The Honeymoon was over. The week had passed with very few complications and Razor fully Accepted Artex after the third day. They were free to do as married couples do and needed no help at all, much to the relief of both husband and wife.

The bed sheets were washed often.

Razor's family had departed two days prior, when the Honeymoon ended, and life had returned to 'normal' for a whopping two days. Some thought it might be a record for the odd family.

* * *

Right when Artex was helping Vaiawa finish cleaning up breakfast, they heard a heavy knock on the door. Rose was already at work and Razor was upstairs working on a syllabus for the courses she was planning to teach, so it fell to Oriana to answer the door.

The Zebra mare trotted up and opened the door. She was not surprised to see Feather Tip standing there, what did surprise her were the pair of red Changelings standing behind her. Oriana blinked in confusion and angled her head as if it would allow her to understand the situation better. "Either Tip is in some trouble or all of you arrived at the same time."

Feather Tip shrugged. "Kind of both. These two Changelings were asking around for Vaiawa and I said I was heading to the house anyway, so I volunteered to show them the way. May I come in?"

Oriana let the Pegasus mare past then eyed the two Changelings. "I remember the two who showed up before and you are not them. What do you want?"

The two red Changelings were very thin, but not quite to the point of being unhealthy. They might as well have been mirror images of one another. The one on the left spoke first. "We have a message for Queen Vaiawa of the New Humansville Hive."

Oriana raised her hoof and regarded the two strangers calmly. "I understand your confusion, but let me be clear. Vaiawa is technically a Queen, but only in body. Though she is highly regarded by the Changelings who reside in this town, she does not command them. Alana is the ruling Queen and even she does not micromanage the Changelings. They are their own sovereigns, free to live and love as they please."

The left Changeling replied. "We have been told about the arrangement. Nevertheless, we have been tasked with delivering a message to Queen Vaiawa, if you would direct us to her."

Oriana eyed them both, searched for the subtle signs of hostility that she had taught herself to look for over the years. When she found none, she stepped back, and motioned the two changelings to enter. "Please come in." She sighed.

The two red Changelings stepped inside and stood on either side of the foyer as if they were guards. Oriana shook her head and trotted into the kitchen. "Vaiawa, there are two red Changelings here with a message for you."

Vaiawa closed the cabinet in which she was storing dishes. "Hmm? Red Changelings?" She sighed lightly. "I suppose I had better see what they want." She slowly made her way out of the kitchen and into the foyer. She stopped a few steps away from the two reds and eyed them evenly. "You asked to speak with me?"

As one, they spoke, their buzzing voices in perfect sync. "Queen Cynecia, of the Red Hive, has arrived and wishes to speak to you and Queen Alana. We are of the Queen's Praetorian Guard and have been tasked to escort your Highness should you chose to accept our Queen's invitation."

Vaiawa bobbed her head. "Very well," she said, turning towards the rest of her herd. "Artex, Razor, Oriana would you care to join me?"

Oriana yelled from upstairs: "Just fill me in. I'm working o..." She was cut off by a small explosion and a huge cloud of smoke. "Well.... I suppose I WAS working on something. Sorry Vaiawa, I need to concentrate."

Artex chuckled as he emerged from the kitchen. "I'll come with you, no problem. I need to go into town anyway."

Razor Wit trotted down the stairs with a huge smile stretched across her muzzle. "Are you KIDDING!? We get to meet a new Queen! Of COURSE I'm coming!"

Vaiawa turned to the two red Changelings and asked, "whenever you are ready."

Like a pair of perfectly reflected images, the two reds nodded in unison and turned. One used her magic to open the door while the other raised its forehoof to step through, only to stop when she came muzzle to snout with a rather large pair of circular nostrils. The red Changeling's legs stiffened and she hissed at Suey.

Suey, for her part, did not so much as blink. The red Changeling lit up her horn, but was stopped when a hand descended onto it. She let out a shriek of pain and her legs gave out. She crumpled to the floor while the other red Changeling took a ready stance.

Artex released the Changeling's horn and straightened his green robe, "Do not threaten my family," he said evenly then turned to Suey, "You don't need to worry about them, Suey. They're fine." The Great Pig snorted and stepped away from the door as Artex replaced the magic nullifying ring on the pinkie finger of his right hand.

He knelt down and pressed his hand to the unconscious red Changeling, holding back the nullifying affects that irradiated from his fingers so that he wouldn't bring further discomfort to the incapacitated creature. Having practiced many times with Vaiawa on how to give love directly to a specific recipient, he concentrated all his thoughts on the love he felt for all sapient beings and let the energy from those thoughts flow into his arm. Love radiated from his flesh and seeped into the red Changeling.

With a jolt, she awoke with a startled gasp, blinking her large eyes as she looked around in surprise.

Artex rose to his feet then bent over and picked her up. He set her down on all fours and stood back up straight. "In the future, don't just assume that anything you see is hostile." He patted the red Changeling on her head. "Come on, you said your Queen wished to speak with Vaiawa, right?"

The red Changeling gulped quietly as she stared up at the human towering over her. She studied him for a moment, taking in his alien features before she stood up straight and trotted forward, making her way toward New Humansville.

The family herd followed behind her and the other red Changeling brought up the rear. Suey trotted close behind, keeping a wary eye on both Changelings. The rearmost guard forced herself to stay professionally unreadable as she had been trained to do so, but the close proximity of the huge Great Pig was very, VERY distracting.

The lead Changeling led them through the streets of New Humansville. The herd could not help but to notice that almost every citizen of the town was out of their houses and making their way toward the Town Hall. Artex could already see a mass of people, Ponies, and Changelings surrounding Town Hall. Their guide led them through the gathering and up to the front doors of the three story building.

The front doors were guarded by more than a hundred red Changelings and between them and the crowd were hundreds of C.W.G. officers. There were more officers inside Town Hall and more of the red Changelings too. The herd was led inside the building and up to the second floor, where the Mayor's office was located. The red Changeling led them to the office door and stood at attention on the right, while her companion stood on the left side of the door. Vaiawa lit up her horn and opened the door.

Inside, Mayor DeLaCruz was seated behind her desk while Captain Joyner and Darryl were standing on either side of her. Across the desk from her was a red Changeling Queen who was as large as Vaiawa. Alana sat in her Human form against the far wall. Princess Sineria was seated next to her mother, the Queen. Both of the red Changelings appeared calm, but with Changelings, one could never know for certain.

Queen Cynecia looked at the door as Vaiawa led the rest of the herd into the Mayor's office. "Ah, so you decided to join us. This pleases me." She spoke in Velensovth. She turned to Mayor DeLaCruz, "Are there any more coming?"

The Mayor steepled her hands on the desk, "Yes. Princess Celestia at least. Her sister may be coming as well." She lowered her hands onto the desk. "Should we take this someplace more comfortable?"

"Prefer a more strategic location to hold your negotiations, do you?" Queen Cynecia asked, though her expression did not change in the slightest. "What do you have in mind? Going anywhere would be difficult with the crowd surrounding us."

The Mayor smiled at the Queen, immediately understanding the subtle undertone of her otherwise innocuous statement.

You are surrounded. Attempt to harm me and my forces will not hesitate to destroy you.

"We have a few options open to us," Alana said, choosing her words carefully. "There is a restaurant in town, not far from here, where we could have a great deal more room and a more relaxed environment, if you wish. We could also take the meeting to different residences, if that would be more comfortable for you."

The red Queen kept her face neutral. "This is not a casual gathering, Mayor. This is a serious discussion about the future of my hive and I would appreciate it if you remembered that."

Darryl chuckled quietly. "The bathroom is two doors to the left when you exit this room."

Queen Cynecia fixed him with a neutral expression. "Is there a reason you are telling me this?"

Darryl shrugged. "Just thought you would like to know, since you obviously have something stuck up your 'ass'."

The Queen narrowed her eyes and gave her gossamer wings a sharp flutter. "I do not need to know that last word to understand your meaning. I do not appreciate your comment, nor am I amused by it."

Darryl shrugged his shoulders. "What I meant, was that you don't need to be rude when the Mayor is trying to be hospitable. Obviously, we know this is an important meeting, otherwise you wouldn't have come in person. Mayor DeLaCruz was offering more comfortable surroundings so that we wouldn't need to rush anything and end up making mistakes and errors. If you don't want to go, you don't need to be nasty about it. Just saying."

The Queen's nostrils flared, but she gave no other outward sign of emotion. "I was merely being direct. If I came across as rude, it was unintentional." Her eyes ventured toward Artex and Razor Wit, "And who might you two be? I did not extend the invitation to bring whomever you felt like."

Artex stepped forward and bowed to the Queen. "I am Artex Rias, Emissary of Humans. I would be here even if the others were not. The mare with me is my wife, Razor Wit. We function as a team. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Queen Cynecia maintained her neutral expression. "Was it you who put the tracking spell on my daughter?"

Razor Wit shook her head, "It was me."

The Queen looked at her with a bland expression, her horn flowing with energy. "To what end?"

"We wanted to know where your hive was in case you needed some sort of aid." Razor replied.

"Were your motives toward us malicious at any point?" Queen Cynecia asked.

Razor shook her head. "Not at all." She licked her lips and continued. "Through Alana and Vaiawa, we learned that their hive was starving. Their predicament and the lies of their Queen forced them to take drastic actions against Equestria. They attacked and tried to take over our capital. We won the engagement, but many Changelings died. It was a waste of life when nobody needed to die. We wanted to make sure you and your hive did not suffer the same fate."

She paused for a moment then gestured to Artex "When my husband..." she continued, unable to suppress the warm feeling of pride she felt when she said it. "...found out about what had happened to the Changelings, he made sure they had a safe place here. Though he didn't know them, he wanted to extend the invitation anyway. He wanted what was best for everyone, and that's all any of us want. I know it doesn't look good, that we tricked your daughter, but we had good reasons for it. We haven't attacked or made any plans to do so. We want you to be our allies. New Humansville welcomes every species and we strive to personify that."

Queen Cynecia listened until Razor finished speaking. She extinguished her horn and nodded. "You speak the truth," she said with no discernible emotion in her voice. "Good. I was monitoring your thoughts. Had you lied, we would have left and hidden our hive."

She licked her lips and continued. "We developed very differently than the outside world. Our customs and values are vastly different from yours. We feared we would be met with open hostility or, worse yet, subtle hostility." She turned her attention back to Mayor DeLaCruz. "We will discuss these and other things at your restaurant. I trust the invitation is still open?"

Mayor DeLaCruz nodded with a grin, "It is. Thank you for accepting."

Queen Cynecia shook her head, "Thank your crass, undisciplined, outspoken guard and your honest mare."

Darryl crossed his arms, "I am not undisciplined! I just don't kiss the ass of over-inflated egos and entitled snobs."

A strange smile crept across Queen Cynecia's chitinous muzzle and she turned to Sineria. "Observe, daughter," she said with a matronly tone that she had not used until now. "This here is the kind of personality you must always look for. As drones they are wasted and as guards they can be easily distracted."

The Queen levitated Darryl's wooden baton above the desk, weaving invisible patterns though the air. "But as advisors, their outspoken nature and Impertinence will be an excellent means to keep you in check." She levitated the baton back to the irritated Marine as she looked back to him. "Your passion is not a bad thing, but it needs to be held at times. Speaking out of turn to... 'entitled' foreign royalty is not advisable." She shot him a very slight smirk, "I am used to doing things a certain way. We developed as a very direct society. We speak our minds without the encumbrances of politeness. You might call us blunt."

Darryl snorted. "Like a fuckin' a wrecking ball."

The Queen's eyebrow ridges knit together. "What is a 'wrecking ball'?"

Mayor DeLaCruz' office door opened suddenly and Princess Celestia entered. "I came as soon as I heard." She stopped and looked around, "Is everything alright?"

Darryl snorted, trying to hold in a laugh as he jabbed a thumb towards the alabaster Alicorn. "Wrecking ball."

Celestia blinked in confusion as when whole room, even Queen Cynecia openly laughed.

* * *

The group appeared on the top floor of The Melting Pot. The C.W.G. officers, the E.U.P. Guards, and the Changeling Guards all branched out to secure the floor. Darryl headed downstairs to let Alex know he had surprise customers on the, normally closed until the evening, top floor.

Celestia lit up her horn and moved numerous round tables and seats out of the way, replaced them with a series of long tables that she arranged into a single, huge square. She then levitated over cushions and chairs around the perimeter. Once the arrangements were complete, she extinguished her horn and grinned at her work.

"Is this arrangement acceptable, Queen Cynecia?"

The red Changeling Queen laid down on one of the cushions before she answered, "it is. We can all see one another. Will there be any others joining us?"

Right as the words were leaving her mouth, a portal opened up on the far side of the room. Through the portal stepped Luna and Chris. Chris looked pensive while Luna looked stern. "We trust we are not too late to join this discussion?"

All eyes turned to Queen Cynecia. She spoke evenly. "Is it safe to assume you are Princess Luna?" She asked.

Luna bowed her head politely, "I am." She gestured to Chris with her wing, "This is my betrothed, Christopher." Chris leaned over and waved vigorously at the Queen.

Cynecia, for her part, merely spoke a single word, "Indeed."

A lavender flash signaled the arrival of the most recent Princess to attain the title, as Twilight teleported in. "Sorry I'm late!" she apologized "I hope I didn't keep everypony waiting..." She trailed off as she took in the sight of the red Changeling Queen. Her eyes grew to colossal proportions and she was forced to hold in a squeal of delight, "Oh my gosh! Another hive! Oh, this is so exciting!" She quickly took a place at the arranged tables, trying not to bombard the red Queen with questions. Her effort was obvious, as she shook like a mixing paint can.

Queen Cynecia said nothing to Twilight. She spoke to Celestia instead. "Are you all here, now?"

Celestia bit her lower lip briefly. "There is... one more who should be here." She took a breath and closed her eyes. In half a moment, a pink flash of light illuminated the room as Cadence arrived, "Is something wrong, auntie?"

Celestia raised her right forehoof and gestured to the red Queen. "Cadence, I would like you to meet Queen Cynecia of the red Changelings."

Cadence slowly turned her head toward the red Queen and took a calming breath before she spoke. "Hello, Queen Cynecia."

The red Queen merely inclined her head in acknowledgement. Celestia decided to take the proverbial reins, "Let us all take a seat. Do not worry, Queen Cynecia, you will not be expected to pay for anything we eat. You are the first Changeling Queen to come forward directly. For that, you have our gratitude. We do not wish to be at odds with any of our neighbors and we welcome you."

Queen Cynecia spoke quietly. "Some more than others." She pointed to Cadence, "She is not very happy to see us."

Cadence spoke for herself. "My past experience with Changelings was not particularly... positive."

Queen Cynecia nodded her head ever so slightly. "You speak the truth as an understatement. You were imprisoned and nearly starved by Chrysalis." She said plainly, "Remember that I am not he..." She was cut off as the air in front of her suddenly unzipped itself and was pulled apart.

From the darkened opening a pair of yellow eyes blinked into existence, joined shortly after by a wide, toothy grin.

"Ooh! Are we having a party!?" Discord asked, poking his long asymmetrical head out into the open. With talon and paw, he gripped the sides of the portal he had just created and pulled himself through, stopped when he spotted the red Cynecia. His already impossibly huge grin only seemed to double in size and he threw himself across the tables and slid to a stop when his face was just inches from the Changeling queen's. "Cynecia! Why HELLO you cranky old wasp, you!?"

For her part, Queen Cynecia gave no reaction, save for the raising of her eyebrow. She regarded the abstractly featured newcomer with an unreadable mixture of curiosity and caution. "And you are?"

Leaping to his mismatched feet, Discord performed an elaborate bow. "Discord, at your service. Purveyor of all things chaotic and random. Supreme Lord of confusion and disharmony." He reached his taloned hand into a nonexistent pocket and pulled out a slip of stiff white paper. "My card," he added, floating it over to Cynecia.

When the card settled on the table in front of her, a stylized drawing of Discord grinned up at her and winked.

The Draconaquus looked around the room, counting off the faces before straightening himself. "Ah, I see the gang is all here!" He floated over and laid down along Celestia's back, stretching out like a cat. "Cynecia, Cynecia, Cyneciaaaaaaaaaa," he crooned, tracing a claw between Celestia's wings while she did her best to maintain her look of calm neutrality. "You simply must tell me how the other hives are doing. It's been so long since they've been above ground. These days, I've just been so unbelievably swamped with so much to do that I'd completely lost track of everything else, what with all my luncheons and appearances at conventions and birthdays— which reminds me."

He snapped his fingers and an intercom suddenly appeared in a flash of white light. Motioning for the others to wait, he pressed a red button and spoke into the receiver. "Hello, Jenny? Yes, be a dear and hold all my calls and push back my meetings for the next couple of hours, thanks!" With another snap of his fingers the intercom disappeared. "Such a treasure, that one. Not the brightest bulb on the sign, but she sure does know how to make a wicked cup of coffee."

Discord turned his mischievous gaze back towards Cynecia. "Did you know the last time I saw your great, great, great, great, grandmother was when she was just hatching? I have to say I'm sorry I missed so many birthday parties. Being encased in stone really bungles up one's social life."

The room was silent as all eyes turned to Queen Cynecia. The poor red Queen had her face planted against the wooden table. Alana was the first to break the silence, "Other hives?"

Author's Notes:

Been a BAD couple of months. Battling manic depression. You know, the kind that makes the whole world seem like it has lost all color and interest. Oh, and I believe I have developed stomach ulcers. Fun. As always, leave a comment if I misspelled anything.