Two days later, Southern Capital of the Changeling Empire

Amore the soon to be (re)crowned Queen of the Crystal Empire was using a casual light blue dress while accompanying Volthoom, Phyllia and Dana on a visit to the heart of the Changeling Empire while she left the Council of Nobles to take care of Diamond City in her absence, to both familiarize herself with her new allies and to have a little bit of fun before retaking the crown. Originally the group came because Volthoom expressed the desire to visit Chrysalis, her newest brood, Apis and Vesp, however, Amore decided to use this opportunity to see what became of the Valley.

Amore was in awe as she took in the image of the Imperial City, noticing the resemblance between the architecture that was used here and some of the new structures in the rebuilding of the Crystal Empire, and she also expressed the desire to meet Phyllia's family.

“I'm going to visit Chrysalis first, do you want to go on a tour now or we can do that together afterward?” asked Volthoom.

“I don't mind doing it later, and I wanted to meet the rest of the family anyway, especially considering we part of the herd,” answered Amore amicably.

“I still can't believe how quick you were to enter into a relationship with Volthoom,” commented Dana since most ponies tend to take the relationship a bit slow for her taste.

“Why wouldn't I? Volthoom was among the most desired stall– I mean, males of my time, besides I already knew him for a while,” said the crystal pony nonchalantly to Volthoom, who rolled his eyes but smiled. Then Amore added excitedly, “And and when the fact that he had a real living body finally sank in I couldn't help myself, besides I always wanted a big family with many herd-mates and foals.”

“At least she will fit like glove in our group,” Dana whispered to her mother as both of them observed the dreamy look that Amore had.

“Indeed, if Volthoom hadn't disappeared and Sombra hadn’t attacked Amore and I would have probably ended up in a herd together and she would have been an aunt or second mother to you,” said Phyllia to her daughter as Amore hugged Volthoom's left arm and leaned on his shoulder after coming back to reality and out of her daydream.

From there the group moved through the city appreciating the architecture and after a while, they managed to reach Apis’ residence. The Queen's residence was a mansion, every Queen had one, a place that functioned as both a residence, a nursery, a daycare and a boarding school. That was a necessity considering that a queen could have a brood with up to hundreds or more nymphs and if they really push their bodies to the limit thousands.

After talking to the guards on the front gate and identifying themselves the group entered the mansion. From there it was a simple question of navigating through the hallways and I didn't take long for the group or arrive in a special room that acted as both a birthing chamber for when a queen was supposed to be immobile for long periods of time.

Entering the chamber the group saw both Apis and Vesp sitting on an elevated portion of the floor that was cushioned and were surrounded by many pillows as they sat cross-legged in front of each other talking amicably while wearing comfortable and loose clothes. They seemed comfortable despite their current condition, the skin of the midriff was quite stretched and it was actually possible to see the outline of the eggs inside the wombs and their bellies looked big enough to fit an adult inside, granted, one of average size since it was half of the size of a queen.

However, the most noticeable change was their tails, the length of both have grown considerably, it practically doubled, but it was their width that was the most noticeable change. The skeletal structure of their tails was very similar to the skeleton of a snake, which allowed the underside of their tails to stretch considerably and allowed its internal chamber to act as a secondary womb, a form of Physogastrism similar to the growth experience by eusocial arthropods queens, or more specifically, a termite queen. Their tails at this point were living egg sacs that were attached to their bodies, like a xenomorph queen.

Being his first time in such a place Volthoom looked around the chambers, the walls were decorated with art painted directly on the walls and ceiling, aside from the queens there were nurses and attendants to take care, monitor and bring anything the immobile queens requested. Despite the architecture and decoration being undoubtedly characteristic of changeling culture with its almost alien feel the place reminded Volthoom of those rooms associated with harems in many depictions of Middle Eastern culture.

Fun fact, the word harem originally meant “a sacred/inviolable place” and it was used to refer to the rooms where the women of the house would stay and men were forbidden inside if they didn’t have a close familial relationship with the women in question. While the word was also used to refer to the group of wives and/or concubines in a polygamous household nowadays the word was more associate a group of girls after one guy, or at least it was when Volthoom left Earth.

“And this is why you need to practice your self-control. I mean, you could have become this big only if you let yourself go and kept mating for days without restraining or in this case, if you had a partner that is extremely fertile and you didn't even try to stop your body from releasing egg cells,” Phyllia lectured her daughters, interrupting Volthoom's analysis. He couldn't help himself since it was his first time seeing a queen this big, even with what he glimpsed in the mindscape throughout the years.

The two youngest Queens didn't seem to pay much attention to the scolding they were receiving from their mother and were instead enjoying the constant care they were receiving from the nurses and attendants that were monitoring them, especially the breezies that were grooming their manes and wings. That caused Phyllia to facepalm and mutter to herself, "Honestly, I'm surprised that something like this didn't happen sooner."

While the former and soon to be ruler of the Crystal Empire was standing there and just looking at the pair of queens in surprise Volthoom just approached the pair and once he was beside Vesp just gave her a kiss before gently rubbed her egg-filled belly. Vesp moaned at the touch and love she was receiving from her mate, so much so that she just closed her eyes to enjoy the sensations for a bit longer after Volthoom pulled back and missed the pout that her sister was making.

Of course, as soon as he pulled back Volthoom did the same with Apis, while the youngest queen of us receiving attention from her mate the Empress and the oldest Queen just facepalmed at the dismissive attitude of the pair. After the brief exchange Volthoom sat between the queens on his knees, with his back facing the entrance and Amore couldn’t help but let her eye roam and take in Volthoom’s rather feminine profile, especially his shapely behind resting on his legs, which was very visible because of his casual pants was just right to show off his figure and this caused Amore to giggle.

“Hello!” said Amore excitedly catching the attention of everyone in the room along with a small spike of lust and joy that caught the attention of the changelings.

“Hello, may I ask to who am I addressing?” asked Vesp politely as she noticed the pony for the first time, the way she carried herself and the way she was dressed was indicative of a royalty, but Vesp never saw a pony with a very glossy and bright coat of fur that resembled glass or crystal like the one in front of her.

“Oh, that's right I almost forgot,” since Phyllia quietly to herself and noticing that Apis was not paying attention to Amore the empress decided to introduce her guest, “She is Queen Amore from the Crystal Empire a very old friend of mine. She came to the capital to visit and to meet the rest of the family since she is both an ally, a fellow ruler in the most recent addition to our little ‘group’ if you know what I mean.”

“Really?” asked Apis before looking at her mate, who was beside her, and she lightly punched him in the arm before saying, “You had to add another one didn't you? You are incorrigible, I don't particularly mind but you have to learn how to control yourself, especially with that charm of yours.”

That comment caused everyone present, except Amore and Apis to roll their eyes and give a deadpan expression while looking at the youngest Queen. Ironic that she would comment about self-control especially considering her and Vesp's current condition, that however didn't detract from the amusement they were feeling from all this.

"How come you two don't know who she is? Haven't you two keeping up with the news using the hive mind?" asked Dana and by the rather nervous and embarrassed look they had when they didn't look her in the eye she didn't need an answer, so she just commented, "You mean to tell me that the two of you have not contacted the hive mind in more than a week."

"Well..." started Apis before trailing off. Then Vesp continued for her, "In our defense, we decided to not bother with the news unless it was an emergency or a message directed at us."

"Unbelievable," said Dana and Phyllia at the same time to themselves.

From there the group made in itself comfortable and they spend the rest of the afternoon just talking about silly things and inconsequential things. They chose to spend the night in Apis’ mansion and after breakfast, they would continue their tour throughout the capital.

“By the way, I just remembered something,” said Volthoom catching the attention of those present. Seeing that they were paying attention he continued, “I had some ideas to let both of you have some form of mobility despite your condition.”

“And what would that idea be?” asked Vesp.

“Yeah, because both mother and our other sisters I had some ideas to help gain some form of mobility, except for Chrysalis who hates being stuck in one place for too long,” said Apis.

“Oh, I remember that. Normally for this occasion, we use either a centaur-like or a serpentine-like design, but considering their size I don't think this is going to work,” said Dana.

“Besides it cost too much magic to keep such a transformation for long periods of time,” commented Phyllia.

“Well, that was indeed my first plan, however, unlike all of you I know a myriad of alien species to use as a basis for a new form and I know just what type of species I'm going to use in this case,” said Volthoom as he got up from his position and backed away from the group enough space, then a flicker of chromatic rainbow colored flame erupted around him in the form of a ring.

Volthoom assumed his female form, however, the currently female Changeling made sure to lengthen her tail too much Vesp and Apis’. From there Val used her ring to create egg-shaped constructs inside her tail, from the outsiders’ perspective it looked like her tail was slowly inflating as they saw the membranous chitin stretched until matched Vesp and Apis’. All changelings present blushed at the display, to them it was a display of everything they associated with fertility and it affected all the changeling royals that were present greatly, the mere thought that Val would be this big and carrying a brood that might as well be theirs almost sent them over the edge.

Even the non-changelings who normally wouldn't be affected that much by this were affected by the sheer amount of lust radiating from all the changelings present. Amore just giggled at the situations, she could feel the lust in the air and she couldn't help but think how interesting things are going to be from now on with her new family.

“Wow,” said Val as she shivering at the feeling of the “eggs” inside her, she could hear the clicking of the shells as they bumped against each other as she moved as well as the same shells rubbing against her flesh and it was actually possible to see the outlines of said “eggs” through her stretched skin. Good thing she turned herself into a complete female changeling for this demonstration instead of her usual hermaphrodite form, otherwise, she would be supporting a very painfully obvious erection, however, that didn't stop her female anatomy from producing its natural lubricant as a sign of arousal and she couldn't help but add, “No wonder you two just want to sit there and revel in this feeling.”

Val’s only response was silence —apart from the giggle from Amore— and when she looked around she was hit by a wave of lust and desire, that didn't help. However, she used her ring to absorb most of the lust in the air until it was more or less back to normal. Then she proceeded to give an annoyed look as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts that were straining the fabric of her shirt, which caused almost everyone to look away from Val in a vain attempted to not look at her out of embarrassment only to steal glances at her and repeat the process.

The Changeling Royals, however, were shameless ogling Val and the Lightsmith turned Queen just gave them a deadpan look. Then Amore just stopped trying to hold back her laughter at the absurdity of the situation and the sounds of other non-changelings laughter slowly joined her.

“Are you done?” asked Volthoom after everyone calmed down, despite all the delicious sensations she was feeling right now it was starting to get uncomfortable to just stand. Then she asked, “Do you want to see my idea or not?”

“Sorry sorry, but you have to admit that you transforming like this would have a very noticeable effect on everyone present,” said Phyllia, which caused Apis, Dana and Vesp to snort at the understatement of their mother’s words.

Ignoring the little banter Val proceeded with her demonstration, which caused her lower half to be engulfed by the same flames from before, however, she made sure that the transformation was slower so the other could see the changes, luckily her whole wardrobe was made of special material that allowed her to transform without destroying them.

On the top of Val’s tail, eight plates started to grow until it covered roughly a third of the oversized appendage, from four spots along the ends of the plates four curved spikes started to grow until they reached the ground and her original legs started to disappear as the spikes stated to support her body.

Three points of articulating appeared on the length of the spikes and three small extensions grew from its tip, not long after those present realized that the “spikes” where actually insect-like legs and the extension on its ends where feet that resembled a mixture of a bird’s talon and a spider’s claw with three fingers points outward.

Then a web-like membrane connecting the legs grew and stretched without hampering Val’s movements while rib-like structures protruded from the space between the plates and grew around the egg-sac to better protect it. Lastly, the tip of her tail extended further until it could easily reach her front and the blade increased in size until it was more or less half of the size of her humanoid torso.

As the transformation ended Val carefully moved her legs and walked slowly, more because of the sensation of the “eggs” shifting with her movements than the new body structure. It was distracting but she managed to move without problems, then she made a few poses to show off her secondary torso.

“So, what do you think?” asked Val but her answer was only silence as the group looked at her new body. She walked toward the group and stopped before lowering her front and lean forward to snap her fingers in front of Amore.

“WHAT?!” shouted Dana after coming back to reality and the shout also breaking the bewilderment of the rest.

Seeing that everyone was back to normal Val just straightened her posture and asked, “So, what do you think?”

“How?” asked Phyllia as she studied Val’s new body, despite its scorpion-like appearance she could tell that it wasn't based on a scorpion, mostly, from the position of the legs alternating between plates she would at first assume that it was inspired by a centipede but with the number of legs reduced.

“Why the membrane and blade?” asked Vesp as Phyllia continued her introspection.

“Oh, it's because this form was originally made for battlefield applications and I had to do little to no alterations. This form is actually among some of my designs to be used in the army if necessary,” said Val.

“How? That form isn't exactly practical,” asked Apis with curiosity in her voice as she wondered what other “designs” Val had.

“Yeah, not to mention that the cost of keeping that form must be pretty high,” interjected Amore since she spent the day prior learning the basics about her new allies and family. And even if that wasn't the case she knew that form changing spells were very costly, at least the more complex ones.

“You forget that unlike before we have an additional energy source that helps reduce the cost of a transformation like this one,” said Val as she lowered herself on the ground. Out of reflex, the nurses tried to stop her, it took a while to remember that she wasn't truly carrying eggs, besides she lifted the membrane on one side to show them the “rib cage” that acted as an additional protection. Then Val motioned for a group of breezies to come closer.

“How may we help, my Lady?” asked a breezie with the typical nurse uniform with the symbol of a stylized tree on her chest —the symbol that the flutter ponies of old associated with healing and nurturing, thus medicine— and without a cap, she had a light blue coat, green mane and tail plus the typical clear wings, but by the red tribal markings on her coat and the small bones tying her mane she was of the pixie variety.

“Could you bring me two Type-B Polymorphic Amulets?” asked Val politely.

“It might take a while but it will be done,” said the pixie pony before she and the other breezie flew out of the room.

“Polymorphic Amulets?” asked Amore as she tilted her head a bit to the side.

“It's an amulet that allows anyone to change to a specific form that was imprinted in the amulet and it can even ‘lock’ the current form of a being, very useful for infiltration,” explained Dana.

“And the ‘Type’ part?” asked Amore.

“Type-A ‘locks’ the form but adds a constant drain in one’s reserves of mana and if your mana ever gets below what’s needed to maintain the alternative form will cause it to fade while the Type-B has a power source that doesn't drain the user but the Amulet must be kept on the person at all times otherwise the form fades, however, that is countered by the fact that the gems can meld with the user and only the user, someone who was keyed to he stone or with specialized tools can remove it,” explained Val.

“One of Val’s most impressive inventions,” said Vesp.

“Yeah, plus there are other amulets with different effects and many civilian changelings place up to three of them just below the neck, it's quite stylish,” said Apis and Amore that some changelings on the way had gemstone-like objects on their chests and at first she thought it was natural.

“However, they can be placed anywhere on the body and anyone, not just changelings, can use them, plus the amulets come in many shapes and sizes, it’s actually a form of art that’s becoming popular recently,” said Dana.

“Out of curiosity, what is the purpose of this form? And on what you based it?” asked Phyllia with a serious tone.

“Well, this form was designed to act as a... ‘mobile platform’ I suppose is the best description, to carry supplies and wounded across and from the battlefield as well as being able to defend itself of attacks,” explained Val. Then she added, “As for what I based. I based them on two different species one is an insectoid and highly adaptable psychic that is part of a collective whole called Zerg Swarm and its purpose is simply to consume biomass and evolve, so much so they can strip whole worlds of resources before moving to the next, like grasshoppers.”

Ignoring the looks of horror Val continued her explanation but kept the hologram she created using her ring, “The second is a highly volatile interdimensional life-form that mutated in a hostile environment. The dimension it came from was composed purely of digital information and it was essentially a virus that became sentient, its called Armagemon.”

After finishing her explanation Val let them observe the two creatures and compare them to her current form and after their curiosity was satisfied she dissipated the holograms. From there the kept chatting trying to get the dark thoughts about the two monsters that Val just mentioned to them until the breezies came back with two Amulets, both of them looked like elliptical gems with the front being a dull silver color and the back being a clear crystal. The front was actually a gem capable of memorizing a form and the clear part was a gem capable of holding emotional and magical energies to power the first gem. They were grown and shaped in such a way that it looked like a single gem.

“Here lady Valthane,” said one of the breezies using the alternative name that Val chose for her female form, so Val nodded before taking an amulet in each hand before placing them just below her collarbone and when they touched her skin they melded with it leaving the two gems fused on her skin. Then she carefully concentrated on her form and used her magic to imprint it on the stones before dissipation the constructs inside her and store their energy on the other facet of the gem.

Then Val transformed back into her normal form and did a quick spell to swap her current clothes for her PJ since it was late and they would spend the night here, otherwise, she could have just teleported back to either the HQ or the Palace, her used clothes appearing back in her room on HQ, she stayed as a female for now though.

“So, want to try that form?” asked Val as she rejoined the group on the mattress.

“Maybe tomorrow, it's getting late after all,” said Vesp and not long after Apis yawned.

“Yeah,” said Apis in an agreement as she rubbed her eyes, the added, “Oh, you should sleep here with us, I insist.”

Val just laid on the mattress among the many pillows and it didn’t take long for Vesp and Apis to lay beside their mate and used her chest as a pillow after placing a Cushion Spell on their horns. Of course, the pair was careful to not bump on the crystals just below the collarbone of their mate and they smiled as they felt Val’s arm pull them closer before placing a hand on their bellies.

“Aww, they look so cute together,“ said Amore as fawned over the trio, then she pouted and said, “Um, I kinda feel left out now.”

Amore was answered in the form of a hug from behind and a kiss on each cheek from Dana and Phyllia, then the Empress said, “You still got us.”

Amore just giggled and like Val, she switched her dress for her favorite nightgown and she was not even fazed by the fact that she did that in front of many strangers. She always thought that it was fine to show off one’s body to the world since it was a gift and blessing of the gods, she always thought that her own subjects were a bit too prudish for her taste.

Dana and Phyllia did the same and snuggled with their new addition to the family, they were just glad that they were able to enjoy the little thing in life and the two were glad to be able to just hug Amore after thousands of years of guilt and regret weighing in their shoulders. They spend many nights lost in the memories they had together, Phyllia more so than Dana.

Phyllia always thought that she should have done more to help Volthoom and Amore when Sombra’s Coup d'État took place and Dana always felt like something was missing from her life and this feeling was always accompanied by the distant memory of tall regal crystal pony mare holding her as a foal.

The nurses and attendants smiled as they felt the happiness radiating from the Royals and returned to their tasks.

Next day, morning

The group had a rather uneventful morning, when they woke up Val gave the amulets to Apis and Vesp and they tested their new forms after breakfast, naturally they fed off of Val’s energy and later ate a few snacks… ok a lot of snacks, cravings were not easy to deal with. They chose to transform sparely since they didn’t mind staying in one place that much and the only indication of their newfound freedom of movement was the oval gemstone located just below their necks.

Dana and Phylia opted to stay with Apis and Vesp, both to be present when they start laying their eggs and to have a serious talk about their self-control. Amore left with Val to explore the rest of the city. Amore took every opportunity to just lean on the shoulder of the taller changeling while enjoying her visit and Val reciprocated the affection by just placing her arm around the mare's waist.

After some sight-seeing, the couple decided to visit Chrysalis since Val wanted to spend some time with her and her new brood, besides it was almost time for lunch anyway. They arrived on another mansion and Amore looked in awe at the architecture and the way it blended with the artificial environment of the underground cave but also stood out with looking out of place as they passed through the gate and reached the door, which Val knocked.

It didn’t take long for someone answer it, surprisingly it was Pharynx and he was wearing just gray sweatpants and was topless with a towel around his neck. Judging by the sweat running down his body he was working out, however, immediately after identifying the visitor he straightened his posture and saluted.

“Good morning grandmaster!” said Pharynx out of reflex.

“At ease, we just came for a visit,” said Val and Pharynx before noticing Amore, so he added a little more relaxed, “Good morning Queen Amore.”

“I’m not a queen yet, not for a few more days,” said Amore amicably and Pharynx nodded before motioning them to come in.

“We’re not interrupting anything important are we?” asked Val.

“Not at all ma’am, I just finished my exercises and was about to take a bath with some of my brothers and sisters,” answered Pharynx.

“Well, don’t let us keep you from enjoying your free time we just came to visit Chrysalis,” said Val.

“She and Lady Mili are in the nursery with Prince Pupa and Prince Poly,” said Pharynx.

“Thank you Pharynx I know the way,” said Val and Pharynx nodded before leaving the two visitors and head for the communal bathhouse. Then Val tuned to Amore and asked, “Shall we?”

Amore just nodded before following Volthoom through the hallways deeper into the mansion and eventually they reached a door with some childish drawings in a small plate that read “playroom”. Volthoom gently knocked on the door and waited, then the door was open by a labrador-like Diamond dog nurse with a slender figure and a brown fur coat that he recognized as the head nurse.

“Greetings my lady,” said the head nurse will likely as she opened the door.

“Hello Greta,” said Val as she entered the room. Most of the floor what's covered by a colorful mattress while the nymphs were divided into groups and she could already see that the characteristic white skin that they were born with was slowly acquiring some color. The babies were playing with various toys that were scattered around the room. There was a group of nurses monitoring the children and it was possible to see both Pupa and Poly playing with the younger changelings.

The two little princes were just placing their hands in front of their eyes before removing them and show a look of surprise, a childish game but one that was able to occupy and amuse the younger audience. During Val's observation, a nearby group stopped what they were doing and just look at the new arrivals and they instinctively recognized the lightsmith as both a protector in a source of food and just like babies normally do they held up their hands expecting to be carried from behind the pen that separated the entrance and a small area from the rest of the room, an area without the cushioned floor and with small round tables.

“Aww, aren't they the cutest little things ever?” said Amore as she looked at Greta and the nurse nodded, so she carefully picked the nymph that was closest to her, she couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl but the nymph had pink chitin and baby blue eyes. Those baby blue eyes looked at Amore with curiosity before squealing in happiness as the nymph felt the joy radiating from the crystal pony. Then she turned to the head nurse and asked, “Colt or filly?”

“So far a colt,” said the nurse as she picked another nymph and looked confused for a moment as she couldn't see the rest of the group, thankfully her confusion and rising worry was erased when she looked at Val. At some point, the lightsmith shapeshifted two pairs of additional arms and process to hold and play with the four remaining nymphs. Amore had a confused look at the nurse answer and Greta noticed the pony's confusion, then she remembered that Amore wasn't raised on the Changeling Empire, so she clarified what she meant, "He is a hermaphrodite but so far his energy is leaning more toward the male end of the spectrum."

Amore just nodded before her attention was caught by the nymph gently tugging her mane and seeing that he had her attention back he proceeded to just smiled and make baby noises. Amore just nuzzled the little one and she wished she had more arms like Val to give more hugs to this source of cuteness. She was so distracted that she didn't even protest when Val used one of her free hands to guide her until they reached the table that Chrysalis and Mili were sitting not too far from the door in the area where the nurses and the two queens were just chatting and observing the children, essentially the area where they could take a break without leaving the nymphs alone.

“Hello Chrysalis,” said Val as she sat on an empty chair beside the Chrysalis and Amore sat in front of Val.

“Hello Val,” said Chrysalis and Mili before the latter looked at Amore. Chrysalis attention was on the four that Val brought with her, more specifically the two that were reaching out to their mother, so she shapeshifted an additional pair of arms and carefully lifted the two, shapeshifting was a blessing when it came to taking care of multiple children, a gift that the changeling had no problem in using.

“Hello, I'm Amore the soon to be Queen of the Crystal Empire,” said Amore to Mili.

“Wouldn't be Empress instead of Queen?” asked Chrysalis as she gently released her mane from the little hand of one of her nymphs before tying it in a ponytail.

“Nah, Queen is just fine,” said Amore before she lifted the little one and booped his nose with her own and cooed, “don't you agree?”

Amore's answered came in the form of another squeal of happiness, then Chrysalis said, “Um, he seems to like you a lot.”

“Oh, I forget to ask, what's his name?” asked Amore as she let the little one rest on her shoulder.

“He doesn't have one yet,” answered Mili as she distracted the two little ones in Val's as she tied her own mane in a ponytail to keep it away from the nymphs.

“Huh?” was Amore immediate response before asking, “Why?”

“Normally, we wait for the nymphs to lose their ‘newborn's color’ before naming them,” answered Chrysalis.

“Can I name him?” asked Amore shyly.

“I see no problem with that, besides with how many children we queens tend to have names are more often than not chosen by the nurses and/or surrogates that took care of them,” answered Chrysalis and Amore expression brightened as she looked into the eyes of the little one and he tilted his head in confusion.

“Rondo,” said Amore and the little one seemed to like it if the smile was any indication.

From there they just chatted about their plans for the future and at some point the princes joining them and proceed to greet Val excitedly, it's not every day they can spend time with their grandfather —currently grandmother— but they didn't mind since they knew she was busy. They, however, stopped when most of the nymphs started to cry at the same time, at first Amore tried to calm him down but nothing seemed to work and it wasn't until she noticed that the head nurse was trying to get Amore’s attention that she realized what was going on.

The nurse was with her top undone and was breastfeeding a nymph carefully being held in one of her big hand-like paws while she motioned to Rondo and Amore reluctantly handed him to the nurse who expertly guided Rondo to her free breast, cleary she had a lot of experience nursing, however, if it was as a mother or as a wet nurse it was up to debate.

“Well, its almost time for lunch, we can eat something after the nymphs are asleep, ok?” said Chrysalis as she too was nursing two nymphs while she talked to Phyllia and Poly who nodded in agreement.

Val opted to help Chrysalis by feeding the two she was holding and Amore had to admit that she liked the motherly aura that her mate was giving off. It didn’t take long for all the nymphs to be fed and burped, so the nurses took them all to another room to take a nap and while they were sleeping the Royals left the playroom and went to the kitchen were the chefs prepared a simple but delicious meal. After that Val just spend some time with her (grand)daughters and Mili while Chrysalis asked for some time alone with Amore, so they could talk.

“Do you want to adopt him?” asked Chrysalis after the servants cleaned the table.

“What?” asked Amore.

“Do you want to adopt Rondo?” asked Chrysalis again, this time being more specific.

“Just like that?” asked Amore in disbelief and confusion, the thought of a mother giving away a foal —nymph in this case— was almost unthinkable.

*Sigh* “It might seem strange for a pony,” said Chrysalis as she felt the crystal pony’s emotions, she never had that problem since she was born a changeling but Dana and Phyllia had a hard time managing their time and attention when they each had their first brood, Phyllia more so than Dana since she was a pony for most of her life at that point. Chrysalis learned about that struggle when she asked for advice from her mother when she had her first brood herself.

“And it isn't for a changeling?” asked Amore still in disbelief.

“Not for queens at least, you saw how many nymphs we can have at once, can you honestly say that the way ponies, or even most mammals in general, raise their youngs is suitable for the situation?” asked Chrysalis as she felt the conflicting emotions from Amore, the pony knew it wasn't her place to judge a different culture and species, however, her instincts told her that it was wrong and despite all that the logical part of her mind knew it was just impractical for a single person or even a couple to raise so many children, with a herd it might be possible, but only if the brood wasn't too big.

*sigh* “Not it isn't,” Amore answered begrudgingly. Then she asked, “How you do it then?”

“In the past we would just place the nymphs in a chamber with a source of energy to let them feed on it, then they would be taught what they need to know, however, over the years we let them be adopted by their caretakers or families that desired to have a child and that became standard when the Empire started to accept non-changelings in our midst since the love of an adopted family would be more than enough to feed them,” explanation Chrysalis.

“I see,” said Amore simply.

“So?” asked Chrysalis.

“Just… give some time to think,” said Amore as she got up.

“Of course, adopting a child is not an easy decision. Regardless, I wish only for a good future for my children,” said Chrysalis as she too got up and the pair went to meet with Val.

Soon enough it was time for the little princes to take a nap as well and after everything, she thanked Chrysalis for the hospitality and left with Amore to visit the last two places to complete their tour. The couple moved through the city until they reached the train station and after Val showing her pass the two of them boarded the train.

The train itself was a marvel of technology using a combination of magic and scientific principles, they were able to create tracks with runes capable of conducting energy and another set of runes on the bottom of the train itself allowed the vehicle to float above the tracks, essentially they recreated a Maglev bullet train.

“The wonders of Magitek,” thought Val as she saw Amore sit by the window of the VIP car while she sat at Amore's left, however, Val asked when she the notice the thoughtful look on Amore's face, “Is something wrong?”

“Wha- what? No no nothing is wrong, it's just that Chrysalis asked if I wanted to adopt Rondo,” said Amore.

“I see, take your time and I'm willing to support whatever you decide,” said Val as she hugged Amore, a hug that was emphasized by the fact that currently, the Changeling Queen had three pairs of arms.

Amore just leaned on Val’s shoulder as she felt one arm behind her shoulders with a hand rest on her right arm, another behind her back and with a hand resting on her waist while the last with its hand on her hips. Amore just closed her eyes and basked in the warmth and love of her guardian, teacher and mate before saying quietly, “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” said Val tenderly and they stayed like this until the conductor announced that the train would be departing soon. When the train started to move Val dissipated her transformation and Amore looked at the window. The crystal pony saw the train slowly moving and accelerating before leaving the city behind. Soon after it left the urban area and her expression brightened.

Val just smiled at the childish awe in Amore's eyes as she took in the scenery of the underground ecosystem. Contradictory to the belief of the inhabitants on the surface underground wasn't just a bunch of interconnected tunnels with some empty areas, actually, it was to a point but when you venture further down you find a whole new world that was both familiar and alien, and that was before the placement of crystals that mimicked the day-night cycle on the more urban areas.

However the “countryside” still had many of its original appeal, from the giant fluorescent mushrooms and rivers filled with glowing algae that looked like a piece of the night sky to the other insectoid non-sentient creatures that were mutated from the pools that birthed the changeling race, these creatures were bred as cattle. Even the fields with rows of leafless tree bearing fruits that didn't need sunlight and looked more like something you would see in the bottom of the ocean as well as the pulsing disc like mushrooms that grew on some of the walls that held the nest of bird-like creatures that seemed to have mirror-like feathers.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and relaxing trip as Amore asked about the various creatures that inhabited the rural and wild areas of the underground. About an hour later they arrived on another city, it was smaller than the capital but it was more colorful and there were more crystals on the ceiling that replicate the sky almost perfectly, where she could see the blurry image of the sun and clouds on the ceiling. The light of the afternoon sun was shining on the shore of a huge lake where the city was located and stretching out from its sides were beaches of white sand that ended when they met the stone walls of the cave.

“This is the second biggest coastal city in the Empire and the biggest one in this side of the continent, it's also where Iso’s hive is located,” explained Val.

“Wow, how is it called?” asked Amore.

“The Hub,” said Val.

“Hub?” asked Amore.

“Not ‘Hub’, it is 'The Hub’. The city got its name from being the center of trade in the eastern half of the Empire, both with the inhabitants of the continent at the east as well as the city from the lands further south. The city actually has two levels, the visible one you see at first and an underwater level with a sizeable community of sea ponies,” explained Val.

“Sea ponies?!” shouted Amore excitedly, which caught the attention of passers-by, but they opted to just continue what they were doing figuring that Amore was just an over-enthusiastic tourist. Her enthusiasm was to be expected since she never met a sea pony before and she was looking forward to meeting one.

“Indeed, that lake is actually connected to the ocean by many underwater tunnels,” said Val.

As the couple left the station Val felt her ring pulse, they stopped and Val lifted her left hand with her palm facing up, then she channeled the pulses of energy into her hand and a small hologram of Ambly appeared on Val’s hand.

“Yes?” asked Val.

“I'm deeply sorry for interrupting you break Grandmaster, but we have a situation here in the north,” said Ambly hesitantly.

“What situation?” asked Val with a serious tone.

“The spy on the Northern Equestrian Outpost was compromised,” said Ambly.

“Damnit,” thought Val figuring that they had another week or two before Celestia uncovered the return of the Crystal Empire, even Amore wasn't eager to deal with the Royal Sisters so soon, specifically after the whole fiasco where her nation and subject where they were frozen and gone for millennia.

“That's not all ma’am, we caught a group of Equestrians inside the Empire's borders,” said Ambly.

“Great,” said Val sarcastically as she pinched the bridge of her nose before she added, “This couldn't be any worse.”

“Well…” started Ambly and by the look on her face, Val knew that she just tempted fate. Val cursed Murphy's Law and Amore’s eyes widen when they heard Ambly say, “There is an alicorn on the group.”

"Dammit, Celestia," said Val to herself.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, I'm kinda using my free time to catch up with some of the games and animes that I put off in favor of writing a while back.

The inspiration for the name is a musical term because of a certain alicorn:
Cadence: A melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of resolution.
Cadenza: A solo section, usually in a concerto or similar work, that is used to display the performer's technique, sometimes at considerable length.
Amore: Is Italian for love and is sometimes used to refer to love songs.
Rondo: A musical form in which a certain section returns repeatedly, more often than not the principal theme, interspersed with other sections: ABACA is a typical structure or ABACABA.
As for Volthoom's female name, I just tweaked the pronunciation to have an alternative name.

Also, for those that are interested or confused, I decided to place some limitations on the changelings' ability to shapeshift:
1. Their ability is instinctual and magical in nature, its possible for a spellcaster to replicate it but the cost of mana is higher since it isn't an innate ability.
2. The greater the differences in the intended shape and the default form of a changeling adds to the cost of mana and concentration, and by that I mean factors like anatomy, density, complexity, size, among others.
3. Changelings already possess at least two "presets" that can be switched with negligible cost, their "default form" and their "battle form". They can make more "presets" later in life but they are still subsite to the cost of mana and since its second nature for them to keep these forms the concentration is instinctual at this point.
4. If the form is almost identical to the default form or if they are changing just the outside of their bodies then they can easily maintain such a form for long periods of time even in their sleep, however, no matter what change they make it doesn't change their "mana signature", which is like a magical fingerprint and additional spell(s) are required to disguised it, thus adding to the cost.
5. Despite assuming the form of the opposite gender a changeling can only reproduce using the biology he/she/it was born with, so a male changeling can't get pregnant despite assuming a female form and a female changeling can't impregnate another female even in a male form, the only exceptions are royal changelings, however, they can simulate pregnancy for infiltration purpose or other kinky reasons.
I placed those restrictions because in the show there seems to be no discernible limit to their ability to shapeshift, as was shown by Pharynx. Side note, I kinda wanted to give a purpose to the trio of gemstone-like objects in their chests.

Anyway, this chapter ended up being longer than I intended and I thought about turning this chapter into two but decided against it, it was mostly focused on worldbuilding, sorry if it was slow or disappointing. I might be able to post another chapter but no promises because after this I plan to focus on my other fic "The Overlord".

I based the underground ecosystem on many depictions of fictional civilizations mostly a combination of Pandora from Avatar, Blackreach from Elder Scrolls and Atlantis from Atlantis: The Lost Empire as well as some other sources. Side note, I replayed Undertale recently and because of that I kinda had Muffet in my mind while writing this chapter —she is my favorite character by the way— as well as Star Butterfly, both her Mewberty and Butterfly forms, from Star Vs The Forces Of Evil.