After about ten minutes of staring at Ian, Liz nodded. "I'm convinced. That much slobber should have got him changing by now, even if just in the head, and he looks exactly the same. How do you feel, boy?"

Ian shrugged a little. "I feel alright? Nothing changed."

Crystal smiled brightly. "That's fantastic! I can approach the humans without being a danger to them."

Sandra snorted softly. "Don't be in that much of a rush. They'll probably shoot first."

Liz raised a brow. "Exactly. So we're still not hearing why we should lay off the humans just yet."

I raised a hand at Liz. "Step by Step. First, we stop our attacks, then we approach peacefully with gifts. I can't make all the ponies not-infectious, but we can make some, enough to interact with the humans. If we fail, you can always go back to attacking, but for now? Please?"

Liz fell to all fours, becoming the largest changeling in the room. "Fine. You have a month. Make it good." She flicked her tail at us as she turned away. "We're still keeping the brat though."

Crystal pointed at Ian. "He could be a powerful gift of sincerity. They've never gotten a human back from capture uninfected before. It would really have an impact."

Liz turned to scowl at Crystal. "What would you even hope to offer in trade for that?"

I thought quickly. "Children don't usually convert well anyway, so you're not losing as much as you make out. Do those pods work on ponies?"

Liz looked up at the pods, then back at me. "Huh, I never tried." She pointed a hoof at Sandra. "You, go try that."

Sandra squeaked. "Me?! Why me? I'm pregnant you know!"

Liz looked surprised, recoiling a little. "I... didn't know that. We're fertile?"

I pointed at Sandra's flank. "I think we all are, but it's her specialty."

Sandra shrank back a little. "I still don't like that idea, but so long as it's you, I'll put up with it." Her words got a flush out of me. How could it not? She just admitted she would be my broodmare willingly.

Crystal stepped forward. "If it will earn us Ian, I will volunteer." She marched up to the pods and the changelings helped get her inside, where she floated in the green goop. She quickly lost consciousness, falling asleep.

Liz tilted her head a little. "Well that part works right. Are we getting anything out of her?"

One of the drones bobbed his head down at Liz, who smiled. "Well, this opens possibilities then. Fine. Get her out. If you give me a pony to throw in there instead of Ian, we'll consider it a trade."

Once Crystal was pulled free, she started awake with a gasp. "Sweet heavens above..."

Cindy looked at Crystal curiously. "What did you see in there?"

"I... I saw my family, human and pony. They were living together on a ranch." Crystal shuffled in place, little crystalline tears starting to form. "Everyone was happy and getting along, whether they had two legs or four. Even the kids were running around each other. There wasn't any war, just peace. I was so..."

Liz snorted softly. "You can go back in if you want? As I was saying, give me a pony to toss in and we'll give up Ian."

Crystal shook her head. "No! It's a lie. I'll keep working to make it a reality. I'll send a pony to you. You know I've never lied to you before, let us take Ian away and I'll send the pony back once we're at my herd and I can pick one."

Liz rolled a hoof. "If it was anyone else, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves, but you've always played a straight hand, Crystal. Fine, take the kid, but send the pony, or we'll have to do our first pony raid, and that won't make anyone happy, will it?"

We gathered around Crystal, and we vanished in a flash, appearing a moment later in her underground den. She smiled at Ian. "You're safe now. Don't let any pony besides me touch you, however. No matter how nice they seem. Even them." She pointed to me, then Sandra. "We'll get you home soon, alright?"

Crystal waved for us to follow her, and we were soon outside her room, with the cloth curtain pulled shut to minimize any temptation Ian might provide for passing ponies. "I'll go ask for a volunteer, you decide who you need to visit next. We're working on a tight schedule if we want to finish before Liz and her ponies go back to making trouble. I'll be back as soon as I can, then I assume we'll be heading off again."

I nodded at Crystal. "Do you have anyone you trust enough to guard this room? We can't have Ian being infected."

Crystal smiled. "I can think of one person." She pointed at Sandra. "If she's willing."

Sandra perked an ear. "But I want to go with William..."

Cindy shook herself at Sandra. "You can do a lot more good right here keeping Ian safe. I'll watch William."

"You are William," countered Sandra with a pout, but she moved to sit in front of the curtain.

Crystal trotted off, calling for her ponies in voice and mind. I could feel the command faintly in my mind, but it had no sway over me besides my knowing what she wanted. So that's what it felt like...

Author's Notes:

Changelings can feed from fellow ponies, and Crystal isn't infectious anymore. Things are looking up, right alongside typo counts.