To Ne'er Come Down Again

“And this one?” Chrysalis asked, lifting one of the softly cooing foals.

Anon sat mute, studying the small changeling for a moment, as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “Sapphire?”

“How can it be this difficult for you?” she sighed, closing her eyes in frustration. “That one is Sapphire,” she continued, pointing to one of the miniature shapeshifters off to the side, “this one is Carmine!”

The man squinted, looking between the two little ones for a moment, before his shoulders wilted. For the past three months, he’d been trying and failing to learn how to correctly identify each of his kids - all ten of them. Since he’d begun, the hatchings had morphed into their tottering, quadrupedal forms and they’d all been given names.

In no particular order, they were: Carmine, Sapphire, Xanthous, Amber, Mauve, Jade, Frost, Ebon, Rhombus, and Delta. Admittedly, naming all ten of the little buggers, pun intended, had been a monumental trial, but he and his mate had managed to get it done. Ultimately he’d resorted to anointing them based on his simplistic color-based identification method. He simply did the best he could with what he had; they all looked and effectively acted the same, at their young age, save for the occasional budding moment of unique personality.

Keeping to her word, Chrysalis had done her best to teach him how to tell the offspring apart using conventional means. Though he still didn’t fully understand it, she had some innate ability to distinguish each of them with the slightest glance - he, however, wasn’t quite as lucky. Left to recognize them based on their oh-so-subtle anatomical differences or the pitch of their noises, the task was next to impossible.

Reaching out, he took Carmine in his hands. “Sorry, little guy.”

Affectionately rubbing the foal’s head, before giving him a peck on the cheek and setting him free, he sighed. He really did feel bad that he couldn’t tell his own kids apart, despite Chrysalis assuring him that they would eventually develop unique traits - still, knowing that did little to bolster his mood. For the time being, he was left to make educated guesses.

“Really, you worry yourself too much. At this point, it’s not like they know better or care what you’re calling them - so long as you continue to dote on them, I’m sure they’ll be big, strong, and easily discernible in no time flat,” she murmured.

Getting to her hooves and stepping passed him, she affectionately patted his shoulder. To her credit, she had been remarkably patient with trying to teach him about developing drones. Though she had routinely berated and teased him about his ignorance of their offspring, she’d eventually relented in her jibes, after seeing that he was genuinely bothered by the matter.

Besides his frustration with picking out one foal from another, things had been going relatively smoothly. His work at the bowling alley had continued, all his offspring were healthy, and his mate was just as pithy and sharp-witted as ever. The only things which had changed were the hatchlings, with how quickly they were growing, and Chrysalis herself.

Being around her brood seemed to have mellowed her to a degree. She was still relatively quick to anger and arrogant to a fault, yet a subtle undercurrent of contentment had crept into her life. When she wasn’t looking after their young, tending to their needs and ensuring they didn’t get into too much trouble, she was spending time with him. As silly as it may have sounded, his quaint little home life was oddly relaxing and a day didn’t go by when he didn’t look forward to seeing his family.

“Yeah,” he groaned, pushing himself up, “you’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right. It’s not like I haven’t raised hundreds of them before - sure, this particular crop may be maturing at an alarming rate, but that’s the only peculiarity about them. Come now, we should get them ready for bed,” she intoned, magically gathering retrieving a handful of the little ones from beneath their bed.

Anon grunted, scooping up the two nearest drones. If they continued to flourish the way they had been, and he had no reason to assume they wouldn’t, he’d only be able to handle one at a time before too long. When standing, each of the foals reached his shins. It wasn’t like he was saddened by their size, but some part of him already missed having multiple little grubs clinging to his back, shoulders, and limbs.

Precariously holding a foal in each arm, he stooped over to fetch a third. They were still just small enough to perch on his head, an activity both he and they particularly enjoyed, so he saw no reason the lucky little hatchling couldn’t have the prized seat. Lifting his child upward, peering into the tyke’s turquoise eyes, he smiled.

The drone beamed up at him, opened its fanged maw, and took a breath. “D…”

Holding the drone before himself, Anon went stiff. It wasn’t uncommon for them to make all sorts of noises, babbling and hissing nonsensically to one another, him, or their mother, yet the specific syllable drew his immediate interest. He’d been regularly trying to teach them that he was their dad and that Chrysalis was their mom, even though the Queen thought it was a pointless endeavor.

“Come on,” he encouraged, adjusting his arms to accommodate the pair of foals he was carrying. “Dad! Daaaaaaaaaad.”

“What are you blathering about?” Chrysalis asked, craning her neck to look back at him.

Turning in place, while carrying the trio of young, he peeked over at her. “I think he’s trying to say dad.”

“She - that’s Ebon,” the Queen corrected, stepping closer to the man. “And you’re likely mistaken. They don’t begin speaking until-”

“D...da…” the bab cooed, waving a hoof at Anon’s face.

The couple stood mute, fixating on the tiny drone. “Come on,” he whispered, leaning in and rubbing noses with the bab. “Daaaaaaaaaaad!”

Scrunching her snout and twisting her head to the side, Ebon’s tongue flicked past her lips. “...Da da.”

In the blink of an eye, Anon’s face split in the biggest and broadest smile he may have ever had. Though it may well have been a fluke, an odd collection of two different noises, his pride welled. “One more time!”

Mirroring his joy, the foal’s eyes went alight. “Dadadadadadadadadadada…”

“Chryssy!” he exclaimed, triumphantly raising the foal above his head.

Though the action would have dislodged the pair in his arms, they’d already escaped his grasp; one of the babs had draped itself over the back of his neck, while the second hung from the side of his waistband. Whether through sheer coincidence or some odd mental group-think, the ennead of other hatchlings all began mimicking their sister. Out of sync and of varying tones, the small hoard gleefully flocked to their father and chanted in near unison.

“H...holy shit! Chryssy! Is this…” he trailed off, seeing the concerned look on her face.

Looking to each of the young drones, she knit her brow. “No, this most certainly is not normal…”

“Maybe they’re - Crap,” he muttered, as he was quite literally swarmed by their young. Holding his pants up, while he was scaled by the munchkin hoard, he scrunched his nose. “Maybe they’re just smarter than usual. We have been playing those books on record that Twilight gave us for them!”

“Minions!” Chrysalis announced, loudly stomping her hoof and drawing the brood’s attention. “Though I am your Queen, you may refer to me as - Ugh - Mommy.”

Nonplussed, tilting their heads from side to side, the mass of drones peered up at her in confusion. If they understood her or what she was offhandedly asking for, they paid it little mind. Each slowly turned their focus back to Anon, bleating an unending stream of “Dadadadadadadada…” Chrysalis’ disapproval was nearly palpable, as she watched the throng continue moving onto and up the man’s frame.

“Ok ok ok,” he huffed, spinning Ebon around to face their Mom. “Mama...Maaaamaaaa,” he coached. He really didn’t want her mood to sour, especially after the awe-inspiring moment of being christened as the “Dada”.

The filly in his grip squinted at the Matriarch, pursed her little lips together, and blew the tiniest, most adorable raspberry he’d ever heard. Doing his level best not to laugh at the hilarious development, the other foals followed suit. Their intonations altered, one after the other, until the room was filled with the sound of a decade’s worth of “Pfffffffffffffffffffffts”

“Ingrates,” Chrysalis growled. Sorcerously plucking Ebon from Anon’s grasp, she leered at the filly. “Mommy! It’s not that hard…”

Upon finding herself wrenched from her father’s hands, the tiny drone hissed and wriggled about petulantly. The Queen’s disdain was painfully evident, as she hastily lowered the hatchling, turned away, and stormed towards the door. Acting as quickly as he was able, hoping to avert an impending tirade, Anon grabbed up a random child and gave chase. Be damned if he wasn’t at least going to try and salvage the afternoon.

With the indiscriminately purloined bab under his arm, Anon scampered after his lover. Though he wasn’t sure exactly whom he was holding, or if there was even the slightest chance that they’d be able to say ‘Mama’, he issued a silent prayer. If she got peeved, he’d have to wrangle the kids by himself - if he had to wrangle the kids by himself, there was no telling when he’d be able to get any rest. For his own sake, he needed to un-fuck the situation.

“Wait, darn it!” he shouted, sprinting from the room.

Spying the Queen’s obsidian behind disappearing around a corner leading to the living room, he cursed beneath his breath. If the blasted drone couldn’t or wouldn’t say ‘Mama’, he wasn’t completely out of luck. Not too long into their relationship, he’d learned the often-times brooding bug-horse had a profound weakness for tiramisu - as such, he kept the ingredients on-hand for just such an emergency. If nothing else, he could salve her tattered nerves with a calorically induced coma.

Sadly, just as he crossed the threshold into the den, his plans fell apart. Chrysalis carried on, heedless or uncaring of his pursuit, as a series of loud, particularly forceful knocks rang out from the front door. Not only was he left to deal with an irate mate and their unattended young, but they had an unexpected visitor as well. As he altered his course and moved towards the entrance to their subterranean home, he glanced towards the living room.

“Babe, can you keep an eye on the foals for a second? I’ve gotta get the door,” he shouted.

“Do it yourself! I’m sure they’d love to have their precious Dada minding them,” the Queen spat, her voice dripping with vitriol.

As tempted as Anon was to ignore whoever was outside, the knocking continued unabated. Trudging towards the door, instinctively cradling the filly in his arms, he scowled. Whoever the hell was there to bother them had chosen a piss-poor time to show up and, unless they had some damn good news, he had every intention of shooing them away. Up the winding pathway he marched, until he reached the exit.

“Yeah, what do you - Twilight?” he coughed, spying the elated alicorn on his doorstep. Beside her stood Spike, holding a clipboard and looking none too thrilled to be there. “What the hell are you…” he fell silent, only then remembering what she’d said about having their house bugged - that is, in the eavesdropping sense.

“Was it a colt or a filly?” the Princess excitedly asked, practically prancing in place.

“Twilight, as much as I appreciate the visit, this really isn’t the best time,” Anon groaned. On any other occasion, he wouldn’t have minded the company, but not then - not when he was trying to subvert a disaster.

“Was it her? I bet it was her?” Twilight pressed, stepping closer and waving a hoof at the drone in his arms. “Hey there cutie! Are you the one who said your first word.”

Growing increasingly overwhelmed with every passing second, Anon glanced between the alicorn and her pint-sized draconic companion. While the Princess was busy fawning over one of his daughter’s, Spike mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’; though it was an appreciated gesture of sympathy, it did little to address the unfortunate circumstances - no, there was only one person who could deal with Twilight and that was him.

Clearing his throat, causing the Princess to look to his face, he steeled himself. “Twilight, come back tomorrow. I have work in the morning, Chryssy isn’t in a good mood, and I’ve gotta put the foals to bed. If you could - Oh for fuck’s sake!” he shouted, as a pair of tiny drones buzzed by him and out the door.

“I’m on it,” Spike asserted, dropping the clipboard and taking off after the duo - still, that wouldn’t be enough. As the dragon chased after the first two, another three sought their freedom.

“Chryssy,” Anon yelled, his voice tinged with desperation, “help!” Extending Ebon towards the Princess, while snatching a hatchling from the air, he did his level best to keep things from spiraling out of control. “Hold her for a second.”

“She most certainly will not hold my daughter,” Chrysalis announced, causing him to look over his shoulder. Strutting up the path, while their offspring flew and scampered by her, she didn’t seem to care that their young were escaping the home. Wholly ignoring the foals and trotting to the man’s side, she levitated Ebon from his grasp. “I will not be getting assistance from a Princess.”

“Funny,” Twilight began, barely suppressing a giggle, “I thought a house and monthly bits would be considered assistance.”

Curling her lip and stroking the floating filly like a cat, the Matriarch’s baleful gaze settled upon the alicorn. “Quiet,” the Queen hissed. “The only reason I allow your help is because my mate would be constantly working himself to the bone if you didn’t. I’ll not have my young tainted by that disease you call friendship.”

Askance, watching the exchange in total disbelief, Anon’s patience reached a breaking point. Though he and Spike had managed to apprehend two of the little drones, four had flown the coop and were having a grand time evading capture. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to reign in his growing frustrations.

“How about you two mares stop squabbling and start helping?” he seethed, forcing a smile.

Though Chrysalis didn’t budge, the fainted grin graced her muzzle. The small smile turned into a twisted smirk, before she burst into laughter. As his mate cackled over at him, Anon’s temper flared. What had been a wonderful, heartwarming, and relaxing afternoon had somehow flown off the rails and gone to shit at the drop of a hat.

“You mind explaining what’s so damn funny?” he spat, glaring at the guffawing Matriarch.

“Y...you’re not serious, are you?” she wheezed, failing to contain her mirth. Briefly locking eyes with his, undoubtedly seeing that he wasn’t screwing around, she groaned and rolled her eyes. “Your concern, while positively adorable, is wholly unnecessary.”

“So you’re ok with the kids just running into the woods or taking off to who knows where?” Anon countered.

“Do exactly as I tell you and observe,” Chrysalis tutted. Stepping outside and into the grass, she lazily turned to face the man. “Cast your arms wide and call to them. Tell them you love them and that you wish for them to return.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” he laughed, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

While he was far from an expert on changelings, or any creatures from Equestria, the idea that kids of any species would simply do as asked was ludicrous. He couldn’t count how many times he’d run amok when he was younger, so he was left to presume the fruit of his loins would be much the same. His incredulous look must have been obvious, because his lover disapprovingly shook her head.

“If you’re skeptical, simply try it,” she huffed. “But know that when my suggestion works, and it will work, I expect to be positively lavished with praise…”

Seeing no reason not to give her tactic a show, Anon took a deep breath, spread his arms, and steadied himself. “Come to Daddy!” he blared.

Two or three of the rogue drones looked in his direction, though none of them seemed to pay him much mind. As he feared, all but one continued unabated - running around and playing with each other, chasing the odd moth, or simply wandering about. It was yet another disheartening development for the evening and did little to raise his mood.

“You didn’t say the love bit,” Chrysalis chastised. “You do love them, don’t you?”

His head whipped around, affixing her with a petulant stare. “Of course I do!”

“Then tell them that!” she insisted, waving a hoof towards the steadily disbanding hoard of baby shapeshifters.

Dwelling on the thought of his young, with his concern steadily mounting, he closed his eyes. “Daddy loves you! Please come back!”

A light breeze washed over him, followed by the soft sounds of the night wildlife becoming active. He couldn’t bring himself to see if the ploy had worked, so he stood and quietly waited. There was no real danger for his family, not with their mother and a Princess nearby, but that wasn’t the point. He wanted his foals to trust and rely on him, to know that he’d do anything for them, so the experience was lent added weight.

As his hopes began to wither, something brushed against his leg, followed by a weight affixing to his arm. Multiple small, warm bodies fastened themselves to him, causing his heart to swell. Despite himself, his lip began to quiver. He knew without looking that they’d come, that his little ones had returned to him, and the feeling was beyond profound. Though he was their father, it was the first time he ever truly felt like their dad.

“I told you they’d listen,” his mate haughtily intoned.

Cracking an eye, he cautiously shuffled around to face her. With nine of his young clinging to him, and the tenth on its way, his happiness was almost complete - almost. “I’m still missing one…”

“Are you daft? They’re all right there!” Chrysalis insisted, looking between the decade of contented young. The man gradually knelt, taking care not to inadvertently bludgeon or dislodge any of the tykes, as he tearily smiled over at her.

“Can’t be a family without the Mama…” he whispered, doing his damnedest not to have his voice crack.

From the very depths of his heart, he’d meant what he said. Regardless of Chrysalis’ short temper, ravenous carnal hunger, or arrogance, he wouldn’t have changed a thing about her. Without her, he sincerely wasn’t sure he would have ever started a family, especially in Equestria. She was the creature he saw before going to bed at night, the first creature to greet him in the morning, and she meant the world to him.

Their eyes met, his silly grin broadened, and a blush crept into her cheeks. Though she remained silent, she took a step towards him, followed by a second, until she was moving at a steady trot. As she reached him, looking him dead in the face, she paused. It almost looked like she wanted to say something, yet she didn’t speak; she simply draped her head over her shoulder, pressed her chest to his, and deeply sighed.

“You really are hopeless - I hope you know that…” she whispered, gently necking with him.

“I can not believe what I’m seeing!” Twilight blithely exclaimed, catching the man’s ear.

Honestly, given the chaotic events of the past hour, he’d nearly forgotten the Princess was even there. Peering over, seeing the alicorn furiously scribbling something out on her clipboard, he bit his tongue. He couldn’t be that upset, even if she was partially to blame for the foals getting loose and scurrying into the yard, though his lover didn’t seem to mirror that sentiment. The Queen’s grimace gradually shifted into a twisted smirk. Whatever the conniving shapeshifter was up to, it likely wasn’t good.

“Minions,” she sweetly cooed, stepping back and fondly petting two of the hatchlings, “how about you go introduce yourselves to Twilight…”

“Oh my goodness!” Twilight bleated, all but dropping her notes. “A...are you serious? You don’t mind if I -”

“Be my guest,” Chrysalis purred, magically lifting three of the little changelings towards the elated Princess. “All that I ask is that you indulge with each of them equally - after all, it wouldn’t be very fair to pick favorites.”

The Princess trotted forward, straight towards the hoard of tiny bug-horses, practically skipping at the opportunity to interact with the tiny colts and fillies. As she lowered herself to the ground, bringing herself closer to their level, she unfurled her wings and waved them to herself. “I’m Aunty Twilight! Come on, I’d love to get to know each and every one of you.”

Each of the foals lazily turned, as if only then noticing the Princess, before moving in Twilight’s direction. As the seconds passed, with the hoard growing nearer and nearer to the alicorn, Anon glanced over at his lover. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t say what it was. Every other time Twilight had asked to hold or inspect one of the kids, Chrysalis had practically pitched a fit - now she was encouraging their young to interact with her former nemesis.

“Gosh, you sure are - Ooops! Careful there, I don’t want to - Uh…” Twilight’s delight at all the attention wavered slightly, as she was quite literally swarmed by the affectionate tykes. Climbing her legs and landing on her back, they clung to her like the little parasites they were.

Then it dawned on Anon, they were parasites. Unwittingly or not, the Princess was making herself a walking buffet for the hoard. With all ten of their kids doubtlessly feasting on the alicorn’s energy, there was no telling how long Twilight would be able to last. Alicorn or not, the cumulative leaching effect would likely take a heavy toll rather quickly.

As he went to get to his feet, Chrysalis’ grip on him tightened. “Not quite yet,” she whispered in his ear. “If she’s intent to interrupt us at such an hour, let her furnish their dinner…”

Looking into her eyes, the corner of his mouth turned up. “You’re evil…”

“And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” she hissed. Before he could reply, she shot forward and locked lips with him.

Though he felt a little bad for Twilight, he had to admit, it was a damn poetic scene. He’d step in before she was left too weary from being drained, so there wouldn’t be any actual harm, but that would wait for a moment. As keenly fascinated as the Princess had been about documenting the baby drones, she may not have even minded being used as a snack - after all, it was a wholly natural part of what they are.

“Um…” Spike began, reminding everyone he was still present. “Twilight, you are-”

“Doing a fantastic job,” Chrysalis interrupted, taking a momentary pause from making out with her man.

“That’s not very nice, Chrysalis,” the dragon huffed, waddling over and gently lifting one of the foals off Twilight’s side. Setting the drone down and patting its head, he removed another of the babs from his friend. “Is she always like this?” he grunted.

“No,” the Queen hummed, “I’m usually much worse.” Giving her lover one final peck on the cheek, she took a step back. “Twilight, henceforth, I’ll allow you to come and play with our brood once a week, on one condition…”

“Condit - Woah,” Twilight gasped, suddenly listing heavily to the side. Fortunately, Spike was close enough and savvy enough to lend her a claw and keep her upright. Over the span of just a few minutes, she’d been nearly incapacitated by the young. “I...I’m ok. What condition?”

“Good - now then,” Chrysalis continued, “you may come and interact with our foals for an hour a week, at a time Anon and I agree upon - in exchange, each of our brood will be given a full scholarship to that sham of an institution you opened in Ponyville.”

“But it’s -” Spike’s intervention was cut short, as the man held out a hand and shook his head.

Both the Queen and the Princess were being colossal idiots, though that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. So far as he knew, the School of Friendship didn’t have tuition fees and actively sought members from exotic and less common creatures - meaning their kids would be shoe-ins and it wouldn’t cost them a dime. If letting Chrysalis think she was getting some grand favor, so much the better.

That being said, he wasn’t sure exactly what had gotten into Twilight. She’d freely let a group of ravenous changeling babs feed on her and she’d seemed damn happy to do it! Whether the questionable decision had been due to a lapse of judgement, a perverse interest in learning, outright masochism, or some combination of the three, he couldn’t rightly say - regardless, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Besides the odd manic fit or bout of compulsive behavior, Twilight really was a good horse. She’d easily be one of the most influential friends their offspring could ever make, she’d successfully taught a handful of prospective heroes at her academy, and she’d even reformed several villains. Even if she was a bit quirky, he trusted her implicitly around his offspring.

“Twi,” he began, causing the Princess to turn towards him, “how about it.”

“O...of course! I’d be honored to have them at the school - once they’re older, of course,” Twilight whooped. Unsteadily prancing in place, before nearly losing her balance for a second time, she smiled sheepishly.

“Then we have an accord,” Chrysalis grunted, extending a foreleg.

The mares tersely shook hooves, before stepping away from one another; it was possibly the first time that the two had come to an agreement on anything, irrespective of how nonsensical it was. Though it was an outwardly nonchalant exchange, Anon couldn’t help but wonder if it would lead to the two growing more amiable towards each other. Regrettably, his speculation came to a swift, horrifying, and somewhat comedic end, as his mate leveled a hoof at the Princess.

“Go get her,” the Matriarch clucked, urging the hatchlings to attack.

“Ok, I think that’s enough excitement for the day,” Spike grunted, physically inserting himself between the two. Having thwarted the adorable onslaught of the youngsters, he gazed up at the Queen. “Do you mind if I - um - can I come visit them too?”

Gazing upon the pudgy little dragon, Chrysalis nodded. “Twilight, when my progeny begin attending the school, Spike will serve as their chaperone. Considering Anon and I won’t be available to attend them throughout their studies, he will act in our stead.”

“Really?” Spike and Anon blurted, shocked by the uncompromising nature of her demand.

“Yes,” she replied, glancing at the two of them. “He trusted that traitor and put his neck on the line. Unlike the ponies, he has earned some modicum of respect from me,” she continued, lowering her head and bringing her snout to the dragon’s face. “Do not disappoint me.”

“I - Gulp - I...I won’t,” the tubby reptile sputtered, practically shivering.

“As long as he’s alright with it, I see no reason he couldn’t,” Twilight thought aloud, rubbing her chin.

The briefest glare from the tall, imposing shapeshifter set his head nodding. “W...works for me.”

“Good, because it wasn’t a request,” Chrysalis snickered, flashing a toothy grin down at him. “Now then, if you two have had your fill of badgering my hyu-man and I, I believe we’ll retire for the evening.”

“It is getting kind of late and I do have work in the morning,” Anon admitted. The sun was already on its way to setting, he’d worked first shift, and he was ready to throw some dinner together and relax.

“I am sorry for interrupting, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s just that when I heard - Err…” Twilight caught herself, having almost let-slip that she’d been listening in on their household activities.

“Heard one of them speak? Just like how you surely heard my lover and I in the throes of ecstacy the night before?” the Queen demurely asked, raising a brow. The Princess went rigid and her cheeks darkened considerably, having been put on the spot, yet that only seemed to egg Chrysalis on. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, dear Twilight. To this day, I’m amazed you practically handed him to me on a silver platter, considering he is an absolutely savage paramour. Isn’t that right?” she sweetly inquired, crossing to the man and drawing a hoof up his inner thigh.

“Ooooooook, yeah, time to head back inside,” he hastily remarked, scooping up a pair of foals and strolling to the door. He’d been caught fucking his mate on a number of occasions already - to the point where he could sense when she was getting worked up at the potential of giving someone a show.

Smelling blood in the water, between the man’s retreat and the glimmer in Twilight’s eyes, Chrysalis continued undeterred. “Feel free to listen all you want; just know that getting yourself off will never compare to feeling his hot, thick -”

“I...I think I have enough information to go over myself, so I’ll check in with you guys later,” Twilight stammered. Without so much as another word, in a flash of light, she teleported herself away.

“Figures,” Spike huffed, having been abandoned by the Princess. “You two have a good night. Thanks for putting up with the visit,” he added. Grumbling something to himself and waving his goodbyes, he took to the air.

“Sorry!” Anon shouted, waving at the runtish dragon.

Spike really was a damn good dude, one of the few in Equestria he considered a good friend, and he genuinely felt bad that the little guy was treated more like a tag-along than a true part of the Elements of Harmony - hell, even Chrysalis seemed to realize his worth! Watching the dragon soar into the distance, he waited for his mate and their offspring to join him.

“Soooooo,” he hummed, peeking over at the mother of his kids, “how long have you known that Twilight was eavesdropping?”

“Since we moved in the cave,” Chrysalis smoothly answered. “Honestly, she has all the guile of a yak. It may not have helped that I was suspicious of her motives, which I still am, so finding her little trinkets was a paltry affair.”

Anon cocked his head and slowed, reaching the door. “And you’re ok with it?”

“If tolerating her prying ears meant we’d be furnished with our home, yes. Make no mistake, I’ll tire of it eventually, but I’ve done far more insidious things myself,” she snickered, corralling in the herd of pint-sized drones.

Unsure if he wanted to know what she’d meant, he let the matter lie. As he strolled alongside her, with their band of young following them, his curiosity wandered to the second of their uninvited guests. “And you actually want Spike looking after them?”

“Why would I not? He’s not a pony, his kind has nearly indomitable willpower, and he’s proven himself to be either brave or ignorant enough to trust my kind. Whilst it is true that Thorax stuck a knife in my back, it wasn’t Spike’s fault that that perfidious pest betrayed me and the hive. Much like yourself, Twilight underestimates his potential and full capabilities,” she grouched. “Why? Would you not select him as a caretaker?”

“I would, I’m just surprised that you suggested it,” he corrected. Steering the conversation away from the touchy subject of her deposition, there was one other mystery which piqued his interest. “And the school?”

“What of the school? You’d mentioned wanting our young to have friends, so it’s a logical course of action. Had I not taken the initiative and struck a bargain with the voyeuristic Princess, we may have had to spend a small fortune for their eventual admittance,” she proudly asserted, smugly smiling over at him.

Though he was more than happy to discuss the revelation that she knew about their house being bugged, metaphorically speaking, he wasn’t about to upend her erroneous standing on the matter of the School; instead of correcting her, he simply walked over and stroked her mane. If letting her think she’d won one over on Twilight placated her, so be it.

“You want to help me in the kitchen?” he inquired, moving through the living room. “I was gonna make something special for you, but there’s no sense in it being a surprise.”

“Is it the tiramisu?” she asked, piquing a brow over at him.

Shaking his head defeatedly, he groaned to himself. “Figured that out too, huh?”

“Really? You expected me to see the required ingredients and not realize what you were up to?” she clucked. “I’ve been patiently waiting for nearly a week for you to prepare it.”

“Alright. You heat up those leftovers and make a salad, I’ll get cracking on the dessert,” he instructed.

As the two moved into the kitchen, with the bulk of their young trailing in their wake, they set themselves to task. When they weren’t asleep, it wasn’t uncommon for the swarm of little drones to follow them around the house as a pack. Anon wasn’t sure if it was some species-centric behavior or if the kids just felt comfortable around him and their mom - either way, they usually didn’t get in the way too often. The only affairs their offspring would routinely attempt intrude upon were when they got frisky - which had prompted them to install additional locks on their bedroom door.

As Chrysalis and Anon busied themselves with making their dinner, as well as a heaping fruit salad for the little ones, the babs took to terrorizing and/or playing with one another. From an outsider’s perspective, it was hard to tell if they were getting along or roughhousing - in any event, none of them seemed to mind the wrestling matches which regularly broke out, since there were seldom any instances of crying.

The pair worked in concert, deftly dodging the diminutive drones as they prepared supper. With their combined effort, the bulk of their meal was ready in short order. The Queen arranged the table, setting places for herself and her man, while Anon sat the dessert in the freezer to chill. Their hoard of kids were fed on the floor, with each getting a heaping helping of fresh fruit to supplement their energy siphoning rations.

Realistically, feeding all their young at a table wasn’t a practical or viable option. At the rate they were sprouting, they’d quickly outgrow any foal-sized furniture available and, so far as Anon could tell, none of them minded huddling under the table to feast. Though it had taken him a while to get used to, he’d gradually warmed to the idea of having them happily munch away around his legs.

Their meal was, for the most part, spent in silence. Given the relatively late hour and the tumultuous mixed-bag of events leading up to their dinner, not to mention the full day beforehand, the pair were fully content to quietly eat and enjoy the utter lack of bedlam. After polishing off their garden salad and the remains of their tofu kebabs from the night before, Anon retrieved their final course.

“It’ll probably be better tomorrow, after it’s had a full night to rest,” he noted, carving his mate a sizable chunk of the confection.

Waving away his concerns, Chrysalis hovered her portion over to herself. “You won’t hear any complaints from me. If I...What?” she grunted, rearing back and looking beneath the table.

Stepping back to see what had distracted her, Anon noticed one of their young arduously climbing their mother’s leg. The behavior was odd, since the youngling’s abandoned bowl hadn’t been cleaned, which led him to wonder what the tyke was up to. There was an off chance that the kid had seen or smelled the dessert, yet most of them appeared to prefer fruit over sweet treats.

“Maybe he just wants attention?” he thought aloud.

“She,” Chrysalis corrected, leering over at the man. Evoking her power and magically lifting the suspect drone, she set her menacing gaze on the bab. “What do you want, Jade?”

The filly pawed at her face, wholly disinterested in the dessert on the table, which made the situation even more perplexing. For one of them to want attention during a conventional meal was almost unheard of. Reaching for her mother’s snout, the foal’s snout wrinkled in consternation.

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,” Jade hummed.

“Mmmmm - what? Mmmmmmmmmmmust you bother your mother when she’s clearly trying to eat?” the Matriarch softly chastised. “If you want some of my dessert, you can ask your father to -”

“Ma,” the filly peeped, causing her freeze.

Chrysalis and Anon stared in wide-eyed wonder at the foal, wondering if the noise had been a fluke or a prelude for something all the more moving. Looking between her parents, possibly wondering why she suddenly held their undivided attention, whatever mysterious conviction she had wavered - that was, until she was given a bit of encouragement from an unlikely source. Bringing her bab closer, the Queen gazed into her daughter’s eyes.

“Mmmmma,” she breathed.

Jade peered at her mother, seemingly processing the noise, before opening her little fanged maw. “MmmmmammmmmaPfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.”

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the magic was lost - replaced by the soft sound of ten small voices joining in a chorus of raspberries. Though Anon did what he could to fight back his laughter, he failed miserably. Chrysalis, for her credit, merely glared at the hovering ringleader of the display.

“Don’t worry,” Anon snickered, doing his level best to regain his composure, “I’m sure they’ll all be saying Mama soon enough.”

“Hmmph,” the Queen snorted, returning Jade to her siblings on the floor. “If they don’t, have no doubt that I’ll be hounding you for more of these treats,” she added, digging into her tiramisu and glowering over at her mate...