A warm ray of sunlight poured through the window of the highest tower in the Castle of the Two Sisters. It illuminated a bedchamber filled with webbing and a giant cocoon where the bed would have gone. Once, long ago, it had been home to a pony — perhaps even Celestia herself — but now it housed the administrator of an independent colony of changelings, who had been given the castle under the auspices of Princess Twilight.

Adjutant opened her amber eyes in her cocoon and watched the sunbeam's lazy progress through her room. There were no lazy Sunday mornings like this when she was still serving as Adjutant–General to Chrysalis, only one seemingly endless crisis after another. Unfortunately, not everyone in the castle chose to take advantage of their relaxed work schedule.

A smile crept upon her lips as she rolled out of bed and made her way down to the dungeons, where the office of her Equestrian counterpart was located. Captain Thunderball was a soldier and spy (and possibly several other things, if rumors were true) who directed the Equestrian side of the colony, overseeing supplies, the castle, and the recovery of any artifacts found on its premises. He could reliably be found in the warden's office from sunrise to sunset, whereupon he would march out of his office to a renovated dungeon cell across the hallway to sleep.

She knocked on his office's heavy oak door and waited patiently. It swung out to reveal an unshaven pegasus in his late twenties, with a distinct military bearing.

"Good morning, Administrator. What brings you down to my half of the castle?"

"Business, as usual." She stepped aside. "Would you care to come out and join me for a lovely brunch in the castle courtyard?"

He gave her a rather odd look. "Adjutant, it sounds like you're asking me on a date."

"I merely thought that a fine stallion such as yourself would enjoy the company of a wonderful, lovely, and talented changeling such as myself. Am I wrong?" She batted her eyelash at him. "Do you secretly harbor suspicions that I aim to lay eggs in your brain?"

"No, but only because that's biologically impossible." Thunderball leaned against the doorframe. "I'm more concerned that you might be hatching some plot to take over the colony, Ponyville, and then Equestria in a much subtler manner than Chrysalis ever could."

Adjutant gasped and held her hoof over her heart. "You wound me, Captain! We must discuss my nefarious plans together sometime. Say, over lunch?"

"You'll forgive me, but I have my own devious goals to work towards. Treason, subversion, covert operations, etc."

"That sounds absolutely fascinating," she purred. "Perhaps you could tell me more later. Maybe during dinner?"

"You're putting an awful lot of effort into this."

"What can I say? I find the prospect of a relationship with a representative — and acting head — of a noble house such as yourself to be greatly beneficial. And it's not like you wouldn't stand to gain a great deal from association with a changeling such as myself. We would be a terrific, powerful couple. Our enemies would quake in fear. Tears of despair would be shed, and there would be much wailing and gnashing of teeth throughout the land."

"Maybe, but all that could be obtained though far simpler means — and I daresay the same goes for your goals." He leaned forward and peered into her eyes. "What's this really about?"

"Well, I think that's obvious by now. I'm trying to establish a relationship. Is not presenting a set of logical reasons why such an arrangement would be favorable not an appropriate way to go about it?"

Thunderball shook his head. "You were never an infiltrator, were you?"

Adjutant tossed her head haughtily, sending her bright blue mane over her shoulder. "A changeling in a leadership position does not do menial labor." She paused for a moment. "I take it that ponies do not calculate the advantages and disadvantages of a relationship before entering into one?"

"While I can name several ponies from Canterlot who are in arranged marriages, it's largely fallen out of favor. We give a great deal of consideration to attraction and emotional compatibility these days."

"Oh, that love thing you ponies have," she snorted. "Emotional attachment has never been as strong a guarantee of stability as self–interest, you know. One may act against a loved one, perhaps secure in the knowledge they may obtain forgiveness, but none will act against themselves."

"Don't knock love," he growled. "Last I checked, it's what you fed off of."

"Touché." Adjutant looked at him thoughtfully. "So you're saying that if I gave you a reason to be emotionally–"

"Nope. One of the disadvantages of being professionally paranoid is that you never really trust anyone again."

"Because you think they may deceive you?"

"Because you know they will deceive you. It's why hardly anypony in my family marries. The closest most of us get is a series of short–term relationships. Often, we don't even bother."

"Ah. Is that why your house favors adoption?"

"That, and it makes DNA identification unreliable. Not that orphans don't deserve love and a good home or anything," he added awkwardly. "I mean, I was there, and I'd be happy to help others find a family."

"That sounds sweet — really, it does — but I'm afraid I could never see myself adopting. The curse of changeling biology, I suppose; we all want to become the next queen and give birth to our own brood."

"Even them males?"

"Especially the males."

Thunderball chuckled and stepped back into his office. "Well, as enlightening as this conversation has been, I have pencils to push. Will you excuse me?"

Adjutant quickly laid her hoof on his door. "Wait. I must confess that everything I told you, while absolutely true, was mostly a pretense. I actually find you quite intriguing, and I was wondering if we could spend time together outside of work so I could get to know you better."

"Maybe." Thunderball smirked and closed the door.

Adjutant stared at the solid oak door. "Maybe? I lay myself bare before you, and I get a wretched maybe?"

"Welcome to dating," Thunderball laughed from the other side.