//------------------------------// // Meeting with Royalty // Story: The Melody of the Heart // by Star Origin //------------------------------// The Melody of The Heart Chapter Six: Meeting with Royalty By Star Origin Melody sat on Occento’s back as they made their way out of the hive. Most of the changelings they came across bowed to their Queen. Even though she had told the changelings she ruled over such display of respect weren’t necessary, they did it out of tradition, as it had always been done. Sighing softly, Occento turned back and shook her head and gave a soft chuckle. She had always known that Crescere was the tardy sort of individuals, but she had never expected this kind of tardiness from his end. She had sent her guards to fetch Crescere for her and he had yet to find his way to her an hour later. Amused at his tardiness, she lifted a hoof to dismiss a devious smile before she contacted him through the Voice. Crescere, where are you? I’m still waiting for you, she said, her voice neither stern nor soft. I’m not coming, Your Highness! He responded abruptly through the Voice. I do not remember leaving you a choice, Crescere. And besides, this whole thing concerns you as well. I recommend you join me at the Southern gate before I send my guards at your current position. A momentary pause was heard between the two, leaving Occento to believe Crescere had at first cut the link she had established with him. If such was the case, she grimaced at the prospect of having to establish yet another link. Fine, I'm coming. You didn't have to threaten to send your guards at me, Crescere grumbled through the Voice, making Occento giggle in return. You should have said so earlier, then, dear. You're doing that on purpose, aren't you? Crescere asked, though more so as a statement, his tone riddled with annoyance. Of course, I am. You're so easy to influence it's quite entertaining to get a rise out of you in situations like these, Occento chirped playfully. You really need to grow up, Your Highness, Crescere replied, almost as if he had seen that one coming. What's there to life if you can't have a little fun here and there? She inquired rhetorically, almost snickering through their telepathic link. Only a sigh could be heard between them. As kind and delicate as she was, the queen was a playful trickster like nopony else. Crescere's voice was soon heard again through the private link Occento had established earlier, No need to send your guards after me, I'm near the gate you spoke of. Needless to say, I am not at ease to go back to the Crystal Empire after what happened, but it seems I've little choice in the say, as the message Shining Armor forwarded through me probably implied I should follow along. True to his words, Crescere was sighted in the distance in the avenue that led to the hive's Southern gate half an hour later. He gave a sheepish smile when Occento waved at him innocently; he was already regretting agreeing to come along. "So nice that you could come, Crescere," she commented, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's not like you gave me a choice," he muttered under his breath. Occento's ears perked up and she grinned, nudging his shoulder with her leg all the while looking down at him with her left eyebrow raised. "I heard that." Crescere froze into place when he heard her playful voice ring in his ears. He hung his head down in defeat, almost ready to formally apologize to his queen. The changeling gave out a weak giggle and looked away. "Forgive me, my Queen. That was out of place!" Crescere shouted, his embarrassment showing quite clearly under his dark chitin. "At ease, Crescere. You were merely speaking your mind." The smaller changeling looked up to his queen and looked at her back to see Melody staring back at him fearfully. He let out a deep sigh and glanced at Occento straight in the eye. "How is she holding up?" he asked worriedly. "So, you've heard about it too?" "I have, and I still can't believe that Arconon would do something like that. It's not like him," Crescere argued, nodding at Occento and snarling at the thought a bit. "I grew up with him before you became queen and I've never seen him do anything like this before, much less show signs of being able to do it." Occento shook her head and softly said, "That may have been the case, but according to recent reports and claims from Arconon himself, he proved himself a traitor of the hive and acted like one until the bitter end." "I see..." he weakly spoke, looking away from her gaze. "How's little Melody doing, then?" "She's been seemingly traumatized by Arconon and appears to have a fear of changelings in general now, but she does seem at ease with me. I can't tell how she'll react to you, though," Occento said, igniting her horn and adjusting the white changeling currently sitting on her back, who made no attempts at protesting against the magical grasp. Crescere nodded softly at her explanation and slowly approached Melody. Surprise shook him when he saw she was apparently trying to get away from him, legs kicking behind her while her eyes opened wide in fear. A long sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head at her reaction, a week laughter emanating from deep within his throat. Slowly, he took a step back. He locked eyes with her momentarily and said, "It's okay. I'm a friend, Melody," he told her with a softness in his voice, slowly extending a hoof her way. "I'm not going to hurt you..." Melody cowered a bit against Occento's shell and cast her gaze away from his. She shook her head hesitantly, front hooves shaking slightly against the queen's back. "N-no!" she cried in protest, shuddering away from Crescere. "Don't get close!" Hit by her rejection, Crescere hung his head down and nodded a few times. He turned his gaze to his queen once more and looked her straight in the eyes. No words needed to be spoken. Both of them nodded and looked straight up ahead. Igniting her horn once more, she used her magic to open the gate, blinking gently when the sunlight shone down on both of them. Crescere hid his eyes with a front leg and let out a long groan. With a soft trot, Occento began making her way her up the hill. Crescere slowly followed her in an attempt to avoid scaring Melody any more than he had already done. Occento looked at him keep his distance from herself and Melody and sighed annoyingly, almost snorting at his actions. She stopped for a moment and looked back at Melody, offering a gentle smile to the filly. "Melody?" Occento quietly asked, her voice resembling a murmur to Melody. "What is it, Occento?" the filly replied fearfully, ears flattening. "You don't need to be afraid of Crescere, dear. He has a child himself so I doubt he would ever dream of hurting you. Give him a chance, okay?" Melody looked back at Occento with a baleful gaze and she slowly began to shake her head at first. Occento sighed and shook her head in return. Grasping the filly with her magic, Occento lifted her off her shell and calmly moved Melody over to Crescere. The small changeling kicked her legs and swung, almost clawing if she had any claws, at Occento in a panicked frenzy. Seeing this, Crescere seemed to freeze in place. He looked at Occento with a confused gaze and she replied with a wry smile, swiftly winking at him. His whole body tensed up when Melody was deported on his back. The white changeling laced her forehooves around his neck and kept increasing her hold against his throat. Choked up on his words, Crescere gasped harshly and coughed, he weakly said, "Melody, you're...chok-choking...me..." Opening her eyes again, Melody looked at Crescere and immediately loosened her hold on his neck. She began to tear up and though none leaked out of her eyes, it was clear she was on the verge. Seeing that, Crescere couldn't help but try offering her a warm smile. He had eased up and his back no longer felt tense, letting him accommodate Melody on his back with much more ease. Quickly realizing she held her forelegs around his neck, Melody took them back in a snap. Still, she didn't find it so scary now that she was on Crescere. Hanging down her head, she shied her gaze from his and let a few tears roll down her fur. She held a foreleg to her cheek and found herself to find it wet. "I’m sorry, Crescere,” she whimpered, eyes cast down on the ground. “I should have given you a chance before.” Against his expectations, Melody seemed to get comfortable on Crescere’s back, even going as far as nuzzling him. She was still uncomfortable, but oddly enough, she could feel that he harbored no ill feeling towards her, and that made her feel safe with him. Occento, who had been quietly watching with the corner of her eye, smiled and sighed softly. The scene was heartwarming for the changeling queen. On his end, Crescere offered the white changeling a warm smile and nudged her cheek with his snout. Melody looked back up to Crescere with tear stains all over her cheek and, upon seeing the smile he was offering her, felt more tears well up in her eyes. She swiped her front legs in her eyes and looked back at him with a hint of a smile, although her ears remained splayed flat against her head. Melody snuggled her way to his neck and gently laced her front legs around his neck. Crescere seemed to tense up as the sensation of her fur against his chitin crept up to his neck. The soft hug she gave him didn't help him in restraining the blush on his cheek. "You don't need to be sorry, Melody," Crescere answered gently, nuzzling her cheek all the while. "After what happened to you, I can't possibly blame you for being afraid of us." "But know that whatever happens, the two of us will always protect you," Occento cooed, interjecting in their conversation. That had fallen on deaf ears. Little Melody had already fallen asleep on Crescere's back. Her soft breathing against his neck made Occento giggle at the scene, finding it quite adorable indeed. Crescere's heart seemed to have melted under the display he was looking at. "Is she always this adorable?" he inquired as he turned his head to face Occento again, a smile on his lips. "Most of the time, yes. She's quite the adorable bundle, from what I could gather from her brother," she told him as a soft smile crept up her lips and a cheery expression appeared on her visage in general. "Now come, we mustn't delay our voyage any more than we've already done so." "Aye, aye, My Queen. I'm right behind you," he whispered as to avoid waking Melody from her newfound slumber. ---- Several hours later, Occento and Crescere were standing in front of a stone arc. Snow was gently falling down on them as they waited in front of that arc. "Are you ready, Crescere?" Occento inquired with a serious tone. Gulping nervously, Crescere looked back at Occento and slowly nodded. With a glance, he looked on his back to see Melody looking at the arc curiously. "I think I am. If anything, I'm eager to see my wife again. She must be worried sick," Crescere answered while he nudged Melody's snout with his. "What about you, little one? Are you ready to see the Crystal Empire?" Melody blinked slowly when Crescere nudged her snout and gently shook her head. A few seconds later, she poked her head above Crescere's and looked at the stone arc once more. Just giving a soft nod at both Occento and Crescere, she went back to sitting on Crescere's back all the while curiously taking in every detail around her. "I don't know. What's the Crystal Empire again?" Crescere looked at Occento with a dumbfounded expression and tilted his head to the side. Occento, on her end, smiled and gave a small shrug at his glance. "Ah, yes. Your recovery was still in progress when the Empire emerged. It is an old city to the north of Equestria currently occupied by crystal ponies. Once ruled by an evil dictator by the name of Sombra, the Empire was seemingly forced out of existence when Sombra cursed the city before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banished him." Melody nodded with eyes wide open. The explanation Occento had given her was, to her, very instructive and entertaining. Lifting her head above Crescere's, she gazed at the arc once more before she nodded, blinking once more. “Are we going now?” she queried, shifting her gaze between Occento and Crescere multiple times. Sensing movement on his back, Crescere looked back with curiosity to see that Melody was trying to climb down his back, but without the proper footing, the small filly only managed to send herself hurling down at the snow at the changelings’ hooves. Letting a sharp cry of panic before anyone could catch her in her fall, the filly’s white coat almost made her look like a dune of snow. Both changelings struggled to keep their laughter in check and barely managed to do so. Almost silent snickers left their mouths, resulting in them instantly covering them on the spot as they watched the filly below plant her hooves on the soft snow only to have them sink deeper with her. Poking her head up, twisting her body in the process, her blank and innocent expression, while also slightly pained by her leg’s injuries, gave a light atmosphere to the scene with both Occento and Crescere unable to suppress their snickers any longer. Both of them gave a cheerful chirp followed by a loud giggle. Melody looked to her sides to see both Occento and Crescere smiling, their laughter reaching her ears as the drew back against her head just in time for her cheeks to burn crimson at the display she was putting on for the older changelings. Gasping and grasping at the snow beneath her when an aura grabbed her, the filly looked to see that the smaller drone had ignited his horn. The green glow of his magic calmly undulating around her before she was set on a patch of harder snow between the two, hesitantly putting weight on her legs and slightly bouncing on that snow. Once she made sure her footing was assured and secure, she swung her head around a bit and blinked numerous times, blinking furiously. She clumsily took place near Occento’s front legs, glancing up to see nothing happening. She turned her head to both Crescere and Occento confusingly, tilting her head to the left, frowning at the lack of explanations given to her. With both of them nodding at her and gesturing forward, she began marching towards the arc. Occento and Crescere followed behind her and smiled at her behavior. They had told her about the arc that separated the tundra of the North from the Crystal Empire during their travels leading to this very place, but despite her heavy footsteps, her eyes glowed in marvel at the arc, almost hoping a miracle would happen in front of her. Closing one eye as a strong wind broke itself against her, she gave a soft whimper and seemed to shrink under that wind. Her lower jaw began shaking while her clumsy marching became more cumbersome, tripping a few times in a row. Crossing one leg over the other, she shrieked and fell straight to the ground. Placing her forelegs in front of her face, she held her breath and braced herself to fall face first into the hard snow. To her surprise, what greeted her on the ground was soft grass. Opening her eyes to see the full verdure in front of her, she gasped, her lower jaw hung open just enough for a fly to hover by, chased away by her soft breathing soon after. Occento and Crescere soon followed behind and exchanged a glance upon seeing her. The Crystal Empire was even more beautiful than she had imagined. Her lower jaw hung remained open, unable to be lifted up, as she basked in the warmth of the sun, gazing towards the city ahead. All she could do was gape at the marvelous sight offered to her on a silver platter. The sun shining down on that tower and then reflected throughout the entire landscape passed in replay in her golden eyes. She stood there for a good five minutes; doing nothing but gaze at the city's beauty. She rubbed her forehead for a moment in annoyance, sensing an intense tickling on the side of her head, looking down to see a tiny pebble in the grass. Raising her gaze back up, she found Occento gazing back at her with a few more pebbles floating next to her. Melody smirked back at the changeling queen and tried sprinting at her, only to be met with an agonizing pain when she stomped her injured leg on the ground. Her legs weakened and she lost balance. Gritting her teeth in pain, she stood back up and looked at Occento and Crescere, eyes welling with tears. Crescere glared at his queen, looking at her as if with the intention of imparting a lecture upon her. It was Occento's turn to roll her eyes at him. Gazing down at him with a smug smile, she cooed, "Must you always be so serious, Crescere. Loosen up, dear." The smaller changeling groaned and switched his gaze to the advancing Melody. Tears had been suppressed, but not before some stained her fur. Despite that, she tried smiling at the two larger changelings, the lingering pain of her leg still haunting her muscles and nerves.When she stopped next to Occento, she hung her head down before looking up with a saddened expression. Puzzled by this sudden change of emotion, Occento tilted her head and knelt next to Melody and inquired, "What's wrong, little one?" Melody looked at Occento with the same expression and locked eyes with her. Slightly sobbing, she said in hiccups, "S-Star used to bring me in places like this." Occento remained silent at this. Slowly, she sat on her haunches and took Melody in her forelegs. Gently hugging her and rocking her, the changeling queen cooed soft words in the filly's ears and kept rocking her for a few more minutes. After a while, Melody finally calmed down and moved away from Occento sluggishly. She looked at the changeling queen and took notice of a white pony with a blue and purple set of armor marching towards them in the distance. When she silently pointed at the pony, Occento and Crescere turned around and almost instantly, Crescere froze at the sight of the pony. A slight weakness in his legs turned into him shaking from hoof to head. Occento looked at the pony with a relaxed look. She scoffed and averted her gaze from that guard. Whatever kind of intimidation was at work apparently went over her head. "When I didn't receive word that you would attend our meeting, I thought you were intentionally trying to create tensions between us, Changeling," the guard spat, venom squirting along his words. "I prefer to invite myself at the last minute, dear. It makes for the best surprises. Besides, you could stand to loosen up a bit too," Occento replied, cooing slightly with a sly smirk. "You and Crescere here have a lot in common, you know." "Your Highness, you should not provoke him. This is-" "I know very well who this is, Crescere!" Occento cut in abruptly: a complete shift in emotions. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit, Prince Shining Armor?" Shining Armor scoffed and glared at Occento. Occento merely glared down at Shining Armor and all the while, the tension was growing so much between the two that Melody's fur was standing on end. "You should know by now why I summoned you here, changeling! And last I recall, I only asked that you and that imposter here come to the Empire. If you would, could you explain to me who that is?" he asked, pointing a hoof at Melody. The filly hid behind Occento's hind leg and avoided any sort of eye contact with Shining Armor. Even when he gestured at her, she cowered against Occento's leg and looked away, biting her lower lip to hold off a shriek. "This," Occento answered, gesturing to Melody as well, "is Melody Swiftsong. She is my personal protégée and as such follows wherever I go. I hope that answers your question?" Shining Armor suppressed the surprise in his eyes and his facial expression remained crisp. The name was oddly familiar to him. Rubbing a hoof against his forehead, he had a hard time remembering where he had last heard that name. "If you say so, changeling. If you'd be willing to, we could go to the palace so we can talk more seriously there." "Very well. Lead the way." Shining Armor said nothing and just turned away from them, slowly trotting towards the Crystal Empire. Occento rolled her eyes, groaning while she followed behind Shining Armor with Melody and Crescere walking next to her on both sides. No glances were exchanged between Occento and Shining Armor. Not even glares were thrown at each other. They just followed the prince back to the Crystal Empire. Having a hard time catching up with all of them, Melody tried to muster the efforts to actually trot as she would have normally done, but it was just like before. As soon as her hoof stomped against the ground, she retracted it just as quickly, yelping inaudibly, yet causing Occento's ears to perk up slightly. She turned her head to look at Melody and looked at the filly already far behind them, with her limping towards them, panting and trembling with each step she took. The changeling queen cast a smile to Melody and ignited her horn. Magic crept up against Melody's hind leg and she withdrew it almost instantly, shrieking loud enough for Crescere to duck and cover his ears with his eyes closed. Alarmed by this, Shining Armor turned around and ignited his own horn, ready for action. When he saw what was the cause of that shriek, he cast a glare at Occento and let his guard down. Growling something incomprehensible, he let out, "Is this your idea of a joke?" Occento had just finished settling Melody on her shell when she gave Shining Armor her undivided attention. Grinning wryly at his sudden temper tantrum, she showed him one of her fangs and giggled. "My, whatever seems to be the problem here?" she asked, innocently blinking. "You show up here without notice and provoke a member of the royal family on the spot. Worse now, you blatantly use your magic without warning even when bearing in mind you're a diplomatic guest here to prevent us from going to war. Must you really act so childishly in situations such as these?" Occento took a long breath and sighed, meeting Shining Armor's glare with a calm expression, forcing Shining to take a few steps back. Tilting his head slightly, he tried to guess what Occento had in mind but gave up eventually. Watching him intently, Occento puffed her chest when he was finished and stepped closer to him, her soft gaze shifting into a furious glare. "You would ask me to stop acting so childishly? You, of all ponies?!" She burst, pressing a hoof to his nose. "Were you not the one who forced my subject away from his loving wife and child? Was it not you that threatened my kingdom with war unless I met with your terms? If anyone is childish here, it would be you, not me, Shining Armor." Standing still this whole time, the stallion only splayed his ears throughout her whole outburst. Firmly planting his hoofs on the ground, he scoffed when she backed up and turned around again. Occento snorted and hissed at his distinct lack of a response to her accusations, but sealed her lips. After all, she was a diplomatic guest and she certainly didn't want to worsen things up further. Little Melody had her ears splayed and she looked at both Occento and Shining Armor with confusion swirling in her eyes, her brow furrowed slightly. As for Crescere, he trembled in fear at the way his queen had just treated the prince. Sweat rolled down his brow while his legs wobbled under the weight of his body, threatening to give way at any moment. Soon enough, they had passed the gate leading into the Crystal Empire. Melody looked at the structure with wide eyes, analyzing everything and anything she could. A soft gasp of awe slipped free of her lips and she raised her head a bit, only to be gently caressed by a strong gust. What drew her eyes was mostly the immense palace anchored in the center of the city. She gazed at it for several moments, her mouth wide open at the spectacle of lights. The precise craftsmanship of the architecture, the majestic beauty of the sun's rays reflecting upon the crystal walls, coloring the city with a plethora of colors which in turn made the surrounding ponies seem transparent. Transfixed by the display, Melody barely heard Occento and Crescere speaking among themselves. "This sucks. I'm back here, and I get the impression I can't even go see my wife so long as this fiasco isn't over with," he whispered to his queen, glancing right and left for any sign of her wife appearing anywhere. "Don't worry, dear. You'll see her in time. I made arrangements with Odonata and she agreed to go talk to her at my behest. Being the hive's best ambassador of her generation, I'm sure she'll do just fine," Occento calmly explained, watching for Shining Armor's every move, feeling hostility leaking out of him profusely. "Odonata?!" he exclaimed wildly, even obtaining Shining Armor's attention for but a moment before he swiveled his head back to the front, leading the trio behind him to the castle. "You asked that savage to contact my wife?" "I would hardly refer to Odonata as a savage. It is true her methods can be a little...out-of-date. Fear not, for I made sure to tell her that I'd deal with her personally if I heard any negative feedback on how she treated your wife," Occento said, expressions weaving from a grimacing one to a serious one, a soft giggle rumbling out of her throat. "Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?" he asked aloud, rolling his eyes and groaning at her queen's evident lack of seriousness. "Oh, relax, you worry wart. She's in good hooves. Now calm yourself before we arrive in the throne room, or maybe the council hall, you're already shaking like a leaf." True to her words, their walking came to a halt when Shining Armor stopped at the gate leading to the palace. Both guards saluted him and with their magic, horns burning bright, they opened the doors leading into the castle. Walking in casually, Occento followed after Shining Armor, unfazed by the guard's glares thrown at her. Snorting in retaliation, no words graced her tongue to express her discontent at such display of hostility. Once they passed the gates, and the incredibly disrespectful guards, Occento began to relax once more. Loosening up a bit from her previously neutral expression, she glanced at the palace's entrance and found herself glancing back to a mesmerized Melody. Holding back a giggle, Occento nuzzled her a bit and then turned her gaze to the worried case that was Crescere. Sighing, she called out his name through the Voice and earned his attention. Hanging his head in defeat, he nodded slightly and followed behind his queen and Shining Armor through the doors that had opened in front of them. Upon entering the room, Occento's grin grew even wider when she saw who was attending this little meeting of theirs. Sitting on the throne was Princess Celestia, wearing a neutral gaze and staring idly at the Queen. The elder princess' eyes softened, if only barely, at Occento's entrance. On to her left was Princess Luna, her head lifted up high in the air with arrogance... Or was it confidence? Either way, Occento shrugged before she took place at the center of the throne room. And on her right were Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle, both glaring Occento down as if she had just walked out of Tartarus while remaining withdrawn to the side of the throne. "Well, well. To what do I owe the honor of basking in the presence of the four most influential ponies of Equestria?" she asked with an amused tone. "Ever so carefree since our last meeting, I see. Take a seat, Queen Occento," Celestia said with an amused grin of her own. "It seems we have a lot of things to talk about today." "That we do. Starting with the actions of your precious captain, Princess Celestia," she replied, snorting at her and glaring at Shining Armor a few seconds later. "Your Highness, you know of this changeling?" Shining Armor asked Princess Celestia nervously, his eyes meeting Occento's glare with his ears pinned on his head. "I know all three of them, actually. I do wish I would've been informed of little Melody's fate. We did put weeks of search in finding her before the search was called off, Queen Occento. As for the changeling standing her, his pony name is Rising Chorus, otherwise known as the changeling Crescere. He possesses a full Equestrian citizenship at this point in time," Celestia spoke, watching Shining Armor's eyes widen in surprise. "But that doesn't explain who this 'Queen Occento' is, Celestia. Who exactly is she?" Princess Twilight spoke with a hint of aggressivity. "I'm shocked, Celestia!" Occento let out, lifting and placing a hoof on her chest. "You've not told your former pupil and fellow Princess about my existence? Honestly, after all I did for you, I thought I'd get a bit more recognition." Luna snarled and stomped her hoof on the ground, shattering the tiles below her. "Don't overstep your position, changeling. Equestria is grateful for your intervention, but you are still an outsider in our internal affairs!" "Peace, Luna," Celestia interjected, raising a hoof over Luna's snout. "I do have to agree, though. We are grateful for your help, but the fact still remains that you're an outsider to our nation." "You share an awful lot of resemblance with Queen Chrysalis. Are you somehow related to her in anyway?" Cadance asked, remaining withdrawn at the side of the throne. Occento scoffed at the various interventions and retained her calm. A few streams of steam ran out of her nostrils while Melody cowered behind the queen at the sudden outburst of the lunar princess. Crescere remained in his spot, unable to comprehend the ability with which she conversed and jested so casually with the princesses to the point of antagonizing herself. "My Queen! Why act like this in a situation like this one?" Crescere asked, legs trembling under him and lower jaw shaking intensely. "But I suppose I should do the honors as your presence has been requested by my captain." Glancing over to Twilight Sparkle and Cadance, her lips curled in a sly smile before she said, "Allow me to introduce you to Queen Occento, ruler of the hive Serenus Melodia, and High Queen of the changeling council. "And as my position implies, I was the one who branded Chrysalis and her hive as renegades and traitors to the council. Thankfully, this decision halted any desire to aid Chrysalis in her endeavors following her defeat at the wedding." This time, it was Twilight Sparkle who interjected, staring at Occento. "If you are in such a position, why didn't you stop Chrysalis's attack during the royal wedding?" Occento glanced up at Twilight with a dull gaze, seemingly unamused by the question. "I lacked information about her hive and what she was planning. As High Queen, I need to keep tabs on every hive that is a member of the council, and as such I select changelings to act as my spies. Chrysalis's hive was newly founded when she attacked Canterlot and so I didn't have time to choose a spy in her hive," Occento explained calmly, yet with a soft growl in her voice. Celestia nodded and paused any responses she might have had to ponder on those words. Before she could utter a single word, Twilight Sparkle went ahead of her and spoke up. Taking a few steps forward, the young princess raised her head high and stared directly into Occento's eyes. Over a few seconds, she seemed to almost struggle with how to begin and after but a few more seconds of hesitation, Twilight Sparkle said, "As the high queen of your council, do you truly possess so little power that you have to resort to using spies in other hives?" Occento peered and flared her nostrils. Her tail flicked behind her in a seemingly aggressive manner. "For a young pony, you catch on fast, Princess Twilight Sparkle. My title amongst the council is only honorific at this point. I only oversee activities that involve the changeling society as whole, and nothing else. As such, spies are crucial to my position to gather information.” Occento shifted and sat down on her flanks gently, a sharp glare shot out at the four rulers in front of her. Shifting her weight from one leg to another, she later sighed and looked down at the ground. "But enough of my position as High Queen, I wish to return to our initial matter. Princess Celestia, I would like to request, as it was agreed on when we made this arrangement, that all current charges are removed from Crescere's case and he be returned immediately to his wife and foal. Furthermore, I have another request for you," she said, finishing rather dryly before glancing at Melody and giving the filly a warm smile "You can't possibly mean to release that thing into so-" Shining Armor began strongly before being interrupted by his very own wife. "I am sure we can deal with that. I am assuming that Princess Celestia is in agreement with this request," Princess Cadance told Occento, looking back at her husband with the subtle hint of a glare, blinking ever so rarely. Luna took a step forward and firmly stood her ground in front of the changeling queen and said, using a quite hostile tone, "Your request shall be granted. Now, speak your second request so we can be done with this meeting!" Melody looked up to Occento with a puzzled expression and then looked at Crescere with the same look and the drone simply lifted his shoulders while looking back at her with the same expression. What is she planning? he asked himself, quite lost about her plans. It wasn't too long before Occento nodded to all four princesses and gave them a smile, revealing her fangs in all their glory. Twilight Sparkle and Cadance both grimaced and looked away. To everyone's surprise, and even more so to Melody's, who was pushed forward by Occento. She winced and yelped when she put too much weight on her injured leg. "I want to ask of you all to allow for Melody Swiftsong here, sister of the late private Star Blaze, to remain in the Crystal Empire under the supervision of Crescere, better known as Rising Chorus, and his wife," she told the princesses, head bowed slightly at them. Melody and Crescere both shot stares at the Queen, both just as shocked as the other. Melody was about to open her mouth, but the moment she did, no sounds came out. In front of them, Princess Luna looked at the queen, narrowing her eyes at the fellow monarch. She cast a gaze to her sister, who gave an uncertain nod. "Why not just keep her with you? She seems comfortable around you," Cadance commented, head tilted to the side with a hoof under her chin. "The hive is far too hostile towards her and I feel her presence in my hive is putting her very life in danger. Therefore, I feel as though your society might be less violent towards her person. However, I demand that she is sent to school and taught magic by both Crescere and a magical instructor of your choosing. Her magic is a blend of the two types, with the changeling side being more dominant," Occento specified, pushing Melody forward a bit. "Do be mindful, though, her left hind leg is lame due to an assault on her person earlier in the week." Luna scoffed at the demands and details the queen was going over, almost as if convinced that it was going to happen. She did wince at the mention of that lame leg, thinking it was too young to have such a thing. Celestia, on her end, retained a neutral expression, trying to judge the situation without any bias. It was certainly hard to promise anything without confirmation that it would not happen in the Crystal Empire. "Out of the question!" Shining Armor bellowed, taking Cadance and Twilight Sparkle by surprise. "What's to say she's not a Queen-to-be aiming at taking us down from the inside on your behalf. After what Chrysalis did, who knows what you kind can-" "Silence!" Occento roared, eyes glowing purple, fangs bared in a threatening display at the stallion. Steam blew out of her nostrils aggressively while Crescere looked at his queen with fearful eyes. "I care not for your little vendetta against my little sister, but are you even listening to yourself? You are accusing a filly, of all things, of planning to take down your Empire! Do you have no empathy, no feelings? Is it your job to be this much of a hateful bastard?" All the princesses glanced at Occento's outburst, not so much because she had been excessively aggressive with the prince. At the mention of Occento claiming herself to be Chrysalis' sister, all eyes glared at her, even Celestia's, and demanded explanations. Realizing her mistake, Occento calmed herself, the snarl she had moments ago vanishing. She shook her head at the princesses, her delicate act remaining intact, however, and took a deep breath as she prepared for what was about to come next. "Explain yourself...now!" Luna hissed, glaring Occento down. She noticed that Celestia had a similar glare, though didn't look as angry as her sibling.