Rusk decided that revealing his identity was not a good idea. As soon as his hooves went up, a glow of thick yellow magic wrapped around his neck and he was brought eye-to-eye with Celestia.

“You WHAT?”

Rusk gulped. His life was pretty much gone if he didn’t make a good enough reason. This was why he wanted to avoid the princess.

Well, now he was face to face with her. Not the best scenario for avoiding somepony.

Flitter was staring in shock, suddenly backpedalling away from Celestia with frantic eyes. Celestia grabbed her too, then shook both, letting the flames do the work. The changelings were now revealed.

“Celestia, wait!” Twilight called, but was held back by an orange pony with a sandy mane.

“Twilight, you don’t realize? They’re changelings! They’re supposed to look like your friends!”

“But I know they’re changelings! They’re good!”

Rusk chimed in, “Yes, I wouldn’t attack you guys…”

“Queen Chrysalis took her away,” he said, motioning to Flitter, “and that caused me to snap. I thought the changelings were in the right with their morals. I was wrong.”

Princess Celestia bore a puzzled face, her muzzle scrunched in. Eventually, the golden magic released them both, dropping them ungracefully to the ground. Rusk glanced upwards to see Celestia staring back. “If you do one thing out of line…” she warned.

He gulped, and nodded. Standing up, he picked Flitter up with magic and set her down, then turned to the princess.

“I don’t want to go back with them, princess. They’ll kill Flitter.” Rusk motioned to the only other changeling in the room, who was shivering, curled on the ground.

Celestia rolled her eyes, and turned to look at Twilight with a stern look. “Can you keep an eye on them?”

Twilight nodded. “Sure, why not. I mean, they’ve not tried to eat love from us or anything…” She glanced at Rusk, who was consoling Flitter, and turned back to Celestia. “Celestia, you have to believe me that these changelings are not bad.”

Celestia sighed. “I don’t trust them, and I never will. But with the oncoming changeling army, maybe we need a few of their own kind on our side.” She paced back and forth on the red carpet lying on the floor. “But… What is the purpose of this?” She looked to Rusk, and asked, “Why are the changelings out for your blood?”

Rusk shook his head, sighing, “It’s because I’m magically talented for a changeling, and I think us changelings keep magically adept changelings close to the hive. Well, that would make tactical sense, but I thought the idea of prodigy changelings was a myth. The only changeling to wield such power that I know of is the Queen herself.”

Celestia hummed in thought, then spoke in an authoritative tone, “Alright then, you nine will be staying here while I retrieve the Elements of Harmony. I shall send someone to take you to some sleeping places for the time being.” She turned to face Twilight Sparkle. “I need you to measure Rusk’s power, and maybe assist him in combat magic. I don’t know how much he knows, but against an army of changelings, some good combat magic can go a long way.” Facing Rusk and Flitter, she continued, “You two, I suggest you assume your pony form for now. There is a public hearing in this castle due to our current threat, and the last thing the war room needs to see are two changelings inside the castle.”

With two quick flashes, Celestia was staring at two ponies, green smoke curling off their bodies for a split second. She nodded in approval.

“Alright, I must go retrieve the Elements,” said Celestia before cantering out of the throne room.

The eight ponies plus dragon were led through to a short hall containing multiple bedrooms. Each one was identical, with a prince-size bed sitting in the center, chest of drawers to the left, and an en-suite in a door to the right. It wasn’t that large, but larger than a usual house’s bedroom.

Details, of course, didn’t matter. Rusk flopped onto the bed, sinking deeply into the mattress. It was a while since he had a good rest. The soft material hugged him tightly, and his eyes closed, starting to snore in bliss.

“Rusk?”

Of course, it was Flitter. She had perfect timing, didn’t she?

The bed squeaked as she climbed onto the bed beside him. He grumbled and rolled to his side, opening his eyes. He was met by her eyes.

Flitter was in her changeling form, her head rested against the pillow. She was laying sideways, all four of her hooves splayed forwards in a relaxed manner.

“This is scary.” She sighed, looking down at the pillows with a worried expression.

“How so?” Rusk moved forward to comfort her, resting a forehoof on top of hers.

“This was not what I expected. The Assessment, everything happening right now…” Flitter shuddered. “And now, we’re in the fight AGAINST the changelings. Rusk, you heard what Celestia said. She wants Twilight to train you in combat magic.”

“And?”

“I want to come with you, at least… I am kind of sick of being helpless,” she said. “All these times you’ve been the one to… you know, help me when I’m in trouble. I’d like to return the favour, but… I’m just scared. I’m afraid of what is going to happen. Knowing the Queen, she is probably amassing an attack directly against Canterlot. And I’m sure we’re going to be right in the middle of it.” Rusk started to object, but Flitter stopped him by touching his nose to hers. “Rusk, it’s really about me as much as it is for you. I’m the reason you left the hive… You have no idea how much that meant to me, that such a good friend could have come to assist me in such a hard time.” Flitter let out a sigh.

“Flitter, this may be our one chance to end this,” Rusk said. “Then we can find some place to relax and not be thrown into a chase every second day. But soon the changelings will attack, and it will be a deciding point in our lives.”

“Rusk, can we not do this? I’m pretty sure Celestia and Twilight have the situation covered.”

“Flitter, I must fight. This is about me.”

“Please, Rusk!” Flitter began to softly sob, and Rusk inched closer to Flitter, moving his hoof to rest on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, alright? I’ll be fine…”

Flitter was now crying, and her breath hitched as she said, “Rusk…”

Rusk inched close to her and pulled into a hug, which Flitter gladly returned. Flitter cried into his shoulder with earnest, her emotions a swirl of mixed colors. He eased her into a tighter hug, a hoof wrapped around her barrel and one around her neck.

“It-it really is overwhelming, Rusk…” Flitter said in between sobs.

“I know, Flitter… It will be fine, alright? I don’t mean to be repetitive, but look, I wouldn’t go through with something like this if I had the choice. And you know I’ll do my best to get through this rough patch.”

“I don’t want you to,” Flitter desperately begged. She craned her neck away from Rusk’s shoulder to look him in his eyes. Tears stained her face in a sideways pattern.

Rusk rolled his eyes. “Flitter, please, don’t be-”

“Rusk, do I have to be blunt?” Flitter sniffled, then she shook her head.

Rusk heard a light click noise, and he looked to see Flitter had retracted her fangs. His heart leapt to astronomical levels.

A changeling can retract its fangs, but usually they leave them extended. They are useful for biting, attacking and general shock value. But when a changeling retracts their fangs, it’s usually a sign of defeat, but that made no sense here. There was another use for retracting a changeling’s fangs, and that was to-

“Rusk, it's because I love you.”

Rusk was caught very, very off guard when Flitter ungracefully smashed her muzzle into his. Flames rolled up Rusk’s body, quickly changing back to his natural form in pure shock.

Never in his life would he ever expect something like this to happen. Flitter kept the strong pressure against his muzzle, and it kind of started to hurt.

Rusk craned his neck backwards, and Flitter took on a look of confusion. Rusk held a hoof to his mouth.

“You…” Flitter began to speak, but Rusk cut her off.

“No, it’s fine. You were a bit hard with that…”

Flitter was relieved. That was a small heart attack she didn’t need. With a huge grin, instead of lunging, she softly pushed her muzzle against Rusk’s.

This time, he returned it.

It was like nothing else really mattered for now, it was just them. Through a world of strange and interesting ponies, chased by their own kind, the pair had gone through so much together. As a result, their friendship had grown extremely strong.

Rusk’s heart was aching strongly for a moment like this. Ever since he had started crushing on Flitter he daydreamed about such a scenario. When he suspected she returned the feelings after her Assessment and when she was exiled, he had his hopes up.

And now a weight was off his shoulders. He knew Flitter felt for him as well, had it been after the exile or earlier, but she felt for him.

And boy, what a great feeling it was!

Flitter aggressively pressed against Rusk, her actions showing desperation and sorrow within the thick layer of feelings. Pulling back, she choked. “This is something I want to cherish before you have to go…”

Happy tears streamed down her face, her muzzle curled into a joyous smile. Her breath came in short, deep rasps.

Making a move, she moved herself so she laid on top of Rusk. Wrapping all four hooves around him, she kissed Rusk for the third time.

“Rusk, I need this…” she groaned. “Tomorrow-”

The locked ebony door reverberated with three solid knocks. A male voice spoke through, “Rusk, sir? Twilight Sparkle sent me to receive you.”

Flitter rolled off of Rusk and growled in frustration. “Go, Rusk,” she said between her gritted teeth.

Rusk rolled off the bed and sighed. “Another day, Flitter,” he said, and trotted over to the door to unlock it.

“You're here!” Twilight exclaimed as Rusk entered the room. It was a stone-walled room rippling with green magic. Multiple monster shaped magical fields moved slowly inside a large caged area.

“I had the room booted up for you,” she said. “This is specifically for combat magic training. Let me demonstrate what to expect.”

Twilight charged her horn, and a beam of solid pink magic was flung at a field shaped like a griffin. The beam impacted and the hologram fell over, and dissipated. A thick green smoke billowed from where it fell.

“The colour of the smoke is based on your efficiency, and power. It goes from red to green. This is mainly to judge your combat skills, but I'll be monitoring your magic power as well.” She presented a ring and slipped it into Rusk’s horn. He felt a small wave of energy pass through his horn.

“It won't impact your magical ability at all. It just measures your magical power,” Twilight explained. “Now, are you ready?”

Rusk nodded, and suddenly he found himself inside the box.

“None of the avatars will hurt you,” said Twilight, still outside the box next to him. “But if they strike you, you'll lose a ‘strike’ per se. Get three and you're out of the arena.

“Let me get a more suiting environment for you.” Twilight lit her horn, and all the holograms sunk into the ground, only to reemerge as changelings. A light hum filled the air as the changelings took flight, and they hissed, spotting Rusk.

Rusk charged his horn. There were at least twenty of them.

One charged him immediately, and once he got closer, Rusk sent a strong static charge to it, and it crashed into the ground, surprisingly kicking up dust. It dissipated, and a yellow smoke rose into the air.

Rusk glanced at Twilight, who was poring over some data appearing on a foreign device. Looking back, he saw a group of two changeling avatars approaching.

Rusk remembered the spell Twilight used. It was just a solid beam of pure magic. He concentrated on bringing raw magic forward rather than converting it into a spell.

The result was an acid green magic beam tearing at surprising speed towards one of the changelings. It struck through its chest and out its back, and it left behind a green smoke.

He smiled. He was getting it! He turned to face the other changeling and sent another strong magic beam to him. That avatar fell as well and left behind a green-yellow smoke.

He held the beam and swung his head, the strong magic punching into some more of the charging avatars.

But then it fizzled out, and Rusk got hit in the side by one of the changelings. He grunted as he slammed into the ground.

“I thought this wasn't supposed to hurt!” He called to Twilight.

“It's not supposed to hit you! Maybe it's because you're not a pony!”

Rusk nodded, and tried to release another magic beam at the avatar. A weak beam the width of a noodle streamed out and knocked it back, but didn't kill it.

Rusk finished him off with a static charge. He may be low on raw magic but spells have a lower magic usage compared to using raw magic like that. The changeling released a red smoke this time.

“Enough, enough.” The avatars disappeared, and Twilight was at Rusk’s side. She held out a hoof for Rusk to take. Pulling him up, she said, “You have a couple things to learn, but great job so far. You figured out how to use a raw magic beam, however to conserve your magical energy you need to not cast raw magic like that. Still, your magical output is amazing! I've never seen a changeling cast such powerful magic! Well, it's relatively normal for a unicorn, but it's still above average!”

Rusk was hit by a minor headache. “That magic hurts,” he moaned. Twilight must have expected it, for she drew out a glowing grey potion.

Rusk took it and downed it, coaxed by Twilight’s magic. The potion burned slightly, but he could feel the headache fading away quickly.

“Alright,” said Twilight. “Time to teach you a few things.”

Twilight used her magic to work pressure into Rusk’s head.

“You need to work on overexertion,” she said. “You're using too much magic for too long. You need to use it in concentrated bursts if you don't want a headache.

“It was great progress, however, and I think if the changelings attacked now I'd be confident you can face them easily.”

“With the amount of changelings bound to attack Canterlot, I doubt I could pause for much of a second,” said Rusk in between moans of pain and pants.

“You have a point.” Twilight released the aura from her horn, and hauled him up from the lying position he was in. “Alright, Rusk, let’s get you back to the castle’s armory, and then you can rest,” she announced.

The walk was pretty painful for Rusk. Despite using mostly his magic, it took a huge toll on his entire body. His legs felt like they were gonna fall asleep, his head drooped towards the floor, and he probably couldn’t cast a spell to save his life. A grey potion swung at his side, the magical restoration potion instructed only for use if the changelings attacked, given by Twilight.

The armory itself was pretty small, but placed in the center of the room were seven armor stands. Twilight effortlessly levitated a set of jet black steel armor off its stand and across the room.

“What’s this?” Rusk asked as Twilight placed the armor next to him.

“It’s your armor. Not too heavy, but it’ll take a hit,” said Twilight. “It also helps us identify you, you know, because you look like every other changeling I’ve seen.”

Rusk hummed in confirmation, and Twilight levitated the helmet onto his head, bending the metal slightly to fit it on.

Rusk could see easily out of the front of the helmet, and if he woke up with the pressure he wouldn’t know it’s there, unless he looked in the mirror. He tapped his hoof against his right temple, hearing a metallic tap.

“It’s good,” he said, and Twilight levitated some more armor his way. There was a chest piece and a spine guard. Rusk refused to put on anymore, making the point that his exoskeleton was already much harder than a pony’s, in which Twilight hung up the rest.

Rusk spun around, buzzing his wings contentedly. The armor didn’t put unnecessary pressure anywhere, and the small amount he put on didn’t weigh him down much. After a small experimental hover, he asked Twilight to take off the armor, which she did so, placing it back on the armor stand.

“Alright, Rusk. Let’s head back to your room. I need to talk to Celestia.” Twilight trotted out of the room, and Rusk followed, glancing back at the black armor one more time before galloping to meet her ahead.

“H-hey, Rusk!” Flitter called as Rusk re-entered his room. She looked like she was just woken up. She was quivering slightly.

“Did I wake you up, Flitter?” Rusk buzzed over to the bed, laying softly on it to face Flitter.

“N-no, I just woke up a minute ago…” Flitter shuffled closer to Rusk. “How was the magic thing you did?”

“Well, my head hurts, but that’s fine. It’s just a lot of magic was used,” Rusk murmured, already feeling like sleep was taking him.

“Yeah?” Flitter’s voice was wavering. “Well, I’ll just go back to my room now. I need to do something anyways.” Before Rusk could protest, wanting her to be here, Flitter quickly trotted out the room. The door shut with a quiet click.

Rusk was too worn out to care. His head and body hurt in a lot of places, but mostly centered around his neck and head. He knew that drinking the potion would restore his magical power and help reduce the soreness, but Twilight said to rest, and that would solve most of the problems.

Sinking deeper into the mattress, he finally fell asleep, quiet snoring filling the silence in the room.

Rusk woke with a jolt when he struck the cold marble floor of the throne room. Gasping in shock, he scrambled to his feet. Twilight had teleported him into the middle of the throne room!

Twilight was in front of him, holding the grey potion, and she bore some steel plated armor in the color of her mane - dark purple. A gold pendant with a purple gemstone set into it wrapped around her neck. Celestia stood behind her, and those other five ponies stood to the side. Rusk took the grey potion and drank it, the rest of his weariness slipping away as the magic sharpened his senses.

There was a large echoing cracking noise that seemed to be everywhere at once. Celestia visibly recoiled in pain, and Twilight rushed to assist her.

“Rusk, get to the armory. Princess Celestia can’t hold the shield up much longer! The changelings have been at it for only five minutes, and she can barely keep it up!”

Not needing further instruction, Rusk, following one of Twilight’s friends, got to the armory. He shoved on the armor he only needed, much more painfully than last time, as he didn’t bend the armor to put it on.

Guards rushed the halls, armed with spears and swords held in magical grasp, but none of them took notice of Rusk. The guard had been briefed that there were changelings on their side, and that one would be wearing black armor. Rusk wormed his way through the halls back to the throne room.

Celestia was lying down, Twilight rubbing her side solemnly. When Rusk entered the room, she glanced up, and said something to the princess.

Rushing to Rusk’s side, she exclaimed, “We need to get outside, Celestia will drop the spell soon so she can still fight!” She galloped off towards the open entrance to the castle, and Rusk followed suit, running at his highest speed.

Soon enough, they reached the castle’s front door. Guards were rushing down the pavement, and a cluster of voices swam all around Rusk.

He heard another audible crack, and he looked into the sky. The golden shield was fractured everywhere, casting incredible shadows onto the city. It rippled and swirled as small black bodies threw themselves against it, gnashed with fangs or claws, or pummeled into it using their hooves.

“Oh my gosh…”

There was a huge noise that sounded like a glass window shattering, but magnified to a much louder sound. The shield started to collapse into itself, the pieces no longer holding themselves together, and the shield disappeared entirely before any of the shards hit the ground.

Rusk shrank back slightly in horror as thousands of black, buzzing changelings rocketed towards the city.

Author's Note

That smooch was well overdue ;)

Also, yes, what Flitter was doing was EXACTLY what you think she was doing.

If you really want me to canonise it just tell me.