FimFiction Link - Short ID: 510562/the-thrill-of-the-hunt
Published: Jan '22
'The Thrill of the Hunt' is a 17k word shortfic in which Chrysalis has sex with a clumsy artist femcolt.
Or at least that's how I'd describe this story if I wanted to be coy, but that wouldn't do it justice. While it is indeed a clopfic, the story's first chapter uses sexuality very lightly and for purely plot related purposes and I'd easily recommend it to readers who aren't fans of porn as well.
'THotH' tells a surprisingly round story even though it almost exclusively focuses on the Queen's attempts at hunting down her prey, all told in prose that's unapologetically purple, yet surprisingly easy to read. I particularly liked the way the forest and its relationship with the changelings were characterized, the reader really get the impression that though Chrysalis is in control, she's very much not the only presence with power. Even though it's just the backdrop, the Everfree feels like a dangerous and exotic location that thinks and *really* doesn't want you to be there.
As for the characters, I love the way Chrysalis is depicted here. It's firmly AU territory, yet still familiar enough to make her feel like herself. She is sort of like a fae in this story, preying on travelers, but—unlike the canon version—without any plans of world domination or even really harming anyone. She's much more primal than that in this fic, but that also allows her to be far kinder and curious than show!Chrissy ever was.
While the OC himself is a bit more shallow, because Chrysalis is primed for emotions, we get a far deeper look into his emotions than one would in a different story. The rich descriptions about what his reactions are to QC's advances paint a complete picture and so I think he is a satisfying character despite being a literal one-trick-pony. I also found it really cute how detached Chryssy is from pony society, so things as simple as art completely confuse her and make her all the more fascinated with the colt.
In short, the first chapter is an occasionally a bit lewd and largely timeless fable about a pure hearted artist winning the heart of an ancient queen. Very sweet, very poetic. Comparatively the second chapter is almost purely just porn. Good porn mind you, it's cute, mostly vanilla, and even the one unusual fetish it features is done so modestly that you'd be forgiven to think it's just flavor text. One thing I feel is important to mention is that this is a good end story. I suppose it's a bit of a spoiler, but I really wouldn't want anyone to skip this fic expecting it to end in tragedy just based on the title and the implications.
Overall: 7/10 It's a story with lovely prose, cute characters and interactions, fairly hot porn scenes, and an interesting take on the Everfree. Easy recommend.