How Chrysalis Got Her Groove Back VI

>The peaceful nothingness of sleep held Chrysalis aloft
>She was floating in its warmth, her breathing gentle and her mind and body at ease
>But then, as if a switch was flicked, she could feel herself slowly slipping out of sleep's embrace
>The queen tried to hold onto it as long as she could, shifting and rolling and curling into a ball to make herself more comfortable, but the waking world would not be denied
>She slowly, but surely, regain consciousness and thought, and all that that entailed
>First, the sense of sound returned to her
>She could hear her breathing along with the soft breath of another
>Then, touch came
>She was lying on a bed
>There was a blanket draped snugly over her
>She was pressed up against something, and in her hooves was an arm
>After that came the sensation of smell
>There was a vanilla, fruity scent in the air
>The queen could also smell the earthiness of the stone that her bedroom was carved from, as could she smell the wooden frame of her bed, the silk of her sheets and blanket, and the feathers of the pillow that she was resting her head on
>But there was also another smell in the air
>This smell, unlike all previously listed, was not a scent that could be so easily identifiable
>It had so many elements to it; so many layers
>Every time that she inhaled it seemed to change ever so slightly
>One moment it was a gentle, clean smell, the next she could catch the more heady scent of sweat and skin
>Eyes still closed, Chrysalis found herself smiling as she breathed in deep, licking her lips as the smell tickled the back of her throat
>She rolled over--making sure not to hurt the arm held in her hooves-- and buried her muzzle into the source of the scench
>Chrysalis could feel bare, nearly hairless skin tickling her muzzle
>She let out a throaty, sleepy hum, nuzzling herself closer
>Her tongue slipped out her mouth, dragging against the soft, supple skin and giving her her first sensation of taste that day

>Salt, soap, sweet, stallion
>She let out another hum, wrapping a hoof around her husband and wiggling closer
>Even asleep, she could feel the love wafting from his body
>It, along with his natural body heat, warmed her in ways that she could never hope to describe
>She flicked her tail, covering her king's legs
>Her other hoof reached up and under his neck, which allowed her to pull him so close that he was practically lying on her
>A small smile wormed its way onto her face as her sleeping husband let out a quiet sigh
>Even now she couldn't get over the novelty of waking up to a stallion sleeping in her bed
>It was made even more novel by the fact that this particular stallion WANTED to lie in bed with her on his own accord
>In her thousand years on this earth she had never experienced such a thing
>It was a strange feeling, but nowhere near a bad one
>Slowly, deliberately, she opened her eyes
>Instantly, they focused in on Anonymous's sleeping face
>His mouth was partially opened
>A bead of drool was running down his chin and onto his pillow
>His hair was sticking up every which way, as was his beard and even his eyebrows
>Anonymous suddenly twitched with a snort, launching a bit of spittle from his mouth onto her cheek
>Chrysalis sighed, nuzzling her king's jaw
>He was always at his most beautiful in the morning, just before he opened those wonderful green eyes of his...
>Not able to help herself, she leaned up and planted a tender, loving kiss on his cheek
"Hmm..."
>A part of her wanted nothing more than to stay in their bed, under these warm, comfortable covers, snuggled up to her husband, kissing and touching him at her leisure, but it couldn't be so
>There was so much to do today
>She had plans to draft, random letters to write, her evil laugh needed to be practiced
>Perhaps another day
>After all of this was over and done with

"Come, my love. It's time to wake," Chrysalis murmured, gently shaking him. "The morning has come and we must meet it."
>Her king wasn't very much of a morning person
>Chrysalis knew this, and knew that the only way to wake her husband up--without causing an incident that is--was to keep shaking him with more and more force until his eyes opened
>Most mornings this could take anywhere between five minutes and an hour, but even still took to the task like any loving wife should
"Come on, my love."
>"Urgh..."
"The two of us have a long, busy day ahead of us."
>"Nooooo... sleep..."
"Come. After we bathe I'll have the servants bring us something to eat. I'll have them bring you the chocolate pancakes that you like."
>"...Pancakes...?"
"Yes love. Pancakes."
>Surprisingly, she had her husband sitting up in their bed within the span of two minutes
>His shoulders might have been slumped, and his eyes might have been half-lidded and blood shot, but he was up all the same
>Chrysalis found herself beaming
"There we go! Did you have sweet dreams, my king?"
>Anonymous slowly picked up his head and gave her a stare that would have given the undertaker pause
>"I have become death, the destroyer of worlds..."
>The queen simply giggled
"I am once again in awe by your words, my love. Now, how about that shower?"
>Their bathing was done quickly and efficiently
>The royal couple knew how to both wash, kiss, playfully fool around with each other, and brush their teeth in the same shower in perfectly harmony
>A dance which a certain Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire still had yet to master after all of these years
>When she had glanced at her mirror, Chrysalis noticed that a few of the holes in her legs had disappeared and her horn seemed a little longer and straighter than it had been the day before

>Yesterday, seeing such a sight would have sent her on a screaming fit, but now, after having lucked out the day before, she didn't so much as flinch
>In fact, she found herself grinning openingly at her reflection as her husband--a towel wrapped around his midsection-- quietly shaved
>"It seems like someone had a wonderful sleep last night," Anonymous said, grogginess still very evident in his voice even as he carefully ran a straight razor down the side of his neck
>Chrysalis couldn't help it
>She giggled
"One of my most hated enemies lies securely in my dungeon. Waiting for me to enact my vengeance on her and her blasted race."
>Her wings-- which seemed bigger and a tad more colorful today-- fluttered
"How can I not be excited, my king?"
>A small, barely noticeable smile came to Anonymous's face as he shaved his upper lip
>"Yes, the princess's arrival is very serendipitous for us, is it not?" he mused
"Her arrival could change this hive FOREVER!"
>The queen, quickly drying herself off with a spell, began to pace the room
"For centuries, we have had to scrape a living in this accursed desert, with its heat and its bandits. With you, my heart, we no longer have to fear starvation, but with the Equestrian we could leave this cursed place!"
>Chrysalis's pace began to quicken the more excited she became
"We could build a hive in the north. Our children could play outside without fear of the sun and the wind sucking the life from them. Our people could grow; we could have not just a hive but a KINGDOM. A kingdom that all other nations would have to recognize!"
>She could almost see it in her mind's eye
>The Queen of the Gryphon lands, the mighty Warlords of the Minotaur Kingdoms, the Sultana of Saddle Arabia, ruler from every kingdom and fiefdom that mattered, all paying homage to her
>No longer would they be considered the parasites of the world
>Pony, gryphon, 'taur; all would look upon them and see a great, powerful, proud people

>Another giggle escaped the queen's lips, and it was a very near thing that she didn't begin to hop around her bathroom like an excitable filly
>"Darling, your glamor is on."
>Stopping, Chrysalis looked over to her half-shaven husband, who had a small, teasing smile on his face
>Blinking, she looked down at herself, seeing that she had accidentally transformed into Twilight Sparkle of all ponies
>She lifted up and incredulously inspected a hoof for a few moments, before she looked back up at her husband
>Anon's smile had widened just a hair, and she could see amusement shining in his eyes
>"It's been awhile since you've accidentally transformed," he cooed
>Blushing the queen's horn glowed, and with a burst of green flame she was once again the powerful, deadly, and imposing queen that was feared by all
>...Except for the tint of green on her cheeks
"A mere mistake, beloved. It happens to even the best of us."
>"I never said that there was anything wrong about it. I'm just saying that it's cute, honey bun."
"I am NOT--"
>Realizing that her protest would be a futile effort at best, the queen closed her mouth with a sigh
>Her eyes slipped shut and she counted down from ten
>Her husband, ever the HELPFUL individual, tried to reach over to pinch her cheek as she was doing this but Chrysalis, a marriage veteran, automatically slapped his hand away as it grew near
>The moment that she counted to one she took a deep, deep breath and opened her eyes
>She could see Anonymous, half of his face still coated in shaving cream, staring back at her with that playful grin of his
>"You can growl and groan all you want, my dear," he began, reaching over with his hand again
>She tried to swat it away but her king's hand ducked around it
>Before she could bring her other hoof to bare, he extended his pointed finger and pressed it up against her nose, causing her eyes to cross
>"But no matter what you'll always be cute and adorable to me."

>Giving her nose another poke, Anonymous took a step back and grabbed his razor from the counter, continuing where he left off
>She playfully frowned, sticking her tongue out at him
"You are very luck that I adore you so, my love," the queen grumbled
>Anonymous chortled, not bothering to reply
>No other action would have had such a resounding effect on the queen
>In an instant, the her face turned a delightful shade of green
"I-I shall be off," she murmured, her nose scrunching up as she turned away, trying to save face. "There is much to do and little time to do it."
>She steeled herself, waiting for the hail of teasing, but Anonymous continued to shave, staring at his reflection
>"Alright, I'll see you right around lunch time," he said with a smile as he carefully ran his razor over his jaw. "May your day be joyous and fruitful, my beloved queen."
>Any other time she could have wondered over the lack of teasing
>She, along with every one of her lings, knew just how much her husband loved to tease and fluster others
>If he had been a pony she was positive that he'd have a cutiemark related turning even the stoutest creature's faces red
>But, at that moment, she was just thankful that he had let her off easy
"Very good," the queen said with a nod. "And, might I ask, what will you be doing today, my king?"
>"I was thinking about going to the nursery to see the little ones today. I've been told that they've missed their old man and wanted to see him," he replied. "After that I was thinking of seeing the Equestrian."
>Chrysalis immediately stiffened, her eyes widening
>She took a half-step toward her husband, opening her mouth
>He was most certainly NOT going to see the Equestrian!
>She was dangerous!
>Who knows what she was doing in her cell!
>She could be making planning on attacking whoever drew near so that she could attain a hostage!
>She could hurt him!
>She could escape and ruin all of her plans!

>Chrysalis puffed herself up, arguments at the ready, when, all at once, she deflated
>As with the subject of her being cute, she knew how this argument would end
"...Will you at least bring a pair of guards along with you?" she pleaded
>"The second that I'm finished here I will have Seven call me a goodly number of strong, stout chaps ready to beat the alicorn off me if need be," her king replied
>Chrysalis bit her lip
"Excellent... But I beg you, my love, be careful around that pony. She is a crafty one, magic or not."
>Anonymous's smile turned from mischievous to heartfelt
>"I shall be like the great king Tuthmosis the third," he promised, placing a hand over his heart

~_~_~_~_~_~

"Thank you very much."
>"You are very welcome, your highness. If you need anything else simply call."
>Twilight found herself smiling as the Changeling standing on the other end of her cell passed her a large paper bag through the bars
>For all intents and purposes, this was just a normal paper bag
>Not at all impressive or special
>But Twilight did not give half a horse apple about the bag itself
>No, what she cared about was the bag's contents
"Yes. Come to momma..."
>Like a greedy foal, Twilight grabbed the bag and scurried to the other end of her cell
>Quickly looking around to check if the coast was clear, she sat the bag down on the floor
>The alicorn then sat on her haunches, rubbing her hooves together
>She could smell the bag's contents, smell the grease and the fat and the preservatives
>To her, there was no greater smell in the world
"Come on, extra cheese. And extra lettuce. Oh, and I hope that they got the large fry like I asked..."
>Licking her lips, Twilight wrenched open the bag and pulled out everything inside
>Three triple-stack hay-burgers with extra ketchup, extra pickles, extra cheese, and extra mustard, two extra large fries, and a super-sized milkshake with extra whipped cream

>The perfect meal for a growing alicorn like herself
"Yes, yes, yes..."
>Twilight Sparkle had no idea how these Changelings had managed to get to Hay Burger so fast
>She also had no idea how they had gotten all of this food since Hay Burger didn't open until eleven
>But she didn't care
>She didn't care even a little bit
>What mattered to her was that the food was here and that she was going to eat it
>All of it
>With practiced ease, she unwrapped one of the burgers and brought it to her muzzle
>She turned the burger this way and that, carefully eyeing all of its contents
>A drop of grease fell to the ground as the princess's nostrils flared
"Hmm... It's perfect~," she murmured, mouth watering
>Twilight opened her mouth nice and wide, waiting for her tastebuds to be tickled by the burger's processed and artificial flavors
>She knew that she shouldn't be doing this
>These burgers were bad for her
>She should be trying to eat healthier, should be trying to set an example for ponies everywhere
>But there wasn't a pony around for miles, she knew
>She was in an underground cell in the middle of Celestia knows where
>She could eat all of the hay-burgers and wanted and nopony would be any the wiser
>Nopony would be there to hear this food scream
>Giggling, Twilight kissed the burger, licking off the grease that it left on her lips
"Oh, I wish I could quit you~"
>"Good morning, Princess."
>To say that Twilight "Smarty Pants" Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, jumped in fright would have been a very gross understatement
>She launched herself into the air at such a speed that she very nearly created a Sonic Rainboom, hitting the top of her cell with enough force to crack the three foot thick solid stone a quarter of a second later
"BUCK!"
>Wings flailing and food stuff flying everywhere, Twilight held her head before descending to the cold, hard ground below
>In a haze of pain, she braced herself
>"Fifteen."

>Seconds ticked by as the Princess of Friendship braced herself, only for nothing to happen
>No painfully hitting the ground, no landing on the rest of her food, nothing
>After the thirty second mark passed, she dared to crack open an eye
>She was encased in a eerie green light, hovering just a foot from the ground
>"Set her down, Fifteen. Gently please."
>With tears in her eyes, Twilight looked over to see King Anonymous and a group of rather large Changelings
>One of the lings horn was glowing, she noticed
>"I'm sorry to surprise you, Princess," the king said, inclining his head as she was slowly placed onto the ground. "If I had known that you'd react like that I would have--"
"I wasn't doing anything weird!" Twilight cried, a little too loudly, her face exploding into a blush. "I w-was just eating and I didn't think anypony was coming for a few hours at least so you could--"
>The purple alicorn flinched as pain exploded from the point where her head had hit the ceiling
>She hissed, trying her hardest not to swear in front of a stallion, closing her eyes and holding her head
"Owwwwwwwwwwwwww..."
>Though she didn't see it, Anonymous frowned
>"Thirteen, open this door. Ten, be a dear and see if you can do anything about the poor girl's head. I can already see the bump forming."
>A key turning in a lock could be heard before, a moment later, the door to her prison screeched open
>"Princess, please hold still. I have some experience in healing," one of the Changeling's said, stepping into her cell. "Give me but a moment and I'll see what I can do to help with the pain."
>Twilight opened her mouth to assure the ling that she was alright but another burst of pain made her grit her teeth
"Hurry please..."
>A few moments passed without a thing happening then, all at once, a cooling sensation filled the princess's body

>She tensed, muttering a curse under her breath, before relaxing with a sigh as the pain slowly began to fade away until it was gone completely
>"There," the ling said, looking a bit winded. "I'm shocked that you walked away from that with only a bit of pain and bruising."
>Opening her eyes, Twilight smiled gratefully at the ling
"We alicorns are made of some tough stuff," she said, puffing her chest out just a bit. "And thank you. For fixing my head I mean."
>The Changeling smiled in return, taking a step away from her as the king made his way into the cell
>"I trust that your sleep was a good one?" he asked, getting right to business
>Twilight nodded
>Though, at the moment, the cell was quite bare, last night the Changelings had brought her a bed, blanket, and pillows, along with anything else that she wanted
>She wasn't back home in her own bed, but she had still slept well all the same
"Yes. I slept a lot better than I thought that I was going to."
>"It's the rock I think," the king said, eyeing the bits of hay burger spewn all over the floor. "It gives one a sense of safety and comfort, as if we were in our mother's arms once again."
>Looking down at her wings, Twilight noticed that they had a bit of mustard on them
>Locking away the pain of losing her burger deep in her heart, she forced herself to smile up at the king
"So... are you sure that the queen won't find out about you taking me around the hive?"
>"All of the proper precautions have been taken, Princess," Anonymous answered. "Every ling here knows what you're trying to do, so they won't say a thing if they see you."
>Twilight looked hard at the bit of mustard on the tip of her wing
>She wanted to lick it clean, wanted to at least taste a LITTLE of the burger that had been so wrongfully destroyed, but manners overcame wants
>She tried to cast a spell, to clean herself from the bits of burger, only for nothing to happen
>Twilight frowned, looking up at the tip of her horn

>The king and the Changeling's immediately noticed
>"Your magic will be completely returned to you once you leave the hive, Princess," King Anonymous assured
"But WHY doesn't it work in the first place?" Twilight demanded
>Anonymous smiled at her helplessly
>"Once we get to know each other a little better I may tell you why your magic doesn't work here, but for now you'll just have to bare it, my lady," he said apologetically, bowing his head again
"I--"
>Twilight caught herself
>She looked around at the lings in the room with her
>Every one was eyeing her warily, as if they expected her to pounce at them
>It took a few seconds, but Twilight eventually realized that they were scared
>Scared of her
>Slowly, she closed her mouth as she let the realization wash over her
>Now wasn't the time to make demands
>She was building a bridge between ponies and Changelings
>Until she had built a solid foundation, she knew that they were going to have problems trusting her
>So, in the meantime, she was going to do all that she could to show them that she wanted this to work, that she wanted to be their friends
"That's absolutely fine," she said with a bright smile
>She then looked down
"...And King Anonymous? Could you do me a favor and--"
>"I didn't see anything," the king said, placing a hand over his heart. "Not a single thing."