[[A/N: After you finish this chapter, please read the author's note at the bottom and follow the link]]

Isaiah swung himself gently on his hammock, the creaking of the beams and nylon ropes sounded as he used his feet to push back and forth. The humming of a fan placed next to the open doors blew in fresh air from the Everfree Forest; refreshing the stale, stuffy air of the shelter. Birds sang their melodies with joy as the sun rose higher and higher into the blue sky. Nothing bothered him as he swung and thought alone in his shelter.

He didn’t expect to have so much free-time to himself, Isaiah thought that he was going to spend his whole morning with Queen Chrysalis while tending and caring for her needs. His mind dwelled back when he was last with the changeling ruler; feeling slightly ashamed that they departed on a sour note.

Just the way she snapped at him for trying to comfort her made him wince on the inside. The man remembered how she spoke of others calling her a demonic monster; maybe the surge of care and comfort he was showing was too much for her.

He didn’t know.

The human felt bad, everything that had happened a while ago gnawed at the back of his head. Confused emotions and thoughts wracked his brain; attempting to find a way to patch things up with the Queen.

Isaiah flicked his eyes over to clock hanging on a post of a shelf, reading 8:11 AM in a blue hue.

“Only about four more hours until the princesses swing by for lunch…” He thought in his occupied mind.

Isaiah let his mind and eyes wander a bit, searching for something to busy himself until the princesses would arrive. Nothing seemed to catch his eye; painful considering that some of the things he owns would entertain anyone for hours on end.

Then an idea presented itself. Isaiah had used majority of his bandages on Queen Chrysalis and would need more whenever he’d return or in case something were to happen while out hunting. The need for food was something else that had to be fixed, both for him and the changeling queen.

A shiver ran down his spine, not the good kind of shiver that Chrysalis’s coo of pleasure caused. Isaiah had witnessed many gruesome things back on Earth; murders, executions, and cannibalism, but starvation is something that doesn’t sit well with him. Just the way of seeing all of the bone under the skin as if there was nothing in between made his skin crawl.

“I should go into town and get some more food for her, bandages and better medical supplies would be nice too. Maybe Nurse Redheart is able to hook me up…”

Isaiah got off the hammock and picked up his backpack next to the shelter’s doors. On the way out, he grasped a bag of bits and attached it to his waist; securing a knot on a belt loop.

<><><><><><>

The human walked through the streets of the small village, watching the environment with non-blinking eyes. The daily routines of ponies were beginning to set in motion as the townsfolk ventured out of their quaint little homes to start a new day. Mothers ushered their children towards the classic 20th century-esc, red school house that stood tall on a small hill. Ponies with saddle bags walked their way towards the market with bit-bags clinking as they walked.

As he went, Isaiah started to notice that some of the mares were beginning to eye him up and down with questionable looks. When the man first walked the streets of Ponyville, the population saw him as an odd ball and chose to show little interest. But now, rather than giving him little attention, the mares were showing interest and piqued curiosity as he passed on by.

Isaiah could see that some mares were whispering to each other and giggling at him, and when he’d turn his attention to them, the ponies gave the human flirtatious looks that caught him off guard. Isaiah gave them only a curt nod; unsure how to make out the situation.

Normally if they were human girls, he’d return the smile with no problem; it was always nice to be friendly. When mares did it, it becomes slightly uncomfortable for Isaiah. Sure, he’d gotten flirtatious expressions from the princesses, but when normal mares showed that kind of interest, it became a whole new different story.

Within a few minutes of walking, Isaiah found the white building where he spent his first day and night in pony civilization. The familiar sight of the window of his first room made the human remember when he was there because of his busted leg. The memory of him sneaking out of the hospital to explore the town made him lightly chuckle; an idea that turned out better than he expected it to be.

When Isaiah opened the door to the hospital, Nurse Redheart, who sat behind the front desk, let out a startled squeak with a flushed face. The man stood in the doorway, giving a wondering look to the mare.

“O-Oh Isaiah, I haven’t s-seen you in quite some time. How have you b-been ever since your l-last visit?” The nurse stuttered as she fixed her white nurse cap.

“It’s been alright,” He began as he walked closer to the front desk. “nothing majorly affecting has happened; yet. I’m just trying to take things easy while I am out and about. And you?”

Nurse Redheart’s cheeks were still madly red. “Oh you k-know, just d-doing m-my job as usual…” She once again stuttered, struggling to hold eye contact with the man who stood right in front of her.

Isaiah nodded his head, only to stop when an odd odor filled his nose. The smell reminded him of something, something he couldn’t quite pin-point. He returned his focus onto the small, mare to ask her what the odor was; quickly learning why Redheart was so flushed.

Her right fore-hoof was wet and matted, soaked by the arousal that was dripping from her small little flower between her hind-legs; creating a tiny puddle where she sat.

“Whoops,” Isaiah laughed. “am I interrupting anything Nurse Redheart?”

The pupils of her eyes shrank and her jaw dropped in even more embarrassment. Unlike Redheart, Isaiah found the whole situation rather amusing.

“Damn Redheart, I’d never took you as that kind of mare who pleasures herself outside the comfort of home. Little adventurous ain’t ya?” The human smirked with his cheeky grin.

The first few words came out incoherently from the small nurse. Her sentences were nothing but gibberish to Isaiah; shaking his head at the mare’s attitude.

“Alright, settle down Redheart.” He said, attempting to calm the mare. “I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut about this, alright?”

She nodded, finally getting her mind together. “G-Good. Sorry, it’s just things get really quiet here when there’s nopony to care for. My co-workers don’t arrive until much later, therefore leaving me alone with some free time every morning when there’s no patience to care for.”

Isaiah chuckled. “And you use that free time to masturbate behind the front desk?”

“N-No!” Nurse Redheart broke out. “...Well, not always behind the front desk.” Her last words came out slightly mischievous; earning another laugh from the human.

The nurse sat up from her place, her rump slightly wet from all of her juices puddling on the tiled floor. She reached over to a cabinet and pulled out a small towel with her mouth and started to clean up her mess.

“As much as I enjoy pleasuring myself, I really need to stop before somepony else catches me and sends a report.”

He let out a low whistle. “Imagine that showing up during the interview for a job, and having to explain it.”

Nurse Redheart, who was cleaning, looked up from the mess. “I’d rather not think about that.” When all of the juices were taken care of, she place the towel back inside the small cabinet from where it came. “Before we came to this… interesting conversation, what did you need?”

The man slightly bent down so he and the mare could share eye contact with each other’s blue eyes. “I recently discovered that all of my of medical supplies have been used up. The thought of something troublesome happening and not having the stuff to treat any injuries is a little unnerving for me. So, I was wondering if y’all sell any medical supplies to the public.”

“Well, it depends on what you want to buy. We can only sell a certain item if there’s surplus or if the buyer has special permission.” The nurse in the white cap with her cutie-mark on it explained.

“Good to hear that. I was kinda worried that y’all were able to sell anything or not.”

“That’s understandable. You see, this hospital is the only place where you can buy good-quality medical good unlike everywhere else due to the town’s cottage-industry. Sure, you can purchase bandages or gauze from the shop at the end of the block, but their stuff are far from desired unlike ours.”

“Alright, I like what I’m hearing.”

“I’m glad you are. Now, what would you like to buy?”

Isaiah brought a hand to his chin as he thought. “I’m gonna need half a dozen rolls of bandages, two boxes of a dozen 4x4 gauze pads, a roll of medical adhesive tape, a bottle of whatever size disinfectant y’all have, and… I actually think that’s all I need for now.”

“Please give me a moment…” Nurse Redheart advises as she walked towards a section of hallway.

The human waited for a few minutes as the mare gathered the supplies he requested. When she came back, Redheart held a large bag in her mouth containing what he had ordered.

The medical pony let the bag drop as he slid a paper in front of Isaiah on the desk. “All right, we have half a dozen rolls of twenty-five feet, two boxes of a dozen 4x4 gauze pads, a roll of medical adhesive tape, and a quart of disinfectant; the total is one-hundred and five bits.”

He almost recoiled when he heard the price and dove into the bit-bag that was hanging on his hip. “That’s quite the price, but that’s expected when you’re buying the good stuff.”

“You know… I think I can make a special deal with you~” The nurse purred to Isaiah, hoping to quell her desires.

“Oh, what would that ‘special deal’ be?” Isaiah questioned even though he knew what the mare was hinting towards; playing dumb for both their enjoyment.

“Mmmm, you know what I mean. How about we treat each other for some fun in the janitor's closet down the hallway?” She tried to coax the human with her voice soft, seductive voice.

“Sorry but I can’t,” His refusal eliminated hope from the nurse. “as much as your invitation sounds alluring, I still have a schedule to tend to. But don’t worry, I won’t leave a cute little mare like you hanging for long, maybe some other time…”

Even though Isaiah wasn’t planning on keeping his word, he still wanted the mare to feel desired in someway. The man still found her adorable in her own way, but not enough to break his relationship with the princesses.

“It never hurts to be a little flirtatious, does it?” He thought to himself.

“O-Okay then…” She mumbled as Isaiah fished the required amount of bits out of the bag on his hip.

Isaiah placed the bits onto the front desk and picked up the bag of medical supplies and swung it onto his back. He glanced down at the flustered mare. “Well, I’ll see you around Redheart. I hope you have a pleasurable day.” He winked when he said pleasurable.

The nurse caught his little gesture and giggled. “You too Isaiah.”

<><><><><><>

Isaiah once again gently rocked himself in his hammock. The medical supplies and food he bought during his trip to Ponyville laid against a shelf containing electrical parts and motherboards. Whenever the chance arises, he promised himself he would return to Queen Chrysalis and care for her.

His time at the Ponyville marketplace almost depleted all of his money; Isaiah now left a small amount in a separate bag incase of an emergency. Food and medical supplies weren’t the only thing he bought, the last thing he bought was another blanket for the queen. The only blanket he gave to her didn’t suffice well enough for him.

An odd sound filled the air outside his shelter. He turned his head to look at the clock and learned that Princess Luna stayed true to her word.

Isaiah removed himself from his hammock, walked over to the shelter’s doors and opened them to revile Luna, Celestia, and…

“Cadance?”

“I hope that you don’t mind,” Luna started as she floated a picnic basket into Isaiah’s hands. “if she tags along with us for lunch.”

Isaiah shook his head. “Naw, I don’t mind a bit at all. How’s it going Cadance, life treating you well?”

“Everything is well, thank you for asking.” The alicron of love answered. “I’m sorry if my presence discourages any advancements of your’s on Luna and Celestia~” She chimed with a whimsical giggle.

Celestia nudged her niece's side. “I believe that we’re not going to let you stop us from rutting each other, if we do come to that situation. We just might have you watch us…”

The man rolled his eyes at the oldest princess’s remark and bent down to give Luna a hug. “So a picnic huh? I never had one of those in a while.”

“I’d thought of the idea and believe that you’d like it. The weather is perfect for a nice get-together under a nice, shady tree in the White Tail Woods. I’ve been waiting for quite sometime now for a picnic; Celestia and I enjoyed them ever since we were fillies but we rarely have the time to do so now.”

“We’ve managed to take the rest of the day off from our duties so we could spend our time with you.” The solar mare broke in.

“Well, thanks for taking the time for fulfilling that wish of yours with me.” He thanked.

Princess Luna leaned and nuzzled his chest. “Don’t think much of it my dearest friend for now we must make haste; my stomach has the grumblies!”

The man had to resist from chuckling. “Really Luna, the grumblies?”

A small tent of red adorned her cheeks. “Hush yourself and follow. The walk is nothing major, a simple twenty minute journey will get us on the forest’s boarder.”

“Alright, ready when you are.” He exclaimed while his stomach sounded.

<><><><><><>

The three princesses of Equestria and the lone human from Earth sat on a large, white and red checkered picnic blanket, eating the food the Royal Chefs of Canterlot packed for their trip. A plethora of high-quality food rested in the enchanted basket; spells casted upon it to keep the food hot or cold depending on their state when they were placed inside.

Luna was right, it was perfect out; only a few clouds dotted the sky as their shadows cascaded down onto the forest. The temperature wasn’t too hot and gentle breezes blew in from the north, adding to the spectacular sensation. The secluded area where the princess of the night chose had trees surrounding them, preventing unwanted eyes from prying on their privacy.

Isaiah filled his stomach with food that he couldn’t even pronounce their names; an example of how exotic the foods were to him. The drinks he consumed were equally exotic to him and his taste buds as they were to the food’s names. He didn’t mind, they proved to be fine by his standards despite not having any meat.

Rather than spreading out of the large blanket, the group chose to huddle together and enjoy the close proximity of one another. Celestia laid on her side, exposing her belly to Isaiah who rested his body onto the hers. His weight not bothering her in the slightest, actually liking how Isaiah used her body. On his right, Luna laid next to him and used his body as a pillow; as did Cadance on his left. Together, they created one large mass of skin and fur of varied color and texture.

Princess Cadance’s closeness to Isaiah made him feel slightly uncomfortable as she snuggled up to him. He didn’t want to be the stick in the mud of the group and let her stay as she was, ignoring her as best he could without making it noticeable to the others. The princess thought nothing of it and let their minds wander.

To keep his mind busy, Isaiah thought about Queen Chrysalis and wondering if she was doing alright. So many questions with so little answers danced in his mind; teasing him for the lack of information he had about the queen and her race of changelings. Something odd about the queen struck him and he’d be damned if he couldn’t get any answers.

“So I was walking through Ponyville this morning,” He started, ignoring Chrysalis’s warnings of asking about changelings from other species. “and I heard a group of mares talking about changelings. I know that we’ve said very few things about them, and I was just wondering what exactly they are. Care to enlighten me about them?”

Candace, who was calmly resting next to his side, huffed with temper. “Changelings are the most vile creatures to walk the surface of this planet. They are a race of parasitic creatures who thrive off the love of ponies they foulnap and use them as a source of food until all of their love is drained away; leaving nothing but an empty pony…”

Isaiah couldn’t believe his ears when he heard the princess of love speak about the changelings like the way she did. “Really, is all of that true?”

“It’s believed to be.” Princess Celestia started before Cadance could speak. “Very little is known about the reclusive, and mysterious species. All of our information about them are only theories supported by tiny amounts of unconfirmed details. So far, our biologists can only make assumptions and estimations about them.”

“What caused all of the bad blood between y’all and the changelings?”

Princess Cadance filled her lungs in an attempt to calm herself so she could answer the man. “A couple weeks before Shining Armor and I’s wedding, I was foulnapped by the monstrous changeling queen; Queen Chrysalis. As I was locked away underneath Canterlot in the abandoned crystal caverns, she impersonated me and brainwashed my Shiny while successfully deceiving everypony… well almost everypony.”

“And?” Isaiah edged on, eager to hear what she had to say.

“Twilight Sparkle, the filly I foalsat when her parents were away and Shining was at school, she hadn’t been fooled by Queen Chrysalis and even tried to warn others, sadly they failed to believe her.”

“How could we have been so foolish?” Celestia sighed. “Who would’ve known that she was telling the truth the whole time? And we all ignored her, some of us even reacted harshly to her warnings…”

“So let me guess,” He interrupted. “Twilight swoops in and saves the day?”

“Almost, but let me continue on with the story so I can explain. When Twilight went to apologize to my imposter, believing that the changeling queen was really me, Queen Chrysalis then banished her to the same crystal caverns where I was being held.” Cadance lightly shivered as she recalled some memories. “After searching around for a while, Twilight and I found the exit. When we ran to the castle, s-she…”

The princess of love stopped and forced back a multitude of sniffles; unable to carry on with the risk of bad memories returning.

Princess Celestia saw her state and continued on. “Well Isaiah, to make a long story short. When the Elements of Harmony failed to repel the queen and her attacking changelings away, all hope seemed to be lost. When Chrysalis had her back turned, Twilight managed to break Cadance free, allowing herself and Shining Armor to use their love to banish the queen and all of her changelings out of Canterlot.”

Isaiah had absorbed the story, not even batting an eye when he learned about Chrysalis’s downfall. True, it made him think differently but had the notion that something else was in play.

“And where were you and Luna?” He questioned the sisters.

“Queen Chrysalis had trapped me inside a large cocoon after she defeated me with her new found strength. Inside I could do nothing but watch as the whole event unfolded in front of me.”

“What about you Luna?”

The princess of the night let out an irritated sigh. “...I was asleep.”

The human slightly tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly shaking his head. “You know what? I don’t wanna know.” He heard Cadance escape a sniffle, driving his attention onto the mare. The pitiful sight of the saddened mare drove sympathy from him. Isaiah wrapped his arms around the shivering alicorn.

“It was supposed to be the perfect day…” Cadance mumbled, doing so made Isaiah hug her tighter despite how uncomfortable he was. Even if he was comforting her, it still felt unwelcomed to him knowing that she was married. Celestia and Luna were quick to comfort their niece as Isaiah held her in his arms.

The small group chose not to say anything, instead they silently agreed to stay quiet and rest in each others close company. Isaiah tried his best to relax, but the sniffling married mare in his arms made it a challenge to do so. Her cries tugged at his heartstrings.

Princess Luna then leaned over to his right ear and whispered some words. Tentatively, Isaiah listened to her order and gently stroked Princess Cadance’s hot pink, purple, and gold curled mane. Isaiah wanted to stop but his protective instincts had kicked in; preventing him to do so. On several occasions, the human learned the effects of leaving a girl alone in her time of need which is something that no man wants to experience.

After a couple minutes of sniffling and gentle rocks back and forth from Isaiah, Princess Cadance rose her head from the human’s chest. She glanced down toward where her tears had fallen; a small wet area on Isaiah’s shirt.

“S-Sorry about that…” She apologetically sniffled.

Isaiah inwardly celebrated when she broke the close contact. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it. I should be the one apologizing for the cause of those tears; I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories of yours.”

“It’s okay Isaiah, sometimes I just need to talk about it to have a better time dealing with what happened. Plus, you needed to know sooner or later.”

“But not in a way that would make you cry.” He countered.

Princess Celestia deiced that enough was enough and stopped the subject and attempted to turn into something more enjoyable. Luna and Isaiah immediately picked up on it without missing a beat.

Within an hour of talking, Cadance’s mood had changed back into her regular happy self. Time flew as the four chatted the day away on the picnic blanket they laid out on under them. The blazing star in the sky slowly traveled its way westward; enveloping the land in it’s orange glow.

“It appears to be that time passes by quickly while in good company.” Princess Luna stated to the trio. She broke away from the group and stood up on all fours. “Tia, I believe that it’s now the time to lower the sun and raise the moon.”

Isaiah had to lean forward so Celestia could stand and join her sister’s side. “It appears so. Shall we?”

The royal sister’s horns surrounded in their magical auras, lowering their heads and closing their eyes. Both of the princesses began to slightly glow as their magical output increases. The human watched as the sun started to slowly speed up it’s descent towards the western horizon. He quickly turned towards the east, eyeing the crescent moon peek over the eastern horizon. Isaiah watched the whole event unfold, feeling alien and bizarre to him.

After a few seconds passed, both of the sisters returned from their magical state and glanced to the human.

“So, what did you think of that Isaiah?” Luna asked, eager to hear what the man had to say.

“It was…. really odd seeing the whole thing unfold right in front of me. It was natural, yet unnatural as the sun and moon drifted; I can’t really explain it. I’m so used to how the sun and moon move back on Earth, but when I see this… it’s different.”

Princess Luna nuzzled the human, doing so made him embrace her with his arms. “You never told us how your species made it to your planet’s moon; care to tell us next time when we meet?”

“I’ll be sure, I can promise that.”

The group spent the remaining time they had to clean up after themselves, thanks to the princess's magic, it only took a few seconds to do so.

Their walk back to Isaiah’s shelter felt too short for them, but all good things must come to an end. After a few hugs and goodbyes, the princesses left the human all alone in the Everfree Forest. Princess Luna had tried to stay behind for some ‘quality time’ with Isaiah but he held against it stating: “My place isn’t exactly a good place to have that sort of fun.”

It’s not that he didn’t want to, it’s just he had a schedule to tend to.

<><><><><><>

Isaiah carefully maneuvered himself around the cave’s interior. The bag of food and medical supplies he recently purchased made doing so a slight challenge in the darkness of the cavern. His boots with their tracked soles made walking over the rocky, wet terrain immensely easier.

The buzzing of insectoid wings echoed off the walls, informing Isaiah of oncoming company. If it wasn’t for the flashlight’s beam, the human would’ve never seen the reflection of the changeling’s matte blue eyes that shone dully.

The changeling he stared at appeared slightly different than the one that ate with Queen Chrysalis earlier in the morning. The insect-like creature seemed rather small than the last one he saw next to the queen from a while ago.

Isaiah spoke out to the changeling. A few flicks of it’s wings was the only response the human got from the bug.

“Not the kind to talk, huh?” He asked.

Again, the changeling didn’t answer and moved its wings.

“Come on man, you gotta say somethi-”

“Changeling drones are not able to talk with other species. They can only speak in the hive mind…” A raspy voice said from behind Isaiah, interrupting him.

The human spun around to see the drone from before; it’s unreadable eyes staring at him, unblinkingly.

“Why is that?” He questioned.

“It does not matter, human. The only thing that matters now is the queen; she would like to see you.”

Isaiah followed the changeling through the maze, making it difficult understand the cave system. If it wasn’t for the flashlight and mushrooms with their gentle glow, the pitch blackness of the cave would have swallowed Isaiah. Then the changeling and human turned a corner, entering the passageway to the chamber where the queen laid and at the end, Isaiah could see a green glow emitting from within.

He picked up his pace, the food and supplies swinging as he did so. When he fully stepped into the chamber he could see the queen lift her head, the mystic eyes of her’s widening at the sight of him. Around her, green torches bathed the cavern in a magical haze of green.

Queen Chrysalis and Isaiah locked their eyes with each others; not saying a word. The human silently closed the distance between them, unslinging the food and supplies off his back and setting them down in front of the skinny changeling.

He bent down, undid the drawstring of the back, pulled out an apple and presented the fruit to the queen with an open hand.

“Why?”

He glanced at her, giving her a questioning expression. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you return to me? I treated you harshly this morning and sent you away, even though you helped me. Doesn’t my actions deter you?” The queen questioned him, worried for what he was going to say.

“Because I’m not going to let one minor incident discourage me from helping someone who needs assistance,” The human settled the apple down next to her front hooves. “especially if they’re someone I care about and know what they’ve been through.”

His word struck Chrysalis hard, the feeling of regret returning. “I’m sorry for how I reacted. I never should’ve did what I had done to you.”

Isaiah pulled out a blanket for the changeling and laid it next to her. “Don’t worry about it.” He picked more and more food out from the bag and placed them down for the queen. “Now eat.”

Chrysalis did as he advised and started to consume the fruit, enjoying the taste as she did.

As the changeling queen at, Isaiah inspected the chamber that he and the queen were in; paying extra attention to the green torches. From his position, he couldn’t feel any heat radiating off them due to his distance. Ignoring the peculiar green flame, the wooden stand had no signs of charring as the fire crackled.

He turned around to look at the other changelings, who were huddled in a corner in the back; creating a mass of black and dark-blue chitin. They stared at him with unblinking blue matte eyes.

Isaiah turned back around to watch the queen continue to eat. The queen never seemed to slow down as she ate but without the vigour she had from awhile ago. Apples, bananas, grapes, mangos, even a strange fuit that Isaiah couldn’t recognized called a kiwi by the ponies, were all victims to the queen’s feast.

“I’m surprised that you’re so calm around me despite the fact that I’m associated with the princesses of Equestria.” Isaiah started, knowing what he was doing could cause something troublesome with him and the changeling queen. “But don’t worry, you can trust me… as long as I get some answers.”

Queen Chrysalis’s heart skipped a beat when his words hit her ears, forcing her to focus her attention away from the food and onto the human. Before she could say anything, he carried on.

“Earlier today, I asked the princesses what a changeling was, not even daring to mention you or your changelings. They told me that your species had invaded Canterlot, and how you disguise yourself as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, is that true?”

Chrysalis didn’t say a word. Her silence caused him to continue with his questions.

“I was told that you and your species kidnap ponies and drain them of life; leaving them as a husk of their former selves. Everything they said didn’t quite add up. The little information they have on changelings are theories, but are mostly considered true facts to the population.”

The ovular eyes snapped to his, as if she was peering into his soul. “You fool…” The human didn’t show any expression; keeping his demeanor locked. “How could you listen to them and believe what they are saying?!”

“I don’t believe them. Care to enlighten why that is?”

“All of the ponies information on changelings are blatant lies and poorly theorized! They see us as evil parasitic creatures that wish only to harm them for our own benefit! I will tell you this Isaiah, if you ever read a book that has so called ‘facts’ or ‘information’ on changelings, prepare to be bombarded with pathetic excuses, lies, theories, and information! I’ve tried to read their most popular book on changelings out of pity, but it was so horribly informed; I just wanted to gouge my eyes out!” She screamed, practically filling the chamber with her air of anger. “THEY DON’T KNOW US!”

Isaiah absorbed what she had told him, actually making connections.

“And what can you tell me about the Canterlot Invasion from two years ago? That sounds pretty important and too shady to ignore.”

Chrysalis’s expression changed from anger to solem depression. Her head dropped into a sea of lostness and despair. The human could tell that he was poking at a sensitive subject yet carried on. The heart to heart scenario seemed more of an interrogation to the pair.

“We were desperate...” Her voice sounded empty as she bagan. “Our populations were too high and we needed love to carry on our legacy.”

“Your hive was suffering from starvation due to overpopulation, was that your motive to invade?” Isaiah broke in with a calm voice.

She nodded her head. “Overpopulation is extremely rare in the changeling race and proves to be disastrous. At the time of the invasion, my hive’s numbers were in the early thousands while normal other hives had much lower populations; two hundred to five hundred being the average population. With such high numbers, feeding and providing is considered impossible for such a large hive like mine was.”

“And with such high numbers, you had to lead your hive into an invasion of Canterlot due to the high amounts of love emitting from it. When impersonating Princesses Cadance, you tried to deceive the important points and quickly capture them when your final steps were initiated.” He leaned in towards the queen. “The love between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor was too much to ignore.”

Again, she nodded. “Yes, that’s the truth. If I had succeeded, my hive would have been the strongest this planet has ever witnessed.”

“But Twilight Sparkle found the chink in your armor, ruining your plans when victory was so close.”

“That she did…” She breathed in and exhaled. “I blame her for my downfall and killing off almost every single changeling in my hive. Within half a year after the attempted invasion, my hive’s population went from one-thousand five-hundred to-” She pointed a holded hoof towards the changelings in the corner. “-three!”

“Damn…” Isaiah muttered under his breath. “Are you sure that it’s three?”

“N-No, its a educated guess. Isaiah, I have been searching ever since the invasion for my changelings and the only ones if found are the three over there. Yes, there may be some still alive but the chances are disturbingly slim; the blast of magic that launched us from Canterlot severed the hive mind, making it impossible to find the others who managed to survive the blast. Until recently, the hive mind has been resurrected.”

The human decided that it was time to change the subject away from the possible survivors. She already had constant reminders of her numbers in the corner.

“How did you allow your hive’s population to grow so large?” Isaiah asked the now trembling queen.

“We didn’t mean to-”

“We?” He said with confusion. “Don’t you mean you? Aren’t you the one who produces the young?”

“All of the reproduction is done by drones and minors; now is not the time to dwell on that kind of subject.” Chrysalis countered.

“Go on.” He once again encouraged the changeling queen.

“My hive is one of the oldest to ever grace the planet’s surface. Over time, our standard of population average increased and as it did, it some how blindsided us as time progresses…” She sighed in sadness. “There’s almost nothing left of us.”

Isaiah was about to ask another question, but stopped when he noticed the queen crying; tears slowly trickling down her face. He started to lean in to hug her, but her remembered the last time tried to comfort her and ceased the action.

“I-I love my changelings as much as Celestia loves her ponies. Every single changeling that was in my hive was like a child to me, I grew with them and they grew with me; ever since I was a n-nymph. Now that they’re all dead…”

The human cursed under his breath and ignored his warnings. He reached out and cupped her right fore-hoof in his hand, and gently rubbed it. Isaiah could tell that the queen was struggling to keep her composure straight.

Deep down inside, Isaiah could understand why she attempted to invade. He would’ve deemed himself as a hypocrite if he had reacted negatively towards her.

After while of suppressed sobs from the queen, Isaiah spoke up. “You know what Queen Chrysalis? You and I don’t seem very far apart.” She tentatively traveled her redden eyes onto him. “If you’re going to confess your demons to me, then I might as well do the same to you.”

He momentarily paused, trying to think of a way to express himself. “I’m not going to lie Queen Chrysalis, I ain’t no saint. Some of the things I’ve done are downright evil. If I was ever caught doing some of the things I did back home, I would either be executed or enslaved and forced into hard labor.”

“Your kind allows slavery?” She interrupted with a cracked voice.

“Er-sorta. The slaves aren’t innocent people, I can tell you that. I’m gonna have to explain my homeworld later to you, but for now just hear me out.” He promised and continued on. “I steal from people, I’ve killed people, I convinced people to blindly walk into their death, cheated people, looted the innocent, and destroyed lives.” Isaiah leaned even further to the queen. “Do you know why I did all of that?”

The changeling queen shook her head.

“I did it all for family and friends.” The human chuckled and repeated, this time slower than the first. “For family and friends.” Isaiah briefly paused once more to think. “I’ve done so much harm for those who I care about, just like how you caused so much chaos for your changelings…”

She didn’t say a word; she knew what he was saying and could understand the similarities. Some of the things they did were different than others to a degree, but all added up to evil.

Isaiah laughed when he recollected a few memories from long ago. “I actually remember the first time I’ve stolen something that could’ve gotten me in some trouble with the authorities. One of my sisters, Alice, wanted a pair of boots that another girl owned that were pretty popular back in the day; turns out, the girl had the only pair. My sister wanted them so much and always complained about not having them. So being the best big brother, I snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, found the owner of the boot’s home and managed to zip in and zip out; with the boots of course. Right as I returned home with the damn shoes, I went off and dyed them black to discourage suspicion.”

“D-Did your sister ever get them?” The queen finally spoke from her silence.

“After a couple weeks past by, and right before winter came around, I gave my little sister the boots. Man, you should’ve seen her face light up.” The human started to laugh once again, but this time louder and longer. “But turns out the boots didn’t even fit her!” He roared in laughter.

Isaiah little story had managed to grow a small grin on the queen’s face, taking her away from her sorrows.

“But she didn’t let the oversized shoe claim victory. She ended up stuffing the damn boots up until they started to fit better on her.” Isaiah allowed himself sometime to gather himself to make his point. “We do crazy shit for the ones we love. Good or bad, we sometimes do it anyway despite the consequences that may come out of it.”

For the next hour, Isaiah told more stories about his past to help Chrysalis creep out of her solemn mood. The man did his best to entertain her his stories from the past while giving a lesson, hoping to teach the queen more of how they’re alike in some ways.

As he told his stories from his misadventures back home, Queen Chrysalis listened closely to what he had to say and actually enjoying all of it. Even if a part tugged her to give an outwards reaction, she suppressed it like all other emotions.

After a while, Chrysalis let out a tired yawn. Isaiah took it as a sign that it was time to leave the misunderstood changeling queen alone for the night; he too was tired. The human spent his final minutes with the queen giving her his compassion and goodbyes.

When Queen Chrysalis said her farewells to Isaiah, he could hear the sorrow in her voice as he exited the chamber. The sound of her voice burdened him even though he was doing his best to help the changeling.

<><><><><><>

The moonlight barely had enough strength to illuminate the forest with it’s gentle grow. The Everfree Forest seemed dead to Isaiah, not even the odd insects that inhabited the uncharted area dared to make a sound.

Isaiah followed his own trail back to his shelter in the woods. The flashlight he carried beamed it’s light onto the ground with scattered debris all around. His pupils grew twice their regular size to absorb as much light as they possible could; the darkness loomed all around him.

As he went, the more familiar the scenery became to him. Recognizable signs of himself, such as footprints or downed grass dotted the area, telling him that he was close to home. The trail he often used for going to Ponyville were filled with the tracks of his soles.

The distant sound of whistling drifted into the man’s ears, filling himself with curiosity towards whoever dared to be out in the forest at night. He sped his pace up to find the answer, the source of the noise came from the direction of his shelter. The human gripped his holstered sidearm with his right hand; worried that someone decided to rob him of his only remnants of his original home.

He could see a glint of gold, his flashlight’s beam of light reflecting off what appeared to be Shining Armor's golden uniform.

“What the hell are you doing all the way out here?” Isaiah asked, having to raise his voice over the distance between him and the stallion.

Shining Armor winced when the bright light of the flashlight shone onto him. “I would like to have a little talk, that’s all. It won’t take long, I promise.”

Isaiah turned off the source of the ponies pain. “Ain’t it a little odd to do so at night in the middle of the woods that y’all are so worried about?”

“Maybe, but I think that it’s best if I tell you what’s on my mind before I forget.”

“Alright, what’s on your mind?” Isaiah questioned.

The stallion huffed, annoyed by whatever worried him. ”Well, we’ve got news of a small group of changelings to the east that needs to be eliminated before they cause any trouble. Some of the guard and I are assigned there to exterminate them like the parasites they are.”

If it wasn’t for the darkness of the night, Shining Armor would’ve seen Isaiah giving him a deathly glare.

Shining Armor kept on going. “What we need is a giant can can of bug spray to keep those things away from us.” He joked, unaware of the anger Isaiah was hiding. “Hey if you want, we can pay for every changeling you kill, would you like to do that?”

“No.” The man answered flatly.

“Oh… alright then. Anyway I’ll be leaving in two days, on Thursday around noon-ish or so to ride along on a small convoy that’s sending supplies to the guards near where all the commotion is.”

“So why are you telling me all of this?”

“I was about to get aright onto that Isaiah.” The stallion began. “If you don’t know, the estrous cycle started today. I won’t be around to accompany my wife while she’s going through it and I was wondering if you will spend it with her. She’s-”

Isaiah put his hands up defensively. “Woahwoahwoah, what the hell Shining? That’s your wife you’re talking about; a princess! And you’re asking me to-”

“Calm down Isaiah, we’re in an open relationship.” The unicorn laughed when the man slightly panicked. “You’re the only p-guy who we believe is worthy enough to do you-know-what with my wife.”

“Wait, did you just say we?”

The pony nodded, his two-toned blue hair slightly bouncing. “Yup, this idea wasn’t just mine; Cadance actually proposed the thought.” He brought a hoof to his chin as he thought. “…If I do recall, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna supported her too.”

“What the fuck?” Isaiah thought to himself when he facepalmed.

“I’m kinda glad that I won’t be around; she tends to get a little scary when hormones are running high. But I think that you’ll able to handle it.” Shining Armor added.

“Hey man, I don’t think I can do that for you. Thats kinda a tall order for me that I’m not really comfortable with doing.” The human realized that the stallion wasn’t really understanding the whole situation. “Bro, where I come from, having open relationships aren’t exactly popular; they’re frowned upon. Having a husband asking me to do the horizontal tango with his wife doesn't exactly sit well for me.”

The unicorn stallion chuckled. “Horizontal tango?”

“Just ignore that.” Isaiah advised. “I’m sorry dude but I think that you and your wife are outta luck.”

“Do it.” Shining Armor stated sternly.

“No.” Isaiah countered.

The stallion growled. “Do it or I won’t pay you for your bounties. Isaiah, do you realize how many ponies would kill to have sex with Cadance? A proposal like this is a once in a life time offer and you’re turning it down; how?”

Isaiah could feel the stallion constricting him. If he said no or denied once more, the only legal way for helping Queen Chrysalis would be severed. “How about we flip a coin?”

Shining Armor conjured a single golden bit.

“If it lands on the sun, then I won’t have to do what y’all want with no consequences.” The human grasped the coin and balanced it on his thumb, ready to flick it into the air. “If it lands on the moon, then I’ll do it.”

“Alrighty then, toss the bit Isaiah, I’m waiting.” Shining chided

“Ah fuck, what am I doing.” Isaiah groaned as he flicked the coin into the air.

The pair strained their eyes as the coin flew in the air; the moon’s glow reflecting off the golden surface. When the coin landed onto the forest floor, Isaiah retrieved his flashlight off his hip.

Before the two could confirm the winner, Shining Armor disappeared with the golden bit before saying. “Have fun Isaiah!”

“What the hell you fucking cunt?!” Isaiah yelled in anger towards the cheating stallion who teleported to safety; far away from the human’s wrath. “You piece of shit!”

(Thirty-minutes later)

Isaiah laid in his hammock, choosing to focus on the changeling to the east rather than his upcoming predicament.

Something in the back of his mind told him to take action and do something. Deep down inside, he felt that the changeling who were being threatened belonged to Chrysalis’s hive; last possible remnants. He knew that he couldn’t go up to the princesses or Shining Armor and tell them to stop without raising suspicion. Isaiah wanted to help the queen, but couldn’t find the strength to do so.

The human twisted and turned in his hammock and decided that he’d sleep on the subject.

Author's Notes:

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