And Hearts Will Change

The Opening Act

A dim, green light pierced the darkness of the tunnels in the heart of the Drakenridge Mountains, its pitiful glow illuminating a large passage of cleared rock and earth. The presence of several unmoving forms littering the floor caused the light’s source to shudder and sway, the sound of a distraught cry filling the area only to be swallowed by the all-encompassing emptiness of the void. The light moved away from the still, black husks and stalked further through the tunnel, its chitinous, black hooves clacking loudly upon the hard ground.

It paused at the sound of an insectoid buzzing and turned its light source in the direction of the noise. The turn halted on the forms of two black creatures, perfectly identical to the corpses it had revealed moments ago, flicking through the dank air above a third body, this one as still as the previous group. The flying beings loosed high pitched chirps before rearing back, fangs bared, before the light moved away with an angry huff, the sound of which rang through the air like a chorus of voices.

Soon, the illumination came upon a large, open room dug off to the side of the main tunnel series, the pathway easily passed over were it not for the familiarity of the layout. It stopped as it shone upon the mass of eggs set up in clusters upon the walls and floor, or, rather, what once were eggs. The silken shells lay, split open by the sharp horns of the black creatures buzzing around the room, the creatures that had feasted upon the growing young inside.

The light loosed a pained cry and grew in intensity, soon becoming a bright green flame that torched the insects that had feasted upon its children until none was left save her and the scant few unmolested unhatched children of her swarm. The lingering light of the flame she had conjured fully illuminated the light’s source, forcing it into view of any, although there were none to speak of, being that would happen to chance by.

The changeling queen stood, a grim frown upon her taut, chitinous face hidden partially by her stringy lime hair. She looked down at a single unharmed egg between her hole-ridden legs and choked back her sadness and anger. She knew it wouldn’t help in any way, her children were not to blame. Not even with the use of her hive-mind could she have prevented this. Hunger can drive any creature to desperate acts, and when you had little self-control outside of her instructions?

She shook her head and turned to leave. There wasn’t any reason for her to remain anymore. Her hive had broken free of her control, the bonds severed by their growing need to feed, and were now cannibalizing each other in droves. As she neared the exit of the long, intricate tunnels beneath the quiet mountain, she stopped and took one last fleeting glance at her nest. “I shall be back, my children.” Her voice hung in the air, its swarm like sounds resonating in the hollow chamber. “We need to feed and the dragons can no longer sustain us. No, now we must move on to the ponies.” Abandoning her hive, she buzzed her insectoid wings and flew off into the sky, her lithe, equine body flitting gracefully through the night air.

It wasn’t until she spotted a small town just under the gaze of Canterlot’s peak that she landed, assuming the guise of an unassuming mare, and began to formulate her plan to attain the sustenance she required. “Yes, this will do nicely.”

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

The light of the moon and stars shone brightly on the balcony of a certain library, as if their beauty shone solely for the lavender unicorn sitting between the boughs of her tree-home. Twilight carefully adjusted the direction of her telescope’s sight, aiming it perfectly for the set of constellations of the northern hemisphere, her favorites. “Another wonderful night for stargazing. Princess Luna certainly has been outdoing herself lately. It’s a far better view than what Princess Celestia was capable of.” She blinked and gasped in shock at what she said. “Not that Princess Celestia did poorly at arranging the night sky! I mean, she did have to control the sun and the moon and-” She paused, taking a moment to giggle at herself. “And I just tried to justify my words to myself.”

Twilight sighed with a smile. “I really can overreact sometimes. Now, where was-” Her thoughts halted abruptly when she spotted a lone mare trotting casually down the central road of Ponyville, taking her directly beside her balcony. “That’s strange. I’ve never seen her before. Perhaps she’s lost? Maybe I should ask if she needs anything.”

Without wasting a second, Twilight stood from the pillow she had been resting upon and rushed through the library, carefully setting down her telescope downstairs from where she had brought it inside. In seconds, she stood just outside her front door as the black-blue pony passed by. “Excuse me? Are you okay? It’s not often I see another pony out so late and you’re definitely new to Ponyville. Are you lost? Do you need any assistance?”

The unicorn, as Twilight could tell now that she was closer by, looked up and smiled. “Why, yes. I could use some help. You see, I am travelling to Canterlot and have been on the road for quite a while now, I live in a small settlement just north of the Drakenridge Mountains, so I’m quite tired. I was hoping to find someplace to rest, but this town doesn’t have an inn. Do you perhaps know of a place I could stay for a few days?”

Twilight gasped and stood to the side, ushering the pony inside. “Wow, that’s quite the distance to have travelled by hoof! You must be exhausted. I’m sure there are better places you could stay in, but, seeing as I’m usually the only pony awake at this hour, why don’t you stay with me? After all, it’s just me and my assistant staying here and we have a spare bedroom you could use.” She smiled warmly as the pony stepped in past her before shutting the door and welcoming her with a sweep of a hoof. “Well, it’s not much as it is a library, but welcome to my home. Now, I’ll have to readjust my schedule to fit you in so I don’t lose any time, but I have a few open spaces that can be filled in order to accommodate you. Oh! I almost forgot! My name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?”

The mare grinned wider and bowed her head slightly, her thin, lime hair falling gracefully across her muzzle. “I’m Skysong. Thank you for allowing me to room here. I thought I’d never find a place to rest my hooves.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure. We rarely get any newcomers to Ponyville, but I’m sure you’ll find that everypony here will be very welcoming.” Twilight glanced towards a door in the back of the library, set between a pair of large bookshelves. “The guest room is right there and the bathroom is just through the door to your left when you go upstairs. My room is attached to it, but you don’t have to worry about waking me if you need to go. I’m a heavy sleeper. Well, if you need anything else, I’ll still be awake for a couple more hours and my assistant Spike will be able to help you in the morning if you wake before me. Any questions?”

Skysong shook her head and began the short trip to her temporary bedroom. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you again for helping me.”

Twilight watched as she slipped into the guest room and smiled, pleased with herself. I’ll have to write a letter to Celestia about this. Sure, it won’t be something as important as a friendship report, but I think she’ll be happy that I’m helping ponies without prompt. As she trotted back upstairs to resume her stargazing, her mind was already burning through the procedures of letter writing, preparing for the one she would be sending in the morning.

Dear Princess Celestia,...

Despite what she had said to her current hostess, the unicorn-disguised changeling was not nearly as tired as she said. She sat in her bed, eagerly awaiting the unicorn mare’s descent into sleep. “Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm. Oh, this will be much simpler than I thought. I forgot how trusting these ponies can be with Celestia on the throne. Oh, mother, you were wrong. There isn’t any way feeding off them could go poorly. Look at where I am now!” She stood and climbed from her mattress to stand in front of the small mirror hanging upon a wall in her room, then dropped her disguise in a flash of green flame.

Her pure black face stared back at her through the mirror, the frail flesh of her mouth curling up in a smile. Oh, I do so enjoy the love radiating from this town. It's so abundant and ripe for the taking! I honestly do not know why mother warned against feeding from the ponies. They're so trusting. She watched the green pools that were her eyes bob and weave in the near lightless room, the luminescent orbs moving with her ecstatic dancing.

She halted when she could no longer feel the full strength of the lavender mare's love, the lowered output a sign that she had finally fallen asleep. Slowly, quietly, the changeling crept from her room, up the stairs, and onto the landing where her host slumbered. She sighed, smiling at the mare curled beneath her blankets. “Ohh, sweet pony. If only you could feel the strength you give me as well.” Being careful not to disturb her prey, she lit her jagged horn and enveloped Twilight in its glow. The room brightened slightly for the few moments that the spell remained active, but she dared not leave it running its course for long.

The flow of magic ended abruptly and the queen sighed in content. “Ahh, sweet sustenance. It is a pity that I cannot devour such unfocused emotion in higher quantities. A true shame. Regardless, I thank you, pony, for the strength you have provided me.” In the tradition passed on by her predecessor, she leaned down and planted a soft kiss upon her food’s forehead. Such a pointless act. Why have I continued now that mother is dead? Our food does not deserve our respect or thanks. Regardless, it is time to start formulating a course of action. If I am to replenish my swarm, then I will have to make her love directly. A soft chuckle escaped her lip as she returned to her room and reapplied her disguise. Yes, this time is going to be just.... Perfect.

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

While Twilight normally enjoyed the sun, her mentor, ruler, and mother figure being the one in control of the celestial body, today, however, she silently cursed its piercing rays as they fell perfectly upon her closed eyes, blinding her through her eyelids. Ohh, Princess, why can’t you wait another hour? I feel like I didn’t get any sleep last night. Despite her protests and attempt at dissuading the sun from continuing its spiteful glare, the beam upon her face refused to let up and, so, the studious mare found herself dragging her own body from the comfort of her mattress. “Ugh, why am I so tired? Oh well, I hope Skysong had better luck sleeping than I- Oh no! I forgot to tell Spike that we had a guest! Spike! Spiiiiiike!”

“What, Twilight!? I’m trying to cook, here!” The baby dragon poked his head from the kitchen, his face showing mild annoyance.

“Oh! I wanted to tell you that we have-”

“Company? Yeah, I know. I saw her when I went to the bathroom earlier. Nearly gave me a heart attack! Why didn’t you leave a note or something?”

Twilight chuckled, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, Spike. It was kind of sudden and I was just a teensy bit distracted last night. Anyway, where is the pony in question? I figure that, once we have breakfast, we could possibly figure out what she likes to do. Don’t want to keep her cooped up all day doing nothing for the time she’ll be here.”

“I am here.” Skysong stepped out from her room, her green hair tied up in a bun. “I heard you were talking about me. Was there something you wished to know?”

Twilight flushed slightly and looked away from the mare. “Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk about you without you knowing. I was just wondering what kinds of things you’re interested in. You know, that way you won’t be bored while you’re here. I remember reading a book about housing guests and one of the first things it told me I should do is find a way to entertain them and since I don’t really know anything about you, I figured it’d be best to just ask!”

“Ah, I see. Well, I am an easy pony to keep entertained. I enjoy others, or, more specifically, learning about others. Why, I’m sure that a mare such as yourself, one that lives in a library with her own dragon, would have plenty of things to regale me with.” She grinned when the purple unicorn flushed brighter and nodded. This is going to be much simpler than I thought. She is just yearning to tell me all about herself.

“Breakfast is served!” Spike quickly waddled from the kitchen, his pink apron helping to rest the platter of waffles, eggs, and potatoes on his stomach. “I hope you girls are ready to eat, because I’m starving!”

A soft gurgle sounded from the bookish unicorn followed by a nervous chuckle and a nod of agreement. “Yes, I most certainly am. I guess all my stargazing left me famished. We can talk all you want after breakfast, Skysong. Is that alright?”

The changeling nodded and took a seat, gazing at the plate set before her. “I won’t be leaving anytime soon, so what’s a few minutes to attain required sustenance?” The trio ate in relative silence, the only sounds that filled the area being the clinking of silverware on porcelain as their meal drew on. The dark unicorn watched the other two carefully, not once taking her eyes from the pair as they ate. The dragon would be impossible to impersonate. It is obvious that they know each other very well. She would notice the differences in our personalities....

As their meal came to an end, the three turned to planned discussion. “So, Skysong, what would you like to know? I’m not the most interesting of ponies, but I’m always glad to assist in scholarly pursuits.”

“Why don’t you tell me where you grew up?” Twilight cocked her head slightly, her surprise evident upon her face. “Always start with the beginnings, I say. Of course, if you’re not comfortable we can change the topic.” Or I’ll force it from you later, whelp.

The librarian chuckled and nodded. “Of course. It just caught me off guard. I’m still pretty new to the whole ‘meeting new ponies’ thing.” She turned her gaze to the ceiling, lost in thought, before focusing back on her guest and smiling. “Well, I was born in Canterlot, the rural town just at the base of the mountain to be exact, and lived in a bookstore with my parents. I’ve always had a hunger for knowledge and learning, so I often spent my time reading the stuff my parents had for sale. I guess I’m what my friend Rainbow Dash would call an egghead.

“Anyways, when I was a filly, I was accepted into the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns under the Princess’ personal tutelage.”

Skysong’s eyes widened as she leaned in. “You were a student under Cel- Erm.... Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, yes! I still am. In fact, were it not for her, I wouldn’t be anything like the mare I am today. I was truly lucky to be able to study under her wing like I was.” Twilight beamed proudly, her typical humble nature overpowered by her pride of her tutelage.

This is even better! Not only have I found a pony willing to take another in unquestioningly, but a student of the princess. Oh, her pure love must be so delectable. “Do you still stay in contact with the princess?”

“Eager to learn, are we? I admire your studious nature. And, yes, in fact, I still do. I send friendship reports to her quite often. Well, anytime my friends or I learn something about friendship, that is.”

“Friendship reports? She still requires you to do assignments for her?”

Twilight chuckled nervously, hiding her blushing face behind her hoof as she pretended to scratch her nose. “Well, when I lived with Princess Celestia, I had a tendency to ignore other ponies and focus more on books and studying. She always said she liked how dedicated I was and she never told me, specifically, to go and make friends. And, when your mentor is kind of like a second mom, you tend to try and please them as much as you can. Well, when I came to Ponyville, rather, when she sent me to Ponyville in the lull of Nightmare Moon’s return, she told me to make some friends and then, after everything was over, bid me to write reports on my growing knowledge of friendship while I stayed here in Ponyville.”

“You should have seen her when she was late for one of her reports. She was flipping out like crazy! Twi has a tendency to overreact when things don’t work out as scheduled.”

“Spike!” Another nervous laugh and she returned her focus to her guest. "Anyways, that's just about the story of my life. All jokes about my quirks aside, I'm a pretty boring bookworm. I tend to like to read, learn, and, well, study magic."

Skysong almost laughed in the mare's face, but withheld her mirth concerning the unicorn's plain nature for progress' sake. "I'm sure there's plenty of fascinating things about you that you're just too humble to admit. So, how was life back-"

"Hey, Twilight! Gooooooood morning!" In a matter of seconds, the relative peace of the breakfast table was shattered by a high-energy mass of pink that proceeded to bullet straight into the stunned bookworm. "So, thought you could hide your new friend and keep her all to yourself, did you?"

"Pinkie, I wasn't-"

"Well, I'm here to prove you wrong!” Her grin grew to impossible lengths as she pulled out a trio of party invitations and handed them to each of the ponies plus dragon. “I’m going to host a party tonight and you’re all invited!” A burst of confetti exploded from behind her as she shouted ‘invited’ and slowly settled on the library’s floor. “You don’t have to bring a gift, but the guest of honor is a must! I'll see you at the party, missy!" Just as quickly as she had come, the pink mare was gone, dashing away to hand off invitations.

The pair stared after her, neither of them entirely sure why that had happened. The silence drew on until Skysong recovered. “Does that happen... often?”

Twilight groaned, but did so with a smile. “Yes, in fact, it does. Honestly, I’m more surprised it took her this long to show up. Well, I was planning on having you meet everypony today anyways, so I guess that will be taken care of.” She took a quick glance at the slip of paper and giggled. “Pretty soon, too. We can go take a walk for the thirty minutes we have until then, how’s that s- Are you okay?”

The taller mare shook her head, clearing the shock from her system. “Uhm, yes. I’m fine, just mildly stunned.” I am glad that I hadn’t found that pony first. I likely would have gone insane. How does she even talk that fast? I’ll have to avoid her. “The walk sounds good, though. Perhaps I’ll learn something of your liking for this town.”

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

The changeling queen watched intently from a corner of the Town Hall, commissioned and decorated for the party said to be in her honor. All around her were multi-hued ponies dancing, chatting, and just enjoying themselves as Pinkie Pie’s party played on full-swing. Beside her stood a group of five, each of which was, and had been her focus for quite some time.

Twilight merrily chatted with her group of friends, the small circle of ponies like a seeming island of salvation from the hubbub of the rest of the party-goers. She had been observing the lilac mare since the party started, keeping an eye on her actions and who she mingled with. At one point there had been seven in her group, but the white unicorn that had been introduced as Rarity had wandered off in order to mingle with other ponies, followed closely by the purple dragon.

As the gathering continued on, Skysong found herself assailed by other ponies quite often, asking her questions about where she had come from, how she was enjoying the town so far, and what it was like to travel among some of them. She answered in kind, not wishing to draw any unneeded suspicion, neither too eager to engage in conversation with the driveling mass should her mark move away without her noticing.

Two more of Twilight’s group of ponies broke off, each seeking to talk to friends they hadn’t conversed with recently, leaving the unicorn with the brash pegasus and the shy one. Neither of which seemed all too eager to abandon their friend, nor did they wish to ignore the other ponies, but a quick dismissing hoof from Twilight sent them, too, on their way to mingle, the yellow pegasus much more reluctant than the rainbow maned one.

The dark unicorn frowned inwardly as she watched the remainder of the six depart, noting the longing look on her host’s features. Those six would be ideal for replacing, but she seems much too familiar with them for me to pull off the swap without her noticing. Their personalities are too complex, too individual, and she’s much too close to them. Soon, Skysong was joined by her fellow unicorn who loosed a sad sigh as she plopped down beside her.

“You must truly love those ponies. Closest friends indeed.”

“Yeah. They’re great. They were the first ponies I met when I came to Ponyville last year and the ones that stuck with me when we freed Princess Luna and defeated Discord. Without them, I would be just some boring unicorn living alone in a tower library.” She chuckled and shook her head. “At least now I’m a boring unicorn living in a tree library with six best friends a mare could ask for.”

“You say you defeated Discord? And freed Princess Luna? I thought he was a god and she imprisoned by jealousy?” Her mind reeled back to the history lessons given to her by her mother, each story passed down from queen to queen, recounting the tales of Luna’s fall from grace and Discord’s tyranny. “Princess Celestia required the use of powerful magic to stop them. How is it a group of mares were able to do what the ruler of Equestria needed arcane assistance with?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought it was relatively common knowledge after this Discord incident. You see, my friends and I represent the Elements of Harmony. We each embody a single element.” A warm smile graced her lips and Twilight found herself reminiscing on events of the past. She quickly snapped out of her daydream when she noticed her companions gaze still upon her. “I guess that’s why we’re so close.”

Skysong prepared to question the mare further, seeking out a way to grow closer to her, when a pair of newcomers approached from the mob of others. “Hey, Twilight! How’s it like housing this cutie? She seems like she’d be a tiger, if you know what I mean.” The wine colored pony slurred her words as she spoke, a bottle of berry-flavored alcohol held in the grasp of her hoof, and winked at the librarian.

“I- Uhm.... Uhhh....” The changeling ruler arched an eyebrow, surprised at her normally open-spoken hosts sudden nervousness. Her azure-colored pegasus friend and asked the same question, albeit much less drunkenly, which had been dismissed immediately. Another frown joined the one currently displayed on Twilight’s muzzle.

“Aww, don’t worry ‘bout her, Twi’. She’s just drunk. We actually came over here to welcome the new pony and to ask if you’d need any help. With just you and Spike, I’m sure it can get difficult having another pony over.” The second pony, a blue unicorn with an hourglass for a cutie mark, nudged the first away and sighed as her companion staggered off into the crowd. “Well, I’d better go keep track of Berry lest she start causing trouble. I don’t know why Pinkie even brings alcohol to her parties. She knows that mare will drink it all. Anyways, see you!”

“Y-yeah. See you....”

This will be much more difficult than I thought. She may be open and free with her close friends, but seems to have issues communicating with any others. If it wasn’t for my changeling charm, she’d most likely have let me pass by as well. I will have to find another way to get closer to her, or find another pony.

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

Twilight sighed heavily as she stepped past the threshold of her house followed by a much less beleaguered Skysong. As she levitated her baby dragon up to his bed, she cast a quick glance at her temporary roommate. "How are you not exhausted? I never come home from a Pinkie party without at least five days worth of fatigue." She chuckled and moved to sit at her writing desk nestled up against the wall.

"I am more accustomed to larger crowds. I could tell that you don't do very well outside of your comfort zone of friends. That in itself can wear a pony down quickly." The larger unicorn joined her hostess at the desk, but a glint of light caught her eye as it reflected off a waxen gold surface. "You have a letter, Twilight."

“Huh? That’s strange. Why would I have a letter? The mail already came tod- OH!” She rushed over to the rolled parchment, grasping it firmly in her magic. “It’s from the princess! Why didn’t she send it by Spike? She couldn’t have known about the party today. Ohh, I hope it wasn’t sitting here for too long. I don’t want Princess Celestia getting angry at me for not replying sooner.”

The changeling arched a brow questioningly. “Does the princess always get angry whenever you fail to immediately respond to a letter?”

“Well..., no, but I never know when she will! She’s the ruler of Equestria!” Despite her mild panic, the young mare quickly unfurled the letter and glanced over the words. “Oh! It’s a reply to the letter I sent about Princess Luna!”

Her curiosity piqued, Skysong leaned closer, attempting to read over Twilight’s shoulder. Luckily, the mare didn’t seem bothered at all.

My Most Faithful Student,

Thank you for your concern over my sister’s well-being since her return to Equestria. It gladdens my heart to see your attempts at trying to help reintegrate Luna back into Equestrian society and it brings me much joy to hear that you’d be willing to assist her should she wish it. I admit that she has been having issues recently, mostly due to the vast differences in customs as compared to a millenium ago, but she wishes to try and solve this dilemma on her own. For now, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on her and, if she seems like she would need a friend, I’ll be sure to inform you right away.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

A wicked smile drew itself across Skysong’s face as she read across the short, but very informative letter, plans of action already beginning to formulate in her mind. Ohoho.... This will be much simpler than I may have thought.... “So, the young princess has been having difficulty meshing back into pony society? I’m quite surprised, but I’m not surprised that she is trying to solve this problem independently. That does seem like something she would attempt, as far as the history books are concerned.”

“Yeah, I was worried that she wouldn’t be able to fit in with her reputation, but I’m glad it doesn’t seem to be the ponies causing the issues. I just hope she’ll ask for help if she needs it.”

The dark unicorn nodded and looked out a window, staring intently at the pale face of the moon. “Speaking of help, I must thank you for yours. It was kind of you to allow me to stay without even knowing who I was.”

“Oh, it wasn’t any issue at all. In fact, I felt quite compelled to do so.”

“Regardless, thank you, but I must be leaving if I want to make it to Canterlot within the day. I just want to make sure my hooves are rested before I depart.”

“Oh? Are you sure you have to leave now? I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to stay another day and I’m sure my friends would love to help keep you company.” She glanced out the window at the growing darkness. “And it’s pretty late. Are you sure you don’t want to at least wait till morning?”

Skysong chuckled, and shook her head. “I much prefer to travel at night, especially during the summer times. It’s much cooler and makes for far less periods of rest. I thank you, Twilight, for your concern.” She is already influenced by my draining. It’s a shame that such a poor hold won’t hold until I return, but it shows how easily influenced this mare can be.

“Well, be safe on your trip. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt right after I let you go, would I?” She laughed, watching intently as the blue-black unicorn opened the front door to her tree home. She couldn't help but to feel a miniscule sense of longing for the mare to stay, but pushed the feeling down as she disappeared from view. With a quick flip of her magic, Twilight shut her door and raced upstairs to her balcony, watching as her short-term ward walked down the street, moving ever further towards her destination. "You're always welcome to come back, Skysong! Come back any time!" The mare stopped and turned her head and Twilight hoped that she had heard her, but she didn't seem to have understood the words due to the distance. Hanging her head, the studious mare trudged back to her bed and lay upon it, thoughts stuck on the strange, but welcome mare that had been so interested in her.

As she began to succumb to the pull of slumber, she couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to the mysterious mare that had just left. She found it odd that anypony be so interested in her, rather boring, life, but what was even stranger was Twilight’s own disposition towards her. I’ve never been so outgoing with a pony I’ve just met. Such an odd occurance, but I guess it’s just due to her natural charisma. She pictured the blue-black mare, smiling as she spoke of her life leading up to the current point in time. Her slim figure, beautiful green hair and eyes. I guess it helps that she’s rather attractive, too.

Twilight bit her lip as she slowly moved a hoof further below the sheets, picturing the mare’s shapely body. She wasn’t really aroused, as was apparent by the lack of lubrication for her hoof, but the mental images of a certain pony helped to rectify the issue. Her hoof made contact, barely scraping over her breasts as it descended between her thighs, and began gently massaging her soft lips. She gasped and closed her eyes, beginning to imagine another pony’s hoof manipulating her folds, neon green eyes staring sensually into her own purple.

A slight grin drew itself across her face as her fantasy drew on, the careful ministrations of ‘Skysong’s hoof’, moistening her box. Soon, however, it just wasn’t enough. Her horn lit, glowing magenta as she applied a little magic to her love to replace her hoof. She ‘saw’ the dark unicorn lean down towards her sensitive sex, tongue hanging out, until, finally, she made contact once more. The magic worked over the slickened lips, spreading them open as if it truly was the mare’s pink muscle, and drew all the way up to her aching clitorus.

She spasmed when the firm nub was flicked by the ‘tongue’, stiffening as a torrent of desire blanketed her. Again, it soon came to be too little. She worked the magic over her peak, vigorously stroking, twisting, pulling, and squeezing it as if Skysong we working it over with her beautiful lips and teeth. Twilight groaned, rubbing her legs together as she drew closer to the release she desire. Just... a little... more....

She split her magic in two, leaving one tendril to massage her bead, taking the form of the unicorn’s hoof in her mind once more, and trailed the other back down to her sopping hole. The magic snaked inside of her and expanded, twisted, and writhed in her burning love tunnel. She pushed it further, meeting resistance, and stopped. No.... I can’t go further. It might not be real, but I don’t want to disappoint my mate. With a sigh frustration at having deprived herself once more, Twilight pulled the magic out, squirming at the amazing sensation, and refocused her efforts.

Without waiting for any more of herself to lubricate her magic’s passage, she thrust the force into her backside and grunted at the intrusion. With practised ease, Twilight weaved the magic inside of her, coiling it and manipulating her cavity with as much strength as her lust addled mind could muster until it finally tipped her over the summit.

She orgasmed, moaning softly into her pillow to keep from waking Spike, as her marehood pooled its come into her sheets, soiling them as well as her tail. Quickly, she recovered from her climax, not her greatest one, but certainly one of her fastest, and panted heavily. Her leg was sore, but it was nothing she couldn’t just sleep off. More concerning, however, was her inability to remember the details of the mare she had envisioned during her masturbation session. She pondered over the meaning of it, concerned that one of her most prized endowments had failed to meet her expectations, but groaned when she couldn’t come to the conclusion as to why it had happened.

Well, at least she said she’d return. Maybe I’ll be able to figure out why I can’t remember anything about her. At least I won’t have to worry about her finding out I just masturbated while using her in my fantasy. She grinned, blushing, and closed her eyes, finally drifting off into the slumber that had evaded her moments prior.

The changeling queen buzzed only a few hundred meters from Ponyville, hovering in the air with her acute vision focused on the open balcony doors leading to Twilight’s bedroom, and grinned. Oh, I’ll be back much sooner than you think, Twilight. I’ll be back and you’ll give me so much more of your love....

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

The cool night air blew in through the open balcony, rustling Twilight’s hair as she read under the flickering light of a candle. She sighed as she came to the conclusion of her novel, the ending leaving her unsatisfied and yearning for a sequel, but she couldn’t blame the author. You can’t just leave a multi-part story off on an all-encompassing wrap-up, or you won’t have any ponies yearning to obtain the next in the series. It does remind me of a similar issue I’ve been having, though.

She trailed her vision to the main road heading into the town square, the same road a visitor had come through and left upon nearly a week prior. “It’s so frustrating! Why can’t I remember who that pony was? I can’t even remember if it even was a pony, yet my friends remember her very well. At least I can take their word for it. According to them, she hasn’t come back through here, so I guess I’m doomed to-”

Twilight paused, the sound of disturbed foliage catching her ear. She wouldn’t typically pay any notice to the noise any other time, but this was different. It wasn’t the rustling of bushes due to the wind, but instead something more akin the movement of a large being. “Hello? Is somepony there? Rainbow Dash?” She sighed and stepped out onto the balcony, staring up into the greenery above. “Come on out, Dash. There isn’t any point in pranking me if I know you’re- Eep!”

She started, stumbling to the ground as a pair of deep blue eyes stared down at her. A large, midnight-blue frame gently, but firmly hovered down into view on powerful wings, a starry mane and sharp horn gracing the being’s head. Twilight gasped, momentarily shocked by the mare’s sudden appearance, but expediently recovered her senses and bowed as her company’s station demanded. “P-Princess Luna! I didn’t expect to see you here! S-sorry about mistaking you for my friend! You see, she often comes by to play pranks on me and I thought that she might have been doing it again, but I never thought to see you without some notification of your visitation!”

“Be silent, Twilight Sparkle. We have not any need for thine explanations. Our coming here tonight was not meant to be disclosed prior to our arrival.” The night goddess smiled slightly, but kept her royal air about her. “Thou art free to rise at thy leisure. There is not any reason for thee to be so formal. We are here for personal matters, after all.

The lavender unicorn chuckled and rose from her prostrated position. “Well, I’m certainly surprised. Your coming here like this was almost as expected as the Maneish Inquisition.” She giggled at her little joke, but the humor seemed to have been lost on the princess.

“We’re not quite sure we understand. Was that supposed to be a pun?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “It was an obscure reference and I had hoped you’d know it. It was supposed to try and lighten the mood, not make it more stiff.” She smiled regardless and motioned for the night princess to come inside. “So, what brings you to Ponyville, Your Majesty?” She watched as the regal mare strode across her room and took a seat at the writing table in the corner before sitting herself upon the floor beside her bed. “From your letter, it sounded as if you wouldn’t want to come to Ponyville any time soon.”

“It was not our intention to deceive thee or our sister, but we did say we would be going about this in our own manner, our own time.” Her smile turned somewhat devious as she leaned in closer to her young host. “We did not wish for our sister to know of our intentions when we are so adamant on helping ourselves. It is a rather difficult thing to overcome, our pride, that is.”

“You know, Princess, you could have just sent me a letter yourself. You didn’t have to be so sneaky about it.” Twilight grinned and shook her head.

“But where is the fun in that? We find it much more exciting to live dangerously. Plus, my sister has guards watching us at all times.” She heaved a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes at the statement. “We could not send a letter and just leave without a guard regimen following us everywhere we went. ‘Tis a royal pain. Our sister.... She fears our ponies will hate us. And Canterlot? Canterlot... is a silly place. Too many rules and regulations. We only wish to make friends, Twilight Sparkle, and from what our sister has told us of thee, thine friendship is of great importance to us.”

Twilight smiled wider, and nodded. “I’ll be glad to be your friend and help you make other friends, Princess. How long will you be here tonight? Should I go make tea?”

Luna thought for a moment before giving a little nod. She lit her horn, the appendage glowing a bright green, and levitated the book Twilight had been reading over to herself. “We shall read while thou prepares the tea.” She opened the book to the first page, but halted when she noticed Twilight staring at her. “Is something the matter, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Oh, no! I just- You can call me just Twilight, if you want to.” She looked away, blushing lightly, but her gaze eventually drew itself back to her ruler. “Actually, I do have one question. You wouldn’t happen to have met a pony recently, would you? I’m afraid I don’t know much about her other than what my friends have told me, but she had green hair and an almost black coat. Do you know of her?”

Luna shook her head slowly and smiled sadly. “We are afraid that we know nothing of this pony. Why is it that thou asks?”

“I’m not sure, but I just feel something. It’s familiar, but I can’t quite place where I felt it before. I thought that, if you knew her, then it might explain the sensation somewhat, but I guess not.” She shook her head, sending any stray thoughts further out of her mind and turned for the stairs once more. “I’ll go get the tea started. I’ll try not to take too long, Princess Luna.”

Luna followed Twilight with her eyes as she hastened down the stairs, watching the unicorn until she had disappeared entirely into the kitchen, then beamed widely, her perfect, white teeth displaced by two pairs of gleaming fangs. Her eyes flashed green, as she chuckled, making sure that her laughter never rose to a volume that the scholar would be able to hear. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle, I feel that you will become quite accustomed to that sensation. All the way until I’ve sucked you dry and left nothing behind, but a husk....”

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

Author’s Notes: Woo! This is gonna be interesting. It won’t be nearly as long as ATFN or ND, probably about 4 chapters ish depending on how I get it to work out completely, but it’s an idea that’s been buzzing around my head like a swarm of changelings since the episode aired. I hope you enjoy this and don’t mind the pacing. There’s so much I want to do, but not enough patience to do it with, so it’ll all have to be either skimmed over (the important stuff, but not completely crucial), forgotten (the stuff that would just fluff it), or fleshed out (everything that truly matters [such as the clop :D]). For now, enjoy! Peppy out~!

Editor’s Notes: This chapter should have been completed a long time ago, but I am ashamed to say that I introduced Peps to A Game of Thrones... There is something to be said for persistence though. I was so far up peppy’s ass about finishing this that I could see out of his mouth. Now to go bleach that image out of my mind and sleep. Cya.