It had taken several days of discussion before Aero and his herd had a solid plan for the integration of the Changelings. Once things had been ironed out they had headed back to the Crystal Empire along with all of the Queen's children in tow. Most if not all were still within cocoons and would remain so until a message could be sent to Princess Celestia. Luna had made it clear after sending a letter to her sister, that she would still need to deliberate with her on the matter of Changelings being accepted within Equestrian borders. Cadence however had already agreed, hence why they where currently headed for her home.

Chrysalis had explained during the trip that with the love she was able to give her children, they would be able to subsist in their cocoons for a while longer, though if they stayed too long their minds would become warped and twisted. When they had finally arrived, the Changeling entourage that accompanied their Queen disguised themselves along with her, and followed the herd into the castle.

Cadence lead them through a series of hallways that lead to a large upper area that was almost larger than the throne room. Miscellaneous items and knick-knacks where spread about the room, covered in cobwebs and dust. It looked very much to the Queen like it was a storage room and she decided to voice this.

"I do apologize Cadence, but I do not feel too comfortable with leaving my children in such a dirty place." She said, eyeing a mirror that sat off to the corner. Cadence smiled as she turned to Chrysalis to speak.

"That is completely understandable, after all this isn't where they will be staying." She replied with a giggle as she lead them through the maze of stuff. On the far side the entered a final door, leading to an equally large but furnished room. "This room is one we usually use for foreign diplomats. But we haven't had any in quite a while so it's gone unused."

Chrysalis stepped forward and took a look around as to take stock of the place. It had a high vaulted ceiling with skylights that allowed beams of sunlight to reflect of the crystal that made up the palace. The crystal arches that made the ceiling were carved in a multitude of designs that showed off the Crystal Heart and many other facets of the empire. Along the walls were tapestries of the same pink as Cadence's fur, but with a sky blue trim that emphasized the Crystal insignia that served as the as the centerpiece of each. The rugs matched this same design thought the size was relative to where each had been placed. In front of them was a very large cobblestone fireplace that seemed to tie the entire place together with an incredible sense of warmth.

The furniture of the room was upholstered in a fine sapphire colored velvet that was very soft to the touch. Chrysalis smiled happily as she stretched out on a love-seat that sat in front of the fireplace before magically lighting a fire. Aero came around to see that she had a content and relaxed look on her face as she watched the flames crackle and dance upon the logs. He hopped up with her and snuggled under her hoof, his own relaxed smile taking its place.

"It's perfect." Chrysalis stated as she looked to the rest of her new herdmates. They had all taken seats near the fire as they relaxed from their trip. In the back the Changeling drones were currently depositing cocoons in spots that they felt would be comfortable for the young ones within. As they sat and watched the fire, Aero began to develop an idea. He knew that Luna and Celestia had begun a prank war, but the rest hadn't. With a sly internal grin, he excused himself from Chrysalis and asked if Luna could help him with something. Once outside the room, he pulled her to the side.

"What is is you need help with my love?" she asked, her snout scrunching up in curiosity.

"We're gonna prank the others." He said in a matter of fact tone. Luna lit up at this as he began to relay his plan to her. Her expression changed from curious to shocked and then to amused as he went through the details. His plan was quite a humorous one and Luna couldn't wait. The two lovers made their way to the kitchens to find a chef. When they arrived, they watched as Chef's and cooks moved from station to station as they prepared food. They grinned as the tracked down the head Chef, Razzberry Razzle and asked if they could prepare a snack for the rest of the girls. Razzberry was delighted and allowed them into a smaller baking kitchen situated near the back. It had everything they needed for the cookies they planned on making.

As they got the ingredients together, Luna began casting a spell on each, encasing them in her signature blue glow. When the spells had been cast on all but a few separate ingredients, they mixed it together into a batter and set the oven to 350 degrees and allowed it to preheat. While the oven warmed, they set about pouring small amounts of batter onto the cooking pan. When they were satisfied with the sizes of their soon to be cookies, they waited. Soon the oven beeped, letting them know that it was now sufficiently hot. Luna levitated the pan and slid it onto the middle rack and closed the door. As she did this, Aero set a timer and they watched as the cookies baked and rose.

After a while, the timer went off, signaling that their treats were now done. Grinning like a wildcat from ear to ear, Luna allowed the cookies to cool before moving them to the cookie jar Aero had found. Once they had finished the bakers dozen, they took the jar and headed back up to what would more than likely be known as the Changeling Hatchery now.

They entered to the herd having a casual conversation about what it would be like with the Changelings living amongst ponies. Luna and Aero put on a simple smile and offered their fresh baked treats to everypony. They were unaware however of the spell that Luna had cast whilst combining the ingredients. As they each took a bite, their respective manes shifted color.

At this, both Aero and Luna lost themselves to laughter, clutching their stomach as they rolled around. The others looked to each other to figure out what was so funny, and soon they too began laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Chrysalis was baffled as she examined her now deep blue locks. It was different, but it seemed a good color on her.

The mirth of the room soon made its way to her in the form of emotion however, leaving her with a tickling sensation that made her giggle. Everypony stopped when it became a full blown laugh. It was entirely unlike an evil laugh. It was pure, beautiful and rang with what almost sounded like the peal of a bell.

Aero watched in awe as the Changeling Queen lost herself to a joy she hadn't felt in years. Glad that she was finally feeling happy, they all came in for a hug, reveling in each other’s joy.

Just outside the room a certain Princess watched, a smile adorning her face as her new extended family was to soon become bigger.

Author's Note

So, i hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know its kind of short, but this is my first time attempting to write via my iPhone. So i hope it turned out well.

Other than that, i hope everyone has been doing okay this year, and i hope you are all staying safe.