"… and we have the Equestria Games two months away." Careful read the itinerary to Shining and Cadance while the latter ate breakfast, and the former pretended to. Careful liked his simple disguise—a light blue unicorn with bright orange mane and tail, with a cutie mark of a quill and book—not that anypony in the Crystal Empire mistook him for a pony anymore; Careful Steps was the Chief Adviser after all. "And we will be holding your coronation next week, I trust you haven't forgotten that?"

Shining ate little, or appeared to, for breakfast. He didn't dislike the food, but he greatly disliked wasting it. "I think it's time to tell everypony." When Cadance's eyes met his, he saw curiosity more than anything else. "What I am. I don't want to be their… are we really meant to use these titles?"

"Emperor Shining Armor." Careful gave a slight bow. "I think it suits you. You command loyalty and respect with it already, not that anypony doesn't give those to you willingly."

"If I have to be Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, you have to be Emperor Shining Armor." Cadance spooned some more oats into her mouth, savoring the sweet honey mixed through them. She chewed slowly, letting her husband think about her words.

"And of course, Empress, you have your visit with Twilight tomorrow." Careful expended some magic to put up a shield. Predictably enough, milk-soaked oats caused the green shell to flare brightly. Cadance gulped hard, getting what little of her mouthful that remained down. "I trust you didn't forget? You told me to send a letter to her agreeing to a whole day together."

Cadance quickly used her magic to clean up the mess she had made. Part of her realized with a foal on the way she would be doing such cleaning often, and another part reminded her they had eight foals on the way. "But the schedule? You said we were busy for the next month and a half!"

"This is one of the things in the schedule, Your Imperial Majesty." Careful kept using the titles as often as he could, not only did it make all the drones in their hive perk up, but even the ponies of the Empire seemed to prance a little when they heard them used. "So don't you worry, after you are done with business today, I have arranged for you to have an early night so you can catch the early express to Ponyville. Of course, there is a blue unicorn there I am hoping will have some information for you, too."

Shining leaned a little closer to Cadance, one hoof reaching to the swell in her barrel. Gently stroking the proof that she was carrying their foal, he found himself the target of a kiss. Their lips met, and Shining felt a hurricane of love from his wife. His eyes met hers, and each deepened the expression of love, tongues pushing and gently wrestling.

Careful rode the wave of love. It was enough energy to blast away a whole swarm of his kin, even enough to found a hive. When Nimbus set a tray down beside him at the table and leaned against his side, he gave a chirp of surprised delight. "How is my favorite pegasus?" His foreleg reached around her back to hug her, and despite his efforts to avoid most of the love from Cadance, he got enough that he chirped more in bliss.

"Doing better now she has her favorite bug beside her." Nimbus leaned against Careful and spread her wing around his back. Mirroring the rulers opposite her, she claimed a kiss from Careful, but unlike Shining and Cadance she didn't linger too long. "Anything happening that I am needed for?"

"Princess Cadance has her trip to Ponyville tomorrow. She needs an honor guard…" Careful gently nuzzled Nimbus' jawline. "But if you do that, we will be apart for a day." They were in public, so he couldn't do what he really wanted to, but Careful touched his lips to Nimbus' neck again and again, laying a line of kisses down her throat.

Cadance broke the kiss with her husband only after she was sure that he knew how much she loved him. Her attention broke and she noticed Careful and Nimbus sitting opposite. They were a symbol to her. The couple was a sign that even without an existing relationship, ponies and changelings could love and be loved.

"You're staring." Shining could feel the warm glow of Nimbus' love for Careful like a candle next to the sun that was Cadance. But despite the intensity difference, he knew it was no less pure. "What am I saying, of course you can't help it." He nuzzled Cadance a little more. "I want everypony in the Empire to know before the coronation."

"You want them to accept you, Shiny? They already do." Cadance dragged her eyes away from Careful and Nimbus, looking into Shining Armor's eyes. "You want them to accept a changeling as their ruler. You have accepted that yourself."

"Yeah. I… I asked Twily…" Shining blushed a little, and hesitated to continue. Taking a deep breath, he forged on. "I asked Twily if there was a spell to change me back. She said there were spells that could change species… but they are only temporary." He huffed a breath. "And worse than that, these are spells intended to turn ponies into other things, not the other way around."

"But you are a pony, Shiny. So is Careful, and Gilt, and all the others. A pony isn't what you are on the outside, but what you feel." Cadance stood up. Looking around the room with an air of authority gained Cadance the attention of every pair of eyes. In here were personal staff, workers at the castle, and friends of Shining and Cadance. "Love, please stand up. If we are going to do this, we do this first with those we love most."

Shining's heart raced and leapt in his chest. Having a day and time scheduled to announce this was a lot different than making an announcement right now. But he did stand up. "Everypony, I have an important announcement." A wing folded over his back, and Shining turned his eyes to Cadance.

"Kiss her!"

Unable to see which wag of a changeling called out, Shining gave a chuckle. "I will at the end." The words got a chirp and a cheer from a few members of the crowd. Though changelings didn't need physical food, being near their queens for breakfast was a great way to get a top up for the day ahead. "When Queen Chrysalis had control of my mind, and before Cadance broke that control and we were married," Shining looked at Cadance for support, and got it, "the queen started something changing in me."

The gasps among the ponies present were tangible signs that this was news to them. Shining had to keep going; he wouldn't stop because he felt scared. "She used a poison on me. There was no cure, and it worked until it replaced every last bit of me with... with this." With that, Shining Armor dropped his disguise.

Cadance watched each and every changeling in the room bow to Shining. Her heart was in her throat as she watched for the reactions of the ponies present. Not daring to look at Shining. She gave the slightest of nods to the crowd.

Gleaming Shine nudged Sunset Shimmer in the ribs. The other unicorn stared at her incomprehensibly as Gleaming bowed her head, and dipped to one knee. "My Queen!"

"He was poisoned?"

"That is really Shining?"

"Is this why there are so many changelings?"

"What happens now?"

Snippets of questions passed through the quiet room, until Nimbus Cloud climbed from her chair to stand beside Careful. Lowering her foreleg, she spread her wings daintily forward and bowed. "My Queen."

Another, then another, and finally a cascade of ponies in the room bowed to Shining and Cadance. Shining looked at them in shock, and her heart swelled at the feeling of pride in them. "Please stand." She waited for the sound of shuffling hooves to stop. "I will be announcing this to the rest of the Crystal Empire at lunchtime. I ask you not to reveal it until then…" Shining trailed off, tears of relief starting to flow and cloud her sight. "If… If you…" She didn't get any further. Everypony in the room, changeling and pony alike, pushed forward to support her.

"It wasn't your fault."

"We will keep your secret!"

"For our Queen. For our Princess!"

The latter of the cries started to echo around the room, bolstered with each repetition, and buoyed Shining's pride higher and higher. At last, she had to gesture for quiet again. The excited ponies and changelings took a few moments to still, but finally they all noticed that Shining was trying to continue.

"Thank you, thank you all. I couldn't take office… I couldn't let you crown me Emperor… without making sure you all knew who you were crowning." Shining's voice stuttered and faltered, but the look of every single member of the crowd was one of unwavering support. "Please, keep eating."

"You promised a kiss!"

Laughter rang around the room, shattering the tense atmosphere and starting little conversations here and there. Shining rolled her eyes and turned to Cadance. She studied her wife's face, traced her eyes over every feature. "I love you, Cadance." The words came easily, but were never spoken lightly. Shining closed her eyes and waited.

Cadance's lips pressed to her own, and Shining felt as light as a feather. She let Cadance's love wash over and through her. She chirped her wings in bliss as the culmination of their trials seemed to make her feel complete.

"Hold it!" Pinkie Pie looked left and right, then stared back at the reader. "What? You thought, 'Shining becomes a changeling, they kiss, the end'?" Pinkie's head rolled back and she laughed riotously. "By now you should know how crazy the writer is, there is nearly three chapters of the original story—that's the one this is a sequel to—to go."

Shaking her head, Pinkie Pie continued. "Don't get me wrong now. You just know they could round up Chrysalis, who is doing remarkably fine where she is, and fetch the rest of the hive in no time flat. But do you really think it would be that easy? With this author?"

"Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?" Discord blinked into being from nowhere. "You aren't meant to be here! Twilight made me promise you would never get in…" He stopped and turned slowly to face the reader. "Oh, hello there. Please ignore all this." With a wave of his claw, Discord, Pinkie, and the previous two paragraphs disappeared. Oh, and this one too. Plus one of the [­hr] tags. Just gone! For-evvvvveeeeerrrrrr...

"Darling, please hold still." Rarity had a dress pinned on her model, and was carefully adjusting it to fit just-so. The mare's careful magic worked pins into seams to hold them in just the right places. "Almost there…" She added two more and finished securing the last seam. "There, you can relax now."

Chrysalis was still a little unsure how this had happened. She, Queen of the Changelings, should not be reduced to acting as a costume model for a unicorn seamstress. She was about to open her mouth and give Rarity that thought as a well constructed and scathing observation, when a rush of happiness flooded her. She blinked a few times, unable to look away from Rarity.

Using her magic, Rarity carefully plucked the dress from Chrysalis, although the dress was not designed to fit a changeling. At that moment, Chrysalis was disguised as Princess Cadance. Her love for her work burning within, Rarity gave a little twirl as she set the dress on her work-desk. "You are such a wonderful help, Cinnamon. You don't mind if I call you Cinnamon, do you, darling?"

The love of a mare for her life's work was a heady meal for any changeling, and Chrysalis immediately rethought her "destroy pony verbally" plan. "I… I don't mind." Free of the gown, she let loose her fire and returned to her drone form. "Did you need me to model more?" She only asked, of course, because she liked the taste of the unicorn's love.

"Perceptive and helpful. You are correct, I have another dress for her after that one. You would not believe how many outfits a mare needs when being crowned…" Rarity almost fainted as the word seemed to bubble up from deep inside. "… empress." Fireworks went off in Rarity's mind, and she fell dramatically.

Chrysalis moved fast, her magic yanking a fainting couch to slide under the overwrought mare. If the love she had felt from her was delicious earlier, now it was almost overwhelming.

"Empress…" Chrysalis was still shocked at the title herself.

"I know, darling! I will literally be the first mare in hundreds of years to have made an outfit worn by an empress." Rarity nearly glowed she was so happy. Tilting her head back, her smiling mouth was raised to the world. "Can you imagine it? And she will be here tomorrow to see Twilight!"

The news hit Chrysalis like a hammer. All thoughts of feeding off the ecstatic unicorn faded, and plans started forming. She would get her revenge, and free her beloved stallion.

Author's Notes:

Cinnamon: now that you're discovered, do you think it will be easier to continue the plan?

"Plan? What plan?" Cinnamon blinked owlishly. "I am not sure what you are talking about. I got sent here to spy on ponies. Noling said I had to stay in dis... who am I kidding..."

The last thing you see is a pod being built up around you.

---

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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