So, today is the day my old brother comes to visit. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I suppose it's best to just get it out of the way and move on. I just hope Kara keeps a check on her attitude, because I don't think he's going to be too kind. After what happened to him and Princess Cadance, I can't blame him, but still... I don't foresee this going well.

The morning went well, at least. For breakfast, we had honey covered bacon, which is my favorite breakfast item. There's no way you can beat it. Gotta say, that little dragon is a really good cook. The strange part, though, is he turned down even the regular bacon. And here I thought dragons were carnivores as well... well, I guess I can't be right all the time.

And how about the long awaited first update on the peace talks up in Canterlot? They're going pretty good, it seems. Princess Celestia has already allowed some of our harvesters to come and gather up as much love energy as they can carry. It doesn't do any kind of harm to the ponies being harvested, after all, so they figured it would be alright. That said, our harvesters can't just do it in secret, and they can't harvest just anybody they want. The pony in question has to give consent on the matter. Again, there's no harm being done to the ponies, so I don't see why they even have to know it's happening, but whatever... progress is still progress.

Anyway, it was about noon when my old brother came knocking. Fenrir, Kara, and I braced ourselves for what was coming. Jade and Swift were standing by the door, ready to jump just in case things went really south. I highly doubted it would come to blows since Princess Celestia said that she basically made it an order that no harm is to come to any of my hivemates, but one can never be too careful! As he enters, the first thing I notice is just how handsome and sexy he looks in that armor of his. I know we're related by blood and everything, but damn. If you mention that to Fenrir, I'll cut off your legs and beat you to death with them before hanging you from a tree by your intestines.

Anyway, he wasn't the only the come. Beside him was Princess Cadance, and behind him was the mare who I could only assume was my niece... though her name currently eludes me. I think it's Snowfall Blizzard or something of that nature. Not important right now, though.

"Hello, Twily," He said as he sat down.

Twily? Cute name, but blegh.

"I guess you're my brother, right?" I asked

"I am, yea," He said, nodding, "I guess it's true that you really have no memories, isn't it?"

"It is," I said, "Anyway, let's start off by introducing everybody here".

"My name is Fenrir, and I'm Twilight's mate," Fenrir explained, "Like her, I'm also a hunter for the hive".

"I'm Cadance, and though you don't remember me, I was once your foalsitter," Princess Cadance explained, "Those were the fun day back then, I wish they could come back sometimes".

The next to introduce themselves was... good grief, what was her name? Eh, I'll just go with Snowfall until I can remember.

"My name is Snowfall Blizzard, and I'm your niece," Snowfall said, "I'm also a Sergeant in the royal guard, trained by dad here".

Ok, so I've got not one, but TWO royal guards in the same room as me. Thank goodness we outnumber them.

"I'll go ahead and pass since I've basically introduced myself already," My old brother said.

"Alright, well my name is Kara, and I'm a weapons specialist for my hive's Navy," Kara said, "I'm also the daughter of Twilight and Fenrir".

"And here I thought your name was 'Spoiled Brat'," I said jokingly, earning a death glare from Kara, "Alright, alright, back to being serious. The last two are behind you by the door. The one to the left is Jade, and the other is Swift. They're really good friends of mine, and the other two members of my hunting party".

"Alright, so now that that's out of the way, let's get down to what we came here for," My old brother said, "Or at least, what I came here for. You spent the past sixteen years growing up all over again inside a hive of changelings. I don't really like that fact, but it's something I can't change. Anyway, first question I want to ask is how long did you live thinking you were a changeling?"

Oh, here we go... yep, this won't end well.

"Ten years," I said, "I always knew I wasn't like the others, but I would've never thought myself to be a pony. Then I got pregnant, which is impossible for a drone since only the queen of a hive is fertile".

"Ok, so you've known for six years," My old brother said, "So, why did you never come back to Equestria before now?"

"My hive is my home now, not Equestria," I explained, "Yes, I'm a pony, but that doesn't mean anything. Queen Chrysalis is my mother, even though not by blood. My hivemates are my family. Fenrir was my coltfriend before I found out the truth. I couldn't stomach the thought of just leaving all that behind for a life I don't even have a single memory of".

"I... I guess that makes sense," My old brother said.

"So, what is it like living with changelings?" Snowfall asked.

"There's never a dull moment," I said, "You're always doing something. Me? I'm a hunter. Jade, Swift and I go on hunts twice a week, here in Equestria more often than anywhere else. I don't know what it is about this place, but it has the best hunting grounds in the whole world".

"And about that particular subject," Princess Cadance said, "It's obvious from the way you just talked that you enjoy hunting, but why is that? You're a pony, you can't eat meat. Not only that, but I just have a hard time picturing you enjoying the killing of another, especially an innocent, for food you can't even eat".

"When you grow up in a hive, you get the ability to eat meat," I said, "When I was but a baby, mother gave me little bites here and there of different meats. At first, the pony side of me made me spit it out, but I stopped after a couple of days. As for enjoying the hunt, well... it's exciting. I enjoy the challenge more than the killing, though. It's not the safest job in the world, though, and I have the scars to prove it... but man, can it be fun".

"Alright, well, we can discuss that further later on," My old brother said, "Another question I need answered is why changelings would raise a pony as one of their own instead of turning them into a thrall. After all, they need us to eat, right?"

"They need love energy in general," I explained, "They can get some from anywhere they can find loving, social creatures. Ponies just happen to be the best source because there's so many of us, and we're so full of love to give. All that aside, they're not monsters. I know all about the invasion, and I completely understand why you'd hate them, but you don't have the whole story. Back then, the hive was slowly starving to death. If she felt like she would've been given a chance at diplomacy instead of being turned away for being seen as a predator, she'd have gone the more peaceful road. But, she was desperate, and she didn't want to risk rejection, so she decided to invade. She wasn't looking to rule over and enslave the ponies, she just wanted a larger, fresher source of love energy. To put it into perspective... how far would you go to make sure Snowfall could grow up and live a happy, healthy life?"

"Any parent worth their salt would be willing to do whatever they had to," Princess Cadance said, "As a mom, myself, I can honestly say I'd probably do the same thing were I in her position. Knowing she's actually a motherly creature helps me see things differently, for sure".

"I'm with Cadance on this one," My old brother said, "I still don't really like the changelings, but I can understand why they did it. Still, kinda of hard to picture them as caring right now".

"Then, let's change that," Fenrir suggested, "Stay with us for a little while, if you are able, and let us show you what our nature is really like. Let us prove to you that we're not evil, life sucking creatures".

"We can stay for the rest of the day, but we have to leave tomorrow," My old brother said, "Cadance and I are in charge of the Crystal Empire up north, and right now, we can't afford to take a long break. But, you changelings seem to have brought her up right, so I'm willing to give you a chance".

"And perhaps when you get the time, you can join us on a hunt," I suggested, "Learn all about the thrill of the hunt, and see why I enjoy it".

"Um... I'll think about it," My old brother said nervously.

"And one more thing," Kara said, "Is there a chance that you could snag us a tour of some warships?"

"Not a chance until I get to know you guys a little better," My old brother said, "No offence, but I don't trust you enough yet".

"Can't blame a girl for trying," Kara said, obviously let down.

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly, all things considered. Kara and Snowfall had a sparing match during the day, and it ended in a tie. Though Kara is still a little shorter than even I am, she still put up a good fight. In the end, neither could best the other. Still, it was an interesting fight to watch. My old brother and Jade seemed to hit it off pretty well, and Princess Cadance and Swift seem to be on the fast road to friendship. Overall, it was a great day, and I'm glad it didn't come to any raised voices or misguided racism. Just goes to show you that if you give somebody a chance, you'll be able to see the real them.

And if My old brother and Princess Cadance can forgive my hive after what they did seventeen years ago, then it's possible the rest of Equestria can as well... I hope, anyway. It'd be great if we could live alongside one another.

And her name isn't Snowfall. Damn it, it's Flurry Heart! How could I forget that?

Author's Note

So, now everybody's been reunited at last. I wanted to make it so there'd be some sibling conflict, but couldn't bring myself to do it in the end. However, I now plan to have Kara and Flurry Heart become better friends and go on adventures together later on.

And the next chapter will center around the start of the peace talks up in Canterlot.