Once Bonked, Twice Shy
For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Fluttershy wondered if she had made a mistake.
That in itself wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. It was actually quite often that the pink-maned pony found herself questioning her choices. Such as whether it was a good idea to give Michael the otter that extra helping of food, if she really had locked the door of her cottage while shopping in Ponyville, or if it was really the best idea to let Rarity design clothes for some of her furry friends.
Honestly, Fluttershy doubting herself was pretty much her natural state of being. Her emotions almost always drove her anxiety into overdrive, no matter how small the situation truly was.
But at this moment, as Fluttershy stood in her cottage, frozen in place with a lamp still held firmly in her grip, feeling the judging stares of the animals around her, horrified eyes remaining locked on the unconscious body of the Queen of the Changelings herself laying on the floor, she had the sneaking suspicion that this mistake might just be of a slightly more dire nature than usual.
As her life flashed before her eyes, Fluttershy found herself reminiscing on the series of events that has led her to this point. It was hard to believe she had managed to get herself into a situation this messy so soon after the incident in Canterlot, the attempted Changeling invasion seeming like a distant memory after the long night of partying held in the wedding’s aftermath. Even a shut-in like her could enjoy gatherings like that every once in a while, though it probably helped that she hadn’t talked much, and that she had mostly stayed out of the way of everyone save for her dearest friends, or done much of anything aside from hiding in a corner.
After all the excitement, she was desperate to get back home and spend a few days with just herself and the animals, hoping she got home before Angel attempted another bunny uprising, especially with how long it took to clean up the last time she had left them alone. She was completely ready for relaxation, even buying a lamp from a salespony on the way to the train that morning, being assured it was apparently great at calming nerves in the right situations.
One train ride back to Ponyville later and she was finally on her way home, humming a happy tune to herself as she trotted down the path towards her cottage. It was on that journey she noticed the first signs of something being off, a strange feeling in the air, an unmistakable lack of the birdsong that usually happened around this time, feelings that Fluttershy wrote off as a result of her usual paranoia.
Of course, that excuse wasn’t able to explain the distinctively pony-shaped crater she found in her front yard, but that stopped being a concern ages ago. Considering most of her backyard had been reduced to a mess of Rainbow Dash shaped holes from failed stunts, it was only a matter of time before she branched out. What was a bit more concerning were the scared animals waiting outside for her, waving their arms around in a panicked attempt to communicate with her.
“Oh my! What’s wrong little ones? You all look so frightened! Did Angel attempt to take over again?”
They were too shaken to properly communicate what was scaring them, and while it was sweet that they cared, she was more than capable of handling Angel when he got into one of his tyrant moods. So ignoring the animals' protests, she walked inside, unfazed by the lights being off, knowing how Angel liked to be dramatic.
“Now now Angel. You shouldn’t kick the other animals out of the cottage. We’ve talked about this.”
Strangely there was no reply, Fluttershy looking around cautiously as she mentally prepared herself for whatever her pet had planned, trying her best to hide her nervousness as she put her bag down on the table. She began unpacking, only for a sound somewhere between a snarl and buzz to suddenly erupt behind her
“Hahahahaha! You're mine now, pony! Tremble be-”
BONK
And that was how Fluttershy found herself frozen, standing over the still body of the Queen of the Changelings, lamp still in her hooves as the animals emerged from their hiding places.
She blinked.
“Oh dear.”
And she never had finished the first draft of her will…
To say the least, Chrysalis's last few days could have been better.
It was stressful enough planning a fake wedding without drawing suspicion, the stress of that alone tempting her to turn herself in just to bring an end to her torment. Looking back, she really should have replaced Cadence closer to the event. Then having someone grow alarmingly close to uncovering the whole plot at the last possible second wouldn’t have led to her being a bit more hasty than was needed. Note for the next evil plan she supposed; have a second dungeon to send prisoners just in case.
Then she’d gotten overconfident, since she just had to fit in the big musical number she had been planning for weeks, that whole performance costing her precious seconds that Twilight and Cadence used to ruin everything. In hindsight, it hadn’t been one of her finest hours, but at least she didn’t have to organise the clean up.
On the bright side, she had totally nailed the aria.
As awareness returned to her, more recent memories slipped into her still dazed mind. Landing outside some pony’s cottage after being forced out by the magic shield around the city, separated from her loyal hive. Unfortunately for Ponyville, Changelings were most dangerous when alone, the house the perfect base of operations as she regained her bearings.
Even luckier for her was that the building was completely empty of any ponies! While that left her with no love to feed on, it meant all she had to do was throw the only animal that tried to stand up to her into a jar before resting up. She knew all that of course, but why was she just waking up? She’d heard the owner approach, prepared to strike and… and then…
Chrysalis groaned, pulling herself upright as some braver, curious animals sped away from her awakening form, the Changeling finding herself smelling… soup? That stirred her awake completely, her vision returning as she found herself in the same cottage as before, preparing herself for anything as she noticed one key difference.
A short distance away stood a Pegasus, shaking nervously while swirling a bowl on the counter. Chrysalis found that she hadn’t quite prepared herself for every situation, faced with an unharmed Fluttershy making food, and very much not drained of love like she had planned.
So of course she responded the only way a high ranking, intelligent Changeling could.
“Whahuh?”
The confused sound made Fluttershy squeak, the pony jumping up a little before turning around.
“O-oh… you’re a-awake! You recovered… faster than I w-was expecting! Are you feeling any better?”
It took Chrysalis several seconds to process what was happening, finding herself half convinced she was inside a stress induced hallucination, something that would explain the ache in her head.
“W-wha… what is the m-meaning of this, pony? Are you planning to poison me!? You are more twisted than I gave you credit for! I was not aware you knew magic. Yes, that must be how you subdued me in the first place!”
“Oh n-no. I wouldn’t do anything l-like that… not on purpose at least… I was just making nice refreshing soup for when you w-woke up! I-I didn’t want to be a b-bad host!”
Chrysalis blinked, staring at the frightened pony before frowning, the aching in her head not so subtly reminding her that pegasi couldn’t learn magic, everything somehow making even less sense than it had before.
“Oh, my mistake. Of course you would just make food for the evil Changeling invading your house like everything is totally normal, it would be silly to think otherwise.”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything to that, awkwardly kicking the ground, her anxiousness and slight fear meaning she only whimpered as she put down the soup in front of her guest. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes suspiciously, not reacting to the food as she focused on the pony in front of her.
“Wait. I know you. You were at the wedding. One of Twilight Sparkle’s friends. The one with the choir birds. I suppose that explains all the creatures here…”
“Y-yeah… that’s m-me… it really wasn’t t-too much trouble… you were q-quite nice… even though you were p-pretending to be the p-princess… and t-then tried to invade the kingdom w-with those scary m-monsters…”
“Then why? Why keep me here? Why not call your precious friends to imprison me while you had the chance? Are you really that foolish, little pony?”
The Pegasus whimpered, looking like she was doing her best to not hide behind her wings as she muttered.
“W-well… I-I’m not… uh… very fast so… I wouldn’t have m-managed to get anypony i-in time anyways… and w-well, I didn’t want to l-leave you alone with my animal f-friends again… and I kinda felt responsible for what happened since w-well… it was because of…”
“Hold on. What? You mean… you're claiming that you're the reason I was knocked unconscious?”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, not fully believing what the terrified pony was saying, the idea seeming quite absurd now she thought about it. Fluttershy seemed to be taking the idea quite seriously though, her entire body shaking in terror.
“Ok then. How? How did you defeat me, pony? Me, the queen of the Changelings herself? Did it take the combined forces of all your animal minions? Were you forced to use your element of harmony? How many lives were claimed in the ensuing conflict that raged here?”
"N-not exactly? I-I was u-unpacking my things f-from the trip and you kinda s-startled me so I sorta… hit you? W-with a lamp?”
The silence was deafening.
“A lamp.”
“Y-yes…”
“You knocked me out. With a lamp.”
“I didn’t mean to…”
“Was it a magical lamp? One you brought back from the castle? A gift from that meddlesome Twilight Sparkle to ward off foes?”
“No it’s… uh… just a lamp…”
Silence filled the room once more.
“Was it… was it at least a big lamp?”
“N-not really… like I s-said it was… uh… just a l-lamp… ”
Fluttershy’s reply sounded more like a high pitched squeak than a sentence, Chrysalis’s expression unreadable as she turned back to the soup on the table.
“Is there love in this soup?”
“N-no… but it’s made with l-love!”
“Good enough.”
Without another word, she slammed her face into the bowl.
The Changeling hissed in discomfort, using all of her self control not to strike the pony that was currently tending to the wounds all over her face.
“O-oh dear! I’m so s-sorry! I r-really should have m-mentioned that I o-only just got it ready! S-so it might… w-well… be a little hot…”
“You don’t say.”
If it wasn’t for her actually lessening the pain, she would have struck her down on the spot, Chrysalis never wanting a day to just end more in her life. As bad as the wedding was, at least things had been going her way for a while! She even took Celestia out of commission and everything! And most importantly, she wasn’t knocked out by an ordinary lamp or burning her own face!
“So what’s next after this pony? You go and tell your friends you’ve caught me? That you defeated me with a lamp? Then you can all laugh at the fallen queen before imprisoning me forever more! A fitting fate for such a vile creature I imagine…”
“N-not… really? I was g-going to… look after you for a while… i-if you don’t m-mind I mean…”
At this point, Chrysalis was surprised she could still find new ways to get shocked, blinking as the words fully sunk into her brain.
“Excuse me? You? Look after me? Here? Instead of telling other people that you have me here? Are you sure you didn’t hit yourself on the head too with that “all powerful” lamp of yours?”
Fluttershy appeared to visibly shrink in her chair the longer the questions dragged on, looking increasingly nervous, and slightly confused.
“But why wouldn’t I? You were injured because of me! I can’t let you go without making sure you're fully recovered! That would be so terribly unkind of me! And… u-uh… did you not hear m-me earlier? It was… uh… just a normal la-”
“Trust me. I am more than aware of that. Along with the fact that you are a fool to think I will stay here any longer! The queen of the Changelings does not get ordered around, pony! Now, you shall let me leave right now so I can search for my hive, or else!”
With a scowl, she tried to pull herself off the seat, hoping she could finally put an end to what felt like the endless humiliation that she was being subjected to.
“W-wait no! You can’t l-leave yet… u-unless you really want to but even then it’s a really bad idea and-”
“Stay out of my way pony! Despite your foolish kindness, I will not hesitate to… to… what are you doing?”
The pony was glaring at her, her eyes narrowed, the kindness replaced with intense judgement, disapproval and anger.
“S-stop doing that! I’m leaving and that’s final!”
The stare continued, Chrysalis feeling her heart pound in her chest, her legs shaking a little as she did her best to remain imposing in front of the disapproving stare.
“I-is it hot in h-here? I-I’ll go and o-open a window! Such a f-fascinating invention isn’t it? We don’t have them back at the hive, you know!”
She was sweating, the pure intensity feeling like Celestia herself had thrown the sun at her, the Changeling’s pure fear greater than anything that had happened the past few days. She couldn’t move, even though her instincts wanted to jump out of the window and instantly surrender to the rest of the ponies as fast as possible.
“I-I… well…”
Oh Tartarus below, is this what the lower Changelings felt when she got mad? This was even worse than she imagined!
“P-please… j-just stop looking at me like that! I’ll do anything! J-just please stop!”
Fluttershy continued staring.
“A-ah! Fine! I’ll s-stay until I’m better!”
In an instant, all hostility vanished from her stare, Fluttershy smiling before letting out a quiet shout.
“Yay! Now are you still hungry? I think I have some scones in the fridge… does anything else hurt? ”
The Changeling collapsed onto the couch, her body physically exhausted from being exposed to the glare for as long as she had.
“My pride.”
It was with bitter irony that she remembered how certain she was that her wedding day and what followed was going to be perfect.
By the next day, an obvious problem had made itself apparent.
“I require sustenance pony!”
“R-really? But I thought I’ve b-been feeding you quite well… I’m really sorry…”
Chrysalis glared at Fluttershy, her eyes narrowed in annoyance, the threatening sight that had terrified hundreds of Changelings made considerably less menacing by the bright pink blanket that had been given to her the night before.
The night could have been worse at least, the Changeling impressed that such different creatures were all able to remain quiet while she tried to sleep. If only the same could have been said about her own subjects...
Still, the sleep was satisfactory for her, none of the animals daring to come near her, the only one that proved brave enough to challenge her being the same bunny she had trapped in a jar earlier, giving her a death glare with a look that screamed “I’m watching you”. She wanted nothing more than to knock him out of the window, but alas, Fluttershy was in the room and considering her previous attempts to do anything that day, she didn’t want to tempt fate again.
“You haven’t been lacking when it comes to your consumables. But you seem to be forgetting that I am a Changeling! We don’t feed on your pony creations like cake and scones! We feed on love!”
Her harsh words made Fluttershy shake slightly, the shocked pegasus widening her eyes before muttering to herself.
“Oh dear… oh dear… h-how could I have forgotten something so i-important! And you said so yesterday too! How careless of me…”
Chrysalis smiled sinisterly, seeing her plan unfold right before her eyes, the girl filled with glee as she played Fluttershy right into her hooves. With no way for her to find love for her to feed on without hurting anypony, she would have no choice but to let her go, clearly much too kind to take her over to her friends in this condition and not use that blasted stare to stop her! All she needed to do was lead her along a bit longer and freedom would finally be in sight!
“And I get grouchy when I’m hungry. So it’s clear your only option is to set me free. Don’t worry, I’ll leave your village alone for now. You have my word. I’ll just find small amounts to drain that won’t harm anyone. Trust me.”
That was all she needed to say, hiding her smug expression by taking a sip of the admittedly most tasty tea Fluttershy had brewed.
“Oh… how about you do that to me then?”
Chrysalis spat out her drink.
“O-oh dear! That must have been too hot! I-I’m really sorry!”
“W-what? Are you insane!? Did you… just… what? Y-you can’t just… WHAT!?”
Fluttershy seemed quite taken aback by the Changeling’s shouts, unable to help herself from noticing the red appearing on her black skinned face.
“I-I… is there something… w-wrong with that?”
Chrysalis managed to regain her composure relatively quickly, doing her best to mask her embarrassment with anger.
“You know nothing of Changeling customs! You c-can’t just… you may as well have asked me to have intercourse with you! Offering love to a Changeling willingly is like a proposal to us! Sure, the love is usually horrifically stolen from another pony, but still!”
Now Fluttershy was red, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“O-oh my… I d-didn’t- I mean I had no idea- I’m sorry!”
She hid her face with her wings, the adorable sight somehow making Chrysalis even redder. Wait. Adorable? Why was she thinking that? Why was her brain imagining things like that!? No! Bad thoughts! Bad bad thoughts! Her brain was being corrupted just by being here this long! It was the pony’s fault for saying that anyways! She was queen of the Changelings! She did not get flustered!
“I-it does not matter. This is purely out of necessity, so it doesn't mean anything. I was simply surprised by the forwardness. That’s all.”
It took Fluttershy longer to get back to her senses, the girl muttering incoherently for a few moments until Angel kicked her in the leg.
“O-oh of course! I’m really sorry! I had no idea that’s what it meant to you!”
“Sigh… do you apologise about everything!?”
“S-sorry!”
Chrysalis glared.
“O-oh, sorry for saying sorry!”
She narrowed her eyes.
“A-and I’m really really sorry for-”
“ENOUGH PONY! CEASE YOUR POINTLESS APOLOGIES!.”
Fluttershy seemed to shrink in on herself from the sudden shout, the Changeling flinching and looking around nervously as every animal in the room glared daggers at her.
“I mean… you have no reason to do so. You ponies are so illogical… your offer was kind. And something you have no need to regret.”
Her words seemed to calm Fluttershy down, her wide eyes looking up as she blinked, awkwardly shuffling over to her seat.
“O-ok… if it’s f-fine with you then I’ll… g-give you some of my love… I wouldn’t w-want you to be uncomfortable or anything… just… please don’t take it all.”
It would be easy to take it all. To drain it all out of her and have a feast before making her escape. If the animals weren’t here, she could even have replaced her, living her life and feeding on the love from her friends for the ultimate revenge. It would have been so easy, but she didn’t.
Not that it meant anything, she just wasn’t in the mood to go through all that fuss right now.
Her horn glowed with green magic, Chrysalis sighing at her lack of ambition, ensuring she would only take a small portion of-
Oh.
She was lost for words at what she saw, blinking in disbelief. She’d fed off many ponies in her life, seen their pools of love, so controlled and focused towards their close friends and family. But now, she was staring into an ocean. An ocean of unconditional care and kindness and love, towards everything, anything; it was greater than anything she had ever seen before, stronger than any love she had consumed.
The feelings were warm, comforting, her instincts feeling at ease under their gentle light, as if she didn’t want to fight anymore. She took a small portion, ending the connection there, shaking slightly as the wonderful taste restored her stamina.
“O-oh… are you done? I assumed that would hurt m-more or something…”
“Y-you… did? And you… offered anyways?
She seemed surprised at the question, likely just as surprised as the Changeling was at how concerned she sounded.
“O-of course! Why wouldn’t I? You needed it more than me…”
Chrysalis blushed slightly, turning away and regaining her composure.
“F-foolish pony! It’s no wonder I found it so easy to infiltrate Canterlot! You're all so idiotic and illogical!”
The animals glared daggers at her again for that, especially when Fluttershy added an unhelpful.
“O-oh… you're probably right…”
She had no idea why her good mood seemed to go away after that.
“This is completely unnecessary.”
The Changeling scowled, Fluttershy looking at her calmly as she filled in another of the many pegasus-shaped holes in her garden.
“Aw, don’t be too grumpy! You said you wanted to get some fresh air after the last few days. Why are you so annoyed now?”
“It may have something to do with the hundreds of animals that are surrounding the perimeter to prevent my escape, and are watching me like hawks.”
“Oh is Frank here? I thought he was away today…”
Chrysalis sighed, going silent as the sun beamed down on them both, Fluttershy humming a little to herself as she went on with her work. It really was astounding how quickly she adjusted to her presence. Only a few days ago she was a shivering mess whenever she was near. But now, she treated her the same as everyone else, in her own skin no less.
She’d offered to disguise herself, but Fluttershy had shot it down instantly, not wanting the Changeling to overexert herself. Despite everything she had done at the wedding, the pegasus treated her with kindness. Why?
“I don’t understand you, pony. Why bother going through all this? Why care for me like this? I would have thought you would at least lock me in your basement, or turn me over to Celestia. But you’re treating me like an ordinary houseguest!”
“B-but I don’t have a basement…”
Chrysalis groaned, walking closer towards the smaller pony and glaring down at her.
“That wasn’t the point. My point is what in Equestria do you gain from any of this?”
“O-oh… well, I couldn’t just leave someone in need. You're a living thing, just like all the animals here. Even if you’ve done bad things, it’s not like that changes.”
“I… see…”
She didn't see. Not at all.
The Changeling became lost in thought after that, silent until the nervous Pegasus attempted to break the ice.
“You know, i-it’s strange having another pony taller than me… I’m a little unused to it…”
“Hm? You don’t seem very tall to me.”
“O-oh well… for ponies I mean…”
“Yes, I suppose that makes sense. You're likely used to towering over your minions…”
Fluttershy seemed confused at the statement, tilting her head as she looked up at the Changeling.
“My what?”
“Your minions? The animals that obey your every command? The ones you surely must have led into battle countless times to earn their favour?”
The Pegasus’s eyes widened, frantically shaking her head at such speeds that Angel was set flying out of her mane.
“Oh goodness no! I would never put the animals in danger like that! They're my friends! I would never forgive myself if they got hurt because of me…”
She didn’t get it.
“So… you care for them… why exactly?”
“Because it’s kind. It’s the right thing to do to help all these animals. I have to help them somehow… and I enjoy their company!”
At this point, she wondered if the pony was all there mentally. What kind of explanation was that!? Were all ponies truly this illogical!? Or perhaps only Fluttershy was like this. It truly was a mystery.
“And this is… something you do since you want to? Not some duty given to you?”
“I-I don’t think so… I gave it to myself after all… isn’t there anything you care for? Something that you do just because you want to? Aren’t you a queen?”
That was an even stranger question. The words were not really ones that she had ever imagined together before, or even thought of.
“I am queen since it is my birthright. I lead since that is what I am meant to do. Most of my subjects are brainless fools, but it is my duty to find them food and nutrition for the hive’s survival. Whatever it takes.”
“So… you’ve never just… d-done something since you wanted to?”
“The hive needs my leadership. Nothing else.”
“O-oh… that doesn’t sound very n-nice… no wonder you seem so uncertain here…”
She was silent after that.
“B-but… you do care for your s-subjects… right?”
“Their survival holds some importance, yes. But I don’t see why it would be a great loss if I lose any. They know the risks involved after all. It is illogical to despair over an outcome they know of. Of course, it would be preferable if they lived.”
Fluttershy seemed taken apart by the bluntness, frowning for a moment before smiling as a few robins landed on her head.
“Well, you clearly care for them a little at least! I’m sure when you're better and seeing me with my animal friends, you'll understand!”
She really did speak nonsense.
Days later, and she still couldn’t understand. The almost constant care and attention felt neverending, even when it was entirely unneeded. Any sign of the head injury from that lamp had faded now, even her pride feeling restored. There was absolutely no reason for her to be here whatsoever.
So why didn’t she leave?
The question ate away at her, always at the back of her mind, questioning her decisions even when she gave perfectly valid reasons. Fluttershy was a stable source of love, one that would be incredibly unlikely to find while looking for the rest of her hive, so it only made sense to wait until she was completely filled up before doing anything. She was also incredibly close to Twilight Sparkle and the other element bearers, meaning she could possibly extract important information to take advantage of in the future.
It gave her a safe place to plan her next move too, a good rest period after the mess of a wedding she had put so much time into planning. Fluttershy had assured her the reception was perfect though, so at least something had gone as intended.
Any other thoughts she may have had were clearly a result of her getting stir crazy. This would only be a temporary arrangement. They would part ways in a couple of days, meet again after a couple of seasons as enemies, and never speak of this encounter again.
The strange feelings thinking that were of course another sign of her being inside too long.
Today was another quiet day at least. Chrysalis sat still on the couch as a kitten meowed happily on her head, occasionally swiping at her horn. She’d tried many times to get rid of it, but it appeared that once the feline wanted something, nothing would stop it.
It also admittedly felt rather pleasant after a while.
So she stayed sat down, knowing that it would be another day of relaxation and rest making discussion with her host, something she was certainly not looking forward to in the slightest.
A pounding at the door broke her from her thoughts, briefly alarming the Changeling before brushing it off. It was probably that clumsily cross eyed mailmare again. After all, Fluttershy said all her friends were busy after the wedding, so it couldn’t be anypony else. Even though she could have sworn the mailmare had come already today...
“Must have been here so long even the days are starting to blend together…”
“Oh, I wonder who that could be… I’ll take a look out of the window just in- oh no.”
Fluttershy shut the curtains instantly, panic across her face as Chrysalis stared at her judgingly.
“Really? You can't be so so antisocial that even having a visitor makes you-“
“OhmyCelestiaTwilightisrightoutside.”
The Changeling froze. Fluttershy breathed heavily. The cat took another swipe at the horn in front of her. A few seconds passed of total silence, the visitor eventually breaking it with another knock on the door.
“Fluttershy? Are you in? I just wanted to see how you were doing!”
“Convince her you're not here! Then she’ll go away!”
“Ehhhhh… I’m not here! Please go away?”
Chrysalis’s hoof met her face.
“Fluttershy? Is everything ok in there?”
“Oh I’m just fine Twilight! I’ll be with you in a moment!”
The pony raised her voice slightly before turning towards her guest and whispering while trying to tear the cat from her head.
“Go upstairs until she’s gone. If she sees you here… t-then… well… oh dear I don’t know what will happen!”
“Are you insane? This is your perfect chance to turn me in! Why are-”
Her stare instantly silenced the Changeling’s questions, Chrysalis making her way up the stairs and into Fluttershy’s room as soon as the kitten had been removed from her head. She remained still as the pegasus opened the door, Twilight happily strolling inside with a wide grin on her face.
“There you are Fluttershy! I was worried I just missed you! How have you been?”
“O-oh, I’ve been fine Twilight! It’s been calm here since the wedding…”
“Excellent! Well, I’m sure you will be happy to hear that I’ve just finished up my latest project! Organising all of Doctor Whooves’ old videotapes he had in storage! Turns out there were some missing from the first six shelves the entire time and he never noticed! Who knew? So it took me a few days to track all those down… but now the archive is completely filled!”
“That s-sounds wonderful T-Twilight! I’m sure you must have had such a good time with that!”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing for a few moments, until she was reminded of the stories she had heard from her “fiancé” in the lead up to the wedding. Never mind, it sounded exactly like something Twilight Sparkle would do.
“I know! Oh, it was the best! And I got a letter from Shining Armour and Cadence too! It sounds like they are enjoying their honeymoon immensely it’s going just as perfectly as Cadence planned it!”
Great, and now there was this to remind her of her misfortunes. News like that was only going to… wait, did the princess seriously take credit for the honeymoon planning? It took her days to make all the arrangements! AND SHE TOOK CREDIT FOR IT!?
She did her best not to growl out loud, hissing as quietly as possible as they continued talking downstairs.
“Anyways, what’s new with you? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“O-oh, nothing much, definitely not anything out of the ordinary… or worth mentioning too much… aside from one little thing… you see I’ve started taking care of a new animal lately… a-and well… it’s a l-little bit more difficult than usual…”
The Changeling paused, barely able to hear the nervous whisper, not making a sound as Twilight answered.
“Oh? How so?”
“Well, she's really prideful… a-and stubborn… and a little bit mean… I’ve been looking after her since we got back from the wedding you see… but… there’s something in her, a glimmer of kindness. She probably doesn’t even see it. But she’s so grumpy! Honestly she’s such a softie even if she doesn’t want to admit it. She just needs some affection every once in a while.”
What? She wasn’t a softie! She tried to take over Canterlot! She was an evil queen! She was anything but soft! A-and she only liked the affection since it made more love! She pouted, grumbling quietly as she prayed for the conversation to end as soon as possible.
If she was lucky, the conversation would conclude, and Twilight would either leave to do some other meaningless task, or drag Fluttershy out for around half an hour for another one of Ponyville's infamous messes.
Chrysalis was not lucky.
“Well, I’m sure it will all go fine! That reminds me though… do you still have that book on the history of birdseed you took out the other week? It’s almost overdue for the library so I thought I'd come pick it up!”
"Oh my, I completely forgot! I’m so sorry Twilight! Follow me, it's just- ah, j-just...”
Fluttershy trailed off as her eyes widened. Upstairs, Chrysalis's head slowly turned towards the table in the room, with a book sat upon it.
"Oh pony feathers" Fluttershy whispered.
“Well, I guess it's in your room? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and get it!”
Twilight didn't seem to notice Fluttershy's panic, smiling as she made her way up the stairs, the shy pony dashing frantically after.
Thinking quickly, Chrysalis dove into the only hiding place she could see, ending up squishing herself uncomfortably between various boxes under Fluttershy's bed. She realised a moment later that she could have just turned into an animal and run off, cursing her panicked reaction as the corner of a box dug into her side.
Instead she was stuck under the bed, staring at a box of books. She wasn’t an expert on pony culture, but she was pretty sure books were meant to be read the other way around. What a weird collection. They must have been misprints or something, and why in Luna’s name did everyone on the covers have such massive eyes?
The sounds of hoofsteps reminded her that she had much bigger things to worry about though, even the sound of her breaths feeling much too loud for her own ears.
Her heart thumped.
Fluttershy tried not to faint.
Twilight looked around in interest.
“Hmmm… have you done something to the place Fluttershy? It feels a bit different somehow…”
“N-NOPE! IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME!”
Fluttershy covered her mouth after the sudden frightened shout, Twilight looking at her, confused, while the Changeling lamented she couldn’t react without revealing herself.
“I mean… n-nope…”
“Uhhhhh… are you ok Fluttershy? Is something wrong?”
“Oh no… i-it’s nothing really… not anything for you to be worried about, that’s for sure!”
Hopefully their friendship would mean that Twilight would overlook how horrible Fluttershy was at lying; all she needed to do now was stay as silent as she could. That was the plan at least, before she noticed the white, fluffy bunny sitting next to her under the bed. Chrysalis glared at him, mentally screaming at him not to do anything to blow her cover. The rabbit almost seemed to be contemplating something, and Chrysalis could swear she saw a smirk on the animal's face. Suddenly, his foot lashed out, kicking her in the ankle.
“Ah.” She thought. “It really is going to be one of those days, isn’t it?”
Chrysalis hissed quietly as he continued kicking, giving him the most murderous, intense stare she could muster.
Angel kicked again.
“Stop that!”
“Huh? Did you… hear something just then?”
She cursed herself as Twilight's questioning voice rang out, the pegasus thankfully coming to her aid with her usual nervous stammering.
“Hm? I-I think it was o-one of the animals outside! N-nothing to worry about that’s for sure… oh look! T-there’s the book over there!”
It was no wonder Fluttershy adjusted to her presence so easily! With something this diabolical dwelling here already, she must have seemed tame by comparison! Her self-control was rapidly diminishing as the kicks continued relentlessly, just getting harder and faster as time went on. Finally, one hit her joint at an odd angle, sending a jolt of pain up her leg. Chrysalis had had enough. Eyes practically blazing with fury, she kicked back at the insufferable little puffball.
Angel chomped.
Chrysalis's eyes widened.
Twilight’s head shot over to the bed in shock as she heard a sound not unlike a punctured squeaky toy, just about to leave after grabbing the book with her magic.
"Uh, Fluttershy? What was that?"
Fluttershy seemed very distressed for some reason, even more so than normal, eyes flicking back and forth as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.
"Ah, u-um... it was... t-the wind?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I... don't think that was the wind. I'm going to go check it out."
Fluttershy's eyes widened as her friend began moving towards the bed, seeming to almost blur as she sped in front of Twilight.
"Nonono that w-won't be necessary! I'm s-sure it was n-nothing! I-I'll check!"
Before the Unicorn could respond, or comment on how strange it was for Fluttershy to be the one to want to check first, the shy pony had already ran forward, returning from under the bed a moment later with a particularly disgruntled looking Angel held in her hooves.
"S-see? It was just A-Angel! Silly Angel! H-haha! N-now how about we go back downstairsrightnowpleaseandthankyou?"
She zoomed down without even waiting for a response, Twilight standing stunned for a moment before sighing and smiling fondly, following her back into the main room.
A few moments later, a fuming Changeling rolled out from under the bed, clutching at her ankle while spewing muffled curses.
She really hated that bunny...
It was strange that the cottage was much quieter without Fluttershy.
She didn’t talk very much, or make much noise at all, but it was the presence. The feeling she created by simply being there was somehow greater than any other pony or animal. She didn’t mind though. She was used to being alone, aside from her subjects. She was a queen! She didn’t need anypony! Since nopony was her equal!
Turns out, without anypony to keep her company, she got incredibly bored.
She groaned on the couch, rolling over as the animals ran around the empty cottage, frowning as she wondered what Fluttershy was even doing now. It was annoying enough that she had to go on a trip by orders from Princess Celestia, but it was even worse hearing that her authority as queen wasn’t enough to outrank it.
In the day since then, the cottage felt empty, incomplete, and it was driving her insane. There was some feeling of yearning inside her! A need for something! It didn’t make any sense! The lack of love was making her grouchy too, adding to her short tempered nature as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
Most animals avoided her, but she was too lost in thought to notice or care, committed to unravelling the mystery of why she was feeling so unusual. She sighed again, idly messing with a pebble on the table, probably left behind by one of the animals.
She was bored out of her mind, yet she was still lost in thought, ones that refused to leave her brain.
“I don’t understand. This is how I felt before the wedding! Why is it suddenly… so empty?”
She rolled over again, holding out her hoof as some sparrows gently landed on it, peeking into the holes as she groaned. Maybe she just needed a good invasion to get her heart pumping again, but then an even stranger thought filled her head.
An invasion could harm Fluttershy, and that made her… sad? Unfocused? Empty? She didn’t like that feeling, but why? It was logical that Fluttershy would be affected! She was a pony! And everypony would be affected by her invading Equestria! That was just common sense. Which is why it was pointless to think about it any more than she had already.
The thoughts persisted.
“Ugh! Go away!”
She growled to herself, pulling herself upright while the birds took off, offended that the thoughts hadn’t disappeared like she demanded, idly grabbing one of the books left by her host. Chrysalis could barely manage a single page, putting the book down before trotting around the cottage, wondering if another aimless circle around the back garden would help her feel better.
Just before she did it though, a sound from outside the front door excited her, her head turning in an instant just in case Fluttershy had returned. After peering out of the window, it was revealed as just another false alarm, the sound just the mailmare delivering the post for the day.
She groaned in disappointment. Maybe she should just leave, return to the hive or something. But even that was upsetting her! It was frustrating for her to figure out, grumbling to herself as she accepted the tea cup from one of the squirrels, sipping a little before frowning again.
The expression was basically the only one she could make at this point. Never before had she felt so aimlessly bored. In the end, she had to admit to herself that she truly missed the pony who had taken her in, who had shared kindness, compassion, even company beyond that of her hive.
It was… acceptable being exposed to things like that. But she didn’t expect it to make this cottage feel like a home. Happening so slowly not even she was aware of it. Her view of home had shifted away from her hive and into this very cottage.
“This makes no sense! It’s ridiculous! Absurd! It’s so stupid I can’t even think of any other way to describe it!”
Fluttershy was unlike anything else she had known before. Kind for the sake of being kind. That was supposed to be a weakness. But the sheer love she had made her anything but vulnerable. That was love she had only dreamed of since her first days of leadership and just thinking about it now…
“Wait… why do I feel like this? It wasn’t this hot a moment ago!”
Her body was hotter, an unusual heat gathering in her face, her heart beating faster, thoughts of Fluttershy and her gentle, smaller form making her feel strange. The thought of being with her again especially seemed to make the feelings stronger, the Changeling’s eyes widening.
“What on Equestria is this!? Why is it hot? Why am I feeling adrenaline? I haven’t been running! Am I excited? No, this feels like fear!”
She was starting to get worried. This feeling wasn’t natural! Or else she’d have certainly experienced it already! What was it? Was it dangerous? A disease? Had an animal infected her with something? It could even be that rabbit’s doing!
If she wasn’t a Changeling, she would surely be panicking right now, but her willpower meant she did not stoop to emotions as low as that.
Instead she was reduced to a state of “mild alarm”. Which to the eyes ofother ponies would look a lot like panicking.
Chrysalis regained her bearings after a few minutes of running around the room, shaking her head before attempting to think about the situation logically.
Her body was going through an unnatural, most likely deadly reaction, something that would therefore pose a threat to her and the Changeling hive as a whole. Was she cursed? Did Fluttershy know magic after all? No, she was a pegasus! And if any of her unicron friends were behind it, they’d have surely done more than this to her!
It made her warm. Her heart beat faster. Being alone made her feel weak instead of strong while also being excited, passionate and scared all at once. It was all topped by a distinctive absence of something, something warm, ever present, something she had started to rely on.
“Just what could this be! There has to be some…”
It hit her, the Changeling struck by shock as everything suddenly made sense.
It couldn’t be true, yet it was the only option that would explain everything she had been feeling, the only logical explanation that worked at all.
She had been poisoned.
After her long journey, and the trials that came with it, Fluttershy was terribly relieved to finally make her way back home. Everything that had unfolded in the crystal empire was stressful to say the least, so she had already lined up plenty of relaxing activities with her friends to help calm herself down!
Strangely, she was even looking forward to seeing Chrysalis again! She had gotten surprisingly used to her company over the last few days, surprised that she had started to consider the queen of a love eating race a friend.
She only hoped Angel took her seriously when she made it clear that he shouldn’t attempt anarchy, a takeover, or an attack of any kind though.
Fluttershy finally reached her cottage at around sunset, humming a little as she gently opened the door as quietly as she could, knowing most of the animals in her care would be safely snuggled up in bed by now.
She was relieved to see that there seemed to be no signs of any attempted takeovers by her rabbit, sighing happily before gently calling out.
“Chrysalis? Are you still up? I just thought I'd let you know that I’m home!”
There wasn’t an answer, the pegasus’s brow furrowing as she looked around, not seeing any sign of the Changeling anywhere. O-oh. Had she left? Well, she supposed that made sense… she didn’t really have much reason to stick around after all. Still, it would have been nice if she had bothered to say goodbye…
“Hello, Fluttershy.”
“Ah! So you are still here! So did everything-”
She froze after turning around, the harsh glare she was met with making her muscles numb, the Changeling stood in front of the doorway.
“I trust you’ve had an enjoyable trip? After all, it must have been easy to leave after poisoning me!”
Fluttershy had been having a long day, helping her friends protect a recently discovered empire, protecting said empire from its former ruler, even getting sent flying by Rainbow Dash as part of the distraction efforts they had employed. Safe to say, she may have been slightly out of patience.
“What!?”
Her voice did nothing to hide the confusion, the surprise, anger, or even slight hurt. She hadn’t been prepared for this, especially when Chrysalis seemed to recoil slightly, her face scrunched up in pain.
“See! There it is again! You’ve done something to me! Just you saying that caused internal pain! What is this you have cursed me with? This must have been your plan all along!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Chrysalis! Are you s-sick?”
The Changeling looked even more annoyed at the question, her face slightly red from all the shouting, her wings spread outwards like she was ready to strike.
“WHY ARE YOU STILL BEING KIND!? I AM THREATENING YOU! YOU’VE POISONED ME! WHY ARE YOU STILL LIKE THIS!? HOW CAN ANYPONY BE LIKE THIS!? THIS MAKES NO SENSE! YOU MAKE NO SENSE! NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE!”
She screamed in frustration, shaking in fury before sitting down on the couch, Fluttershy lost for words after the explosion of emotion. The Changeling was different, her emotions switching from one extreme to the next but just by looking at her, the pegasus could see she was afraid.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhh… there there… it’s all ok now. Calm down.”
She was shaken from the sudden shout, but that wasn’t enough to turn her away from a pony that needed her help, Fluttershy sitting down next to her and comfortably wrapping her wing around her.
For a while, she just stayed there, offering silent comfort and support to a pony that clearly needed it. She gave her some time to calm down before getting into her questions, smiling calmingly at her as she rubbed her hair.
“Now tell me. What’s the matter? Why did you think you were poisoned?”
“I-I… I got these weird feelings… sensations… I thought I was ill but it only made sense that it happened recently! And that was the only reason I could think of… even if you being behind it seems most unlikely from what I’ve seen…”
“O-oh, that’s alright! What kind of feelings? D-do they hurt?”
“Not really… I don’t know how to describe it… it's like my body is burning up. Like I’ve just been running for hours! And passionate but frightened and… ah, it just makes no sense! I can’t figure it out…”
Fluttershy hummed to herself, lost in thought as she attempted to uncover the reason for the strange reactions. None of her animals had been sick lately, but then again Changeling biology wasn’t really something she was an expert on…
“That does sound very concerning… how often does it happen?”
“That’s the strange part. It comes and goes infrequently! With no real reason! But it’s even stronger now than ever before!”
The pegasus frowned, filled with concern for her friend, unused to seeing her in such a state. She only wished she knew how she could help! It didn’t sound like anything she’d heard before in books on illness she had brushed up on in the past! The symptoms did sound a little familiar though… wasn’t that reaction like one her favourite romance author used in-
Fluttershy froze.
She was as still as a statue. Her brain attempted to process the impossible, ridiculous thought that made far too much sense.
“C-Chrysalis? Is that feeling you get mostly… uh… w-well… n-nice?”
The Changeling thought to herself for a moment, not yet noticing Fluttershy's utterly red face as she raised a hoof to her chin.
“Hmmmmm… yes, I suppose the feelings are somewhat pleasant. A nice warm feeling in my core, that’s strange… I wonder why an illness would make me feel nice…”
“Oh… o-oh my…”
“Ah! It’s spread to you too! Just what is this strange curse!?”
Oh sweet Celestia she had no idea what to do, her mouth suddenly dry, her heart thumping non stop as she was filled with heat.
“It’s… uh… well… not an… illness… e-exactly?”
Her words were only confusing Chrysalis more, her eyebrow rising as she awaited the pegasus to explain further.
“Are you certain? You appear quite distressed… something must be the matter if you are suffering similar effects! Is it some kind of cursed pony disease!?”
“W-well… it… n-no… I just… think t-that… eh… it sounds a l-little bit like… youhaveacrushonme!”
Utter silence fell, Fluttershy shaking and blushing while hiding behind her wings as the Changeling blinked, her own face growing increasingly redder.
“W-what!? What nonsense is that! That’s absurd! How could I- it doesn’t work! It makes no sense at all! How could I- I couldn’t… a-a Changeling can’t-”
She stammered to herself in shock, her brain struggling to wrap around the concept, her eyes wide as she continued to mutter to herself. Fluttershy managed to mostly regain her composure within time, though still bright red as she slowly formed the words she wanted to ask.
“W-well, what do you t-think of me?”
“Well… weak. I thought you were weak. You lack any kind of physical strength, but I was wrong. You're strong. Strong in ways I don’t think I ever can be. The way you offer your services so often to everything you see. Letting me stay here. You even offered some love to me. Willingly! Just so I could live! You are the most illogical pony I’ve met. And somehow, that makes me… a-ad- respect you all the more. I suppose…”
Fluttershy had to wonder if she had fallen into one of the comics she liked reading for a moment, Chrysalis acting like a total tsunderpony, something she had no idea how to deal with.
“I-I… wow… o-ok then… I don’t r-really know what to…”
“You don’t need to. I’ll leave now.”
The Changeling sighed, getting to her hooves and walking towards the door, the pegasus calling to her in confusion.
“W-wait! Where are you going? C-Chrysalis?”
“This is stupid. There’s no way this has a chance of working! Even considering trying it is a waste of time. I’ll leave now, and we can pretend this ne-”
Fluttershy was in front of her in an instant, eyes narrowed into the most intense stare the Changeling had ever witnessed, the sheer power causing her to step back.
“That’s not your decision to make! You can’t just run away after saying all that! Do you have any idea how impolite that is? Shouldn’t you be asking me what I think!? For Celestia’s sake, you can’t just do that!”
She turned even redder from her own words, muttering quietly afterwards.
“I m-mean… uh… if that’s o-ok with you?”
“I-I… huh? Why are you supporting this!? You should know this will never work! I am your enemy!”
“No! Y-you’re my… f-friend! Sure you're grouchy, grumpy, and clearly do not understand how attraction works. And… well… I don’t think I quite feel that way at the moment. But I still care for you! And… and maybe that can change overtime.”
Chrysalis blinked, not even catching the pegasus's words as she squeaked them out, the colours on her face looking like they were going to break though the colour spectrum.
“I… you mean that? Truly? You… care for me?”
“I-I do…”
She went silent, remaining in thought for a moment, her eyes wide as she whispered in shock.
“I… I care for you too. I think that’s what it is… it’s like… you’re part of my hive? Ugh, I have no idea how to explain this! I guess I want to say… thank you. But I… I still need to go.”
Still red, Fluttershy’s expression became just as shocked as the Changeling’s, her wings slightly stiff as she slowly tried putting them to her sides again.
“Y-you don’t need to! I’m fine with you staying here! You don’t need to leave!”
The Changeling looked down at her, her expression embarrassed, yet sincere as she stared at the pegasus.
“I knew you would say that. But I have duties elsewhere… I am a queen. And I have been neglecting my subjects for far too long. The scattered Changelings need direction. Besides… perhaps it’s time for a change in thinking for us. One that might take some getting used to...”
Fluttershy stared in shock, her eyes looking like they might drop out of her face at any moment, barely able to believe what she was hearing.
“R-really? All that b-because of… me? B-but… you’ll come b-back and visit right?”
Chrysalis scoffed, turning away with a prideful expression on her face, hoping it would hide the obvious blush on her face.
“O-of course I will! You are i-important to the changeling hive now! I’ll have to… e-ensure your safety as part of my royal duties! Not for anything else! And don’t you dare sell yourself short again!”
Well that settled it. She was definitely a tsunderpony. When did her life start to become a manga...
“I-I understand Chrysalis. Do y-you want to… come over next W-Wednesday then?”
The pony felt a faint flutter in her heart as Chrysalis walked past her, opening the door with her horn.
“That is… a-acceptable to me. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness, Fluttershy.”
She turned around, taking her first few steps outside, into the world she had known as cold and unforgiving, one where love had only existed to help the survival of her hive. Chrysalis shivered before quickly regaining her resolve, the memory of the pony behind her spurring her onwards more than the hive ever could.
“I’m… uh… looking f-forward to… s-seeing you again… if you can make it...”
Her voice rang out, filled with love and care as always, the tone that had quickly become her favourite sound of all.
She turned towards Fluttershy and slowly, let out a gentle smile of her own.
“What a coincidence. So am I.”
The smile she got in return was all she needed to drive her onwards.