As Chrysalis descended the staircase leading to her hive for what felt like the hundredth time in just a couple short weeks, she found a noticeable bump in her step. Invigorated by the trust and love she felt from the ponies and human around her nearly constantly, combined with now unimpeded access to her profound arcane might, she almost appeared giddy.

She easily made her way down the stairs and into the massive atrium that provided housing for her hive. The thousands of bug-like forms skittering about below her seemed to be busying themselves quite nicely, to her eyes. So with a smile and an even greater sense of excitement, she opened her elytra and buzzed down to the changelings below.

Her arrival instantly drew the attention of all of her changelings, and just like the last time, they flocked over to her, showering her with affection and attention.

"My Queen! You're back!" One drone cheered.

"You look so beautiful!" Another cried out.

"Your horn is free!" A third, final voice declared.

If the crowd of her children weren't practically buzzing with excitement before, they certainly were now. Jubilant chitters and mirthful exclamations were made as the crowd grew and grew until there was a veritable sea of black forms and compound eyes surrounding their queen. Barely able to contain her joy, herself, Chrysalis ushered her drones to calm themselves and allow her to speak, an act that they quickly followed and complied with.

The few Canterlot guards still watching over the hive found themselves repeatedly impressed with how quickly the entire hive could follow orders, even if they came directly from their queen.

"Thank you, thank you all. It's fantastic to see you again too. I missed you." Chrysalis announced, receiving a chorus of receptive greetings in return.

"As I'm sure you've all noticed, my horn is no longer inhibited by that ring." Chrysalis continued, pausing for the monumentous cries of excitement and joy from her hive.

"Does this mean that we can all take these off?" A grub innocently questioned, looking up to the ring affixed to her horn.

Chrysalis's smile faltered ever so slightly, but the change in atmosphere, however slight it was, instantly registered with the hive. The roar of excitement and merriment quickly dwindled, much to Chrysalis's despair.

"I know you all want them off. Trust me, I'm doing everything I can to get the ponies to trust us enough to remove them all as quickly as possible. I've made good progress, but we aren't there quite yet. Please be patient, my loves. I promise you, I will ensure you are all free of those rings soon." Chrysalis announced, receiving many mute nods of acceptance in return.

Sensing the despair and disappointment in her children, Chrysalis quickly focused on her top general, who as always, was only a few hooves away.

"Pharynx, have any of the hive been able to start those therapy lessons we discussed before I left for the Empire?" She asked.

Pharynx shook his head, "The ponies have come down to discuss which changelings would be interested, and have made plans with them to begin the practice, but nothing else has happened yet." He replied.

Chrysalis nodded, "I see. Well that's still a step in the right direction. I do know that there are plans to start integrating the nymphs and grubs into pony society as well. They'll be the first to be free of those rings." She offered.

A few hushed whispers of excitement spread through the crowd, bringing a small smile to Chrysalis's face, only for Pharynx to step over to her side and ask her a question that forced the smile right off her muzzle.

"So, does this mean that you will be staying with us from now on, my Queen? Now that you are unshackled and able to roam freely?" Pharynx cautiously questioned.

Chrysalis frowned ever so slightly, but that was all the observant general needed, "I take it that's a no." He sadly muttered.

Before discontent could spread through her hive, Chrysalis quickly shook her head and looked over to the soldier, "I have made a commitment to Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Prince Anon. I intend to uphold my commitment until it's finished. Once that's done, however, I fully intend to return and personally oversee all of your integrations into Equestria." She explained.

"What commitment, my Queen?" Pharynx asked, tilting his head to the side.

Chrysalis pursed her lips in thought for a moment, her gaze sweeping over her hive as if to guage what their reactions might be. Knowing full well what they were all feeling, namely: apprehension, fear, concern, and even a smidge of resentment, she deigned it necessary to inform them rather quickly.

"There is a threat coming to Equestria. His name is Tirek. None of you have heard of or seen him as he's been imprisoned in Tartarus for the last thousand years. Unfortunately, he has escaped and is already in Manehattan." She explained, noting the surprised looks in her drones' faces.

"And you're going to stop him, my Queen?" Pharynx asked, worriedly.

Chrysalis shook her head, "Discord is. I am merely tagging along to ensure that nothing goes wrong while he handles Tirek." She clarified.

Heavy sighs of relief filled the air from hundreds of changelings, making Chrysalis chuckle ever so quietly to herself.

"Discord? The god of Chaos?" Pharynx questioned, sounding quite skeptical.

Chrysalis nodded, "The one and only. Anon is very concerned about his loyalty, so I've offered to go to ensure that he does what he's agreed to and takes Tirek back to Tartarus. I'll be out of sight and out of mind the entire time."

"My Queen... forgive me for asking this but... are you certain Discord won't be able to tell that you're there? I-I mean, surely you are the best of us when it comes to infiltration but... he is a God." Pharynx offered, as politely as he could.

Chrysalis chuckled, "Don't you know who you're talking to, Pharynx? I'm the goddess of disguises."

Anon walked with Cadence at his side, a deep frown on his face as he thought over the conversation he'd only just finished with the pink alicorn. He found his eyes drawn over to her as she hummed a merry tune to herself, her hooves happily clopping on the marble floor beside him. They found themselves rather quickly ascending the staircase leading back up to his bedroom in a shorter time than he'd have liked, but as with all things, he knew that is refuge from reality had to come to an end.

"You're nervous." Cadence noted, her eyes still facing straight ahead.

Anon sighed, "How can I not be? I don't know how you even managed to talk me into this." He grumbled.

Cadence playfully bumped her flank against Anon's hip, "Because I'm right and you trust me?" She offered.

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Anon returned the gesture by tussling her mane, much to her mild annoyance.

"Ah! Anon, staahp! It took me forever to brush my mane this morning!" Cadence giggled, batting Anon's hand away with her hoof.

Anon chuckled as he pulled his hand away, taking no small amount of pride in just how easily he'd messed up the cotton-candy colored alicorn's mane. Several loose ends stuck out at odd angles, much to her chagrin. With a pout, she ignited her horn and smoothed out her hair, her eyes narrowed as she gave Anon her best attempt at a scowl.

"How would you like it if I messed up your mane?" Cadence rhetorically asked.

Anon shrugged, "Eh, as long as you don't shave it off, I don't think I'd mind too much." He nonchalantly replied, placing his hands in his pockets.

"So if I dyed it rainbow-colored... you'd have no objections?" Cadence asked, a sinister smile forming on her muzzle.

Anon, having immediately realized his mistake, held up a finger in protest, "Wait a second. Hold on now-" He started.

"Anon!" Raven called, directing both Anon and Cadence's attention over to her.

The secretary mare was standing at the top of the stairwell, her face conveying a slight sense of urgency. Standing beside her, Javelin also observed with a slightly worried look on his face.

"What's up, guys?" Anon inquired.

"Celestia and Luna were wondering when you were coming back to the bedroom. There's been a lot more movement with the foals the past few minutes." Raven hastily explained.

Anon's heartrate quickly hastened in his chest, "Are they alright? You don't think..." He trailed off.

Javelin shook his head, "Nothing like that. Even if that were happening, we've got the best doctors in Canterlot standing by. You should probably go up there anyways though." He explained.

Anon let out a small sigh of relief, "Alright, whew... okay. Yeah, I'll go see them." He replied, stepping past the secretary and guard.

"Anon!" Cadence called, making him pause, "Don't forget to tell them." She ordered.

Anon held his breath for a moment before letting out a long, slow sigh and a nod, "Alright. Alright, you're right. Thanks, Cady." He offered.

Smiling at the nickname, Cadence waved after him, "Now go be a good stallion and check on your mares. I'll go meet with Shining."

With that, Anon waved goodbye to the love alicorn and headed toward his room, both Raven and Javelin falling in line on either side of him. As they quickly made their way to their collective destination, Javelin walked just a bit faster so he could speak to Anon easier.

"So... what was Cadence talking about? Tell them what?" He inquired, curiously.

Anon shook his head, "Ah, it's just a personal thing. Nothing to worry about but I do need to have something of a conversation with them."

Now it was Raven's turn to question the human, "Is it... a relationship thing?" She asked.

Anon shook his head, "Not with them, if that's what you're asking."

"Chrysalis, then?" Javelin guessed.

Anon groaned, "Why are you both suddenly so curious?"

Raven and Javelin both shrugged, "Well I just want to make sure you're alright and nothing major is happening." Raven answered.

Anon quickly looked down to the secretary mare, "Aww, so you do care about me!" He cheerily exclaimed, lunging down and scooping her up into a hug.

"Gah! A-Anon! Put me down!" Raven cried, her limbs frantically flailing as Anon held her in a hug.

"Love you too, Rayray. Even if you can be a stick in the mud sometimes." Anon snickered, gently swinging the mare side to side as her hind legs dangled.

"J-Javelin! Help me!" Raven exclaimed, reaching out to her fiancé with her hoof.

Javelin, too amused by the situation happening before him, failed to react right away. It took a few seconds of Anon swinging the poor unicorn back and forth and squeezing her tightly, for him to step forward.

"Alright, come on, Anon. That's my fiancé you're squeezing there." Javelin diplomatically asserted.

With a chuckle, Anon acquiesced and gently put Raven back down on the floor. She immediately jumped away from him, putting several feet of space between them as she fixed her mane, tie, and collar. Her snow white fur was noticeably tinged with red all along her face, and she struggled to find any words.

"Welp, this is my stop." Anon announced.

It was at that moment that both Raven and Javelin noticed that they were standing just across from Anon's bedroom, and the two day guards standing before them were clearly struggling to not laugh at the situation they'd just witnessed. Utterly mortified, Raven quickly hid behind her mane and turned for the exit.

"Yes, well... *ahem* go talk to your wives, Anon. You have a party with Blueblood to attend next week now." Raven announced, turning her muzzle up and trotting off toward the throne room.

Anon smirked, "Ah, she's just kidding... right? You're just kidding, right, Raven? You wouldn't actually do that to little old me, would you!?" He called after her, his tone becoming increasingly concerned.

Anon watched the mare trot away, pointedly ignoring him and increasing the feeling of fear amplifying in his chest with each passing second as she disappeared around a corner. Anon felt a gentle pat on his thigh, and looked down to see Javelin giving him a half smile of support.

"Eh, she's probably only half serious... I think." He offered.

Throwing his head back and letting out an explosive sigh, Anon turned toward the door, "Oh well. Who knows. Maybe a BlueBlood party won't be so bad." He shrugged, making his way to the door.

The two guards swiftly opened the door for both Anon and Javelin, allowing them both to enter the room and find Celestia and Luna laying on the bed, a pair of nurses present in the room beside them. Anon hurriedly made his way over to their side, a sense of unease instantly washing over him as he observed the situation in the room.

"Are you guys okay?" Anon asked, reaching the side of the bed.

"Oh, we're quite alright, Nonny." Luna smiled, as the nurses quietly stepped out of the room.

"What happened?" Anon pressed, looking back and forth between them.

Celestia placed a placating hoof on Anon's hand, "Luna and I just had some cramps and a few kicks from the foals. Nothing more. Don't worry, honey. We're both fine." She offered.

Anon let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, alright. Whew... you guys had me a little worried for a second there, with the nurses and everything." He admitted.

"We just wanted to make sure we weren't going into labor early or anything like that. There's only a little over a week left before the date is supposed to be here, and we got a little excited." Luna sheepishly explained.

Anon chuckled, "Ah, fair enough."

"Indeed. So what did Cadence want to speak with you about?" Celestia asked, curiously.

Anon quietly hissed through his teeth as his eyes fell down to the bedsheets. He failed to meet the gaze of either of his wives, a fact that made both of them share a look of concern.

"Nonny?" Luna questioned.

"Uh... do you mind if we have this conversation in private? It's uh... kinda important... I guess." Anon replied, a bit hesitantly.

Sensing Anon's obvious change of mood, Celestia nodded toward Javelin. The guardstallion instantly took the hint and exited the room, closing the doors behind him without a word.

Now left alone with their husband, Celestia and Luna put on their best disarming smiles while Anon sat down between them on the mattress.

"Alright, Honey. What's going on?" Celestia gently pressed.

Anon chewed on his cheek for a moment as he twiddled his thumbs and looked down to his hands.

"Well... it has to do with Chrysalis." Anon started.

"What about her?" Luna asked.

"Well... you know... she's been really good since she got here and... I mean..." Anon trailed off, struggling to find the words.

Celestia gently placed her hoof on Anon's back, "Honey, what are you trying to say?" She softly inquired.

Anon took a deep breath before slowly letting it out, "I think that... I kinda... like her." Anon admitted, his voice becoming smaller and smaller with every word.

Luna recoiled back ever so slightly, "You like her? As in..." She trailed off, motioning for Anon to continue.

"I talked with Cadence about this and... well I was wondering if you two would be interested in... I dunno... maybe asking her to join our... herd?" Anon asked, cringing at himself the whole while.

For a few pregnant moments of silence, he felt the stares of his wives boring into him but dared not meet their gaze. He kept his eyes glued on the spot of marble floor in front of the bed as if it were his only tether to life itself, but all his efforts were for naught as he was ripped back to the present by the sound of both his wives chuckling beside him. Turning halfway around to look at both mares, Anon found himself completely puzzled at their reactions.

"Is that all?" Luna asked, smiling at Anon as if he were the goofiest stallion she'd ever met.

"W-wha?" Anon dumbly responded.

"Honey, you were all worked up over that? It's not as if we haven't entertained the idea before." Celestia laughed.

Anon quickly spun around on the bed so that he was sitting cross-legged and facing his wives, "Wait, what!? You have!?" He exclaimed.

"Why do you seem so surprised by that? Honey, I'd have thought that by now you'd be more used to Equestrian culture. You don't have to be scared of asking us to add another mare to our herd." Celestia replied.

"Indeed. While I admit, if you'd have asked this a few weeks ago, I'd be against the idea of Chrysalis herself being the fourth addition to our herd, but now... I can honestly say I'm not opposed to it." Luna added, smiling at her husband.

"Y-you aren't?" Anon asked in disbelief.

Luna nodded, "I've spent some time with her. She's quite a charming and empathic changeling when she wants to be. Not to mention... she is also quite attractive... that bit doesn't hurt." She sheepishly added.

Anon snickered slightly at Luna's reasoning but quickly found his attention pulled to Celestia, "Honey, what about you?" He asked, cautiously.

Celestia tapped her chin in thought for a moment, apparently in deep thought, "Oh, I suppose she's done enough to earn a chance. Besides, she's already won the affections of both my sister and husband. Any mare capable of doing that is worth at least giving a chance to."

Anon couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face even if he tired, "Really? S-so you're both into the idea? For real? You're not just fucking with me right? 'Cause that would be really fucked up." He asserted.

Luna and Celestia laughed at Anon's concern, "Nonny, we promised to always be honest with you. We would never toy with you like that." Celestia replied.

Anon let out a breathless sigh of relief, "That's... thanks. I just... the thought of asking someone else to join in what we have just feels so... strange to me. I mean, granted, being with more than one person at a time was alien to me but I think we've managed to get over that pretty quickly all things considered. Why should one more be any different?" He wondered aloud.

Luna gingerly wrapped her wing around Anon's shoulder, "Exactly. There's no need to be worried about this. It's... something that we all want, I think." She admitted.

Celestia nodded, "It will certainly be a change of pace, that much is for certain. Of course, all this depends on whether or not Chrysalis is even interested in the idea of being with all of us to begin with." She pointed out.

Anon nodded, "Well, I have talked to her a little bit about my feelings-only because she's a changeling and can like, totally tell, you know." He hastily clarified.

"You did?" Luna asked, curiously.

Anon tepidly rubbed the back of his neck, "Eh, yeah... It was more or less just her telling me that she could tell how I felt about her. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I think she feels the same way, and I can't see any reason why she wouldn't want to be with you two as well. I mean, she thought you guys hated her at first but things have really changed for the better since and I'm sure she can tell that you guys like her too." He explained.

Celestia chuckled, "Oh, I'm sure she's been reading all of our emotions whenever possible. I believe we should have a serious discussion with her when she returns from her trip to Manehattan. I think this is a conversation we should be having with her present, don't you?" She inquired.

"Well, I mean... I was just trying to make sure you guys were okay with the idea." Anon offered.

"I know that, sweetie. Luna and I are both interested in Chrysalis as well, so that leaves just the changeling Queen herself to ask. We can't exactly ask her if she's not here, now can we?" Celestia playfully teased.

Anon rolled his eyes, "Smart-ass. I see where Twilight gets it from."

Celestia giggled into her hoof while Luna snickered, "I concur, sister. We should ask Chrysalis when she gets back."

"Why don't we just ask her before? I mean... she is right downstairs... technically." Anon offered.

Both Luna and Celestia shook their heads, "Best not to ask her something like that right before a potentially dangerous mission, honey. If she says yes, she might be focusing too much on how excited she'll be to return that she won't be focusing on looking after Discord." Celestia offered.

"And if she says no... well, then she'll spend the whole mission worrying about how she may have offended us and come up with any number of scenarios in her head that would involve us mistreating her hive as punishment or something. Either way, she wouldn't be able to focus on her mission." Luna added.

Anon nodded, "Ah, that makes sense. Alright, well, I guess we'll tell her when she gets back." He smiled.

Before either Celestia or Luna could respond, a resounding knock sounded at the door, turning all of their attention toward it.

"Apologies for the interruption, but Chrysalis is here." Javelin's voice came through the door.

"Speaking of..." Luna started, getting to her hooves.

Anon quickly hopped off of the bed and made his way over to the door. After opening it, he was met by Javelin and Chrysalis.

"I believe I am ready to go, Anon." Chrysalis announced.

Anon nodded, "Alright then. Just give Tia and Luna a second and we'll get you teleported over there." He replied, smiling at the changeling Queen.

Chrysalis gave a grateful nod as Celestia sluggishly rolled off of the bed. It took her and Luna a few moments to get to the door, but soon enough they were there.

"Let us do this in the throne room. Long distance teleportation tends to make a mess of the surrounding area and we need somewhere with more open space." Celestia suggested.

"That works." Chrysalis replied.

With that, the five of them made their way to the throne room in relative silence. However, throughout the trip, Chrysalis found her attention repeatedly pulled to Luna, Celestia, and Anon as she sensed the emotions radiating off of them. She couldn't quite place why she felt so much excitement and joy from them, but she found that being around them only served to make her own excitement increase. What she was getting excited about, she couldn't say just yet, but she knew that whatever it was, it was bound to be something good.

They soon arrived at the throne room, where Celestia and Luna politely ushered Chrysalis to the center of the room. Sitting beside the throne with her muzzle buried in a piece of parchment, Raven glanced up at the group's arrival. She placed her paper down on the throne and trotted down the steps toward Celestia.

"Alright, is there anything else you'll need, Chrysalis?" Celestia asked, looking to the changeling Queen.

Chrysalis shook her head, "No. I think I have everything that I need. With some luck, this whole situation will be over and dealt with by tomorrow morning," She replied, before a smug look formed on her muzzle, "Then you can tell me what has you three so excited."

Celestia blushed and shook her head, "Oh, you'll find out as soon as you return, I'm sure."

Chrysalis nodded, "Very well then. I'll have something to look forward to when I get back."

With that, both Celestia and Luna ignited their horns, a bright white light shining from both of them as two beams of energy shot straight out at Chrysalis. The magical energy quickly enveloped her, forming a ball of light that swirled in place, making the air around it circulate as well. The parchment Raven was reading was quickly swept away as the winds quickly accelerated, sending any other loose papers or whatnot flying as well.

Then, just as quickly as it begun, the spell finished, and Chrysalis disappeared with a flash of light.

Looks like our lovely little family just might be adding bug horse to their ranks soon enough. Truly, love is everywhere :)

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/zSB8EUuA