The Changelings Have a King

by Jade Ring

Chapter 8: New Foundations

Ponyville

Cheerilee was used to having the pleasant dreams she usually had following a solid night of drinking invaded by the symptoms of an encroaching hangover. She was less used to being pulled from said dream-land by the encroaching smell of fresh coffee and baked cinnamon. Carefully, she opened an eyelid to investigate.

Crescendo stood beside her, a steaming mug and a plate bearing a pastry held in his magic. “I hope these turned out okay.” He chuckled and tried to flatten his sleep-addled mane. “I haven’t baked in quite some time.”

Cheerilee smiled and sat up. As she stretched, she took in the bed and noticed that only her side of the blanket appeared to have been used. “You… we didn’t…?”

“No. Not long after we started fooling around, I insisted on moving you here. You crashed as soon as you hit the sheets. I elected to spend the night on the sofa.”

“Oh.” Cheerilee froze as she reached for the cinnamon bun. “I didn’t mean to leave you hanging.”

He waved her off and took a sip of his own coffee. “You misunderstand, my dear; I had no intentions of sleeping with you at all.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, her jaw locked in mid-bite on the fresh pastry.

“Not that I didn’t desperately want to!” He added quickly. When her demeanor did not change, he sighed and sat on the bed’s edge. “Here, let me start again. We were both incredibly intoxicated last night and we both said some things we didn’t mean.”

The sweet taste in Cheerilee’s mouth began to take on a less enjoyable quality. ‘Here we go again’ she thought as her ears began to droop.

“But I meant every word concerning what an incredible mare you are.”

Her ears perked back up.

“The last time I met a mare as incredible as you, we got drunk, got, erm, ‘busy,’ and I didn’t see her again for almost twenty years. I don’t want to make that mistake again.” He offered her his most charming smile. “I’d like to do things right this time… and I’d like to ask if you’d accompany me to dinner this evening at the Carousel Boutique.”

For a few moments, Cheerilee did nothing but continue to chew the bun in her mouth. At last she swallowed and offered a smile of her own. “That was too sweet.”

“Well, I try…”

“No, I mean the cinnamon bun. It was too sweet. A little less sugar next time.”

Crescendo nearly face-planted onto the blankets but found a mare’s face blocking his path. “So is that a yes?”

“More than a yes.” She kissed the end of his snout. “It’s a date.”

He rubbed his nose on hers. “Less sugar, eh?”

She smiled. “Well… I wouldn’t mind just a teensy bit more sugar…”

“As nice as that sounds,” he glanced at the clock. “I’m inclined to remind you that it’s a school day.”

Cheerilee’s teaching instincts flew into action. She chugged the remaining scalding liquid in her mug and bolted out the bedroom door. “How much time do I have?”

“An hour. You’ll be fine.”

“I always am.” She paused at the front door and looked up at the unicorn on the landing. “What time’s dinner?”

“Eight. Pick you up at seven?”

“Seven it is.” She blew him a kiss and was out the door in a flash.

Crescendo laughed as he made his way down the stairs to close the door. “I wish I still had that passion for teaching.” He stuck his head out the door, took a deep breath of morning air, and made to head back inside.

“She’s very pretty.”

“Yes, she’s…” It took a moment for the callous and slightly slurred voice of his ex-wife to seep into his consciousness. He spun around and stared in shock at the pony now on his door-step. “Arpeggio?”

The blonde-maned unicorn smirked at him. “Surprised to see me?”

“Not a pleasant surprise, I assure you.” His initial shock faded into a dull anger as he took in her disheveled appearance. “What are you doing here, Peg?”

“I’m obviously here to see my son.”

Crescendo narrowed his eyes. “I’ll remind you that your supervised visitation is next weekend. I have no intention of letting Dimmy see you until then.”

Arpeggio pouted like a spoiled filly being denied a sweet. “He’s my son too.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you got back on the cloud.” He looked her up and down, noting filthiness of her blue coat. “You look awful. Did you sleep on the street?”

“…I used the last of my bits.”

He glared at her. “You’re high right now, aren’t you?”

She stared at him stone-faced, then let the stone crack with a giggle. “I might’ve had one or two puffs.”

Crescendo rolled his eyes and started turning away. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Going back to your bottle, Mister High and Mighty?”

He froze and glared back at her, trying desperately to remind himself of how much he had loved her when they’d first gotten together. “I’m not sure this town has a prison, Peg, but I know for a fact that their hospital has a secured ward. Unless you’d like to spend the next few days there detoxing I suggest you move along. You’ll see Dimmy when the courts decided you’d see Dimmy.”

Arpeggio glared at him. “Same old Crescendo; a stick in the mud. You’re not even a fun drunk.”

He shook his head. “Peg, please go home.”

She rolled her eyes. “No more bits, remember? Can’t ride the train without a few bits…”

“You’ve undoubtedly found a dealer nearby, so I don’t think just handing you bits would be the best thing for you right now.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Good day, Arpeggio. Please refrain from making a complete ass of yourself in the town I have chosen to raise our son in.”

“Psh, whatever.” She turned with a snap of her tail.

Even as every fiber of his being begged him not to, Crescendo called after her. “Give me a moment, Peg. I’ll get dressed and walk you to the station.”

“I don’t need your charity!”

Crescendo paused to retort, but remembered how his ex-wife loved to press his buttons by always refusing to give him the last word. Instead of continuing the pointless conflict, he closed the door with a satisfactory slam.

He only hoped that Peg had no idea where the school was.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The sun shone gloriously warm on the green grass of the land that would soon be Ponyville’s new public park. A perfectly light breeze blew in from the south and the air was filled with birdsong.

At the moment, it was also filled with the sound of hammers.

Fluttershy winced as a saw’s high whine again cut through the air. She glanced worriedly at the snoozing Scarlet by her side, but the thin foal snoozed on, undisturbed by the sharp sound. The defacto matriarch of the Apple Family cut a glare at the rapidly rising structure that would soon be the summer home of Prince Blueblood and his wife. “Do they really have to make all that racket?”

Applejack munched a stick of celery in contemplation as she continued reclining on a napping Rainbow Dash. “I reckon they’re just bein’ noisy on account of how many of ‘em there are.” She swallowed and tipped her hat forward to blot out the sunlight, feeling a bit nap-ish herself. “I heard Filthy called in every worker between here and Appleloosa.”

“We’re movin’ fast, too.” Applebloom gave a little salute as she approached the spread blanket, wiping her forehead with a towel. “Ya’ll got any oats? Got the call so early this mornin’ that I plum forgot to pack a lunch.”

“Hey there little bit… or would that be ‘Madam Foreman.’” Applejack smirked from under her hat.

“Can it. Oats. Yes or no?”

“Sorry Applebloom, but Scarlet ate the last of them.” Fluttershy rummaged through the picnic basket. “Just carrots and apples left.”

“No celery?”

Applejack let out a small burp.

“…you’re the worst.”

“Pick a snack… Applebloom.”

For the briefest of moments, Applebloom considered choosing the carrot just out of spite. “I’ll take an apple, please.” She muttered.

Applejack’s chuckles stirred Rainbow Dash from her nap. She yawned and looked at the construction site. “I hope Filthy’s paying you all double for this.”

“Triple.” Applebloom took an apple from Fluttershy and bit into it. “Plus there’s a bonus if we have the cellar done by tonight.”

“Why’s that?”

Applebloom shrugged. “No idea. Filthy had the plans and everything ready when we got here. He even had the diggers at work before the rest of us showed up.”

Fluttershy rubbed her chin. “It might be for a wine collection. I know I had some bottles that had to be kept at a certain temperature at all times.”

Remembering the Hearth’s Warming they’d spent snowed in at Fluttershy’s cottage (and subsequent discovering of said wine collection) Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a knowing look and smile.

“An astute observation, Miss Fluttershy.”

The ponies looked up to find a grey-coated stallion in the starched black uniform of a waiter or a butler. His white mane was slicked back and a mustache of similar coloring crossed his face.

“It’s ‘missus,’ actually. I don’t believe we’ve met, Mister…”

“Forgive me.” He straightened his tie. “I’m Stiff.”

“Beg pardon?” Applejack tipped her hat up and raised an eyebrow.

“Stiff Upper Lip, at your service.” He bowed lowly. “I’m the personal butler to her grace, the Duchess Janice of Marekovia.”

“Oh!” Fluttershy sheepishly looked at the picnic set up. “We weren’t sure what the new property lines were…”

“Never you mind that, madam. You’re nowhere near trespassing.” He sniffed and reached his jacket pocket. “I have been instructed by their graces to invite you all to the grand opening of the park this Saturday. There will be a grand festival for the unveiling of their new summer home.”

“Saturday?!” Dash looked back at Applebloom. “That fast?”

She shrugged. “Deadline’s a deadline.”

Stiff Upper Lip offered a dry smile, five small scrolls balanced carefully on an outstretched hoof. “A deadline that could only be reached with a truly remarkable architect.”

Applebloom blushed at the compliment. “I better get back to the crew. Ya’ll just hold my invitation for me.”

They watched her set off back across the green. Upper Lip sniffed again and looked around.

“Ya’ll feelin’ alright?”

“Forgive me, madam. Marekovia is not usually this flowery. My allergies are acting up terribly.” He pulled a cloth from his jacket and blew into it with a short, trumpet-like sound. “I was wondering if any of you ladies could direct me to the abode of Miss… Pinkie Pie, is it? I have an invitation for her as well.”

Applejack felt Rainbow Dash stiffen beneath her. “I’m afraid Pinkie passed away a while back. Some kinda sickness.”

“Ah.” Upper Lip looked away in embarrassment. “I’m terribly sorry to hear that. I understand she rather enjoyed events like this one.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie’s hospital bed in her mind. She remembered how shriveled she was, how much pain she was in, but that she still had a smile on her face. “Yeah she did.”

“I’m sorry to have brought it up.”

Dash shook her head and smiled at the server. “It’s... it’s all good.”

Stiff Upper Lip bowed his head and spun in a practiced and elegant turn. “Then I bid you all a good day, ladies. We hope to have the pleasure of your company on Saturday.”

Fluttershy examined the invitations as the butler walked away. “They even made one for Scarlet.”

The sound of her own name doing what not even the chaos of construction could do, Scarlet awoke with a huge yawn. “What’s that paper, mama?”

“Just an invitation. How was your nap, my little one?” She bent down and kissed the little earth pony’s forehead.

As Scarlet began to regale her mother with the dramatic intricacies of her latest dream (this one featured a unicorn play-mate who claimed he was a prince), Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. “Any of this seem weird to you?”

Applejack sat up and examined her own scroll. “Before yesterday, nopony hated Blueblood more than Rarity. Now she’s inviting him to dinner. That alone is weirder to me than some Canterlot snobs wanting a house built as quick as possible.”

“What do you wanna do? Need some aerial reconnaissance?”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing so dramatic. I think we’ll see how this plays out.”

A worrying thought popped into Dash’s head and she frowned. “What if he is planning something? We don’t have the Elements since…”

“Don’t worry about that, sugar-cube. I doubt somepony like Blueblood would be able to mount an attack that large.” She looked across the field where her little sister was ordering a bunch of stallions to raise a huge piece of lumber. “But I know for sure that we’d all better be here on Saturday. Just in case.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Closing the door to the Ponyville Inn’s most expensive suite, Molt shed his butler disguise and bowed to his king and queen.

“Is it done?” Carapace asked impatiently.

“Yes, your highness.” Molt looked to his queen as she examined her appearance in the room’s huge mirror. “And I have news, your grace.”

She looked back at him, shifting out of her Janice disguise.

“One of the Bearers is dead.”

Carapace looked up from the plans he’d been examining, his jaw hanging open. “Then the Elements…”

“…are useless.” Chrysalis finished, a widening smile on her face.

The King of the Changelings winked at his wife. “Didn’t I tell you we had nothing to worry about?” He returned his attention to Molt. “Locate the others and ensure they’ve blended in to the populace. Return here to accompany us to dinner.”

“May I ask why?”

It was Chrysalis who answered. “What have I told you about questioning your king, drone?”

The word ‘drone’ cut through Molt like a knife. He bowed his head. “My apologies.”

“Think nothing of it.” Carapace’s smile widened as he felt more of Molt’s love for his queen fade. “If you must know, the one you will be copying will be in attendance. Your disguise must be perfect.”

Molt simply nodded again.

Carapace dismissed him with a wave and turned his attention to his wife, his eyes narrow and hungry. “Nothing’s more… exciting than the sense of impending triumph. Wouldn’t you agree, my love?”

Already knowing his intentions, Chrysalis returned the look. “Nothing in the world. Should we play one last game before dinner?”

Carapace mock-shrugged. “We may as well. After all, there’s no telling how much longer we’ll be able to. Might as well get it out of our system before you start bringing our children into this world.”

She looked back into the mirror. “My king is most wise indeed. Now, what game should we play?” She shifted into Mayor Mare. “Late night at the office with an eager assistant?”

Carapace shook his head. “I’m not feeling the mane.”

Chrysalis laughed and shifted again. “If grey isn’t your color, how about a shade of purple… darling?” Rarity looked over one alabaster shoulder and offered a saucy wink.

Carapace shivered at the memory of the last time he and Chrysalis had messed around in that particular form. “Tempting… but I’d like to try something new.”

“Oh?” He was behind her now, his breath hot in her ear. He whispered his request… and she could hardly restrain the grin that crossed her lips. Flames flared around her and the mare staring at her from the mirror was no longer Rarity but one she had inhabited for quite some time.

“Perfect.” Carapace whispered, his own body shifting into his old form of Prince Blueblood.

“You wanted to see me about something, my dearest cousin?” Princess Cadance asked, her grin becoming a look of false naivety. “Something you wanted to show me, perhaps?”

“Oh yes.” Blueblood pressed himself against her. “Something very important. Something that buffoon of a husband could never show you.”

“Well then what are you waiting for?” The pink alicorn sighed, pushing back against him. “Show me.”

“With pleasure.”

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

And the complications continue to pile up!

o hai Moon Shadow

[Aggrax]

6109923

...I put that video on loop and laughed at it for two straight minutes... I'm not sorry.

[MadScientistSidekick]

So somehow ... the thought of Chrysalis and Blueblood fooling around with her in Cadence's body is like the creepiest thing ever.

[themetavoorhes]

So blueblood wants to sleep with his cousin, just when you thought he couldn't get worse.

[TheBritishAlicorn]

7864391
well...they aren't technically Blood related but its still wrong