You jolted awake, somehow hearing the very noise that woke you. All around you the ground shook with a vicious force. Metamora too had been startled awake by the sound, fidgeting in your lap briefly before she realized that you were still holding her. By the time you could start to worry about the sudden earthquake, the shaking stopped, the forest returning to its quiet, eerie norm.

“What was that?” you asked, a healthy amount of concern in your voice.

“I’m not sure, but it sounded like it came from Ponyville… We shoul-”

“How do you always know where everything is?” you asked, “Like I’ve got magic from your world and I can fucking shapeshift, when do I get my know-where-everything-is gland or whatever.”

Metamora laughed, “Of all the things to worry about…”

“Right, whatever. Spooky instant earthquake, probably should care more about that.”

“Yeah. And if I’m right about that being Ponyville… Either Chrysalis just got her ass handed to her, …or the ponies did.”

“You saw what she did to u-”

“She caught us by surprise. The princesses would not have had the same problem,” Metamora interrupted, pausing, “Especially if they had the conviction to destroy the hive. If there are any Changelings left in existence when we get there, I’d be surprised.”

“Oh come on Em! Celestia and Luna have seen the potential. They’re not just going to indiscriminately kill every Changeling.”

“Just like Chrysalis would surely listen to reason and give herself up?” Metamora said, rolling off of you to stand on all fours.

“Fine, you’re right, it could have gone either way.” you agree, getting to your feet, “Whichever it ends up being, let’s go figure out.”

“We need to be careful, though,” Metamora cautioned, starting to head in the direction of the sound, “Whatever waits for us there is certainly not likely to be friendly.”

“Uh Em…” you start, staring at the giant dome over Ponyville, “Since when did Ponyville have a giant bubble?”

“Well I’m no expert, but this wasn’t here the last time we visited. Wonder if it’s to keep ponies in or out.”

“One way to find out…” you call out, sprinting towards the dome.

“Anon, no!” Metamora squeals, taking off after you. She’s gaining ground on you when you smash straight into the dome, hitting it like a brick wall.

“Fuck, that hu-”

Metamora collided with you, bouncing off and tumbling through the dome next to you as if it weren’t there.

“Well, that answers that question. Looks like it’s made to let Changelings through. So uh… Still think the princesses came out on top?”

“I uh…” Metamora said, getting to her hooves and walking back up to the dome, “That doesn’t sound very promising.”

She tried to get back through the dome, trying a hoof first to make sure it was pliable to her intentions. But as her hoof came to rest on the inner surface of the dome, it did not give.

“So uh… Lets Changelings in but not out… Now I’m even more curious,” you wonder, scratching your chin, “Hey, what do you think happens if I change into a Changeling?”

No sooner had you floated the idea than you were suddenly occupying the form of Pharynx, feeling a little inadequate as you stood across from Metamora, your head coming up to the top of her chest. You once more walked toward the wall, closing your eyes as you braced for another impact. But then you felt it, a kind of waterfall sensation as the dome warped around you, allowing you passage.

“Neat!” you called in Pharynx’s more gruff voice, “But I’m kinda sick of being shorter than you so…”

You readied yourself to transform back, stopping as you realized that your clothes had somehow been left on the other side of the dome.

“Fuck! How hard is it to keep a pair of pants on!” you scream, “Shit… I sound like my parents.”

“Actually…” Metamora hesitated, “Maybe keep the disguise.”

“Ugh. First you make fun of my tiny dick,”

“I did not-”

“Then you’ve gotta be taller than me. Jeez, Em. You really know how to make a guy feel inadequate.”

“Just shut up,” she snapped, a green flash pouring over her as she took on Aphelion’s form.

“Aww… You’re so cute and tiny! I could just…” you paused, “Actually… We gotta fuck like this sometime.”

“Hive, is that all you can ever think about?”

You didn’t respond. She knew the answer to that question.

“Whatever. While you’re worried about getting your dick wet, I’m over here with a plan. We need to figure out what happened.”

“Hey, I said sometime. It doesn’t have to be right now, but it doesn’t have to not be right now either.”

“Come on,” she sighed, trying to hide the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. You walked toward the center of town, realizing that the entire place was surprisingly empty. No ponies in the streets, no Changelings, no queens or princesses, no magic warfare… It was all kind of eerie.

Once you drew near to the middle of town, you finally figured out where everyone was. They were all crowded in the streets, dazed and mindless like zombies as they just slowly shambled around, seeming to recoil in your presence as if they feared what you would do. You pressed further through the throng of dispossessed ponies in search of whatever caused their almost hauntingly docile state, having to push them out of the way as they only grew thicker towards the very center of the mass.

And then you saw them. Two larger bodies slumped to the ground, not moving as the crowd around them continued to mill about aimlessly. You ran up to the princesses, quickly checking to make sure that they were alive.

“Celestia! Luna!” you called out as you reached them.

At first they didn’t move, your attention not drawing them from their unnatural slumber. It was only when Metamora finally arrived that they moved ever so slightly, confirming that they were still alive, if only barely.

“What happened?” you asked, looking to the princesses to give you answers.

Neither of them answered for a moment, the two of them moving to look at the two of you. As soon as their vision focused on you, they recoiled, genuine fear in their eyes.

“Please- we have no more to give.” Celestia begged, her voice a shattered, defeated sound that hurt to hear. “I… I don’t want to die.”

“Princess?” you asked, briefly forgetting your disguise, “It’s us! It’s going to be okay!”

“We… We don’t wish to resist you, but there is nothing left to take from us but our lives.” Luna cried.

“Whoa, hold on. What are you talking about? What happened?”

“Anon,” Metamora stopped you, “They don’t realize we’re in disguise.”

“Oh shit,” you recoiled, realizing your mistake, “Wait guys, it’s us. Anon and Em. We’re here to… save you or whatever I guess.”

“Anon?” Celestia’s broken voice asked, as if you were an estranged relative who had been missing for years.

“Yeah, just… What went down here? What are you guys…” you trailed off.

“She…” Celestia started, shuddering, “She took everything.”

“What do you mean? Who? What did they take?”

“Chrysalis…” Metamora answered, presumably seeing something familiar in the princesses demeanor. Her horn lit, a solid white stream of magic flowing to the two princesses, washing over them. Their eyes seemed to brighten at this, but their manes and tails still remained dim and gray.

“Yes… She took our love, our magic. She was unstoppable. We… We thought she killed you.” Luna spoke her voice no longer wavering.

“No, Luna. We thought we killed them. The hive… we,” Celestia rebutted, pausing, “we had the best of intentions.”

“Wait you did that?” you asked, “Man I knew my magic wasn’t that powerful.”

“Speaking of,” Metamora motioned, “Anon, they need their magic back. Can you…”

“What can I do about…” you paused, realizing her intent, “Yeah. I can do that.”

It still confused you how situational magic was. You just thought of what you needed it to do, and it happened. You just envisioned the two princesses standing strong and radiant in front of you, and before you could open your eyes, there they were. They looked back at you in surprise, their manes and tails back to their bright, flowing norm.

“So what happened here?”

“Anon… Behind you!” Celestia called, fear in her voice again.

You could feel the two creatures approaching you from behind, the urge to whip around and confront them fighting with your urge to imagine that nothing was there. Eventually you turned to see none other than Pharynx and Aphelion staring at you, but they looked …different. They looked warn down, tired, broken as they almost stumbled towards you.

“Fuck. Guess the disguises aren’t useful against this,” you sighed, shifting back to your normal form as Metamora did the same.

They just stared at you two as you transformed back, their expressions… sorrowful?

“Um… What’s up with you two?”

“She took their love as well.” Metamora observed, earning a hesitant nod from Aphelion.

“Queen Chrysalis needed our love,” Pharynx choked, “She took almost all the love from everypony, Changeling, guard and citizen alike. But she has left us all with enough to survive.”

“Wait she took all the love from everyone?” you ask. “What does she need all that love for?”

“When my Queen asks something of me I do not question her orders.”

“That’s… Taking all your love? That’s fucked up yo.”

“I’m sure she has a plan,” Pharynx offered, a note of doubt in his voice.

“Pharynx, there is only one Queen that has a plan now, and she will never ask you to give up your love.”

Metamora punctuated her statement with another volley of white energy from her horn, filling the two Changelings with the love that was taken, and imbuing them with the power to love as well. Both of the formerly loveless Changelings stared back at her, their disdain almost immediately replaced with reverence.

“Your H-Highness…” Pharynx said apologetically, bowing before Metamora as Aphelion silently followed, “thank you for this gift, but why are you not sequestering your love as Queen Chrysalis?”

“I don’t need to take love. I’m filled with more love than I could possibly imagine at even the passing thought of how much I love Anon. This… the ability to create love… it’s so much more potent than stealing it.”

“Chrysalis spoke of that too, that she could create love.”

“Yes,” Metamora bristled, “She learned the mechanism from me, but she doesn’t understand it. She’s taken that the same as she took my love, but just like stealing love from another where it can be given freely, it is inherently weak.”

“Hey, um…” you interject, “I know it probably isn’t the time, Em, but I need to say it.”

“No, Anon. That’s exactly what I need.”

“I love you,” you called, watching her rise in the air at your words, a white ball of energy forming in front of her as she levitated in the air. As she stopped rising and the ball stopped growing, it exploded outward, beams of light traveling out in all directions, each one targeting another pony or Changeling.

“Q-Queen Metamora!” Aphelion yelled in astonishment. You watched as she gingerly lowered herself to the ground, giving you enough time to catch her before she landed and pull her into a hug.

“Will you spread the word?” Metamora asked the two other Changelings, “From today onward, love is not to be taken but given and received. In this, we move forward.”

They nodded in agreement, clearly in awe of this power. Aphelion turned to Pharynx and whispered gently into his ear.

“I love you, Pharynx,” Aphelion calmly stated, drawing a blush to Pharynx’s visage

“You too, squirt,” he replied, tousling her mane.

“How touching,” a new voice spoke, “But you’ve won no victory yet, Metamora.”

Author's Note

Oh man. The suspense, the hype, the instantaneous and surprising declarations of love! What could possibly happen next? Who will win between the Queen who can take anything and the Queen who would give everything?

On another note... That surprise declaration of love. How bout that. Turns out Metamora has learned how to teach other Changelings how to love outright. Isn't that a convenient plot development (please don't hurt me). Nonetheless, while their declaration seems surprising, You'll see a few of the "Extra Chapter Challenge" chapters develop their relationship a bit more.