Amie woke to uncomfortable pressure against her real body, jostling her back to reality. She blinked, then opened one eye. A bug stood nearby, bouncing with nervous energy.
It took her a moment more to recover—back to her bloated body, and the cramps that came from a long time holding still.
"What is it?"
"Food's here!" he said. "I mean... the hunters' food got here. And there's a horse with them. Wants to see you."
"Pegasus?" she suggested. "Stallion? Big wings? Tailslide."
The bug nodded. "Said you would know him. What should we do?"
She stood, bending down for an exaggerated stretch. Even transformed into this Alicorn disguise, she still felt bloated and swollen. There would be no relief, not until those eggs were growing outside her body.
"Bring the glamour into the vault with the rest. I'll meet the pony. He's... a friend."
Either the kid couldn't tell what she meant or was too nervous to call her on it. He scampered off to deliver her instructions.
"You allow a pony here?" asked another voice. Natane whispered from the shadowy depths of her room, returned to her unnatural, supernal confidence. "Do you realize the danger that represents? They remember all they see and carry that knowledge to your enemies. Even if the chattel is ensorceled, there is always risk they will pierce your magic and rebel. Ponies overflow with magic and can inflict devastating harm if you aren't prepared to put them down."
Amie ground her teeth together, ears folding back. "I would appreciate if you don't repeat any of those things to my guest when he gets here. Tailslide... fathered those eggs. He's not ensorcelled, whatever that means. He's not a slave. We're... together."
Natane rolled her eyes. "If it were possible, I would have taken command of your swarm, long enough for you to grow to maturity. You may soon have eggs of your own, but you are a nymph in every other respect. Alas, this cannot be done. Your swarm must necessarily survive with your leadership or perish."
She bowed low and mocking, before making her way out. "All this innovation will either make you the greatest queen to ever live, or a swiftly slain lesson to all others. Banish every pony notion of affection and togetherness from your mind, if you can. What does not serve you is a liability."
As she left, Tailslide appeared in the doorway, flanked by a half-dozen other bugs. Some were guards, a few were workers—all stared, with expressions somewhere between confusion and hunger.
You thought we were new at this, but we weren't. We had Wes living with us before. If I made that work, I could make this work too.
"Who is this?" asked Danelle, the only one brave enough to follow the stallion through her open door. "Is it a good idea to have ponies here?"
"No," she answered honestly. "It's a terrible idea. But he has a right to be here." She stood up straight, raising her voice. "Make sure everyone knows. This pony is my guest. He has already done a great service for Stella Lacus, and he will be treated with respect. If any bug touches him, they won't be welcome in my camp anymore. We do not harm our guests."
Danelle nodded weakly, backing away through the open doors. Several others remained in the doorway. Amie couldn't rely on the ignorance of younger campers to conceal what really existed between them. Tailslide's feelings radiated bright enough to sense through several layers of stone. He would draw the other bugs here like a space heater in a cold room. It didn't matter if his feelings were too diffuse to be harvested by anyone watching.
Good thing they aren't starving anymore, or this would get ugly. Amie levitated the door closed, clicking the lock across behind him.
"Amie," Tailslide said. Both wings opened to either side, feathers disordered from a long flight. His scent was heavy with sweat and ozone—more of that fantastic energy that had drawn her to him in the first place. "You're a..."
She flushed, both wings opening reflexively. "I know. I wasn't going for Alicorn—I tried to get back onto two legs. But I couldn't get it to work. I tried to force it with a ton of glamour, but I ended up like this."
He closed the distance between them in a few steps. "Not that. I... knew you could copy Alicorns. Happened during the invasion. I meant—" He touched her belly with one wing, brushing gently against it. "That's ten months too early. Neither of us should even know yet."
Amie nodded. "Used to keep protection in my purse. If I'd known... Our biology is so different, I didn't even dream it could happen. Everything I've read says it can't! But I think there's something different about us—the humans who transformed, not the ones born here. I think it must be because of that—the other changelings couldn't be wrong about something so important."
"Other changelings?" Tailslide's eyebrows went up. "You've met... other changelings? In Equestria? Not more friendly ones from your planet—the evil invaders?"
"No! Not them." She couldn't say more, not without risking her oath to Pachu'a. "That trip I went to was... far away from anywhere ponies live. They're in the wilderness. Look, that's not important." It was so strange to be looking down on Tailslide instead of up—disorienting. "That's not what this is about. It's—I'm gonna be a mom, Tailslide. Not long now—a few days at most. I know it's not what you expected."
He laughed; voice strained. He could act better than most, but the pain underneath remained naked to her. "I can't think of another mare I'd choose. I don't want to—I don't want to be the one to tell you this. But if you haven't already considered..." He pushed her shoulder, easing her into a sitting position. He felt far weaker than she might've otherwise expected—weak enough for her to resist, if she wanted to. She didn't.
"Ponies have hybrids with lots of other species—but changelings are so different! Whatever's happening... that foal might not make it all the way out. Especially this fast—there's no way that's a pony pregnancy.
Amie relaxed, visibly enough that even Tailslide could see. "You're not upset?"
"Not that! I... already know it's not an Equestrian pregnancy. It's... really gross, remember? Like I said. Best thing that can happen is you not seeing until it's over." She stood up, backing away from him. "Even then, you might not want to see. I wouldn't. Human biology is yucky enough."
The pegasus circled slowly around her. His attention flicked into the room, at her notes and the makeshift office she had built. "I didn't abandon you before, Amie. Whatever happens—I want to be part of it. I gave up my chance to fly south a long time ago. Might as well see it through to the end." He lowered his voice, barely even loud enough for her otherwise sharp senses. "If that SMILE agent was telling the truth... I won't abandon our foal. No matter how they look."
Amie had almost managed to forget about that particular sword of Damocles hanging overhead. No sooner could she overcome one threat when another appeared to consume her. Unlike every threat before it, this one struck from a field that she didn't understand. There was... only one bug who might know. Only Amie hadn't told her.
Amie galloped over to the door, throwing it open. "Natane!" she yelled, voice echoing down the hall. "Where is Natane?" Several bugs waited outside—at least a dozen by then, so thick they blocked the hall. "Where is Natane?" she asked, desperate.
Tailslide followed her, expression bewildered. But the presence of so many other bugs kept him silent. She could hardly blame him for his fear.
"She went to the nursery," someone said, pointing. "To inspect it. Were we supposed to keep her?"
Amie shook her head once. "I need to see her. Everyone, return to your duties. Tunnel team... you bugs shouldn't be up here. Same with you, construction. You've got furniture to move. I'll share the news this pony brought when it's time, I promise."
The crowd parted for her, scattering at her reproach. Tailslide followed behind her, soon matching pace. "What was that about?"
"There's a bug here who might be able to help."
He nodded, following silently behind her through the mine. Bugs scattered and stared as they passed, attention focused instantly on Tailslide. It didn't matter that half the bugs looked like other creatures—the delicious emotions of the real thing were impossible to miss. Tailslide's devotion to her, his self-sacrifice and commitment through adversity—drew bugs to them from all over the mine.
Amie scrambled onto the freight elevator, a heavy wooden platform surrounded by metal supports and lots of naked stone. She waited for Tailslide to join her, then engaged the lift. They dropped, turning the stone walls to brown smears.
"There are other ways down here, but I've got the stairs locked up. Most of this old mine is still dangerous, even for bugs meant to live underground."
Tailslide stepped into the center of the platform, tucking both wings to his sides. "This feels... unsafe." He had to raise his voice over the violent squeaking and straining wood of the elevator—a modern machine, this wasn’t.
"Oh, yeah. They were still running this thing as a tourist attraction, so I assume it's safe. You should see the roller-coaster. If we can get the generator running again, we should be able to get it working too. After we come up with better restraints."
The stallion spun on her. "You can't be serious. You built a theme park ride?"
"Already here. Fixing it is very low priority. Would be nice if we could switch it on once before we have to scavenge the parts."
“Not sure how I’m supposed to keep up with you.” Tailslide settled onto his haunches, eyes fixed on her. Anything other than staring at the rapid motion of the lift. “Aren’t you fighting another war right now? You had to take your camp over to stop the kids from starving. How are you going to fight them and Equestria at the same time?”
She chuckled. But such a quiet sound was instantly lost in the maelstrom of noise. “He surrendered! He’s working for me now!”
Tailslide rose in a blur, stopping just in front of her. “You promised there wouldn’t be fighting without me!”
“There wasn’t!” Not quite true, but close enough. “I tricked his soldiers, caught them, and the war ended before it began. Kinda hard to fight the girl who’s bringing in all your food.”
He relaxed, settling both wings to his sides again. “Oh. That seems… uncharacteristic for changelings. The invaders were incredibly violent with each other—almost as violent as they were with us.”
Amie braced her hoof against the lever, then brought them to a stop. Not quite at the bottom—but any lower, and they would hit the flooded section. “You should know by now—we’re not like those bugs. No one here’s perfect—but I think they would all rather settle a disagreement with conversation.”
She stepped out, lighting her horn ahead of her. The electrical cables weren’t here yet, though her construction team already had thick hoses and pump equipment here, piled up beside the elevator. If they were very lucky, it would all still work.
This close to her, Amie could sense the other bugs nearby. A few of her workers remained in the nursery, to help with the construction as much as give Amie a quick way to check in on things. She could think of fewer safer positions for the camp’s souldeath victims.
But there was one other—Natane, exactly the bug she had come to find. She broke into a trot, eventually emerging in the nursery.
The trickle of water had stopped, though a large clear pool remained against the bridal veil. The exit was entirely sealed now, covered in fresh cement.
“You brought a pony down here?” Natane said, without turning around. She still had the book on her shoulders, though she carried nothing else. No other tools or weapons. But considering the magic a queen could wield, she didn’t need any. “He should not know of this place. Or if you insist on this male in particular, there is a procedure. At least your vanity would yield a plentiful harvest of glamour.”
Tailslide shivered. Fear rippled over him, and he hesitated in the doorway. She turned, just long enough to meet his eyes. I won’t let her do it, she thought. But she had no way of sending that to him, the same way she could with her bugs. He would have to read her intentions the simple way.
“There’s something I meant to ask you,” Amie said, ignoring her invitation completely. At least she never had to wonder who she was talking to. “The Equestrian princess… she has dream magic, doesn’t she?”
That was strange enough to catch Kaya off-guard. She turned, crossing back through the empty cavern in a few quick strides. “Whatever you’re imagining, you should stop. The Alicorns are mighty beyond your imagination, nymph. Their powers cannot be resisted, even by the most powerful among us. Queen Chrysalis proved that in spectacular fashion. Even a momentary victory proved only to be the entire destruction of her tribe. We cannot overcome, only hide.”
Their powers cannot be resisted. Her words came down on Amie with the crushing weight of certainty. There was no secret royal way to stop an incoming spell. In that case, it was probably better that the other queen not see Amie’s weakness. She still might have a way out of this. If they could get back to Earth, no magical dagger would matter.
“It is not wise to discuss this further,” she went on. “Least of all in the presence of this one. It would be different if you intended to slay him when you were finished—but you will not even do that to your enemies. Your lover will surely be spared.”
Amie nodded harshly. “Yes, honored one. I’m not big on murder, if it’s all the same to you. But I would like to know how to construct a nursery.”
“Natane can inform you,” the queen said. “I will leave you now. It would not be proper for the queen of another tribe to attend such a sacred occasion. I will watch again when the ponies come to slaughter you.”
The drone twitched, and her expression relaxed. “Was there something you needed, honored queen?”
Amie shook her head once. “Not now.”