The walk to the war room was brief, but the air was thick with unease. The small group moved with a sense of purpose, their faces etched with concern as they approached the imposing doors. The tension was palpable, like a storm cloud ready to unleash its fury at any moment. Each step they took brought them closer to a pivotal moment, where decisions would be made that could alter the course of events forever.

Guards readied their weapons as they passed, servants ducked into side doors within the halls to make way, and many snobbish members of nobility haughtily sneered like they were gutter scum.

Gloria stayed beside Carmine, directly followed by the guards from Kepler’s suite, with the stallion leading the march through the halls with his head held high. He understood that maintaining a professional demeanor was crucial, so he had to convey an impression of complete composure to prevent widespread panic from erupting throughout the castle. The doors to the council creaked ominously as the quintet walked in, the chambers filled to bursting with Royal Guards in addition to the officers and royal couple.

Kepler did his best to still his racing heart, his voice echoing slightly as he indicated the changeling behind him, “Everyone, I’d like to introduce Queen Carmine. She has offered to help us in the war we face and has surrendered to me as a show of good faith.”

Kepler sighed, an edge hardening his tone into a whip crack bite, “Stand down, all of you! I still want nothing more than to put Chrysalis in the ground for what she has done, but we are not the only ones who have been wronged by that maggot.” A hoof indicated to Carmine once again, “Queen Carmine’s hive has been systematically hunted and massacred by Chrysalis’ drones, leaving her no choice but to turn to us for help in avenging her murdered children. She can offer us intel and can sniff out any assassins still in our midst, providing us with an advantage we would be foolish to refuse. Listen to her, think for more than half a second and try not to let your racist instincts get the better of you like that fool Celestia.” A few winces amongst the crowd told him he had struck a nerve, “Even if you don’t trust her, trust me by the simple fact that I’m not dragging a cadaver into this room after everything I’ve been through at the hooves of Changelings. That alone should speak volumes in her favor.”

Uncertain looks were exchanged between the rank and file, the fervor of his words and the logic they held seemingly getting through to some. Yet, one gaze still held its hard light of distrust, and Kepler had to fight down his instinct to flinch as Shining Armor’s horn lit impossibly bright, the soldiers between the Prince and Kepler’s group wisely moving clear of the potential blast zone.

“You might be the real Kepler,” Shining’s voice was like ice as he marched forward, the power in his horn a palpable pressure against Kepler’s body as the unicorn put himself between them and the other ponies, “but how do we know you aren’t being controlled like my sister is?”

Kepler hesitated, the sharp rebuttal he had prepared fading as he recognized the validity of Shining's concerns. Twilight's predicament directly undermined his counterargument (in no small part thanks to him), leaving himself at a loss on how to effectively respond. His hesitation seemed to prove the stallion’s assumptions, his horn lighting up even brighter in preparation of a massive spell. At the last instant however, two words reverberated through the chamber, stunning all present and even causing Shining to pause his internal incantation.

“I surrender.” Carmine’s words were soft but held the weight of a mother’s fury even as her eyes gazed about the room in sorrow. “Please, take me into custody, do not cause needless bloodshed on my account. I have seen enough death in my own hive to last a lifetime, I do not wish to be the cause of more.”

The glow around Shining’s horn dimmed slightly, but still ready to cast at a moment’s notice, “How can we trust you to not cause harm while we are busy with the war? This could all be a ruse to get into the castle so you can kill us off while we think you are detained.”

The pain, anger and grief in Carmine’s eyes was palpable as she stared down the stallion, “There are no words that I could say that would make you believe me, so I will show you my conviction instead.”

A small burst of magic erupted from her horn, a shield of resplendent magenta springing forth just as quickly to shield the ponies behind Shining, but there was no need to defend from the spell, as the magic was not aimed at the ponies present…

Pillars of ruby fire ignited around the room as the burst passed through Shining’s shield and into the gathered ponies, revealing almost a dozen changeling drones dressed in royal guard armor. Ponies jumped and readied their weapons, only to pause as the panicked drones threw themselves to the ground with their hooves presented in surrender. Confusion tempered panic amongst the ponies as the petrified drones did their best to hide in plain sight as most whimpered in fear, yet no one was prepared for the sharp cry of anger and shock as all eyes turned to the only changeling still standing.

“Mother! Why did you do that?! I spent years getting to where I am now. Don’t I get a say in this?” The eyes of everyone present widened as the smaller changeling queen stomped her hoof, her short-cut mane and cropped tail in sharp contrast to Carmine’s long, wavy locks. Yet there was no denying her royal status, given her dual irises and larger stature compared to the drones around her. Most shocking of all was the simple fact of who had been standing in her place mere moments before, something the other ponies were quick to pick up on.

“Hold on,” Hard Tack looked like she was having a hard time believing her eyes, “are you telling me that Blank Slate was a changeling queen this entire time?!”

“Princess, to be more precise.” Carmine corrected as she lowered herself to the floor, even going so far as to place her head sideways on the floor to present her horn to Shining Armor. “I sent my daughter to Equestria almost fifteen years ago so she could learn without relying on my guidance. There never was a Blank Slate, at least not a pony by that name. She has served your kingdom well, even refusing to share information with me concerning your state secrets. She has upheld the virtues of harmony and learned much from both the common pony as well as your rulers. She especially speaks highly of you, Shining Armor, for your devotion to duty and your steadfast resolve in the face of danger.”

The shield flickered out of existence, seeing as it was not required, Shining’s gaze turning to match Carmine’s as confusion twisted his lips into a frown, “Why reveal your drones? What could you possibly gain from showing us this?”

“I don’t gain anything,” Carmine replied, “but it shows how much I am willing to sacrifice to save my hive.” A tear ran down her face and dripped onto the floor below as she gazed up at the glowering stallion, “I would rather surrender my hive here and now, where I know, they will at least live to see another day, than to watch as they are slowly killed off by Chrysalis and her ilk.”

“Mother! You can’t be serious!” No one stopped the princess as she rushed over to her mother’s side, “You can’t give up! What about all the drones that we lost? Don’t their lives mean anything to you?!”

“BE SILENT, DAHLIA!” The thundering cry echoed through the small chamber, making multiple ponies wince in pain as the smaller royal flinched back from her mother’s fury, “I am doing what must be done to save what few drones we have left! You think I want to give up? I want Chrysalis to burn in Tartarus after I rip out her still-beating heart for what she has done, but I can’t do that if I lose all of you at the same time!”

Tears ran down Dahlia’s face, her expression twisting into sorrow as she lunged forward, burying her face in Carmine’s side as she clung to her mother with all four legs, “But we can’t lose you either!” Sobs wracked her frame as she met her mother’s gaze with her own glistening orbs, “Who would lead the hive if something happened to you?!”

A soft smile, filled with love and pride, crossed Carmine’s face as she brought a hoof to Dahlia’s cheek, “You would make a fine queen in my absence, Dahlia. You have learned much from the ponies and gryphons alike and will someday grow to be an even greater queen than I’ll ever be.”

Shock brought Dahlia up short, although her reply was cut off as a set of pink hooves approached the royals, Cadence’s expression a cold mask of neutrality as she stood over the duo. Carmine gently moved Dahlia out of the way, the changeling princess numbly backing up until she stood at Kepler’s side opposite Gloria, fear and uncertainty clear in her worried expression.

“I have heard many things about changelings,” Cadence's words were soft yet resolute, like the unyielding surface of marble, as she held Carmine's gaze, “most of it was not in a positive light. So, I will only ask this once, and don’t you dare lie to me. What would you give up ensuring your hive’s prosperity?”

Kepler observed intently as Carmine carefully processed the words of her fellow royal, her eyes steadfastly fixed on the alicorn's gaze. She let out a deep, weary sigh, her gaze dropping to Cadence's hooves before she closed her eyes, surrendering completely. “I would sacrifice everything I am, my pride, my magic, my wings, my freedom, even my life. None of that matters if it means they can live safe and happy lives without fear of being hunted down simply for what they are.” Carmine’s eyes opened once again, meeting Cadence’s with a conviction and determination unrivalled, “I surrender to you completely, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, take me as your prisoner, kill me if you must. I only ask that you care for my drones and daughter in my place so that they no longer have to live in fear.”

Silence hung over the gathered ponies like a guillotine, a hair’s breadth away from erupting into all-out disaster. Yet, Kepler watched as the hard light in Cadence’s gaze softened, a small smile curling the corners of her lips as she bent down, a hoof extended to Carmine.

“Rise, Queen Carmine.” Her voice held a hint of mirth even as it overflowed with compassion, “It is unbecoming of a ruler to disgrace herself like this. Especially one who has done so much for her people.”

Carmine gazed at Cadence’s hoof in shock, before smiling in return, “You honor me with your trust, Princess.” She gripped the offered hoof with one of her own, allowing Cadence to pull her into a standing position, “I will do everything in my power to show you how much it means to me. I don’t deserve this but thank you anyway.”

Dahlia rushed to her mother’s side once more, the duo sharing a firm hug as Dahlia clung to her mother’s chest with all her strength, “I was so scared, mother.” A hard glare was lifted to lock with Carmine’s eyes, a hoof being jabbed into the larger changeling’s chest with each passing word, “Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again. Do you hear me?!”

An amused smile crossed Carmine’s lips, “I will do my best not to, my dear daughter.”

“Soooo,” Gloria said from Kepler’s side, “what exactly do we do now?”

A laugh bubbled up from Kepler’s chest as he replied, “We begin planning on how best to use our new ally’s skills to help us end this war. That is what we do.”

Carmine nodded, “Agreed. Let’s end this war once and for all and make sure that conniving monster never sees the light of day again.”

Nods were exchanged all around, the tension finally breaking as ponies and changelings gathered around the table, together. Kepler smiled to himself as a few of the drones exchanged words with their pony comrades, nervous but tentative connections already forming between the two sides. He sat down beside Dahlia and Carmine while Gloria took the seat to his left, Cadence and Shining Armor sitting on the other side of the changeling royals while the officers filled in the rest of the table’s perimeter.

While things hadn’t exactly gone as he had planned, it seemed that for now, an alliance had been forged against their common enemy. One he hoped would stand the trials ahead as they began going over ideas on how best to utilize their new capabilities. Things were looking up, which made Kepler very nervous.

Bad things always happen when things seem to be going too smoothly.

Author's Note

Happy Hearth's Warming to everypony!! Didn't know if I was going to be able to get this out in time but here we are!! Locked, loaded and ready to face the coming New Year with a smile!!

Once again, a HUGE shout-out to my faithful editor, LeadlessSteed, who so generously donated their time on this special day to help finalize my horse words into something presentable for all of you to enjoy!!

Remember, comments are author's food, so FEED ME and I may be able to get another chapter out sooner than we expect. Hope everypony is having a wonderful holiday season and an awesome New Years yet to come!

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.