This story is a sequel to An Affliction of the Heart

Kuno and Warden are happily together now, but events are transpiring to force them from their happy life.

The reappearance of the Crystal Empire causes Kuno and Warden to give up their new-found home. And Kuno, ignoring the fact that they're two different species and completely incompatible, decides that she wants a baby.

Young Nictis had one dream: to serve his hive by becoming an Infiltrator, the most vital and vaunted role a changeling could aspire to. To hide in plain sight among the other species, blending in, while gathering the vital emotional energies that fueled his people. Few were deemed worthy of the dangerous job. He was one of the few nymphs selected for training, in the hopes that one of them would develop the skills needed to be entrusted with such a treacherous task.

But when a training expedition ends in tragedy, Nictis finds himself thrust into the role not to serve his hive and people, but to preserve his own life. Separated from the hive, alone, he must put what little training he has to the test. He must blend in with the hive's greatest source of food, and its most dangerous enemy: the ponies of Equestria.

(This story takes place in the same continuity as Fragments, but stands on its own. Reading that story isn't necessary for this one.)

TV Tropes page

Book cover art by viwrastupr

Echo is a high ranking changeling officer. The Canterlot invasion was going perfectly, and her battalion had personally defeated the Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, she finds herself far flung from Canterlot, crashing into the Everfree forest. Now she is faced with a difficult reality - her hive, the only family she's ever known, no longer exists, and she must adapt to life as a pony. What she finds out about herself, though, will surprise her.

Rated Teen for occasional suggestiveness and language, tagged gore for brief violence, particularly in later chapters.

Dark because later chapters get pretty ... well, dark.

---

Addendum 5/29/2018

This story is now, as of this addendum, five years old. It is getting more attention as I put out new chapters on the sequel.

I recognize that this story has problems, and that some of them by their nature carry over to the sequel; please remember that when I started writing this, I was not yet even old enough to legally drink in the US. A lot has happened and a lot has changed, and there are many things about this story I regret including, but which it is now too late to change. Some of those things I have simply done my best to ignore and make irrelevant, but some of them are errors from a 19 year old me that will haunt me until the sequel is finished.

In short, please be gentle.

True friends do everything together, but the night after Princess Twilight’s coronation, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony decided one of those things would be to go out clubbing.

It was a particularly bad idea.

Eleven months later, they find themselves doing yet another thing together which even the best of friends should avoid doing together.

Delivering foals.

My editors (who would like to remain anonymous): Masked Ferret, Tek, Docontra

Warning: Rated T because it contains scenes of childbirth (but not M because it doesn’t show… you know). Although all of you have gone through the process at least once, you may not remember just what was involved. Trust me. It’s both terrifying and worth it.

Picture source: Wiki

Wait! So Rarity's being impersonated by a changeling? And Twilight too? And... the rest of the Elements of Harmony?

Okay. So what's the big deal again?

UPDATE: labeled as complete. I really can't think of anything else to add to this story. The second chapter will remain as a bonus.

It was an average morning in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the changeling was swimming in the pool.... wait what?

This story is written by me and Limescale.
You can find his page here
Front page at 1/21/2017. Thanks guys for making it possible!

As of 11/27/2023, the story now has an audio reading. Check it out! https://youtu.be/iYjTMNmnfSk

This story is a sequel to Changeling Courtship Rituals

Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, brainwashed Twilight Sparkle's brother, kidnapped her former foalsitter, defeated her mentor in combat, and conquered her kingdom. She kidnapped the sisters of Twilight's friends, turned them against one another, and tried to drain all of Twilight's magic. Queen Chrysalis has, at every opportunity, done her very best to utterly destroy Twilight Sparkle's life.

For some reason, this has not caused the pony to fall in love with her.

However, due to Twilight's misunderstanding of changeling customs, it does mean they are now married. Twilight eventually managed to tell the Queen the truth, but she forgot that whether it's a kingdom or a heart, changelings conquer.

And since the changeling way of conquest didn't work, Chrysalis is determined to try the pony way. The only problem is, of course, she has no idea what that is. But she knows someone who does: Princess Cadance.

Now, with the absolutely sincere help of her mortal enemy, the pony she once locked in the caves beneath Canterlot while trying to steal her husband on their very wedding day, Queen Chrysalis is going to woo the sister-in-law of that very pony.

Surely this is the most perfect plan ever devised.

***

Proofread by ShutterflyYay.

Takes place roughly after season five (so Starlight Glimmer is running around occasionally)

Chrysalis kidnapped a dozen ponies, threatened Equestria, was betrayed by her own kind, and has now vowed vengeance on Starlight Glimmer before leaping from the ruins of her castle and flying off. She is definitely going to get away.

Absolutely.

Yep.

Reading by TheCaptainSand - Scarlett Blade

Translated into Spanish by ZodiacalComet

Chrysalis is having a tough time planning out her next move
since almost all her children are offering her waffles.

Might contain spoilers for the season final.

Pinkie Pie really wishes Cadance would stop telling her increasingly hard-to-keep secrets. Set between seasons five and six.

Contains spoilers, if the story title and the cover art weren't enough to clue you in. Art by me, for a change.

A hearty thank you to my Patreon patrons Singularity Dream, ocalhoun, and Littlecolt!