To Equestria's solar princess, it seems like the world has sped up so much as of late. For hundreds of years, life felt so dull and dreary, the days both dragging on and yet blending together into a singular, tired marathon of ruling a kingdom on her own.
Then a little filly named Mi Amore Cadenza defeated a witch and became an alicorn, she found herself a wonderful student, she hired the world's greatest assistant, and she got her sister back after a thousand years of separation. Now it felt like something outragous happened every week, and politics was moving just as fast even after she's gotten so much more help.
Thus Princess Celestia enters her room after a long day of dealing with nobles' complaining and signing documents, sighing in exhaustion and relief. At least the documents were only tedious and not infuriating as Raven always read through them all and sorted them into two piles for her. One for those that are good for Equestria, and those which are not and needed revisiting.
At this point, Raven has probably passed more legislation than Celestia herself via proxy, but Celestia has the utmost trust in her stalwart assistant. If Raven were a handsome stallion, Celestia would have snatched him up long ago and made him her prince, but alas, that's just wishful thinking as she knows she'll never find such a level-headed, intelligent stallion to marry.
Regardless, the day is done, and Luna's torture will begin, especially because said mare has yet to hire such an assistant and needs to read her documents herself. After taking off her regalia and finishing her nightly routine, Celestia crawls into bed and reached for the lamp, too tired to even use her magic.
Her hoof stops as she notices a letter on her nightstand.
Blinking, wondering who could have left it as Celestia keeps her room locked even to the cleaning staff when she's out, she opens the letter, absently noting the paper feels odd and smells like... mushrooms?
To Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus, Sovereign of the Sun, She of Bountiful Harvests and Thighs, and whatever other titles you probably have.
Hello, I'm Prince Anonymous of the Changelings. That probably doesn't mean much to you, does it? That's by design, as you might guess by the name, since it implies we're shapeshifters, and as such prefer to use our innate abilities to stay hidden. As a result, the existence of this letter is a very big deal, and frankly would get me in a lot of trouble with my mom if she finds out about it. Especially as I had to deliver it myself since I didn't want to risk anyling accidentally tipping Mom off.
I suppose I should apologize for breaking into your room; an invasion of privacy against someone you're about to ask help from is not the best way of starting off a rapport, but I didn't have a lot of options. And hey, now you know your castle defenses need to be updated for future shapeshifter infiltration, so you can actually thank me for that.
No really, right now would be a good time.
You notice that plant by your bed? Was it always there? Were the colors like that last time you looked? Is it too green or not green enough?
Could it be... me?
Celestia slowly turns her eyes to the plant in question and gulps. wearily, she reaches a hoof out, and with some hesitation, smacks a leaf. It sways listlessly, then goes still. She looks back at the letter.
Gotcha!
Maybe, but it'd be funny if you did just check if the plant was a changeling in disguise. And now that we've shared a good laugh at my expert prank, we are friends and I can feel comfortable with asking for your help. The changelings are starving, and I don't know what to do.
The princess sits a little straighter, eyes more focused. What was previously a bemusing, if not very odd letter, has just become far more serious as she shifts back into the mindset of the ruler she had intended to set aside for a night of rest.
My mom, Queen Chrysalis, has her own plan on how to rectify this problem. Invade the bountiful lands of Equestria and take what we need by force. She's being quite pigheaded about it, in fact, and only my pointing out the most recent defeat of Discord, a nigh all-powerful Spirit of Chaos, has given her pause.
But that's only shifted her plan from outright invasion to infiltration then invasion after she's weakened your kingdom's defenses enough. She's currently torn between her own idea of replacing that pink, lactose-intolerant alicorn with a pizza addiction or my own suggestion of replacing your assistant so she can have your ear and manipulate you.
Sorry for pulling Inkwell into this, but understand that it was a stalling tactic to keep my mother from doing anything rash. She's really not that bad, I swear. She just gets a little megalomanic when she's hungry, and she's been hungry for a long time.
We all have.
Still, manners are important, and to make up for my transgressions, I've left a small jar of changeling honey in your nightstand's drawer for Raven. Not a lot, for obvious reasons, but I hope she accepts the gift. Inform her to only eat a spoonful a day, though, unless you want her putting the moves on every male she comes across.
it's potent stuff.
At this, Celestia checks her drawer, and sure enough, levitates out a very small jar with a strange wax-like seal, and even stranger viscous green liquid that emanated a faint glow. Well, that lends more credibility to the letter's claims, Celestia supposes.
Or don't tell her and let her eat the whole jar. I'll admit to being a little curious of what Miss Inkwell might be like if she let her mane down and put a little swagger into those hips.
Putting that aside, however, this is a rather serious matter, and I request you respond post-haste. Please write your response on the extra sheet of parchment provided and toss it out your window. Yes, I'm serious, and don't worry, it'll work just fine, and I'll make sure you get any subsequent responses from me until I'm sure it's safe to meet face to face.
Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but a lifetime of being told to remain hidden is hard to ignore on top of being told to always be weary around mares. Not that you'd do anything inappropriate I'm sure, but my mom already thinks I'm reckless and air-headed, and I'd rather not give her any more ammunition for the inevitable argument my actions are going to cause after this.
She's always saying, "You're a male that can turn into anything on top of being royalty, females won't be able to control themselves around you, and that's why you mustn't ever leave the hive without your guards."
Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.
Anon
Celestia had a busy night after that, having gathered both her sister and the newest princess to discuss the letter. While she might not have immediately involved the latter on such a delicate situation normally, seeing as she was still quite new to the position, the fact that she was a potential target of a foreign queen forced Celestia's hoof.
The same went for Raven, too, who read the letter over, eyes turning to the small jar set in the middle of the table. The mare, with her parchment white coat and brown mane done up in a simple bun was normally so put together, looks rather flustered with her cheeks flush under her dark-rimmed glasses.
"Well, Raven, I think it's safe to say you've garnered yourself an admirer," Cadence says, breaking the silence with a sly smirk. "And a prince no less, you go, filly."
"Surely that line was written in jest," Raven demurs. "This... Prince Anonymous seems a bit on the whimsical side."
"I might have agreed had he not gifted you literal love in a jar," Cadence counters. "I didn't even know that was possible." All eyes turn to her in question, and she points at the jar. "That honey is literally chocked full of love energy. I'd say at least a fancy Prench restaurant's Hearts and Hooves Day dinner rush's worth."
"That's oddly specific, and raises quite a few more questions. Just what are these changelings that they would produce such a substance?" Celestia ponders aloud as her sister leans in to take a closer look.
"Perhaps an aphrodisiac or marital aide? Has the gifting of such things become common practice in my absence? Truly strange times if so."
"Um, no, Princess Luna," Raven says as she leans in and gently takes the jar, blush still on her cheeks. "And, well, it was implied this was a food item as he said he could only afford to part with this small amount, so perhaps these changelings need love as part of their dietary requirements?"
Celestia nods slowly, hoof to her chin. "Perhaps. And if that were the case, I can see how innate shapeshifting abilities would be advantageous to their kind. It'd help collect love."
Luna grimaces. "Thou paints not a pleasant picture, sister."
"Which is made worse by this Queen Chrysalis' intentions," chimes in Cadence seriously.
"Indeed," agrees Luna. "To think, it was only by the whimsy of a colt that we were warned of such treachery. At the very least, if the worst comes to be, we'll know whom will be taking the throne after their queen is deposed, and that he is more open to cooperation than his predecessor. And as a stallion, he'll make a fine figurehead through which we can influence the changelings."
"Now sister, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Celestia says chidingly. "We've not even met with any of there kind, and I hardly think it's constructive to start our planning with talk of how best to dethrone their queen and install a mouthpiece in her place."
"And besides, this Prince Anonymous contacted us in good faith to ask for our assistance despite what his mother would think, and it would be deplorable to take advantage of that fact."
"Hear, hear!" Cadence chimes in after Raven. The unicorn starts to smile, but it drops as the pink alicorn continues. "Besides I propose that a marriage to unite our two peoples would be better. Now normally, It'd either be Celestia or Luna, but I think Raven is the only choice for obvious reasons. Auntie Tia, how has your plans for raising Miss Inkwell into nobility been coming along? I know you were saying she more than deserves it as she does more for this kingdom than the current nobles do."
At the declaration, Raven's mouth is left hanging open, and Celestia is left wide-eyed as she stares at her assistant. She shrugs sheepishly and holds her hooves up. "Surprise..."
"Y-you want to make me a noble?" Raven asks. "What? How?!"
"Well, all nobles are descended from those who had earned their titles through great deeds and services to Equestria," Celestia explains awkwardly. "And really, who in recent memory has done more in service of Equestria than you?"
Raven struggles to respond before eventually bowing her head and mumbling, "Thank you, My Princess, I am truly honored."
"So... the diplomatic marriage is a go?" Cadence asks with a hopeful smile and barely suppressed energy as she jitters in her seat. "Because if so, I already know who can cater the wedding."
Celestia rolls her eyes. "No, it's not 'a go' Cadence, and even if it were, it wouldn't be catered by Pizza Stable."
"Indeed. We don't even know if changelings partake in the 'za, to begin with," adds Luna. "I can't imagine Miss Inkwell would like to start her relationship with her in-laws by poisoning them."
"Anyway!" Raven interrupts, face beet-red. "I think we can all agree that we are willing to aide the changelings, yes? If so, we should decide what our response should be."
"Raven is right, if they are truly facing famine, we need to act fast," Celestia says, expression once again grave as she levitates the strange paper that had been provided. "Let us write our response."
All four mares become serious after that, and begin hashing out a response. After half an hour, they are finished, and then awkwardly go to the highest window in the castle.
"So... we just toss it?"
"That is what the letter said."
"Should we really trust the judgement of a stallion?"
"I'm sure Prince Anonymous knows what he's doing, and if not, well, I'm sure he'll get in contact with us again regardless."
As the wind takes the sheet and it drifts into the night to eventually disappear, three mares return to their beds, and the last to her office to file papers after failing to recruit any of the others to help her regain lost time. Unnoticed to any of them is the owl set atop a spire who quickly leaves its perch in pursuit of the paper.
Catching it between its talons, it travels further down the mountain to a secluded alcove and touches down. In truth, even if it had missed spotting the note, the pheromones covering the paper made it easy for the creature to track down, and it transforms in a burst of green fire to smile.
Though he had sat outside of the window and listened to much of their conversation, it's still good to have their final thoughts written out to ponder over. There is perhaps a little disappointment, though, to see that their idea of political marriage didn't make it into the final draft of their response.
It had been an... intriguing suggestion.
A response suggesting a face-to-face meeting was left wedged in Celestia's window the next night, and she proposed sundown so that both she and Luna would be relatively awake. This was also when the changing of the guards took place so that they could arrange for some key outposts to be left unoccupied long enough for someone to traverse the castle. In his response, Anon said he appreciated the consideration, even if he didn't need it to enter the castle unnoticed.
"A bit cheeky, isn't he?" Luna asks as they wait in one of the out-of-the-way meeting rooms in the castle where they wouldn't have to worry about any wayward staff stumbling upon them.
"He has already approached my bedroom multiple times without detection, so it's not exactly an unsubstantiated boast," Celestia responds as she shuffles some papers and such around on her desk, tidying up to pass the time.
Raven steps in pushing a trolley laden with tea and biscuits, and Luna scrutinizes her. "Um, Luna, what are you doing?" Cadence asked from her spot sprawled across a plush chair against the wall.
"Our guest can take the appearance of others and is meant to arrive here shortly."
"And you think I might be him in disguise," Raven surmises. "That's easily rectified, I think." Without another word, she pours a cup of tea, adds the cream and sugar, then levitates it over to Princess Celestia who accepts it before taking a sip and sighing contently.
"Made just the way Raven knows I like it."
"Well, obviously she's the real Raven," Cadence says in a bored tone. "I should know, since I'm Prince Anonymous." The room goes still. Three pairs of eyes slowly look over to the young princess. She looks back for several seconds, stone-faced, until she suddenly breaks out into giggles. "Gotcha! You totally believed I was the changeling!"
Luna frowns while Celestia rubs at her temples. Before she can chastise her honorary niece, however, a muffled voice yells out, "Huh! Good one! I bet their expressions were priceless!" This time, four pairs of eyes turn towards the small fireplace at the back wall just in time to see ash begin to crumble down. A few grunts and grumbles later, and a body falls out and rolls into the room, smoothly transitioning into a standing position.
What stood before them now was a tall, dark, and noticeably normal looking earth pony stallion. Handsome to be sure, but nothing the mares present hadn't seen before, what with being surrounded by the royal eye-candy, er, royal guard all day long.
And yet, Raven is wide-eyed and blushing. "O-onyx Obelisk?" she gasps, catching the others' attention.
"You know this stallion?" Celestia asks, getting the unicorn to sputter and quickly back step.
"Wha-? Me? Of course not! I-I mean, I know of him because a friend gave me- that is, left at my house a, w-well, you have to understand, it's like this-"
"I didn't choose my disguise poorly, did I? I just saw this guy in a magazine and liked the color scheme." Anon looks himself over, patting his charcoal coat and darker mane, green eyes full of concern.
"Your specific choice of glamour is of no concern, besides perhaps to the model it mimics," Luna says. "We simply were not expecting you to arrive as such."
"Yeah, we were really looking forward to seeing what a changeling actually looked like," Cadence chimes in. "Aren't you going to show us?"
Anon blinks a few times before a teasing smile pulls at his lips. "Really now, Cadence, asking a stallion you just met to expose himself to you? What would your coltfriend think?"
She shrugs. "I already ask him to do that as soon as the bedroom door is closed."
Raven enters a coughing fit and a faint "l-lewd" leaves Luna's mouth while Celestia clears her throat. "What they mean is simply that you do not need to guise yourself in front of us. You are asking us not just to help you, but your subjects as well, so should we not all be open with each other?"
The smile falls from his lips as he looks away, rubbing one foreleg with the other. "I get what you're saying. I do. And I want to trust you all, and not only because I have no other options. It's just... Mother has always told me- told all of us- that other creatures wouldn't accept us for what we really are. That they would hate us, and ponies most of all. It's hard to ignore something like that, and now I feel anxious when I'm without a disguise outside of the hive."
As Anon drops his head, shared looks of sympathy pass between the mares, but before any of them can move to comfort the stallion in their midst, he sighs and looks up with a steely gaze. "Still, that's no excuse to be rude, so as a sign of my trust, I can at least do this much." With that, he holds a foreleg out, and the others recoil as it's overtaken with green fire. When it clears, what's left behind looks nothing like a pony's leg.
The soft flesh and fur has been replaced by jagged and broken plates of chitin with holes passing through its entirety at a multiple points. They all gasp, but it's Raven who rushes forward first, making as if to grab the extended limb, but stopping with her hooves hovering worryingly over it.
"Oh my goodness you're hurt! We need to get you to the medical wing right away!"
"Oh no, these aren't injuries," the strange stallion starts, then pauses. "Well, not exactly."
"Prince Anonymous," Celestia cuts in. "If you're hurt, I assure you our medical staff would be willing to help."
"It's not that. These aren't, like, stab wounds or something, they're just a symptom of changeling undernourishment. You know, when the body starts to eat itself for sustenance."
"Um, I'm pretty sure pony bodies don't do that when they're starving," Cadence says with a tinge of green to her cheeks. "We just get really thin."
"I think it has to do with our exoskeletons," Anon says absently as he puts his hoof back down and lets green flames shroud his leg in fur once more. "It doesn't grow and shrink easily."
"That doesn't make it any less concerning!" Raven says, worry and frustration clear on her face. "So you're not wasting away, you're crumbling!"
"Indeed, and if you, the prince of your kind are at such an advanced stage of starvation, I can only imagine what dire straights the other changelings are in," Luna notes, her own placid facade crumbling at the thought. "The situation is far more severe than we thought and time is of the essence."
"I'm actually a bit worse off than most of my people," Anon explains as he plops down with a tired sigh. "Not that I won't appreciate hasty assistance, but most changelings aren't as, well, holey as me. Mom is always furious about it, but it's not like I can't not share my rations, especially with the hatchlings. Those lil' buggers are just so cute that I can't help myself whenever I'm down in the nursery."
As the stallion smiles fondly in remembrance, the mares share a knowing look. Of course the prince was giving his food to foals even to the detriment to himself. This one clearly has some very strong paternal instincts, and that knowledge brings the mares to more familiar ground. Seems even with an unknown species, males are the same.
"Well, you don't need to starve now, Prince Anonymous," Raven says as she levitates over a tray of sweet biscuits. "While you're here, you can have your fill."
Giving his head a light shake as he returns to the present, he looks down at the plate curiously. "Did you make these?"
"No, they came from the kitchen staff."
"Oh... do you think they were made with love?"
"Ah..." Raven looks over her shoulder, but gets shrugs from the princesses. "I'm sure the royal baker loves his job, if that's what you mean."
Anon takes a cookie, sniffs it, then takes a nibble. Chewing thoughtfully, he eventually frowns and says, "He must be in a rut or something. Still, I suppose it's better than nothing."
Rave blinks, looking concerned as Anon eats the sweet, not with the fervor of a starving pony, but with the apathy of a one eating unseasoned crab grass. "Are they not to your liking?" she asks. "Do you perhaps require something else to eat? I'm sure whatever your dietary needs are, I can find a way to meet them."
He tilts his head. "You mean it? I mean, changelings have a pretty unique diet."
She squares her shoulders and answers resolutely, "Of course. Whatever you need, Prince Anonymous, I'll provide it."
"Well, if you're really sure," he begins, standing up and stepping right in front of her. "I really appreciate this Miss Inkwell, you're as kind and considerate as I thought you were."
She's blushing at the compliment and proximity, then even more so when he suddenly leans in and locks lips with her. There are gasps and an excited squeal from behind them, but they hardly register to the shocked mare as her thoughts come to a screeching halt and she feels her brain fizzle out. She's kissed a few colts before, but never before has her legs felt like jelly.
It's the stallion who's supposed to be sent swooning from just a kiss, not the mare!
She can hardly feel embarrassed at her reaction though as her eyes flutter shut and her weak knees finally give. As she sways sideways, breaking the kiss after what felt like an eternity, but was actually only a few seconds, Anon moves to catch her, keeping her steady as she pants, feeling both like she's floating on a cloud, and ready to pass out on said cloud.
"O-oh my," is all she manages as she blinks drunkenly at the stallion holding her.
He laughs, smile bright and eyes sparkling with new life that makes her heart flutter. "Oh my is right! I know ponies have a lot of love, but I must say, Miss Inkwell, that I've never met a mare with as much love in their heart as you."
"Wait," Cadence begins stepping over to look more closely at the slowly recovering unicorn. "Did you really just... eat her love?"
Anon blinks. "Well, yes. It is the most important food for changelings, after all. And it's why Mother wishes to invade Equestria. It's the most love-rich nation on the continent." He looks back at Raven and gives a fond smile. "But I've been trying to convince her that love freely given is so much better for us so she'll abandon her plans to take it through force. Besides just tasting better without the acrid aftertaste, we also don't end up expending extra energy just forcing the love out of the individual so it ends up being more efficient."
"It seems the situation has become far more complicated," Celestia says as she approaches, eyeing her assistant worriedly. "Raven, are you alright?"
"Y-yes," she says, standing fully on her own and shaking her head. "Just a little dizzy. Tired too, but nothing a nap won't fix."
"I'd also suggest plenty of chocolate, but yes, a good rest and some food will see you fully recovered by morning. If you still have that honey I gifted you, a couple spoonfuls will have you right as rain in no time." Anon explains. "And thank you, truly, I haven't had a meal like that in weeks."
"Really?" she asks sheepishly. "My love was that good?"
He nods enthusiastically. "It was great! And I wasn't exaggerating about how much love you have, either. I only ate maybe a quarter of your reserves, and it practically filled me up." He licks his lips thoughtfully. "It's mostly a deep caring for your fellow ponies and strong desire to help them. Not sweet like young love, or spicy like whirlwind love, but smooth and surprisingly robust. Very energizing. Also way better fresh as opposed to the stored stuff. Honey's alright, and turning it into candy helps, but it's nothing compared to what you've just given me."
"As... interesting as this all is," Luna cuts in. "I agree with my sister. While it would have been easy to convince our subjects to lend aid to your changelings in the form of foodstuffs, I doubt they'll agree as easily to letting their very love be harvested."
Anon's smile slowly drops and his ears droop. Looking back at Raven and the hoof on her shoulder, he removes it and asks, "Is it really that bad? It wasn't, was it?"
"Oh no, it wasn't bad at all!" Raven quickly assures, finding that she does not like the upset look on the stallion's handsome face. "You're a very good kisser!" Celestia's quick hoof over her mouth prevents Cadence from squealing again as Raven's eyes widen and she back steps both figuratively and literally. "I mean the process of having you eat my love wasn't bad! Sorry, my thoughts are just a bit addled is all and my mouth got away from me."
"Don't worry, Prince Anon is sure to catch it for you if that's the case," Cadence says teasingly as she yanks the white hoof down.
"Regardless of whether or not the process is painful or pleasurable, the problem lies in convincing ponies to give it a chance to begin with," Celestia interrupts. "Love is thought of as something sacred by many, and so to treat it as merely a commodity or foodstuff will sound sacrilegious to the general populous no matter our endorsements."
"Maybe yours, but I'm the flippin' Princess of Love over here," Cadence argues, chest puffed out as she polishes a hoof on it. "And as far as I can tell, the process didn't hurt and hasn't left any permanent damage, so I'm giving a tentative go-ahead." She gives a sly sideways glance towards Raven as she adds, "As a matter of fact, it looked almost... enjoyable. That might be a good selling point that I'm sure quite a few mares will appreciate."
"You think so?" Anon asks hopefully.
"Absolutely," she responds with a grin. "We just need to advertise right and I'm sure we can have ponies volunteering in no time."
"Wow, that's great!" Anon cheers, tapping his hooves together. "You know, changeling collectors are trained in a multitude of even more pleasurable extraction techniques, so you can probably add that as part of the advertisement if it'll help."
"Really?" Raven finds herself asking.
"mhmm," Anon says with a proud nod. "The Ponysutra is required reading for all changelings before they go out in the field."
"O-oh my, that's very... interesting," Raven says with a gulp.
"You know, the more you speak of your kind, the more I wonder if they had any influence on the old legends of incubus and succubi," Luna says dryly, which earns another nod from the prince.
"Oh yeah, Mom told me that was actually Grandma's idea. An added layer of misdirection in case a changeling ever got sloppy. That way ponies would would be looking for summoning circles and gateways to the Netherworld instead of right under their muzzles." Anon doesn't notice the stares for several seconds, and when he does, looks confused and asks, "What?"
Luna sighs, covering her face with a hoof as she mumbles, "We're agreeing to help literal sex demons. How did we end up here?"
"Um, actually he just said they were pretending to be sex demons, not that they literally were," Cadence corrects.
While Luna glares at her fellow princess, Celestia says, "Perhaps it's best if you keep that little tidbit secret for now. The task of getting ponies to accept changelings would be made more difficult by any... demonic association."
Anon opens his mouth, pauses, then sighs, "Okay, yeah, I can see that. Ponies are already pretty skittish towards creatures different from them."
"Hey, I take offense to that," Cadence says with a pout, getting Anon to chuckle.
"Current company excluded, of course," he corrects. "Still, I get where you all are coming from. Maybe we can keep the love-eating quiet until ponies get more used to us. I mean, we do still need help with regular food."
Raven blinks. "You mean you eat more than just love?"
Anon rolls his eyes good naturedly. "Well yeah. We're not like, say, wendigos who feed entirely on emotional energy. We're corporeal with living, breathing bodies. Those tend to need at least some food and water to sustain themselves and grow."
"And you have a shortage in that regard, as well?" Celestia asks curiously.
"Yeah," he confirms. "Though it does cycle back to our love shortage. See, love also powers our magic, and with so little going around, that means we have little magic to spare. And, well, how much food could you ponies grow without magic?"
It's Luna who answers, looking deep in thought. "non-earth pony crop yields are typically far smaller than earth pony farms of equal size, and uncontrolled weather in Zebrica damaging crops has always been an issue... Yes, I can imagine trying to feed your people without magically assisted farming is quite difficult."
"That's an understatement," Anon agrees with a tired smile. "Plus we live in the Badlands, so the soil isn't exactly ideal for growing crops to begin with. Mostly we rely on mushroom farms underground alongside insects and whatever rodents are unfortunate enough to find themselves in our tunnels."
All ponies present turn a little green at that, Cadence even gagging under her breath. Raven, ever the polite one, gives a sympathetic smile and says, "That sounds just awful."
"You're telling me. I swear if I have to eat one more bowl of mole rat stew, I'm going to lose it."
"How carnivorous are changelings?" Celestia asks. "While it'll be less complicated to provide aide in the form of physical food, Equestria won't be able to provide much in the way of meats for obvious reasons."
"Oh, not very," he informs, much to their relief. "We can eat just about anything. Pony food is actually really popular back home and changelings often bring some back with them whenever they return from gathering love here."
"And just how often is that?" Luna questions, eyes narrowed. "It sounds like your kind have been illegally crossing our borders and... well, let's face it, molesting, if not outright raping our subjects for a long while now."
"Sister!" Celestia starts, but is cut off surprisingly by Prince Anon himself.
"It's been our way since before Equestria was founded."
"And you see no problem with that?" Luna asks, though it sounds more like an accusation.
"Is that what you think?" Anon fires back, expression hard. "You don't think I know how messed up it is? How it would look to others? I know how we changelings will be seen if we reveal ourselves and our past, but that's exactly what it is. The past." He takes a deep breath as if to calm himself. "I'm not going to apologize for what we are. Even if we need love to survive, that doesn't make us monsters. But I can acknowledge that how we've gone about getting that love until now has been morally questionable."
The steel in his eyes softens to something more pleading as he looks at the mares, his sad gaze lingering a moment on Raven, making her chest tighten. "That's why I came here. That's why I've gone against everything changelings have believed for generations to ask for help. I don't just want to save my people, I want to make them and their lives better. We've lived for so long in the darkness, struggling just to survive." He swallows thickly as he continues. "You know, in our hive, we have a library, full of silk scrolls created by our ancestors. Stories, sciences, philosophies, spells. I've read most of them, I felt it was my duty as Prince to know my people's history, but recently, I've realized something. Those scrolls? Written by changelings scholars and authors? They're all old. For well over a hundred years now, a changeling hasn't created something new. None have the time or energy anymore." He shakes his head. "More than anything, I want changelings to be able to create again, not just live day to day worrying about when the next meal will be. Do you understand?"
The mares share a look, Cadence with tears in her eyes she tries to wipe away covertly, Luna with a guilty expression, and Celestia with sympathy. Raven, however, is not hiding as tears run down her cheeks and she steps forward. "We understand, Prince Anonymous, and we'll do everything we can to help you. But for now, I'd like to ask, may I hug you?"
Anon looks surprised, but smiles. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." Then Anon finds himself held against the unicorn, his head over her shoulder as she rubs up and down his back tenderly. Anon closes his eyes and hugs her back, reveling in the comforting contact, meant not to provide food, but merely to provide solace and friendship.
He's glad he decided to come here.
It's ironic that, as someone who thrives on manipulating emotions, Queen Chrysalis is currently struggling to control her own. Anger and worry are warring in her heart as she glares into the distance at the moon-silhouetted city of Canterlot.
Where her son is currently being held.
And there are more emotions in that.
Disappointment, both towards him for being so foolish as to get caught, and in herself for failing to raise him right. It's not her fault, though. That boy's always been strong willed to the point of pig-headedness, a source of both pride and frustration for his poor mother. He's smart, but that's led to him thinking he knows better than his own mom, and now he's gone and tossed himself to their enemies.
Her chest tightens at the thought of what could be occurring in there. No doubt those equine vermin are torturing her poor son for information on her invasion plan. She's sure he won't crack, at least not immediately, he's always been tough for a male, but the sooner she can rescue him, the better. If anything, their existence is already out there, so she at least won't have to worry about being subtle.
Smash and grab operations often get messy, but she has little in the way of options or time to pursue different avenues of rescue, and so now she waits as her soldiers get into position to storm the castle. A two pronged infiltration starting at the top and bottom of the castle and sweeping through the structure to find their captive prince and meet in the middle to fight their way out. After all, he's either in the dungeons at the base, or one of the royal bedchambers at the top.
Her jaw clenches at the mental image of one of those overgrown horses in tiaras using her son like that, and she has to force it from her mind before it drives her to charge the castle before it's time. "My Queen!" a voice in her mind calls.
"Yes, Captain? Are you in position?"
"No! I-it's the prince, your Highness!"
She growls, standing up as her wings buzz in agitation. "Do you have a visual?" she demands even as her mind supplies the horrid possibility that would mean. After all, the captain should be outside one of Princess Celestia's personal offices, so if she can see her son, that most likely means...
"Yes! I see him, he's, he's-!"
"Out with it! What are they doing to my son?!"
"They're leading him out the front gates! He's being escorted by a unicorn mare not in the armor of a guard!"
"What?" Chrysalis questions, smacking the side of her head to make sure her reception isn't on the fritz. Surely she's misheard her captain.
"He's in disguise, but it's definitely the prince. I can smell his royal musk from here!"
There's a gasp and Chrysalis growls. "What?! What just happened?!"
"T-the Prince, he just pecked the mare on the cheek! She's very flustered, your Highness!"
Chrysalis can hardly believe it. Did her son manage to seduce his way out of captivity? While the prince performed well in practice for seduction and manipulation tactics, he always showed an unusual discomfort at the idea of actually applying those skills for real. Idly, she wonders if starvation has finally won out over his misguided morality and forced him to see reason, or if he's simply gone insane and is no longer burdened by such thoughts.
... Probably the latter considering all that has transpired today.
There's a sudden presence in her mind, gently prodding her connection to the hive, and she sighs as she opens it up and allows their errant prince re-entry into the network. As soon as he's in, the entire hive mind is filled with frantic inquiries of his health and why he left which takes nearly a minute to settle.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm very sorry I left like that without warning. No, it's not because I was mad- Oh no, it wasn't because of you, sweetie! I could never be angry with you- or you- of course you too."
"I'm glad to hear you aren't angry, my wayward son," Chrysalis growls through the connection. "Because I am absolutely furious and wouldn't want to have to shout over you. Come here."
"Ah, hello, Mother, I didn't expect you to-"
"Now."
"Right... I'll be right there."
Chrysalis waits, scowl on her face as her captain gives the play-by-play of Anon's goodbye to the pony mare before sauntering away and turning into a owl as soon as he's around a corner. A few minutes later, he settles atop a boulder near her, and she turns her glare towards him. He at least has the decency to look guilty as he returns to his true form and opens his mouth.
He's cut off by her magic washing over him and the sudden shiver it causes. "Wow! What are you doing?!"
"Scanning you for any charms or spells. I wouldn't put it passed the ponies to plant a tracking spell on you in the hopes of following you back to our Hive."
"They wouldn't do that," Anon says as he shakes like a wet dog once she's finished.
"Oh? And you know them so well, how?" she fires back. "You've hardly even talked to a pony before tonight, and now your an expert on their immortal rulers?"
"Well, did you find any spells?" he asks, getting her frown to deepen, which causes him to smile. "Then I guess I can't be that far off, can I?"
"Your arrogance will be the death of you," Chrysalis begins as she steps towards him. "And you will drag the rest of us down with you."
"Um, m-mom?"
She looms over him, her full height casting a long shadow as he leans back and gulps, staring up into her hard eyes. "What you have done tonight is beyond reckless and selfish. As Prince of the changelings, it is your duty to protect our people, not put them in harms way."
"I did this for our people-" he tries, but she continues.
"Did you even think of what would have happened if you had come to harm? So many of our subjects look up to you. You are their light, and the light of our hive. You are the reason many changelings even get up in the morning." She raises a hoof, and he flinches, but no strike comes. Instead, she grabs the back of his head and pulls it to her chest as she leans down and whispers. "We... I couldn't take that. Losing you. I'm worn so thin, Anon. So many days I feel like I'm going to come undone, but I remind myself I must remain strong for you and the others. So please, I'm begging you, never do something like this again."
Anon remains silent for several moments, breathing against her chest, before finally saying, "I'll try."
She frowns. "Try? I would like more than just trying."
"And I wish I could promise more, but I can't just keep sitting around while things continue to get worse." He wiggles until he's looking up at her, eyes focused and determined. "You say I'm the reason changelings get up in the morning? Then I want to give them more reasons. I want them to live full, happy lives, and I can't do that alone."
"And you don't have to," Chrysalis responds, letting go of her son when he steps back. "I want the same thing, and I will achieve it for us."
Anon sighs. "One way or another, right?" he whispers, getting her to furrow her brow.
"Yes, I suppose so."
"And the one way you're intent on is invasion and conquest."
She stands straighter. "... Yes."
"What about the other, though?"
"Excuse me?"
"If it's one way or another, that means there's other options. War isn't the only way we can save the changelings. We need to negotiate."
Chrysalis growls. "I've already told you, there is no negotiation with ponies."
"But there is!" he practically shouts, gesturing towards the castle in the distance. "I proved it tonight. I talked to the princesses. All three of them, and they agreed to help us! And I didn't sugarcoat it either, if that's what you're thinking. I told them we feed on love and they know the sorts of things we do to get it. I even told them about what you wanted to do-"
"You insolent-!"
"And they still agreed to help!" he yells over her. "After all that, they still agreed to help! They aren't the intolerant, hateful creatures you think they are, Chrysalis! All they ask in return is honesty and for us to stop harming their subjects! If we can just do that, they'll give us food. They've already agreed to supply relief packages, and they're willing to look into alternative, consensual ways of allowing us to harvest love."
"You would have us beg for scraps, then? Is that it?" she snaps back. "Or do you think they're truly doing this out of the goodness of their hearts? Tell me, Prince Anonymous, how long before we become their servants? Sex slaves and spies. I can see it now, a collar around every changeling's neck, all for a few dredges of love and the same slop they feed to the pigs."
Anon clenches his jaw. "That's not what they want."
"Oh? Then tell me, what is it they asked for? They must want something, even if they haven't told you yet. The bill will come due, and then all changelings will pay the price."
His lips form a thin line as he holds her gaze for several seconds, then he growls, "Fine, you're right, they did ask for something."
She smirks, vindicated. "Of course they did. That altruistic dribble their kind constantly spouts off is just moral posturing so that they can feel better than the rest of us."
He shrugs. "Guess you've got them all figured out."
"I do," she says before her expression grows hard once more. "So, what is it? What's the price for their aid?"
"It's nothing terrible, if that's what you're thinking," he answers. "A formal alliance between our kingdoms."
She blinks. "An alliance? And they expect us to trust them to treat us fairly? Or for us not to betray them, for that matter. I know Celestia is not that foolish."
"Exactly right. Mere words alone would never be enough to ensure amiable treatment towards each other, that's why they want something more that just a mere promise. They want a political marriage."
Her head jerks back, thoughts of that insufferable Prince Blueblood her spies have told her about coming to mind. "They're insane if they expect me to marry one of their kind!" she spits angrily. "I refuse!"
He tilts his head curiously. "Well, of course they don't expect you to marry one of them. You're the Queen." She begins to relax, until he finishes. "They want me to marry the mare, Raven Inkwell, Celestia's right hoof who's soon to be raised as head of her own noble house."
The queen's expression shifts so fast and so drastically from one to another that one might assume her innate shapeshifting is at play before settling on something flat and cold. "Is that so?" she asks.
"Yeah, but I'm okay with it. Raven's a good mare and- where are you going?"
"Obviously I'm going to go kill Celestia."
"Wha-? Hey! Stop!"
"I will not! If that overgrown meal ticket thinks she can choose who MY son marries she has another thing coming! Namely my horn through her eye!"
"Mom! It's not that bad!"
"And not even a royal, no less! Just some pauper who's risen up by suckling at an alicorn's teat! A manipulative, lying,-"
"Raven's not like that! She's smart, hardworking, and full of love!"
"Oh, I'm sure. Lust, more like it, and I'm not going to let her near you, now get out of my way."
"I know the difference between lust and love as well as you do-"
"A scheming little worm the likes Canterlot breeds is well beyond a sheltered hatching's experience. She would have you believe she's a saint even as she drags you to bed to-"
"Enough! If she's as dishonest as you seem to think, then explain this!" Anon leaps up and grabs the larger changeling's head, yanking it down to his level. She growls and prepares to berate him, but then he presses his nose to hers, their lips an inch apart as he parts his own and lets a stream of green vapor flow out. She inhales it without thinking, then instinct takes over and she's gulping it down.
So pure.
So clean.
And not a hint of the bitterness that usually accompanies stolen love or the sour aftertaste obtained through dishonesty. Such flavors were so common to their kind as to be nearly unnoticeable now, except for when it was absent. In the rare moments such as these, every changeling has the same thought.
How did I ever even manage to swallow love tainted by those impurities?
In a way, tasting love of this quality is almost cruel for how rare an experience it is. Even Chrysalis herself only experienced it years ago from a wounded and very strange traveler she had rescued from certain death in the wastes. Anon's own father and namesake.
A tear rolls down her cheek as the stream of energy tapers off, leaving only memories of her lost love.
Anon leans back slowly to look at her. "She gave that to me freely when I told her that we needed love and that I was starving. Even after I drank from her and she was weakened, I felt no animosity from her, and I have no doubt she would have given more if I asked. That's just the kind of person she is. Giving and driven by a desire to help others. Say what you will about the princesses, but leave Raven out of it."
Chrysalis lifts her head slowly, looking from her son to the castle in the distance. After several seconds, she sighs and turns around. "Come we have much to discuss."
"Are you going to let the ponies help?"
"... We shall see. But first, I want to know more about your meeting... And this Raven."
Anon smiles and trots after her.
Once again Princess Celestia finds herself, along with three of the mares she trusts most, waiting in a meeting room. One a little larger this time to account for the new addition of Captain Shining Armor, as well as two guests of the non-pony variety who would be arriving soon.
Another change compared to last time is her assistance's demeanor. She might have been a bit nervous before, but she had covered it up admirably while they waited for Prince Anonymous to arrive. Now she's a sweating, tomato-faced mess.
It's gotten so bad that Celestia even covertly offered to magically wick the moisture away when the guests finally arrive as to help her make a first good impression. After all, one only gets one chance when meeting your potential mother-in-law. At that thought, Celestia reflects on the night of their first meeting with the changeling prince, and the two missives she received after.
One was delivered to a tower guard by a frantic owl. The other tied to a brick magically launched through the glass of her bedroom window. The former was from Anonymous, and the latter his mother.
Anon's letter bore the marks of one hastily written, reading as:
Dear Princess Celestia, sorry for dropping off a letter so soon, but things got a little more complicated after our meeting concluded.
Turns out my mother caught onto me sooner than expected, and was waiting only a short ways outside of the city when I left. Pretty sure she and some guards were planning an assault on the castle to rescue me before I stopped them. Anyway, she was obviously quite upset with me, and would hear nothing of our plans to have Equestria lend aid to the changelings. She's adamant in her belief that ponies would never help us unless you had something to gain, and so, to get her to even consider the offer as anything other than a trap, I had to tell a lie.
I told her you did want something, and well...
Remember how, a little before I left, Cadence brought up the whole political marriage stuff to fluster Raven? Raven insisted it was a joke and that neither she nor any of you would ever expect me to enter an arranged marriage with her, and I completely believe that.
She's just too nice.
My mother, however, completely believes you'd demand something along those lines, and while quite angry about it, puts more credibility in your offered aid being genuine as a result. So in conclusion, Mom thinks you want an alliance between our peoples in return for aid, and that I'm to marry Miss Inkwell to seal the deal.
I'm sorry, but it was the only thing I could think of in the moment. I hope Miss Inkwell understands and doesn't end up hating me. Mom will want to meet with you soon to discuss the finer details of our alliance. Maybe we can think of something other than forcing Miss Inkwell into an unwanted marriage to officiate it?
Hope you can come up with a solution to the problem I've made.
Prince Anonymous.
Yes, the situation is delicate to be sure, and out of all of them, Raven had to feel the most pressured, not only because of how she's involved, but also due to the contents of the other letter.
To the most loathed Princess Celestia, congratulations.
You've managed to convince a changeling, a creature raised on subterfuge and deceit, that you have nothing but noble intentions for our kind. Your skills at manipulation rivals that of our finest infiltrators and no doubt reflect your vast experience at beguiling other's to your side. I now see how you've managed to convince the world of your benevolence, despite how you openly banished your own sister for a thousand years merely for the crime of seeking her dues after aiding in the rule of your kingdom unrecognized from your shadows for so long.
Yes, you are truly a mare worthy of both respect and hatred, and honestly, I find myself with mixed feelings on who you've decided to bind my son to. After all, while I'd obviously tear your throat out before I allowed you to defile Anonymous, I can't deny you are a worthy mare. One of the few alive worthy to wed my son, if only by your power and cunning.
More than I can say for one Raven Inkwell.
Frankly, it's insulting that you think my son, a prince and royal in his own right, is not worthy of a spouse of equal standing, but, luckily for you, he's expressed his willingness to marry Miss Inkwell, so for now, I'm assenting to his wishes. From what he's told me, she seems a decent enough sort, ignoble birth notwithstanding. In fact, I've come to tentatively agree with my son that she is a kind, loving mare, and will thus provide a a steady food supply for him.
Though I hope she doesn't intend to have him live in that minuscule home of hers on the corner of Saddle and Stirrup street. Her interior design sense could also use some work, too. I don't want for my son's abode to look like a museum, after all. And of course there are the in-laws to consider.
Anonymous would be just devastated if her mother and father didn't approve of him. They're retired to that quint little town, Hope Hollow, correct? Yes, she has a lot of work to do before I'll consider her truly worthy of my son, but I'm sure she'll have plenty of time to improve herself before the wedding. An event I'm going to want majority control over, seeing as how my input on it even happening wasn't considered in the least until now.
An insult I hope you intend to amend when we meet face to face. A meeting that will be soon, as we will have a great deal to discuss.
Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings.
The threat was clear, and had Raven shaking after they had read the letter together. Even after sending guards to protect her parents as well her staying in a guest room of the castle, she's been a nervous wreck. It pained Celestia to see her friend that way, but she did her best not to let the anger towards the changeling queen affect the upcoming negotiations.
This Chrysalis is in a difficult position, facing both a species-wide crisis on top of what would become a massive cultural shift for her people as their previous way of life would not be able to persist unchanged after her son outed them. A son who she also believes is being forced into a marriage with a mare she's never met. And so, Celestia would cut the foreign royal some slack and be civil.
She just hopes the queen returns the favor and acts halfway to cordial herself. This is supposed to be an official diplomatic meeting, after all, and she doubts she'll be able to remain professional if Chrysalis sees fit to verbally attack the other ponies present. She can weather insults slung her way with practiced ease, but those directed towards her family or friends have always caused her blood to boil.
There's a knock at the door, and one of her guards enters at her command. They'd been informed that they were expecting a very important pair of ponies and an unspecified amount of their entourage, but judging by the crack in the guard's stoic facade, something has gone amiss. As he opens the door fully to allow their visitors in, Celestia can see why.
The hall leading to the meeting room is filled with dozens of ponies, all different in appearance, yet eerily uniform in how they've taken up position lining the walls. All there eyes focused intently on the pair now stepping in, one, a familiar dark stallion, and the other a unicorn mare with a light green coat, orange mane, and ladybug cutie mark.
She'd honestly be quite unassuming in appearance, if she didn't hold herself with the air of a queen. Which Celestia guesses is probably the case. Prince Anonymous, in contrast, looks sheepish as he walks in, head low and a small, apologetic smile on his lips.
"Um, sorry for bringing so many guests," he says with a forced chuckle. "Hope the invite wasn't a plus one sort of deal."
"Our subjects only wish to keep you safe, Anonymous, which, after your recent habit of tossing yourself into the lions' den, is a perfectly valid desire," answers the mare haughtily as she scans the room.
Her sharp green eyes pass dismissively over Shining armor, flash with something akin to respect on Luna, glow with hunger upon the Princess of Love, and not quite concealed disdain when looking at Celestia, which the solar diarch suspects is intentional. Especially since, once the queen's eyes land on Raven, her expression smooths out, not a hint of her feelings showing on the surface.
"I can take care of myself," grumbles Anon.
"Can you? As I remember, last time you were left to your own devices, you ended up engaged with a complete stranger."
"That's not..." Anon begins, but just heaves a sigh and trudges the rest of the way into the room and towards the table as the door is shut behind them. "Let's just start the meeting." Walking passed Princess Cadence and her coltfriend with a nod, Anon plops down in the seat Cadence insisted be left open.
"I presume you're Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, yes?" Celestia decides to start, causing the shorter mare to sniff derisively.
"A phenomenal deduction. I can certainly tell it would be a fool's errand trying to slip anything passed you."
"Truly, my sister is quite perceptive to identify you correctly," Luna cuts in, eyes narrowed. "After all, you certainly don't conduct yourself as a queen should."
Chrysalis turn's her gaze to the dark alicorn, a hint of something almost akin to approval in her expression before the bored mask is back in place. "Ah, Princess Luna, I almost didn't see you there from within your sister's shadow. How kind of her to allow you to think you'll be participating in this meeting."
"Why you little-!" Luna begins, rising from her seat with a snarl, only to come to a halt as Celestia holds up a wing.
"Calm yourself sister. She's clearly trying to ignite conflict here so as to prove her perception of us correct. Isn't that right, Queen Chrysalis?" Luna's scowl deepens, but she returns to her seat, earning a slight frown from the queen before it's turned on Celestia.
"Whatever do you mean, Princess? I'm not doing a thing."
"Yes you are, Mom," Anon cuts in, his forehooves folded over his chest as he looks at her in frustration. "You just want to make them lash out so you can say 'I told you so,' and call the whole peaceful negotiation thing off. I can already tell you that it's not going to work, though."
"That's right, " Cadence interjects with a smile. "We aren't going to give up on helping your people out just because you're being a major jerk. You're stuck with us. Isn't that right, Raven?"
"Oh! Ah, y-yes, that's right. We have every intention of lending aid to the changelings, regardless of whether or not you wish to accept it," Raven says, adjusting her glasses as she offers a tentative smile. "It would, um, it would certainly make things easier if you accepted it, though."
Bright green eyes snap to the unicorn mare and practically glow green as Chrysalis hisses, "I suppose you, more than any of the ponies in this room, would want that. After all, my changelings wouldn't make effective pawns if they're half-starved, right?" Chrysalis stalks towards Raven, who takes a half-step back. "Tell me, do you think marrying my son will make you a princess? That you'll suddenly have command over my subjects? If finally having power of your own, as opposed to being the Sun's little servant for the rest of your life is what motivates you, than you might as well know that won't be the case."
Raven isn't sure if it's her imagination, or a subtle use of shapeshifting, but she's certain the changeling queen wasn't this tall as she looms over her, glaring down with slit pupils. "I am the sole ruler of my people, and they wouldn't follow a single command from a worm like you unless I approved it, so perhaps it'd be best for all involved if you squash those expectations now before I have to do the same to your-",
"That's enough, Mother," A deep voice growls just as a green barrier springs up between the two mares and forces Chrysalis back a step. Turning to look at the rest of the room, Chrysalis sees all the ponies frozen in positions suggesting they were about to intervene, but it's her son that is standing directly behind her and sporting a glare she'd never seen on the colt before. "We've come here today to ask for help, not act like deranged sociopaths. If you can't conduct yourself in a civilized manner, then maybe I should take the lead on behalf of our subjects' best interests."
Chrysalis stares, as wide-eyed as the others in the room. She can hardly believe that her son, the once cute, silly, near-perpetually cheerful grub, would not only show such hostility towards her, but do so in defense of a pony. It both infuriates her, yet makes her strangely proud.
She had long ago discarded the notion that Anon could be anything more to their subjects than a beacon of hope and source of good cheer. Yet, now she's seeing a stronger, fiercer side of her offspring she never thought existed. Still, there are ponies watching, so she chooses to feign indifference and roll her eyes.
"Apologies, my son, I didn't know you'd already grown attached to your new pet." She turns her disinterested gaze back to Raven, who barely resists flinching away. "I suppose it's at least comforting to know you won't be the one wearing a collar if this ridiculous marriage comes to be," she says as Anon lowers his barrier and takes a step back, though keeping a stern look on his face.
"Right..." Cadence says slowly, sitting back down with her coltfriend, who is sporting a similar expression as Anon. "Can we just all agree to keep the teat-weighing to a minimum from here on?"
"I agree," Celestia says. "There's more important things to discuss than my assistant's character. Though I feel I must tell you, Queen Chrysalis, that Ms. Inkwell is a gentlemare of impeccable morals. You have no need to fear her mistreating your son."
"Of course you would say that," Chrysalis responds, but moves to sit in one of the open seats. The room only has one desk, which Celestia sits behind, but there are multiple plush chairs and a love seat lining the room for everyone to get comfortable in.
Luna occupies the chair closest to the desk on the right side of the room, then the next is quickly occupied by Raven. Cadence and Shining are curled up on the love seat to the left, then Anon and Chrysalis take up the other two seats next to it. There's a long moment of silence as everyone simply stares at each other, some nervous, other's hostile.
"Alright, I guess I'll start," Anon pipes up, looking to Celestia. "When I last left, you said you would begin looking into the creation of relief packages."
Celestia smiles gently and nods. "Yes, and they've already begun assembly. As of right now, there are already over a thousand ready to be shipped out, with more being produced."
Chrysalis narrows her eyes. "And pray tell, just what will be in these relief packages? Bread baked with saw dust? Rancid milk labeled as cheese?"
"For crying out loud, no, Mom!" Anon says, throwing his hooves up in exasperation. "Assuming they did what we discussed, it should be filled with baking supplies, isn't that right, Princess Celestia?"
Celestia nods at the stallion. "Yes, sugar, flour, oil, eggs, baking powder, as well as dried berries, nuts, and other preserved goods."
Chrysalis raises an eyebrow. "All raw ingredients?"
Anon chimes in. "Yeah, I figured since you were going to have everything checked for poison or whatever, raw ingredients would be easier to inspect. Plus I took the liberty of digging out a bunch of old changeling recipe scrolls from our archives. You know, give our people a chance to explore some of our heritage, and, well, let's be honest, you aren't the only stubborn changeling in the hive when it comes to accepting help."
"I am not stubborn!" Chrysalis snaps. "I'm a realist, and realistically, it's foolish to expect help from outsiders."
Anon rolls his eyes. "Sure, and as queen, of course quite a few of our subjects take your opinions as fact. This way will make it easier for those changelings to feel like they aren't accepting charity outright as they have to put in the work to actually make and cook the ingredients themselves."
"That's incredibly well thought out, Prince Anon," Raven says with a bit of awe. "Here in Equestria, we have a few welfare programs in place, too, for those in need, but they see little use. I'd like to believe it's because our Kingdom is simply that prosperous, but in truth I know it's because the pride of many mares out there forbid them from applying to such programs, even when their families are in need. It's as if doing so for them is a perceived admittance to their failings as providers."
Chrysalis feels like she should be offended, though she doesn't know why. She's an excellent provider for her subjects, it's simply the world that is working against them that has had them fall on hard times. Regardless, seeing her son outright blush and beam like the sun at the unicorn mare's words distracts her from saying anything.
"Thanks! And hey, if it's pride that's keeping those ponies from accepting help, you just have to make them feel like they're earning it, right? Have you thought about making the programs into public works? Like, make the help the payment for volunteer community services, like digging roadside ditches or filling in potholes. Simple stuff, but it would keep their pride intact while letting them help their families."
"That's an excellent idea!" Raven says, levitating out a notepad and pencil to make a note. "You're a genius!"
"D'aw, Shiny, look! They're already work shopping policies together, isn't that cute?"
"Yep, that's true love right there. Reminds me of when you and I worked on updating the training drills for the guards."
"I was unaware we were starting this meeting off with lunch, but I supposed I won't refuse if you're going to roll out the buffet like this," Chrysalis says dryly as she stares at the two lovebirds. It's said mostly in jest, but the love exuding from the pair of ponies is rather distracting.
Not nearly as much as the response, though, as the couple look at her and the pink alicorn shrugs. "I mean, sure, we can, if you really want a nibble."
Her dull expression craps, eyes widening as she blurts, "Excuse me?!"
"What? I mean, we are here to discuss helping feed the changelings, and your a hungry changeling, right?" Cadence says, gesturing up and down at the disguised queen. "Besides, I don't know about you, but I hate working on an empty stomach. Makes me grumpy. What was it your first letter said, Anon? Your mom gets megalomanic when she's hungry?"
"he said what?" Chrysalis grits out while leveling a harsh glare towards her sheepish son.
"Eheh... I might have written something like that..."
"And if how rude you've been is any indication, that's probably not far off, so yeah," Cadence chimes back in. "If Shining is cool with it, we can share some love with you real quick."
"This is preposterous! Am I joke to you?!" Chrysalis yells, jumping from her seat. "I will not have the plights of my people be made a mockery of!"
"Wow now, Ma'am," Shining cuts in, putting a protective hoof across his marefriend's chest. "We aren't making fun of you, and yes, Cadence, I wouldn't mind sharing some love with the queen."
Anon perks up, looking at the other stallion. "Really? You'd be alright with that?"
Shining shrugs. "As a guard, it's my sworn duty to serve Equestria in any way I can and maintain harmony. If feeding your mom some love will help these peace talks go more smoothly, then, well, it's my duty to oblige."
"Ah, Shining, that's why I love you so much," Cadence says as she nuzzles his cheek. "Always so giving." Punctuating her statement with a peck, she leans back and scoots as far to the side as she can while he does the same in the opposite direction, leaving some space in between them which she taps with a hoof. "Come on, Chryssy, take a seat and let us love you."
"C-chryssy?!" the previously composed queen sputters. "You can't be serious right now!"
"There are two things I never joke about, mare, and one of them is love, now are you going to be the filling in this snuggle sandwich or not? It's not gay as long as there's a stallion involved, you know?" Cadence says with a smirk as she taps the cushion again.
Chrysalis is at war with herself. On one hoof, she already feels utterly embarrassed, and taking the couple up on the offer would only make it worse. But on the other, it's practically unspoken changeling law than any opportunity for easy love must be capitalized on for the good of the hive.
In the end, she tells herself that she's gaining an extra meal for her subjects, and hesitantly moves closer. The pony pair give her welcoming smiles, even if the stallion's holds a hint of caution that really should be in his mare's. Seriously, who lets an apex predator this close to their mate? Especially when said mate is a mere mortal and you are a demi-goddess?
Doesn't this foolish alicorn know how easily Chrysalis could sink her fangs into Shining's neck sitting so close to him? She'd only do so to inject him with aphrodisiac venom, which she's certainly not foolish enough to attempt while surrounded on all sides by enemies and with her son in the room, but still, the arrogance is irksome. Nevertheless, Chrysalis won't say no to her enemies giving her free power.
Trying to regain some dignity, the queen holds her head a little higher as she spins around, then lowers her royal bottom between the two ponies, posture regal and rigid. As she does, she nearly goes slack and slumps as her short descent is akin to lowering herself into a perfectly warm bubble bath. At this proximity, she can literally feel their love for each other washing over her being as it passes between them, and she has to fight the urge to drop her disguise just so she can feel the radiating emotions upon her bear carapace.
Unabated, a small moan parts her lip, and in an instant, her tongue is awash in the flavors of young, but true love. Still spicy and fresh, but incredibly deep. "Oooh, Shiny, I think she likes it," Cadence coos, looking around the queen's back to smile at her coltfriend who's mirroring her.
"I think she does. So, how is our love, Queen Chrysalis? Good?"
Giving a quick shake of her head and clamping her mouth shut, she clears her throat and says through clenched teeth, "It's... adequate."
"Adequate, hm? I think that means we're gonna have to kick it up a notch," Cadence says with a devious smirk.
"What do you have in mind?" Shining asks.
"This," is all she says as she moves her head back around to their guest's front, Shining once again moving to mimic her, only to have the back of his head captured in a pink aura and pushed forward to meet her.
Chrysalis yelps as two ponies begin making out practically in her lap. Scratch that, with Cadence pulling her stallion closer while scooching forward herself, they are in her lap as Chrysalis is practically forced into the back of the coach and given an impromptu backstage pass to his makeout show.
"W-what are you two doing?!" she nearly screeches, getting Cadence to open one eye to look at her.
She breaks the Prench kiss and winks. "Rolling out the buffet, remember? Eat up while it's still hot, Chryssy." Then the two are back at it, and Chrysalis gapes, which in her turn allows love to flood her mouth. She practically has no control as she starts to swallow, her hungry body desperate for sustenance not willing to let a drop of this bounty go to waste.
From an outsider's perspective, it probably looks like she's panting, hot and bothered by the lewd situation she's found herself in. She can't care less how undignified she looks in that moment as she attempts to fill what she'd always believed was a bottomless pit inside of her. How could she not when, all of her long life, she had never once managed to feel 'full' like her subjects could claim on rare occasion.
Yet, here she is, devouring passion, love, and no small amount of lust like she's never had before, and it just keeps coming until finally, unbelievably, her reservoir starts to bulge like water at the precipice of flowing over the lip of a glass.
It was the curse of changeling queens. One of their many purposes within the hive was to serve as a reserve, a final stockpile of the entire colony's love in case of utter disaster. In the time of ancients, when her people first settled the Badlands, long before her birth, or her mother's, or even grandmother's, the first settler queen of their current home stumbled there.
Alone.
No hive and body scarred.
Something had wiped out her subjects, and with no hope to stop this purge, the queen had been forced to do what all queens must be prepared to do. She took into herself all of her hive's love, and fled. That love sustained her for years as she ran and hid from that which wished her kind extinct, until finally, finding herself free of her hunter's malignant gaze and in a foreign land, she could put down roots.
She settled, laying her first clutch and digging out the rudimentary tunnels that would become the skeleton of their home. The love of her people lasted through it all, such was the near-infinite capacity for love a queen was both blessed and burdened with.
And Chrysalis has now reached her limit, just as the two ponies break away, gasping, leaning against her chest with tired eyes. "Wow... I... Ah... I think we got carried away," Shining breathes.
"Yeah," Cadence responds. "That's my bad... On the bright side... I think I just discovered a new kink for both of us."
"What's that?"
"Exhibitionism... Don't tell me you didn't enjoy given them all a show, too."
"M-maybe a little," he mumbles with a blush. They both look over at the crowd of ponies.
Raven has her red face covered by both forelegs, but with one brown iris visibly peaking through a small gap. Celestia is stone-faced, but her cheeks are tinged pink and her eyelid is twitching. And Luna, beet-red, eyes wide and pupils shrunk, is openly gaping at the sight, sweat beaded up on her forehead. She looks around frantically, spots a pitcher of ice water on the trolley laden with refreshments that had been set aside for later, and grabs it in her magic.
She pours the entire thing over her head, starry mane instantly being weighted down as the mare gasps from the shock. She shivers for a couple of seconds, then ignites her horn, evaporating all of the water and even the ice cubes stuck in her mane in an instant, filling the air with a cool mist.
Shining says quietly, "I'm sooo glad we didn't invite my sister to this."
"So, Mother," Anon says after watching the whole thing with a smug smile. "do you still think that ponies wouldn't give love to changelings willingly?"
"I think..." Chrysalis drawls, one eye blinking, then the other. "I think..."
Anon's smile starts to fade as he asks, "Mom? Are you alright?"
"I think," she mumbles again, a line of pink leaking from her left nostril, causing all the ponies in the room to gasp. Raven starts to say something about taking her to the medical wing while Luna and Celestia stand. Anon is up and in front of his mother, holding her lulling head in his hooves as Cadence and Shining both stand to give the queen space.
"Mom! What happened why are you- wait, what even is this?" he begins to say, furrowing his brow and leaning in to look more closely at the mare's nose. "Is this... honey? I've never seen it pink before."
"I- urk!" Chrysalis begins, blinking rapidly as she comes to her senses, only to lurch forward, her cheeks puffing out as more pink goo leaks from between her lips. She's so full of love that it's literally threatening to burst out of her. The pressure, the fullness, is both bliss and pain as she swallows down and gasps. "I think I need to go!" she rasps, pushing past her son and running towards the door, ignoring the worried calls after her as she throw them open.
Her subjects are still there, milling about, some even talking with ponies, but they quickly snap to attention at her presence. "My Queen! What's wrong- Mph?!" The nearest changeling goes to ask, rushing up to her, only to be grabbed and have their lips smashed into hers. The shock only grows as a thick, viscous mix of amorous emotions fills her mouth.
On instinct, the changeling, a praetorian guard disguised as a pastry chef from down the street, starts to swallow. Her body, on the brink of starvation for the last several months, ravenously starts to break down the substance from it's distilled, solid form to suffuse her every cell with life-giving energy.
Once she's full, Chrysalis pushes her away, letting her stumble almost drunkenly to lean against a wall, panting, eyes hazy, and with a dopey smile on her face, and then points rapidly at several stunned changelings. "You, you, and you! Come here, now!" They scramble to obey, and one by one, Chrysalis presses her lips to theirs and fills them. Once she feel like she's not about to burst and splatter the walls pink and green, Chrysalis breathes out a sigh and an order."Alright you four, return to the hive immediately and spread that love to those in critical condition."
They shake the dopey smiles from their faces and throw up sloppy solutes. "Yes, My Queen!" they all shoat before diving out the nearest window. At least one of them still had their wits enough about them that they opened it first with her horn before changing her disguise to have wings. Once that's done, Chrysalis turns around while assuring her subjects through the hive mind not to worry.
The ponies don't have this benefit, left utterly confused, but that's hardly her problem. Well, except for the room of ponies giving her confused, and even concerned looks in some cases. It's almost surreal to see the Princess of Love and her stallion looking at her with worry, even while still looking drained after she ate so much of their love.
"Mom, are you sure you're alright?" her son asks. "I'm sure we can put off this meeting until you're feeling better."
"And make our people wait longer for aid? No, if we're going to actually go through with this, we might as well be quick about it," she says with a huff, then slowly trots towards the couple who had fed her. "Besides, I'm feeling better than I have in a long time... These two are in worse shape. You should be asking them if they'd like to retire for the evening."
"Cadence, Captain, are you alright?" Celestia asks.
Cadence smiles and waves off the concern.
"We're fine, Aunty. This isn't the most warn out Shining and I have gotten before."
"Though there's usually a lot more involved than just kissing," Shining mumbles, then yawns and says louder. "I'm a bit tired, but I'm good."
"I saw chocolate on that trolley over there," Chrysalis observes. "Eat that."
"We did bring it in case of such a scenario," Luna says, side-eying Raven Inkwell. "Though admittedly, we didn't think it would be for those two specifically."
Raven blushes and quickly tries to change the subject. "I can send for coffee, as well, if you're tired."
She jolts as Chrysalis hisses at her, fangs visible and looking so out of place in a pony's mouth. "You will not bring that poison anywhere near my son!"
"W-what?!"
"Mom!" Anon shouts, jumping between the two mares as Chrysalis takes a threatening step forward. "Calm down! You know she didn't mean anything by it!"
Still glowering, Chrysalis nevertheless backs down. "If she's to be your wife, then she'll need to know how not to poison you."
"Poison?!" Raven squeaks. "I would never-!"
"Caffeine is lethal to changelings," Chrysalis interrupts.
"Only at certain dosages," Anon says, exasperated. "Some changelings even like the feeling a small amount can give them... Not that I would know."
"And you never will if I have any say on the matter. I will not have my son become a strung out caffeine junky."
"You won't even let me try a piece of milk chocolate!"
"Milk chocolate is a gateway drug! Soon you'll be eating dark chocolate, then you'll start popping coffee beans, and before you know it, you'll be found in the lower tunnels, overdosed! I've seen it before, Anon! Do you really want our subjects to go through that?"
"Fine! Whatever! I get it! Can we just get on with the meeting?"
"Ah, but this is really entertaining," Cadence says from back on the couch, snuggling with Shining and popping chocolate truffles into his mouth while he does the same for her. "And educational. So caffeine is poisonous to changelings, and chocolate is like a drug?"
"An incredibly addicting drug," Chrysalis grouses. "I can't tell you how many of our harvesters had to be reminded to not bring chocolate back to the hive. It does at least serve a purpose for the hive, helping you ponies generate more love." She wrinkles her snout in disgust. "Coffee, however, is like stripping away all the benefits of chocolate, and then concentrating the poison. Frankly, I don't understand how you haven't outlawed it yet. From what I've seen, it's horribly addictive to you ponies and even those at the highest level of governance are dependent on the stuff." She shakes her head and goes to sit down. "As far as I'm concerned, it's sheer dumb luck that those in the southern regions haven't realized the stranglehold they could have on Equestria through their holdings of coffee production."
"Don't you think you might be exaggerating a tad?" Celestia says with an amused smile, which Chrysalis hardly finds appropriate.
This certainly wouldn't be a laughing matter to her if she were in the predicament of over half her populous being addicted to a drug produced by foreign powers. After all, her changelings literally need the love of others to survive, and she's never found it one bit amusing. She doesn't say this, instead pointing at Princess Luna and dryly stating, "How about you ask your sister how much coffee she drinks in a night and then tell me it's not a problem."
Celestia blinks, then turns to Luna who's glaring at the changeling, her cheeks red. "Luna? What is she talking about? You don't drink that much coffee, do you?"
"Of course not! I only drink four servings a night!"
Celestia frowns. "Four cups? Luna, that is a bit excessive. You really should try and cut back."
Luna looks at her sister, confused. "Cups? No, I said servings. You know, the pots you brew it by. Why would I pour it into cups? That just dirties more dishes, and I'm sure the staff doesn't appreciate pointless extra busywork." Everyone staring gets Luna to look around in growing confusion. "What did I say?"
Celestia sighs, ignoring the smug look of the changeling queen, who had moved, not back to her seat, but between Shining and Cadence without thinking. "We'll talk about this later... and set up a physical with the castle physician," says the larger alicorn.
"Why? I feel fine, Tia."
"I want to make sure your heart hasn't been damaged by your incredibly unhealthy diet choices."
As Luna squawks in indignation, Cadence elbows Chrysalis gently in the side and whispers behind a hoof, "Bit of the pot calling the kettle black there, eh? With the way Celestia eats cake and all."
Chrysalis snorts in amusement. "Yes, it certainly did cross my mind to have the castle's head baker replaced by one of my changelings. She who controls the cakes, controls the Sun, after all."
"Oooh, you are devious!" Cadence says with a smirk, even as her husband tries to give the pair an abolishing look, though it's clearly tainted with amusement.
"Please don't encourage foalnapping. It makes more work for us guards."
While Cadence giggles and there's even an upwards twitch of the changeling queen's lips, Anon can only sigh and run a hoof down his face. Just as he opens his mouth, a hoof comes to gently rest on his shoulder and he looks back to see Raven giving him a sympathetic smile.
She steps forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with him and clears her throat. "While the last few minutes have been rather exciting and informative, I do believe we've gotten quite far off track. We were discussing the care packages, and their contents, which Queen Chrysalis should be glad to know contains no coco products or caffeine." She glances sideways at Anon and adds. "The prince had left us with a short list of things to leave out, but perhaps the Queen would like to see what has been included? I brought such a list, of course."
Chrysalis looks at the mare, specifically the hoof laid on her son's shoulder, with narrowed eyes, but doesn't comment and instead nods. "Yes, I would."
Raven retrieves a scroll that had been set on Celestia's desk and levitates it over to the disguised queen, who takes it in her own green glow. Unraveling the paper and going over it, Chrysalis doesn't see the look exchanged between her son and the sole true unicorn mare in the room as he mouths a silent thank you and returns to his seat. Raven looks around a moment, a blush forming on her cheeks, before she suddenly stands and shuffles over to the now vacant seat of Chrysalis closer to Anon and sits down, earning a approving nod from Cadence and a subtly surprised look from the other two princesses.
"Hmm... No peppermint, good. Such a horrid sent. Cinnamon? I suppose it's an acquired taste for some of my subjects. Vegetable oil? No soybean oil, right? It doesn't agree with most changelings, and I'd rather not have to air out the hive."
As Chrysalis goes down the list, removing a few items and suggesting replacements, the others find themselves surprised by how much more agreeable the changeling queen had become. "She must have been 'hangry', as the youths call it," Luna whispers to Celestia, who nods in agreement. She knows what it's like herself to try and govern on an empty stomach. She once had to work through tea time, and being deprived of her evening scones nearly had her reducing a particularly irksome noble to ash.
Luckily she only lit their toupée on fire before Raven intervened with a fire extinguisher and a call for a quick recess of court so that Celestia could go eat some snacks.
As Chrysalis finishes with her revisions, she levitates the scroll over to Celestia who takes it and nods after giving it a quick once-over. "I'll makes sure this is implemented before the relief packages are sent out."
"See that you do," Chrysalis says with a huff as she crosses her forelegs. "The next matter of business is my son's marital status, I presume?"
"Actually," Luna cuts in, eyes narrowing. "We still have the feeding of your subjects to discuss. More specifically, the methods that have been used so far, and how they will cease immediately or those relief packages shan't ever reach the Badlands."
"Excuse me?" Chrysalis whispers, eyes wide even as her son winces, recognizing that tone. "You dare presume to dictate our way of life, pony?"
"When that way involves the continued deception and assault of our subjects, certainly."
"If you think your pathetic little care packages are worth my subjects starving themselves of love, than you truly are as delusional as the Equestrian tales of Nightmare Moon claimed. Perhaps it truly was for the best that your sister struck down your pitiable little rebellion so quickly, or else my changelings would be without an Equestria to even gather from."
"You dare say such slander?! I'll strike you down where you sit, cretin!"
"Come and try! I'll defeat you faster than even the Elements!"
"That I let one insult pass through your vile lips once today without proper retribution was clearly a mistake! I shall have to pummel your face for each barbed would you've spoken to me and mine! Perhaps then you will learn proper respect!"
"I'd like to see that! After I've put you in your proper place, perhaps you'll finally learn to come and enjoy the shade of your sister's and my own shadow!"
"Mine battle ax shall taste chitin this day!"
"Oh! Some true fight in your eyes! Maybe that mare of a thousand years ago filled with brazen fire hasn't been as quelled as I was led to believe! Come, Nightmare! Show me the true might of the Moon so that I can prove even the celestial bodies are nothing compared to me!"
"Oh my Gosh! Just get a room and kiss it out you two!" Cadence yells at the two mares now who now have the bridges of their muzzles pressed together and their sparking horns crossed.
The ire in Luna's eyes fizzle out as she quickly basksteps. "W-what?! Do not speak such nonsense, niece! I with to slay the fiend, not lay with her!"
"Yeah, well, from here, the sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a knife," Cadence says, a smirk pulling at her lips even as Shining chastises her under his breath.
"S-slander! I would never bed a mare! To even contemplate it would have me abandoning my crown and entering well-deserved exile in accordance with the law!"
Everyone, even Chrysalis looks at Luna like she's sprouted a second head, the silence only being broken by the thunk of Celestia's hood to her face.
"... I take responsibility for this," she says. "Since your return, we've mostly been focusing on changes made governing structures and technology. I suppose I failed to mention that homosexuality is no longer viewed in such a negative light, nor does it carry any legal repercussions anymore."
"Oh..." is all Luna can manage, cheeks red. "Um, well, our niece still misread the situation. Really, her blunder of mistaking blood lust for regular lust is far more embarrassing if you ask me, so she should be the one we all gawk at. All in agreement?"
While Shining raises his hoof, earning an exaggerated gasp of betrayal from his wife, the rest of the room either sigh or shake their heads. "Well, she certainly ruined the mood," grumbles Chrysalis. "I haven't had a proper duel in ages, let alone one where I had as much love to fuel my magic as I do now."
"Are you kidding me right now, Mom?" Anon grouses, getting Chrysalis to glare at him.
"It's not as if my anger was unfounded," she says heatedly. "Or did you not just hear her demand we starve ourselves further in exchange for some baking supplies?"
"She said no such thing," Anon responds with just as much agitation. "She said we can't keep stealing love, which is perfectly reasonable, especially when Miss Inkwell, Princess Cadence, and Guard Captain Armor have proven it's not necessary anymore."
"The insane inhabitants of this room are exceptions, not the rule," Chrysalis argues back. "You think the average citizen, especially those of more rural, superstitious communities aren't going to take up torches and pitchforks once they find out about us?" She barks out a harsh laugh. "Or how long before conspiracies arise that we've replaced their leaders with our own or are controlling their minds? No, obviously it's better we maintain what little secrecy we have left with the Equestrian public."
She looks to Celestia and continues, "That's why I suggest you keep our need for love a secret, or that we can even shapeshift for that matter. Claim we're a community of ponies who have chosen to live in seclusion within the Badlands and the food being sent is meant to help us after a bad crop. In return, I'll inform my collectors to minimize any harm they bring to ponies while going about their duties."
"Minimize harm?" Celestia repeats with a raised brow. "You really think I wouldn't recognize such intentionally vague language? You're practically demanding you receive aid in exchange for an ambiguous promise that you won't hurt my ponies more than necessary, while leaving out how much you believe still would be." She levels a hard stare at the other royal. "I'll tell you how much harm is necessary. None at all."
Chrysalis scowls, but it's Shining Armor who speaks next. "You're underestimating the forgiveness and acceptance ponies can show. I'm a guard, I've seen lots of fights in my day. Between recruits in sparring where things got out of hoof, from criminals being arrested, and even skirmishes on the borders. You'd think that sort of thing would only create bad blood between individuals, but I've seen recruits who beat each other bloody become closer than siblings. I've seen reformed criminals come and thank the arresting officers that stopped them and helped them get back onto the right path, and I've even seen griffon garrisons and pegasus battalions play sky ball together."
"Shiny's right," Cadence says. "Sure, there's going to be some questions at first, even wariness, but I think once ponies see that changelings aren't trying to hurt them, they'll come to accept your subjects as much as we have."
"You say that now, but it's only a matter of time before they demand to see us undisguised, then there will be no chance of friendship as they call us monsters," Chrysalis fires back, snorting derisively. "As a matter of fact, the ever so enlightened ponies in this room would probably do the same. I'm sure little Miss Inkwell over there would be having second thoughts about marrying my son if she saw our true visage, or demand he remain transformed at all times in her presence."
"I would never-"
"You know, you're making a lot of claims about us ponies, like you know us better than we know ourselves," Cadence says with narrowed eyes and a challenging edge. "Not to mention it sounds like you're calling me a chicken, so let me tell you this. I faced down and evil witch when I was thirteen years old and won, Shiny here is a soldier, and my aunties have been around for, like, thousands of years, so I doubt you're going to be the scariest thing they've ever seen." A smile pulls at her lips. "And as for Raven, I've seen her deal with a hundred annoying, insipid nobles, business tycoons, dignitaries and wackjobs without batting an eyelash, so your real form won't even make her sweat."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"Let's see if you still think so after this!" Chrysalis bellows, erupting in green fire as her form within swells to enormous size. Within seconds, in place of an unassuming mare now stands a giant, insectoid beast, it's hunched form bringing its five, green compound eyes level with Cadence's wide blue ones. The creature looked like a monstrous wasp, green and black, with large lances that could pierce castle walls for forelimbs, along with four small, but just as sharp ones lower on its body, which was tipped by a large stinger literally dripping with venom.
"Are you still not terrified, princess?!" growls the beast in a gravelly voice.
Cadence squeaks even as Shining throws a barrier up over both of them while Luna brandishes a large, crescent moon-themed ax from who knows where and Celestia ignites her horn with solar flames. Raven can only stare, mouth agape as the queen's terrifying visage, trying to relate such a creature with the friendly stallion she's seated by.
If this is what the queen looks like, what could the prince...?
When she looks over, she is surprised to see a look of annoyance on Anon's face as he yells, "Oh come on, Mom, this is ridiculous!"
"D-doesn't seem to ridiculous from where I'm sitting," Cadence mutters, wide-eyed and watching a string of drool fall from the queen's fang-filled maw onto her husband's barrier.
"Oh believe me, it is," Anon practically growls as he jumps from his seat. "Because that's not her true form. That's the form of a Kumonga Roc Wasp, a monster from the badlands."
"You share territory with those things?!" Raven asks, suddenly very concerned for Anon's safety back home.
"Yeah," he says dismissively, "They mostly leave us alone and bother the kumonga spider monsters. They paralyze them with a sting then lay their eggs in their bodies." He shakes his head and meets his mom's glare as she turns to look at him. "And we look nothing like them, right Mom? I can't believe you're trying to scare the ones trying to help us with such a blatant lie. This is what we look like."
With that, Anon is engulfed in green flames of his, though the silhouette within remains the same. When the fire dies, what's left behind is at first rather similar, until Raven realizes the black coat is now replaced with a hard shell. She slowly looks the creature before her up and down, noting similarities and differences.
She sees that the holes truly did riddle all of his legs, making her heart clench in sadness. There are even a few holes in his ears and his grey mane, even though that should be impossible. He flicks a quick glance at her, revealing that he still has green eyes, albeit with slit pupils instead of round. She reaches a hoof towards him, hovering over the strange, green bands around his torso from which translucent wings sprout before remembering this is a prince and she's in a serious political meeting, getting her to put her hoof back down.
"There, your little scare tactic has been revealed, so how about you show them what you really look like and see if they still think we're horrifying?"
Queen Chrysalis looks at her son with wide, then narrowed eyes, but another tower of flame nonetheless engulfs her to reveal a much smaller form. Smaller being subjective in this case, as the queen is now only as tall as the tallest pony in Equestria. She shares the same as as her son, as well as holes in both her legs and her green mane, though where his horn is a long and smooth with a slight curve to it, hers is longer still and jagged, like a piece of chipped obsidian.
"Are you happy, Anonymous, or will you not be satisfied until all of our secrets are laid bare?" she says in clear annoyance, voice now deeper and with a strange echoing quality to it, though Anon remains firm as he meets her hard gaze with his own.
"Wow..." Cadence breathes from behind the queen, getting her to turn once more to see a grin start to spread across the pink mare's lips. "You look like Aunty Celestia if she were an emo and was addicted to celery sticks instead of cake."
"Excuse me?" Celestia asks indignantly.
"She is rather... svelte I think is the right word," Shining agrees, looking her up and down appraisingly. "That horn looks really sharp too. She must spend a fortune on pillows."
"Oh, oh, Shiny look!" Cadence says, grabbing hold of her husband and pointing at the queen's head. "Look at the tiny crown! It's so small and adorable! Like a little foal's crown!"
"I'll have you know this crown has been passed down in my family for thousands of years!"
"Thousands of years of changeling queens wearing the cutest crown ever, and you thought we'd be scared?"
"It is a pretty cute crown," Shining agrees.
"Verily," Luna agrees, reaching up to adjust her own tiara. "In truth, I've at times felt my own royal head regalia was on the small size compared to some others, but seeing yours, I feel much more confident about mine."
"You should count your blessings, Sister," Celestia says. "I've often thought of downsizing. Having such a heavy crown like mine has caused me numerous neck aches over the years. And you even chose a lighter material than gold; I always thought that was by design. Function over form, you know?"
"None of you are afraid? Do you not see the fangs? The predatory eyes? The lithe body of a natural born hunter? You should be terrified of me!"
"Everything you just said describes a cat perfectly, and in case you didn't know, ponies love cats."
"I've always been partial to dogs, but kittens are cute too."
Chrysalis looks around the room in disbelief, then to her son, who has an air of pure self-satisfaction about him. "Anon, my son, I think I'm finally starting to agree with you."
He looks surprised as he says, "Really? About what, exactly?"
"These ponies pose no threat to us."
"I knew you'd come around!"
"Indeed, they are far too moronic."
"Ah..."
"Honestly, I feel like a fool myself. All these years being wary of creatures with IQ's nowhere near even breaking double digits."
"You realize we can all hear you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Celestia, I guess I forgot you lot somehow miraculously understand speech. Should we continue the meeting? What do you propose we do about gathering love if we are to not take it by force anymore? Go on, I'll humor you."
Well, Celestia thinks even as she feels her jaw clench and her temples pulse. It's progress, I suppose. She shoots a glance at Luna behind the changeling queen's back, silently telling her to put the ax away. Luna looks disgruntled, but lowers it with a mouthed, 'Fine.'
Raven merely watches as Anon returns to his seat next to her, seemingly in awe of him, but for what, Celestia is unsure. Truly, the colt has done nothing but surprise them all since he first introduced himself, and in all the most impressive ways. Celestia feels her headache lessen slightly as she smiles.
If any pony deserves such a fine stallion, it would be her stalwart assistant, even if she feels a little envious herself.
She has an eternity to wait for such a once in a (mortal) lifetime stallion to come her way, though, so she focuses on the meeting at hoof, and making sure everything works out, not just for the changelings in need, or her subject, but for her dear friend, too.
With a mother-in-law like Chrysalis, Raven will certainly need all the help she can get.
Author's Note
Aaand there. This is as far as I've gotten so far. As always, corrections and suggestions are welcome.
