Her voice was nothing more than a simple instruction, but the immediate sense of order and demand Anon felt from her made him follow her command without a word of protest or a moment of hesitation. He quickly sat down beside her on the bench, and stared straight ahead at the setting sun on the horizon. The Macintosh mountains to the SouthEast just barely held the flaming ball of light in their westmost cradle, funneling the light over the fields of greenery and trees below.

"Are you aware that you can be turned on by other mares without being unfaithful to your wives?" Chrysalis inquired.

Anon nodded, "Y-yes, I'm well aware of that." He replied.

"Then talk to me, Anon. What's the problem?" She asked, a level of genuine concern seeping into her voice.

Anon nervously twiddled his thumbs, "It's not something you need be concerned over." He quietly answered.

"Considering that it does involve me and your feelings for me, I think it is." Chrysalis rebutted.

Anon failed to respond for some time. He pursed his lips in thought as he stared down at the deck before him. After nearly a minute of silence, Chrysalis let out a quiet sigh.

"I understand that you feel something for me right now. Lust is a powerful emotion. What I don't understand is why I can sense so much anxiety and fear from you as well." Chrysalis announced, continuing to stare straight ahead.

Anon rolled his tongue in his mouth before slowly turning and looking at the changeling Queen beside him, "Isn't it obvious?"

Chrysalis shook her head.

"I'm not... supposed to like you... Hell, after the wedding, I should hate you... but this whole time I really haven't felt that for you at all, hell I actually kinda like having you around and now... now I see you in a pair of socks and suddenly I'm a horny teenager again," Anon sighed, shaking his head, "I'm married. With two kids on the way... I just..." He trailed off again.

Chrysalis slowly nodded, the faintest hint of a blush forming on her cheeks.

Buck me... he's really into me... and I'm really into him... buck... how did this suddenly get so complicated? What is this feeling in my chest? I haven't felt this feeling since...

After taking a few moments to consider her options, Chrysalis let out a quiet, almost sad sigh, "Anon, we've only known each other for a very short time. It's understandable that you might feel some strong emotions, but they're just that: Emotions. You don't have to act on them if you don't want to." She explained.

Anon slowly looked up to Chrysalis, "I... guess you raise a good point. It's just... I dunno, it just kinda hit me all at once." He sighed.

"Trust me. Lust is a powerful emotion that can cloud your mind. As a changeling, I used to prey on that." Chrysalis replied.

"I see." Anon bit his lip and looked down at the deck.

Chrysalis chuckled, "Why do you sound disappointed?"

Anon frowned, "Because I... I don't know. Emotions are confusing, I guess." He admitted.

Chrysalis shook her head in mild amusement, "Indeed they are. I think I have a good sense of yours now, though."

Anon snorted, "Well it's at least nice to know that you can tell how I feel even before I can."

"Perhaps it's due to the fact that you haven't seen a mare my size that hasn't been swollen with your foals in months." Chrysalis elaborated, tapping her chin in thought as her own cheeks turned a faint shade of green.

What would that be like? To carry a clutch of eggs fertilized by him? Buck, I drank too much of his love... it just tasted... so bucking good...

Anon chuckled, "I guess that might be a fair point. I absolutely love them both, pregnant or not. Still though, cuddling was easier before the baby bumps started getting in the way... although I can't complain about that since it feels like I'm holding my kids and my wives at the same time." He shrugged.

Chrysalis smiled and bumped him with her wither, "Or maybe I'm wrong and you really do just love a pregnant mare's body." She teased.

"Damn, was I that obvious?" Anon laughed.

"Like I said earlier in the week, you wear your heart on your sleeve. That isn't a bad thing, it just makes you honest." She gave him a playful wink as she got to her hooves and headed back toward the hatch.

Anon took a few moments to ponder her words, but just before she could reach the hatch, he spoke up, "Can you hang on a second?" He asked, curiously.

Chrysalis paused mid-step and looked over her wither, "Yes?"

"I... you're actually really nice to talk to and I don't really wanna go back and deal with Photo right now... wanna stay up here and chat for a while longer?" Anon sheepishly offered, with a half smile.

Chrysalis returned the smile, "I'd love to. What would you like to talk about?" She asked, hopping back onto the bench with Anon.

Anon and Chrysalis shared a hearty laugh as the sun reached the bottom of its arc on the western horizon. Blood red rays of light bathed them in warm hues of color while the gentle breeze at their altitude, along with the chilly air, forced them to sit side by side, their thighs touching. Any discomfort either of them felt at this arrangement was swiftly silenced by another gust of cold wind, making them scooch even closer in an attempt to keep warm.

"So your mom was over four thousand when you were born and she still didn't know why the sun and moon do weird things from time to time?" Anon chuckled.

Chrysalis nodded, a fond smile on her face as she reminisced, "Yes, she had never met either Celestia or Luna. As far as she was concerned, the sun and moon just moved on their own. Of course, we learned better after I was born, but it is humorous to think about from time to time."

Anon nodded as he worked his hands into his pockets in an attempt to keep them warm, "I guess that's fair. It took me a solid six months to believe that they control the sun and moon, or that pegasai control the weather... or that any of this was real, to be honest." He admitted.

Chrysalis chuckled, "Yes, I recall you saying that your homeworld is much more similar to the Everfree forest than any civilized part of Equestria. Rest assured that nowhere else has ponies controlling weather and whatnot. I still can't believe your sun and moon move on their own though. That just seems impossible after having Celestia and Luna doing it for so long."

Anon shrugged, "It's gravity. I'm way too dumb to go into it and give you an accurate assessment of how it all works, but it is consistent, at least. I've noticed Celly sometimes takes her time when she's really tired or sometimes just yanks the damn thing up to get it over with," He laughed, "Never got why she tries to just get it over with sometimes. It's always so amazing to watch."

"I imagine doing the same routine every day for a thousand years would grow tiring, even if it's beautiful and exciting at first." Chrysalis shrugged.

"Eh, I guess. Can't really see it growing old, myself though... actually, you know what, all this talk about her reminded me. I have a question for you." Anon acknowledged.

"What's that?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

"When you attacked Canterlot, what exactly was your plan if you were successful? Like, if you had captured Celly, Luna, Cadence, and won, what was your plan for raising and lowering the sun and moon?" Anon asked, curiously.

Chrysalis pursed her lips as she held Anon's gaze. After nearly thirty seconds, Anon noticed the faintest blush forming on her cheeks.

"You didn't have a plan for that, did you?" He deadpanned.

"I thought I could do it!" Chrysalis exclaimed, "With how much love I had from Shining Armor, I was stronger than Celestia... I figured... you know..." She trailed off.

"You know that there's a specific spell that Tia uses, right?" Anon raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Chrysalis flippantly huffed as she turned her head away and looked out over the horizon, "Well I know that now." She rolled her eyes.

Anon laughed as he wrapped his arm around Chrysalis's wither and hugged her, "Eh, don't beat yourself up over it. If it makes you feel better, Luna didn't have a plan for that either when she was Nightmare Moon." He offered.

Chrysalis turned on him, "Wait, what?! She was going to plunge the entire world into eternal darkness and have no way to raise the sun if she ever needed to? Even if this entire half of the world froze to death?" She balked.

Anon nodded, "Yep. So you see? You're not the only one to have a poorly thought out plan to take Celly down and take over."

Chrysalis playfully slugged Anon in the shoulder before leaning back. Just as her back came to a rest against the frame of the bench, she realized something: Anon's arm was still wrapped around her wither. The contact, gentle and comforting as it was, felt strangely as if it managed to sneak up on her out of the blue. She owlishly blinked at the point of contact between them for a moment before glancing up to Anon.

"What?" Anon asked, blissfully unaware of his actions.

Chrysalis simply chuckled and shook her head, "Nothing, nothing. Just noticed the chill, is all."

Before Anon could respond, she leaned all of her weight against him, completely annihilating any and all space that was still between them. Anon jumped slightly from the sudden change of pace, his face suddenly turning red as he realized just what he was already doing.

"I, uh... thought you were done teasing me." He half-joked.

"Now when did I say that?" Chrysalis tittered, innocently smiling up at him.

"You know, this isn't a fair dynamic for our relationship. You can tell how I feel at all times and I can't tell with you." Anon muttered lightheartedly poking Chrysalis's chin with his free hand.

"Well I'm not exactly good at letting other creatures have the upper hoof." Chrysalis shrugged.

Anon scoffed, "Well you could've fooled me this whole last week."

"All out of necessity. Surrendering was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Not just because of my pride, but because I put my entire hive on the line. Now that we're allies and not enemies, it's in my best interests to acquiesce to what you all want. I hope that my good faith will earn your trust sooner rather than later." Chrysalis responded, not so subtly glancing up at her horn.

Anon followed her eyes up to the aforementioned appendage and let out an almost imperceptible sigh, "Magic is really important for you guys, huh?" He asked.

"It's probably the most important thing for changelings besides love. It is how we go about acquiring it, after all." Chrysalis replied.

"I get that. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll have that ring off of you soon. How have things been going with your changelings integrating?" Anon queried.

Chrysalis shrugged, "What do you mean 'integrating'? They've been hidden in the mountainside ever since arriving here, unable to mingle or associate with ponies in any meaningful way. They aren't all starving to death anymore- that much I can gratefully say- but they certainly aren't getting a chance to go out on the town and become a part of Equestria."

Anon rolled his tongue on his mouth for a moment, "I see... well, like I said back at the bar, baby steps. Once Fleur and Fancy publish that magazine with you modeling, that should give us the boost we need to start letting changelings out on the town without causing a panic." He offered.

"I hope so." Chrysalis mumbled, looking away.

Anon frowned, gently squeezing Chrysalis closer, "Hey, I promise we'll get them all taken care of. We didn't come this far just to keep them locked underground forever." He offered.

"There was a time, maybe just as recently as a year ago, that I would have almost preferred they stay underground. Out of sight, out of mind is life for a changeling. Now though... after getting to spend some actual time out and about with ponies, not worrying about being caught or finding a target to syphon love from... I want that for my hive. I haven't felt that alive since... well..." Chrysalis trailed off.

"Since... when?" Anon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you've heard of my past misdeeds, Anon. It almost caused a war." She replied.

Anon slowly nodded, realization quickly hitting him, "Oh, the Duke of Trottingham, right?" He asked.

Chrysalis nodded.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask about that. What exactly happened? Celly gave me the shorthand version but... well... you were the one actually doing it." Anon asked.

Chrysalis let out a sigh, "Would you believe me if I told you that it was all caused by my- at the time- poor infiltration skills?"

"You? Nooooooo." Anon teased.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes as she lightheartedly shoved his thigh with her foreleg, "Yes, really. I'm sure you know the broad details so I'll just skip to the important, finer details. The Duke of Trottingham was a stallion that I had my eyes on for quite a while. Gail Glint was his name. He had over a dozen mares in his herd. Plenty of love for a new queen to feed off of for decades, if I pulled it off." She began.

Anon nodded his head along to her story, clearly invested in the tale being told.

"Well, the plan was simple. Just sneak it under cover of night, cast a spell on him when he was alone to knock him unconscious or keep him unconscious if he was already asleep, then replace him while my drones took him back to the hive to feed off of... the only problem was that he caught me in the act." Chrysalis explained.

"How'd he do that?" Anon asked.

"Well... I got stuck... in the window." Chrysalis sheepishly answered as a green blush exploded over her face.

Anon snickered, but managed to keep his composure, "I... I see... continue." He said, struggling to hold in his laughter.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, "Very well. He caught me in the window, immobilized me with his magic, and subdued me. I was quite a bit smaller and weaker than I am now. He had me at his mercy. He could have called the guard, killed me himself, or just thrown me out... but he didn't. He took me in. Offered me comfort, companionship, even a spot in his herd after a while." She explained, a forlorn look forming in her eyes.

"So... what did you do?" Anon asked, vaguely aware of the answer already.

"I accepted his offer. I was well fed, well housed, and without a care in the world... the problem was that I was still foalish... greedy... immature. I wanted more, and I knew that he was one of the most lusted after stallions in Equestria. His position, his power, his appearance... they drove mares to flock to him in droves. I wanted that... I wanted his power and the love he so easily bathed in. So one night I... I paralyzed him with my magic and abducted him. I took his place and pretended to be him for almost a full year." Chrysalis sighed.

"Damn..." Anon mumbled.

"My downfall came when I was called to Canterlot to negotiate with Celestia for Trottingham's tax codes," Chrysalis began, looking up to Anon with a the most serious look she could muster, "Anon, I didn't know a bucking thing about tax codes."

Anon stared back at Chrysalis for a few moments, but this time was unable to hide the snicker that forced its way out of his mouth. He quickly held a fist up over his mouth to hide his barely contained laughter at the changeling Queen's expense.

"S-so... you botched the meeting with Tia?" Anon giggled.

Chrysalis nodded, "Yep. Absolutely butchered the meeting and exposed myself as a fraud since I also couldn't answer questions about private meetings they'd had before I even met him. Since she knew me well enough at the time, it only took Celestia a few minutes to figure out that it was me. It would have been fine if it was just Celestia and I, but her secretary just happened to walk in and well... that stallion was quite the gossiper. Still not sure why she kept him around for as long as she did." She continued.

"So after that, things fell apart?" Anon asked.

"Quickly. Once word broke that I was impersonating the Duke, all of the other cities, countries, territories, hay, even the uncontacted tribes in the badlands, were outraged. Deals that brought prosperity and wealth to Trottingham fell apart, ponies rioted in the streets, and war was threatened. To put it bluntly... I bucked up." Chrysalis admitted, with a sigh.

Anon hissed through his teeth, "Yeah... that's a bit of a rough situation." He agreed.

Chrysalis huffed, "The rest, as they say, is history. Celestia banished changelings from Equestria altogether. We could've come back... hay, we could've infiltrated and taken over the entire government. There were no spells to detect a changeling's magical signature at the time."

Anon slowly raised an eyebrow, "So... why didn't you?" He hesitantly asked.

"I respected her." Chrysalis replied, simply.

"You... respected her?" Anon repeated.

"How could I not? I held great admiration for Celestia at the time... I felt as if I'd surpassed my own mother's legacy when I secured that deal with her. She didn't want to banish us from Equestria, but she had no choice. I had only myself to blame for the situation..." Chrysalis admitted, a sad frown on her muzzle.

Anon gave her a small squeeze of encouragement to continue.

"I tried to stay away for as long as possible but... well, we found ourselves in the same situation we were in when I surrendered last week. I ordered my drones to start infiltrating Equestria two hundred years ago. Word spread fairly quickly and before Luna even returned form the moon, we were a race of deceitful, evil thieves... It's not how I ever wanted to return to Equestria but I suppose hundreds of years of starvation can change a mare." Chrysalis softly scoffed.

Anon looked down at her for a long time, his brow furrowed in thought as the changeling Queen in his arm sadly looked down at the deck before her. All the joy and mirth of the atmosphere felt drained, as if the past twenty minutes of conversation were simply undone, only to be replaced with melancholy and regret.

"You wish you could go back and fix things, huh?" Anon asked, finally.

Chrysalis mutely nodded.

"I can't even begin to pretend to understand what centuries of starvation must have felt like... but I am sorry that you and your changelings had to endure that. I wish... I wish that you guys and ponies could've been friends from the start." Anon offered.

"It's difficult for ponies to want to be friends with a species that feeds off of them," Chrysalis shrugged, "Makes me wonder if this entire endeavor has been an exercise in futility."

"I mean... is there a way, any way at all, that you guys could find a way to not feed off of ponies love?" Anon offered.

Chrysalis looked at him as if he'd grown a second head, "That's like asking you to stop eating normal food and start subsisting off of emotions." She replied.

Anon quickly shook his head, "I'm not saying just stop feeding on love, I just mean that if you guys were able to ask ponies and get their consent before feeding on their love, then isn't there a chance that some would come around? I mean, hell, look at me. I've been letting you eat my love and I think we're actually pretty decent friends."

Chrysalis's eyebrows both raised, before deeply furrowing in thought, "Friends? I don't think I... I've ever called anypony my friend before. I've had many lovers... but never a friend... huh? That's sad, isn't it?"

Anon pursed his lips, "Really? Not even one other creature? What about Celestia way back?"

"I said I respected her, not that I considered her a friend." Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

After taking a few moments to ponder his response, Anon looked down at Chrysalis with a small smile, "Well then, I'm happy to be your first."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at Anon before a small smile found its way onto her face as well, "I... suppose I'm happy you're my first friend too. Thank you, Anon." She replied, before hugging him a bit tighter.

The gentle contact between them ignited a feeling in both of their chests. What the feeling was, exactly, neither could say, but as another particularly chilly gust of wind blew over them, they both felt grateful that they had each other to stave off the cold.

A few moments passed in pleasant silence, before Javelin popped up from the hatch and glanced over to the pair.

"Hey Anon! Chrysalis!" Javelin called from the hatch.

"What's up, dude?" Anon called back, looking over to the stallion.

"Fancy said we're heading back to the castle. Should be there in about twenty minutes. You guys good?" Javelin questioned.

"Yeah, we're good. Just talking about some stuff." Anon replied, with a nod.

"Alright, well I'll just leave you both to it," Javelin replied, before climbing back down the ladder, "No, they aren't kissing. No, Photo, you can't take pictures. No, they are not going to buck, can you cool your jets you thirsty, Germane, psycho."

Anon and Chrysalis both snickered at the conversation happening below them, "Photo really wants to see us together, huh?" Anon snickered.

"She was discussing it with Fleur a bit at dinner. That mare is nowhere near as quiet as she thinks she is." Chrysalis chuckled.

"Which one?"

"Both."

Anon and Chrysalis shared a laugh as the conversation below them became more and more muffled.

"Vy not!? Wenn du der magie im weg stehst, schneide ich dir den schwanz ab und verfüttere ihn an deinen verlobten!"

"Photo! Put ze scissors down! Arrêtez de faire l'entremetteuse avec vos clients!"!"

"Nein! Diese ungerechtigkeit wird nicht dulden! Mir wird ze magics nicht vorenthalten! Nimm deine ruckelnden Hufe von mir! Ich muss fotos machen!"

"You are not going to be a voyer up there, Photo! You already have the shots, so please calm down! Javelin, help me restrain her!"

"She's... so... strong! What the buck!?"

"All Germane mares are freakishly strong!"

"NEIN! ZE MAGICS! NEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Anon let out a soft sigh as he watched Canterlot Castle slowly approaching on the horizon.

"You know, it's really peaceful up here." Anon mentioned.

Chrysalis nodded, "It is. This has been a really nice evening, Anon."

"Well... once we get everything all situated with your hive and Equestria, maybe we can do this more often. Maybe get Tia and Lulu involved with the foals. That'd be nice, wouldn't it? Basically one big, happy family watching the stars." Anon replied, his eyes gazing up at the millions of twinkling lights in the skyline.

Chrysalis followed his gaze, finding that the man's chin partially obstructed her view of the sky, but that hardly bothered her. For the first time in centuries, she felt oddly comforted by the sight of someone bigger than her, holding her gently against them. Her lips parted to speak for just a moment, but she quickly thought better of it and simply enjoyed the view. They only had a few minutes before arriving at the castle, after all.

I figured it was high time we had a super cute chapter with Anon and Chryssi. Hope you guys liked this one. It was a bit difficult to write but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Oh! For anyone interested, I have finally made a discord server! If you want to chat with me, hang out and play games or watch me stream art and such, feel free to join :D

https://discord.gg/kVfKVH4f