Princess Celestia and Luna were having a tea break after a long morning of meetings. They were anxious for their meeting with Queen Chiton. They had already gotten word that Chiton’s plane and escort had landed. One of the guards entered the throne room. “Your Majesties, may I present her Imperial Majesty, Queen Chiton.” The pony guards held the doors open with their magic. Queen Chiton and a small contingent of changeling guards entered the room. Chiton was about the same height as Chrysalis, but she had stunning red eyes and a long red mane red carapace. She was dressed in a very regal and formal attire.
The two sets of guards had a stare down as neither moved or said anything. “Your Majesty,” Celestia said, breaking the ice as she and Luna bowed.
Chiton bowed in reply. “It is nice to meet you two face to face,” Chiton responded.
“Indeed,” Luna commented. “It was long overdue.”
“Before we begin, I must ask that you take me to my child, Wing,” Chiton asked as politely as one could.
“Of course. We will take you there,” Celestia replied. The three monarchs made their way to the infirmary. As they trotted that way, one of the royal guards struck up a conversation with a changeling guard.
“So what’s your name?” the pony asked.
“Tra’katz,” the changeling replied with a thick accent. “What is yours?”
“Moon Runner,” the pony replied. “Do you mind if I ask a personal question?”
“I guess not. What question did you have?”
“Do you think this’ll work? This meeting?”
“I try not to get mixed in politics. A soldier's duty is to fight to the best of their ability.”
“Yes, I know, but I was just wondering what you thought the chances were.”
“To be honest, I think it’s one in ten.”
“I see.” Moon Runner seemed dismayed by the response.
“But I will say this. If we can put our differences aside, we will have a powerful force that can bring Chrysalis to justice for all she’s done,” Tra’katz added.
“Well said, friend,” Moon Runner replied.
Chiton looked back to the two guards with Celestia before they looked to each other.
While the monarchs and their guards continued to the infirmary, Prince Blueblood and Wing were playing a very engaging game of chess. “It’s still your turn, Blueblood,” Wing said.
“I know. I’m thinking,” replied Blueblood.
“Think all you want, my friend, it still won’t help you win.”
“How about this move, then?” His rook wasn’t too far away from the queen now.
“Oh, that does change things.” Now it was Wing’s turn to pause his next move for a while. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Thank you, I know what I’m doing.”
“You been taking smug lessons?”
“Did you forget who you were playing chess with?”
“Okay, fair point.”
“Besides, I’ve improved on being not as smug as I once was.”
“True, you’re not that bad anymore.”
“And besides, I was worse in high school.”
“I know. We had it rough when we were in school together, Bluey,” Wing observed, making his move.
“Yeah… I remember, Wing,” Blueblood replied, making another move. “And please don’t call me Bluey.”
“If you’re gonna date a sister of a guy you gotta get used to it.”
“I...um...uh… she’s from your hive?”
“Yep Velvet Tome is from my hive.”
“Do you have any tips on, you know, dating?”
“Why of course I do, Bluey!”
Blueblood blushed on hearing the nickname again.
“Aw I’m just screwing with you, Blueblood.”
“Oh, okay.” Blueblood gave a sigh of relief.
“But don’t think Mother won’t do it.”
“Oh… It’ll be like living with Auntie Celestia.” Blueblood covered his face with his hooves.
“Won’t be that bad. You’d have plenty of in-laws.”
Blueblood slammed his head on the table on the bed next to Wing.
“I’m not helping am I?”
“No,” Blueblood replied curtly.
“Sorry.”
Blueblood lifted his head from the table, groaning. “So are you older or younger than Velvet?”
“Just a touch older, she hatched right after me.”
“Goodie…” the sarcasm in Blueblood voice rang clear.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go too overboard in being overprotective,” Wing reassured.
“And your siblings?”
“Mother will keep them in line.”
“When will I get a chance to meet her?”
As Blueblood spoke, the three monarchs walked in to see them.
“I’d say now.” Wing said as they walked in. He bowed as well as he could in his position. “Mother.”
Blueblood whirled around, gasping and struggling to say something. He cleared his throat and regained control of his throat before bowing. “Queen Chiton. it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“And it is good to meet you too, Prince Blueblood.” Chiton turned her attention to Wing, trotting along and hugging him. “Are you doing well?”
“Aside from having no connection to the hive, I’ve been better, Mother.”
“I wish I could fully ease the pain of your disconnection. Although, I do have a way of giving some temporary relief.” Queen Chiton’s horn glowed, and she applied it to Wing’s. His eyes snapped wide open, and he felt the presence of all the changelings in the room in his mind.
“Thank you, Mother,” Wing said telepathically to Chiton.
“When you return to the hive, you will be reconnected fully.” She then turned to using her voice once more. “Now that you have a connection to the changelings in the room, you should get better.”
“Yeah, only wish I had some royal jelly right now.”
“Speaking of that, Schkitz...” Queen Chiton motioned to one of her personal guards. The guard brought over a jar that contained a jelly like substance.
“Oooh!” Wing grabbed the jar and held it close to him, like it was his precious.
Queen Chiton chuckled at the sight. “Alright, settle down. I know it’s been a while since you’ve had it.”
Wing blushed in embarrassment and set the jar on the table next to his bed.
“What’s royal jelly?” Blueblood asked curiously.
“The best jelly you’ve ever tasted,” Wing replied. “It’s a perfect mix of flavor that goes well with anything. Mother herself makes it, and each ling gets a jar a month.”
“I see. Would it be alright if I had a taste of it?” Blueblood asked.
“There will be a jar made available for you and your aunts,” Queen Chiton replied to the inquiry.
“I eagerly await it,” Celestia stated.
“It makes an extremely delicious cake.” Wing stated.
“It… does?” Princess Celestia asked. Her thoughts drifted to the taste and how good a cake it’d make.
“Schkitz, that’s enough for now,” Queen Chiton commented
“Yes, Mother.”
The doctor had a few words about the jar as he levitated it over to himself. “I’m sorry to intrude but may I take the jar of jelly for study?”
“To check to see if it’s poisoned, I get it, doctor,” Queen Chiton cleared her throat.
“Please understand, Your Majesty, it’s my job to see to my patient’s well-being.”
“I understand. We changelings are immune to most forms of poison. So it’s rather useless in that regard.”
“Except for baked bads apparently,” Wing added.
“Intriguing,” the doctor replied.
“Now then, where we we? Ah, yes,” Wing pondered, moving his piece on the chess board. “Check.”
Blueblood’s mouth gaped open at the move. “How did I not see it coming?”
“You need to think ten moves ahead, my friend.”
“You two kids have fun,” Princess Celestia said as she, Luna, and the others left.
Blueblood suddenly realized something “Wait… Duke Firestorm’s wife has an orange color to her carapace, not the red you do. Why is that?”
“That is a long and complicated matter. She is from the Orange Hive or rather what is left of it, as it was wiped out long ago. The few survivors took refuge with our and the Violet Hive. They don’t have enough to rebuild so they live with us.”
“Oh…” Blueblood lowered his head.
As they left, a nurse entered the Infirmary, drawing Wing’s attention. “Yes, nurse, what is it?”
“Just checking on your IV. Don’t mind me,” the nurse replied as she trotted over.
“How about this,” Blueblood asked, moving out of the check just enough to break it.
Wing took the piece once again, putting Blueblood’s king in check, but also exposing his own.
Blueblood again moved his king out of check. It was better guarded now.
“Impressive,” Wing replied to the move and moved another, still keeping his king exposed.
“Oh yeah? Well, try this!” Blueblood moved his queen forward. “Check.”
Wing looked at the board before exposing a slight smile, moving a rook that took Blueblood’s queen.
“H...how!?” Blueblood exclaimed.
“Like I said, you need to think ten moves ahead.” Wing then boxed in Blueblood’s king. “And I do believe that is checkmate.”
“That was quite a match,” Blueblood shook his head.
“Yeah it was, but you played well.”
“As did you. Best chess match I’ve had in awhile.”
“So about Velvet Tome, what would you say if you saw her again?”
“I’d say that I love her. That she’s the one I want to spend my life with, and that I wish I had expressed my feelings for her.” Blueblood lowered his head. “But I don’t think she’ll get to hear them for a while.”
Wing looked to the nurse with a smile. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Bluey”
“Huh?”
The nurse was consumed by a flash of red magic and there stood before them a beautiful red female changeling. Her red eyes fell on Blueblood with an expression of passion.
“Velvet?” Blueblood asked. “Is it really you? You’re a changeling, too?”
“It’s Kla’rist, if I must be honest. That means cherry in our language. And yes, I am. We’ve both been hiding something from each other, it seems.”
“Kla’rist, it doesn’t matter to me if you are. I meant everything I said. When I look at you I…” Blueblood began, only to have Kla’rist put her hoof over his mouth.
“I know. And I love you too, Blueblood.” She nuzzled him on the side.
Wing smiled as an older brother would. “Now treat her good, Blueblood, or I’ll have you hanging from the ceiling in a cocoon.”
“Schkitz!” Kla’rist exclaimed, playfulling punching wing in the arm.
“Kidding! Kidding!” Wing chuckled.
“I’ll sic Mother on you if you do that.”
“Is Queen Chiton really that scary when she’s angry?” Blueblood asked.
“Yes, but she doesn’t get angry all that often,” replied Kla’rist
“And it’s really noticeable when she does,” Wing looks to Kla’rist. “I think you two will make it work.”
“I hope so. If Duke Firestorm made it work, we can as well.” Kla’rist gripped Blueblood’s hoof.
“Indeed.” Blueblood returned the gesture, nuzzling her right back.
“Now all I need to do is find Schkoltz a mare of his own. I think Schkerzahn and I can get that done once I’m out and fully reconnected,” Wing thought.
“Indeed. I think that Blueblood and I should get to that lunch and let mother know,” said Kla’rist.
“Well, I do hope I get an invitation to the wedding,” Wing teased.
“Schkitz!” Kla’rist shouted, punching Wing a little harder in the arm.
Wing chortled. “Alright, that's the last one.”
“It better be.” Kla’rist narrowed her eyes at the fellow changeling.
“Velvet, I… I have a question,” Blueblood spoke.
“Yes, Blueblood?”
“D...Do you think you could attend lunch with me in your changeling form?”
Kla’rist smiled warmly. “I would like that very much.”
Blueblood returned the smile with a bit of a blush as the two trotted out of the Infirmary.
Wing gave a smile as the two trotted out. He was so proud of his younger brood sister. “I think those two are gonna be just fine. What do you think, doctor?”
“Yeah. I agree. I’ve seen weirder things in the past year alone. They’ll make it work.”
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Rainbow groaned, her vision blurred, as she tried to gain a sense of where she was. It seemed to be a cave with a cell. She got up and tried to rush the door, but was yanked back by the chains that held her to the wall.
‘It’s useless, I’ve already tried to escape.”
Dash turned to see a mare in the cell with her, resting in the darkness. “Who are you?” Dash asked incredulously.
“Shimmering Star,” a bat pony mare with a coal grey coat and midnight blue/dark purple mane replied, leaning into the light.
“How long have you been here?”
“Two weeks,” Shimmering replied. She looked tired and dirty.
“Where are we?” Dash searched around with her eyes to get a better sense of their location.
“A changeling prison. We’re the only ones here so far, but there are a lot of cells. I think they plan on capturing more ponies.”
Dash noted a few bruises but no major injuries on the mare. “Did they do that to you?”
“Yes, damn changelings,” the mare scowled. “Bunch of dumb bugs if you ask me.”
“They’re dangerous, but we didn’t know it was Chrysalis before it was too late. Stupid, stupid…”
There was a flash of recognition in Shimmering’s eyes. “You’re Rainbow Dash! How did they capture you?”
“They tranquilized me while I was flying to Canterlot.”
“Why go there?”
“To see my idiot husband. He’s convinced his friend is a good changeling. I believe he called him a Harmonist.”
“Sounds made up,” Shimmering replied quickly. Almost too quickly.
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Dash replied with a bit of suspicion in her voice.
“Well, it does! It really sounds like something that changelings would say.”
“It does...but it sounds like you heard it before to me.”
“There’s no point in us arguing if I did or not. We’re both prisoners and aren’t going anywhere.”
“You’re...not wrong…”
The sound of hooffalls interrupted Dash’s train of thought. Two tough looking changelings came into view. “There! That mare’s the one,” the first said, pointing to Shimmering Star.
“Leave her alone!” Dash shouted.
“You’ll get your chance soon.” the second replied as he unlocked the door, shouting to get Shimmering in line.
Two more changelings came into view, dragging another very badly beaten changeling. “What should we do with her?”
“Throw her in with the pony. Maybe she will deal with our problems.”
“Yes sir!” The two threw the badly beaten changeling in the cell with Dash. One of the guards dragged Shimmering out of the cell. The door shut behind him, Shimmering still resisting.
“She’s still as feisty as ever,” the guard laughed.
“Yeah, I do love it when ponies think they can fight.” The guards gave a hearty laugh as they dragged Shimmering behind them, the pony still trying to kick away from them before they all vanished from sight.