To Ne'er Come Down Again

“How many times must I tell you, they can’t hear you. For buck’s sake, you may as well be talking to a rock!” Chrysalis griped, watching the man lovingly pat and caress the decade of eggs.

“First of all,” the man began, glaring over his shoulder at the petulant Matriarch, “I think they can hear me; it’s been pretty well documented that babies respond to stimuli in the womb, so I’m pretty sure it’s the same with these little guys. Secondly, it’s not like talking to them is going to hurt anything.”

Giving a small shrug, the changeling looked back to her daily issue of the Ponyville Chronicle. “Fine - do as you please.”

The week subsequent the birthing had been surprisingly relaxed and routine, with the exception of a single paternity day Anon had taken from work immediately after the monumental occasion. Following the delivery, with both he and his mate deprived from sleep and left drained, the pair had lounged around the house and made plans - in that, the man ran around like an overly worried mother hen. Unlike the shapeshifting mare, he had no experience with tending to a clutch of eggs.

To Chrysalis’ credit, she’d been as comforting as an irate, deposed Queen could be. Besides repeatedly and rather sternly telling him that he had nothing to be concerned about, she mocked him ceaselessly. According to her, the shells would harden within a day, giving each of the ovum additional protection, and they’d hatch after roughly two weeks. Regardless of her reassurances, Anon took to his newfound fatherhood very seriously.

Every morning, before he went to work, and several times every afternoon, he’d gingerly reposition the eggs. It wasn’t uncommon for him to give them turns in his lap, warming them with his body, while telling them stories from his youth or homeland. Even if it was a fruitless venture, it just felt like the right thing to do.

In regards to his paramour, nothing had really changed. She mostly kept to their cavernous home and only rarely ventured into town with him. Once she’d been freed of her clutch, her sex drive had pretty much returned to normal - meaning she yearned for daily feedings to supplement her dietary needs. Even if the man was relishing his new paternal role, he was more than happy to service his lover.

“Will I have to make us dinner again?” Chrysalis groaned, leering over her paper at him. “I detest mucking about in the kitchen and it’s been ages since you made that - what did you call it - quiche?”

Anon scowled and turned to face her. “Not the most appropriate dish to ask for, given the circumstances.”

“What? You’re not cooking our eggs for it!” she balked, holding a hoof to her chest. “Unless you want me to produce a few unfertilized ovum for you to test your culinary skill with…”

“I…” he paused, completely at a loss. It was one of the exceedingly few times when he wasn’t sure if she was just fucking with him - that was, until she snickered. Shaking his head, he slowly pushed himself up and stood. “You know, I don’t…” he trailed off, as a faint sound caught his ear.

Glancing back, spying one of the eggs twitch, his eyes widened in shock. It hadn’t been nearly long enough for them to hatch - had it? Kneeling back down and reaching for the suspect ovum, he rested his hand on the lukewarm shell. Sure enough, after waiting another second or so, it gently shifted.

“What are you...No,” Chrysalis blurted, leaping from couch and cantering over to his makeshift nursery. “It’s far too soon! What on Equestria did you do?!”

“I...I didn’t do anything!” Anon sputtered, feeling the egg quake in his palm.

Staring down at the little wobbling spheroid, the man and mare watched with silent trepidation. Growing increasingly energetic, rocking back and forth, a small crack formed on the shell. Apparently not to be outdone, or simply due to some grand cosmic alignment, the other nine unhatched young joined their wobbling sibling.

As a chip of shell fell away from the first, revealing something small and black writhing within, the man’s heart skipped a beat. “W...w...what do we do?”

“Have you considered letting them hatch?” Chrysalis flatly mused, keeping her eyes glued on the egg.

With trembling hands, Anon carefully picked at the fragile casing. Bit by bit, piece by piece, he aided his progeny emerge, until a tiny black grub was revealed. Covered in mottled white hide, with black spots over its worm-like body, the bab peered up at him with a pair of cerulean eyes. Without skipping a beat, the newborn flicked its serpentine tongue and dragged itself free.

The moment was singular and beyond words. There he was, holding a life which he had helped create. Smiling, feeling his eyes beginning to water, he brought a finger to his child’s chin. “Hey,” he whispered, causing the tyke to peer up at his face, “I...I’m your dad.”

“Let me see,” Chrysalis muttered, levitating the grub to her face. Squinting at the writhing little creature, inspecting it from top to bottom, she knit her brow. “Seems fine, although I can’t recall a clutch ever hatching that quickly before.”

Tactfully plucking the larva from her sorcerous grasp, Anon sheltered the child in his hands. “That’s because I gave them lots of tender love and care,” he pouted, stroking the tyke’s head and staring into its beady eyes, “didn’t I?”

“You’ll spoil him,” Chrysalis groused, inspecting the little one.

“Him?” he repeated, looking over at her in confusion.

“That one is a colt, yes,” she confirmed, pointing a hoof at the grub in his hand. Noticing her leg shift, he realized all too late that he’d already neglected his parental duties. “And those two are fillies,” she continued, singling out more of the liberated young.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck,” Anon babbled, scooping up each of the wriggling larva.

What had started as a moving, emotional scene quickly devolved into the most precarious juggling act of his life. Trying and failing to manage all of the baby changelings, he found himself almost immediately overwhelmed. Startlingly mobile, despite their size and having only two limbs, they crawled over his arms and under his shirt - needless to say, the situation got quite literally out of hand.

“Uh,” he anxiously croaked, slowly moving to extricate the grubs from his back and shoulders, “little help?”

“This is too rich. You got yourself into this situation, you’ll be fine,” the Queen tittered, watching the unfolding show. “If you allow them to feed off you, they most assuredly will. If you wish to be free of them, just administer a bit of that love you’re so fond of and I’m sure they’ll be tuckered out in no time flat.”

Askance, the man reared away from her in disgust.

“Not that kind of love! That’s for Mommy,” she scoffed, wheeling around and trotting away. “Anyways, since you’re busy with the brood, I suppose I’ll go prepare us something to eat.”

“Bean burritos again?” he asked, managing to cautiously dislodge one of the tykes from between his shoulder blades.

The Queen was many things - an unparalleled lover, powerful, cocky, and remarkably intelligent - yet a chef she was not. She had, upon having learned how to make the legume and cheese stuffed rolls of flatbread, become rather keen on making the dish and it became a regular staple of her designated cooking nights. It wasn’t like he was complaining about her lack of culinary skill, although he often suffered the gastronomic repercussions of the entree the day following.

Prancing away, snickering to herself, she fled the room. “Feel free to join me, if you can wrangle them all.”

Seeing her flee, Anon turned his attention to the trove of squirming, tiny bodies about his frame. Besides taking care not to inadvertently squeeze or lose any of the babs, a disconcerting thought struck him. So far as he could tell, they were all identical - at least, they sure as shit looked identical. How his mate had been able to determine their sex was another conundrum, since they didn’t seem to have any sexual dimorphism whatsoever. Peeking over at a grub appearing from under his sleeve, seeing the little fanged snout, he was hit with an idea.

“Babe,” he called, warily getting to his feet and meticulously ensuring each bab remained clinging to him or his clothing, “do we have any markers?”

“I believe there are some in the odds and ends drawer - why?” she replied, retrieving several tortillas and some cheese from the refrigerator.

Staying silent, focusing on the multifaceted task at hand, Anon simultaneously managed his ten offspring and moved across the kitchen. Reaching the counter, with his many passengers tenaciously hanging from or scampering about his person, he opened the drawer and rummaged around. It only took him a moment to find his quarry - a box of multi-colored, felt-tip pens.

“Alright then - c’mere you,” he muttered, fishing a grub from beneath his shirt.

Uncapping a marker with his mouth, he moved the instrument to the youngster’s head and painted a vivid purple dot just beneath the tiny nub of a horn. The little guy - or maybe it was a girl - didn’t seem to mind, only half heartedly swatting at his hand. After anointing the offspring, he studiously made his way through the rest of his brood.

It was a crude and simple method, but it allowed him to temporarily distinguish each of the larvae. After he’d run out of colored markers, dabbing the first seven with blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, and white respectively, he left one unanointed and drew a rhombus and delta on the final two. With his young now distinguishable from one another, supremely pleased with his stroke of uncomplicated genius, a chuckle caught his ear.

Bemusedly shaking her head, Chrysalis hovered two burrito festooned plates to the table. “As amusing as that is, you do know it’ll wash off after they bathe.”

Anon scrunched his nose and raised a finger to protest, but she had a point. “I’ll think of something,” he remarked, slowly moving to the table and easing himself into his seat. Reaching for his food, more than ready to enjoy his meal, a quiet hissing and small commotion from beneath his shirt stayed his hand. Pulling at his collar and spotting two of his brood pawing at one another, he lightly patted their heads. “Hey, no fighting!”

“Let them quarrel,” Chrysalis glibly stated, sorcerously lifting her log of bean and cheese, “it’s perfectly natural.”

“You let them fight?” he inquired, separating the bickering pair.

“Of course I do. Normally, back when I had my swarm,” she growled, incidentally squeezing her burrito and causing it to hemorrhage, “I’d allow them to assert dominance. The victors were chosen and reared to be my praetorian or elite scouts; as for the losers - well - they were relegated to menial tasks within the hive.”

The casual and almost indifferent nature of her statement took Anon aback. Peering over at his shoulder, as a grub nestled up against his neck, he grimaced. “But why didn’t you care for them all equally? It just seems kind of - I don’t know - callous…”

“I did what I did because I had to!” she darkly murmured, leering over at the man. “We were - are predators. Though the strongest thrived, I ensured even the weakest survived - if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have waged war against the ponies.”

Between her cold tone and piercing gaze, Anon realized he’d unintentionally touched a nerve. “Well, for what it’s worth, you won’t have to worry about that now. I’ll do everything I can to make sure these little guys and girls grow up big and strong,” he hummed, rubbing his chin against a second youngster who was trying to climb his jaw.

Chrysalis simply stared at him for a moment, before abruptly unseating herself and trotting towards the door. “I’m going for a walk. Tend to the little ones while I’m away.”

The curt and all too sudden turn struck Anon as off. Had she been anyone else, he would have been absolutely shocked with her departure - then again, she’d been around for countless hatchings in the past and she apparently felt comfortable leaving him with their young. All in all, the chain of events left him bewildered.

“You’ll be back soon, right?” he called out, as his apprehension won out.

“Of course I’ll be back!” she bellowed, from off in the direction of the entryway.

Hearing the door slam, he breathed a small sigh of relief. She’d always been somewhat temperamental and impulsive, yet this felt different. He really wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, since she’d thrown a lot of mixed signals over the last half hour. On one hand, she trusted him with their offspring and had made them dinner - on the other, something had upset her enough to have her take her leave. Though he wasn’t that worried about her, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he’d done something wrong.

Grabbing up his burrito and quietly munching away, he stewed on the recent events. What with all of the arrangements they’d made, they had plenty of supplies for the little ones on the ready. The grubs’ room was prepared with toys and fresh linens, he’d bring them for a brief checkup in the morning, and they all seemed relatively content - well, as content as little bug-horses could be at least. Consuming his meal, taking periodic breaks to pet or reposition his young, he cleared his plate without further incident.

Once he’d finished cleaning the dishes and putting his mate’s abandoned burrito in the fridge, he moved back to the living room to wait for his Queen’s return. Carefully reclining lengthwise on the couch, having moved all the babs to his chest and stomach, he rested on his back and stared down at the ten little ones on his torso. Though one or two seemed to have some inquisitive energy left, the overwhelming majority appeared to be pretty tuckered out.

Coiling in on themselves, nearly rolling into tiny balls, their eyes drifted closed. It was strangely adorable and it warmed the cockles of his heart. Slowly, making sure as to not disturb them, he reached up and pulled the throw blanket on the sofa’s back over them and himself. Not but an hour ago, he’d been full of energy - now, since things had calmed down a bit, he was beyond fatigued.

Whether his lethargy was due to the chaotic and emotional afternoon, the meal he’d eaten, concern that he’d crossed his lover, or perhaps some combination of the three, he couldn’t say - in any case, he was bushed. Stifling a yawn, he readjusted the pillow under his head and got comfortable. Whilst it was an odd time to nap, he saw no harm in getting in some shuteye before Chrysalis got back. Before he knew it, the warm embrace of sleep took him.

Be damned if he could tell exactly how long he was under, but several interesting things happened. For starters, all the grubs were with him in a dream; the tykes were crawling around, playing with him and one another in a sunlit field. It wasn’t terribly exciting or bombastic, yet it filled him with a profound contentment. The entire thing was astonishingly realistic and lucid; had it not been for him awakening, he could have sworn it was real.

Sadly, as he relaxed with his kids, he was roused from his slumber. Shaking his head, hearing the soft mewlings of his young, he spotted Chrysalis deftly lifting the larvae from his torso. “They can stay,” he grumbled, sheltering the remaining six under his arms.

“No they can’t,” she austerely intoned, moving his arms aside to extricate the other hatchlings. “When they’re this young, they’re positively gluttonous and don’t know restraint. Tell me, how do you feel right now?”

Thinking for a moment, processing what she’d said, it dawned on Anon that he didn’t feel rested in the slightest - if anything, he felt more tired than he had before taking the siesta. Pinching the bridge of his nose and pushing himself up, he attempted to shake off his fatigue. It was an unsettling development, to say the least, and part of him was thankful that his paramour had intervened.

“And you dealt with this for all of your foals - er - grubs?” he groaned.

“Each and every one, yes,” she faintly replied, smiling wistfully to the hovering young. “Maybe now you understand why I did what I did. If I hadn’t rationed myself to them, they wouldn’t have had a mother to protect and look after them…”

The revelation was extraordinarily grim and left the man frozen in place. To think the Matriarch had willingly given herself to her offspring, allowing them to feed on her energy by her lonesome, filled him with a righteous determination. Heaving himself from the couch, staving off the lingering dizziness and exhaustion, he stepped over and held her tightly to his bosom.

“What are you…” she fell silent, as he tightened his embrace.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’m not gonna let any of you go hungry,” he whispered.

Drained though he was - quite literally, in fact - he meant what he said. He wasn’t sure how taxing tending to a family of the parasitic creatures would be, but he’d be damned if he wouldn’t find a way to make it work; through sheer determination or other means, he’d have to - after all, they were the most impactful things that had happened to him since arriving in Equestria. Stroking her side, giving her what little energy he had left, his knees buckled.

“Enough,” she faintly declared, pushing him away. “Foolish hyu-man, you’ll cause yourself to faint.”

“You’re worth it,” he insisted, reaching for the floating group of little ones, “they’re worth it…”

Unfortunately for Anon, his resolve and perseverance weren’t enough to save him. His vision tunneled, the sound of his mate’s voice grew muffled, and an immense heaviness settled upon his limbs. Blinking rapidly, fighting to remain conscious, he blacked out.

All but dead to the world, the closest thing he could describe the experience to would be falling into a coma. Deep and almost preternatural, he dozed in a dreamless state of pure enervation. By the time he finally woke up, within his bed beside his softly snoozing lover, nearly fourteen hours had passed.

Pulling up the blanket and peeking towards the foot of the bed, he noticed their decade of offspring curled up around or beside their bodies. It was a pleasant sight, even if he wasn’t sure how she’d managed to wrangle and mollify them all. Turning his gaze back to the sleeping Queen, he extended an arm and brushed the mane from her tranquil face.

Unlike the afternoon before, when he’d been sapped of his energy, he felt refreshed and well rested. As the Matriarch cracked open one of her brilliant, harlequin eyes and looked over at him, he couldn’t help but smile. Somehow she’d managed to get him and their young into bed, before joining him for the night.

“Morning, Gorgeous,” he hummed, shuffling closer and kissing her snout.

“Mmmmm,” she shivered. Lifting a foreleg and draping it over his side, she drew him nearer. “How are we feeling?”

“In bed with you, I feel just perfect,” he purred, rubbing noses with her.

“For the life of me, I can’t fathom how you do it,” she quietly remarked, returning his affection.

Piquing a brow, he drew back slightly. “Do what?”

“All of this. You’d likely be out for a day or more, were you any other creature on the face of Equestria, yet here you are - just as spry and lively as ever,” she cooed. Hitching a hind leg onto his hip and sweeping away the three grubs between them, she pressed her body against his.

“Guess it’s because I found the perfect mate,” he chuckled. Locking lips with her, trying to ignore one of the larvae on his calf, he drew out the romantic moment as long as he could - at least he did until something nibbled his toe. “Remind me to put them in the nursery before we get in bed.”

“Says the hyu-man who seemed determined to stay by their side,” Chrysalis smoothly responded. “Come now, we must get up. I’d hate for you to tarnish your doubtlessly flawless attendance record at work.”

“Shit,” he cursed, glancing over at the clock. “You gonna be alright with them for the day?”

“Considering how well you fed them yesterday afternoon, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she sighed.

Nodding, realizing how little time he had to work with, Anon crawled out of bed and scampered into the bathroom. Stripping down and hopping into the shower, he thought of everything he’d need to get done that day. Given the unforeseen hatching of their brood, he’d have to run by the doctor’s office after his shift to schedule a checkup for their babies, even if Chrysalis would probably say it wasn’t unnecessary.

Besides his shift at the bowling alley and a brief visit to the clinic, he should probably write Twilight about the unexpectedly early arrival of their grubs. Shortly after he’d begun cohabitating with the changeling, she’d asked that he keep in contact with her regarding any developments - especially after they’d discovered Chrysalis was knocked up. It was the least he could do and it was a small price to pay for everything she’d done for them.

That being said, part of him did wonder about the Princess’ motivations and end-game goal of introducing the two. She’d freed Chrysalis and, through somewhat duplicitous means, been the catalyst in their rather unorthodox relationship. Besides setting the two up, she’d also been gracious enough to supplement his wages with a stipend from the royal coffers and provide their new home.

All told, Twilight had been an invaluable asset for him and his growing family - still, he was curious about her real motives. She’d never really explained why she’d brought the two together, although he suspected she was either hoping to reform Chrysalis or perhaps have detailed information about the breeding and rearing of pre-reformed changelings - in any case, he didn’t mind obliging her relatively humble request. As he dried himself off and made a mental note to send her a scroll, he strolled back into his room to get dressed.

“Here,” Chrysalis huffed, tossing him a clean outfit to wear. “Just try not to be late and, yes, I fully expect you to be cooking for us tonight.”

Swiftly dressing himself and tossing his towel to where the hamper had been, he frowned. The wicker basket had been moved to the center of the room and upended to create a makeshift cell for their larvae. While it was kind of cute to see them wriggling over and around one another, he couldn’t avoid thinking of them as being imprisoned. Above them loomed their mother, grinning down at the writhing mass of young.

“Try not to keep them in there for too long,” he huffed. Buttoning his shirt and straightening his tie, he walked over and pecked his lover’s cheek.

“It promotes bonding or something,” she countered, shooing at him. “They’ll be fine, I promise you.”

Leaning in, Anon’s fingers drifted through her gossamer mane. “Of course they will, they’ve got the best mom in the world.”

She shuddered at the remark, giggling like a school filly, before shoving him away. “Go on, you’ll be late.”

“Alright. Be back soon,” he assured her, giving her one final kiss goodbye.

As he saw his way through the home and out the front door, his spirits were higher than ever. Now he had both an unsurpassed lover and several bundles of squirming joy awaiting him after he got home from work. Only a scant few minutes of his trek into Ponyville, while he moved along his well-beaten path, a blinding flash and Pop of displaced air appeared before him.

“Hello, Anon! I hope you’re doing well today!” Twilight merrily greeted, trotting up to face him.

Squinting over at the approaching alicorn, Anon didn’t break his stride. “Either your ears were burning or someone has been spying on me.”

The Princess slowed, if only just, as her smile wavered. “W...what? Me, spying? No! I...I would never do something like that!”

“Uh-huh,” he sarcastically grunted, glancing sidelong at her. The Princess was far from a bad pony, but he wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if she’d somehow had him and his budding family under surveillance - nevertheless, since he’d already planned on messaging her, her appearance was a fortuitous one. As a serendipitous thought took hold, he grinned. “Last night, the kids damn near drained me dry. I’ll tell ya, those little grubs can get hungry!”

“Did they?!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming up at him. “I’d always theorized that pre-reformed changelings were unable to control their appetite, but I couldn’t...Hey!”

Stopping, turning to fully face her, Anon gently poked her snout. “I knew you’d been snooping!” he laughed.

“I - uh - well, you see…” she sputtered, attempting to concoct a plausible excuse.

“Lemme guess,” he continued, squatting down before her, “the mirrors are one way and you’ve got viewing portals? Hidden cameras? No! You’ve got the place bugged.”

“B...but Chrysalis is a bug,” Twilight pouted, missing the joke entirely.

Relenting, Anon clapped her shoulder and shook his head. “Seriously though, however you figured it out, I’m not mad - Pinkie promise,” he sighed. “Just tell me how you figured it out.”

“Fine,” she lamented, hanging her head in shame. “I implanted a few listening devices around your house. It’s not like I eavesdrop and meticulously document everything you two do, but I thought it would be the least intrusive way to study the coupling of an alien and possibly the last changeling Matriarch in Equestria.”

“I can’t say I’m too thrilled about being spied on,” he admitted, motioning for her to accompany him into town, “but you’ve earned it. Just please don’t do anything weird with the noises of our more intimate times together.”

Walking along, looking over and seeing a blush creep into the Princess’ cheeks, he silently prayed his request hadn’t come too late. Twilight had an almost fetishistic proclivity for scientific research and knowledge, so he wouldn’t be terribly surprised if she kept the recordings of their raucous lovemaking. Left to wonder what, if anything, she’d done while listening to the sound of a man and bug-horse making loud, passionate love, he set his sights on the bowling alley ahead.

“Hey, Twi, can you do me a favor?” he asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a less awkward direction. “Can you make an appointment for the kids to see Doctor Greymare? Even if Chrysalis will probably say they don’t need it, I’d like them to get a checkup.”

“Absolutely! I’ve already made plans for several physicians to give them a once over, including a medical student from Thorax’s hive. All I ask is that Chrysalis and yourself get an exam during the visit. Although it may sound silly, I’d like to see how both of you are doing,” she chirped, prancing along beside him.

Raising an eyebrow, with his suspicions roused, Anon peered over at her. “What kind of exam?”

“Just a few routine measurements and a short interview session, nothing too intrusive,” she explained. “If it makes you more comfortable, you can accompany one another throughout the duration. I’d hate to make for either of you to be uncomfortable.”

“If that’s all, sure. Probably a good idea that I stay along with Chrysalis anyways, since I’m not sure how well she’ll take to having one of her reformed kids around. Just let me know when the appointment will be, so I can schedule it with work,” he replied.

“Wonderful! Alright, I’ll make the arrangements and get back with you this afternoon!” Twilight cheerfully declared. Stopping in her tracks and igniting her horn, she waved a hoof to get his attention. “I do have one more thing I’d like to ask.”

Slowing, the man turned to face her. “Shoot.”

“Do you mind if I see them this afternoon? I’m just really excited about all this and I’m dying to get a look at the cute little things.”

“Heh - they are pretty cute. Screw it, sure, why not. Just show up at the house around seven. That’ll give me time to let the Queen know we’ll be expecting company,” he chuckled.

“Sounds great, see you then!” she excitedly whooped, before disappearing in a flicker of light.

Left to his lonesome, Anon continued off the path and onto one of the small roads leading into Ponyville. While the news that the happenings in his home had been listened in on was somewhat disquieting, he was willing to overlook the minor transgression. After a month or two, once his young had developed a tad, he’d ask Twilight to remove whatever devices or spellwork she’d tapped his abode with. Approaching the bowling alley, waving to a senior couple who came every Tuesday morning, he headed towards the front door.

His seven hour shift was, by and large, standard and without incident. Working the early shift on a weekday tended to be boring and relatively slow, yet he still had plenty to do. Between polishing the alleys, rearranging the house bowling balls by weight, and generally tidying up, he tended to customers or the odd mishap. Keeping himself busy, while musing on what Chrysalis and the kids were up to, the day practically flew by.

Before he knew it, he was punching out and taking his leave. Seeing as how he’d planned on making several excursions which were no longer necessary, he did decide to make a small pit stop before heading back to the home. Popping in at Sugarcube Corner, he purchased a dozen buttercream frosted cupcakes for his little family.

Though it was a day late and pretty silly, since he doubted the grubs could even eat the baked confection, the thought of getting something to celebrate their hatching warmed his heart. With the box of freshly baked goods in hand, it wasn’t until he was well on his way back to the cavern that he was stricken with a question - do changelings celebrate birthday on the day the eggs are laid, or when the grubs emerge? Shrugging it off and making yet another mental note to ask his mate about the subject, he pressed into the treeline and onto the well-beaten route he’d taken untold dozens of times.

After a few minutes of strolling through the cool air, he walked through his front door. “Babe! I’m home,” he called, shifting the box of pastries behind his back.

Strutting out from the subterranean structure and up the winding ramp to the exit, Chrysalis pressed a forehoof to her lips. Without saying a word, she flitted up to greet him. “The little ones are napping, keep your voice down.”

“Damn it,” he hissed, feigning frustration.

Glowering, the Queen tilted her head at an odd angle. It was rare that he’d lose his temper with much of anything, so seeing him in a sour mood seemed to throw her off guard. “Is something the matter? Don’t tell me that shrew Seven-Ten wants you to work this weekend!”

“No, it’s worse than that,” he muttered, slowly moving his hands ‘round to reveal the sweets he’d purchased. “I wanted to surprise you and the kids with these.”

“I…” Chrysalis faltered, looking from the box to his face.

Balancing the desserts in one hand, he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her into a hug. “Figured it would be a nice little late birthday gift for the grubs and the beautiful mare who brought them into this world.”

“Anon,” she breathed, sorcerously snatching the box from his hands and guiding it to the floor. As she lifted a foreleg and wrapped it around his waist, she rested her head on his shoulder. “If this is some charade to get me worked up,” she added, flicking her tongue into his ear, “it’s working.”

Feeling his pulse quicken, his palm glided along her flank. “Maybe tonight after we put the brood to bed?”

“Maybe now,” she teased, pecking her way up across his collar.

He’d hadn’t foreseen being ambushed in such a provocative way, yet he sure as hell wasn’t going to turn down some spontaneous lovin’ from his mate. They’d done it more times than he could count, in more positions than he thought were possible with a quadruped, but be damned if she didn’t know how to push his buttons. Closing his eyes, pressing his lips to hers, they made out by the door.

Either she was exceedingly happy to have him home or she was genuinely moved by the cupcakes - either way, she was exceptionally enthusiastic that afternoon. Forcefully shoving him backward, pressing his back against the wall, she breathed hotly against his face. Slipping his tongue into her muzzle, the man’s enthusiasm roared to live.

“You’re so fucking hot when you’re pushy,” he grunted, his fingers weaving through her mane.

“I know,” she haughtily admitted. Lowering her head and sending power through her gnarled horn, she undid the buttons on his shirt and began kissing her way down his steadily unveiled chest.

Braced against the wall, he watched her slowly move down his body. Their lustful encounters were, in a word, interesting. They’d usually vie for dominance while or shortly before the main event, oftentimes after rather protracted bouts of taunting or seduction. Sometimes, their intimate time together was love-making, slow and ardent - others, they’d fuck like wild beasts, biting and almost angrily screwing one another until they were sore and satiated.

Though the wheres and precise hows of their passion were nearly random, he knew one thing for certain - the sex with her never got old. Thus far, in his relatively short time of enjoying her company, she’d only altered herself in minor ways - loosening or tightening her marehood, adorning herself with teats, modifying her height to accommodate various furniture, etc - yet there’d been nothing stopping her from assuming the form of wholly different creatures. He had little doubt that they would eventually fool around with substantial transformations, but he was in no rush to break that mysterious ground.

The sound of her inhaling sharply through her nose shook him from his thoughts and caused him to peer down at her. Having unbuttoned his pants and opened his fly, her snout was practically buried in his crotch. “You know, if you like the smell, maybe I should start hitting the gym before I come home,” he clucked, winking down at her.

“Unless you want to father a legion of children, I wouldn’t,” she growled, wantonly huffing his unwashed loins.

Gently pushing her away, he knelt down and brought himself to her eye level. “I live to serve, my Queen.”

The comment, though lighthearted and a bit silly, was the straw which broke the camel’s back. Thrusting herself upon him, sandwiching him between the wall and herself, she enthusiastically locked lips with her bipedal paramour. Wrenching his legs out from underneath him, leaving him beneath herself, she squatted down and ground her crotch on his lap.

Groaning into his mouth, she gyrated on his rapidly hardening manhood. While he hadn’t intended to go to pound-down right after getting home, he wasn’t opposed to the idea in the slightest. His hands ran over her body, squeezing her soft hide, before coming to rest on her rump. Giving her a firm smack on the rear, he pulled back and broke their kiss.

“Mmmmmmm,” she hummed, rearing back to flash him a toothy grin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say my King would like -”

Knock Knock Knock-Knock Knock

The two froze and turned towards the door in unison. Glancing up at his mate, remembering that Twilight was supposed to be coming by that afternoon, Anon watched the changeling’s lip curl. Reaching up to caress her muzzle and hopefully quell her anger, his attempt came a split second too late.

“Go away!” Chrysalis barked.

“No, fuck, it’s Twilight!” Anon chided, attempting to wriggle free.

“Definitely go away!” the Matriarch repeated, even more vehemently.

“Chryssy, please, she just wants to see the kids,” he hastily explained. Thinking fast, appealing to her vainglorious nature, he said the first thing that came to mind. “Don’t you want to show off the first members of your new hive.”

Shifting her attention to the man, harboring an annoyed glint in her eyes, she stared daggers down at him. “And what purpose would that serve?”

“S...so she could see how much grander they are than their colorful half-brothers and sisters?” he questioningly replied, doing his level best to concoct something - anything to mollify her.

Chrysalis didn’t budge, seemingly studying him for what felt like a small eternity, until she finally pushed herself up and dismounted. “You owe me for this,” she rasped, keeping her voice low.

Scrambling to his feet wheeling around, Anon undid the lock and flung the door open. Between the excitement of his amorous lover and his fear of upsetting the Princess, he completely forgot about the disheveled and unpresentable state he was in - that was, until he saw Twilight’s cheeks darken. Fumbling for his shirt and pants, successfully dealing with neither, a condescending laugh sent a chill through his veins.

“Twilight Sparkle, how nice of you to visit. Forgive my hyu-man, he was just about to tend to his duties of feeding me a hot, thick meal; but I digress. Please, come in,” Chrysalis conceitedly intoned, paying the alicorn to enter.

“I...I can come back,” Twilight stammered.

“And miss us making the beast with two backs?” the changeling laughed. “I’m sure my lover wouldn’t mind receiving some voyeuristic attention - would you?” she purred, rearing onto her hind legs and resting her forehooves on his shoulders.

“Twilight, I’m so sorry,” Anon wheezed, caught totally off guard by his mate’s shameless and utterly brazen display.

“Well look at the time! I guess I’ll just come by tomorrow for a visit,” Twilight loudly announced, holding her pained smile. Whisking herself away, disappearing as quickly as she’d arrived, the evening air rolled through the open doorway.

“Pity,” Chrysalis tittered, hopping off her paramour and turning away, “and I thought she’d get off on watching us.”

Raising a finger to protest, Anon thought better of it and kept quiet. Her assertion, be it true or not, reminded him that the Princess had been listening in on them for some time. With a heavy sigh, he shut the door and walked to the Queen’s side. “You know, you don’t have to be so grumpy with her. She did basically hook us up and give us this house…”

“And I haven’t assaulted her or arranged a hostile overthrow of the Empire since I was freed; I’d say that makes us even,” she groused, retrieving the cupcakes from the floor. “Now then, unless we’re expecting any additional guests, I’m expecting lasagna and some private time with my mate.”

Shaking his head, Anon couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. Cheeky and uncouth as she was, her supercilious nature almost always made him smile; it was stupid, especially since he couldn’t tell if she was being serious most of the time, yet that was part of her charm. Looking back at her, as he approached the main structure of their home, he smirked.

“You get the kids, I’ll start on dinner,” he instructed, veering towards the kitchen.

“Fine, but don’t wear yourself out or eat too heavily. I’ll be expecting a nice, rough rutting this evening,” she nonchalantly rebutted, walking by and slapping his ass.

Eyeing her succulent rear, watching her strut towards the nursery, his loins stirred. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Pamper me like the Queen I am,” she scoffed, rounding a corner and going out of sight...