The trip back to Canterlot was a long one. Amber was relaxing on the couch across from me in the small cabin, her eyes locked at the window as she watched the landscape slowly pass by.

We had spent three days in Ponyville and despite having spent each night in the dreamrealm with Luna, I couldn't wait to get back to her. I loved Sunny, but she and Sparky had been apart for longer than Luna and I and I didn't want to be too much in the way for them.

Sadly, going to Ponyville had been necessary... and useful. I could fly again, if not as good as before... and I wasn't exactly a wonderbolt in the first case. But I could get from A to B, the rest was just practice. The special illusion I had managed on like the third try, it wasn't that different from what I usually did, just in a different way and cast without unicorn magic. So going to Ponyville had been useful and likely the right thing to do. Spending time to Sunny and Sparky was always fun, it had been nice to get to know Fluttershy better too. She was a genuinely nice pony. Somepony that ever since her curse manifested when she got her cutiemark, had to hide who she was.

If anypony had ever deserved better than that, it was her.

I just wished it was anything I could do about it.

Despite everything else, the thought of going back to my Luna again made me feel almost giddy. Tonight, I had no more plans than to sweep her off her hooves and hold her close... metaphorically speaking anyway, she was larger than me after all. But then I had plans to make, plots to spin.

After all, I did once threaten to kidnap her to a deserted island somewhere and I planned to make good on that promise. Well, almost. Not quite deserted, we did need somepony to handle the drinks. Celestia know I can't make anything more complicated than adding sodawater.

"Sir?" Amber said and turned to look at me as the train started to climb up around the mountain towards the city.

"Yes?" I asked, looking up from my notebook.

"Princess Skitter wishes to see you as soon as we arrive. A message arrived just before we left Ponyville."

I put down my quill, "Did she say what it was about?"

"The other Changelings."

"As in the ones we... acquired?"

Amber shook her head, "The other Hives. That's all I know, sir."

I looked down at the notebook before I flicked my ears in slight annoyance and nodded, "Okay, we'll go see her as soon as we arrive."

There was always something, wasn't there?

##############

You would think the changeling hive would be more intimidating after dark, but not really. It was all underground and all black resin walls and green lights and filled with beings that looked at ponies as friend shaped food. How much worse could it get anyway?

As I followed Amber into the hive and down through the tunnels, passing changelings on the way I absolutely refused to be intimidated by their style of construction. Not only because after everything I went through, being afraid of walls was silly. But also because they would know it. I like changelings, they can't be blamed for what they are. What's more, these ones were trying their best to work with us and they were our friends.

The tunnel lead all the way down to the throne room/love storage. The two larger than average changelings guarding the door with spears in their hooves, shifted to the side when we got closer.

The throneroom. That meant that...

Chrysalis were lounging on the throne inside like a large chitinous feline, all relaxed and glowing eyes. Well, she would have looked relaxed to most ponies. I could tell she was only mildly furious in the same way that you can tell a hurricane at the horizon likely has a bit of a breeze. At the base of the throne was the source of her ire. Skitter was standing and looking up at her mother, a small smile on her lips. All to the world looking just as relaxed as her mother.

Mother and daughter seemed to be getting along as well as usual.

I spread my wings and gave them a small bow, ignoring the tension between them completely with the ease of practice, "Queen Chrysalis. Princess Skitter. You wished to see me?" I asked with a smile.

Chrysalis flicked her eyes to me for a second before she slipped off the throne before moving over towards me. I expected her to stop, but instead she passed me by towards the exit, her side brushing against mine as she murmured, "Talk some sense into my daughter, my little predator," into my ear on the way past.

Then she was gone.

I blinked in surprise and looked after her for a second before I turned back to Skitter, "That was... stranger than usual," I commented and moved over to her, "I take it you were having some sort of disagreement?"

Skitters wings buzzed in annoyance before she nodded as she turned to me before hissing and chittering something in Changeling I couldn’t understand more than a couple of words of before she switched to Equestrian, "Perhaps you can talk some sense into her!"

"What's going on?"

"After the conflict with the former Jungle Hive," Skitter said as she sat down on the steps leading up to the throne, "I proposed sending envoys to seek out the other remaining Hives. If we don't, this kind of thing is going to happen again. If not with Ponies, then with Griffins or other creatures. We no longer need to kidnap and feed on creatures, they don't either!"

I hesitated, "...How many hives are there?"

"Noling knows," Skitter said and frowned, "Mother only know of three that existed last we heard of them. One was the Jungle hive, one is in Griffin territory and one beyond the Badlands."

"I take it different Changeling Hives don't get along?" I asked and sat down next to her.

"Not enough food," she said softly and looked towards one of the tanks of glowing green... congealed love. Or something. I had very carefully not asked exactly what it was or how it was made. I did not want to know. "Usually, when Hives interact, it is in battle for territory or food. If Queen Pincer didn't think Amber would have been useful somehow, she likely would have been killed on sight."

I looked down at my hooved for a long second, "...Is there enough food now? I mean, even with the Crystal Heart, it's not an infinite amount."

"Not here," Skitter said and looked to me, "But the Canterlot Hive only gather in the city and the closest surrounding villages and towns. If they gathered openly where they were, they wouldn't need to capture creatures."

"That could be a difficult sell," I said and turned to her in turn, "Going public like that is against every instinct you have. Only reason you did it was because we forced you."

"But it worked!"

I nodded, "Yes, but it could be dangerous. Very, very dangerous. And even if all the Hives were found, any messenger sent... they would be in deep trouble."

"Mother doesn't think it would work."

I shifted my wings, "...As much as I dislike agreeing with her about... anything, I'm not sure if she's wrong on this one."

Skitter frowned at me, "You think it's a dumb idea."

"I think it's a dangerous idea," I corrected her, "One that might work, but need some serious planning not to blow up in our faces."

"Our?"

"Like I'd leave you on your own for this," I told her with a smile, "But, we're doing it slow and safe. I'm willing to use the Dreamrealm to find the general location of Changelings. But there is one way and one way only we're doing this."

"Oh?"

I looked at her, "If you manage to convince your mother. Without the word of a Queen behind this, none of the other Hives is going to take it seriously. If you can't get her onboard, why would they listen?"

Skitter buzzed her wings loudly in annoyance before she sighed and looked down at the floor, nodding, "...You're right."

"Like I said, this would be a very volatile situation," I said and got up, stretching my wings, "Maybe the best thing would be to just do nothing. To have this Hive thrive, let them see how well things are going."

"Maybe," Skitter agreed and got up as well, "But it could be so much better."

"Sometimes better is not always possible," I sighed, "Especially in politics. Sometimes you have to settle for 'good enough'."