"...Cel...here..."

"Hmm? Wha?"

"Celestia, we're here." Celestia opened her eyes, letting out a wide yawn. At some point the reading and the gentle music and rocking of the train had lulled the alicorn to sleep, and now she was being awakened by the conductor. She sat up, looking about. No other passengers were on board, having gotten off at more regular pony stations. "If I could, I'd have let you keep sleeping, but we are on a schedule, so..."

"No, no, it's quite all right." She looked at Salmacis, who was wiggling happily beside her. "I think this little bundle of energy has me feeling my age."

"I bet." Replied the conductor, smiling at her and Salmacis. "Got your bags down for you." The stallion gestured toward the two suitcases standing beside him. "All that's left is to drop you off, and we'll be on our way."

"Of course, good sir." She murmured, standing up and curtsying to him. She lit her horn, picking up her bags and her daughter, and made for the exit. "Have a good day!"

"You too, Celestia!" He called after her, taking out a comb and combing his moustache. Once Celestia had hopped off the train and onto the small platform, he blew his whistle, and the train chugged back into life, heading on its way to the next stop on the line.

Celestia looked about the platform, and spied a female changeling standing there watching her expectantly. "Oh, hello there."

"Greetings, Celestia!" The changeling approached her, bowing. "We received word of your arrival, and I was asked to meet you here. I am Serakerrix, but you can just call me Sera."

"Pleased to meet you, Sera." Salmacis peered at the other changeling from her spot in Celestia's mane, and let out a chirp by way of a greeting. "And I think Salmacis is too."

"Oh, look at her!" Sera cooed. "I haven't seen a grub like her in a while, not since we changed. I worked in the nursery under Chrysalis and I still help out with the little ones from time to time. I'll be one of those assisting you."

"I'll be glad to accept any help I can get. I haven't the slightest idea how to raise a changeling, but I'm looking to do my best and do right by my little bug."

"Excellent, you've already got the best thing: a good attitude and lots of love. If you'll follow me, I'll bring you to the hive."

"By all means, lead on." Celestia replied. Sera turned and walked off the platform, leading Celestia up a path that lead into the mountains. After their change and peace treaty with Equestria, they'd set up shop in the old mountain range they'd once lived in before Chrysalis made designs on conquering the kingdom. Though she hadn't spent nearly as much time with Thorax as she would like, Celestia had learned a great deal of the changeling's past from her talks with him.

And now she'd be seeing a lot more of him, what with her entering his territory and moving into the hive. The remark that Luna made at the party the night before came back to her, and the heat rose to her cheeks. She'd told Gallus and Ocellus about her crush on Chrysalis, but if she was honest, she just really liked the changeling form in general, pre- or post-change. And Thorax was quite the specimen, an absolute stud of a changeling. Sera paused, looking at her, then giggled and continued moving. 'Oh no,' she thought, 'my feelings are an open book around changelings. This is going to lead to some awkward exchanges for sure.'

"Almost there, not much further," Sera said, pointing ahead with her hoof, gesturing to an opening in the mountain. "King Thorax is looking forward to seeing you. I believe he wants to have tea with you."

"Tea is always lovely," Celestia replied, trying to not let her feelings run rampant. "I like any tea, but I am very partial to oolongma and ponerh."

"Oolongma is a favourite amongst changelings, what with it naturally tasting sweet, like any of the stone fruits."

"Exactly! It's like nectarine tea, isn't it?"

"Definitely!" Sera replied, their hooves swiftly bringing them within view of the opening. On either side of the entrance stood two pairs of changeling guards, clad in armor on top of their carapaces and wearing serious, no-nonsense faces. As soon as they saw Celestia and Sera, however, they smiled and nodded.

"Welcome to the hive, O Mother Sun." Said the one pair in unison.

"You grace us with your presence, and we give you our love." Said the other pair.

"Oh you do flatter me, truly. I'm happy to be here, moving in with you all. It'll be fun to learn the ways of the changelings!"

"We'll all learn," Sera piped up, giving the guards a nod and gesturing for Celestia to follow her inside. "As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens the face of another."

"It's been many moons since I've heard that proverb, but it's true. Our relationships with each other make us who we are, and no one can interact with another without changing them in some way."

"Precisely!" Sera chirped with enthusiasm. As they entered the mountain, the amount of light dropped considerably. Glowing crystals lined the walls, giving off a constant green glow that provided a dim green light. It was enough light to see your surroundings, but not much more than that. Her pupils dilated in the dim light, trying to adjust. "I imagine this is a bit dark for you, Celestia, but you'll get used to it. Many things about us may have changed after we stopped following Chrysalis, but being in dark places remains with us. It's in our very nature, and will become second nature to you too after a while."

"When Starlight and Trixie were here, they mentioned activities out in the light of the sun." Celestia replied, nodding to the other changelings they passed, a quiet murmur of excitement rippling through the hive at the arrival of such an honored guest.

"That's all up to mood, really. We don't mind the sun, it doesn't hurt us, but...we do prefer being underground. Sometimes we do things out in the sun to shake things up. It produces interesting results during the sharing circle."

"Oh yes, I've heard of that. That's where you discuss your thoughts and feelings with each other, yes? I think that's a tremendous idea." Celestia stumbled a little, tripping over a stone she hadn't seen. "Whoops!"

"Careful, Celestia, I wouldn't want to deliver you to our King with a bump on your noggin." Sera giggled. "And yes, that's the sharing circle. We'd love to have you join us sometime."

"I'd like that." Celestia noticed that the passage they'd been walking down had brought them to a large cavern, larger crystals hanging from above to light the space. Paths branched off of it in many directions, leading deeper still into the mountain and earth. Sera led her down one of the paths, and it wasn't long before they were admitted into an apartment of sorts, a living space with connecting rooms.

There, sitting at a writing desk, quill in hoof, sat Thorax, likely scribbling away at some royal correspondence. He paused and looked up, spying the two in his doorway. "Ah, good! Thank you, Sera." He said with a smile, and she bowed respectfully, backing out of the room and leaving the two together. "Welcome, Celestia. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, King Thorax." She replied, bowing to him as well. "It is truly kind of you to welcome me into the hive."

"You can just call me, Thorax." He relied sheepishly. "You don't have to call me king if you don't want to."

"Oh but I do!" She stood up straight. "I'm no longer a princess, I am just a common pony. Also, I'm here to stay for who knows how long, and that makes me one of your subjects. I would not undermine your authority by not showing the proper respect, my king."

"O-okay...if you wish." He shrugged, but he seemed to stand a bit taller now, examining her through new eyes. "So, um...would you like to have tea?"

"Oh yes, please." She replied eagerly,looking forward to something familiar in this new place. Salmacis, who had been quiet for some time, looking at her surroundings in wonder, now decided to pipe up. She chirped and chittered at Thorax, drawing his attention, her head poking out of Celestia's mane.

"Ah, there's the little one." He murmured, moving towards Celestia. "May I?" She nodded, and he extracted her from Celestia's mane, gently cradling her in his hooves. "Wow...this is like a blast from the past. Makes me remember my days as a grub."

"You remember being that young? Most foals forget a lot of that."

"Oh yes, all changelings can remember their grub days. Our minds are quite different, like steel traps. We take in everything, because it is vital to our survival. She's too young to speak yet, but she's listening to everything being said and building up vocabulary and syntax within her mind. Don't be surprised when she comes out of her cocoon forming full sentences."

"Wow...you mature quite quickly."

"We've always had to, until now." He murmurs, gently caressing Salmacis, who let out a happy hiss, wriggling with delight. "She's a cheerful little grub, that's for sure. She'll be a cheerful sort all her life. We can learn and change to some degree, but we're born with a distinct personality and hers is cheery."

"That's definitely reassuring. I mean, I'd love her anyways, but it's nicer to have a cheerful child than a miserable one."

"Agreed." He handed Salmacis back to her. "Now, let me get the tea on for us."

* * *

"Hmm..." Thorax sipped at his tea. "So it just showed up at your apartment?"

"Yes. I was out painting, and when I came back, there it was, sitting on my bed along with the letter. I assume a changeling must have delivered it." She replied, taking a sip of her own. "I don't see any malice in any of this, and I'm not going to unless evidence points to the contrary."

"I do believe you're right." He smirked. "I know my mother well. She was trying to look tough when writing that letter, when in actuality the thought scared her to death. She obviously admired you a lot more than she let on."

"And I admired her too. I just wish it didn't have to end the way it did. I took no joy in that." She said with a shuddering sigh. "To be honest, I'm glad Equestria is in Twilight's hooves now. I wore a mask of my own, not wanting to show weakness, but...at the end I was just so very tired."

"I understand, Celestia." Thorax said with a soft smile. "I've quickly come to realize what a demanding position it is to be in charge. So much is expected of you. Power is not something to be sought lightly." He reached down to stroke Salmacis, who was currently snuggled up against his carapace, having a snooze beside her new friend. "Sometimes I rue the day I became king. But other times...when I see the good I can accomplish...I know it's worth it."

"Well I hope you won't mind two more subjects to look after." Celestia giggled. "It feels so strange to be a subject again and not a ruler, but...I kinda like it."

"There is a certain freedom in it, isn't there?" His gaze bore into hers, and she blushed, fidgeting before him. "Don't worry, I'll look after you and Salmacis. Your king won't let you down." He downed the rest of his tea, then stood up. "Now, though I'd love to sit and chat and drink tea all day, I unfortunately have to get back to things. Sera will show you to your chambers."

"O-oh! Okay. It was nice spending time with you." She replied, standing up and stretching. She picked up Salmacis and placed her on her withers, only to be startled by the sudden appearance of Sera at her side. "You move so quietly, just like my sister. Luna sneaks up on me all the time."

"My apologies, Celestia. King Thorax." She murmurs, bowing in his direction again, Thorax giving her a nod. "It's not far to your chambers. We've already taken your luggage there for you."

"See you later, my king," Celestia said with a giggle, and Thorax chuckled softly.

"Later, my pony subject." He replied playfully.

Sera led her back out into the main cavern, then took the nearest path to the right. "This tunnel leads to one of our residential areas. Until you get used to the layout of the hive, we'll be happy to show you around. There are a lot of passages here. We've cut through as much of this mountain as is safe, and are beginning construction in the neighbouring mountain now."

"Wow, there's a lot going on, isn't there?"

"We've always been an industrious lot." Sera said proudly. "Here we are!" They had passed many rooms branching off the path, and this one looked much as any of the others. Celestia stepped inside and had a look.

Her chambers very much resembled those of Thorax's, though not nearly as large, befitting her status. There was a small living-area, and branching off of it were two bedrooms and what she assumed was a lavatory. The rooms were furnished in furniture made of hardened changeling slime, and the beds appeared to be made of soft slime, like some sort of waterbed. Celestia trotted over and touched one, feeling her hoof sink into it, the slime molding around her hoof. "That's...interesting."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. After sleeping on a slime bed you'll not want to sleep on anything else, I assure you. We've had pony guests before who have sworn as such."

"Well, thank you very much, Sera. This is very kind." She swallowed audibly, overcome with emotion. "Moving in is both exciting and scary, and...well, I appreciate all that you're doing for me and my daughter. You truly are lovebugs."

"We're only too happy to do it, and we'd do it again." Sera said with pride, buzzing her wings. "Now I'll leave you to it, and come check in on you later, okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Sera left, and Celestia decided that another nap was in order. She placed Salmacis on the bed, watching as her daughter practically cooed with delight, feeling the slime around her. She shrugged and joined her on the bed, feeling the alien sensation of sinking into changeling slime. It took a few moments for everything to settle, and she lay there, trying to get used to it. "It's...not that bad, actually. Amazing support." She said softly to herself. "Just gotta get over the strangeness of it."

Even if her mind struggled a bit, her body certainly didn't, and it wasn't long before the alicorn slipped into a light sleep.

Author's Note

In love pool eyes float feathers after the struggle
The hopes burst and shot joy all through the mind
Sorrow more distant than a star
Multi-color run down over your body
Then the liquid passing all into all
Love is hot
TRUTH IS MOLTEN