Since it was too cold to eat outside, we all sat down at a table inside of 'The Dancing Butterfly', the restaurant only a few houses away from the library. We all found something on the menu we liked and placed our orders.
As soon as the waiter had disappeared Twilight asked away.
“Would it be okay for you if I asked a few questions about your relationship?”, she addressed Lavender.
I quickly intervened. “Are this just normal curious questions, or are you trying to sneak things for your changeling research paper into our lunch?”
“Maybe a bit of both.”, she silently admitted.
“You shouldn’t…”, I was about to scold her when I got interrupted my Lavender.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind you asking me but I may not answering some questions.”
“That’s great.” Twilight produced a scroll and quill out of nowhere which made me sigh and give our guests an apologetic smile.
“First question: How did the two of you meet and did you at any time suspect she wasn’t a pony?”, my marefriend started.
Lavender showed a warm smile. “Okay, I tell you about that. Chryssi, if anything sounds wrong from your point of view, just chime in.”
She leaned back in her chair for a moment. “Where to begin…”
The waiter brought our drinks and she took a sip of her ice-tea.
“I hadn’t been in a relationship for nearly a year when I decided to have a relaxing day in the park. I was reading a book in the sun and had no idea a changeling princess had selected me as her food-source.”, she showed a smile towards her marefriend.
“I prefer ‘energy-source’.”, Chrysalis told us. “Food-source sounds like I wanted to eat you.”
“Anyway…”, Lavender continued. “Suddenly this beautiful mare with a black coat and dark blue mane and tail walked up to me and introduced herself as 'Night Star'. She seemed incredibly nervous and it took me some time before I understood she wanted a date with me. We kissed after our second date in the same park we had met and within no time we were in a relationship.”
Her happy mood suddenly darkened. “Then after two weeks of happiness, she told me she had to visit her sick father in another city but would be back soon…” I saw Chrysalis was uncomfortably shifting in her chair.
“But she never came back.”
Chrysalis held her hoof. “You know I'm so so sorry about what happened back then, I know I can't make it up but…”
“Hush my love.”, Lavender interrupted her. “We talked through this before. I have forgiven you for what happened and I'm happy we can have a new and honest relationship now.”
“So you never noticed she wasn't a pony?”, Twilight repeated the second part of her question. “Ouch! Why have you kicked me?”
“Because you can be such a dimwit when you just concentrate on your research.”, I responded.
“Don't keep on digging if you know it is a hurtful topic, ask something else. Plus the answer was in her story anyway even without stating it explicitly.”
It took her a second to switch out of her research-mode. “I'm sorry.”, she said towards the couple with her head bowed, I promise to be more sensitive from now on.”
“It's okay, I know you haven't done it on purpose.”, Lavender responded. “But answering these questions makes me tired, so I will one answer one more.”
Twilight brought out another scroll and scanned it top to bottom in search of the best question.
‘How many had she prepared’, I thought surprised. Then after a moment of thinking about it. ‘Well it's Twilight, of course she has made a whole catalog of questions.’
After a moment she had made her decision. “How does it feel to be in a relationship with a species so different from your own?”
Lavender showed a smile that turned into a giggle after a few moments. “I could ask you the same question.”, she told Twilight.
My marefriend looked flabbergasted for a moment. “I really tend to forget how different we are.”, she finally stated.
“Well, there you have your answer.”, Lavender replied with a warm smile.
Twilight looked at her in surprise from this simple yet elegant answer.
That's when the waiter arrived with our meals and we started to dig in… except for Twilight who scribbled down something on her scroll.
…
I had enjoyed my meal and felt full and content but my thoughts were still circling around Chrysalis’ and Lavender’s relationship.
“Say Chrysalis, are there relationships between changelings?”, I asked.
“Not in the same way you would describe one.”, she replied and seemed to be a bit evasive.
“What do you mean by that?”, I continued to inquire.
She pushed her chair a bit away from the table and took a few deep breaths before she answered.
“By now you may have figured out that normal changelings don't feel love, or else there would be no reason for us to steal it so desperately from other races to feed us. The only way they feel something from it is when they consume it.”
She waited a few seconds to let us take in this news before she continued.
“Without the concept of love changeling relationships are only about sharing chores, having someone to talk to and having a reliable and easy accessible sexual partner.”
“But you do love Lavender, right?”, Twilight asked.
“Of course I do.”, Chrysalis replied instantly. “But I'm a şahzadə, not a normal changeling. In contrast to them, I can feel love and get pregnant.”
Twilight and I needed a moment to process this but Lavender had a curious question instead.
“How exactly does your pregnancy work? You hinted something about eggs when you visited me. Would it be possible for us… to have a baby?”
“If I want to I can produce up to 20 eggs per week that can all be fertilized at once and I can decide if they become changeling or şahzadə.”, Chrysalis started. “Our bodies are highly adaptable, if I want to I can get pregnant from any male of any kind.”
"So something like a male dog…”, the pearl colored mare carefully asked.
“Would be enough to fertilize my eggs.”, her marefriend continued for her and Lavender had a very interested look on her face.
“Wait, where is this conversation going?”, I asked in disbelief while my imagination showed me pictures I didn't want to see.
“I'm just asking out of curiosity.”, Lavender defended herself, but somehow it didn't sound very convincing.
“After a week I would push the eggs out and they hatch after another 20 days.”, Chrysalis continued. “After about five years, changelings are big enough to work in their allocated position, princesses after about ten years."
Twilight wrote this all down, her eyes almost glowing from all these fascinating facts.
…
On our way to the library, Lavender greeted Rose who was walking by.
“Have you visited Ponyville before?”, I asked her.
“Yes, I visited Ponyville a couple of times during different festivals, but I know Rose from the Canterlot flower market where we buy the plants for our shops.”
“What about your flower shop?”, I asked. “Is it closed until you are fully recovered? Don't you lose a lot of money this way?”
She shook her head. “Celestia made sure I wouldn't be negatively affected by what happened. She bought the flowers from my shop for the decoration of the castle and gave me enough bits so I can take a pause from working for at least a month.”
We entered the library and showed her the room she would be sharing with Chrysalis during her stay.
“It's amazing how normal the inside of a tree can look.”, she commented.
“Yeah, I was quite surprised as well when I saw it for the first time.”, I replied.”Take your time unpacking, you and your marefriend can spend the rest of the day the way you want, we don't have any more research today. If you have a question for me in particular, I will be here for one more hour before I visit friends for tea.”
“Thank you so kindly for having me here.”, she replied before we left their room to went to our own.
“She seems very nice and quite smart.”, my marefriend commented once we closed the door behind us.
“I think so as well.”, I agreed. “Last time I visited her…”
“YEEEESSSS! THAT'S INCREDIBLE!”
We got interrupted by Lavender’s voice.
“Maybe we should have told them the walls of the library ain't very thick.”, I thought out loud. “Then they…”
“YOU'RE SO DEEP! AHHHH! DON'T MOVE SO MUCH!”
We looked at each other, our faces were burning while a series of moans echoed through the library.
“I DIDN'T KNOW YOUR BODY COULD… AHHHHHHH!”
“I wonder how she uses the possibilities of her body…”, my marefriend mused and moved towards the door.
“No, you won't.”, I told her and held on to one of her hind legs. “Cast a bubble of silence around their room and leave them be. Wait… make it big enough it covers our room as well, I know now how I want to use the rest of the time before I visit Fluttershy.”, I told her with a lewd smile.
“But if we are in the bubble as well we can still hear them.”, she reminded me.
“Yes, I know.”, I replied still grinning.
She swallowed and cast the spell I ask her to do. Only a second later I threw her onto our bed.