Ponyville 4
A/N: Just a little heads up, a small part of this chapter does show more detail on Changeling reproduction. Hopefully not to deep.
Ponyville
Dragonfly Hive
The Next Morning
Awakeness slowly came to Dragonfly as his eyes peeled open, taking in the appearance of his room as his vision cleared. The first thing he noticed was how warm he was, then the gentle breathing against his neck and chest and the two weights pressed against him. Dragonfly smiled happily as he angled his head down, Belle was laying on his right and had her head snuggled against his neck, her soft exhales creasing the carapace. Dancer meanwhile was on his left and had laid her head on his chest, her own exhales flowing over the carapace like a series of invisible waves. Both Mares had smiles of either pure bliss or complete content, maybe both, and their manes and tails were completely messy and all over the place, same with his own.
They'd had quite the fun and enjoyable night.
Dragonfly let out a content sign, carefully hugging the Mares closer to him. He knew how lucky he was to have two very beautiful and pure Mares, both in appearance and soul, as his. He leaned down and gave them a gentle kiss on the tip of the horn, both giving a light shutter as he did. Belle started waking up by letting out a cute yawn and she blinked a few times before looking at Dragonfly, Dancer doing the same right after. Both Mares gave him a smile.
"Morning Dragonfly." They both said sleepily.
"Morning girls, did I wake you up?" Dragonfly asked.
"No, was just starting to wake up actually." Belle said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Yeah, but the kiss to our horns was really nice to wake up to." Dancer said as she leaned over and nuzzled Dragonfly's cheek, which he returned by nuzzling her own. Belle shifted and pressed closer to the Royal Changeling, wrapping her forelegs around his chest.
"Dragonfly... you were absolutely amazing last night." She said, giving him a kiss on the nose, booping it at the same time and causing Dragonfly to giggle.
"You were indeed, I don't think that any of us will ever forget last night." Dancer added as she increased her nuzzling, Dragonfly chuckled as he hugged them tighter.
"So were you girls, and I feel last night is only going to be the first of many."
The Mares laughed and smiled, fully agreeing with him. Belle then blinked as a confused look came over her face, which Dragonfly quickly noticed.
"What's wrong Belle?" He asked.
"You have something on you head Dragonfly, looks like a thin spike with a red orb on top." Belle answered, her head tilted to the right, Dancer doing the same as she noticed the same thing her sister had. Dragonfly blinked and, as reluctant as he was, moved his foreleg from Belle and felt the top of his head, his hoof stopping on something that he knew for a fact wasn't there last night.
As much as he didn't want to get up, he had to look at this. Climbing off the bed his only paused to stretch his limbs then he walked over to the tall mirror mounted on the wall to the right of the banner-like curtain covered door, blinking in surprise at what he saw;
The first time he noticed was the strange spike-like antenna that was poking out of his head to the right and a bit behind his horn, around the center right and the spike was tipped with a small red-colored pearl-like orb. The second was that his mane and tail were longer, not by much but enough to be noticeable. Third was he was now taller, before he was a head taller than the average Stallion, now he was a good head taller while his horn had grown out about two more inches on top of its original foot. his fangs had also grown by a half-inch.
Another change was his body looked more... buff for lack of a better word, Dragonfly was by no means scrawny and while no beefcake did take care of himself, now he looked like he had put on at least three or four extra pounds of muscle. Through the mirror he could see Belle and Dancer staring at him as he moved around and tried various poses, looking rather happy and he knew he heard Dancer whisper "Dat Flank." as she leaned over to Belle, who nodded and giggled. Not that Dragonfly had a problem with them looking, they were his Marefriends after all. He even did a few pose for them, which the two quite enjoyed.
He was brought out of his thoughts, and the girls out of their gaze, when they heard a knock outside the door followed by a voice.
"You all decent in there?"
"Yes Seeker, in fact you have perfect timing." Dragonfly said as he took a few steps back and Seeker entered the room.
"Morning Bluebelle, Dancer." He greeted the Mares politely.
"Morning Seeker." The two greeted back.
"Morning Seeker." Dragonfly said as said Advisor turned to him.
"Morning Dragonfly." He looked more closely at the Royal. "I take it this is why you said I had perfect timing?" At Dragonfly's nod Seeker walked closer and began looking the Royal up and down and all over, doing this for a few minutes then pulling back after taking a look at the pearl-tipped spike and he began speaking.
"Now before I say anything else, what happened to you Dragonfly is perfectly normal. As for what happened, you're no longer a Young Prince but rather a full Prince."
"A full Prince?" Dragonfly asked, head tilted.
"Yes, you see; When a Young Prince reaches a certain power level, or in your case gets one or more mates, they enter a special sort of molt where they grow into a full Prince. Besides the longer mane and tail and other growth, they also gain what you now have on your head. It's called a "Hivemind Emitter"." Seeker explained, "New Hives have a limit to how many Changelings the Royal can have at any one time, a sort of "Population Cap" if you will. This prevents the younger Royals from getting too ambitious and growing too big in a short amount of time, which often badly drains resources in an area too quickly for any chance of the area recovering."
Makes sense." Belle said, "forces the younger ones to think before acting and if they still get too ambitious they wouldn't have the numbers or power to take on the larger and older Hives and they don't drain valuable resources too fast."
"Right on the mark Bluebelle." Seeker said, "Now Dragonfly, the orb-tipped spike on top of your head is part of the change. Your mother, in fact all Royal Changelings, have those and gain them as they grow and can have more Changelings in their Hive. A Royal grows up to a max of five orb-tipped spikes."
Dragonfly blinked, "So... the orbs are like extra brains?"
"In a very basic sense... the orbs serve more like stabilizers." Seeker said, Dragonfly raised an eyebrow.
"Stabilizers?"
"Well... how do I put this... You know how crystal batteries, if too much charge it put into them too quickly, they risk exploding?"
"Yes, I think I know were this is going."
"It's kind of the same thing with the Hivemind; Another failsafe to keep younger Royals from getting to powerful too fast, should a Royal grow their Hive too quickly their mind becomes overloaded and... they just say the results are not pleasant, I've never seen it myself but I have heard the stories. The orbs work like extra brains in that they take in the information first and filter it into the real brain, allowing it time to adapt to handle the flow."
Dragonfly rubbed his chin for a second as he took this in, after a minute he looked at Seeker again.
"Just so I got this straight: I've molted into a full Prince now that I have two mates, complete with what is essentially a second brain growing out of my head that allows me to increase the number of Changelings I can have in the Hive."
"That's the gist of it," Seeker confirmed, "Now there are 4 types of Royals; Young Prince/Princess, which are newborn to young adults. Prince/Princess, which are full adults. King/Queen, which are the most common and leader of a large or bigger Hive. And finally there is the last type which is Emperor/Empress, which as far as I can tell there has being only a few in Changeling history, more so Empresses than Emperors."
"Why would that be Seeker?" Belle asked as she and Dancer stood up, getting off the bed and walking up to stand on either side of Dragonfly.
"Male Royal Changelings are very rare, though it is unknown why. Dragonfly here is actually one of two Royal Stallions to be born in the last..." Seeker paused, looking off to the side as his hoof waved in a circle, "... eight hundred or so years. Give or take."
Both Mares were quite surprised by that, Seeker continued.
"Shocking isn't it... which is why when a Royal wants offspring they tend to seek out mates from other species, like Nebula did with Saber."
"I actually wanted to ask about that Seeker, how did my parents met? They never got around to telling me." Dragonfly said.
"Funny enough, right here in Ponyville. As I had said before: Nebula loved the town, considered it the best place due to its high levels of E-energy, cheaper prices, open spaces, and friendly locals. She figured it was the best spot should anything like the Civil War happen, giving the survivors a safe place to rebuild. But there is a bit more to that: Nebula would often visit Ponyville when she was taking some much needed time off from leading the Changelings. It was during one of those times that she had meet Black Saber at the cafe in town and they had lunch together. After that the two kept meeting and eventually started dating. It was after the sixth date that Nebula had come clean with him on what she was and why she eventually couldn't say with him, she loved him that much. So image her surprise Black Saber told her he had known she was a Changeling since the day they met, and that he loved her too. When Nebula asked how he knew, he simply said "You may be able to hide you appearance but you can't hide your scent." Saber, who despite being a Royal Knight was known for not sticking around Canterlot until he was actually needed, chose instead to come with her back to her Hive."
"Considering the attitude towards Thestrals in Canterlot even today that is no surprise." Belle snarked, causing the others to chuckle.
"Now as expected," Seeker continued, "The other Royals weren't to happy about it but after Dragonfly was hatched Saber got them to see it his way."
"How so? Dragonfly asked.
"Do you remember Jewelbeetle's father?" Seeker asked, Dragonfly scowled.
"Oh do I ever, who wouldn't remember that bucker." Belle and Dancer looked between the two confused, which the two Changelings noticed.
"Well Belle, Dancer. Jewelbeetle was a young Royal like me and one of the few I could stand, actually got along with her quite well. We did try dating but we never "clicked" so we remained as just friends." Dragonfly explained, Seeker picking up next.
"Jewelbeetle's father was the second Royal Stallion but was hated by every other Royal."
"Why was he?" Dancer asked, Seeker's face turn grim.
"Jewelbeetle's father was... let me put it to you this way; even Princess Celestia wouldn't be able to stand him for more then a half a second, if even that. He was an ego-manic, narcissist to an extreme, incredibly speciesist, and one of the cruelest Changelings to live just to name a few. The only things he ever even slightly cared about was his legacy and power. He more often then not forced his influence on Jewel, forcing her to do things she was against."
"He was that bad?" Belle asked.
"Worst," Dragonfly said. "Much worst. I never met him but if even half of the stories I heard are true..."
"Jewel wasn't even his first child," Seeker explained, his voice dark, "just the only one he actually kept."
The two Ponies looked horrified, Dragonfly nodded at their expressions.
"Yeah girls, I'm pretty sure that it wasn't with the mothers' consent either."
"Even Empress Nebula, who is possibly the nicest Royal Changeling one could ever meet, loathed his guts. In fact she was waiting for any excuse to 'remove' him. Even Chrysalis of all Changelings couldn't stand him, that is a feat to be respected and more than once did the two come to blows. When Nebula entered the chamber the Changelings once used for meetings between Royals with me and Saber in tow Jewel's father was not happy while the others were surprised but smart enough not to make a move against Saber, for it was rare but not uncommon for Royal Changelings to actually find a loving mate who knew their partner was a Royal. That and Nebula lead the most powerful Hive at the time and was the most powerful of the Royals, hence what she was Empress in the first place." Seeker paused to take a breath and continued.
"Jewel's father didn't care and after Dragonfly was hatched moved to do something during the meeting after that time, I don't know what, too or at Nebula but was stopped when Saber stepped in front of her and stood ready to protect her. As we all know, Thestrals as a whole are very loyal to their mates, and Saber had seen a threat to his and acted as such. Jewel's father then tried to attack. Now Bluebelle and Dancer, pop quiz; when something comes at you with the intent to harm and/or kill you, what would you first reaction be?"
"Strike back as fast and as hard as we could." Dancer said.
"Before it could harm us." Belle said.
"Exactly, which is what Saber did. I remember hearing the sound of metal cutting through air for a brief second, Jewel's father stopping mid-step with a shocked look on his face, and then his head falling off his neck, followed by his body crashing to the floor, Saber standing in front of Nebula with a blooded sword in his hoof.
None of us had even seen Saber move!
The other Royals just sat there, shocked out of their minds with jaws dropped to the floor, before one finally recovered and spoke, saying and I quote: "About time someone finally killed him, I'm just sorry it wasn't me." Another, one of the older Royals thanked Saber for it and left him, Nebula, and their Hive alone as repayment for finally putting Jewel's father down for good."
Dragonfly spoke next.
"As for Jewel, before that happened she ran to Mom seeking safety and protection from her father, which Mom granted and as a final act of defiance to him, gave up her Royal powers to become a Changeling Breed know as the "Valkyrie", we'll have to talk to Rhino for more information that that though.
The girls nodded their heads as they took it all in, Dragonfly turned back to Seeker.
"So... about this orb on my head?"
"Oh right, well... as you grow older the orb grows bigger until it splits into two orbs, eventually reaching five orbs in total. By that point the size of your Hive by the number of Changelings will be pretty much unlimited, only being so in the amount of E-Energy the Hive has flowing in." Seeker finished.
"Okay, and more will appear as I get older and/or "level up"?" Dragonfly asked.
"Yes," Seeker paused for a second, "I think that's everything on that, now for why I came up here: Spotter want's t talk to you Dragonfly, something about locating something. I didn't quite get what he was talking about, but he seemed very excited."
"Okay, I'll go talk to him." He turned to his mates, "Sorry girls, but duty calls."
"No problem Dragonfly, we understand completely." Belle said, Dancer agreeing. Seeker then gained a playful smile.
"By the way... you three really went at it last night."
Said three looked at him shocked, very bright blushes on their faces.
"Now don't worry, none but you saw what happened in here last night." Seeker explained, "But... the amount of E-Energy you three released spread through the Hive and most of the Changelings... well... let's just sat that quite a few of the females are going to be carrying eggs soon."
Dragonfly double facehoofed as the two Mares' blushes went even brighter as Seeker smirked again.
"Also... you may want to use a sound-proofing spell next time, Dancer here is apparently a screamer."
Said Pony gave a blush that seemed to light up the room as Seeker gave them a light shrug and left.
It was a bit before the three recovered but they soon did, cleaned up and went their separate ways, Dragonfly had gone to talk to Spotter as Belle and Dancer went to the Throne Room, wanting to talk to Seeker about something. They found the Advisor laying in his usual spot next to the throne reading a book. He noticed the two Mares approaching and after making his place in the book set it off to the side and turned to them.
"Bluebelle, Dancer, what do you need?" He asked with a smile.
"Well Seeker, first off you can call be Blue like the rest of my friends do, And we wanted to ask some questions about our relationship with Dragonfly." Belle said.
"Oh? What do you want to know?"
"Well, our first question is: Since Dancer and I are effectively Dragonfly's "Queens" now, what can we expect?" Belle asked.
"The same things that Saber got: You'll both have your own bodyguards like Dragonfly. You'll eventually be able to give the Hive's Changelings orders but remember that Dragonfly's takes priority unless he states otherwise. You'll also at some point receive your own hoofmaidens if you wish, and should you chose, Dragonfly can connect you two to the Hivemind. Now there are some things to mention about the last one but those can be explained later."
"Okay, second question: When Dragonfly and us... "Rolled in the hay", what's the chances of us carrying? And how is it done for Changelings?"
"As you already know, Changelings lay eggs and it would be no different regardless of their partner. You see, male Changelings lay the eggs, or at least their first form, in their partner during "that". Don't worry, it's not at all painful to the other and is in fact rather pleasurable. Now as for carrying, in your case unless it's that time of the year you have nothing to worry about. But the partner carries the eggs for about half the term they would normally have, for example a Pony Mare normally carries around eleven months give or take. With Changeling eggs they would be laid in between five and six."
"Oh really, but... does it hurt?" Dancer asked, her tone sounding uneasy.
"Dragonfly told us about his own egg laying and will it be that painful for us?" Belle asked, her voice matching her sister's.
"No girls, it wouldn't be painful at all, in fact if or when you two are carrying eggs you will "release" at least four times. It's something in the egg shells that causes it."
The girls nodded, very relieved at the news as Belle asked the next question.
"Okay Seeker, our next question is: Should we have Foals, what would they look like?"
"Well girls, your firstborn for both of you will be a Royal, no buts, ands, or ifs about it. Now don't worry, while it was very rare it was not unknown for Hives to have twin or more rules or those twins or more starting their own Hives. After that the offspring would be one of three options: A regular Changeling Drone though there would be some clear differences to the normal Drones, these types are what are known as Proto-Royals like Thorax. A Pony Foal which would also have some clear differences though they would otherwise pass as a normal one, or a Hybrid like Thunderlane and Rumble."
The two Mares nodded, understanding as Seeker added one last thing.
"I should also mention, before I forget and Dragonfly beats me over the head with a frying pan again," He shuddered as he rubbed his head, "is that after you two have Royals, any of the other three types have a chance to be laid in clutches."
"Really?" Dancer asked, looking surprised alongside Belle.
"Yes, but it is a rather rare chance."
"Okay, now our last question: We noticed while cuddling with Dragonfly that his carapace started as hard and solid as normal but it slowly started to, for lack of a better word, soften." Belle said which Dancer finished with;
"Almost becoming like silk, we didn't say anything to him as we were too comfortable but we're wondering what that was about."
Seeker smiled.
"That girls, means how much Dragonfly trusts you." At the two Mare's titled heads he continued. "Changeling carapace is normally hard as you know, but we can soften it at will. Among Changelings it is considered one of our greatest signs of trust, so Dragonfly softening his own like that means he trusts you completely as in that state a Changeling is very vulnerable to damage."
Belle and Dancer stood there feeling very touched that their mate trust them that much, Dancer then spoke.
"That would explain why he was so soft and nice to snuggle, he was like a pillow." Belle giggled, thinking of ways to show Dragonfly that the two trust him as much as he did towards them. The three talked a bit more for a bit before Dragonfly came over to them, saying that Spotter found a possible lead on what they needed to upgrade the Hive's Heart then he and the Mares when up to the surface to the Cozy Rest.
Two Days Later
Train to Canterlot
Dragonfly, and Belle were on their way to Canterlot for Dragonfly to meet up with the Mares' family and for Dancer to perform in one of her shows that had been delayed for the Summer Sun Celebration, Dancer having already left earlier to practice at the house. As the show would be later tonight they would spend a bit of time with the family before going over to the Grand Auditorium for the show, then back to the house to stay the night before returning to Ponyville the next morning.
Dragonfly was wearing the suit Rarity had given him awhile back complete with the greatcoat while Belle was wearing a beautiful flowing red dress with ruffled skirt of six layers, the edges of each layer was studded with rhinestones of various colors. Throughout the trip Dragonfly had found himself staring at her, much to her amusement, Belle looked absolutely breath-taking in that dress.
It wasn't long before the train pulled into the station and the two stepped out, almost immediately meeting Belle's parents who took them via carriage to the family manor. Stepping off Dragonfly was greeted by the sight of the manor, his mouth falling open in awe. It was very large, and even more impressive, a well taken-care-of old mansion that demanded as much respect as the family who lived in it for generations.
"Wow."
Belle giggled.
"It's quite the place huh?"
"Indeed it is, it's beautiful."
The four entered the manor, being greeted by a young adult Pegasus Stallion around the same age of Dragonfly with a light grey coat and short black mane and tail with a blue streak running through them. His eyes were light blue and he wore the standard black butler outfit, the pants hiding his Cutie Mark. His eyes and smile brightened when he saw Belle.
"Miss Blue," He said in a polite but happy tone, "It has been awhile, how have you been doing lately."
Said Mare smiled and hugged the Stallion who returned it.
"I've been well Dapper, seems you've been as well." Belle said.
"I have need Miss Blue." He noticed Dragonfly standing next to her. "Pardon me sir, but who are you?"
Belle smiled putting her foreleg around Dragonfly and introduced him.
"This is Dragonfly Wings, mine and Dancer's Coltfriend. Dragonfly, this is Dapper Streak, my family's butler after his father retired. Dapper's family has been part of mine for many generations, same with the other servants here."
Dragonfly smiled and held a hoof out to Dapper, who shook it with his own smile.
"Pleasure to meet you Dapper."
"You too Master Dragonfly, glad to see the two Mares I grew up with finally found themselves a loving Coltfriend."
After that Blue Diamond lead them into the large entrance hall, with two staircases leading up to the second floor, making a path between them to the doorway leading further into the home. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging above them, lighting up the entrance hall. Dragonfly stared in awe at the splendor of it all. As the reached the center of the room Dancer, wearing the same leotard she had during the first show Dragonfly had been too, appeared at the top of the left staircase and greeted them as she came down.
"Hi everypony!" Dancer said cheerfully as she hugged each of them, being greeted back as her hugs were returned. As Dancer chatted with her parents for a moment Dragonfly couldn't help but give her leotard-clad body a long gaze, drinking in Dancer's beautiful form which, in his opinion, was only enhanced by her outfit.
'Dang, does she look good in that leotard.'
Belle noticed and giggled in response, remembering what Rhino had told her about Dragonfly's "Thing" for swimsuits. The day before she wanted to see for herself and waited until Dragonfly was soaking in his hot tub after a long and intense training session, Belle had entered the room wearing a rich red robe and asked him if she could join him. Dragonfly, who Belle and Dancer discovered loved to cuddle with them, said "hop right in" and so Belle took off her robe...
And revealed her red two-piece bikini with a silver vertical stripe on each side that hugged her body nicely; the top was a crop high-neck style longline with her Cutie Mark in the center, silver button rivets along the edges, and a sapphire at the base of the neck strap while the bottoms were a high-waist full coverage brief with a black belt with silver buckle which had a diamond-shaped ruby in the center and gold button rivets around the edges of the belt and an emerald clip attached to the left-front side on the belt completing the look.
This suit was Belle's favorite out of her collection and the one she used the most, now she was standing in front of her Coltfriend showing her body off to him. She was not disappointed as Dragonfly's wings, which had been laying loose in the warm water, snapped upwards spraying water and started to buzz like a hive of Bees. Belle couldn't help herself and laughed at his reaction.
The hot tub snuggle had been real nice, and so had the roll in the hay that night. Dragonfly had asked her to wear the suit to bed and she did with a smile, that had been a real nice time for both of them.
Belle was brought out of her thoughts as Dancer grabbed Dragonfly's hoof and lead him upstairs, the disguised Changeling following half-smiling half-not sure where Dancer was taking him. Belle smiled as the two vanished from sight and she turned to BD.
"So mom, who else is coming and when will they be here?"
"Well sweetie, your Aunt Sapphire will be here soon and so will Uncle Silver. Your father's Brother will also be here soon."
"Okay mom, shall we head to the living room? Dancer and Dragonfly will catch-up after they're done." BD smiled.
"You two go ahead, I want to have a little one-to-one talk with Dragonfly, nothing bad sweetie, just want to ask some questions."
With that BD went up the stairs ans Belle shrugged and she and her father when to the living room, Gold asking a nearby maid to go to the kitchen and have snacks made, the maid giving him a nod before trotting off to fulfill the request.
Upstairs, with Dragonfly and Dancer
Dragonfly followed behind Dancer as she lead him though the halls, on to her room. He couldn't help but lock his sight on her rear as she walked, the leotard did cover her rump but at the same time the way it hugged her body only enhanced the look and shape of her curves, her tail only adding to the look. Humorously, the outline of the outfit created a heart-shape on her rear.
Dragonfly also knew from experience that Dancer had really soft flanks, she was also quite sensitive on the Cutie Marks.
Dancer giggled as she glanced back with half-lidded eyes and a playful smirk.
"Like what you see Dragonfly?" She said in a teasing voice.
"I do Dancer, a lot in fact." Dragonfly gave his own smirk, to which the Mare responded with a laugh.
"Well this leotard is not my only one."
Soon the two reached a door that clearly lead to Dancer's room as besides her name the door was also covered ribbons of various colors that had been painted onto the wood. She opened the door and the two walked inside, besides the standard bed-nightstand combo there was a dresser and some shelves with books. But what had Dragonfly's attention was the wall shelves holding various trophies, most related to dancing but some were for gymnastics. As they walked through the room to another door Dragonfly couldn't help himself and smirked as he leaned his head down, nipping her cutie mark. Dancer gasped and jumped in surprise, blushing back at the grinning stallion and She rewarded his boldness with a swat from her tail.
"You cheeky little…!"
She didn't finish as the two laughed as they entered the room, which turned out to be a large walk-in closet. Silver blinked at the content of the closets: Leotards, a lot of them on mannequins. There was at the very least three of each color with the designs ranging from very simple to ones with sleeves to ones with really elaborate designs and patterns on them made from sewn lace to rhinestones and everything in between. The only feature they all shared was a belt with buckle, both of which also came in many designs.
"Wow Dancer, I didn't know you had this many."
She blushed as she removed the one she was wearing.
"It's sort of a hobby of mine, you see; I got into dancing as a little Filly and started doing gymnastics in school."
"Well that would explain your nicely toned body." Dragonfly said with a smile, causing Dancer to blush again as she giggled.
"Yeah, while I don't do gymnastics as much as I use too I still preform some shows once in awhile as dancing is my main passion. As you can probably tell from the trophies in my bedroom I'm quite good at it."
"Indeed you are Dancer, and I'm not just saying that as your Coltfriend." The two laughed as Dancer continued.
"It's my dream to become the Lead Dancer in the Canterlot Theater Group, I started working there when I finished school and have been there ever since. Been enjoying it the whole time." Her mood dropped a bit. "Despite the fact that we lost some of our performers over the years."
"How so Dancer, if you don't mind me asking." Dragonfly said, walking over and placing a hoof around her shoulders, which in response she gave him a nuzzle.
"You see Dragonfly, Dancing is a very physically-demanding activity, involving both odd and repetitive movements which can cause damage to the joints and muscles. Some injuries come about gradually, from constant wear, while others can happen due to one simple mistake.I'm not the first dancer our family has produced, far from it actually, and several of them had their careers ended early due to injury. Mom, Dad, my sister, and even my brother have always told me to pace myself, that I should worry about my health first, and my performance second. They've always worried that I’d be forced into retirement due to an injury suffered on stage but thankfully, I never experienced anything worse over the years than a sprained ankle or muscle strain, they've always worried about getting a letter from me while on tour, telling them I was in the hospital for some crippling injury…"
Dragonfly hugged her which Dancer happily returned, thinking about what she had said.
'Perhaps I should take to the Hive's Healers about this.'
He looked around at the leotards than turned back to Dancer.
"So... your hobby?"
Glad for the change of subject, Dancer moved out of the embrace and gestured around.
"I started collecting them when I started out, I don't know why even to this day but I just have since. Most of these really sit for display but I do wear a number of them; the plain ones I use mainly for practice while the fancier ones are for shows, and some are for special occasions."
Dragonfly smiled at her.
"Well Dancer, I''m picturing you in each of them and I'm glad my Unicorn form doesn't have wings as my natural ones would be buzzing like a bee.
She giggled and booped his nose, causing him to boop her back.
"Like you did when my sis showed you her swimsuit?" The smirk on Dancer's face spoke volumes.
"Yep." Dragonfly said shamelessly, Dancer's smirk grew bigger.
"Well wait here for a second." With that she walked over to and slipped behind a room divider as Dragonfly watch her with a curious expression, after a few minutes Dancer stepped out again. The sight caused Dragonfly's jaw to hit the floor;
Dancer was wearing an absolutely beautiful metallic red and black leotard that like her blue one hugged her body nicely, it had a galaxy pattern of rhinestones of various colors that changed depending on the angle of the lighting that covered most of her chest and stomach, a gold belt decorated with sequins and a silver buckle with a ruby in the center and four diamond-shaped emeralds in an X shape reaching towards the corners. There was a second thinner belt under it with silver rings holding chains of the same color, which flowed over her flanks and rump like a waterfall with square-shaped spaces in between each length that showed the transparent silver veil that also flowed over those areas like a waterfall, both reaching down to just above her back hooves, just enough so they weren't in the way during dances. Over her shoulders were a pair of silver epaulets studded with emeralds and sapphires in a waving spiral pattern with diamond beaded strings that hung half-way down her forelegs. Finally, around her stomach above the main belt was a belly chain with various kinds of gems built into various shapes and patterns.
Dragonfly stared, really glad he wasn't in his natural form for by now he would have hit the ceiling with how hard his wings would have been buzzing.
"Wow Dancer..." He droned finally finding his voice, "You look... incredible."
"Thanks Dragonfly, this one's my favorite of the bunch and I only wear it for special shows." Dancer said with a bright blush and a happy smile.
There was a giggle behind Dragonfly who turned to look as Dancer followed his gaze, standing in the doorway was BD with a large smile on her face and a hoof over her mouth as she giggled.
"That's just how my hubby reacted when he first saw me in that leotard." She said with a laugh, she than put her hoof back down and spoke as she turned to Dragonfly.
"That particular leotard is something of a family heirloom, it's made from rare and special materials that allows it to fit itself to the wearer as they are putting it on, it self-cleans so it never needed to be watched, never wears out, and even after all these years looks as new as it did the day it was made. I wore it, my mother wore it, my grandmother, and further down the line. That leotard has been in the family for seventeen generations and has seen many a dance. When Gold first saw me wearing it at my final dance before I retired due to an injury, he knew right then and there he had to have me."
She giggled again as her smile grew brighter.
"I even wore it as part of my wedding dress when we tied the knot all those years ago."
"And now it's been passed to Dancer." Dragonfly said, impressed by the article of clothing's history.
"Exactly Dragonfly, and should you and the girls have Foals it'll be passed down to them." BD turned to Dancer. "Sorry sweetie, but you need to get back to your practice for the show tonight while I borrow you Coltfriend for a bit."
"Okay mom." Dancer changed out of the special leotard and back into her blue one as BD and Dragonfly walked back into the hall. She took him to a small sitting room with a large wall-sized window with a door looking out into a large greenhouse across from the doorway in, a fire place to the right of the entry with floor-to-ceiling book selves lining the rest of the walls. In the center of the room was a small round table with two red chairs opposite of each other. BD gestured for Dragonfly to sit in the one facing the greenhouse while she sat in the one facing the door.
"Now before you worry about anything Dragonfly, I just want to talk."
"Well what do you want to talk about?"
BD smiled as she gestured to the table which had a few plates of cookies of various kinds on it, before using her magic to pick one up as Dragonfly did the same.
"I wanted to ask you some Questions Dragonfly, not sure if you know already but I do know that you're a Changeling."
"How so?"
BD used her magic to pull a framed picture off the top of the fireplace, on it was a younger BD and Saber with big smiles on their faces and the latter had a foreleg around the former's shoulders.
"Well Dragonfly, I knew your father quite well. Saber and I went to the same school and were best friends, actually dated for a bit."
Dragonfly blinked in surprise, this was news to him.
"Really?"
BD smiled fondly.
"We did, we never clicked in that way but even after we stopped dating we still remained close friends, we when to school together and he was the brother I never had. Your mother, Nebula Sheen, was also a good friend, her and I hit it off almost immediately after we met. I was her Best mare at their wedding while Gold was Saber's Best Stallion."
Dragonfly was a bit surprised at this news but couldn't help but smile as BD continued.
"Now Dragonfly, the first question I have is the matter of grandfoals. I'm not trying to rush you or anything of that nature, I'm merely curious on how it would work as Nebula never got the chance to explain.
Dragonfly nodded and told her the same thing that Seeker had told Belle and Dancer the day after their first night, from there the two just chatted for a bit until a Maid came by to let them know supper was ready and the two joined Belle and Gold, Dancer had left a bit before to get to the Grand Auditorium for last minute practice before the show.
This chapter was split in two as it ended up being longer than it was suppose to be and I was started to draw blanks towards the end, so I decided to just split the chapter in two. I did want to do more the BD but was drawing blanks. 
See you guys next time. 
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10972705
Sounds like he's one lucky guy.
All good; I appreciate you linking it; I rely pretty heavily on notifications, and might not have replied if it wasn't linked.
Thanks for the extra effort.
10972713
Oh he is.
I know how you feel, I too rely heavily on notifications.
Hello Silver,
Nice job explaining the mechanics of being with a changeling, and displaying their relationship. Dragonfly, Dancer and Bluebelle really feel genuine together, and their relationship is very sweet.
I noticed a few things:
'Awakeness' feels a little odd; trying something like 'consciousness,' or even 'Dragonfly slowly came to.'
a light 'shudder.'
Missed the quotation mark at the end: bee."
But other than those, I really liked this chapter. We got some great information about the changelings, as well as a pretty cathartic story showing how protective Saber could for Nebula. Really glad that Chrysalis doesn't have Jewel's father on her side; though granted, it sounds like even she'd get tired of his crap.
And as an extra bit of fun trivia; Star would be absolutely aglow from last night, commenting, "It's been so long since I got to do that with someone. It feels like my first time all over again," before she'd notice the others, and become a bit flustered. "Y-You guys are alright, too, yeah? I mean... it was fun for you as well?"
To which they'd likely calm her down and assure her they had just as much fun as she did. To which she'd sigh in relief and rest her head on Dragonfly's chest, content to just spend as long as she could just lying there with everyone.
Also, at the part where Seeker explains that Dragonfly leveled up to a full prince, she'd likely start bowing down to Dragonfly upon hearing he's officially a Prince, saying, "All hail Prince Dragonfly... wait a minute; weren't you always a prince?" Before Seeker explained that there was a difference between a young prince and a full prince. To which she'd shrug and hug Dragonfly, noting, "Doesn't matter; you'll always be a King in my book."
Thanks as always for sharing.
Holy crap, I didn't even notice we were at the end of this story!
Really nice job keeping me invested to the point that I didn't even notice we were at your most recent chapter. I definitely look forward to when the next chapter is ready.
Thanks again for sharing.
10992962
10993138
Figured I'd just link both of your comments to the same response.
Thanks, I am trying to make it seem more natural and it seems I'm doing a fine job on that.
Typos always slip through.
I wanted to show how much Saber loved Nebula, and it's pretty clear how much. And cathartic? How so?
She couldn't stand him from the get-go, so there was no chance of that happening. If anything, he'd try to overthrow her with even the smallest chance he got. The only reason he never tried with Nebula was because even he knew it'd be signing his own death warrant. Nebula was waiting for him to slip up.
Dawww.
Star would be quite a welcome addition to the herd. The image of them laying together on the bed is just too cute. 
Dragonfly would smile and hug her back while using his magic to bring Belle and Dancer over to join in. "And this King has his Queens."
You know, while the Firstborn Royals are more or less pureblood Changelings they do take some features from their parents, like Dragonfly's slit pupils which he got from his father, So I wonder what feature the firstborn of Dragonfly and Star Wing would have?
Maybe the star pattern?
One thing I really think could be expanded on was Dragonfly's interaction with BD, but I keep drawing blanks there.
Speaking of Star Wing, if she was in the Equestria Girls verse, what would her swimsuit be? That might be an odd question but I'm curious since we saw Belle's.
So what did you think of Seeker's little quip on his way out, saying that the whole Hive pretty much knew what was going on?
What would Shiva and co. say to Star when they saw her that morning? As well as what Shiva (who pretty much raised Star) would say to Dragonfly?
And what did you think of Dragonfly and Dancer's interactions, and the latter's little hobby?
As for you second comment;
I'm very happy to hear that you really enjoyed what has happened so far, warms my heart to know that.
Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon-ish, but I can't make any promises.
10993937
Cathartic in that Jewel's father, after being built up as this huge piece of crap, got too far 'ahead' of himself when he went up against Nebula and Saber.
I couldn't resist the pun. But in all seriousness, knowing that Saber did away with that guy was what made it cathartic; it's always nice to see bad guys get what they deserve.
More likely the star and wings, considering both Dragonfly and Star Wing are descended from thestrals, so there's a higher chance of thestral traits passing down. Their first born could likely have both the slit pupils and the leathery wings, complete with Star's unique star pattern across the wing fibers.
Her swimsuit would likely be a two piece bikini pair, with the bikini bottom being a very thin strip attached by strings, and the bikini top similarly having very small cloths that just barely cover her breasts. The cloth would also be a dark purple with small golden sequins sprinkled on like glitter.
Star's not vain, but she is very proud of her body, human or alicorn, and is not afraid to show as much of it off as she can.
It made me laugh, especially when he noted Dancer was a screamer.
Small note: Star's surprisingly quiet during the act, usually letting out soft and downright cute little moans and purrs. She'd likely roll her eyes with a grin when Dancer was mentioned to be a screamer, noting, "Yep. My ears are still ringing." She'd glance at Dancer's blushing form. "In a good way," she'd quickly reassure.
Shiva would just lean against the door as Star lay in a confident pose. "You had fun?" she'd ask.
"I don't know," Star would reply coyly. "Did you? I know some of the howling I heard wasn't from Dancer."
Luke would burst into laughter, while Shiva would just look away with a blush and a grin. Celine and Kodo would roll their eyes. Star would notice them rolling their eyes and laugh.
"You guys can roll your eyes all you want," she'd say. "But just wait until you have special somebodies." She'd rest her head against Dragonfly's chest. "I'm telling you; it's the most wonderful feeling in the world."
"I'll take your word for it," Celine would reply, before she sauntered off. Shiva, however, would remain, giving Dragonfly a curious look.
"Dragonfly," she would ask. "If I may... a word in private."
Dragonfly would nod, and they'd move somewhere far enough to not be overheard, but close enough that they could observe Star, who would start bantering with Blue and Dancer.
"I'm not sure how much she's told you, or how much you gleaned from her emotions," Shiva would admit. "But this is the first time in at least eighty years that Star has managed to get into a relationship. Her last one only ended because her mates died from old age." She'd grin at Dragonfly. "Though I'm guessing that won't be as much of a problem for you."
He might chuckle and admit that the E-Energy will keep him long-lived. Shiva would nod at that, before returning her gaze to Star.
"Either way... I've watched that girl live with so much heartache and pain, covering it all the while with her smile. And I want this to go right for her." She'd look up at Dragonfly again. "If there's ever anything you're confused or worried about, talk to her or me or my pack. We'll help however we can. And above all... treat her right. Please don't let me find her trying to hide a shattered heart behind that smile again." She'd give Star a sad look. "She may not be my daughter by blood, but I still consider her one. And her pain is mine."
They're really sweet; up until that point, Blue and Dragonfly got the main focus, so it was nice to see that there was more to Dancer and Dragonfly's relationship than just physical attraction. They really do seem to click together and have nice chemistry.
I also really liked Dancer's little hobby. It reminded me of my dad and how he would often collect rocks or stones on the many adventures he took around the world. Probably not as flashy as leotards, but still relatable enough for me to find cute.
Don't worry; I totally get it. My new job has been making it difficult for me to work on Survival of the Wolves, but I'm persevering, and I know you will be too. Take your time, feel free to run any drafts by me so I can help you with those pesky typos, and above all, make sure you're having fun with it.
Thank you as always for sharing.
10994036
I get what you mean with the pun, it was too good of an opportunity.
We also had a taste of what Saber could do, if he can move that fast.
I'm picturing the wings like that of a Thestral, but the membrane is translucent with the star pattern. A Royal Changeling with Thestral wings and eyes.
You know, this just occurred to me: After having a Royal there would be the chance for Dragonfly and Star to have a Hybrid, more specifically a Full one. Hmm... An Alicorn with the Changeling wing membrane for feathers, holes in legs and hair, and the combined powers of both.
Huh, interesting. Dancer would give her a smile and nuzzle her neck in response while Dragonfly and Belle chuckle.
Dragon would indeed chuckle and say: "You are right about that Alpha Shiva, as long as I keep getting enough E-Energy I can't die of old age, though other methods still work like injury or sickness... But that shouldn't be tat much of a worry."
Dragonfly would place a hoof on his chest. "You have my word Alpha, Star is a great Mare and I would never betray or break her heart like that. It's certainly is going to be interesting having her as a mate, but still I've happy to face the future with Star, Belle and Dancer."
A thoughtful look appeared on his face. "Who was her first Mate? I've asked Star once but she had a lot of trouble answering. I'm guessing they were very close."
Wanted to give Dancer more focus as she was added into the story after several chapters, and I wanted to show there was more than just physical attraction. I'm happy I was able to do just that.
Glad you liked it and were reminded you of your dad.
Now what would Star's reaction be to Dancer's special one?
We've all been there, but what can we do.
See you next time.
10994109
Shiva would nod. "Their names were Darius and Sparks; not the Sparks you might know," she'd add with a grin. "Darius was her first real friend when she joined the pack, and it blossomed into romance. But the two were hesitant about having kids, and due to some of the... 'constraints' we had at the time, we needed a next generation. So, I set Darius up with Sparks, hoping that Star would be able to get along with her." She smiled. "She got along with Sparks far better than I could have hoped, and the three were an inseparable trio... until Darius and Sparks got too old and..."
She'd sigh sadly. "She won't like to focus on the fact that they died, so don't feel like you have to comfort her about them. She deals with it by focusing on the fond memories of her time with them."
Star would whistle in awe, as her wings extended in excitement. "I can see why that one's the best," she noted. "It's awesome!"
Will do.
10994296
Dragonfly nodded. "Sounds like they were wonderful Wolves if Star loved them so much, I can't imagine how she felt when they pasted. At least Star keeps her mind on the fond memories. Out of curiosity, what can you tell be about them?"
Dancer gave a blush but also a happy smile. "Thanks Star, I don't know when I'll be wearing this in a show, but I can promise it's quite the sight."
10994776
Shiva would let her pack link flow, displaying images of the two wolves; a scrawny but well built male wolf with one blue eye and one green eye, each of which sparkled with a mischievous air, with well groomed brown fur, and a quiver filled with roses on his back. At his side was a smaller and delicate looking female wolf, with bright blonde fur and shining blue eyes. A squirrel was perched on her head, and where the male had his quiver of roses, she had a bandolier of various herbs and medicines.
"Darius was one of our best hunters," Shiva explained, showing him with one of the roses, which was actually an arrow. The image showed him firing one of those arrows clean through three timber wolves. "A wicked shot..." she grinned. "And a charmer too."
The memories would then show Darius walking away from a sick bay, a few scars on his face apparently not slowing him down. As Star scurried to his side, wincing at the sight of his scars, he just laughed.
"Some women find facial scars attractive, you know," he noted.
Star's worry faded into laughter. "Luckily for you," she noted. "Some of those women are alicorn-thestral hybrids."
He grinned, smoothy stroking her face before leaning in to touch noses.
"And Sparks..." Shiva added as the images shifted to show Sparks healing Darius' scars to the point that they were non-existent. "She was one of our finest healers. With a love for anything that breathed."
Sure enough, the next image showed Sparks defending the squirrel that had been perched on her head from a hungry wolf.
"He's not an 'it,'" she snarled at the wolves. "He's Chitika and he is mine."
Star and Darius jumped right to Sparks' side, causing the other wolves to back up. Yet, even as they stood in defense, Star glanced at Sparks with confusion.
"Chitika?" she asked.
"That's what he says his name is," Sparks replied, holding up Chitika. "Right?"
Sure enough, the squirrel chittered, "Chitika." Darius and Star glanced at each other.
"Makes sense to me," Star replied.
Darius shrugged. "I'll have to take your word for it," he replied. "I didn't know squirrels had much to say..." he glared at Chitika. "Aside from how many seeds they can steal from my birds."
Chitika looked away with an innocent expression, while Shiva quickly switched to an explanatory memory showing Darius setting out bird houses filled with seeds for various avians. At first, he and Star just watched as various blue jays, sparrows and wood peckers flocked to the free food. Unfortunately, a few squirrels scared away the birds, sending Darius into a rage, and causing him to start firing arrows at the intruding rodents. Star was right by his side, flinging several throwing knives, yet even as they drove the squirrels away, the birds refused to return after such violence, leaving Darius only able to be comforted by Star's assuring hugs.
"Luckily, Chitika was different," Shiva noted, as another memory showed Chitika actually scaring away the other squirrels, and letting Darius watch his birds in peace. Shiva grinned as she reviewed the memories herself. "They were wonderful wolves," she admitted, shutting her eyes as her ears flattened. "I truly wish they could have spent more time with us." She sighed and smiled. "But I'm also glad I got to know them. And I'm glad for what they were able to give to Star."
She let one final memory shine between them; Sparks and Star curled into Darius' arms, smiling softly as they watched the moon. Star's grin faded as she gazed at her mother's visage, but Darius and Sparks noticed her sadness, and gently nuzzled her, reminding her with only smiles that Star wasn't alone; that she had them. Star's grin returned, and she snuggled into Darius' chest, touching noses with Sparks as she did the same.
"I can't wait to see," Star noted, glancing at Dragonfly. "I bet we both can't wait, eh, my King?"
10995331
Dragonfly smiled. "I can see why Star was so close to them, they were a pack in their own right."
Dragonfly chuckled, giving Star a nuzzle. "You got that right my Queen."
The story's format reminds me of XCOM!
11009406
One of my favorite games.
Part of me thinks you should have the Hive ally with/make use of a certain group of sentient undead-killing plants...
(It would end well, surprisingly; such an alliance would help stave off Dark Magic constructs (particularly those affected by Necromancy) and boost morale, unlike in The Great Alicorn Hunt where they become fiercely independent and a peace treaty is required between the ponies and the plants)
(Note: Music is not mine)
11011134
That certainly is an interesting idea.