Disaster Diverted, Love Found

by Kind of Brony

The Stranger Meeting

A response suggesting a face-to-face meeting was left wedged in Celestia's window the next night, and she proposed sundown so that both she and Luna would be relatively awake. This was also when the changing of the guards took place so that they could arrange for some key outposts to be left unoccupied long enough for someone to traverse the castle. In his response, Anon said he appreciated the consideration, even if he didn't need it to enter the castle unnoticed.

"A bit cheeky, isn't he?" Luna asks as they wait in one of the out-of-the-way meeting rooms in the castle where they wouldn't have to worry about any wayward staff stumbling upon them.

"He has already approached my bedroom multiple times without detection, so it's not exactly an unsubstantiated boast," Celestia responds as she shuffles some papers and such around on her desk, tidying up to pass the time.

Raven steps in pushing a trolley laden with tea and biscuits, and Luna scrutinizes her. "Um, Luna, what are you doing?" Cadence asked from her spot sprawled across a plush chair against the wall.

"Our guest can take the appearance of others and is meant to arrive here shortly."

"And you think I might be him in disguise," Raven surmises. "That's easily rectified, I think." Without another word, she pours a cup of tea, adds the cream and sugar, then levitates it over to Princess Celestia who accepts it before taking a sip and sighing contently.

"Made just the way Raven knows I like it."

"Well, obviously she's the real Raven," Cadence says in a bored tone. "I should know, since I'm Prince Anonymous." The room goes still. Three pairs of eyes slowly look over to the young princess. She looks back for several seconds, stone-faced, until she suddenly breaks out into giggles. "Gotcha! You totally believed I was the changeling!"

Luna frowns while Celestia rubs at her temples. Before she can chastise her honorary niece, however, a muffled voice yells out, "Huh! Good one! I bet their expressions were priceless!" This time, four pairs of eyes turn towards the small fireplace at the back wall just in time to see ash begin to crumble down. A few grunts and grumbles later, and a body falls out and rolls into the room, smoothly transitioning into a standing position.

What stood before them now was a tall, dark, and noticeably normal looking earth pony stallion. Handsome to be sure, but nothing the mares present hadn't seen before, what with being surrounded by the royal eye-candy, er, royal guard all day long.

And yet, Raven is wide-eyed and blushing. "O-onyx Obelisk?" she gasps, catching the others' attention.

"You know this stallion?" Celestia asks, getting the unicorn to sputter and quickly back step.

"Wha-? Me? Of course not! I-I mean, I know of him because a friend gave me- that is, left at my house a, w-well, you have to understand, it's like this-"

"I didn't choose my disguise poorly, did I? I just saw this guy in a magazine and liked the color scheme." Anon looks himself over, patting his charcoal coat and darker mane, green eyes full of concern.

"Your specific choice of glamour is of no concern, besides perhaps to the model it mimics," Luna says. "We simply were not expecting you to arrive as such."

"Yeah, we were really looking forward to seeing what a changeling actually looked like," Cadence chimes in. "Aren't you going to show us?"

Anon blinks a few times before a teasing smile pulls at his lips. "Really now, Cadence, asking a stallion you just met to expose himself to you? What would your coltfriend think?"

She shrugs. "I already ask him to do that as soon as the bedroom door is closed."

Raven enters a coughing fit and a faint "l-lewd" leaves Luna's mouth while Celestia clears her throat. "What they mean is simply that you do not need to guise yourself in front of us. You are asking us not just to help you, but your subjects as well, so should we not all be open with each other?"

The smile falls from his lips as he looks away, rubbing one foreleg with the other. "I get what you're saying. I do. And I want to trust you all, and not only because I have no other options. It's just... Mother has always told me- told all of us- that other creatures wouldn't accept us for what we really are. That they would hate us, and ponies most of all. It's hard to ignore something like that, and now I feel anxious when I'm without a disguise outside of the hive."

As Anon drops his head, shared looks of sympathy pass between the mares, but before any of them can move to comfort the stallion in their midst, he sighs and looks up with a steely gaze. "Still, that's no excuse to be rude, so as a sign of my trust, I can at least do this much." With that, he holds a foreleg out, and the others recoil as it's overtaken with green fire. When it clears, what's left behind looks nothing like a pony's leg.

The soft flesh and fur has been replaced by jagged and broken plates of chitin with holes passing through its entirety at a multiple points. They all gasp, but it's Raven who rushes forward first, making as if to grab the extended limb, but stopping with her hooves hovering worryingly over it.

"Oh my goodness you're hurt! We need to get you to the medical wing right away!"

"Oh no, these aren't injuries," the strange stallion starts, then pauses. "Well, not exactly."

"Prince Anonymous," Celestia cuts in. "If you're hurt, I assure you our medical staff would be willing to help."

"It's not that. These aren't, like, stab wounds or something, they're just a symptom of changeling undernourishment. You know, when the body starts to eat itself for sustenance."

"Um, I'm pretty sure pony bodies don't do that when they're starving," Cadence says with a tinge of green to her cheeks. "We just get really thin."

"I think it has to do with our exoskeletons," Anon says absently as he puts his hoof back down and lets green flames shroud his leg in fur once more. "It doesn't grow and shrink easily."

"That doesn't make it any less concerning!" Raven says, worry and frustration clear on her face. "So you're not wasting away, you're crumbling!"

"Indeed, and if you, the prince of your kind are at such an advanced stage of starvation, I can only imagine what dire straights the other changelings are in," Luna notes, her own placid facade crumbling at the thought. "The situation is far more severe than we thought and time is of the essence."

"I'm actually a bit worse off than most of my people," Anon explains as he plops down with a tired sigh. "Not that I won't appreciate hasty assistance, but most changelings aren't as, well, holey as me. Mom is always furious about it, but it's not like I can't not share my rations, especially with the hatchlings. Those lil' buggers are just so cute that I can't help myself whenever I'm down in the nursery."

As the stallion smiles fondly in remembrance, the mares share a knowing look. Of course the prince was giving his food to foals even to the detriment to himself. This one clearly has some very strong paternal instincts, and that knowledge brings the mares to more familiar ground. Seems even with an unknown species, males are the same.

"Well, you don't need to starve now, Prince Anonymous," Raven says as she levitates over a tray of sweet biscuits. "While you're here, you can have your fill."

Giving his head a light shake as he returns to the present, he looks down at the plate curiously. "Did you make these?"

"No, they came from the kitchen staff."

"Oh... do you think they were made with love?"

"Ah..." Raven looks over her shoulder, but gets shrugs from the princesses. "I'm sure the royal baker loves his job, if that's what you mean."

Anon takes a cookie, sniffs it, then takes a nibble. Chewing thoughtfully, he eventually frowns and says, "He must be in a rut or something. Still, I suppose it's better than nothing."

Rave blinks, looking concerned as Anon eats the sweet, not with the fervor of a starving pony, but with the apathy of a one eating unseasoned crab grass. "Are they not to your liking?" she asks. "Do you perhaps require something else to eat? I'm sure whatever your dietary needs are, I can find a way to meet them."

He tilts his head. "You mean it? I mean, changelings have a pretty unique diet."

She squares her shoulders and answers resolutely, "Of course. Whatever you need, Prince Anonymous, I'll provide it."

"Well, if you're really sure," he begins, standing up and stepping right in front of her. "I really appreciate this Miss Inkwell, you're as kind and considerate as I thought you were."

She's blushing at the compliment and proximity, then even more so when he suddenly leans in and locks lips with her. There are gasps and an excited squeal from behind them, but they hardly register to the shocked mare as her thoughts come to a screeching halt and she feels her brain fizzle out. She's kissed a few colts before, but never before has her legs felt like jelly.

It's the stallion who's supposed to be sent swooning from just a kiss, not the mare!

She can hardly feel embarrassed at her reaction though as her eyes flutter shut and her weak knees finally give. As she sways sideways, breaking the kiss after what felt like an eternity, but was actually only a few seconds, Anon moves to catch her, keeping her steady as she pants, feeling both like she's floating on a cloud, and ready to pass out on said cloud.

"O-oh my," is all she manages as she blinks drunkenly at the stallion holding her.

He laughs, smile bright and eyes sparkling with new life that makes her heart flutter. "Oh my is right! I know ponies have a lot of love, but I must say, Miss Inkwell, that I've never met a mare with as much love in their heart as you."

"Wait," Cadence begins stepping over to look more closely at the slowly recovering unicorn. "Did you really just... eat her love?"

Anon blinks. "Well, yes. It is the most important food for changelings, after all. And it's why Mother wishes to invade Equestria. It's the most love-rich nation on the continent." He looks back at Raven and gives a fond smile. "But I've been trying to convince her that love freely given is so much better for us so she'll abandon her plans to take it through force. Besides just tasting better without the acrid aftertaste, we also don't end up expending extra energy just forcing the love out of the individual so it ends up being more efficient."

"It seems the situation has become far more complicated," Celestia says as she approaches, eyeing her assistant worriedly. "Raven, are you alright?"

"Y-yes," she says, standing fully on her own and shaking her head. "Just a little dizzy. Tired too, but nothing a nap won't fix."

"I'd also suggest plenty of chocolate, but yes, a good rest and some food will see you fully recovered by morning. If you still have that honey I gifted you, a couple spoonfuls will have you right as rain in no time." Anon explains. "And thank you, truly, I haven't had a meal like that in weeks."

"Really?" she asks sheepishly. "My love was that good?"

He nods enthusiastically. "It was great! And I wasn't exaggerating about how much love you have, either. I only ate maybe a quarter of your reserves, and it practically filled me up." He licks his lips thoughtfully. "It's mostly a deep caring for your fellow ponies and strong desire to help them. Not sweet like young love, or spicy like whirlwind love, but smooth and surprisingly robust. Very energizing. Also way better fresh as opposed to the stored stuff. Honey's alright, and turning it into candy helps, but it's nothing compared to what you've just given me."

"As... interesting as this all is," Luna cuts in. "I agree with my sister. While it would have been easy to convince our subjects to lend aid to your changelings in the form of foodstuffs, I doubt they'll agree as easily to letting their very love be harvested."

Anon's smile slowly drops and his ears droop. Looking back at Raven and the hoof on her shoulder, he removes it and asks, "Is it really that bad? It wasn't, was it?"

"Oh no, it wasn't bad at all!" Raven quickly assures, finding that she does not like the upset look on the stallion's handsome face. "You're a very good kisser!" Celestia's quick hoof over her mouth prevents Cadence from squealing again as Raven's eyes widen and she back steps both figuratively and literally. "I mean the process of having you eat my love wasn't bad! Sorry, my thoughts are just a bit addled is all and my mouth got away from me."

"Don't worry, Prince Anon is sure to catch it for you if that's the case," Cadence says teasingly as she yanks the white hoof down.

"Regardless of whether or not the process is painful or pleasurable, the problem lies in convincing ponies to give it a chance to begin with," Celestia interrupts. "Love is thought of as something sacred by many, and so to treat it as merely a commodity or foodstuff will sound sacrilegious to the general populous no matter our endorsements."

"Maybe yours, but I'm the flippin' Princess of Love over here," Cadence argues, chest puffed out as she polishes a hoof on it. "And as far as I can tell, the process didn't hurt and hasn't left any permanent damage, so I'm giving a tentative go-ahead." She gives a sly sideways glance towards Raven as she adds, "As a matter of fact, it looked almost... enjoyable. That might be a good selling point that I'm sure quite a few mares will appreciate."

"You think so?" Anon asks hopefully.

"Absolutely," she responds with a grin. "We just need to advertise right and I'm sure we can have ponies volunteering in no time."

"Wow, that's great!" Anon cheers, tapping his hooves together. "You know, changeling collectors are trained in a multitude of even more pleasurable extraction techniques, so you can probably add that as part of the advertisement if it'll help."

"Really?" Raven finds herself asking.

"mhmm," Anon says with a proud nod. "The Ponysutra is required reading for all changelings before they go out in the field."

"O-oh my, that's very... interesting," Raven says with a gulp.

"You know, the more you speak of your kind, the more I wonder if they had any influence on the old legends of incubus and succubi," Luna says dryly, which earns another nod from the prince.

"Oh yeah, Mom told me that was actually Grandma's idea. An added layer of misdirection in case a changeling ever got sloppy. That way ponies would would be looking for summoning circles and gateways to the Netherworld instead of right under their muzzles." Anon doesn't notice the stares for several seconds, and when he does, looks confused and asks, "What?"

Luna sighs, covering her face with a hoof as she mumbles, "We're agreeing to help literal sex demons. How did we end up here?"

"Um, actually he just said they were pretending to be sex demons, not that they literally were," Cadence corrects.

While Luna glares at her fellow princess, Celestia says, "Perhaps it's best if you keep that little tidbit secret for now. The task of getting ponies to accept changelings would be made more difficult by any... demonic association."

Anon opens his mouth, pauses, then sighs, "Okay, yeah, I can see that. Ponies are already pretty skittish towards creatures different from them."

"Hey, I take offense to that," Cadence says with a pout, getting Anon to chuckle.

"Current company excluded, of course," he corrects. "Still, I get where you all are coming from. Maybe we can keep the love-eating quiet until ponies get more used to us. I mean, we do still need help with regular food."

Raven blinks. "You mean you eat more than just love?"

Anon rolls his eyes good naturedly. "Well yeah. We're not like, say, wendigos who feed entirely on emotional energy. We're corporeal with living, breathing bodies. Those tend to need at least some food and water to sustain themselves and grow."

"And you have a shortage in that regard, as well?" Celestia asks curiously.

"Yeah," he confirms. "Though it does cycle back to our love shortage. See, love also powers our magic, and with so little going around, that means we have little magic to spare. And, well, how much food could you ponies grow without magic?"

It's Luna who answers, looking deep in thought. "non-earth pony crop yields are typically far smaller than earth pony farms of equal size, and uncontrolled weather in Zebrica damaging crops has always been an issue... Yes, I can imagine trying to feed your people without magically assisted farming is quite difficult."

"That's an understatement," Anon agrees with a tired smile. "Plus we live in the Badlands, so the soil isn't exactly ideal for growing crops to begin with. Mostly we rely on mushroom farms underground alongside insects and whatever rodents are unfortunate enough to find themselves in our tunnels."

All ponies present turn a little green at that, Cadence even gagging under her breath. Raven, ever the polite one, gives a sympathetic smile and says, "That sounds just awful."

"You're telling me. I swear if I have to eat one more bowl of mole rat stew, I'm going to lose it."

"How carnivorous are changelings?" Celestia asks. "While it'll be less complicated to provide aide in the form of physical food, Equestria won't be able to provide much in the way of meats for obvious reasons."

"Oh, not very," he informs, much to their relief. "We can eat just about anything. Pony food is actually really popular back home and changelings often bring some back with them whenever they return from gathering love here."

"And just how often is that?" Luna questions, eyes narrowed. "It sounds like your kind have been illegally crossing our borders and... well, let's face it, molesting, if not outright raping our subjects for a long while now."

"Sister!" Celestia starts, but is cut off surprisingly by Prince Anon himself.

"It's been our way since before Equestria was founded."

"And you see no problem with that?" Luna asks, though it sounds more like an accusation.

"Is that what you think?" Anon fires back, expression hard. "You don't think I know how messed up it is? How it would look to others? I know how we changelings will be seen if we reveal ourselves and our past, but that's exactly what it is. The past." He takes a deep breath as if to calm himself. "I'm not going to apologize for what we are. Even if we need love to survive, that doesn't make us monsters. But I can acknowledge that how we've gone about getting that love until now has been morally questionable."

The steel in his eyes softens to something more pleading as he looks at the mares, his sad gaze lingering a moment on Raven, making her chest tighten. "That's why I came here. That's why I've gone against everything changelings have believed for generations to ask for help. I don't just want to save my people, I want to make them and their lives better. We've lived for so long in the darkness, struggling just to survive." He swallows thickly as he continues. "You know, in our hive, we have a library, full of silk scrolls created by our ancestors. Stories, sciences, philosophies, spells. I've read most of them, I felt it was my duty as Prince to know my people's history, but recently, I've realized something. Those scrolls? Written by changelings scholars and authors? They're all old. For well over a hundred years now, a changeling hasn't created something new. None have the time or energy anymore." He shakes his head. "More than anything, I want changelings to be able to create again, not just live day to day worrying about when the next meal will be. Do you understand?"

The mares share a look, Cadence with tears in her eyes she tries to wipe away covertly, Luna with a guilty expression, and Celestia with sympathy. Raven, however, is not hiding as tears run down her cheeks and she steps forward. "We understand, Prince Anonymous, and we'll do everything we can to help you. But for now, I'd like to ask, may I hug you?"

Anon looks surprised, but smiles. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." Then Anon finds himself held against the unicorn, his head over her shoulder as she rubs up and down his back tenderly. Anon closes his eyes and hugs her back, reveling in the comforting contact, meant not to provide food, but merely to provide solace and friendship.

He's glad he decided to come here.

---

It's ironic that, as someone who thrives on manipulating emotions, Queen Chrysalis is currently struggling to control her own. Anger and worry are warring in her heart as she glares into the distance at the moon-silhouetted city of Canterlot.

Where her son is currently being held.

And there are more emotions in that.

Disappointment, both towards him for being so foolish as to get caught, and in herself for failing to raise him right. It's not her fault, though. That boy's always been strong willed to the point of pig-headedness, a source of both pride and frustration for his poor mother. He's smart, but that's led to him thinking he knows better than his own mom, and now he's gone and tossed himself to their enemies.

Her chest tightens at the thought of what could be occurring in there. No doubt those equine vermin are torturing her poor son for information on her invasion plan. She's sure he won't crack, at least not immediately, he's always been tough for a male, but the sooner she can rescue him, the better. If anything, their existence is already out there, so she at least won't have to worry about being subtle.

Smash and grab operations often get messy, but she has little in the way of options or time to pursue different avenues of rescue, and so now she waits as her soldiers get into position to storm the castle. A two pronged infiltration starting at the top and bottom of the castle and sweeping through the structure to find their captive prince and meet in the middle to fight their way out. After all, he's either in the dungeons at the base, or one of the royal bedchambers at the top.

Her jaw clenches at the mental image of one of those overgrown horses in tiaras using her son like that, and she has to force it from her mind before it drives her to charge the castle before it's time. "My Queen!" a voice in her mind calls.

"Yes, Captain? Are you in position?"

"No! I-it's the prince, your Highness!"

She growls, standing up as her wings buzz in agitation. "Do you have a visual?" she demands even as her mind supplies the horrid possibility that would mean. After all, the captain should be outside one of Princess Celestia's personal offices, so if she can see her son, that most likely means...

"Yes! I see him, he's, he's-!"

"Out with it! What are they doing to my son?!"

"They're leading him out the front gates! He's being escorted by a unicorn mare not in the armor of a guard!"

"What?" Chrysalis questions, smacking the side of her head to make sure her reception isn't on the fritz. Surely she's misheard her captain.

"He's in disguise, but it's definitely the prince. I can smell his royal musk from here!"

There's a gasp and Chrysalis growls. "What?! What just happened?!"

"T-the Prince, he just pecked the mare on the cheek! She's very flustered, your Highness!"

Chrysalis can hardly believe it. Did her son manage to seduce his way out of captivity? While the prince performed well in practice for seduction and manipulation tactics, he always showed an unusual discomfort at the idea of actually applying those skills for real. Idly, she wonders if starvation has finally won out over his misguided morality and forced him to see reason, or if he's simply gone insane and is no longer burdened by such thoughts.

... Probably the latter considering all that has transpired today.

There's a sudden presence in her mind, gently prodding her connection to the hive, and she sighs as she opens it up and allows their errant prince re-entry into the network. As soon as he's in, the entire hive mind is filled with frantic inquiries of his health and why he left which takes nearly a minute to settle.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm very sorry I left like that without warning. No, it's not because I was mad- Oh no, it wasn't because of you, sweetie! I could never be angry with you- or you- of course you too."

"I'm glad to hear you aren't angry, my wayward son," Chrysalis growls through the connection. "Because I am absolutely furious and wouldn't want to have to shout over you. Come here."

"Ah, hello, Mother, I didn't expect you to-"

"Now."

"Right... I'll be right there."

Chrysalis waits, scowl on her face as her captain gives the play-by-play of Anon's goodbye to the pony mare before sauntering away and turning into a owl as soon as he's around a corner. A few minutes later, he settles atop a boulder near her, and she turns her glare towards him. He at least has the decency to look guilty as he returns to his true form and opens his mouth.

He's cut off by her magic washing over him and the sudden shiver it causes. "Wow! What are you doing?!"

"Scanning you for any charms or spells. I wouldn't put it passed the ponies to plant a tracking spell on you in the hopes of following you back to our Hive."

"They wouldn't do that," Anon says as he shakes like a wet dog once she's finished.

"Oh? And you know them so well, how?" she fires back. "You've hardly even talked to a pony before tonight, and now your an expert on their immortal rulers?"

"Well, did you find any spells?" he asks, getting her frown to deepen, which causes him to smile. "Then I guess I can't be that far off, can I?"

"Your arrogance will be the death of you," Chrysalis begins as she steps towards him. "And you will drag the rest of us down with you."

"Um, m-mom?"

She looms over him, her full height casting a long shadow as he leans back and gulps, staring up into her hard eyes. "What you have done tonight is beyond reckless and selfish. As Prince of the changelings, it is your duty to protect our people, not put them in harms way."

"I did this for our people-" he tries, but she continues.

"Did you even think of what would have happened if you had come to harm? So many of our subjects look up to you. You are their light, and the light of our hive. You are the reason many changelings even get up in the morning." She raises a hoof, and he flinches, but no strike comes. Instead, she grabs the back of his head and pulls it to her chest as she leans down and whispers. "We... I couldn't take that. Losing you. I'm worn so thin, Anon. So many days I feel like I'm going to come undone, but I remind myself I must remain strong for you and the others. So please, I'm begging you, never do something like this again."

Anon remains silent for several moments, breathing against her chest, before finally saying, "I'll try."

She frowns. "Try? I would like more than just trying."

"And I wish I could promise more, but I can't just keep sitting around while things continue to get worse." He wiggles until he's looking up at her, eyes focused and determined. "You say I'm the reason changelings get up in the morning? Then I want to give them more reasons. I want them to live full, happy lives, and I can't do that alone."

"And you don't have to," Chrysalis responds, letting go of her son when he steps back. "I want the same thing, and I will achieve it for us."

Anon sighs. "One way or another, right?" he whispers, getting her to furrow her brow.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"And the one way you're intent on is invasion and conquest."

She stands straighter. "... Yes."

"What about the other, though?"

"Excuse me?"

"If it's one way or another, that means there's other options. War isn't the only way we can save the changelings. We need to negotiate."

Chrysalis growls. "I've already told you, there is no negotiation with ponies."

"But there is!" he practically shouts, gesturing towards the castle in the distance. "I proved it tonight. I talked to the princesses. All three of them, and they agreed to help us! And I didn't sugarcoat it either, if that's what you're thinking. I told them we feed on love and they know the sorts of things we do to get it. I even told them about what you wanted to do-"

"You insolent-!"

"And they still agreed to help!" he yells over her. "After all that, they still agreed to help! They aren't the intolerant, hateful creatures you think they are, Chrysalis! All they ask in return is honesty and for us to stop harming their subjects! If we can just do that, they'll give us food. They've already agreed to supply relief packages, and they're willing to look into alternative, consensual ways of allowing us to harvest love."

"You would have us beg for scraps, then? Is that it?" she snaps back. "Or do you think they're truly doing this out of the goodness of their hearts? Tell me, Prince Anonymous, how long before we become their servants? Sex slaves and spies. I can see it now, a collar around every changeling's neck, all for a few dredges of love and the same slop they feed to the pigs."

Anon clenches his jaw. "That's not what they want."

"Oh? Then tell me, what is it they asked for? They must want something, even if they haven't told you yet. The bill will come due, and then all changelings will pay the price."

His lips form a thin line as he holds her gaze for several seconds, then he growls, "Fine, you're right, they did ask for something."

She smirks, vindicated. "Of course they did. That altruistic dribble their kind constantly spouts off is just moral posturing so that they can feel better than the rest of us."

He shrugs. "Guess you've got them all figured out."

"I do," she says before her expression grows hard once more. "So, what is it? What's the price for their aid?"

"It's nothing terrible, if that's what you're thinking," he answers. "A formal alliance between our kingdoms."

She blinks. "An alliance? And they expect us to trust them to treat us fairly? Or for us not to betray them, for that matter. I know Celestia is not that foolish."

"Exactly right. Mere words alone would never be enough to ensure amiable treatment towards each other, that's why they want something more that just a mere promise. They want a political marriage."

Her head jerks back, thoughts of that insufferable Prince Blueblood her spies have told her about coming to mind. "They're insane if they expect me to marry one of their kind!" she spits angrily. "I refuse!"

He tilts his head curiously. "Well, of course they don't expect you to marry one of them. You're the Queen." She begins to relax, until he finishes. "They want me to marry the mare, Raven Inkwell, Celestia's right hoof who's soon to be raised as head of her own noble house."

The queen's expression shifts so fast and so drastically from one to another that one might assume her innate shapeshifting is at play before settling on something flat and cold. "Is that so?" she asks.

"Yeah, but I'm okay with it. Raven's a good mare and- where are you going?"

"Obviously I'm going to go kill Celestia."

"Wha-? Hey! Stop!"

"I will not! If that overgrown meal ticket thinks she can choose who MY son marries she has another thing coming! Namely my horn through her eye!"

"Mom! It's not that bad!"

"And not even a royal, no less! Just some pauper who's risen up by suckling at an alicorn's teat! A manipulative, lying,-"

"Raven's not like that! She's smart, hardworking, and full of love!"

"Oh, I'm sure. Lust, more like it, and I'm not going to let her near you, now get out of my way."

"I know the difference between lust and love as well as you do-"

"A scheming little worm the likes Canterlot breeds is well beyond a sheltered hatching's experience. She would have you believe she's a saint even as she drags you to bed to-"

"Enough! If she's as dishonest as you seem to think, then explain this!" Anon leaps up and grabs the larger changeling's head, yanking it down to his level. She growls and prepares to berate him, but then he presses his nose to hers, their lips an inch apart as he parts his own and lets a stream of green vapor flow out. She inhales it without thinking, then instinct takes over and she's gulping it down.

So pure.

So clean.

And not a hint of the bitterness that usually accompanies stolen love or the sour aftertaste obtained through dishonesty. Such flavors were so common to their kind as to be nearly unnoticeable now, except for when it was absent. In the rare moments such as these, every changeling has the same thought.

How did I ever even manage to swallow love tainted by those impurities?

In a way, tasting love of this quality is almost cruel for how rare an experience it is. Even Chrysalis herself only experienced it years ago from a wounded and very strange traveler she had rescued from certain death in the wastes. Anon's own father and namesake.

A tear rolls down her cheek as the stream of energy tapers off, leaving only memories of her lost love.

Anon leans back slowly to look at her. "She gave that to me freely when I told her that we needed love and that I was starving. Even after I drank from her and she was weakened, I felt no animosity from her, and I have no doubt she would have given more if I asked. That's just the kind of person she is. Giving and driven by a desire to help others. Say what you will about the princesses, but leave Raven out of it."

Chrysalis lifts her head slowly, looking from her son to the castle in the distance. After several seconds, she sighs and turns around. "Come we have much to discuss."

"Are you going to let the ponies help?"

"... We shall see. But first, I want to know more about your meeting... And this Raven."

Anon smiles and trots after her.

Comments

[Mister-H]

So is Anon half human?

[Nonnyaddic69]

This story is good

[tsaukpaetra]

Interesting, this implies anon is not the human, his father was, but still got much of the human mannerisms from his sire.

[PonyDragon]

What stood before them now was a tall, dark, and noticeably normal looking earth pony stallion. Handsome to be sure, but nothing the mares present hadn't seen before, what with being surrounded by the royal eye-candy, er, royal guard all day long.

So that's why they only allow the most well-build steeds into the royal guard's ranks...

Mom is always furious about it, but it's not like I can't not share my rations, especially with the hatchlings. Those lil' buggers are just so cute that I can't help myself whenever I'm down in the nursery.

He has a good point.

"I really appreciate this Miss Inkwell, you're as kind and considerate as I thought you were."
She's blushing at the compliment and proximity, then even more so when he suddenly leans in and locks lips with her.

That sounds like the scene from the cover art (moments before the kiss I mean).

And as far as I can tell, the process didn't hurt and hasn't left any permanent damage, so I'm giving a tentative go-ahead." She gives a sly sideways glance towards Raven as she adds, "As a matter of fact, it looked almost... enjoyable. That might be a good selling point that I'm sure quite a few mares will appreciate."

Maybe even some stallions? Or are they afraid of them being rivals for the mare's love?

Luna sighs, covering her face with a hoof as she mumbles, "We're agreeing to help literal sex demons. How did we end up here?"

"And the most important question: how can we accelerate this?"

You know, in our hive, we have a library, full of silk scrolls created by our ancestors. Stories, sciences, philosophies, spells. I've read most of them, I felt it was my duty as Prince to know my people's history, but recently, I've realized something. Those scrolls? Written by changelings scholars and authors? They're all old. For well over a hundred years now, a changeling hasn't created something new.

: "No new books written for over a hundred years? We must act immediately!"

In a way, tasting love of this quality is almost cruel for how rare an experience it is. Even Chrysalis herself only experienced it years ago from a wounded and very strange traveler she had rescued from certain death in the wastes. Anon's own father and namesake.
A tear rolls down her cheek as the stream of energy tapers off, leaving only memories of her lost love.

Very interesting. You managed to answer that obvious question everyone had without answering the question.
I like it.

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Good chapter!
I enjoyed reading it.