Chapitre 34

Chapter 34

Why am I here?

That was my main thought as I looked around the table. All three princesses, Shining Armor and Queen Chrysalis were all gathered around the round table.

And what was even stranger was that it was 'Queen Chrysalis' that requested my presence so I was sitting on HER side of the table.

At this point, I just think the changeling queen likes fucking with me.

Luna looked amused at it, but hid it well. I'm not sure anypony but Celestia, Princess Cadance and Queen Chrysalis and myself noticed and I'm pretty sure the last two cheated by feeling the emotions.

...Okay, so Shining Armor was the only one not noticing it. That had sounded a lot more impressive in my head.

"Absolutely not!" Princess Cadance exclaimed, her wings flaring, "You will enter the Crystal Empire over my dead body!"

"If that is what it takes to keep the swarm fed," Chrysalis countered with a sneer, "It is a price I'm willing to play."

Shining Armor snarled and got up only for Princess Celestia to speak up calmly,

"Enough."

She may have said it calmly and softly, but it seemed to echo through the room, leaving silence in it's wake.

Shining Armor sank back down.

"Cadance, the changelings need emotions to feed of." Princess Celestia said, turning to her niece, "It have come to our attention that as things are, they are unable to gather enough to sustain their hive without their old methods. If this peace is to last, this needs to change. Relocating the hive to the Crystal Empire would allow them to live like any other pony, without needing to feed off of the emotions of ponies around them."

Princess Cadance looked at Celestia, "And I must protect my subjects, just as you do, auntie." she sighed, "You gave the Crystal Empire to me to rule and I will do so. The safety of my subjects is paramount, they have lived through enough as it is. I will not allow that thing to jeopardize that."

Honestly, after what Chrysalis did to her and Shining Armor, I didn't blame them for not wanting anything to do with changelings.

But this was not about them. They would have to put their personal emotions about it to the side if this was to work.

...Damn it. I just figured out why Chrysalis wanted me here.

That sneaky fucking bug. She knew I saw changelings as people and spent personal time around them, one in particular. She knew I would end up on her side in this and she wanted me here as a 'humanizing' element for a better word.

Shooting her a quick glare, I found her smirking slightly, looking down at me.

Yeah, yeah. Gloat all you want.

"So this is about Queen Chrysalis?" I asked, "You refuse to allow her access to the Crystal Empire?"

Cadance looked at me, "Yes."

"What about the rest of the changelings?" I asked her as I put a hoof on the table, "Would it be possible to establish a hive in the Crystal Empire where the changelings could live while their Queen remained here?"

"Absolutely not!"

That one came from both Chrysalis and Cadance at the same time.

Perfect. A solution they are both unhappy with. The definition of compromise.

"I can't believe you are taking her side." Shining Armor exclaimed as he stared at me, "You know what she did!"

"I'm not." I sighed, "I'm taking the side of 'let's prevent xenocide'. Because if things get desperate enough, big buggy here and her swarm will fight to preserve their lives rather than starve to death. They will lose of course, but a lot of ponies will die in the process along with the changelings. All of them, dead. Would you want that to happen? For the changelings to go extinct? A entire race of beings, of people, dead? The Queen here, I could understand. What she did the Princess Cadance and you are unforgivable. But would you sentence every other changeling to die for what she did?"

There was silence across the table.

...Picard, I am not. But hopefully I got the point across. I have to stop taking cues on how to act from Star Trek. Oh well, as least as long as it's not Janeway or Archer I should do okay.

"...No. Of course not." Princess Cadance said quietly, folding her wings again, "But I have to protect my people."

"And I must do the same." Chrysalis said in the same tone.

I glanced up at the Changeling Queen and for the first time since the first time I talked to her, she seemed... tired.

"So compromise." Luna injected, speaking up for the first time in the meeting, "This wont be solved today, but perhaps there is some way we can make this work. Be it allowing a hive without Queen Chrysalis in the Crystal Empire or allowing teams of changelings to gather power from the Crystal Heart to bring back to the hive here. But in some manner this needs to be solved and fast."

Looking around the table, I glanced up at Queen Chrysalis again. She looked to be back to normal. Calm, almost sneering.

Yeah, that won't make this easier. I elbowed her in the side.

The big changeling twitched and then glared down at me and I motioned her closer so she lowered her head to hiss at me,

"What?"

"Apologize to Cadance and Shining Armor." I whispered, "You haven't and you need to. Won't help how they feel about you, but the gesture will make this easier."

"What!?"

"Do it."

"I did what I did for the swarm!"

I glared up at her, "So do this for the swarm too. I don't give a fuck if you mean it or not, buggy. Offer reparations if need be, you need this more than they need you." I hissed back.

Chrysalis showed her sharp teeth and almost growled at me but instead she pulled back and turned to Princess Cadance, "I would like to extend apologies for my actions up to the invasion." she ground out, "I was trying to keep my changelings safe. We would like to offer... reparations for the suffering caused."

Cadance didn't look impressed.

...Well, I guess it's a start.