Only chapter
Grubber laid awake in his bed, restless he got up and went for a walk. After leaving the city he likes to hike the caves outside of Canterlot, as he walked along with the caverns of his favorite cave he became aware of an alight cough near the back he assumed. He lit a torch as he walked along he noticed a green liquid on the cave floor and he knew what he was gonna find, and he wasn't thrilled. He hated changelings and when he saw who it was he almost turned to leave. "Please help" the changeling rasped out as she coughed and slumped to the floor, "I need help."
"Chrysalis let somecreature else help you! I don't help bugs like you."
"I've been here for two weeks and plenty of ponies have come and gone! I'm dying and if you could help me get my fever down and my wound bandaged up I'll leave. You're my last hope! Please I'm begging you." Grubber felt her forehead and it was burning up, and the wound was not just a scratch it was a huge gash and it was badly infected.
Grubber drew a knife that he had worn on his belt and a tender kit pouch from his belt and went to gather wood and get some water. It was also convenient that he had a small pot he brought with him on his hikes. He begrudgingly set to work. He used his knife once he sterilized it in the flames of a fire he built and then opened the wound to clean it. Chrysalis squirmed a bit but stayed relatively still. Once the wound was cleaned he set to work to the task of getting her fever down, according to his thermometer he found in a protective case where she had been laying and found her fever to be at a hundred and eight degrees Fahrenheit.
He did what he could and as much as he felt like leaving he in good conscience couldn't do so. As time wore on, Chrysalis felt a tiny bit better in a week, he left twice to get food rations, and he managed to do what no pony could, he taught Chrysalis to enjoy normal food. She got stronger and her fever went down, Grubber felt something for this changeling.............he felt a love for her, once he got to know her he found her to be able to fill a hole in his soul.
Chrysalis felt herself feeding off love, she didn't know how it was so but it was. Grubber had the week before showed disdain towards her but now his demeanor had changed. The pair took short walks in the space where they dwelt so her legs don't become stiff. Tiny Grubber was an excellent caregiver and Chrysalis after two weeks removed her crown since she had no given to rule, Grubber sure loved cake she noticed and took notes which flavors were his favorite. In four Weeks the pair split up and Chrysalis flew off and Grubber went home, the latter thought that his emotions were just that emotions and not anything solid.
When he got home he found Tempest and Twilight sharing a smoothie and he asked them an awkward question. "What is love exactly? Is it found in simple things like what you're doing now or is it defined as being intimate with someone?" Tempest just blinked, not sure how to answer but Twilight answered willingly.
"Love isn't emotion like we think it is, that kind of love is shallow and doesn't mean much. True love is by choice really, choosing to love is hard. When Tempest and I started dating officially, I struggled to see past the Tempest I knew from the invasion, so I decided to put that behind me mentally and focus on who she was now. I found there she and I have common similarities. To choose to love someone is a conscious choice like forgiveness in a sense you have to decide on something. Actions will follow your thoughts." Grubber then decided to sit and think in his room and try to figure himself out. He never felt this way before and was very confused. His parents always described love as an emotion and or specific actions prove love; he had tried their method and relationships had flopped for him. What Twilight had said made sense, but he was convinced that it was ninety-nine percent emotion.
A few weeks past and he asked multiple ponies and creatures what love was, heck he even asked Princess Cadence for advice. He would've asked Storm King, the latter was focused on keeping a certain music pony content; he tried to get help from Songbird Serenade but she wasn't much help. He one day found himself in the heart of Canterlot and at his favorite bakery, it was crowded and he sat in the corner with a large slice of red velvet cake and a karraff with some tea. As he ate and thought for a bit and saw a cute pegasus and he invited her to take the only empty seat left in the bakery. "Hey, I'm Grubber what does your cutie mark mean?"
"My cutie mark is a bass clef, it means I play an instrument down in the lower music register for example I play the trombone."
"Nice, by the way, what's your name? I forgot to ask."
"I'm Beauty Brass I'm in the Canterlot Chamber Orchestra, Octavia and Lyra are in the orchestra as well." As the pair talked he liked this mare and as the days past they hung out and chilled and had several dates. In about two months things broke off, Grubber and Beauty Brass felt like things were going anywhere and they spent the last four dates arguing about music styles etcetera, and Beauty Brass felt like Grubber was there based on emotion and not for the commitment of the long haul. Grubber a few months later started to date a Wonderbolt flier, a black dragon named Sapphire. Things went well for a year before she told him either get serious and quit riding the air current or just commit to being more because things felt like she was friend-zoned. That was a rough breakup because they spent three hours arguing.
Grubber was depressed and he quit eating and he was just moped. It was a year before he tried again and this time it was an earth pony from Manehattan, this pony was in the fashion world, and her name was Coco Pommell. Things were going great, then it was in eight months she broke up with him when he had too many times insulted her work through jokes, she yelled at him and he said some really rude things to her and they separated.
A Year Later
Grubber was helping set up for a Friendship Summit and Grubber was interrupted by a charcoal grey unicorn with an emerald mane and a chemical vial and film roll as her cutie mark. The mare introduced herself as Blacklight. "So Blacklight you're from Ponyville?"
"Yep, I am and I developed film for a living."
"Sounds cool" as they talked Grubber noted that her eyes were an intense green.
"Know of any good bakeries?"
"I do" he responded as they now sat at a table he ordered his favorite and the mare had ordered the same thing. What got him curious was that her magic was green. "Can I tell you something personal?"
"Shoot" was the short reply.
"What do you think love is?"
"Easy, Love is an emotion that stems from a decision to share your life with somecreature through the storms of life, had a friend who almost died a few years ago and she wished that the creature who saved her knew what she felt at the time."
"Is this creature a changeling?"
"Yep, former Queen Chrysalis she said that she felt like the creature had developed feelings but never expressed them."
"I had developed feelings for her but I'm new to this emotion and I still am confused."
"Choosing to love is an uncertain thing, I mean what if that creature doesn't feel the same way? Just try to move on and be open to possibilities. Rumors are floating that you dated a music pony, a Wonderbolt, and a fashion pony, and all of them went up in flames. Lemme tell you something, Grubber....................the fever want the only thing killing me, the lack of love was too and I never properly thanked you.............." Grubbed was so confused this want a changeling in front of him and yet some things about the conversation seem familiar, the way the pony sat reclined on the bench against the wall where they sat. The teeth and tongue he noticed where the mares talked was much like a changeling. The mare paused and smiled sweetly.
"Chrysalis is that you?"
"Yep, what was the clue?"
"Well, the bit about thanking me properly and the way you're sitting, and I just noticed the forked tongue and the fangs. Your eyes were the first thing I noticed and your magic aura was green."
Chrysalis took her real form and the pair shared a quick hug, Grubber told her that the rumors had been true and were embarrassed that he was so desperate.
"Look Grubber, we both need a special some-creature, so let's live life together. I did take up film development as a job, since well I don't have my life anymore. I never did tell you how I got the gash. I was flying when I realized that I was running a fever and the next thing I know I'm spiraling to the ground below me, I hit a large tree branch and several smaller branches before I hit the ground. Then as I laid in the cave multiple ponies saw me but kept on walking. I had tried to take Canterlot a couple of times so ponies aren't fond of me. I've changed and I want to prove it. Maybe you can introduce me to Tempest Shadow and help me find Twilight Sparkle."
Grubber introduced Chrysalis to Tempest and Twilight which went well and
the pair agreed to a 'just friends' until they felt like they could be a bit more.