grin spread across the villain’s face filled with predatory pride. “Scared?”
Applejack curled an eyebrow at the mare’s over-the-top gesture. “If you’re as fit as a fiddle, why didn’t you make a run for it already?”
Chrysalis’ slumped back down in bitter contempt. “They magically locked the door, remember?”
“You got wings. Did ya try seeing if Twi remembered to lock the windows?”
“Right. As if Princess Twilight Sparkle would neglect to seal the windows of one of Equestria’s greatest—”
Chrysalis’ monologue was rudely interrupted by Applejack unlatching the lock of the nearest window, pushing its center, and opening it with ease. Looking between the overlooked escape route and the dumbfounded queen, Applejack invited the bug to leave with a sweeping “ladies first” bow.
Chrysalis sneered and buzzed her liberated wings in irritation. “I really hate you.”
“Figured that one out pretty quick,” AJ quipped with a chuckle.
The royal changeling scoffed and turned over in her bed and laid down, facing away from the irritating peasant. “Then take the hint and leave already!”
“Sure you don’t need something to eat?”
“I don’t want your pity!”
AJ frowned. “That’s not what I asked.”
Hearing no reply from Chrysalis, Applejack took her seat next to the bed. She sighed as she looked over the cold shoulder, refusing to answer a simple question. Seeing the changeling’s silky mane still flowing out towards her, she tepidly reached out and began stroking it. Admittedly, she was a bit emotionally exhausted, but she still had some scraps that the changeling could eat.
She sat there for a while, rhythmically stroking Chrysalis' mane like she’d done a hundred times for her friends and family. It wasn’t much, she knew that, but lots of times, it was the little things that meant the most. At least, those were what meant the world to her. She remembered when her momma used to do her mane for her when she was just a filly. Those precious moments had turned right back around when momma couldn’t do it herself anymore.
“I hate apples,” Chrysalis complained from her cotton cocoon.
Applejack smiled as she put a bit more gusto into her strokes. “Now I know that’s a lie. You chomped that apple with gusto for those fillies. Even licked the juice off your chompers.”
Thinking back to the other day, all those cute, and likely humiliating, canine antics just made her laugh even harder. She hadn’t been a very good dog; far too proud to be a best friend, but far too adorable not to get attached to. With a little work, Classy would’ve made a fine companion. If it wasn’t all a lie, maybe Chrysalis could be a class act too.
“Listen, Chrysalis—”
“Don’t want to.”
“Well listen up anyway, this is important,” Applejack fired back before wrangling her draining temper. “Me and the girls? We’re gonna try and see if we can help you change like the rest of your kin.”
“Wonderful. With all of you on the reformation case, I’m sure I’ll become a perfect little angel in no time.”
Applejack paused, listening to the sound of her hoof rub against the mane and bedsheets. “Luna wants us to use the Elements of Harmony on you.”
Chrysalis said nothing.
“Are you okay with that?”
“Why are you asking me, Applejack?”
Applejack pondered her answer as she continued working the flowing mane. “Because shouldn’t you get a say in it?”
“I don’t remember giving my prisoners a say in their punishments.”
“I guess you’re right,” Applejack admitted. She was really feeling the effects of her dwindling affection pouring into Chrysalis, but she didn’t want to leave the former queen all by herself. “Just thought I’d let you know. Sneaking the idea behind your back wasn’t sitting right with me.”
“You should try it sometime. It’s always done wonders for me.”
After a moment, Applejack noticed the former queen’s covers tightening further as she curled up ever-so-slightly. Chrysalis still wasn’t saying anything, but despite being notorious for lying, she was a rather easy girl to get a read on when she wasn’t caught up in her hubris.
“It’s okay to be scared, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis tore the covers clean off, revealing her face seething with vitriolic hatred. She sparked her horn to sickly green life as Applejack felt millipedes crawling all over her like earlier as she floated into the air.
“Leave!”
With Chrysalis’ echoing command, the world burst into green fire once more as she appeared outside the door to a wide-eyed Zecora. Shaking the spots out of her vision, AJ reared around and yelled through the door.
“Y’all probably shouldn’t be teleporting ponies around willy-nilly iff’in ya ain’t gonna eat nothing proper, ya stubborn stick bug!”
Blinking the surprise away, Zecora looked at the door, then at Applejack, and then back at the door again.
“Your flashy exit makes me suspect,
That the sealing ring had no effect?”
To answer her question, the double doors flashed a green sickly light as they burst open, revealing an enraged changeling flaring with anger on the other side.
“And take your stupid hat with you!” Chrysalis roared. The queen shoved AJ’s trusty companion into the farm pony's muzzle before slamming the door and resealing it herself with emerald magic.
Applejack tisked and shook her father’s keepsake back into its proper shape before putting it back on her head.
“I reckon so.”
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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Stubborn fool, they are perfect for each other.
lol. I don't know what Chrysalis is up to, even if the "potential execution" doesn't frighten her and even having the opportunity to escape she doesn't do it on principle, but for some reason her behavior seems Mega cute to me:3
11301441
They really are two sides of the same coin: One honest to a fault, the other never so. Equally rock-headed. Opinionated and certain of what they want at all times. Snappy dressers.
Applejack's concern for Chrysalis continues to warm my heart. :)
11301441 11301510 11301544 11301443
mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1619578-2-133912013031.gif
I flipped-flopped between giggling and being genuinely engaged by both the subplot of AJ's attachment to sick family members and the ominous looming ray of the friendship laser. Lovely chapter Rego! Thank you for writing it!
I suppose Chryssi is in too much of a rough shape to want to take another swing at the mane six. I get she's still angry and pissed off, but maybe these slight showings of hospitality are sufficient to at least have her relax. I mean, I lol'd hard when Twilight forgot to cover the windows. Either Chryssi isn't considered that big a threat or Twilight's a bigger airhead than Chryssi ever gave her credit for, and yet she's still her prisoner. Taking it slow is the way to go, though with Chrysalis not being properly restrained, we'll need to see if she's still in her room by the next chapter.
Last I heard, involuntary laser treatment is still "treatment"
Lulu vehemently agrees with me.
Huzzah! Readership dividends!
11302437
Thanks for reading it.
We'll just have to see, won't we?
I always pay off loyal readership.
Tsun Tsun Tsun.
Yyyyeah, probably should've checked that those rings actually work on her.
Well, they're certainly eager to off her just because she should possibly grow very powerful. And didn't Discord get several chances?
It'd be hilarious if the elements of harmony had no effect.
11303909
In the show, Discord was defeated by Celestia and Luna centuries ago, then once be Twilight and her friends, and then given the chance to reform and he accepted friendship.
Chrysalis is likely thwarted at least once in the past since changelings are known about when Cadance reveals the false Cadance at the wedding, Chrysalis is then defeated once by Cadance and Shining Armor. Later, she rejects Starlight's friendship in the season finale when she's beaten again.
In my mind, they've had the same number of chances, but AJ is still bothered by what's going on. She can tell something’s changed, but what that means is the crux of it.
11303945 Well, the past part is debatable, since we do have in-show confirmation of Discord's past actions, but not so much for Chrysalis.
Plus it's not like he really reformed completely with how he keeps going back to screw someone over whenever he feels like it. :B
In canon ponies did give Pharynx another chance and gong by that count he'd have resisted friendship as many times as Chrysalis had here.
Just that whole scene with Luna felt a bit weird, with her using a completely assumption-based simulation designed to show the subject in the worst light possible as definite proof that they should deal with the situation as she wants. Maybe she's just cranky she got element'd and wants someone else to get it too. :B Or she hadn't had her morning coffee yet.
Still, this is an AU, so characters may vary. And I like the story, i just also like to paint ponies in a bad light. :B Especially if I feel that they're being a tad hypocritical or using double standards.
So my comments like that aren't meant as a critique, but musings of someone who's staying in the fandom pretty much only for Chrysalis stories and because of this always has a heavy bias pro her. :3
Yeah, I get the last part. I like AJ in this story so far.
11304263
She also might be a little salty about getting caught off-guard... twice.
i.pinimg.com/736x/30/12/d0/3012d068c1906602ca57c86a19cb26b9--pony--princess-luna.jpg
11304286 Just the tiniest bit. XD
Truth, then. Checks out. This is AJ, after all. I'm left wondering what form the conflict in this story will take, though.
Pinkie's out here asking the real questions.
Eh, straight to the nuclear option? I suppose it makes some sense, Chrysalis is quite the threat. Perhaps it's my bias as a known Chrysalis fan, but I do agree with Applejack, and apparently Twilight. At least try lesser methods first. Elements might not even fire, even if AJ's heart is in it. They do have something of a mind of their own.
Chryssy seems... done. Exhausted. Resigned to her fate, even. It's downright unlike her. She really isn't ok right now. It's fascinating how AJ latched onto that once given a method of empathizing with her. Given her family values, though, I can see why. Family is important to AJ, and Chrysalis has lost hers. Among probable other reasons, of course.
11336312
Only the best.
It is also a reference to another one of my favorite changeling fics. The Queen of Hearts and happy chirping changelings. That fic is my Pinkie Pie writing Bible.
There are too many nuclear options by season 7 of the show. If you don't want plot holes, you gotta show all the Deus Ex Machina ain't cutting it.
Well, we were reading chapter 5 at the same time, so you know.
11336377
Hey, The Queen of Hearts! A very good fic, that. Been too long since I've read it, apparently, since I didn't catch that reference. Perhaps I should add it back to the list.
that’s so true, i can’t imagine the others not thinking the same
so true, that wasn’t very Friendship is Magic of Rainbow!
hehehe
really love Pinkie enthusiastically going along with what she thinks is happening
RariJack real
aww but that’s not all she is as i am sure the story will slowly reveal!
this is exactly how i imagine councils between the Princesses to go
hehehe “critter”
yeah Chrysalis does not seem to be a Nightmare form of anycreature but rather just how a Changeling queen is. definitely wouldn’t expect what worked on Sunset and Luna to work no her
dang world-conquering Chrysalis seems really cool!
that is true, out of all the villains it is Chrysalis that was caught before any of her plans fully succeeded, so who knows what the cap on her power is?
aww, but like the reformed Changelings, Applejack showed she can feed on love freely given instead!
aww, but i bet that spark really was genuine!
ahaha, honest Applejack really is the perfect foil to Chrysalis
hahaha, and aww, cultural sensitivity!
ehehe what a great descriptor
perfection
aww, love these little moments of relating back ot her own parents
oof yeah, she is the least likely to admit to that of all things
augh she is so tsundere i love it
11357533
Hmm...
But Chrysalis is a lying, cheating, and traitorous bug. She deserves every bit of it.
Omni-Jack is real. She's appreciated every mare she's run into so far.
If you want to picture how I picture her powering up with her holes starting to glow, I took inspiration for Xenoblade Chronicles' Monado Blade. Just color it green.
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Finally! Someone else noticed this in the comments.
We'll see...