Looking Glass

by Hiver


Chapter 25

I had a strong sense of deja vu.

Chrysalis glared across the table at Cadance, Shining Armor and Midnight.

Cadance, Shining Armor and Midnight glared at Chrysalis.

Very few words that weren't veiled or not so veiled insults had been said so far and we had been here for almost two hours, the sun was long down outside.

I felt a headache coming on.

I slowly felt my head sink down until my forehead rested against the crystal table, my horn doing a small click, click, click sound as I slowly thumped against it.

Oh just kiss already and be done with it.

"Excuse me!?"

That was Cadance. Wait, did I say that out loud?

I raised my head and looked at her tiredly, "We have three or so hours to hammer this down in principle at least," I said, "So if you don't mind, I want to get this over with. Chrysalis, apologize."

The Changeling Queen glared at me.

I looked at her levely until she looked away over at Cadance and Shining Armor,

"...I apologize for what I did," she said after another long moment, "It was for my hive."

"I don't give a buck abo-"

I stood up and my hoof on the table, "Princess Cadance," I said as I cut her off, "You may not ever forgive Queen Chrysalis, but would you condemn every changeling in the hive for it? For not wanting to starve, for following their Queen. Their mother?"

She stared at me, "I..." she started and looked at the drone next to Chrysalis. Skitter had the good timing to look back at her and I would have sworn used some changeling transformation to make her eyes bigger, "...No," she admitted and rubbed her forehead.

"Because if you refuse to negotiate here, it's what you do," I told her before turning my gaze back to Chrysalis, "And you could at least pretend to want to cooperate. Everypony out of here, take a ten minute breather and think, really think about what you can accept when it comes to this. Then we continue."

"I-" Chrysalis started to say and I cut her off, slamming my hoof against the table,

"Out!"

She closed her mouth with a small click of teeth. She glared at me for several moments before she got up and turned, walking out through one of the doors, the two changelings in the room following along closely.

"Page, I-" Cadance started to say.

"Out!"

She flinched back but then turned and walked out the other direction, Shining Armor following behind her.

I let my head drop down against the table.

"Going to yell at me too?" Midnight asked and walked around it to sit next to me.

"Would you vaporize me if I did?" I grumbled before I sighed and raised my head again, rubbing the side of it, "...I thought I was done with this. Seriously, I did this once before. It sucked then and it sucks now."

Midnight nodded and smiled a bit wryly at me, "You are pretty good at it. But I'm not sure treating them like naughty foals is the best idea."

"Well, if they act like it," I sighed and then shrugged my wings and rubbed my head again, "...Headache," I admitted, "not helping."

"I have no idea how you do it," Midnight admitted, "I'm the princess of friendship and... I have no idea how you deal with changelings like that."

"Can't treat them like ponies," I said and cracked my neck, ignoring Midnight's shudder of disgust, "They're not ponies. In some way they are a lot more straightforward, just in a way that's a lot different from the usual pony mindset. But I have practice."

"I suppose you do," Midnight said and then stood up, "I'll go talk to Talon, see if we can get some refreshment in here."

"Oh, good idea. Let's get them drunk. Either they end up in bed or kill each other and either way, problem solved."

Midnight rolled her eyes, "There are times I question Twilight's taste," she said and headed towards the third door.

I looked after her in amusement for a second before I looked at the table again.

Three hours.

Three hours to make Cadance and Chrysalis not want to outright kill each other at first chance they got.

I want to go home.