Bab 31: Chapitre 31
Chapter 31
Luna stared at me, her cup of sugar with some tea added to it slowly sinking back towards the table. "She wants what?"
I shrugged. "You heard me. Queen Chrysalis wants to move her hive to the Crystal Empire. And you have to admit that she has a good point, it would solve their food problem."
"It was difficult enough to get Princess Cadance to accept them in Canterlot." Luna said with a frown. "And only because she knew my sister and I would be here and able to handle Chrysalis if she tried something."
"I know, I know." I sighed. "I didn't say it was ideal."
Stupid fucking situation. If the Changelings had not attacked, we would never have run into them like this.
Then this would have been much easier.
"What do you think, Skitter?" I then asked, turning towards my bodyguard who was sitting by the door.
The changeling froze at being addressed, scraping her hoof against the floor before she buzzed her wings. "I believe my Queen will make a wise choice, Lord Page." she answered quietly.
She had seemed somewhat depressed since we left the hive. Barely said a word other than when addressed.
Need to talk to her later.
Luna shifted on the couch, looking thoughtful at the changeling before she nodded. "I believe it would solve the problem of how to keep the changelings fed without needing to mix too closely with ponies. I am, however, not sure it is the best idea. Changelings keeping to themselves in part of the Crystal Empire would not solve the main problem which is fear. Ponies fear changelings and changelings fearing what ponies will do out of fear." she finally said as she turned to me. "If that is not addressed properly, that fear will grow and overflow. I have seen it happen before."
"The tribes?" I asked with a small frown.
She nodded. "At first pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies occupied different parts of the land. There was little contact between them other than to trade for services. But for hundreds of years, suspicion, fear and jealousy grew. The wars were horrible enough to attract and create wendigos. It is something I wish to never witness again."
Lighting my horn up, I reached to pour myself a cup of tea. I considered her words for a moment before I sighed. "...I don't think anypony does. But the fact remains that the changelings need to eat and their relationship with the ponies is tenuous as best as it is. If something happened to turn ponies against changelings... Skitter, how long would the supplies I saw in the hive last?"
Skitter sighed. "Less than a month, Lord Page, if there was no gathering of love. But a lot of it also remains transferred from the old hive or love gathered during... the invasion. The hive is currently experiencing a net loss, even with all harvesters out. If things do not improve, we may need to migrate in search for better grounds or... use internal methods to reduce the strain on our supplies."
I wasn't sure I wanted to know what those internal methods was.
Being unable to sneak around was probably what caused them to gather less love. The punishment for a changeling being caught in a complete disguise was banishment.
That meant that everyone they met knew they were a changeling unless they were willing to risk it which made it difficult to gather the emotions they needed, even from the background 'radiation' of emotions during highly emotional events.
"How bad is it?" Luna asked, directed at the changeling in the room.
Skitter shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze, seemingly forcing her wings to still. "By the end of the year, our reserves will be empty if things do not improve, Princess Luna."
Damn it, Chrysalis! Why didn't you let anypony know about this before now! Stupid scheming bug! She should have gone to the Princess about it as soon as it was clear there wast a net negative on the love income!
Luna slowly nodded and then moved to jump off the couch. "I need to confer with my sister." she said and gave me a quick nuzzle on the way past. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
"Well, I figured it was important." I said with a shrug.
She flashed me a quick smile before she left the chambers, the doors closing behind her.
Reaching to pick up my cup of tea again, I jumped off the chair and crossed over to take the place on the couch she had vacated.
"Lord Page... you did not tell her of Queen Crysalis..." Skitter said quietly as she left the door to stand before the table.
"You mean the manipulation?" I asked, sipping my tea with a raised eyebrow. "Tricking me down into the hive and threatening me, trying to scare me into doing what she wanted?"
Skitter seemed uncomfortable with the question but she nodded. "...Yes."
Sighing, I put the cup back down, shifting to lean my side against the backrest as I crossed my frontlegs. "Several reasons. First of all, it was irrelevant. I was the one who started the negotiations to end the invasion so I do feel somewhat responsible for what happened to you and other changelings, Skitter. There is also the fact that it's the right thing to do. If Queen Chrysalis had simply 'asked' I would have still brought it to the Princesses' attention just like I did now. If I told Princess Luna of Chrysalis's methods in this case, it might affect things negatively. You and the rest should not need to suffer because Chrysalis is an idiot."
"Oh."
I nodded and chuckled. "As you can tell, I would make a pretty bad politician."
That got a small smile from her and she jumped up to lay down across the chair I had vacated, her frontlegs hooked over the armest, facing the door as usual.
Picking up the first book, this one on armaments of the royal guard, I looked up my bookmark and started to read about types of spears.
There was a long moment of silence, only broken by pages turning before Skitter spoke up again. "Lord Page?"
Looking up from the book, I turned to her. "Yes?"
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome, Skitter."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone