Chapter 58. Occasionally a Queen Has to Do Queen Stuff
The plan was simple enough. Build an army. Blow a hole through the floor above at some point where we were not expected, then attack, and destroy whatever facilities were making the clockwork spiders.
Of course, nothing was ever as simple as the plan, and plans were only known to be good up until your first assumption was proven wrong. What if we simply could not blow a hole through the floor, despite my weapon and spell-based ammunition? What if the entire level above us was a nest for clockwork spiders? The only way to find those things out was to proceed as planned. That, of course, would not go well, if the previous plan was anything to judge by.
Perhaps a simpler way to look at it was we were going to war with the ringworld and its automated security system. Even if we won the local battles, there was a high likelihood of retaliation, either from clockwork spiders from other areas, or from the system reasserting itself locally.
The backup plan of connecting Habitat Eleven to the systems was already underway, but I suspected it was too late to seal the habitat again, and go back to living as we were. The clockwork spiders were now quite aware of us.
And we were having another meeting...
Currently I was sitting on the floor of the vestibule of Habitat Ten. Allie was sprawled out on my back, under a blanket. We were enjoying a little mother-daughter time, even if we were stuck here. Cacha was keeping one side of me warm, Bittersweet the other.
Now that the participants had all arrived, the lid to the habitat had closed, and the vestibule was slowly warming. Our warmth trapping spell had grown weak and would fail within a few days, when we would replace it. In the mean time we were putting up with the lower than ideal temperature. Really, only the foals and non-HELaTS were affected by the chill, and those present were all bundled up anyway.
Kakuun was even down here, this time, disguised as a younger version of Princess Lunar Eclipse, as that form was one she already knew and gave her access to a HELaTS body. Princess Lunar Eclipse herself had not come, preferring to leave the actual running of the habitat to me.
"It would appear we are all present," Bittersweet deadpanned. "Shall we get to business?" Variations in her vocal expression were reserved for family.
She stood, the other ponies falling silent.
"As all those present are well aware, we have come to be of interest to the clockwork spiders," Bittersweet said. "We have reached the point were we have an unwelcome visitor showing up at the hangar door several times a week. So far, between the new turrets, and patrols, none have gained entry to the hangar. However, this hangar is not the only hangar. There are three more, one at each of the exits of the life support chamber."
Ponies shared comments for a few moments, before returning their attention to Bittersweet.
"But we are still safe, aren't we?" somepony asked.
"As far as we know, we are. However, while the doors from these into the habitat are currently secure, we do not have any idea as to what is happening on the other side of them, in the hangars. It would be in our interest to make sure the hangars remain secure, or are retaken if they have become infested. I believe we are now in the position to send a team of ponies around the perimeter of the habitat, to investigate the hangars from the outside."
More inter-pony twittering was ended by Bittersweet stomping a hoof.
"It occurs to me that the team could address other concerns while on this mission. Would those who have requests or suggestions, please say so."
After a moment of shuffling and whispering among those present, a pink-faced HELaTS mare rose.
"I am acting as the representative for a couple of the HELaTS repair and research teams. They have been studying the ship's main guns. At the moment the mechanisms are frozen in place, presumably because the external parts of them have been restricted by tendril growth. As your proposed team will be passing these guns, could they possibly evaluate the situation, and if feasible, cut them free?"
The mare sat, and another rose in her place, also pink, but with black mane. I was pretty sure she was one of Cacha's many sisters.
"Could the team also keep an eye out for potential power and fuel feeds we could tap into? Plans to hook the habitat into the systems of the ringworld have stalled until we can find suitable sources. Waste conduits would also be good, so we can dump the used fuel, although that may be best left until we can be sure we aren't polluting our own future environment."
The mare settled to the floor again.
"Thank you. Your suggestions and requests are noted. Are there any other requests?" Bittersweet asked.
"Just general scouting, and mapping of the immediate area around the girth of the habitat on this level," Brainstorm said, without bothering to stand.
Kakuun rose.
"We need to be able to stay in contact with the party, just in case help is required," she said. "Do we need repeaters, or will we be able to maintain communication with the team remaining so close to the habitat?"
"I believe that if they remain near the habitat, communications should be maintained. Nonetheless, it would not hurt to carry a few repeaters. If they prove to be inadequate, and communication is lost, I would recommend returning to the hangar for more repeaters," Brainstorm said, again remaining where he sat.
"So, basically we have requests to scout the area immediately around the habitat on the same level as the hangar entries are to be found, with specific interest shown in resource feeds and garbage removal, and if the ship's main guns are located, for them to be freed up if possible," Bittersweet said. "Is that correct?"
Several ponies voiced their agreement.
"Which team, or teams, should we send?"
"Let's not send out our queen, again," Kakuun said. It was nice to know she cared.
"Snow is busy building additional pods, so sending out the queen's team would be counterproductive," Bittersweet said.
"May I suggest we send Death Squad One. They have completed their post-conversion training, and would benefit from some experience in the field," Brainstorm said.
"Approved," I said. Death Squad One was not the team that I had battled years ago, so I was being completely objective.
"For backup, and again to get some post-weaponization experience, I would suggest we send out Lander Team One. Are you okay with that, Ultramarine?" Brainstorm said.
"That's fine with me."
"Also approved. Death Squad One can take four pods. Lander Team One can follow behind, using one of Snow's early powered wagons and one pod," I said. There simply were not enough pods to go around. I wanted three of them left here for my team, should there be an emergency, and a spare, just in case. "I'll leave the details to the parties involved."
"So, who will be guarding the hangar?"
"My team," I said. "Snow will already be in there, so Cacha and I may as well join her. It will also put us in the position of being able to respond quickly if required. I also suggest that Death Squad Two and Lander Team Two be placed on standby. Death Squad Two can come down to Habitat Ten."
"I will organize that," Kakuun volunteered.
"Brainstorm, what is the progress with conversions?" I asked.
"Death Squad Three are half way through conversion to HELaTS at the moment. They have already been converted to bat-winged unicorns. The weapons for them are nearly done. There will also be a few weapons from this batch available to unicorns from the Lander Teams."
"And the third and fourth conversion tanks? When will they be on-line?"
"A couple more weeks. We are still struggling to find all of the parts needed," Brainstorm said.
I glanced around at who else was present. Maisie was here, but Briggs was not in his usual place on her back.
"Maisie, how are you and Briggs going with research and conversion of clockwork spiders for our own use?"
"Briggs has successfully mapped their control circuits and is currently working out how to power our computers from their power systems. Once that has been solved, it's just a matter of modifying the spiders we have captured and installing the sapient computers in them."
"So, Briggs is connected to one now? How is he being powered?" I asked.
"He's still using the standard power-via-old-unicorn-horn method he's always used, and is drawing power from the magical array of the habitat itself. That will be of no use if we wish to use the clockwork spiders outside. For that, we are trying to directly connect to its power source."
"And that is proving difficult?"
"It is. If it isn't done right, we risk frying Briggs himself."
"So, connect another horn to it, and use that to power his existing horn receiver. The worst that could happen is that the transmitting horn takes damage," I suggested.
"Where could we get another horn? They aren't something we can just grab off the shelf, you know."
"Actually, you can. If Brainstorm can't supply you with any, I will get you some myself, and I will even encode a spell onto them so they do the job. Get me the details of what you need, and present them to me when you can."
Maisie nodded.
"All right. Are there any other issues that need addressing before I close this meeting?" Bittersweet asked, rising to her hooves.
Technically we were on standby as secondary guards. The primary duty was being handled by the automated turrets the Storms had placed around the entry to the hangar, both outside, and inside of the operational door. The breached door had been further reinforced. In fact, I had been the pony that did the extra welding that was required.
Nonetheless, as that guard duty did not require anything but our presence to fulfill, Cacha and I were helping Snow with work on the new pods. Our task was to gather the resources, and that meant disassembling the original carts, salvaging their wheels, engines, and whatever odds and ends were needed.
I was returning to the pile of gathered materials, levitating a wheel over my head when the communicator interrupted my thoughts. I lowered the wheels to the floor, then answered the call.
"1C3, would you please report to the Central, level twenty-seven, observation rooms."
What was it now? As per my self assigned duty, I had planned to stay in the hangar until the patrols returned, just in case an emergency arose and extra firepower was needed. What sort of disaster had occurred in the life support chamber to warrant directly calling me, even in my CIBO guise?
"Central, why am I needed?" I asked.
"Queen's orders," the pony at Central responded. I assumed it was a pony. Even if it was a changeling, it was still probably a pony.
"Really? Which queen?" I asked.
"From 1A1C now, and a standing order from 1A1."
Really? I was leaving myself commands?
"What is the issue?"
"Classified."
"Listen, Central, I am down in the hangar, on guard duty. I'm not moving unless you give me good reason."
"It's to do with an unexpected response to the changeling stories that have been airing on the media. My supervisor told me that 1A1 is too busy to attend, so I have contacted you instead. You are listed as an alternative contact, should 1A1 not be available."
Ah, that was an interesting way of interpreting my instructions. Obviously these members of Central did not know 1A1 and 1C3 were the same pony, which was the idea after all! Indeed, I had left instructions that I was to be contacted should something like this happen.
So, what to do, what to do? Well... so far, the teams outside had met no resistance. Things were going well. They had even succeeded in freeing up the barrel of the first ship's main gun they had encountered. Word had filtered back to me that the barrel was clear and the thing could possibly be fired with a little work, not that we should do so. Snow was in the hangar, working, and I could leave Cacha here with her, even if it meant breaking the atomic bonds that held us together. Brainstorm and Stormie were relatively nearby, in Habitat Ten. On top of all that, if the automatic weaponry outside failed to stop any clockwork spiders from entering the hangar, they would be forced to enter one at a time, making them relatively easy to deal with.
Yes, it looked like the absence or presence of one pony with a big gun would not make too much difference.
"Okay, Central, I'm coming up. I am several miles from you at the moment. Prepare to have the elevator standing by for me. I will let you know when I am in close proximity to it. Out."
I turned my attention to Cacha.
"So, where are we going?" she asked.
"Our separate ways," I replied. "Temporarily, of course."
"How could you?" Cacha said, with mock indignation. "Why?"
"Orders from both queens for me to tend to a certain problem. I'll let you know how it goes, later."
"I assume you wish me to stay here, on patrol, as it doesn't appear to be a queens' eyes only situation."
"Precisely. So, if you could brace yourself, I am going to have to physically tear us apart."
"Oh, come on!" Cacha said. "You know today's batch of glue hasn't fully cured yet. You can probably just walk away!"
I smiled, turned and found myself restrained as Cacha's forelegs wrapped around my neck.
"Then again, maybe you can't," she said.
"Then I will just have to activate the emergency release," I said, booping her on the nose.
Her grip loosened, and her hooves dropped back to the floor. "Hurry back."
This time she let me go. After taking a dozen paces, I waved, then broke into a trot.
The door to the rotating corridors through the hull opened but before I could step in, four other HELaTS filed out – Death Squad Two.
"Well, hello there, boys," I said. I couldn't say our relationship was good, but it wasn't bad either.
"1C3, ma'am," they responded.
"Why are you down here?"
"1A1C requested that we took over guard duty from you and 1C4, so you can head up to Central and meet with her," the lead pony said.
"Let me guess, level twenty-seven, observation rooms," I said.
"That is correct."
"Thanks, boys. We'll be going now. Look after the habitat for me."
I turned to find Cacha was edging nearer to us. No doubt she had heard.
"Reestablish molecular bonds," I said to her. Within moments she was at her usual place, by my side.
"I thought you'd never ask," she chuckled.
"I needed to ask?" I responded.
The observation room wasn't anything particularly special. It adjoined a second room, slightly higher than it, a large, magically-enhanced window separating them. To anypony being observed, it appeared to be nothing more than a regular wall. At the moment the observation room was empty.
The observers' room, however, contained a small gathering, of which Cacha and I were part. The third member was a glowing pony – a changeling from the relevant department. Kakuun was yet to arrive, presumably because she had not fancied waiting for the duration of our somewhat longer journey. The changeling dropped his disguise before addressing us.
"I am 1E6, and am one of the changelings involved with the production of the media series Changelings in Our Midst. Specifically, I am involved in the writing and have final say over what is exposed to ponies, and how it is done. To wit, 1C3, there has been an unexpected response to these stories," the changeling said. "Some ponies are starting to think their partners are changelings, despite changelings being nothing more than a myth to them."
"Are they changelings?" I asked. It wasn't really unexpected to me. Exposing them to these stories was about getting ponies to accept the possibility that such creatures were among them. We had even gone as far as using real changelings to play their parts, dismissing their appearance to the audiences as special effects.
"Usually, no," 1E6 said.
"Is there anything common to these occurrences?" I asked.
"Yes. The first is that the couples have never had foals of their own, so one of the partners starts to suspect biological incompatibility. The second is beauty, and the lack of it," the changeling said. "Usually, one partner will be significantly better looking than the other, in their partner's eyes at least. I can tell what a pony will find attractive from what the media offers as desirable, but being a changeling, pony beauty does not mean much to me, personally. Such would also be true of any changeling paired with a pony. As such, a changeling would be just as happy paired with an ugly pony as a good looking one. The same can not be said of pony-pony pairings."
"What do you think of both of us?" Cacha asked, posing.
"Hopefully I will not offend," the changeling said. "Starting with 1C3, you are above average. You would be attractive enough to work in the media, if it wasn't for your HELaTS body. You, however, are too muscled to be given anything but an action role. Perhaps then, your HELaTS body may even be desirable."
"And me?" Cacha asked. Clearly, this was why she asked the question in the first place.
"1C4, again, your HELaTS body works against you. If it were not for that, you'd be given the role of princess, the hero's flame, or whatever equivalent role was needed. You do not look like an action hero."
Cacha snickered. "Hear that, 1C3? I'm a princess."
"Do tell," I said. "You are also a real life action hero, despite your oh-so-girly appearance."
"That is strange," the changeling said, his horn glowing slightly. "1C4... you are... male?"
Cacha looked perplexed. "I'm a mare, now."
"But your... emotions... taste male."
"Were you just trying to feed from us?" Cacha frowned. I felt her tense beside me.
"Eat, no. You do not love me. Nonetheless, I can still taste you without feeding. This skill is one of the reasons I was chosen for this role." 1E6 paused. "You said now."
"She's a victim of the changelings' attempt to eradicate all of us HELaTS. She was born intersex – male genetics but with a sterile, female body."
"That might explain why he is so desperately in love with a mare."
"Hmph. I'm gender confused as well, am I? Great," Cacha said. "All the same Brainstorm fixed my body, so now I am a real mare, even if the genetic material outside of my reproductive organs hold the male chromosome structure. Maybe I just madly love 1C3 because she is the most awesome pony I have ever met, whatever our genders."
"If you insist. You could be a fun character in the media. A girl, but not a girl. A boy, but not a boy. Princess Prince."
"I don't know if I should be flattered or offended," Cacha muttered.
"Well, love, you did ask for it," I said.
"You seem... amused."
"1C4, I suggest you settle for being exactly what you are," I said.
"And what would that be?" Cacha's expression was looking decidedly dark.
"Just be you," I said. "After all, what else can you be?"
Cacha rolled her eyes. "Yeah. What else can I be?"
"Now, let's get this conversation back on course, please," I said.
"As you wish," the changeling said.
"I do know that ponies that have been unable to secure a pony mate are often paired with a changeling. As such, pony/changeling pairings cannot be too uncommon," I said.
"True enough, but so far it seems most of the pony members of these pairings are either unimaginative or content enough not to worry," 1E6 said. "For your interest, we have brought one pony/changeling pairing, and one pony/pony pairing for you to observe. In both cases, the less attractive partners, stallions, discretely contacted central with their concerns. Neither has confronted their partner about it yet."
"Is this the first time you have watched such a confrontation?"
"No."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"This is the first time one of the partners is really a changeling."
"Ah. Shall we begin then?"
"We will start with the ponies, so you have a reference to what we have seen so far," the changeling said, "when 1A1C arrives."
"Ready?" Kakuun asked me. She was in her natural form. I guessed she would change form if she needed to speak to the ponies we were about to observe.
In the relatively short time in which I had known her, she had matured somewhat. Biologically, she was now capable of reproduction, and had even laid her first few eggs, two of which were destined to turn into changeling princesses. Apparently the absence of pheromones from other royalty had biologically triggered her to produce the royal eggs.
As such, her first children were eggs with which she could not interact. My first child was having discussions with me on the day of her birth. The difference was not lost on me. When would the changeling mother start loving her offspring? Would she ever? Was that why changelings were so love-starved they had to steal love from other species? Was this what happened when an insect species became sapient?
"Sure, have them come in."
A door on the left side of the observation room opened and a pony ushered two others into the room. One was a fairly boring looking stallion, with a mid brown coat, and slightly darker mane and tail. He wasn't ugly, perhaps warranting a three on a scale of ten, but he fell a long way of being considered attractive. He was the sort of pony that everypony in his class would probably have ignored, or treated as an extra.
His wife, on the other hoof, rivaled Cacha for beauty. Her coat was a glistening peach in color, while her mane and tail were rich chocolate, with a golden stripe. Her large eyes echoed her mane – chocolate with golden glints.
"Whoa," Cacha said. "She would win any pageant she was entered in!"
"Now, I am going to open the audio between the rooms, so could all those present remain silent, unless you wish to speak to the subjects," the changeling said.
The ambience changed slightly as the connection was made. The two ponies within the room glanced around, as if they were also aware of it.
"Do you know why we have been called here?" the mare asked her husband.
"I do have some idea, although this is certainly not what I was expecting," he said.
IE6 cleared his throat.
"Thank you for coming here today. You are currently involved in a Central sponsored evaluation of responses to certain stimuli."
"Whatever do you mean?" the mare asked.
"Peach Surprise, Rocky Outcrop, I believe you are having marital, issues," 1E6 stated.
"Wha...?" Peach Surprise seemed stunned.
"I wasn't expecting to discuss this issue with a disembodied voice in front of her," Rocky Outcrop said.
"She is exactly the pony with whom you should be discussing it," 1E6 said. "Now, Rocky Outcrop, if you would be so kind as to state your grievance."
He mumbled something.
"Say it so I can hear, dear," Peach Surprise said. "If I have wronged you, please let me know."
"Changelings in Our Midst," Rocky Outcrop said. "I started thinking about it. The changelings in it seem so real. Then I started to think what if they were real? Then I thought about us. Like the couples in the show, we have no foals, even after this many years. And like with them, you are totally gorgeous, totally out of the reach of an ugly fellow like me. You could have anypony you wanted. Why would you even live with me, if it wasn't to feed off some loser who would be totally devoted to you."
"Oh, Rocky," Peach Surprise said, taking a step towards him. He backed away. "Rocky! Those are just stories. I don't think changelings are even real. I am certainly not one."
"You would say that, even if you were one. You would not wish to be found out, would you?"
"Let me try to answer your comments. Yes, it is sad we don't have a foal yet. Perhaps time will bless us with one. I did not wish to upset you so there is something I have hidden from you. I have miscarried twice. We have had two youngsters, yet neither lived to see the light of day. I am so sorry."
"We had foals?"
Peach Sunrise nodded.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, love, but that still doesn't explain why you chose me," Rocky Outcrop said. "You could have been an actress. You could have married whoever you wanted. You could have..."
"I did marry who I wanted," Peach Sunrise said quietly.
"You wanted a nobody like me? Why?"
"Because I liked you. You were gentle and kind. Because I wanted the sort of life I could have with you. Yes, I wanted you. Cannot you accept that?"
"Rocky Outcrop," 1E6 interrupted. "Your wife is not a changeling. Thank you for your participation in this study. Upon exiting this room, you and your wife will be offered counseling. I recommend you take it. Should you be unable to have a foal of your own, adoption is also an option. This will also be discussed with you. You are free to leave."
"Before we leave, who are you?" Rocky Outcrop asked, "Or do you intend to stay anonymous?"
"I am a psychologist, and a writer for Changelings in Our Midst."
1E6 tapped a button, severing the audio link.
"Sorry for the lack of ceremony, but that exchange was fairly typical of what we have seen so far. In all but one case, the couples have remained together. Two couples have gone on to adopt pony foals."
"Giving them changelings would not be a good idea, would it?" I said, fully understanding the risk of giving a baby changeling to those who already had their suspicions. "I also noticed you did not deny the existence of changelings."
"Doing so may help in the current situation, but in the long term, it would be counterproductive. It is a minor detail they may not understand at the moment, but in time, they may remember," 1E6 said.
"And what of the couple that split?" Cacha asked.
"The love between the couple was waning, and being suspected of being a changeling was the final insult to the stallion involved. He broke off the relationship right there and then, suggesting that a divorce would be preferable to counseling. The mare took counseling anyway, to salvage her life, not her marriage."
"So, how are you planning on handling the next case?" Kakuun asked, "It does have a changeling as part of the pairing."
"I would like to get the permission of both queens. If I have it, I will reveal the truth to the couple. It could cause us more problems in the long term, but the data would be extremely valuable to me. I have had the stallion investigated. I believe him to be a low security risk," 1E6 said. "IC3, I do not know why you are here in your CIBO guise, but as I know who you are, may I proceed as if talking with 1A1?"
"You may. The only reason I am here as 1C3 is because that was who Central requested. Apparently the person I spoke to did not realize 1A1 and 1C3 were one and the same, and was under the impression that the 1A1 was too busy to attend!"
"Thank you, so 1A1, 1A1C, do I have your permission to reveal the existence of changelings?"
I glanced at Kakuun. We nodded at each other.
"You have our permission," Kakuun said.
The door on the left side of the observation room opened again, and two more creatures were ushered into the room. Again, one was a fairly boring looking stallion, this time with a lemon coat, and lime mane and tail. He was better built than the previous pony, but his coloring did not sit well with me.
His wife was another beauty. Her coat was pale blue, while her mane and tail were white. Her large eyes were a stunning mid-blue. She was glowing.
"Whoa," Cacha said. "I really must stop repeating myself. The pony she copied must have been a real stunner!"
"I am opening the audio between the rooms again," 1E6 warned.
We fell silent.
IE6 cleared his throat, then pushed the switch.
"Thank you for coming here today. You are currently involved in a Central sponsored evaluation of responses to certain stimuli."
"I thought this was to do with..." the stallion said. "Never mind. Please continue."
"Lemon Squash, if you proceed with this, what you learn here must remain confidential. If you cannot agree to that, leave now, with or without your wife, and hold your peace."
"That sounds mighty like I'm right. I'm staying," Lemon Squash said.
"As you wish. Morning Sky, Lemon Squash, I believe you are having marital, issues," 1E6 stated.
"You could say that." Lemon Squash said.
"You never said anything to me about it," Morning Sky said, concern painted on her face.
"Why would I tell you, when it is you, and what you are that is the problem," Lemon Squash said.
"What do you mean, love?" Morning Sky asked.
"They practically confirmed it a moment ago. You are a changeling."
"What do you mean?"
"Drop the act. Reveal yourself," Lemon Squash said.
"You are quite steadfast in your accusations?" 1E6 asked.
"I understood the hidden message of your Changelings in Our Midst show all too well. Changelings are real. They are in our midst. You wish to desensitize the population, so that when changelings are eventually revealed, ponies will be used to the concept, and will accept them. My own case is too similar to a recent episode. The hottest babe at school accepting the love of an ugly, unpopular dork like me. It shouldn't have happened, and now I understand why. Assign a changeling to the ugly ones that no pony will want. That way they get a girl, the changelings get a food source, and a poor set of genes is dropped from the gene pool."
"Ugly, perhaps, but certainly not undesirable. You have a great mind," I said. 1E6 looked at me in surprise. I don't think he had expected me to speak.
"Can I see who I am speaking to?" Lemon Squash asked.
"Can we drop the screen?" I asked 1E6.
He nodded and hoofed another button. The magic of the screen shimmered, and what had appeared to be a wall to those in the observation room vanished.
Lemon Squash stared at us. "Interesting," he finally said.
"Allow me to introduce myself," I said. "I am the queen of this habitat. You may call me 1A1. To my right is the princess, 1C4. To my left are 1A1C, the queen of the changelings, and 1E6, psychologist, and a writer for Changelings in Our Midst."
"The queen? The pony nopony has seen?" Lemon Squash asked.
"Well, now you have seen me. All that remains is for you to see your wife."
"I feel like I'm being treated as the villain here," Morning Sky said.
"You are part of the conspiracy," Lemon Squash said.
"As are you, now," I reminded him. "And it will remain that way, unless you wish to move to much more inhospitable lodgings."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No. I'm just pointing out the other alternative, and that would be moving you to a place where changelings are common knowledge. It just happens to be a fairly inhospitable place."
"I'm not so sure I like the sound of that. Now, what about my wife?"
"Morning Sky, you may as well reveal yourself," I said.
"I hoped it would never come to this," Morning Sky said. She sounded upset.
Green flame burst around her, burning away her disguise, leaving a glitter-winged changeling standing there, very forlorn.
Lemon Squash looked his wife up and down, shaking his head. I could detect a mix of emotions coming from him, including sadness and dismay.
"I was really, truly hoping I was wrong. In the end, you have simply been using me for all of these years – feeding on the love of an ugly fool of a pony?" the stallion said with disgust.
"No!" the changeling almost shouted. "I love you. I really love you!" Her wings glistened as she shook, her changeling face showing terror – terror at the prospect of losing the one she loved. That's when it struck me that I had been associating with changelings long enough to be able to read their body language and facial expressions well.
"Why would you love me? I could never work that out. There I was, with a gorgeous marefriend, and no amount of enticing by studs, or bullying of me would get you to leave me. It never made sense," Lemon Squash said.
"Tell me, do I look pretty to you now?" the changeling said.
"Honestly, no. You're scary and extremely insect-like. You don't appeal to me at all."
"So, what makes you think I would find one pony attractive over another? None of you look like changelings. You are weird and furry. The only way I understand the pony concept of beauty is through observation and example."
"So, why pick me?"
"Surely you have not forgotten it was you that confessed to me, back when we were in school? The plan was for me to be a popular filly at school, to gather love from as many love-struck colts as I could, before moving away to some location none of you would ever find me again. But then, you confessed, and your love was so much deeper, so much purer than that of the other ponies. I thought you were sweet. I liked you. It was not hard to go from that to loving you. That is why I stayed. That is why I still love you today. And for what it is worth, I never did return to the changeling nest. I never shared the love you gave me with anyone else, and when I started loving you, I no longer felt the need to feed from anypony. Loving you alone was enough to satisfy my needs."
"You aren't feeding off me?"
"No. I am so filled with love for you, I do not need to take yours."
"Hmm. What to do, what to do?" Lemon Squash mused. It was quite clear he was fighting an internal battle.
"I thought you hated me now."
"I am annoyed at being deceived for so many years. Conversely, the mare of my dreams has stayed with me through good and bad, so I'm thankful for that. Then again, to say you are of my dreams is accurate, because you are not real. My analytical brain is having serious trouble with all of this, yet my heart still loves... you?"
"Is there any chance of this relationship being salvaged?" I asked.
"I still love Lemon," Morning Sky said. "I wish to stay with him."
"Lemon Squash?" I prompted.
He sat.
"I don't know what to do. I mean... she isn't a pony."
"Love sometimes finds us in forms we don't expect. We can reject that love, or we can accept it, even if it does not conform to what we were wanting."
"And what would you know about it?"
"I'm straight. I expected I would eventually pair up with a stallion. See this delightful creature beside me? She was neither male nor female, but something in between. Intersex. I accepted her love."
"What about foals?"
"Yes, I have one, but she was not procured through conventional means. If you stay with Morning Sky and want a foal, you could adopt one. You could even adopt a young changeling, if you wished. You and Morning Sky could even teach them to love others instead of just feeding on them."
"My mind finds that a fascinating challenge," Lemon Squash said. "Please allow me to think it over. Oh, and discuss it with my wife."
Morning Sky practically tackled him in an enthusiastic hug.
"You still hug like her," Lemon Squash said.
"Oh, silly, I am her. I am Morning Sky, whatever I look like."
"Then, could you please go back to looking like you usually do? This is going to take some getting used to."
I reached over and hit the button that killed the audio link as Morning Sky returned to her former appearance.
"1E6, I trust you will do the follow up on this pair personally. I also want them as part of Central. Give them a job. Get them sworn to secrecy. Have them help with future cases."
"Yes ma'am."
We were still discussing details of the case when I was interrupted by the communicator.
A desperate pony was on the other end. "Aneki, we've been attacked. Lots of them. We've lost the teams outside!"
"Lost?" My heart rate shot up. Eight skilled ponies equipped with Storm Labs super weapons would not be easy to lose.
"They were overwhelmed by clockwork spiders. Hundreds of them!"
The news hit me like a multistory fall – I had sent ponies to their deaths.
What a pain of a chapter to write. It's a bit rough, but if I don't post it now, I never will, and I'm sure my remaining reader would hate that! 
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Hundreds? Oh boy, I hope they got some of those big guns working.
They might just need them.
Gah, I remembered why I stopped reading this story!
Cliffhangers. All the cliffhangers. I stopped reading it for the last 6 months in the hope more chapters would accumulate so I wouldn't be left hanging.
We're gonna have to wait another 4 weeks for the next chapter, aren't we?
I assume that means siege alert...
I appreciate this update on my wedding day. I'm irritated that you ended on a cliffhanger, but I'm going to stop caring about it and go get married.
Thank you for the unintentional present.
Somehow, someway, they have to make the habitat dissapear to the Clockwork Spiders sensors, because like apearl, now that its triggered the surface level antobody respnse its just going to go crazy until enough spiders are made to physically tear the habitat apart, and by that point, given the same material, the possibility of causing a total runaway allergy cascade, making the spiders attack the very ring.
Lemon Squeeze. Welcome. This is the last suit you will ever wear.
Have the attacking spiders carted off the outside crews so the reaction core can analyze them in order to counteract Storm Bolters more efficintly?
7749688 Hope your marriage is long and loving!
I'm honestly impressed you've been able to deliver consistent and varied sources of tension for upwards of 50 chapters.
Fuuuuuuuuuck! NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD!!!
Well that went from not good, to good, to OH FUCK!!! I cannot WAIT to see what happens next as per usual!! <3
You would have to try very hard to disappoint your remaining reader(s), otherunicorn. I drop everything--sometimes literally--when an update for this pops up.
And I am never disappointed.
7749688 May you be happy as Aneki and Cacha!
This is one of my favorites. Yea, an update!
7749688
Congratulations, dude!
7751357
7752468
7750072
I showed your comments to my wife. We appreciate your care and are enjoying our new life so far. It's been so warming to see the outpouring of love from just about anyone we meet. Apparently our happiness shows on our faces.
Love all,
The newly married man.
7754157 That's great to hear!
Yeah, definitely only one reader left... I feel so alone... why oh why...
So, yeah, great chapter and as always can barely wait for the next one. I'm really excited to see how they're gonna repel hundreds of the clockwork spiders.
Forget guns they need a can of RAID!
7754157 Dude, you are so badass. Good luck.
Hundreds? Damn... I fear that the defense system might ramp up with how many spiders are killed, because with the disaster with Aneki, they killed relatively few spiders... and then a hundred spiders fell in a pit and got themselves killed.
Jury rigging the spiders for your own use is definitely the way to win this. That's how HIV kills immune systems, at least. Hack a spider, send it unmolested to spider HQ stuffed full of explosives. But with the accidental suicide of so many spiders, it could be like an allergic reaction that could wipe out habitat 11 incidentally, while in the process of destroying the ring they were designed to protect.
In a way, they're already at war, I guess...
lol
Still a kinda morbid name...
So... some order she gave beforehand, which is now relevant.
Oh. lol. Poor sap has no idea he's talking to the queen.
Pfff, those two are so cute together.
Warrior Queen and Warrior Princess. Yup. Sounds about right
Oi. Stop that. Don't further confuse the poor thing. Go taste a wide range of nonheterosexual and noncisgenders before you go and try to label stuff like that
)
(and pray to Luna that Tumblr never finds out about this
Tonight on Berry Springer: "MY HUSBAND IS A CHANGELING!"
Audience chants: "Berry! Berry! Berry!"
Ohh. Our little girl is growing up!
Yes, well, she's kind of a special case, don't you think?
Poor guy probably went through a lot of red tape only to end up on some automatic "nope" response, heh.
Dun dun dunnn! Dis gun be good
Real question is, what are you gonna do about it, pal?
Heh. I must admit, he's sharp.
Wow, he has some serious self-esteem issues. Sign this one up for counselling anyway
lol, she adopted that idea quickly.
Well, in all fairness, it wouldn't be too hard to change that.
Audience chants: "Berry! Berry! Berry!"
What, does it bother you to love some weird alien creature who's also a hot babe?
*Nyer rewatches Onegai Sensei for the nth time*
Yeah, sorry, dude, you're on your own there
Okay, she may be a bug, but I'm getting increasingly convinced this guy is a robot in disguise
Well crap.
Eh. They were already called "Death Squad" anyway, no?
7839589
No she didn't. Cacha has been introduced as Princess Cacha before - when they were up on the bridge. It was just funny to her that somepony who did not know called her one.
7840982
Ah, true. But "princess 1C4" just sounds so silly
7839589
Considering that 0.7% of the (human) general public is transgender (3-8% in furries)... hmm, how many are living in Habitat Eleven again?
As a scriptwriter, 1E7 might think we all live in Hollywood... err, Central :)
I wasn't aware Aneki had more than 1 kid.
7875135 Only one so far.
(Sad sigh)
Yes but uh, is it a terminal case, or just a 72 hour version that's been going around lately?
8065867 That's a real case of Dead, but back next week.
I really like how you are going into the changeling integration.
Re-read a bit of this, spotted some errors:
> none has gained entry to the hangar.
"none [have] gained entry"
> We can reject that love, or we an accept it
"or we [can] accept it"
> She was neither male or female
"neither male [nor] female"
10060687
And no doubt more lurk in hidden corner...
(well, corners, but I need to leave at least one error for you to find)
10077458
Hah. Well, I guess I'll keep coming back to this story anyway. It's just so much fun to reread
10077625
I found another error in this chapter!!!
10443974
Aiiie! The shame! I missed one!