Author's Note

Sorry guys. I'm quite a few days late. Please enjoy this longer chapter as an apology. I hope you like it!

Chapter 5: Culture Part 3

Chris walked at an even pace, his head on a swivel as he looked around at all the little 'houses' and 'homes' around him. He was walking down a corridor that reminded him all too much of a street, or even just a path.

Of course, it was a very well- lit path, with so many gems lining the rocky hall at such expressly even intervals that he was beginning to think he was trekking through a subway, rather than exploring a large network of caves.

He called them houses for convenience, but they couldn't really be called that. They possessed no roofs, and had none of the differing material that a house would be made out of.

Instead, they were all made out of a strange material that appeared to be rock, but upon closer inspection, turned out to be a cross between a spongy material, rubber, and "spider silk" that couldn't have come from a spider if they tried.

For a brief moment, he wondered what it was. But he didn't have to wonder long, as the answer came to him in the from of Aloe Whisper's explanations.

"Strange huh? It's made out of Songe."

Chris gave her a quizzical look. "Songe?"

"Yep! Songe. It's a green goo made out of changeling saliva and love magic. It may not feel solid enough to hold, but trust me it's tough enough to withstand dragon fire...once" Aloe scratched her head nervously.

"Once?" 'There are dragons now? How many fictional creatures am I gonna have to keep track of before this is all over?' Chris thought to himself as he asked the question.

"Yeah, well...That's why we put force fields over them, to help with defense. A changeling force field is stronger than a pony's."

"Really? Why?" Chris asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because of all the enemies we had to deal with back in the old days?" Aloe answered before moving on. "Anyway, how are you liking the residential district so far?"

"It's great. It feels like i'm walking down a subway tunnel. The atmosphere is all eerie and mysterious. I love it." Chris smiled as he waved his hands in a "scary" fashion.

"Uh...what's a subway?" Aloe asked.

'Oh, that's right. They don't know about my world.'Chris mentally face-palmed. "Imagine an underground transportation system."

Aloe's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh, I get it!"

"Yep. Just like that." Chris closes his eyes and smiles, crossing his arms.

"That's so cool!" Aloe grins, stars in her eyes.

"Nope. I don't think it's all that big."

"What are you saying?! It's great! I can only imagine the civilizations underground. The technology!"

Chris' smile fell once he heard that. "Aloe, we don't have underground civilizations where I come from."

Aloe seemed to visibly deflate at this news. "Aww!"

"But we do have underground homes!" Chris quickly said.

"Really?!" The stars returned.

"Yes, really." Chris smiled again.

"Yay! You have to tell me." Aloe started skipping along, her wings fluttering.

Chris shook his head, smile still on his face. 'She reminds me of my little sister...' Then his thoughts turned to his family, and his expression changed to a frown.

'Erica...'

Fortunately, he was spared from his dark thoughts by a voice from just ahead of him. "Hey! What's wrong? We have to finish the tour!"

The smile was still plastered on Aloe's face, and he couldn't help but return it. "It's nothing! I'm coming!"

Soon, their tour ended, and after returning to Chrysalis' room, Chris and Aloe parted ways for the day, with her walking into one of the passageways of the hive, and him simply returning to the room.

Thinking that Chrysalis might be back, he didn't want to be rude, so he tried to remain as quiet as possible, tip-toeing his way across the stone floor.

After a while, he stopped his movement, listening for any disturbances in the quiet of the night. He also took a moment to look around. The light of the gems was still on, so that was fine. But after a while, he started to feel...strange. Like a tingling feeling running up and down his spine.

Something was wrong. He looked around a bit more, turning around as he did so. 'Left, right, back, front, Left right, back, front. Okay, I'm all good.'

But then he looked up.

The queen wasn't in bed. And that feeling hadn't left yet. 'Uh oh'

"Boo!"

Suddenly, Chris felt a pair of hooves on his back, and then he was headed toward the ground, screaming. He managed to stop himself before he could hit the ground, though.

"What was that for?" Chris asked, glaring at Chrysalis.

"Forgive me, Chris. I couldn't help myself." Chrysalis let out a giggle. "I must admit. Your scared face is rather adorable. You're like a nymph caught with his hoof in the cookie jar! Or maybe a griffon in headlights!"

Chris blushed at the comparison and stuttered his next words. "Sh-shut up! Where were you hiding anyway?"

He felt Chrysalis get off of him, and he himself got up off the ground to watch Chrysalis.

"My dear Chris. Did you forget what I am?" she asked, faking a hurt expression.

"No. You're a changeling right?" He said. crossing his arms.

"Correct. We changelings can change our form to be whoever we like. You know that much correct?" Chrysalis looked at him with a more mellow, calm expression.

"Yeah, I know." 'Get to the point already.' Chris thought, still a bit angry about being scared like that.

"Well, did you know that we can also become whatever we want as well?" With that said, she promptly transformed into a stone, the same color as the stone of her floor. He could barely see her anymore.

He couldn't believe it. "You were...a stone!" He yelled.

She transformed back and smiled. "Yes. I was."

Chris could suddenly feel a headache coming on. "How could I not think of that?"

"Well, us changelings are well known for our stealth, you know?" Chrysalis boasted. But Chris simply walked over to the bed and plopped down onto it, ignoring her.

"Um...Chris? I really am sorry for scaring you." Chrysalis said, showing her sincerity.

"No, wait. It's not that. It's just..."

"Just what?" Chrysalis asked, a worried look on her face. She went over to his bedside and placed a hoof on his hand.

"Nothing. I'm tired is all." Chris said, trying to divert the question.

It didn't work. "That's not the only reason is it?" Chrysalis asked.

Chris sighed. He'd been found out. "How could you tell?"

"Changelings are sensitive to the emotions of others. We feed on it, after all. If we weren't sensitive to it, we wouldn't be able to survive."

Chris sighed again. "Fine. I'll tell you."

Chrysalis sat on her haunches and listened to Chris speak.

"It's my family. I've been stuck in this dimension for a whole day now. Surely they've noticed something is wrong with me not getting out of bed for two days."

Chrysalis squeezed his hand with her hoof. "Aww, you must be homesick. I know you miss your family, and I promise we will find a way to get you home."

Chris turned around to look at her. "But how long will that take? And what if it turns out I can't go back? I'll never see my family again. Not my parents, not my little sister..."

Chrysalis could see that his eyes were tearing up. Whoever this sister of his is, he must love her deeply. She's always had the hive, so she couldn't understand what he was going through. The closest she could get was...

"Chris, we're going to get you back to your family, I promise. Trust me." She lifted his hand and nuzzled it, the hardened chitin of her body felt less like armor and more like skin, and as his fingers brushed against her muzzle, he could feel the warmth of her body, the heat of her breath.

It almost put him to sleep, he was so comfortable. But then he remembered something. "Hey, wait. Aloe said you went off to do something?"

When Chrysalis didn't reply at first, Chris looked down to see her still nuzzling his hand. "Uh...Chrysalis?"

Chrysalis jumped, seeming to have gotten caught up in the feeling of his skin against hers. "Oh! Um, well, I was..." She blushed. "Oh, yes, that's right. I was just coming back from a royal council meeting. Oh, you wouldn't believe the things I go through with those Cordages. The higher ups are such a pain in the flank." Chrysalis scratched her head nervously.

Chris rolled his eyes and gave her a deadpan stare. "Chrysalis. I asked you what you were doing. Not who you were doing it with."

Chrysalis blushed again, this time from the embarrassment of her own blunder. "Oh! Yes, yes, of course. I was discussing the plans for the next love collecting operation."

"And how did it go?" Chris asked, a hopeful look in his eye.

A look that soon faded as he heard her sigh. "Sadly, it would appear that we are to invade Canterlot."

"WHAT?!" Chris sat up and looked down at Chrysalis with a serious expression, the sadness gone from his eyes, to be replaced with anger. "When?"

"We are moving out in five days." Chrysalis said. "Why?"

"Because i'm gonna stop them."

Chrysalis' eyes widened upon hearing that. "What?! No! You can't do that!"

"Watch me." Chris said through gritted teeth.

Chrysalis flew around him, stopping in front of him. "No, I mean you literally can't do that. Attacking the council will only get you thrown in the dungeons."

"Then what do you suggest I do? You got any better ideas?" Chris asked, making wild gestures with his hands.

"The only way to defeat the council is to challenge them in the court! You have to convince them to rescind the ruling! But, even so..."

"But what? Come on!" Chris yelled.

"In order to beat them you have to have knowledge of Changeling strategy. You have to know the laws. You have to be persuasive enough to make peaceful relations sound like a good thing."

"I've been told i'm very persuasive. Plus, i've been reading the books you brought me. I should be fine."

"Those books aren't enough to help you win against the council!" Chrysalis exclaimed.

"Well then, here's to hoping I've got enough knowledge in me to fight a decent fight." Chris grinned and walked past her, only to be stopped once again.

"What is it this time? I'm going to that council!"

"Just tell me why?" Chrysalis said.

This stopped Chris right in his tracks. "What?"

"Tell me why! Why do you want to help us? You've only been here two days, and that's counting today. You barely know anyone besides me and Aloe, and you don't even belong here! You're a human from another dimension, for Faust's sake! This is our fight, not yours!"

"So you were planning on fighting the ruling?" Chris said.

"You weren't supposed to hear that." Chrysalis said.

"How dare you try to stop me when you're planning on doing the same thing yourself!" Chris yelled.

"It's not your fight to finish!" Chrysalis yelled, struggling against Chris' advancing form.

"Who are you to decide that?!" Chris yelled, and pushed back. Chrysalis returned the favor. They pushed back a little too hard, and knocked each other down. unfortunately, Chris landed hard on the stone floor...headfirst.

"Chris, no!" Chrysalis yelled, rushing over to him and grabbing his hand again. "Chris, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...I...I..."

"Don't...worry about it." Chris coughed. When he hit his head he also landed on his back, knocking the wind out of his lungs. "I forgive you. Just go... and get 'em. Stop...the invasion." He coughed again, causing Chrysalis to worry.

"Chris?" She moved around frantically. "Chris?" She started pumping his chest. "Chris?!" She put an ear to his chest, listening to the slow beating of his heart. She sighed.

"Haaah, he's still alive." 'Now, I have to get to the counsel and stop this before he wakes up.' Chrysalis thought as she galloped off, sparing only a single look back at Chris' prone form.

'I'm sorry. But it's better if you don't get involved. I'll...see you soon, Chris. I hope.'