//------------------------------//
// A Proposal for the Princess 
// Story: Common Ground 
// by LunasCaptain 
//------------------------------//

	"Stop touching me, my mane is fine," Cadance snapped.

Ruffles, her favorite hoofmaiden, drew back and bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Princess," she muttered around the hairbrush handle in her mouth.

Cadance sighed deeply.  Her annoyance faded into guilt.  It was Ruffles's job to dote, to make her look her best--and yelling at her was reminiscent of something that...Chrysalis would do.

She shuddered.  

"Forgive me," she murmured, standing up and lowering her head slightly.  "I'm a bit on edge."

"I understand completely," Ruffles soothed.  She placed the brush back on the vanity and patted Cadance on the shoulder.  "You're just fine."

"Do you think it's a good idea?  I mean, trying to talk to the Changeling?"

"We'll find out why it came here."  The earth pony shrugged.  "What the queen wants.  It's probably best to know as much as we can about it before...I don't know, killing it or something."

The princess shifted her hooves guiltily, sinking back onto the pink cushion in front of the vanity.  She watched as her hoofmaiden carefully polished her collar.

"So just getting rid of it would be the wrong decision?"

"It's completely up to you, Princess."  Ruffles nestled Cadance's crown at the base of her horn, nudging it back into place when it listed to the side.  "And I don't know much about Changelings.  But as far as first steps go, it seems to me that you could do a lot worse than talking to it."

"You think so?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little confused," Ruffles continued.  "I mean, it came to us in peace and we shoved it into a cage.  Poor thing."

Cadance stiffened and barely managed to head off a verbal attack.  Poor thing?  She actually felt sorry for it?  There was no way it was confused or frightened.  It knew exactly what was going on.

"Ruffles," she asked slowly, "just how much do you know about Changelings?"

"They're a bit like bugs, right?"  She shrugged again, helping Cadance slip on her shoes.  "Like I said, I don't know much."

That was obvious.  Cadance stood, saying, "I think you should come with me."

"Are you sure, Princess?  Wouldn't Stiletto or Tae Kwon be better--a guard?"

"No," she said, smiling and hoping it didn't look too strained.  They already know what we're up against.

Ruffles followed her out of her rooms, towards the dungeon.  Cadance knew that she must be proud, having been asked to come with her mistress on such an important errand.  For a hoofmaiden, the call of duty went far above and beyond the polite servitude of other palace employees.  They were expected to befriend the royalty that they served, become a confidante and offer the sort of friendship that only another mare could.  So far, Ruffles hadn't managed to achieve that.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with her; she was just the eleventh mare to be Cadance's 'favorite', and the novelty of that type of relationship was beginning to wear off.

Cadance was startled out of her thoughts by the approach of an armored stallion.  He had been standing by the door to the dungeon, but came forward and bowed upon seeing her.

"Princess," he said, "go right down.  Captain Claymore has prepared for your arrival."

"Hidden the weapons and covered the edges of the cell doors with rags, I expect?" she asked dryly.  The stallion blinked.

"Uhm...pardon?"

"Never mind."  Cadance smiled apologetically.  "My hoofmaiden and I are grateful to the captain."

Ruffles tried not to beam at the recognition.  The guard waved them through.

At the bottom of the stairs, where the temperature was noticeably lower than in the rest of the palace, they were greeted by two Captain Claymores.  One stepped forward to acknowledge them while the other bowed deeply from the cage that he occupied.

"Welcome, Princess.  Lady Ruffles," the former said cordially, inclining his head to each in turn.

"Thank you, Captain.  I'm sure you know why I'm here," Cadance replied.

"Indeed.  Your sense of diplomacy is admirable, Princess."

There were a few moments of silence, in which everypony considered how best to approach the proverbial elephant in the room.  Finally, Claymore cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed.

"The prisoner has taken my form," he said stiffly.  "For some reason."

"Not for long."

Steeling herself, Cadance approached the cage.  It's contained.  It can't hurt me.  Ruffles stayed very close, more aware of her purpose here than she had let on.

The Changeling-as-Claymore leaped back suddenly, crushing its body against the bars of the opposite side of the cage.  On its face, the red pelt went decidedly green.

And yet somehow, awkwardly, it managed to bow again and gasp out, "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.  I'm honored.  I heard that you wanted to speak with me?"

"Change," she said harshly.  "Back into your real form.  I'd prefer to see the face of my enemy."

"With all due respect, Princess Cadenza," it replied, gritting its teeth, "my appearance seems to offend you."

She fought down a rising sense of anxiety.  "I'll only speak with you if you change back."

The Changeling shrugged as best it could in its current position, offering a sickly grin.  "All right then, Princess."

Green fire.  Yes, she remembered that.  For Chrysalis, the transformation was characterized by narrow bands of it, but drones were completely engulfed by acid-colored flames.  Cadance waited, keeping her face neutral, until the fire had completely stripped away any chance that she would unconsciously speak to the captain of her guards instead of a monster.

The Changeling blinked pale blue eyes and adjusted its lips around its fangs, gagging for Celestia-knew-what reason.  Focusing on Cadance (she thought--it was hard to tell with something that didn't have pupils), it wheezed, "Please, Princess, speak."

Its speech was awkward, because of the massive fangs as much as the volume.  Cadance wondered briefly if Equestrian was its first language as she abruptly asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I was sent to be an ambassador to your enclave."

"What?!"  Ruffles's outburst went unreprimanded, mainly because she had expressed the feelings of everypony else in the room.

Cadance's violet eyes narrowed.  The Changeling squeaked in some sort of fabricated pain.  "You're lying.  Chrysalis attacked Canterlot barely nine months ago--somehow, I just can't believe that she'd be interested in diplomacy right now."

"The attack on Canterlot was an eye-opener for the Queen, if I'm using the right expression.  Our old ways no longer work--our traditions are useless in this day and age.  We have to change in order to survive."

She ignored the irony, figuring it was unintentional.  Especially considering how fast the thing was speaking.  "Assimilation doesn't work anymore?  Have you forgotten how to ruin ponies' lives?"

It didn't take offense.  Instead, it began to pace rapidly along the back wall of the cage, not speaking.  Ruffles moved a little closer to her mistress.

"This wasn't my idea," the Changeling spat suddenly, squeezing its eyes shut in apparent agony.  "I didn't want to come here, so don't blame me.  Curb your hate.  Please."

"I can't hate you?"  Cadance's tone was sarcastic.  

"Not this strongly.  It...hurts."

She felt a sudden, vindictive glee at having caused the monster discomfort.  Immediately, it sighed in relief and dropped into a crouch, glancing at her.  

"My undying gratitude, Princess."  Sarcasm to rival her own.  Cute.

"It wasn't intentional."

"What does your--your queen want?" Ruffles suddenly asked.  Her eyes had been fixed on the Changeling in fascinated horror ever since it had become itself again, but now she shrank away under Cadance's glare, muttering an apology for the second time that day.

"Assurance that the Swarm and its hive will not be harmed.  Nation status."  It picked at one of the holes in its right forehoof with a single fang.  "And an alliance with your kingdom, Princess Cadenza.  The Queen hopes to...mend walls, I think, and become very close to you.  She believes that you'll be able to put the past behind you, since it was such a small thing that happened."

There was a moment of utter silence, the kind so complete that one's brain registers it as a noise.  And then two things happened at roughly the same time.  First, Cadance spun around so fast that her tail whipped against the bars of the cage, and stalked towards the stairs.  And second, the Changeling collapsed, forehooves crossed over the bands of its belly and mouth wide open in an inequine keening.

Cadance struggled to contain her fury as she ascended.  The fact that the screams of the monster had faded to moans had no effect on her, and neither did Ruffles's startled calls.  Her thoughts were incoherent at the moment.  She couldn't even form words.  There were only feelings--hate potent enough to destroy the organs of an entire hive of Changelings, rage that made her flanks burn in blatant violation of her talent, and fear that would have paralyzed her if it weren't for the other two emotions.  

You'll be able to put the past behind you.

It was such a small thing that happened.

The Queen hopes to become very close to you.

...

Merciful Celestia, does that mean that she'll come HERE?!

No.  No, no, no.  Cadance couldn't even think about that right now.  Chrysalis in her palace--the possibility was enough to shut her down.  Memories of pain and abject terror and heartbreak and imprisonment flooded her, making her knees weak.  She leaned against a wall and closed her eyes.

Ruffles eventually found her.  Celestia knew how.

"Princess?"

"I need to--talk to somepony.  Somepony in particular," Cadance said haltingly.  "Ruffles, please.  Bring me parchment, and a quill, to write a letter.  Address the envelope to the Ponyville Library, in Equestria."



A/N: Ruffles's name was originally Lays, but I changed it.

I kid, I kid.  It didn't occur to me until I started editing that she shared her name with a brand of potato chips as well as an element of dress design.  I thought about changing it to something else, but in the end, I decided it didn't matter.

On another note, don't expect updates every day.  Except on weekends.  I didn't have anything better to do tonight than type up my rough draft for this chapter, so I hope it pleases what few fans I have!  Thank you so much for reading.