Author's Note

Why the hell did I decide to cancel this story? This was my passion and pride but it didn’t get the recognition or attention I had hoped it would receive. I’m gonna attempt to keep writing this bad boy and work on the sequels to this, even if they don’t get a lot of recognition. I started this and I’m gonna finish this!

Reunited

Lavey peeks into the bedroom to see Chrysalis moping about all by herself on Twilight’s old bed; emerald webbing and goo make up an incomplete little hive for the matriarch to rest in. Although he doesn’t feel much of a connection to her as he does with Twilight and her friends, he does feel sympathy for her.

As he enters the room, the door creaking ever so loudly, he's surprised that the leech hasn't tried to jump him and rape him for his love. Something is definitely off.

"Chrysalis, are you alright?" he asks.

The shapeshifter looks back at the prince with a startled look, which mellows out into a calm, yet pained expression. She rolls over to face him and puts on a reassuring facade.

"I'm doing fine, Lavey. Thank you for your concern." However, her face and tone don't convey a "fine" attitude.

"Something's not fine," Lavey responds. "Tell me, what is hurting you?"

Chrysalis looks away as if ashamed of what may come out of her mouth. She squirms in the bed, wanting to release her tension and sorrow, but not entirely sure how to or if she even should.

"How about this, do you mind sharing your story with me?" the hybrid asks. Chrysalis looks to him, bewildered by the request. "I heard you used to have a loving husband before you became...this.” He waves a hand, gesturing to the bug-horse’s insectoid appearance. “Is it alright if I hear your tale?"

"I suppose it's alright," she hesitantly replies, wiping a shed tear with a poriferous hoof. She rises from her resting position and stretches her porous wings and hooves before sitting up straight. "It is a sensitive topic for me but it is pleasant to have someone to tell this to." She sits on the edge of the bed and pats an open area next to her as an invitation for Lavey. "Sit and I shall tell you my tale."

The hybrid does as the queen requests and sits patiently and attentively to listen to her tale of woes.

"When I was still an alicorn, my name was Queen Aurora and my beloved was King Lumiere."

Lavey's eyes widen at this sudden revelation, considering the aforementioned king had been rescued by him and Atrum not too long ago. The fact that Lumiere and Chrysalis were originally from the Crystal Empire would possibly explain the changeling’s insatiable gluttony for love. After all, the Crystal Empire's most sacred relic is powered by the abstract concept. Still, Lavey holds his tongue and respectfully listens to her story.

"We ruled the Crystal Empire after Queen Amor stepped down. We created the Crystal Heart as a representation of our love for one another and as a symbol for our empire. Our love powered it and flooded the land with light and joy, washing away darkness and despair.”

For the first time in all the time the matriarch has been with Lavey, this is the first time he’s seen her harlequin eyes shimmer with joy and hope. Unfortunately, they become dull with depression as darker memories resurface.

“Unfortunately, those times of love and happiness would not last as something darker than despair and malice crept into the kingdom and into my husband’s soul. I was stricken by an incurable disease that none of our sorcerers or doctors could treat or diagnose. Thus, Lumiere made a deal with an ancient evil to heal me but it cost him his sanity.

“Over time, he began to grow cold and distant. His words had a hint of venom with every sentence and his actions became violent. Eventually, he forced me out of the kingdom for my protection as he sealed himself and the Crystal Empire away.

“I was heartbroken after losing him and began to develop a curse upon my anatomy. Without the light and love from the Crystal Empire, I was forced to feast on the sweet essence of love to sustain myself. I underwent this grotesque, transformation after living a life of starvation and that carried over to my children."

She looks to Lavey, her eyes quivering with heart-shattering sorrow and tears cascading down her onyx cheeks. The hybrid has never seen the matriarch so worked up over anything before. She's normally so calm, level-headed, and collected in most situations; to see her broken and wallowing in grief almost causes his hearts to crack.

"It’s unnatural to lay eggs when a normal mare should be giving birth to foals! Do you know how that feels? Having to go through a life where everything about you from your genetic make up to your bodily functions have been mutated to that of an insect!?” she shouts in mournful rage. "Most of my spawn die before or after hatching because I am unable to feed them with enough love! I provide them with my own but it's too taxing and I always feel as if I'm about to fall into a coma that I may never wake from! Where we live, there is hardly any life for us to steal love from, so it's nearly impossible to satiate us!

“Even if the lack of love doesn't kill them, they will still die in the years to come, leaving me heartbroken. After I changed, I retained this blasted curse of immortality, so now I watch my children age and die while I stay the same and live on. I can't kill myself to join them and it's too painful to live alone. It’s a never ending cycle of agony, Lavey. I’ve been alone all my eternal life besides with my hive. But the company of my children is not enough; for what is a family without a father-figure in the midst?”

Lavey blinks a few times and notices that the queen has suddenly inched closer to him so that her face is a few inches away; her cool breath washes over him, but he isn't perturbed in the slightest. He doesn’t move back, even as his body fires off countless warning signals. He remains motionless and allows the queen to get some closure.

“I lied about 'Changeling Law' because I felt you could protect me and my kin. I thought you could fill this gaping hole in my soul. You're immortal and so am I, therefore, you won’t leave me. In my own, strange way...I do love you. I was afraid to confess it because...I know that Twilight would disapprove of that.”

The two remain silent as the somber atmosphere thickens in the room. Lavey has never seen Chrysalis act sincere or at least not like a pompous bitch. But it would seem that under that cold, insect-like carapace, there’s a warm, equine heart that’s just bursting with love to give.

Instinctually, he leans forward and embraces the matriarch in a compassionate, warm hug. He can feel her tense up in surprise, but she slowly relishes the feeling and wraps her hooves around him in return. He knows she's currently feeding off of his love and compassion at the moment, but he doesn't care too much right now. After all, he knows exactly what it's like to lose those he holds dear.

Suddenly, the door opens, dragging the two from their embrace to see Twilight standing in the doorway with a compassionate smile. She's most likely seen what Lavey and Chrysalis were doing but that doesn't seem to concern her too much.

"Chrysalis, I know we've never been on the best of terms," she says as she makes her way over to the queen, "and I am not familiar with the pain of loss. However, I do know sadness and I just want to say...I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you."

With that, the unicorn, who once burned with malice for the Changeling Queen, embraces her in a loving hug. Their bridges have been burned and a new one has been constructed—no more hate, no more malice, just compassion for one another.

"You know..." Lavey chimes in, interrupting the mares' share of love, "...you don’t have to live alone anymore." He looks over to Twilight, who seems to understand the hybrid’s thoughts almost immediately. “We’ve got a little surprise for you...”

Chrysalis has no idea what she, Lavey, and Twilight Sparkle are doing in the palace in Canterlot. All she knows is that the couple had told the matriarch that they had a surprise for her and the hybrid had teleported the trio to Celestia's throne room without much warning. Right now, the three visitors respectfully bow before Princess Celestia in the royal throne room. Although unable to really see her face, they can tell she’s beaming down on them with grace.

“Please, you may rise,” the alicorn commands. All three guests stand in unison, though only Chrysalis hesitates to stand tall before the monarch. Celestia's eyes are locked onto her and fluctuate between angst and grace. “What brings you three back to Canterlot?”

Lavey steps forward, taking the stage to explain their appearance. “It’s a pleasure to be here, Celie,” he begins. “We just stopped by to see how ‘he’ is doing. You know, the pony we saved who should be living here.”

Celestia raises a confused brow and looks to all three of her guests. She looks back to Lavey, who tries to gesture to Chrysalis with a subtle cocking of his head. It takes her a moment but the realization soon hits the princess.

“Oh, ‘him’!” she exclaims. “Of course, he’s doing fine. I’m assuming you wish to introduce him to Chrysalis?”

“Basically, yes,” Twilight says, taking the limelight. “It’s just been such a long time since the two of them have seen each other."

Chrysalis's eyes widen in shock as the crushing realization hits her. Her heart beats from her chest and sweat collects upon her onyx hide. Most of all, though, fear festers in her heart of meeting Lumiere as she can only imagine his reaction to seeing his beloved's horrific mutation.

"Y-you don't mean who I think you mean, do you?" Chrysalis asks as she slowly feels herself being gravitated towards the doors of the throne room. "No. I can't have him see me like this! What would he say if he saw this...this...abomination!?"

Everyone stares at the changeling matriarch with concern and pity, but mostly understanding.

"I'm certain Lumiere will be delighted to see you again, Chrysalis," Celestia consoles. "No matter your appearance, his love for you will remain the same."

"Yeah," Lavey interjects, looking to the queen. "I mean, if Twilight looked like something out of a horror-flick, I wouldn't care because I still love her no matter what."

The young unicorn shoots the hybrid prince a venomous glare but shakes her head as a chuckle escapes her lips.

“And even if Lavey looked like the most grotesque creature in the universe, I’d probably stay with him.”

Everyone besides Chrysalis chuckles at Twilight’s little joke. Fear and anxiety grip the matriarch’s heart, whispering thoughts to just run away and break off this meeting. But a small, hopeful part of her begs her to stay to see her beloved once more. Taking a deep breath, she lets out her worries and steps forward.

“Princess Celestia, please let me see my king once again,” the changeling politely beckons, her muzzle nearly touching the crimson carpet.

“As you wish, Chrys—ahem—Queen Aurora,” the sun princess responds with a warm smile. “GUARDS!”

Almost instantaneously, two of Celestia’s royal guard ponies open the door to the throne room and salute without uttering a word of greeting.

“Please fetch King Lumiere and bring him to me, please,” Celestia commands.

Again, without a single word and with a hearty salute, the guards shut the door to retrieve their target. Everyone in the throne room sits in awkward silence as they wait for Lumiere’s arrival. Celestia’s eyes dance over everyone’s faces before freezing on Chrysalis’s.

Even though they’re on decent terms with one another, Chrysalis shamefully bows her head as she recounts how she harmed the princess—how she harmed everypony—just to feed her hive. She has no clue if Celestia had already forgiven her for her deeds, but she doesn’t require it. Just to see Lumiere once more and spend the rest of time with him is all she needs to feel content.

After what felt like hours, the doors to the throne room open, allowing everyone to lay eyes upon the alicorn stallion making his way in. His mane continues to flow like a river of gold. His silver coat is like glistening armor and well-groomed. He doesn’t wear his crown, mantel, or his royal armor; nothing besides his horn and mighty wings gesture to his royalty. He hasn't looked like he's aged a day. His stature and muscular appearance remain untouched by time.

Lumiere walks only a few paces forward before freezing in his tracks and making eye contact with the changeling queen. His eyes widen to the size of dinner plates and his jaw digs into the ground, his gaze unwavering from the monstrosity standing before him.

“Surprise!” Lavey shouts, his arms gesturing to the embarrassed changeling. “Look who decided to pay you a visit!”

“By the stars...” Lumiere mutters as he slowly walks over to the malformed queen. “It can not be.”

Chrysalis wanted to run at first, but after seeing her king alive and well, she can’t possibly leave him again. She can’t stand the loneliness, the death, and the hunger any longer. Without waiting for a cue or someone to push her forward, Chrysalis walks towards her king.

“It has been far too long, dear,” the queen says, trying her best to hide the sadness in her voice. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Aurora, my darling,” Lumiere whimpers with a smile, disregarding the queen’s grotesque appearance. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

The changeling queen winces at the forgotten name and looks away, refusing to show her disgusting face to her beloved. "I had hoped to see you once again, my love, but not like this. Your eyes should have been greeted with my former splendor, not this atrocious appearance you see before you. And please do not use that name. I am Queen Chrysalis. I am not fit to be your wife."

"Please look at me, my queen," Lumiere requests calmly. "You are who you were all those centuries ago. I do not care what you look like, what you've done, or who you've chosen to become. You are my wife. You are Queen Aurora of the Crystal Empire."

Chrysalis hesitates but slowly moves her head until she's making eye contact with the majestic stallion. His azure eyes have that everlasting compassion he's always had. They reflect her grotesque mug quite clearly but she swears she could see a bit of her former beauty in those blue pools.

Lumiere rests a hoof on his mare's cheek, sending a warm shiver to run through the queen's body. It's been far too long since she's felt some compassion from anypony. Plus, this love is far different than what she's savored over the course of her lifetime.

When she deceived everyone by taking on Princess Cadance's appearance, Shining's love was never for the queen, only for his betrothed; it was sweet like a small dessert.

Lavey's love has always been for Twilight and never for Chrysalis, though she lapped up the small dregs that would emanate off the lovey-dovey couple; theirs was almost...mushy and soft like a foreign fruit—a mango, she believes it's called.

And then there is Lumiere. This flavor of love is like that fluffy treat the ponies of this generation made—cotton candy, they called it. It was tender, sweet, and melted in her mouth, spreading across her tongue like a flood. Just the smallest drop of his love made every fiber in her being tingle with an unfathomable feeling of euphoria.

"Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss," Lavey whispers from behind the queen.

She shoots him a venomous glare and watches as his child-like expression melts into one of embarrassment. Even Twilight blushes a bit as she bucks him in the shin as reprimand for his actions.

"Well, you heard him," Lumiere says, dragging the changeling's attention back to her beloved. "What good is a reunion of two long-lost lovers if they don't spend an intimate moment together?"

Without waiting another second, as if Lumiere's words were the spark, the queen leaps forward and plants a kiss on her beloved's lips. The connection feels tender, passionate, and meaningful on both ends. A single tear escapes the mare's shut eyes as she revels in this feeling of satisfaction.

"Wait! What's going on?" Twilight Sparkle shouts, forcing the couple to break their passionate moment and look to what the young unicorn is referring to.

The changeling queen's eyes widen in fear as her form begins to glow and morph. It doesn't hurt in the slightest, but small, tingling sensations run through her nerves as the apertures in her hooves seal up, her skin turns a bright violet, and metal pieces gravitate towards her body out of thin air.

At last, the light enveloping her figure dissipates, allowing everyone in the room to marvel at her form. Her mane is similar to Celestia's, only much brighter and with a few highlights of blue like Luna. Her coat is a vibrant violet with white at the pasterns. Golden regalia adorns her illustrious figure, similar to Celestia's but with the insignia of a cerulean heart in the center. Upon her flank is a Cutie Mark in the shape of two ponies forming a heart.

"Woah. Talk about a glow up," Lavey remarks.

The alicorn queen looks over herself, feeling both confusion and relief at her restored appearance. She no longer feels the pangs of hunger, nor the insatiable desire for sweet love. She feels more at peace than she ever has in her life.

"W-what happened?" she asks.

"Ever heard of 'True Love's Kiss'?" Lavey responds, earning nothing but deafening silence and awkward stares from everyone around him. "Seriously? Twilight, I had at least expected you to know what the phrase meant!"

The young unicorn glances around aimlessly and taps her chin with a hoof as she tries to think of where the trope could have come from. "I don't have a clue," she blatantly replies.

The hell-spawn pinches the bridge of his nose, lets out a frustrated sight, and shakes his head in disappointment before elaborating on the expression. "True Love's Kiss—FOR THOSE OF US WHO WATCHED THE SHREK QUATERNITY—is a trope used in most works of fiction. Whenever two characters kiss and that connection is by true love, whatever curse either character is under the influence of will be broken. For God's sake, I give you all a cult classic to watch and you just ignore it like it's nothing."

"So in this case, Queen Aurora is back to her normal form," Twilight says. "How do you feel?"

The reformed queen looks herself over, feeling complacent but also strange. "I feel like my normal self, but after eons of being in that grotesque form, I feel as if I don't belong in this skin. It's going to take time to readjust into this body and perhaps this new era as well."

"We shall do that together, my love," Lumiere says as he takes his queen's hoof. "We'll finally be able to start a family after so long."

A small, forgotten piece of information locked away in the back of Aurora's mind resurfaces, causing a look of terror to form on her face.

"I nearly forgot about the hive!" she shrieks.

"T-the hive?" Lumiere asks, completely in the dark as he looks to everyone else's horrified faces. "What is she talking about?"

Aurora's look of horror morphs into one of shame and fear as she looks to her beloved. "Forgive me, my love, but when I took on that curse, I had to feed off of love for centuries. I had spawned legions of changelings in your absence in order to harvest enough love to sustain us. But in order to have such a large brood, I had to..." She trails off, refusing to finish the last part of her thought, knowing Lumiere will complete it in his head. "Please forgive me, Lumiere."

The room falls dead silent. Everyone looks to the royal couple as they stare intently at each other. Chrysalis can take everyone's awkward glances and silence, but she can't stand having her beloved look upon her with a horrified look. She holds her breath, expecting the worst to pour out of Lumiere's mouth.

"You slept with other ponies in my absence?" the king tremblingly asks.

"Not just ponies..." Aurora responds shamefully. "I had no other choice. I was starving to death because I couldn't get enough love to sustain myself. I thought if If could raise an army, love could come from all across this globe and back to my hive so I wouldn't have to go hungry again. I only longed to see you again. That my hope and determination to keep going."

"I don't know what to say," Lumiere says as he takes a seat on the carpet. "I understand the situation you went through, but I can't believe you'd done all that." Aurora winces at his words as guilt continues to grow in her heart. "But I'm not mad, Aurora. I'm just...surprised is all. You did what you did to survive."

"So...can you forgive me?"

Lumiere remains quiet, his eyes staring at the ground he sits on as he ponders the possibility. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife. Aurora's heart feels as if it'll beat out of her chest, but she tries her best to keep her composure.

"I do, my love," he finally responds. "It's not so much different than when I sacrificed myself just to see you well again. I hold no contempt for anything you may have done over the millennia of my absence."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Aurora disregards any sense of formality and leaps into her husband's hooves, earning a loving embrace from him. The warmth of his hug fills her with a peace that the queen had thought she had lost forever. The very essence of love that gave their union strength is reignited and reinforced once more. She can hear Lavey and Twilight chatter off to the side but she doesn't care what they say or think anymore.

"Sooo...," Lavey says aloud, finally forcing the couple to break their embrace to look over to him. "Are we gonna see the hive again or what?"

Everyone, minus Celestia, appears in a flash of pink light at the changeling hive. The aegean walls are decorated in vibrant, emerald foliage and brightly-colored flora. Pores in the walls open and close randomly, both acting as doorways and traps for unsuspecting visitors. The hive looks more like a complicated cave system perfectly constructed for a parasitic species that feeds on love.

The one thing that probably makes it feel more like home, though, is the strong mephitis of semen, sweat, and all sorts of bawdy bodily fluids.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Lavey grouses as he clutches his lurching stomach. “My senses are a lot more sensitive so I can pick up every little particle of musk.”

“I know Asmodeus’s subjects came to help but they could’ve cleaned up a bit, don’t you think?” Twilight asks as she materializes a magical face mask for herself.

“You go anywhere in her kingdom, all you’ll smell is sex,” the hybrid responds. “Let's just find the changelings already.”

“I for one cannot wait to see the little ones,” Lumiere says with a smile, completely disregarding the smell of musk. “How do you think they’ve been doing?”

“I’m assuming they’re alright, despite how quiet it is,” Aurora responds as she observes the shrill silence while leading everyone. “Normally, the hive would be bustling with drones and guards keeping watch at the entrance. To have the hive so quiet is almost... relieving.”

The group travels through many of the shifting doorways, making sure not to get stuck or lost in the labyrinth. While Aurora may be their tour guide, Lavey acts as their radar in traversing the winding hallways. Every time he complains about the stench or he feels like throwing up, it’s a sign that they’re possibly nearing a large cluster of changelings.

At last, one doorway opens up to a massive space where a massive, obsidian throne rests in the center. All around the space are creatures that look like changelings but vibrant and colorful.

“Are we in the right hive?” Lavey questions. “They didn’t look like that before, did they?”

Aurora ignores the hybrid’s question and steps forward, causing the bug-horses to halt their activities and turn their compound eyes towards her. Everyone can feel the tension in the air as the queen and her children stare at each other with uncertainty and apprehension. With how different everyone looks now and how long it’s been since they last met, things could go downhill swiftly.

However, all at once, the changelings cluster together, forming a massive, buzzing, colorful ball, and charge at the queen, shouting a single word in joyful jubilation:

“MOMMY!”

With open hooves, Aurora graciously accepts her brood, even as they tackle her to the ground. The sound of the youngs’ laughter along with joyful cries flood the cave system with warmth and serenity.

“I missed all of you,” Aurora says through tears.

As she tries to stand, the changelings giver her some space so she can breath and look around at everyone. Joy floods her heart as she recognizes everyone's faces, even after their metamorphosis. As she looks upon everyone’s colorful faces with overwhelming rapture, her teary eyes land upon a unique changeling that stands out amongst the rest.

He’s almost as tall as Aurora and Lumiere, giving one the implication that he’s a royal. He has a beautiful, verdant body and maroon backside. Opals upon his chest act like regalia and the mandibles upon his head are much grander than those of the other changelings, signifying his title. Although his appearance is unfamiliar, Aurora can feel the connection they have and point out who the changeling is.

“Thorax, my son,” she says as she approaches the regent. “I missed you so much.”

The two share a tender hug in the midst of everyone, letting their love flood the cave system. Lumiere, on the other hand, stands off to the side, watching his beloved and step-son enjoying this heartfelt moment.

“What in Equus happened to all of you?” the queen asks as she pulls back.

“Well, we all sort of went through, I guess, a metamorphosis after those demon representatives came," Thorax responds. "We ended up sharing love instead of hoarding it like we normally do, and now we can live without having to steal live from anypony.”

“And the whole size-difference thing?” Lavey inquires. “You almost look like an alicorn princes—I mean, prince.”

“I dunno,” the changeling replies as he looks himself over. “While the representatives were teaching us about conservation and fasting, I was kind of in charge of teaching everyone in the hive to share. When we shared it, we didn't have to feel hungry anymore, like we were always full.”

“This is why I had you become my regent, Thorax,” Aurora stated with beaming pride. “But I believe we can take our authority back, now.”

“We?” Thorax questions with a cocked brow. He looks behind his mother and stares awkwardly at the alicorn king, who slowly approaches the regent. “Who is this guy, mom?”

Lumiere stands before Thorax, his height just a few inches more than that of the changeling. Even as he looks down at the bug-horse, he has a warm expression plastered onto his face that only a loving father could show.

“I suppose you can call me father or dad,” Lumiere responds with warmth. “That is if you’re comfortable with the idea of me being the father of this cluster of my queen’s young.”

Thorax's eyes widen in surprise and a jovial smile spreads across his face. "I guess a father figure would be nice to have. It was kinda cool to be a king, even if it was short lived and I wasn't really a king to begin with."

"And since we're starting a new family, we need a new place to call home," Aurora states. "And I know just where to go."

Cadance and Shining Armor watch in awe as a colorful cloud of reformed bug-horses fly into the Crystal Empire unannounced. While it does threaten to bring about the couple’s PTSD regarding the changeling invasion from their wedding, seeing that they've changed for the better mellows out their skepticism just a bit.

“I hope you don’t mind the influx of new citizens,” Aurora apologizes. “But you shall not have to fret, as Lumiere and I will guide and advise you in leading the Empire.”

“W-well, it’s great you managed to reunite with your kin and husband, Queen Aurora,” Cadance says, her gaze not wandering from the cloud of changelings. “I just hope we have enough resources to provide for everypony.”

“Just leave that to us,” Lumiere responds confidently. “We may be the original rulers of the empire but you two will no doubt make wonderful leaders when we step down...whenever that is.”

Lavey and Twilight stand off to the side while the royal couples make plans for this new era in the empire. As the young unicorn look between the original rulers and their massive horde of young, a small thought is planted into her mind. She glances over at the hell-spawn, who observes the changelings interacting with the Crystal Ponies down below. Her thoughts will have to be put on hold for now as fear grips her heart, preventing her from uttering her ideas.