//------------------------------// // Play Date // Story: My Son is a Changeling // by Draconian Soul //------------------------------// “Diapers and powder?” Cadance called. “Check!" I replied. “Medical kit?” “Checkeroo!” “Leather?” “No way in Tartarus I’m forgetting that...” I muttered “I bet not!” Cadance giggled, grooming Kilo, who was struggling much less than usual, which amazed me quite a bit. Though in Kilo’s case, not screaming and kicking as if he was being tortured while being groomed was a blessing. “So, what about the food, honey?” Cadance asked. “Well, my stomach isn't growling” I teased, which caused Cadance to raise her eyebrows. "Just kidding, It's all here!" We packed a very large amount of food, most of which was for Kilo. We had cut bananas, celery, and a few strawberries for him to nibble on. Cadance reminded me to bring the bottles of formula, though in the back of my mind I knew it replace the love he drains out of me. “Hope we packed enough, though. Kilo is most likely going to be playing all day long, I really don't want us to run out of food!" Cadance said, a bit concerned. I was still quite baffled at how she accepted the whole “adopted changeling” situation; I tried to keep it off my mind, not wanting to jinx myself or anything like that! I was so happy of how enthusiastic she was about raising a child, even if it wasn’t hers. “Well look at you! Always thinking ahead,” I flirted, giving her a slight peck on the cheek, "I’m sure we have enough food for the little devil. There's enough in here to keep anypony alive for a year!” While I was talking, I approached Kilo and playfully rubbed his scalp. He seemed to like it a lot! He was still a bit hesitant to Cadance, but he had come a long way from growling and biting. “Besides, I’ll be his secondary source of food if we ever do run out.” “True, you are a good source of love...” Cadance replied, kissing me on the lips. This brought a goofy smile to my face. “If only I could taste some of that love...” she whispered, moving closer to me. Her sultry tone sent shivers down my spine. I lovingly embraced her, playing with her hair, and whispered: “And you will... in time! But before that, we have to spend some time with Kilo.” Cadance nodded, still smiling, and gazed into my eyes. Her eyes had a hypnotizing nature to them. If you started long enough into those deep pools of purple, you might as well kiss the rest of your day goodbye. “So, do we have everything together for our day out?” she asked quietly, returning to the previous subject. I quickly reverted my eyes to Kilo, then gently set him atop our bed. Yeah, but I gotta wash my face. Wanna be fresh and clean, since I'm probably gonna get all dirty playing with Kilo!" I slowly trotted to the bathroom on the far side of the room and quickly turned the sink on, gently splashing water onto my face. I was telling Cadance the truth for the most part, but there were other reasons why I was washing up. The previous night ended with Chrysalis walking both me and Kilo back to the empire. The guards were still in the vicinity, so she decided to stay out of sight to avoid any awkward situations. --- “Well, I enjoyed our little day together!” she said, softly pulling me into an unwanted hug. “Remember, my bed is quite large. If you want, we can make good use of it!” Yeah, don’t keep your hopes too high...” I responded, as she smiled and leaned a bit closer, obviously leaning in for a kiss. “Please, don't..." I muttered, nudging her face away with my elbow. “Well, okay…” she replied, a bit disappointed. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. That was, until I felt her wet tongue streaking up my cheek, leaving a slimy mark on my face. “What the!?” I snapped, quickly jerking my eyes open. “What?” she replied teasingly, “you told me not to kiss you; you didn't say I couldn't lick you! Oh, and trust me, there is so much more I could do with this tongue..." --- I shuddered, then jerked my head under the stream of cold water, trying to forget what happened. I shut my eyes and tried to relax. I diverted my attention to the soothing feeling of water trickling down the back of my my neck... After vigorously drying my head with a small towel, I headed back into the room. “Ready now, Mr. Perfection?” Cadance laughed, holstering Kilo up onto her back (much to his discomfort). “Sure am,” I replied. “Sure am!” I replied. “Just waiting for the lady...” Her smile widened as she headed towards the door, getting ready for a nice relaxing day with the new addition to the family (hopefully). We stopped briefly at the open plains just outside the Crystal Empire. My sister always complimented the Sweet Apple Acres, it's astounding beauty. It's the type of scenery that's more than breathtaking. Your heart jumps when your eyes glide across the beautiful landscape. But if you ask me I’d say that we had it beat. The glowing fields were rich with life: small animals darted left and right, many different bushes were overflowing with juicy berries, ripe, ready to pick. The open space was a perfect scenario for a family picnic. Kilo seemed excited, he'd never had the opportunity to play in any open space like this. No fences blocking him, no boundaries to hold him back! His eyes lit up with excitement! His playground now was the world around him. The mere sparkling of his innocent little eyes forced a smile upon my face. Candace's face beamed with joy when she saw her adopted child's twinkling eyes! I gently spread out the checkered cloth, and carefully set the food down, trying to keep some space between all the bottles and plates. Kilo, who was still mounted on top of Cadance, was staring at me with wide, pleading eyes. It's almost as if he was asking for my permission to go and play! “Alright Kilo, go nuts!” I laughed, which he obviously took as a "yes", because he scrambled off Candace's back, and out into the spacious fields. “Be careful! I don't want to have a heart attack again!” I shouted, stretching my neck upwards, trying to make sure the rambunctious changeling didn't leave my sight. I then lowered myself down onto the cloth to let weary bones settle. Cadance soon joined me, nesting herself as close as possible to me. “Has Kilo really been giving you mini heart attacks?” Cadance asked lovingly. “You don’t know the half of it!” I laughed, as images of my first day with Kilo flashed through my head. Oh, it couldn't have been that bad!" she giggled, nudging herself even closer to me. “Yes it was!" I replied, a robust smile forming on my face, "I left the room for a mere second, and the kid was leaning off the balcony! If I hadn't notice him, he would have fallen!” He technically did fall, but I decided to leave that out of my story. ““Oh, goodness!” Cadence gasped. “He didn’t get hurt did he?” “No. In fact, he seemed quite pleased about it. I'm sure he was laughing on the inside!” “Maybe that was Mr. Karma biting a chunk out of your flank for keeping a secret from me!” Cadance teased, lightly tapping me on the back. I couldn't help but giggle at my wife’s playful attitude. I savored these moments, since they didn't tend to come by as often as they used to. Every second spent with her was valuable, especially since Kilo continuously drains me of energy. Isn't he wonderful?,” Cadance said, smiling, watching Kilo roll down a small hill, laughing as he tumbled over and over and over. “He kinda reminds me of Twilight when she was little,” she whispered, leaning over and gently placing her head on my shoulder. “Yeah, he does have that that child-like wonder... ” I responded. Butterflies happily fluttered in our vicinity, staying very low to the ground. They danced through the tall grass, and with each graceful flap of their wings they left behind a tiny trail of pollen, brightly glistening in the evening sun. Kilo lifted his tiny snout in the air, and took in an entire lung's-worth of air. He snuffed in quite a bit of pollen, which the butterflies left behind, and sneezed, toppling over himself and down into the silky grass. He quickly scrambled to his feet, quite frustrated at what had happened. His eyes combed the landscape, looking for what possibly could have caused his sudden embarrassment. He noticed the butterflies, and a tiny fire lit up in his sparkling eyes. He darted behind a nearby rock, and waited for one to fly by. He leaped out from behind the rock just as one passed by. Even though the butterflies were flying very low, they still were a bit out of his reach. He kept leaping at the butterflies, but they always evaded his grasp. I could see the frustration building up inside of him with each failed attempt. “Don’t give up, Kilo!” I playfully yelled, “you’ll catch one eventually!” My voice was just the motivation he needed in order to succeed. He climbed on top of the rock, and came sailing down onto one of the creatures. He snatched it between his hooves, being careful not to crush it. He gazed at the butterfly, admiring its pleasant features and enjoying its simplicity… …before rapidly tearing the butterfly’s wings apart with his fangs, throwing it on the ground and brutally stomping on it with his fore-hooves. As he continued this frenzy, he let out a series of high pitched, demonic laughs. Enjoying himself to the fullest, he crushed the poor thing to smithereens. I guess this sort of thing runs in the family (Changeling side, of course). “Kilo!” Cadance called out, causing Kilo’s laughter to slow down and eventually stop. “You can't just go around killing creatures for no reason, especially something as harmless and innocent as a butterfly!" Kilo shot a disapproving, agitated glance Cadance, for their was a reason for him to do so. He Stomped on the already-crushed butterfly to show his defiance. Yeah, definitely a changeling thing. “Oh Kilo, what am I going to do with you?” Cadance laughed. She was taking Kilo’s hostility particularly well. She got up, brushed the straw off her lap, and made towards the aggravated little changeling. “Every creature is valuable!” she began, a calm smile on her face. “Even a small creature like a butterfly! There’s more to life than domination and violence, you know. You should admire the wonderful gift of life, not destroy it!" Cadance said, spreading her hooves to the sky.” I sat still, watching her educate our little Kilo. A large group of butterflies fluttered over their heads; and Kilo's eyes twinkled with delight as he stared at the graceful creatures. I honestly couldn’t believe that Cadance was able to calm down the tyrannical little fellow, and have him go minutes without destroying anything. He stared and stared, eyes as wide as possible. Cadance in turn smiled at him, pleased that everything had gone as she planned. One particularly large butterfly landed on Kilo’s snout, spreading it's wings to their maximum amplitude. The pattern on it's wings slightly resembled a smile, which caused Cadance to giggle slightly, for it looked like Kilo was smiling broadly. I couldn't help but snicker. It was nice to see Kilo finally getting along with Cadance, and listening to her. For the first time ever he was fully calm near Cadance. This, however, didn't stop him from swatting the butterfly from his snout directly into his little mouth. He slowly chewed on it, letting it's wings protrude from the sides of his mouth. Though it was a disturbing sight, it was better than watching him mutilate a rabbit. He smiled gleefully, and looked up at Cadance, who seemed to be taking everything better than I'd expected. “One step at a time!" she said, patting Kilo's head, "One step at a time..." We spent the evening watching him play in the fields. When he would grow tired, or hungry, he would squeeze himself between me and Cadance, then whimper as loud as possible, trying to gain my attention. He obviously wanted me to feed him my love. As much as I adored the little guy, I wasn't ready to sacrifice the rest of the evening being bushed and tired-out. So I gave him some fruit instead. He was content with what he had received, though and proceeded to stuff as much fruit as possible into his little mouth. We sat a bit longer in the sunlight; resting together, as a family. Cadances affection towards Kilo must have been driven by her desire to start a family and have children of our own. She was hopeful that one of our “attempts” would lead to her bearing, but recently with Kilo around we hadn't really had the time to attempt anything. I always wanted to start a family with her, I really did... But this changeling that I took upon myself to raise like he was my own (which he was) was making me wonder if it was worth it. I know, I sound like a terrible father right now. “Well, we might as well get going, hon,” Cadance suggested, lifting herself off the cloth. “We don’t want Kilo to miss his play-time with the other children.” I stared at her, wide-eyed. “Play-time?” “I didn’t tell you? I thought it would be best for Kilo to have some social interaction with other children. He might even make some friends!” “Cadance, I’m not sure that's a good idea” I stammered nervously. I remembered what Twilight had said about how Changeling children socialize with others. “Oh it’ll be fine!” Cadance said calmly. “I’ll keep a close eye on the little devil here. And if things do go wrong, I’ll take all the blame for it.” I didn’t want to take that chance. Still, Cadance really wanted Kilo to spend some time with other children. I couldn't say no to that puppy-dog face of hers. Women are manipulative creatures. But then again, they sometime make up for our stupidity. “Alright,” I said, smiling wryly. “But please keep a very close eye on him.” Cadance gave me a loving kiss on the cheek, and smiled. “Don’t worry so much, Shining. I’ll make sure he doesn't get into trouble.” Cadance and I trotted together along the streets of the Crystal Empire, talking to each other along the way. Our destination was the local park, where Kilo would socialize (hopefully) well with the other ponies. “So, Kilo, are you looking forward to playing with the others?” I asked him, balancing him on my head. Kilo answered by sinking his teeth into my hair. “I'll take that as a yes!” I groaned. “Well, Kilo seems to enjoy ruining your day!” Cadance laughed playfully. “You have no idea.” Our park had a sizable playground for the children to play at, while parents sat on the benches and watched them. A lot of ponies took advantage of the nice, sunny day and brought their kids out to play. Kilo’s eyes widened when he saw the playground. I couldn't tell if he was happy or afraid! We got a few stares from the passerby and the ponies sitting on the benches, but we were used to that kind of attention, so we didn't think much of it. “Oh, good! Surely Kilo will make a few friends today” Cadance sang. “Sure” I responded. “You don’t seem too eager for him to play with the others.” She said glumly. “Did I not already emphasize my discomfort with him playing with others? He's not really the friendly type when it comes to other ponies." “Well, how are you supposed to know? Have you even tried getting him to do it?” Cadance said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Come to think of it, I haven't! I took Twilight’s word for it, and never even considered that maybe he could be...tamed. It was worth a shot. Cadance has a knack for these things anyways, so I just trusted her judgement. “You do have a point...” I muttered. “Okay, let’s get 'em ready to play with the others.” Cadance smiled, lifting Kilo off of my head; the young guy wiggled and squirmed uncomfortably as Cadance brought him to her face. “So, Kilo, want to make some new friends today?” Cadance asked while Kilo grunted, making small clicking noises to let her know he wanted to be put down. Cruel as it may be, I found his struggles quite amusing! “Was that a nod, young man?" she said in a teasing voice. Kilo crossed his little arms and pouted, then snapped his head away from Cadances face. He peeked out of the corner of his eye, and saw all the children playing on the playground. He then nodded vigorously, mainly to get out of Cadance's grasp. “Alright, have fun!” Once released from her grasp, Kilo, agitated as ever, swiftly dashed out of her arms, then headed towards the playground hopefully to play with the other little fillies. “He’s growing on you every day, isn't he?” Cadance said warmly, reading the happy expression on my face. He really had been growing on me. I couldn't deny it. The more I’m around him, the more I enjoy the responsibility required to take care of him. And Cadance, so willing to accept this child into our life without hesitation or a second thought made me ever happier. The fact that I was lying to her sent cold shivers down my spine. What could I do? I couldn't tell her the truth. If keeping Cadance meant keeping this circle of lies rotating, I would just have to grin and bear it. “He really is,” I said, watching as he tried his best to fit into the pool of the other children. "Although I’m not too sure that the others are fond of him.” Kilo was greeted by many fearful stares. All the fillies made sure to keep distance from the "weirdo". This upset Kilo. A lot. He growled at the others, showing his sharp fangs. “Kilo!” I shouted. “No aggressive behavior around others!" I could tell that Kilo didn't like what I had to tell him, but hey obeyed my orders. There were some advantages of him being my son: he had to listen to my commands. In fact, I believe it was noted that it was instinct for changeling children to fully obey their parents. That did explain why Chrysalis obeyed her own mother to a fault. Wait, what am I doing? I was finally free from that pain in the flank, finally able to enjoy a day with my wife, and yet there I was thinking about Chrysalis! I shook any thoughts of the queen out of my head and focused on Kilo. I guess cruelty and intolerance starts pretty early in life, as the other ponies refused to let him play in the playground. They blocked off the slide, pushed him from the seesaw, and made every effort to exclude him from the playground. “Why are they being so rude to him?” Cadance asked, concerned about Kilo, who seemed more sad than angry. “I don’t know, maybe because he’s a changeling.” I said icily. Fortunately she ignored my tone and began trotted towards one of the parents of one of the rude fillies. “Excuse me” Cadance said with a soft tone. “Oh, h-hello your h-highness! How may I be of service?" blurted the surprised pony. “I would like you and the others to try and get your children to be more accepting to him, please" Cadance said calmly. She pointed at Kilo, whose sad expression had turned to something similar to rage. “O-oh, you mean that thing?" the pony said worriedly. “That "things" name is Kilo.” Cadance proclaimed sternly, which caused the crystal pony to nervously look left and right, “and he’s a changeling that my husband and I adopted.” Must she throw attention my way? I didn’t want to get any more involved in this than I needed to, and here I was getting thrown in headfirst. “Please pardon me for asking this, your highness, but why would you bring such a creature into your home!?” the pony asked, which made me rather uncomfortable, and a bit irritated. “Why wouldn't anypony bring home a hurt creature that was left to die?” I said firmly. “B-but that thing isn’t worth your t-time! H-have you already forgotten what these creatures have done to you?” the pony said, nervous as ever. She squirmed in her seat, and it felt much like she was awaiting her own execution. ““You can’t blame a young child for that! Kilo took no part in what happened!” My voice was dripping with anger. “B-but he’s one of them! Who knows when he’ll eventually turn on us. You of all ponies should be concerned!" “He is a sensible being just like the rest of us!” Cadance butted in, looking as agitated as ever. “Being a changeling doesn't affect civil rights!" “That abomination of nature couldn't possibly fit in with our-” “THAT’S ENOUGH!!” I shouted, stomping my hooves to the ground in fury. “I refuse to let you say such things about my son!!” "Your son!?” Cadance questioned. Oh Celestia! I was so enraged I let those words slip right out out my mouth! I urgently had to evade this awkward situation. I didn't need a diversion, since Kilo seemed to have made one for me, though I would have preferred if he didn’t. One of the fillies was screaming and crying as Kilo blatantly pounded him with all his might. “My child!!” One of the parents cried. All the fillies rushed to their parents, afraid to get close to the violent Kilo. “Kilo, stop!” I shouted as I galloped towards him. “Kilo, get off of him!” Kilo paused for a moment, most likely wondering whether or not to listen to me. An expression of sadness swept over his face. He buried his tiny face into his arms. “Kilo, stop this nonsense!” I nearly choked on my words. Kilo let out a soft, disappointed click, and hastily got off the trembling pony. “You wretched demon! From behind, an enraged crystal pony levitated a brick above Kilo’s head with the intent to kill. My heart raced as I tried to reach Kilo before the pony landed the blow. “The less of you that exist in this world the better!” Kilo turned away in fear as the enraged pony forced the brick down. I couldn't reach him in time. I was nearly brought to tears at the thought of losing my son to a group of angry parents! Everything happened so fast, I couldn't concentrate enough to move Kilo out of harms way. I saw who the brick struck instead. Cadance had leaped on top of Kilo, using her body to shield him from the brick. Instead of the pony killing the changeling, she involuntarily hit the princess on the head, leaving a very noticeable lump on her skull. “Oh, p-princess, I’m sorry!” the pony frantically wailed. “I was trying to…” “I know what you were trying to do.” Cadance replied coldly, which sent shivers down my spine. “I won’t let you do anything to harm our child.” Kilo seemed surprised by her declaration. For the first time since they met, Kilo nestled against Cadance without being told to. He looked so vulnerable and helpless, his eyes glistening with guilt and fear. “Are you hurt, darling?” Cadance asked in a motherly tone. The young changeling simply shook his head, still resting against Cadance. “I think you've had enough excitement for one day.” She lifted Kilo onto her back, stumbling, a bit still dizzy, and trotted towards me, ignoring the glares from everypony else. “Let’s leave, Shining,” she said sternly. "Somepony got lucky they didn't get a lifetime sentence." The usual, loving princess had turned cold, and I could see the icy flames in her bright eyes. I managed to shoot a glance over my shoulder before we left the park. Everypony was standing completely still, dazzled at what they had just experienced. The pony who had levitated the brick was shaking with fear. She backed away from the others and lay down on the bench. The walk home was painfully quiet and slow. Kilo rested atop Cadance’s back, and I conjured some ice for her head. We trotted alongside each other in awkward silence. It was unbearable. I wanted her to say something, anything, to make the situation more manageable. “Are you feeling any better, hon?” I asked. Wasn't the best icebreaker, but it would have to do. “Feeling as good as I can possibly feel after getting hit in the face by a brick!” she responded, a tiny smile glistening on her exhausted face. “Oh. Sorry for asking.” “No, it’s fine,” she sighed, her tiny smile warping into a melancholy frown. “None of this would have happened if I had listened to your advice...” “Don't blame yourself! You couldn't have possibly known what would have happened.” I said, locking my eyes on her. “But I should have! How foolish of me to assume that everypony would simply accept Kilo. Changelings have caused so many problems in the past. It was a stupid idea, and I ran with it.” “One mistake compared to my thousands of blunders? That's not bad!" I exclaimed, trying to cheer her up. “You could be doing a lot worse.” “How?” “Well, you could have tried hiding a changeling just because you were worried about what your wife would think about it.” She smiled warmly, which calmed me down quite a bit. The icy glow in here eyes was thawing, and her beautiful eyes bloomed once again. “So, about what you said back there, you really think of him as a son?” “He might as well be! I sure did spend a lot of time with the little bugger,” I replied, still smiling. “Good, because I was thinking the exact same thing.” She moved closer to me, and grinned softly. “Though I know Kilo won’t be able to substitute us having a child of our own,” I said, watching her smile dissipate. “I know how much energy Kilo takes out of you" she replied, nudging my chin with her cheek, "It’s understandable that you aren't in the mood to try as often as you used to. Besides, after today’s experience, I honestly don’t think I’ll make a good mother.” “Nonsense! You sacrificed your well-being to protect a child who isn't even yours! You helped raise him, and taught him many things, even when he showed his hostility to you. You have more motherly qualities in one hoof than most have in their entire bodies!” After finishing my sincere praises, I gently picked up one of her hooves and kissed it, which caused her to giggle. It was disappointing that Kilo managed to drain enough energy out of me to the point where I wouldn't even want to have any "private-time" with my wife, but you make many sacrifices when raising a changeling child. Still, as time went on, I found myself wanting close relations with her. I assumed it was the lack of love we were receiving from each other that made me long for her so much. Once we finally made it home, Cadance rested herself on the bed while I fed Kilo before he went to sleep. He drained what he needed from me, then slowly wobbled to his crib. The only difference was that I didn’t feel drained. In fact, I felt needy of love. A naughty grin formed across my face as I entered the bedroom. “So, you done feeding him?" she asked. I simply nodded, and she turned away and sighed. This was the perfect time to act. “Is somepony jealous that Kilo gets all the love?” I said softly. I slithered closer so her, and gently nibbled on the tip of her ear. “Don't worry Candance. Shining Armour has plenty left!” Cadance’s face flushed at my sultry words, and she lowered herself into my lap, staring up, directly at me. “Shining, what’s gotten into you?” she giggled, blushing wildly. I didn't answer. Instead, I pressed my lips against hers. Her eyes widened, but then she relaxed and slowly shut them. I loved the sounds she made during our session, the feeling of her tongue sliding over mine. When we broke free from our kiss, I said, “Nothing's gotten into me... But I bet you’ll enjoy what's going to get into y-” She quickly placed her hoof on my lips, smiling seductively. “Shining, you know I hate foreplay...” she hummed. I was set for a wild night. For the first time in weeks, we had no distractions, no tired resistance, nothing. Two lovers locked together, pleasing each other in every way possible. When we finished our "activity", Cadance lay on top of me, a messy mane and a satisfied grin on her face. “So it is true..” she said in a cracked voice, tracing her hoof across my chest, “Love feels better when you wait...” “I definitely agree on that...” I replied, still lost in the afterglow, “How long do you want to wait before we do this again?” “Hmm, a day should do...” she replied, licking her lips flirtatiously, placing both her hooves on my chest and leaning close to my face. “You can’t go one day without it, huh? You really are a bad girl!” She leaned closer to me, so close that our noses nearly touched, acting as sexy as possible. “Well, I never claimed to be a good girl...” After exchanging cheesy dialogue with each other, we let out small giggles, basking in the moment. “So, think we’ll get our child out of this attempt?” Cadance asked. “I don’t know. Though I don’t mind trying until we do!” She playfully rolled her eyes at my comment. “I’m honestly surprised you were up for it after Kilo’s feeding. Generally, you’re a borderline zombie after you feed him!” “Well, I guess I'm immune now!” I replied smugly. I had no explanation to why I wasn't a complete emotionless wreck, but I wasn't complaining. If we can keep this going and not have it be a one-night thing, I don’t really care how you avoided zombification...” She placed her head on my chest and closed her eyes. “One thing for sure, you know how to keep a lady coming back for more!" Tell me about it. I can’t get rid of the other one, who still invades my thoughts. “I do whatever it takes to keep you coming,” I said slowly. “Coming back right?” she replied. “That too.” She blushed at my implication, and so did I. Did something that dirty just come out of my mouth? “Oh, aren't you being a naughty little colt,” she cooed into my ear. “I think I’ll have a remedy at a later date. Right now, I think I’ll just use you as a pillow!” “Go right ahead, milady” I softly complied, kissing her on the forehead. “I love you.” She yawned loudly, making adorable squeaking sounds as she did so. ““Love you too, my Shining Armour.” She instantly fell asleep on my chest, snoring softly. I couldn’t help but grin. I had finally done it. For the first time since Kilo entered my life, I finally had Cadance all to myself. I felt a sudden urge to tell Twilight about the sudden change of side-effects. I levitated a quill and paper and began writing, careful not to wake up my sleeping beauty. Twilight, Tonight was the first night that I was able to spend some “quality time” with my wife, full of energy. The odd thing was that it happened after Kilo had fed on me. I seemed to have built some kind of immunity to it, which is good, I guess. I just wanted to tell you that things are finally looking good for me. Lots of love, Shining Armor I used my magic to send the letter. I doubted that she would read it now, but she did say to write when possible. I expected her to send a response the next day. I put both my fore-hooves behind my head, and slowly shut my eyes. “Yeah, things are finally starting to look up for me.” I didn’t have much time to try to fall asleep, as a bright green wisp of flame materialized over my head, and a scroll popped down onto my bed. “Hmm, already?” I levitated the scroll directly above my face, and started reading it. No Shining! This isn’t good at all! What a way to start a letter! It’s true that you developed immunity from the feeding but for all the wrong reasons! Somehow, Kilo must have bitten into your skin and released some of the changeling DNA inside of you. If noted immediately it can be neutralized but you reached a dangerous stage; your mentality and needs are becoming that of a changeling! What?! If you immediately went to have “quality time” with your wife after Kilo fed on you, it wasn't because you wanted to. It was because you needed to! You now have a need for others love by any means necessary, and if you don’t consistently “feed” yourself, you could die! WHAT!!? This is bad...I will arrive at the Crystal Empire first thing tomorrow to explain in greater detail. Please delay any arrangements! Your concerned sister, Twilight Sparkle Death!? I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I always joked about Kilo being the death of me, but I didn't actually think he would infect me with something that could kill me... I felt a cold sweat building up around my entire body. I felt beads of the stuff pouring down my face! I was horrified at the revelation Twilight had given me. How was I supposed to know that this would happen? Then, I realized something: I would have known this would happen if a certain queen would have told me. Oh, so you’re not experiencing any side effects are you? “Chrysalis! She knew!”