“I believe I will leave this here with you,” Queen Chrysalis sneered as she levitate a small pony in front of her, “After all, he seems to be as much yours as mine.”
 
“How did you even get in here?!” Shining Armor growled, standing protectively in front of Cadence. He spared a moment to check that the foal Crysalis was hiding behind wasn’t secretly Flurry Heart before preparing to blast them both back to the Wastelands.
 
“Now, don’t worry you little head about that and before you decide to attack me, please note this tiny defenseless foal I’m holding up. This little, innocent colt, which is in fact, your son.”
 
“What?!!” Exclaimed both Cadence and Shining Armor. They both paused to take a longer look at the apparent half-changeling; the parallels to his mother were pretty obvious, but he did seem to share some of Shining Armor’s coloration, and he was clearly not a full changeling.
 
Cadence shook her head in shock, surely Shining Armor wouldn’t have betrayed her… He would have told her if he had… relations with the Changeling Queen while she was trapped beneath Canterlot. Her chest felt tight as started at the foal.
 
“No, there is no way he’s my son,” Shining vehemently denied, “I would have remembered sleeping with a monster like you.”
 
The Queen’s smirk widened as she said, “Are you sure, you were hardly coherently towards the end,” Her wicked grin gleamed in the green phosphorescence of her magic, her eyes boring into Shining Armor’s. “But no, it was not necessary that we even touch, as much as you might have enjoyed it. Changelings aren’t weak like you ponies, we don’t require males for reproduction. All we need is love,” she said in a saccharine tone, “And you had so much of it! Enough to best Celestia even. I knew that it would be enough to fuel the creation of a new Queen…”
 
“Then what happened?” Cadence asked, fascinated in spite of herself. She couldn’t take her eyes off the little colt, still being held as a shield between her husband and the Queen of the Changelings. He wasn’t much bigger than Flurry Heart, and his eyes were so like Shining Armor’s. The little tyke hadn’t made a sound since they appeared, just stared at the two of them with big blue eyes, full of what looked like hope.
 
“It seemed that his love for you was too strong,” She paused, looking away with distaste, “I was initially hopeful, as his colors showed that he could be a Queen, but after his first molt it became clear he was something else… It seems he takes after you ponies far too much.”
 
“Why bring it here,” Shining Armor demanded.
 
“Because he is of no use to me. Having had the dubious pleasure of hosting the Cutie Mark Crusaders in my hive, I am aware of how much trouble a young pony can be. He already disobeys me: refusing to feed, freeing captives, rearranging my library… No, it is best that he stay with his father,” she finished with a poisonous grin.
 
“What if this is some sort of plot to infiltrate Our Kingdom?” Cadence asked in her best regal voice.
 
“That’s just a change you’ll have to take,” the Queen replied, “After all, what are you going to do, let him die out in the snow? You are the Princess of Love, I doubt you’re even capable of turning him away.” Chrysalis seemed to be fading into the shadows of the Throne Room, all that they could see of her now was her eyes and her teeth.
 
Princess and Queen glared at each other while Shining Armor stared at the colt being gently lowered to the floor. The Queen’s green glow faded from the room as the normal colors of Crystal Empire started filling the room again. The colt looked up at the two ponies with an expression that somehow combined both hope and resignation.
 
“Do you have a name?” Cadence asked gently, wondering if he could even speak.
 
“Not yet,” the colt responded in a surprisingly steady voice, “The Queen said I hadn’t earned one yet…”
 
Shining Armor rolled his eyes at his wife as she engaged this unexpected burden, but he wasn’t surprised. He knew that she opened her heart so easily, especially to little ponies. But he would do what he had to to keep her and Flurry Heart safe, even from this unassuming changeling.
 
“Well, lets see if we can find a room for you,” she said with a partially forced smile, “And then we’ll see about names.”