Author's Note

So far so good! This was supposed to be a short story... But it just kind of morphed into its own thing. But it shouldn't take too many more chapters to wrap it all up. With that being said, Enjoy!

-Lolli C.

Chapter 5

Life on the land Chrysalis worked was simple enough despite the amount labor that had to be put in. There was the small orchard of fruit, a grapevine, and the herbs that were grown and dried. There was even a small vegetable garden that the mare kept up.

Though it was humble, it was enough work to keep the mare busy and it turned a decent profit.

Shining Armor couldn’t help but marvel at her simple way of life. She and her daughter were pretty self-sufficient in terms of resources and food. He would’ve never pegged her for her herbalist or a farmer.

He stood at the back of the cottage’s entrance watching her till the land for the vegetables as the orchard and grapevines were up front. Even Gemma seemed to know what to do as she gathered herbs and made small bushels of them. Though she only really helped out on market days, her mother left her to her studies mostly.

It’d been a week since the night of the falling out and the stallion found himself spending as much time with the two as he could. True, he no longer worked for Celestia, he did serve as a tutor of sorts at Twilight’s library.

He was still marveling at sight of Chrysalis in disguise when Gemma approached him. “I still can’t believe she’s a changeling,” Gemma stated as her eyes too watched her mother work.

Shining Armor looked down at her with a crooked smile. “I know what you mean…”

“You knew… didn’t you?” She blinked as she turned to look up at him.

He tried to read her expression, but her features were purposely controlled. “I knew.”

She seemed to process his admission alright but then her eyes narrowed and she looked as if she wanted to ask him something.

An anxious feeling washed over the stallion, and Shining Armor found himself holding his breath as the two simply stood. She opened her mouth to speak, but immediately lost her nerve. “Forget it.” Gemma muttered leaving him as she instead chose to go inside. For some reason, Shining Armor felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. Lately, the girl seemed testy and he knew from experience that sometimes fillies needed space.

He looked up to see Amber loading a cart with produce to store in the barn across the yard. Moving from the doorway of the home, he decided to approach her.

“Need any help?” He asked as she lifted a crate of tomatoes.

She pursed her lips as she looked at him over her shoulder. “Such a gentleman,” she drawled. “Took you long enough to ask. You like to watch mares work?”

He chuckled. “I’m all for equality.” She rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you take a shower and relax for a bit. I’ll put this away.”

She eyed him with mock suspicion. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” he smirked before sobering. “But maybe you could check on Gemma…”

Her playfulness waned as he brought up what she suspected would soon come to head. While things were normal enough ever since her daughter discovered who she was, there was some reservation in their interactions. “Yea,” Amber nodded feeling somewhat apprehensive. “I think we’ll go for a walk.”

He smiled encouragingly. “She loves you…” He assured her.

“I know.” She thanked him for his offer and took her leave. Shining Armor watched her disappear into the house.

Amber took a quick shower, washing the smell of earth and sweat away from her coat. After quickly drying, she quietly approached her daughter’s open door and knocked on the sill. The small filly was sprawled out on her floor seemingly lost in space.

She moved at the sound of another. “Is everything alright?” She asked sitting up and blinking.
Amber smiled, “I don’t know. Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” was her mother’s softy reply. “I figured you maybe wanted to talk.”

Gemma swallowed as she closed her mouth. “Okay.”

Moments later, the two were following the path that the small child took to her favorite meadow.
Despite it being past midday, the sun still shone brightly casting all sorts of shadows along the flower sprinkled path. The forest was alive with birds and other creatures, yet the silence between the two was still terribly loud.

Amber waited for the girl to voice her thoughts but soon grew impatient wanting it to all be over with. She opened her mouth to break the silence but her daughter beat her to it.

“How could you do it?” Gemma asked almost too quietly. They had finally made it to the clearing.

Amber’s expression gave nothing away as she tilted her head. “Because not doing it seemed worse. My people were dying and there was nothing I could do about it.”

“So hurting innocent ponies was the best you could come up with?”

Cinnamon eyes turned a bright green and the small girl stumbled as she took a step back. Her mother was rarely angry with her, but when she was, it was bad. Somehow knowing her true identity made the prospect of her anger even worse. Surprisingly, the mare calmed. “Sometimes as a monarch you have to do things you don’t want to for the greater good of those around you.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Sometimes. But then I look at you and I know that if I could go back I’d have still done it. If I had not done what I had, my people would still be victims of circumstances completely out of their control and I would’ve never known you.” Gemma looked conflicted as she processed her mother’s words. “I can’t explain away what I did, because I did it and it’s done. But I can tell you my side of things and I promise it’s not at all like what your silly books say.” She rolled her eyes. Changelings were different, but they weren’t unscrupulous savages.

Gemma wanted to take offense to her mother’s small dig but her curiosity won out instead. “Then what was it like?”

Amber looked down into a curious face. It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, but it was something that needed to be talked about.

“It was difficult and I lost a lot of good people.”

“Oh…”

So she told her of the sickness that had ravaged her species, and about the curse that had turned them into what they were. She spoke about hiding amongst the royal family, searching for answers with Discord’s guidance. She mentioned the meddling of Twilight Sparkle and explained how the love between the Princess and the Knight both eradicated and set her people free. There was so much that had happened and yet there were things she didn’t dare speak about. Her relationship with Shining Armor was one of them.

By the end of it her daughter was crying, seemingly enraptured by the tale.

“And no one knew… You were all alone…” The girl murmured. “That must’ve been scary.”

“It was.”

Silence.

“You’re right. None of my books say this. Not even Twilight Sparkle tells it like this.”

“Because a pony would know anything about a changeling.” Amber muttered, rolling her eyes. “It’s getting dark, we should go back.” The sun was beginning its descent as rays of red and magenta were beginning to paint the clouds. Apparently they’d ‘talked’ longer than she expected.

Blinking, Gemma nodded and the two gathered themselves and headed back home. Already, Amber could sense a change in her daughter’s feelings. It would take a while she knew, but at least she knew her side of things.

When the duo made it back, Shining Armor had already washed up and started dinner.

“Go wash up,” Amber had instructed her daughter who seemed to blossom whenever the stallion was around. The light in her eyes and the grin on her face spoke loudly.

“Yes ma’am!” She had breathed racing through the kitchen to get into the bathroom. “Be right back!” She assured him to which he laughed.

“No rush Bright Eyes! I still need your help with the bread.” Amber couldn’t help the grin that slid on her own face. The two cooked together whenever the stallion was over.

Shining Armor stood at the stove stirring tomato sauce for the rigatoni he had boiled. Veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, onions and squash quietly simmered in another skillet. He turned to regard her over his shoulder.

“How’d it go?” He asked lightly.

Amber stood in the entranceway of the kitchen with her forelegs folded across her chest. “It went well.

Obviously, I couldn’t tell her everything, but she no longer thinks I’m the spawn of Tartarus.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t think that, Chryssie.” She gave him a look. “I never thought that. Even when I was the most upset with you.”

She looked away for a bit as she recalled with a blush the most ‘upset’ he’d ever been with her. He had fucked and made love to her all in the same night.

Moments later, Gemma emerged from the bath washed and cleaned. “Where’s the butter!” She’d asked coming to his side to help with the preparation of dinner. Amber sighed as she watched the two.

*-*-*-*-*-*

The days seemed to blur as the former Queen and knight indulged themselves in the other. It was almost paradise. Amber Stone had never looked happier, the townspeople thought. And Shining Armor hadn’t looked so enthralled since the earlier days of his engagement.

Meeting up in various places or sometimes spending lazy days at either home making love and talking.
Amber liked those days best as she could truly be herself, chitin and all.

It was one of these days that the two found themselves talking. They lay in bed wrapped around the other as they spoke in quiet tones.

“Ya know… Gemma said the damnedest thing to me yesterday.”

He hummed as he placed lazy kisses to her neck. She smiled absently. “What did she say?” He asked before engaging her in a slow, sweet kiss. Amber laughed as she tried to escape his grasp.

“She told me I shouldn’t hide who I am when it’s just us. She’s been asking me all these questions…” She chuckled softly. “About changelings, and why we’re so... unaccepted.” He wrestled her down laughing at the put out expression on equine features. “We’re leaving.” She said after he’d pinned her down. It took a second for him to process the words, but once he did, his expression hardened and the mare found herself rushing to explain. “Obviously not forever! But she needs to know where she comes from. That even though she’s different she’s not some nefarious creature of night.” Quiet. “I think it’s for the best.”

“What about what I think?” Shining Armor asked guardedly as he stared down into her features. He really thought they were coming together as a family.

“I want you there.” She stated as she stared deep into his eyes, caressing his jaw with her hoof.

“As a fling?” Was his petulant response as he tightened his jaw.

Amber smirked. “As her father…” She leaned closer as she whispered between them. “And the stallion that I love.” The kiss she pressed to his lips was teasingly soft.

He relaxed. “You want me there?”

“Every step of the way.” She laughed at his disbelief before giving him a peck on the nose and flopping back down. “There’s a pony I know who owns a ship. I just have to arrange travel with him.”

“Where does this pony live?” He shifted his weight so he was partially on his side.

“Vanhoover.” She rolled them over and laid her head against his chest as she snuggled against him. “It’s a three day trip.”

“Three days?!” His chest rumbled as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Yes. 2 days for travel and a day to make arrangements.”

“When do we leave?” Shining Armor asked after he thought it over. He had been serious the night he told her he’d go away with her.

“I’m not taking you with me.” She leaned away so she could speak to him properly.

“Bu-” Amber silenced him with a hoof.

“Now is the time for you to get to know your daughter.” She replaced her hoof with her mouth as she kissed him deeply. “I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. Gemma needs someone to look after her.”

Shining Armor stared up at her with half lidded eyes. Amber Stone was a beautiful mare, he thought, but he preferred the sharp and dark features of the queen above him.

“Change for me?” He whispered lowly.

Earthy looks faded away leaving the dark vision of a changeling queen. He smiled as he pulled her closer initiating a kiss that promised better things to come.

*-*-*-*-*-*

“And why are you picking up Jewel’s from school again?” Twilight asked as she and her brother trotted to the local foal school to retrieve the small girl. She truly enjoyed the child but she couldn’t understand why Shining Armor was playing babysitter for someone else’s child. No offense to her brother, but there were definitely more qualified ponies.

“I already told you, Twilight.” Amber had left for Vanhoover that morning.

“Yea… But you never said why.”

The elder sighed as he rolled his eyes at his sister’s nosiness. “It’s called doing a favor for a friend, Twilight.”

“Favor? Friend?”

“Yes.” He groaned sorry he’d asked for her company.

Twilight flattened her ears as she sensed his annoyance, slightly apologetic. “It’s just you’ve been spending so much time with her. You practically work for her now spending your days helping her with her farm, for which she doesn’t pay you by the way, you cook them dinner, and you take Jewels out all the time.” She braced herself for her next words. “I just don’t understand why you’re playing daddy to someone else’s child.”

“Twilight!”

“I’m sorry! I just don’t want to see you taken advantage of.”

“I can assure you, no one is taking advantage of me.” He thought back to the beginning of his relationship with Amber. If anyone had been taken advantage of, it was her. “For your information, I genuinely enjoy the time I spend with them. And money has never been an issue for me. Amber doesn’t need me to take care of her and Jewels.”

“Really? Then why is it that she’s told her clients that ‘she’s’ no longer going to be serving them? You start helping her out and all of a sudden she stops working?”

He rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t it you who told me she was moving?”

She paused. “Oh… I’d forgotten about that.” Her cheeks flushed as she realized her error. “Shining I’m sorry.”

He hummed in agreeance. “Can we stop talking about it now?”

“Yea…” Was her regretful response.

They stood outside the school waiting for the small child. Moments later they were rewarded with a group of children exiting the doors.

“Bright Eyes!” Shining Armor called when he saw her in the crowd.

“Shining Armor!” She was all grins until her eyes landed on Twilight Sparkle. Jewels froze as her expression showcased her uncertainty. She hadn’t seen Twilight since the last time her mother was in town and knowing what she knew now, she couldn’t help but feel different about the other. Remembering her surroundings, she shook it off and smiled nervously at the Princess. “Princess Twilight… What’re you doing here?” She asked once she’d gotten closer to the duo. “Where’s my mother?”

Shining Armor used his magic to lift her up onto his back. “You already know your mom went away on business.” Was his reassuring response. She nodded as she buried her face in his mane.

“Right…”

Twilight watched the whole thing with an unsure expression of her own. That was odd, she thought. Jewels almost sounded worried.

“Hey, I’m going to go home.” Twilight said once they started on their way.

Jewels turned to regard her. “Come with us for ice cream at least!” She begged. “Sir Armor says he used to take you for ice cream after school when you were my age.”

“Yea, c’mon Twilight. It’ll be like old times.”

The Princess of Friendship smiled even as her ears flattened against her skull. She still felt so embarrassed and then the look on Jewels’ face earlier made her feel even worse given how she’d antagonized her brother only moments before. “Okay, but after that I really have to go.”

Jewels nodded with a smile. She hadn’t meant to make her feel bad. The trio continued to the local ice cream parlor.

“Actually Twilight, would you be interested in dinner tonight? There’s something I need to tell you.”

The alicorn looked up at her elder. His tone was serious but the look on his face said nothing was amiss.
“Is everything alright?” Was her concerned response.

He chuckled. “Everything’s fine. It’s just there’s something I want you to know.”

She nodded, curious as to what her brother wanted to share with her.

Despite the awkwardness she felt, Twilight always had a good time whenever she spent time with Jewels or her brother. The three of them together just made for better fun.

Gigi’s Ice Cream parlor was a small shop known for its butterscotch flavored ice cream. Located on Main Street, Gigi was a champagne colored mare with white spots and a lighter mane. With friendly brown eyes and a Prench accent most ponies were sure it was for more than ice cream that drew such large numbers to her shop.

Granted, the mare was married, she had no problem using her looks to her advantage. It was part of the allure of her shop. It really was a nice place with its clean crème walls and white wood furniture reminding some of grandma’s kitchen. Only it wasn’t your grandma making you smile. It was a sweet Prench mare serving up ice cream in a family fantasy.

All the while as they were laughing and eating, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder what Shining Armor wanted to tell her. She looked at Jewels who was giggling and happily swallowing down spoonfuls of butterscotch ice cream. She really hoped it had nothing to do with Amber. The mare wasn’t terrible, she just didn’t want her brother hurt again.

Besides, what did anyone really know about Amber Stone? Like where was Jewels’ father? Where were they even from?

After they had enjoyed a small afternoon snack, Twilight agreed to be over around six o’clock. Till then she had work to do at her library. Exchanging goodbyes, she couldn’t stop her tail from anxiously swishing as she made her way home alone.

Dinner couldn’t come soon enough.