Sea stood there in shocked silence for a long moment as she stared at Scootaloo. Had she heard that correctly? Was she actually turning into a Changeling because of the Driver? That didn’t even make sense, why would that happen?

She just stared in stunned silence for a moment as Scootaloo tried to explain it to her. She only caught a few bits and pieces of it, barely paying attention to what the old Pegasus was saying. Finally, she felt her legs go weak and she collapsed to the floor in a faint.

“Sea!” Jasper shouted as she ran over to Sea and held her close. She sighed a little as she looked back at her Grandmother. “Well, that could have gone better…”

“I know, I know,” Scootaloo said with a groan. “Vira, can you check her over? Jasper, get her to the lab. Take the hidden passage, we don’t want to raise too many questions.”

“Got it Grandma,” Jasper said as she helped Sea up carefully. She nodded to Vira as they opened a hidden door that lead to a set of stairs. These had been set up all over Ponyville to move in and out of secure locations without attracting attention. “Vira… you’re absolutely certain about this, right? This isn’t just a false alarm?”

“Believe me, I wish it was,” Vira sighed. The Zebra mare had a worried look on her face as they made their way down the tunnel. “I’ve admittedly never seen anything like this before, but her blood tests are showing all the hallmarks of being a Changeling. If she stops, she’ll be fine.”

“Which is her choice to make, not ours,” Jasper reminded her. “You and my grandmas should’ve told us this as soon as you found out. She had a right to know what’s happening to her and you all know it.”

“Yeah, she did, but it was Scootaloo’s choice, if you’re going to be mad at anypony be mad at her,” Vira replied and sighed. “She understands that this is going to be hard on Sea. And on you, and if Sea wants to stop fighting we’ll understand.”

“I wouldn’t blame her if she did,” Jasper said. “But we’ll see how it goes I guess. Right now, that’s about all we can do.”

The two mares walked in silence as they emerged out into the Resistance’s base under the library. They took another door and walked down into the lab as Jasper laid Sea gently on a bed. The Unicorn groaned a little as her eyes fluttered open and she realized where she was.

“What happened?” She asked hoarsely. “The last thing I remember is being told that… uh… yeah…”

“Sea, everything is going to be okay,” Jasper said as she gently placed her hoof on Sea’s. “You don’t have to do this anymore if you don’t want to. I don’t think anypony would blame you, and I can handle this on my own from now on.”

Sea paused a little at that as she thought about it. Jasper was a capable fighter while Sea was still learning a lot about how to fight the Changelings. It wasn’t even that she hadn’t proven herself capable at this point, but Sea knew that Jasper was way better at it than her. She looked down at her hooves for a moment as she thought about it.

If she kept fighting as Kamen Rider Scarab, all that it would do would be to turn her into a Changeling. She would be able to save ponies sure, but she would lose her equinity. Was that worth it at this point?

Was it worth protecting ponies if she was going to no longer be one? That was the hardest question she ever had to ask herself.

“I don’t know what to do,” she finally admitted as she released Jasper’s hoof. “It just feels so much like taking the easy way out. But at the same time, I don’t want to lose sight of who I am. And because of that… I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m doing this to protect ponies, but… yeah.”

“Yeah, I think I understand,” Jasper sighed. “And I would understand if you left this life. I guess, we both have to take a long look at ourselves and decide what to do. I’m not going to force you to keep fighting. Make your own choice, Sea.”

“Okay… I will,” Sea said with a soft smile. “I’m going to have to think about this for a long time though. This is going to be the hardest decision of my life, because it’s going to affect my whole life.”

“I know, and I’m going to be by your side every step of the way,” Jasper said as she hugged Sea gently. “Take care, okay Sea? I need to go see if I can figure out where that other Changeling ran off to…”

“Okay,” Sea said softly and hugged her back. “Stay safe out there, okay?”

“I will,” Jasper replied as she walked out of the lab and gave Vira a nod. “She’d better be okay.”

“Jasper, you have nothing to worry about,” Vira said as she shook her head a little. “She’s going to be just fine.”

“I hope so,” Jasper said as she opened the door. She looked back at Sea for a moment, the Unicorn was still looking afraid, but she had calmed down a little.

She was just going to have to hope that Sea would make the right decision. Whatever was the right decision at this point.

00000

“Are you sure about this?” Sweetie Belle asked as Scootaloo looked over the few papers they had pertaining to their prisoner. “You don’t have to be the one who interrogates her you know.”

“I know, but we’re going to need answers if we want to figure out what the Changelings want this time,” Scootaloo reminded her. “And it’s my prerogative as one of the heads of the Cell to investigate and interrogate any potential threats. And honestly, I need something to get my mind off of what is going on with Sea right now.”

“Alright, just be careful,” Sweetie Belle told her as she gave her wife a kiss on the cheek. “I don’t trust her, even if she used to be a pony. Promise me that you’re going to be careful, okay?”

“I promise,” Scootaloo said softly as she nuzzled Sweetie gently. She adjusted her reading glasses a little and opened the door to the interrogation room. Swallowtail was seated behind the table chained up with a magic negation ring on her horn. Scootaloo took a seat across from her and set the files down. “Socket Wrench, right?”

“My name is Swallowtail,” the Changeling snapped. “Socket Wrench was my pony name. Things have changed for me since then.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Scootaloo replied as she looked over the files. “Socket Wrench from the Rich Estate. Known family is mostly deceased save for her nephew Gusty Winds. You were captured by the Changelings and presumed converted 5 years ago. So, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?”

“You know why I’m here,” Swallowtail replied with a roll of her eyes. “I’m here for my nephew to bring him back with me to Neigh Orleans. Like you said, we’re the only family we have. I just want him to be safe.”

“And why should I believe you?” Scootaloo asked. “You’re a Changeling, you have no loyalty to your old life, not anymore. Taking your nephew being the only reason doesn’t make sense. How many more Changelings are in town?”

“I have no reason to lie,” Swallowtail hissed. “There will always be parts of the original pony left. I’m here to help my nephew, nothing else. I don’t even care if you believe me.”

“Yeah, I’m still not buying it…” Scootaloo muttered as she adjusted her glasses a moment. “So, why are you really here? I’m guessing your friend from the Cloudsdale Hive is here to get Sea Spray and the Change Driver.”

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Swallowtail asked. “Sea Spray stole from one of the Princesses, that is a crime that cannot be ignored. Personally though, I don’t particularly care about their reasons. Like I told you, I’m here to get my nephew. I have no reason to lie to you at this point, do I?”

“I’m pretty sure you have reasons to lie to me,” Scootaloo retorted. “The fact of the matter is that you’re liars by nature. You infiltrate and take what you want without a care for how it affects the ponies you leave behind.”

“The language of the Hive will be perfect when there will be no way to lie,” Swallowtail snorted. “The day will come when there won’t be a need to lie.”

“Let me guess, when there aren’t any ponies left, only Changelings,” Scootaloo scowled. “Do you really think we’re just going to roll over and let that happen?”

“Ponies seek to live in Harmony, we offer perfect harmony through the Hive,” Swallowtail told her. “But that’s beside the point. I’ve told you my reasons for being here, whether or not you believe me it doesn’t matter.”

Scootaloo eyed her for a moment. The Changeling had stuck to that story ever since she had been captured. Was it possible that she was actually here for her nephew? That didn’t rule out the possibility of there being an impending attack on the town by Changelings, especially since there was at least one more out there and they had one of their Hivemates.

She glanced at her papers for a moment and sighed. “Did it ever occur to you to talk to us about it?”

“Excuse me?” Swallowtail asked confused.

“As much as we’re loathe to admit it, you are the only family left that Gusty has,” Scootaloo replied as she shook her head. “I’m not saying that it would’ve been easy, but we could have worked out some sort of agreement. Despite this cold war we’re stuck in the middle of, we do care about the wellbeing and families of the foals under our care. If you had spoken to us, we could’ve worked something out.”

Swallowtail blinked a little at that. Honestly she hadn’t even considered that. She had figured that the ponies would just reject her without even listening to her.

“Do you really mean that?”

“It wouldn’t be unsupervised and it would have to be done carefully to avoid any problems,” Scootaloo replied. “I understand what it means to be separated from your family. But this wasn’t the way to go.”

“Yeah, like Ponies would really go for that, a Changeling coming and going freely, and you know there are downsides to it,” Swallowtail hissed.

Scootaloo did know, this would be something that the Hives could easily take advantage of. She shouldn’t even be offering this at all, but she and Sweetie had discussed it on and off over the years in the off chance that this kind of thing happened.

Though this was symptomatic of a much bigger problem in her eyes. While both sides hated each other, there should be lines that they would not cross. The ongoing conflict with the Changelings had just made things worse for Equestria. This wasn’t the Equestria she had grown up in, it had been long gone.

But maybe Harmony was still attainable.

“You know they’re going to come rescue me, right?” Swallowtail pointed out. “You can’t hide me in here forever, they’ll figure out where I am. You’d save yourselves a lot of trouble if you just let me go at this point.”

“Maybe, but I’ve always had a stubborn streak,” Scootaloo snorted. “We’re going to hold you for as long as needed. The Hive wants you back, they’re going to have to make a deal.”

“Not an easy deal to make, what would they even offer for one Drone?” Swallowtail pointed out.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure something out, but in the meantime you’ll be kept in holding with no food,” Scootaloo replied as she stood up. “If you tell us about your compatriots and whatever you know about the next move by the Hives against the Safe Zone, I may be convinced to be lenient.”

“You’re going to let me starve?”

“We can’t give you our Love,” Scootaloo said simply. She hated the idea of letting another being starve, even a Changeling, but this was war, and she had to make the tough call. “I’ll offer you a deal though, and this is the best deal you could possibly get.”

“What kind of deal?” Swallowtail asked as she narrowed her eyes a little.

“I will let you go if you can convince your compatriots to pick up and leave town,” Scootaloo offered. It wasn’t a great deal, but she hadn’t seen enough to actually compromise their security. “We can end this without further fighting.”

“Quartz is too stubborn to do that,” Swallowtail said softly. “She’s got a wild streak in her, and right now she’s mad. Your Riders humiliated her and captured me, she’s not leaving until her mission is done.”

“And you know all of this about her, how?” Scootaloo asked. “I thought she was just your military escort.”

“We were more than that, once,” Swallowtail admitted, a pain in her voice. “But we let our duties get in the way of it. I know her, better than any Changeling. She’s not going to go down easily. She wants me, and she wants to get at the Riders.”

“I see,” Scootaloo replied as she folded her hooves for a moment and took a deep breath. They were now down one Rider until Sea made her decision, which just made things more complicated for the situation. “Thank you Swallowtail, you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

She gathered up her papers and started towards the door. She took one brief look back at Swallowtail for a moment, it was hard to not see a little of Fluttershy in the mare.

But then a thought occurred to her, maybe this was exactly what she needed.

“You said that parts of the original self always survive?” She asked.

“Yes, they became part of the base of the new personality and memories are usually left intact,” Swallowtail replied. “Why do you care?”

“No reason,” Scootaloo answered as she headed back out of the interrogation room and joined Sweetie. “Well, that was informative.”

“Did you learn why she’s here?” Sweetie asked.

“I’m convinced at this point that she was here for her Nephew,” Scootaloo sighed as she brushed her mane back. “At least, I hope so.”

“Why’s that?” Sweetie asked.

“Because, I may have just found the key to helping Sea.”

00000

“Sea, are you sure you’re ready to get up?” Jasper asked as Sea struggled to get to her hooves. “You’re still a little out of it.”

“I know, but I’ve got a lot to think about,” Sea told her. “I’ve got to face this on my hooves instead of lying in a bed.”

“Okay,” Jasper told her as she sighed a little. “Just be careful, okay? We don’t need you having another fainting spell, and we lost Rarity’s fainting couch years ago.”

“Wait, that was actually a thing?” Sea asked with a weak chuckle.

“Oh yes, Grandma Sweetie told me all about it, they apparently lost it in the move after the takeover,” Jasper replied with a laugh. She frowned a little at that as she thought back to the stories her grandmothers had told her in the early days.

While Scootaloo had been lucky enough to live with her aunts Holiday and Lofty, Sweetie had lost her sister and her parents. She had been taken in by the Apple family, but it still hadn’t been easy for her.

“Are you okay, Jasper?” Sea asked.

“Yeah… I’m just thinking about a few things,” Jasper replied and sighed a little. “Do you ever wonder what the world might be like if the Changelings never took over? What our lives might be like.”

“Yeah, all the time,” Sea admitted with a sigh. “Now more than ever I guess. I mean, I’m still kind of processing a lot of this, especially the fact that I’m apparently becoming a Changeling. Knowing my luck, Khepri knew about that too.”

“Yeah, no doubt,” Jasper replied. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t know,” Sea admitted. “Like I said I don’t know what I’m going to do just yet. Part of me wants to keep fighting, the other part wants to stop while I’m still me. I don’t know what side to take right now.”

“I think you should do whatever you feel is right, now you can make a decision on your own though,” Jasper said as she kept Sea upright. “If you ever need anypony to help you, I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

“You know this is why ponies think we’re in love with each other, right?” Sea asked with a chuckle. “Maybe we should lay off it a bit so they don’t keep thinking that.”

“Or we could keep doing it just to mess with their heads,” Jasper suggested with a chuckle. They started heading towards Sugarcube Corner, a few of the ponies around town looked at them and waved, but most of them ignored them. Some of them were whispering, which made Sea flinch a little. “Calm down Sea, I’m sure they’re not talking about you.”

“Yeah…” Sea said softly as she shook her head a little. “Let’s just… argh…”

“Where is she?” The voice of the Changeling Drone that she had fought before echoed in her mind.

She snapped up as she looked around, trying to see any sign of the Changelings nearby. There wasn’t any sign of anything suspicious around. Jasper looked at her confused, and then worried when she realized that something was wrong.

“What is it?”

“I heard something, I think it was that soldier Drone that I fought before…” Sea groaned as she rubbed her head. “The same thing happened at the end of the fight before, she must be nearby.”

Jasper went on alert as she looked around for any sign of somepony that might be a Changeling. She didn’t want to leave Sea behind though, and there wasn’t any signs of anypony acting weird or anything. She didn’t have time to be paranoid right now, and needed to help Sea.

“Let’s get to Sugarcube Corner,” she finally said. “I’ll investigate the town afterwards.”

“Are you sure?” Sea asked. She tried to straighten herself up, only to have her legs wobble a little “I can make it on my own.”

“You’re going to be fine, but I’d rather stay with you,” Jasper replied as they kept walking together again. She glanced back down the street for a moment and thought that she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. “Let’s get going, I don’t like this.”

Sea nodded as they kept going down the street towards Sugarcube Corner. “Are you going to be okay doing this on your own, Jasper?”

“I’ll be fine, I’ve got skills, remember?” Jasper answered with a cocky grin. “But seriously, I’m going to be fine. I’m more worried about you really.”

Sea looked down at her hooves for a moment and sighed. She didn’t want to worry Jasper, but she still had a lot of decisions that she was going to have to make and quickly.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied as she smiled up at Jasper. “When I decide what I’m going to do, I’ll let you know, okay? Just give me a little bit more time and then I’ll decide, I still have a lot to process right now.”

“Of course, it’ll be okay,” Jasper said as she opened the door to Sugarcube Corner and they headed inside.

00000

“I swear… when I get my hooves on those mares…” Quartz hissed as she punched the wall of the building she and the other Drones were hiding in. “What in the name of the Queen happened? This should have been a straightforward operation…”

“Ma’am, what are our orders?” One of the other Drones asked. “Should we fall back and regroup in Cloudsdale?”

“No!” Quartz snapped at the drone. “We’re not leaving until we get Swallowtail back from them!”

The other drones took a step back away from her in fear. The Soldier Drone was seething with anger as she glared at each of them in turn. She wasn’t about to let these ponies get away with capturing Swallowtail.

“They will pay for this…” she muttered to herself.

“Quartz!” Prism’s voice echoed painfully in her mind through the hive.

“Owww…” Quartz said as she placed her hoof on her head. “My Princess, what are your orders?”

“You can’t let your feelings get in the way of your mission, I can feel your anger,” Prism told her. “You get careless when you’re angry. You don’t want to make mistakes, do you?”

“No my Princess, but they captured…” Quartz started to say.

“Yes, I am aware, and Princess Wind Whisper says that she is still alive, but can’t narrow down her location,” Prism replied. “Your objective right now is to deal with Kamen Riders Scarab and Lux. However, if you can find and free Swallowtail, you will be rewarded.”

“Understood… now where is she?” Quartz asked she was about to ask something else when a sudden presence was felt in the Hive, one that felt more confused than anything else. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Prism asked.

“I thought I felt something… never mind,” Quartz said. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Do we have an idea of where she might be?”

“We’re still looking for her like I said,” Prism told her. “One of our agents said that the Riders are heading towards Sugarcube Corner. For now you need to get the lay of the land, carry out your mission and let us worry about where Swallowtail is.”

“Yes my princess,” Quartz replied as she rubbed her head a little and looked back at the other Changelings. “Why did she have to be so blunt with her message?”

“Ma’am, what are we going to do now?” One of the other Drones asked. “Should we continue the search for Kamen Rider Scarab?”

“Yeah,” Quartz answered. “Come on, everyone take on your infiltration forms for now. She’s somewhere in this town, and we’re not going to let her get away with stealing the Princess’ equipment.”

“Yes ma’am,” the Drones replied as they took on different pony forms. Quartz did the same, making sure not to take on the same form she used at the orphanage.

She took a deep breath as she pushed the door open and they stepped out. Their next stop was going to be Sugarcube Corner since that was apparently where they were supposed to be.

She wasn’t going to let them get away with this.

00000

Sea Spray took a drink as she adjusted herself a little bit while seated in Sugarcube Corner. She sighed a little as she looked back over at Jasper for a moment. The purple Pegasus was talking with another pony as she took a long drink of her own glass. She smiled a little as she looked back at Sea and gave her a nod.

“Everything okay, Sea?” Red Velvet, the mare in charge of Sugarcube Corner asked as she looked at Sea for a moment.

“No, not really,” Sea admitted as she brushed her mane back for a moment. She hated to have to lie to ponies, but she couldn’t tell them the truth just yet. “I’m just thinking about everything that’s been going on lately with the Changelings.”

“Yes, they have been acting weird lately,” Red Velvet agreed with a sigh. “I’m sure you’re going to be okay though. The Changelings seem to be more interested in going after whoever that Kamen Rider Scarab pony is.”

“Yeah,” Sea agreed as she finished her drink. “Get me another.”

Red nodded as she went back to get another drink before Sea heard the chair next to her being pulled out. She looked over to see Khepri taking a seat next to her in his pony form and groaned a little bit. “What do you want?”

“I’m just here to check on you,” Khepri answered as he raised a hoof defensively. “Tch, as defensive as always.”

“I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now,” Sea groaned. “I’ve got enough on my mind to not have a crazy bug freak bothering me.”

“Tch, you’re being rude I see,”,” Khepri snorted. He then added quietly. “I don’t see the big deal really. You were bound to find out eventually.”

“Maybe, but I still don’t have to like it,” Sea groaned as she rested her head on the bar for a moment. “Do you ever feel like your whole life has been turned upside-down in a day?”

“Well, yes,” Khepri admitted which got a look from Sea. “Tch, I probably know better than anypony in this backwards town. After all, I’m not exactly fulfilling my purpose here, in fact I’m running counter to it.”

“And yet you’re still here despite that,” Sea reminded him. “I think deep down you actually care about the ponies who live here. After all, you’ve had plenty of opportunities to run off back Princess Dusk or whoever.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps I just find you entertaining, I’m not going to say either way,” Khepri retorted with a smirk.

“Who’s your friend?” Red Velvet asked as she walked back towards them.

“Kh…” Khepri started to say.

“Uh, no Blue Beetle, that’s his name, totally not anything else,” Sea said quickly as she gave Khepri a quick look that said don’t argue with her.

“But he’s purple,” Red Velvet pointed out with a confused look.

“His parents were partially colorblind, they thought he was blue,” Sea lied. Mentally slapping herself for the horribly obvious lie.

“Yeah… okay…” Red Velvet commented as she shot Sea a look. “Well Mr. “Blue Beetle”, what can I get you?”

“Nothing thank you, I’m just here to talk with Sea,” Khepri replied. Red Velvet just shrugged and poured another drink for Sea before going to work with other customers. “Blue Beetle?”

“What, I was a fan of comic books growing up, it was all I could think of on short notice,” Sea groaned as she rested her head on the bar again. “Just, go with it, I’d rather not explain it. Khepri is a good name, but its not exactly conspicuous.”

“Tch, fine, whatever,” Khepri retorted. “Your town has some interesting ponies in it, I’ll give you that. A shame it won’t last forever.”

“The Changelings won’t win,” Sea pointed out. “They can’t invade us without losing their food source. It’s why we’re in this stupid stalemate to begin with. I don’t think they’re going to be invading us anytime soon.”

“Tch, we’ll see, you never know what they might be cooking up,” Khepri snorted. “But fine, whatever. Keep living in your little fantasy world.”

He got off the chair and walked off as Jasper walked over to Sea. “What’s his problem?”

“Oh you know, just being himself,” Sea groaned as she looked back at Jasper. “He seems pretty confident that we’re all doomed.”

“I hope not, but I’m sure everything will be just fine,” Jasper said as she placed a hoof on Sea’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Sea, I promise. We’re going to figure this out together.”

“Thanks…” Sea said softly as she looked down at Jasper’s hoof for a moment. “Really, that means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Jasper replied as she looked into Sea’s eyes for a moment. “Listen, Sea…”

“SEA!” Khepri shouted in her mind, causing Sea to grab her head in pain. “There’s a group of Changelings heading for the place you’re in now! Get your flank out here already or send your featherbrained marefriend!”

“She’s not my… forget it… I’ll tell her to go,” Sea said as she turned to look at Jasper. “Jasper, hold that thought. We’ve got trouble on the way, are you sure that you’re going to be okay with handling this on your own?”

Jasper paused a moment as she thought about it before nodding. “I’ve got this, you get somewhere safe, okay?”

“Okay,” Sea said as she looked at Red Velvet for a moment as Jasper headed out of the restaurant. “I need to get out of here quickly, can I go through the back door?”

“Uh, sure, okay,” Red Velvet said as she lead Sea out the back door.

00000

Jasper stepped out onto the street as she looked around. There were no obvious signs of Changelings around the street. She was about to pass it off as nothing before Khepri appeared next to her causing her to jump in surprise.

“You scared me!” She protested as she managed to straighten herself up. “What’s going on out here anyway? I don’t see anything.”

“Tch, ponies, you keep using your eyes instead of your heads,” Khepri snorted. He glanced around before pointing at a pony that was slowly making her way towards Sugarcube Corner. “That’s one of them, and there are a few more around.”

“Right…” Jasper said as she took out her Guardian Driver and swung it around her barrel. She wasn’t sure if Khepri was lying or not, but she needed to be careful anyway. If there was even a chance of there being Changelings in Ponyville, she was going to be on her guard. “Any chance you can lend me a hoof?”

“Tch, I’m not much of a fighter, you’re on your own featherbrain,” Khepri snorted as he turned back into his insect form and flew off.

“Great…” Jasper said as she walked forward towards the pony that had been pointed out. She had to approach with caution, but luckily she had some authority here in town. “Hold it right there.”

“Excuse me?” The mare asked as she looked up at Jasper. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, random searches, there are concerns about there being Changelings in town,” Jasper replied. It was a bad bluff, but it was technically true at least. The mare eyed her nervously for a moment as she backed away a little. “It’s just a precaution, I’m sure you understand given the times.”

The mare glanced at several other ponies and narrowed her eyes at Jasper. “You don’t look like you’re part of the town guard. Do you mind explaining exactly what you’re up to, feathers?”

Jasper flinched a little at that. How exactly was she going to deal with this? Yeah, she wasn’t part of the Town Guard so she couldn’t exactly just go around detaining suspected Changelings. Even if she was a Kamen Rider, this was going to be hard to do.

“I may not be part of the Town Guard, but I can still stop you,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t think you want to attract the attention of the Guard, do you? One lone pony or the whole guard on your flank.”

The mare hissed a little as she glared at Jasper. “What do you want, pony?”

“I want you and your friends out of this town,” Jasper said as she narrowed her eyes at the Changeling. “Leave and all of you get to live to see another day.”

“Don’t make me laugh, we know you Riders don’t kill,” Quartz said with a sneer. “And I’m not leaving without Swallowtail. Let her go and then we can talk about it.”

“I have no authority to do that,” Jasper replied as she took a step back. “And I doubt they’ll agree to it anyway. So, I guess we’re at an impasse then.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure they’ll trade for you once we have you,” Quartz said as she turned into her combat form while the other Changelings transformed too.

“I’m not going to let you do that,” Jasper said as she reared up on her hind legs and grabbed the Lux Stone as she slid it into the slot on her Driver. "Henshin!"

"SHINE! LIGHT OF THE MORNING STAR!"
Her Driver said as the shield closed up around it and the energy flowed and fell around her. She raised her hoof with the revolver in it and aimed it at the Changeling and grinned from behind her helmet’s visor.

“And you’re wrong about one thing,” Jasper said as she fired several shots into the nearest Drone. “Just because Sea doesn’t like killing doesn’t mean I have the same hesitation. And right now, you’re facing me, not her.”

“Then you’re going down,” Quartz said with a grin. “I’m not leaving this town without Swallowtail. And you’re just going to get in my way.”

“And you’re going to have to get through me if you want to get her,” Jasper said as she gave the barrel of her revolver a spin and fired several more shots at the Changeling. “You come and attack us in our home and you expect us to actually be willing to just let you grab one of our prisoners?”

Quartz just hissed as she swung her limb around as it slammed against a hard light shield created by Jasper that she had thrown up just in time. The Pegasus Rider flinched as she stumbled back a little from the impact of the Changeling’s attack. Another Changeling rushed at her, only to get several energy bullets in its chest for its trouble.

Jasper flinched a little at that. Despite her claims to the contrary, she realized that killing the Changelings wouldn’t make the situation any better. In fact it would likely just result in more ponies getting taken. The situation would just get worse, and one of her friends could be put in danger.

How did Sea manage to do this?

“You don’t stand a chance,” Quartz laughed as her arms became blades and she rushed forward, swinging them down on Jasper together. Jasper just barely managed to block it again with her light shield as she kicked away at the Changeling, throwing the shield into her and catching her in the chest. “You’re going to keep fighting then? Why delay the inevitable?”

“Because I’m a Kamen Rider,” Jasper said as the shield re-appeared on her foreleg and she fired several more shots into the chest of the Changeling. “We’re not because it’s easy or because its fun. We do this because it’s the right thing to do, you’re hurting ponies and I’m going to stop you here and now! Get out of my town!”

She ran forward and Quartz’s eyes went wide as she raised herself preparing for an attack. Instead Jasper leapt over the Changeling and swung her hind legs around, kicking out the Changeling’s armored legs with a blow that sent her sprawling. As she struggled to get up, Jasper only fired several more shots into her, causing Quartz to groan.

“You’re a strong one,” she hissed. “But you’re outnumbered.”

Jasper spun around only to get a Changeling appendage strike her across the helmet causing her to stumble back. She raised her pistol and fired several more shots before running forward, slamming her hoof into the Changeling who had attacked and knocking it out. But still, there were several more around her.

She gritted her teeth from behind her helmet as she fired several energy bullets into Quartz before running at her. Energy flowed around her hooves as they were covered with hard light constructs as she slammed them hard into Quartz.

Quartz groaned as she swung her blades around, Jasper managed to block them as best she could as the two scraped against each other. Jasper kicked out at the Changeling and forced her to the ground she was about to raise her pistol again when she got hit again by the Changelings. She stumbled forward, falling down a little as Quartz righted herself.

“You’re not bad, I’ll give you that,” Quartz hissed as she wiped some blood from her mouth.”But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you win, Rider. Last chance to get out of my way and let me go save Swallowtail.”

“I’m still not going to let you do that,” Jasper replied as she got to her hooves and formed a new shield on her foreleg. “I’m going to keep fighting until everypony in the Safe Zone can sleep safely. You’re going down right here, right now!”

She ran forward again and slammed the shield hard into Quartz. Even with everything that was going on, she was going to keep fighting. She just had to hope that she wouldn’t have to fight alone for long.

00000

“Tch, you really shouldn’t leave her alone to fight like that,” Khepri commented as he flew over to Sea who was making her way back to the safehouse. “She’s good, but she’s not going to be able to fight them off on her own you know.”

“I know!” Sea snapped at him, making him recoil a little. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to go back! Or if I’ll ever be ready, for the gods’ sake, do you honestly expect me to fight again when THAT is happening to me? How can I be expected to keep fighting like this when I’m losing who I am?”

Khepri was silent for a moment as he hovered in the air looking at Sea. The Unicorn stared back for a moment, neither of them were really sure what to say next after that outburst. Khepri flew back down and turned into his pony form as he looked Sea in the eye.

“Sea Spray, you’re one of the strongest creatures that I’ve ever known,” Khepri told her. “The fact of the matter is that anypony else would’ve quit by now, but you’re still fighting because you know this is the right thing to do. I’m not going to force you to keep fighting, and neither are your friends. But I think that you know it’s the right choice, you need to make a choice and soon, okay? Before it might be too late.”

“I don’t even know what to do anymore,” Sea said as they reached the safe house. She looked over at Khepri for a moment, the Shifter actually had a point, but she still had a lot to think about right now. “I know fighting is the right thing to do, but at the same time I don’t want to lose who I am, you know? Being a Changeling is terrifying to me.”

“Tch, it won’t be that bad, you just have to get used to it,” Khepri said and rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s go inside. Right now we need to get everything together if you really don’t want to fight again.”

“Yeah…” Sea said as she glanced back towards where Jasper was fighting the Changelings. “I just hope Jasper is going to be okay…”

Khepri frowned a little and pushed the door open as the two of them headed inside together. Sea took a seat as Scootaloo headed out and gestured for Khepri to come talk to her. The two of them talked in hushed whispers as Sea watched, trying to hear what they were saying with no luck as she held her head a little.

She could hear the thoughts and feelings of the nearby Changeling in her head. She was afraid of what was going to happen to her, something that Sea could at least understand. She looked down at her hooves, wondering what exactly she was going to do now.

“Quartz… where are you…” Swallowtail’s voice echoed in her mind.

“Sea, are you okay?” Scootaloo asked as she moved in front of the younger pony.

“I don’t know,” Sea admitted as she sighed a little. “I’m still not really sure exactly what I’m supposed to do about all of this to be honest. I want to keep fighting to protect ponies, but I also don’t want to be a Changeling. I’m scared that if I keep fighting I’ll lose who I am.”

Scootaloo sighed and pulled Sea into a hug. Sea blinked a little bit before she hugged back, Scootaloo gently patting her on the back. “It’s going to be okay, Sea,” Scootaloo said softly. “We’re all fighting to make sure we don’t lose ourselves. But I think there’s somepony you need to talk to more than me.”

“Who’s that?” Sea asked confused.

“Come with me, maybe you’ll have better luck getting information out of her than we have,” Scootaloo told her as she lead her down the hall towards where they were holding the Changeling. “I know this isn’t going to be easy for you, Sea, but I think you’re the best chance we have at this right now.”

“What do you…” Sea started to say as Scootaloo opened the door and she looked inside to see Swallowtail sitting there restrained. “You want me to talk to her? I’m not an interrogator or anything, I don’t know how much good I’ll do.”

“You can feel her, you can tell if she’s being honest,” Scootaloo told her. “And… maybe it’ll help you too. I’m not going to force you to do anything, but I think it might do you some good to talk to her.”

“Yeah, but… I still don’t understand why…” Sea said as she looked at Swallowtail for a moment. “She’s a Changeling, I’m supposed to be fighting Changelings… this isn’t going to be easy.”

“I know, but I know you’re going to be just fine,” Scootaloo said as she gently placed her hoof on Sea’s shoulder. “Just talk to her, okay? We’ll be watching to make sure that nothing happens.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to her,” Sea finally said as she pushed the door to the holding room open. She took a deep breath as she walked inside, the Changeling Drone only slightly looking up from her seat. “Swallowtail, right?”

“And you’re Sea Spray I see,” Swallowtail hissed as Sea took a seat. “They sent Kamen Rider Scarab to interrogate me. So why don’t you tell me why they’re sending you at all? They know you’re not going to get any answers out of me, it’s not in your nature.”

“I just wanted to talk,” Sea replied. She was doing her best to not sound more nervous than she actually felt. Even though Swallowtail was restrained, she was not very good at this kind of thing and here she was talking to the Changeling. “You’re here for Gusty Winds, why?”

“He’s my Nephew, you already know that,” Swallowtail replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Yes, but why do you still have any loyalty to ponies outside of the Hive?” Sea asked. “I mean, you’re… you know…”

“I still remember my family and care about them,” Swallowtail hissed. “Just because we join the Hive doesn’t mean we lose who we used to be. You can feel it yourself, can’t you? The Hive is calling to you.”

“Such potential…” A voice echoed in Sea’s mind. “It’s only a matter of time, my child…”

“I’m not going to join the Hive,” Sea growled. “I’m not one of you yet. And if I had my way I never will be…”

“If you say so,” Swallowtail answered. “I thought the same way back before I became part of the Hive. Now I know better, there is nothing better in this world than to be part of the Hive, to be part of something bigger than yourself. Everypony who becomes one of us realizes this”

Sea thought back to Lime and what had happened in Appletown. While Swallowtail was obviously speaking the truth, at the same time the truth was that they could hold out. But still, she would rather stay a pony.

“Quartz is coming to save you you know,” Sea commented. Swallowtail let out a groan and shook her head a little. “What?”

“She’s always been like this,” Swallowtail answered. “We knew each other, back before we joined the Hive. I loved her back then, even though she was always rather, wild. She usually wound up getting the two of us into trouble in one way or another. She’s impulsive and even if Princess Prism were to tell her to return she’d likely keep going.”

“Why?”

“Because she still loves me… and deep down I think I feel the same about her, I’ve just never really been sure in these bodies,” Swallowtail answered as she looked away. “It’s hard to let go of our old lives and loves. We’re still who we used to be, even if we’ve been changed.”

Sea paused a moment, while that made a lot of sense for what she knew, but honestly she wasn’t really sure what to think about this. Her life was changing and she honestly had no idea what she was going to do now. But, was it possible that she could keep her old self?

Was it maybe even possible to resist the hive forever?

“I see,” Sea said as she looked at her for a moment. Swallowtail was an odd Changeling to say the least, but maybe she had a chance. “So, what do we do about Quartz?”

“There’s not a lot you can do,” Swallowtail snorted. “You need to either kill her or release me, she’s not going to give up like I said. She’s also after that Driver of yours, but the Hive isn’t going to risk me falling into enemy hooves. I… I don’t want to see anything happen to her...”

“You love her, don’t you?” Sea asked.

“I guess I never really let go of that, even if I tried to bury it…” Swallowtail answered with a shake of her head. “Please, just let me go. I haven’t learned anything that I could tell the others… I just wanted to give my nephew a family again. You can feel it, can’t you? You know I’m telling the truth.”

Sea paused a moment before she reached out and briefly touched Swallowtail’s mind. It took a moment to work through all the background noise of the Hive, but touching her mind she could tell a lot of things. Strongest of all were both a feeling of love towards Quartz and more towards Gusty.

“You know they probably won’t let you come back and see him,” Sea told her. “I don’t know Gusty very well, but I know one thing. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are wonderful ponies who treat each filly or colt at the orphanage like their own foals. Your Nephew couldn’t be in better hooves right now. I know you want to give him a family, but I think if you give it a chance, the ponies here can become his family.”

“And you know this how?” Swallowtail asked.

“Because they became mine,” Sea replied with a soft smile. “There are good ponies here who I would do anything to protect. That’s why I got…”

She stopped at that for a moment. With everything that was going through her mind right now she had almost forgotten. The ponies of Ponyville had become her family so long ago that she was ultimately here to protect them. That was something she hadn’t yet lost, and maybe Swallowtail was right, why would she lose that?

She wasn’t going to stop protecting ponies, even if it meant becoming a Changeling. She was always going to be who she was, and nothing was going to change that.

“That’s why I’m still going to fight,” she said as she slowly got up. “Thank you, Swallowtail.”

“For what?” The Changeling asked confused.

“You gave me a lot to think about, and hopefully I’ve made the right choice,” she said as she walked back towards the door and paused a moment. “If we let you go, will you try and take Gusty again?”

“I don’t know, that depends on all of you,” Swallowtail answered. “Can you tell Scootaloo I’m willing to talk about Gusty’s future now?”

Sea nodded as she opened the door and closed it behind her. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding for the past moment. She had finally reached something of a decision, even if it was one of the hardest choices she had ever had to make. Now she just had to hope that Jasper would understand.

“So, how’d it go?” Scootaloo asked as Sea walked back into the main room. “Did you make a decision?”

“I did, I’m going to keep fighting,” Sea said as Khepri flew over and landed on her head. “It’s not an easy call to make, but I was reminded of why I was fighting to begin with. I’m going to do this, even if it changes me.”

“Tch, about time you decided on the most obvious choice,” Khepri commented.

“Shut up you,” Sea said with a groan.

“Well, you’re going to need this back then,” Scootaloo said as she handed Sea the Change Driver again. Sea started to take it away but Scootaloo held it for a moment as she gave Sea a reassuring smile. “You’re going to be fine, Sea. Please be careful though, I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’ll be careful,” Sea said as she hugged Scootaloo tightly. “I promise, I’m going to get through this no matter what.”

The two of them held the hug for a long moment before Sea heard Khepri’s voice in her head again. “Tch, stop being so sappy already. You need to get out there and help your marefriend already, she probably needs a hoof by now.”

“Oh, yeah, right…” Sea said as she started for the door before looking back at Scootaloo for a moment. “Hey, uh, I think she’s also willing to talk about Gusty, you know, for the future. I don’t know what that’s about, but… yeah.”

Scootaloo paused a moment before nodding and smiling. “I’ll go and talk to her then. Perhaps we can get something of a happy ending out of this after all.”

Sea nodded as she headed out the door and back out into Ponyville proper.

00000

Jasper dove out of the way of another swipe from Quartz as she raised her pistol again and fired several shots into the nearest Changeling. She rolled out of the way as a magical blast nearly hit her. She climbed back onto her hind legs and formed another shield on her foreleg as she turned to look at Quartz again.

“Well, I admit that’s a new one from you lot,” Jasper said as she fired several shots at Quartz, blocking another magical blast from Quartz as she ran forward, swinging her blades at Jasper as she barely managed to catch them with her shield. “Looks like they gave you an upgrade.”

“Well with the likes of you, we need to be ready to fight Riders,” Quartz hissed as she kicked at Jasper’s hind legs, knocking her to the ground again. She smirked as she pointed the blade at Jasper’s neck as she stomped down on her hoof to keep her from using her revolver again, placing her other foot on Jasper’s stomach. “You’re not going to make it through this, Rider. Surrender and maybe I’ll let you go.”

“Never!” Jasper said as she struggled against the Changeling. A blade appeared in her free hoof and she swung it around, slamming it hard into Quartz’s leg, stabbing into it as the Changeling stumbled back, the blade vanishing as green blood dripped down her leg. Jasper jumped up and fired several more shots into Quartz’s chest as the other Changelings surrounded her and started closing in.

“Well, it looks like you could use a hoof,” a voice said from behind them and the Changelings stopped to see Sea standing there. “Are you okay Jasper?”

“Never better, nothing I can’t handle,” Jasper chuckled as she spun the barrel of her revolver. “I’ve been softening them up for you, Sea.”

Sea just chuckled as she raised her Driver and swung it around her barrel. She stood up on her hind legs as Khepri flew onto her hoof. “Are you ready for this, Khepri?”

“Tch, I was made ready,” Khepri retorted. “How about you? If you do this much longer, it’ll be too late for you to go back.”

“I know,” Sea said softly as she looked down at herself for a moment. She nodded a little as she raised Khepri for a moment and slid it into her Driver. “Henshin!”

“WHAT IS BORN IN THE DARK MUST COME TO THE LIGHT!” The Driver called out as the armor formed over her body. She gripped her tonfas for a moment as she stared Quartz down for a moment and nodded over at Jasper as she dug her hooves into the ground.

"Well, nice to have you join us again," Quartz hissed as she raised a claw and fired a shot of magical energy at Sea, catching her in the chest and pushing her back for a moment. "Scarab, you have committed crimes against the Hive, and we will not let you get away with it. Give me your Driver and Shifter and I'll make it quick."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Sea said as she ran forward, hitting several of the Changelings with her Tonfas before running straight at Quartz and swinging her tonfa around only to have them get caught by a blade. "This isn't how you get back Swallowtail you know."

"What do you know?" Quartz hissed at her as she pushed Sea back and fired several more bursts of magical energy at Sea, only to have her dodge out of the way of them. "Swallowtail is the finest Drone I have ever known, you don't even know the first thing about her!"

"I know everything I need to know," Sea growled as she connected the two tonfas together and twisted them.

"CHANGE: SCARAB TONFA RIFLE!" The Driver said as it changed into a rifle.

"Swallowtail is here to give the last member of her family a place to live," she continued as she raised the rifle to her shoulder and fired several shots into the soldier drone. "She may not completely have needed to do it, but she's still here for more than just following the orders of the Princesses. She wouldn't want you to act like this, you love her don't you? That's why you're trying so hard to save her."

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!" Quartz screamed as she charged at where Sea was standing only to swing at empty air as Sea got out of the way again. "You're just a scared little filly trying to fight against an Empire! You're going to lose eventually, and when we're done with you you'll beg to be one of us!"

"Maybe, but I'm still going to do everything I can to save the ponies of Ponyville and elsewhere in the Safe Zone until that day comes," Sea said as she kicked hard at Quartz' back. "Your hive isn't going to stop me and it's not going to stop us. It doesn't matter if we fall, as long as somepony else takes up the cause!"

"That's right," Jasper said as she raised her hard light shield and threw it hard into Quartz, knocking her back a little. She stumbled, her leg still in pain from the sword attack as she steadied herself.

"No... I can't lose... not here... I have to... I have to save her..." Quartz's voice echoed in Sea's mind. "We don't leave our own behind... not to them..."

She let out a loud roar as her form changed again. This time she turned into a large armored insect creature as she swung a clawed appendage down at Jasper, knocking her to the ground. She then looked down at Sea through compound eyes, her fury was beyond imagining as she lumbered forward at the Rider who only barely managed to get out of the way.

"Sea, I don't think your plan of getting her mad at you worked!" Khepri shouted through their mind connection.

"Really, you think?" Sea snapped back at him as she looked up at the creature. This was not a good sign, actually she wasn't even sure how she was going to get out of this one, but she was going to have to figure it out. "Any ideas, Khepri?"

"Its leg is still damaged," Khepri pointed out. Sea looked over at the hind leg of the insectoid creature and noticed that the wound was still there. "If you focus your attention there it should give you a place to hit. But with something that big it's going to take a bit more than just a few punches."

"Because of course it is," Sea groaned as she dodged out of the way of another attack from Quartz. Still, she knew that Khepri was right, it was just a matter of making sure that she didn't kill them. "Jasper, go for the leg!"

"Got it!" Jasper said as she got to her hooves and picked up the revolver again as she fired several shots into the Changeling's leg. "Come on you big ugly bug freak!"

Quartz roared in pain as the energy bullets impacted the leg wound. She hissed as she slammed her appendage down on the ground, shaking it as Sea struggled to stay upright from the shock wave. Sea ran around one more time, firing several shots into the leg before hitting it hard with her hoof, finally causing Quartz to shudder and fall over. Quartz struggled to get up again, only to fall back down.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Sea asked as she looked at Jasper.

"With pleasure," Jasper said as she gave her revolver's barrel one last spin and pointed it at the Changeling's leg.

"No... you're not going... to beat me..." Quartz said as she once more struggled to get up. "I have to... get to... Swallowtail..."

"SHINING BULLET!" Jasper shouted as she fired a large burst of energy right at the leg of the Changeling who let out a scream of pain.

With that, the Changeling could no longer hold the form as she fell down, lying barely conscious on the ground and breathing heavily. The other Drones looked between one another shocked, but Quartz was still alive, barely.

"You... aren't... getting away... with this..." she said as she struggled to get to her hooves again. The soldier drone was clearly in pain and bleeding in several places, but she was still trying to keep fighting. "I can't... lose her... not again..."

"Again?" Sea asked.

"I... I ran away when we were ambushed by the Hive..." Quartz said as she fell back onto the ground. "I was afraid of what would happen to us, and I left her... I left her to be converted. When I finally came to my senses and came back, it was too late... and they took me too... it's my fault, it's all my fault..."

"Quartz dear, you have nothing to be sorry for," a voice said and they all looked up to see Swallowtail standing there with Scootaloo. She was back in her normal pony form and she looked back towards Scootaloo who gave her a slight nod. The yellow Changeling trotted over to Quartz and gently placed her hoof on the soldier's. "Have you really blamed yourself for that for all these years?"

"Yeah..." Quartz said weakly. "I just... I didn't want to lose you again, I'm sorry, Swallowtail."

"You haven't lost me yet," Swallowtail replied as her horn glowed and she started to heal Quartz's injuries. "You're going to be just fine, Quartz."

"Hey, what are you doing!" Jasper demanded as she stepped forward, but Sea placed her hoof on Jasper's shoulder and shook her head. "She's healing her, we just..."

"It's okay, we're done here," Sea said as she shook her head a little and removed Khepri from her Driver as she powered down. Jasper just looked confused as she powered down too. "Right Scootaloo?"

"Swallowtail is being released from custody in the name of improving relations between our two nations," Scootaloo said, it wasn't exactly a lie but they couldn't risk holding a Changeling for long anyway. "They'll both be allowed to return to Cloudsdale as long as they don't attack us again, understood?"

"Yes ma'am..." Jasper said as she looked at the other Changelings who had returned to their normal forms as well. "Grandma, are you sure about this?"

"I'm not sure about anything any more, but right now this is the best option we have," Scootaloo said and Sea nodded in agreement. "Swallowtail, do you remember our deal?"

"I do," Swallowtail said as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Tell Gusty I'm sorry I couldn't see him off. But I will be back as soon as I can."

"WAIT, WHAT?" Jasper shouted. "YOU'RE LETTING HER BACK IN HERE?"

"Under supervision," Scootaloo explained. "I talked with Sweetie about it, she agreed that it might be the best option for Gusty. I know it's an unusual situation, but it is the best option right now."

"I..." Jasper started to say. "Sea, you can't possibly agree with her on this?"

"Of course I do, ponies need family, you should know that better than anypony," Sea said as she shot Jasper a look. "And I'm sure that supervision can include a couple of Kamen Riders if absolutely necessary."

Jasper just grumbled a little bit as Swallowtail finished working on Quartz. She nodded to the other drones as two of them turned into a flight stretcher. They eased Quartz onto it as Swallowtail returned to her normal form and looked back at Scootaloo for a moment.

"Thank you... I know you didn't have to do this, but it helps us a lot," she said before they all took off and flew towards Cloudsdale.

"I hope you know what you're doing Grandma," Jasper said as she looked back at her grandmother. "Otherwise you just let them go and put us all at risk."

"We only kill them if necessary, you know that," Sea pointed out as she hugged Jasper a little. "Come on, we've got other things to worry about right now. Let's just try and relax, I've got a song I need to practice anyway and I need your ear to make sure its just right."

"You know I'm tone deaf right?" Jasper pointed out.

"Yeah, so if you like it then it must be terrible," Sea said with a laugh as the two mares walked off towards the communal house together.

Scootaloo watched the two of them go and smiled weakly. She knew that Jasper was right, they had taken a risk by making the deal with Swallowtail. But she also knew that it was the best option right now, even if she didn't like it that much either. They had to deal with the Changelings sometimes, and Swallowtail was genuine in her desire to reunite with her Nephew.

She took a deep breath and headed back towards the orphanage.

00000

“Hey Gusty, how are you doing?” Scootaloo asked as she gently pushed open the door to the colt’s bedroom. She was a bit surprised to see he was sitting up and reading a book.

“I’m doing better, I guess,” he said with a soft smile. He was still a little shaken from the encounter, but he seemed to be doing better. “Mrs. Scootaloo, uh…”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked as she took a seat on his bed. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Am I ever going to see my Aunt again?” He asked softly. “I mean, I know she’s a Changeling now and everything… but it was nice to know that I still had somepony out there who cared about me…”

“Gusty, you have lots of ponies who care about you,” Scootaloo said reassuringly as she leaned over and placed her hoof gently on his. “We all care about you here, as long as you’re in Ponyville orphanage you’re part of our family. But, if you want you can see your aunt again from time to time.”

“Really?” Gusty asked.

“Yeah, she agreed to supervised visits as long as she comes alone and doesn’t try anything,” Scootaloo answered with a reassuring smile. “She really does still care about you. I promise that I’m going to do everything I can to make your stay here a good one.”

“Thank you…” Gusty said softly. “Why do you run the Orphanage? Isn’t there other things you could be doing here to help ponies?”

“Sure, but none as important,” Scootaloo said and sighed a little. “I lost my parents when the Changelings took over, I mean they didn’t die or anything, but I never got to see them again. Sweetie Belle lost her whole family to the Changelings. We’re here because good ponies gave us a place to stay and took care of us, and we wanted to give that to fillies and colts just like you. There is nowhere in Equestria that we’d rather be.”

“Thanks,” Gusty said as he got out of bed, his legs were a little wobbly but Scootaloo helped steady him. “Tell Sea I said thank you, for everything.”

“I will,” Scootaloo said with a nod as he ran out of the room and past Sweetie Belle as Scootaloo followed close behind. “Well, it seems like we’ve had some success.”

“He’s still got a long way to go,” Sweetie said with a sigh. “Are you sure about this? I mean, what if she tries something?”

“I don’t think she will, and Sea said that she was genuine,” Scootaloo replied. “I don’t like this either, but if we can give him something of what he once had. I know it’s not the same but…”

“It’s something?” Sweetie asked and Scootaloo nodded. “Okay, I’ll trust your judgment. Come on, we should go get everypony ready for dinner.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said as the two of them walked down the hallway together.

00000

“So how mad was Prism that you came back without the Driver?” Swallowtail asked. The two of them were in the infirmary of Prism’s castle in Cloudsdale and she was looking over Quartz.

“About as well as could be expected, but getting you back was our new primary objective anyway,” Quartz said as she smiled up at Swallowtail. “Listen… I really am sorry about what happened before…”

“It’s okay Quartz,” Swallowtail said as she patted the soldier drone reassuringly. “Even if you had stayed it wouldn’t have made a difference. And now we’re part of the glory that is the Hive, would you want anything else?”

“No, of course not,” Quartz said as she shook her head. “As long as I still get to be with you… I know you said you weren’t ready before but…”

“I know, and I’ve had a long time to think about it,” Swallowtail replied as she leaned in and kissed Quartz gently on the lips. “Come on, Quartz. We’ve both been through a lot, and you know my feelings aren’t going to fade easily. Don’t you feel it?”

Quartz reached out through the Hive and felt the love, it was stronger than anything else she had ever felt. She smiled as she closed her eyes and kissed Swallowtail again, the two Changelings sharing an embrace.

They hardly noticed as energy flowed between them, energizing them as Quartz’s wounds healed again. The warm feeling between them felt familiar, but somehow different, like nothing they had ever felt before.

And little did they know that it would be the beginning of something much more.

Author's Note

Between this chapter and the next there is a crossover with Kamen Rider Alchemy and What's Your Desire in the pages of the latter, but this story will continue as normal and likely it won't be required reading. Still, read it if you want to see how Sea experiences being human for a little while.