The Changeling village was in a state of decay. It was almost as if the village had been struck by war, or hadn't been maintained at all. The group of ponies wore hooded coats to hide the fact they're not Changelings, but the villagers could tell... But said nothing. It was as if they blended in the crowd, unnoticed and not standing out.

"They're not trying to do anything. They know we're not one of them but why are they not attacking or something?" Bulleta asked.

Crystal answered: "The Changeling population had been oppressed for years... There are many soldiers who are brainwashed into fighting blindly for Chrysalis and the many more who are given little to live with." She sighed at the fact. "Many of them even wished Celestia helped, even I do wish that the poor souls are saved."

The grey furred colt clicked his fingers. His sense of moral justice and righteousness was one thing that drove him forwards to an objective. "The only way to save this place is to flick the bug off the throne." He chuckled. "Sounds easy enough."

It was easy the last time for Princess Cadence and Shining Armour because Chrysalis had not anticipated the persistence of the Mane-6. Of course, one would learn from their mistakes, and start again from the top. Crystal knew that her mother was not to be underestimated, but knowing Erich, nothing was above him.

Bulleta looked around and the decay of the village. What was Chrysalis' relation to Celestia? Ever since the incident in Canterlot, there were questions raised about how the Changeling Queen knew about Celestia. Of course, Celestia is known throughout most of Equestria, but not everyone actually knows about her; notably those that are not part of the Equestrian kingdom. But if Queen Chrysalis already knew Celestia in the past, how and what happened?

The Princess of the sun obviously had made mistakes in the past, but few question her logic. But now that her power grows weak and the fact that she is giving away responsibilities of different Equestrian grounds, many ponies have wondered about their monarch's troubled past. Why did it have to take a thousand years to fully rectify the problems?

"We need a place to stay." Butch broke the silence.

Crystal nodded. "I know a place. It's not the best, but it beats sleeping on the streets."

They continued to follow her, staying alert throughout the walk. If a Changeling guard was to spot them, they'd probably alert other Changeling guards. The creates did have horns that was good for magic, and one of the notable spells used extensively is the 'flare'. It isn't hard to guess what this spell is, and if one Changeling is able to get a flare out, the others will see. The place was far too crowded with civilians, and none of the group didn't want to catch them in the crossfire.

Erich could still see the large castle from afar, bright from all the torch lights. He'd have to get close to see any way to get in. He turned to Crystal: "We need to find a way into the castle."

The disguised former heiress to the Changeling throne looked towards the bright castle and nodded. She tried to remember as much as she could about how to get in and out the castle; it had been a while since her escape from it. Though the walls would intimidate any pony, of course one would have to look around properly with an observant eye to notice the faulty construction in certain sides of the wall.

But then again, there were other ways in, especially when you take note of the underground cave that lead from the kitchen. Though lacking the liberty to explore the outside world, Crystal was able to at least explore the castle. She took note of anything that could be important.

The guards in the castle were well armed with high class firearms, and are trained brutally to earn their place to defend 'her majesty'. But even so, they lack real plated armour, but had strong magical properties. Another downfall is that the mounted weapons were all designed to fire precisely outside the castle; shooting within the castle walls would just cause more destruction to say the least, and her mother loved her castle.

The castle was built from scratch, and its first form was considered 'poorly constructed'. She did force construction workers to improve on the castle, and it still hasn't improved from its second, but infamous form. Thick concrete walls were almost impenetrable by conventional means, but strong magic or explosives can blow off a small chunk off the wall. Magic falls on Twilight and her friends category, since the elements of harmony had embedded with them some time ago. All of them had some magical properties, but ones without horns had to rely on Twilight to conjure it.

Erich and his crew obviously filled in for explosives. Whether they had enough is the question, but there are materials that they can gain access to.

She turned to the navy mane pony: "Not yet. We need to keep a low profile and then plan our infiltration."

The other five from the mane-6 stopped Crystal however. Rainbow Dash looked as though she had something to say with a fierce but curious expression on her face: "So... You know a lot about this place huh?"

Applejack teamed with her partner: "And it's a little weird that you should."

Twilight tried to stop their questioning, but the others continued to pressure Crystal. Rarity continued for Dash and AJ: "You're obviously 'hiding' something."

Fluttershy shyly agreed with a nod, and Pinkie Pie said little besides smiling nervously as she could not decide whether to support the others or Crystal who Twilight trusted. The last time she ignored Twilight's trust turned into a bit of a mess, but then again she wasn't the only one who ignored her pleas and accusations against the disguised Chrysalis.

Crystal raised her hand. "It's fine Twilight. They have a right to know, and it's my obligation to answer their questions." She took a step towards them. Never before had the Rock Queen had been so confident in telling the truth, and it was time that she started being honest with herself. "You want to know the truth?"

The other mane-6 members nodded. Butch and Bulleta were ready to intervene, but were halted by Erich. "It's fine."

Crystal acknowledged. "I cannot tell you the truth... But rather show it." She sighed and allowed herself to transform back to her original form. She didn't expect any of the others to trust her straight away, but at least the Princess and Markza trusted her.

None of the others were repulsed, but were surprised. But as expected, none of the other mane-6 members trusted Crystal, at least not fully.

"Now you know."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged glances. Applejack stood forward, crossed her strong arms and standing tall and proud: "We're watchin' you. Anythin' weird or suspicious-"

"You wouldn't have to worry about that." Crystal assured.

The others were still a distrusting, and just followed Crystal as she continued to walk on but with very observant looks. Twilight found that the fact they weren't as understanding as she and Erich were disheartened her... But then again, none of them knew their history together. The Princess then began to wonder whether Crystal or Erich had any feelings beyond 'friendly'.

They continued to walk down the dry, sandy-like road, with the others following Crystal but some still sceptical of her intentions.

Tired of the silence, Erichanory broke it with a question. He asked her about how she was able to escape the castle and make it to Ponyville.

Where could she start...? Well, escaping the castle was easy but getting away from the Changeling guard was the difficult part. But it was the fact that the oppressed population was so willing to help her and shelter her from them that helped her escape. Crystal was allowed to stay the while, and was given whatever food and drink the villagers could scrap up. Crops weren't doing so well but even then, fresh fruit, vegetable and other foods such as flour based bread do come out here and there.

Alcohol wasn't too difficult to cultivate, especially the cheap beer that was of poor quality, but then again beer is not about taste for most people. More stronger alcohols such as Red Wine would burn a hole in any pony's wallet in this part of Equestria, lest the pony or what not was rich.

After some time, she promised a farewell, and the villagers who helped her hoped that Crystal could find a place to settle down in without worry of her mother and her forces. It was a long journey, but she found the mirror in the tower on the other side of the kingdom. At a younger age she was told of the stories of how elegant mirrors that cannot be moved and are full of mystery might take her to another world, or place. At first, you wouldn't believe it however, the legends were true. She was able to find her way through the caves, but at the expense of her limited supplies of food, and desperation kicked in. Finally, she found her way out, and she was found by Luna who was overlooking the night sky. The Princess found the changeling weak, dying from starvation and dehydration...

She thanks Princess Luna to this day for saving her, and thanks Celestia who allowed her to stay for a short amount of time, allowing her to stay in a hotel room. Both Princesses tended to her, giving her food, drinks, clothing and anything she wanted.

But she craved music... She developed a passion for music at a young age, but her mother found her passion towards it 'pointless'. It was Celestia who introduced her to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. She couldn't thank her enough after that. Thereafter, she experimented with different instruments until she was content with the electric Guitar. Her first time playing an instrument was an Acoustic Guitar one of the former band players at the castle used, until he was found pointless by her mother and was decommissioned. However, Crystal was left with the Guitar in her possession, and whenever she found a secluded spot around the castle she would play it.

But eventually her mother found out and found this an act of disobedience. A typical mother would ground their child and tell them off; Chrysalis was not a typical mother, if you could even consider her a mother in any way. It led to the scar in her left hand, and more or less, the reduced ability to use the Guitar. But how she could still bare the name of 'Rock Queen' and enjoy popularity as a talented Guitarist was beyond her. For now, she'll have to hold off her pony identity and put on the shoes of her old self, and they'll fit perfectly.

After a few minutes, they approached a large building that obviously was run down by decay. Despite this, it seemed well guarded as a metal door prevented them from entering, and two men armed with mediocre firearms stood in their way.

"Sorry. You ain't allowed in here."

Crystal threw back her hood.

"Oh! I'm sorry, you can come in." The two stepped aside and one of the guards opened the door for them. "It's been a while since we last saw you. I thought you said you weren't coming back." The guard said.

"I really didn't want to."

The group made their way through a hallway and upstairs to a canteen-like area, where changelings were social and shared drinks, ate food (at least what little food they have) and yet all of them were armed. None of them noticed the outsiders, and already the group felt welcome.

One of the drinkers spotted Crystal, and gasped to her current appearance. He stood with his pitcher in the air and called her out: "Haha! Our comrade Crystal has returned!!"

The announcement turned all the attention to her, and many of the drinkers, eaters and chatters cheered at the news. They flattered her return. "The rightful Queen has returned! All hail!" One cried out.

"All hail!" They all shouted.

Some of the changelings noticed the ponies: "Outsiders?" Some of them noted. But all of them questioned the Rock Queen whether they'd be of any help to their 'cause'.

She nodded. "You have been fighting against your own brethren for years, because of my mother. And yet you allowed me to find my way out of the crumbling remnants of this village... I thank you for allowing me to find my way to experience a normal life."

The changelings raised their pitchers. "We are here to serve you. Whatever way you send us; left or right!" They all agreed on it.

"I was so young when I found you, and yet I'm still welcome? I can't believe you all remember me." Escaping the castle, she was pursued by the Changeling guard, but men and women who noted this helped her escape to this place, and she thanked all of them for sheltering her. It was her Sanctuary, and way point to a new life.

The other ponies were slightly baffled at what was going on. Bulleta asked: "And who are these guys?"

Rock Queen looked to them all and smiled happily. "These men and women wish for a better future, and fight against the tyrant Queen... My mother..." She stood proudly, and for once in her life, she was in charge of a part of what was rightfully hers. "They stand tall as a rebellion, but I call them pursuers of justice! I have returned even when I promised never to do so, and why...? Because I have an obligation to this village as much as soldiers you do."

"All hail!" The soldiers all cried.

Erich stepped forwards with a laid back attitude. "So we can safely say we're on the same side. How about a drink for us then?"

Crystal chuckled and smiled. "Please, enjoy your night, for the night is young and with the night; this night! Tonight, this place will become a place of joy! We shall celebrate!" She rushed over to the bartender who though had limited drinks to provide, happily filled pitchers full of home brewed beer. "Tonight, we drink!" She raised a filled pitcher along with the soldiers.

Erich stepped in: "And from now on, we're calling the shots. Walking through that village was nothing less than disturbing. I can't stand by to see innocent people suffer."

The soldiers all agreed and raised pitchers once more. Markza smiled. "To good health, and the future victory that waits ahead of us. A pony, a changeling, a dragon, anything can dream. But you need the will to fulfil it!" He watched as his own two comrades took two pitchers of their own, and hesitantly the Mane-6 joined in.

The bartender smiled and nodded. "There was not a moment that none of us dreamed of acceptance. And we accept you. Do you accept us?"

The other members of Twilight's group was at first a little hesitant, but seeing how these Changelings were relatively no different to them, they all agreed. Their hostilities were mainly due to the Royal Canterlot wedding incident. Of course, you can stereotype all of Canterlot to be rich snobs but that's true in its entirety (though most were rich), and you can stereotype that all Dragons are out of control. Spike matured in his own different way and was fairly in control.

Why should they be afraid of them? Had they wanted to hurt the ponies, they would've done something by now.

Rarity was first to down her drink, and though it wasn't as classy a drink as expensive wine, it sufficed. What she did next was slightly un-lady like as she wiped her wet lips with her arm and sighed with relief. "By Celestia, that's good."

The Changelings and Ponies were not hostile to each other, but rather were friendly and uncaring to what one or the others were. That being said, they become far more excited once the drinks went down, and still kept coming. There was a lot of beer, though not as much food. But that was okay, the beer accounted for a liquid dinner as they say.

There were a few who played instruments and others who danced with others. Applejack wasn't shy about dancing with others. Applejack found out that some of the dancers had their own orchids and farms, but the decaying land made it difficult to cultivate any edible plants. Immediately, the bulky mare felt bad for bad mouthing the whole Changeling race.

There were a few Changelings who wore well sewn clothes, and Rarity couldn't help but notice some of the gems that they had. Of course, she complimented them, and even more so assured those who didn't feel confident about themselves that they were beautiful. They were like diamonds: even rough ones were beautiful and had great value to them.

Fluttershy was a little shy but some of the soldiers, female and male, stayed with her to start a conversation. The first mention about Fluttershy's occupation in ponyville had gained the attention of the soldiers that were curious about her. It was evident that they used to take care of animals, but few come to the empire and migrate to other parts of Equestria. It was disheartening to hear this, since the shy mare herself would find it hard to accept that her animals don't want to return due to the state of the land. If only Celestia knew...

Rainbow Dash bragged on about her fast speed, and also enjoyed the company of former racers. Some were male but most were female, since the females usually had more thinner bodies which wouldn't be slowed down by wind as much. The males however were known to be competitive. Most races however were cancelled some time during Chrysalis' reign, and most of the racers instead used their speed to help in maintaining the village and getting whatever supplies they had around without being caught by patrols.

Of course, Dash's ties with the Wonderbolts were strong, and she probably could get some support from them. She'd have to initiate a way to get back through the portal and contact her team. She'd be faster than the patrols but being fast doesn't mean that they would not stop going after her if she is caught.

Dash went to Erich, Twilight and Crystal. Crystal seemed a little tipsy but under control... Relatively. "Uhm...." She couldn't lose focus on how Crystal was just downing drinks so easily. It made Pinkie, who was just going all out with a few of the others partying and being hyper, a lightweight. Pinkie Pie is great at partying and can hold her own with drinks but even she had a limit. A large limit though. But it seemed as though the Rock Queen is true to her word a 'Rock Queen'. Rock and roll is her lifestyle, and drinking is part of it.

She returned her attention to Erich. "Erich. We need to think of a plan." She suggested that after the infiltration they can have the Wonderbolts extract them from the village. The two discussed the matter and though it seemed like a good plan, there was no consideration for the villagers. Eventually the two agreed that the Wonderbolts plan would have to be put aside.

They continued to discuss plans on how they were to go about the mission. Even though Rainbow Dash wasn't part of the mission, she felt like she had an obligation to help a fellow soldier. It didn't matter whether they fought in the same department or not, but both of them served Celestia and Equestria.

Crystal talked about training the soldiers to better withstand a fight against the Changeling Guard. Of course, they had built large underground training facilities with whatever makeshift material they could find. But training was limited, given the circumstance and lack of real high ranking defectors within the rebellion. Crystal pointed out to the group that some of them fit the requirements, and how the others could help bring morale back up. From what they've seen so far, the morale is low but their appearance brought some hope.

Rainbow Dash and Bulleta are both fast Pegasi but Dash is better at speed whilst Bulleta's stamina was known to match lower-tier griffons. Both could be detrimental to training in flight combat. Dash has been rumoured to be great at smashing her head at things, and at high speeds, few could withstand such a blow.

Some of the larger changelings were more prominent in strength over flight, and matched earth ponies. Their wings helped them to fly around but they are far to sluggish to withstand fast pace flight combat. Of course, Butch and Applejack were the only members of the group who are strong Earth ponies. They both have strong physique and almost unbeatable stamina. Applejack was able to buck half her apple orchid alone with little to no sleep at all, and that is quite a lot of work considering her farm was fairly huge. Both Butch and AJ could carry heavy items without too much hassle, and though it's easy to pick up and carry heavy things, obviously larger ponies and changelings need a lot of practice before they could use their full potential.

Twilight and Rarity could help improve the spell casting of the rebels. Whilst Rarity was limited in this aspect in comparison to Twilight, she still had some worth as an instructor. Twilight had the most spells and a large threshold too, as she was able to 'defeat' an Ursa Minor without any force. Since becoming a princess, Twilight's magical prowess had increased over the years and her variety of spells too.

The next part was training these soldiers to properly use guns. Using a gun was easy enough, but using it properly and maintaining firearms was another problem. With the conditions surrounding them being relatively unclean, it'll be difficult to keep weapons clean when the best they could probably use are dirty clothes.

More complications arose when taking note of the small supply of food for the soldiers; not to mention, there weren't enough fighters to match the firepower Chrysalis had. This was a small local militia fighting a civil war against a well armed Imperial army. Despite it sounding stereotypically cliché, this is the situation at hand. What's more, another kingdom wishes to fight against this Empire as well. They had to make some sort of move first before Chrysalis was ready to strike at the heart of Equestria again. Without the Mane-6 and the Elements of Harmony, stopping her will be a difficult task, let alone sabotaging her war efforts.

Baby steps though was the key. They'd have to slowly progress, but still must do as much damage to the Imperialist Changelings given their situation.

"We'll have to get as much information about the camps around the Kingdom. If we can clear them one by one, we can gain more attention." He sipped the sparkling nectar from his pitcher, and after a refreshing swallow he continued on: "From both the enemy and the enemy of our enemy. And if you share an enemy with someone..."

"You become friends." Rainbow Dash finished up. She then noticed how Erich's attention was set primarily on Crystal. Crystal didn't notice herself since she was conversing with the followers she barely knew. The stern expression on his face gave away a lot about what he was thinking, since she once shared that same expression for somepony.

When Erichanory noticed, he snapped: "What!?" At her, though not enough to gain the attention of the others.

"I know that kind of look."

"What 'look'?"

Dash continued to pressure the soldier. "That stern, concentrated look on a special somepony." She teased.

"We're just friends."

"For now." Dash added. "But you start off friends Erich, that's how love blooms... Well... At least in your case." But then again, Rainbow Dash was in the same situation before. When you realise you're in love with someone, it's hard to admit it but harder to accept it. Her feelings were for Applejack as well, which was odd. Not only did Rainbow Dash found out she loved someone, she found out she also liked women. But she is sexually attracted to males too, so she declared herself bisexual without a primary preference.

But that wasn't important. "You have feelings for her. Do you... Love her?" She asked with a whispering voice.

Erich didn't answer. He was however able to change the subject: "Changeling survive on love right?" He asked Rainbow Dash. The rainbow mane mare shrugged. She knew little about them. Erich was familiar with changelings, how they primarily feed on the emotion 'love', however, it is rumoured that a changeling that was in-love would not need to feed off of it as much but enough to survive. "Do you think changelings can feed on each other's love?"

"All I know, Changelings just feed on love."

It seemed like it. Why else are the many changelings in the village are still alive?

Now, aside from that... Rainbow's question was really important. Did Erich 'love' Crystal? He had known her for years, and maybe... Maybe their friendship was not enough... He was quiet for a moment before he put aside his drink. "Crystal can indulge in all the love she can get from me..." He wondered however if she had any feelings for him.

Shining Armour was explaining to the drake about an allied changeling 'hive', led by a changeling named Adrian. The drake will be meeting him today, with Shining and Cadence to accompany him. There was no worry about danger, though S.A knew the changeling agent very well. They met a while back, and at first there were strong tensions between the Royal Guard and the 'hive'. Eventually, the two parties started to become close allies as they both were against Chrysalis.

When you both share an enemy with another party, there was no need to be against them. And so the Royal Guard and Rogue Hive are now close together.

After traversing through the training fields, they eventually bumped into a navy Pegasus who Shining Armour knew very well. Spike stopped after he noticed that S.A stopped, to greet the pony. "Black! What a lovely surprise to see you here!"

"Shining Armour? Wow, it's been a while. Say a couple of years?" The two go a long way back, especially when S.A was in his early Royal Guard years. Black Gryph0n had left the Royal Guard to pursue a musical career. At the moment, he was doing well as an independent musician, but he aimed high. He decided to visit because he missed a few friends that he knew for a while since the academy, but few are still serving as a Guard.

S.A introduced Spike to Black Gryph0n, and vice versa. "I've heard a lot about you and Twilight. But Twilight, being a Princess, wouldn't be unpopular." The drake had gained some popularity for being the Princess' former assistant and probably her successor. A dragon capable of magic was rare, and even more so, rumour has it that he could be as strong as Twilight in terms of magical capabilities.

If this is so, imagine an important monarch of Equestria being a dragon? That'd be interesting, since it would promote diversity among species in Equestria. Celestia does promote this kind of interaction however, but having a dragon as a monarch would be a stronger message.

Moving away from his thoughts, he was asked a question from S.A and Spike about his visit to Canterlot. Gryph0n explained that he'd be staying in Canterlot for a recording session with his studio. Since the Royal Guard establishment is nearby, he could probably get a refresher course in combat since it has been a while since he had fought alongside his comrades. He wondered about Two Hands, since he was infamous for his actions some time ago. He however respects this heroic action, even though some Guards died that day due to this.

"Oh really now? That'd be interesting. It'll be great seeing you training with us again." The white furred, blue mane pony claimed. His smile was genuine, and his hand shake was strong as ever. "Good luck at the studio."

"Thanks. I'll see you again." Black turned and left the training grounds. Spike and Shining Armour watched on as he walked off into the sunset.

Shining Armour nodded with a smile once Black was gone. He turned to Spike: "It seems as though fate is in your favour."

"Why is that?"

The Captain explained how Spike was lucky to have multiple veterans training alongside him. With veterans by his side, the purple dragon's training would be accelerated by a large amount and he'll finish faster. Adrian and Shining Armour himself can teach Spike how to improve on his magical power whilst Black can teach Spike the more physical side of combat.

The drake nodded in acknowledgement. But there was no agreement, nor any smile. He was conflicted between his training and his relationship with Sweetie Belle, whether he could train and stay committed to the young mare's needs is a hard choice, so he had to find a way to compromise with Shining.

They talked about it for a moment, but S.A always agreed with Spike's reasons. Like the drake, he had his own relationship to deal with; Princess Mia Mora Cadenza, Cadence, his loving wife. His advice: Balancing work and life. "I know you want to be as good as Twiley, but you gotta do it at a slower pace." He advised. "Especially when you have a woman, or man, not judging, with you." S.A remembered how Spike used to be overconfident about anything, and how he was never dedicated with anything primarily important. That was until he grew up, found out about his powers and started dating Sweetie Belle. Now his current personality directly contrasted with what used to be the small purple assistant.

But with such fierce determination showing in his eyes, the Captain knew that Spike will not disappoint in either area. "You're a young couple now, but I'm always worried that bad things will happen to Equestria, no matter how much we try to stop it." He patted the drake on the back and continued: "Make every second count for you and your love." It was perfect advice, and though Shining Armour doesn't always come home early, he would never sleep without saying 'I love you' at least once to Cadence, asleep or not.

The drake knew how S.A and Cadence were a strong, close couple, and he could learn a lot about relationships. Women to the drake was confusing and he couldn't understand their different behaviour to males. He wanted to understand from an experienced husband's point of view. "What's it like? Being married I mean..."

"It's the same as any other girlfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend or girlfriend, girlfriend relationship."

"But you and Cadence had been together for some time and you know..." He couldn't express what he wanted to say, it felt a little embarrassing thinking about it as well.

It didn't take long for S.A to realise what he was talking about when he spotted the nervously reserved look on his face. "Oh... I see." He didn't want to talk about it too obviously, especially in the middle of the training field where others could be listening. Instead, he had to make it sound 'polite'. "Well... 'Cars'. Like any 'car', you don't just look at it and buy it for yourself. You have a look at it, test drive it but don't rush with it." He advised strongly. "You wanna also make sure you understand the feel of this car you like, and once you buy it, be gentle with it and treat it nicely, and it'll treat you nicely too." He chuckled. "If you want, you should wear a 'seatbelt' for safety. But personally, I don't. It's more thrilling, but sometimes, better safe than sorry."

"Yeah I get what you mean." He nodded and processed all the advice he was given. "Right..." He murmured. The purple dragon never intended to rush with it, but he didn't know how to go about it when he and Sweetie Belle got to 'that' stage. With S.A's advice, it didn't seem to pressure him as much as thinking about it before did.

The Captain continued: "You love your 'car', right?"

"Yes sir."

"Does the 'car' love you?"

It seemed a little odd using cars as the polite terms in this conversation, but at the very least it wasn't obvious. Going back to the second question, Spike nodded with strong confidence. "She does... Very much... I'm just not sure how I should treat her. I give her all sorts of treats, but is that enough for her?"

"No. Eventually you'll need to 'seal the deal' with the car. 'Joy Ride'. But care and love over others. You can spend however much you want, but it's more important to care and love the car." Shining Armour stopped a moment. "I'm Cadence's car, as much as she is my car. And vice versa for you and your love. Sometimes, the cars and you will heckle from time to time but you make up and get over it." He patted the drake's shoulder again, this time with a strong smile. He hoped that all the advice he gave would help him in future, and hoped the relationship between whomever Spike was with will continue for a long time.

"So we're both cars to each other, hmm?"

"Well, you both love and care for each other, let's leave it at that."

"... Yeah... That describes it perfectly."

Armour didn't want to explain how it felt to really 'seal the deal' with Cadence, and how it is fairly active to now. Pure pleasure and bliss, and that was the physical side to it. The emotional side, love, care and support. Twilight always advised him to act as moral support to his Princess, whenever she had a problem. 'Women don't want solutions, they want assurance and moral support.'

"Stick around with me. I can help you learn a thing or two about relationships and mares."

"Sounds like a plan."

Sometime after, mid-training, Adrian had finally arrived. The Changeling was greeted by the other Royal Guard's with strong politeness. The Royal Guard in Canterlot knew him and his hive very well, and they are well respected. Adrian stood relatively tall, though barely taller than Shining Armour, slightly slender but still with a good athletic build. He didn't wear the Canterlot Guard uniform, but rather he wore his own combat gear. Neither the Captain nor the drake wore the uniform neither, which was odd since S.A would always wear his uniform when training or on duty.

The changeling greeted the two, and complimented Shining Armour on how he can discipline any soldier, as evidenced by the hospitality the Royal Guard gave. The changeling never saw a dragon that grew of honesty, and his first time seeing one was of such delight. Most dragons grew to be large and dangerous due to their greed, but Spike was one of many that chose a more honest lifestyle. "You must be Spike. I heard a lot about you since you were appointed as Celestia's personal bodyguard." News travelled fast about it within his hive and the Royal Guard.

The fascinating part of the story? Spike was a dragon that can potentially conjure magic. It was one of the reasons Adrian had to come. Another reason: someone he really cares about was part of the Elite Royal Guard.

Spike was able to conjure basic spells like levitation, and he seemed to learn how to conjure new spells and abilities like any other pony. The technique was the same, it's just how he is able to do spells. Unlike other unicorns, he used gauntlets designed to channel the energy. Naturally, a unicorn uses their hands to directly aim their spells at times, but usually when their hands were full they used their horn. That shortens the need to learn spells since part of the course is multi-tasking with horn and limbs. It was interesting to meet a non-pony being, or changeling being, know how to conjure magic. The drake seemed capable of it as well.

However, Adrian sensed a strong emotion around Spike. The same emotion that changelings adapted to feed on for years: Love... And it was strong beyond belief, it felt overwhelming. It was around Shining Armour too, but then again, himself as well. The others could feed off of Adrian, which at first seemed impossible.

It was also a way of exposing which changeling is in love or not, and there isn't a moment where Adrian, or others are teased for being in love. The majority of his hive have not found themselves a suitable life partner. Eventually they will.

Like Shining Armour, the source of his power was the love of a certain somepony. Chrysalis was the only one who was able to feed off of it and drain him almost to death due to her superior will power. Even though Shining Armour was strong in will and determination, he was still not able to control the full extent of his power source. Now that he had enough time to learn how deep his magical energy really lies, Adrian doubted that Chrysalis could ever take advantage of him again. That is, if she tries.

The strong sense of love reminded him of that person he cares about a lot... She was here somewhere, among the crowds of Guards training. It was hard to distinguish who was who when so many ponies had strong emotions of all kinds, but mainly, love was overwhelming his ability to pinpoint specific ponies. He'll have to find her later...

"You want to learn how to be a magic master? We'll teach you."

"Do you think I can be a magic master?"

The changeling smiled. "Why else did Celestia ask you to be her next student?"

Author's Note

Well... I've nothing sarcastic to say. Just have a laugh or whatever and enjoy. Or not.

Cameo characters:
Adrian: Sek-Rakta from FA
Black Gryph0n: Awesome dude on Youtube, Tumblr and DA!