All around me are unfamiliar faces.

Worn out places.

Worn out faces.

And I kind of almost shit my pants at the sight of hundreds or even a thousand changelings surrounding me on all sides as I saw them on the walls, ceiling and in the air hovering in place. But what really made me nearly shit so many bricks it can put Home Depot out of business is the fact that she managed to hit me with a spell of sorts and it actually worked, instead of fizzling out and leaving a stain on my clothes just like when that large blue pony with horns n wings hit me with a blast all those months ago. The stain is gone but it still smells of blueberry and Gilda has tried to burn it several times already even after Greta and I told her to knock it off.

I knew that I was fucked to the point of no return if I made a single wrong mistake in front of this queen and her entire entourage of guards, so I guess 'Operation: Don't fuck this up for the love of god' is a go, now if only I stop getting into these kinds of situations.

“So, now that we are in a more familiar place, let us get down to business.” The changeling queen said in a high and mighty tone as she clapped her hooves together.

“Drones! Fetch our guest a seat and myself my cushions, we will be here for some time and I would hate for my guest to be tired.” And like that I watched, heard and felt as the swarm moved as one, their buzzing wings bearing into my very soul as they flew through the air in hypnotizing patterns that I cannot comprehend.

Several drones lifted me off the ground before placing me back down on what felt like the softest pillow I have ever had the pleasure of sitting on while the changeling queen was also lifted off the ground and placed upon what amounted to a massive sofa with grandiose cushions that looked like it was threaded with gold and made out of the richest purple velvet.

I was fucking amazed at how quickly that was done and my mouth was agape in awe, it was so open in fact a changeling flew up to me, placed a hood under my jaw and moved it upward till my teeth clicked together before flying off.

“There we go, my lovey little morsel, all seated and properly taken care of. Now we can begin our little chat in comfort.” Ambrosia said with a charming lilt and a smile as she stretched out her legs and let out a low moan that got an eyebrow raise from me.

Noticing the look I am giving her, I watched as Ambrosia continue to stretch but then started to angle her body at me as I watched the changeling mare rotated her hind legs as I once again see her small handful-sized teats to try and possibly gauge my reaction. While I do appreciate a nice pair of tits and teats, I am happy with the pair on my hens so I will simply ignore what is lying before me as I will not take the bait.

Seeing that I am not taking the bait of ogling at a pair of sweet teats, the changeling matriarch shifted her position again, once more covering the pair up with her tail to try and see if that will get my gander, but it doesn't.

"So, your majesty, may I ask why you plucked me from my room right after a funeral?" I asked as I concentrated on her face and not on her teats. The true test of a man, to not stare at another women's tits while married or with your girlfriend or wife, or already have a girlfriend.

Rolling her eyes at my question she sits up and stares me in the eyes as they started to glow a faint amber hue.

"Well, you see I just so happened to be in the neighborhood inspecting the halls and I noticed a rather tall and lanky diamond dog surrounded by much more fearsome and stronger dogs and I just had to know what they were doing in my city, unannounced and stealing from my material storage units. I first thought that it was just a group of diamond dogs that just so happened to be here after digging through the ground long enough to find us, but instead I discover that it was because of a drone's sloppy patchwork on a wall that revealed an opening just begging to be found." Ambrosia said all the while maintaining her stare, the glow steadily growing in intensity.

"Then as I ordered my drones to keep an eye on you and your dogs, I was then told that the group that you were leading was entering my fair city despite its current state of being. While I am thankful for you being respectful of our dead who have met a terrible fate, I am surprised that you were about to attempt to breach the imperial district by scaling the wall instead of digging underneath it since you diamond dogs are known for being exceptional diggers." The buzzing of the swarm starts to intensify as a few flew closely by my head, one even snapped their jaws at me as they did a fly-by.

"And just when I thought you were going to breach the last wall before entering my sanctuary and discovering us for real, one of your dogs had the grave misfortune to miscalculate their toss and attracted a mated pair of Stone Crawlers. For a moment I feared that we were going to have to leave your remains on our streets as we feared that the miasma was still sifting through the streets, but my fears were unwarranted as your presence proved that it has faded away and it was safe to leave." At the mention of 'Stone Crawlers' I realize that they are talking about the Umber Hulks and that they obviously have encountered them before.

"Then I watched your small group fight and successfully kill both crawlers at the cost of one of your own and you have my condolences, and with your departure I have sent my very best to follow you, study you and lastly prepare our arrival while you were occupied tending to the deceased's funeral rites." At least she was considerate enough to not interrupt such an event, would have considered attacking her on sight for being so bold as to interrupt a funeral.

"And then you showed up back to your bedchamber where we were lying in patient silence." Ambrosia finished as she flicked her tail and shook her head, making her mane flow freely.

"I take it that you wanted to kidnap me right then and there instead of allowing us to talk, right?" I asked as I glanced over at Lichen who was busy talking quietly to a nearby changeling, my guess is relaying all that was said.

"Actually, I instructed Lichen to allow the two of you to exchange words, it was he who wanted to capture you immediately to be processed for harvesting along with the rest of your clan. I knew that you were special the moment I laid my eyes on you, and I am glad to see that my instincts about you were correct." Ambrosia said with a smile while I snapped my gaze to the changeling matriarch with wide eyes before quickly shooting a glare at Lichen.

I thought we were cool, guess not. No more hugs for you, asshole.

"Those instincts of yours being...?" I said with a minor hint of hesitance, not entirely sure if I am going to like what I am gonna hear.

"That you will be more of an open-minded individual than your predecessors ever were. For countless centuries we have remained hidden because of leaders of ages past who would not look at us as possible friends and allies, instead they only saw us as monsters or abominations that needed to be put down because of what we need to survive, and our appearance frightens them." Ambrosia began as she stood up from her seat and started to walk around me, I can feel her eyes looking me over as if I am a slab of meat.

"But you, when you saw our dead, you did not think of us as mere beasts who were led to slaughter. You instead saw us as beings who have met a cruel fate and you did what you could to not disturb their remains and even moved them aside to be properly interned for burial. When you spoke to Lichen, you did not have any fear in your heart nor showed any hatred towards us. Yes, there was distrust and unease at first for we have come into your home uninvited, and we did ambush you in your own room but after talking for some time you eased on your fear and began to show genuine interest and kindness towards us.” She continued to speak as she got closer to me as I felt her tail brush against me a few times, my face twitching ever so slightly from this unwanted brush but I hold it back as I am almost positive that she is doing this on purpose for some reason or another.

"For all that act of kindness that hasn't been seen or afforded to us in almost a millennium, I would like to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart." The monarch of bug ponies said as she smiled at me, the same type of smile a mother would make for when their children accomplish a monumental task all on their own. A warm smile, one filled with maternal happiness and warmth that can warm up even the most frozen of hearts.

After a moment of brief silence and some more sips of tea, even if it is rather disgusting to drink, we eventually returned to our little talk as she sat back down on her seat.

"Earlier you have given us information on a different method on how to harvest emotions without the need to capture nor pod a being in which for us to do our job, are there any further steps to this process or is it really that simple and easy to accomplish that even the most basic of drones can do?" The orange matriarch asked me as I started to notice that the vast amount of changelings that were in the chamber with us has long since silently filtered out while we were having our little talk, I am surprised that I didn't even notice them leave.

These little buggies are quiet motherfuckers aren't they.

"Yes, all you simply need to do for this passive feeding is to just place your harvester in a sufficiently large enough crowd of people and collect the residual emotions and love in the air. While it won't yield as much as sucking someone dry normally does it does not give you away like leaving a husk behind would." I said all the while mulling over my thoughts regarding just how much help could I provide for them, I don't even know if my ideas would even remotely work for them since I have no idea how their biology works.

Hell, I don't even know if harvesting love is the same as harvesting food from farmyards or slaughterhouses.

"I see, we can work with this, do you have any more ideas in that head of yours that can prove beneficial for my precious changelings?"

"As of now, no not really, have you tried sharing your love with your changelings? Like give it to one than give it back, like a circular recycling system of emotions and love?" I asked as I scratched the back of my head, I wonder how the rest of Griffonia is gonna feel when they realized that I may or may not have released a swarm of emotion-eaters on them just because I thought what I was doing was the right thing.

"I...I...I don't think we have actually tried that method, although from what my mother and her mother before her have said, that recycling love is possible but after enough times it will not be enough and can actually prove to be toxic to those doing it. It is more meant for short-term survival when love is scarce, but we may be able to refine the process if we can introduce new emotions into the mix at periodic intervals. We will have to study this theory in great detail before we make any decrees on such methods being the norm." Ambrosia said with a slight hint of trepidation, apparently even she doesn't really know if that one idea is going to work, but hey, if it does it means I have given them a means of not starving to death by staving it off a little longer.

"I am sorry, but I have to ask, what is this tea made out of?" I said as I take another sip, my face once again morphing into disgust as the flavor is just appalling.

Imagine if you will, you are drinking the usual medicine for flu such as NyQuil/DayQuil, Dimetapp, all that nasty ass tasting medicine that straight up lies about what flavor they are on the bottle. Now imagine that, but worse, and in tea format.

Yeah, pretty fucking gross if I am being honest with you, but the only reason I can stomach this stuff at the moment is that it doesn't thankfully have an aftertaste, so I only got to deal with it the one time when it's in my mouth whenever I sip.

"Oh, the tea is made out of a native mushroom that grows in abundance down here. Normally we don't touch the stuff because it barely provides no nutritional value to us but when brewed properly it can make for a soothing and calming drink, I mostly partake in it when the day has been proven to be stressful or annoying." Ambrosia said with a faint shrug as she watched me cringe after taking yet another sip, a smirk forming as she takes joy in my pain.

A part of me fucking hates this drink with a fiery passion, while another part wants to find a way to mix this with a truth serum and see just how effective it would be.

"Ah, I see, well I am sad to say that the flavor leaves much to be desired, but I am feeling rather mellowed out." and in truth I am feeling a tad mellow, like eating a very low-grade pot brownie, gotta eat at least a dozen of those things to really feel it.

"Hmm, I would say that I can agree with you but alas, all food and drink are the same to us changelings. While we can indeed and drink like the rest of the races and digest them just fine, everything tastes like ashes to us, but we only eat so that can blend in." New information acquired, changelings can eat but it does jack shit for em', gotta remember this and write it down for future usage.

"Well, that is a shame."

"For you perhaps, but for us it is simply a flavorless calming drink and that is what makes it perfect. I am happy that while it may not be like those fancy and decadent drinks that your surface nobility consumes." Ambrosia says as she takes yet another sip, this time with a grin on her muzzle as she chuckles at my slowly forming frown, having been backhandedly insulted by the matriarch.

Soon after we are once again, we were sitting in silence as the conversation died down. The silence between us didn't last for longer however, as the orange matriarch of bug ponies stood up from her sofa and was smiling at me in a way that has me just a tad bit nervous.

"Before we continue on and get into the true matter at hoof, there is one thing I would like to present to you." Ambrosia purred out that last part as looked at me with a half-lidded gaze, licking her lips as I saw her wings flutter ever so subtly.

'Why can't I ever find girls that aren't always trying to seduce me. Why can't they be more like Gilda and Greta and just be chill and down for a drink or two?'

"On behalf of the Amber Hive for the service of granting us potential knowledge that can assist the hive in its future endeavors, and for showing kindness and compassion in your heart to my children, I would like to bestow upon you a reward." Sweat started to form on my brow as I started to get worried about the direction where this is heading in.

As she came up to me with that warm maternal aura radiating from her very being, it made me feel like a child standing before their mother as they waited for a hug to be given to them. But instead of receiving a hug that I was expecting since that was what most people give out these days, instead she brought her face closer to mine and as I closed my eyes for what was going to be an inevitable lip lock session against my will, I felt her somewhere else instead.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw that her muzzle was a scant two inches higher than I was expecting them to be as I felt her lips kissing my forehead. As I see her head resting above mine, her leathery lips on my forehead as I sat there both confused by the fact that my reward was a kiss but also that she was so willing to do such an act.

It must be a royalty thing or something.

That or she just passes this stuff around like candy to those that get her approval so it really isn't as special as one might think.

Pulling away from me I watched the amber queen smile warmly at me, that same warmth now suffusing my very being with a slight tingly feeling that reminds me of the times whenever my own mother would congratulate and hug me for doing an excellent job when I was younger.

I was not expecting the changeling matriarch to kiss my forehead.

At least she didn't try to get into my pants, I think my hens would find out just by being near me and sensing something most foul and put the pieces together before screeching into the sky and locating the offender before tearing them limb from limb.

“Now you may be wondering why I have taken you from your chambers and clan and have given you such a sweet reward that only the bravest and most loyal of my changelings can ever hope to receive. The answer to that is a simple one.” Ambrosia said as her horn flickered to life as she refills both of our cups of that horrifyingly god awful mushroom tea, I think a part of my very being died this day whenever I had to take a sip of it.

Staring at the cup I thought I saw a laughing skull and crossbones appear in the liquid before disappearing into the murky blackness. I shudder to think how this flavor can get any worse than it already is.

“I have need of you and your service to your crown.” Ambrosia said with a cheshire smile as her horn kept glowing a faint amber hue, a teaspoon floating towards her as it drops in two tiny cubes of sugar into her cup before taking a sip.

“You can refuse if you want, but just know that by refusing this offer you will leave me with little choice but leaving me to give the order to my changelings to attack your warren to capture them all and have them placed within pods to siphon off their emotions.” The amber monarch said with a grin before taking a sip from her cup. "You have to understand that since they now know of our location and that of our existence that they have become a threat to our very survival. Can't have them roaming free and speaking to those that will seek our deaths."

Grimacing ever so slightly I brought the cup to my lips and took a careful sip and immediately almost recoiled at the taste of it. It has in fact, gotten worse.

It tasted like someone, somehow, found and took my gym socks back from my high school days, drained them of all their worth and diluted the shit out of it and made it into drink form.

Safe to say I think I can feel my taste buds all committing suicide and withering away.

“Okay, I will hear your offer.” I said with a stern tone, not that I had much choice on the matter since refusal means enslavement and/or death for my clan and myself. I don't know how bad getting podded is, but if it is anything like the Aliens movies that I have seen than it is probably just as bad if not worse since getting drained doesn't end in death not unlike getting a Xeno popping out of one's chest.

Clapping her hooves together again I watched as the changeling queen let out a happy squeal of delight before flying right at me and hugging me.

Again.

Tightly.

I think I can hear my spine splintering and cracking.

Is this how I die? For real this time? I always knew that a girl would be the death of me, just wasn't thinking that it would be like this, always sort of thought that it would happen by some hot muscular chick by crushing my head like sparrows' egg between thighs.

“Excellent! Oh, this is going to be fantastic! My swarm! Fetch me the parchment and ink! We have work to do and not much time to do it in!” Ambrosia cheerfully shouted as the guards in the room gave each other a raised eyebrow before shrugging, thinking that this is above their paygrade from their queen to deal with.

Trying to pry her off my body I struggled against her strength which I found to be absurd for something that is suffering from cheeseleg syndrome and should be lacking in physical strength. Grabbing her legs I struggled in vain to remove the clingy parasite from my person but alas it wasn't meant to be as Ambrosia seemingly clung even tighter with every attempt I made until I finally gave up and let the changeling queen hug me all while hearing the matriarch purr right against my head.

“The terms are quite simple, every fourth month of the year, you are to return here so that my love harvesters and I can collect your bottomless well of emotions, and in return we will cease all harvesting operations of griffons within your king’s borders and return those we have captured. How does that sound to you?” The fact that she was saying this in a happy and cheery tone even though she is putting hundreds of lives in danger, both her own changelings and my diamond dogs and probably my griffons as well for this deal if it were to go south is just sending me the wrong signals.

By the time the drones return with parchment and ink I was laying on my side as I eventually fell over from the changeling hugging me, the uneven weight causing the fall and left me with a flat expression on my face that clearly was reading ‘I guess this is my life now’, the drones didn’t comment nor showed any emotion on their faces that their queen was hugging a complete stranger so tightly and probably so intimately.

I don't know what is going on in their heads, for all I know hugs are the ultimate sign of intimacy right next to blow jobs and full-on fucking.

After a few moments of waiting for the queen to stop hugging me on her own, one of the drones flew closer to us and coughed into a hoof before prostrating themselves before their monarch, “My queen, we have returned with the items that you have requested.”

Peeling her head off of my neck the matriarch looked over at her drone before reaching out and patted them on the head, a thin wisp of pink mist flew down from her horn and into the patient drone’s mouth. Almost like magic I watched the changeling start to fill out ever so slightly, the holes in their legs shrinking a bit and the hollowness of their eyes and cheeks fade partially.

“So this is what you mean by feeding on emotions…” I said in a hushed whisper, I didn’t really know how it was done nor what it does but now I do know for a fact that they do indeed eat emotions if the pink mist is what I think it is. That or if it is just emotions made manifest by magic.

Feasting on emotions wasn’t a play on words or some funny metaphor for food, these changelings literally have to eat the emotions of others, in this case, mine, in order to survive another day. Those holes in their bodies and their hollow faces are a response for when they are starving. I simply thought it was just an evolutionary response to look intimidating and frightening to their enemies, but I was wrong.

Oh so fucking wrong.

If legs full of holes and hollow faces is them starving, I can only assume that when they are full that they are more whole and plump looking. Or maybe they are just whole and slightly thicker to indicate they are not twigs on legs? Fucking hell I just don't know but man is this all sorts of fucked.

Looking past the changeling queen’s horn and at the assembled swarm of changeling I saw that pretty much all of them are filled with holes and sunken faces, some of them look like they are on the verge of falling apart.

This is no way to live, this is akin to living in squalid conditions, and if they ever seek to escape from such conditions and become whole again, they will need to drain who knows how many people of their emotions. The consequences of such actions if they were discovered can spark a war at best or an extermination crusade at worst from all that know of them.

"Yes, from one being to another the transfer of emotions or love can feed a changeling for a few days, but from my heart holds the love that feeds my hive and yet sadly... it is not enough, it can only delay the inevitable."

"This is why we must go out and harvest emotions from those on the surface, only they can naturally produce what we need to live, and I know that eventually the surfacers will finally reach a breaking point from our actions and seek our deaths." Ambrosia said in a sad, broken tone, the weight of her words bearing the pressure of lord knows how long she has seen her people suffering from this fate.

“Now you see our suffering, what we must deal with every single day in the name of survival. Every day I have to determine who lives to see tomorrow and who must sacrifice their energy just to keep their fellow brothers and sisters alive for a little longer. I feel each and every single death, their passing a constant sting that will never leave me, each changeling I lose is a failure that I could have prevented if I had the power to save them.” With each word she says I can't help but look at her changelings that entered the room providing the things we are enjoying for this little talk, almost all of them are looking better thanks to the spreading of my emotions to them from their queen, but I can easily tell that this was just a preventative measure, they will need a lot more love and emotions just to bring them back to normal and even then I don't know how long that will take and if I could even provide that.

"So, what do you want from me? An audience with the king? A request for foreign aid?" I asked as I ceased trying to remove the changeling queen from my body, allowing her to continue harvesting my emotions as I watched a seemingly unending pink mist get drawn from my being and is directed to her horn. If positive emotions are what they need to survive, then I can only assume and say that negative emotions are like a poison to them or one hell of a bug repellent.

I wonder if emotions can be stored inside of objects or solidified for transportation, if it can be stored within objects than giving them old toys and dolls that the youth of griffonia no longer need may serve as a temporary measure to help feed these changelings. And if it can't, then Ambrosia and her brood can try researching whether or not if emotions can be solidified for easy transport or perhaps placed within crystals and gemstones as portable food sources or in their case, possibly as a battery to recharge from.

Sensing that I want out from the extremely prolonged hug, Ambrosia released me before returning to her seat. The changeling she fed was buzzing right beside her and landed next to the cushion, parchment in one hoof and an inkwell in the other and now I am wondering how they are going to write on this parchment when there is no pen or quill to write with.

"You see my tasty little morsel, while foreign aid does sound ideal and noble for that we as a nation that have fallen on hard times would normally require, but we are not like them. What we need is something different, something special that only you non-changelings can provide for us." Ambrosia said as the changeling beside her dipped the very tip of their hoof into the ink and started to scribble something down.

"You need people to harvest emotions from." I said as I retrieved my teacup from the floor, it didn't get damaged from the fall and that it was refilled when I wasn't looking.

In truth I knew that she was going to ask for this seeing how people have emotions and that I just witnessed emotions being transferred from changeling to changeling and that I was harvested twice so far, and I didn't feel a tinge of negative bodily functions nor any perceived weakness coming from me.

Maybe I am just built different.

Or built stupid.

One of the two, probably.

Or both.

"Exactly." Ambrosia said as I rolled my eyes at the expected answer.

Trade: You get peace and in return we get slaves. Not sure how this will go down with the general population when word gets out about this deal.

"And you know that no ruler in their right mind would just give up their own people to serve as food for another." I said while taking my nth sip from my teacup, the taste is now starting to become tolerable although I really, really wish I had water or something to serve as a palette cleanser.

I am praying my breath isn't going to smell like I was sucking on a shit log after this.

"True, but that is why I am going to ask you to take this letter to your griffon king to request that he sends me criminals, those that he deems irredeemable and those he would not miss if they were to be sent away and never be seen again. And while yes criminals will do, I will also take any political dissidents, rivals, loathed family members, you know, griffons he hates with a fiery passion that burns with an intensity of a thousand suns." Ambrosia says this all the while raising a hoof to her face and is seemingly inspecting it, looking at the holes in her hoof that have shrunk ever so slightly as my mind started to go places.

'I wonder how many dicks have gone in those holes of hers...'

"Alright... that seems agreeable, but you do know that he will want something in return, no trade agreement can exist without both sides gaining something out of it. So, what do you have to offer the good king that would be of equal or greater value to match the lives you want to claim for your hive. Or at least, something akin to matching value since these will be those he can live without." I said as I slowly looked around the chamber, the changelings buzzing and hovering around me got a little closer and its starting to feel like that I am about to get dogpiled by them.

"True." Ambrosia remarked as she gave a nod to her changelings as a few came skittering up to me, a few nosing and nudging me as I looked at them in confusion. "But I do have things that your griffon king may agree is worth this trade, and although your dogs have picked clean from my main stores, I still have auxiliary supplies beneath the palace in the event they are needed, and if you are feeling generous then maybe perhaps you can share some of what you took and give them to the griffon king to make this trade possible?"

"Hmm, fair. My dogs don't really know what to do with what we took, most of it is useless to us so I think I can spare some of it for this to work." I said as I finished my cup, and a drone flew quietly from behind me and refilled it before flying away.

"I agree to these terms, we surrender those that are criminals or are willing to be sent here and in return you cease your harvesting operations and we become allies." As I said this, I watched the amber queen clap her hooves together in joy before rapidly fluttering her wings in glee.

"So let us have a toast! For the future of both my hive and your lord's kingdom! Prosperity between our two grand houses that shall endure for an eternity!"

"Uh... while I do appreciate what you are trying to give me... I am already a taken man. I don't think my girls would approve of this let alone give me the green light to canoodle with others." I said as I waved my hands frantically trying to wave them off, I know for a fact that having a pissed-off lover can lead to either getting your balls kicked or straight up stabbed to death by a jealous/angry lover, but after reading a few books on griffons and their behaviors, and more recently a book left behind in the mine manager room, a jealous hen is not something to be trifled with.

I like my limbs where they are and all my blood within my body thank you very much.

I am also not looking forward to getting castrated by a pissed-off Gilda or Greta.

That earned an eyebrow from the changeling monarch as she wordlessly called off the drones surrounding me, a few even let out whines of disappointment and a couple even moaned in defeat, one even went as far and muttered 'just one lick' before returning to the horde of changelings.

"While we celebrate on this deal, even if it falls through, I am sure you would be working tirelessly to get it approved or at the very least, subtly done behind your king's back, but I am certain he would approve of this trade."

“I am sure he will agree to this deal if you also agree on stopping any current harvest missions within his kingdom and return those you may have illegally acquired.”

“Yes yes, I will return any and all griffons my changelings have returned with as long as your king holds up his end of the bargain.”

“Then, we are of an accord.”

“That we are.”

Clapping her hooves together in joyous elation as her changelings all give their mono-sounded cheer as well, I myself was smiling as it was well earned cause after all how often does one broker peace between two different races and not have it end in war?

As we all began to celebrate this brokered peace deal, we started to have idle chit-chat about random things, and it wasn't before long that she started to ask me questions about my personal life, and it was starting to get into topics that I don't want to answer and for her to know.

"So, my little morsel, how is it that you have two mates and yet have not sown your seed deep within their fertile fields? Are they not worthy of it or are you just playing hard to catch?" Ambrosia said this with the casualness of a lazy Friday but with the absolute subtly and tact of a fragmentation grenade in a glass house. "Their scent on you is thin at best and it amazes me that they have not found to take care of their base needs since you have not."

Spitting out my tea for what I think was the eighth time during this friendly talk, coughing and wheezing as I struggled to find my breath as one of the changelings was quick on the draw and was patting my back and offering kind words for support. I think I want to hug this one for helping me, but I don't know if overfeeding can happen, nor do I know if doing that can result in an exploded bug pony or just one big fat bean bag of an immobile changeling.

Once I managed to suck I enough air to clear my throat and not choke to death, I gave Ambrosia a hard glare all while she gave me a head tilt, confused by my explosive reaction.

"Ambrosia! You ca- *ghak hak hak* you can't ask people that sort of question out of nowhere like that!"

Still tilting her head at my displayed anger, the queen simply is looking at me as if the question she asked is something that is common to ask others as if there was nothing wrong with asking it.

"And why not? Is it not something that is discussed about on the surface?" Ambrosia said this calmly and casually, clearly unaware or uncaring about the problem.

"Yes! Topics of such matter are not openly talked about, especially with strangers!”

"Really? For us changeling such talks are common because we, including myself, believe that sex and love are two entirely separate things that are clearly distinguishable from one another."

"That may be true for changelings but for almost all of us surfacers not everyone needs to know who is fucking who and how often they are fucking!"

“Well maybe you surfacers should start talking about such things more openly, maybe then you will be able to get that stick out of your plothole.”

“Well that may be true for most of the nobility but for me I don’t know you well enough to talk about such things.” I said as I frowned at the big queen who was looking at me like the cat that caught the canary.

After that debacle came and went things smoothed out and before long another shitshow made its appearance, but this time I am the one who started it.

"I just have to ask you this your majesty, but how exactly did your kingdom fall? From what I have seen while traveling through your city it looks like it was the very definition of opulence and imperial grace, what caused it to fall apart?" I said as I placed my cup down, giving the changeling queen my full attention as this was one of the few questions that was bothering me to no end, alongside why the seduction act, what happened to the griffon miners that was previously here and why a severed griffon hand with a note that was saying 'run'?

As I asked this question, the air in the room suddenly felt like it dropped a couple dozen degrees as I felt a cold nip in the air for several seconds before it just as mysteriously went back to its lukewarm clammy temperature it was at when we arrived.

Ambrosia was peering into her teacup, no expression on her muzzle as she gazes deeply into her cup for a minute, and it was in that minute that every single changeling in the area grew quiet and they all had their gaze fixed upon me, glaring deeply as their wings buzzed with intense fury. Just as I thought that I had made a major error and before I could apologize to the matriarch, she raises her head, and the entire swarm of bug ponies calms down.

"Are you sure you wish to know of our fate?"

"Only if you wish to talk about it. I can tell that as soon as I asked that the entire room felt dead set against me for even speaking of such a topic, and for that I apologize." I said with a bit of urgency in my tone, I should have known better than to ask such a thing, especially since it was a recent event and an ungodly sore matter.

Ian's Dungoofed Counter: 1

'Oh fuck you.'

There was a moment of silence between us as the changelings that returned to the chamber were chittering to one another, wondering how their queen will respond to the outsiders crude question while I was pondering if I am about to be podded and drained like a tube of toothpaste.

After about six seconds came and went, the changeling queen raised her head and looked at me, her bright orange eyes staring at me, searching for something that I can’t quite put my finger on and when she was done searching for that something that gaze softened a bit as she let out a sigh.

“Very well, little morsel, but if you are to understand this story than we must start from the beginning.”

“You see, it all began…”

I am releasing this one at work and I am too busy to go thru it, here is hoping it is good enough for y’all