Cadance frowned. She didn't often frown these days; the continued wonder of building her empire had her smiling even when she was stuck with reams of paperwork to get through. Changelings, she had found, loved paperwork. "Shiny, why is our bathroom this… big?" She gestured with a hoof at the bath that was now sized for nearly ten ponies.

Shining gave a little buzz of her insectile wings. "Well, we were making the plans, and there was the whole next suite. It would have been silly just to use the bathroom but nothing else." Shining was explaining her way through the reasoning. "So now we have a huge pool to relax in, and snuggle in. And the runoff leads to that area where I can lay eggs." The thought was still a little alien to Shining, but she couldn't deny now that she was a changeling queen—and this was something she did. All it took was a glance at the eggs and warm feelings filled her.

"This bathroom isn't taking up the whole suite." Cadance stepped into the empty bathing pool, and walked slowly across to the laying area. "It does look quite well suited to what you need. You can lay here, then climb into the bath to relax afterwards." The thought agreed with Cadance, and she felt her frown ease to a smile again. "So we can stop using the bathroom across the hall?"

"Yes, Cady." Shining leaned up and kissed Cadance. "We get our bathroom back. And from what Light Touch said, I will be laying more in a few more days."

"Your Imperial Majesty?" Light Touch had been in the new room adjoining the bathroom from the other side—what had been the bedroom of the other suite. Upon seeing her queens kissing, she blushed and bowed her head. "Sorry, I will—"

Cadance broke the kiss and chuckled. "Light Touch?" She raised an eyebrow towards Shining in inquiry. "You have experience in dealing with the… implications… of being a changeling queen?"

Light chirped her wings at being addressed by Cadance. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!" It was exciting and terrifying to be talking to the pony who had ejected most of the hive from Canterlot, the same mare that fed the new hive. She found herself struggling not to chirp continuously like a cricket. She stared at Cadance, lost in the mare's gaze, until she realized Cadance was expecting an answer from her. "Oh yes! I was the overseer for the changelittles in the hive."

"Changelittles?" Cadance looked to Shining, her expression a mix of puzzlement and mirth.

"Nymphs and larvae. Larvae grow up and their first shapechange is into a small form of their adult selves, a nymph." Light Touch was off on her favorite subject: taking care of young changelings, or changelittles. "We have this wonderful chamber here for Her Imperial Majesty's egg laying. Then we transfer the eggs to the next room. It shares a wall with your bedroom, and a door eventually, so that the little ones can get the most amount of love from you."

"You have put a lot of thought into this." Cadance was delightfully excited at the fact. "Can I see the rest of it?"

Cadance and Shining followed Light Touch as she practically pranced into the adjoining room. Inside, the room was only lit by the light outside filtering through the crystal walls, but it was more than enough for Shining and Light's eyes. A humid warmth poured over each as they passed into the room, and they were all quickly warmed up to a toasty heat.

"This is the incubation room. Normally, two changelings would be assigned to each egg to keep it warm, but with this room I can take care of all your changelittles myself." Light Touch chirped again at the thought of taking care of a new queen's young.

"It is really warm in here." Cadance was fluffing her wings in no time, but suffered the heat to inspect the room critically. "This is all for your eggs?" She saw the seven eggs already present, and a new question poked into her thoughts. "With ponies, a stallion… uh…" She waved a hoof, not sure how to actually ask who the father was.

"Oh?" Light's wings buzzed when she realized what was being asked. "OH! Nothing like that!" The heat of the room contributed greatly to her intense green blush. "The queen feeds off the most potent and strong love they can, and it quickens the eggs inside them."

Shining stared at Light, then turned her shocked look on Cadance. The true nature of the creation of the eggs she had laid made them all the more precious in Shining's mind, and made her grin at Cadance with possibly the silliest expression any changeling queen had ever attempted.

"So I am the father?" Cadance couldn't keep the titter out of her tone. "Shiny, they really are ours then, aren't they?" Her twitching wings reached out and wrapped Shining up in their feathery softness, and she pulled her husband into a tight hug.

"They will all be ours." Shining squeezed Cadance back, her black forelegs creating an interesting counterpoint to Cadance's pink fur. "You will want to see the rest. A full nursery, a little schoolroom, and…" She trailed off, grinning.

Cadance pulled back from Shining a little, but kept her wings tightly folded around her husband. "What?" She didn't honestly care what had been done now, her mood was so high that it could not be brought down even had Sombra stepped into the room.

Light watched Shining lead Cadance into the rest of the suite, and slowly tilted to the side, then fell down onto her belly. Chirping in contented bliss, she couldn't wait to see how her new queen's changelittles would grow.

"Close your eyes, Cady." Shining led Cadance through the little dormitory that had been built for the nymphs, and then to the last room where their young would grow up. "Okay, open them." Shining waited a moment. "A room for our other little one."

Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing Cadance could notice was pink—very, very pink. "Oh Shiny…" She was at a loss for words. The room had a little bed, a chest of drawers, a toy box, and all the things a foal would need once they had grown up a bit. "But this is for somepony a little older than—" Silenced by a kiss, Cadance was led back through the various rooms, her unasked question unanswered until Shining led her into their sitting room. Similarly pink, a cot sat in the middle, with more drawers and a table to one side. "You thought of everything."

"I had help." Shining nuzzled Cadance's cheek. "Light Touch with the changeling side, and Misty Dew." At Cadance's look of puzzlement, Shining explained further. "Misty was from a big family, she was the third born of seven. She knows a lot about planning ahead."

"We are going to have more than that." Cadance drew back a touch, so only their noses rubbed together. "A lot more. When you lay your next clutch we will go to Ponyville and warn Twilight. And on the way through Canterlot, your parents too."

" 'Warn'?" Shining giggled at the use of words. "What do you mean, 'Warn'?"

"Light Touch?" Cadance lifted her voice. "Could you come and settle a little dispute for us?" A startled chirp of wings from the egg-care room preceded the drone's arrival. The look on Light's face was a mix of worry and pure bliss. "Light dear, how many eggs is Shiny likely to lay on her second clutch?"

Relieved at the problem being well within her purview, Light Touch tried to keep from listing to the side at the rush of love pouring over and around her. "S-S-Seven on her f-f-first." Light struggled with her words, having to focus on getting each one around her big fangs. "Usually at least that many on her second, more likely a few extras, and it should be in a few days."

"More?" Shining had prepared herself for "more" but to hear "more" was going to be "soon" was enough to frazzle her somewhat. The softest of snouts pressed to her cheek in a warm nuzzle, and it broke away any shock like the bow of an icebreaker. "More." She smiled and kissed Cadance.

In her weeks living on the Apple farm, Chrysalis still hadn't made contact with her drones. Ducking away from encounters with Trixie had become common, to the point where it was almost a game to both of them. Every time Trixie would find an excuse to visit the farm, or Chrysalis had to go into town, Chrysalis made sure to have any one of the three adult Apples with her.

What Chrysalis hadn't expected was having to do so much work, let alone finding it relaxing. Whether she was bucking apples, watering the orchard, or helping Big Mac get his harness on to plow a field, Chrysalis was content in the knowledge that her drones were safe on their own farm.

"Hey, Cinnamon!" Applejack called to their new farmhoof, "Grub's ready!" She gave the triangle beside the front door of the Apple family home a good thundering kick.

Food. Chrysalis actually felt bad about wasting it after a while. "Coming!" She was surprised at how genuine the lilt was in her voice. Using her teeth to grip the big red valve, Chrysalis slowly turned the water supply off, causing the sprinklers to stop their fake rain.

The walk to the farmhouse was without incident, but Chrysalis' thoughts churned. She needed to contact her drones, if only to make sure they were okay. No matter what, she had to get her babies safely back to her hive, even if they seemed safe as they were. Opening the door to the house, Chrysalis stepped inside and almost froze; Twilight Sparkle was sitting at the kitchen table, chatting away with Applejack. "Your Highness." Chrysalis was still sporting some mud on her coat, and despite knowing she could drop her disguise at a moment's notice and fight, she felt a little fear.

"You must be Cinnamon Stick." Twilight smiled at the work-stained pony. "Pleased to meet you. And please, just call me Twilight." She held up a hoof in greeting, defiant of the fact she was probably going to end up with some mud on her.

The reply to Chrysalis' greeting had the changeling queen off balance for a moment. Lifting her forehoof, Chrysalis gave Twilight's hoof a sound clop in greeting. "Sorry Your… Twilight… I need to clean up before lunch." She noticed a blob of mud that had landed on Twilight's fur. "S-Sorry!"

"It's nothing to worry about." Twilight lit her horn with magic and started to remove the little blob of dirt. At the last moment, though, she aimed the spell at both her own fur and Chrysalis'. With a flash of purple magic they were both clean. "There, all done!"

With a rush of happiness from the Princess of Friendship, Chrysalis was almost full. She blinked a little in surprise and tried to shake the feeling coming from her body. It was past her time to lay eggs, but after years of practice she could manage to keep her body from laying indefinitely. It just wasn't comfortable. "Thanks!" She meant the word, but intended it to mean for cleaning her and the free meal.

"That's our Cinnamon, Twi." Applejack brought the big apple pie down to the table carefully and set it in the middle. "Ah'd swear she was an Apple at how well she works." The words were high praise coming from Applejack.

"Eeyup." McIntosh was already sitting at the table, his bright coat all clean and dry after his dunk in the water trough. "Really helpful, she is." Despite having another earth pony around the farm helping, Big Mac was a little more distracted by things away from it. Unicorn things. His mind quickly thought back to Trixie Lulamoon, and the world seemed to blur and melt away for a little while.

"You gotta stay fer lunch, Sugarcube, we're having a pie." Applejack gestured at the table where McIntosh and Apple Bloom were already waiting.

"Yeah, Twilight!" Apple Bloom put in her one bit. "Granny Smith baked it special!"

"Ah what-now?" Granny Smith tilted her head to Apple Bloom. "You younguns can't prove that Ah was even there!" She looked between Big Mac and Apple Bloom, narrowing her eyes.

"I really shouldn't, I have a pile of work to get through." Twilight teetered on the edge of accepting when she remembered something Trixie had told her. "Oh what am I saying? Granny makes the best pies in all Equestria!" She took the offered seat to the cheering of Apple Bloom.

Taking her own seat beside Big Mac, Chrysalis knew how things were meant to roll. She reached out with a hoof and used the pie server to dish herself a thick slice of the pie. "This looks great, Granny."

"Oh? OH! The pie!" Granny Smith finally worked out what was going on in the conversation. She had noticed over the last few years that a late-morning nap helped her keep focused for the rest of the day, and she had missed hers today. "Ah hope y'all like it, worked some o' them blackberries into it."

Chrysalis had a dirty little changeling secret: the Queen of The Badlands Hive liked tasting food. She scooped a spoonful of the pie up and slipped it into to her mouth. The flavor was beyond compare. The blackberry was a tart mix with the sweet apples, but it danced among her taste buds like a Saddle Arabian mare with a veil and a bridle on. Just as a normal pony's urge would cause them to swallow, Chrysalis flicked her magic and sent the delicious mouthful to the slop trough for the pigs.

Twilight froze at the slight buzz of magic. She felt it again as she slowly chewed some of the apple pie, and knew by the time she felt the third just what it was. "Hey Applejack, you remember that time we had to face off against Sombra?"

Applejack, just having swallowed a mouthful of pie, squinted at Twilight for a full two seconds before her brain caught up. "Uh, that was the time we all hugged after it, right?" It wasn't even a lie, they had been so happy to have survived that they had all hugged together.

"We did at that." Twilight relaxed, knowing she had an ally. The flash of magic came again, and her eyes glanced around the ponies. She spotted just two who could have had a full mouth at the moment the jolt of magic came. Two more jolts and she narrowed it down. Giving Applejack a wink, Twilight continued eating her slice of pie happily, savoring every mouthful. She didn't need to track the blips of magic anymore, they were only coming from one changeling, and that, she knew, was definitely "Cinnamon Stick."

The meal progressed, and each of the ponies finished their piece of pie and settled back in their chairs. Chrysalis acted the same, full of the love and contentment the ponies around her felt. The taste of the pie still lingered in her mouth, and while she knew she would need to gargle some water to get rid of the last bits of food, she decided to relish the taste a little longer.

"Well, I should be going." Twilight had to fend off offers to stay with her hooves. "I really must. Princess Celestia has started sending me real princess work to do." Just thinking about doing paperwork had her tingle in delight. "It's great!"

"We all should be gettin' back to it too." Applejack looked around the table, eyes flicking to her brother and Chrysalis. "Ah'm sure it is Apple Bloom's turn to clean up." It was, which was fortunate.

Twilight waited for Applejack to reach her before giving her friend a hug. "Cinnamon is a changeling." The words were soft, as soft as could be, and spoken right beside Applejack's ear. "Oh, I had meant to tell you, my BBBFF is coming to visit tomorrow."

"Shining Armor? That's great Twi!" Applejack led the way out the front door, leading Twilight outside. "How is he doin'? I heard there was some kinda thing goin' on between the Crystal Empire and Equestria."

"Shining, Cadance, Celestia, and Luna have agreed to establish the Empire as its own sovereignty." Twilight almost bounced, remembering the reams of paperwork she had to work through to find evidence of the Crystal Empire's previous status. "Shining and Cadance are going to be crowned as emperors." The title was as grand as any she could imagine, and it had made sense to use.

"Emperor?" Chrysalis left the house, intrigued at the conversation. Her brain had finally put together that Twilight was her beloved's sister, and she just couldn't stop herself from slinking out to ask some pertinent questions.

"Yes." Twilight turned to Chrysalis, her horn flaring to wrap the changeling in a purple bubble of force. "My brother and sister-in-law might have nicer ways of asking a changeling their intent, but all I have is this." Twilight gestured at the sphere. "Don't deny it."

Chrysalis had no idea where she had gone so wrong. "So you caught me." She started to prepare her spell that would unravel everything and restore her back to queen-dom. Chrysalis needed to be ready for a fight.

"I am a princess." Twilight gave a sigh. "So you can believe me when I swear you can go free if you tell me exactly what Queen Chrysalis is up to?"

The question ripped away the plans Chrysalis was making. She stopped the initiation of plan "Burn Everything and Escape," and instead focused on "Lie Like Crazy." Letting the Cinnamon Stick disguise fail in a burst of flame, Chrysalis still kept her drone disguise up. "She is back in the hive. I don't know what she is doing! I was sent here to spy on Shining Armor's sister!"

Author's Notes:

Twilight: How do you feel that you are going to have seven nephews/nieces soon? (and probably one more)

“I’m what?” Twilight blinked in confusion. “I... I am not sure what you are talking about, Shining and Cadance only just got married!’

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and I they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, I they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! I They will pick one question per chapter.

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