As Luna extinguished her magical hold of the moon, setting it in motion to reach its apex in just a few hours, the wisps of her azure magic faded away into the gentle night time breeze. She softly sighed to herself as she observed the beauty of the stars appearing before her, each one an old friend. Her wings ruffled slightly from the cool breeze, and without a word, she turned on her hooves and made her way back inside.

She walked into the throne room, finding several night guards standing at attention, awaiting her instructions. She walked up to her seat on her own throne, finding that each step up to the glorified chair was harder than the last. With a small huff, she took her seat, relieved to be off of her hooves even after just a few hours awake.

"I will be tending to the dream realm tonight, so there will be no night court, thankfully." Luna announced, receiving a chorus of relieved sighs from the guards before her.

Luna chuckled at the response, "Oh, it isn't that awful. Ponies need to know that they can air their grievances to the crown all hours of the day. Besides, my sister has to deal with the truly troublesome cases." She offered, receiving several chuckles and nods of agreement.

"Shall we patrol the streets then, your highness?" An especially dark furred mare inquired.

Luna nodded, "Yes. I will have no need of protection tonight. See to it that some of you make your way over to the middle district and supervise my husband for a while, will you? I'm sure everything is going alright but... Chrysalis being out in the city still concerns me a bit, even if Anon is sure that she won't cause a ruckus." She instructed.

Nearly a dozen guards saluted, "Yes, Ma'am!" They replied, in unison.

"Thank you. Now, the rest of you have your assignments, so see to them, please. I will be in the dream realm for the rest of the night, but you know how to contact me if something happens." Luna responded, her horn already igniting in a pale white light.

Another series of salutes and other affirmations rang through the gathered thestrals before they all went about their tasks, leaving Luna alone in the throne room as the intensity of her magic strengthened. The white light at the tip of her horn grew brighter and brighter until it completely enveloped her form. Her entire body shown in a white light, before disappearing with a *pop*, leaving nothing but an empty throne.

Now in the dreamscape, Luna blinked the stars from her eyes and shook her head to clear any dizziness that lingered after the spell.

"Note to self... entering the dream realm is growing increasingly taxing through this pregnancy... I might have to restrict my access to dire circumstances until the foal is born going forward... I suppose it's a good thing that nothing I fight in here actually affects my body in the waking world. Wouldn't be able to fight nightmares if it put you in danger little one." Luna muttered aloud, rubbing her still gravid barrel.

With a quick shake of her head, she turned on her hooves and made her way toward the spiraling ball of dreams on the platform before her. She calmly observed the swirling dreams with a raised eyebrow, finding no real nightmares just yet, but with each passing second, more and more dreams appeared before her. It didn't take long for the first nightmare of the night to appear before her, the red tint of the floating amorphous orb cluing her in instantly. With a flippant sigh, she ignited her horn yet again.

"And here I was, thinking it was going to be a slow night." She muttered, before her entire body dissolved into a brilliant white light that darted into the nightmare.

As Luna rematerialized on the other side, she blinked several times to clear her vision, finding that she was standing amidst rubble in what appeared to be a dimly lit locker room. She squinted her eyes to see better, her ears flicking back as the sounds of intense violence outside reached them.

"I wonder what this could be about..." She quietly mumbled to herself, walking toward the staircase at the far end of the room.

Just as she took her first step, however, the sound of buzzing wings reached her ears, and she quickly cast an illusion spell to make herself intangible to the dream, allowing the situation to play out before her before intervening. Just as she completed the spell, no less than thirty changelings buzzed into the room, all of them scurrying past her to chase what she could scarcely identify. Two dark blotches of fur darted through the room, clearly being chased by the swarm.

The changeling invasion? I thought I dealt with all these dreams... although I suppose with them living in Canterlot now, it is reasonable to assume that some ponies might be having nightmares about them once more... I suppose I should intervene. She thought to herself.

Dropping the illusion spell, Luna stepped forward into the middle of the room, her horn flashing a deep azure and sending out a pulse of energy that disrupted all of the changelings in the room. The dark figures that could only have been ponies continued on, unaffected by the blast of magical energy while all of the rest of the creatures in the room fell to the ground, most of them completely paralyzed.

"There we go. No need to fear, my little pony. The changelings won't hurt you, I promise." Luna announced, looking for at least one of the ponies in the room, although she couldn't seem to find them.

As she turned around and searched, she heard distinctive hoofsteps, making her ears flick back toward the pile of frozen changelings. She turned around to see what could only be described as a nightmarish aberration of a pony. Glowing red irises accompanied a sickly black coat and long, fearsome fangs that would put even Chrysalis to shame. Dark purple leathery wings accompanies the monstrosity, along with a pair of blood-soaked blades affixed to their hooves. However, what stood out to her more than anything else, was that the blood was green.

"P-Princess... Luna... Oh Faust, no... Please don't..." The timid, downright terrified voice of Thorax pleaded, from his supine position on the floor, just in front of the demon pony.

"Wait... what?" Luna did a double take, her mind struggling to process just what she was seeing.

"Please... no!" Thorax cried, as the nightmarish aberration thrust his hoof blade straight into his chest.

Luna was too stunned to react, and instantly, the dream collapsed into a swirling vortex of black. She unfurled her wings to try to gain some distance but it was futile, and the last thing she saw before being sucked into the vortex was a pair of glowing red eyes.

Luna was quickly spat back out into the dream realm and landed with a *thud*. She grunted as she landed on her back, her body skidding to a stop over a dozen feet from the spiraling ball of dreams. She quickly pushed herself to her hooves and glanced back at where the dream was just a moment ago, finding the shattered remnants of a destroyed dream before her.

"Dreams only shatter like that when the dreamer dies in the dream... so that means... that changeling... oh no..." Luna's eyes widened in horror.

Anon threw back his fifth whiskey of the night and puffed his chest out, allowing Chrysalis to mimic the action with her own glass, but instead syphon a small amount of love from him. From the way she instantly perked up, Anon could only assume she was feeling much better already.

"Alright, so let's go shot for shot, shoot the shit." Anon declared, resting his elbow on the table.

Chrysalis tilted her head to the side in confusion, "What the hay does that even mean?" She intoned, just the barest hint of mirth in her voice.

"It means, for every drink I drink, you have to answer a question of mine, and vice versa." Anon replied with a smile.

Chrysalis pursed her lips for a moment, before giving a firm nod, "Sounds entertaining. Let's do it."

With that, Anon grabbed another glass of whiskey, "Alright, so since we both just finished one, let's both ask a question. I'll go first. How old are you?"

Chrysalis dismissively waved her hoof and gave a faux posh accent, "Oh, Prince Anon! Don't you know it's in poor taste to ask a mare her age?" She replied, teasingly.

Anon snickered, "I only want to know because you still look so young! Honest!" He playfully replied.

"Oh fine, but only because you've been so accommodating thus far. I'm nine hundred and twenty nine years old." She answered.

Anon let out a low whistle, "Damn. Nine hundred and twenty nine? As far as immortal pony-shaped beings go, you're on the young side. I'd have thought you were at least as old as Luna."

Chrysalis chuckled, "Why thank you, Prince Anon. You're too kind. Now, for my question, I was wondering the same thing. How old are you?" She questioned, looking to him expectantly.

Anon nodded, "Aye, fair enough. I am at the ripe old age of twenty six." He proudly declared.

Chrysalis slowly nodded, "I... see. Is that... is that particularly old for a human?" She pressed.

"Oh extremely. It's a miracle I'm not dead yet. Most humans barely make it to twenty five." Anon dismissively replied.

A look of abject shock plastered itself on Chrysalis's face as her jaw dropped. She nearly dropped her glass as well. She held Anon's gaze for almost ten seconds before she realized that he was barely holding back his laughter, and the mirth radiating off of him clued her in. Her look of shock and concern instantly morphed into a deadpan scowl as Anon howled in laughter.

"Very funny... very funny." She muttered, her eyes avoiding the man at all costs.

"Ahaha! You do care about me! I knew it!" Anon boisterously exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her once more. As his fingers came to a rest on the smooth chitin of her wither, he could help but notice how warm and soft the typically cold and hard material felt to his touch.

The contact, strange as it felt when he first did it, was starting to feel welcome to the changeling Queen. As much as she hated to admit it, the feeling of Anon pressed against her, holding her close as the joy and mirth positively radiated off of him, made both of her hearts beat faster, and a small green blush adorn her muzzle. She quickly dipper her head to hide the blush, mentally cursing herself for letting such a simple gesture elicit such a reaction from her.

"Well excuse me for wanting the one creature that doesn't seem to loathe my species to stick around for a while." She indignantly huffed.

"What about Celestia? She cares about you guys. Hell, she's been at the head of getting you guys all immigrated over here." Anon replied.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, "She's only doing it because she has a bleeding heart. She would do the same for any species. My actions made her distaste me... do you think I can't feel her emotions when she sees me? She wears her heart on her wither almost as much as you do." She explained.

Anon pursed her lips, "Well... you did attack Equestria... and plus there was all that stuff you said to her about feeding on my love for her and all that when you two fought..." He trailed off.

Chrysalis facehoofed, "Ugh... don't remind me... I am sorry for that, by the way. It is... as I explained before."

"I get it. Knowing and feeling your people dying just outside would piss me off too. Just know that Tia doesn't hate you guys... it's just a kinda-sorta fresh-ish wound. A-anyways, I think we got a bit off topic here. Let's keep going with this game. I need another drink." Anon announced, releasing his hold on the changeling Queen and grabbing his glass.

Anon once again downed his drink, giving Chrysalis all the time she needed to sneak another bit of love from him as she pretended to drink as well. The beat of the music dropped in tempo as the song came to a close, and with it, Anon slammed his glass on the table and let out a sigh. Content with her meal as well, Chrysalis halted her actions and simply sat in her chair, a look of satisfaction forming on her muzzle.

"It has been six months since I've had so much love. I can't begin to describe to you what it feels like to have that kind of hunger sated. Thank you." She gratefully acknowledged, dipping her head in thanks.

Anon shrugged, "Hey, no worries. Just let me know when you start to get a buzz. I think that'll be fun to see." He chuckled.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes before fixing him with a daring look, "Alright, so what's your next question?"

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth, "If this is a bit too far or serious, then just let me know and I'll ask another one, but did you really abduct the kings of the Minotaur kingdom and Griffonia and feed off of them until they died way back?" He asked, as politely as he could.

Chrysalis hummed, "Well, while that's technically two questions, it's not a problem. Yes to both, but it is as I explained before. They lived the rest of their lives in utter bliss and ecstasy. Quite an improvement if I do say so, myself." She replied.

Anon tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"That's three questions, Prince Anon." Chrysalis tittered.

Anon rolled his eyes, "Oh come on! You can't just say something like that and not elaborate! I wanna know now!" He exclaimed.

Chrysalis chuckled, "Alright, alright. The griffon and minotaur kings led nations of squalor, at the time. King Greedo and King Bartholomew only attained their vices through conquest and slaughter. Truly a pity too. They wanted happiness but they couldn't find it in all of life's pleasures. It was as if death was the only thing they enjoyed. Death and conquest." She elaborated.

Aon slowly nodded his head, "I... see. Well knowing that, I'm kinda glad you did what you did then. Saved a lot of lives and stopped a couple of psycho's from killing all of Equestria." He replied.

Chrysalis snickered, "Oh, don't think they were the only ones. Celestia has quite a history of violence and bloodshed behind her. Granted, it's been centuries since she's fought anycreature, but back when I first met her? She had a body count in the thousands."

Anon held up his finger, "There's a sex joke I can make out of that but I am honestly terrified by that information. I mean... I kinda knew that, but to hear it from someone who was actually there, back in the day? That's wild. Celly does not like to talk about those days."

Chrysalis shrugged, "It's understandable. She's never had the stomach for war, much like yours truly. She lost her sister just a couple centuries prior, and the entire country depended on her to protect them." She replied, prompting a look of confusion from Anon.

"Uh... not to be rude, but you... don't have a stomach for war?" At Chrysalis's raised eyebrow, he pressed on, "I mean I just thought with the whole invasion thing... you know..." He timidly trailed off.

Chrysalis huffed, "I've told you many times, Prince Anon... it was a desperate attempt when my plans went haywire. My kind live off of love. War is the last place love is plentiful. We've lived for generations in the shadows, out of sight and out of mind. My mistake was bringing us into the light and not expecting the world to reject us at a glance." She dejectedly admitted, looking down into her drink.

The liquor looked as unappetizing to her as her own reflection, and she shook her head in disgust. It only took a moment for her to feel Anon's arm around her wither once more, holding her close.

"You're uh... you're not talking about the invasion, are you?" He asked, a sympathetic look on his face.

Chrysalis shook her head, "No, no I suppose I'm not. When I first made a deal with Celestia, all those centuries ago... her ponies were horrified. Much the same as they are now, I suppose." She sighed.

"Hey, I know things started poorly but... well things are gonna be better now. Your kind are gonna have a food source as long as they don't abuse it, and we'll slowly get ponies warmed up to all of you. Before you know it, changelings and ponies will be best buds. Promise." Anon encouragingly offered, a small smile on his face.

Chrysalis looked up to the tall man for a few moments, a fantastic poker face on her muzzle before she allowed a small smile of her own to form.

"Thank you. By the way, I think you asked about... five or six questions there. My turn." She grinned.

Anon chuckled as he released his hold on the mare, "Alright, that's fair. Shoot."

"Can you tell me about your homeworld? I've always been curious since I first learned of where you come from but until now, I've never had a chance to ask." Chrysalis questioned, the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks as she tapped her hooves together.

Anon smirked, "Oh, so you want to know all that. Well, we gotta head out to meet Fancy in about half an hour, but I can give you the cliff-notes version until then." He offered.

"Cliff... notes?" Chrysalis tilted her head to the side.

Anon chuckled, "All part of the story. So, where to begin..."

Anon and Chrysalis shared a laugh as they both swayed side to side just a bit more noticeably than before. Both wore small blushes on their face as the effects of the alcohol and love influenced them.

"So the first thing you did when you saw a pony was offer them a carrot?" Chrysalis chuckled.

Anon sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, yeah... after getting warped over here by Nightmare Moon and being completely trashed in the first place, I just thought she was a normal horse from back home. To say she was upset at me going "Come here little horsey and let me ride you"... well that'd be an understatement." He replied.

Chrysalis laughed out loud, "Oh that's just too rich. You're just too rich."

Anon shrugged, "Well pregaming before a costume party was probably not the best idea but I didn't exactly expect to find myself in pony land that night." He chuckled.

The two shared another laugh just as Echo, Dusk, and Javelin walked up to them. The two thestrals raised an eyebrow at how chummy the human and changeling were getting so quickly, but opted to say nothing. Javelin, however, had no such reservations.

"Well shit, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were looking to add to your herd, Anon." He smirked.

All the mirth instantly vanished from both Anon and Chrysalis's faces and their blushes only increases in intensity.

"What? Can't a guy just have a few drinks with someone without everyone thinking he want something more?" Anon rebutted, crossing his arms across his chest with a huff.

Javelin snickered, "With how much you've had to drink already, I'm surprised you can even hold a conversation anymore."

Anon looked over to the dozen empty glasses beside him and pursed his lips, "There... were a lot less glasses there a minute ago..." He trailed off.

"This place is starting to get boring. Let's head to the Pillars." Dusk suggested, nodding toward the exit.

Anon nodded and looked down to his wristwatch, "Oh yeah, we need to get over there now anyway. Fancy should be there any minute." He acknowledged, before turning to the bartender, "Can I close out my tab!?" He called.

"Sure thing, your highness!" The bartender replied from across the bar.

While she still approached with a measure of caution, she appeared infinitely less afraid of Chrysalis as the mare walked up to Anon. She rang his tab up and fixed him with a smile.

"Okay, that comes up to one hundred and twenty seven bits." She announced.

Anon nodded and fished his bit pouch out of his pocket. He quickly counted up his bits and deposited them on the bar-top, ensuring to leave a healthy tip. After giving the mare a moment to collect the bits and give the affirmative that they were all good to go, Anon turned back to his group.

"Alright gang, one bar down, several to go... unless we get too drunk before we get to the next one... Let's hit up the Pillars!" He cheered, sticking both arms up into the air.

"Hay yeah!" Javelin added, turning tail to lead the way.

"Let's get over there already. I need a real drink after dealing with that mare." Echo whined, shaking his head in disappointment.

Dusk chuckled, "So you managed to get a mare interested, but you couldn't secure the deal?"

Echo shook his head in disappointment, "Not this time. She was more interested in my fangs and wanted me to suck her blood. Said I left her 'blue-beaned for not having a little sip'." He sighed.

Dusk shook his head in sympathy, "Ah, another vicious stereotype to ruin the mood."

As the two trotted off after Javelin, Chrysalis hopped out of her stool and to her hooves. She only made it about two steps before almost losing her balance and falling over. She managed to fall against Anon's hip just as he started walking, making him look down to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh... you good?" He questioned.

Chrysalis quickly pushed herself upright and almost vigorously nodded, "I, um... yes. I am fine! Fine, I swear." She hastily replied, her blush exploding into a mirage of green all over her face as he ears pinned themselves against her scalp.

"I... am fine. Just... like I said, it's been months since I've had this much love." She bashfully admitted, shyly rubbing her foreleg with her hoof.

"Ah, so you're saying you're a bit of a lightweight, yourself then?" He smirked.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and lightly punched Anon's thigh with her hoof, "Very funny... I suppose I am a bit of a lightweight at the moment." She admitted.

Anon smiled and patted her back, which happened to be her elytra. The chitinous material reflexively flexed slightly and opened just a tad, revealing her transparent wings for just a moment. Chrysalis's eyes widened immensely, and the already fierce blush on her face intensified dramatically as she nearly jumped into the air from the touch.

Upon seeing her reaction, Anon immediately pulled his hand away, "Woah, you okay?" He asked, concern weeding its way into his voice.

Chrysalis hastily shook the blush away, her wings buzzing excitedly under her chitin, "My my, so forward... if you want to get under my elytra so bad, you can at least buy me dinner first." She quietly muttered, before walking away toward the exit.

Anon stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face as he watched her walk away, a distinctive sway in her hips and her tail swishing from side to side ever so slightly. It took him a moment to put the pieces together, but when he did, a fiery blush formed on his face as well.

"Wait, that wasn't a sexual kind of thing, was it? Chrysalis? Hey, wait up!" Anon called after her, before booking it after the mare and out into the street.

Oh boy. Luna's gone and done it now, hasn't she? I wonder what's going to come of that?

As for Chrysalis, well we'll just have to see what happens when a changeling gets properly love-drunk, now won't we?