Captive 16 (MLP, Chrysalis)

>You spent the next few days mostly learning about how to get around in Canterlot Castle.
>After getting lost, the Princesses had appointed a few guards to show you most of the castle’s areas.
>And help you memorize these locations.
>It took some practice but the most important places, like your room and the kitchens, got stuck in your head pretty fast.
>The Princesses themselves apparently focused on the security they had promised you.
>After that one meeting you didn’t see them again.
>But you did see an unusual amount of guards patrolling the inside and outside of the castle.
>And, of course, you weren’t allowed to leave.
>You knew this for a fact since you had, experimentally, tried a couple of times.
>No weird magic tricks, though. Just guards that politely (but still pretty damn firmly) refused to let you exit.

>You walk down a wide hallway.
>Admiring rows of stained glass windows.
>The golden rays of the setting sun sends blazing light through them and casts everything around you in all sorts of colours.
>Luna must be waiting somewhere and getting ready to raise the moon.
>You slowly pass the windows, trying not to go blind while taking in their imagery.
>... Wait, is that Spike?
>”Hey!”
>You turn around.
>Twilight is trotting towards you from the far end of the hallway.
”Oh. Hey.”
>She comes up to you with a friendly smile.
>Her usual purple colours are horribly distorted by the windows’ light.
>”Hi. How are you doing?”
”Pretty good.”
>A little bored since this is all you have to do right now.
>But that’s not really all that bad.
>”Good! I’d like to talk to you for a bit.”
”Well, okay. About what?”
>”About our meeting.”
>It’s been a few days but you assume she means the one with the Princesses.
”Alright. But what exactly?”
>You start walking again, and Twilight follows at your side.
>Your eyes move back to the interesting windows.
>”Chrysalis. I mean, the things you said about her.”
>Pretty expected.
”Can you be a little more specific?”
>”The way you talked about her.”
>That takes you by surprise.
”What do you mean?”
>”The things you explained sounded really terrible. But both Celestia and Luna thought you didn’t sound like you hate her.”
>Those Princesses paid more attention than you thought.
>”... and so did I.”
>Perceptive pony.
>Funny how she can still be an idiot sometimes.
>You give yourself a brief moment to hesitate.
>You know what you’re going to say, but saying it out loud is still going to feel a little weird.
”... I guess I don’t really hate her.”
>Looking at Twilight, you see her staring back at you with a decidedly perplexed look on her face.
>”But why?”
”Something we didn’t cover during the meeting.”
>She continues looking perplexed and just waits for you to go on.
>You look at the artistic windows again.
>You notice one depicting some kind of grey-brown chinese dragon.
>Odd.
”It started out like I said, but after a while things sort of... changed.”
>”I still don’t understand.”
”What I mean is that she started treating me differently.”
>”Less poorly?”
”Yeah. She decided to take better care of me.”
>Twilight goes quiet.
>You look down at her again and see she’s thinking.
>”... Why?”
”She figured she ought to. I’m unique and all that.”
>That seems to make Twilight understand and she nods.
>”We should talk more about this at the next meeting. Which reminds me, the Princesses are trying to find time for that.”
”So... it’ll be soon?”
>”Yes, if possible. They still have a lot they want to ask you.”
”I’m not surprised.”
>Twilight giggles at that.
>”Don’t worry. We’ll go easy on you.”
”I’ll dare to trust you on that.”
>The conversation’s newfound humour makes you smile.
>Twilight smiles back.
>”Good!”
>She then stops when she notices a particular window.
>You stop with her and take a look at it.
>The setting sun seems to be going into twilight now, making the windows easier to look at.
>Two alicorns, a blue and a pink, fly after each other in a circle.
>The pink one is accompanied by a sun, the blue one by a moon.
>Very yin/yang-ish.
>You know who they are, though.
>Twilight suddenly turns back to you.
>”Oh! I almost forgot.”
”What?”
>”The others want to come visit you soon.”
>Others?
”Who?”
>”Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainb-”
”Oh, right. Them.”
>Something suddenly hits you.
”Wait, why haven’t they come sooner?”
>Twilight just tilts her head.
>”They’ve been waiting for an okay.”
”My permission?”
>”Yes. Back when we just got here, you wanted to be left alone.”
>Well, duh. To rest and take it easy.
”Twilight, that was because I was feeling like a mess.”
>That fucking teleport, first of all...
>”I know, I know. But everypony still wanted to celebrate you being back.”
”And that’s very sweet, I guess, but not what I needed at the time.”
>”Then... is it okay for them to come now?”
”Of course it is.”
>Hell, it would be about damn time!
>It’ll be nice to see them all again.
>Fleeing from changelings wasn’t the best way to be reunited.
>Twilight’s face lights up in a huge smile.
>Goddamn ponies and their cute smiles.
>”Alright! I’ll let them know as soon as I can!”
>This prospect apparently excites her a lot.
>”They’ve all been really worried about you. Especially Fluttershy.”
“Then just get her here so she can see me for herself.”
>Twilight smiles brightly again.
>”I will! Along with the rest, of course.”
“Good.”
>”Alright.”
>She suddenly looks over her shoulder, down the hallway.
>”… but I think I need to be going. Sorry about that. I’m supposed to help Celestia and Luna with organizing guards, managing staff to care for the extra numbers, figuring out how many we can-“
“Twilight.”
>You hold up a hand to stop her.
>She goes silent.
“You have stuff to do. I get it.”
>She smiles with embarrassment.
>”… Yeah.”
“Be off, then. I think I’ll be okay.”
>”Okay. I’ll see you another time.”
>Twilight gives you a final smile before trotting away.
>You watch her disappear into another section of the castle and listen to the sound of her hoofsteps slowly fading into nothing.
>So…
>The other five mares will be coming by soon.
>You look forward to that.
>The last few days have been a bit dull.
>Not being able to go anywhere has created some annoying limitations.
>And besides that, you feel you have some catching up to do.
>It’s been a while since you last saw them.
>No, not technically. But last time you saw them you couldn’t really do much together.
>Besides running.
>So this should be a better reunion.
>You take a final look at the artistic window.
>The sun’s practically gone but chandeliers keep the place well-lit.
>With Twilight gone, you need something else to do now.
>But you get an idea.

>One of the good things about being confined to the castle is the food.
>Expensive, tasty food.
>The cooks serve meat-eaters too, strangely enough.
>The explanation is that the Royal Sisters occasionally have to accommodate guests of a non-pony sort.
>You make your way to the kitchens.
>Half-guessing the path but eventually stumbling upon it.
>… you might need an escort to find your way back.
>The head chef or whatever is a pretty cool guy.
>Stallion.
>Big, rather like Big Mac, but friendly and surprisingly laid-back for someone of his strenuous occupation.
>And he usually doesn’t mind bringing out good leftovers or whipping up a quick snack in your times of need in between actual meals.
>You quietly enter the sizeable centre of cooking.
>The strange smell of a bunch of different foods is heavy, although everything is relatively quiet now in the evening.
>A few ponies scuttle about and the night shifts slowly start to show up.
>A large grey-brown stallion with the easily-recognizable big hat and white outfit approaches.
>”Oh! You again. Lookin’ for a little something?”
>He gives you a cheeky smirk.
“You could say that.”
>He nods understandingly and taps his chin with a hoof thoughtfully.
>”Well… There are a few things I suppose I might as well feed you instead of leaving to rot.”
“Sounds good.”
>He chuckles and turns around, moving deeper into his workspace.
>A moment later he comes back with a plate of boiled vegetables and a slice of colourful cake.
>You take the plate from his teeth.
>”Do enjoy. This was part of Celestia’s dinner.”
“She spared cake?”
>”I was amazed too.”
>After acquiring a fork, you exit the kitchen and start to make your way back to your room.
>Wandering through the castle, half-guessing your way again.
>It’s pretty empty now.
>… Christ, if your get lost again…
>Someone suddenly clears their throat behind you.
>You turn around to see a unicorn mare with a pale pink coat and yellow mane.
>”Excuse me. Her Highness wants you to have this.”
>Her glowing horn levitates an old-fashioned letter, sealed with red wax, towards you.
>Well, that’s an awfully formal way to deliver a message from the princesses.
”Hey…”
>But then…
“Can you do me a favour?”
>She blinks.
>”Uh… sure.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know where my room is?”
>She looks confused for a moment before giggling.
>”Are you lost?”
>Her smile is teasing.
>You just shrug.
“Pretty much.”
>”Okay, follow me.”
>She smiles and turns around, trotting towards where you apparently came from.
>The letter follows her, still wrapped in magic.
>Huh. You really were going the wrong way.
>The two of you walk for a while in silence.
>The path she shows you starts to make sense as you remember the different turns and areas.
>And you feel a little silly for forgetting.
>It doesn’t take long to reach the familiar door that leads to your little private residence.
>”And here we are.”
>She gives you another smile.
>”Oh, and don’t forget…”
>The letter hovers towards you.
>You take it in your one free hand.
“Thanks.”
>”Then I’ll be on my way.”
>She gives you a comically formal bow and swivels around, trotting away from you.
>You look after her for a moment.
>Before then wondering how you’re supposed to open the door with two filled hands.
>No, wait…
>You stick the letter between your teeth and get it done.
>Once inside, you sit down by the table and get a taste of your food.
>The vegetables only make for a light meal and are cold.
>And pretty tasteless.
>Bummer.
>Before consuming the cake, you open the letter.
>Easily breaking the hardened wax and pulling the single note out of its envelope.
>It’s folded, although it turns out to contain very little.
>A single phrase.
>You can’t help but frown.
>An impressively elegant hand-writing that makes the message “I’ll see you soon.”
>And a pair of pony-lips have left a kiss mark below.
>With black lipstick.
>What the hell?
>Is Luna hitting on you?
>You check the other side of the note but there’s nothing.
>Then check the envelope but that was in fact everything it contained.
>You discard the mysterious letter and dig into your small desert.
>And then it hits you.
>No…
>’Her Highness’.
>Sweet Celestia have mercy…
>You check the wax seal, putting the split halves together.
>The impression wasn’t a sun or a moon.
>It was smooth and blank.
>This didn’t come from either princess.
>Oh shit…
>This is from motherfucking Chrysalis!
>Then…
>Fuck, were you just escorted back by a changeling?!
>No, not necessarily.
>But, shit, still likely.
>And in that case there are changelings in the castle.
>And they know where you’re staying.
>You quickly stand up.
>Appetite gone.
>Your head is now full of scary crap.
>Grabbing the note, you take another good look at it.
>’I’ll see you soon’.
>That’s just ominous as hell.
>And the black kiss mark.
>… Yeah, she’d do something like that.
>This is definitely from Chrysalis.
>Your sense of familiarity with this enemy calms you down.
>You sit back down while remembering her.
>Not that she hasn’t been on your mind often lately, but now is a good time to remember that she isn’t actually that much of a bogeyman.
>First of all, she likes to flirt.
>You didn’t know she had lipstick at the ready, although she did don that dark green eye-shadow often.
>She even looked very nice with it.
>Not that you ever told her.
>Taking another look at the now mildly amusing kiss mark, you wonder.
>You don’t remember her ever trying to kiss you directly.
>… if she ever got her hooves on you again, maybe you should give it a try?
>You almost snicker at yourself and your musings.
>And then you notice the cake still on the table.
>Well, that shouldn’t go to waste.
>You dig into it with the fork while still studying the note.
>Not that it had a lot of secrets to reveal, but there is a thing or two you still needed to consider.
>The Princesses need to know about this.
>But are changelings keeping an eye on you?
>Maybe this letter is a warning that you shouldn’t try anything funny.
>No, would that be Chrysalis’ style?
>She could also just be trying to make you paranoid to mess with you.
>You know for a fact that she likes to play tricks on people.
>Nasty ones.
>You put the first bit of cake in your mouth while pondering.
>Whatever the case, if you can meet up with Twilight or one of the Royal Sisters without getting jumped by a changeling, you wouldn’t mind letting them know.
>Keeping this to yourself is most likely a bad idea.
>Also, that cake is fucking delicious.
>A quick look at the window tells you it’s night-time now.
>The outside landscape is only visible thanks to being showered in the moon’s soft light.
>Otherwise everything is black.
>You decide to wait with doing anything until tomorrow.
>If anyone is watching you, it’d be better to not act out of the ordinary.
>You finish off the cake and leave the note while getting up.
>Heading towards the bed, you wonder what could happen tomorrow.