Disguised Dreams

The door to Pinkamena's suite opened, and a changeling-pony galloped out at the speed of light.

"Hope! I need to tell you something!"

The filly let out a loud sigh and threw herself onto the floor.

"Whaaaat?" she grumbled.

Pinkamena rolled her eyes. "Be back before four o' clock, okay?"

"I know, mommy, don't worry!"

The pink mare watched the dark filly gallop down the hall. Smiling, she went back into her home.

Hope laughed, and launched herself into the air just above the floor. Buzzing her wings until she attained smoother flight.

"I can't wait to explore the castle! And the courtyard, and the marketplace, and just the overall village! This is awesome!!!"

She zoomed down the stairs, and the first thing she heard was the clashing of swords in the courtyard, instantly peaking the filly's interest.

Ryhini was a little gryphon cub.

She was seven, and tried to go with the flow, feigning the most innocent demeanor possible.

Then the war happened.

In an effort to aid the war's passing, but stay out of it, the Chancellor of the Gryphon lands sent half his army to the Solar Empire. Most soldiers were outraged with this, and went to the the Everfree to help Luna.

Ryhini couldn't resist, and the cub she had always been surfaced for the first time.

Grabbing a wooden sword she fashioned for herself long ago, Ry hid in her older brother's caravan.

He was enraged when he found her, of course, but he was left with no way to take her home. So, Ryhini got to stay.

The little cub was in the practice ground, watching dummies being obliterated by changelings, ponies, and gryphons alike.

One pony took a break, and Ry jumped in the air with glee.

She gripped her wood sword in her beak and bolted to in the direction of the free dummy.

But she skidded to a stop when her brother stood in front of her.

"Sorry, Rhino, still not old enough. Just go back inside, okay?"

The cub sighed and turned around, but then she caught something in the corner of her eye.

A dark-colored filly, watching the battle from a castle window.

Clearly she was a spy from the enemy!

Ry grabbed her sword and waited for her to be on her way to strike.

Hope galloped to the entrance of the castle, and there it was.

Grass.

She flew outside, and slowly slid her hoof onto the soft green material.

To her surprise, nothing bad happened.

Hesitantly, Hope lowered herself onto the soft grass, and it felt wonderful!

She smiled and trotted around in the green foliage.

Her accurate ears heard it, but she was too late in her reaction.

Hope soon found herself pinned under a Gryphon with a wood sword.

The gryphon raised the sword, but then she looked a little more closely at the filly.

"Are you a spy?" she asked.

"Um, no," Hope said, confused.

The gryphon set her sword to the side, stepped off Hope, and helped her up.

"Sorry. I'm Ryhini, or Ry, or Rhino. Whichever you prefer. What's your name?"

"I'm Hope. I like your thingie!"

"Thingie? Oh, my sword?"

"Yeah! Your thingie."

Ry grabbed the sword in her claw.

"Have you ever seen a sword before?"

"Afraid not, I've spent my life in the castle."

"How old are you?"

"I'm four months old. But mommy says I'm supposed to be the "ekivlant" of eight."

"Wow! You must be magic or something! So, you've never been outside the castle?"

Hope nodded her head solemnly. "This is my first time exploring the Republic."

Ry sprung into the air. "I know EVERYTHING about this place! I even know where in the Marketplace to get the best produce! Want me to show you?"

"As friends?"

"Well I like you! So yeah!"

Ryhini ran down the path, and Hape followed after, excited at having her first friend.

Glass Slipper and Katydid were very similar. But one was a crystal pony, the other a changeling.

Glass Slipper lost her parents to Sombra over a thousand years ago when they tried to organize a rebellion.

In the chaos, the tiny filly slipped away and took to living in the alleys.

Living off rainwater and moldy bread, the foal had to learn how to steal to survive.

Katydid lost her parents to starvation in the times of the famine.

She lived off the streets, but was only dealt an occasional glance by pitiful citizens.

No pony could spare a thing for her, lest they suffer her fate, so Katy began to take what she needed.

Thus, the two made the perfect pair.

It was a simple job, get an apple for dinner.

Slip and Katy hid behind an unoccupied stall. It was time for their plan to start.

Katydid's horn flickered, and bright beams of light shot towards the stall owner, the filly, and the gryphon cub occupying it.

The three became captivated by the lights as they exploded into tiny fireworks.

Once that job was done, Slip strung a suction dart into her toy crossbow.

The crystal filly aimed it carefully at a bright, juicy-looking apple, and shot the dart.

Slip's aim was true, and the dart immediately stuck to the apple.

The filly turned the crank on her crossbow, and the dart & the apple receded towards them.

Seeing the moving apple in the corner of her eye, Ryhini was immediately suspicious.

The apple was in Katy's reach, but when she when to retrieve it, the apple found itself smashed under a gryphon's paw.

The two foals cowered under her.

"Thieves!" Ry cried.

The vendor came over, and upon seeing the foals, screamed out loud.

He chastised and scolded them aggressively, with swearing and racist slurs mixed in.

"We need to do something. They may be thieves, but they're also just foals!" Hope whispered to Ry.

"Agreed, but what?"

Hope thought for a moment, then had an idea.

"Do you know that vendor's name?"

"Mm-hmm, his name is Cherry Fizzy."

"CHERRY!" Luna's loud voice boomed through the air, eyes white and glowing.

The princess descended.

"I will say this once. Let these fillies go, and close your kiosk. I will have you on the front infantry if you do not heed my instructions!"

The stallion backed away in fear, cowering before his princess. "Y-yes ma'am!" he cried, then he ran away.

The foals shamefully walked to Luna.

"I'm sorry, m'lady…" Slipper sniffed.

"We know stealing is bad, Princess. We're just so h-hungry."

The Princess kneeled down and smiled. Her horn glowed, and two apples appeared in front of the fillies.

Luna heaved herself into the air, and a bright green glow enveloped her, seeming to sear the flesh off her body. In the end, a small filly was left.

Hope dropped from the sky to Slipper and Katy.

Ryhini ran over to them.

''THAT WAS AWESOME!" she cried.

"You're not Luna…" Slip said, confused.

"I'm Hope, a bat-changeling. I just learned how to transform. Cool huh?"

"S-so you're not mad we tried to steal an apple?" Katy queried.

Hope shrugged. "Eh. It's justified. You have a royal pardon either way."

Pinkie watched from her suite window, her foal had finally found friends! It was exciting.

Watching them play in the gardens, she lost all sense of time.

It made her sad as well as happy.

At the rate Hope was aging, these children would only be in her age group a week or so at best.

And soon, it would be time to tell her of her destiny.