Chrysalis Adopts a Cat! | |
---|---|
The story's cover art
| |
Writer(s) | Erudite Muffin |
Date published | August 19, 2012 |
Words | 13,148 |
Status | Complete |
Type/genre | Comedy Slice of Life |
Featuring | Queen Chrysalis |
Show connection | A Canterlot Wedding |
Story link(s) | |
Chrysalis Adopts a Cat! is a one-shot written by Erudite Muffin. Just as the title says, the story follows Queen Chrysalis soon after her defeat in the episode A Canterlot Wedding Part 2 whereupon she adopts a cat. Due the efforts of one of the Pre-readers, the story was approved early on Equestria Daily. The story was later refeatured two days later with a statement attached claiming that the Pre-reader responsible had been punished. The story is still undergoing copy-editing.
Style[]
The story is written in the third-person, present tense, from Chrysalis's point of view. Her thoughts are given as they come to her, and her unwavering self-importance gives them a sense of absurdity as she stumbles from one misfortune to the next.
Summary[]
Queen Chrysalis is reflecting upon what had happened to her in the last few hours after her defeat at the hands of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. After being blown away by the spell, she had used her wings to slow herself down. However, her changeling army was not able to this as effectively as herself, and as such the two were effectively separated.
Queen Chrysalis had then fallen into a bog, where she stumbled across a Hydra. Since she was feeling queasy from the effects of Shining Armor's barrier spell, she threw up the contents of her stomach (love) onto said Hydra. After doing so, the Hydra chased her though the woods until she managed to lose it, dignity still somehow intact.
Now, after wandering aimlessly through a forest, she stumbles across a small town. She decides to disguise herself as an ordinary pony, and makes her way to take refuge in said town. However, while crossing the bridge on the town’s border, a large pile of reeking garbage falls out of the sky and falls directly on her. It turns out Derpy Hooves has accidentally dropped her garbage on the Queen. Derpy gives the Queen an apologetic look before flying off.
Chrysalis is then attacked by a mangy cat. After a quick scuffle, the two come to a stalemate. Chrysalis takes note of how the cat is female, and then makes her way to the river below the bridge in order to wash off the gunk from her form.
Just before she reached the river bank, the mangy looking cat swipes her leg, and then looks at her expectantly. It was at this moment that Chrysalis realizes that there is a whole fish impaled on her horn. She tosses it at the cat before jumping into the river. She manages to wash the physical filth off, but is unable to rid herself of the unpleasant odor.
Deciding that she does not want to get rabies or some other sinister disease from the wound the cat gave her, she heads to the local vet to have it checked out. In the pet clinic, the vet happily tells a disguised Chrysalis that the he had cured the cat of a dozen infectious diseases, as well as removed its claws.
Chrysalis then asks the vet what she is supposed to do a about the claw marks on her leg, so the vet tells her that a medical package is being sent over from the local hospital that should be able to cure her of the diseases the cat infected her with. Chrysalis also asks where she can acquire proper housing, to which the vet tells her to speak to Twilight Sparkle. She also gives a description of the unicorn.
As Chrysalis tries to imagine what she looks like, her thoughts are interrupted when the medical package arrives; which turns out to be a single large needle about as big as her leg. The vet then stabs Chrysalis in the stomach with the needle before sending her on her way.
Chrysalis makes her way to the library, with the cat hot on her heels. She finds the library, as well as Twilight Sparkle inside. She recognizes her old enemy and is convinced that it was a planned ambush before realizing that Pinkie Pie had thrown her a welcome party. However, the party is cut short they realize that she reeks of garbage.
Chrysalis then goes to her two story house plus basement, and takes a shower. However, she ends the shower prematurely when she realizes that the cat had followed her in. She tries to scare it away by revealing her true form, but the cat is unimpressed. Suddenly two royal guards show up at her door, and ask that she come with them for questioning.
They tell her that since the changeling attack on Canterlot, all new arrivals in towns must be taken in for questioning. Chrysalis is unsure of out to bluff her way out of this, particularly since she still stank, when suddenly one of the royal guards notices her cat and exclaims how cute it is. She then manages to convince the two to leave her alone, since the queen of the changelings could not possibly have such an "adorable" cat.
Chrysalis then decides that form that point on she would like to keep the cat. She takes it to Fluttershy's house for a lesson in pet care. After Fluttershy explains how taking care of a cat works, Opal comes downstairs and gets into a fight with Chrysalis's cat. Since Chrysalis's cat has no claws, it loses the fight, and comes out with a gash on its cheek.
Chrysalis then goes home to plot revenge upon Opal in the name of her cat. She does said plotting in the basement of her house. Her thoughts on her unwavering pride falter only a moment as she considers how pathetic it is have been planning the invasion of Canterlot just yesterday, to be planning retribution against a cat the next. However one look at her cat is all that is needed to convince her that this is totally worth it.
As part of the plan, Chrysalis reopens the wounds on her cat's face, and the two share an evil laugh. However the cat stops well before Chrysalis, mutely telling her that evil cliché laughs are not cool. In her defense, Chrysalis tells the cat her mother thought her it.
That afternoon, Chrysalis visits Rarity so that she may set her plan in action. She accepts her offer of tea and distracts her with idle conversation on dresses while her cat sets off to find Opal. Opal and the cat fight once more, and when Rarity and Chrysalis arrive at the scene, all the dresses in the room are in tatters. Rarity takes note of how Chrysalis's cat has no claws, but a nasty cut on his cheek as it cowers in a corner of the room.
Rarity then ends Chrysalis's visit early so that she may punish her cat for what she has done. Chrysalis and her cat consider the plan a success. Chrysalis however, starts to feel hungry. Since she will not be able to get any love anytime soon, she decides to settle on getting some sweets from Sugarcube Corner.
At Sugarcube Corner, Chrysalis asks Pinkie Pie for some food, whereupon Pinkie Pie gives her two chocolate cupcakes on the house since they completely sold out. Chrysalis is rather shocked by how nice the people in this town are so far, and sets off to enjoy her treat.
At that moment, her pride truly falters, as she takes into account all the happenings of that day. In anger, she throws her cupcake on the ground, but instantly regretted it since she was still hungry. Her cat then offers her her cupcake. Chrysalis reluctantly agrees to take some, but only half.
Chrysalis then enters the bedroom of her house, and tucks herself unto bed. Suddenly the cat jumps in with her, but Chrysalis doesn't mind. She decides that she would like to give the cat a name. After much participation from her cat, she decides to name it Sam.
Chrysalis then lay on her bed, petting her cat as she reflects upon the events of her day. She realizes that she had subconsciously been feeding off of her cat's love, as her cat had stuck by her side the entire time. She thinks about how she will rebuild her changeling army for a little while, but in the end she decides she would take a vacation first.
She is convinced her changelings should get along fine without her for some time, since as she put it “They weren't mindless drones incapable of independent thought. They could think for themselves and survive.” After planning what she wants to do the next day, she falls asleep.