Change is a funny thing; it always seems to catch you by surprise.
Sometimes, it's like a snowball. What you have for lunch, when you go to sleep, who you keep as company; all these tiny events touch your life in tiny ways, sliding downhill until they start rolling together, and then one day you turn around and there's a boulder of ice barreling down at you.
Other times, it's as simple and devastating as looking in a mirror.

Back in the roaring twenties, the Little Snowdrop Inn was built as a grand monument to excess, raised with shining shingles, gilded railings, and polished windows. Now, its sagging roof groaned under the weight of unseasonal snow, it's rotted walls bowing to the weight of generations. Over the years, it had gone from a palace of riches, a place for the wealthy and bored to spend their summers in the lap of luxury, to a dilapidated incubator for monsters. In some ways, it hadn’t much changed at all.

Magic, like change, always came at a cost, and it seemed to all the fleeing wildlife in the valley that the hole in the sky would extract that cost at any moment. The wind howled balefully, and the bent trees across the valley shivered in fear. Lightning crackled viciously across the sky as a curtain of dishwater storm clouds circled the rift like some great cosmic drain.
A shaft of vibrating light shone down from the rift, bathing the Little Snow Drop Inn in heat like an artificial womb.

Queer lights strobed through the inn’s dusty windows, red, pink, black, each flash of spell-fire shaking the foundations in cannon bursts of possibility, and as they were lost in a massive burst of white, the whole world braced for a sudden, ineffable change.

The situation inside the Little Snowdrop Inn had taken a dire turn. The defenders of Canterlot, such as they were, had been detained by Queen Chrysalis, all save for Scootaloo, who managed to slip free during the struggle. A hissed command by the Queen sent a few pocked, unstable drones after the renegade.
As the doors at the top of the lobby’s twin staircases opened, Buck squinted into the light behind it. An anomaly lay before him.

It was a grand and gothic ballroom, lit by the emerald light of a trio of chandeliers. Drones buzzed to and fro, polishing the elegant, carved fixtures and black marble floor by hand. A platoon of gleaming tables sat before a green-curtained stage, below which was an orchestra pit populated by a changeling string quartet in smart suits and understated dresses. The band tuned their instruments with rigor, though they seemed to regard them with a detached, puzzled expression. A sharp glance from Queen Chrysalis startled them into their set. It was a string rendition of Stuck With U by Justin Bieber. Buck stifled a laugh, glancing over his shoulder.

Buck expected Adagio to be seething, but he saw shell-shocked openness in her gaze. He wondered what she did to handle her clone and knew that he wouldn’t like the answer. A familiar yearning rose in him, a need to be needed, to help her process the events of today, to speak with her about what was to come next. There was so much weight and intention behind his eyes, Adagio must have tasted it in the air. She quickly looked away.

Starlight’s Glimmer’s eyes swiveled around, then snapped wide at a figure at the far end of the room. It was Sunburst; bound to a chair, roughed up and gagged, but conscious. Starlight made to rush for him, but was held tight.

“Sunburst! Sunburst!” Starlight cried.

“Gag her. And the siren, too.” Queen Chrysalis said. The drones roughly wrestled the pair to the ground.

“Hey, hey, be gentle about it!” Buck said.

“What do you care? They’ve betrayed you.” Chrysalis said.

“I don’t want anyone hurt. Call it a matter of principle.” Buck said.

“Very well." Chrysalis sighed. "Seat them at the same table. Make sure they don’t interfere.” The drones pasted the captives’ mouths shut, then their arms and legs to their seats.

“Okay, I get why Starlight and ‘dagio are tied up, but why Sunburst?”

“I know better than to underestimate my enemies. Pray you don't make the mistake of becoming one.” Chrysalis said.

“If you wanted to tie me up, you could'a just asked. I keep the fuzzy cuffs under my bed.” Buck said. “Bro, you okay? Gimmie a nod if you’re good.”

Sunburst had been laying his head against Starlight’s, trying even now to support her in this dark moment. He looked at Buck with drowsy bewilderment, and after a moment, he nodded slowly. The question in his eyes was obvious, but Buck swiftly rambled past it.

“Man, you would not believe the day I've had! I got chased around a hotel again, I got my shit kicked in by a clone, and I could swear me and Starlight were stuck in those caves for a whole year!” Buck sauntered forward, but he suddenly tripped over his own feet. His chin hit the floor with a rumbling thud. Some dust shook itself from the ceiling and onto his head.
Chrysalis struggled to hold in a laugh as Buck grabbed the edge of the table to pull himself up.

“Ugh…yeah, so anyway, long day.” Buck groaned. “Hey, Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings, would you mind if my man here healed me up a bit? I’ve been through the ringer.”

“Absolutely not. If you get any closer to them, there will be consequences. Chrysalis said.

“What? Whaddya mean?” Buck said.

Chrysalis closed a fist. A green, pulsing phantom of a gnarled horn appeared on her head. The slime on the mouths of Buck’s friends crept upward like a mold, covering their noses.

“Woah, woah, woah, time out!” Buck said, scrambling away from the table. “Okay, alright, message received!”

“Was it?” Chrysalis grinned. The defenders of Canterlot winced and shook against their bonds. The slime burbled but did not give way. They would suffocate in no time.

“I get it, I get it, I won’t touch ‘em, I won’t even look at ‘em! Just please! Let ’em breathe!” Buck simpered. “Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look, by the way?”

“You understand the rules, then? Good.” Chrysalis said. Her grip relaxed, and the slime receded back into gags. She took visible glee at watching Buck catch his breath. “Now…is that what you’re wearing?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…hm.” Buck’s jacket was singed and torn. He could feel the steady sting of a shiner over his eye from when Starlight slugged him, and the fresh bruises he’d gotten on his arms and chest.

“I must say, I’m impressed. You have a remarkable ability to smile in spite of your…situation.” Chrysalis said.

“Years of practice.” Buck recovered. “It was a long walk, getting here, but the view is absolutely worth it.” With a tender slink of the hand, Buck touched the small of the Queen’s back.

Chrysalis went rigid, as if startled by a passing skunk, and Buck saw a green blush splash across her nose. Adagio squinted at Buck’s expression. She’d seen it before, in a mirror. A subtle, sadistic glee. A look that said “I’m going to have fun with this one.”

“Still, this won’t do.” Chrysalis said, with a snap, a disguised drone scrambled up behind her.

“Is that Silver Spoon?” Buck squinted.

“It had better not be,” Chrysalis growled. Silver Spoon scrambled forward, remembered her orders, and flashed back to her black drone form just as the Queen turned to regard her. “Take Mr. Purple Prose to the dressing room and get him cleaned up.”

“Y-Y-Yes, your highness! Come, come!” The drone said, nervously ushering Buck across the hall.

“Woah! Alright, sure!” Buck said.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” Queen Chrysalis purred, her eyes lingering on Buck's back as the door creaked shut. She stood there until she noticed Adagio's hot glare and her expression curdled into a maniacal grin.

“And here…we are…again.”

Adagio writhed in her seat. The slime covering her mouth smothered a string of curses.

“Oh my, such language!” Queen Chrysalis laughed, patting Adagio heavily on the head. “Let this be a lesson, you pathetic little lungfish. There is nothing in this world you can acquire that I cannot win back. Which reminds me...”

The dreaded monarch strode over to Gregor in her human disguise, extending a hand that withered into a blackened claw.

“No…no…sorry, sorry, sorry!” Gregor said, struggling against his fellow drones.

The Queen’s index talon pulsed with green light, moving with agonizing slowness before it stopped at Greg’s forehead. His eyes swirled and his body convulsed.

“What have you learned?” Chrysalis said.

The spell was a blur; imprecise and broad as it coursed into Gregor’s mind, but with great effort, Chrysalis navigated to the last few hours. A toothy smile spread across her face as new information flashed across her sight.

While the Queen of the changelings was preoccupied with extracting information, Adagio shoved her shoulder against Starlight’s, who rebounded and jostled Sunburst. The both of them glanced at Adagio: Starlight with indignation and Sunburst with befuddlement which turned to curiosity as Adagio gestured nonsensically.
Her eyes whipped skeptically around the room, then seemed to point toward the table.

Sunburst shrugged, earning a muffled groan from Adagio.

The siren butted her forehead against the tabletop with a light thud. Her luscious curls, still wet from the confrontation with her clone, splashed a smattering of water drops onto the polished wood.
With great strain, Adagio hummed a light, high note that shook the ooze covering her mouth. The water drops shifted like mercury on a plate, shaking unsteadily. Adagio took in a deep breath and hummed harder, a little vein bulging on her forehead, and the water swiftly formed a phrase: “Under the table”.
Then, after a second, another word; “Idiots.”

And there it was. With a quick glance, Sunburst reached out with the tip of his foot, quietly dragging an object into the trio’s view.

It was Stygian’s spellbook. Buck had dropped it during his little stumble.

Buck sat on a little stool in an adjacent dressing room, watching with numb fascination as the stuttering changeling drone swept a glowing ball of green mana across his form.

Out of disguise, Buck could take in the drone's actual features. She was petite, lanky, and distressingly thin. Her hands shook a bit as she worked, as did her long, notched ears which stayed down like that of a cautious fox. The short, curved horn on her head had a little notch in the front. Most striking were her eyes; they were a pale, milky blue and bright. He also noticed that her glasses were not part of her Silver Spoon disguise; they were real.

“You’ve got really pretty eyes,” Buck said.

“Huh…what!?” The drone froze. Her voice was nasally and low.

“Your eyes. They’re lovely. Like a soft summer sky. I just thought you oughta know.” Buck said.

The drone stood there, shell-shocked.

“You know if there’s gonna be food?” Buck said.

“Oh, y-yes, of course!” The drone said, returning to her work. She was lightly brushing Buck’s hair. “The Queen has had a lavish f-f-feast prepared. You won't want for anything.” The drone said, then cringed backward as Buck's stomach rumbled.

“It's alright, I don't bite, uh, uh…”

Buck’s words trailed off as the drone stared at him, motionless.

“...this is the part where you say your name. You guys have names, right?”

“I-If we're useful, yes.”

“Fuckin' horrifying to hear that.”

“I-I-I'm sorry!”

“Not your fault. You got a name?”

“Tymbal, sir. A spy and attendant.”

“Oh, that's! Shit, uh, c'mon Shy, help me out…” Buck rubbed his temples. …tim…ball…Tymbal? Like uh, like a cicada, right? The little snare drum organ that makes the chirp. Right?”

“If you insist, sir.” The drone hummed, pulling off Buck's jacket, and testing a smattering of dusty coats against his chest.

“Does that like, does that mean the same thing in pony world as it does over here? How does that even…?” Buck pondered, but the drone just blinked at him. “Well, it’s a nice name, anyway.” Buck said with a smile. “Nice to meetcha, Tymbal. You know, if you ever wanna go out on the town, you know, as yourself, you might try, like Locust Song, or Springtime Melody, or like, Chirps Darkly. It’ll help ya fit in. All the locals have names like that.”

The drones’ fussing stopped, and she caught Buck's golden gaze, suddenly feeling very hot.

“...S-S-Sir?” Tymbal said.

“It's Buck.” Buck said.

“Yes, S-Sir.”

“Or Purple Prose!”

“Y-Yes, Purple Prose, Sir. May I have your permission to speak freely?”

“What? Yeah, of course.”

Tymbal looked at the floor. Buck recognized she was choosing her words carefully.

“Always.” Buck said, smiling.

“Y-You are…very different fr-from what I was expecting.”

“What were you expectin'?”

“It's, it's just that, a-and please don’t be mad, b-but when I asked the Queen about you, she described you as…a-a-a terrible power that could doom the changelings or save us.”

“What, did you think I was twenty feet tall, or that I shoot fire out my ass? Wait, shit, can I? Is that a thing I can do?”

“No, sir, no I just th-thought you would be angry! O-or violent! The way Ditzy Doo spoke of you-”

“You talked with Ditzy? Wait, wait, run it back. You were Silver Spoon a sec ago. Are you impersonating her?”

“Y-y-yes sir!” Tymbal cringed.

“You trying to kidnap Ditzy too?” Buck said, darkly.

“N-no sir, no, I-I just do what I’m told!”

“No, I…I get it. Really.”

“Huh?”

“I get it. I mean, your Queen is also your Mom, and you cain’t go against orders, so...I get it. It’s a bad thing you did, but you’re just a kid. Ain't your fault.”

Tymbal looked at Buck; really stared at him for a few seconds, then started rubbing her temples.

“I-I-I shouldn’t be talking to you!” Tymbal said.

“Woah, uh, why not?” Buck said.

“The Queen said we might g-get greedy and try to eat you!”

“You hungry? I got some trail mix in here, though there ain’t much left…or I could give you some of this.”
A flickering ball of pink flame flared in Buck's palm. Tymbal shrank away from it like it was poison.

“No, no, no! Y-You can’t give me that! The others will get jealous!”

“So what? I can just feed them, too. Come on; time’s’re tough. You gotta eat when you can.”

“Th-th-this is a trap! You’re going to hurt me!” Tymbal squealed.

“Naw, I’m not.” Buck shook the flame out of his hand. "Why would I do that?"

“Because…I-I did a bad thing? Because you came here to destroy the hive?”

“Who told you that?”

“The Queen. She taught us how humans are angry and cruel. And y-you kind of wrecked the lobby.”

“I guess that’s fair.” Buck sighed, looking at his big purple hands.

It had been a while since he’d looked at them. They were firm, sturdy and rough. He had old calluses lining the tops and sides of his palms; the result of years of manual labor. Some of his cuticles were peeling from all the time they spent submerged in dishwater, and he was reminded not for the first time this month that he needed to stop biting his nails. But that’s not what he was thinking about, not really.

It was his clone. His clone, who could breathe gouts of flame, summon spires from the floor, drop meteors and explode things by yelling at them. Who could make Scootaloo a quivering wreck with a flick of the wrist and a low growl. Everything Mean Buck was capable of was a frightening reflection of Buck’s own potential.
Buck rose from where he sat before the mirror, and without thinking, started to sift through the various clothes on the rack.

"If I wanted to, I really could burn this place down." Buck said, and his words bubbled up from a dark, burning place, like fresh tar. "If I wanted to, I could take whatever I felt like. If I wanted, I could melt the Queen’s face off with just my hands and a harsh word."

And Buck thought of the cracked look in his clone's eyes, and the shuddering, heartbroken wail that came with his tears. Buck thought those tears had dried a long time ago, but maybe he'd just buried them under his smile. Maybe he was getting sick of playing the reserved, but level-headed goofball. Maybe it was time to admit he had a part to play. Maybe, Buck thought, it was time to start playing by his own rules.

For a moment, Buck's eyes flickered with a red and black light.

“Sir?” Tymbal peeped.

Buck blinked, his hand stopping in all of the old silk and satin. He exhaled, slowly. The sparks were gone.

“No, I’m not gonna hurt you, Tymbal." Buck said. "I'm not like that."

“R-really?”

“Yeah, really. But I think you might wanna clear. You seem like a good person, and I don't want you gettin' hurt,” Buck said.

“Sir?”

“If Chrysalis thinks I’m a real fucking danger…well, maybe it’s time I prove her right.” Buck said. His face was serene, but his smile was a bit off. When he looked at Tymbal, she had retreated to the other end of the bedroom.

The pink flame came again, sparking red and pink as Buck placed it on the floor between himself and Tymbal. To the drone, it looked like a luscious, impossibly delicious forbidden fruit, throbbing with vitality and power. As she stared at the strange spell-matter, Buck held a suit on a hanger in front of his chest, shrugged, and tried another; the picture of nonchalance.

“Are you sure you don’t want a bite?” Buck said.

"C-Can I, Sir?" Tymbal squeaked.

Buck smiled, and placed the handful of mana on the nearby vanity desk, where it sat securely. Even out of Buck's grasp, though it wavered slightly like an open flame, it stayed in place, fully formed.

“Thank you, sir!” Tymbal squealed and dove for the spare mana, which crunched like an apple as her teeth sunk in.

“Say, when we get back in there, would you mind doin’ me a favor?” Buck said. "I wanna make an entrance."

Scootaloo was beyond tired of wearing this stupid cast. She had been subtly itching around her ankle for three days, and no amount of scrabbling in there with pens, rulers or any other pokey things had scratched that itch, and now Scoots was fed up. It would be so much easier if she’d learned how to fly.

That itch at her ankle was the most pressing problem, but she had to deal with some other concerns first.
For instance; the fact that she was hiding behind the door of an old hotel room, and there were creepy crawlies everywhere and some of them were looking for her and holy shit, holy shit, did you see the look on that evil Buck’s face. I am so fucking wet right now and I need to do something!

The hive was still buzzing with activity, but with much of its remaining drones focused on the night’s events, the halls were thinning out of guards. Only a single drone walked this hall, and it failed to notice Scootaloo wheeling out of a room, crossing the hall, and diving just out of sight into another as it turned its head. It certainly didn’t see Scootaloo zoom away, trip on her cast, and hit the floor face first before scrambling off toward the lobby.

Scootaloo crept around the corner and saw another identical hallway; old carpet, strange green lights, black…stuff covering the walls.

“What? Didn’t I just come from…?”

Scootaloo peered through an odd hole in a wall and saw a suite on the other side. She looked through another and saw a bathroom. She saw pathways all around, and none of them opened onto the lobby.

“Think, Scootaloo! Stop freaking out and think, you chicken!” Scootaloo grunted. “What would Rainbow Dash do? Probably run through every single room super fast because she’s like a super hero…not helpful! What would…what would Babs do?”

And Scootaloo stepped back into a time between high school and now that was full of piercings, hair dye and petty larceny.

“...case the joint. Look for someone that knows where they’re going, and follow them. Stay low, stay out of sight.” Scootaloo mumbled, the phantom of Bab’s Brooklyn accent on the tip of her tongue.

Scootaloo faded into the gloom of the hive, erasing her breath. After a few seconds, a drone passed by, pushing a rusted serving cart. The wheels chirped with effort, threatening to unbalance and toss the covered dishes off the long cloth atop it. The drone had to put real weight behind his grip to prevent the cart from toppling as it wound its way through thresholds, halls, and holes, eventually coming out at the foot of the grand staircases.

It was then that Scootaloo tumbled out from beneath the cart’s cloth, leaping for the gloom under the stairs, but then her cast struck something and she yelped as a spike of pain shot up her leg.

The drone stopped, teeth bared, forked green tongue flicking as it scanned its surroundings for an intruder until its rumbling stomach reminded it of its job.

Scootaloo was on her butt, covering her mouth as the drone went down an adjacent hallway.

“Ughhh…what did I trip over?” Scootaloo said.

It was a wooden shipping crate. On the side, in big green letters were the words: “Everfree Quartz.”

Adagio’s sharp eyes had been scanning the dining room for any escape route, and with her keen observation skills, she made note of two critical details.
For one, the gothification of this clearly art nouveau interior was garish and tacky.

Secondly, her gracious host was looking disturbed. Queen Chrysalis sat rigidly at her table caught somewhere between bewilderment and fury. It seemed to Adagio the changeling Queen’s natural camouflage had her emulating an awkward dinner date. She must have learned something peculiar from the little gnat she interrogated. What exactly happened between Buck and Starlight in those caves?

As Adagio pondered, the stuttering attendant from before shuffled over to the string quartet and murmured an urgent message. The musicians shared a shrug, then began an energetic rendition of Come and Get Your Love. It was slightly messy and a bit improvised; setting the perfect tone for what came next.

Buck strolled into the dining hall wearing an eccentric ensemble. A plain white dress shirt beneath a blood red vest, framing a black tie, a pair of black slacks, and for some reason, he’d tied his pink scarf around his waist like a sash. It was the kind of outfit one might expect on a dive bar stage at open mic night, or a particularly flashy barbershop quartet.

Buck approached the table, sitting across from Queen Chrysalis with practiced ease, and a smirk that Adagio had only seen seconds before being penetrated. Adagio glanced at Starlight and Sunburst, as if to ask if they were seeing this, and they were both dumbstruck; Sunburst in an “I always knew this day would come” kind of a way, and Starlight in an “We are all going to fucking die here” kind of way.

“Now then, Queen Chrysalis: Queen of the Changelings. Where were we?” Buck said.

“Refreshments!” Chrysalis said. All the nearby drones scrambled at the sudden bark.
In a shuffle of holey limbs, a lavish feast was laid out. Buck’s mouth watered at succulent steaks, fried chicken and boiled crab, sides of sauteed vegetable stir fry and clam chowder. At the last second, a drone ran up and placed a packet of store-bought sushi on the table; Buck guessed it was too difficult to prepare.

With his rumbling stomach impossible to ignore, Buck tore into each dish one at a time, having to stop once or twice to guzzle soda to avoid choking.

“…these are some of my favorite foods! How did you know?” Buck said.

“It was a simple matter of using your human technology for reconnaissance. A bit of persistence won me a lexicon of your past.” Chrysalis said, triumphantly holding up a smartphone.

“You…stalked my Myface page? Looking for a dish to impress me?” Buck said.

Chrysalis blinked.

“Yes? Is that not customary?”

Buck squinted at the queen of the changelings, then a great burbling stomach rumble broke his glare.

“You know what, I’m going to table how creepy that is, ‘cause I’m starving.” Buck laughed.

“Good. I’ve spared no expense for your sake.”

A drone presented a pair of wine glasses. A sip revealed it to be sparkling cherry cola; Buck’s favorite.

“Mm! You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome. So, wait, you’ve been learning about humans with a smart phone?”

“Yes. I’ve never encountered such an excellent source of reconnaissance. It’s been an invaluable tool for mastering your people’s customs and culture. You could say I’ve got gyatt when it comes to human rizz. My skills at assimilation are positively bussin’.” Chrysalis said, triumphantly.

Buck snerked a burst of cola out of his nose, doubling over as he struggled painfully to hold in a laugh.

At the other table, Starlight Glimmer looked on with bewilderment while Sunburst shook, trying not to choke on the slime as he laughed. As a matter of fact, the entire table quaked briefly. Adagio’s eyes were down as the Queen glanced over, blushing with embarrassment.

“Holy shit, oh my god.” Buck coughed. A pair of drone attendants reverently patted him down with napkins.

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you.” Chrysalis said.

“No, no, I just, that just caught me off guard.” Buck wheezed.

“Purple Prose, take this seriously!” Chrysalis erupted, and Buck jolted in his seat. “I am speaking on behalf of my people!”

And awkward pause caught the odd pair. Chrysalis sniffed at her glass, then made a sour frown at her attendants.

“I told you not to pour me a glass of this sickly sweet human concoction.” Chrysalis growled. The waiting drones froze mid step, sweat racing down their faces.

“That’s no problem. Here; how do you like your drinks?” Buck said.

“Dark and bitter.” The Queen said.

“Never could’a guessed.” Buck said, reaching for it. “Here’s a trick…”

“No!” Chrysalis snatched the drink away from him.

“What? You think I’m going to poison it?”

“A smart human would.” Chrysalis said.

“Okay, powering through that--look. It’s a party trick I learned.” Buck said. He dipped a finger in his drink, and it turned bright green. Buck took a sip. “Green apple. Try it.”

Buck offered his glass to Chrysalis, and, bewildered, she slowly took a tiny sip. Her lips puckered.

“Sour.” Chrysalis said.

“Oh, right. Here.” Buck tapped it again, and this time it turned black as an untouched dark roast. Buck sipped it, frowned, then offered it to Chrysalis.

She took a long sip, and grinned.

"Bitter." Chrysalis said.

Better?" Buck said. “I’m not gonna sneak you my mana, or mess with you. I won’t give you my mana unless you ask me.” Buck said.

“Ah, I see. And you expect the same promise of me?” Chrysalis said. “Do you even understand why you’re here?”

“That’s easy. You missed me.” Buck said with a smirk, but the Queen’s regal disposition was not shaken.

“You are here because I desire your cooperation. You must have seen the state of my children.” Chrysalis said.

“They’re starving.” Buck grimaced.

“Your world is anemic,” The Queen spat. “The mana here is either thin or non-existent, and without a common source to feed on, my children are born dying of hunger. I cannot stand to watch my legacy wither away.”

“And that’s where I come in.” Buck said.

“When a changeling sees something it desires, it will stop at nothing to acquire it. I have tried subterfuge, and it didn’t work. I tried an ambush, and that didn’t work either. After much deliberation, I’ve decided that now is the time for diplomacy.”

“Does ponyland diplomacy usually involve hostages?” Buck said evenly.

“I’d be a fool to negotiate you without some form of collateral. We both recall what happened last time. Or, I suppose you don’t, thanks to that cretin.” Chrysalis glared at Starlight Glimmer, who met her gaze defiantly.

“You mean sneaking into my apartment, riding me like a damn boo hag, and stealing my mana? Or do you mean the, uh, first time you were at my place?” Buck said.

“Are you judging me, human?” Chrysalis sneered.

"Are you gonna apologize?" Buck said. Queen Chrysalis snorted at him derisively, but Buck refused to break his glare. After a few tense moments, The Queen's expression crumpled.

“...far from my finest moment.” Chrysalis said, almost sheepishly.

A subtle heat washed over Adagio, and she tried to breathe life into it. It was a sweet, peppery attraction, and perhaps a bit of pride. With a warm hum, the slime over her mouth bubbled.

“That first meeting was...reconnaissance,” Chrysalis said. “I needed a point of entry to observe you up close. To sample your mana, and get a feel for your peculiar energy.”

“She filmed it, actually. She even showed it to me. The Queen of the changelings, flailing on your cock like an insecure school-filly.” Adagio grinned through a hole in her slimy gag. “You should be proud, Buck. You clearly left quite an impact.”

Chrysalis rose furiously, but Buck suddenly cut in.

“I don’t remember asking you a damn thing!” Buck said.

“Excuse me!? Who’s side are you on!?” Adagio barked.

“I didn’t even wanna be here! The whole reason we’re in this mess is because of you, and you!” Buck said, pointing at Adagio and Starlight in kind.

“Me!? You’re the one with the- we’re in this mess because she wants you!” Adagio said.

“For a good reason! Ain’t neither of you ever even thought about trying to just talk with the changelings and hear their side!”

“You’re being played for a fool, Buck! Anyone with eyes can see that!”

“Yeah, I was a fool for listening to you!” Buck said, his eyes sparking. Adagio felt a jet of heat pass her face, blowing a lock of her hair back. “Now I’m in charge, and I’m tellin’ you, for once in your life, shut your mouth and let someone else take point!”

“You…you, stubborn, cocksure fool!” Adagio shouted, flabbergasted.

“Enough!” Queen Chrysalis said, and the slime re-sealed the siren’s mouth, muffling her string of curses. Chrysalis grinned sadistically at Starlight and Sunburst, showing a flash of sharp teeth. Her attention leaped back across the table as Buck gently touched her hand.

“Thanks.” Buck said.

“Oh, trust me, it’s my pleasure.” Queen Chrysalis said. “Handling dissidents is second only to my duties as mother of the changelings.”

"Right, yeah, well, uh...where were we?" Buck said.

A long pause. The Queen’s shadowy, menacing expression softened into what seemed like genuine contrition.

“I took advantage of you, and for that…I apologize. I come to you today, not as a skulking thief, but as a ruler. This is an earnest attempt at diplomacy. I apologize. For both instances in which I attacked you. And I won’t use any of my powers maliciously.”

“Accepted.” Buck said. “You know…your shoulders were so stiff back then. No wonder.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The changeling queen scowled.

“You’re a hard-working single mom. Heh. I’m startin’ to think I’ve got a type. Is tonight’s date about diplomacy, or did you just need an excuse to sit down?”

“You presume much.” Chrysalis said.

“Is it presumptuous for me to care about you?” Buck said. Chrysalis stared at him for a few bewildered seconds.

"I...I don't...circumstances being what they are, I would prefer if you wouldn't make such jokes, Purple Prose." Chrysalis said, through gritted teeth.

"Who's joking?" Buck said. “Do me a favor. Take off that necklace and close your eyes."

“Absolutely not.” Queen Chrysalis hissed.

"Look, I don’t wanna hurt you, and the people that do are all tied up. So, what’s the harm?”

"The second I let my guard down to you creatures, you'll strike."

“Funny enough--that's what they told me about you."

"Yes, well--" Chrysalis chortled.

“You know, trust is an important part of diplomatic relations. Don’t you wanna have more relations with me?” Buck said.

Queen Chrysalis at first looked disgusted, but then her expression softened. She slipped the changeling stone necklace off her shapely shoulders and laid it on the table.

“If this is another trick…at least be quick about it.” She seemed to be fighting a smile, blushing demurely as Buck stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. She closed her eyes.

“Good. Now, what’s your favorite color? Don’t tell me; just picture it in your head.” Buck said.

“Understood…and what of it?”

“Just hold that color. Focus on it…” Buck said.

With a small pulse of pink, Buck kissed the changeling queen’s knuckles. A vibrant wave of rich dark light shimmered across Queen Chrysalis’ voluminous orange mane, instantly dying it a moody phthalo green.

“There. Now, open your eyes.” Buck said, holding up a polished table spoon.

The Queen of the Changelings gasped at her reflection, running a hand through her silky hair. For a moment, she had the expression of a young girl discovering jewelry for the first time, but it was quickly smothered beneath a more regal bearing.

“I…see you’ve been studying since the last time we met.” Chrysalis said sharply. The necklace was back on in an instant. “Tell me, have you learned anything besides petty parlor tricks?”

“I think you’ll find I got plenty surprises for you. I’m nowhere near as helpless as I was before.”

“That is plainly evident.” Chrysalis said with a smile.

“Now then, Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings--”

“Chrysalis will do.” The Queen said.

“Whassat?” Buck said.

“I said, Chrysalis will do. Do not make me say it a third time.” Chrysalis hissed.

“Sure. Chrysalis, you’ve got me at a disadvantage in more ways than one. You seem to know a lot about me, but all I know about you is hearsay. I wanna hear your side of the story.”

“Of course you do.” Chrysalis smirked triumphantly. “Unlike your contemporaries, you can’t be satisfied with simple answers. I’ve taken the liberty of having a presentation prepared. A show to go with dinner.” She waved a hand, and the lights flickered off one by one until only those lining the stage remained.

The string quartet switched to a mournful, almost sinister tune that Buck didn’t recognize.
The great velvet curtains parted to reveal an elaborate set of a dour swamp. Above the stage sat a mirror, within which loomed a visage of Queen Chrysalis—her dark, sharp-cheeked face with patchy moss-like hair and sharp fangs. From his angle at the table, Buck could see Tymbal in the wings of the stage, her horn glowing as she projected what Buck surmised must be a Narration spell.

“This is but one of the legends of which Equestrian people speak; a tale of hunger, survival, and cruelty. It is spoken to all young changelings before they lay down to rest, and all who skulk in the shadows of so-called society recite it as a psalm. Listen closely, as I, Queen Chrysalis, tell you the story of how my people came to be.”

From behind Tymbal came a small army of drones. They sparked green, snapping into fantastical, familiar forms.

Three brightly colored factions entered the spotlight. Buck recognized earth ponies, albeit with thin limbs and sickly green eyes, stampeding into a group of unicorns, their horns flashing with all the menace of a holiday sparkler, while pegasus ponies circled weakly overhead like unsteady vultures.

As the ponies fought, wooden cutouts flew over the stage on ropes, bearing images of ghostly horse-like creatures with glowing blue eyes.

“In all worlds, there are prideful creatures which rise to prominence through violent conquest. With strength of limb and sheer, unrelenting greed, they scorch a path through the land, burning their mark onto history. In the lands known now as Equestria, the creatures holding the esteemed and hubristic title of “Dominant” is Ponykind.” Chrysalis said.

Suddenly, a strange set of ponies that Buck didn’t recognize bulldozed through the lot; more robust ones with muted manes. Their faces were streaked with red war paint, and they grinned with dagger-toothed malice as they charged into the others. Buck spared a look at Sunburst, who gave a bewildered shrug.

“The drive to dominate always leads to conflict, and such was the case among all ponies. In their insatiable hunger for power, they clashed barbarously for every inch of land. The skies screamed with bitter winds, the earth was scorched so that nothing could grow, and the fields flooded with the blood and bile of the vanquished.”

Green mist crept across the stage as ponies fell by the score, crying out in pain. A painted wooden facade rose from the mist. Buck could see what looked like fallen bones sticking out of a lake of green slime. A gnarled, twisted tree with blackened limbs stood in the center. When the mist cleared, only a single unicorn remained alive. It was on the ground, groaning with pain.

“Echoes of curses dripped from the lips of the dying; the rage of war and the unending hunger of all who took up arms, pooled together across the slaughtering grounds. It is said that this was the crucible of the changelings; that we spilled forth from these charnel plains like maggots from a corpse.”

The wooden facade split in half, and out came changelings that were small, pale and grub-like. They were adorable. Their horns were barely nubs and their eyes as big as dinner plates, looking about with exaggerated curiosity as they emerged from the rot and slime.

“No matter what other equestrian creatures may say, let it be known now that in our earliest days, we changelings looked upon the world with innocent eyes. Prideless, gentle, and curious.”

A particularly intrepid infant scuttled toward the fallen unicorn, who dramatically recoiled in fear. A second chirping grub came to observe, then a third and a fourth.

“But curiosity without guidance leads to danger. My fledgling people would come to learn a valuable lesson in their earliest days.”

When suddenly, a spear pierced the unicorn’s side! It let out a haunting death rattle, then lay still as one of those pale, fanged ponies retrieved the spear, pointing it at the defenseless grubs. It grinned at the changelings like a coyote at a rabbit.

“The cost of innocence is loss.” Chrysalis said.

The brutish pony charged the baby changelings and was soon followed by a group of similar warriors. They chased the grubs around the stage until only a handful remained.
Those survivors cowered under a pile of bodies, covering their mouths so their fearful cries could not give them away.

“The changelings were hunted during their first era, and hunted they would remain for all of their history, until…”
One of the grubs looked at its fellows, and looked at the bodies they were hiding under, and began to change. It gazed ominously out into the audience, fury flickering in its eyes. Buck watched as it glowed green, slowly ballooning in size. With a dry snap, a pale, fanged pony wrenched itself out of the skin of the changeling, looking nearly identical to the ones searching around.

With a trembling stomp, the changeling caught the attention of the warrior ponies, which saluted. Then the changeling gestured off stage and ran off as if in pursuit. The other warriors followed it, and after a moment’s hesitation, the surviving changelings put on similar disguises and fell in line.

“In their hour of need, the changelings discovered a hidden strength. An uncanny ability to blend in with their oppressors. Before long, they integrated into the brutish pony society, observing their culture and absorbing their tactics.”
The set shifted again, to a snowy village of stone huts. Buck watched as the pale, sharp toothed ponies marched in neat lines, interrogated unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies they had taken hostage, and prepared to wage war. A hidden drone winked at the audience with pale blue eyes as it observed a pack of colts and foals frolicking in the periphery.

“An unknowing eye couldn’t possibly tell them apart from the herd. But no creature is truly infallible, and there was always the possibility of a misstep.”

The full-grown changeling strolled next to another pale pony who held a vigil. A little nuzzle of the cheek, a little flick of the tail, and the soldier’s focus melted into adoration as the disguised changeling flirted. They tenderly touched noses, and a flash of pink passed between them.
As the pair gazed lovingly at each other, one of the little fillies tripped over its tail, hitting the ground and revealing itself as a young drone. The scene froze.

“Love is the most powerful, filling sustenance we changelings can eat. We were born craving love, and yet we were hated no matter where we went. What the ponies refused to give us, we had to steal, and that made the whole world our enemy.”
The little drone gazed at the other children with bright, innocent eyes. Just as one brave filly reached out, the lovestruck stallion snapped to attention and drew a spear. Outraged, the disguised changeling dashed in front of the child, rearing up into a shaggy purple bear with sharp, jutting tusks.

“Even the slightest lapse in vigilance could compromise us, and our presence was always met with the same small-minded violence.” Chrysalis continued.
Three, four, five more changelings appeared to protect the child, but the sharp-toothed ponies outnumbered them three to one, hurling spears and curses until the changelings fled into the snow.

“But though mistakes were made, the changelings’ adaptive nature was ever their greatest strength. They had learned their second lesson; to observe is to know, and to know is to master.”

The scene shifted as the changelings fled. They took prisoners of pegasi, and Buck watched as they sprouted wings. They staged raids on unicorns, and though magic could reveal their true forms, they sprouted horns so that they could fight back. They stole into the fertile lands of the earth ponies and organized their drones into a workforce according to the farmer’s ways. With each infiltration, the changelings become more adroit and skillful, but the rebukes from the ponies grew increasingly violent.

“My people sought shelter among the squabbling masses, scraping up every ounce of love they could, but the cruelty and selfishness of the ponies sank into each drone as they fed on their love. Love is a fickle thing; they say to live is to crave it, and yet one can be satisfied. For the changelings, this was all too true.”
The scene shifted again. The background became a pony settlement burning in the background. Painted flames gave way to a column of smoke against a slate-gray sky. The changelings fled through ankle-high snow drifts when one came to a stop on shaking legs. It snapped at any drones that approached with drooling fangs, then tackled one and began draining it of emotion.

“The innocent drones fell upon each other, seeking to devour the love they had been denied. Only the bravest and wisest of them could break this tension, through equal parts care…and fear.”

Buck watched as the changeling in the lead suddenly grew taller, with a long, elegant horn rising from its head and a fluffy mane the color of winter snow. He assumed this was the first of the changeling queens, for she stamped a thunderous hoof, and the fighting drones came to a fearful halt. With a strobe of pink light, the Queen sated the drones, and a few holes formed in her limbs. Then, with no small amount of austerity, the Queen led the drones off stage.

“They knew they couldn’t survive in the frigid wasteland that the ponies created around them, so they fled to warmer climes. Taking bits and pieces of each culture they infiltrated, the changelings founded a new home knowing they could only ever trust one another. In time, changelings from distant lands assembled, bringing exotic skills with them.”
The ponies faded into the distance, and here came a diamond dog with a pick in one hand who changed into a drone. A stonework mound rose in the background; a shelter.

Then came a deer bearing saplings and shrubs. As it shrugged off its disguise, flowering vines and fruit trees rose around the new hive.

Lastly came a creature that Buck didn’t recognize. One that stood upright, with a lion’s mane and tail, long fangs, and bat-like wings. It carried along a sack of strange staves and arcane implements, which the changelings took to with great curiosity.

A shining black throne rose in the center of the settlement. The drones watched in awe as a beam shot out of a staff and dissipated into nothingness before it could even scratch the monolith.

“Away from the trampling hooves of ponykind, the changelings flourished. Their grand hive was hidden in a dense forest, impenetrable by outside forces. In the halcyon days, it is said the changelings took on a form unlike any other in the world, their power rising to meet even that of dragons.”

All the drones got behind the wooden facade of the stone mound at stage left, and a brilliant spectrum of rainbow light erupted from inside. Meanwhile, a pair of glaring eyes watched from the shadows of the nearby shrubbery.

“But of course, such wondrous times never last.”

Thunder crashed as pots and pats clanged off-stage like cymbals. Wooden clouds gathered overhead, darkening the stage.

“They say that day turned to night, and the world rumbled as they came, all charging at once.”

A flock of pegasi soared overhead, bearing a gale that blew the leaves off the trees, and hail that pummeled all the greenery beneath it, but the hive stood strong.

“The ponies had formed some sort of concord, and in so doing, set their combined might to the task of expansion. They had devoured all the lands before them, from sea to sea, driving out all the inhabitants until they stumbled upon the great hive by accident.”

Drones flew from the hive to intercept the invaders, or at least a fuzzy approximation of their form did. They strobed with black and pink light, striking the pegasi from the air, yet still more came.

Meanwhile, a squad of unicorns arrived at the periphery, shooting bolts of light at the hive, but all fizzled before they could reach the throne.

“The changelings fought hard to defend the home they had built…”

A stampede of earth ponies charged across the stage, beating the hive’s walls in with their mighty hooves. The drones fought valiantly, but fell by the score as more and more ponies filled the stage.

“But it soon became clear that their enemies had multiplied several times over, united beneath new leadership.”

A new changeling queen emerged from the hive. Though glimmering with light, her willowy orange hair and sharp horn shone out. She cut a swathe through the marauders with a slash of green energy, but was suddenly struck from behind and front by simultaneous beams of magic.

Buck recognized the forms of two alicorns, one with golden fur and the other with silvery purple fur, their multicolored manes waving majestically as they flanked the queen and blasted her.

“The princesses Gold Lily and Sterling. Tyrants said to hold the powers of Unity and Growth, respectively. They mercilessly sundered the queen, and with her loss, the glory days of the changelings came to a violent end.”

Together, the princesses stomped the changeling throne into dust. With the last bulwark removed, the ponies swarmed behind the facade of the hive, accompanied by a chorus of screams. The lights lowered on that ghastly scene, obscuring the stage in darkness.

“Only a scant few changelings escaped that slaughter, but they would carry the horrors of that day through generations. Everywhere the changelings settled down, we were eventually discovered and routed, again and again, until we were forced to hide among the very creatures that hated us so.”

The stage lights illuminated a horrific death march of changelings, traveling through pony-inhabited lands. The wooden cut-outs transitioned from simple huts to towns and cities protected by high brick walls.

“It was only through fierceness, cunning, and versatility that the changelings survived. And for each generation, a Queen of the changelings must rise--exemplifying these qualities to lead her children to prosperity.”

Another changeling queen appeared, this one with a horn like a curved scythe and a frazzled pink mane. She saw a pair of unicorns cuddling, and as they parted, took the appearance of one before draining the other of pink mana.
Buck stole a glance at Adagio, whose eyes seemed planted on the table, or perhaps below it. She shook her head slowly, then her eyes slid back up to watch the stage.

“For to be anything less would doom the hive.”

The changeling queens cycled through forms across generations. Here, a blue-haired, beetle-horned queen skulking through Abyssinian moonlight, there a hulking red-haired queen soaring over Dragon-infested crags, there an antlered, purple-haired queen, searching through ancient marbled ruins for buried crystals.

“It seemed we were doomed to never reach the heights of our former glory, until a new queen rose. One that was determined to change the fate of the changelings; transform them back to what they once were.”

Lastly came a queen presiding over a vast horde in a vaster wasteland, her form scarred with holes, her hair like pale blue moss, her horn gnarled and twisted. She snapped at equestrian shadows as she moved. Cities collapsed in the wake of her stride.

“And that was you.” Buck murmured. “Chrysalis. Of course. It’s right there in the name.”
Across the table, Chrysalis smiled haughtily.

“My exploits across the realms are legendary. I’ve toppled pegasi kingdoms in the clouds and humbled dragon lords with my beguiling wit. I’ve stolen into the most secure kingdoms of Equestria and beyond, scoring blow after blow against the pompous, wrathful fools that dare to claim rulership.”
Buck could nearly hear Adagio’s eyes rolling.

“Twice I came within a hair’s breadth of conquering Equestria with my forces alone, but every victory was short lived and pyrrhic. The ponies have ever been vicious opponents. They even managed to brainwash my own children and force them to fight on their behalf.”

Buck’s eyes widened with awe. Before him was a scene of Queen Chrysalis fighting single-handedly against an army composed of scores of ponies, a towering draconequus vomiting chocolate milk, and a legion of drones, their eyes swirling with insane rainbows. At the head of this force was a unicorn who looked suspiciously like Starlight Glimmer, cackling with glee as Chrysalis fled.

“My last defeat came in a final, desperate assault on Equestria. So determined was I to reinstate my kingdom, I foolishly sought the assistance of strange contemporaries.”

The stage went dark once more, then lit to reveal a scene of desperation. Queen Chrysalis stood back to back with a tiny pegasus pony and a towering figure recognized by all present. Starlight’s eyes widened in shock, as did Adagio’s as the devil himself; Lord Tirek stood shoulder to shoulder with the other two. They were surrounded on all sides by creatures great and small, most of which were ponies.

Six of them were oddly familiar; a group that Buck knew had to be that world’s version of the Rainbooms, rendered with unmistakable malice. The cornered trio desperately fired beams of light into the crowd, but the aggressors kept coming.

“Despite the bluster of my so-called allies, they were both weaklings. For the crime of briefly trusting them, I lost everything. My kingdom, my people, any semblance of hope for the future, all petrified in a prison of stone.”

A rainbow light shone down onto the stage, catching the bizarre trio in its glow. Stone raced up their forms in the blink of an eye, immortalizing the trio in grimaces of defeat; save for Queen Chrysalis, who was in the middle of lashing out. One last act of defiance. The end an era.

The curtain fell on that dour note, leaving Buck to try and process what he’d seen. A changeling drone wheeled a rusted, squeaking cart over to bus the table. Buck caught an odd ripple in the cart's cloth, and raised an eyebrow, but then the projected Chrysalis spoke again.

“I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that was the end of my tale. I certainly did.” The changeling queen said. “But it seems fate has plans for us all, even unto oblivion.”

A whooshing sound and the rip of fabric signaled the curtain’s rise, revealing one last painted backdrop: Canterlot’s distinctive skyline at night. Buck spied the horse-headed Tenpony Towers, the observatory complex on the northern hills, the eastern patch of woods leading to the boardwalk, and the sleepy suburban sprawl to the west.

“Salvation came in the form of a spell. A voice called out to the depths of my mind,” Chrysalis said, then the voice turned to an eerie replica of one Buck hadn’t heard before.

“There is a great hunger in you. Would you fulfil your grand ambition, regardless of the cost?" It was low, rumbling and scratchy; full of menace.

"I still know not to whom the voice belonged, but without hesitation, I said yes. One minute I was caught; forced for all time to contemplate the depths of my hatred for Equestria. The next, I was hurtling through a rift in existence, toward an alien destination. A new, darker world, and with it; a new beginning.” The projection continued.

Another set wheeled in; one of park trees and a familiar bench, which were rent asunder in a flash of light. There stood the humanoid Queen Chrysalis, draped in a near-transparent gown of green in a smoking crater. She was battered; limping sadly toward stage right, until she saw a small young man with pale skin and brown hair. The snap of his Polaroid camera alerted the wayward Queen, and in a flash of fangs, she pounced.

The curtain dropped for the last time. The ballroom was once again awash with warm light. Chrysalis hadn't stirred during the whole performance. She looked to Buck with a dignified scowl as the attending drones clapped in eerie unison.
Buck awkwardly joined in on the applause. The drone Tymbal peeked out from the edge of the stage, and seemed to notice something before slinking back behind the curtain.

“What was his name?” Buck said.

“What?” Chrysalis said.

“The one human you went after when you landed. What was his name?”

“...Featherweight. As luck would have it, he is a photographer, and his mobile phone has proved an invaluable tool for research.”

“Is he alive?”

“Yes. I returned him to his dormitory when his face ceased being of use.”

“Ain't that a lose end?”

“No one will ever believe him.”

“So you just dropped him off, with all his trauma intact?”

“Why? Is this, at last, your judgment of my methods? You can say it. You think I'm a monster, and I deserved all the torment I've weathered.” Queen Chrysalis spat.

“Uh-uh. Now that I've heard your side, I understand the truth.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Queen Chrysalis spared a triumphant grin over her shoulder. Starlight glared daggers at her.

“You're a victim.” Buck said.

“What.”

Queen Chrysalis glared at Buck with all the indignity her serpentine eyes could project. For a second, it seemed she might turn him stone, but Buck's eyes were anything but cold. The burly man seemed on the edge of tears.

“You were hated in every land you came to. Betrayed by your own people. Let down by your allies, and imprisoned, all because you care deeply for your subjects. You've always done everything in your power to keep your people alive, to be the Queen they need you to be, and your reward has been pain, loneliness, and ruin.” Buck said. His voice was smooth velvet.

“You dare to pity me?” Chrysalis said, but she couldn’t seem to muster any vigor behind her words. There may have been a glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Believe me, I get it. The cruelty of colonizers has been scarred across my people’s history as well. This whole nation was built on it.”

“Disgusting. Doesn’t it eat at you?” Chrysalis said. She kept Buck’s eye, daintily offering a hand, which he took.

“It does. Much like Equestria, this country abandons its children. If you can’t pay for the things you need, you get left to rot. And things’re gettin’ more expensive all the time.”

“If money is what you’re after, know that it is no object. I can acquire as much as you could ever want.”

“And how do I know this isn’t just a hustle? What’s stopping you from handing us over to your pals, the cloaks?”

“My word, of course.”

“Come on, now. I may be dumb as hell, but I’m not stupid. You could have zombies stashed all over the place, waiting for the right moment to jump out and bite my dick off.”

“Why is that the first thing you thought of--no, nevermind. Purple Prose, I’m not giving you to the…cloaks, as you say.”

“Do you know who they are?” Buck said. The tabled trio sat up at attention. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.

“They call themselves the Order of the Horned Lord. They claim to worship that blowhard, Tirek, but their true god is hatred itself.”

Buck’s mouth drooped open in shock, his hand closing into a fist. At the adjacent table, Starlight’s eyes filled with unmistakable fury.

“…so they really did learn how to bring people back.”

“You’re familiar with these creatures?”

“A bit, yeah. Which makes me wonder what the hell you’re doing teaming up with them?” Buck said.

As the Queen of the changelings grappled with her next words, there was a shift of cloth beneath the table. Buck felt something lightly tap the top of his foot. His only response was to point at Adagio, Starlight, and Sunburst’s table with his shoe.

“I have been cooperating with them under duress. You have seen the state of my children.”

“Oof. Yeah, good luck finding a genuine love connection out in the big city. Might as well go looking for bigfoot; you’ll find him faster.”

“I was offered a meager stipend of mana in exchange for the use of my drones. They have served as eyes and ears throughout Canterlot, searching for “candidates” for the cult.”

“Candidates?”

“People who are…emotionally fraught. Unstable. The cult creates chaos around the more resilient ones, so they can harness the negative mana that bleeds out of them.”

“Yeah, that…that sounds familiar.” Buck said. “What do they do with the uh…less resilient ones?”
Chrysalis looked at Buck, and for a moment, her disguise slipped. Buck saw sharp green eyes, ringed with bags from years of stress.

“...right. Zombies.” Buck said. The details, he decided, were best not speculated on.

“They surely have the same fate planned for my family, regardless of how well I serve their cause.” Chrysalis said.

“That’s awful.” Buck said.

“I wanted nothing to do with them, of course, but you must understand; I was new to this world. They provided me with mana, and knowledge of this new hunting ground. For the sake of my kingdom, I had to ally with them.” Chrysalis said, lifting her chin. She looked at Buck with a desperate regality. “And, as my people have always done, I’ve learned about humankind, and what they are capable of.”

The threat hung in the air like a guillotine blade. Sunburst saw Canterlot annihilated in a nuclear blast. Starlight saw herself overwhelmed by a horde of undead. Adagio saw Buck, turned to a shambling ghoul, animated by hatred.

“And I think I can do it better.”

Silence. Even the band had gone quiet. Buck looked over at his friends, eyes wide with fear. They all looked shaken, save for Starlight Glimmer.

The look in Starlight Glimmer’s eyes was past anger or righteous indignation. Her bright blue eyes looked like a white abyss of pure hatred.
Adagio scooted away from her.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. You humans can be deliciously cruel. In order to keep me in line, they’ve been more than happy to leave me and my family to starve under a prison of snow. They think they’ve subdued me. Hah!” Chrysalis said, with a high, unhinged chuckle. “Who’s laughing now, Minuette?”

“Minuette? You mean, uh, blue skin? Kinda toothpasty hair?” Buck said.

“...You’ve met?”

“Yeah, with her girlfriend. They were on a date, I think. She seemed so normal, before. Huh. That’s too bad.” Buck said.

And there was an odd moment of silence at the table, where Buck had to reconcile with the idea that someone he’d just met recently was dead, while, across the table, Queen Chrysalis, Ruler of the Changelings, had to grapple with the idea that the ghastly grinning revenant that had been the bane of her existence just lately…has a girlfriend, and probably fucks.

“Wait, she’s a baddie?” Buck said.

“No, she’s dead.” Chrysalis snorted.

“Right, those guy’s’re all zombies.”

“No, fool! Dead again! Burned to a cinder out on the hill. By your little friends, over there.” Chrysalis prodded.

“Woah, that’s, uh…uh, go team, I guess?” Buck said.

“Pragmatic.” Queen Chrysalis smirked. “I can’t defeat the order on my own, with my dying brood, nor can I run from them. And even if I did, without my intervention, they’ll surely get desparate and redouble their efforts.”

“And, if you happened to have a guy like me on your team? What happens then?” Buck said.

“Then I could take my children and flee. I could keep them fed, no matter where we might roam. I could begin my kingdom all over again.” Chrysalis said.

“Your kingdom?” Buck said.

Buck’s eyes flashed red for the briefest moment. He sat, elbow on the table, holding up his cheek as he smirked at the creature that ought to be his mortal enemy. There was a sudden, red heat in the air around the table.

Queen Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings, flinched.

“…actually, I think I’d like to take a break.” Buck yawned, stretching his arms.

“What?”

“Ma’am, that was a lot of exposition. I think I need to take a stroll, or lay down, you know, shake the cobwebs out of my head.”

“We still have much to discuss, Purple Prose.”

“Mm. Maybe we can talk about what we both want in a more private place? Like your bedroom?” Buck said.
Now it was Adagio’s turn to seethe.

“How forward! Is now really the time for such talk?” Chrysalis balked, in mock shock.

“I dunno, how long do you wanna pretend like this isn’t gonna happen?” Buck said, and his fingers brushed the Queen’s ear, then slid down her neck, then along her collarbone with scalpel precision.

The Queen’s face quivered in a liminal space between indignity, amusement, and arousal.

“Tymbal!” Chrysalis barked.

The attendants halted mid-step. Tymbal scrambled out from behind the curtain, clipboard in one hand. She had ascended to a stage past frantic anxiety; looking like she was fraying at the very edges of her being.

“Yes?” Tymbal squeaked.

“Have my chambers been prepared?”

“Yes, y-your, other uhm…p-p-presentation has been-”

“Wonderful, excellent, thank you very much, we'll be retiring for the evening now.” Queen Chrysalis said.

Buck rose and offered his arm with a smile.

And with a final, sadistic side-eye to Adagio, Queen Chrysalis took Buck by the arm and left the ballroom.

Tymbal let out a long exhale as the grand white doors swung shut. She wiped sweat from her brow, then clapped her hands briskly.

“Alright, people! Everyone take a break! We start clean up in ten minutes! I’m g-g-going to go sit on the steps for a while.” Tymbal said. The distressed drone took her leave as every other changeling in earshot plopped into a sitting position like an army of trained hounds.

A collective sigh exhaled across the ballroom, heads bowing drowsily as the changelings took a rare break from their constant bustling. That moment was all Adagio needed.

The green gloop covering the four mouths splattered onto the table. Sunburst mumbled an incantation as Starlight rose, holding a glowing quartz crystal in one hand.

In a swirl of blue and yellow light, lassos of magical force violently yanked each and every changeling up to the vaulted ballroom ceiling. Before any of them could so much as hiss, their mouths were bound with bands of mana.

“How do you like it!?” Starlight said.

Scootaloo rolled out from under the table, taking a faux kung-fu pose until she realized the action was already over.

“Woah! You gotta teach me that spell!” Scootaloo said.

Starlight swept Sunburst into a squeeze. She was quivering, trying to find a path through the clashing anxiety and relief.

“Are you hurt?” Starlight said. “Did that monster do anything to you?”

“Am I hurt? What happened to you?” Sunburst said.

“A little bit of everything.” Starlight let off a rattling, humorless laugh. “Did…did you hear what she said?”

“Starlight, I’m so, so sorry-”

“Later. Let’s move, children!” Adagio said, already passing through the great doors.
She stepped into the lobby, fully ready to take down the stuttering attendant she'd just seen step out, but found it was gone.

The lobby of the hive was just as they’d left it; vacant, beat up and slightly on fire. The front door was still blocked by a wall of snow. Sunburst took Starlight’s arm over his shoulder, carefully supporting her as she moved down the staircase with her bum leg.

“And what happened in here?” Sunburst said.

“We fought, uh…well-” Starlight mumbled.

“They made an evil clone of you. A chittering madman, hurling insults and spells. I killed it.” Adagio said.

“Zoinks!” Sunburst said. “...was, was it cool?”

“No!” Starlight and Adagio said in unison.

“And they made one of Buck, too. And Adagio.” Starlight said.

“Well, I’ve just missed everything interesting.” Sunburst grumbled.

“Oh, before we go, check this out!” Scootaloo said. She scrambled to the foot of the stairs and kicked the crate of quartz out into the open.

“Wow! Fantastic job, Scoots! I was wondering where you got those crystals!” Sunburst said. “Also, what are you doing here?”
Scootaloo turned red and glanced at Starlight, who was looking sternly at her with crossed arms. Adagio was frowning at a bit of quartz in her hand as if it were a bottle of bitter medicine. No help.

“Waitaminute, wait, this isn’t my fault, okay, because something sketch was happening downtown, and there were these changelings and this portal, and-!”

And Starlight pulled Scootaloo into a tight hug.

“I didn’t get to say it before, but thank you. You did great.” Starlight said. Scootaloo was astonished.

“Sunburst, would you go ahead and heal her ankle?” Adagio said.

“Sure enough. Actually, everyone gather around. Starlight?” Sunburst said.

“Right.” Starlight said.

In a quick flurry of chalk, Starlight drew a spell circle on the ground. Sunburst mumbled into a chunk of quartz as Adagio and Scootaloo gathered around him.

A warming beam of yellow light engulfed the group, and when it faded, all their nicks, scratches, and bruises went with it.
Scootaloo was instantly sitting, trying to bash her cast apart with her pocket knife’s handle.

“Hands up.” Starlight said.

In a blue flash, the plaster boot shattered open.

“YES! Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh you have no idea how itchy my foot is fuuuuuuck!” Scootaloo said, raking her nails up and down her ankle.

“Sunburst, do you know any stealth spells that will help us get around?”

“Already on it.” Sunburst said, flipping through Stygian’s Spellbook.

“You all, handle the hostages.” Adagio said. She was already several paces away.

“What are you going to do?” Sunburst said.

“I’m going to follow my nose. Something in this hive is…”

“...A little fishy?” Scootaloo snickered. Adagio refused to dignify that with a response.

“What about Buck?” Sunburst said.

“Buck is very handily buying us time, and I won’t be interrupting him.” Adagio said stiffly. Starlight gawped, affronted.

“You can’t be serious. He’s about to be locked in a room with a manipulative monster for the second time today. There’s no way he can-”

Adagio took an aggressive stomp toward Starlight, pointing at her frowning face. “Do you really think Buck believes the tripe he was just fed? Do you honestly believe he was so won over by the Queen’s charm that he’s become a sympathizer? Had you been paying the slightest bit of attention, you would have noticed he was leading her on.”

“What?” Starlight said.

“Stroking her ego, telling her just what she wants to hear, and subtly promising to give her what she wants. He’s manipulating her.” Adagio said.

“Buck isn’t like that.” Starlight growled. “He’s not like you.”

“How would you know?” Adagio said.

“...I know he’s worthy of trust.”

“Oh, do you now? It sure took you a while, Starlight, I’m glad you’re finally here with the rest of us!”

“Don’t you start-” Starlight began, but Adagio cut her off.

“Save it. Buck has this situation under control. I’m going to find out what Chrysalis is hiding, and when I’m finished, I’ll bring it and Buck back.”

“How will-”

“I’ll find you.”

Before anyone could interject, Adagio was running down a hallway, tracing Buck’s scent.

Meanwhile, uh…somewhere in the hive, Buck and Chrysalis strolled down a dark, green lit corridor. Like all the rest of the halls in this crazy place, Buck thought. Suite doors passed by, one after another, though Buck noticed for the first time that the numbers had been removed, making navigation in this place a cruel joke.

“Did I hear that right? You’ve got something else planned for the night?” Buck said.

“You couldn’t imagine the plans I have for you, Purple Prose.” Queen Chrysalis said.

“Can I take a guess?” Buck smirked.

“I’d prefer to just show you.”

A hole opened in the dark stone wall, revealing the Queen’s lavish suite. A shimmering chandelier lit the room with a soft red glow. A vanity mirror sat against one wall, totally bereft of any creepy photographs, though now sporting a charming vase filled with roses. Across from it was a sprawling four-poster bed with shining silk covers, upon which lay a veritable harem.

Buck gasped in disbelief. He saw Scootaloo in skimpy lingerie, lounging with Saffron Marsala, Moon Dancer, Smolder, Berry Punch, and, surprisingly, Mrs. Cake. They were all beckoning with seductive exuberance. There was even an Adagio with exaggerated tassels over her nipples. She cowered meekly in the back of the crowd.
On the side of the bed was a Ditzy Doo wearing nothing but an apron, standing behind a snack cart covered in pastries.

“...are those?” Buck said.

“Creampies. I know you’re fond of them.” Queen Chrysalis purred as the wall closed behind her and Buck.

“...Not my first question! Those are changelings, yeah?”

“Yes. Drones that I have trained in a highly specific regimen.”

“Why’s Mrs. Cake there?”

“I saw you get an erection when she yelled at you.”

“Ah-but, I, uh…!” Buck said, in a fumbling attempt at forming words. Chrysalis squeezed his bicep with deliberate firmness.

“I’ve studied you. I know the women you’re connected with, and whom you desire.” Queen Chrysalis said. “I can give them to you; any of them, all of them. You can have any concubine you want, and they will happily answer any request you make of them. I can fulfill all of your desires with a wave of my hand. All I ask is you give me the mana you radiate in the interim.”

“To feed your kids?”

“Yes, for a start.” Queen Chrysalis said. “It will take effort to acclimate to your exquisitely potent stock. But in time, I’m sure you and the hive will find a certain rapport.”

As she spoke, Chrysalis pulled Buck to the bed with slow, insistent strides. She had him by the tie, speaking with a regent’s confidence. The harem cooed and touched the hem of Buck’s clothes, a lock of his hair, the tips of his fingers, as if aching for a piece of him.

“The changelings have never had a provider the likes of you. With your blazing heat, we can forge a new, stronger generation. With your love and passion, my children never need to go hungry again. You can teach them the ways of this world; where the cracks in the walls are and how to squeeze through them.” Chrysalis said.

“I…uh…” Buck grunted. The Queen’s nails raked gently up and down his chest. Her plump curves, her honeyed words her fierce, hungry eyes were intoxicating.

“Canterlot has nothing but contempt for you. There, you are surrounded by judgment and cruelty. But here? You could be at the head of an empire, living a life of endless luxury, surrounded by every whim and adulation you could desire. You would never again need to worry over where your next meal will come from. All who shunned you will become nothing but a distant memory. Or they will come to serve you.”

Buck shuddered at a sudden sensation by his hip. The Ditzy clone was on her knees at his side, her heavy breasts pressed against his leg. She looked at him with her yellow doe eyes, pressing her temple against his hand like a needy puppy. Buck was about to touch her; to push her away or maybe to stroke her hair, when he was yanked forward.

Queen Chrysalis had a firm grip on his tie, and Buck saw a familiar predation in her sharp green eyes. Her breath was as hot and bitter as black coffee.

“Join me. Become the father of changelings, and together, we can create a new world. A better world.”

“So, you…you want to keep me here, so I can have non-stop orgies with copies of whatever women I want, so you can harvest my boner energy like a perpetual-motion fuck machine.” Buck said.

“That is…one way to put it, yes. What do you think?” Chrysalis purred.

“I think…I almost forgot this is a porn story.” Buck said.

The rules of changelings were as basic as they come; so simple, young drones were taught them within minutes of their first molt.

“Only the Queen acts alone,” “When one drone feeds, so must the rest,” and “Everyone besides a changeling is food. Food cannot be trusted; it disappears too quickly.” The rule that Gregor favored most was; “A changeling is never lost. They are always guided by their hunger.” This was the core motivation of all changelings, Gregor included. That’s why he had followed the humans in the caves so closely, and why he’d approached them, and somehow, that had led him here.

Gregor was full, and without his drive to feed, he was lost.

He was trapped in a cocoon of slime in a dark space he knew was the pantry, for there were captured humans at his left and right. There was a stinging red burn in his throat, glowing like coal in his black chest. It struck him as unfair that his people had many words for food, yet not a single one for this feeling. A thin tear trailed down his cheek as he writhed against his gooey bonds.

As Gregor the wayward drone struggled in vain, he croaked in a voice he didn’t recognize from anyone else.

His own voice.

“Hurts. Friends. Help.”

Suddenly, Greg heard a wet tearing noise, and the cocoon fell out beneath him. He hit the ground wetly, wiping the slime from his eyes in confusion.

Through the darkness, Greg could barely make out three figures.

“And we’re sure this is safe?” An unfamiliar voice said.

“Somebodies’ gotta lead the way outta here!” Said another, more familiar rasp.

“That’s true. We were lucky we even made it here.” Said a third.

It was three drones, like Greg, but there was something strange about them. Their proportions were oddly exaggerated: lithe, tall forms with shapely legs and thin waists.
Greg hissed quizzically in the changeling dialect, but the three just looked bewildered. As one approached Greg, its shiny black carapace flickered yellow and sparked away. It was Starlight Glimmer.

“Sunburst, we have to work on your longevity.” Starlight said.

“Hey, come on, it’s not my fault my mana’s piddly,” Sunburst said, and his disguise popped as well, followed by Scootaloo’s.

“Aw, man! I wanted to see if the wings work!” Scootaloo said.

“They don’t. Mistmane’s Tantalizing Transformation, contrary to the name, is only a disguise. Sorry, Scoots.” Sunburst said.

“Oh well. It was kinda cool not having boobs for a bit.” Scootaloo said. “Why’d we all look like Starlight, though?”

“It, uh, changes based on what the caster finds attractive.” Sunburst said with a bashful smile.

“Can we focus!?” Starlight barked with a blush. “Greg. That’s your name now, right?”

“Greg.” Greg said in Buck’s voice. He shuffled away from Starlight as she approached.

“Greg, look, I’m sorry about…how I talked about you, but we need your help. We’re going to get these people out, but we need someone to show us the way. I know I haven’t known you long, but from what I’ve seen and heard, you’re not bad.”

“Greg not bad?”

“No.”

“Not…evil? Came from evil.” Greg said, his voice tapering into Starlight’s.

While they spoke, Scootaloo tossed herself up to the cocoons with an air burst, and as she went about cutting the cocoons open, Sunburst caught the captives in a flickering field of mana, lowering them carefully to the ground.

“Will you help us, Greg? I’m sure Buck would appreciate it, too.”

Before Starlight could even finish the sentence, Gregor buzzed into the air on his thin, gossamer wings, and with a rake of his claw, released another person from a cocoon.

Starlight joined Sunburst, grabbing his hand. The telekinetic field bloomed in size, just in time to catch the people Greg and Scootaloo were saving. Sunburst smiled at her, an unmistakable pride and admiration in his eyes. Their shared spell was sparkling blue, but it flickered with an unmistakable pink ember.

As the group set themselves to the task of rescue, they failed to notice a pair of eyes noticing them.

“What do you mean, you want them gone!?” Chrysalis balked.

Back in the bedroom, Buck was grinning ear to ear as the harem looked confused and even a bit offended.

“Goan, girls. Thanks for your time, take a break!” Buck said, clapping his hands like an off-broadway theater director. The assembled changeling caricatures of most of the women in his life moved to the door, single file. “Amazing work on the outfits, there, good job! Mrs. Cake, I see that wobbly stride, that’s it, that’s exactly how she moves, good job! Smolder? That Smolder is fantastic, she looks hot as hell and I should not be seeing her naked right now, holy shit, it’s been years! Goan, get going!”

“Stay!” Chrysalis said, and the procession halted stiffly, turning as a phalanx to face the Queen. “What is the meaning of this?”

“There’ll be plenty of time for these girls later. Tonight’s about us.” Buck said.

“Tonight? It’s barely past four.” Chrysalis said.

“It’ll be tomorrow by the time I turn you loose.” Buck growled.

The harem changelings ooh’ed and tittled, by the door. The Queen of the Changelings full on blushed; a glowing green warmth flooding her face.

“Children? Leave.” Chrysalis said.

A stampede of impractical shoes scrambled out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Now, Buck and Chrysalis were finally alone, or so they thought. From the bed, there was only darkness in that hallway, but in a few brief moments, a single eye moved to peer through the cracked door with a voyeuristic intensity.

“Nice girls. Please tell me they’re legal.” Buck said, looking down at Chrysalis. She had a peculiar anger in her eyes, almost pouty as she glared back.

“What?” Queen Chrysalis said.

“It’s just like, if they’re not the changeling age of consent, this whole thing is unethical beyond the fucking pale, and I don’t think-”

“Yes, they are legal! They are fully formed adults, good gods, but you talk a lot!” Chrysalis snapped.

“Heh, I’ve been told.” Buck said, but as he looked at Chrysalis, his face softened. “Okay…what’s wrong?”

The Queen of the Changelings shuffled uncomfortably, moving her legs from around Buck’s waist. He sat next to her on the tip of the bed, and tenderly touched her thigh, but she flinched, crossing her arms.

“I’ve offended you.” Buck said.

“You have been pushing your luck since you arrived, Purple Prose. You have the world on a silver platter, should you fulfil your duty, yet you seem…unconcerned about the gravity of this negotiation. Your glibness is distressing.” Chrysalis said, turning away from him.

“Oh, you don’t think I’m taking this seriously,” Buck said. “Listen…hey, look at me.”

Buck’s hand slid to her shoulder, and she turned to glare daggers at him with her sharp green eyes.

“I’m sorry. How ‘bout I try again?” Buck said.

“...You may.” Chrysalis said.

Buck sat up straight with a small, stately smile.

“What I meant to say, is that I want this to be intimate. The big gestures are nice; you’ve really put in a lot of effort, and it shows.”

“...go on.”

“But I’ve been learning about my mana, and how to drag it out. It’s not about big set pieces, or rose petals and desserts, or any of that. It’s about this.” Buck said.

He offered his palm to Chrysalis, who placed her delicate fingers atop it.

“I just want to make sure you understand what it is you’re askin’ me.”

“My terms couldn’t be clearer, Purple Prose.”

“No, that’s…I mean, you want my mana. My love and passion.

Chrysalis blushed, looking away.

“Is it…not possible for you to develop feelings for a creature such as I?” Chrysalis said. “You humans are fearful of things you don’t understand.”

“How can we know if we don’t try?” Buck said.

Buck gently tucked Chrysalis’ hair behind her ear. Her eyes held a mixture of fear and longing. She stuttered for a second, her mouth moving silently until she seemed to find her regal bearing, grabbing on to it like a flashlight in the dark.

“V-very well!" Chrysalis said, powering through her embarrassment. "Shall we begin?”

“Yeah, but, if we’re gonna do this, I’ve got one condition. Er…two.” Buck said.

“Two!?”

“One, I want your real form.”

Chrysalis gestured broadly at herself, shifting to her dark, shriveled human form.

“I said your real form.” Buck said. The biting green gaze widened with shock.

“Why would you…I…fine.” Queen Chrysalis stammered.

For a moment, a green flash overtook the ruddy, sultry lighting. And there was the Queen of the Changelings in her full glory, laying on the lavish bedspread.

Her hair hung like deep green moss across a thin, pitch-black muzzle, a bent, gnarled horn rising from her forehead. Her form sat sprawled across the blanket like an elegant giraffe at rest, her long, thin neck trailing toward a midsection that glimmered green like a jeweled beetle. Gossamer wings punched through with holes gave a nervous cricket’s buzz as Buck’s eyes traveled along her alien form, her long green curtain of a tail swishing to cover a small, plump backside. Even her legs, tucked beneath her, seemed a marvel; like black stone castle towers, the dark skin pulled over tight, bulging thigh muscles. With every breath she took, the holes in her limbs contracted. Her eyes were black trenches in an enormous green sea, bug-bulging and ringed with dark circles.

“Oh.” Buck said.

“Well?” Queen Chrysalis said. An indignant hesitation was plain on her face. “I understand if my form is horrific to you. You are just a human, after all-”

“You’re beautiful.” Buck said. His had glided to Chrysalis’ quivering, toothy snout. He tilted her chin up, grinning tenderly at her long, fluttering eyelashes. His lips drifted close to hers, the distance shrinking in the space of a shared sigh.

And then, something truly bizarre happened. Something that none of the parties involved could have foreseen or planned for, not Queen Chrysalis, not Buck, and least of all Adagio Dazzle, who crouched behind the cracked door, watching with an indescribable heat in her eyes.

Purple Prose kissed the Queen of the Changelings, and for just a moment, it was real.

Adagio watched as Buck’s fingers slid tenderly through the Queen’s hair; watched as she leaned forward into Buck’s lips, and her left forehoof folded neatly over the other in an almost chaste way. She watched as their lips separated with a flirtatious reluctance, Buck quickly stealing a parting peck as Chrysalis pulled away, and they shared a smoldering stare as they became the only two people in the world for this one quiet stretch of intimacy.

“And…your second request?” Chrysalis said.

Buck stood, unbuttoning his pants.
His great purple cockhead flopped out with a proverbial swish of the cape, an angry vein bulging down his shaft. Chrysalis looked at it with new eyes, like it was the barrel of a cannon.

“I want you to call me your King.”

A mob of beleaguered hostages shuffled nervously down one of the hive’s darkened corridors. Trauma hung from the bags under their eyes as they looked around, bewildered beyond belief, wondering just what in the world would happen to them next.

“So…what are we going to do if a patrol finds us?” Scootaloo said from one of the crowd’s flanks. Her breath came out as white fog, and she rubbed her shoulders.

“Run.” Sunburst said from the other side.

“Fight.” Starlight said from the rear.

“Friends?” Gregor suggested from the head of the pack.

“Friends! Starbright, Sunburnt, my favorite customers, thank you so much for what you’ve done today! Both of you are getting a discount in my store!” Said Cauldron Bubbles, whose pure panic had dropped past denial and anger, directly into bargaining. “Actually, if we make it out of here, everyone gets a discount! Haha! That’s Cauldron Bubble’s Sanctum of Sorcery; Canterlot’s own cradle of arcane delights!!”

“Keep it down! We’re not out of the woods yet!” Starlight whispered.

“That would be helpful, though. We could trim down our crystal budget.” Sunburst said.

“You…sell sex toys, right? I think Buck said something about that.” Scootaloo.

“Oh, you know Purple Prose? Are you Moon Dancer’s friends?” Cauldron Bubbles gasped. “Wait, wait, is she here?”

“...who?” Scootaloo said.

“Moon Dancer! She’s like a second daughter to me. When my shop was attacked, I feared she might have been captured, but-”

“Save it for later! We’re still in enemy territory.” Starlight said.

“She’s right. The only way we’re getting out of here is if we cooperate. Come on everyone, single file, inside voices.” said another voice. The crowd moved like a deeply disturbed kindergarten class, murmuring in low, distressed voices.
Scootaloo whirled around to see a familiar if sallow face.

“Silver Spoon! Hey!” Scootaloo said.

Silver Spoon quickly straightened up and patted herself down.
“Oh, uh, hi, Scootaloo!” Silver Spoon said, looking like the picture of confidence, if it were drawn in crayon. “You look…good!”

“Gee, thanks.” Scootaloo frowned. “Have you been getting my texts? I guess not.”

“Hahaha!” Silver Spoon laughed, a little loudly. Scootaloo, and a portion of the hostages looked at her, confused. “...no.” Silver Spoon sighed. “I’ve been here. In a cocoon. For a month.”

“Oh yeah, right, a changeling’s been giving Ditzy therapy.” Scootaloo said, scratching her head.

“That’s not possible. It wasn’t therapy, it was spying.” Starlight said.

“Not probable.” Silver Spoon said. “Changelings are adaptable by nature, and their minds absorb information rapidly. It isn’t unheard of for a changeling to develop useful skills o-overnight.”

“How would you know?” Starlight said.

“I didn’t say that.” Silver Spoon said.

All eyes snapped to the back of the line, where two Silver Spoons stood side-by-side.
The crowd screamed, but a sparkling blue veil of silence fell over them.

“We don’t have time for this.” Starlight barked, pointing a glowing finger at the twin Silver Spoons. “So, I’m going to make this simple. We are getting these people out of here, whether you like it or not. Whoever you are, give up before I get nasty.”

One of the Silver Spoons, the one less haggard and raggedy, cringed and shifted back to the drone Tymbal, her pale blue eyes wincing, expecting instant punishment.

“I-I-I-I-” Tymbal stammered, paralyzed.

“HURRY IT UP!” Starlight shouted.

“I-I-I surrender!” Tymbal said.

But no violence came for the drone. Instead, Starlight kept her finger trained on the spy, her glare steely, but her voice softening.

“I know you. You were the one doing all the busy work in the ballroom. What do you want?” Starlight said. Scootaloo and Sunburst moved to stand at her sides.

“I-I want to help.” Tymbal said.

“Wait a minute. If you’re here, does that mean you let us escape? What happened to the drones in the ballroom?” Sunburst said.

Minutes previous, the bands of force keeping the drones pressed against the ceiling vanished. Despite malformed, unfinished wings, most of them managed to buzz slowly down to the floor like a swarm of angry hornets. But before they could charge after their attackers, Tymbal stepped into the ballroom.
She froze up as all eyes fell on her, but after a moment, regained her composure.

“The Queen says you’ve all done such a good job, you can have the leftovers from the feast!” Tymbal said.

The drones’ eyes all turned at once to the table and food cart, their maws drooling. But they stood still, like well-trained dogs.

“D-D-Dig in!”

The table disappeared beneath a swarm of snapping mouths and hungry stomachs.

“Well that’s one way to do it!” Sunburst said, but though he visibly relaxed, Starlight didn’t withdraw her glowing finger.

“I…the reason that the Queen uses me as a spy is because I n-notice things. M-m-maybe, sometimes, I notice things she doesn’t. Like…like, this one sneaking in to help you.”

She pointed to Scootaloo, who blushed bashfully.

“If you knew, why didn’t you sell us out?” Scootaloo said.

“I-I-I noticed other things. I don’t like the Queen’s plan.”

“There’s no chance she’s after a genuine fresh start in this world, is there?” Sunburst said.

“She is. But not for herself. Th-th-the Queen’s planning has flaws. Sh-sh-she puts her focus on one big goal and f-f-f-forgets about everything else. Even things that a-are obviously going to happen.” Tymbal said.

“Like what?” Sunburst said.

“Friends?” Said Gregor, from way down the hall. He’d found the lobby again, which flashed a stark white, then shook with a roll of thunder. “This is bad.”

Gregor was pointing upward at a hole which had been burned through the ceiling, three floors up and the roof. The defenders of Canterlot rushed to join Gregor, squinting up through the chasm.

“Like that.” Tymbal said.

The sky howled with the threat of an ice storm. Dark clouds hunched over the Little Snow Drop in, ready to unleash a furious, unseasonable downpour, and that wasn’t the worst of it. High above the cloud cover shone a strange spot in the sky; as if a painter had dribbled a bit of black on the canvas while rendering a monsoon. It hung there, clouds circling it like a great drain. It glared like an unmoving eclipse, and it spelled certain destruction. A rift.

“Oh…this is like what happened with Wind Sprint.” Scootaloo said.

“It’s worse. Th-the things the Queen has been working with made trapped us in here with heavy snow.” Tymbal said.

“Which dropped the temperature. And then Adagio let off a burst of heat into the air with a spell out in the snowdrift…” Sunburst continued.

“And Buck. Boom.” Gregor said.

Another roll of thunder shook the hotel’s windows. Thick, half-frozen snowdrops splattered through the hole in the roof, vaporizing before they could land. In the odd shaft of light coming from the rift, the air steamed with summer warmth.

“We are in the middle of a meteorological anomaly.” Sunburst said. “A huge, unnatural storm, at least.”

“And a magical rift that could, like, suck us all into another dimension!” Scootaloo said.

“And Buck is somewhere around here getting laid.” Starlight groaned, checking her watch. “We need to close the rift; that’s priority one. Second, we get these people out of here. Greg?”

“Glimglam!” Gregor said, snapping to attention.

“No." Starlight said.

“Starlight!” Gregor said, giving a thumbs up.

"Right. Take these people and put them in the hotel suites. I don’t want anyone getting hurt while we handle this.” Starlight said.

"Okay! Move! Move!" Gregor said to the crowd. At first, nobody budged, scared to death of following a changeling’s command, but then Silver Spoon and Cauldron Bubbles started chattering at them, and then, with sluggish feet, the crowd moved.

“The airlift is in fifteen minutes. We’ve got that long to tie this up, if the rift doesn’t destroy everything first.” Starlight said.

“Ooh! Are they sending a helicopter?” Scootaloo said.

“Something like that. Third, we capture the Queen and stop whatever it is she’s planning.”

“L-Let me help!” Tymbal said. “I can make sure no one gets in your way!”

“...why are you helping us? You know you’re betraying your Queen, right? Your people?”

“My Queen is, uhm…old fashioned. Sh-She can’t see how she’s hurting us. This isn’t a betrayal; this is helping my people. I-I want to help us heal.” Tymbal said. “And…”

Gregor the changeling drone stood guard beside a door, with the people whose emotions were his breakfast just this morning streaming in beside him. Tymbal looked at him with a sense of odd wonder.

“It’s easier to be brave when someone else does it first.” Tymbal said, and ran off. Starlight stared at her back as she skittered up the stairs, tripped twice, and shuffled awkwardly into the ballroom. Sunburst sidled up beside him, gently touching her shoulder.

“Seriously, are you alright?” Sunburst said.

“I’m fine.” Starlight lied. “I just…I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start.”

“I’ve got a question for ya. How in the heckie are we supposed to get up there and do the thing?” Scootaloo said. “That thing’s in like, low orbit, or something, and it’s jacking up the weather!”

Sunburst and Starlight looked at each other, puzzled, and in unison, as if they were reading each other’s minds, they grinned.

It’s worth noting at this point that Purple Prose was in no way an expert on horse genitalia.

Okay, some of his more fantastical google history involved ponies; they were a fantasy staple, but he had never thought especially hard about their anatomical details. But now, in this moody lighting, on this plush bed, in this odd situation, he had a hungry curiosity and a host of little questions that needed answers.

The exotic true form of the Queen Chrysalis lay beside him, looking imploringly into his eyes after a long, tender kiss.
This situation was so beyond what Buck expected when he shuffled into Sunburst’s van this morning. He had never been a diplomat before, and he certainly never thought he’d get this far. But none of his private doubts showed on his face as he stroked the Queen’s chin as if she were a spoiled kitten. Because, despite all his complaints, his shame, and his trauma, Buck was a professional.

He reached, elbow deep into the shadowy pool of his memories, to a far worse time in his life, and there he found some of his best memories of Her.

“Turn over, onto your back.” Buck said.

“Y-you want to mate me while I’m sprawled out like some-”

“Is that a no?”

The Queen obeyed, perhaps a bit too fast. She rolled over with awkward quickness, one of her charcoal hoofs knocking against a bed post as she spread her legs to present.
Ah. So the crotch-tits really were a thing, Buck thought. They were like two dark, swollen oranges, their green, iridescent nipples were adorably tiny; barely a pinch a piece.

Her black vulva was long and sleek, the slit a lime green color, pearling with excited wetness. Buck could see it quivering as he ran his hand along Chrysalis’ smooth, soft inner thigh. Her clitoris, the size of a peach pit, was winking.

“This time, you’re gonna let me do all the work.” Buck purred, crawling up beside her. His kisses fell upon her cheeks and face like tender spring rain. His rough hands drifted around her thighs and teats, only occasionally reaching down to tease her slit with the lightest of feather strokes. “How’s that, Queen? Does it feel good here? Or here…?”

The Queen gasped as Buck lightly pinched her nipple.

“You’re teasing me!” The Queen grumbled, but it jerked into a high pitch as Buck stroked just the outer edge of her labia.

“Mmm…fuck yes I’m teasing you. When’s the last time you let someone tease you, Chrysalis?” Buck said against her ear. His fingers dug into either side of her lower lips and squeezed them together, smooshing her clitoris in a cushy trap.

“Ohhh…ah, those…cursed fingers of yours are soooo…!” And she trailed off again, her tirade turning into a sweet little squeal as Buck rolled his pinching fingers around her root.

“Right…you’re not used to folks with digits, huh? Bet that massage I gave you that night felt good, didn’t it? Lemmie see, I remember you liking it right around…here.” Buck said, digging his knuckles in just behind the Queen’s left shoulder. With one hand massaging her sore muscles, and the other swishing her clitoris around, she could do little more than lean her head against Buck’s chest and shudder.

“Mmmgh…mmm…” Chrysalis cooed.

“Shhh…close your eyes. Let your King take care of you…” Buck said. “Must be somethin’ in the air over in Equestria. You horse girls are all about power dynamics. Issat what you really wanted me here for? Somebody to really work you over?”

“H-how dare you!” Chrysalis said, then gasped as Buck’s fingers spread her lower lips open.

“Lemme spoil you. You wanna be treated like a pet, or like a slut?” Buck growled in her ear.

“Like…your Queen, human.” Chrysalis said, grinning murderously.

Buck’s expression settled into the kind of burning, hungry glare that made Adagio’s toes curl.

That is to say, it was hard for Adagio to slink into the room on her shaking knees. She’d had experience as a pirate, a spy, a cat burglar, and none of it had prepared her for this. She was only a few measly feet away from the spot where Buck; the man she…where Purple Prose, the fulcrum of her own devious plan, was petting up one of the great menaces of Equestria as if she were a nervous teenager on prom night.

She watched, burning, as Buck prodded the Queen of the Changelings, desperately screaming in the back of her head that she has a mission, that this means nothing, that Buck is doing his job, and that she needs to search for the peculiar scent she’d picked up earlier.

Buck’s hand cupped one of the Queen’s teats with a tender, rolling squeeze of the fingers. He nibbled at the tip of her curved, pointed ear, and Chrysalis let out a short squeal that was almost a hiccup.

“You’re adorable.” Buck said. “C’mere. Don’t look away.”

Chrysalis was quivering. Adagio saw one of her hooves kick as Buck held her chin, locking her into intimate eye contact as he reached down to brush her winking marehood with just the tips of his thick, rough fingers.

“You…are a menace!” Chrysalis hissed.

“Oooh, you like that, don’t you? You like gettin’ handled like this? We’ve got all the time in the world. I could play with you all night.” Buck teased, and there was no doubt in Adagio’s mind that he would shower Chrysalis with affection until someone pried him away. He was having fun, and the Queen’s half-lidded expression spoke volumes about how she felt.
Every little flick of Buck fingers threatened to escalate into a rough, knuckle-deep pistoning, but as he explored the Queen’s soaking wet folds, Buck instead opted to stroke her delicate inner lips, or squeeze her soft outer labia, or fondle the very top of her clitoral hood, all while peppering her with delicate kisses; the kind of feather-light memories of affection that made Adagio’s own lips quiver.

As Adagio sidled silently along the wall, she wondered where this version of Buck had been hiding. Whenever they had…well, his technique was relentless. Methodical, even. Buck had always mated Adagio as if he were trying to squeeze a thousand orgasms from her, pounding away with decisive, precise force. This was different.
For Adagio, it was like wandering into someone else's dream. Emotions rolled over her like rogue waves. Anger, lust, red-faced schoolyard jealousy, and an unmistakable need to see more. Somewhere far in the back was something that felt alarmingly like pride. It was hard to carry it all; Adagio felt her heart might give out for all its frantic beating.

“Does that feel good? No? How about…here?” Buck purred, pressing gently at the soft flesh at the bottom of the Queen’s hot cunt, two fingers gently probing her entrance. “It’s so easy to forget about the forchette, but it’s soooo sensitive, ain’t it? Mmm…you like that?”

“..mm…y…yes…!” Chrysalis squealed.

“Yeah? Right there?” Buck teased, sliding just the tips of his fingers in and out. The Queen squeezed his hand with her thighs as he pressed just a bit harder.

“Yes!”

“Yes what?” Buck growled. Chrysalis frowned at him, pouted, and saw that his gaze didn’t waver. Her lips parted, and with all the authority of a baby bird, she squeaked;

“Yes my King.”

“Good.”

Three thick, purple fingers slid into the Queen’s snatch with a slick pop. Chrysalis let out a warbling, fluttering moan as Buck’s reached for her inner walls.

Adagio’s nails tore the tacky hotel wallpaper. How could Buck treat his enemy with so much care? How could he think the Queen of the Changelings truly deserved of this tenderness, when Adagio had put in so much work to- *THUD*

White hot pain shot up Adagio’s shin. She had smacked her leg against the Queen’s vanity mirror. Inbetween seconds of agony, she snatched the vase full of roses from the air and replaced it on the table.

“Son of a-!” Adagio started, but she covered her lips and ducked low just as Chrysalis popped her head up.

“What was that?” The Queen said.

“What? This?” Buck said, and his fingers searched upward until they found a rough patch of flesh near the top, just a few inches in. The root of the Queen’s clitoris.

“Oooh! Ah! That is…! That’s…”

“Good?” Buck said, pianoing the g-spot gently.

“Very…very good…yes.” Chrysalis laid back, her head thumping against the silk pillows. One of her hooves rested against Buck’s chest, while her thighs refused to budge even an inch in squeezing down on his wrist.

“God damn you’re cute.” Buck said. “Close your eyes…let me play with you some more, Queen. You work sooo hard…you deserve some real pampering. Just relax.”

“Kiss me more.” Queen Chrysalis muttered. Buck leaned down, and their lips met again. The Queen of the Changelings shivered, moaning against Buck’s lips as he fingered her G-spot. The room filled with the sounds of rhythmic slishing and little lip pecks, cut through by the occasional husky, buzzing moan.

Meanwhile, down on the floor, Adagio tried to regain some measure of focus. Through the sweet, hot taste of Buck’s affection and the Queen’s peculiar licorice-flavored sentiment, there was a deep burning incense coming from beneath the floor.

Adagio was burning inside. She wanted to rip out Buck’s heart, lock it in a box and keep it by her bedside. She wanted to chain up Queen Chrysalis and throw her into an ocean trench. She wanted to ask her sisters if she deserved the ache in her chest.
Despite everything, a singular thought sat bitterly on the tip of Adagio’s tongue; that this was wrong. This dynamic should have been hers. She could have had this.

Adagio closed her eyes and found them wet. Her knees creaked the floorboards as she groped blindly for that strange, dark taste; Buck’s love having gone dark and syrupy and mixed with savory fear. She’d followed it to that blasphemous doppleganger before, but it hadn’t come from him. It came from beneath the floorboards. She sniffed deeply until the mana’s flavor filled her nose and mouth.

“...there.” Adagio whispered.

Adagio pulled a moth-eaten rug aside, and discovered that Buck wasn’t the only one exploring strange dark holes today. The scent of his fermenting mana tickled her nose as it rose from a tunnel of black stone in the floor. It was big enough to allow a person to pass, but Adagio couldn’t see the bottom, just a gradual slope. She stealthily slid her legs over the edge, and was just about to slide down when she felt a gaze on her.

Adagio’s blood froze as she looked up, slowly. It was Buck. His droopy golden eyes looked down at Adagio like two suns being eclipsed by his cock, which bounced distractingly in Adagio’s face as the man continued to finger fuck the enemy of all mankind. He looked tired.

“Ahh…Ah! There! There…!” Queen Chrysalis moaned.

Adagio thought there might be steam rising from her head, but Buck looked at her like she'd bumped into to him on the street, making him drop an armful of groceries.

A single word flashed like a miniature neon sign over his bewildered expression.

“Rescue?”

Adagio shook her head quickly. Buck’s brow furrowed.

“TFYM NUH-UH!?” The fancy smoldered.

Adagio gestured broadly at the hole in the floor, then turned her head haughtily. Buck frowned.

“Yes, Purple Prose! Yes! Yes, right there!” Queen Chrysalis squealed.

Buck’s exaggerated shrug spoke volumes as he turned away from Adagio and back to the bed. A fancy flashed across his back now, a bit dim.

“Don’t forget me here.” It said.
Adagio nodded with all the professionalism she could muster.
“You’re blushing.” Said another fancy. The hint of a smile curled at the corner of Buck's mouth, like the blinding curve of a solar eclipse.

Adagio disappeared into the hole in the floor, just as Buck stuck his whole hand into the hole in front of him.
He could feel the Queen's snatch squeezing down on his digits, almost like a handshake as he suddenly dug in deep.
"Oh!? Ohhh....!" Chrysalis groaned, her knees quaking. As Buck rolled his hand inside her, scratching against her wet depths, there was a flash of red, and a high cracking sound. Chrysalis gasped and recoiled.
"Wait...stop!"

And that's just what Buck did, his lascivious glare softening. Chrysalis shuffled away from him, lifting the changeling stone in her hoof. A piece had chipped off.

"Are you alright?" Buck said.

"No the...your energy is overwhelming the changeling stone. I've only ever seen this happen once before." Chrysalis said, looking at Buck with what seemed like genuine fear.

"Oh, right. That's been happening with it, yeah...I should've warned you."

"What...are you?" Chrysalis said, and Buck just scratched his head, at a loss.

“We really don’t have to keep going.” Buck said.

"What?" Chrysalis blinked at him, frowning, confused.

“I mean, if this is too much, we can stop. The sex isn’t really the point, we can just sit and talk.” Buck said. "I know my mana is a lot, you know?"

Chrysalis looked at the cracked stone, then her hooves for a moment. She chuckled under her breath, and looked up at Buck with a strangely tender smile.

"What am I doing?" Chrysalis said.

“Huh?”

“Purple Prose…I think…I’m ready, now. Take off the necklace.”

"Really? You wanna take in my mana? Aren't you scared?"

"Do it." Chrysalis said.

Buck gently lifted the stone from her neck. She was close now, watching him with defiant eyes. The chain briefly got caught on her horn. Chrysalis giggled and even tugged her horn away playfully, but Buck managed to get it loose and place it on the bedstand. There was an awkward shuffling of limbs; Buck was accidentally smacked with a hoof twice as he negotiated the Queen’s form to a prone, belly-down position.
Chrysalis shuddered as Buck slapped her ass lightly with his thick cock, playing around until it grew hard again. Her cheeks were small and plump, softly squishing against his shaft.

"And you're sure this is what you want? " Buck said. He gently nudged the Queen’s legs open, and brushed his tip against her flooded cunt.

“Yes. Treat me as you will. But this time, I want you to mean it." Chrysalis said, lifting her tail. Despite the circumstances, she was hanging on to her officious airs.
Buck was having none of it. Chrysalis yelped as he gaved her a firm slap on the ass.

“Mm. You want it? Ask.” Buck said.

“How dare you.” Chrysalis growled.

“Say ‘Please fuck me, My King.’” Buck said.

“You can’t possibly-” *Slap, slap!*
Buck’s hand scored twice against the queen's small, perky cheeks. He grabbed the base of her tail and pulled with practiced firmness. Chrysalis stifled a moan.

“Say it, and I’ll start nice and gentle.” Buck said.

“P…Please fffuck me.” Chrysalis said.

Buck pushed his tip a fraction of an inch deeper. The feeling of the Queen’s achingly hot, wet pussy lips on his head was like a promise to paradise. She whimpered, pushing back against him the tiniest bit. Another slap to the ass pulled a yelp from her.

“Try again.” Buck said.

“Please fuck me, My King!” Chrysalis cried.

In one sweet, luxurious slide, Buck plunged his cock into the Queen’s burning cunt.

Adagio could hear the Queen’s shuddering moans, even as she descended into the darkness. She had not been so livid in centuries.
A black corridor sloped down into the earth. Whatever the Queen was hiding was more important than Adagio’s jealous heart. Wait, no.
She wasn’t jealous. She was...impressed at Buck’s dedication to the mission, that was it. She was annoyed that things had gotten so out of hand, and she had had a long day running around a mountain in heels, and it was stress, certainly, that was it. No jealousy whatsoever, in fact, she was glad.
As Adagio congratulated herself on how gracious and happy she was that Buck was playing his part, she felt a slick squish between her thighs. She feared she might flood her undergarments if she got any more “glad” about the situation.
How long had she been walking?

Adagio straightened up, slapping her cheeks. “Focus!”

The cave was sweltering, growing more oven-like as Adagio descended. Veins of familiar red light pulsed in the black walls.
Adagio kept thinking of the things Buck was doing to Chrysalis. Was he taking revenge for how the changeling Queen had treated him in disguise?

Adagio saw Buck’s fingers digging into the Queen’s sides as he jackhammered her pussy furiously, a red flame blazing in his eyes as the bedframe slammed into the wall, echoing into the next room over. Perhaps he was grabbing her horn and forcing her to take his sweaty, musky shaft and lick it clean. Maybe he would-

“Stop! Stop. This is hardly the time to…” Adagio stamped a foot, trying to hold on to her mission. She bit down nervously on one of her sharp nails, and listened. Maybe…? But no.

“...I can’t hear the moans anymore.” Adagio murmured dejectedly, then realized how it must sound, blushing deeply.

It wasn’t as if Chrysalis was the only person that had…that had taken advantage of Buck. Would he not wish the same vengeance on Adagio, given the chance? Adagio wondered darkly if that is what her aggressive doppelganger had been after, and a shudder of forbidden emotion knotted hotly in her lower stomach.

“He…he wouldn’t. He would never.” Adagio said, but she remembered how much fervor he had on their first night. She considered all the times he’d fucked her sore, just on a whim. She wondered how he would take her now, given the chance.

“Oof!” Adagio pitched forward, stumbling over a strange stone curb, lightly bonking her head on the wall of the cavern. “Get it together, Adagio Dazzle…he’s just a man!”

When the stars cleared from her vision, she beheld a miraculous sight.
It was another egg chamber, like the one Queen Chrysalis had built on TenPony tower’s unfinished floor, but smaller. This couldn’t be the main hatching chamber; it was only ten feet wide at best. Large, red-tinted cocoons held hulking changelings the size of cows against the walls. They basked in the hot glow of a single egg, which sat on a pedestal of stone. It blazed with an obscene red heat, reeking of Buck’s burning passion, but black veins that must have been the Queen’s brackish greed and cowardice pulsed along its surface. It was an order of magnitude more powerful than the Queen, and possibly more mana-rich than Buck himself. It could only be one thing.

“Gods, no wonder her children starve…she’s incubating her successor. A new queen, but with Buck’s energy and her own. A…” Adagio trailed off.
She was going to say “A monster,” but a sudden rumble in her stomach gently reminded her not to cast stones. She was hungry again. She was also very certain that this egg would kill her if she took even a single nibble of its energy.

Close up, Adagio’s hair flew back as if standing before a hand dryer. Her eyes watered as she squinted at the egg; noticing a small form curled up inside. She thought she could make out a pair of thick horns on its head.

Adagio dragged in a deep breath, grimacing as she reached out carefully. Sweat beaded on her brow. It had to be close to hatching, so she couldn’t risk dropping it; unleashing the creature inside. With all the tenderness in the world, Adagio lifted the egg and held it to her chest. The form inside shuddered. It felt like a burning hearth. Adagio worried she would catch flame, but the sauna heat washed over her, and she found herself fully intact. For now.

“Phew…”

Just as Adagio breathed a sigh of relief, the brutish shapes in the red cocoons stirred. She saw six pairs of hungry red eyes open in unison, then heard the cellophane tear of rupturing pods.

She was already running back up the corridor by the time the roars started.

“Are you’re sure this will work?” Scootaloo said, shivering.
Hailstones tumbled through the hole in the ceiling. Scootaloo stood by, feeling naked without her board beneath her feet, looking up at the knot of clouds swirling around the rift. It sounded like a mile-wide storm drain, a deafening inhalation muffled only by the thunder around it. She could see shingles from the hotel's roof rising into the air, and her stomach turned like she was standing at the edge of a cliff. Like she could fall into hell at any moment.

“I’m about 60% sure it will work.” Sunburst said as he teamed up with Starlight to draw a complicated spell circle in chalk at Scootaloo’s feet. She saw interconnecting lines looping together under her feet. It was almost like looking down the fluted barrel of a rifle. While Sunburst did the broad strokes, Starlight was filling the gaps with small arcane calculations; Scootaloo it assumed it was geometry, or calculus or something else equally terrifying.

“GREAT.” Scootaloo squealed.

“Don’t start complaining now. You were never supposed to be here today.” Starlight said coldly.

“Starlight! I…Scoots, you can do this. Here’s what you need.” Sunburst said, presenting a queer bit of quartz.

“What’s this?” Scootaloo said, lifting it up to the light.

Its clear surface had turned a muddy purple color, glowing with a hungry light. Strange runes had been carved into the sides, looking something like a pair of unicorns touching horns.

“That is a sealing charm. It’s a spell pioneered by Twilight Sparkle; designed to flawlessly cauterize any magical rift by reversing the metaphysical polarity of-”
“You tap it where the horns touch, and then wish really hard the rift will shut, and then you throw it at it.” Starlight interrupted.

“Wha-how am I going to get all the way up there?” Scootaloo said.

“We’re going to teleport you straight up. It’ll be the farthest teleport I’ve attempted to date!” Sunburst said. He noticed that Scootaloo was far less excited than he was about that point, and his tone shifted lower, and warmer. “Once you’re up there…that’s the tricky part. We need you to…well, we need you to “pony up,” Scoots.”

“What?”

“You’re a pegasus. That means you’ll be able to walk on clouds and soar on breezes when you’re awakened.” Starlight said.

"But...but I've never...I don't even know if I can...!" Scootaloo murmured.

"Scoots...you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Sunburst said.

“Yes, she does." Starlight said. "We don’t have Buck to juice you up, and we can’t spare any more quartz than you have–in case we have to fight. You’re the only one who can get up there without using up too many resources.”

"No, she doesn't. Sunburst said sharply. "Not if she's afraid. This is too much pressure. One of us can do it."

"No! I want to do it! I just...I don't know if I can go the distance. The last time, I got up there because Adagio gave me a ramp, and Buck rizzed me up and touched my butt!” Scootaloo said.

“He what.” Starlight sneered.

“Well, that’s…remember, Adagio told us about it. Buck was able to induce awakening by giving Scoots a good pep talk.”

“And molestation?” Starlight said.

“No, no, it wasn’t like that!” Scootaloo blushed. “He was helping!”
Starlight stared at Scootaloo.
“He was helping…” Scootaloo trailed off, looking lost.

“Okay.” Starlight sighed. “Scootaloo, look, I…I know you have a complicated relationship with Buck. And Adagio.”
Scootaloo’s cheeks burned brightly.

“Well, h-hey, you know, I wouldn’t say it like that…” Scootaloo said.

“I know you’re feeling left behind, and you’re learning these powers, and it’s all new, and scary, and exciting, but they don’t work how you think they should, and there’s all this pressure, right?”

“Right,” Scootaloo squeaked.

“Well, I’ve been there. The thing Sunset Shimmer always said during training was “You’ve got to feel it out.” There’s no perfect way to trigger a spell, and I’m guessing awakening is similar. Focus on how you felt when it happened the first time.”

“But that’s, like…really embarrassing.” Scootaloo said.

“What’s embarrassing about it?” Sunburst said.

“That’s not our business!” Starlight squawked, blushing. “Just…close your eyes, and try to think about the emotions you felt back then. If they have names, that’s good, but if not, just try to feel it. If you fall, we’ll catch you.”

“Really?” Scootaloo said.

“But we won’t need to, because you’re going to do great!” Sunburst said.

“Okay…okay.” Scootaloo shut her eyes and tried to go back. Sunburst and Starlight had their hands on her, trying to reassure her, but their pleasant proximity, their soft breathing, and their encouragement sent Scootaloo hurtling back in time, not to Buck hyping her up at the sports field, but back to Adagio’s bedroom.

The caress of Adagio’s fingers on the back of her neck, Buck’s hot girth filling her throat, all the little scritches at her scalp, and Adagio’s voice in her ear, encouraging her. Scootaloo thought of being lost in Adagio’s pillowy thighs, and Buck cumming all over her face, and Adagio holding her wrists as Buck ran his big thick hands all over her body, admiring her.

Admiring her!

The embrace of a cool breeze tickled Scootaloo’s skin.

And then, suddenly, she was falling. Cold air howled through her hair and warm rain shocked her skin. Tears gathered in her eyes, then drifted over her head.

“Oh. I’m going to die.” Scootaloo whispered. She couldn’t open her eyes. Not yet. She tried to ignore her shaking legs, and focus on the memory.

Scootaloo saw the warmth in Buck’s eyes as he called her pretty.
She remembered the feeling of Adagio’s tongue tickling her ear.
She remembered how she came a little when Buck kissed her, and how it felt like he was splitting her in half when Adagio pushed her hips down onto his cock, and being called a “Good Girl” and getting used like a cock sock until she crashed head first into an orgasm that she’d been trying to replicate ever since.

They liked her, and they included her. Adagio picked Scootaloo to give her to Buck as a gift, and they both…they saw her. A soft breeze slid around Scootaloo, shifting up her shirt and behind her back. She felt a flutter, and then suddenly she was standing firm.

She opened her eyes.

Everywhere Scootaloo looked, the ground was made of gray vapor; swirling all around her, bunching together into towers, scraping the bright blue sky around her. The horizon stretched out impossibly in all directions. High above, the sun showered her in warmth.

Scootaloo was lighter than a feather; she was walking on air.

And then, Scootaloo did what anyone in her situation would do. What all of her deep and trusted instincts told her to do.
She took a selfie.
She could see adorable orange ears poking out of her scalp, and a swishy purple tail and…and…her wings. Short and stubby, like chicken wings, fluttering their little orange feathers.

“Why are they…so…small?”

Thunder clashed. With a startle, Scootaloo realized there would be nowhere to hide from lightning.

She looked up at the rift, far bigger now, full of darkness, and still far off. As she started to climb the clouds, Scootaloo’s face went pale. She rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
"Must be my eyes playing tricks."

For just a moment, it looked like the rift had blinked.

The feeling of the changeling queen’s pussy was indescribable, but for the sake of the audience, this narration will do its very best.
There was a definite size difference; Buck wondered quietly at first if it would be more effective to stick his arm inside. It was plush soft, loose, and hot on his cock head. But then, as he adjusted himself, angling his tip downward to the root he’d found earlier, he felt the whole canal clench around his cock.
Her moans were soft and delicate as Buck rolled his hips tenderly. She was trying to hide them behind a holey hoof, but Buck wouldn’t allow it. He roughly took her chin in his hand and angled her face to look up at him as he ground sweetly against her g-spot.

“You’re so fucking pretty, Chrysalis.” Buck said.

“You are…incourageable.” Chrysalis mewled. Even though Buck had been working her gently, she was glistening with sweat, as if the very effort of making love forced her to flex every muscle in her body. The barking tyrant had disappeared behind a veil of hesitant excitement.

Buck carressed her chin and neck in long strokes, in perfect time with his short, low-tempo thrusts. Every time pushed, he felt a twisting tug on the base of his cock.

“And you feel so fucking gooooood…” Buck groaned, sliding in deep, earning a soft gasp from Chrysalis. “Your grip is crazy. Mm!” Buck pulled back with intentional slowness, leaving just his tip inside the entrance. He found that he couldn’t retreat any further; it was if the whole of the queen’s vulva was a hand, pinching his cock into place, and gradually sucking him back in with every heartbeat.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Chrysalis said, tossing her ass against Buck’s crotch with a wet plap.

“Ffffmmmph!” Buck grinned. “Oh, you’re a bit a freak!”

“This is a position I’m accustomed to! Pray you don’t climax instantly from my Queenly prowess!” Chrysalis said with a sharp smile. She kept eye-contact with Buck as she threw her ass back in hard, quick thuds, then gasped as Buck rammed his whole cock in once, twice, and thrice, jabbing at her cervix like a southpaw boxer.

“Ugh…! Oh! Ohh! Tha-ahhst’s…Mphh!” Chrysalis grunted half in pain and pleasure.
Buck’s eye flashed red.

“Deep? I know you’re prolly used to something a li’ more, uh…Equestrian.” Another brutal lancing, even harder. Chrysalis barked out a half-scream. “But I ain’t ever got a complaint about my reach.”

“Yessss…” Chrysalis hissed. “Ohhhh…Yes, Purple Prose!”

Buck lifted Chrysalis’ left back leg up onto the mattress and pushed in even deeper. His cock glowed red, heating up with his mana. The dark, hot folds pulsed tightly around him as he pressed in with a deep, quick grinding motion. Buck could feel the Queen’s pussy juice dribbling down his balls. Her yelping moans melted into a long, low-buzzing groan.

“Say again?” Buck chuckled.

“Yes…my King.” Chrysalis mumbled.

“Look me in the eyes and say it.” Buck said. This time, he grabbed Chrysalis by the horn and tilted her head back. He teased her with light, gentle thrusts.

“Yes, my King!” Chrysalis moaned.

Buck slammed his cock in again, balls deep. Chrysalis crumpled into another, screaming orgasm, a haze of red heat jetting from her toothy maw.

“Good girl.” Buck said, and now he was planting delicate kisses along her crooked horn.

His eyes glowed red, streams of a black haze rolling off them. The slightest hint of a nub slid out of his head, growing slowly into a thick black horn that curved around like a halo. Now he was running a hand through her hair as he treated her to a deep, luxurious grind. A pair of small black shapes spread from between Buck’s shoulder blades. They tore through his vest like razor blades, extending into short, thin wings.

Their flesh met against and again with a sopping schlicking noise, Chrysalis gasping sweetly. Her pleasured voice seemed alien even to her, but Buck kept whispering sweet-nothings in her ear. A long, slender tail slid from Buck's back, it’s tip something like a pointed heart.

“I’m gonna enjoy takin’ you just like this…over, and over…! I’ll choke you with my heart!”

Buck’s hands firmed around Chrysalis’ neck. Her head swam into a pink delirium as he pressed down on her carotids. His vicious, hammering thrusts increased in pace until his balls were slapping rhythmically against Chrysalis’ clitoris.

Chrysalis had stopped counting her orgasms several paragraphs ago. Her screams had become unintelligible squeals. She drank in Buck's attention as if it were ambrosia, her eyes flickering pink and red as her tongue lolled from her mouth.
Somewhere beneath the foundations of the hive, there was a low rumble, but neither seemed to notice. In those scant moments, there was nothing outside the room.

“Now...cum for your King!” Buck said, and delivered a hard slap to her ass.

“Ohhh! Ohhh, yes…yes, yes…!” Chrysalis moaned, and now her grip became a wet, sloppy vice, holding Buck’s cock right in place. He felt a veritable flood splash down his thighs as the Queen of the changelings came to a shuddering peak. She ground her ass against Buck in rough, greedy motions, toppling into an orgasmic free-fall. Her screams became a bestial yawp, and she exhaled a stream of pinkish-red mana which scorched the headboard and the wall behind it.
Buck held her by the hip, grinding his hilted cock inside Chrysalis until her knees finally unlocked and she slumped wetly into the covers.

“Damn, girl…you come like a busted sink.” Buck muttered. All traces of awakening disappeared in a puff of smoke. His cock shined with spring green fluids as he pulled it from Chrysalis’ quivering gash with a lewd, drenched plopping noise. Buck laid next to Chrysalis, stroking her back. “You okay?”

Chrysalis's neck gave off a crack as she turned to look at Buck.
Her expression was like that of newborn fawn looking at a falling nuclear bomb.
Her pupils were dialated, and she sucked in rattling breaths.
Her cheeks were full, her eyes bereft of exhaustion. She felt soft, warm and precious.
And somehow, she still felt tired.

“A breather.” Chrysalis said, finally. “It is…strenuous to remain transformed over an extended period with the anemic mana of this realm. Especially when I’m otherwise…”

“Preoccupied?” Buck chuckled. As his hand strayed lower, Chrysalis lifted her ass like a housecat, shuddering. Buck squeezed the base of her tail lightly, rubbing it with his thumb.

“Mmm…indeed. But that is to say…That was not entirely unpleasant.” Chrysalis purred.

“That was round one, Queen.” Buck said, with a light slap to her ass. Chrysalis groaned and cuddled against him.

“Yes well, I…hm!? You want to do more? After all of that?” Chrysalis said.

“Oh, right, ponies are, uh…right, ‘dagio said something about that. You’re not used to doing it with humans, huh? Is this not what it’s like back at home?” Buck snarked. “Not bad for just a human, huh?”

“Enough!” Chrysalis barked, shuffling away. “I have already apologized. I won’t have you undermine me further! Yes, so you are very good at making me orgasm! So what!?”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“I know!” She turned her back to Buck. Despite her long, thin form, Queen Chrysalis looked terribly small to Buck as she laid on her side, tucking her hooves in. “I know I’m not what you…”

She was quiet then, for a moment.

“It’s not as if this is a comfortable compromise for me, either.” Chrysalis said.

“We don’t…we don’t have to do anything else physical. I didn’t mean to imply-”

“It’s not that! Why do you have to be so…! Why did you have to bring her up?” Chrysalis’ tirade trailed into a murmur.

“I’m…sorry?”

“This is exhausting.” Chrysalis sighed. When Buck again laid a hand on her, she cringed suddenly, then exhaled as he stroked her side.

“You don’t have to stay in that form, if it’s tiring you out.” Buck said.

“No!” Chrysalis sprung up, shrugging away Buck’s hand. “No, this is...I hadn’t even thought of it until you brought it up. I felt so…” She strolled across the room with elegant poise, her head held high. Chrysalis craned her long neck and took in the details, then looked in the mirror. Her eyes were glistening as she smiled in the reflection.

“My beautiful face. That was the first word I learned, you know. The word my Queen spoke when I first hatched. Beautiful!” Chrysalis sighed sweetly.

She reached up to touch her cheek with a hoof and found that there were no holes. She caught Buck in the reflection. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking concerned, and simultaneously stealing a dab of whipped cream from the pie stand.

“No, this is wonderful. It isn’t the form that tires me. It’s being…for lack of a better word, seen.” Chrysalis nearly gagged as she spoke it.

“You mean, like being vulnerable?” Buck said.

“Yes! Is that so hard to believe? That a Queen could fear the very thought of someone seeing her groan and buck her hips like some common whore?”

“Not at all.” Buck said. He was behind her, now. Chrysalis quivered as he put his hands on her shoulders, like she hadn't been touched in months. "But I think I like this a lil' bit better. Tell me about it. The parts you don't tell other people."

And Chrysalis leaned back against Buck's broad chest, sighing.

"...when my Mother-that is to say, my Queen died, I was still very young. Someone had to step up and lead the way. To be an example of what changelings should be. Clever, powerful, and above all else...hungry. I just happened to be a bit taller and a bit scarier than my kin, so the task fell to me. I had to learn everything on my own, and learn it fast, because when a ruler makes mistakes..."

"Their people suffer."

"Yes."

"That sounds like a hell of a lot of pressure. Is it lonely?"

"More than you could ever know. I had to teach my kin how to behave, generation after generation. I bore the burdens of mother and queen, and I did so without thanks or compromise. And despite all my best efforts...here I am." Chrysalis said.
And Buck could see it on her face, a sudden, deep regret that only mothers know, the kind he’d seen in shelters just after his own, personal apocalypse. Reduced to this, it said. Starving and alone in a bleak world. No kingdom, no future, just a long, agonizing end.

"Purple Prose…do you ever regret? Those little moments, that seem like nothing at the time, but you look back on them, and realize that even you can’t forgive what you’ve done?” Chrysalis said.

“Oh, I got plenty of those. More than my fair share. There're nights where I just can't get to sleep, cause I keep thinkin' about what might've happened if I went another way, you know?"

"I do." Chrysalis said, barely above a whisper.

"Maybe we oughta compare notes. Might learn somethin’ for once.” Buck sighed.

And they shared a small smile, as if they were both in on a tiny, private joke. The Queen who devoured hearts, and the Fool who loved far too much. Chrysalis trotted to the bed, where she lay on her side, looking at her own body with an odd fascination.

"I'm sorry you've had to resort to, you know, Me." Buck said.

"Hush. It's been ages since I felt so full. And to think, instead of feasting on your stock, I was content to hide behind a petty0 bauble."

“My changeling stone necklace?” Buck said. The mattress squeaked as he climbed back on.

“Mine, now.” Chrysalis sneered. "It's not as if you know how to make it."

"Hey, come on, it was a gift!"

“It’s my people’s material, formed by ancient changeling secrets. I haven’t a clue how you got your hands on it in the first place.“

“That’s uh, well, I’m not even sure myself. I figured Starlight got it from The Pillars, and they must’ve got it from the other side.” Buck said.

“The whom?”

Deafening silence crashed into the air with all the intensity of a piano hitting concrete. Buck had let his guard down for just a moment.

“The Pillars, you say? And who, pray tell, are they?” Chrysalis continued.

“Fuck.” Buck said. “They are, uh, they…”

“Ohhh…you weren’t supposed to say that, were you?” Chrysalis grinned devilishly.

“Shit. Shit, uh, forget you heard that?”

“No. No, I don’t think I will. I think you and I will play a game, My King. You like playing with your food, don't you? Well, so do I.” Chrysalis said, rising above Buck. Menace gleamed in her sharp green eyes.

"Uh-oh." Buck said. as the weight of his actions fell onto his shoulders.

“I’m going to have another taste of you, and your mana, and if you don’t climax by the time I’m finished, I’ll drop the issue entirely.”

She licked her sharp teeth with her long, forked tongue.

“And if I do get off before you’re done?” Buck said.

Chrysalis planted a hoof on Buck’s chest. “I’ll swallow your load in one, deep gulp. And then? You’ll tell me everything you know.” Chrysalis said.

“I am so god damn erect right now holy shit.” Buck peeped.

“So? Do we have a deal?” Chrysalis said. Her hoof slid slowly downward. At the very base of her neck, Buck saw a thin line; the tinies of fractures in her carapace, from which spilled a thin mote of pink light.

“...Deal.”

For Scootaloo, it was like being in a dream. How many times had she wished she could soar above the clouds on the wings of a bird?
The crash of thunder shook every molecule Scootaloo’s body. The universe flashed white, and when the deafening rumble stopped, Scootaloo was doubled over, covering her ears in a gray bed of vapor.
The clouds under her feet were inky, towering ever higher, where they twisted unnaturally toward the widening rift.
Scootaloo had tried to take off twice, but her tiny wings couldn’t carry her. She was trying very hard not to think about them.

“Okay, so maybe it’s not…not exactly how I dreamed it.” Scootaloo muttered, shivering as she carried a knot of tragedy in her stomach.

She was climbing again.
She found that just touching the clouds with her fingertips made them give way like loose cotton. She pushed and shaped it like cotton candy, creating hand holds that became footholds as she ascended. She could not, under any circumstances, think about the height. She had sprained her ankle the last time she did something like this. She was pretty sure everything would break if she hit the ground from all the way up here.

“Okay, so maybe it’s cold, and really, really scary, and maybe I barely know what I’m doing.” Scootaloo said to the sky.
She could see the hotel through the breaks in the clouds, getting smaller and smaller as she climbed. Her spit started to freeze on her tongue. Her breaths were getting shallower as she crested to the top of a cumulus cloud. “Eyes on the prize, Scoots...!” Scootaloo said.

The rift had gone from a pinprick of black high above to a huge gash in the naked air. It howled like a hollow train tunnel, inhaling everything around it. The clouds pulled into it were like long, twisting streamers. Scootaloo thought that if she climbed one of them, she might just be able to get close to the rift, and get the job done. She squeezed the sealing charm in her hand.

“I can do this…I can do this…!” Scootaloo said, her knees shaking as she stepped on one the thin clouds getting pulled toward the rift. Her steps were so light, she wondered if she’d hit the ground below, or drift down like a feather.

If her awakening even lasted that long, Scootaloo thought. She could already feel her equestrian features flickering.

“Okay…I don’t see her falling, so that means it probably worked.” Sunburst said, squinting up at the sky through the ceiling hole.

“Or you teleported her inside a tree.” Starlight offered.

“Starlight!”

“Kidding! I’m kidding! I’m allowed to make jokes!” Starlight said.

“Hey...Why don’t you take a seat, just for a minute?” Sunburst said, touching Starlight’s shoulder.

“I can rest when we’re done here.” Starlight said, but Sunburst could see her bad leg shaking.

“Here; lean on me.” Sunburst said.

“I’m fine.” Starlight lied. She didn’t resist as Sunburst slipped his arms around her, pulling her close. She sighed, letting her shoulders slump. “Today has been…a lot. I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, I’m feeling…”

“What?”

“Suspicious. Like things are going a little too well.”

“Don’t say things like that. We’re all in over our heads, but were all doing our best. I’ve seen nothing but miracles today. When they caught me, I thought I’d never see you again, but here you are. We told Scoots to hang back, but we needed her, and she’s here. Even Buck is confronting an enemy that he couldn’t possibly face before. You even made a friend!” Sunburst said.

Starlight frowned and looked at Greg, who was standing at attention. He glanced over and, with a bit of effort, formed a smile.

“If you wait for bad things to happen, well…you’ll never be shocked when they do. But if you hope? You’ll always be pleasantly surprised when something good happens,” Sunburst said. “I think today is a good day for miracles.”

Suddenly, the lobby shook. A flurry of thuds were coming up from under the floorboards.

“Friend? Buck?” Greg said, dropping to all fours. He sniffed the ground and cocked his head in plain confusion.
The carpet burst open in a volcanic burst of red flame. Tendrils of magical run-off spun into the air, sucked upward toward the rift, as floor and foundation alike cracked open.

Changeling drones, or something that used to be drones, crawled out of the hole. Even hunched over on all fours, they were taller than a man. To call them humanoid wasn’t exactly right, as they had sharp, snapping pincers where their mouths should have been, and massive mandibles protruding from their heads like a hercules beetle.

“What are they?” Sunburst said.

The beasts unleashed a chorus of roars.
Wings unfolded from the creatures’ backs as they lurched through the air, charging at the group like a herd of flying hippos.

“I hate it when I’m right.” Starlight said.

//////////

The rift shuddered, booming like the echo of a firework.

Scootaloo’s squint could see something strange on the other side. It was a landscape, of sorts, of barren plains and dead trees beneath a cold, starless night sky. Scootaloo thought she saw a castle in the distance, but then the rift blinkered like an old tv, and suddenly there was the interior of a log cabin, lit only by a crackling fireplace. Cloaked figures, like the one she’d seen before stood as still as statues, then turned to her all at once, their eyes glowing with hellish orange light.

The rift blinked again, and now it was a writhing expanse of purple squiggles, in which floated an archipelago of pastel-colored floating islands, barely connected by a series of nonsensical bridges. Somewhere, floating in the chaos was a strange chimeric creature in a bathtub, a brush magically scrubbing its back. The creature glanced at Scootaloo, frowned, and snapped its fingers.
The rift changed again, making a sound like a muffled grenade.

Scootaloo’s legs were kicking slowly through the clouds as if she were striding across the bottom of a pool. There was a subtle pull on the edges of her clothes. Her breath steamed, and as she waved it away, she found the vapor sticking slightly to her hand, as if the tiny cloud were putty. “I can do this…!” Scootaloo said, covering her eyes from the glare.

It was a lavish lobby full of glitzy lights and shady characters, all pony-like in shape. The sounds of slot machines, roulette wheels spinning up and raffle winners being announced almost drowned out the winds which were howling into the rift. Scootaloo was half-running, half swimming, her little wings fluttering like a falling chicken’s as she drew closer still.

A cannon boom rumbled Scootaloo's ear drums. The rift had changed again.

Scootaloo was right on it now.
It was like standing on the edge of a cliff. She saw now that the rift had grown with each flicker.
If Scootaloo got even an inch closer, she would fall in.

It was dark again, a stony space with nothing but the flicker of distant torches to light it. Strange, twisted pillars stretched in all directions, the walls obscured fully by a writhing stygian mist.
The longest shadow of all fell across Scootaloo, who was standing in the shade of a towering stone throne. It was draped in tattered dark purple curtains, resting at the top of a short flight of stairs. Scootaloo couldn’t make out the figure sitting in the throne, but she saw a pair of burning eyes in the darkness. Those horrific, blazing orbs flashed as they stared at Scootaloo.
She thought she saw a cruel smile beneath them.

“I can do this!” Scootaloo said, desperately.

A final, horrific crash shook the sky.

Darkness again; darker than black. Crushing, simple, hungry darkness filled the rift and all of Scootaloo’s vision.
She was floating above the clouds now, drifting lazily toward the abyss. Her vision was taking on a strange green haze.
Through the rift lay a landscape of frigid desolation. A howling tundra who’s winds were like a thousand tiny knives against Scootaloo’s skin. There in the midst of this wasteland stood a tall, jagged crystal, it’s sides red as spilled blood. It had a single long crack down the center.

Scootaloo couldn’t move. She was barely perceiving what was in front of her. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Her jaw felt like it was wired shut.

A pair of blinding stars erupted from the depths of the crystal. No, not stars, Scootaloo thought. Eyes.

"Is it someone new...?"

A voice like a freezing dagger raked across Scootaloo's spine. It was shrill and ghastly, vibrating in her bones. She couldn’t believe she’d been so dumb. She’d only been worried about going into the rift. She hadn’t even thought about something coming out.

"We have a guest, dears. LET US WELCOME THEM!"

A spectral visage violently peeled from the crystal; a ghastly nightmare of shimmering dark clouds, roiling into the vague shape of a horse head. A set of jagged front teeth opened wide. Inside, a hundred dying stars; a blinding inferno of screaming fury burned from inside the leviathan maw, then a hundred thousand more deathly pale horse faces laughed from inside the dead lights.

“I CAN’T DO THIS!” Scootaloo screamed.

Meanwhile, Buck was charging towards certain doom.

Queen Chrysalis had a tongue like a writhing serpent, and it was probing his cock for a sensitive spot. The pink, wet tendril slid slowly around Buck’s shaft, squeezing it like a constrictor.

“Woah…the control!” Buck said. The Queen’s dagger-filled mouth was open, but the sides of her lips curled up in a cheeky smile as her tongue moved up and down slowly.

“Mmmahhgn…” Chrysalis said.

“What’s that, hun? You like tasting yourself on me?” Buck said. He reached up to fiddle with her hair, but Chrysalis swatted his hand away. The look in her eyes commanded understanding; no touching.

“Have it your way.” Buck said. “I’ll just…fff…I’ll just enjoy the…the show…fuck.”

With a slithering slurp, the Queen’s tongue rose. It deftly stroked the supremely tender spot just behind the ridge of Buck’s cock head. He shuddered, a distinctly unmanly moan escaping his lips.

“Mhmhmm…! Sensitive here, are we? That siren wishes she could do this to you. Mmmm…” Chrysalis purred, slipping her lips around Buck’s glans, letting them catch on the ridge, suckling slowly. Her tongue snaked down to fondle Buck’s balls with wet, feathery flicks.

“Fuuuuck…!” Buck groaned. Little red sparks blinked around his cock.

He could feel his mana being tugged out in short starbursts. He wondered if it tasted like poprocks, or like kerosene, or like anything at all. What he did know for sure is that he was hurtling toward an orgasm that had been put off for weeks between all the crazy events and traumas of his recent life.

Chrysalis didn’t bother to disguise the mirth in her eyes as Buck gripped the sheets, holding back his orgasm like a crumbling dam. She seemed to take great satisfaction in finally taking the upper hand back from him, and she was relishing the red mana coursing up his cock.

“That’s good, that’s fucking amazing…!” Buck moaned, one fist clenching, watching the Queen work.

Chrysalis kept suckling at his head, but Buck watched in awe as her head rocked like a ship on choppy water. Her horn swung back and forth like a metronome, then turned forty, sixty, eighty degrees as the Queen’s head spun with unnatural severity. It was like getting sucked off by the world’s wettest, silkiest cement mixer. Buck heard a slight pop in Chrysalis’ neck, but he had no space in his brain for that thought, or any other thoughts besides how his dick felt like it was about to explode.

“Holy fuck, holy fuck, now you’re just showin’ off! Just keep doin’ that! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Buck threw his head back and groaned loudly. His cock was glowing red, strobing with a raw horniness that was starting to warm the whole room.

*CRASH*

The moment froze. Both Buck and Queen Chrysalis stopped and looked across the room, where a puddle of water, roses, and vase shards were scattered across the floor. That, however, is not what they were looking at, for they saw that the vanity mirror had been nudged, as Adagio Dazzle, master of thievery and subterfuge, had gone and wanged her shin on it a second time.

She scrambled to catch the egg, but as soon as she did, it burned brightly with red light. She set it on the floor, blowing on her hands.

“ADAGIO DAZZLE!” Chrysalis screeched.

“Buck?” Adagio said.

“Sorry, Chryssi.” Buck said, smashing a creampie into the Queen’s face. “CHEESE IT!”

He pulled up his boxers, picked up the egg, and grabbed Adagio’s hand, then promptly ran for his fucking life.
Queen Chrysalis blinked in disbelief, creampie frosting dribbling down her face, and with all her plans gone awry, something awoke in her. Something ancient and primal.

“REEEEEEEEE-!”

Author's Note

I hesitate to say I struggled to write this chapter. My life changed during the outlining process, and I've had a hard time swinging back around to it. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote to y'all. I've changed, and so has my world, almost all in positive ways.
I can't tell you when the next chapter will drop, and I've got no interest in giving you excuses. Just know that I'm going to keep going until this story is over.

Persephone is an unmitigated vibe. This chapter went through four or five name changes as I searched for the song that fit it. It's strange how stories have a way of getting away from you like that. Late in the drafting process, I stumbled down some alternative youtube music rabbit hole. I landed on Persephone, and just let it loop. Turns out it was just what I needed.
Persephone sounds like exactly what it is; a chill dance track composed by musicians who speak and write English, but aren't totally fluent. The phrasing is odd and lyrical, lending the track an ethereal vibe.
From what I understand, it's about meeting an ex that you know is nothing but trouble. You know that if you follow them, they'll drag back into Hell, and yet you feel yourself getting pulled towards them. The strange gravity of unfinished business is dragging you in, and you don't know if you should hold on, or just let yourself fall.