Looking down at her kingdom below, the small princess sighed and leaned against her hoof. It was a beautiful place underneath Ponyville, magically hidden from sneaky ponies who wanted to find them. She enjoyed living here, and she was happy, but she was nervous of becoming the Queen. Her Mother passed when she was young, and her father, the King, never told her why.
She gave another sigh, and blinked when she heard a familiar buzzing. It was her father, flying up to see her. He was tall and dark yellow, with black striped down his thick and pointed tail. His dark insect eyes went to hers and smiled when he saw his daughter.
"Princess Blizzard, what are you doing out this late? We have an important harvest tomorrow and you know that," he told her. His voice was loud and deep. She turned away from her father and looked to the kingdom once again.
"Father, why is it that I have to take control? How do I know that I will be the perfect leader for them all?" She asked.
King Arctic Knight looked to his daughter and wrapped his large wing around her smaller frame. "Blizzard, you will be perfect for them. They already know and love you. They trust you completely."
"But father, what if I am to mess up? Or die young? I would need an heir and I am simply not interesting in the other males in the kingdom." She whined. The king chuckled underneath his breath.
"Silly little child. You don't have to worry about not liking a male. You as the Queen will mate with many males and have many eggs to keep the kingdom running." He motioned to the nursery, an area where all of the young changeling bees were being cared for.
He retracted his wing from his daughter and pulled her gently with his magic into her room. She followed him into the room, which was decorated with hexagonal shapes and lots of flowers. She enjoyed flowers very much. Especially for their pollen that she adored on top of her treats. Blizzard turned to the mirror and looked at herself. She has gray hair, and big blue eyes that seemed endless against her pale yellow skin. She looked very small and thin. She didn't see herself as becoming a leader that somepony would listen to.
Arctic Night patted the side of her hexagon shaped bed. She climbed into her large bed and willed herself to climb under the blankets. She looked at the large ceiling of her room. It was painted with glowing paint in shapes of hexagons and stars. She loved it. Her father kissed her forehead before leaving the room and his daughter for the night.
He made his way down the hall, his footsteps thumping loudly on the rocky ground. He wanted others to know that he was here. He turned the corner of the castle halls to spot two changelings standing at attention in front of the front entrance. He gave a polite nod to them both as he made his way into the city.
The city wasn't very big, just about as big as Ponyville. He could see the branches of the fallen tree that the new Alicorn's house used to be at. It was the center of their kingdom. He looked down at the homes and shops that circled the large water source in the middle of the area. The pond was build when Blizzard was born. They called it Blizzard pond. In the winter when it froze over, they all skated and enjoyed the time together. It was a beautiful union for their kingdom.
Arctic Night made his way to the pond and looked down into it. His face reflected darkly back at him and he sighed. He was getting to be older, and his daughter would be in control. He would have to get used to her bossing him around for once. He smirked at the thought. She was tiny, but he would listen and he's sure the other Changelings would do so as well. The bee changelings were much more obedient than those cousin changelings made by Queen Chrysalis.
It was late in the night, and most changelings were either home sleeping or taking their late shifts in the honey production stores and shops. A lone ball rolled on the empty street. He picked it up with magic and placed it into a basket in front of a home. They had children in it, so they wouldn't mind a new toy.
Turning back to the kingdom, the king flew to the top where he resided by himself. They queen used to stay with him, but when she passed, he didn't take another wife. He wanted his daughter to control when she became old enough. He knew that it would be difficult to control the kingdom since he wasn't the Queen, but they still listened to him, just not as enthusiastically as when Princess Blizzard gave an order. It was as if the kingdom knew before he did that she was the next ruler.
He sat in his dark room. There wasn't much inside, only a bed and a large walk in closet. Another door to lead to the bathroom. No other doorway since, flying was something the bee changelings preferred to do. Arctic didn't want to sleep, but as he told his daughter, there was a very important harvest that needed to be done tomorrow. They needed to collect pollen and honey from many places to keep the flowers growing until spring. Winter was coming soon and they needed to be prepared. He settled into his bed and closed his eyes to fall into his empty sleep.
The landing on heavy hooves on the perch woke him up the next morning. He bolted upright, his eyes narrowed at the guards looking back with solemn faces. Arctic glared at them. "What is the problem?"
The middle guard cleared his throat. "We went to check on the princess, and she isn't in her room."
That made the King buzz in anger. "Where can she be? She was there last night. So find her. Now."
The other changelings, startled by the King's anger, they jumped out the window to make sure to go and find her. Arctic jumped out his window as well, soaring over the kingdom to see all the others getting ready for the harvest that was planned. He swore under his breath. The flowers would surely die without this harvest, and the future queen is also a problem. He landed down in the center of the pond, making everyone stop.
"Attention to everyone! Half of you will be going to the harvest. You will need to work harder to make sure we have enough for the winter. The other half with come with me in search of the princess. She is currently missing, but we will find her, so do not panic or worry. We will handle this." The changelings looked between themselves, all of them showing worry on their faces.
A small changeling, barely old enough to work walked up to the king. "Is the princess okay?" She asked, a small tear in her eyes. The king smiled brightly, though his thoughts were running wild of where his daughter could be.
"She is fine. She will be home soon. I promise. Now go back to your family to get ready for the harvest," he told her. She nodded and trotted away to join her family.
The king flew to the separate group of volunteers for the search. "We are searching everywhere. Small groups of two or three. Look for her, disguise yourselves. Be safe. The queen will depend on your search." They all nodded in unison and they all went their own ways to search Equestria. Arctic transformed into a stallion pegasus and flew up to the surface to check Ponyville.
He flew through the entire town ,searching up and down the entire day. Not a trace of his daughter to be seen. He hoped to hear back from the others in hopes of getting his daughter back. Upon returning home, he saw a larger collection of pollen stacked in the storage units near the entrance. He noted that as good. He looked for any of the other changelings that traveled to see if they found anything.
Nothing.
He flew up to her room. Blizzard's room was pristine, spotless. Like she never slept in this room before. She was gone.
Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. Winter came and went, still no sight of the princess. Some lost faith in looking. Others searched until they couldn't anymore. The king was losing his mind, anger taking over his mind. He lashed out at anypony that went near him. He rarely ate or slept. He didn't want another Queen to rule. He wanted Blizzard to, no he NEEDED her to.
He was one more suspect to interrogate. The so-called Princess that took over a small place close to Ponyville. He didn't search it before because he couldn't find it. It was hidden by magic to keep those not looking for it away. He slammed his hooves into his table, breaking it in half. He was seeing red. This was the last spot. The princess had to be there.
Without telling anypony that he was leaving, he flew out and traveled to the smaller kingdom. He had transformed into a pegasus again only when he was close to the area. It was called Everbrook according to his research. He didn't look too much into it other than the doe Alicorn and how to get inside. He found the large forest that hid the city very well. He flew past it many times before without a second thought.
He walked slowly into the forest, with the hopes to find the city. He seemed to walk forever before he stumbled across what seemed to be a sign pointing straight ahead. He followed it and sure enough came up to the opening in the foliage that showed a large statue circled by cottages built in a circular way around the area. He looked up at the statue to see a building underneath it. It seemed like a library. Before he could walk in, he noticed the mare that walked out. A pale purple unicorn with a fluffy white mane and tail, almost like clouds. He recognized her immediately when he saw her sky blue eyes. She was the summer unicorn. She had to be.
Arctic night trotted up and smiled at her. "Hello! I'm a bit lost and new here. Could you show me where the Princess is?" He asked. The unicorn smiled and nodded.
"Of course! She's in her castle as always, most likely in the garden. I can take you there," she said smoothly. Her voice was almost melodic and formal. She was also much taller than other mares there. She had to be the seasonal unicorn without a doubt.
He followed the unicorn into the large cottage that was almost like four cottages put together. As we walked in, nobody was standing guard. He wondered why. There had to be some bad things that happened here, but why was there not a single guard?
They stopped at a large door. It was covered with flowers and pollen. The unicorn opened the door with her magic and stepped ahead of him. Inside was in fact a large garden. Flowers, bushes, and trees covered the entire area. The Princess was sitting in the grass, picking flowers and placing them into a straw basket. She looked up with big doe eyes and smiled.
"My, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. How are you Violet?" The unicorn, Violet, smiled and motioned to the stallion.
"This pegasi was looking for you, Princess Everbrook," Violet said smiling. The princess, Everbrook nodded and just before the unicorn could turn to leave, He transformed, revealing himself as a changeling. He Violet and held her tightly with his magic. The unicorn gasped and struggled in his grip, but he held her tighter. She whimpered. Everbook jumped to her hooves and pointed her magic at him.
"Release her immediately!" She commanded. The King laughed, his vision blurring with rage.
"I'll let her go if you tell me where my daughter is! I've been to every kingdom, and this is the only place where I haven't searched. She has to be here! Give her back or I'll kill her," he said, tightening his grip on Violet. She coughed as she choked.
Everbrook looked to the mare and then to the King. "We don't have anypony here that looks the way you do. Now, please release my friend and leave. Do not come back to this place. "
The king laughed. "Yeah? And what? You'll shoot your magic at me?" The Princess shot a warning shot that landed near the king's head. He didn't flinch. The king cackled and lifted the unicorn into the air. She yelped in pain as air escaped her lungs. He was choking her and he enjoyed it. Everbrook gasped and lowered her magic.
"Please," she muttered, "put her down and leave this place."
"You have my child, and since you won't give her back, I will take a life for a life." With a swift twist, her neck snapped. Her body twitched before falling to the ground. Everbrook cried out, running to the body and holding her close to herself. Arctic night laughed as he hovered over the fallen body. Violet's sky blue was paling. The king was hysterical. He was going to find his daughter no matter what.
Dead of alive.
~Mint Melody~
I didn't leave my room after the funeral. It seemed happen so long ago. I had no sense of time really anymore. I looked at the photo I had taken of Violet Clouds and I the day before she was announced as dead. It made everypony upset in Everbrook, especially our Princess.
My room was darkening with the sun sinking slowly away. I didn't want to light a candle. I only wanted to lay in the darkness. I could only imagine the pain that Everbrook must be going through.
A knock at the door made me look away from my window and pull my direction to the door. It wasn't closed, only slightly opened. My sister's blue coat poked through the crack and her lightening yellow eyes met mine. She opened the door more and trotted in slowly.
"How are you feeling, Mint? Mom and dad have been worried about you. Aren't you hungry?" I shook my head and shifted my gaze back to my window. It was just starting to rain. My sister sighed and I heard her walking closer to my bed.
I didn't want to get up but she grabbed my tail and dragged me off my bed and onto the floor with a thump. I groaned and stood to my hooves, glaring at her. "Can't I just sit in my room?"
Cloudy Harmony shook her head. "I'm your bigger sister and as such, I want you to get up and eat something. At least take a bath, you smell like spoiled milk." I sighed, glancing at the jug of milk my mother left for me days ago most likely.
Her gaze followed mine and she gagged in disgust. "It's been a few days," I muttered. She walked over to the jug and picked it up with her wing. "Okay, more than a few days." She pushed me out of my room and slammed the door behind me.
"I'm cleaning your room! Go take a bath and eat!" She shouted through the door. I groaned and got to my hooves. I made my way down the hallway to the bathroom that was on the other side of the cottage.
As I passed through the living room, I spotted my mother and father sitting on the couch. My mother gasped when she saw me and jumped up. "I can't believe it! Are you hungry? I'll go make you something," she told me, making her way to the kitchen without me even saying anything back. My father, Summer Wind, was a yellow pegasus with an orange mane and sky blue eyes. He gave a polite nod my way and smiled. I nodded back and continued to the bathroom.
The bathroom we had was a basic one, a bathtub, a sink, a toilet. The walls inside were painted yellow and were decorated with soft blue and pink polka dots. I started the water on the tub, making sure it filled up to my calves. I didn't want it too high that I couldn't sit in it and wash my back and wings. Carefully with my mouth, I grabbed the brush and brushed my wings and mane. It was becoming a mess. I was hoping the soapy water would get rid of the supposedly spoiled milk smell.
A knock at the door made me drop the brush in the water, and I gritted my teeth. "Occupied," I called. I moved my hooves around in the water to search for the brush. I couldn't see from all the bubbled and dirt that was covering my mint fur. I guess I was fairly dirty. Once I found the brush I continued to clean myself, thinking of what my mother was going to make for me. She wasn't the best chef, but she's fairly good at making sandwiches. I gave myself a final wash down before I rinsed off and got out. The bathroom was foggy and I shook my fur and wings off. I think I dried myself for the most part.
I walked out and took in a deep breath of fresh non-humid air. I made my way to the kitchen and sat at the table. My mother, a short pegasus with dark blue fur and a light gray mane, went running about the kitchen, placing things on a plate. I just watched her since I didn't know what else to do. She turned around and placed the plate of food onto the table in front of me.
"I'm so glad that you're back out of your room" she told me, smiling as she poured some orange juice into a glass.
"Mhm," I said softly. I looked at the plate of fruit. Some strawberries, an oat muffin, and some slices of apples. I guess it's something. I timidly ate my food while my mother went to cleaned up.
"Are you feeling better?" My mother asked, once everything was cleaned up.
I shrugged. "I guess," I told her. "I think I'll go for a walk."
"A walk? Excellent! Can you take a book for me to the library while you are out?" My dad asked, holding out the book. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to but I know that they think I'm better. All I did was leave my room and go take a shower. How was that okay enough to take a book to the library?
I didn't want to argue with my parent's so I nodded and took the book from him. I sat it on the table and picked up my plate with my wing to take it to the sink. Midnight Harvest, my mother, grabbed my plate and smiled brightly. "I'll take that for you dear. Go ahead and take your walk. Take your time!"
"Yeah, okay," I told her softly. I grabbed the book and went to the living room to put it in my bag. I strapped it on my back, careful to keep my wings out of the way before I started out the door. I could hear my parents talking in the background as I walked away into the opening.
The area was flooded with stalls filled with goods people were willing to trade. A lot of creatures lived here in Everbrook, from ponies and dragons, to Kirins and changelings. It was a very diverse place. I walked past a booth from our zebra neighbor Zuri. She's very shy and her dreads cover her big brown eye. She wore a small collared shawl and she was selling potions and herbs.
I gave her a wave as I passed. She waved back and went to do her regular trading. I went to the library in the center of the town we live in. It was a large statue in the center of our town with a large circular base that went deeper into the ground. It was an underground library that most people didn't know about. I walked into the entrance and was greeted with a gasp.
My close friend Novella hugged me tightly. She must have teleported since I didn't even see her move from her desk. I gave her a pat on the back and she let go. "I was worried sick about you!"
"I'm fine. I was just a little down because of Violet," I told her. She nodded in understanding.
"We were all saddened by her leaving us. I'm really glad that you got out of your room. Cloudy Harmony was beginning to be paranoid when I told her I hadn't seen you for about two weeks."
I blinked in surprise. Two weeks? I was in my room for that long? No wonder everyone was surprised when Cloudy kicked me out of my room. I smiled sheepishly at my friend. "I'm sorry to make eveypony worried. I was just out of it really."
"Oh I can imagine! Anywho, what are you doing at the library? You aren't really the mare I see reading books," Novella said pointing to my bag. I grabbed the book out that my father wanted me to return.
Novella took the book from me and smiled. "My dad wanted to return it." She took the book from me and we walked to the front desk. It was just a secretary desk like you would find in any office. I watched her use her magic to open the book and check the book log.
"Ah! Just in time! I'll put it back! Do you want to out for dinner tonight? My treat? I have so much to tell you about that dragon that just moved in," Novella said, setting the book down onto a cart and motioning for me to walk to her.
I wanted to decline her offer, but a bigger part of me wanted me to go out and hang with my friend that I haven't talk to in two weeks apparently. "Alright. We can have dinner together, but can we go to the diner?" I asked. I was referring to the only main restaurant that was in our town. It has really good hay burgers.
"Of course dear! We can pig out to your hearts desire," Novella replied smiled. We both giggled and I found that she was taking me to the stairs to the lower stories of the library. The upstairs is for royal meetings and very important ponies.
We walked to the bottom layer of the library and walked past other creatures that were reading and looking at books. We went to the small nook where we can talk freely without bothering others. It was like a magically protected library bubble that Novella and other unicorns keep up when they work. As we walked through the bubble, I could hear the chatter and laughter from the fillies and other creatures who would rather talk while they read.
I stopped at the large bookshelf of favorites from the librarians and picked up one about different species. Novella poked her hear over my shoulder. "Oh! I picked that one! I thought it was so interesting to learn about different species since this place is so diverse with their inhabitants." I nodded and flipped through it. It was in fact very diverse with creatures and even changelings.
"Can I borrow this? It seems interesting to look through," I asked. Novella nodded.
"Of course! I'll check it out when we go back up. Enjoy reading for a bit, I've gotta get back to the front desk! After my shift, I'll come get you for dinner!" She waved as she walked out of her bubble and into the silence. I found a soft pillow to sit and skim the book for the bit. I wanted to kill some time. I opened the book and skimmed through the different species that were inside. Ponies, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Yaks, Changelings, and so many more.
I opened the book to the Changelings and looked at the first couple chapters. It talked about the Queen Changeling Chrysalis and how she was defeated constantly by Princess Twilight and even Starlight Glimmer. Starlight was the Headmare of The School of Friendship, and Twilight resides in Ponyville still in her large castle. They reminded me of those pesky mosquitoes that seem to be in the back of the woods surrounding the town we live in. I flipped a few pages and spotted something I never seen before.
A different changeling species? This looked so strange. Apislings? What in the world is it? They looked like bees. They had similar designs to changelings but instead of those holes in their legs and body, they had honeycomb designs. They also didn't have tails, they had buns on the end of their backs. I also saw that they had stingers. I was surprised. They were mostly black and yellow designs but they could also be orange and red as well. I've never seen anything like this before. Maybe I could ask and see if Novella saw these in the book when she read it.
I got to my hooves and put the book on my back and made my way back to the stairs. I bumped into another creature on my way to the stairs and I fell hard. A group of creatures hushed me and I covered my face with my wing. "Sorry," I whispered to the creature I bumped into. Magic surrounded me and brought me to my hooves. I blinked in surprise and looked at who it was.
A stallion, light blue with a gray mane and scarlet red tired eyes looked back at me. It was a unicorn that I noticed. I haven't seen him before. He must have been new here. I pointed a hoof to the stairs and he gave a nod and I hoped he got that I wanted to talk to him at the top of the stairs. I walked past him and up the stairs. I heard his hooves behind me so I knew he followed.
Once we made it to the top of the stairs I started to bumble over my words. "Thank you for my fall," I blurted, and he gave a smirk.
"You're welcome for picking you up," he said, his voice deeper than I thought. "I wasn't thinking of meeting a pretty small mare like yourself. Oh, here's your book too. It fell on top of mine." He used his magic and handed it to me. I sighed in relief. Novella cleared her throat loudly and smiled when I turned to her. She leaned over her desk being nosy like she always was.
"Need any help over there?" She asked in her soft library voice. We both walked over to her and I sat my book down on the desk.
I smiled at her and pointed to the book. "I would like to check this book out, please?" I asked. Novella nodded and started to check the labels on it. The stallion put his books on the desk next to me and smiled.
"And I'd like to check these books out as well," he said.
"Of course! And what's the name for you?" Novella asked.
"Winter Spice." He said. Novella nodded and gave me my book which i promptly put into my bag. I waited as Winter Spice watched Novella stamp the books and make sure they are up to date on their cards.
Winter Spice smiled at me and I felt my face burn in embarrassment. "Say, you seem to know what you are doing here. What's a good place to eat?" He asked.
I panicked on a response but Novella was quick to answer for me. "There's this amazing diner that sells the best burgers," Novella said as she checked the books. Winter Spice gave a smirk and rubbed his chin with his hoof.
"That sounds pretty good. Maybe we can check them out sometime," he offered.
I blurted out before I thought of what I was saying. "We're going tonight if you want to join us?"
He chuckled. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to interrupt a girls night."
"Oh no! It's no problem at all! In fact, I don't mind it. It will be fun," Novella chimed in.
He seemed to consider it before giving me a smirk. "Alright. What time are we going?"
"Novella gets off work soon, we can go then," I told him. He nodded and picked up the books that Novella had finished checking out for him. He used his magic to put them in his saddlebags.
"Alright. I'll go home and freshen up and come back and meet you ladies back here?" He suggested. I nodded, and he smiled. "I'll see you two later."
I watched him leave the library and I couldn't help but watching him as he walked slowly. Novella sighed, breaking me away from my staring and blushed. "My goodness, how long was I staring? Did I embarrassment myself?" I muttered.
Novella smirked. "Only just a little bit. He seems to be into you. He's also new here. He's roommates with the dragon I was talking about. I only saw him once before. I think he's kinda cute, a bit scary."
"Scary?"
"Did you see his eyes? They were like red. And those bags under his eyes? They just give me spooky vibes."
I rolled my eyes. "I think he's really cute," I said. Novella snorted. Then I realized that this was almost a date. "I should go home and take another bath! Should I dress up to?" I started to run into circles. Novella grabbed my tail with magic and stopped me.
"Calm down girl. You don't need to do anything. It's just dinner at the diner. Daffodil Diner. The most casual place to be. You don't need to dress up for the new guy." Novella said. She came to walk next to me and patted my head.
Before I could say anything, Novella's daughter came running into the library. She was out of breath. She looked similar to her mother, a white mare with gray hair and blue eyes. Novella turned to her daughter. "Mom! Tryx and Draconis are using their magic on Vivid Sunset and Snowy Mist," she managed through pants. Novella sighed.
She had six children, half pony, half dragon. They were quite a handful for her, but she's been taking good care of them, at least I thought she was. I wasn't a parent so I wouldn't really know but her children seemed to love her. They all looked the same to me besides the small differences in the shades of their manes and their eye colors. Also the two stallions she had were very different than each other.
"I'll have to deal with the situation since they never listen. I'll meet you two at the diner, alright?" I didn't get to respond because she started to trot away with her daughter in tow. I sighed and started on my way out. I walked out into the open area outside. There were some creatures that were cleaning up their booths and such. It was getting later in the day. I walked back to my house to let them know that I was going to the diner with Novella.
I walked in to my parents sitting on the sofa again, their eyes on the radio. My mom jumped up again when she saw me. "Welcome back! How did your walk go?"
Oh right, I was supposed to go on a walk. I spent most of the time at the library. "I actually spotted Novella at the library and we got to talking. We are going to eat at the diner tonight."
My mother smiled and dropped back onto the couch. "That's amazing! You spent a lot of time there. I was getting a bit worried."
I nodded. "Yeah. I was reading at the library. Oh! I have to get going to meet the new Stallion at the library," I said, turning back to the door.
"A stallion?" My father asked. I blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, uh, I'll tell you guys later, alright, see ya," I said, running out of the door and to the library again. At least my family knows whats going on. I walked back to the entrance of the library and I waited. I saw the door to a nearby cottage open and Winter Spice walked out.
He smiled as he walked trotted up to me. "Are you reading at the diner?" He asked, pointing to my saddlebags that I forgot about. Oh shoot.
"Sorry, I can run and put it back in my home, if you don't mind," I stumbled. He shook his head.
"I don't mind. I was only teasing. You can keep it with you so you don't do any extra walking." He said. I nodded and sighed in relief. I was so worried about messing this up.
We walked to the diner and I didn't know what to say, but I didn't want him to think I was crazy. "So what make you move here?" I asked.
"I wanted a different view. I'm not a fan of larger cities like Canterlot and such," he replied. I nodded in understanding.
"I was born and raised here in Everbrook. It's all I know. So if you need any help with anything I can help!" I told him.
He gave a smirk. "Will do."
As we walked up, I spotted Novella standing at the front of the diner. She smiled and waved to us. She held the door open for us to walk in. "I've got a table for us," she said as we walked in. I stood in the entrance and heard the chatter of the other creatures inside. Novella lead us to a table near the back and there were also drinks on the tables.
This was going to be an interesting night tonight.
