Princess Emerald, Daughter of Solaris

Chapters

Visiting the Crystal Empire
The Search for the Spell
Eleven Months of Torture (Months 1-3)
Eleven Months of Torture (Months 4-7)
Eleven Months of Torture (Months 8-11)
Princess Emerald Sparkle
Raising a Foal is Easy...Right?
First Day of School
Emerald's Guardian Angel
Foalsitting with Discord
A Trip to the Doctor's
The Grand Galloping Gala
The First Day of Winter
Hearts and Hooves Day (Filly Emerald)
Meeting Starlight Glimmer
Truth Becomes Lies
A Much Needed Reunion
Dusk's First Friend
Weekend at Grandma's
Love: To Want or Need?
Solaris, Prince of Equestria
Hearth's Warming

Visiting the Crystal Empire

The train's whistle blew as it disembarked from the station in Canterlot. It began its scheduled route heading to the north, transporting goods and passengers from the kingdom up to the Crystal Empire. Attached to the end of the train was a private car meant to be used by royalty or ambassadors from across the world, and inside that car was the prince of Equestria, along with his princess. Solaris decided to take some time to relax and get away from his duties for a while, especially after finally getting rid of the stallion always halting his and his council's progress.

Solaris sat by the window, watching the scenery pass by in the luxurious car. It was decorated as if it was a smaller scale of the castle: royal silk drapes for the windows, lush carpeting, a soft mattress for long rides across the country to other kingdoms, and a stocked fridge with some vintage wines as an optional beverage. He wasn't really fond of drinking, even though he was legally old enough to. He tried some during his wedding, and after only a few drinks, he was already staggering on his hooves before he went to their bedroom after the reception to consummate his and Trill's marriage. Trill, on the other hoof, loved to drink alcohol, though Solaris always had to cut her off before she got too wasted.

"It's such a beautiful day for a ride up to the Crystal Empire," he said. "Perfect weather for the tundra, so it won't be that cold, or too hot. Right, honey?"

He looked back at the changeling, Trill pouting as she wore very thick winter clothing in anticipation for the cold air they'll run into in a few hours. "I hate the cold. You know that." Solaris grinned and shook his head. He knew she wasn't all that smart when it came to being prepared, but she was a bit too early to prepare herself for the northern end of Equestria, already sweating underneath the thick jacket, scarf, beanie, and boots, all of them a dark green like her mane and tail. "Why can't your aunt and uncle just come down to the castle? They can take a break from their duties, too."

"Well, if you recall a few months ago, they did come over to see us. So we're going up there to see them this time." He walked up to the bed the pouting mare was sitting on, taking off some of her clothes so she wouldn't suffer from dehydration before they reached any sign of snow. "So, let's take these off before you get too sweaty and get even more cold once we reach the tundra."

"I don't wanna be cold!" Trill whined, swiping back her scarf and beanie. "I nearly froze to death when I tried to find you after you ran away, and I didn't think about wearing anything warm. I'm not taking any chances."

"...So, you're thinking I'm going to run off again after something emotionally traumatic happens to me?" She nodded her head, placing her cap and scarf back on. Solaris still remembered what had happened when he had run away after losing Rainbow Dash after one of his trials. He was emotionally and psychologically broken at the realization of what his tests were meant to do once he completed them. The worst bit of it that snapped him out of his shock after watching one of his aunts die, only making it worse after what he did to Trill when she found him. He surprised her by giving her a soft embrace, Trill confused by the hug until she felt an emotion from him she hated to see from him: sadness. "That won't happen again...I swear."

She wrapped her hooves around him and hugged him back, knowing it would be hard for Solaris to forget everything that happened to him years ago. "You're thinking about what you did to me in that cave, aren't you?" He nodded his head, holding her tighter as his ears pressed down to his head hard, practically hearing the sickening smack that could have fatally killed her. She nuzzled him as she began to feel his guilt for accidentally hurting her, calming him down before he broke down. "Solly, I'm ok. I didn't suffer from any brain damage, and every single doctors appointment you gave me to check my skull all came back as perfectly fine. Changelings have really thick skin, and my head's the thickest out of my entire hive."

"I don't ever want to hurt you like that again," he said. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know, and you won't." Trill kissed Solaris on the cheek, slowly moving up to his ear and giving it a light peck. "You can't get rid of me anyway. I always find some way to come crawling back, then bite you when you least expect it."

Solaris snorted, knowing that was entirely true. "I can't, even if I try." He pulled back and gave Trill a small kiss, pressing his snout against hers as he looked into her emerald eyes. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Even when I annoy you?" she asked.

"Even when you annoy me." Trill giggled, squeaking as he pulled her into another kiss, which she gladly returned in kind.

The changeling soon began to get uncomfortable, her warm clothing a bit too hot for her and sweating from the increased temperature. "Ok, you're right about the clothes. Too soon to wear them." Solaris chuckled as Trill broke the hug, plopping onto the bed as she took off her warm gear. She sighed in relief as her skin met the slightly cooler air in the royal car, tossing her clothing haphazardly all over the floor. "Maybe I don't need them when I have a husband who can breathe fire and alter his body temperature with that fire."

"You do tend to forget some things. Like my birthday a couple years ago?" Trill groaned at that awkward moment that day.

"It's hard enough for me to remember the birthdays of the other changelings in the hive!" she exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know!?"

"I did give you subtle hints, though they flew over your head like everything I say," Solaris said.

"I am the master of subtlety. You do a terrible job giving away those hints." She stuck her tongue out at the alicorn and rolled on her stomach. Solaris just shook his head, watching the changeling crawl across the bed and lay her head down on the extra soft pillows, perfectly fluffed for royal passengers to use. "Well, this is gonna be a boring few hours until we get to the empire. And I don't really like to read any of those books in that big library in the castle."

"You could probably use some book smarts." The stallion climbed up on the bed and crawled over to Trill, laying down next to her as he pulled out one of the few books he did bring along with him. "Besides, there's some really good fictional stories you can try to read. Genres ranging from adventure, romance, mystery, horror...Egh. Not a fan of horror stuff after that movie we watched back in the Crystal Empire."

"Horror, eh?" Trill hummed in thought, curious to know what kinds of other creepy and gory stories there were. "I might have to take a look at that section when we get back. But, for now..." She scooted closer to Solaris and snuggled up next to him as he began to read what looked like an old adventure series, the book titled "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone". Trill looked at him with and fluttered her eyes. "I'm just gonna cuddle with you while you read to me."

"You're not planning on doing anything lewd while I'm reading the words off the page to you, are you?" Solaris looked at her, seeing the cheeky grin on her lips as his answer was given to him. "We're on a train, where other ponies can see and smell what happens in this car when we disembark. Only in the privacy of our bedroom back home."

"Fine. No snuggling with you, then. I'm gonna take a nap." Trill rolled over and laid on the other side of the bed.

As Solaris began reading where he left off, Trill slowly scooted back toward him, failing to give him the cold shoulder. The alicorn extended his wing and wrapped it under his "sleeping" wife, pulling her closer as she snuggled against his soft feathers. Hearing her snore as she really fell asleep, Solaris chuckled softly, always entertained by his lover's antics. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, hearing her sigh in content as she shifted comfortably under his wing.

"I'll wake you when we're about to arrive, ok?" he whispered in her ear, hearing her mumble something, taking it as an agreement and getting back into his book.

With the train arriving in the northern region of Equestria, it arrived at the station, thankfully inside the barrier protecting the Crystal Empire for creatures like Trill who can't survive in the cold. As the passengers exited the cars, Solaris and Trill left their car as well. Waiting for them were a couple stallions in the Crystal Guard, both soldiers saluting to the prince and princess.

"Your Highnesses, we are here to escort you to the palace by Prince Shining Armor's command," one of them said.

"Oh boy. We need protection from all the mares that want to try to jump Solly. Oh, how cruel fate is for him to look devilishly handsome and want to make a herd with him," Trill dramatically said, leaning against the alicorn as he rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "I wouldn't mind that, but I'm the alpha of all the other mares you're gonna court, hon."

"That's still not going to happen." Solaris lightly shoved Trill off of him, ignoring her persuasion to add more mares in his already busy life. "And I appreciate the escort, gentlecolts. This is supposed to be a family visit, not an official one, and I don't want to bring too much attention."

"Good luck with your golden locks and that horn of yours making you stick out like a sore hoof." Trill brushed her hoof through her husband's golden mane, emphasizing her point.

The guards lead the way as the couple followed. Their attention was noticed by many of the crystal ponies, especially all the mares as soon as they saw the alicorn. His bravery defeating the dreaded unicorn that nearly brought the world to a deadly war, his power far exceeding those of the princesses, made Solaris a world-wide name to remember. Known as the Prince of Hope, or Prince of Light with his power to use holy light, even changing the fire he can breath and summon in his hooves from green to white. Everyone had begun to lose hope for over fifteen years after Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were killed by Lucifer, but that changed when he made himself known in Canterlot, taking the dark unicorn head on and winning by the skin of his teeth.

Once he became prince, dignitaries from other kingdoms had expressed their gratitude once they heard his name, thanking him for keeping their kingdoms from suffering an inevitable end to Lucifer's dark power. Ironically enough, some of them had offered to allow him to one day marry their daughter, or daughters, but Solaris declined them and didn't accept any other gifts they wanted to give him. He didn't want to be treated like a god being offered tribute for his deadly battle, and he preferred just to be thanked without being rewarded, just knowing the world was safe was plenty rewarding for him.

After reaching the crystal palace, with a few stops from some eager mares who wanted to show their appreciation for saving Equestria and all the other kingdoms, but kept at bay thanks to the guards, they entered the grand castle made entirely of crystal. The guards left to head back to their posts, leaving Solaris and Trill to themselves as they made their way to the throne room.

"As much as I hate the freezing cold air and snow outside of this city, I can never get enough of this castle," Trill said. "Why can't we get a crystal castle?"

"Do you want to wake up every morning with the sun shining through the window and have the light reflect off everything until it shines in your eyes?" Trill opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, not thinking about the drawbacks to having a building made out of crystal. And she liked her beauty sleep when having a lazy day. "I thought so."

They found the throne room and walked through the doors to meet with Cadence and Shining Armor. Inside were the prince and princess of the Crystal Empire, but there was someone else inside, and it came rushing at them in a light pink blur.

"SOWWY!" The blur rammed right into Solaris, sending him flying back into the wall of the hallway, knocking the wind out of him as he slid down to the ground. Hugging and nuzzling his chest was a light pink alicorn filly, her wings far bigger than a normal pegasus foals for her size, her mane and tail a mix of light pink and purple with blue highlights. "I gotted you!"

"Hi, Flurry," Solaris greeted with a wheeze, struggling to catch his breath from the harsh tackle. He patted the filly on the head, letting out a cough as he felt like his ribs had cracked, lifting the excited little alicorn in his hooves. "Wow, you're insanely strong. And you got a bit bigger since I last saw you."

"I missed you, Sowwy!" Flurry said, reaching her hooves out to hug him again.

"Me too, little cousin." He pulled her close to let her hug him again, this time not while she tackled him into the wall with the intention to break him and the wall.

Solaris carried his cousin back to the door, Trill wearing an amused grin as she watched him get pinned to the wall by a filly five times smaller than him. On the other side of the throne room, Cadence stifled her laughter at her daughter's excitement. The pink alicorn met up with her nephew and niece-in-law halfway, Shining slowly limping his way over as well, his forelegs mended, though hindering his movement.

"Flurry, next time, don't fly into your cousin when you want to say hi to him," Cadence lightly scolded, the filly giggling innocently as she nodded her head. She hugged Solaris, the stallion purposely squeezing Flurry between them to get some playful payback for ramming into him. "How was your ride up?"

"Boring, and I wished there was something we could have done for the last five hours," Trill replied with a huff.

The filly squirmed out of Solaris's hoof and flapped her wings, flying up to the changeling princess and landing on her snout. "Hi, Twill!"

"Oh, now you notice me, you little love tanker." Trill levitated Flurry off her nose and randomly flipped her around, gently placing her down on the ground in a headstand.

It was a really big surprise to everyone in the world when Flurry Heart was born an alicorn, just like Solaris. Cadence and Shining Armor didn't tell their nephew about her pregnancy until a few months after conceiving the little filly. He was excited and couldn't wait to see his first blood related cousin, and it was also a grand occasion for the empire itself. After she was born, they performed a special ritual for newborn foals within the Crystal Empire called the Crystalling. This ritual also strengthens the Crystal Heart as the crystal ponies release light and love, which is absorbed by a pure crystal picked by the parents. And since it was a royal Crystalling, Flurry was given two honor guards that would be her guardians, along with a Crystaller, a pony deemed trustworthy by the parents to help care for her when Cadence and Shining were busy with their royal duties.

But, it wound up nearly turning into a disaster with baby Flurry flying around, teleporting all over the place, and sneezing while unleashing massive beams of magic that nearly destroyed the castle. Solaris was forced to keep his cousin occupied while his aunt and uncle got things ready, and even he had trouble taming the wild alicorn foal with his own magic. He didn't have this kind of level of uncontrollable magic when he was little, but that might have been due to growing up in a mountain with his dragon uncle, Spike, or he did and was never told about his magical surges as a colt.

What was worse was what had happened to the Crystal Heart. Flurry was pulled away from her cousin while having too much fun with him, crying a loud super sonic wail that managed to shatter the magical artifact, destroying the barrier and the empire's protection. Without the Crystal Heart, not only would evildoers easily invade the land, but the worst of it came from the harsh blizzards it was meant to protect the empire from. Luckily, they found a way to fix it and perform the Crystalling all at once, bringing the barrier back to protect the ponies from the disaster.

"Princess Flurry Heart, it's time for your lessons!" At the entrance of the throne room was an orange unicorn stallion, his fetlocks white along with a stripe of white starting underneath his horn down to the tip of his snout. His mane and tail were a darker shade of orange with a lighter shade in the middle, looking like he had just gotten up or constantly overworked and messy, also sporting a goatee and a pair of spectacles. He also wore a blue cloak designed with lighter blue stars, dressed as a scholar along with the glasses he adjusted on his muzzle. "Oh! Prince Solaris and Princess Trill!"

"Sunburst, good to see you again," Solaris greeted as the older stallion approached them and bowed respectfully to him.

Sunburst is Flurry Heart's Crystaller, and the stallion who helped figure out how to restore the Crystal Heart. Before he ever met the stallion, Solaris had gone through many files of ponies who had once been in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, finding reports on every student's grades and specialties. Along with his mother, Twilight having perfect scores on every magical lesson given to her, Sunburst was pretty knowledgeable with his studies, though executing them was a struggle for him. He was currently living in the Crystal Empire once it had reappeared and Sombra was dealt with, though he never really saw him in the city. And with his specialty more around learning and memorizing what he's read, he knew a lot about the Crystal Empire more than anyone else, even the crystal ponies.

As the magical blizzard struck after Flurry Heart accidentally shattered the Crystal Heart, Solaris entrusted Trill, Cadence, and Shining Armor to find him while he alone tried to push back the magical clouds with his power. His flames managed to push them back to some degree, but the overwhelming magical power wasn't enough to keep them away for long. Thankfully, before the Crystal Empire was frozen over, Sunburst found the right spells to fix the Crystal Heart, needing Cadence and Solaris's aid to keep the pieces together as it was formed, became Flurry's Crystaller as they performed the Crystalling to execute repairing the artifact, and saved the empire. He even found a spell to ease the filly's magical surges so nothing like that could happen again.

"What brings you to the Crystal Empire, Your Highnesses?" Sunburst asked.

"Just a family visit. I needed a break from my duties, and I didn't want Flurry to think I was avoiding her." The alicorn filly flipped on her back, looking up at the adults around her.

"Well, I'm going to have to take Flurry Heart for a little while," the unicorn said, using his magic to pick Flurry Heart up and carry him toward him. "It's time for your lessons, princess."

"Awww. Noo! I wanna be with Sowwy!" she whined, pouting angrily as she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her forelegs against her chest.

"I'm going to be here all weekend," Solaris assured. "When your done with your studies, which are important, we'll play together. Ok?"

"...Ok," Flurry reluctantly said.

As sad as it was for the filly to have to be taken away from her cousin, he promised he would still be here and she did have important study lessons she needed to learn. Flurry Heart and Sunburst left the throne room and headed down the hall, Solaris wincing as soon as his cousin was out of sight, rubbing his chest as he began to feel it bruise up.

"Wow, she's still as strong as she was as a newborn," he said. "You sure the Fledgling's Forbearance spell is still being used?"

"She's learning some basic magic spells, like levitation, so I've been trying to lower the level of the spell so she can use some of it without restraining it too much," Cadence explained. "But she still has her alicorn strength, and it's been hard enough for me to try to chase her down by myself."

"Sorry I can't really do much, Cadence," Shining said, sounding guilty as he looked down at his forelegs. "I'm starting to get old, and my forelegs aren't able to let me move around much anymore..."

"Shiny, I'm just happy you're still alive." The pink alicorn nuzzled her husband, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And I'm glad you've finally settled down and gave us a loving and highly energetic little filly."

"I kind of wish I wasn't forced into early retirement," the stallion groaned. "I get bored too easily, I'm barely able to exercise, and I can only walk around for such a short amount of time before pain starts shooting up in my legs." Shining began to wince as he felt a spike of pain in one of his legs, rubbing the burning limb, hoping it would stop hurting. Using his magic, his aura pulled out a bottle of pain medicine, taking out a couple pills and swallowing them whole. "And because I can't run, I won't be able to have fun with Flurry when she wants me to play with her."

"Honey, she's a smart filly. She'll understand why her daddy can't play with her as much as she wants to." Cadence gently rubbed Shining's leg, her horn glowing as she cast a spell to help reduce the pain he was feeling. "I've been able to handle her erratic flying and hide and seek games while she was still in diapers. All she needs from you is your love and being there for her every step of the way."

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"I know so." She pressed her lips against his in a soft, passionate kiss, Shining kissing back as his loving wife assuaged his fears of being a terrible father. Cadence hugged him after breaking their kiss, whispering something in his ear that got him a bit flustered. She pulled away and looked at their nephew and niece-in-law with a grin. "Well, let's get on with the chatting! It's been a while since we've seen each other, and we're in need of some family time. Too bad Chrysalis can't come over."

"I don't think she'd want to be caught dead somewhere in the middle of a frozen wasteland, or hang out with family," Trill said. "I'm kind of surprised I saw some members of the hive here, despite the cold weather. Is it because of the Crystallings? Because Flurry's was pretty powerful stuff."

"It could be." Cadence and Trill began to leave the throne room, the two mares having some girl chat as they left to find a private room for the family to relax in.

Solaris walked alongside his uncle as the unicorn limped along, feeling the effects of the pain medicine he took finally kicking in. "Five years old, and Flurry Heart is still as wild as ever. And she gets her strength from you."

"She really is a hoofful, but I am pretty proud to be a dad." As they walked, Solaris looked down in sadness, wondering how great it would have been if his life was different. Having both his mother and father raise him, having fun as a family, no insane villain threatening the kingdom to split them apart. Shining Armor noticed the alicorn's depression, still very worried about his mental state after all he'd gone through. "You doing ok, Solaris?"

"...Y-Yeah. A lot of hard work running a kingdom, but I got the hang of it thanks to you and Aunt Cadence," Solaris said with a fake grin.

"Do you still have any relapses over...you-know-what?" Shining asked, the alicorn shaking his head.

"No...Well, not as often, but they're going away. I'll be fine." He took his nephew's word, though he seemed to be hiding something else from him. He didn't press him, not wanting Solaris to overreact and panic as if he was being questioned for a crime he didn't commit. "So, what did Aunt Cadence tell you earlier?"

"Uhh...She...reminded me I still needed to...make up for the years I've been away," Shining said with a light blush.

"Does that mean I'm going to be expecting another cousin some time in the future?" Solaris asked, somewhat hopeful to have another relative.

"I don't think so. Flurry Heart is enough for me right now, and I don't think either of us could handle two foals at the moment." He bumped his shoulder against his nephew's, making sure not to put too much pressure on his front hooves to bring the pain back. "So, how have you and Trill been since we last saw you?"

"Oh goodness. Trill's libido is worse than a teenage colt's. I want to just put her on a leash so she can quit trying to find ways to have sex with me, but I'm pretty sure that would make her want more with all the wild fantasies she thinks up." Solaris continued talking about him and Trill's evenings as he and Shining Armor walked down the hall to try to catch up with Cadence and Trill.

The hours passed into the evening, the sun setting behind the mountains outside of the Crystal Empire, bathing the kingdom in an orange glow. Up on the balcony outside the dining area, the family decided to sit out there as they ate dinner and watched the sun set. Flurry Heart squinted her eyes, deeply focused as she looked at the checkerboard in front of her, Solaris sitting on the other side with an amused grin on his face. Her pieces were red, while his were black, and with checker pieces laid out in favor of Solaris with more of his pieces out on the board, the filly had to think real hard as she sipped on her juice through a very swirly bendy straw.

"Tick tock, Flurry," Solaris teased.

"I'm thinking, Sowwy!" Flurry shouted. "I am in the zone..." She stuck out her tongue and lit up her horn, levitating a red checker piece to an empty space on his side. "Princess me!"

"It's 'King me', and fine." He placed a captured piece over the one red checker on his side, making it a king and allowing her to move that piece anywhere now. The others watched in amusement, include Sunburst, despite being only a family friend as Flurry Heart's Crystaller. "Doesn't look like you're going to win this time, Flurry." The alicorn stallion grabbed a piece and hopped over two of her pieces, leaving only her king remaining, but not realizing he had set himself up for a deadly finish. "One piece left, and your king will soon be taken in one more move."

"The princess shall prevail!" Levitating her last piece, Flurry hopped over all of Solaris's pieces in one move. His jaw dropped, not even noticing he had set all his pieces up to give his cousin an incredible comeback, giving her the game by accident. "I win!"

"Augh! Darn it! You set me up, you little stinker!" Flurry giggled and pranced around in her victory, holding up her triumphant "princess" piece. "Come here, you show off!"

Solaris dove onto Flurry and trapped her in his hooves, pulling out a loose feather from his wings with his aura and began tickling her mercilessly. He cackled menacingly as she laughed uncontrollably, unable to squirm out of his grip as the feather tickled her exposed belly. Trill, Shining, Cadence, and Sunburst watched, the pink alicorn giggling at their playing as Solaris acted more like an older brother to Flurry Heart than a cousin.

"Solaris is really good with foals, huh?" Shining asked as he sipped on a wine glass filled with a crystal wine made from crystal berries grown in the kingdom.

"Have you seen the colts and fillies that were around him during his coronation and wedding? Those five practically look up to him." The stallion thought back to his nephew's wedding, remembering the five young ponies who danced around with him at the reception Cadence mentioned. "They look so much like Twilight's other friends. I don't know how they managed to cope when they heard the horrible news."

"Apple Seed didn't want to believe it and didn't want anything to do with Solly when he found out," Trill said. "They were all pretty upset, but I think they got over it...sort of. At least they mourn as much as he had." The changeling looked at Solaris, the stallion giving his cousin a breather from the tickle torture he gave her, resetting their checkers game for another round. "He still kind of blames himself a little for what happened. Earlier on the train, he also brought up hurting me in that cave when he ran away. He's still shaken up over that, and I've been to the doctor several times just to reassure him countless times over that I'm perfectly fine."

"Oh dear..." Cadence and Shining Armor looked at each other, hoping that Solaris wouldn't end up having anymore freakout episodes when he begins to worry about anyone's safety. "Let's just hope he doesn't suffer from a worse case of post-traumatic stress disorder."

"With all of the stress coming to him from ruling a kingdom after experiencing so many deaths, especially from those he knew like the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony, his mother, and her dragon scribe, it might be possible he has PTSD," Sunburst said, the royals glaring at the unicorn at his analytical assumption. "...Sorry, but his behavior seems likely to be possible."

"Are you a psychologist, Sunburst?" Trill questioned as she continued glaring daggers at him, the stallion shaking his head no. "Then I suggest you keep your diagnosis to yourself. I can take care of him if he has a nervous breakdown, and I'm not going to let him spiral into a dangerous case of depression. And I've seen what he's been through, so I understand perfectly well how upset he is, and as his wife, I will make sure he stays happy."

Sunburst gulped, keeping his mouth shut, heeding the warning in Trill's expression, not wanting to buy a new pair of bifocals after his old pair got smashed by a changeling hoof. She looked back at the two alicorns playing their game, Solaris in full concentration mode as he looked at the board while Flurry did the same, sticking out her tongue as she pressed her hooves against her head. After a while watching them making a few moves in their game, Cadence had a question on her mind she was dying to ask.

"So, Trill. At any point in the future, do you two want to have foals one day?" Cadence's question caused Trill to choke on her crystal wine, sputtering her drink, coughing heavily as she swallowed it down the wrong pipe.

After catching her breath, Trill stared at the alicorn in utter shock. "Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa, Cadence! Foals!? Us!?" Cadence nodded in curiosity, even Shining was a little curious as well. Trill chuckled nervously, pressing her hooves together, utterly flabbergasted by the topic. "Uhh, I'm not sure if you realize this, but with all the wild...events we sometimes have during the night, whenever Solaris decides to have some fun, it's kind of impossible for us to have any kids because of our different anatomy."

"Oh I know about that. Changelings are more insect than pony, and you lay eggs instead of live birth. Shining and I went to see your home...Quite a lovely place there." Shining cringed as he recalled going to the changeling hive to see Chrysalis and what their home was like. With the changelings now living peacefully with Equestria, they set up a railroad system to the location where the hive was, setting up trade and travel with their new allies. It wasn't a fond experience to see what it was like inside their home, especially with the eggs Chrysalis showed them in the incubation room within her palace. "But I was thinking more on the lines of adoption. You think you're interested in that?"

"...Uhh...I don't know..." Trill was still nervous about the topic of taking care of foals. She looked at Solaris, knowing one day, he'll wind up bringing it up with her about taking care of a foal or foals and have a family they can raise. Unfortunately, she didn't think she was the right pony to ever be a mother or mother figure, given how immature and irresponsible she can be. "I mean, we're both still really young, and pretty busy. I don't think we would have any time to take care of a foal at all."

"Doesn't Solaris do all the hard work back in Canterlot while you just laze around in the castle?" Shining asked. "Sounds like you've got plenty of time to me."

Trill leered at the crystal prince, the stallion smirking as he guessed right. "Solly's able to handle everything fine on his own. He's a born leader and makes good decisions."

"And he also told us when you two met, you failed to sneak up on him and catch him as your first prey." The changeling princess growled in annoyance, never living down that accidental stumble.

"Ok, let's not fight," Cadence scolded. "This is family time. If they aren't ready to start a family, that's their decision to make when they're good and ready. Plus, you and Solaris are still young, and he deserves to have a lot more fun after being hidden away most of his foalhood with nowhere to go and no new friends to be with. But when you do, I expect to see my grandniece or grandnephew every so often and be the first to foalsit them when I'm available. Deal?"

"Yeah, yeah. Deal." Cadence squealed in excitement as she clapped her hooves for the awaited grand relative in the future, though Trill was a bit apprehensive about that moment when it comes.

She was thankfully distracted from her thoughts when she heard Solaris groan in agony, facing another loss from his young cousin. "How are you this good at checkers!? Am I losing my touch?"

"Nope!" Flurry said. " You aren't good at this game, Sowwy!"

"Or maybe you're a little cheater and deserve another bout of tickle torture!" Flurry squealed and flew around the balcony, staying far away from her older cousin to avoid getting tickled again.

"No! Mommy! Daddy! Help!" the filly cried out as she giggled playfully, the others laughing as they watched Solaris chase her around on the balcony, even flying around near the castle not too far from where Cadence and Shining can keep an eye on their hyperactive daughter.

It was now late in the night as it was time for everyone to head for bed. Solaris was exhausted after he finally wore Flurry Heart out, the little filly holding too much energy in her system to barely show any sign of exhaustion. The family split up to get some sleep, Cadence and Shining Armor tucking in their daughter in her room before heading off to theirs, while Solaris and Trill shared a guest bedroom not too far from theirs.

Trill sat on the bed, fidgeting worriedly as her brain was wracked with what she discussed with Cadence. Solaris was in the adjacent bathroom taking a shower, having worked up a sweat trying to catch the energetic filly after losing his second game of checkers with her. She didn't know if he went easy on her or legitimately lost on purpose, but they were at least having fun. Even though she wanted to have some fun of her own with him and join him in the shower, the topic of foals bothered her too much to think about anything else.

A while later, Solaris exited the bathroom, rubbing his wet mane with his towel. "Ugh. Flurry is still as wild as she was as an infant. I think Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining need to cut back how much sugary sweets she eats if she winds up getting a sugar rush." After making sure his hair was dry enough, he levitated the wet towel back inside the bathroom and approached the bed. He climbed up and let out an exhausted groan, sinking into the mattress as he laid his head down on the pillow. "I think I'm getting out of shape, too busy sitting on my plot and going through so many meetings and documents every day."

"Mhmm," Trill mumbled.

He looked at his wife, finding her behavior odd as she kept looking down at her hooves. "...You know, this is usually the time you try to seduce me in some random way before I go to sleep, hoping for a chance I'll give in and release some of my pent up frustrations from the boring work I do. And you aren't doing anything."

"...Oh! Uhh, right!" Trill snapped out of her daze and flapped her wings, plopping down on his stomach while failing to try and be seductive. "So, you wanna do it?"

"...That's it?" the alicorn questioned with a raise of his brow, knowing something was wrong with her. "'You wanna do it?' No innuendos or teasing?"

"...W-Well, I can run out of ideas after a while, ok? So...Do you?" she asked again, seeming desperate as she grinned suspiciously.

Solaris sighed, wrapping his around Trill's waist as he sat up. "What's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Whenever you get upset about something, you look miserable and you fail to hide it. Case in point, your horrible question to want to 'do it' with no seduction whatsoever." She couldn't hide her facade any longer, sighing sadly and laying her head against Solaris's shoulder.

"Am I really that predictable?" Trill asked.

"Since day one," he said, making the changeling groan. He gave her a light kiss on her neck, gently rubbing his hooves against her hips. "What's been on your mind?"

"Mph...It's...kinda dumb." Trill wanted to talk about her thoughts, but at the same time, she was afraid to know what he'll think about what she wants to ask. His loving kisses along her neck, cheek, and shoulder, along with the gentle caress of his hooves rubbing her back and sides coaxed her to do the former, knowing he wouldn't be mad at anything she would say to him. "...It's something Cadence brought up earlier...and it freaked me out a little."

"What was it?" Solaris asked, wondering what his aunt could have said that worried Trill so badly.

"Well, while you were busy playing with Flurry Heart, your aunt and uncle saw how well you were around foals...And, you are really good at being a role model to them, especially your other cousins in Ponyville." The alicorn shrugged his shoulders, never really finding his interaction with younger ponies that impressive, even though it was fun to play around with his cousin. "Then...the question that scared the living hay out of me was...if we would one day...raise a family?"

"...You mean...raising a foal of our own?" Trill nodded, anticipating his absurdity to the whole idea.

"Yeah, stupid idea, right?" she asked, giggling nervously. "Cadence just loves talking about foals, and she even considered asking us to foalsit a future kid of ours when she has time on her hooves. Your aunt is crazy."

"Do you want to?" Solaris's question made Trill's ears perk up, pulling her head away from his shoulder to look at him. He was serious about the concept, which only worried her more. "I've actually been thinking about that for a while, but I didn't know if I wanted to bring it up to you."

"...Y-You...really?" Trill asked. "...Uhhh...Usually, wanting kids is something a mare wants, not a stallion."

"Yeah, it's odd, but I couldn't stop thinking about it after I had finally begun to relax after learning how to run Equestria." Solaris hugged her, resting his chin against her shoulder, unable to hide his sadness from her as she felt the emotion around him. "I never knew my parents that well, except for what I was told by my family...I only knew mom for a little bit, and I wished she didn't have to go so soon after I finally met her for the first time. No one has any clue who my dad was, and I don't know if I'll ever see him if Lucifer had killed him...I guess...I still feel a bit lonely and wonder what my life would have been like raised by my parents, not others who were like family to me.

"Uncle Spike was like a father to me, but I know he isn't my real dad." Solaris grimaced at the odd thought of Spike and his mother, Twilight, in a romantic relationship. "I would have been mortified if that actually was true, but thank goodness that isn't true..." The alicorn sighed as he held Trill tighter, laying back on the bed. "If I had my own foal, I want them to have both their parents to raise them, and I would experience how fatherhood would be like just to see what it would have been like."

Trill sat up and looked down at her alicorn husband, seeing the sad expression on his face. "This has been bugging you for a while?" she asked, the stallion nodding his head. "And...are you also envious of your uncle, or anypony else who's raising foals?"

"Maybe a little..." Trill had no idea this was bugging him so much.

After everything he had experienced in Equestria, he had lost more family than anyone in the world. Five mares who were friends of his mother's and one dragon were the only family he knew, having witnessed a majority of them die in horrible ways, and he felt like desperately clinging onto the ones who matter to him. They both had opposite feelings to their thoughts on starting a family, but Trill was willing to stomach her own fears on any future failures she'll have as a mother if it will help fulfill her husband's wishes.

"...Alright." Her response made Solaris look at her in surprise. "Let's raise us a family..."

"R-Really? Are you sure you want to start a family?" Trill hesitated, but nodded her head. Excited, Solaris pulled her down and gave her a deep, loving kiss, surprising the changeling before she could react as he pulled away. "This is amazing! Trill, I know we're going to be good parents! I just know it!"

"Heh. Yeah," she uttered. "So, we're going to look into a few places, hopefully considered qualified with my horrible behavior-"

"As soon as we get back to Canterlot, I'm going to find us a spell in the archives to help us conceive our first foal!" Trill's words were unheard by the excited stallion, making her jaw drop in confusion as he mentioned creating a baby of their own.

"Wait, what?" Before he got too hopeful, Trill squirmed out of his grip and stood over him,, pressing her forehooves against his cheeks to bring him back to reality. "Did you just say we're going to make our baby?"

"...Uhh, yesh?" he answered.

"Solaris, you know that's impossible," Trill reminded, moving her hooves and waving them across her body. "We're not exactly compatible to make one. Even if we did, after the hundreds of times we've romped and finished in me, which I enjoy heavenly, we would have probably had a few sets of hooves wandering around ours by now."

"Yeah, I know that," he said. "...What were you suggesting?"

"I was thinking more on adoption, or, if any of us are willing, find a mare willing to carry your foal until then or find a breeder in the hive to knock me up." Trill shuddered at that last thought, more out of going through the birthing process for her kind. "And I know you don't want that to happen, or else have fifty or so changeling babies to take care of." The alicorn's face went pale, shaking his head as he didn't want the latter option to happen, for him or her. "But, then again, changeling breeders are pretty big."

"Ok, you're not helping with that topic," Solaris muttered.

"Then why do you think we can have our own baby with a magic spell?" the changeling asked. "Is there something that actually exists that can do that?"

"There has to be something in the archives...I just know there is..." Trill could see he was sounding desperate, and he didn't want him to get too hopeful, only for it to come crashing down when the reality of their anatomies and the lack of a magical spell could get him what he wants. "Don't you want to have a foal born from the both of us?"

"...Maybe...but it's impossible right now, or even if we find this spell that can make it possible." Solaris averted his gaze from Trill and turned to his side. He knew it was impossible, but he felt like she was trying to break that sliver of hope with the possibility the spell would end up failing or was nothing but a hoax. Trill sighed, not meaning to hurt him, but she was only reasoning with him on the worst case scenario. "Solly, I just don't want you to get your hopes up. You want to start a family, and I'm willing to go with this decision, but the only reasonable way is adopting a filly or colt."

"I know," he sadly said. "I don't want to come off as selfish to foals who never knew what having a family is like...I want our first foal to have both our DNA, our blood..."

"And I feel the same way." She laid next to him and wrapped her hooves around him, nuzzling his neck to help console him. "You know I don't mean to hurt you by saying all that. I'm just trying to be realistic." She kissed the back of his neck, gently gripping her hooves over his. "I want you to be happy. Even if your search fails, or the spell doesn't work, would you consider adoption as a plan B?"

Solaris grabbed Trill's hoof as he thought about it. As sad as it was to have a child born from him and Trill could end up as a lost cause, adopting would have to be a second option to take. Even though the foal they'll take in won't be their own flesh and blood, he will love and care for them unconditionally like they were his own son or daughter. He rolled over and looked at his beloved mare, waiting for his response.

"...I'll consider it if we can't find anything." Relieved to hear him say that, Trill hugged Solaris and pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.

He kissed back in kind, holding her close as he deepened the kiss. Sadly, Trill broke the kiss before they got too intimate, the mare looking down as her own negative thoughts plagued her mind.

"Solly?...Do you think I'd be a good mom?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" he replied with his own question.

"You know what kind of pony I am," she said. "Irresponsible. Immature...I don't think I'd be the kind of pony who could be trustworthy enough to raise a foal..."

"We won't know until then," Solaris said, trailing his hooves down along her hips as he gently rubbed his nose against hers. "I think you'd be a great mom. You're a lot more fun than I am."

"You sure?" she asked, her answer given to her in the form of a light peck on the lips.

"I'm sure." Trill relaxed a little, Solaris believing she would be a good mother.

She squeaked as she was back to locking lips with him again, moaning blissfully as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and closed her eyes. Solaris shifted them on the bed, Trill laying underneath him as her body quivered, feeling his hooves move down and grip her flanks. She gasped in his mouth after feeling him kneed her cheeks under his powerful, but loving hooves, she moaned even more as his tongue snaked itself inside her maw, tracing every single detail inside from her teeth to her submissive tongue.

Solaris's horn lit up, moving the sheets over them as he continued making his mare shudder and moan from his ministrations alone, feeling her tongue against his as the two organs shared an intimate dance. As much as Trill loved sharing an intimate evening with him as they rutted each other senseless, the slower, more romantic lovemaking was even better as she was also feeding off his love for her. Sadly, oxygen was important for both of them, both lovers pulling to breathe as a string of saliva connected to their lips broke apart.

She licked her lips, staring at her stallion with half-lidded eyes. "I thought you said only in the privacy of our room back in the castle was the only acceptable place for this."

"Yes, I did say that," Solaris said, letting out a low growl, nipping Trill's neck and making her yelp. "But sometimes, I bend my own rules. Right now-" He licked the spot where he gently bit down on the changeling, hearing her sigh, moving up to her ear and gently nibble on it, making her squirm and whimper as he brushed his lips against her sensitive appendage. "I want you."

She giggled as he slowly licked her ear, grinning lustily as she wrapped her hind legs around his haunches, pulling his lower body closer to her and wanting him as much as he does. "Then take me, you sexy stud."

The Search for the Spell

The morning sun rose over the mountains in the Crystal Empire, the warmth it brought shining down through the protective barrier to bring spring inside the city against the frigid chill of the land around it. Solaris felt his inner alarm clock kick in, forcing him awake, which became a habit to him a while after he became prince. He looked down in his hooves, finding Trill sleeping peacefully with a content smile on her muzzle, her mane disheveled from their lovemaking last night. He loved the little chirping sounds she made while she slept, like a cricket, but a lot softer and calmer.

He began to remember the talk they had before he decided to get very intimate with his loving changeling wife, his grin slowly turning into a frown. If there was no chance of finding a spell to help them achieve what was impossible, he would be heartbroken. He does consider adopting a better choice if all possibilities failed, but it wouldn't feel like he would be a real father, just a surrogate one to a foal he would raise. And the latter options Trill offered by finding a mare who would carry his foal, with traits from both him and the mare who would give birth to his child and nothing from Trill, or having her find a changeling breeder in her hive to impregnate her made his stomach twist. He was loyal to Trill and wouldn't want to give his seed for a mare to willingly carry his foal until it was born, and he didn't want to raise several changeling eggs, which would be too much work for him, along with feeling insecure about those kinds of changelings' size compared to his.

Solaris shook those thoughts out of his before he wound up getting too jealous and got in a cranky mood, but the fear of a sexual reproductive spell that could work for them would ever be found or could fail still lingered. He looked down at Trill, her eyes open as she looked at him with concern.

"You're freaking out, hon," she said.

"Sorry," he apologized, always forgetting how well changelings could tell how ponies were feeling, especially from very close contact. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You were going to at some point." Trill yawned, nuzzling her cheek into Solaris's shoulder, smirking lewdly as she brought a hoof to his chest. "And I know a good way to have a wake-up call. For both of us." Solaris rolled his eyes, but didn't do anything to stop her. He needed a distraction from the negative thoughts circling his head, and he didn't mind feeling her hoof trace small, teasing circles around his chest, gradually going lower and lower. She stopped at his stomach, surprised to see he wasn't resisting. "Not gonna say anything?"

"I sometimes don't know why I bother. Plus, I think I need something to distract me." Trill chuckled, continuing moving her hoof south as she leaned closer to kiss Solaris.

Before they even started, the doors to the bedroom slammed open, Flurry Heart flying in and surprising the couple. "Morning, Sowwy!"

Solaris quickly pulled the sheets over them, scooting away from Trill before the alicorn filly lost her innocence to what she was about to witness. "Flurry!" Flurry Heart flew up onto the bed and sat on the end of the bed, never knowing how somepony like her could have so much energy, even when waking up with the unkempt bedhead she still had. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I live here!" she answered with a giggle.

Trill grumbled, blowing a strand of her mane out of her face as their morning fun was interrupted."So much for having a good morning where he actually does want it..."

"I meant why did you barge into our room?" Solaris asked. "It's rude to just walk in one somepony without permission."

"Breakfast!" Flurry cheered, raising her hooves in the air. "Crystal berry pancakes!" Her excitement quickly disappeared as she began to sniff the air, wincing at the odd scent. "Eww. What's that stinky smell?"

Solaris blanched, not thinking clearly as evidence of his and Trill's romantic evening of intimacy after their little talk are right underneath them. He hated how the pony mind works when met with a sad or angry discussion with their spouse, then making up or compromising with a bout of sex. He couldn't think fast enough to make an excuse, seeing Flurry's curiosity begin to peak as she was about to find where it was coming from.

"That's me," Trill said. "Changelings can get a little bit sweaty sometimes when around so much love. Solly was giving me a lot last night-" She looked over at the stunned stallion, giving him a wink, somewhat hiding their nightly activity with the way she worded her statement. "-and we're both so used to my disgusting sweat that we didn't notice."

"Ohhhh," the filly said, believing the little lie.

"Tell your mommy the bed needs some clean sheets, and Solly and I will take a quick shower and meet you guys in the dining hall for breakfast. Ok?" Flurry nodded, quickly covering her nose with her forehooves and flew out of the room. As soon as she left, Trill looked over at the bewildered alicorn stallion, his eyes slowly looking over to her, relieved to have her save the day. "You're welcome."

"...You realize that when she gets older, she's going to find out you lied and know exactly what we did, right?" he asked, still very worried.

"Yeah, but right now, she'll believe anything, and we save her innocence until she becomes a teenager." The changeling giggled, not helping him at all as he feared how differently his cousin would be like within the next decade. Trill climbed out of bed and stretched, presenting her rump in his direction before heading off to the bathroom, swaying her hips to entice him. "So, you want to continue where we left off in the shower?"

"...I'll take a shower, but I think I'm distracted enough," Solaris mumbled, climbing out of bed and following the disappointed mare.

"Darn it, Flurry," Trill grumbled, thinking her morning would have been fun even when interrupted by the energetic filly, but it turned out to be ruined after all.

The rest of the day went by without anymore awkward moments, though that morning would forever haunt Solaris after Flurry Heart almost found out what he and Trill did the previous night. At breakfast, Cadence held a smirk on her face as she eyed her nephew, knowing full well exactly what they did when her daughter told her their sheets were dirty. After breakfast, Solaris continued playing with Flurry Heart, chatting with his relatives when he finally got a break, had lunch, more playing with Flurry, spending the afternoon watching a movie at the theater, though it was more suited for children as it was more appropriate for Flurry Heart to see, and having dinner back at the castle. The next day, Solaris and Trill had to head back to Canterlot, which the filly did not like at all.

"Sowwy, please don't go!" Flurry begged, grabbing onto one of his back legs tightly as they stood at the station. "Stay a bit longer!"

"Sorry, Flurry, but I've got to get back to Canterlot." She gave him a sad look and pouted. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'll come back and visit when I'm not too busy."

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise." Solaris patted Flurry's head as she gave his leg one last hug before letting go.

Solaris and Trill entered their private car after it was set up, the train whistling as it began to leave the station and head on its route. He waved to his relatives through the window, Shining, Cadence, and a sad Flurry Heart waving back until he couldn't see them anymore. It broke his heart seeing his cousin's face when he had to leave, but he had his duties to uphold, and he will hold his promise to come back when he wasn't too busy.

"We probably should have taken her with us," Trill said as she laid on the bed. "She adores you."

"Yeah, I know. But she needs to be raised by her parents. I can't take time off and play with her all the time." The car was completely silent, save for the clattering of the wheels of the train on the railroad. Solaris began fidgeting impatiently, unable to wait to get to Canterlot, but he knew that they were both really nervous about what they might find in the archives. "...So...we have a plan, then?"

"You really want to have a foal now?" Trill asked, her husband slowly nodding his head. She sighed and sat up on the bed, unsure of herself if she's ready right not to be a mother. Whether it was their own child through whatever spell they could find or adopting a lucky colt or filly, it was a really scary thought to her. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Are you?" he asked back. "If you don't, I can wait. We might be-"

"If you want a foal to raise, then I'm all for it, like I said the other night," she said.

"Trill-" Her aura kept Solaris's mouth shut before he could try to change her mind.

"I want you to be happy. Even if I don't feel like I'm ready, which I still don't know if I am, I'll be happy to raise a foal with you." Solaris sighed and approached the bed, climbing up and giving Trill a kiss.

"I just don't want to feel like I'm forcing all this on you," he said, wrapping his hooves around her as he nuzzled her. "You really don't have to for my sake."

"Solly, after everything you went through, you deserve anything and everything. You want a baby, we'll have a baby...depending on whatever the heck this spell will do for us..." Seeing how stubborn she was with trying to give him happiness over her own, Solaris sighed and shook his head, giving Trill a soft kiss on the lips.

"Ok. But, if we go through with this, there's no backing out," he warned.

"I know. And I'm not gonna change my mind because of you." She cupped his cheeks in her hooves and kissed him, feeling him pull her closer as he deepened their kiss. She pulled away slightly, licking her lips, then moving up to kiss his nose. "And I love you. So very much."

"I love you too," Solaris said as he lovingly rubbed his muzzle against hers, sharing another kiss.

Trill giggled as she licked his lips, asking for permission to enter, which he allowed as he welcomed her tongue with his. Solaris leaned back and laid down on the bed, Trill held tightly in his forelegs as they remained lip-locked, moaning blissfully in each other's maws as their tongues playfully wrestled for dominance. He moved one of his hooves up to her cheek, gently rubbing it, making her sigh and pull away slightly to brush her snout against his, staring into his eyes.

"So, I got a little question." Solaris's ears perked up, hearing her out as he continued gently stroking her cheek. "I've never really seen the archives in the castle...How big is it?"

Trill's jaw dropped, the royal couple returned to Canterlot and headed toward the archives in the castle, and she was shocked as she saw the inside of it for the first time. "...Oh you have got to be kidding me..."

"Yeah. It's a pretty big storage room, storing all sorts of information worth keeping, or kept locked away from prying eyes," Solaris explained, pushing his shocked wife inside, Trill not excited to see all the books, tomes, and scrolls filling the millions of shelves.

"Storage room!? This place looks bigger than this castle!" She looked around, whimpering as she was going to be bored to death if they had to go through every single book, every single piece of rolled up paper, and every single word on those pages in those books. "How are we supposed to find anything that we need in this giant maze of boring stuff!?"

"They're all categorized in alphabetical order and separated by what type of literature. So, spells should be over this way." Solaris lead the way, Trill following along, knowing she's already lost in the maze of shelves. They passed by a section with an old unicorn wizard named Star Swirl the Bearded, a famous magician who made thousands of spells in his lifetime, even teaching the princesses over a millennia ago. He stopped at the shelves that held all of the known spells made in Equestria, lost to time or commonly used today, but with the amount of scrolls there were only made the changeling whine. "Here we are. And each scroll has a description of the spell, so we'll know what each one can do before casting."

"We have to read...all of these?" she asked, falling on her haunches and whined."I hate studying."

"And with all these spells...it might take us a few days." Trill groaned as she leaned against Solaris. "Without any sleep." She groaned even louder. "Will you stop that?"

"I have a right to be moody, because I don't wanna read all these," she complained.

"Do you want me to go through all these and take my place, dealing with all the even boring royal duties I have to do on a daily basis?" Trill's eyes widened in horror, quickly running up to a section of shelves in the magical spells aisles, levitating a few dozen scrolls down.

"Reading spells is good enough for me!" she quickly said, Solaris chuckling under his breath as he shook his head, joining Trill in searching through the spells. "So, what are we looking for?"

"Something involving reproduction, and it has to involve two different species with very different DNA structures." Trill whimpered, unsure if there was any kind of spell like that hidden among the thousands of scrolls just in this section alone. She looked at Solaris, already reading through several of them within the span of a minute. "I'm sure we'll find something like that in here. I can feel it."

"Oh boy," she muttered. "But, if any of us gets tired, we head to bed and continue where we leave off, ok?"

Solaris nodded, his eyes blazing through the spells as his magic rolled up the ones he read through and stacked them back where they were on the shelf. Sighing, Trill opened up her first scroll for the day and began reading, praying for a miracle to find the right spell, otherwise he'll be left disappointed.

The next few days had passed by very slowly as Solaris and Trill endlessly searched through the scrolls in the archives. They had both gone through hundreds of scrolls, taking time away from being inside the treasure trove of knowledge to take a break from reading, eating, resting, or for Solaris, making sure Equestria runs smoothly. Unfortunately, where Trill had taken those breaks, the alicorn barely took any, continuing his search even through his exhaustion.

Trill had woken up the next morning as the sun shone down through the windows, groaning and despising the sun ruining her beauty sleep as she rolled over. She tried to snuggle against her husband, wanting his body to shield her eyes from the light for a little while longer, but didn't feel him beside her. She squinted her eyes, finding no sign of him, sighing sadly as she knew exactly where he could be. Getting up out of bed, putting on a royal black and green robe he had made for her from the best boutique in the city, she wandered the halls of the castle to where the archives were held.

Once inside, she navigated her way to where the spells were located. She found the aisles of scrolls, and sitting against one of them with hundreds of rolled and unrolled scrolls laying around him was Solaris, and he was a wreck. His hair was disheveled, always quickly and sloppily groomed whenever he needed to meet with nobles or his council, eyes bloodshot with bags underneath, barely getting any sleep and the only thing keeping him awake were the several pots of hot coffee he always brought with him every day. He was on the verge of passing out, but he refused to shut his eyes to even blink for more than a millisecond. She saw him getting desperate, and she didn't want him to get hurt.

"Solly?" she called out, his ear twitching as he looked up from the scroll and at her.

"Hey, honey," he said, his voice tired and slurred slightly from exhaustion. "Going to bed?"

"It's eight in the morning," she said.

"Morning?" The alicorn looked at his forehoof, though he realized he wasn't wearing a watch from his sleep deprived delirium. He looked out the nearby window, seeing the sun rising, rubbing his tired eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "...Oh. It is...Good morning."

"Solaris, have you even gotten any sleep since we started?" Trill asked, but she knew the answer clear as the day outside.

"No," he admitted, lifting up a fresh brewed pot of coffee and poured it into a mug. "I gotta...keep searching...Must...find...spell."

Before he took a sip, Trill swiped the mug away from him, along with the batch of coffee and empty pots. "Ok, you need sleep, and you need it bad. No more coffee. No more searching for today, or tomorrow."

"But I'm close." He pulled up another scroll, squinting his eyes to try to read it, only to shut his eyes and droop his head. He snapped awake as he dropped the scroll, his vision blurry from his sleepless nights. "I'm gonna find it."

"Not if you're going to zone out and go insane from your insomnia." Trill picked up the scattered scrolls, placing all of the rolled up ones that he finished reading away, leaving the rest for her to look through and put away later. She then helped Solaris on his hooves, forcing him to lean against her as she lead him out of the large library of recorded stuff to put him to bed. "Time for bed."

"I'm not tired. Honest." Solaris yawned, succumbing to his exhaustion as he began to lean harder into Trill.

The changeling grunted, trying to guide and carry him, only managing to get him out of the archives until she stumbled. "Ahh!" She grunted, the unconscious stallion falling on top of her. She tried to push herself up, but she wasn't exactly strong in the physical sense, trapped underneath her husband in a provocative position. "Urgh. As much as I love being underneath you, now is not the time."

Trill finally managed to get Solaris off of her, rolling him over as he snored, never realizing he wound up sleeping on top of his wife in the middle of the hall. Luckily, two guards beginning their patrol came down the hall, alerted to their prince laying unconscious outside of the archives.

"What happened to His Highness!?" one of them asked.

"Relax, he's not dead. He's just asleep." Proving her point, the alicorn snorted and mumbled something, trying to reach for something with his hoof. "Can you two please escort him back to his room and put him to bed? He...had a pretty long night looking up...stuff."

"Yes, Princess Trill." The guards saluted and lifted the sleeping alicorn on their backs, escorting him to his room to finally get some sleep.

She sighed and headed back in the archives to pick up the other scrolls. "Solly, you got your hopes up. Five whole days of looking through those scrolls, and you could have hurt yourself." Once she reached the section where the spells were kept, Trill picked up the several pots used for Solaris's coffee and placed them in a pile to take back once she was done. "I didn't know he drank coffee. That stuff is way too bitter, even if there are chocolate flavored brews."

She got to work and sat down where her husband was, levitating the opened scrolls and searching through them. The first couple she grabbed didn't have what they were looking for, rolling them up and placing them back on the shelf. The next one she grabbed that caught her eye made her gasp after reading through it. There was an illustration underneath the spell titled "Specie Reproducto" that showed an interspecies couple: a male unicorn and a female griffon. Beneath the image was the magical algorithm to cast the spell, something that's way out of her league, and a description of what the spell does, along with a bit of history on the creator of the spell and the reason why it was made.

Specie Reproducto allows a romantic couple, both from different species or anatomically incompatible to each other, to conceive a child born from both of their DNA. The unicorn stallion in the illustration, his name unknown, had fallen in love with a female griffon, also unknown, during a war between both of their kingdoms. Their love was true and they eloped, but because of their difference in biology, they yearned to have a child they could never have.

He did not falter and worked tirelessly to create some way to give them a child, even if it meant cloning their first child with the magic they both held within them. One day, the stallion had finished the spell, and days after they tried to conceive, the griffon experienced signs of pregnancy; Specie Reproducto was a success. However, the spell altered the reproductive organs of the griffon. Where a griffon female lays an egg and their reproductive cycle is a few months, she instead gave a live birth, her cycle lasting as long as a mare's, from 10-11 months.

The spell has no side effects to the female or the fetus, so no harm comes to either and the spell wears off a few days after giving birth. The infant had both traits of a pony and griffon, creating a new species, calling their child's mix a hippogriff. It does not matter if the diet a female eats from those of their species or of their pony spouse's, but as long as it is a healthy diet, their child will be healthy too.

Trill stared at the description, reading it a hundred times over. She was surprised that there actually was a spell that could give them a child, and she had doubted it would ever exist. It was exhilarating to find, heartwarming to hear the first two interspecies couple had fulfilled their desires to have a foal with both of their traits, and a little terrifying to hear what it would do to her. She looked down at her stomach, unsure if her skinny frame could carry a growing, actually live, foal in her womb. Then again, her mother, Chrysallis, could give birth to several dozen changeling eggs and still look skinny, and she gave birth to her and her other brothers and sisters.

"...This sounds...really scary." She looked back at the spell and its description again, doing a lot more reading than she thought she would. The spell did say it would turn her reproductive system back to normal after giving birth, and both the griffon and baby hippogriff were ok in the end. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, planning on doing this for Solaris, she rolled the scroll up, stuck it in the pocket of her robe, and rolled the rest of the scrolls up, placing them back on the shelves. She left the archives, carrying the empty pots and freshly made pot of coffee with her. "He is going to be surprised to see this when he wakes up."

Early the next morning, Trill got up far earlier than she usually does, but she's doing it because she's ready to show Solaris the scroll that would help them achieve what he had been dreaming of. The alicorn was fast asleep the whole day yesterday, so she didn't want to disturb him from his rest. She wanted to make the reveal special for him, planning to make him breakfast in bed. During the times she was bored while in the castle, she went down to the kitchen and, out of boredom, tried her hoof at cooking. Even though she didn't like the taste of pony foods, even with sprinkled essence of love over it, a wonderful idea created by Solaris himself for any changelings curious to try Equestrian cooking without tasting any blandness from their taste buds, the chefs were surprised at how good she was despite having no experience.

The changeling cooked up a few eggs, hash browns, and some toast, she placed the food on the tray and poured a glass of apple juice, courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres. With everything prepared and still warm, she carried the tray in her green aura and made her way up through the castle to their bedroom. Trill carefully opened the door, peeking inside to see if Solaris was awake yet. Thankfully, he was still asleep, and he looks a lot more rested now. Sneaking quietly into the room, crept up to the bed, placing the tray down at the foot of the bed, then approached the dresser and pulled out the Specie Reproducto spell she hid.

Keeping the scroll behind her, out of sight from the alicorn when he opened his eyes, she approached him and leaned closer, giving him a light peck on the cheek. "Solly. Time to wake up." Solaris grunted, squinting his eyes open as he felt another kiss on his cheek. He lifted his head up and was met with his love's lips pressing against his, giving him a soft kiss to wake him up a little. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Morning." The alicorn yawned, slowly sitting up as he stretched his tired limbs. He smacked his lips, rubbing his bedhead, realizing Trill was up before him. "You're up early...That's rare."

"Yeah, well...after spending a few sleepless nights going through those scrolls, you would obviously wind up passing out at some point. Should have listened to me when I said take a break." Trill giggled as she heard him groan, levitating his breakfast as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Anywho, I thought you could use some breakfast. You were asleep for a whole day, and you must be starving."

"A whole day?" Solaris questioned, surprised he was asleep for a whole twenty-four hours. Trill laid out the tray in his lap, his nostrils struck with the delicious scent as he saw the meal she made for him. "Wow. Looks and smells good." He levitated the fork beside the plate, taking a bit of his eggs. "Mmm...This is good. Did you make this?"

"Yup! Not bad for a changeling that doesn't like eating the food you eat, huh?" Trill grinned as she gloated, seeing Solaris nod his head as he savored her cooking. She hovered up onto the bed and sat down behind him, gently wrapping her hooves around his neck as she watched him eat. "You feel a lot better after finally getting some sleep?"

"Mhmm," the alicorn nodded, swallowing his mouthful, licking his lips as he nuzzled her cheek. "I didn't think you'd be this good as a chef. It's delicious. Maybe you should be my head chef instead and make my meals."

"Pth. It's more of a hobby out of boredom. Plus, I want to make food for you on...special occasions." Solaris was about to take a sip of his apple juice, but stopped when she mentioned the words "special occasions".

"Special occasions?" He looked over at the calendar, finding no specific dates this month that warranted a special day for the two of them. "Uhh, what occasion? Our wedding anniversary was a couple months ago."

"I know. But...I think I found something you're going to really like." His curiosity peaked, Trill levitated the spell down in front of his face.

"A scroll?" he asked, more confused as he stared at the rolled up paper.

"You gotta open it and read what's in it first, you doof." She dropped the scroll in his lap, moving the tray aside before his excitement caused him to spill his food.

Solaris unfurled the scroll in his hooves and looked at its contents, his eyes growing wide as he stared at the spell and its description. His forelegs shook, looking back at his smiling wife, then back to the spell.

"...T-There is a spell?" he asked. "This isn't fake???"

"Found in the pile you were looking through before I had to pull you away by force." He dropped the scroll, still in shock as he turned to look at Trill. "Surprise."

Tears of happiness welled up in his eyes, Solaris surprising Trill by pulling her down on the bed, her yelp muffled as he kissed her deeply. He pulled away and picked her up, hugging her tightly and nuzzled her.

"I can't believe there's actually a spell! We can have our own baby!" The alicorn dropped his wife, the mare still trying to recover from the surprise kiss, filled with a lot more love than she ever been given from him before. He picked up the scroll and looked at how the spell was cast, a pretty challenging spell, but he believed he can cast it perfectly. "This is amazing. And to think, somepony back then who fell for another who wasn't a pony like him had worked this hard to perfect a spell like this."

"Yeah...What anyone's crazy enough to do for the ones they love, right?" Solaris agreed with her, knowing what each of them have done for each other in the past, mostly getting in each other's way in a dangerous or deadly battle. She took a deep breath, deciding it's now or never, or else hold it off and lose her nerve when he wants to ask. "So...You gonna cast it?"

Solaris flinched and quickly looked at Trill, surprised to hear her ask that question after just finding it. "...What? Y-You...You want to do this?"

"I'm ready if you are," she said. He stammered, not expecting Trill to want to have a foal now. She sighed in irritation and anticipation, hating having to wait for him to respond. "Look, I know you, Solaris. You want to have a foal, and after hearing how badly you want this to happen, I told you I'm going through with it. So, fire away. Blast me. Change up my insides and get me pregnant before I fly out the window and freak out!"

Solaris looked down at the scroll, re-reading the description and how to cast the spell one more time before placing the scroll on the dresser. He approached the bed and pulled the shivering changeling into his embrace, gently rubbing his hooves along her back to calm her down.

"It's ok, Trill," he consoled. "I'm a little nervous about this too. But I'm also really excited." Using his magic, he closed the curtains to their windows, shut the balcony and bedroom doors, locking them tightly, and casting a soundproofing spell so they wouldn't be disturbed. As much as he didn't want to neglect his duties, he did spend a whole day asleep, so one more day wouldn't hurt. "You ready?"

"Yes, for the hundredth time!" Trill exclaimed. "Hit me!"

"Ok, ok. But, just to make sure it works, I'll have to add in a few more spells to increase our chances." As the changeling worried about what other spells he had in mind, Solaris pulled out a couple extra scrolls he hid behind the bed. "A little fertility spell for the both of us, and one to instantly put a mare into heat for a bigger percentage chance."

"Wait, put me in heat?" Trill asked. "Uhh, is that going to burn?" Solaris didn't answer as he looked at the scrolls, examining the algorithm to cast them, his horn glowing brightly. "Solly, are you listening to me or too busy casting the spells?"

"Ok, let's do this!" Trill gulped as he wrapped his aura around her body, casting the Specie Reproducto spell first.

Her body tingled all over, then suddenly feeling a slight twist in her gut that lasted for only a second before it ended. "Oogh. That was...weird."

"Next is fertility," Solaris muttered as he continued casting, sending a trail of golden aura floating over the both of them. The spell flew through them underneath their tails, both pony and changeling moaning as they felt the spell's effects kicking in, light blushes on their cheeks as they were slightly aroused from the pleasurable sensation. "Ok. Focus. Don't go overboard."

"S-Solly, I think that's good. Let's just get on with it," Trill begged, afraid to know how she'll act if he puts her in heat.

"Just this one last spell," he promised, shooting a small beam of golden light for the last spell, striking Trill as she yelped. The magic went straight for her stomach, a painful burning sensation making her collapse on the bed. It felt like her insides were on fire and she needed something to douse out those flames irritating her womb. "Ok, there we go." Solaris levitated the scrolls over to the dresser, far from their bed so they don't end up getting ruined. He was about to ask Trill if she was ok, only for his nostrils to flare, smelling a very powerful, overwhelmingly sweet scent in the air, causing his cheeks to redden brightly at the arousing effect it had on him. He looked at Trill, hearing her panting heavily as her mane draped over her face, slowly standing up with her clear insect wings splayed out across her sides. "...Uhh, Trill?"

"Soooooooollyyyyyyyyyyyy..." Her voice made a chill run down his spine, sounding primitive, hungry, and incredibly needy.

The moment he saw her face as she lifted her head up, he saw her teeth barred, eyes widened with lust and hunger, letting out a low grumble that sounded like a dangerous predator, and she found her prey. "...Uh oh. Did I put too much power in that last spell?"

Hours had passed into the evening, the ponies taking part in the council waiting impatiently for their prince to arrive. It wasn't like him to skimp out on any important meetings with topics they needed to discuss, some of his excuses mostly involving Trill keeping him up all night, being the young and energetic couple they were. One of them finally decided to ask one of the guards to search for the prince, one of the stallions running off to find out where he could be.

He asked some of the staff, some of the chefs saying they saw Trill come in this morning to make breakfast for Solaris, but they didn't see any sign of her at all the rest of the day. Being the only lead he had to go on, the Royal Guard made his way to the prince's bedroom, knocking on the door to get his attention.

"Your Highness!?" he called out with a few more knocks. "Prince Solaris, are you in there!? Your council is waiting for your presence!"

After waiting a while, he pressed his ear to the door to hear if anyone was inside. There were slow, dull hoofsteps, approaching the door. He backed away as the door unlocked, but as it opened a crack, the guard as hit by a wave of a powerfully sweet scent, quickly covering his nose and backed up against the wall. With the door opened up a bit more, Solaris poked his head out, looking quite terrified, his mane sticking out all over his head, his pupils shrunk in fright at what had just happened.

"...What time is it?" he asked, his voice shaky and raspy.

"...Uhh...S-Seven thirty," the guard replied. "...Are you...ok, Prince Solaris?"

"...Yeah...Just...a little something Trill and I did...Definitely too much oomph in that last spell..." Solaris looked back inside the room, then poked his head back out. "Can you...tell the council I'll have to cancel tonight's meeting? And a gallon of water?"

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the guard saluted, keeping a hoof over his nose.

"And, also...bring the maids to clean my room?" He looked back inside the room, shuddering slightly as he looked back outside. "I'm probably going to have to triple their pay for a month after they see this."

A few days passed after the royal couple's disastrous coupling, both ponies heavily sore the next day, especially Trill. It took the entire day for the maids to clean up their mess, most of them horrified by the state it was in, forced to wear masks to avoid getting distracted by the pheromones Trill had released from the magical heat she had cast upon her. It was a pretty embarrassing day for him, apologizing greatly to the poor mares, promising not to do that again, and he swears never to cast that spell on a changeling ever again.

The alicorn paced impatiently outside of their bathroom, waiting for Trill already inside to see if the spell really did work. "Anything yet, Trill!?"

"You asked that question for the tenth time! Just wait!" she yelled out. "This is already awkward enough for me to do this thing to see if I'm pregnant! Couldn't you use a spell to see if I've got something growing in me!?"

"That kind of spell can only be used by certified doctors, and it wouldn't be able to show anything within the first trimester of a mare's pregnancy!" Trill groaned in annoyance. "You're following the instructions on that pregnancy test, right!?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you what'll happen until it decides to show up!" Solaris continued pacing, beginning to worry that the spell had failed, he wound up casting it wrong, or it was a dud.

Another few agonizing minutes later, Trill opened the door and walked out of the bathroom. She had a nervous look on her face, holding the pregnancy test in her aura.

"Did it work?" he asked. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, turning it around to show him. Solaris saw a pink plus in the circle, the test coming back positive. Trill was pregnant, the spell had worked, and the two of them were going to have a foal. "Oh my gosh...We're having a baby!"

"We sure are." Solaris hugged Trill, the stallion excited and unable to wait for the day their child will arrive. Trill was really nervous, having no idea what to expect in a pony mare's pregnancy, but she's a little excited as well. "So...It takes around eleven months for the baby to be born?"

"Well, not exactly that long, give or take some days, but that's the average gestation period for a pregnant mare," he said.

"Oh boy..." Trill looked down at her belly, now carrying a life inside of her. She sighed and looked up at her husband, hating to ask this question, but she needed to for the sake of their child starting to grow inside her. "Do you know what I'll expect during this pregnancy? Or should we find a book about it?"

Eleven Months of Torture (Months 1-3)

With the royal couple expecting a baby in the next eleven months, Solaris was overjoyed when the spell had worked and Trill was indeed pregnant. The alicorn had already gotten a head start planning everything for the year, making a separate calendar for his beloved's pregnancy, already jotting out the estimated time their foal will be born from the long day of conceiving. That memory will forever haunt him, trapped under a predatorial, heat driven changeling mare for nearly half a day as she had her way with him over and over until there almost seemed like there was no end to pleasing her, but it wasn't as bad as his past experiences as he got over it quickly. Along with writing down diets he wanted Trill to go on for the next several months, he found her a book on what she should expect during a female pony's pregnancy, the symptoms she read terrifying her to no end.

A couple days after discovering her carrying a foal, it was early in the morning, the sun barely on the verge of rising in the sky. Trill felt her stomach twist and growl, groaning as she forced herself awake and stood up. She quickly began to feel the urge to vomit, quickly making her way to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet, throwing up into the bowl from her first day of having morning sickness. Solaris heard her retching, unable to close the door in time before her stomach decided whether or not she wanted to rush and expel the contents of her stomach, squinting his eyes open as his ears folded back against his head with each disgusting retch she made.

"Trill? You alright?" he asked.

"Ugh...Fine! Just puking my guts out!" She spat, groaning in agony as her stomach still felt nauseous. "When did I eat carrots? I don't like eating anything else besides chocolate."

"You're going to have to change your diet for the foal, Trill." Solaris sat up, knowing the sun will be up at any moment as he approached the bathroom, seeing Trill leaning over the toilet. He rubbed her back, hoping it would help ease her nausea a little until it went away. "Along with the food you're going to have to eat with the love I give you, you can't drink any kind of alcohol."

"What!?" she exclaimed, looking back at the alicorn in shock. "You mean I can't drink!?"

"Consuming any kind of alcohol can cause health problems for the baby, so I took the liberty of telling the kitchen staff to keep any and all alcoholic drinks stored away for the next year." Trill groaned in annoyance, her cheeks suddenly puffing out as she aimed her head back in the toilet, throwing up again.

After about ten minutes, her stomach finally settled, feeling a bit weak as she grumbled, spitting into the bowl as she tasted her own vomit. "I'm starting to regret doing this now...But, I think my wild frenzy last week was only the first of so many other ideas I have in mind to make sure you suffer as much as I do."

"Sorry," Solaris apologized. Trill walked over to the sink and grabbed some mouthwash, taking a swig of the mouth cleansing liquid, swishing it around in her mouth to get rid of the disgusting taste in her mouth. She spat it out, sticking out her tongue as the minty flavor replaced the vile taste in her mouth. "You ok now?"

"I'm going to be having morning sickness for the next couple months, so I guess it's a maybe." She walked past the stallion and headed for their shower, feeling really fatigued after just waking up abruptly and vomiting. As she turned on the water, Solaris walked in to join her, today an important day with all of the events he needed to attend in Canterlot. The warm water rushed down over them, but as Trill began to relax, she felt his hooves wrap around her, sensually rubbing her belly. "What are you doing?"

"I just can't wait until the time comes," he said, planting a kiss on her neck. "I know it's going to be a bit rough for you to go through, but it'll be over before you know it, and it won't be as bad when our baby begins to grow and start moving in your womb." The changeling rolled her eyes, finding it odd how she was carrying the baby, yet Solaris is behaving like an excited mother who was expecting. She sat down, feeling his hooves moving all around her stomach, feeling him nuzzle her cheek as she closed her eyes. "I love you."

"Mhmm," she mumbled, slowly falling asleep as her tired body began to give in to her sudden fatigue.

"You alright, hon?" he asked, feeling her lean back against her and hearing her snore a little, passing out in the middle of their shower. "Huh. She fell asleep...You're still pretty tired, huh?" He didn't need an answer to know that, and Trill was going to be exhausted every day, and eventually go through mood swings that'll wind up driving both of them crazy. Solaris gently washed his unconscious mare while she slept, turning off the shower after getting himself cleaned as well. Once he was sure she was dried off enough with a towel, drying himself off using his draconic fire to heat dry the water off his coat and mane, he carried Trill back to bed and laid her down, giving her a small peck on the lips. "I'll see you in the evening."

He tucked her under the covers, hearing her mumble something in her sleep as he left the room to begin his royal duties.

For the next week, it was the same morning routine for Trill whenever her nausea kicked in: wake up, hurry to the bathroom, throw up until her stomach has settled, clean her mouth, then head to bed. It was hard for her to get back to sleep sometimes, even with Solaris around to comfort her. Today, she laid in bed, feeling really lethargic and moody. The alicorn had walked back into the room in the afternoon, having finished meeting with an ambassador from the minotaur kingdoms about some trade agreements. With nothing else to do for the day, he began to write letters to his family in the Crystal Empire and his other relatives in Ponyville.

"Hey, Trill? I think we should tell everyone about the good news," he suggested, licking another envelope and writing down the address for one of his relatives before placing it in the pile with the others. "My schedule is free of any duties in about a month, so we could invite everyone to the castle and surprise them all."

"Oh, joy," she grumbled. "In fact, why don't we tell all of Equestria that I'm going to end up being a fat tub of lard in the next few months!?"

He turned from his desk to look at Trill in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm gonna look fat!" she shouted. "My stomach's going to be the size of a giant beach ball, and everypony's going to call me 'Queen Fatso the Tubby!'" Trill suddenly began crying, flailing her legs all over the bed like a foal having a temper tantrum. "I don't want to be fat! I'll look ugly and you won't love me!"

"Honey, what is wrong with-?" She suddenly sat up and glared at him, realizing she was having mood swings. "Ohhh. Now I see."

"You see?" she questioned, leaping off the bed and stomped over to him. "So I am getting fat!? And you didn't even tell me!?"

"I said no such thing," he assured. "You're just having a some mood swings, and you're not going to be fat. You're going to have a big baby bump, and I'll still love you."

"Really!?" she said excitedly, another mood swing as she hugged him tightly and nuzzled him. "You think I'll still be sexy with a big belly? Or do I look better skinny?" She began purring in his ear, giving him light nibbles on the sensitive appendage as her tone began to turn sultry. "You think it's safe for us to screw each other senseless with a baby in me?"

"U-Uhh...W-Well, it's safe as long as we're careful?" Solaris guessed, needing to find the book he got for Trill to read through to be sure. "B-But, I still kind of want to abstain from sex for a while longer. You know, after that whole fiasco with putting you into a heat cycle."

"Don't deny that you enjoyed that." Trill growled seductively, her hooves rubbing along his chest, slowly trailing down his stomach. "You loved being dominated by me. Maybe I should tie you down to the bed, prevent you from using magic, leaving you helpless as I tease you until you can't take anymore and beg me to finish you off." Solaris shuddered at the thought, wincing as her fangs nipped his neck as idea began arousing him. Her hooves slowly found their mark, the alicorn giving in to the surprisingly enjoyable fantasy, even if it was terrifying at first. He suddenly squeaked in pain as her hooves gripped the his very sensitive orbs, and hard, staring at her as she looked at him with anger, not lust. "Unless you think I'm some kind of monster and you don't want anything to do with me after I'm carrying your child!"

"T-Trill, l-loosen your grip th-" He squeaked higher as she began to squeeze even harder, his body bending over in pain as he tried not to move and increase it even further.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Solaris! You think I'm some kind of hideous monster and you don't want to have sex with me anymore!" With no way to stop her, Solaris quickly teleported away from Trill using his fire breath, getting far enough away to no longer feel her hooves on his crotch, panting heavily as he appeared by the bed, rubbing his nearly crushed tenders to try and ease the pain. Trill snapped out of her angry mood swing, gasping in shock at what she nearly did. "Oh my gosh. Solly, I'm so sorry."

"I-I'm fine," he whimpered, trying not to move, keeping his tail tucked between his legs.

"No, you're not." She growled, smacking herself in the forehead with her forelegs. "I didn't think I'd act so violently. Stupid mood swings."

"It's ok, Trill. I know you didn't mean it." She still felt awful, approaching the bed as he slowly began to move his hooves away from his crotch. "Next time, I'll make sure to watch out when you have those mood swings."

"Are you ok?" Trill asked. "I didn't...crush them, did I?"

"No. I would have felt it, and that would not be a good pain." The changeling winced, a little thankful her mood swings ended really quickly. "Anyway, as exciting as that few minutes were, you think you want to tell everyone we're expecting an extra pair of little hooves?"

"...Maybe...But what about my mom?" Trill shuddered, imagining how Chrysalis would react if she found out she somehow managed to get pregnant from her alicorn husband. "She's not exactly fond with the get-togethers you all plan. She was even a little miffed at your proposing to me out of the blue when we all had dinner together."

"We're going to have to tell her too." She whined and plopped her head down on Solaris's shoulder. "Hey, maybe she'll like being a grandmother to a half pony, half changeling foal."

"Yeah, sure. Just like how she liked giving birth to and raising me and several other siblings of mine." Trill sighed, rubbing her hoof against the sheets on their bed. "I'm also a little worried how Canterlot and all of Equestria will react when word gets out that I'm somehow able to carry their prince's foal."

"...I didn't really think about that," he said. "I guess it'll be quite a surprise to them. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Right. Waiting." Trill rolled over onto Solaris, sitting in his lap as she looked down at him. Even after almost getting his balls smushed by her from her angry side in her bout of shifting moods, he smiled at her and rubbed reached a hoof to rub her stomach. She couldn't help but giggle, always feeling him wanting to rub her belly to try and feel around for their foal. "You are so obsessed with doing that ever since that test came back positive."

"I can't help it," Solaris admitted. "And I'm going to do this every day until I can feel it kick and reach out to my hoof."

"You're a really big sap, Solly." She leaned down and rubbed her nose against his. "But you get me all sappy too sometimes." They shared a small kiss, her hooves slowly wrapping around his neck while his grabbed her waist, pulling her closer as they stared in each other's eyes. As much as Trill wanted more, unable to act like her old self from being so tired all the time and her earlier bout of mood swings, she was content with the pleasant moments along with Solaris in bed, their lips pressed gently against each other as they occasionally shared a light kiss, never looking away from his blue eyes. "You sure you're ok down there?"

"I've had injuries worse than painful gropes to my testes, but I'm fine now," he reassured, sensually rubbing her hips as he licked her lips.

"Mmm...Ok..." She looked over at the desk, feeling her husband give her peppered kisses against her cheek and neck, seeing the pile of letters he had made. "Were you going to send those out before I got in a cranky fit?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled, nodding his head as he move his lips up to kiss her ear.

"You want to hold off on that for a little while?" Trill asked. Before Solaris could ask why, she began to slowly move down, trailing kisses down his chest as she looked up at him. "I want to give you a little apology for angry me hurting you earlier. That sound fair?" She saw his cheeks turn red a little, giggling a little as she moved lower. His face and eyes said no, but his body's reaction to the offer told her otherwise. "I'll take that as a yes."

Weeks passed until the first month of Trill's pregnancy had come and gone. The changeling still wasn't used to her symptoms throughout the month, but it was only going to get worse from there. She didn't like reading through that book to aid her in what to expect, but being halfway into the second month and having Solaris be there, even with her random mood swings that made him want to hurt him, she could get through this. But now that Solaris had nothing scheduled to him and his letters sent to their families, they were going to break the good news to them all, and she was dreading to know how her mother would react.

Out in the wastelands, slowly gaining life with the small town set up near the entrance to the changeling hive, ponies and changelings went about their work, ponies transporting large crates filled with love essence to feed the changelings and sustain them. Exiting her hive was the queen of the changelings herself, Chrysalis making her way to the train scheduled to leave for Canterlot as she prepared herself to visit the city she tried to conquer before and helped save.

"I detest these family get-togethers," she grumbled. "I have no idea what news Trill and Solaris have to give us, but it better be worth it."

As she stepped up to the platform, a Royal Guard stood at attention as she approached. "Queen Chrysalis, His Highness, Prince Solaris, has ordered me to make sure you and the rest of his guests are to board the private car so none of you are disturbed by the other passengers."

"Oh, joy. He remembered I don't like company. Yippie," she cheered in a monotonous tone.

"Actually, you are not going to be alone in the car before we reach Ponyville," he said, making the queen tilt her head in confusion.

"Who's already in here?" she asked. "Don't tell me the Crystal Empire royal family is on here."

Chrysalis walked inside the car, suddenly smacked in the face with a pie out of nowhere. "Hi, Chrysie! Been a long while, hasn't it!?"

Growling, she wiped the whipped cream off her face, glaring at the chaotic draconequus already warping the inside of the car to his liking. "Discord..."

"Look at you! You haven't changed a bit in the last couple years after Solaris and Trill's wedding!" Chrysalis ignored Discord, sitting in the far front row of the car, flinching as she heard a flatulent sound come from beneath her seat. The draconequus burst out laughing, the changeling not amused by his chaotic antics as she pulled the whoopee cushion from underneath her, flinging it back at him. "I should have warned you about sitting there. I was going to trick Butterscotch into sitting there, but it's too late now."

"Keep your magic away from me, or else I'll have to kill you," she warned.

"Good luck with that, Chrysie." The train began to move as it headed on its way through the barren wasteland. Discord hovered down next to the disgruntled mare, groaning angrily as she had to share the whole ride to Ponyville with the lord of chaos. "So, you have any idea what the young couple have that's good news?"

"No," she replied.

"Me neither. I'm actually surprised Solaris managed to find my place when he delivered my letter through that dragon fire of his." Discord snapped his fingers, summoning a cotton candy cloud. He took a bite out of it, offering some to Chrysalis, but the growl she made told him no. "So, how was your morning?"

"Go away, Discord." He chuckled and nudged the changeling's side.

"You need to learn to lighten up. Equestria is safer thanks to Solaris..." The draconequus's cheery demeanor turned into sorrow, sighing sadly. "It's still a bit hard for me...hearing what had happened to Fluttershy. She was the first friend I ever made, and she liked me even after I tried to trick her when they freed me...I didn't think the last time I'd ever see her again was back in Saddle Arabia after we escaped from the temple."

"Please don't tell me you actually fell in love with her," Chrysalis droned.

"Pth! No! She's just a dear friend! But she did make me Butterscotch's godfather if anything happened to her." Discord snapped his fingers, calling forth a photo that appeared in his paw. In the picture was Fluttershy laying in a hospital bed with Discord holding a thumbs up, holding Butterscotch as a newborn infant wrapped snugly in his tail. "After I found out she had died, I made sure the little guy was doing ok. He's a lot like his mother: a love for animals, silent but kindhearted, but he seems a bit more brave than Fluttershy was...Not by much."

"Good for you. Now, can you leave me alone and get out of my space." Discord frowned, dismissing the memorable photo.

"You don't like foals, do you?" he asked. She didn't respond, trying her best to ignore him as she looked out the window. "Fine then. Be a party pooper. You can stay in the boring party pooper section of the car while I stay in fun land that the others will surely enjoy more than your miserable plot."

With a snap of his fingers, he created a small room around the seat Chrysalis was in, turning it back to normal as he transformed it into a private room, leaving a sign outside of the door and calling it the "Party Pooper" room in big neon lights.

"We're going to the castle! We're going to the castle!" Cherry Pie chanted, bouncing up and down at the train station as she and the rest of her friends waited for the train.

The hyper daughter of Pinkie Pie stood alongside the rest of Solaris's surrogate cousins: Apple Seed, Gemstone, Prism, and Butterscotch. Chaperoning the teens were the former founders of the Cutie Mark Crusaders: Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle with her gaming husband Button Mash. On the older unicorn's back was a little brown earth pony colt with light purple and auburn striped hair, sleeping soundly.

"It's been a while since we've seen Solly," Prism said. "I hope he's got something awesome planned."

"Well, he didn't call the Wonderbolts, and the whole team's on leave for the next month," Scootaloo said.

"He's probably been a little too busy as a prince and dealing with Trill," Sweetie Belle said. "I can't wait to show him our little colt, Virtuo." Her ears perked up, hearing beeping noises coming from Button Mash, rolling her eyes as he was playing that old hoof held game system he still kept as a colt. "Button, you remembered to pack everything for-"

"Right here, Sweetie Belle," the stallion interrupted, holding up a bag that carried baby supplies for their son.

"Hmm." She took the bag, opening it to see if there was everything they needed for their short stay in Canterlot. Inside were diapers, toys for Virtuo to play with, baby powder, wipes, formula, and baby food. "Yup. That's everything I asked you to put in."

"Every journey requires preparation, or else the party will suffer from lack of supplies or improper planning," he said, looking at the unicorn with a smirk.

"You are such a nerd." Sweetie leaned over to Button and kissed his cheek. "But you're my nerd."

"And you are my siren who took my soul with your enticing songs." The couple giggled and nuzzled each other, making the teens and Scootaloo gag.

"Get a room, you two," Scootaloo teased.

Eventually, the train arrived to a grinding halt, passengers leaving to enter the town while others walked in. Before the large group could board, the Royal Guard caught their attention as he exited one of the cars.

"Prince Solaris's family right this way!" he announced. "His Highness has given you transportation in a private car to Canterlot."

"Sweet! Let's go!" the teens hurried along inside while the adults calmly walked inside the car.

Cherry's tail twitched suddenly as soon as they walked inside, feeling her Cherry Sense kicking in. "Twitchy tail!"

She warned them too late as she ducked, pies raining down on the other four teens, Gemstone gasping in horror as her head was covered in whipped cream. "My hair! I just got this done for Solaris to see me in all my beauty! Now it's ruined!"

"Ya still have a crush on him after all these years?" Apple Seed asked, his mother's hat thankfully protecting his head as he shook off the messy surprise that landed on them.

"Discord!" Butterscotch shouted as he saw the grinning draconequus on the other side of the car, fluttering up to him and hugging him tightly.

"Welcome to the party train, everypony!" Discord pulled his arm down, making a loud whistling noise like that of the train inside of the car.

The sound caused Virtuo to wake up and cry, disturbed from his nap while Sweetie Belle levitated her son in her hooves, glaring at Discord. "Discord, really!?I brought the baby with me!"

"Whoops! Sorry. I'll set up a soundproof area." He snapped his fingers, creating a small room on the other side of the "Party Pooper" room with a with a "Quiet Room" sign hanging on the wall. Sweetie Belle and Button Mash entered the magically crafted room to calm Virtuo down. "I'm good with kids, but not babies. Forgot they don't like loud noises."

"This place is amazing!" Cherry exclaimed, bouncing into one of the seats, which ended up waving around as if it was a water bed. "Perfect entertainment until we get ourselves to Canterlot, where the real fun begins with Solly!"

"Does anypony even know what his letter meant?" Apple Bloom asked. "What kind of news does he have to give us?"

"Chrysie and I don't even know what's going on either," Discord said, pointing to the room opposite of the soundproof room. "But if everypony's involved, it's obviously important. So, while we wait until we reach our destination-" He snapped his fingers, turning the whole car into a giant board game."-who's up for a little LARP of Ogres and Oubliettes?"

"Ogres and Oubliettes? That's a lame nerdy game." He snapped his fingers again, changing all the ponies into different classes from the game: Prism was a rogue, Cherry was a jester, Apple Seed was a monk, Butterscotch was a cleric, Gemstone was a Dancer, Apple Bloom was a warrior, Scootaloo was an archer, and Discord was a wizard. Prism looked down at her rogue garments, having second thoughts on playing something live instead of on a board. "Huh. I take it back. This is actually going to be fun."

Button Mash poked his head out of the soundproof room, gasping in awe at the life-sized board game. "Ooh! Can I play too!?"

"Button, help me with Virtuo!" Sweetie Belle called out, the stallion groaning in annoyance as their son was still crying. "He's getting too fussy and I can't calm him down myself!"

"Yes, dear." He closed the door, obeying his wife, disappointed he won't join the others in their LARP.

The game began, cartoonish skeleton ponies drawn on large game pieces appeared around the mares, stallions, and draconequus, armed with fake swords or bows. "Alright, fellow heroes! Let us save the land of Chaotix from the evil clutches of the Dark Fiend!"

At the train station in Canterlot, Solaris fidgeted excitedly as he and Trill waited for their invited guests to arrive. The changeling, however, wasn't as excited. Mostly sick from her nausea earlier this morning and feeling greatly fatigued. She leaned against the alicorn, groaning wearily.

"Any minute now, we'll see everyone here and tell them later this evening." He giggled, unable to bear the weight much longer.

"Yay," Trill weakly agreed, sighing in exhaustion. "Can you please not move? I'm not feeling good today."

"You nervous or starting to get really sick?" he asked in concern.

"I don't know. Hard to tell with these stupid symptoms that don't seem to end." Trill rubbed her stomach, already beginning to feel a small bump begin to form on her skinny frame, not yet noticeable to tell she was pregnant from afar.

"Do you want to head back to the castle and rest? I can wait for them by myself," Solaris suggested.

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "I don't know if I can stay awake."

"Ok. I think there's still plenty of time to fly up to the castle and back before the trains from Ponyville and the Crystal Empire arrive." Solaris carried Trill bridal style in his hooves, flapping his wings as he flew up over the city and back to the castle. He made sure to keep a quick pace without irritating his love's tired and sore state, holding her tightly as they soared across the clear sky. The weather was already beginning to cool down as autumn drew near, the alicorn needing to make sure the temperature in the castle would stay warm enough for Trill and their baby. He arrived at their balcony at the top of the castle, gently lowering the changeling down on the other side of the railing. "Get some rest, and when you're feeling better, meet us in the dining hall."

"Ok." She leaned her head closer to his, the couple giving each other a small kiss before they parted.

Solaris made it back to the station in time as the train from Ponyville was about to roll up. It slowed to a grinding halt, hissing out steam as it blew its whistle, passengers exiting the cars and entering Canterlot. In the private car he provided for his family, he stared at them, slightly confused as most of them were wearing clothing that were worn from board game characters.

"Hey, Solly!" Prism greeted, walking out of the car, the clothing disappearing as soon as she stepped onto the station.

"Oh. Now I see what happened. Discord." The others came out as the spell from Discord's little game disappeared, the five young mares and stallions rushing him, the six ponies gathering in a group hug. "Hopefully the ride up wasn't too entertaining."

"It was super duper fun!" Cherry said. "Wished you would have joined in! You probably would have been a paladin and helped us slay the evil Dark Fiend while taking on his zombie skeleton minions!"

"Unless ya count him greetin' us by droppin' cream pies on our heads fun." Gemstone nodded her head, agreeing with Apple Seed as she made sure there wasn't a spritz of whipped cream in her mane.

"I don't understand why you invited him along with me." Everyone backed away from Solaris as Chrysalis stepped out, Discord slowly creeping up on her to pull another prank on her. "Discord, if you so much as do anything to me, I am going to kick you hard in the gonads."

"I'm not doing anything," the draconequus said innocently, hiding the giant water balloon behind his back.

"Ok, Discord, you had your fun on the ride here. Don't tick off my mother-in-law anymore than she already is." The changeling queen grumbled, despising called that, while Discord dismissed the water balloon.

"Just because you're married to Trill does not make me your in-law," she said. "Tell us what this news is so I can go back and continue running my kingdom."

"I'll tell everypony later this evening after dinner. Just be patient for a little while longer." Chrysalis huffed but obliged, as much as she hated waiting.

"Hey, squirt!" Scootaloo caught Solaris in a head lock, surprising the alicorn as she snuck up on him while he talked to Chrysalis. "You've definitely grown up into a stallion last time I saw you."

"I was at the Wonderbolts Derby watching you and the other Wonderbolts race a few months ago!" he said, quickly pulling her leg away from his neck.

"Oh, were you watching those races?" the mare asked. "Guess I wasn't paying attention from all the winning I've been doing."

"Ok, don't get a big head over that ego of yours," Apple Bloom warned, walking up to Solaris and hugging him tightly. "Good seein' ya again, Solaris."

"Same here, Aunt Apple Bloom." They broke away, the older mare rustling the alicorn's head, Sweetie Belle and Button Mash approaching Solaris with Virtuo held in the unicorn's magic.

"Hi, Solaris," Sweetie said, catching his attention. "It's been a while since you've seen us, but Button and I have an extra member of the family we want you to meet. This is our little colt, Virtuo. Say hi, sweetie!"

She held the colt out to look at him, the baby earth pony staring at him curiously as Solaris waved at him. "Hi there." The alicorn gently ruffled Virtuo's head, the colt giggling as his tiny hooves reached up to his. "I didn't know you and Button had a foal. How old is he?"

"Just turned one a couple weeks ago, and got a really big birthday party from Cherry Pie." Sweetie nuzzled Virtuo's head, the colt cooing as his mother gave him affection. "I would have invited you, but I didn't want to pull you away from your royal duties."

"Yeah. It's an important job, and I must have had a lot of work to do. Just be careful when Aunt Cadence comes around," Solaris warned. "She really loves foals."

While Solaris caught up with his other relatives, Chrysalis looked around the platform, expecting Trill to be waiting with him, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where is Trill?"

"Oh. She's back at the castle. She's still a little bit tired, so I let her sleep in." The changeling queen scoffed, finding it typical for her to wind up being a lot more lazy now that she was married to Solaris. "So, when she wakes up, I'll make sure all of you are entertained at the castle. I think the train coming from the Crystal Empire will arrive a bit later. Uncle Shining, Aunt Cadence, and Flurry are coming down too."

"Wonderful," Chrysalis murmured, hiding her grin as she would end up meeting Shining Armor again after his and Cadence's visit to her hive.

It was long until everyone invited to the castle had arrived, the earlier arrivals from Ponyville, the wastelands where the changelings live, and Discord making themselves at home, though Solaris warned the draconequus not to make it too much like his home. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart arrived an hour later, the prince prepared for his little cousin's surprise tackle hug as he caught her instead the moment the doors opened in their car. Because of his uncle's handicap, Solaris provided a carriage for them to ride in to the castle so he wouldn't be in pain from walking the long distance from the train station to the castle.

The rest of the day was spent around different parts of the castle until Trill felt a little better from her tiredness and aching body. Cadence went crazy as she met Virtuo, practically swiping the colt away from Sweetie Belle to play with him a little. The infant immediately took a liking to her, the princess of love always having that effect on foals, whether she foalsat or met them the first time. And Flurry Heart had fun keeping the colt entertained when Shining Armor had to pull his wife away to talk with the former founders of the CMC, Discord, and even trying to spark a conversation with Chrysalis.

Eventually, as evening came around and dinner was served, Trill had finally arrived, looking a little better, but still achy. Once the food had arrived, a smorgasbord of foods for the two changelings and everyone else to enjoy, though the conversation had slowly dwindled to silence when Trill began eating. She grabbed basically one of every single bit of food and stacked them on several plates, even getting food that wasn't sprinkled with the glimmering pink magical essence of love. As she ate, she didn't even care if they were bland to her, her cravings telling her to eat anything that looks good. Solaris was the only one who didn't worry, knowing she had some really questionable cravings for the past couple weeks, and it was healthy for her and their foal. And so was the spread on the long dining table.

She was about to dig into her salad, sprinkled with pepper and a light ranch dressing, noticing the odd looks the adults and teens were giving her. "...Uhhh...What?"

"...Trill." The changeling princess looked at her mother, Chrysalis raising a brow at all the plates she had. "...You do realize you are eating food that doesn't have the added condiment your husband managed to figure out how to make, right? And none of them are made of chocolate?"

Trill slowly lowered her eyes down to her food, only now noticing what she subconsciously grabbed. "...Ummm..." She looked at Solaris, the alicorn grinning as he knew the reason for her odd choices. "...Solly's got me...on a diet?"

"A diet with food that is bland to us without any of these?" Chrysalis asked as she held up a shaker filled with pink magical energy. "Any time you tasted any of this food to test hiding your disgust when training to disguise yourself in a restaurant, you failed and spat it out or threw it up. You should be gagging right now."

"I can get used to food that isn't chocolate, mom," Trill muttered annoyingly, chomping her teeth down on her salad fork and ate her food. "At least I appreciate change, unlike you."

The queen growled, dropping the subject so she wouldn't raise her voice around the two youngest ponies too busy eating their own meals. Solaris could sense the tension between his wife and mother-in-law. They haven't really been on good speaking terms for a long while, which began a few months after their marriage. Maybe hearing the good news after delaying it all day today could change things. After the awkward moment watching Trill eat and dinner finished, Solaris stood up from his seat as he got everyone's attention.

"Everypony, I know you've all been dying to know why you've been invited to the castle from the news Trill and I want to give you all from the letters I sent," he announced. "First, I want to say I'm glad all of you are here, even if some of you don't want to."

"Just get to the news!" Discord shouted from the other end of the table, his voice purposely distant and echoed out of comic relief.

"Right. Delayed this for long enough." Solaris cleared his throat and helped Trill stand up, despite her complaints to continue eating for the bottomless pit of a stomach for her and the baby. "Anyway, the important news. Trill and I are having a baby!"

The whole room was silent, aside from the quiet babbling that came from Virtuo as he sat in his little high chair next to Sweetie Belle and Button Mash. No one could say anything out of the oddity of his good news he and Trill wanted to share, all of them staring at the couple. Trill let out a nervous laugh and nodded her head, confirming what he was saying is true.

"...Uhh...What?" Apple Seed asked, voicing everyone's opinion.

"We both found a spell in the Canterlot Archives that allowed a couple of different species to make a baby," the alicorn stallion explained. "And Trill, as of right now, is a month and a half into her pregnancy. We're going to be parents in another nine and a half months! Isn't that exciting!?"

Hearing Trill was pregnant now caught their attention, all of them shocked and confused except for Cadence as she recalled her odd eating habits. Chrysalis's jaw had dropped, not liking the news her son-in-law gave, Dicord's literally dropping onto the table.

"Hang on a second!" Cherry exclaimed, grabbing her glass of water and taking a big gulp. She immediately spat it out, making a delayed spit take. "Trill's pregnant!?"

"How'd I not see this?" Cadence whispered. The signs looked so obvious, but didn't think anything of it as her being sick with her exhausted expression and having a strange appetite. The pink alicorn's grin soon began to widen, unable to contain her excitement as she flew up in the air and squealed with glee. "I'M GONNA BE A GRANDAUNT!"

While the princess of love flew around, cheering wildly, the others slowly recovered from their shock, happy to hear the news, though how it was possible with the spell they used was baffling. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was mortified. She was going to be a grandmother to a child born as both a changeling and a pony, and Trill was going to end up giving birth to a live foal a few months longer than their own kind's reproductive cycle. The changeling queen soon began to feel ill, her black cheeks turning green, her vision blurry as she lost feeling in her limbs.

"I call planning the baby shower!" Cherry called out.

"Aww, I was going to say that!" Discord whined, his dropped jaw growing legs as it ran across the table and stopped in front of Solaris and Trill's side. He appeared where his mouth was, slithering around the couple with a questionable gaze. "Are you sure she's pregnant and you're not pulling our legs?"

"I'm really pregnant, and I'm suffering from the worst of the symptoms," Trill complained. "Morning sickness, sore hooves, very violent mood swings when I wind up angry, strange eating habits that I'm surprisingly used to, it's all a nightmare to me."

"I'll be the judge of that." Discord snapped his fingers, now wearing a doctor's outfit and a stethoscope. He grabbed Trill and laid her down on an examination table that appeared out of nowhere. He put the earpieces on and grabbed the resonator, placing it on the changeling's abdomen as a screen popped up in front of him, though it was filled with distorted images no one could tell what was inside but him. "Hmm...I see...yes. Mhmm..."

"Should I be worried?" Trill asked.

The draconequus soon placed the circular disk over to the light bump on her belly, the screen suddenly blinking green with a check mark in the center. "Well, what do you know? She actually is pregnant! This calls for a celebration! And I call first dibs on the games for the baby shower, Cherry!"

"I can live with that," the earth pony mare said with a shrug.

"...I'm dreaming," Chrysalis mumbled, still in shock as she grew pale. "This isn't happening. First their relationship...then marriage-"

"And then comes the foal in the carriage," Shining said, finishing up the reality of the moment for the soon to be changeling grandparent. "You're going to be a grandma, Chrysalis...Well, you probably already are from other changelings you gave birth to, but now you're a grandparent to Solaris's foal."

"...Oh...happy day..." Chrysalis groaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell out of her chair, passing out in shock.

After the weekend get together, with a majority of the family excited for the new baby to arrive, they all planned out when the baby shower will be held sometime in spring when it wasn't too cold for Trill to leave the castle as the colder seasons come in. They all made a promise not to tell anyone else about this until the time came for the foal to be born before heading back home at the end of the weekend. Chrysalis was still in a daze, her brain trying to process the "good" news she heard as she was begged in Solaris's letter to come to Canterlot, even after she left to head back home.

The next month and a half had passed as Trill was finally ending off the first trimester of her pregnancy. Thankfully, her nausea and vomiting had finally stopped, giving her some relief to know she won't end up puking her guts out early in the morning. The little bulge against her belly grew a little more during the time, though her lack of energy seemed to happen more often as she always wound up sleeping most of the day. She couldn't even find the energy to have any fun with Solaris in the evenings after he was finished with his duties.

Now that fall was here, the weather was getting cooler and the leaves in the trees were about to change from green to red, orange, and brown. Trill began to wake up a little late in the morning, Solaris already gone to run Equestria and keep it safe from any trouble, mostly from dealing with a couple nobles in a trifle over their businesses. She sat up with a yawn, smacking her dry lips as she crawled off the bed. She approached the calendar her husband set up to the day their child would be born, having already crossed off the end of her third month and starting on the fourth.

"Just about eight more months left," she said to herself. Trill looked down at her stomach, rubbing the small bump a little to feel their baby. Her stomach began to growl, her taste buds craving for something smothered in chocolate. "You have really good taste this morning. Let's see if the kitchen has some chocolate cake we can sneak out for breakfast."

Trill giggled as she made her way out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen to get something chocolaty to fulfill both her and her baby's cravings.

Eleven Months of Torture (Months 4-7)

Trill snuck into the kitchen, peeking around the room for any of the staff cooking anything for the day. With no ponies in sight, the pregnant changeling walked inside with a grin on her face, licking her lips as she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into some chocolate. She couldn't deny her baby's demands, or her own cravings and love of some chocolaty goodness. She opened the fridge and cabinets, finding no premade goodies to sink her fangs into.

"Aww. None of the bakers made anything yummy this week." Trill frowned as she looked at the fresh ingredients. "Hmmm...I wonder if there's a recipe book that has a triple chocolate cake." She looked down at her belly as she heard it growl, not the only one who agreed on the idea. "Triple chocolate cake it is! With chocolate chips."

Trill skimmed around the shelves of cookbooks, grabbing the one filled with different cake recipes and found the one she wanted. She was already salivating from the picture alone, placing the book down on the counter as she looked over the ingredients she needed. After gathering everything needed for her chocolaty brunch, she measured out the ingredients and began following the steps. She hummed a little tune, cracking some eggs, pouring in the pre-measured flour, sugar, milk, cake mix, and vanilla, then mixed them all up while she turned the baking oven on. She found the chocolate chips, resisting the urge to eat the whole bag and save her craving for the chocolaty cake she was making, pouring some into the batter.

After pouring the batter into a circular pan, she placed the cake in the oven, and while she waited, she began making the chocolate frosting. The timer went off just as she finished the frosting, pulling out the perfectly baked cake out to let it cool. Once it had cooled down enough, Trill began decorating the cake with the chocolate frosting, and added a bit of warm chocolate syrup on top with plenty more chocolate chips as well. Her masterpiece was finally completed, a triple chocolate cake with oozing chocolate syrup, frosting, and chips decorated in a display of chocolate overload, and she was going to enjoy it.

"Mmmm...I waited long enough. Time to dig in." Trill cut herself a big slice, licking her lips as she smelled the overwhelming chocolate scent wafting in her nostrils.

Taking a fork, she cut a big slice from her piece and opened her mouth to sink her taste buds into her brunch dessert. "What are you doing?" Trill flinched, her mouth still open to take a bite as she turned her eyes to the entrance of the kitchen. Solaris stood there, a brow raised as he tapped his hoof against the kitchen tile floor. "...Is that a triple chocolate cake with more chocolate than needed?"

"...Uhhhhh..." The alicorn watched as his wife slowly bit her piece while also using her magic to hid her slice and the rest of her cake behind her back. "No?"

"Yeah, pretty late on hiding the evidence, hon." He looked around the kitchen, amazed she didn't make too much of a mess. "I thought you would have gotten a bit more...untidy when cooking, or baking. But I guess not. Now, hand over the cake."

"Can't I just have one little cheat day?" Trill begged, but Solaris shook his head. "I was only going to have one slice. I swear." He didn't respond, instead holding out his hoof, telling her to give the cake to him. "You're no fun! I was craving for chocolate, and so was the baby! Do you want to deny our foal the delicious taste of chocolate?"

"I think the craving's more for you than the baby, and you've had worse meals you craved for in the past month alone." Solaris stole the cake from Trill, even her large slice, making her whimper sadly. "Eating this much chocolate isn't all that healthy for you, or the baby."

"I haven't had any chocolate at all since you started me on that diet you put me on." She stuck out her tongue in disgust at the vegetables he made her eat, and with no dessert as a reward for eating stuff she couldn't eat at all. "And I worked hard baking that too. It tastes sooooo goooood."

"And what you made could put a griffon in a diabetic coma." Solaris looked at the cake, lightly sniffing the dessert as his senses went crazy over the abundance of chocolate on top of it. Curious, he took a small bite and tasted it, surprised by how delicious it was. He looked at his wife, unable to hide the delight he had in eating a bite, Trill grinning hopefully as she saw he was close to changing his mind. He couldn't deny her any longer with those emerald eyes of hers, sighing in defeat as he held out her plate, cutting the large slice in half with his magic. "Fine. One piece."

"Yay!" Trill ran up to Solaris and gave him a big kiss, swiping her plate away from him as he held his piece in his aura, putting it down on his own plate. "I knew you'd come around. I should persuade you with my cooking all the time now. The best way to a stallion's heart is his stomach."

"Well..." Solaris couldn't deny that her statement was somewhat true. He loved his aunts' cooking whenever they brought him anything from their homes, especially Pinkie's delicious baked goods. "Ok, I guess you're right."

Trill giggled as she took small bites of her treat, savoring it as much as possible until Solaris lets the staff eat her hard work. The couple ate their cake in silence, the changeling nuzzling against her loving husband.

"So, what do you think the foal is going to be?" she asked. "Is it going to be a colt or a filly?"

"I hope we have a daughter," he said, surprising Trill with his guess.

"A daughter? I thought you'd want to have a son." Trill nudged his side, taking another bite. "You know, that whole talk you had about being a father and knowing what it's like?"

"I think I'd like a filly to raise, actually." He looked at the mare, who raised a brow at him with a smirk. "...What?"

"So, you're saying you want to spoil your little princess, huh?" she asked, beginning to snicker as he turned away with a blush. "You want her to be a daddy's little girl. Good luck trying to deal with that when you have two mares in your life, one of them being me who loves to tease and annoy you every day."

"If I can manage you, I can handle a little filly." Trill growled and pouted, stuffing a large piece of her cake in her mouth. "Once you're around five and a half months pregnant, we can go to the doctor's and see our foal."

"That soon?" Trill asked. "I thought we'd be waiting until a couple months before I pop her, or him, out."

"Yes, but we can at least see what she looks like, find out how she'll sort of look through the magical sonogram," Solaris explained, his wife grinning at his statement.

"You're really sure it's going to be a filly?" He reluctantly nodded his head, hopeful for that outcome to happen. "You need more guy time. Too many mares and not enough stallions in your life." Trill rubbed against Solaris and purred, nuzzling his neck as she brushed her lips against his skin. "At least you haven't lost an ounce of testosterone in you."

"Are you trying to compliment me or are your hormones acting up?" His question was answered by a nibble on the ear, the stallion barely flinching as her hooves began to run against his foreleg. "And the second answer wins yet again...Unless you added some sort of aphrodisiac in the cake."

"No, I didn't. I'm just horny," the changeling giggled, kissing him on the cheek. "If you don't have anything else to do today, we can head upstairs to our room after our dessert and you can give me a cream filling."

Solaris groaned and slapped himself in the forehead at the horrible pun. "Oh my goodness, Trill. Did you really just say that?"

"Yes, and I want your sticky frosting in my belly." He growled while the changeling chuckled as she annoyed him with her innuendos.

"Ok, that's enough," Solaris grumbled. "Finish your cake."

"Why?" Trill asked, leaning into the alicorn's ear and whispered. "Don't you want to spill some of your batter in my oven?"

"...Just go up to our bedroom," he grumbled. Trill giggled, scarfing down the rest of her cake before heading upstairs, dragging her tail along his snout as she swayed her hips and slightly rounded belly. As soon as she left the kitchen, Solaris sighed and shook his head. "Sex puns...Why the hay did she have to use horrible sex puns?" He looked down at his slice of cake, slowly placing it on the counter, no longer feeling hungry for it after the bakery innuendos his annoyingly beloved wife made. "Thanks to her, I'm afraid to eat any baked goods that can have a cream filling stuffed in them..."

Solaris woke up in his bed, the sun shining down in his room and waking him from his slumber. He didn't see Trill laying next to him, which made him worry. He climbed out of bed and walked outside of his bedroom. Instead of walking out into the castle, he was now out in a grassy field. It was really peaceful: the sun was out, the sky was clear, and no cities or towns within miles to ruin the peaceful scenery.

"What is going on?" he asked, having no clue how he wound up outside from his bedroom door in the castle.

"Daddy!" a littly filly shouted joyfully as she suddenly leapt up in front of Solaris.

"Ahh!" He fell back in surprise, the filly bouncing up and down on his chest as she giggled.

"I got you, daddy!" The alicorn looked at his "daughter" after she finally stopped bouncing on him.

She had a white coat, but what was odd that she had some features of a changeling. There were some tiny holes in her legs, not big like Trill's, Chrysalis's, or any other changeling's, and her horn was slightly crooked and jagged, but it also looked really smooth like a unicorn's. She even had small fangs as she grinned down at him. The only parts of her that weren't changeling were her wings, covered with feathers and muscle, her mane styled somewhat like his mother's, though colored green with a gold stripe running down the middle similar to his mane color, and her eyes were like a pony's, colored the same emerald green as those of Trill's.

He continued staring at her, greatly bewildered as she seemed to have the same fur, wings, and gold stripe down her hair and tail. He grabbed her in his hooves, the filly giggling as he held her up while he sat up on his haunches. Her coat felt smooth like a changeling's skin, but it was also soft and furry, only making her giggle more as he unintentionally tickled her as he rubbed his hooves over her sides. A part of him felt like what she called him was true, but he had never seen her before.

"Did you...call me 'daddy'?" he asked.

"Mhmm!" she said with a nod.

"...I...don't have a foal yet," he said, still very confused.

"You're silly, daddy!" the filly giggled. "Huggies!"

She flew out of his hooves and wrapped her tiny hooves around his neck, surprising Solaris as she nuzzled him lovingly. Still dazed, unsure if this realization was real or if he was imagining it, he gently wrapped his hooves around her in a loose hug.

"Solly!" His ears perked up as he heard Trill calling out to him. He stood up, still carrying the filly in his foreleg as he turned around, his wife running toward them, the mare panting heavily as she seemed to have been running for a while. "There you two are! She just ran off and tried to find you, and here you are lying around in the grass!"

"Hi, mommy!" Solaris's "daughter" called out, waving her hooves at her.

As Trill got closer, the world suddenly began to turn dark behind her, a cloud of darkness slowly crawling up behind the changeling. Suddenly, appearing in the clouds were a pair of blood red eyes with green mist seeping out of their sockets, Solaris gasping as he remembered those horrifying eyes. The eyes began to form a stallion body, a dark unicorn with a horn that was red as his eyes and curved up, his mane as dark as the clouds he came from. He fell down, creating an aura sword colored dark red, thrusting it down and straight through Trill's back, the mare gasping in shock and pain.

"TRILL!" Solaris cried out, the filly whimpering in fear and turning her head away.

The stallion laughed, his mother's murderer and Equestria's ruling tyrant for fifteen years before he ended his reign and life had returned. "Surprise." He dug the sword deeper into Trill's body, the mare grunting as the pain grew worse, but the fatal impalement began to make her body numb as her eyes began to grow pale. "Now to deal with your husband, and your little brat."

The filly began to cry, Solaris quickly covering her eyes as Lucifer pulled his blade out of Trill, watching her fall to the ground and taint the dark ground with her blood. "No...Why do you keep showing up!? Leave me alone!"

"We're not going to leave." Solaris gasped as he heard his own voice behind him, though it sounded more sinister and dark.

"T-Two daddies?" the filly asked as she stared at his darker self, Nova Flare, sneering at him as he turned his head to face him.

"Correction, you have one daddy, little filly," Nova chuckled, cracking his neck and slamming his hooves together, creating dark flames to spark in his hooves. "I am your daddy, but his darker side." Solaris began to panic, not willing to risk fighting both himself and the monster that killed everypony he loved while he held the filly in his hooves. He tried to escape, but Nova appeared in front of him and punched the alicorn hard in the face, sending him tumbling back across the darkened plains as he dropped her. "Nowhere to run, Solaris! You can't escape from me, and you know it!"

Solaris tried to stand up, but Lucifer kicked him hard in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him as he fell back to the ground. The dark unicorn grabbed the alicorn's mane, forcefully lifting his head up to watch as Nova Flare walked toward the terrified filly, backing away from him before turning around and running to Solaris.

"Daddy!" she cried out, unable to get further as a wall of dark spikes shot up in front of her, trapping her inside with Nova Flare.

"No! Get away from her!" Solaris shouted as he tried to stand up, immediately screaming out in pain as he felt daggers created out of Lucifer's aura that dug deep into his hooves, keeping him pinned to the ground.

"No! Daddy, help me!" the alicorn's "daughter" cried, Nova's hoof lighting on fire, the dark flames growing bigger as he pointed it at her, prepared to shoot an explosive fireball at her. "DADDY!!!!!!"

"NO!" Solaris screamed as he sat up in bed, panting heavily in a cold sweat as tears streamed down his face. He steadied his breathing, now awake after experiencing an even worse nightmare involving the two stallions that were the bane of his existence. "A nightmare...Just a nightmare..."

Trill groaned in her sleep, slowly waking up after hearing the alicorn yell out in his sleep. "What is it, Solly?"

"...Just a bad dream, Trill," he said. "Sorry for waking you."

"Was it the same nightmares with Lucifer and Nova Flare attacking us again?" she asked.

"...Sort of...They were there again, but it was just you, me...and our daughter..." Solaris rubbed his hooves over his eyes, wiping away the tears that had appeared after watching the dream filly that was his daughter getting attacked, and possibly killed before he woke up. "...I think my subconscious...imagined how she would look if she was born, and even though I saw her for the first time, it's like I knew her...But then, they showed up..."

"...And that's when the bad part happened." He nodded his head, clutching his head as the nightmare still played clearly in his mind. "You ok?"

"...I'll be fine. Just...another dumb nightmare...with the worst side of me and the stallion who tried to destroy everything." Solaris sighed heavily and laid his head back down on his pillow. "Just go back to sleep, Trill. I just need a moment."

"Ok." Trill yawned and laid her head back down to sleep. It didn't last long as she groaned in annoyance and sat up. "After I use the bathroom, then I'll go back to sleep."

She climbed out of bed and sluggishly walked toward the bathroom to relieve herself, despising waking up in the middle of the night with her bladder slowly being squeezed by their foal with each passing day. She closed the door and left Solaris along for a moment, the stallion staring at the ceiling as his dream kept playing over and over in his head. He brought his hooves to his face, unable to fall asleep.

"No more of these stupid nightmares," he mumbled. "For once, I just want a peaceful dream...No more bloodshed...No more death..." His ears twitched as he heard his own maniacal laughter that came Nova, then the scream of his "daughter" before the sound of an explosion made his ears press back against his head. He quickly shook the thought out of his mind, no longer wishing to continued what would have happened if he didn't wake up in time. "Please...stop tormenting me..."

The next couple weeks ended up being more problematic for Solaris with his nightmares than Trill's pregnancy symptoms. Ever since that dream where his wife and daughter were killed by the dream manifestations of Lucifer and his darker side, Nova Flare, he kept having the same kind of nightmare every night, and with different results. They never appeared this often, and the impact it had on him was a lot worse, even more than hearing his own mother yelling at him for his failures, another nightmare that weakened the state of his psyche. He was barely able to sleep, or stay up all night in fear of seeing the little filly be traumatized and killed by his worst enemies, he sometimes panicked when he thought he heard his own evil voice whispering in his ear.

Trill began to notice more whenever he woke up screaming every night. Every time he said he was fine, she knew that wasn't the case; she could practically feel his terror from his nightmares, and whenever she went back to sleep after he accidentally woke her, she always felt him clutching her tightly, but not too much when his hooves trailed down to her belly. As she woke up this morning after this had gone on for the past couple weeks, beginning her fifth month, she was going to confront him and get him some help.

"Solaris, are you sure you're up to doing your job today?" she asked, seeing the bags underneath Solaris's bloodshot eyes.

"Yeah," he assured. "I'm totally fine."

"No you're not. You've been waking up every night screaming, I can feel you sweating in fear from your nightmares, and when you can't fall asleep, you try to squeeze me into a vice grip as if you're trying to protect me from the safety of our bedroom." The alicorn's fake grin melted into a frown, lowering his head sadly, unable to hide his misery. "These nightmares are haunting you, and you can't focus if you freak out."

"I can't help it," he said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Nova Flare isn't gone. He's still somewhere inside me, and he keeps trying to break me to let him take over."

"Solaris, you killed him back at my home," Trill reminded. "Even if he does show up again with a new body or in your mind, you can take him."

"I can't," he mumbled, quickly receiving a light slap in the face to snap him out of his negative mindset.

"Yes, you can. You fought Lucifer as a giant demon thing, and you still won. There's no possible way anyone out in Equestria, or anywhere else, can best you, and you know it." Trill nuzzled him, pulling herself closer to him to help distract his mind. "I know it was really hard for you to summon any courage you had to fight after losing your family, but you still have me. You have your family in Ponyville, in the Crystal Empire, everypony who knows what you have lost knows you've sacrificed a lot just to get this far...

"Which is why...I made YOU an appointment with a therapist scheduled for this afternoon." The stallion's ears perked up as he back away, staring at his wife in shock. Before he could open his mouth, she shoved her hoof against his lips before he could complain. "You made me several appointments to the doctor over a head injury that I told you a million times over was nothing but a major bump, some behind my back. So, I think this justifies at least one appointment, and you really need help."

Solaris gently lowered her hoof away from his lips. "I don't need a-"

"Yes you do," she argued. "I can't exactly help you by feeding off your sadness and fear right now because of the baby. I know that is going to be unhealthy for it." Trill sighed, placing a hoof on his cheek, gently pressing her forehead against his. "I don't want to see you lose your mind before it's too late...There's only so much I can do before my help isn't enough. Please, do this for me? For the baby?"

Solaris felt Trill's hoof grab his, gently dragging it down to let him rub her round belly. Day by day, their foal was growing a little bit more every day, nearly halfway through until their son or daughter will be born. He really needed professional help, and for so many years, he's been delaying asking for that help because of his long journey, fighting for his life, and keeping the kingdom from suffering from anymore losses from Lucifer's fifteen years of rule.

Sighing sadly, he nodded his head, looking Trill in the eyes. "Ok...I'll go."

"Thank you," she said with a soft smile, bringing her lips to his in a soft, passionate kiss.

Solaris sat in the waiting room in Canterlot's best therapeutic centers. He was surprised at the research Trill had done to find somewhere that could help him; this medical center is well known to help those with serious mental disorders, especially ones that military ponies get whenever they wind up having flashbacks to a terrible war or deadly scenario that made them relapse when they think they're ok after a traumatizing experience. Solaris himself had struggled to fight through his depression back then to save Equestria, but it still came back to make him miserable from time to time, including the traumatizing deaths and life or death fight against Lucifer and Nova.

He had no other important meetings for the day, wondering if Trill actually does like to read up on what he does and never truly shows it, he arrived a few minutes earlier before his scheduled appointment. It was a bit awkward for any other ponies to see him walking around without his regalia, not wanting to be treated like royalty while he was off to get help with his problems. There were already a couple ponies inside, all of them staring at the prince in surprise while he checked himself in and filled out the usual forms required for the doctors to know about him. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait with the awkward stares for long as he was called to see the psychiatrist that Trill had asked for.

He walked in the room the assistant lead him to the office of Dr. Mynd Reader, one of the best therapists in Equestria. The doctor sat at his desk looking over his paperwork, a pale gray unicorn stallion with faded brown hair, wearing a business suit and a pair of glasses resting on his nose. He looked up as Solaris shut the door, the older stallion smiling as he stood up and walked over to him.

"Prince Solaris, right on time," he said as they both shook hooves. "I'm Doctor Mynd Reader."

"Yes, my wife told me she made my appointment for me, and you were the one who would help." Mynd chuckled as he guided the prince to the other side of his desk.

"Ah, yes. I know what you mean," the therapist said. "My wife can end up making decisions for me as well if I'm too stubborn to do it." Solaris sat down in one of the couple comfortable chairs while Mynd sat back down on his side of the desk, pulling out his new client's forms. "But, seeing how serious the princess was with these nightmares she says you've been having, she really cares deeply for your mental health. I had heard you've gone through a very traumatizing road several years ago."

"It was...really traumatic," Solaris admitted.

"I know talking about events like these can be too much to bear, and if you want to stop talking about it, we'll do so and switch to another topic." Dr. Mynd levitated a pencil and a large notepad from behind his desk. "It's better to have a patient explain their experiences in a calm mind rather than a highly distressed one. And if it's too horrible to recall, with your permission, I can look through the moments you want me to see that inflicted your psyche."

"You can see the minds of other ponies?" Solaris asked.

"Kind of my specialty. The spell I cast will allow me to see what you want me to see, that way I won't pop in on any memories you find personal." The young stallion blushed, finding it really awkward if his therapist wound up seeing all of the erotic things Trill and him had done. "And I am a little curious as to how your trek across Equestria had been, only hearing rumors about your experiences."

"...Well, it is a really long story to tell. I guess I can let you see what I've been through, just to make it easier," he said.

"Ok then." Dr. Mynd Reader stood up and approached Solaris, keeping a hold of his writing materials. "Now, just hold still as I place my horn against your head. It won't hurt a bit." Solaris put his trust in the doctor as his horn lit up and cast his spell. The alicorn kept his thoughts on the events of his tiresome, and depressing, journey, losing the ones he loved, feeling the pressure of Equestria's fate on his shoulders, and his deadly fights against the worst of his only two deadly foes. After a couple minutes, Dr. Mynd slowly pulled his head away, his pencil writing out every single detail as he read through Solaris's memories, utterly horrified at what he had just witness. "...My goodness...How in Equestria have you managed to stay sane after all of that?"

"I have a loving changeling wife who really cares about me," he answered. "I'm really lucky to have met her, and I don't know what I would have done without her."

"Lucky indeed," Mynd agreed sympathetically. He looked down at his notepad, grimacing at the gory details when he saw what had happened to the four Element of Harmony bearers he was with before their untimely end. "I think I felt the worst of it after witnessing Ms. Rainbow Dash and Ms. Pinkie Pie...Good thing I have a strong stomach." The stallion sat back down, putting those notes aside as he looked up at the alicorn. "I am so sorry for your loss."

"Mhmm..." Solaris sighed, having both Rainbow's and Pinkie's deaths coming back to his mind, reminding him of the painful breakdowns he had. "They were all my family...I only knew of my mom from what they told me, and none of them had any idea who my father was...I doubt he might still be alive after all these years, probably killed by Lucifer or his irresponsible guards."

"Yes...I do remember your mother quite well," Mynd said. "Princess Celestia's protege, top of the class in her studies at Her Highness's School for Gifted Unicorns, an Element of Harmony among her five other friends, and even became an alicorn after completing a spell made by Star Swirl the Bearded himself."

"That's what I heard all my life," Solaris said. "Though, I'm not as magically gifted as her. I may be smart, but not as. And I'm starting to prefer fighting rather than sit on my plot on a throne and listen to squabbling nobles fight over their businesses."

"That does sound rather boring, but work involving the state of the kingdom is highly important, and you're doing a great job so far." The doctor shifted his glasses back in order, pulling the notepad out again. "Now, let's hear about these nightmares you've had. Unlike memory, dreams are created through the subconscious, and trying to see those are more of a challenge."

"Should I start with the ones I've been having now or recent ones?" Solaris asked. "They're kind of similar, but the ones I have now are a lot more worse."

"Let's start off with the beginning nightmares and work our way to the present. Just from your experiences and how frequent you have nightmares, you seem to have a case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Nothing out of the ordinary when I had any soldiers who have been in war zones, especially after the many cases from those in the Resistance and the thankfully disbanded Shadow Knights." Solaris started with the first of his horrible nightmares, Dr. Mynd Reader jotting down the important points the alicorn explained from his dreams. After talking about his latest nightmares with the little filly who claimed to be his daughter, those dreams catching the doctor's attention. "So...these dreams now have you with a little filly. Same look, same voice, similar personality?"

"Yes. Every nightmare began peacefully with her showing up out of the blue," Solaris said.

"Hmmm...Seeing a child appear before you, who holds similar resemblance to a pony and a changeling...It's quite interesting." Dr. Mynd pondered as he looked over the notes he took while Solaris told him his dreams. "Aside from seeing Lucifer and the evil side of you showing up as memories of your past, that filly makes it seem like you're an expecting father."

"...Right. Well, about that..." The older stallion looked up at the alicorn, looking a little nervous. "Can you not tell anypony else about what I'm about to say?"

"Anything you say will only be known between you and I," Mynd promised. "Patient confidentiality isn't just for doctors in the hospital, after all."

"Ok." Solaris took a deep breath as he began to tell his therapist what he and Trill would be expecting in another six months. "...Trill and I found a spell in the Canterlot Archives that allowed an interspecies couple to have a baby, so right now she's a few months pregnant and we're expecting a foal."

The unicorn's jaw dropped at the news, explaining a little about his dreams involving a little filly in both his and Trill's image. "...Wow. Congratulations. Boy, Equestria's going to be surprised to hear the news of a new princess coming into the world." After recovering from the surprising news and going over his notes, Mynd Reader brought his hooves together as he came to his diagnosis. "Well, after seeing those painful memories for myself, you seem to have a case of PTSD. A very small case of it, but those nightmares are proof enough that you're either reliving those moments, or having them continuously altered while still feeling just as traumatizing.

"Though, with the symbolism of your current nightmares...you might be scared of losing your family again and you feel like you won't be strong enough to save them from any threats to Equestria." Solaris seemed to understand the meaning, always holding Trill tightly to him while she slept and he stayed awake. He was scared to lose her again after all the scares he had when she put herself in harm's way, even from accidentally hurting her. And if their child is born, he has no idea if there would be anyone who dislikes their union or hate how he or she will look and he wouldn't be able to protect him or her. "Your Highness, I don't think you should worry about whatever may come to attack us. With your feats of strength, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll fail in protecting the kingdom. Or your family."

"...I wanted to give up fighting back against Lucifer once...After I realized what finishing my trials would do after obtaining pieces of my armor..." Solaris looked down at his hooves, creating a small green flame on each hoof, slowly changing it from green to white. "I kept going, even though it hurt to see my aunts die...I don't know what to do if anything happened to Trill...or our foal."

"Things are at peace now. With your rule on the throne, I don't think there's going to be many problems that could threaten the fate of the world." Dr. Mynd wrote down something in a small book, tearing a page out and holding it out to Solaris. "Here's a prescription for some medication to help ease your mind and to help you sleep easily. If you still feel stressed or the nightmares keep occurring after a couple weeks, don't hesitate to schedule another appointment."

"Thanks, Dr. Mynd." Solaris took the prescription after thanking the doctor and began to head out. While making his way down to the pharmacy to turn the slip in for his medicine, the alicorn prayed that nothing bad will happen to his beloved and their unborn foal. "Please don't let there be any psychotic villains in the future who will threaten anypony for the rest of forever..."

Solaris found himself back out in the peaceful fields again after he fell asleep. He came back to the pharmacy after dropping off his prescription to get his medicine and took the pills before heading to bed. He was unsure if the medicine's effects would work, but he fell asleep pretty quickly after half an hour of the second prescription he was given. He sat up and looked around the dream landscape, finding the filly in a patch of flowers, humming a song while she picked some.

He stood up and walked over to her, his "daughter" noticing him and waving to him. "Hi, daddy!"

"Hi," he replied, sitting down before the flower patch as he watched her continue picking the flowers. The song she was singing sounded a lot like his Aunt Pinkie's song, "Giggle at the Ghosties", a song she sang to him when he was little when he was afraid of going into the darker parts of the mountain he lived in. "What are you doing?"

"Pickin' flowers," she said, creating a bouquet of the wildflowers she grabbed. "I'm gonna give them to mommy."

"I don't think she likes flowers all that much," he said. "She prefers chocolates over flowers when Hearts and Hooves Day comes around."

"Oh...Then, I'll pick flowers for Aunty Cadence." Solaris shook his head, unable to help but grin at his possibly future daughter's optimism. His smile melted as he saw darkness crawling up to them in the distance, the eyes of Lucifer and Nova Flare appearing from the dark clouds approaching the fields. The filly gasped, scared of the two stallions approaching them and ran behind Solaris. "Daddy, they're here again! Don't let them hurt me!"

"...Don't worry. I won't let them." He wasn't going to let them hurt his foal. Not these two who tormented his mind for years, nor anyone who dares to come across his family. Solaris stood up, glaring at the two dark stallions, standing in front of the terrified filly. "Leave us alone!"

"That's not gonna happen, Solaris," Nova sneered, igniting his hooves with black flames while Lucifer created his aura katana, slowly sliding the blade out of the magical sheath. "You will fail and watch as the world you desire burns and your loved ones die by our hooves."

"I'm sick and tired of having you two appear in my dreams. Equestria's at peace, but I'll never be unless I get rid of you two for good." Solaris stood on his hind legs, spreading his forelegs out as he called upon his golden gauntlets, appearing in a flash of light and immediately attaching to him. He slammed them together, connecting the platinum heart pieces together as it and the pieces of the Elements of Harmony glowed brightly. White flames ignited around his forehooves, his body engulfed in an orb of light as he transformed into his powerful form. The light faded away, the filly looking up in awe at her father: his mane and tail now highlighted with stripes matching the colors of the gems embedded in his gauntlets, turning ethereal as it flowed on its own in an invisible wind, his wings feather tips colored to the fur of his mother and aunts' coats, and the golden gauntlets were now shifting a myriad of colors like an aurora. He brought his hooves down, revealing his rainbow eyes, shocking both dark stallions at his new form. "Now, stay away from my family!"

Solaris engulfed his body in white flames, teleporting behind Lucifer and Nova, punching both of them hard in their faces as he reappeared. They tried to retaliate, but he was quicker, blocking their blade and hoof with his flaming hooves, now burning with the colors of the rainbow. He broke Lucifer's katana, destroying his link to his magical weapon, while snapping Nova Flare's foreleg down, breaking his leg as he screamed out in pain. Not giving them a chance to flee, seeing the fear in their eyes, he pummeled them with a flurry of punches, then turned around and bucked them up hard into the air.

Standing back on his hind legs, he brought his forehooves together at his hip, a sphere of rainbow fire slowly growing bigger with each second. As the dark unicorn and alicorn fell, he unleashed a powerful blast of rainbow fire with a thrust of his forelegs, incinerating the stallions in the large beam of fire shooting out of his hooves. He heard them scream in agony as they disappeared in the rainbow light, his flames burning away the darkness that tried to engulf the bright and calm fields of his dream. As the last of the dreary darkness disappeared, Solaris turned back to normal as a sphere of light appeared and disappeared around him.

"Daddy!" The filly ran up to him, hugging his foreleg tightly. "You beat them!"

"Sure did," he said, patting her head lightly. He sat down and held her up, smiling cheerfully at him for saving her from his enemies. As he looked at his dream daughter, Solaris wanted to ask her something he wasn't able to out of the confusion of first meeting her and the nightmares waking him up from how realistic the pain, physically and emotionally, were to him. "What's your name?"

"You know my name, daddy," she giggled. "You gave me my name when I was born."

"I did?" he asked. "...Can I get a hint?"

"Nope!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

Solaris chuckled, obviously not going to know her name within his subconscious. "Alright, fine then. I'll just guess until I figure out what it is." He held her close and hugged her, feeling her nuzzle his neck as her hooves tried to wrap around his neck. After the warm hug, Solaris lowered his daughter down to the ground. "So, now that that's over, what do you want to do?"

"Hmmmm..." She looked around at the vast, empty fields, thinking of something for them to do. "Race to Ponyville?"

He looked over in the direction she pointed in, the town appearing in the distance as he heard what sounded like a party being held there. "Ok. A race it is. When should we-" Solaris looked down, but the filly wasn't there. He heard her giggling up ahead, already getting a head start before the race even began. "Hey! You little cheater!"

"I said 'go', daddy!" she said, the stallion only able to laugh and ran after her, not allowing her to win by getting ahead of him.

The next two weeks passed, Solaris's dreams no longer bothering him, even though he kept seeing Lucifer and Nova Flare. They wouldn't bother him anymore, not when they keep trying to kill his family in his dreams, and he will never let them bring him back down the path of depression. He did go back to Dr. Mynd Reader for his follow up appointment to tell him he felt a little better, and if he felt like he was going back into a relapse, he'll come back and seek more help. Trill was happier to know he was better, especially when they both slept, feeling his hoof gently rubbing her pregnant belly instead of clutching her tightly while staying up all night.

Today, the royal couple headed down to the hospital, figuring now would be the perfect time to get a sneak peek at what their foal will look like, and see if it'll be a filly or colt. While waiting patiently, also a little excited to know what their baby will be, they ignored the odd looks from some of the other patients who were sick or had injuries of their own that needed tending. They mostly looked at Trill and her rounded belly, not knowing she was actually pregnant and not heavily bloated.

One curious colt who was with his mother for a check-up walked up to the changeling, staring up at her stomach. "Whoa. Did you eat somepony, Princess Trill?"

"Honey, don't say such things!" the colt's mother scolded, dragging her rude son away from the royal couple. "I am so sorry about my son's rude behavior."

"Oh, it's fine. He's just curious," Trill said. "The things foals say are always the darnedest things." The mother giggled nervously, afraid to anger the princess or prince as she dragged her son back to their seats in the waiting room. "To be honest, I was going to tell him I ate a naughty colt who pulled on my tail and had a bit of indigestion. Just to scare him."

"Yeah, you're going to be a great mom," Solaris whispered sarcastically.

"Your Highnesses, the doctor's ready to see you," the nurse called out.

"She's gonna be in for quite a surprise." Solaris helped Trill out of her chair as they followed the nurse to one of the examination rooms.

After a while, the doctor walked in, a pink unicorn mare with her red mane tied in a bun, her cutie mark a red and white cross. "Hello again, Princess Trill. Let me guess. Your husband dragged you over for yet another scan on your cranium?"

"Not this time. He's not freaking out about the head injury he gave me." Solaris grumbled in disagreement. "Ok, he still worries, but that's not it this time."

"Finally, something interesting with you," the mare chuckled as she pulled out her clipboard. Before she spoke, she noticed the changelings stomach, whistling in astonishment. "Well, that must be a serious case of bloating. Too much love?"

"Wrong again!" Trill scoffed and looked at Solaris. "And you recommended me Dr. Joy. A doctor who gets everything wrong with her regular patient. Her practice must be horrible." The alicorn rolled his eyes as both mares laughed at the playful joke. "Actually, doc, we got ourselves a little surprise that might shock you. This belly is actually me pregnant with Solly's foal."

"What?" the doctor asked. "Is this another prank?"

"No, it's true," Solaris said. "There was a spell Trill and I found in the Canterlot Archives that allowed a unicorn in a romantic relationship with another of a different species to have their own foal. And she's five and a half months pregnant, the spell changing her usual changeling reproductive cycle from laying eggs to having a mare's, which means she'll be giving birth to a live foal instead."

Dr. Joy's jaw dropped, along with her clipboard, highly surprised by the news. "Oh my goodness." She quickly put on her stethoscope and brought it up around Trill's belly. Moving the resonator around her stomach, she managed to find the foal's heartbeat, gasping in surprise. "By the stars...This is a completely new experience for me to see and believe, but you really are pregnant. With a mammalian foal. Not once have I, or any of my colleagues back in medical school, have ever heard of such a thing from any other species!"

"I guess there was a reason why the spell wasn't well known," Solaris said, remembering the description of how it was created. "It started with a unicorn who fell in love with a female griffon during a war, and he spell was kept a secret for fear of their lovers being taken away, along with their child."

"Quite on odd spell, but all in all, congratulations." Dr. Joy brought the resonator back up onto Trill's stomach, holding up her clipboard as she wrote down her notes. "The baby's at least healthy. Has the princess been eating healthy?"

"Yes, as much as I hate the taste of leafy greens." The changeling stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Though, it said that any healthy diet for both sides could be done, but Solaris wants to make sure I suffer for the lack of chocolate I love to eat so much." She glared at the alicorn, scrunching her face in spite. "You owe me another delicious triple chocolate cake after I was only allowed one slice."

"After the baby's born," Solaris promised, poking Trill's snout with his hoof. "We made sure to follow the steps, read up on her symptoms and what's healthy for her, everything by the book."

"That's good. And it sounds like the foal's really healthy." Trill suddenly yelped as she felt a small kick inside of her, aiming where Dr. Joy's stethoscope was pressed against to hear it inside. "Yup. Definitely healthy. And I think we can see just how big this little one's gotten. I'm dying to see what a changeling/pony hybrid looks like."

"You're not going to tell anypony about this, are you?" Solaris asked. "We kind of want to keep it secret until the baby's born. Less stress on Trill and all that."

"Who's the one with the most stress out of the two of us?" Trill questioned, punching the stallion in the shoulder.

"After seeing Trill several times for the past few years, I don't think there's even an ounce of stress in her at all. Though, Prince Solaris, with how bad your blood pressure must be from the stress of being a prince, you might need a physical every now and then." Trill gave Solaris a sly smirk, but he frowned and leered at her, warning her not to give him another appointment behind his back again. "And it's a surprise how well you two are as a young couple, and still stay together after she annoys you."

"He can't get rid of me. I'm like a leech, but I suck out love instead of blood." The changeling giggled, rubbing the stallion's side. "And something else."

"Do I have to tie you down to the bed and gag you to get you to quit doing that?" Solaris groaned while Trill snickered.

"Ok, let's have a look at the baby." Dr. Joy lit up her horn, casting her pink aura around Trill's abdomen, making the changeling squirm at the slight tickling sensation. Aiming her horn above them, she cast another spell that allowed them to see what was inside Trill's womb through the spell, giving them a look at the fetus. "Oh my...How interesting."

They were unable to tell what the foal's coat was due to the sonography spell's black and white feedback, but they could clearly see it was different. A tiny horn on its forehead jutted it, slightly crooked like a changeling's. It also had little holes in its tiny legs too. The only different part of it that was different were the wings, which were like a pegasus's. If the foal's coat was white and its mane and tail that will grow in a dark green like Trill's, Solaris could swear that their foal could possibly be the same filly he dreamed up.

"That's...there's no way this is a coincidence." Dr. Joy and Trill looked at Solaris, wondering what he was talking about. "I've been dreaming of a filly who looks almost exactly like our foal...If it's a girl..."

"Hmm...Let's see if your guess is right." The doctor shifted the view around to see more of the foal, and with a good enough view between its hind legs, it was indeed a filly. "Well, it looks like you are going to have a daughter. Seems like your dream filly came true after all, Your Highness."

Trill stared at their daughter, then at Solaris in surprise as he somehow knew they were going to have a filly. "Ok, was there also something in that spell that made it a guarantee that we were going to have a filly?"

"...No..." Solaris gently placed his hoof on Trill's belly, keeping his eyes on the screen with his little filly shown to the three of them. He had no idea if it was a pure coincidence that the changeling/pony filly in his dreams wound up being his real daughter, or if he somehow saw a glimpse in the future of what their foal would look like like his mother's clairvoyant visions of him saving Equestria, but it didn't matter. He continued watching, the unborn filly lightly kicking where his hoof was on his wife's belly, knowing he was right there with her. "I just had a gut feeling...and I was right."

Winter had come to Equestria, snow gently falling upon the land from the clouds set up by weather ponies throughout the kingdom. The next couple months had Trill experiencing more symptoms, but she was used to the new and unexpected aches and their daughter kicking from time to time more often now. She was in the middle of her seventh month, only three and a half more before the expected due date of the hybrid filly's birth. And with the temperature dropping, she couldn't roam about the city or anywhere else, not willing to get sick or freeze to death and risk hurting their child.

It was Hearths Warming morning, Solaris's relatives were over at the castle to celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, Chrysalis couldn't make it, both due to the cold weather and the fact she was still in shock over discovering her daughter was going to have a hybrid foal in only a few more months. The day started out with the hyperactive Flurry Heart cheering and flying around the castle, waking everyone up as she barged into their rooms they stayed in for the week. After getting their wake-up call from the alicorn filly, Solaris's surrogate cousins, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry gathered in one of the empty rooms, decorated with Hearths Warming decorations.

"Yay! Hearths Warming!" Flurry cheered as she flew over everyone, too excited to stay still as she saw all the presents around the tree. "Presents and candy!"

"Ok, you! Get over here!" Solaris grabbed his cousin and dragged her down to the floor. "Calm down, or you won't start opening presents."

"Ok!" she said, finally staying put with an excited grin on her muzzle.

"And what's better about this is that it's a Hearths Warming party and a baby shower all in one!" Cherry exclaimed. "That means double the presents for Solly and Trill for their baby!"

"And it's going to be a filly." Gemstone squealed in excitement. "I have so many lovely little clothes for her to wear building up in my head!"

"If she'll be anything like Trill, I doubt she'll like to wear clothes," Solaris said.

"I'm getting another cousin!" Flurry cheered, scooching over to Trill and placing her hooves on her belly. "Hello, baby cousin. My name's Flurry Heart." She placed her head against the changeling's round stomach, having grown a bit more as the unborn filly inside was getting bigger day by day. The young alicorn waited for the foal to say something, but it didn't do much, not even kick. "Is she sleeping?"

"Probably," Trill said. "You did wake us up, remember?" She ruffled Flurry's head, the filly giggling as she kept her head pressed against the changeling's belly to wait for the baby to wake up. "I think the only pony she reacts to is Solly. She's definitely going to be a daddy's girl the moment she comes."

"I don't think that's true." Solaris proved his wife wrong as he gently pressed his hoof against Trill's belly. He waited a while, but before he could say his hypothesis was right, he felt his daughter's hoof press against Trill's womb, reaching out to touch his hoof. The moment he pulled away, she didn't react to Flurry Heart still pressed up against the changeling's belly. "...Uhh, I guess I'm wrong."

"Told you," Trill gloated, blowing a raspberry at him.

"A foal with pony and changeling blood," Cadence uttered. "Oh boy. You two might have your hooves full. Hopefully, you two began baby proofing the castle along with getting things ready."

"I found several kinds of protective spells I cast in advance so she won't get hurt, made sure nothing sharp or heavy won't fall or tip over, and if any alarms are set from her wandering around, I'll know where to teleport to and grab her. I've been preparing for the last couple months, and I cannot wait until she's born." Shining Armor chuckled, his nephew showing similar organizational skills to that of Twilight's, though not as repetitious or tedious.

"Have you thought of a name for your daughter yet?" Shining asked. "It took quite a while for Cadence and I to think of Flurry's name."

"And you found one that fit her after the crazy stuff she did." Solaris grabbed Flurry Heart and squeezed her, making her whine as she was pulled away from her future second cousin. "The Crystal Empire, nearly destroyed by the harsh magical snowstorm surrounding it, all made by an infant alicorn filly who didn't want to be separated from her older cousin."

"I almost destroyed the empire?" Flurry asked. "How?"

"You cried and broke the Crystal Heart by accident with a loud sonic boom wail," the alicorn stallion said.

"Oh. Oopsie." The others laughed, the accident already happened and resolved thanks to Sunburst.

The rest of the holiday went by, gifts exchanged, fun games to play, and stories of Hearths Warming told. It was a pretty eventful day, even though they were confined in the castle because of Trill and her low tolerance for the cold. The gifts for the foal shower Solaris and Trill received from his family were fun baby toys from Cherry, a small teddy bear from Butterscotch, a cloud mobile from Prism, a homemade wooden cradle from Apple Seed that were made from the wood of their older apple trees, a lime green blanket made by Gemstone, and some entertaining children's books from Cadence and Shining Armor.

After dinner, spending the rest of the evening relaxing around the fireplace, everyone headed for bed as it got late. Solaris placed the baby shower gifts in the room across from theirs, where they set up the nursery for the baby. The room was painted pink, a crib resting against the wall where he attached the mobile Prism gave them, several toy boxes with a various amount of toys the couple thought their filly would like, including Cherry's toys, little cubby for the books and stuffed bear, and he placed the wooden cradle close to the crib with her new blanket tucked neatly inside. Though the room was a bit spacious, when their daughter begins growing up, she'll find a way to fill up most of the space, along with a lot of interior redecorating.

The alicorn left the nursery and walked inside his and Trill's bedroom, the mare already sound asleep as she laid on her side. He silently climbed into bed, laying down beside her, gently wrapping his hooves around her round belly, slowly rubbing his hooves in small circles. He felt his daughter reach out to touch his hoof, following his own, bringing a warm smile to his face. As he began to fall asleep, he began to think of some names that would fit perfectly for the little filly he couldn't wait to hold, to love, and to protect.

Eleven Months of Torture (Months 8-11)

Several weeks had passed since Hearth's Warming, Trill in the middle of her eighth month as she sat around in her and Solaris's bedroom. Their little filly was becoming a little more active, but she could get a bit fussy whenever her daddy isn't around to let her know he's there. Unfortunately, today was one of the coldest days of the winter, so Trill needed to stay inside a warmer climate so she doesn't shiver and wind up going into a cryogenic sleep from the freezing temperatures. It didn't help that Canterlot was built on the side of the mountain and it was colder because of the altitude, but at least it wasn't as bone chilling as the north beyond the Crystal Empire.

The changeling sat around on the bed, bored out of her mind as she rubbed her belly. Today was supposed to be their monthly meet up with Dr. Joy, and since Trill couldn't leave the castle because of the weather, and the scheduled snow storm, they needed a house call. But with how bad the storm was, it didn't look like anyone would want to go outside in this dangerous weather. She figured Solaris could stand on top of the castle and take the brunt of the blustering winds, his dragon fire able to keep him warm even if the temperature dropped below freezing.

"I am so bored," Trill grumbled. She looked down at her pregnant belly, the baby's kicking confirming she was just as bored. "I know you are. You're always happy to see Solly, but I'm the one carrying you, you know. What about some gratitude for the changeling mare who's going to give birth to you in a couple more months?" She didn't feel any movement, which meant the foal didn't like her already. "As soon as you're born, your grounded to your crib for a month."

A moment later, Solaris walked into the room, letting out a sigh as he carried in some lunch for the two of them. "This blizzard hit Canterlot pretty hard. It's just us and a few of the guards and servants who stayed in the castle for the evening shifts." The alicorn climbed up onto the bed, laying out the plates of simple daffodil and daisy sandwiches for the two of them. "Sadly, none of the chefs were around, so we'll be having sandwiches I made for lunch. I made sure to sprinkle enough love essence for you, even though you don't use it much for anything."

"I think I'd prefer a little of your special sauce to go with it." Solaris thankfully withheld himself from taking a bite of his sandwich, glaring at his wife with a huge blush. She grinned and licked her lips, easily getting under his skin with another terrible sex pun. "You reacted a lot quicker than I thought you would have after I said that."

"I don't know who I'm going to end up punishing more; you or the baby." Trill giggled, snatching up her lunch with her aura, slowly taking a bite with a moan, mostly to get Solaris riled up with her sexy teasing. He ignored her, lightly smacking one of her back hooves to get her to quit. "Speaking of, how are you two doing? Is it too cold in here?"

"You put a protective spell around the room to prevent any sudden rise or drop in temperature coming from outside these walls, so we're both good on being nice and toasty." Trill took another bite, pointing her hoof down at her round belly. "This one, on the other hoof, is being disrespectful to her mommy by loving you more than me. Definitely going to be all over your hooves when she gets older."

"Well, I do have enough love to give to you and our baby. That would make sense." Solaris stopped eating as he gently rubbed Trill's belly, feeling their daughter's hoof try to press against his. "I just hope she doesn't become a troublemaker like her mother."

"Hey, I am not a troublemaker," the changeling argued.

He shook his head and gently brought it down to her belly, feeling her hooves kick out to touch his cheek. "Hi, sweetie. You miss me?" She responded with a light kick to his hoof, meaning yes to him. "We can't wait to see you. Just a little while longer, ok?"

"Oh boy. Did you lose your mind already?" Trill teased with a playful grin.

"Ha ha. Funny." He crawled up to her, keeping his hoof on her belly as he leaned forward, giving his love a soft kiss.

Trill kissed him back, grinning at the loving affection he gave her as she licked his lips. He deepened the kiss, pressing closer while his tongue met hers as the two organs playfully wrestled each other for dominance in each other's mouths. Her hoof met his on her pregnant stomach, both hooves connecting as they enjoyed the romantic passion they shared. They broke away, bumping noses gently together as they looked in each other's eyes, emerald green staring into sky blue.

"So?" Trill asked.

"What?" Solaris asked at the question.

"Did you come up with a name for the baby yet, or do I have to do that for you?" she specified.

"Oh..." The alicorn looked down, but unfortunately, his brain wasn't able to come up with a perfect name for their little filly. "...Well...You know, with all the work I do...All the names of dignitaries and guests I meet all the time-"

"You don't have one, do you," she interrupted, knowing what his rambling translated to.

"No I do not." Solaris groaned, leaning his head against Trill's shoulder. "I just can't think of anything. I tried to think of the perfect name for her, but it's harder than it sounds."

"So, in other words, we're going to be like Shining Armor and Cadence with Flurry Heart, have a disaster happen that she winds up causing, then give her a name matching the events that happened like 'Apocalyptica' or something like that?" The alicorn growled at the horrible idea. "Well, I at least came up with a name I made up on the spot."

"There's no way we're calling her that," he muttered. Solars looked down at Trill's belly, gently rubbing it with his hoof as he tried to think of a name again. The past couple weeks of brainstorming left him with nothing, even as he spoke with his dream daughter and tried to guess her name. The latter didn't help much, always getting a no or a shake of the head from the little filly. He had some idea for the last part of her name, but the first was what kept stumping him. "I kind of want to name her after my mother..."

"You want to name her Twilight Sparkle?" Trill questioned. "That won't get confusing."

"Just the last name, Sparkle," he corrected. "The dream daughter I always see looked almost like her, just being part changeling with a white coat and a green mane with a gold streak in the middle...Or, maybe I'm seeing my mom as a filly and I'm losing my mind after all."

"You were right so far when we got a look at her for the first time. Maybe you could be right about how she'll look." Trill gave Solaris a peck on the cheek, wriggling in her spot as she felt their foal move about as well. "We have plenty of time to name her."

"And it feels like there isn't enough time." He rolled over onto his back, looking up at the ceiling while Trill rubbed his chest. "You nervous about when the time comes?"

"...A little..." Trill grimaced, remembering every detailed description when she ends up going into labor. "Is it really going to be as painful as it sounds? I doubt it'll feel better after it's all over."

"You could have asked Aunt Cadence when she was here," he said. "...But, considering you're more insect than mammal-"

"Ahp bap bap! Stop! Don't make it sound worse!" Trill exclaimed, groaning in annoyance. "NOW I'm going to be stressed. Thanks for reminding me."

"I just want you to be prepared for when you go into labor," Solaris calmly explained. "If I end up going to another to deal with personal matters between our kingdoms and your water breaks, you're going to have to go through with it alone...And I know you don't want to go through all that by yourself." She nodded her head, shivering a little at the scary thought of going into labor on her own. "You've been practicing the breathing exercises Dr. Joy taught you?"

"Yeah...Even though I already know how to breathe." Trill tried to get the thoughts of when the time comes out of her mind, snuggling into Solaris as his body helped warm her up a little. She felt more relaxed as he wrapped his hooves around her, being careful of their foal inside her. As his abdomen pressed against hers, the unborn filly kicked happily, feeling his presence close by. "Well, at least one of us is excited. Somepony has to be between the three of us."

"Yeah. I just hope she doesn't end up being a little ball of endless energy like Flurry Heart." The couple grimaced at the thought, giggling nervously. At least having their baby kicking around managed to distract them from the eventual date where they'll be expecting her. "We're going to be very busy by then. Which means I'm going to have to juggle ruling Equestria and being a father and you need to pull your weight too."

"I'm carrying the weight already. And with all the crappy symptoms I had to go through, you owe me big time, mister dad." Trill poked Solaris's chest as she smirked, but he knew he was going to do a lot for her after the tortuous year of going through a mare's pregnancy.

"Whatever you want to do when we have time for ourselves, I'll do it no matter how much I want to say no." Solaris brought a hoof and crossed it over his chest, flapped his wings, then placed his hoof over his eye. "Pinkie Promise."

"Hmmm...So, any time when we're both alone? Both of us having nothing to do? Nopony to bother us?" Trill asked. "Like...right now?"

"...Yes." Solaris began to grow worried, seeing the familiar glint in his wife's eyes that told him she had something wicked planned for him. "W-Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she said, gently rolling him on his back and carefully straddling him, keeping her belly pressed down against his so their daughter won't get too fussy. Her horn lit up as she levitated a couple fuzzy hoof cuffs, the alicorn's cheeks lighting up, knowing exactly what she had in mind. "Gonna have ourselves a bit more fun before the baby decides we do this or not."

"Uhhhh..." Solaris couldn't voice his complaints, knowing full well he made a Pinkie Promise, and regretted doing so. He tried to find an excuse to try to change her mind without breaking it and risk getting haunted by his party pony of an aunt while Trill began to attach the cuffs to his forehooves. "W-What about lunch? Shouldn't we keep eating and...do this later?"

"Don't try to weasel your way out of this, Solly. After we're done, I'll make you something better than a simple sandwich a two year old could make by themselves." Solaris grumbled, his forelegs now forced to stretch out along the bed as the other ends were cuffed around the posts. Trill leaned closer, flashing her fangs as he squirmed underneath his pregnant lover, feeling somewhat excited despite being bound underneath the sexual predator he was married to. "You comfy?"

"Y-Yeah," he said with a nervous grin.

Even though he was able to use his magic to escape, his brain couldn't process it as he was stared down by his changeling wife, tied down and completely helpless as he let her have her way with him. Her predatorial gaze paralyzed him as she leaned closer and give him a gentle kiss, her teeth grazing against his lips, warning him not to fight back or else he'll get bitten. As terrifying as it was, especially after sending her into a magically injected heat cycle and being dominated by her in that state as they began to conceive their daughter, it only turned him on as he was now her prey. She pulled away with a giggle, moving down to his neck and laying a few kisses around his throat, feeling him tense up and whimper as she gently scraped her teeth against his skin.

"I never thought you would have a kink of getting dominated by me." Trill sensually dragged her tail against his thighs and groin while dragging her tongue from his neck to his jaw. She pressed her lips against his as he let out a moan, snaking her tongue into his submissive maw into a deep kiss, feeling him buck his hips into her ticklish tail. She pulled away and licked his snout, grinning lasciviously as she moved her hips lower. "Shouldn't have made a Pinkie Promise, because I'm going to want this every moment we have together."

"...Yipe," Solaris whispered as his blush deepened, both regretful and grateful for the strict rules made up when making a Pinkie Promise.

The next couple months went by as winter was about to end as Winter Wrap-Up arrived, cleaning up the snow and frost to bring spring back upon the kingdom. Trill was really grateful for winter to be over, needing some fresh air after being cooped up inside the castle the whole season. As fun as it was to torture Solaris whenever he was free from his duties, which were quite often from the many storms they had this year, she had to give him a break every once in a while. Even he had his own limits compared to her hormonal urges more frequent from her pregnancy.

Once winter was wrapped up in Canterlot and the warm weather finally arrived, Trill sat outside on the balcony of their bedroom as she looked out upon the land. She was able to see Ponyville in the distance, finishing wrapping up the winter around the town on time, hearing the ponies there usually have a lot of trouble when they do it the old fashioned way. She took in a deep breath, smelling the spring air as the sun shone down, warming her chitin skin.

"Finally free!" she cheered. She looked down at her belly, now a lot bigger as she could wind up giving birth any day now. "I hope you don't have the same terrible tolerance to the cold as I do. The snow's pretty and fun to play in, but it would suck if you had to stay indoors with me."

The unborn filly kicked in agreement, also wanting to be freed from her mother's womb. Trill looked back up at the scenery, leaning up against the railing as she stretched out her thin, see-through wings. Appearing from the bottom of the balcony, Solaris popped up and surprised the changeling with a peck on the lips, making her leap back in surprise.

"Hey, honey!" he greeted, flapping up onto the balcony with his wife. "Happy to have spring come back?"

"Yes, thank goodness," she said. "I was about to go insane if I didn't go outside."

"I know. But luckily, that won't be an issue for another several months when winter comes back around." Solaris draped a wing around Trill, hugging her tightly as he gently rubbed his hoof over her belly, feeling their still unnamed foal touch his. "I just checked Ponyville's progress with Winter Wrap-Up and they made it on time. I can understand why they prefer to do it the old fashioned way instead of with magic because of tradition, but they don't have any organizational skills to make sure everything goes smoothly for all the teams."

"And you do have the brains to keep things in line," Trill said, kissing the alicorn's neck as she leaned against him. "Though, with me, it takes more than that to stop me."

"Yeah. I usually have to pin you down on the bed just to get you to stop being so perverted." She giggled as the feathers on his wings tickled her sides. Solaris gently cupped her cheek, tilting her head up to look at him. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Solly." They both joined together in a kiss, filled with joyous bliss as nothing could ruin this romantic moment between the two of them.

Sadly, it was interrupted as one of Solaris's messengers entered their room. "Prince Solaris?" he called out, Trill growling in irritation as they pulled away from each other far too soon. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have urgent news."

"What is it?" he asked as he took the scroll the stallion pulled out from his saddlebags. Unfurling the message and reading it to himself, he grew confused after going through what was written. "A summit with all the kingdoms? Right now?"

"It was handed to me by a griffon, though how he knew I was your messenger and managed to make it here and leave while he was blind baffles me," he said.

"Gale was here?" Solaris asked. "Should have come in and said hi after I last saw him."

"Oh boy. A boring meeting where royals from the other kingdoms want you to marry their daughters and not grow that herd you don't want." Trill took the scroll and read it herself, her eyes growing wide at how long it would take. "You have to stay there for a couple weeks!? Why that long!?"

"I guess after Lucifer took over Equestria and nearly caused a world war, the rest of the kingdoms want to make sure there's no chance of causing bloodshed over any trifling reasons," Solaris pondered as he took the scroll from his shocked wife's hooves. "And keeping tabs on the others in case something bad does happen, we'll find some kind of agreement before it gets too drastic."

"Solly, I could be going into labor by the time you're gone!" Trill exclaimed. "I don't know if I can do this on my own!"

"I know, Trill," he said, grabbing her forehoof and rubbing it to calm her. "This worries me too. But I have to go to the summit. I can't skip out on this and make the other kingdoms think I'm doing something wrong. Do you want me to tell anypony to come to the castle and keep an eye on you?" Trill nodded her head, even though she was still panicking. "Ok. I'll write up some letters and send them out...You think I should send one to Chrysalis?"

Trill hesitated for a moment, knowing her mother wouldn't respond or come over, but she nodded her head. "Y-Yes...please?"

"Alright." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, nuzzling her affectionately. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." Solaris gave Trill another short kiss, on the lips, then hurried over to his desk. "Tell my guards to ready the chariot and show them the coordinates for the summit's location. We leave as soon as I arrive."

"Yes, Your Highness," the messenger said with a bow, taking back to important notice as he left the royal couple.

Solaris quickly wrote down three letters, all with the same message to arrive in Canterlot as soon as possible, blowing a plume of green flames over each one, sending them in three separate locations. As the letters were magically delivered, it didn't take long for one of them to arrive within minutes. Discord popped in, wearing a safari outfit and holding a croquet mallet.

"What's the emergency, Solaris?" Discord asked, neither alicorn nor changeling bothering to ask what he was doing with that outfit and mallet. "Your writing looked so urgent it made it seem like you're on the verge of dying!...Are you?"

"No. I have to leave for an important summit and I don't want to leave Trill alone when she's close to giving birth within the month." The draconequus nodded, looking over at Trill and her worried expression. "I also asked the gang in Ponyville and Chrysalis to stop by to help watch her. You think you can manage, Discord?"

"Oh, please! I'm the Lord of Chaos! What can I not do?" Discord stripped out of his outfit and swung the croquet mallet over his shoulder, making a squeaking sound as it hit the wall. "But, to make things easier, I'll just bring the others around if they're up for staying here for a while." He snapped his fingers and teleported away. A few minutes later, he reappeared, along with Cherry Pie, Apple Seed, Gemstone, Prism, Butterscotch, and Chrysalis. "The gang's all here! It took a lot of convincing to get old sourpuss to leave her hive, but I managed to win her over."

"You teleported me here whether or not I said yes," Chrysalis growled as she leered at the chaotic deity.

"Don't be like that, Chrysie. Your daughter's going to give birth soon, and I believe with you as a mother, you should help her in the bit of crisis she has." Discord turned the changeling queen's head over to her daughter, forcing her to see the terrified look on her face. "Learn to have a heart for once in your miserable life. Besides, you don't really seem to be doing anything in your hive anyway. It'll be good for you to get out of your rocky abode."

Chrysalis grumbled, even though Discord was right. "Fine...But you stay far away from me."

"Deal!" Discord held out his paw to shake the queen's hoof, an obvious joy buzzer resting in his hand to shock her.

"...I am not shaking your paw," she said.

"You should learn to make friends," the draconequus said with a scowl, pulling his arm back. "The rest of your hive has gotten used to it, but not you. Why don't you visit Shining Armor and jump his bones since you obviously like him?"

"I'm ignoring you. I don't even know what you're talking about anyway." Chrysalis turned away from everyone, hiding the light blush growing on her cheeks.

With his cousins, Discord, and Chrysalis here to help Trill, knowing she won't be by herself if the baby comes while he was gone, Solaris was about head off to go to the summit. He gave Trill a comforting hug and another kiss, easing the scared changeling and assuring her he'll return before she goes into labor. She stood out on the balcony and watched as the golden chariot pulled by Royal Guard pegasi flew off toward the important summit the alicorn had to attend. Even with her mother, her husband's surrogate relatives, and Discord, Trill still felt alone as she worried about what will happen to her when the time comes. Even their daughter was upset, kicking her hooves against her mother's womb, wanting her daddy to stay with them.

Within an hour, Solaris and his pegasus guards pulling his chariot reached the location where the summit would be held. It was in the center of the continent where all the kingdoms connected, a large building that looked recently built, where he could see many of the other kingdom's royal leaders and their guards arriving and making their way inside. The alicorn's chariot landed down before the building with several others from any dignitaries that could fly, dismissing his guards as he climbed out and made his way inside.

"Hey, pony boy." Solaris turned around, spotting a griffon he hadn't seen in a long while. The lion body had brown fur, the feathers of his wings brown as well, a griffon soldier's uniform worn over his body, and the feathers on his head were white, his fringe drooping down over his left eye. What made him stand out among other griffons were his dulled eyes, making him blind, but the alicorn knew he was in no way handicapped. "Finally got that message I had to deliver to you, huh?"

"Gale!" He approached the blind griffon, catching him off guard as he hugged his friend/comrade from the Resistance forces.

"Ok, get off. I don't do hugs," Gale said, punching Solaris in the shoulder to get him off of him. "You've been pretty busy after all these years. You wearing the pants or is your changeling wife taking charge?"

"Hey, mock me all you want, Gale, but I'm pretty happy being married to Trill. And you could have given me the message and said hi while you were in Canterlot." Gale chuckled as he messed with his fringe.

"I had to be quick," the griffon explained. "We already arrived and some of the other kingdoms neglected to send you a message about this summit. And most of them think we griffons are hard-headed money grubbers who care about our greedy pockets than anything else."

"So, no luck on finding the Idol of Boreas, huh?" Solaris asked as Gale shook his head. "Well, you guys don't need a lucky trinket. You all just needed to pull your heads out of your plots and focus on making your kingdom better."

"You're lucky I can't beat the crap out of you since you're a royal from a neighboring kingdom, but you did help us a little bit." The two friends laughed as they caught up with each other after the last couple years. "Well, might as well give you a tour of the place and show you where the higher ups sleep." Solaris nodded and followed Gale inside. "So, how's Trill doing?"

"Running me ragged, but she's great," he said. "In fact, in just a couple weeks, we're officially going to start a family."

"You're going to adopt some foals?" the blind griffon soldier asked.

"Well...Not exactly," the alicorn admitted. "It's a pretty long story, and what I'll tell you is definitely going to shock you or anypony else who hears me."

A week had passed after Solaris had left for the summit, and Trill had tried her hardest to stay calm and not panic. Unfortunately, it didn't help as she continued to cross off the days until she would eventually go into labor. Each "X" grew closer and closer to the estimated due date of their baby ready to be born, but it only made her more anxious and scared of what pain she'll end up experiencing. The changeling slowly breathed, calming herself as best as possible as she began to slowly pace around.

"Ok. Don't panic," she told herself. "You'll be fine. Just another week until Solly comes back." She stopped as her legs began to shake, both from fear and standing on her hooves for too long. She sat down and whimpered, looking down at her belly, sensing she'll end up going into labor at any moment. "I'm not fine. I'm gonna panic."

Before she began hyperventilating, Apple Seed walked into the room, pushing in a cart with trays full of apple-based breakfast foods. "Mornin' Trill," he greeted, his grin fading as he saw the nervous wreck she was in. "Ya alright?"

"Yes! Fine!" she blurted out, giggling maniacally as she pulled her mane. "Just...dandy! Gonna have a baby soon, and my husband isn't going to come back for another seven days! What makes you think I'm not fine!?"

Her bout of panicked insanity melted as she frowned, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt like crying. "That's more of a no than a yes." Trill sobbed, burying her face in her hooves. Apple Seed walked up to her and hugged her. "It's alright, Trill. It's gonna be ok."

"Not it's not," she said. "I'm in a full blown panic. I can't do this without Solly. I read all those books on what it's like for a mare to give a live birth. It's going to be very very painful, and I don't know if I'll live through it."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Apple Seed asked, which made the changeling glower at him.

"Described in full detail for stallions, it's like getting kicked in the groin several times, having your gonads chopped off than painfully reattached while it felt like tiny needles constantly dig into them and crawl through every single sensitive nerve in your body." The teen grimaced, instinctively pressing his tail down between his legs while also crossing them. "Yeah. Painful. To infinity. Not to mention, I'm a changeling going to give a live birth, so that pain is doubled!"

"Ok, Ah get it. Let's try to change the topic." Trill groaned as she rocked back and forth, Apple Seed trying to keep her still so her stress doesn't hurt herself or her foal.

Butterscotch entered the room after hearing the pregnant changeling yell out in frustration. "Is everything ok, Trill?"

"No!" she screamed.

"Ok then." The pegasus teen walked in to help Apple Seed calm her down. "Trill, you have to relax. I know it's hard to, but the less stress you have, the easier your final stages of your trimester will go."

"Why am I getting advice to be calm by stallions who have no idea how difficult a female's pregnancy can be?" she questioned herself.

"Well, I do have some experience with some of my animal friends during the mating seasons," Butterscotch said. "It can be really stressful for the females when it comes close to giving birth."

"And ya won't get much help from Prism, Cherry, or Gemstone: Prism is still clueless about reproduction despite all of us havin' the same class about it in school last year, Cherry would only get ya more stressed with her randomness, and Gemstone will probably be grossed out if your water breaks, scream in disgust, then pass out." As the farm stallion listed out the reasons why their friends wouldn't really be helpful for Trill in her current state, she sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "Your ma might help ya out."

"I doubt she will," the changeling sadly said. "She was the only one out of all of you who was reluctant to like it...I haven't even seen her all week in the castle, like she's deliberately hiding from me."

"She's probably scared, too," Butterscotch assured. "Mothers can sometimes worry about their daughters when going through something like this...Although, instead of eggs, which isn't all that much painful and more exhausting, you're birthing a live foal."

"...Gee, Butters, I appreciate you reminding me that," Trill sarcastically stated. "Now I'm more scared, starting to get mad at my mom for not being helpful, and the longer I have to wait for Solly to return, the more freaked out I'm going to-!" She suddenly gasped as her stomach began contraction, along with a sudden rush of liquid coming out from her. Trill looked down, sitting over a wet spot that stained the floor's carpet, now beginning to panic more. "Oh my gosh...I-I think my water just broke..."

"What!?" Both stallions looked down and saw the small puddle being soaked up by the carpet underneath her.

"No. No no no! It's too soon!" Trill panicked, clutching the two teens' hooves as she hyperventilated.

"Trill, relax and do your breathin', or else it's gonna get worse," Apple Seed commanded, the changeling struggling to control her breathing as she began to feel the baby kicking hard, making her contractions more painful as she groaned. "Butterscotch, we gotta tell the others!"

"I'll call Discord!" The yellow pegasus pulled out an odd looking whistle from between his feathers, bringing it to his lips as he blew into it.

It didn't let out a sound, but within minutes, Discord magically appeared, wearing a party hat while covered in streamers. "What's happening!? Fire!? Earthquake!? Wild manticore you can't tame!?"

"Trill's gone into labor!" Butterscotch said, the draconequus gasping as he immediately got rid of the random party supplies on him.

"Oh boy, that is bad news!" He snapped his fingers, teleporting Chrysalis into the room while also creating a floating bed for Trill to rest on.

"Why do you keep teleporting me everywhere without me asking to be taken elsewhere!?" the queen shouted.

"Your daughter's going to have the foal! Like now!" Discord pointed at the younger changeling, Apple Seed and Butterscotch helping her climb onto the floating mattress as she took deep breaths.

"You have got to be kidding me," Chrysalis said in disbelief. "Can't you tell it to wait?"

"Mom, the baby's a she, and she can't wait!" Trill groaned as another big contraction wracked her body.

"You of all ponies should know the feeling after...oh, how many children have you had in your life?" Discord asked.

"Just take her to the hospital, you freakish chimera," Chrysalis growled.

"There's your heart! It just had to be dug out of that bottomless pit of a chest cavity," he teased.

"Discord, quit bantering with mom like a married couple and get me to the bucking hospital!" Trill shouted.

"Right! Baby on the way!" Discord levitated the magical mattress and hovered her out of the room through the balcony. "As much as I want to teleport us there so we'd be there within seconds, even I don't trust teleporting a pregnant mare as a good idea."

He and Chrysalis flew Trill down to the hospital while Butterscotch and Apple Seed alerted the other three mares. Discord was careful not to move too fast or too recklessly as he moved the mattress as they finally reached the building. Chrysalis barged in, alerting some of the patients and hospital staff as she approached the front desk.

"We need a doctor!" she exclaimed as Discord carried Trill inside.

"What in Equestria?" one of the nurses asked.

Dr. Joy walked into the waiting room after hearing the commotion. "Who needs a-?" She spotted Trill and saw the pained look on her face as she held her stomach. "Oh boy. Get a wheelchair!" she ordered one of the nurses, quickly obeying her as she approached the laboring changeling. "How are you doing, Your Highness?"

"I'm in pain and terrified! How do you think I'm feeling!?" she shouted, groaning again as another contraction hit her. "The baby's coming too early!"

"Don't worry. Sometimes the baby decides to come out sooner or later than expectedly planned." The doctor brought her stethoscope up to Trill's belly, hearing the filly ready to be born. "And with a couple weeks early, it's normal for it to happen around the final month."

The nurse came back with a wheelchair, Discord gently lowering Trill down as she tried to control her breathing. "C-Can my mom come with me? Solly's away for some political stuff, and I'm scared to go through with this alone."

"Of course she can," Dr. Joy said, to Chrysalis's dismay.

"Great. I get to see my hybrid granddaughter come out of my daughter," the queen said, feigning her enlightenment.

"Don't worry, Trill! I'll tell Solaris the news, and hopefully get him an excuse to leave early to see his daughter!" Discord snapped his fingers and teleported away to find the alicorn.

"Alright, Princess Trill, just keep on breathing through your contractions while we get you set up." Dr. Joy pushed Trill down through the corridors of the hospital to the delivery room, Chrysalis following after her and other nurses. Before they walked into the room after rushing to the empty room, the doctor and her assistants began putting on sterile surgical gear, handing a set to the changeling queen. "Put those on. We don't want to risk getting you or the baby infected."

"We changelings are not germ infested parasites." Chrysalis scowled as she took offense to Joy's choice of words.

"It's standard procedure and I said nothing rude about changelings," she said. "We don't want to risk getting the patients or ourselves sick from anything that could be harmful."

"Just put the stupid gown and cap on, mom!" Trill shouted as she breathed heavily, already starting to sweat from the exertion of her contractions.

Chrysalis grumbled as she put on the surgical gown and hid her mane in the cap. "Unbelievable. This is absolutely ridiculous." Dr. Joy placed a surgical mask around her muzzle to protect her mouth and nose, making her leer in disdain. "You know, we changelings can give birth easily without having any problems with diseases."

"That's because you lay eggs and they're protected by the shell until they hatch," Dr. Joy explained, the queen rolling her eyes as she knew the reason. "Live babies can be prone to any airborne illnesses the moment they exit the womb and breathe their first breath. It's a precaution so we can ensure the mother and the baby are healthy during the birthing process."

"Alright, I get it. I don't need a lecture on how it all works. Let's just get this over with." Chrysalis walked inside as she followed Dr. Joy, the other nurses helping Trill up on the bed to prepare her for the birth of her baby. "So, is this going to take a few minutes, or an hour?"

"Possibly, or maybe a few hours, days, or even a week." The changeling queen blanched at the possible time frame for a pregnant mare to go into labor.

"Greeeat," Chrysalis mumbled, already feeling sick to her stomach if the latter of the possible amount of time it'll take for Trill to pop her half pony, half changeling granddaughter out of her.

Solaris yawned as he took some time outside to get some fresh air after the early morning conference they had today. Even though his presence was mandatory for the important discussions between his fellow leaders, it got a bit boring to him after the first few days, and there was still another week left he had to endure. That, and the fact he always grew restless before bed didn't help, always worrying about Trill and their baby. Gale went outside and found him, along with Cadence as she also took part in the summit as the princess of the Crystal Empire.

"Told you he was outside," the griffon said to the pink alicorn.

"Wow. That's really impressive," Cadence complimented. "No wonder you're the griffons' best soldier."

"Showing off your sixth sense to my aunt, Gale?" Solaris asked as they approached him.

"She still didn't believe me after I was your best griffon back at your wedding. So, she bumped into me, felt her coming but didn't tell her on purpose, and after asking where you were, I told her you were out here when I didn't even 'see' you today and brought her out here." Cadence rolled her eyes as Gale laughed. "And being blind has its perks, especially when it comes to the ladies."

"And you remain single because of that reason alone," Solaris teased, letting out another yawn.

"Did you even get any sleep last night, Solaris?" Cadence asked.

"Barely...I'm just worried about Trill," he said. "She could go into labor at any moment, but what will the rest of the kingdoms think if I up and left if she does?"

"I think they can understand if a changeling, who you married, gets magically pregnant and is going to give birth to a living, breathing baby." Gale shuddered, still surprised after being told how his alicorn friend and his wife managed to conceive a baby while they were incompatible for reproduction. "That's going to suck for egg laying species since it's not natural."

"Did I also mention that the stallion who made that spell fell in love with a griffon and impregnated her to have their child?" The griffon's jaw dropped, Solaris leaving that bit of information out of their conversation on the first day of the summit. "I should thank a member of your kind for making my future family possible."

While Gale tried to put his shattered brain back together, Discord popped up in front of them in a panic. "Solaris! Thank the stars I finally found this summit! I had no idea where it was located, so I had to ask for directions, but someone managed to show me the actual summit of a mountain, not a meeting place where all the dignitaries across the world come to and speak about boring politics between nations!"

"Discord, what's going on?" Solaris asked. "Is Equestria in trouble?"

"No, but there's even bigger news: Trill's gone into labor and is in the hospital as we speak!" The white alicorn gasped, not expecting the baby to arrive this early.

"Right now!?" he asked, the draconequus nodding his head rapidly. "Oh no. I need to get back to Canterlot! Aunt Cadence, tell the other kingdoms I can't stay any longer due to a family medical emergency!"

Solaris exhaled and let out a breath of fire, engulfing himself as he turned into a wisp of magical energy, transporting himself back to Canterlot with the power of his dragon uncle's magical flames. Cadence, Gale, and Discord watched, the pink alicorn slumping over in disappointment.

"No fair," Cadence whined. "I'm not going to see my grandniece until a week from now..."

Back inside the hospital's waiting room, Apple Seed, Cherry Pie, Prism, Gemstone, and Butterscotch sat down in the many seats after arriving. They heard Trill was already in the delivery room, unable to do much to help her as they had no choice but to wait outside. A moment later, the doors slammed open as Solaris barged in, the stallion running up to his cousins as he began to panic.

"What happened!? Is Trill ok!?" he asked.

"Wow. Discord took a while to find you," Prism said.

"She's already being tended to and Chrysalis is with her, and no one else can go inside." Solaris looked at the emergency doors, biting his hoof as he began to worry, unable to help Trill in one of the most painful experiences a mare could go through.

"Sooo...how was the summit?" Cherry asked. "Were there snacks?"

Solaris didn't listen as he began to pace about, too focused on any negative outcomes to stay still as he was forced to wait outside. Would Trill die from the complicated birthing process she had to go through? Would there be something wrong with their unnamed daughter? Would something happen to the both of them? He tried to get rid of those thoughts, but after what he had gone through in the past, that possibility always kept rearing back into his head.

Hours had passed as they waited, Discord arriving a couple hours later after helping Cadence explain to the rest of the leaders for the summit why Solaris had disappeared on them. The alicorn still paced about as the draconequus explained that he was excused until he saw his wife and newborn child, though they were all surprised at how it was possible for him and Trill to conceive a foal despite their difference in species. The others waiting tried to get Solaris to calm down, but he refused to sit or even eat lunch or dinner. By then, it was already late into the night, a couple hours past midnight, the younger ponies passed out on the chairs while Discord stayed up to keep an eye on the nervous alicorn.

After several long hours, the doors opened up as Dr. Joy stepped out with Chrysalis, the changeling queen wide-eyed and horrified. "...You...are not...having anymore children..."

She soon fell unconscious, landing on the hard floor beneath her both from exhaustion and shock. The unicorn doctor rolled her eyes as she approached the stunned alicorn.

"It didn't go as bad as she claimed it was," Dr. Joy assured. "Your Highness, are you ready to see your daughter?" It took Solaris a minute to process the good news, a joyful smile slowly growing on his face as he could only dumbly nod. The mare giggled at his expression and lead him through. "Then let's head off to Trill's room."

Princess Emerald Sparkle

Solaris followed Dr. Joy through the empty corridors as she guided him to the room Trill was in the maternity ward. Even though he was tired from worry and his body demanded sleep, he was too excited as he was about to meet his little filly for the very first time. He had a small sliver of hope that she'll look like the daughter he always sees in his dreams, but he didn't care what her coat or mane would turn out to be after knowing she'll look just like how she envisioned her body to look. As they passed by the glass window that showed the inside of the nursery, the alicorn paused and looked at the newborn foals sleeping inside. He was about to scope out which one was his, only for the doctor to drag him along with her magic.

"Come along, Your Highness," she said. "I know you're a bit eager, but you'll have to wait. I'll bring her to the princess's room once she's fully checked out."

"You mean like a check-up or there's something wrong with her?" Solaris asked as he was about to panic.

"It's just a mandatory check-up, just to see if she's completely healthy," Dr. Joy assured. "There weren't any complications, though I think Princess Trill might not be walking for quite a while. She might need to stay here for a bit until she's fully healed."

"Yeah. I figured changeling bodies can't handle live births that well." He gulped, knowing he was going to get it once Trill was able to move around.

"The good news is that Princess Trill suffered no internal injuries. That spell really did transform her reproductive organs to handle the entire birthing process from the time your foal was conceived up to going into labor. I think she'll be walking a little funny once she's back on her hooves, but nothing too serious." After passing by a few rooms in the maternity ward, Dr. Joy stopped in front of Trill's room. "And here's where your wife is staying. I'll go and get your little filly while you catch up with Her Highness."

The doctor left and headed to the nursery, leaving Solaris outside of the hospital room. He slowly opened the door, the lights inside dimmed bright enough to see, but not too much to keep anyone awake. Inside the reclined bed was Trill, wearing a hospital gown as she slept under the covers. Just from the look on her tired face and her frazzled mane, she must have been through quite an ordeal of pain and exhaustion, and the alicorn felt guilty not being there to help her fight through her labor. Solaris quietly approached the bed and sat beside her, gently pressing his hoof against her cheek.

"Hey, Trill." She strained to open her eyes, hearing Solaris's voice.

She turned her head as she looked at him with a tired gaze, a small grin on her muzzle as he gently rubbed her cheek. "Solly..."

"How are you doing?" he asked as he leaned closer to kiss her, only to feel a weak hoof slap him on the nose.

"There had to be a stupid summit you had to go to," she grumbled. Solaris giggled nervously, giving Trill an apologetic grin. She didn't stay mad at him for long, bringing her hoof behind his head and pulling him down, pressing his lips against his in a soft kiss. Slightly shocked, he quickly recovered and kissed back, her tired forelegs trying to pull him closer as he gladly obliged. He pulled away and nuzzled her, her hooves running against his hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Trill yawned, still pretty tired as Solaris looked down at her flat belly, a part of him missing seeing her carrying their baby inside of her. "It was pretty painful, huh?"

"Yes, and you are going to pay me back for putting me through like twelve hours of labor and eleven months of symptoms and extra weight...Now now though. Too tired." She began lightly bopping the back of his head, forcing him to look up at her. "But that pain was worth it."

"Really?" he asked, the exhausted changeling nodding her head. "What does she look like?"

"I'm not telling," she said, making Solaris whine in disappointment. "You'll see for yourself. I think you're in for a surprise."

"What do you mean? We saw what she looked like through the sonogram spell." Trill just grinned, frustrating the tired stallion with her secret on their foal.

Before he could press further, Dr. Joy lightly knocked on the door to the room and opened it. "Hello. Got a little visitor."

She walked in, pulling a hospital bassinet in after her, the mobile crib carrying a bundle wrapped snuggly in a pink blanket. Solaris gasped, watching the foal squirming underneath the warm blanket. Tears welled up in his eyes as Dr. Joy brought the bassinet closer to him, his hooves gently scooping the filly up as he held her carefully. His heart stopped when a tiny white hoof slipped out of the blanket, and he saw little holes in her leg. He helped uncover the infant a little more and saw what she looked like.

Sleeping soundly in her blanket was the filly he had dreamed of having as a daughter: white coat, a slightly crooked and jagged horn like Trill's, a small strand of green hair with a small sliver of gold in the middle sticking out of the pink cap she wore to keep her ears and head warm, and a pair of small white feathered wings at her sides. He couldn't believe his eyes, and yet he hoped that, when she opened her eyes, she would have the same emerald green eyes.

She began squirming a little more, opening her eyes as she felt someone holding her and fumbling with her blanket. His guess was right as his newborn daughter looked up at him curiously, her eyes the same emerald green as her mother's and the same kind as his dream daughter's. He couldn't hold back his tears any longer as he smiled, the filly in his dreams really was his daughter, and he couldn't be anymore overjoyed than he had ever been in his entire life.

Solaris looked at Trill, smiling back at him as she knew he would love to see what their daughter looked like from how she described his dream daughter to her. "Trill...She's beautiful." She let out a tired giggle, nodding her head in agreement as he looked back down at the baby filly in his hooves, still looking at him who this strange stallion was that was holding her. "Hi," he whispered, moving a hoof to touch one of hers.

She stared at the hoof, reaching out to his and touching it. She grew fascinated by it as she felt his fur, clutching it with her little legs as she pulled it to her, hugging it. She let out a content coo and smiled, looking up at her daddy as she snuggled against his hoof. He gently moved his hoof away, holding his foal closely to his chest as she nuzzled him, letting out a squeaky yawn as she fell back to sleep, feeling safe in her daddy's embrace.

"Knew it," Trill said. "She's a daddy's girl."

"Sure looks that way," Dr. Joy said as she pulled out a birth certificate. "So, did any of you come up with a name yet, or do you still need a while?"

Solaris tucked his daughter back inside of her warm blanket, finally finding the perfect name for her. "I think so...Emerald. Emerald Sparkle."

"Better than anything I could come up with," Trill said, the doctor writing down the filly's chosen name.

"Emerald Sparkle. Lovely name." Joy finished writing the name and signing her own before taking her leave. "I'll leave you three alone. Good news is that she can drink formula since changelings don't exactly lactate, which means she can eat foods that we can in the future. Though, if she can absorb love is something you two will have to test when Trill's not so lethargic. I'll come by tomorrow morning to take Emerald back to the nursery, perform some more checkups for a few days, and then you can take her home."

"Sounds good," Solaris said, making sure to keep his voice down so he doesn't wake Emerald. Dr. Joy left the room and began to head back to the office. He looked down at the sleeping filly he held, placing a soft kiss on her cheek, her horn glowing green a brief second as she cuddled against him. "Looks like she does if I give her love willingly. I think I can managed loving you and mommy, right, Trill?"

He looked back at his wife, the mare passing out a moment ago. Solaris let out a yawn, his exhaustion setting in as his body demanded sleep. He carefully laid Emerald down in the bassinet, watching her sleep for a while before he walked over to the bed, sat beside it, then rested his head beside Trill's, closing his eyes as he fell into dreamland along with his family.

Within the next few hours, the sun began to rise, its light shining through the blinds of the windows throughout the hospital. Dr. Joy had arrived and took Emerald back to the nursery for more routine checkups, as well as examining her physical anatomy a little more. Solaris's cousins, Discord, and Chrysalis had woken up in the waiting room, led by the alicorn himself as he guided them over to the nursery to see Emerald Sparkle.

"Ooh! Which one is it!?" Cherry exclaimed as she pressed her face into the glass, her eyes looking around at the newborn foals. "Is it that one? No, that one!...Oh wait, that's a colt. Solly has a daughter."

"I think she stands out among the other unicorn foals in there," Solaris hinted.

"There she is," Butterscotch pointed, spotting the white filly with the changeling-like horn, suckling on her hoof as she looked at them through the window.

"Awww!" Gemstone swooned. "She's so adorable!"

"Weird. I thought she would have looked a little bit uglier." Prism earned a hard punch in the shoulder by Apple Seed, the teenage pegasus rubbing the eventually bruised limb. "I meant more like a changeling."

"Still rude," the young farm stallion said.

Emerald looked at Chrysalis, the changeling queen looked away as she recalled how her grandfoal looked when she came out. "At least they bathed her."

"You seem to have a weak stomach if you can't handle watching a mare give birth," Discord teased, Chrysalis growling at the draconequus as he waved to the little filly now looking at him, tilting her head in confusion at the odd creature.

"So, are you going to take her home?" Cherry asked.

"Not yet. Plus, there's still the summit I need to return to since everything's fine now," Solaris said. "Just a few more days until it's done, then I can finally take Emerald home to the castle. I'll stop by once the major meetings for the day are done and see her and Trill for a while before heading back." The alicorn looked through the window, pressing his hoof against the glass as Emerald began to doze off, still sucking on her hoof like it was a big pacifier. "You guys make sure to keep Trill company. And don't overwhelm Emerald, especially with baby clothes, Gemstone."

"But I have so many cute little hoofie pajamas I made in the past few months, and I know the perfect ones that fit her coat and mane respectively," the unicorn said.

"No spoiling her," Solaris warned. "I'll see you guys by the end of the week or when I stop by after a break from the meetings."

Solaris headed outside to teleport back to the summit, not wanting to breathe fire in the hospital and risk setting off the sprinklers throughout the building. The others couldn't wait to have the chance to hold Emerald when they were allowed to.

"Well, good thing I don't have anything to spoil her with," Chrysalis mumbled as she looked back at the slumbering newborn in the nursery. "And the rest of the hive knows there's a new changeling among us...who is also part pony...This will probably cause a few problems for her when she gets older..."

For the next few days, Emerald Sparkle was taken care of by the hospital staff until she was ready to head off to her new home. After her examinations were done, Dr. Joy delivered the newborn filly to Trill's room, seeing more and more new ponies who wanted to see and hold her. She especially liked Discord more with his magic doing the silliest of things to make her giggle and entertain her. Whenever Solaris was finished up for the day, he would teleport to the hospital and see her, making her the most happy as she felt more comfortable resting in his hooves when he held her.

At long last, the summit was finally over, Solaris leaving the border of the kingdoms from the center of the continent on his chariot, almost forgetting he had arrived with his guards after hearing Emerald was born along with the discussions on the world's state of well being. After making it back to the castle, he dismissed his guards and flew off to the hospital. He knew at some time today, Cadence will end up visiting and drag Shining Armor and Flurry Heart after making it back to the Crystal Empire, desperate to see her grandneice after having to wait a week to see her. He arrived at Trill's room, where Dr. Joy was waiting for him with Trill, still in bed, and the wriggling little bundle of joy that was his daughter.

"Hello, Your Highness. Perfect timing." Emerald reached out to Solaris as he walked in, the stallion snatching her up and nuzzled her. "Emerald's all ready to leave. She has a clean bill of health."

"That's good," he said, feeling Emerald grab his hoof and hug it close to her, latching her mouth on the tip of his hoof and sucked on it. "And is Trill able to move yet?"

"I've been laying in bed every single day except to limp over to the bathroom, so I'm dying to get out of here." Trill began to slowly climb down off the bed, wincing a little as she set her hind legs down. She bent her legs to see if they can hold her weight. "Still a bit numb, but I'm not in that much pain. I think I can still walk."

"You may need a bit more bed rest," Dr. Joy suggested.

"Bed rest, shmed fest. I'm gonna leave with my husband and daughter, and I'm not going to spend another week here in a hospital after spending hours pushing her out of me," Trill said, leering at Solaris as she reminded him how long she had spent giving birth.

"Alright, but if you expect to be fully recovered, then you shouldn't engage in much strenuous walking or physical activity," the doctor said. "Which includes sexual intercourse, Princess Trill."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna be too busy taking care of Emerald to even think about that for a while." Trill slowly made her way over to Solaris, bumping her muzzle into his. "And when we do have the time to ourselves, you're gonna get it, big boy."

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Solaris said with a nervous grin.

After signing out the discharge papers for both Trill and Emerald, the new family began to walk out of the hospital and back to the castle. Unfortunately, the moment they walked out the doors, they were bombarded with reporters, many ponies from different news media companies taking pictures with their flashing cameras as their words were all jumbled as they began asking questions. Solaris quickly shielded Emerald's eyes from the flashing bulbs coming from the cameras, having no idea where they all came from before he arrived.

"Prince Solaris, is it true that you and Trill have actually managed to make a foal despite the difference between pony and changeling anatomy!?" one of them asked.

"Was there magic involved!?" another questioned.

"Is that little filly a clone kept in the hospital from some insane science experiment gone awry!?" Trill growled at that reporter's question.

"I thought Emerald's birth was supposed to be kept on the down low until a little while later," Solaris hissed as he kept Emerald from having her eyes flash rapidly and cause her to cry out from the sudden paparazzi attack.

"Joy swore to keep a secret, and we're like best friends," Trill whispered back. "Unless one of the nurses blabbed or somepony else spotted her when they walked past the nursery during the last few days, then I might find an excuse to suck the love completely out of them."

"Trill, don't." The reporters continued asking questions, some more logical while others were flat out ridiculous as they tried to find the truth, or for the insane questions, make a quick bit over juicy gossip or desperate scoops. "I'm sorry, but I cannot comment on anything at this time! But to make this simple: Yes, this is my actual daughter, yes she was created by a magical spell that allowed Trill and I to conceive a child past the anatomical barriers we had, and I would appreciate not flashing your cameras in my daughter's face, otherwise she's not the only one who's going to get cranky!"

Unfortunately, the reporters didn't stop snapping photos with their flashing cameras, only irritating the royal couple further. Luckily, their saving grace came from Discord as he appeared in front of them.

"Ooh! Paparazzi! My favorite kind of ponies! Here's a little magic trick for you!" He snapped his fingers, creating a large circular tarp that covered all of the news ponies surrounding Solaris, Trill, Emerald, and himself. As they all squirmed as they tried to escape from the sudden tarp that fell over them, and as the draconequus rolled up the sleeves of a magician's uniform he instantly wore, he wriggled his fingers, grabbed the tarp, and lifted it up. The reporters had disappeared, the tarp wrapping around and shrinking as it attached to his shoulders as a cape. "And voila. Annoying ponies gone without a trace."

"Thank you, Discord," Trill thanked. "I was about ready to clobber the stallion who called Emerald a scientifically made up clone in a lab experiment."

"You didn't send them somewhere dangerous, did you, Discord?" Solaris asked.

"Oh, don't be silly," Discord said with a wave of his paw, creating a small rattle with the shape of his head, giving it to the infant filly in the alicorn's hooves. "I just took them to the north to get away from the warm spring air around here. Just a little ways away from the Crystal Empire is all."

In the middle of the frozen wastelands, just a mile away from the barrier of the Crystal Empire, the news ponies all stood in utter confusion after Discord teleported them away. "...Well, that was unexpected..."

With the reporters taken care of thanks to Discord, Solaris and Trill had a quiet stroll back to the castle with their baby. Emerald was quickly entertained by her new rattle her Uncle Discord gave her, shaking it around as it made an assortment of silly sounds that she liked. Eventually, word will get out that the prince has a pony/changeling daughter when those ponies returned to Canterlot, but at least they'll be given some time for Emerald to adjust to all the attention she'll wind up getting as she grows older.

As they passed through the gates, the new princess stopped playing with her new toy as she saw the castle. Solaris and Trill laughed as she tried to crane her head back to look up at the top, but being held in her daddy's hoof only made her bump her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's really tall," the alicorn said. "She's going to be overly curious."

"Oh yeah. Hopefully you baby proofed every single part of the castle," Trill said as she rolled her eyes.

"Every single part of the castle has been baby proofed in case she wanders off." The new mother knew it, nudged Solaris's side. "She might also experience some bursts of magic and fly around, but I'm prepared for any of that to happen."

"I just hope she doesn't wind up like Flurry Heart." Solaris grimaced, looking down at the innocent face of curiosity as she moved her head to look at everything in the halls.

"Me too...At least there's no relic here in Canterlot she could accidentally break in a temper tantrum," he chuckled, only to trail off as he was going to expect some form of backlash if Emerald doesn't get her way when she's able to talk and move about on her own. They passed by many of the servants and guards, all of them seeing the new princess as Solaris and Trill headed for their bedroom. The alicorn opened the door to Emerald's bedroom, showing the curious infant where she will be staying. "Here's your room, Emmy."

"Nearly a week old, and you've given her a nickname," Trill teased. "And you said you had a hard time trying to find her a name."

"You know, it's actually more difficult to make a name for someone, even after months of thinking, just to make sure their name will be perfect." She stuck her tongue out at him, but he ignored her as he set Emerald down in the middle of the room. He gently removed the warm cap off her head, releasing the rest of her small tuft of mane and ears and the pink blanket wrapped around her, giving her some more mobility for her tiny legs. "How do you like your new room, sweetie?"

Emerald continued looking around, her rattle still held in her mouth that continued making random noises as she moved her head. She soon looked up, her daddy looking down at her, unintentionally leaning back as she fell back, quickly caught by the stallion and helped back up to a sitting position.

"You think she can crawl by now?" Trill asked as she sat down in front of Emerald.

"Maybe. Let's see. Come on, Emmy. Crawl over to mommy." She looked up at him, his heart immediately melting at the adorably confused look on her face. She reached her hooves to one of his and hugged it, wanting to stay with him more than crawl to her mother. "Ok, I guess not."

"Well, since she likes you, let's see if she'll crawl to you," Trill suggested, gently levitating Emerald over to her. She giggled as she floated in the air, dropping her Discord rattle as she looked up at her mommy. "Oh, so now you want me around you, hmm? You silly filly." The mare nuzzled her daughter's head, earning a squeaky coo from the filly. "Now, let's see you crawl to daddy. You love him more than me."

"That's not true, Trill." Hearing his voice, Emerald leaned forward and rested her belly on the floor. Using her front hooves, she shakily pushed herself up to try to stand, but her muscles weren't strong enough yet as she fell. Solaris was worried she hurt herself, but she tried again, only keeping her forelegs holding up her upper body, shuffling her hind legs to begin crawling over to him. "There she goes. Oh, I need to find a camera. I want to record memories of everything."

Solaris got up to head over to their room and find a camera to take a picture of his daughter crawling, but as he reached the door, it slammed open wide, smacking him against the wall behind the door as an overly excited Cadence barged in. "Where's the baby!?"

"Hi, Aunt Cadence," Solaris groaned.

"Hmm?" The pink alicorn pulled the door back, watching her nephew slide down the wall and fall forward. "Whoops. I didn't know you were there, Solaris." Even though Solaris had tried to leave to get a camera and got smacked by the door, Emerald still crawled toward him, unaware of the fact her daddy was knocked for a loop. She reached him, lifting herself on her back legs as she pushed herself up on his snout, giggling innocently as she tried to snap him out of his daze. Cadence gasped as she spotted her grandniece. "Oh my goodness."

"That's our daughter, Emerald Sparkle," Trill said as she walked up to her dazed husband. "She was still crawling toward him even as he was about to leave."

Emerald heard Cadence squeal, looking up to see the new pony staring at her, hearts inside the pink alicorn's eyes as she gazed at her grandniece. "She's so cute! Oh, come here, cutie!" Cadence picked up the confused baby and hugged her. "If only that stupid summit didn't happen, I could have met her sooner!"

"Careful not to suffocate her," Trill snickered, helping Solaris back up on his hooves as she shook the cobwebs out of his head. "So, is Shining Armor and Flurry here, or was it just you who came by?"

"I flew as fast as I could to get here," Cadence said. "The train was so slow and I couldn't take the wait after getting back home and shouting to Shining his grandniece was born...I think they should be here in a while."

"So you can hog my little filly to yourself." Solaris groaned, rubbing his sore snout as it met the door earlier. "Now, to the camera so I can take pictures."

"That's supposed to be the mother's job to constantly take pictures of the baby, Solly." The stallion ignored Trill's comment as both mares giggled.

"Trill, you and Solaris have a beautiful little filly," Cadence complimented. She held Emerald out for her to get a better look at her aunt. "Oh my gosh...She almost looks like Twilight when she was a foal."

"You knew Twilight when she was that young?" Trill asked.

"No, when she was around seven. Shining and I were in high school at the time, and I foalsat for Twilight when her parents went out. They even told me to keep an eye on Shining Armor, too." As Cadence smirked at the extra job she mentioned to the changeling, who rolled her eyes at the statement, she summoned a book from her magic. "The in-laws gave us a copy of all the photos of Shining and Twilight when they were little, and I still tease Shiny about his baby pictures."

Trill grabbed the photo album and opened up the first few pages. She snickered as she saw Shining Armor's pictures: most of his baby pictures showing him either sleeping or a big mess from eating food or playing in the mud, some of his older ones as a young colt pretending to be a knight or playing with Night Light and Twilight Velvet.

"Oh yes. The best leverage a parent will have on their foals; embarrassing baby pictures! Good thing I don't have any." She turned the pages, flipping past more of Shining Armor until the time when Twilight Sparkle was born. The first of this set showed Shining Armor holding his baby sister in his hooves with an excited grin on his face. While looking through the other baby pictures of Twilight, Trill began to notice how oddly similar she looked when compared to Emerald. Her eyes darted between her daughter and the deceased princess as a baby unicorn, surprised to notice how ironically alike they looked. "Wow. I think you're right...If you don't count the horn and wings."

"It's an odd coincidence...though I doubt this little filly could be a reincarnation of her..." Cadence's joy began to fade, sighing sadly as she set Emerald Sparkle down, looking at the baby pictures of her sister-in-law. "...She didn't have to do all this...She could have stayed safe with us in the Crystal Empire with Solaris..."

"Even if any of them stayed there, Lucifer would have been able to find some way to break through the Crystal Heart's barrier. Especially if he used that giant demon form of his..." Neither mare wanted to imagine what would have happened if the dangerous stallion back then could have been powerful enough to break through the protective barrier.

Cadence felt tears well up in her eyes, the pain of that day and the years that came with it still a very tragic set of memories no one would ever forget. She had lost her sister, almost lost her husband, and could do nothing but hope that Solaris could fight through his own pain of loss, knowing he was still suffering from losing the family he had known since he was young. As she grew lost in the painful past of Equestria's tyrannical rule from a unicorn with powerful dark magic, Emerald crawled over to the book and looked at the pictures curiously. She placed a hoof down on a solo picture of baby Twilight, not sure who it was and what her mommy and the other pony who hugged her were talking about.

"Do you think we should tell her about her grandmother and other aunts she never knew?" Trill asked.

"I think that should be up to Solaris." Cadence gently lifted Emerald up from the book and held her, closing the photo album before she got too upset. "It's a topic he'll have to talk to her about when Emerald gets older...and if she asks where Twilight is."

"Hey, Trill! Where'd you put the camera!?" Solaris asked as he called out from their bedroom. "I can't find it!"

Cadence quickly dismissed the book, not wanting her nephew to see pictures of his mother as a foal and cause him to feel upset and miss her. "Good thing I hid that thing while I took pictures of the two of us in bed," Trill said to her aunt-in-law with a wink, giggling devilishly as the pink alicorn blushed. "It's in the cabinet where your gauntlets are stored!"

"Why the hay is it in there!?" Trill snickered, knowing full well why she hid it there.

"Wait...did you develop the roll of film that's already in there?" Cadence asked, making the changeling wince in shock.

"Oh applesauce." She quickly made her way out of the nursery and ran into the bedroom. "Wait, I think the film's all used up! I'll find another one!"

Cadence shook her head, looking down at Emerald as she looked up at her. "I know you're going to cause a lot of trouble for your daddy when you grow up. You and mommy both."

A while later, Shining Armor and Flurry Heart had finally arrived and were escorted to the castle by carriage do to the stallion's forelegs. As much as he wanted to berate Cadence for flying out of the train and scaring the daylights out of their daughter, he forgot what he was going to say to her when he saw Emerald Sparkle, whom the alicorn was holding on to as they arrived. The family ate outside in the gardens for dinner, though while Solaris fed Emerald a bottle of formula, Trill had to keep Flurry entertained so she doesn't ruin the baby's feeding schedule Solaris intended on keeping for his daughter.

"I thought she would have looked more like a changeling, but I was wrong," Shining said. "But don't think having me see my grandniece is going to distract me from talking to you about flying out of the train, Cadence."

"Heheh...Well, it was worth a shot to distract you with cuteness." The Crystal Prince rolled his eyes, even though she was sort of right.

Flurry flapped back to the relaxing adults and suckling infant, landing in her father's lap. "I win!"

Trill panted as she crawled her way over to her seat on the patio, slumping over the table as soon as she sat down. "H-How...do you...handle her? She's an infinite ball of energy...and she never stops." Her ears perked up as she heard a small giggle come from Emerald, still eating her meal with her little hooves grabbing the bottle her daddy held for her. "Oh hush, you. If you weren't so fussy and let me feed you, your daddy could have played with Flurry and tired her out."

"I hope she doesn't get separation anxiety, otherwise I can't exactly do my duties as a prince without her being a distraction." The baby finished the last of her formula as Solaris pulled it away, laying Emerald over his shoulder and began to pat her back to help her release the gas bubbles in her tummy. A little while of patting lead to a very loud burp, surprising everyone present as she sighed. "...Whoa. Where did that come from?"

"Not from me, that's for sure," Trill said as she chugged down a bottle of water, letting out a belch of her own. Flurry giggled, but before she could try to mimic her changeling cousin, Shining kept her drink away from her to prevent her from acting like a pig. "I'm a refined princess."

"Yeah. More like incorrigible," Solaris said as he held Emerald, the filly nuzzling against his chest. "You better not have her wind up mimicking you from everything you do, especially when she gets older. Babies' brains are like sponges and take in a lot of what they see and hear."

"Like with Flurry Heart and her hyperactivity?" The young alicorn fluttered over to her cousin and hovered beside Emerald.

"Can I hold her?" Flurry asked.

"Ok, but be very careful with her." Solaris gently lowered Emerald into Flurry's as she landed on the ground, showing her how to hold her properly.

Flurry held her first cousin once removed, Emerald looking at her curiously, meeting so many new faces in the short time she was born. "She's real tiny," the little alicorn said. "Hi. I'm Flurry Heart, your big cousin."

Emerald cooed, her horn glowing green as she scrunched her face, the aura slowly encasing the alicorn filly. Trill gasped, knowing what kind of magic her daughter was using, quickly flying up and snatching her away from Flurry Heart.

"Ok, I don't think that was a good idea to let somepony like Flurry hold Emerald," Trill quickly said, surprising the others with her action.

"Trill, she was just holding onto her," Shining chided.

"And Emerald was trying to suck the love out of Flurry," the changeling explained, turning the infant around to look at her. "No stealing love, Emerald. You can hurt somepony."

"I knew she was able to consume love too the first night I held her," Solaris said. "I saw a spark around her horn when I gave her a kiss."

"Maybe you should use the Fledgling's Forbearance spell Sunburst used on Flurry Heart," Cadence suggested.

"I'm not sure if that spell will temporarily disable her ability to take love, and we're not sure if she needs love for sustenance." Solaris gently rubbed Emerald's head as he pondered a way to prevent her from stealing love from anyone else who holds her. "Maybe we can try sprinkling love essence in with her formula to sate her hunger for love. And if that doesn't work, Trill might need to transfer love I give to her to feed Emerald."

"Are you somewhat excited to try experimenting with feeding our daughter?" Trill asked with a suspicious gaze, Solaris giggling nervously as he reluctantly nodded.

"So, does that mean I can't play with her anymore?" Flurry asked.

"No, Flurry," Solaris said. "You just can't hold her, otherwise she'll end up eating your love until you're exhausted."

"Awww," the alicorn filly said dejectedly. "No fair..."

The sun set and the moon took its place, now late in the evening and time for young ponies to go to bed. Keeping to the schedule he made for Emerald Sparkle, Solaris got his little filly ready for bed: he gave her a warm bath, put a fresh diaper on her on the changing table in the nursery, and carefully put on a pair of hoofie pajamas Gemstone couldn't help but send to the castle, patterned with small yellow suns and stars. He soon began to rock her in his hooves and lull her to sleep while humming softly.

Her eyes began to droop as she nuzzled into her daddy's chest, his soothing voice and protective hooves assuring her she was safe as she drifted off to sleep. Emerald let out a yawn and closed her eyes, Solaris continuing rocking her as he slowly headed toward her crib. Using his magic to dim the lights to a gentle glow, he gently lowered her in the crib, planting a small kiss on her forehead. The baby's horn sparked from the love he gave, making her squirm and coo, thankfully not waking her as she seemed to drift deeper to sleep.

"Good night, Emerald," he whispered. "I love you."

Solaris quietly exited the nursery, closing the door behind him as he walked across the hall and entered his and Trill's room. His wife had finished setting up the baby monitor for them to hear in case Emerald woke up, setting it down on the dresser beside the bed.

"We are not going to be getting a lot of sleep for a long while, are we?" Trill asked as she plopped down on the bed. "Ugh. I hate being tired. I had enough being exhausted during the first couple months of being pregnant."

"Well, get used to it, because when she wants something or needs a diaper change, she'll cry." Solaris climbed into bed with her, wrapping his hooves around her and snuggled with her. "If I have any important events I need to attend early in the morning, you're going to have to check on her if she wakes up in the middle of the night."

"Oh, goodie goodie gumdrops," Trill grumbled. "You get her first if she wakes up tonight."

"Deal." He kissed his wife on the cheek and closed his eyes. "Night, hon."

"Night." Trill shut off the lights and fell asleep, feeling her husband nuzzling her as they drifted off.

In the nursery, Emerald was fast asleep, warm and snug in her new PJs. A moment later, a small lavender light shined in the dim room, not bright enough to wake the infant, a pair of light hoofsteps walking across the room headed toward the crib. A glowing purple hoof reached out and gently pet the filly's head, slowly stirring Emerald as she opened her eyes. She looked up at a lavender mare, her hair a dark purple with a pink stripe down the middle, her purple eyes looking down at the baby with a smile.

"Hello, Emerald," she said, rubbing the filly's cheek as she lulled Emerald back to sleep. "I guess I'm considered lucky to be your guardian angel. I'm glad I get to meet you and watch over you, my granddaughter." The guardian angel looked at the door, more at the room on the other side where Solaris and Trill were soundly sleeping. "He won't be able to see me...but you will, Emerald." She leaned forward and gave the foal a kiss on the cheek, already back to sleep. "Please, keep your father happy. He's been through a lot, and he needs you."

She began backing away, disappearing in a small flash of lavender light, leaving no trace of her behind as she watched over her granddaughter from above.

Raising a Foal is Easy...Right?

It was four in the morning, the sun still a couple hours away from peeking over the horizon. Solaris and Trill slept soundly, the alicorn holding his wife close as he subconsciously nuzzled her. He was having a really good dream at the moment, though it didn't involve Emerald as an older filly this time. Just him and Trill on a secluded island, no one to bother them as they enjoyed each other's company. Unfortunately, he was snapped out of his romantic dream when the sound of their baby's crying through the monitor woke him up. Groaning in slight irritation that his dream was interrupted, his daughter's needs came first as he climbed out of bed.

He left the room and entered the nursery, hearing Emerald crying in her crib. "I'm here, Emmy." He scooped the filly up in his hooves, quietly shushing her as he held her over his shoulder and rubbed her back. "Daddy's here. Daddy's got you." It took a while for her to calm down, nuzzling her gently to relax her. "Now, what's got you all upset? You made a stinky?" Solaris sniffed around Emerald's bottom, thankfully not smelling the scent of a diaper needing changed. "Nope. Maybe you're hungry."

He pressed an ear up to her belly as she lifted her up, purposefully twitching it around as the tip tickled Emerald's nose, making her giggle and try to nip his appendage. Her stomach did rumble, which gave him his answer as to why she woke up. He carried her over to the magically built in sink he had installed to easily fill up Emerald's bottles of formula so he wouldn't walk through the castle to the kitchen just to feed her. Solaris grabbed a clean bottle nearby, turning on the faucet and filled it halfway up with water. He grabbed the baby formula and poured some in to mix with the water.

Luckily, he didn't need a bottle warmer; he levitated the bottle over his hoof, then lit it up with green flames, letting the formula heat up so it would be warm enough for Emerald to drink. The infant stared in awe at the green fire her daddy made in his hoof, thankfully held close to him so he doesn't accidentally burn her. After a while of simmering the liquid, he let it sit for a minute before splashing a few drops on his hoof, right at the perfect temperature for her to safely drink.

"Ok. Here we go, sweetie." Solaris gently brought the bottle down to Emerald's lips, the filly quickly latching her mouth around the tip and began suckling. She really was hungry and began sucking down her very early morning breakfast really fast. He had to pull it away before she could choke or spit up. "Hey, easy, Emmy. Not too fast."

He brought it back to her before she began to whine, this time learning no to drink too fast or else have her bottle be taken out of her reach again. Solaris yawned, smacking his lips as he had only a couple more hours left of sleep to get before the day begins, though if Emerald was going to stay awake, he wasn't going to be heading back to bed anytime soon. Once she was done, he burped her, earning another gross belch as he swore her table manners came from Trill more than him and tried to get her back to sleep. Sadly, that wasn't going to happen as he predicted.

"You're not going to go back to sleep, are you?" he asked rhetorically, the infant tilted her head to the side as she had no answer to his question. "Nope. No you are not." Solaris gently lowered Emerald down on her back, levitating her new stuffed bear off the shelf. "Well, since I'm going to be up anyway, might as well kill time until the sun rises."

Using his magic, he made animated the doll into moving, the teddy bear walking up the filly and plopped down beside her. She stared at it with intense curiosity, watching it crawl toward her little by little comically. He reared it up and land down on her tummy, tickling her hooves with its furry paws, making her giggle and hug onto its arm. While Solaris made the toy panic as it was "captured" by the baby, as happy as he was to see his little filly having fun, he grew upset as he wished he had any time with his own mother. He couldn't change the past, and even if he could, that would mean he would have never met Trill, or had Emerald.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he smelt the inevitable scent of a diaper needing changed. "Ugh. Somepony left me a present after I gave her one." He lifted Emerald up, bringing the toy with her, levitating her to the changing table and undid her little pajamas. "I am really glad I wasn't born an earth pony. Any fathers or mothers who can change a diaper without the use of magic, you all deserve a medal for your bravery."

Grabbing the items he needed, he undid the filly's diaper, grabbing a wipe and cleaning her behind of the mess she made. He threw the diaper away in the waste basket, thankfully magically enchanted to prevent odors from seeping out, pulled out a fresh one and sprinkled some baby powder around her rump and the diaper to keep her from getting a rash. With the new diaper firmly wrapped around Emerald's underside and put her PJs back on, he lifted her up and nuzzled her.

"There. Nice and clean." While Emerald booped Solaris's nose with her little hooves, he just realized that he was the only one who had woken up when Emerald had. "I know Trill's not that much of a heavy sleeper...How come she didn't even stir when you cried, hmm? Let's go and see mommy."

Solaris left the nursery with Emerald in tow, holding onto her new toy, and walked into his bedroom. He found the changeling still asleep where he last saw her, barely even budged when Emerald cried out for them. Curious, he wondered how she could sleep through a baby's cry, approaching the bed and looking down at his wife. Grinning, the alicorn lowered the filly down on her belly, making Emerald rest on Trill's side. Her squirming woke her mommy up, Trill groaning as she woke up from her sleep.

"Wha...? What's happening?" She looked down at Emerald, squirming happily as she woke her mommy up. "How did you get in here?"

"That would be me," Solaris said, though she didn't seem to hear him. As she levitated Emerald up with her magic, she pulled out a pair of earplugs she had in her ears. He knew something was up, putting those in after he went to sleep so she could sneak out of getting their baby after he fell asleep first. "Earplugs? Really, Trill?"

"Hmm?" Trill looked up at Solaris, seeing the disappointed glare he gave her as she held her earplugs. "...Uhhhhhhh..."

"No earplugs." He snatched the small pieces of rubber away from her. "You thought you could skip out on alternating taking care of Emerald and let me do all the hard work."

"I was going to use those just for tonight," Trill explained. "I'm still really sore from pushing this one out of me, and I ran around trying to chase Flurry Heart when Emerald wanted you to hold her more than me. So excuse me if I want some more sleep."

"Then tell me that next time before she wakes up again and cries for half an hour before she finally gets taken care of," Solaris chided.

"Ok. Sorry." She rubbed her eyes and looked at the time, noticing the sun wasn't even up yet. "And you woke me up to punish me for my earplugs?"

"Not at first. Emmy wanted to see her mommy." Trill looked down at Emerald again, the baby looking back as she began nibbling on her bear's paw.

"...Sure it was. Welp, mommy's going back to sleep. Night night." She laid on her back and placed Emerald on her stomach, snoring loudly as she faked going back to sleep.

Solaris rolled his eyes at the fake snoring, picking Emerald up as she too began to doze off. "Alright, time to take you back to bed." The filly yawned, curling up into her daddy's chest as he headed back to the nursery. He lowered her back in her crib, placing her teddy bear beside her as she held onto it the moment its soft fur brushed against her. "Sleep tight, Emmy."

He leaned down and gave her a little kiss, absorbing the love her daddy gave her as her horn sparked a little. The alicorn headed back to their room, unable to go back to sleep and decided to take a shower before he began his duties for the day. He didn't want to smell like baby powder in front of his council if they had a meeting today.

A month had passed after Emerald had been brought home to the castle, and the first month raising her was a lot more tiresome than the new parents anticipated. At least she wasn't as wild as her cousin Flurry Heart, but with her wings and magic, she could cause some trouble once she figures out she can use them. Every morning was exhausting for Solaris and Trill when their daughter wakes up and cries early in the morning, though Solaris is the most exhausted since Emerald doesn't calm down unless she's held by him. The alicorn only hoped she doesn't get too clingy with him when she grows up and panic if he has to leave Canterlot or Equestria for an important event he's required to be at and he can't bring her.

Right now, he was in the middle of a meeting with his council as they discussed the plans for the Summer Sun Celebration and where it will be held in the next couple months. It was still celebrated, only this time it was held in Solaris's honor for saving Equestria from Lucifer, as well as preserving the memory of the late princesses who couldn't stop him. The alicorn unfortunately kept dozing off, Emerald having woken up a few times last night, and even though he and Trill alternated tending to what she was crying about, she always wanted her daddy.

"As Fillydelphia hosted the Summer Sun Celebration last year, we have several other locations that are perfect for this year's. Where would you like it to be held, Your Highness?" As the council waited for Solaris to make a decision, they noticed he had passed out in his seat, leaning his head against his hoof. "Prince Solaris?...Your Highness!"

Solaris snorted awake, looking around and held his hooves up to defend himself as if he were under attack. "What happened!? Something evil coming!?"

"No, Your Highness. You fell asleep." Slightly embarrassed that he wound up passing out, he lowered his hooves and shook his head. "Are you ok? You've been...dozing off for the past hour."

"Sorry, everypony," Solaris apologized, letting out a yawn. "I barely got any sleep last night."

"From your wife?" one of them asked.

"No. Something else actually." The alicorn rubbed his eyes, slapping his cheeks to keep himself awake. "I figured now would be a good time to finally let what the press had found out almost a month ago after Trill and I left the hospital."

"The hospital?" The sophisticated ponies in the council all looked at each other in confusion, wondering what they were both doing at a hospital.

"No! Emerald Sparkle, get back here, little missy!" They heard Trill's voice outside in the halls, along with what sounded like a filly giggling as she escaped from the changeling.

The doors to the room slammed open as little Emerald Sparkle, now figuring out how to use her wings, barged in, surprising everyone as she flew inside. Her target was Solaris, the stallion sighing a little as he grabbed his daughter just as she was about to tackle him.

"Emmy, what are you doing?" he asked her, her answer a giggle as she reached her hooves out to him, asking him for a hug. Solaris looked up at the shocked stallions and mares as they got to see his daughter for the first time. At least the guards and servants who saw her first kept their lips sealed until he and Trill decided to show their daughter to Equestria. "Well, I guess now's a good time as ever. Mares and gentlecolts of the council, I would like to introduce you all to Emerald Sparkle, my daughter."

"D-Daughter!?" one of them gasped, all of them both somewhat elated at the arrival of a new princess, though seeing how she looked, they questioned how it was possible that she was born as a pony and a changeling.

"Yes, I know it sounds a bit strange. But long story short, Trill and I found a spell that made it possible for Emerald to be born." He turned Emerald around for the others to get a better look at her, the month old filly looking around at the new ponies in the room curiously.

"...Well...she's definitely...different," a stallion said as they looked at her horn and legs.

Trill ran into the room, panting heavily as she was unable to keep up with Emerald. "There you are. I am so sorry, Solly. She just flew out of the nursery and figured out how to open doors with her magic."

"Oh boy. I might need to make a special inhibitor for her that can negate the use of her horn, but keep her ability to absorb love." Solaris held the filly back up and turned her around to face him. "You're in a lot of trouble, little filly. I'm really busy and I can't be bothered right now." She couldn't process what he was saying as she continued to reach out and get more hugs, the alicorn giving in and giving her some attention, peppering her giggling face with kisses. "You're so darn needy for attention, aren't you?"

Trill walked down the room to her husband, snatching Emerald to her dismay. "Come on, sweetie. Daddy's got royal business to do. We'll see him later when he's done."

She gave an apologetic grin to the others while Emerald tried to squirm away from her mother to be with her daddy. Using his magic, he called her stuffed bear in front of her, keeping it animated to entertain her. The distraction worked, sensing his magic in it and clutching it in her hooves as she nuzzled it. As soon as they left, Solaris closed the doors and sunk into his seat.

"Sorry for that," he said. "She can't stay away from me for more than a second. Now, where were we before the interruption?"

The next couple months rolled by as the Summer Sun Celebration came around, where the sun stayed up longer in the sky, making it the longest day of the year. Solaris had decided on choosing Ponyville this year so he could see his cousins, their families, and show Emerald around the small town. All of the kingdom heard of the new princess, word spreading from Equestria to the other kingdoms across the land as a pony/changeling filly was born. Just like when the royal couple brought Emerald Sparkle home from the hospital, the press were all over them, trying to get good pictures of the filly while she was shielded by the flashes from the protective father.

The family began to head out from Canterlot to Ponyville, settling themselves in the golden chariot to be escorted by their pegasus guards pulling it. Emerald had grown a little, her mane also growing in, looking a lot like Twilight's with her green hair with a gold streak running down the middle. Solaris made sure that he and Trill had everything they needed for Emerald while they were in Ponyville: diapers, baby food and formula, and some toys if she gets fussy.

"Ok, we're all set," he said. "To Ponyville, guardsponies!"

Emerald babbled as she mimicked him, waving her forehooves around as she went on her first chariot ride. Trill kept a firm hold on her so she doesn't fly off, and they didn't have to worry about her magic going out of control. She had a specially made inhibitor ring around her horn that was colored gold, preventing her from having magical surges while still retaining her love absorbing, which she still needed to be watched over so she doesn't wind up stealing love from other ponies.

Emerald looked down as soon as they had taken off, watching the scenery below them, but also a little frightened, curling up in her mother's lap for protection. "You're scared of heights and you have been flying for the past couple months inside the castle. Solly, your daughter is weird."

"Well, your daughter has your unbridled energy, so of course she'd be weird." They both laughed, Emerald whimpering as she held her hooves out to Solaris. He grabbed his little filly and held her close. "Don't worry, Emmy. You'll get used to flying high when you get older."

As they got closer to Ponyville, they could see the whole town was decorated for the day, and knowing his surrogate cousins were in charge of the preparations, he knew it was going to be a fun day. The chariot touched down and rolled to a stop in the center of the square, everyone in town bowing in respect for the royal family as they stepped out.

"Solly! You guys made it!" Cherry shouted as she bounded up to them. "And right on time too! Now we can begin the festivities!" She gasped when she saw Emerald, the filly staring at her, or more specifically at her cotton candy looking mane. "And there's little Emerald! Come here, cutie! Let Auntie Cherry Pie hug you!"

Cherry snatched Emerald out of Solaris's hooves and hugged her, but the baby was a bit too busy trying to grab her mane and see if it really was made out of cotton candy. "Try to be a bit careful, Cherry. Emerald could end up sucking out love from you."

"Oh she's fine! How much trouble could a baby half-pony half-changeling do!?" Cherry got her answer as Emerald's horn began glowing, sapping away some of her energy while stealing her love. She began to feel woozy, Solaris taking her back as the teenage earth pony slumped down to the ground. "Boy I feel tired all of a sudden..."

"I warned you," he said.

"Then how come you aren't affected?" Cherry asked, her words slightly slurred from her drained energy, quickly pulling out a chocolate bar and munching on it to get back some energy via sugar rush.

"...Huh. I never noticed that." Solaris looked down at his daughter, the filly looking back at him with a confused look. "I guess, because I give her a lot of love, she doesn't need to steal any from me."

"Lucky," Cherry grumbled, quickly getting back on her hooves as she regained her strength. "Everypony's down at Sweet Apple Acres having brunch! You'll never guess what we're gonna have!"

"Let me guess: apples, apples, and more apples?" Trill responded.

"No, oranges," the red earth pony said. "Of course it's apples! Maybe we should have pineapples too, which have the word 'apple' in it, but they aren't really apples...Why is that?"

"A mystery nopony will probably solve for a long while." Cherry lead them across town and past the other ponies to the apple orchard.

On the walk to Sweet Apple Acres, Emerald looked around as her curious nature scoured the new place. It was unlike the large city she saw whenever she looked out a window in Canterlot, seeing all the clean streets and buildings with ponies walking about down below. This was the first time she had seen very little buildings and lots of foliage, especially when they reached the farm and saw all the apple trees in the orchard. At a picnic table set up in front of the farmhouse were the rest of the group: Solaris's other non-blood related cousins, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash, and Virtuo.

"Hey! There they are!" Scootaloo pointed out as Solaris, Trill, Emerald, and Cherry walked onto the property. "I thought you guys would have come here earlier, but it seems like you're slacking, Sol."

"Yeah, yeah. Look who's talking, Miss Naps-A-Lot," Solaris said. "We could have gotten here sooner, but a certain somepony wanted to play hide and seek with us this morning."

He held Emerald up, the filly giggling as she was held out for the rest of the family to see. "Wow. I thought she'd look more like a changeling."

"Oh my goodness, she's so adorable," Sweetie Belle said as she held her two-year-old son. "Maybe our kids can have themselves a play date every once in a while. Since Gemstone's old enough to take care of herself and taking up Rarity's boutique, Button and I are planning on moving to Canterlot."

"You're moving to Canterlot?" Trill asked. "What for?"

"Well, the both of us have certain careers that would fit better in a city than in a small town," Button explained as he kept his gaze down at a pile of papers as he wrote something down on each one. "Sweetie Belle's got some gigs she accepted to sing for the theater there. And for me, with technology getting advanced today with ponies able to watch movies and shows in their homes, not only do I have new ideas for future games, but new video game devices that's revolutionize the gaming industry and make it grow."

"I don't really see the purpose of those things. That...what's that handheld called again?" Solaris asked.

"A Joyboy. And the whole purpose of video games is entertainment, just like movies, but you interact and become one with the game." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as her husband got back to work.

"At least he'll have somepony to play with when he gets a bit older instead of pestering me. Right, Virtuo?" The colt looked up at his mother, receiving a kiss on the muzzle. "And now you have somepony you can play with in the future around your age, too."

"I guess a play date could be a good idea. Emerald can have some fun and make her first friend." Sweetie Belle lowered VIrtuo down to the ground, the unicorn nudging her son forward as Solaris gently placed Emerald down on the ground in front of him.

"Go on, honey," she said. "Say hi to her."

The brown colt looked up at his mother for a moment, then back to Emerald as she looked back at him while sucking on her hoof. Virtuo seemed a little nervous as the older ponies were watching him, slowly walking up to the hybrid baby in front of the alicorn.

"Can Viruto talk yet?" Trill asked. "I'd think he'd be speaking at his age, though not as much as Emerald with her baby gibberish."

"He can, but he can be a little shy," Sweetie Belle said.

The timid colt sat in front of Emerald, looking back at his parents for guidance. The filly took the initiative and crawled up to the colt, babbling happily and nuzzled him, which wound up surprising Virtuo. She already took a liking to her new friend, toppling him on his back and crawled on top of him.

"Aww. That's cute," Solaris said.

"I have to take a picture of this. Button, where's the-" The distracted stallion lifted up a camera from his wife's saddlebags, Sweetie taking it in her magic. "Thanks, hon."

"You're welcome," Button said.

"I have no idea how he's able to multitask with his nose buried in his games or game ideas, but he really knows what I'm thinking." She levitated the camera, aiming it at the two foals, Emerald hugging the nervous Virtuo underneath her, and snapped a picture. "This is definitely going in the album."

"Send us a picture, too," Solaris said. "I knew we should have brought our own camera, but Trill always keeps it hidden from me." He leered at Trill, the changeling looking away and whistled nonchalantly. "Better buy my own camera if she wants to hide the one we already have for baby pictures."

"I have a feeling I know what she's using it for," Sweetie muttered under her breath with an amused grin. She looked down at the foals, seeing how uncomfortable Virtuo was as Emerald nuzzled him. "It's ok, Virtuo. She's not gonna bite...She doesn't bite, right?"

"I'm sure her fangs will grow in, but I hope her teething doesn't wind up giving anyone puncture wounds," Solaris said with worry. "But it's best not to let anyone else hold Emerald or be around her since she can't control her love stealing magic."

"But...she isn't stealing any from Virtuo." As Trill pointed it out, the alicorn did notice that Emerald wasn't using her magic and stealing any love from the colt.

"Huh...Maybe she stole enough from Cherry today to satisfy her..." Solaris began figuring out how his own daughter behaved when it came to consuming love, only to shake his head. "I guess we won't know until she's old enough to control her magic. But we'd better be cautious in case she suddenly gets hungry." His stomach rumbled loudly, everypony present able to hear it. "Speaking of, I was so focused on getting Emmy ready and making sure we had everything for her while we're here that I forgot to eat anything. Let's eat."

They began to celebrate the holiday as the ponies began to eat the huge variety of apple recipes laid out on the picnic table. As they began to eat, Solaris wanted to see if Emerald would like to try some applesauce made fresh in the Apple family's home. After coaxing her to open her mouth, pretending the small spoonful of applesauce was a pegasus trying to find a place to land, she happily ate the sweet and delicious apple mush. No one could resist the sweet taste of Sweet Apple Acres apples, not even foals as Emerald wanted more of her yummy meal.

The adults talked about their days with their work, anything that was new or hilarious, while the teens played with Emerald and Virtuo, keeping them busy until they wanted their parents. Solaris was a little bit disappointed to know Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart couldn't come over and enjoy the Summer Sun Celebration with them, but with Shining Armor's front legs and his limit to travel with his injuries and the amount of pain he occasionally gets in, he completely understood. At least he had fun with his other relatives and aunts, even getting a bit of conversation with his Aunt Applejack's older brother Big Macintosh, even if he didn't speak all that much.

After the long day of relaxing, spending time with family, and playing a lot of different games Cherry set up that were fun for both the foals and everyone else, evening was starting to set in as the Summer Sun Celebration came to a close. Solaris and Trill headed back home to Canterlot with Emerald sleeping in her daddy's hooves, the filly having had a good time with her new friend and the other older ponies. Once the chariot landed at the castle, Solaris dismissed his Royal Guard escort as he and his wife made their way through the castle.

"Well, that was fun," Trill said. "And Emerald made a new friend. I think she and Virtuo might end up being a couple in the future."

"Hey, we're not going into that subject until Emmy hits puberty," Solaris chided. "I will not have dozens of colts try to get close to her unless I can trust them."

"You're already becoming an overprotective father and she hasn't even been a year old yet." The alicorn sighed, the two of them walking into Emerald's room to lay her down in her crib.

"I can't help it," he said. "I just don't want anypony hurting her. Plus, being a princess, there are bound to be colts who want to try to ask her out, then use her to get everything they want. As friends, maybe, but if they think about asking her on a date, they have to go through me."

"Just don't intimidate them with fire," Trill said. "It gets old pretty fast when you threaten to burn them and you can't do it if they try to push your buttons."

"...I hate when you're right." The two left the nursery to continue their conversation without disturbing Emerald, entering their own room. "But I can still kick their plots if they think they can butter me up by getting too friendly with me."

"And no violence, either," she said as she booped his muzzle. He grumbled, only to be caught off guard by a kiss on the lips. Trill back away, teasingly brushing her tail against his muzzle as she headed for the bathroom. "You don't look all that relaxed just yet. I'm gonna hop in the shower. Care to join me?"

"Trill, don't even think about it," he said. "Emerald's across the hall."

"And she's sound asleep with a soundproof spell so nopony outside of the room disturbs her when she naps," she responded, swaying her hips, smirking as she felt his eyes gaze at her rump. "She's out like a light after having fun with the others, and I doubt a storm will wake her up. We won't make that much noise, and it has been a while. Plus, anything I want to do, you promised to do it after going through my pregnancy to make it up to me."

Solaris groaned, knowing full well he made that promise, and it was a Pinkie Promise too. Not to mention, with all the stress of ruling Equestria, attending events he needed to go to, dealing with delegates visiting the kingdom, and raising Emerald, he needed more relief from all his hard work than ever. And it didn't help the fact that his wife was teasing him and his testosterone began to override his restrained urges. His legs made the decision for him as he followed Trill, ignoring the winning grin on her face.

"Why must you keep tormenting me like this?" he asked.

"Because it's been a few months since Emerald was born and we haven't had sex for a bit longer. I've got a bad itch, and only you can scratch it." Solaris shoved a hoof against her lips as he groaned in annoyance.

"Please stop with the dirty talk and get in the shower," he commanded, his magic turning on the shower head as he closed the door behind him.

The summer season passed, as well as fall, heading into winter as the land began to cool down and snow began to fall. The months that came and went were the same as the first few with Emerald in Solaris and Trill's lives: giving her constant care, waking up in the middle of the night when she cried, and when she felt mischievous, chasing her throughout the castle to avoid getting a bath or into a diaper after her bath. But aside from the tiring job as parents, there were some fun moments during the autumn season, especially when Nightmare Night came by.

Canterlot had been decorated with spooky decorations, fillies and colts all dressed up in costumes and running around to different houses for free candy. Solaris dressed Emerald up in a little dragon costume, taking several pictures of her looking like the adorable little monster she was dressed as. During the time, Sweetie Belle and Button Mash had moved into a nice house in the city and joined the prince and princess as they went trick-or-treating with Virtuo. The colt wore a green tunic and cap with a small wooden sword fastened around the belt around the tunic, obviously from some video game Solaris didn't bother to care about despite how much Button gushed over how good his son looked. Several more pictures between the two foals were taken during Nightmare Night, both of them in their costumes that will sure to embarrass their children as they get older.

Within the first couple weeks of winter, it started to get a bit stressful. With the colder weather, Emerald didn't have much of a tolerance to the cold just like Trill, unable to leave a warm environment without bundling up underneath a couple layers of clothing. That also means she couldn't play in the snow like Solaris had wanted to do with his daughter, and she couldn't visit the Crystal Empire and see her grandaunt, granduncle, and cousin.

What made the start of her first winter horrible was when she got sick. Solaris made a house call with Dr. Joy when Emerald got a fever and began coughing a lot. The doctor looked her over, knowing full well that the baby's monthly checkups would have her being at the castle due to the colder weather.

"Mhmm. She's definitely caught a cold," Dr. Joy said after checking Emerald's temperature. "Just keep her bundled up, give her some cough medicine before bed, and a lot of rest. Other than that, she's doing pretty well."

"Thanks again, Dr. Joy," Solaris thanked. "I know bringing you down a bit earlier than we scheduled isn't-"

"Prince Solaris, don't worry about schedules when it comes to health," the mare assured. "You never know what can happen. Though, it is a shame that she can't stay in the cold."

"Yeah...There goes any fun winters outside, playing in the snow and seeing Hearth's Warming lights around Canterlot." Emerald began coughing again, whining out for her daddy to help make the cold go away and stop her coughing. Solaris picked her up and held her, unable to do much but comfort her. "At least there's a lot we can do during spring and summer."

"Well, you might be able to come up with something for her, seeing as you made this special inhibitor ring that seals her magic but allow her to absorb love." Dr. Joy packed up her medical kit and levitated her coat over to her. "Have a wonderful Hearth's Warming, Your Highness."

"Same to you." The mare exited the nursery and made her way out of the castle, back to the hospital to see more patients for the day.

Emerald began to cough again, Trill walking in to see how it went. "She sounds pretty bad."

"She's got a cold. I'm going to give her some medicine to help alleviate her fever." Solaris levitated the liquid medicine over to him, along with a measuring dropper to easily give Emerald her medicine. After checking the label to see how much to give to her, he sucked a little bit of the strong smelling cough syrup and placed the end in the filly's mouth. As soon as he squeezed some, she squirmed at the horrible taste, but swallowed it, crying in disgust with a few coughs, wondering why her daddy gave her something so disgusting. "I know, Emmy, I know. It's icky. But it'll help you feel better."

"What a perfect way to start the holiday," Trill said. "Our baby sick, the both of us unable to leave the castle until Winter Wrap-Up, and lots of boredom."

"That means you have a lot of time to take care of her instead of lying around in bed all day." Trill opened her mouth to speak, only to come up with nothing and shrugged, having something to do when Solaris was busy. The alicorn gently rocked Emerald, now calmed down after being given her medicine, slowly falling asleep from the drowsy effects of the cough syrup and her daddy rocking her to sleep. "Not to mention when she has to go to school. If it gets too cold, she won't be able to leave and take part in her classes."

"You're already looking into schools for her to go into?" Trill asked.

"No, not yet, but we will when she gets old enough." Emerald soon fell asleep, gently lowered down into her crib. Solaris tucked her into her warm blanket and lowered her bear down beside her, both parents quietly leaving the room. "Though, school does concern me a little bit."

"It's about how the other foals her age would think of her, right?" He nodded his head. "Well, maybe they might like her. What's the worst foals can do to each other?"

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were picked on constantly by a pair of bullies, now friends of theirs, because they were made fun of for not having a cutie mark after their other classmates had one." Trill was shocked at what the three former members and founders of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been through as fillies. "Yeah. Surprising, isn't it?"

"And they became friends with their bullies??? How?" Trill asked, desperate to know how enemies like that resolved their differences and became friends.

"I think it had something to do with some sort of school election for student pony president, one of the bullies pushing her friend too far and blackmailing and brown-nosing their classmates...and one of their mothers pressured her to being better than everypony..." Solaris scratched his head as he tried to remember everything about that story. "I heard it a long time ago when I was a colt, but I don't know all the details that well. You can ask Sweetie Belle when she's not busy."

"...Weird..." Solaris nodded in agreement as he found that strange to befriend a bully who constantly teased them.

"Glad I didn't go to a public school, though I kind of wanted to know what it was like..." He shook his head, brushing that thought aside before it reminded him of his memories with his family. "We still have a few years before she goes to preschool to worry about that. I'm going to get something to snack on. You want anything?"

"Hot chocolate," Trill said as she licked her lips.

"Of course. Should have guessed." She giggled, the alicorn leaning forward to kiss his beloved wife on the lips. "I'll be right back with your hot chocolate."

He soon left down the hall as Trill headed inside the bedroom, climbing up into bed and laid down with her legs splayed out. She heard Emerald cough over the baby monitor, but she remained asleep as she didn't cry out for attention. There were going to be long winter nights if Emerald cried out whenever she got too cold and wanted her mommy or daddy to warm her up. Hopefully things won't get worse as the years pass when winter comes, otherwise the little filly would end up being bored stuck inside the castle for three whole months.

The whole season of winter was a boring season. Emerald had gotten better from her cold after a few days and was back to her happy, giggly self. Needless to say, she was always bored inside the castle, her toys slowly wearing out their entertainment value as she was curious about the snow outside when she saw out the windows. It still pained Solaris to know his daughter wouldn't be able to play outside in the snow, even if she wanted to when she grew older. Whenever he wasn't busy taking care of her with Trill or with his duties, he would try to figure out weaving a spell into a small piece of clothing or an accessory to keep her warm in the cold without having to stuff her in three different sets of warm clothing.

Now, it had been exactly a whole year since Emerald was born. Even with all of the early morning cries for attention, the dirty diapers, her energetic chases flying around the castle, and even a few mishaps with her love stealing powers from her changeling heritage, Solaris and Trill were already used to them after this year. And today, everyone they knew was invited to the castle to celebrate her first birthday, decorated accordingly by Cherry Pie and her trusty, hoof-made party cannon. Even Chrysalis had come to visit, though mostly from being begged to come so much that Solaris had to get Discord involved, threatening to teleport her to random locations for the next month if she didn't show up.

"Happy birthday, Emerald Sparkle!" everyone cheered as the birthday filly sat in her little high chair, wearing a party hat and giggling happily.

"One year down and many, many more birthdays to come!" Cherry said, blowing a party noise blower as she bounded around the dining hall where the party was held.

"The first few months were the roughest, but you two had it a bit easier with Emerald than we did with Flurry Heart," Cadence said. "It's too bad you can't bring her to the Crystal Empire. Flurry wants her to come over and help me foalsit her. Which, by the way, I'm still waiting to do so for my grandniece."

"Whenever you're not too busy in the empire, come on down so Trill and I can spend an evening together and take a little break," Solaris offered. "I think Uncle Shining can take care of the boring royal duties on his own."

"I'm free for my schedule for this week. How about tomorrow, Flurry and I stay here while you spend the whole day with Trill?" He thought about the proposal, even though being away from Emerald for a whole day would make the filly worry if she didn't know where her parents were.

"Well, Emmy could be a problem with her love stealing...You sure you can handle that if she winds up doing that?" Solaris asked.

"She can't be as bad as raising an alicorn filly with barely any control of her magic the moment she was born. I can handle a bit of random love sucking." Cadence chuckled and pushed her nephew forward. "Now, go and tell your wife you two have a full day of fun to plan out."

Discord appeared in a flash, holding a tray with a lone green and yellow frosted chocolate cupcake with a candle in it. "Time for the birthday cake! Or, more specifically a cup cake. The real one will appear on the table in just a few minutes. Need to wait for the frosting to cool down on the bigger cake."

"What kind of frosting requires to be heated?" Chrysalis questioned, unsure if she even wanted to try it if it was completely chocolate.

"Relax, Chrysie. It's not made out of lava or poison. I have my own chaotically normal cake mix I like to use and make my own frosting." The draconequus placed the tray down in front of Emerald, the tray disappearing as the cupcake rested on the small tray attached to her high chair. "Oh darn. I forgot to bring matches. Does anypony have a light?"

"Very funny, Discord," Solaris said. "I'll light the candle." He walked up to the birthday filly, Emerald trying to reach out to the chocolate cupcake as she was given a kiss by her daddy. The alicorn took in a small breath and blew out a small puff of green fire, lighting the candle as the stared in awe at her daddy's fire breath. "Ok, sweetie. Blow out the candle and make a wish. Go like this."

He let out a breath, keeping his hoof around his mouth so he didn't blow it out by accident. Emerald seemed to understand and looked at the green flame on the candle. She followed his example and blew out the candle in one go. Everyone cheered and praised her as Solaris pulled out the candle sticking out of the frosting, gently pushing her cupcake closer to her. While she began digging into her birthday cupcake with her hooves, Discord suddenly began shaking as a timer went off around him.

"Sounds like the cake is done!" He snapped his fingers, a large cake appearing in the center of the table. It was decorated just like Emerald's already being devoured cupcake, green and golden yellow frosting with the words "Happy Birthday Emerald Sparkle" written on the sides of the triple layered chocolate cake. The draconequus grinned when she saw Trill, and even Chrysalis, drooling at the highly chocolaty scent that came from it. "Now, let's follow Emerald's example and dig into some cake!"

Discord sliced several pieces, placing them on plates as he hovered them over to everypony in the room. As Solaris grabbed his slice, he looked down at Emerald. He couldn't help but laugh at how messy she looked, half her cupcake eaten, though most of it and the frosting was all over her hooves, muzzle, and bib.

"That some good cake, Emmy?" he asked, her response placing her frosted hoof in her mouth and licked some off. He soon heard Trill across the table, watching her scarf down her slice, moaning in delight as her chocolate addiction was sated. "LIke mother, like daughter. Surprisingly, you're a lot more cleaner than her."

Solaris gently rubbed Emerald's head, earning a coo from her, smearing his hoof with frosting from her own hoof as she reached out to touch him. "Dada."

He quickly drew his hoof back, looking down at Emerald in shock as she just spoke her first word. "W-What was that, Emmy?"

"Dada," she said with a giggle.

Solaris nearly dropped his plate, hearing his filly starting to talk, and her first word was "Dada". His shock turned into a small grin, tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he quickly made his way over to Trill. He dragged her over to their daughter, surprised as she was suddenly pulled away before she could sneak a second slice of cake.

"Solly, what are you doing?" she asked in irritation.

"Emmy just said her first word!" he said excitedly, leaning down to eye level with the filly.

"She did?" Trill asked as she too grew a little excited.

"Dada!" she said, reaching her hooves out to get a hug from him.

"See!? She called me 'Dada'!" Solaris kissed Emerald on the head, her horn glowing as she giggled, being praised by her daddy for saying his name.

"Oh my gosh!" Trill leaned down as she looked at her. "Can you say 'Mama'?" Emerald looked at her, tilting her head in confusion. "Come on, Emerald. Say 'Mama'. You can say 'Mama', right?"

"...Dada," she said as she turned her head back to Solaris.

Trill groaned and slumped over. "Or not..."

"Maybe she'll start saying 'Mama' in a while. But isn't this exciting!? She's starting to talk!" Seeing Emerald was done "eating" her cupcake, Solaris grabbed a napkin and began wiping off the sticky frosting off the filly's hooves and face. He took off her messy bib and lifted her out of her highchair, giving the giggling filly plenty of kisses. "Daddy loves you, Emmy. You're such a big filly now."

"And, like I predicted: daddy's little girl," Trill stated, slightly disappointed that she didn't hear Emerald call her name, but her first word was a start for more later on. "Hopefully, if mom starts visiting more often, she'll start calling her grandma to irritate her."

"That actually would sound funny." Solaris agreed with a laugh, holding Emerald over his shoulder as she nuzzled him.

While her parents talked, Emerald looked across the hall, staring curiously at a glowing lavender light shining by one of the windows. No one else seemed to notice but the filly, tilting her head curiously as the light began to form a lavender alicorn. She slowly approached the filly, her green eyes staring at the gold halo over her head. The translucent mare giggled at her curious nature, making it obvious she didn't know who she was, at least not yet.

"Happy birthday, Emerald," she said, gently pressing her hoof against Emerald's cheek.

She giggled and reached out to the mare for her to hold her in her hooves, her movements making Solaris curious as to who was behind him. "What are you doing, Emmy?" He turned around to look, but didn't see anyone. The guardian angel stared sadly at the confused gaze of the stallion, staring right past her as he was oblivious to her appearance. "Was Discord pulling a prank on me, sweetie?"

As he looked down at Emerald, who turned herself around to see the mare again, the angel stepped closer and gave Solaris a small kiss on the cheek. Even though he couldn't see her, he felt something as he felt a small chill brush against his cheek where she kissed him. It also felt familiar to him, but he couldn't put his hoof on it.

"You have a beautiful filly, Solaris," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. But I'll be by her side for as long as she lives, and I'll see you when you're with her."

"Solly, you alright?" Trill asked, snapping Solaris's attention away from the empty space he was trying to look at.

"...Yeah...I thought I felt something." As he turned around to face Trill, Emerald watched as her guardian angel waved goodbye and disappeared in a flash of purple light. "I'm sure I'm just imagining things..."

"Well, ok." He saw the confused and somewhat pained look on his face, quickly hugging him to help distract him from whatever depressing thought came to his mind. "It wasn't another little episode you were about to have, was it?"

"No...but...my cheek felt cold for a moment, and I thought I smelled...something..." While he tried to ponder what had just happened, his face scrunched up when he smelt something else, far less pleasant than what he sensed earlier. "Whoof! It certainly wasn't that!"

"Well, 'Dada', you can change Emmy and give her a little bath so she doesn't get all sticky from that frosting," Trill chuckled as she backed away, avoiding the smelly mess Emerald made in her diaper. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want a second helping of that cake."

His wife skipped back over to the table to grab another slice of cake, Solaris shaking his head as he began to make his way up to Emerald's room. "Alright. Let's get you changed after a warm bath, and then we can open up your presents. Won't that be fun, Emmy?"

"Dada," Emerald said, taking that as a yes as her daddy carried her upstairs to get her cleaned up before she opened her gifts everypony got her.

First Day of School

With the sun barely peeking over the mountain, ponies across Equestria began to wake up to prepare for the day ahead, adults getting themselves properly ready for the daily grind to support themselves or their families. Inside the castle, guards shifted as the ones on the graveyard shift were relieved for the day to get some rest from staying up all night to protect the royal family. Up in the royal bedchambers, Solaris began to stir as his inner alarm clock kicked in. He opened his eyes, seeing the sight of his wife still fast asleep, snoring loudly as she drooled on her pillow.

He shook his head, always finding Trill too deep in sleep that she winds up in an awkward position or drooling all over herself, sitting up and stretching out his limbs as he yawned. He smacked his lips and scratched at his chin, beginning to grow some stubble as his facial hair began coming in again. He disliked having a beard or a moustache, mostly because of how itchy it can always get when it grows in. He always ignored Trill when she begs him to grow it out, somehow finding him more sexier that way. He got out of bed, reminding himself to shave after taking a shower, but he needed to do something first before getting himself ready for more of his princely duties.

Solaris approached the calendar, crossing off another day. Within a week, it would be the start of the school year for foals, and now that Emerald was old enough to attend, he wanted to get her, Trill, and himself into a morning routine. He was amazed to see the time pass as his little filly was already five years old and about to start preschool. It was pretty difficult getting her potty trained, learning to eat on her own without making too much of a mess, and being careful with whatever words she says that weren't vulgar or insulting. That last part was harder than the rest because Trill was never that careful whenever she swore or made terrible innuendos Emerald wouldn't understand but would wind up repeating if said enough times.

He exited their bedroom and walked across the hall to Emerald's. He slowly opened the door, noting the few small changes he and Trill made as the filly got older. The crib was gone as a full-size bed took its place, where the little pony/changeling filly was still soundly sleeping. The changing table and sink were gone as more shelves were put in place, along with some dressers for the many clothes one of her aunts generously made for her and kept sending new ones every couple months. The baby toys were gone, replaced by some dolls and dollhouses, a small play tea party set, some easy to learn books that she could read, or look at the pictures until she learns to read, coloring books with many drawn in pages hanging on the walls or her own drawings she made, but she still kept her little teddy bear, keeping it clean and in good condition as she cherished her favorite toy.

The walls and floor were still pink, the only different color in the room were the covers on the bed. It was white with lots of yellow suns patterned all over the comfy quilt Emerald was curled up in. Solaris quietly approached the side of the bed, watching his daughter sleeping as she hugged her bear close to her. As much as he wanted to let her sleep, he had to start practicing their morning routine so she won't end up being late for school next week.

"Emmy, time to wake up," he said softly, the filly murmuring in her sleep as she buried her face deeper in her soft pillow. Solaris gently pulled the covers off her, giving her a light nudge to stir her out of the dream she wanted to stay in. Eventually, she squinted her eyes open with a groan, staring at her daddy as he forced her awake. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Emerald sat up and yawned, showing her little fangs that came with her changeling lineage and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning, sweetie."

"Morning, daddy," she said, smacking her lips as she looked at him with tired eyes. She looked over at her window, not seeing any light shine in through her pink curtains. "Is it still dark?"

"The sun's just starting to rise, and so should you," Solaris said, gently booping her muzzle with his hoof. "You remember what's going to happen starting next week?"

It took a while for her slowly waking thoughts to answer his question, her eyes opening a little as she smiled. "I go to school...But, why so early?"

"So we can get ourselves motivated and get there on time. There's preparing to wake up, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, checking your supplies to take with you in your new saddlebags. And if we keep up with this routine waking up early, you won't be so sleepy when you have to get up." Emerald stared blankly at the alicorn, blinking a couple times as she processed her daddy's words.

"...It's still early. Nighty night, daddy." She fell back onto her pillow and began fake snoring.

Solaris pouted, obviously learning the fake sleeping trick from Trill, but he grinned deviously as he had an idea to get her back up. "Oh, so you just want to sleep in all day and be a little lazy filly, huh?"

"Can't hear you, daddy. I'm sleeping." He shook his head as she continued "snoring".

"Will you be sleeping after this!?" He leaned forward, took in a deep breath, pressed his lips against Emerald's belly, and blew a raspberry, making her giggle uproariously as she was at the mercy of the ticklish attack.

"NOOOHOHOHOHAHAH! STOP, DADDY!" she squealed, unable to breathe as she laughed, fully awake as he continued his assault.

"You still sleepy!?" he asked as he went back in for another raspberry.

"NO! I'M AWAKE!" Solaris stopped, letting Emerald catch her breath as her laughter began to die down.

"Good," the alicorn said, nuzzling his little filly, making her giggle more as his morning stubble tickled her face. "Come on. Let's go and take a bath, brush our teeth, and head to the dining hall for some breakfast."

"Ok, daddy." Emerald stood up on her bed, stretching her back and let out another yawn before climbing down. "Where's mommy?"

"She's still sleeping," he said. "I'll wake her up after making sure you're all ready for the morning." Both father and daughter exited Emerald's room and entered his to reach their bathroom. Trill was still asleep, shifting her position to where her head was buried in her pillow while her rump stood up in the air. At least she wasn't flagging her tail up, usually having dreams where she was always being rutted by Solaris as he sometimes wound up feeling her acting out her dream subconsciously. "Keep that rump up in the air when we're done, and I'm going to give you a good wake-up call, dear."

Once he opened the bathroom door, Emerald trotted inside as he followed, closing the door so they don't disturb her. At least not yet. Emerald headed to the center of the large bathroom where the large circular bathing tub lied, the water filled enough for the filly to sit in without having her neck fully submerged. It was always set at a warm temperature thanks to Solaris's emerald flames in the center of the small pool, keeping the water at the perfect heat to get in and relax in. And since the water was magically enchanted, done so during some evenings where he and Trill had some alone time, any filth that touches the water evaporates, keeping it clean for anyone to use over and over.

Emerald stepped inside, letting out a sigh as the warm water enveloped her little body. She really loved the warmth due to her changeling blood. Solaris walked in, the water only reaching up barely to his knees, sitting down behind Emerald as he levitated the shampoo toward them. Splashing some water over her head, he lathered some shampoo in his hooves, beginning to clean Emerald's mane.

"Daddy, I can clean myself," she said. "I'm a big filly."

"I just want to make sure I get every single bit of you squeaky clean," he responded, ignoring Emerald's complaints. "The last time you said you could scrub yourself, you still had some mud behind your ears."

"I can do it this time," she insisted.

"Ok. Just don't get any soap in your eyes. It really stings." Solaris moved his hooves away, letting Emerald scrub her mane with her hooves. He couldn't see her face, but she scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue in concentration, making sure she got every single strand of her hair all sudsy. "Want me to do your tail?"

"I got it, daddy," she said, dunking her head in the water as she rinsed off the soap.

"Alright then. You're a big filly." Solaris kept a close eye on her as he began to scrub himself off, spurting some shampoo in his mane and began scrubbing.

Emerald held her hooves out for some more shampoo to get her tail, her daddy giving her small squirt as she curled her tail around her as she stood by the edge of the pool-like tub. The two washed themselves in silence, water splashing about as they rinsed the suds off of them. Once they were squeaky clean, they climbed out of the bath, the soap in the water fading away from the magical enchantment in the water, Solaris grabbing a towel to dry her off. He started drying Emerald, enveloping her in the white and fluffy towel, hearing her muffled giggling as he rubbed her down and made sure her body, mane, and tail weren't too wet.

She popped her head out from the towel, her hair a splayed out mess that needed a good brushing. "Hi!"

"Hi, yourself," Solaris chuckled, taking in a breath and exhaling.

He released steam out of his nostrils, the heat from his dragon fire given by his late dragon uncle making his body heat warmer, instantly drying off his fur and hair. Emerald always wondered how her daddy was able to breathe green fire, curious to know if she could do something like that.

"Daddy, can I breathe fire too?" she asked, blowing out air as she tried to breathe fire.

"I don't think you can. And you're not going to be playing with fire. Ever." After drying off, Solaris carried Emerald over to the bathroom sink so they can brush their teeth and give himself a clean shave, setting her down on a footstool tall enough for her to stand on nearby. Emerald grabbed her green toothbrush as he hovered the toothpaste over the bristles, squeezing out a small dollop on it for her, doing the same for his own. "Two minutes of teeth brushing starting...now."

Solaris and Emerald began brushing their teeth, the filly minding her little fangs as she cleaned her teeth. He grabbed a hairbrush and began brushing down his daughter's hair, being careful not to move her head too much or have her accidentally swallow some of the toothpaste in her mouth. He finished straightening her mane, looking just like his mother's hairstyle just as they were done with their two minutes. They both spat into the sink, their teeth cleaned as they took a small sip of water from the faucet to rinse their mouths.

"All clean!" Emerald cheered.

"Not yet. Daddy's gotta shave, then we're all clean." Solaris grabbed the shaving cream, giving it a good shake before spraying some of it in his hoof.

Emerald watched with curiosity as he applied the cream to his face, smearing it around his cheeks, chin, and neck, leaving his lips and nose uncovered to breathe. Once he put on enough, he looked down at the remaining amount of shaving cream on his hooves, looking down at his daughter as she continued watching. He smeared a little bit on her nose, making her yelp in surprise as she wiped it away.

"Hey!" Solaris chuckled as she gave him the angry pout, making her more adorable than menacing.

"Just making sure you're still awake," he teased before looking back at the mirror, grabbing his razor and carefully stroked the blades against his face.

While the stallion shaved, Emerald splashed some water on her face to rinse off the small dollop of shaving cream her daddy put on her nose. She looked up at him and waited patiently as he carefully removed his morning stubble. After a few minutes, Solaris's face was cleanly shaved, splashing water on his face to rinse off the rest of the shaving cream on his muzzle.

"All clean now?" Emerald asked.

"Yup. All clean. Now, let's wake mommy up before we head down for breakfast." They left the bathroom, finding Trill still asleep, though her position changed, now completely laying down on her stomach. Solaris was a little disappointed that his planned method of waking her up was now gone, but either way, he was getting her lazy flank up. "Trill. Wake up, hon."

She grumbled and turned over, pressing the pillow over her head to drown out his voice. "Don't wanna..."

"You knew we were going to start a morning routine for Emmy when she starts going to school, so up and at 'em." He grabbed the sheets and pulled them off her.

She sat up and turned around, glaring at her husband with the pillow resting on top of her head. "Did we have to do this now? Why not until the weekend?"

"Yes. I told you about this, and it was your fault for staying up later. And if we started on the weekend, a couple days before Emmy begins her first day of school, it'll be more of a problem to get everyone up and motivated." Trill let out a tired groan as she plopped down on the bed. Solaris removed the pillow away from her head and gave her a peck on the muzzle. "Take a cold shower to wake yourself up, then meet us in the dining hall for breakfast."

"Can't you just give me breakfast in bed?" she begged, wanting to stay in bed and go back to sleep. He shook his head, making her growl as she forced her legs to climb down, pressing her snout against his. "I hate mornings."

"Morning, mommy!" Emerald said as she hugged her foreleg. She tiredly mumbled and patted the filly's head, making her way to the bathroom after their daughter let go. "She's cranky."

"Yup. But that's what happens when you stay up past your bedtime. You don't wanna be a little crab if I wake you up when you don't get enough sleep, do you?" Emerald shook her head. "Exactly. Now, let's have some breakfast."

"I want chocolate chip pancakes!" Emerald said as she bounced alongside her daddy, the two making their way through the castle to the dining hall.

"You had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast all last week," Solaris said. "We're going to have a healthy breakfast today."

"Aww...But I like chocolate chip pancakes..." Her enthusiasm died as her favorite breakfast meal won't be made.

"You like the chocolate chips more than the pancakes themselves," he stated, picking the disappointed filly up in his hooves. "You and mommy like chocolate way too much."

During the mornings for the next week, Solaris woke up Emerald and Trill early to get them used to waking up and get ready. Trill was more of a struggle, unable to fall asleep before midnight and always waking up tired and cranky. After the morning wake up routine, their days went by normally, Emerald playing with either of her parents, running around outside in the gardens and spooking the gardeners, or playing with her toys in her room. Each day that passed, the filly couldn't wait until the first day of school began, always double checking her bags to see if she had all the school supplies she would need.

Early in the morning, the day was about to begin, and Emerald was up before the sun began to rise. She was awake far earlier than her daddy, very excited for the start of her first day going to school. She leapt out of bed, not bothering to fix her sheets as she ran out of her room and barged into her parents' bedroom.

"First day of school! First day of school!" Emerald chanted as she bounced around, waking the changeling and alicorn up.

Trill grumbled as she covered her ears, hearing their daughter cheering and leaping up to bounce on their bed. "Solly, this is all your fault."

"Come on, mommy! Daddy! First day of school!" She bounced on Solaris's back to wake him up, the stallion stirring as his daughter kept bouncing excitedly.

"Ok, ok. I'm up," he muttered as he rolled off the bed, Emerald squealing as she fell over while he moved. "Time to get motivated."

"Hurry, daddy! I gotta get ready for school!" the filly said as she fluttered off the bed and ran into the bathroom.

"Emmy, honey, school doesn't start until eight-thirty. It's a bit too early to be getting ready right now." Emerald didn't listen as she clambered her way up the stool to reach the sink and begin brushing her teeth. Solaris just shook his head, unable to help but smile, seeing the utter joy on his daughter's face. He wanted to give her a better life than he had growing up, being raised by both him and her mother, go to school and make friends while she was still young, and have fun. "I'll get your mane. And not too much toothpaste."

"I got it, daddy!" Emerald scrunched her face as she lit up her horn, a green aura flickering around the tube of toothpaste, using her levitation to bring it over to her. She managed to open it and squeeze a little bit onto her toothbrush, but lost her concentration from her succession, dropping the tube. "Oops."

"That some pretty good levitation, Emmy," Solaris complimented, earning a beaming grin from her as he hovered the brush over her head. He began brushing down her bed head while she brushed her teeth, the stallion making sure not a single hair on her head stuck out or was out of place. "So, you're pretty eager to get to school today, huh?"

"Mhmm!" Emerald mumbled with a nod, her mouth full from her brush and the paste cleaning her teeth.

"I know you're going to have a lot of fun. You'll be able to learn new things, make some friends, give you something to do if mommy or I am too busy." The filly spat in the sink after two minutes passed, looking up at him with some foam around her muzzle.

"Is Vivi gonna be there?" she asked, Vivi being the nickname she gave Virtuo, the two becoming really close friends after all the play dates Solaris and Sweetie Belle made for them.

"Yes, he'll be at the school, but he's in a different grade. I don't think he'll be in the same class as you since he's a couple years older than you." Emerald whined and pouted, unable to hang out with her friend now that she was going to school too. "You might see him during lunch or recess. Though, I would suggest not pouncing him every time you see him. Don't want to embarrass him when you're being a bit too friendly around your fellow classmates."

"But I like giving Vivi tackle hugs," she said, rinsing her mouth after.

"You have to be on your best behavior while in school. So that means no tackle hugs, and if you get hungry and want a snack in the middle of class, no love stealing. Got it?" Emerald nodded, understanding him. "And speaking of food, why don't we head downstairs for breakfast and get your lunchbox ready for later this afternoon?"

"Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?" Emerald began begging, giving him the pleading eyes to break him down and say yes.

"Well, I guess since it's the first day of school, you should have something you like. Chocolate chip pancakes it is." She squealed happily, leaping into her daddy as she hugged his neck tightly.

"I love you, daddy!" she said.

"Love you too, sweetie." Solaris nuzzled her and chuckled, lowering her back down to the floor as they made their way downstairs to the dining hall, letting Trill sleep after being awoken by the energetic hybrid filly.

Once they were in the dining room, Emerald politely asked the kitchen staff to make her favorite breakfast, a small stack of chocolate chip pancakes set before her a few minutes later. After Solaris cut her flapjacks for her, not yet ready to trust her with cutting her food on her own, he headed into the kitchen to make his daughter's lunch for school. A simple daffodil and daisy sandwich with a little love essence sprinkled on it, a small bag of fruit snacks, and a box of apple juice a perfect lunch for a filly to regain some of that energy during her break of learning and play. He also realized that, in Emerald's excited haste to get herself ready, she forgot to bring her new saddlebags downstairs with her.

Teleporting himself to Emerald's room and back into the kitchen, carrying her forgotten saddlebags, he placed her lunch inside her lunchbox and headed back into the dining room. He saw her munching on her breakfast, having poured plenty of syrup to go with her pancakes as she was mindful of not making too much of a mess before school starts. He hid her bags behind him and approached her.

"So, enjoying your breakfast?" he asked.

"Mhmm!" Emerald swallowed her mouthful, licking some syrup off her lips. "I love chocolate chip pancakes!"

"I can see that." Solaris looked out the windows, watching the sun beginning to rise over the kingdom. After the sudden wake up call from Emerald, getting her ready, and waiting for her breakfast, there was still an hour left before they needed to leave to take her to school. "Now with a full belly and fully ready for your first day of school, are you forgetting anything you need to do?"

"...Ummmm..." Emerald began to think, tapping her hoof against her chin while scrunching her muzzle. As she ruffled her wings, she gasped and looked down at her back. "My saddlebags! I forgot to grab them!"

"Well, lucky for you, daddy's able to keep you organized." He pulled out her bags from behind him and placed them down on the floor next to her seat.

She sighed in relief, stepping down from her chair and picked up her bags. "Thank you, daddy."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he said, leaning down and giving Emerald a small kiss on the nose. "We still have a little time left before we have to go. Let's see if you have everything you need for your first day of school."

"Ok!" They looked through her bags to make sure every last bit of her school supplies was present and accounted for.

With her fresh paper, pencils, erasers, crayons, safety scissors, and her lunchbox, everything was there and Emerald was ready for the start of her education. When it was finally time to leave, Solaris and Emerald headed out into the city and walked along the road, the filly skipping alongside her daddy in excitement. Ponies who were out and about bowed to their prince and young princess as they passed, even though they didn't wear their crown/tiara. It was best for Emerald not show off her royalty toward her peers, and she thankfully didn't behave like a spoiled rich filly, not wanting her to end up like Blueblood when she got older. Good thing he didn't spoil her, although Trill seemed to have when it comes to chocolate, sharing the same addiction as her mother whenever she wanted.

A few blocks of walking later, they arrived at the public school for younger foals: Canterlot Elementary. Other foals, either accompanied by their parents, gaurdians, older siblings, or by themselves made their way inside. Most of them unicorns, but there were some around Emerald's age who were either just as excited as her or really nervous. Once inside as they tried to find Emerald's classroom, they bumped into Button Mash and Virtuo.

"Hey, Button. Virtuo," Solaris greeted.

"Vivi!" Emerald squealed, tackling the colt over as she pounced and hugged him.

"H-Hi, Emerald," Virtuo gasped, his lungs being crushed to death by the filly.

"I'm starting school today!" she announced as she let go, the colt coughing as he sucked in air from the death hug.

"I see that," the colt said.

"So, you're in charge of bringing Virtuo to school, Button Mash?" Solaris asked.

"Yeah. Sweetie had a long night and went passed out the moment she fell into bed," Button explained. "And I mean literally falling onto the bed."

"And I thought my job could get tiring." The alicorn looked up at a nearby clock, nearly time for school to start. "Well, don't want to keep us getting our kids late for class. I'll see either you or Sweetie later."

"Right. Come on, Virtuo." Button and Virtuo began continuing making their way down the hall to find the colt's classroom, Emerald waving wildly as she watched her friend go.

"Bye, Vivi!" she said.

Solaris and Emerald finally found the classroom, where a couple other parents were inside as their foals were introduced to their teacher. The classroom was exactly how a preschool room was supposed to look: bright and colorful, large circular tables where some of the foals sat at in their little groups, some worn out toys for free time, all facing a large desk for the teacher to sit at in front of a chalkboard. The teacher was a lime green unicorn mare, her yellow mane tied in a ponytail that hung over her right shoulder, bearing a cutie mark with a big yellow smiley face. The parents before them began to take their leave as the young mare spotted the prince and his daughter.

"Your Highness! Good to see you again!" she said with a cheery attitude. She gasped when she looked down at Emerald. "And this must be the little princess I'll be teaching this year!"

"Yes, and she was quite eager to get started this morning," Solaris said. "I thought Hearth's Warming was supposed to be the only day to be woken up before the sun does."

"Oh, yes. Foals can be excited over everything," she said with a giggle. "We are going to have lots of fun this year! Now, go and find your name and get to know your new friends, sweetie! Class is going to start very soon!"

"Ok." Emerald gave Solaris a hug on the leg before heading over to meet her new friends, earning a kiss on the head from her daddy. "Love you, daddy!"

"Love you too." As Emerald headed over to the many small tables to find her assigned seat, Solaris turned back to the teacher. "Uhh, you do remember what we had discussed about with Emerald when I last came here, right?"

"Oh, right. Emerald is like a changeling as well," she said. "The whole cold weather thing. Don't you worry about that. The school board's discussed the issue and will fully dismiss any absences she has during the winter season if it's too cold for her to be outside. We'll send you her fun little assignments to do to the castle, and if you want to play teacher, it helps to have somepony teach her the lesson."

"Great. Thank you very much," Solaris said, relieved to hear Emerald wouldn't wind up being held back when she misses a few months of school during winter. "I really don't want her to be held back from any unnecessary absences when she goes, then passes out in a hibernating state due to her changeling blood."

"She's going to be a delight, Prince Solaris. She's in good hooves." Solaris took his leave as the warning bell rang. Emerald found her seat at a table with a purple unicorn filly with her curly mane a dark blue, and two earth pony colts, one with a light fuchsia coat and white and purple streaked, slicked back hair, the other silver with white hair. The filly waved to him, waving back as he left, not wanting to distract her from her first day of learning. The bell rang again as class truly began, the teacher stepping up to the front of her desk to begin the day. "Good morning, everypony! Welcome to preschool, the first of many years of learning new things, and getting the chance to make some new friends, too!

"My name is Mrs. Smiley, or you can call me Mrs. Smiles!" Levitating a piece of chalk with her magic, she wrote her name for them to see, putting a happy face underneath. "We'll start today with introducing each other to the class and tell a little something about them or their families. I'll start first to show you how it goes. I'm Smiley, and I love teaching. I have two older sisters, I enjoy reading stories, and I love eating pasta dishes. I really don't like eating brussels sprouts." She stuck out her tongue in disgust, making some of her students laugh at the face she made. "Even now as an adult, I hated them when I was a filly.

"So, who wants to introduce themselves first? Hooves in the air, my little ponies!" As Mrs. Smiley looked around the room, a few of the foals had their hooves raised in the air, one of them being Emerald. The filly was practically bouncing in her seat, chanting "Me!" over and over. The two colts at her table rolled their eyes, clearly not interested with introducing themselves to their class, or being in class at all. "How about...you?"

"Yes!" Emerald cheered as the mare pointed to her, the filly leaping out of her seat as she stood at the front of the class, Mrs. Smiley giggling at her enthusiasm as she stepped aside. "Hello, everypony! I am Princess Emerald Sparkle! I am part pony and part changeling, so don't be afraid of my horn, my legs, or my teeth." She showed off her changeling anatomy, chomping her teeth as she pointed at her mouth. "I have my mommy and daddy, I love chocolate because it also tastes like love, but I don't like broccoli."

As the filly mimicked her teacher's face of disgust earlier, the two colts at her table whispered something to each other as they pointed at her. "She's already a weirdo."

"More like a weirdo freak." They snickered as they made fun of Emerald behind her back, the other filly looking at them as she heard their private conversation.

"Very good, Emerald. You can head back to your seat now." Emerald skipped back to her seat as Mrs. Smiley continued. "Now, class, know that Princess Emerald is indeed part changeling. She won't be coming to school during winter since she can't handle the weather during the season, so don't be alarmed if she's absent during that time."

Only the two colts seemed to groan from the explanation as the rest of the class absorbed their first bit of knowledge on a changeling. They leered at Emerald as she sat back down with a grin, eager to get to know the names of her other classmates. The rest of the class introduced themselves and told everyone about themselves, including her group table. The fuchsia colt was named Gold Plate, his family owning the Barnyard Bargains store chain all across Equestria, his mother running the shopping center here in Canterlot. The silver colt was named Platinum Band, clearly Gold's friend and seemingly just as rich as his friend's family, though with what he didn't explain. And the other filly was named Melody, born in a family of singers as she spoke highly of her grandmother she called "Grandma Rara", who was a very popular singer many years ago.

Once introducing themselves to their classmates had ended, they placed their saddlebags in cubbies with their names on them, pulling out their crayons and pencils for their first fun activity: drawing a picture of their families. Mrs. Smiley told them that, once they were done, she was going to put them up on the wall for everyone to see. Emerald wanted to be artistic with her "family portrait", but she only had enough time for her actual family, not her extra extended family down in Ponyville. On a green field, she drew stick figures of them with a black crayon. She scribbled the bodies of her mother and Grandma Chrysie black with the same crayon, along with some green for their hair as they stood on one side. Emerald Solaris were in the middle, left as black pony stick figures as their bodies were white like the background, giving her daddy yellow hair in place of a gold crayon she unfortunately didn't have, and hers green and yellow. On the other side were her Grandaunt, Granduncle, and cousin Flurry Heart, Shining's hair blue while his body was left blank, Cadence pink with her pink, yellow, and purple hair, and Flurry a lighter shade of pink with her purple and blue curls.

"Wow. That's your family?" Emerald looked up from her work as her group classmate Melody looked at her drawing.

"Yup!" she said. "Here's my mommy and daddy, my grandma, and my auntie, uncle, and my cousin. Grandma's queen of the changelings, and they live in a hive like bumble bees. My auntie, uncle, and cousin live in the Crystal Empire."

"Cool," Melody said. "Who's the purple one in the sky?"

"Purple one?" Emerald turned her drawing around, surprised to see a stick figure of a purple alicorn hovering above her and her daddy. She didn't know if she drew it without noticing or if her mind was playing tricks on her, but she somehow recognized this pony. "Umm...I didn't draw this one...Did I?" Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the colts threw a paper ball at her, hitting her in the forehead. They were utterly bored, already done with their drawings of their families, though not as carefully drawn like Emerald's or any of the other foals. "Why'd you throw that at me?"

"Sorry. Thought you were a trash can," Gold Plate said.

"It's not nice to throw stuff at-" Platinum threw a paper ball at her this time, smacking her in the muzzle. The two colts snickered as she leered at them. "Stop throwing stuff at me."

"You two are gonna get in trouble," Melody said, getting equally annoyed by their bullying.

"Yeah, right," Platinum scoffed. "Our moms are rich. We can do anything we want."

"Oh, is that what you two think?" Mrs. Smiley asked, both colts yelping as neither of them, or anypony else, even heard the teacher approach or teleport behind them. In fact, she didn't even seem to have teleported at all. Gold Plate and Platinum Band looked up at the teacher, an unnerving smile on her face as she leaned her head down to their level. "Now, I know this is your first day of school, but I want to make everything clear with the rules of the class. Number one is to respect your classmates. We all want to be friends, and bullying is a big no no.

"This will be your only warning for the day. Good behavior gets you rewards, while bad behavior gives you a punishment you must serve for that behavior." She levitated the paper balls they threw at Emerald and set them down in front of the colts. They looked down at their trash, then back at Mrs. Smiley, only she wasn't smiling anymore, glaring intensely at the misbehaving colts, making their fur stand on end. Emerald also thought that she saw their teacher's cutie mark change from happy to angry, but she couldn't see, unable to move from strict gaze she gave to the two colts. "You act out and think this classroom is your own personal playroom away from home, you will not have snack time or recess, and I will tell your parents about your misbehavior. No ifs, ands, or buts.

"Am I perfectly clear?" Without saying a word, Gold and Platinum nodded their heads, Mrs. Smiley's words sounding like she would end up spanking them with her low tone. She immediately perked back to her happy, cheerful self and stood up. "Good! Now, why don't you throw your crumpled paper in the recycling bin, and not at other ponies!? Also, apologize to Emerald for throwing them at her."

"Sorry, Emerald," they both quickly said, taking their wasted paper and walked over to the blue recycling bin by the teacher's desk.

"Now, sweetheart, if those colts ever pick on you again, you can come and tell me," Mrs. Smiley instructed. "Don't be afraid to tell an adult if somepony picks on you. We want to make sure everypony is treated equally here in school. Ok?"

"Yes, Mrs. Smiley," Emerald said.

"Good." The mare looked down at Emerald's drawing, seeing her family, along with the purple alicorn she made. "Ooooh. That's a pretty drawing. Is this your whole family?"

"Yes...but, I don't know who this one is." Emerald pointed at the lavender stick figure. She gasped when she saw it had a halo over its head, drawn with yellow crayon. "Huh? When did-?"

"Oh, I think I know who that might be," Mrs. Smiley said. "Is she an angel?...Because of that little gold ring over her head?"

"But I didn't draw-" The bell suddenly rang, surprising the filly as the other colts and fillies wondered what was going on.

"Ok, my little ponies! It's time for recess!" the mare announced. "Leave your drawings on the table! I'll pick them up after we got outside and have a little fun! Everypony line up, single file!"

As the class got up from their seats, excited to play outside as they all stood at the front of the door in a single line, Emerald stared at her drawing for a while longer. She scratched her head in confusion, swearing she knew this alicorn from somewhere, but at the same time, she didn't. What's weird is that she didn't remember drawing the halo over the pony, too busy getting miffed at Gold Plate and Platinum Band for picking on her. She ignored it and stood in line behind Melody as they began to head outside for recess.

The door closed as the empty classroom was left alone. In Emerald's drawing, a small flash of lavender light appeared on the page, the stick figure pony turning more detailed from a foal's drawing to a lifelike mare, still drawn in crayon. The alicorn giggled at the little surprise joke she played, looking down from her two dimensional perspective at the filly's drawing of her family.

"I never thought I would try this spell in a lifetime, but that surely caught her by surprise." She laughed again as she began disappearing in the same light. "I'll see you back home after school, Emerald."

The angel disappeared, leaving Emerald's drawing alone as her image was now gone from the filly's creation.

As recess began, Mrs. Smiley watched her students as they all ran out to enjoy the fresh air and burn off some energy. Foals began playing catch with some rubber balls set up by the school building for them to play with, running around the playground as they played tag, or fooled around on the jungle gym. While the others played, Emerald was too busy lost in thought, wondering what was going on with her drawing as she sat on the swing set. Melody sat in the other swing next to her, noticing her classmate's silence and lack of fun.

"Aren't you gonna swing?" Melody asked.

"Huh?" Emerald snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at the unicorn. "Oh. I don't feel like having fun."

"Why?" she asked.

"My drawing. I didn't even draw a purple alicorn on it. I don't know anypony in my family like that." She went back to thinking, pressing a hoof to her lips. "But I feel like I know her..."

Her thoughts were snapped out again by a hard shove, Gold Plate and Platinum Band pushing Emerald and Melody off of the swing set. "Our turn on the swings!"

The hybrid filly growled as she got up, turning around to glare at the colts. "We were on it first!"

"You weren't even swinging!" As true as Gold's words were since she was just sitting on it, Emerald and Melody were roughly pushed off.

"You didn't have to push us!" Emerald argued. "I'm telling Mrs. Smiley you're being a bunch of dummies!"

She turned to march off to the teacher, but Gold Plate grabbed her tail and pulled her harshly, making her flop to the ground. "So you're gonna be a little tattle tale all the time?"

"Let go of my tail!" she shouted as she flailed her back legs to try to kick Gold in the face.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Gold goaded. "You're not a princess! You're just a giant white bug that was kicked out of her real family's life! You can't do anything to me!"

Emerald snapped at the insult, pulling her tail and bucking the light fuchsia colt hard in the nose. He let go and cried out in pain, holding onto his muzzle, but he couldn't escape as she yelled and jumped on him. Her hooves flailed over his face, fed up with his insults and teasing on their first day of school.

"Take it back, you stupid jerk!" she yelled. Platinum tried to drag her off, but the filly punched him hard in the face, giving him a black eye as he began crying. Emerald pulled Gold up, pressing her face against the terrified colt's bruised and teary-eyed face. "My mommy and daddy love me, and I too am a princess!"

"Emerald Sparkle!" She winced when she heard Mrs. Smiley, turning her head to see the disappointed and angry gaze on the mare's face as she approached them, Melody standing behind her as she ran off to tell her after Emerald attacked Gold Plate. She pulled Emerald off of the colt and looked down at her. "What are you doing?"

"B-But Mrs. Smiley, he started it," she said.

"I don't care who started it, but you do not hurt your classmates!" Mrs. Smiley scolded. "If anypony was bothering you, you come to an adult, remember?"

"I was, but he-" The green mare didn't want to hear any excuses as she helped both Gold Plate and Platinum Band up, using her magic to make a first aid kit appear.

"Hurting others to solve your problems is not right, Emerald." She began wiping the colts' faces of their tears, seeing only bruises on their faces and no blood or broken muzzles. "Let's get you two to the nurse's office for some ice packs. Emerald, you sit your flanks down on that bench over there and stay there for the rest of recess."

Emerald lowered her head, her ears drooping down as she did as she was told. She looked at the colts to apologize to them, only to see them smirking as they managed to get her in trouble. The filly grumbled and turned her head before Mrs. Smiley saw, her first day going from great to terrible in only a few hours. She sat down on the bench near the building, scowling in anger as she watched her teacher escort Gold Plate and Platinum Band over to the door, one of the school nurses notified by Mrs. Smiley via telepathy to come and get them to ice down their bruises.

"Humph," Emerald pouted, crossing her forelegs over her chest as she glared at the playground. "Stupid Gold Plate. Stupid Platinum Band..."

"Sorry I got you in trouble." She looked at Melody, feeling guilty for telling their teacher and getting her in more trouble than the two bullies. "I told her they pushed us off the swing and pulled your tail, but...you also hit them."

"They got me in trouble on purpose," Emerald said. "And they also picked on you. I wasn't going to let that happen."

"Thanks," Melody said.

"Melody, don't talk to Emerald!" Mrs. Smiley called out. "She's in time-out!"

The purple unicorn filly backed away, not wanting to get into trouble herself, but she didn't want to leave Emerald by herself. Emerald just nudged her head toward the playground, assuring her she would be fine by herself and let her friend enjoy her recess. She watched Melody head back to the empty swing set to swing again, slumping back against the bench as she groaned in boredom, wishing she played a little bit before pondering what or who added that pony in her drawing. Some of her classmates eyed her, a little wary of her after pummeling Gold Plate and smacking Platinum in the face.

"Well, at least I made one new friend," Emerald said to herself as she looked at Melody, the filly giving a small wave with a guilty expression on her face.

Recess ended, Mrs. Smiley escorting her class back to their room, making sure Emerald stayed by her so she doesn't cause anymore trouble. Once inside, she guided the filly to a back table she called the "Bad Corner", being an example to the rest of her classmates showing that if they do anything bad toward another student that ends up physically hurting them, they were sent there, away from the others, until they had enough time to think about what they did. The teacher picked up her little ponies' drawings after writing their names down on the back of the papers, a little surprised not seeing the purple alicorn in Emerald's, but ignored it, thinking she must have erased the other pony before they left for recess.

The rest of the day was spent getting to know everything in the class and all the rules, but the best part was when Mrs. Smiley told them about a reward chart for those with good behavior. Each week, she'll give put a gold star every day in the rows with their names, and if they get five stars, they'll get a little treat if they listen, follow directions, and be on their best behavior. She'll award a star to each student at the end of the day, though, after getting into trouble because of Gold Plate and Platinum Band, she surely wasn't going to be getting any reward this week.

They soon had lunch when the bell rang, walking single file behind their teacher with their lunches from home. Emerald didn't bother chatting with anyone, not even Melody. She knew she was going to fear getting scolded by her parents, and she didn't want her daddy to yell at her for being bad. Once lunch was over, they headed back to the classroom for a bit of free time until it was time for school to end. The final bell of the day rang as the colts and fillies grabbed their saddlebags and followed Mrs. Smiley out by the front of the school. Parents or older siblings came around to pick up each of Emerald's classmates, waving bye to Melody as her grandmother came to pick her up, the elder ex-singer's coat a pale aquamarine, her hair slightly grayed among her dark indigo and opal highlighted mane, her cutie mark a star with five different colored musical notes angled between the points of the star.

Eventually, it was just Emerald, her two bullies, and her teacher. She didn't have to wait long, unfortunately, as she saw Solaris fly in as he panted heavily.

"Sorry I'm late," the alicorn apologized. "I lost track of time during open court with some Canterlot business ponies. But I'm here now to pick Emmy up."

"Understandable, Your Highness, but I think you should know something that happened today," Mrs. Smiley said. Solaris winced as he began to dread the bad news from the tone in the mare's voice. "Earlier today at recess, it seemed Emerald had a little problem with these two colts." She pointed at Gold and Platinum beside her, the stallion noting the bruises on their faces. "I saw them throw paper balls at her before that and gave them a warning, but while out on the playground, these three began to fight, and your daughter began hitting them."

"...What?" Emerald winced at the tone of disbelief in her daddy's voice, feeling his eyes gaze at her, greatly disappointed and unable to believe she would do something like that, and she did do it.

"It was self-defense as her friend came and told me what was happening. She said they pushed her and Emerald off the swings, Gold Plate pulled her tail and made her fall to the ground, and said something that instigated her into punching them. I'll be sure to tell these colts' parents about their behavior as well." Gold Plate and his friend blanched, the both of them in trouble too.

"But she's the one who-!" Gold quickly shut his mouth when Mrs. Smiley leered at him, the same stern gaze that terrified him more than his own mother.

"All three of you misbehaved, so don't try to play innocent when you start something," she warned, turning back to the prince. "I had to put her in the 'Bad Corner' as her punishment, but if she acts out like that again, she could wind up expelled from this school if this keeps up."

"I assure you she's never misbehaved at home...I know she knows better than that." Solaris felt like he was already failing as a father, making sure she learned right from wrong and didn't spoil her. He grabbed Emerald's hoof and pulled her closer to him. "This won't happen again. Right, Emerald?"

The filly's ears drooped and winced, her daddy only calling her by her name instead of Emmy when she was in trouble. "Y-Yes, daddy..."

"Let's go." Solaris and Emerald began to head back to the castle, the filly's head hung low in shame. "We are going to have a long talk when we get home. And your mother's going to hear about this, too."

Emerald's Guardian Angel

Solaris and Emerald walked along the roads of Canterlot, the stallion keeping his eyes focused on getting his daughter home to the castle while the filly walked beside him, deeply ashamed as her first day of school wound up with her getting in a lot of trouble. Her head hung low, knowing she was going to be properly punished at home for her misbehavior. Even though she knew what she did was wrong, beating up Gold Plate for picking on her and knocking Platinum Band in the nose as he tried to pull her off the fuchsia colt, they didn't have the right bully her or hurt Melody as well. They got away with throwing paper balls at her, pulling on her tail, and telling her she was an adopted reject, but defending herself ends up with her in the "bad corner" and an eventual scolding, or a spanking, from her daddy.

Once at the gates, the guards watching the entrance bowing to the prince and young princess, they walked inside and made their way through the grand halls. Both father and daughter remained silent, the former waiting to speak until they found Trill, while the latter was afraid to say something that could get her in more trouble. They passed by the mural windows on the wall, Emerald looking up to see all of Equestria's greatest accomplishments from historical figures, including one of her father confronting a demonic beast. Every night, her parents told her stories about Solaris's mighty feats, how his strength and courage stopped Lucifer from destroying the whole world, and even watching his hoof-to-hoof combat to entertain her outside.

"Emerald!" Solaris called out, the filly wincing as she ended up stopping to look at her daddy's greatest triumph, running back up to his side.

After a long and anxious walk up to the top, they walked into Emerald's room, where they found Trill actually tidying up her daughter's room. She looked up when she heard them enter, happy to see her husband and foal return.

"Hey, you two!" she greeted.

"You're...cleaning?" Solaris asked, a bit awed to see his wife doing something productive that the maids could have done for her.

"I got bored," Trill answered, lowering the cleaning supplies she held in her magic as she approached her family. She was about to give Solaris a kiss, only to feel the negative air around both him and Emerald. "Whoa...What is this? What's got you two all mopey?"

He looked down at Emerald, the hybrid filly keeping her eyes to the ground as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Do you want to tell mommy what happened at school today, Emerald? Or do you want me to tell her for you?"

"Uh oh. You didn't call her 'Emmy'," Trill grimaced, knowing full well Solaris was deadly serious and Emerald did something she wasn't supposed to. "What happened?"

Both parents looked down at Emerald, the filly sniffling, too scared to say what happened. She tilted her head up, averting her eyes toward her father as she looked at her mother.

"...I-I...I got in trouble," she said.

"Trouble?" Trill asked.

"She was being picked on in class by two colts, but when it came to recess, her teacher told me she attacked both of them and hurt them pretty bad," Solaris finished for her, Emerald whimpering sadly as she lowered her head.

"What!? You beat up two bullies who were picking on you!?" Trill was about to praise her for defending herself, only to receive a warning leer from Solaris at her excited tone, not the right response to give to their daughter who got in trouble on the first day of school. "...Uhh, t-that was very bad. You don't hurt anypony no matter what they do to you...What...did they do?"

"...They...threw paper balls at me...and pushed me off the swing...and pulled my tail..." Hearing Emerald tearfully explain to Trill what the colts did to her, she gave her own glare back at Solaris.

"Oh, really? So, you got into trouble for defending yourself?" the changeling questioned.

"They also pushed my new friend, too," Emerald added.

"Emerald, that does not excuse beating up one of the colts," Solaris said, making Emerald wince at his low tone.

"Are you kidding me, Solaris!?" Trill exclaimed. "Our baby was being picked on and you're more upset with her than those dumb boys who thought it was hilarious to pick on her!?"

"I'm mad at those colts as well, but that doesn't mean she's not going to go unpunished," he explained. "I don't want Emerald kicked out of school right as the year just began. We both want her to grow up and have a good education and have a normal life, not like how we lived our own foalhoods." Trill wanted to argue further, but he was right. Emerald did need to know right from wrong and always learn consequences will be given if she misbehaves or does something without being told. She could even tell that his voice wavered, not wanting to punish his daughter and have her hate him, never wanting to resort to being the bad guy for the filly he loved with all his heart. "She may have defended herself and her friend, but she not fight unless she's being attacked first. Physically, not emotionally."

"...Right..." Trill levitated Emerald's saddlebags off and laid them beside her bed. She lowered herself down to her level, the filly slowly looking up as she saw the tears streaming down the filly's cheeks. "Honey, you do realize what you did at school was wrong, right?" she asked, earning a nod from her. "And the next time you get picked on by some dumb colts, you go straight to your teacher and tell them instead of hurt them back. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, mommy," Emerald responded.

"Good girl." Trill gave her a small kiss on the cheek and gently rubbed her back, Solaris using his magic to levitate some of Emerald's toys out of her room.

"You won't have any of your toys to play with for a week," he said. "You'll get them back if I hear you've been behaving and I get no bad news from Mrs. Smiley." Solaris went to pick up his daughter's teddy bear to take away as well, but his heart couldn't bear to leave her without her favorite toy she had ever since she was born. He left it on her bed, carrying out the rest of her toys and placed them in his and Trill's room to hide from her until her punishment was over. "And you won't play outside today. Do you understand?"

"Yes, daddy," she said, knowing she deserved to lose her toys as a suitable punishment than getting spanked that she heard some bad foals get.

"Good." Solaris and Trill made their way out of Emerald's room to let her think about her actions. "I'll come and get you when dinner's ready..."

He closed the door and stayed beside it, his tears welling up in his eyes, now showing themselves as his heart wanted nothing more than to break down for speaking like that to Emerald. He turned back and walked into the master bedroom, not bothering to hide his daughter's toys as he sat down on the bed, burying his hooves in his face as he felt guilty. He never wanted to be harsh on her, but he had to be strict to make sure she didn't end up making even worse choices in the future, and it hurt him to see her trembling in fright at his low tone, as if she was expecting him to hurt her.

"Solly?" He looked up with his tear-stricken eyes as Trill stood before him. "You ok?"

"...No." Solaris sighed, part of him regretting being that strict as it had hurt him more than it must have for his daughter. "I felt awful doing that...I know I'm supposed to punish her, but she didn't even look at me when we got home." He fell back on the bed as so many scenarios ran through his head with his and Emerald's relationship as father and daughter. "I don't want to speak to her like that...I don't want her to hate me."

"Honey, she doesn't hate you," Trill assured, climbing up on the bed with him as nuzzled his neck. "I know you want to be a good dad and all, but maybe you were a little bit too harsh with punishing her for defending herself from a couple colts who pulled her tail and threw stuff at her. I would have kicked their plots into next week if I was her age."

"Whether she fought for self-defense or no reason, she could end up getting expelled if she bodily harms any of her classmates like that anymore times," he said. "I don't want her to get ridiculed by her peers and constantly get into fights...I don't want Emmy to get hurt by anypony...Not by words or violence..."

Trill sighed, rolling over on top of him, moving his hooves away from his face. "Emerald's a smart filly, and we both know she knows the difference between right and wrong. She's not going to act up like that again, and she knows you love her and only want what's best for her. You can't always be the fun parent all the time." Solaris mulled over her words, always surprised to hear so much helpful advice from the lackadaisical, perverted mare he fell in love with. He knew she was right, even if it did stab his heart seeing Emerald upset as he gave her a punishment she deserves. Seeing he was feeling a little better, Trill grinned and sat up on his stomach. "No need to thank me for getting you back to being rational."

"...How do you even do that?" he asked. "You hate studying, you get bored when you hear a lecture, and all you have on your mind all the time is flirting, sex, and goofing around. How is it possible somepony like you can have any wisdom with life when you spend most of that life wanting me to rut you into unconsciousness?"

"I don't know, and you will never know either," she giggled, rubbing her hooves together as she laughed like a generic movie villain. Solaris just shook his head, amazed and happy to have somepony like her in his life. His ears perked up when he heard their bedroom door lock, feeling her hooves stroking his chest and heard her purr seductively. "How about we have a little fun before we get ourselves ready for dinner?"

"Seriously, Trill?" the alicorn grumbled. Any other complaints he was about to say fell silent as the changeling leaned down and began nipping at his neck, her lustful growls easily swaying him to join her and give in to his pent up sexual desires. He gave in and trapped Trill under his forelegs and began to kiss her, Emerald rarely giving the two of them any privacy with her energy and needs from either or both of them. He managed to roll on top of her, pulling his lips away from hers before he gave into his primal instincts to take his mare and unleash every single ounce of his built up tension from his duties as a prince and a father. "I'm only going to do this because of the stress from the several months of work and holding back beating those two colts myself for messing with my little filly."

Trill giggled as she squirmed under her husband's strong legs, unable to escape even if she wanted to. "Don't hold back, baby," she said lasciviously, wrapping her legs around his body and pulled him down on her, bumping his snout against hers, giving him a sensual lick against his lips. "Give it to me good, you sexy stud."

Emerald moped in her bedroom, all her toys taken away for getting in trouble at school when it should have been Gold Plate and Platinum Band who were supposed to be the ones to pay for picking on her. Maybe she did go a bit too far and wailed on them, but she's not going to apologize for ruining Gold's face after those two planned to get under her skin and provoke her into getting punished. She panted heavily as she finally began expressing her anger, tears streaming down her face.

She growled, grabbing her pillow and punching it hard repeatedly, blowing off all her pent up energy from lack of playing into unbridled anger toward those two bullies. She might not be allowed to hurt them at school again, but that didn't mean she could imagine them in the pillow and beat their mocking faces into a pulp. After several minutes of grunting and hitting, her hooves slowed as she was reminded of the disappointment her daddy had, always a good filly and listening to him whenever he told her to do something. But now, with how he spoke to her after today, she thought he didn't love her anymore, and Gold Plate's words sounded like they were true after all. She looked at her hooves, seeing the holes that changelings had as she shared both her parents' blood...or were they really her parents?

The dreadful question brought more tears to her eyes as she began to cry, burying her face in her battered pillow and sobbed her eyes out. She pulled her teddy bear close to her and snuggled it as she cried, Gold's hurtful words being an abandoned freak held to heart. She questioned if her daddy really was her daddy at all, who she was, why she was so different from her other friends, and the painful answers she could think of in her state only made her more miserable.

She didn't notice a purple light begin to shine in her room, growing bigger and brighter in the middle of her room. Once the light faded, the same alicorn angel that had watched over Emerald appeared in its place. She was about to say hello, only to notice the filly with her face buried in her pillow as she held her bear tightly. She didn't expect to see her granddaughter this upset after her fun first day of school, wishing she stayed longer to see what had happened to her. The angel approached Emerald and sat by her bed, gently running her hoof against her back.

"What's wrong, Emerald?" she asked, Emerald's ears perking up as she heard her.

She looked up in surprise, never even hearing the alicorn walk into her room. Emerald just stared at her, wondering who she is, why she was here, and how she knew her. Her first instinct was supposed to be calling for her parents if a stranger talked to her, but she didn't, somehow finding her familiar.

"W-Who are you?" Emerald asked. She soon gasped, remembering her drawing she made in class today with the purple alicorn she didn't draw in as she saw the gold halo over the lavender alicorn's head. "You look like that pony in my drawing! And I didn't draw it!"

"Heheh. Yeah. I wanted to surprise you a little," she said.

"I knew I didn't draw that...but, why do I feel like I know you?" Emerald leapt off her bed and circled the angel, looking at every part of her. She had a similar manestyle as hers, only purple with a pink stripe, she had a giant fuchsia star with five smaller white ones for her cutie mark, which looked almost like her Granduncle Shining Armor's on his shield cutie mark. She looked almost like her if she was a grownup. "Are you me from the future?"

The alicorn giggled at the silly theory from the mind of a five-year-old's imagination. "Sadly, no. If that were the case, why don't I have fangs? Or holes in my legs?"

"...Oh." Emerald began to think harder, scrunching her muzzle and crossing her forehooves, but sighed in defeat and gave up. "I got nothing."

"I thought you would recognize me, but seeing as you were an infant, I'm not surprised you weren't able to." The mare giggled as the filly tilted her head in confusion. "Have you ever heard of angels, Emerald?"

"...I think so," she said. "There was a story daddy read to me about an angel helping somepony poor..."

"Then you must know about guardian angels." The filly gasped, finally getting the hint as the angel introduced herself. "Yup. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am your guardian angel, Emerald Sparkle."

"I have a guardian angel!?" Emerald began cheering and bouncing around the alicorn, Twilight giggling with amusement as she behaved exactly like her when she got excited as a filly. "I have a guardian angel! I gotta tell daddy I have a-!"

She immediately stopped celebrating, back to being depressed as her scolding from her daddy came back to her. Twilight saw her change in attitude and consoled her.

"What's the matter, Emerald?" she asked.

"...I got in trouble at school today," Emerald explained as her tears began to return in her eyes again. "Daddy's mad at me."

"You got in trouble on the first day of school?" Twilight questioned, surprised to hear anyone ever getting themselves into trouble on their first day beginning their educational learning. "What did you do?"

"Didn't you see?" Emerald asked in confusion.

"Well, I left and planned on meeting you right at this moment to introduce myself, and I wasn't watching you at that moment because, surprisingly, there's a really strict system that goes on up there." Twilight groaned in annoyance while Emerald listened with curiosity. "You have no idea how long it actually took me to prove to the higher ups I have the capabilities of being a guardian angel so I can watch over you and your father. The paperwork was simple, but I swear some of the seraphic leaders are just as stubborn as many of the unicorns in Canterlot."

"You know my daddy?" Emerald asked.

"Of course," Twilight said.

"Were you his guardian angel, too?" The angel let out a sad laugh, her granddaughter not exactly correct, even if it was partially true from a distance when around her.

"No, but I have known him since he was a foal. I do keep a close eye on him from time to time, just to make sure he's doing ok." Twilight rubbed the filly's head, not wanting to get too into her son's past around her grandfilly. If she wanted to know about what happened to him, she would have to ask him herself, and wait when he finds the courage to speak about the truth behind the heroic stories he tells her. "Anyway, let's get back to school today. What happened after you made your drawing?"

"...Well..." Emerald didn't know if whatever she says would matter since she was speaking to an adult, even if she was an angel. Looking up at her, she saw that Twilight was waiting for her to continue, listening to her and trusting her word. She sighed and pressed her cheek against Twilight's leg, her body physical to the filly as an ethereal angel. "At recess, two colts, Gold Plate and Platinum Band, kept picking on me today. They threw paper balls at me, pushed me and my friend off the swings, and Gold pulled my tail and said mommy and daddy don't love me because I'm weird. I was going to tell Mrs. Smiley...but what he said made me mad, and I beat him up and punched Platinum."

"...I see. Bullying." Twilight sighed in disappointment, the youth of this generation only getting worse and worse as the years progressed. "And you're the only one who got in trouble for protecting yourself?"

"Mhmm," Emerald mumbled with a nod of her head. "But I was going to tell on them. Honest."

"And that's the right thing to do," Twilight said. "But, next time those colts make fun of you, don't fight back. You can get in serious trouble when you hurt others like that, and you can get hurt yourself. Understand?" Emerald nodded, not willing to risk getting in trouble again. "Good girl. I know you're a smart filly, and you'll do great in school like I did."

"'Like you did?' What does that mean?" Twilight winced, almost revealing she was once alive.

"Uhhhh..." While trying to figure out how to avoid telling her she wasn't born an angel, a knock came from her door, thankfully dropping the subject entirely as the door opened slightly.

"Emmy?" Solaris called out, poking his head in. "Are you talking to somepony?"

"Umm..." Emerald looked at Twilight, then back at her daddy.

He was looking at her, and he wasn't at all surprised to see the lavender alicorn angel beside her. Twilight shook her head when she looked at her again.

"He can't see me," she said. "Only you can see me. So, if you want to talk to me when I'm around without making it seem like you're talking to yourself, speak with me through telepathy." Emerald stared blankly in confusion, not knowing about telepathy or what it can do. "Just think with your thoughts and I can hear you."

She understood and looked back at Solaris, the stallion growing a little with her silence and looking up at the wall. "No, daddy."

Solaris lit up his horn, scanning the room for any hidden magical traces, unsure of any paparazzi or possible assassins that may have snuck into Emerald's bedroom past the guards, but was relieved to find nothing. "Ok...Can I come in?"

"Mhmm." He walked inside and approached her, unaware of Twilight watching him as he sat down in front of her. Emerald sniffed the air around her daddy, always smelling a certain love energy that came from him whenever he and her mommy were alone sometimes. "Were you and mommy wrestling?"

"Wrestling? Why would-?" Solaris paused, mentally facehoofing at the innocent term for her when he and Trill had sex. Even though they cleaned up after their little stress relieving romp, Emerald was able to sense the lust energy that might still be radiating from him. Trill wound up saving another filly's innocence again, saying they were wrestling after the first time she smelled him nearly a year ago after they celebrated their wedding anniversary, and it was an even more embarrassing to have to try to lie to his daughter than his cousin that they were having some private adult time. "Ummm, right! We were...wrestling. Completely forgot about your sense of smell. Trill, you always have to make things more difficult after making me feel better, don't you?"

Twilight snickered at her son's flabbergasted expression and the playful lie to spare Emerald of their activities she's sure to learn when she reaches puberty. "Well, at least they have time together. Even though their bedrooms are clearly yards away from each other."

"Oh." Emerald didn't pay the scent much mind, not exactly hating it, but it was an odd smell that made her curious about where it came from.

"Uhh...so..." The room was silent, Solaris trying to find the words to say while Emerald waited for him to speak, a little worried she'll be scolded again. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at his daughter. "...Emmy, you know I'm not mad at you for what you did today, right?"

"...I don't know," she mumbled, looking down at her hooves.

The stallion winced, his little filly unable to look at him, still afraid of what he would say. "I'm really not...I was...disappointed, but I only heard what your teacher told me." He lowered himself down so he wouldn't intimidate her with his size, Emerald tentatively looking up at him. "Can you tell me what happened? I promise I won't be angry."

Emerald stared at her daddy, her eyes shifting between his worried face and her guardian angel watching them. She saw Twilight nodding her head, promising her that he wouldn't be mad at her. The filly swallowed the lump in her throat and found her voice as she began telling him what had happened that got her in trouble with Mrs. Smiley. After hearing the two colts who picked on her throwing paper balls at her, pushing her around, yanking her tail, and insulting her, even trying to approach her teacher to tell on them before she snapped, Solaris immediately pulled Emerald into a hug. The worst was what those bullies had said to her; calling her a freak who was abandoned by her parents and not loved by him or Trill, making her think she wasn't their foal and questioning her existence as a pony/changeling filly.

Emerald sniffled, hugging her daddy's neck tightly while he held her, afraid to let go of him and have Gold's theory come true. "I-I'm sorry, daddy...I don't wanna be bad..."

"Honey, you're not bad," Solaris assured. "Don't listen to a single word those colts say to you. You're our little filly, and we love you. So very much." He gave her small kisses on her head, proving to her he does love her as she felt it, absorbing the love he gave her as her horn sparked. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I'm actually glad to know you stood up to them and for your new friend, but no hitting them if they get to you. Ok?"

"Ok," she mumbled.

He lowered Emerald back down to the floor, wiping away her tears. "I know words can be hurtful, but if they start making fun of you, ignore them and pretend they're not there. And if they keep bothering you, promise me you'll tell your teacher, mommy, or me if they don't stop?"

"I promise," Emerald said. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

As she said the familiar patented promise left by Pinkie Pie, now known as a Cherry Promise as her daughter renamed it, Emerald crossed her hoof over her chest, flapped her wings, and placed the hoof she used against her eye. She intends to keep that promise, not wanting to get in trouble again and see her daddy look so mean when given bad news from her teacher. Solaris smiled, rubbing her head and leaned down to give her another kiss.

"You know that's a very serious promise you made," he reminded. "If you break it, Aunt Cherry Pie's going to pop out of nowhere and get you." He poked her muzzle with his hoof, making her giggle, seeing the cheerful smile he loved to see on his little filly. "Can you forgive me for being so mean?"

"Mhmm," she said with a nod, hugging his foreleg with a loving nuzzle. "Love you, daddy."

"Love you, too, Emmy," he said back as he rubbed her back with his free hoof. Twilight watched the heartwarming scene, wishing she had more time with Solaris before her eventual demise, wanting to have given him a normal life like he was giving to his daughter. "Hey. You getting hungry?" Emerald nodded as her stomach began to growl. "Yup. That's definitely a hungry belly. Let's head to the dining hall."

"Ok, daddy." Father and daughter soon left the room and began heading down to the dining hall, Twilight following them as she tailed after her son and granddaughter.

"Don't tell mommy this, but instead of having your toys taken for a week, I'm going to lower it to a couple days," he said. "But still no going outside in the garden or courtyard. Deal?"

"Deal," Emerald giggled, taking the lesser punishment, knowing her daddy can never be mad at her for too long, even though she could last a week without her other toys.

The next morning, Emerald woke up and got herself ready for school, take two of having a fun day of learning. She walked with her daddy to the school again, her saddlebags checked for her supplies and her lunch, keeping the Cherry Promise she made yesterday. As they walked through the halls to reach her classroom, she accidentally bumped into someone, and as her newfound bad luck had it out for her over her expectations of going to school, she ran into Gold Plate as she rounded the corner. The two glared at each other, Gold's mother too busy speaking with Mrs. Smiley. Her coat was a pale magenta, her mane and tail a light violet with white streaks, and her cutie mark was a tiara.

"You," Gold growled.

"You, too," Emerald said back.

Solaris rounded the corner as his daughter ran on ahead of her, standing over her and leering down at the brat who upset her with his teasing and abuse. The colt backed away, fearing the glaring daggers the alicorn prince gave him and hid behind his mother, startling the mare when he suddenly clung onto her.

"Gold! I'm in the middle of a conversation! And stop clinging onto me tightly like-" She looked over at what he was looking at, her eyes widening in shock at the presence of the prince and his daughter. "Prince Solaris?"

"Ah. Perfect timing!" Mrs. Smiley said. "Your Highness, I was just informing Miss Tiara, Gold Plate's mother, about the parent teacher conferences with her son."

"Yes, and after hearing what my son did yesterday, I'm going to make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble. Right, Gold?" She looked down at the colt, who looked away with annoyance, still hiding behind her and far away from the protective alicorn father. "I really am sorry about his behavior toward your daughter. If he does it again, I'm going to have to take away all of his toys and give them to charity if he acts that way again, especially toward a filly who is also a princess."

"'Miss Tiara'..." Solaris had heard the mare's name before, getting a better look at the older mare. "Your name sounds familiar...Do you by any chance know a couple mares named Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo?"

"...Yes. They're friends of mine," she replied, a little confused. "I used to live there too before I moved here to Canterlot to help run one of my family business chains for my father."

"...Were you also their bully when you were foals?" he asked, the mare wincing at that terrible side of her being reminded, but she nodded her head. It soon clicked in the alicorn's head, finally remembering her full name from the stories the founders of the CMC told him as a colt. "Now I remember! Diamond Tiara! Aunt Apple Bloom, Aunt Scootaloo, and Aunt Sweetie Belle told me a lot about you!"

"They have?" Diamond asked, a little surprised and embarrassed that her old bullying victims spoke of her to the prince. "And...they're your aunts?"

"Well, not by blood, but I looked up to them as aunts growing up," he explained, Emerald looking up at her daddy in confusion while Gold Plate's jaw dropped in shock. "The told me about their misadventures finding their cutie marks, and without you, they wouldn't have become best friends or got their cutie marks. And...maybe a few things you did to them during your...bullying days."

Diamond Tiara groaned as she was reminded of her constant teasing to the Crusaders, not proud of what she had been back then and disappointed in seeing that side of her in her son. "Please don't remind me. I was hoping to forget about all that, but after yesterday..." She looked back at Gold Plate, the colt still astonished that the prince knew his mother and feared ever having them become friends. She shook him off her leg and dragged him before Solaris and Emerald. "I assure you, my son will not become a reincarnation of me as the rich bully who's better than his peers. Now, you apologize to the princess for picking on her, and if you do it again, it's bye bye to your toys."

"But mommy, she hurt me first!" the colt whined as he pointed at his bruised face.

"Don't start that with me, young colt!" the mother scolded, knowing full well he instigated the fight and deserved to have karma kick him in the rear. "You're supposed to be a proper gentlecolt, and you do not hurt fillies in any way. Say you're sorry."

Gold turned away from his mother and pouted, refusing to apologize. Emerald was amused as he was in just as much trouble as she was, but as she looked back up to her daddy, he gave her a look telling her to do the same for beating him up. She let out an annoyed whine, but sighed as she approached the pouting colt and held her hoof out to him.

"I'm sorry I hit you yesterday," she apologized.

He didn't respond and continued leering at her, refusing to apologize to the filly. "Gold, apologize." He ignored his mother and looked away. "Alright, if that's how you want to behave, then all of your toys are going to be donated to good colts and fillies who deserve to have them."

"No!" he cried out as he turned back to Diamond. "You can't take my toys away!"

"Then be a good colt, shake her hoof, and apologize." Gold grumbled and turned back to face Emerald, still waiting for the hoof shake.

He growled and took her hoof and shook it. "Sorry..."

"That's better." The bell began to ring as class school was about to start, both foals following Mrs. Smiley inside while Solaris and Diamond Tiara left. The mare sighed in irritation, utterly embarrassed by her own child's behavior, and in front of the stallion who ruled Equestria and saved it from fifteen long years of oppression under the dark stallion, Lucifer. "I hope we don't end up meeting each other to discuss these issues again, Your Highness."

"I hope not as well," he said.

"...So, how are the former Crusaders?" Diamond asked. "I haven't seen them after graduating from high school and began learning about the family business. Eventually, I'll have to make some deals with Apple Bloom when zap apple season comes around, but for now, I'm running the Barnyard Bargains here in Canterlot."

"They're actually doing pretty well," Solaris said. "Sweetie Belle actually lives up here in Canterlot with her husband and son, and she sometimes sings in the theater on some nights. I don't think she's awake right now since she works long nights singing."

As the two parents left the building and talked, inside Mrs. Smiley's classroom, their foals weren't quite as friendly. Gold Plate leered at the filly that got him in even more trouble and mocked him with apologizing for beating him up like he had planned. Emerald, on the other hoof, followed both her daddy's and guardian angel's advice, ignoring his gaze as she paid attention to Mrs. Smiley and her friend Melody. Melody was still a little guilty for getting her friend in trouble, but she assured her she was fine and happy knowing she wasn't hurt too from yesterday.

Twilight continued to watch Emerald, but she kept a close eye on Gold Plate and Platinum Band. Those colts were going to continue pestering her, and it won't be easy for them to get bored of her when Emerald is a pony/changeling hybrid filly. The best she can do is give helpful advice, maybe give her granddaughter a warning if they were going to do something, and whenever Solaris was around, make sure he was doing ok. She was pretty much a ghost to him now, only able to watch him as only his daughter can see and hear her. As much as she wanted to talk to him, to let him know she was here with him, she didn't want him to remember the pain of his past and the losses he faced, living his life without the ponies and dragon who took care of him in her stead.

Foalsitting with Discord

The first month of the school year had already passed, and things were somewhat getting better for Emerald. Even though Gold Plate continued finding ways to sneakily tease her, even trying to spout her in a verbal argument, she kept ignoring him and Platinum Band, but it kept getting harder and harder to ignore him the longer he kept going. If it started to get worse and she was mere inches away from snapping and beating him up again, she told Mrs. Smiley, who promptly scolded him to stop despite constantly doing it after being warned. At least she was safe back at home, and she even made a few more friends along with Melody.

Today was a Friday, and that meant the weekend was around the corner. So far, Emerald had learned a few things she didn't know from her parents, and they were just starting how to write the alphabet. It took her a little while to get used to writing stuff out with her mouth, but until she was able to keep control of her magic, she could use her horn to write in the future. They had just finished recess and were continuing with writing the letters they were working on, but before the bell rang, Mrs. Smiley caught their attention for a little announcement.

"Ok, everypony! Listen up, please!" she said. "Now, I know you're excited for the weekend, but I just want you all to know that on Monday, we'll be having 'Show and Tell' after recess!" Emerald immediately raised her hoof, hearing Gold utter "freaky nerd" under his breath. "Yes, Emerald?"

"What's 'Show and Tell'?" the filly asked in curiosity.

"A very good question. 'Show and Tell' is actually a fun activity where each of you will bring something from home that you like a lot, and then you tell the class all about it!" Mrs. Smiley said. "It can be your favorite toy, an instrument, a drawing of your favorite thing or a drawing itself!" She noticed Gold and Platinum grinning when they thought she didn't see them, but knowing those two were wealthy and very brash, they think it's a game where they could win a prize. "And this isn't something where the pony who brings the best object wins. It's not a game. It's just a little something to do so everypony can know just a little bit more about them and what they like. Gold and Platinum, that means bring something you own, not something your parents bought this weekend."

School was out as the bell finally rang, student packing up their bags with their homework or any activity they wanted to share with their families back at home. Mrs. Smiley escorted her students out of the building and out front to be picked up by their parents/older siblings/relatives, many eagerly awaiting for the weekend to start. While Emerald waited for her daddy to come get her, she was passing the time talking to her friend Melody.

"So, did your mommy and daddy say you're allowed to come over?" Emerald asked.

"W-Well...They did say it was ok, but you live in the castle," Melody said. "Is it really ok for me to just...be there?"

"Of course, silly!" Emerald exclaimed. "Vivi comes by on the weekends sometimes, and our daddies are friends!"

"Who's Vivi?" As Melody asked, Virtuo made his way out of the building and found Emerald.

"Hey, Emerald," he greeted, only to be caught in a wind crushing hug by the hybrid filly.

"Yay! Vivi!" Her death grip quickly ended, the colt's mind reeling as he was dragged by the hoof over to purple unicorn filly, wondering how she was so strong with those holes in her legs. "Vivi, this is Melody! Melody, Vivi! We've been friends ever since we were babies!"

"A-Actually, I'm two years older than her," Virtuo said, letting out a cough as his lungs regained oxygen. "And my name's Virtuo. Not Vivi."

"But I like 'Vivi'," Emerald mumbled with a pout as she tapped her hooves together.

"Why does she call you 'Vivi'?" Melody asked.

"Because she couldn't say my name and kept calling me 'Vivi' when she was three," he said. "And she still can't say it right."

"I'm still gonna keep calling you Vivi, Vivi!" Virtuo slumped his shoulders and sighed in annoyance. "So, did your mommy and daddy say you could stay over for the weekend?"

"Yes. I'm allowed over." Emerald squealed in delight and caught Virtuo in another death grip, his eyes bulging out as she squeezed him like a stress toy.

"Yay! This is gonna be the best weekend ever!"

"You bet your sweet bippies it'll be the best weekend ever." Confused, the three foals looked around, but didn't know where the mysterious voice came from. It began to chuckle, seeing them looking everywhere to find him. "Down here, you three."

They looked down and saw a poorly drawn draconequus in brown chalk beneath them, which wasn't there earlier. It waved its clawed hand at them, Virtuo and Melody shrieking in fright as it moved and peeled itself off the sidewalk.

"Unca Discord!" Emerald leapt forward to hug her chaotic uncle, but as she touched him, he turned into chalk dust and disappeared, reappearing behind the filly and picking her up. "Hey! No fair!"

"Well, you were glomping chalk, so of course that was going to happen," Discord explained, Emerald officially hugging her funniest of uncles. He snapped his fingers, making a slip of paper appear in his tail as he handed it to the shocked teacher. "Here you go, miss. Signed permission from his royal highness to pick up his daughter and her two little compadres, both their parents giving their foals' permissions to come along for a weekend of fun."

"Oh...Uhh, ok then." Mrs. Smiley took the permission slip and read through it.

"Wait, isn't daddy getting us?" Emerald asked.

"Oooooh. Yeah, about that..." Discord lowered the filly down to the ground, incredibly nervous with the bad news. "You see, Emerald, your daddy had a very important meeting to go to, and both he and your mother were needed...So, they'll be gone for the weekend."

"Awww." Emerald pouted, her ears drooping in sadness. "I wanted Melody to really meet my daddy this weekend..."

"But, I just told you the bad news. You know what the good news is?" He paused for dramatic effect, Emerald unsure what good news there was. "The good news is that you have me as your foalsitter! For the whole weekend!" She was silent as she looked at the grinning draconequus, his own smile faltering as he didn't see any excitement in her. "...What? No fun with the reformed Lord of Chaos? All the fun and wacky things we can do without getting into trouble?...Would saying it as your dad help?" Discord snapped his fingers and turned into Solaris, though the alicorn's face was shaped more like the draconequus's. "Emerald! Good news! Your Uncle Discord is coming to pick you up from school today and will be watching over you and your friends for the whole weekend! Doesn't that sound like fun!?"

"What is that?" Melody whispered to Virtuo in fear.

"I think that's Discord," Virtuo whispered back. "I heard about him from my mom. He's weird, but he's not dangerous...at least, I hope he isn't."

"...Oh, come on. Not even a smile?" Discord asked, Emerald leering at him for impersonating her daddy, and very poorly.

"How come daddy didn't tell me?" she asked.

"It came up at the last minute before he was ready to pick you up from school," Discord said apologetically, getting out of his fake Solaris disguise. "He would have found somepony else, but most of your other relatives are either in Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, or in the changeling hive. And they're too far away to come and get you in time. So, I was around the bend, bored out of my mind, when I told myself I had not met my favorite little niece in ages! That's when your father begged me to watch over you and your friends for your little weekend of fun!"

"But daddy promised he would play with us." Emerald grunted in disappointment, hating how busy her daddy could get when sudden royal duties come up and get in their way of planned out fun. "Stupid royal stuff."

"Well, that's the life of royalty. Pretty boring work. But if I were a princess-" Discord materialized fake wings, a fake horn on his forehead, wore a frilly dress, a small tiara on his head, and held a scepter with Solaris's face giving a derpy expression, all while prancing around. "Tra la-la, la-la! I'm a pretty little princess! I order all of Equestria to eat cake for every meal, make roads completely out of soap, and turn all the clouds into cotton candy to rain endless chocolate milk for all to consume!"

Emerald snorted at the ridiculous outfit Discord wore, she quickly covered her mouth, not giving in to her Uncle Discord's hilarious antics. He swung the scepter around, using his magic to create a cotton candy cloud over Virtuo and Melody. It began raining on them, startling the two foals, only to realize that the water was actually chocolate milk as it hit their lips.

"Wait...Is that really chocolate milk?" Melody asked as she licked her lips.

"Chocolate milk rain?" Virtuo took a mouthful and swished the rain in his mouth, swallowing his mouthful as it was indeed chocolate milk. "Wow. That's actually good! Discord's awesome!"

The colt tilted his head up to get more chocolate milk in his mouth, but Discord made the cloud disappear, disappointing Virtuo while Melody shook herself, knowing she was definitely going to need a bath after getting rained on by a cotton candy cloud. Discord stood behind Emerald, leaning his head down to see her puffed out cheeks, trying desperately not to laugh when she wants to be miserable.

"You know you can't resist laughing when Uncle Discord's around," he teased. "Don't make me use the tickle machine."

"N-Not the tickle machine!" Emerald begged.

"Too late!" With a snap, a light flashed as a random machine appeared in front of them, Emerald attached to restraints on a conveyor belt that went in from left to right, the middle covering up what lies inside the device. The filly squirmed, but she couldn't break free with her strength or her own magic. "In we go!"

Discord pushed a button and the machine began whirring to life, rolling Emerald inside as she disappeared inside of it. The conveyor belt stopped as she was perfectly set inside, Virtuo and Melody a little worried about what lies inside of the "tickle machine". He soon pushed another button, and in a few seconds, they could hear Emerald laughing hard, whatever was inside clearly hitting every ticklish part of her. A few minutes later, Discord finally stopped the machine, Emerald's laughter slowly dying as she panted heavily. The conveyor belt moved and the filly appeared on the other side, a panting mess, small giggles escaping her lips as she tried to catch her breath.

Freed from her bindings, Emerald fell and was caught by Discord's tail before she hit the ground. "I...don't...like you..."

"Oh, yes you do, you little scamp," he said, patting the filly's head. "Now, let's head back to the castle and spread a little chaos!"

"Wow." Melody looked all around as she, Emerald, VIrtuo, and Discord entered the castle. The draconequus decided to have them walk to the castle instead of teleporting them there in a few seconds. This was the first time the unicorn filly ever set hoof inside, and it was a lot more than her five-year-old mind was able to process. "It looks a lot bigger inside than outside."

"Yeah, I kinda get lost too, but there's so much to explore!" Emerald said. "I haven't even been in every single room yet! Mostly because daddy doesn't want me anywhere dangerous."

"Sadly, exploration is not allowed on your father's to-do list," Discord said, a list appearing in front of him that Solaris gave him to follow. "As much as I love breaking the rules, there are a couple we aren't supposed to break. One of them being no searching around the castle and getting into dangerous objects that could hurt you."

"You never follow rules," Emerald pointed out.

"Of course I don't! But we don't want you getting hurt." Discord burned the list away and stopped before one of the rooms in the hall. "Now, are you three ready for a weekend of fun with your good pal Discord?"

"I am!" Emerald shouted.

"I guess so," Virtuo said, Melody nodding slightly.

"Then...welcome to my domain." Discord opened the door, and what waited for the three ponies made them gasp in awe.

Inside was a gigantic room filled to the brim with chaotic delight that was perfect for Discord to live in: dilapidated roads that connect to floating lands, each floating island a different theme, the chaotic realm floating in a dimension of warped colors, and random floating creatures and shapes randomly passing by as they either made random noises or randomly shifted shapes. The island the doorway opened up to was probably the first of many for them to explore, and it was every child's dream: an island completely made out of candy and sugary sweets.

Discord walked in front of them, wearing a purple top hat and suit, twirling a cane around as he nonchalantly strolled over the powdered sugar. "Welcome to my favorite of islands: Candy Island! A land filled with any kind of sweet you can imagine, and then some. But the best part is that, even though the land is edible, it's sugar free, but tastes just like the real deal, and you won't get a single cavity or tummy ache from eating too much! Took me a long while in my youth to make that happen, but I made it work with enough practice." He saw the awed, drooling faces of the three foals, all three of them unsure if what they were seeing was real or a dream too good to be true. "Well, don't just stand there salivating! Come right on in!"

Without needing to be told twice, they cheered and ran inside, splitting up to different parts of the candy-coated island in the realm of chaotic delight. Discord closed the door, not wanting to alert servants or guards to the random doorway to a chaotic world, then followed the three foals calmly as he whistled a little tune. He spotted Emerald running over to a river made of chocolate, the filly immediately dunking her head in and slurping up several mouthfuls of the warm, liquid chocolate, showing her love of it like her mother does. Virtuo leapt up to try and grab branches from a licorice tree, but the twisting candy branches were too high for him to reach. Discord walked by and sliced a few off with his cane. The swirled branches fell on top of the colt, his head poking out from the pile as he began chewing on the colorful licorice.

Melody found herself in a field of lollipops and took one of them, licking the flower-like candies as she looked around the chaotic world. "This place is weird, but I like it already."

"Glad to hear it," Discord said as he appeared behind the unicorn filly as he munched on a cotton candy cloud. "I can be quite entertaining when I want to. Though, back then, I was more of a troublemaker and a psychotic villain over a thousand years ago."

"You were a bad guy?" Melody asked.

"You weren't told about me being turned to stone?" She shook her head. "I guess you're a bit too young to learn about history quite yet, but it is a doozy of a story. To be fair, I wasn't exactly the nicest draconequus in Equestria. And the only draconequus." Discord shrunk down to Melody's height with a snap for her to see every part of him. "I mean, I'm practically a chimera of sorts, but I was born naturally...Or, at least I think I was. Hmmm...I'm going to need to question the designer who created me and see if they have any backstory on me that's officially canon."

"...What?" Melody asked, blinking her eyes in confusion to Discord's sudden rambling that made less and less sense to her.

"Oh, never mind that. The point is, I was evil, but now I'm good all thanks to..." The draconequus sighed sadly as his thoughts drifted to the mare who had befriended him that helped him change his ways. And with her gone, it pained him to have his first ever friend he had ever made in his life be taken away from her too soon. "All thanks to a timid little pegasus who gave me the benefit of the doubt, even when I had planned to use her kindness to plan my next scheme to take over Equestria..."

"Did you like her?" the filly asked, highly invested in Discord's sad tale.

"As a friend, yes. I never had a friend before she admitted it to me..." His tail subconsciously began drawing in the powdered sugar behind him, drawing out Fluttershy's face and long hair. "I really miss her sometimes...Though, I think Solaris misses her more, being so close to her and the rest of her friends when he was a colt."

"The prince knew her, too?" Melody asked.

"Mhmm...Very much." Discord had finished his subconscious drawing as Melody looked behind him, seeing the perfectly made facial image of the pegasus mare.

"Is that her?" she asked, the draconequus looking behind him and flinching in surprise at what he did.

"U-Uhh, yes. Yes, that is her," he admitted.

"...Did you love her?" she asked, Discord sputtering and scoffing at the crazy thought that came from the filly's mind.

"No! We were just friends!" he said as he kicked up the powdered sugar, ruining his subconscious work with a light blush on his cheeks. "I didn't have any romantic feelings toward her in the slightest! I just missed the very first friend I ever made and was in no way romantically interested in her blue eyes, her long pink mane, her soft yellow coat-" Discord heard Melody giggling as he failed to avoid her suspicions, his blush deepening as he cleared his throat. "Ok, I admit she was adorable, but no romantic feelings whatsoever! Besides, she wound up having a foal, and her son looks a lot like her in every way, apparently inheriting her love for animals, though a bit more bolder than her."

"You were in love with her," Melody teased, Discord's hat tipping over his head as he grumbled, keeping his red face away from the filly's line of sight.

"Just eat your lollipop, have your fill of sweets, and meet me over by the Lazy Doughnut River," he said as he walked away. "We have other places to explore before the day's end!"

While the draconequus headed off to where the Lazy Doughnut River was located, Melody stuck her candy stick in her mouth and wandered about Discord's Candy Island. She saw Virtuo chomping down on a peppermint tree, the candy flora threatening to topple over with the bite marks on the trunk, and approached Emerald, who was trying to hunt down chocolate bunnies, actually living chocolate bunnies to munch on them.

"Gotcha!" she shouted and leapt onto the small group of rabbits, but they fled as she fell on her belly where they once stood. "You can't run away from me, chocolate bunny rabbits! I will devour your yummy bodies!"

"Why are you only going for the chocolate stuff?" Melody asked, getting Emerald's attention.

"I love chocolate! And it also tastes like love." The filly tilted her head in confusion, Emerald realizing she was a normal pony and didn't know much about changelings. "Being part changeling, I can also absorb love from ponies. But I like daddy's love more whenever he shares it with me and mommy. And chocolate is kind of like love too, and mommy loves chocolate. Daddy has to sometimes hold her down when anything made of chocolate is around. I think it has something to do with Hearts and Hooves Day, giving sweets to ponies you like."

"Oh. That makes sense...I think?" While Melody pondered what it was like to be part changeling, sucking on her lollipop as she thought, a chocolate bunny poked its head up from a burrow beside the unicorn.

"Aha! Get that bunny!" Emerald shouted, the chocolate bunny disappearing right as she pounced on it and knocked Melody over. "Darn it. I thought I had it."

"I don't think you're gonna catch one," Melody said. "Bunnies are really fast."

"I'll get one of them. Some day." Emerald looked around, finding no sign of Discord, but she did see Virtuo approach them with a mouth full of gummy worms. "Where'd Unca Discord go to?"

"He said he was going to the Lazy Doughtnut River," Melody said.

"'Luhshy Doughnut Rivur?" Virtuo asked with his cheeks stuffed, swallowing the gummy worms to speak a bit clearly. "Where's that at?"

The trio soon heard a fog horn out in the distance, looking over to where it came from. Across a bridge over the chocolate river, they saw a large ship made out of cake, cookies, and doughnuts out on river of milk that lead out to an ocean of it, Discord standing at the helm, now wearing a pirate captain's outfit, along with a wooden parrot to fit the theme of his clothing.

"I'm guessing over there," Melody pointed out.

"Alright! Pirate ship made of cake!" Emerald ran ahead to her uncle's ship as Discord waved at them. "Let's go, guys! We're gonna hunt us some yummy treasure! YARGH!"

"I thought Emerald got her craziness from her mom, but I think it's more from Discord." Melody shrugged at Virtuo's comment of his friend, the colt and filly hurrying to catch up to her and onto the ship of sweets.

Throughout the whole afternoon, Discord and his merry crew sailed out of the Lazy Doughnut River, where doughnuts of varying sizes floated lazily in the river like small ice flows, and out into the Milky Wave Ocean. They explored the vast, white seas, each foal wearing pirate gear as they heeded their captain's orders. They were caught in a battle against their foes: the Health Brigade. The opposing force were fruits and vegetables on a large cauliflower ship, firing brussel sprout cannonballs at them to sink their ship into the milky waters. They retaliated with their own ammunition: jawbreakers that weighed a ton, fired even faster than their opponent's cannons, decimating the healthy food nation that dared to attack them.

Defeating their foes as they fled before they too would suffer the same fate as they would their victims, they scoured the seas of milk and discovered new lands on the massive island made of candy, with new treats to eat and animated animal-shaped sweets to devour. Their long journey of fun and sugar-free, cavity-free eating came to an end as it began to get late, Emerald, Virtuo, and Melody getting very tired from the endless fun and rush of faux-sugar eating. Discord escorted the trio of foals out of his domain of chaotic delight and back into the castle and get them cleaned up from their sticky traveling through a candy-coated world.

Once they were bathed, they headed into Emerald's room so they could get some sleep, the draconequus materializing a few sleeping bags for Virtuo and Melody. "Alright, you three. Time for bed. There's a lot more fun to be had in my world tomorrow." Discord tucked Emerald into her bed as the foals immediately zoned out. "Good night, everypony." He quietly snuck out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, making his way around the castle as he brought back the list Solaris had given him. "And Solly thought I couldn't handle a few foals.

"I'm a blast around children, especially when I helped raised Butterscotch." His happy demeanor slowly melted into sadness, letting out a sigh as he slumped over. "Now the little colt has grown up into a young adult and can handle himself...I think I'm feeling a bit jealous of the girls when they had kids and raised them...Well, except Twilight..."

Discord had thought back to the day he had seen and heard Twilight for the last time, and didn't even see the outcome of what would happen months later.

Discord hovered over a small town in Equestria. chuckling deviously as he was about to pull a little prank on the ponies living there. Nothing harmful or deadly, just a bit of rain from the giant pink cloud of cotton candy he stepped down on.

"Today's forecast calls for a cloudy day of pink, with a high chance of chocolate rain," he announced to himself. "Percentage of rainfall: 99.99% chance."

"Discord!" The draconequus yelped twisting his neck around to see Twilight hovering behind him, her belly rounded as she was a few months pregnant. She crossed her forehooves against her chest and leered at him. "What were you going to do?"

"Nothing! Just giving the ponies a little rainfall!" he lied, twisting his body in the opposite direction to fully face her. "Of all the random chance to have that 0.01% chance be interrupted, it had to be now."

"Get rid of the cloud. Now." Discord grumbled, snapping his fingers as he obeyed, making the large pink cloud disappear. "We need to talk. And let's speak on the ground. I don't want to strain myself with my foal weighing me down."

"A foal!? You!?" Discord laughed uproariously, Twilight staring at him, unamused at his reaction while she was being serious. "Oh, that is rich, Twilight! Nice lie with that big stomach of yours. You know, you should exercise a bit more, get your nose out of the books, and get off your plot every once in a while. Maybe then you won't get a pudge." Discord snorted as he flew around her, still finding the lavender alicorn's pregnancy to be a hilarious joke than a serious matter. "And who would get you, a royal princess and a nerdy bookworm, pregnant? Must have been a desperate stallion to want to get a piece of-"

Twilight yanked Discord's mouth with her magic, hovering down to the ground, and as they landed, slammed the draconequus face first into the dirt. "I'm serious, Discord. I'm five and a half months into my pregnancy, and if I wait any further, I cannot move for much longer periods of time before the start of my third trimester. So, for once in your life, can you please be serious and listen to me?"

He rolled his eyes up and pulled his head out of the ground, sighing in annoyance as he stood up. "Alright. Fine. What do you want, Your Royal Studiousness?"

"Well, since you don't always show up unless there's something you want to do to irritate most of us, there's some...bad news that will come along in the future." Discord lazily nodded his head, barely paying much attention. "For the past several months, I've been having nightmares of a horrible future that's yet to come, and even now, I'm still haunted by them. I went to the princesses and told Luna about them, and these nightmares were actually a vision...and I'm afraid it'll come true."

"Ooooooooh! Scary premonition!" Discord mocked, wiggling his claw and paws digits. "Seriously, what kind of danger can make it impossible for you and your friends to take care of with the 'power of friendship'." The draconequus hummed in thought, having been bested by them with their power of friendship that turned him into stone again and Fluttershy easily breaking him into learning about it. "...Actually, that does work now and again. Then again, I was a bit cocky and thought I could easily best you, but I wound up being wrong and failed. Curse my hubris."

"Celestia knew who it was that was coming to render Equestria to the ground, and it all started a thousand years ago, just like yourself, Sombra, and even Luna." Discord yawned, growing bored to the millennial disaster concept since that always seems to happen. "It was her first student and adoptive son, Lucifer."

Discord's eyes widened in shock, looking down at the alicorn with legitimate fear. He had heard of that name before while he was turned to stone, and witnessed some destruction made by the innocent colt turned into a manic, darkness wielding stallion with a heart purely made of stone.

"Him?" he asked, confusing Twilight with his sudden fear.

"You know him?" she asked.

"I was turned to stone for a thousand years! Of course I know him!" Discord began biting his nails, no longer pretending as his heart began racing at the thought of that stallion returning. "You have no idea how much damage he had done after he had grown into an adult. I'm actually surprised his magic and deadly ethereal weapons didn't slice me into rubble when he attacked Canterlot during the time!"

"...So, you can't stop him either," Twilight said with disappointment.

"I may have chaotic magic, but that doesn't mean I'm powerful!" Discord shouted. "What, were you hoping I could just kill him with a snap of my fingers!? Unlike Lucifer, I was a psychopath who wanted a laugh when I used my magic, not kill or maim like he does! If you think I can slay him for you, then you're dead wrong, Sparkle!"

"...I...I thought as much...I really do have to resort to Plan B, then..." From her bags, Twilight pulled out a golden pendant in the shape of half a sun. "I also saw a young stallion who would appear one day and stop him, but he was an alicorn, just like the princesses and I."

"A male alicorn exists?" Discord asked, stroking his beard in thought. "I haven't heard of one ever being born...or other alicorns being born...In fact, I don't think Sun and Moon Butt were born alicorns, either..."

"I don't know who he is, but he's the only pony who can stop Lucifer." Twilight levitated the pendant into Discord's paw. "Can you pour some of your magic into that for him to use? In order for him to be at his fullest potential, I've enchanted four other pieces of armor he'll wear where he'll need to complete a trial to prove his strength, wit, courage, skill, and determination to face the worst. Will you give him one of these tests?"

"Hmm..." Discord didn't want to believe what Twilight told him would end up being true. But the thought of Lucifer returning brought a shiver down his spine, and if he sought him out, it was either serve him and be his chaotic soldier or die without barely having a chance to fight back. He chose neither option and resorted to a third: trusting this stallion to come to Equestria's, and the world's, rescue, snapping his fingers and enchanting the pendant with his magic, an image of his face appearing in the accessory. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Discord," Twilight said, suddenly hugging him and surprising the draconequus. He was about to push the mare away, only to feel her trembling in fear, struggling to hide her emotional breakdown. "When my baby is born...can you meet me in the hospital when the time comes?...I'll tell you where you need to go..."

"...Uhh...Ok?" Discord awkwardly pet Twilight's head to assuage her worries, glad to see no one from the nearby village wasn't watching them. "I'm not going to be the godfather, am I? Because that won't be easy to tell your kid I'll take care of him if you wind up passing away during childbirth."

"...I don't really know, Discord..." Twilight sniffled, holding back her tears as she knew what will end up happening to her, Celestia, Luna, and eventually her friends. "I just want you to see everypony before I have you hide away until he comes to save us." She backed away, steadied her breathing, and began flying off. "I need to go to a few other places to store the rest of the alicorn's armor. I just hope one of them will trust me and hear me out."

Discord watched the newly ascended pregnant princess fly off to the east, the draconequus scratching his head in confusion at her reaction. Twilight was more likely the mare who wanted to hold a grudge against him and barely show any signs of weakness to him, especially after his attempts to turn the Elements of Harmony bearers to lose touch with their Element to gain the upper hand. But he felt genuine fear come from her, not just from Lucifer and her visions, but something else she neglected to tell him that was worse than the fear of death. He looked down at the pendant, feeling a strange magical presence inside it along with his own chaotic powers, but he couldn't decipher what else was inside it.

After several months, Discord appeared in Ponyville when Twilight's foal was born. During that time, he had mostly been lost in thought, mostly about the future of the kingdom with Lucifer's return, what else was inside the pendant he kept a hold of, and who he was supposed to be looking for to give this test and pendant to. She was so brief with her descriptions that she actually stumped the draconequus, and he was the one who was supposed to make convoluted riddles and tests. He walked inside the lobby and found Twilight's friends and family, though they were highly shocked and greatly depressed more than happy and excited to see a new foal.

"Hello, everypony," he greeted, but they were still in shock, barely noticing Discord or anyone else around them. "...Well, this is nice. I arrive to get a peek at the Twilight's newborn foal, and everyone isn't all happy and the mares aren't bouncing around in joy to the newest member of the Sparkle family...Unless the worst has happened and either Twilight died while giving birth, the baby was a miscarriage, or they both kicked the bucket-"

Shining Armor growled and shot a beam of magic at Discord in annoyance, but the draconequus tilted his head back to avoid getting blasted right in the face. "Will you just shut up, you insane chimera!? We're not in the mood for any of your horseapples!"

"Sheesh. Nopony can take a joke anymore." Shining was about ready to clobber the draconequus, but Cadence gently pulled him back down in his seat. "Seriously, what is going on? Have times changed that much where a newborn foal is considered a bad omen? Twilight told me to see her once her baby's due-" Discord summoned a calendar with a snap, days marked off in random shapes on the month as he pointed at a normally circled date. "-and after last seeing her a few months in her pregnancy, which I didn't believe at first, it's apparently the time. She was supposed to tell me where I was supposed to give this prophesized male alicorn for his test and what he also looks like. Twilight was very vague on those details."

"She trusted you, too?" Cadence asked in confusion.

"I doubted she trusts me after messing with her friends' heads after breaking free, but yes," he said. "Am I going to have to find her room myself and get everything from the rest of you?"

No one answered. They seemed even more miserable now, Pinkie's mane deflating even further, which told Discord that if she was this upset, then there was clearly bad news. After waiting for an agonizing few minutes, Fluttershy finally spoke up.

"She's...in the maternity ward," the pegasus said, her voice shaky and depressed, which broke Discord to hear his friend like this. "Room 205..."

"205, Maternity. Thank you, Fluttershy." With a snap of his fingers, he waltzed his way through the corridor as a pen appeared in front of the surprised hospital receptionist as he signed his name down. With a bit of wandering, appearing out of a supply closet on the second floor. He passed by the nursery, seeing the newborn foals sleeping or curiously looking around them for the first time. Reaching the ward, he found Twilight's room and opened the door slightly, poking his eyes through as he found the lavender alicorn on the bed. "There you are, Twilight.

"You will not believe how unhelpful your overprotective brother could-" Discord paused as he walked inside, noticing the somber, depressing air in the room. Twilight was distraught, just as upset as her friends, but even worse. In her hooves, she held a foal in her hooves, wrapped in a blue blanket as he wriggled around in his warm covers. She had a colt, and any new mothers should be happy to see their foal, but Twilight looked miserable, shocked, and horrified. "Twilight?"

She looked up at him, tears welled in her eyes as some had left streaks down her face, her eyes bloodshot and tired. "Discord..."

Twilight began to choke up, her voice hoarse from not only screaming out from her labor, but also from crying. "You did ask me to come here when your foal comes, and it's here, so here I am." Discord approached the bed and peered down into the blue blanket, seeing the little colt's face as his blue eyes spotted him in his vision. He saw the horn on his forehead, along with a few strands of gold for his mane. The newborn tilted his head, awed at the strange, chaotic creature looming over him. "Well, he's going to be a prodigal genius like his mother with those eyes of his: curious, questioning, and waiting for answers."

The colt began to squirm, trying to pull his forehooves out of the bundle of a blanket to try to touch Discord. He managed to break them free, along with something else that shocked the draconequus. Flapping out from his sides were a pair of white feathered wings that matched the foal's colt, Discord seeing the first ever born male alicorn in all of history. His jaw dropped, literally off his head and onto the ground, bending down to pick it up and reattach it, though upside down.

He looked at Twilight for an answer, but she was still in shock, but not in the same way as he was. "...H-He..." Twilight began to sob, holding her foal close as more tears continued to fall down her cheeks. "H-He's..."

"What?" Discord asked, quickly re-righting his mouth back in place. "Adorable? Not what you expected? Not the kind of foal you wanted?"

"...He's...the one..." Twilight said with a shaky sob, not helping Discord with the answers he was seeking.

"So you do like him? Then why are you upset?" he questioned. "I came to see your baby, and I'm also here to figure out who I'm supposed to wait for to give him that pendant you made me hold on to and infuse my chaos into it. So, who is the alicorn I'm supposed to be waiting for and what does he look like?"

"...Y-You're...l-l-looking at h-him," she finally said.

"...What?" Discord looked down at Twilight's foal, the mare sobbing hysterically now, mumbling apologies, but to who was unable to be deciphered. It took him a moment to figure out what she meant, only to gasp in shock as he looked down at the colt wondering why his mother was so upset. The stallion she was talking about, an alicorn stallion, he didn't exist until now. Twilight Sparkle's son was the pony she saw that would save Equestria from Lucifer, far older than the foal she held in her hooves. That meant her nightmares showed her son, several years in the future, fighting against one of the most dangerous ponies erased from historical records because of Celestia's attempt to protect his name and lineage, and it would be a deadly duel where the draconequus would test him when he was old enough. "...No...You can't be serious...You're son is the savior?"

She was unable to answer as she nuzzled her baby, only pointing her hoof to the bedside table. Discord looked at where she was pointing, finding a piece of paper with writing on it, lifting it up to read it, addressed to him from the depressed alicorn, some tear stains lingered on the paper.

Discord,

Right now, I am in quite a terrible state of shock over the discovery of who the alicorn would be that will free Equestria from Lucifer's eventual return. My son, who I named Solaris, IS that stallion. He looks so much like our savior: his gold mane, white coat, and blue eyes. He may not have his cutie mark yet, but I know it will be the same as what I had foreseen in my visions. Everypony else is also surprised and understandably miserable as I am, my own foal destined to defeat the mad stallion who will return at any moment.

Spike will take him up to the mountains several miles away from Ponyville, where he'll be in hiding until the time comes for him to fulfill his destiny. My friends will also care for him when they can, but I won't be around for much longer. In my vision, I saw myself dead before Lucifer, along with Celestia and Luna. Solaris will grow up without a mother, and I don't know who his father is. I didn't want this to happen. Not to him. ~~I'm so sorry. Why did I not see this coming? I'm going to hurt everyone more than what I had planned. I'm so stupid!~~

I've already given instructions to a few others who will give Solaris his trials, my brother included. For you, Discord, I want you to head to the abandoned temple out in the deserts of Saddle Arabia, where it has already been looked over thoroughly by archaeologists many years ago. Give him his test there and wait for him. I understand if you are restless at times and want to spread chaos, but please don't make yourself known to Lucifer. Until Solaris's fifteenth birthday, he will finally leave his safe haven and be lead by my friends to each location, starting in the Everfree Forest, then you, the Crystal Empire, the griffons and minotaurs, and finally the changelings.

I wish there was another way, but there wasn't enough time, and it's too late to change it...I didn't realize my own foal would have to do this...To lose everything he will love while fighting for us...I'm so sorry, everypony...I'm so, so very sorry...

After reading Twilight's letter, Discord lowered the paper and looked at her, passed out on the bed while holding Solaris close to her, tears still trickling down her cheeks. She was heavily exhausted from all the stress of planning Lucifer's return and the months of her pregnancy and giving birth to the colt on her chest, still awake and looking at his mother curiously. Discord, for the life of him, couldn't remember his own parents, if he had any, and it pained him to know that some foals would have never known their birth parents until they were old enough to understand what happened to them, finding out too soon in their youth, or never knowing at all. He let out a sigh and folded the letter, knowing where he needs to go and who to wait for, but he never imagined it would have been the child of the Element of Magic that would save everyone from Lucifer's dark magical power.

Being careful not to wake Twilight or make her stress anymore than she already was, the draconequus lifted the colt up to get a better look at him. "Your mother has had it rough. I don't know why she's sorry if you're our saving grace, but I will believe her and leave her friends in your care." Solaris didn't understand him, only reaching out to grab his beard and try to tug it as it would be funny to pull it. "I won't go easy on you, either. You'll have to earn what I'm going to give you." The infant managed to grab his goatee and tugged, making Discord yelp in pain while Solaris giggled at the reaction. "Cheeky little guy, aren't you?"

Discord gently pulled the colt's hoof away from his beard and laid him back down on Twilight's chest. He began to fall asleep, nuzzling into his mother's fur as her hooves subconsciously wrapped around him, a pained look spreading across her sleeping face. Discord sighed and backed away, teleporting away to where he would be staying for the next decade and a half, leaving behind a final word to Twilight and Solaris, his voice echoing in the hospital room.

Thank you for trusting me, Twilight. I will give him a test he won't forget. And Solaris, I'll see you again in fifteen years.

Discord had wandered the castle while lost in his thoughts, winding up in the hallway of mural windows. He had stopped in front of the one where he was beaten for the second time by the Elements of Harmony. As he looked at the six mares besting him with the six mystical gems, mostly due to his own ego and neglect at seeing his plan had been foiled, he pulled out the same letter Twilight had given him many years ago after Solaris was born. He didn't understand the parts where Twilight apologized not just to him, but everyone else she knew as well, but he did a few days after Solaris's coronation.

He then pulled out a small crystal, which held a magical recording made by Twilight as a final message to her son through the magical realm alicorns were able to traverse to. He didn't need to replay it as the prince told him what his mother's plan was, and it was horrifying to hear. Discord stole this crystal from Solaris one day, he wanted to break it, he wanted to unleash his chaotic might over how stupid Twilight was, not only putting her own son through a traumatic experience losing his family and the pressure of being Equestria's savior, but also having her friends sacrificed, without their consent, just to give Solaris the power to unleash his hidden potential. But even after all that anger, losing his first friend he ever made in his life, hearing how she died, and even attending the funeral for those lost during the fifteen years of Lucifer's rule, he didn't do anything. He couldn't.

"Was there really no other choice, Twilight?" Discord asked, hoping the gem would talk back and tell him the answer he sought. He looked up at the windows, staring more at Fluttershy's image. "After all this madness had ended, I actually looked through every single tome that was still readable, finding any other option that was available...But, being as smart as you were, you really did your homework.........There was no other way...And you knew it would have been both a happy and sad ending: happy for the world, free from being destroyed by a monster...depressing for those you and your son held close, forcing him to suffer losses you didn't intend to give him..."

Discord was unaware of someone watching him after putting Emerald and her two friends to bed and following him. Twilight could sense the draconequus's sorrow, sighing sadly at the result of her solution. She truly wished there was a better way and regretted not knowing beforehand that who she saw that would save everyone was her own son. Maybe if things were different back then with Celestia's relationship with Lucifer, things wouldn't have escalated so badly back then.

"Fluttershy misses you too, Discord," Twilight said, even though he couldn't see or hear her, lowering her head in sadness. "I'm sorry..."

"...Well, I don't think there was anything you could do against somepony that powerful." Twilight lifted her head up, Discord still staring at the window with the letter and crystal having disappeared into whatever dimensional space he created to store any normal objects. He didn't shatter the crystal or rip the letter, just staring at the window with a solemn look. "Even Solaris had some trouble with the added armor, most of it destroyed in the fight. He truly was a ray of hope for all of Equestria...At least you girls left your legacies behind with your children." He snapped his fingers, making a photo appear in his paw. On the picture were the Mane Six's children, all of them fully grown as adults, a majority of them looking similarly to their mothers in some way. "The Elements of Harmony will still live on, Equestria and the world is at peace, and things seem to be returning back to normal just like the good old days...

"Wherever you are up there, Twilight Sparkle, you stopped another threat, even if it was fifteen years too late." Discord made a picture book appear in front of him, flipping through memorable images he snapped with his mind of the past few years, continuing walking through the castle as he reminisced. "And your granddaughter looks like you too. Let's just hope she doesn't become a crazy bookworm like yourself during school."

The alicorn smirked and rolled her eyes, Discord making fun of her still whether it was behind her back or not. "I'll just take that as a 'thank you'...but it was all Solaris's hard work in the end. He fought, despite the pain I made him go through, and he won."

Twilight disappeared in a flash of lavender light, heading back to Emerald to continue watching over her. Discord's ears perked up and he looked behind him, thinking he saw something flash down the corridor. Seeing no sign of anything, the draconequus shrugged his shoulders, brushing it off as he might actually be going senile, or not, looking through more pictures.

The weekend came and went as Sunday evening came around, Solaris and Trill walking through the castle, the changeling mare sighing in relief. "Thank goodness that boring weekend long meeting is over! I don't know how you can deal with all those boring sessions for the last decade with some of the most annoying ponies!"

"Maybe if you did this along with me, you wouldn't be complaining," Solaris chided, Trill giving him a pout as she bumped her flank into his. "Now, where the hay are Discord and the kids?"

The two parents heard blast come from behind a door in the hall they walked down, both looking at each other with worry, wondering what had just happened. Luckily, that door was close by, Solaris opened the door, only for him and Trill to gape in confusion at what they were seeing. Inside Discord's crazy dimensional realm, they spotted Discord in a shogun outfit, wielding a large katana that was comically bigger than a normal one, and facing him were Emerald, Virtuo, and Melody, all three of them wearing differently colored ninja outfits, leaping around on trampolines placed everywhere in the rural looking setting, holding wooden daggers as they leapt around the area. They made a bunch of yells and screeches as they attacked or defended, both adults watching a terribly made far eastern ninja movie.

"Ha ha! Foolish foals!" Discord said, his mouth moving but not matching what he spoke as if he was actually speaking in another language. "You can not beat me, the Chaos Shogun of the Insane! My blade deflects all slays when it wants to!...Wait, that is bad for me if I can not attack foals under the age of ten!" As the draconequus was about to let out a battle cry, he noticed Solaris and Trill staring at them with utter confusion, dropping the random mouth movements as he talked normally. "Oh. Looks like mom and dad are home."

The foals stopped bouncing and looked at the doorway, Emerald taking off her green mask and waved at her parents. "Hi, mommy! Hi, daddy!"

"...Uhhhhhh...What is going on here???" Solaris asked, both seeking answers and not wanting to know them to avoid a migraine.

"We're playing 'Ninjas'! Unca Discord's the evil bad guy who rules the kingdom of Neighpan, and we're trying to stop him!" Emerald explained as she began bouncing on the trampoline floor. "Wanna play!?"

"...As fun as that is, and also dangerous, it's starting to get late. That means your friends are going to have to go back home to get ready for school tomorrow." The two fillies and colt groaned in disappointment as their fun ended too soon. They made their way over to the door and back inside the castle, their ninja outfits disappearing as they left. Trill escorted Virtuo and Melody back to their homes, but as Discord stepped out with his outfit off, Solaris stuck his hoof out in front of him. "You made a chaotic realm in the castle without my consent, Discord?"

"What? It's not like that's a bad thing. It's contained, and all four of us have had a blast this weekend." Solaris leered at Discord, then looked down at Emerald as she held a big grin in agreement, then back at Discord.

"Was there anything dangerous in there?" he asked. "And is that going to be permanent? I don't want maids to randomly walk in there and get lost in...whatever plane of existence that is."

"Completely harmless and only temporary for this weekend." Discord snapped his fingers, the chaotic realm returning back to a normal bedroom. "Unless, somepony wants me to foalsit again to have more fun with the Lord of Chaos, then I could leave it open to a certain world a certain filly would certainly like."

Emerald gasped and grinned, but her daddy clearly did not want that. "No, Discord. But next time you decide to create a gateway to your world, tell me about it first. I don't know what crazy things you can come with, and there are an infinite number of things you can make."

"Infinity plus one, actually." Solaris groaned in annoyance as Discord poked his snout with a talon. "Alright. Next time I'm offered to foalsit, I'll tell you if I make a portal to my domain. But, honestly, I left in all the fun and best places to be in, and nopony can resist Ninja Land!"

"Yes. Who can?" the alicorn said sarcastically. "Thank you for watching the kids, and if we need you again, and that's a big IF, then I'll call you again."

"Wonderful! We'll continue our little game at a later date!" Discord leaned down and ruffled Emerald's mane, the filly giggling happily. "So long, Emmy! Until next time. Or on holidays or birthdays. Whenever I'm over for a visit. Au revoir!"

"Bye, Unca Discord!" Emerald said, the draconequus teleporting away to help others or bring a little chaos to a dull city or town. "Daddy, can Unca Discord foalsit for me again!?"

"I'll...think about it," Solaris said, nudging his daughter forward. "Now, let's get something to eat, then a bath and right into bed. You got school tomorrow."

"Aww. Ok, daddy." Emerald began making her way to the dining room to eat, skipping happily from all the fun she had from her favorite draconequus uncle.

Before Solaris hurried after her, he slowly opened the door to where Discord had created his chaotic void, thankful to see it back to the way it was supposed to be. "Ok, good. I don't want too much chaos around here." He shuddered at the last time he experienced a bit too much chaos magic to his liking with the Discord pendant he had before Lucifer shattered it. "I'll take the cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain over...everything in there. Or that window with that...thing sitting there..."

Not wanting to delve further into his first and thankfully only glimpse beyond what he could comprehend, Solaris made his way down the hall to catch up with Emerald to get her fed and be sure she went to bed on time. Next time he had an important event or meeting to attend that he was aware of, he needed to get a hold of his Aunt Cadence so she can finally watch over her and stop pestering him like a whiny foal asking when she can foalsit for her. Maybe she could even bring Flurry along since those two were close whenever they came to visit.

A Trip to the Doctor's

Emerald sat in her room playing with her dolls, slightly bored. Since it was the weekend and there was no school, it was a bit dull not going to meet her friends, avoiding the bullies who still teased her, and learning a lot of new things from her teacher. The sad thing was Melody and Virtuo weren't able to hang out with her in the castle as their families both had plans set out for the weekend. And with the Grand Galloping Gala coming up in a couple weeks, it was going to be even more boring with all the rich, snooty ponies.

The filly blew a raspberry and dropped her toys, groaning out of boredom as she leered at her dolls in silly outfits. "I'm so bored!" she exclaimed, rolling around on the ground, barely finding anything amusing to sate her dull day. At least it wasn't raining out, but it didn't matter if she didn't have her friends come over to play in the gardens. "I'm starting to consider asking Gold Plate and Platinum Band to come over...and I don't like them!"

One of her dolls floated up and landed on her muzzle as she stared at the ceiling, Twilight standing over her and watching her be bored. "You probably could do that," she offered. "Maybe you could learn a thing or two about those bullies and find some common ground."

"Not gonna happen," Emerald quickly said, sitting up and grabbing her other doll. "Those two meanies aren't gonna pick on me when I'm not in school too!"

"Well, considering they come a rich family line, they might show up at the Gala." Emerald just blew another raspberry in response. "I know it's difficult avoiding hearing their words, but don't let them be your enemies forever."

"I don't care! Nopony's supposed to pick on a princess, and if I was allowed to, I'd put those two in a small cage! On the sun!" Twilight let out a sigh and shook her head.

"At least your father's teaching you not to constantly banish anyone you don't like," she mumbled to herself. "You probably don't have half the magical potential he or I have."

The door to her room opened as Solaris stepped in, Twilight quickly dropping her hold on one of Emerald's toys before he saw it floating. "Hey, sweetie. What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Emerald said. "I'm bored."

"Well, let's get rid of that boredom and get out of the boring castle," he said, peaking her interest.

"Where are we going, daddy?" she asked.

"We're going to the hospital for your checkup," Solaris said.

"What's a 'checkup'?" Emerald asked.

"It's a little doctor's appointment, just to see if you're healthy and if there was anything wrong," he explained. "You remember when you got sick a few months ago and you had to stay in bed and drink medicine to make you feel better?"

"Bleck. I don't like medicine," she said as she stuck her tongue out, reviling the icky red goop she had to drink to get rid of her cold. "Am I gonna have to take more of that icky stuff for my 'checkup'?"

Solaris chuckled at his daughter's question. "No, Emmy. You don't have to take any medicine. The doctor's just going to do simple stuff. No yucky medicine at all."

"...Are you sure, daddy?" Emerald asked with a quizitive look.

"I'm sure," he promised. "Now, let's get going. We don't want to be late."

Though unsure if going to the doctor's was going to be as enjoyable as her daddy says it would be, she got up and walked with him to the hospital for her appointment.

After walking through Canterlot, passing by other ponies as they bowed to the royal father and daughter, they reached Canterlot General, the same hospital where Emerald was delivered in, and where Solaris constantly pestered Trill into appointments for her head injury he gave her back then. While Emerald sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room, Solaris checked her in at the receptionist's desk, taking back a clipboard to fill out any medical history the hospital may need, just as a standard policy for patient confidentiality. He wrote down everything for his daughter while the filly looked around the room, seeing a few other ponies either coming in for a checkup like her or were sick with some kind of illness. There were some old magazines laid out on a table for patients as they waited, the pictures showing mostly health related stuff with too many words for her to read through at her age.

She felt even more bored than ever, wishing she brought some toys with her, or if the hospital had any if foals are admitted into the hospital. If only she found a way to make time move faster, just to get this checkup out of the way as the anticipation was killing her. Finally, after almost twenty minutes since they arrived, Solaris already filling out the paperwork necessary for Emerald, a nurse came out and called on the.

"Emerald Sparkle," a young teal unicorn mare wearing scrubs called out. Both prince and princess stood up and followed the nurse as they headed through the hall, passing by a couple rooms with some doctors checking on their patients behind closed doors. She lead them up to a scale and height chart, needing to get her height and weight checked off on the clipboard. "Alright, sweetie. Step right on up here."

"Ok." Emerald leapt up onto the platform, the needle measuring her weight shifting as she stood on it.

"Perfect. Now stay standing and perfectly still." The nurse wrote down the filly's weight as the needle settled, then moved a bar attached to it down until it reached the top of Emerald's head. "Stand up real tall, and not on your tippy-hooves." Emerald did as she was told, somewhat curious about how tall she was. "Wow. Somepony's gonna have a growth spurt in the next few years."

Once she got what she needed, Emerald stepped off the scale. "Am I done?" she asked.

"No, not yet. Follow me, you two." The nurse lead Solaris and Emerald into a nearby empty room with an observation bed, a sheet of paper against the length of the somewhat uncomfortable looking bed, some chairs for a patient's guests to wait, and lots of medical supplies and devices in stock for the doctors to use. "Okie dokie. Let's get you up on here, and I'll check your blood pressure."

Emerald leapt up and hovered herself up onto the bed, crinkling the paper as she sat down on it. She watched curiously as the nurse grabbed a blood pressure gauge, placing the large band around her foreleg and wrapping it on tightly. Once it was secure, she placed a stethoscope in her ears and placed the resonator against the side of the band and began squeezing a pump at the end. The band began to inflate like a balloon, cutting off circulation to the filly's leg, making her wince in surprise as it got tighter until it felt numb.

"This thingie's trying to squeeze my leg to death," she said, making the adults laugh at her statement.

"That's how doctors check how well your blood flows," Solaris answered for the nurse as she checked the gauge and heard Emerald's blood flow.

"Ok, pretty normal blood pressure." She wrote down Emerald's blood pressure, letting the air out of the band and taking it off her leg. "Ok. I'll have Dr. Joy in in just a moment."

The nurse left, which meant more waiting for the filly as she sighed in boredom, rubbing her foreleg that was constricted by the strange cuff that was put on her. "Doctors are weird."

"That was just the nurse doing preliminary tests," Solaris said. "You're going to love Dr. Joy. She's done a lot of tests for mommy, and even you when you were a baby."

"Is she coming now?" Emerald asked as she wriggled on the bed, crumpling the paper a little bit.

"She might have other patients she's seeing. So, we have to be 'patient' too." Solaris chuckled at his own joke, but his daughter was too busy being anxious and impatient to pay attention.

"...Mommy makes better jokes." He let out a frustrated sigh and slumped in his seat.

A moment later, Dr. Joy walked in, not surprised to see Solaris again for the umpteenth time. "Hello, Your Highness. And I'm glad to see it's not Princess Trill coming in to see me this time." The pink mare sat by the bed and beside the curious filly. "Hello, Emerald. How are you doing today?"

"Ok," Emerald said. "I was really bored today, though."

"Boredom? In the castle?" Joy feigned a gasp of horror. "Goodness. That is a problem. You don't have any fun outside?" As Emerald shook her head, the doctor held up Emerald's medical documents with her magic. "I may need to prescribe a day of fun for you so we can get that sorted out."

"Am I gonna have to take any yucky medicine for that?" Emerald asked.

Joy chuckled in amusement. "No. No yucky medicine unless you're really sick." The mare placed the stethoscope around her neck into her ears and placed the resonator on Emerald's chest. The filly flinched at the cold texture as the mare heard her heartbeat. "Hmm...Normal heart rhythm. Now, I want you to take a few deep breaths and breathe out, sweetie." Emerald did as she was told, taking in long deep breaths as Joy moved the resonator around on her chest, abdomen, and back. "Very good." She then lowered the stethoscope, done with the medical device as she grabbed an otoscope, placing a plastic covering on the tip before turning on a small light inside it and moved it to the filly's ear. "Ok, this is gonna feel a little weird, but I want you to hold still for me, Emerald."

As soon as she placed it in Emerald's right ear, she cringed, but tried to keep still. "What's that supposed to do?"

"Just checking on the inside of your ears if you have any hearing problems, which you don't seem to have for this ear." Dr. Joy moved around to the other side of the bed and looked in Emerald's left ear. "I think I can see your brain through this one. Just as big and smart as your daddy's."

"Really?" Emerald asked curiously. "You can see ponies' brains with that?"

"No, not really, silly filly. It was just a joke." Emerald wilted in disappointment, almost believing her and thought it would be cool to see someone's brain through their ears. Joy took the plastic end off and threw it in the trash bin in the room, using the light and shining it at Emerald's eyes. "Keep your eyes wide open and focus on the tiny light for me." She did just that, even though the filly began seeing spots once that was over. She rubbed her eyes, reminding herself never to stare at a light bulb or the sun for too long as Joy pulled out a tongue depressor from one of the drawers. "And open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and say 'Ahhh'."

"Ahhhhh," Emerald said as she did what the doctor ordered, the mare pressing the wooden stick down on the filly's tongue as she examined her throat. Once that was done, Emerald tasted the wooden texture of the big stick, smacking her lips at the woody taste in her mouth. "Eww. What kind of giant popsicle stick was that?"

"It's a depressor for your tongue so I can see the back of your throat," Dr. Joy explained. "I don't your tongue waggling all over the place so I can't see. And these aren't popsicle sticks either. But imagine the size of what it would be with something as big as this." While she got the filly thinking, she threw the stick away and wrote all her findings. After a few more tests, one odd one that involved hitting Emerald's knee with a small plastic hammer to make her kick out her leg in response the confused the filly, the mare wrote down everything she needed on her clipboard. "Well, that's about everything. Good news is you're a healthy filly, Emerald."

"So, no yucky medicine?" she asked.

"No yucky medicine," Joy assured. "But, before you two can leave, I have to give your daddy his own checkup."

"Uhh, what?" Solaris asked after watching his daughter's curiosity with amusement during her physical examination. "My checkup?"

"Well, with how often your...'personal'-" Joy emphasized the word "personal", making the alicorn blush heavily as he got what she meant. "-your private moments with Trill are, even if you are an alicorn, you might end up experiencing some problems you aren't aware of with how active you two can be."

"You mean when mommy and daddy wrestle at night sometimes?" Emerald asked, making her daddy blush even harder and groan at his poor explanation to keep her pure from what she'll end up doing when she's an adult, or as a teen at worst.

"Yes," Joy said, smirking at the term Emerald used. "Your mommy and daddy's 'wrestling' can involve with some health issues, especially if they keep going any longer than four hours. That can be a serious problem for a stallion like your father."

"Can we please not talk about this around her?" Solaris pleaded. "And she's not going to be around for my...'adult' checkup, is she? Trill decided to have a lazy day and refused to get out of bed this morning, so she's not here with us."

"Hmm...I think we can let her wait behind the receptionist's desk until you're done," Joy said. "Some 'Bring Your Foal to Work' days allow employees' children to see what they do, though being a nurse or a doctor behind the front desk can be a little boring. I'm sure it won't take too long to take your physical."

"...Alright. Just make sure she doesn't rummage through anything dangerous," he said. "Emmy can get overly curious at times."

"The only thing dangerous behind the desk is confronting an irate patient who can't wait patiently or demand attention." Emerald leapt down from the bed and followed Dr. Joy and her daddy down the hall, leading him to an empty room. "I'll have a nurse come in a little bit to get things started, then we'll get to the fun part. Follow me, Princess Emerald."

"Bye, daddy! Have fun with your checkup!" Emerald skipped along after Dr. Joy, not noticing his smile turning to a grimaced frown, his 'adult' checkup not going to be as fun as she thinks it would be.

They went around the halls to the room in the back of the receptionists desk, where a couple unicorn nurses sat at to go through patients' medical records, schedule appointments, and make sure the doctors got all the right information for their patients. "Hey, girls. We got ourselves a little guest staying back here for just a little until her father's physical is done."

The three mares looked down at the young princess, having seen her already earlier in the waiting room. "Oh, so His Highness Prince Solaris needs an examination too?"

"Probably due to all the nightly activities he winds up getting into with his changeling wife," the middle-aged receptionist remarked with a grin. "Every stallions' dream to have a mare to match their libido, yet he's the complete opposite, getting annoyed by her advances and energy."

"Ok, watch the language," Joy warned the mare. "Can you three watch her until Prince Solaris is done?"

"Well, sure," the youngest of the nurses said. "She's in good hooves with us."

"Great. Now, I need to find an available nurse to check up on the prince while I see another patient." Joy let out an annoyed sigh as she grabbed her next patient's medical records. "And as if I could tell, it's him again."

"Blueblood," the nurses said simultaneously.

"Yup. I'll see what he's complaining about now." The doctor left to go see the unicorn stallion, though she wished it was someone else.

"Who's Blueblood?" Emerald asked curiously.

"Somepony you don't want to meet, sweetheart," the middle aged mare said. "He was the late Princess Celestia's nephew, though his title of prince is just by name as his family line was adopted by her several hundred years ago."

"How come he doesn't live in the castle?" the filly asked.

"He has his own place, a brand new one after it was burned up by a stray attack in that dangerous battle your daddy won." Emerald hummed in thought, always hearing stories of her daddy beating Lucifer and how strong he was.

"Is Mr. Blueblood that bad?" she asked.

"He's one of the more annoying patients we have here," the third nurse said after finishing talking with another patient on the other side. "Every single time he has a health problem, given his age, he has to make a whiny complaint, saying we didn't fix him or he's still in pain." The mare grit her teeth, struggling not to swear in front of the five-year-old princess. "Most of the time, he's too stubborn to pay attention to the prescription's instructions to help with his elderly pains, and he blames us and tries to get us fired by saying we're doing a terrible job...He loses every time, and he only makes things worse now that he's become an overnight patient for the last few months."

"'Overnight'?" Emerald asked.

"Some patients sometimes spend a few nights in the hospital to recover from some really bad injuries or illnesses," the young mare answered. "Time and rest can heal, though some serious injuries can leave somepony bedridden for weeks or months. And Blueblood...he kind of just wants attention."

"Sadly, we keep giving it to him," the middle-aged mare grumbled. "That old grump can barely walk, but when he wants to talk, he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"Speaking of mouths, he has medications to take and cram down his pie hole right after Dr. Joy's done assessing his problems." The nurse who spoke with the patient earlier let out a tired groan and found the stallion's medical chart with the list of medications he needs to take today. "Who's gonna do it today?"

"I think it's my turn," the young nurse said.

Just as she stood up from her seat, Emerald tugged on her tail to get her attention. "Can I see him?"

"Sorry, princess, but you need to stay here, otherwise we'll really get in trouble if your father found out you were wandering around the hospital." Emerald pouted, but she understood.

As the young nurse went to tend on their pain of a patient, Emerald couldn't help but wonder who Blueblood was if he was related with the late Princess Celestia. Her parents didn't mention anything about him before or what he did back then. Her curiosity growing, she decided to try to sneak her way out and follow the nurse before she got away.

"I have to use the potty!" Emerald said.

"Do you need one of us to go with you?" the middle-aged nurse asked.

"I'm a big filly. I can go by myself," she said with slight annoyance.

"Ok then. It's just down the hall to the left," the mare instructed. "You'll see the symbols of a mare and a stallion not that far from here to show you where it is."

"Thank you!" Emerald thanked before leaving the room.

Luckily for her, the nurse heading off to Blueblood's room went off in the same direction as the bathrooms. Emerald crept along behind the young mare as she went to grab the arrogant patient's medicine and continued going further into the hospital. The nurse grabbed a trolley, seeing as there were other patients in other rooms that needed their medicine at this time too, giving Emerald the opportunity to hide underneath the cloth resting on it and ride off to where Blueblood was. Twilight, who had been watching her granddaughter, sighed in irritation, already misbehaving and leaving where she was told to wait until Solaris was done with his sudden appointment.

After a while riding under the cart, heading up a couple floors through the elevator, the nurse soon stopped, and judging by the heavy and exhausted sigh she made, Emerald was right in front of where Blueblood's room was. "This dumb stallion has no physical ailments and no signs of a heart attack or stroke, so why still keep him? Good thing he's too dimwitted to tell all his medication is practically sugar pills." Taking Blueblood's "prescribed" medicine in her aura, the mare held a more bedside manneristic expression, entering the room where the irate stallion sat in the hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown while his suit laid folded on a small table next to his bed. Emerald took a peek through the cloth and saw him: an older unicorn stallion, his blonde mane starting to turn gray around his sideburns. She quietly snuck into the room and hid under one of the chairs as the nurse dropped off his pills. "How are you feeling today, Mr. Blueblood?"

"That's Prince Blueblood to you," the stallion grumbled. "Where's the blasted doctor?"

"You're not scheduled for a routine checkup today," the mare stated, keeping her composure as she internally grimaced at his presence. "Every single test we gave you came back perfectly fine, your family has no history of heart problems, and you aren't suffering from any aches and pains as you reach your senior years."

"I am still unwell," Blueblood complained.

"Look. You are healthy. There are no abnormalities, and you're just sitting here taking up a room for other patients who might need it that you're starting to become a liability." The stallion leered at her, not even listening to her.

"Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?" Blueblood questioned. "I am a prince! You will show me some respect, wench! Get me the doctor or I will have you fired for your blatant disregard for my importance!"

The nurse's eye twitched, struggling not to lash out at Blueblood and get herself in trouble with her boss, even though he rightfully deserves a slap in the face and a buck in the groin for calling her a wench. "...Ok...But, as my colleagues and I have probably suggested, maybe it's not a physical pain, but an emotional one. Which means we can't help you with psychological issues you have. Which you have plenty of in that overinflated ego that makes you the ass of Canterlot's nobility."

"Either this hospital fixes me or I will threaten to close this whole place down! I have the power, and the bits, to buy this place and turn it into my own personal mansion!" She suppressed a grumble of annoyance and turned back to continue her rounds.

"Just take your medicine and get some rest," she said sarcastically before closing the door, Emerald hearing a muffled yell of frustration come from the young nurse outside.

"Stupid ignorant mares," Blueblood mumbled, grabbing his pills and swallowing them down with one gulp. "Saying I'm perfectly fine. I'm clearly not if my chest keeps constantly hurting. I will buy and tear down this stupid place with the poor excuses they keep giving me." He stood up from the bed and stretched out his limbs, heading over to the window as he sat and looked out at the city. "This kingdom should have been mine to rule...Not his...I deserve the throne. I was next in line, but everypony thought that little brat would have been better than somepony who actually has experience and has some relation to Auntie Celestia! And he kicks me out of the council for making this city better!? What good is it keeping the poor in this city if all they do is waste space!?"

"Are you talking about my daddy?" The elder stallion let out a girlish shriek and turned around, finding Emerald looking up at him.

"W-What the-How did you get in here!?" he shouted.

"I took a ride on the cart," she answered. "Those nurses were right. You are grumpy."

"G-Grumpy!?" He growled, directing his focus on the filly who had barged into his room without his permission. "And just who are you?"

"I am Princess Emerald Sparkle," she said as she curtsied, respectfully greeting Blueblood to anyone who had a noble or royal title like her daddy taught her. "I live in the castle and came here for my checkup."

"...Oh..." Blueblood glowered at the filly, now recognizing her misshapen horn and holes in her legs. "You're the brat's foal..." He turned away and looked back out the window. "Get out of my sight, you mutated little cretin."

"Hey! I'm not a mutant!" Emerald argued. "My daddy says I'm special, and you shouldn't talk bad about him or me either!"

"Pth! 'Special', he says," Blueblood mocked. "Hilarious coming from a mudblood insect such as yourself. Your father is an idiot and has no respect for who the real ruler of this land is supposed to be!"

"You said you were going to get rid of the poor ponies earlier. A prince or princess cares for all of his or her subjects, including those who aren't living in good places," she stated.

"Canterlot is a city of nobility and has stayed that way for over a millennia," Blueblood countered. "Only those with wealth and nobility are allowed within these walls! All of the filthy earth ponies and rude pegasi should not even be in a city that should only have unicorns!" He turned around and pointed at Emerald. "Not even your filthy kind should be walking around the halls of the castle, half-breed!"

"...Wow. You are a big meanie, just like those nurses said." The unicorn's eye twitched, starting to lose his patience with the young princess. "I thought they were just making fun of you and I wanted to get to know you since you once lived in the castle, but they were right. You're just a jerk like the bullies who pick on me because I'm different; you only care about yourself and hate everypony else because you think you're better than others and hurt them."

Emerald turned to leave, realizing it was a mistake trying to get to know Blueblood better, but the stallion stepped down her tail, keeping her from leaving. "You disrespectful little brat! You have no idea who I am! I am Prince Blueblood, nephew of Princess Celestia! You don't know a thing about me!"

"Well, you sure are showing how big of a meanie you are. And you're going to hurt me when my daddy's also here in the hospital?" She saw him flinch, but his hoof still held firm on her tail. "My daddy saved everypony from an evil monster who was gonna destroy Equestria. Without him, everypony would have died. You too. So if you're saying daddy shouldn't be a prince after being a hero, why should you be a prince if you hate the nurses, ponies who have no bits or homes, and are going to hurt me?"

Blueblood stammered, unable to believe that a five year old was talking him down, even as he held her tail down under his hoof. He hated Solaris, just unexpectedly arriving out of nowhere and taking the throne after defeating Lucifer, taking away what should have been his if Celestia or Luna were to die, even if that wasn't a possibility if they had not been killed by the dark magically crazed unicorn. He kicked him out of the council, even though he had given him a spot to be somewhat close to being a respected noble to make decisions in Equestria and Canterlot, and for the last few years, he had been fuming with anger and envy toward the alicorn for ruining his life.

Emerald was right about Solaris beating Lucifer, though. If he didn't show up, then Canterlot would have all been destroyed, along with the rest of the world after seeing what that demonic stallion was able to unleash. No one could have stood up to him. No one could have fought back and came back alive. Even Blueblood himself was terrified of Lucifer after seeing what he had done to his family's adoptive aunt and feared he would kill him. But when Lucifer appeared at his manor, nearly making his skin leap out of his body, it felt like a low blow to the gut when he told him he wasn't worth killing, being nothing but a pathetic noble of a stallion who had nothing to lose and keeping him alive would leave him the the misery of his worthlessness until the day he died.

Blueblood knew he was spoiled as a colt and grew to be a spoiled old stallion. He was even shown up by a unicorn mare that one year at the Grand Galloping Gala many years ago who had pined for his attention when she was nothing more than a country mare who wants to class and sophistication of a noble unicorn. He was a royal ass to her, acting like a child demanding and receiving whatever he wanted, and she put up with his attitude until he made the mistake of using her as a shield from a cake that was made of the same apples used by one of her earth pony friends who set up a stand to sell country cuisine at a party where there already were free hors d' oeurvres for the guests and nobles. Most of the press after that event had an article on him, showing him as a sexist brat with a picture that showed him using that mare to protect him from the cake that fell on them, which made his credibility worse until he bribed the press that published it.

And now, here he was in a hospital, claiming his chest was burning as his hatred against Solaris grew since he came completely out of the blue to save the world from certain doom. And the alicorn's daughter, who barely knows him, sees him as a pompous, sad stallion who doesn't see him as a prince as she expected from hearing the words of the nurses who put up with him. He knew she was right. He never questioned how he was worthy to others, just taking what was given to him and became a spoiled, selfish pony, only caring about himself and not to others who deserve the titles they were given.

".......You're...You're right..." Blueblood lifted his hoof off of Emerald's tail, the filly brushing the hairs back in place as she glared at the unicorn. Blueblood looked down at his own hooves, contemplating his life and how selfish he was. Lucifer must have known he was so pathetic that it wasn't even worth his time to kill anyone who had close ties with Celestia if he knew about his spoiled life. He let out a sigh and approached the window again, his ears drooping as he looked out the city he always took for granted. "...I am a jerk..."

"You're lucky I didn't scream, or else you'll be in big trouble," Emerald said. "...Even though I could also get in trouble too for being here. But you'd be in bigger trouble."

"You should have." Emerald stared at Blueblood in confusion, letting go of her tail. "I'm sure if the guards threw me in a dungeon, no one would even care about me to visit."

"Huh?" Emerald said as she tilted her head.

"Ever since I was born, I always had a silver spoon in my mouth," Blueblood explained. "I had everything I could ever want, do whatever I desire, and I didn't care what it cost as long as it was mine...Sometimes, I even end up hurting others in some way just to take what they have, or make them feel inferior to my higher noble stature...I guess I am a bully in some way...An adult bully." He pressed his forehead against the glass, staring out at the lower class districts he wanted to destroy. Now that he realized how stupid it sounded as he spotted a few homeless ponies with nowhere to go, he had no clue how much they were suffering compared to him and the welfare he's had in his life. He didn't even care about loss until Celestia died, but that only made him continue to act like a harsh, selfish pony to mask his pain. "I always had so much that I never saw past any of the material items given to me to notice others didn't have the same luxury as I do.

"They had nothing while I had everything...but, in the end, I was not satisfied with what I had...All I wanted was more stuff..." Tears began to well up in his eyes as he looked over to the castle, reminding him of the funeral Solaris held for those who had lost their lives during Lucifer's reign, including his adoptive aunt. "...Now I see why my chest hurts...I can't fill the hole in my heart after losing somepony who really cared about me..." Blueblood even recalled Solaris's words as he lost his own family, the ponies who had raised him were gone and he would never see again. And even after losing five mares, his mother, and his dragon uncle, he had a wife who was there for him in his time of need, and now he had a daughter, who was now staring at him as he struggled not to break down in front of her. "...I'm absolutely pathetic...Your father is lucky to have you and your mother to be there for him...I have nopony anymore, not even any offspring..."

Emerald felt bad for Blueblood. Unlike Gold Plate and Platinum Band, those two bullies only made fun of her and tried to hurt her feelings because they thought it was funny and did it to be mean. Blueblood acted like a bully for so long with how wealthy he was and how he lived his life, but after losing the late princess who raises the sun who was somewhat his family, he acted mean so he wouldn't let anyone know he was upset on the inside. And he did feel bad for what he did, too, even regretting yelling at her and insulting her daddy.

"Blueblood's a normal pony like everyone else," Twilight said, Emerald looking up at her as she sat beside her. "I knew him, at least when I saw him. He was a bit of a spoiled brat and didn't care about anything that wasn't himself. But, after what happened to his aunt, he seemed a bit more...reclusive. Miserable. Depressed."

"He was sad?" Emerald whispered so Blueblood wouldn't hear her.

"Very sad. And because of his sadness, he's pushed more and more ponies away from him by being mean, hiding away his pain while spending the fortune he had on anything he wanted." Twilight watched Blueblood wiping away the tears that threatened to escape his eyes, sighing sadly as others she never knew had also suffered from the aftermath of Lucifer's reign and cruel leadership. "Sometimes, he would even gain attention from other ponies by buying them whatever they wanted, but he wouldn't gain someone with material possessions. They would only care about his bits, not him or his feelings...Not many ponies liked him for his arrogance and foalish behavior, but this is the first time he's probably said something about his feelings, admitting he was a horrible pony and scared to change if no one else cares if he does or doesn't."

Blueblood turned around and approached Emerald. "I think you should head back to your father before you get into trouble...I'm not worth anyone's time. All I ever do is make matters worse for others." He then bowed his head, keeping his eyes to the ground as he felt unworthy being in the presence of the young filly, helping remind him how selfish of a gentlecolt he was supposed to be seen as in his youth. "I apologize for my harsh words and stepping on your tail, Princess Emerald..." He waited for her to leave before he continued wallowing in misery, but instead, she walked up to him and began hugging his foreleg, surprising the stallion. "W-What are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug," she said. Blueblood was speechless, expecting her to walk out and never see her. He looked down at her, highly confused as she looked up at him with a smile. "Hugs make everything better." She went back to hugging his leg, bringing his tears back at the heartfelt gesture Emerald gave him. He let them flow this time, gently bringing a hoof to her back and hugging her in return. He felt like he didn't deserve any affection for how he had behaved, for what he had planned to do if he ruled. But, here was the daughter of Equestria's noble hero and crown prince forgiving him for being so terrible, even after he called her names because of her changeling and pony blood. "Feel better, Mr. Blueblood?"

"...Yes...I think so," he said, patting the princess's back with a smile. "...Thank you, Your Highness."

"You can just call me Emerald," she said. "Friends don't need to call me a princess all the time."

"...Friend..." It was odd to hear a filly call him a friend, being far too old for her to even be considered one. As Emerald backed away, he now noticed more to her aside from her changeling appearance, her mane style and face reminding him of his aunt's pupil, Twilight Sparkle, who had also perished along with her and Luna to try to stop Lucifer. She was the spitting image of the deceased alicorn, despite her changeling appearance and different colored coat and mane, almost seeing her in Emerald's place. Twilight could see the look on Blueblood's face as his heart had slowly opened up again, hoping he would change for the better. "...Ok then...Thank you, Emerald..."

After Solaris's embarrassing checkup, the alicorn blushing heavily at the private examinations done on him with his tail tucked between his legs, he walked out with Dr. Joy through the hall. "Well, I can certainly see that you're perfectly healthy. In all the right places, too."

"I do not want to talk about this," Solaris grumbled as his cheeks burned hotter.

"I'm surprised you didn't flinch as I checked you prostate," Joy noted. "Most stallions who never had something go into them down there usually jump or freak out."

"I said I don't want to talk about this!" he exclaimed, making the mare giggle.

"Oh, Trill told me about that little bit of experimentation she managed to persuade you with." Solaris turned his head to leer at the doctor, his face completely red as his nostrils snorted out green flames. "She does love to gossip about your late night 'wrestling'."

"STOP TALKING!" Joy laughed even harder at the prince's embarrassment, the stallion letting out an exasperated groan as he lowered his head. "I should have picked a different doctor to take her to...One where she wouldn't befriend and blab about everything we do..." As they made their way over to the reception desk, Solaris was about to tell Emerald his checkup was done, but he didn't see any sign of her. "Uhh, where's Emmy?"

"She said she was going to the bathroom," the elder nurse said. But as she looked at the time after going through several patients' records, she winced when she realized it was over twenty minutes since the filly had left to do her business. "...Uh oh...I was so busy, I didn't even realize how long she had been gone!"

"You let her find her way to the bathroom by herself!? Without supervision!?" Solaris exclaimed.

"She said she could go by herself," the mare said, worried of the prince's actions for not keeping a careful watch on the young princess. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness!"

"Where the hay could she have wandered off to!?" As Solaris began to panic, Emerald came walking down the hall with Blueblood, no longer wearing the gown as he was dressed in his suit again, helping her find her way back to the front of the hospital.

"Hi, daddy!" she said, the stallion sighing in relief as she didn't wander too far.

"Emerald, do NOT go off anywhere on your own like that again," he scolded, scooping the filly to him in his magic. He looked up to thank who was watching out for her, surprised to see the elder unicorn stallion was his daughter's guide. "Blueblood?"

"...Hello, Your Highness," he said as he bowed to the alicorn, surprising Solaris with the odd sign of respect from him.

"...Hello...?" Joy and the nurses were just as shocked as Solaris was, the alicorn having no idea what to say. "...What, uhh...Why are you here at the hospital?"

"I...wasn't feeling well...but I really had no serious physical illness," he admitted. "I was here for a while...just so I could get attention and...not feel lonely, I guess." He looked at Emerald, seeing the look of shame on her face, knowing she was going to be in a lot of trouble as she was held in Solaris's hooves. "She was in my room. Managed to sneak in after one of the nurses dropped off my medicine...which I didn't need."

The medical staff looked at the young nurse, appalled by their judgement over her. "I didn't even know she was following me!"

"She was just curious about why these mares disliked me, Your Highness. It's not a foal's fault for wanting to know more about something they don't understand...Though, she had the same impression they did after everything I said to her...and I regret every word said and every action done in my life." He pulled out a checkbook from his jacket pouch and a pen, writing an amount down on it. "I've been miserable, and it took meeting your daughter and a scolding from her to remind me how terrible I had been. I'm going to change myself, be better than the spoiled brat I still am today, and I hope others will see that change too."

"...Seriously?" Solaris looked down at Emerald, giving him a grin, wondering what she said to him to snap his mind out of acting like a pompous fool of a stallion who cared only for himself. "Uhh...Good luck with that?"

"Thank you, Your Highness." He bowed to the prince and princess again, ripping the slip of paper out of his checkbook. He approached the front desk and laid it out for them. "For my medical expenses, and some extra bits for putting up with me and my childish behavior these last few months."

As Blueblood left the hospital, the mare working the counter took the check and looked at it, her jaw dropping at the amount he left on it. "By the sun and moon, that's a lot!"

The other nurses crowded around her as they saw just how much he paid, half the amount definitely paying his bills for staying in the hospital while the other half split between the three was more than half a year's salary for them. "Wow...I just might give half my share to charity with that number."

Emerald waved goodbye to Blueblood as she was set back down on the ground, now getting Solaris curious over what she said to him. "Emmy, what exactly did you do?"

"I told him he wasn't a nice prince, and he missed his auntie. Then I gave him a hug, and now he's my friend." The alicorn scratched his head at the brief explanation, but seeing how she made a huge impact on him from just a few minutes with him, Blueblood's change in attitude sure explained enough.

"Ok, then. Good to see you helping other ponies like the good little princess you are." His compliment made Emerald beam, but despite her good deed, she was still in trouble. "But you're not going to have any sweets, snacks, or desserts for the next two weeks for sneaking away from the nurses while I was in the middle of my appointment."

Emerald's smile melted as her jaw dropped in shock. "But I-!"

"No buts, Emerald," Solaris interrupted. "You ran off and didn't stay put until I was done."

"That's not fair!" the filly whined.

"Ooh. I also forgot to mention something," Joy said. "When good colts and fillies get their checkups, they can get a lollipop for behaving well." Emerald's jaw dropped even lower as the doctor mentioned the good that came out of behaving throughout her checkup. "Looks like you can't get one now. Daddy says no sweets, so no lollipop. Sorry."

"Awwwwww!" Emerald pouted angrily and crossed her forelegs against her chest, her ears twitching as she heard Twilight giggle.

"You get into just as much trouble as your mother with that curiosity of yours," the lavender mare said.

"Mr. Blueblood owes me candy when I can have sweets again," Emerald grumbled as she and Solaris headed back to the castle.

Even though she got in trouble for disobeying and wandering off unsupervised in the hospital, she did feel good helping Blueblood a little after getting to know him. If she did see him again, she might say hello to him and learn a bit more about the stallion. And maybe ask for candy when she wasn't in trouble anymore.

The Grand Galloping Gala

Tonight was that time of the year, where anyone who was able to buy themselves a special ticket for this evening would be able to attend the castle for the Grand Galloping Gala. Throughout the day, the servants set up the formal gathering throughout the foyer, ballroom, and gardens, though with how the event is planned out by Solaris, it won't be the same as what many nobles would expect, seeing as he would be expecting a few guests who would arrive that can help liven the ball up. Food was prepared by the kitchen staff, something for everyone to enjoy, especially since the alicorn was expecting foals to arrive with their parents for Emerald to interact with.

Solaris was already dressed in his regalia: wearing his crown, golden horseshoes, and the white and gold tunic he wore on his coronation, refitted for him as he grew out of it after becoming an adult. He was busy getting his daughter ready for the evening, dressed in a light lavender gown with a gold hem, the dress sparkling with sequins made to look like stars. On her hooves were a pair of gold dress slippers with green bows on the front of them. The filly sat patiently as she looked at herself in the mirror, watching her daddy helping fix her mane into a ponytail while brushing her bangs down, making her look presentable for their guests for the evening.

"There we go," Solaris said, putting down the brush. "My little princess is ready for the Gala."

"Daddy, I think you forgot something," Emerald said, pointing at the top of her head.

"Did I?...Oh, right!" He levitated Emerald's crown off a pillow resting on her dresser, a small white tiara with a purple star in the middle. "A princess can't be a princess without her crown."

He lowered the crown on her already groomed mane, setting perfectly on her head. Now Emerald looked like a proper princess, loving the dress made by her Aunt Gemstone for this night as she posed in front of the mirror to look at herself.

"I look really pretty," she said with a twirl, Solaris nodding in agreement. "Is the Gala gonna be fun, daddy?"

"I hope so. I did plan out a little area for you and other foals that come to the Gala so you don't have to suffer through the boring stuff the adults think is considered fun." They heard a groan as Trill entered the room, the changeling grumbling in annoyance as she walked in their daughter's room.

"Do we really have to wear stuff like this for every formal gathering?" Trill wore an emerald green dress that matched her eyes, her mane tied up in a braided ponytail, and wore green lipstick and eye shadow. Her outfit sparkled with smaller sequins sewn into it, not as flashy as Emerald's sequin stars decorating her dress, but even though she hated it, Solaris loved seeing his beloved wife dressed so beautifully. "I hate these boring events. Why do we have to host the Gala every year, and why do we have to wear these frilly dresses!?"

"Honey, don't complain," Solaris said, approaching the disgruntled mare and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You look really beautiful. And I thought you loved to dress up."

"My version of 'dressing up' is only for you and when we're alone," Trill corrected, poking him in the snout. "You know, the kind of outfits only you're allowed to see and Emerald can't."

"Mommy has dress up clothes?" Emerald asked.

"Adult dress up clothes!" Solaris quickly said. "They aren't the kind of clothes meant for little fillies for pretend games!"

"She is going to play 'adult dress up' with a stallion when she gets older," Trill whispered, flustering the stallion with those thoughts, which made it worse as he didn't want to imagine what their daughter would do when she reaches her teens.

"Trill, cut it out!" he hissed. "I do not want to know or find out what Emmy does the moment she hits puberty!" Trill only smirked as the only amount of fun she'll have at any boring, royal events would be endlessly teasing her husband until it's finally over, where she would make it up to him before falling asleep. Ignoring the coy stare she gave him, Solaris noticed she wasn't wearing her tiara. "Uhh, where's your tiara, Trill?"

"Yeah, mommy! We're princesses!" Emerald stated. "We gotta wear our tiaras!"

"Well, mommy doesn't want to wear her tiara," Trill said. "Even if I'm married to your father, I hate wearing that thing." Solaris managed to find her tiara from their room, placing it on her head to her dismay. Unlike Emerald's, Trill's was black with a green gem shaped like a heart. "It was bad enough I was a future queen changeling like mom, but I guess I can't get rid of my status as princess all too easily, can I?"

"Afraid not." Solaris draped a wing over her, pulling her close and nuzzled her. "You regret marrying me?"

"...Nah. I don't regret anything about you, Solly." Trill pressed her lips against Solaris's, kissing him as she leaned against him. Emerald giggled, feeling the love radiating from them, happy to see her mommy and daddy always so happy together. The mare pulled away and nuzzled his cheek lovingly. "I love you, hon."

"And I love you," he said as he returned her affection.

"Me too!" Emerald cheered, hugging her parents' forelegs as she joined in.

They both laughed at the filly's happiness as she joined in. "Of course. We love you too, Emmy." Solaris and Trill hugged Emerald, trapping her in their forelegs in their family hug. Solaris gave both his princesses a kiss on the cheek, lowering the hybrid filly back down. "I think it's about time for the Gala to start. Let's go and greet our subjects, ladies."

Emerald cheered and skipped ahead of her parents while Trill let out a frustrated sigh, willing herself to tough through the boring ball and meeting snobby kiss ups who try to win her and Solaris over with boring deals or trade ideas. Once they navigated their way to the main foyer, the guards began letting guests inside once they showed their tickets. The majority of guests were mostly nobles from Canterlot, having bought their tickets so they could meet the royal family, but there were a few VIPs who were invited by Solaris expected to show up at any moment. And right on cue, one of those guests arrived in a flash, teleporting before the prince and princesses was Discord, wearing an orange tuxedo, along with a top hat of the same color and a cane.

"The Lord of Chaos has arrived!" Discord announced, blasts of confetti exploding behind him to accent his grand entrance, showering the other guests with his chaotic confetti blasts. "I would have gotten here sooner, but I just couldn't decide what to wear." He snapped his fingers, materializing a walk in wardrobe with thousands of randomly mismatched clothing sets. "I barely had anything formal, but I managed to find the best monkey suit out of my collection, even though it is a bit too orange."

"Unca Discord!" Emerald was about to run up to the draconequus and hug him, only to stop herself as she remembered there were other ponies around them. She cleared her throat and instead curtsied, being a respectable young princess to the public watching them. "I mean, Mr. Discord. A pleasure to see you again."

"Oh, don't be a royal stick in the mud! Give your chaotic uncle a hug!" Discord scooped Emerald up in his arms, ignoring the looks any of the nobles gave as the filly giggled and hugged him. "Just because you're a princess doesn't mean you have to act like one every single day. I mean, just look at what that's done to your father."

"Hey, I'm able to have fun and uphold my duties, Discord," Solaris argued.

"Yeah. You have a lot of fun with our 'wrestling' when you're in the mood to tussel with me, or whenever I start it," Trill said with a grin, rubbing her flank against his sensually.

Solaris stepped away from his wife's teasing rump brushing against his, struggling to hide the growing blush on his face as he felt annoyed by her seductive torment. "Why do you always do this?"

"Because I am bored, I'm not going to have fun taking part in the Gala, and I love to tease you," she answered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"And because of that, I feel like I'm raising two foals: one who's actually my daughter, while the other is a filly trapped in an adult changeling's body," Solaris grumbled as he sighed.

Discord lowered Emerald back down to the floor, making sure not to ruin her dress. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to mingle with the crowd. And by mingle, I mean liven the place up a little bit."

Discord strolled around the castle, whistling a jaunty tune as he twirled his cane in his hand. "He better not cause any trouble," Solaris muttered under his breath, welcoming more guests that approached him as they entered the castle.

The main roads of Canterlot were filled with carriages approaching the castle, many guests for the Gala arriving in style before making their way down the pathway inside the castle. One of the many carriages arriving were accompanied by stallions in the Crystal Guard, escorting the royal family of the Crystal Empire after arriving in the city. One of the guards opened the door as they reached the castle entrance, the first to walk out was young Flurry Heart, now eleven years old. Her curly mane was styled like her mother's, sparkling gems expertly placed in her hair as a custom for princesses of the Crystal Empire for any royal event, whether in their kingdom or royal invites like the Grand Galloping Gala. The alicorn filly wore a pink and blue dress with sparkling sapphires sewn in the white trimming at the end.

"Finally, we're here!" Flurry said as she looked up at the castle. "It felt like forever since we last came here!"

Cadence stepped out next, wearing a light blue dress similar in color to the Crystal Heart, wearing a heart-shaped brooch on her breast as her dress shimmered with sequins and small gem shards also shaped like hearts. "It hasn't been that long, Flurry. We did come for Emerald's birthday a few months ago."

"But it still felt like forever!" the filly exaggerated.

"I know," Cadence giggled. She then turned to the carriage, Shining Armor also arriving with his wife and daughter for the occasion. He wore his old Royal Guard dress uniform, tailored to the style of the kingdom he lived in now as it shimmered with shards of red rubies. Despite his handicap, he wasn't going to miss out on enjoying his time with his nephew and grandniece, sadly unable to go to her last birthday party due to the pain. "Here, hon. Let me help you down."

"I got it," he said, his pride as a stallion, ex-Royal Guard, and prince not allowing him to be weak just because of his injured forelegs. He stepped down from the carriage, his legs shaking as he tried to put as little weight on his front legs as he could. It took a little while for him to finally reach the ground, but he succeeded, despite his injured legs screaming out in pain. "T-There. See? I can handle a couple steps."

"Shining, don't push yourself," Cadence chided. "I know how much you wanted to come along, but that doesn't mean you should hurt yourself." He opened his mouth to speak, but she gently pressed her hoof to his lips. "And don't make an excuse over your pride and mask the pain you're currently in. You're already starting to sweat just from walking down the steps of the carriage."

"Yeah, daddy. Don't hurt yourself," Flurry said, just as concerned with her father's injuries as her mother.

"I know, but...I can't just sit around and lay in bed every day," he said, looking down at himself. Because of his forelegs, he can barely move around much without wincing in pain. The pain only grew worse as the years passed, but he wasn't going to be using a walker or a wheelchair until the rest of his body began to slow down when he reached his late seventies. He had a bit of a pudge to him, able to be unnoticed if he sucked in his gut, and he lost the muscles he had from all the training he's done in the Royal Guard and working for Lucifer as a double agent to seek revenge on him. "I feel absolutely useless if I just sit on my plot and can't move. I don't care if it hurts to walk on these legs. I'm not going to miss out on the time I've lost with my nephew, and I want to have as much time with Emerald before I'm a wrinkled old stallion..."

Flurry and Cadence looked at each other, knowing how much it mean for him to spend a lot of time with Solaris, Trill, and Emerald. Cadence pulled her stubbornly desperate husband into a hug, nuzzling his cheek as he brought his hooves around her back.

"We just don't want you to push yourself and wind up with any worse injuries than you've already gotten," Cadence gently reasoned, giving Shining a kiss on the cheek. "Solaris worries about you every day after what happened. And I know how much you want to bond with Emerald when she can't come over and visit us due to her changeling blood." The alicorn straightened out her husband's dress shirt, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "Let's not get our grandniece worried either. She can sense your troubles a lot better than Solaris, and he does send letters saying how much Emerald missed seeing us."

"And so could I within a mile where you stand." The Crystal Empire royal family turned to see Chrysalis landing beside them, along with her escort of changeling guards. Unlike them, she wasn't dressed up like everyone else was. "You really shouldn't be moving around that much, anyway."

"Chrysalis? What are you doing here?" Shining asked in surprise.

"Auntie Chrissy!" Flurry caught the changeling queen in a hug, startling her as she awkwardly pet the filly's head.

"Yes, yes, hello, Flurry Heart," Chrysalis said, gently pushing the filly off her. "Nice seeing you again...and your reservoir of Crystal Empire love." She noticed her guards staring at the filly, smacking one upside the head and snapping them back to attention, momentarily forgetting they weren't supposed to steal love after Flurry Heart got too close. "If you want to feed, there's love essence at the party to sprinkle onto the food in the castle. As tempting as it is to suck this filly's love out of her, stay away from her."

"Yes, my queen!" they responded, Flurry giggling, almost as if she did that on purpose to tease the other changelings.

"Anyway, the reason why I'm here is because I was invited by Solaris," Chrysalis said. "And if I didn't, I'm sure Discord would have brought me here by force. He wants me to get more involved with family, even if I have a lot of work to do around my hive."

"Well, that's a good thing," Cadence said. "Emerald's always looking forward to seeing her grandmare again."

"I really hate being called that," the queen grumbled. "Let's just get this night over with. I don't like fancy gatherings, and royal balls are one of them."

Chrysalis walked through the gates with her entourage behind her, Shining, Cadence, and Flurry following behind slowly due to the unicorn stallion's handicap. Some of the nobles were a bit wary of the changeling queen and her guards approaching the castle, few not fully accepting the idea of having Equestria united with love sucking creatures. As soon as Chrysalis walked through the open doorway, flashing her tickets to the guards for herself and her entourage, she spotted her son-in-law, daughter, and granddaughter at the foot of the stairs in the foyer greeting other guests. The moment she walked in, Trill's eyes widened in shock, surprised to see her mother waltzing in and approach them.

"Mom!?" With her presence known to Solaris and Emerald, the former waved to her while the latter ran up to Chrysalis.

"Grandma!" Emerald squealed, ramming herself into the queen's foreleg and hugged it tightly.

Chrysalis grumbled, everyone in the foyer watching the hybrid filly as she loudly proclaimed her entrance and her relationship with her. With Emerald, feeling the love she had in her was a lot different than Flurry's, where it can be noticed, but her mixed blood prevented any changeling from stealing it. Feeling even more awkward with eyes staring at her, including her guards, the mare pat her back, which only made the filly tighten her grip on her more.

"I...I had no idea you would actually come to the Gala," Trill uttered, still in shock. She then realized her mother wasn't even wearing a dress, had her hair styled for a royal occasion, or even any makeup, she grumbled and leered at Solaris. "Oh, so my mom's invited and she isn't wearing anything! That's fair!"

"I was actually expecting her to maybe wear something made from the green webbing you spit out at me and form it into a kind of silk to make a dress." She still held her disdained gaze on the alicorn, slowly shaking her head. "...Well, I thought that was something you could do."

"That's just disgusting," Trill said. "And we're not silkworms or spiders." She began pouting, crossing her forelegs in anger. "Can't believe my mom can come without dressing up and I have to."

While the changeling princess complained, Chrysalis lifted up her leg, Emerald still clutching onto her limb tightly, looking up at her as she continued hugging her. "Hi, Grandma!"

"Hello..." Chrysalis lightly shook her leg, making the filly giggle as she was trying to be shaken off of her grandmother. "...Please let go of my leg."

"But I want a hug!" Emerald said.

The queen's eye twitched, looking to her son-in-law and daughter, the latter smirking as she found Emerald's plea amusing. "...Get her off."

"Just give her a hug, Chrysalis," Solaris advised. "She misses her grandma."

"I hate being called that," Chrysalis grumbled. With no choice, all eyes watching her, she let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her leg back down. She brought her other foreleg around Emerald and gave her a quick hug. "There. You got a hug."

"That wasn't a hug!" Emerald complained.

"Yes it was," she argued. "It lasted for at least a second. It counts."

"And mom thinks I'm the one who can't grow up," Trill whispered to Solaris.

Emerald reluctantly let go of her grandma, even if she found her to be silly hiding the fact she liked her. Chrysalis walked around the filly to speak with Solaris and Trill, her guards wandered off to mingle and help themselves to whatever food was there to sprinkle the delectable love essence on. She turned back to the front entrance, her eyes lighting up with joy as she saw Flurry Heart, her Grandaunt Cadence, and her Granduncle Shining Armor enter the castle.

"Flurry!" Emerald shouted joyfully as she ran up to her.

"Emerald!" The young filly stopped in front of her second cousin before tackling her into a hug, the two fillies doing a familiar dance that Cadence and Shining Armor knew fondly.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!" The two fillies then hugged each other after their greeting.

Cadence knew that familiar dance and greeting, considering it was how she and Twilight greeted each other when they were younger. She didn't recall showing Flurry Heart and sharing it with Emerald, so either they coincidentally came up with that same chant and dance together during their last visit on Emerald's birthday or they found about it somehow.

"Cadence, when did you teach them that?" Shining asked.

"I didn't." He was a bit baffled at his wife's calm answer, but whether they learned it or not, it suited their daughter and grandniece, both fillies near reincarnations of their mothers. "Hey, where's my hug?" Emerald broke away from her cousin and ran up to Cadence, glomping into her foreleg excitedly. The alicorn scooped her up and hugged her tightly. "Ooooh! You have gotten so big since I last saw you! And you look so pretty in your dress!"

"You're pretty too, Auntie Cadence," Emerald complimented, making Cadence giggle, seeing she has definitely gotten most of her manners from Solaris. She put her down, the filly approaching her uncle, who had sat down to rest his sore forelegs. "Hi, Unca Shiney."

"Hey, Emerald." The filly carefully walked up to him and hugged his waist, being mindful of his injured forelegs her daddy told her about. He hugged her back, wincing a little as his hooves made contact with her grandniece, but he didn't let the pain bother him. "You look really beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, Unca Shiney." Even if she didn't see her granduncle much with her grandaunt and second cousin, Emerald was happy to see him here at the Gala.

Twilight watched her brother and granddaughter, seeing the pain that was in Shining's eyes. It wasn't the physical pain of his injuries she saw, but the mental pain, able to tell he saw so much of her in Emerald. It hurt him greatly to have his little sister perish, trying to stop a monster that no one could stand up to, nearly losing himself in his fruitless attempts at getting revenge for her unfortunately destined demise. Thankfully, with the threat gone, he was at peace with Cadence, their daughter, Flurry Heart, and Solaris, the alicorn stallion's courageous efforts helping bring peace back to Equestria as well.

Emerald let go of Shining and ran back to her cousin, though Solaris could see his uncle was struggling not to visible wince in pain. "Hey, Emmy? Why don't you show Flurry the garden and have fun with the other foals here at the Gala?"

"But daddy, I wanna wait for Vivi!" Emerald whined.

"I'll tell him where you are as soon as he and his parents arrive." She pouted and looked at the doorway, seeing no sign of her best friend. Solaris brushed her hoof along his daughter's mane, being careful not to knock off her tiara and mess up her mane. "I know you don't want to stand around here all night greeting guests."

"Like me!" Trill exclaimed, Solaris chuckling at her claim, knowing she was pouting and already bored out of her mind.

"But, unlike mommy, you're going to want something to do before bedtime, and standing around the foyer with us isn't all that fun." Emerald looked up at her daddy, his words were a bit true as she was getting a little antsy waiting for Virtuo and standing around doing nothing.

"...Ok. But Vivi better be here soon!" She gave her daddy a quick hug and ran off with Flurry Heart in tow to the gardens where the other younger ponies could have their fun at a formal party.

"Don't run, Emmy!" Solaris called out, but she had already rounded the corner before he heard her. He let out a sigh, letting it slide since she was still a filly and always needed something to do to entertain herself. "Oh well. Hopefully she doesn't get her dress all dirty. Gem would kill me if her dress she made was ruined."

Out in the gardens of the castle, the area was set up to look more fun for any foals who came with their parents to the Gran Galloping Gala. Most of the colts and fillies that were there were just as snooty as their parents, very confused with the birthday party-like setting that was for them at a royal ball. Emerald and Flurry arrived, the alicorn filly staring at the fun decorations that was a big change compared to the royal decor inside the castle, fun music playing that fit the setting of the foal's variation of a Gala.

"Wow. Solly really planned all this?" Flurry asked.

Cherry Pie suddenly popped out of the bushes, wearing the Gala outfit once worn by her mother, Pinkie: a bright pink dress with fake candies sewn on the white sash around her waist, pink dress shoes with blue and white striped bows on the front, and a small blue and white hat on her head. "Actually, I was the one who planned this section of the Gala!"

"Auntie Cherry!" Emerald leapt into Cherry's hooves after climbing out of the foliage, barely getting her outfit dirty for some reason, the red earth pony mare hugging the filly tightly. "Wait, where are my other aunts and uncles?"

"They'll be at the Gala soon," Cherry said. "Gemstone wanted us all to arrive in style, but that would take too long. Plus, your daddy needed a party expert to set up something not boring for little fillies like yourself in something as posh as the Grand Galloping Gala...Although..." As they looked out at the party, the many noble foals just stood around, doing nothing as they stared at the foalish decor that was meant for their ages. "Like with every Gala, we get too many stiffs who don't like fun."

"Well, I'm ready to have fun," Flurry said. "And I love this music!"

"And if you need any refreshments, there's a buffet table with lots of tasty treats and drinks to refill that energy tank and party even more!" Cherry pointed at a table nearby, where an assortment of sugary snacks were laid out, along with a soda fountain with ten different flavors. What Emerald noticed where most of the chocolaty snacks, ranging from cookies to cupcakes. "And just for the little princess, I made a lot of different chocolate treats I know you're going to love. Now, let's dance, little princesses!"

Emerald and Flurry cheered as they ran out into the middle of the garden and danced to the upbeat, non-classical music playing over the speakers. While the adult mare and two princesses were busy having fun, two colts walked into the garden after being lead by the signs to where the foals would have their fun in the Gala. Gold Plate and Platinum Band, wearing matching black tuxedos, spotted Emerald as they looked at the decorations, appalled at what they clearly didn't expect to see.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Gold grumbled. "This isn't fit for a royal gathering."

"Did our moms bring us to the wrong castle or something?" Platinum asked, earning a smack in the back of the head by his friend.

"There's only one castle in Canterlot, stupid." The silver colt rubbed his head, leering at Gold for hitting him. "The Gala's supposed to be a noble party, not...this." Gold Plate grumbled as he and Platinum made their way to the buffet table, scarfing down a cookie as he watched the hybrid princess dance. "I don't even know why our moms brought us to the stupid castle. We're going to be spending the night here with the giant white bug and-"

Gold let out a small gasp when he noticed the older filly dancing with Emerald and Cherry. He watched Flurry, everything else around her fading away as he only focused on the alicorn princess. His cheeks began glowing red, taking note of every feature: her violet and blue highlighted curly mane, her light blue eyes, the beautiful dress she wore. The rude, spoiled colt's eyes drooped as his grin widened into a dopey, love-struck smile, his ears twitching as he heard her giggling over the music playing around them.

Platinum didn't hear his friend continue complaining, looking at him to see him grinning like a doofus as he watched the two fillies and grown mare on the dance floor. "Uhh, Gold?" He waved his hoof in front of Gold Plate's face, getting no reaction out of him. "Dude, what's wrong with you? And why's your face red?"

"...Who...is that?" Gold asked.

"Uhh..." Platinum saw who his friend was looking at, more on Flurry Heart than their victim or the mare acting like a filly. "An alicorn? I didn't know there was another besides Prince Solaris and Princess Cadence."

As the music wound down and shifted to a calmer song, the only dancers out there taking a break as they walked over to the buffet table. "She's coming this way! Act natural!"

Gold shoved Platinum out of his way as he went to grab drink, knocking his friend on the ground and getting his tuxedo dirty. "Hey! Mom bought me this so we could match!"

His complaints went unheard as the light fuchsia colt got his beverage, grabbed a bendy straw to sip from his plastic cup, and leaned against the table, pretending to act suave to impress his crush. Emerald and Flurry went for the snacks on the other end first, feeling hungry more than thirsty as they talked, Cherry bouncing off back inside the castle to see if her friends arrived yet.

"So, I heard you started school not too long ago," Flurry said, both fillies grabbing paper plates and piled a few delicious sweets on them. "How is it?"

"It was horrible my first day," Emerald said with a pout. "I got in trouble because of these two stupid colts in my class."

"You got in trouble? On the first day of preschool?" Flurry was surprised, never expecting anyone, no less her own cousin, who gets in trouble on the first day of starting school.

"They made fun of me, threw paper balls at me, and said mommy and daddy weren't my mommy and daddy!" Emerald explained angrily. "And they still keep picking on me. I don't listen to them, but I still hate it."

"Oh dear," Flurry muttered as they moved down the table with their plates.

"I hope I don't see those two-" Just as Emerald was about to get herself some soda, she gasped when she saw Gold Plate and Platinum Band, the former sipping from his drink while the latter tried getting dirt and grass clippings off his tuxedo jacket. "What are you two doing here!?"

"We were invited with our moms, dork," Platinum said.

"Daddy should have uninvited you bullies!" Emerald shouted.

"You know these two colts?" Flurry asked, only for Gold to approach her, ignoring Emerald's glare as he "accidentally" brushed past her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you," he said, pretending to be cool despite how hard his heart was beating in his chest. "But I should have with a pretty filly like yourself."

Flurry, Emerald, and Platinum blinked in confusion, the two preschoolers looking at each other with a raised brow while the older filly stared blankly at Gold. "...Umm, I'm sorry?"

"Well, of course you'd be pretty," Gold continued complimenting the confused alicorn filly. "You are an alicorn, and a real princess. Not like a certain somepony." Emerald growled, knowing who exactly he was talking about as she munched on a cupcake. Gold Plate took Flurry Heart's hoof in his own, the filly feeling a little uncomfortable with the younger colt's behavior. "How about we have some real fun inside the castle, where a real Gala is going on?"

"What is wrong with Gold Plate?" Platinum asked, but after seeing how infatuated Gold was with her cousin, Emerald's eye twitched in irritation.

"Oh my gosh...Gold Plate likes my cousin." She could feel the love he had for Flurry Heart, the signs of a crush that she could sense being part changeling, which made her gag. "Eww! Flurry, get away from that jerk!"

"So, these two are the bullies who are picking on you?" Flurry asked, Emerald nodding, wanting Gold Plate far away from her older cousin. The alicorn pulled her hoof away from the love-struck colt, not impressed with his pathetic attempts to woo her. "You and your friend are picking on my cousin in school?"

"Cousin?" Gold asked. "What cousin?"

"That would be me, you dummy!" He looked at Emerald, letting out a small laugh in amusement.

"Yeah, right. As if you're related to that dorky little bug." Gold pinched a nerve in Flurry Heart as he called her a bug, practically insulting her family in front of her. "She's just a half-breed filly who was only lucky to be born."

Flurry Heart wanted nothing more than to slap this colt in the face, splash soda on him, or kick him hard in the gut, but she refrained herself from being violent. "Maybe this may enlighten you if you are nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks he owns everything. I am Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire. Prince Solaris is my cousin and my daddy is his uncle. So that makes Emerald my second cousin, my family, and I do not appreciate it when somepony makes fun of my family because they are different from anypony else."

"Prince Solaris is your cousin!?" Platinum asked in shock.

"...Wait...You two are really...?" Gold's eyes shifted between Flurry and Emerald, his brain slowly processing this news. Eventually, it caught up with him, and his first ever crush was immediately crushed, feeling pale as he actually liked the relative of the filly he despised. "...No...You're kidding...Tell me you're joking..."

"Nope. We're family." Gold Plate's heart shattered, letting out a high pitched whine in utter shock as he grew very conflicted. "I would love to smack some sense into you for not only picking on a princess, but also my favorite cousin. You are lucky I cannot do so at a royal gathering like the Grand Galloping Gala. But if I hear you keep making fun of her, calling her names, and getting her in trouble at school for being racist, I will teach you a lesson the hard way."

"...W-What does 'racist' mean?" Gold asked, now nervous out of fear at the spiteful glare given to him from Flurry Heart.

"It means you hate other ponies, or creatures, who aren't like you for no reason," Flurry explained. "And don't think I'm joking around because I'm a princess. My daddy's been teaching me self defense, spells and hoof-to-hoof, if I'm ever in trouble from a pony who wants to hurt me. So I won't hesitate to be by my cousin's side and defend her from pathetic, spoiled, and bratty foals like you who think it's funny to hurt someone because they're different. The same goes for your friend, too. Understand?" Both colts nodded their heads, her cheerful side shifting to terrifying not as bad as Mrs. Smiley's, but it was scary. "Now, either leave her alone or be nice to her, otherwise, you can leave this area and be with the other stiffs who kiss up to my cousin and my parents."

Fearing what she would do to them, the bullies fled and ran back inside the castle to find their mothers. "I can't believe they're here...I hate them at school, and they're gonna show up whenever there's a fancy party, which makes me hate them more."

"They're just a bunch of bullies," Flurry said. "I can't believe they would say something like that...And that pink colt was acting...weird."

"He's in love with you," Emerald said with disgust.

"...Oh. Another one." Flurry let out a sigh and nibbled on a cupcake. "And this one's around your age."

"You have colts coming after you too?" the hybrid filly asked curiously.

"Not exactly picking on me, but many colts my age always ogle me whenever I'm around," Flurry said. "I really hate the attention sometimes. They always give me flowers, chocolates, ask me out on a date, but none of them really seem to care much about me personally. I know when they aren't sincere with their compliments and giving me gifts because I'm a princess...Well, at least the crystal pony colts respect me, but they aren't the ones who rush at me whenever I waltz right into the room."

"But Gold Plate actually liked you!" Emerald exclaimed, feeling sick as she felt the love coming out of the bully who's been giving her first school year nothing but trouble. "At least it's gone now that he found out we're cousins. But it's still there..." The filly shuddered, grabbing her drink and taking a few gulps to get rid of the disturbing sensation, practically tasting Gold's love. "I'm gonna be sick if I feel it in school."

A moment later as the fillies rested, the other foals slowly getting used to the setting after watching the two princesses having fun, Virtuo walked into the garden. Solaris guided the brown colt, wearing a simple black tuxedo like many of the other stallions and colts in the Gala, following the signs to the foal's area of the ball. Just from looking around the party, it was already ten times better than what was in the castle. He walked over to the buffet table of goodies, standing behind Emerald as she was busy talking with her cousin about the rest of her better days at school.

"Hey, Emerald," he said, the filly's ears perking up as she quickly turned around to see him, a big grin on her face.

"Vivi!" Emerald pounced Virtuo, nearly knocking him over as she squeezed his ribcage. Thankfully, she let go before he passed out and fell over, risking getting both their clothes dirty. Flurry giggled in amusement as she watched Emerald drag the dazed colt to her. "Flurry, this is Vivi, my bestest friend since forever! Vivi, this is my big cousin, Flurry Heart!"

After he regained his senses, Virtuo found himself face to face with Flurry, recognizing her as an alicorn and bowed his head. "Nice to meet you, your Highness."

"Oh, please. Don't be so formal." She lifted the colt's head back up and shook his hoof. "Any friend of Emmy's is a friend of mine."

"Uhh, ok." It was a little awkward for Virtuo to speak normally to a princess, but he is friends with Emerald, though that was because they met and grew up together when she was a baby. "So, you two are family? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, I'm a princess in the Crystal Empire," Flurry said. "My mom and I sometimes visit Canterlot to see her and my cousin, Solaris, especially when winter comes around."

"She doesn't visit you?" Virtuo asked.

"We live in the north, and there's a lot of snow outside of the city. And since Emerald is part changeling, she really can't handle the cold as much as we ponies can." Emerald pouted after she snacked on a cupcake, some icing sticking to her lips.

"I wanna go to the Crystal Empire, but I get really cold and very sleepy when it's colder," she whined. "That means I can't play in the snow, and it looks fun to play in."

"Right...She also gets sick really easily when winter comes," Virtuo added. "I wasn't able to come over to the castle as much last winter because I got sick a couple times, and so did Emerald."

"And I had to drink that yucky medicine!" Emerald stuck out her tongue, licking up the icing she barely noticed. "I don't want to be sick again! And I can't go to school when it starts to snow. At least I won't have to see Gold Plate or Platinum Band. That's the only good thing."

"Lucky," Virtuo muttered.

The next song began to play, which turned out to be a slow song, an odd selection of music for foals. It lifted Emerald's mood a little bit, shifting her negative thoughts away.

"Ooh! I love this song! Let's dance, Vivi!" Without so much as a confirmation from the poor colt, Emerald dragged Virtuo out to the dance floor.

"My name's actually Virtuo-" he said to Flurry as he was pulled by the young filly. "-and I don't want to dance!"

"But I wanna, Vivi. Pleeeeeaaaaaase?" Emerald gave Virtuo the guilt tripping puppy dog eyes and pouted.

It didn't take long for the colt to grumble, giving in as he held out his hoof for her to grab. She squealed happily and took his hoof, both ponies standing on their hind legs and began stepping to the music. Virtuo's cheeks burned red in embarrassment as everyone else watched them, but Emerald didn't care as she was having fun. Flurry wondered why Solaris would put in a song like this, but she found out who the real culprit was, hearing a familiar voice snickering from behind the speakers. She spotted a serpentine tail sticking out, moving around it to find Discord watching Emerald and Virtuo, giggling at the embarrassed colt.

"Discord." The draconequus yelped, leaping out of his hiding place before falling back down, none of the other foals hearing or seeing him. He turned around, Flurry catching him in the act with a mirthful grin. "And what exactly are you doing back here? Spreading chaos?"

"Ah. Flurry Heart." Discord chuckled nervously. "I'm not doing anything. Just shifting the playlist a little bit. It gets a little boring hearing upbeat music all night."

"I see...In other words, you're doing it because it's funny." He nodded, not even hiding his mischievous plan as he peeked over the speakers. Flurry decided to peek too, Emerald the only one having fun dancing while Virtuo wished the song would end already. "Well, at least those two might make for a cute couple someday when they get older."

"I think it was obvious when Emerald was an infant," Discord said. "She was all over him the moment they met. At least, that's what Solaris and Trill said as they showed me those baby pictures. She was like a tiny tick that was tightly attached to a dog's back."

Eventually, the song ended to Virtuo's relief as he quickly made his way back to the buffet table, the party music returning in place of the slightly romantic song. "Looks that way."

"So, Ms. Crystal Princess, any able suitors catch your eye?" Discord asked, apparently overhearing the three talking about Flurry's problems with colts.

"I'm not going to talk about that with you," Flurry said disdainfully. "And stop listening in on everypony like that. It's rude."

"You do know who you're talking to, right?" Discord earned a swift kick in the leg, catching him off guard as he muffled a groan of pain.

"Daddy has been teaching me self defense with the Crystal Guards back home," the alicorn reminded. "So you don't know who you're talking to." Discord rubbed his sore leg, muttering under his breath. "Now, you can either join us colts and fillies, or head back in the castle and mess with the adults inside. I'm going to spare 'Vivi' anymore embarrassment from Emerald."

Flurry walked back over to the table, saving Virtuo from Emerald's playful "wrath" as she wanted to dance with him some more. Discord thought on the offer of joining the foals and make their Gala more chaotic, but he did hear that Chrysalis was around, and without him forcing her anywhere. He slinked off back inside the castle to seek the changeling queen out and pester her in front of the other guests.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur for both sides of the Grand Galloping Gala. Aside from Discord causing mischief with Chrysalis to liven up the adults' party and get a kick out of teasing the changeling queen, it was the usual dull evening where the nobles spoke with Solaris and Trill about matters, business deals, etc. The colts and fillies finally began to have fun as they danced to the music, played the games set up for them, and enjoy the food that actually has flavor to them than what their parents were eating in the castle. Emerald and Flurry Heart talked with some of their peers after they warmed up to the young princesses. Flurry was a little annoyed that some colts around her age flirted with her, but as long as they didn't make fun of her cousin, she can handle the unwanted attention.

Eventually, the Gala began to end as it got late, the foals getting tired after having their fun at their age appropriate ball. Emerald did at least get the chance to see her other aunts and uncles from Ponyville when she took a break from the garden party before she began to feel tired from having so much fun with her cousin and bestest friend. It was a shame she didn't get to see Melody tonight, but she could always have fun with her at school or when their parents allowed her to come over to play. She passed out on her daddy's back as the last of the guests left, her other relatives, Discord, and Virtuo and his parents staying for the evening.

Solaris carried Emerald through the halls of the castle up to her room so she can sleep comfortably. He carefully took off her dress and tiara, surprised to see she didn't get it messy, then laid her down in her bed. He gave his daughter a light kiss on her cheek, the filly letting out a sigh as her horn sparked a little while he tucked her under the covers. Solaris quietly exited the room, shutting the door behind him, then made his way back to the ballroom to meet back with the others.

He wound up bumping into Cadence after she laid Flurry Heart in one of the guest rooms. "Looks like our little fillies seemed to have fun tonight."

"They sure did. Thanks to Cherry Pie, I think the other kids had fun tonight as well." As they walked down the halls, Solaris couldn't help but worry about his uncle. As much as Shining Armor tried to hide it, it was clearly obvious that his pain was getting worse. "Aunt Cadence, are Uncle Shining's legs really getting worse?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Cadence sadly said. "He's taking the pain killers he's been given, and I begged him to stay in bed back in the Crystal Empire...Shining's been getting miserable, unable to move like he used to and feeling completely useless. He's the kind of pony who's active, always training to keep himself in fighting shape, but now that he can barely stand without wincing in pain, I'm afraid he'll keep pushing himself and hurt himself even more."

"He's getting really stubborn...I know he wants to spend as much time with Emerald and I after spying on Lucifer, but he needs to stop before he makes his injuries worse." Solaris could recall seeing the state his uncle was in when his front legs were broken. That moment, like every other tragic moment during his depressing journey, scared him to death when Lucifer teleported Shining Armor in front of him as a meat shield, his forelegs in casts and looking very sickly from the pain he was in. He was lucky he saved him, not willing to risk losing anymore of his family after all he had been through. "If only I had hurried finishing those trials..."

"Solaris-" The white alicorn stomped his hoof, stopping his aunt from her reassurances.

"I know. It's not my fault. I wasn't the one who had caused anyone so much pain. All of you say that to me over and over, but I feel like everything that happened between those fifteen years is partially my fault anyway." He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes from the tears that began to well up. "After what I went through, what I had lost, I don't want to lose anypony else again...Family, friends, innocents, even my enemies, I don't want to see anymore lives taken away..." His tears continued to form as they began rolling down his cheeks, no longer able to hide them. "...But...eventually...their lives will come to an end one day..."

Cadence watched her nephew silently weep, knowing exactly how he felt. Alicorns had an immortal lifespan, the only way their lives will end is by death from an accident or another pony's intent to kill them. She had feared seeing the day Shining Armor would pass, and she was deathly worried what would have happened when he sought revenge against Lucifer. So many lives had been lost or ruined during that time, no hope for the future of Equestria to save those who took the worst of those long fifteen years. Even though peace had returned thanks to Solaris, some still feel the effects of the dark unicorn's wrath, including him. He had seen too much that not even a normal adult pony could handle, and he had a destiny placed on him before he was even born, put under so much pressure and suffered from losing the ones who he called his family as a colt.

Cadence pulled Solaris into a comforting embrace, nuzzling him gently. "I know, Solaris..." He buried his face in his aunt's neck, his body shuddering, trying not to break down when his heart wanted to let it all out. She patted his back to help calm him. "You'll still have me, Flurry, Trill, and Emerald. We'll be here for you."

Solaris nodded his head, though part of him was unsure of how old his daughter would really be: growing old and passing away, a dreadful funeral when the parents attend a funeral to their foal when they were supposed to pass before them, or maybe she too was immortal and will stay among the living alongside him. He won't know until then, putting away the several sad scenarios that appeared in his mind.

Both alicorns continued through the halls after Solaris had calmed down enough. Little did the two notice Twilight's presence, watching and hearing them as a ghost to them and her granddaughter's guardian angel. Even if she never showed her own concerns as an alicorn when she was alive, she did worry what would happen if she was immortal like Celestia and Luna and watch her friends pass away while she lived on. But after what her son had gone through, he didn't want to see anyone else he cared about leave for the afterlife when their time comes, even if it was inevitable. She sighed and walked back to Emerald's room, her hooves making no noise as she was a spectral being given an opportunity to look over her foal and grandfoal.

"Solaris...I'm so sorry," Twilight said to herself. "If only I knew what would have happened to you..."

The First Day of Winter

It was now the winter season in Equestria in early December. Pegasi all around the kingdom set out the snow clouds over the towns and cities, where the first snowfall of the season began. The weather got colder, snowflakes hoof crafted at the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale were starting to fall, and all the colts and fillies would eventually have a couple weeks off to have fun in the snow when the ground was covered in a sheet of white a few inches high. However, not everyone enjoyed winter all that much, whether from the lower temperatures or the slippery ice left behind on the roads as ponies walked along without watching where they stepped.

Inside the castle, Emerald miserably looked out her window, watching the snow fall outside. Ever since she was able to talk and understand what her parents said, it pained her to know that she was unable to go outside when it was winter. Her daddy told her she was just like her mommy, her Changeling blood making her prone to getting very cold whenever they were out in freezing temperatures. That was one reason why she wasn't allowed to go to school today, nor could she for the next couple months until Winter Wrap-Up came. But it didn't help Emerald, her young mind curious to know what snow felt like and wishing to play around in the white fluff that slowly blanketed the ground outside.

The filly let out a heavy sigh, pressing her cheek against the glass pane, whining miserably. "I wanna go outside...I wanna go to school...But I can't." Emerald grumbled and moved away from her window, trudging up to her dollhouse and flopping onto her belly. She levitated a couple of her dolls, unable to make up a scenario for the two toys due to her growing boredom. "Mrph! Stupid winter."

"I know. I hate it, too." Emerald looked up to her door, seeing her mother standing under the opened doorway. It was about a half hour until Emerald was supposed to go to school, Trill's mane a frazzled mess, looking tired as she had just woken up a few minutes ago. "I woke up cause I lost my heating snuggle pillow."

"Did you drop it, mommy?" Emerald asked.

"I was talking about your father," Trill said with a lighthearted chuckle. "I guess he went down to your school to get you whatever fun assignments you need to do for the next couple months."

"Oh." Emerald put her dolls down in her dollhouse and approached her mother. "I'm already bored."

"Same here, Em." Trill's stomach began growling, then Emerald's growled as well. "Well, guess that means it's breakfast time. Let's see if the chefs are in the mood to cook up."

"Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?" the filly begged, licking her lips as she craved her favorite breakfast to eat.

"Anything with chocolate in it makes everything else taste better." Trill lowered her head down to her daughter and whispered in her ear. "Let's have ourselves a big stack and keep it a secret from daddy."

Emerald giggled and nodded her head, moving her hoof across her lips as she swore to not tell. Both mother and daughter made their way to the dining hall, asking the chefs to make them tall stacks of chocolate chip pancakes for the two of them. As they waited in anticipation, Solaris walked into the room, finding his wife and daughter already at the table for breakfast.

"Hey, girls," he greeted, surprising them as they fidgeted nervously in their seats. "Sorry if I woke you, hon. I had to go down to the school and get Emmy's schoolwork for the winter. I know you hate waking up not as warm as the room without my body heat within hooves reach of you." Solaris gave Trill a small kiss, lighting up her horn slightly from the love she consumed from it. He sat down next to his wife, wondering what the girls had picked out to eat for breakfast. "So, what are we having girls?"

"For Her Highnesses," one of the chefs announced, levitating two plates stacked flapjacks with melted, gooey chocolate chips inside. Emerald's was about as tall as her, already cut into slices for her so she didn't accidentally hurt herself with a knife, while Trill's was about a foot high. Solaris gave a blank stare, receiving his obvious answer to his question. As the unicorn levitated a small pitcher of warm maple syrup for their chocolaty flapjacks, he turned to the prince. "Anything you prefer, Prince Solaris?"

Solaris slowly looked at Trill, then at Emerald, both of them giving him sheepish grins. "...Alright. Who's idea was it to have that many pancakes? For the both of you?"

"Mommy said I could have some!" Emerald said first, pointing a hoof at the mare.

"Hey, I asked you what you wanted!" Trill countered. "Solly, she practically begged me and she began whining."

"No I didn't! And you said we could have big stacks if we don't tell daddy!" The filly gasped and covered her mouth, already breaking her promise.

Trill's eye twitched, turning her head to Solaris. He raised a brow at her, shaking his head in amusement as she stammered a little.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he asked, letting out a light chuckle. He turned to the chef to give him his desired breakfast for the day. "Sunny side up eggs, shredded hash browns, and a couple slices of toast. Unlike my chocolate addicted wife and daughter, I'd prefer something a little healthier."

The stallion bowed and returned to the kitchen. Solaris brought his attention back to his family, tapping his hooves together patiently with a small grin. Trill and Emerald didn't know what to do as his eyes calmly shifted to them.

"...Umm...does this mean we can't eat our pancakes?" Emerald asked.

"Well, you did ask for them. I'd suggest eating them before they get cold," he said.

"Yay! Pancakes!" The filly levitated the pitcher of syrup and poured a decent amount on her pancakes.

"However," Solaris quickly said, interrupting Emerald from sticking a couple slices with her fork. "For the rest of the week, you are going to eat something healthy for breakfast with a stack that big." She whined, knowing there had to be some catch as she unenthusiastically took a bite of her breakfast. The alicorn then brought his attention to Trill. "Same for you, dear. Something else other than chocolate. For a month."

"Oh, sure. Play favorites," Trill playfully scoffed. "Our daughter gets a week off of her favorite breakfast and I get a month of no chocolate. Admit it; you love Emerald more than your own wife."

"I love the both of you equally. There's no favoritism being played in this family." Solaris leaned over and gave Trill a soft, passionate kiss on the lips, her horn glowing as she so desperately wanted to taste more of his love. While she was distracted, he looked at Emerald and gave her a wink, making the filly giggle with her mouth full of syrupy soft pancakes. He pulled away, watching his beloved sensually lick her lips at the morning dosage of love she craved before he left. "Now, you eat your breakfast. Because after you're done, I'm making sure you're not hiding any chocolate from me so you can sneak any behind my back."

"Fine, 'Your Highness'," Trill obeyed, using her magic to levitated a knife and begin slicing her stack of flapjacks. "I shall obey your every command like the good little mare that I am."

"And you're going to end up ignoring me in a few seconds," the alicorn said.

"What?" Trill asked, looking at Solaris as she poured some syrup over her breakfast.

"Exactly my point." The mare stuck her tongue out at him teasingly before diving into her pancakes like Emerald, though the filly took her time and savored them.

Solaris silently watched his wife and daughter eat until his breakfast arrived a moment later. He was going to make sure they don't pull off another sneaky, unhealthy breakfast choice again, keeping a very close eye on Trill especially so she doesn't let Emerald inherit too much of her rebellious nature. The large dining room was relatively quiet aside from the light clattering of silverware tapping against the dishes. Emerald had nearly finished up her food, only a couple pancakes left from her big breakfast she and her mother decided to have. Her belly was already getting full, but after she finished, she was going to go back to being bored, which will always continue until the end of winter.

As she took a sip of her apple juice, freshly squeezed apples from Sweet Apple Acres, Emerald looked out the windows behind her parents. She watched the snow fall, wishing she could go outside and play around. But because of the cold, she couldn't, and she hated it. Melody would be able to play outside after school, and so would Virtuo, making snow ponies, have snowball fights, or jump around and hear the crunch of the snow under their hooves. Not only could she go outside because of the cold, but she could also get very sick due to the weather if the castle wasn't properly kept at a suitable temperature for her and Trill.

She placed her cup down on the table, sighing in boredom already. "Daddy?" Solaris looked up, wiping his lips with a napkin. "I wanna go outside."

"...Emmy, you know you can't," Solaris said. "I know it can be a bit boring sitting around in the castle for three months, but we don't want you to get sick."

"I know..." Emerald pouted and lowered her head on the table, poking her remaining flapjacks with her fork.

"Em, I feel your pain, honey," Trill said. "I get just as bored as you do during this time."

"And yet you find a way to pass the time by napping all day," Solaris muttered.

"Well, it's either that or 'wrestling' when you have any free time." Trill's comment made the stallion nearly choke on his drink, smirking slyly as he got flustered. "Or in the middle of the night when we're asleep. You don't want to admit it, hon, but you do get a little grabby sometimes."

"Ok, topic change!" Solaris quickly said as Trill giggled, only to yelp as he gave her a light tug of her tail with his magic. She gave him a playful leer, feeling in the mood to "wrestle" after that little act to get her to stop talking. "Anyway, umm...your mother is right. She does get a little bored staying cooped up in the castle. And if she ever wanted to go outside, or visit Uncle Shining, Aunt Cadence, and Flurry in the Crystal Empire, she bundles up in four layers of warm clothing."

"Six if there's a blizzard," Trill added as she took another bite of her food.

"Can't I do that?" Emerald asked, her ears perking up a little at the idea.

"I don't think you would be able to move around that much." She groaned as her ears drooped back down. "I know, sweetheart. I want you to at least try to play in the snow one day, but not right now. I've been trying find some way for you and other changelings to be able to wander around outside during the winter, but with my duties, taking care of you two, and all these events I have to plan for next year's holidays or banquets, I barely have time to research anything on it at the moment."

"Please don't make me another guinea pig for any magic experiments," Trill pleaded. "Remember when you were so eager to have a foal, and Emerald happened to be that foal? After blasting me with that last spell to make me act like a wild animal, I practically dehydrated you."

Solaris chuckled nervously, never forgetting that slightly horrifying experience. "R-Right..."

"Daddy turned you into a guinea pig, mommy?" Emerald asked curiously.

"No. I mean I was a test dummy," Trill answered. "Though I wished he turned me into a guinea pig. Would have been a little better than almost draining every single liter of body fluids out of him."

"Ok, don't explain everything in euphemisms around Emmy," Solaris begged. "When she gets old enough to understand what you're saying, she's going to end up using both the subtle and not so subtle descriptions of your meanings."

"Then brace yourself for when the teenage years come," Trill said, giving the alicorn a light boop on the nose with her hoof. "That's when the real trouble will begin."

"Don't remind me..." Solaris looked back at Emerald, who was back to being heavily bored, tuning out their conversation about how she was conceived. He didn't want her to be bored all winter, wanting to spend as much time with her as he could. "Well, today, I don't have anything planned that requires my attendance. After we finish eating, we can get started on some of your schoolwork. I think Mrs. Smiley packed in a lot of fun learning activities we can both enjoy to pass the time."

"I guess," Emerald said, perking up a little at the idea of learning new things.

"And, I also met with Virtuo and Melody's parents at the school as well," the alicorn added. "I told Melody's mother that you won't be in school for the season and asked if she would allow your friend to come over to the castle to play when school's out for the day during the winter."

"Can they!?" the filly asked excitedly, her mood already shifting around. Solaris nodded, Emerald cheering happily as she fluttered her wings, flying to him and tackling him into a hug. "Thank you, daddy!"

"You're welcome, sweetie." He hugged Emerald back, feeling her nuzzle him as she squirmed happily. "I knew it was going to be really boring for you with no school, so I figured this would help sate that boredom. Now, finish eating and we'll get started on your assignments."

"Ugh. Learning stuff is so boring," Trill moaned, already bored hearing about learning anything school related.

"It is not," Solaris and Emerald said simultaneously.

Trill sighed in annoyance as her husband and daughter giggled saying the same thing. "I don't even see why learning is considered fun for you two."

After breakfast, Solaris and Emerald headed back up to the young princess's bedroom to begin her first school lesson for her "winter break". Even though it wasn't going to be any fun like it was at school with Melody, at least she wouldn't have to deal with Gold Plate and Platinum Band constantly teasing her. Sadly, Melody was going to take the brunt of their bullying for the next few months, but she'll make it up to her after school.

Solaris pushed a wheeled blackboard in his daughter's room, along with the lesson plan Mrs. Smiley had given him. It would be a fun experience playing as a teacher to Emerald, seeing as he and Trill have already taught her a few things to remember in life. Though the potty training was a bit of a problem when she was old enough to stop using diapers, everything else seemed to go a bit smoother. For this week, they were continuing practicing how to write the alphabet and spelling their names. He wrote down the letters, both in uppercase and lowercase, though while his back was turned, Emerald was busy setting up her classroom, placing some of her toys and dolls in rows and columns, sitting in the front row as she waited for her daddy to start class.

"Ok. There's the alphabet, she has to write them and her name a couple times every day, and next week will be numbers. Sounds simple." He turned around, noticing the class of Emerald and her toys sitting and waiting for him. He was a little caught off guard at his daughter making it seem like a real classroom, shaking his head with a lighthearted chuckle. "Well, I thought it was just going to be us, but now I've got a whole class to teach."

"We're all ready to learn, daddy!" Emerald said, smiling innocently.

"I see." He lowered the chalk down and faced the "class", clearing his throat as he acted as the teacher to make this more fun. "Good morning, class. Today, we're going to be learning about the alphabet, or our ABCs. Can anypony recite them without looking at the board?"

"Ooh! I do!" Emerald called out, waving a hoof erratically. "Pick me! Pick me!"

"Hmmm..." Solaris looked around, purposely ignoring Emerald as she began bouncing in place while trying to get his attention. He raised a hoof, lazily waving it around as he pointed at the toys and Emerald. "How about-" He pointed at Emerald's favorite stuffed teddy bear sitting beside her. "-you?"

"Aww!" Emerald whined, lowering her hooves and pouted.

After waiting for the toy, pretending to hear it recite the alphabet, he spoke up. "Wow. Very good. All the way from "A" to "Z"."

"Teddy only made it up to "R", daddy," Emerald corrected.

"...Oh. Well, more than half," Solaris corrected himself, going by his daughter's pretend logic. "That's still very good. But, if you think you know it all, Emmy, can you write all the letters?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Then let's see if the smartest of her classmates can do it." He levitated a piece of paper and a pencil down in front of Emerald, placing her paper on a hard cover book so her writing wasn't ruined by the carpet. "I'm going to check on mommy and make sure she doesn't sleep past noon. Again. Call me when you're done."

"Ok, daddy!" Emerald began getting to work, sticking out her tongue in concentration as she used her magic to levitate her pencil and slowly write out the letters perfectly.

Solaris left his daughter's room and walked across the hall to his and Trill's. Just as he expected upon opening the door, Trill was on the bed, her face buried in a pillow. The alicorn sighed in exhaustion and approached their bed, sitting beside his lazy wife.

"Hon, get up," he said, poking her side. "You're not going to be sleeping in every single day this season."

Trill groaned, bopping his nose with her hoof. "Snooze button. Stop not working."

"You know, you can do something with Emmy during the winter now." She continued poking his muzzle, trying to get him to stop talking. He gave her a blank stare, grabbed her hoof, then placed it back down on the bed. "Please stop doing that. I'm not an alarm clock."

"You sound like one." She rolled over onto her side, only for Solaris to grab her and flip her around to face him.

"Trill, I know you're always bored around this time, but you can always do something with Emerald," Solaris said. "I may not have anything to do today, but eventually, I'm going to have a busy day with my royal duties as a prince. She's going to need someone to give her lessons for school, and it'll give you something to do besides laying in bed until the middle of the afternoon."

"But that's so boring," Trill whined.

"You're not going to be doing the assignments," Solaris corrected. "All you have to do is follow the lesson plan Mrs. Smiley gave us and help Emerald if she has any trouble. Besides, she's in preschool. It's not like she's learning advanced scientific equations for chemistry...at least until she's in high school if she does take a course like that." Trill grumbled, pouting in irritation. "Don't give me that look. You and her could do with a bit of mommy and me time when most of her infancy was spent clinging to me."

"...I guess..." She sighed and sat up, brushing away some of her mane drooping over her face. "Ever since she was born, she always wanted you to hold her, feed her, change her, play with her..."

Her ears drooped, upsetting herself when she realized she didn't spend as much time with their daughter as Solaris had. When Emerald was a baby, she always wanted Solaris to hold her, flying out of her sight to find him, and always wanting to play with him even when she tried to keep her entertained. Even though she did her share of taking care of her daughter, the only attention she needed was from the alicorn and she gets fussy when he wasn't around. Seeing tears begin welling up in her eyes, Solaris wrapped his hooves around her in a comforting embrace, knowing she was already feeling like a terrible mother when that wasn't true.

"Trill, don't think Emmy doesn't love you. I know she was a bit clingy when she was a baby, but don't think that you feel like a bad mom just because she always wants my attention." She buried her face against his shoulder, feeling him nuzzle her neck. "You're a wonderful mother. And I think the best time for you two to get some bonding together is right now, during the winter. You two are going to be cooped up in the castle until Winter Wrap-Up, and when her friends are still in school and I'm in the middle of a diplomatic meeting, you two can pass the time together since she can't go outside in the snow to play. And I know you hate school stuff, but Emmy's a smart filly.

"In fact, I think she'll be done with writing her letters right about..." Solaris waited a few seconds before he gently turned Trill's head to their opened door, looking at Emerald's bedroom door across the hall. "...now."

Right on cue, Emerald came out with her paper in her aura with a grin as she walked into her parents' room. "I'm done, daddy!"

"Ok, sweetheart," Solaris said, leaning her head close to Trill, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Called it." The filly skipped up to their bed as her daddy gently took her work out of her telekinetic grasp for them to see. Though her writing was a bit sloppy since she was still learning, she did manage to write out the whole alphabet, both capital and lowercase letters in the right order. "Wow. Very good, Emmy. Of course, we wouldn't expect any less from the smartest filly in her class." Emerald giggled, beaming proudly at the praise. "Now, next we're going to see if you can spell your name."

"Yay!" Emerald cheered, bouncing up and down on the bed. She leapt into her parents, wrapping her hooves around Trill and nuzzled her side while Solaris chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Mommy, wanna teach me with daddy? You can be daddy's assistant!"

"I think I'd like an assistant to help me," Solaris said. "We've got such a big class, I don't think I can handle so many students on my own." He gently squeezed Trill's barrel lovingly, hoping she'll say yes to get out of bed and feel a little better about herself. "What do you say, hon? I know learning might be boring for you, but who says you can't have fun when you learn new things? You might even enjoy it."

Trill looked at her husband, then back down at Emerald, both of them giving her pleading eyes, begging them to join in and make it a fun and educational activity for all three of them to enjoy. Even though she didn't find teaching Emerald anything for school as exciting as they did, she was willing to do anything to pass the time than sleep in all winter. She had done enough reading trying to find the spell she and Solaris searched for to conceive their daughter, and read most of the books in the library she actually was interested in. But she wanted to spend time with Emerald and grow a better bond than the filly's fussy and clingy behavior as an infant.

"...Well...I guess I'll join you two," she finally said, Emerald cheering and hugging her as tightly as her hooves were able to. "I just need to brush my hair, first."

"Gotta look professional for our 'students'," Solaris said with a laugh. "Head on back in your room, Emmy. We'll be there in a bit."

"Ok, daddy! I'm gonna get started on writing my name!" Emerald took her paper back and ran back to her room to begin her next fun assignment.

As soon as she was out of sight, Solaris levitated a hair brush, floating it over to Trill for her. "Trust me; you're going to have fun teaching her, even if you whine and complain about it. She can also learn a little bit about her changeling heritage when she gets older: spells, history, possible abilities she might have with her mixed blood. And when she becomes a teenager, years I know will bring me a lot more worry in the future, you two can do some shopping, hang out at a spa...just no teaching her how to flirt with colts."

The changeling princess snickered, unable to promise keeping Emerald from being interested in colts when she reached puberty. "That last one might be out of my hooves, Solly...but, maybe it can be a little fun showing her changeling roots when she gets older."

"That's the spirit." Solaris gave Trill a small peck on the lips, letting go of her as he made his way back to Emerald's room. "Don't be too long. You don't want to miss out on the fun."

Trill remained sitting on the bed, contemplating what Solaris had said. She had always worried how things would go if she ever had children, thinking it would go just as poorly as her relationship with her own mother. They never got along, Chrysalis always being overly strict and never showing any love for Trill or her other siblings, while she herself was irresponsible, paid no attention to what she said, and always acted out in some way to tick her off to get some kind of attention, though it was always negative. Nearly eleven months of carrying Emerald in her womb, she always worried she might not be a good mother, even when Solaris constantly assured her that wasn't true.

Maybe as an infant, Trill thought Emerald always wanted Solaris more because of the love he always gives her and wanting to take it due to her changeling nature. Now that she was able to talk and learn about the world around her after a couple years from her birth, she does look up to her mother now, getting into a little mischief now and then like earlier with their big breakfast. Emerald's first day of school also seemed to be a big shock after she got into trouble, where she feared Solaris wouldn't love her anymore after a day that was supposed to be exciting for her. Both her husband and foal were able to easily break emotionally, the former from suffering through the worst year of his teenage life while the latter was still really young and just starting to learn more about the world with other foals her age, though some might end up being bullies to her like those two colts she would love to terrorize if they keep making fun of her or hurt her again.

Trill finally stood up and moved over to the vanity mirror, brushing down her frazzled bed head. "Maybe Solly's right," she said to herself. "Might not be too boring to teach Emerald what it's like being a changeling, aside from her natural love absorbing she knows about."

Once every strand of hair in her mane was brushed down, she walked out of the room and to Emerald's bedroom. She was supposed to be the fun parent, and she wasn't going to be outdone by Solaris. Trill let out a sigh, ignoring the fact she was going to try to have fun teaching something to Emerald. She'll need to get up earlier than usual, but it'll be worth it as she had something else to do instead of doing nothing in the castle during the winter.

As soon as school was over for the day, many of the older foals ran out as soon as the bell rang, making their way to their homes so they can play in the snow before they're called back inside to do homework. Virtuo and Melody waited for their parents, the unicorn unable to wait to go back to the castle and see Trill after spending the first day of winter without her in class.

"So, she really can't be out in the cold, can she?" Melody asked Virtuo.

"Nope," the colt said. "She's like her mom. I never see them outside when winter starts. I think it's some kind of changeling thing where they can't stay out in the cold unless they're in a lot of warm clothes."

"That means she can't play in the snow..." Melody began to imagine what Emerald would look like if she ever went outside during this season. She began giggling, seeing her bundled up in a lot of warm clothing covering her from head to hoof, barely able to move as she waddled about, losing her balance, and flailing her legs as she can't get herself back up. "That would be a little funny if she did that."

"I guess that would be a little silly." Eventually, both foals' mothers arrived to pick them up, Melody's mother an earth pony with a dark blue coat and black hair, her mane tied up in a ponytail.

As they walked through the snow covered streets of Canterlot, Sweetie Belle and Melody's mother acquainted with each other. Sweetie Belle surprised the mare after introducing herself, both as a talented singer who was a big fan of the unicorn's music and how she knew Solaris. Granted, she was a bit nervous meeting the prince personally when her daughter was friends with Emerald, even after meeting with him earlier today as he asked her if Melody wanted to come over to the castle to play with the young princess while she was unable to come to school during the season. It was understandable to hear how Emerald couldn't step outside due to her changeling blood and her low tolerance to the cold, and she did give permission to let her daughter come over to the castle after school and during the weekends until winter is over.

The soon reached the castle, where they met Solaris and trill waiting for them in the foyer. Meoldy's mother instinctively bowed to them, but Solaris requested not to show any formalities between them, all of them just normal parents here for their kids to have their play date. While the adults talked, Melody and Virtuo took off their scarves and boots, following Trill through the halls to Emerald's room. As they arrived, the filly had finished putting her dolls away after her lessons for the day were done.

"Emerald, you've got visitors," Trill called out.

She turned around, squealing happily as she saw Virtuo and Melody. "Yay! You're here!" She ran up to them, starting with Virtuo as the colt was glomped by the changeling/pony princess, who had braced himself from the expected greeting she gives him. To his luck, her hug ended quickly as her body shivered, remnants of the cold air still lingering on his fur. "Ahh! You're cold!"

Virtuo giggled, finally finding a way to avoid the crushing hug of death for more than half a minute. "That's for all the hugs you give me."

"Then get warm so I can give you a bigger one," Emerald said, making the colt groan in annoyance.

"Ok, you three. Have fun," Trill said. "I'll be back in a bit with some snacks. Sadly, no hot cocoa because a certain somepony won't allow us to have any chocolate after our big breakfast this morning." Emerald slowly lifted a hoof, pointing at her mother while she looked away from her. Trill noticed the hoof-pointing, knowing it was mostly her fault, letting out a grunt while Melody stifled her giggling at her friend's nonchalant blame game. "Well, you wanted those pancakes, too, little missy."

"But you said we could have big stacks, so it was mostly your fault, mommy," Emerald corrected.

"And that's why you don't tempt me by asking for anything with chocolate in them," Trill said, giving the filly's nose a boop with her hoof. "Now, don't play too rough, kids."

Trill made her leave to get the fillies and colt an afternoon snack. As soon as she left, Emerald gave Melody a friendly hug as soon as her chilled body was warm enough.

"How was school, Melody?" Emerald asked.

"It was...ok, I guess," she said, though her tone didn't sound as good as she claimed.

"Gold Plate and Platinum Band picked on you," Emerald said, clearly right as Melody nodded her head. The hybrid filly let out a sigh, feeling bad for letting her friend take the brunt of those two colts' teasing while she was stuck in the castle. "They didn't do anything too bad, did they?"

"Just calling me names. They also made fun of you too after Mrs. Smiley told us you couldn't come to school for a while." Emerald rolled her eyes, even being mocked by them when she wasn't around them.

"They're probably just jealous because I can't go outside in the cold," the princess said. "Lucky for them, because I wished I went to school. I was really bored, and I really wanted to see what it's like to play in the snow...Did you tell Mrs. Smiley they were bothering you?"

"Yeah, I did," Melody said.

"Those two jerks aren't going to learn. And if they keep bugging us, Vivi will take care of them for us!" Virtuo balked at the crazy idea of being Emerald's bodyguard against Gold Plate and Platinum Band, and he did not want to get in any fights that will get him in trouble.

"Why me!?" he asked.

"Because you're a colt, and it's the nice thing to do for two fillies like us when we're in trouble," Emerald said. She walked up to him and gave him a sad pout, putting the cute charm on Virtuo to break him. "You wouldn't want to see us get hurt, do you?"

If Virtuo had a cold heart, it would have already shattered and warmed up in a millisecond, sighing in defeat as she added the lip quiver for added effect. "...No...Fine, I'll keep them away, but I'm not going to fight them."

The colt was awarded with the bone-crushing hug he always gets from Emerald, his body already warmed up enough to his chagrin. "You're the bestest friend ever, Vivi!"

"H-How are you this strong!?" Virtuo gasped. She then gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him gag as somepony other than his mom did that to him. "Eww! Cooties!"

He finally broke free from Emerald's grip, both fillies giggling at Virtuo as he wiped his face in disgust. After teasing the colt a little, the trio began to play a few games, though most of them were playing dress-up or with Emerald's dolls. Virtuo didn't really want to do anything meant for fillies, but the princess demanded he play with them otherwise she'll keep hugging him and infect him with more cooties. At least they spared him some mercy with a board game they could play so he wouldn't feel embarrassed playing with dolls and wearing girly clothes.

The afternoon came and went pretty quickly as the trio of friends played and shared a snack Trill brought for them. The sun was about to set, which meant Virtuo and Melody had to go back home, have dinner, then get ready for bed since they had school tomorrow. At least Emerald wasn't too disappointed since she'll be seeing them again tomorrow after school, although still feeling jealous that she couldn't go for nearly three months. Even though she was far away from the colts who bullied her, she still felt bad knowing Melody was going to hear their verbal abuse every day for a while, at least until winter break where she would finally get a break.

After dinner, a warm bath, and brushed her teeth until they were sparkling clean, Emerald was ready for bed, unable to wait for what she'll do tomorrow with her friends and what she'll learn for school. Trill tucked the filly under her covers as she snuggled up with her teddy bear. She gave her little filly a kiss on the forehead goodnight.

"Good night, Emerald," Trill said.

"Night, mommy," Emerald said back.

With a yawn, Emerald fell asleep, already exhausted from her excited day spending her first school day at the beginning of winter inside. Trill crept out of the room, turning off the lights, and gently closed the door. She headed back to hers and Solaris's bedroom, the alicorn looking over his schedule for tomorrow as he sat on the bed. Knowing he was going to be busy with Hearth's Warming coming up, she was going to be giving Emerald more of her lessons in the near future. After seeing the little classroom setup and pretending she was in a classroom with her toys, she figured it might not be too bad being a teacher, at least until she was in middle school.

She climbed up into bed and plopped down on her stomach, her husband looking up from his paperwork to the changeling. "I didn't think Emmy would give you that much trouble for bedtime."

"No, it went smoothly, as usual," Trill said. "I'm just gonna hit the hay."

"Right now?" Solaris looked at the clock, a few minutes after Emerald's scheduled bedtime. "...Uhh, that's...pretty early for you. Usually, you try to seduce me, win me over, then cuddle after having sex before going to bed. Most of those attempts end in failure and you snuggle with me regardless."

"You're going to be busy tomorrow?" she asked, his response a slow nod. "Then if I'm going to give Emerald her lessons, I have to start getting up early. Without being forced awake by a dogpiling filly. Or you with your idea of a wake-up call." Trill wiggled her rump, reminding him of the few times in the past where he gave her a good whack on the behind when she was too stubborn to get up. Solaris smirked, letting out a sinister chuckle. "Laugh while you can, dear. I still need to get you back for those spanks."

"I thought you liked them," Solaris said.

"Not while I'm sleeping, you jerk." He continued laughing, making Trill groan in annoyance. "Do you have anything to do for this weekend?" Trill asked, Solaris quickly looking over his schedule with a shake of his head. "Good. I've got big plans for you Saturday morning. I suggest sleeping with one eye open Friday night, baby."

"Uhh, what?" Solaris did a double take, disliking the sly grin on Trill's face as she laid her head on her pillow. "But what about Emerald?"

"Foals don't have school on the weekends, and she's going to be very busy playing with her friends when they come over." Trill giggled, pulling the covers over her and getting herself comfortable. "I'll set them up with a little activity after I make sure you're not going anywhere, have some of the maids check up on them to make sure they don't make too much of a mess, and while they're distracted, I'll make sure you're very well taken care of."

Solaris's cheeks began burning, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, both worried and a little excited with what Trill had in store for him. "W-What...what are you going to do to me?"

"You'll find out Saturday morning." She rolled over and closed her eyes. "Night, Solly."

As Trill fell asleep, Solaris stared at his wife for a moment, then slowly turned back to his list of important meetings and duties planned for him. "I'm afraid to know what you have planned," he whispered to himself. "Why can't I have my own perverted fun without her getting revenge that'll end up making me sore in some way?"

Hearts and Hooves Day (Filly Emerald)

Winter Wrap-Up eventually came around, winter cleaned up to make way for spring, to the delight of Emerald. No longer being trapped in the castle anymore, she was finally able to breathe fresh air and bask in the warm sun out in the gardens, spring's return unfortunately on a weekend. She wanted to go back to school again and play with Melody, but she didn't want to end up being teased and bullied by Gold Plate and Platinum Band. She hated getting insulted by them, but she didn't want to get in trouble again if she started fighting with them. She didn't want her daddy to be mad at her again.

There was a special day coming up this month, a wonderful holiday for not only the romantic couples across the kingdom, but also for changelings: Hearts and Hooves Day. Last year, Emerald was curious about the holiday when she began feeling love all over the place, just from being inside the castle, and it wasn't just her parents showing romantic affection. Her mommy told her about the holiday, as it was her favorite time of the year, even before Equestria and the hive were united as the changelings could freely feed on the love that radiated from pony couples spending time together on romantic dates. She couldn't help herself at times when she absorbed love around them, and she was relieved to know her mom said it was ok to do that.

The day before the holiday of love, Emerald was hard at work making Hearts and Hooves Day cards for everyone in her class, even a special one for Mrs. Smiley. The one for her teacher was much bigger than the ones for her classmates, a big pink heart that was five times bigger than the smaller ones. She covered the big heart with glitter, smaller hearts, lace trimming around the edges to make it look fancy, and a whole lot more glitter. And in the middle was a little message she made for her that read, "To the bestest teacher ever! Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!", the writing a bit sloppy, but well enough to at least read. The filly hummed in thought, her hooves covered in glitter as she wondered how else she could make it look better.

Solaris walked into her room, shocked to see the mess she made as glitter and bits of paper littered the floor, and his little filly was just as messy as her floor. "Whoa. Did an art tornado run through here?"

"Hi, daddy!" Emerald said with a wave. "I'm making Hearts and Hooves Day cards for everypony at school!" She then let out a grunt, pouting in disdain as she looked at two plain hearts with two specific colts' names on them. "Even those two dummies."

"...Well, that's quite impressive, honey," Solaris said. He carefully stepped across the glittery explosion to avoid getting any glued to his hooves if Emerald went wild with the glue as well. "Uhh, how did you make the hearts? You didn't take any scissors, did you? They're dangerous to use by yourself."

"My guardian angel taught me how to make the hearts with magic!" Emerald said.

Solaris went along with it, unaware of the lavender alicorn angel watching the filly in the room, laughing at his response. "Ok, but still, no scissors."

"I don't have scissors," Emerald said.

The white alicorn looked around the mess of art supplies, thankful not to find any sharp cutting tools, not even a pair of safety scissors. "Huh...Alright then..." Solaris picked up a few of Emerald's heart-shaped cards, noticing some of them had a drawn picture of the classmate it would be for. There was even one for Virtuo, though around the colt's picture were a lot of smaller hearts. "Hmmm...Is this a special one for Virtuo, Emmy?"

"Yes, because he's my bestest friend ever!" Emerald exclaimed.

"Mhmm. I'm sure that's why," he said nervously. Just from the hearts around the poorly drawn colt, Solaris already began to feel trepidation for when Emerald really starts getting interested in colts in a different way. He put the card down, distracting his overprotective dad thoughts to the big heart the filly was working on. "Oh! And is this big heart for me?"

"No, daddy! That's for Mrs. Smiley!" she said with a giggle.

"Aww," Solaris playfully whined in disappointment. "Daddy doesn't get a Hearts and Hooves Day card?"

"Nope!" Emerald shook her head, making Solaris pout. "You get a better Hearts and Hooves Day gift; lots of hugs!"

She ran up to him and leapt to his chest, hugging him tightly as he caught her. Solaris chuckled, even though her sticky hooves were getting his coat covered in glitter. The best gift he could ever get from his beautiful daughter no matter what the occasion is would always be her love. He cuddled Emerald as he got his Hearts and Hooves day present from her early, reluctantly ending it as they both needed a bath.

"Ok, that's enough hugs until tomorrow," he said before putting her down. He tried to brush off the glitter on his chest, but some of it clung no thanks to Emerald's sticky hooves. "The maids are going to have a field day when they clean up the mess you made. And now the two of us need a bath." Emerald giggled, almost as if she had planned to get him. Before getting themselves cleaned up and alerting the maids, he looked down at the big heart meant for her teacher. "So...how exactly were you going to put that giant card away to give to your teacher?"

Emerald opened her mouth to answer, only to pause for a moment. "...Uhhhh...I don't know...Is there a big envelope I can use?"

Solaris chuckled at the silly question. "We'll figure that out later. But right now, bath time." Gently pushing the filly with her wing, he lead her to his and Trill's bedroom to their extravagant bathroom. One of the maids walked down the hall and noticed the prince and young princess walk across, but when she looked in Emerald's room, her jaw dropped at the unbelievable mess they left behind. Solaris poked his head out of his room after hearing her squeak in shock, grinning apologetically. "Yeah. I'm going to have to keep tabs on the art supplies next time so she doesn't do that again. Just don't ruin her cards for Hearts and Hooves Day tomorrow."

"...Y-Yes, Your Highness," she said, letting out a sigh as she began cleaning up the five-year-old's mess.

The next day, Hearts and Hooves Day was already emitting an incredibly amount of love energy in the air as Emerald walked down the roads with her daddy, carrying all her small letters for her classmates while the stallion carefully levitated Mrs. Smiley's card with his magic. Emerald tried her hardest not to absorb the love in the air as they passed couples walking past them, not wanting to fill herself too much and lose her appetite for lunch. They arrived at the school, where the building was decorated for the holiday inside and out: hearts hung on the ceilings or placed on the walls, teachers and staff wore a red heart sticker or heart patterned clothing, and along with cards, there was the smell of different types of candies and chocolates the foals could get along with their cards, the scent of chocolate making Emerald salivate.

Arriving at her classroom, there were already some of her classmates already inside, a small party set up by the overly-happy mare as she already got a few Hearts and Hooves Day cards sitting on her desk. Emerald walked in, nose raised up in the air, acting like the regal princess she was as she made her return after spending the last couple months at home, Mrs. Smiley noticing her and Solaris.

"Well, look who's come back!" the teacher said cheerfully. "Glad winter's finally over, Emerald?"

"I am!" Emerald said. "And I made you the best Hearts and Hooves Day card ever!"

Solaris levitated the giant heart-shaped card into the room, leaning it against the wall near her desk as she stared at the overly decorated heart in startled awe. "Oh...Oh my goodness," the teacher uttered.

"Do you like it?" Emerald asked excitedly.

"...Well...it's really...big," she said. "...And quite sparkly. It's...quite an impressive cared, Emerald. Thank you." Feeling proud of herself, Emerald grinned and skipped happily over to her desk, placing her bag of cards on the round table as she gave one her best friend, Melody. Mrs. Smiley looked at the card, cringing at the overblown heart that still seemed to sprinkle glitter from where it was supposed to be glued. "I have no idea where I'll put this. But, at least this isn't the first time a student tried to impress me with something like this."

"I think, because of her changeling heritage, she really likes this holiday as much as Hearth's Warming, only not for the gifts as much as it is with the love in the air," Solaris explained. "You did not want to see her room when she was making those cards. I even had to give the maid who 'volunteered' to clean it all the day off so she can spend some time with her special somepony."

"I can only imagine," the teacher said with a giggle. "I'm used to their little shenanigans after teaching for so long."

"Try dealing with Trill when she gets in one of her moods," Solaris said. "I only hope she doesn't tire me out like the time we were trying to conceive Emmy." The alicorn shuddered at the incredibly terrifying, yet exciting moment of his life, recalling how much of a mess their room was along with nearly having all of his fluids drained out of him. "Never again..."

"Well, don't have too much fun on my account," Mrs. Smiley teased, giving him a knowing wink. "Just remember you still need to pick your daughter up when school's out."

"I'll have to set a timer then, right after getting Trill some assorted chocolates I know she'll quickly chomp down." The prince took his leave, waving bye to Emerald to return to his changeling wife to celebrate the romantic holiday.

As other students began to file in before the bell rang, Emerald spotted her bullies walk in, Gold Plate acting all haughty as a servant instead of his mother, Diamond Tiara, walked in carrying a large container filled with gift baskets that had several kinds of sweets inside the delicate wrappings, including a toy and card.

"Good morning, Mrs. Smiley," the spoiled colt said in an innocent tone. Clapping his hooves, the stallion chaperone rolled his eyes and followed his young master's command, pulling out an overly large gift basket meant for the teacher on her desk, which had a very expensive assortment of exotic chocolates, roses, perfume, makeup, and a card that was far more flashy than Emerald's hoof-made card, even though it was only half her card's size. "I know you're going to love my Hearts and Hooves Day gift."

The mare stared at the very large assortment of gifts, going way over the top compared to Emerald's card, but at least all she got from the pony/changeling filly was only a card. "Err...Thank you, Gold Plate...It's...lovely?"

"I knew you'd love it," he said, looking over at Emerald and smirked at her. "A whole lot better than a big, dumb card."

The filly growled, pouting angrily at Gold Plate. "Gold Plate, giving gifts is not meant to be a competition," the teacher reminded the colt, levitating the basket off her desk and putting them beside the wall. "As wonderful as it is, if this is about getting attention, buying things for everypony to like you isn't the best way to win them over. Just anything simple is fine."

"But everypony will love these gifts since they're so expensive," Gold Plate failed to reason, ignoring the important lesson entirely. The teacher sighed as he missed the point, hoping his mother would limit his rich inheritance sooner rather than later. "All of my classmates gets a Hearts and Hooves Day basket!"

The stallion gave out the baskets, hating his job despite how much it pays as the colts and fillies all looked at what they got. As soon as all the gifts were handed out, the only ones who didn't get one were Melody and Emerald.

"Umm, where's mine?" Melody asked.

"Oh, I didn't have enough of my allowance to get you two anything," Gold Plate lied.

"So what did you get us? Nothing?" Emerald asked skeptically. The servant placed a small heart sticker down in front of the two fillies, which just so happened to be their Hearts and Hooves Day "present" from the spoiled colt. "...A sticker? Really?"

"It's heart shaped, so that counts." Emerald growled at the cheap "gift" Gold Plate got her and her friend, but she didn't care about it being the thought that counts when he didn't seem to care about her or Melody at all.

Being the better pony, she gave Gold Plate and Platinum Band their cards, simple, cut out red hearts that only had their names on them. She wasn't going to let the colts' behavior ruin one of the best days of the year, and she was not going to get in trouble again after coming back to school right after winter ended. It didn't help that Gold Plate took Emerald's heart and ripped it, not surprising her since it seemed like he didn't have a heart at all.

The bell soon rang as class began, Gold Plate's servant leaving once the gifts were given, and Mrs. Smiley stood up from her desk to begin today's lessons. "Ok, my little ponies! Today is a really special day, as I'm sure you're all aware. Hearts and Hooves Day is a holiday to celebrate love, but not just for couples like your mommies and daddies. It's also about the love between friends, showing each other that you care." She then looked at Emerald and Gold Plate, her two troublemakers of the class as she noticed them leering at each other. "That includes you two, Emerald, Gold Plate. I don't want you two squabbling and showing any resentment today, and I'm seeing a lot of resentment." The two ponies looked at their teacher, who gave them a warning glance that was going to let her strict side out, scaring them as they feigned innocent faces as they looked at each other for a moment. "That's better!

"But aside from how much the holiday is meant to express love, that's a bit different for changelings, like our young princess," Mrs. Smiley continued. "For those of you who aren't aware, changelings feed off of love, and before our kingdoms were united, they had to take that love by disguising themselves as a pony. But now that they're as equal and welcome as we are, it's a special day for them to freely feed on the love that's around them. It's like a big buffet of sweets they can't help but gobble up, so as awkward as it is to see changelings near any couples, it's allowed so they can eat. So, to start today, I want everypony to draw a picture and show me what you think it looks like for changelings when they absorb love. And don't forget to grab a plate and enjoy some chocolates, candies, and cookies I brought for today!"

The first thing the foals did before doing their work was go for the snacks, all of them piling their plates with sweets while making sure to leave some for everyone else. As they worked on their drawings while munching on their snacks, Emerald knew exactly what love looked like as ponies released it since she was part changeling. She drew her parents, placing hearts around them while scribbling a pink aura coming out from above her daddy. She then drew it streaming down into her mommy's horn with a green crayon scribbled to look like her aura absorbing it to feed.

"Wow, that's interesting," Melody commented as she looked over at her friend's work. "Is that what it really looks like?"

"Kinda, but that's how I usually see it with my mommy and daddy," Emerald said. "There's also a gold, yellowish magic daddy releases as well, but that's when he and mommy were done wrestling with each other."

"Wrestling?" the unicorn filly asked in confusion. Emerald simply shrugged, having no idea why it happens, but she knew her parents were only playing. "Ok...Well, how does mine look?"

Melody showed her picture, making Emerald laugh at the silly, absurd drawing. She drew a pony unaware of a changeling behind them, who had its jaws opened in a comically wide fashion with sharp teeth, ready to chomp down on hearts that floated behind the pony, which was the love it must have released, despite being by himself. What made it funny was that the changeling looked almost like her grandma, unable to get the image of Chrysalis actually doing that to her Uncle Shining Armor.

"Why did you draw my grandma!?" Emerald asked as she continued giggling.

"I did?" Melody looked back at her art, noticing that it looked almost like Chrysalis. "Oh...Well, your grandma was the first changeling I ever saw...Except you." She began giggling herself at the silly expression she gave her drawn changeling. "I guess I thought this was how they really ate it."

"Nope! Through magic!" Emerald said. "I wanna show grandma your drawing!"

After a few moments, everyone in class had finished their artwork and showed them off, some of them almost similar with magic absorbing or eating the love out of thin air. Gold Plate's and Platinum Band's were a bit creepy as theirs involved eating, though their drawings showed a changeling taking a bite out of their pony victim, sucking it out like a vampire bat would to a piece of fruit. Mrs. Smiley was going to have to have a chat with the colts' parents about this, worried they might be reading or watching stuff they shouldn't be seeing at their age.

It was soon time for recess, the mare leading her students out to the playground to burn off all the sugar they ate. She played in the sandbox with Melody, patting down a sandcastle as she watched outside the perimeter of the fences as couples walked past. She could also see changelings wander around, absorbing their fill of love energy that filled the air, even without them being in a relationship with a pony, griffon, or whoever they were interested in dating. Love essence might sate their hunger, but getting it from the source is almost irresistible.

Emerald got a bit too distracted, not hearing Gold Plate run up to them and stomp on her sandcastle. "Hey! My sandcastle!" The colt blew a raspberry at her in spite, kicking sand on her and Melody before running back to his friend, both colts slapping hooves as they laughed. Emerald grumbled, brushing off the sand on her coat. "I don't like them. I shouldn't have given them a card at all."

"Why do they keep picking on us?" Melody asked. "We didn't do anything to them."

"Colts are dummies," Emerald said. "...Except Vivi. Vivi's not like them." She pulled out the card she planned to give Virtuo, hoping to run into him some time during the day in school. "Vivi's been my friend since I was a baby. We're best friends forever."

Melody looked at the card, noticing the amount of drawn hearts around the colt's name, the drawing of him Emerald made, hearts just littered everywhere in on the card. "Uhh, that's a lot of hearts."

"Yeah. So?" Emerald questioned.

"...Do you really like him as a friend?" Melody asked.

"Of course I do!" the hybrid filly said. "He deserves a special card from his bestest friend he's known since ever!"

"No...I mean, do you like him...like how our mommies and daddies like each other?" Melody asked.

"Why?" Emerald asked curiously.

"Well...there's a lot of hearts you made," Melody mentioned, pointing at all the hearts around the card. "And besides the one you made for Mrs. Smiley, Virtuo's is...different."

Looking back down at the card, she began thinking about her relationship with Virtuo. She was told that when she met him for the first time, she was all over the colt and didn't want to be away from him, thought she wasn't as clingy to him as she was to her daddy. He was her first ever friend since she was a baby, and whenever he was around, she always rushed up to him, hugged him, and felt happier than ever. Even her heart fluttered a little bit when she thought of him from time to time, but she didn't think anything of it.

"...Huh...I don't know," Emerald finally said after some thinking. "Do I like Vivi that way?"

"That's disgusting." The fillies yelped as Gold Plate somehow snuck up on them, overhearing them as he was about to torment them again. Even Platinum Band had joined him, cringing at Emerald ever liking somepony romantically. "You're a big bug who eats love. You can't feel it."

"Says the jerk who liked my cousin," Emerald argued snidely. "Still like her now that you found out?"

Gold scrunched his muzzle, sputtering as he tried to come up with an insult, but the filly smirked, practically sensing he still had the hots for Flurry Heart. Irritated by her grin, he looked at the card she held and remembered seeing the colt she hung out with back at the Gala after realizing Emerald's relationship with Flurry. She was really excited to see him that night, a little too much for her to simply be friends with the slightly older colt. His frown turned into a wicked grin, thinking of the perfect way to hit the filly where it hurts.

"Well, you seem to like somepony, too," Gold Plate countered. "Too bad you don't stand a chance either."

"Huh?" Before Emerald questioned what the annoying pink colt was saying, he kicked up sand from the sandbox, making her splutter before she was tackled to the ground. He snatched Virtuo's card out of her hooves, leaping off her as she got up, rubbing the sand out of her face. "Y-You big-Hey! Vivi's card!"

Gold Plate waved the Hearts and Hooves Day card in front of her, but before she could tackle him back, Platinum Band held Emerald back. Melody gasped, quickly running to find Mrs. Smiley while her friend struggled out of the silver colt's grip.

"You think that colt really likes you?" Gold teased. "Please. He probably thinks you're weird just like everypony else does. He just doesn't want to tell you because you'll cry like a baby."

"Gimmie that back!" Emerald demanded.

The bully thought about it for a moment, taping his hoof against his chin. "...Oh, fine. I'll give it back to you...in pieces!"

Gripping the card in both hooves, Gold Plate began tearing it apart, Platinum making sure Emerald kept watching as his friend destroyed the card she worked hard on. Emerald helplessly watched Gold Plate ripping her card, shredding it into hundreds of pieces. Tears welled up in her eyes as the shredded card fell to the ground in front of the colt. She was mad, she wanted to beat the two colts up, but as she helplessly struggled, all she wanted to do was break down and cry as all her hard work she put into making Virtuo's special Hearts and Hooves Day card was ruined, and she didn't have enough time to make another before the day ended. Her lips quivered, then let the floodgates out as she bawled.

That easily got Mrs. Smiley's attention along with Melody getting her, the teacher leering at Gold Plate and Platinum Band in disappointment. "Gold Plate! Platinum Band!" Both colts winced as they heard her, Platinum yelping as the teacher's aura surrounded him, forcing him to let go of Emerald, who fell to the ground as she cried her eyes out while dragging both colts toward her. "You two go to the bench!"

"But she-" Gold Plate tried to complain, but Mrs. Smiley stomped her hoof, silencing him and wasn't so smiley at the moment with them.

"NOW!" she commanded, both colts quickly obeying as they ran off to the punishment spot while outside. Once she was sure she watched them plant their misbehaving plots down on the bench, Mrs. Smiley turned her attention back to the upset filly. She picked up Emerald, checking her over for any injuries the colts gave her, but was relieved to see none. "What happened, Emerald?"

Emerald wasn't able to speak, burying her face in her teacher's forelegs and kept sobbing. Melody knew exactly what happened when she saw the torn pieces of Virtuo's Hearts and Hooves Day card.

"They ripped her friend's card," Melody said to Mrs. Smiley. "She was gonna give it to him today. And they said he didn't like her like they did."

"I see..." The mare tried to console Emerald, gently rubbing the filly's mane until she managed to calm down a little. Emerald tried to avoid looking down at her card for her best friend, Gold Plate's hurtful words affecting her again as she feared Virtuo really didn't like her and he never said it aloud. The bell rang, signalling the end of recess for the class as Mrs. Smiley guided Emerald back inside, leading the rest of her gathered foals back to their classroom. "It's ok, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll make another one for your friend in no time. And I'll have a word with Gold Plate and Platinum Band's parents about this."

The rest of the day, Emerald didn't enjoy the rest of Hearts and Hooves Day in school. She was left in a miserable state, worried about what Virtuo thought of her. It was even worse when Melody's question about her liking him ran through her head, which only brought about more fear of him hating her. She barely ate during lunch, didn't want to eat anymore sweets that were left over in the classroom, and she didn't even feel hungry enough to take any love that was in the air. Gold Plate and Platinum Band were placed in the back of the class as punishment, Mrs. Smiley keeping them away from the depressed filly so they didn't keep picking on her or Melody. The teacher tried to help cheer her up by suggesting making another card for her friend, but Emerald barely touched the art supplies she brought for her, the card she made before was super special and it wouldn't be the same trying to recreate it.

She barely paid attention to their alphabet lesson, already knowing it by heart and what each letter looks like from the lessons she had learned during the winter, and she couldn't fall asleep during nap time. Eventually, the school day was over as the final bell rang, everypony gathering their saddlebags filled with Hearts and Hooves Day gifts from their classmates and waited outside the classroom for their families to pick them up. Gold Plate and Platinum Band stayed inside, Mrs. Smiley keeping them so she can talk with their parents. Emerald waited outside, staring blankly at the ground as the world around her was lost to her in her sadness. Melody tried to cheer her up before somepony came to pick her up, but to no avail once her grandmother came to get her.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the trouble-making colts' mothers, arrived to pick up their sons, and when they saw the upset princess waiting outside, the former of the two mares cringed, already knowing she was going to get an earful with the teacher. Walking inside, they saw their foals sitting in an individual seat, facing away from each other while Mrs. Smiley sat at her desk waiting for the parents to arrive.

"Miss Tiara. Miss Spoon. I assume you know why Gold Plate and Platinum Band are staying behind after class?" the teacher asked.

"What happened this time?" Diamond Tiara asked, giving her son a disappointed glance.

"Well, today was going pretty well for the most part," Mrs. Smiley began. "The class was handing out Hearts and Hooves Day cards, or extravagant gifts a colt Gold's age probably shouldn't squander with his mother's money. I even specifically warned him and Princess Emerald not to start fighting, knowing those two would get into a tiff once winter was over. It was only until recess where your son started kicking things off, another student telling me that he literally kicked sand on them while she and Emerald were in the sandbox. Then, Gold tackled Emerald, took a Hearts and Hooves Day card she planned to give to a very special friend of hers later today, then had Platinum hold her down while they made her watch him tear that heart to literal pieces while figuratively breaking hers."

"What!?" Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at their sons, appalled by their physical behavior.

They were still surprised that they ended up fighting with Emerald their first day of school, and despite punishing them, they still decided to pick a fight with her and roughhoused the young princess. Just from hearing their behavior reminded the two friends how cruel they were to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo when they were fillies, thankfully changing their bullying habits after Diamond's redemption during the student pony president election back in Ponyville. They didn't want their children to misbehave like they had, and if they had to take drastic measures to make them learn to play nice, they'll do so.

"...Mrs. Smiley, I promise this behavior won't last forever," Diamond Tiara swore.

"Yeah," Silver Spoon agreed with a nod. "We'll deal with this."

"I surely hope so," the teacher said, though she was unsure if she could believe the two mothers. "There's only so much I can tolerate when it comes to my students fighting with each other and not getting along. They may be young now, but imagine how horrible their actions will get if this continues into their teens. This selfish, hurtful, and distasteful behavior needs to be nipped in the bud, otherwise they're going to end up like those teens who joined the Shadow Knights when our former tyrant of a king was in charge: reckless, destructive, and not even turning an eye to realize how much they hurt others, whether it's physical or psychological." Seeing the mares' reaction to that possibility assured her that these two mothers understood the message and would get to work on Gold Plate and Platinum Band's behaviors. "Now, for whenever they're in class, I'm splitting these two from each other for the next couple weeks, and they'll have no recess time as well. And I expect them to apologize to Princess Emerald for destroying her hard work and roughhousing."

"Absolutely." Diamond Tiara turned to Gold, who looked away from her with a scowl. "Gold Plate, I'm very disappointed in you. It seems like you're not even learning your lesson. So, here's what's going to happen: you are not allowed to play with Platinum Band for three months,-" The colt quickly turned his head to her, his jaw dropping in shock at the first punishment already torturous. "-no more allowance until I actually trust you can be nice to everypony in class, and all of your toys will be taken out of both your bedroom and playroom."

"That's not fair!" Gold Plate whined.

"And if you keep acting like this, I'm donating all of your toys to charity," Diamond Tiara warned, making the colt scream in frustration. "Don't you dare throw a tantrum! Do you want to lose those toys now!?"

"No!" Gold shouted.

"Then stop behaving like this right now!" Diamond scolded.

Gold Plate seethed, but he scowled in hatred as he looked down. "The same goes for you, Platinum," Silver scolded her son, the silver colt nodded his head in understanding, knowing better than to argue with his mother. "You two go out there and apologize to the princess right now."

Gold grumbled as he and Platinum got up from their seats, making their way out of the door where Emerald sat against the wall in the hallway. She barely acknowledged their presence as they stood in front of her, the three mares watching them to make sure they apologize and not hurt the filly further.

"Sorry, Emerald," Platinum said, sincerely and without hesitation.

Gold, however, remained silent and scowled at her. He wasn't going to apologize and let her win, but a harsh stomp from his mother behind him made him turn to look at her.

"Gold, say you're sorry," Diamond commanded. "And really mean it."

Grumbling, the pink colt looked back at Emerald, letting out a frustrated grunt before he spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm...sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Diamond said, making Gold Plate growl.

"...Sorry...for ripping your stupid card," he muttered. Her silence made the adults worry, but Gold Plate only got more frustrated as she didn't even look at him or even accept his apology. "Hey! I'm saying sorry!...Say something, stupid!"

"Gold!" Diamond scolded, grabbing the colt's ear in her mouth, biting hard enough to make him wince as she pulled him away. "That's it! Your toys are being donated to foals who actually deserve to play with them!"

"Ow! Mommy, that hurts!" Gold whined. "Don't take my toys! NOOOOO!"

Silver Spoon took Platinum as they followed Diamond and her spoiled son, leaving Mrs. Smiley with Emerald as they waited for one of her parents to pick her up. It didn't take long for Solaris to finally arrive, the alicorn panting as he seemed to have ran from the castle, forgetting he could teleport to the school with ease.

"Sorry I'm late!" he said, trying to brush the bits of mane standing up with his hooves. "Trill almost made me miss hearing the timer. Next year, we're just going on a romantic, platonic date." Once he was somewhat presentable, he noticed his daughter was really miserable, concerning him greatly. "Emmy? What's wrong, sweetheart?" He gently rubbed her head, finally getting a reaction from her as she stood up, walked up to him, and leaned her head against his leg, letting out a sad whimper as more tears rolled down her face. "Honey? What's the matter?"

"I can give you a few guesses as to what happened," Mrs. Smiley said.

"...Gold Plate again?" Solaris asked, the teacher nodding her head in confirmation. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed Emerald's back with his wing to comfort her. "What did he do this time?"

"He tore a Hearts and Hooves Day card she was going to give to somepony," Mrs. Smiley said. "Not only that, but he also told her that her friend never really liked her, probably just to upset her and try to alienate her from the rest of her peers. I took care of the situation, and hopefully, Miss Tiara will try to control that colt of hers."

Solaris had a feeling that somepony was Virtuo, having taken note of how many other ponies were in her class and counted one extra that didn't include her teacher's giant card. He knows she gets excited whenever he comes over to play, both of them practically inseparable when they were babies. Levitating Emerald on his back, he thanked Mrs. Smiley for trying to help her and left the school. Solaris needed to find a way to cheer her up, and his first stop was to indulge the filly in something chocolaty.

He made his way to the ice cream shop to get Emerald some triple-chocolate ice cream. Ignoring the surprised looks he got while out in public as he waited to be served, he spotted Sweetie Belle and Button Mash over at a table with Virtuo, the couple sharing a specialty vanilla milkshake with chocolate sprinkles and a dark chocolate heart resting on top of a mountain of whipped cream, the colt slurping on a small, regular chocolate shake. When Emerald spotted her friend, she teared up again and slid off her daddy's back, hiding behind his legs to avoid his gaze.

"Hey, Solly!" Sweetie Belle called out with a wave.

"Hey," he said back. Once he got their sweets, Solaris made his way over to them, Emerald staying close to him as she tried not to cry again. "So, how's your day been together?"

"I actually needed the break," Sweetie said. "Button's idea of a romantic date together was us spending some time at the arcade, but despite how foalish it was, it was actually kind of fun. Especially when we played that fun dancing game with the arrows."

"'Prance Prance Revolution'," Button stated. "She beat me in each song we played."

"He doesn't have much rhythm," the unicorn teased, making the stallion roll his eyes. "Anyway, how was your Hearts and Hooves Day going with Trill?"

"Take a wild guess," Solaris said, as if Sweetie or Button needed to. "I was almost late picking up Emmy before she tried to tie me down again." He lifted Emerald up to sit with them, giving her the chocolaty ice cream cone, subconsciously holding it in her aura as she sadly stared at Virtuo. "She had another bad day at school."

"Don't tell me it's those two colts in her class again," Sweetie Belle muttered. She let out a groan, toying with her straw in hers and Button's shared shake as the answer was clearly obvious. "I'm starting to get flashbacks to when I was getting picked on by Diamond...Why is it that the spoiled rich kids always have to be such jerks?"

Virtuo grunted in annoyance, hating how Gold Plate and Platinum Band always kept picking on her. "What did those two do to you now?" he asked, but Emerald didn't answer. She looked like she was about to break down and cry, Gold Plate's hateful words echoing in her head over and over as her fears about her best friend secretly disliking her might be true. She didn't even touch her ice cream as it melted, the chocolate scoop slipping off the cone and splatting on the table, which made the colt and both their parents worry. "...Emerald?"

"...D-D-Do...Do you...n-not like m-m-me, Vivi?" Emerald asked tearfully, her whimpers turning to sobs.

"Huh!? W-Why would you ask that?" Virtuo asked in shock, the filly's question even startling the alicorn, unicorn, and adult earth pony. "What did that jerk say to you?"

"H-He...He said...He said you secretly hate me! And you probably do!" Emerald exclaimed before bawling her eyes out again.

She buried her face against her daddy's side and cried, surprising Virtuo while also getting mad at Gold Plate for putting more lies in her head by making her think no one likes her because she's different. "Emmy made a Hearts and Hooves Day card for you, Virtuo," Solaris explained. "But Gold Plate tore it up and said you never liked her at all."

"Ugh. Unbelievable," Sweetie Belle grumbled. "Diamond better not continue ignoring his actions like her dad, Filthy Rich, did, or make it worse like her mom, Spoiled Rich." She growled at the despicable mare's name, knowing exactly where her ex-bully, now-friend got her attitude from and where she learned the term "blank flank" all those years ago. "Filthy should have dumped that mare before he even thought of marrying her. And she called me and my friends 'blank flanks' right in front of everypony. Including Cheerilee."

"She should have also been fired from being president of the school board back then, too," Button added, remembering that day well as it was not only Diamond Tiara's turning point in her life, but also the day Sweetie Belle earned her cutie mark with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.

Virtuo hated how conniving the pink colt was. All Gold Plate seemed to care about doing to Emerald was to hurt her in any way just for his own enjoyment, and constantly making her feel like she didn't belong or think everyone hates her because of how different she was only made him want to beat the colt up for her. He did expect to get something from Emerald today, and the card she did make for him was probably special to her, working hard to give him something to express how much she liked him. But, even though she wasn't able to give him her Hearts and Hooves Day gift, he still had hers, and maybe she'll feel better and be reassured that he's still her friend regardless of how she looks.

Looking through his bags, he pulled out Emerald's gift he thought was special enough for her: a red rose with a card tied around the stem. Virtuo did plan to give her candy at first, but she would probably want the love that radiates in the air more than chocolates or other sweets, so he asked his dad if he could buy a rose for him to give to her. The colt walked up beside Emerald and gently tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She turned her head to look at him, her depressed expression turning to surprise when she saw his gift, the card tied to the rose with her name on it.

"Don't listen to those jerks," Virtuo said. "They just want to make you think everything's going to turn out bad because they think it's funny to hurt a filly's feelings. Whatever they said to you about what I think about you, they're liars. You're my friend, Emerald, no matter who you are, what you look like, or what you do." Virtuo gave Emerald a smile, giving her the rose as she looked at it, processing his heartfelt words. "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Em."

Emerald knew his words were genuine, feeling silly for believing Gold Plate. The bully always found some way to get in her head, even as she tried to ignore him to avoid getting into more trouble, but the fact that she was born as both a pony and a changeling made her believe she wouldn't be loved because of her mixed blood. She looked up at him, her lips turning into a smile as she cried happy tears this time, the colt knowing what she wanted from him as he held his forelegs out. She approached him and hugged him, nuzzling her face in his chest, silently thanking him as she felt his forelegs wrap around her in a comforting, friendly hug.

"Aww, that was sweet of you, Virtuo," Sweetie Belle said, she, Button, and Solaris happy to see Emerald out of her slump while the two foals seemed to garner some attention from the other patrons as well. Sweetie leaned over to Solaris and whispered, "I have a feeling those two will make a cute couple when they get older."

The alicorn giggled nervously, feeling more dread than excitement on the thought of his daughter being romantically involved with somepony. "W-Well...We'll see."

Emerald had finally calmed down, relaxing in her best friend's hooves. She had a funny feeling in her chest where her heart was, feeling all fluttery and pounding in a good way, almost like she was absorbing love without using her magic to do so unconsciously like when her daddy shows his love for her. She backed away from Virtuo's hug, looking down at the flower he gave her, wishing she still had her card.

"Thank you, Vivi," she said before letting out a sigh. "But I don't have anything for you."

"You don't need to get me anything," the colt assured. "I just want you to be happy."

Emerald giggled, glad to depend on somepony like Virtuo and hope he'll stay with her forever. She gave the rose a small sniff, its aroma pleasant and helped calm her a little. The filly then had an idea on what to give Virtuo, and it would probably be better than a card.

"...Vivi, I think I know what I can give you." Virtuo was about to refuse getting any gifts, only content with making her feel better, but she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Emerald leaned closer to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, making him stiffen in surprise with shrunken pupils as everyone around them cooed at the adorable display. Sweetie Belle giggled as her son got his first kiss from somepony other than her, knowing for sure those two will end up becoming more than friends when they get older. Solaris, however, was a little shocked, especially when both Virtuo and Emerald blushed, the colt's face turning red in embarrassment while his daughter's turned as he noticed a small glint of love in her eyes.

"Uhh, ok, I think we've had enough fun for the day," Solaris quickly said, downing his ice cream in one gulp while swiftly cleaning up Emerald's splattered and uneaten treat with his magic. "Come on, Emmy, let's head back home and you'll see Virtuo again later. Bye, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash!"

Grabbing Emerald, Solaris breathed a plume of fire around them, turning them into a wisp of magical light as he teleported them back to the castle. "Oh boy. Solaris is turning into the overprotective dad," Sweetie Belle uttered. "I hope he doesn't get too carried away and interfere with Emerald's social life too much."

"...How did he not get brain freeze after swallowing his ice cream whole?" Button questioned, making his wife leer at him with a raised brow at the change in topic. "...Maybe if we get older, we don't get brain freezes! Milkshake race!"

"Button, that's not how it-" Button didn't listen to Sweetie, slurping heavily through his straw to try to finish their romantic shake. His face scrunched up as he began suffering from brain freeze, screaming in agony as he clutched his head, falling out of his seat and underneath their table. Sweetie Belle facehooved, her husband always acting like a foal half the time as it brought back a memory of the same thing happening to him when they were foals at Sugarcube Corner. "Hon, Solaris has dragon breath. He's immune to getting cold, including eating cold stuff that quickly to get brain freezes."

"Agh! It hurts! Make it stoooop!" Button cried out as he writhed in agony. "...Oh, hey, a bit."

Sweetie Belle sighed heavily, turning her attention to her son, who was still frozen still as he stared off at nothing in his shock. "Virtuo? Are you alright, sweetie?" she asked. She had expected Virtuo to at least be disgusted, saying she gave him cooties or something that colts his age would say. Instead, the colt leaned over slightly, then fell on his side, still paralyzed in shock from the kiss Emerald gave him. "...I think I'm going to take that as a yes. Come on, Button, let's head on home." Sweetie Belle picked up her love-shocked colt on her back, Button Mash stood up from under the table as he held his head. He was about to follow her when he looked back at their half-eaten shake. "Leave it."

"Aww," the stallion whined as he followed his wife.

Trill hummed happily as she walked down the halls of the castle with a sway of her hips, already cleaned up after the amount of romantic fun she had with Solaris while Emerald was at school. His love he gave her was strongest when Hearts and Hooves Day comes around, and it was always the sweetest she's ever enjoyed, licking her lips as she had her fill, yet still craved more.

"Too bad we can't go all day like before when Emerald wasn't around," she said to herself. "If I had enough time to tie him up before that timer went off, I could have left him in bed waiting in agony for me to come back and-" Green flames suddenly shot up in front of her, making her yelp in surprise as Solaris teleported through his dragon fire, carrying a lovestruck Emerald in his hooves while she held a rose in hers. "Solly, for goodness sake. I'm going to need some warning if you do that out of nowhere." She noticed their daughter holding the rose, along with the half-lidded eyes and blushing cheeks of a young filly experiencing her first crush. "...Is Emerald-?"

"Hold that thought, hon," Solaris quickly said, carrying Emerald over to her room. "Play in your room for a bit until dinner's ready, ok, sweetie?" He lowered the filly down, who plopped on her side as she clutched her rose from Virtuo before shutting her bedroom door. He turned around, finding Trill with a wide grin and a knowing look. "...What?"

"Has our little filly caught the love bug already?" Trill asked, laughing at the irony of her and Emerald being part insect.

"No!" Solaris exclaimed. "No love bugs! Emmy is NOT getting involved with any colts, even if it's Virtuo!"

"Oh, so it was Virtuo who gave her that lovely rose she's clinging onto, huh?" The alicorn gasped, slapping his hooves against his muzzle. Trill giggled as her husband leaked out the answer she needed, though she did expect their daughter to like Virtuo a lot more than she seemed. "I'm pretty sure he liked that card she made for him right?"

Solaris lowered his hooves, grumbling irritably. "Actually, he didn't get the card, but he gave her the rose to help her feel better."

"Feel better? Why would-?" Trill paused, then leered sourly as she had a gut feeling on who made her miserable. "Those bullies from day one of school?"

"Yup," he said.

"Ugh. Can she not go one day at school without that brat picking on her and hurting her!?" Trill exclaimed. "What did he do? Rip the card?" Solaris nodded his head. "After snatching it from her while tackling her to the ground?" He nodded again. "And did he say something again that made her believe that she isn't liked by anyone because of how different she is, including her very best friend, upsetting her and making her cry?"

"Ok, where you actually there when it happened and the Trill I was with was actually another changeling?" Solaris asked suspiciously.

"No, I was just taking a few educated guests," Trill said. "...Or was I?" Solaris gave her a growl, not in the mood to be messed around with while their daughter had been picked on and was emotionally distraught yet again. "I'm just kidding! Sheesh. You take things so seriously...Just like...Emerald..."

Both parents began to realize how sensitive Emerald was. It may have been due to her being part changeling and able to sense emotions that could lead to her overthinking things, along with her mixed heritage, but she probably inherited a bit of sensitivity from Solaris. It was no wonder why she was so emotionally overwhelmed when Gold Plate told her she would never be loved by anyone, taking those painful words to heart and letting it upset her until she was rest assured that those lies weren't true to begin with. Emerald may be wild and rambunctious like her mother, but she's also serious and very easily emotional like her father.

"...Oh boy," Solaris uttered. "Now I'm really going to worry about Emerald when she gets older...I don't know if she's going to have an outburst and lash out, run away in depression, turn into a crazed mare bent on world domination and kill everypony because she thought her father never really loved her when it was all a misunderstanding and tried to kill him to get revenge for ruining her life-!"

"Solly!" Trill shouted, silencing her husband's rambling over the worst-case scenarios that were even worse than he was making them out to be.

"...Too far?" he asked, earning a nod from the changeling. "Right...That's not going to happen."

"Especially the last one," Trill said. "We've already got one pony in this family stressing out about the worst things that will never come." She nuzzled the alicorn, leaving behind a small kiss on his lips. "Let's see what's on the menu for tonight. I think Emerald's fine lost in her own thoughts about her future coltfriend."

"We'll see where their relationship goes when they get older," Solaris said, bringing back his overprotective side. "I want to make sure Virtuo doesn't try anything funny when their hormones control their actions as teenagers."

"Like with us when we shared our first 'romantic' night in a freezing cavern?" Trill asked with a seductive grin. Solaris growled, but her grin didn't falter as she knew he lost himself to his desires along with seeking comfort in somepony after the traumatic experience he experienced that day. Trill distracted him from his thoughts with another kiss, this time with more passion, almost getting him worked up again as he let out a low moan. She pulled away and giggled, seeing that excited glint in his eyes as they looked in each other's eyes. "And you still have the sex drive of a horny teenager. You just don't want to let him out of that cage."

"Somepony has to show some restraint," he reasoned, dipping his head and giving Trill a sharp nip on the neck, making her yelp, which turned into a moan as he licked the barely noticeable mark he left on her. "But you keep teasing me like this, those restraints are going to snap."

Trill purred, licking her lips as she walked away from him, sensually brushing her tail against his muzzle as she walked ahead of him, swaying her rump back and forth to tease him as she looked back at him. "Save it for later this evening out in the garden when we both have 'dessert' after dinner."

Solaris couldn't take his eyes off Trill's hypnotic rump moving back and forth, following her in a slight trance before snapping out of it and walked beside her, draping a wing around her as he nuzzled her lovingly. They didn't notice the alicorn angel watching them, Twilight shaking her head with a grin, happy to know her son was in good hooves, even if his wife was a changeling who had the libido of a succubus. As soon as they left, she phased through Emerald's bedroom door, finding the filly still holding onto Virtuo's rose with a dreamy look on her face.

"Looks like you're enjoying your Hearts and Hooves Day present from Virtuo a bit too much," Twilight said. "Do you like him?"

Emerald snapped out of her daydream as she was asked that question again. She thought long and hard about it, knowing what love is so early from seeing how her parents act around each other, along with the energy her daddy releases around her and her mommy. Looking back down at the rose, she wore her goofy, love-struck smile again with a deep blush, Twilight swearing she could see hearts floating and popping behind the filly as she hugged the flower.

"Yes. I do," she said before letting out a fluttery giggle.

As the filly wandered over to place her flower in a small jar and place it by her window, Twilight chuckled as everything around Emerald seemed nonexistent as she began drawing hearts all over a piece of paper. "Young love. Oh, if Cadence could sense this, being the Princess of Love, she'd want to try to set those two up on a date."

Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, Cadence and Shining Armor were enjoying a romantic dinner together out on the balcony of their castle, the moon shining down and making the atmosphere more romantic. As she was about to bite into her crystal berry salad she decided to eat, she paused as she felt an odd, romantic presence from far away. Shining noticed the look on her face, rolling his eyes as her love senses were going off.

"Uh oh. Cadence, what's happening?" Shining asked with a smirk.

"...I don't know why, but I feel like planning a blind date with Emerald and her friend Virtuo," Cadence uttered. As much as she wanted to make that plan come to fruition, her great niece was still only a filly, and she and her friend, soon-to-be-possibly future lover, were still pretty young. She would have to take a rain check on that until they were old enough, slowly bringing her fork to her lips as she continued eating. "But, I can wait. I'm sure Solaris won't like how his aunt wants to set up a couple foals on a date together without his permission." She dabbed her lips with a napkin, only to gasp as that sense came back again, only with someone else. "But Flurry Heart, on the other hoof!"

Shining winced, dreading that look as his wife mentioned their daughter being involved with another colt. "Oh no. No. No no no, Cadence!"

"Who's our little baby hanging out with!?" the pink alicorn squealed excitedly, speeding off from the table to find Flurry.

"Cadence!" Shining called out, yelping as he tried to chase after her, momentarily forgetting about his forelegs and fell to the floor. "...Ow...Too late...Please let it JUST be a friend she's with, and not somepony she likes..."

Meeting Starlight Glimmer

Solaris sat on his throne, going over a few important documents involving the world summit later on this year. It was a pain to be forced to go to make sure no sparks of war would be set for either kingdom throughout the world, but he understood why so nothing like what happened with Lucifer would ever happen again. He let out an irritated huff, thinking back on all the stories of how much trouble Equestria had gone through in both several thousand years upon its founding, and even several decades ago involving his mother and aunts, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and everyone else in today's time. It was insane just how much racism there used to be when the three pony tribes lived separately, and despite changes in today's society, there were still issues involving such a confidential topic when it came to other sentient species throughout the world. Some ponies might have warmed up to the changelings now free to travel about without pretending to be another pony, though it was still troublesome for those who had once been tormented by them.

While stewing in his thoughts, Trill wound up falling asleep in her own throne, snoring loudly as some of those documents Solaris had read were draped over her head. And sitting on the floor in front of the couple was Emerald, tapping on the floor in boredom. It was a weekend, just a couple weeks past Hearts and Hooves Day, and Emerald wanted to learn more at school, and maybe run into Virtuo again. She kept the flower he gave her healthy thanks to Twilight guiding her on taking care of it properly, cherishing it like it was the most important possession in her room. But, he and his parents were down in Ponyville visiting Gemstone, so she couldn't be around her crush at all.

Emerald let out a bored groan, falling on her belly and pushed herself around on the floor with her hind legs. Solaris's ears twitched when he heard the squeaking sound of her body sliding along the clean floors of the throne room, glancing away from his work to stare at his bored daughter acting odd.

"Honey, stop doing that," Solaris chided. "You're going to get the floors dirty. And your going to hurt yourself."

"But I'm booooored!" Emerald whined.

"Why don't you go play in your room?" Solaris asked.

"I don't wanna," the filly grumbled. "Can't you play with me, daddy?"

"Daddy's gotta read through all of this, and I have a lot more things to do. Why don't you play with mommy?" Hearing his wife snoring, Solaris rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Can't even be subtle while getting a couple extra hours of sleep..."

Solaris blew out a stream of fire, aiming it right at the changeling's flank, though only to startle her, not burn her. The sudden heat made Trill yelp, now awake as she leapt out of her chair, then fell out and crashed in a heap.

"Evacuate the castle!" she shouted. "Fire! And it hit my flank! I'm burning!"

"Trill, you're not on fire," Solaris said, Emerald being entertained as she stifled her giggles from watching her mother flail about.

Trill stopped and sat up, looking at the harmless scorch mark on her rump, then turned to leer at the grinning alicorn. "You know, out of all the crazy things I like when we're in bed, getting burnt is not on that long list."

"Wow, I'm actually quite shocked," Solaris sarcastically said. "Something that doesn't turn you on is getting burnt by something not by a candle."

"Why does mommy like getting burnt by a candle, daddy?" Emerald asked curiously. "Isn't fire hot?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, sweetie," Trill said.

"No! Never!" Solaris quickly protested. "Don't promise telling her something like that!"

"She's gonna do something crazy eventually," Trill reasoned, not helping the father as he glared at her. "Hey, you made a changeling for a friend, then marefriend, now wife when everypony back then frowned upon us after my mom's invasion of your aunt and uncle's wedding. If that isn't crazy, then you're in denial, hon."

"That's because I was never told about changelings, or what they did to Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining," Solaris stated. "That's not being crazy; I was uneducated about most things about Equestria that was outside of the books I read as a kid."

"Well, then let's see if Emerald thinks you're crazy. What do you think, Em?" Trill asked their daughter. "Is daddy all cuckoo in the head and overreacting?"

"Mmmmm...Yes!" Emerald said with a giggle.

Solaris let out a groan at his little filly's attempt to get under his skin. "Great. You're molding her into yourself. It's the end of the world."

Both mare and filly laughed after teasing the alicorn, surprising him as they approached him and, with Emerald flapping her wings to reach him, kissed him on both cheeks. "You know we love you, Solly," Trill said.

"Yeah! Love you, daddy!" Emerald said as she nuzzled her head against his shoulder.

Solaris chuckled, wrapping his hooves around the two best ponies in his life in a group hug. "I love you two, too."

He gave his wife and daughter a kiss on their cheeks in return, their horns sparking from the love he showed them. As his reading was interrupted while having a moment with his family, one of the unicorn guards walked into the throne room with a map, some more documents, and a letter in his magical aura.

"I hope I'm not interrupting a family moment, Your Highness," the soldier said, greeting the royal family with a salute.

"Yes! Very important family stuff!" Emerald said.

"It's fine," Solaris assured, patting Emerald's head while she continued snuggling up to him. "Is there something important that needs my attention?"

"Yes. I am sure you have been aware of these strange missing ponies cases that have been happening for the last couple decades." Solaris took the documents the guard offered to him.

Looking them over, they were actually report cases of some ponies throughout Equestria who have mysteriously disappeared and haven't returned. "These have been happening even during Lucifer's reign, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness, as much as I'd like to repress those fifteen years." The stallion let out a shudder, despising the terror and fear he and his own family had experienced in that time. "Oddly enough, these cases aren't even considered kidnappings since the last known locations of these missing ponies had no signs of a struggle, drugged food or drinks, nothing." He then opened up the map, which had a wide circle around a section of wasteland in the kingdom. "We've asked the train conductors and wait staff on the express if they've seen any of these ponies, and they witnessed most of them disembark at the end of the line in this general area."

"There's an unfinished railroad that doesn't connect to another station?" Trill questioned.

"Most of the terrain in that region is mostly a wasteland: no plantlife or animals living there would make it a suitable living place for anypony," Solaris explained. "But why would the missing ponies disembark at the end of the line in some place that barren?"

"...We changelings live in a craggy mountain in a barren wasteland," Trill reminded the alicorn with a blank stare. "But there's a railroad that connects to it, WITH ponies setting up trade there for both our kingdoms."

"Yes, but there are several canyons in this area," the guard said. "We don't want to build a railroad on sensitive terrain that could crumble under the weight of a heavy locomotive. And with no civilization marked in the area, the conductors have no clue where those ponies go to."

"And nopony's explored this section of Equestria since there's no reason to explore it..." Solaris skimmed through the ponies photos, most of them being young adults or ponies who lived by themselves as the missing victims, or if they were considered victims if they willingly left of their own accord. "I doubt these ponies have sent letters to their families or any friends they may have had who were concerned about their safety."

"There were a few, actually," the guard corrected. "Their letters were vague, saying they were fine while living out wherever they've been. There wasn't even a return address, so we couldn't locate where they were sending the letters...Speaking of, there was one of those unknown letters addressed to you, Your Highness."

He then handed the prince the last item he had on him, which was the letter in question. Solaris looked over the envelope, finding no return address like the stallion explained, though the odd thing of note was a blackish-gray equal sign on the top-left corner of the envelope.

"What's with the equal sign?" Solaris asked.

"We don't know," the guard said. "That was on the other letters, too. Maybe it's some kind of calling card from the actual sender, or an odd stamp."

Completely clueless, Solaris carefully opened up the envelope to see what the sender wanted to give him. Emerald and Trill leaned closer to see as he unfolded the letter and read it aloud.

"'To His Royal Highness, Princes Solaris of Equestria, we would like to invite you to our quaint little village of Our Town: a town of ponies who are considered equal among their peers and by far the friendliest town in Equestria.'" Solaris raised a brow at that claim. Ponyville was clearly the friendliest town with the diverse populace, along with it being home to the late Elements of Harmony, the six mares who had saved the world several times over before their demise against or during Lucifer's rule. He continued reading, swallowing the painful memories of the past upon being reminded of the loss of his family. "'Though our humble village isn't marked on any maps, we would love ponies all around to see just how great Our Town is. There is no fighting, no arguing, no friendships being broken by inequality. We would be honored to show you and your family how wonderful it is to live in a town with true friendship, equal understanding, and peace that has last since it was first built many years ago. Hope to see you very soon! Starlight Glimmer.'" Beside the writer's signature was the same equal sign that was on the envelope, and underneath was the exact coordinates of the mentioned town. "A small town utopia? And..." Looking at the map, he was surprised to see that it was located in the radius of the marked location where the missing ponies were last seen, and not too far from where the end of that line was. "It's...out in that wasteland?"

"What? Where?" Solaris showed the guard the written coordinates as he pinpointed them on the map. "...It's over the canyon a couple miles away from the end of the line."

"Did none of you guys even bother searching around the place for these missing ponies?" Trill asked.

"As curious as we were, the disappearing ponies weren't as frequent back then," the guard explained. "That and trying to recover from the mess Lucifer left behind derailed investigations several times. Our top priority after Prince Solaris's coronation was restoring the city, any other cities and towns hit by his wrath and the brats in the Shadow Knights, and compensating for every single pony who suffered during those fifteen painful years, especially to the families of the Elements of Harmony when we heard about their deaths." Solaris winced, his ears drooping at the mention of his aunts. Trill and Emerald sensed his sorrow, the mare glared at the stallion, making him cringe as he forgot how sensitive his ruler was about his past. "Oh. S-Sorry."

"It's fine," Solaris uttered, feeling Emerald cuddle closer to him to help him feel better. It did work, to the hybrid filly's joy when his sadness went away a little bit, distracting his thoughts by focusing on the missing ponies and this mysterious invite from Starlight Glimmer. He had a gut feeling that these missing ponies must have settled in this town the host asking for his presence is in charge of, though whether or not they were being held against their will was beyond them and couldn't warrant any authorities to investigate unless there was any suspicion. "...Maybe we should take a look at...'Our Town', see how friendly of a place it is."

"You really want us to go?" Trill questioned skeptically. "And to a place this Starlight Glimmer calls 'Out Town'? What kind of name is that for a village? That's not a name, that's...like a big object a five-year-old tries to keep for themselves selfishly and shouts, 'Mine!'"

"I don't do that," Emerald muttered, puffing her cheeks as she pouted. "I share."

"Spoiled five-year-olds," Trill corrected, rubbing the filly's head. "You aren't that spoiled...at least until you're a teen and go on shopping sprees."

"Your Highness, are you sure you wish to accept this invitation?" the guard asked with concern. "By yourselves?"

"Not exactly," Solaris said, folding the letter while handing back the lists of missing ponies back to the stallion. "Get the chariot ready and bring a few more pegasus guards to help escort us. I don't know if there's something going on, but I want to be cautious. I'm not letting any harm come to my wife and child if Starlight Glimmer expects the royal family to arrive and the village turns out to be hostile."

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard bowed and obeyed his prince's orders, making his leave to gather the castle's elite pegasus guards to escort the royal family.

"You want to bring Emerald with us?" Trill asked. "And you think there might be some kind of trap?"

"I'm going to give Starlight's town the benefit of the doubt," Solaris said. "If push comes to shove, I'll protect you two, and the Royal Guard will be on watch around the canyons for anything suspicious that we can't see. Besides, the last time we ever brought Emmy elsewhere outside of Canterlot was in Ponyville when she was only a baby."

"Can't we at least drop her off at one of your relatives' in Ponyville?" Trill asked.

"Unfortunately, the others are going to be busy: the Apples are busy with their harvest, Cherry's helping the Cake Twins at Sugarcube Corner, Butterscotch is in the middle of watching over some exotic pets for the next week, Prism's studying with Aunt Scootaloo to be a recruit for the Wonderbolts,-" Emerald's ears perked up as she grinned, getting a chance to be with Virtuo again if she was left with her Aunt Gemstone. "-and Gem's spending quality time with Aunt Sweetie Belle, Button, and Virtuo. So, no, Emmy, you can't join them since it's family quality time for them."

"Awwww," Emerald whined, her ears drooping as she hit her head against her daddy's side, hiding her disappointed pout.

"You'll see him around school," Solaris reminded Emerald. Patting the filly's head, he stood up from his throne, stretching out his legs after spending the last couple hours reading. "Come on, you two. Let's get ready to go. I think we need a bit of fresh air."

"We're not going to get enough on a chariot ride?" Trill questioned with a smirk.

"Ha ha. Hilarious," Solaris commented sarcastically. "What I meant was that you two were completely bored, so I suggested moving around a bit, outside, before we ride off to this 'peaceful' village."

"At least it's a bit better than sitting on a throne all day looking at boring political stuff," Trill uttered.

Once preparations were ready, Solaris set off in his chariot with Trill and Emerald, carried by two pegasus guards while four more flew along with them in pairs of two on both sides. The stallions driving the chariot studied the map and location of Starlight's town, flying over the land to the wasteland where it was marked. During the ride, Emerald peered over the edge and watched in fascination as flew over Canterlot, a few forests, and a town or two. This was higher than she had ever flown on her own, her wings still developing despite how much she flew as a baby.

After a long flight, they finally reached the wasteland where the reported ponies that went missing were said to have last been seen as they landed beside the end of the train tracks. "Well, this feels a lot like home," Trill commented. "All we need now is the civilization of ponies by the tracks and the mountain that's hollowed into a massive colony, and it'll be perfect."

Solaris looked over the map, the village not too far as they had to cross the nearby canyon before them. "It should be up that way. Be let's be careful, gentlecolts."

The guards nodded silently, surrounding the royal family as they walked up the hill. At the top, they saw a bridge that led across the canyon, surprisingly kept in good condition as they made their way across one by one. Emerald stayed close to her parents, avoiding looking down until they made it across safely. After another small climb, the group stood at the top of the hill and found the village they were looking for. Down below, they could see ponies walking around down the very long stretch of road sandwiched between two rows of houses, where they stretched on by about thirty houses per row. What was odd was how similar all the buildings were, both in structure, the amount of windows, the paint for the walls and roofs, not a single difference between them. There was another house at the far end that stood on its own, facing down the singular street of buildings that seemed to make a giant equal sign if they got a bird's-eye view.

"Pretty big for a village," one of the guards muttered.

Another pulled out a pair of binoculars, looking down at the ponies going about their daily lives. "Nothing really suspicious about them...aside from the big, disturbing grins on their faces. There's no way these ponies can be this happy living out here." While continuing spying on the ponies he could see, his eyes widened at something far more odd than the creepy smiles on their faces. "Prince Solaris, I think you need to see this."

Solairs took the binoculars and held them up to his eyes to see what his guard was talking about. He cringed at the overly happy expressions on everypony down below, but as he glanced at each one, he could see exactly what concerned him. Every single pony in that town, whether they were male or female, young or old, or even a pegasus, unicorn, or earth pony, all of them seemed to have the same exact cutie mark: a black-gray equal sign similar to the stamp that was on his letter from Starlight Glimmer. What was worse was that all the males had the same short, clean manecut, and the mares either had their manes down a certain way, braided into pigtails, or tied in a bun.

"Ok...this is definitely strange," Solaris commented. "Why in Equestria does everyone have the same cutie mark? That's not genetically possible."

"Can I look, daddy?" Emerald asked curiously. Solaris gave his daughter the binoculars, the little filly grabbing it with her hooves as she looked down at the town. One thing she noticed that her daddy or their guard saw was how dull everyone's coats seemed to be. They looked so cheerful, but their colorful varieties of fur colors were grayed and lifeless. "Why are they so happy?"

"I have no idea, Emmy, but if Aunt Pinkie were here, I don't think she would want to be anywhere near this place," he said. "Those smiles just seem...forced."

"Should we go down and investigate?" the first guard asked.

"No," Solaris said. "If they see guards acting suspicious, they'll probably end up panicking, and we don't want that to happen. Sergeant Steele Wing, you and the others stay out of sight and keep lookout over the town while my family and I search for Starlight Glimmer and take a look around. If anything suspicious happens or something happens to us, storm in and apprehend them."

"Yes, Your Highness," the sergeant immediately said, he and his troop saluting to their prince on command.

After giving the soldiers their orders, Solaris began making his way down the path, Emerald and Trill following in tow once the filly gave back the binoculars to the guards. As soon as they arrived at the entrance to the village, they were spotted by a few ponies as they turned to give them awkward, toothy smiles as they welcomed them.

"Welcome!" a mare said.

"Welcome!" said a stallion.

More and more ponies "welcomed" them with the same happy expressions and tones, making Emerald stay closer to her daddy nervously. They even passed by a group of foals around Emerald's age or a bit older than her, and it was strange to see ponies their age bearing those equal sign cutie marks. Solaris didn't know if it was possible for a foal so young to earn a cutie mark at their age, but getting the same one like everyone else flew up red flags. A pony's cutie mark defines them as unique, with different talents, personalities, what makes them stand out among their peers. But with everyone looking alike and with the same equal sign cutie mark, this village felt more like a cult than a peaceful town.

They soon came across a couple stallions who approached them, one a white earth pony while the other was a blue unicorn, their fur slightly grayed like the rest of the population. "Welcome!" the earth pony greeted. "Pardon my forwardness, but are you an alicorn?"

"Yes, I am," Solaris said. "I'm Princes Solaris. This is my wife, Trill, and our daughter, Emerald Sparkle."

"Wow. Married to a changeling?" the unicorn stallion asked, seeming a bit too curious as he approached Trill, making her back away as he got a bit too close to her personal space. "We don't get any changeling visitors in Our Town."

"Gee, I wonder why," Trill grumbled. The unicorn tried to touch her hooves, but the changeling growled, grabbing his hoof and shoving it hard against his chest. "Hey, back off, buddy. You can look, but don't touch...On second thought, look at something else besides me." Without losing his smile, he was about to look at Emerald, only for him to yelp when she forcefully grabbed his muzzle, forcing his eyes to look back at her. "Or our daughter."

"Ok," the unicorn said nervously as his grin faltered slightly from the furious gaze of the mother.

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Prince Solaris, Princess Trill, and Princess Emerald Sparkle," the earth pony said. "I'm Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor. Starlight Glimmer has been expecting your arrival, Your Highness."

"Since she did invite us, I had a feeling she was," Solaris responded, gently placing a hoof on Trill's shoulder, warning her to relax a bit before she pummeled Party Favor. "Is she present at the moment?"

"She's in her cottage. We'll take you to her." Both Double Diamond and Party Favor turned in sync and lead the family down the road.

On their way, they ran into a pale magenta teenage unicorn colt who ran up to greet them, his hair supposedly a dark shade of purple with a blue streak running down the middle if it weren't for the dulled out shades of his coat and mane while it was styled just like every other stallions. "Welcome!"

"Ok, we already got the welcoming committee a few yards back," Trill complained. "Everypony quit welcoming us!"

"Trill, don't," Solaris warned.

"This is Dusk Shine, Starlight's son," Double Diamond introduced.

"Is that really Prince Solaris!?" Dusk asked. "My mother will be so excited to see you, and I hope you accept Our Town and see how friendly it is!"

"Uhh...right," Solaris muttered. "...Is this the purpose of my visit?"

"And how do you know about him?" Trill asked as well.

"My mother can explain better than I can," Dusk said. The teen joined Party Favor and Double Diamond lead the royal family down the road to his and his mother's home. Apparently, they were heading toward the singular house at the other end of town, the one that stood out among all the other houses lined up along the street. Solaris, Trill, and Emerald ignored the other ponies greeting them until they finally reached the door, Dusk Shine walking inside as he approached a doorway on the other end of the room. "Mother! We have visitors!"

The interior design of the cottage seemed bland, just a usual house with nothing all that special. There were some pictures of that same equal sign they've seen on the ponies' flanks, which unnerved Solaris and Trill as they expected Starlight Glimmer to be obsessed with them. Double Diamond and Party Favor stood by a wall of the room, standing at attention as if they were Starlight's personal guards, still wearing their disturbing grins. They anxiously awaited for their host as the door Dusk stood beside opened, revealing the pony who invited the alicorn and his family.

"Welcome!" Starlight greeted, her appearance contrasting with all the other mares outside. Her coat and mane were a lot brighter than the others, her fur a pinkish hue with her hair purple with a blue streak running down the middle. Solaris could see some resemblance between the unicorn mare and her son, mostly with their hair if it wasn't due to how dull Starlight's son's colors were. "Prince Solaris, such an honor to have you visit Our Town! I'm Starlight Glimmer, and this is my son, Dusk Shine."

"Yeah, we met him on the way here," Solaris said. "You have an...interesting town. Nothing I've ever seen before."

"He likes it already, mother," Dusk said excitedly, already assuming the prince was going to praise about the village.

"I think my husband means that this is a town no sane pony would want to create," Trill stated.

Dusk's grin faltered, taking offense to the changeling's comment. Starlight wasn't fazed, patting her son's shoulder to calm him.

"I know it doesn't seem normal at first glance, but new ponies who are willing to stay can see just how wonderful Our Town is," Starlight said. "Here, we're all friends, and we all given a chance to have true friendships: no fighting, no hatred, no differences between anypony."

"I doubt that," Trill muttered, Solaris quickly nudging her side to get her to shut up as he let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, Trill. You're such a card," he said. "She's got quite a humorous side to her." Solaris cleared his throat awkwardly, seeing how the others weren't laughing. "Well, terrible jokes aside, I am sort of curious about how your town works. For example, why does everyone have the same cutie mark?"

"Ooh! Can I answer, mother!?" Dusk asked. Starlight nodded, making the teen hop excitedly as he gave his response to the prince's question. "The reason why we have the same cutie mark is because cutie marks cause relationships to tear ponies apart. With different talents, ponies would argue about how their talents are better than their friends, which leads into fighting, and ends up with those friends becoming enemies. Since we all don't have our talents, we don't have to worry about flaunting them and show up everypony, causing pain and hatred that could lead them friendless forever and ever."

After hearing Dusk's little lecture, Solaris and Trill were completely dumbfounded with shock. The couple looked at each other, their faces both expressing bafflement at the ridiculous claim, then looked back at the proud unicorn matriarch and her son. Emerald was also a bit confused, looking down at her own blank flank, wondering if she could get a cutie mark with her mixed blood.

"...Umm...Come again?" Solaris asked, hoping to clarify what they were processing.

"We gave up our cutie marks so we don't hurt others feelings with what talents we used to have, or ourselves if we feel a bit too special," Starlight summarized. "Since I first founded this village, our community was pretty small, but I convinced those who were curious about joining just how great it feels to have such a burdening weight lifted off their shoulders so they didn't have to hurt their friends or families with the skills they had that could only make them jealous. Every once in a while, I would go out to find others who are willing to join, and most of them stay and become another member of our now expanding town of true friendship."

"You would 'find' other members?" Trill questioned. "As in kidnapping them?"

"No!" Starlight gasped in shock. "Why, I would never force somepony to stay against their will. That would be wrong and give the wrong message to what Our Town is like. What brought such a heinous idea up, Your Highness?"

"There have been some missing pony reports for the last couple decades, even during Lucifer's reign that were brushed aside for his and his former soldiers' terrorizing the whole kingdom," Solaris explained. "If you've been looking for new members back then, I'm sure you would have seen the devastation he left in his wake."

Starlight grimaced as she nodded her head. "I...have tried to steer clear of Canterlot with that hurtful stallion taking over. But, what was it about missing ponies?"

"Investigations from authorities have pinpointed the general area of where the train conductors and staff had last seen the ponies who were recently last seen at the end of the line not too far from this town," Solaris continued. "Those who were seen leaving back there weren't seen again, but for those who have sent letters to their loved ones to let them know they were fine didn't have a return address, and they had the same equal sign marked on the letters like the one you personally delivered to my guards. Did these ponies end up here?"

"He must be talking about some of the ponies you invited to our town from other cities," Party Favor said.

"Oh. I see." Starlight chuckled, brushing off the concern for the ponies she brought. "I assure you, Prince Solaris, that those 'missing' ponies are just fine. In fact, they warmed up to Our Town so easily, but I did make sure to deliver those letters to their old friends and family to let them know they aren't in any trouble."

"...I see. Well, that answers that," the alicorn said. "Sorry about the assumptions, Miss Glimmer. I just want to make sure there are no more losses than what have already been lost during those tragic years."

"I understand completely," Starlight said. "In fact, you could say I was helpful bringing a few willing refugees during those times. We were quite lucky that dreadful stallion didn't find this village. We are a peaceful village and don't condone violence, not even as discipline to our children." Starlight then looked at Emerald, who seemed a little bored as she looked around, hiding between her father's legs. "Speaking of, I'm sure this little one isn't all that interested our conversation. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Umm...My name's Emerald Sparkle," Emerald said nervously.

"Well, Princess Emerald, it's nice to meet you," Starlight greeted. "Say, Your Highness, how about I have my son take your daughter to play with the other foals? It'll help her get to know everypony and get some energy out of her system from the long ride you all must have had."

"That's a great idea, mother," Dusk agreed.

Solaris and Trill, however, did not seem to like that idea. They had no idea what these ponies were like, and their constant smiles did not assuage their worries. And the fact that everyone was supposedly equal with no special talents worried them about how things were run around Our Town. Emerald was bored, and maybe she could make some more friends outside of school, so doing something could help get rid of her earlier boredom from today.

"It's just going to be Dusk Shine and the other kids, right?" Trill asked skeptically as her overprotective side kicked in. "I don't want the other adults around her with those creepy smiles on their faces."

"My son is a great chaperone. You don't have to worry about a thing." After being assured, to their reluctance, Solaris let Dusk escort Emerald outside to play with the other foals. "Now, how about you take a little tour around the town and get to know everypony? Double Diamond would be glad to show you around."

"Didn't we already see the whole town already?" Trill questioned with a raised brow, Starlight, Party Favor, and Double Diamond laughing, even though she wasn't really making a joke about the singular street all there ever is in Our Town.

"She actually is funny," Party Favor commented.

Trill sighed in exasperation. "I was being serious..."

Emerald followed Dusk down the road, keeping her eyes locked on where they were going than the greeting ponies welcoming the young princess. She could swear that some of them had already greeted her and her parents already, starting to get annoyed getting a lot of attention. She liked it when her daddy gave her a lot of attention, but this was beyond her liking. Thankfully, they didn't have to go far to where Starlight's house was as they stopped at one of the houses in the center of town. Dusk opened the door and invited her inside, the building a large playroom where most of the foals in town would come to play. Although, playroom was an understatement as the room was just as boring as Starlight's, only with some toys, board and card games, and a bookshelf with some old storybooks.

"Hey, everypony, meet a new friend!" Dusk announced.

The ponies who were playing stopped and turned to them, giving her the wide grins that every pony in this town always wears no matter what occasion. She swallowed nervously as she walked inside, but she didn't have to worry for long when she saw a purple flash only she could see, thankful to have her guardian angel watch her in place of her mommy or daddy. She looked back to see Twilight, the others thinking she was looking at Dusk, and even the alicorn angel could tell something was off with the ponies here.

"Don't worry, Emerald. I've got your back," Twilight said.

The filly took in a deep breath to settle her nerves, but when she looked back at the others, she yelped when they all gathered in front of her close to her liking, staring at her in fascination. "...Umm...Hi?"

"Wow, look at her!" a filly said as the foals now began surrounding her. "She has holes in her legs!"

"Is she a pony?" a colt asked curiously.

"No, she has to be one of those changeling things my mommy talked about!" another colt said.

They began poking and prodding Emerald to her disapproval, seeing if the holes in her legs were real and observing every part of her hybrid body. "And she doesn't have a cutie mark!"

"Can she get a cutie mark?" a filly in the back asked.

"She could be like us!" the first colt said.

Dusk saw how overwhelmed the princess was, levitating her away from the foals while surrounding the filly in his pale blue aura. "Whoa, whoa! Easy, everypony," he said. "Let's not scare the princess."

"Princess!?" the foals exclaimed in shocked surprise.

"Yes! This is Princess Emerald Sparkle, the daughter of Prince Solaris and Princess Trill!" Dusk introduced, making the hybrid filly grin nervously. "They've come to check Our Town and bring more ponies to see how wonderful our lifestyle is!"

"Umm, are we?" Emerald asked, still unsure if the village was worth bragging about.

Ignoring her question, Dusk placed the filly down, away from the foals to her gratitude, and sat down with her, grabbing an old board game that has seen better days. "You ever played Dragon Pit?" Emerald shook her head, never even hearing a board game like that. Dusk set up the board, which had a plastic volcano in the center with red ramps leading down to differently colored spaces for each of the differently colored dragon pieces he placed at the starting points for each path. "My mother loved this game when she was a filly. It's really fun. Want to give it a try?"

"Uhh...ok," Emerald said, picking the green dragon while Dusk picked the purple one, and two others who joined them took the red and blue dragons.

"To play, you have to roll the die, move the amount of spaces, and hope the volcano doesn't erupt," Dusk explained as he went first. He moved a couple spaces from his starting point, then they went around to the other two ponies before it was Emerald's turn. Emerald took the die and tossed it, then moved the amount of spaces while silently counting them out loud to practice her numbers. Suddenly, the volcano let out a small puff of smoke, shooting out a plastic ball of lava rock and land on one of the lava ramps. "Uh oh! Somepony's dragon's about to get trapped!"

The rock, unfortunately, headed straight for Emerald's piece, stopping as it bumped into her dragon. "...So, what happens now?" The moment she asked, the space her dragon was only suddenly flapped open, dropping it as it got trapped. Completely caught off guard, Emerald let out a startled yelp, her horn lighting up on instinct, and accidentally knocked the whole board over. All the foals, including Dusk, gaped in surprise at the filly's surprised magic burst, Emerald grinning bashfully at what she did. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't know that would happen?"

"...Your magic or the trap?" Dusk asked.

"Both." After everyone recovered from the shocking amount of magic from Emerald, they set the game back up and started over while the others went back to playing. Restarting their game, Emerald had a question she wanted to ask them, mostly out of curiosity. "So, when did everypony get those...cutie marks?"

"We were born with them," one of the fillies playing Dragon Pit with her said.

"Really?" Emerald asked. "But daddy told me about cutie marks. They appear when somepony finds their special talent."

"Well, not in Our Town," Dusk said as he rolled the die. "Any newcomers who wish to join go through a little ritual performed in private by my mother, giving up their cutie marks and getting these." He then pointed his hoof at his flank. "Those who were born in Our Town, like me and everypony else in this playroom cottage, we were given the ritual the moment we're born. We were raised to be equal among our peers and be perfect friends with no talents to hurt each other."

"They're 'born' with those cutie marks???" Twilight questioned, fully aware that none of the other foals could hear her. "Why in Equestria would Starlight think it's a good idea to let foals, let alone her own son, think that cutie marks are considered evil and prevent them from ever achieving a bright future with skills they don't even know they're good at? And why does everypony in this town seem to go along with it after giving up their cutie marks!?" Emerald ignored the ranting tangent her guardian angel went on, spotting her pacing around the room while stepping over and around the foals, despite being able to phase through them. The alicorn stopped as she had an idea. "Emerald, ask him where everypony's actual cutie marks are."

"...Where are the adults' cutie marks, then?" Emerald asked. "Did they...disappear?"

Dusk opened his mouth to answer, only to pause as he began thinking. "...Ummm...I...I don't really know," he said. "Mother never told me. All I know is they leave, she performs the ritual outside the village, and they come back with a new addition of our growing community. I saw mother leave with a couple ponies out to toward the mountain range, but I don't know where specifically."

"Somewhere out in the mountain range, huh?" Twilight hummed in thought, growing more curious about this ritual. "I'll be right back, Emerald. I'm going to do a little bit of investigating out in town. Maybe see if your father found something odd or suspicious from the other ponies around here."

Emerald nodded, pretending to think her next roll would go well as it was her turn now, Twilight flying out to find Solaris and explore more of what they've already seen. The volcano erupted again when the filly's turn ended, the plastic rock rolling back down to her piece and trapping it again.

"Aww, come on!" Emerald whined. "Why does my dragon get trapped!?"

"Bad luck, maybe, but my mother was a champion at this game," Dusk said with pride as Emerald moved her dragon back to start with a leer.

As the game continued, another question popped in Emerald's head. "Hey, Dusk? Is Party Favor your daddy?"

Her question made the teen pause as he was about to roll, his grin fading into a frown. Emerald could practically taste the sadness radiating from Dusk Shine, his body tense as his eyes shook from struggling not to tear up.

"...Uhh...M-Mr. Party Favor isn't my...f-father," Dusk said.

"Oh. I thought that he and Starlight are both unicorns, and you're a unicorn, and he led me, mommy, and daddy to your home..." Dusk shook his head, taking his roll to try to avoid thinking about the subject. "Is your daddy Double Diamond?"

He tensed again, shaking his head silently. Emerald was surprisingly shocked to hear Dusk had no idea who his biological dad was. Looking at the others, they answered her question if they had both parents with nods, just as shocked as the princess was. Dusk cleared his throat, inhaling shakily as he tried to breath to control his emotions.

"I...I never knew who...m-my father was," Dusk uttered. "M-Mother never...never told me about him...Said I...didn't need a d-dad around to...to be h-happy..." Emerald felt bad for upsetting the older unicorn. Even though he was just about as awkward as the rest of the town, he was still technically a kid, barely even an adult. She wanted to give him a hug, but she got distracted when the volcano erupted again, only this time, Dusk's dragon was the rock's target now, his space flipping open and trapping it. "Oh no. My dragon got trapped," he said, laughing awkwardly, though it sounded more depressing with his fake smile. "Back to start I go."

Emerald refrained from asking anymore questions to avoid hurting anyone else's feelings. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if her daddy was never around in her life.

"Interested in some of the latest fashions?" a salespony asked Solaris and Trill as they stopped at the "clothing" store. The older stallion showed them his line of ragged old cloaks that was apparently the latest fashion. "We've got cloaks this month!"

"No thanks," Solaris said politely before Trill decided to make a harsh comment. "We're...good on cloaks back home."

The couple left and made their way to what was considered the bakery, taking a seat at a table that was far enough away from the portly stallion. "Ugh. I'd rather walk around in the buck for the rest of my life after seeing those poor excuses for rags. I bet Gem would vomit at the sight of them."

"And that's why you let me do the talking," Solaris said. "We don't want to be rude to these ponies."

"Not in person?" Trill asked. "Ok. Since we're alone now, these ponies are-"

Solaris quickly shoved a hoof in the changeling's mouth. "Shhhh!" he hissed. "Don't even, Trill. We're being watched." Trill looked around, giving her husband a skeptical glare after seeing several ponies from this town watching them as if he was stating the obvious. "I'm talking about Double Diamond, Trill."

They both looked over across the road, where they saw the stallion in question sitting at a table by himself. He waved at them, Solaris waving back with a nervous grin to not cause any suspicion. Trill growled, biting the alicorn's hoof to make him move his hoof away.

"I don't like the way everyone's looking at us," Trill said. "I swear, I think everyone's hiding behind those masks they call smiles. I can sense emotions better than you can."

"Well the least you can do with your comments is at least being subtle so they don't know you'll insult them," Solaris argued, the couple unaware of a unicorn mare approach them, her coat a light cerise-gray with a pale gray-magenta mane, an apron tied around her barrel as she appeared to run the bakery they sat at. She was about to ask what they would like to order, but couldn't as they continued arguing. "You know, for being a changeling, you're not that good at being discrete, both when disguised or choosing your words. How ironic."

"Excuse me!?" Trill exclaimed. "Look who's talking! You stick out like a sore hoof in the middle of a pitch black cave!"

"You could at least be a bit more sincere with how ponies feel and actually grow up," Solaris said.

"Oh, you're such a hypocrite," Trill grumbled. "You're a bit too sincere, and sensitive! How about you toughen up and grow a bigger pair than the ones between your legs!? You complain and whine about every little thing, and you keep dwelling on the past, which aggravates me because I always feel it, and I hate that!"

"Well, excuse me for actually suffering from depression, which doesn't just go away overnight! I apologize that I got emotionally traumatized watching my family dying in front of me!" Their arguing began catching everyone's attention, never seeing an argument get so heated and angry.

"Umm, I'm sorry to interrupt," the mare said, snapping Solaris and Trill from their shouting as they looked at her. "Is your relationship ending?"

Surprised by the sudden accusation, Solaris and Trill looked at each other, then back at their waitress in confusion. "...What?"

"Well, you two are a royal married couple, and you're fighting with each other," she stated. "Does that mean you're getting a divorce?"

"What!?" Trilled exclaimed while Solaris was left flabbergasted. "Are you crazy!? Why would I want to break up with Solly!?"

"Well, like with friendships, two ponies who argue end up hurting each other, ruining their relationships and never being together again," the mare said as if the answer was obvious just from witnessing their bickering.

Trill raised a brow, then leered at her. "...You think that's what love is about? A perfect romantic couple where they never fight and love each other forever and ever?...Have you been living under a rock? All of you?"

"Trill, enough," Solaris chided. "This is exactly what I'm talking about."

"How do these ponies even have kids!?" the changeling asked. "Don't tell me you all believe the baby fairy flies in and delivers it to your doorstep!"

"No, we know how it happens," the mare said. "When a stallion and mare get together and are alone, they-"

"Ok, ok, I get it. You know how reproduction works. I don't want to hear the lecture after I went through a live birth with Emerald." Trill grimaced, still recalling the excruciating pain she went through during labor. Suddenly, her stomach began rumbling, her anger ebbed by hunger as she grumbled. "Maybe I'm just ornery because I didn't have breakfast today."

"I thought you fed off me earlier today," Solaris said. He shook his head, letting out a sigh. "I guess we can go for a little food."

"Ok. Well, my name is Sugar Belle," the mare said as she introduced herself. "I run the bakery here. What can I get for you? We have muffins..."

Solaris and Trill waited for Sugar Belle to continue listing what she had, only to wait longer when she listed the only thing she did have. "...Ok...Anything else?" Trill asked, waving her hoof to get the mare to move on.

"No, that's about it," Sugar Belle said.

"Seriously? No cookies?" Sugar Belle shook her head. "Cupcakes? Pies? Donuts?" Another shake. "...Do you even have any chocolates?" The baker shook her head yet again. Trill let out a distraught whimper, her eyes tearing up as a changeling's favorite of favorite normal foods to eat wasn't even made in Our Town. "Whyyyyyyyyyy!? No chocolate!? It's the end of the world!"

Trill began getting dramatic, slamming her head against the table and sobbed uncontrollably. Sugar Belle was highly confused, looking at Solaris as he rolled his eyes.

"She's just being dramatic. Changelings love the taste of chocolate since it's a suitable substitute for love they take from ponies," he said. "We'll take a couple muffins."

"Ok. I'll be right back." Sugar Belle left to get their order, leaving the couple alone, or what counted as alone with everyone watching them.

After all the yelling they did, Solaris and Trill began regretting what they said to each other. It didn't help that Sugar Belle's assumption of them getting divorced over a fight like that made the alicorn nervous, his wife sensing his distress at the idea of them being split apart. Trill lifted her head up, both of them staring silently at each other, their expressions clearly showing just how they wished they didn't spout such horrible things to upset each other.

"...I'm sorry," Trill apologized first, knowing she had thrashed the line that really upset Solaris. "I know you can't get over what happened...It's just-"

"You don't like when I get upset about it," Solaris finished for her. "...I know...I can't help it..." He let out a sad sigh, rubbing his hooves against his eyes, both out of exhaustion and trying to keep his tears from showing. "I didn't mean to insult you as a changeling...You're able to pull off different disguises quite well, and you have a knack for acting when you...Well, you know."

"No, you're right about me not growing up," Trill argued. "I always act immature for my age, even worse than when we first met. And I keep getting on your nerves about it. You're under a lot of stress, and I just want you to loosen up from time to time. And you're not too sensitive; you're strong when you need to be, especially when your family and friends' lives are on the line."

"But I hate how my misery makes you and Emmy miserable, too," Solaris said. "I may seem strong, but I'm still that pathetic, whiny colt I was before my life turned upside down after my fifteenth birthday." The stallion lowered his head on the table, sighing with a pained grimace as the worst start of his life outside his old mountain home came back to him. "I'm one to talk about not growing up...I wish I was a colt again and had a normal life with my mom, my aunts, Uncle Spike..."

Solaris could hold back his tears as the fond memories of his family came to him. Trill scooted closer, pulling her sensitive husband into a hug, which he gratefully accepted and held her tightly.

"I know, Solly," Trill said as she rubbed Solaris's back, the alicorn slowly calming down. "I'm really sorry. Can you forgive your immature, horribly insensitive changeling wife who only wants to see you happy?"

Solaris couldn't help but chuckle as Trill stated her flaws, pulling his head away from her shoulder while drying his eyes with his hoof. "Yeah, if you can forgive your overly-emotional, always serious pony husband who relies on you to be his rock to keep him from falling into despair."

"Deal," Trill said with a giggle, the royal couple sighing as they gently rubbed their muzzles together, making up over their fight.

Sugar Belle had witnessed their makeup conversation with their muffins on a plate held in her magical aura, setting it down at their table while utterly confused by their status as a married couple. "You're making up?"

Startled, Trill and Solaris looked at Sugar Belle, ignoring their food as the unicorn questioned their methods in being a romantic couple. "...Yes? Couples can make up after a fight," Solaris said.

"But, earlier you were arguing and were ready to hurt each other, and now you're both apologizing as if nothing happened," Sugar Belle stated.

Trill's brow rose even higher, giving Solaris a blank stare before giving their waitress/baker the same deadpanned look. "Yes. That's something called a 'normal relationship'. Next you're probably going to ask us how the two of us have makeup sex in the privacy of our bedroom."

Solaris blushed heavily, always hating how nonchalant Trill can be when talking about their privacy behind closed doors. "T-Trill! Do you even have any tact at all!?"

"What? Makeup sex is amazing," Trill said, letting out a low purr that made the alicorn's fur stand on end, her chitin skin sensually rubbing against his coat. "Maybe we can ask one of these ponies to let us borrow their bedroom and go crazy. Let off some tension from our little spat."

"You're so insatiable," Solaris grumbled, his blush glowing brighter as he was being teased.

"I...I don't understand," Sugar Belle said, interrupting the couple. "You two are so different, but you love each other. Two different species, two different personalities, and even after fighting, you're still together..."

Trill groaned, facehoofing in disbelief. "Yeah, we're different, yet we make it work. Maybe being the same is not always such a good thing, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Starlight's philosophy for this village sounds like a too-good-to-be-true utopia," Solaris added, grabbing a muffin with his magic and brought it toward him. "The one thing about perfect civilizations with eternal peace and no differences lead those places to ruin really quickly. It's a miracle this town has lasted for so long without everyone having unique talents and being friends with everyone." He took a bite of his muffin, his cheeks bulging as his taste buds were met with the foulest tasting pastry he had ever had the displeasure of putting in his mouth. He spit out his mouthful on the ground, away from Trill, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Egh! W-What the hay!? What kind of muffin is this!?"

"Sorry," Sugar Belle apologized. "I know I'm not much of a good baker. At least, I'm not better than anypony else in Our Town." Double Diamond overheard that comment Sugar Belle made about herself, growing suspicious as he stood up from his seat while leering at the unicorn mare. Sugar Belle winced as she spoke out of turn, making the couple suspicious with her sudden panic. "Uhh, hope you enjoy your food!" Solaris doubted he would considering he ate something not even a dog would eat out of curiosity. Before Sugar Belle headed inside, she approached the prince, leaning her head down to his ear. "Come inside before you go. Meet me downstairs."

Sugar Belle quickly lifted her head up and smiled to Double Diamond, then hurried back inside her home/bakery. The couple's guide sat back down, returning to his horrible muffin as his suspicions were abated. Trill and Solaris wondered what the unicorn wanted to discuss with them about, though how to get inside without acting suspicious would be a challenge. Solaris then had an idea, though it involved the disgusting muffins.

"Trill, you need to eat both these muffins," Solaris said.

"Uhh, no," she said defiantly. "If you hate them, what makes you think I'll eat them?" In response to her question, he blew out a plume of green flames, using his inherited magical dragon breath to transport a shaker filled with the pink sprinkled love essence in case his wife got picky. Trill blinked, looking at the muffins, then the alicorn and that smirk of his showing his genius coming to light. "...Will it still be disgusting even with that?"

"We won't know, but we need to figure out what was up with Sugar Belle." He sprinkled a good helping of the special seasoning for changeling taste buds on the muffins, then pushed the plate over to Trill.

The changeling princess grimaced, grabbing a muffin and took a tentative sniff. Swallowing her fears, she took a bite, thankful to have the disgusting flavor of the muffin dulled by the essence of love, though it was still bland to her. She munched on the muffins and ate them down, not leaving a crumb to make Solaris's plan work.

"Mmm...Really good muffins," Trill said. "I'm still kinda hungry."

"Then let's go inside and see if Sugar Belle's got anymore," Solaris said, his acting not as great as Trill's, but it was convincing enough for Double Diamond.

They headed inside Sugar Belle's bakery, shutting the door behind them as they found the cellar door opened, the unicorn waiting for them to head downstairs. "You could use some work acting. We could try some role-playing in bed with you doing some kinky stuff."

"I'll pass. Now stay focused." Solaris lead the way downstairs, the basement barely lit up from the light shining through the windows. "Sugar Belle? We're here."

"Thank you for coming," Sugar Belle said, stepping into the lighting with the same wide, creepy grin every pony in the village wore.

"Why did you want us down here?" Solaris asked.

"So nopony could see what's about to happen." As the unicorn stepped closer, the couple heard more pairs of hoofsteps approach them from the dark basement.

Turning to the steps, they saw Party Favor and another mare here as well, this one a pegasus with dark blue fur and grayish-silver mane. Feeling as if they were being ambushed, Solaris widened his stance, ready to light his hooves with green flames in self defense as he first focused on Party Favor, knowing how curious the stallion was to Trill. Just as he was about to fend off their attackers, he yelped when the pegasus mare touched his flank, admiring his cutie mark.

"Wow! Just look at his cutie mark!" the mare said, her rubbing making Solaris nervous as he started to feel molested.

"Can changelings actually get cutie marks?" Party Favor asked Trill.

"Uhh, no," Trill answered. She turned her head as she heard her husband squeak, frozen in confusion and embarrassment as Sugar Belle joined her pegasus friend in admiring and rubbing Solaris's flanks. As much as she loved the idea of her alicorn lover to have other mares join in the herd she wanted him to have, she wasn't going to let it be involved with the older mares as long as they were acting this strangely. "Hey, hey, hey! Hooves off my stallion, you weirdos!"

Solaris snapped out of his embarrassed stupor at Trill's statement. "Oh, NOW you think it's a bad idea to have other mares around me? Your standards just flip flop all over the place."

"There's a time and place for you to be admired by mares, but it's not here!" Trill said, transforming herself into a wolf and lunging at the mares fondling Solaris's rear. The three ponies were startled, Sugar Belle and the pegasus shrieking as Trill growled at them, making them back away. "Only I can touch that rump, not you weird, equalist hussies!"

"Ok, Trill, no need to fly off the handle," Solaris chided, gently placing his hoof against her shoulder. Trill growled again, shifting back to her regular form, though kept a skeptical glare on the two mares. "Now...why exactly were you two so interested in my...flanks? And why does Party Favor want to get to know about my wife?"

"We were admiring your cutie mark," the pegasus answered.

"And you are?" Solaris asked.

"Oh. I'm Night Glider," she said. "But I still can't believe it after Sugar Belle saw you two fight. You're both so different, yet you still like each other."

Trill let out an irritated sigh. "Ok, does everypony in this town need a crash course on how romance works? Because not everything is perfect in a relationship: whether it be familial, friendly, or romantic! Fights break out, and it only gets worse if nopony admits they were wrong and stew in their anger, making it far worse!"

"But what about the...cutie mark thing?" Solaris questioned. "Sugar Belle, you made a comment about yourself saying you could bake better, only to panic when you looked over at Double Diamond."

"Well...Before I gave up my cutie mark, I loved baking," Sugar Belle admitted. "I'd love to have my talent back for just a day, make something else other than those disgusting muffins..."

"So why not get your cutie mark back?" Trill asked.

The three ponies seemed nervous as they looked at each other. "I don't think Starlight would appreciate that," Party Favor said. "Daydreaming about such a things is one matter, but getting them back? That seems extreme."

"How is it even possible to take away somepony's cutie mark?" Solaris questioned.

"There's a special ritual Starlight does that takes away our cutie marks and give us these," Night Glider said, pointing at her equal sign cutie mark along with Party Favor and Sugar Belle. "It's called the cutie unmarking. Starlight uses this mystical staff called the Staff of Sameness to magically take away our cutie marks and give us our new equal cutie marks."

Solaris and Trill looked at each other, absolutely astounded at how all these ponies earned these cutie marks. "That makes no sense," Solaris uttered. "Everyone's cutie mark makes them stand out from each other...And what about the foals?"

"When they're born, they're given the ritual even without discovering their true talents," Sugar Belle said. "Better to have them as friends and be equals so they don't hurt each other with talents that could make everypony their age jealous of them."

"You're all denying your children something they'd like to do before discovering what they're good at!?" Trill exclaimed, shocking the couple. "Don't you want them to have a future where they can be successful!? Or are you really planning to keep them here being 'equal' for the rest of their lives!?"

"The foals don't really complain," Party Favor said. "Besides, Starlight makes the rules since she founded Our Town. Things have been pretty peaceful here, even hearing news from outside about how much destruction had been going on in Equestria."

It was frustrating for Solaris and Trill to hear how horrible the foals' lives were, growing up to be equal among their peers while forever being clueless to how they could benefit everyone with talents they didn't know they had. One thing did bother them over the cutie unmarking, and that was what happened with their cutie marks for those who were gathered from outside the unknown village and willingly joined the "friendly" community.

"What happened to your real cutie marks during this special ritual?" Solaris asked curiously. "Do they disappear?"

"They're actually kept in the vault in the caves," Night Glider answered. "It's in a mountain just a mile away from here. We're freely welcome to visit at any time to let them remind us of the heartache living a life with special talents."

"I see..." Solaris was curious about this vault and how some of these ponies seemed to wish they had their old cutie marks back, but were too afraid to voice their opinion out in public. Considering how everyone's supposed to be equal and friendly, it sounded like Starlight had some very strict rules while spreading her philosophy on the pain cutie marks bring and end friendships faster than an argument over something pointless. He wanted to see it for himself and figure out what was really going on in this "peaceful" village. "Say, can visitors outside take a look at this cutie mark vault freely?"

"I think so," Sugar Belle said.

"Hmm...Interesting." The alicorn looked at Trill, giving her an apologetic look. "Well, I think I should see this vault for myself. Trill, why not entertain our new friends by explaining what changelings can do?"

"Wait, I'm doing what now?" Trill asked, only to be offered no reasonable answer as Solaris gave her a kiss on the lips before backing away.

"Sorry, hon! You can get back at me when we return home!" Solaris said before letting out a breath of fire, covering himself as he magically transported himself away.

"Hey! Where are you going!?" Trill was too late as the wisp of smoke flew up and out of the basement. "Solly, don't you dare leave me here by myself!" Growling irritably, she turned to the trio of ponies, all three of them eager to know more about changelings, especially Party Favor. Trill grinned nervously, having no choice now as she formulated the many ways she wanted to kill her husband for putting her on the spot in front of ponies who were more awkward to be around than the nobles in Canterlot. "Solly, you're in for it this time, you jerk..."

Outside the village, Solaris reappeared in a puff of flames once the wisp of smoke flew far enough away from anyone to see him. "I am going to be in for it big time," he uttered to himself. He turned to face the mountain closest to the village where the cutie mark vault was held. "I'll worry about the consequences later. Now, let's go see what this vault looks like."

After a bit of a walk toward the mountain, Solaris walked along the path leading around to search for a cavern. Considering how the ponies back in Our Town would come to see the vault, he wasn't surprised to find a dirt road leading to where it was located. Climbing up the slight slope around the mountain, he found it leading to a wide cave. Once he stepped inside, he gaped in awe as the first thing he saw was a giant wall of what appeared to be clear enchanted glass, stretching nearly as tall as the mountain and as wide as the cavern it was in. Inside that glass, placed in different slots, were hundreds of different cutie marks on display, which must have been the cutie marks of the ponies in town. If he didn't count the foals, he could estimate that these all came from the adults who had joined and performed this odd ritual to give up what made them unique.

His eyes moved down as he started from the top of the wall, ignoring the several empty spaces for future newcomers to willingly get rid of their cutie marks, he spotted what appeared to be an old, two-pronged staff resting on a small pedestal. Solaris figured this must have been this Staff of Sameness Night Glider talked about earlier. He got a better a look at it as he approached the pedestal, finding it odd how this strange, plain-looking staff was able to take a pony's cutie mark away. Then again, seeing how awkwardly normal everyone had behaved, it would make sense.

"Your Highness?" Solaris yelped and quickly turned around with his forehooves up in a fighting stance, only to breathe a sigh of relief as Starlight stood at the mouth of the cavern. "I see you found the vault. Although, I didn't see Double Diamond with you."

"I...like wandering around new places," Solaris lied. "Can you blame me if I sometimes hate sitting on a throne every single day inside a luxurious castle?"

"I can imagine how boring it can be." Starlight made her way to the vault, grabbing the Staff of Sameness with her blue aura. "This is where ponies' cutie marks are stored. And this is the Staff of Sameness, one of Mage Meadowbrook's nine enchanted items. Thanks to this nifty little staff, it helped me create the friendly community it is today." Starlight twirled the staff around, slowly turning to the prince. "Where is your wife? Surely she would want to be here to see this spectacle as well."

"I wanted to take a look around by myself," Solaris answered. He looked at all the different cutie marks again, several questions running through his mind. "This must be some pretty powerful enchanted glass. How exactly do their cutie marks get taken and placed in these slots?"

"Oh, it's kind of like ripping off a band-aid," Starlight said. "Just rip, place, and their new cutie mark appears in its place. No special talents and just as equal as everypony else."

"Uh huh...And, you aren't worried about some ponies wishing they had their cutie marks back?" he asked.

"No. Ponies are welcome to come to the vault to see their cutie marks to remind them of a painful future of failed friendships with their talents," Starlight said, though she began to grow suspicious by his question. "Why? Have ponies been talking about taking back their cutie marks?"

"I...may have overheard somepony talking about that during the tour," Solaris said, keeping Sugar Belle, Party Favor, and Night Glider out of trouble. "Not everyone seems to be happy living here without their cutie marks for the rest of their lives."

"This kind of thing happens from time to time, but that's just their anxiety and doubting themselves. In the end, they're quite content and happy as they're surrounded by everypony who's just like them." Solaris didn't believe that was the truth. The trio of ponies who wanted their true talents back seemed afraid to cross Starlight about the issue, and there were sure to be others who wished they could go back to their old lives. While he looked at all the different talents of cutie marks, Starlight approached the prince as she had her own share of questions to ask him. "Tell me, Prince Solaris. Have you ever been happy with your cutie mark?"

He stared at the unicorn quizzically. "Have I ever been happy? I'm married to the love of my life, we have a beautiful daughter, I'm in charge of a kingdom that I saved from a lifetime of misery, so how could I possible not be satisfied with my life?"

"I asked about your cutie mark, not your life," Starlight reiterated. "When exactly did you get your cutie mark?"

"I got it after I met Trill," Solaris answered without hesitation.

Unfortunately, it also reminded him of how he ended up meeting her in the first place again. His distant stare gave Starlight a hint as to what he was thinking, his mind playing back that horrible night: woken up by Spike, told to escape when he disobeyed and tried to save him, which ended up getting his dragon uncle killed by Lucifer, teleporting him away into the Everfree Forest with his final breath while inheriting him his dragon magic. His ears smacked against the side of his head as he winced, still able to hear the disturbing squelch of Lucifer's powerful aura blade piercing through Spike's chest, shutting his eyes as his uncle's pained grunt echoed in his head along with his pleas for him to escape that fell on his young deaf ears.

It also reminded him of the deaths of his aunts that he had witnessed, the first being his Aunt Rarity trying to get revenge for Spike's death failing as she was slain by the arcane unicorn stallion. Tears spilled from his clenched eyes, cringing whenever he heard the sound of a collapsing escape route from the ancient pyramids with Applejack's cry as she was crushed, a crystal spire piercing through Rainbow's body and the shattering of crystal caused by him, the sound of arrows raining down with one striking Fluttershy's spine, her yelping from the impact and her gargled gasping for breath as the arrow dug right in her spine after falling over and stopped her lungs from functioning, and the scream Pinkie made as she fell to her death from the crumbling cavern inside the changeling kingdom growing faint until it came to a dreadful stop.

"...ghness? Your Highness?" Solaris gasped, panting heavily as his eyes shot open. Starlight looked really concerned after he stopped responding, his cheeks stained with his still-flowing tears after snapping out of his most painful memories. "Are you alright?"

"...I..." Solaris controlled his breathing, slowly turning to look at his cutie mark. The rising sun with the upper half of a six-pointed star inside it, the six rays of the semi-circle sun bearing six smaller white stars inside them was an expression of hope, a new dawn to the darkness that clouded Equestria in its decade and a half misery. As much of a positive outlook it may have brought, it reminded him of how this was also a sign of his destiny, where the world rested on his shoulders, and the six stars seemed to resemble the loved ones he's known since he was born were forever lost. "...I don't know anymore..."

"Hmm?" Starlight mumbled curiously.

"...I...also lost my uncle...not too long before I got my cutie mark," Solaris said. He rubbed his eyes, wiping away his tears as he let out a depressed sigh. "I was destined to save Equestria...but to gain the strength I needed to defeat Lucifer...I would have to sacrifice something I held dear...I lost the mares and dragon I was raised by for most of my life." The alicorn sat down, his heart heavy with sorrow. "I don't know why this was supposed to be my fate. I wanted to run away after what I did to Aunt Rainbow Dash..." He swallowed the lump in his throat, ignoring the urge to throw up as the gory memory of what he did to his loyal aunt still haunted him worse than everything else he was forced to endure. Starlight's question about his happiness with his cutie mark made him rethink his earlier response. "...I guess I still feel miserable, even though that nightmare's behind me."

"Ah...I see," Starlight uttered. "You know, Prince Solaris, cutie marks don't just cause strain on friendships. They really can remind you of painful memories you've experienced, before, during, or after it appears. And I can see how painful yours must have been during that silence." She placed a sympathetic hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "I know exactly how you feel. But, it wasn't me who got their cutie mark who hurt me...Somepony I knew just up and left me after he got his, and I never saw him again." Starlight let out a bitter scowl at the memory, but she let it go as she regained her calm grin. "But after finding this community and equality, I've never been happier.

"If you want to forget about your terrible past and get rid of that cutie mark, we would be pleased as punch to know the ruler of Equestria has given our way of life a chance and loved it so much he was willing to stay. What do you say, Your Highness?" Starlight asked, waving the Staff of Sameness in front of the alicorn, waiting patiently for his response.

Solaris eyed the staff as he actually thought about giving up his cutie mark. Before he gave his answer, he thought back to the better moments in his life before and after the tragic journey he had suffered through. Even though he's lost his aunts, there were many fond memories he had with each of them, all of them like mothers to him while Spike was the father-figure he was glad to see him as, even if the identity of his real father was still unknown. Then there were their kids, the young ponies he found as his siblings more than cousins, although Gemstone's constant reminder of her affections for him were starting to make her more as another potential lover, though he isn't going to admit that aloud. At least not yet.

Then there was his biological uncle and aunt from the Crystal Empire, never knowing of their existence until his journey led him there. He got to know them after his journey's end, getting help from them with leading Equestria to a brighter future. And Flurry Heart was a delight, just as loving as her mother and concerned for his feelings despite being younger than him by about twenty years, ignoring her wilder infant years, especially accidentally breaking the Crystal Heart and bury the kingdom under a blizzard of ice and snow. And he's made some great friends like Gale, the blind griffon giving him a hard time at first, but it was only to get him to toughen up and face the reality of war, even though his prior experiences of life were just as worse as a deadly battle.

Trill and Emerald, however, gave him his answer. Since he first met the changeling princess, he despised how much of a goof she was, along with the embarrassing and hurtful pranks she pulled on him. He's grown a tolerance to her shenanigans since then, and got to know her more and more as his tragedies got worse and worse. Deep down, she was concerned about him, especially after nearly escaping from the collapsing pyramid and lost Applejack in the process. It was only a few days after they had met before their acquaintanceship turned to friendship, then blossomed into love, but despite how rushed his feelings were for her, he needed someone there for him, and she was when he spiraled down the pit of depression as he lost each member of his family. Now, they were a loving couple, Trill occasionally getting on his nerves at times, and they have a daughter to raise thanks to his stubbornness to find a way for them to have a baby through all their research. He wouldn't give up his cutie mark for the two ponies whose made him the happiest stallion in the world.

Solaris looked at Starlight, still waiting for his answer, giving her a grin. "Thanks for the offer, Starlight, but I'm going to have to decline."

The mare's eye twitched, her aura almost faltering as she was about to point the pronged end at him. "...What?"

"It's true my cutie mark reminds me of the worst of my past, but I can look past all that when I have something to protect," he said. "Without me, everyone all over the world would have suffered Lucifer's wrath. I had a reason to keep fighting despite my pain. I'm always reminded I'm never alone, and I know I won't. Not for the rest of my life." Starlight's grin was slowly faltering as her lips twitched, though Solaris didn't notice as he looked at the wall of cutie marks. "My wife and daughter are my life, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I let anything happen to them...Living a life without being special might be fine in your case, but not for me. I have a kingdom to run, two ponies I need to keep tabs on twenty-four hours a day if I'm able, and keep giving hope to the ponies who seek my aid. Thanks for the hospitality, Starlight Glimmer, but next time you want to ask for other ponies to join your community, set up some flyers to let others know. It would be bad to have investigators think that you're kidnapping everypony."

He gave Starlight a nod and turned to make his leave. He didn't really have a right to take the other ponies away from the village if they were happy, even those who did want to return to their old lives. Starlight, however, wasn't pleased as he walked away, her gaze hardening as she scowled at the stallion.

"You're not going anywhere," she growled, Solaris's ears perking up as he heard her.

He turned his head, too slow to react as something struck him in the back as he grunted in shock. Staring at Starlight, the mare had aimed the Staff of Sameness at him, a magical aura tethered from the prongs to his glowing body. Solaris let out a grunt as something painful struck his flank, which turned to a yell as the searing pain grew worse around his cutie mark. He forced his eyes to squint open as he watched the aura peeling away his mark right off his body, cutting off the tether where his cutie mark and flank were connected. He collapsed on his stomach, groaning in agony while Starlight grinned sadistically as she watched his cutie mark float in the prongs of the staff, then sent it straight to one of the empty spots in the vault, sealing it away with the others.

"W-What...?" Solaris stood up, feeling really weak. He looked at his flank, an equal sign appearing in place of his stolen cutie mark. "Y-You...You just stole my cutie mark!"

"I don't want you to leave until you have at least experienced how Our Town lives," Starlight reasoned, but Solaris didn't believe it as he was being forced against his own will to "experience" her village's ideals of friendship.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," Solaris growled. He ran at the smirking mare, flapping his wings as he leapt and reared a foreleg back to strike Starlight. The new mark on his flank glowed, forcing the alicorn to drop to the ground as his hoof's force greatly lessened to his surprise. His hoof swung weakly, but Starlight stepped aside as she easily read his movements. "W-What the hay?" Snapping out of his daze, he shifted his stance and was ready to buck Starlight hard, only for his mark to glow again as the strength of his buck was pitiful, Starlight backing away while being amused by the alicorn's confusion. "What's happening!? What did you do to me!?"

"I made you just like everypony else in Our Town; I took away your talents using the Staff of Sameness," Starlight explained.

"But...my cutie mark doesn't express my talent," Solaris stated. "It's more like a symbol of hope, my destiny that brought Equestria back to its peaceful ways. How did it take away my ability to fight?"

"It's not just what ponies are mostly skilled at," Starlight said, twirling the staff around her. "Every single thing you're good at, whether it shows in your cutie mark or not, it's taken away." The stallion's eyes widened in shock from hearing this. He looked down at his hooves, trying to spark his hooves with green flames, but he couldn't summon his fire. He then took in a breath and tried breathing fire, but all he did was blow out air, not even hot air or steam. "Yes, that also includes your magic fire breathing. I've heard about it while I visited Canterlot to gather more willing followers. If you think I don't know what really goes on outside my happy little village, then you have no idea how much I do know about current events, even Lucifer's reign."

Solaris grunted angrily, unable to defend himself with no physical skills or magic, and now he was completely helpless to the unicorn mocking him. "You're not going to get away with this," he promised. "When Trill finds out about this, you're going to rot in a jail cell for attacking me and holding me hostage."

"And how will she do that? Head back home and alert the guards?" Starlight asked. "Or...try to alert the guards you brought to keep an eye on my village?" Solaris didn't flinch as her last guess was spot on. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of beating him, already taking enough of that abuse when he faced his opposite self, Nova Flare, in his final trial. "I've never tried using this staff on a changeling before. It might not work if they don't really have a cutie mark to begin with...Although, little Emerald, though..."

Solaris snapped at Starlight's threat as he charged again, no longer caring if his punches were now weak and slow as all that mattered was keeping his daughter safe from this mare. "Don't you dare lay a single hoof on my daughter, you-!" The equal sign mark glowed again, making him trip up as he staggered forward, Starlight stepping aside again as she angled the Staff of Sameness toward his abdomen. "Agh! This stupid-!"

One hard jab into his chest with the staff knocked the wind out of Solaris. He definitely felt a lot weaker as he gasped for breath. Starlight flipped the staff around and gave him a hard smack in the back of the head, sending the alicorn falling to the ground in a crumpled heap. He groaned, lifting his head, only to have it get slammed back down to the ground by Starlight's hoof. The mare chuckled, levitating the staff back on its resting place as she leaned her head down to the pinned stallion's ear.

"Relax, Your Highness. I'm not that cruel," Starlight assured, though she wasn't impressing Solaris with her empty promise after what she just did to him. "I won't harm a single hair on your wife or daughter if you are willing to join us. If not, well, I have methods to help shape newcomers or those who wish to leave into loving being equal among their new friends. Would you like to try the easy way or the hard way?"

"As if I'm going to go along with your ideals when you're practically kidnapping me," Solaris growled.

"The hard way it is, then," Starlight said. She figured he wasn't going to go along with her back to Our Town, she struck the alicorn with a spell, knocking him unconscious for a while. The mare then teleported the both of them out of the cave and into a building back in town, the windows in this house barred with speakers set in the corners of the single room building near the ceiling. "Now, judging by that look in his eyes when I asked him about getting backup..." Looking out the back window, she peered out toward the entrance of town, up on the hill where she caught sight of a few glints of metal reflected off the sun. "Let's see if we can't bring some more friends to help further my cause."

"Any sign of the royal family?" Steele Wing asked.

The pegasus with the binoculars scanned the town, having kept an eye on both the couple and their daughter throughout their "visit". "Princess Emerald is still in that one building, which I guess is supposed to be an entertainment hut for the kids. And no sign of His or Her Highnesses when they went in what seems to be a bakery."

"I can't even tell which house is supposed to be what from here," the youngest of the troop said with a frustrated groan. "How do you even know which is which?"

"Observational skills, rookie," the lookout answered. "Never overlook anything that seems suspicious."

After a moment of silence, the soldiers' ears perked up when they heard the popping sound of a teleportation spell behind them. Quickly turning around, they spotted Starlight Glimmer standing before them with a calm grin.

"Hello, everypony," the mare greeted, her horn lighting up as her friendly gaze turned into a crazed leer. "Welcome to Our Town."

Truth Becomes Lies

"Equality is acceptance. Free yourself from your cutie mark. Being different can only lead to pain and loneliness."

Solaris groaned, his ears twitching as he started hearing Starlight's voice coming from some speakers above him. He squinted his eyes, trying to ignore the lying unicorn's constant mantras of equality as he tried to sit up.

"Your Highness! You're awake!" He was shocked to hear one of his guards who was supposed to be looking over the town, two of them helping him up as he rubbed his head.

"W-Wha...?" Now taking a better look at his surroundings, he found all of the guards who escorted him and his wife and daughter were sitting in the room, a couple of them covering their ears with their hooves to drown out Starlight's constant sermon playing on loop. "What happened? Where are we?"

"In one of these houses," Steele Wing said. "Apparently some kind of 'rehabilitation' room to conform newcomers into being like the ponies in this town."

"And her nagging voice has been going on for the last hour!" one of the soldiers complained. "I'm gonna go mad!"

"Pull it together, private!" Steele barked. "This is nothing compared to what your drill sergeant put your sorry flanks through, so suck it up or knock yourself unconscious!"

"Why aren't you guys on the hill?" Solaris asked, surprised to hear he was out for nearly an hour or so.

"It appears as though our location was compromised," the sergeant said. "That unicorn mare 'greeted' us with a blast of magic and knocked us out. When we came to, we saw you lying here in this building, and we were surprised to see that this took place of our cutie marks."

Steele showed Solaris the equal sign cutie mark adorning his flank instead of the metallic wings that was his namesake. He looked at the other stallions, equal signs on their flanks as well.

"...She hit you with the Staff of Sameness, too," Solaris uttered hopelessly.

"The Staff of what?" Steele questioned with a raised brow.

"One of Mage Meadowbrook's enchanted items," the prince explained. "She had nine of them, and apparently she made one such item that can steal a cutie mark and grant them this equal sign cutie mark."

The stallions looked at each other, never once seeing a staff in the mare's possession. "You said...Mage Meadowbrook made this 'Staff of Sameness' that unicorn used on you?"

"Yes..." Solaris didn't like the silent pause as his guards stared at him as if he had grown a second head. "...Why?"

"She didn't have any kind of staff with her," the young royal guard said. "And Mage Meadowbrook only had eight enchanted items, not nine."

"And how do you know about that?" another guard asked.

"I did a report on Equestria's famous ponies, and I chose Meadowbrook," the young guard said. "I thought her history, how much there was during my research, was really interesting."

"...Are you serious?" Solaris asked, the young guard nodding his head in response. Now things started to get even more suspicious with Starlight and her equality ideology. His guard was being honest about his report about Mage Meadowbrook, which meant that the Staff of Sameness he saw back in the vault wasn't a real enchanted item at all; just a two-pronged stick and the real spell that stole his cutie mark came from Starlight Glimmer herself. "...This doesn't make sense."

"How so?" Steele asked.

"Everypony with these equal sign cutie marks is basically powerless: pegasi can fly, but not as fast as they want to, unicorns can still use magic-" Solaris concentrated on his magic, levitating a book from the bookshelf and flipped through the pages, ignoring the fact that all of them had equal signs on each page. He tried incinerating the book with a beam, but nothing came. "-but only basic levitation, and earth ponies don't have much strength in their legs."

"Guess that explains why we can't break down the door," one of the guards said, rubbing his sore shoulder. "Makes everyone weak."

"Especially me," Solaris continued, growling in irritation. "I can't even use my fire." The stallions gasped in shock as they learned that even their prince's unique fire breathing and flame hooves were taken away form him as well. "If everypony is supposed to be the same, and Starlight stole your cutie marks without an ancient enchanted item allowing her to do so, along with knowing the fact that so called staff is nothing but a walking stick...Starlight Glimmer isn't even conformed in her own cult."

"She still has her magic?" Steele asked in shock.

"And very powerful magic, too," Solaris concluded. "She's been lying to everyone for years, and in order to take cutie marks, she needs her magic to do it. That's why she's technically the 'mayor' of this town; someone needs to lead them, and in order to do so, they need power." Solaris looked out the window, unfortunately closed and barred off to prevent anyone from leaving the building by any means. "She's definitely going to be placed in a jail cell until the day she dies for not only taking away my own power, but those missing ponies being kidnapped will also be held on her head."

"And how exactly are we going to do that when we feel like we can't even fight a foal in this state?" the younger guard asked.

"...I...don't know," Solaris uttered, letting out a sigh as he looked out the window. "But if I don't conform, which I don't plan on doing, Starlight's going to forcefully do the same to my wife and child."

Starlight's recorded ramblings continued on as Solaris tried to think of a plan, praying he and his soldiers don't lose their sanity before they give in just to make her voice stop.

"Ugh. Of all the times to lose track of your own adult son," Twilight grumbled as she hovered over the town, unable to find Solaris in the long, linear village. "It doesn't help that I can't so much as leave too far away from the filly I'm supposed to be watching over. I'm like a dog tied up to a leash in a wide backyard, but the line is only a few feet long. Really strict rules when it comes to being a guardian angel..."

She couldn't find a trace of Solaris anywhere, or his changeling wife as she tried to find her instead. She figured it would be a hassle searching every single house, all of them looking too much alike and having no clue which ones she already searched through. Luckily, she didn't have to go far when she heard a door slam open, Trill marching out with great annoyance while Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider followed after her.

"I've told you just about everything about me and my hive!" the changeling exclaimed. "What more do you three want from me!?"

"Can you turn into one of us?" Party Favor asked. "Or maybe into a mare version of myself? Can you do that!?"

"Solaris, where the hay are you!?" Trill shouted. "When I get my hooves on you, I'm gonna put you in a cocoon and give you nightmares for weeks!"

"Ooh! Put me in one!" Party Favor began to beg, his insistence only infuriating the changeling more and more as she was deciding on doing so just to get him to quit fawning over her.

"Well, there's the perverted daughter-in-law of mine, but where's Solaris?" Twilight asked herself. "They were together before Emerald left with Dusk for the 'playroom'. What happened to him?"

While Trill searched desperately for her husband, partially to get away from Party Favor as he continued tailing her and more to kill him when she did find him, Emerald left the playhouse out of boredom, sick of playing games indoors. She spent the last couple months during the winter in the castle and played too many games inside, and she wanted fresh air, let out some energy in the sun and play on a playground with her friends. Dusk hurried after her, fearing she might get hurt without his supervision and was responsible for watching her for her parents.

"Wait, Emerald!" Dusk called out. "Did you want to play another game!? We have Hungry Hungry Hippocampuses! Or maybe some Go Fish!?"

"I want to play outside! I'm even more bored than I was back home!" Emerald shouted as she continued running from the teenage colt. She didn't have to run far as she spotted her mother looking around for Solaris while getting far enough away from the overly curious Party Favor. "Mommy!"

"Huh? Emerald?" She looked over to her daughter just as the filly hid between her legs.

"I wanna go home! I'm tired of playing board games!" Emerald whined.

"You and me both," Trill muttered to herself. Dusk skid to a halt, giggling nervously as his new future playmate his between her mother's legs. "...As soon as I can figure out where your father is, we'll leave."

"You mean you aren't going to stay?" Dusk asked, feeling disappointed.

"We do have a kingdom to run," Trill said, even though Solaris did most of the work while she either loafed or assisted him with any problems from her changeling subjects. "There's a lot more important matters to deal with than have a vacation...in this...lovely town." She gagged at the statement, clearly lying, but Dusk Shine was a gullible colt and believed her. "Have you or your mother seen him? I...lost track of him after he ditched me in the bakery."

Dusk shrugged his shoulders in response. "I've been with Emerald in the playhouse. I haven't seen His Highness."

"Ponies of Our Town!" Starlight announced, gathering a majority of the town's denizens attention as she proudly stepped into the center of town. "I have wonderful news to share with everypony!"

"She's going to admit her equality cult sucks?" Trill questioned to herself aloud, making Dusk raise a brow in confusion to her guess.

"We have ourselves a few new friends who will soon be joining us!" Starlight said, already getting the others excited by meeting some new ponies willing to join them. Feeling oddly curious, Trill followed the crowd, Emerald staying close to her mother while keeping her distance from Dusk. Starlight lead the large community to one of the many houses, baffling Trill at how these ponies knew which house was meant for what when they all looked so alike, although there appeared to be bars in front of the windows, either to keep something in like a prison cell. Starlight flicked off a switch near the door, everyone hearing several relieved groans inside as she opened the door. "Come on out, new friends!"

"I take it back," a stallion said. "I'd rather have the speakers blaring constantly in our ears again."

As the new "friends" walked out, forced to stand in a row in front of everyone, Trill and Twilight gasped when they saw Solaris and the guards who accompanied them standing there. What shocked the changeling and alicorn angel was that they lacked their cutie marks, replaced by the same grey equal signs the ponies of Our Town bore. And how did the royal guards end up here when they were supposed to be watching over the town back on the hill? What were they doing here, and why did they all suddenly decide to conform to this crazy philosophy?

"SOLLY!?!?!?!?" Trill screeched, everyone quickly turning to the exasperated changeling.

"Daddy?" Emerald slipped out of her mother's legs, running through the crowd to get a better look at him.

Starlight spotted the filly as the ponies she lead moved aside. "Ah, ah, ah," she said, quickly scooping the hybrid filly in her hoof. Solaris growled, but he knows he can't do anything without his skills, otherwise he'd clock Starlight's face in as she kept his squirming daughter from reaching him. "Sorry, sweetie, but you can't see your daddy yet. At least until he's ready to fully embrace our ways."

"Let go of her," Solaris said, glowering at the lying unicorn.

Emerald finally noticed the drastic change in her father's appearance, including his cutie mark. "Daddy, what happened to you?" she asked.

"Like I said: your daddy's going to learn about how we live, and what better way to do that than by joining in?" Starlight said.

"You forced me into this," Solaris argued. "I didn't agree to any of this, and neither did my soldiers. Now let go of my daughter!"

"Then how about you explain what THAT is doing on your plot!?" Trill exclaimed.

"Starlight tricked me," Solaris explained. "She's been deceiving all of you! Whatever you think about this ideology she's come up with, you seriously can't all be happy about this, can you!?"

"Ok, it seems as though our new friends need a bit more time to think," Starlight announced, ushering the weakened stallions back into the house for more rehabilitating. She then turned to face everyone, her face growing serious as she looked around at the ponies. "Now, I believe some ponies have been having some second thoughts. His Highness had told me that there were a few of us who wanted their cutie marks back." The crowd gasped in surprise, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider starting to worry as they feared suffering Starlight's wrath. "So, who among us wanted to leave all of their friends and go back to living with what made you all miserable in the first place?"

Trill wanted to blurt out the trio of ponies' names who secretly spoke to them about their change of heart with Starlight's town of equality, but she didn't want them to be punished despite their irritating questioning with her and the two mares obsessing over Solaris's cutie mark. Starlight tapped her hoof, still keeping Emerald held in her other foreleg to keep her from running to her father. As much as she wanted the filly to conform, doing it by force in front of Solaris would make her chances of him being reformed be for naught.

Unfortunately, Party Favor was the one to crack as he stepped forward. "It was me," he said, putting all the blame on himself while leaving Sugar Belle and Night Glider out of his confession, sacrificing himself for them. "It was just me."

"Party Favor?" Starlight gasped in shock, along with the others. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry," the stallion apologized miserably. "B-But it was only for a moment. Honest."

"I am disappointed in you," Starlight said. "I'm afraid you'll have to join Prince Solaris and his fellow stallions until you're reminded how wonderful your life had been for several long years."

Party Favor hung his head low, slumping into the rehabilitation house. "I'm so sorry, everypony," he apologized again as he turned to face them. "I love all of-"

Starlight slammed the door shut on the stallion, unable to accept his love until he's done thinking what she believed were negative thoughts. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if our new friends will understand, and if Party Favor is still with us."

"You can't just keep Solly in there!" Trill exclaimed angrily. "You're holding him and our guards against their will! You're treating them like a hostage until you mind-wipe them with this stupid equality cult you've made!"

"There's no mind-wiping of any sort," Starlight assured. "It just takes a while for some ponies to fully realize their past with their cutie marks could only lead to loneliness and unbearable pain...But, I don't expect somepony like a changeling to understand that when they don't have cutie marks to begin with."

Trill growled, taking offense to Starlight's insult toward her. "Umm, can I get down now?" Emerald asked, hanging limply and sadly in Starlight's foreleg.

"Oh! Right, of course!" Starlight said cheerfully, setting the filly down as she ran back to her mother. "I almost forgot."

"So, what are you going to do to us?" Trill asked. "You going to try to initiate us like you did to my husband?"

"Not in the same way," Starlight said. "We'll see how he does overnight, and if he doesn't like it, I promise I will return his and your guards' cutie marks, and we'll let bygones be bygones. Who knows? Maybe he'll like it here after all after taking some time to reflect on his past."

"He's done that enough in the last several years I've been with him," Trill argued.

"Then he'll let go of it pretty quickly then!" the unicorn said excitedly, making the changeling groan in frustration. "In the meantime, you and Emerald will by my guests in my home for the evening. Dusk has a spare bed in his room, for when he wants a sleepover with some of the other children."

"That'd be fun!" Dusk cheered, but Emerald was not as thrilled as she feared she'd be playing more board games, with more emphasis on "bored". "And we can play more Dragon Pit, too!"

Emerald whined, already sick of Dragon Pit after playing it just once. With no other choice, Trill was forced to comply with Starlight's suggestion, if she could call it that when Solaris clearly didn't want any part of this equality reformation. Before she left to follow Starlight as the crowd dispersed, she spotted Solaris watching them through the window, swearing she'll find a way to get him out of there and figure out how to get his cutie mark back. The alicorn winced as he heard Party Favor ram into the door, digging his horn into the wooden door slightly as he beat himself up about his betrayal.

"What was I thinking?" he moaned miserably. "I shouldn't have thought about getting my cutie mark back."

"Are you sure that's you saying that to yourself, or Starlight telling you to say that?" Solaris asked. He pulled the depressed unicorn out of the door, forcing him to look up at him. "Starlight has been lying to you and everyone else. That Staff of Sameness has no power; it was just a stick. Starlight was the one who took your cutie mark, not the stick."

"W-What do you mean?" Party Favor asked, utterly confused.

"If that mare is supposed to be the same like everyone else, then how do you explain how she managed to ambush us when we were keeping a close eye on the town?" Steele questioned, waiting for a logical response from the stallion. He couldn't find an answer as he questioned who was right and wrong. "If we're all supposed to be the same, she wouldn't be able to do much as a unicorn, right? Just basic levitation?"

"...Y-Yes?" Party Favor uttered.

"Then explain how she was able to teleport behind us, or even bring Prince Solaris here without getting caught by anyone?" Steele asked.

"...I-I don't know..." Party Favor sulked, his mind racing as the truth started to slowly sink in, and he didn't feel better knowing all he's known since he was brought here by Starlight was all a lie.

He moved to a corner and slumped over onto his side, curling in a fetal position as he stared at the wall. "And he's broken," one of the other guards said. The speakers screeched back on, Starlight's endless philosophical rantings continuing as it began irritating the stallions. "Somepony break my ears! I don't know how much of this I can take!"

"Pull yourself together!" Solaris barked. "Starlight is not breaking us in. We just need to find a way to expose her and reveal the truth." He grunted as Starlight's voice rang in the room, pressing his ears to the sides of his head as he tried to think. "I've suffered through worse mental torment. I'm not going to let her psychological nonsense mess my head up..."

As evening rolled in, Trill and Emerald spent the remainder of the day in Starlight's home, getting a brief tour of the small home to know where everything was. They sat in the dining room with the leader of the village of equality and Dusk Shine, having more of those bland muffins Sugar Belle "loves" to bake. Emerald stared questionably at the plate of disgusting muffins on her plate while the two unicorn hosts ate them as if nothing was wrong. Trill wished she kept that love essence Solaris stored away so it could at least be palatable, at least for Emerald since she could consume both love and normal foods.

Emerald decided to try to take a bite, having had nothing to eat all day aside from her daddy's love, only to regret it and spat it out. "Eww! This muffin is bad!"

"It's not that bad," Starlight disagreed, making Trill question how these two could stomach something so bland and disgusting. "My son eats these as a midnight snack when he sneaks out of his room for a bite to eat. After a big dinner at times, too."

Dusk grinned cheekily, taking another bite of his fourth muffin. "I think you two don't even have any taste buds," Trill uttered to herself.

"Can I have something else?" Emerald asked politely. "Is there dessert? Like cookies?"

"Nope. Just muffins," Dusk said.

"Is there any other kind of muffin besides...these?" the filly asked, prodding her slightly bitten muffin. "Blueberry muffins? Or maybe chocolate chip muffins?"

"And here comes the disappointment," Trill said to herself, confusing her daughter as she looked at her with her head tilted.

"...What are chocolate chips?" Dusk asked.

Emerald quickly turned her head, staring at the teen in shock. "...What do you mean, 'What are chocolate chips!?' Have you ever had anything chocolaty!?"

"We don't have chocolates here," Starlight answered, Trill silently counting down as she waited for the inevitable look of despair on her daughter's face. "In fact, we don't have any sweets of any kind. If this village is to retain equality, we all need to eat the same things. Nothing too fancy, nothing too caked in any toppings or ingredients, just normal foods."

"...N-No...chocolate...?" Emerald whimpered, staring at her bland muffins sadly at the terrible news.

"And there it is," Trill said, levitating her daughter to her and held her. "That's why I didn't say anything after the disappointing lunch my husband and I had earlier."

"Why is chocolate so special to you anyway?" Starlight asked curiously.

"It's like a substitute for love if we don't absorb any from a pony," Trill explained. "And it's addictive to us. So, no chocolate anything here, we're clearly not going to stay long. So, if you'll release my husband and give back his cutie mark, we'll be on our way."

"I'm sorry, but until tomorrow comes, I can't let him out," Starlight said. "Just one little day without his cutie mark won't be too much of a problem, will it?"

"It does if my baby starves," Trill argued. Groaning in irritation, she lit up her horn, transferring what love she had stored from her earlier makeup with Solaris into Emerald, filling her belly a little bit. "Hopefully that'll keep you until your father's finally let out."

Emerald nodded, her hunger ebbed, even though love tasted a lot better when her daddy gave it to her himself. After a few more moments of silent eating, at least for Starlight and Dusk, it was time for them to settle down for the evening. Dusk led Emerald to his bedroom, where it was just as dull as the rest of the house, two beds for the teenager and a friend for whoever slept over, a shelf with a few books and more board games, and a dresser, though there didn't seem to be any purpose for one if they didn't have any good clothes to sell in the village. Curious to see what books they had, Emerald grabbed one and opened it, only to find an equal sign on every single page she flipped through.

"The books are boring, too," she grumbled, slamming it shut and huffed in boredom. "This is not a fun village."

"It can be fun," Dusk said. "You're probably not used to living outside of a castle."

"I've been outside my home in Canterlot before," Emerald argued. "Lots of times: going to school, playing on the playground in the park, getting ice cream after school. This is more boring than being stuck in the castle during winter!"

"Why's that?" Dusk asked.

"Changelings don't like the cold, and I get real sleepy if I'm not warm enough," Emerald said. She leapt on the guest bed, planting her face in the mattress with a groan. "And you have no chocolate. How can you live without chocolate!? It's so yummy!"

"Seeing how he's lived here his whole life, he doesn't know anything else outside of the village aside from what Starlight tells him," Twilight said to herself, sticking with the filly as she tried to formulate a plan. The more she thought about how Dusk Shine lived his life, she started to feel sad for him. He was just like Solaris, only instead of learning about everything her friends and Spike were able to teach him, Dusk was being fed lies upon lies about friendship and cutie marks. "Poor Dusk Shine. At least he has a mother to watch him, but to be told so many lies about what a cutie mark is supposed to mean is just...wrong."

"I wanna go home!" Emerald whined. "And I want my daddy!"

"Well, mother will let him and his guards free tomorrow," Dusk said. He let out a sigh, sounding disappointed. "I...understand if you don't want to stay. Most new ponies who are invited wanted to leave at first, but after mother's speeches played over and over in that house, they want to stay...You'll probably be the first ones to actually leave."

Twilight hummed curiously, needing to do some more investigating. Floating through the house, her ethereal form phasing through the walls, doors, and floors, she searched around for some clues to the suspicious unicorn, knowing she did something to her son. She passed by the guest room Trill was in, the changeling sleeping so she didn't have to deal with Starlight. Twilight couldn't blame her; she would have wanted to leave after getting to know the mare, too. Searching through the other parts of the house lead her nowhere, though she was surprised to see a secret passage hidden under a cabinet. Twilight left it alone, unsure of where it lead if it was another exit, a basement, or hidden escape route.

Having explored everything inside Starlight's home, she decided to check any secret compartments outside, from the base to the roof. Just as she reached the chimney, she caught a glimpse of the white earth pony, Double Diamond, making his way back into town from a path leading toward a mountain in the distance with a wagon trailing behind him. Double Diamond walked up to Starlight's home, shocking the alicorn spirit as she saw several glass jars in said wagon, each of them holding the cutie marks of Solaris and the guards who escorted him and his family. He knocked on the door as gently as possible, loud enough for the leader of the village to hear as she poked her head out to greet the stallion.

"Good, you brought them," she said.

"Yes, but why?" Double Diamond asked curiously. "It shouldn't take that long for Prince Solaris and his guards to see our ways. I don't understand why you want to keep their cutie marks here."

"His Highness my have a strong will, but if he manages to tell his wife or daughter where the vault is, they'll try to break it open and give it back," Starlight said, lifting the alicorn's cutie mark up toward her face. "The Staff of Sameness won't work on changelings, seeing how they don't have any cutie marks to gain at all. It can tell when fake cutie marks are on a pony's flank."

"But how are you going to convince Princess Trill and Princess Emerald?" Double Diamond asked. "They aren't easily won over, and holding the prince hostage is losing their trust in us. Especially the little princess."

"It'll take more time for them to get used to our beliefs, but not only will an alicorn of royalty help persuade others to join us, but changelings as well," Starlight assured. "Just head home and get some rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll see if Prince Solaris is ready to conform, along with his guards."

Double Diamond didn't seem convinced, but he nodded and made his way back to his cottage. Starlight levitated the jars inside and headed for her room while Twilight glowered in disbelief at the unicorn's terrible conforming plan.

"She's not going to break him," Twilight said to herself. "I know he's been through a lot, especially his last test where he was subjected to being verbally and physically assaulted by his own inner darkness, but psychological manipulation isn't going to assuage him. Not by a long shot."

Suddenly, she heard Starlight yelp upstairs, quickly floating up into the mare's room to see what happened. She had the several jars of cutie marks placed in a drawer in one of the cabinets in her room, though there was a knocked over wash basin on the ground, the floor wet along with Starlight, who leered bitterly at the mess she made.

"Why do I keep that thing so close to the edge?" Starlight questioned as she mentally berated herself.

She winced when she heard knocking on her door, quickly hiding behind her bed. "Mother? Are you alright?" Dusk asked from the other side. "I heard you scream."

"I'm fine, sweetie!" Starlight said. "Just...knocked over my water basin!"

"Again?" the teen asked. "You know, it's easier to have it placed on a bigger table, not your small nightstand."

"Yes, well, you know I need to be wide awake early in the mornings!" she said. "Speaking of, you head on off to bed! And you and your new little friend better be asleep! Got to get up bright and early to greet our new friends if they're finally ready to join!"

"Ok. Good night, mother." Dusk headed back to his room, Starlight letting out a heavy sigh when she heard his hoofsteps fade back to his room.

"I don't know how many close calls with him," she uttered. "Thankfully it doesn't rain here, but bathtime when he was a little colt was a nightmare. I hated having to tell him splashing would make him be different compared to everypony else in the village." Levitating a towel, she dried herself off while moving the basin out of the way. After drying her flanks, when she removed the towel, Twilight's jaw dropped when she saw something that wasn't supposed to be on Starlight's flanks: the equal sign cutie mark was rubbed off and revealed the mare's real cutie mark, a purple diamond star with a wavy wisp trail of a dark and light shade of blue flowing behind it. "Thankfully, I bought some more makeup to cover this up. I don't know how he'll react after everything I taught him about cutie marks being evil..."

Starlight stared bitterly at her cutie mark for a moment before letting out a frustrated huff. She the pulled out a couple small brushes, some gray and heliotrope makeup powder , and a stencil with the same equal sign cutie marks the ponies in the town had, brushed over her cutie mark with the powder matching her fur, then used the stencil and the gray powder to give back her equal sign cutie mark. Twilight was shocked, turning to anger as the unicorn was blatantly lying to her followers of a belief she didn't follow if she still had her cutie mark.

"You conniving little mare," Twilight grumbled. "You were lying all this time. And lying to your own son? How dare she-?" She paused, disheartened at her own hypocrisy with her own son's destiny to save Equestria from the downward spiral of Lucifer. "...I guess I'm no better...but I couldn't tell Solaris the truth, otherwise I would fear he would run away from his fate...But this is different; denying her own child to live his own life and discover what potential he's never known. The only problem is that I'm a ghost, I can't manipulate anything unless it's something light, and I can't tell Trill or Solaris about Starlight's secret..."

She didn't have much of a choice as she came up with a plan, ignoring Starlight getting herself ready for bed as she floated into Dusk's room, where the young stallion was already sleeping, but Emerald stared out the window in the guest bed. It was obvious to Twilight that the filly was already missing her daddy and wanted to go home, but they can't no thanks to Starlight forcing Solaris to lose his cutie mark and conform to ideals she secretly didn't adhere to, and she had a suspicion Starlight's far more powerful than they expected. Emerald spotted her guardian angel pitying her, looking back to make sure Dusk Shine was fast asleep before sighing sadly.

"Twilight, I wanna go home," Emerald said.

"I know you do," Twilight said. "But I just found out something that was shocking, and we can get your daddy's cutie mark back, free him, and expose Starlight Glimmer as a liar."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Twilight approached Emerald and explained everything she witnessed in Starlight's room and Solaris and his guards' cutie marks moved from the vault and in the unicorn's custody. Emerald stifled her gasp, keeping silent to avoid waking Dusk. She even felt bad for the young stallion, who would be completely devastated if he knew his mother lied to him his whole life about cutie marks being evil when she was hiding hers from everyone. "Oh no...Twilight, what are we gonna do?"

"I have an idea, but we need to tell your father so we can catch her off guard. When I give you the ok, we'll sneak out and make our way to where he's being held." Emerald nodded and waited for Twilight to let her know it was safe to sneak out.

After Starlight finally fell asleep, Emerald crept out of the cottage, staying as quiet as possible as she headed out the door, then ran off to where her daddy and their guards were being held. It wasn't hard to figure out which similar looking house it was when she heard Starlight's voice coming from a speaker in one of them. Getting close to a nearby window, she fluttered her wings and jumped up onto the edge, peering through the barred windows to see the seven stallions getting irritated by Starlight's endless philosophies coming from the speakers, Party Favor sulking in a corner while lost in his thoughts.

"Daddy?" Emerald called out as she spotted the alicorn pacing around while trying to come up with a plan.

His ears perked up, hearing his daughter's voice and looked up, finding her near one of the barred windows. "Emmy?" Solaris ran up to the window, desperately trying to reach his hoof out to hers, but his was too big to even squeeze through the thing bars. "Sweetie, what are you doing? If you're trying to bust me out...I don't think it's possible. The door's probably locked, and we can't break out with our cutie marks stolen."

"I got something important to tell you," Emerald said. "Miss Starlight is a big liar."

"Ain't that the truth," Steele Wing grumbled. "She still has her magic unlike the other unicorns, and if she's strong enough to take on an alicorn like your father, what chance do we have when we're so powerless?"

"Her cutie mark is a lie," Emerald said, confusing the stallions.

"...What do you mean by that, Emmy?" Solaris asked.

"Miss Starlight put on makeup to hide her real cutie mark and made a fake equal cutie mark like everypony else," the filly explained.

The prince and his guards were shocked at the news, amazed to hear the hybrid filly was stealthy enough to see Starlight's real cutie mark as more and more evidence against the mare was brought up. "You saw her real cutie mark?" one of the guards asked.

"What did it look like?" Steele Wing asked.

"...Umm...I didn't really see it," Emerald admitted, making the guards groan in disappointment as the filly's claim was false. "My guardian angel did, though, and she told me what she saw."

"Well, that was pointless," the youngest guard whined, pressing his hooves against his ears to drone out Starlight's recorded ramblings. "Your Highness, your daughter's imagination must be running wild if her 'guardian angel' told her something just to get your attention."

"But she is real!" Emerald argued. "And she watches over me, and daddy!"

Where most of the stallions thought it was just Emerald's desperation to be reunited with her locked up parent, Solaris could see that she was being honest. He didn't believe that guardian angels existed, but the look on Emerald's face told him she was telling the truth and she wanted him to believe her, even if it was a figment of her imagination. He was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, wanting to prove to everypony in this town Starlight's pulled the wool over their eyes, freeing them from her pointless cult while getting their cutie marks back and giving those born into this town a chance to discover their true talents without fear of losing friends because of cutie marks.

"...Well, Emmy, if your guardian angel really saw it...I'll believe her, too," Solaris said, startling his soldiers, but a firm leer from him silenced them as they went along with it. "Does she also have a plan? I'm...kinda in a rut."

"Mentally or the one you made for the last few hours?" one of the guards teased, earning a smack upside the head from Steele Wing.

Emerald looked to her left, Twilight floating beside her and nodded her head. "Yeah, she does," Emerald said. "Here's what we're gonna do, daddy..."

As she told Solaris what Twilight's plan was, Party Favor wondered if he should go back to siding with Starlight's ways, or get his cutie mark back after hearing Solaris explain Starlight's mysterious magical power when she should be just as equal as the other unicorns in Our Town.

The next morning, Trill reluctantly got up, surprised not to have any breakfast prepared by her "host". Instead, she was lead outside by Starlight and Dusk Shine, who followed after them with a skip in her step, which was odd after the shocking "house arrest" Solaris and their guards were placed under. She rolled her eyes, knowing her husband wasn't going to break that easily as everyone gathered outside the reformation house.

"Ok, everypony, let's try this again!" Starlight said enthusiastically.

"Good luck with that," Trill mumbled to herself. "Don't worry, Em. I'll find a way to-" When she looked down at her daughter, she blanched when she found no sign of the filly. "...E-Emerald?"

"Let's bring Party Favor out first," Starlight ordered, Double Diamond approaching the door and unlocking it, where Party Favor ran out and groveled at the unicorn's hooves.

"I'm so sorry, everypony!" he cried out. "I didn't know what I was thinking! They tried to break me by telling me about how you lied to us, but I didn't listen!"

"Then welcome back, Party Favor!" Starlight welcomed, making the ponies cheer at the return of their old friend. As he walked back to the group, she noticed his ragged cloak was missing, but she shrugged her shoulders, thinking he left it in the house and was planning to get a new one. "Bring out the soldiers next!" Stepping in formation, Steele Wing led his guards out, the six pegasus stallions staring stoically, clear on their faces they were going to continue denying conforming to the town's ways. "So, are you boys ready to join us yet? Or are you still not convinced yet?"

"Starlight Glimmer, we are members of the Royal Guard of Canterlot," Steele Wing said. "We follow our prince's command, and we will dissuade him and join this ridiculous town and your insane ideals on cutie marks."

"Yeah, how are we supposed to protect the castle if we're as weak as a newborn kitten?" the younger guard asked.

"I'm pretty sure a newborn kitten could beat us in a hoof wrestling contest, and win against all of us in a row," one of the other guards droned, still miffed all his training and muscular strength was gone without his cutie mark.

"Oh dear, it seems as though they're not ready," Starlight said. "...Unless...Prince Solaris? Can you come out?" Slowly, the prince walked out of the house. He looked tired, spaced out even though he was conscious. "Your Highness, what do you think? Have you considered my offer to join us?"

"I don't think so," Trill said aloud, though she still wondered where Emerald ran off to.

Solaris looked at his guards, then back to Starlight and the townsponies. "...I...I did put a lot of thought in it," he said meekly. "...I think...it would be better for me without my cutie mark after all."

Trill's jaw dropped in astonishment while Starlight grinned with success. "Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a new friend!"

The ponies cheered as they began to welcome the alicorn, his guards shocked and appalled that their leader had broken. "Your Highness, how could you?" Steele Wing questioned, feigning disappointment while the other soldiers struggled not to grin at the poor acting their sergeant was doing.

"I knew you would see things my way one day," Starlight said, ignoring the guards as she approached Solaris.

Trill was still reeling in shock, staring at her husband with her mouth agape, not even noticing Emerald return with a cup of water on her back. She pawed at her mother's hoof to get her attention, snapping her out of her stupor as she looked down at her.

"Emerald Sparkle, where the hay did you go?" she strictly questioned. "Did you even hear what your father just said???"

"Mhmm," Emerald hummed with a nod, and was smiling, to Trill's distress. She brought a hoof to her mouth and shushed her mother, lowering her voice so no one heard her. "Trust me, mommy. It's all part of the plan."

"P-Plan? What plan?" Trill questioned, not getting an answer as the filly began to walk past the crowd to prepare for the next phase.

Solaris spotted his daughter pushing her way through the crowd, standing beside Dusk Shine, who was curious about the cup of water she brought with her, then proceeded with the next part of her "guardian angel's" plan. "Starlight, can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Why, of course," Starlight said. "There are no dumb questions here, and no one to judge you for asking."

"Well...giving up my cutie mark is supposed to make me happy, right?" he asked, earning a nod from the mare. "But, say if somepony does want to willingly stay, but they don't want to give up their cutie mark. Could they do that instead?"

"Completely out of the question," Starlight said. "Having a pony with a different cutie mark in our midst would ruin our entire philosophy. Everypony is equal here in Our Town, and we hope to expand it to more than just ponies."

While Starlight smiled proudly at her statement, the others around them muttered in agreement, which was all the reason they needed to expose the unicorn. "Oh. Interesting," Solaris said, then began to cough as he swallowed dryly. "Sorry. I'm really thirsty after left with no water while being reformed. I need a drink."

"Here, daddy!" Emerald called out, skipping over to them, easing Starlight as she saw the filly was already getting used to the equality of their town. "I got some water in case you got thirsty, if Miss Starlight said it's ok for me to-OOPS!"

Emerald purposely tripped, bucking the cup off her back as she "accidentally" splashed water on Starlight. The mare yelped in surprise, grumbling a little before retaining her grin, chuckling awkwardly as she tried to ignore the accident.

"You should be careful when carrying something, little one," Starlight gently chided.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Starlight," Solaris apologized. "My daughter can be a bit too energetic." He noticed some of the droplets of water had managed to reach her flanks, seeing what looked like makeup being drenched and revealing something underneath it. Luckily, with Starlight looking away from him, he didn't see his eyes widen when he saw a glimpse of another cutie mark underneath the slightly washed out powder. Some of the others noticed the same runny mess on the other side, especially Dusk Shine as he raised a brow. Solaris didn't want to do this, but he lifted one of his wings, revealing Party Favor's cloak he borrowed as he was in on the plan, too, taking it in his hoof. "Here, let me dry you off."

"Huh?" Before Starlight could question what the alicorn meant, she yelped when she felt something rubbing at her flanks. Solaris managed to wipe away most of the makeup on her flanks before the mare leapt away, smacking his face with her tail. "What the hay are you doing!?" Solaris smirked as Starlight saw the cloak he used to rub her rump with. "W-Where did you-?"

"Party Favor let me borrow it," Solaris said, tossing it back to the stallion as it landed on his head, he and everyone around them staring in bewilderment at Starlight. "Makes a useful rag for getting rid of all that makeup."

"What makeup?" she asked. It took a moment for her to realize everyone was looking at her, more specifically at her flanks. When she looked down, she gasped as her real cutie mark was revealed. She desperately swung her tail to cover it, but it was already too late, Dusk taking it in the worst as the other ponies muttered in shock and confusion. "N-No! Don't look! Y-You're all seeing things!"

"No use backpedaling, Starlight," Solaris said. "Didn't you say that a pony with a different cutie mark among you would ruin your philosophy? What coincidental irony that it was you who was that pony...since you first founded this town?"

"H-How did you even know about-?" Starlight's voice died in her throat, slowly turning to look at the filly who drenched her with water. Emerald stuck her tongue out at her, taunting her as she knew about her secret, even though Starlight had been careful after so many years. Emerald ran up to Solaris and hugged his foreleg, Trill in the background still greatly shocked about this so-called plan she didn't know about showing everyone how much of a hypocrite Starlight was, and how and why she stole everyone's cutie marks. "...You knew?"

"My guardian angel did," Emerald answered vaguely.

Starlight growled, but when she turned to look at the crowd, she spotted the horrified, distraught, and betrayed expression on his face as he approached her, staring at her cutie mark. "M-Mother?...W-What is that?"

"It's nothing," Starlight quickly said nervously. "Your eyes are playing tricks on you. Somehow, he put some kind of curse on us."

"While I'm completely powerless without my cutie mark, which you forcefully took from me?" Solaris questioned, shaking his head in disappointment at the helpless lying Starlight resorted to. "Nice try. And don't pin this on my wife and daughter; Trill doesn't know how to even perform a spell as complex as that, and Emmy's too young to know how to used advanced magic yet. You've been lying to everyone for far too long." As he looked at Dusk, he felt sorry for the teen as he was forced to learn the truth about his mother's philosophy he was raised by as he looked conflicted, too stunned to wonder why she didn't convert like she had to everyone else. "You needed your magic to perform this 'ritual', so it makes sense for you to keep your magic, taking more cutie marks and keeping newborns in your little happy village from learning about how 'horrible' the world out there is about different cutie marks."

Starlight grinded her teeth irritably, but since she was found out, she let out a frustrated grunt and leered at the alicorn. "...Alright. Fine! I lied!" she said. "I had to keep my cutie mark so I could steal everypony's cutie marks with my magic!"

The crowd gasped as Starlight admitted the truth to them, Night Glider stepping forward as she spoke. "But the Staff of Sameness has the magic to-!"

"Oh, please!" Starlight scoffed. "That staff is nothing but a stick I found out in the desert! I can't believe you fools believed it for so long, some of you are even students from Canterlot's highest universities and didn't even know about that made up tale about a Staff of Sameness made by Mage Meadowbrook!"

"I did," the young private spoke up, raising his hoof in response.

"Without me, all of you would have lived your pitiful lives thinking you're better than everypony else!" Starlight continued, openly mocking everyone's unique talents as if one-upping someone with their talents will always make ponies jealous of them. "And I spared the foals that same pain, so I did them all a favor! Including my own son because I care about his happiness! I brought you all friendship! I brought you all equality! I CREATED HARMONY!"

"By lying to us?" Dusk asked, his heart welling up with pain as he looked at the equal cutie mark on his flank, no longer a mark to be proud of, but a curse he accepted by force. He trembled, afraid to look at his own mother for making him feel special like his friends, only now realizing being the same as everyone was no longer special as he dreaded to ask this one next question to Starlight. "...I-I...wasn't born with this? You...gave me this mark?"

"Yes, Dusk, I did, but to keep you from knowing the truth about the pain cutie marks bring," Starlight said, trying to assure her child she was trying to protect him, only hurting him more when she had hidden her own cutie mark from him. "Besides, everything else I said is true. The only way we can be happy is if we're all equal."

She reached her hooves out to Dusk, cupping his cheeks as she gave him a motherly smile, despite the fury growing in her. Dusk was forced to look at his mother, the eyes he always looked up to no longer able to be trusted as so many other questions about what she lied about raced through his head, angst slowly building inside him.

"...Except you?" he asked tearfully. Starlight was shocked at Dusk's response, the teen weakly pushing the mare's hooves away from him as he avoided her gaze. "...Why?...Why wouldn't you...do the same?"

"Because she wants power," Solaris said. Starlight turned to glare at him, her horn sparking as her anger grew to a boiling point. "Someone had to lead a group of equal ponies to keep them in line, and the only way to do that was by being unequal. I don't know what caused her to think cutie marks were evil, but they're not meant to be feared, Dusk. A cutie mark is what makes each and every pony in Equestria unique, with talents and gifts we can share, blossom relationships with friends with differences. It's being the same that can drive friends and lovers apart because of how too much they have in-"

"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!" Starlight roared, sending a beam of powerful magic straight toward the alicorn.

Solaris quickly shoved Emerald out of the way, letting out a pained grunt as he was struck in the chest and sent flying into the wall of the house he and his guards were held prisoner in. "Prince Solaris!" Steele Wing called out as he and his soldiers ran to check on him, the crowd staring aghast at the unicorn mare's power.

"Daddy!" Emerald cried out, but just as she was about to run toward him, Starlight snatched the filly in her magical aura, holding her hostage while shocking everyone, including Dusk.

"I don't know how you knew about my cutie mark, but you're in so much trouble," Starlight growled.

"Get your filthy hooves off my baby!" Trill shrieked, letting out a hiss as she flew toward the mare, only to miss as she teleported away from the tackle, reappearing beside Dusk, then teleporting all three of them into her cottage.

Inside, Dusk felt dizzy after being teleported for the first time, but quickly recovered as the shock of what his mother had just done filled him with dread. "M-Mother, what are you doing!?" he questioned, finding her come back downstairs with Solaris and his guards' cutie marks in several glass jars, along with tying and gagging Emerald up, keeping her as a prisoner and incentive for her planned escape.

"We're getting out of here," she said, not even paying attention to the distress in her son's body language, nor his flabbergasted expression. She tossed Emerald to him, quickly catching the princess as she tried to struggle out of her bindings while her screams were muffled by the cloth covering her muzzle. "I thought it would work, but I guess trying to get a royal alicorn to join us was a horrible idea in the first place. Especially with this brat snooping around."

"B-B-But you just attacked Princes Solaris, and you're kidnapping his daughter!" Dusk emphasized, holding the bound filly out to show his mother how insane she was behaving. "You're making this worse for yourself!...And for me when you're dragging me along with this after you outright admitted you lied to everypony! To me!"

Dusk received a harsh tug on his ear by Starlight's magic, nearly making him drop Emerald as he winced. "Don't you dare raise your voice to me, Dusk Shine!" the mare scolded. "Whether you like it or not, you're going to listen to everything I say, and when I say we're leaving, we're leaving. And we're taking the princess, and their cutie marks, so we can hold them for ransom if they continue pursuing us. Do you understand me?" Dusk had never seen this side of his mother before. She was always so cheerful, compassionate, and loving, but now that the truth had been found out, she's a completely different pony. He whimpered, nodding his head, having no choice but to follow her orders or else risk getting hurt physically than emotionally. "Good. Now, no more questions, or backtalking, until we make it to the caverns in the mountains. They'll never be able to find us through there."

Dusk was absolutely terrified of the way his mother was now. He looked down at Emerald, the filly quickly shaking her head no, telling him not to take her away from her family. He didn't have much of a choice, giving Emerald an apologetic look before placing her on his back, then watched as Starlight moved some furniture, revealing a hidden trapdoor. They both walked down, Starlight slamming the door shut while moving the cabinet back in place to cover their escape. Twilight began to panic as she helplessly watched, quickly floating back into the cottage, and using what spiritual manipulation she could do, she fogged the glass windows of the cabinet with her icy body, then noted them where to go with an arrow pointing down before being pulled back to her granddaughter as Starlight and Dusk Shine moved farther away.

"Darn it," Trill groaned, rubbing her chest after a rough landing. She ignored the ponies of Our Town rallying to get their cutie marks back, a large group of them racing off to the mountain where the magical vault was stored while the others stayed behind to watch the disappointed children. As she got up, she hurried over to Solaris to check on him, groaning in pain, but still conscious. "Solly, Starlight just kidnapped Emerald!"

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Steele Wing said. "You just rest. We'll get her back."

"Starlight's...digging herself a bigger hole," Solaris groaned. His guards ran off after Starlight, making their way to her house while the alicorn sat up with a grunt. Trill helped him up, happy to be with him again, though with their daughter taken captive, now wasn't the time for a happy reunion. "Trill. Go help them. Without our cutie marks, I don't think they'll be able to catch up to her."

"Oh, I intend on going after her. Just one little thing." Trill pressed her lips against Solaris's, shocking the stallion as she kissed him deeply. Even though he lost his strength, abilities, talents, etc., his love was still just as strong as she absorbed it as he began to kiss her back. She pulled back with a smack, licking her lips as she sated her hunger, growing stronger in the process while also missing him since his captivity. "Needed a little bit of a boost so I can at least beat her into the ground."

She gave him another kiss on the muzzle before flying off to join their guards while Solaris stayed behind, hoping they can save Emerald in time. At Starlight's home, the equalized stallions struggled to break down the door, barely able to budge it as they injured their shoulders in the process.

"Ok, I really want my cutie mark back!" one of the guards whined. "We're a disgrace to the Royal Guard all because some unicorn took what makes us unique!"

"Quit your whining and keep-" Steele Wing charged into the door with a hard grunt, wincing as he backed away, disappointed in himself because of his lack of strength. "-breaking...through...Ow..."

"Ugh. Stand back," Trill said with a roll of her eyes. Lighting up her horn, the guards stepped away as she charged her magic, then unleashed a powerful beam, blasting the wooden door to pieces. The group ran inside, searching around the building for any sign of Starlight, or her son since she teleported him with her, too. "Any sign of them!?"

"Not upstairs!" one of the guards said.

"Hey, look at this!" the youngest one called out, gathering everyone into the living room as he pointed at the glass on the cabinet. To their surprise, it was fogged over, even though they were out in a humid area, where the words "This way!" were written with an arrow pointing down. "Who wrote that?"

"It couldn't have been Emerald if she's captured," Trill said. "And Starlight wouldn't want to tell us where she escaped...Did Dusk Shine-?"

"Quick, move that cabinet!" Steele Wing ordered, two of the guards working together to move the cabinet aside and reveal the trap door underneath. "She must have planned an escape route in case someone was bold enough to reveal her true intentions. That mare is definitely going to be facing life sentences for her actions for the last three decades. Let's move!"

Steele lifted up the door and lead the charge, the stallions and changeling running down the hidden passage until they reached the end. Back outside, they were probably half a mile away from town, exiting out of a small cavern. After looking around, they spotted the escaping unicorn and her son out on a path in the mountain range, Emerald bound and gagged on the teenage stallion's back.

"There they are!" Trill exclaimed, taking the lead, though neither of them were aware of the flying lights shooting out from a mountain in the distance and diving down randomly into the town. Flapping her wings, she buzzed off and flew ahead, but when she looked back, she was several yards away from the slower stallions, forced to fly at a casual pace. "Guys, come on! Pick it up!"

"We're trying, princess, but because of this curse Starlight put on us, we apparently can't run or fly faster than anyone else," Steele Wing said. "Forcing us to be equals means being equally weaker than we're supposed to."

"Go on ahead of us!" one of the stallions said. "We'll catch up!...I hope."

Sighing heavily, Trill had no choice but to fly ahead of them and handle Starlight on her own. "I feel absolutely pathetic," the younger private groaned. "Some guards we turned out to be if we were overpowered by a tough unicorn mare."

"We can't help it if we're just pegasi, son," Steele Wing said. "We were mostly escorts and recon. We didn't expect a powerful mage catching us off guard and casting a spell over us. All we can do is hope she can stop Starlight in time until we get our cutie marks back."

"Then maybe we can help!" The guards stopped and turned around to face the unexpected group offering their assistance, almost unable to recognize them when they were once equalized.

Before the stallions were Party Favor, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Double Diamond, their original cutie marks back on their flanks while regaining their natural colors and hairstyles. "We noticed Starlight's house was broken into and found the hidden passage," Night Glider said.

"I broke the vault with that fake staff Starlight 'used' on us," Double Diamond said, though he hung his head in shame. "Everyone should have their cutie marks back, but yours and Prince Solaris's are with Starlight...I shouldn't have listened to her."

"Starlight has our cutie marks!?" the young soldier exclaimed.

Party Favor blew a few balloons, showing off his real talents as he began twisting them together, shocking the guards when he turned them into binoculars and looked through them. "Starlight and Dusk are heading to toward the mountains! We'll lose them if they reach the caves at the end of the path! It's like a maze in there!"

A guard took the binoculars and looked through them curiously, amazed to see they actually worked as he got a closer view of the escaping unicorns, albeit in a multicolored hue. "Oh wow. This works...Cool."

"We need all the help we can get," the sergeant said. "We'll...try to catch up until we get our cutie marks back."

"Let's go, guys!" Night Glider said, flying on ahead while Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle ran on foot to help Trill.

Up ahead, the changeling princess caught up with the fleeing duo, firing magic beams in their path to slow them down, not wanting to hurt her daughter helplessly laying on Dusk's back. "Quit running or I'm going to blast you off this mountain!"

"M-Mother, she's serious!" Dusk said nervously, completely terrified of getting blown up by an enraged mother and getting his own mother upset, trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"She's not going to kill us, not with her filly in our custody!" Starlight said, weaving carefully to avoid losing her focus on the jars of cutie marks she held in her magic aura.

Trill knew Dusk didn't want any part of this, but even though he knew his own mother lied to him about everything he had learned from her, he still followed her. What was also odd was that, even though he was given the same equal sign cutie mark like the others in town, he was able to keep up with his mother as she sprinted. Starlight must have lessened the effects of the curse for her own son just in case they needed to run away if she was caught. Trill aimed another beam at Starlight, but the unicorn cast a barrier around herself, then retaliated with a beam of her own, far bigger and wider than the changelings as it nearly clipped her.

Trill yelped and dove to the ground, letting out a breath she held in after the near miss. "Just how strong is she!?" she questioned before snapping out of her shock and continued chasing after them.

As they reached a natural bridge spanning over a canyon, Trill began to shiver as the temperature began to drop. Even though it was spring and the area where the town of equality was located, the arid land was suitable for changelings like the wastelands of her home, but the mountain range had snow along the many peaks, not helping her much as it would drastically slow her down. Emerald was probably starting to freeze as well, and if Starlight continued running toward the mountains, she could get very sick.

Suddenly, whizzing past Trill was a pile of snow in the shape of a pie, flying through the air and smacking Starlight upside the head. The mare tripped, losing her hold on the jars while also getting tripped on by Dusk, unable to stop as he rolled over his mother, dropping Emerald as she fell helplessly down into the chasm with the jars. Trill screamed in terror, but luckily, Night Glider swooped in and caught the filly, her life more important than the cutie marks as they would return to their owners once they were broken. Starlight quickly got up and looked down, using her magic to quickly grab the jars again, but the guards' marks unfortunately hit the ground, the only one she saved was Solaris's as the freed cutie marks flew around, then zipped off to the stallions farther back on the trail.

"Got her just in time," Night Glider said, hovering back over to Trill, the filly back safe and sound in her mother's hooves.

"Oh, thank goodness," Trill sighed, untying Emerald and hugged her tightly as they shared what body warmth they had.

Starlight growled, dragging up the last jar in her possession as she stood up, forcefully pulling Dusk back on his hooves and continued running. "Keep going. We still have his cutie mark."

"M-Mom, I don't-" His complaints fell on deaf ears as he was pushed forward, forced to keep running despite his second thoughts continuing fleeing because of his mother only making things worse for herself.

"Starlight, stop!" Double Diamond shouted, he, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle running past Trill and Emerald toward the bridge. As Starlight and Dusk reached the end, she turned and blew up the bridge, the trio quickly stopping near the edge as the stone walkway crumbled to pieces. "Shoot. Now how are we going to get across?"

"Allow me," Party Favor said, blowing up several more balloons, then tied them together to create a long balloon bridge.

Trill stared in shock while Emerald was in awe at the amazing trick the unicorn stallion did, Night Glider helping guide it down to the other side once it reached the exact length of the now destroyed natural bridge. "That was amazing!" Emerald cheered, only to wince and shiver as a breeze rolled past them.

"I-I don't think I can keep going. Not with Emerald," Trill said. "If there's snow, that means it's starting to get too cold for us to stand."

"Fear not, Your Highnesses!" Steele Wing called out, he and his entourage of guards catching up to them, their cutie marks back along with their physical strength and speed. "We're back, and we're ready to arrest this mare under several counts against the royal crown!"

"We'll join you!" Sugar Belle said, her friends nodding in agreement.

Steele Wing lead the charge as he and his troops flew ahead, the grounded Our Town heroes bouncing across the balloon bridge to reach the other side. Trill and Emerald had to stay behind to avoid the freezing cold, the mother making her way back to the warmer climate while clutching her filly tightly to her chest.

"Mommy, will daddy get his cutie mark back?" Emerald asked.

"I think so," Trill said. "She can't run forever..."

Up ahead, Dusk and Starlight panted as they lost their breath, slowly but surely reaching the caverns to lose their pursuers. Not too far behind them, the ten ponies chasing them were getting closer. They ran past an old and now worn pair of purple skis that stuck up from the ground, causing Double Diamond to stop when he spotted them.

"...My old skis," he mumbled, memories of his talent nostalgic to him, though the location of where they rest left him with bitter ones. "...This was where I first met Starlight..." He touched his old gear, noticing the pair of thin parallel boards had rotted away from the natural elements after over a couple decades being left behind. He had a need to ski after getting his cutie mark back, and he was a fool for believing Starlight about how his talents in his favorite sport could make others envious of him and lose those friends who would envy him. "I'll see if I can get them fixed after we get Starlight."

Leaving his skis behind, Double Diamond hurried after his friends to turn the traitorous mare into the authorities for her lies and attacking/kidnapping/imprisoning royalty. The pegasi stallions flew in formation, three of them splitting off to dive down on Starlight while the remaining three flew up the mountain, digging their hooves in the snow as they flew over to cause an avalanche. The guards distracting Starlight flew back when they saw the snow come down, the mare letting out a yelp as she was buried under several pounds of white powder, Dusk leaping back when he noticed the guards' plan.

Starlight's aura faded around the jar holding Solaris's cutie mark, rolling down the snow pile and stopped at Dusk's hooves. He picked it up before any of the stallions tried to grab it, holding it tightly as they surrounded him.

"N-No, don't take His Highness's cutie mark!" Dusk exclaimed fearfully, trembling as tears welled up in his eyes. "Mother will get even more mad!"

"Relax, son," the sergeant calmly said. "You're not the one in any trouble. You didn't even know any better. Just release the prince's cutie mark."

"I-I can't," the teen whimpered. "M-Mother'll...yell at me again...She's never yelled at me like that...or hurt me..."

"We won't let her," Steele assured, slowly approaching Dusk while trying not to frighten him. "Your mother's already caused quite enough damage, keeping you away from reality for too long while feeding you lies about what cutie marks truly mean. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Do you still think having everyone be equal with nothing special will truly make you happy? Or do you want to know what you're capable of, find your real cutie mark with your special talent, and learn that being different won't be as bad as it seems?"

Dusk Shine was conflicted, scared of wanting to be different, but wanting to try when his mother's cutie mark was revealed. He didn't want to trust his mother anymore after lying to him since he was born, not knowing what other secrets she's been hiding from him and everyone else. He sniffled, looking down at the alicorn's cutie mark, and after several minutes of silent pondering, he relented and twisted the lid.

Just as he was about to remove the lid, Starlight unleashed a blast of magic through the snow, the shockwave knocking everyone back. Dusk dropped the jar, which shattered as it hit the ground, releasing Solaris's cutie mark regardless of his decision, flying at blinding speed back toward the village. Starlight shook the snow off her, then glared at her pursuers. The guards quickly stood up and surrounded her.

"Starlight Glimmer, you are under arrest on several counts of kidnapping, including a severe count of kidnapping Princess Emerald, assaulting and imprisoning His Royal Highness, Prince Solaris, and his royal guard while manipulating several ponies to giving up their cutie marks while resorting to steal them out of your own greed for power!" one of the guards warned. "This is your only warning! Stand down now, or we will be forced to use necessary force!"

"You really think six pegasus royal guards can handle taking me down?" Starlight asked cynically. "I took your cutie marks once. I can take them again without breaking a sweat."

"Then we're doing this the hard way," Steele growled. "Swarm her!"

The stallions yelled as they charged her, but Starlight teleported out of the enclosed circle they made, reappearing a few feet away from them, then fired a beam at their hooves. The explosion sent the guards flying back, knocked hard by the blast as they fell to a heap near Double Diamond, Sugar Belle, Party Favor, and Night Glider. The four ponies huddled in fear a the deadly glare their former equalist leader gave them, her horn sparking dangerously.

"So, you all decided to betray me by getting your cutie marks back," she muttered. "You're all fools. If you want to live out the rest of your lives in misery by showing off your talents, fine...But you four were the first of many who joined me, and I thought I could trust you. I guess I was wrong."

"You never trusted anyone," Double Diamond said, finding the courage to stand up to the dangerous unicorn. "You never gave us a chance to even be friends without using your magic and lies."

"Chances only ruin friendships before they begin," Starlight argued. "I'm not going to give any one of you another chance!"

Her horn glowed brighter, charging a massive amount of mana to unleash a deadly magic beam that would eradicate the downed guards and four of her "disloyal" followers. Starlight aimed her horn and fired, the group flinching while Dusk looked away in horror. Suddenly, appearing in front of them in a burst of green flames, Solaris lit up his hooves with green flames and held them out, protecting them as he blocked the powerful spell. Sucking in a deep lungful of air, he unleashed a massive breath of fire, pushing Starlight's beam back toward her. Completely caught off guard by the alicorn's appearance and return of his strength, Solaris managed to break through the unicorn's magic, dispelling the beam while sending his flames toward her. Starlight teleported out of the way, panting in exhaustion as she used up so much magic in her last attack.

"Give up, Starlight Glimmer!" Solaris warned, raising his hooves up in a fighting stance, prepared to block any other spells the mare would throw at him. "Everypony has their cutie marks back, you've been found out, and you're not getting away! You're already facing a life sentence for your crimes! Don't make anymore mistakes that'll hurt you more than it already has!"

"Mistakes!? You have no idea what a mistake it was for me to try to get you to see things my way!" Starlight exclaimed. "All I wanted was to just live peacefully without being reminded about cutie marks, and you and your family ruined my happiness!"

"You were taking ponies away from their homes and stealing their cutie marks to prove a point, but you failed to even come up with a good reason why you personally hate them when you kept yours!" Solaris argued. "Cutie marks don't end any kind of relationship, platonic or romantic!"

"You're married to a changeling, who never get cutie marks unless they create one whenever they want!" the mare argued back.

"Which throws away your beliefs that being equal makes ponies happy, because despite how different Trill and I are, we both love each other!" Starlight's eye twitched, then screamed as she tried to shoot Solaris with another beam. The alicorn didn't give her the chance, rushing her and punched her horn, making her wince in pain while being careful not to break it with his strength like he did to the last unicorn he tried to stop. He then slammed Starlight down to the ground, pinning her down while twisting her head around, keeping her horn aimed away from everyone else when she regained the ability to use magic and tried to blast someone else. "I don't understand why you hate cutie marks. Your reason about them breaking relationships isn't true."

"You...have no idea!" Starlight grunted, struggling to get out from under Solaris, but the alicorn was far too strong for her to squirm away. She stopped, knowing she was caught with no way out, not even with magic if he struck her horn again, or threatened to break it. "...Do you really wanna know why I think that?"

"Yes," Solaris said. "Elaborate for all of us why you think cutie marks destroy relationships."

Starlight growled, trying to move her head to get comfortable, but Solaris kept her head down, making sure her horn was aimed safely away from everyone. "...When I was a filly, I had a best friend back in my old town. We were inseparable, until the day he got his cutie mark. We were stacking books in a tower, and it started to fall on me when I pulled what I thought was a loose enough one. He caught them with his magic, sent them flying back on the shelves, and got a cutie mark for it. I was happy for him, but he was too excited to acknowledge me as he ran outside, showed off to his parents, and the next day, he and his family moved away to Canterlot, and I never saw him again."

After hearing the rushed summary of Starlight's past, everyone stared in bewilderment, feeling like they missed something else that was important. "...That's it?" one of the guards asked.

"YES!" Starlight shouted angrily. "He got his cutie mark, and I didn't! He moved on, and I didn't! For years, I thought the same thing would happen if I tried to make friends with others and they got their cutie marks, too! The only way they can truly be friends is if they get their cutie marks at the same time!"

Solaris was baffled, watching tears well in the mare's eyes as the her emotional pain was completely irrational. "Starlight, that's ridiculous. Cutie marks don't keep or lose friendships, or even bring others together if they discover their talents at the same time."

"How about your mother and her friends!?" Starlight exclaimed. "Hearing so much about how they were once the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, I've also heard the irony that all six of them discovered their cutie marks at the same time when Rainbow Dash performed the sonic rainboom when she was a filly! Is that true!?"

"...Well...they told me stories about that, so...I guess," Solaris said, seeing her point, though it was a pure coincidence that his mother and aunts had gotten their cutie marks simultaneously long ago. "But that's a one in million chance something like that happens."

"Yet it did, and they became best friends!" Starlight reiterated.

"Yeah, several years later when they were adults," Solaris corrected. "They never got together as fillies after that moment." He shook his head, now getting a somewhat full story, but it doesn't excuse Starlight's actions, her last couple decades's worth and the last two days. "Your problems don't justify your crimes you committed, one I'm really ticked at was kidnapping my daughter so you could escape. You're lucky I'm not going to give you a death sentence."

"Oh, good! Being the pacifist leader after slamming me into the ground!" Starlight mocked. "You want more problems from me!? Because I have plenty, like getting pregnant with Dusk and fearing getting caught when I went into labor! I had to force everypony else to stay away from me while giving birth so none of them try to wash me up and see my cutie mark! Of course, I blame myself for getting knocked up when trying to unwind during one of my scouting trips, since running a village of gullible idiots can take a toll on my psyche!"

Solaris blanched as Starlight continued rambling aloud, looking up to find Dusk in a state of shock at his mother's complaints. As if discovering his own mother had lied to him about having a cutie mark was a bad thing while hiding hers, now he's misconstruing what Starlight was saying about the day he was conceived and his birth as everyone could literally hear his heart shatter to pieces.

"Starlight-" Solaris tried to interject, but the unicorn continued complaining, ignorant of her son's growing heartache as he struggled not to sob while tears began streaming down his face.

"-and I got wasted when I went into my heat cycle, so THAT was another stupid mistake I made!" Starlight continued. "Jerk didn't bother to pull out or let me try to use a contraceptive spell when he didn't have any protection, and the next morning, he disappears without a trace and I found out a few days later that I'm having a baby!"

"Starlight-" Solaris tried again, but again, his warning fell on deaf ears.

"I guess I kept telling more lies to Dusk when he kept asking who his real father really is, but hay, I barely knew the guy, so my son is a bastard child, and I regret meeting the deadbeat and even considered having sex with him, all because my hormones told me to screw a stallion and have a baby I never intended on having!" Starlight panted heavily, her tirade over, but the damage was already done. "...Well? No snarky comment? No, 'My wife my be lazy, and a changeling, but at least she's a better mom than you ever will be?'"

Solaris said nothing, slowly turning Starlight's head so she looked at Dusk. Her scowl quickly turned into horror as she saw his face, completely forgetting in her anger that her son was still with all of them. Tears stained his cheeks as they dripped to the ground, his eyes expressing more pain and distrust as he looked at her, his body trembling with each shuddering sob he made.

"Y-Y-You...n-never....wanted me?" Dusk whimpered pitifully. Starlight didn't notice Solaris release his hold on her, so lost in her anger to realize that what she said was interpreted as her regretting ever giving birth to Dusk. She stood up, trying to find the words to assuage her child that she never meant to spout so many hateful things in her tirade, but she feared saying anything would only make him more upset. "I-I...I w-was...an a-accident?"

"N-No! No!" Starlight said, running up to the teen while he cried his eyes out, looking away from her. "I-I didn't mean to say all that! I was angry, a-and...ponies say stupid things when they're angry!"

She tried to hug Dusk, but the teen unicorn shouted, slapping her hooves off him and pushed her away from him. "Leave me alone!" he screamed. "You don't love me! You never have!"

"Yes I do!" Starlight tried to reassure, her heart starting to break as her baby no longer trusted her. "Dusk, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean any of it, honey...I swear."

"How do I know you're telling the truth anymore!?" Dusk exclaimed. "You lied to everypony! You lied to the prince! You lied to me! And you dragged me along with kidnapping Emerald, getting me in trouble, too! All because you think you're right and everypony else is wrong and stupid! Including me!"

"T-That's not true," Starlight whimpered, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes after being yelled at by her child. "I-I didn't mean to-"

She reached out to hold him again, but as she got closer, she was met with a pale magenta hoof to the face, the hard slap echoing all across the mountain range. No one actually expected Dusk to actually slap his own mother in the face in the heavily upset state he was in, even Starlight, shocked and completely stunned to ever be hit by her son. She turned her head to stare at him, emotionally hurt as the slap suddenly turned numb, seeing the look of utter hatred in the teen's eyes, no longer willing to trust or listen to her pleas anymore after the poor choice of words Starlight shouted in her own rage over her own personal issues let out for everyone to know.

"I hate you," Dusk muttered, those three words far more painful than getting smacked or slammed toward the ground.

Starlight couldn't try one last time to apologize, hug her son, or even stoop to bargaining with him to take back his disdain for her. All she could do in her stunned, disheartened shock was watch as Dusk turned and walked away from her, making his way back home. He didn't get far when he stopped near the four ponies he grew up around, finally breaking down after taking all he could stand. Sugar Belle held him, accepting her embrace over Starlight's as he let it all out.

Solaris knew Starlight was considered a wanted criminal, but he couldn't help but feel sympathetic for her. He couldn't see the tears begin to flow down her face, though a parent getting hit by their own child while they claimed they hate them would even shock himself to the point of being upset. Solaris approached Starlight, her head slowly hanging down, feeling like excessive force was no longer necessary to stop her.

"Starlight?" he called out.

"...I give up," she uttered. "...Take me into custody...I-I...screwed up enough..."

Solaris sighed, wishing things didn't escalate this far, but at least no one was seriously hurt. He allowed his guards to handle Starlight from here, the six stallions circling the depressed mare as a precaution if she tried to escape, though that was unlikely in her emotional state, then they all made their way back to Our Town, Dusk wanting to stay far enough away from his mother.

After returning to Our Town with Starlight captured, all the ponies in town who had cutie marks after joining had gotten them back, though the colts and fillies still had the equal sign curses on their flanks, including Dusk. While two of Solaris's guards flew back to Canterlot to get a prisoner carriage to transport Starlight Glimmer, and after getting glomped by his daughter as he was reunited with his wife and daughter again, he tried to figure out a way to reverse the spell so the kids can all discover what their true talents may be. Starlight mumbled something about a spellbook she kept in her room that had the spell, having a massive change of heart after getting talked down and slapped by Dusk, the book in question found under her bed with the same spell, along with a simple spell to reverse it. After giving it a glance over, he cast the spell on the children as they gathered before him, erasing the fake cutie marks and returning their natural colors they were born with.

It was confusing for the foals at first, but they warmed up to the idea of what their actual talents could be. They ran off, banding together as they had all sorts of ideas to get their cutie marks, no longer fearing being different from each other after seeing how the adults got along with their cutie marks back. The only one left to help was Dusk, the teen holding himself in the playhouse once they returned. Emerald lead him to the house, despite how alike every single house was built, Dusk Shine sitting alone with the Dragon Pit board game in front of him, moving pieces randomly and letting the fake volcano erupt, having the rock roll to a dragon and send them dropping down a pit. Tears matted his cheeks, though his expression was numb, resetting the pieces with no emotion as he tried to hide from the truth he was forced to learn about his life, both for his cutie mark and his birth.

"Hey, Dusk," Solaris said. "You ok?" Dusk didn't respond, keeping his eyes on the board game while making the dragons get trapped in the pit as he purposely set off the volcano. "...I guess I'll take that as a no." Solaris and Emerald walked over to the teen, the alicorn sitting beside him while the filly sat across from them. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"No," Dusk mumbled.

"Ok...Do you want me to take away that fake cutie mark for you?" Solaris asked, Dusk responding with a weak shrug. Taking that as a yes, the alicorn cast the reverse spell on the depressed unicorn, erasing the equal sign cutie mark on his flank and brightening his coat and mane. "Huh...It seemed like the spell your mother used on you wasn't as strong like the other kids'."

"Whoop dee doo," Dusk grumbled sarcastically. "I must be really special, aside from being a complete accident, the cutie mark I was 'born' with was just a fake one made by a magic spell, and everything I've learned about my mother was all a lie! I'm surprised she hasn't lied to herself, or maybe she has and doesn't even realize it because of how stupid her reason for doing all this to everypony is now that I see the only way cutie marks ruin relationships is if they lie about them!"

While going off in his irate rant over the situation, Dusk's horn began to light up an aquamarine blue, surprising Solaris as he never once saw the teen use magic for anything, at least before he was trapped in a house without his cutie mark. "Uhh, Dusk-?"

"She even forced me along with her escape after the truth came out, and I had a hoof in kidnapping your daughter!" Dusk continued, his aura glowing brighter and brighter as his pent up aggression was about to reach its peak. "I was assisting in a kidnapping of a royal guest, and I was going to get in just as much trouble as her, or even worse!"

"Dusk-" Solaris warned again, dragging Emerald away from Dusk's horn as the teen continued his angry tirade.

"She was going to use me as a scapegoat, and she didn't even care about me at all! Not even when I was in her belly, she hated me! She never loved me at all! I hate her! I hate, hate, hate, HATE, HATE-!!!!!!" Dusk's horn couldn't take the buildup anymore, suddenly releasing a powerful burst of magic down on the Dragon Pit game, blasting the old game to pieces.

When he realized what had happened, Dusk was mortified, looking up to see the steam coming from his fizzling horn. He was about to panic, but Solaris gently laid his hoof over his shoulder to calm him.

"I tried to warn you," he said. "Without that spell kept on you, you're able to use more powerful magic than basic levitation...Have you ever used telekinesis before?" Dusk slowly shook his head, which answered the alicorn's question over the teenage unicorn's lack of using levitation to grab things. "I guess your mother didn't teach you...One thing you need to do now that you have that latent magical potential back is that you keep calm and not lose control of your emotions. They're tied to your magic, and if you get too upset, you'll end up doing that again."

Dusk stared at the scorch mark on the floor, accidentally destroying his mother's favorite game. "...A-Am I in trouble?"

"No. This kind of thing happens, especially with unicorn foals," Solaris assured, ruffling Emerald's mane to emphasize his point. "Infants can occasionally get magic bursts and do a lot of random magic spells that even the average unicorn can get exhausted pulling off in multiple attempts. Emmy's just as guilty as doing that as a baby, but I was prepared for that in case she inherited some alicorn magic from me."

"But I didn't blow anything up...right?" Emerald asked.

"No, but you gave us the runaround just from your flying around the castle," Solaris said with a chuckle. After messing up his daughter's mane, he lifted his hoof up and blew a small puff of flames, making a small band appear from the green fire. "Good thing I made plenty of these. Here, Dusk. Put this around your horn."

Dusk took the offered plastic band, staring at it curiously. "What is it? A rubber band?"

"It's actually a magical inhibitor, stretchable and comfortable to put on baby unicorn's horn, keeping them from having too much fun during a magic surge," Solaris explained, which only made the teen grimace at the inhibitor meant for baby unicorns. "Would you like a metal one that constricts your horn and seals your magic in an irritating, uncomfortable way instead?"

"...Fine," Dusk mumbled, placing the inhibitor around his horn, finding it surprisingly soft as if there was nothing there. He looked at the smoldered remains of his and his mother's favorite game. "...So much for that game..."

The door to the building opened up as Steele Wing stepped in. "Your Highness, the prisoner carriage is here, along with a train and available cars for ponies who wish to go back to their real homes throughout Equestria. We're ready to transport Starlight Glimmer."

"Alright." Steele left to ready Starlight into the carriage, Solaris and Emerald following after him with the alicorn guiding Dusk out, to the teen's confusion. "Before we leave, Dusk, there's a few things we need to do. One is an offer I'd like to give you for your magical control. You'll stay in the castle with us, and when I have the time, I'll personally teach you, but I will also have other experienced unicorns and teachers guide you with magic and other subjects I'm sure you'll love learning."

"R-Really?" Dusk asked. "But...but why?"

"You might be old enough to make your own decisions, but not exactly old enough to live on your own," Solaris reasoned. "I think you'd be much better living better than here. And finding your cutie mark may take some time, but you'll discover what you do best at in Canterlot while also making friends who you'll keep despite what you've learned growing up about differences splitting friends apart."

"And we can have some real fun, too!" Emerald added.

"Yes, and discover what real fun is like compared to sitting in a big room playing board games," Solaris reiterated. "And, if you want to, help Trill and I foalsit for Emmy when we can't get anyone else."

"Uhh...ok. I...have wondered what it was like outside this town," Dusk said, accepting the offer, growing more curious about what he could be good at, if it wasn't too late for him. When they approached the carriage set up on the road, he spotted his mother under the watchful eye of Soaris's guards, hoofcuffs and a metal inhibitor around the mare's horn. He didn't like where they were going, trying to backpedal away, but Solaris continued dragging him with his aura. "W-Why are we going over to her?"

"Because you definitely need some closure with your mother," Solaris insisted, but Dusk shook his head. "I know you're hesitant to be near her, but you can't hate her forever."

"But she said-" Dusk yelped as he fell over, Solaris stopping him causing him to trip over his hooves.

"I know what she said, but I don't think she meant giving birth to you was her greatest regret," Solaris said, helping Dusk back up on his hooves. "I guess its our fault for fighting back against what she created in this village, which made her frustrated when Emmy found out about your mother's cutie mark, no one believed her anymore, and tried to escape, knowing she was going to be faced with so many serious charges. And after cornering her and that...painful outburst, she seemed honestly mortified by what she said in her furious ranting." Dusk huffed, still reluctant to believe Starlight after today. "You don't have to say anything. Just hear her out.

"You and I aren't so different with the situations we've been in. Like you, I was sheltered somewhere most of my youth, and I was kept from the truth of what was outside where I was hiding. I never knew my mom growing up, raised by her friends, who I looked up to as my aunts, and my dragon uncle, Spike, who was my mother's assistant when she was alive." Dusk's eyes grew wide at the mention of being raised by a dragon, which he assumed was where he got the ability to use dragon fire with his impressive power over Starlight's magic and summoning the inhibitor band he wore on his horn. "But unlike me, you were lucky to have your mother raise you. I didn't have that luxury to grow up with any parent..." Solaris looked down at Emerald, picking his daughter up and hugged her, the filly giving him a hug back with a giggle. "Even though I hadn't, I want Emmy to grow up with both her mommy and daddy there for her."

Dusk couldn't help but feel a little jealous over Emerald, never knowing what it's like to have a dad around. But, then again, Solaris hadn't mentioned being raised by his father, so that gave them another thing in common if that was true. He was still hesitant to talk to his mother again, even if finding closure in their fight was supposed to help him. Looking past the nuzzling alicorn and pony/changeling filly, he noticed his mother glancing their way, and when he looked at her, Starlight lowered her head in shame.

After their affectionate nuzzling, they continued making their way toward Starlight, Dusk lagging behind them, reaching them right as Steele Wing was about to guide the captured unicorn into the carriage. "It's high time we get back to Canterlot before Equestria goes into a panic if the royal family is missing. In you go, Starlight Glimmer."

"Wait, sergeant," Solaris stopped, the stallion obeying his command. "Before she's taken off to prison, I'll allow her to say a few words to her son." The guard looked at Starlight, who was a bit surprised she was given a special permission like this before being carted off to jail, then nodded to the alicorn as he stepped back. Solaris gently nudged Dusk closer to Starlight, both unicorns looking away from each other. "Starlight, I don't appreciate your actions, nor what you tried to do out of desperation when you kidnapped my daughter. But after witnessing that painful familial dispute, I don't want to leave you and your son with a misunderstanding that will destroy your relationship. Now that you're calmer, not obsessing over forcing your thoughts on everypony, you should say something to him before it's too late. And, since Dusk agreed to stay in the castle, I will also allow you to have visitation rights. If Dusk wants to talk to you."

Starlight wanted to argue it would be pointless after what she said about her son, but she wanted to mend the pain she inflicted on his heart. She didn't know where to start as she looked up at him, fearing she won't get through to him and make him believe she was one hundred percent honest and apologize. She was even afraid he wouldn't say anything back, but she'll gladly take silence over disdain at this point, deserving the scolding over her own personal issues because of an old friend she never saw again.

"...Honey...I am so sorry," Starlight said, her voice wavering as she picked her words carefully to avoid the "H" word from him spitting at her. "I do love you. I always have...When I said I regretted getting pregnant, I meant the stallion who got me pregnant, not you...I-I was scared about being a mother when I found out, but I wouldn't give you up for anything." She swallowed the lump in her throat, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she wanted her last words to her child, if they were her last, to be as truthful as ever. "I was always alone...I stayed away from other ponies because I didn't want to be left behind like that again...I went through my pregnancy, I gave birth to you, and after all the pain of it all, the fear of having others see my cutie mark while going through labor, I felt happier than I ever have since I lost my friend when I held you in my hooves. I was happy to be a mom, and I love you with all my heart.

"I never wanted to hurt you, b-but...but..." Starlight's voice cracked, then she broke into sobs, burying her face in her cuffed forehooves. "I'm so sorry...I was only thinking for myself a-and ignored you...Y-You deserve to h-hate me...but...I-I don't...want you to l-leave me...Please...d-don't..."

She broke down and collapsed, bawling her eyes out as she let out all of her recent regrets for making Dusk think she never wanted him. Now that she explained the reason behind her cutie mark stealing actions, it was almost pitiful knowing this fear of hers was more serious than others take for granted. Solaris understood that feeling when he kept losing his family one by one, the only ones he knew as they raised him forever gone. Dusk Shine looked at his sobbing mother, still conflicted with what she's done, but felt sorry for her as his existence had managed to bring her genuine happiness after many years steering away from friendship and living miserably on her own until she created Our Town.

Dusk looked back at Solaris, silently asking for some sort of guidance, but all he did was motion with his head to his mother, the next thing to do based on his decision alone. Sighing, unable to get any help, he looked back at the sobbing unicorn mare he once looked up to as his mother. He still wasn't ready to forgive her, still hurt by what she said, but now understood she didn't mean to say it that way. Starlight managed to compose herself a little, tears still streaming down her face as she stood back up, waiting for her son to say something.

"...I-I...accept your apology," he finally said after what felt like an eternity to the mare. Starlight smiled and tried to hug him, but the teen brushed her cuffed hooves away. "That doesn't mean I forgive you...n-not yet..." Though disheartened, Starlight understood, having expected the worst. Steele stepped forward after the mother and son said their piece, ushering Starlight into the carriage to be sent back to Canterlot's dungeon. He closed and locked the doors as soon as she was inside, the unicorn mare turning around to look out the barred window. "...I'll...visit you...when I'm ready to really talk to you."

Her hope was rekindled as she smiled again, nodding silently, though her smile faded as she sighed and sat as comfortably as she could in the encased carriage. With a couple hard smacks from the back by the leader of the group of guards, the two pulling it headed off to transport Starlight. Dusk watched as they faded away into the sky, sighing sadly, not sure if he would ever be ready to see his mother again.

It was time for Solaris, Trill, and Emerald to finally go back home, the filly dragging Dusk along the path back to their carriage. While most of the ponies who had families as they were conformed by Starlight's equality spiel, the first several ponies who had first joined were content staying behind, Solaris understanding their decision as it was their home with the friends they made there. With two of the remaining group of guards hitched to the royal chariot and the family and Dusk were settled in, they flew off to Canterlot, back home.

"So, does this mean we're adopting Dusk as a member of our weird family?" Trill asked curiously, looking back to see the unicorn teen staying as inside the chariot as possible, never once experiencing the thrill of flight in his life. "Wouldn't it have been better to leave him with the others in that town?"

"Yes, and no," Solaris said. "I know Double Diamond and the gang can take care of him, but I think Dusk would have a better experience in the real world. That, and I don't want to keep him away from Starlight. Despite the misunderstanding and the insane ethics she had over a cutie mark driving her first and only true friendship apart, I don't want Dusk to resent his mother for the rest of his life."

"Hmm...You two are kind of alike, I guess," Trill said. She leaned over to nuzzle Solaris, resting her head against his shoulder as they enjoyed the ride home. "...With how powerful Starlight was, would you have resorted to breaking off her horn if she continued resisting?"

"...A little," Solaris admitted, his memory flashing back to when he first did that to Lucifer in their final clash, the blood-curdling scream he made after the pain washed over him making the alicorn's ears press against his head. The following action after Solaris left him powerless, he gave the dark unicorn king a chance to give up and leave, but he wouldn't give up and tried to stab him in the back with a shard of glass, leading to his fall over the balcony of the castle that ended him. Solaris shuddered at the gruesome image of his greatest foe's death, shaking the memory away before he got more nightmares about his actions. "Starlight was powerful, but she's not a killer. Dusk seemed to inherit that magical potential after watching him blow up a board game."

"...Yikes. Hope he gets some control of his magic than Emerald had as an infant." She looked back at Dusk, who was struggling not to move when Emerald tried getting him to look over the edge, constantly shaking his head out of fear. Trill noticed the band around the teen's horn, recognizing it as one of Solaris's special inhibitors he made for Emerald as a baby to control her wild magic surges. "...Is he wearing one of those little band things that were for Emerald?"

"Closest thing I kept in my personal magic storage that could help control his newfound magic in case he has an emotional breakdown," he said. Trill began to snort in laughter at how silly the young stallion looked, but Solaris grabbed her muzzle, forcing her to look back at him. "Don't laugh. It's not restrictive, and when he wants to practice magic when he's calm enough to focus, he can take it off and put it back on if he's feeling troubled. So don't make fun of him, or I'll put a metal one on you, tie all four of your limbs to the bedposts, and tease you with toys until you're practically begging for me to ravage you into the mattress."

Trill blinked at the playful threat, her lips then curling into a smirk as she leered at him alluringly. "...He looks ridiculous with that on," she said. She expected him to groan in exasperation, he smirked right back, which confused and unnerved her. "...Uhh, why aren't you irritated?"

"Because I plan on doing that when we get home," Solaris said, letting out a low, hungry growl that made the changeling princess's wings twitch in excitement. He lunged for her neck, nipping at her chitin flesh, making her squeak, which turned into a groan as his lips trailed up and reached her lips, planting a deep, lustful kiss that made her moan in need. "Dusk can watch Emmy for a few hours. She can show her around the castle while we're busy 'wrestling'."

Trill purred, eagerly awaiting the fun they'll have after being apart an entire day as she latched onto him and continued making out with her strong alicorn husband. Emerald giggled as she watched her parents kissing with a hungry passion, though Dusk stared awkwardly and looked away in embarrassment.

"Do they...do that a lot?" Dusk asked.

"Yeah, and they like to wrestle a lot," Emerald said. "Mostly at night though."

"...Uh huh," Dusk muttered, taking the filly's word for it, though he had a feeling he knew what they would do since he first discovered his hormones and learning about "the birds and the bees" talk from Starlight not too long ago. Looking past the royal couple, their flight soon reached its destination as he saw the castle in the distance. His fear of heights were forgotten as he marveled at the structure, and the grand city it loomed over. This was his first step into unknown territory, an eagerness to learn what he had missed out on outside of the home he grew up in and maybe make real friends without worrying about what kind of cutie marks other ponies had. "Oh boy...How am I going to get around just the castle by myself?"

A Much Needed Reunion

After the royal family arrived back home in Canterlot with Dusk Shine in tow, Emerald happily gave their guest a tour of the entire castle. She dragged him around everywhere, to her parents' amusement, giving the young teenage unicorn the layout of a building he wasn't used to, being raised in a village of two-story houses secluded from larger populations like cities, let alone the rest of the kingdom. Starlight Glimmer was placed in the dungeons to serve out her sentence for everything she'd done, her biggest offense obviously kidnapping the royal family and holding them against their will. Solaris made sure that her sentence, away from the rest of Equestria, wouldn't be as severe as it should, giving her visitation rights with Dusk Shine whenever the colt wishes to talk to her and be treated as comfortably as possible in her cell. As much as she denied getting special treatment like this, Starlight accepted the offer, being given a second chance when she feels like she should rot alone and serve out what should have been a life sentence.

Dusk still felt lost after a couple days of living in a castle, but Emerald was always there to show him the way, even try to get him to play with her to help him feel a little better about his situation. Solaris gave him a guest room not too far from both his quarters and his daughter's bedroom, making him feel as comfortable as possible, and whatever he needed, he can ask him, Trill, or one of their servers. It was different compared to his smaller room back in the town he grew up in: much bigger space, a personal bathroom, a bed that was much softer than his old mattress with silk sheets and a comforter made of wool, pillows as soft as clouds, a couple dressers if he ever had any clothes to put away, and a window with a great view of the city of Canterlot down below. He was going to be learning a whole lot of different things his mother prevented him from knowing under her philosophy for all fifteen years of his life, which both excited him and made him anxious. Including magic as he subconsciously rubbed the inhibitor band around the base of his horn, keeping it on in case he grew frustrated and had a magic surge from his under-developed magic.

"Psst. Dusk," Solaris said with a light whisper. It was early in the morning, almost near six as Dusk grumbled and stirred in his sleep. "Wake up, Dusk." The alicorn gently nudged the teen awake. Roused from his sleep, Dusk squinted his eyes, letting out a questioning murmur. "I know it's a little bit early, but Spring Break is over and Emmy's gotta get ready for school."

"...Ok?" Dusk mumbled, confused and still half-asleep. "...Why are you waking me up?"

"Well, I have some important business to attend to today, and even though Trill's going to take Emmy to school today, I was thinking you'd like to join them and see the city," Solaris suggested. Dusk sat up, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "Plus, if we're both too busy on weekday mornings, you could help us by taking Emmy to school. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but it could help us if something came up unexpectedly."

"...Yeah. I...I think I can do that," Dusk said. He got up out of bed, stretching out his limbs. "Shouldn't be too hard. And if I have to make it up to you all for staying here, I guess I can foalsit Emerald while living here."

"You don't have to owe us anything," Solaris reassured the teen, telling him numerous times that his stay didn't need any sort of payment or favor to "freeload" in his castle. "Get yourself motivated and I'll have Trill come get you when they're ready to leave."

"Ok." Solaris left Dusk's room, leaving him to wake himself up and prepare himself for a tour of Canterlot.

Dusk walked into his bathroom, turning on the faucet, and splashed some cold water on his face to wake up more. After he dried his face, he looked in the mirror, his hair a ragged mess, but that didn't matter to him since he was staring at his horn the most. Since his first use of magic, he was afraid of using it again if he could do a lot worse, or cast the same kind of spells his mother used on everypony back at home. He was thankful for the little band around the base of his horn Solaris gave him after that small surge, though it did look a little silly on him. Mussing around his bedhead, he managed to hang his bangs over the base of his horn, concealing the band enough so no one would see as long as he didn't flip his hair while moving his head too much.

"Dusk, you ready yet?" Trill called out.

"Yeah, I'm ready!" Dusk responded, turning off the water and left his room, where Emerald had her saddlebags on and ready to go back to school.

Trill and her happily skipping daughter led Dusk through the castle, out to the main gates, and into the city proper. Seeing the taller, more clumped up buildings up was close was much scarier than viewing it all from the air. At least he didn't have claustrophobia, otherwise he would have thought the city would close in on him and suffocate him. He was a little nervous when he saw some of the ponies up and about at this time of day, some on their way to work or nobles taking an early morning stroll before going about their errands. He tried waving to some who glanced their way, only for the richer elites to respond with a scoff, turning away with their noses sticking straight up in the air.

"Ignore those kinds of ponies," Trill said, having heard the rude snob and saw the dejected look on the young stallion's face. "It's not like your home where everyone's a friend. Best make some friends around your age, and nowhere near first class nobility."

"Yeah. Most rich ponies can be very rude," Emerald chimed in with an angry pout. "Like Gold Plate and Platinum Band."

"Uhh...who?" Dusk asked.

"Two colts in her class," Trill said. "And they're rude little brats who bully Emerald and her friend. They were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and it shows like the rest of these stuffy adult brats." Some nobles gasped, appalled when they overheard the changeling princess talk about them. She looked at them, meaning to say it out loud to make her point. "Yeah, I'm talking about rich bums like you! If you weren't 'busy' counting your bits from stocks, investments, and Celestia-knows-what, maybe you'd get rid of the 'rich, arrogant, cheapskate' stereotypes you keep proving 'the help' right when you think bits are more important than others less fortunate than you!"

"Well, I never!" one of the noble mares exclaimed with a huff.

"The prince will hear about this, shapeshifter!" a noble stallion threatened.

"Go ahead! He's my husband!" Trill argued back with a smug grin. "And just so you know, he's just as irritated with all your whining when you complain about trivial matters like territory and business wars that should be handled OUTSIDE the castle, not in important meetings involving Equestria's future!" That got the small number of nobles to scoff and storm off bitterly, Trill waving them all off while Emerald giggled. Dusk was a little confused, never expecting someone of royalty to be this rude to their subjects, even if the nobles were haughty and rude themselves. "I know I'm gonna get an earful from Solly if he finds out, but it'll be worth it."

"Umm...aren't you...abusing your power by talking down to them?" Dusk asked nervously.

"At least I'm not like my mother," Trill said, nonchalantly brushing off the colt's worries about how she behaves as a princess. "She tried to take over Canterlot by impersonating Solly's aunt and tricking his uncle into marrying her, using his love to defeat the former princesses and rule."

"Grandma's not bad anymore, though," Emerald piped in. "I wish she came over more. We could have lots of fun."

"...Right," Dusk mumbled.

They reached the school, other parents or guardians dropping off other foals. Dusk wondered how the colts and fillies were able to be handled with so many of them, only to feel silly when there are several teachers keeping tabs on a certain number in the many classrooms inside. As Emerald skipped ahead of her mother and Dusk, her joyful steps quickly skid to a halt when she saw Gold Plate with his mother, Diamond Tiara. He rich colt noticed the young princess, both foals leering at each other.

"Gold, don't even start today," Diamond warned. The colt let out a huff and turned away with a pout, hearing Emerald blow a raspberry at him, irking him more. "And I don't want to hear from your teacher you're getting into fights with a princess again. Behave yourself, or else."

"Ha ha, you'll get in trouble if you pick on me~!" Emerald mocked.

"And don't instigate, missy," Trill added, making the filly wince and quickly stopped. "Sorry. Emerald was so excited to go back to school, but with your boy giving her first day a hard time, especially when she got back home-"

"Don't worry. I gave Gold Plate a stern talking to," Diamond interjected. "And Mrs. Smiley told me what he did on Hearts and Hooves Day. I planned for us to go on a cruise for Spring Break, but the little troublemaker doesn't deserve any leisurely fun if he doesn't keep acting like a bully to his classmates. And that victim happens to be the heir to Prince Solaris and Princess Trill, who we happen to be in the presence of the changeling princess at this very moment." She heavily emphasized Trill's royal status to her son, making the changeling mother's eyes roll. After giving Gold Plate her two bits, she looked back over to the royal family, just now noticing Dusk Shine as he silently listened in on them. "...Who are you?"

"...M-Me?" Dusk asked.

"This young colt is a guest of ours at the castle," Trill introduced, patting Dusk's back. "His name's Dusk Shine. He's from...out of town. WAAAAAY out of town."

"...I see," Diamond said.

"And since he's gonna be staying with us, he's offered to take Emmy to school if Solly or I ever get too busy," Trill added, waggling her eyebrows at the other mare, subtly hinting to other "tasks" the two might get into. "I'll tell you later if you're free today. I'm giving him a tour of the city."

"I have a couple hours to spare before checking into Canterlot's branch of Barnyard Bargains," Diamond said. "I heard you guys didn't make it back after that trip you had during the break."

"Ugh. Long story," Trill groaned.

The bell soon rang as the schoolponies filed into their classes. Before leaving, Trill introduced Dusk to Mrs. Smiley, letting her know that he would substitute for Solaris and herself to pick up and drop off Emerald, which she was fine with, knowing the royal couple's busy schedules. Trill continued guiding Dusk around as they left the school, getting his own bearings while the two mothers talked about the teen's home and what happened, Diamond promising to keep what she hears secret so Dusk didn't feel more alienated than he already feels.

Solaris arrived at his destination, though today, he wasn't on official royal business. He decided to pay a visit to the Crystal Empire and see his relatives. The guards allowed him access in the crystal palace, knowing him well as he made his way down the halls to find his aunt and uncle. While rounding a corner, Solaris bumped into someone, causing them both to grunt and fall back, several books the other pony carried scattering around them.

"Sorry about that," Solaris apologized. He sat up and rubbed his muzzle, helping pick up some of the books.

"Oh, Prince Solaris!" The other stallion the alicorn bumped into was Flurry Heart's Crystaler, Sunburst. The unicorn stallion still wore the same starry blue robe he's had since who knows how long, a pair of glasses on his muzzle, and though his mane and tail were still a bit of a mess, but he kept his goatee long and properly groomed. "I was unaware you would be visiting today!"

"Sunburst, you don't have to be formal around me," Solaris assured the older stallion. "You're practically family."

"I know. Force of habit when you talk to an alicorn who can use dragon fire in combat," Sunburst said with a nervous chuckle. "So, what brings you around?"

"I finally had the free time to come and visit, though I wish I could take Emmy to let her see the Crystal Empire and play with her cousin," Solaris said as both stallions picked up the rest of the scattered books. "I wanted to tell them how crazy of a Spring Break we had. And it wasn't all fun in the sun, either."

"Oh, well, you just missed them," Sunburst said. "Cadence had to take Shining Armor to the hospital."

Solaris grimaced. "Oh no. His forelegs flaring up in intense pain again?"

"Yeah. It was pretty bad. He could barely stand without his forelegs giving out on him from the pain," Sunburst said.

"Ugh. I know he tries to be tough, but if his injuries have been bothering them, he shouldn't keep hiding it," Solaris grumbled.

"Stubbornness seems to run on your side of the family," Sunburst chuckled. "When I tried to feed Flurry Heart mashed peas when she was a baby, she refused to eat it...then proceeded to snatch the spoon from me and paint me with several jars of her 'favorite' food."

"I'm not THAT stubborn," the alicorn muttered bitterly.

Sunburst laughed at the prince's response. The two made their way down the hall, the Crystaler leading the way as they returned the books he had back to the castle's library.

"So, what was so exciting about last week you were going to tell them?" Sunburst asked as he re-shelved the books.

"Well, it's hard to believe, but my family and I were held captive by somepony with really strange morals about cutie marks." The older stallion paused in his shelving, slowly turning to stare at Solaris with a bewildered look.

"Captured???" he asked. "...As in, held hostage?"

"Not at first. You've heard of rumors about ponies mysteriously disappearing without any trace for the last decade or so?" Sunburst nodded, wondering what that bit of news that had been going on for so long without any leeway on the missing ponies connected with Solaris and his wife and daughter's kidnapping. "Well, the leader there, Starlight Glimmer, was actually inviting ponies to stay in this village far on the outskirts of Equestria." Sunburst paused yet again as he listened to Solaris, finding the name of the pony familiar. "She had ponies living there give up their cutie marks with this made up staff, and replacing their flanks were these gray equal signs. She had one, too, but it was faked using makeup, hiding her real cutie mark from everypony. Everypony hit with this spell was basically equal: equal strength, basic levitation for unicorns, average flying speed for pegasi, and she lied to us when the 'staff' was just a stick, and she kept her magic so she could cast the spell to-"

"Hold on," Sunburst interrupted. "Did you say...the pony who kidnapped you was...Starlight Glimmer?"

"...Yes? Why?" Solaris asked curiously. "Do you know her?"

"I knew a Starlight Glimmer when I was a colt, but I haven't seen her since my family moved to Canterlot after I got my cutie mark," Sunburst said. "What does she look like?"

"She's a unicorn, her fur a sort of lightish-pink hue, like a heliotrope color, and her hair was a dark purple with aquamarine streaks." After describing the mare, Solaris noticed Sunburst's face went pale. "...And...that's exactly what your old, foalhood friend looked like, isn't it?"

Sunburst silently nodded, then began pacing around anxiously. "I-I-I can't believe...T-There's gotta be some mistake. Starlight isn't an awful pony," he muttered to himself. "M-Maybe...Maybe it was a different Starlight Glimmer?"

"I don't know if there's another pony with the same name, but she told me about a friend she had who got his cutie mark when they were stacking up books, she made them fall, he saved her and stacked them, getting his mark, then showed his parents and moved away the next day, completely forgetting about her and drove her to taking cutie marks and forcing followers to be equal." Solaris's long-winded summary of Starlight's "tragic" tale made Sunburst's orange face turn as white as the fur streak on his nose, his jaw hanging open in shock. "...Don't tell me...That's how you got your cutie mark?"

"YES!!!!" Sunburst screamed, driven into more panic and nearly making Solaris go deaf. Solaris rubbed his ringing ears, watching the Crystaler pacing and dancing about with anxiety at the realization that his long-lost friend had turned into a criminal. "Oh my gosh! Why did she do all of this!? Starlight's NEVER been awful!"

"Sunburst-" Solaris called out, but the older stallion didn't hear him.

"Did something happen while I was gone!? I know I didn't say goodbye when my parents made us move to-!" Sunburst let out a horrified gasp. "WHAT IF IT WAS MY FAULT!?"

"Sunburst." Again, Sunburst barely noticed Solaris trying to get his attention.

"If she missed me that badly, then it HAS to be my fault if she took other ponies' cutie marks, converted them into a mad cult of equality, and made her that desperate to force the likes of you or your family to join and prove a point about getting my cutie mark before her and making her feel miserable-!" Solaris grabbed the overreactive unicorn stallion, snatching off his glasses, then smacked him hard in the face, silencing his rambling.

"Sunburst! Get a grip, will you!?" the prince exclaimed. Sunburst blinked, instantly calming down as Solaris gave back his glasses. "You had no idea what Starlight got into when you two split up. She admitted she was hurt when you and your family left all those years ago, but she held onto that fear of rejection from new friends, and she made her life that way because of that."

"B-But still, because of me-" Sunburst said, but Solaris had his hoof held up, ready to slap him back to his senses. "Not panicking! Not panicking!"

"Then don't think that," Solaris reiterated. "I'm actually glad I managed to stop her before she could have done anything worse if she escaped. And she was going to drag her own son down such a dark road, and he was as innocent as the foals who were raised in that town she created."

"...She has a son???" Sunburst asked curiously, shifting his glasses so they fit back on his muzzle correctly. "Who...who is her husband?"

"She was a single mom. In a way that made her son, Dusk Shine, question the truth about what his life could have been, she got pregnant after a fling when she was out at a random bar with some random stallion. Even she doesn't know who the father was, and mentioning her own child, who was scared out of his mind and found out his own mother never conformed to her own ideals of equality, was an accident..." Solaris grimaced at the shock he saw on Dusk's face that day, yelling at Starlight and telling her he hated her for lying to him all his life, and that misinterpretation of him being an accident began to turn that tight bond the mother and son shared into a very thin thread threatening to snap. "...He was really upset with her."

"Starlight...said THAT...? To her own foal???" Sunburst questioned in shock, jaw hanging open while his glasses went slightly askew.

"I think she meant that going out to relax was an accident, and despite having conceived Dusk during that one night stand, she still cared about him regardless of who she was with that night," Solaris restated. "If she didn't snap and he snapped right back, Starlight would have tried to escape again and do something far worse if she sought revenge."

Sunburst slowly righted his glasses on his muzzle, taking this all in. It was hard to believe that an old friend in his foalhood, who he thought was always an innocent, happy-go-lucky filly, had turned into a depressed, power hungry, and almost psychotic dictator of equality because of him moving away after getting his cutie mark. Even thought Solaris kept reassuring him it wasn't his fault, part of him did feel responsible for sparking that ire toward cutie marks and the fear of losing a new friend within moments if she and any friends she wanted to make didn't find their marks at the same time.

"...Can I see her?" Sunburst asked.

"She's being held in the dungeons in Canterlot, and she's facing a life sentence," Solaris said, not surprised seeing how worried Sunburst looked. "Do you really want to see her again?"

"Of course I do! Since I was at Celestia's School For Magically Gifted Unicorns during my youth, I wondered how she was doing and if she found some other friends besides just me!" Sunburst said.

"You could have just written letters to each other while you were in Canterlot," Solaris said.

"Well, you have no idea just how prestigious that school was when it comes to its grading system, testing, and study sessions," Sunburst scoffed. "I mean, your own mother was in that very same school when she was a filly, from what Shining Armor has told me, and she was a straight A+ student. I had no time to myself, let alone write to Starlight and check up on her."

"And after you graduated?" Solaris questioned.

"I-I did try, but I didn't receive any letters," Sunburst answered. "I didn't know if she moved when I finally tried to get in touch with her, or if she just ignored me and didn't want anything to do with me." Solaris could see those possibilities being the reason after several years between them since Sunburst moved. And with Starlight's reluctance to make new friends, she didn't know where his family would have been staying during Sunburst's time studying at the the late princess's school, she never tried writing to him and might have moved away when she was old enough to leave her old home. "...She's...probably going to yell at me, but I want us to make up after I left her like that."

"Ok. If you're sure about this." Sunburst nodded without any hesitation, dead set on reuniting with Starlight.

Within minutes through a plume of magic smoke, Solaris teleported himself and Sunburst via dragon fire, appearing at the front entrance of the castle. Sunburst groaned a little at the strange sensation from teleporting through enchanted flames, though less queasy than the usual magic spell after getting used to it the first few times. After the slight wave of nausea passed, Sunburst followed Solaris toward the castle's dungeon. They soon approached the entrance, where the guard stationed there saluted to the prince."

"Good morning, Your Highness," the guard greeted. "Come to check on the prisoner?"

"Yes, and I'm bringing Sunburst with me," Solaris said. The guard gave the unicorn stallion a suspicious leer, tapping his spear against the ground. "He's a friend of the family. He's Flurry Heart's foalsitter and the Crystal Empire's royal Crystaler."

"...Really?" the guard questioned, squinting at the older stallion. "...He doesn't look like he'd be fit for watching a foal of any age."

"Can you keep an alicorn baby from unleashing all sorts of crazy magic surges while also flying around an entire castle?" Solaris asked the guard, continuing his questioning before the stallion could respond. "And need I remind you how much power an alicorn infant has compared to a unicorn's? Like full power magic beams unicorn wizards take DECADES to hone, and could burst through several meters of durable crystal structures, teleportation, magic barriers, and so much more on a never-ending list of spells that even exhaust myself if I tried unleashing that much magic for hours?" Solaris and Sunburst watched the guard's jaw drop as he processed the kind of power Flurry Heart had as a baby. He grimaced after a moment, then stepped aside. "I thought so. Just be lucky Emmy wasn't like that thanks to my baby-safe inhibitor bands."

"R-Right. My...apologies," the guard mumbled, shuddering in fear of an out of control alicorn baby blasting holes all around the castle.

Solaris nodded and entered the dungeons, taking the key to Starlight's cell hanging on the wall around the corner while Sunburst followed him. "Sorry about that, Sunburst," Solaris apologized as the duo headed down the stairs, entering the basement level and walking past the cells that held prisoners behind iron bars. Despite not being used, they were kept in relatively decent condition, sometimes used for those who might have caused trouble during a drunken spree and needed a safer environment to let the alcohol out of their system. "Although I will admit you don't look like the type of pony who watches foals for parents."

"I do a great job watching Flurry Heart, even if I had to keep her magic in check with the Fledgling's Forbearance spell," Sunburst muttered bitterly. "She says I'm the greatest foalsitter ever."

"Maybe when you finally decide to find a mare and have a kid of your own, you could be a great dad, too," Solaris added.

"Heheh...Ehhh, I think I'm a bit too...old now?" Sunburst responded sheepishly.

"You're only a few years younger than my uncle," the prince stated. "Better late than never. I bet somepony would like your intelligence, royal status among the family...your...beard?" Sunburst rubbed his luxurious goatee, humming curiously. "...Maybe add a combing to your mane and tail, and you'd look a bit more presentable."

At the far end of the hall was where Starlight Glimmer's cell was located. Sunburst began feeling anxious again as they got closer, and when they arrived, the cell the mare was in wasn't as cold or barren as they should feel. There was a small shelf with some books, a small lantern on a side table near the bed, where Starlight was currently laying in, which had a decent blanket wrapped around her and some padding on the hard, flimsy mattress to give the mare a little bit of comfort. Sunburst was a little confused by the extra features for a prisoner who committed really serious crimes, but seeing Starlight again after so long drowned any sense of logic for dungeon living conditions.

Solaris tapped on the metal bars, waking the slumbering mare with a groan. "Oh, great," she grumbled as she stirred under the covers. "Can breakfast wait for another hour?"

"It's me, Starlight," Solaris said. Starlight's ears twitched, curling herself more under the covers, turning her back to him. "Not much of a morning pony?"

"What do you want?" Starlight asked in a morose tone. "Did my son send you to send me a message?...I don't blame him if he's not ready to talk to me again."

"He just needs a little time to himself, figure out who he's supposed to be," Solaris said. "I know exactly how he feels. However, my calling in life was thrust on me out of the blue, and I had to adapt to my new life when my long, painful journey finally ended." Starlight remained silent, but her shifting told the two stallions that she was still awake. "If anything, I'm actually jealous of him."

"You're jealous of Dusk?" Starlight scoffed. "You're a prince, married to somepony you love, as weird as your relationship may be, you both had a filly, and she clearly adores you. How can you be jealous of my son, who I brainwashed into thinking cutie marks are bad and my village of equality was the perfect place to live?"

"He grew up with his mother," Solaris answered. Sunburst worried he was going to snap when he responded, but he remained calm despite everything Starlight did. "I never met my mom until I finally set my hooves outside of that cave I once called my home; I had to fight her and ethereal spirits of the Elements of Harmony as my first test. Sounds like quite a disturbing first meeting between a mother and child after being apart for fifteen years."

"...Sorry," Starlight mumbled apologetically, feeling ashamed to turn and look at him after hearing the depressing response.

"It might have been a brief few moments, but I'm at least grateful I finally got to see and talk to her before she faded back to the heavens," the alicorn continued. "I would give anything to be in your son's horseshoes, but I'm content with what I had. And for my daughter, I want her to grow up with both her parents who love her and will always be there for her. I had a family who raised me, and I will always honor their memory for everything they've done for me, but it never felt similar to being raised by a mother and a father, or even just one parent."

"...I guess...I wouldn't really know how that feels," Starlight said. She pulled the covers off of her, sitting up while staring at the wall across from her. Sunburst noticed she had a metal inhibitor around the base of her horn, completely dampening her magic prowess, and it wouldn't unlock without a specific key. "All I had was my dad before I left Sire's Hollow. My parents broke up when I was a teen, and I didn't care since I was still bitter about cutie marks ruining friendships...I bet he'd be real proud of me if he found out I was imprisoned for holding a royal family hostage, then to the daughter of Equestria's ruler while trying to flee." Solaris didn't approve hearing that, even though Starlight's sarcastic tone was meant to take it as a joke over her own stupid decisions that wound her up in more hot water. "So, did you come to make me feel awful? I know I'm going to be stuck in here the rest of my life with no parole."

"I brought someone to see you," Solaris said. "Someone who you haven't seen in what feels like forever?"

"What? Who could you have brought that-?" As Starlight turned her head to face Solaris, when she saw Sunburst standing beside him, she paused, staring at him in shock. She seemed to recognize him, mixed between hurt and excited as her wide eyes looked over the colt she knew all grown up. Ignoring her bedhead, she climbed off the bed and slowly approached the bars to get a better look. Sunburst nervously glanced around while looking back at Starlight on occasion, biting his lower while waiting for the inevitable tongue lashing he would get from his old friend. "...Sunburst?"

"Uhh...Y-Yeah," Sunburst said, giving Starlight a small, sheepish grin. "H-Hiya...?"

Struck with disbelief, Starlight rubbed her eyes, thinking she was still dreaming. She realized this really was happening when she opened her eyes, Sunburst still standing on the other side of the bars with Solaris. Her gazes shifted to the prince, completely baffled.

"...H-How...?" she asked. "...I didn't tell you his name."

"Irony, apparently," Solaris simply answered with a shrug. "I planned on telling my relatives in the Crystal Empire about what happened, but since my uncle had to go to the hospital when I bumped into Sunburst, I told him, and his reactions made it obvious."

Starlight was speechless, excitement, nervousness, and shame conflicting her expression as she looked back at her old friend. "...And...you told him...what I did?" she asked timidly. Sunburst nodded, making the elation she felt quickly turn into fear. Starlight looked away, staring at her hooves as she backed away from the bars slightly. "...Great...Just what I needed to make me feel like the worst creature in all of existence."

"I didn't bring him to make things worse for you," Solaris assured while Sunburst was shocked hearing Starlight felt like she was being punished with his presence. "You missed Sunburst, and he's told me about you two as foals and how much he's missed you."

"Doubtful," Starlight mumbled depressingly, turning away and climbed back into bed, hiding back under the covers.

Solaris sighed, taking the cell keys and unlocked the door. Sunburst thought Starlight would be happy to see him again, not miserable and broken. Solaris opened the door, snapping the older unicorn stallion out of his thoughts as he dragged him inside the cell via magic.

"Well, you two are going to make up for lost time, and this will help you both in the long run," Solaris said, slamming the door shut once Sunburst was inside. Sunburst's jaw dropped when he turned around, watching the alicorn lock the cell door, then step back while twirling the keys around in his hoof. "You two can talk civilly, scream and argue, whatever you both need to say to get off your chest and rekindle the lost relationship you had when you two split. So until you two make up, Sunburst is staying in this cell with you."

"W-What!? Solaris, are you crazy!?" Sunburst exclaimed, Starlight sitting up in just as much shock as the stallion forcibly locked in with her, who approached the bars and stuck his head through the bars. "We can talk civilly from between the bars! This won't help us if you lock me in with her!"

"Sunburst, my wife is a nymphomaniac changeling who might not have been as crazy as Aunt Pinkie or Cherry Pie, but I've never felt more sane in my life," Solaris said with a smirk, leaning back against the wall as he kept his eye on the two unicorns. "Just try not to physically harm each other, otherwise I will have to intervene."

"I'm not a violent pony!" Sunburst exclaimed. Seeing Solaris wasn't going to budge, Sunburst muttered to himself bitterly, wishing he had more magical potential in him to learn how to teleport, or even magically pick the lock to the cell. He turned his head, seeing Starlight was just as peeved, and when they looked at each other, that leer disappeared and she looked away from him in shame. Left with no choice, they were going to have to talk about their issues and be friends again, even though Starlight was going to stay locked away for the rest of her life. Taking in a deep breath, Sunburst approached Starlight. "...So...Uhh, how've you been?"

Starlight pouted, her leer returning, though toward Sunburst from such a dumb question. "I'm serving a life sentence. How do you think I'm doing?"

"I-I...didn't mean..." Sunburst stammered, feeling terrible asking a prisoner how life behind bars fared them, knowing it wasn't a good feeling.

Starlight sighed heavily, pawing at her mattress while staring at the ground. "...I've messed my life up, and I know I'm never going to get out. Even with good behavior," she muttered. Sunburst began feeling more guilty, keeping his mouth shut to avoid angering or upsetting Starlight more than she already is. They sat in silence for a moment more before Starlight spoke up again. "...You never said goodbye..."

"...I know," Sunburst mumbled apologetically.

"Do you?" Starlight questioned. "You moved away the next day after you got your cutie mark."

"You think I had a choice?" Sunburst questioned right back. "My mom always had a plan for everything about my future. You know how stubborn she is about that. I barely had time to pack my stuff when she already had it ready for me and thrust the news on me when she woke me up early in the morning."

"Then maybe you should have stopped by and told me you were going to move and we wouldn't see each other anymore," Starlight said bitterly.

"I wasn't able to think of that when I was abruptly woken up, still tired, then went back to sleep on the train ride to Canterlot," Sunburst argued, slowly getting frustrated being blamed for making decisions out of his control. "I barely had time to try to get in contact with you while I was enrolled in Celestia's School For Magically Gifted Unicorns with all my studies, exams, practicing magic spells I could either barely pull off or failed to cast at all! I sent you some letters after I graduated and could do whatever I wanted without being pressured by exams."

"...You...did?" Starlight asked.

"Yes! Didn't you check your mail back in Sire's Hollow?" he asked.

Starlight grimaced, muttering incoherently while rubbing her forehooves timidly. "...N-No...I...I guess I moved away when you did, so..."

Sunburst sighed heavily. "You didn't read them after all," he mumbled. "Did you at least try to find other friends while I was gone?"

"By force or legitimately?" Starlight asked with a sheepish laugh.

Solaris shook his head, not only feeling sorry for the mare for her fear of making new friends after Sunburst left, but he found it ridiculous that she would resort to forcing others to be her friend like she did with the ponies in the village she created. "Not even one friend?" Sunburst asked.

"No...I-I couldn't!" Starlight exclaimed. "I was afraid of making new friends and then losing them after they get their cutie mark before I did! Even when I got mine, I still felt worried my new friends would just go away and completely forget about me like you did! So I tricked a bunch of gullible ponies to believe me when I hated cutie marks, because I really did believe they tore friendships apart!" She began tearing up, venting out more of her pain she'd bottled up for years to the only pony she had once relied on in her youth. "And when I started getting more followers, I got careless when I took a break away from leading everypony, got pregnant when I relaxed at some bar in Canterlot, and had a son whom I taught about how terrible cutie marks were and hiding him away from the rest of Equestria because I didn't want him to get just as hurt as I did, but I only hurt him more by dragging him along in my escape, and he hates me because I told him he was an accident when I really do love him and I don't want him to leave me too!"

The dam finally broke, Starlight beginning to sob as worst-case scenarios of her son despising her and leaving her alone came to the forefront of her mind. Solaris knew it had only been a week since Starlight was arrested, but to her, it must have already felt like years had passed. Even though he allowed her visits from Dusk while also being told over and over again that he needs some time alone to sum up the courage to face her again, the solitude and lack of knowing how much time passed while held behind bars had broken the hope she was given before leaving the town. Solaris will have to try to convince Dusk Shine to see his mother every now and then so she doesn't feel like she was an awful mother, but it's all up to the teen to decide in the end.

Sunburst felt pity for Starlight. Even though he had no foals of his own, Flurry Heart looks up to him like a second father, but he'd rather call himself the nerdy uncle while she was her unrelated niece. He couldn't imagine how hurt Starlight felt after all these years, and to hear a parent's child tell them they hate them and resent them, especially for something the parent didn't mean to say, it felt far more painful than a buck to the face. His moving away was the spark that made her believe in losing her friends faster than she could blink, only made worse as she continued adding more ponies to her cult of equality, holding Solaris and his family hostage while conforming them to her ways, and lying to her son about hiding her real cutie mark, forcing him to stay with her as they attempted to flee, and blurting out the wrong words to say that caused Dusk to question her beliefs, his birth, and what life he could have had if he didn't follow her every word and lesson.

Sunburst gently reached a hoof out to her, pulling her into a comforting hug, which she immediately accepted, wrapping her hooves around him tightly and cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, rubbing her back while letting her cry it out. Starlight calmed down after a few minutes, part of her dreading to leave Sunburst's embrace as she wiped her tears with her hoof. "I should have tried to reach out to you years ago. If I did, maybe this wouldn't have happened to you."

"I wish you never left," Starlight mumbled. "...I really missed you."

"Me too," Sunburst said. "If my mom didn't force us to move, we could have stayed friends forever." He then sighed, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his muzzle. "She's even tried to set me up on dates with other mares to get me to start a relationship, get married, and have foals. Always planning SOMETHING for me, and most of them are so uncomfortable that I've been avoiding all the letters she sends to me."

"Maybe it was your mom's fault all this time," Starlight joked with a sniffle. That got Sunburst to laugh a bit, as well as her. Solaris smiled, seeing things were working out better than he anticipated. Starlight then let out a small sigh. "At least you have your career as a great unicorn wizard you talked about when we were foals. I ruined mine by moping and plotting to turn all of Equestria into a kingdom of equality with matching cutie marks and no special talents."

"It could have been worse," Sunburst said. "You could have tried to go back in time and get revenge, altering history to your liking and changing the present." Starlight gave Sunburst a blank stare while Solaris was just as deadpanned, not wanting him to plant any insane ideas to a mare who could have made that possible if the inhibitor wasn't locked around her horn. "...Heheheh...Just a...theory."

"I'm already in enough trouble as it is. No thanks," Starlight grumbled.

"Sorry," Sunburst apologized.

Seeing they made up enough, Solaris unlocked the cell, allowing Sunburst out. "Alright, I think visiting hour's up for you, Sunburst," the alicorn said.

Starlight was a little disappointed, but she quickly stopped Sunburst before he approached the door. "Sunburst?...Can you...stop by some more? Or...?" She glanced at Solaris, swallowing the lump in her throat as she hoped she'll accept. "...Or...we can write letters to each other?"

"I can allow that," Solaris said, making the mare grin excitedly. "But if Sunburst visits, I'm going to have to keep a watch on you two."

"I'm not going to hurt him," Starlight argued.

"It's not that. I noticed that look in your eyes when you saw him for the first time in ages, and your tail was trying desperately not to flag as it twitched up and down before you went back into a depression." Sunburst balked while Starlight blushed heavily, the mare stammering while trying to counter his argument. "I've been around Trill for too long to know certain signs telling me how 'excited' she isn't feeling, and whether it's because you expected a conjugal visit from Sunburst or you secretly harbored a crush on him, my best guess is on the latter."

Both unicorns gaped in shock, Sunburst's glasses beginning to fog up from the heated blush glowing on his cheeks. Starlight blushed even harder, curling her tail underneath her, her silence and embarrassment making Solaris laugh and proving his guess close or spot on. Sunburst quickly left the cell, stammering slightly while Solaris locked Starlight's cell back up.

"I-I'll...definitely write to you...And if I'm not too busy with foalsitting, I-I'll come visit" Sunburst said while Starlight uttered a squeak and nodded. "O-Ok. B-Bye, Starlight."

"B-Bye," Starlight uttered.

As the two stallions left the dungeons, Sunburst cleared his throat, feeling it constantly closing up in nervousness after knowing Starlight had had feelings for him deeper than just being friends. "D-Does Starlight...? D-Did she really...?"

"She didn't," Solaris snorted. "I was messing with her. But, after the way she reacted..." He smirked, watching the Crystaller get more flustered. "Just so you know, there is going to be no conjugal visits if you two do decide to hook up via long-distance relationship."

"R-Right. I-I mean, obviously," Sunburst stammered. "C-Can we just...change the subject, please?"

After returning to the castle, Dusk had a bit of a better layout of the city, though he had to hear Trill gossiping with Diamond Tiara about everything. He didn't know if mares loved to talk about miscellaneous things all the time all over Equestria, but it was a bit boring hearing them talk about jewelry, random stories about their foals, even cringing as Trill nonchalantly talked about her sex life with a random friend. He'd rather go out in the city by himself and pick up Emerald now than go through that again, and school for her only just started an hour and a half ago.

As Trill and Dusk entered the massive foyer, they found Solaris and Sunburst meeting them halfway. "Sunburst? Surprise seeing you here," Trill greeted. "And Solly, I thought you were going to visit Cadence and Shining Armor."

"I thought he was doing some important royal business," Dusk said. "That 'important business' was...meeting friends?"

"Heh. Well, family, actually, but they're the rulers of the Crystal Empire in the Frozen North," Solaris answered sheepishly. "I was going to tell them what happened, but Uncle Shining was taken to the hospital."

Trill grimaced, unable to imagine the sharp spike of pain he must be feeling in his forelegs that needed immediate medical care. "Ouch. At least it wasn't cracking your head against a wall." Solaris frowned, once again being reminded of that incident many years ago. "And Sunburst is here, why?"

Solaris growled, then sighed irritably, moving on and making sure to give Trill a stern scolding for bringing up what could have been one more tragic loss in his life. "I told Sunburst about Starlight, and ironically, he knew her when they were foals."

Trill's jaw hung open in shock, slowly glancing over at the unicorn stallion. "...Starlight Glimmer?" she questioned. "The same mare who stole ponies' cutie marks, created a cult of equality, and held us hostage and kidnapped our daughter?"

"Yes. They used to be friends, and Sunburst wanted to see Starlight again and make up for leaving her when he and his folks moved away," Solaris summarized.

Curious, Dusk approached Sunburst. "You knew my mom?"

"Your mom?" Sunburst asked, realizing that this colt must have been Starlight's foal.

"Yeah. This is Starlight's kid: Dusk Shine," Solaris introduced. "Dusk, this is an old friend of your mother's: Sunburst. He lives in the Crystal Empire with my relatives and watches my cousin for them sometimes."

Sunburst reached his hoof out to shake Dusk's, but the teen looked skeptically at him. "An old friend?" he questioned. "Another pony mom tricked and stole their cutie mark, but let him recruit more 'friends' for her lies?"

"Uhh, I'm sorry?" Sunburst asked, highly confused. Before he could ask why he'd think that, Dusk dashed over to the stallion's side and lifted up his cloak to see his equal sign cutie mark, startling Sunburst. "Whoa, hey!"

His leer disappeared into surprise when he saw Sunburst's cutie mark: a sun with blue diamond sparkles around it as it shone a few rays of light. "A...unique cutie mark?" Dusk uttered. Sunburst quickly, but gently, snatched back his cloak and covered himself back up, feeling self-conscious when ponies normally don't wear clothes to hide their flanks, rumps, or undersides. Solaris, Trill, and Sunburst gave Dusk an odd look, making him feel nervous like he did something wrong and was going to get punished. "...I-I'm sorry...I-I thought that..."

"Uhh, n-no big deal," Sunburst assured Dusk, straightening his beloved outfit. "I kinda don't blame you after what I heard you go through."

"Sunburst, just take off the stupid cloak," Trill chided the stallion. "We don't need to wear clothes, so who cares if somepony gets a sneak peak at your junk? Everypony looks."

"I-I prefer to have some modesty!" Sunburst exclaimed.

"Like in the bathroom or the bedroom with your special somepony," Trill argued, then used her magic to try to strip Sunburst out of his cloak. "Just take this thing off and let some air in down there!"

"H-Hey! Cut it out, Trill!" Sunburst yelled, clutching onto his clothing desperately.

"What, are you tiny or hung down there that it's embarrassing!?" Trill asked, mostly out of curiosity as she tried to get a peek and also goad Solaris into getting jealous, which his reaction was anything but with his deadpanned glare.

"Solaris, please stop her!" Sunburst begged. "She doesn't understand that some ponies don't like being indecent in public!"

Solaris levitated his wife away from the frazzled Crystaler, flicking her horn before she tried to use her magic to flip Sunburst's cloak over his head, then pinned her down to the floor. "Ooh, are we gonna show Dusk Shine how we 'wrestle'? And out in the open?" Trill teased. Dusk blushed and turned away, not wanting to witness them "wrestle" in the middle of the foyer. "Maybe if Sunburst takes off the dumb cloak, he might feel what it's like for a mare to-"

Solaris lunged his head down and bit Trill's neck, making her gasp in surprise. She was about to tease him, only to pause and cease her squirming when she felt the heat from his mouth grew more intense, almost like he was about to singe her neck. She knew he wouldn't do anything like that to severely hurt her, but his display of dominance immediately got her to shut up and behave herself. The alicorn detached his teeth from Trill's neck, then nipped her ear, getting her to whimper, but stayed compliant to his silent demands.

"Go to our room, and prepare yourself," he advised with a growl, making the changeling's tail and ears twitch with a shudder. "And this is for punishment, not pleasure. Understand, dear?"

"Y-Yes," she uttered.

Solaris gave Trill a hard slap, echoing throughout the foyer as he struck her rump, making her yelp, followed by more whimpers as he bit down on her ear a bit harder. "Yes what?" he questioned, digging his hoof firmly into her cheek, warning her of the next slap that'll have a bit more oomph than the last.

"Y-Yes, my prince. I understand," Trill said.

"Good," Solaris uttered. "You have five minutes." Standing back up, Solaris then blew a stream of green flames on his beloved, transporting her to their room. Almost forgetting they had an audience, Solaris saw Dusk's disturbed, blushing face and Sunburst's relieved gaze, though he seemed just as bashful as Dusk after what they both witnessed. "...Heh. Best get used to Trill's antics. She's constantly a tease and...'really affectionate' at the worst of times, but she's got a good heart and knows the right things to say...when she's not being a nuisance."

"...R-Right," Dusk mumbled. "I-I...I actually thought you two were going to..." He awkwardly tapped his hooves together, his blush glowing brighter. "...R-Right out here..."

"We keep it in the bedroom. Don't worry about that," Solaris reassured. "And we soundproof our room so no one can hear us from outside. She can be a bit loud."

"Over a decade living in a castle, and her manners and behavior are worse than a teenage filly's," Sunburst grumbled.

"I know. Still working on her obedience when I'm not going to promise rutting her into unconsciousness," Solaris said with a chuckle. "I'll teleport you back to the Crystal Empire so you can plan out your next visit to Starlight."

"Please do," Sunburst said. Solaris took in a deep breath, but when the unicorn stallion looked over at Dusk, who was in the process of trying to think of something other than imagining Solaris and Trill's bedroom activities, he stopped the alicorn. "Wait, hold on a second. I want to talk to Dusk for a little bit." Solaris exhaled sans the green flames, looking at the colt, who was a little startled by Sunburst's request, then back to Sunburst and gave him a nod. Sunburst walked over to Dusk, gulping nervously as the expected a scolding for rudely checking his cutie mark and accusing him for his mother's actions he clearly had no involvement in. Instead of getting punished, Sunburst held his hoof back out to him like before. "Since I'll be visiting Starlight once in a while, we'll probably be crossing paths. So, if you ever want to know more about me or your mom, you can ask me whatever you want. Sound good?"

Dusk was speechless, staring at Sunburst's hoof. "...Umm...ok, I guess?" he finally said, grasping Sunburst's hoof and shook it nervously.

"Great!" Sunburst said. "Oh, and, don't be too harsh on your mom for what she's done. She got upset that her first friend, I.E. me, moved away without telling her, and being so young, she took my moving very seriously and thought cutie marks ruined friendships. Sometimes, foals can experience something that doesn't sound troubling to adult or anypony else, but to them, it is, and it can stick with them for years. Starlight made a lot of bad choices, but she does care about you a lot."

"I-I know...But, she lied to everypony...To me," Dusk uttered.

"Well, you could have a much more overbearing mother controlling every little thing in your life," Sunburst said. "My mom did that, and I avoid making any contact with her so I don't have to hear her ramble on about me being single or finding a nice mare to settle down with and give her five grandfoals." Dusk raised a brow, confused and amused by hearing about Sunburst's mother and tried controlling his life since the day he was born. "I mean, I love her, but I swear it can get frustrating hearing her crazy plans when I'm a full-grown adult and can do whatever I please."

"Did you try asking her to stop?" Dusk asked curiously.

"...Uhh...no," Sunburst said nervously, a little surprised to hear his own advice for the colt turning back around to him. "I'll write to her, but if she keeps going, I should...probably visit and explain. If that doesn't work, then...I'll try to figure out what to do from there." Sunburst rubbed the back of his neck, dreading making plans to visit his mother, but focused back on Dusk and his own issues. "But don't be like me and ignore your mother. She's a great mom if she's been able to take care of you, even if she thought she was protecting you from suffering the same pain she had growing up. You mean the world to her."

"...Yeah," Dusk mumbled, slowly nodding his head.

Sunburst gently patted Dusk's shoulder, reassuring him that things will turn out better between him and Starlight if he talked with her some more. After their talk was done, Sunburst walked back over to Solaris, giving the alicorn a nod, and was transported back to the Crystal Empire via dragon fire. Solaris approached Dusk after watching the enchanted smoke rush out of the castle.

"Do you want to see your mom now? I know it's only been a week, but being trapped in an enclosed room for that amount of time made her a bit miserable," Solaris said.

Dusk looked up at Solaris, then down to his hooves. "...I...I'm not ready yet," he uttered.

"Hey, no pressure, Dusk," Solaris reassured. "I just wanted to let you know how your mom was doing. Seven days can feel like an eternity for some." Dusk gave him a nod, understanding him, though he was still reluctant to have another chat with his mother. "Ok. Did Trill give you a good walk around the city?"

"Mhmm," Dusk mumbled with another nod.

"Great. So, you think you can pick up Emmy today for us? I need to teach Trill some more lessons about respecting ponies' personal spaces if they're not as self-confident as she is," Solaris said.

"...Umm...S-Sure," Dusk responded, his blush returning while sheepishly twiddling his hooves.

"Excellent. We'll probably be a few hours," the alicorn said with a sly chuckle. "Her time's up. See you and Emmy at dinner!"

Solaris teleported away to his bedroom to deal with his wife, leaving Dusk to himself. "...Well, what am I supposed to do for the next few hours?" he asked himself, his thoughts slowly drifting to what Solaris was going to do to Trill before quickly shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts. "Gah! Maybe a walk around the castle will clear my head. How does that changeling always talk about sex so casually without getting embarrassed???"

Dusk's First Friend

The weekend. A time for relaxing from all the stress of hard work during the week. And for Emerald, a small break from school and away from the two bullies who like to pick on her. She wanted to do some more learning, and if she wasn't going to gain more knowledge at school, she'll continue studying at home.

Out in the garden, Emerald stared intensely at a few blocks in front of her, each one varying in different weights. Dusk sat beside her, somewhat bored while idly toying with his inhibitor ring as he practiced the basics with his own magic with the hybrid filly. It felt boring to the teenager to learn basic levitation with blocks, but he didn't want to lose control of his magic, especially if he wound up getting frustrated or upset.

"Ok. I can do this," Emerald mumbled to herself. Taking in a deep breath, she scrunched her face and let out a strained grunt as she lit up her horn. She telekinetically grabbed one of the blocks in her emerald green aura, one of the lightest ones, and made it float up a few inches off the ground. "That's one. Now for another." Emerald wrapped another block in her aura, this one a little bit heavier, lifting it up along with the first with a grunt. "T-Two...Keep...concentrating." She tried for a third block, straining harder as she puffed her cheeks and poured more magic into her horn. She held her breath and let out a strangled groan, barely lifting the third heavier block up an inch. Unable to hold it, she exhaled and dropped her aura, making the blocks she held fall while panting in exhaustion. "Darn it. Only the two lightest ones."

"You managed to get the third one a bit off the ground," Dusk said.

"Well, I'd like to see you try it." The teenage colt blankly stared at the blocks, lit up his horn, and with ease, lifted all the weighted blocks without any effort. Dusk then lazily made them float around Emerald, making the filly pout irritably. "Showoff."

"I already know how to pick up stuff with my magic. That's the first thing your dad taught me, and I picked up easily the first day," Dusk said. He dropped the blocks back down in front of the little princess, letting out a bored sigh. "My magic's supposed to be more developed, but no thanks to mom...I can't control my magic when I feel so emotionally conflicted now." Dusk put the inhibitor back on his horn before his emotions got the better of him. Letting out another sigh, he plopped down on his belly, staring miserably at the practice blocks. "I'll probably never feel any better even if I can get it under control...I'll be stuck wearing a plastic inhibitor ring on my horn for the rest of my life."

Feeling his sadness, Emerald moved closer to the dejected unicorn and nuzzled his neck. "Don't be sad, Dusky," she pleaded. "Maybe things will get better."

"I don't know," Dusk mumbled. "I doubt my life could get better. Everything I grew up in was a lie, I don't know anypony here, and I still feel so lost in this city and your castle. And what's worse: I don't have a cutie mark while everypony my age had theirs when they were only a few years older than you."

"Maybe you have a special talent in magic," Emerald said. Stopping her nuzzling, she approached the magic training blocks and grabbed one with her hooves. "It's really strong, and you accidentally blew up your Dragon Pit game. You could be a wizard."

"Great. Maybe my cutie mark will be a giant explosion of magical energy," Dusk sarcastically said. "That'll be a great talent: hurting everyone with magic, physically or psychologically. Like mother, like son."

Emerald frowned as she dropped the block, turning away from the disgruntled young stallion. "Not if you keep being a big grumpy grump."

Dusk grumbled at the comment, wondering who the bigger grump was when the filly was being just as sour. He was about to argue with her, but was interrupted when he heard several hoofsteps hurriedly sprinting against the stone walkway near the castle.

"Hurry, we're gonna be in for it!" a stallion said.

Dusk glanced at the path, catching a glimpse of a couple stallions who seemed to be around his age racing off somewhere. "What was that?" he asked curiously. "Who were they?"

"I don't know. Let's go see!" Emerald flapped her wings and flew after the stallions.

"H-Hey, wait!" Dusk called out as he chased after her. "Your dad wanted you to keep practicing your levitation!"

Dusk sometimes wondered how Solaris and Trill were able to keep up with a filly this fast. He didn't know how hard it was for parents who had a pegasus foal since the foals he grew up around were all under his mother's equality spell, their energetic bouts of flight much slower than a normal foal's. Thankfully, they didn't round a lot of corners as he could see the sprinting ponies up ahead, only to quickly skid and turn into a bigger field on the other side of the garden area. Emerald came to a stop, landing on the ground and peeked behind a column, causing Dusk to skid and end up tripping, landing hard on his chest with a grunt. He grumbled as he sat back up, ready to give the filly an earful.

"Where in all of Canterlot were you two maggots!?" Dusk flinched as he heard an older stallion shouting around the corner. Nervous, he quietly approached the column Emerald was hiding behind, joining the princess and looked around it. They wound up in what appeared to be a huge training ground, most likely used for the guards for weapons training and the like. Standing at attention were a small group of young stallions close to or a little older than Dusk's age, and an older earth pony stallion, who must have been a war veteran with some battle scars on his face and forelegs. The veteran wore the royal guard gold armor without the helmet while the younger stallions wore nothing, and he was eyeing the two recruits who rushed to get here. "You two sorry sacks of fur and hide better have a good excuse for why you're late, because unlike what your schools teach you, I DO NOT TOLERATE MY SOLDIERS BEING TARDY!!!!!"

The two colts who were being yelled at were both pegasi. One was a light shade of sky blue with a short, windswept mane of white with dark blue streaks and an image of air being sliced for his cutie mark, the other with yellow-gold fur and a stylishly slicked back brown mane, this pegasus's cutie mark a mound of rock filled to the brim with gold. The first stallion seemed a bit nervous, but the other seemed too calm and aloof when they were being scolded at for being late.

"Sir, sorry, sir!" the first stallion said. "We got lost trying to find the training grounds, sir!"

"Lost!?" the drill sergeant questioned. "Do I have to draw a map for all my privates if you two can't even find your way to the latrines!?"

"To be fair, sir, this castle is pretty huge," the second stallion said, though far more casually than his more respectful friend. "I bet you got lost your first time here."

The veteran gave the aloof recruit the stink eye, the stunning silence making the others in line subtly grimace at the tardy soldier in training's lackadaisical response. "...Private Gold Digger, you're already on very thin ice with you and Private Skye Slasher being the last to arrive, and being 'fashionably' late. You respond to me with proper respect, or I'll make sure your mouth gets busy cleaning the latrines with nothing but your very own toothbrush for a month! Do I make myself clear!?"

"Sir, yes, sir," the cocky stallion said with a mock salute, his tardy buddy mentally facehooving while doing his best to stay at attention.

The sergeant sneered at Gold Digger, not in the least bit amused by the young stallion's smug, know-it-all grin. "...Get in line with the others...NOW!" Skye Slasher quickly joined the rest of his troop while Gold Digger nonchalantly trotted over to stand beside him. "This isn't a filly scout camp, maggots! When I say to fall in line, you HUSTLE and not waste my time! Understood!?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the recruits all responded, though Gold Digger remained silent, still bearing that cocky smirk.

"And thanks to your two tardy soldiers, my time's already being wasted!" the drill sergeant exclaimed angrily. "All of you start giving me fifty laps around the perimeter of these grounds, and you can thank Skye and Gold for the privilege of running those laps full gallop! Any of you trot or canter in your stride, everypony starts over from lap one! IS THAT CLEAR!?"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" the recruits exclaimed.

"NOW GET TO RUNNING!" Immediately, the recruits began running, sticking as close to the wall as possible to endure their punishment training. "No wings or magic! If I so much as catch any of your pegasi flapping your wings to get some extra distance, I'll be sure to put heavy weights on your backs to keep you grounded!"

Dusk and Emerald watched the recruits while the veteran guard continued berating them and threatening them to start over if they tripped over each other. Dusk was a bit confused as he was watching military training up close for the first time, already intimidated by the older stallion, and he wasn't being yelled at.

"Why does he put them down like that?" Dusk asked. "That doesn't sound motivating, but they're running anyway."

"Why don't we go ask him?" Emerald asked. Before Dusk could say no, the filly was already running out to the center of the field, avoiding a couple soldiers as they weaved around her, but kept their gallop to avoid restarting their laps. The unicorn teen let out a disgruntled groan, hoping they wouldn't get in trouble. "Hello, Mr. Guard!"

"WHO IN TARTERUS IS-!?" The drill instructor turned to face who was speaking out of turn, only to look down at where the source of the voice came from. Emerald grinned innocently as she looked up at the war veteran. "Oh. Princess. Hello, there." Dusk was surprised to see someone as aggressive and terrifyingly strict as this experienced soldier do a complete one-eighty, being calm and welcoming in the presence of the hybrid princess. "What are you doing out here? And where are your parents?"

"Mommy and daddy are busy with royal stuff," Emerald said, then pointed to Dusk hiding behind the column. "Dusky's watching me until they're done." The stallion looked over to where the teen was spying from. Dusk winced and quickly hid behind the pillar, fearing he was going to get yelled at for watching the veteran soldier training future soldiers of Equestria. "He's a bit shy."

"I can see that," he mumbled to himself.

"Why were you yelling at those stallions?" Emerald asked curiously. "I don't think they did anything wrong."

The soldier chuckled in amusement at the princess's curiosity. "Well, they actually didn't, but they're training to be soldiers," he explained.

"Getting yelled at is training?" the filly questioned.

"It's meant to brace them for any repercussions they'll get if they disobey my orders or act out of line when they're committed to focusing on their training," he said. "Being in the military, you need a strong resolve, proper discipline, respect for your fellow soldiers and commanding officer leading you. We work recruits hard to make them strong, and if one member of the group acts up, then the whole group is going to be punished until it's clear for all of them that being in the royal guard is a very serious duty."

"Ohhhh," Emerald uttered as she sank the knowledge in. "Is that why it's hard to get the other guards to laugh or move when they're guarding some doors?"

The stallion snickered at the filly's hilarious question. "Oh, trust me. Trying to stay that still and not get distracted by everything is harder than it looks," he said. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted some of the recruits getting exhausted and were slowing down. "Am I seeing you slowing down, private!?"

"S-Sir, no, sir!" the panting stallion answered.

"Move your legs, jelly jugs, or I'm counting that as your first lap! Don't think I'm not aware because our princess is here watching you slugs moving at the speed of molasses!" Emerald giggled at the veteran's barking, "motivating" the recruits not to slow down and start over to run even more until their limbs fell off.

"Yeah, slowpokes, keep running!" Emerald yelled out. "And if any of you trip, none of you get any dinner for a week!"

"Oooh, that's a good one," the stallion praised with an impish smirk. "You heard the little lady! Trip or stumble over your own hooves or each other, you aren't getting any dinner from the mess hall for a week!" The small glances the younger stallions gave while running were skeptical until their drill sergeant backed up the princess's order. They kept running, not wanting to be denied food after their first day of basic training. The sergeant looked down at Emerald and ruffled the filly's mane. "If you weren't a princess, you could make a great drill sergeant."

"Really?" the filly asked.

"Maybe. Just don't tell your parents." The sergeant gently nudged the princess back toward Dusk Shine. "Now, you run along back to your caretaker. I got a job to do, and I've got some more words a little filly like you shouldn't be hearing."

"Ok!" Emerald flapped her wings and began making her way back to Dusk, stopping for a brief moment as Skye Slasher and Gold Digger were about to pass under her. "RUN FASTER! I've seen chubby bunnies hop faster!"

Skye Slasher snickered and shook his head without breaking his stride while Gold Digger grumbled at the princess barking orders at him. The sergeant continued his "motivational" shouting, keeping an eye on Emerald until he was sure the young princess was far out of earshot so he didn't say anything too demeaning or bad. The filly landed next to Dusk, who was still hiding, then dragged him back to the garden.

"I thought he was going to yell at you for getting in the way," Dusk mumbled.

"He's nice," Emerald said. "Wasn't that funny? I called them chubby bunnies."

"Yeah. Hilarious," Dusk said with a disgruntled sigh. "I don't understand how getting yelled at is good for military training."

"Because Mr. Guard said it teaches them respect and follow directions so they all work together," Emerald paraphrased.

"...I'm still not going to get it," Dusk mumbled.

The next few days went by in a blur. Thankfully, Emerald didn't try to run back to the practice field to watch the new recruits going through boot camp. Dusk passed a window overlooking the training grounds the day after witnessing the event, and he winced when he heard the sergeant screaming at the top of his lungs, spouting insulting names at the recruits who didn't do what he expected them to, or giving them humiliating nicknames. The one who seemed to be the most troublesome, Gold Digger, Dusk heard him being called "Goldilocks", and he continued badmouthing the older stallion and was given the "privilege" of cleaning the barracks' latrines with his toothbrush, like it was promised the day before. Dusk felt sick to his stomach, unable to imagine crouching down on a dirty floor and be forced to use his own toothbrush to clean every single tile and expected to use it again after that. Thank goodness his mother didn't try to raise an army to overthrow every single pony in Equestria with equality, although he didn't know how well that would go with her "soldiers" being weaker than an actually trained army.

He went through his usual morning routines of waking up early, not much of a morning pony as he feels more tired waking up before the crack of dawn, escorting Emerald to school on his own or with either Solaris or Trill, then going back to while away with some magic training or reading, and picking up Emerald when school was over for the day to watch her until dinner. It was a Friday today, but it was still a slug of a morning for Dusk. Tiredly waking up to his alarm, he smacked the annoyingly ringing bells to silence, then forced himself to sit up in his bed. He didn't care about messing with his mane as he shambled out of bed and waited outside in the hall for Emerald.

The hybrid princess came out of her room, up bright and early with her saddlebags and a bounce in her step. "Morning, Dusky!" Emerald greeted. Dusk just let out a mumbled, half asleep grunt before slowly trekking down the hall. Emerald ran to catch up with him and walked by his side. "Somepony's a bit grumpy this morning."

"I hate mornings," Dusk grumbled, followed by a loud yawn and a quick shake of his head to keep himself awake.

"You'll get used to it," Emerald said.

The two left the castle after the long walk from their bedrooms to the front gates. Emerald skipped merrily beside Dusk, humming a little tune, apparently excited for today. Dusk had no idea what it was, but he knew she was looking forward to the sleepover she was going to have with some of her friends tomorrow since he was going to be chaperoning. He was too tired to care right now, wanting nothing more than to lie back in bed and keep sleeping until noon. They finally reached the school, the teen dropping the princess off, then slumping back off to the castle. After being up for almost twenty minutes, he wasn't going to go back to bed at this rate, so he might as well just stay up. But he needed a bit of a pick-me-up to wake him up a bit more.

Dusk noticed a cafe nearby, where some early morning patrons were either relaxing with their caffeinated beverage inside or taking it to go to start their day off before going to work. He's seen Solaris sipping some coffee in the mornings to wake him up, and he did have a few bits on him from the prince for watching Emerald for them like an allowance. Dusk shrugged and shambled inside, waiting in line behind a few ponies while the scent of freshly blended coffee beans wafted in the air. Just the aroma inside the restaurant was starting to wake him up, and before he knew it, he was up next at the counter.

"Mornin', hon," a middle-aged mare at the other end of the counter greeted. "What can we make for you?"

"Uhh...just a small coffee," Dusk said. "And...maybe a bagel."

"Want some cream or sugar for your coffee, hon?" the mare asked. Dusk didn't know, and the uncertainty showed the employee that this was his first time trying something strong. "Our coffee's got a bit of a kick for some ponies' taste buds, especially for colts around your age. I'll put in a few hits of creamer and sugar to sweeten it for you, and if you don't like it, I can remake it for you."

"Uhh...ok," Dusk said, paid for his order, and waited at another section of the long counter to pick up his early breakfast.

He watched the worker pour him his coffee, putting in a couple spoonfuls of coffee creamer and sugar before mixing it in the hot, black beverage, making it brighter and smelling a lot sweeter. "There you go, hon. Have a taste." Dusk silently nodded and took his beverage, taking a small sip for a taste test. He smacked his lips, still tasting the strong hint of blended dirt beans, but the cream and sugar made it tolerable to drink. Seeing his reaction, the mare nodded in satisfaction, then gave him his bag holding his bagel, along with a couple small pats of cream cheese and some plastic cutlery. "Have a good morning, hon."

"Thank you," Dusk said, then anxiously took off his inhibitor band to levitate his coffee in his magic while grabbing the paper bag with his mouth.

He felt a bit self-conscious taking off that plastic band, but the mare didn't seem to judge him, nor did anyone else. Taking calm breaths, he levitated his bag out of his mouth, took out his breakfast, spread some of the cream cheese on both halves, and ate his food on the walk back to the castle. He might want to sample any of that cafe's other pastries, and he's already acquired a taste for coffee after enjoying a few more sips.

Dusk finished his bagel and coffee before making it back to the castle, tossing his garbage in a bin, now wide awake and motivated to start his day. While making sure his inhibitor was on right, as he rounded a corner in the hall, he and another pony didn't notice each other as they smacked into each other. Dusk grunted, bumping his head against a soldier after clonking into a metal helmet, rubbing his sore head with a grumble.

"Ah! S-Sorry about that!" the soldier apologized.

"So much for the start of a decent day," Dusk muttered to himself. When he opened his eyes, he got a better look at the stallion, only to notice how familiar he looked. Standing before him was Skye Slasher in a guard's uniform, and he looked a bit sheepish after running into someone. "...Uhh..."

"I should have been paying attention to where I was going," Skye said, apologizing once again. "You good?"

"Yeah. Just...startled," Dusk said.

"Ok, good. Well, carry on, citizen," Skye said with a salute, then began to walk off. He suddenly paused, then turned around to look at Dusk again. "Wait a minute. I don't think Princes Solaris has open court today. How'd you get through the front gate?"

"I...live here?" Dusk answered.

Skye gave the unicorn a suspicious leer, then began marching back up to him. "You live here?" he questioned. "What exactly do you do?"

"I'm...Princess Emerald's foalsitter," Dusk answered nervously, feeling intimidated by the recruit.

Skye's gaze softened and turned to confusion. "Princess Emerald's...foalsitter?" he repeated. Slowly, Skye unfurled one of his wings, then pulled out a piece of paper hidden underneath his armor. Looking at the note, Skye Slasher's eyes shifted between what was written and the unicorn stallion in front of him. "Uhh...You're...Dusk Shine?" Dusk slowly nodded. Skye grimaced, then let out an embarrassed giggle as he put his note back under his armor. "Oh. Oh, gosh. Heheh. I am so sorry...a-again. I-I thought you were..."

"An intruder?" Dusk questioned.

"Yeah. Uhh, first day doing a patrol around the castle," Skye said. "I lost track of my superior I was ghosting to learn the ropes eventually. Got lucky taking a day off from doing harsh training with my drill sergeant, but I'm gonna get an earful at some point."

"The you're not doing a very good job training to be a royal guard," Dusk said with a blank stare.

"Heh. I'm just...really excited to finally live my dream...and also very nervous, but in a good way," Skye reasoned. "Oh, I'm Skye Slasher, by the way."

"I know," Dusk said. "Emerald and I...saw you and your friend running late and got in trouble last week."

"Oh. Didn't know you were watching us," Skye mumbled, then chuckled at his first day of training. "Princess Emerald's adorable. She called us 'chubby bunnies' that day. Diggs didn't seem to like that, but he can take being called a slug or a maggot? Unreal."

"Diggs?" Dusk asked.

"Well, I call him Diggs, but his name's Gold Digger," Skye explained. "You just just call me Skye. Or Slash. Whatever works for you."

"Umm...ok, then," Dusk mumbled.

"Private Skye!" a voice called out from around the corner Skye came from. The recruit flinched, quickly turning around with a firm salute as another guard walked around to find him. The soldier let out an irritated huff, being the superior the pegasus teen mentioned as he approached the pegasus. "For goodness sakes, kid. I look away for one second and you wander off."

"Sir, sorry, sir!" Skye exclaimed, trying to apologize while being respectful to the more experienced guard.

The guard let out a sigh and shook his head in disdain. "I don't get paid enough to foalsit a new recruit," he mumbled. "Your sarge is gonna hear about you going AWOL and for giving yourself a personal tour around the castle."

Skye grimaced and lowered his head in shame. "Sorry, sir. It will not happen again, sir," he said morosely.

"Ugh. Enough with that already. I'm not your drill sergeant," the stallion said. "I'm not even that decent of a leader if I can't keep my eye on you. Now come on before I get outed by the captain for shirking my duties while searching for you."

Skye Slasher gave his superior another salute, who rolled his eyes, then turned around and began heading down the hall. "Guess we'll have to cut our chat short," he said to Dusk. "Nice meeting ya, Dusk. I'll probably be seeing you around."

"Umm...sure, I guess," Dusk said as Skye hurried after the guard to avoid losing him and getting into more trouble. The unicorn continued watching the two stallions until they rounded a corner further down the hall before slowly making his way to his room to continue practicing with his magic. "That was...weird..."

The next evening came time for the sleepover, Virtuo and Melody dropped off by their respective parents to enjoy a fun evening with Emerald. In Emerald's bedroom, the filly had a serious expression on her face, wearing a foam guard's helmet as she paced back and forth.

"Alright, troops, we got a big mission ahead of us!" she announced. "It will be risky, but I know we can pull this off! We are going to be pulling a big heist!" Grabbing a huge piece of paper with her magic aura, she held up a large, crude drawing of what looked like the map of the castle, more specifically the kitchen and the hallways adjacent to it. In a big circle in the kitchen drawing was a large jar, and inside it was a lot of poorly drawn cookies. "Operation: Cookie Dough!"

In front of Emerald was her "army": all her dolls and stuffed animals sat in three rows of four, Melody and Virtuo sat between the toys wearing similar foam helmets, and Dusk sat in a corner with a baffled look as he watched them playing some sort of pretend army game. He had no idea if the filly had been planning this all week along with her sleepover, but seeing how she's acting like that drill sergeant without being as harsh as he was with the recruits, it was probably a bad idea for them to find and watch them last week. And if they were actually planning to steal cookies from the castle's kitchen, they probably wouldn't make it through the door.

Through Emerald's eyes, she didn't see her guardian angel giggling at her adorable act. "All that we're missing is a book fort, and we've got ourselves an imaginary game of conquest."

"The enemy has the most delicious prize of all: a jar filled with sweet, gooey, triple chocolate chip cookies..." Emerald drooled a little as she imagined tasting the savory cookies filled with a changeling's favorite substitute for love.

"And we lost her," Virtuo said, which made Melody giggle. The colt stood up and approached the dazed filly, clapping his hooves in her face, snapping her out of her trance. "Fall asleep when we're eating those cookies, Em."

"R-Right! And we won't let anypony stop us!" Emerald cheered.

"Yeah!" Melody joined in. "Cookies!"

Dusk sighed and shook his head. "You could just ask for some cookies," he mumbled, then stood up and began to leave. "I'm getting myself a snack. Don't break anything while I'm gone."

"Ooh! Good idea!" Emerald said. "A spy on the inside!"

"...Sure, let's go with that," Dusk muttered, then left the fillies and colt to their "game". "Their imagination is far more vast than what I had when I grew up...Then again, all we had were some board games and...bland stories...Wow. Mom made it all sound more fun than I thought. My foalhood really did suck..."

He continued down the hall while looking back at all the "fun" activities he partook in as a colt and with the other foals who were born in his old home. As he reached the hall where the kitchen was, he heard a pair of guards talking to one another at the kitchen doors. When he got a closer look, Dusk recognized the two guards, one of which being Skye, and the other in matching armor was Gold Digger.

"This is the dumbest order we've been given," Gold Digger complained. "We're practicing our first guard shift in front of the kitchen door for the whole night. Does that old fart even know how tired we're gonna be if he has to force us to do drills?"

"This is part of our training, and I think this is a good start to practicing guard watch," Skye Slasher reasoned. "You probably wouldn't get tired if you didn't keep testing sarge with your smart aleck comments."

"Hey, I WANT to push myself unlike the rest of our lazy squad," Gold Digger argued. "I didn't actually think he'd force me to clean the entire bathroom with my own toothbrush. I'm not brushing my teeth for weeks thanks to that ass."

"You did deserve it," Skye sighed. His friend let out an annoyed grunt, slumping back against the wall in an unprofessional manner that a guard shouldn't be doing while on the job. He was about to scold his partner for his posture when he spotted Dusk Shine curiously walking toward them. "Hey, Dusk!" Gold Digger looked to where his friend staring at, quirking a brow at the unicorn teen approaching them. "Been a while."

"It's only been a day," Dusk mumbled.

"Hey, Diggs, this is the pony I told you about," Skye said to his friend. "The one I was about to throw out for trespassing when he actually lives here?"

The bored guard silently glanced at Skye, then back to Dusk. "...Maybe he should be tossed out," Gold Digger said.

Dusk took offense to Gold Digger's remark, but while Skye chuckled, he had no idea if the other pegasus was actually joking or being serious. "He's just kidding," Skye said to Dusk. "This is Gold Digger. We've been friends since we were colts."

"Uhh...Nice meeting you," Dusk said to Gold Digger, holding out his hoof for a friendly shake. The bored recruit just silently stared at him, making the greeting awkward. "...Ok..." Dusk put his hoof down, shifting about nervously before he looked back at Skye. "So, what are you two doing?"

"Guarding a useless door," Gold Digger answered with bitter annoyance. "What else do guards do?"

Taken aback by the moody stallion's response, he felt like he was being treated like an idiot. "It's not useless," Skye corrected, giving his friend a dirty look before looking back at Dusk with a calmer expression. "Our sarge was informed by some of the guards in the castle that somepony was planning a big heist the whole week. He requested volunteers to be on guard duty for the night, and I got us to take the job."

"And...you're guarding the door leading to...the kitchen?" Dusk questioned skeptically.

"Yup!" Skye said with much enthusiasm, though Gold Digger rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, what a great idea," the deadpanned pegasus said, then put on a look of fake excitement while being sarcastic. "We're gonna catch ourselves a food thief! Maybe we'll bag a mouse, or chase out a colony of ants! Ooh, wait! It might actually be a squirrel looking for some nuts in the pantry!" Dropping his act, Gold Digger facehooved with an exasperated groan. "Skye, you're an idiot for dragging me into this, because if it is a squirrel, WE'RE the nuts for guarding a stupid kitchen."

"I don't think sarge said it was a squirrel," Skye mumbled, making his friend mash his hoof into his helmed forehead again.

Dusk was confused, only to put the pieces together as he stared blankly at the door. Emerald was planning to steal some cookies in the kitchen, and Skye and Gold Digger just so happen to be guarding the kitchen because other guards heard about a food thief planning a big heist.

"Oh, you can't be serious," Dusk muttered to himself.

"So, what brings you around here?" Skye asked Dusk.

"I was going to get myself a snack to get away from Emerald and her friends' shenanigans for a while," the unicorn said.

"The princess?" Gold Digger questioned.

Skye gave Dusk a suspicious glare, although where Dusk was once intimidated by it the other day, this time, he was going to get annoyed if the pegasus thought that he was supposed to be the culprit. "That sounds awfully suspicious and coincidental," Skye said. Dusk leered at Skye, not amused by the claim. "You want a snack...and I just so happened to hold a conversation with you yesterday so you could try to get a suitable alibi for your crime!"

"...I'm not the food bandit you were warned of," Dusk said in a deadpanned tone. "It's Princess Emerald and her friends at her sleepover."

"That's just what a thief would say!" Skye accused, pointing his hoof at the unicorn with a flair of silliness.

"Ok, how do you know the princess?" Gold Digger asked.

Dropping his silly accusatory actions toward Dusk, Skye looked back at Gold Digger. "He's Princess Emerald's foalsitter, and he sorta lives in the castle with the royal family."

Gold Digger's eyes widened in surprise, then quickly turned to disgust when he looked at Dusk. "The prince and princess...hired a stallion to watch their foal?" he questioned, then let out a scoff. "Mares are supposed to do the foalsitting, not stallions. Fag."

Dusk's ears twitched, unable to hear the last thing Gold Digger muttered under his breath. "Uhh, what?"

Gold Digger stood up from the wall he leaned against and began walking off. "This is getting ridiculous. I'm finding a supply closet and sleeping through this dumb assignment. I haven't gotten a good night's rest no thanks to that old codger yelling in my ear and making me clean the whole castle with a tiny brush."

"W-What!?" Skye exclaimed. "You can't just leave you're post! You'll get in even more trouble!"

"There's no kitchen thief," Gold Digger reassured. "It's just some stupid 'order' he gave us just to get his rocks off tormenting us recruits into being his little army colts. Come morning, we'll pass without any hassle."

Skye wanted to chase after him, but he remained vigilant with his orders from his drill sergeant to avoid taking any similar punishments his friend's been given. He let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head.

"Diggs, I swear, you're doing this on purpose sometimes," Skye mumbled to himself. He looked back at Dusk, almost forgetting he was still standing there while being just as dumbstruck. "...Uhh, sorry about Diggs. He's not really like this. I'm probably gonna get in just as much trouble as he is."

"If he's supposed to be your friend, then he's not a really good one," Dusk said. "And I thought I heard him call me something. What did he say?"

Skye frowned, feeling embarrassed as he seemed to know exactly what his so-called friend called him. "He...called you a fag," the pegasus said with a wince.

"...A what?" Dusk asked, never once hearing that word before in his life.

Skye Slasher gave the unicorn a confused look. "...Wait, you seriously never heard that word before?" he asked. Dusk shook his head silently. "...Do you even want to know what it means?"

"Is it some sort of insult?" Dusk asked.

"...Yeah. A really bad one," Skye said, hesitating slightly as he seemed troubled and anxious to describe it to the unicorn. "...It's...a derogatory word for calling somepony gay." Dusk tilted his head, making Skye grimace more as he had to educate the unicorn stallion with another word he's apparently never heard of. "...Ponies who are attracted to the same gender?"

"...Oh. I...I see," Dusk mumbled.

"How have you never heard of any of those words?" Skye questioned. "Are you even from Canterlot?"

"Umm...Not exactly," Dusk said. "I...I used to live...in a village at the end of Equestria..."

"Ok...When exactly did start working as the princess's foalsitter?" Skye asked curiously.

"A couple weeks ago," Dusk said.

"And...how long ago did you move here?" the pegasus asked.

"...A couple weeks ago?" Dusk repeated nervously.

To say Skye was shocked was an understatement. "Seriously? You moved here, AND got appointed to be Prince Solaris's full-time foalsitter for his daughter at the same time???" he questioned. "When did you meet His Highness and his family and get immediate approval and trust to watch Princess Emerald?"

Dusk lowered his head, frowning miserably. "...I-It's...I don't...want to talk about it..."

Skye noticed the look of sadness and confusion on the unicorn's face, knowing better than to press for more information if it was too personal to talk about. "...I'm sorry. It was just a strange coincidence. I didn't mean to upset you with bad memories," Skye apologized. Dusk sadly glanced up at the pegasus. He was at least grateful this stallion was respectful of his past. He was afraid of letting anyone else know that he was the son of the unicorn who attempted to kidnap and hold the royal family hostage, and he didn't want to bring up his mother and the emotional turmoil he's still suffering from. "But, hey, living here in the castle must have its perks, right? You sleep in an awesome, luxurious room, get waited on by cute maids, and maybe attend some of the fanciest events in all of Canterlot."

"...I guess," Dusk mumbled, though he wasn't entirely sure if he enjoyed being an honorary guest in the castle.

"You guess!? You're like...I don't know, a duke or something!" Skye exclaimed, flabbergasted by Dusk Shine's answer. The unicorn was about to retort, but as soon as he looked up, his voice caught in his throat when he saw Princess Emerald and her entourage sneaking down the hall toward them. And with Skye's back toward them, they had an opening to sneak into the kitchen. The hybrid filly gestured for Dusk to keep stalling the pegasus guard as they inched closer, making him roll his eyes in annoyance, though he was lucky Skye didn't notice while still reeling from his unenthusiastic response. "I mean, I don't know a lot about social standings since I kinda grew up in the suburbs, but you've gotta have some authority if you watch the little princess."

"Err...I, uhh..." Dusk tried not to look at the sneaking trio, unable to believe he's actually going to be their distraction to steal some cookies.

"Although, it's not really that much of a great idea asserting any authority, otherwise you'd sound like an entitled jerk," Skye continued rambling. He didn't hear the kitchen door slowly open up behind him as the two fillies and colt snuck inside. "Most of the nobles who live in Canterlot are kinda stuck up and haughty. They think they're better than everypony else when I bet they haven't lifted a hoof to do anything helpful since they were foals. Diggs comes from a rich family, but he's not like most of those stuffy nobles."

"I...I couldn't tell," Dusk said nervously.

"He can be a bit rude, but he's an awesome friend. Maybe if we get ourselves a break, we can hang out and you can see the real Diggs." Dusk was a bit surprised, being offered to hang out with some ponies, even after just recently meeting with them.

"Really?" Dusk asked curiously.

"Yeah. I think we can hit it off as friends...even though I tried to kick you out of the castle." Skye Slasher chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "And I accused you of being the food thief...Unless, you actually-"

"No, I'm not," Dusk quickly said.

"Ok. Cool. No hard feelings, huh?" Skye held out his hoof to Dusk. The unicorn reluctantly lifted his own and shook Skye's, though the pegasus seemed a bit confused. "Uhh, I was kind of going for a hoof bump, but that's fine. We'll help you fit in." Despite how awkward he was, Dusk was surprised he had managed to find a friend in this pegasus. He thought that Emerald might have been right; things might get a little better, and he's already made his first friend outside of his old home. The small grin he wore quickly faded when they heard metal clattering coming from the kitchen. "What was that? Oh, horseapples! The kitchen bandits!"

Skye quickly opened the door to the kitchen while Dusk grimaced, knowing the foals were going to be caught. However, to both their surprise, they only saw a metal pan laying on the floor, which must have fell judging by sound they heard. Skye stepped inside and began to investigate, looking around each corner of the prep counters, cabinets, even under the sinks for dishwashing or rinsing products. Dusk looked around as well, having no idea where the three foals disappeared to. Skye checked the pantry last, peering around the corners and moving around some the bags, but found no thieves, creature or pony.

Dusk looked around, finding Emerald's objective resting on a counter along with some other cooking utensils and seasonings. The clear plastic cookie jar had the special cookies the princess and her two friends were after: over five dozen chocolate chip cookies stuffed inside, the chips chunky and coating a majority of each circular, doughy disk, and these cookies were as big as his own hoof. Whoever baked these must have really been hankering for some chocolate, and if they wanted milk, they needed a bowl to fit one of them in to dunk them, not a glass.

"...Wow...No wonder she wanted to nab these," Dusk uttered to himself, wanting to try one of these cookies for himself. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Skye still searching through the walk-in pantry. "Maybe Emerald won't mind if I take one. I am helping her, after all..." Quietly, he reached his hoof over to the jar, but before he could open the lid, a big box of salt had a pair of eyes suddenly open up to look at him. He looked at the box, confused by the big, emerald green eyes staring at him, then blinked a couple times. "AHHH!"

Dusk staggered backward, bumping into a cooking line table before hitting the ground. Skye ran out of the pantry after hearing Dusk scream.

"What!? What happened!?" he asked. "You found the thieves!?"

Skye helped Dusk back onto his hooves as the unicorn looked back at the counter. The eyes on the box of salt were gone, or they were clenched shut, but those eyes looked exactly like a certain little filly he knows is still in here. He quickly shook his head, thinking he saw something, but he had no idea anymore.

"...N-No. I thought...I thought I saw a mouse," Dusk lied.

"Huh. False alarm," Skye said. "Might need to let the kitchen staff know to catch the little bugger." He looked around for any sign of the small, furry intruder before giving up, possibly losing sight of it as it ran away through a small hole in the kitchen. He then placed the fallen pan from the floor into one of the sinks for the kitchen crew to clean later. "Must have also knocked over that pan, too. Any little thief would do anything for some cheddar."

The guard recruit laughed at his little joke before heading back out in the hall. Dusk followed, looking back at the salt for a brief moment before following Sky out of the kitchen. Once the door was closed, the eyes reappeared on the box, and in a flash of green, it transformed into the little pony/changeling princess. Emerald let out a sigh, then looked down at her hooves in awe.

"How did I do that?" she asked herself. She would have to ask her mommy about this if she accidentally used her magic to transform for the first time. Right now, she wanted those cookies, and they were right there, waiting to get eaten. Elsewhere in the kitchen in their own hiding spots, Melody peeked out from under a big pot on a lower shelf with other bigger pans and pots, while Virtuo poked his head out of a sack of potatoes. As the filly and colt quietly climbed out of their hiding spots, Emerald grasped the jar in her forehooves, fluttering her wings to hover it over to the edge of the counter. "Get ready to catch it. We don't wanna lose a single crumb off these cookies."

Both Melody and Virtuo stood by the counter, raising their hooves to catch the jar. With her grip tightly wrapped around the jar, Emerald moved the jar off the edge, quickly flapping her wings with a strained grunt to keep the jar from dropping and hurting her friends. The earth ponies grabbed the bottom of the jar, then the fillies carefully set it on Virtuo's back since he was a bit stronger. With their prize, the trio made their way to the door, slowly opening it up a crack to make sure Skye wasn't going to spot them.

"...and cheddar is slang for bits, and thieves go for money, so it's a joke comparing a thief to a mouse," Skye said, finishing explaining what he said to Dusk after losing the "mouse" that got away. Dusk seemed to get the comparison, but still didn't understand the joke. He took a brief glance at the thieving trio, Emerald giving him a small wave to signal their mission was a success as they slowly walked back up to her room. Skye let out a sigh, getting the unicorn's attention. "I guess we're also going to have to teach you how to make funny one-liners and laugh at them."

"Yeah. Good luck with that," Dusk said. "And I'd stick with being a guard than a comedian. You're not that funny."

"At least I know how to make jokes, unlike you," Skye said with a smirk, then gave Dusk a light punch in the shoulder. It was a strange sort of gesture for Dusk, but as long as it wasn't painful, he won't mind the light roughhousing. "I probably don't want to keep you long. If I'm afraid of getting reamed by sarge, you'll probably be in a lot of trouble with Prince Solaris if you leave his daughter unattended."

"Right. Emerald's a much bigger hoofful than other foals I watched back home," Dusk said.

"So you're good with foals," Skye pondered. While Dusk subtly glanced down the hall, watching Emerald, Virtuo, and Melody disappearing around the corner, Skye noticed the stallion's flank lacking a cutie mark. "How come you don't have a cutie mark in foalsitting? Or...a cutie mark at all?"

Dusk winced, biting his lip nervously as his tail quickly flicked to his right flank, covering his markless side from the pegasus. "...I-I...W-Well..." His eyes shifted down to the floor, occasionally looking at Skye for a brief second before averting his gaze. Skye looked a bit concerned, fearing he was about to force Dusk to let out even more skeletons from his closet. Dusk slowly glanced back up to him, feeling like he can trust the recruit with at least a little bit about himself. Taking in a deep breath, he sighed, still keeping his tail tucked around his flank as he looked back at Skye. "...I was...a sheltered colt growing up. The village I grew up in was...really, really far from any other civilization. And my mom...didn't teach me everything that's common in other parts of Equestria. She even kept me from doing anything else besides what she approved was fun, which is why I...don't have a cutie mark...or any special talents..."

Skye Slasher was stunned, and felt pity for Dusk. "...Wow...I think sheltered sounds like a bit of an understatement for you," he said. "How'd your folks even approve if your mom was that strict to keep you stuck in your old home?" Dusk gulped nervously, trying to come up with another lie. "Unless...you ran away from home, and Prince Solaris must have found you and took you in when you got lost."

It was a close enough guess, but Dusk wished he ran away when he finally realized how much his mother's philosophy was all a lie and how horrible of a pony she was if she kept her magic while other unicorns lost theirs to join in her ideals of equality. "...Kind of," he said. "But Prince Solaris...saw some magic potential in me. I'm learning about magic, but because of my mom, I finally let out...how much I hated her for what she kept from me all my life." Looking up at his horn, Dusk raised a hoof up and slowly took off the inhibitor from the base of his horn, showing it to Skye. "I have so much pent up anxiety and anger in me after that, I finally released some very powerful magic that's been bottled up inside...I have to wear this inhibitor when I'm not practicing, or if I ever get emotionally unstable..."

"Then you blow a hole in the wall," Skye said, finishing Dusk's statement. A hole in a wall was the least of Dusk's worries, though; he was afraid he'd be like his mom and harm somepony with his unstable magic surges. Skye stepped closer to the depressed unicorn, gently placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna judge you. What you've been through must have been pretty harsh."

"You have no idea," Dusk said, putting the inhibitor back on his horn. "This thing...isn't ridiculous, is it?"

"I actually thought it was a weird accessory for unicorns at first, like a weird fad," Skye said. "I've actually seen the metal ones used for unicorn criminals. Those ones look much more uncomfortable, and I don't have a horn...Well, at least not on my head." Skye snickered at his joke, and this time, Dusk got the meaning right away with a disturbed grimace. His reaction only made the pegasus laugh harder and earned himself a hard punch in the shoulder from Dusk. "Ow! Hey, at least I helped snap you out of your funk."

"You're disgusting," Dusk grumbled. "...At least you're not as bad as Princess Trill. She talks about sex and the like so casually, I don't even know how she doesn't get embarrassed with the things she says."

"Oh, jeeze, she's definitely worse than me, then," Skye said with another laugh.

Dusk let out a small laugh himself, shaking his head, surprising himself by enjoying his new friend's crude sense of humor. "I should get back to make sure the foals aren't making a mess. I'll leave you to your...guard duty."

"Yeah. Can't shirk off when Diggs bailed on me," Skye said with a disgruntled sigh. "I'll be seeing you around the castle. And I'll let you know when we get some time off from training...though I doubt we'll get a chance when there's still a few more months of basic we gotta go through."

"Well, good luck with all that," Dusk said before taking his leave.

"Have a good night," Skye said with a small wave, then went back to standing vigilantly at the kitchen door.

On the walk back to Emerald's room, Dusk was feeling a little happier than he's ever been since a couple weeks ago. He never thought he'd make a friend, but here he was, already befriending another stallion his age, and he understood his troubles and didn't make fun of him for a lack of a cutie mark and wearing a magic inhibitor ring. If Skye finished basic training, maybe he'll enjoy hanging out with him, and maybe Gold Digger if he wasn't as irritated as he was tonight. He was going to have to get used to any immature, perverted quips Skye comes up with, so long as none of it's offensive.

Upon walking into the princess's room, Dusk could already see the two fillies and colt already chowing down on the cookies, devouring almost a fourth of the jar. "Mmmmmmm...chocolate chip cookieeeeeeeeeee," Emerald moaned, her muzzle covered with crumbs as she bit into another cookie.

"She loves chocolate too much," Virtuo said while Melody giggled at her friend's trance.

"If you were part changeling, you'd know how yummy chocolate can really be," Emerald said, sticking her tongue out at the colt playfully. Just as she was about to take another big bite, she spotted Dusk watching them eating their treasure. "Hi, Dusky! Mission accomplished! You did us proud, soldier!"

"You're lucky I didn't rat you guys out," Dusk said. He approached the trio, plopping down with them as he took a few cookies for himself. "I didn't get my snack that I wanted, so I'm still hungry, and I deserve a share of these cookies."

"Fine. Fair's fair," Emerald said, then munched down on her next cookie with delighted hums.

Dusk took a bite for himself, and he could see why the foals enjoyed them. The chocolate chips practically melted in his mouth as he chewed, almost like he was eating a giant piece of chocolate were it not for the dough the chunks jutted out from. He was sure Skye would get in trouble if they found out the cookies were stolen, but Emerald would eventually own up to taking the cookie jar.

After going through half the cookies, Dusk had a strange thought as he looked at Emerald. "Hey, Emerald, were you...hiding in the kitchen when Skye and I went in to investigate that noise?"

"Mhmm," Emerald mumbled, her cheeks puffed with her mouthful of cookie before swallowing and wiping the crumbs off her muzzle with her hoof. "I think you spotted me, but you didn't say anything. Was I invisible?"

"You were a box of salt." Melody grunted, accidentally swallowing a chunk of her cookie in shock and began choking.

Dusk quickly went over to pat the filly's back until she managed to swallow her piece down the correct pipe. "Y-You...turned into what!?" Melody asked with a cough.

"Changelings can turn into other ponies," Virtuo said. "But I didn't know you could do that, Emerald."

"And I didn't know I could turn into anything at all," Emerald added. "I got scared and just stood still, then I felt my horn go off and didn't move until it was all clear."

"So it happened on instinct," Dusk wondered aloud. "Startled the hay out of me when you blinked at me."

"Can you do it again?" Virtuo asked curiously.

"I don't know. Lemme try again." Emerald stood up, took in a deep breath, then puffed out her cheeks as she tried to light up her horn. Her horn started to glow and she tried to focus on transforming into something. After a minute, her face turned red, but nothing happened as she exhaled and panted, her aura fizzling out around her horn. Disappointed, she blew a raspberry and scowled. "Nope. Can't do it."

"Maybe your mom can teach you how to do it," Dusk said. "But, if you play hide and seek, don't use it to cheat, or none of us would be able to find you."

"I would never do that!" Emerald exclaimed, though her shifty eyes told her friends and the teen otherwise.

"Liar," Virtuo uttered, getting a pouty leer from the princess.

Soon after, the bedroom door opened as Solaris walked in. "Hello, everypony. How's the-?" The alicorn paused when he noticed the fake soldier helmets on the foals' heads and the jar of cookies the four ponies were eating. "...What's going on in here?"

"Umm...Nothing, daddy?" Emerald said, bearing an innocent smile to Solaris.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me," he said as he stepped inside. As he got closer, he levitated the jar with the few remaining cookies left inside. "Where did you get these cookies?"

"...Nowhere?" Melody answered sheepishly.

Solaris hummed curiously, taking out one of the triple chocolate chip cookies and examined it. He took a little sniff, then a small bite, humming even more from the chocolate chip chunks baked inside the pastry.

"Hmmmmm...Triple chocolate chip chunks," the alicorn said, then took another bite. "You know, these cookies look just like the ones one of my guards had made a couple days ago. Even taste the same. He told me to keep your mother away from them, knowing just how much she loves chocolate as much as my love." The foal trio glanced at each other nervously as Solaris held up the plastic cookie jar. "And they're in the very same container he put them in. How peculiar."

"I-Is it?" Emerald asked sheepishly with an innocent giggle.

Solaris then looked at Dusk, who then began to sweat nervously knowing he was in a bit of trouble, too, along with Skye Slasher and Gold Digger when they figure out whose cookies were stolen. "Did you, by any chance, happen to take these cookies without permission?" Solaris asked with a knowing smirk.

"...Uhhh...Not exactly?" Dusk answered. "E-Emerald had apparently been planning this weird heist, and I unfortunately wound up being the distraction for the guards stationed there."

"I see..." Solaris gave the group a sly smirk, finishing the last of his cookie. He then levitated the last of the cookies, placing an even amount in front of the foals and teen, all of them looking up at him in confusion. "Eat those up before Trill sniffs them out. If it wasn't Emmy, then she would have tried to sneak in and take them all for herself instead." Taking the jar with him, Solaris began to walk out of his daughter's bedroom. "Enjoy the rest of your sleepover, guys!" he said, but before he left, he turned back to Dusk. "Oh, Dusk, who was watching the kitchen?"

"...Two pegasi: Skye Slasher and Gold Digger," Dusk said. "But...Gold Digger left his post."

"Hmm...I see," the alicorn mumbled. "He's not gonna be happy with this. Oh well. Have fun, kids!"

Solaris left the room, leaving the foals stunned silent as they looked down at their remaining cookies. "...So...we're not in trouble?" Virtuo asked.

"If we're not, then let's finish up these cookies!" Emerald cheered, then scarfed down the last of her cookies.

Virtuo and Melody shrugged and followed Emerald's lead, devouring their last share of cookies. Dusk breathed a sigh of relief, though he hoped Skye would be spared. Gold Digger definitely deserved whatever their drill sergeant will give him for abandoning his assigned post. He finished up his cookies, savoring them while looking forward to running into his new friend for some small talk and eventually get to properly hang out with him when he's not too busy training or on duty.

Weekend at Grandma's

Chrysalis lounged in her obsidian throne, staring blankly, bored out of her mind. She would usually try to come up with plans to take over Equestria and steal the love from ponies or fear the inevitable appearance of a mad unicorn stallion with deadly dark magic, but that was in the past. Ever since Lucifer's return from a millennial-long sleep, her dreams of conquest were on hold for fifteen long years, only to be permanently discarded when her delinquent daughter fell in love and married the alicorn prince who saved not just Equestria, but the entire world. It still bothered her to this day how love shared unconditionally between a pony and changeling was much stronger and fulfilling than stealing love from their victims. It didn't help that Trill constantly gloated about how full she is, especially when she mentions it fills her in more ways than one.

Grumbling, she slouched in her seat, tapping her tough arm rest. "Another dull, boring day...With nothing to do." Grunting, Chrysalis got up from her throne, a disgruntled sigh heaving from her chest as she walked out to the balcony overlooking her hive. From within the mountain her hive was built in, there were many changes as the years progressed that made the massive mountain kingdom more lively. Aside from the usual hustle and bustle of her subjects, there were traders from across the kingdom from ponies to griffons selling their wares or assisting with transporting goods from the train station. Some outsides have decided to set up homes here outside of the mountain her hive is in, earth ponies finding a way to cultivate the dry, barren wasteland to begin growing some crops that were able to be grown in the region. Despite the only food changelings need is love, the only export needed was the essence of love Solaris had created so changelings didn't have to resort to stealing love from the ponies living among them. "My hidden kingdom has become nothing but a glorified tourist attraction."

Desperate to find something to do, she flew down from her perch to check on a few things. Her subjects bowed to her while the traders or new pony residents waved to the changeling queen. She barely greeted them, not willing to get involved with being friendly toward those who were originally her enemies. It didn't help that families that moved here with colts were so enthralled by the circular holes in her legs, most of them pestering her to see if they can put something thin like a pencil or a stick through them. Their curiosity reminded her of the first colt who looked at her after many years in hiding back in Canterlot during their siege against Lucifer and his army. She brushed the thought aside, barely bothering to know if her first ever fan was even interested in her unique "features".

As she approached the shipping area at the end of the railway, one of her more timid and pacifistic soldiers was overlooking the inventory of their latest shipment. "Ok, seems like there's more than enough for every changeling to last for the next several months," he mumbled to himself. He turned around, yelping as he was startled by his queen's presence. "Y-Your Highness!" he greeted with a bow of his head. "I-I-I didn't see you there."

"I was bored, Thorax," Chrysalis said. "Are these more shipments of love essence?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty. More than enough thanks to your son-in-law's graciousness." Chrysalis groaned at the mention of her alicorn son-in-law. "His idea to make this essence has helped save us from starving to death."

"It doesn't have the same appeal as the actual source," Chrysalis reminded the timid changeling stallion, making him grimace as he feared he upset his queen. "What I would give to just have one of these mares or stallions and steal away their love." Thorax opened his mouth to speak, but Chrysalis silenced him with a stern glare. "And yes, I KNOW it's the wrong move, otherwise Solaris would bore me with his lecture and reason with me for Trill's sake."

"...Well, umm, maybe you should...try doing what the princess has done?" Thorax suggested. "I heard some of the changelings had gone on dates with some of the ponies, and they felt a small bit of unconditional love energy that curbed their hunger for a couple weeks. Perhaps...there's a stallion out there who might win your heart."

"Pth. Never gonna happen in a million lifetimes." Despite her claim, Thorax's useless advice stirred her thoughts, and she was conflicted by them ever since their invasion in Canterlot to end Lucifer's reign.

When Trill and Shining Armor appeared in a wisp of magical smoke, the state the stallion was in made her heart she thought she never had sink. His broken forelegs, matted fur, and pale expression from intense pain startled her, but even though she was worried about his health, she refused to show her concern too much to drop the persona she made for herself toward the Equestrian citizens they were helping. It didn't help that Trill showing proof of hers and Solaris's love made her a slightly bit curious to try it for herself. The sad thing is Shining was already married to Cadence, the princess of love, whom she impersonated to get to him and use his love to take over Canterlot. During their wedding. She only used Shining Armor for her goals of conquest and to feed herself and her subjects, but after fifteen long years awaiting for the day a hero would rise and end a tyrant's rule, she felt...envious of Cadence more than ever now.

"Uhh, Queen Chrysalis?" Snapping out of her inner thoughts, Chrysalis looked back at Thorax, who seemed a bit worried. "I was...trying to get your attention. But you were just...staring into space for the last few minutes."

Furrowing her brow with a scowl, she growled at the drone. "Is there an issue with me coming up with more plans in the future?"

"F-For...peace?" Thorax asked with an innocent smile.

Chrysalis facehooved, dragging her hoof down her muzzle with a groan. "Out of all the grubs born from your brood, why are you so helplessly weak-minded? You should be more like Pharynx, one of the strongest changelings ever to be born and leads our army."

"W-Well, I...I don't like...fighting. I'd rather...do something simple and...not so violent or mean," Thorax reasoned. "And, ponies out in the town seem to like me. And their babies are cute. I actually got to foalsit for a family, and their little filly was such an angel."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Be lucky you haven't watched what a newborn pony looks like when they come out," she mumbled, her spine shuddering in disgust as the mental image will never leave her memory until the day she dies. She turned away to leave Thorax with his role of keeping the peace between changelings and ponies outside the mountain, pausing when she saw a chariot flying in from the direction of Canterlot. She recognized the royal gold chariot as it approached, being pulled by two pegasus guards, and sitting in the seat, much to Chrysalis's chagrin, was her daughter and son-in-law, and her very excitable grandfilly leaning against the side and waving her hooves wildly as they caught sight of her. "Oh, great. What do they want?"

Hearing her, Thorax turned and spotted the chariot. "Oh! I didn't know you invited the princess and her family, Your Majesty!" he said excitedly.

"I didn't," Chrysalis grumbled.

The chariot touched down close by, Emerald flapping out of her seat the moment it came to a stop and flew straight toward the queen. "Grandma!" she cheered. The filly rammed straight into Chrysalis's front legs, latching onto her right in a tight hug giggling happily. Frowning at the repeated affection her grandfoal likes to give her, she lifted up her leg, Emerald latched onto her limb like a leech as she looked up at her grandmother with a wide grin. "Hi, grandma."

"Must you do this every time you see me?" Chrysalis questioned. Emerald giggled and nodded her head, making the queen groan. "Let go of my leg."

"Nuh uh! Not until I get my hug!" Emerald demanded.

"Just give her a hug, mom," Trill said as she and Solaris exited the chariot, the alicorn levitating a saddlebag with some of Emerald's things. "You know she's not going to let go until you give her one."

Chrysalis leered at Trill, then back to Emerald, who was still waiting for that grandma hug. "...You're a leech, you know that? And not the kind I prefer."

"Yup!" Emerald said. "And I want a real hug!"

Sighing heavily, Chrysalis lowered her leg and moved the other to pat the filly's back. She ignored the smirk on Trill's face and the wide grin on Thorax's muzzle at the sight of the adorable display. The little princess was satisfied and finally let go of her grandma, to the queen's relief, skipping back to Solaris.

"So, why are you here?" Chrysalis asked. "Discord always forces me to take part in whatever gettogethers you all have. If you came all this way to plan another silly party in my home-"

"Relax, mom. No special holidays or birthdays you need to be a part of today," Trill interrupted.

"We're actually going to be busy taking part in some more royal meetings this weekend, so we won't be able to look after Emmy," Solaris said. "And we thought we'd give Dusk Shine a little bit of a break and let him relax."

"Who in Equestria is 'Dusk Shine'?" Chrysalis asked.

"Uhh...It's a long story," Solaris sheepishly answered. "He's Emmy's foalsitter."

"Had a bit of a harsh lesson in reality when his mom sheltered him and poured selfish ideals in his head along with the town she ran," Trill added. "I think you might like her, mom. You two have quite a bit in common."

"...Right. And the reason you're really here is because...?" Chrysalis asked, wanting their visit to be over with so she could brood in boredom in peace.

Solaris levitated the saddlebags over to Chrysalis and set them down on her back, to her confusion. "We thought it would be a great idea if Emmy stayed with her grandmare for the weekend and bond with her some more."

Eyes widening in shock, Chrysalis stared dumbfoundedly at the couple. "Excuse me?"

"Weekend at grandma's! Yay!" Emerald cheered, hugging both her parents before running back over to Chrysalis and glomped her foreleg again.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Thorax chimed in. "We'll all take really good care of Princess Emerald!"

"Oh, hey, Thorax. Didn't see you there," Trill said, just now noticing the shy changeling.

"...I've...been here this whole time," Thorax mumbled, wilting slightly from Trill's neglectful greeting.

Baffled, Chrysalis lifted up her leg, making the filly giggle as she was back to latching onto her grandma's leg. "Wait, I did not agree to-"

"Thanks, mom!" Trill snagged Solaris by his tail, making him yelp as he was dragged back to the chariot. "We'll be back Sunday night to pick her up!"

"T-Trill, hang on a sec!" Solaris chided his wife, getting tossed inside the chariot with Trill humping in after him. Poking his head up, he let out a sigh in irritation, then looked over toward Chrysalis. "Some of Emmy's things are in the bags and some snacks in case you're unable to cook anything for meals since, well, changelings don't eat much aside from chocolate!" Without waiting for him to explain, Trill zapped the two pegasi in their rears, startling them as they leered back at the impatient princess before they galloped and took off into the sky, making their way back to Canterlot. "Be good for grandmare Chryssy, Emmy! Love you!"

"Bye mommy! Bye daddy!" Emerald waved, still hugging Chrysalis's leg.

Chrysalis shot her leg wrapped by the hybrid filly out toward them, her mouth hung open, unable to scream out her disagreement to this unplanned foalsitting job. Closing her mouth, she let out a low, frustrated growl, sneering at the fading chariot.

"Important royal meetings my tail," the queen grumbled. "They're just going to constantly rut each other into a lust-filled coma for two days straight."

"Uhh, Y-Your Majesty. The little princess can hear you," Thorax piped in, pointing to the pony/changeling filly still clinging onto Chrysalis's hoof.

Casting her gaze on Emerald, the filly seemed oblivious to the queen's verbal disdain, beaming excitedly for a fun weekend with grandma. "...Let go of my hoof," she demanded.

"Nuh uh!" Emerald said with a shake of her head.

"I already gave you a hug, now let go," Chrysalis demanded again.

"I want another one!" Emerald said. Chrysalis let out a grunt, using her magic to forcefully peel the filly off of her. As she was set down, Emerald pouted, then turned her attention to Thorax. "Hello, mister."

"Hello to you to, Princess Emerald," Thorax greeted and lowered his head, bowing to her. "My name is Thorax."

As he lifted his head, Emerald gave the changeling a curious tilt of her head. "Your eyes are all blue," she stated, then looked to Chrysalis and pointed to her normal green irises. "Grandma Chrysie has green eyes. And so does mommy and me."

"He's a drone," Chrysalis stated. "They're just workers or soldiers for the hive, unlike your mother or myself as royal changelings." She then tapped Emerald's head, giving her a warning glare. "And don't call me that again."

"You have soldiers, Grandma Chrysie?" Emerald asked, ignoring the annoyed growl coming from the taller changeling. "Do you train them by making them run laps and call them chubby bunnies? I did that back home with my daddy's new guards."

Thorax snickered at the funny, adorable insult. "Chubby bunnies," he repeated.

Chrysalis gave no reaction, just silently staring at the curious filly. "...No. Changeling soldiers are born to be warriors." She then glanced at Thorax, the pacifist drone jolting at her gaze before he bit his lip, silencing his laughter. "Though some aren't quite cut out to be warriors."

"Ohhhh," Emerald uttered in awe. The three stood in complete silence: Chrysalis dreading what her weekend entails, Emerald eager to learn more about her changeling heritage, and Thorax who seemed to be the third wheel between the two. "Where's your castle, Grandma Chrysie?"

"I said don't call me that," Chrysalis grumbled, then pointed to the mountain past the few buildings along the path. "It's inside that. Did your mother not tell you anything about my kingdom or our race?" Emerald shook her head, making the queen facehoof. "My airheaded daughter fails to teach her own child about changelings, and yet her own husband wants her to be smart and learn everything."

"We can show you around and get you comfy in your room during your stay," Thorax said. "I'm sure you and Her Highness will have all sorts of fun this weekend."

"Yeah! Lots of fun!" Emerald cheered, hopping up and down around Chrysalis.

Her energy was infections as Thorax grinned, but Chrysalis was not. Having this thrust upon her was poor timing when she was bored, and she immediately regretted something to do. Her eyes lit up, her eyes shifting between Thorax and her granddaughter bouncing around her, she smirked as she levitated the bags off her back.

"Actually, I'm not sure if I can," she said, making Emerald stop and look up at her. "There's so much to do around the hive and a lot of things I need to oversee to ensure that it won't crumble under my presence." Chrysalis then set the saddlebags on Thorax's back, confusing the changeling. "Thorax will have to make due instead."

"B-But, my queen-?" Thorax interjected, but his queen turned around and began walking away.

"Thank you, Thorax! Keep up the good work!" she called out, satisfied to have her grandfoal out of her hair. Sadly, she didn't get far when she felt a small, familiar weight latch onto one of her hind legs. Twisting her head, she found Emerald latching onto her leg once again, this time with an angry pout. "Will you please stop doing that!?"

"No! Mommy said I was gonna be with grandma this weekend, and I wanna have fun with you!" Emerald said.

"I said I am busy!" Chrysalis argued. She began shaking her leg to get the filly to let go, but Emerald was surprisingly strong for her age and size compared to her. "If your mother ever bothered to learn when my off days are, she wouldn't have just dropped you off at my kingdom without any warning!"

"But you don't have anything planned to do this weekend," Thorax piped in, earning a harsh glare from Chrysalis.

"See!? You're not busy after all!" Emerald exclaimed. "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

While Chrysalis tried in vain to avoid wanting anything to do with Emerald, especially within the boundaries of her hive and growing kingdom, Thorax watched on the sideline, unsure if he should intervene. Along with him, invisible to all but Emerald, Twilight sighed and shook her head.

"Just give up and try to share a bond with her, Chrysalis," the alicorn said. "Your heart's not as stone cold as it seems if you cared about Solaris in his time of need. Or even Trill when she went into labor."

Emerald looked around in awe at the interior of the mountain hiding the massive changeling hive within. She sat on Thorax's back while Chrysalis led the tour, having lost the bickering argument against her grandfoal, to her dismay. As stubborn as Trill, and she could only blame herself for being just as stubborn.

"Wow. It's really really big," Emerald commented. "It's like Canterlot, but everything's made of rocks."

"I guess you can say that," Thorax said. "There's thousands of us that live here, but we're able to find room for every changeling born in the hive."

"I cannot believe this is happening right now," Chrysalis grumbled. Passing by the many homes of other changelings, which were more like many mini caverns in the walls from the ground all the way up to the peak of the mountain. They made their way to the large stone structure that resembled a castle, though it didn't seem as big or grand as Emerald imagined her grandma to live in. Chrysalis trudged along the corridors and up a few floors to the royal chambers, passing her room and toward Trill's old room. "Since I have no choice at this point, you're staying in here."

Opening the door, Emerald climbed down Thorax's back and walked inside. It wasn't as fancy or colorful like her bedroom back home, but there was a big enough bed that looked comfy to sleep in to feel like a bedroom. While Emerald was perplexed by the bland bedroom, Thorax levitated the saddlebags off his back and set the by the foot of the bed.

"This was your mother's room," Thorax said. "It's not much, but you get to sleep in a bed fit for a royal princess."

"That's it?" Emerald asked.

"Uhh...yeah, pretty much," Thorax said, giving the filly a sheepish grin.

"Hmm...Maybe it would look better with some drawings on the walls," Emerald mumbled, rubbing her chin in thought to see what would make her bedroom while staying in the hive more lively.

"Oh joy. Throw some art around to make my castle 'prettier'," Chrysalis uttered under her breath.

Emerald walked over to the bed and dug through her saddlebags, pulling out what her daddy packed for her. The first thing she pulled out was her favorite teddy bear, Teddy. She hugged her bear, then gently placed him down next to her bags before taking out some more stuff. There were some crayons and a couple coloring books, along with some blank pieces of paper if she wanted to draw herself. She didn't find any chalk to add some more art in her room at grandma's, but she'll ask her parents later if they can store some next time she visits the hive. There were a few baggies with some different snacks inside, which she set aside for later for the weekend when snack time comes around. Her favorite blanket was neatly folded at the bottom, and there was a note written by Solaris for Chrysalis to read.

After setting her blanket down, she went back to her grandma and gave her the piece of paper. "This is for you, Grandma Chrysie."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, taking the paper from the filly. "I'm going to guess this is from your father." Glancing over the writing, it was a schedule for taking care of Emerald for the weekend, showing which times were necessary for lunch, playtime, snacks, bathing, and bedtime. She let out an annoyed groan at the instructions, and the small note from Solaris at the bottom about trying to cook a healthy meal for Emerald without giving her only the sprinkled love essence the changelings regularly consume. "Of course it would be."

Crumpling the schedule, she tossed it aside, but Thorax quickly went for it and unwrapped it. "Uhh, I think this is important for the little princess, Your Highness," he stated.

"She doesn't need a schedule for knowing when to eat or go to sleep," she grumbled.

"But it's already the middle of the afternoon," Thorax pointed out. "And it's almost six. She should be having dinner right now."

Emerald's tummy began to growl, taking its cue to prove the drone's point. "I am kinda hungry. What are you gonna make, grandma?"

"Do I look like a chef? We 'eat' by consuming love energy from other creatures, or that bland magical seasoning to fill our bellies," Chrysalis said.

"It says from Prince Solaris that she has a different type of diet compared to us," Thorax said.

"She'll be fine with that essence," Chrysalis stated.

"Umm...it does taste yummy, but...daddy sometimes sprinkles it on my sandwiches for lunch for more flavor," Emerald said. "Mommy sometimes eats it, but being around daddy, we get enough love from him."

The queen groaned. She can't cook, let alone know how to use any cooking utensils. The changelings used to thrive and survive, their only source of food being their victims. Aside from chocolate, they couldn't digest any foods normally, only made more tolerable to ingest nowadays thanks to Solaris's love essence concoction as a substitute for the real thing. If anything, Solaris should have packed some dinners along with the small bags of snacks, and if Emerald was like her father being a slave to schedules, she wasn't going to touch those bags unless it was really snack time. She didn't want the foal to go hungry, but she was already annoyed having to take care of her without any warnings in advance.

"There is a small restaurant out in the town that feeds some of the ponies here," Thorax said. "Maybe we can go there and get her some dinner."

"Can't grandma make some food?" Emerald asked curiously.

"We don't have kitchens to cook anything," Thorax explained. "We used to just...take love from others. That was our food."

"'Take'? You mean you don't ask or like somepony like my mommy loves daddy?" the filly asked.

Chrysalis was going to have some choice words with Trill for not explaining everything about Emerald's changeling heritage. "Let's just go to this restaurant and get the rest of this day over with," she grumbled as she turned and began walking off.

"W-Wait for us!" Thorax called out, picking up Emerald and flew off after his queen before losing her.

Returning back to the town, Thorax led Chrysalis to where the restaurant was as the changeling queen didn't bother to know where their equine neighbors resided and which building was which. They entered a fairly sizable building, several rows of tables and chairs lining a few lanes with some pony residents already seated, waiting for their orders or eating. Emerald could smell the food, curious to try what was being cooked in the kitchen far in the back of the building.

A waitress came over to greet them, a peach-furred unicorn mare with her chestnut brown mane tied in a bun wearing a white apron and headband paused and grinned when she saw who entered. "Thorax! How lovely to see you!"

"Hi, Éclair," Thorax greeted. "Busy evening?"

"It's the weekend, so it's been a little crazy," Éclair said with a giggle. "But nothing I can't handle. What brings you by?"

"Er, I know it's...a little strange to say this, but we're gonna have dinner," he said.

Confused, knowing changeling diets after befriending Thorax, she glanced behind him, where she finally noticed Chrysalis and Emerald, the former scowling in irritation while the latter waved cheerfully. "...Really? Not enough love essence come through this time?"

"W-We have plenty. It's just, uhh-" Chrysalis yanked Thorax back by his tail, making him squeak in surprise.

"Just get us a table so I can feed my grandfoal and get her ready for bed," Chrysalis demanded.

Éclair's gaze shifted between the changeling queen and the little filly. "Uhh...grandfoal?" she questioned.

Chrysalis growled at the assumption in the mare's gaze before Emerald made her wince as she hugged her foreleg again. "Yup! I'm Princess Emerald Sparkle, and this is my Grandma Chrysie!" Emerald said.

Recognizing the filly's name, it finally clicked. "Oh! You're the prince's daughter!" Éclair exclaimed. "It's been so long since I've been in Canterlot, I nearly forgot that Prince Solaris married a changeling and had a baby."

"And that changeling was my daughter; my former heir of the changeling hive," Chrysalis added, startling the pony when she realized who she was questioning earlier.

"...Y-You're the queen of the changeling hive?" Éclair asked. "F-Forgive me, Your Highness. I...I didn't know you were-"

"Just quit stalling and serve us so we can leave," Chrysalis snarled.

"O-Of course! This way, please!" Éclair guided the trio down the aisle to their table.

Chrysalis and Thorax followed the waitress, Emerald giggling as she still clung onto her grandma's leg, reaching their table not too far from the entrance. Chrysalis shook the filly off her leg and plopped her down in the seat, sitting on the opposite side while Thorax took a spot beside the hybrid princess. Éclair levitated a kids menu and a small pack of crayons for a couple fun activities for foals to play with while waiting on the food.

"Do you need help reading the menu, princess?" Thorax asked.

"I can read it," Emerald said. "I've been learning in school."

"Can I get you all started with some drinks?" Éclair asked, her pen and notepad floating in her chocolate-brown aura.

Emerald hummed as she looked at the drinks on the kid menu. "Can I have some chocolate milk?" she asked.

"You most certainly may," the waitress said, then looked at the two changelings accompanying the princess. "What about-?"

"I'm not thirsty," Chrysalis interrupted.

Biting her lip, Éclair looked away from the queen before she agitated the hive's ruler further. "Uhh, water's fine for me," Thorax said.

"Ok. I'll be right back to take your food order." Éclair began to walk off to the kitchen, checking on some of her other customers she was waiting on to see if they needed anything else.

While Emerald continued looking through the small menu, Chrysalis huffed in annoyance. Looking around, she caught a few curious ponies eyeing them, but they went back to their conversations after getting a good look at her. Some of them greeted Thorax as they waved to the friendly changeling, while a couple colts at the nearby tables stared at the queen's long, slender body and the holes in her hooves. Part of her hive was all about hiding and being covert, and the recent attention they've been getting, especially herself, was far more annoying to her liking. She tried to tolerate some of the curious foals by letting them see through the holes in her legs, and it took all of her patience to not shove them away for testing to see if they can put small things through them.

Éclair came back a couple minutes later with Emerald's glass of chocolate milk, with a swirly straw for her to slurp through, and Thorax's water. Emerald figured out what she wanted and took her order herself: some mac and cheese for an appetizer, and she wanted to try a hayburger with a side of hay fries. Since the waitress figured the two changelings weren't hungry with their lack of eating a majority of foods, letting them know Emerald's food would be up in a moment. Emerald didn't mind as she busied herself with the foal menu's fun activities, from an easy crossword, a maze, and a picture to color in. Chrysalis was impatient and bored, wondering why ponies bothered to cook foods when there was plenty they could normally eat without a need to bake, grill, or boil them and waste time to sate their own hunger.

"Hey! Thorax!" Approaching their table, a slightly overweight unicorn stallion with dark brown fur and a fade cut mane of dirty blonde came over. He wore a cook's hat and a white apron that was slightly messy, obviously a cook from the busy kitchen in the back. "I thought I overheard Éclair talkin' about the town's friendliest changeling hanging around my restaurant!"

"Hey, Sloppy Joe," Thorax greeted, wincing slightly as the stallion gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"You brought a couple visitors from the way Éclair mentioned the queen bee of the hive visiting my place." Sloppy Joe looked past Thorax and watched Emerald, who stopped her coloring when the stallion greeted Thorax. "Queens must be pretty small if she's a little larvae or baby bug."

"I'm not the queen!" Emerald said with a giggle, pointing to the other end of the table, where Chrysalis just stared blankly at the chef/owner. "Grandma Chrysie is the queen!"

"Oh? Really?" Joe did a double take, feigning shock for a brief moment to entertain the filly. "Well, now that I see it, Her Royal Bug Highness definitely has the height of a ruler."

"You are not one of my subjects," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Oh good. We can chat on a first name basis," Joe said, irritating the queen further.

"No," she growled.

Sloppy Joe shrugged, though Thorax was a bit worried the chef pony's teasing might get him blasted by his queen. "So, what brings ya around? Don't you changelings have a problem eating other foods?"

"W-We're not here for us," Thorax said, gesturing to Emerald. "This is Prince Solaris's daughter and Her Majesty's granddaughter, Princess Emerald Sparkle."

Shocked, he looked at the young princess again, who gave him a small wave. "...No way. This is the prince's foal?" Sloppy Joe asked, then let out an elated chuckle. "Well, I'll be! I've heard from my cousin, Doughnut Joe, about the prince and his changeling wife having a foal, but I never knew what she looked like! She's a cutie, for sure!"

The other patrons looked over at their table in surprise at the stallion's announcement, much to Chrysalis's annoyance. "Thank you, Mr. Joe," Emerald said.

"Is the prince actually here?" Joe asked.

"He actually left his daughter in the queen's care for the weekend while he and Princess Trill are needed for some royal errands back in Canterlot," Thorax said.

"Doubtful," Chrysalis muttered to herself.

"Well, it's still quite a big deal to be serving royalty," Sloppy Joe said. "With some growing potential in a town near the changeling kingdom, I thought a restaurant down here to feed some hardworking ponies and tourists was the right choice. And it's a rare honor to be serving His Highness's little filly!"

Sloppy Joe bowed to the royal princess, then hurried on back to the kitchen before his staff got too backed up with other orders. Éclair soon came around a minute later with Emerald's mac and cheese, lowering the small bowl of steaming, gooey cheese coating the soft macaroni noodles. Emerald thanked the waitress, picking up her spoon with her magic and took a little scoop, remembering to blow on it since it was still pretty hot. Her first bite filled her taste buds with warm, cheesy delight, taking her time and savoring her starter until her main course arrived.

Just as she finished up her bowl, Éclair came around with her hayburger and hay fries. Replacing the empty bowl with the plate carrying a small hayburger and a small serving of hay fries fitting for a foal-sized stomach, the mare hoped the filly enjoyed the food. And enjoy, she did. Her family always had chefs that made delicious food, even Trill when she decided to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner for family mealtime, but nothing like what ponies in lower classes would normally eat every day. It was greasy, but each bite was an explosion of flavor that she didn't know was possible.

Chrysalis huffed, watching Emerald munch down half of her burger, taking pauses in between to slurp her chocolate milk to down her food. She glanced at Thorax, wondering how he got so chummy with the stallion who owned the building and helped cook in the kitchen. Not many changelings were willing to volunteer to make nice with the ponies who began to settle outside her kingdom, but his timid innocence seemed to win over all of them easily. It saved her the trouble of dealing with them, though the lack of detail about her physique to show she's the changeling queen was a frustrating peeve of hers, despite it being clearly obvious.

"Try not to make too much of a mess, princess," Thorax instructed, reminding the filly to wipe her muzzle and hooves with her napkins.

Sloppy Joe came back to the table, to the queen's chagrin, to check on them personally. "So, little princess, how's that hayburger?"

"Mmm. It's really yummy," Emerald said, licking some ketchup off her lips from her hay fries.

"You think you got some room for dessert?" Joe asked. "Thorax has informed me changelings have a love for chocolate, and you look like the kind of filly who enjoys chocolate just as much."

Emerald beamed and was about to answer, but Chrysalis interjected. "No. I do not wish to stay any longer in here than necessary," she said. "She is finishing her dinner so we can return to the hive."

Emerald whimpered as she felt disappointed, the look on her face breaking Sloppy Joe's heart. "Aww, come on, now, Your Majesty. It's not gonna hurt to have a little something sweet after a good meal. And by the look of your figure, you could probably use a little more meat on your...eh, what's it called? 'Kit-ine'?"

"Chitin, and I am not hungry," Chrysalis grumbled.

Her stomach said otherwise as it rumbled slightly. The queen's stare hardened, noting the sly smirk on the unicorn stallion's face.

"Well, maybe I can persuade you," Joe said. "You see, Éclair is also a pretty talented baker, and she just made a really yummy cake a while ago that I put on the menu for dessert." Gesturing with his hoof, he ushered the queen, drone, and princess to lean closer. Thorax and Emmy did so, but Chrysalis refused. "It's a triple chocolate pound cake."

Just hearing the amount of chocolate perked the changelings and hybrid filly's ears. Even Chrysalis's leer dropped in shock.

"Triple chocolate?" Emerald asked, her tail wagging excitedly as she leaned against the table, praying that the unicorn wasn't pulling her legs.

"Yes, indeedy. TRIPLE chocolate," Joe emphasized. "Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate chips topping all over the cake, and to add more sweet chocolatey goodness, a gooey fudge filling in the center. It's a crime to even call it a quadruple chocolate cake with that additional fudge stuffed inside."

Thorax and Emerald were salivating at the amount of chocolate that could give somepony a heart attack with one singular bite. "That...sounds...so delicious," Thorax hummed.

"Can we have some cake, grandma!?" Emerald begged.

Chrysalis was left in a daze, her own muzzle dribbling drool from her slightly gaping maw. Ever since she learned how good chocolate smelled and tasted, it was difficult for her not to break her disgruntled composure around the stuff. And the cake Discord baked with his chaotic magic for Emerald's first birthday party was almost addictive to the point where she was tempted to fight Trill for the last slice. Her stomach growled, begging her to try such an impossibly hard to resist cake, snapping her out of her daze as all eyes were on her. Sloppy Joe smirked like he just hit the jackpot while Thorax and Emerald begged her with their pleading eyes.

Grunting, wiping the drool off her chin, she caved. "Fine. We will try this concoction of chocolate cake your server made," she grumbled, making Emerald cheer as she went back to finishing her dinner so she can eat her chocolate dessert. "But as queen, I get the bigger slice."

"Sounds like a fair deal. We'll get it all ready," Sloppy Joe said, then pat Thorax's shoulder. "And don't you worry about the bill. It's all on me."

Surprised, Thorax looked at the stallion. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," the owner assured. "Perhaps the royals can spread the word and bring some changeling customers around to better the growing relations between ponies and changelings."

"That sounds like a great idea," Thorax said.

Sloppy Joe headed back to the kitchen to prepare their plates for dessert. Éclair came back just as Emerald had finished her plate, taking it back to the back of the house and returning a minute later with three plates each with a slice of her pound cake, a bigger slice for the queen as requested.

"There you go, everypony," she said, placing down their forks along with their respective plates. She noticed the awed looks on their faces as the chocolatey aroma hit their nostrils. "Wow. Thorax, you mentioned how much changelings love chocolate, but...is it really that much of a delicacy for you?" She didn't get an answer as the two changelings and hybrid filly took their forks and picked a sizable piece from their plates. The moment they bit their first bite, all three of them froze with eyes shot open wide, letting the incredibly sweet amount of chocolate assault their taste buds. Thorax's eyes were glazed over as he moaned, savoring the single bite despite having plenty more cake to enjoy. Chrysalis was dumbfounded, her muzzle scrunching while trying not to show she actually enjoyed the cake with slow chews. Emerald was the quick to recover and began eating the rest of her slice, humming happily as she enjoyed her dessert. Éclair blinked, slightly perturbed by their reaction giving her all the answer she needed. "...Err, I'll...just let you enjoy the cake."

Éclair went back to serving her other tables, getting some surprised requests from some of the patrons when they asked to have some of the cake the changelings were eating. Thorax finally snapped out of his daze, picking another piece of his cake and popped it in his mouth.

"Sooooo good," he mumbled. "Better than love."

Chrysalis balked and scowled at the drone. "It's not THAT delicious," she growled, failing to hold true to her claim as she chomped down another few bites of her slice. "I'd rather much taste real love more than anything again."

Emerald paused as she was about to take another bite, looking at her grandma curiously at the odd statement she made. Some of her lunches her parents made had a sprinkle of love essence to add some more flavor, but as tasty as it was, the love she gets from her daddy couldn't compare. During Hearth's Warming a few months ago, when all of her family was there, she noticed her grandma sometimes glancing over at Shining Armor or hesitating to respond to him when the adults talked about things she didn't understand quite yet. What was odd to her was that, whenever her uncle and grandma interacted with each other very briefly, she felt a very tiny hint of love come from the changeling queen, but it just as quickly disappeared. She ignored it, but she wondered why Chrysalis liked Shining Armor even though he was married to her Aunt Cadence.

The rest of their dessert was filled with silence aside from their clinking cutlery and the conversations of other patrons around them. Not a crumb was spared from the three of them, each plate licked clean of any chocolate fudge that spilled from their cake. Éclair came back to take their plates, reminded by her employer bought the princess's meal and their dessert, and would probably be taken to the back to bake another couple batches of her triple chocolate pound cake thanks to the positive results from the royal changeling and loyal follower expressing their enjoyment. Emerald thanked the waitress as the trio began to take their leave back to the hive.

With a full belly and feeling drowsy from the filling meal, it was close to her bedtime when they entered the castle. Thorax annoyed Chrysalis with the schedule for Emerald's weekend with getting her bathed and ready to go to bed. Leading her to the royal bathhouse in the castle, Emerald commented on how similar it looked to her family's bathroom, but the changeling queen statue spewing hot spring water out of its mouth was a little odd. Chrysalis was glad she didn't have to bathe her when Emerald said she could get herself cleaned by herself. Once she was squeaky clean and teeth brushed, Emerald was all ready for bed.

Settled under the covers with Teddy cuddled in her hooves, she began to drift off to sleep. Chrysalis exited the room after the filly said "goodnight" to her, not responding back until she was fast asleep. When she arrived in her own chambers, the queen let out a loud sigh in frustration, having to deal with her grandfilly for a couple days before her daughter and son-in-law came back to pick her up.

"It's not enough for them that I show up for her birthdays or some pony holiday involving fun family activities," Chrysalis grumbled to herself. "I even appeared for Hearth's Warming! I nearly froze to death through the stupid snow, and whether I chose to or not, Discord would have forced me to take part anyway!" Pausing, she looked around her room, sneering cautiously. "...Assuming he isn't listening in on me. Or is hiding somewhere within my CHAMBERS!"

Using her magic, she lifted her bed, her eyes darting around for any sign of the mismatched creature of chaos. She did the same for the rest of her small bits of furniture, but to her relief, there was nothing strange or out of place. Getting too paranoid, Chrysalis sighed, needing enough rest to deal with Emerald and whatever childish antics she'll have that'll drive her more crazy than Trill's in her youth. She climbed into bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment before she rolled on her side and forced her eyes closed to try to sleep.

Completely restless, Chrysalis grumbled as she tiredly sat up, her mane a ruffled mess and covered her face. "Great. I'm gonna have a miserable day today," she groaned, rubbing her eyes before pulling her bedhead out of her face. When she squinted her eyes, they immediately widened. Instead of her dull and dark bedroom, she found herself in a much more lavish, brighter colored royal bedchamber; a familiar chamber that used to belong to a certain alicorn princess she impersonated many years ago. Confused, she glanced at the dressers, the lush carpeted floor, soft linens and a more comfortable bed than her own, and the balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot with the morning sun shining through the glass door. "...What is going on?...Am I dreaming?"

Getting up from the bed, ignoring everything else in the room, she approached the balcony, opening up the double doors to hear the sounds of the morning greet her. She could feel the warmth of the sun hit her, hear the sounds of the city from her perch, and some of the animals in Celestia's royal garden down below. Chrysalis knew she was in some kind of dream, but she didn't know why she was dreaming about being in Canterlot again.

"Honey? Are you awake?" Nearly jumping out of her skin, Chrysalis glanced back at the bedroom door, hearing Shining Armor's voice from the other side, though much more younger than he currently sounded today. Panicking, she quickly transformed into Cadence, unsure if she was living a past memory or not, but her heart was beginning to race at the thought of bumping into the stallion again. The door opened as she put on a forced grin, finding the stallion just as young as he was when she first met him a month before the royal wedding. Shining Armor stepped in, his grin faltering slightly when he looked at her, his light rose aura carrying a tray with some breakfast made for her, or rather, Cadence. "...What are you doing?"

"Uhh...I was just...enjoying the view outside," Chrysalis said nervously, hoping her disguise wasn't immediately blown. As she turned to look outside, she swished her tail and glanced back at the stallion with a coy grin, her eyes fluttering as she hoped alluring him with his wife's curvaceous rump will distract him from her visible nerves. "Care to enjoy it with me?"

Despite putting on her best charm as an expert impersonator, Shining Armor didn't seem to be swayed by her rear or bedroom eyes. Setting the tray down on top of a dresser, he approached the "alicorn", standing beside her.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Doing what, Shiney?" Chrysalis asked, playing innocent while casually bumping her flank against his.

Getting no reaction from the unicorn, Chrysalis' act was starting to crumble. "Chrysie, stop pretending," he said, shocking the changeling queen.

Shifting her gaze in his direction, the playful teasing ended as she giggled nervously. "W-What? Who's this 'Chrysie'? It's me, darling. Your princess, Cadence."

"Come on, Chrysie, no need to be somepony else." Shining flicked her horn with his hoof, making the queen yelp as her disguise faltered and reverted her back to normal, startling and angering her. Even though she was supposed to be taller than him, her transformation made her feel just a bit smaller than him now. "There we go. Perfect as you are."

Hissing, Chrysalis tackled Shining onto the bed, pinning him down and baring her fangs. "How'd you figure out my identity!? When!? And don't you dare call me that! It's Queen Chrysalis! QUEEN Chrysalis!"

Shining chuckled, baffling Chrysalis as he seemed to brush off her attack as playful and not the flirting while pretending to be his true love. "I've known you long enough to know when you're worried about how I think of your appearance," he said. "As fun as it is pretending to be another mare, or even another creature, I still prefer being with the changeling princess I fell in love with."

"P-Princess!? I'm a queen, you stupid-!" Realizing what she was doing, Chrysalis grunted, letting out a disgruntled huff as she crawled off the stallion and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm arguing with a dream. This is all just some random scenario of being with the stallion I fooled into giving his love to 'Mi Amore Cadenza' to gain enough power to take over the kingdom. But he's in love with the REAL me..." Glaring forward angrily, she sneered in disdain. "If there was any way Luna's spirit might possibly wander into others' dreams, and this is some kind of ploy to get under my skin, she'd better pray for a miracle when I don't find it and tear her soul apart so she can stay dead with her sister and Twilight Sparkle in the afterlife."

The bed shifted behind her, the dream stallion seating himself beside her with concern on his face. "Chrysie, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm ignoring you. I'm just waiting to wake up from this weird dream." Chrysalis flinched when she felt Shining's leg wrap around her shoulders. "Stop it. Whatever it is you're doing, I'm not letting you-"

As she turned her head to scowl at him, she gasped when she felt his lips press against hers. Caught off guard by the kiss, she pulled her head back, wanting to slap him or throw him across the room, but she couldn't. No matter what she wanted to do, her body refused to obey. She now noticed just how big and muscular he was, startling her as her cheeks burned brightly with a heavy blush. Why was she feeling this nervous? She's been held in his embrace in her disguise several times before, but why was her heart beating this hard?

"Are you nervous about the wedding? How you think everyone will look at you on the alter? Is that why you're so antsy?" he asked.

"...W-Wedding? But...you're married to-" Chrysalis's complaints were silenced by a gentle hoof pressed to her lips.

Giving the changeling a reassuring smile, he brought his muzzle closer to hers, their noses gently touching. "It's ok. Whatever you look like in your dress, you'll always be beautiful to me." Her breath hitched in her throat, confused by the odd reaction she gave from such a compliment. She knew it wasn't true, but why did it affect her so? "Besides, isn't this going to help tie both our kingdoms together? You and the other changelings no longer have to hide in fear and survive by stealing love anymore. And I'll give you all the love you need."

Chrysalis panicked. This felt like something similar to Solaris and Trill's blossoming romance and their union uniting their kingdoms. But it was far too different, even in a dream: Shining Armor "loved" her, his deep voice and honeyed words making her skin tremble, his cerulean eyes staring into hers, his strong but gentle touch. She tried to shake her head, focus back on the fact that she was dreaming and needed to wake up, but her thoughts drifted when he removed his hoof from her lips, then kissed her again, much more deeply. Chrysalis whimpered, chastising herself for sounding so weak, but her own thoughtful berating was immediately silenced when she felt, or what she believed she felt, was pure, unconditional love being fed to her. She was paralyzed in shock, her forelegs slowly rising to try to push the stallion off of her, but they rested lazily against his chest, her mind clearly remembering just how thick and muscular his body was from all his training in the royal guard. Her eyes began to drift closed, her lips awkwardly fumbling to try to kiss back, overpowered by his own as his hooves embraced her by her waist.

The passion she felt with Shining Armor before while impersonating his real bride-to-be was incredible and enough of several good lays, but this felt...more right. Far more passionate than she envisioned she would ever feel. Before she knew it, she was lowered down on her back, her stallion laying over her while their lips were still deeply locked together. Her hooves soon moved up to cup Shining's cheeks, her tongue poking out to graze at his lips, begging for entry and more of his love, which he gladly accepted and parted his lips. Their tongues swirled and meshed in each other's mouths, making the changeling moan as her belly was not only getting filled, but was fueled with a burning desire. She wanted him; she NEEDED him.

As their lips parted, her mind was left in a haze, but part of it that was clear told her that this wasn't right. Panting for breath, she watched him move lower, peppering her neck with kisses, never going past her collarbone. Her hooves quivered as she tilted her head back with a groan, begging for more as her hooves grabbed the top of his head, weakly mussing up his shaggy, two-tone blue mane. Her body wanted more, but her mind was telling her to snap out of it.

"S-Shiney," she whimpered, closing her eyes as his amorous assault moved up her neck, trailed along her cheek, and up to her ear. "D-Don't...P-Please, s-st-ah..."

A soft kiss grazed her ear, making her body stiffen in pleasure, along with a certain part of the stallion she was once familiar with rubbing against her belly. She shivered as his breath blew against her sensitive appendage, her limbs embracing him for the passionate lovemaking her body desperately craved. And without any disguise as he wanted Chrysalis for her, not a mare she was pretending to be.

"I love you, Chrysie..."

Chrysalis woke with a startled gasp, panting heavily with flushed cheeks. Sweat dripped down her body as she came to her senses, staring at the wall of her bedchambers within her hive. Her hooves were holding one of her pillows over her head and upper chest, smushed against her face where her dream stallion was tormenting her with "kisses". The fulfillment she thought she was experienced was replaced by the envious emptiness in her gut. Her face slowly turned into a frown, her brow furrowed in anger as the condescending, know-it-all tone of her daughter's voice about how great Solaris's love was made her bitter. Growling, she threw the pillow she was hugging off of her, turning over with a grunt as she kicked off her sheets.

Unable to get back to sleep, she decided to just sit up, ignoring the disheveled mess of her hair. Looking at her clock, it was only seven in the morning. As much as she wanted to just stay in bed and mope while the dream was still fresh in her mind, her lazy day was ruined by her chamber door opening slightly, Thorax's head poking in with a chipper grin on his muzzle.

"Good morning, Your Highness," he greeted. His grin faltered when he saw the state of her bed, the thrown pillow, and the angry, tired leer on his matriarch's face. "...Uhh...Rough night?"

"Shut it, Thorax," she grumbled. "What do you want?"

"Er...W-Well, it's a little past seven," he reminded the queen. "Princess Emerald should be up and motivated, then be served breakfast."

Being reminded of her grandfoal she was forced to watch over, Chrysalis sighed, forcing herself out of bed and stomped over to the changeling drone. "I need a bath," she stated. "You wake her and get her fed."

He walked past Thorax, worrying the changeling as Prince Solaris would think his queen was shirking on taking care of his daughter. "B-But Your Highness, y-you should really be-" Chrysalis quickly faced Thorax and hissed aggressively. He balked and took several steps back, leaving the queen be as she stormed off to the bathhouse to get herself freshened up for the day. He flinched when she slammed the doors to the royal baths, fidgeting slightly. "...Uhh...Maybe I should...get the princess after all."

Passing the bathroom, Thorax quickly trotted toward Emerald's room. Quietly opening the door, he looked inside to see the filly still asleep. He stepped inside and quietly approached the bed, her stuffed bear still held in her hooves while she seemed to be sleeping more peacefully than his queen had. He gently rubbed Emerald's side, stirring her awake as she squinted her eyes open. Yawning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, leaving her bear laying on its side.

"Morning, Mr. Thorax," Emerald mumbled. Once she had woken up enough, she looked around the changeling drone. "Where's grandma?"

Thorax grimaced as he stumbled on his words. "Uhh...She's...taking a bath," he said. "She might be in there for...a while. Kinda woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Oh. Grandma's cranky," Emerald said. "She always looks cranky."

Thorax tried to think of something positive about his queen to the princess, but he sighed and hung his head. "Y-Yeah...Even more so after the royal wedding...and Lucifer..." Emerald tilted her head, wondering what royal wedding Thorax was talking about. Snapping out of his thoughts, he noticed the curious look on the princess's face. "Uhh...Heh heh, i-ignore that. You're a bit too young to...understand that. H-How about we see if we can find you some breakfast and start the day?"

"Ok." Thorax breathed a sigh of relief and began to leave the room, though Emerald was still quite curious as to what he meant. She looked to her guardian angel, who was just as curious, though it was more toward Chrysalis and whatever angry mood she was in today. "Twilight, what did Mr. Thorax mean? Was he talking about mommy and daddy?"

Twilight flinched as she glanced down at the filly. "Ummmm...I'm not sure!" she said, giggling sheepishly as she lied to her. "Your grandmare's probably not much of a morning pony like you or your father. She'll be back to her normal, moody self in a while." Thankfully, Emerald believed her, fluttering down from the bed and hurried after Thorax. Twilight let out a heavy sigh as she followed along, partially relieved and hoping her grandfoal didn't learn about what her living grandmother did more than two decades ago. "I guess part of her still holds a grudge with us for her invasion failing thanks to me and being defeated by the power of true love."

Chrysalis trudged through the halls of her castle after her bath. She didn't feel any better, nor did it clear her head from the vivid dream she had, but she tried to shrug it off so she can continue watching her grandfoal. Without any clue where Thorax took Emerald, she figured he must have taken her outside the castle grounds to the town outside the mountain. Disgruntled, she made her way out to the town to find them. Thankfully she didn't have to search too far when she found the two heading back her way, the filly happily munching on a granola bar as she walked beside Thorax.

"Morning, grandma!" Emerald greeted. Chrysalis gave her a small grunt in response, clearly still moody. "Grandma's still cranky."

Thorax giggled nervously, changing the topic before the queen decided to blast him in the chest. "So, anything planned to show the princess around?"

"No. I was...distracted while I was bathing," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Huh? Distracted? But...isn't the only thing in your private bath the statue of your mother?" Thorax asked.

"That statue was grandma's mommy?" Emerald asked.

"...I'm going back to bed." Chrysalis huffed and turned away, trudging back inside her hive.

Thorax buzzed his wings and rushed in front of her path. "W-Wait! Maybe there's something you can show her in the castle that she might like!"

"Like what?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Uhh...W-Well..." Thorax's eyes shifted nervously before he finally came up with an idea. "What about...the incubation chamber?"

The queen gave the drone a questionable leer, but it managed to pique the filly's curiosity. "What's an 'in-cue-bation' chamber?"

"It's a special room within the castle where mommy and daddy changelings keep their eggs in a big room where they'll be safe and secure until they hatch," Thorax explained.

"...You really think a five-year-old is going to be interested in where the eggs are kept?" Chrysalis asked, though she was struck with disbelief when Emerald suddenly bounced up and down in front of her excitedly.

"Can I see the baby changelings!?" she asked. "Can I!? Can I!? Please, grandma!?"

Dumbfounded, Chrysalis glared at Thorax, who giggled nervously as he was surprised that his suggestion worked. Sighing heavily, she grumbled in agreement, making Emerald cheer as she fluttered her wings and hopped around the two changelings while they led her toward the incubation chamber. Twilight laughed in amusement, also growing curious to see how changeling hatchlings looked like if they were lucky enough to see a clutch be born. Within the castle, they arrived at the sealed door where the many families of changelings' eggs lied. Opening the door, Emerald gasped in awe at all the hundreds of piles of eggs all throughout the wide, very spacious room. The walls were smoothed out to avoid having any newborn changelings hurt themselves if a changeling was not around to supervise them. All the eggs were white with black speckles, each one as big as the changeling's queen's hoof.

"Sweet Celestia," Twilight uttered, astonished by the number of eggs that would outnumber an average ant colony's. "She really could have ruled the entire world if these eggs were all bred to be soldiers..."

Emerald was curious to see them up close, carefully approaching a clutch of ten to twelve eggs nearby. "Wow," the filly uttered. "They have spots."

"More like speckles, but, I guess so," Thorax said.

"Hello, little babies," Emerald greeted the eggs, gently touching one of them. The moment her hoof touched the egg, it suddenly shifted and a little cracking sound rang out. Startled, Emerald fluttered away, fearing she accidentally cracked it open, but the other eggs within the clutch were wriggling with more cracking sounds. "Uh oh. Did I do something wrong?"

"We have a clutch that's hatching!" Thorax gleefully cheered. "What perfect timing!"

Even though Chrysalis remained silent, the changeling queen had a small grin as she eyed the new hatchlings that would soon serve her. Emerald stared at the wriggling eggs, watching some of the cracks grow on a few of the eggs until one of them kicked one of their tiny legs through. The hatchling that learned to break free first broke out of their shell more, stumbling out once they managed to make a big enough opening. Their other siblings soon followed suit, either breaking out with their hooves or their little crooked horns, each of them stumbling slightly as they got adjusted to their limbs.

"Awww, they're cute!" Emerald squealed.

"Huh. I...expected them to break out of their shells and look more like larvae," Twilight uttered to herself. She suddenly winced as a sudden voice only she was able to hear rang in her ear, sighing slightly in annoyance before shaking her head. "Ok, Pinkie. Like I'll believe that the reason why is because of our world being some alternate universe of whatever is considered our 'real' dimension, and how a prequel of this 'universe' was made before the actual showing of the changeling's larval stages in the 'real' dimension...Wait, how was she able to-?" Twilight shook her head, ignoring how it was possible she was able to communicate with one of her dear friends while she was busy looking over her grandfoal as her guardian angel. "Not gonna question it. Pinkie being Pinkie, even while in Paradise..."

The changeling hatchlings began to look around their environment, at each of their siblings, but then they all stared at Emerald. "Hello, little babies," the filly greeted.

Confused, the infants looked at each other, then back to the white-furred changeling eyeing them with excitement. One of them grew curious and approached Emerald, stumbling forward until it bumped against her. Emerald held out her hoof and pat the infant, being gentle while it wondered what she was doing. The others followed their sibling and shakily approached her, surrounding the hybrid princess with intrigue.

"I think they like her," Thorax said. "I think I heard Prince Solaris had run into some newly hatched eggs years ago and wound up getting swarmed by them."

Chrysalis's grin drooped, ignoring Thorax as she eyed her newly hatched subjects. She expected the changeling infants to start hissing or try to wrestle each other to show dominance toward their siblings like the little warriors they would turn into. They had swarmed and attacked Solaris a couple decades ago as their practice dummy, but they did nothing to Emerald. Whether they were confused and saw her as a changeling or if they were a bit overwhelmed by the amount of love that was around the filly but couldn't take it, she had no clue. Emerald giggled and gathered a few of them in a group hug, making some of them squeak and squirm slightly before they began to take a liking to the warm gesture. They soon began to crawl all over her, some wanting to feel what their "caught" siblings were having, which made the filly giggle more.

"Hey, that tickles!" she said, being super careful not to accidentally hit or squish any of them as she tried to move away. They clung onto her and crawled all over her, barely biting or hissing at her. "Help! Grandma! Mr. Thorax! I got swarmed!"

Thorax laughed and went over to rescue the princess. Chrysalis slumped over, disgruntled. Even though the world was at peace, she disliked how the hatchlings nowadays were no longer learning how to be aggressive to grow stronger and serve their worth in her hive. She still has her army of loyal soldiers, but now they were used for dull and repetitive guard duty within her hive or elsewhere in Equestria doing menial guard work for museums, banks, etc. Despite it also being a method to improve Equestria's treaty with the changeling kingdom, Chrysalis despised how all her greatest warriors' talents are no longer useful in this more peaceful time. And seeing more of her newly born subjects being far more docile in the last few years has irked her to no end.

Thorax got all the hatchlings latching onto him now, all the babies content to hang onto the drone and enjoy the ride. "Let's see if we can find your brood parents, little ones," Thorax said to the infants.

He trotted his way out of the massive room to find the changeling hatchlings' parents. Emerald followed him out with Chrysalis trudging along behind them, grumbling in irritation. Noticing the sour mood on her grandmother's face, she lagged behind to trot alongside her.

"Do you not like the babies, grandma?" Emerald asked.

"I used to," Chrysalis mumbled.

"Was I born in an egg?" Emerald asked curiously.

Twilight giggled at the innocent question, though Chrysalis froze with a disturbed grimace. "...No. And I would be much happier if you didn't remind me of your...birth..."

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Trill heaved as her contractions continued wracking her for the last few hours, trying to control her breathing and push Emerald out of her. Chrysalis, while dressed in the surgical gown and mask she was forced to wear, just watched her daughter writhing in agony on the bed, hind legs splayed out to watch the foal come out. It was far worse than she imagined live births would appear, and far messier that would have made her vomit if she had eaten any love before Trill's water broke. The nurses and Dr. Joy worked like a well-oiled machine, the doctor encouraging the expecting mother to push with each timing of her contractions while the rest of the staff checked on Trill's vitals and prepared to clean and bundle the baby to keep her warm. "I-It's...I can't...take this..."

"You're doing great, Trill. Just keep breathing," Joy said. One of the nurses dabbed some sweat from Trill's head, the labor taking its toll on her as she felt like her insides were getting torn apart. Turning her head, Joy looked at Chrysalis, who was dumbstruck and sickened, her eyes glued to the mess while she stood on at the other end of the room, staying out of the way. "Are you alright, Your Highness? You look pale."

"...I-I..." Chrysalis wanted to complain from the assumption, but she was speechless. Trill let out a loud grunt as another contraction hit her, grasping the hoof of the nurse who was wiping the sweat from her brow tightly. The momentary distraction made Chrysalis glance at Trill, seeing the pained, sweaty, and teary-eyed state she was in. When she looked back down, much to her shocked brain's poor choice, her eyes widened when she saw a tiny white horn and a bit of forehead beginning to appear between the changeling princess's legs. "Oh Faust above, what is that!?"

Joy quickly turned back to Trill and noticed the filly's forehead. "I see the head, Trill! You're almost there. One more hard push on the next wave." Slightly relieved, though while still in incredible pain, Trill nodded, took deep breaths, and waited anxiously for her hopefully last contraction. "Ok. One. Two. Three. Push!"

Timing the next contraction perfectly with the doctor's countdown, Trill took in a deep breath and exerted as much pressure as she could through her lower abdomen. She was determined to get her daughter out of her to finally end the madness. Chrysalis was unable to look away and watched as more of Emerald could be seen. Joy brought her hooves out, gently grasping the filly's head and helped Trill pull the baby out. Taking her first breath, Emerald began crying, the doctor carefully removing the rest of the squirming hybrid infant from her mother. Trill fell back, collapsing onto the medical bed, breathing heavily and going limp, completely exhausted. While the bedside nurse made sure nothing was seriously wrong with her, Joy and the other nurses helped clean the newborn up.

Chrysalis tuned out the excitement of the announcement of the baby as a girl, finishing cleaning Emerald and what they could of the birth fluids around Trill's hindquarters and the sheets, put a diaper on the baby, then wrapped her up in a bright pink blanket to keep her warm. Even though she was tired, Trill was shedding tears of joy as she heard her babies cries. Staying conscious, the nurse gently gave the new mother her foal, Trill gently cradling Emerald and holding her to her chest. While Dr. Joy carefully examined Trill's body to make sure no complications during the birth would cause internal damage to the changeling, Chrysalis was never going to let the disgusting image leave her mind for the rest of her life.

She subconsciously began to walk out after making sure it was safe to move Trill into the maternity ward. Trill had finally passed out when the nurses helped put her into a new gown, Emerald falling asleep after being close to her mother as Joy and the nurses took the baby to the nursery to be sure she was perfectly healthy, along with marking the unique features of a half pony, half changeling foal. Chrysalis slipped off the mask and surgical gown, leaving them in a heap on the floor in the hall, which one of the nurses took care of to be properly washed, wandering down the halls until she walked out into the waiting room, Dr. Joy following behind her after knowing Emerald was well taken care of by her staff.

Her gaze met Solaris's, the alicorn prince in a worried state as he had nearly made a groove in the floor from his pacing, his relatives all passed out in the chairs with Discord still awake to keep him company. "...You...are not...having anymore children," she said before she finally succumbed to the startling show she was given, passing out and falling to the floor.

Chrysalis stared distantly down the hall as she recalled the traumatizing memory. Her body shivered as her stomach churned, but she held her breakfast, despite not gulping any love essence at all today. She looked down at her grandfoal, who had a curious gaze as she wondered why she stopped.

"...It wasn't a pretty sight. Let's just leave it at that," Chrysalis said.

"Oh. Ok," Emerald mumbled. Twilight resisted the urge to grumble at the awful response, shaking her head at the queen. Chrysalis lost track of Thorax while having her flashback, but she no longer cared about him or the new hatchlings. "Hey, grandma?"

"What?" Chrysalis mumbled.

"...Do you like Unca Shiney?" Emerald's question came out of nowhere, startling Chrysalis.

"...What?" she asked again.

"Do you like Unca Shiney?" Emerald repeated. "Like...how Auntie Cadence likes Unca Shiney?"

Chrysalis blinked, blankly staring at the filly before she chuckled, patting her on the head. "Very funny," she said. "Pony foals always ask the silliest of questions. Me? 'Liking' Shining Armor? Ha ha, you must have gotten that from your mother, to my annoyance.

The queen began to walk on ahead, though Emerald seemed a bit confused while Twilight pondered why the filly asked such an odd question. Even though Chrysalis was somewhat on good terms with her brother and sister-in-law, the idea of the changeling queen being in love with any creature, let alone her older brother, was absurd.

"But on Hearth's Warming, when you talked to Unca Shiney, you had a small bit of love around you like mommy whenever she's around daddy." Chrysalis nearly stumbled over her hooves. Twisting her head around while standing in place, she looked at Emerald in both shock and disbelief. Even though Twilight should be disturbed by the near one hundred eighty degree neck turn, she was just as astonished as Chrysalis, her jaw hanging open from Emerald's statement. "Daddy gives lots of love to me and mommy, but mommy does share some love with him, but not like how ponies do...You didn't give as much, but I could feel enough to know you really, really like Unca Shiney."

Stunned, Chrysalis's eyes shifted anxiously. She scrunched her muzzle, turning herself around while still looking at her grandfoal.

"Changelings don't GIVE love," Chrysalis said, reigning back her aggression to avoid upsetting Emerald and getting in serious trouble with Solaris and Trill. "We eat it. Unlike other creatures, we don't radiate love of any kind. Besides, who even said I so much as liked that dimwitted stallion? Just because we're in-laws doesn't mean I have to like him in any way, much less tolerate his existence whenever we're around."

"But you really do like him," Emerald said. "Are you scared to tell him?"

Chrysalis balked, insulted at the notion. "Scared!? To tell him what!? I'm Queen Chrysalis! I fear nothing! Not even admitting to that unicorn that I've had a deep-seeded crush on him after several years not seeing him, only to meet him again when he looked like he was on the verge of death and he's been plaguing my mind ever since that day!"

After breathing heavily in her ire, Chrysalis's face drooped, startled by what she had practically admitted to Emerald. Emerald was a little taken aback by her grandmother's rebuttal, but she grinned as her hunch was right. Twilight, however, was mortified. The evil bug queen who tried to invade Equestria and steal her brother away for food had actually grown some sort of romantic interest in him, even though Shining is happily married with Cadence, they have a filly of their own, and it has only been close to ten years since peace was established between ponies and changelings. The alicorn angel still couldn't believe what she just heard, even though she had put her trust in Chrysalis to give Solaris his last trial in order to save the world.

"...Soooo...you do like Unca Shiney!" Emerald cheered, her wings fluttering excitedly.

Grimacing, Chrysalis turned away with a huff and stormed down the hall. "Thorax, where did you disappear to!?" she called out as she fled from Emerald, who caught up with her as she flew after her.

"Grandma loves Unca Shiney~!" she sang with a happy giggle.

Though the filly wasn't making fun of her for it, Chrysalis was getting annoyed and wanted to steer far away from the subject of love, especially around her infatuation with the stallion she once used for food. "Quiet! You heard nothing!" she chided her granddaughter.

"I can tell Unca Shiney for you!" Emerald offered, making Chrysalis zoom off with a frustrated growl.

"I said forget what you heard, you insatiable foal!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "THORAX!!!!!!"

As Twilight subconsciously followed Emerald's path, she was still stunned in disbelief. "...Chrysalis...in love with Shining? There's...There's no way...But, how did Emerald even know? And...she can sense love from changelings? Maybe because she's half pony and half changeling, there's much more potential she has involving her uniquely mixed magic?" Despite her curiosity with Emerald's innate abilities that would come to light as she gets older, it was all pushed aside at the thought of Chrysalis and Shining Armor being romantically involved. "Ugh...I'm so glad I don't have to worry about sustenance. I'd be throwing up my lunch right here and now..."

Love: To Want or Need?

Throughout the rest of the day, Chryaslis trudged through her home with her grandfoal towing along. The fact that Trill left Emerald with her for the weekend without any warning was bad enough, now it was worse when the filly is being her usual curious self, but by being more obnoxious with her childish antics when she flat out admitted to her she liked Shining Armor. She definitely took her changeling side in a more scientific sense; being a little pest like all foals were. At least she didn't have colts around her kingdom trying to put sticks or pencils through her leg holes.

Unable to find Thorax, she really had no choice but to watch Emerald, to her irritation. Two more days of foalsitting, but all she wanted to do was just mope around her castle, groveling in her misery and boredom as her kingdom became a force to be reckoned with, only to dwindle to losing any sense of fear and hostility toward Equestria and the rest of the world. What she wouldn't give to sneak off in town, pretend to hook up with some random stallion and take their love while they're completely unaware of who she was.

"Hey, Grandma Chrysie?" Emerald asked.

Sighing heavily, Chrysalis turned her head and looked down at the filly tailing her. "What now? If you're going to go off on another singsong rant, I will punish you."

"No you can't~!" Emerald giggled. Chrysalis grumbled, her threat worthless to intimidate her grandfoal. Even if she could, she really can't, mostly to avoid Solaris' wrath if she made his daughter upset. "Can you teach me how to turn into things like you and mommy and all the changelings?"

"That should be something your mother teaches you," Chrysalis grumbled. "Faust knows she has all the time in the castle during winter to teach you."

"Well, mommy's helping daddy more with running Equestria." The queen rolled her eyes, still doubting her wild and disobedient spawn ever had an ounce of responsibility. "When I was stealing some yummy cookies with my friends, we knocked over a pan and made noise. I panicked while my friends hid, and I think I turned into something to blend in to avoid getting caught."

"...Stealing cookies," Chrysalis repeated, unimpressed by the filly's grand heist that marked her first experience as a shapeshifter.

"They were super duper chocolatey cookies," Emerald reiterated, licking her lips at the memory of the explosive chocolatey delicacy that hit her taste buds. The mention of chocolate frustrated Chrysalis, making her crave that triple chocolate cake from Sloppy Joe's restaurant last night. "Dusk Shine said I turned into a box of salt when he was looking with one of the new guards at the castle. I tried to do it again, but I don't know how I did it."

"So you still got caught...but I'm going to take a guess that Dusk, who's your personal foalsitter, assisted in your theft." Emerald nodded her head. Chrysalis was a bit curious, hearing her somehow being successful in her heist despite being spotted by someone. Since Trill neglected to explain anything about her hive to her own daughter, she was going to have to do so in her stead. "...I'll give you a lesson about shapeshifting."

"Yay!" Emerald cheered and glomped into the queen's foreleg, hugging her tightly.

Groaning, Chrysalis lifted her leg. "If I teach you, you are not going to latch onto me like that for a year."

"Nuh uh!" Emerald argued.

Seeing she wasn't going to win an argument with a five-year-old, Chrysalis sighed in defeat, then peeled the filly off her limb. "To start things off, the reason why you transformed out of the blue was because of a fight or flight reflex. Getting startled and panicked set your instincts off to hide in plain sight, which is how you were able to blend in as a container for condiments or seasoning."

"So...I have to be scared to transform?" Emerald asked.

"We are changelings; we bring fear to every creature in all of Equestria!" Chrysalis proclaimed, spreading her wings and bearing her fangs to emphasize how intimidating they were.

Down the hall approached a pair of changeling drones, both of them looking the exact opposite of scary and frightful. They were wearing a halo of bright, colorful flowers and dressed in bright blue and green togas.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," one of them greeted. Chrysalis's ears drooped and her eye twitched at the sight of the two brightly dressed drones. "We're on our way to try this interpretive dance thing going on in town."

"Ponies say it helps soothe one's aura and spirit as we dance a story to the public," the other said. "Want to come and see?"

Her growl and deadly glare told them she wasn't interested, ruining the explanation she tried to express to Emerald. The two changelings shrugged and continued on their way, baffling the changeling filly. As Twilight watched them, she held back her laughter at the ironic display. She still couldn't accept this new change for her kingdom in the era of peace Solaris brought to the world, and her changelings were living among ponies in peace and no longer in hiding. Even when Chrysalis boasts about how terrifying they are, Twilight knows that she's just all bark and no bite now. Though it still disgusted her to know that Chrysalis actually likes her brother as more than just food.

"...I think Auntie Gemstone might be scared of those goofy dresses," Emerald said.

"Ugh. Forget it," Chrysalis grumbled. "Ignoring my weakened forces doing stuff like...that, shapeshifting is not based around fear or emotions. It's about concentration and focus, much like using magic naturally."

"I'm starting to learn how to levitate stuff with my magic better," Emerald pointed out.

"Then it should come naturally to you with some practice," Chrysalis said. "Turning into an inanimate object is a little more advanced, but not as much as it is impersonating somepony." In a flash of green, Chrysalis transformed into Cadence, though the change didn't startle Emerald as she continued listening. "You have to get every single detail about them perfectly to pull it off. The hair, the fur, the eye color-" She then cleared her throat and started speaking exactly like Cadence. "-even their voice to the perfect tone and pitch." To add another example, she transformed into Celestia, this time surprising Emerald since she had never seen either of the late alicorn princesses and how tall they are. "'I am Princess Celestia. I have ruled Equestria for over a millennia with peace and motherly wisdom. I am also powerless to the great and mighty changeling queen while I sit my fat plot on my throne and scarf down hundreds of pounds of cake every day.'"

"Whoa..." Emerald was highly impressed and already eager to give shapeshifting a try.

Chrysalis smirked, turning back to normal. "I may have exaggerated how the late Princess Celestia acted, but I feel I nailed it spot on," she said with a mischievous chuckle, insulting the former Princess of the Sun. Twilight scowled, highly disapproving of her mocking her teacher, and she was going to tell Celestia herself what besmirching remarks Chrysalis made about her. "The easiest method of shapeshifting, however, is just changing your fur or hair color to something else."

"Ok! So, what do I do?" Emerald asked, tail wagging excitedly.

"We'll start with trying to change your mane to a different color," Chrysalis said. "Envision another color, or even an array of colors, and as you think it, don't focus on it with your magic. Let it happen as you transform that part of you to that color."

"Oh. Ok." Emerald closed her eyes, focusing on just changing her hair color. It was a little difficult not to use her pony magic to use it, but she concentrated on what her grandma instructed. From within, she could feel another separate magic she didn't notice before, not even when she did it by complete accident before. Willing the change to happen, her body swiftly surrounded by a green aura, and Chrysalis saw the results of the slight change in the filly's appearance. Emerald squinted one eye open, glancing up at her bangs, finding the green with a gold streak now a bright pink. Gasping, she looked at her tail, matching the same color and beamed. "I did it!"

"Yes, despite the ugly bright pink you chose," Chrysalis mumbled.

Emerald began to try wearing other colors, the green aura flickering as she went through every color she knew of from her array of crayon colors from school. From every color of the rainbow to earthy or imaginative colors she didn't know existed, Chrysalis watched, surprised to see her grandfoal already getting used to the changeling side of her magic. Emerald even mixed them to make different streaks, highlights, or different shades in unique combinations.

"Look, Grandma Chrysie, I'm doing it!" Emerald cheered.

"I can clearly see that," Chrysalis said. "Try not to overdo it. You'll use up your love energy shifting over and over."

"I don't feel tired," Emerald stated, which only infuriated the queen more knowing her grandchild has been feeding on so much of Solaris' love that she's amassed an enormous ocean of love inside her. "Umm...How do I get my normal hair back? I don't know if daddy will like it."

"You just will it back like your wild pastel experimentation," she explained.

Emerald thought of having her normal hair color, and her magic flicked and reverted back to her green hair and golden streak. "Am I ready to turn into somepony else yet?"

"Maybe, but...just keep practicing with changing your hair or fur until you're old enough to control yourself," Chrysalis said.

"You mean control my magic?" Emerald rephrased.

"Yeah, sure, that," Chrysalis mumbled.

Around the corner, Thorax turned and spotted the royal changelings. As he approached them, Emerald gave him a wave, and from the numerous changeling infants he had "carried", one of them remained as it clung onto the back of his head.

"I brought all but one little one to their brood parents," Thorax announced. "I think this little guy's parents are away from the hive."

"Does that mean you're gonna foalsit him?" Emerald asked.

"For a little, but perhaps I'll have Ocellus keep an eye on him," Thorax said. "I promised to foalsit for a couple pony foals in the town outside." The baby changeling looked at Emerald, then crawled down Thorax's neck and leg and approached her. He sat in front of Emerald, staring at her quizzically for a moment before it held up his little forearms to her. "Uhh, what's he doing?"

"Aww. I think he wants a hug!" Emerald picked up the baby changeling and hugged him.

The infant chirped and nuzzled her chest. Chrysalis frowned, the hatchlings' influence from meeting Emerald already degrading them to act like harmless puppies.

"He really seems to like you," Thorax commented. While Emerald began to play with the unnamed baby changeling, he brought his attention to his moody matriarch. "So, did you find anything else to do with her, Your Highness?"

"You just had to run off to deliver the new hatchlings," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Grandma Chrysie taught me how to use my changeling magic," Emerald said. She showed Thorax by shifting her mane color, startling the queen and Twilight watching them in amusement when her mane was now purple with a pink streak down the middle. Whether it was a weird combination she thought of at random or on purpose, it only further validated just how similar she was to her late alicorn grandmother. "Now I'm a chameleon!"

"Wow! That is impressive!" Thorax praised. "And it looks like you're already getting the hang of it." Emerald giggled, turning her mane back to normal, the changeling infant staring at her hair in awe while one of his hooves pat it curiously. "That's wonderful, Your Highness. You're bonding with Princess Emerald!"

"I was merely teaching her what's supposed to be important for all changelings to learn," Chrysalis grumpily stated. "Trill can't bother to do it, so obviously, I'm given that burden she flung onto me."

"And who better to teach her transformation magic than the princess's grandmare." Chrysalis glowered at Thorax, making him wilt and backpedal slightly from her gaze. "N-Not that you're...old, Y-Your Majesty."

"...You need to grow a spine," the queen grumbled.

Emerald's stomach began to grumble, startling the changeling infant as he looked at where the sound came from and to the filly still hugging him. "I'm hungry," she stated.

"Obviously, we could hear it from the other end of the hall," Chrysalis grumbled. "Let's just go to that dumb restaurant and get you fed."

"Uhh, maybe we can try to make something for her instead?" Thorax suggested. Chrysalis ignored him and walked ahead, Emerald following after her with the baby changeling crawling and clinging onto the filly's back. "Or...maybe some other time."

Upon arriving at Sloppy Joe's restaurant, Chrysalis, Emerald, and the newly hatched stowaway were quickly seated by Éclair. Sitting at the same booth, Emerald decided to try some spaghetti from the foal's menu. Chrysalis huffed at the wait for the order to be done, but she bit her tongue and avoided causing another scene around the other patrons. While bored out of her mind, Emerald entertained herself with some coloring, sipping from her chocolate milk here and there. The baby changeling looked around the restaurant curiously, all the different smells in the air making him curious as he sniffed the air. He watched Emerald sipping on her chocolate milk, finding that more interesting than the other food around them.

"Hmm? You thirsty?" Emerald asked the infant. He didn't understand her, but the filly lifted him up and put her straw up to his muzzle. "Here you go! It's chocolate milk. It's super yummy." The changeling sniffed at the straw, opening his mouth and put it over the straw, but he began to nibble on it. "You gotta slurp on it, silly." Pulling the straw out of the infant's muzzle, she showed him how to sip the liquid through the straw. Getting the idea, she placed the straw back against his muzzle, this time sucking air through to make the chocolate milk flow up the thin plastic tube and got his first taste. When it hit his taste buds, he let out a surprised chirp, swallowing the tiny mouthful. Licking his lips, his little wings fluttered, taking another sip with a content squeak. "It's really good, huh, Buggsy?"

"'Buggsy'?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Yeah! I think Buggsy's a cute name for him!" Emerald said.

"...Great. A name that won't spread fear in the ears of others," the queen grumbled. "Not to mention how much he's imprinted on you."

"What's 'imprint'?" Emerald asked.

"It means the moment he's born, the first thing he sees is who he's going to try to stick to like glue and learn everything from," Chrysalis said with a huff.

Emerald looked at Buggsy, who was too enthralled with the flavor of chocolate and kept sucking away through the straw. "...Soooooo...I have a new baby brother?"

"He ain't gonna be sticking around with you when you leave after this weekend's finally over," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Well, I like him!" Buggsy released his muzzle from the straw, letting out a burp and leaned back with a content smile, his little belly filled with delicious chocolatey goodness. Emerald went to take a sip, only to notice her cup was empty. "Hey! You little piggy!"

Chrysalis sighed in boredom, rolling her eyes, ignoring the filly patting Buggsy's belly. "Well, if it ain't my favorite customers!" Sloppy Joe approached their table, carrying Emerald's dinner in his magic aura. Chrysalis grumbled, averting her gaze from his when he gave her a sly grin. "One plate of hoofmade pasta noodles with a heaping helping of thick marinara sauce and a slice of garlic bread on the side."

"Thank you, Mr. Joe!" Emerald said as her plate was set in front of her. "Oh, and can I get a refill, please?"

"That thirsty, huh?" the stallion asked. Emerald just giggled, shaking her head and pointed to the changeling infant sitting beside her, staring up at him curiously. "...Did Thorax shrink or something?"

"This is Buggsy, and he just hatched a while ago," she said. "He drank all my chocolate milk."

"Ha, wow. Changelings sure do love their chocolate, huh?" Joe asked, amused. "We'll get that filled back up, and if Her Highness's newly born foal wants some more, we'll get the little guy another round."

"That infant is not of my progeny," Chrysalis grunted. "I haven't laid a clutch in decades."

"Huh. Kinda hard to tell with most changelings looking so much alike," Joe mumbled. "Anywho, I'll be back with some more drinks for the kiddos."

Sloppy Joe took Emerald's empty cup and returned to the kitchen. Chrysalis did not appreciate the owner and head chef of the establishment eyeing her like a piece of candy. While in disguise pretending to be another mare, she'd swallow her pride and take the flirtatious pick-up lines her stallion victims used on her just to get with her. Yesterday was a nightmare, and she had a feeling Joe was thinking of trying to flirt with her to get in her good graces AND get a chance to sleep with her. Though it had been quite a long while, she wouldn't dare dream of getting "acquainted" with someone like Sloppy Joe even if she was desperate to feed off his love.

Emerald dug into her pasta, using her table manners and using her fork to twirl several noodles around the utensil. Her first bite was met with a pleased moan, relishing the delicious sauce coating the noodles. Buggsy watched the filly, taking a sniff at the food, only to scrunch his muzzle in disgust. Sloppy Joe came back a moment later with two cups of chocolate milk for the younger changelings, Buggsy immediately latching onto his cup's straw and began gulping his drink down.

"This spaghetti is yummy!" Emerald praised.

"Excellent! Another satisfying meal for another satisfied little customer!" Sloppy Joe chuckled. "And I suppose after dinner, you'd like some of that chocolate cake for dessert?"

"Yes, please!" Emerald quickly squealed.

"And one for Her Majesty?" Joe looked at Chrysalis, wiggling his eyebrows with a wide grin.

Chrysalis grumbled, but her stomach betrayed her as it grumbled back. "...Fine. Whatever."

"Perfect. A queen-size piece for a lovely queen," the stallion said.

"Just get our stupid cake and get out of my sight," Chrysalis grumbled.

Barely taken aback by her insult, Sloppy Joe bowed his head and returned to the kitchen. "...Does Mr. Sloppy Joe like you, Grandma Chrysie?"

"Let me guess; one of those weird 'feelings' you can just tell?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Kinda," the filly said. "But you like Unca Shiney more. I don't think he has a chance."

"I do NOT like Shining Armor," Chrysalis hissed.

"She actually does," the filly whispered to the Buggsy, though he didn't understand and was too busy enjoying his chocolate milk to care.

"I heard that!" Chrysalis scolded.

Emerald finished slurping up the rest of her meal, and a moment after she finished her plate, Éclair came out with three plates with her famous triple chocolate cake. "Here you go, everypony. Thanks to your reactions last night, ponies have been asking for my chocolate cake recipe, and Sloppy Joe added it to our dessert menu."

"Whoop-de-doo. I love being so helpful to ponies," Chrysalis grumbled.

Éclair set Chrysalis's heaping slice in front of her, then took Emerald's prior plate and replaced it with her slice. She noticed Buggsy, who curiously sniffed at Emerald's cake.

"Aww, what a little cutie!" the server cooed, giving the baby changeling a little pat on the head. "Is this your foal, Your Highness?"

"...No," Chrysalis uttered. "One of the new hatchlings from the nursery, and I unfortunately have the misfortune of watching this one and my grandfoal."

"His name's Buggsy," Emerald added.

"Well, I didn't think a baby changeling would look so adorable!" Éclair said. "Enjoy your dessert."

As soon as she left, Chrysalis scarfed down a few chunks of cake. "Finally. I'm sick of all the attention from these ponies."

Emerald grabbed her new fork and took a small piece, noticing Buggsy eyeing the cake curiously as he inched closer to smell it better. "Wanna try a bite?" she asked. "Say, 'Ahh.'" Buggsy blinked as he opened his mouth, uttering a curious squeak as he copied the filly. She then brought the fork to his muzzle, setting the piece on his tongue as his lips latched down onto the utensil. His eyes widened, the overwhelming chocolate flavors washing over his young taste buds as he slowly chewed. A light trill rumbled in his throat as his muzzle curled into a dopey grin. "Good, huh? It's the bestest chocolate cake ever. Triple chocolate."

"You're going to get him addicted to this stuff before he can talk," Chrysalis mumbled, selling a moot point as she chomped down on her "royal" slice. Buggsy recovered from his chocolate craving coma, eyeing Chrysalis's much bigger slice. Flittering his wings, he got up on the table and approached her. She leered at the infant, watching him open his mouth with a cute squeak, begging for a piece of her cake. "No. As your queen, you will not beg for something that is mine. This is my cake." Buggsy looked upset, whining and begging Chrysalis to share her cake with him. "I said no! My cake!"

"Grandma, just let him have a piece," Emerald said. "He's just a baby."

"A baby who needs to know where he stands in my kingdom," Chrysalis growled. Buggsy frowned, refusing to take no for an answer and let out a hiss in defiance. Her ears twitched, hearing the infant hiss with such ferocity, but instead of praise for getting aggressive, he dove down and took a big bite of what remained of her cake. "Hey! How dare you eat my royal cake!?"

Buggsy chewed and swallowed his mouthful, satisfied and hovered back to sit next to Emerald. Chrysalis snarled, scarfing down the rest of her cake before Buggsy went and tried to steal anymore. The little infant was too stuffed with chocolate for another bite, content to sit next to Emerald as he began to doze off from his filled belly. She actually thought Buggsy had the potential to be a tough warrior when he grows up, but it was all a farce as his "aggression" was nothing more than a temper tantrum, then took matters in his own hooves. It only further established just how powerless her subjects have gotten after the appearance of the stallion who threatened to destroy everything with dark magic and merciless slaughtering.

After paying for their meals, Chrysalis led Emerald back to her palace. Buggsy was sleeping soundly on Emerald's back, snuggling up to his surrogate sibling. With it getting late, Chrysalis just wanted his grandfoal to get bathed and head straight to bed. With Thorax busy foalsitting for a pony family, all she wanted was peace and quiet. While Emerald was bathing, she took Buggsy and carried the little miscreant to where his actually family resided, finding his parents having returned and thanked their queen for showing their little one around in their absence. She barely acknowledged them and return to the royal bathhouse, finding Emerald drying herself off with a towel.

"All squeaky clean!" she said.

"Great. Bed time," Chrysalis mumbled. Emerald hummed and skipped on ahead while her grandmare followed with an annoyed huff. The filly fluttered into the guest room and plopped on the bed, grabbing her teddy bear and held him, waiting to be tucked in. "Good night and whatever."

"Grandma, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Emerald asked.

Chrysalis froze, glancing back at her. "You don't need a story." Seeing the filly wasn't just going to go straight to bed tonight, the queen let out a groan, walked back toward the bed and sat down beside it. "Are you seriously not going to sleep without a dumb story?"

"Nope!" Emerald said. "And make it a good story."

"Ugh. This is ridiculous." Chrysalis sighed, but as she brainstormed a story, she grinned as she thought of the perfect one. "Ok. This is a story about a benevolent queen who ruled the entire world. Graceful, smart, and powerful, she was feared by all as they cowered at her hooves. No pony, griffon, yak, buffalo, nor even a dragon could stop her from her mighty reign. By masquerading as one of their kinds, luring them into a false sense of security, she drains the love from them when they least expect it, taking over their kingdoms without any creature expecting it until it was too late. All of the love in the world was hers to feed on as her subjects shouted her name to the-!"

"That's not a good story!" Emerald interrupted, disrupting the flow of her storytelling. The filly pouted, clearly not enjoying Chrysalis's "story", withholding the fact that she was talking about herself if things had been different back then. "That's just mean, Grandma Chrysie!"

"Well, what do you think a 'good story' is?" Chrysalis questioned. "And I was getting to the best part."

"Tell a story about a prince and a princess," Emerald requested. "And no bad stuff like stealing love. That's wrong."

"That's how we used to feed before your father introduced us to that love essence." Emerald crossed her forelegs, disappointed. Growling, Chrysalis sighed and stopped arguing before she wound up staying up all night with her granddaughter. While pondering a nicer story, despite the idea making her feel disgusted with herself, her dream she had last night came to her mind. What had occurred was still vivid in her mind, her heart already beginning to race from her dream Shining Armor's acceptance of her and showing her such romantic affection she seemed to long for. "...Alright. How about this, then? This is a story about a brave, strong prince...who falls in love with a princess from another kingdom."

"Oooooh," Emerald mumbled, getting herself comfy as she waited to listen.

Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis continued. "Many years ago, two different kingdoms lived in different regions. One does not even know the other exists as they hide from others, pretending to be other creatures to hide their terrifying appearance in their true forms. To survive, they have to hide their real bodies and live as somepony else. The princess of that kingdom was fed up living like royalty and headed out in the world on her own. While exploring, disguised as a mare who lived for exploring the dangerous wilderness, she bumps into a pony prince, but he pretended to dress and act like a commoner, for he, too, did not enjoy the luxurious lifestyle as a royal heir.

"They hid their true lives from each other as they grew to be friends. They were...inseparable and explored the land together. Over time, the princess began to fall in love with the prince, but she could not lie to him about who she was and felt it was wrong to pull the wool over his eyes. Her fear of being judged by her horrifying appearance would steer him away, a predicament she couldn't decide what to do. One night, her disguise faltered as her magic wore out, revealing her true self to the prince. He was shocked, startled, unable to believe the monster before him was the mare he had been traveling with for weeks. She dreaded he would call her a monster, a freak, an abomination, and she fled with tears streaming down her face to avoid the eventual heartbreak.

"She couldn't flee from him for long, because, to her surprise, he chased after her. Not to harm her physically or emotionally, but out of concern. She didn't want him to see her like this, as herself, because no other creature would see what she is as an equal. He refused to believe that, looking past what she looked like on the outside...and saw who she was on the inside..." Chrysalis paused, suddenly feeling despondent. Her surreal dream made her doubt if she could be seen as beautiful on the inside as any stallion would be crazy enough to look past her menacing appearance. "...He reassured her that he didn't care about her looks, if she was pretty or ugly, or didn't belong among his kind. He got to know her on their travels, and he wished to know the real her as he admitted to the princess that he was actually a prince.

"With secrets told, the two could have never been closer. And in that moment, they professed their love for each other and shared their first kiss. It was...magical for the princess, as her kind fed off of affection and love of others for nourishment, which was why they pretend to be other creatures. Taking love through lies and deceit couldn't compare to receiving it from somepony who truly loved her. It was fulfilling, more than just for sustenance; to know someone truly likes her without shying away from her appearance made her feel more confidence in herself to be who she is.

"They returned to their kingdoms, and though they were given odd looks by their subjects seeing who they brought, they stuck by each other and assured them all that they were not a threat nor dangerous to their homes. It took some time for the prince and princess's families to warm up to their lover. Months have passed as both kingdoms had met time and time again, forming a peace treaty once they were not considered enemies. And further cementing their unity, the prince and princess were wed under the eyes of both kingdoms, where they both lived happily ever-"

Getting too lost in the tale she weaved, Chrysalis looked down at Emerald, who was already fast asleep. She had no idea how long Emerald had conked out, but it at least was enough to lull her to sleep. Quietly, Chrysalis left the bedroom, pausing slightly to look back at her grandfoal, almost hesitant. Using her magic, she moved the covers over Emerald and tucked her in, barely disrupting the filly as she snuggled up to her teddy bear. Leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she was baffled by what she just did. While her thoughts reeled from the romantic story she concocted, Chrysalis made her way to her chambers, hoping beyond hope she'd get some sleep. Climbing into bed, she didn't bother with her sheets, staring blankly at the ceiling until she eventually closed her eyes and slipped off to dreamland.

Another restless sleep, leaving Chrysalis grumbling in discomfort. Her room was dark, making it hard for her to see as she sat up with a grunt. Blindly searching for her door, she found the handle and opened it, hissing slightly at the bright light that seeped through from outside. She stepped inside, her eyes slowly adjusting, but instead of being greeted by the halls of her castle, she wandered into what appeared to be a large dressing room. Hearing excited chatter and giggling, Chrysalis was appalled to see the mares who once bore the Elements of Harmony inside. Chrysalis tried to back away, but when she turned around, she was met with a big pair of blue eyes attached to a bright pink face.

"There's the mare of the hour!" Pinkie cheered.

Startled, Chrysalis fell back in the dressing room, getting the rest of the Mane Six's attention. "Well, there ya are, sugarcube! It's almost time!" Applejack said.

"And everypony thinks I sleep in too much," Rainbow scoffed.

"W-What are you talking about!?" Chrysalis questioned. "What is going on!?"

"Come along, darling! We must get you ready," Rarity said, nudging Chrysalis further into the room.

"R-Ready for what!?" Chrysalis exclaimed.

"You're getting married, silly!" Pinkie said. "How could you forget about your big day!?"

"M-Married?" the changeling queen mumbled. "M-Married to who?"

"Oh dear. She must be so nervous if she's this frazzled," Fluttershy said.

"You're marrying my brother, Chrysalis," Twilight explained. Hearing the lavender mare, she gawked at her, noticing the lack of wings as she was a unicorn in this strange dream, and she didn't show any disgust toward having her marrying Shining Armor. "It's such a big event witnessing a marriage between a pony and a changeling. Plus, this unity can help your kingdom so you no longer have to hide and feed off of love in disguise."

"I'm...WHAT!?" Chrysalis shrieked. "Why am I marrying Shining Armor!? I thought Cadence was!"

"Ha! I wished I was that lucky." Entering the room, Cadence made her presence known. Instead of being angry, she didn't seem all that bothered by Chrysalis stealing away her stallion. "Even though I dated Shining Armor for a while, I was surprised it didn't work out between us. But you, Chrysalis, you two were definitely made for each other."

"...Huh?" Dumbfounded, Rarity took the opportunity to get Chrysalis ready for the big day. The other girls' excited chatter was droned out while Rarity fixed her mane and applied the right makeup to make her look like the blushing bride she should be. As she faced the mirror, she had reverted back to her smaller, younger self just like her previous dream. From the ending of her story she told to Emerald, she was experiencing the happy ending that she shouldn't deserve, but was too powerless to stop everyone who was formerly her enemies to end the dream. "W-Why am I dreaming this? Why is this happening to me?"

"You're not getting cold hooves, are you?" Chrysalis's ears perked up at a familiar voice she hadn't heard in years. Upon entering the room, the other girls stopped talking as they looked at their guest, bowing their heads and stepping out of her path. Even Rarity had stopped fussing with Chrysalis's hair as the changeling gazed up at her mother, Queen Arachne. Having her likeness when Chrysalis became the new queen, Arachne was a slender changeling queen with her dark green mane flowing down her neck, far neater than Chrysalis had hers. She had a more regal aura to her posture and expression, more civilized than her daughter had been. "After meeting this stallion and knowing just who he is, I would be disappointed if you refused to meet him at the alter because you were experiencing stage fright."

"...M-Mother?" Chrysalis uttered.

"Do not let my appearance cease tending to my daughter," Arachne said to Rarity. "We need to tidy up that spider's nest of a mane and make her look as presentable as a princess."

Rarity immediately got back to work, brushing and straightening Chrysalis's mane. "...Y-You're...here, too?" she mumbled. "...Why?"

"Is it not obvious?" the queen asked with a small chuckle. "Besides being present to see the unity between the our hive and Equestria, I wish to see my daughter marry the stallion of her dreams."

As bewildered as she was, Chrysalis lowered her head in shame. "...But...I can't," she said. "I don't-"

"Deserve him?" Arachne interjected. "Come now, Chrysalis. The way you speak of him, it's like he was the last male on the planet and couldn't compare to whoever remained. You even claimed how delicious his love tasted. You don't want to waste something like that, do you?"

"But he isn't mine. He...He belongs to Cadence." In the mirror, she expected Cadence to glare at her, but she was too busy talking to Twilight, laughing as they joked about something in a conversation she couldn't hear. "...I only used him, and his love for her...I don't understand why my dreams keep revolving around him. None of this makes sense."

"Are you afraid to admit that you truly love him?" Arachne's question caused Chrysalis to glance up at her mother in shock. "Despite 'using' him, despite whatever you may have done, you deny what you long for when you believe it is out of your reach? If there was something you did to hurt him, you still have a chance to make amends and achieve what you desire. We have hid ourselves because of who we are on the outside, but in this new era between ponies and changelings, we can express who we are on the inside. Our feelings, our interests, thoughts and secrets that we wish to reveal. Chrysalis, this is something more than just a peace treaty; this is the opportunity to show your future husband something you have wanted for so long."

Love.

Chrysalis closed her eyes, processing the strange, motherly speech Arachne gave her. This was nothing like her mother when she was still around, but, it felt soothing to hear despite their estranged relationship. When she opened her eyes, she gasped as she stood at the entrance to the cathedral inside Canterlot Castle. Her ears heard the faint sound of the wedding march sung by Fluttershy's bird choir, the may guests down the pews split between pony guests on her right side and the changelings of her hive on the left. Standing at the altar was Princess Celestia, who was the overseer of the marriage, and already standing there, wearing his royal guard dress uniform, was Shining Armor. Everyone sitting in the pews were nothing but a blur, faceless bodies that were present for the occasion. All she could focus on was Shining Armor, the pony who she used to attempt to take over Equestria by pretending to be Cadence. Her heart warred with her past, but her mother's words echoed in her ears over the wedding march.

Her hooves moved on their own as she walked down the red carpet, ignoring the flower fillies skipping ahead and spreading flower petals. She could feel a glorious silk wedding gown, the bright white contrasting with her black chitin. In the reflection of the glass along the walls, she could see herself in her wedding dress, the train slowly dragging behind her as she wore a wedding veil over her face, her mane flowing gracefully down over her left shoulder. She didn't look beautiful in her mind, unable to believe the others in her dream thought the opposite. Shining Armor continued watching her as she got closer, staring at her in absolute awe, never averting his gaze from hers. Her heart pounded in her chest, terrified, but she wished for this moment to truly be happening and never wake up.

Chrysalis finally reached the altar, standing before Celestia while facing Shining Armor. His aura grasped her veil, lifting it over her head.

"You're...beautiful," Shining Armor said, the romantic comment making her blush as she glanced down.

She had no words to rebute, nothing to dissuade his thoughts and make him realize she wasn't the one for him. Celestia was already beginning her opening speech, but all Chrysalis could hear was muffled words. It felt like the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them. Chrysalis never imagined she'd ever fall in love with anyone, not even someone who she manipulated to steal every ounce of love within them. Shining Armor couldn't tear his eyes away from her, standing there looking as handsome as he was in that moment. Strong and muscular, a soft, loving gaze, his desire to protect and care for her. It felt too good to be true, and Chrysalis didn't deserve him, but she couldn't deny what he heart longed for, even if she felt it was impossible in the real world.

"Do you, Shining Armor, take Princess Chrysalis to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Celestia said, bringing Chrysalis back to the chapel.

"I do," Shining said without a hint of hesitation.

"And do you, Princess Chrysalis, take Shining Armor to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Celestia asked the changeling.

She stared at Shining Armor, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to not break down and sob uncontrollably. "...I-I..." She wanted to say no, but despite knowing this was all just a dream, she didn't want this chance to go to waste after it was interrupted years ago during her invasion. "...I do."

"By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you husband and wife," Celestia said.

Chrysalis hesitated, but Shining Armor leaned forward, his eyes closed as he puckered his lips for their kiss to seal the deal in their marriage. She gulped nervously, leaning forward, afraid to close her eyes and suddenly wake up to making out with her pillow. She wanted to feel his lips against hers. She wanted him. She needed him. She loved Shining Armor.

When she didn't feel his lips, Chrysalis squinted her eyes open, but instead of Shining Armor's blue eyes, she was met with a pair of blood red irises on the face of the most destructive villain ever to have existed in Equestria. "Hello, 'dear'." Chrysalis screamed, scrambling backward and tripping over her dress. Breathing heavily, she gazed up at the murderous dictator who brought terror to the world for fifteen years. Cackling at her terror, Lucifer approached her, his aura sparking and formed a spear of dark ether over him. "Oh, how I love weddings. When they end in tragedy."

Lucifer flung his spear at Chrysalis, making her panic as she rolled away. The spear caught her dress, tearing it off of her as she sprinted for her life, hearing the manic unicorn's laughter echo in the now empty chapel. She breached through the door, entering a destroyed Canterlot laid in ruins outside of the castle. She froze, gasping in horror at the bloody massacre left at the front gates. Many ponies and changelings were cut down, some with missing limbs or painful internal damage from a number of his range of ethereal weaponry. Rising from the ruined buildings, a tall, demonic figure stood several stories tall, gazing down at Chrysalis with a low, gutteral rumble, choosing her as its next victim. Lucifer's demonic form stomped toward her, making the changeling panic and flee back inside the castle, which was just barely standing by what few supports remained from his destructive wake.

"Why is this happening to me!? Chrysalis cried out, scared for her life as she tried to find refuge inside. "Why can't I wake up!? WHY AM I BEING TORMENTED LIKE THIS!?"

Suddenly, dark chains shot out from the hall she sprinted down. Unable to avoid them, they attached themselves through the hooves in her legs, capturing her and ensnared her. She fell with a grunt, then yelled as she was dragged down a darkened corridor, being whipped around in the many tight twists and turns. She finally came to a stop, very little light reaching the chamber she was dragged in. She tried to call out for help, but her ears twitched when she heard grunts coming from in front of her.

"C-Chrysie?" Hearing Shining Armor's voice, her heart sank as a faint light lit up around the stallion. He was bound in similar dark chains, his body battered and bruised, his fur and mane matted and scuffed, like he had been tortured for months. Hearing Lucifer chuckle in the darkness, Chrysalis gasped when his eyes began to glow ominously behind Shining Armor. He stepped forward, wielding a massive ethereal hammer of darkness, dragging it along the ground with a manic grin on his muzzle. "D-Don't you dare hurt her."

"Silence, traitor!" Lucifer punched Shining in the back of the head, scowling angrily at him. "Pretending to be a mercenary for hire and slipping information to your resistance. Your efforts were futile from the start, and for your treason when you were meant to be my right hoof pony, I will make your death incredibly painful. And in front of this worthless bug who hid like a coward and watched as I burned the world down."

Controlling Shining's chains, he forced the stallion's forelegs to stretch forward on the ground. "N-No. Don't let her watch this!" Shining pleaded. "Chrysie, look away!"

"She's going to watch every second of it. She's already missed my conquest, killing my surrogate mother, her sister, and her pupil. I'm gonna make sure she sees what she's been missing." Chrysalis wasn't able to look away regardless, even as the chains slithered and kept her head still. Shining struggled, but he couldn't break free, powerless by Lucifer's dark chains as he watched the evil unicorn raise the hammer up high. "No one is going to save either of you now. Not even Princess Twilight Sparkle's bastard foal!"

The hammer swiftly slammed down, a loud crunch echoing following by Shining Armor screaming in agony, writhing under his bindings as his left foreleg was crushed. Chrysalis felt sick to her stomach from the painful sound, watching Lucifer's hammer slowly rise and revealing the broken, semi-crushed limb. Hearing him laugh with such sadistic glee, Chrysalis had enough and tried to break free from her bindings, but to no avail.

"NO! STOP IT!" Chrysalis begged. "STOP!" Her words fell on deaf ears. Lucifer slammed his hammer down on Shining's other leg, inflicting more excruciating pain. Shining struggled to breathe as he cried out in pain, trying to stay strong even as tears streamed down his face from the agony burning his nerves in his mangled forelegs. "D-Don't...Don't kill him! PLEASE!"

"You have no room to bargain," Lucifer said. His hammer faded and shifted his aura into his favored weapon; a katana. He stepped behind Shining Armor, waving his sword around as his aura forcibly lifted the battered unicorn up in the air by his broken forelegs. Shining could barely utter a whimper, fading in and out of consciousness from the tidal wave of pain coursing through him. "Those who dare cross me will be met by my blade."

Shining grunted, his eyes squinting open as best as possible as he fought against his waning consciousness and gazing at the tear-stricken changeling. "...C-Chrysie...I...I l-lo-GHH!"

His words were silenced by Lucifer's blade piercing straight through his chest. Shining's breathing grew ragged as blood began to spill from his mouth, his lung and heart run through. The last of his life faded as he fell limp, the chains around Shining's corpse fading, letting him flop to the ground as blood began to pool around the fatal wound. Words failed Chrysalis as she silently stared at Shining Armor, brutally taken away from her, and she couldn't do anything to save him. She didn't have time to mourn when Lucifer stepped in her line of sight, his ethereal katana dripping Shining's blood.

"What a pity," Lucifer tutted mockingly. "Couldn't profess his love to you with his final breath...It's too bad you never felt the same way." He then hovered the mare up in the air, moving her away as the light around Shining's body completely faded. A reddish-orange glow behind her began to light up behind her, with unbearably hot temperatures rising as the air was filled with noxious sulfur and carbon monoxide gas. She feared to look down, finding herself being held over the mouth of a molten volcano. "All you are is a love-sucking parasite. What sort of creature like you can possibly FEEL love?"

"...I-I do love him," Chrysalis sobbed.

"Oh? Is it him, or the love he felt for the princess he really loved?" Lucifer questioned with a wicked smile. "But don't worry. You'll be reunited with him in the afterlife...right after you plummet and burn alive in the depths of Tartarus!"

The dark chains disappeared, but Chrysalis couldn't flee as two swift slices of Lucifer's blade struck her sides. As she fell, she tied to fly, only to look at her sides, seeing sliced off stumps hidden under the shell that concealed her wings. Lucifer's laughter echoed and mocked Chrysalis as she heard the cries of everyone who had been killed by the stallion. The lava got closer and closer as she screamed in anguish and terror.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Shooting up from her bed, Chrysalis hyperventilated, sweating up a storm with tears streaming down her face. Her body was trembling, yet another dream that felt so real, but the worst nightmare she had ever experienced in her entire life. Just as she wanted the dream to be true after living in denial for so long, it was quickly taken away from her. The shock faded, quickly turning to seething rage, unable to receive any happiness even in her sleep. "...Why...? Why!? WHY!? WHY AM I PLAGUED BY-!?"

"Grandma?" Freezing, Chrysalis slowly looked at her doorway. Pushed wide open, Emerald stood outside, her teddy bear sitting on her back with a tired gaze. "...I had a bad dream."

Whether the filly noticed the messed up state Chrysalis was in or not, the queen wiped her foreleg over her face, brushing away the tears as she got out of bed. "...Probably...not as bad as mine," she uttered. Taking Emerald back to her room, she put her back into bed, but she didn't just up and leave her to just naturally go back to sleep. She wanted to lie to assure her nothing was going to harm her, but she'd be lying to herself. After tucking her back under the covers, Chrysalis wanted to know what had bothered the filly and woke her up. "What...sort of nightmare did you have?"

"...It was a monster," Emerald mumbled. If Chrysalis weren't so distressed from her nightmare, she would have rolled her eyes and questioned what sort of creature could be more threatening than her. "...You and Unca Shiney were attacked by the monster."

"...W-What?" Stunned, Chrysalis dreaded to know what Emerald had dreamed up. If she was this specific over who was present, and if this monster was who she was talking about, then something must have gone horribly wrong from the coincidental nightmares. "Uhh...W-What...did the monster...look like?"

Emerald held Teddy tightly, afraid to say what it was. "...I-It was...the pony on the window," she said.

"'Window?'" Chrysalis questioned, starting to grow irritable if her fearful monster was a random glass mural she saw out in town.

"Th-There's...a window back home...It showed daddy fighting that monster," Emerald explained. The queen's pupils shrunk, her stomach turning in knots as her grandfoal was talking about Lucifer. "He...He broke Unca Shiney's legs...He hurt everypony..." She began to tear up, gazing up at Chrysalis. "...I-Is...Is that what happened to Unca Shiney?"

Chrysalis was struck dumbfounded. She knew next to nothing about nightmares as they're just dreams that come and go, but if Emerald somehow had the same exact nightmare and witnessed what she experienced, this filly either accidentally performed some sort of astral projection or some other reason she couldn't find an explanation for. Emerald trembled, afraid to know the truth despite witnessing the nightmare limb-crushing heavily embellished what had happened years ago. Chrysalis stood up and climbed into bed, laying next to Emerald.

"...I...I don't know," Chrysalis mumbled. Emerald whimpered, cuddling up to her grandmother for protection and comfort. By motherly instinct she'd never seemed to have gained upon birthing her clutches, or even Trill, Chrysalis pulled the filly closer to her, running her hoof through her mane to comfort her. "...He...He isn't around anymore...That monster...can't hurt anypony else...Your father stopped him, all on his own."

Despite her lack of confidence, her words were able to settle Emerald a little bit. It took a while for the filly to clam down, passing out while safe and sound in her grandma's hooves. Once she was asleep, Chrysalis carefully left the bedroom, her mind reeling. She wasn't going back to sleep at this rate, not after the traumatizing nightmare ruined what she wanted to experience that she couldn't in real life. She was internally struggling, still wanting to deny these feelings as she kept her reputation as a menacing queen of her hive, but a part of her was afraid to do so, even if she might not have another chance if she keeps holing herself away from everyone else; from Shining Armor.

Unable to take her wildly conflicting emotions, Chrysalis flew off down the hall, out of her castle and her hive, speeding off toward the north.

Inside of the royal palace of the Crystal Empire, the royal family were sound asleep while the only activity came from the night guards patrolling the halls and watching the front gates. Though the kingdom hadn't suffered many deadly threats not including Sombra, his return, or the unruly winter storms that affect the frozen north, the guards were vigilant in their duty after Lucifer's decade and a half reign across the rest of Equestria.

In the royal chambers of the crystal couple, Shining Armor and Cadence were sound asleep, though the peace was disturbed for Shining Armor when he grimaced. The light throbbing in his forelegs made it hard for him to get enough rest, even with the pain killers to help dull his severe injuries. Though every bone and nerve in his legs were crushed, Lucifer must have given him some slight bit of mercy using his magic to re-mend them, but left him in excruciating pain to torture him until Solaris made his presence. Shining would have rather been amputated, but the doctors say he was lucky and didn't have to be permanently confined in a wheelchair the rest of his life and keep his limbs.

Waking up with a grunt, he sat up, looking over at Cadence. He didn't want to wake her up, knowing how badly she dotes over him and his health. She had every right to when he spent fifteen years masquerading as a mercenary for hire, intending to get his revenge for what Lucifer did to Twilight, only to keep playing as a spy for the resistance force until the time came to liberate their kingdom from the unicorn tyrant. It was still incredible knowing how long he'd gone without getting caught.

Shifting himself to the edge of the bed, Shining Armor lowered his hind legs, taking in a deep breath as he brought one of his forelegs down. Putting weight on it, he stifled a grunt, grimacing as the pain flared up in his leg, but he refused to stop letting his new handicap keep him from being independent. As he put down his other hoof, he huffed, fighting through the pain as he slowly shuffled his way to the door to start his trek to get himself a drink.

Barely halfway toward the door, the sound of magic and a soft blue light lit up the dim bedroom as the stallion's walker slid in front of him. "Take your walker, dear."

Shining winced, looking back at the bed, seeing his wife was awake and watched him struggle. "...I-I got this, Cadence," he assured.

"Shiney, I could tell you were in pain the moment you tried to get out of bed," Cadence said. Shining sighed, giving in as he sat down, his wife moving his walker closer to him, and set his forelegs on the rest before standing back up on his hind legs. "I know you hate using that, but if you don't want to keep hurting yourself, this will help."

"I already feel like an old stallion with this thing," he grumbled.

"Would you want to collapse in pain and be unable to get back up until somepony found you?" she asked. He hung his head, feeling like he was being scolded, even though Cadence is just concerned about his well-being. "I'm not upset at you for being stubborn. You know how worried I've been when you risked your life undercover with that monster for so many years. Even a slip and fall is going to make me worry."

"...I know," Shining sighed. "It was only a matter of time before he eventually caught wind of me...And almost ruined Sol's chance to put an end to him if I wasn't held hostage."

Cadence got out of bed and walked over to him. "I'm just glad he brought you back alive." Gently taking his hooves, she leaned forward and kissed Shining. "I always feared something terrible would happen to you for so many years, but I wouldn't have been alone mourning for you if he was too late."

The guilt for his selfish actions still weighed heavily on Shining Armor. His nephew had gone through so much pressure, so much sorrow, all for the future of Equestria. His rage and desire to avenge his baby sister from her gruesome fate blinded him from how much Cadence would have missed him if he got killed. And if Trill didn't sneak after Solaris and helped in his rescue, he could have met his end and devastated his nephew from one of the only few blood relatives he had left. Now peace had been restored, he's settled down with Cadence, they have Flurry Heart, and despite his broken forelegs, he was living his life as best as he could. He wished he could have played with Flurry more without his handicap, but their daughter didn't care so long as she had him to support her to the best of his ability.

"I'm sorry," Shining apologized, giving Cadence a light nuzzle. "I just don't want to be such a huge burden for any of you."

"You're not, dear. I promise." As the two leaned closer for another kiss, their bedroom door was opened by one of their guards.

"Your Highnesses, there's a-" The stallion froze, seemingly interrupting a private moment between the royal couple. "I...hope I'm not intruding."

"It's not like you're walking in on us in the throes of passion," Cadence giggled, flustering the poor stallion while Shining rolled his eyes.

"What's going on?" Shining asked.

"Uhh, there's...something that nearly froze to death out in the frozen wasteland and wound up collapsed at the entrance," he said. "They mentioned your name, Prince Shining Armor."

"Me?" Shining questioned, the couple glancing at each other before returning their attention to the guard. "What...do they look like?"

"It was tall...black, thick skin with a green shell, kinda like a beatle's when they hide their wings, a crooked horn, fangs, and green hair that looks like it was made out of webbing." The description startled the couple, the empire knowing little to nothing about the changelings due to their cold-blooded nature and how dangerous it was for them to be out in an environment like theirs.

Taken inside the castle, Chrysalis shivered violently as her body tried to warm up while she struggled not to pass out. "T-T-This...w-was...t-t-t-the d-dumbest th-thing I've ever d-d-d-done," she grumbled to herself. The guards who helped her inside wrapped her with a warm blanket, helping her body temperature heat back up. "I-I'm n-never going to g-get any p-peace. W-Why did I c-come here?"

The guards led the changeling queen to one of the guest rooms, her trembling getting less violent as she regained her body heat. She warmed up enough for Cadence to arrive, still surprised to see her having come all this way without any way of protecting her from the cold.

"Chrysalis?" she called out, getting the queen's attention. Chrysalis glanced at her before she looked back at the ground, focusing and getting warm. "Could one of you gentlecolts make some hot chocolate for us?"

"Yes, Princess Cadence," one guard answered before he left to do as she instructed.

"Hot chocolate, Your Highness?" the other guard asked, confused.

"Changelings rely on love energy for sustenance, but chocolate's a perfect substitution for them," Cadence explained. "Changelings rarely come up to the Crystal Empire because they can't handle the cold, even when bundled up in layers of clothes." Enlightened, the guard just nodded his head. "Would you give us a moment? And when Shining catches up, let him know where we are."

He saluted and exited the room, leaving his princess with the queen. "Whoopee. I'm getting the royal Crystal Empire treatment," Chrysalis grumbled.

"What in the world are you doing up here?" Cadence questioned. "Usually, you don't leave your kingdom at all unless Discord forces you to...Or, when you feel like he'd force you to."

"I know," Chrysalis grumbled. "I didn't come here for the scenery, so just butt out of whatever I want to do."

"One of our guards said you mentioned Shining Armor," Cadence pressed. "Why?" Waiting for an angry exclamation of defiance, Chrysalis remained quiet. "...Chrysalis?"

"What?" she mumbled.

"...Is everything alright?" Cadence asked, starting to get a little concerned with the changeling queen. They may have had some bad blood in the past, but with her nephew and Chrysalis's daughter a married couple, they were an estranged extended family, but that didn't mean she didn't want anything to happen to her former enemy. "Chrysalis?"

"...I...I just want to talk to Shining Armor," Chrysalis said. Now Cadence grew concerned; Chrysalis usually had an air of arrogance and pride, and when questioned about her thoughts, they were always met with snide remarks. The changeling before the alicorn was like a stranger in the same body, but far more self-conscious, timid, despondent. "...Just him. Alone."

Before Cadence could question why, the guard who volunteered to make Chrysalis's warm beverage returned with a mug of hot chocolate. "Prince Shining Armor is on his way," he said.

"Thank you," Cadence said, dismissing the stallion and handed the mug to Chrysalis. Chrysalis took a couple sips, feeling much warmer, but still uncomfortable with the reason behind her presence here. "Is this something personal? From the wedding, or-?"

"You won't like what it is I want," Chrysalis interrupted.

"Huh?" A minute later, Shining Armor finally entered the room, stunned to see Chrysalis as he slowly made his way inside.

"Is she ok?" Shining Armor asked.

"Well, she looks like she's warmed up enough, except she only wants to talk to you about something," Cadence said. "And being vague about why."

"...Ok." Shining shuffled himself closer to both mares, wincing slightly as he sat between Cadence and Chrysalis. Chrysalis hadn't looked away from him the moment she heard him enter, her gaze lingering on his front legs, sparking back the shocking reunion back during the liberation and the cruel nightmare of what she believed happened to him. "You could have frozen to death coming here."

"...I have too much going on in my mind to think rationally," Chrysalis mumbled.

"With what, exactly?" Shining asked. "From Solaris's letters, you don't really get out much and rarely visit him, Trill, or Emerald. Sounds really boring just sitting at home doing nothing. Believe me."

"Hmph. Try asking your nephew that when he and my daughter sprung a surprise foalsitting job for me to do for the weekend," Chrysalis grunted.

"Wait, you're supposed to be foalsitting Emerald in your kingdom? And you're here!?" Cadence exclaimed.

"She's sound asleep, and I have thousands of changelings back home who will check on her if she needs anything," Chrysalis grumbled. "I didn't agree to it. They just dropped her off like I was going to say yes the moment they arrived, and then they just leave to focus on some 'royal politics'. In other words, they want some privacy away from their daughter so they can buck like wild rabbits in heat for a whole weekend." Cadence groaned and facehooved in exasperation. Even Shining Armor was a little unnerved, though both ponies were more disturbed by the fact they left Emerald alone. "Don't judge me with how I raise a foal. My former clutches were simple and they followed my every order. But when Trill was born, it was just a massive nightmare dealing with her defiance during the worst fifteen years of our lives."

"Ok, leaving a five-year-old filly by herself aside, is that why you're here?" Shining questioned.

"No! I..." Chrysalis struggled to explain her true purpose for being here. With Cadence insistent on hearing what she wanted, she didn't want to instigate a fight or disdain toward her for Solaris's sake. She was only delaying the inevitable, and even if she couldn't get what she planned to get from Shining Armor, it was best to get it off her chest and be rid of all the frustration from her bottled up emotions. Sighing, Chrysalis gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate, licking her lips and setting the mug down on a nearby coffee table. "...I've been...having these...dreams these tonight and last night...on top of all the things Trill talks about how much love Solaris gives her and gloating about it to me every chance she gets...The first time I witnessed that, I couldn't believe that something like that was possible...and what I have been doing for decades, what my mother and grandmothers before me for generations have done...we struggled for survival by stealing love instead of being given it."

Shining and Cadence looked at each other, then back to Chrysalis. "So, strange dreams and your thoughts on feeding off of genuine love..." Cadence put the pieces together and had a hunch as to where Chrysalis was going with her still somewhat vague explanation. "...Oh my gosh."

"What?" Shining asked.

"Now I see why you only wanted to talk to Shining Armor," Cadence said. Chrysalis grumbled to herself, waiting for a possible slap or a blast of magic to slam her into the wall. However, when she looked at the alicorn, she was startled to see her with a smug smirk on her muzzle. "I thought it was weird how different you've been acting whenever we're around you. Especially toward Shiney."

Shining Armor looked at both mares, growing confused by what his wife stated. "What are you talking about?"

"Chrysalis somehow grew a crush on you, hon," Cadence explained, making the stallion balk and quickly snap his head in the changeling queen's direction.

"I-I do not!" Chrysalis shouted. "Why in Tartarus would I even have a crush on a stallion who I used for food!? That is absolutely ridiculous!"

"So you're not saying that you haven't been jealous of Trill eating her fill of love and you want to experience it for yourself?" Cadence asked teasingly.

"No! I'd rather take love by force!" Chrysalis exclaimed in denial. "It doesn't help that my dreams involved Shining Armor really being in love with me, not in disguise, as ME, and showering me with affection where it felt so real, only to wake up and have that moment be snatched away from me!" Realizing what she revealed in her outburst, Chrysalis bit her lip, blushing madly. Cadence still held her smug grin, but Shining Armor was just sitting there, wide-eyed, taken aback in shock. "...U-Uhh..."

"Were those dreams...'frisky'?" Cadence asked curiously.

"C-Cadence!" Shining exclaimed.

"What? I'm just wondering what sort of wet dreams this highly experienced queen has about you," Cadence said with a shrug. "Has my husband really plagued your thoughts all this time? Maybe if you were successful back then, you could have had him all to yourself."

"...I...didn't really think much about him that way," Chrysalis admitted. "...Emerald kept pestering me about it when she told me she could 'sense' love coming from me when I was around Shining Armor during that Hearth's Warming party." Cadence's grin faltered, she and Shining growing a little curious to what their niece was able to tell that Chrysalis couldn't. "She kept asking if I liked Shining Armor like that...I mean, how can I after what I did to the two of you?"

"...Well, it has been so long since your planned invasion," Shining said.

"We're still really sore about that, but what you did to us paled in comparison to what Lucifer had done to everypony else," Cadence added. "Water under the bridge...well, sort of. Kidnapping me and trapping me under the mines was not what I had planned for my big day."

"...Speaking of weddings...what I dreamed tonight was why I came here," Chrysalis said. "...Both this and last night's felt all too real to even be a fantasy in my subconscious. I saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends, they held no animosity toward me and assisted preparing for my wedding...with Shining. You were there, too, Cadence. You weren't even upset or mad at me." She avoided mentioning her mother's presence, or what could have been a part of her in her mother's image trying to tell her what she had been denying herself for so long. "...I then walk down the aisle, wearing a wedding dress I didn't think I'd look good in while in my natural form. Celestia oversaw the ceremony, but all I could focus on was him...And when it came to an end after the 'I do's'...my dream turned into a nightmare."

"Uhh, what?" Shining questioned, sounding offended. "Marrying me became a nightmare? But...you like me?"

"...It was ruined...by Lucifer." Shining and Cadence grimaced, getting the idea of how badly Chrysalis's dream wedding ended. Chrysalis couldn't bring up what she was forced to witnessed, but Shining caught her glimpsing at his forelegs. "I-I...woke up, but then Emerald came into my room, said she had a bad dream, and when I put her to bed, she asked...if what happened to Shining really happened. I don't know what she saw, but if she dreamed the exact same horrible act of that monster permanently hobbling you with a giant hammer, I panicked and thought something bad happened to you!"

Hearing that Emerald had the same nightmare as Chrysalis startled the royal couple. Such a traumatizing scene shouldn't have ever been thought of by any foal, even as a nightmare, but sharing the exact same dream was concerning. Emerald was smart for her age and could potentially be as intelligent and magically powerful as her late grandmother if she could astral project herself subconsciously in another's dream just like Luna could. Whatever both the queen and young princess had witnessed, Shining glanced at his legs, thankful that neither of them were physically there to see, let alone feel, the bone-crushing injuries the dark stallion left him.

"...This...really freaked you out this badly, huh?" Shining asked.

"I've been like this ever since we met again back in Canterlot when we helped fight back against Lucifer and his reckless army," Chrysalis said. "You and Trill just poofed in front of us, you were an absolute mess with your legs bandaged in crude casts, malnourished, you looked like you were about to be dead! I don't even know why I cared about your safety or health, but it's been eating at me, and it doesn't help that my daughter keeps gloating about how delicious Solaris's love is because she loves him! She just has to rub it in, but even if I wanted to, I can't just...take you from Cadence..."

"Because I love and married Cadence?" Shining asked, confused.

"...It's more than because you're with her," Chrysalis uttered, tightening the blanket around herself as she internally struggled with her pride and the heart she didn't know she had pushing past what she had been denying herself since she discovered what true love could do for a changeling. "I only saw you as fodder to feed me and grow stronger so I could take over Equestria. I brainwashed you, held Cadence hostage beneath the crystal mines of Canterlot, my acting as a bridezilla made you uninvite your sister to be a part of your wedding. Helping Equestria after I forced my kingdom to remain in hiding during Lucifer's reign doesn't make up for what I did to all of you. Not even my daughter marrying your nephew constitutes any redemption for me. I STILL want Equestria to be mine. I STILL want to take all the love Equestria has for myself!

"But I can't anymore, and I...can't adjust to all of this after all I've wanted for so long! All of the changelings no longer show any aggression, ponies don't fear me, I don't even know what to do with my life without plans of world domination ever since your sister came to me to ask me to do her this favor for this bigshot hero who would bring peace back to Equestria, and it just so happened to be her foal; not a fully grown stallion, but a teenager! And Trill acts so smug proving me wrong every single time she kisses him in front of me to make me jealous, and it works! The love she's given is so much stronger from her genuinely loving him has made me jealous, which makes me think about you and drives me insane! I want it, but I know I can't because you can't like a monster like me who impersonated the pony you really love, so I stay as far away from all of you to avoid bumping into you to keep myself from going more mad, except Discord keeps dragging me around against my will, Solaris guilt trips me, and Emerald has made it impossible to say no to everything the last two days and bonding more! I don't DESERVE to be liked or tolerated, but I want to be, which is confusing me and twisting me up on the inside to the point where I don't even know who I am anymore!"

Chrysalis panted, trembling after she finally exploded and expressed all her transgressions out on Cadence and Shining Armor. She was supposed to feel better, but to show this much weakness only made her feel worse. She didn't dare look at the couple, unaware of how blown away the changeling queen, the brooding, irate, and anti-social former villain many years ago was so internally troubled with her thoughts and feelings. What really shocked them was that she admitted she wanted affection unconditionally, but refused to try because she felt she deserved no redemption despite having done so much for Solaris when he hit his lowest point after completing his final trial. If Chrysalis didn't care about anyone other than herself, why did she help him and finally decide to take action with her army to assist him in freeing the world from Equestria's most dangerous tyrant? Why does she stick around when Discord "invited" her to all the gatherings, when Trill went into labor, and making Emerald happy despite not wanting to bond with her grandfoal?

"You're afraid to change who you are, but you shouldn't be," Cadence spoke up. "Well, nixing the former thoughts of world conquest, you did see how badly that went with Lucifer."

"And you helped support Solaris along with us, even though you didn't have to," Shining added. "We may have had some bad blood between us, but that doesn't mean you can't change for the better."

"I'd rather turn into a bright, colorful butterfly if I wanted to 'change'," Chrysalis grumbled bitterly.

"On the inside, Chrysalis," Cadence stated. "Befriending Equestrians and no longer hiding away because of your appearance is more beneficial for you and the changelings. Would you rather starve to death and be treated like monsters or no longer need to steal love for survival and be free to be among the world as you are?"

"...I don't want to starve," Chrysalis mumbled. "It was a life we've lived for generations...Even my own mother had scolded me not to get too attached to whoever I saw as my victim. Just feed, drop them once the well runs dry, then move on to the next...Then Trill breaks that rule we've followed for centuries, and changes everything about what we thought about how we consume love..."

Though Chrysalis wants to change, she still feels glued to how they lived in their old ways. And from how dejected she feels, she didn't think she would ever experience a taste of true love. Cadence pondered over what she came up with, grinning slightly as she glanced at her husband and her former enemy and stallion stealer.

"If you're still unsure...then kiss Shining," she suggested.

Both Chrysalis and Shining Armor gawked at her. "WHAT!?" they exclaimed.

"Trill's proven it to you, and I'm sure some of your loyal subjects back home have experienced it for themselves over the years," Cadence said. "If you still think you're not able to change, then kiss Shining Armor and see if that kind of love you give tastes better than taking it for yourself."

"Uhh, no offense to Chrysalis, but...I-I don't...really feel close to her to just...do that," Shining said.

"And yet you decided to marry her," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Have you forgotten I was the Princess of Love before we moved to the Crystal Empire to rule over the kingdom?" Cadence stated. "I could tell if two ponies were meant to be together. Maybe Emmy, too. And if she likes the idea, perhaps she's more right to believe in it than you think."

"We don't release any love," Chrysalis explained. "It's impossible for us. If that were true, I would have sensed it come from Trill after so many displays of affection she gives to Solaris to torment me."

"Only one way to find out." Cadence nudged Shining and Chrysalis closer with her magic, startling the duo. "If it's true, I will allow sharing Shiney with you if you have a craving for some true love."

"Cadence, I don't-" Shining tried to interject, but Cadence squished his cheeks in her hooves, forcing his head to turn back to Chrysalis.

"Honey, by living a double life as Lucifer's mercenary and surviving that long without getting caught, having your legs broken warrants the insane bravery to have other mares crawling all over you," Cadence said. "You may have grown up a nerdy colt, but when you became a guard captain, I did notice some heads turn when they saw you as a heartthrob of a stud you became. And you still are despite you being handicapped."

Shining removed his wife's hooves from his face with his magic, glancing at her with a deadpanned leer, but then glanced back at Chrysalis. She was still in disbelief that Cadence was actually giving her permission to lock lips with her husband, no strings attached, no conditions. Chrysalis still felt uncertain and Shining Armor didn't seem on board with this. With Cadence being this adamantly insistent, they weren't going to get out of this until SHE was more satisfied than either of them.

"...Alright. But, I'm not sure if this will even work," Shining said with a defeated sigh. "I can handle being around you now, but I still feel...Well, brainwashing me still doesn't help me forgive you for that."

"Uhh..." Chrysalis shapeshifted, turning herself into Cadence with a sheepish grin. "Maybe if you kissed me as Cadence instead?"

"Nope! No transformations!" Cadence interjected, making Chrysalis frown and turn back to normal. "It wouldn't count if you were pretending to be somepony else. From your own skin, not in another's."

Chrysalis huffed, but when she looked at Shining again, the affection she felt from his dream version came back to remind her how she slowly came to realize her feelings. Despite it failing, she was going to give it a shot. Gulping nervously, ignoring the eager audience moving herself to get a better view, Chrysalis leaned toward Shining Armor as he did the same, his eyes closed as he braced himself for the conflicting experience. Inches before their muzzles touched, Chrysalis hesitated, backing away slightly, but with a little "helpful" nudge from Cadence's magic behind her head, their lips touched, causing her to grunt in surprise.

She wasn't too unfamiliar with making out with Shining Armor before the royal wedding, but it felt so much more different when she wasn't disguised. As he began to kiss her, her eyes grew wide as she felt love energy flowing into her. Despite Shining's own hesitation, Chrysalis was startled by what love he was giving her that was real, not fake. It tasted like nothing she'd ever had before; sweeter than chocolate, more filling than stolen love and the essence substitute. Genuine love would never compare to what she stole from every other pony or creature she used through her whole life.

Chrysalis's eyes began to droop, unaware of her horn sparking to life as she "absorbed" Shining's love. She pressed her muzzle closer against his with her eyes closed, feeling him do the same as he warmed up to the act, barely shying away from her fangs and began filling her more with his love. Hooves soon joined in their romantic display, Chrysalis's reaching to cup the stallion's face, Shining's embracing her and pulling her closer. One long kiss turned into more, heavy breaths through their nostrils as their lips refused to part for air. Cadence was surprised by how affectionate that one kiss caused them to make out with each other, smirking coyly when she noticed how brightly Chrysalis's horn was sparking. Like with Trill and Solaris, Chrysalis was enjoying her "meal", and Shining didn't seem to be against kissing their former foe anymore. And she didn't need to influence their passion with her unique love magic; all of it was truly genuine love.

After several minutes, Chrysalis had her fill as she moved back, their lips parting with a wet smack. Panting slightly, Chrysalis gazed in Shining's eyes, both of them blushing when they snapped out of their daze. Chrysalis moved her hooves away from Shining's face, shuffling away from him slightly while being mindful of his hooves still wrapped around her.

"...Umm...T-That was...something?" Shining bashfully said.

"That looked like it was about to get steamy," Cadence teased. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Chrysalis looked away, biting her lower lip sheepishly. "...It...was nice," she admitted.

"Better than stealing love?" Cadence asked.

Chrysalis frowned and glowered at the alicorn, but her gaze softened, embarrassed. "...Y-Yes," she mumbled.

"Great! And if Shining doesn't mind, though I doubt he did when he seemed to enjoy himself, too-" The stallion groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in response. "-you're welcome to have his love. Though, we'll have to make the visit to avoid you risking your death of cold."

"Between the two of us, Cadence, I thought you'd be less enthused by all this, not fully onboard," Shining muttered.

"Well, you married her," Chrysalis uttered.

"Speaking of, since you're supposed to be foalsitting Emerald for Solaris and Trill, I think he'd have a panic attack if the mare he trusted to watch his little filly is somewhere else and left her all alone," Cadence reminded the queen.

"But there's thousands of-!" Chrysalis began to argue, but she paused and let out a heavy sigh. "...Whatever."

"I'll have the conductors set our train car up for the trip across the tundra." Cadence stood up, skipping toward the door, pausing to look back at the changeling. "Feel a whole lot better, Chrysie?"

"Hmph. Perhaps," Chrysalis grumbled. "But don't call me that. It's bad enough that Emerald keeps calling me that. And whatever happened between us, nopony else will not hear of this."

"Come on, Chrysalis, drop that stone-cold image of yourself and embrace the change," Cadence said. "It was kind of cute watching and listening to you making out with MY husband."

Chrysalis growled, scrunching her muzzle angrily at the comment. Cadence snickered, having her fun picking on her and continued on her way to get the changeling's ride ready. Alone with Shining Armor, Chrysalis sighed heavily, her disgruntled expression fading. She didn't know if she was dreaming and was going to wake up again for her happiness to be snatched from her once more.

"So, uhh...this is gonna be a little...weird, isn't it?" Shining asked.

"I'm just waiting to wake up back in my bed and be more frustrated," Chrysalis said. "...I thought you weren't going to share your love and disappoint me."

"I didn't say it was bad, though being married to Cadence for this long, I half expected her to divorce me when I took on the persona of Zero and risk getting myself killed trying to assassinate Lucifer," Shining said. "But she didn't. Even when I realized how stupid I was doing that and kept my own disguise up to give news to the resistance as the years passed." He lifted his hooves, gazing at his bandaged legs, grimacing slightly from the twinge of pain in his damaged nerves. "I am glad you came to help that day. You helped Solaris and saved everypony in Canterlot before it was turned into a deadly battleground. Deep down, I think you do care, but you express it in your own way."

Chrysalis wilted, one of her hooves gently taking one of his. "By caring only for myself and dismissing anything nice I do as repaying a favor I never made," she said. "...If we attacked sooner, this wouldn't have happened to you..."

"And everyone else's lives would have been lost in the process," Shining added. Chrysalis sighed, preferring to have gone out fighting than hide like a coward. Though, from her nightmare, she fled and was powerless to escape from Lucifer, making her feel like a hypocrite. "It probably would have been a whole lot worse for Solaris regardless what we all could have done. I do appreciate you being there for him and being so concerned for me...Maybe underneath that tough chitin, you're a majestic butterfly on the inside."

The compliment made Chrysalis blush heavily, unable to process how to take it. "Y-Yeah right," she grumbled. She pouted when she heard Shining chuckle at her reaction. "You're not that charming anymore, just so you know."

"And yet we made out as if we were teenagers who couldn't get enough of each other," Shining mentioned, making the queen huff and stand up.

"I'm heading back home before I get a lashing from your nephew if he decides to return sooner than planned." She began to march off to wait for her train back to her kingdom, but just as she passed Shining Armor, she stopped and looked back at him. "...Shining Armor?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"...If...things were different...would we have been...together?" Chrysalis asked.

"...I'm...not sure," Shining answered, thinking about what his life would have been like if he met Chrysalis first. "...If you weren't afraid to show me who you really were, I might have given you a chance if I never met Cadence."

To know that there might have been a chance, it made Chrysalis's heart flutter. If she had known him years ago, if she had ventured off on her own like Trill had, she could have discovered how powerful falling in love and giving love would have benefitted her kingdom instead. Her story she told Emerald could have been a fantasy come to life if she followed every detail in her youth. Turning around, she lowered her head and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Shining's cheek.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you," she said before she took her leave.

Stunned, Shining Armor watched the changeling queen leave. He brought his hoof up to where she kissed his cheek, bewildered by how different Chrysalis was now.

"...This is gonna be really tough to get used to," he uttered to himself.

Dawn began to rise once Chrysalis returned home to her kingdom in the Crystal Empire's royal car. Despite the lengthy trip and the luxurious space, Chrysalis was wide awake. Shining's lips still lingered on hers, the love she tasted tingling her taste buds and left her with a fuller belly than she'd ever had it filled in her life. Dream or not, she was afraid to wake back up for it to not have happened.

Exiting the train car upon its arrival, Chrysalis flew over the pony settlement and back inside her mountain home. Despite how tired she was, she was eventually going to be woken up by one of her soldiers or Emerald. Reaching her chambers, she was about to walk inside, but decided to check in on Emerald to see if she was ok after last night's nightmare scare. Peeking inside, the filly was sound asleep, barely bothered by being woken up abruptly by her bad dream. With the sun rising, it was probably time for her to get up.

Chrysalis stepped inside and approached the bed, gently nudging Emerald to wake her up. "Time to get up, Emerald," she said.

Emerald squinted her eyes, roused from her slumber as she let out a yawn. "Morning, grandma," she greeted. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "...Is it morning? It's hard to tell."

"That's what an internal clock is for," Chrysalis said. "Come on. Let's get you breakfast."

"But my mane's all messy," Emerald said, trying to pat down her bed head.

"We're not living in a pompous castle where we have to care about our appearance twenty-four seven," Chrysalis stated, flipping around her own messy mane. "This is my kingdom. My castle, my rules." She gave the filly a sly smirk. Emerald grinned, running her hooves through her mane, making it as messy and unkempt as possible, showing off her lazy day style. "Better."

While Emerald skipped behind Chrysalis as they left the room, Twilight stared at the queen, perturbed by her sudden change in behavior after last night. "Where did she go after putting her to bed? And why is she so much more...relaxed?"

Throughout the rest of the day, Emerald had a lot more fun with her grandma than the last couple days combined. She learned a little more about her changeling heritage, practicing using her changeling magic to get better at being a future master of disguise like her grandma, and got to play with the changeling babies again. She was able to recognize Buggsy out of the dozens of hatchlings when he flittered up to her for a friendly hug, already looking up to her as his brood sister. When Thorax joined them to make sure things were going smoothly with his queen's bonding with her granddaughter, he noticed Chrysalis was much less distant with Emerald and didn't try to pawn her off to him to entertain her. It was almost disturbing to see, but at least Emerald was having fun.

With the day nearly coming to an end, Chrysalis packed up her grandfoal's belongings, then waited outside for Solaris and Trill to arrive to pick her up. Right on time, the chariot could be seen in the distance as the pegasi pulling it made a landing and came to a complete stop.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Emerald cheered and flew up to her parents, Solaris catching her in his hooves and snuggled up to him.

"Looks like you had a lot of fun with grandma, huh?" Solaris said.

"Lots of fun! Look what grandma taught me, daddy!" Lighting up her horn, Emerald's body shimmered a bright green, changing her fur and mane to look like a natural-born royal changeling.

"Shapeshifting magic?" Solaris uttered.

"Wow. Mom was teaching you that?" Trill asked.

"Only because you weren't teaching her about the basics as a changeling," Chrysalis said, plopping all of Emerald's stuff on her daughter's back. "She has a lot of potential. Luckily, I didn't hesitate to show her how to embrace her changeling magic."

"I only know how to change my fur or mane," Emerald said, shifting her colors back to normal. "I even saw a lot of baby changelings hatching, and had one imprint on me!"

"Uhh, imprint?" As Solaris questioned his daughter, he grimaced when he felt something bite one of his legs. Lifting up his left hind leg, he spotted an infant changeling using his limb as a chew toy. "Why do they like to bite me?"

"Buggsy, that's my daddy!" Emerald scolded. "He's not food!"

Buggsy gazed at Emerald, releasing his small fangs from his limb, then crawled up along him to reach the filly. "Ok. You named a little changeling. And he's...imprinted on you. Is...that a bad thing?"

"He's probably just so attached to her after hanging out with her yesterday," Chrysalis said, levitating the infant off of Solaris and hovered him beside her. "Unlike you, the hatchlings didn't nibble on her. She could be a good big sister."

Trill winced, throwing all of Emerald's stuff in the chariot as she glared at her mother. "Ok, one: I am NOT giving birth to another foal in that way again," she said. "No offense, Solly, but one is enough for me."

"Heh. Fair enough," Solaris said with a nervous grin.

"And two: you are giving Emmy...a compliment!?" Trill's statement began to make Solaris curious as well. She wasn't as irritated or annoyed at their presence, despite how tired she looked. "...Mom, are you sick or something?"

"No. Nothing's wrong with me," Chrysalis assured. Trill was skeptical, only to yelp when she was suddenly dragged forward by her mother's aura until they bumped snouts. "But the next time you spring a foalsitting job on me like this, you send me a letter or a note and wait for me to say yes or no. I am a busy queen, after all."

"...You were gonna say no regardless," Trill grunted. "And you're not busy; you're bored as hay on your throne day in and day out. Even before we were freed from the terror of Lucifer's demonic wrath."

"Well, next time, give me a warning if you want to take three days to take part in 'royal meetings' as a code for a private, nonstop romp."

Trill was surprised at first, only to burst out laughing, confusing Chrysalis. "Oh, goodness," Solaris groaned, setting Emerald inside the chariot while he approached his wife and mother-in-law. "Chrysalis, Trill and I aren't always doing...that every day. We really did have a few important meetings to attend to the whole weekend. Most of them were about relations between some of the other neighboring kingdoms around Equestria after the mess Lucifer left us. It may have been ten years ago since things were better, but his actions left us with such a huge toll on trade agreements with the other kingdoms: Mt. Aris, Yakyakistan, Abyssinia, Farasi, Caninia, just to name a few of the many other countries who felt threatened by his power."

"...What? Actual...meetings with...?" Chrysalis looked at Solaris and her snickering daughter, taken aback by their excuse was for a legitimate reason, not as a personal mini-honeymoon. "...But you two sounded like you were in a rush."

"Because we were running a little behind," Solaris admitted.

"Blame Solly and Emmy for triple-checking all her stuff for her weekend at grandma's," Trill said, giggling some more before she sighed. "Oh, mom. Come on. I may have a libido, but I'm not THAT crazy to put Solly through the wringer."

"Ehh, our attempt to conceive Emmy disagrees," the alicorn stated, his pupils shrinking in horror at the intimate beast he unleashed. "Changelings going into heat is not fun."

"We don't have heat cycles," Chrysalis said.

"...Exactly," Solaris mumbled. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Well, next time you're interested in watching Emmy for us, I'll be sure to send you a letter via dragon fire."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget about that," Chrysalis warned.

Solaris returned to the chariot, but Trill looked at her mother, finding something strange about her behavior. "You sure nothing's up, mom?"

"Doesn't your daughter have school tomorrow?" Chrysalis questioned with a scowl.

"...Ok, there's the grumpy changeling queen I know and tolerate," Trill said.

The queen rolled her eyes in response. Trill hovered off and into the chariot, eyeing Chrysalis curiously. While Emerald waved to her grandmother, she gave Solaris a small peck on the lips, gauging her reaction to get a rise out of her. Surprisingly, she didn't get frustrated or annoyed, baffling her.

"Uhh, what was that for?" Solaris asked curiously.

"Trying to tease mom," she said. "Didn't really work for some reason."

"Ugh. Trill, you don't need to keep fighting with her over petty squabbles," Solaris argued.

"Bye, Grandma Chrysie! Bye Buggsy!" Emerald called out as the pegasi guards took off, flying the chariot back home to Canterlot.

Chrysalis waved them goodbye while Buggsy tilted his head, wondering where his brood sister was going. After watching them disappear on the horizon, Chrysalis let out an exhausted sigh and returned back to her castle. She dropped off Buggsy to his family before retiring to her room. As she got comfortable for a long, much needed sleep, she drifted off with a small smile. Tonight's dream was sure to be pleasant one for her, and she wouldn't worry about it tormenting her now that she had gotten what her heart desired.

Solaris, Prince of Equestria

It has been several years since Equestria had been saved from the tyranny of Lucifer, a unicorn stallion who had used the powers of dark arcane magic to rule the kingdom under his hoof. He had committed many heinous and sickening crimes not so long ago, having slain Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle. Banished to sleep for a thousand years by the Elements of Harmony by Princess Celestia, he had awoken and confronted the alicorns, single-handedly killing them in cold blood as ponies feared the power he wielded and relishing in their terror. Little did he realize that his destiny was not to be fulfilled as the tyrannical ruler he believed would last for a lifetime, his end met by the hooves of a young alicorn prince, and son of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Solaris.

The young alicorn, the first alicorn male ever known in recorded history, was hidden away in a mountain not too far from Ponyville. Though the newest alicorn princess was killed along with Celestia and Luna, Solaris was cared for by Spike, Twilight's scribe and surrogate younger brother, along with visits from the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony: Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Though the elements had returned to the Tree of Harmony, hidden deep in the Everfree Forest, there was nothing they could have done to stop Lucifer, or else risk killing the tree after Discord's plunderseed vines nearly sapped it away of all its magic so long ago in a failed attempt many years earlier. All hope fell on Solaris, destined to fight Lucifer and free Equestria, returning it to the peaceful kingdom it once was under the princess' rule.

Unfortunately, the alicorn's journey was not as easy as it sounded. On his fifteenth birthday, he learned the truth about the fate of his mother after questioning why she was never around and why he couldn't leave his home under the mountain. Not only was the news heartbreaking, along with the stress of bringing peace back to Equestria, but throughout his journey, his depression grew worse with each moment. Lucifer discovered where he was hidden, Spike urging his nephew to flee into the Everfree Forest and stay in the ruins of the old castle made for Celestia and Luna a thousand years ago. But Solaris, not wanting to lose the uncle he had been raised by all his life, decided to fight back before he was truly ready, showing himself to the unicorn. The purple dragon sacrificed himself to save the alicorn, transporting him into the forest with his dragon fire while also inheriting his power as a final gift before his demise.

Once his aunts had found him, they set off on a journey across the land for Solaris to complete five trials to earn pieces of armor that would help strengthen his power and unleash his full potential, his first test inside the Everfree Forest. But with each test came a dangerous price: a sacrifice was to be made after he accomplished each one. One by one, each test he completed, he would lose the mares he knew as his aunts, losing the ponies who were his family. Each loss made him lose more hope, making the young alicorn spiral further into sorrow and mourning, but he struggled through the pain in his heart for the sake of his home, for his future subjects' sake.

But that didn't mean he would remain alone forever. As he left his mountain home for the first time, he met and ironically befriended a young changeling princess named Trill. Annoyed and bothered by her at first, he began to warm up to her and considered her his first friend since the start of his journey, despite not knowing what her kind had done in the past to his long-lost aunt and uncle from the Crystal Empire. Once they arrived in the crystal kingdom to the north, that was where he met his Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining Armor, his mother's older brother. It was a shock at first to know there was another aunt and uncle he was never told about, but he was relieved to still have blood relatives after all the pain he had experienced so far. He had also befriended a blind griffon around his age, named Gale, a member of the Resistance group that fought to protect other kingdoms from Lucifer's reign and stop him to keep the peace of the world. Gale may have lost his sight since he was but a hatchling, but his improved senses made him a swift and deadly force to be reckoned with as one of the youngest members of the retaliating army.

The battle against Lucifer was long and harrowing, Solaris losing the ones he knew growing up and falling into despair as he blamed himself for their deaths. He didn't give up hope, finishing the last of his trials, earning all of his equipment that helped him realize his latent potential, and confronted the dark unicorn head on. He had also gotten help from Chrysalis, Trill's mother and queen of the changelings, to assist him against Lucifer's army that tried to stop him. The battle against the unicorn king and the alicorn savior was evenly matched, but Lucifer decided to unleash the full power of the dark magic he used, turning him into a monstrous demon and nearly winning with the unstoppable force of his transformation.

Solaris never backed down, unleashing the pieces of the Elements of Harmony held within his golden gauntlets, a hidden gift given to him after completing his first test along with the gauntlets. Combining them together the platinum plate halves added to them from his final trial, which was also his own element. His own transformation brought him overwhelming power, the inherited green flames from his dragon uncle changing from white to an aurora of rainbow light, destroying Lucifer's beastly form and shattering his horn as the unicorn's power waned. Lucifer met his demise as Solaris showed mercy, not stooping as low as him to kill for what he desired, falling to his death off the balcony with no magic to save him.

With the end of an age of terror and darkness came an age of light and prosperity. Solaris was crowned the new prince of Equestria, helping lead his kingdom back to restoration, following the benevolent hoofsteps as Celestia, Luna, and his mother. Granted, he had no idea how to run a kingdom, but luckily, his aunt and uncle helped him as he learned. And he didn't have to do it alone with his beloved forever remaining by his side, increasing the ties between Equestria and the changelings as he and Trill discovered a better method to feed changelings without them stealing it from their victims. But now that peace has returned, that didn't mean Solaris's life would remain that way for long, and it didn't have to be disturbed by another evil threat wanting to take over the kingdom...or destroy it.

Solaris sat on his throne as he took part in another of the many meetings he has with his council of trustworthy advisers, though the one who was talking was someone he loathed hear every time he opened his mouth. The older unicorn stallion was Blueblood, apparently Celestia's nephew, but he doubted there was any relation between them as the documents he found of Blueblood and his family were actually adopted by the princess centuries ago. He didn't really like going through these meetings, pretending he was listening as his thoughts wandered off to something that didn't lull him to sleep. He hated when the egotistical stallion took the stand and spoke of different ways to "help Equestria" when all they were was about how he wanted to get rid of lower class citizens to make room for more lush and expansive buildings.

"-and with these plans perfectly made by yours truly, Canterlot will be more sophisticated in stature, and we can get rid of the poor. If we want this city to be as it was when my Auntie Celestia was alive, this must happen for all our sakes." Solaris had finally began listening after hearing the same speech revised several times over with his horrible plans. Even the other members in the council were getting fed up with Blueblood's ideas as much as he was. Solaris couldn't suppress his yawn, the unicorn noticing the bored gesture. "I'm sorry, 'Your Highness'. Am I boring you?"

"No, I was up all night last night trying to control Trill and her insanely overblown libido," the prince replied, earning an irritated groan from Blueblood while the other members were a bit flustered by Solaris's statement. "You have no idea how hard it is to keep a changeling like her from jumping me on my bed when I try to relax. Even if I sleep, I have to keep an eye open. But other than that, I was also getting bored of the same ideas you've had...since I took up the throne."

"Yes, Blueblood, I agree with His Highness," one of the members spoke up, an elder mare his Uncle Shining Armor suggested to have on his council as he knew her well in the past. "You're talking about tearing down ponies homes to make more businesses, businesses that your family owns, might I add, and kick the hardest of working families out and making them homeless."

"We don't need those ponies in the slums dirtying our streets every day," Blueblood defended, and quite poorly. "What good do they do besides wallow in their filthy, decrepit homes and beg for my money?"

"Well, Blueblood, here's some food for thought." Solaris stood up from his throne and stepped down, approaching the unicorn as he stared at him with a calm, yet menacing gaze. "Who actually works hard in every single company to make everypony's lives better? Hard working ponies who live in those slums just to get by. Who grows the food that sits on your thirty something plates for those annoying twelve course meals you eat every day? The filthy earth ponies who have no eye for sophistication if it smacked them in the face, as you 'kindly' called them. Who does all the hard work to build homes, help families who lost their homes in the fifteen years Lucifer took over, and restored this land to its former glory while you sat on your immature, self-absorbed, and spoiled rich plot and counted your bits?" He waited for a response as he stood before Blueblood, but the appalled stallion opened and closed his mouth like a fish trying to breathe. "Well, I know it isn't you, that's for sure."

"How dare you speak to me that way, you little ingrate!?" Blueblood shouted, pointing a hoof at the alicorn. "Do you know who I am!?"

"...An annoying stallion who doesn't know when to stop gloating about how he's related to Princess Celestia?" At Solaris's response, some of the council snickered at his honest opinion about the insulted stallion before him.

"You don't even deserve the throne, you brat!" he continued, growing irritated by the prince's calm expression. "If that unicorn didn't ruin my family legacy, I would have been sitting there in place of my aunt! You're still not worthy enough to lead this kingdom! Not even in a thousand years will you have that worth!"

Solaris sighed and brought a hoof up to his head, growing the hundredth migraine of his life from Blueblood alone. "Your family legacy was not being treated as royals under Princess Celestia's wing. You are a noble with the title prince, in name only. And unlike you, I have gone through many sacrifices, but not to take the throne. I stepped forward because I needed to, as it was my duty to help lead everypony in this kingdom back to the peace that it once had." He held up his foreleg, summoning the green flames around his hoof, his late Uncle Spike's magical fire given to him with his last breath. "I had lost many ponies I considered family. I never knew my parents personally, but I've gained a lot more after everything I've gone through.

"If I wasn't born, if I didn't stop Lucifer, what would happen to you, Blueblood?" Solaris waited for an answer, the stallion glaring at him with his wavering gaze, too afraid to speak as his eyes kept glancing at the fire. The alicorn snuffed it out and brought his hoof back down. "You'd be dead. He wouldn't show anyone any mercy if he succeeded in taking over the other kingdoms." He was met with more silence, Blueblood unable to find his voice. "Now, the next time you want to talk about making Equestria better, not just Canterlot or your own selfish demands, then I suggest you think long and hard about your next 'grand idea'. Otherwise, if I'm uninterested in the same, selfish, and outright dumbest blueprints to add in a strip mall over other families' homes living in lower districts, then my answer will always be no.

"Do I make myself crystal clear, Blueblood?" No response, which lead Solaris to Blueblood's answer. "Well, alright then. You're fired."

"What!?" Blueblood exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry. I think I should clarify it better." Solaris cleared his throat and leaned closer, blowing out a trail of green smoke out of his mouth and into Blueblood's face. The stallion choked and coughed as he backed away, unable to see the grin on the alicorn's face. "You are F-I-R-E-D. That spells 'fired'."

"Y-You little-" Blueblood continued coughing as he tried to breathe, the magical smoke clearing up as he glared at the alicorn walking back to his throne. "You can't do this to me!"

"Guards, please escort Blueblood out of the castle," Solaris commanded, the guards in the room gladly obeying, wearing the golden Royal Guard armor that was issued back then before Lucifer arrived.

"You will regret this!" Blueblood shouted as the stallions easily dragged the flailing old unicorn out of the room. "I am the nephew of Princess Celestia! I deserve to rule this kingdom!"

Solaris groaned in relief as he sat back down in his throne, feeling his headache going away the farther away Blueblood got and his complaining shouting turning to silence. As wrong as that may have been to behave around the members of his royal council, it felt good to get rid of Blueblood after all these years since he began his duties as a prince. And from the expressions on the older ponies' faces, they agreed with his decision, and action. They were about to go into the actual meeting, but the magical alarm in the alicorn's head rung, signalling the end of the day's meeting.

"Oh, great," he mumbled. "I'm sorry to say this, but meeting adjourned." The council members grumbled along with him, Blueblood's long business proposal while they were all supposed to be discussing about what needed to be done in Equestria wasting all of their times, again. "We'll try to pick up whatever we actually left off on on Monday."

The council left the throne room and headed back to their homes to enjoy the weekend and rest easy knowing they won't have to deal with Blueblood again. With the day coming to an end, Solaris got off his throne and stretched, slowly making his way through the halls to his royal bedroom upstairs. He passed through the hallway murals, the old ones destroyed by Lucifer brought back to their former glory that had depicted greatest moments in Equestria's past. There was Nightmare Moon's banishment to the moon by Celestia, the Mare in the Moon stopped by Twilight Sparkle and her friends using the Elements of Harmony, Discord turned to stone, the Crystal Empire saved by Spike, Twilight's coronation. The latest one made him stop as he looked at it, a reminder of his long, sad adventure to where he is now.

The bottom showed a dark land filled with dread, while the upper half showed a prosperous city. Lucifer and Solaris were seen in the center, the unicorn on the left and himself on the right, both of them ready to punch each other as they flew toward their opponent. Lucifer looked more like a demon, the artist who designed the stained glass detailing his demonic form during their fight years ago. Solaris, however, was a lot like the form he took when he used the powers of the Elements of Harmony within his gauntlets: his hair highlighted similar to his aunts' and mother's coat colors with his golden mane, his eyes were lit up like a fire in a myriad of colors, along with his gauntlets, and the fire around his hoof glowed in the colors of the rainbow like his irises. In between them were the cutie marks of the Elements of Harmony and a silhouette of a green dragon head, all seven images surrounding his cutie mark: the upper half of the sun rising over the horizon, a small white star in each of the seven triangular rays around it.

Solaris sadly sighed as the memories came back to him. Though that moment had helped bring Equestria back to normal, the pain he went through as he lost his family was still hard to let go. They left him far sooner than he had liked, and his surrogate cousins also suffered as they lost their mothers while they were only a few years younger than he was. He never knew what happened to his own mother, her death happened when he was only a few months old, and he found out as soon as he was fifteen. At least he was able to find closure after figuring out Twilight was the one who gave him his first test, given a small amount of time in Equestria to test him and say their goodbyes before she left for Paradise again. He still didn't know anything about his father, or who he was, but he wouldn't have the time to search for him or see if he was still alive during Lucifer's reign.

He continued on his way to his room, lost in his thoughts. Ever since he had reached adulthood just a couple years ago, he began to think about what it would be like to be a father. They were thoughts that not many stallions think of, especially at such a young age, but part of him wants to know that feeling of fatherhood from growing up without one. Sure, Spike was like a father figure to him, but he was his dragon uncle, and ponies would think he was weird if he blurted out his dad was a dragon. It would have been cool to say if he was a colt, but it would still be a bit awkward if he tried to explain that possibility.

Though, as much as he wanted to have a foal of his own one day, the few options available didn't seem plausible with his desires. One of them is adoption, seeing as many foals were without families, left at an orphanage whether their parents left them because they couldn't take care of them financially or their parents had died and were dropped off by a relative or family friend. As much as this solution was good for both him and the foal he adopts, he wanted to have his own child to conceive.

That answer would be the improbable solution, considering who he was in love with. Ever since Solaris met Trill back in the Everfree Forest, he knew so much about the changelings that no one else dared to know because of the wedding of his aunt and uncle they had crashed many years ago. They were known as love-sucking parasites, turning into the victim's lover or crush and sapping away their love to feed on. But Trill was a lot more than that, and her hive: she had feelings to express, even though she was, and still is, a nuisance at times, she was able to feel love, despite her customs saying it was forbidden to feel anything for a pony, and their actions for crashing the wedding was because they were starving and were desperate for food, and considering how they looked and acted, no one wanted to confront fanged, bug/pony hybrids out of fear from their appearance. And one sad bit of information he learned about from Trill was the fact that he couldn't get her pregnant because of their incompatible DNA. Changelings were more insect than mammal, so the chances of them having a foal together is practically impossible.

He didn't want to sound selfish about denying adopting a foal who wants to have parents, but the topic began to weigh heavily on his mind as the years had passed. Solaris shook those thoughts from his head, not wanting to stay up all night trying to figure out what to do about this issue and get no sleep. It was exhausting enough as it was hearing Blueblood drone on and on about his boring and nonsensical proposal, and he wanted to get some sleep.

As the alicorn opened the large doors to his room, he heard a song being hummed by someone inside. He spotted a green unicorn mare with a red mane and tail, wearing a maid's outfit and swiping some of the shelves with a feather duster. The skirt was a bit too short to be a proper work uniform for a mare, the skirt showing a lot more rump and a pair of white panties underneath. She had her back turned to him, purposefully shaking her rump as she hummed the song she was singing. Sighing, he walked inside and closed the door, staring at the unicorn mare blankly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, the mare turning her head to him.

"Hello, Your Highness," she said, fluttering her eyes as she sauntered over to Solaris, swaying her hips lasciviously with a sultry grin. "I was in the middle of freshening up your quarters."

"...It was already clean earlier this afternoon," Solaris blandly replied, not amused by the "maid's" advances.

"Ah. That's the problem," the mare said, teasing the prince by brushing the feather duster against his snout as she held it in her green aura. "Some help don't really check everywhere. Like under the bed." Solaris snorted as the feathers tickled his nose, the "maid" slowly approaching the bed with her tail raised high. She then bent down to look underneath the king sized mattress, leaving her rump up in the air and slowly moving her hips, making sure she gave him a good look. "Oh dear! Look at all the filthy dust under here! So dirty!"

"Mhmm." Solaris walked up to his bed, lighting up his horn as his golden aura grabbed the mare by her waist, pulling her head out from underneath and standing her back up. Her eyes were lidded as she grinned, satisfied with teasing him enough. "Trill, cut it out."

"I'm not Trill. My name is Feather Duster," "Feather Duster" said as she twirled her duster in front of her. Having enough of the charade, Solaris flicked his hoof against her horn, making her yelp as she erupted in a veil of green flames. In place of the unicorn was his changeling lover, Trill: black chitin skin, holes in her legs and clear wings, a crooked horn on her forehead, a dark green mane and tail, sharp fangs, and her eyes a bright green. Trill whined as she rubbed her horn, pouting cutely at the stallion. "You suck at role play."

"I'm too tired for any of your random fetishes you want to fulfill. And you've done the maid bit three times the last six months." Solaris leapt up onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow. "And 'Feather Duster'? How original."

"You've gotten less fun the past few years since your coronation." Trill stripped out of her maid cosplay outfit, leaving them scattered around the floor. "Finally ran out of steam to please your wife, grandpa?"

"You know I'm twenty-two, and I'm not going to grow that old for the next several millennia." He lifted his head up as he looked at the pictures on the dresser next to the bed.

The first he saw was a group photo of him and his family and friends after his coronation. Solaris stood in the front with five younger ponies in front of him, the two colts and three fillies looking like spitting images of their mothers: an orange earth pony colt with a dirty blonde mane, wearing a red bandanna and his mother's stetson named Apple Seed, a yellow pegasus colt with slightly long pink bangs named Butterscotch, a red earth pony filly with poofy red hair named Cherry Pie, a light blue pegasus filly with rainbow streaked hair named Prism, and a white unicorn filly with a dark purple and curly mane named Gemstone. Next to Solaris were Trill, his Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining, the ex-Royal Guard captain wearing casts around his forelegs after a very painful injury made by Lucifer, his grandparents Night Light and Twilight Velvet next to his uncle, Chrysalis with a neutral expression next to Cadence, his griffon friend Gale next to Chrysalis, surprisingly looking at the camera for being blind, and in the background behind them was Discord holding his talons up in a peace sign.

The next few pictures his eyes trailed over were photos of his and Trill's wedding, which thankfully wasn't overtaken by the changelings, though there were lots of them that came to "see" the ceremony take place in the castle. There was a picture of Solaris and Trill kissing at the alter, Cadence the presider behind them as she smiled happily, greatly excited about weddings being the princess of love. There were some at the reception: Solaris and Trill alone on the dance floor for their newlywed slow dance, Solaris dancing with his surrogate cousins, Gemstone hugging very closely to him as if she was begging for a slow dance, the couple sharing a slice of cake, though Trill had smeared icing on Solaris's nose and licking it off him as he blushed, pictures of the alicorn and his family, even one where he and Trill were with Chrysalis, though the changeling queen wasn't all that excited. There were so many pictures during the happiest moment in his life, marrying the mare he loved and she the same, and once the evening wound down, with the two of them in the privacy of their bedroom in the castle, it only got better as it got steamy.

Solaris was pulled out of his reminiscing when he felt the bed shift and something crawl over him. He rolled on his back and bumped his muzzle against Trill's, the changeling rubbing his nose with hers.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" she asked.

"Just some fond memories," he said.

"Yes, and I can see the fond memories right by the bed." Trill pointed at the many wedding pictures on the dresser with her hoof. "And there's a lot of our wedding pictures. I kind of want to ask why you set those up. Is it because you're afraid I'll end up cheating on you and remind me we're married? You know I won't do that to you."

"I know you won't." Solaris tapped Trill's head, slightly annoying her. "But I will if you keep voicing any of those thoughts if you think I won't trust you again."

"Mph. You're going to keep reminding me about the bits I spent when we were in Saddle Arabia until the day I die, aren't you?" Trill asked as she sulked at that moment.

"Oh yeah." He chuckled as she smacked her face into his chest with a whine.

Solaris gently cupped Trill's cheeks in his hooves and lifted her head up. He pulled her close into a kiss, her eyes opening wide in surprise but quickly closing them as she kissed back, her hooves sensually rubbing the alicorn's chest. She moaned as she was being filled by the love he willingly gave her, something they had discovered back in the Crystal Empire when they shared their first kiss in a surprising way. Even if she was completely full from the love she was given to feed on, she always craved more. Sadly, Solaris pulled away, making her whimper.

"More, please," Trill begged with a loving smile.

"Of course. But do you want to know why I put those pictures up?" Solaris asked. Trill nodded her head out of curiosity. "They remind me that, no matter what terrible moments had come up in my life, I'll always know that you and my family will be there for me. Whenever I feel down, you help me up when I doubt myself. And when I proposed to you, I meant every word when I said you make me the happiest stallion in the world, even when the worst had happened to us back then."

Tears welled up in her eyes, recalling those same exact words he said before he surprised her with his proposal and showing her her wedding ring. Trill leaned closer and kissed Solaris, short, brief, yet loving, breaking away to nuzzle his neck.

"I love you, Solly," she said, feeling the alicorn's hooves wrap around her.

"And I love you, Trill." Solaris held Trill tightly as he drifted off to sleep, truly happy to have somepony like her to be there for him. As he drifted off to dreamland, he felt a light tickling sensation around his hind legs, starting around his inner thighs and slowly moving up. Grunting in slight annoyance, he rolled onto his side, bringing Trill with him as she yelped in surprise, squinting his eyes open as he looked down at the smirking changeling. "I said I'm tired."

"But I could go for a little ride while you sleep," Trill suggested, licking her lips seductively.

"You are so incorrigible," he grumbled, flipping her around with her back to his chest, grabbing her waist tightly as she scooted her lower half a good distance away from his. "And ruined a romantic moment."

"But those moments always end up with some good ol' loving sex," she reasoned, flicking her tail up to his side. "You know you want to."

"When I'm not tired, in the middle of planning important events, or sick. Now, go to sleep or I'll transport you to Ponyville." He buried his head in his pillow and tried to get back to sleep.

"Hey, that's the stallion's job to be put in the doghouse if he ticks off his wife. So I should kick you out because you don't want to please me." Taking a deep breath, Solaris breathed out a plume of green flames around Trill, the magical fire teleporting her out of the bed and into the hall outside their room, the fire not even leaving a single burn mark on the bed sheets. Trill's ears perked up when she heard the door lock, turning around and turning the handle, but it wouldn't open. "...Uhh, yeah! That room's your doghouse! That'll teach you not to make me mad!"

"Good night, Trill!" he called out with a giggle, making himself comfortable as he went to sleep.

Outside, the changeling princess sighed in annoyance, grumbling to herself as she walked into the bedroom on the other side of the hallway, this one her "doghouse" whenever she went a bit too far with her friskiness when the alicorn wasn't in the mood. She climbed into bed and pulled the freshly pressed sheets over her, her pouting turning to a grin, always enjoying teasing him even if she was kicked out of their room. She knows he still loves her, no matter how annoyed she made him with her antics.

Hearth's Warming

The next couple weeks went by slowly, Emerald hating being stuck inside in winter. Trill began getting into the routine of getting up early and helping home-school her daughter for the season. The two princesses at least had something to do besides sit around or walk around the castle, staying warm and avoid falling into a hibernating state due to them being changelings, half-changeling for the young princess. Even after her lessons were over, as soon as school was out for the day, Emerald's friends Melody and Virtuo came over to play until they had to go back home.

Now that winter break was here, the filly's best friends stayed over sometimes until the evening where they had a sleepover. But not tonight; tonight was Hearth's Warming Eve, and tomorrow, the castle was going to have a festive party only for those who are close friends or relatives of the royal family. The palace was already decorated for the holidays the moment snow began covering the streets of Canterlot in a white blanket of fluffy whiteness. It was hard for Emerald to stay asleep, where she would wake up in the morning and open Hearth's Warming presents with her family.

Emerald awoke before the crack of dawn, sitting up in her bed at around five-thirty in the morning. "Hearth's Warming!" she cheered. The excited filly jumped out of bed after tossing aside her blanket, sprinting out of her room and into her parents' bedroom. She then jumped up onto their bed, bouncing around to try to wake them up. "Mommy, daddy, wake up! It's Hearth's Warming!"

Trill let out an irritated groan, lifting her head up with squinted eyes. "Waking up earlier than should," she mumbled. "Need more sleep."

She fell back asleep, making the filly grumble as her mother began snoring. She bounced over to Solaris, shoving him to try to wake him up since he was an early riser, but with no success.

"Daddy, it's Hearth's Warming!" she said. "Wake up, daddy!" Emerald jumped on the alicorn, even tugging on his ear hard to get him to at least open his eyes, but the stallion was out like a light. She fell on her back after tugging on Solaris's ear too hard. Growing irritated, she sat up and approached his head, using her hooves to force one of his eyes to open. "Daddyyyyyyy!"

He began waking up, muttering something as he sat up with a grunt. "Wha-? What's going on?" he asked in his tired state.

"It's Hearth's Warming today, daddy!" Emerald said. "Time to open presents!"

"What time is it...?" Solaris sat up with a yawn, the excited filly backing up and dancing on her hooves in anticipation. He looked out the window, the sky still dark as snow gently fell from the clouds. "Emmy, the sun isn't even up yet. It's too early to be up, anyway."

"But it's Hearth's Warming!" Emerald said again, her parents already getting the message the first time.

"Ugh. We get it," Trill grumbled, tossing around in her spot while moving her pillow over her head. "Hearth's Warming. Holiday. Not right now, though..."

As much as Solaris wanted to chide his beloved with her disgruntled response, he was also a little annoyed being woken up by Emerald this early in the morning. Then again, it was Hearth's Warming, and he had planned a huge gathering today for all his friends and family, inviting them to the castle and celebrate the holiday together. He couldn't really blame his daughter for being excited for one of the many exciting days of the year every foal couldn't wait to arrive. He did it a few times himself as a colt, running into his Uncle Spike's bedroom cheering at the top of his lungs and waking him up, jumping up and down on his belly to make sure he stayed awake. That memory made him sigh sadly, wishing Spike and his Aunts Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were still here.

Emerald stopped dancing when she noticed the sad, distant look in her daddy's eyes, as well as sense the sadness coming from him. Trill could also feel it, lifting the pillow off her head to look at him. She knew he was thinking back to what happened to the ponies who were the only family he knew growing up, the horrible, heartbreaking, psychologically traumatizing ends to their lives that broke him more and more as his destined journey to bringing Equestria back to the peaceful kingdom it once was after fifteen years of misery from a tyrannical stallion. Solaris had won, but at such a heavy cost with such a heavy burden for a teenage stallion after only setting foot outside of the mountain he lived in for most of his youth. Trill knew how hard it was for him after all they went through; every loss began cracking his heart little by little, the realization of what his losses would be once he passed the trials his mother gave him almost scaring him into giving up on them.

"...Daddy?" Emerald said, worried by his silence and staring off into space, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Trill sat up, forgetting about sleep as her husband's needs came before hers whenever he's in a state of misery, gently rubbing her hoof against his. "Honey, you ok?"

Thankfully, he snapped out of his thoughts as he felt his wife's hoof against his foreleg. "...Y-Yeah. I'm good," he said, rubbing his eyes and wiped away his tears, along with what sleep he did get now that he was awake. He looked at Trill, taking her hoof in his own, giving it a light kiss. "Sorry. I always forget you two can tell how I feel half the time...Some days, I just wish I didn't have to think about the past and just...zone out. Leave my mind blank and do nothing."

"And then the rightful prince of Equestria decides to become a stoner and send the whole kingdom into chaos," Trill said with a giggle. "I can see the headlines: 'Prince Solaris: Royal Slob', and the picture shows you being lazy on the throne while eating junk food and getting fatter."

"No, that would be you with all the gallons of chocolate you digest in a year, yet you're still skinny that you make supermodels jealous." Trill stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

She was at least glad to steer his thoughts away from the past, but before she could lean closer to kiss him, the couple forgot about their daughter sitting on their bed with them. "Mommy, daddy, what's a 'stoner'?"

The surprised shock on Solaris's face made the changeling smirk and nearly bust out laughing at the innocent, curious questions the filly asked. "You want me to tell her?"

"No," Solaris said, pressing his hoof against his wife's lips to keep her quiet, despite her giggles being muffled, looking down at the pony/changeling filly. "And you should be getting back to bed and sleeping."

"But I'm wide awake," Emerald said, only to let out a big yawn. Her eyes drooped, trying to stay awake as the few hours of sleep she did get weren't enough for a filly her age. "I wanna open presents."

"Not after seeing that yawn," he said. "Come on, let's get you back into bed." Emerald whined, being carried off in her daddy's aura as she tiredly struggled in vain. Her body betrayed her, however, yawning again as her eyes grew heavier while being cradled in the stallion's telekinetic hold. Solaris levitated the filly back into her room, gently lowering her down in her bed, pulling the covers over her and brought her stuffed bear closer for her to hold. Emerald moaned in protest, but she eventually let slumber take her, holding her teddy bear closer as the alicorn gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "We'll open presents when everypony arrives later today. Love you, Emmy."

Solaris quietly left the room and closed Emerald's bedroom door. Now that he was already up, he figured he could start preparing a few more things early for the party. He didn't want to burden Trill again with his past, even if it was hard to move on from his losses after all these years. Even though he was older now, a leader of a kingdom that needed his strength, and a loving father and husband, he still felt lost in this world without the guidance of his family. He may have Shining Armor, Cadence, and his cousin, Flurry Heart, but the mares and dragon he grew up with are no longer here with him; to celebrate birthdays, take part in festivities, comfort him when he's upset, or give him advice when he's confused or needed to know something. It wasn't the same without them when they died.

He shook his head, stopping himself from thinking about those bittersweet memories before Emerald or Trill could tell he was feeling upset again. Solaris quickly made his way down the hall and hurried toward the kitchen to make himself some breakfast and get the party ready.

Emerald muttered in her sleep, the sun already up in the sky as she slept another few hours after being tucked back into bed. As the sunlight shined through the curtains in the bedroom window, another light shimmered in the middle of her room, the glowing lavender light expanding and fading as the ethereal alicorn stood in the fading light's place. Twilight expected Emerald to be wide awake and excited, but she was still sleeping. She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes, probably waking up too early in excitement and then wound up passed out a moment later.

"Seems like someone didn't get enough sleep last night," she said to herself. Twilight walked over to the bed, the sleeping filly unaware of her presence. She gently shook her, her eyes squinting open as she grunted. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Emerald."

"Hearth's...Warming?" Emerald mumbled tiredly. It took her a moment to process what her guardian angel told her, her ears perking up as she sat up, now wide awake. "Hearth's Warming!? It's today!" Tossing aside her covers, she picked up her teddy bear that fell on the floor while she was asleep and put him on her back before leaping off her bed and ran out of her room. "Daddy! Presents!"

Twilight giggled and chased after her with a shake of her head. Emerald ran through the halls to look for her parents, who were probably somewhere in the castle with how late in the morning it was. The first place she decided to look was in the ballroom, where the presents were held underneath a pine tree she helped decorate with her parents. She was right with her guess as she saw her daddy checking the decorations around the room, though her mommy was either somewhere else or still sleeping.

"Ok, I think everything looks good," Solaris muttered to himself. "Now, we wait for-"

"Daddy!" Emerald yelled as she ran to him, getting his attention and leapt into his open hooves.

"Well, looks like somepony finally got enough sleep now," he said. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Emmy."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, daddy!" Emerald said. "Can I open presents now?"

The alicorn laughed, patting the filly's head. "No, not yet. We need to wait for everypony else to show up, then we can open presents."

"Can't I open just one?" Emerald begged.

"Nope. Sorry." The filly pouted and grumbled, her attitude changing as Solaris kissed her forehead, making her giggle. "Did you see mommy anywhere?" Emerald shook her head, which made him sigh. "Either she's sleeping in or sneaking a chocolaty breakfast from me again."

"I didn't sneak off for any chocolate," Trill called out as she entered the ballroom. "Even if I did, I'd be scarfing down the biggest block in one gulp." Solaris rolled his eyes, lowering Emerald back down to the ground, but quickly stepping down on her tail before she tried to sneak off and open her presents early. Trill approached her family, looking around at the festive decorations. "I think Cherry's going to eventually outdo your hard work as soon as she pops up from wherever there's a possible hiding place in here."

"Yeah, she would," Solaris admitted. "Never really had much practice actually setting up the decorations. I only plan them out, when I'm allowed to."

"Mommy, daddy won't let me open a present!" Emerald whined with a pout. "Can I open one?"

Trill looked at her husband, but the stallion shook his head no. "Sorry, but daddy makes the rules. And he clearly doesn't want me to help you break this one."

The filly grumbled and pouted some more. She wanted to see what new toys she got for being a good filly this year, not counting getting in trouble the first day of school because of Gold Plate and Platinum Band picking on her and Melody. Even though it was Hearth's Warming, there were still some servants and guards that came in to work during the holiday, one of the royal guards entering the ballroom as he looked for Solaris.

"Your Highness," he called out, gaining the royal family's attention as he approached them. "It appears you have a guest wishing to see you and your family."

"...Uhh, don't you mean 'guests'?" Solaris questioned, looking at Trill in confusion. "And they're here a bit too early than expected."

"I don't know who it was," the guard said. "All I could tell was that it was a mare, about as tall as you, Prince Solaris, but it was hard to tell what she looked like under...I believe seven different layers of clothing."

"Why would she need that much clothing?" Trill asked. "It's not that freezing cold out, is it?...Then again, I can't stand the cold for long or else I'll end up hibernating."

"She was following me, but I guess she lagged behind because of her clothes slowing her movements," the guard said as he pointed at the doorway.

It didn't take long for the unexpected guest to finally reach the ballroom, the mare in question all bundled up in several different winter coats that got thicker with each layer. Her whole entire body was covered head to hoof, even her tail. The only thing that gave away who she were the green eyes and black, crooked and fractured horn not normal for a unicorn.

"Please tell me there's a fireplace somewhere in this castle," the mare said, her voice muffled as her muzzle was covered by the big green parka's closed up hood. "I don't care if it's warm enough in this castle. I'm still freezing to death."

"Mom!?" Trill exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here!?"

"Grandma!" Emerald said excitedly, Solaris lifting his hoof off her tail to let her run into her changeling grandmother and tackle her leg in a hug. She yelped as soon as her body latched onto Chrysalis's freezing clothing, backing away and shivering. "Ahh! Grandma's really cold!"

"Well, that's one way I can avoid getting glomped," Chrysalis muttered to herself. "But not at the expense of turning into an icicle."

Solaris approached the changeling queen, helping her take off the layers of clothes she had on before she ended up suffocating under all the thick coats she decided to wear. "Went on a little shopping spree to visit your granddaughter?"

"No," Chrysalis said, relieved to be out of those clothes, shivering slightly as her body began adjusting to the warmth inside the castle. "I knew that if I didn't come, Discord would find me and teleport me here anyway, so I did."

"You like Emmy too much to not disappoint her during the holiday or formal events," Solaris said, knowing full well that his mother-in-law came to visit by her own will, not by force. "You've got a soft spot for her, and you don't want to admit it."

"I do not," Chrysalis argued. "Just show me where a nearby fireplace is so I can stop shivering before I decide to leave."

"And risk getting frozen into a hibernative state again?" The changeling grumbled, but Solaris could tell she wasn't going anywhere for another few months until Winter Wrap-Up comes and the weather warms up a bit. "Here, let me help warm you up."

"Sharing body heat isn't going to-" Chrysalis froze when the alicorn hugged her. She hated it, even though it wasn't considered an affectionate gesture, but she was surprised to feel how warm his body was. She could see why Trill always wanted to curl up beside him when winter comes around; Solaris was like a portable heater, thanks to the inherent dragon fire Spike gave him. Chrysalis already felt the cold disappear from her limbs, but with her daughter and hybrid granddaughter watching, the former smirking at her while the latter wanted to glomp onto her leg again, she cleared her throat and pushed the stallion away. "Ok, I'm warm enough!"

"I'll take that as a thank you," Solaris said. "Now you can hug grandma, Emmy."

"Yay!" Emerald ran back to Chrysalis and hugged her leg, to her disdain.

"Come on, mom, you know you love her," Trill said teasingly. "Even after seeing that mess when Emerald was born."

"Thank you for bringing back those nightmares," the changeling queen grumbled, trying to shake off the clinging, giggling filly latched onto her foreleg.

"And you're hoping to see Shining Armor again, weren't you?" That question caught Chrysalis off guard, scowling at her daughter in response, though that was all the confirmation Trill needed. "Yup. You like him more than just using him as food. As good as an actor you can be while in disguise, you're not that good at suppressing your denial."

Chrysalis growled, ignoring Trill and dropping the subject and looked down at Emerald. "Did you bring presents, grandma?"

"...Yes. I'm the present," Chrysalis said sarcastically. "I forgot the bow and didn't want to stuff myself in a box."

"Yay!" Emerald cheered, hugging Chrysalis's leg tightly. "Grandma's my present!"

Solaris and Trill laughed while the queen let out a sigh. Chrysalis didn't know why she made herself over to Canterlot, in the middle of winter no less, aside from the fact that if Discord came to her lair, he would have forced her regardless. Maybe she did get a little soft when it came to Emerald, having a granddaughter that was a mix of pony and changeling blood a new change along with this alliance between Equestria and her hive. She didn't need to be intimidating or find a way to gather food for herself and her subjects anymore, which made her bored and even more anxious than constantly hiding when Lucifer took control of the kingdom in his tyrannical reign. She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't think it was so bad to gain some affection from a filly, even if she wasn't able to take the love she gave her with the changeling blood Emerald had.

"Who's ready for this epic Hearth's Warming party!?" Cherry asked everyone as they sat in a train car headed up the mountain toward Canterlot.

"I'm pretty sure all of us are down for the party, Cherry," Prism said.

Sitting in the car were the rest of Solaris's surrogate cousins, Apple Bloom and her brother Big Macintosh, Scootaloo, and Discord, some of them wearing scarves, coats, and/or hats to keep them warm from the cold. Gemstone, however, was more dressed up for a formal gathering compared to the others, complete with makeup to make herself more pretty to impress ponies, or for everyone else in the train care seeing the obvious, somepony.

"Gem, ya know we're just goin' to see Solaris, right?" Apple Seed questioned. "Even though he lives in the castle, we're his family, so gettin' all gussied up ain't necessary."

"I'm free to dress however I want, Apple Seed," Gemstone said, looking at herself with a compact mirror as she made sure her curly mane was still perfectly styled how she wanted it to be. "I'd rather look my best at any gathering, familial or formal."

"...Ya still have a crush on Sol, don't ya?" the young stallion asked, giving the unicorn a deadpanned stare with a raised brow.

"Seed, Ah think it was obvious even as she grew up," Apple Bloom said. "Gem's too much like her mother. Applejack once told me how Rarity had this crush on somepony named Trenderhoof, and tried desperately to get his attention while he was smitten for her. It was a pretty funny story, huh, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," the elder Apple agreed as both siblings laughed at the events of those days.

"Gemstone, Solaris sees us as his younger brothers and sisters," Butterscotch added. "You do remember that, right?"

"Well, we aren't related to him, so I think my relationship with him can be more than that," Gemstone said, oblivious to her friends' exasperated expressions. "Besides, it isn't illegal for one pony to be in love with more than one pony as long as each pony has each others' consent. It's just uncommon nowadays." The unicorn let out an irritated sigh. "I wasn't able to proclaim my love for him officially at the Gala with everypony else crowding him, but I'll have my chance today now that it's just a party with us as the only guests."

The younger ponies all groaned at Gemstone's ignorance, shaking their heads at how oblivious she was with what Solaris had told her about their relationship. "Yup. Just like her mom," Scootaloo said as she lounged on one of the benches. "Though, I don't know why Solaris doesn't say yes. If I were him and I was surrounded by mares who wanted to be all over me, I'd say hay yeah and get me some."

"Scootaloo, seriously?" Apple Bloom chided. "Ah think we know Sol better than anypony else. Besides, doesn't Trill provide all that much 'attention' to him alone?"

"Has he been in a threesome yet?" the pegasus mare asked, only to earn a hard punch in the shoulder from Apple Bloom. "Ow! What!? I'm just asking! He can have fun with two mares in the bedroom if he wanted to!"

"Just keep your thoughts to yourself, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom grumbled.

"I'm just saying," Scootaloo mumbled to herself, rubbing her sore shoulder. "He could use some fun after all the crap he's been through..."

It didn't take long for the train to reach Canterlot Station, the locomotive screeching to a halt at its destination. They disembarked along with other passengers, making sure they were bundled up enough for the cold outside. Waiting outside for them was Discord with a chaotically designed scarf around his neck, holding a neon sign that flashed every so often that read "Prince Solaris's Family".

"And Discord's our chauffeur," Prism noted. "Wonder how he's gonna get us to the castle."

"Hello, everypony!" Discord said with a wave. "Looks like I arrived just in time!"

"Uncle Discord!" Butterscotch flew up to the draconequus and caught him in a hug, which he returned in kind. "How have you been?"

"Oh, trying not to spread too much chaos," Discord said. "Only enough to do some good, and all that jazz." He let go of Butterscotch, the others approaching him as they were ready for whatever method of transportation he had in mind for them. "Now, before we get to the castle, we're waiting for another few guests that are arriving."

"Who else is coming?" Cherry asked curiously and excitedly.

"Some by air, some by another train," Discord responded with his vague response.

In only a matter of minutes, the first of several other guests flew into the city, two griffons landing in front of the station before them. "Hey, dweebs."

"Gilda, Gale, nice of you to arrive," Discord greeted.

"Hey, you were at Solaris's coronation," Prism said.

"Yup," Gale said. "Didn't have much of a chance to get to know each other with that big shindig a while back."

"Yeah. A really big cause for celebration after that stallion finally kicked the bucket," Gilda said. "Never thought the kid had it in him to take his life, but it was all for the entire world's sake." She looked at Prism, a little shocked to see just how similar she looked compared to her mother. As much as she wanted to apologize for how much of a jerk she was back then, it wouldn't help her guilt as her regret will remain with her until the day she dies. She sighed and shook her head, refraining from letting the past get to her emotions. "Alright, we all just gonna stand out here and catch a cold, or are we heading for the castle?"

"Just a couple more guests!" Discord said. "Ooh! And here they are now!"

The draconequus pointed at the station, where another train from the north slowed to a halt and stopped at another platform. This one was a special locomotive designed to transport the royals of the Crystal Empire, which mean that Solaris's aunt, uncle, and cousin were arriving and were joining them as Solaris's guests. Cadence and Flurry Heart stepped off the train, the alicorn filly wearing a purple and blue scarf and pink earmuffs while her mother wore white scarf, stopping at the steps as they looked back and waited for Shining Armor. The unicorn stallion stepped off, forced to use a walker to help him move around as he looked miserable and embarrassed, wearing a blue and brown jacket to keep him warm.

"I can't believe I'm using this thing," Shining grumbled to himself. "I'm not even considered a senior yet, and I already feel like a useless old coot."

"Honey, if you're going to want to move around without being in too much pain, you're going to have to use that," Cadence said. "I know you don't want to constantly keep taking pain medications for the rest of your life."

"If only there was a doctor who can actually fix my legs so I don't have to be handicapped for the rest of my life," the stallion grumbled to himself as he joined his wife and daughter.

"Don't be a grump," the pink alicorn chided. "Solaris and Emerald will be happy to see us visit and enjoy the holiday together. Don't let being an old stallion get you down."

Flurry giggled as she watched her father slump over with a groan. "Daddy's not that old, mommy."

"I sure feel like it," Shining said.

"You're old?" Discord asked, teleporting behind the Crystal Empire's royal family, surprising Shining Armor. "I'm over a thousand years old, and I'm still in my prime!"

"You're practically immortal," Shining argued. "Do you even have a lifespan?"

"How should I know? I'm the only draconequus in the world. I am a deity, in some sense, though I think that's just my chaotic powers." With a snap of his fingers, he emphasized his point as he turned the snow around them into dancing snowponies, surprising the other Canterlot ponies walking about while Flurry Heart danced along with them. "I was close to death once, too, you know. Lucifer had enough dark magic coursing through his veins to cancel out my own magic. If he was going to kill me, he should have just zapped me right then and there in that pyramid."

"I don't need to be reminded of him," Shining growled. "None of us do."

"Well, I just wanted to tell you I was just as powerless as everypony else. No need to get mad at me." Discord snapped his fingers again, making the snowponies melt into piles of snow, disappointing Flurry Heart's fun with them ending so soon. Everyone was then suddenly teleported at the front gates of the castle, startling the guards at their post. "Now, let us make merry and have a fun time before memories turn us into Scrooges. I wonder how Emerald is doing without her chaotic uncle around."

Discord nonchalantly made his way inside the castle ahead of the ponies and two griffons, Cherry the only one seemingly disappointed at being transported rather than riding in style. "Aww! Teleportation? That's boring...Oh well! Time to see our niece!"

The earth pony bounded after the draconequus, the rest of the group looking at each other before they followed them. They were guided by a servant who escorted them to the ballroom where their Hearth's Warming party was taking place. As they walked through the halls, making sure to go slow enough for Shining Armor to catch up as he was forced to move at a slow pace with his walker, Flurry Heart looked up at Gale, noticing he always kept looking forward while his eyes never moved to look at everyone.

"Hey, how come you aren't looking around the castle?" Flurry asked. "You don't like how it looks?"

"I've been here before," Gale said, which only bothered the filly more. "Name's Gale, by the way, Your Highness."

"I'm down here," she said.

"I know." The blind griffon gave Flurry a boop on the nose, perfectly aiming for her snout as he walked and didn't look at her. "I'm blind, so I can't really see anything, but I have a way of seeing things if you catch my drift."

"...Ummm...no?" She only got more confused after Gale told her he was blind.

"It's a little complicated to explain, but let's just say I have a really enhanced sense of touch when it comes to my feathers." As they turned a corner, Flurry wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she kept her eyes on Gale. "Wall."

"Huh?" Flurry said before bonking her head against the wall. "Ow!"

"Warned ya." She rubbed her head, thankfully not moving too fast to leave a bump, though it did hurt a little. Gale guided her back with the group with a smirk, knowing Flurry was leering at him as if he knew she was going to ram into the wall. "I saw that wall coming a mile away, and yet I can't see it with my real eyes."

"You made me do it on purpose," Flurry argued.

"Yeah, yeah, blame the blind griffon," Gale said. "Not my fault you weren't paying attention to where you were going." Flurry stuck her tongue out him, which made him snicker and shake his head. "Boy, if your a bundle of joy, I can't wait to see Solaris's kid."

Once they arrived in the ballroom, they got a look at the decorations set up everywhere, the tree and several presents for everyone, the long line of various goods at the buffet table, and a few party games for the foals. Aside from seeing Solaris fretting with some decorations to make sure they were perfect and Trill watching Emerald play Pin the Tail on the Pony, the filly blindfolded and making her way over to pin the tail on a picture of a pony, they were surprised to see Chrysalis sitting beside Trill, though she looked a bit bored watching Emerald stumble around.

"Chrysie!?" Discord exclaimed, the changeling queen's ears perking up as she straightened up, then lowered back down as she let out an exasperated groan. He appeared in front of Chrysalis, meeting her irritated gaze as his body wound up curled around her like a snake. "When did you get here!? You actually came all this way here through the cold!?"

"Discord, get away from me before I bite you," Chrysalis warned.

"I knew there was a heart in that chest of yours, and you came because you care about your family," Discord teased, poking the mare's muzzle. Chrysalis growled and bit him, holding up to her warning as he yelped. Discord teleported away and shook his bitten paw. "A heart made of stone, but at least it's alive."

"She did warn you," Trill said to the draconequus. "When she threatens to do something to you, she will do it. Learned that the hard way."

"Because you never pay any attention to what I say," Chrysalis argued.

Emerald finally reached the little poster of the drawn pony, placing the tail where she thought it went to. The filly took off her blindfold excitedly, only to pout in disappointment as she aimed nowhere near the pony's flank, instead pinning the tail on its chin.

"I missed," she uttered.

"But that is a funny looking beard," Flurry said, having snuck up on her cousin while she was playing.

Emerald gasped and turned around. "Flurry!" she squealed happily.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" they both chanted, performing their little greeting dance, then hugged.

"Happy Hearth's Warming," Flurry said.

"I'm so happy you're here!" Emerald said. "Wait. Does that mean...?" Looking behind Flurry Heart, she saw the rest of her relatives had arrived, related and non, though she had no idea who the two griffons were that were with them. She first saw her Grandaunt Cadence and Granduncle Shining and ran for them first. "Auntie Cadence! Unca Shiny!"

Solaris looked away from the tree he was fussing over as he heard his daughter announce his aunt and uncle's presence, watching the hybrid filly nearly tackle Cadence over while caught in the pink alicorn's hooves. As happy as he was to see them and the rest of his extended family, he was surprised to see Gilda and Gale in the castle after not seeing them for a few years. He walked over to them, Gale waving to him despite his head turned in another direction, knowing he as able to see him approach them.

"Gilda, Gale, this is kind of an odd surprise," he said. "What are you two doing here?"

"I can't visit his Royal Highness for some holiday cheer?" Gale asked. "I mean, I would have dropped by whenever I pleased, but with your kid and your duties as a prince, I'd figured you barely have much time to yourself. That and I was busy with stuff in the griffon kingdom."

"I didn't actually expect you to show up is all," Solaris said. "It's great seeing you two again."

"Same," Gilda said. She looked over at Cadence and Shining Armor, where Emerald was busy hugging them while they asked her how she's been since the Gala. "Cute kid you got. Looks a bit too much like her dad if we take out the holes, crooked horn, and fangs." Glancing back at the filly, she looked back at Solaris. "So, Gale told me you pulled off some crazy spells to make her? Is it even possible for a changeling to get knocked up by a pony?"

"It took a lot of research, but we found it," the prince said proudly. "And in an ironic twist, how the spell came to be was because a unicorn stallion was in a loving relationship with a griffoness, so he created it for them to have their own baby."

"Seriously?" Gilda questioned in surprise. "You pulling my wings?" Solaris shook his head in response. "...Was there any details about how they did it when he used that spell?"

"Ugh. Mom, really?" Gale groaned in disgust. "I was already disturbed by how the pregnant griffon in that story behind it gave a live birth instead of laying an egg, and now you're going to put weird thoughts in my head about how they banged."

"And when are you going to settle down and find yourself a little girlfriend, huh?" Gilda argued. "I may not seem like it, but I do want to be a grandma at some point." Gale just rolled his eyes as he was lectured by his mother. "Don't roll your eyes at me, mister."

"I'll settle down when I find the right griffoness, not all the ones that flock to me when I'm anywhere near them," he said. "I may be a soldier, but I can get too overwhelmed with the scent of estrogen constantly clouding my head. Can't even focus on where I walk, let alone fly, until I slam my head into the side of a building or pole."

"Maybe your senses are telling you to get laid?" Solaris joked, but Gale leered at him with his glossed irises.

"Shut up," the blind griffon grumbled. "And you have a problem with that? You've got a nymphomaniac of a wife where you don't even need to ask for permission before getting some."

"Try avoiding a night when she feels frisky every single day," Solaris countered. "You want some fun? Go ask Trill, and maybe she'll say yes...and make me watch..." The alicorn shuddered as his banter turned sour with the odd thought that popped in his head. "On second thought, don't. I'm already feeling self-conscious." Quickly searching for something to distract his roaming thoughts, he sought one from watching Emerald hugging and talking to the others. "Hey, Emmy! Come over here, please!"

The filly looked back at her daddy after getting one of Cherry's big hugs, then ran over to him. "Yes, daddy?"

"I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Gilda, and her son, Gale, the first friend I ever made," Solaris introduced.

Trill overheard the stallion, walking up to him and smacking his shoulder. "Hey, I thought I was your first friend before you loved me, you jerk."

"First MALE friend I ever made," Solaris corrected. "Better?" Trill stuck her tongue out at him and huffed, but she smirked, pleased with the better answer. "Still able to pick a fight better than you upon first meeting, though."

The mare growled and tried to punch her husband's shoulder, but her quickly caught it with his hoof. "You still can't let that go, can you!?" Trill complained, flailing her other forehoof in frustration, making Emerald giggle as her daddy teased her mommy. "I trip one time, and you keep bringing that up just to spite me!"

"I think that's pretty hilarious," Gale commented with a smirk. While Trill kept giving Solaris a death glare, the blind griffon held a claw out to Emerald. "Nice seeing ya, princess."

The filly stared at his claw, then up at him, confused as to why he didn't look down at her. "Umm, I'm down here."

"I know, squirt," Gale said. He waited for her to shake his claw, but she kept looking at him as if he was an odd creature from the Everfree Forest. "What, did your dad forget to teach you how to shake someone's hoof? Or claw?" Gale grabbed one of Emerald's hooves, placing it in his opened claw, teaching her how to shake someone's limb teasingly. "You grab the other's appendage, squeeze, and then shake it up and down. Plain and simple."

"I know how to shake somepony's hoof," the filly uttered with a pout, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

"I'm just messing with you," Gale assured, ruffling Emerald's mane. "You're just as serious as your dad."

Emerald squirmed under Gale's claw mussing up her hair, fixing it back to normal once he stopped. "Why are you still looking at daddy? I'm down here!"

"And you forgot to mention to your daughter about my eyesight, Solaris?" Gale scoffed at the alicorn stallion shaking his head in disappointment.

"I didn't even tell her about you just yet," Solaris argued. "I was going to, but I've always been busy."

"Yeah, sure you have," Gale said sarcastically. Solaris rolled his eyes at his friend's tone as the griffon lowered himself to Emerald's eye level, moving his drooped fringe away from his eye. "Take a look at my eyes, little princess. See anything strange about them?"

The filly looked closely at his glazed eyes, which were very odd to her when all the eyes she's seen from her family, including her own, had colored irises, none of them gray. "...Your eyes are...gray?"

"Not exactly. Wave your hoof in front of me." She did as she was told, moving her hoof back and forth in his face. His eyes didn't follow her movements, even after waving wildly and quickly. Gale chuckling, grabbing her hoof to stop her before she tired herself. "Ok, good enough. Did you see my eyes follow your hoof?"

"No," she said. "Where you just looking at me?"

"Nope. I can't see your hoof because I'm blind," Gale explained as he pointed at his eyes. "I was born without sight."

That only confused Emerald more after he accurately grabbed her hoof and rubbed her head. "But if you can't see, you knew where I was."

"Because I'm a special kind of griffon." Gale gave Emerald a boop on the muzzle with the tip of one of his wings. "When losing one sense, my others senses are stronger. Especially touch. Any movement you make, anytime you breathe, I have a way of 'seeing' you."

"Really?" Intrigued, Emerald hummed in thought, wanting to test Gale's enhanced senses. "Ok, if you can 'see' me without your eyes, what do I look like? And don't say I'm a pony! What do I have!?"

"Alright, challenge accepted," Gale said. "You have...a jagged, crooked horn like a changeling's, pegasus wings, although I think they're more like alicorn wings courtesy of your dad's genes, little fangs to sink into your victims-" He chomped his beak to emphasize Emerald's sharper canines, making her laugh a little. "-and you also have little holes in your hooves like a changeling's."

"Hmmm...Ok...So, what color is my coat and mane?" Emerald asked, slightly convinced, but issuing one more challenge.

"Oh, boy. Looks like somepony's getting all smug," Gilda commented. "Better not lose to a little filly, Gale."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, mom." Ignoring his mother's grin, Gale dragged his wings all over Emerald, making her think that his feathers could help him see her fur and hair colors. Even though he couldn't see colors through his enhanced senses, he had to take a guess to try to humor her. "Alright...you have...black fur, and your mane and tail are colored blue, orange, and magenta in a swirly pattern."

"Nope! That's not right!" Emerald said with a giggle.

"Uhh, ok...Pink fur and a yellow mane with black stripes zigzagging downward?" he guessed.

"Nuh-uh!" Emerald said with a shake of her head.

"Seven shades of blue fur and hair!" he guessed again, making the filly laugh as she shook her head again. "...Ok, I give up."

"I have white fur, and my mane is emerald green with a gold streak down the middle," Emerald said.

"That was going to be my twenty-third guess." Emerald stuck her tongue out playfully at him, earning a pat on the head. "I saw that, though, mini-dork."

"Yeah, she apparently gets her playfulness from her mother," Solaris said.

"And she's got your brains," Trill added. "And how she learned how to fight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gilda asked curiously, making the prince groan at the unfortunate start to Emerald's school days.

"She and a friend of hers got picked on by a couple colts in her class, and she got in trouble on the first day by punching them," Solaris retold, making the filly's ears droop and lower her head in shame. He sighed, pulling his little filly close in a small hug, reassuring her he wasn't mad at her for defending herself and her friend. "I was really disappointed that she got into that much trouble on her first day, and I...kinda overreacted a little before hearing her side of the story. Thankfully, there weren't anymore violent outbursts, so she's learned her lesson. Right, Emmy?"

The filly hummed in agreement and nodded her head. "I still don't like Gold Plate or Platinum Band, though. They're big meanies." She pouted angrily, hoping her daddy didn't invite those two colts to the Hearth's Warming party. When she looked at the doors to the ballroom opening up, she gasped excitedly when she saw two ponies she was happy to see. Virtuo and his parents had finally arrived, along with Melody, her parents, and her grandma, Rara. She squealed, squirming out of Solaris's hooves and flew toward them, her target being her favorite colt friend. "VIVI!!!!!"

Virtuo winced and spotted Emerald, quickly grabbing Melody and dragging her in front of him. "Emerald incoming! Defensive shields activate!"

"Hey!" Melody exclaimed.

Emerald squealed, stopping in front of her friends before taking Melody out of Virtuo's hooves, moved her out of the way, then properly tackled him while hugging him tightly. The colt let out an annoyed groan as his plan to avoid getting glomped failed, Melody, Button Mash, and Sweetie Belle laughing at his misfortune as he regretted no rolling around in the snow to repel her upon touching her.

"You're here!" Emerald gleefully said, finally letting go of Virtuo and then went to hug Melody. "I mean, I know you two come over every day, but still!" After greeting her friends, she dragged Virtuo over toward them, bringing her voice down so the adults didn't hear her. "So, do you wanna sneak a peek at the presents under the tree?"

"Don't even think about it," Sweetie Belle scolded, making the princess yelp and turn around, giving the unicorn an innocent grin. "Virtuo knows we're not opening presents until later this evening."

"I was just kidding!" Emerald lied, grumbling on the inside as her plans to open her presents early would be foiled.

Sweetie Belle kept an eye on them as the hybrid filly guided her friends over to the game area, where Flurry Heart was already taking her turn playing Pin the Tail on the Pony as she stumbled toward the picture with a fake tail in her mouth. "Children today are so rambunctious," Rara said with a giggle. "But my grandfilly's made a really good friend."

"And everyone back in Ponyville thought me and my friends were too wild," Sweetie Belle said before both mares laughed, both singers hugging each other. "Nice seeing you again, Rara. How's your retirement been?"

"Dull, but I'm kind of glad I did," the elder singer said. "I started hating the 'Countess Coloratura' look after a while, but I didn't want to disappoint my fans if they loved my music. My only regret is having Sven Gallop as my manager. I never knew that jerk was using me to scare hosts in the cities I performed in with his demands, otherwise he'd pull me out of their concerts because HE wasn't satisfied."

"I actually read about that in the news," Sweetie said. "His latest client found out and called him out on it, and that sleazeball didn't even deny what he did was wrong. Glad he's going into his retirement poor and behind bars for all the counts of blackmail in his career." Rara nodded, glad to hear that corrupted manager got his just desserts. "I can't wait to introduce you to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, though. They were big fans of yours like I was when we were fillies."

Sweetie lead Rara to where her friends were after making sure Button Mash carried the bags of present they got for everyone over to the tree. While Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were busy chatting and drinking some punch, they spotted their Crusader friend approach them, but the farm mare spat out her drink when she saw who was following her, both mares' eyes widening when they saw the colorful music note cutie mark on the older mare's flanks.

"Oh mah gosh," Apple Bloom uttered, putting her drink down on the table before she dropped it. "Scootaloo, please pinch me, punch me, anythin' to wake me up if THAT's really who Ah think it is walkin' up to us with Sweetie Belle."

"I don't think we're dreaming," Scootaloo said.

"Hey, girls," Sweetie Belle greeted. "I'd like to introduce you to Rara, otherwise formerly known as Countess Coloratura."

"Yup. Not a dream," the orange pegasus said in confirmation for Apple Bloom, whose jaw had dropped as her inner fangirl wanted to scream to the heavens that she was in the presence of one of her favorite musical artists when she was younger.

"Ohmahgoshohmahgoshohmahgosh!" Apple Bloom squealed. "It's actually Countess Coloratura! Ah'm a HUGE fan of your work! Ah listened to every single one of your songs over and over while Ah work on the orchard back home or in mah room!"

"You must be Apple Bloom," Rara said, making Apple Bloom's jaw hit the floor as her idol knew her name before she introduced herself or Sweetie Belle did it for her. "It's so nice meeting Applejack's little sister in person."

"Y-Y-Y-Ya...Ya knew mah sister??????" Apple Bloom asked, blowing her mind while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at Rara in surprise.

"AJ and I went to camp together when we were fillies, and became really fast friends," Rara said. "I ran into her one day on one of my tours during...well, the darkest of times under that stallion, and despite my former manager telling me not to converse with any fans of less importance than me, I ignored him and decided to catch up on old times with her. We always sent each other letters after our days at Camp Friendship, and she's told me a lot about you." Her smile slowly turned into a frown, even Apple Bloom's excitement dwindled when Rara brought up Applejack. "...I heard the terrible news after the prince's coronation...I'm sorry for your loss..."

Apple Bloom sighed sadly. "...It was hard on all of us," she said. "Mostly Apple Seed and Solaris..." She grabbed her cup of punch, slowly swirling the mixed fruit juice around. "She write to ya about her son?"

"Several times, even sending me baby pictures." Rara let out a sad laugh, having kept those pictures of Applejack's foal even to this day. Looking over to where the children of the Elements of Harmony were grouped together as they chatted among each other, she spotted Apple Seed, amazed by how much he looked like his mother. "He's really grown..." She then sighed and shook her head. "I can't imagine just how painful it was for any of them to lose their mothers in such horrible ways at a young age."

"Sol's had it worse out of all of us," Scootaloo said after a sip from her cup. "We've all lost somepony, but we only lost one pony we cared about..." She looked at Solaris, Emerald dragging him along to have him play with her and her friends and cousin. The others followed her gaze, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle understanding he's suffered more losses than either of them. "He's lost so much of his family: his mom after he was only a few weeks old, Spike when Lucifer figured out where they were living, and one by one, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow,-" Scootaloo choked as she mentioned her idol and surrogate older sister, clearing her throat while trying to compose herself and no break down in front of everyone. "-Fluttershy, and then Pinkie...His grandparents kicked the bucket before Emerald was born, and sooner or later, he's going to lose his biological uncle...The last of his family really related to him."

Unbeknownst to them, Trill and Chrysalis could sense the depressing air around them as they looked in their direction. The two adult changelings could tell they were talking about Solaris, along with losing the ponies who were important to all of them. Even Emerald felt it as she looked away from her daddy playing Pin the Tail on the Pony, already blindfolded as he moved toward the picture and pinned the tail perfectly on the drawn mare's flank.

"And he never had a decent childhood growing up, has he?" Rara asked.

"No, but he still has us," Sweetie Belle said. "He still has Trill, and he'll have Cadence and Flurry Heart around him several centuries in the future. The only thing we can do for him now is remind him he'll always be loved, and his family will continue to grow as generations pass. He's sacrificed a lot to save all of us, and deserves to be happy."

"Running Equestria on his own is making him a bit more stressed out than saving it from you-know-who," Scootaloo added. "Dude deserves a vacation."

"Kinda hard to do that with his daughter drivin' him up the walls," Apple Bloom said. "She's a bundle of energy that could have rivaled Cherry's."

With the topic diverted, the changelings and hybrid filly no longer distracted by the negative emotions, Emerald got back to playing with her friends until it was time to finally open presents.

Day soon turned to night as the party continued on, fun music playing throughout the ballroom, and delicious food cooked in the castle's kitchen, or conjured up with Discord's magic, though he seemed to make too much candy the foals tried to go for before the main course. After everyone ate, it was time to open presents, Emerald, Melody, Virtuo, and Flurry immediately running to the tree cheering as they tried to find out which of the many gifts were theirs. Solaris had to restrain them all with his magic before they ripped open everyone's gifts, getting them to finally calm down and pile their presents in a neat pile.

One by one, they went through their gifts as the ponies pointed out who got them what. Emerald opened Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry's gift, which was a green pair of fluffy pajamas made from the wool of the ewes in the Crystal Empire. Their fur was nice and soft, and it made the filly feel warm and cozy as she tried it on, useful to help slightly protect her from any sudden chills from opened windows in the cold weather. From her aunts and uncles from Ponyville, she got a stuffed panda bear from Butterscotch, a hoof-knit scarf by Gemstone, a small stetson hat from Apple Seed, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh, an autographed first edition issue of "Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone" from Prism, and an assortment of coloring books with a big box of crayons from Cherry Pie. And lastly, from Solaris and Trill, they got her a little dragon plushie, its felt scales purple and green, the alicorn finding it fitting to give Emerald a doll of a baby dragon with the same colors as his late dragon uncle.

Virtuo, Melody, and Flurry opened their gifts alongside Emerald, like what they got and thanked their parents or whoever gave them their gifts. The adults exchanged gifts among each other as well, getting some winter or summer wear, or from Solaris and Button Mash, jewelry for their wives. Eventually, the foals began to get tired, their parents deciding that it was time for them to get to bed. Since everyone was staying over for the evening, Solaris allowed them to sleep in his daughter's room, carrying them up to the filly's bedroom, laying Emerald down in her bed while setting up blankets and pillows for his cousin Flurry, Virtuo, and Melody. Once they were all tucked in, their presents safely stacked in their piles back in the ballroom, Solaris quietly left the room and made his way back to the party.

Humming a Hearth's Warming carol as he wandered the halls, he yelped as he was suddenly dragged into an empty guest room by a blue aura around his tail. He was about to raise his hooves to defend himself from the intruder who dragged him by surprise, only to breathe out a sigh as it was Gemstone who was the culprit, batting her eyes at him with a sultry grin.

"Gem, for goodness sake, don't do that," he chided. "I was about to hit you."

"Sorry, darling, but I had to wait for the right moment for us to be alone," Gemstone said.

"Uhh, why?" Solaris asked in confusion. The unicorn tittered, lifting her gaze up occasionally as if to give the alicorn a hint. A few seconds of figuring out what she was doing passed until he finally looked up, finding a sprig of mistletoe hanging over their heads. "Mistletoe?...I don't remember hanging one of those in-" Solaris paused, then slowly looked down and gave Gemstone a blank stare. The unicorn mare had began applying a fresh coat of ruby red lipstick, getting herself ready for the eventual act that was always tradition when two ponies meet under the common holiday plant. "...You can't be serious."

Gem pressed her lips together, fully turning her lips red as she put away her lipstick. "I am. And we're under the mistletoe, so you have to kiss me."

Solaris let out an irritated and awkward groan. "You still have this dumb crush on me?" he asked helplessly. Her answer was closing her eyes and leaning closer, puckering her lips as she waited for her long-awaited kiss with the pony she adored since she was little. He lifted his hoof up and pressed it against her lips, feeling the moist makeup leaving a mark, Gemstone opening an eye in confusion as she kissed his hoof. "Gem, how many times are we going to go over this?"

Growling as her chance was slipping away, the unicorn pushed Solaris's hoof away. "Why can't you just accept my love? It's not like Trill would get mad at me. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't even mind watching us do something romantic and share you with me."

"You need to get over this crush on me," Solaris said firmly. "I am not planning on forming a herd, even if the practice is still allowed after several centuries and is uncommon to this day, and certainly not with you. You're like a little sister to me. It'll just feel awkward to me if I get romantically involved with you, regardless Trill accepts this or not...You didn't talk with her about this, did you?"

"We have, actually." Hidden in a corner of the room was Trill, surprising Solaris as she stepped out of the shadows, green flames surrounding her to reveal herself while blending into the room with her magic. "Solly, as much as I love you and you're highly committed to our marriage, you deserve to at least let loose and have fun with other mares. Gem loves you a lot, Solly. She wants to show you, but you're so afraid of losing that brother-sister bond you share with each other to even give it a chance."

Completely flustered, Solaris stuttered, trying to find his voice to tell her and Gemstone how insane they were being. "Y-You seriously...want to see me with another mare? Is this some kind of kink you secretly have?"

"Well, do you want to see me with another stallion and get your rocks off watching me go to town on him?" she asked, the alicorn quickly and violently shaking his head no. "Then I won't do something like that if it'll make you jealous and feel hurt." Before he could protest, Trill pressed a hoof to his lips to silence any further complaints. "Listen. I'm not suggesting outright sleeping with Gemstone, even though I can tell part of her wants that fantasy to come true." The unicorn blushed heavily, unable to deny the changeling's prediction of her fantasies with Solaris. "She loves you and really wants to show you how much you mean to her. A little kiss isn't going to hurt, is it?"

"B-But...S-She-" Solaris stammered, again stopped by Trill's hoof to his mouth.

"Just give her one kiss," his wife interjected. "You can at least give her her one dream to fulfill, and you'll finally be able to feel a pair of lips that don't house sharp fangs that'll pierce your tongue...even though you love playing the prey sometimes." She licked her lips, showing off her fangs with a sultry grin, getting him to blush and scrunch his muzzle in denial, but she knew he enjoyed every part of her. "If you like it, then you'll have yourself another mare to have fun with, maybe even go out on a date outside of the castle during this freezing weather where I'm always cooped up in here. And I could use a break sometimes when we have our little moments to ourselves."

"'You' needing a break from sex?" Solaris questioned. "You're a natural-born nymphomaniac."

"...Ok, that's true, but I can get sore when you finally unleash all that built up testosterone you keep holding back," Trill said, making him groan in annoyance while Gemstone blushed heavily as she began imagining the stallion rutting her into the mattress like a beast. "But if you don't enjoy kissing somepony else, I'll stop pestering you about spicing our sex life-" Solaris rolled his eyes at the fact she always finds random ways to make their private time interesting. "-and Gem will stop trying to impress you and drop her crush on you after this. Got it, little missy?"

She was snapped out of her daydream when Trill mentioned her. She didn't want to stop loving Solaris romantically, desiring to be with him until the end of her life. She eventually sighed sadly, then nodded her head. Even if he doesn't enjoy it, she'll have at least been given his promise all those years ago, and their platonic relationship will still stay, despite the slight awkwardness he'll feel.

Solaris let out a heavy sigh, looking back up at the accursed plant as a symbol of holiday togetherness. "...Alright. Fine. One kiss," he said. "But that's it; whether I like it or not, it's just going to be one kiss, nothing more, and we're continuing our relationship as brother and sister. Understand?" Gemstone nodded happily and puckered her lips again. She felt magic suddenly envelop her lips, drying her lipstick more as she looked at Solaris in confusion, his horn lit up for a moment before it faded. "I...don't want you giving me a lipstick mark on my lips. Granted, Trill doesn't need to wear any, but the ones she does wear are sometimes hard to get out, and with a white coat and her practically worshiping my-"

Trill smacked her husband upside the head, not in embarrassment by the story he was telling, but by why he was telling Gemstone. "Quit stalling and kiss."

"Alright, alright, fine!" Solaris huffed, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat.

He approached Gemstone, the unicorn feeling just as nervous, but also eager as she wanted to make this moment last. Solaris glanced over at Trill for a moment before bringing his attention back to Gemstone, nervously moving his hooves around the unicorn into a gentle embrace, who placed hers against his chest. She closed her eyes and waited for him to make the first move, her lips ready to meet his. Suppressing a nervous whimper, Solaris leaned closer, pressed his muzzle against hers until their lips connected, giving her a soft kiss. Gemstone moaned in delight and kissed back, her hooves slowly trailing up and around the alicorn's neck, asking him to deepen their kiss. He didn't deny her request, holding her closer as he started to rub her back with his hooves, her inexperience made up with her enthusiasm and her passion for him.

Solaris surprised Gemstone as his tongue began to lap at her lips, making her squeak and squint her eyes open slightly as he wanted to explore her maw. She obliged, parting her lips as they continued making out, feeling his tongue caress hers, making her moan as her body melted in his embrace. She tried to do the same, but she was so lost in bliss as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, letting him explore her mouth and guide her tongue with his own, her breath taken as she tried to breathe with her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. Solaris let out a moan of his own, nearly forgetting that Trill was watching them, her horn glowing as she grinned from feeling the love between the two of them, surprising himself by furthering their kiss as he teased her lips, her tongue, and flat teeth while exploring her delicate mouth. He felt that it was wrong doing something like this with somepony who he looked at as a little sister, but he couldn't deny that it felt so right.

Eventually, the kiss ended as Gemstone needed air, the unicorn gasping as their lips parted, a trail of their saliva breaking off from their lips as both ponies' white cheeks were flushed red. Gemstone panted, opening her eyes and giving Solaris a love-struck grin, her gaze pleading him to do it one more time. He felt so conflicted, though; it was an incredible kiss as he felt it from a pony, soft and pleasant, whereas his kisses with Trill were just as passionate, though he had to be wary of her sharp canines. He looked at his beloved wife, the grin on her face and her glowing horn already told her that he enjoyed it without his confirmation.

"...Uhh...W-Well...That was..." Solaris stammered, his blush burning hotter as he hated to admit he enjoyed kissing Gemstone. It was going to be difficult for him not to see her as his little sister anymore, despite not being related at all, but Trill did bring up some points involving their relationship, especially during winter. He wanted to walk around Canterlot with his wife as the snow falls gently around them, without her wearing ten layers of warm clothes, spend an evening outside watching the snowflakes fall to the earth. He was still pursuing a way to help make that dream possible, along with giving their daughter a chance to know what it was like to play in the snow and not be cooped up in the castle like her mother for three months. He sighed, gently moving Gemstone's hooves away from his neck as he tried to find the right words to say. "...I...liked it..."

Gemstone was speechless, only able to giggle dreamily as she finally got a kiss on the lips from her beloved stallion. Trill smirked wider and approached the nervous alicorn, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"So, is that going to be the only kiss?" she asked. "Or...are you considering opening your relationship to other mares beside me?"

Solaris winced, looking away from them as he stammered. "I-I said it was only a one time thing!"

"I saw a lot of tongue action in there," Trill teased, flustering him even more.

"I was trying to make it as memorable for her as possible!" Solaris argued. The changeling raised a brow, still wearing her grin, making his reasoning pointless as she knew it was more than just giving Gemstone a memorable first kiss with him. He stammered again, his face threatening to explode with how red he was before letting out an annoyed huff. "I'm going back to the party and getting a drink..."

He turned tail and ran out of the room, making his way back to the ballroom. Trill chuckled and shook her head, then looked back at the daydreaming mare. She waved her hoof in front of Gemstone's face, not even shocked by her catatonic state as she appeared to relish the mind-blowing kiss she was given.

"And she is broken," Trill commented. She gently pat Gemstone's cheeks, finally snapping her out of her stupor as she looked around for her beloved alicorn prince. "Hi. Back to reality?"

"W-Where's Solaris?" she asked, her ears drooping as she feared he didn't want to see her again. "D-Did he not like it?"

"Oh, far from it," Trill assured. "He tried denying it to me, but I knew he loved it. Just give him a little time to mull it over, and he'll maybe consider forming a herd with us."

"Really!?" Gemstone squealed, but before she could get too excited, Trill poked her muzzle with her hoof.

"I said he might consider it, so it's not really a definite yes or no," she said. "If he does say no, which I'll be shocked if that is his answer, promise you'll find the right stallion for you and not pursue and stress Solly too much. He's already got enough to deal with between me and Emerald, along with running Equestria. Ok?"

"O-Ok," Gemstone said. "A kiss from him is enough for me...and what a kiss it was."

Trill could practically see hearts floating and popping around the younger unicorn as she wore that lovestruck smile of hers. They headed back down to the party, where they found Solaris drinking a few alcoholic beverages now that the kids are asleep to try to forget what happened earlier, though he doubt it'll ever leave his head. Gemstone rejoined her friends, a satisfied grin on her face as she used her magical aura to levitate a plate with a few sweets laid out on the buffet table.

"What are you so happy about?" Prism asked curiously.

"Let's just say...I got what I wanted for Hearth's Warming this year," Gemstone vaguely responded, nibbling on a cupcake as she eyed the alicorn, who quickly looked away when he noticed her staring his way and distracted himself by talking to Gale.

"What in tarnation does that mean?" Apple Seed questioned.

Cherry gasped, noticing the dreamy expression on the young fashionista's face as she kept looking at Solaris. "No way...He finally kissed you!"

Apple Seed choked on his drink as Cherry said that, spluttering and coughing out what was in his mouth while Prism and Butterscotch stared at her in shock. "H-He did what!?"

"How did you get him to do it?" Butterscotch asked.

"A bit of mistletoe...and some encouragement from Trill," Gemstone said, letting out a dreamy sigh as she could still feel the alicorn's lips on hers. "It was better than I imagined..."

"So does that mean he's gonna bang you one day when you stop by for a visit?" Prism asked, making the unicorn blush heavily while the cyan pegasus earned a slap upside the head from Apple Seed. "Ow! What!?"

"Ah think Aunt Scootaloo's a bad influence on ya," the young farmer said.

"M-Maybe when I'm ready to..." Gemstone muttered quietly, stuffing her face while her cheeks only brightened the more she thought about the possibility.

"Well, even if this story is rated mature, there will not be any sexual scenes involving two ponies rocking the bed as they do the lovers tango," Cherry said as she pulled out several sheets of paper, looking at the date before leering at the empty space in front of her. "And it's taken you almost at least a year to update this story!? I mean, I know you have others you're dedicated to work on, but come on! Slight work on it here, then moving on to others because you procrastinated! And if you're seriously going to have Solaris create a herd, then you'd better be serious about it, or else you're either going to turn ponies down, or get them mad!"

The other four friends looked in Cherry's direction, but she was talking to nothing in front of her, and she wasn't yelling at any of the other guests. "...Cherry, who are you talking to?" Butterscotch dared to ask.

"Oh, he knows who I'm talking about," the red earth pony mare said, glowering at the "pony" while slowly stuffing the papers in her mane. "I got my eye on you mister, and I know where you live...So, who's up for some more games!?"

Gemstone, Prism, Butterscotch, and Apple Seed all sighed, their bubbly friend just as wild and random as her late mother, Pinkie Pie. "Cherry, why are you so random?"

Author's Note

Ok, so it's been almost a whole year since I last updated this story. Hopefully, for those of you who waited for the next chapter didn't get too impatient, since I was busy working on two other stories, along with real life stuff stopping me and procrastinating while trying to brainstorm ideas for this one. :twilightblush: I'll try not to leave this story hanging or cancel it since I do have other ideas, though that'll wait until we reach Emerald's teenage years, which will be quite a while as we go through the younger years. So, enjoy this chapter, and I apologize for the wait if anyone's waited since the last chapter. :twilightsmile: