As the mares rushed out of Erotic’s house, the yelling seemed to grow louder. Dragonfly instantly began to look up and down the streets for signs of what could be wrong. Yet despite the noise, the streets seemed to be as empty as they always were. This cause a bead of sweat to run down her face as she wondered what was going on. Movement from above caught her attention. There, flying overhead were at least a dozen thestrals as they zoomed across the night sky. As she flew, she could hear a few yelling about how ‘This has gone too far’ and ‘We demand justice’. Brining her hands to her mouth, Dragonfly yelled up at them in a desperate attempt to gain their attention. She had hoped that they might be able to provide some information on what was happening. But, sadly, that didn’t happen. Whatever had angered them, and likely many others, was front and center on their minds as they flew off into the town. Once they were no longer in sight, Dragonfly opened her own tiny wings and took off into the air while ignoring the look that Succubus gave her. Now up in the air, she began to spin around in place looking for where her fellow thestrals were heading. It didn’t take her long to spot the large mass converging on a single house by both land and air. And it took only one more second before she realized that it was her family’s house they were surrounding.

Without bothering to say anything to the mares on the ground, Dragonfly sped off to her home. As she flew, she had to swerve around the many aerial thestrals who were moving so that they could get a good view of…her papa. He was standing there in front of his forge, looking at the mass crowd around him while wiping away sweat from his face with the towel around his neck. The local guard was also there, but not in the way she expected. They were in the crowd, with the crowd. Many of them were holding up their scythes while their eyes burned with hatred. They, along with the rest of the crowd, shouted at her papa.

“Is it true that one of the mines was attacked?”

“Is my son safe?! Please, he is working down there to provide for us!”

“How many thestrals died this time?!”

“Please tell me those Equestrian bastards got it good!”

The crowd viciously agreed with that last one as Dragonfly landed next to her papa. Many of those gathered raised a fist in the air, screaming loudly their approval. Some began to shout how they hoped Diamond Dogs had taken them as slaves or Changelings had captured them for food. Others began to shout out all the horrible ways the Equestrians perished in gory detail.

“Enough!” shouted Steel Fang as he looked out at the crowd with narrowed eyes. He then held up his hands as the crowd began to quiet down a bit. “Now, I don’t know how all of you learned about the attack on the mines,” he said while Dragonfly gasped in shock. “But if you came to me looking for answers you will sadly find none. I only got the messenger bat from the Countess a few minutes before you all showed up and the information I received was minimal. I was not informed who the attackers are, but we are to remain on high alert until this is over.”

“What is the Countess going to do about this?!” shouted a stallion in the air. His words were followed by hundreds of other thestrals’ agreement. “The Equestrians keep defiling our mines and allowing things like this to happen! How much longer will we have to suffer until something gets done?”

“I say we treat their kind like we would the spider wolves and take back the mines by force!” shouted another. Many more shouted their savage agreement to this.

“Enough blood is being missing in the mines already!” shouted Steel Fang, his face turning red as he did. “We do not know the truth yet; let us not spill any more innocent blood!” There was a short pause as he looked at the crowd while they, in turn, looked back at him. “Please, go and comfort those who fear they might have lost somepony they care about.”

That seemed to do the trick. Slowly, and very reluctantly, the crowd began to disperse. Many went to those who they knew had family members working as guards down in the Hanging City or were lucky enough to still be working in the mines. Yet this did not stop many of them from being very vocal with their feelings. There was so much hate in the air that Dragonfly felt she would throw up any second.

“This is why I never wanted this job, Daughter,” groaned Steel Fang as he moved to sit on an old chair near his forge and letting out a loud sigh as he sat down.

“Papa, I think you handled this very well,” said Dragonfly as she looked around for some water to give to her father. Despite her words, Steel Fang waved it off with a hand gesture.

“Please do not lie to your papa,” said Steel Fang as he ran his hands through his mane. “They have become a blade forged by hate and despair. Every new disaster, every year they have to swallow their pride is another blow from the hammer. The only reason we have lasted this long is because Princess Luna insists on buying all of the Guard’s weapons from us. It’s because of Duke Dark Bargain’s family that there is at least one mine that does not outsource. They are both working hard to save our home, but I do not know how much longer our tribe can hold out. It is only a matter of time before the blade is finally used.”

Dragonfly placed a hand over her heart before walking over to her father. “You…you don’t think that would happen?” she asked.

“I fear it will happen soon,” said Steel Fang. “I have heard talking, both here and in the Hanging City. Some wish to take back the mines with blood while others wish to leave Equestria altogether.” He then looked Dragonfly in the eye. “Talk like this is happening more and more. If it comes down to it, if there is no other choice for us, I will try to add my voice to leaving Equestria.”

“You can’t!This is our home! This is where the thestral race began! We were here before there even was an Equestria! After everything we have done to try and save Hollow Shades we can’t just throw it away! There has to be another way! Maybe we could talk to Princess Twilight or Princess Cadence for more help!”

As she spoke, Dragonfly noticed tears swelling in her father’s eyes. He wiped them away and, when he spoke, his tone was strangled. “I am glad my papa was not here to see this,” he choked. “He would be so proud of you, my little princess. The pride of the thestrals burns brightly in you even when it has begun to cool for so many others. But if he looked at me, he would die from the shame. Barely able to perform my craft, barely able to help put enough food on the table to fill our bellies, considering abandoning Hollow Shades. But what else is there, Daughter? If we try to take back the mines by force, then it would be seen as an act of rebellion. We would be besieged only to lose the mines again. More life lost without anything to show for it.” Steel Fang shook his head. “My little princesses deserve better than what they have been given. And I will make sure you get it, even if I must bare eternal shame when I pass.”

“But the mines, papa,” whispered Dragonfly. Both she and Steel Fang closed their eyes while turning their heads away from each other. They both knew that without thestral magic, the gems and ores that were abundant in Equestria would no longer grow back, that sooner or later, the vast riches that the thestral race had spent its entire existence cultivating and managing would eventually be depleted.

“I, er, well,” stumbled Pip as he stared at Cold Shut while massaging his sore hand. Given what he knew about Dark Bargain from his own personal experiences, it was hard to see why he’d chosen to marry somepony like this. She just seemed so much more…energized than he was.

“Speechless I see,” laughed Cold as she gave a playful slap to Pip’s back. Well, he hoped it was playful as it sprawled him to the floor “Oh, sorry about that. You be a weak little earth pony.”

“Yeah, I am,” replied Pip as he began to crawl back up. When Pip got onto his knees, he saw that Cold was holding out a hand for him which he accepted. As soon as their hands connected he felt like she was tossing him into the air before gently putting him back on his hooves.

“Well, it takes a big stallion to admit something like that,” said Cold as she began to pat some of the dust off of Pip’s suit. This, however, only resulted in her smearing the dust and soot on her gloves onto Pip’s jacket making it even filthier. “Sooooo, how’s Succubus doing these nights?”

“Ah good,” replied Pip as he spotted the mess Cold was making. He was about to ask her to stop when he realized what she had asked. “Do you know my wife?”

“Your wife?” Her eyes glittered.

“Long story -- I’ll tell you later.”

“Alright, I used to,” said Cold with a grin, pulling her hand away from Pip’s shoulder before placing it on her hip. “We used to play together all the time when her family invited mine over. But that was before she grew her, ah, breasts. When that happened her family kept her on a tight leash so nopony else would find out about it. Was really looking forward to seeing her again, but can’t really blame her for not wanting to come back here.” She then gave Pip a sly smile. “Is she still a free spirit?”

Pip couldn’t help but blush. “That’s putting it lightly,” he said, earning a laugh from Cold. “She actually convinced me to turn my bar into a strip club. Right now she’s the star attraction.”

This made Cold laugh even harder than before. “Oh stars above my head; that sounds like something she would do! I can remember all the times we would lock ourselves in her room and dance to imaginary music. Succubus would always ditch most of her clothing or try to find something that wasn’t so fancy. Other times she would bring out the books she stole from the other staff so we could practice our reading skills.” Cold Shut then bent over with her hands holding her stomach while laughing even harder. “I can still remember how my face heated up when we had to look up a bunch of the words we didn’t know.” As she said this, Cold backed up until her flank touched the stone wall behind her which she then used for support.

Pip warmly smiled at this display, happy to see that Succubus did have at least one friend down here her own age. He supposed that it was possible she had a normal life before the issues her society had with her body popped up. But then, his smile faded slightly as he realized something else. That not only was she made to be a prisoner here, but she also lost her friend. Maybe she lost more than just one. Maybe there were other fillies and colts Succubus used to play with as a child that she was forbidden to see ever again for something that was beyond her control. It was then that Pip realized he had a huge opportunity before him. Before him, bent over and laughing her flank off, was a mare who could share stories with him about Succubus. While she was opening up to him more and more since he had found out, Pip still wanted to find out more about his wife. Maybe he could even do something nice for her with this information? Not only that, but Pip would also be forming a friendship with his wife’s old friend and future sister in law.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear more,” said Pip.

“Naw, I don’t mind that in the slightest,” chuckled Cold as she pushed herself away from the stone wall. Moving rather quickly, Cold flung her arm around Pip’s neck. “But if I’m going to be telling you anything, it’ll be in the kitchen! Need to get some fluids in me and a snack while I’m at it.” At that moment, Pip’s stomach made a very loud noise causing him to make a face. “Well, well, looks like I’m not the only pony around here who’s belly needs filling. What’s the matter? Too nervous about meeting the Countess to eat anything?”

“N-No,” replied a still embarrassed Pip. “That’s not it at all. There just wasn’t-”

“Relax,” said Cold as she patted his chest with her free hand, no doubt leaving a bruise in the process. “Just having a good laugh is all. Been too long since I had I’ve had one. Think it’s been too long since anypony done here has had a good, honest laugh.” She then began to move, almost dragging Pip with her in a manner that reminded him of a more brutish winged Pinkie Pie. “Well, nothing like remembering the good old days to lighten one’s spirits over shadeberry tea!”

As the two made their way down the hallway, Pip suddenly remembered Dark Bargain. Would he be a horrible guest for not waiting in the room for either him or Night Shift? Not even leaving a note to where he was going during a time when it sounded like something major was happening? However, Pip was able to reason that he wasn’t really going anywhere other than the kitchen. And it was sort of their fault for not knocking on the door and telling Pip they were needed elsewhere, not to mention that he was with Dark’s future bride so it should be alright. At least, Pip hoped it would be alright.

As Cold turned to head back towards the spiraling stairway, Pip noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Peaking out of a doorway was Banshee who was glaring at Pip once again. For a while, Pip continued to look in her direction until the filly seemed to catch on that he was onto her. When that happened, her expression seemed to grow ever sourer before pulling her head back and out of view.

“Hey Pip,” called Cold, grabbing his attention. “What’s the hold up? I thought we were getting some grub.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Pip as he took a step before pausing again. He then looked back at where Banshee’s face had been. “Ah, would you mind waiting here for a second? I’d like to talk to Banshee first.”

Cold gave him an odd look. “From what I’ve heard, hasn’t she attacked you twice already?” she asked. “Might be smarter to avoid her for now. You know, not give her the lucky third time’s the charm?”

“Maybe,” agreed Pip with a sigh before looking back at the spot where Banshee’s head had been. “It’s just…I think this is something I have to do. She’s important to Succubus so I should at least try to see if we can get along, right?”

Cold gave him a look for a moment or two before finally shaking her head. “Go on then,” she said as she waved her hand. “I’ll be here waiting for you. Just try to scream if she uses that voodoo on you and I’ll come running.”

“Thanks,” said Pip as he turned fully and began to walk over to Banshee’s playroom. When he got there, the small stallion saw that the door was still open allowing him to see the entire room. He could see that Banshee was back in the corner of the room with her head down low again. Pip also noted that her tiny hands were clenched tightly to her dress so much so that he thought that she would rip it apart. Or perhaps she was so angry right now that she wanted to do something to him with the only thing stopping her was the knowledge of some sort of horrible punishment from Night Shift. At the very least, he knew he was safe from her powers since she didn’t have a new voodoo doll on her.

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Pip entered the room. As calmly as he could, the pinto walked towards the filly so that he wouldn’t upset her even more. The last thing he wanted to do was make her more tense or upset. Along the way, however, Pip noticed something on the small table that he hadn’t noticed before. Looking down, he saw that it was a crudely done drawing of two thestrals: one much smaller with the letter B above her and the larger one having the letter S. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the two smiling thestrals depicted there were supposed to be Banshee and Succubus. Pip then took a moment to look at where the picture laid on the table. It had been left in front of the two chairs closest to each other. If Pip had to guess, Succubus and Banshee used to sit there together.

“Go away,” came Banshee’s voice, starling Pip slightly. There was an edge to it that, if this were a normal filly, would have been amusing at how threatening it was trying to be, but Pip knew this wasn’t a normal filly and that the threat was dangerously real.

“I just want to talk,” said Pip as he took a step closer.

“Well I don’t wanna talk to you,” snapped Banshee as she turned to look at him. “I just want you to drop dead, sister stealer!”

“I didn’t steal your sister,” Pip said calmly while edging a bit closer. At that, Banshee leapt up from her seat and turned to look at Pip with fire in her young eyes.

“Then where is she?” demanded Banshee before stomping over to Pip. “Why hasn’t she come home yet? She’s missed every tea party we had planned! She hasn’t read to me in a really long time! She would never leave me here all by myself so you must be keeping her all to yourself! You big meanie!” Now close enough, Banshee punched Pip’s leg as hard as she could. It hurt, but thankfully not enough to make Pip cry out or anything like that.

“Look,” said Pip as he lowered himself to get down to her level. “I’m not the one keeping Succubus away from you. There are just…grown up issues that she’s dealing with. And she wants to move on with her life.”

“NO!” screamed Banshee. “I’m a part of her life!”

Pip’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake. “No, no, no,” he said quickly. “That’s not what I meant. See, she-” Pip paused as he racked his brain for an answer he could give that wouldn’t upset the filly. Something she could understand. But it was so very hard to do with those eyes looking back at him.

It was then that Pip heard a growling noise coming from Banshee. Not the vicious kind, but sounds of a stomach begging for food. There was amusement in seeming her expression shift slightly as Banshee became embarrassed while holding her stomach. Then Pip had an idea.

“Would you like to get something to eat?” he asked. “I’ll explain more during it; no sense in arguing on an empty stomach.” He forced good cheer.

Banshee shifted away from him a bit. “Why?” she demanded. “So you can get me into trouble? Because Miss Shift told me not to leave this room.”

“I’ll take the fall,” said Pip with a wink. “You know, in case we get caught I’ll just say it was my idea.” He paused to allow Banshee to think it over a bit. He could see the war going on inside of her. On one side, it was clear that she didn’t want to owe him any favors or be around him. On the other side, Banshee was clearly hungry and wanted to get out of this room. Pip continued. “Cold is waiting for us by the stairs. She said she’s going to be telling stories of when Succubus was a filly like you.”

Banshee’s eyes sparkled as she heard this. “Well,” she said slowly. “I guess so, as long as you promise I don’t get into any trouble.”

“I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep that from happening,” promised Pip as he held out his hand. Banshee looked at it for a moment before reaching out with her own. But before they made contact, she pulled away and began to walk towards the door. Pip shook his head a bit, but still got up and followed her. It was small, but he felt he was making at least some progress with her.

Dragonfly stumbled into the house, wiping away the tears from her face as she closed the door behind her. When she heard the familiar clicking noise that singled it was shut the mare moved so that her back was pressed against the door. Her wings began to hurt due to the pressure she put on them because of this, but Dragonfly didn’t care. Right now, she just wanted to be alone yet didn’t have the strength in her to lock the door.

Her ears twitched slightly as she heard the noises of her father working at his forge outside. Dragonfly knew he was trying to get his mind off of things, to do something he had a passion for even if the things he made weren’t up to his usual standard. After all, he wasn’t making weapons and armor for the Guard, but rather weapons he could sell to tourists that would just hang off on walls or behind glass cases sitting on top of fireplaces. These maces would never crush, falchions would never sever, and rapiers, would never rend. And the ores he was given were certainly not the best for this sort of work, but she could tell his heart is in it even less than normal. There was more of a lag between the blows of his hammer while the sound it made was lighter than normal.

Hearing this tore up Dragonfly’s heart so much that she nearly collapsed onto the floor. It hurt so much with all the hate still flowing through the air and the despair of those she loved all around her. The only hope she had seen and experienced all night had come from those who were excited to leave. Those…cowards who Succubus was convincing to leave their tribe behind. Like things were only tough on them! With clenched fists, Dragonfly tried to think of something that might help save Hollow Shades. Something that might help calm everypony down. This place was something that was worth saving, worth doing everything in their power to bring it back to its former glory. To be like the tales her papa just to talk about. Sadly, this proved to be difficult with the sad noises her papa was making outside as well as all the angry thoughts she had inside her head. Her thoughts remained angry and disjointed. Taking a deep breath, Dragonfly realized she needed to calm down if she was going to be of use to anypony. And nothing in all of Hollow Shades calmed her down like a nice, long shower. That thought brightened her up a bit, actually getting her to smile a bit as she walked over to the only bathroom in the entire house. Once inside, she closed the door before heading over to the shower and turning it on. She watched as it ran for a moment with her hand in the water’s path so she could check to see if the water was heating properly. For a minute or so she stood there as icy cold water slowly began to warm up before she pulled her hand back.

From there, Dragonfly took a few steps back so that she could better undress. Calmly she reached behind herself to unbutton her gown until there were no more buttons left. With it now loose enough Dragonfly quickly removed her dress from her form before hanging it up on a hoof on the wall. Her bra and panties, however, remained on as she walked into the now steaming hot water with a smile on her face. The instant the hot water hit her body; she let out a moan as she felt all of her worries wash off of her along with the dirt and water. She closed her eyes as the warmth seeped inside of her, relaxing her body.

She was so calm, so relaxed, that she didn’t even notice that her body was momentarily covered in emerald flames. When those flames vanished, a Changeling Queen stood in her place. She still retained the same face and mane, her fur was now replaced with chitin that was the same inky black color as her coat had been. Her tiny bat wings had vanished, replaced with four large wings that looked very much like the ones that resembled her name sake. On the top of her head was a large, jagged horn that almost scrapped the ceiling as Dragonfly turned about so that the water could hit her back.

As the water continued to pour over her, Dragonfly began to move her hands over her body starting with her breasts. Unlike her older one, this form wasn’t nearly as flat. If Succubus’ breasts could be compared to watermelons, then hers would be a pair of cantaloupe. Both of them looked firm, with large dark nipples that were now dripping water. Humming slightly, Dragonfly moved her hands so that one traveled down her slender figure while the other traced the opposite’s arms. Unlike other changelings, Dragonfly had no holes in either her arms or legs, so her hands glided across her chitin without any trouble. It was only when she reached her nether region did Dragonfly bring her hands back up. While Erotic may have written several stories about how Changeling Queens were futas or had some kind of penis, Dragonfly wasn’t like that at all. She was a one hundred percent female with a thin, virgin slit. Maybe there were some Changeling Queens like that but she didn’t know.

Or, more likely, it was just Erotic thinking it was more ‘hot’ to imagine something like that.

As Dragonfly let out another pleasant sigh, the sound of the front door opening could be heard causing Dragonfly to step out of the water. As the door closed she could heard Succubus loudly calling out her name causing her heart to race. She had forgotten that Succubus was staying with here! How could she have forgotten something so important!

“Just a minute,” Dragonfly called out as she turned off the water. “Don’t come in!” As she stepped out of the shower stall, Dragonfly began to focus her magic into her horn so she could transform into her thestral form. As her horn began to glow green, however, the door opened and there stood Succubus looking right at her. For a moment, the two just stood there as their stared at each other with wide eyes.

Gulping, Dragonfly spoke first. “Now, I know you’re freaking out right now,” she began slowly while raising her hands in a way she hoped wasn’t threatening. “But I need you to stay calm. “Yes, I-”

“You’ve got big boobs!” shouted Succubus

Dragonfly felt her lower jaw drop. “IS THAT REALLY THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICED?!”

“You should strip!” declared Succubus, running her hands up and down the naked mare. “You are beautiful! Come!” And so she dragged the naked Dragonfly from the room before she even had time to protest.

Author's Note

Special thanks to kalash93 and Koekelbag for their help with this chapter