Selas looked even worse than Luna had described, Celestia decided. In three days, both princesses had arranged a diplomatic visit to the Changeling Hive by Celestia while Luna would watch over Canterlot. Selas stood outside of a cave with a pair of large changelings, dressed in ornate blue armor and pupiless blue eyes. Despite his obvious injuries, Selas seemed to exude an air of confidence and regality. “Princess Celestia.” Selas bowed his head respectfully to the mare, briefly scanning over her guards. A total of six, two of each species, all dressed in ornate white and gold armor. He'd yet to fashion a new bow or arrows, but he doubted that the guards would overcome the multitudes of changelings in the shadows should it come to that.
“King Selas,” Celestia spoke respectfully, dipping her head in a similar manner, though her eyes lingered briefly on his bandages. To most ponies and changelings, he looked fine if a little intimidating, but to a pony as old as she, it was clear he was barely standing, and very heavily favoring his right side rather than his left.
“We should speak inside, out of the heat,” Selas spoke as he turned towards the cave-entrance.
***
After a short walk through the tunnel and into the cavernous chamber that served as a throne-room, the pair found themselves alone, having left their guards a short distance from the entryway and just out of earshot.
“You should really have those injuries looked at,” Celestia was quick to note, approaching Selas and circling around him, taking in the injuries up-close.
Blushing slightly at the sudden close-proximity, Selas shook his head and backpedaled slightly. “They can wait until my people’s problems are dealt with.”
Celestia’s ever-present smile faltered slightly, but she nodded and recovered quickly. “I saw a number of them on the way in. Are they all so sickly?”
“Those are just the ones able to still move around and work. Around half of them are in even worse shape. I think the nymphs - or foals that is - have it the worst.” Selas all but collapsed onto his haunches, his strength all but leaving him.
"There are children as well?" Celestia seemed surprised for some reason.
"Few hundred and they're all smaller than they have any right being."
Very quickly he ran over the projected figures, mentioning the dozens of ponies held in pods and how they were draining as sparingly as possible, trying to solve their food-crisis. It was a short explanation, as the only pressing matters were the impending food-crisis and the ponies they held in captivity, draining them as sparingly as possible. Ultimately, they had maybe another two weeks of food before they’d start losing their pony food-sources and maybe three weeks before changelings started to die of starvation.
"As I told Princess Luna, I’d like to discuss peace between our races, though at this point you’ve got pretty much full-reel on the terms. What will it take for you to help save the changelings?”
Carefully running the information over in her head, Celestia sat down as well, putting a hoof to her chin. “And how would we help, if we so chose?” Celestia locked eyes with Selas.
The hybrid frowned uncertainly, “I’m not entirely sure princess, I'm no ruler. In my four-thousand years of life, my only example of a ruler was a tyrant that drove my world to the brink of annihilation,” Selas maintained the gaze they now shared, “Changelings can feed off of any positive emotion, it just so happens that love is the most effective and filling. To be honest, at this point, we need volunteers for cocooning. I’m told that they would normally keep several dozen captives and cycle them so none of them came to harm, but after the failed invasion, it became much harder to work the relays, so one income of food was cut off, causing them to rely solely on the ponies in a cocoon.” His frown hardened and an apology was clear in his eyes, “I’d like you to ask your ponies to volunteer to cocooning. Temporarily, of course, just until something more long-term could be worked out.”
Her smile failed completely this time, a thin hard line replacing it; Selas was quick to continue.
“They’d be recompensed for their time as well. We have an extensive pile of gems and Equestrian bits gathered one way or another that we have no immediate use for beyond this.”
“And what assurance do I have that my little ponies will come to no harm? What assurance do they have? Changelings aren’t exactly welcomed into our society, after the invasion.” Though her smile was no longer present, her voice was clear and even.
“So long as it works out for the benefit of my people,” Selas hesitated slightly, pulling his gaze away briefly only to lock it back on firmly, “you have my signature in blood on a blank piece of paper.”
Celestia’s eyes widened slightly at the offer, mildly surprised that a pony so new to their world knew of such a thing. Signed contracts and treaties were nothing new, but for a creature of magic to sign it in their blood and enchant it properly was an agreement forgotten by most. Selas would be obligated to follow through with the terms of his contract; physically and mentally compelled, and in return, so would she. They would both have to abide by the contract.
“Very well, King Selas, how soon can you travel to Canterlot?”