Duty of Care
by ashi
Chapters
1. Finding You
Living as she did on the edge of the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy had long since become accustomed to the weird and the wonderful of Equestria; even before she'd gotten herself mixed up with Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony, her life had been nothing more than a series of odd events. A typical, if that was the right word, night inside that bizarre realm where the normal rules of how the world worked were flatly ignored could consist of anything from tending to the manticore cubs, keeping both predators and collectors away from the cockatrice nests, or even – if you were lucky – snatching a brief glance at a surly cragadile or a ferocious hydra. Only a brief glance because to linger might mean becoming a tasty treat to the many beasts that loved pony flesh.
Once a month, adventures with her friends permitting, Fluttershy tasked herself with the onerous duty of creating a census; as new creatures were being born all the time, spawned either by the strange forces governing the Everfree, or through more conventional means, she deemed it important to keep tabs on them all. Most of the animals were brought forth already suited for their environment, but there were those, like the breezies that had once lived here so long ago, that needed to be transplanted for their own safety. Fluttershy, first and foremost a naturist, knew that sometimes the weak had to perish so that the strong might live, but nowhere in the rule book did it say that you couldn't stack the deck in the weak's favour once in a while.
After all, a couple of years ago who'd have thought that a timid yellow pony would go on to become one of the nation's foremost defenders?
Just after she had finished up a quick trip to the cragadile swamps – a bask of them had been waiting at the edges of the swamp they called their home, guarding their eggs, and they'd made it abundantly clear that she was to approach no further – Fluttershy was making her way along the path that led back to Ponyville when she was distracted by a noise that was at once both familiar and unusual. She stopped and pricked up her ears, but the sound did not repeat itself.
A brief glance at the moon's position in the sky told her that it was close to midnight; the very worst the Everfree had to offer usually didn't stir until about this time, and if she were to dilly on her way home she knew very well what the consequences would be. Even if there was a crisis afoot, the zebra herbalist Zecora who lived here didn't leave her hut at this hour. Taking a deep breath to allay her fears, Fluttershy headed off in the direction that she was sure the noise had originated from, her mind made up when it sounded again plaintively through the thick canopy of the trees. If there was one thing that she couldn't ignore, even if it meant putting her own life at risk, it was the wail of a creature in distress.
When a brief sprint brought her to a clearing uncomfortably close to the hydra pits, Fluttershy slowed to a trot and kept her ears pricked for any sounds. She knew that, if something decided to attack her, she'd only have a second's warning at best and had to be alert. Strangely, she felt little anxiety; something or somepony needed her assistance, and that meant more to her than her own safety. She heard the sound again, faint, weak … dying. It was coming from the other side of a rocky outcropping suspended over what Fluttershy guessed was a tar pit. The numerous twisted bones of animals straining for freedom seemed to confirm that. Hesitantly, she inched around the corner, holding her breath.
“Oh, Celestia,” she said, her voice squeaking at such a register as to go unheard by most normal ears.
“Not quite,” a sinewy, slimy voice said with a trace of ironic humour. “She's only a princess. I'm a queen.”
“Well, it looks like you've been deposed, Chrysalis,” Fluttershy said, her heart still pounding in her chest at the sight of the Changeling Queen that had used Princess Cadance and Shining Armour's wedding as an opportunity to stage an invasion of Canterlot. Despite the scare she had given her, it was clear that the Changeling wasn't going to pose much of a threat. Not if the greying chitin of her armour, and that necrotic tissue around the holes in her legs, was anything to go by, anyway.
“How long have you been lying here?” asked Fluttershy, screwing up her eyes as it dawned on her that a difficult choice was now brewing for her.
“How long ago was the invasion?” asked Chrysalis, not even able to meet the gaze of the pony that had found her out here after so long.
“A month,” Fluttershy said flatly.
“Three weeks and six days, then,” Chrysalis said with a thin smile. “It only took twenty-four hours for the Hivemind to cast me out after the failed invasion. Well, twenty-three hours to berate me for my incompetence, then an hour to kick me out of the Badlands.”
“And you came out here to die?”
Chrysalis was too weak to shrug, but Fluttershy got the impression that she was trying to do exactly that. “My race was spawned here. It seemed as good a place as any. So much horror is born here, so it seemed only fitting that something horrific ought to die here.”
Starvation, animal attacks, the elements … all of those things had played their part in leaving the Changeling in this wretched state; with no love to feed on, her chitinous armour was breaking down, leaving her susceptible to predators and the unpredictable weather patterns that ravaged this chaotic place. That she was even still alive after this long impressed Fluttershy. Chrysalis was one tough bug.
“You should get out of here, little pony. The young hydra like to wander off in search of snacks,” said Chrysalis warningly, her head twisting in the direction of the skeletons in the tar pits. “It wasn't just the mucilage that got them.”
Fluttershy wasn't listening, however; choices rattled around in her mind, and like an incipient Twilight Sparkle, she tried to game each one out to its eventual conclusion in order to make the best decision that she was capable of. The only sounds in the forest for a long moment were the distant squawks, roars and rumbles of the animals themselves, as well as Chrysalis' own laboured breathing.
Chrysalis is an enemy of ponykind, one that used some extremely disgusting tactics to get at what she wanted; you could argue that it was a matter of survival for her and her Hive, but she enjoyed what she was doing to everypony. She enjoyed manipulating us, taunting Twilight, and hurting Princess Celestia. And I can't even think about what she did to Shining Armour all that time. I just can't.
Chrysalis is an animal, wounded; I am in a position to offer her help, just as I would a manticore, a hydra, a cragadile, or any one of a number of dangerous creatures that would gladly tear me limb from limb if I blundered into their territory and they were hungry. I am a caretaker, I am a healer, and that means I have a duty of care toward those that cannot care for themselves, even if I am morally repulsed by their actions.
Chrysalis is a sentient creature; while the Changelings may not respect the laws that govern Equestria's inhabitants, I can't simply ignore the fact that I am bound by them because they're momentarily inconvenient to me. As a pony, as an Element of Harmony, I have a duty to be an upstanding member of my society … which means saving Chrysalis and making sure that she answers for the crimes she has committed.
“What are you doing?” asked Chrysalis sharply when she felt herself being flipped over onto her back, and something reaching under her forelegs.
“This isn't gonna be very dignified, I'm afraid,” Fluttershy said apologetically, straining with the effort of awkwardly hauling the Changeling, “but you're too heavy to carry so I'm going to have to drag you back home.”
“You can't carry me all the way back to the Badlands,” Chrysalis said irritably. “Besides, nobeing there will be particularly happy to see either of us.”
“I'm not taking you back to the Badlands,” said Fluttershy, grunting and heaving, “I'm taking you to my home in Ponyville.”
“I didn't agree to this!” Chrysalis said scathingly, using what scant reserves of energy she had left to bare her fangs at the little pony. She knew what being carried to a pony village would entail; if Fluttershy could somehow find a way to stabilise her, she would only live long enough to die at the hooves of Princess Celestia for her crimes. “Just let me die in peace.”
“Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that.”
2. Knowing You
The days consisted of little more than making sure Chrysalis had enough water to drink and tending to the nasty infections burrowing into her holes; Fluttershy knew a little bit about Changeling anatomy, and she was aware that the holes were ringed with an extremely fine array of sensory organs that served to provide them with detailed information about their environment. Sort of like a bat's sonar, or a shark's ability to sense magnetic fields. A disease that affected those organs probably wouldn't necessarily be enough to kill a Changeling directly, but it would hobble them in the wild and there was a risk that they could become a danger to themselves and others.
Chrysalis, for her part, spent most of her time sleeping; Fluttershy was grateful for this – not least because she wasn't sure how long she could tolerate the Changeling's sharp tongue – as, even in its weakened, sickly condition, her carapace was too thick for needles, and applying and reapplying the topical ointment to the infected organs was going to be a slow, painful process that should normally have only been done under anaesthetic.
In the midst of yet another laborious application, it was gradually becoming clear to Fluttershy that Chrysalis was getting worse not better; she was sleeping longer each day, and was barely coherent even when she was awake. Additionally, this wasn't the only complication in her life right now.
“Your friends.”
“Huh?” Fluttershy said, startled to see that Chrysalis was both awake and lucid. “Go back to sleep, you need to get your rest to recover your strength.”
“They're aware that there's something off about you, right?” went on the Changeling, ignoring Fluttershy's entreaties. “They're still in that phase of giving you leeway because they trust you, but that's not gonna keep. You should drag me back to the Everfree before they find out.”
Fluttershy sucked on her bottom lip softly. “It was my decision to make and I stand by it. If they find out … they find out, but as far as I'm concerned nothing has changed.”
She knew that Chrysalis was right in her assertions, however; the constant cancellations, even missing Rarity's vaunted spa dates, couldn't go on for much longer before they got suspicious and demanded an explanation. They might even barge into the cottage. She'd told them that there was a sick animal requiring round-the-clock care – not strictly a lie, as that would've been instantly spotted by Applejack – but enough of an untruth that she couldn't help feeling as though she was betraying their trust in her.
Somepony was bound to discover what was up eventually; Fluttershy knew that her best option was to do exactly as Chrysalis had just suggested, but doing what was right wasn't always what was best. Her friends wouldn't understand the decision that she'd made; they'd think her a soft fool who had put Ponyville in danger, but nothing could be further from the truth. Showing compassion was a strength, not a weakness. Besides, the journey to Canterlot for trial would likely kill Chrysalis in her current condition.
“How d'you know all this, anyway?” asked Fluttershy curiously.
“Empathic,” Chrysalis replied weakly, offering a tiny smile, “and I hear bits and pieces when they come to the door, too. I'm getting worse, aren't I?”
“Things frequently do before they get better,” Fluttershy said hopefully.
“I'm dying. I need ...”
“I know what you need,” Fluttershy said, too quickly. “I mean, I did some reading up on Changelings and ...”
“And?”
Fluttershy looked at her charge through big, beryl eyes. “I can't.”
“Can't or won't?”
The nights were different; seeing Chrysalis lying there on the spare bed, panting and shivering, feeling a chill despite the many layers of blankets, Fluttershy knew in those moments that the Changeling was little more than a wounded animal that needed the care that only she could provide. The others might have felt a grim sense of satisfaction at seeing her in this state: the once mighty Queen of the Hive reduced to nothing more than another sickly commoner. Fluttershy did not rejoice in the slightest.
This wasn't an embodiment of evil, this was a living, breathing creature with thoughts and feelings. And who was in terrible pain.
3. Embracing You
“Fluttershy?” Chrysalis said, her voice little more than a strained whisper. The notion that the pegasus might have abandoned her seemed to be causing her panic. “Fluttershy, are you still there?”
“I'm still here, Chrysalis,” Fluttershy replied quietly, pressing a bandage to the Changeling's sweat-covered forehead. Though the fever would occasionally break, moments of lucidity like this were becoming increasingly rare. “I'm not going anywhere until you're better.”
“I must feed,” she said simply, tears slowly forming in her juniper eyes. “You were the one who started this, little pony, not I. You brought me here, promised to care for me, and now … the one thing that will allow me to heal is the one thing that you deny me.”
“It's not so simple as that. We ponies don't just give our love away to anybeing.”
“Love isn't everything,” replied Chrysalis. “There are other methods.”
“Other … what do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, hope growing in her voice. Her research into Changelings hadn't been going well; there were only a few books about them, and most of those were coloured by rumour and innuendo. Golden Oaks, or the Royal Library in Canterlot, might've had a more substantive range, but there was no way she could get to either of them without arousing the suspicions of Twilight Sparkle or Princess Celestia.
Chrysalis uttered a single word.
“Excuse me?” said Fluttershy, her eyes widening in shock as she felt a blush breaking out across her muzzle.
“You're excused,” the Changeling said, her fangs peeking out from behind her lips in a cheeky smile. “If it helps, I'm not any happier about it than you are, but it's the only option available to us. I'll be dead in a day or two otherwise, so I pray that you don't take too long in coming to a decision.”
“But I can't,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, I've never ...”
“I'm not exactly in a position to be choosy,” said Chrysalis. “Look, if it helps, I can use what little power I have left to me to shift myself into a more amenable form for you. Judging from the surface impressions I've been picking up, you're closest to that prismatic floozy, right?”
“Please don't,” Fluttershy replied, blanching. “Rainbow Dash is my dearest friend, and she is not a floozy.”
“I'm just going by what's in your head,” said Chrysalis with a shrug of her shoulders. “Rarity? Twilight Sparkle?”
“No.”
“The red stallion with the giant-”
“-No!” Fluttershy grit her teeth to avoid saying anything worse.
Chrysalis stayed silent.
Would it really be so bad? Over the past couple of weeks, she had gotten to know Chrysalis' anatomy extensively; true, that was from the point of view of a healer caring for a patient and there was nothing sexual involved in that, but she was possessed of the exact same parts in the exact same places as found on ordinary ponies, so … no. She couldn't, could she? Could she really have her first time with a Changeling? A sick and injured Changeling? A sick and injured Changeling that would most probably die if she didn't act soon? Fluttershy took a deep breath, asking herself, as she normally did in these situations, what Twilight Sparkle would do?
She would probably ask Princess Celestia for advice, she thought with a rueful grin. I need to stop trying to act like her and think, instead, about what Fluttershy would do in these situations. She would do anything to help, right? That was the most important thing after all: no matter the cost, always put the patient first.
“Chrysalis?”
“Hm?”
“I'll do it, but on one condition,” said Fluttershy, loosing her pent-up breath.
“What's that?” she asked.
“Please don't turn into anypony else, okay? My friends are very precious to me and I won't have their images tarnished, no matter what impressions you may pick up,” Fluttershy said. Raising an eyebrow, she added, “Deal?”
With a wave of her foreleg, Chrysalis replied, “Sure. Like I said, I'm not in a position to be choosy.”
Whether it was because of Chrysalis entering her mind in order to feed or because of the act itself, Fluttershy quickly lost track of time as their bodies became one; sweat dripped off of her, mingling with that of the Changeling's. The room was soon filled with the combined scents of their rutting. Fluttershy identified her own aroma, knowing it only too well from her solo ventures, so she took the spicy, pungent tang lacing the air to be Chrysalis'. It was not, she was surprised to find, entirely unpleasant either. She'd expected it to be toxic and harsh, like those of other insect-based creatures, but it was not. It was … stimulating. Perhaps it was how Changelings adapted themselves so well? Create an intoxicating pheromone to lure the unsuspecting in and drain them of their love?
Their gentle dance was brief, but they still lay enmeshed, a tangle of black and yellow limbs, panting and spent. Instinctively, Fluttershy knew that it had not been very good, though she was certain that the fault did not entirely lie at her hooves; she felt an overwhelming sense of tiredness grip her, and she had to fight off sleep. She guessed that Chrysalis had gotten far more out of the experience than she had.
“Yum,” Chrysalis said, licking her lips slowly. “First-timers always taste so good. Their essence has a charge to it that you just can't beat.”
“I'm glad you enjoyed it,” said Fluttershy, unsure as to what she was feeling. It was categorically not how she'd pictured losing her virginity, but it hadn't been all that bad either. At least Chrysalis seemed grateful for her efforts rather than being her typical supercilious self, so that was something. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” the Changeling said, stifling a yawn. “Tired, too, but that's always to be expected after your first good meal in ages.”
Fluttershy cast a scrutinising eye over Chrysalis' body; her carapace looked healthy and shiny, like it had done during the invasion, and she seemed to be a bit more alert and attentive than before. She still needed time, however, as demonstrated by the fact that she quickly fell asleep, still grasping Fluttershy's body to her.
This is going to be a long night.
4. Loving You
For the next few days, Chrysalis continued to dip in and out of consciousness; Fluttershy would tend to her as best she could, make an effort to be by her side as much as possible, but even she couldn't take the often violent intensity of her nightmares. She would shout horrific curses at imaginary beings, thrash wildly in the bed – more often than not knocking the pictures off of the walls in the process – and, though it was rare, she would even sleepwalk throughout the cottage, frightening the animals. It was lucky that the Changeling was in such poor condition, Fluttershy reflected as she dragged her back to bed for what seemed like the tenth time that morning, because otherwise she would've been impossible to restrain.
While fluffing up her pillow, Chrysalis watched her calmly, a curious expression on her face. “Why are you putting yourself through so much effort on my behalf, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy, stifling a yawn, snatched a quick glance at the setting sun. She was dimly aware that Rainbow Dash, or was it Rarity, had asked to meet her earlier in the day. Oh, well, I'll just have to come up with another excuse for not doing so. “Because I couldn't just let you die out there, nor can I just let you die here now. It's … I don't know how to explain it other than it being my own personal belief that everypony needs to be shown a little kindness, that everypony deserves a second chance at redemption.”
“Redemption?” Chrysalis said, steam practically oozing from her nostrils as she snorted in disgust. “You think this changes anything?”
“I don't know,” Fluttershy replied softly. “But what else is there? You can't go back to the Hive, can you?”
“I should just throw myself on Princess Celestia's tender mercy, is that what you're saying, little pony?”
Back to little pony, are we? “Yes, you should. There'll be a trial, yes. You'll be imprisoned, most likely. But if you show that you can be a better pony, that you're willing to embrace friendship, you can be a part of our society. Isn't that a better option than dying alone and forgotten?”
“I'm not a pony,” said Chrysalis bluntly. “I don't care about friendship. I care about the safety of my Hive, that they're well-fed, and I don't care what I have to do to ensure their survival.” With a cruel smirk, she added, “If everypony rolls over as easily as you did, gaining all the love we need to survive forever shouldn't be that much of a problem, huh?”
For the rest of the day, they said nothing to each other; Fluttershy knew that Chrysalis' comment had been designed solely for getting a rise out of her, to irk her, but it had worked. What she had done – having sex with that monster – had required a tremendous effort of physical and mental willpower. Not only to get over the species barrier, but to get over her own issues when it came to intimacy. True, the primary goal was the act of healing, but she'd hoped, foolishly, she supposed, that showing her an act of pony love would help her reform. Would help her to see that there was more to life than just scavenging for what she wanted.
I'm such an idiot, Fluttershy decided, hefting a sigh into the otherwise quiet room. Chrysalis was asleep, and for once, she seemed moderately peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that the pegasus felt compelled to check that she was still breathing. The Changeling almost managed to look pretty now that she wasn't scowling or hurling insults, with the remnants of light from the fading sun casting an orange glow around her form. Vaguely pony-like in shape, with a similar body structure as the alicorn princesses, but with a shiny black shell, dark green hair, and gossamer-thin wings. I could probably find you attractive if you didn't have the personality of a virus.
It was that night that things changed, however: Chrysalis woke up, one hoof immediately going to her forehead while the other reached out, searching for … something. Fluttershy gripped it in her own. “I'm here, Chrysalis, what do you need?”
“Love.”
Fluttershy felt her jaw twitch. After what she had said earlier, she was in no mood to be toyed with again by the Changeling. “I'm sorry, but that's not gonna happen.”
“Fluttershy, please …?”
It wasn't a demand, it wasn't begging or pleading, it was just … asking. Chrysalis was asking Fluttershy to make love to her, to make her feel better, to give her the help that she needed, just as she had promised to do. It was a subtle tonal shift, but Fluttershy had spent so much time in the Changeling's company that she felt herself accustomed to her moods by now. This was not something that she'd heard before.
Asking for Fluttershy's help.
Asking for companionship.
Asking for love.
Fluttershy crawled into the bed and Chrysalis' forelegs went around her head, pulling her in close enough to plant a deep kiss on her muzzle; the Changeling's bifurcated tongue felt weird in her mouth, she had to admit, but it was not as gross or disgusting as she'd been expecting it to be. It tickled the roof of her mouth before playing across Fluttershy's own tongue and flicking sensuously at her tonsils.
This time, their movements were unhurried; it was borne out of a sense of duty, or the desperate need for survival, that they made love this time, but because they both wanted to. Chrysalis rolled herself on top and ground her heated flesh against Fluttershy's, the room soon becoming filled with their combined grunts of pleasure. Suddenly, she stopped, looking embarrassed. “Fluttershy, would you …?”
It took Fluttershy a second to realise what the Changeling wanted and she blushed. “Oh, sure, of course.”
Passion was all well and good, but Chrysalis was still recovering, and the initial burst of enthusiasm had quickly drained her body of adrenaline; slowly, tenderly, Fluttershy lay her on the bed, then straddled her, grinding their pelvises together until they both felt shards of pleasure shooting through them.
As an empath, Chrysalis was privy to the thoughts and feelings coursing through Fluttershy's mind; sensing the pegasus' fulfilment only added to her own, and it didn't take long for her to reach a climax from sensing that tumult … emotionally as well as physically. She lay there, inhaling deeply, feeling sated for the first time in ages. There was an old Changeling saying, “Lust is all well and good in a pinch, but nothing beats Love.”
From that night onward, their intimacy became something more than a simple salve for Chrysalis' wounds; their love-making had become actual love-making, and the improvement in the Changeling's mood was almost instant. Her dreams were less turbulent, she usually had a smile on her face whenever Fluttershy entered the room, and most importantly of all, despite her growing strength, she hadn't once tried to run away.
Though each bout left her drained – not just physically tired, but also emotionally exhausted as her feelings of love were usurped to sate Chrysalis' growing need – Fluttershy found contentment in the embrace of the Changeling.
5. Leaving You
Chrysalis, now almost fully-healed, the infection all but gone, her carapace thick, full and shiny, her juniper eyes glinting and intense, wasn't slow to detect the sudden shift in Fluttershy's mood; she had been guarded for some time, trying to put up defences around her mind to stop the Changeling from guessing at what she was thinking. Even their nightly routine of love-making had become rather perfunctory due to this, though Chrysalis still appreciated it for its health benefits if nothing else. “You're going to tell them, aren't you?”
“I have to,” Fluttershy said, on the verge of tears. “I really don't want to, I really don't want to lose you, but you're still wanted for crimes against the state. It's not something that I can just ignore.”
“You've kept it secret this long. I can go out in disguise, you can introduce me to your friends as a pony,” said Chrysalis, but even as she said the words she knew what the response would be. Tartarus, she didn't want that sort of life either. She was proud to be a Changeling, to be part of something bigger than herself. Just as Fluttershy was proud to be a pony, part of Equestrian society, one of the Elements of Harmony.
“I'm not ashamed of you, Chrysalis, and I don't want you to be a secret that I have to keep, least of all from my friends,” Fluttershy replied, offering her a thin smile. As a child, she had often daydreamed of what the love of her life, her special somepony, would be like, but never in a million years had she been expecting this.
“Would you be happy with the alternative? Me, in prison, possibly for years?”
“I'd wait for you.”
“I don't want you to have to,” said Chrysalis, loosing a long-held breath. “Do Equestrian prisons have conjugal visits?” she added, favouring the pegasus with a mischievous grin.
Fluttershy laughed heartily. “You know, I've never thought to find out.” Her eyes turned downcast and she looked at the ground, kicking at the old wooden floorboards pensively. “You're going to run, aren't you?”
“Yes.”
“Where will you go?”
“Equestria's a big place.”
“You'll visit me occasionally, won't you?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.
“Of course. I won't ever forget you, little pony,” Chrysalis said, smirking once again.
One last night of passionate, desperate love-making ensued; even through the newly-restored thickness of her shell, Fluttershy could hear Chrysalis' heartbeat thrumming strongly in her chest. She shuddered inwardly as she felt the Changeling's fangs brush her throat, so painfully, sensually close to the jugular. It would only take the merest amount of pressure to … knowing that she was leaving, knowing that she'd probably never return to Ponyville for fear of being caught by Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony, Fluttershy almost wanted those pointed, poison teeth to sink into the soft flesh of her neck and end her misery.
Chrysalis never performed the killing stroke, however, much to Fluttershy's disappointment.
The Changeling seemed desperate for closeness, for intimacy; she made sure that her the holes of her legs brushed every inch of Fluttershy's body, desperate to remember every facet of its soft, yielding curves. Legs wrapped around the pegasus' waist, holding her warm body against Chrysalis' cold one. Fluttershy felt something wet splash against her abdomen as the Changeling grunted in satisfaction. She could feel her own excitement building, but she held it off, settling for maintaining a steady rhythm of kisses across Chrysalis' face, neck and body.
Through necessity, their early sessions had been quick and dirty; mere snacks to help Chrysalis, for her to regain her strength, but now … if this was to be the last time, she was determined to derive everything from the experience that she possibly could. Part of her hoped that she could change the Changeling's mind, that she could convince her to stay, to sacrifice her freedom in the short term for a shot at a life together in the future, but ultimately, it didn't matter.
She just wanted Chrysalis, body and soul.
Feeling her warm breath on her throat, feeling those fangs graze dangerously against her, brought Fluttershy her own release; there was the familiar feelings of tiredness, but soon there was something else: it was as if something or somepony was rooting through her mind, searching. At the point of climax, Chrysalis was free to enter her mind and siphon off the emotional energy generated by their coupling. It was a strange process, one that left the victim temporarily bereft, as if their capacity to experience feelings was temporarily blocked off.
The stolen love would be replaced over time, regenerated as blood did after it was donated. For at least an hour or two, however, the physical and mental anguish would be enough to keep Fluttershy off of her feet. She was sure that she heard sobbing.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, finding it too much of an effort to even crane her neck in Chrysalis' direction. She felt herself being rolled onto her back and found herself looking into the forceful jade eyes of the Changeling. Her regal majesty had certainly been restored, anyway.
No longer sick. No longer injured. “Better than ever, little pony,” she replied, power radiating through her voice, as she lowered her head until they were snout to snout, fangs bared and at the ready.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it.” Chrysalis chuckled, but it was without genuine feeling. “But no. I will not harm you, nor will I harm your friends or ponykind in general, but neither will I stay here and sacrifice my freedom.”
The pegasus felt something warm drip onto her face. Lips, hard, moist, perfect lips, pressed against her own. It was nothing more than a peck, a parting gesture, but it contained a purity of meaning that Fluttershy found incredibly moving and she responded with tears of her own. “I love you, Chrysalis.”
“I love you, too, Fluttershy. Thank you. For everything. I know that I can never fully repay you for what you did, and I know that you deserve better than this, but … this is simply how it has to be for now. I'm sorry.”
Fluttershy could see Chrysalis' legs shaking as she made her way to the door; hesitant, uncertain, wanting to rush back to the pegasus' loving embrace, but it was not to be. She stepped through the threshold, taking on the form of a grey stallion as she did so. That's gonna take some explaining if anyone sees her.
That thought caused Fluttershy to laugh involuntarily, tiredly.
And explaining a former Changeling queen would be so simple in comparison.
Soon, the only thing left of Chrysalis in the room was the fading smell clinging to Fluttershy's coat; she inhaled it deeply, not wanting to forget it.