Chrysalis stood on Bulwark's back, who was hovering in the air while the princess's horn glowed, its magic connected to a cocoon hanging from the ceiling. After several moments, her eyes opened as her magic faded, looking to the pod with a disappointed look on her face. She was starting to get annoyed, which Bulwark took note of.
“No luck?” he asked, getting a small shake of her head as she motioned for him to land. “That's the twentieth you've asked; well, don't worry, Your Highness, one of them is bound to know.”
“It’s Chrysalis,” she replied offhoovedly, “And I know that. I just keep getting the wrong ones,” she said as her brow furrowed, looking between the many pods. “One of them has to know his name,” she added, getting a confused look from Bulwark, which she noticed. “The name of the old pony from yesterday.”
“You fed off him for months, and you never got his name?” he asked in disbelief.
“L-Look, I was pretending to be his grandfilly, so he was just gramps to me, okay?” she replied in a flustered tone.
“My apologies, Your Highness, I didn't mean to upset you.”
“You didn't upset me,” she replied as she glanced to the side.
“Yes, Your Highness,” he said, getting a small sigh from Chrys. “Weren't you looking for why he thanked you when we started?”
“Well, yes.” She then hesitated, “But since the first four were a bust, I figured I wasn't going to find that answer here,” she explained as she indicated the cocoons. “They don't know what a changeling is, so they can't really give me a satisfying answer, not without ruining their dream anyway.”
“Have you given up?” That got a bothered look from her.
“Me? Give up?” She then shook her head, “No. I think there's still a pony I can ask...”
“Just point the way, Your Highness,” he said, and she looked to him for a second.
“Right, it'd probably be less wasteful to go there first. After all, we've got a few more days till the rains come,” she said with a nod, “I can find his name before then.”
“Why's the stallion's name important?” he asked with a hint of concern. She looked to him, briefly considering an easily believable excuse over the truth. And an excuse is what she gave.
“It's not important,” she lied, “It's just, with Darrin and Momo being busy, I need to do something to keep myself occupied,” she added, hopping off his back, “Come on, we're heading to Lores. There's a chance the pony there has answers.” Bulwark tilted his head in thought.
“Lores keeps a cocoon with her?” he asked, getting a small laugh from Chrys.
“She has a pony caged up in there, and she talks to it. Since he's well aware of us changelings, he may have my answer,” she explained, before leading them on, navigating through the busy tunnels.
With all the soldiers and their haul having returned yesterday, the hive was even more crowded. Tunnels were being sealed to prevent flooding, new food was being integrated, and extra nectar was being stored in preparation for the awakening when the rains ended. Despite all this activity, changelings still moved to give the princess space in the tunnels. It helped that she was easy to spot, even without her guardian.
Reaching Lores' chamber without incident, Chrys paused when she found the drone looking over several bowls of nectar, each varying in color from typical gold to glimmering scarlet.
“Ah, welcome back, Your Highness,” Lores said as she saw them, her attention caught by the sound of Bulwark's heavy steps, “Did you have more questions?”
“Yes, but not for you,” Chrys replied as she glanced to the caged pony in the corner. “I'm going to talk to him.” Lores blinked at that, giving Chrys an odd look, before nodding.
“Of course, just be aware that he's an ... odd one. And that's by pony standards,” she said with a small smile, getting a curious look from Chrys as she approached the pegasus.
Reaching his spacious stone cage, which was sealed by a large boulder, she eyed him curiously; he was letting out a strange sounding snore. His fur was dirty, his mane was a mess, yet his feathers were well tended to, a notion Chrys found oddly novel. Past the dirt, she could see that his fur was a lighter shade of yellow, while his mane was short and gray. She glanced to Bulwark, who gave her a small shrug as she looked back to the pony.
“Hey, get up, I got questions,” Chrys said as her horn glowed, giving the pony a nudge on the shoulder with her magic. The pegasus mumbled something about 'five more minutes', rolling over to see the princess with a sleepy gaze. He blinked for a moment, rubbing his eyes, before they widened in realization; he then rolled to his hooves with startling haste, giving Chrys an unexpected bow.
Getting a proper look at him, she now saw that he was younger than she thought. He wasn't old, but he wasn't a colt either. She couldn't quite place a pony's age between those obvious tiers, but she could at least guess that he was older than her age combined with Bulwark's.
“If it isn't the young princess from yesterday,” he said with a wide grin, “I didn't even hope to us having a conversation!” he added excitedly, making Chrys blink.
“Huh? You wanted to talk to me? Why?” she asked, frowning in suspicion.
“You're a changeling princess!” he let out energetically, “There's only one of you in all the world! And you've come to me for answers,” he added as he adopted the brightest grin she's ever seen a pony give her, making it clear to her what Lores meant by 'odd'. The pegasus then blinked, before adopting a composed look, coughing into his hoof. “How can I be of aid, young princess?”
“Uh, right,” Chrys replied, shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of her bafflement, “There was an old stallion that thanked me yesterday, for pretending to be his grandfilly. Do you know why?” she asked, and he contemplated it for several moments before nodding to himself.
“Well, he probably assumed you were another pony pretending to be his family member, and was grateful. He probably didn't get to see his grandfilly often, but that's just a guess on my part.”
“You're saying that if he knew I was a changeling, things would have been different?”
“Maaybee,” he replied with a sheepish shrug, “Honestly, I shouldn't speak for the old fellow. I can't claim to know what he was thinking. I'm an rare species expert, not a pony expert,” he said with a proud expression. “What do you suppose, princess?” he asked, and Chrys raised an eyebrow at him as she contemplated his reply.
“I … don't think it would've made a difference, if he knew I was a changeling,” she replied, speaking only on a hunch.
“Well, from the sounds of it, I think he appreciated the fact that you stood in for his grandfilly, right?” he asked, getting a small nod from Chrys, “But you're not satisfied?”
“No,” she said, getting impatient with his questions.
“Your Highness,” Bulwark interjected, “Perhaps it would help if you gave some details?” he suggested, getting a conflicting look from Chrys, before looking back to the pegasus.
“Knowing more would help,” he admitted with a nod. Chrys considered doing that much for several moments, before nodding to herself. Her chest then tightened slightly as she recalled her time with the stallion, but she ignored the ache.
“He was very old. He liked to collect seashells and loved the ocean breeze. Moving wasn't easy for him, but he liked to tell stories. And ... thanking me were his last words,” she replied as she adopted a distant look. It took a moment for those words to register to the pegasus, who glanced to the side for a moment as he adopted a somber expression, lost in thought.
“Princess, are you sure you're asking the right question?” he asked, making Chrys adopt an annoyed look at the insulting implication. She then blinked as she considered his words, before her eyes slowly widened.
I just wanna thank you, for lettin' me spend time with her, even if was just a dream.
He was grateful that she had filled a hole in his heart. She knew this, yet, the entire thing still gnawed at her. He had passed away, thanking her, and it hurt. Just as then, her chest was hurting, and her eyes stung. She looked to the pegasus with a troubled look in her eyes. She had been asking the wrong question.
“Why- Why does his death bother me?” she said out loud, recalling the confusion her clutchlings shared at her sadness. “He was just a pony. All he did was thank me.” She then recalled how his love tasted, “And-” Her brow furrowed as she eyed the ground, the ache in her chest starting to become too much for her as she came to understand what had been eating at her since yesterday. “And, he's gone.” Her eyes started to water as she looked to the pony, then to Bulwark, “I'll never get to hear his stories again, or walk together on the beach, or ... or...”
“H-Highness?” Bulwark asked in alarm, seeing her on the verge of tears as she looked into his eyes. His brow then furrowed slightly as he moved around her, placing himself between her and the pony, before kneeling to her side. He gave the pony a warning look, who seemed to pick up on the unspoken message as he looked away from the guardian. Chrys looked to Bulwark for a moment longer, before hanging her head, leaning against his foreleg, as she started crying.
“Why?” she asked between small sobs, “He was just a pony- But, I feel like I've lost a clutchling,” she painfully whispered. Bulwark hesitated for a moment, before carefully giving her a small hug.
“You liked him, Your Highness,” he said as she grabbed his protective hoof, “So it's okay to be sad.”
“It- It is?”
“Yes,” he said softly, his words offering her strength, her shoulders shaking slightly as she let go of the frustration and confusion she'd felt since yesterday. She stayed in his embrace for a minute as she vented her emotions, neither of them bothered as Lores and the pony both kept to themselves, daring only to give the princess concerned looks.
Eventually, the ache started to ebb away, and her tears died down. She took refuge in his hold for a moment longer, before giving his hoof a small push, ending the embrace as he let go of her. Slowly stepping back, she rubbed her eyes as she looked to him. She then glanced to the side for a moment, before adopting a determined look in her eyes.
“I cared for a pony...” she said, before looking to her guardian. “Bulwark, I want to know his name,” she said, before eyeing the ground, “It feels wrong, not knowing that much.”
“I understand, Your Highness. I'll help the best I can.”
“Thanks, Bulwark,” she said with a small smile. A moment of silence then fell over them, before her brow furrowed in annoyance, “And, it's Chrysalis.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” he replied, mirroring her smile. She rubbed her eyes again, feeling as if the weight on her chest had gotten a little lighter.
“...I think I can understand now why mom didn't want me feeding directly from the cocoons,” she said as she walked around him.
“She didn't want you getting attached?” he asked, getting a nod from her as she eyed the pony.
“Look, pegasus. Thanks, for the help, I guess,” she murmured, getting a bright smile from him.
“Think nothing of it, princess!” He then scooted closer to the bars, an excited look on his face, “Since I helped you find your answer, sort of, may I ask you a few questions about changelings?” he asked, prompting Chrys to look at him for a moment in disbelief, before letting out a tired sigh.
“What do you want to know?” she asked in an off-put tone.
“Lores told me a lot about your race. Like, how you can only make nectar from pony love, the different kinds of changelings, and your shapeshifting limitations. Are you bound by those same rules?”
“Rules?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow, “You mean the weight and gender thing?”
“That's right!” He let out, before adopting a sagely pose, “As it goes, when you shapeshift, your gender and weight remains constant. This means you can't shift into the opposite sex, and the size of your new form is limited by your base weight,” he said with a nod, “So, are you?”
“Yes, I am. Because of the weight limit, it's bad to shapeshift into anything bigger or smaller than our true forms. Royal guards are too big to shapeshift into ponies, shrinking down makes it harder to move, and they can get sick from ... what was it? Irregular blood flow?" she asked no one in particular, before shaking her head. "At least, that's what mother- the queen told me. Haven't tried it myself. I don't like being sick.” She then rubbed her chin for a moment, “Not too sure why our gender is limited. The queen said she'd tell me when I'm older.”
“I- I see.”
“Another thing that separates me from drones, is that I can wield spellcrafting magic,” she added as her horn glowed, levitating several pebbles in front of her as she adopted a proud grin. Her grin widened slightly when the pony clapped his hooves together.
"Impressive, princess! Lores told me that beyond the common changeling spells used to make cocoons, nectar, shapeshifting and so on, that magic is different for royal guards and yourself. Can you elaborate on that for me?” he asked as he put his hooves together in a pleading gesture, making Chrys take a step back in surprise.
“F-Fine, but then you're done with questions,” she said with a hard nod, getting an agreeing nod from the pegasus, “Earth ponies have magic that makes them tougher, and lets them do weird things to the soil. Pegasi can stand on the clouds and control the weather. Unicorns can use spellcrafting magic like I can. A drone can't mimic these kinds of magic. A royal guard can mimic the magical qualities of a race, such as the earth ponies and pegasi, but they can't wield spellcrafting magic.”
“Amazing!”
“My turn,” Chrys began as she raised an eyebrow to him, “Are you not right in the head? Pretty sure other ponies wouldn't be as … happy, if they were in your position.”
“Well, I guess I am an odd one, as ponies go,” he said with a sheepish grin, “You see, I love observing rare creatures!” He then puffed his chest out as he gave her a fierce grin, “Have you ever met a pony that's snuck into a chimera's lair? Well, you have now!” He then nodded to himself, “As a professional, I recommend against doing such a thing. They don't like it, and have a mean bite.” He then gave Chrys another smile, “And thanks to my 'captivity', I'm easily the most knowledgeable in the field of changelings; as a pony anyway,” he added as he noticed Lores raising an eyebrow at him.
“Does that have to do with why you're a dud?” Chrys asked.
“I suppose. I've never been too interested in ponies, and I never found one that matched my interests. I also travel a lot,” he added as he gave his wings a small flap, “It was just my good fortune that I was in Neighgarou when it was overrun with changelings!”
“...And you don't want to leave and continue looking at other rare things?” He actually paused to consider that one.
“No, not really. This is a pivotal time for your hive. I want to see how it plays out. That, and I enjoy helping rare creatures such as yourself.”
“'Creature'?” Chrys replied as she glared at him.
“Oops. Sorry, habit,” he replied as he blushed, “Still, it's more polite than what other ponies would call you,” he said with a nod, making her raise an eyebrow at him.
“And that would be?” she asked, making him hesitate as he adopted a sour look.
“A monster.”
“A monster?” she asked incredulously.
“I know, right?” he replied, frowning, “I mean, that's just rude! Sure, you can shapeshift, and yes, I suppose you lock us in cocoons and keep us in a dream state so you can feed off our love, but that's no reason for such a harsh label!”
“Calling us monsters,” Chrysalis replied as she glared at nothing in particular, a tingle running down her spine as she looked at the pegasus. “It's ponies that are the monsters. Earth ponies are twice as strong as our soldiers, pegasi can fly faster, and control the weather, and all unicorns can use spellcrafting magic! You can choose from a large palette of foods to rely on. You can stand in the cold like it's nothing. You're active all year round. There are a whole lot of you, and you frolic in the sun as if you owned it; and you'd call us monsters!?”
“No, I wouldn't,” he quickly replied, putting his hooves up defensively, “But they would.” He then coughed into his hoof, “Oh, and we kind of do own the sun,” he admitted sheepishly, making Chrys blink, her mouth hanging open for a moment in astonishment.
“How arrogant are you ponies!?”
“Hey now, it's the honest truth!” he replied as he took a step back, “Princess Luna raises the sun and moon every single day. It's what she does.” He then blink as he quickly added: “As well as look over our dreams.”
“Raising the sun and moon? That's just a silly pony belief,” Chrys replied dismissively.
“Yeah, I was skeptical once. But if there's one thing just as rare as you in all of Equestria, it would be Princess Luna.” He then leaned closer to Chrys, “When I was still a colt, I went out of my way, flew halfway across the country, to see her raise the sun on the Summer Sun Celebration in Canter Town.” He then gave Chrys a very determined look, “Trust me on this, Your Highness, I saw her raise the sun. Her power is genuine.”
“Says you,” Chrys said with a nod, before turning her back on the pegasus. “Come on Bulwark, let's return to the cocoons, I'm done letting this feather-brain waste my time.”
“...But, I'm not lying,” the pegasus murmured in a sad tone, getting a side glance from Chrys. She briefly reflected on their exchange, before letting out a small sigh.
“What's your name?”
“Princess?” the pegasus asked in surprise.
“In case I need to curse your existence,” she quickly added as she avoided eye contact with him.
“Dud,” he responded, getting an exasperated look from Chrys.
“That's not your real name, that's what you are!” she said in annoyance.
“I like it more than my real name. And, it was given to me by changelings,” he said with a smile, before letting out a small sigh, “Real name's Grumpy, Grumpy Gust,” he admitted, making Chrys raise another eyebrow at him.
“You don't really seem all that grumpy.”
“Right? I'm not even all that gusty!” he let out as his brow furrowed, “I tell you what, my parents were the worst. I'd like it if you called me Dud instead.”
“That name's not much better,” Chrys muttered, not caring if the pony heard her or not, as she left Dud to talk to Lores. “Lores, how much magic would it take to raise the sun?” she asked, catching the drone off guard as she looked up from her work.
“Uh, I'm not sure, Your Highness. The queen and yourself are the only ones that can answer that question,” Lores said, making Chrys think on it for a moment before looking to Bulwark.
“We're heading home,” She stated, getting a confused look from Bulwark.
“I thought you wanted to go back to the cocoons.”
“I did, but, Bulwark, what if he's right? If the Moon Princess can raise the sun and moon... Just how is mother supposed to fight against somepony that powerful?" Chrysalis then adopted a determined look, "She needs to know, we need to make sure if it's true or not, before we try fighting this 'Luna',” she explained, making Bulwark's brow furrow.
“Mantis isn't going to like this,” he pointed out, making Chrys hesitate for a moment.
“Even he'd be worried about mother's safety,” she replied as they quickly made their way to the queen's chambers.