Changing Honesty

Lapis must have been very eager to see what a royal’s chambers looked like judging by how swiftly he started to gorge his eyes on everything in sight. "Not what I was expecting for royalty, but then again, there isn't much luxury on a space station."

"It's more than I need. The only thing I regularly use is the bathtub." I answered with a smile on my face as I watched him zip through every room.

Lapis opened door after door before finding the bathroom. "Wow, that's like three times bigger than my small, little shower room - and even that is luxury. Most guards have to use the showers in the barracks."

"Never thought about that. Every changeling has a small space for themself, but they like the company of others, a house for a single pony could easily house three or four changelings. This, in comparison, is like a palace, but the others would never stand for it if I didn't have the best of the best available to me."

After giving himself a small tour of the apartment, Lapis settled down on a cushion by the table. He had even bound his tail back up when I was not looking. "So, let's get the talking out of the way," he said after getting comfortable. "What do you want to know?"

I took a deep breath. 'Why is this so difficult to talk about? I can feel his interest in me. He is a pony who could be compatible with me. Why am I hesitating?' "What's up with your outfit? I don't remember ever seeing anything like that before."

He stood up and moved around in a full circle, showing off his muscular body. "You like it? I have a set of nice panties in my bag as well and a saddle if you're into that." Another of his smirks. "And a few toys if you want something more 'in-depth'," he finished with a wink.

I was glad changelings could not blush. I just gave him a deadpan look. He nearly broke out into laughter at seeing the look on my face. "You're too easy. I'm into all sorts of things, but I like dressing like a mare - makes me feel sexy." Something in his emotions turned darker, but I couldn't get a good read on it yet. "If you don't like it, just say the word and I will find something else to wear." He quickly added.

"And what about the pain? Never seen a pony fight through pain as easily as you have during our spar."

"This type of pain has always been something I could push through," Lapis answered. While true, I could feel that he was hiding something from me. "You didn't mind hurting me that much, either. I saw your smile when you hit me." He said, trying to distract me from my question.

"It's a changeling thing," I said. He clearly wanted to hear more, judging by his expression. "My duty as prince is to protect my changelings. I had to go through years of training to be worthy of this position. In addition to that, my status as royal 'ling grants me some biological advantages, instincts we call them.

“If I enter my combat mode, my body switches from processing positive emotions to negative ones, like fear. It's a powerful boost to my combat abilities, but it sacrifices any form of self-preservation. For a normal changeling, this would be lethal, but a royal can endure it for a few weeks without any ill effects. Over the years, I have gained a taste for fear. That's why I enjoy hurting others so much."

Lapis was listening intently to my explanation, even scooting closer to my side. I was ready for him to leave me like any normal pony would after hearing that. "Buck, that sounds hot. You're going to tell me a few stories about your encounters. I want all the gory details."

'I think he's insane… I love it.' Getting a read on his emotions was becoming a lot more difficult; there were so many different and contradicting feelings that made it hard to pick them out. There was something he was not telling me, but pressing him now would likely push him away and end any chances I had with him.

Thinking about a good story to tell, I started out slow with the encounter during my last mission. When I told him how I blew up two griffons and a pony of the equestrian task force vomited from the sight, he smiled at me, enraptured by the story.

He didn't hold it against me that I took some enjoyment out of hurting others and even torturing them. With the ability to detect subtle lies, I never noticed anything other than an interest in what I told him. The undertone of love was always present, no matter what I said.

Before I could make any remark on that, somepony knocked on the door. One of my changelings entered with a note held in his magic. He took a few sniffs of the air before noticing Lapis sitting next to me and gave me a sly smirk, exposing his fangs a little. "Massage from the Queen. She has new orders for you, your Highness."

A quick flick of my magic and I took the note from him. "Thank you."

"It was my honour, My Prince and Prince Consort." He gave Lapis and me a deep bow, his muzzle almost touching the ground, before leaving.

Lapis's confusion about the strange interaction was clear in his emotions and his expression. "Is that something that happens often?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Them bowing or the consort thing?" He nodded to both. "Yes, they always bow to me when it's official business. In more relaxed settings, some of them call me father. And for the consort thing, if we become a thing, then yes, but he was just making a joke at my expense this time."

"Oh." Lapis thought for a moment. "They don't expect me to give them orders, do they?"

I shook my head with a slight snort. "No, they will treat you as royalty, but you have no authority over them. When it comes to the Hive and the changelings, you will be expected to follow my orders. Refusing to do so could get you into deep trouble."

Another of his smirks and a seductive wink. "I can do that, Master."

His lust had filled the entire room by now. Any changeling walking in here would have a hard time keeping it down. Even I was starting to feel the effects of it.

To distract myself from the surrounding emotions, I opened the message and read it to myself.

"Storm Shadow, your new orders are to keep a lookout for pirate activity around the dry dock where Celestia's ship is being rebuilt. High Command is expecting heightened pirate activity due to the increase in shipments and I have to agree with them on that. Any infiltration missions are set on hold for the time being and I expect you to work together with the ponies. Within this message is the royal seal, allowing you to take command of the station's security forces to guarantee the mission's success. Above all else, the continued good relations with our food is our top priority. Queen Chrysalis."

It was not hard to read between the lines. This mission was a publicity stunt and nothing more. Our need for secure shipping routes was almost non-existent - all outposts were self-sufficient, after all.

Lapis looked at me expectantly. There was no reason not to tell him about it; he would get informed of the situation by tomorrow, anyway. "I got my new mission. I will take command of the guards on this station to guarantee the security during the rebuild of the Celestial Hammer."

His expression fell. "Oh." I could feel his sorrow and moved closer to him, placing a wing on his back and motioned him to continue voicing his concern. "Well, if you're my superior officer, we can't be together."

"Good thing we changelings don't care about most of your pony rules. We are perfectly capable of separating personal life from duty." His emotions brightened in an instant. 'Did he really think I would push him away just because of this?' "And it's only temporary, anyway. After the mission, Iron Hoof will be back in charge." I let him sort out his emotions for a moment and used that time to look at the clock. "Do you want me to take you to your home? It's getting late."

"Can I stay the night? We don't have to do anything, but I would like to get to know you better. We could cuddle a bit and get to know each other better. I still have so many questions."

"We can take a bath together if you like," I said, watching his expression closely. Shared bathing was something ponies did regularly with friends and I wanted to get a feel for his true feelings. He hid his emotions very well if he was against the idea of taking a bath together. His answer was a single nod and a bright blush on his cheeks at the thought of it.

Filling the tub with water took no time at all. I was the first to step into the warm water, taking a relaxed position on my back with only my head poking out.

When I opened my eyes again, Lapis was stepping in opposite to me. I felt his back hoofs brushing up against my own. A small giggle escaped his lips when he moved closer to me and began to trail his front hooves up my leg. I was about to stop him, but his emotions stopped me in my tracks. For the first time since we met, he tasted happy. All his worries had evaporated.

'Why is it bothering me so much? Why do I want to take it slow?' I thought to myself. Any other changeling would jump on the opportunity to mate with a pony. Why was I hesitating? Lapis clearly had feelings for me. His hoofs pressed between my legs and I jumped, a moan escaping my lips.

Lapis hastily withdrew, shaking. His emotions turned full of worry and fear. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. You said to take it slow." A tear rolled down his cheek as panic overtook his features. "Sorry, Storm, please give me another chance. I'm going to do better, I promise."

Enveloping him in my magic, I brought him to me - his back resting on my stomach as I gently patted him on his head. "Everything is fine. You can tell me if something is bothering you. Don't keep your feelings bottled up, Lapis."

"I..." he stammered. His emotions turned into a swirling mess. "It's nothing." He leaned his head back against my shoulder, quietly sobbing as I cleaned his mane. He only calmed down after we finished our bath. I needed to get to the bottom of this, but for now, Lapis needed a strong shoulder to lean against. I was sure he would tell me in time.

Getting dry and ready for bed took some time, a pony’s coat was not easy to dry. I had offered Lapis to sleep with me in my bed, something ponies did often even with simple friends, and he reluctantly agreed.

A quick flash of green and I was back in my pegasus disguise, the small amount of confusion emitting from Lapis taking me off guard. I remembered that he had never seen me in this form before and explained. "I like to sleep in my disguise. It's a lot more comfortable this way."

Lapis was a little unsure of that. "But you're a mare… I don't…"

"For this to work, you have to get used to this form as well. It's the form I will wear most of the time." I hopped into bed, patting the mattress beside me to get him to move.

After a short moment, he jumped in as well and put his legs around me. "You're right, and you do look cute like this as well." I was glad he couldn't see my blush from this angle.

I quickly drifted off to sleep.