Transcend - Part 3
#3 of Transcend
Chrysalis felt her heart in her throat, beating and throbbing in a frenzy of adrenaline. Celestia. Right here in Ponyville! Of all the worst possible occurrences, this was it!
Chrysalis had expected Canterlot to be carefully guarded after the incidents at the wedding; but it had never occurred to her that Ponyville would come under the scrutiny of the Princess herself.
Even after feeding on Shining Armour's love for so long, Chrysalis still had found it difficult to strike down the Alicorn. And now, reduced to leeching energy from mere affection? Celestia would toss her aside like a toy broken in a child's tantrum.
Casting her gaze about, Chrysalis considered hiding, cowering under the nearby apple cart until the danger passed.
Adrenaline flushed her system. Everything in her being told her to flee! To run! To hide! She fought it down as hard as she could. She was a Queen. She was calm, collected, and powerful. Nothing could fluster her.
But still, her heart thudded in her chest like a tiny drum being beat to an ever increasing tempo, and her limbs began to almost dance in place. She felt like a juvenile changeling again, caught in her first lie with a partner.
Only this time; if she was caught in a lie, she didn't have any magic to call upon to save the day.
Breathing growing heavy, Chrysalis looped the carry bag holding her purchases around her neck, and began to walk as calmly as she could towards the spot where she was to meet Evergreen.
There were several heavy thuds behind her, as the royal guards landed in anticipation of Celestia herself touching down.
Chrysalis felt a powerful jolt of fear, and her body demanded that she flee; that she sprint away into hiding. But she crushed her fear once more under the iron hoof of her willpower, ears splaying backwards as the inner conflict resulted in a little dancing mis-step.
The muscles in Chrysalis' neck quivered as she strove against the urge to look behind herself. She could feel eyes scrutinising her; but she willed herself not to look back, trying to control her breathing as she walked stiff-legged towards a building up ahead.
Chrysalis rounded the corner and almost collapsed, her legs turning to jelly. Her own breath rasped in her ears as she staggered against the wall, her eyes wide. She was scared. She hadn't felt fear like this in a long time. Of course Celestia was here! Her changelings had been scattered to the four winds by the spell; most certainly utterly destroyed; but Celestia had to be sure. Of course she was going to be checking the major population centres!
There was no way Chrysalis could leave Evergreen now. He was the biggest stroke of luck she'd ever had. A gullible pony who lived in the Everfree Forest, alone, and actually liked her enough to give her energy? He was a gift from the heavens!
Forcing her recalcitrant limbs into action, Chrysalis picked up her pace, cantering towards the next intersection. A feminine, commanding voice call out; "Halt there!"
Chrysalis shot a nervous glance over her shoulder,and shuddered as she saw Princess Celestia herself raising a hoof in her direction, directing the guards to pursue her.
Chrysalis' heart found her mouth again, and she dove headlong through the streets as fast as she could. She dodged left and right, not even bothering to look behind her. She slipped around a cart being pulled by a large red pony and bolted behind a building several streets away before she risked stopping to take a few deep breaths, looking around wildly. There were no sounds of pursuit behind her, and she began to relax.
The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up, and she shivered slightly, slowly looking upwards. A Royal Guard with a spear was hovering right above her, a spear pointed resolutely in her direction, its tip rock-steady in front of her nose.
Chrysalis' eyes widened, and she cast her eyes left and right. She feinted left, and then leaped to the right as the Guard dropped down onto the ground and bounded after her. He was confused by her feint and ending up missing her with a lunge of his hooves.
Chrysalis felt the fear pumping into her veins, giving her speed and strength. Royal Guards began to drop out of the sky all around her, hitting the ground with heavy thuds, their limbs splayed for balance. Their spears came down to form a preventative wall to stop her from advancing.
Crysalis reared up on her hooves as she came to a halt, and then swiveled, turning to head back the other direction. She planted her forehooves and sprinted hard down the length of the road as Royal Guards seemed to appear from everywhere. Every turn she tried to take was blocked off by a spear-wielding royal guard. She would have to flee into the forest and hide.
Already, she was trying to ascertain how much energy she had left. How long she could survive alone without anyone to leech off.
But then-
Bam!
Chrysalis went wheeling off to the side as she impacted something rather heavy, pliable, but ultimately unyielding, losing her balance and tumbling to the ground. She rolled once or twice and slid several feet before coming to a halt, dazed.
A shadow fell across Chrysalis, and she looked up, and up, and up to the scowling face of Princess Celestia.
Chrysalis began to hyperventilate, her head pounding, and her limbs shaking. She was terrified now. There was no other words she could think of to express just what kinds of emotions she was dealing with at that moment.
Celestia herself had found her, when she was weakened, vulnerable and friendless. Horrifying images of what could happen went through her mind; being turned to stone. Being banished to the moon to suffer a slow, black death of starvation, or even just killed there on the spot.
A helpless squeak left Chrysalis, and she scurried towards a nearby cart as the owners fled the scene. She dove behind a basket of strawberries and covering her head in her hooves, feeling tears starting to break ou. Her limbs shook as she shuddered in abject terror and in a detached part of her mind, she realised she was crying. Surely, she was the master of fake tears; but these were real, unwanted tears streaming down her cheeks. She heard hoof-falls advancing on her flimsy cover as the princess stalked closer.
And all Chrysalis could think was: I don't want to die.
The Queen of the Changelings, reduced to a bawling infant by circumstance.
"Oi! What yer doing!" called a voice. Chrysalis lifted her head in time to see Evergreen muscling his way between the guards to rush towards both Celestia and herself.
"I am investigating this suspicious new unicorn." Celestia stated, lifting her head to its full, regal height.
"Yer scaring her half ter death!" Evergreen protested, moving to stand between them, shielding Chrysalis from the Princess.
"Stand aside," Celestia said, her eyes narrowing. Magic sparked dangerously at the top of her horn.
"I will do no such thing!" Evergreen said, his eyes narrowing, standing up to his full height, which was much diminished over Celestia'sown.
"That there is Cee, adopted daughter of mah brother, and yer scaring the wits outta her!" Evergreen protested, striding forwards and actually poking the princess in the chest with his hoof.
Chrysalis could only stare, eyes wide and scared, awed by Evergreen's actions. The dumb oaf was staring down Princess Celestia, just for her!
"Yer didn't know that her elder brothers told her tales of Princesses tracking down and eatin' unicorns, didja?!" Evergreen demanded of Celestia, poking her again.
Celestia recoiled a moment, staring down at the woodspony with a gauging glare.
"Yer just making her think th' worst of ya!" Evergreen said, pointing a hoof towards Canterlot on the mountain in the distance. "Now get outta here and stop scarin' mah family; Princess or no princess, Ah'll fight to see her not scared!"
The Princess seemed taken aback by the fire in the pony's eyes, and she looked past him at the cowering unicorn for a moment, her expression softening.
"I'll not harm her, I promise." Celestia said with a bow, closing her eyes a moment in deference to Evergreen, before pushing past him gently to crouch in front of Chrysalis.
"Hey there, you," Celestia said tenderly.
Chrysalis could only whimper in response, convulsing in abject terror as the princess, and her deadly horn, came closer. A single blast from that horn could end her existence or bring a literal lifetime of misery. Celestia had only need suspect that she was who she was.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Celestia soothed, leaning forwards to nuzzle gently against Chrysalis' muzzle in a comforting fashion.
Chrysalis felt herself begin to break down as the Princess rubbed her muzzle against her own, tears streaming down her face, sobs starting in her throat as she tried weakly to get away. She didn't care that everyone could see her. She didn't care that her pride in that moment was non-existent. She was just scared, scared and alone. In any second, Celestia's expression would change to one of anger, and her horn would burn her existence from this world. Chrysalis knew it.
She knew it.
But then, Celestia drew back and turned away, bowing to Evergreen.
"I bid you a good day." Celestia said, walking away.
The royals guards around Chrysalis and Evergreen slowly peeled off to follow, returning to their patrol.
Chrysalis barely noticed, lost in her own world. A gentle nudge from Evergreen brought her out of her reverie and she whimpered, pressing her terrified form close to his own.
A pair of eyes watched from a nearby alleyway, narrowing slowly on Chrysalis. The shopkeeper from the alchemy store gave a wicked smile.
"C'mon. Ah'll keep yer safe," he soothed, strokinga hoof through Chrysalis' mane.
Chrysalis nodded dumbly and followed after Evergreen as he lead the way towards the outskirts of town. She barely made it to the second treeline before she collapsed into a sobbing ball, rocking back and forth and hugging herself with her hooves. She had never tasted fear before; not like that. Feeling Celestia's flesh against her own had scarred her mind. She would never forget it. A mere inch from obliteration.
Thoughts of what could have happened had Evergreen not been there and not been so quick to think, thundered through her mind. Their vibrantly morbid possibilities chased away conscious thought, leaving her watching a mental slideshow of her own obliteration.
A pair of warm hooves wrapped around her, and Chrysalis gasped as her unwilling imaginations were broken. She clung to Evergreen then, as though he were driftwood in a raging river. She pressed close to him to feel the warmth of his body against hers to reassure herself that she was still whole as she sobbed into his mane.
She was the Queen of the Changelings. But right now she just felt like a lost child in a large world with no one to turn to, alone and vulnerable. Evergreen was her one salvation, her one anchor in the world to keep her from drifting away, lost to the annals of time as a mere footnote. She clung to him with an iron grip as she buried her head in his mane and cried until she could regain her senses.
Chrysalis felt stupid. Reduced to a weeping, sobbing infant in front of her adversary. She was weak, and she disgusted herself.
She drew back slightly from Evergreen's comforting embrace and stared at him for a long moment, lifting a hoof to rub at a stained tear trail on her cheek.
"You will never speak of this. To myself, or anyone else. Ever." Chrysalis breathed, amazed at how unsteady her voice was.
"Ah don't know what yer talking about, ma'am," Evergreen said with a slight bow.
Chrysalis blinked once, before realisting that he was acquiescing to her terms.
"You are either the bravest pony I ever met, or the stupidest," Chrysalis stated, staring at Evergreen and shaking her head slowly.
"Ah always thought the main difference between bravery and stupidity was forethought," Evergreen said with a nod and a grin.
Chrysalis stared at Evergreen for another long moment. "Stop that. Deep phrases don't gel well with that mane."
"Yes ma'am. I will stick with talkin' bout flowers and herbs," he promised.
Chrysalis stared at Evergreen again, biting her bottom lip, looking left and right, her ears splaying backwards. "...I... Uhm..."
Evergreen raised a brow curiously.
"I... Just..." Chrysalis looked down at her forehooves nervously, and then threw her hooves around his neck, giving his cheek a fleeting kiss.
"Thank you," Chrysalis breathed against his ear, before pulling back quickly and turning away, standing awkwardly in place, refusing to meet his gaze.
"We're gonna have ter git moving or we won't get back before night." Evergreen said, still composed completely, covering for her nervous embarrassment by not acknowledging her show of gratitude. He, quite correctly, surmised that it would be best not to dwell on it.
"Well...Let's go," Chrysalis breathed, shuddering and peering back at the town. The Royal Guards were all peeling off from the town now, circling about the area, having finished their sweep of the town. But she was still shaking slightly, scared of how close she had come to being exposed.
By the time Chrysalis and Evergreen reached the cottage again, it was almost night. Chrysalis had calmed. She felt stupid. Stupid, vulnerable, and embarrassed. She, a queen, had fallen apart completely in front of everyone. She still remembered the touch of that fear. It was pervasive. She had never felt fear like that before; to be so close to destruction.
Just the thought of Celestia touching her made her shudder. She had been so close. Literally nose-to-nose.
Chrysalis shuddered and shook her head as she closed the door of the cottage behind her. She paused, blinking down at the empty fireplace.
"I'll get the wood." Chrysalis stated, tossing her mane once. "You, go fill the bath."
Evergreen raised a brow at that, and then nodded slowly.
"Ah'll get on it right away." Evergreen said, placing down his sack on the bed, and moving out the back door to the little room holding the cauldron.
Chrysalis reversed direction and instead made her way outside to the wood stack, peering up at the high stacks of wood. She began to tug down one after another, placing them haphazardly on the sled until she deemed it full. She then dragged it around to the front of the cottage, pushing open the door and dragging the load of wood inside.
Chrysalis hummed to herself as she set down a series of blocks in the fireplace. Once there was enough wood there, she dragged the rest into the back room, moving around Evergreen to place them under the cauldron. It felt nice to be self-sufficient. Soon enough, she would have no one to help her. She had to leave Equestria, that much was certain.
Once she had enough energy from Evergreen, she would trek across the country until she could seduce her way off the continent. Her run-in with Celestia had her scared.
"Why yer so eager for a bath?" he asked, peeking at her for a moment as he pumped the water up into the cauldron.
"I'm not." Chrysalis stated, turning to face him. "I'm eager for you to have a bath, you filthy beast. Look at you. I've seen cleaner things dredged up from the swamps."
Evergreen rolled his eyes at that, slipping into the cottage proper to retrieve a box of matches. He lit up the fire with a deft flick of a match.
Chrysalis watched the fire grow under the cauldron, giving it a few minutes before turning her gaze towards Evergreen. "Alright, in you get."
The stallion nodded, and then pulled himself up over the rim of the cauldron and then inside. He slipped into the warm water, coming up with a wet mane, giving his head a little bit of a shake.
"And now..." Chrysalis said, undoing the pouch at her neck and reaching inside, pulling out a comb and a pair of scissors. "Now...You get a manecut,"
Several years previously, Chrysalis had taken the place of a hairdresser for a month. Her first cuts had been horrible; she blamed them on being sick. But she had gotten into it after a while and, by the end of the month, she was quite the cutter. Not the best, certainly, but she had stopped receiving complaints.
Evergreen stared at the scissors in her hooves, his ears splaying back. "...Do yer have ter?"
"Yes, I must. You look like a small animal died on your head and stayed there," Chrysalis said, advancing on him with the comb. She dug it into his mane, starting to drag it back to the end of the long locks, tugging at it to get the knots out.
A soft yelp left the woodspony. Chrysalis scowled at him, lifting her hooves to hold his head still.
"Grow up, foal." Chrysalis growled, as she continued to work the comb through his mane. "Your mane looks like a birds nest!"
"Ah don't have ter make it look all fancy!" Evergreen complained, but brought up no further argument, only wincing as Chrysalis dragged the comb through his mane.
Once Chrysalis was done straightening Evergreen's mane with the comb, out came the scissors. She gently ran the comb through his mane and then snipped off the end with the scissors. She took her time, being careful and delicate. The cuttings landed on the floor, to be cleaned up later.
After several long minutes of intense concentration, Chrysalis gave a faint sound of satisfaction and stepped back, stretching her hooves to get the cricks out. "There. Done."
Evergreen relaxed slowly, giving a sigh of relief. He reached a hoof up to check his mane, making sure Chrysalis hadn't cut it right back. He was rather happy with how long his mane was. He didn't want to look like some prancy unicorn. That just wasn't him.
"Okay, now get out," Chrysalis said, pointing a hoof. "I want in."
The colt gave a faint laugh and shook his head, pulling himself out of the cauldron and stretching for a long moment, before pulling a towel around his body and vigorously drying himself.
Chrysalis hummed faintly as she set aside the pouch holding, comb, and scissors. Pulling herself into the cauldron she gave sound of delight.
Evergreen watched Chrysalis for a long moment, his head canting to the side, smiling at her. She didn't open her eyes as she happily stretched out as much as she could in the cauldron of heated water, resting her chin on the edge of it. He moved off to check his reflection in a mirror, to make sure she hadn't butchered his mane.
Resting in the water, Chrysalis felt the bond gather more strength. She smiled.
"Yer sure do like yer baths," Evergreen stated as he stood at the door, watching Chrysalis with a canted head.
"There is something peaceful about this," Chrysalis said with a happy sigh. "The water is so lulling, and calm."
"Ah know how yer feel," Evergreen responded with a smile. He slipped into the room and movied over to the shelf, picking through the flowers he had drying.
"I am in no danger of falling sick," Chrysalis said quickly, watching warily as Evergreen rummaged through his herbs, fearing that he had another plant to stuff against her nose.
"Ah'm not digging fer that," Evergreen said, shooting her a look over his shoulder. "Ah'm looking for this."
Evergreen held up a rather strange looking herb, leaning in to sniff at it for a moment. "This is what ah'm looking fer. Hospitals use it fer putting in drinks."
"Why would a hospital put things in drinks?" Chrysalis asked with a wrinkled nose.
"It's a relaxant," Evergreen explained with a smile, waving the plant at her. "If yer strain it right, it doesn't have any taste at all. It just makes yer very, very relaxed."
"I am already quite relaxed," Chrysalis stated calmly.
"Yer think that now," Evergreen said with a grin, tossing the herb into the flames beneath the cauldron. As the herb shrivelled up and began to smoke, he stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Chrysalis felt a momentary touch of alarm as Evergreen left so abruptly, but.. she trusted him. As the acrid scent of the burning herb filled her nostrils, she blinked. Her shoulders drooped, and then her eyelids followed, almost closing. Every single muscle in her body relaxed and she gave a low groan of utter bliss.
Evergreen returned with some blocks of wood. As he nudged them under the cauldron to light it up again and keep it warm, he grinned at her. "Nice, isn't it?"
Chrysalis tried to frame a response, but it was unintelligible, fading out into a soft groan.
The stallion grinned slightly, shaking his head, and then moving back over to the shelf. He return with a spiky fern, snapping it in half and slathering the sap of it across his hooves. "Now, just relax."
A soft, indecisive sound left Chrysalis. She wanted to relax, but every single muscle was already so soft and pliable.
Evergreen's hooves pressed against her shoulders, and one of her eyes opened to peer back at him. She remembered that morning, when she would have imagined horrible things upon him for merely touching her, and now? She... didn't care. Not even a little bit.
And oh wow. His hooves felt good. Each press of his hooves seemed to just wash away in her muscles. Even after the relaxation caused by the herb being burned, there was a second layer of tension that was just so deeply ingrained that she didn't even know it was there until it was washed away.
A soft moan left Chrysalis' lips as the hooves pressed more firmly into her form, and she just sank into a blissful darkness unde Evergreen's touch. It was just so relaxing. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. It was like sleeping on a cloud. She had actually done just that many a time when masquerading as a pegasus, but this was so much more relaxing.
Even the hard edge of the cauldron under her chin felt soft and gentle.
At some point, Chrysalis drifted off, because her eyes blinked open lazily as she felt herself being pulled out of the water. She staggered slightly, leaning heavily against the stallion with a faint sound, her eyes half-closed and her thoughts foggy. She couldn't bring herself to support her full weight.
A towel was draped over her shoulders and a vigorous scrubbing motion rapidly removed lingering water from her fur.
And then she was being ushered towards the bed; and Evergreen was saying something to her in that cute accent of his. 'Yer gotta lay down' or something. And then she was on the bed. And it was divine. She was just so relaxed. She just wanted to sleep.
Chrysalis felt the stallion beginning to move away; and even though she couldn't lift her head, she managed to murmur a command. "Lay with me."
The stallion returned after a moment, his weight touching the edge of the bed. "Ah didn't quite catch that, ma'am."
"Lay with me," Chrysalis flatly stated again, not even opening her eyes.
Evergreen shifted and moved away for a moment before returning. She felt the heavy weight of a blanket fall across her form and then the stallion worming in underneath them, carefully lying so that their forms weren't touching.
"Stupid oaf. Put a hoof over me," Chrysalis breathed, her tone short and demanding.
A soft chuckle sounded as though from far away and Chrysalis felt Evergreen squirm up against her back. "I'll have yer know, this was yer idea, so if yer have any complaints in the mornin' Ah'm gonna ignore em."
"Tomorrow is tomorrow," Chrysalis murmured faintly. "Now throw a hoof over me before I have to come over there and make you regret being so reluctant."
Another soft chuckle left the colt and he shifted against her. A hoof lifted, and then laid over her chest gently as he rested his nose against her mane.
Chrysalis shifted almost imperceptibly so that she could feel the warmth and friction of his form against her own, just so she knew he was there.
So relaxed, soothed, laying in bed with a colt up against her.
Was this how couples felt when they lay in bed? Of all the stallions she'd lain in the same bed with, she had never felt anything for them at all. It wasn't as though she was in love with Evergreen. She was fond of the big dumb oaf, she decided. He was... different. But lying with someone that she could see as well... as a pony rather than a mobile source of energy... well, it was certainly intriguing.
Maybe the blast from Cadance and Shining Armour had addled her senses. Maybe she was getting weak, or soft in her old age. But... all she knew was that this was nice. She had never been one for really relaxing like this. The need for energy was always present in her, a yawning hunger needing sating. But lying here with the warmth of a stallion against her back, a strong foreleg over her chest, and the added effects of the herb and whatever he had put on his hooves before massaging her, it was nice.
If Chrysalis weren't so relaxed, she would have been alarmed with the realisation that she was actually content. She was laying in a bed with a woodspony whom she wouldn't even have dreamed of allowing to touch her such a short time ago. And now she was content to lay in bed with him.
A part of her mind screamed for her to deny the relaxation, to shift and become uncomfortable and be the strong ruler that she was always intended to be.
But the relaxed part of her mind squashed it with an iron hoof. She was Cee, the Unicorn.
She was, for once, content.
A ray of sunlight woke Chrysalis and she stretched slowly, languidly. her forehooves pressed forwards slowly, shoulders tensing, and then relaxing in a glorious sensation of luxuriousness. She felt great. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so content.
After stretching, Chrysalis paused, her eyes blinking open. She stared at the wall of the cottage for a moment. Something was slightly amiss.
She was alone.
The warm weight of a hoof was no longer resting across her back, and Chrysalis actually felt mildly misled.
That big, stupid oaf. What right did he have to abandon her like that? How was she supposed to know what it felt like to wake up in some colt's arms that she actually had a mild affection for, if he wasn't there?
A faint sound of suppressed anger left Chrysalis and she willed her recalcitrant body to roll over, peering around the cottage. She blinked a little as she saw that Evergreen wasn't there. The cottage was empty.
Taken by the strangest urge, Chrysalis rolled out of bed, and pulled the blanket tight about her shoulders, leaning down to peer under the bed for a moment. Well, he wasn't there, either.
Huffing, Chrysalis moved over to the back door and pressed it open, looking about. Evergreen wasn't in that room, or the bathing cauldron, either!
With a scowl, Chrysalis turned around, looking about, unsure on where Evergreen was. She moved over to the fireplace. It was already stoked and crackling nicely. But there was no indication on how long he had been gone.
Chrysalis splayed her ears as she cast her gaze about again. She felt... alone. It was bothersome. As she lay down in front of the fire, she decided that Evergreen needed a proper lesson about making her to wake up alone.
The front door opened and Chrysalis' head shot up, eyes dilating as they blinked open. and she turned to stare at Evergreen pointedly, eyes narrowing. "And where were you?"
"Ah was gathering flowers." Evergreen said, jingling his sack in response, letting her hear the clinking of glass. "There are some flowers that only bloom in the morning; and some that only bloom at midnight. Ah gotta rise early ter get the morning ones."
"But...That...Just...No excuse!" Chrysalis growled in response, pointing at Evergreen.
"Didja miss me?" Evergreen teased, placing down his sack full of jars and perking an ear upwards.
"I did not," Chrysalis hissed vehemently. But a tiny voice in the back of her mind asked: had she? He she really missed that dumb oaf when she woke up and couldn't find him?
"Ah think yer lying, Princess," Evergreen said with a grin as he moved to lie besides her, stretching his forehooves towards the fire to warm them.
Chrysalis glared at Evergreen for a long moment. She growled and shuffled closer. so she could flick the other end of the blanket over his form. After resting her head on her forehooves, she said coldly, "You will wake me before you leave next time."
"Ahh... Yer looked so cute when yer were sleeping. Couldn't bring myself ter wake yer," Evergreen admitted, shaking his head a moment.
"I am not cute," Chryselis scowled, "I am beautiful. A filly is cute."
Evergreen rolled his eyes a moment, bopping Chrysalis on the nose with a hoof, watching her flail her own hoof at him in retaliation with a grin. "Cute."
Chrysalis gave an angry huff at him. "Dumb oaf!"
"So. Cute," Evergreen teased, grinning at her and bopping her nose again.
"I am going to remove your hoof if you do that again," Chrysalis stated flatly.
Evergreen waggled his hoof in front of her nose. "But then Ah wouldn't be able to give yer another massage."
"I would sew it back on with twine," Chrysalis said sweetly, batting her eyelids at him.
Evergreen rolled his eyes again, and then said confidently, "Yer wouldn't harm me. Yer too fond of me."
"You are such a big, stupid oaf," Chrysalis said with a shake of her head, tempering it with a smile. "...But you're alright."
Evergreen grinned at that. "And yer a stuffy unicorn. but yer alright, too, Princess. Ah'll have ter get going again soon. Ah need more things from Ponyville. Couldn't get them all when we were there yesterday."
"But it's so early," Chrysalis said, a faint whine working its way into her tone.
"Ah'm gonna be doing the mountain trail today. There's herbs at the summit that the alchemists wanna get their hooves on. And ah gotta leave soon or ah'll not get to Ponyville in time.
Chrysalis snorted dismissively, shifting closer to the woodspony. "Put your hoof over me."
Evergreen raised a brow, not acquiescing, and saying unhappily, "Ah have to go."
"Shut up, oaf," Chrysalis said flatly, scowling and worming her way in under his foreleg, placing it just so against her side. "I will go to Ponyville for you."
"Ah... don't know if that'll be such a good idea," Evergreen said uncertainly.
"I won't get lost." Chrysalis scowled, shaking her head for a moment. "There's a path. And I'll leave a trail when I'm walking."
"Ah'm not so afraid that yer'll get lost. Ah'm more worried for anypony who yer come across while yer walking." Evergreen teased with a grin. "And that yer will 'negotiate' with half ah Ponyville."
"I will contain my entrepreneurial nature while I am in Ponyville," Chrysalis stated, squirming in against him more closely and then resting her head on her forehooves, closing her eyes. "Now shush, oaf."
A soft chuckle left the woodspony and her squeezed her gently with his foreleg, laying his head down besides her as well.
A few hours later found Chrysalis in Ponyville, carrying a small sack over her shoulder. Within was a jar of niteshade and several other plants she was to sell at the local alchemists.
Thankfully, all of Celestia's Royal guards seemed to have return to Canterlot; they were nowhere to be found. If Chrysalis was right, the guards would only sweep Ponyville once every day, maybe twice, looking for ponies who were out of place.
First, Chrysalis sold the flowers and herbs to the alchemy stores. Finishing there, carry pouch jingling happily with bits, she went to the unicorn's store to sell the niteshade. She would relish the shopkeeper's fear of her. It was nice to be feared and respected.
The bell atop the door jingled as Chrysalis pushed it open, and she smiled as she trotted up to the counter.
The shopkeeper looked up over the top of a newspaper, raising a brow at her. "Good morning."
Immediately Chrysalis saw that something was amiss. He wasn't afraid of her.
"You remember me?" Chrysalis asked sweetly, trying to jog his memory of her previous threats.
"Indeed," he stated. "Evergreen's apprentice?"
Blinking once, Chrysalis gave an uncertain nod. Somehow, she felt as though she had just walked into a dragon's den. Swallowing down the feeling of foreboding, she pulled out the jar of niteshade, placing it on the counter. "I wish to sell this."
"I'll give you a good price for that." The shopkeeper said with a pleasant smile, reaching into the till and dropping two bits into her hoof.
Chrysalis stared at him for a moment, still holding out her hoof as he went back to reading his newspaper.
Chrysalis cleared her throat after a moment, quite loudly. The newspaper lowered, and the shopkeeper raised a brow. "Is there a problem?"
"This is insufficient," Chrysalis said, motioning towards the two bits with her nose.
"Actually, that is quite a good price," the shopkeeper countered.
Chrysalis growled, dropping the bits onto the counter and then jumping up to put both hooves on the counter. She scowled at him over it, her eyes narrowing. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
"In fact, I have a better idea than you think," he replied calmly. He dropped the newspaper down onto the counter with a sly grin, his eyes narrowing.
Chrysalis' ears splayed backwards at the change in the shopkeeper's demeanor. "...What?"
"Well, first, you were Cee, Evergreen's apprentice; and then suddenly, his uncle's adopted child?" he asked, arching a brow with a shrewd smile.
"You didn't think I could be both?!" Chrysalis asked, scowling at him, her eyes narrowing slowly.
The shopkeeper gave a faint laugh and then shook his head, saying in a silky tone, "You are actually Evergreen's brother's adopted child, or so the story goes. Your cover needs a little work."
Chrysalis's ears flattened once more, and she recoiled slightly. She bit her bottom lip a moment, realising that she had been caught in a fallacy.
"Ah. It's a helpless feeling, isn't it?" the shopkeeper said with a sly grin. "Knowing that your fate is held in the hoof of someone else."
Chrysalis slipped her hooves from the counter, ears dropping, head held low. "What do you want?"
"I want for you to give me the niteshade for two bits," the shopkeeper stated calmly, grinning.
"That's...it?" Chrysalis asked, seemingly surprised, raising a brow at him for a moment. "You are a gentlecolt."
The shopkeeper looked confused. "How do you mean?"
"Oh...it's nothing," Chrysalis said, forlornly taking the two bits and putting them in her pouch.
"No. Tell me," the shopkeeper ordered, his eyes narrowing.
Chrysalis sat on her haunches, turning slightly so that her mane covered her face from his view. "It's just that...a lot of colts in your position would take advantage of their position of power a lot more readily. Having a young mare all alone in their shop, at their whims..."
Trailing off, Chrysalis moved towards the door, lifting a hoof to open it as she said, "So...thank you."
The shopkeeper bounded around the counter, quickly placing a hoof on the door to stop her. He grinned down at her for a long moment, his eyes bright and eager. He carefully slipped the sign over to 'closed'. "Actually...I am not nearly as gentlemanly as you thought."
Chrysalis whimpered faintly as the shopkeeper ushered her into one of the back rooms. Affecting the guise of an innocent, helpless mare, bottom lip quivering, she asked, "W-what do you want?"
"...I want you," the shopkeeper replied with a low, eager growl. "And I will have you. And if you don't let me, I'll tell the Royal Guard all about your little cover story. And whatever troubles you have will all come following you here."
Chrysalis let tears spring up in her eyes as he pressured her into a storeroom. The shelves were all stocked with jars and vials of alchemical ingredients, most of them bright and colourful. She knew from studies of nature that the more brightly coloured a thing was, the more likely it was to be poisonous.
The stallion closed the door behind them, licking his lips. Chrysalis could hear that his breathing had increased in tempo, the shopkeeper growing more eager as his eyes roamed over her form.
"V-very well," Chrysalis breathed, shuddering as she turned to face him.
With a low growl, he leaned into kiss at her neck and along her mane eagerly. Chrysalis tentatively lifted a hoof to touch at his own.
"I-I don't know what to do..." Chrysalis whined, her ears pinning back.
"Touch me," he growled commandingly.
Chrysalis went quiet, lifting her hooves to run through his long mane, her ears splaying backwards. He hadn't given her a choice, really. She had to do this. But... that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it, did it? She leaned closer to him, letting their chests touch.
"Lay down." Chrysalis husked, pressing on his shoulders with her forehooves.
The shopkeeper gave a low growl of delight, and nodded eagerly. He laid himself down on the cold floor of the stock room, grinning up at her naively.
Chrysalis stared down at him for a moment, moving to straddle his form, her stomach resting on his back as she gently kneaded her hooves through his mane. She rested her nose against his forehead, just above his horn, staring down into his eyes. Her own eyes closed and she let out a shuddering breath, gently twining her hooves through his mane. The strands were just long enough for what she intended.
"I-I want to tell y-you what my secret is," Chrysalis breathed, her tone nervous. Her eyes remaining closed the entire time.
The unicorn stallion grinned up at her for a moment, his head canting slightly. "Go on."
Chrysalis' eyes flicke open... but they weren't their usual pink. They were an unearthly, demonic green. A low laugh bubbled from her throat as the stallion's eyes widened. Grinning evilly, she leaned in to breathe into his ear in a gentle tone. "I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings."
A look of horror crossed the shopkeeper's face. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but it was already too late. Chrysalis' hooves, carefully positioned since the start, crossed quickly and then began to squeeze. Pulled taught, his own mane was now closing his windpipe. Standing over him, Chrysalis was in the perfect position to hold him down with her weight as she began to choke the life from him with his very own mane.
Chrysalis leaned in closer, watching with evident interest and relish as the life slowly drained from his eyes. The wide, scared orbs quivering slightly, misting over as the body beneath her began to go still. A soft, faint gurgle bubbled up from the shopkeepers throat, his tongue splaying from his mouth as it fell open. His eyes rolled upwards, and his faint struggles ceased.
Chrysalis smiled down at him as she released his mane and shifted to rub a gentle hoof along his chin, leaning down to whisper lovingly into an ear, "I told you I would destroy you..."
Rising to her hooves again, Chrysalis calmly moved over to the door, opening it and slipping out to the counter.
Closing her eyes, Chrysalis let her magic wash over her, returning her eyes to normal. She picked up the jar of niteshade she had brought. Humming happily, she picked out eighteen more bits from the till, placed them in her pouch, and then kicked over a broom resting on the wall, to make it appear as though the shopkeeper had tripped.
Chrysalis closed her eyes again and began to breath in and out rapidly, working up to helpless sobs. Tears started to stream down her face as she turned and tossed the glass jar over her shoulder into the storeroom, hearing it shatter with a satisfying sound.
Holding her breath, Chrysalis walked to the front door and flipped the sign over to 'open', to make everything appear as it was when she arrived. She then took several steps backwards, squaring her stance. She bounded over to the front door at full speed, crashing right through the glass, landing in a splayed heap in front of the ship. She felt cuts all over her face and neck from the broken glass.
Chrysalis staggered to her hooves as eyes were drawn to the crashing of the glass, and she began to whimper out helpless cries.
"Help! H-help!"
Chrysalis sobbed as she bolted towards the nearest group of stunned bystanders.
"You have to help!" Chrysalis screamed, seemingly in hysterics. "He tripped and fell and it shattered and he's not moving!"
The stunned assortment of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi all stared at her. Chrysalis whimpered faintly, pointing with a hoof towards the shattered door. "He's not moving!"
There was a shuffle of movement, as a stallion began to bound towards the shattered door
Chrysalis waited until the stallion grew close to stepping into the store itself before she called out. "W-wait! Don't go in!"
The stallion paused a moment, staring back at her for a long moment.
"H-he shattered a bottle of Niteshade!" Chrysalis whimpered, shaking her head rapidly. "D-don't go in or you'll get poisoned as well!"
A murmur of concern rippled throughout the crowd of ponies. One of the pegasi peeled off from the group and streaked into the sky, heading for Canterlot.
Chrysalis collapsed in the street, curling into a ball and rocking back and forth, letting the tears stream down her cheeks.
"You have to save him! You have to!" Chrysalis wailed as the ponies milled around the entrance of the shop helplessly.
It was several long, tense minutes before Princess Celestia herself arrived, dropping out of the sky like a stone. Her horn glowed brightly, and a pink bubble appeared around her form before she bolted through the front door of the store. She didn't bother opening it, just crushing the entire thing off its hinges in her haste, pushing through to the store room. There was silence outside the building, as the crowd waited expectantly, watching with bated breath.
The Celestia that emerged was much more subdued than the one that had entered. A large shape covered in a white sheet levitated in front of her, encased also in a pink bubble to keep any lingering spores from being spread throughout the crowd.
The bundle was placed on the ground and Celestia turned. She placed her glowing horn against the front of the building, causing a large pink bubble to erect around it, shielding it from the ponies.
"No one is to enter this store!" Celestia called, as the bubble surrounding herself shimmered out of existence. She pointed a hoof at Chrysalis. "You, come."
Chrysalis lifted her tear-stained face and let her eyes meet the princess', her ears splaying backwards.
"I-I'm s-sorry...I-It's all m-my fault," Chrysalis murmured, meekly starting to follow the princess, feeling her heart starting to beat faster in her chest.
Celestia led the changeling towards the largest gap in the crowd, motioning for them to open their ranks. The sheet-covered body of the shopkeeper was carried on soft magic several feet off the ground, leading the way. Celestia turned to regard Chrysalis with piercing pink eyes, asking sharply, "Your fault?
Nodding shakily, Chrysalis gave a soft whimper. "I-It's all my fault, I-I shouldn't h-have been arguing with him... I-I just wanted a better price for the niteshade so my uncle would be proud of me... b-but I only distracted him a-and he didn't notice the broom. It knocked a jar off the shelf a-and he shook a little bit and then he just collapsed..."
The princess nodded as she led Chrysalis out of town. Celestia ushering her behind a stand of trees beside the road. Her horn began to glow, glimmering with energy.
Chrysalis inhaled, ears splaying backwards and heart fluttering in fear. Was this the moment? Was she found out? She tried her best not to wince or shudder as yellow magic flowed over her form. It felt like a high wind, brushing over her and sweeping through her mane and tail, picking up force and intensity as time went on. She was forced to squint into the rushing wind, and then close her eyes to protect them.
Turning her head downwards towards the flow of air, Chrysalis tried to form a better profile for the wind to rush over, instead of buffeting against her.
And then it was over. The wind died down as quickly as it started, as the princess looked her up and down appraisingly. "The pouch. Remove it."
Chrysalis blinked a moment, her ears splaying back. She lifted a hoof tentatively to undo the clasp of her carry pouch and place it carefully aside.
Celestia's horn began to glow once more and a rain cloud drifted down from the sky to rest above Chrysalis. A quick twist of Celestia's head caused the cloud to empty all over the unicorn, drenching her instantly in a heavy torrent of water. She was left standing there on splayed legs, eyes wide, dripping wet.
The Princess looked Chrysalis over for a moment, sniffing once. "There. That should be adequate,"
Chrysalis stood there, dripping wet, blinking slowly.
"Are you okay?" Celestia asked, her demeanor changing a little bit, her tone softening.
Chrysalis peered up at the princess for a long moment, her ears pinned back against her skull. She was dripping wet, shivering, and cold.
"I-I don't t-think so," Chrysalis murmured, shaking her head.
A soft, helpless sigh left the Princess. "I'm sorry, Cee. But...these things happen, try... try not to dwell on it."
"I watched him die..." Chrysalis replied in a quiet tone. "I watched him die and I didn't even help..."
Celestia nodded understandingly, "You couldn't have done anything. Niteshade is a potent poison... and he probably inhaled a great deal of it when the jar shattered. If you had tried to help, you'd likely be joining him.".
"It...It doesn't help me feel any better," Chrysalis responded in a small voice.
The Princess gave a soft sound and stepped forwards to nudge Chrysalis reassuringly with her nose. "Don't dwell on it. It will destroy you. No one is going to blame you for what happened."
"...Promise?" Chrysalis asked hopefully, ears perking upwards.
"Promise," Celestia confirmed, rubbing her nose against the unicorn's soothingly. "Now... Go. Get home. Try not to... think on what happened."
"I'll try..." Chrysalis responded quietly as the Princess turned and began to walk down the path again, carefully holding the bundle of sheets in front of her with her magic.
"P-princess?" Chrysalis queried, before Celestia had gotten too far down the path.
Celestia paused, peering back over her shoulder.
"Y-you're alright," Chrysalis muttered, staring down at her hooves.
Celestia nodded and inclined her head in respect to the unicorn's words. She smiled sadly a moment and then continued to move down the path.
It was several minutes before Chrysalis managed to get control of her heart and breathing enough to think coherently. Shivering, she leaned down and picked up her carry case. She clipped it back around her neck, and turned to head back into Ponyville.
Chrysalis wore a sad mask as she picked her way between carts and whispering ponies, but inside, she was smiling. She had duped Celestia herself. The Princess didn't even suspect that the Queen of the Changelings was right there in front of her the entire time. And her little 'incident' with the shopkeeper had gone very smoothly.
As Chrysalis dug around in her carry pouch for the shopping list that Evergreen put together, she allowed herself to exult in her triumph. After that, there was no need to doubt that she was still the same queen she used to be... But then, that left the interesting question of Evergreen. He intrigued her. It wasn't something she could put her hoof on and define, but it was certainly there.
Pondering on her feelings for Evergreen, and trying to make herself seem as traumatized as possible, Chrysalis continued her shopping.
Evergreen was nowhere to be found when Chrysalis pushed open the door to his cottage, letting herself in and dropping her small sack of goods on the bed with a low groan.
Arching her back, Chrysalis stretched her forehooves forwards, giving the lowest of moans. Her neck was tense, and hurt whenever she tried to straighten it; the constant twisting of her head from carrying the sack in her mouth all the way from Ponyville had seen to that. On top of this her legs ached, not accustomed to walking such long distances.
For a second, Chrysalis considered soothing her aches with magic before crushing the idea. She hadn't blacked out or anything stupid like that all day, but she was still finding it impossible to gauge how much energy she had. The blast at Canterlot must have addled her magical senses; she wasn't sure if she was brimming with the energy she fed upon or if she'd end up back at square one by so much as lighting another fire.
Just existing didn't use much energy, especially when Chrysalis supplemented it with food. But magic, be it transforming, or lifting objects used up her energy reserves much, much faster.
It bothered her that she hadn't felt a dip in her energies when she changed her eyes to scare the shopkeeper. She drifted off for a moment, giving herself a few seconds of guilty pleasure, remembering the fear in his eyes as she choked the life out of him. It still excited her to know that she held that kind of power in her hoof. The power to choose how someone died. it was certainly satisfying.
Humming a jaunty tune to herself, Chrysalis slipped back outside to gather another load of split logs. She dragged them back inside, setting the fireplace up for a nice little blaze. She stacked several more logs around the old cauldron, ready to be set alight to heat the water for a long bath.
After that, Chrysalis had nothing to do but wait. With a faint sigh, she moved over to the fireplace again, taking down the box of matches from above it. She started to strike one, attempting to light it so she could get the fire going. She had never had to use matches before, seeing as she could just use her magic.
It took a few tries, and a few snapped matches before Chrysalis figured out how to flick her hoof just so to light the match, and then slipped the burning tip underneath the kindling. After a little while, the log caught, and began to burn merrily.
With a contented sound Chrysalis settled down in front of the fireplace, resting her head on her forehooves. Now this she could get used to. It was so simple and tranquil. It was a complete change of pace from what she was accustomed to. Her targets had always been the kinds of ponies who gravitated towards social events. The kind who were always at parties or fancy get-togethers and the like. She had never even considered trying a simpler pony, and the simpler life.
There was always pressure with her old masquerades. She always had to think how her targets would handle a certain situation, how they would react. And then there were old friendships to continue with ponies she had no interest in. She was constantly on her guard and always using magic to make sure that nothing went too awry.
But here? With Evergreen? It was so simple. She didn't have any pressure. Sure, there was the shopkeeper, but he had been a pleasure to deal with. To feel that power in her hooves. She had destroyed him without even needing to use her magic. That made her feel powerful. That made her feel like the omnipotent Queen that she was.
But then there was just lazing here, in front of the fire. It was... something else. There was no sense of empowerment, none of the fulfilling sense of strength that she got when she was manipulating others. But... it was enjoyable. She couldn't fathom it, couldn't understand it. She had never really enjoyed anything for the sake of enjoying it before; everything she did had had a purpose. It was all focused on her next target, or, for that matter, her current target. Maintaining her cover, siphoning energy, and then moving on to an unrelated couple before anyone realised what was happening.
And then... there was those little wistful urges she kept getting. Just lying there, in front of the fire with Evergreen, with his hoof over her, with the warmth of his body against her own. That was pleasing. It was just as pleasing as ending the shopkeeper's life, somehow. It made her feel content.
Chrysalis pondered on the bond itself, the bond she shared with Evergreen. She had never had this kind of link before; a natural liking for her herself. She wasn't substituting herself for another pony and stealing the energy. She was the destination of Evergreen's affection. And somehow, this energy was...purer than the energy that she got from others. It felt right. All of the energy she stole from others was tainted somehow in a way she couldn't fathom or begin to understand. It was like being someone who had eaten stale bread her entire life suddenly finding a full loaf of fresh-baked bread, steaming hot and soft. They were the same, but utterly alien to each other in ways that couldn't be readily defined. Same ingredients, same makeup, but different.
She knew that some of her kind had defected from the Changeling way of life and attempted to love each other; those forays were always short lived. It was like those perpetual motion experiments she had seen a crazy scientist performing seemingly centuries ago. A chain of motion happening with a net gain instead of loss; but there was always a loss. No matter how much two changelings loved each other, neither ever fed enough energy to the other to recoup the loss of their own. Even at a perfect balance, each spell, each movement, each breath they took ate away at the shared energy they possessed until there wasn't enough left to sustain them and they faded away to nothing.
A soft sigh left the Changeling Queen and she found herself wishing, for just a moment, that she wasn't what she was. She felt wistful thoughts towards just lazing with the big dumb oaf Evergreen all day, drinking his magical tea and resting with him in a large cauldron of warm water. It would be nice. Nay, it would be perfect.
But the other part of Chrysalis' mind, the part of her that was practical, knew that it would never work. She was a changeling. Eventually, Evergreen would begin to weaken. First would come the headaches and the twitches, the fatigue and the sicknesses. And then he would waste away to nothing or, as was more often the case, take his own life in a fit of depression.
That was all Chrysalis' future held: a constant string of partners, each of them as insignificant as the last. All she could do was glean as much enjoyment from them as possible before she moved on. Whether that be the joy of manipulating them and watching them being slowly destroyed from the inside out, or, like Evergreen, where, for the first time ever, she would be sad to leave her target.
Either she left, or she watched him die a horrible death.
It was a long way off yet, but the knowledge consumed her.
Chrysalis contented herself with lazing, staring into the flames. But her thoughts ate at her mind and her contentedness.
Suddenly, the fire didn't seem so warm.