"So what am I going to do with you?" Chrysalis was alone with the podded pony who, without even trying, she knew would have that sweet bite of apples about him. "I can eat you all up, but you will give me indigestion."
Braeburn tapped on the inside of the pod a few times. He opened his mouth to talk and more of the goopy liquid flooded into him. The Queen of the Changelings tilted her head at him and reached out with her magic, freeing him. Coughing up the goop, Braeburn couldn't stop himself from thanking her. "Thanks… Ah guess…"
"Oh don't be like that. The hive barely needs any ponies at all anymore." Chrysalis got up and stretched. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a little…" She leaned forward and looked directly into Braeburn's eyes.
A feeling of warm lethargy grew in Braeburn's head, spreading quickly out to his body. It felt oddly nice and a silly grin found its way to his face.
"Not nearly as fruity as I feared." Chrysalis reached out a hoof and booped the pony on the nose, watching as his eyes crossed to watch her hole-filled hoof. "You can stay, for now. My drones don't need anywhere near as much as I do, to eat."
"S-Stay?" Braeburn's wits were a little scattered from the royal attention. "But Ah have ta go home…" He looked around to try to work out where the exits were from the strange dining room.
"Home? You couldn't just live here? I am sure you will like it." Chrysalis put a little force into her words. The stallion's eyes seemed to glaze over a little. "Hrmm, not too much…"
Braeburn relaxed climbed down from the table. "Ah guess Ah could stay. Where are all the changelings?"
"Funny you should ask that." Chrysalis patted the couch beside her, inviting the stallion over to sit beside her. "You see, I worked out a wonderful plan, a plan that is working."
Walking with a bit of a wobble, Braeburn couldn't help noticing that things were a little more green than they used to be. "A plan?"
"Yes, it is quite simple and works amazingly well. You see, I send all my drones, one by one, to be looked after by the ponies." Chrysalis knew what effects her feeding had on ponies and put a leg around the stallion as he flopped against her side. "Not that you will care… asleep already?" Tasting the love and happiness of a pony always endeared them to her a little. "Maybe I should send some more… starting with those useless drones from before."
She wasn't the sharpest horn in the hive, but the changeling mare known as Squeak could certainly pull off a disguise well, and the one she had slipped into suited her nicely.
"Hiya Derpy!" Gray trotted up to the pegasus, looking up at the form her hive sister had taken. "Done with the mail already?"
"I am!" Squeak had gotten over the headaches of having two wandering eyes after a few weeks, now it just seemed normal. "Want to go to Sugarcube Corner to get some muffins?"
Apple Bloom wouldn't say no to that, and Gray was certainly good at matching the filly's tastes. "Sure would!" She turned and drew in beside the bigger changeling. "What type do you like to eat the most?"
Derpy Hooves' wings ruffled and gave a little flap as she got completely distracted by thinking about muffins. Before Squeak had come to Ponyville, she had never had a muffin before. Now they were her favorite food, even better than drinking emotions. "I like apple and blueberry!"
"Apple huh?" Gray couldn't help but smile, she genuinely liked the mare, even if she was working within her disguise, it was easy to tell that she enjoyed it. "Ah think muh sister brought a new batch of zap apples in for them to use…" Gray blinked, there was a pegasus-shaped cloud beside her, vaguely resembling Derpy. When she turned to look toward Sugarcube Corner, she just caught sight of a blonde tail disappearing inside.
Laughing just like the filly she resembled, Gray jumped into a gallop and raced toward the shop only to dig her hooves in at the last second. "Derpy!" She opened the door and trotted in to see the pegasus she had chased already halfway through a muffin that Pinkie had just sold her. "They better not be the last!"
The door opened again and Twilight Sparkle trotted in. "Hi girls." She wore a big grin and trotted over to the counter. "What is that amazing smell?"
"Muffins!" Derpy sprayed crumbs everywhere, but the adorable pegasus gained no ill-will for it. "Zap apple and blueberry!"
Twilight's eyes danced. "I haven't had a zap apple muffin in-"
"Yesterday!" Gray cut in, giving what she now knew to be the real Princess' a kick in her fetlock. "Remember, Princess Twilight, you came in yesterday and got a huge order of apple and blueberry muffins." The filly was poking the alicorn sharply in the leg now.
Catching on, Twilight searched for a way out. "Oh, yes! I mean, with how amazing they taste, I am sure I forgot how-"
Pinkie cut in on Twilight's rambling. "You aren't the changeling Twilight, are you?" She looked the mare up and down. "Derpy is, Apple Bloom is… but you are a pony."
Shocked, Twilight blinked with her magic, locked the door, then blinked back. "How…"
"How did I know? Pinkie Sense." Pinkie nodded as if that explained everything. When she noticed it hadn't, Pinkie Pie decided she would have to go into detail. "Whenever a changeling is talking to me, my tail goes a little stiff and jerks to the side." It made perfect sense.
"But… how did you confirm… Kevin?" Twilight summoned a scroll and quill, quickly taking notes.
"Kevin." Pinkie beamed. "But it was you who surprised me, until I went to see Fluttershy about Gummy's sore foot, then it didn't happen with her too, and I talked to Angel Bunny, but of course he didn't talk back, but he did make some sounds, and my tail didn't twitch then. So I knew it only twitched for changelings, then I noticed it twitched for everypony in town and why isn't Apple Bloom surprised about this?" She didn't question Derpy's acceptance, after all, the mare had muffins to eat.
"Princess Twilight told me already. I prefer being a pony." Gray smiled up at Pinkie. "Gray Sleek." She lifted her little hoof, offering a bump to Pinkie.
"Trick Leg." Pinkie actually had to think a moment, shrugging off the difficulty of remembering her own name as she clopped hooves with the filly. She turned to Derpy.
"Squeak!" Derpy giggled and held up a hoof, half chewing on another muffin.
Pinkie rushed the pegasus and wrapped her up in a hug. "Squeak, I didn't know they had sent you." She felt a warm delight for having met back up with her friend.
Hugging back, Squeak had to think hard. "My… it is hard to remember the hive. I like being Derpy…" and she did, it just made life easier, and she had a job that suited her.
"That's okay, Derpy, you can keep the name." Twilight smiled at the obvious affection between the two mares. "Both of you seem quite well adjusted, want to visit the other town and I can bring back the real ponies?"
"Other town?" Derpy blinked at the offer. "What other town?"
"All the ponies are changelings, Squeak," each time Pinkie said her real name, Squeak felt a little more of her life come back, realized a little more how much she preferred being a pony, "the ponies have to be living somewhere." Pinkie fed her friend another muffin.
"But then who would deliver the mail?" Squeak shrank a little, snout barely nibbling at the new gift of muffiny goodness. "I need to be here."
"I want to meet the real Pinkie Pie." Trick Leg gave a nod. "I need to apologize and thank her." She saw the shocked look on Twilight's face. "What? I need to apologize because I messed up one of her baking trays, and thank her for letting me borrow her life."
Twilight had a sudden panic. Two Pinkie Pies, each capable, apparently, of using Pinkie Sense. What else could they do? "Uh, sure. I could bring her…"
Squeak had her forelegs wrapped around Trick, hugging the pink pony tight. "I don't want to lose you again, Trick!" It was both heart-wrenching and adorable, particularly how the pegasus managed to cry, hug, talk, and eat a muffin, at the same time.
Trick wouldn't let go of her friend. "Princess?" Twilight looked at her. "Could you bring Pinkie to visit, if I hid upstairs or something? I really want to meet her, but I can't leave Squeak alone with all these changelings."
"Don't look at me." Gray shook her little head. "I am just a filly!" She gave her best clueless look, even though Twilight didn't seem willing to buy into it.
"This experiment has too many variables… sure, I can bring Pinkie. Tomorrow, okay?" Twilight reached down and rubbed Gray's head, the clueless look earning some affection from the alicorn.
A knocking came from the shop's door. "Pinkie? Are you here?" It was Sharp Mind, of course, but clearly speaking in Twilight's voice. "If you don't open this door I will teleport in there…"
The real princess quickly cast her spell, blipping out of view instantly. "Let her in before she-" Twilight stopped talking as her doppelganger appeared with a puff of purple smoke.
"Why is the door locked?" Sharp looked around the ponies, using that inquisitive yet focused look she had copied from the real princess. "Pinkie Pie, what is going on?"
Opening her mouth to reply, Trick felt something round and very hoof-like shove into it. Twilight's voice was soft, so soft, and in her ear. "Don't tell her about changelings."
Trick blinked and turned to thin air, performing the actions of a supder-duper special and secret Pinkie Promise. When she turned back to face the bewildered changeling disguised as Twilight, she just smiled.
"We was planning a special birthday party, and didn't want to ruin it for anypony who might come in." Gray wasn't under quite the moral code that Trick, as Pinkie Pie, was. "It is-"
"Big Mac's birthday next week!" Trick cut in on the filly, her own internal senses had quickly picked up on whose birthday was when, the huge calendar she kept helped too.
The changeling disguised as Twilight blinked at this dubious reasoning. "So you are throwing Big Mac a surprise party?"
Gray nodded quickly. "Sure are!" Not that she minded this, she liked Big Mac, she even seemed to like the changeling disguised as him.
Trick turned her pink head to look at Apple Bloom. "This is going to be awesome, we will have cakes, and balloons and… oh, right, what would you like, Twilight?" She turned to the visible Twilight.
"Just some muffins, please." Sharp's distracted mind completely forgot about the party and locked doors, she had had some of these muffins yesterday and found herself completely addicted.
"Okie dokie lokie!" The pink pony quickly bagged up some muffins and, taking a few bits, passed them over.
Twilight followed her visible doppelganger to the door and locked it behind them as they left. "Phew, that was close. Gray, you really are the best!" Her happiness spilled over as she gathered the filly into a hug.
Gray giggled at the show of affection, drinking some happiness Twilight was radiating. She was sweet and delicious. "Aww, shucks…" The filly blushed a little, but hugged back.
Noticing the sensation, Twilight didn't overly care. "So now you have to plan a surprise party for Big Mac?" She looked to Trick, seeing the pony face she recognized so well bend into a huge smile.
"Yes and no." Trick bounced a little in place. "I mean, I already had been working on planning a party, but now I get to make it a secret surprise party! Oh, oh! Who should I invite?"
Squeak listened to the conversation turn to party planning, and felt her gaze shooting off in different directions. Grabbing another muffin, she carefully nibbled the top off. She didn't really care about being a little lost in her disguise, after all, she got to eat muffins!