The Boy and the Bug

by Mr All

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Comedy, Changelings, Queen Chrysalis, Violence, Slice of Life, Death, Original Character
Length: 137108

A Hearth's Warming story about a family taking in a young changeling, and their struggle with the chaos that ensues.

Just under a week before Hearth's Warming, a young mother finds a lone changeling child at the mercy of the elements. Will this nymph become her family's salvation? Or its damnation?

A spirital successsor to Raugos' Integration. (Familiarity not required)

All artwork done by Jowyb

Proofreading by The Fan Without a Face

Published 2023-12-27 02:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-03-31 09:28:35 UTC

CH 2 - Home

Seven Years Before the Storm

I don’t wanna be here right now.

Shellac looked at his desk in discomfort, the others had been at it again. All of his drawing utensils were missing, bits of hardened resin covered the desk itself and he could tell one of the chairs had two of its legs slightly shortened. He groaned and turned to the teacher.

“Miss Tibia, can I use a different desk?”

The older changeling turned her head away from the slab of resin being used as a chalkboard. The other young students were already climbing to their seats as she softly smiled and nodded, gesturing to the one beside it. Shellac let out a sigh of relief and sat down, only for him to sink into something.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Shellac craned his neck around and found a layer of green gunk that glued the chair to his flank, pulling the chair up with him when he tried to get back up. He winced and turned to a trio of changelings in the far back with smug grins plastered across their faces. He shut his eyes tight and scowled.

“You know what? Fine, screw you guys!” He relaxed and sat back down before he caused an accident, refocusing on the lesson at hoof.

“Okay class, today we’ll be focusing on literature mimicry, the act of copying another’s way of writing.” The teacher’s voice was soft and affectionate, like that of a caring mother. It was the one solace he had as he listened to her lesson. Small green bulbs casting away the darkness from the artificially dug classroom, sure they were dim but his natural night vision did the rest.

As she spoke however he began to hear whispers from behind him which were just audible enough for him to hear without attracting Tibia’s attention. His faint smile faded and he unconsciously bought a hoof up to support his cheek. “Not this again.”

“He’ll be lucky to make Forager cast,” one nymph mumbled. “How much you wanna bet he’ll be stuck feeding grubs all day?”

Shellac’s eye twitched, he felt his forelimbs grow restless and a spark of rage rising in his chest. The cherry red plumes of anger started to bellow in his lungs.

“Just ignore them. Just, ignore them.”

“His shell’s as thin as a beetle’s!” They whispered. Mocking chirps and agitating wing clicks, insults spoken in their native tongue wormed their way into his ears. Shellac levitated a small piece of charcoal. His only writing utensil and swirled it around in place to help steel his nerves, it was hardly enough.

“Teacher’s pet, teacher’s pet, just one tease and he gets all wet!”

He was unconsciously beginning to apply more and more pressure to his charcoal shard. Trying to contain his rage as the nymphs behind him just kept going. On and on, it was relentless, but he was holding on trying to listen to the teacher’s directions. Until one insult broke the bee’s back.

“Why would mommy ever take his egg in? Anyone else think it’s because his didn’t love hi-”

Snap

“Shut Up!” Shellac twisted his head around and stared daggers at the nymphs behind him. The class went silent as every pair of eyes turned upon him. Shell sat there, his chest heaving with pent up frustration but as his pulse slowed and the moment passed. He soon realised what exactly he’d just done.

He slowly turned back around to face a thoroughly unamused adult now glaring at him. He shrunk into his desk as a horrible guilt ran down his back, only amplified by the disobedience of an Overseer’s rules. Tibia judgingly stared but would go on to lean her head to the side and look past him to the back of the class before returning to Shellac.

Pressure began to build upon Shellac’s heart. As if a vice had been fastened and was slowly crushing it like a plum. Intrusive thoughts invaded his mind and horrible images were pushed behind his eyes. He needed to say something, anything to take the edge off before it got any worse.

“S-Sorry Miss Tibia…” He squeaked. Hoping to gain some shred of forgiveness and alleviate that guilt.

A simple nod alleviated so much in a single stroke it almost prompted a sigh from physical relief. Tibia didn’t say anything but she knew what was going on as Shell could feel the emotions of the other nymphs behind him similarly cower. He wanted to believe they’d be getting it worse than him but experience had taught him otherwise, no this was the last straw.

They were going to have a little talk after this.

The rest of the lesson was mercifully uneventful though that did little to calm his nerves. He picked up the broken chunk of charcoal and began working when Tibia hoofed over his work, two opaque green resin tablets. One blank while the other had different fonts of texts he was meant to copy. To his credit he did really well, he’d practised in his spare time and so was the first to give over his work, a small pride to reassure his worth.

Yet he had to stay after class and wait for Tibia to return with the results from her highness. Like waiting to see if you’ve been condemned.

He sat alone, cold and scared, wondering what was to happen to him when she arrived. Was he still worth the rations being afforded to him? Would he be tossed into the wilds above never to return? Or would he be relegated to little more than cleaner, good for no more than making sure the other unhatched young hadn’t attracted any parasites.

“Not like they’ll hatch anyway, there’s not enough love to go around.”

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard her hoofsteps in the distance. Reverberating off the smooth stone walls of the caves. “This is it,” he thought. Equal parts dread and hope circling around his head. His teacher strode back into the room and turned to Shellac with a smile. “Okay, good so far.” She moved a few chairs and sat down in front of him before she swapped between a few more resin tablets in her magical grasp.

“So what happened this time Shellac?”

Shell parted his lips, his nerves still shot from earlier but he pushed through best he could. “T-The others began insulting me w-while you were b-busy. They said I wasn’t going to make it to any of the castes and that I had a thin shell and t-that…” He suddenly felt a rising in his eyes as he tried to look up to her. His cheeks hurt from the pain behind them and he struggled to get his last few words out. “M-My mommy d-didn’t l-love me…” It was too much. He felt a breath force its way from the back of his throat past his mouth. Then another, and before long he began whimpering in front of Tibia.

In a matter of moments, the dams broke down and a steady trickle of tears trailed from his eyes. She sighed and leaned in close, patting his cheek with a tender hoof.

“Oh Shellac, mommy does love you! She loves all of you with all her heart. Chrysalis might be a busy mom but she does her very best to take care of us.” She cooed.

Her attempt at comfort sadly had the opposite effect.

“She doesn’t get it, nobody does!” Shell’s mind cried. “I’m alone and I always will be!”

He continued to cry his eyes out into his hole ridden hooves. Tibia leaned back in confusion, unsure why his sadness only intensified from her assurance but tried to comfort him nonetheless. Shen then looked back at the tablets as an idea brewed in her head.

“Say Shell, would you like to know what Chrysalis thinks of you?” She asked. Shellac’s river slowed down for a moment as his ears perked up. He stifled his cries and with teary eyes looked up at his career. Who would flip through some of the tablets she had.

“When I gave her this she told me she was impressed. You showed at least eighty percent accuracy with your work whereas the others had something closer to fifty or fourty. Your application for magic has also caught her eye. You already know some very complex spells for your age and your shapeshifting is exceptional.”

“It…it is?” He sniffled, feeling a bit of hope in his chest.

“Yes, she says she thinks you’ll have the makings for a great changeling one day. You just need to stay strong and work hard.”

Shell began to raise his head, newfound confidence built up within and he climbed to his shoulders with awe. Relief and hope blossoming in his core, he felt reinvigorated, vindicated of his outburst earlier.

Tibia returned her smile and put away the tablets. “Better? Come on, you must be hungry after all that.”

“S-sure, yeah!” Shellac then climbed out of his se- “Wa-woah!” He suddenly found the seat held fast to his flank and he was sent hurling towards the ground with a loud crash, other desks tumbling onto and all around him. Pain erupted from all over and he cried out as Tibia leapt to his aid. He’d forgotten about the other’s little prank on him. They’d messed around with his desk enough to know he always chose the one directly to its left so they booby trapped that one as well.

Tibia began moving away debris and spitting onto where the slime held him in place, dissolving it in a matter of seconds. Yet Shellac couldn’t even bring himself to look up at her, he was only five; this wasn’t fair. Nothing about it was! Why can’t they just leave him alone?...

You know what? Fine, screw you guys! He thought. That same angry fire ignited again, burning brighter than before and with a new purpose. “I’ll pass this even with you being jerks! I’ll be the best changeling there is and then I’ll leave! And Chrysalis will punish you for making me leave!”

As Tibia helped him to his hooves uttering endless words of comfort. He suddenly felt that fire inside turn a different colour, not one of reds or greens, but his own royal purple. “One day, I’ll be my own changeling, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

A new sensation stilled inside him, a potent mix of determination and spite. They might win today but Shellac would ensure he’d win the war.

He’d been filled with conviction.

Four Nights Before the Storm

Shellac began to stir, quickly finding himself surrounded by dark jagged rock. Small lumensant lights glowed a dim green reflection off his eyes though through the dark he was able to see just fine. Wherever he looked, cave-like tunnels that led in all kinds of directions whether it be horizontal or vertical were all around him. His nerves began to shoot as he recognised where he was.

No no no no no please don’t tell me it was all just a dream! He internally screamed. There was no mistaking it, he was back there.

Dark shadows shifted within the corners of his vision. They dashed from wall to wall, flickering within the tunnels above. His pulse quickened and beads of cold sweat ran down his chitin as he looked around the massive chamber he was in. A plethora of whispers began to assault his senses, like hisses and squeaks, an unintelligible mess of changeling voices and scrambled words. What he could make out were tales about the ponies, how they’d lied, stole and murdered. How they’d thrown them out decades ago and that they cared only for themselves.

“No!” Shellac cried, “I’ve met a pony! Gleaming Gold, she cares about me, she rescued me!”

The whispers grew louder still, quickly shifting into growls and shouts. Drawing closer and closer until he couldn’t even hear himself think!

In a matter of minutes, Shellac was bombarded by a tidal wave of noise that threatened to shatter his ears and his sanity along with them.

“Please!” He cried, shutting his eyes and covering his ears. But it was in vain for the voices were inside his head, shouting and screaming, commanding him to obey but he refused. He wouldn’t, never again!

With each second, he could feel a spider’s web of cracks beginning to form up his head as his skull threatened to split in half from the sheer pressure of them all! Chitin cracking, splintering and fracturing. “No, No!”

He suddenly forced his eyes open and let out a scream that twisted his lungs. “NEVER!”

A wave of air pulsed from his prone form that kicked up ash and dust from all sides. Sending the voices with them as sweet silence echoed throughout the caves leaving a void of nothingness behind. Shellac heaved, drawing upon heavy breaths as his lungs burned, the cracks in his chitin having disappeared.

He slowly got to his hooves, his legs wobbled like jelly from the outburst. “Never…”

A foreign noise disrupted the calm void that had overtaken the area. The clopping of distant hooves that were slow and methodical, with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. He knew that walk, every changeling did, from the very day he hatched as a grub his ears had tuned themselves to that noise. Shell’s heart sank into his legs like a lead brick as he turned to the tunnel it was coming from.

Slowly the figure revealed themself. Black as night and as tall as a monolith, with glossy swamp green hair dropped over her face. The smell of rotting wood wafting into his nostrils with a horn so crooked it’d never have competition, and ghostly solid green eyes that glowed with power. She turned to look him directly into his very soul and felt a hunger, a ravenous craving that led to a bottomless pit.

“Shellaaaac~” She grinned, licking her lips. Met with a voice he’d never wanted to hear again and that made his blood run cold enough to freeze. “You have something that belongs to meeeeeeee~”

Shellac snapped around and bolted in the opposite direction, heedless of where exactly the tunnels would take him so long as he could escape the ghostly monarch. He heard an unearthly cackle from behind him that only pumped more adrenaline through his veins propelling him faster through the darkness. Yet as he jumped over, flew and climbed into different caves and side passages. He only found more of nothing and more of the same. Eventually places started to look alike one another and try as he might his body had limits.

His lungs burned and his limbs ached in pain. His heart threatened to give out so he began to slow. Still fighting to keep himself moving even as he began to drag his legs across the rough stone floor. He felt as though the weight of an ox had been planted on his back and he collapsed, his thoughts, sluggish and groggy.

As it was, he couldn’t move, couldn't think, only breathe and pray he’d gained enough ground. But the sounds of her steps all but confirmed his demise. It was hopeless to think he ever stood a chance as an aura of green light shone down upon him. He dared not look up, denying to himself that maybe if he closed his eyes she wouldn’t be there, that he’d be okay and that this was all just a bad dream and that he’d wake up any moment now.

But such a reality was denied to him as he felt his chin was enveloped in magical energy and his head cranked upwards without his permission. His eyes likewise were forced open and he found himself staring into the very same ravenous chasm he tried so desperately to evade.

“Oh Shellac, I thought you’d know better by now.” Her words were slow and laced with poison, every utterance eroding away what little resistance he could still put up.

“Please…don’t.” He begged, pleaded for some small mercy.

Sadly, he was afforded none as the changeling queen continued. “I hatched you, raised you and fed you. Everything about you belongs to me!”

Her mouth creaked open like the jaws of a python and a tendril of energy began to force its way out of Shell’s mouth. With each second he could feel the love being sucked away from his core, like the excitement from Raining, the affection of Gleaming, the happiness from both that he’d been so careful not to take more than he needed. All of it was ripped away as his chitin began to swivel up and his bones became visible through his shell and rib cage raised from his chest.

When she was done Shellac once again fell to the ground, his body little more than a dark skeleton with a thin layer of skin and hard shell. He had no strength left, no ability to move or even speak. He felt so…empty.

Alone…

Cold…

Scared…

The world began to darken as the sounds of the queen’s steps grew distant. The lights of the hive dimmed down until the shadows consumed what was left of his frozen, frail body…

Shellac’s eyes shot open, his limbs frozen in place still as a statue. He gasped for air as harsh chill ran through his body. He was staring at something white with a very droopy texture, like vertically dried paint. Cold sunlight piercing into the room from behind a pair of curtains. Of course it was only then he realised he was staring at the ceiling.

“W-Wait…”

A familiar voice greeted him from the side. “Shellac? Are you okay?”

He turned his head and saw the light brass coat and metal grey mane of Raining Lead sitting beside him. Himself recently woken and clearly concerned. “You looked like you were having a bad dream.” He added.

Shellac blinked for a moment before he threw his hooves forward to grab Raining and pull him into an impromptu hug. The colt yelped at the sudden surprise embrace but soon recognised the reasoning. Raining likewise reached around and returned the gesture. “Yeesh, must've been worse than I thought.”

Shellac didn’t respond and instead held himself close to Raining, trying to hold back tears and whimpers. He did eventually let go and solemnly met his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn't have-”

“Shellac! Come on bud don’t beat yourself up. Can’t expect the Princess to watch over every-creature’s dreams like with us.” He patted the changeling’s shoulder, “It’s just a dream, dreams can't hurt you.”

Shell shrunk down into the blanket he’d been lended and embraced the smooth covers affording him much needed comfort. “T-Thanks Raining, I needed that.”

“Great! I’m gonna make myself some breakfast, you like cereal?”

“What’s cereal?” Shell asked, the confusion replacing his earlier panic.

Raining froze and stared at Shellac like he’d just told a bad joke. Silence hung in the air longer than the nymph would’ve felt comfortable with. Then a grin started to form across Raining’s mouth, reaching the edges of his cheeks which bulged out to accommodate and threatened to obscure his eyes. “Raining? Is something wrong?”

“Oh no! Nothing at all! I’m gonna get to see you try cereal for the first time!” He giggled with excitement, only making Shell more confused.

“Again, what exactly is it?” Shell asked, hoping for a more direct answer.

“It’s a bowl of…sweet stuff I guess. Honey covered oats or clusters of nuts, hazelnut chocolates with some kind of coating, dried strawberry flakes, that kinda stuff. Then you fill the rest of the bowl with milk.”

“That…does sound nice actually, can I have some?”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Uhm…abra cadabra?” Shell teased. The other colt huffed but stood firm. “Fine! Please may I have some cereal?”

“That’s better! And yes you can.” Lead left the room to go to the kitchen and as he did so more hoofsteps descended down the staircase. Shellac shifted in his seat and removed the blanket that had been his bed cover for the evening, anticipating another meeting with his caretaker.

Gleaming Gold appeared in the living room doorway wearing that warm smile from last night. A sure sign of reassurance if Shellac had to name one. But then as she entered the living room another figure appeared in the doorway. His coat was a deep, dirty copper with a dark grey mane. He kept his front right leg close to his chest, not applying too much pressure when he tried walking with it. His grey metal gaze glossed over the room absentmindedly before snapping to Shellac and shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

“My dad probably won’t like you…”

Shellac felt a wave of cold needles stab into his back and the two locked eyes with one other. A thousand different possibilities raced through his mind in only a few seconds, dodging bolts of magic, having arrows launched at him, weaving around a gauntlet of swords, spears and glaves in the middle of Canterlot’s streets or just a brutal hoove to face beating. His mouth refused to let him utter a word under the guard’s glare.

“Honey…what is that?”

“That’s Shellac, he’s-”

“What is it doing in our HOUSE?!” The stallion shouted at Gold. She lowered her head slightly and braced herself. “Have you lost your mind? It’s probably plotting to replace our son!” Shellac shrunk down into the corner of the couch as small as he could, trying his best to bury himself between the cushions. “Why in Celestia’s name would you let it in?!”

Gold’s eyes shot open, determination rising in her shoulders as she spun around and snapped back. “Last night I found him freezing to death in an alleyway. He's a child, Copper, what was I meant to do?” She countered. Her stance was firm and ready, as if prepared to defend herself.

The stallion froze, glaring at her for a few seconds before his horn began to glow a brilliant bright orange. A soft aura of magic briefly washed over Gleaming before he continued. “A cleansing spell, anything it used on you is gone, feel any different?”

“I feel slightly annoyed!” She reposted with a hint of sarcasm present in her throat before closing the distance and calmly spoke a hoof’s length from Copper Casing.

“Now listen, last night I found this changeling, who’s name is Shellac, in an alleyway beside a dumpster, hiding under a cardboard box like a stray cat. He had no food, no shelter and no clothing. We both know how cold it was going to get, you lit the fireplace yourself. If I’d have left him there he would have died Copper.”

“Well why didn’t you turn him in to the guard?”

“What happens to a changeling when they get captured? You were part of the guard, you should know.”

“Well they face trial...actually hold on changelings aren't ponies. So would they be classed as POWs or political prisoners? I guess Chrysalis’s hive is more of an insurgency group than a full nation.”

Gold stared at her husband, her lack of amusement was clear to see.

“Oh right um, so whatever the case they would’ve likely been sent to Canterlot Dungeons until further notice.” He added.

“And what do changelings require to survive?”

“Solid food like the rest of us, sorry honey.” Gold sighed, clear disappointment in her eyes.

“Copper, look at him for a moment. Do you see anything different?” Copper Casing did as requested and looked over at Shellac, examining him from the door. After getting a good look he turned back to reply. “He’s got purple eyes and he’s clearly a kid, so what?”

“So he’s not one of the changelings that attacked Canterlot. He was never part of the raid and he’s not Chrysalis’s child, he’s too young.”

Copper breathed in and gritted his teeth, an air of frustration now radiating off the unicorn. He slowed his speech and spoke clearly with conviction. “Honey, I understand that you did the things you did because they were right. But housing a changeling can, and will, get us arrested. You might think with your heart but I think with my head, and if you can’t bring yourself to do what’s required I will.”

Shellac may have well been a little rolled-up ball of dread at Copper’s statement. “This was it,” he thought. “I’m never going to see the light of day again.”

Raining then slipped in through the door between the two with a bowl held in his telekinetic grip as he leisurely strode towards Shellac. Both his parents turned in surprise at their son’s entry and Copper held his bad leg out towards him. “Raining don’t!”

Raining paused, craned his neck and looked over his shoulder towards his father. “I was just giving him cereal dad, he’s never had it before.”

“Raining go to your room! We’re discussing something important.”

“Dad, I was literally in the kitchen listening to the whole thing. Shellac Is not a bad changeling! If he was, he would've hurt me or said something bad about you like Lance does!”

Both Copper and Gold looked at each other. Shellac could sense something click within the both of them at that moment. Some kind of trigger that stirred up mixed feelings, a cocktail of anger and fear with a touch of sadness.

“You keep saying I should make more friends but Lance scares them all off. Come on Dad, look at him!” Raining gestured towards Shellac who quivered like a little scared animal.

Copper Casing gritted his teeth and paced his breathing, a practice not helped by Gold resting a hoof on his shoulder. “Come on dear he’s right, just give it a chance okay? He’s not casted any spells or tried hurting anypony.”

Copper shut his eyes tight and yelled in a fit of defeat. “FINE! Fine, we’ll let him stay.”

Raining raised a hoof into the air in celebration. “Yaaaaaay!”

Copper immediately followed up, pointing directly at the tucked in changeling. “But if you endanger my family I’m not having second thoughts, got it?!” He shouted loudly enough to terrify a dragon.

With the energy of a springy plank of wood, Shellac planted a hoof against his forehead in a hastily made, nervous salute.

“Good, damn it now I’m hungry.” Cooper turned and left for the kitchen as did Gleaming, who looked over her shoulder and winked before disappearing out of view. Shell sighed in relief and felt just about ready to melt into a puddle from the exchange, his stomach however reminded him he’d not eaten in the past several hours.

Raining jumped onto the couch beside Shellac, placing the cereal bowl in front of him with his own hovering just slightly in front of his face. Shell was quick to catch his breakfast and looked into it he found a bunch of…what looked like miniature hay bales with bits of chocolate stuck inside them half drenched in milk. He raised a spoonful and turned to Raining who was happily munching down on more of the same.

Not wanting to seem rude he began eating and quickly found the appeal. The creamy goodness of the milk helped soften the otherwise rock-hard hay bales and dislodge the chunks of chocolate inside, and before long he was shovelling it down like his companion next to him. Naturally, he had to take the time to actually chew due to the much harder nature of his food but that allowed him to more thoroughly cherish the flavours inside.

Barely two minutes passed before both bowls sat on the coffee table in front of them. Small remnants of milk clung to their mouths as they smiled at each other.

“Found out what love tastes like yet?” Raining asked.

“Nah, but this was a good start.”

“So is your dad usually…like that?”

Shellac looked down at the coffee table where Raining had laid out his cards. They all had various numbers and symbols on them like diamonds, clubs, hearts and so on, with a few of them having stylised pictures of the princesses on them though the way they’d been drawn made it look confusing as they were both right side up and upside down at the same time.

“Not really, only when he gets upset. He just wants to make sure we’re safe.”

Raining had explained the rules of the games they were playing. The goal was to get an arrangement of cards that either equaled twenty one or were at least higher then your opponent but you could only see your own cards. They’d take turns deciding if they should take another card and risk going over or stay and hope they had a higher value then the other.

“I don’t blame him, I’d be angry if I couldn’t use my leg anymore.”

Raining took a card and added it to his set of three as Shellac did the same. “Well it’s not that he can’t use it, it’s just very painful for him to use it.”

Shellac looked at his cards with a smile and tapped his hoof on the table, indicating his decision to stay. “Did you try healing magic? I know some myself, I think I could help!”

“No good the doctor said. It broke in three places and healing magic could disfigure the bone. He’s waiting on surgery.” Lead took another card.

“This long? It’s been several months since the attack!”

“A lot of ponies got hurt, it wasn’t just guards they went after, ready by the way?”

“Yeah, one, two, three!” Both then laid their cards flat on the table and began counting. Shellac totaled at eighteen with Raining…at twenty. “Aww, you win, again?”

The brass colt was already scooping up the cards and shuffling them around. He placed the deck face first onto the space beside them before both drew their starter card.

“It’s not all bad, whether it’s because of mum or because he’s determined he still makes the effort to go out with us. If you haven’t noticed already, this family’s nothing but barely contained chaos.” Raining snickered.

Shellac took another card and added it to his deck. “Gonna tell me more funny stuff?”

“Hey now, don’t tempt me.”

Shellac chuckled as Raining drew a second card. “Living at the hive was pretty chaotic I’d say, the walls over there are alive, literally. Constantly shifting and stretching as to confuse any-creature trying to break in that’s not a changeling. Tunnels are always opening and closing, very easy to get lost, but there’s areas that stay the same.”

“Really? Dang, and I thought ponyless carriages racing up and down the streets was bad.” Raining spoke up while eyeing his cards.

“Oh you don’t even know the half of it, I got bullied a lot in class for not being Chrysalis's child. I had a few friends but we couldn’t be seen together so I was always alone, at least you have your parents. I had a caretaker that juggled me and at least ten other nymphs.”

“Double dang, you make changelings sound like jerks.”

“They kind of are, why’d you think I ran away?”

Both paused to draw another card but when Raining drew his, he facehooved and showed his set. Shellac saw he’d gone over twenty-one and laughed. He reshuffled the deck and gave Raining his starter card as usual. “Speaking of bullies, there’s this one earth pony who’s made it his personal mission to make my life as horrible as possible, Moonlit Lance.”

Shellac raised his head to face him. “You mentioned him earlier, what makes him so bad?”

“He’s very big and he’s very mean. Teachers at my school don’t take bullying seriously and I’m pretty sure he takes advantage of that. It’s like he’s trying to see just how much he can get away with before they do something about him.”

“Oh really? Hit me?”

Raining shot up and stared a thousand yards through him. The air around him taking the most left field, one eighty turn Shellac had ever seen. “He made me eat black snow just before winter break, broke into my locker, put dirt in my sandwich and threw my coat into the toilet…” Raining winced. “Then flushed...”

Shellac’s mind was hit with a non-existent foghorn as he drew a blank on his next few words. He was expecting something bad, sure, but more like having spitballs launched at him or being called colourful names. What Raining just described didn’t just sound bad, it sounded diabolical and like it was only just the tip of the proverbial mountain. He slowly nodded as he came up with a response.

“Wow…just wow, he already sounds worse than half the hive.”

“That was just before winter break, want me to go on?”

Shell immediately shook his head in response. “No, no, you’ve said enough, you make ponies sound like jerks.”

The game quickly resumed with Raining drawing a card. “Eh, it’s mostly just Lance, his sister tries to keep him in check but I’ve rarely seen it stop him.”

Shellac felt a rising tide of emotion begin to stir within Raining. Even after he finished he didn’t break off from that stare and it quickly became uncomfortable. Shell suddenly found he couldn’t sit right, fidgeting and shifting in place. That emotional cocktail of anger, fear and sadness came creeping back.

Shell, sensing an emotional shift he tried to think of a way to change the subject.

Raining however beat him to it. “It’s fine though!” He forced a smile. “Mum and dad always keep me company, we play board games and read books, maybe I can show you my collection sometime!” The cocktail welling within Raining was suddenly being suppressed, shoved away and aside by a wave of forced happiness and newfound excitement.

A bead of sweat ran down Shellac’s temple as he nervously replied. “Yea! That sounds great, Lead! Uhm…know any other card games?”

Just then Gleaming walked past the doorway turning towards the both of them with Copper Casing shortly behind. “Hey you two, I’m going to work, see you at five!”

“Bye Mum!”

“Good luck Miss Gold!”

She left their view and the sound of the door opening and closing confirmed her departure, leaving the two boys with Copper Casing. Who then floated a big board game box titled Hammer & Anvil! He addressed them with a smile.

“You two ready to play a real game?”

Closed due to staff sickness, sorry everypony!

Gleaming looked at the note plastered to the inside of her workplace window with a sigh. “Damn it, I was looking forward to talking to Hazel again.”

She’d spent the better part of an hour travelling to work and now had to turn around and walk alllllll the way back. It wasn’t that bad though all things considered, Canterlot’s streets were just as beautiful during the day as they were at night, though a fair bit warmer. Ponies in all manner of festive attire pranced along its paths, Pegasi flew above sweeping rooftops and chimneys and the golden glow of its overhead lights had been replaced with shining white sunlight that reflected off the snow.

Carriages of all kinds were pulled along the roads with some decorated to fit the season and on rare occasion, a self-propelled carriage would waltz up or down the roads, leaving a dark trail of smoke in its wake. Gleaming looked around, rubbing the back of her head. “I swear I’m forgetting something…something about Shellac.”

She traced her hoofsteps, she found the little nymph in an alleyway, almost got caught by the guards, got home…”That’s right! I was going to look for an orphanage!” It only just then occurred to her that she never knew where any of them were in Canterlot, she never had reason to look for them.

“Okay, where’s the best place to look for that? Library maybe? If nothing else I could get Raining a new book, yeah, let’s try that.” She turned towards the street and hailed a taxi carriage and not more than a minute later she was already on the roads, watching buildings and ponies pass by her. Her mind began to wander, what was in store for her in the future?

“Hopefully Shellac and Raining can stay friends, Celestia knows Raining needs more of those.”

Her mind flashed back to the day of the attack. Balls of green flame crashed from the sky alongside the screams from outside with Copper telling her to stay with Raining and lock the doors. The whole ordeal didn’t last for more than an hour but it felt like eternity.

“Maybe he’s right,” a little voice spoke to her, “Maybe I am being played. Changelings can sense the emotions of others, so I’d be as easy to read as an open book. But he seems so genuine! Ah well, this’ll all be over soon. Find the library, find an orphanage and resolve this.”

Gleaming’s mind found itself in a mental tug of war, weighing her options over what to do next.

“But should I really do this? Just throw him away? After he described how Chrysalis raises her kids? Foster care would be all he’s ever had. I can’t adopt him either, though; he’s a changeling! Like Copper said, if we get caught we’re all in trouble.”

For the first time in a long time Gleaming was plagued with uncertainty. Granted it was something she’d had to go through once already with Copper Casing after the attack. The first time she saw how twisted his leg had gotten she had to fight to keep the contents of her stomach down, among the other injuries he’d sustained.

Then there was the whole issue with her son feeling alone. She and Copper were able to amend that but it didn’t do well for his social skills. She didn’t want him growing up into a shut-in exclusively raised by his parents.

“Lovely day for it don’t ya think?”

“Huh?” Gleaming woke back to reality and turned her attention to the earth pony pulling her carriage, wearing a yellow striped parka in the same style as the taxi.

“Lovely weather, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah…well I’m told it’s not going to last forever, it’s only going to get colder apparently.” She remembered hearing about it from the local weather reports and not long after it was the talk of the town. While the weather teams were good there were still limits on how far they could control mother nature.

“Yep! Big blizzard’s coming this Hearth’s Warming Eve, I’d stock up on firewood if I were you.”

Gold sat back in her seat with half-lidded eyes, struck by a sudden wave of weariness. “Thanks, I’ll add it to my list.”

“You look troubled, Miss, everything okay?” The cabby briefly looked over his shoulder to face her.

“Family issues…”

“Ah right, been there myself, while I can’t speak for whatever it is you're going through, just know things will eventually get better.” He put on a reassuring smile trying to comfort her even with the bags under his eyes. Gold idly looked past him onto the road forward. They were coming up onto an intersection with very few other carriages. The stallion kept going, shifting more of his focus towards her then the road. “When my dad passed away-”

From behind a building on the right a large fast moving object emerged, little more than a blur of colour but it grabbed Gold’s attention as it raced towards the stallion’s side. She jumped up and shouted, “HEY!”

The cabby had just enough to turn around and jump backwards before he was slammed by the runaway carriage. He raised his own hoof and yelled as it raced away. “Oi watch it! Agh I swear the ponies who drive those things are blind sometimes. Only a matter of time till’ somepony gets hurt.”

The cabby took a deep breath and addressed Gold, who had sunken back into her seat. “Sorry miss. You alright?”

“Just take me to the library.”

Gleaming strode past a large pair of double doors and into a huge multi-story chamber where rows upon rows of bookshelves surrounded her. Reading areas were scattered throughout with the library having put on its own fair share of decorations which mostly consisted of inoffensive fairy lights and multi-coloured tinsel, supplemented by the occasional cardboard cutout of a tree.

Not wanting to dawdle, Gleaming walked on over to reception where a middle aged mare with a deep blue coat and barely groomed mane was waiting. She had a heavy pair of bags under her eyes, only partially obscured by the semi-circle glasses perched on her nose. Despite being awake she very much looked as though she was asleep standing up.

“Good morning, do you know where I can find the local orphanage?” Gold opened. The mare took a full five seconds to crane her head towards her before pointing at a nearby notice board with a large map.

“Thanks Miss…” Gleaming looked down at her badge. “Moonlit Lamplight, that’s a nice name!” She grinned. The mare didn’t reply, staring a thousand yards through her soul. Unnerved, Gold slowly backed away and went to look at the notice board, adjusting her coat as she did. Was it always this warm in the library?

In any case she examined the notice board. There were a few public events going on like an old winter lights festival advertisement, a theatre play, a carnival poster.

“Lead would love that, he was always good at the shooting games.”

Gold finally settled upon Cantermore Public Orphanage and made a mental note of the name. A bell rang in her head and she squinted. “Wasn’t there some kind of scandal a while ago?” It was a faint memory but it was enough to draw her attention. She pulled back to the receptionist and requested access to the newspaper archives. Lamplight carried herself away and escorted her with the speed of molasses to a door with a frosted, glass window, pulling out a key and undoing the lock.

Inside was a vast room full of rows and rows of draws with different labels. The air was desert dry, without another soul in sight, the walls were a dark dingy wood brown, the blinds only half drawn and there weren’t any overhead lights so it was incredibly dim compared to the well lit central library.

Unfazed, Moonlit Lamplight turned to Gold and spoke as though she had to drag her tongue out of bed. “So, what are you looking for?”

“Information on Cantermore Public Orphanage, and any others in Canterlot.” Gold replied, half hoping she’d be able to offer those options.

“Not unless you go out of town, trust me I’ve tried.” The librarian coldly spoke, ending that hope. She shifted past her down the dusty archive halls, an oil lantern held in her telekinetic grip bathing the area in a bright orange light. Gold pranced forward and matched her speed which wasn’t very hard, she was walking at a near snails pace. They eventually stopped at one of the sections and Lamplight walked inside, pulling out a drawer full of old newspapers and flipping through them until she picked out one in particular.

She passed it to the pegasus unfolded, keeping the lantern above her to afford her readability. The headlines made Gold’s jaw drop.

ORPHANAGE OR WORKHOUSE?
In a recent turn of events, an anonymous source blew the whistle on exploitative behaviour conducted by the manager and staff team of the Cantermore Public Orphanage. According to the source, fillies and colts were teaching each other to lie and beg for food as the meals being served at the kitchen were not up to Equestrian standards. Instead they’d spend the day doing menial labour such as tying ropes, knitting clothing and minor woodworking. Money both donated and granted to the establishment intended to help nurture these kid’s lives was instead pocketed by the manager as was any profit gained from the sale and distribution of items made by the children. The manager had hoofpicked new staff, not on their nursing skills or compassion, but based on their tolerance of the environment so long as they were given a share of the bits.

Count Nutcracker has condemned these actions and promised swift justice against those involved, namely the greedy manager and the neglectful staff team, who’s job should be to ensure these kids have promising and fulfilling lives. Let us hope that the new team that comes after are able to deliver what these kids truly deserve.

Gleaming Gold planted a hoof on her chest as her heart sank. Meekly turning to Lamplight for any kind of comfort or assurance only for her to offer the same tired glare. “Whole thing happened two months ago, new ponies aren’t as bad as I've heard but I still wouldn’t trust them.”

“I-I-I, W-Why would?...J-Just why?! How even?” Gold fought to get her words out, most of them died in her throat as Lamplight gently took the paper away.

“Some ponies are just bad, plain and simple. I think everypony forgets that whenever we have to deal with whatever supernatural threat rears its ugly head that week.” Lamplight closed the draw and moved to Gold’s side, rubbing a hoof against her shoulder. “Us ponies sing and talk all about love, friendship and everything, forgetting we’re just as capable of doing bad things as any creatures, but you shouldn’t let a few bad apples ruin the basket, otherwise you might as well plant a new orchard.”

Her blunt words brought little comfort to Gold, finding her options shrinking like a flower in the snow.

“W-What do I do? What should I do? I-I wanna protect my little colt but I-I, I can’t just leave the other to the elements.”

Moonlit moved in front of Gold, her eyes gleaming with newfound sympathy as she rested the lantern on a nearby table. “Slow down there, take a deep breath, and explain as best you can.”

Gold did as asked, she forced her lungs full and held her breath for several seconds. Her mind was allowed to clear itself of all the noise as she exhaled her stress into the air.

“I…found a street urchin last night, probably no older than my twelve year old, freezing and half dead. I took him in and I want to take care of him but I don’t know if I can.”

“What’s his name?”

Gleaming paused for a moment to think, she couldn’t use his actual name obviously but she remembered asking Shellac if he had something else. She quickly flipped through her own archive of information and found the file. “Thunder Chaser.” She replied.

Lamplight resumed her near snail’s pace and walked down the halls, picking up the lanturn with a pale white glow.

“H-hey where are you going?”

“Follow me and find out, Mooncake.” She smirked.

Their walk led them into another section of the archive that seemed much more well used, where the blinds were open and allowed fresh sunlight into the hall so Lamplight could settle her lanturn. Instead of a wood brown the walls had more navy blues and little informational posters aimed at preventing fires. She repeated her motions flickering through another set of draws, pulling out a folder with the very name Gleaming had given.

“Isn't this kinda stuff meant to be at city hall?” Gold asked.

Lamplight opened the file and gave it to her, indifferent to her concern. “Yes, but they’ve been doing renovations and needed somewhere to put the overflow.”

Gleaming examined the file, displaying a picture of a deep purple coated pegasus colt with matching eyes. His two-toned mane was a mixture of a dark purple and light orange in the style of a mohawk, twelve years old with no known parents or home address. It seemed to line up with what she knew about Shellac, but there wasn’t a mention of a criminal record.

“I mean it’s hard to get caught doing anything when you can just make yourself look like somepony else and point hooves.”

“I assume you were looking to either adopt him or send him somewhere you’d know to be safe?” Lamplight asked what sounded like a rehearsed question.

Gleaming slowly nodded, not taking her eyes off the file. “Sorry love, life doesn’t come with easy answers. But if it helps, I can send out an adoption form for you.”

“You could?” Now she had Gold’s attention, who shot up and faced her with renewed interest.

“Been through the process myself, got refused in the end but you might have better luck.”

Gold looked back at the file, the memories of the night prior flashed through her mind. The risk she took, the bath she gave, the joy in her son when she served Shell food. The sensation warmed her, not unlike the fireplace of her home. She was happy to have done a good deed and see her son make a friend. But her husband’s wake up call reminded her she’d be playing a dangerous game, she could still feel the suspicious glare the guard gave her that night before, saved by a bell.

“I’ll have to think about it,” Gold still sadly couldn’t decide one way or the other. “I can’t be rash with something like this.”

Lamplight nodded and took the file, closing up the drawer before escorting her back to the central library. Gold hung her head, her heart heavy with worry and uncertainty as she thanked the librarian and walked towards the exit.

On her way she saw several children’s books lining the shelves. Many of them classic fairy tales or folk stories she recognised, like White Rose and the seven dwarves, Little Red Hood, Hoofsy and Greetsy. Many she remembered from her younger years with fond memories, bringing a smile to her lips.

But along those titles was one that took her attention and that forced her to stop and stare: The Stolen Child.

“It’s just a foal’s book, Gleaming, keep walking.” Her mind commanded her, but like before her heart compelled her otherwise and she slowly pulled the book out. The front cover depicting a mare in a dress, stumbling across a foal in a cradle on the side of a dirt road, surrounded by darkened woodland. Its back cover described a story in which a mother was tricked by a shapeshifter into thinking it’s her child.

It almost felt as if fate itself was judging her.

Her mind flashed back to the other stories and she remembered, whilst many of them had been made for children, the content inside was actually very dark. A cold-hearted mare trying to kill her daughter over vanity, a lycanthrope devouring somepony’s grandma and impersonating her to do the same to the granddaughter and a cannibalistic witch trying to eat a pair of children. She could deny it all she wanted but they were cautionary tales, including the book that now sat in her grasp.

Gleaming struggled to breath, a stitch tore at the muscles in her chest and she quickly put the book away, almost knocking several others off the shelf in the process.

“It’s nothing! It’s nothing, it’s just a book Gleaming! It’s just a book! Go home!”

She scrambled to her hooves and hurried out the doors before causing anymore ruckus.

“Right, now move your Warmage towards your injured Pikepony so he can cast a healing spell.”

A tiny purple sheath of magic resonated around the base of a miniature unicorn in a large cloak. It then glided across several small hexagonal tiles before stopping two tiles short of another miniature, this one of a guard holding a large glave. A red piece of paper had been slipped under the miniature to indicate it had been damaged, but a moment later it was removed and placed into a small wooden compartment with many others like it. At the same time a small dial with a swirl of magic printed on its cover, that went from one to three, was also enveloped, a switch flicked the dial from three to two.

“Now I’m going to have my knights move up here.” Shellac then grabbed a few models of heavily armoured ponies with lances. “And have them charge your line of Pikeponies!”

As the set of miniatures moved, Raining Lead grinned from his side of the table. “I use my tactics card!” Lead then grabbed a single card from a deck of three he had sitting in front of him and flipped it over, showing a picture of a group of armoured ponies raising their spears towards the viewer.

Counter Charge!
When charged by two or more enemy units, and you have two or more Pikeponies, the enemy player must make a Bravery Save before rolling to hit. On a failure you get to make a standard attack and the enemy player’s units automatically fail to hit. Once used remove this card from your tactics deck and into the discard pile.

Now it was Shellac’s turn to smile as he levitated a small book, his Warmages’ spell book in fact. He quietly took his own tactics card and wordlessly flipped it into the air, showing a depiction of Starswirl the Bearded surrounded by an aura of brilliant magical light emitting from his horn.

Masterful Intervention!
When this card is used, your Warmages are allowed to cast any spell from their spell book as a reaction for the remainder of your turn, even against the enemy player’s tactics cards. Once used remove this card from your tactics deck and place it into the discard pile.

“Uh oh, I think I can see where this is going.” Copper added, sitting on the side between the two “commanders,” taking a sip from his cup of tea.

Shellac turned back to Raining with a smile that screamed “Gotcha!” as he spoke. “I have my Warmage cast Teleport and Iron Will.” The mentioned mini then glided behind the knights as Shellac rolled several dice, silently counting them up. He then looked over at a sheet that had stats for all the units and did more number crunching before finally delivering the result. “My knights hit all of your Pikeponies and I’m fairly certain they don’t have more than three hit points.”

Raining hung his head in mild annoyance as he removed the three models from the board. Shellac’s knights now had a clear path to the objective in the middle of the map. However, that was the last of his pieces that still had actions, so now it was his turn. He examined what he had left, some archers on the side but they were no good, knights were too well armoured. He had some Sword Ponies, but they were too far away to reach them in time. Additionally, he’d already used his tactics card so he couldn’t pull any special moves until the next round. Thus, his gaze fell upon the set of undefended cannons he had on the far left of the map on a hill.

In a flash he suddenly had an idea, he looked at the one engineer model he had and remembered he’d used an ability to create a decoy of those cannons. An identical set of cannons was being threatened by Shellac’s own Pikeponies. If it weren’t for Raining’s Griffon Gladiators the cannons would’ve been taken.

Raining began to giggle as he reached for the stat sheet, “Hey Shell?” He turned to face him. “You know those cannons over there? The ones you were trying to get?”

Shellac’s grin then faltered. “Yea?”

Raining then reached out and lifted the models up, taking out a small blue piece of paper for Shellac to see. “Decoy!”

“Wait…” Shell snapped to the cannons on the other side of the map. The sudden realisation hit him like a ball of iron. “That’s where you put your cannons?!”

“Yep! Because why would I defend a decoy right?”

Shellac planted his hooves on his head as Raining began to pick up the dice. “Wait! I have my Warmage cast Shield!”

Copper then leaned in and added to the mix. “Sorry Shell but you just had him cast three spells in one turn, that’s all he can do until the next round.”

Shellac turned to the spell die he’d forgotten to adjust and pouted his lower lip. There was nothing he could do but pray and hope Raining got unlucky with his dice.

The eager colt threw them into a little wooden pot and began counting, Shellac’s hope was in vain as he sensed Lead’s confidence only growing. He looked up at him with a smile wide enough to fit a watermelon slice.

“Hey Shell?”

“Yea?”

“You see the direction my cannons are pointing? I’m removing that direction, your knights all take twelve damage!”

“Which takes them all out…” Shellac sighed, slowly removing the models from the board.

Copper took another sip from his cup only to see it was empty, he then stood up and left to brew another pot while the two kids worked to reset the board. With only a couple rounds left and no models Shellac could use to take back the objective, Raining would’ve won, doubly so given the cannons also took out his Warmage.

“Good game though that was fun!” Raining exclaimed.

“You had fun because you won.” Shell pouted while glaring at the board.

“Oh come on, going all in like that with your Warmage got me pretty good.”

“But you're good at the game, I’ve only just started!”

“Hey, hey, sure you're still learning but you're picking it up a lot faster than I did. I could barely remember any of the spells my Warmage had.”

Shellac allowed a little pride to come back in at that, helping to move the models back into the box and reshuffle his card deck. “Heck I’d even say that was really smart of you.”

“Thanks…you're not bad yourself either. I wasn't expecting you to guard your decoy, that had me fooled.”

“You're welcome! Mum and Dad say I’m very mature for my age, do you know what that means?”

Shellac fought to hold a snicker at that. “It means you think like an adult, I knew a lot of nymphs that had to grow up quickly.”

“Oh? Like who?”

“I’d rather not say, bad memories and all.”

The conversation briefly halted, Raining silently kicking himself for bringing up bad memories for Shell.

“Okay! Sooooooo, what are you planning to pick next? I love using cannons and archers personally.”

The shift seemed to work, as Shell’s excitement returned in full. “I’m not sure, I like using magic so I might grab a second Warmage, then again I also like the Knights.”

Just then the sound of the front door opening shook both away from what they were doing. Shellac turned to the clock as the reception door began unlocking. “Is that your mom? It’s nowhere near five a clock.”

The door creaked open and a familiar voice answered his question. “I’m back!” Gleaming walked forward past the door into the living room still wearing her coat as Copper joined them. “Work was closed so I went exploring instead.” The two then leaned in for a quick kiss before she drew her attention to Raining and Shellac. “Did you two have fun?”

They both nodded in approval. “Well, get some coats on. I think it’s time you got some fresh air.”

Raining looked at Shell with a little concern. “Can you do that…you know, that thing?”

“Oh?...Oh! Yea sure.” Purple flames began to ignite at the base of Shellac’s form, quickly engulfing his body in a pyre of purple, flickering light. They dissipated just as fast revealing soft purple fur in place of hard, black chitin. A pair of feathered wings replaced the translucent insect like ones before and where a curved horn and fish like fin once stood, a two-toned mohawk like mane made of a dark purple and light orange now sprung. His eyes now like that of a pony’s with deep purple pupils, he smiled and looked all around him.

“Everypony, meet Thunder Chaser!” He announced, unfurling his wings in excitement.

Raining happily waved a hoof while Gleaming giggled as Copper walked over and packed up the board game with his magic. Thunder could sense some mild frustration radiating from him and took it as a sign he wasn’t as joyful as the others.

“I guess he still doesn’t like me.”

“Come on Thunder, you can borrow one of Raining’s spare coats.” Gold made her way back to reception and flipped through a few racks that hung just slightly above the floor. The two colts followed suit and began dressing themselves up for the cold weather outside.

Having spent most of his life not wearing much, Thunder had difficulty putting on his new apparel, even in spite of mimicking Raining’s measurements. This was especially true for trying to secure his boots and do up his buttons was a lot harder without magic.

Luckily for the changeling, Raining had him covered and helped him make sure nothing would fall off the moment he stepped outside. Raining himself, wore a wood brown fleece jacket and flat cap with a grey scarf while Thunder chose a light orange parka that matched his mane.

Gold dawned another festive red scarf to contrast with her teal coat, Copper meanwhile threw on a matt black jacket and some boots and was ready.

Together they flooded outside into the gentle snow and bright sunlight.

Author's Note

Trivia
The Griffons are known for having a rich warrior culture owing to their hundreds of years of war before being united by King Grover the Great. This also makes them quite "pushy." As in, if you're a pushover, you're going to get pushed over.

CH 4 - Beware a Bull's Horns

Five Months Before the Storm

Thunder flew down an open, chaotic street. Ponies rushed back and forth, screaming and shouting in fear as hundreds of angry, green meteors rained from above.

All around the fireballs crashed into the pavement, sending shockwaves that tossed guards around like ragdolls. He’d played his part as instructed but now found himself weaving around other changelings avoiding spell bolts and spears like his life depended on it.

He didn’t care who’d win this clash, only that he lived to tell the tale. Two whole years of rushed infiltration training hadn’t prepared him for a warzone and his body was running on autopilot. Flying through falling building debris and around panicking pegasi chased by ferocious changelings, his heart felt ready to burst.

“Where do I go?! Where do I go!?” He rolled and narrowly dodged another green fireball intended for somepony else. A piece of flaming green debris from a destroyed cart flew up into the sky and he covered his face with his hooves to shield himself from the worst of it. This proved futile as his purple fur was singed, his body bracing as he collided, sending wood shrapnel and burning planks in several directions. He had just enough time to look forward again when he crashed directly into a falling changeling.

The two tumbled through the air before smacking onto the ground, leaving a soft crater from their hard landing. Thunder scrambled to his hooves as he turned and faced the changeling, it was Overseer Fang.

“Isn’t he meant to be at the castle?!”

“Hey! You're meant to be guarding the Elements!” He snarled in Vespid, face twisted into an angry scowl. Thunder’s body locked up, he wanted to run away and never look back. He didn’t want part of this damn attack anymore, but his body seemed to have other plans. Had he not had adrenaline coursing through his veins he might’ve already lost the internal battle warring inside himg. His own psyche and will to live clashing against his body’s natural drive to obey the orders of a superior.

He stood there for a few moments, quivering and twitching in front of the Overseer. Then a rising guilt started creeping in, equal parts dread and regret wormed their way into his guts as he stood firm. Why was he refusing so much? It wasn’t that bad surely he could just take a couple steps forward and-

“No! Damn it Shellac don’t throw your life away like this!” He jerked his hoof back into place as he realised he was about to act out what he was thinking. Images of him stealing from a homeless pony and blowing raspberries at a foal’s ruined birthday party rushed into his mind. The guilt grew and grew inside him, threatening to override his senses and force him to give in.

Fang started approaching him, now full of the kind of anger one would have dragging a disobedient child away to a naughty step. “Fine! If I must I’ll take you there myse-”

A bolt of bright yellow energy slammed into the side of his head and he fell to the ground in front of the young pegasus. A guard clad in bright yellow armour thrusted himself between the two, disrupting Thunder’s train of thought before turning to him.

“Go! Get out of here kid!” The guard then brought his spear up above Fang but Thunder managed to regain control and ripped his gaze away before he saw something he wouldn’t soon forget. With that he once more bolted off, the sharp reminder of the danger he’s in now overriding any conscious thought of guilt or sorrow.

He quickly found an open sewer cover in the street and jumped inside without thinking. Landing onto hard stone before picking himself back up, he turned to look all around him and saw nopony else.

“I…I’m alone? I’m alone.”

He felt his pulse begin to slow and the burning from his muscles fully set in as more loud crashes sent tufts of dust raining from the ceiling above. He could still hear the panicking ponies stampeding around but for the moment he felt safe.

Sadly, he wasn’t afforded much time to celebrate however as the guilt from before returned with a vengeance, a reminder he still had a part to play in this invasion. Once again, he locked up and twitched, jerking his head as more forged acts of villainy flooded in. Taking a lollipop from a crying foal in a pram, throwing a bucket of paint over a grieving family at a funeral…

Thunder struggled to stay upright, his limbs violently quivered as he stared at the sunny spotlight from the manhole a few hooves away from him. Again, he felt his gut twist from the mental agony he was in, praying for some kind of relief! Just a step or two could take the edge off right?

Slowly, he moved one hoof forward and instantly felt as though a sharp dagger had been taken out of his skull. Once he started, he couldn’t stop, one after the other, little by little he returned to the spotlight and looked up, the smoke filled sky washing him in grainy sunlight.

He could already feel his wings unfolding, his body coiling up for take off- “No stop it!”

Immediately, he jerked his head to the side before pouncing, ruining his flight check and instead, slamming into the hard stone ceiling. Falling, he collided with the sewer side walk, finally laying completely prone.

Utterly frozen with pain, Thunder cocooned himself in his wings, with his hooves firmly planted on his head. Fresh tears rolled down his tightly shut eyes as he watched himself set an orphanage on fire.

“Stop it!”

A colt no older than nine was kicked into a muddy puddle on a cold day, crying out for a mother that'll never come.

“Please! No More!”

He saw himself tripping up another changeling from the hive, but this time instead of guilt a new emotion sparked inside him. A purple flame that burned brightly and grew rapidly, as if one was to pour lantern oil directly onto it.

“I Said….STOP!”

He suddenly interjected with his own mental image of the time he’d been glued to his seat and had fallen over in front of Miss Tibia. Rage warred with regret, anger fought off anguish and conviction clashed with control. A vision of him pushing over an old nanny was suddenly shoved aside with all the times he’d been cornered and pushed around by the other changelings.

“Screw you! Screw all of you! I’m my own changeling!”

He remembered all the times he’d fractured his wings during training, the burning in his lungs and legs from flying and running around day in and day out. The fire grew and grew, burning away the false memories. A vision of an angry father shaming him for harming his young filly was ripped away, revealing him dangling from the hive ceiling, covered in resin with no way to dissolve it with his saliva, forced to wait a whole cycle before someone found him!

And then the insults came. Soft shelled, cockroach, motherless, abandoned…

Unloved.

“Buck you, BUCK YOU!” His face twisted into an angry snarl as a wave of energy washed over him. He heard pops in his eardrums, like the air had been whisked away briefly before something big blasted through the city above. His body was alight with magical energy and the walls bright with lavender light.

And then, like a bad stomach ache, the guilt, regret and dread began to subside. Leaving the angry changeling to his lonesome.

“Breath in…count to ten…breathe out…”

Shellac opened his eyes and saw he was now undisguised. He felt grogginess set in as he slowly clambered to his hooves. They felt like jelly and he leaned against the sewer wall for support, gasping and heaving. He looked up towards the sky and could no longer hear any explosions or cries, no more shouts or the clashes of blades.

“D-Did we win?”

His answer came as he heard orders being shouted from above, armoured hooves clopping on the streets.

“We didn’t win…”

With this revelation, he knew he had to find somewhere safe. Quickly, he tried dawning his disguise again, only for the flash of purple to fade away halfway through. Sure he must’ve expended a lot of energy during his little tantrum, but he had to have some reserves left, disguising cost next to nothing!

No, something else had to be interfering with it. He did feel tired after that, was it concentration? That couldn’t be it either…

“What am I doing?! I’m right next to an open cover, if a single pony so much as looks down I’m done for!”

Right, priorities, he turned and flew down the tunnels, making sharp turns where needed. Thankfully memorising the district’s sewer system was one of the first things he was tasked with in preparation for today.

Eventually, he slowed down and settled onto a dark corner within the sewers, a section of the stone bricks had been dug out and led into a passage he’d made a while ago. He got low and crawled through, tiny purple luminescent lights provided just enough that his night vision could do its thing. A quick scan revealed a hole in the floor that led into an abandoned mine shaft, where the air was cold and stank of iron. Listening closely, he could hear his wings flutter from miles away and were it not for the crumb trail of lights he'd made he would have found himself in total darkness.

“The others are gone, but don’t worry Shell, you prepared for this.”

Pushing forward, he carried himself to another section of the mine where another dugout lay and removed a large wooden pallet. Heading inside, he was welcomed into a small little chamber of his own making.

It was the safe room he’d made in case something went wrong. It wasn’t much, a few dirt walls and some lights he’d crudely dug, but for the time being, it was home. Shellac stepped inside and looked around. There was no way he’d be sleeping on the rough, rocky ground unless forced to, he’d gotten far too used to pony beds.

Instead, he rolled his shoulders, bought his leg up and focused on the glands inside the holes. A royal purple resin began to leak out from them, which he gathered into clumps, which could be stretched and rolled into large panels. He spat and mixed his saliva to keep them malleable as they extended out to the length of his body, poking a hole in each corners and using a few gooey clusters to stick them to the opposite sides of the wall.

Taking a moment, he admired his new hammock. Sure it wasn’t pretty and it lacked any kind of pillow, but it’d keep him warm down here. Plus it gave him a small sense of satisfaction in building something himself.

Hammock now complete, he allowed the clumps to harden and settle, before climbing inside and wrapping himself up.

It took some time to fall alseep, all the excitement from today had really done a number on him. Eventually though, he grew tired and was soon whisked away to dreamland…

Three Nights Before the Storm

It hadn’t been that long since the family had lunch. Copper and Gleaming had taken the two kids to get some fresh air and clear their senses, which led to them going to a public park.

A painted frozen steel post fence littered with icicles guarded a large playground, with well worn climbing equipment, lovingly used swings and slides of all kinds dotted about. A few snow covered trees shadowed the playful ponies below, kids of all ages and their parents were rushing around, taking turns on the many attractions the playground offered. Some had even come by to simply watch the joyful innocence at work, the elderly, the expectant, a pair of mares sitting on a bench with one of them not sitting correctly…

Raining and Thunder were practically stumbling over one another trying to get inside and were now happily playing together again. Copper and Gold found a vacant bench to occupy under a tree and watched on with content, Copper in particular sighing with relief at getting off his hooves.

“Piccafilly Circus, you really know how to put on a show don’t you honey?”

“I’ll admit, it was mostly for the eye candy, but come on I can see even you were having fun.” Gleaming covered her husband with a wing and held him close. “Isn’t that why you chose to come here all those years ago? To have fun?” She cooed.

Memories came flooding in of a bright starry sky, a quiet autumn eve and a question that he’d been holding in since the two had met. Copper looked down at his coat and with his magic he pulled out a brass plated, half heart pendant. “You got me there honey, I still remember when we first got these.”

Gleaming giggled and pulled out her own rose gold half, “I remember how you didn’t want to buy a ring.”

“It wasn’t because I couldn’t afford it!” He exclaimed. “It was because it didn’t feel right at the time.”

“Didn’t like the idea of being the only one with a horn to have a ring around, oh you were so adorable.” Gleaming kissed his cheek to which Copper smiled and reached a hoof around her shoulder. “And you never said you were conventional. Felt like the perfect thing at the time.”

“And it isn’t? Deary they’re perfect for us.”

“Heh, glad I made the right choice then.”

The two looked on and saw Raining hopping onto a swing with Thunder right behind, the both of them with smiles to rival the element of laughter. Thunder began pushing Raining as he yelled in joy, Copper and Gold felt their hearts flutter at the sight and a warmness rose within their chests. “Aww, for once you're not having to push him honey.”

“It’s good to see him finally play with somepony else.”

“Even if it’s with a…you know?” Copper darted his eyes to the side, fearing what might come.

“Anything to take his mind off that colt, dear.”

“Right, right, It’s just…I dunno how to feel about it.” Copper let his smile drop.

“Raining can’t live with us forever, no matter how many times you indulge his interest in your job with those “take your son to work” days or help him paint your models.”

Copper’s smile returned for a brief second before he solemnly looked at her. “And you think giving him a false friendship’s gonna help with that? This can’t last either.”

Gleaming’s smiled waned, the argument from that morning coming to the forefront of her mind with a dark reminder of Thunder’s true nature. At the same time Lamplight’s offer at the library also cropped up, and with it, a glint of hope for the future.

“Maybe it could…”

She sighed and watched as the two slid down an enclosed spiral slide exalted with joy, heedless of the other children’s avoidance of them. Their actions now sparking a somber longing within her heart, “I just want what’s best for him, Casing, It’s the first time I’ve seen him play with another colt his age in…”

Gleaming paused trying to flick through her mental trove of memories, only to draw a blank. “...A long time.”

“He’ll find somepony honey, new year means a new school and with it a fresh start, no bullies to harass him.” Copper tried to assure her, confident in his claim, though he shared her worries.

Gleaming however just continued to watch on as her concern refused to budge. “Of all the colts in the world to pick on, why did he have to choose ours?”

Copper sighed, having asked himself that same question. “I donno sweetheart, maybe he got it from his dad?”

Gleaming turned to him with morbid curiosity. “He was a guard, wasn't he? Didn’t you know him?”

Copper’s voice sank low with an undertone of sentimental regret buried within. “Yeah…Scythe was a good stallion, hot headed sure, but he was the biggest softy I’d ever met. I think he was out with his family when the attack started. He…wasn’t so lucky.”

A weight suddenly fell upon her as Copper finished with a slicing motion to his neck. She shrank as her husband pulled her closer in for comfort. “D-Do you think it’s…affec-”

“Affected them? Why wouldn’t it? If I kicked the bucket I can’t imagine how Raining would react, let alone you.”

Gleaming swallowed her breath, horrible images of a grim rainy day outside a church came to mind. She quickly banished them away best she could and without thinking she tightened the grip of her wing, lest she fear he’d vanish. “I don’t think I could live without you Casing, you're my rock.”

“And you're my sweetheart, you might not think it but you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. How many times have you remained faithful to me while I was on tour huh? Must’ve gotten lonely in that house all by yourself.”

The mare lightly laughed at her husband’s complement as the grim chill of death left her presence. With that she let her wing go slack. “Oh you! You know my friends keep me company when you're away.”

“Still didn’t stop me from worrying! Yet year in and year out, sleeping in tents and barracks, I always had you to go back to when it was all over.” Copper nuzzled against her neck. Gold couldn’t stop giggling from his teases having echoed what she’d said earlier that day.

It went on like that for a while, the loving couple watching as the kids slid through slides and dizzied themselves on round-abouts. Getting a few scrapes and falls, yet never to the point of serious injury. Eventually though, as the minutes ticked by they’d carry themselves to the couple and asked to go home.

Packing up their belongings and kissing a few small bruises they trotted back home, hailing a taxi halfway through to save time and offer relief to Copper’s leg. By the time they’d reached the front door, the sun was already setting and the sky turned a gloomy blue. They derobed themselves inside the reception two at a time and flooded into the living room where Thunder splayed himself out on the couch with a soft sigh of relief, welcoming the cushy fabrics of his old bedding.

Raining however was still at work, trotting up to the fireplace he removed the steel gate and changed the ash trays. Piling on a few chopped logs and adding shredded bits of newspaper as kindling to the fire to be. Copper and Gleaming didn’t seem to care much as Raining went about preparing the fireplace so Thunder assumed they trusted him with the task.

The unicorn colt hovered a fire poker in the air and then his horn began to glow, plumes of orange flame swirled around his magical bone as the end of the fire poker then turned a cherry red. Raining plunged the poker into the shredded up newspapers and it ignited, as orange whisps flew and dissolved into the air before quickly spreading.

The fire now forming, Raining closed the metal gate and set the poker in its pot, leaving it to cool.

The fire was small at first but gradually grew until it radiated warmth throughout the room where it's beautiful ember lights flickered in Thunder’s eyes. The faint smell of smoke and iron hung around them as he observed its hypnotic dance, the crackle of wood and the slow transformation of its once brown texture into blacked, hardened charcoal. He hadn’t even noticed Raining take a seat beside him with his usual cheery smile. He tapped the pegasus on the shoulder once, no reaction.

He tapped him twice, again no reaction, his smile dropped a little as concern began to creep in. “Thunder?”

At the mention of his name he awoke from his trance “Oh! I uh…” He flicked his gaze between the fire and Raining, “Was just looking, fire is really pretty.” He grinned.

Lead stifled a snicker as his smile returned once more. “Thunder please don’t tell me your greatest weakness is a bug zapper.” He jested. By now Copper and Gold had taken notice and were equally amused by the prospect.

“Uh, well I mean…I-It just looks nice okay?” Thunder’s grin turned sheepish and his cheeks a rose red.

“I guess that explains the high use of fire magic at the wedding.” Copper laughed, recalling more than a few panicked looks from guests that saw said blazes.

Thunder rubbed the back of his head in a vain attempt to comfort himself. “Hey Mom? Dad? Is Thunder staying over another night?”

“I see no reason why not.” Gleaming smiled. Copper seemed less enthusiastic, but still nodded in approval, and Raining’s resulting glee was like a nice refreshing cup of lemonade for Thunder, which he gladly tasted, even if Raining wasn’t aware of it.

“A lot of his emotions tasted that way, but then again he’s excited most of the time.”

“Hey Thunder? What’s something you’ve never done before?!”

“Like that.”

Thunder rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture as he once again exercised a part of his brain that he’d left atrophied. “Um…well, a lot of things I guess.” His gaze danced around the living room, there was a bookshelf full of large model boats, several framed photographs hanging from the walls, but ultimately he was drawn to a snowglobe sitting atop the fireplace. It had a small house inside with tiny pony shaped models prancing around.

Then it hit him, “I’ve never gone sledding before.”

Raining gasped in exaggerated shock and pulled his hooves out in front of his face. “Haybales! You’ve never went sledding before!?” He leaned in.

“To be fair deary, there’s not many places you can in Canterlot.” Gleaming added. Raining deflated some and his ears went low. For a moment Thunder could taste a bitter tinge rising within his core, only for the brass colt to spring right up again and ask another question.

“What about a snowball fight?”

Thunder’s eyes darted from side to side as he considered his response. He’d seen other kids hurl chunks of snow at each other from the playground, something he’d never tried for fear of getting cold. “But come to think of it, it did look kind of fun.”

So he slowly shook his head and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth as Raining’s own grew ten times. He snapped towards his parents with the follow up already on the tip of his tongue. “Hey Mom? Dad? Can we go outside for a snowball fight?!”

Gleaming happily nodded but the same couldn’t be said for Copper who frowned upon looking at the clock. “I don’t think so son, It’s getting dark out.”

“Oh come on, pleeeeeeese?”

Copper’s mouth hung open, a confirmation of his decision at the back of his throat. But he seemed to hold his breath for whatever reason and instead he huffed and got up from the couch, his eyes darting to Thunder once or twice before hobbling over to the stand grandfather clock. Thunder could sense something was up, his emotional state had gone from that of stubbornness to confidence at the drop of a hat.

“Well I suppose it’s not that late.” The stallion added, knowing he couldn’t win this argument.

Raining was beginning to bounce in place as he eagerly anticipated his father’s answer. Thunder however wasn’t as enthusiastic, if anything, it’d been a long day for him. All the running around had left him weary but he didn’t want to ruin Raining’s mood if he could help it. Both because he’d taken a liking to the colt and because he was a pretty potent power supply. So he kept himself quiet as the stallion made up his mind.

“Okay, Raining? Thunder? You can go out-”

“Yaaay!” Lead cried, his voice casually causing the windows to rattle.

“-But! I want you back in an hour. Stay outside for any longer and you're in big trouble, got it?”

“Yes dad!” Raining gave a playful salute, Thunder quickly doing the same. Copper wasn’t finished though as his horn began glowing with deep, orange energy. In a moment Raining was washed over with a wave of magical power and swirls of amber light flowed from Copper’s horn all around the colt before then returning to its caster. When it was over Copper wore a faint grin on his face.

“Just a quick anti-freeze spell, nothing you should worry about Lead.”

“Oh, thanks dad!” With that he turned to Thunder with a glint in his eye. The pegasus had been mystified by the enchantment spell and was cartoonishly yanked behind the door frame with a yipe. Leaving the chuckling parents to themselves but not long after Gleaming slowed down, curious as a cat.

“Dear what was that? Because it wasn’t anti-chill.” She asked.

Copper turned to her with a smug grin, “That honey, was a tracking spell. If he’s not back by the end of the hour, or they get too far from home, I’m calling the guards.”

Gleaming went wide eyed and her smile dropped to the floor as concern now fitted on her face. “You…really don’t trust him do you? I-I have my doubts too, but isn’t that a little much?”

“Honey I just sent our only son outside by himself with a Changeling, consider this the exercise!” He jested.

Gleaming sighed and sank her head into her hooves as the book from the library came to mind. “This is it,” she thought. “Please be genuine, please come back Raining.”

Raining and Thunder trotted down the sidewalk. Canterlot’s night lights had yet to kick in as it wasn’t dark just yet, just gloomy. Ponies could still be seen going up and down the streets, but as the winds picked up more and more, they confided themselves to the warm sanctuary of home.

“So where are we going?” Thunder asked, effectively following Raining along.

“There’s an old playground I know. It's been there for nearly three decades, but most ponies that live around the place are old so it doesn’t see much action.” Raining replied.

“And we’re going there because?...”

“Because we’d have the place to ourselves!”

Thunder shrugged and kept walking, his reasoning was good enough. As he walked though, his mind wondered and he thought back to some of the models that lined the living room bookshelves. They all looked like model boats of some kind and were painted a wide array of colours. Seeing them reminded him of the sense of satisfaction he’d felt months prior when building his first hammock.

It left him with a question he couldn’t hold in.

“Does your dad like models?” Thunder asked.

“Hmm?”

“You know, using model kits to build stuff. I saw there were a lot of them back home.”

“Oh yeah! Dad loves building models! It became a hobby of his after his injury. He does it for boats, trains, airships, wargaming minis, he loves it!”

“Wow! I didn’t realise it was such a big thing. Have you ever built any models before?” Thunder inquired, eager to learn more.

“A little here and there, mostly miniatures that dad then paints. Those Pikeponies I had? I put em together myself!”

“Cool! Think he’d let me try some time?” Thunder smiled, mind already alight with ideas.

“Oh totally, it can be a bit tedious trying to get all the little pieces to fit in with each other, and I swear it’s like you need to play a hidden object game to clip out a part from those piece boards. But seeing them come together is really fun! You feel like those little guys really belong to you.”

“Maybe I can ask when we get back?”

“Yeah! Oh hey I think we’re here.”

The duo came upon another set of high iron gates where more playground equipment stood inside, but they showed clear signs of age. Paint was peeling, metal was rusted, and the gate made a horrible creek when Lead pushed it open.

The area however couldn’t be better, much of the equipment provided some shelter from the elements and acted as natural cover. A lot of snow had also piled up over the day and, true to his word, it didn’t seem like anypony else had disturbed it.

“So how long do we have?”

Raining turned to the overhead lights above with the answer already on the tip of his tongue. “Usually the street lights turn on at around a half past five, I reckon it took us a good fifteen minutes to walk here. So how about we get ready with snowballs and when the lights turn on, we have our game?”

“Sounds good!”

The two split up and established their areas of the playground. Thunder had a bunch of slides he could hide behind and Raining had some merry-go-rounds, with metal climbing equipment and overhead structures.

Quickly, Thunder scooped up clumps of snow using his wings and moulded them into balls, which he’d settle into several small piles near him. His thinking was to be fast and outpace Raining, so he had to pack light and split up his ammo to prevent Raining from just sitting on his stockpiles.

Raining meanwhile had gone with a more defensive gameplan. Grabbing snow with his magic, he quickly set about a few large pyramids hidden from view. Sure he could terrorise Thunder with his special talent, but he wanted him to have fun as well.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t use other tricks he’d learned with his magic.

There was a palpable silence as the two waited for the lights to switch on. Raining hid behind a bench while Thunder waited inside one of the slides. They waited and waited as it quickly grew colder and darker, both started growing impatient.

But once the street lights flickered to life everything changed. Thunder burst out of the metal tunnel with several snowballs under his arm while Raining levitated at least ten of his own and sprang out of cover.

The pegasus weaved and winded around the incoming projectiles as muscle memory and training kept him snow free. He rained snowballs from above, Lead hopping and skipping out of the way, but even he wasn’t ready for Thunder diving bombing him with enough speed to kick up his ammo. Two snowballs belted his side and he laughed before turning around and enchanting one of them. It wasn’t his auto-hit spell but it was one that still landed him a decent chance of hitting.

As it flew skyward Thunder prepared to twirl around it like the rest but moments away from impact the snowball glowed and exploded, its fragments bouncing off his coat.

“He can make them explode by proximity? Damn it!”

Thunder was forced to change tactics, he flew low to the ground and began galloping across the playground where Lead couldn’t easily launch his snowballs. Now he had cover to work with and quickly popped his head over a barrier to chuck a snowball over at him. It fell just short and Raining retaliated, rapid firing on Thunder’s position, using his stockpile. The pegasus was forced to keep his head down as tides of white dust flew overhead.

Raining laughed to himself as he gathered several snowballs together forming one big one. It was the size of his head by the time he was done and he fired it high into the sky. While that was going on he turned back to where Thunder had hid and with snowballs in hoof he threw them in over his head one after the other, trying to keep him pinned.

“Oh Thunder!” He smirked. “Head’s up!“

The giant snowball completed its arc in the sky and fell back down, glowing with golden light as it gained velocity. It crashed into the ground behind the barrier and debris was kicked up in its wake. Raining rushed over with more in his grip and poked his head over the side only to see an empty spot where his mortar shot had smashed against the ground.

“Huh?”

He then heard Thunder’s voice from where he just was, “Hey Lead!”

Raining’s ears drooped to his sides as he turned around. “Not again.”

Thunder flew towards him with as many snowballs as he could grab, and at once, unleashed them upon Raining. Several dark shadows appeared over his form as the contents of half a stockpile was dumped onto him.

Thunder snickered as he flew behind a large slide and landed on all fours before blowing out into full blown laughter. “That was too good!” He thought. “Raining was right, this is fun!”

But before he could finish his cheer a snowball landed square on his face. He froze as his eyes opened up from behind the cold white mask. Raining was standing there with a smirk and had a few more snowballs held above him. “Hey Thunder, forgetting something?”

Thunder shook his head from side to side getting the snow off his face and he looked back at him with a frown. “What? That you can tele-”

“I can teleport!” A flash of light later and he was practically stealing Thunder’s breath as their muzzles mere inches away from each other. He happily smiled with cheery eyes and Chaser couldn’t help but share in his delight.

“Damn it Raining, why does your smile have to be so infectious?”

“Wanna go for another round?” Raining asked, already forming several balls with his magic.

“Oh you bet! We shouldn’t take too long though. Remember what your dad said?”

“Yeah, yeah, one more round.”

They then heard a whistle and turned just in time to see a speeding snowball hurling towards them. They ducked and the white missile shattered against the slide with incredible force.

The pony who threw it watched from behind the iron fences. A crimson red earth pony colt smiling back at them, with a lime green unicorn filly, covered by a large scarf standing behind him. “Got room for two more?” He asked.

Raining and Thunder both looked at each other and grinned. “We’re gonna destroy these guys.”

The colt pushed the gate open for the filly and they took up positions in Raining’s old area. Thunder and Lead gathered up more snowballs and got ready for the next round.

“You wanna get them from the sky while I keep them occupied?” Raining asked.

“You bet! I’d be careful of the unicorn though, I don't know what kind of tricks she could pull.”

Raining nodded and they got to their positions where they waited for a little bit until the colt on the other side poked his head over and whistled, not long after the snowballs started flying. Raining didn’t have the same set up but was able to keep up some pressure which gave Thunder time to drop a payload onto the unicorn mare. Only for her horn to glow a turquoise blue and a bright dome shield surrounded her. The snowballs splattered and slowly slid down its magical surface.

Thunder frowned at that. “Hey! You can’t just block them out! Where’s the fun in that?” He yelled. As if to reply, the earth pony hurled another fastball at him that slammed into his barrel, hard enough that it took the air from his lungs, even with his coat on.

He made a mental note of the colt and returned to Raining where he picked up more snowballs. Lead meanwhile had traded a volley of fire for consistent hits. Landing snowball after snowball on the colt whenever he popped out to lug one his way. Yet the colt didn’t seem to care as he threw one towards Raining, where it collided with his temple hard enough for his cloth cap to fall to the ground.

“You okay Lead?” Thunder asked. Raining spat out several bits of snow that landed in his mouth and wiped himself clean. “Yeha! Yeah, just keep them coming!”

Before Thunder could take to the skies again a sudden barrage bombarded their hiding spot. The unicorn had found one of Raining’s old snowball stockpiles and wasted no time in pinning them down. Both Raining and Thunder knelt down to avoid the incoming fire, and as they did so, Thunder caught sight of several hooves tearing up the snow from the other side of the slide.

“Lead? We need to go!”

“Got it!” The brass colt grabbed Thunder and in an instant both were consumed by bright yellow light. Thunder shut his eyes as he braced himself. Moments later he was hit by a wave of dizziness as he stumbled to keep his balance, his stomach whirling in protest and almost smacking into a nearby swing set.

“So that’s what it’s like to teleport? Lead makes it look so easy.”

Raining quickly grabbed a snowball and tossed it at the unicorn filly, where it collided with the back of her mane. She spun around with a chuckle and threw some of her own back at him. The two unicorns duelled, leaping about, slinging snowballs at each other, and to her credit, the filly didn’t raise her shield back up, yet she still landed several hits on Raining, who returned the favour.

Thunder meanwhile braced against a swing frame and tapped his head, the vertigo receding and his vision straightening. The crimson colt settled into view with his hoof already half-cocked as Thunder registered what he was looking at. He jerked his head to the side as a snowball raced beside his cheek and disintegrated upon impact with the swing chain.

Thunder rolled his head around and unfurled his wings as the colt was packing another snowball smiling at him. He followed suit and the two found themselves at a little standoff, both had snowballs but waited for the other to strike first, the various colours of yellow and blue magic popping off in the background.

The colt went first and threw as hard as he could, but Thunder was faster and easily evaded before throwing his own at the colt’s chest. Exploding upon impact yet he didn’t seem at all phased, more amused if anything as he knelt down to pack another one.

“Not much of a talker are you?” Thunder asked. The colt didn’t reply and instead hurled another freshly packed clump of snow his way where it was met with yet another easy dodge. “No, I guess he isn’t.”

Thunder flew up and over the colt, into the area they started, where he picked up a pack of snowballs and flew back. The colt had moved away and began throwing snowballs at Raining which left him wide open for Thunder.

“Seriously? It’s like he doesn’t even care.”

Thunder twirled and kicked his snowballs one by one in an aerial dance, turning the colt and filly white with surprise by his bombing run before circling around to rejoin Raining. “Hey, wanna do that thing again?”

“Sure!” Lead cheered. The two of them again teleported to another side of the playground, where Thunder was already bracing himself against a merry-go-round, fighting to keep the contents of his stomach in check. “Not what I meant but okay.” He brought a hoof up to his mouth as his cheeks turned green.

Raining laughed and turned to where he thought the filly was and gathered some snowballs as he saw her dead ahead, still as a statue with her back turned. He launched several snowballs at her…

Only for them to pass straight through, turquoise lights flashing from where they’d entered. “Oh come on, you know illusion magic to?!”He spun around, stopping a snowball dead in its tracks a hoof’s length away from his face. He looked past and saw the unicorn sat atop one of the metal slide frames. Having let her scarf down the two locked eyes, her smile now gone for whatever reason.

“I’m so sorry about this.” She said, her voice heavy and slow.

Raining paused, the air of the playground suddenly changed and he stood confused. He squinted and stared at her. “What do you mean?”

Thunder knocked himself out of his post teleport nausea ready to go at it again when he saw a snowball smack the side of Raining’s head, but it didn’t explode, instead…

Raining collapsed.

“Lead?” Thunder saw the object fall to the ground beside him. The colt from earlier re-appearing into view with a smile on his face.

That wasn’t a snowball…

It was a rock.

“Lead!” He rushed to his side and found his eyes closed, a thin river of crimson trailing from his temple where he’d been struck. He could still feel a pulse and saw he was still breathing. He turned to the others, “Guys stop now! My friend’s hurt!”

The crimson colt halted a few dozen hooves away from him with the unicorn mare observing from above. It was only now Thunder paid attention to their emotional states and could sense her resigned guilt, the melancholy depression and buried frustration. The colt however had a malice he’d only seen from an adult changeling talking about ponies as though they were little more than food.

“Oh and why should I? That little brass mule’s been due for this since winter break.”

“Winter Break?” He then recalled Lead saying something about the filly knowing illusion magic and suddenly things clicked into place. Of course, he’d forgotten all about him during the snowball fight, the pony he and his family kept mentioning but refused to elaborate on.

“You're him aren’t you? Your Moonlit Lance!” He glared at him.

“Oh whoop-de doo, took you long enough, Mirror?”

The unicorn’s horn glowed and at once their colour pallets changed. Both sibling’s coats took on a deep shade of navy blue, with the sister’s mane taking on a lighter shade with tinges of purple. Lance’s mane however turned a solid black and as the illusion was dispelled Thunder saw him grow several inches, like a bad camera effect where the image became distorted until it sorted itself out. By the time it was done Lance was easily head and shoulders taller than him, he'd even dare say he was a few inches shy of an adult changeling.

“Lead wasn’t kidding, he’s huge! Is he part horse or is that gigantism?”

Lance rolled his shoulders and flicked some of the snow off his boot. “Now do us both a favour and walk away from him, you don’t need to be a part of this.”

Thunder moved in front of Raining’s limp form and glared daggers at the massive colt. “Make me.” He spat.

Lance scoffed under his breath, returning the glare, but with an added menace that put Thunder to shame. “Look, I actually kind of like you so I’ll give you this chance. Walk away, and I won’t break your wing like a toothpick.”

The way he stated it sounded less like a threat and more like a promise, a statement of fact he would act upon if Thunder didn’t back down.

In Spite of the threat, Thunder held his ground, his mind flashing back to the warnings from Sweet Fizz and Crossroads and how he’d told them he wasn’t going to leave over a simple brute.

“Well Shellac, time to put your money where your mouth is. He’s just one colt, a very big, possibly unhinged manic, but a single colt nonetheless.”

He then turned back to the filly after having caught her name.

“Pretty sure I heard it was Mirror, right?”

She solemnly observed from above with a depressive air. Thunder couldn’t know for sure if she’d help, but judging from her emotional state he figured no. He refocused on Lance and weighed his options. Flying away and getting help was a no go as it’d leave Raining open and if he returned to Copper unharmed and presented him with his son covered in bruises it wouldn’t be pretty.

He could try going for his lungs as rapid strikes to his chest would wear him down, but if he’s wearing a thick coat that’ll take a while. On the other hoof, he could also try hit and run, stay out of reach, go for the head before slipping away. Rinse and repeat until either he calls it quits or collapses.

“That sounds like the best idea, I can fly and he can’t.”

“So what’s it gonna be, you purple pigeon?”

Shellac scowled. “Wow, even as a pony they somehow manage to make fun of my colour, pigeon’s a new one though.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” Thunder shot back, planting his hooves firmly in the snow.

“Yet.”

Lance began closing the distance between them and Thunder took off. As planned he flew rings around his enemy and struck him with a hind hoof to which he lunged forward. Lanced tried to land a hit, but the pegasus backed away, out of reach where he dived in again and landed another blow, this time on his back. Again Lance lunged and only caught open air.

Thunder could feel the anger and frustration building within the oversized pony. Pressing on, he dealt another blow to the brute’s skull and he groaned in frustration before he kicked up a cloud of snow. Thunder had been keeping a tight circle around him for sure but it was too tight as the snow ended up smacking into the side of his face, sending his vision went awol along with his control.

Instead of crashing into the ground however his training kicked in and he was able to control his landing, hitting the ground with all four hooves before spinning back around wiping the snow from his eye.

“Do you think I’m stupid? I’ve dealt with pegasi before you moron!”

“But have you dealt with a changeling?” Thunder could end the fight right here with a little resin to trap him and carry Raining away. But that would require dropping his disguise and that was off limits in public. There was one trick he had that Lance couldn’t beat no matter what though and if he played his cards right it wouldn’t give him away.

Lance charged towards him, head tilted downward into a ramming position, his spear like cutie mark faintly glowing as he did so. Thunder was quick to dodge and even land a counter kick to his barrel as he sped past, but it might as well have done nothing as he skidded to a half beside him.

The massive colt lunged forward with a right hook, intending to take the brawl into close quarters. However, while he might’ve hit like a truck, Thunder was fast, ducking and dodging away from every strike while landing jab after jab into his opponent’s torso and barrel.

The two gained some distance as Thunder backed away with his wings. Lance rolling his shoulders with a soft crack and seeming more annoyed than injured. With every clump of pain Thunder sent his way he could feel his frustration growing, that fire inside burning hotter and hotter.

“He gets angry when injured? Oh that’s not good, he’s gonna go berserk long before I tire him out. I need to wrap this up quickly or he’ll just go after Raining.”

It was time for Thunder to play his ace and he took to the sky flying high, higher than the buildings and began circling the playground, building up speed and momentum. A sheen of purple energy began to form around Thunder growing stronger as he flew around the playground, sinking the energy he’d passively gathered from the day. It was a gamble using so much power at once but if he didn’t take Lance out now he might not be able to.

“Normally, you do this by going straight down. But it works sideways too as long as you build up the speed.”

With that he adjusted his course and headed straight for Lance, racing through a lit street before passing the metal fences and right into his giant dumb face!

The two collided and there was a brilliant flash of bright light that overshadowed any of the street lamps or decorations. A soft crack echoed through the playground and Mirror had to shield her eyes from its intensity.

What was left was a crater where it looked like a meteor had crashed into the frozen earth. The purple pegasus slowly climbed to his hooves, his joints popping and cracking as he recovered. A wave of sudden weariness washing over him from his energy expenditure.

Yet as Thunder turned around his heart sank, Lance had been thrown aside from the impact sure, but he was getting up. He could tell his attack had done a number on him as evidenced by his wobbly limbs and singed coat, but he wasn’t out, not even down!

“No way! How in the sweet honeycomb is he still standing after that? He should be out cold!”

Lance picked himself up, heaving and panting from the magical blast he’d been dealt. He turned towards Thunder with his face contorting into savage, snarling anger, a boiling kettle ready to explode rather than whistle. Then he relaxed briefly, his eyes darting to the side in realisation.

Behind him was Raining Lead still out cold on the ground.

Lance’s frown turned into an evil smile wicked enough to challenge Chrysalis, as he twisted toward the unconscious unicorn. Thunder’s fear turned to panic, he couldn’t let him reach Raining no matter what! He dashed forward and took off putting his wings forward intending to strike the back of the damn colt’s skull. But in his panic he’d forgotten the first rule of flying in combat.

Never fly in a straight line towards your enemy.

Lance stopped and leaned onto his front legs, with the force of a freight train he bucked into Thunder’s head. sending him tumbling upwards as pain exploded inside his jaw and shoulder blade before he ungracefully crashed into the ground. Thunder’s brain didn’t even have time to register that pain before he faceplanted into the snow. The world was a hazy mess of colours and shapes, as several blurred copies of Raining danced around in his vision. He then felt something swirling around inside his mouth.

He coughed and tasted bitter iron, sending a clump of red liquid over his lip and onto the snow as he looked down for several moments as his vision readjusted. It was a small red stained object no large than a coin…a tooth. His heart rate skyrocketed as he heard Lance approach through the ringing in his ears. He commanded for his limbs to move, for him to get up, but he was painfully sluggish in doing so.

“No, please no!”

Lance was faster and pinned Thunder to the ground using his immense weight and making it impossible to escape. He leaned in close enough for Thunder to feel his breath brush against the back of his neck. His mild tinnitus doing little to interfere with his next few words.

“Wanna know what the easiest way to be intimidating is?” He asked. Thunder couldn’t say anything, moving his mouth hurt and his lungs demanded too much air to make room for remarks.

“You make good on your threats.”

“Please don’t! I want to keep my wings!”

Lance reared both of front hooves and Thunder braced himself, a moment of expectancy that he’d never wish came. “Please!”

Lance bought all of his weight down at once onto the base of his right wing. There was a sickening crunch and before he could register what happened Lance bought another hoof down on the back of his head, burying his face in the snow.

Before Thunder could tolerate the pain from his jaw albeit with difficulty, but this was an entirely new pain on a level he’d not dealt with. Adrenaline did little to null it and, were his cries not muffled, they would’ve echoed throughout Canterlot City. He screamed his lungs out and threatened to tear up his vocal cords as if he’d been breathing nothing but sand. The poor pony struggled to get a breath, as more cries of suffering tore from his chest and tears rolled down his cheeks. His head fit to explode from the sheer agony behind his neck.

Lance let go and watched Thunder squirm, now having expended the remainder of his energy right then and there. Thunder groaned in pain with his chest on fire and his heart fit to burst, but the oversized brute wasn’t done yet. Lance yanked on his collar and turned him onto his good wing, eliciting a yelp from Thunder as he rolled a shoulder and cocked a hoof. “And you know what? Here’s one for the road!”

But before Thunder’s face was pummelled in a snowball pelted his face covering it in white dust. Lance used the half-cocked hoof to wipe it away and look up. Thunder followed suit and he wasn’t sure if he should be happy or horrified.

Raining stood up, dried blood trailing from his right temple down his cheek and the same rock he’d been struck with now held within his telekinetic grip. “Y-you g-get away from h-him.” He said, his right eye shut tight.

“Raining no! You didn’t need to do this!”

Lance released Thunder with a thud and power walked towards him where Raining applied an enchant to the rock and launched it at Lance. He stopped and braced himself just before it stuck his chest but still stumbled back a few hooves. Thunder felt that rising fire within the navy blue colt positively exploded with rage as he snapped back and picked up the rock.

“This isn’t fair, I did everything right!”

Lance again threw the solid stone projectile but charged forward as he did so, his cutie mark lighting up again as he flattered another trail of snow below his hooves. Raining was forced to choose between one or the other and his reaction was to jump out the way of the missile which left him open for Lance. In a moment he was tackled to the ground where Lance spewed endless profanities and laid into him with both hooves.

“I’m so sorry Lead, I’m sorry!”

Thunder could only look on in horror as he heard Raining’s desperate pleas for help. He was no stranger to guilt and dread but the other times he’d felt it he knew it wasn’t genuine and so that knowledge took the edge off. Here though, he was provided no such luxury, and cried for his friend, for the pain and agony he couldn’t prevent and the suffering he himself had been put through. He wanted to help him, to oh so desperately rip Lance off him and beat that colt a new face, but he’d given it his all and it wasn’t enough.

How could anypony be so utterly cruel? Why was he doing this? To get some kind of power high? To prove something? To settle some score? It didn’t make sense and it wasn’t fair! Why would he do this?!

Thunder could ask himself these questions all night long but he’d never get an answer, the break in his wing was like two metal cheese graters, grinding the insides of his skeleton, aching in pain from any kind of movement. But he had to do something! He couldn’t just lay there!

That’s when he heard another set of hoofsteps from behind him. He just about saw Mirror’s silhouette from his periferia vision when she stopped beside him and raised her voice.

“Lance! That’s enough.” She said. But he kept going and struck Raining again and again. Mirror kept her distance and spoke with a nervousness befitting that of a scared little girl trying her best. “Lance, please stop!”

But he didn't. Thunder could now see trace amounts of blood splattered on his boots, enough to make his stomach churn and his throat tense.

“Lance! Stop you’ve done enough!” She shouted. This time the colt paused, her message having got through. He rose up above the now incapacitated Raining Lead and turned to her with an aura of suppressed frustration hanging around him. He glanced back at Raining and seemed content with his work before walking away back towards the playground’s gate leaving them alone.

Mirror rushed towards Raining and pulled out a small red bag with a white cross on it. “On no, is it that bad?” Thunder thought. He had to help, had to get to Raining and had to do something.

He felt a familiar conviction return to him, a grim determination that ignited a fire inside and he forced his limbs forward. One after the other until he was standing up straight. His body protested of course, his shoulder, wing and the lower half of his face gave him every excuse to just lay down and wait the pain out. But he pressed on against the agony and soon Mirror took notice. She rushed to his side and offered support to which Thunder was hesitant but her actions just now had at least made him open.

Mirror seemed more like an unwitting accomplice than a pony with ill intentions. Thunder accepted but kept his guard up and hobbled over to Raining. Lance had done a number on the poor colt as lumps of black and blue tissue were spread across his form, his right eye and left cheek were swelling over and his nose was bleeding like a faucet. Mirror set down and pulled out several cotton buds and adhesive plasters which she used to help clean him up. Sealing over the worst of the cuts he’d got from Lance’s steel-capped boot.

“Raining…oh Raining, I’m so sorry.”

Thunder felt more tears welling up behind his eyes as he stared at his new friend. He’d done everything he could and this was the outcome. Copper was going to kill him when they got back, he’d failed.

Raining suddenly coughed, a glob of red spit sputtered from his mouth as he stirred. “R-Raining!” Thunder cried. “Help me get him up, we need to get back home!”

Mirror did as requested and helped him climb to his unstable hooves. The brass colt was half blind and his limbs were like jelly. Thunder struggled to support his weight as he got upright and saw one of Raining’s front legs had more bruises than it did healthy skin and so he wasn’t using it. The filly then began backing away with her first aid kit, Thunder snapped to her. “Hey! Where are you going, I can’t bring him home by myself!”

“I-I’m sorry, but I have to go home as well. I-I wish you luck though!”

Thunder scoffed, “Luck?! Forget luck, we need help! You can’t just leave us, especially after you helped cause this!”

Mirror looked at the two with clear regret and somberness in her eyes. Yet all it took was a glance back at the colt waiting for her on the other side of the fence to remind her where she had to be. She shut her eyes tight and jerked away, power walking through the gate but she at least kept it open with a wedge for them before trotting off with Lance.

Thunder was left alone with a barely standing Raining who struggled to speak. He turned to him with his remaining good eye left but was leaning heavily on Thunder’s left side for support. “C-Come on Raining, we’re going home…w-we’re going h-home.”

Raining’s only reply was to groan which Thunder couldn’t blame him for. It was probably taking all of his willpower just to stay upright and keep a steady pace. The two managed to make it past the playground’s front gate and onto the brightly lit street. The house wasn’t far but their speed was agonisingly slow as they had to take their time to prevent either of them from stumbling and falling.

“You can still do this Shellac, you can still do this.”

They moved one hoof after the other, keeping a slow but steady cadence, every step sending needles of pain through their bodies. It was an uphill battle the whole way through, and several times, Thunder thought Raining would slip, but he managed to hold on. Everypony was indoors by this point and the streets were barren of life but had plenty of light so they could at least see where they were going.

Thunder’s jaw may have been swollen and he may have had the urge to pull his teeth out from irritation, but he wasn’t giving up! Yes, every inch of movement only added to the crunchy aches in his back and the limp wing that now hung towards the floor, but with every step he fanned the flames of a lavender fire that refused to be snuffed out. Determined to push through like he’d always done, soon enough he could already see their house down the street and smiled as he turned to Raining.

“Come on! We’re nearly there, we’re nearly there, just stay with me Lead!”

Gleaming watched the grandfather clock with discomfort, fifty eight minutes past and still counting. She’d tried reading to pass the time but the anxiety proved too much as she felt something was wrong. The fire still crackled behind her and Copper had resided himself in the back room with his model kits.

“Knowing their exact location must be nice.”

“Copper dear? Two minutes to six, don’t you think we should do something?” She called, trying to hide her concern.

“They're on their way back now honey! Don’t know what kind of fancy snowball fight they had but they're taking their sweet time.”

Gleaming looked back at the clock nervously tapping a hoof. “They’re fine Gold, your overreacting, your hubby’s not going to call the guards over a few seconds off the dot.” She took a deep breath and moved to the coffee table and picked up her tea with a wing before taking a sip. “They’re probably just exhausted is all, it’s Raining’s first time with a playmate and he probably let himself go.”

She moved over to the window where she could get a view of the front lawn. Butterflies building in her chest as she took another nervous sip. Ever since Copper had told her about his spell she felt unease rather than assurance even as he gave her an update when they reached the playground. Sure Raining’s movements were a little odd but that’s to be expected when your son can teleport.

The fact Raining was on his way back did help calm her nerves. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder why exactly she was so on edge. Sure she had some insecurities about Shellac but the whole point of this was to dispel those concerns, if anything that should’ve relieved her.

“So why wasn’t it? Why am I so tense?”

Soon she saw a pair of silhouettes emerge from behind the neighbour’s hedges and she smiled as she drew the curtains back, hoping to open the window and-

Her tea cup fell to the floor with a loud smash.

Copper was working on another model wooden boat, this one of a Mare-O-War. Probably the biggest he’d have in his collection to date. It had a full interior, model ponies he’d painted himself,even metal cannons with cotton clumps he’d used as cannon smoke. The best part was he could open and close the whole thing with a set of hinges and so long as it was closed properly, it would float!

He was adding a layer of gloss to one of the top deck cannons with the as of yet unpainted masts sitting to the side. Though it slowed the process considerably, he wanted to take his time and paint things before attaching them or he might have troubles later on. Slowly, he was going over the metal tube with a thin brush when he suddenly heard the kind of shriek he’d have expected from a banshee.

“RAINING!”

Copper’s brush almost snapped and he whipped his head towards the kitchen door, his eyes wide with shock. He quickly got up from his seat and hobbled inside where he saw Gleaming gallop out of the living room with such speed her right side slammed into the wall and bolted for the door. “Honey! What’s happened!”

Gleaming ignored him, fumbling around with the keys until she stuffed the correct one into the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges in the process. Copper picked up the pace and raced outside with his wife, when he saw the state of the two kids he could only share in his wife’s horror.

The two had been beaten to a pulp, Raining looked fit to pass out and Thunder groaned every step of the way. His limp, swollen wing sent goosebumps across the stallion’s body and the gap in Thunder’s teeth even more so. Gleaming stood a hoof’s length away in utter shock, her coat white with fright.

“What in the blue blazes happened here?!” Copper shouted.

Thunder cranked his head up to face the stallion, visibly shrinking under his authoritative gaze and dried blood trailing from his trembling lip. Fresh tears already welling up as the events of the past half hour replayed themselves in his head.

“L-Lance, Moonlit Lance did this! I-I tried to stop him b-but…” Thunder gestured towards his wing. “H-he b-b-broke it.”

Copper’s breathing slowed and his gaze fixed upon the pegasus as he processed those words. A quiet rage built up inside him and his glare now comparable to a dragon as he levitated a coat and boot set from the reception. He lowered his voice to a near whisper and turned to Gleaming. “Honey, you were right about Thunder.”

She jerked her head to meet him, eyes still as wide as dinner plates. He already had his coat fastened when he followed up. “Now get the kids inside and come tomorrow morning take them to the hospital.”

With the last boot now secured to his leg he trotted down the front lawn past the injured colts. He’d already got past the front gate when Gleaming cried out.

“W-Where are you going?!”

“To have a chat with those two, then I’m going to the Guard. The little buck’s gone too far this time and I’ve had enough!” Copper then snapped back towards her with the commanding voice of a guard kicking in. “Now get them inside!”

Gleaming nodded and supported Raining best she could as the two got the living room where they finally allowed themselves to collapse. Gleaming helped take off their winter garments and scrambled to and from the kitchen with a box full of medical items, quickly giving Raining a few painkillers and some water to wash it down.

Thunder shed his disguise and felt both relief and new pains seep in. Instead of a lost tooth. one of his fangs had been cracked and the softer, more flexible skin around his jaw now had a web of purple cracks. His wing however still dangled to his side, but it being more membrane than bone it felt so much better. Its base around his back shell still had a plethora of deep cracks that stung like the dickens and he still felt ghost pains from where the break had taken place.

Yet, the same couldn’t be said for Raining.

To say he’d been beaten black and blue would be a gross understatement. Much of his upper torso, legs and face had been covered in horrible discoloured lumps, so much so he’d now lost the ability to even open his battered eye or extend his right leg. Whereas Shellac had the ability to sit up, Raining did not.

Gleaming was able to clean up the worst of the muck that had splattered Lead, but Shellac could taste her sour sadness seeping into the room. Her mouth trembled as she endlessly repeated how things would be okay under her breath. Trying to reassure herself just as much as she was for Raining. A few frozen bags of peas wrapped in kitchen towels had been placed over the worst of the bruises and Shellac’s bedding had been moved to the other couch to accommodate Raining.

“Oh my little Lead, why would anypony do this to you?” She mumbled. Raining couldn’t host a reply, he didn’t have the energy and he probably wouldn’t even be able to walk at this point. Thunder turned to the resting colt with a regretful eye and felt an urge to help him also, but knew even touching his tender lumps would send more hot daggers of pain into his body. He whimpered and weeped for his friend he’d failed to protect.

Gleaming caught onto his soft cries and quickly took notice. She turned her attention toward Shellac and bought a cloth to wipe away his tears and clean off some dried…”Changelings have blue blood?” She stared at the cloth a moment longer before shaking her head and discarding it, facing him directly with motherly comfort.

“Hey, shh, shh, you’re alright here, you're safe now, everything is going to be okay Shellac.” She solemnly smiled, only for it to drop at the now quivering and distraught changeling.

“I-I tried to help,” he sniffed, “I t-t-tried to fight him off b-but I…I couldn’t protect him.” For another time that night he broke down into tears and Gleaming embraced him gently rocking back and forth, caressing the base of his neck. This time Shellac really let go and flooded her coat with an open lake of sadness which drenched her warm fur. Everything he’d been through, everything he’d done, it all came flooding back and poured itself out into her shoulder. Gleaming’s response was to hum a gentle lullaby and help calm his nerves, or at least help him vent quicker.

They kept at it for a few minutes as Shellac’s eyes flowed like waterfalls and his muffled cries filled the air, but Gleaming allowed him to go on for as long as was needed. Offering an emotional embrace his home at the hive never did.

Eventually he slowed down and the rivers dried up, replaced with stuttered breathing and well laden bags under his eyes. “There, there, everything is going to be okay.” She whispered.

Shellac released himself from the hug and looked up at Gleaming, with the weight of the day clearly visible on his weary face. She gave a warm smile and held his cheek which he solemnly leaned into, savouring her soft touch.

“We all have bad days sometimes and what you did today was outstanding. I’ve never broken my wing before and I’m glad I haven’t, but you helping little Lead get home in such a state?” She paused for a moment to grab a nearby cup of water and gave it to Shell to take a sip. “I don’t think I could have asked for Lead to make a better friend, thank you Shellac.”

He enveloped the cup within a purple swirl and drank, before he knew it he’d gulped the whole cup. Gleaming put it aside and examined his wing, which instead of a break, had a tear near its base that threatened to disconnect it were the wing sufficiently pulled. She winced at the idea of it falling off and Shellac receiving a bloody surprise the next time he changed.

“Is your wing going to be okay Shellac?” She asked.

“It’ll be fine…if it falls off I can grow a new one, however.” He smirked. “I do know a trick.”

She turned back to him at that, her curiosity peaked. “What do you mean?”

“Changelings have their own kind of magic, a few spells ponies can’t cast. I know a healing spell that’ll help fix both me and Raining, but it requires a lot of energy. I uh…” He grimaced as he remembered his failed gamble. “Expended it all earlier though, fighting Lance.”

Gleaming stood awestruck and for a brief moment an intrusive thought asked her if this was some kind of trick but one glance at Raining was all she needed. She leapt forward and bound Shellac up in a tight, affectionate hug. Bringing her wings around to embrace him even further.

“Then please help my little Lead, it pains me to see him like this.”

Shellac shut his eyes and focused, up until now he’d been passively drawing upon their ambient emotions and been careful not to pull more than he thought was necessary. How could he be so greedy when these ponies sheltered and fed him?

Yet, now he was opening himself up, he’d heard stories about the wonders of love given but had never experienced such a thing himself. Gleaming affection, her desire to see her child be well again, and the love she was pouring out to him, there was an explosion of colours within his core as he took his first taste. Gold’s love was sweet like nectar and Shellac eagerly drank.

Solid food aside, it’d been the first time in over a week he’d had a proper harvest and his body went on autopilot. Snatching at all the colours he could as his reserves filled, going from near empty to almost full within a few minutes.

A sudden wave of weariness washed over Gleaming as she felt Shellac pull away. With a little nausea she balanced herself on all fours and stretched her back, bending her wings for good measure.

“So, this is what it's like to be fed on by a changeling? Funny, I was expecting worse.” She grinned, in spite of the slight weakness in her legs.

Shell leaned back into the couch as a soft chirp escaped his throat. He patted his belly for a moment before he turned to Raining with a smile of his own. “Everything is going to be okay.” He thought.

“I’ll go get you two something to eat…though I don’t think you’ll be wanting anything solid, right?”

Both Shellac and Lead gently shook their heads, though with Lead it was more of a slight twitch.

Gleaming sighed and made for the kitchen, she leaned down and frowned at the contents of the oven. “So much for potato and leak pie, at least tomorrow’s lunch is solved.” She moved to the dry cupboard and flicked through several cans before pulling out some tomato soup.

She warmed it up and dished out a pair of bowls with a couple of straws, held within her wings she slid one down in front of Raining while Shellac took the other.

“I hope you two get well, I’m not sure when Copper’s coming back, but it should be soon.”

Gleaming then knelt down and kissed Raining’s forehead before proceeding to do the same to Shellac, who’s pupils shrank and cheeks flushed at the sudden injection of love, adding a sweet spice to the creamy red meal. She left the living room and prepared her dinner, the crackles of the fireplace ever present.

Shellac was the first to finish his soup with Raining not long after, the dirty dishes were put aside and Shellac laid down next to him, back against the couch cushions. Raining groaned in discomfort from the sudden movement but made no attempt to stop him.

“Never done this with a pony before, or with two to focus on at once. Hopefully I have enough. Let’s take the slow and steady approach so we can save some energy.”

Shellac’s horn flared up and thin wisps of magic crept out and sank into both kids’ bodies. Shellac had all night so he was in no rush to expend everything for the sake of time.

Raining slowly felt a warm comfort seep into his aching muscles, like the feeling of one’s body having already gotten used to their bedsheets by dawn, or dipping into a hot bath. The painkillers had taken the edge off already but the relief being afforded was almost divine. The pain went away but he could still feel its presence, his beating heart sending dull pins and needles through his body.

Thunder took things one step further and gently hovered some of his bedding over, slipping a soft pillow under his head and covering them both in a bed sheet. Before he could tuck in though he heard Lead beginning to stir, parting his lips to mumble something at barely a whisper. “Shell…”

“Hmm? Yes Raining?” Shellac leaned in.

“Are you…really sleeping…here tonight?” Raining huffed. Only managing short and stuttered breaths.

“I need to be close for the spell to work and it’ll take time. Don’t worry though, it’ll carry on in our sleep.”

There was a moment of silence as Raining tried to bring up the strength to speak again. His face still swollen and his lips still puffy.

“Could you…go and get…my Ursa toy?”

“Ursa? You mean like a stuff toy?”

Raining managed a weak nod. “I just, I’m used to…hugging something…when I sleep.”

“Aww…” Shellac considered going upstairs to the colt’s room but he’d already got himself comfortable, and he couldn’t quite be bothered. That’s when another idea came to mind, like a lightbulb clicking on above his head. “Actually, I could be your Ursa for tonight.”

Raining mumbled in confusion, then saw a flash of purple light from his good eye briefly paint the room. Now instead of hard chitin he felt something much more plush depressing against his back. He removed the icey pea bags with his magic and slowly but carefully turned around, little aches and pains reminding him of his injuries should he move too quickly. His limbs were stiff and numb, as weak as jelly but tender to the touch. When he did finally turn around and saw Shellac he was met with a pleasant surprise.

He’d transformed again, but this time he’d become a soft toy version of himself, stitch marks dotted his joints, soft fur replaced hard shells and a smile was sewn onto his face. Yet despite all that, he retained his true form’s actual size and shape. It was weird to look at but Raining couldn’t deny just how cute he actually looked as a stuffed soft toy, was it normal for him to suddenly want to cuddle up to a sentient changeling plush?

Probably not, and for a moment he felt bad it wasn’t his Ursa toy, but he didn’t have the strength to complain. Raining’s horn lit up and he carefully moved Shellac’s limbs around to accommodate him as he held him in a tight grip. His fur was as soft as silk and the blankets lovingly warm, which helped to remove the chilly bite of the frozen pea bags.

There was something different about hugging a life sized toy that sent pleasant shivers through his body. Granted there were many things different about this but one aspect in particular stuck out to him, like how much more affectionate it was. It was like a hidden longing he’d had was finally being answered and he clinged to Shellac as tightly as he could without injury. If the nymph was still in his base form Raining might’ve actually crushed something but as is Raining’s love harmlessly depressed into his body.

For Shellac it was like being drenched in a bathtub full of liquid love. He didn’t have much independence as an object but tried to return the squeeze with his stuffed legs. He altered his disguise so it’s eyes were shut tight and soon his reserves were filled to the brim, spilling over the cap from the sheer amount of affection the young colt had to offer. Even aside from that, being able to sleep with a friend was going to help prevent another nightmare.

“Last Night sucked.”

The two basked in each other’s company until they quietly drifted off to sleep, Raining’s lumps gradually shrinking and Shellac’s cracks slowly sealing. It would take time and energy, but the young nymph had both in no short supply.

Elsewhere in the kitchen, Gleaming had cut herself a couple slices of pie and looked at an overhead clock. It’d been around an hour since Copper had left and yet not a single knock on the door or tap on the window. She’d already stored the rest of the dish away within the refrigerator but now both their meals were getting cold.

“Where is he? Are the guards holding him up?”

Gleaming was no stranger to waiting on her husband, especially nowadays with his injured leg, but he had friends in the guard who helped him out on occasion. A quick taxi to the Moonlit residence, then another to a nearby guard station and back. Perhaps it was just taking longer then she’d hoped? She did have an impulse problem. “Shellac’s proof enough of that.”

Still, when they all got back from Piccafilly Circus she imagined everypony sitting down having a family meal. with Shellac included. But then of course things had to take a turn for the worst. Because nothing can be simple nowadays can it? There’s always some bump in the road you weren’t expecting.

Gleaming sighed and picked up her plate with its lukewarm offering. She began digging into it before the pie slice got any colder and savoured the flavours. She wrapped Copper’s plate in a layer of foil before sliding it into the fridge with the rest of the pie as she chewed.

“He’ll have to warm it up when he gets back.” She thought.

She did her evening chores as per usual, washing dishes, sorting through laundry, preparing Copper’s morning coffee ingredients. But as the minutes ticked by she anxiously anticipated a knock that never came. “No, something is wrong. If he was going to be out for this long he’d have said something.”

“Maybe the guards are holding him up?” She mentally rehashed. “Maybe they have him and Lance in for questioning? But if so they’d have popped by to look at Raining for proof. Surely they wouldn’t just take his word for it?”

She hung up her apron and looked at the clock, Eight Thirty PM. “He’ll be back by midnight at the latest right? Yes, yes he will Gleaming. Stop being such a Diamond Dog and be patient. He’ll come back…”

“He has to…”

…

“Isn’t this what you told yourself before Raining and Shellac came back? Beaten and bloody? You had every reason to throw Shellac to the wayside yet you didn’t and he’s proven himself loyal. You have good instincts, why should you ignore them?”

…

“I can’t leave though, I have to stay here and take care of them. Shellac might have good intentions but if something’s gone wrong and I leave…”

“No, I have to stay here. Copper’s tough, I know he can take care of himself. But the kids need me here.”

Gleaming switched off the lights and hung her head. Dread sunk its terrible teeth into her weeping heart as she passed by the doorframe. She didn’t even notice the still forms of Raining Lead and Shellac cuddled up together. She made her way to the master bedroom, a large double bed flanked by two bedside cabinets. One with old pictures of Copper as a colt fishing and the other with a makeup stand and picture frame of the family.

Gleaming instead moved to the window and drew the curtains. Hoping that maybe she’d catch him walking back to the front door but the thought was in vain. The stallion was nowhere to be seen even as she sat and waited for what felt like hours. “I have to stay awake. He has a key to get in but I have to see him myself.”

Gleaming watched on as snowflakes piled onto the dimly lit neighbourhood street. It was a windy night and she was thankful that the two kids had managed to arrive back when they did but it spared no comfort for her thoughts on how her husband was doing.

A weight pressed on her shoulders as time ticked by with her eyes growing ever weary with each passing second. She turned around to look at Copper’s clock and it read Nine PM. Had she really been waiting for that long? She sighed and picked herself up, crawling into her side of the bed with a book in hoof. She’d borrowed one of Raining’s that she’d taken a liking to, an adventure book titled Lords Of The Sky.

She laid there reading for who knows how long. All the while keeping an ear out for any soft taps or the sound of the front door opening. She got lost within the contents of the book and got through three more chapters before turning to the clock striking midnight.

That was enough, she had to go to sleep. She was only prolonging the inevitable by reading. With a heavy heart she closed the book and set it aside before tucking herself in. hoping against hope that by dawn, she’d be sleeping with her husband.

Author's Note

And thus we finally meet Moonlit Lance, probably one of the worst school bullies you'll ever meet and is the most deserving of a trash can cover to the head.

Also just to clarify the accents. The whole of Raining's family and Lance all have cockney accents, Mirror's more northern English while Shellac has neither.

CH 5 - Everything will be okay

Four Months Before The Storm

Thunder stood tall atop one of Canterlot’s white brick buildings. The afternoon sun shining down upon his face as he basked in its tender warmth. The sky was something he’d rarely get to see before the wedding as he spent most of his time underground. Whether it be at the hive or within the city’s various tunnels, mines or the more hygienic of its sewer systems.

Natural light was practically a luxury, one he’d taken for granted and now….something he couldn’t imagine going without.

He took the time to bathe of course, nopony cared if the pegasus colt washed within the mountain waterfall so long as he didn’t endanger himself. Still, the increasingly cold waters were nothing compared to the shining sun that ran across his body.

When he was satisfied, he coiled up like a cat and jumped off. His wings unfolding and taking him high, higher than the mountain tops, above the buildings he soared through the city. Dancing and spinning around twirling tower rooftops and under stone archways with the rush of autumn wind under his wings and the sounds of the city below his hooves.

“Freedom, after so many years I’ve finally done it! I’m free of the hive!”

Thunder ascended even higher, breaking through the cloud covers, weaving around other pegasi. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks as he raced through the heavens, allowing for a time to truly forget about the woes of life and enjoy what it had to offer him. No more bullies, no more warriors or orders, no more overseers or queens, it was just him and the skies above.

For the first time, his life was truly his and his alone.

Thunder tore through the clouds and raced around what few buildings still tall enough to touch him, spiralling around more towers and diving under bridges. He’d been put through obstacle courses during his time with the Hunter Caste but nothing could compare to the rush he felt blazing through Canterlot without a care in the world.

For a moment he took a deep breath, allowing the crisp and clean air to flood his lungs, the sensation was positively intoxicating. Outside there was no mold,no musty or rancid stench of secretions or shedded carapice. Everything was clear, pristine and perfect, in a sense it was more addicting than love.

He eventually rose and stopped for a moment to catch his breath, being able to really let loose with pegasi wings felt so liberating! Unfortunately it did tax his stamina more, but adrenaline was keeping him going for the time being.

Below him lay an ocean of old stonework buildings, some possibly older than the Queen herself, all in an assortment of all kinds of wonderful, bright colours. From midnight blues to golden yellows, pale whites and royal purples. The place had really turned around from the attack, with houses and businesses rebuilt with remarkable speed, yet there were scars that would remain. The larger buildings were still under reconstruction and no amount of paint could hide every chip and scrap from the angry shower of green rain.

And that was to say nothing of the lingering fear and psychological damage brought about by the attack.

Yet the city survived and had moved on, pegasi still pulled carts through the skies to their drop offs, ponies still greeted each other in the streets and bakeries still made bread.

Speaking of which, it was at this time that he felt a growl come from his stomach. He looked down and patted his belly, sure he didn’t have any money to buy food but who needed that when everypony was a talking walking snack?

For this though passive absorption wouldn’t be enough as he’d have to actively gather from a pony or two. He scanned the surrounding area and spotted a nearby public park. Past experience taught him that couples usually liked to hang out there or play with their kids, so It was as good a spot as any other. Barreling towards the treeline with the speed of a rocket, nearly crashing into a building or two during his descent.

Quickly, he slowed down and perched himself in a tree to get an overview of the area. He looked around for any juicy targets and with any luck he might get enough to last him more than a few days, maybe a week?

“Don’t get too excited Shell, you still need to find somepony first.”

He saw an earth pony walking a dog. “Nah, too little, wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

He then spotted some colts playing hopscotch. “Too open, not enough cover…and it would be sort of scummy.”

His eyes then rested on a young couple sitting on a bench, early twenties and clear chatterboxes. “Perfect!”

Silently, Thunder slid down and acted natural, prancing on a cobblestone path that led behind them. A few trees and some shrubbery behind the bench made a perfect hiding spot where he could do his thing. Taking one good look around him to make sure nopony was staring in his general direction he jumped into the bush without a second thought.

Scanning his surroundings to ensure he had no curious onlookers, and sure enough nopony was batting an eye. The couple likewise didn’t notice him and were happily chatting away at something relating to a “D-J Pon3,” whatever that meant. “Great! The amount of times I’ve used the Hide & Seek trick…ugh I need to come up with better excuses.”

Thunder began opening his reserves up and feeling the air around him, the couple were ripe for the picking. A potent mixture of young love and affection, with a small but healthy dose of lust. “I still have no idea what that emotion does, why do ponies have it? I’ll just use it for shapeshifting anyway. It makes me feel weird.”

He reached out and began snatching a few strands of love but didn’t make it too far before something interrupted his session. The distant clanging of armoured hooves slowly approaching him caused him to close up and whip around to see a patrol coming his way! Normally he couldn’t be bothered with such a thing if he was already hiding but instead of two guards the patrol had a box of four.

“Wait, patrols have four guards now?! What happened to just two?”

His mind conjured the mental image of one of them spotting him from inside the bush and getting suspicious that he was directly behind an affectionate couple. That was followed by one casting a dispelling spell to rid him of his disguise before a third gutted him on the spot with his spear.

Immediately starting to panic, he quickly exited the bush before flying above the treeline and bolting for the skies, looking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed and let out a sigh of relief when he saw he wasn’t. Still, his hasty retreat likely shook the couple from their chat so going back was too risky now even when the guards left.

His stomach growled again and he looked down with a frown, his stomach now twisting with hunger pains. “Oh I know buddy, we’ll find lunch soon though, I promise.”

That however was easier said than done. Since the raid the guards have been getting better and better at sniffing out changelings, at least if he was to go off what the newspapers said. While he had no actual run-ins with them, the thought of having them catch onto his one and only personality was still enough to send him running whenever a patrol got too close.

“At least Canterlot has plenty of ponies…”

Two Nights Before the Storm

DINGDINGDINGDINGDING

Gleaming stirred from her slumber, the fog of rest clouding her mind and dulling her senses as she opened her eyes to view the time. The alarm clock struck eight AM sharp and she half mindedly fumbled around with her hoof to press its stop button, smacking the cabinet in the process.

The moment it stopped she released a breath. “There, sweet silence.” She rolled over with a yawn hoping to stretch her wings without hitting Copper again, but as she did she was met with an empty bed.

“Huh? Copper?” She struggled to understand why he wasn’t there before the events of the night prior came flooding back and so did the emotions attached.

“Something’s wrong, something is seriously, seriously wrong. Why isn’t he back yet!?”

Gleaming’s heart skipped a beat as she rose from her rest with panic rising in her chest. She tore the covers off and quickly made her mane with the little time she afforded to herself. Resulting in a visible but tolerable amount of bedhead before washing her face in the bathroom.

“Maybe he’s downstairs?! Maybe he wanted to watch over Raining?”

She half glided down the staircase and landed on the corner step, twisting around to reach the living room and peer inside. She was just about to call out for him when she saw Lead and Shellac.

Her train of thought crashed and her panicking heart stilled at the sight. Copper was nowhere within the room, but she stook awestruck nonetheless. Raining’s bruises had all but receded, with no visible cuts or scraps, and Shellac’s wing sat in its correct, folded position. Not only that, but the little changeling nymph had turned himself into a life size plush toy! Which Raining was happily embracing, Shellac’s muzzle rested on his neck with a knitted smile.

Gleaming slowly approached, having to physically fight the urge to scream like a little schoolfilly at such a sight. How couldn’t she? This was adorable! When she got behind the couch and saw the two up close she put her hooves over her mouth and couldn’t help but let out a little squeak.

“He did it, he actually did it! My little Lead’s healthy again!”

She waltzed off to the kitchen to prepare something special for breakfast, in her haste however she wasn’t careful about her step and the sound of her hooves stirred the two from their slumber. Raining was first, followed closely by Shellac, who despite still being a giant stuffed toy, was able to open and close his eyelids.

The brass colt yawned and absentmindedly bought a hoof up to cover his mouth, Raining eyes then shot open and his ears perked up. “Wait a second…why do I feel like that was a bad idea?” He found himself staring into the giant purple fabric eyes of a life size changeling plush.

“Wha? Why am I?...” He squinted. “Oh yea right Lance happened.”

Raining then planted a hoof against his face half expecting it to explode into pain, but no such thing happened. He examined his leg and saw that Shellac’s spell had worked! All his bruises were gone, he felt no more bumps, no pains or aches of any kind! The colt found himself laughing at the sheer amazement of the feat.

A flash of purple light then broke him out of his celebration as Shellac laid staring at him, complete with a smug grin and fully healed chin.

“Told you I could heal ya.”

“Heh…heh…yeah I guess you did.” Lead smiled. “Didn’t know you could do that.”

“Do what? Heal ponies?”

“Well yea that and uh…”

“Turn into objects?” Shell effortlessly turned his right hoof back into plush for a moment to reiterate the point before turning it back just as quickly.

Raining parted his lips but stopped himself short and chose to nod instead. He did however bring a leg up to examine it and found an absolute lack of injury anywhere on the limbs. “Seriously though I don’t feel anything, to be honest I heard what you were saying to mom but I didn’t hear everything.”

“It was only soft tissue damage Raining. Granted there was a lot but it was no biggie, I think our cuddles last night helped with that.” Shell coed mockingly.

Raining’s cheeks flushed red and it dawned on him he was still hugging the young nymph with his other leg. He looked down and slowly drew his leg back to his chest, an awkward smile and little nervous laughter being his only response.

Raining removed the covers and rolled over towards the coffee table, still a little wobbly from his rest. Shellac soon followed but wrapped the blanket around the both of them, not wanting the comfort to go away just yet.

“You're a little clingy, you know that?” Raining asked, eying his companion a little suspicious.

“Never slept with a friend before in a comfy bed. You had a lot of love to give.”

“Bed? This is a couch.” Raining gestured towards the cushions.

“It’s still better than the nothing I had when your mom found me, or the resin hammock I had before that, or even the hard rocky walls of the hive. You ponies don’t know how well off you really are.”

Raining blinked…then shivered at picturing himself in such scenarios. “Huh…I guess you're right.”

The sound of clopping hooves signalled Gleaming’s return as she pranced inside with a smile as wide as the plates held by her wings. It was then both Raining and Thunder caught the scent of freshly made toast with a hint of strawberry jam, both had some kind of tiny cup holding a steaming egg with a spoon. Gleaming had also brought the jar just in case.

“Who wants toast soldiers?”

“Me!” Raining held his hoof up. The kids took both plates away from Gleaming and offered their thanks, it consisted of two slices of buttered, vertically cut bread with a boiled egg held in a holder. Shellac looked at the dish with concern and then observed Raining break the top part of the egg off with a spoon before dipping his slices inside. He visibly winced at the act and turned to Gold.

“Miss Gold? Isn’t there something inside these eggs?”

“Oh, no no dear, these are chicken eggs, they’re sterile. They just have the yolk inside.”

Shellac again turned to Raining enjoying his breakfast and back to his, still not feeling comfortable with the idea. “How’d you feel if some-creature broke your egg?” He scorned himself. Tiny needles of guilt threatened to pierce his mind but Gleaming came to the rescue and picked up her jam jar, offering it to Shellac.

“If it bothers you that much, Raining can have it.”

Shell nodded and Gleaming swapped out the egg holder for a blob of bright red goo, which Shellac then spread across his toast and happily munched away. Shellac never had strawberries before and found it incredibly sweet, almost too sweet in fact, his face scrunched up from the intensity but it was a good kind of pain. Gleaming giggled and took her cue to go and fetch her own breakfast from the kitchen and quickly joined the two.

As she sat down on the opposite couch however she caught the shapes of several silhouettes emerging from behind the curtain moving through the front yard closer to the door. She sighed and placed her dish down even before she’d taken a bite.

“Shellac dear? We have guests.”

A flash of purple fire saw Thunder Chaser emerge in an instant, now holding his plate with a wing.

Gleaming walked forward and stood behind the door when she heard a trio of knocks.
Even before opening the door she had a bad feeling. First Copper goes missing and now a group of ponies arrive outside her door. Were they guards coming in to question her? To see Raining? It was a little late for that now.

Dreadful anxiety built up within her once again which was not helped by her stomach’s starving complaints. She took a breath, shot her eyes open, patted down her mane to prevent any more embarrassment…

And opened the door.

Standing before her was a trio of guards, though the uniforms were certainly not what she was expecting. Instead of bright golden armour and sheathed swords, they wore tidy parkas and dark barrets, no visible weapons whatsoever. Her heart sank like a brick of lead when she recognised these clothes, Copper had worn something similar when attending Canterlot’s mass funeral after the attack.

These are dress uniforms, which only meant one thing.

“Miss Gleaming Gold?” The front guard spoke, staring into her eyes with a grim tone and pulling out a small letter with a golden wax seal. “I’m afraid we have some bad news.”

Gleaming’s breathes grew short and ragged, her heart rate skyrocketed yet the world couldn’t have moved any slower. With a shaky hoof she took the letter and looked down at it, intense enough she could’ve burned a hole right through her hoof.

“No…no, this can’t be happening…”

“This can’t be happening.”

“I’m dreaming, I’m still asleep.”

“This isn’t real.”

“If you need anyth-”

Gleaming slammed the door shut on the trio and turned her back on the frame. Each breath was difficult and shallow like she was trying to breathe underwater. The world spun around her and she fought to keep herself upright. She thought she was prepared for this, everytime Copper went on duty she knew something like this could happen but she never actually thought it would.

They’d settle down, have a child, buy a nice cottage outside Canterlot somewhere and live peacefully with their savings. But of course things never go as you want them.

This though…”This is too much.”

“So there’s more than just one kind of jam?”

Thunder took another bite out of his toast slice. The smooth buttery bread mixing with the sweet strawberry flavours treating his taste spuds. Raining swallowed his mouthful before continuing, “Yeah! Mum loves jam! Strawberry jam, pear jam, orange marmalade, apple sauce, there’s just so many! If it’s a fruit there’s probably a jam made with it.”

“Cool! I’ll have to try those out-”

The two colts then heard the reception door slam with enough force it shook the house, they then caught a glimpse of Gleaming bolting up the staircase with the speed of a cheetah. Rapid hoofsteps galloping into the master bedroom above them.

They paused and looked between each other, not sure what to make of what just happened. Thunder craned his neck around and looked behind his shoulder as the trio of ponies now left the front yard.

“What in Celestia’s name was that?” Raining exclaimed.

Thunder turned to him with just as much confusion, not sure what to make of it either. “I don’t know, maybe she was mailed a package or something?”

“Think it’s a Hearth’s Warming present?” Lead grinned.

Before he could answer, Thunder suddenly felt cold, a bitterness creeping in he was familiar with and turned his head to the source. Seeping through the ceiling above them was a horrible sadness, the likes of which he’d only ever seen in ponies just after the raid or when a terrible tragedy had struck. It was so intense he could feel its strength through the walls, sucking out the colours from the room and permeating the air with gloom.

He winced and turned back to Raining. “I don’t think that was a present…”

“Well what do you think it was?” He replied, tone deaf to Thunder’s implications. “Really Raining?”

Whatever was happening to Gleaming it couldn’t be anything good, he sighed and cleared his throat before forcing a smile. “Why don’t we change the subject?”

“Ok!”

Raining put on his thinking cap and puffed up his cheek for dramatic effect. Exchanging glances with Thunder and the ceiling, of which a very faint whimper could be heard if the air was quiet enough. Raining seemed too lost in thought to pick it up though and eventually went back to Thunder.

“You know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.”

Thunder’s brain was hit with a proverbial foghorn that blasted everything else out, leaving a train of thought that conflicted with his emotions. On one hoof he felt flattered for Raining to imply what he thought he was implying. On the other however…

“Damn it Lead! Of all the things and at of all the times, why that? And why now?”

Thunder rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to get his thoughts together. A task not helped by the air of sadness that had now leaked into the room. It was like breathing in a sour odour or involuntarily smelling a putrid mixture of salt and vinegar.

Yet he pushed through despite the absurdity of his situation. He gathered his thoughts together and shared them out loud, hoping that if nothing else Raining’s natural radiance of joy would help drown out the stench. “I’ve always been told that the other changelings at the hive were my brothers and sisters but I never felt like it. Honestly, I never liked any of them.”

“Because they bullied you?”

“Because they made me feel unwanted, how can you be called family if you know nopony likes you?”

“That’s a good question, I guess they thought it only mattered that you grew up with them.”

“But I hate them! They pushed me around, called me names and made fun of my mom!”

An aura of sympathy began wafting around Raining as he put his unfinished plate down on the table and helped Thunder put his aside. He might’ve been tone deaf earlier but even he knew Thunder’s pain. To that end, he shimmed along the couch and closed the distance between them. Thunder felt relief from the room’s gloom and basked in Raining’s ambient emotions. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from feeling tingles of depression, whether it was because of Gleaming’s sadness upstairs or the emotions attached to his memories he couldn’t tell.

“Yeah I get that, Lance always said mean things about my mum too. When I got numb to that he started making fun of my dad, when that wore off he started making it personal. It’ll surprise you just how much power words can have.”

Thunder felt a pang of anger form, clearly Lance decided to shift to physical abuse after wearing out his verbal options.

“I never even met my mom, I was taken as an egg and hatched later. I want to believe she’s a good queen, that they’re all wrong and that she does love me.” Thunder then turned his head to the side, facing away from Raining. ”But I’ll never know.”

“Thunder? Do you think Chrysalis loves her changelings?”

Thunder took another jam covered toast slice and bit down upon it, taking a moment to let the question stir. “Well yeah of course, she was willing to attack your home so they wouldn’t go hungry anymore. That has to mean something right?” He finished his mouthful.

“Then why wouldn’t your mum love you? Sure changelings have a weird way of doing it compared to us, but I’m sure if she was still around and you were her only child, she’d love you to bits like my mum does!”

“T-Thanks Raining.” Thunder knelt down to grab another slice.

“I guess they see it differently than we do, my mum always said family doesn’t depend on whose blood you share, but instead it depends on who you love.”

Thunder now felt his heart clench at the idea, and his mouth moved before his brain could process.

“Do you love me?”

In spite of the rather on the nose and abrupt question, Raining barely hesitated to respond.

“Well that’s what I wanted to ask you about, you're the first pony-eh well sort of-that’s stuck with me after a run in with Lance! I mean, he broke your wing!” Raining pointed a hoof at the now healed limb.

Thunder felt a tingle of ghost pain and his wing involuntarily twitched.

“But you didn’t run, you didn’t hide, you did your best and that’s already so much more than anypony’s ever done for me. Yeah sure, Lance might’ve kicked our flanks but you know what? If all it takes is a good night’s rest to recover from the worst he can throw at us then I don’t care! He can beat us to a pulp and we’ll spring right back up! So yes Thunder, Shellac, whichever it is you want, you’ve stuck with me so I’m sticking with you!”

With every word Thunder felt his chest rising higher and higher, Raining’s speech building his spirit block by block, minus the mention of getting beaten up again. Stocking the flames of an embering fire within his core until it burned brightly once more, and with newfound confidence he stood up straight, but he still had one more question to ask.

“But what about my mom, my queen? Do you think I’ll ever find out what happened to her? Or who she was?”

“One day, maybe we will, maybe we’ll become brave adventurers and find out together!” Raining cried, kicking his hooves up in excitement. “But if we don’t, maybe a better question to ask is if it matters? You’ll have us and that might be all you need.” He solemnly smiled.

“I don’t know, you might be right, there’s no way I’m going back to ask Chrysalis herself and your family’s been the nicest group of ponies I’ve ever met. There’s nothing I’d trade that away for, but I’d still like to find out if it’s possible.”

“Well for the time being, do you wanna do this thing together?” Raining offered a hoof. Thunder smiled, his heart fluttering as he looked down at the Raining’s outstretched limb.

“He’s serious about this, he’s actually serious about having me around like that? I guess I’ve never had a real brother either, no-creature I could call for help or talk to.”

Slowly Thunder reached out, as a feeling of genuine joy flooded his body.

“It would be nice…even if only for a while.”

Thunder took Raining’s hoof and then pulled him in for a hug, droplets of joy welling up as he made his decision. “Together…brother.”

Gleaming heaved as she laid in bed. Her ragged breaths were long and heavy with the weight on her back like that of an anvil. In her grip was a thoroughly drenched pillow she’d been crying into for who knows how long and on copper’s side of the bed sat an open letter, read through and cried over. Her pendant clung to her chest, a hoof pressed into it as if it were about to drop off and never be found again.

Only at long last when she’d spent all of her energy did the tears stop flowing with the softness of the bed there to comfort her, while the empty space beside her stood as a grim reminder.

“Please don’t go Copper…you're my rock…”

Her grip on the pillow tightened as tears threatened to leak out again.

“You're my rock…”

She laid there for a little longer, having shielded herself with her wings hugging a damp pillow. As it stood, she didn’t know what to do or how to feel, so much emotion from just one scrap of paper. How was she going to take care of Raining? What about Thunder? What about work? She couldn’t be in two places at once, what if something happened while she was gone?

She had to get up and do something, but what? As she was, she couldn’t go to work. Maybe hire a babysitter?

“Yeah that’ll go over really well with a changeling.” She picked herself up and slogged towards the window, her weary eyes pink from stress. Pulling away the curtains the morning sun only agitated them and she jerked her head away, but before long she was looking at her neighbourhood street.

It was mercifully quiet, quiet by Canterlot’s standards anyway. There were still the dull drones of a busy city, barely audible even from behind her windows and for a moment she asked herself what she was doing this? Was it to relax? Take her mind off things or give her mind some room to think? Or maybe she just liked the feeling of Celestia’s sunlight bathing her face?

Whatever the answer was she didn’t care, she’d only woken up an hour ago and already felt like going back to bed. But as nice as that sounded though she couldn’t, she had to do something to get her mind off things but what? The few options that crossed her mind did little to appeal to her.

Gleaming looked up above the slanted tile rooftops of nearby houses, up among the hundreds of other pegasi going about their busy lives. What could they be doing one might ask? She didn’t care, she felt as though the world was ending.

In a sense, it felt like the world itself was mocking her as everypony went about in the morning sun, all without a care. Oblivious to the permanent and horrific change her life had undertaken.

She looked to the spiralling colours of the castle towers, what would the princesses be doing? They wouldn’t care, they had more important matters than to help a single mother.

Then she spotted something off in the distance, a single foreign object floating through the sky. Something that wouldn’t typically be there.

A single bright red balloon.

“What’s that doing there?” She asked herself, scanning her memories for anything relevant. “I feel as though there’s something I’m forgetting, something…important maybe?”

Like always she referred back to a mental checklist, a practice that she’d gone over so many times it had become second nature by this point. She’d got all of Raining’s presents, she had plans for a Hearth’s Warming dinner and she’d gone to the library to see about Shellac. Gleaming’s eyes suddenly shot open as the answer dawned on her.

“The carnival! There’s a carnival today! The two would love that!”

Gleaming suddenly felt as though a wave of cold water had been dumped over her and she had reawakened. She carried herself back to the mirror and switched her desk lamp on, by the skies she was a mess! Her eyes had bags big enough to carry groceries, her mane was all over the place and the fur on her cheeks was all flaky and clumped from the dried tears.

“It’s okay Gleaming, you’ve got this.” She picked up the brush and got started. Seconds turned to minutes as she sorted herself out, giving her face and mane a fresh wash, brushing all away the knots and kinks in her fur and applying a little makeup to help her those horrible bags. “Hopefully some fresh air will do me good, pegasi are never meant to be cooped up.”

A full half an hour had passed by the time she was done with the mane dryer but once she was she turned back to her reflection and gave a nice smile, now satisfied with her appearance she made her way downstairs.

Finally feeling refreshed, she pranced into the living room where Raining and Thunder were with a half built tower of wooden blocks that Raining was carefully pulling apart.

“Hey you two!”

Raining jumped and pulled a block out too early causing the tower to collapse and spilling wooden bricks all over the table, he groaned as Thunder laughed.

“Muuuuum!”

“Heh heh, sorry dear! But how’d you feel going to the carnival?”

Both colts snapped their heads towards her as if she had just offered them water in the middle of a hot desert.

“There’s a carnival?” Thunder asked.

Raining meanwhile was now growing a grin big enough you could sail a ship in the space that filled his lips. A look that was beginning to creep Thunder out the more he stared at him yet the anticipation and excitement was making the brass colt giddy.

“I take it Raining likes carnivals?”

“Canterlot has at least twice a year. A summer one and a winter one, Raining loves them usually because there’s shooting games.”

“Shooting games?” Thunder shot back to Raining who was threatening to drill a hole in his forehead with how long he’d been staring at him.

“Oh…yeah…right…I take it you're good at those.”

Raining puffed out his chest with pride. “Carnival games are usually rigged, but I win. Every. Single. Time.”

Thunder slowly nodded as he got up from behind the coffee table and went to join Gleaming, a nervous smile across his face. Raining let the grin down and cleaned up before following suit and they went through the motions of their winter clothes with Gleaming, quickly finishing and filling into the busy streets outside.

A few minutes of walking followed and they boarded another taxi carriage where the colts leaned back in their seats with Gleaming in front of them. Raining rested his head on the side of the carriage window watching lamp posts and ponies go by, but Thunder’s focus was drawn more on Gleaming.

Though at a glance she seemed alright. he could still sense some uneasiness buried underneath. He recognised the clear mindedness of post breakdown lethargy and couldn’t help but ask himself if she really was okay.

“What did those ponies tell her that did this?”

He couldn’t ask her here in public, he knew better than to do that. But it did make him think, he hadn't seen Copper Casing for a while and last time he was around he said something about talking to Lance…

Then, like a pair of puzzle pieces, it clicked in his head. His eyes widened and he looked towards both Raining and Gleaming as if expecting them to turn around with the same sudden realisation, but they didn’t.

Moonlit Lance isn’t just some bully or psycho kid…”he’s a monster.”

It took all his effort not to scream those thoughts out loud and instead, take a moment to calm down enough to consider the facts.

Could he really be capable of such a thing? How in the high skies would he even get away with something like that? Granted if he went off anything Sweet Fizz had told him the colt possessed dark luck, but even then that’s too much. There had to be more to it then that! The guards would never be so sluggish as to let it slip, never ever!

Maybe they’d already got him? What if Lance was already behind bars in a dark, cold cell somewhere? Then again, what if he didn’t do anything and something else happened? He could go over the what ifs and the maybes for hours but he knew he’d never get any answers. He sat back and tried to relax, allowing himself to ponder over the information for the rest of the taxi trip with a grimace.

Was it odd that he could even attempt to relax with such a realisation. Yes, he knew that full well. However, he also knew panicking would serve no purpose and simply bringing it up now would only serve to depress the ponies who’d done so much for him. Thus, like swallowing a bitter pill, he’d bury this feeling for the moment.

After disembarking and an exchange of bits they soon found themselves surrounded by a very festive environment. Ponies of all races and ages walked or flew by with many holding balloons, sweet snacks or prize toys. Canterlot’s own town square had been converted into a massive fair ground with a massive multi-story Hearth’s Warming tree at its centre. The damn thing even trumped the tree he’d see at the Piccafilly Toy Shop!

All around there were brightly coloured tents that housed all manner of games, rides and other activities. Miniature roller coasters, teacup rides, drop towers and pendulums, hook-a-ducks and strong-pony tests, and face painting!

Thunder felt his heart skip a beat by the sheer volume of happiness present in the air around him. In stark contrast to the gloomy sadness created by Gleaming’s breakdown, the colours of the carnival were over saturated. The smell of freshly baked goods, cries of distant ponies enjoying the rides and distant laughter all came together in a special way he’d only felt a couple other times before.

The first was having his bath with Gleaming, then it was a few times at Piccafilly Circus, and now here. He realised now what that feeling was, it was wonder. Hypnotic, childlike wonder he’d never got to experience back at the hive. He practically had stars twinkling in his eyes from the sights and sounds all around him and the promise of endless possibilities.

Raining similarly pranced practically in circles around them as they walked through the carnival grounds with Gleaming taking the lead.

“Well kids, welcome to Canterlot Winter Carnival! Try not to ruin your lunch please.” She said, her saddlebags weighing on her back with the trio’s mid-day meals.

“Aww but can’t we have something? Pleeeeeease?” Raining begged, standing before her with puppy-like eyes.

Gleaming giggled and feigned a face of consideration, “Fine, but only one treat.” She said with a smile.

“Yay!”

Gleaming then looked around her and noticed Thunder had lagged behind somewhere. The space was crowded with ponies and she looked back and forth trying to find him, concern was just about to turn to panic when she did manage to pick him out from the herd staring at something.

There was a metal sign hung above one of the tents, depicting the silhouette of an angry changeling with a big red X plastered over it. A PSA printed on read: Suddenly feel tired? Report it to a guard! You may have just been fed on by a changeling!

Thunder looked up at the sign disheartened, his ears dropping to their sides and his head laying low. His sense of wonder shattered by a reminder of what he was, an unwanted outsider in a foreign city that didn’t want him. Horrible memories and jaded emotions threatening to steal away whatever fun he could have his day. And that was on top of the concern already weighing him down.

Seeing trouble, Gleaming soon came over and placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder, leaning in with a kiss on the cheek. Thunder sprang right back up from the sudden injection of affection and smiled. Now shaken from his depressive episode he quickly rejoined Gleaming and Raining. Walking off into the multi-coloured maze of ponies and prize corners.

“So what ride do you want to go on first boys?” Gleaming asked. They looked around and there was certainly no shortage of options. Thunder was having a hard time picking but Raining was already eyeing up the drop tower and poked him. “Hey Thunder, what about that one?”

Thunder looked toward where Raining was pointing. A tall, mechanical tower, with a row of seats which ponies were strapped to, mostly non Pegasi. The platform with those seats then rose before freefalling back down to the ground, the passengers then joyfully (or fearfully) screamed during their descent.

It looked fun but Thunder didn’t know if it could beat the thrill of skydiving as a pegasus, Raining wanted to hop on through so why not?

“Sure! Looks fun.”

“Raining, I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

The platform ascended as Thunder spoke out, tied to a chair with a set of buckles that held his body securely in place besides Raining. He thought he’d be used to this but there was something about not being able to fly that raised alarm bells in his mind and put butterflies in his belly.

“I thought this would be right up your alley! Being a Pegasus and all!”

“You see the thing about that is normally I’m able to control my descent and my wings aren't bound!”

Raining only laughed as they passed the rooftops of Canterlot’s white washed buildings, climbing higher and higher into the sky. Thunder nervously moved in place, or at least as much as he could given the ride’s restraints. The platform then suddenly stopped ascending and the riders hung in the air for only a moment but to Thunder it felt like forever.

“Lead? I don’t thin-”

Anything else Thunder might’ve said died in his throat as the platform dropped.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Thunder struggled to keep the contents of his stomach in check as he stumbled away from the exit line and half leaned on Lead for support. Who of which happily pranced back to Gleaming with a content smile on his face, utterly unbothered by their prior death drop.

“That was fun! What did you think Thunder?” Raining asked.

Thunder’s only response was to mutter a jumbled mess of incoherent speech before setting down on a nearby bench, which just so happened to also have been in use by a giggling Gleaming Gold. Either way he soon rested his head on his barrel hoping the world would stop shaking.

“He probably did deary, but I think poor Thunder needs a little rest.”

“Fair enough!”

Raining then looked around, there were a few nearby stalls he could play on. Hook-a-duck, shooting gallery, a balancing beam- “Wait a second.”

He twisted his head back to a large stall with a plethora of metal targets and a heavy duty repeating crossbow chained to the bar that fired large darts sat there, practically glowing in his eyes. He felt it calling to him, begging him to work his magic. By the time he turned back to Gleaming she’d already pulled out a bit for him to try the game with.

“You get one chance Raining, I want to save these for the rides.”

“Yea, like I need another.” Raining confidently took the bit and pranced towards the shooting gallery. Off to the right was a compartment full of different toys, wooden swords, stuffed animals, toy archery sets, then he saw a kit that had several flying targets up for grabs. With a smug grin he wordlessly placed the coin on the counter which the stall attendant stowed away.

“Okay kid, you get half a minute to knock down as many as possible. Ten shots, no reloads and no fancy magic, keep it fair.”

As opposed to wood, the frame of his crossbow was made of metal making it a deal more unwieldy, but that was fine! He’d got plenty of experience using its smaller brother back at the toy shop.

The gallery itself meanwhile was composed of three rows stacked on top of each other that targets would pop from. Waves, pirate ships, swinging sailors and islands made up the background.

“Ready?”

Raining nodded and levitated the crossbow into a stable shooting position. “No magic? No problem.”

The gallery sprang to life as pirates and buccaneers danced from one end of the stage to the other, music, lights and sound effects blaring all at once. Anyone else might’ve panicked or allowed themselves to be lost in the excitement, but not Raining, he held his breath and picked his shots. Tracking his targets and firing just slightly ahead of them to compensate for travel time. The heavy crossbow darts smashed against each one like an angry arrow and one after another they fell, slamming the back plates of the stage as they did.

He missed a couple shots, but that didn’t matter, he’d been keeping a mental note of how many clangs he’d heard after shooting, which now stood at seven. Once the crossbow clicked empty the game ended and he put the mechanical toy back down. He smiled, confident he’d won.

Not missing a beat, he looked towards the attendant for confirmation and sure enough he was looking over the prize counter. He began trotting in place giddy with excitement, waiting for him to offer up which prizes to nab. Of course there was only one option he was going with, nothing else really appealed to him.

“Nice shooting kid, probably one of the best I’ve seen today.” He said, turning his attention to the brass colt. “What’ll it be?”

Raining pointed towards the magic targets box but the attendant’s expression quickly changed when he did. “Oh sorry kid but that requires eight or more points, you scored seven.”

Raining’s eye twitched as he maintained his bright, cheery smile. Trying to deny the growing frustration whirling around his core as he strained his facial muscles. He turned to Gleaming with the faint glint of hope he’d be offered another chance but she seemed to be busy giving Thunder a bottle of water.

“Hey look, you didn’t lose, you can still pick anything else out.”

Raining glanced back towards the prize corner, looking over everything he again only reaffirmed to himself that nothing was of interest. The house was too small for swords, he already had a bunch of stuffed animals, the archery set was a no since he knew he’d be getting a repeating crossbow for Hearth’s Warming anyway. “Nah, it's fine! It’s okay, I can just…wait…until next year!” His voice cracked. He jerked himself toward Gleaming and began walking away, muttering something under his breath.

The pony behind the counter suddenly frowned and felt for the poor colt. He turned back to the target set and back to Raining who was trotting away, with an aching heart he groaned. “Oh what the heck, he only missed one shot.” He said with an undertone. “Hey kid! You can have it anyway!”

Raining perked up again and spun around in shock, once the words registered in his mind he came galloping back with a sincere smile as the attendant grabbed the set of the racks. He placed it on the counter which Raining picked up with his magic and with reinvigorated delight he looked up at the pony.

“Thank you!”

“Hey no problem, you're here to have fun after all!”

Raining ran back to Gleaming with the target set held to his side and the pony behind the counter now relieved. Thunder had recovered from his nausea and watched in joy at the colt’s little victory and the stallion’s kindness. “Mum! Mum, I won!” He cried.

“That’s great to hear dear, what did you get?”

“A magic flying target set!”

Gleaming laughed, taking the colourful box and depositing it within her saddlebags. She rose up from her seat and helped Thunder do the same before she turned to both of them ready to keep going.

“Shall we continue?”

Thunder Chaser looked toward one of the attractions with a smug grin.

An aerial obstacle course meant exclusively for Pegasi. With metal hoops suspended in the air of various sizes and shapes lining the circumference of around half the carnival with the stall he was looking at being its entrance.

Some kind of magic gem had been placed inside each hoop to detect when somepony brushed against them, hit the hoops three times or failed to meet the finish line in time,you lost. Most junior pegasus were failing left right and centre at it, but the prize promised to make it worth the effort.

A series of miniature silver feather trophies that you could have your name printed onto sat atop the shelves behind the counter. Sure they were probably only silver plated or even painted, and not that impressive by comparison to a real trophy, but Thunder wanted one. For some reason, he held a sudden competitive urge to prove himself against the other colts and fillies that had tried and tried again. Maybe he thought his pre-Canterlot training would give him an edge? Or perhaps he wanted something with his name on it, maybe in some way to cement his new identity as real.

Regardless, there was only one way to find out and he joined the queue, Gleaming had already given him the money he’d need for entry and now he just waited. The line wasn’t long as it was only meant for Pegasi and the course time was fairly short. Plus it was primarily for young pegasi as any experienced flyer would likely find the course too easy.

When it came to Thunder’s turn he was brought to a perch on top of the stall where the first hoop sat and a member of staff held a stopwatch on his hoof before turning to him. The hoop was fairly small for a take off point, an early trap Thunder immediately recognised to catch inexperienced contestants. He could already feel the lessons and exercises from the hive kicking in as he surveyed the tight course and plotted a route.

“Two minutes, if you hit the rings three or more times you're out, ready?”

Thunder performed some pre-flight stretches and crouched back like a cat. “Ready!”

“Three…two…one.”

The stallion rang a bell as he shouted “GO!”

A puff of snow was kicked up as Thunder bolted forward, leaping through the first ring before unfolding his wings. There were fifteen rings total that all circled back to the platform, but many were at sudden inclines or required snap turns, something he remembered Pegasi wings found tricky.

It was at this point he realised the strength of changeling wings against pegasus wings. Pegasi were better gliders and had more speed but changelings had more control. He’d have to save his mental note for later, however as he passed another two rings, they weren’t that bad but the real hard stuff was about to come up.

He had to pass one ring and make a near seventy degree ascent, which might not have been that bad had there been more space between the rings. As he passed through the lower ring, he tried to slow down so he could climb up but failed to do so in time and hit the pole propping the ring up. A loud buzzing sound confirmed his strike, one of three.

Thunder groaned and passed through the upper hoop before making quick work of the next few in front of him. Now he was coming up on a ninety degree sharp turn, but this time he wasn’t going to play dumb and just try making the snap. Instead he passed through the first hoop and kept going, using the space to make a much more controlled turn that allowed him to enter through the other hoop. It was tight but he made it and continued through the course.

Next was a set of staggered rings that required him to shift left to right with little room for error. “Okay, this could be a problem.”

Here he had to time his movements almost perfectly and if he had to guess, it wouldn’t surprise him if this was where most junior flyers failed for hitting too many rings. He didn’t have any fancy tricks he could pull but slowing down would give him more time to weave between the rings.

He adjusted his course and began weaving, “Left right left right lef-”

BEEP!

“Damn it!” Thunder’s wing brushed against the last ring and it sounded off, now on his second strike he was determined more than ever not to screw up.

A few more rings and some creative course corrections later he was closing in on the last real hurdle, a repeat of the same seventy degree ascent trap that had tagged him at the start. This time however he wouldn’t be fooled. They were expecting him to just go up and slam into either the pole propping the ring up or the bottom half of the ring. Instead he learned from his mistake and after passing the first ring he turned and corkscrewed up until he passed the higher one, clearing it with flying colours.

All that was left was the ending hoop which was as small as the starting one that he had to jump through with his wings closed. “Oh you ponies are evil.”

Thunder gained some speed and prepared for a hard landing, at least they had a proper crash mat for this on the platform. Still, the thought of closing his wings too early or too late made him a little nervous about threading the needle. But he didn’t know how long he had left of the clock and so refocused on just getting it done.

He flew until the hoop was a few dozen hooves away, closed his wings and braced himself. His underside hit the mat hard and he bounced once before rolling several hooves across the platform kicking up dust and snow as he did so. There he laid there for a few moments, allowing his head to orientate itself before taking his hooves away from his face.

The staff pony looked down at him with a smug grin, stopwatch held in hoof.

“Did…did I win?”

“Two strikes and twelve point three seconds…” The pony held his breath.

Thunder looked at him with immersive anticipation, the declaration of victory or defeat hanging in the air for far longer than he would ever be comfortable with.

“To spare!”

“Yes!”

Thunder jumped up for joy and let out a victorious cry at his achievement, almost dancing on the spot from the spike of adrenaline coursing through his body. The staff pony laughed and escorted him off the stage where another young pegasus took his place.

Gleaming and Raining looked on with glee as Thunder pranced away from the attraction with his award under his wing. Proudly raising it high for the mother and son to see. “Look I won!”

“I see dear, oh I’m so happy for you!”

“It’s the first time I’ve won something! Like I actually won it!” Thunder looked at his little trophy with pride where his name was printed on the frontal plaque for all to see. He’d only had the item for less then a minute yet still felt as though it were an important treasure. He’d earned this trophy and it was his alone, nopony else could take it away from him and he’d be damned if they did.

So that’s exactly what Gleaming did as she gently took the silver trophy and popped it into her saddlebags, alongside their lunch and Raining’s target set. Thunder brushed up against her with a rosy smile and she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I’m proud of you sweetheart, that didn’t look easy.”

“Oh it was nothing, just a few tricks.” He humbly claimed, while mentally letting his still focused mind slowly return to a normal setting. Seriously, that course was way harder than he thought, made him wonder how many actually won at it.

And as if to prove his point, as they started walking another pegasus scored their third and final strike bouncing between the weaving rings.

“Let’s keep going, I think you’ll enjoy the teacups!”

Somewhere else in the densely packed fair ground a pair of navy blue siblings walked among themselves through the maze. A unicorn mare with a large hat and sunglasses alongside a towering colt with a darkly coloured parka. They stuck close to each other to avoid being separated and scanned the surrounding area for anything of interest. Their school bags laden with lunch boxes and spare space for souvenirs.

“I still can’t believe mum didn’t come with us, she’d love this place.” Said Mirror.

“At least she gave us plenty of bits. I guess that’s the perk of working fourteen hours a day.”

“Still, it would’ve been nice.”

Not wanting to get lost in the tide of bodies trotting back and forth, Mirror kept close to her big brother through the town square. There were so many options available with many she’d seen before but knew she could have fun with. Lance however already had his sights set on one thing in particular, the Strong-Pony Test.

They marched towards it and he tossed a bit over to the staff member where a large metal plate and a pair of horseshoes printed on beckoned his call. Attached to a tower with a metal gong in the middle and a bell at the top. He spun around and gave it a buck, slamming the plate with both hooves and sending the gong skyrocketing towards the bell hard enough he left a slight dent as it dinged.

The staff pony didn’t even have time to get up from his seat by the time the gong struck and he scrambled to grab a coloured pin from a rewards box before passing it to Lance, who then tossed it into his schoolbag. “Another for the collection.”

“You seem to enjoy those…”

“They’re easy.” He replied, though eyed the pin for a moment with pride.

Mirror rolled her eyes and looked around trying for a stall she could enjoy. Her gaze fell upon a tin can alley with prizes hung all over the upper skirt of its gallery. She poked Lance and pointed to make sure they were both looking at the same thing and he wordlessly agreed.

The two made their way to the stall but as they did Lance looked down at his sister, she was wearing a smile sure but the bags under her eyes and sluggish step told of anything but joy. He prepared to say something but held his breath. “Maybe later, but keep an eye on her. Let her atleast have some fun.”

They reached the tin can alley and hooved a bit to the staff pony. She was given three baseballs to lug at a pyramid stack of cans. Knock them all over and she won a prize, simple as that.

Mirror picked one up with her magic and felt its weight within her grip. She was by no means a baseball player, her brother out ranked her in that department. But she wanted to give it a try and raised the ball up, cocked it back and like a magic slingshot hurled it forward like a snowball.

The ball went wide and merely kicked off the top most can which bounced off the podium before crashing to the floor. Mirror sighed and picked up the second, taking deep breaths before repeating her previous actions and throwing it. Instead of smacking the cans however it glided to the side and punched the gallery backwall.

Mirror groaned and hung her head sensing defeat. She’d only knocked off a single can by this point and was down to her last ball, how was she meant to win now? Briefly she turned back to Lance who gave her a supportive smile but the gesture deflected entirely off her depressive demeanour. She took the ball and just looked at it, glancing between it and the cans.

Then the glance turned into a stare…She stood there, looking at it lost in thoughts unknown. Her shoulders slowly sinking towards the ground and the air around her seeming to gloom.

Lance moved beside her and lowered his head. “Hey, do you need me to help?” He asked.

Mirror took a moment to respond before gently cranking her head to face him. She looked back at the ball and quietly nodded before passing it to Lance, who took his cue and grasped the ball from out of the air. The colt took one step back, cocked his arm and with a sudden fire in his eye threw it as hard as he could. The baseball flew through the air with the speed of an arrow and hit the dead centre of the pyramid. Knocking all the cans over, with some being hit so hard they bounced off the back wall.

The staff pony behind the counter stood shocked by the demonstration, having been woken from his weary work day absent mindedness. “Goodness me kid, where’d you learn to do that?”

“When you practise physical education with three Griffon exchange students, you either get tough or treated rough.” He answered without missing a beat.

The staff pony chuckled under his breath from the snappy comeback and went to the prize corner. “Okay, what’ll it be?”

Lance looked to Mirror who pointed at a large stuffed ursa minor toy before it was hastily taken from the rack and passed over to her. As they left the stall with Mirror’s new companion she took a moment to sit down and hug the plushy bear. Her eyes glazing over its soft fur and large, beady eyes.

She wasn’t even wearing her smile anymore as she embraced herself. The bags under her eyes somehow got larger and her very presence seemed to suck out the colour from the air around her.

“Okay Lance, now try.”

“Are you okay sis?”

“I…” She glanced up at him and then jerked her head away, trying to avert his gaze. “Last night was…it was just too much, okay?” She said, as quiet as a whisper. Lance sighed and sat down next to her planting a hoof on her shoulder.

“Look, Mirror? I’m sorry things got out of control like that, and I’m sorry for what happened to Raining’s dad. But what’s done is done and we can’t change the past.”

Mirror said nothing, she had nothing to say and nothing more came to mind. She knew her brother by this point, he’d apologise, make some promise and maybe he’ll keep it? It was a routine she could set her watch to at this point, but she didn’t have the energy to keep playing this song and dance anymore. Still, he might’ve been a meat head but he at least had some kind of heart. “Who else would I turn to?” She thought.

Mirror took a deep breath and got to her hooves before continuing their adventure through the fair ground with Lance not far behind. She stuffed her new friend inside her school bags but didn’t have enough room to close it, so instead the cuddly ursa was left with its head peeking out the top of the bag.

They continued for a bit and briefly stopped at a food stand to pick up a soda and a bucket of salted popcorn. The sugary yet slightly acidic beverage did help wake Mirror up from her depressive episode. But it was when Lance dunked his head into the bucket and popped back out with bits and pieces of corn clinging to his face did she actually smile again.

For all his size and strength she loved it when he acted like a big goof. “And not like a manticore.” She produced a cloth to clean him up and sorted through little knots in his fur from where the corn kernels had embedded themselves. Soon enough they got back on their way and made for the mechanical teacup ride.

But as they weaved through the pony packed maze Lance caught sight of something and grinded to a half. A familiar colour pallet that rang alarm bells in his brain of a brass yellow unicorn colt and royal purple pegasus. His smile immediately dropped and the colour drained from his skin, as if he’d just seen a ghost or had his blood drawn.

“How are they here? How the actual BUCK are they here?!”

“Mirror, get behind something.”

“W-What? Why?” She turned to him in confusion.

“Just do it!” He commanded.

They hid behind a nearby stall wall and watched with Mirror peeking around the corner and her larger brother shadowing her. They had their mother with them so the moment any of them spotted the duo they’d be running for the hills. Something Lance would normally be fine with but this was different.

“Mirror? Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yeah, Raining and his new friend are about to board the teacups ride. So what?”

“Exactly, I beat those two to a pulp. You were there, how could they be here?”

“I-I don’t know, healing magic?”

“Pfft yeah, like Raining would know that. The only unicorn who might’ve was his dad and you saw what happened to him. Ain't no way guard healing magic is that quick. Especially after I broke that pegasus’s wing.”

“Well then what could it be?”

Lance picked through his memories of the prior night, he dealt with Raining easily enough but that purple pegasus was an anomaly. “He doesn’t go to our school so he doesn’t know me, which explains why he had the nerve to defend him. He was way more annoying to deal with then Crossroads though, little pigeon was fast and played keep away.”

The young bully continued to mull over his memories, particularly focusing on how well the pegasus fought.

“But then there was his finishing move. I thought he was trying to summon a tornado right in the middle of Canterlot just to screw with me but he ended up doing something…different. He tried hitting me with a ball of purple-”

Lance’s mind then flashed back to the day of the Canterlot Raid. Swords clashing against chitin, buildings being consumed by green fire and angry flaming balls of death raining from the sky.

A city street like any other, a food stall selling chocolates themed after the wedding and his father with him off duty for the day. Then the sound of glass shattering on mass, more comparable to thunder or lightning. Panic ensured and chaos broke out with tall dark figures surrounding them…

Lance began to stare at the purple pegasus with a rage he’d not felt for a long, long time. A burning hatred only tempered by a thin shroud of reason.

“I have a hunch, but I don’t want to rush to conclusions without evidence.”

“What are you thinking?”

Lance then pointed to a nearby anti-changeling sign which Mirror frowned upon as she realised what Lance was likely about to ask of her.

“Okay Lance but please, please don’t draw attention to yourself. As unlikely as it is, I don't want you getting hurt.”

Lance made a zipping motion across his mouth and the two ducked between a pair of tents where nopony would see them. A flash of magic later and Mirror stepped out alongside a colt barely reaching head height with her and having a coal black coat. “Okay Lance, just remember this-” She poked a hoof against his chest before a sheen of blue magical energy stopping it dead before it looked like it should’ve. “-Is an illusion. Don’t strain it with heavy activity please. And try to avoid getting touched by anypony.”

“Got it sis!” Lance’s voice sounded much higher pitched then it otherwise should’ve, another effect of the discount disguise spell. He wandered off and strode towards the teacup ride with a fake smile on his face, careful to avoid bumping into any of the dozens of ponies around him.

Contrary to what Gleaming promised, Thunder did in fact not enjoy the teacups. Just like the drop tower he found it difficult to stand upright after he got off, only this time it was much worse with the added dizziness thanks to the rapid rotations. The contents of his stomach once more ready to walk out the door had he not shut it in time. Laying down didn’t help since his head refused to stop spinning.

Admittedly He wasn’t the only one, though Raining seemed to recover the quickest followed by Gleaming. But poor Thunder could still see wings flapping around his head even after he’d sat down hoping his brain would slow down.

“Again, for a pegasus I thought this would be your jam.”

“Jam? What kind? I’ll take strawberry.” In his post ride dizziness he almost face planted into Gleaming’s barrel but was able to shift his weight and ended up brushing against her. Gleaming laughed and bought a hoof up to help him sit down. “No more thrill rides please, my tummy hurts.” He added.

Gleaming smiled and held him close. “Okay Thunder, no more thrill rides.”

They sat down for a few minutes to let Thunder reorient himself while Gleaming broke out the water bottle again, just in case he needed another drink.

That was when an incredibly sweet scent graced his and Raining’s nostrils. They both turned and saw two food carts on opposite sides of a street. One selling freshly fried doughnuts and the other offering cones of pink fluffy cotton candy.

Raining looked at the cotton candy cart before glancing at the donut cart with Thunder doing the same but in the other order. So in effect the both of them had criss-crossed lines of sight or were turned away from each other before both coming back to look at each other and grin.

Gleaming already had the answer on the tip of her tongue when they both turned to face her. “Only one boys, and no Raining, you can’t split up and then share.” She squinted an eye. “I know what you're like.”

“Hay bales!” He exclaimed. “Okay mum…you know what? Why don’t you pick Thunder?”

Thunder began glancing between the two. “The doughnuts smell nice, but I wanna try out the fluffy stuff, but then again I wanted those back at Piccafilly Circus, but what if I don’t get the chance for the other one? Damn it Gleaming! Why'd you have to make me do this!?”

“Um…let’s go with…” Thunder held his hoof close to his chest ready to point out at one of the carts. But once again he was paralysed with indecision. So many times before this had happened and now it was getting to him. He frowned and turned to the others where Raining Lead came to the rescue.

“What if you just shut your eyes and point at one?”

Well of course Thunder wouldn’t do that! It was too simple and…”Actually that might work.”

He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders and shut his eyes. He pointed his hoof up and began panning it left and right. “Eeny meeny miny mo, catch a pony and cocoon him so-Why am I defaulting to this?”

Losing track of his little rhyme he paused for a moment and pointed in a random direction.

Thunder opened up his eyes and found he was pointing towards the cotton candy cart and he half smiled, still not entirely sure if he’d made the right call, but it was too late now. Raining helped him up and they trotted over before returning with a pair of wooden sticks that held giant pink puffy balls of threaded sugar.

“So this is cotton candy? It looks like a cloud.”

“It gets better, try some!” Raining insisted, already taking a bite out of his own.

Thunder wasn’t wholly convinced he’d enjoy it, but it did smell sweet enough so he tried, taking a little nibble out of the fluffy cloud. Upon savouring the sweet taste that little nibble turned into a great big chomp and he ripped a chunk off of the pink bush and devoured it as the substance literally melted in his mouth. It was a weird sensation and the first thing that came to mind was like eating tasty strands of hair.

After he’d finished he heard stuffled giggles coming from both Gleaming and Lead.

“What?”

The two of them only fought harder to keep their breaths contained within their lungs.

“What is it?” He repeated, his tongue reflexively swiping some sugar that lingered on his lips.

Raining tried to answer but he only ended up bursting out into a fit of laughter which caused Gold to equally break down.

“No seriously, I don’t get it! What’s so funny?” Thunder pleaded.

Gleaming pulled out a mirror from her bags and with a wing showed Thunder a reflection of himself. A large pink curly moustache had formed across his nose and even he couldn’t help but crack a smile which then became giggling and before he knew it he was laughing with his companions.

“What next? A red mane?!” Raining jested.

They laughed and laughed, enjoying the moment of nonsense brought on by a simple pink confection, unaware that not too far away a coal black colt watched them like a hawk…

A few hours had gone by since the trio had arrived. Thunder and Raining had their packed lunch, which wasn’t bad, but the cold slices of vegetable pie did leave something to be desired. The bread had gone soggy from the gravy and so Gleaming had to help clean Thunder’s mouth afterward.

Obviously the pair pretended to enjoy it so as not to upset Gleaming, while internally crying as they swallowed the food.

Thunder didn’t know why but the thrill rides always messed around with him so he had to sit back whenever Raining wanted to go in one. Gleaming figured it was because her son had gotten used to them by now while Thunder didn’t have much experience being thrown around against his will.

They played on a few more stalls and won a few more prizes, which didn’t amount to anything super exciting. A sticky dragon’s claw from a hook-a-duck, a glow in the dark badge from a hoop throwing game, and Raining’s self esteem from a kiddy fighting game where they had to knock each other off a balance board. Ok they didn’t get a prize from that but it was fun!

But as the mid-afternoon passed their energies began to run dry, especially for Gleaming with all the excitement. Her face ached from how much she’d been smiling and laughing, while Raining and Thunder were also showing visible signs of exhaustion. Both now had a gentle pair of bags under their eyes and occasionally yawned which the other would jab at them for since it made them yawn too.

“Okay boys, one last activity and then we’re heading home.”

They both looked at Gleaming and nodded, falling back on their routine of looking around and hoping to find something interesting. There was a hook-a-duck which they’d already played, a tin can alley which brought back some painful memories, a mirror maze Thunder didn’t fancy for fear of getting lost…

Then their attention was drawn to another shooting gallery but this one wasn’t like the rest. Instead of only one crossbow there were now three and there was a brightly coloured, decade old unicorn colt struggling to aim the heavy metal weapon. What’s more is that the targets, even in their dormant state, seemed to glow slightly. Whether it was because of how brightly coloured they were or some chemical reaction they couldn’t tell, but it looked promising!

“Eh, what do you say?”

“Sure, why not?”

They marched forward towards the gallery and placed their last bits on the counter before taking positions with the crossbows. When Thunder went to grab his he examined it for a trigger but found nothing, instead there was a strap that let him attach it to his side. Confused how he’d meant to use it he turned to Raining.

“Hey Lead? How am I meant to fire this thing?”

“Oh! Normally these come with something called a trigger gem, try looking under.”

He did as instructed and found a small light blue crystal that faintly glowed within the weapon’s shadow. No larger than an eraser, yet he could sense the hums of enchanted, arcane power within.

“Trigger gems read the mind of the user. Will for the weapon to fire, and it’ll fire! No fancy mechanisms required.”

“Huh, well this should be interesting.” Thunder smiled as he positioned the weapon.

The game had the same rules as all the other ones only here it was more team based with everyone scoring points. The unicorn colt meanwhile continued to struggle trying to aim with the unwieldy weapon. Where Raining had an iron grip on his weapon, the unicorn was waving around like it had a few too many drinks.

“Hey, do you need help there?” Lead asked.

“Nah, I got it!...I think.”

The tip of the crossbow then bounced off the face of the counter and the staff pony facehooved with a smile.

“Actually, on second thought. Yes please!”

Raining moved over beside the unicorn whose coat was such a bright shade of teal that it made looking at him just a little painful with just how well the light reflected off his fur. His mane was jet black, but with yellow and green highlights that, again, were just as bright as the splattered neon colours of the gallery.

Made Raining wonder if the pony’s parents wore sunglasses when in the house.

Despite the bright colours Raining moved to help the younger colt out but as he did so Thunder was struck with a sense of Deja Vu. He remembered what Sweet Fizz and Crossroads said about Lance going after anypony who associated themselves with Raining. At that same time he also had the familiar feeling of being watched and so he set the bow down to look around. There were plenty of ponies with Gleaming Gold among them, but he couldn’t so easily shake the feeling.

With his senses on high alert, he scanned the area and could see there were a few ponies of various colours watching them, mostly parents with a child or two, but nopony that stuck out as sinister.

He shrugged and returned to the gallery where he fastened the crossbow back to himself as Raining took to the stage.

“The problem is, you’re focusing too much on trying to get the crossbow to hover where you want to shoot. What you should be doing is thinking of where exactly you want it to be pointing, like a pen laser!”

The colt tried and there was an immediate increase in the wavey weapon’s stability, it was still fairly shaky compared to Raining but at least it was aiming in the desired direction now. Lead smiled and returned to his station with his own crossbow hovering into place.

“Everypony ready?” The staff member asked.

“Ready!” They all cried in unison.

“Three, two, one!”

Click

The gallery lit up with an explosion of neon colours and bright bluish-purple lights making each surface gleam in ways that forced their eyes to open wide. Electronic music blared from nearby speakers only intensifying the action. Firing on a slew of different targets that mostly took the guise of differently-coloured slimes. Raining scored hit after hit, feeling a competitive urge to outperform the other two that stood side by side with him.

Shooting wasn’t quite Thunder’s thing, but he tried anyway, and managed to knock over several targets after taking some cues from Raining. More targets popped up with inverted colours and a bonus score sign over them, which Thunder was able to beat Raining to the punch in hitting. The unicorn colt meanwhile wasn’t landing very many shots, but he quietly celebrated the ones he did connect as he toppled his targets back over the stage.

One after another they fell to the horns of over dramatic sound effects filled the gallery. The points counter at the very top ticked over again and again, endlessly updating the group’s score as the timer beside it counted down the last ten seconds of the game. They scrambled to fire as many darts as possible and get as high as they could with only a few seconds left to spare.

“Three!”

Raining blasted another target clean off its spot on the stage.

“Two!”

Thunder fired and knocked a big bright orange slime over its hinges.

“One!”

The neon coloured colt managed to knock over one final target before a loud buzzer sounded the game’s end and the music shut off, the lights and targets with it. They all laughed to themselves as they put the crossbows back on the counter where the staff pony moved to the prize corner to pick out their winnings.

Raining wasn’t overly interested in the prizes offered but Thunder saw a thin cardboard box with a picture over it, advertising a giant, rubber hammer with splattered neon paint over it’s head. He pointed it out and the pony soon passed it over along with a toy crossbow for the unicorn colt while Raining received a toy wooden sword, with quite a colourful blade. Again it wasn’t his thing but he had to pick something, even if he’d only end up putting it in his toybox and forgetting about it.

“Well that was fun!” Raining said, still bouncing a little from the adrenaline rush.

The unicorn then moved behind them with his new boxed up toy held within his magical grasp, still shaky from the excitement. “Tell me about it, you guys are crackshots!”

They turned to face him, both half a hoof taller and with smiles on their faces. “Thanks, you're not bad yourself!” Raining gestured towards the gallery.

“I don’t know, I wasn’t hitting very many targets.”

“As opposed to none? You were waving that thing all over the place before I got here.”

“Yea…yea…” The colt faltered.

“I don’t think you ever gave us your name. I’m Thunder Chaser, he’s Raining Lead.”

“My name’s Neon Abyss! My birthday’s tomorrow and we’re going for a game of Spell-tag!”

Raining immediately perked up and his eyes widened with excitement. “Oh nice! Happy Birthday Neon!”

“Thanks! I don’t have any more paper invites but I’d be glad if you could join!”

Despite having just taken part in a shooting gallery, Raining was already prancing in place. Almost bursting with glee at the verbal invitation. Thunder though was exposed to yet another pony thing he didn’t get, but judging by Raining’s joy, it was probably something fun.

“What’s Spell-tag?” He asked, not wanting to be out of the loop.

Neon looked at Thunder with a hint of shock while Raining slowly cranked his head with such a delebriate, steady speed one would swear it was like a statue grinding against the ground turning to face them. The creepy, over eager, thousand yard stare making a return threatening to drill a hole in Thunder’s forehead, which probably only meant one thing.

“I take it Spell-tag’s a big thing?”

“Oh, you have NO idea Thunder!” Raining exclaimed. Breaking out into a full, fat rant that ran rows around Thunder’s weary head. “It’s one of the most fun things you can ever do at Neighberton Arcade! Heck all of Canterlot! There’s an arena and you're given these special vests that detect when you’ve been hit by one of the arena’s weapons that fires spells which there’s different kinds of and there’s different areas and-Mmph!”

Thunder jabbed a hoof over his mouth to quiet him, unable to process the office desk stack of information being dumped onto his brain. “Slow down Raining, you can explain everything when we get home.” Thunder then turned to Neon with a tired smile. “We’ll see what we can do, but we have to ask our mom first, okay?”

“That’s fine! I’d be happy if you could make it.”

Thunder nodded and took his hoof off Raining before using a wing to direct him towards Gleaming Gold. The mare gave both a kiss on the cheek as they turned and headed away from the noisy festival. Heavy sets of bags weighing under their eyes from the prolonged entertainment. At least Gold’s bit purse wasn’t nearly as cumbersome anymore, though with her carrying the bulk of the kid’s prizes, that was only a small mercy by comparison.

Not far off however, a disguised Moonlit Lance sat on a bench with a smirk. Her sister likewise waited behind the back of the bench to peek her head out. “Neighberton Arcade huh?” Lance thought.

“Lance, are you done yet? I’m tired, I wanna go home and concentrating this long hurts.”

The colt craned his head over the bench to meet her with his scheming demeanour shifting to one of concern. Mirror had to recast the spell a few times over to ensure her brother’s cover wasn’t blown. While she could manage it, (her cutie mark was of a smokey mirror after all) having to focus on any single spell for this long had slowly hammered a nail into her skull and she looked visibly drained.

“Oh, yeah sis they're gone now, you can switch me back.”

Mirror’s horn glowed and Lance was enveloped in an aura of blue energy as a distorted wavy effect washed over his body. He quickly grew back to its correct proportions, with his original colour palette intact. A few ponies took notice, but quickly realised it was simple illusion magic and not a changeling disguise.

Moonlit Mirror then proceeded to faint from near exhaustion and softly hit the ground with a whicker. Her eyes droopy but still open. “Oh sis, what would I do without you?” Lance solemnly smiled and reached around to pick her up, carrying her over his back and away from the fairground.

Gleaming Gold was relaxing on the living room couch reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of tea. The fire had already been lit courtesy of Raining with Thunder having reverted back to his base changeling form, who’d quickly unpacked his inflatable hammer, the curtains drawn to prevent any accidents with onlookers.

Speaking of which, Shellac’s silver award now sat above the fireplace, a first of a kind for him and one even now he cherished. But alongside the cracks of a freshly filled fireplace were the high pitched squeaky noises of the young changeling’s new toy. Every time its neon splattered head hit something it made a loud, high pitched noise like one heard from a dog toy.

Which he was teasing Raining with.

Squeak!

“Shell, I’m trying to-”

Squeak!

“Shell please-”

Squeak!

“Enough already!”

Squeak!

“Mum make him stop!”

Squeak!

Gleaming couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, it wasn’t everyday she heard her son playfully cry for mercy and was delighted to hear them play together. That being said the squeaking was getting to her a little, so she set her newspaper down for a moment to glance at the two with a grin.

“Okay Shellac, stop hitting Lead with the hammer.”

He stopped mid-swing and faced her, giving a playful grin that showed off his fangs. Instead of hitting Raining though he chose to smack the couch so the squeaking continued. The nymph couldn’t help himself, there was something just so amusing about the sound it made.

Now free of the changeling’s tyranny, Raining unpackaged the magical target set he’d won.

It consisted of around four mechanical balls that vaguely resemble parasprites, with each having a hole in the back meant for a wind-up key that came with the set. Raining immediately took out a single shot toy crossbow that he’d pilfered from upstairs along with some darts and got to work, winding up the first Target Sprite and letting go.

A pair of translucent wings similar to Shellac’s sprouted from its sides and a plate on its face slid away to reveal a couple of blue mechanical eyes protected by a metal mesh. As it flew upwards it produced in illusionary protection of a target cross in front of its face.

“Cooooool!” They both said.

Raining brought up the instruction manual and started reading, the target sprites had several settings. An Easy Mode where they just stood still and didn’t react, a mode where they flew around at a gentle pace in a predictable pattern and a Hard Mode where they buzzed around very sporadically. The best part was that it was all voice activated so Raining didn’t have to mess around much to switch settings.

He loaded the hoof crossbow and fired at the static sprite to see how well it would react and, to his cheer, the sprite made an audible beep to sound off that it had been hit, it even displayed where exactly the dart landed on the target after it bounced off.

“Snazzy little thing huh? Still can’t fly better than me though.”

“Yea well, let’s see just how good it really is.” Raining reloaded and snapped back to the magi-tech construct. “Target Sprite? Hard Mode please.”

Shellac looked at him with some concern. “Wait, don’t you think that’s too much?”

Raining only grinned as he enchanted the dart held inside the crossbow. “Yeah…for you.”

“Rude.”

The brass unicorn took aim at the flying target, snapping in a zig-zag pattern in all different directions. Up down left right, it was hard to track and given the dart’s travel time it would’ve made trying to lead a shot near impossible. But Raining was confident and took his time, controlling his breathing to steady his aim.

He fired and the dart shot forward, even faster than the ones that had chased Shellac during their duel at Piccafilly Circus. Speeding up was the only way for the dart to connect with Raining’s target as per the special enchantment and it gained so much velocity that by the time it struck it may as well have been a cannonball.

However the sprite was still able to move mostly out of the way before the dart struck, instead connecting with one of its delicate wings and sending it tumbling down from the air. Smacking Gleaming’s newspaper and spilling her tea in the process.

“Raining!” She shouted, practically leaping off the couch.

Lead’s eyes shrank to the size of peanuts and his heart sank in horror, quickly scrambling behind the couch to hide from his mother’s wrath. Shellac meanwhile sat on the side with a smug grin that just screamed, “I told you so!”

Gleaming set her papers down and wiped some of the hot tea off her fur, noting more than a few spots of tea had also gotten on the couch. Groaning at the sight she quickly picked up the fallen sprite from her overturned cup. She turned to face Shellac who pointed to where Raining was hiding behind the couch.
“Traitor!”

Shell merely shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

“Raining, you take this and all your other toys and you go to your room this instant! And clean up the mess you made” She commanded.

The colt lept from behind the couch and grabbed the darts, hoof crossbow and the sprites all up with his magic. Using a nearby box of tissues to clean up most of the spillage from Gleaming’s tea while gritting his teeth in discomfort under her glare.

“I’ll bring dinner up when it’s ready, I don’t want to see you downstairs for the rest of the evening, except with a bottle of fabric cleaner to get those stains out of the couch.”

Raining nodded and bolted away from the living room, galloping up the stairs with guilty haste before ending the moment with an audible slam from his door.

Shellac winced from Gleaming’s outburst, until now she’d never raised her voice like that and it sent a chill up his spine. It wasn’t the searing, burning anger of Moonlit Lance, but a brief spike of high frustration that had set her off. Come to think of itl since the taxi ride the changeling had felt an underlying sense of dread from the mare. But he dared not bring it up in case he touched a nerve he’d rather not.

Right now he was just grateful it was Raining who made a mess and not him.

Then like a deflating balloon, Gleaming’s frustration dissolved into quiet depression and she sighed. “I shouldn’t have shouted like that.”

“Hey, I warned him.” Shell said with a hint of hesitation, fearing he might set her off.

“Yes…you did.” Gleaming looked down at her tea drenched newspaper and soaked fur. “Funny, I was reading about the carnival, apparently it almost didn’t happen due to bad weather.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes dear, the Weather Teams were able to slow down the winds and thin out the snow so it went ahead, but the weather’s only getting worse. They said there’s a snow storm scheduled soon.”

Shellac stood still as a statue, he’d never seen a snow storm before, but imagined something akin to howling winds, lots of snow and only being able to see a few hooves past one’s face. So it wasn’t a good picture, he hoped he wouldn’t have to go outside during one, it was much better inside the house.

“You should probably go up and keep him company, there should still be some of that pie left I can heat up.”

Shellac nodded and trotted upstairs, leaving Gleaming to her lonesome as she began cleaning up what was left of Raining’s mess.

The young changeling walked up to Raining’s door and knocked. “Raining? It’s Shellac!”

The door opened enough for Raining’s eyes to peek through by a crack, were it not for Shellac’s sense he wouldn’t have guessed he was feeling guilty through his smile. “Hey Raining, I know now might not be the best time, but would you like to show me your room?” Shellac gave a sympathetic smile to the colt.

“Uh…sure, yeah sure!” He perked up. Raining’s excited demeanour waltzing back into his headspace.

Immediately after, he swung the door wide and allowed him entry and his room was full of stuff.

It had a wardrobe, a desk cabinet, an adult sized bed which itself had an orange sheet with a picture of a trio of enchanted, flaming arrows, a starry blue ursa minor plushy sat tucked under the covers.

There was a pinboard full of different drawings he’d made, a bookshelf lined from end to end with different titles and small items. These included a naval compass, a picture frame of him with the family, small figurines ect. One of which looked like a robot with very thin limbs that ended in cones and had a white mane, with a big yellow X on its face.

His walls also had several comic book and wargaming posters, such as illustrations from Hammer & Anvil! As well as mentioning things like Iron Mare and Power Ponies, it was a lot! But one item that stuck out to him was a poster plastered across his bedroom door. It was placed much lower, at chest height as opposed to eye level as with the other posters. but he couldn’t linger too long on it.

He also had a bright orange toy chest that he’d set the target sprites on, and in the corner of the room was a weird device Shellac had never seen before. It was a bulky metal box with several cables and plugs, a blank glass panel and a cable connected to a tablet with several buttons and a joystick. Several small boxes with different kinds of artwork were littered around it. Shellac didn’t know what to make of it until Raining told him it was his video games console.

“And that’s the tour! So what do you think?” He grinned with glee, excited to hear Shellac’s thoughts.

“It’s massive! And you have so much…stuff!” He waved his hooves around. “It’s way better than anywhere I’ve lived in. The hive had none of this! After the raid I had to sleep in a little ditch I’d dug for myself on a hammock. There was one other place, Cantermore-”

Shell was abruptly cut off by the overeager unicorn as he pranced circles around him.

“Oh It’s fine! And I’m glad you like it! What do you want to do first?!” Raining then bounced around the room like a ping-pong ball gesturing towards all of his room’s activities. “Video games? Drawing? Tabletop? I have Buck Legacy!”

“Uhm, give me a moment okay? I’m not used to this.”

“Fair enough,” Raining shrugged before turning around to his target sprites, specifically the damaged one. “In that case…”

Next Raining walked over to it and enveloped within his magical grip. One of its eyes was flashing, its wing was bent out of shape and it had taken a nasty dent to its side. Shellac watched as he cast a spell of some kind, causing the wing to began pulling itself back into its proper position. In seconds, the little remaining liquid from Gold’s tea dried up, its eye went back to being fully lit as the dent buffed itself out.

“Wha? How? Lead, what spell was that?”

“Mending!” He presented the pristine looking sprite. “Works on any small object, tears, cuts, and bumps. How do you think I keep all my posters looking so nice?”

“Nice Lead! I didn’t know you knew so many spells.”

“Eh, not actually, besides my cutie-mark stuff, Teleportation and Mending. I don’t know any more spells. What about you?”

“Uh…well…uhm…” Shellac rubbed the back of his head with a hoof having been blindsided by the question. “How best do I put this? I know a few changeling specific ones like that healing spell, but I don’t actually know the Equestrian names for them, just the Vespid names.”

“Vespid? Is that like the changeling language?”

“Yeah! Though it requires a pair of wings like mine to make the noises needed for it.”

“Oh that’s cool, can I hear some?”

“Raining, It’ll just sound like bug noises to you. Be like trying to understand what a cricket is saying.”

“Pleeeeese?”

Shellac chuckled, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “ Alright, if you insist, this-” His wings flickered for a split second, making a chirping sound. “-means yes. And this-” he chirped again. “-means no.”

Raining stared at him with a blank smile for far longer than Shellac would’ve considered comfortable. Sure he could tell what emotions the colt was feeling, but it did very little in telling him what was actually going through his head.

“Neat!...I can’t tell either of them apart but neat!”

“Did you really have to wait that long to tell me Raining?” Shellac audibly grumbled in mild frustration.

“What did that mean?” Lead asked, to which Shell’s only reply was to facehoof. “Oh you're upset! Did I do something wrong?”

“No. Raining. You did fine.” He muttered through gritted teeth.

“Could I hear some more?”

“Okay Shellac switch the subject, you can give him Vespid lessons later. What does Raining like?” To change the topic, Shellac then looked over Raining’s shoulder and saw his toy chest.

“Maybe later, why don’t you show me your toy collection?”

“Sure thing!” Immediately forgetting the prior topic, Raining turned around and headed for the chest, closely followed by the purple nymph. It had a bunch of stickers on it depicting cogs, gears and valves with some bumps and scratches, and a very fine shade of orange that didn’t assault the eyes.

“So what’s inside? I bet you have tons of toys.”

“I’m going to admit I’ve forgotten at least half the stuff I put in there. It’s to keep my room clean and make sure things don’t get lost.”

Raining flipped the lid open and Shellac found it was filled to the brim with all kinds of toys. From colourful swords and crossbows to puzzle cubes and action figures, there was even a tub full of crudely painted miniatures. “What are those?” He picked up the tub and pulled it out.

Embarrassment immediately shot through Raining as he took the tub himself and looked inside.

“Oh these? They were my first set of miniatures I tried painting.” Next he pulled one out and Shellac suddenly felt uncomfortable looking at it. It was a mini of a pikepony, but the paint job was horrible, the paint hadn’t been thinned so the pony’s face looked like a disfigured blob of colours that vaguely resembled the real thing.

Lead gave a nervous smile as he put it back with the others. “Emphasis on tried, I was seven and dad wasn’t around to help me.”

“So you keep them around for the memories?”

“Yeah! Shows how far I’ve come painting, speaking of which, where is he? I haven’t seen him all day.”

Shellac’s blood froze at the question and his mind entered panic mode as the events of the morning and taxi ride realisation came flooding in. A tidal wave that threatened to paralyse him and risk Raining probing further if he didn’t act immediately. Thankfully his teaching’s once again whispered words of wisdom from over his shoulder. “The best kind of lies are the ones that merge with the truth.”

“I-I think he’s helping the guard out, you know? Dealing with Lance?”

Raining squinted his eyes, as if trying to gauge his answer. Shell’s nerves lit up and a bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead. But then Raining stood right back up again with a playful grin. “Oh yeah! I guess I forgot about that, think he’ll be back soon?”

“I don’t know, hopefully soon.”

“Great!”

Shellac let out a quiet sigh of relief as Raining closed the toy chest and gestured towards his book shelf, waltzing over none the wiser. “Do you like reading Shell? I like reading!”

In response he brightened himself up and put on a smile, trying not to make his nervousness too visible.

The collection was vast and varied, but mostly had adventure novels, though he did spot a few oddballs in the lineup such as a thriller or fairy tale. Dead Mares Walking, Fury of the Firefangs, The Legend of Coltlantis. There was a lot to pick from. “Sure, I haven't read many books before but I guess I can try. Have any recommendations?”

“Oh! You might like-” Raining began scanning the shelves, searching among them for a special title. “-this one!” He pulled out an action adventure novel titled, What Lies Below, with the cover art depicted a group of adventurers fighting a massive stone golem inside some kind of dungeon. He looked at the book and smiled before taking it.

“Thanks Lead, I’ll try it out.” He said before finding a spot to sit down, Raining picked a book of his own and followed suit beside him.

Several hours had passed by now and besides the occasional toilet break or going downstairs to pick up a drink, the two colts had barely moved, fixated on their respective story books. Shellac hadn’t even realised how much time had passed until Gleaming knocked on the door to deliver them their dinner, which prompted another episode of laughter from the two ponies.

How could he clockwatch when the book weaved together another world from the threads of his imagination? It was another atrophied part of his brain that was slowly waking up again. The dark stone walls and bright blues that ran magical energy derived from some ancient, unknowable source that the heroes in his book had to figure out, lest they be trapped within the dungeon until they starved…or worse.

The images practically leapt off the page into his mind, to the point where he could practically smell, hear and see everything that was going on.

It did at least remind the two about Neon and prompted them to ask Gleaming about going to his birthday party which she was hesitant about. She’d already spent a lot of bits on the carnival so if they did go they wouldn’t be able to play any of the arcade’s video games. Granted, she’d at least be able to pay for their tickets to Spell-tag,which almost sent Raining through the roof he jumped so high.

Now the two were settling down for the evening, Raining was getting ready for bed and brushing his teeth but Shellac had taken a break from the story so he could play with Raining’s games console. The unicorn had picked out an easy game for him to try, it was called Pong and it played like a weird blocky version of tennis. Shellac was still somehow having fun despite not being used to handling a controller so at least it was decently challenging.

That was when Raining walked inside, now with a freshly dried mane and minty clean mouth. Shellac paused his game and turned around, having remembered a question he’d thought of during his playtime.

“Hey Lead? I wanted to ask, do you think Neon will be okay?”

Raining halted. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, I heard from some ponies back at Piccafilly that Lance…doesn’t like it when you make friends.” Shellac gestured toward his wing.

“Hey, if Lance doesn’t know about him then he should be fine, right? We only had a chance encounter with him, he doesn’t know where we’re going.”

“Yeah, yeah you're right.” Shellac moved to turn the device off, but something in his brain was ringing an alarm bell he couldn’t quite find. He’d checked around him, he never saw Lance or his sister once, they should be fine right? So why was he uneasy? Then it came back to him.

“Mirror could disguise herself and her brother, I’m not the only one who can blend in! THAT’s why I felt uneasy at the gallery!”

“No Shellac, you shouldn’t just assume stuff because of a bad feeling. You need some kind of evidence to back it up.”

“Sure enough, still though, is this how ponies felt after the attack? No wonder they got so jumpy.”

As he concluded his thoughts he sighed and climbed to his hooves, discomfort seeping into his psyche while heading for the door as Raining crawled into his covers. He extended his leg to grab the handle but stopped himself short, memories of the nightmare from his first stay at the house made an unwelcome return and with it a wince.

Suddenly the idea of sleeping alone again didn’t agree with him, granted he was thankful for everything this family afforded him, but he felt a longing for Raining’s company once more. Shell turned around as the colt adjusted his pillows and began walking back towards the bed. “Hey Lead?”

“Yeah Shell?”

“Is it alright if I uh…sleep here? With you again?”

Raining slowed down and sheepishly glanced to his sides. “I don’t know Shell, it feels…weird sleeping with another colt.”

“Please? I-I don’t want to be alone again.” He pleaded.

The two locked eyes, Raining’s embarrassment and Shellac’s longing both clashing to see who’d win out. Raining really wasn’t sure if he was okay with this, it didn’t feel normal, then again none of this was and even he had to lament that he enjoyed being by his side the night before. So naturally he relented and sighed, pulling up the covers. “Fine, alright then, but can you do that thing again?”

“Thing?...Oh right! Yeah sure I can.”

Shellac climbed into the bright yellow bed alongside the colt and made himself comfortable within his grasp. Raining wrapped his hooves around the changeling’s barrel and did his best not to breathe into his face.

The cozy soft sheets and puffy bed pillows out did his bedding on the couch tenfold, and he found himself resting in a sanctuary of warm safety. Assured no harm would ever come to him in this state, the worries and woes of the past several months, maybe even his life as a whole, seemed to just float away in Raining’s embrace. “Maybe I should ask mom for a bunk bed.” Raining added.

“Nah, I don’t like bunk beds, this is better.”

Shellac’s body was engulfed in purple flames for a fraction of a second. Causing Raining to briefly jump, wondering if the flames could actually burn him but thankfully he was left unscathed. In the changeling’s place was a big cuddly soft toy that resembled him with big purple eyes and silky smooth fur in place of his hard shell.

Sheepishly smiling, Raining held him tight and that same affectionate desire returned in full swing. With his magic he grabbed a small fabric baseball and lugged it at the light switch.

“Good night Shell.”

Author's Note

This chapter turned out to be much longer than I expected as my proofreader added and fixed some stuff, but I'm still satisfied with the result. The next chapter shouldn't be nearly as long.

Coming from my background as a 5e Dungeon Master, I love being able to blend the fantastical into the mundane. Like with the flying course and the animated ad boards back in chapter 3. I also like to sprinkle in some references and background jokes, see if you can pick them up!

CH 6 - Reflection

Three Months Before The Storm

Shellac awoke with a stir, coughing and hacking from inside his hammock, his throat feeling dry enough to where it could crack

Still hacking, he tossed and turned, trying to reach for a half-empty glass bottle of water only to stumble and fall out, hitting the dirt with a slam. He fumbled around with his hooves and managed to get the bottle inside one of his hoof holes before plunging it into his throat. The changeling’s chest shook as he struggled to suck down what little liquid was left.

With great effort he sucked his breath in and allowed the lukewarm beverage to provide sweet relief, washing away the horrible stickiness in his mouth. Once the lip of the bottle disconnected from his mouth the coughing fit he’d held back bursted out in full force, quickly causing a burning sensation when it eventually passed.

He laid there and heaved with a hoof over his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his lungs. At least he had the dim lights of his room to comfort his rude awakening, mostly purple globs of resin he’d imbued with a tiny amount of magic so he could see properly without affecting his sleep.

A few discarded cans and water bottles littered the floor around him, a result of him learning he could give them to a store clerk for a little money, which in turn would be spent buying more water or the odd can of soup when he didn’t feel like digging into his reserves again.

It was a barely sustainable cycle, but it did keep him alive at least.

Living as an outcast had really taken its toll on the poor nymph and he found himself incredibly thin. Awareness posters and guard patrols had greatly limited his ability to gather energy, even passively absorbing energy wasn’t cutting it anymore as he had to ration his time in disguise with casting actual spells now a near impossibility.

At this point it was only a matter of time before he lacked the energy to use his disguise and he was found out.

But as he lay there quietly recovering, he knew another hard day lay ahead of him. Gone were the times he could play around and explore Canterlot, freely flying without a care in the world. He was a homeless changeling nymph in a city that didn’t want him and now the weather was getting colder. Without clothes, he had to turn to physical activity to keep himself warm within the chilly mines, a necessity that made his food situation even worse.

Struggling a bit, he picked himself up, turning to an old candle he’d found somewhere deep within. The candles the old miner’s used burned for around eight hours which helped him know how long he’d been asleep, by the looks of things he’d overslept as the candle beside him had long burned out.

With a tired sigh he picked up a rucksack and stuffed as many old bottles as he could inside, only to see them slide out a large hole in the bottom. With a frown, he tossed the bag aside, now better for bedding or fire tinder. Groaning, he took what few bottles he could and crawled out of his room into the dry, dark and dingy mines. Replacing his wooden pallet he was using as a cover and following the trail of dim purple lights.

He’d made another tunnel in the intervening time since the attack in case the sewers weren’t an option, either because they were flooded by rainfall or because of the horrible stench.

Shellac followed another side passage he’d dug out, winding up under a public park where a bunch of large bushes and stonework hid his entrance.

Dawning his disguise the pegasus emerged, briefly blinded by the bright, early afternoon sunlight. Thunder walked along crunchy, freshly cut grass where its scent greeted his nostrils and the cool air brushed against his face. It was a bitter reminder that winter was coming soon.

Ponies were already out playing with their families or walking their pets as per usual. But Thunder already had a plan in mind and set out to the sidewalk, not wanting to expend any more energy then he had to by flying. It was painfully slow and his dirty coat drew some eyes but nopony ever moved to confront him.

Yet he could feel their gazes upon him, nervousness set in and he suddenly felt shy about the whole ordeal. How long could he keep up this little routine of dumpster diving and scavenging before somepony called some guards on him? It was a thought he dreaded, knowing the intended act of charity would almost certainly spell his doom. Yet, he buried the thought, least it sink into his actual appearance and draw more suspicion.

He walked into the nearest corner store he could and exchanged the bottles for enough to buy the cheapest fresh water they had. Thirst immediately won out as he chugged it down like sweet refreshing nectar to the poor pegasus, a far cry from the stale, lukewarm water he’d drunk this morning.

But with his thirst now fully quenched he’d have to find more if he wanted to have enough for tomorrow, the store clerk didn’t accept most of the ones he had back in his den, they were either cracked or were missing important labels which endlessly frustrated him.

He took to the alleys and side streets, hoping the dumpsters behind businesses had something to pick through. One would think to look inside a bim from a Starebucks, but they didn’t actually have many bottles, cardboard coffee cups sure, but no glass bottles he could exchange.

It was actually convenience stores like the one he just left that normally had what he was looking for. Then he’d have to go gathering, normally he’d be doing this the other way around to minimize the grime that would accumulate on his coat but, he just didn’t feel like that and there was a dumpster not far off.

He opened up its cover and was blasted by a horrible stench, he immediately shut it and gagged. “Thanks, but I’d rather not catch something, next!”

Sighing in defeat, he moved over to another ally and tried again; this one seemed more promising. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself, he carefully picked through the giant bin’s contents, finding some old electronics, a bunch of cardboard refuse, some broken plates. He was about ready to give up on it when he caught sight of a gleaming piece of glass, he smiled and pulled it out, already about to check it off his mental checklist when he found it half broken near the middle.

“Ah honeycombs! Okay, back to square one.”

As Thunder was about to toss it back in he noticed a tiny insect standing on the top frame of a broken kettle, rubbing one of its antenna. It was a cockroach, no larger than a coin and almost turned in his direction. For a moment, he almost threw the broken glass at it in disgust, but halted mid-way through cocking his hoof. Instead looking at the bottle and back to the little bug, letting out a deep, sympathetic sigh.

“Is this really what I’ve been reduced to? I shared the same room as Queen Chrysalis once! And now I’m here scavenging for scraps, no better than you little guy, It’s not fair…”

“It’s not fair.” He whispered, gently tossing the bottle back into the dumpster before closing it, a general weariness and lethargy took hold as his stomach complained once more. “I used to matter.” He thought, patting his belly with a hoof. “I’m my own changeling and I still am, but…if a rock falls and makes a sound, but there’s nobody to hear it…”

His eyes drifted up to the sky, noticing the increasing number of clouds in the sky. Another omen of winter approaching.

“Did it really fall?”

Depression took hold and he could feel the backspaces behind his eyes begin to burn. Sadness and stress rising up into his chest, but he kept it down, he couldn’t afford it, he’d be wasting so much on so little. Instead, he pulled himself from the alley and onto the street, in an effort to keep moving. Thunder couldn’t keep running from guard patrols and risking trash cans every day of his life, it stank and the guards were big and scary, he hated this! Worse still, pretty soon it’d be winter and he’d have to worry about freezing death. It wasn’t fair! Nothing about his life was! He’d worked so hard to get away from the hive, why couldn’t he be given a break?

He sat down on the sidewalk and leaned back onto the wall of a brick building, fighting to contain his tears. Ponies passed by him going about their daily lives, many would turn out of curiosity but would ultimately keep moving. Why would they care about him? He was a changeling, a nopony, a damn cockroach they wanted gone if they ever found out, why should they care about him?

It was becoming too much for him to bear. His breathing became stuttered, his emotions about to spill over out of his eyes and all over his face. Then from the crowd around him, a single mare came forward.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” She asked.

Thunder was slow to look up, but when he did he was met with the eyes of a concerned citizen. His coat was caked in dirt from his back alley expeditions and rough sleep within the underground. The changeling tried to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to, his vocal cords had been paralysed by the flood of tears that threatened to drown him. Instead he shook his head but in doing so he’d triggered the dam to break and tears began rolling down his cheeks, a river that soon turned into a lake as he quietly sobbed to himself.

“Oh my, where are you parents?” The mare followed, concerned for the young pegasus now growing ever more.

Thunder again shook his head, just about able to squeak out a few words between half-drawn breaths. “None, I have nopony.”

The mare went wide eyed and took a second look at him. Thunder’s thin frame, his dirt caked coat and the desperation in his eye. “Oh you poor thing!” The mare then rifled through her pockets and took out a paper wrapped candy bar for Thunder. He was hesitant at first, Thunder didn’t know what to make of the pony, but even through his waterfall of sadness he could still taste the deep empathy within.

Quietly, he took the candy bar with both hooves and held it tight, his only thread of kindness up until this point. “T-Tha-ank y-you.”

“I know somewhere you’ll be safe, where you’ll be fed and sheltered. I can take you there if you want!” She smiled, trying to reassure him she wasn’t his enemy.

Thunder didn’t really have many options as he knew he couldn’t continue like this. Starvation of both love and life were taking their toll and now, even finding water was becoming a hassle, soon he wouldn’t be able to keep up his disguise and when that happens, he was toast. What else did he have to lose? He rapidly nodded his head and climbed to his hooves, the earth pony mare helping him up and keeping him close.

Thunder couldn’t help but almost cling to her as they walked through Canterlot streets, drawn to her affectionate sympathy, both nutritionally and emotionally. In a way, it was like having two different voices in his head competing for power over his instincts. He wanted to feed, the mare promised so much! He was starving! But not in the open streets, he’d be caught for sure. So he resisted and kept pace with her, not knowing where he was going.

Sure he’d spent months flying over the city and looking over its streets, but had never actually flown to street level and familiarised himself. The city felt so massive from all the way down here, like giant stone and steel monolithes he’d been ignorant of, he was small, tiny, insignificant…like a cockroach.

Thunder lost track of time as they walked, all he did know was that it looked like a very long time, realistically it was probably closer to an hour and a half with them stopping for a few breaks in between. But they had reached their destination, a huge brick building with several sets of windows and slanted rooftops, a large brick wall around its perimeter with sharp looking iron spikes sat on top in rows. Not big enough to impale him if he fell on them but enough to deter any stunts.

He wasn’t filled with the most confidence in the world but at least the front gate was open, he turned to the mare who gave him a reassuring smile as they walked in, a large colourful sign on the front read:

Cantermore Public Orphanage!
Enriching colts and fillies for over three centuries straight!

“Well, here we are, these ponies will feed you and help keep you safe, it’s far better than living on the streets. I’ll walking you inside!” She cheered.

Thunder looked towards the mare and then back at the building, it was rather intimidating but at the same time, he felt something spark inside him, a flicker to re-ignite a long lost flame that he’d not had for weeks.

Hope.

Two Nights Before The Storm

Dreamstalking was a skill Shellac didn’t exercise very often. He rarely, if ever, had the nerve to enter another building uninvited. Maybe he’d spent so much time around the ponies he’d picked up on their social taboos? Then again it was the same at the hive where he was barred from going into certain areas without permission, so perhaps it just carried over?

Either way as Raining drifted to sleep, Shellac had the chance to try out a favoured love gathering method among his kind. Dreams were the manifestation of one’s emotions and to that capacity they made for quite fertile gathering grounds. While he didn’t intend on giving poor Raining nightmares, especially since that could just as easily get Princess Luna’s attention, he was curious what was going on inside his head.

“Love given is much better than love taken after all.”

He found himself standing in a whole other realm. A dream between dreams, where the sky was made of thousands of stars. Each a distant dimension that belonged to its own individual, controlled by their desires.

In the distance a bright blue shooting star dashed through the skies, ping ponging between distant dreamscapes at lightning speed. The Princess of The Night at work.

Much closer to him was a mass of cloud-like nebulas, each with their own bright lights inside, many were too distant for Shellac to reach, but Raining’s was only a few hooves away.

But instead of being bright and colourful like he was expecting, Shellac saw that Lead’s nebula, his dream, was a gloomy grey. It wasn’t storming so he wasn’t having a nightmare which was good, otherwise that would’ve provoked one of the Princesses to investigate.

Curious as a cat, he pushed himself through the little nebula towards the light, basically wading through mud or being lost inside a stuffed pillow. But he made it through and was presented with the house’s living room, except the coffee table and couches had been replaced with a large, long dining table, with a colourful party cloth extended up its length.

The entire room had been decorated for what looked like Raining Lead’s twelfth birthday. Party streamers, confetti and paper tapestries, all celebrating the occasion were everywhere. Presents of all shapes and sizes were littered across the floor and stacked high enough to obscure the front window. It was faster to list off what directions he could walk through then the directions he couldn’t.

But the room’s colours were muted, dimed, gloomy, like the life and happiness had been sucked from the air around him and he could sense as much too.

The only noise he heard was the gentle tick of the grandfather clock from near the hallway door frame and the only pony present was Raining himself, who sat at the very end of the table filled with empty chairs, staring at a cupcake with a single lit candle. A paper crown sat atop his head, but he didn’t look happy, far from it. Instead he just stared at the lone flame, gently flickering under his breath. Melancholic depression filled the air around him, bordering on nihilism with just how potent it was.

While some details were missing, it wasn’t hard for Shell to understand the context.

Shellac approached him, wondering if maybe he could help Raining in some way, he might not have been a princess, but he figured he was the next best thing for Raining. The colt didn’t even look up to acknowledge his presence until he’d sat down on a chair next to him, slowly turning his head to face the changeling nymph.

“Oh, hi Shell, fancy seeing you here.” Lead’s voice was as low as a whisper and lacking any of the energy Shell had come to expect from the brass colt.

Shellac was uneasy from the atmosphere that permitted the room, it was unlike anything he’d see from Raining, heck from anything he’d seen until this point period. Is this what happens to captured ponies when they have the emotions fed on during their sleep?

“Hi Lead…” Shell considered his next choice of words carefully, he saw the empty chair opposite his and decided to go from there. “I take it you were expecting others?”

“Yeah…but nopony else came, I don’t know why they just…didn’t.” He swerved his head and panned across the empty table. “I mean, sure I didn’t know them particularly well, I just gave out invitations and hoped for the best. I didn’t know what else to do. I figured at least a few would come.”

Raining’s mouth then twitched as a thin smile spread and retracted as he looked back at Shellac. “But it’s okay though, right?” The smile was clearly forced and more so at a dagger’s point then for social appearances. A potent cocktail of anger, fear and sadness began rising from the colt’s core. But was met with forced emotional neutrality through happiness, the same kind Shellac felt during their card game.

Ghostly translucent versions of Lead’s parents appeared standing by his sides, both with joy and delight worn prominently on their faces trying to help him celebrate his birthday best they could. But they weren’t real, not by a long shot.

“I still have mum and dad, they love me right?” Lead was stuttering on his breaths, barely audible forced laughter escaping his speech.

This was beginning to freak Shellac out, he’d been warned about the dangers of Dreamstalking, but he wasn’t prepared for seeing the real thing. He forced a smile and prepared to reply, but before he could utter a word he was cut off by the roaring shout of a colt’s voice. It was more comparable to a dragon’s rage in its intensity than a mere pony.

“I WILL make sure you die alone you BUCK!”

A lightning strike from outside flashed the room white and Copper Casing disappeared in an instant, vanishing into thin air as Shellac jumped in shock.

Raining was left shaking in place as his expression fractured more and more, his madmare like chuckles increasing likewise. Fighting hard to hold back the tears behind his eyes as a ghostly Gleaming deposited another present on the table Raining whole heartedly ignored. There were so many that the very act had lost its meaning, even as Gleaming silently cheered him on, like she was speaking through several layers of dense fabric, or as if she was trying to do so while they were underwater, it was just noise.

Empty, meaningless noise.

Shell could still sense that horrible cocktail barely contained by Raining’s defences, he tried to find a word to describe the emotion but his mind drew up blanks. There was a ponish word for it; he just had to remember it.

“Even if I don’t make any friends and you have to l-leave, my parents l-love me and that’s what matters, r-right?”

Shellac gazed as Gleaming danced around just behind his back with some party ribbons tied to her hooves. The young changeling was scared, he didn’t know if he was walking into a nightmare but it sure did feel like one.

No, even a nightmare was being too kind. This, this was worse.

He tried to recall what he was about to say but it slipped off the tip of his tongue so instead he simply smiled and extended a hoof to hold one of Raining’s. “Right, and that’s more than I’ve ever had.”

He looked towards the cupcake and gestured with his other hoof. “Why don’t you make a wish?”

Raining’s voice again dropped to that of a near whisper, barely having the energy for anything more than that while holding back a tide of tears. “Because that candle’s not a wish,“ He solemnly said. “I’m scared of blowing it out.”

Shellac stared at the cupcake candle, trying to interpret what exactly he meant by that. If it wasn’t a wish then it must’ve represented something important to him, but what?

“Please don’t go Shell.” Raining pleaded. Shellac’s attention was drawn back to the brass colt as tears now rolled down his cheeks and his happy, hopeful voice began to crack. “Please don’t go.”

Shellac’s own smile waned, the cocktail now bursting streams from the cracks in Raining’s armor. His mind lingered some more before he finally realised the word he was looking for. “Trauma”

“Raining was experiencing trauma, just what had Lance put him through? And how long’s he been doing it to affect him like this?”

With newfound understanding Shellac rested his other hoof on Raining’s, both now overlapped on the same one as he expressed his sincere sympathy for him. “Don’t worry Raining, I’m not going anywhere. No matter what.”

Raining then moved forward and pulled him into a hug. It wasn’t as sensational as it would’ve been in the waking world but he could still feel Raining’s vice like grip on his body back home in bed, which again might’ve hurt had he chosen a different form from how much pressure he was applying.

Raining’s dam broke down entirely and he flooded Shellac’s shoulder, crying mixed tears of sadness. “T-Tha-ank y-you.”

Nothing more was said as he rubbed his back and neck, his eyes shut tight as he allowed Raining to unload his emotions. “Is this how Gleaming felt? How many times has she had to do this? Probably more than she’d care to answer.”

Shellac could feel the air of the room slowly changing as they embraced each other, turning from its gloomy, melancholic greys, to something brighter, more sincere and hopeful. It wasn’t a nightmare he’d walked into, just a bad dream that needed fixing. And it filled him with vindication that he was able to do this, for once giving a pony happiness instead of draining it away. This feeling of satisfaction he had earned, it was like how he’d earned that silver trophy but ten times better.

Normally this would be the part where he’d disconnect and allow Raining’s dream to continue, but he’d made a promise and was determined to stick with Raining until dawn if he could. Share in the colt’s dreams and help him through his woes.

But as he opened his eyes he saw another ghostly form standing behind Raining, one he didn’t immediately recognise until a split second later.

When he did they grew wider and wider, his pupils shrunk to the size of marbles on a road. The dark navy blue form of Moonlit Lance looking down at the two with a smug grin.

“Comin’ for ya.” Lance bent down towards the cupcake, Shellac lept to protect its flame but the colt was quicker and with a puff of breath he blew it out.

Then everything went dark.

Shellac slowly creaked open his eyes, or rather he would’ve if he had any. Instead when he awoke, he found he was blind and for a moment wondered why, then the fact he was still disguised as a great, big, soft toy version of himself came to mind. With a flash of magic he opened his eyes and looked around, he was still in Raining’s bed, still being held tight by the brass colt and still aware enough to remember Raining’s dream.

Suddenly he had the urge to yawn but without a mouth to open he quickly found the sensation driving him mad. So he reverted back to his base form and allowed himself to carry out the tired act, the fog of rest still clearing from his mind. Shell laid back and shut his eyes again hoping he might be able to just wander off back to sleep in Raining’s embrace.

Yet he remained restless and the mist in his mind cleared up as conscious feeling returned to the rest of his body. “What time was it?” While he was thankful he didn’t have to do everything in four hour cycles like back at the hive, his old routine would still come back to bite him from time to time, if he had to make a guess it was probably close to midnight. Maybe Gleaming was asleep already? He wouldn’t be gone long, he could take a little walk around and come back. He wasn’t really leaving Raining by just getting out of bed. “Yeah, no harm done.”

Managing to free himself from Raining’s grip, he slid out of the bed, though offered his friend another quick glance.

“I’ll be back Raining.”

Shellac took a moment to stuff Raining’s Ursa minor into his empty arms, he fastened his grip and wore an infectious smile that spread to Shellac.

The changeling turned his attention to his darkened surroundings, the fairly lights bleeding from under the bedroom door, providing more than light enough for him to see within his natural night vision.

The posters around the colt’s bedroom had impressive detail, but he was drawn to the one on Raining’s door, held in place by a set of pins. It was a nice Iron Mare poster, but it was so much closer to chest level then eye level that Shell couldn’t help but ask why it was hung up like that.

He brushed his hoof over it and felt its silky smooth surface, but there was a noticeable dip near its center point where his hoof should’ve stopped fast. Shell squinted and removed a couple pins to peel away the poster, revealing a large hole in the door where he could see a damaged middle panel. By now his thoughts were clear, this was much too interesting to just pass over and ignore.

He examined the marks around the edges, they looked as though bits of wood had shattered and splintered off inside the door but had been removed since, given how the hole was at chest height it had to have been punched or kicked in.

“Raining bucked his door? Was there an accident or was he angry at something?”

Shellac looked back at the sleeping colt who was quietly drifting among the dreamscapes by himself. “I guess I’d be angry to if someone drove away all my friends, then again I wouldn’t know.” He turned back and reached for the doorknob, opening it up by a thin crack and slipping through, silent as a mouse.

The upstairs hallway was awash with a rainbow of tiny overhead lights, illuminating pieces of framed artwork, no doubt made by Raining in his much younger years, to some more conventional stuff like a painting of a coffee shop on the seaside. A whole collection of postcards from the likes of Manehatten, Horseshoe Bay, Las Pegasus, even Somnambula, were all strung together in a vertical column, each with Copper Casing’s name attached.

“He wasn’t kidding.” Shell thought. “He is well travelled.”

Briefly, his mind then wandered back to the events of the past couple days. To Shellac’s interactions with him, the board game they played, the oppressive tone he sometimes used on him. Sure the stallion was scary but he had every right to act the way he did around Shellac. He just wanted to protect his son, he already had to worry about Lance and didn’t need the threat of his son being replaced on his mind…

Shell proceeded to flap his wings and fly down the staircase. It was much quieter than loudly clopping down them and he didn’t want to run the risk of waking anyone up, not at this hour.

Slowly, he entered the living room and saw a magical sight. That of the Hearth’s Warming Tree, with all of its lights bathing the room in festive spirit, it didn’t have any presents tucked away under its green canopy, but after his dream with Raining, that was hardly a con. Instead he focused on the lights, the way they shone and gleamed across the room sent a flutter through his chest. Countless blues, reds and greens, almost as hypnotic as watching a fire dance around the air. Colours both named and unknown bounced off the walls and ceiling, many being byproducts of colour mixing between them.

“Reminds me of the festival of lights, it’s such a shame ponies can’t see all the colours we can.”

Shellac sat on one of the couches and let his gaze pan across the room, examining all the different trinkets, paintings and decorations under the new ambience. It was like rediscovering the house in a way unique to him and him alone. All the different board game boxes, model ships and castles, paintings and pictures. It was a magical feeling of wonder, a childish joy he’d be able to look back on and cherish for years to come.

Yet his mind wondered, now that he didn’t have to worry about basic survival or the threat of running out of magic, he was allowed to think to himself, gather his thoughts and reflect. So much had happened in such a short span of time. The attack on Canterlot, his subsequent separation from the hive and the freedom that followed, his month-long struggle to prevent starvation thereafter and the time in between.

Things were happening so…quickly, he let out a chuckle at just how fast things suddenly felt. His chance encounter with Gleaming has likely changed his life forever. “Not that I had much of one left otherwise.”

Gleaming was the first pony he’d met who wasn’t scared of seeing him as a changeling, it felt weird yet freeing to be able to walk around the house like this without fear of being chased or screamed at, not having to worry about being judged for who he actually was. It was like Nightmare Night but this time, there really weren't any masks or disguises or anything in the way.

Gleaming was a great mom, way better than Chrysalis could ever hope to be. Yes she was a queen first and a mother second, but she could’ve at least tried making the hive look pretty! It had none of the fancy architecture of the old city Shell kept hearing about, or even a place to wash up and clean out the holes in his hooves.

“I guess the plus side is we never complained about it being dirty. But that damn sewer stank!”

He half giggled at the memory, now seeming so far away it was none of his concern. “I guess it would’ve been nice to go back, maybe take something to remember. Then again the place was a dump, I wonder if my lights are still on?”

He wondered for a moment how some guards would react if they found his den, would they be confused that it was so small? Would they have bought in a Diamidian to try sniffing him out? Or would they set up some kind of elaborate trap and wait for him? He pictured a group of guards bored out of their minds waiting for a changeling nymph that would never come and it brought a smile to his face.

“Well…time to get up, Raining said a lot of things about Spell-Tag and if he had that much energy to talk about it even after everything from the carnival. Which that probably means I’ll need some decent sleep.”

Shellac jumped off the couch and rolled his shoulders, already feeling weary at the thought. He walked over to the grandfather clock and saw it was about two AM in the morning. “More than I was expecting but I guess time flies when you're dreaming.”

He took one last look around him and savoured the beauty of the winter lights just a little more before he had to depart. Then he walked through the door, careful not to slam or make it creak. But as he entered the downstairs hallway he caught sight of the kitchen and his mind once more imposed another question.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen the backroom before. Wasn’t that where Copper had all of his model stuff?”

Passing by the door into the kitchen he looked at the sink and he suddenly realised how dry his mouth was. He thought he’d had plenty to drink during the day, but apparently his water tank wasn’t full. Opening up a few cupboards he carefully took out a large glass.

“I’m sure they won’t mind if I have a drink.” He filled the glass before taking a swig and felt instant relief. It was weird to think there was a time where he had to scrounge through dumpsters and trash cans if he wanted this stuff and here it was in abundance. Another luxury the Hive could’ve used.

Smiling, he took the glass with him and slipped through the backroom door, illuminated by more twinkling fairy lights, but instead of the rainbow colours he was expecting they all shared a common golden glow that bathed the room in enriching light.

A large desk occupied the wall directly in front of him with racks full of rows and rows of tiny lidded paint pots. Draw sets with all kinds of small parts labels were stacked against the wall with whole bookshelves being used to display the various models the unicorn stallion had put together. Airships, boats, castles with miniatures, some had even been arranged to look like snapshots of tiny battles like a pair of thestrals guarding Luna from a miniature swarm of changelings.

Sitting at his workspace was a large ship, a mare-o-war that he was likely working on before he disappeared. Even in its unfinished state it still looked great with all the tiny naval guards that were skirmishing with avian pirates that swung from the sails. Little pieces of their models remained unpainted and scattered about the workplace alongside dried up paint brushes and unused hobby tools. Shellac may have been young but he could still appreciate the time and effort being put into such a build, he’d even used cotton buds to simulate the cannon smoke!

“Was this his special talent?” He wondered. “I never did get a good look at his cutie mark.”

He pulled the seat back and sat down, letting his eyes pan across the gold showered room. Even if it wasn’t his talent Copper still seemed to have a passion for this kind of stuff. Putting the glass aside he briefly took his Thunder Chaser form and looked down at his flank to see the tornado cutie mark he’d made for himself. “It’s not actually a special talent, I’m not actually good at flying through a tornado, it’s just something I made up for a disguise.”

Then he turned to all the models Copper had made and the sheer amount of effort that had to have led into creating a collection like this, it must’ve taken months! However the results spoke for themselves.

“But that doesn’t stop me from being good at flying does it?” Thunder’s mind wandered back to the flight course at the carnival, despite some hiccups and the course designed to catch him out he still beat it. “You don’t need a cutie mark to be good at something right? It helps but even Gleaming admitted it took time to get good at what she does.”

Taking another swig from his glass of water, he ditched his disguise and his wings buzzed from weariness. “But then what about Raining? Where did he get his special enchantments from if he wasn’t gifted them? Did his dad teach him? I guess I’d make sense if you were an archer or used a crossbow.”

A tinge of regret ran up his spine for not trying harder to be friends with Copper, could he blame him? The stallion was intimidating when he raised his voice and he was a guard! If anything, the fact he didn’t try to kill him on sight was nothing short of a miracle.

Then again, he was willing to give him a chance and take the time to sit down, show him how to play a board game and let him be around Raining. Copper didn’t try restricting him from being around his son at any point and happily let them play at Piccafilly Circus.

“Given time, he might’ve even shown me his models, maybe even let me try painting. What would he have done had he been at the carnival with us? Would he try any of the rides? Any of the game stalls? Raining did say he went apple bobbing once.” The mental image of the stallion getting an apple stuck on his horn returned to mind and he let on a soft smile.

But it faded as quickly as it came. “He’s gone now, isn’t he? Lance did something and got rid of him.”

Images from Raining’s dream came back, he remembered the moment he heard Lance’s voice. It was one of the many profanities he shouted as he let loose on the injured colt.

“Raining’s naive sure, but he’s aware to some extent what had happened to Copper. Gleaming had us go to the carnival so she wouldn’t have to tell Raining, didn’t she? Or was it just one more day of happiness before breaking the bad news?”

Raining Lead was the friend or perhaps even brother Shellac had been waiting his whole life to finally meet. Endlessly enthusiastic and could care less if Shellac was a changeling, to him he was the friend Lead desperately needed, that they both needed. During their fight with Lance he’d tried defending him even if it did result in Lance beating Lead black and blue. Then there was the dream they shared, the birthday of one that revealed his inner trauma before Lance blew out his candle.

“What was that candle meant to be? Was it his hope? Was it Gleaming? Was it me? Whatever it was he thinks Lance is going to snuff it out given the chance. It couldn’t have actually been him; it was a construct of his dream, a manifestation of his emotions. Tibia said all dreams were like that during class and that a sad pony with happy dreams doesn’t hide their emotions, but a happy pony with bad dreams does.”

“The fact he’s been able to force himself to be happy so much either means he actively suppresses his desire to be with others so bad memories can’t come back to bother him, or Lance has been abusing him so much it’s become his only reliable defence mechanism.”

The more he thought about it, the more the pieces started to come together.

“Does Raining lie to himself? Does he wear a mask so finely made it’s become his new face? Or had Lance broken him so much that’s what he’s had to resort to to prevent dark thoughts from taking over?”

Shellac grabbed the glass cup and took another mouthful of water, his teachings from the Hunter Caste working overtime to deconstruct the situation. Grimacing at the thoughts going through his head but knowing he had push through to understand what was going on before things took a turn for the worst.

“Even if Raining goes to a new school, that doesn’t stop Lance from trying. If I didn’t come along Raining might’ve been able to grow up normally albeit with a few issues. But what he’s done to Lead’s dad is going to leave a deep scar he’ll never heal from. That’s why Gleaming kept me around, she and Copper have been trying to help Lead create a friend circle, but every time they try Lance tears it back down again so they’ve been getting desperate.”

His mind went back to his talk with the two ponies from Piccafilly Circus and how they warned him about Raining and the wrath he’d incur from Lance. The cut on Fizz’s chest and Crossroad’s hesitance to even suggest fighting him was an option.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? I’ve dealt with Pegasi before you moron!”

“I hope you're able to help him better than we could.”

Everything seemed to click, except for a single question that he still couldn’t answer.

“Why is Lance doing all this? Why is he abusing Raining so much? Did Raining do something so horribly bad it left a chip on his shoulder? Or is it because he wants to feel powerful about something? The nymphs at the hive made fun of me for the sake of it but that was purely for fun, even if it was messed up it was something they could drop if it wasn’t worth the effort anymore.”

Despite the sound logic, he quickly tossed those thoughts in the proverbial garbage.

“No, Lance isn’t doing this for fun, he’s too dedicated, too obsessed with Raining for it to just be a power trip. Raining had to have done something that ticked him off and now he’s out for blood. Was it something bad enough to warrant all of this? Absolutely not, the anger I felt from him was from that of a hothead, not conviction or vengeful fury.”

Part of him was still puzzled as to what was driving the mad stallion, but at this point, it didn’t matter.

“Lance is a monster, and if I don’t stop him he’s going to tear this family apart, me along with it.”

“I have to be ready in case he turns up tomorrow, I can’t brush off the possibility he knows about Neon. If that’s the case we’ll have to look after him just as much as each other. Nothing sends a worse message than ruining a colt’s birthday party on behalf of another. I have to keep that door open for Raining.”

With a firm stance he started to head towards the door back to the kitchen.

“If all else fails, he’ll at least have somepony.”

Shellac finished off the glass of water and got up with his head held high and his resolve steeled. He walked back through the kitchen placing the glass cup beside some dirty dishes before flying back up to Raining’s room.

Carefully, he crept back in, careful not to disturb the colt’s slumber by messing around with the door. Raining was still cuddling his ursa minor toy just as Shellac had left him. Now ready to crawl back inside he used his magic to pry the ursa from his grip, but Raining held fast and didn’t let go of his soft toy.

Shellac chuckled and playfully grinned. “Oh Raining, nice to know even in your sleep you wouldn’t want to let go of me.”

Deciding on a new strategy he slowly peeled away the covers with his magic, exposing Raining’s barrel and crossed over arms. He enveloped one of them and slowly moved it away, doing the same to the other until he could finally remove his ursa toy before propping it up against the pillow behind him. With both of Raining’s limbs now open and the space between cleared he climbed on inside and fastened his arms around him, like buckling the drop tower’s seat belt.

“Actually that’s a horrible comparison, I can still feel the vertigo from that damn thing!”

He drew the covers over once more and switched to his plush form, allowing Raining to embrace him to his heart’s content. Shell shut his eyes and allowed the pearly gates of the dreaming world to welcome him once more.

“Good night Raining.”

Author's Note

Fair warning, I was listening to Payday music as I was writing the next two chapters.

CH 7 - The Maze Pt1

Two Months Before The Storm

The high pitched banging of a bell snapped Thunder from his sleep, he shot forward and-

Bang!

“Ow!” Thunder rubbed his forehead, having just smacked into the wooden frame of the bunk above him. Colts and fillies of all other ages stirred and climbed from their beds with ladders, many of which rose until they reached the ceiling.

With a wakeful shake of his head he pulled off the thin, scratchy bed sheet and flew down onto the hardwood flooring. The bed may have been an upgrade from sleeping on the ground, but even his hoof-made hammock didn’t make his limbs protest like that bed did, it wasn’t even really a bed. A thin restrictive frame with a stiff mattress and sheets that were rarely washed, brimming with knots and irritating loose threads.

Honestly, it felt more like an instrument of torture than anything else.

The orphanage was pretty dull considering the colourful, inoffensive artwork on the walls and a playground within the faded, brick wall borders. He'd heard the bedrooms used to have carpets, but they had long grown stale and were never replaced.

Sometimes he’d hear shouting or crying from another room in the building, somewhere close by but never within reach. It always smelled dank and some rooms didn't even have light bulbs.

At first he’d tried being proactive about it, but quickly learned the consequences of making himself a target to the staff. The red raw spank marks from some of the kids were a grim reminder of that. At least the adults at the hive tried to make things right when he got bullied but here he was alone.

Thunder couldn’t ever let his disguise down for a second or use telekinesis, but he was surrounded by so many other kids all he had to do was be nice to a few of them and he was fed for the afternoon. The atmosphere was so dense with collective emotion you could cut it with a knife, but the ponies who lived around him were rarely, if ever, happy.

Dreamstalking was Thunder’s last resort as every time he fed on the emotions of another’s dream the resulting nightmare ran the risk of attracting the princess, and that was something he really didn’t need right now.

He’d managed to settle into a routine where he’d wake up, go into this massive dining hall and get served a single bowl of tasteless oatmeal. Then he’d attend another boring class that was trying to teach him stuff he already knew like basic maths and Ponish.

Then he’d enter a workshop and tie strands of thread together to make rope or mould masses of clay into bricks. Usually with a bunch of other kids, the older ones made shoes, cheap clothing or helped with the cooking and cleaning. After a couple hours they’d stop, go for lunch and use the playground for a while then attend another class and go right back to work until dinner before bed.

It was gruelling trying to make rope without magic, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction from the act when he did it. It was far better than spending the day dumpster diving and hiding from guards that was for sure, and as long as he returned to the orphanage in time he could fly around as much as he wanted during afternoon break.

And all that’s exactly what happened, Thunder toiled away the day and was rewarded with oatmeal in the morning, soup for lunch and a cooked salad for dinner. The portions were small and the other kids were left hungry afterwards, some had even resorted to theft which naturally had them punished by the staff. Their overdramatic screams leaving Thunder more than a little nervous from time to time.

Sadly, as days turned to weeks he couldn’t help but draw more and more comparisons with the hive. They were all kept within a tight, confined space with the bare essentials. Then again, even the mushrooms at the hive were at least sweet. Unlike the bland rations being served here, and nopony really wanted to talk to him as they were all so tired or lethargic.

That also affected how their emotions tasted, which was almost as bland and dry as the actual food.

Day in and day out, it never ended and there was never a break. He lost track of time and often forgot what day of the week it was. There were no toys or play areas inside so if it started raining during breaktime his two options were to either get soaked or watch the rain fall. Between being cold to the bone or having his wings ache in protest it was disheartening either way.

But it was that one day that things changed.

It was a mind numbing day like any other. He did his usual work, sat down in a quiet corner in the playground during break and had his dinner. It was during the rest period between that and bedtime he heard a commotion from a room only a few doors down.

The noise was coming from one of the work rooms and he heard soft crying. By now it had become such a normal occurrence Thunder had grown numb to it, but this one time in particular, he could make out the cries of someone particularly young, probably only seven or eight.

It was shrill and ugly, scratching at the back of his mind.

“You know what? I’ve had enough of this.” He peeked through the door and saw two colts, both earth ponies with the much older of the two harassing the younger one. “Glass Cannon’s having at it again, poor Teardrop. I’d better tell somepony.”

Thunder turned and explored the nearby rooms for a staff member, passing by several colts and fillies all yawning from another day’s work. Through hallways and classrooms, doors and staircases, until eventually coming across one of the teachers. An aging mare with a light red coat and silver stung brown mane, currently sifting through stacks of paperwork in a dimly lit classroom.

Thunder approached and drew both her eye and her ire. ”Miss Red Mark?” He asked. “Glass Cannon’s bullying Teardrop again.”

The mare didn’t even make eye contact as she marked more schoolwork. “I’m a little busy Thunder, go ask somepony else or sort it out yourself.”

Thunder scowled and turned around, a spark of rage igniting a flame within him. “You know what? That suits me just fine.”

He strode back to the workroom with a mission and this time he entered fully. It was one of the cobblers workshops and there were tables everywhere with various machines lining the back walls with no windows to speak of whatsoever. What little light did creep into the room came from the doorway Thunder entered from.

“Give me the damn candy bucket!” Glass pulled on a wooden bucket carved into the likeness of a pumpkin, but with dark blue colours and bright white eyes with a toothy smile.

“No! It’s mine!” Teardrop yanked on it best he could, but it was in vain as the older and larger colt pried it from his grip. Teardrop fell to the floor and rivers streamed down his cheeks as the colt laughed.

“Hey Cannon, how about you do us a favour and give that back?”

The quartz coated earth pony turned to stare as Thunder walked behind a table, laden with chunks of recycled leather and small tools. Glass offered a smug grin and laughed at the purple pegasus, holding the bucket high above the smaller colt. “Pfft as if, I’m going out tonight and I need it for candy.”

“But I made that! Give it back!” Teardrop begged, trying in vain to reach for the bucket.

Glass promptly snapped back at him. “Hey shut it pipsqueak!”

Thunder felt his temper flare as he snorted in vengeful anger. Glass turned back to him with that same confident, smug grin. “So what ya gonna do? Fly rings around me? Hey, maybe you’ll make a tornado in the building, then the guards can drag you off to a nice jail cell.”

Thunder looked down at the table, the same one Glass had now positioned himself at the other end of. It may have had all sorts of stuff on it but if he remembered correctly the table only had a single pillar supporting its weight. He looked back at the older colt and returned a smirk, planting his hooves on the table.

“Last chance Cannon, not gonna say again.”

“Oh, bite me! As if you gonna-”

Thunder slammed his side of the table with both hooves and sent it groundward, causing Cannon’s side to arc up and smack his jaw. The pumpkin bucket came tumbling down and landed in Teardrop grasp, followed by a cacophony of loud bangs and crashes. All of the tools, materials and utensils rolled off the side and onto the floor almost as quickly as Cannon’s unconscious form.

Teardrop grabbed his bucket and held it close, scared of letting it go again. Thunder could feel the relief in the colt’s core as he locked eyes with the pegasus. “T-Thank you!” He cried.

Thunder smiled and walked the length of the table to help the little pony get to his hooves, staying clear of the annoying bully shaped obstacle in his way. “No problem Teardrop, but can I ask what’s with the bucket? And what was he saying about, “going out?”

Teardrop’s face twisted into that of confusion and shock, even astonishment at Thunder’s question. “Wait…you don’t know it’s Nightmare Night?!”

The puzzle pieces clicked in Thunder’s head and memories came flooding back. The ponies had so many celebrations it was hard to keep track of them all, but this was one he remembered. The one about the Night Princess and her craving for candy. He didn’t remember the full story, but knew the general rules of the event. Specifically the part about going around knocking on doors for candy. It sounded like good fun!

Sadly, truth be told, he had no idea how quickly time flew and that it was already the end of October. “I…” He paused, trying to find a combination of words that wouldn’t give him away. “-haven’t really been keeping track of time, truth be told.”

Thankfully Teardrop didn’t pry too much and accepted the answer.

“Oh, that’s okay! Wanna try going out together?”

Taking another glance at the unconscious Cannon, who was also likely to be more than a little angry when he woke up, getting out for a bit would probably be the smart thing to do.

“Sure! But don’t you need a costume?”

“Easy!” The little ocean blue colt then reached into the bucket and pulled out a bedsheet with a pair of eyeholes. When he saw it Thunder couldn’t help but crack a smile at the DIY ghost costume. “Probably the best anypony could get around here.”

They both turned for the door only to be stopped short by a towering silhouette with its back against the light, casting a long shadow over both of them. Thunder’s heart dropped to his hooves and his knees went stiff when he recognised who it was.

It was Miss Red Mark, and she looked none too happy. Her gaze panned between the two colts to the unconscious Glass Cannon and the absolute mess the pegasus had made of the table. Its contents of glue and paint having spilled onto the floor, covering many of the tools alongside them.

Red hot rage spilled from the intolerant mare and her glare threatening, no promising to melt him alive if he didn’t choose his next few words correctly. The world seemed to lose definition and Thunder found himself unable to focus on anything else but the pending wrath she had in store for him.

“Thunder, this is not what I meant.”

The pegasus shrunk under her influence and tried to think of a reply that wouldn’t get him the paddle. “I was doing what you asked though, wasn’t I?”

Yeah….wrong choice of words.

“My office, now.”

A pair of double doors swung open and Thunder was launched from the orphanage front entrance, hitting the hard pavement with a crash. Tears of pain ran down his cheeks from the red raw scratches that now decorated his cutie mark.

“You're no superhero you purple pest, if you want to live on the streets then go ahead, sleep outside for the night! Tomorrow morning your cleaning up the mess you made, you ungrateful child!” Red Mark then slammed the door hard enough she could’ve caused the windows to crack.

Thunder struggled to get to his hooves, his rear joints howling in protest from the royal spanking of Red Mark’s studded paddle. Equal parts anger and sadness flooding his face as he turned back to the door, shut and locked by the belittling teacher and leaving him with no protection from the elements. Instead he laid there, sulking with only his thoughts for company.

“This isn’t fair! I was only trying to help!”

He was surrounded by darkened stone brick walls lined with rows of iron spikes. The perimeter of the prison he was chained to, he could fly as far away as he wanted but he’d always have to return. Back to the same unfulfilling meals, the same meaningless classes and the same hard work.

“What’s the point? They never help us! And I can’t leave or the guards will look for me! I’m going to be trapped here and there’s nothing I can do.”

A river of pure sadness was unleashed upon his face and poured onto the stone cold ground. His eyes burned just as much as his red racked rear did only amplifying his cries. None of this was fair, nothing was! Why was every-creature always so mean to him? The changelings, the overseer, the bullies and guards, even the adults at the orphanage! Weren’t they meant to be nice?

More and more reasons and reservoirs kept the tears coming, why should he stop? For a time he thought things would get better and that meant something, but again he was proved wrong. He wasn’t anypony special, he wasn’t some protegee or vigilante. He was a single changeling in a city that didn’t want him yet refused to just give in already, like a cockroach.

The walls closed in and the foundations of his hope buckled and broke under the immersive weight of his mind. His thoughts began to grow dark.

A cloud moved away to reveal a bright full moon that bathed the courtyard in white Luna light. A comforting wave washed over the prone pegasus and the pain he felt seemed to lessen, like he was having his coat lovingly stroked by some invisible force.

Thunder’s cries subsequently quietened down into whimpers as time passed. Not knowing how long he laid there. Ten minutes? Twenty? Probably more.

The great eye of the moon casted a ray of beautiful serenity all throughout his breakdown. He hadn't even noticed the angry red arrows across his flanks had all but disappeared, little more than faded scratches and bad memories.

Those cries eventually died down as his emotional energy drained from the outpour of stress. His resting form now able to embrace the moon’s grace upon his body. His limbs were sluggish and his head was full of pounding pain, yet the chill of the autumn wind was crisp and refreshing, like a bottle of glacial water that helped cool his sore lungs and vocal cords.

Soon his head cleared up and strength gradually returned to his body. The tear tracks dried up and clarity was reclaimed, yet he still saw no reason to pick himself up, why would he? There was nothing for him out here and the moonlight felt so nice on his coat.

That’s when he heard distant, childlike laughter from beyond the walls. He woke up from his stupor and craned his head in the direction of the source. The walls blocked his view but he ears weren’t lying, colts and fillies were walking the streets and he pondered why would they be doing such a thing this late?

“It’s Nightmare Night you ding dong!”

Renewed energy shot through his spine and flowed through his limbs. Climbing to his legs he found the physical pain from before had now vanished almost entirely. Thunder walked over to the front gate and watched through iron bars as a group of kids passed by on the other side of the road, each with their own costumes. One was dressed as a guard, another as a zombie and another as a…

“Changeling?...Seriously?”

Thunder couldn’t help but crack a smile and laugh at the sheer absurdity of the show. Quickly breaking out into a full fit of belly laughs that casted away whatever he was thinking prior.

The costume was so bad! The wings were a pair of cardboard cutouts with some paint, a pair of goggles that may have well been two bottle caps held together with tape, and fake fangs that looked like they’d been stolen from a vampire’s costume. It was so ridiculous he couldn’t help himself!

A tear was wiped from his eye as the group left his vision. The buckets they had reminded him of what happened to Teardrop and he looked back at the orphanage. “I remember Miss Red Mark took away Teardrop’s bucket, something about what he did not being allowed. I guess that explains why nopony from the orphanage is going out right now but where did she put it? If I had to hazard a guess…”

Thunder ran the length of the courtyard until he reached a set of dumpsters in the back where his prior experience let him pick out the one that had been most recently disturbed. He pulled the lid open and found the bright white eyes of the hoofmade bucket staring back at him.

“Poor Teardrop, he’s probably crying himself to sleep right now. He'd espent at least two weeks working on that. But you know what? Screw Red Mark, I’m getting everypony candy and she can’t stop me!”

He grabbed its handle and pulled it out before cleaning some dirt that had clung to its surface. Despite the rough start, he could already feel his spirit of fun coming back to him as he looked over its surface.

But as he approached the gate he paused and looked down at himself, suddenly struck with the fact he didn’t have a costume! How was he meant to go trick or treating without a costume?...

“Wow Shellac, have you really been disguised so long you forgot you're a changeling?”
…
“Shut up.”

He looked around himself to make doubly, even triply sure nopony would spot him. Thankfully, all the windows were closed, the curtains shut, he was surrounded by walls and he saw no pegasi in the sky who’d spot him. He smiled, dwarfing his disguise and- “Why is the ground so low all of the sudden?!”

“Oh, right, changeling, forgot about that detail.”

Shellac craned his neck around and looked over himself, he’d honestly forgotten just what it felt like to have holes in his hooves again. It was a nice return to form and it warmed his heart to be back, but this wouldn’t suffice, it was too good for a costume. Somepony was bound to notice, thus there needed to be some flaw or detail that still hinted towards it being an act.

He started by filling in the gaps in his hooves to make the holes seem more like darkened patches of cloth. Additionally, he added seems to his joints to make his chitin look like large fitted plates with an undersuit before doing the same to the base of his horn. He replaced his insectoid wings with pony ones but with a slight twist, now the feathers had been coloured purple to match his own and… “Actually that’s just Thunder Chaser, like that’s just Thunder Chaser…”

Shell couldn’t help but giggle at the levels of irony involved. He was going as himself, but as himself, dressed as himself. “If it’s stupid but works, it’s not stupid, just silly.”

Once he was satisfied with the level of alteration he bit down on the bucket handle and scampered to the walls, where his hooves stuck to the bricks like glue and he poked his head over to look around. Quickly, he spotted the group that had the bad costume in the distance as well as a few others. Grinning, he flew over, careful to avoid the sharp, rusty spikes on the walls.

Once over, he moved to catch up confident in his costume and eagerly anticipating the kid’s responses. He was coming up on them now, they were still unaware of his presence, just a little more…

He whistled and turned around, the three kid’s jaws went slack and their eyes wide with shock. They gasped and recoiled away as he stood in place with a smirk. But as the moment passed the rational parts of their brains kicked in and soon shock and horror were replaced with awe and astonishment at Shellac’s form.

“No way!” One exclaimed, “Is that actually a changeling?”

“Relax Pots, changelings are blue not purple, and look at those wings!” The Guard pony pointed a wing towards his back which Shellac was more than happy to show off. Unfolding a royal purple pegasus wing that matched his shell colour. “Not to be mean Cherry but he blows you out the water with that.”

“Oh I know! You have to tell me how you did all that! It’s so good!” Cried the filly with the other changeling costume.

“You nailed the eyes, how’d you do that?” The three ponies moved in a little closer, eager to hear his response.

“Contacts lenses!” Shell responded. The group moved toward him and eyed up all the little details that he’d added. All three radiating awestruck affection like the kind you’d find from a celebrity taking autographs. He could only feed passively of course, but it was like being surrounded by the scent of freshly cooked food or fragrant flowers, it was certainly nice to have.

“What’s your name? Are you alone?”

“I’m Thunder Chaser, and yeah I’m alone.” He turned back to the gated walls of the orphanage and suddenly the half-disguised changeling had an idea. “See the orphanage? I live there. but managed to sneak out, the adults there won’t let anypony go out trick or treating and have them locked up, could you help me get candy for them?”

All three kids gasped and nodded their heads as the leader of the group, the guard pony, offered a hoof. “Of course! I bet with your costume, we’ll get enough for everypony to have some candy!”

Shellac happily took it and shook. “Thanks a bunch!”

He joined the group and from that point on went door to door, impressing and freaking out ponies in equal measure. The pony with the bad changeling costume, named Cherry, actually helped prevent a few panics when they opened the door and saw a near changeling pony staring up at them with a bucket in mouth.

If anything, once they were informed of the truth, it seemed they opted to give Shellac extra candy for his amazing costume.

Their buckets quickly filled to overflow and Shellac had to make return trips to the orphanage to deposit them all. Thankfully some of the windows had been left open so he was able to unhook the latches and sneak back inside, leaving a piece of candy for everypony now asleep. He felt like Nightmare Moon’s little angel as he tucked chocolate bars and jawbreakers between their sheets.

Shellac couldn’t describe it, but there was something so invigorating, so freeing about not being judged for how he looked, even praised for it. Sure he was still using the guise of a false self but this was the closest he was able to get to just being himself in public. His spirit burned brighter and brighter with each door they knocked on, anticipating the reveal, the shock and the awe that soon followed, feeding on the potent emotions each time.

It raised with each return trip he made and every treat he hid. With every foal, filly and colt that had been denied what he had been gifted. He even returned Teardrop’s bucket, loaded with some of the best treats Canterlot had to offer.

Hours passed and soon doors became locked, curtains were closed and lights went out. Shell bid farewell to his new friends and flew back to the orphanage under the watchful gaze of the moon. Pleased with his performance as much as he’d been ecstatic to enact it.

He couldn’t go back now, he knew Red Mark would know he was the one behind the sudden candy shower and would have his flank for it. Then again, he didn’t really care anymore, knowing that bridge was burned. She’d already belittled him until his confidence was shattered then doubled down with the paddle before throwing him outside to freeze.

The joke however was on her because this wasn’t how kids were meant to be treated and he knew it. As he stood on a nearby rooftop, now posed properly as Thunder Chaser, a new conviction rose within him. That place was rotten to the core and he was going to do something about it. Because unlike all the kids that called the dreadful, soul sucking orphanage home, he was a changeling.

Not just any changeling however, but an infiltrator. Recognised by Queen Chrysalis herself and trained as a scout! He’d slip inside, found out their dirty secrets and dark dealings, and then when he’s collected everything he needs he’ll bring them to light! And now he has the energy surplus to do it!

“Red Mark was wrong, I am a hero, and I’m about to rock her world!”

One Night Before The Storm

Gleaming took another bite out of one of many pancakes she’d cooked for herself and the two colts sitting beside her. She’d woken up in another fit of crying to her husband’s absence, so on a whim she started making pancakes to try and distract herself.

So far, the results were speaking for themselves.

While Lead was taking his time savouring each bite, Shellac was ravenously devouring the baked stacks of batter, topped with his choice of jam, butter or chocolate sauce.

“I take it you're enjoying that?” Lead pointed a fork towards him. Shellac paid no attention as he shoved another mouthful of butter covered batter into his waiting maw, his cheeks fat and chubby like a squirrel. He’d even been given a little apron in an attempt to keep himself clean from all the debris being flung around.

“I don’t think he’s had pancakes before.” Said Gleaming, having just swallowed her bite.

“I don’t think he’s had your pancakes before mum.”

The pegasus mare chuckled under breath and jerked her head to the side, not expecting her son’s witty remark. He wasn’t wrong though, Shellac was almost already finished while Raining still had a little stack left to chew through. Gleaming didn’t give herself all that many to begin with as she’d prioritised the kids over her own needs.

Soon the two plates were left empty, even after Raining had given the nymph the remaining stacks. Really at this point he wanted to see just how bottomless his brother’s appetite was. Turns out, bottomless.

“He did admit as much back at the mall.”

“Shell, I would say you have a sweet tooth but it’s more of a sweet fang.”

“Washat?” He replied, pausing to look at him, quickly swallowing a ball the size of a pineapple down his neck. With all three plates now empty, Shell shrugged and cleaned himself up as Lead stacked the plates on top of each other.

“Okay you two, I made the effort of making breakfast so the least you can do is clean up after yourselves, Lead deary? Could you take these to the kitchen please?”

“Of course mum! Hey come help me wash these Shell, there’s a bunch of stuff from last night too.”

“Awe do I have to?” He said with a sarcastic undertone. The plates were gathered up in Raining’s magic grip and carried off to the kitchen with Shellac not far behind.

Now that she was alone Gleaming sighed and her smile waned. “I can’t keep this up, I have to tell them eventually or they’ll figure it out themselves otherwise.”

Sadly, saying that proved the easy part, her mind already visualising the looks of horror and distress on the two once she broke the news.

“Tomorrow Gleaming, let them go to the arcade today. Let them be happy for a little longer.”

Gleaming walked over to a nearby bookshelf and looked at several of Copper’s models, many of them made with loving detail. A sudden weight pressed onto her shoulders when she asked what to do with all of them. The attic only had so much room and she banished the thought of throwing them out. How would she tell the kids? Shellac didn’t know him for that long but Raining? “He’d be devastated…”

A trio of loud knocks broke her out of trance and she rushed into the main hallway. Shellac dawned his disguise as she opened the door to reception. Who could it be this time? Were the guards back to try comforting her? Was it mail? She didn’t order anything.

She opened the front door and was greeted by a brown unicorn stallion with a cream white mane that smelled of freshly ground coffee. Beside him was a minty white earth pony mare with a two-toned mane of light blue and green, her cheeks and coat sprinkled with chocolate freckles and they both smiled as realisation hit Gleaming like a truck.

“Hazel? Mint? Oh I’m so so sorry I didn’t come to work yesterday!”

Hazelnut made a friendly gesture as he took his hat off in respect. “Hey, hey, it’s okay Gleaming, we had to close up early anyway because of a water leak…and we ran out of coffee.” Hazel jerked his head slightly.

“We wanted to pop by and see if you were alright, it’s unlike you to be a no show.” Said Mint Tea, her voice smooth and quiet.

“I-I’m sorry, Copper he uh…” Gleaming’s breaths were suddenly becoming shorter, her heart rate climbing again and the weight on her shoulders gradually increasing. “H-He’s, s-somet-thing-” She cringed and moved to shut the door to escape, but Hazelnut was quick to pick up on her distress and pre-emptively planted a hoof on it’s frame before it closed.

“Gleaming I can see your upset, but shutting yourself in won’t do you any favours.” Gold was rapidly losing strength in her limbs as her joints became stiff and her muscles tensed up. Mint Tea craned her head over to get a view of the mare’s weary face.

“Please Gleaming, if you need help don’t do this to yourself.”

“I…I…” She found it hard to breathe and her ability to speak collapsed in on itself, unable to bring up the strength to utter another sentence. Her head pounded in her skull and sweat rolled down her temple. Finally her limbs gave in and she fell to the floor with a thud. The world grew dark as the sound of her own desperate breathing and rapid heart rate drowned out her two friends.

“Gold! What’s going on?!”

“I think she’s having a panic attack, let’s take her inside.”

Her vision became a mess of distorted colours and flickering images for the next few minutes, only able to focus on her breathing with little else mattering. No other thoughts permeated her mind, just breath in and out, over and over, good air came in and bad air went out. Her lungs felt like they were being restrained as when she’d try to inflate them they’d never fill to capacity.

Seconds turned to minutes as she laid down, teetering on the brink of consciousness. She didn’t know where she was, only that she was somewhere in her house.

But as time passed her heart began to slow down and her breathing grew deeper, restoring light and colour to her vision. She found she was back inside the living room splayed out onto a couch with Hazel seated on the opposite side and Mint right beside her. She could still feel her heart pounding in her head, a horrible headache having taken hold.

Gleaming squirmed in her seat trying to set herself upright which prompted Mint to immediately move to support her. “Easy there Gold, don’t hurt yourself.”

“What?...Happened?”

Hazel rose from his seat and marched toward her with the concerned frown only a long time friend would have. “You had a panic attack and fainted, so we brought you inside. I hope you don’t mind.”

With a slight groan as things started to come together, she Gleaming leaned back to a more comfortable position.

“It’s fine…it’s fine.”

“Gleaming, I know it might be hard but can you tell us what happened? You were saying something about your husband and then….” Hazel trailed off. Gleaming felt that weight return albeit with its edge taken off, but she dreaded a second round.

Instead she lowered her voice and did her absolute best to control her breathing and prevent another attack. “Copper, h-he…t-there was…there was a…”

Both Mint Tea and Hazelnut drew in close, moving their ears within Gleaming’s whisper range where she told them what happened. The mare and stallion both went wide eyed with shock and horror as their blood turned cold. They looked to Gleaming with their most sincere of sympathies and backed away both to give her room and to process the information.

“Oh Gold, I’m so sorry, nopony should ever have to go through such a terrible thing.” Mint Tea sat next to her. Hazel began walking back and forth in a straight line digging a hoof through his mane. “Goodness me, and here I thought I had it bad when my favourite Starebucks shut down.”

Both mares glared at him with enough force to crush a building.

“Hey! To some ponies, coffee is life, me included!”

“Hazel?” Gleaming harshly poked him. “Not helping.”

“Sorry.”

“So what are you going to do now Gold? Mint asked, looking concerned. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I was…going to go out with the kids, to the arcade for a birthday they were invited to.”

“Wait, kids?” Hazel questioned.

“Gold, with all due respect, I don’t think you're in a fit state to go out like this. What if you have another attack?” Said Mint.

“What did you mean by kids? Didn’t you only have one?” Hazel continued to ask, refusing to drop the matter.

“Then why don’t you come with me? Help keep an eye out?”

“Girls? Am I being ignored?”

“That sounds like a great idea Gold! I don’t have anything planned today anyway.”

“Girls!” Both mares turned back to Hazelnut whose face was now alight with mild frustration. “What did you mean by kids, like with a plural?”

At that very moment both Raining Lead and Thunder Chaser came walking into the living room doorframe. Raining was still drying a hoof and Thunder had a half eaten bagel in his mouth. “Hi Hazel! Hi Minty! When did you two come in?” Raining asked, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Hazel stared at the purple pegasus and slowly looked back at Gleaming before holding a hoof up beside his mouth with a deliberately quiet voice. “And who’s the other one?”

“Hazel, meet Thunder Chaser.” Gleaming gestured toward him, “My unofficial second son. I took him off the streets not long ago.”

Thunder waved at him with a friendly (if occupied) smile. Hazel returned the wave as Gleaming got to her hooves which again prompted some help from Mint Tea. “Hey you two, can you get ready for the arcade? Might be a long walk.”

“Sure mum! C’mon Thunder, Spell-Tag awaits!” Raining turned about face and made his way to the reception.

Thunder however lingered there for a little longer looking at Gleaming and while it was faint, he could sense a deep dread radiating off the mare, like a horrible odour that wafted around her. He could also see the bags under her eyes and dried tear streaks, then there was the way Mint was helping her…

Biting down on the last of his bagel he left the room before drawing any attention and joined Raining. The two helped each other with their coats and boots soon followed by Gleaming.

There was one noticeable difference with Raining, well two actually. He was bringing a pair of orange tinted goggles with him and a bit bag of his own. Thunder didn’t care to comment but it did strike his eye when he saw it, were those his savings? Why’d he need them? Wasn’t Gleaming paying for the game anyway?

He figured he’d get his answers soon enough and braced himself for the cold once more.

Around an hour had passed since the herd left the house.

Gleaming didn’t want to strain her budget by paying for a taxi so they had to walk. Thunder hovered the majority of the way there while the others kept a casual pace. Gleaming did need to stop to catch her breath once or twice but she said she was fine. A statement Thunder hardly believed as all throughout the trip the golden pegasus carried that same post breakdown dread he’d seen from Raining not long ago, only here it lingered.

Hazel kept going on and on about the differences between two very similar sounding coffees, but from different brands, while Mint rarely spoke, often only when she was being addressed. Thunder pinned him as a fun loon while the other was pretty shy and reclusive. At some points she lagged so far behind he looked over his shoulder to let her know when to pick up the pace.

Raining meanwhile wore a smile throughout the entire journey with unhindered anticipation even during their brief breaks. A few days ago Thunder wouldn’t have questioned his endless enthusiasm, but since last night he’d found himself second guessing his brother’s headspace.

Was Raining really so good at hiding his real emotions that fake ones became the norm? Only changelings could put up a protective barrier that could block out another’s senses, and while Thunder had admitted he can sense emotions he had the feeling the ponies had forgotten that. Whatever the case it certainly made him more perceptive of him.

Eventually they’d pass by a corner and see a grand entrance to a massive building easily several stories tall.

Said entrance had several huge pillars with festive neon wires spiralling up their length into an overhang that protected sets of glass pane double doors with push bars. It was almost covered in lights and much like Piccafilly Circus it had its own elaborate sign that proudly displayed Neighberton Arcade! Family Fun For All! With illusionary rays that depicted colts and fillies eating pizza, playing video games, bowling or shooting spires of light at each other with weird looking weapons.

The display was positively blinding and almost made the disguised changeling wish he’d brought sunglasses.

Thunder braced himself, if this was going to be anything like Piccafilly Circus then he’d better prepare for sensory overload. Raining meanwhile was bouncing up and down so much it was like the ground had become a giant trampoline for the brass colt. He could already see the visual siege he was about to be under as they approached the front door.

They passed through and surprisingly enough Thunder’s eyes didn’t sizzle out of their sockets. Still, he was met with a visual and auditory assault, both familiar and foreign to the young pegasus.

The floor was made of a soft and mostly dark carpet, with bright streaks of purple, green and blue running in different directions at sharp angles. More neon lined the internal architecture and multi-coloured glowsticks even dangled from the ceiling between different lights. There were so many that at no point was there ever a single colour bearing down upon them.

On the left was a staircase that led to a maze of boxy machines, all with screens and buttons, covered in decorative artwork and fancy titles. Some were simple, while many others had accessories or played entirely different games like a ball throwing game with several hoops, claw machines full of stuffed animals, or even entire booths that were enclosed. Some games were even designed with flight in mind like an overhead flight course with rings that moved!

To the front left next to the arcade cabinets was a diner with an assortment of rich lights and coloured tile flooring, practically ripped out of another time. The smell of nachos, cheese sauce and sugary doughnuts met Thunder nostrils and he suddenly wondered at what time they were having lunch. “By honeycomb my quest for doughnuts will be fulfilled! Do you hear me Gleaming?!”

On the far right was an entire bowling alley with several lanes that almost stretched the length of the building. The loud scattering of bowling pins would echo all the way to the entrance with screens playing weird animations whenever a pony scored big.

And to their direct front was a circular reception area with a prize corner that stood at a gate, showing an area full of families who’d brought their kids to the birthday party, decorations celebrating the special occasion were scattered everywhere.

Raining rushed in front of Thunder like a jackhammer with how rapidly he was bouncing in place, his excitement like that of an overactive tennis ball and his smile infecting Thunder as they locked eyes. “Welcome to the jungle Thunder! We got fun and we got games!”

Thunder didn’t know what to say in response, simply nodding with excitement.

The colt then dashed off towards the reception so quickly he left a dust cloud facsimile. Gleaming laughed as they gradually caught up to him with his tail wagging back and forth like an excited puppy.

“Hello, two twelve year olds for Spell Tag. We’re here for Neon’s birthday.” Gleaming took out some bits and did some counting while the receptionist took out a log book. However Raining wanted a piece of the action and climbed up, presenting his own bit bag with its cloth handle locked in his mouth.

“Can me and Thunder get the V2 upgrade package? I brought my own bits!” He mumbled.

Gleaming giggled and nodded as the receptionist took both pools of money and fastened a pair of brightly coloured wrist bands to both colt’s arms, marked with a glowing V on several spots.

They were let into the Spell-Tag lobby with dozens of other kids, mostly around their age range, give or take a year. A huge set of tables, chairs and even an arcade machine or two were dotted about the lobby. It shared the same dark but glowy colour pallet as the main entrance, but with noticeably more confetti on the floor and many, many balloons.

At the centre of the attention was Neon Abyss himself who wore glow stick rings around his hooves and had stickers that took the place of freckles on his face. At least now with the dim lighting it no longer hurt to look at the colt’s oversaturated mane, but something about it still forced Thunder’s eyes to widen. Was it his changeling vision or was that just a quirk of neon lights?

However, then he saw a pair of ponies among the crowd that his brain flagged as familiar sitting down behind a table. One had a paper white coat and the other an earthly green with a brown mane and pair of glasses upon her brow. “Wait…is that?” Thunder squinted his eyes.

Raining turned to him out but before he could ask Thunder put names to faces and bolted towards the duo, overjoyed to recognise the two kids. “Postal Stamp! Flower Pots!”

The two kids looked towards where their names had been called and glee filled overtook whatever expression they just had. “Thunder?”

The purple pegasus rapidly approached their table, weaving around other party goers, Raining not far behind. “Wait, they know you?!”

“Yeah! From Nightmare Night!”

Thunder slid onto the seat opposite the two with a grin to rival a hyena as Raining more calmly claimed a chair of his own beside the pegasus. “Hey you two! How long’s it been?”

“I don’t know, weeks? Months? Now that you're here it feels like yesterday.” Postal exclaimed. “Who’s this? Your new friend?” He pointed a hoof to Raining.

“Guys, meet Raining Lead! My new brother!” Thunder then reached out and pulled Raining close, much to his vain protest, like an excited colt showing their mom a street cat they wanted to keep.

“Brother huh? You finally got adopted then lavy?”

“Being honest, it was more of a surprise adoption.” Thunder chuckled, still not sure how to explain the situation himself.

Raining pulled himself free and turned to Thunder. “Lavy?”

“Short for lavender, like his coat.” Pots gestured.

Thunder snickered and turned to the two but noticed an empty space where his brain told him a third should’ve been sitting. “Where’s Cherry Picker?”

“She couldn’t make it, visiting family in Ponyville for Hearth’s Warming.”

“Oh that’s a shame, she’d love this place!”

“Not as much as your costume, you blew her sky high! I mean it was a white and red letter day difference.” Exclaimed Postal.

Raining then stared at the purple pegasus with a smug grin born of amusement. A bead of sweat rolled down Thunder’s nervous smile as he darted his eyes away. “You know you did mention Nightmare Night but I don’t think I ever saw your costume.”

“Well, too bad I didn’t bring it with me.”

“Thunder we both know what you're doing when we get back home.” Lead then snapped to the two newcomers with his voice full of enthusiasm. “And hi! Nice to meet you! We didn’t get actual invites but Neon was pretty stoked when he saw my shooting skills.”

“Don’t you mean our shooting skills?” Thunder shot.

“I hit more targets than you!”

“Pfft, I scored more points!”

“Yeah but you hit those high value ones because they were larger, not because you were accurate.”

“Says the slowdraw!”

“Mmmmmph!” Raining grumbled in frustration and began play punching Thunder’s shoulder. The three of them laughed at the innocent act as the brass unicorn’s hooves bounced off his side. As he did so Postal then saw his wrist bands and caught the large V printed onto them, his eyes widened with delight and awe. “No way, you got the upgrade?”

Raining immediately stopped and snapped into a completely different position with his hooves planted on the table, now hunched over as if about to lunge at the paper white pony with his tone making a complete one-eighty into excitement. “Sure is! Got it for Thunder too!”

“Awesome! How much does it cost? I begged my mom but she didn’t let us have it.”

“Oh not much! Just twomonth’sworthofpocketmoney.”

Despite the mumbling, the other ponies were able to make out his words and all their eyes widened in stunned surprise.

“Hey can I ask what that does? I’ve never played Spell-Tag before.” Thunder asked, deciding to change topics.

“You’ve never played Spell-Tag before?” Postal replied.

“Orphanage.”

“Oh, right.”

“You went to an orphanage?” Raining asked, only for Thunder to turn to him with a knowing smile. “Oh, right.” He echoed Postal.

Flower Pots squinted her eyes in confusion at the conflict of information. Before she could press though Raining continued.

“So put simply, I paid for a better version of the equipment we’ll be getting before we play. Usually everypony gets spell-shots that aren't that accurate, I guess it’s to make it fun for who’s being shot at, but it only annoys me when I have a clean shot and I miss anyway. It wouldn’t be that bad if it was rare but it happens a lot, like a lot. And my enchants do nothing.”

“But isn’t that, like, unfair? Being able to pay for an advantage?” Thunder looked down at his wristband with a new degree of clarity.

“Yep”

“And they let you do that? Even though it’s not fair for anypony else?”

“Mhm.”

“And I have it as well?”

“Absolutely.”

Thunder glanced towards the rest of the table and looked around absentmindedly as if to see if anypony but they were watching. He then slowly nodded in approval. “Nice…nice.”

“By the way, do you two know about a colt named-” Thunder lowered his voice and crept over the table, “-Moonlit Lance?”

Both ponies across the table shook their heads and declined in unison. “Okay, does Neon know?” They repeated the gesture.

Raining sat back down in his seat and shared a wary look, the air of the table suddenly growing thick and heavy. “Thunder come on, you don’t think he’s actually here do you?”

The young pegasus winced at the memory from the night prior and nodded. “It’s just a hunch, but I still think it’s warranted.”

“Uhm, guys? Mind filling us in?” Postal waved as the both of them now exchanged wary glances that brought down the jovial mood.

“Moonlit Lance is an unhinged psycho bully that’s been tormenting Raining. He usually targets anypony who tries being friends with him and he beat us both up only a day after Raining’s family took me in. If he’s here he might try going after Neon to send a message.”

“Oh packing tape!” Postal cursed. “Well if he is here we can just spot him and tell Neon to stay away, he might even be able to tell staff to escort him out.”

“Not so simple Stamp, his sister knows illusion magic so she can disguise him.”

“Wait, you mean like a changeling?” Flower asked.

Thunder then sat up and cleared his throat, preparing to teach the two a lesson on magic. “It’s not exactly the same thing. Changelings are able to turn into pretty much anything as long as they have the energy to back it up and have a clear picture of what it is. Illusion magic only changes your colours and adds or shaves a hoof off your height, even then harsh conditions like injury could ruin the disguise because at its core it’s just an illusion. Nothing about your body actually changes.”

“You seem to know a lot about changelings.” Flower squinted, though Thunder kept his composure.

“What was I wearing on Nightmare Night?”

Flower Pots raised a hoof and parted her lips with a response ready on the tip of her tongue. But she stopped herself short when her brain processed Thunder’s implication and gradually lowered her leg in defeat.

“This could be a problem though, if he’s here he might be after us as much as he may go after the birthday colt.”

The group now found themselves on alert, already scanning the area for any signs of Lance.

“Well what do we do? Assuming you’re all targets wouldn’t it be better to keep everypony in one place near staff? Ya know, like keeping an eye on your precious packages?”

“I did not spend two months worth of pocket money to stand around being foal-sat.”

“Then what? He’ll beat you up if you try playing and you’ll waste your time being safe, he wins either way.”

Thunder rubbed the back of his head and kicked the cogs and gears of his brain into motion. Postal was right in his analysis, having the giant colt kicked from the game would be easier said than done and if the mile long streak of building excitement from Raining was anything to go by, he wasn’t prepared to just let Lance win. He looked around the table hoping to stimulate his brain with a little movement then like the moth to a freshly lit flame, he had an idea.

“You're right, there is no way to ensure our game is totally safe, but there’s only one Moonlit Lance. His sister isn’t interested in whatever pain he’s trying to inflict, so we have numbers on our side! We’ll split up, force him to pick one or the other!”

“That…doesn’t sound half bad, me and Postal could stay around Neon as bodyguards and if either of us sees Lance one of us can split off to tell staff while the other keeps him distracted, Neon can slip away then!”

“I…I donno Pots, if he’s half as bad they’re making him out then I don’t like the idea of being bait.” The young colt already looked more than a little nervous.

“Oh shush you, if you're really that scared you can be the runner, you’re the pegasus after all.” Flower then playfully booped Postal’s nose and like a button, both of his wings unfolded from behind his back as a light blush coloured his cheeks.

“So we’re in agreement? If anypony sees an oversized navy blue colt ready to throw a temper tantrum we’ll split up, you two guard Neon while we try doing our own thing.”

“No problem Thunder!”

“Sounds like a plan!”

“I don’t wanna have my mailbox dented, but okay!” That earned Postal a light punch from Flower Pots.

“Up high!” Thunder then raised a hoof and all four ponies came together to group bro-hoof.

But watching them from across the room seated behind several rows of chairs, tables and kids would be an emerald green earth pony. His silver coated sister with peppercorn freckles sitting next to him with a pair of sunglasses, sipping on a soda cup through a paper straw. Lance huffed as he bit down on another chilli sauce covered nacho, spying on the group with abject focus.

Mirror adjusted her wide brimmed hat and shifted uncomfortably in her seat darting her eyes side to side. Glued in place by anxiety towards her big brother.

“Don’t you think that maybe you're taking things too far?” Mirror asked, hoping maybe she could talk her brother out of this.

“No actually, in fact I don’t think I've been taking them far enough.”

Mirror grimaced and pulled her hat down, looking around her for any eavesdroppers that might be listening in and keeping her voice low. “Lance, this is somepony’s birthday party we’re talking about here. You can’t do this to somepony on their birthday, much less somepony who just met Raining.”

Lance turned and casted a stone cold glare on his sister. “We need to know if Thunder Chaser’s a changeling, and the only way we’re going to find out is by getting our hooves dirty. If he is, he may have already casted some kind of mind control magic on Neon.”

Mirror felt her blood freeze over even from behind her black tinted shades and her fear of his wrath already building. “And if he’s not actually a changeling?”

“I’d be teaching them a lesson anyway then, bucking bug lovers.”

“Oh for pony’s sake Lance, listen to yourself!” Mirror took another nervous sip of her drink to try quell her building anxiety. “Think Mirror, what would stop him from hurting anypony? I could make him promise or I’ll drop the disguise…but then…”

Her train of thought died as she imagined staring down her colossal brother, enraged by her clearly unjustified betrayal. She got so stuck in the thought she’d forgotten to swallow her mouthful and ended up forcing it down, causing a large portion of liquid to flow into her unexpected windpipe. Her gag reflex kicked in and she coughed up onto the table hard.

Lance’s stern demeanour dropped and he tried patting her back to help her body rid itself of the offending contents. A brownish-black pool of fizzy liquid spilled across the table, and drenched the base of the cardboard container holding Lance’s nachos. Quickly, he grabbed the serving cloth they’d been given and gave it to his sister to help cover up her wet heaves. Her throat burned as her body forced more sandpaper like coughs through her vocal cords.

In the chaos her sunglasses fell off and she shut her eyes tight, trying to prevent the bright, neon lights from burning her vision. She winced as solid breaths once more filled her lungs and the heaving subsided. Her brother began mopping up the spilled drink with another tissue.

Mirror tilted her hat downwards using the brim to cover her eyes from the sun-like beams of light. “Glasses…please.” She mumbled.

Lance put the towels aside and gave the black tinted glasses back to Mirror, while looking at her with concern. After her episode, her breath was more heavy and ragged, like she’d just choked on sandpaper. “Are you okay sis?” He asked.

Mirror’s eyes just about meet him through a crack between the brim of her hat and the droplet ridden lenses. “Lance, please, please promise me you won’t hurt the birthday colt.”

Lance’s expression dropped as he suddenly felt for her and set the spilled cup upright. Turning to peer at the jet black and bright blue colt being surrounded by his friends he sighed. His attempts at finding justification were going to be in vain anyway.

“I promise.”

Hazelnut and Mint Tea approached the counter of the arcade diner.

The floor tiles were a mixture of cream white, teal and cotton candy pink with a few bars of neon illumination decorating the borders of the restaurant. Either way the white tiles and colours made it the single most brightly lit area in an interior dominated by dark colours designed to intensify the neon lights.

If nothing else it guaranteed nopony could sneak up on them from any direction.

The waiter behind the counter turned to address the two newcomers with a smile on her face. “Hello! What can I get you? Tea? Coffee?”

Mint’s eyes widened in horror as she turned to Hazelnut who grinned with excitement. “Oh no…”

“I’ll take a mocha with three shots of expresso, a shot of maple syrup, splash of vanilla and hazelnut, whipped cream, chocolate buttons, steam the milk, double blend it, and add a hint of mint.”

The waiter stood frozen with shock as she processed the order, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple as she slowly turned to Mint.

“Uhm, earl grey please?” She squeaked, while also placing a few extra bits on the counter for her trouble.

A few minutes later the duo sat down at a nearby table with Gleaming Gold, who was now on her third glass of sparkling water. The mare had gone through them so fast the waiter had just given her the pitcher and left it at that. It was still one of the best defences she had for keeping her headache down. Now that she was away from the kids she’d allowed her mask to drop. Moving slowly, almost lethargically and taking small but constraint sips from her drink, which was the only reason she hadn’t gone running to the bathroom already.

Mint Tea set about pouring a little milk into her steaming cup while Hazel took a bite out of the creamy white canopy of his custom made coffee.

“Feeling any better Gold?” Asked Mint, “You don’t look well.”

“I could be doing better.” Gleaming took another sip from her glass with her pace slow and steady. Consciously trying to balance between crushing the fragile cup and being so soft she might let it slip. “I’ve had a lot thrown at me in the past few days.”

“I can imagine, I mean we had to deal with three consecutive sick days and then the pipes for one of the sink’s burst. Tried finding a plumber but the best they could do was shut off the water until after New Year’s Eve, stuff like that keeps you up at night, it was horrible!” Hazel said taking a long sip from his coffee, already looking a bit jittery.

“This…isn’t the same thing, Hazel.” Gleaming weakly responded.

The stallion scowled and crossed his hooves before taking another bite out of the whipped cream cap of his coffee, leaving a perfectly curled white moustache just under his nose.

“First I found a poor little colt freezing and starving on the street, for a little bit things were going alright. But then…that, happened to Copper and I’ve been worried sick ever since. How am I meant to raise a couple of colts by myself?”

Both of her co-workers flinched at the mention of Copper and looked at Gleaming with pity.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know Miss Gold, but I’m sure there are support groups out there that can help.” Minty tried giving her a reassuring smile, but if it helped at all nopony at the table bar Gleaming knew for sure. Her mind still neck deep in depression and worry.

“I’m not sure how much that’s going to help dear, I can’t be in two places at once already.” Gleaming muttered as she took another sip.

“Why not hire a foal-sitter then?”

“That…” Gleaming paused, her mind prepared a retort to discard the idea but the more she thought about it, the more her brain rationalised it. “That could work, but I don’t know, I don’t want to leave the kids alone. A thirteen year old who’s been bullying my son went after him the other day. Raining’s okay now, but it wasn’t pretty when they got back, I was horrified.”

The mare’s senses began to spike again and she remembered the sorrow she had that night after they left. Her terror when she saw her son’s bruised body and Thunder’s limp wing from behind the window. An impending sense of doom knocked on her mind’s door, gradually getting louder and louder.

“Did you try going to the guards about this? They might have protective services available.”

“That’s what Copper tried to do…” Silence descended upon the table as Gleaming let the weight of her words bare down on both ponies present. Hoping to leech off more of their sympathy as they turned to each other in grim realisation.

“I’m scared.” She added, forcing herself to put her cup down in anticipation of another panic attack, already feeling her limbs beginning to lock up. “I don’t know what to do. Raising two colts is hard enough, but knowing somepony out there wants to harm them, I’m not sure what to do.”

Hazel turned back and opened his mouth to say something only to have Mint jam a hoof over his mouth, the mare slowly shaking her head as if to say, “No Hazel, whatever it is, this isn’t the time.” She got up from her seat and joined Gleaming’s side before wrapping a leg around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.

“It's okay to be scared, you don’t have to do this alone.”

Gold suddenly felt herself relax as all the grim thoughts and dreadful feelings flowing through her mind were dimmed by her friend’s warmth. Gleaming was able to regain control of herself and gently leaned into Mint’s embrace. The affectionate act washing away the painful images and muted her sense of doom into little more than a squeak.

“Thank you Minty…”

Hazel watched on with a pouty smile, his chest fluttering with sympathetic joy. But then he looked down at his drink and shrugged.

Sluuuurrrrrp!

Both mares’ eyes shot open and they snapped to the stallion. “Really Hazel?”

The unicorn planted his cup onto the table. “What? I like my coffee! And I didn’t want it to get cold”

They each stared at each other and glared intensely at the sudden, if unintentional interruption. Ready to boil his drink until it evaporated.

Then Minty smiled and let out a snicker which grew into an infectious laughter that Gleaming soon picked up as did Hazel. Before long all three of them were laughing like a cauldron of witches with any thoughts of trepidation or despair seemingly vanished.

“I guess it's true what they say, laughter is the best medicine.” Gleaming wiped a tear from her eye.

“Really? I thought it was caffeine! It cures all of my problems.” Hazel laughed.

Gleaming jerked forward as another barrage of comedic joy rushed through her vocal cords.

“No, I'm serious, I haven't slept for three days.”

“Hah ha-wha?” Gleaming paused to look at him, having been snapped out of her elated state. Before she could press however, a set of loud speakers across the building crackled to life and blurred out a static ridden voice that echoed throughout the area.

“Attention! Spell-Tag will be starting shortly. Any and all players please move to the entrance gate, thank you.”

“Welp, time to see what your second son’s made of.”

A pair of large maps detailing the arena layouts covered one of the walls flanked by the ready room entrances. There were so many numbers, signs and variants of the map for the different floors that Thunder couldn’t make heads or tails of it, and that’s coming from growing up in the hive.

He could at least tell that the arena was split into two separate areas.

The Blast Zone was the starting arena, which shared the arcade’s overall theme with neon lights, but judging by the map it was a mess of different twists and turns with aerial obstacles to prevent pegasi from just flying above and shooting down. Conversely, The Dungeon was similar in its close quarters nature but the corridors were noticeably wider.

It also had several secret passages and hidden rooms. Thunder doubted he’d remember where they all are just by looking at the map but it was valuable information regardless.

Meanwhile, Raining Lead was sitting still as a statue to his side looking over the layout, his smile wide enough it could put a measuring stick to shame. They’d given their coats to Gleaming in preparation for the game, but Raining still had his orange tinted goggles, which now hung from around his neck. Thunder wasn’t exactly sure why he’d bought them along but he figured there was a good reason for it.

The speakers flared up and the two heard the call, Raining sprung up and pranced off to join the horde of ponies filling into the ready room with Thunder not far behind.

It was a large room with rows and rows of seats and a stage where a unicorn stallion wearing a chest rig stood at attention. A weird looking weapon hung from his side that consisted of several barrels toward its front that fed from a chamber for a magic crystal seated in the weapon’s body. It glowed and hummed a myriad of different colours which illuminated an otherwise darkened room.

Speaking of which, the overhead lights were also wildly different to anything Thunder was used to. They cast a darkish blue to purple ray that reflected off different colours in certain ways, making the clothes and colour schemes of different ponies glow. The various paint splatters and decorative signs scattered around the room shared in this effect.

He was now confident that something about the colouration was forcing his brain to wake up and pay attention, it was surreal, but in a way that was almost nostalgic.

It reminded him of the lights from the hive, how the ghoulish greens were amplified by his eyes and bounced off the walls everywhere he looked, being able to pick up on colours typical ponies were blind to. For a moment he wondered if this was all just a product of his changeling biology, but a quick glance and the other kids ogling over each other’s colours confirmed that wasn’t the case.

He turned back to Raining to ask something, only to have his skeleton nearly jump out of his body when he saw him. Raining had put his goggles on and the resulting blacklights had made them ominously glow a hot, neon orange. In tandem with his award winning smile it made the colt almost creepy against the shadowy backdrop.

“Lead, you're scaring me.”

“Good.” Raining smiled

“Uhm…how exactly?”

Thunder noticed Raining’s voice had taken on a new playful malice. It was an innocent, childlike glee that promised the destruction of the world through the use of sunshine and rainbows. His excitement throughout the day was reaching a boiling point, an apex that Thunder was growing wary about now that he was acting this way.

“Because it means these goggles are doing what I thought they would. You see ponies will forget the name and mane, but they won’t forget the eyes and smile.” Raining stifled a mad cackle.

“How long have you been doing this?” Thunder asked with a tremble.

“Four times a year, five years in a row, this would be my twenty-fifth match of Spell-Tag.”

“Twenty…fifth?”

Raining slowly nodded…

Thunder turned back to the stallion on stage and now wordlessly begged to whatever deity that had saved him from freezing to make sure he was on whatever team his surrogate brother was on. “Forget Lance, now I’m scared of Lead.”

“Attention everypony! Please be seated because I’ll be starting shortly!”

The murmurs of the room died down to a whisper as the pony on stage began pacing back and forth. Listening in for anypony still talking among the crowd all the while countless sets of eyes were drawn to whatever strange weapon hung from his side.

Thunder meanwhile took the opportunity to pan his gaze around the room. With so many ponies now shining like lightbulbs he hoped he might be able to catch Lance out early.

“My name is Platinum Palace but you can call me Plait, I’ll be your instructor and one of the many marshals that’ll help keep today’s game fun, safe and fair for everypony. If you have a problem, come talk to one of us and we’ll sort it out as quickly as we can.”

Platinum then moved a hoof up to pull at the chest rig attached to his torso, it was a multitude of straps that held several glowing crystals each encased in a thick layer of heavy duty glass. There was a crystal plate on his front, two on his shoulders, a few more on his back, sides, flanks and finally his front legs.

He’d go on to explain the rules of the game and how things worked, but Thunder ended up glossing over many of the things that were said in exchange for trying to find anypony that might’ve struck him as being in disguise.

Thankfully, he did pick up that the body rigs were called “Spell-Carriers” and the weapons were “Spell-Shots” which would temporarily shut off an enemy’s suit when they were hit. There was some other stuff like lives, recharging, different crystals, ect, but most of the terminology flew right over his head as he meticulously scanned each row.

He'd convinced himself he was sharing the same room as the oversized earth pony that had broken his wing, and wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to spot him before the games started.

Looking about, he did at least crack a grin when the rule about zero physical contact with any part of another pony was brought up, equal parts amusement and relief that if Lance tried anything he’d get the boot. Not that he had any doubts in the first place but hearing it out loud took a weight off his shoulders.

Still, he was having no luck catching the colt. He knew it had to be one of the earth ponies but with so many present the task remained difficult at best.

“Come on Thunder, you're a changeling for crying out loud! This is meant to be your domain.”

Raining meanwhile was doing his best to contain an onslaught of incessant giggles at Thunder’s efforts. He probably recognised the irony just as much as he did. “Yeah, yeah, Raining I get. If this was how every guard in the castle felt during wedding then I certainly don’t envy them.”

Soon Platinum would finish up and elected two captains for both opposing teams with Neon going first. Thunder felt a rising panic as he drew blanks on which could or couldn’t have been Lance. One by one they picked out ponies from the crowd and funnelled into one of two separately coloured doors. The first door was a deep orange while the other a light green. “Damn it I wasn’t done!”

Thunder held his breath as Raining got elected for Neon’s team as did Flower Pots and Postal Stamp. The other team’s captain glossed over his side of the crowd looking for recruits. “Please don’t pick me please don’t pick me!”

The pony then pointed towards him and he felt a spike of fear plunge into his spine. Any of these ponies could’ve been Lance and the last thing he needed was to be separated from Raining.

But as he got up so did another pony right beside him and they both locked eyes and exchanged pointed hooves, until the other happily rolled their eyes and brushed passed him without a word. Thunder couldn’t help but nervously smile at the awkward moment as Neon quickly followed with picking him.

Raining and the others were already waiting for him inside the Orange Team’s room, where several racks with carriers and inactive weapons hung from each wall. A pair of marshals were helping ponies strap them on and In little to no time Thunder had his kit fastened around his body. Its weight was a little much but he could still fly with it, flying comfortably though it was off the table with the way the straps rubbed the base of his wings.

Once the rest of Neon’s recruits flooded the room Thunder approached Raining, still annoyed he was unable to win his impromptu guess who game. Instead hoping he could at least gain some beginner’s advice. “Hey Lead? What’s the best strategy for winning?”

The brass colt snapped his head to him and grinned like an overeager housecat, complete with the head tilt. “You think there’s a strategy? Everypony runs around like headless chickens or in mobs thinking they'll be safe in numbers, only to have somepony blast them all from behind a half wall or through a window. You’ll have no idea where anypony is and no clue where you got shot from.”

Thunder stared into Raining’s eyes, or at least as much as he could from outside those glowing goggles of his. The colt’s nerves were in no way helped by his bluntness. “So then what do I do?”

“Just shoot people and have fun, that’s what I do.”

“Raining, you have the finesse of a brick.”

The two joined up with the growing herd of young colts and fillies now lining up behind a pair of double doors. All of them wearing the same inactive Spell-Carriers and weapons the duo had with Neon and his bodyguards, Postal and Pots, waving a hoof to them. A marshal stood in front of the group with a little announcement prepared, his voice stoic and stern.

“Okay everypony, we’re starting with a simple elimination match. Either destroy the enemy’s team base crystal or score more points to win!”

With a quick buck the double doors flew open and the single adult cracked a grin as the swarm of kids all swam past him and out onto the open battleground. True to Thunder’s expectation the Blast Zone was in fact an exaggerated maze of neon colours and dark corners. Barrels with bright, glowy paint splatters and decorational artwork adorned the walls and floor.

Above them were a set of floating light lined barricades and obstacles, no doubt meant exclusively for pegasi and aerial combat. He could already feel the adrenaline rush through his body at the promise of action, but kept himself on a leash and followed Raining on their side of the map.

The brass colt was only a few steps short of breaking out into a gallop as they ascended up ramps and around sharp corners. Their weapons still weren’t active so Thunder figured they still had some prep time and that’s what Raining was taking advantage of. They climbed up some kind of tower that led to a large open window with a view and a pintle mounted multi-barrelled Spell-Shot weapon faced the sky on the edge of the window. Below it was an empty chamber where it looked like something could be inserted.

Raining however wasn’t interested in that and instead turned to the back wall where two chambers holding differently coloured crystals lay. He pulled his Spell-Shot off and pressed a button below the weapon’s crystal chamber, the glass cover popping open as did the wall mounted ones when he repeated the act and placed the orange crystal within the chamber below the pintle mount. Once inside the weapon’s colour palette changed accordingly.

Thunder watched with curiosity before turning to his own weapon which still glowed a faded white. He opened up the second chamber which housed a cool blue gemstone and smiled before swapping them out. A rush of energy shot through him as his weapon gleamed with newly acquired power.

“That one will give your weapon more range and damage, but it’ll be slower to charge.”

“Damage?” Thunder wearily turned to Raining and he clicked his remaining white gem into the chamber under the mounted Spell-Shot. “I thought Platinum said your rig would just turn off if you get shot, these aren’t actually going to hurt us are they?”

“Then you weren’t paying attention, which, I mean, fair enough. But nah, if you get shot you’ll just lose a life. Some weapons drain extra lives but they're normally harder to handle.” The pintle mount then glowed a bright white and hummed with arcane energy. Raining’s grin only grew wider and a low, hearty giggle escaped his chest.

Thunder soon joined him and looked over the massive Spell-shot with a mixture of awe and worry. “Hey, what happens if you shoot me? Will my carrier turn off?” He pointed towards the weapon.

Raining slowly turned to him with the anticipation of a mad-mare. “There is no such thing as friendly fire.” He blankly responded.

“Okay Raining, totally not creepy at all! Not in any way at all whatsoever! Nope none!”

Try as he might Thunder couldn’t stop his nerves from bleeding into his expression and he forced a smile to cover it up but his shrunken pupils still betrayed him. Hesitantly, he gave Raining a pat on the shoulder hoping to temper the colt’s playful madness, but only managed to garner a slight head tilt, like a curious animal trying to make sense of something unusual.

Before Thunder could follow up however, the arena’s loudspeakers turned on and the announcer flooded the soon to be battleground with their message. “Ten seconds until game everypony!”

Raining snapped back to the neon maze and took hold of the mounted weapon as its trigger gems powered up. The duo’s carriers and Spell-shots likewise.

Thunder huffed in annoyance and unfurled his wings, preparing for the multitude of floating barricades that started slowly shifting through the skies, a maze of neon lights just as messy as the one below him.

Looking ahead he spotted several pegasi, both allied and enemy, taking to the skies around him and saw the gleaming green lights of the enemy team from off the maze walls below. Electronic music began to flare up from the speakers that dotted the corners of the arena and a loud horn sounded. Suddenly, the air was filled with a flood of white spell bolts which he dodged and ducked, working hard to evade them all.

Luckily, his years navigating the twisting corridors of the hive and his time training for the invasion were coming back in full force. True to Raining’s word the bolts were fast, but horribly aimed and he bounced around the skybound barricades like a hawk.

Rearing up he aimed his Spell-Shot and quickly willed for the weapon to fire. In less then a second a trio of twisting bright blue lines swirled around the length of the weapon’s barrel and a bolt of turquoise light raced through the air, shaving the mane off a nearby pegasus who spun around to return fire. The hostile spell bolt went wide and a splash of snow white magic smashed against Thunder’s barricade evaporating shortly after.

Thunder fired again, but a loud beep denied such an action, two more shots whizzed past him and he ducked behind his barricade trying to catch a breath. Three more enemy players were converging his position last his saw and he felt a tinge of fear with how unprepared he was. The airborne trio grouped up and flew around a floating neon block to his side hoping to flank him.

Just then, a storm of orange bolts pelted their position and their carriers all went dark. What followed was the joyful howls of an ecstatic brass colt. Raining’s laughter wasn’t like that of a typical pony anymore, it had evolved into the evil, manic cries of a madcolt.

Giggling with glee as that rain of orange light drenched the cover of the pegasi that had fled the scene and gradually panned from one side of the arena to the other. His emotions shined less like a beacon and more like an erupting volcano of pent up joys and frustrations.

Thunder came to his senses once more and flew down into the twisting hallways of the dark maze below. Not more than a few seconds later he heard the clattering of hoofsteps from around the corner and the emerald green sheen of an enemy player. For a moment he felt like a changeling was about to round the corner and hurried to bring his weapon to bare, pre-emptively firing just as the player came into view.

A splash of cool blue magic knocked his lights off before he’d even registered Thunder’s presence and he almost tripped from the sudden force.

Thunder chuckled as he turned to his turquoise tool of destruction. “Okay, maybe this thing isn’t so bad after all.”

In another section of the arena, Moonlit Lance had to once more readjust his carrier. Mirror had timed her alteration of his disguise almost perfectly to avoid the straps that now clung to his body from giving away his true self. In the time between moving into the Green Team’s ready room and having a marshal help him out, he’d grown up to his normal height, it did tilt a few heads but the sudden change was thankfully lost among the crowd.

“Gonna have to thank her later for this, she couldn’t have timed that better.”

Now he was rushing through the maze like a bull trying to reach orange’s side of the map. Finding the two colts was going to be a chance encounter at best, but it was better than nothing, it wasn’t a huge arena after all. That’s when he was struck on the side from an angle he wasn’t paying attention to and his Spell-Carrier shut off in an instant. With a spike of irritation he snapped to its source and saw a glowing orb of orange light duck behind a window.

“You know what? Screw it, I can have a little fun here.” A competitive grin lined his face and he dashed off to where the shot came from, the filly on the other side nearly screamed when Lance’s massive frame skidded across the floor into view and had a clear line of sight from the bottom of a ramp. She tried firing but Lance’s carrier recharged just in time and he disabled the little filly’s rig, prompting a hasty retreat.

“These kids have nothing on me!” He thought, before Lance could continue his crusade however, karma put him in his place as another white bolt struck him in the back. He scowled and turned to face a yellow pegasus who grinned and slipped away before being chased down by one of his teammates. “Focus Lance! Find the little runts before the game ends!”

He galloped through the maze and blasted anything that got in his way, friend or foe. The pragmatic part of his brain kept his direction clear but even he couldn’t deny he was having some amount of fun throughout the game. However, that was pushed aside as he fought his way towards orange’s side of the map. Zapping several ponies on the way and at one point having to hit the floor to avoid a hail of orange bolts that would’ve destroyed his hiding place were they real.

Eventually he reached the outskirts of what was likely the Orange team’s base. A mostly enclosed room with a central pillar in the middle housing a large glowing crystal. Up above were the mad cackles of their swivel gunner, unleashing a barrage of orange fire upon different areas of the arena from the top of their defensive tower. “There’s only one pony I know of who’d laugh like that. I think I can strike Raining off as a changeling.”

In the process of Lance’s push he’d managed to pick up a small following of ponies who he’d cleared the way for, but sieging the base wouldn’t be easy. Looking around, he saw a few familiar faces protecting it, the two ponies Raining and Thunder spoke to before the game and the birthday colt from the carnival. They were hiding behind the room’s windows and door firing upon their positions trying to deny them entry inside.

Yet despite their joyful cries Lance’s mind went in the complete opposite direction and memories flashed through his head. Flashes of sickly green light, the screams of ponies nearby and a fire engulfing a coffee shop. A stallion twice the size of a single one of the giant insects shielding him from the impact of a nearby blast, followed by a buck powerful enough to disintegrate a melon.

Anger boiled up within his core, a volcano of his own ready to erupt. His face twisted and his eyes shrunk having been filled with vengeful rage that needed to be released.

However, then a voice echoed through his mind as he watched the three players fire at his teammates. A promise made and a promise kept, so he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and turned to a trio of ponies behind him. “You three! Get up to that tower and take over that swivel gun, I'm ending this game!” He roared.

The three colts shrank and hastily nodded, turning away they almost tripped over each other trying to get away from the giant angry colt. Lance refocused and charged forward through the hail of angry colours, his cutie mark glowing as they harmlessly missed and bounced away from him. A shot of his own smacking the face of an earth green filly, briefly blinding her with a scream.

If the door to the base chamber had a door it would’ve been blown clean off its hinges as he breached inside, skidding across the floor and unloading another bolt into Flower Pot’s barrel. He snapped over to an awestruck Neon Abyss, who’s weapon also shined with cool blue power, unfortunately that meant Lance recharged faster and he turned off his carrier like a light.

He turned to the last colt in the room, a paper white pegasus who’d backed himself into a corner with the barrel of his angry red Spell-shot twitching from fear. Lance couldn’t help but crack an evil grin at his hesitation as his weapon’s trigger gem was as paralysed as the colt’s mind.

Lance’s weapon recharged and he ended his ability to fight back on the spot, prompting Postal to collapse onto the floor in a puddle of feathered fear.

Lance laughed and turned to the crystal with a smile, levelling his weapon ready to fire…

Raining let loose another torrent of bright light from behind his mounted Spell-Bolter tagging anypony he saw with a dim green glow. His shiny goggles highlighting his eyes for all to see and his actual normal weapon laid up against the low wall beside the mount with its crystal chamber vacant. The swivel gun’s chamber likewise only now with the orange crystal jammed inside and the white one inside the housing behind him.

He didn’t know how many carrier’s he’d cut down or pegasi he’d poached, only that he never wanted the cathartic thrill to end. The recoil of the magical cannon, the rattling of his teeth and the roars of its bite, it never ceased to amaze him and he never eased up on the trigger. The only sounds to make it through his mind were the manic expulsions of his chest, the blaring electronic music and the hoof steps rushing up the ramp behind him.

His ear twitched and from behind his goggles his eyes shifted left. Acting on instinct he pulled the orange crystal out from the Spell-Bolter’s chamber and jammed it into his waiting weapon. It lit up with arcane power and he spun around, firing a bolt directly into the chest of an earth pony who fell over from the shot.

A unicorn then jumped over him and fired in Lead’s direction, but like a southern gunslinger, he dove to the side and returned three times the shots. They each blasted a line up the unicorn’s legs and shut off his carrier, prompting a frustrated grumble as he helped his teammate up and back down the ramp. Raining let out a hyena-like laugh as the last pony peaked their head around the corner, beads of sweat rolling down their head.

“Go on, you can take me!” Raining gestured with a hoof. “I’m right here, no cover!”

The remaining gleaming green pegasus grinned and pulled back before the next thing Raining saw was the end of his Spell-Shot’s barrel, but instead of going around the corner he saw an orb of pulsing yellow energy forming on the weapon’s tip. Raining’s jaw dropped and he looked around for any kind of escape.

Moments later the entire interior of the tower was painted a blinding lemon yellow as an explosion of colour splashed each wall from top to bottom and soon after the pegasus player cautiously entered, expecting to see Raining wearing a fresh coat of disappointment.

Instead the tower was deserted with nopony in sight, panic set in as the colt’s head spun back and forth trying to locate the enemy player.

He was so caught up he didn’t even notice that the barrel of the swivel gun was now pointed towards him. In a flash he was drowned out by an onslaught of fruity orange light, the force of which sent him tumbling back down the circular ramp from which his friends had climbed the tower. Behind the Spell-Bolter, Raining clung onto its handles for dear life, with his rear hooves firmly planted onto the wall of the tower and laughing as if he’d just cheated death.

With a flash of his horn he was back inside the tower and ripping out the power crystal from its open compartment, before loading it back into his Spell-Shot without missing a beat. “If those ponies are close enough to get up here, they’re close enough to raid the base. Welp, no time like the present!”

Raining rushed down the ramp and had to make a choice, he’d memorised the two routes that split off from the junction he was now at. One was more exposed but was quicker while the safer route was slower, but if he pulled it off he’d be able to outflank anypony firing upon the entrance to the base. Leaning on the side of caution, he took the safe route, wanting to get some cheeky close quarters combat in before the game ended.

There was another dim green sheen from around the corner and he stopped, waiting until the enemy player rounded the bend before knocking his lights out with a trio of shots. He halted and stared at Raining as he smiled back, happily prancing past the nervous colt he’d just tagged. Raining would go on to shoot a few more ponies sieging the base before getting a distant but possible angle on the colt inside the crystal room.

It was too far to make out details but could see he’d just taken out Postal.

“Haybales! Okay Raining, don’t fumble this shot!” He raised his arcane weapon and took a deep breath, having to deal with two pieces of cover plus a window wasn’t something he did often but maybe he’d fire enough bolts at least one of them would get through?

The colt backed away and turned to the base crystal, it was now or never!

Raining fired and so did the colt, the lights within the arena then all shut off and so did the Spell-Carriers of every player with them, which bathed the space in complete and utter darkness. Raining held his breath, aware of what was about to come as his heart rate caught back up with him. “Damn it I was too late!”

The music even stopped and the other kids occupying the room began murmuring to themselves over what was going on. The air grew cold and seconds dragged out, moments of painful longing for the inevitable conclusion.

Then the lights flickered back to life but the entire room was now adorned in the orange lights of Neon’s team. Raining’s heart had sunk into his hooves only to shoot back up so fast it threatened to crash into his collarbone as disbelief forced his jaw to the floor as he looked around. Dumbfounded as many of the other players around him from either team.

The announcer then chimed back in as his voice echoed throughout the arena with a sting of celebratory music. “Orange Team wins! With Green’s base crystal having been tagged by Thunder Chaser!”

“I’m sorry what?” Raining thought out loud. Just then he heard Thunder laughing to himself as the pegasus glided over the frozen battleground without a care in the world. His joyful smile spread to the other players regardless of their allegiance and soon little cheers could be heard from around the orange washed maze.

Moonlit Lance walked out and simply glared at the smug pegasus, his eye and ear twitching in envy as he watched him dance through the air with the admiration of his team.

Taking a deep breath he angrily walked towards his team’s exit with his hooves stamping into the floor hard enough he might’ve left dents in it, not wishing to waste another second of life in this damn room.

Raining shook himself from his stupor and giggled to himself, he wasn’t sure why exactly it just felt right with how light his chest felt. He likewise headed for Orange’s exit where he soon met up with Thunder Chaser, who of which, was a simple request short of being crowd surfed by Neon’s friends as they hung up their equipment.

A marshal helped derobe Thunder of his Spell-Carrier as Postal shakeningly approach behind him, pulling on Thunder’s mad grin as his senses soon caught the scent of dimmed down fear. His smile already waned when he turned about face and saw the paper white pegasi’s shrunken pupils.

“Hey…Thunder, how are you? Had a good game?” He calmly spoke.

“Yes? And what about you?”

“I think I’m about to burst my dye packet.”

Thunder stuffled a chuckle as he tried to keep face, not wanting to insult his friend by laughing at his misfortune. “And why would that be?” He forced out, fighting the physical urge to giggle which if anything was making it worse.

“Remember that Lance colt you mentioned? Well…yeah I think he’s here.”

Any amount of joy or pretense of a witty reply died in his throat. He’d allowed himself to forget about Lance once the fighting started, and was able to enjoy just having a fun time shooting and being a sneaky little changeling. But now that was out the window, he slowly inhaled and kept pace with the conversation. “What happened? Did anypony get hurt?”

“No…no, but he almost nailed our base crystal…I-I had him right there in my sights. If I’d just pulled the trigger I would’ve stopped him right then and there but…I don’t know. I froze I guess, I’d never seen a colt so big!”

Thunder’s voice lowered and he put a reassuring hoof on Postal’s shoulder. “What did he look like?”

“Green? I think? There was a lot of green, it all just happened so fast I-I can’t-” Thunder gave him a little shake and cut him off, want to prevent him from breaking down inside the ready room.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’m just thankful you're alright. Same with Neon and Pots. Though I guess that does mean we can’t kick him yet.”

“Yeah, right, okay, hey by the way, do you wanna swap crystals? I think you might get more of a kick out of mine.” Postal forced a smile and brought up his Spell-Shot which housed a crimson red gemstone from within its chamber.

Thunder moved his hoof away from him and redirected it towards its housing with curious intent. “W-we’re allowed to keep them?”

“Just between games, red ones are shorter range but fire a spray of tiny bolts instead of a big singular bolt. I think yours will fire in a fixed pattern since you have the upgrade. Less chance you’ll cut a perfectly sized hole around your target instead of hitting them.” He jested.

Thunder nodded and they traded crystals, the colours of their weapons shifting into each other’s chambers and racing around their barrels. With a content smile, Thunder pranced over to rejoin Raining as they waltzed back out onto the main arcade floor.

Author's Note

MAN this chapter lasted longer than I thought, at first I thought about having this take place throughout three arenas but that would've been too much, there was a fair deal that was cut for the same of the wordcount but I think it was for the best. That and splitting the chapter in 2.

Me and size have a problem...

CH 8 - The Maze Pt2

One Night Before The Storm

Thunder was sitting down at the dining table Gleaming and her friends had claimed with Raining beside him. Finally able to relax after the surreal colour wash that was the first game’s Blast Zone arena, still a little drunk on love from the sheer praise of Neon’s friends. Even now as he was looking at the diner’s menu he still couldn’t let go of the grin he was wearing.

“Serves them for not defending their base, I mean seriously, so many pegasi could’ve just looked down and that would’ve been the match. I guess Raining gave them a good lightshow.”

His eyes scrolled down the list of options the menu provided. From hayburgers to salads, loaded fries and toasted sandwiches. However, it was when he got to the dessert section that he saw it. The sugar ridden, cinnamon spiced delight of fried doughnuts. There were other more boring options, like giant cookies or honeycomb waffles, but he wanted one thing and one thing only, doughnuts.

He turned around to look up at Gleaming who now sat opposite him next to Mint Tea. While it was faint he could still sense an air of trepidation around her,a now mostly empty glass pitcher sat within reach. Mercifully, she was smiling and Thunder could sense it was genuine, which was a good thing, but she still looked tired despite the time of day. He made a mental note of the mare’s condition and pressed on with his question.

“Gleaming? Can I have some doughnuts please?”

“As a dessert dear, you still need to have some actual food.”

Thunder bought up his menu again to hide a frown, quietly cursing that he’d been denied his glorious feast of fried dough for any longer than immediately. Eventually, he relented and panned his hoof through the options, not having even the slightest clue what any of these dishes even were.

Thankfully the flavour text below some of them gave him an idea of what to expect, but for some odd reason he was drawn to the, “pizza.” He wasn’t sure why, the tiny monochrome picture depicted a circle with a crusted edge with several cut lines going through it’s centre. Musing on it, he thought he recognised it from somewhere but he didn’t kn- “That’s the cheese disk, isn’t it?”

Almost immediately, he remembered that one time he went dumpster diving and pulled out a cardboard box with nearly a full “pizza.” It was stiff, cold, and had little more than blobby bits of cheese and whatever that red stuff was, but he remembered it being a nice break none the less. “I wonder what it’s like served fresh?”

“I’d like a garlic and-” Thunder had to examine the next word carefully. It was a new one he wasn’t familiar with so he read it slowly. “Moss-a-rella pizza please.”

Hazelnut and Raining stifled a chuckle while Gleaming and Minty gave him amused smiles. Immediately, he knew he probably fumbled the pronunciation, but he wasn’t expecting them to find it so entertaining. “If you say so dear.”

Gleaming got up and took the menus away with Hazelnut following suit to help pay for their lunches, leaving Mint Tea as the kid’s sole guardian. Thunder refocused on the task at hoof and leaned back into his seat, combing through the possibilities of the next match now that he had confirmation Lance was present.

“How am I going to tell Raining about Lance with Gleaming’s friends around? Once she hears about him she’ll send us home early.” Thunder spared a glance to his brother in arms who quietly bobbed his head side to side with an innocent smile, his goggles swaying from his neck. “And I don’t want to upset Raining, especially considering how things will be once he finds out about his dad. Still, at the same time, Lance is here and if he’s not going after Neon then he’s one hundred percent after us.”

Thunder turned back to Mint, who’d produced a book from her saddlebags which she was now reading intently. “I guess I’ll have to wait until we’re in the ready room again…”

Some time passed and soon the family were served their meals, Hazel (much to the chief’s ire) had went with another custom made coffee while settling on a sandwich, as did Minty but with a cup of tea. Raining took a hayburger, but when Thunder’s pizza arrived, it was a sight to behold. The cheese was hot and gooey, the tomato and garlic sauce was pure nose candy, and instead of being stiff like cardboard. the bread was soft and crunchy. It had been served on a massive plate that easily dwarfed the others. There was so much of it he ended up sharing with Gleaming!

Bite by bite he eventually finished his half of the massive pizza, patting his bloated belly in satisfaction. It was easily the largest meal he’s had since being taken in by Gleaming and he wasn’t used to the lethargy that followed. Perfectly content to lay back into the padded cushion of his chair and fall asleep if he were allowed. Of course he didn’t, there was still something waiting for him, his doughnuts.

“Feeling full deary?” Gleaming smirked, wiping her mouth with a serving cloth.

Thunder slowly nodded but pulled himself forward in his seat. “I still have room, can I have some doughnuts please?”

Right on que a waitress pranced over with a plate that had several steaming rings of sweet smelling fried dough. She slid it onto the table and Thunder’s eyes widened with long awaited delight. They’d been coated in a layer of cinnamon and topped with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. The golden brown skin and fluffy innards promised nothing but absolute utopia for his taste spuds.

Licking his lips in anticipation of absorbing the wondrous aroma, stars twinkling in his eyes.

But from the corner of his peripheral vision he could see a brass hoof slowly reach for his plate, like an intruder coming to steal his treasure, and like a thief he bought a hoof up to bat Raining away. He began creeping towards his golden rings only for Thunder to again swat his hoof, then a final time where he instead clamped down and pinned his hoof to the table. Flexing his wing and playfully slapping Raining’s cheek for the attempt at confectionery thievery.

When Thunder took his first bite it was like fireworks had went off in his mouth from the gooey goodness of the dough. But he quickly found that after eating the first fried ring, his already full stomach painfully complained about the lack of room. What cruel twist of fate would befall him that when his moment of triumph finally came, he wasn’t ready to receive it?

There were still four more rings left and everypony at the table was smiling at him, with Gleaming being the smuggest of them all. A new wave of colour had returned to the mare and her eyes weren’t nearly as tired, which only fermented her mischievous glare.

“Oh dear, can’t take another bite my sweet? Looks like you’ll have to share.”

A puzzle piece clicked into place and the extra large pizza suddenly made sense. There’s no way Gleaming would’ve expected him to eat the entire thing even with her help. “You planned this didn’t you? You sneaky mare, damn you and your scheming trickery!”

Thunder grumbled and slid down his seat in defeat. He’d been so close, yet so far. What Gleaming had done was nothing short of the most hideous of torture methods he’d ever heard of. The likes of which would’ve put even Queen Chrysalis to shame! He watched as everypony else took one of his doughnuts, stealing away his long awaited prize like a king witnessing the foalnapping of their bride.

“Next time Shellac, there’s always a next time.”

Moonlit Mirror hovered a wad of tomato pasta into her mouth, watching her big brother quietly devourer his second serving of chili cheese sandwiches. It hadn’t been that long since he returned and when Mirror saw a frightened, but unharmed neon coloured birthday colt, she’d expressed a sigh of relief. But now Lance’s cover may have been blown and he needed a new disguise, so she racked her brain trying to think of something as she ate.

“What about a red coat?”

Lance swallowed his mouthful and wiped his lip. “Did that already, remember the snowball fight?”

“Hmm, we could reuse the colours from the carnival, that might work.”

“Maybe, but they’ll be looking for somepony with my body type. You need to break up my form up somehow.”

Mirror groaned as her chin all but slammed on the table as she felt a headache come on.

“Lance, how am I going to do that while also making sure those straps fit you? Hiding your size isn’t easy, it was only because I’d heard one of the receptionists say you’d entered the ready room that I was able to pull off that size change. I don’t think I’m getting that again.”

Lance leaned back into his chair, trying to brainstorm a solution to his problem. He needed the element of surprise if his new plan was going to work in any capacity. However, his sister, despite it being her special talent, still had limits. The main problem was that the moment he needed to get the Spell-Carrier on he had to revert back to his normal size which was what Raining and Thunder would be looking for.

“What about a two stage delayed spell?” He asked.

Mirror then snapped to meet his gaze and winced, the expectation of mental anguish was in itself enough to deter the idea. “Do you have any idea how much that’s going to tax my magic? You’d be lucky if I could hold that for a couple of minutes.”

“But you could pull it off, right? Make the Spell-Carrier shrink with the rest of my body?”

Mirror knew she wasn’t getting through to her brother, but wasn’t about to let this go.

“Look even if I did it’ll still look off, the position of where the lights on your body are won’t match up with your shadows.”

“You really think they’ll pick up on that during a spell fight?”

A drop of cold sweat ran down Mirror’s temple and she quickly lost hope she’d ever be able to convince him. It was only by some mystical force of nature that he’d been able to keep his promise about Neon, but now she was paying the price of such a miracle. “Lance, as your sister, please don’t make me do this.” She pleaded, knowing full well his next few words.

“I’m sorry, but we need to know if Thunder's a changeling. I’ve managed to rule Lead out but, I have to be certain. I wouldn’t ask anypony else who I thought would be more capable.” He put his sandwich down and patted his chest, a gesture of honour he’d picked up. “It’s our duty.”

“No Lance, it was dad’s duty.” Is what Mirror would’ve said if she was brave enough to correct him. But the memories of the night Raining’s father had arrived still tormented her mind. The flashes of panic, the stench of smoke and iron, the twisted limbs…

She pulled her hat down in an attempt to hide herself from her brother but it was no use. Lance had a point, if Thunder was indeed a changeling then the implications were only bad. Raining and his family might be under some kind of mind control spell, they could be a front for a scout gathering information, heck if she really wanted to draw things out they might even expose a second changeling invasion before it begins. She knew what she had to do but still cringed at the notion.

Especially if it turned out they were wrong.

“Let’s just…finish our food first, okay?”

Lance nodded in agreement and a small amount of relief washed over Mirror, at least she’d be able to enjoy her meal in peace before committing so much magic.

Thunder and his friends flooded into the Ready Room, the briefing had been skipped to save on time, which meant he couldn’t pick out Lance from the crowd again. Nor did he have another chance to have the rules explained to him in detail, but at least it meant he wouldn’t have to wait to see what kind of oversaturated mess of colours the Mountain Arena had in store for him.

Quickly, he returned to his rack where his crimson red Spell-Shot and amber orange carrier patiently waited for him. Smiling as one of the marshals helped him put it on, a task which his stomach wasn’t appreciative of, but was carried out all the same.

The double doors opened and the kids all stormed through with bewilderment and excitement. Thunder was greeted with another darkened maze but this one had a lot more going on with it then just blackened walls lined with lights. Instead the paint job applied to the walls was more akin to an actual dungeon, but the colours used made the outlines of each brick glow under the influence of the blacklights. Spider webs, fake puddles of slime, skeleponies and dungeon door props were strewn about as if the staff couldn’t be bothered to take away the Nightmare Night decorations from a couple months ago.

Instead choosing to add Hearth’s Warming stuff on top to fit the season so that same skelepony had a big, red, Hearth’s Warming hat on as did the little spiders that cling to their glowing webs. Rings of garland and mistletoe were hung around, the walls had redecorated to resemble something you’d seen from a gingerbread house and some pieces of floating cover had been replaced with big bright stars circling a scarlet red carriage. A dense fog having made seeing anything not brightly lit through the skies somewhat of a challenge.

The end result was more akin to a gingerbread dungeon where all the naughty colts and fillies would’ve been locked up had coal not been enough.

Thunder honestly wasn’t sure if he’d consider it cute, festive or just plain creepy, but that was neither here nor there.

He then saw Raining among his teammates and quickly moved up alongside him where his bright orange goggles were already fixed to his face. A question was on the tip of his tongue but his brain paused and his words fumbled. Moments went by as he tried to remember but In a fit of annoyance it slipped away from his mind. He groaned in frustration and tried re-tracing his mental steps hoping it would come back to him.

“It was something important, it was from the last game, something about Raining…damn it, what was it?!”

It took a minute, but he was finally able to make it click.

“Oh! Hey Raining?” Lead looked over his shoulder towards him with an eerie smile, his fruity orange glare meeting his. “If you're able to teleport, what stops you from just destroying the enemy base crystal? Or just teleporting behind everypony?”

“Boredom.”

“Yup, that checks out, but that wasn’t the question.” Thunder rubbed the back of his head hoping to stimulate his brain, as if he’d find it sticking out from under the rug of his mane. Raining though wasn’t stopping and neither was the pre-game timer. Thunder, again, had to power walk to keep up with the pony shaped bundle of joy as they turned corners and pranced down hallways.

Eventually he gave up when his brother stopped by a corridor that led to a dead end and turned to Thunder with a smirk. Then he wiggled his shoulders like an eager schoolkid about to show off their perfect score. Thunder looked to Raining, then to the dead end, then back to Raining. “So why exactly are you so bouncy? I don’t see any mounted mare melters anywhere.”

The colt snorted and pranced into the sheer wall while gliding his hoof over the dimly lit walls until he stopped on something. He pressed into a hidden cavity and the wall end suddenly shifted to the side to reveal a room with a chest perched in its centre.

Thunder suddenly remembered the map he’d read before the games and felt a little dim for forgetting about this arena’s quirk. Raining meanwhile spun around with a childlike grin, gesturing to the chest inside.

“Ta-daa!”

“Heh heh heh, okay mister twenty-five games, wanna tell me what’s inside?”

“Nah, I want you to find out for yourself. You’ll like it though! Trust me.” His enthusiasm spread to Thunder as he followed him in.

A bright spotlight illuminated an oak and iron chest where he bent down and carefully pushed its cover open, imagining the golden glow of treasure beaming across his face to the sound of glorious music. Inside wasn’t a dragon’s hoard of treasure, but instead a gauntlet of some kind, housing a purple crystal within its chamber which judging by the lack of a button couldn’t be changed.

Thunder reached in and pulled it out, wondering what the strange device did as he slid it on his leg. It had a trigger gem like his weapon but upon activating it a large purple heather shield popped into being in front of his leg, glowing with lavender light that matched his eyes. Raining’s grin reached the corners of his face, filled with the same sense of joy one would see when their colt opens a birthday present.

“Damn Lead, didn’t think it would fit my colours too.”

“Yep! And it’s all for you! That shield should enable you to block out spell bolts if you time it right. Unfortunately, you can only have it active for a little bit before it starts to decay.”

On cue, the purple energy of Thunder’s new shield then bled into a warning red and gaps started opening up within its form. Immediately, he prematurely shut it off and the crystal inside gradually turned back to its original, healthy purple. Despite brief jolt, he shared Raining’s smile and rejoined the brass colt at the room’s doorway.

“Thanks Raining, any other hidden goodies you think I can pick up?”

“Not really, unless you want to change out your Spell-Shot’s crystal, which by now you should probably expect a bunch of the other kids to be running around with.”

“Well this should be-”

A wave of microphone static then assaulted their ears before a voice blared out on the loudspeakers. “Ten seconds until game everypony!”

They both cringed from the sudden wave of high pitched audio. Raining leaned against a wall while Thunder covered his ears with his hooves, taking precious few moments to rise back up and regain their senses. “Well I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Have fun out there Thunder!” Raining spoke with comically exaggerated voice cracks. The pegasus took to the skies just as their Spell-Carriers switched on and a different track of electronic music blasted through the room.

He’d managed to get behind a flying red wrapped present twice his size when the air was filled with a storm of colours. The fog impairing his vision must’ve been illusionary for none of the pegasi to be able to clear it up, but that was fine, he could still see the emerald greens of the enemy team soaring up to meet him. The pegasi of his own team likewise rising to the challenge.

“Remember your training Shellac! You can stomp these colts if your smart about it.” Thunder peaked his head over and was almost given a haircut when a flash of blue scraped by his scalp. Scanning the area, he was able to see several more pieces of cover as well as observe the groundborn skirmish throughout the maze. Picking out individuals was easier said than done however as the fog and lights made them blend together into a veritable soup of dancing colours. Thunder huffed and looked towards his shield, it would make him stick out like a sore hoof, but it was the safest way he could leap from cover to cover without being shot.

Taking a breath to ready himself, he raised his weapon, and charged forward with the shield of purple energy held out in front of him. Splashes of neon colour bounced off his shield, denting it with light taps that sent waves of wobbling water throughout the rest of its frame.

An enemy pegasus flew towards him and Thunder quickly saw he was trying to get an angle around his shield, so with a smirk he barreled to the side behind an airborne mass of bricks that resembled a crumbling chimney and drew his weapon. The pegasus came around and unloaded a bright white shot into his shield which sent it from a pinkish red to its crumbling decay state.

Moving fast, he switched it off and fired his Spell-Shot, several lines of red energy swam around the barrel and a spray of scarlet pellets smashed against his carrier, switching it off in an instant. With a satisfied smile he flew around the chimney to the right side of the arena where he had less angles to worry about, hoping to flank the majority of players hiding behind their skyward barricades.

The player he’d just tagged however wouldn’t let him go without a fight and so a chase ensued. A spell bolt grazed his left flank and he spun around to return fire, only to discover the big weakness of his pellet weapon. The angry red rockets didn’t reach nearly far enough to disable the coal black colt’s Spell-Carrier and allow him to fire off another shot, forcing Thunder to twist awkwardly to dodge it before pushing forward.

But the colt had wisened up to his weapon’s limits and he back peddled away, flying off into the fog where Thunder pursued. He raised his weapon to fire again only for Thunder to switch on his shield and block the incoming bolt. The split second of confusion was all he needed to close the gap and blast his pack to kingdom come.

The pegasus colt was left laughing to himself, dumbfounded by Thunder’s new toy as his carrier went quiet. Two more bolts then struck Thunder’s side and he spun around to see they’d come from Green's side of the arena. “Oh, right, that’s what I was doing.”

Reaffirming his strategy he used the time he had recharging to fly back around to his prior position on the right side of the arena. From there he waited behind a floating Hearth’s Warming Tree made of painted plates of wood. One advantage of having his carrier knocked out was that his crystals didn’t shine as brightly, which meant it was unlikely anypony saw him hide.

The second they turned back on he grinned, adrenaline coursing through his veins and tingles running up his spine, he felt so alive! Briefly, he wondered if this was what Raining felt when he took hold of that swivel gun from last game as he popped out from behind the tree, flying through the air with the speed of an arrow.

Coming upon a group of enemy players that had their backs turned, he took advantage of the element of surprise. A single blast of scarlet energy took out three players at once, while remaining player only had enough time to turn to face him before he too was washed with red light.

The feeling of power he had was gratifying to an extreme, his eyes shot open as the hype reached its climax and he laughed in delight. Thunder wasted no time rushing forward beyond the group to find more targets, wanting, needing another power hit.

Meanwhile down below, Raining took his time jogging through the ginger coated corridors. Experience had taught him never to just rush forward or he might turn a corner where somepony was waiting for him. Worse, he might collide with another pony who had the same idea. Slowly, he peaked through his weapon’s barrel first and slowly turned the corner, trying to expose as little of himself as possible before moving forward.

Reaching a more open area with several chest high walls he saw a few of his teammates had gathered together in a tight knit group, it wasn’t uncommon for this to happen, the line of thinking was solid. The more bolts you could sling at somepony the less chance you’ll all be taken out by a lone operative. But Raining kept his distance from them amidst the rainbow of colours being exchanged between the two teams. A pair of ponies with the same rapid fire crystal he had were pinning them down from behind a window, punishing anypony who tried moving away from their hiding spot.

Raining smirked as he drew back from the doorframe and ran away, the layout of the arena meant the only way to get to the enemy base was to go through the middle area where his team was being pinned. But that only applied if this was your first time going through this maze.

This was not Raining’s first time.

Quickly, he backtracked until he found a wall with a set of discoloured tiles and a neon red warning sign. Then he repeated his actions with the hidden chest room with Thunder and soon found the hidden button. Pressing it in the entire wall then spun around on a turntable that saw him now on the other side, on Green’s territory. He jogged through, careful to check his corners before committing, managing to catch a few players by surprise with his secret door trick.

Eventually he stormed into the little bunker the two Green players were hiding, a third had joined them holding a bright yellow Spell-Shot that he could already see charging a massive blast aimed for his companions.

“Oh no you don’t!”

With a spray of orange bolts he switched off their lights and denied the yellow orb its chance to wreak havoc. Letting out a laugh he moved to the window slit where he waved a hoof to confirm they’d been dealt with. This proved wiseas he heard more hoofsteps approach the door he’d just used and quickly fired a second trio of shots. They shut off the Green players still in the room before diving onto the floor in the middle of the doorway where he caught the two other enemy players by surprise and blasted them with more bright orange bolts.

Getting to his hooves and shifting past before their carriers switched back on, laughing under his breath all the way.

His teammates swarmed the enemy’s side of the maze and it became pandemonium inside the halls as spell bolts were exchanged left right and centre. Players from both teams were being shot at odd angles they had not seen and from places they weren’t quick enough to react to. This was truly when Raining was in his element, snapping between corners to windows, from behind barricades and doorways, popping light packs just as quickly as they were coming, laughing through it all. A shower of reds, oranges, blues and whites all raced around him as he absorbed the chaotic energy of the misty skirmish all around.

Every carrier shot was a weight off his back, every Spell-Shot silenced was catharsis to his cranium and of course the music of his favourite DJ to his ears rounding the action out. This was a jungle and he was the lion, nothing could’ve stopped him now!

Except maybe the orb of bright yellow energy he caught on the end of his peripheral vision.

Immediately his heart pounded in his chest as he spun around, a tinge of panic running through his body as he scrambled to take out the enemy player before they could retaliate. The spell bolts were only a split second too slow however as while they did connect they’d failed to prevent the giant rocket of explosive yellow death from surging forward towards him, leaving a trail of light in its wake.

Raining ducked and the bolt wizzed over his head, instead exploding with fury behind him, like a giant water balloon that had finally bursted. He smiled once more and shouted in the colt’s direction. “Ha! Go suck a lemon!” He cried!

“Uh…Raining?”

He looked over his shoulder and saw Neon sitting behind him, alongside Postal, Pots, and all of his other teammates who now looked over each other with their Spell-Carriers disabled and not turning back on. Promptly, his heart sank as he realised that while he was still standing, half his team was now without any lives and unable to continue until they found a station to recharge at.

And he was left in the middle of enemy territory…with at least three quarters of the enemy team about to come bearing down on him, at once.

“Oh…haybales…HAYBALES!”

Raining looked from left to right trying to find a door to run down that wouldn’t result in him getting shot, it didn’t take long for him to break out into a full gallop in a fit of nervous laughter. The war in the skies still looming overhead and the fog of the dungeon obstructing his view of the distance. Any preconceived notion of being quiet or methodical was tossed aside in favour of running for his life, imagining a conga line of ponies all rushing behind him eager for some revenge.

Raining doesn’t know how many turns he twisted or corners he cut, only that he was away from the bulk of the enemy team now hiding behind a wall trying to catch his breath with his heart ready to rip itself from his chest and lungs fit to ignite. The weight of his equipment was like an anvil as he slumped to the floor, his hoof over his chest as he desperately tried to regain control of his panicked breathing. The music felt muted and the cool air of the arena was like that of icy water upon his body, cool and refreshing as he panted.

He was allowed time to calm down as the sounds of Spell-Shots echoed throughout the gingerbread dungeon. Given a moment of peace to enjoy the beauty of the lights overhead with the dancing colours that glowed and shined through the fog above.

Sadly, all good things came to an end when he heard a stampede of hoofsteps rushing closer towards his position. He rolled his eyes in frustration and picked himself back up, levelling his Spell-Shot around the corner waiting for a gallery of green lights to spring into view.

“Come on fillies and colts,” He said with a grin. “I got two things, experience.” The shapes of emerald green enemy players then rounded the corner.

“And spite!”

Gleaming Gold took another gulp of water, finishing off her glass for what may have been then eighth time by now. Miraculously, she’d managed to slow down on the water intake (much to the relief of her bladder) but was still sharing a decent chunk of the emotional baggage she’d picked up in the past few days.

Mint Tea sat beside her with Hazelnut on the opposite end of the table. Sure the spa was closed so they now had the day off, but in truth, the two were there to look after Gleaming as much as they were for Raining and Thunder. They’d managed to prevent at least one more panic attack as Gold went through her thoughts on her potential new son.

“I don’t know Minty, I’ve been thinking about adopting Thunder properly, but we’ve only known him for under a week. He seems to get along with Raining but I don’t know how the two will interact with each other long term. And that’s to say nothing of the potential financial costs.”

Mint Tea contemplated the information before taking a sip from her cup, letting her mind relax as she drank the warm scented beverage before setting it down. “Do you at least trust him?”

It was Gleaming’s turn to think. Obviously she’d been suspicious at first, especially after her trip to the library. But the night Thunder had helped her injured little Lead back home had cemented his loyalty in her mind. If he was willing to defend Raining, possibly with his life, then Gleaming felt much more comfortable with the thought of living with a changeling. “I think so.” She replied, a moment later though she reaffirmed her answer with more confidence. “Yes, I do.”

“Then things will be okay, my sister is great with children. I’m sure she’d be willing to help foal-sit while you're at work.”

“But won’t I have to pay her as well?” Gleaming already felt her panic set in at the thought of money.

“I’m sure she’ll be reasonable, besides, she’s been looking to use up her free time somehow.”

Gleaming smiled, the doom and gloom clouding her brain lifting slightly at her friend’s reassurance. A way forward for her family had opened, it might not have been the cosy cottage outside Canterlot but there’s still plenty of time between then and now. Granted she had no idea what it'd be like raising a changeling and part of that excited her. If nothing else Thunder might just turn out to be a light eater, his intolerance of giant pizzas was proof enough of that. She could still remember the look on his face when he realised he’d been had by her, oh how satisfying it was to tease the young colt. Her smile grew and she giggled at the thought.

“Thank you Minty, you’ve done a lot for me today.”

“My pleasure Gold.”

“Hey what about me?” Both mares turned to Hazel, now on his third caffeinated nightmare of a drink, each one somehow more complex than the last. “Haven’t I helped?”

“You were moral support, dear.”

“That was entirely the reason we came along!” He shot back, waving his hooves up to dramatise his point.

Gleaming and Mint both broke into a fit of laughter which, didn’t spread to Hazel at first, but moment by moment, he caught on, rolling his eyes as they calmed down. “Yeah, okay, I think I get it now, I’m the funny one…apparently.”

“Oh Hazel deary, you're wonderful to be around, even if you can be a bit jumpy.”

“Jumpy how?” He asked, taking another extended sip of his cup of caffeine.

“Remember Nightmare Night?”

Hazelnut looked at Gleaming and her shining grin for several long moments. Breaking out an impromptu staring contest between the two before Hazel let out a deep, exaggerated sigh. “Okay, you got me there.”

“It’s the caffeine Hazel, you drink too much.”

“No I don’t!” Hazel then bought up his cup and tried downing more of her custom drink, only to suck in empty air. He looked at his cup and ripped the lid off to find it was now completely empty. How? I only just got this drink…

Immediately, he turned back to both mares who now wore smug expressions like they were T-shirts. “Okay, so I might have a problem.”

“How do you get any sleep?”

“Simple, I don’t drink any coffee.”

Gleaming began giggling again as Mint Tea took another sip from her cup. “By the way, how do you think the kids are doing?

“Oh they’re probably fine dear.”

Moonlit Mirror’s heaving was the only sound her ears were picking up, her head buried in her hooves as she fought to keep concentration on her two-staged disguise spell. It felt like every minute a white hot knife was slowly digging into the back of her skull, edging closer to her face inch by inch. Her heart pounding in her chest as a headache so painful she would’ve rather had her head pop set in. If she had claws she would’ve ruined the table she was resting on, fighting to make sure the spell kept going.

Come on Lance, do your thing and end this already!

“This is not fine!”

Raining shot another trio of orange bolts and caused the enemy player he was aiming at to only fire at empty air as they raised their weapon. He snapped right and shot another unicorn who’d tried moving in behind him, but her galloping hoofsteps gave her away. Lead quickly repositioned and ran past the tagged filly, catching out another player who wasn’t expecting him.

In the time since the explosion, Raining Lead had become his team’s frontline. Being a constant pain in their side that just wouldn’t go away. By now, most of the enemy team had moved on but a trio of players had dedicated themselves to sending him back to base. A goal he was making them work for as the three players he’d just tagged were that hunting party, and he’d just drained the last of their lives.

The sight of the three angrily groaning colts heading back to base brought Lead a beaming sense of pride and a somewhat sinister smile on his face.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them move away back to their base to recharge, it was just the break he needed. All this running around was tiring him out, but in a good way, it kept his muscles hot and his senses sharp. With another breath, he moved into a slightly more open area with a few barricades and a door that led to that hidden passage he used. Raining smiled, maybe it was time to rejoin his allies?

Before he could act upon his instinct he was struck on the flank by a bright white bolt, his carrier depowered and he frowned, turning to see a maroon red earth pony with a smug grin running towards him. Raining huffed and ran around the skirmish area, hoping to get some distance so he could return fire when his carrier powered back up. Instead, when it did, the pony skidded behind him and again shot him in the flank, right on the cutie mark. It was only a white bolt so he was only losing maybe a life or two per shot, but it still annoyed him. Irritated, he got up and galloped around some corridors but could hear the brownish-red colt chasing him, disabling his carrier the moment it turned back on.

The third time he felt an actual tinge of frustration but kept moving, it didn’t seem the matter what corner he ran around or what direction he’d take upon a split, the colt just kept following him and zapping his Spell-Carrier. The fifth time he actually stopped and turned around. “Hey! Stop tail-gating, your breaking the rules!”

The only reply the colt offered was an unconcerned shrug, shooting him again when his carrier lit back up. Raining could feel the angry spark of emotion rising from his chest, only frustration for now but when he tried running away again only to be shot for the seventh consecutive time did that flame really start growing. Again, he tried running some more and was met with similar results, his eyebrows now pinching at his goggles from the anger boiling within him.

By now he was about ready to go and find a marshal when he saw Thunder Chaser above him, still chasing ponies with beams of red light. Immediately, he lit his horn up and casted a simple seeking bolt spell to get his attention, if Thunder could get a shot off on him they could break the cycle and he might be able to get some more points before needing a recharge.

Thunder flew the skies, he’d lost track of the amount of pegasi he’d sent back to Green’s base, but either his team’s air force wasn’t very good or the enemy team just had a lot of pegasi. No matter how many he shot, they just kept coming, taking twists and turns to avoid his scatters of red pellets. They’d even managed to get a few shots off on him but for the majority of the time he was able to slink away, like he was playing airborne dodgeball.

All this chasing was finally starting to wear him down when he felt something tap on his shoulder. A quick turn revealed a magical arrow pointing downwards into the arena, directly at Raining Lead. It looks like he’d been cornered by an enemy player who was sapping his suit the very moment it sprang back to life, an air of anger and discontent wafting around him as he looked up at Thunder with a black spinning tumbleweed above his head.

The pegasus snorted and finally left Green’s air force alone, descending down onto the corridor behind the maroon colt and coating his side in crimson light. The colt turned to Thunder with a smirk as his Spell-Carrier depowered and Raining’s reignited. “Okay, now will you stop bothering me?” Asked Raining.

The colt snapped back to him and spoke with a voice that sounded too deep for his size. “No.”

He cocked his hoof back and punched Raining’s face, a web of cracks running through his right lens. An enlarged outline of the colt’s hoof glowed a navy blue as it connected with Lead. He stumbled back in shock and fell to the floor from the force of the punch, stunning the brass unicorn.

“Raining!” Thunder cried, about ready to break out into a gallop and tackle the offending earth pony, but then he finally remembered the question he was meant to ask Raining.

“Hey Lead? Postal said Lance is in fact here, what do you want to do about him?”

Now it was too late, and flashes of what happened the last time he tried rushing Lance from behind prevented him from making that same mistake. The world seemed to slow down as his heart was suddenly held hostage in a vice. He couldn’t play dumb here, not now, but he didn’t have time to strategise or form a plan. Lance was already right on top of him!

It seemed however that Raining still had fight left in him, the flames of anger finally combusted and magical swirls of energy gathered around his horn, letting loose an actual harmful spell bolt that struck Lance’s chest. A wave of deep blue magic washed over an outline of the colt’s actual, enormous size, and he was forced back a few steps.

But if Raining’s anger had been a gradual build up then Lance’s was an almost instantaneous shot from one to a hundred, as if to scream at the poor colt for daring to fight back. Raining was able to scramble to his hooves and gain a little distance only for Lance to rip his Spell-Shot weapon from his carrier and hurl it at him, a ghostly outline of his real form appearing in front of Thunder. The weapon tripped up Raining’s legs up allowing him to close the gap, slamming Raining’s head against the neon painted wall.

That was enough, no more! Thunder raced forward as he saw Lance bring a hoof up to strike Raining again, his next punch promising to shatter his goggles and paint the wall red with fury. Thunder wouldn’t let him lay another hair on his new brother, not if it meant his life! But how would he get around Lance’s buck? And he wasn’t near close enough to tackle him. A million different thoughts raced through his mind but In his panic there was only one thing he knew he could do…

Lance cocked his hoof high above his head and prepared to strike the dazed piece of filth that had harmed him, and by extension his sister, until the doctors at the hospital couldn’t even recognise his sorry flank. Undeserving of the joys he’d had today, only good for being the piece of gum ponies walked over on the street. What he felt was more than anger, more than rage or simple frustration, the burning flame that Raining had just stoked was more than any of those things, it was hatred.

Furiously, he threw his hoof forward, but found it refused to move, stuck in place by something sticky, a wet slime that held him in place like an elastic band. He snapped back to look at the offending substance and what he saw made his blood both boil and grow cold. A royal purple glob of resin had glued his leg to the wall and quickly hardened, his eyes went wide and he craned his head over his shoulder back at Thunder. Who’s right leg was now made of a layer of black, hardened shell. Purple goop secreted from the holes in his forelimb and a ring of lavender fire separating the changeling chitin from the rest of his body.

A moment of silence overtook the air as they both stared at each other still as statues, processing exactly what had just happened.

Lance’s enraged scowl soon twisted into an evil, wicked smile, his eye and ear twitching as the burning hatred Thunder could feel smoking from the colt was redirected towards him. He in turn looked down at his hoof as he realised what he’d just done, his scowl of protective rage now twisting into fear, panic and dread.

Lance knows.

The two words echoed through Thunder’s brain a thousand times over before they finally sank in. He knows, Lance knows, and he’s happy about it.

He’s going to kill me, isn’t he?

Indeed, Lance’s smile twisted into that filled with evil, murderous intent. Fueled by a self righteous hatred, the likes of which Thunder had only seen during the invasion of Canterlot. In a show of force he pulled at the hardened resin and to Thunder’s horror he was able to pull himself free, chunks of purple rock clattering to the floor amongst the piles of fake goop. Crushing them even smaller with every step he took towards him, slow and deliberate with the navy blue outline of his real form marching forward. Thunder was nearly paralysed by the overwhelming aura of oppression he inspired, making him feel tiny by comparison…like a cockroach

No, that wasn’t him anymore, he wasn’t some nopony the world could use as its punching bag. He mattered to somepony and that might as well have meant the world to him. When the security of anonymity is discarded, the boldness of audacity can be found. He shook himself from his stupor and back peddled, throwing more orbs of sticky resin at Lance, the adrenaline in his body working overtime to stimulate the glands inside his hooves.

Yet Lance didn’t stop, he didn’t even slow down, he just walked right on through. His sheer strength and force of will overpowering the adhesive of the resin like it was little more than a bad joke.

“Okay, first the meteor spell, then being struck at point blank by Raining, and now this?! By honeycomb, how strong can one colt be? He’s like a walking fortress!”

Thunder switched tactics, there was no point hiding himself now and so his hoof burned back into its full ponish state. Instead, he undisguised his horn, and launched a trio of bolts at Lance that seemed to put a dent in his step. He shut his eyes in pain and grunted, for a moment Thunder thought he might’ve actually done something, before Lance opened them back open with the rage of a bull charging forward. Thunder’s next moved was to hide his horn and try flying away, but Lance wasn’t having it.

As he charged forward he smashed one of the decorative rings of topiary on the wall off its hanger, spinning around and throwing it like a frisbee at Thunder. It connected with his wings and sent him tumbling to the ground, his jaw hitting the top corner of the maze wall on his way down.

Thunder fumbled and as he laid prone, dazed by the sudden impact to his head. He bought a hoof up to his aching jaw and felt his teeth with his tongue, thankfully not having lost any this time. But he could hear Lance’s head hoofsteps gaining on him and he flipping back around, the colt already invading his personal space and about to strike. Thunder needed an edge, some ace he could pull out of here and now, as he pulled his legs up to defend himself he suddenly saw his shield gauntlet. Faster than a flash a bright purple shield blocked Lance’s initial blow, but he wasn’t stopping.

He continued to pummel at the lavender light, breaking down his opponent’s defences blow by blow. Thunder had at best just bought himself several seconds as attack after attack rapidly changed it to red, not meant for handling an actual assault.

With one final strike it disappeared entirely, his only line of defence now whittled away into nothing. Thunder braced himself for the hammerblow that was sure to come, panic pushing to the forefront of his mind. Was this it? Was this what his life had led up? The story of a forsaken changeling suffering through a series of misfortunes and little hard fought victories only to be bought to a grinding halt?

But just as Lance was about to cave Thunder’s face in there was a bright flash of light blinded the both of them. Thunder felt a pair of hooves grab his shoulders and there was another flash, this time landing him outside orange’s entrance to the arena, a familiar wave of nausea and confusion overtook his senses but at least this time he didn’t have to worry about balancing his body.

Quickly, he was suddenly reminded just how large his lunch was as he bought both hooves up to his mouth, fending off a rising tide of bile that burned his throat. Still able to sense an angry cloud of smoke wafting from the brass unicorn stamping around him in circles.

“Why? Why can’t he leave us alone? Why does he have to come after me everywhere I go? Just…why?!” Raining shouted, his voice faltering and cracking as he pulled his damaged goggles from his head. “Oh look at me I’m Moonlit Lance, I’m going to ruin a colt’s game of Spell-Tag because I feel like it, well buck you to!”

Thunder managed to force down the putrid contents of his stomach, spitting small remnants of his saliva onto the arena floor, trying to banish the horrible taste in his mouth as quickly as possible. Raining punched a nearby wall in anger and immediately recoiled his hoof in pain, flicking it as if to throw off pins and needles. “I mean seriously, he pops up out of nowhere to ruin my day! Does he just have a roulette wheel at home he spins when he gets bored? Oh hey look I’ve landed in Raining! Time to go make the little colt cry.”

“Raining…” Thunder grumbled, struggling to get up. The weight of his equipment felt more akin to having a whole other pony clinging to his barrel, his eyes spinning around in their sockets as his head whirled. The world spinning several times over.

“He never leaves me alone, never ever, and he bullies everypony I so much as glance at.” Raining’s anger gradually shifted, the cracks in his voice becoming more apparent with each passing word.

“Raining.”

“Why me? Of all the ponies in the world to torment, why'd he have to pick me? Wasn’t scaring my friends away enough?”

Raining Lead paced back and forth, his anger dissolving away into bitter tears as he contemplated life’s injustices. “Apparently not, because he’ll never be satisfied until I find a cliff to jump off somewhere, and even then he’ll probably make sure nopony attends my funeral.”

“RAINING!”

He finally broke out from his stupor long enough to turn to Thunder, his face burning as he fought back a wet wave of sadness. Thunder climbed to his hooves and leaned against a wall, shutting one of his eyes hoping the world would slow down if he did.

“Raining…he knows, Lance knows!”

Lead’s mind went blank, he stood there staring at him, his mental anguish taking a back seat to process the horrible revelation. “Lance. Knows!”

“Oh no…”

“We need to go, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry, but we need to leave.”

Raining didn’t respond, his body almost paralysed with denial. This shouldn’t be happening, he was invited to a birthday party, you're meant to have fun at those. So why was this happening? Why was he the only to get the short end of the stick? Because somepony had to and Lance decided he needed to make him miserable?

Thunder regained his senses and wrapped a hoof around Raining’s shoulder, his limbs burning in protest as he walked them through the doors of the ready room. Raining wore a grim look, blankly staring through whatever surface was placed in front of him. The depressive twins of doom and dread come back to haunt him, casting a dark shadow over his thoughts.

Thunder told the marshal present what happened with Lance and he helped them get their gear off. While it meant he didn’t have the chance to ruin Neon’s birthday if he saw fit, it also meant the two would have to make an expedited retreat from the arcade if they wanted to avoid him again. They were greeted by the bright lights of the main arcade floor where they could see Gleaming and her friends still chatting away. The building was an eyesore to the two of them, everything seemed so much louder, brighter, more sensitive to sensation. They could hear the distant wordless chatting of parents close by, the sights and sounds of video game cabinets and the oversaturated lights that met them wherever they looked.

Raining didn’t like this place anymore, it was loud, it didn’t feel safe and there were ponies everywhere, he wanted to go home and crawl into bed. Shut himself away from the world and be alone, where it was safe and comfortable and he could still be with his family. Who needs friends anyway? He had Thunder, he’d stay with him right? Lance wasn’t about to tell the guards and have him taken away, right? The only pony who he’d be able to describe as a brother. Who helped him get out of the snow and healed him, who he played games with and took to the carnival, who defended him when Lanced tried knocking his lights out.

He wasn’t about to go missing right? Just like how his dad had become absent from the house the night after the snowball fight…

He wasn’t about to go after mom…was he?

In the end…it’ll only be you.

And you’ll die alone.

“Raining deary? Can you hear me?” Gleaming clapped her hooves together in front of her child, not even eliciting a blink from the brass colt. His thousand yard stare boring a tunnel through the arcade walls. “Raining?” Gleaming asked to little response. He turned to Thunder with concern painted all across her body, not needing to utter a word for him to hear the question.

“Lance happened, he snuck inside and-” Thunder then pointed to Raining’s crackled goggles and the ring of darkened skin now forming around his eye. “-did that, but we managed to get away.”

Gleaming’s jaw went slack as she turned back to Raining, his muted, blank expression now saying a thousand words. She bent down to give him a big hug, trying to get through and let him know everything will be okay. Mint Tea and Hazelnut got up from their seats equally shocked, they’d never seen the results of Lance’s work first hoof, merely the aftermath.

“Oh my sweet little Lead, It’s going to be okay, mommy’s here to keep you safe.” She patted Raining’s back and rubbed the base of his neck, holding him close to her chest. Yet he remained unchanged, every word and promise made didn’t just deflect right off him, it drove another sharp knife of quiet anguish into his mind. An entire kitchen’s set hung just above his spine, a collection of horrible memories and painful emotions waiting their turn to be driven into his psyche.

All this stress, all this misery his mom was suffering through. All because of him. True Lance was the actual cause, but because he couldn’t resolve things with Lance, it was causing his family and his friends pain.

To everypony else Raining just seemed to be going through some bad emotions, some internal trouble that he’d surely get over by the time they get home. But Thunder could see those knives, feel the air of uncertainty surrounding him and more so knew what was probably going through his mind. Especially when his mouth began slowly contorting into a smile, the forced emotional equilibrium making a return in full force to counteract whatever dark thoughts permeated his mind. He maintained his stare as he spoke, his voice barely audible to his mother.

“I wanna go home.”

Gleaming turned back and held her son, his gentle smile only disconcerting her further. She wasn’t given time to wonder the full implications of his expression as Mint and Hazel quickly joined her. She hurried to stand upright and held her son’s hoof as they power walked away towards the exit.

Thunder watched from the back, he himself still strained from emotional shock yet able to keep his priorities straight. He could make all manner of educated guesses but until this point they only remained so. Now he was certain he knew how Raining had managed to cope under Lance’s oppression.

“So he does lie to himself, he lies and suffers in silence.”

Thunder felt his teeth clench as the smirking face of Lance entered his mind.

“I’ve been the only good thing to happen to him for a long time, or at least the only good thing with the promise of lasting. And now Lance threatens to take me away to.”

For the briefest of moment he turned back to the maze Lance was likely still skulking around in, Thunder’s eyes shifting back to their more ghastly, Changeling form.

“Well he can come get me. I made a promise, and I’m keeping to it.”

Moonlit Lance frustratingly walked away from the Spell-Tag lobby, having been kicked out for breaking more than a hooffull of rules. The staff didn’t even bother with a warning, it was straight to the ready room and out the door for him. But that was okay, it just meant his sister wouldn’t have to keep up the disguise spell for the entirety of the game.

Not that she actually did. Only a minute after his brief encounter with Raining and that thing his disguise wore off, which meant his sister had probably reached her limit. But he’d managed to get what he wanted and so wore a content smile as he quietly walked back to her table. Mirror was slumped over buried under her hat, little sparks of power occasionally fizzling from her horn.

A hint of worry broke his smile as he sat down next to her and gently tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to stir. But as the seconds ticked by she stayed quiet, her only sign of life being the slow rise and fall of her chest. Lance’s smile began to wane, he poked again and wasn’t answered to. Concern now mounting in the back of his mind. “Mirror? It’s me, are you okay?”

Agonisingly long moments of silence followed before he heard her voice, it was low and raspy, as if she’d just woken up from a thousand year long slumber she hadn’t quite finished.

“Lance…” She croaked.

He leaned in, trying to more clearly make out what she was saying. “Yea?”

“Never…again.”

Lance sighed and solemnly nodded, he couldn’t imagine what kind of pain she had been through but her voice said everything, and it warmed his heart knowing she was willing to stick herself out there for him and for the good of others despite that. Soon, everypony would be eternally grateful for her efforts.

“You have my word.” He replied, and this time he actually meant it.

“At least tell me-” Mirror paused to take a deep breath. “-you know something.”

Lance then dug into his pocket and pulled out a small chunk of hardened purple resin, smooth and clean to a finish. He placed it on the table in front of her and she fumbled it around with her hooves until it made its way under her hat, she raised her head to allow enough light in to examine, moving her head with the weight and grace of a lead brick.

“I can confirm, the pegasus is a changeling. Raining’s in on it to, he teleported their flanks out before I could do anymore.”

Had she the energy Mirror’s mind would’ve raced with all sorts of possibilities and questions at the revelation. But as it stood she was in no condition to brainstorm any theories, was Raining under some kind of spell? Was his whole family in on it? Why was the chunk purple and not green like she was expecting? All questions she’d have to ponder over another day, right now she barely felt like walking.

She did at least have the sense to recognise one thing about Lance’s evidence. “This chunk is too small, the guards won’t buy it, and whatever’s in the maze will blend in with the props.” She let go and allowed Lance to pocket the royal purple piece of transparent rock.

The colt looked on towards the arcade’s main entrance where they likely left, a smug grin steadily reaching the corners of his mouth. Fuelled by vengeance and harmful intent.

“Okay “Thunder,” the fun and games are over."

Author's Note

And thus we pass the half-way point. If you've made it this far then thanks! Means a lot that you're enjoying my work. Be sure to leave a comment, comments fuel me.

CH 9 - Trauma

Five Months Before The Storm

Raining stared at the single birthday card he had held in his hoof. The message inside from his parents, praising him for his schoolwork and promising him a great time for his special day. The whole house had been decorated for the occasion, complete with big colourful signs hung up in the living room and party poppers leaving confetti everywhere. Yet he didn’t look at the card with a smile, but instead with a frown.

It was the only birthday card he’d received that day, or at all. He’d waited and waited, but no others ever came. Not to his house or to the arcade. Now he stood there inside the comfort of his room, the curtained sunlight dim and gloomy, the colours of the world faded and dull.

“It’s not fair,” He told himself. “Why didn’t anypony come? I didn’t do anything wrong did I?”

He spared a glance at the mountain of toys still inside their boxes, all piled high around his chest. Despite having all manner of fancy gadgets and games he never felt the urge to try any of them, nor did he feel like reading, drawing, modelling, painting, or even playing tabletop with his dad. Truthfully, he didn’t feel like doing anything, why would he? What’s the point? Apathy had made the world sluggish to him. One moment it was half twelve and the next it was one a clock.

“I’m meant to be happy today, aren’t I?”

There was a longing to be with somepony, yet at the same time he desired isolation. Two paradoxical forces not so much clashing as they were glaring at each other, unwilling to make the first move.

Raining didn’t understand what was going on or why. How you could live in a city full of poniesyet feel so lonely at once. All the while his mind went back to when they’d gone to the arcade, expecting to be greeted by his friends, only to find the Spell-Tag lobby almost abandoned. Naturally, he tried playing some arcade games instead, but that hardly filled the void, in the end they just went home after having waited all morning.

“Why is this happening?” He croaked, his voice trembling.

Of course, his parents sang his praises when he got back and they had the cake early, but it didn’t feel right. Without a crowd, it was hollow, barren, lifeless, like eating a handful of sand. When he blew the candles out and his parents asked him to make a wish he was unable to answer them, his mind drawing blanks on what he wanted.

Now it was coming ahead, time flew by as he stood there wallowing away to himself. The cold wet touch of sadness burning his cheeks once more. He’d been a good colt hadn’t he? He went to school, he was nice to those he talked to and he did his best to make friends, so why wouldn’t anypony turn up? It was his birthday for crying out loud! Somepony outside of his parents had to care about him!

“This isn’t fair!” Raining bucked a back leg in frustration and felt something crunch behind him. Quickly, his eyes shot open and he spun around to look at his door, a hole in his side had opened up and chunks of wood splinters fell to the floor.

A weight had fastened itself to the back of his head as he examined the damage, now hounded by the possible consequences of damaging his door like that. Would Dad shout at him? Would Mom stop reading him bedtime stories? Would he have to save up his pocket money and pay for a new door himself? It only led downward from there and he looked around his room panicking, trying to think of something to fix it.

Thinking quickly, he took off one of the comic posters he had pinned to the wall and covered the hole in the door with it, stamping the pins in with a hoof. He took a step back and breathed a sigh of relief, admiring the bright colours and stylised depiction of Ironmare. Such a moment of joy was short-lived as soon that same depression came creeping back. The colours grew cold and his eyes drew heavy, the twin terrors of apathy and lethargy setting in.

“I can’t keep going like this, I don’t like feeling this way.” Raining began pacing around his room, trying to do something, anything to keep his blood flowing. This was his special day, he should be happy, so why haven’t things gone his way like they should’ve? He tried combing through his memories, looking for something he could take some enjoyment from. Most of the time he only found small fragments from past years, past times from other birthdays or games at the arcade, fleeting moments of triumph against his dad playing cards or little flashes of times he’d gone swimming. But it wasn’t enough, it all just circled back to the present with him being pulled in two directions by his emotions.

He needed something else, something fresh he could take from, but today had only offered him misery and disappointment. How was he meant to pull himself from this slump if he didn’t have anything to cling onto? Everything had gone so wrong for the newly crowned twelve year old. What was he meant to do, just suck it up and move on? So distracted, he didn’t even noticed he’d stopped and sat down on his bed.

“Well, they say laughter is the best medicine, what if I just forced myself to be happy? Maybe try remembering a funny joke?”

Raining forced his mouth into a smile and did exactly that, his dad always told funny jokes, the one about the cow and the Breezie was one of his favourites. It seemed to work as he let out a giggle and went from there, exaggerating how funny it was in his mind and quickly finding his smile was no longer forced. Granted, he tried forcing some laughter and remarkably it worked. He was starting to pull himself from his emotional slump.

“Is this actually working? Is this seriously the answer?”

Miraculously, his laughter went from forced to genuine, it was like finding out the lost key to your front door was under your doormat that you’d completely forgotten about. Was this how everypony dealt with stress? This whole time he’s been trying to find something to make him happy and here he was doing it for himself. The answer was staring him in the eye and he’d just not bothered to open up? Oh that’s hilarious!

Now fully grinning, he hung his head back and laughed, as loud as his heart desired, the irony was palpable! Why hadn’t he tried this before? This was it, this was what he was looking for. Why bother working so hard trying to find something that doesn’t exist when you can just change what makes you happy? This was brilliant!

By the time he’d calmed down from his fit of laughter he noticed he wasn’t sad anymore, that in turn just made him giggle at his victory. It’s true what they said, laughter wasn’t just a medicine, it was a cure! And now he was hooked. Everything would be fine! Just as mom said it would.

He heard a knock on his door and turned around to see his dad peeking through, the stallion’s expression one of concern for his son. “Raining, everything okay up here?”

Raining nodded with a wide smile. “Yep! I’m not sad anymore! I made myself happy!”

His smile spread to Copper and he looked over Lead, there were no tear streaks, no signs he’d been punching his pillow again and the bright colour on his face denoted his joy. “That’s great to hear, son! Would you be up to playing some Hammer & Anvil later?”

“Sure dad!”

Copper nodded and closed the door, his weary body reinvigorated by his son’s enthusiasm. He didn’t know where such a turnaround came from nor was he about to ask questions. Seeing his son finally smile since getting back from the arcade had put a spring in his step, thankful for his fortune.

Raining Lead was left alone in his bedroom once more, now with a new perspective of the world he’d carry with him wherever he went. It was fine that his friends didn’t show up, it was fine he didn’t get to play Spell-Tag today and his parents had sung their hearts out for him when blowing out that candle. Come to think of it, he never did make a wish, would it still count if he made it late? Well what’s the harm in trying? He thought.

“I wish I had a friend who’d never leave my side!”

Fifthteen Hours Until The Storm

It was another slow morning in the house, Gleaming had tried getting up early to cook a Hearth’s Warming Eve breakfast, but she just couldn’t get herself comfortable after the night prior. She tossed, turned and eventually fell asleep, but doing so alone was something she was not going to get used to anytime soon, even if she did enjoy the extra amount of bedsheets she now had to work with.

Raining and Shellac meanwhile didn’t fare much better, they ended up sleeping in due to Raining’s clinginess of Shellac. Not that Shell would complain, he was pretty comfortable in Raining’s arms. But there did come a point at which even Raining felt the need to move his limbs and escape the cozy covers.

Gleaming didn’t end up making the colts breakfast that morning, they’d beaten her to the cereal boxes and already had their bowls out. On the bright side, it meant she could save her pancake batter for Hearth’s Warming Day, considering how quickly Shellac chewed through her previous supply she considered it a blessing in disguise.

Now she watched the two resuming their board game which they’d paused yesterday before bed. She’d even picked up on their preferred strategies, Raining liked using a lot of slow but tough units to box Shellac in while indirect fire pummelling his models, while Shell leaned heavily into magic to keep Raining guessing. It was for that reason that the game had taken so long, both of them were really trying to outwit the other.

As fun as it was though Gleaming still had her own battles to fight. “Should I tell them? On Hearth’s Warming Eve? I told myself I would but…now I’m having second thoughts. What do I say? How should I say it? Should I really break little Lead’s heart? Or should I do it later when he’s had his presents? Help soften the blow.”

The poor mare felt a headache coming on, knowing that no matter when she revealed the truth, it would destroy Lead.

Gleaming took another bite out of her jammed toast and observed the two, weary and worried about their worlds. “Your just putting it off now, they’re going to find out eventually. Would you rather rip the bandage off now or wait and risk them discovering it themselves? How’d they feel if they knew you knew this whole time but didn’t tell them? They’d hate you.”

Gleaming’s eyes drifted to the pair of eager young colts, Lead even waving in her direction before turning back to the game.

“Okay, perhaps not hate, hate’s a strong word. But they’d definitely be angry.”

Before Gleaming knew it she’d finished off the toast slice and found her cup of tea had been emptied. It was the perfect excuse to sort out her thoughts away from the two and she strolled back to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Jamming another two slices of bread into the toaster as she did so.

It was frustrating, it felt like it didn’t matter what her decision was, it was going to be the wrong one. Like asking a dentist when the best time to brush in the morning was. If she told them now they’d obviously be upset and that will sour Hearth’s Warming for them. The again, the longer she waited the more likely they’d ask her and everything would come crumbling down. It was a miracle they hadn’t yet, maybe they just thought he was still helping the guards? But Lance had attacked them yesterday, surely they’d have figured out that wasn’t the case. So why hadn’t they asked about it? She couldn’t just assume they already know.

She grumbled and swung her mane back, the misty morning fog still clouding her brain. “Maybe what I need is some fresh air to clear my head, a walk to the park? That sounds like a good idea, I need to stretch my wings.” Gleaming refilled her cup and used her mouth to spread a knife full of butter onto her toast, she didn’t feel like breaking out the strawberry jam again but the butter was in easy enough reach. “Let the kids finish their game and then go for a walk. Pegasi were never meant to be cooped up for too long anyway.”

With a plate balanced on one wing and the handle of a cup in the other she went back into the living room and sat down. Breaking out that adventure novel she’d been reading a couple nights prior.

Raining looked down at the game board, deep in thought. Shellac was able to capture the centre point objective first due to Raining’s knights being much slower but he’d accepted that. The idea was to let him build up his defences all neat in one spot then blast it all to kingdom come, the issue? Shellac wasn’t buying it. He just had to do the sensible thing and spread his units out. But if he could take that centre objective it wouldn’t matter, he’d only have to defend it long enough that he overtook Shellac on points by the end of the game.

He parked his knights a few tiles away from Shellac’s front line and fired his cannons, a few dice rolls later and…

“Wow…ones and twos, I take it none of those hits?” Shellac said with a smug grin.

Raining sighed and went through his tactics deck, hoping he had something that let him re-roll, but he was afforded no such luck. He did at least have a contingency in case Shellac tried being cheeky with his warmages but the conditions weren’t right for that yet.

Instead he took it on the chin and turned back to his knights. He didn’t like giving Shellac more points but he was patient, he could play the waiting game. “I’ll have my knights fortify this round. Your turn.”

Shellac rubbed his hooves together and started rolling for his archers to attack a line of Pikeponies Raining had as a backup behind his knights. Thankfully, he rolled decently well, and managed to cause a few injuries but didn’t manage to take any models out. He frowned and looked around, seeing Raining’s cannons, knowing that if he didn’t do anything about them they would likely demolish his front line. As it was, his archers were too far away to target the cannons, hence why he tried his luck on the Pikeponies, but he did have one of his two warmages on the far right with a group of Griffon Gladiators. Shell then started going through his Warmage’s spell book, he had an idea brewing and wanted to double check if he could pull it off.

Sure enough he managed to find the right page and grinned, reading through its description and glancing back to the game board to check if it had the range. Wordlessly, he put the book down and moved his Warmage to re-join the Gladiators before declaring his next move. “My Warmage is going to cast Teleport and move my Griffons riiiiiight-” He then picked up the clump of pieces and moved them adjacent to Raining’s backline cannons, where he saw no units. “-there.”

Before he could start rolling to attack however, Raining smirked, and pulled out a stat sheet for a Thestral Assassin, laying the card down on the table facing Shellac.

Ambush! This unit has the ability to hide inside the space of another unit, as a reaction when an enemy unit enters its attack range, you may attack with the Thestral Assassins first. If you fail to defeat the attacking enemy their attack is re-directed onto the Thestral Assassins until the start of your opponent’s next turn.

“Oh don’t you dare tell me.”

Raining let out a giggle that quickly escalated into a hearty laugh, he pulled out a set of tiny tokens from under the bases of his cannons. Producing several models of bat ponies clad in black robes with daggers jutting from their hooves. Shellac scrambled to find a spell or card from his tactics deck he could use to counter Raining as he set the models down. The clock ticked on as they each hit the board one by one, until he found the page he was looking for. “Wait! I cast a shield on my Warmage and attached units!”

“Sorry Shell, but I’m already taking a reaction, you can’t react to my reaction, that’s not a thing you can do.”

“But…but!” Shell desperately tried to make an argument.

“But no, I’m going to roll my dice and you're going to pray I fumble again.”

Shellac waited with baited breath, if he lost his Warmage here there’d be no way for him to get his Griffons away from the crossfire. Peering through his options, he was preparing to use another spell point to buff them so they could one-shot Raining’s cannons, otherwise they’d just turn around and blast them to pieces. Raining rolled and time slowed down as the dice fumbled across the board, rolling around like a set of giant apocalyptic boulders that would spell doom if the stars didn’t align. They bounced and bounced, flashing ones, threes, fives and more.

Shellac shut his eyes, he couldn’t look!...Until he did, peeking through one of the holes in his hooves. His worst fear had come true.

Raining, was smiling.

The world once more slowed down. He cried out as he brought one of the Assassin models up and gently knocked over his Warmage, tapping its head with the base of his model. It crashed to the ground with a dramatic thud as Shellac held out a hoof in denial.

Raining stared at him with the most overly exaggerated smug grin Shellac had ever seen. The kind you’d see from a mischievous cat after knocking over a glass cup, or swapping out all the chocolate chip cookies for ones with raisins without anypony knowing.

Shellac scowled, wanting to wipe that smug grin off his face the only way he knew how. “That’s it! I’m putting the Hammer to the anvil!” He yelled.

“What?”

Shellac’s horn glowed and the inflatable neon hammer from the carnival floated up from behind the couch he was sitting on. Fully pumped up (somehow) and ready to smack Raining like a nail, now it was Shellac’s turn to smile. His fangs rose high to meet his cheeks.

Raining blinked twice from behind the table before registering the giant rubbery weapon, his eyes went wide as he realised what squeaky wrath he’d incurred. Barely any time to think, he let out a short squeal and lept to the side, running around the living room with Shellac doing the same. They chased each other in circles around the two couches like cheetahs with Gleaming having to stifle a snicker as Shellac attacked.

Squeak!

“Not again!”

Squeak!

“Ack, stop it!”

Squeak!

“Ok I’m sorry! You win!”

“Say uncle!”

Squeak!

“Aaaahhh!”

Shellac managed to wedge the hammer in between Raining’s legs which caused the colt to trip and fall just behind Gleaming. She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her tea as Shellac menacingly walked toward Raining, his shadow casting over him like a monolith.

“Wait, Shell, we can talk about this!”

“You took my Warmage, so now you’ll take my WAR-RAGE!”

What followed was probably the cutest murder Gleaming had even heard. Hearing her son’s pleas for mercy go unanswered as he was playfully bludgeoned with an oversized squeaky toy. The bright green splattered hammerhead rising and falling just behind where she was sitting with the righteous fury of a paladin. Raining flailed his limbs around, laughing as Shellac smacked him over and over without much aim, relentless with his air powered assault. The more he attacked the more sweet happiness was pumped into the air, like a pony pinata!

At one point though, Raining was able to cling onto the hammer using his front legs and when he did so he locked eyes with Thunder. “Ha! Try wacking me now!”

“If you say so Lead.” Shellac then walked up beside him, bent down, and kissed him on the cheek.

Raining…was at a loss for words, his mind entirely blanked out as he processed what Shellac just did. His train of thought derailed over a cliff as he lay there paralysed with a smile, leaving little but awkward silence.

“What?”

His moment of weakness was all Shellac needed to pull away the rubber mallet and start bashing him again. Raining woke from his stupor and continued filling the air with his adorable cries for a truce, to which Shellac promptly ignored.

It was then left up to Gleaming to mediate the matter. Fighting off a chest full of chuckles to avoid spilling her tea, she put the cup down and craned her neck to view the two play fighting. Savouring all the funny faces Raining was making with each wham of the hammer. “Okay Shellac, let Raining go now, I think he’s learned his lesson.”

Shellac paused and turned to face her, but not before one final smack to Raining’s chest.

“If you boys are done, I’d like to go for a walk to the park, fancy coming along?”

“Sure thing Miss Gold!” Shell said with a smile while giving Lead one last wack.

“Uncle?” Raining’s voice cracked.

Gleaming put her second round of morning tea down and finished off the rest of her toast. Shellac already taking his disguised form, prancing to reception. Raining picked himself up and jabbed his head to make the little hammers circling his head stop spinning before cautiously following Thunder.

Thunder and Raining both helped each other get their winter clothes on, albeit with a bit more trepidation from Raining. By now Thunder and Raining had established what coats and boots belonged to who, even if what Thunder was wearing did originally belong to Raining.

“Perhaps I’ll take Shellac clothes shopping next week? Then again, I also need to think about getting him a decent bed. He can’t share with Raining forever.”

They each followed the other outside with smiles on their faces, looking forward to some cool, fresh air and sunshine. But when they did venture beyond the door, their smiles dropped to the cobblestone pavement like rocks, each collectively staring at what now covered the house and tarnished the lawn.

Lines of frozen toilet paper were draped over the front walls, the windows, the roof, it probably even reached into the back garden. The signs and front garden lights had been broken or torn apart, the lawn littered with bricks that had letter clippings arranged into various threats and downright toxic insults. Even the bins had their trash bags torn out and tossed around, making the place filthy with rubbish.

The only exception was the sign Thunder saw for the princess when he first arrived, it had been spared but now stuck out around a pile of trash rather than snow covered grass.

The three stood there, observing their surroundings with bewilderment and confusion. Taken aback by the audacity of the attack. All of the lovingly placed decorations, the carefully trimmed lawn, even the metal bins she’d often not think much of, all of Gleaming’s hard work was gone, taken away and spat on by some brutish colt. They all knew exactly who would do this, but the fact he had the nerve to actually go through with it was something else entirely. Gleaming didn’t feel sad, or downtrodden, or like she was about to collapse crying. No, she felt something else. The burning embers of a fire sparking to life in her chest, pumping lava like liquid into her forehooves. The thundering hammers of anger calling her to action.

“How dare he? First he harms my children, twice, takes away my husband, and now he has the nerve to do THIS? That little blue BRAT!”

Thunder turned to look up at Gleaming, sensing the wrathful flame rising from the mare. He couldn’t blame her, he’d probably be angry also if somepony made a mockery of his efforts. But he couldn’t stop himself from shrinking under her growing influence, threatening to singe him if he stayed around long enough. Especially when Gleaming looked down between the two colts.

“Raining, go inside.”

“W-What?”

“Go back inside! Now!”

Raining nodded and ran back indoors, taking Gleaming’s key to get through reception and into the living room, not bothering to take off his coat or boots. He paced around and sat down on the couch facing the windows, glancing between it and the unfinished board game.

“Why? Why are you doing this to me Lance? Shellac aside, why won’t you just leave me alone?” He brought a hoof up and held his temple, the same flame of anger he’d just seen in his mother now sparking inside him too. “What did I do to set you off? What did I do that made you want to hurt me so much? I don’t get it.”

With every thought a set of bellows fanned the flames of his anger, his frustration it’s accelerant and the pain of his memories it’s fuel. The times Lance had made fun of his father’s limp and his mother’s supposed lack of loyalty, the winter coat he’d ruined when he stuffed it into a used toilet and flushed, the various raids on his locker and the theft of his keys when he tried securing it up. The flame grew and grew, threatening to rise into a raging inferno that may burn all around him.

There was so many flooding in now, he remembered two pegasi who tried talking to him only for Lance to but in before he was even told their names, helplessly watching as he threw a rock at one and gave the other a pair of black eyes and a bloodied nose.

Furiously, he remembered the time he tried defending himself, only for him to get shoved onto the floor and had a trophy cabinet fall on top of him. Or the time he drenched his entire Daring Do collection on school book day and destroyed his library card.

There were so many incidents, so much pain, so much anger, so much…hatred. Raining turned to one of the couch cushions, the fire inside burning to a violent degree, ready to combust if it wasn’t seen to. He imagined it being Lance’s face and picked it up, his eyes red with burning anger.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone!” He shouted, “Why do you wanna ruin my life so much!?” He cocked a hoof back and punched the cushion, making a massive dent in its soft tissue. Again he punched, and again, and again, over and over. Taking all of his pent up anger out on the mental image of her tormentor. Not letting up for a moment as he went to work trying to punch a hole right through the plush pillow.

“I hate you! I hate you, I hate you and I bucking hate you!!!”

Punching wasn’t good enough, he bit down on the top of the pillow and began thrashing it around, shaking his head side to side bashing it into the couch. Imagining himself finally putting Lance in his place and throwing him around for a change. To be the one punching him, throwing stuff at him and toppling bookcases onto. In this thrashing the pillow suddenly came loose and fly across the room, crashing into the in-progress game board and sending the whole thing over the coffee table. Miniatures, dice and tools clattering to the floor in droves.

Finally taking a breath, he paused and stared, the only sounds to meet his ears being the tick of the grandfather clock and the beating of his own chest, realising he’d just ruined any hope of continuing his game with Thunder. A fresh wave of cold water putting out the flame in his heart, anguish flowed from his hooves up to his face behind his eyes, fighting the physical urge to let the dam loose.

He turned to the other unbeaten couch cushion, hastily grabbing it with his magic and embracing it like it was his friend. Letting the tears run rampant into its soft, comforting cover.

Back outside, Gleaming took a few steps around, examining the damage around her. She couldn’t let Lance get away with this, not one bit, but cleaning up by herself would take forever. It didn’t seem that good of a day to go for a walk anyway, the clouds were blocking out the sun and the wind was howling, kicking up snow from all across the street.

“Thunder, would you be a dear, and help me clean up?”

As much as he didn’t want to get his new winter wear dirty, Gleaming’s tone didn’t indicate refusal was an answer. Thunder didn’t realise how intimidating the outgoing mare could be when her temper was tested and made quick notice of his acceptance. Gleaming set the knocked over trash cans upright and began picking up bits of litter, including the now broken decor she’d hung up a month prior. Crushed fairy lights, shattered baubles, snapped wires and desecrated signs. All things she’d have to re-buy next year to make up for it. A thought that only increased her rising anger.

Thunder likewise had got to work gathering up all the bricks, a little curious to see what colourful messages Lance had made on some of them using all the janky cut out letters. Picking them up he couldn’t resist taking a quick look, maybe they’d be so bad he’d get a laugh out of them?

“There’s going to be a lot more holes in you when I’m done.”

“How loud does a changeling crunch when its shell is crushed?”

“You're a parasite, you’ll only ever live off somepony else.”

“Kiss your mother with that mouth?” Thunder took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, venting the anger inspired by the scornful messages. He made haste to dump the bricks into one of the two metal trash cans before moving onto some general waste, like used bottles and food packaging. The bottles at least brought back some nostalgia, he examined them and found they still had the special label on them. If he gathered enough he might be able to exchange them for a quick bit!

“Another time though, but if Raining’s family make frequent use of these I could probably just keep them when they get used up, no dumpster diving involved.”

By now Thunder could sense that Gleaming’s anger had quieted down, the longing guilt of regret coming in to fill its place. She threw another bundle of destroyed Hearth’s Warming lights away, her movements losing momentum as she continued her work. “I shouldn’t have shouted like that.” She squeaked, making an attempt to conceal her downtrodden expression.

Thunder’s ear perked over in her direction, just about able to catch what she said. He deposited another hooffull of frozen cardboard before turning to her. “Yeah, you did kind of let yourself loose on him. Though, I can more than understand why, especially after meeting Lance.”

The mare’s guilt grew with the comment, not entirely expecting him to reply. She sighed and resigned herself to conversation with the colt. “Wouldn’t be the first time, Copper was right, I think too much with my heart.”

“It’s okay, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve heard of some ponies who think don’t think enough like that.”

“I know but, I don’t like letting my emotions take control like that. It leads to me being an idiot and…shouting at my little Lead, he didn’t even do anything wrong.”

Again, Thunder found himself comforting and even giving advice to the older pony.

“Again that’s okay, the fact you're able to recognise that means you’ve got a good conscience. It’s only if your unable to stop yourself from doing that regularly there’s a problem.”

Gleaming’s brain readied a reply but the cogs of thought stopped her short, instead she slowed down. Her sense of suspicion coming back as she contemplated. “You know, you’re still quite young, how do you know these things?”

“I’m a changeling, I can sense emotions. I took a whole course on them back at the hive, if there’s any-creature out there who knows how you feel it’s me.”

She paused entirely at that, a new wave of realisation washing over her. “Damn it I completely forgot he could do that! Goodness, actually that reminds me, what else have you been hiding?”

Despite the trust and repor they’d built up in the short space of time, Gleaming knew if she didn’t ask, it would eat away at her sanity on top of everything else.

“You didn’t actually come to Canterlot with a group of travellers, did you?”

Now it was Thunder’s turn to give pause for thought, his sympathetic streak dimming as he remembered the botchy lie he told. His expression had already given him away and he sighed, dreading the thought of poking Gleaming’s wrath but seeing no other good way out of this. “No, I was…part of the invasion.”

Her eyes narrowed as she slowly picked up another broken lawn ornament to throw away, “So then what happened?”

“I hated them, the other changelings, the adults, even Chrysalis to some extent.” Thunder angrily stomped his hoof on the ground. “I got bullied for being different and vowed to be better than all of them. That eventually led to me becoming a scout, but the training was horrible. It felt cool for a while but the way they just kept pushing me, it was like I was back in school again. During the Invasion, I just ran, as fast as I could, until I got underground. I was sheltered from the blast but…well I think you already know the rest.”

“You were part of the attack itself? What was Chrysalis thinking?! Sending a child into a warzone like that.” Lucky for Thunder, Gleaming seemed more angry at his Queen’s poor parenting then the whole spy angle.

“To her credit I don’t think she liked the idea either, but she was…what’s the expression? Putting all your eggs in one basket kind of pony?”

Gleaming nodded, scooping up the half smashed head of a clay reindeer. Briefly sighing as she realised it was one of the first she’d collected. “Oh I really liked that one!”

“I bet you must’ve been scared, having to live on the street for that long.”

Thunder nodded, as he lifted up part of the broken reindeer’s body.

“At first I was doing fine, I finally felt free after living for so long with those jerks. But I quickly got scared of the guards and soon, gathering love became difficult. I found out pretty quickly you could exchange bottles for a few bits so that’s how I got most of my water. Still I…I feel spoiled.”

“Spoiled?” Gleaming asked with a start as she dropped the reindeer head in the trash. “How? Sounds to me like you’ve been living an uphill battle your whole life dear.”

“Well you're right, everything I ever got I’ve had to work for. Then suddenly you take me in, warm me up, feed me, shelter me, give me a bath. I-I don’t know what to say, even with all of-” Thunder then pointed towards the garbage littered lawn, “-this! You’ve still kept me around. Despite the risks!”

Gleaming smiled in between rubbish pick ups, a warm satisfied pride trickling in from his statement. “Well what can I say? I wasn’t about to let you freeze was I?”

“No, you want me here for a reason, don’t you?” Thunder now returned Gleaming’s suspicion. Casting away that pride in exchange for the very same hoof in the cookie jar guilt he’d just had. “I can feel Raining’s emotions, remember? I know he’s troubled, whenever he gets sad he forces himself to be happy again. That’s not healthy.”

Gleaming sighed, admitting defeat on her own end. “Okay, you got me there dear. Ever since Lance drove away Raining’s friends I’ve been concerned about his wellbeing. He has my sense of fun and his father’s humour, but his confidence is rock bottom. Whenever we go out somewhere it’s always been with one of us. I briefly thought things would change when he offered to go out with you for a snowball fight but…” Gleaming grimaced, “You know the rest.”

Thunder cringed as he remembered Copper’s last few words before leaving, the pain he’d endured that night and her mental anguish of the morning after. He didn’t reply, choosing to instead carry on with the cleanup. Gleaming took the cue and followed suit, picking up more bits and pieces of rubbish and destroyed decor. The metal bins didn’t take long to fill to capacity and soon the lawn didn’t look nearly as bad. The worst offender was now all the frozen toilet paper that hung from the roof.

Gleaming spread her wings out and flew up to where all the toilet paper had been flung onto the snow covered clay tiles, iced over and stuck. “Damn it, I’m going to need the kettle for this.”

Thunder joined her and poked one of the hanging lines of frozen paper. It broke off and smashed into the ground in a rather satisfying way that made him giggle.

“Thunder, I’m going to go put the kettle on and grab some more bin bags, would you be a dear and try gathering up all this paper?”

He nodded and she flew back down inside the house, leaving Thunder to continue breaking all the frozen lines of paper. It was cathartic in the same destructive way one would get throwing bottles around or smashing icicles, at least until he ran out of paper to smash. “You know, if this wasn’t used as a way of being mega disrespectful, I’d be down for doing this some more.”

Moonlit Mirror sat down behind the backroom dining table, a steaming bowl of freshly made porridge awaiting her appetite. The morning sun peering over her back from the cracks in closed blinds. Her brother sat not far from her with a much larger bowl of the same, the scent of golden syrup filling her nostrils, promising a sweet start to the day.

That was until Moonlit Lamplight walked in, her eyes half lidded and her mane still somewhat scruffy despite her attempt to clean up. Already fastening her shoes whilst floating her spare keys off a nearby rack. Their mother addressed them with little to no energy.

“Kids, I’m off to work, I’ll be back at ten.”

Lance almost choked on his mouthful as he struggled to speak. “You work on Hearth’s Warming too?!”

Lamplight slowly nodded as she bit off a chunk of buttered bread, her morning breakfast no more than a single slice. Mirror lowered her spoon as she followed her brother’s example. “But it’s Hearth’s Warming! They’re really not giving you a day off?”

“It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve Mirror, tomorrow I can spend the day at home. But today I’m working, have a good day Mooncakes.” With another bite of her hastily made meal she left the two and made for the front door, slowly at first but gaining momentum as she made distance from the kids. Walking past darkened wallpaper and faded photos, spider’s webs and ceiling cracks. The echoes of a once loved house now aging and neglected.

Mirror’s heart skipped a beat as she heard the front door close, left for another day with her brother inside this lowly building. She stared down at her porridge stirring it with her spoon, the urge to eat no longer so strong. But knowing she’d only be hungry later she forced herself anyway, taking a spoonful of the sweet milk drenched oats.

“You shouldn’t have done that Lance,” She spoke between mouthfuls. The colt paused his chewing to look at her. “How’s defacing their front yard meant to help expose a changeling? What if his mom reports you to the Guards?”

“That was a distraction, keep them occupied for the morning so once we have breakfast we can go tell the guards.”

Mirror glared at him as he shovelled in another mouthful. Trying to avoid giving him a suspicious look. You just wanted an excuse to attack Raining again, didn’t you? She forced another helping to conceal anything her expression might’ve given away. Lance didn’t seem to be paying much attention, more concerned with filling his stomach at the moment then with Mirror’s private thoughts.

“I’ll go to the guards, give them the resin chunk and point them to the house, easy.”

“And if they don’t believe you? What if they think you’re just trying to stir up trouble, then what?”

“Look if it doesn’t work, then we’ll handle it ourselves.”

Mirror was again given pause for thought, not liking the idea of getting involved directly one bit. She took a bite to hide her nervousness and help sooth her brain, trying to focus on the flavour of her food over the implications of Lance’s statement. Already, she’d seen him do some terrible things, but ever since the encounter with Copper, he’s been showing just how increasingly far he’s willing to go. The disguises at the carnival and the arcade, the raid last night, and now this? When’s he going to draw the line?

By this point Mirror had been following through with her brother’s plans out of loyalty, but even that only went so far.

“Lance, I respect that you're doing this for the good of everypony, but don’t you think you might be taking things a little too far?”

“If Raining and his family are housing a changeling that means one of two things, either their under some kind of hypnosis spell, or worse, are willingly taking care of it. If that’s the case they’re traitors to Equestria, and they deserve everything that gets thrown at them.”

“And what if they’re being controlled? What do you think’s going to happen if they wake up and realise you’ve been hurting them this whole time? You seriously think after what you did to Copper you’ll just walk away?”

Lance actually did look a little off guard at the idea, and even a little nervous as he thought about it.

“Wouldn’t there be some kind of effect or way to tell? The Element of Magic figured it out didn’t she?”

Mirror fought back a scowl as she tried to remain reasonable with him. “Their queen took control of the Captain of the Royal Guard and even the princess couldn’t tell, you really think we’d know if the changeling casted mind control magic?”

“If it had access to that kind of magic, which I doubt because of its complexity, then why didn’t it cast it on me back at the arcade?” Lance snapped.

“Maybe because there were ponies everywhere? That it didn’t want to draw attention to itself? Plus I heard it takes a moment to work and with you beating them up, I doubt he could’ve.” Mirror took another spoonful, trying to avoid her brother’s growingly intense glare.

“Your not sympathising with traitors are you?”

“No Lance I-I…” Mirror shut her eyes and hung her head, she couldn’t this it anymore. The wrath he was inflicting, the risks he was taking and the pain he’d put her through. It was all too much and she couldn’t stop herself from releasing her pent up frustration at her brother. “I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret!” She shouted.

Mirror hoped she’d get through, some shred of her calling out to the princess that he’ll finally see reason. But as the seconds ticked by Lance’s expression shifted. First came the initial shock of her outburst, followed by his glare, his pupils gleaming like a dagger’s point. Frustration turned to anger and anger turned to rage, the sleeping dragon she’d been so scared of waking finally rising from its slumber as he rose from his seat.

“Regret?! Look beside you!” He pointed towards a stand on her right, a makeshift memorial covered in photos and wilted flowers. A folded up Equestrian flag framed inside a wooden casing with a glass screen inside sat beside a copper plated half-heart pendant. An enlarged picture of a huge earth pony sharing some time at a daycare standing as the centrepiece. “I regret not being able to help dad protect Canterlot, I regret not being able to defend him when he needed us, I regret not putting that damn bug down when I had the chance! It knows we know about Mirror and if we don’t get it first it’ll get us. I’m doing this to protect our family and our home!”

Mirror shrunk under Lance's voice, comparable to the roar of a dragon in its oppression yet leading into desperation near its end. “If you don’t have what it takes to follow me through this then I understand, not everypony is cut out for that kinda stuff. But I’m doing this with or without your help, I’m not letting his sacrifice be in vain!”

Mirror shut her eyes and quietly exhaled in defeat, doing as little as she could to convey her disappointment. He’s not listening…he’s not listening…for pony’s sake why does he never listen? She took a deep breath and returned to her cooling porridge, she saw no more point arguing about it he wasn’t going to listen. Welling up emotions left her wanting to cry, but she held it back, focusing all her willpower on just eating her food without complaint.

Her quietness bled into Lance as he was given room to calm down, his heart slowing from the spike of zealotry her words had inspired. A tinge of guilt came in from shouting at his sister, but his reasoning brushed it aside as he lowered back into his seat, refocusing on his breakfast.

“I’m sorry Mirror,” He admitted. “But it’s my duty.”

Author's Note

So believe it or not, today's my birthday! I'm now 23 years old as of writing this. I know it probably isn't all that special but I thought the coincidence was neat.

CH 10 - Mr. Misfortune

One Month Before The Storm

The late autumn sun began its descent in Equestria’s skies, casting a beautiful shine over Canterlot.

Street lights reflected off nearby windows and rain puddles from seasonal rain, caught creaky metal indicators and annoyed anypony wearing glasses. Ponies left their workplaces, shut their windows and prepared for another chilly night within the capital.

However, sitting by themselves inside a solitary ally was a lone purple pegasus, rifling through his tattered saddlebags. After discovering that the pony in charge of the orphanage was paying off the city inspector to turn a blind eye to all the abuse she allowed. He’d spent the past month putting his skills to work and was now going over the fruits of his labour. It was cool being a spy again, taking different disguises, sneaking about and going into places he shouldn’t have been. Only this time, it wasn’t to facilitate the invasion of a major city.

Currently, his bags were laden with all manner of paperwork, documents and small objects. All of it was evidence he’d collected that would hopefully trigger an investigation. It was a good thing he was taught what to look for during training or he would’ve never figured this stuff out, pony paperwork was complicated.

“Photos? Check. Financial records? Check. Miss Red Mark’s beating paddle?” He then pulled out a large, studded piece of wood that looked as though it was converted from a wooden serving tray. “Egh, check. What am I still missing?” He pulled out some files and a hooffull of letters fell out, correspondences between the manager and members of staff at the orphanage.

“Wait? Where’d I get these from?” Thunder briefly flicked through his memories before being metaphorically slapped across the face with the seemingly obvious answer. “Duh! Literature Mimicry! You copied the letters and sent those off instead ya big dummy! These are the originals.” He clipped the letters back together and reorganised his second hoof saddlebags.

When he was satisfied he slung them back over his sides and strode out the ally. The streets were illuminated by the bright, golden glows of overhead lamps and reflective puddles. A patrol of guards in their new winter coats sat nearby, chattering amongst one another with a pair of newspapers.

Thunder stared at them from across the sparsely populated and growingly chilly street. “This is it Shellac!” He told himself. “You just need to walk up and give them the bag.”

Barely any hesitation, Thunder began walking towards them with a steady stride he’d been accustomed to his whole life. But as he got closer he started having a sinking feeling in his chest. A growing sense of danger and anxiety that slowed his gait. “Wait, what if they get suspicious? It’s not everyday some colt just shows up and hands over a ton of important evidence.”

Thunder’s nerves doubled, even tripled the weight on his back. Gradually, his pace slowed to a crawl as he looked over his shoulders, both trying not to seem suspicious, and watching to see what ponies may be watching him. “Ah come on Shellac don’t stop now! Just give it to them. Think of all the ponies you’ll help.”

Yet as he continued forward, so did the mental tug of war.

“But what if they de-cast my disguise”? He argued with himself. Frozen in place by his own fear. “Would a new disguise help? You know wearing a mask enables an actor.”

“Not really, again, they can just de-cast me if they feel like it.”

“Shellac don’t do this, not now! Think of all the colts and fillies at the orphanage depending on you!”

“Yea but, I can do this another time, can’t I? There’s guards everywhere in Canterlot.”

“No Shell, do it now, they’re right there. Just think of the love you’ll get, you’ll be set for winter! If not yourself, then do it for Teardrop!”

Thunder looked at the guards who were still casually chatting about the day and what they planned on doing later, adult stuff he didn’t really get. Their armour under their parkas would’ve been more assuring if he'd grown up around them, they were here to protect the public weren’t they? Not just spend all day wondering who was and wasn’t a changeling?

“Breathe in, count to ten, breathe out, just as Miss Tibia said.”

Thunder repeated the exercise, stealing back control of his heart rate and taking one step forward, and then another, then a third. Small but steady steps, it was like the horrible anticipation of meeting Chrysalis all over again. Step by step he pushed past his fear, not through careful word usage or cleverly examined emotions but through actions. Just like he’d done back in class, in training, during the invasion and on Nightmare Night. Actions had become his language more than Vespid or Ponish ever were and here he was speaking loud and clear.

He held a stiff upper lip as he cautiously approached and one by one the four pony patrol turned their attention to him. Some even offered comforting smiles as he walked into the lamp light. “Hello there, need help?” One of them asked.

“Uhm…” Thunder struggled to get any words out as his conscience was fighting a losing battle with his nerves over his vocal cords. He undid the buckles holding his saddlebags in place and dropped them on the floor in front of the group, pushing it forward with his forehead. The guards glanced between him and the bag as he tried forcing a smile but only managing a nervous half grin in doing so.

“Can you tell us what’s in the bag?” A unicorn asked, looking both curious and a little concerned.

Thunder again fought with his body to reclaim his ability to speak. His heart pounding in his chest and adrenaline pumping through his veins. Managing to brute force his vocals after taking a deep, calming breath. “Stuff, stuff you should look at…about the orphanage.”

One of the gilded guards set their newspaper aside and bent down to pick up the saddlebags. Flicking through all the folders and files before pulling out the improvised beating paddle. Covered in scratches, small strands of fur and metal studs with small bits of dried blood. All of them went wide-eyed and winced at the thing before turning back to Thunder…

Only to see he’d vanished.

Back behind an alley wall Thunder leant against the cold stone bricks huffing and puffing. His chest rising back and forth like a paper bag fit to burst. “Breathe in, count to ten, breathe out.” Thunder did as instructed and slowed his pulse which allowed the adrenaline to die down with it. Despite feeling about ready to collapse, the deed was done. Quietly peeking around the corner, he saw the guards flicking through photos and stolen letters.

With a few increasingly slow breaths he quietly giggled to himself. Those terrible ponies at the orphanage were done for! A wave of anticipation washed over him as he spread his wings and flew to the rooftops eager to observe his work.

Quickly, he dashed around cobblestone chimneys and over slanted rooftop tiles, between interconnecting walls and through the many underpasses. All to the purple light of the setting sun as he took to the skies. He felt unstoppable as he tore through the autumn air, kicking up dust and low hanging clouds.

In short order he found his perch overlooking Cantermore Public Orphanage and sat back to catch his breath. Time flew by almost as quickly as he had flown as the sun disappeared over the horizon and the nighttime sky with its many white lights stepped in its place.

With glee, he watched as squads of guards slowly crept up and surrounded the building, knocking on the door and walking inside. One by one all those terrible ponies walked out, Miss Battleaxe, Miss Red Mark, and of course the manager, Mr. Bell Ringer.

The grin on Thunder’s face, the catharsis of the act, the flutter in his chest, he felt so vindicated! “Yeah! Serves you for spanking my flank!”

Thunder took a moment to watch the windows and see curtains draw from all over the dorms. The other kids watched with delight as their abusers were taken away by the agents of the princess.

“Is this what it feels like to be a hero? This is cool!” He quietly giggled to himself, savouring every second of his victory. All he had to do now was rejoin the kids and- ”Oh wait…”

However, his eyes went wide as he suddenly became aware of just how many guards were present. Pegasi for catching runners, unicorns for spell casting, armoured earth ponies larger than either. He had trouble just approaching a single patrol of the guys but here? No way. He subconsciously shifted away from the ledge of his perch and inched away from yet another crossroads.

“Shellac, don’t tell yourself this, you’ll be hailed as a hero! Just fly down and meet them! His reasoning argued. However, his paranoia bit back.

“Nuh uh, they know for sure I gave them the evidence, they’ll know I couldn’t have just found all that stuff. I’ll be detected for sure!”

“But you did a good thing, surely they’ll forgive you?”

“And if they don’t? There’s no chance I’ll escape, not in a million, or a hundred million, or a billion! I’ll be done for.”

This time paranoia overcome reasoning as Thunder backed away from the ledge, panic and regret setting in. “I’m an idiot! I should’ve seen this coming a mile away! Now I’ll never get enough love for winter.”

Tears began to form as reality set in. He’d done well to keep himself fed on the streets under the impression it was temporary, but now? As it was, he didn’t even have the orphanage as an option anymore. All that effort, all that time and energy, and now he’s back to square one. On the streets scavenging for food without a place to call home.

Yet, even in spite of that, he still felt a slight sense of satisfaction knowing he’d done something good for others.

Then something clicked, buried deep in his memories somewhere a bell had rung. He followed the sound hoping that he might remember something that could salvage the situation. A quick reminder of a faint memory of his room in the mine shafts entered his mind. He could shelter there! Granted it would be cold, but it would be safe at least, and he’d be able to make better insulation with his resin without fear of being caught. It was desperate but right now his best option, his only option.

Thunder picked himself up and took one final look at the increasingly lively orphanage, the sound of cheering echoing from the windows. A celebration of his own making yet cursed not to take part in as he let out a deep, dreadful sigh, blaming himself more than anything for his own short sightedness. With his head hung low, he flew back down to street level and navigated the dark corners of Canterlot, the windchill making his lack of clothing all the more apparent.

It took him no time at all to reach the public park where his secret entrance was. But when he got there he’d found the rock formations had been rearranged and sent his sense of direction off the ledge. That was fine though, he still knew roughly where the hole was. If he could guesstimate its location, he might still be able to slip through. Thunder walked around the park, moving from the shadowy grass to the golden lights that hung overhead, painting the amber trees around them.

He looked around, searching the general area of the entrance. What he found though only threw another punch to his gut. A huge rock now covered the area above the hole that was several times his size and far too big for him to move. Digging wasn’t an option either as it was open grass all around the circumference of the formation. The tunnel would be found for sure and he’d be mega exposed climbing back out. His ears dipped to his sides as his heart plummeted.

“No! No, I still have the entrance inside the sewers, I just hope the runoff hasn’t flooded it.”

Thunder left the premises of the park and quickly jumped into a nearby sewer cover, gagging at the smell that hit him. He’d forgotten just how disgusting it was down there, whatever the case it looked like the sewers were experiencing rapids but not overflow. As long as he didn’t fall in (not that he needed the extra motivation) he should be fine. Thunder strode forward, careful not to slip on the wet stone side paths or to bang his head on any outcroppings. His natural night vision and familiarity came back quickly so long as he ignored the cold damp air.

Before he could tear this place up with fast flying, but the lack of clear vision and high tides of who knows what had him leaning on the side of caution. At least there weren’t any rats or pests, living off half eaten food and rarely showering he could live with but living down here with them? No way he wouldn’t allow it, he might’ve been a scavenger but even he had standards.

He switched out into his changeling form to conserve energy and pressed on, beginning to feel the effects of a whole day’s worth of movement. He could already hear his long lost hammock calling out to him, it’d be nice to visit home even if it wasn’t much to begin with.

Unfortunately though it seems his bad luck had yet to run out as when he caught sight of the cavity that led to the side passage as he found it had been sealed up with freshly laid brick work. “No.” He thought. Running up to and rubbing a hoof against the stone walls as if it was just a mirage of some kind and he’d pass right through. But it held firm, cold and rough against his dark chitin. “No no nonononononoNONO!” He punched and scraped at the wall, hoping by some miracle the bricks would come loose and fall apart. “This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening!” He spun around and tried bucking, praying that he could break through with enough force. But time and time again the stone held strong. Heedless of the nymph’s attempts.

Eventually Shellac slowed down as his panic subsided and his limbs weakened. The weight of his emotions pulling him to the floor in a fit of barely contained sobs. Months of built up frustration, hardship and toil, all for nothing. He wasn’t back to square one anymore, it was more like being at circle zero for how much his efforts amounted to, he didn’t even have his little den anymore!

It was too much, he’d been through so many trials and tribulations but had nothing to show for it bar the air that still filled his lungs. “This is what I am now, a rat, a pest, a cockroach.”

Shellac lay there on the stone cold floor, alone, cold, and scared…

Eight Hours Until The Storm

Raining took another card from the pile and added it to his deck of three with his magic. A pair of bags had developed under the colt’s eyes and, while faint, the fur on his face bore the signs of being recently dried. Shellac quietly took another card as he looked at his smiling mask. He could feel Raining’s happiness, but there was a level of emotional fatigue that indicated more to the story.

Wordlessly, Raining took another card and sighed before planting them down for Shellac to view. He’d gone over twenty one again and so the two restarted the game. Shell tried to discern what exactly the predominant emotion of whatever Raining’s outburst could’ve been. Given what had happened this morning he could make an educated guess, but Raining’s happiness was working against him for once.

Obviously, there was a slight bitterness indicative of sadness, he didn’t even need to sense emotions to figure that out. However, there was something else, something he couldn’t quite put his hoof on due to the emotional saturation.

Shellac took another card and spared another glance at Raining when something behind him caught his eye. He saw one of the pillows of the couch behind him all crumpled up while the other was slightly damp. Things clicked into place as Raining silently took another card from the pile and added it to his hoof.

He looked up at him with sincere concern and broke the silence of the room. “Raining? Is everything okay?”

Raining quickly swapped between his cards and Shellac before finally settling on his deck, taking another card despite it not being his turn. “Oh yeah! Fit as a fiddle!” He blurted, plastering another smile on his face, though a glance showed his cheeks struggling to maintain it.

Shellac slowly slipped another card into his deck while maintaining eye contact. He could sense Raining’s half-truth even without the added change in emotional background. When Raining tapped the table to indicate he was staying, Shellac didn’t continue. Instead he shifted in his seat and assumed a more serious, solemn expression.

“Raining you know I can sense your emotions right? Or did that slip your mind as well?”

Raining glanced between him and his cards before tapping the table again with added impatience. Shellac again ignored it and pressed on with the topic at hoof.

“If there’s something bothering you I can help.”

Raining continued saying nothing but sped up his tapping to a near constant tick all while darting his eyes between him and Shellac with a smile.

“You have a good sense of humour, Lead, but seriously, are you okay?”

Raining hastily nodded whilst keeping his smile up, doing his best to avoid the topic entirely as Shellac’s smile waned. Still refusing to give him the answer he was looking for and so Shellac decided to play along and grab another card.

“Over twenty one yet?” Raining asked.

Shell looked down at his cards and sure enough the last one had sent him over. Despite the tension in the air, he smiled and laid them down for Raining to see which led him to almost jump for joy in his victory. It was such a small thing yet it still netted an exaggerated burst of happiness from the colt and Shellac knew why.

“He’s forcing it again, isn’t he?”

Shellac patiently waited for Raining to calm down while trying to think of a new strategy. How was he going to get Raining to open up with him? As much as it pained him, that barrier of happiness was in his way, and the more he leaned into it, the less chance Shell would get. With a deep breath he internally scolded himself for what he was about to do.

“Raining, I’m sorry I have to do this but you're not leaving me with many options.”

He sat up straight as Raining returned to his place and hooved out their starting cards. Shellac reasserted his concerned look and opened up once Raining was done with his turn. “It’s about Lance, isn’t it? Of this-” He pointed towards a forced smile on his end. “-and all of that?” He then pointed towards the crumpled, dampened pillows behind him.

Raining’s eye and ear twitched, doubly so as he turned around to view the battered couch cushions that he’d laid into earlier. Similarly, his mouth jerked and his smile waned as the block tower he’d built for himself started to crumble. Still he looked down at the cards as his eyebrows dropped and soon Shellac could sense the emotions he’d buried begin to dig themselves out.

The energy around Raining stilled as he blankly stared at the cards, his limbs growing stiff and his tail flicking from side to side. “Remember how mum said that hate was a strong word?” He spoke slowly.

“Yeah?” Shell said, mentally reading himself for the outburst likely about to come.

“Well…I really, really hate Lance.” Raining settled his cards on the table as he turned up to return Shellac’s gaze. The two locked eyes as he continued, a fire sparking inside him as he prepared to go on a tangent.

“He chased my friends away, beat me up multiple times, said words mum’s forbidden me from repeating and ruined my photo on picture day.” With every example given Shellac sensed the fire burning brighter and hotter inside him. The flames fanned with each word uttered, but also complemented by the sorrow that played in the background to his rant.

“He’s destroyed my Daring Doo collection and the few models I made at school. Stole my lunch and forced me to eat dirty snow. And possibly one of the worst things he did was sabotage my school work so I was given bad grades. I'm still not sure how he pulled that off but he, and I cannot express this enough, wants to ruin my life and I don’t know WHY!”

Raining’s burning anger and sorrow came together to form a self sharpening sword cutting slowly and painfully away at his psyche. Currently, he was balancing on a knife’s edge between descending into another fit of crying and losing control of his burning rage. Shellac paced himself as he went back to his classes on emotions, trying to find the correct arrangement of words that wouldn’t disturb Raining’s delicate mental state.

“I’m sorry to hear all that Raining, If I could’ve been there to stop it I would’ve. But you can’t let your anger get the better of you, otherwise you’ll end up like him. I said the same thing to your mom outside, you shouldn’t ignore your emotions but you shouldn’t let them take control either.

That didn’t seem to work as Raining’s emotions spiked again. “But he’s done so much! How could I forgive somepony who forced me to touch fox droppings? Or when he broke your wing?!”

Shell mentally flinched at the mention of the injury. Sure he’d managed to heal it, but even now he could still recall the sensation…the snap.

“Oh I’m not saying you should forgive, far from it. I wanna beat him until he can’t eat solid food anymore, but the point I’m trying to make is that if you let yourself go you’ll become just as bitter as he is. If that happens it won’t matter if he leaves for good because you’ll end up like him and at that point he wins. Bullies create more bullies Raining.” Shellac paused to catch his breath and allowed him to absorb his words. “You said it yourself, Changelings are jerks.”

Raining crossed his arms and rubbed his shoulders in a self hug trying to defend himself from the sudden chill that crawled up his spine. Looking down and away from Shellac as his anger calmed and sombre air filled its place. “It’s not fair.” He whispered.

“It rarely ever is.” Shellac got up and moved around the table to join Raining’s side, reaching a hoof around his shoulder to bring him in close. “But at least you're not alone anymore.”

Raining picked up one of the cards and played around with it in an attempt to calm his nerves. Slowly, he raised his leg and returned the reach around Shellac's shoulder. Allowing himself to take comfort in his presence. He gave him a smile, not a forced one like he’d been doing earlier but a real, genuine smile. “Thanks Shell.”

“No problem Lead.” He then nuzzled into his neck and Raining blushed as he darted his eyes away. Before he knew it, Raining was abruptly pulled into a hug where Shellac caught him within a vice-like grip. His cheeks turned a rosy-red with physical affection and Raining soon returned the kindness. He suddenly felt as though little else mattered, that as long as they were together nothing could harm them.

At least until Gleaming entered the room and gawked at the two kids cuddling.

“Awww look at you two!”

Raining’s eyes went wide to the internal sound of a glass bottle breaking and Shellac mischievously grinned. He tried pulling away but Shell held on tight and soon his awkward embarrassment grew under her mother’s chuckles. His feeble attempts at protest doing little to free himself of his smug captor. “Shell? Can you let go please?”

“No.”

“Please?” His voice cracked.

“Fiiiiiine!” Shellac let him go and Raining fell to all fours trying to catch his breath.

Gleaming walked inside and found a spot on the couch where she made herself comfortable. “Oh sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything.”

“Oh it's okay Miss Gleaming, we were just having a heart to heart.” Shell answered, internally smug at embarrassing Raining.

Raining stood up again and stretched his limbs like a recently awoken cat. He turned to Gleaming with the renewed confidence from their pep talk and spoke with a semi-serious tone. “Mum? There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask…for a few days now.”

“Oh? What is it sweetie?” She returned with a smile.

“When’s dad coming home?”

Gleaming’s pupils shrunk to the size of peas and her body locked up, completely blindsided by the question. Her blood turned to ice, her heart doubled in pace and that weight on her spine suddenly threatened to snap it like a twig. “Damn it not now I wasn’t ready!”

“D-don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine! Everything will be fine!” She blurted, yet neither Shell nor Lead were buying it.

“But it’s been days! Where is he?”

“He’ll be fine Raining! He’ll be fine…” Gleaming said again panicked, sweat starting to form.

Shellac sat a little ways away between the two watching the exchange. Equally shocked at the sudden tone shift of the room as Raining tried to press her increasingly stressed mother.

“Did Lance have something to do with this? I might have been hurt but I could still hear him talk!”

Gold’s voice trembled, “Just give it time and he’ll be fine, okay? Your father will be fine!”

“Fine? From what? What did Lance do mum?

“I…I-I uh…” Gleaming began fidgeting her hooves through her mane as she was backed into a corner. Biting her lip as the room turned dark and panic set in. “He…h-he…”

DING DONG! DING DONG!

The sound of the doorbell ringing made them both jump in fright at its loud announcement and was quickly followed by a trio of heavy, impatient knocks. They turned to view the outside and saw a trio of ponies waiting by the door, but the curtains blocked out most details and only showed the silhouettes.

“Saved by the bell again? What’s my luck today?”

The second set of knocks were even harder than the first and Gleaming shook herself back to reality. Quickly, she made for the door and hurried to open it before whoever was on the other side damaged its hinges. However when she did, whatever sanctuary she could steal from the momentary reprieve was shattered as she found herself staring down a group of armed guards.

“Miss Gleaming Gold?” The one on front spoke. “May we come in? I’m afraid it's not a social call.”

Gleaming stood still as a statue as her limbs held stone stiff. “S-sure.” She ripped herself away and had to force a step back as they began to fill into the reception room where the second door stopped them. One of the guards, a unicorn, then turned to her with a lit horn and moments later a wave of familiar teal energy washed over her.

“A cleansing spell? Oh no…no no no no no! They’re here for Shellac!”

Gleaming back peddled into a corner wide eyed with barely contained terror as the mage who’d casted the spell approached with sustained suspicion. “Did the spell work miss?” He then turned to the patrol leader. “She still seems a little out of it sir.”

The other guard walked up beside him with a glare. “Corporal leave her alone. She’s Copper’s girl, poor thing’s been through enough already.” He locked eyes with the now nervously shaking mare and didn't let his stern expression up for a second. “Pardon the intrusion, but we were given a tip of a possible changeling infiltrator inside this household. Standard protocol dictates we search the residence, you wouldn’t have a problem with that would you?”

Gleaming was too utterly shellshocked to speak a word, her conscience torn between answering honestly and clinging to the faint hope these guards would take no for an answer. In the end however she decided she’d rather not challenge the entire patrol now in her house and so she slowly shook her head.

“Is this really it? Have I just damned us all? Oh whatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?!?”

“Then would you kindly unlock the door please?” The patrol leader asked.

Dread built within Gold’s brain and every action she took was done with trepidation. This felt wrong, it felt wrong on so many levels she didn’t think possible but it was. She could see the various weapons that cling to their belts and the agitation, or perhaps irritation, in their eyes. Everything seemed to take too long as the guards all watched her jerk herself forward and fumble the keys inside the lock, their gazes staring into her very soul as if they already knew what she was guilty of.

With a soft click the door creaked open and they all walked inside the narrow entrance corridor one by one, the plates of their armour rubbing against each other sending echoes through the walls. Gold was positively paralysed with fear and a hundred different, increasingly grim images ran through her head. Even as they stopped at the living room doorway with their gazes glued to the sights inside.

She watched like a hawk and with ragged breaths, preparing herself for a warzone right inside her house. Sure Shellac had assumed his disguise but these guards would’ve instantly noticed he didn’t look like her son and dispelled it.

But as the seconds ticked by and the beating of her heart pounded in her head, they did nothing. They stood there staring wide eyed into the room. Then she heard a giggle, which turned into a laugh, and soon the trio of guards all burst out into a fit of chuckles for some unseen reason.

“W-what?”

Her joints seemed to loosen as she curiously crept forward through the stack of armoured guards. Brushing against their gilded armour and finely cared for clothes.

When she reached the doorway and looked inside also she found the cause of their laughter. Shellac had assumed his plush form again and was laid out on the couch with Raining, innocently smiling at the guards with a hint of smugness only Gold was privy to.

“Real scary changeling infiltrator we got here, eh lads?” One of the guards jested, pointing to the plush.

“I didn’t even know there were ponies who made such a thing, where’d you get it kid?”

“At the winter carnival! I won it as a prize!” Raining replied. Then as if to demonstrate he began playing around with the plush’s arms as if to make it dance, warranting another round of disarming laughter.

The patrol leader however was the only guard of the group who didn’t share in their amusement, instead looking at the purple eyed plush with thought and intensity. Gleaming could see the cogs and gears turning in his head and in a moment of clarity she had an idea.

Quickly, she walked over and glared at him, snorting just loud enough for it to be heard over the other guards. It caught his attention and he turned to see her abhorrent state, her half kept mane, the stress on her face and the way her ear twitched when the two locked eyes.

The officer didn’t need to hear a word to understand what Gleaming was communicating. He spared another glance at the changeling soft toy and sighed, turning back to Gold with a sincere expression. “I’m sorry for the disturbance Miss Gold, and I’m sorry for what’s happened to your husband.”

Gleaming remained quiet, content with glaring daggers as sharp as the guard’s sword.

The patrol leader took the hint and snapped back to the other guards. “Ok boys, pack it up! We’re done here.”

They each clamped their mouths shut and began trailing out of the house with the patrol leader at the back of the queue. One at a time the armoured guards stepped back into the bitter chill outside, the officer taking one last look back at Gleaming.

“Happy Hearth’s Warming Miss Gold…sorry about this.” With that, he closed the door.

The reverberation sent a shockwave that rang in her ears. Finally left alone with her kids the dreaded realisation hit her like a truck.

A group of guards had just tried to search her home for a changeling and if it weren’t for some quick thinking it would’ve all been over. She’d have been arrested, her son taken away and Shellac thrown into Canterlot Dungeons. Screw being saved by a bell, this time they’d got off by the skin of their teeth!

Immediately, her chest began to tighten and her head pounded to the sound of her aching heart. With the same jerky, forced movements from before she entered the living room where Shellac had returned back to his normal form.

The two kids watched with growing concern as she struggled to stay upright.

“Mum? Are you okay?” Raining asked.

Gleaming was just about able to squeak out a simple “No,” before collapsing forward and landing messily onto the couch. Raining panicked and rushed over to her aid with Shellac right behind him as they tried to prevent her from falling off and onto the floor.

“Mum? Mum, what's going on? Are you hurt?” Gleaming didn’t answer, her eyes listlessly glazing over her surroundings, her breathing short and ragged. Raining snapped back to his unofficial brother hoping for an answer. “Shell, what’s happening to her?!”

“I-I don’t know! Maybe she needs water? I’ll go get some!”

“Bring the medical box too!”

Shellac galloped out into the kitchen and pulled out a large glass along with a big box that had a white cross on it made of duct tape. While he worked on that, Raining stood by his weakened mother, checking her pulse and holding her hoof. He really didn’t know what more he could do besides trying to comfort her, he didn’t even know what was wrong!

Then a familiar saying came back to mind. Words of wisdom that he knew all too well by now. “Laughter is the best medicine!”

The edges of his mouth cracked as he began forcing another smile and looked into her mother’s glossy eyes. “Heh…you’ll be fine, right mum? Like you said, everything will be fine!”

Shellac raced back into the living room and popped the box and the freshly filled glass on the coffee table. He turned back to the two but froze in place when he saw Raining’s grin, and felt the immense clash of emotions between the two.

There were so many it was hard to keep track. Panic, dread, fear, false joy, just to name a few. The colour was sucked from the room as was any kind of warmth the fireplace provided. He couldn’t take his eyes off the suffering mother and child yet he also couldn’t bear to watch. Raining kept mumbling to himself echoing what Gleaming had said earlier before the guards interrupted them and trying to comfort himself as much as her with his cracking voice.

“You’ll be alright…you’ll be alright…”

Shellac’s heart twisted into a knot. The horrible hooks of guilt latched onto him and he watched with a grimace. The fear of an uncertain future and trepidation of things to come hanging over his head.

“You did this, didn’t you?” He scorned himself.

This wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t what he wanted. He was supposed to stay here with Raining and help his family, not tear it apart like this!

“Those guards came here for you, Copper’s gone because you agreed to go out with Raining and now Lance won’t leave them alone because you got involved. All of this is your fault!”

That’s when it suddenly struck him, all of the harsh treatment, all the hard work and pointless effort. He was born an outcast among outcasts and no matter his best efforts his whole life’s only ever been unfortunate. For Shellac was a magnet for bad luck and moments of victory or joy would only ever be fleeting and far between.

The Hive, the Invasion, the streets, the orphanage, and now the family. Everywhere he went and everywhere he lived, he’d only ever find misery. Things would’ve been better if he’d just taken what he needed and left them alone. Copper would still be here, Lance wouldn’t have ruined his game of Spell-Tag and the guards would’ve never knocked on the door today.

What else would happen if he stayed?

The nymph’s gut twisted into a knot and he found himself just as paralysed as Gleaming. Unable to do much else but watch and witness the horrible show. Even as Raining began to hum an upbeat tune to brighten the situation he couldn’t pull himself away.

“I don’t belong here, I never did and the universe will see to it I never will. I’m so sorry Raining, for everything I’ve done to you.”

With a heavy heart he finally found the will to turn away as Gleaming’s breathing began to normalise. But whatever relief Raining had, Shellac wanted no part in, it wasn’t his to take. He climbed the stairs and went to Raining’s room to take refuge.

There he sat down on the carpeted floor and dreaded what he knew would come next. What cruel force of the universe would keep him alive just to torment him like this? It wasn’t fair! Why can’t he just settle somewhere and have a nice life?

Time passed and soon Raining came to him with the good news of Gleaming’s recovery, but it did little to temper his emotions. The nymph took to reading more of that novel Raining had given him and was content with sticking to his little corner of the room. Raining tried to cheer him up and encourage them to play but Shellac denied him every time. He didn’t want to break his heart anymore then he was already going to do.

Not that it mattered much anyway…

“Sorry kid but it's a false alarm, we found a stuffed toy that certainly looked like the real thing, but there was no changeling.”

Moonlit Lance looked up at the patrol leader in disbelief. “Seriously? I gave you a chunk of resin! That had to come from a Changeling.”

The officer reached into his pocket and pulled out the aforementioned chunk. “I won’t deny, it does seem odd that the colours matched. But we checked the family and they’re not under any sort of control.”

Lance’s eye twitched as a wave of realisation washed over him but he tried to stay on topic. “And did you check the changeling stuffed toy thing?” He said through gritted teeth. “You know, the thing that matches the resin chunk?”

The officer took a deep breath and his tone dropped. His smile and any semblance of kindness along with it. “Kid? By going in there we stressed out somepony who might’ve just lost their significant other. Unless you bring me hard proof that there's a changeling inside that building, we’re not going back inside, okay? And if you keep pushing this, then we’ll have to report you to your parents.”

Lance had to swallow his breath in an effort to prevent himself from lashing out, already scorning himself for disrespecting the guard. With great effort he wordlessly nodded and the two had a mutual understanding. Not wanting to escalate things further the patrol leader left the colt and strode down the street with the rest of his squad.

Once they were out of earshot Lance bucked a hoof into a trashcan, denting it and knocking it over before turning to the yellow brick house on the opposite end of the street.

“Traitors, bug lovers, turncoats, the very bucking worst scum of Equestria. They’ve been housing that changeling this whole time and now they’re cover’s blown.”

His expression hardened with rage at the windows and doors, knowing it was all that separated him from them.

“If the guards won’t take me seriously then I’ll take matters into my own hooves.”

Lance turned about face and left for his house.

Several hours had passed and the sky outside grew dark, the numerous lights of Canterlot kicking in to illuminate what they could. The house grew quiet as the family resided themselves to the comfort of night, but for one of them, they couldn’t be any more restless if they tried.

Shellac stirred and turned in place as he tried wiggling away from Raining’s grasp. His brother unconsciously refused to let him go, as if he somehow knew of his plans. It was the same story as it was a couple of nights ago and had a similar ending when Shell briefly transformed to escape him. Shifting back he turned to look at Raining with regret in his eye.

“I’m sorry Raining. I know what I said but…I have to do this. I’m sorry.”

With his head hung low he snuck away downstairs careful not to disturb any creaky floorboards.

Slowly, his first stop was the living room, and upon entry, he froze at the doorframe. Nothing had really changed about the room, but the tree now had all manner of presents tucked under its well decorated canopy. It was a small change but it was enough to elicit that same spark of wonder he’d felt the first time seeing it. Like a hidden puzzle piece had just clicked into place and therefore elevated the beauty.

But as the minutes ticked by his admiration waned and his wonder was hollowed out. This would be the last time he got to see the living room, the last time he could warm himself by the fireplace or admire the decorations. Soon he’d be back to worrying about survival and so he turned his attention to the silver trophy sitting above the lit fireplace.

“Should I take it? It’s mine and I won it fair and square. Then again it’s heavy and I need to pack light. It’s not real silver anyway, it’s just metal with some plating. Does that matter though? No, it doesn’t, it’ll only slow me down. But I won it!”

Shell’s desire attempted to argue, but once again, paranoia proved louder.

“Look, Shell? It’s dead weight and you need to focus on staying alive. Leave it here for Raining and his family, they can remember you that way.”

The sound of the grandfather clock quietly striking midnight woke the changeling up from his indecision. He sighed and strode to the kitchen to begin packing some supplies. He grabbed one of the extra shopping bags and filled it with a few bottles of water and some canned soups as well as some tinder and firewood.

Shellac couldn’t stay with Raining’s family, he’d tear it apart otherwise and he couldn't bear the thought with such nice ponies. He was a bad luck charm, a cursed changeling with a pathetic past and no future. Doomed to live an outcast for however long he could manage. But maybe now there’d at least be somepony who would visit his grave.

He walked away from the kitchen, but paused at the living room doorway, looking inside at the tree with all of its magical lights and many gifted wrapped boxes underneath.

“It’s Hearth’s Warming, why am I having to do this on Hearth’s Warming? This is meant to be a happy time isn’t it?”

Another depressive sigh left him as he longed for the morning celebrations. Suddenly reminded of the joy he was denied after exposing the orphanage. “Because if I stay here bad things will happen, and I won’t let Raining suffer because of me.”

He pushed on past the doorway and entered the reception. Quietly fastening his winter kit with a slow, painfully lethargic pace.

“Why couldn’t I have been born a pony? Or even just as one of Chrysalis’ nymphs? I just had to be special in the worst way possible. I just had be Mr. Misfortune didn’t I?”

Shell took one last look at the entrance hallway and savoured the memories flashing through his head. Gleaming’s bath, Piccafilly Circus, the carnival, the arcade and all the little moments in between. Cringing as another wave of emotion welled up in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Raining, I hope you have a good life.”

With one final puff of his chest he opened the door and braved the outside.

The howling winds were so strong if it weren’t for the neighbor’s hedges shielding him he might’ve been knocked off his hooves by the sudden force. From the front door he could barely see to the end of the yard with the streetlights only doing so much to help. Even with his nightvision the thick hail of snow impeded much of the light that made it to his eyes. As a result it wasn’t so much the darkness that was making it difficult but the dense air that cut off his vision.

Shellac pushed past the gate with a hoof shielding his face before crossing the street into a nearby ally for cover. It was so loud he could barely hear himself think! But now that he had a moment he set his bag of supplies down the full breath of what he was doing set in.

There was yet another rising tide of emotion when he suddenly heard somepony whistle from the alley's entrance. He quickly turned and-

There was only a brief flash where he saw a fast-moving object flying towards his face…

Then nothing.

CH 11 - Only A Miracle

Four Nights Before The Storm

It was a cold winter night in Canterlot, the city’s streets were covered in thick sheets of cold, biting snow. The bitter wind washed away whatever warmth remained in those outside. Like that of a singular changeling nymph cowering under a cardboard box.

Despite his best efforts, he’d been through so much only to gain less than little of what karma had owed to him. Gone was the summer warmth and days he could bathe, gone were the adults who’d ensure he was well fed, and gone were the times he could roam free without a care in the world.

Now, all that he had to look forward to were the brief moments when the wind died down to a level where the possibility of hypothermia was no longer a certainty.

His stomach painfully growled as his body was running on fumes. The constant shivering was burning through what few calories he had. Even now, his body violently shook in an effort to keep itself warm, even despite the barrier protecting him from the wind. Without clothes or fire his core temperature had begun to ice over and he could feel death’s cold embrace loom over his chittering form.

The nymph only had a tiny amount of energy left to draw from. With resignation, he figuratively threw the last log into his furnace hoping that if nothing else it’ll ease his anguish.

“This is it? Isn’t it?” Shellac’s tears left icing trails down his cheeks. “I’ll fall asleep…and I’ll never wake up.”

Death…It was something Shellac didn’t have much direct experience with but over the half year he’d been in Canterlot, it had become something he was constantly running from. An ever looming threat he fought tooth and nail to avoid, and one he’d thought he’d finally escaped.

But now it seemed it had finally caught up with him.

Thus as he sat and continued to freeze, the unanswerable question of what comes next was pushed to the forefront of his mind, coupled with the endless fear of the unknown. Would he be greeted by his true, long lost mother? Waiting in front of a pair of golden gates? Or would he be doomed to endless fall into a black abyss of nothingness?

The latter became too much and the floodgates opened and when they did he didn’t hold back. Crying more comparable to muted wails left him and echoed through the alley. Why should he stop? Nopony cared about him, he was a cockroach. If these were to be his last few hours of life why shouldn’t he unload life’s lashings? He didn’t care if he heard, only the outpour of his woes was of concern to him.

“At least…it won’t be…painful.”

…

“Hello? Is anypony there?”

The voice sliced through his thick cries like a hot knife through butter and his eyes shot open, his mouth shut tighter than a vault safe. It seemed that despite the bleakness, fate had other plans for him.

Whatever happens, there is always hope.

Hearth’s Warming Eve

Even Lance had to admit this was awfully convenient. After the failure of the guards he’d pilfered a few choice items from the house fireplace, thinking he could cause enough panic to force the changeling away from the building, but he never could’ve guessed he’d arrive to him on a silver platter like this.

Honestly, he was mentally praising whoever was watching for this as he might be a lot of things, but even he thought breaking into the house and stealing was going too far.

Target in sight, he knelt down and picked up the loose brick before tossing and catching it like a tennis ball. Looking down at the unconscious changeling with a grin and briefly contemplating caving it’s skull in right then and there. But Raining’s family needed to be locked up never to see the light of day again.

“Guards want hard proof? I don’t think you can get any better than this.”

Lance looked both ways before taking his scarf off and using it to bind the unconscious changeling, then moved to sling him over his back, like a hunter catching game. He was suspicious of how smoothly it was going but not wanting to waste time looking for ghosts he made his way through the snow.

Not long after he saw the bright blue beacon of his sister’s magic and when he came into view her jaw dropped. Her otherwise slitted pupils struck with awe, shock and horror at the creature dangling over Lance’s back.

“You were right…by Celestia you were right.” She trembled, almost sounding disappointed.

“Told ya so. Now let’s get going, I can barely see a thing out here.”

Mirror nodded and brightened her horn as she led the way for him. Following a trail of tinted blue street lights she’d altered so as to not get lost in the storm. Having to clean her goggles every few dozen steps and checking her back to see if Lance was still with her.

At first she wanted no part in this. What Lance was doing was just plain wrong but after another argument she realised it’d be better if she was around to pull crisis control when Lance inevitably committed his arsonist act. Thankfully it seemed such a thing had never happened but even as the jailhouse came into view her nerves didn’t let up. Lance was right but…was he still in the right? Was she doing the right thing?

Lance had isolated Raining for months and now his father was absent. As far as she knew they were taking away his only friend…

But then she remembered the day of the attack and the chaos that had surrounded her. She’d only just learned the shield spell and was a bit clunky with it, but she adapted quickly that day. How her mother kept her within a vice like grip as the two unicorns channelled their energy into the shield. Keeping all manner of green gunk and emerald fire from scorching their forms. The snarling anger and dagger like fangs that hissed at them from behind the dark blue dome, allowing her an undisturbed view of the skirmish around them.

“Don’t be ridiculous Mirror. This is a changeling we’re talking about, of course it was using him. But what matters now is if this is an isolated incident or if there’s a bigger picture at play.” She swallowed her breath and clamped her eyes shut from the thousand yard stare she’d taken on. Regaining control of her breathing, she managed to also slow her hear to a normal rate.

Nopony was outside guarding the locked double doors to the jail which, while understandable, did little to steel her nerves. She stopped just short with Lance taking the lead and slamming the door’s knocker several times.

Soon after the sound of several locks being undone precluded the door opening by a crack. “Hello?” The guard’s eye widened upon getting a better look at Lance’s smug face. “Hey aren’t you the kid from earlier? What are you doing at this hour?!”

“Remember when you said you needed hard proof?” Lance then spun around to show off the unconscious changeling.

“What in the?!” The guard swung the door open and in doing so revealed a set of brightly colour pyjamas adorned with sun and moon patterns. Yet the patrol leader still had his helmet on for whatever reason as he stared in near disbelief.

“Pyjamas? Really?” Lance contained a laugh.

“Hey it's Hearth’s Warming! Anyway, where the heck, and how the heck, did you manage to capture a changeling?!”

Lance couldn’t hold back the smug smirk on his face. “With a brick sneaking away from the house, the same one I told you there was a changeling inside? The same one where you found a purple changeling plush?”

“Yeah okay kid fine, ya got me.” The guard then pulled out some shackles and a ring with a tiny enchanted gemstone before proceeding to replace the impromptu restraints for something that’ll actually hold it should it wake up suddenly. Lance watched with a vindicated grin as he wrapped his scarf back around his neck.

“Can I ask what’s going to happen now?” Both then turned to Mirror who lended them a sheepish smile. “I mean we did help catch it, just wondering what’s next.”

“Well, tomorrow we’ll probably put this little fella through questioning and after an investigation of the family. He’ll most likely be sent to Canterlot Dungeons with the rest of the bugs.”

Lance’s smile grew while Mirror’s waned, conflicted now more than ever about the morality of their act. Had they just condemned Raining’s family? Right after what happened to his father and all the other abuse they’d done? Her pragmatism justified it in all manner of ways but her emotions made her moral compass spin in all kinds of directions.

“Hey, you kids gonna be alright to go back home? It’s late and I have no idea why your parents would let you out in this weather.”

“We’ll be fine, my sister knows the way home.” Lance then turned to Mirror who took a moment to process the attention now placed upon her.

“Oh, yeah! Yeah we’ll be fine.”

With that the guard smiled and shut the door leaving the two kids to themselves. “Right, now let’s go home and get out of this storm, I’m freezing!” Mirror exclaimed.

“Now hold on a minute sis.” The unicorn’s ear twitched and her eyes shot wide at her brother’s repost. “Oh no.”

“You know, I had a plan for drawing the changeling out, but they instead walked over to my alley by themself where I got him. Don’t you think that’s a bit easy?”

“I mean…sure, but can’t we just go home? The guards have it in hoof. And you heard him, they’ll speak to Raining’s family tomorrow. It’s done.”

“Nah nah sis, some things don’t just happen like that. No, something's up.” Mirror glanced from left to right fumbling her words. Was he really about to do this?

“I’m expecting an escape attempt.” He followed.

The filly winced and annoyance quickly boiled over into anger. “Lance, It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, we’re in the middle of a snow storm and it’s probably one AM or something. Can’t we just go home? You got what you wanted, what more do you want?”

“Sorry Mirror, but we need to make sure that changeling stays there.” Lance planted a hoof as if to solidify his decision.

“Oh for buck’s sake Lance, seriously?” Mirror felt the last of her patience evaporate.

“We’ll stay for a little longer just to make sure and then we’ll leave, okay?”

How many times had she tolerated this? She’d gave a hoof and he’d take the whole leg. First the carnival, then the arcade and now this. The damn colt was only getting more outlandish with his demands and were it not for her fear of him she’d have walked away right then and there.

But once again she’d sensed the lack of choice in Lance’s words and begrudgingly nodded. “Okay Lance, but this is the last time. We do this and then we go home. No arguments, no debates, we leave!”

“That’s all I ask.”
Sadly, even as he said that Mirror couldn’t believe it, yet she mentally prepared herself for a cold stakeout.

Raining tossed and turned within the confines of his covers, unable to maintain a comfortable position. There was something missing from the equation his body was expecting and soon he stirred from his sleep. Eyes creaking open and being met with near total darkness. Just about able to see that something was off in front of him, his sense of touch picked up on it also.

“Uh, Shell?”

He found a cavity where he thought his brother’s head would be, and instead, found the comparatively small frame of his ursa toy. A spike of panic rushed up his spine and exploded in his head as he sat up darting around the room for any sign of him. “Shellac?”

Raining then saw the door to his room was slightly ajar, not how he’d left it earlier. Throwing the covers away he got to his hooves and quickly moved into the hallway. Any sleepiness in his body was washed away as he continued his search downstairs.

The adrenaline in his body only surged when he found no sign of him still. Not in the living room, the kitchen or the backroom, he even tried checking the bathroom!

But no, Shellac had vanished without a trace.

“Where’d he go? You can’t just lose a changeling like that! I mean sure they could turn into objects but he’d have something right? Actually that could make for a fun hide-n-seek game-NO! Focus Raining! What happened to him?”

All manner of possibilities ran through Raining’s mind. The products of his overimagination were absurd and outlandish, but with time he filtered them through into the most semi-likely scenarios.

“Alien abduction? No why would aliens abduct a changeling and leave me behind? Then again Shellac’s purple, so he’s probably special. Wait…changeling abduction! No, wait, same counterpoint.”

As his mind continued to invent new and wackier scenarios, Raining continued to search for his brother in the house.

“What about Lance abduction? Lance trying to hurt the ponies I like so I feel lonely during a special holiday or celebration? Yeah that checks out. But how the heck did he get in?! Of all things Lance is NOT quiet, surprising yes, but not quiet!”

They might not have been brothers by blood, but they were brothers by bond, and despite his fear, Raining wasn’t about to let Lance take him away! But how was Raining going to find him? It was the middle of the night and there was a snow storm outside. His hoofsteps would’ve been snowed over by now and while Raining knew the streets like the back of his hoof, he didn’t know what direction Shell was taken through.

Raining circled around the living room couches racking his brain for an idea. Pressure was building in his brain to think of something fast, nearing hyperventilation from stress.

“No Raining! Take a chill pill!”

With a hoof he slapped his cheek and forced himself to slow down, asking himself what his dad would’ve done. From his memory a piece of advice his dad once gave came to mind. “If you're ever unsure what to do, relax and take a moment to look around.”

The unicorn colt did exactly that and allowed the world around him to slow down. Looking around the room his eyes suddenly locked onto a single unopened box mounted atop a shelf.

The Incredible Mechanical Owl!
Wind the hoof crank on the back of your new avian friend and watch him soar!
Can do various tricks! Simply ask and it’ll perform, no training required!
Easy to repair! One cast of Mending and it’ll be good as new!

Raining’s face broke out into a hopeful smile.

“Jackpot! If Shell could get it to find me, I could get it to find him!”

The box glided towards him and he tore it open with his magic before popping out the inactive mechanical statue. Pulling out the hoof crank and jamming it into its back, it wasn’t long before it sprang to life and hovered in place just above Raining’s head.

With a grin he moved to the reception and dawned a more generous amount of winter gear then normal. A quick cast of Mending fixed the crack in his goggles from the arcade, yet in his haste he failed to notice the absence of Shellac’s clothing. Once he was ready he was joined by the mechanical owl and took a spare door key.

Not long after he braved the outside, shutting the door behind him, the owl sat on his shoulder gripping him tightly so as to not get blown away.

“Hey, Mr. Owl? Can you help me find a purple pegasus with a mohawk mane?” Raining had to raise his voice for it to be heard against the howling wind. The owl simply shrugged, which prompted Raining to facehoof at the obvious answer.

“Because he’s undisguised, oh that bad!”

“Okay, can you help me find a changeling with a purple shell and eyes?”

This time the owl responded by pointing a metallic wing in a direction down the street, letting out a mechanical hoot as it did so. With a steady gait Raining strode down the sidewalk following the partially obscured street lights, driven by determination.

“Hold on Shellac, I’m coming!”

The sudden slam of the front door shook Gleaming from her slumber and her eyes shot wide. A sound one should never have to wake up to in the middle of the night. She was slow to get out of bed, but at least methodical in her step as she quietly moved to the door, listening for any more audible anomalies. When none met her ears she crept forward towards the stairs and peeked over the railing, listening intently anypony who might somehow broken in.

Her nerves weren’t helped by the lack of noise, if anything the silence only made her heart beat louder. Aside from the howling winds outside there wasn’t anything else happening in the house. Gold was just about to try going back when she saw Raining’s door was wide open and from where she was standing, she saw an empty bed.

“Oh no…oh no no no no,” She trampled, “Raining?”

No answer.

“Raining!? Shellac?!” She raised her voice, hoping that maybe they were downstairs and would pick up on it and that the sound of the front door wasn’t them leaving. When nothing of the sort happened she nearly broke into a gallop downstairs calling for them, only to find yet more dark emptiness. She nearly broke down the backroom door checking every inch she could but they were nowhere to be found.

“D-did Shellac just?....Take Raining?”

Gleaming had to stop from slapping herself for even considering such a thing.

“No, that wouldn’t make sense, not after everything they’ve been through. But then what? What’s happening, where is my little Lead?!”

Gleaming was uncertain about many things, but the one thing she could be certain of was that neither child was inside the house and were outside…in the middle of the night…amidst a snow storm.

The blood pumping through her veins began rushing around like she was being chased by a cheetah and she placed a hoof on her chest, preemptively practising her breathing exercise. She couldn’t afford a panic attack not now! But then what was she going to do? They could’ve run off in all manner of directions and Canterlot was a big place, especially with that storm brewing.

“The guards, I need to get to the jailhouse. There has to be somepony on call. They can contact some others and get a search party going.”

She barely took a step forward before another problem arose.

“But…what about Shellac? If they find out he’s a changeling we’re done for!”

And just like that, a new wave of panic set in, Gleaming feeling another panic attack came on. Yet, this time she did slap herself in the face to calm her nerves.

“Gleaming get a grip. As it is you’re screwed either way if you don’t find them, now move your fat flank!”

“...”

“Shut up.”

She wasted no time dashing to reception and fastening her gear, but unlike Raining before her, the lack of the duo’s gear was very much taken note of. In fact, now with all of hers on the only clothes set that had remained untouched was Copper Casing’s. The reminder prompted a cringe which she clamped down on before it could grow into anything more than that, at the very least it looked like Raining had grabbed the spare door key so whatever happened he could at least get back inside.

Whatever relief she could take in that knowledge was short-lived as she refocused on the task at hoof and blazed outside into the storm towards the nearest jailhouse she could find. The way there was long burned into her memory from the many times she’d visited Copper’s workplace, the issue was more trying to navigate through the darkened haze that was tonight’s snow storm.

Time would only tell if she’d find her way through.

Things hadn’t gone well for poor Shellac, ever since his first encounter with Lance it had only gone downhill. First Raining’s depression, then the arcade and now this. His head swirled with pain as he slowly came to consciousness, remembering a whistle followed by something flying fast towards him.

The ground was made of hard stone and the air was cold, the warm threads of his coat still clinging to his form. As he lazily opened his eyes and looked around he quickly found he was in a dark, dingy cell of some kind with the only light coming from a small window that was level with the street.

He looked all around him wide with shock and horror. “Lance…he got me, didn’t he?” Realisation struck him like an oncoming train and he struggled to keep his heart rate in check.

“Now I’m really done for, I’ll never see the sun, never get to fly…and never see Raining…”

He leaned back against a wall as a cold wave of reality washed over him.

Avoiding this had been something he worked tirelessly to ensure, but seems he couldn’t outrun his fate. Yet he didn’t cry, instead, he felt almost numb. Maybe he was still in shock? Had he’d somehow already made peace with it? Or maybe he’d simply cried all his tears already? Whatever the case, what happened to him now was no longer in his control and given the guard’s reputation, it probably never will be ever again.

Indeed there was no way he’d ever get away, the magic suppressor around his horn prevented even the most basic of spells like shapeshifting and the window, while open, was lined with metal bars that made the gap far too small for him to slip through.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about scavenging for scraps and freezing anymore, right? At least he’d be safe and taken care of, right?

Sure he might’ve helped but for the most part he was being locked up for crimes he didn’t commit, and that didn’t feel right. In the end he could do little as a quiet depression overtook his calmness and he slumped to the floor.

“Maybe now…Raining will be okay.”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shellac was suddenly woken from his melancholic episode when he saw somepony outside his cell window. For a brief moment he thought it might’ve been Raining, but then he saw the pony’s face lean down to look inside.

It was Lance.

“Hey cheese legs! Having fun in there?” He taunted with a smile.

Shell averted his gaze and remained quiet, choosing not to indulge Lance’s ego. This however only prompted him to scoof and continue. “Awe what’s the matter? Can’t handle reality? Well too bucking bad!”

The words stung the back of Shellac’s mind and he let out a breath of calmness. “What do you want?” The question was rhetorical of course, he knew exactly why Lance was doing this.

“To let you know just how pathetic you are! It doesn’t matter how hard you try or whatever trick you pull, I’ll always beat you, because defeat will always belong to that witch you call ya mum.”

Anger began boiling inside Shellac’s chest and year's worth of woes came back to haunt him. Unlike Raining however, he didn't rise to it, and practised his tried and true breathing technique. Lance making it personal was not helping though.

“Yes, ha ha, you got me. Done twisting that knife yet?”

“Not yet, because after this that little brass mule you’ve been leeching on is next.”

Shellac’s eyes shot wide and that was all Lance needed to know he’d touched a nerve, so he pressed on.

“Yeah, how do you think it's gonna look for his family to have been willingly housing a parasite like you?”

A chill ran up Shellac’s spine as he realised what Lance had meant. Until now he’d not given it serious thought but now he couldn’t ignore the writing on the wall. Knowing his bad luck, he’d likely doomed them to the same shackled fate he now found himself in. “Why couldn’t you just leave him alone?” His voice trembled.

“For the same reason, I’d never stop chasing you, ya bucking parasite.” Without further context Lance stepped away from the metal bars and stood not far from his window, disrespectfully kicking some snow through onto Shellac’s coat with a back hoof.

The nymph recoiled and backed away from the window before wiping the grime and snow off. He resumed his position on the cold stone floor as the depressive air came back with it. His being locked away was one thing, but Raining and his family? Now that was another, and soon he was accompanied by his old friend guilt, left to fester in the darkness.

Meanwhile from across the street, Raining had managed to find the jailhouse thanks to the mechanical owl, but he’d stopped himself short when he caught sight of the actual building and grimaced.

“Wait…your saying Lance took him here?!”

Mr. Owl nodded.

“Ooooh that’s bad, yeah that’s very bad.”

He slinked away behind an empty cart when he suddenly saw a large figure standing next to one of the cell windows, quickly recognised it as Moonlit Lance. “Oh that’s even worse, please tell me that’s not where Shell’s being kept?” Lead turned to the owl for confirmation only to be met with a slow nod.

“Waaa! Okay…so how do you reckon we do this?”

Raining looked between the owl, then to Lance, then back to the owl with an evil smile. The clockwork owl tilted its head in curiosity as Raining had an idea.

Moments later Lance was being harassed by the mechanical bird who circled around him, prompting a whole dictionary’s worth of profanity in both Ponish and Griffic. Now with Lance properly engaged, the owl flew away where the giant colt gave chase, providing Raining with the window he needed.

He dashed across the street and peered into the darkened cell where he could see Shellac’s prone silhouette. Tapping the bars he tried getting his attention, but when that failed he whispered. “Shellac? It’s me!”

“R-Raining?” The nymph’s head shot up and he turned to look- “Raining!” -before shooting off towards the cell window to greet him. “Oh no no no, you shouldn’t have come here Raining, Lance is here and he’s looking for you!”

“Oh don’t worry, he’s occupied.”

“BUCKING BIRD!” Lance uselessly flailed his hooves trying to reach for the mechanical owl as it flew rings around him, far too high for him to reach. Leading him anywhere the wind took him...

“Yeaaaaah we have time, don’t worry! I’m getting you out!” Raining said as he looked at their surroundings.

“H-how? I can’t transform and I doubt you bought a hacksaw with you!”

“Oh Shellac! Have you forgotten?”

A brief flash of bright yellow magic saw the colt disappear in an instant, in that same moment he felt a hoof grasp his shoulder and he braced himself. “Uh oh.”

“I can teleport!”

Another flash and he was struck with that increasingly familiar nausea before he slumped against the outside wall, still able to stand with its support. Raining meanwhile threw both his hooves in the air. “Ta-daa!”

“Yeah okay, but how are you going to get the suppressor off? Only guards know how to do that!”

Raining’s only reply was to twist his enthusiastic smile into a wide smirk.

“Oh you’re kidding me.”

“D. A. D!” Raining then grabbed Shellac’s head and tilted it down until both their horns touched. Swirls of energy raced around the both of them and a soft click signalled the ring’s release before being tossed into back into the cell. Shellac raised his head back at him in disbelief.

“Okay, how?!”

“It’s not that complicated, just requires a specific magical frequency. Dad told me about it sometime before the invasion.”

Shell looked at Raining like he’d just admitted to being a Changeling himself.

“Why would he tell you this?”

“Boredom? It came up in one of his guard stories, I guess he either forgot he wasn’t meant to say it or that I’d forget.”

“Right, well while you're here making miracles happen, think you can teleport us home?”

“Ehhhh sorry Shell, too far away and the storm’s only making it worse.”

“Darn, the good news had to end somewhere I guess.”

“Come on! We can make it back on hoof.”

The two then got away from the jail as quickly as they could given the poor weather. Unbeknownst to them, Moonlit Mirror watched from the very edge of the storm, her bat-like eyes making them out far clearer then any normal pony otherwise could’ve.

Yet throughout the entire break out she’d not made any move to disrupt them or alert her brother. Instead, listening intently to the conversation that played out, their voices were amplified by her mother’s (previously) dormant Thestral descendtry. All things considered, the storm had actually worked in her favour, she was able to view her surroundings without the bright street lights burning her retinas.

However, now a conflict of ideals had begun tugging her in opposite directions, with neither side seeming the correct option. Raining had come back to break him out and, what’s more, seemed to genuinely care for him, but at the same time could she risk falling for an act? Her brother was a barbarian but he had a point…

As the duo ran away she caught sight of another figure slowly shifting towards the front door.

Gleaming Gold had been able to find her way and reach the jailhouse with relative ease, but as she stumbled forward the mechanical owl harassing Lance led him straight into her before flying away, not to be seen again.

She had just enough time to knock on the door when she turned and saw the very child that had caused hers so much pain. “You…” She calmly spoke. Lance took his attention away from the spot in the sky where the owl flew off into and towards the wrathful glare of Raining’s mother. A glare which in practice did little more than make him smirk. “You’ll pay for what you did to my husband!” Gold spat.

“With patience or bits? Those seem to be in high demand for you.” Lance spoke without a hint of fear.

A vice wrapped around Gleaming heart as she recoiled from the sudden retort. “Why can’t you just leave my son alone?!”

“You’ve had what? Nearly half a year to figure that out? Wow.”

The vice around her heart began squeezing as anger rose within her core. “Did he just call me dumb?” She cringed. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth!”

“Yes and she tried to sign me up for adoption, bite me!”

“Why you little-you’re a monster! Do you know that?”

“I’m not the one who took in an oversized cockroach as a child.” Gold’s eyes reached the size of dinner plates with her pupils, her jaw fit to crash into the ground. “Think before you speak Kakapo.” He shot.

Gleaming was dumbfounded, her mind went blank as the jail's door finally opened and with it, the invisible vice around her heart threatened to crush it into paste.

“Miss Gold?” She turned her head to face him, already in a full suit of armour and with an authoritative tone. It was the same guard that led the search in her house. “Would you mind stepping inside please?”

So many horrible things had just clicked into place at once. Her kids, the guards, Lance, she was barely holding herself together by this point. Her limbs began locking up, growing stiff and twitchy as she slowly made her way through the door.

It closed and Lance was left to his own devices but for Gleaming, the nightmare had only just begun. She’d only managed a few more steps when the left side of her body suddenly grew cold and her head felt dizzy.

“Miss Gold? Do you know why your here?” The guard continued, but instead of the response he was expecting, Gleaming’s speech was low and raspy.

“I-I c-can’t feel m-my-” She placed a hoof over her heart and promptly collapsed, her breaths increasingly shortened by the avalanche of stress upon her mind.

“Miss Gold?” It only took a moment for the guard to turn and process what had happened. “Ohhorseapples, Medic! I need a medic right now!”

Was this just another panic attack? Or was it something worse? Brought on by a perfect storm of circumstances. Whatever the case it didn’t matter anymore, nothing did.

“Everything…will be…fine.” Those last few thoughts flowed through her head before the curtains closed on her vision…

Outside, Lance rejoined, his sister looking at the empty cell from its window. His previously smug grin now wiped off with a scowl in its place.

“I thought you were watching it.”

Mirror winced, now under the scornful gaze of her big brother. “I was…but then something…caught my eye.”

“What?”

The air grew colder still and Mirror was suddenly made aware of her brother’s immense size from the one word alone. But she doubled down, her mind hadn’t been made up and the last thing she wanted was to tilt him in the wrong direction too early.

“Something…from the fog. I had to make sure it wasn’t something that would sneak up on me, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Lance, how many times have I put myself through tartarus for you already?”

Huffing in mild frustration Lance capitulated. He wasn’t entirely convinced and she could tell as such, but he decided against pressing the issue. They needed each other and the ice was already thin enough.

“Come on sis, we have work to do.”

“Yes…I suppose so.”

Author's Note

Only a few more chapters to go, the next one should be a real treat. I often listen to music for inspiration and I was really liking this song.

CH 12 - Heart Of The Storm

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

The storm hadn’t let up in the time since Raining and Shellac had left the jail, if anything it’d only gotten worse. Dense snow was smothering whatever light the street lamps and decorations were giving off, and both had to shield their faces to prevent snow from getting into their eyes, though with Raining it was more a case of constantly wiping his goggles.

“Stay close! I can barely see out here.”

“What? I’m sorry I can’t hear you!”

“Stay. Close. Shell-ac!”

Raining’s hoof suddenly caught something and he promptly faceplanted into the snow. Shellac halted and waited for him to get back up but as he did, so a metallic glint caught his eye, coming from the object that caused Raining’s fall. Shell bent down and dug out some kind of mechanical bir-

“Mr Owl!?”

The colt got to his hooves as Shellac took out the near frozen construct. lifeless, limp, and covered in snow.

“Raining, can you help him?”

“Maybe? Even if I thawed him out I didn’t bring the hoof crank with me!”

“W-why?” Shell asked, while holding his beloved toy in his hooves.

“I didn’t think the little guy would run out of juice this quickly!”

“W-well, at least warm him up, please?”

Raining nodded and took the mechanical owl, a trail of magical embers swirled around his horn before wrapping around the avian’s chassis. In moments the ice and snow build-up had all but evaporated and Mr. Owl was back to his original, undeployed form.

“Better?”

Shellac nodded before Raining stuffed the fancy toy under his leg.

“Don’t worry Mr. Owl, we’re gonna get you home.”

The two continued on their way pushing through the streets, wading through thick snow and howling winds. Without a guide it was up to Raining to see them home and, while he was confident in his memory, the weather was doing everything it could to throw off his sense of direction. Concentration did not come easy and so it was down to Shellac to keep up, who again was being equally hampered by the snow.

They were coming up on a T junction which Raining just about recognised, not slowing one bit as he mentally recalled which direction to take. Shellac meanwhile, could just about see his silhouette, stealing glances from around his thoroughly wrapped up leg.

“Hey, wait up!”

“Sorry Shell, but the longer we stay out here the worse it’ll get, I don’t wanna freeze!”

“Would it really hurt to slow down a little bit?” Raining didn’t reply, either because his response was muffled or he hadn’t heard Shellac. He didn’t quite see which direction his brother took so he called out. “Which way do we go?”

Raining called back but whatever was said was partially drowned out by a sudden gust of wind.

“Did you say right?!”

No response…

“Raining?” He peered around but couldn’t make out the colt’s silhouette any more. “Raining!”

His heart sank as he heard a shout from a little ways down the street, with little other option he chased it as best he could, hoping he’d reunite with him.

Neither of them had noticed the distant blue lights from behind them…

Shellac wandered down the darkened street, seemingly forever, always hearing his brother close by but never within reach. Why he wasn’t slowing down or trying to make sure he didn’t lose him Shellac could only guess. The storm at least seemed to ease up a little, so now he could actually hear himself think, but seeing anything further than a metre in detail was still out of the question.

When he finally saw Raining’s outline materialise he felt relieved, the unicorn had actually stayed put and waited for him!

He trudged through the snow trying to catch up as quickly as he could but mear moments away from meeting his gaze the colt’s horn lit up. Instead of the sunny amber glow he was expecting however, he’d been blinded by a skylight blue that forced him back a step.

“Wait…”

Panic began rising within Shellac as he remembered who’s magic it was in front of him. The voice he’d been chasing, the silhouette he couldn’t see…

“Hello Thunder, can we have a chat?” A feminine voice came. The light dimmed into but a fraction of its original power and Moonlit Mirror appeared through the darkened fog. Both of them now face to face amidst the snowy haze. Their eyes adjusted quickly and Shellac saw her slitted pupils observing every movement he made with scrutiny.

“Mirror?! W-where’s Raining!?” Shellac raised his voice as did Mirror, lest their words be lost to the wind.

“He’s fine for the moment, probably backtracking to try finding you.”

“What do you want? Are you here to take me back?” Shell almost took a step back, mentally thinking over what to do.

“Actually, no. I needed to see you for myself, I wanted to talk.”

Mirror casted her inquisitive glare over him, gauging his response best as she could. Shellac could tell as much from the moment they’d seen each other but he didn’t care. Instead his mind went back to all the pain he’d suffered through the past several days and back to their very first meeting.

“Talk? After you abandoned me and Raining back at the park? After helping Lance back at the arcade? And after all-” He flailed his hooves around, “-this?”

“Do you think I really had a choice?” She shot back, “I tried helping, I tried getting Lance to stop, but the moment he suspected you were a changeling, he might’ve well been a shark smelling blood. The last thing I wanted to do was test what he would’ve done if I refused.”

Shellac backed down as the filly’s brief anguish confirmed her honesty, but more questions quickly came to mind. “Then why? Why is he doing all this? To me? To Raining? Why does he hate us so much?”

Mirror’s mind flashed with faded memories. Her mother bore the burden of maintaining the shield so of everypony present, she could see the most. A changeling and a child, a sharpened horn and monstrous muscle followed by green globs of resin and a failed quick cast. Flashing silver and a father's cry, then blood.

“The truth, Thunder, is that I don’t think the changelings ever intended to kill our father. I think they knew just how much of a pain it would’ve been to bring him down, but when getting the jump on him failed…mistakes were made, and now Lance feels he has to make his death meaningful.”

Shellac shuddered from the revelation, momentarily speechless as he replayed his encounter with Lance at the arcade, and how he could feel the colt’s murderous zeal.

“Now, I want to ask you something very, very important. Where did you come from?” Mirror’s question woke him from his flashback but only prompted him to scramble for an answer. He hesitated to tell the truth about the hive, his upbringing and his time in Canterlot. Then a familiar piece of wisdom once more nipped his ear.

“The best kind of lies are the ones that merge with the truth.” He opened his mouth but stopped short. “No…no more lies, no more tricks. Raining’s risking everything to help me, I’m not running anymore.”

With trepidation Shellac went on to summarise everything. His work inside the hive, his training and role as a scout, his support of the invasion and survival on Canterlot’s streets. Mirror stayed quiet for much of it, only occasionally interrupting to ask a question or two. But for the most part she was content hearing him out.

Honestly, in spite of the circumstances, he was grateful for the moment to think straight.

Once Shellac was done he waited as Mirror went over the information he’d unloaded for any loose ends she could pull. It was like watching a judge ponder his crimes deciding what his final sentence should be. Time and time again he’d been honest with who he was, but even with all that he wasn’t totally confident she’d buy his story.

It only took a minute for her to speak again but that singular minute felt more like an hour to the nymph.

“So this whole time, you’ve only been looking for a family?”

Shellac nodded.

The filly cursed under her breath as waves of guilt descended upon her psyche. She averted her gaze and winced as days of pent up emotion threatened to spill over at once.

“Shellac…I’m so, so sorry about this, about all of this! I-I didn’t know if you were genuine or part of some larger movement!”

“Wait…your not going to take me to the jail?” Shell almost felt compelled to break into a run, believing this might be another trick.

“No I’m not, but the guard knows about you and your family and it’s all my fault! If it weren’t for me, Lance would’ve never found out and you’d be able to live with Raining!”

Shellac looked at her with sympathy and joined her side, a hoof on her shoulder as she hung her head low to the ground, almost curling up into a ball.

“We’ve all done bad things, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t be a good pony, right?”

“Right…you’re right. Maybe now…maybe I can do something, make amends.” Mirror’s eyes then lit up with horror as she whipped around to face Shell. “We have to stop my brother! He probably thinks I’m trying to incapacitate you while he goes after Raining. If he catches him it…well it won’t be pretty!”

The nymph froze at that, his face painted the same shade of fear that Mirror wore herself. But before panic could take over another emotion sparked within him, a bright purple flame igniting within his core, fueled by a mixture of determination and conviction.

“Then we’d better get moving, I am not letting some oversized Clydesdale wannabe hurt my brother!”

Infected by his enthusiasm, Mirror got to her hooves also albeit with a grimace. “I’m going to warn you Shellac, Lance saw our father…kill so many changelings that day before he…well let’s just say Lance is no stranger to your skillset. And he’s looking for any excuse to hurt you as much as possible.”

Shellac nodded before taking off down the street with the vier of a hero setting off to save a damsel in distress. Only for Mirror to giggle before rolling her eyes and with a hint of magic, amplified her voice. “Other way!”

“Oh.”

The filly laughed as Shell sheepishly backtracked and heroically ran past her again.

Raining had lost track of time while wading through the snow, but he was nearly home now he was certain of it. He’d been so dead set of keeping track of his mental map that he had only just noticed how long it’d been since he checked on Shellac, so he looked over his shoulder and-

Shellac wasn’t there.

“Huh?”

Immediately, he looked around, trying to see if maybe he was just slow to catch up. Several moments passed but not a sign of him, not even when he tried taking a few steps backwards. Now he was beginning to feel worried, but like always, his optimism saw him through.

“N-no biggie! Just go home, grab the hoof crank and Mr. Owl can lead me to him! We'll go home no problem!”

But as Raining turned back around intending to continue, he was met with another obstacle. The unmistakable form of a gargantuan colt staring him down from a few dozen hoofsteps away.

“Looking for your pet, ey Kakapo?”

Moonlit Lance stood like a monolith at the border of the fog. The storm seemingly cleared enough room that he could properly see him from a little ways away.

“Or did you already replace that brass mule?”

A flurry of thoughts and emotions raced through Raining’s body. Anger, fear, but most presently confusion.

“You think I’m a changeling?” Raining curiously tilted his head. “Wait no! You're just trying to confuse me. You’re the one that foalnapped Shellac! What did you do to my brother?”

“Brother?!” Lance scoffed. “Oh wow, I guess that answers that question, no changeling would’ve been as dumb as that.”

The comment elicited a scowl but little more than that. “Enough Lance! The night you beat me up, what did you do to my dad?!”

The giant’s expression twisted into a Cheshire’s grin as Raining braced for another barrage of insults. “You don’t know?” He sneered. “Your mum didn’t tell you? By Celestia’s flank, I bet even she was embarrassed by how much of a bucking failure he was!”

Despite Raining’s brace Lance was still twisting the knife, and it was working. Fiery anger flowed through his limbs originating from his heart, like a boiler blasting hot steam through several pipes. He was used to this by now though and managed to keep it contained. The need to know what happened trumping his immediate emotions.

“Just. Tell me!”

Lance smiled and all too happily replayed the story.

Copper Casing wasn’t a vengeful pony by any means, years of discipline had managed to keep that in line. The unicorn had seen many things, dealt with many individuals and had experienced both the wonders and horrors of his service.

Yet all of that was thrown aside by the parental need to protect his son.

“He’s gone too far this time, I should’ve done this when he toppled that trophy case on him. Buck I should’ve done this the moment he broke into his locker!”

Copper turned a corner and saw the Moonlit residence. A comparatively dull building when sided to the bright sunny brickwork of his home. Instead featuring dark blues and greys with ageing window frames and withered paint. The front lawn, while at least clear of any debris, hadn’t been trimmed in a while. The long grass forming a soft corridor around the stone pathway into the door.

“Better late than never.”

Inside, Moonlit Mirror sat down doing her homework with a cup of fruit juice sitting to her side, while Lance was fooling around with a comic book. It’d become standard practice at this point for her to help him with the more complicated school stuff, owing to her brother’s rich history of accidental pencil breaks. Even if it just meant she was doing the writing and him the thinking, she didn’t mind since he was still technically doing the work.

“So what’s for dinner tonight Lance?”

“I’m thinking pasta, do we still have some of that sauce mum left us?”

“I think so! I’ll finish this question then I’ll get the cooker-”

They heard a sudden, loud knock on the door and they both turned to view the living room window, able to see the copper orange unicorn from behind the one-way curtains. Mirror’s eyes widened in horror while Lance scowled.

“Oh no.” She squeaked.

“I’ll go deal with him.”

The filly turned to him with a near crazed glare. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? After what you did to Raining?! You really think he’s in the mood to just talk this out?”

Lance returned an annoyed huff as he got to his hooves. “Chances are he’s here for me anyway, Mirror. Don’t worry, he’ll be out of our mane soon enough.”

Quickly navigating around the living room Lance marched to the front door, undid a few chain locks, and swang it open as if intending to swat Copper like a fly. But the stallion was quick to avoid it and once their gazes locked he froze. As still as a statue as that little kettle inside his core had its cooker cranked up several degrees.

“Of all the ponies to answer the door…”

Copper didn’t even have to look downwards all that much to face it, if anything Lance’s head height actually matched his muzzle. Looking at him directly reminded Copper of just how abnormally huge the stallion was, making it difficult to believe him and his son were the same age. Regardless, he swallowed a breath trying to keep his anger under wraps and prepared himself. “Lance, can I speak with your mother?”

“No.”

The stallion scowled at that. “What do you mean no?”

“As in, “no you can’t,” because she’s still at work right now.”

“Seriously? That’s illegal, you can’t just leave kids home alone. Her benefits should’ve prevented the need for this! Why is she working so late?” Copper grumbled and rubbed his forehead. “This isn’t good, I need her permission first before I can drag him down to the jail. Dammit, I wish I still had my badge.”

“Okay well when will she be back?”

“Why should I tell you?” Lance said with a hint of snark, obviously showing little respect to the elder pony.

Copper’s ear twitched as he applied more pressure to the lid keeping his wrath from boiling over. “You’ve got some nerve sunshine, especially after what you did to my son.”

“Wanna see me do it again?”

“I’m sorry, was that a threat?!” Copper shot, his horn starting to spark angrily.

There was a long, drawn out moment of silence as Lance cleared for his response.

“No…”

“You know what? Buck this, he’s beaten Raining, gave me lip and to top it off, he’s just threatened me! Protocol be damned, I'm taking him in, the lads at the station will back me up.”

“Lance, I’m gonna have to ask you to step outside please.”

“Why?”

“Just step outside.”

Lance looked up at Copper’s stern expression, the same quiet rage he bore back at his home’s front gate before leaving. The anger of a dragon doing his best not to let loose and breathe fire upon whatever poor sap was unlucky enough to be standing in front of him.

And yet, Lance met him with a smile.

Instead of complying, the navy blue colt reached a hoof to close the door, forcing Copper to hold it just shy of closing with his bad hoof. There was enough room for the two to meet face to face without resorting to using a single eye, but not so much Copper could pry it open again without some level of resistance.

“Lance, what do you think you're doing?! Get out here right now!”

“Why? Why should I?” He spat back.

“Because by Celestia’s flank I will tear this door off its hinges if you don’t!”

“Oh you think that?” Lance said with a smirk. Next he pushed the door open relieving the tension on Copper’s limb, but similar to a hoof wrestling move he used the sudden gap in his guard to slam the door back again, briefly crushing the stallion’s forleg between the frame and the heavy door.

Copper recoiled in shock as pain exploded across the length of his leg, like hitting the mother of all funny bones.

“AAHHH BUCK! Why you little!-” He continued by flicking his hoof in the air as if that would help dull the pain. With every beat of his heart the agitated limb throbbed in protest and stung like the stars. There’d be no way he’d use that leg again tonight, not even lightly. He was about ready to grab the little punk and throw him like a tomato against a wall!

Instead of taking the opportunity to shut the door however, Lance threw it wide open, glaring daggers at Copper as he back peddled away.

“You wanna know something Copper? Between your school visits and what I’ve heard off Raining, I’m willing to bet you're all bark and no bite!”

The ex-guard turned to meet him, trying to bear down with that same righteous rage, which in effect had done very little to begin with, and now made him look more like a wounded animal trying to scare off a predator.

“Lance, last chance!” He said through gritted teeth, “I’ve had it up to here with you!”

“Well come on then! Show me some bite! Or are you an even bigger coward than your son!”

Lance stepped outside and the two faced each other, standing in a grass hallway that didn’t leave much room for fancy hoofwork.

This was bad, Copper hadn’t needed to keep his skills sharp in a while and what’s more, the horrible pain coming from his leg was making the concentration needed for spell work a near impossibility. It’d knocked the wind out of his sails both physically and emotionally, and judging by Lance’s expression, he knew that.

The colt began advancing towards the unicorn and Copper was forced to take action. His horn lit up and he threw a medium power spell bolt at his chest, hoping not to seriously injure a minor but at least get him to back off. Lance’s pace was halted as he threw his chest to the side with the punch, before slowly locking eyes with him.

“That all you got? I was hit by a pegasus moving faster than A TRAIN EARILER!”

Copper hesitated, flashing images of Thunder’s state after his return shot through his head. All the pent up anger he had was suddenly shifted as a new emotion broke through, fear.

By now the commotion had attracted the attention of Mirror who’d knew stepped into the doorframe to watch with a hoof over her mouth.

Copper switched tactics as Lance continued his advance, channelling arcane energy into a sleep spell, similar to the one he’d used on Raining months prior. Like before he discharged it into Lance’s chest but once again he only kept going. The fear mounted within Copper as his pupils shrank.

“What the actual buck? How’d he resist that? Did he inherit that from his dad too?! No wait, it's because he’s angry! Enchantment Spells aren’t as effective when the target is under intense emotion!”

Copper was losing more and more ground to the increasingly angry colt, this was absurd! How could he be losing to a twelve year old? He tried another spell bolt, this time targeting Lance’s legs hoping to slow him down. It briefly had an effect where it threw him off balance but Lance was quick to rebound and even sped up into a power walk, driving Copper closer and closer to the street sidewalk.

“Seriously! Your bucking SON tries harder than this!”

Mirror watched in horror as for the second time that night, her brother went after another pony. Silently observing the suffering about to unfold. She was perhaps the only pony to have noticed a groaning in the air that was gradually increasing as the seconds ticked by.

“H-hey! Lance look-”

“Look? Look at what?! Because all I see is a pathetic, washed up excuse of a Royal Guard!”

He picked up the pace and before either of them knew it Copper had been driven onto the sidewalk away from the front yard.

“Pathethic, pathetic, pathetic! A Royal Guard that can’t even protect how own son! And I bet you’ll die pathetic to! Laying alone on your deathbed with nopony to comfort you!”

Mirror saw something from the corner of her peripheral vision and suddenly recognised a pair of headlights. She tried opening her mouth to shout a warning before Copper back peddled into the street. But her body was refusing to cooperate, it wasn’t uncommon for that to happen when ponies were scared but for her it was especially gut wrenching.

Because she might have been able to prevent what came next.

A loud horn woke Copper from his panic and he turned just in time to see the jaws of a speeding metal monster, his eyes blinded by its bright white lights.

Before everything went dark…

“The driver got out and took him to the hospital. I don’t know how he’s doing nor do I really care, after that, a bad leg was the least of his problems.”

Raining stared at him dumbfounded, Lance had sprinkled in so many insults during his retelling that he’d long since became numb to them. But it was only after the ending statement that his emotions woke up and he registered what exactly he’d done. It was hard to sort the emotions he was feeling, but there was one dominating the rest, the untameable fires of anger.

“Why?” Raining squeaked, barely audible against the winds. Yet the movement of his mouth wasn’t lost on Lance who sneered, perking his ears up.

“Oh? Sorry Lead! Can’t hear you over the sound of your dad crying in his sleep!”

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?”

Lance laughed as a fire burned within Raining’s chest and tears rolled down his cheeks. He already knew the answer, one of them anyway. Shellac’s pep-talk coming back to the forefront of his thoughts, that “Bullies created more bullies,” and how he couldn’t let himself steep down to Lance’s level.

At the same time, he was progressively losing the ability to care, his temper alongside it. What Lance had done went far beyond bullying, no he was a full blown maniac at this point.

The earth pony continued. “At the time, I didn’t intend for him to get hit by an auto-wagon, but knowing what that purple pigeon actually was? And that you were housing it? I suppose that’s just cosmic justice for you.”

Another shot of rage surged through his veins, but Raining pressed on. “No! I mean in general, where did all this start? What did I do?!”

“Oh that’s what you meant?” Lance tilted his head slightly, “Well I suppose it's been a while, so I doubt you remember. Did you know my dad was a guard too? Well he gave his life to protect us, so going back to school I had nothing but respect for him and what was it you said? Ah right.”

Lance’s smile dropped as his face clenched into a look of burning rage that actually made Raining fear for his life.

“That, all things considered, the changelings can’t be all that bad. Well guess what bug-lover, they are!”

Raining paused in confusion. “Hold on, you mean this entire time, the insults, you attacking me and anypony I make friends with, putting my dad in the hospital…you did all that because I said something rude about your dad?”

Lead could barely process it, the very idea was too ludicrous to even fathom. Yet Lance seemed to find it amusing.

“Oh it's not just that Raining, even I’m not that petty. Tell me, have you ever had to see your dad get swarmed like mine, heard the screams, the fire, the death. No, you had it cushy compared to me! And the nerve to say the changelings weren’t evil, oh even back then you deserved everything I threw at you!”

The burning hatred building within Raining threatened to bubble over and take control, like a volcano ready to erupt. “Lance, you could’ve just asked for an apology! I didn’t mean to offend you back then, I never did! And even then, you seriously think that justifies ANY of the horrible things you’ve done to me and everypony else?””

The other colt froze in place and glared at him for several seconds before pulling himself back together. “Uh, well, it doesn’t matter anymore!”

“Doesn’t matter? All this time, you’ve been ruining my life, hurting anypony that even tries to get close to me, because of something I said? And you’re not even sorry about it? You're worse than a changeling! And I should know, I met one!”

That managed to stir up Lance, now looking more than a little angry.

“Me? Worse then a changeling? I only sent your dad to ER, they sent mine to the morgue! And they would’ve done a buck ton worse were it not for the Elements, so don’t you ever compare me to that filth again!” Lance roared.

The intimidation was lost on Raining though as with each reminder of the week’s events, more and more pressure was applied. How he’d broken Shellac’s wing, injured Celestia’s knows how many ponies, ruined his Spell-Tag game and…had his father hit by an auto-wagon.

All because of a few words he hadn’t even meant to be insulting.

Angry crimson magic danced around Raining’s horn like trails of burning smoke. Days, weeks, no months of pent up emotions all came crashing in. Like a mass build up of snow finally causing an avalanche as the typical orange colour behind his goggles shifted accordingly. The next few words that came out of Raining’s mouth matched or even surpassed the dragon like bellow Lance usually used.

“YOU STILL SENT MY DAD TO THE HOSPITAL!!”

Without thinking, Raining launched a bright red spell-bolt from his horn which raced through the air and narrowly missed Lance, instead striking a nearby trashcan so hard the metal container bent like a soda can and was thrown several hooves.

Lance glanced at the display and back to Raining with a hint of surprise, but quickly turned to glee as a smile crept across his face. “That’s more like it.” He mumbled.

He broke out into a head first charge as Raining fired another rage born bolt, Lance’s cutie mark glowing under his clothes as his special talent kicked in. The bolt struck Lance’s chest dead centre, yet what would’ve knocked a typical pony several hooves away, only managed to slow him down.

With a fire in his eye, Raining shot another powerful bolt, but was met with the same result, watching as Lance quickly barreled towards him. The unicorn snapped to his senses and mere moments away from being tackled, he teleported away, leading Lance to curse as he struck the open air.

“Where’d you go!?”

Lance didn’t have to wait long for his answer as a crimson glow appeared from the corner of his vision, turning just in time to be hit whilst stationary. Without the benefits of his talent, the full fury of the bolt threw him across the street like a ragdoll, slamming into a nearby lamp so hard he’d managed to leave a dent in its frame.

Fighting to replace the air in his lungs, Lance climbed back up and saw the unicorn fire yet another bolt at him. But he skipped to the side just in time to dodge the incoming blast and made another dash for the brass colt.

Once again whatever bolts Raining threw at him either missed or merely glanced off his body like water balloons, ending with Raining teleporting away again.

Lance skidded to a halt and span around scanning the dimly lit street. “This isn’t working, I need to get him on my terms.” He looked around and noticed that while the storm had lessened, it was still decently concealing. With a smile he backed away into the snowy air and began calling out. “Scream like a toddler all you want Raining, your secret’s out, I’ve already won!”

A bright red bolt of crackling light blitzed through the air and struck the old brickwork of a nearby wall. Confirming he had his attention, he slipped away as Raining threw a couple more poorly aimed bolts in his direction.

“Get back here!”

Raining power walked around the street,his crimson glare scanning every inch of visible space as Lance spat yet another biting insult his way, adding more fuel to his fire. However, the rushing gusts of snow made picking out his silhouette difficult at best. He could hear him, maybe even get an idea of where he was, but by no means was he landing any shots without a direct line of sight. The undisciplined anger he felt made concentrating on any fancy spell a non-option as he stomped around.

It wasn’t the threat of being snuck up on that made Raining regain some composure, but rather that he now lacked an outlet for his rage. Furiously, he pulled out the mechanical owl and looked at its back before remembering that he’d forgotten the wind up key.

Wiping a layer of snow off his goggles he stepped back, took a breath, and looked around.

That’s when Raining saw a metallic glint from the corner of his vision, a flash of red reflecting off a rusty screwdriver poking out the ruined trash can. Without a second thought, Raining picked it up and jammed it into the back of the mechanical owl, driving it deep into its body.

By no means was it a perfect fit, in fact were it not for the winds Raining would’ve heard the protests of the fragile gears and cogs within his brother’s companion. But he didn’t care, this would help him find Lance and make him pay. Plus he’d make sure to fix it for Shell when this was over.

He twisted the screwdriver around and surprisingly enough his brute force method worked, albeit with a pained squawk coming from the construct upon its awakening. The owl spun around in the air and faced Lead with a hint of annoyance, before going wide eyed at the colt’s wrathful demeanour.

“Find Moonlit Lance!”

The owl gave a sharp salute and flew off (with some difficulty) into the winds where Raining followed. The storm slowed him down but not soon after he heard a collection of curse words both Ponish and Griffish that could’ve only belonged to the navy blue bully.

Without hesitation, he entered a darkened alleyway just in time to see a torn mechanical wing crash into the wall next to him. Lead looked on in shock as Lance crushed the owl’s torso under his hoof, the owl taking one last look at him before the lights in its eyes shut off.

“Mr. Owl!” Raining held a hoof out as remorse briefly flashed his horn yellow again. But after seeing Lance look up at him with an equally wrathful glare the unicorn’s fires were stocked once more. “You’ll pay for that!”

Raining fired another spell-bolt just as Lance began running towards him, further crumpling the owl’s body. His cutie mark was given enough time and so with little room to dodge Raining’s bolt sent him crashing against a large green dumpster. Now back to square one and with Raining preparing another bolt Lance turned to his side and picked up the owl’s decapitated head before hurling it like a baseball.

Unprepared, Raining’s shot went wide and struck the dumpster where Lance just was as he caught the owl’s head. He hesitated as he saw its black, cracked eyes staring back into his own,sympathy assaulting his senses. That single moment was all Lance needed to begin charging him and by the time Raining prepared another bolt it was too late, the bolt blasted his side but did little to prevent Lance’s tackle.

The two knocked over another trash can as Raining was thrown onto the ground before Lance slammed both hooves onto his chest. A sharp crunch sounded out just above the wind and signalled the strain on Raining’s ribs. Immediately his rage died in his throat as pain exploded all over his upper body. He cried in pain and weakly tried to gather the magic for another bolt, desperately trying to shake Lance off. But it was in vain as Lance smacked his horn with a hoof and a splitting headache quickly turned his groan into a scream.

In the end, all the momentum he’d built up came to a grinding halt as Lance pinned him in place and began smashing his head with a free hoof. Heedless of Raining’s flailing limbs or panicked screaming. “Ya like that!?” He shouted, pounding his face with the power of a clawhammer. “Ya bucking like that? You bucking traitor!”

Lance then pressed both his hooves onto Raining’s neck and dug in, closing Raining’s windpipe and forcing him to desperately flail about trying to get Lance off him. The two locking eyes as the larger colt glared at him with the wrath of a dragon.

“Get a good look at me Raining, because I’m going to be the last face you ever bucking see!”

Very few thoughts went through Raining’s mind at that moment, a side effect of his brain’s increasing efforts to conserve oxygen. His kicks became weak, his body numb and soon he stopped noticing the colours of the world, not that there was much to begin with.

Was this it? Was this truly it? After months of torment, was Lance finally going to finish him off? Just as he’d managed to make the only friend he could call special? It was gut wrenching, like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, only to find it was the headlight of a speeding train. He’d done everything, given it his all and yet he still amounted to little more than an annoyance.

But that didn’t matter anymore, he didn’t matter, nothing did. Not as the corners of his vision darkened and fractured images burned themselves into his brain.

This was it, death had found him. At least his suffering would stop…

A shrill cry suddenly pierced through the storm and wormed its way into Lance’s ears. The desperate plea of his sister.

“Lance, stop!”

The colt eased up but didn’t take pressure off Raining’s throat entirely as he turned to face his sister, who’s horn illuminated her features like a spotlight being cast on an actress.

“Stop? Now? After everything we’ve been through? Raining and his family are working with the changelings, they deserve nothing better than this!”

“No Lance! You're just angry, you're angry and you're taking it out in the worst way possible. You have to stop before you do something you can’t come back from!” Mirror pleaded, horrified to see how far her brother had gone.

“But…the changeings! They killed Dad! They killed him and sucked out the love from Mum! Why else wouldn’t she stay for Hearth’s Warming?”

Mirror almost looked at her brother with pity, only to shake her head in regret.

“That never happened to Mom, you're just making things up now! I don’t know why either, but you have to stop focusing on his death. Dad wouldn’t have wanted this, he wouldn’t have wanted any of this!”

The colt looked between her and Raining’s increasingly pale face, his half lidded ears and blue tinted cheeks. Before turning back to look at her sister’s grim concern for him.

“Please Lance, nothing about this is right. I know you know that.”

As much as he wanted to finish the job, he couldn’t push away the revelation of the ramifications his action would cause. Torn between two but eventually his conscience won out. With an angry snarl he relented from Raining, but there was no sudden gasp or desperate struggle for air. Instead the colt laid there as his lungs too slowly filled. He could feel his throat sluggishly opening back up like a dented pipe being bent back into shape.

Lance wasn’t entirely sure if he’d recover, but he couldn’t stop himself from one last outburst and punched Raining’s temple, sending his leaning form prone against the snow covered ground.

With another frustrated huff he turned and walked over to Mirror, his towering form prompting him to look down upon her. Mirror locked eyes with him and put on a faint smile. “T-thank you La-”

“Back at the jail, I asked you how they escaped and you lied to me.” Mirror’s voice died in her throat and so did her smile along with it. “Why did you lie to me?”

“I-I…” She trailed off, now having that same wrathful gaze casted upon her. Ever since the invasion she’d been afraid of this thing being realised and now it was happening. Mirror was confident she’d got through and they’d go home.

But this had caught her off guard.

“Answer me Mirror. Why. Did. You. Lie to me?”

His words reverberated in her mind, the pressure on her was building to come up with an answer but she knew at this point it was hopeless. He wouldn’t buy anything but the truth, a truth that saw her as limp and helpless as Raining Lead.

“B-Because…because….”

“Because she’s doing the right thing!”

Both nearly jumped in shock as they turned to the source of the voice. From within the hails of snow, a royal purple pegasus emerged. The familiar face of Thunder Chaser glaring daggers at Lance.

The colt returned the glare ten-fold but no matter how much either tried to intimidate the other the expression did little to influence much. Instead Lance turned his attention back to Mirror who’d taken the chance to carefully back away. “I thought you took care of him.”

“I…” Mirror trembled.

“You lied to me, you're not her are you? Mirror would never lie to me!”

Before either of them could continue Thunder cut in. “You really believe that? After the conversation you just had? A lot of personal stuff in there nopony else would know.”

Lance didn’t try to argue while Thunder glared angrily at him with disgust.

“Besides, for a pony you do an awful lot of changeling things. Disguising, scheming, foalnapping, assault and now attempted murder. Honestly if he wasn’t dead you might’ve impressed my Overseer.”

A cold chill ran up Lance's spine as he stared at him wide eyed. Anger boiled within him and he imagined doing a hundred different things to the smug pegasus.

Because deep down, he was right.

But that had to wait as he spared a glance at Mirror. So many different emotions whirled around his mind, mixed feelings on what to do with her, but most predominantly he was angry. He whipped back to Thunder as he roared.

“Your turned her against me!”

“Give it a rest already Lance, you did that yourself. I only ever wanted an actual family, and here you are taking advantage of her just to get back at a single changeling. Ever cross your mind what’s like from her point of view? Or are you so obsessed with your own selfish need for revenge you can’t see the obvious?”

“Shut up! You know nothing about my family, you know nothing about me. No, you're nothing but a cockroach!”

Thunder recoiled a little from the sudden outburst from the enraged colt. Memories flashed through his mind of the past several months as just like Raining before him, Lance had triggered the lingering emotions of so much suffering.

But instead of reflecting his anger, or festering with guilt or sadness, a smile was brought to his face. Inside, he knew exactly what to say next.

“You know, there was a time where I would have agreed with you. Where, I would’ve only put up a token fight if you’d caught me. Heck, there was a time where I was angry as well, being pushed around for reasons I could never understand. But I kept trying, time and time again only to get the short end of the stick and get beaten down by life. Yet, between all that suffering and struggle, I’ve learned two things you never will.”

Thunder slowly walked forward with a confident stride in his step.

“All pain is only temporary, and experiencing pain doesn’t justify inflicting it.”

A long moment of silence hung in the air as Lance processed those words. Not noticing Mirror’s sudden absence as she dug into her bags and pulled out a medical kit above Raining.

The colt was left speechless, this changeling, this thing had to be messing with his head. There’s no possible way a changeling could’ve just taken the moral high ground over him. They’d raided Canterlot intending to take over and turn them all into living batteries to be sucked on for the rest of their lives. Even with their failure, they’d killed hundreds of ponies, tore families apart…and ruined his. Yet there he was still staring him down as if he really was in the right. It was like trying to shove a square peg into a circular hole, it just didn’t work.

Thunder stared at him, occasionally sparing a glance behind him to check how Raining was doing. But aside from that he was trying to tell what was going through Lance’s mind and judging by the unchanging emotional state, probably nothing good. It was then that he detected Lance’s already volcanic anger slowly building further, doubling down on his stubborn pursuit of him.

“There goes any chance at reason, can’t say I tried though. Then again, I doubt he’d have agreed anyway”

Thunder went through a quick checklist of what he knew about him that was relevant. Lance was a tough nut to crack, there’s no getting around that. Heck, he’d been on the receiving end of a fully charged Skycrash spell and he walked it off as if it was nothing. Not to mention, he was strong enough to free himself from resin but above all others, he was smarter than he looked.

Lance wasn’t just some dumb brute with anger issues. Between luring him with Raining back at the park, to using disguises and ambushing him at Spell-tag, Lance was a tactician to boot and no doubt had his own plan on how to deal with him.

But there was one ace Thunder had that he could now freely use, that in all those other encounters he had to maintain his disguise but here he could let loose. Lance had plenty of experience dealing with ponies and with Thunder Chaser.

But he hadn't dealt with Shellac yet.

Whatever the case, the only way he’d beat Lance was the hard way.

The next sentence Lance spoke was done slowly and with conviction, just like his threat from their first encounter he spoke as though he was making a statement of fact. “I am going to break…Every, bone in your body. And then throw you off the side of Mount Canterhorn.”

“This is it Shell, no more running. If death wants me so badly he can come get me.”

Thunder rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck. “Well come on then Lance, if you want to beat the big, bad changeling so much, I’m right here.”

On cue, Lance charged forward with the rage of a bull and Thunder spread his wings ready to dodge. With a gust of wind, he jumped up and flew over Lance’s head as the colt skidded around trying to swipe him. Managing to land a soft kick onto Lance as he passed over and landed several hooves away from him.

A fresh sting of pain stoked the flames of his anger and Lance charged again, eliciting a smirk as Thunder prepared to repeat the manoeuvre. But just as he was ready to jump, Lance made a hard turn and used the momentum to kick up a cloud of snow throwing Thunder off. He tried to take off, earring on the side of caution, only for a loose chunk of pavement to come hurling towards him.

It connected with his upper wing and from there he struggled to maintain flight, leading to Lance seizing the chance and grabbing his leg while he was still relatively close to the ground.

Thunder may have been a good flyer but Lance might as well have been a ball & chain for how well he anchored him to the ground.

With a strong tug, Thunder was plucked out from the air and tossed against a nearby wall. Quick to right himself, Thunder readied to take off but Lance closed the distance not letting him slip by and Thunder had to duck and dive to avoid being pounded against the wall like a crushed soda can.

He’d try from moving left to right in an effort to slip through any kind of gap, only for Lance to mirror his action and block him off, nearly landing several hits in the process. He did manage to slam him a few times knocking Thunder around, but each time he failed to chain his strikes and pin him down. Whether it be through pain tolerance, determination or some other factor, Thunder rolled with the punches more than Lance expected.

Eventually Lance had enough and threw himself forward, body bashing Thunder in a move he couldn’t escape from before pressing a hoof into his head and grinding his face against the wall. Fiery pain exploded across Thunder’s cheek as Lance threw him to the ground.

The pony grinned and pinned the pegasus in place, preparing to clamp down on his throat like he did with Raining.

“This time I’ll grind your wing’s into bucking powder!”

Instead of the panic he was expecting however, Thunder looked up at him with a smirk. “Good luck! I’m a changeling, remember?”

His body was engulfed in a shower of purple flames and Lance fell forward into the space Thunder had previously been. A quick look around revealed a light brown owl flying just above him before another flash signalled Thunder’s return hovering in the sky.

“Corner me as much as you want, I ain’t falling for it!”

Lance scowled and looked around, there were plenty of loose objects courtesy of the storm blowing them about, but he knew that alone didn’t have much of a chance at actually hitting Thunder. So instead he dashed off and when Thunder realised towards who, his heart sank.

“No no nonono not again! Raining!”

He chased him only to find Lance had stopped short thanks to a barrier of blue light circling around the unicorns. Mirror facing him in defiance as Lance hit the shield with a hoof. “Mirror, let me in!”

The mare simply stared at him and huffed. “I’m done taking orders from you Lance! I’m not helping you hurt anypony else.”

The colt hit the shield again, sending a wave of blue everywhere throughout the dome, akin to slapping a water balloon. Not wanting Lance to further damage the shield, Thunder landed and loudly whistled behind him, drawing the colt’s attention and ire.

“What’s the matter Lance? Can’t win a fair fight?”

“Fair? Your kind attacked my home, killed dad and intended to steal everything we held dear. You have no art, no history, no culture, no your race is nothing more than a bunch of bucking parasites!”

Thunder rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to snap back, having to prioritise dodging Lance’s enraged charge immediately following his rant. Quickly, he flew above and engaged in a series of airborne kicks and punches, using the old method of pulling away before Lance could respond.

This continued for a couple minutes, but despite his strikes, it didn’t seem to have too much of an effect on the colt, who’d now backed away and taken a more defensive stance. Stings of pain racked through the both of them as they stared at each other waiting for the other to strike first.

That was when Lance turned and saw an old brick fence post barely connected to its wall. With a flash of inspiration he bucked and blasted the thing loose, chunks of jagged, hardened clay scattering across the snow. Immediately, he began picking them up and hurling then towards Thunder who, predictably, dodged around each and every one of them even as they sped toward him with the speed of a spell-bolt.

“How many more bricks are you gonna throw at me?!”

“How about the one that was meant for your window? Your skull worked just fine though!”

Lance halted his onslaught and charged him again but this time Thunder was ready. He could see the colt was carrying a brick under his arm and so prepared to dodge accordingly. However, when Lance did pull out his projectiles and threw them, Thunder saw he’d actually thrown a cluster instead of a single solid piece.

The improvised scattershot wasn’t enough to cause any serious harm, but it was enough to destabilise his flight and send him down with a thud. Lance, again, seized his chance and charged, body slamming Thunder like a ram just as he’d managed to climb back to his hooves.

The pegasus was sent through the air before hitting an iron post fence and quickly being kicked into a corner like Lance had done before. By this point Thunder could feel the effects of fatigue and pain setting in, having taken one beating already and now being dished out a second.

Every kick was another dent in his armour, every punch an attempt to smother his spirit. He might’ve been tougher than Raining, but Lance far exceeded him in raw power. It wasn’t fair, he’d tried so har-

“No!”

The purple flame within his core detonated and with a sudden burst of power, Thunder’s eyes flashed with bright light and a burst of magic threw Lance onto his back several hooves away.

Beaten and a little bloody, Thunder stood up. His fangs now protruding from his mouth and his eyes a solid colour, yet his determination was unbowed as swirls of magenta energy twisted around his limbs. Little by little, Thunder’s disguise was shedding from the outpour of power as Lance got back to his hooves, partially awestruck by the display.

“You wanna fight a changeling so badly? Fine! Have it your way!”

Thunder’s horn materialised in a puff of flame around his forehead as magic gathered around his hooves. While it was tricky, he channelled his magic into the same meteor spell he’d used before, but into a smaller, more controlled strike that didn’t require such a long windup, effectively amplifying himself.

He’d have to end this quickly before he exhausted his reserves again. Yet, between Raining softening him earlier, to the progress he’d made so far, Lance’s injuries were now visibly affecting him. Obviously, he wasn’t doing too good himself, but with his old biology kicking in, his adrenaline glands were going into high gear, acting as its own painkiller.

In short, the two were now even.

Lance huffed, pawing at the ground with a hoof as the two glared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Mirror spared a glance and found herself awestruck by the changeling’s dazzling lights, like something out of a comic book or theatre play, only here she had a front row seat.

Like an enraged bull, Lance broke the stalemate and charged forward, kicking up the ground behind him. Despite the offensive, Shellac charged forward, leaving a lavender trail in his wake and the two collided. Both connecting strikes at the same time resulting in a flash of light that saw the both of them get thrown back an equal distance.

A shockwave ringed out that saw crackles of energy bounce between lampposts, briefly shutting them off and flashing the area in near total darkness.

Of the two, Shell was faster to recover and by the time Lance had gotten up, he was already being assaulted by a barrage of punches from the changeling. Each one rocking Lance’s body from side to side as though he was being repeatedly bucked with both hooves, but with a single swipe he broke the stunlock and his follow up struck Shellac’s head, sending him stumbling back a few hooves.

Lance moved in to press his counter attack, but Shell ducked under his strike and followed with an uppercut. His next strike was blocked by the same arm Lance had used to punch him and he threw his head forward, slamming it into Shellac’s own, before landing another powerful blow.

The changeling stumbled back some, now fully undisguised and with a few cracks in his chitin. “This isn’t working.” Shellac looked towards Lance, bloodied but unbowed. “I need to do this on my terms.”

His gaze turned to the flickering lampposts surrounded by storming winds and the inklings of an idea came to mind.

“Harsh Weather Flight Training, do your thing.”

Shellac’s wings spread out and Lance’s expression dropped, lunging at the nymph in a hopeless attempt to catch him. The changeling easily took to the sky and Lance watched as a beacon of lavender light danced between the iron lamps before circling back heading straight for him.

The colt had mere seconds to brace himself as Shellac came barreling back, striking him like a self guided missile, before flying back up only to do it again in quick succession. Lance was pounded again and again, from attacks he couldn’t defend from, sending him reeling until he was barely standing.

Shell kicked up a plume of snow upon landing, his hooves still glowing with arcane might as the colt stared at him. He was an absolute mess after his onslaught, his coat was torn, the fur on his face was singed and even the stoic Moonlit Lance couldn’t hide the bruises now covering his body. Yet he still had his filthy mouth.

“That all you got, cockroach?”

The nymph scowled and began picking up speed, energy gathering within his hooves for one final knockout strike-

“The name’s Shellac!”

-only for Lance to bring one of his comparatively larger, more far reaching arms up and land a perfectly timed strike on Shellac’s head, slamming him into the ground and pressing his neck against the pavement.

Even while barely holding on Lance was still dangerous, and Shell had allowed himself to get cocky.

“This might not be “every bone in your body,” but your neck will do just fine.”

Shell kicked and thrashed as best he could, unable to bring about the magical focus required for shapeshifting as Lance’s iron grip slowly crushed his windpipe. He felt like a wooden two-by-four being pressed, any moment it would give way and break and all at once panic set in.

He could feel it, any moment now…

Lance suddenly heard a sharp whistle from within the storm and he raised his head just in time to see a bright yellow coated trash can cover spinning towards him like a frisbee. With a sharp metal clang it slammed against his head and he fell backwards like a colossal titan having been slain.

Shellac scrambled to escape the iron vice and coughed as air once more returned to his lungs.

From the fog, the limping form of Raining Lead emerged, being supported by Moonlit Mirror as they drew closer to Shellac. Mirror set down and undid his coat zipper to help him catch his breath while Raining grinned at Lance’s unconscious form.

After a moment the nymph’s breathing returned to normalcy and he looked up at the two. “Did I win?” He half grinned.

Raining leaned against the wall as he returned the smile. “Nah, we won.”

Mirror rolled her eyes as she moved to inspect her older brother. “I’ll say, I don’t think he’s ever lost a fight. He’s not doing well.”

“Just give him a bandage and a kiss on the cheek, he’ll be fine!”

Raining’s quip only elicited a stern look from her.

“Hey, your psycho brother did just try to kill me!”

Shell raised a hoof. “Seconded!”

Mirror sighed as she got to her hooves, knowing full well she was in no position to argue, as she tried to drag Lance as best she could with her magic. “Are you two able to get home by yourselves? I’m taking Lance to jail, after everything that’s happened here he…” She grimaced. “He’s dangerous.”

Shellac finally stood up, popping a few joints in the process as he turned to Raining. “Well, can you?”

“Yeah…about that. We’re in a part of town I don’t recognise and uh…” Raining then reached into his bag and pulled a hoof full of scrap and warped mechanical pieces. The moment Shell saw the beaten, battered head of his clockwork friend he gasped.

“Mr. Owl!

“No don’t worry, watch this!”

Raining’s horn ignited and the entire pile was engulfed in magic, bent metal and twisted gears were slowly bent back into position and soon flew into each other. Shell watched as the broken pieces not only realigned themselves but reconstructed his seemingly lost friend. Raining finished by twisting his windup slot with the screwdriver he found.

The owl’s eyes shot open with a sudden squak it looked around, viewing Shellac and Raining before returning to a calm state and resting on Raining’s shoulder.

“You fixed him!?”

“Yeah! Mending! Did you not read the feature text on the box?”

Raining suddenly winced as he was enveloped in a great big loving hug as Shellac squeezed him tight. “Oh thanks Raining! You're the best brother ever!”

“You’re. Welcome!” He struggled to speak due in part to his injuries.

They let go and Shellac turned to the owl, but not before Mirror dug into her pocket and pulled something out. It was a small, copper plated half-heart pendent which she held out for them to take.

“Before I forget, this belongs to your father. It fell off after the uh…incident, Lance took it for some reason.”

Both colt’s eyes widened before Raining stuffed it into a coat pocket. “Yeah thanks! I’ll keep it safe.”

With that they both turned around and asked the owl to guide them home which it promptly did. Half an hour of trekking through the storm later and they reached the front door. By that point the two were shivering so once inside they derobed and splayed out onto the couch embracing each others warmth using Shellac’s bed blankets, tired beyond belief from the night’s events.

Yet there was a melancholic air to the room as they rested, a depression they both sensed within each other while bundled up. Without the warm crackles of the fireplace the silence became palpable, all that remained were ashes and embers to comfort them. Raining was the first to break the silence, taking sips from a cup of hot chocolate he’d brewed.

“Tonight’s been crazy huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Reckon this is it?”

“Yeah…I hope.”

“It's not fair, Lance is the bad guy he shouldn’t win.”

“Don’t blame yourself, it's my fault, I went outside and he got me.”

“Wait…” He turned to look down at the changeling resting his head on his chest. “You left the house yourself? He didn’t sneak in? Why?”

“I…” Shellac stuttered. “I got scared, I have bad luck Raining and after what happened to your dad, to you at the arcade, and Gleaming with the front yard. I thought if I stayed things would only get worse.”

Raining looked briefly hurt, before lightly tapping his brother on the shoulder.

“Ah come on Shell, don’t beat yourself up like that, bad things happen to everypony. I mean, there’s been days where I want to do something, but the obstacles ahead of me flat out stop me entirely.”

“Yes but I always feel as though it doesn’t matter, regardless of how hard I try it always gets worse.”

“But you still kept trying, didn’t you?”

Shell’s expression lightened at the realisation and he looked up at Raining.

“Dad always said there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Things are bad right now, sure, but they’ll get better at some point. Like you meeting Mum!”

“But how? Your dad’s gone, I’ve been exposed and knowing Lance, he probably said all kinds of stuff about you to the guards.”

“Actually my dad’s not gone, he’s just really, really hurt. He’s alive if I had to guess, but the doctors don’t know if he’ll wake up. As for the guards well…yeah you kinda have me there. But you're not a bad changeling! I’m sure once they realise that they’ll have to let you go!”

“I don’t know Raining, ponies can be jerks sometimes.”

Both reflexively winced at the injuries they’d received from one such jerk.

“Yeah, they can be, but no matter what happens I’m not going to forget you. Even if we do get separated I’ll try finding you. We’re just kids, they can’t lock us up forever, and you're my brother!”

Shell chuckled at that and rested his head, wrapping his hooves around Raining and pulling the covers further. “I guess you're right. I hope there’s more good ponies out there like you.”

Raining couldn’t help but blush and gently returned the nymph’s embrace, content with ending it there and letting them drift off to sleep. Maybe he was right? Maybe everything was going to be okay…

Author's Note

And thus Lance has finally got what's coming to him! Set up and payoff is such a lovely thing, but has the damage already been done? Will he get the last laugh?

Only two more chapters! We've nearly reached the end.

CH 13 - Hearth's Warming

Three Hours After The Storm

Several hours ago a storm had blown through Canterlot, kicking up debris and filling the streets with a thick layer of snow. However, as the citizens of the city awoke they cared little for the inconveniences outside.

Instead, calm had descended upon the historic town and life continued as normal, with many attending family gatherings as per the yearly festivities.

But for two young colts, a different kind of day awaited them.

Pale light broke through the living room curtains and into Raining’s eyes causing him to stir. Soon he awoke to the quiet chirping of Shellac nestled above him under the covers. His heart fluttered but his attention was quickly drawn to his surroundings.

“Sun’s up already? What time is it?”

He peered around to the grandfather clock, reading fifteen minutes to ten and sending his weary eyes wide. “Oh dang really? I guess we were up for a while huh? Thought Mum would’ve woke us up by now.”

Looking down, he gently poked and prodded Shellac until he too began to wake up, grumbling to himself. “Hey Shell, happy Hearth’s Warming.”

“Hmmph, Five more minutes.”

“You have five seconds.”

Shellac opened a single eye to look at him. “Until what?”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as Raining waited for his timer to expire, when Shell failed to follow his horn lit up and the two were teleported into the air above the opposite couch. Raining laughed as they crashed onto the cushions while Shell held his head with both hooves, trying to calm his sudden nausea.

“Aaggh Raining!”

“Woke you up didn’t it?”

“Do that again and I’ll glue your hooves together.”

“Fair enough!”

Raining climbed out of bed and set to work building up the fireplace while Shellac slowly climbed out of bed, still wobbly from his rude awakening. “Could you wake Mum up please? I’ll get this going while you're at it.”

“Sure, okay.” Shellac mumbled, still only half awake.

So far, not a good start to the fabled day, and if Shell had to guess, it was going to be one of those days. The ones where you really should’ve just stayed in bed, he felt like he could’ve used another hour or two but he pressed on and dragged himself upstairs.

Marching over to Gleaming’s room he knocked on the door waiting for a response.

No answer…

The nymph sighed and knocked again, met with similar results.

“She’s probably as tired as I am, I’ll go inside.”

He reached for the doorknob and with the enthusiasm of a zombie creaked the door open. “Miss Gleaming?” He called out, before peeking inside.

Instead of a sleeping mare however, Shell found an empty bed and quiet room. Confusion and worry sparking within. “Wait, where’d she go?”

He called out again and entered the room, checking inside the wardrobe, under the bed, even behind the chest of draws! But found no sign of the golden pegasus.

“Raining’s not going to like this.”

With a hint of nervousness he made his way back to Raining empty hooved, when the colt turned his attention and saw him alone his smile faltered a little.

“Hey, where’s Mum?”

“She’s…not here.”

“What do you mean?” Any excitement Raining had immediately faded and replaced with concern.

“I checked the bedroom and it was empty! I think we’re alone.”

“We’re home alone?” Raining blinked twice but otherwise kept a semi-confused grin, before turning to sudden naive panic. “Quick, make traps!” The colt leapt forward and would’ve dashed away to some unknown part of the house were it not for Shell extending his leg out, causing him to trip and faceplant.

Raining remained in place as Shell stood over him, lowering his head to meet him. “Lead, what are you doing now?”

“Uhm…I read this comic once, about a kid and-” Shell jabbed a hoof over his mouth to stop him from talking, giving the sheepish colt a smile.

“You goober.”

Shellac then trotted over beside the sparkling tree as Raining got to his hooves, looking over many of the presents with anticipation.

“When do we start opening presents?”

Raining adjusted his mane as he joined the nymph’s side. “I don’t know Shell, it feels…kind of wrong to open them? Without Mum and Dad?”

The other’s expression faltered as he turned to the presents. “Huh…now that you say it…where is Gleaming even?”

As if on cue the two heard the front door open and turned to see not just one figure, but several outside their living room window obscured by the curtains. They waited and watched in shock before the sound of the second door having being unlocked woke Raining from the trance. “Shellac quick! Disguise!”

Shell turned to him with a solemn expression before his ears dropped to their sides. “I…don’t think it’ll matter…Raining.”

“What do you mean? Anypony could be about to walk in!”

“Nah…I don’t think it's just anypony.” He said, before walking over to the centre of the room. Between the events of the night prior, to Gleaming’s absence and now this, It didn’t take much for him to connect the dots.

Shellac braced himself for whoever he was about to face, excitement turned to anxiety and a certain dread loomed over him. He’d been running from this forever and now he’d had enough, he wasn’t going to run anymore.

If only he could stay and celebrate…

The familiar form of Gleaming Gold walked into the doorway, her eyes sunken and tired with wobbly limbs barely keeping balance. She was an utter wreck, a shadow of her former self. The two could only hazard a guess as to what had brought on such a state but it couldn’t have been anything nice.

“Hey…kids…” She weakly greeted.

“Hi Mum! Is everything okay?” Raining said slowly.

Gleaming’s mouth opened and closed several times before she seemingly gave up and stood to the side, her head hung with shame and tears welling in her eyes as more ponies came into the room. The gilded garbs of the city guard strode inside all glaring at Shellac as they entered.

To their credit they didn’t level their weapons or made any move to arrest him, simply surround him until his back may as well have been against a wall. Raining watched with horror as the group cut him off from his supposed brother.

Shell could feel their eyes upon him, each pair a weight upon his back threatening to break his spine. It's funny, the night prior he was on top of the world. He’d beat the bad guy after giving it his all, and yet, never before had he felt so powerless, so confined with nowhere to go.

The last pony to walk inside however didn’t at all look like the rest. It was an earth pony with a pale, peach coat and with a silvery peppercorn mane, wearing a regal jacket of deep blue and royal red. Everything about him screamed important, from his well tailored attire to the guards surrounding him all the way down to very way he walked. He hadn’t spoken a word but Shellac could already tell he was a pony of significance.

One of the guards next to him began preparing some kind of spell as his horn lit up with light, but the regal pony turned to him and shook his head. The guard cancelled casting immediately and looked at him in shock, as if to say “Are you sure?” But the pony turned back to Shellac and pressed forward, leaning down a little with a slight smile. When he spoke he did so softly and with an accent that Shell recognised as the kind Canterlot’s top brass typically employed, the likes you’d only hear from a noble.

“Good morning, my name is Nut Cracker, what’s yours?”

“S-S-Shellac.”

“Do you have any other names?” He slowly spoke.

Old instincts kicked in and Shell hesitated, but reasoned there was little reason trying to hide anything anymore. “Thunder Chaser…just that one.”

“How old are you?”

“T-Twelve.”

“Are you aware why we are here?”

From the sidelines, Raining craned his head trying to get a sight of the situation, crying out before Shell could reply. “Please don’t take him away, Shell’s not a bad changeling!”

“Raining!” Gleaming blurted.

“No no, let the boy speak.” With a simple nod to a couple of guards, they opened a gap from which a surprised Raining nearly stumbled through.

“Wow, was not expecting that to work, uhmm…” Raining glanced between everypony, “Okay, ever since I met Shellac, he’s only ever been nice to me. He hasn’t said anything bad or tried draining my love or any of the bad changeling stuff I hear so much about. We went to the carnival together, had cotton candy, and when I got hurt he helped me! Shellac’s not a bad changeling, please let him stay!”

Raining practically jumped at the statement as Nut Cracker listened with a smile. Gleaming meanwhile winced so hard she could’ve pulled a muscle, her hoof unconsciously drifting to her chest area out of ghost pain.

So when the noble suddenly turned to her, she felt a weight under his gaze. “Do you attest to this Miss Gold?”

Gleaming moved her mouth, trying to get the proper arrangement of words out only to fail each attempt, in the end she simply nodded.

Shellac watched and witnessed how he was performing himself, between the questions, Lead and Gold. This wasn’t some typical meeting for the count, this was an interrogation. Maybe Nut Cracker won’t be so bad to him? Regardless, he only had moments to prepare himself as the count turned back to him.

“Shellac, may I see what “Thunder Chaser” looks like?”

The nymph again hesitated, feeling backed into a corner looking at the circle of guards around him at exchanging their own glances and glares. He didn’t want to give up his only disguise, he could work on a new one but that would need a new personality and…

He sighed in defeat, allowing the purple flames of his magic to slowly burn and envelop him. Chiten turned to coat, his frills flowed out into a springy mane and when it was all said and done, he looked up at the count with a hint of fatality in his eye.

Count Nut Cracker meanwhile seemed more awestruck and curious, Shell could even sense such. But he could only guess what was going through the noble’s head in that moment, even a couple of the guards behind him seemed surprised but he didn’t know why.

He wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

“So this is Thunder Chaser?”

Thunder nodded.

Nut Cracked pulled out a small notebook from a coat pocket and flipped through its pages before settling on one specifically. “Purple coat, mohawk mane, pegasus, early tens. My, my, Shellac, you are a phantom aren’t you?”

“W-what do you mean?”

The noble smiled before putting away his book and locking eyes. “Let’s just say, you caused quite a commotion, there’s been a general notice to look for you ever since you blew the whistle on Cantermore Public Orphanage.”

“Wait that was you?!” Gleaming cried, before shrinking back down as Nut Cracker laughed and turned to her.

“Shellac here provided a great service to our community. When I heard a lone colt was responsible for bringing the corruption and neglect at the orphanage to light, I wanted to thank him myself. But much to my dismay, he’d already ran off by that point, and none of the guards could pick up the trail.”

Thunder sheepishly grinned, feeling a tingle of pride come back with the memories.

“I had my suspicions, so when I was informed a purple changeling had been taken in, but slipped out, and of the situation surrounding this family, I simply had to see it for myself. Now then…”

The noble stallion once again faced Thunder with a smile and an air of anticipation. “Shellac, do you promise to stay loyal to this family and all they call friends?”

“Y-yes! Yes I do!” He hastily nodded. In the background he could almost taste the change in the air around Raining, his hope and excitement spiking as though he was being teased with the promise of Spell-Tag. Gleaming meanwhile kept her calm, her demeanour fatal as Nut Cracker faced her.

“Miss Gold, do you promise to take care of this young colt as though he was your own?”

Her eyes widened and she starred in near shock, being too slow to see the writing on the wall and nervously curling a hoof through her mane. At most managing a smile followed by a whisper of a “Yes.”

“Then by the great power of the home office, consider this my Hearth’s Warming Gift.” Count Nut Cracker then pulled out a set of papers and presented them to Gleaming, who upon reading felt her jaw drop and her eyes somehow widen even further.

When the count pulled out a pen she struggled to will herself to sign it owing to her loose jaw. But slowly and surely she managed to pull it off with tears in her eyes.

Raining joined up beside Thunder as they curiously watched. “Mum, is everything okay?”

Gleaming gave the pen back and turned to them with a smile, a warm, genuine smile the likes of which Thunder hadn’t seen since she’d kissed him goodnight all those days ago. Indeed it looked like colour had just returned to the pegasus where it was previously absent.

“Everything’s going to be just fine deary.”

Thunder tilted his head. “What makes you say that?”

Nut Cracker turned around to show off the papers held in his mouth. The two colts began reading and similar to Gleaming, they both had varying levels of shock.

“I’m being adopted?!” Thunder cried.

“Ha! Told you! I told you they wouldn’t take you away!” Raining began prancing around the circle (much to the amusement of the guards) as he cheered to himself.

“Shellac’s staying with uhh-us, Shellac’s staying with uhh-us!”

“Calm down Raining, you're embarrassing me!” Gleaming chuckled, only for Thunder to but in. “Hey Lead, keep going!”

Gleaming sighed as Nut Cracker put the form away and left the room, turning back to them with his content grin. “Well it's nice to see a happy conclusion to this tale. I’ll be taking my leave but don’t forget Thunder, I’ll be watching your career with great interest.”

With that, the count and his escort left the room and headed outside one by one, careful to avoid the giddy unicorn bouncing around the room.

Once empty, Thunder laid back into one of the couches ready to melt as though he’d had another encounter with Copper Casing. It was a good kind of tired though and he felt a flutter in his chest, an invisible weight off his back he wasn’t aware of before and a wave of relief washed over him as he rested.

“It's over…it's actually over. No more scavenging, dumpster diving, hiding from guards. I’m actually…”
Slowly his eyes drifted up to Gleaming and the still bouncing Lead, his smile growing as he saw them.

“Actually having a family…”

Gleaming trotted over and set down next to him, reaching a hoof around his shoulder and bringing him close. Her affection was sweet and tender, like finely made honey, going so far as to include her wing in the embrace like she’d done when they first met. The two locked eyes as Thunder looked up, trying to hold back another river.

“Is this real? Is this really real?” He asked.

“As real as everything else deary, you're with us now.” She solemnly smiled.

The dam broke and Thunder’s eyes began welling with tears of joy before leaning his head forward into Gleaming’s chest, returning the hug himself. Without skipping a beat Gleaming took him in and reached her other wing around, almost totally enveloping him in her presence like an angel in gold.

Raining had even stopped bouncing around to appreciate the moment, having nabbed a glass of fruit juice from the kitchen and now watching from behind the table.

Thunder mumbled his thanks between breaths and every time Gold simply squeezed him a little more, trying to savour the emotions just as much as her freshly adopted son. But as the minutes dragged on Thunder’s well dried up and chose to rest against her, not wanting the comforting safety she bought him to end.

Seeing his chance, Raining trotted on over and looked between the two, before to the tree with its myriad of decorations and more importantly to Raining, were its presents seated underneath. Gleaming spared a glance and quickly took notice.

“Yes Raining, you can open a few now.” She chuckled.

Yet as the colt switched his attention to and fro, he hesitated. He’d been waiting all year for this but…it didn’t feel right somehow, something was missing. Slowly, his smile briefly faltered as he took a sip from his drink and turned back to her.

“I don’t know Mum, It doesn’t feel right celebrating without Dad, can we go see him?”

Gleaming’s heart skipped a beat as she nervously looked between the two. “Uhmm…”

“Mum, Lance told me what happened and I’ve already gotten over it, I just want to see him.”

Thunder smirked as he looked up at her. “Yeah, he got over it In the most rational way possible.” The pegasus then turned to look at Raining with a knowing grin. “Didn’t you?”

Raining’s mind flashed back to his enraged attack on Lance, how his magic turned red with rage and in that moment, thought about doing many things to Lance his mother wouldn’t approve of.

“Heh…heh…heh…”

“So I take it, he's at the hospital?” Thunder looked back to Gleaming, who despite having the dread of the reveal off her back still grimaced as she gathered herself.

“Well…yes, he’s in the intensive care unit and last I read he’s unresponsive. He’s had surgery but the doctors say it's too early to tell how he’ll recover, it could go either way.”

Raining winced as he took in the new information, never realising just how bad it was until now. But while he was struck with some of the same stress that had plagued Gleaming, Thunder’s ears perked up in interest.

“Hey, remember when I healed Raining? I might not be able to heal Casing like I did with him, but I can at least help.”

“I-I don’t know deary,” Gleaming rifled through her mane with a hoof. “If magic couldn’t heal Copper’s leg because of bone damage, then I don’t know what you’ll do to him, you might just make it worse.”

“You're forgetting something, I’m using a changeling healing spell, not a pony spell. We have hard chitin for skin in some areas and that can get cracked or fractured too. Let me at least try!”

Gleaming wanted to argue, yet, a part of her was hoping that it would work. Though small, that one bit of hope ultimately won out.

“Okay, we can go visit, but I don’t want you taking any risks. We’ve only just adopted you and I don’t want to break what goodwill we have. If you can’t, you can’t, okay dear?”

“Okay Mom.” Gleaming’s eyes shot open and she blushed. “Your forgetting I can say that now, aren’t you?”

The mare’s only response was to awkwardly stare at him, half amused, half embarrassed. “I’d heard about the struggles of being a single mother, but wow I didn’t expect them to kick in so fast.”

“Then I guess we’re going to go help Dad? Hooray!” Raining shook a hoof in the air. “To the hospital!”

Thunder’s stomach then audibly grumbled and everyone collectively realised how much they’d neglected themselves. “Can we have breakfast first?”

“To the kitchen!”

Of all the places for Copper to go, Canterlot Royal Hospital was probably one of the best in Equestria.

It was this massive, towering stone and steel building, tall enough to kiss the clouds. with several of the upper floors having large balconies for aerial ambulances drawn by pegasi. It was where technology and magic were used in equal measure, with a healthy dose of alchemy. Like a melting pot of different practices with many staff members being zebras, griffons or in some rare cases, diamond dogs.

The inside was packed with patients waiting for their turn, various staff power walking through the door and after, some with clipboards in hoof or towing gurneys behind them.

Yet despite all of that, the air was remarkably calm for Equestria’s biggest hospital. Whether it was down to professionalism, the morning grind, Hearth’s Warming charm, or some combination of the three was anyone’s guess.

It was a mercifully short wait for the family as they were allowed entry and escorted to the area Copper was being kept. Gleaming had picked up some flowers which now dangled from her saddlebags as they trotted down the halls, while Raining and Thunder took in the sights around them, which, aside from the occasional decoration, wasn’t much.

They entered a ward where both sides of the room were compartmentalised by an array of medical curtains. Lending some level of privacy and quiet to the bed bound patients despite the subtle beeps of the machinery around them. The smell of stale air wafting into their nostrils made them take note of the total lack of windows or natural lighting the ward possessed.

Following the nurse they scanned the curtains ahead for any sign of Copper’s name, nervously anticipating what condition they’d find Raining’s father in. Was bound up within a full body cast strung up in the air like an action figure? Was he covered in stitches like some home repaired stuffed toy? Heck, did he still even have all of his limbs?

Thunder could take a guess and had his own worries, but they paled in comparison to Raining and furthermore Gleaming. The air around them was thick enough to be used as cement, totally drowning out any other emotion he could’ve sensed within the ward.

Before long the nurse stopped just outside one of the units and gestured towards its curtain. “Here he is, we’ve done all we could on short notice, but I’m afraid he’s still unresponsive. There’s a chance he may be aware but unable to respond.”

Gleaming turned to the nurse with a slight smile contrasted by her sunken eyes. “Thank you, we won’t be more than an hour.”

The nurse nodded and left as the trio headed in and saw with their own eyes what had become of dear Copper.

All four of his limbs were held in thick medical casts strung up by supports. His barrel and backside were covered by a bedsheet, leaving the attention to his head, which was held in place by a neck brace. On the side, a machine was rigged to his body alongside an IV drip, steadily reminding them that his battered heart still beat.

The three stood there humbled by the sight. Thunder glanced between Gleaming and Raining to gauge their reactions and was met with trepidation and empathetic sadness. “Dad…” Raining squeaked.

The colt trotted forward and climbed up onto a seat next to the bed where he could talk to his still father. Hoping that if nothing else he could bring himself some comfort. “Hey dad, it's me Raining. Happy Hearth’s Warming! Even if you can’t hear me right now.”

He grimaced and looked towards the other two, Gleaming gave him an encouraging smile while Thunder simply watched, walking around to the otherside of the bed.

“So…some stuff happened and now we’ve adopted Thunder. A noble dropped by this morning, he knew about him and we talked for a while and he says he can stay!” He forced a smile.

Yet despite Raining’s enthusiasm, he was only met with more quiet air, broken up by the mechanical beeping from behind Thunder. Sighing to himself, he continued.

“After you left, Thunder told us he knew about some special healing magic only he knew. It took all night but by morning we were as right as rain again! I know you didn’t really like him when you met but he wants to help.” Raining extended a hoof and placed it on the bed. “I know it might be scary, but please, trust him.”

He looked over to Thunder with a faint smile the pegasus knew was forced before nodding. Thunder in turn looked to Gleaming who peeked just outside the curtain to confirm no disturbance before going back and nodding herself, wearing no smile as her anxiety culminated into a paralysed statue of a mare.

She watched as Thunder shed his wings in exchange for a horn and shortly after, arcane swirls danced around it before trailing into Copper’s body. Raining saw colour quickly return to his father’s face but it took several minutes of slow, careful work for Thunder’s magic to do its job. All throughout Raining examined other parts of Copper’s body (that he could see) for any visible signs of improvement or decline.

They could hear his heart rate climb and drop to the rhythm of the machine in sync with his breathing, his chest rising and falling like a set of bellows. For the moment it seemed everything was going well, which was a good sign.

Gleaming checked outside and rechecked only half a minute later, she knew even the expedited version of the spell would take time, but her nerves were reaching a breaking point. She felt at any moment somepony could walk in on them and ruin the whole thing.

Worse still was the possibility of it failing and making her husband’s situation worse. Sadly, she couldn’t stop it now, so her only option was to let the spell run its course, hoping Thunder was as well versed in it as he’d claimed.

A full ten minutes ticked by before Thunder’s lavender light finally died down, swapping back to his usual pair of wings and returning to his chair, woosy from the expenditure.

Raining worriedly looked around, scanning for any sign of improvement but finding none. His smile doing little to calm his nerves.

“Di-did it work?” Thunder asked, silently hoping for a miracle.

Raining shrugged as Gleaming crept closer. “Not sure, hold on.” The colt cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly. “Hey dad? There was an accident and your models were broken.”

Copper’s eyes suddenly shot open and while the neck brace did hinder him, he tried to turn towards Raining with a glare powerful enough to melt steel.

“Just kidding.” His smile was no longer forced.

Thunder tried to stifle a barrage of chuckles as he facehooved, while Gleaming also tried to hide her growing grin with a hoof.

“Don’t scare me like that Raining,” Copper groaned, his voice low and grading like sandpaper. “You’ll give me a heart attack.”

“I mean,” Raining rolled his eyes to the side, “This is the best place for that to happen.”

Copper again groaned but with a smile. “Honey help, I’m being bullied.”

Gleaming couldn’t contain herself any longer and let out some light laughter, joining up beside Raining. “Good to see your sense of humour is still intact.”

“Wish I could say the same for my pride, that colt did me a number.”

The mare laughed again and bent down before giving him a kiss on the cheek, the affection like a sweet chocolate treat to Thunder’s senses.

“Well, if it’ll make your pride feel any better, it was actually a carrage that put you here.” Gleaming said with a smirk, which seemed to perk up Copper a bit.

“Hey dad?” Raining interrupted. “How much of that did you hear? Before you woke up.”

“Every word,” He smiled, “Every word Raining.” Copper then turned towards Thunder as best he could, trying to get himself comfortable despite his total lack of mobility.

“Hey Thunder? Thanks, for everything.”

The colt didn’t know why but the way he’d said it suddenly made him feel weak in the knees and sent a flutter through his chest. Was this what it was like to have fatherly praise? All his life he’d only known overseers and caretakers but this, this was different.

It almost brought a tear to his eye as he edged closer to the bed, careful to avoid poking at any of the wiring or castes cropping over the sheets. “Your welcome…”

"However," He continued, darting his eyes to Gleaming. "Honey, care to tell me why you took so long?"

There was a long moment of silence as Gleaming dug around her saddlebags, pulling out a small, velvet wrapped present with a bow on top, in company with an awkward smile.

“Here, the kids insisted you be the first to open anything today.”

"Oh no, you're not wiggling out of this one." Copper groaned a took a deep breath, he'd speak his mind, bodily harm be damned. "How'd you feel if you got trapped in this thing? And I didn't come knocking for a few days?"

Gleaming winced and placed the gift on the bedside table, fresh guilt flooding in. "I...may have made some poor decisions." She turned away and rubbed her other leg, fearful of his iron glare. "I'm...It was for the kids, because-"

"Gold?" He cut in, voice rough as sandpaper.

"Right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry to leaving you in the dark, sorry for putting it off."

"Good, after this, I'd like to have a nice long chat. For now though."

Copper’s face grew into a grin as he took the present within his magic grasp, his horn thankfully still intact and fully functional. The first few attempts were met with it falling onto his chest as he re-learned how to use it, but he managed it on the third try and carefully unwrapped it.

Inside was a small box of stallion’s body shampoo.

“Thanks honey.” Copper said through gritted teeth.

Thunder suddenly sensed his anticipation melt into mild frustration and tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong Copper? Isn’t being gifted something good?”

“You’ll understand when you're older Thunder, trust me…”

Before he could press further, Raining also began digging through his pockets, having remembered something important. “Oh! Hey Dad, I think you lost this after the crash.” He then produced his long but not so lost copper plated pendant, which prompted Copper to widely smile in delight, enough to make Gleaming’s prior kiss seem mild by comparison.

It also lifted Gream right out of her depressive bought, now replaced with surprise.

“Wa-hey! Thanks Raining! Thought I’d lost that.” Copper then lifted it and placed it on the bedside table beside the shampoo bottle.

“No probs dad! We also kicked Lance’s butt and the guards are dealing with him.”

Copper let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned back into his bed. “About blooming time, I’m…so sorry you’ve had to deal with him for so long son. I honestly didn’t know how bad he was.”

Raining’s smile only grew as he quietly grinned at him in vindication.

“There are probably so many things he could say, but knows he’d never stop.” Thunder thought.

“It’s fine! Besides, we have Thunder now! He can help me make friends!”

“Heh, I’m sure he can Lead, I’m sure he can.”

Gleaming hunched over before giving him another kiss on the cheek. “We should get going, but I’m glad you're feeling better now dear. I’ll be sure to keep your presents tucked away until you're ready for them.”

“Thank’s hon.”

“Bye Dad! Get well soon!”

“Yeah same here, I’d love to try modelling when you're better!”

Copper giggled as he looked back to the pegasus. “Oh would you now? Well give it a few months and we’ll see.”

With that, the three cleared the room and went to the nurse waiting outside before being taken back to the entrance.

As they walked though Thunder felt something. No longer did he feel alone anymore, nor cold or scared. He’d braved the storm and now saw fit to reap its rewards. This was the beginning of a new life for him, this much he knew.

He breathed in the cold winter air of the outside but it wasn’t biting. Instead there was a calmness to his being he couldn’t describe, like a wave of gentle coldness washing over him, welcoming him to this new reality. Where before he was surrounded by monoliths of stone, glass and steel. Now at least, he finally felt welcome, that he could live here.

No more hives, no more overseers or changelings. No more streetside dumpster diving or hiding from guards. Canterlot for sure would become his new home, not just somewhere he lived.

There was still one question to be asked.

“So do you know what love tastes like?”

“I…still don’t know.”

“Damn it!"

Author's Note

Just the epilogue chapter left and I gotta say it's been a ride. This story took a lot of energy and as I sit here and type this, I can only hope you're having as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

I wish I had the energy to write more here but I woke up far too early today.

Edit: 1 year later and I finally remembered to have Gleaming get called out for procrastinating. Merry Christmas all!

CH 14 - Resolution

Two Months After The Storm

Thin flakes of snow gently descended upon the frozen grass blades of a well used playground, lit by the early afternoon sun. A few colts and fillies slid down twilight slides and rocked to and fro on rust marked sets of swings with their parents not far off. But aside from those adventurous few, the playground was surprisingly quiet.

And quiet was the one thing Moonlit Mirror savoured the most.

Between witness testimonies, speaking with half a dozen guards about her brother and all of the crazy stuff that had happened during Hearth’s Warming, she’d taken relaxing for granted.

“Was this what it was like to be an adult?” She wondered, “No wonder Mom is always so drained.”

She swept her mane aside and drew a deep breath, letting a cold wave pass through her before she spotted a familiar face fast approaching. She hadn’t had many chances to speak with Thunder Chaser after Hearth's Warming, probably even fewer than she had the ability to relax, so she couldn’t help but crack a tiny smile upon seeing him coming and adjusted her wide-brimmed hat.

“Hey, Mirror!” Thunder flew over and sat down next to her. “Long time no see huh?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Still thinking about Lance?”

Mirror’s smile waned and her voice dropped at that. “How could you tell?”

“Remember this playground?” Thunder then gestured towards the slide they’d fought in front of. “Because I do.”

The filly looked around before realisation kicked in, especially when she spotted a few familiar cracks and divots in the ground nearby, and she turned away from him. “R-right…yeah, yes I remember now.”

A steady flow of guilt began trickling in and she anxiously adjusted her position, mindlessly fiddling with a lock of her mane. “I shouldn’t have ever helped him, you know? Raining would’ve seen him, you wouldn’t have had to fight and…” All it took was a glace at Thunder’s wing to make her wince and turn away again.

“He might’ve had the presence of a manticore, but he was still my big brother. Now…he’s in a juvenile detention centre.”

The pegasus tilted his head in confusion. “Huh?”

“Children’s prison, at least for a few years.”

“Oh, well he does kinda deserve it, he tried to kill me ya know.” While Thunder felt pity for Mirror, he had little if any sympathy for Lance.

“Yes but I enabled him, if I’d just put my hoof down he’d still be here, and he wouldn’t have known about you.”

“Hey, it’s okay Mirror you were scared, alot of ponies do dumb things when they're scared. Like Raining when I mention rubber mallets!”

Mirror was shaken from her guilt just enough for her to return his prior confusion.

“I doubt Lance would’ve listened even if you said anything, the best we can do is move on.” Mirror seemed to perk up a little as Thunder continued. “Anyway, it’s all fine Mirror I forgive you, nopony died because of it and now Raining has friends! In fact, I think Copper’s due to come home today!”

“That quickly? Shouldn’t he be out for longer?”

“I may have helped him along a little.” Thunder smiled.

Mirror giggled and looked him solemnly from under the hat’s shadow. “That’s nice, reminds me of my mom. After the incident we got cooped up with a bunch of legal stuff and she was forced to take time off work to look after me. She didn’t like it at first, but I think she’s finally turning around, a week ago she tucked me in, she never does that!”

Thunder felt the filly’s growing joy and latched on, wanting to add more fuel to the fire he continued. “Great to hear Mirror! Raining’s also due for a fresh start, we’re starting school next week and I’m kind of excited. Granted we’re not in the same class but we are in the same…area I guess? I’ve got a friend in a high place.”

“About to tell me this “friend” is more like you?” The filly laughed.

“No actually, they just know my history and the stuff I went through but they're not a…well you know.”

“I see.” Mirror adjusted her mane and looked up at him with an inquisitive gaze. ”I’ve always been curious about your kind, but I never got the chance to ask much.”

“Are you sure this is the best place to ask about that kinda stuff?”

“Oh come on, there’s barely anypony around.” As if to emphasise her point she waved a hoof and true to her word, the playground was sparsely populated at best. “We can keep our voices down.”

Even with that Thunder glanced around, still a little cautious about being so open. But the filly was right and truth be told, he was a sucker for telling people what being a changeling was like and so with a sigh he relented. “Okay, but you can't tell this to anypony, understand?”

“Fine by me.” She smiled. “So what does love taste like?”

Thunder grinned before pulling up his saddlebags and taking out a paper bag with a dampened bottom. He buried his muzzle inside before withdrawing a fried sugar coated doughnut with chocolate filling. Quickly wolfing the confection before returning to her.

“Like fried doughnuts!”

“Oh come on, that cannot be what love tastes like.”

“Nah, but I love them!”

Mirror’s only reply was to scowl at the pegasus.

“Your really trying to ask me what something intangible tastes like? Raining asked me the same question since we met and to this day I still don’t know.” Thunder then shifted closer to her as she relaxed her expression. “Love is what you make of it, I love my family, but I also love doughnuts!”

“So they taste like doughnuts?” Mirror grinned.

Thunder facehooved with a smile. “No, not really, I can draw comparisons all day but I don’t think I’ll be able to describe it in a way you’d be able to understand. It’s a heartwarming kind of sweet but that’s all I can say.”

“Ah, well, okay then.” Mirror panned her gaze with disappointment before moving onto another question. “So are there other…queens I guess? You weren’t a normal changeling, I could tell as much.”

The colt’s jovial smile faded into something much more sincere as he stowed his doughnut bag. “I think? You're not asking me the easy questions you know.”

“Sorry.” She squeaked only for Thunder to wave it off.

“You're fine, but I never did meet my actual mom. Nopony ever talked to me about her or explained anything, I think the only creature who knows what really happened would be Chrysalis and I’m in no rush to talk to her.”

Mirror almost literally shared her sympathy for him, having remembered how few times Lamplight was there for her and held a hoof to her chest. “Oh that’s horrible, I’m so sorry for you.”

“Hey don’t be, I talked to Raining about this too and you know what? I think I’m fine, it’d be nice to one day find out but I want to be with Raining’s family, my family. There are so many things they want to show me, things I never got the chance to do back at the hive. Camping, games, painting, the list goes on and I’m honestly excited for what’s to come. For now it’s…something to think about.”

With a rising smile, Mirror looked at him and fiddled with her mane. “Do you think I can join sometime? Lance didn't just scare away Raining’s potential friends, it got kind of lonely without him.”

“Oh, sure thing Mirror! I’ll ask them later but I don’t see why not.”

“Thanks Thunder.”

“No problem, speaking of which I should get going, I don’t wanna be late.” The pegasus then got up from his seat and spread his wings.

Mirror waved as he readied to depart. “Hope to see you soon!”

Thunder returned the wave before taking flight, soaring off back towards the house.

Copper Casing wasn’t the kind of pony to complain much, at least openly. A life lived on the move and countless hours marching, standing around and performing the same, monotonous drills time and time again had instilled within him some decent patience.

But if he had to spend another day in that hospital he might’ve gone mad.

The stallion already had to deal with one bad leg and that annoyed him enough, but being totally incapable bar some telekinesis and the rare use of teleportation had him practically begging to be let out. Even as the surgeons and doctors advised he rest.

On the bright side he had a remarkably quick recovery in no small part thanks to Thunder, and he was delighted to be able to walk on all fours again without aid, but even after leaving his bed his limbs still felt as though they could’ve used an extra week or two.

As he leisurely walked down the street he could still occasionally hear a joint pop, followed by either a sudden relief of pressure or a minor spike in pain.

“Doc said it’ll pass, just need to take it easy and I’ll be fit as a fiddle.”

He soon came upon the familiar sight of his family home, with its well kept lawn and bright yellow paint.

Smiling, Copper walked up to the front door, careful not to overstrain his limbs, and after a deep breath he knocked.

Not more than a couple seconds later he saw the handle twist and the door open, quickly meeting eye to eye with the love of his life.

Gleaming stared at him with a smile creeping across her face as her eyes raised, which Copper happily returned before the two embraced each other. The silence wasn’t for long however as Copper patted her back and turned an eye to the second open door inside.

“You were standing in the doorway waiting for me, weren’t you?”

“Two hours straight, I couldn’t help it!” Gleaming protested, looking positively giddy.

“Honey…” Copper said with a pained tone in his voice.

Despite her husband’s concern, Gleaming continued and pulled away the hug, planting a hoof on his shoulder as they walked inside. “You will not believe how long we’ve been waiting for you, when I finally got the message you might be coming everypony was scrambling!”

“Oh come on, the kids couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Your right deary, the kids weren’t that bad.”

Copper stared over his shoulder towards her in confusion- “Wait, what do you mean by th-” before stepping into the living room where the lights were suddenly switched on.

The stallion skeleton nearly jumped out of his body as not just Raining and Thunder, but a group of other ponies were present also. Some of Gleaming’s friends and a few of his old service buddies all jumped out wearing party hats, loudly shouting “Surprise!” as party poppers went off behind them. There was even a “Welcome Back!” banner hung from above the fireplace.

“Honey,” Copper repeated in the same tone, smiling at her, “Did you have to?”

The mare leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes.”

Copper turned back around in defeat as he entered the room and sat down, being hugged shortly after by Raining and Thunder as the pleasantries began and the two colts nearly drowned him in affection.

Time would pass, a cake was shared and party games were played. But eventually those that took part would eventually leave and the sun would die down, marking the end of another day. In the coming weeks things would improve for the family, Thunder would be introduced to Copper’s modelling hobbies and Raining would get to spend time with the changeling’s old friend group. Slowly but surely, rebuilding the social circle he’d lost.

They’d go to school together, share the same tables and games, read the same books and fight their own struggles. But no matter what happened the two would have each other’s backs, and no matter what they’d never forget the week before Hearth’s Warming.

Such was the tale of the Boy, and the Bug.

Author's Note

And that's that! I huge thank you to everyone who's read this to the very end, I can't express how much it means to me that this little project got so far because of everyone who likes it.

A hundred, two hundred, five hundred, a thousand? It's not something you can fully grasp but I'm thrilled I was able to entertain you with this little book.

Are there flaws? Absolutely, is it perfect? Not in the slightest, but for my first real story that isn't D&D content for a group of players, I think I did pretty well!

Now, if you're feeling spicy, you might be encouraged to know this story has some re-reading value. It might not give you some crazy insight into something you already saw but it may make it more interesting.

Thanks again for reading!

CH 1 - Little One

Twelve Years Before The Storm

Somewhere south of Equestria deep below the rocky surface of the badlands. There laid a set of large chambers drowned in near pitch black. Dimly lit by small green bioluminescent lights. Tunnels and side passages, entrances and exits, they were everywhere and in every direction. The air was damp and cold, calm and undisturbed, it was desired to be as such. Because these chambers were more than just mere caves.

These were nurseries, schools and playgrounds. For the walls, the floor and even parts of the ceiling were covered in hundreds of emerald green, oval eggs. Each the size of a beach ball and was held tightly in place by clusters of lime green resin at their bases. Some had laid dormant for months though for many, they’d been waiting for much longer.

One of them in particular however stood out from the rest. It didn’t share the bright green glow of its brothers to be nor the same blood they’d been birthed by. Instead, its surface was a deep royal purple as was the shell that belonged to its lone occupant.

The undisturbed and unguarded chambers laid dormant as the natural rock columns and artificially dug tunnels glistened with condensation. The only sound to break the silence being the slow dripping of water. Until a pair of purple lights flickered to life within the outlier of the clutch. Restless and ready for release, a small, jet-black dagger pierced the top of the egg and tore its way down. Rivers of clear gooey liquid splattered onto nearby eggs and down the tear, creating a pool at the egg’s base where the newly born nymph slid out no larger than a house cat.

Despite its immediate birth, It tried to climb to its hooves but kept slipping and sliding. Bumping into other eggs before giving up and laying on the floor. With little else to do, the creature quickly took in its surroundings and found the caves dark, cold and empty. it looked around for anything else it could cling to but found nothing, the newborn nymph was alone…cold…and scared.

Five Nights Before the Storm

It was a cold winter night in Canterlot, the city’s streets covered in thick sheets of snow with only the gentle whispers of the wind to accompany those that remained outside. One such soul was a lone pegasus mare returning from what was meant to be a quick shopping trip, but had turned into another late night spree. Her coat was a golden yellow with a shortcut, bright orange mane. Clad in a teal jacket and scarlet red scarf dotted with white freckles of snow. On her back laid a pair of saddlebags containing more than a few parcels and packages from her latest shopping adventure.

All around her the various lights of Hearth's Warming decor danced. Coloured wires spiralled up lamp posts and across buildings emitting a strong golden glow that made the surrounding snow look like gold dust. As if Celestia herself had enriched Canterlot’s streets.

Overhead decorations spanned from one side of the street to the other. Depicting reindeer pulling a big red sled of ponies each sharing presents with one another, with nets of stars shining in the night sky and trees with various decorations on them. Many had been further enhanced with a touch of illusionary magic. Making them appear to have come to life within the confines of their nets even if only to endlessly repeat an action or two.

Yet no artificial glow could compare to the warm smile spread across the face of the young mother as she strode across the sidewalks. Fresh snow crunching under her boots and the weight of her well laden saddlebags slowing her pace. She didn’t intend to have been outside at this time but with the celebration of Equestria’s Founding right around the corner she had to seize whatever opportunity presented itself lest another pony rob her son of his presents.

She still remembered the incident from last year. Her young colt had woken early and couldn’t help himself so he was careful to re-wrap his gifts, but not so much to fake his celebration. He’d since become proficient in stumbling upon the gifts despite her many attempts to hide them. Not all of them but enough that buying them in advance had become difficult when she wanted to elicit surprise and have that golden moment of wonder on his face. True, it was a somewhat silly thing to complain about, but nothing could compare to the warmth in her cheeks and the butterflies in her belly when she saw that face, that cute little smile and the joy in his eyes, as infectious as it was addicting.

The mare’s train of thought came to a grinding halt when the whimpers of some distant yet muffled cry met her ears. She froze in place and turned her head towards the source. An alleyway wedged between a pair of stone brick buildings with a connecting overhead arch shrouding the path in darkness. She looked around the street for anypony else but there was not a soul in sight so she returned her gaze. It was crying alright and furthermore it sounded young….too young for her liking.

“Just keep walking, go and find help somewhere. There have to be guards around maybe they can take care of this? There’s probably some just a block or two down, not even ten minutes away.”

Yet as she listened her maternal instincts took hold. The voice was young but raspy with time between breaths cut short. Whoever it was they were shivering too much for it to be healthy, so mustering up the courage she held her breath in for a few seconds and spoke. “Hello? Is anypony there?”

The alley went dead quiet.

“Turn around and run you stupid mare, whatever it is it doesn’t want you hearing it!” She berated herself. But instead of heeding her internal advice the angel on her shoulder persisted and she pressed on. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” She began to slowly step into the alley. Coming upon a dumpster that had been opened with its contents scattered across the stone flooring before her, “I-i just want to talk.”

She waded her way around all the junk being careful not to dirty her boots on other ponies’ refuse. When she passed the dumpster she saw a dirty, damp cardboard box sitting upside down. A large hole in its side where she heard the muffled shivers of whoever, or whatever, was inside. She bent down and looked inside the hole and was only met with a dark void, and the slight vibrations of the discarded container.

“Are you okay in there? Please say something dear.”

As if on cue a pair of purple lights then flickered on inside. A split second later she realised what they were and immediately recoiled. Her head nearly banging against the brick wall behind her. The eyes likewise widened in fear and a moment of awkward silence wedged itself in the space the two had created.

It didn’t last long though as after her initial shock the mare regained her conscious senses. The creature inside still shivered and whimpered. A mixture of curiosity, fear, sympathy and anxiety washed over her. Like a cold shiver crawling down her back and sinking into the ground. She wanted to leave, to turn around and bolt. The guards shouldn’t be far away surely they could handle this? But she was committed now. She couldn’t just abandon this poor thing on such a cold night.

“Uh…hi? I-I’m not here to hurt you I swear.”

She was only met with silence and more muffled whimpers. “M-my name’s Gold,” She patted a hoof against her chest, forcing a smile. “Gleaming Gold, I’m sure I could help you, just…” She trailed off. It was hard not to make a one sided conversation feel awkward but she was doing her best, anxiety be damned. She approached and knelt down towards the box, still keeping that forced smile. “Are you hungry? Cold? You could stay with me for a little bit and warm up.”

Good one Gold, way to state the obvious. She again scolded herself. “Is it okay if I lift up this box?”

Still nothing, and her smile was becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. The muscles in her face aching from the sensation.

Deciding to be proactive, Gold sat down in front of the box and slowly placed her hooves onto its sides. She struggled against her own nerves and she slowly lifted it up, squinting her eyes out of fear of what she might find that had purple eyes inside.

Instead, upon lifting the box up, nothing happened. Relieved, Gold let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she placed it to the side and got her first real look at the-

The creature before her was pony-like in its body structure but it had holes within its legs that went all the way through. A royal purple insect-like shell lay upon its back, jet black chitin as dark as Luna herself composed its skin. A single smooth curved horn rested upon its forehead, whilst a pair of tiny, bone white fangs protruded from its mouth and its eyes glowed the same deep purple as its back, only with a fading white iris at its centre…

“A Changeling.”

Gold felt her pulse sharply increase. She was looking at a changeling, one of the same creatures that had attacked Canterlot not even half a year ago. That had placed all their lives in peril and threatened even the royal sisters themselves. She’d thoughtlessly turned her head towards the entrance of the alley with a cry for help already on the tip of her lips, but she never spoke. Instead, she found herself turning back towards the little bug-pony. It was so small, not even half the size of the ones that had attacked her town. Once the initial force had been repelled, she'd recalled seeing the ones left over being escorted in chains through the streets and they were clearly full-grown adults. This, however, wasn’t!

She half expected it to pounce on her, drain her of every scrap of love and leave an empty husk behind. But it lay there in front of her as terrified as she was and violently shaking. Caked in grime, covered in grit and without a shred of cloth on its body, the poor thing must be freezing!

“I should turn around, call for help and get the guards…shouldn’t I?”

She saw the desperation in its eye, the pleas not to scream and the dried up tear tracks that nearly froze under its cheeks. The little chittering mouth and shaky legs against the ground reverberated in her head. Even its nose was red and already starting to run, a possible sign of illness. Gold swore she could see it trying to shake its head as if to say “No!” but it was hard to tell.

“Come on Gleaming, your family is waiting for you. Just turn your thick skull and say something!”

But…what would happen after? Her internal argument pulled up memories of the aftermath, changelings in chains being pulled through streets from every jail and holding area. Ponies torn from their homes and disguises dispelled right in front of what was thought to be loved ones. Newspapers reporting hundreds, maybe thousands of exposures across the country. Nopony was ever hanged; they weren’t that cruel, but the Princess wanted to show others Equestria was not to be trifled with.

Despite all the headlines, she never knew what became of the prisoners. Would that be this little one’s fate? A life confined to a dark, cold cell with only the indifference of a nearby guard to feed upon? It had to be a foal, there was no way it wasn’t, but how did it end up here of all places?

“Gleaming Gold you stupid, stupid pony! Don’t you dare do this, you have a family of your own!”

What would happen if she was caught? What would happen to her family? Her only child, her husband, what would her friends think of her? Housing a changeling would no doubt get her arrested, but at the same time the look in the poor foal’s eye made her heart twist. She’d never forgive herself otherwise and she’d never sleep again.

She bought her hoof up to adjust her scarf. From the corner of her vision she caught the snow white pattern knitted into the scarlet cloth, a pony giving another a present. Hearth's Warming was a time of coming together for a greater good, of friendship and forgiveness. In that moment she knew what to do.

Gleaming unfolded the scarf around her neck and slowly approached the shivering nymph, careful not to make any sudden moves as she gently wrapped her scarf around its body. It recoiled at first, hesitant to accept her aid. But the moment she started it didn’t resist, if anything it slightly leaned into her. The warmth of her scarf was the only kind of heat it’d have otherwise.

“There there, It’s going to be okay, you're going to be fine.” She tried to assure it. Telling herself just as much. She adjusted her seating and shifted closer to it before craning her neck down and undoing her coat’s zip. Not all the way but enough she could get it away from the cold. She raised her coat and shortly after it took the cue sliding inside so she pulled her wing out and further embraced it.

By the Sun it was so cold! Like somepony had just slid a chunk of ice under her coat. She could feel the bitter chill through her sweater and the grease and bits of trash that had clung to its body smeared against her clothes. The shivering made staying still difficult so she began to rock back and forth, trying to control the sway while humming a gentle lullaby. She couldn’t stop now, it needed her. She could throw her clothes in the wash when she got home and take a bath to warm up.

Maybe this was all a farce? Some trick to manipulate her into giving it her love or to control her emotions? Maybe that’s how their queen got a hold of the Captain of the Guard? But sitting here, rocking back and forth, holding the little one tight and feeling just how close it probably was to frostbite…love sucking parasites be damned, she wasn’t about to let a child freeze to death!

She opened a crack up between her wing and the changeling through which she could see the nymph’s face. It was beginning to still and in the time since she hadn't even registered that he was hugging her best it could. “Hey there?” She asked.

The nymph slowly cranked its neck up to look at her with its deep purple eyes locking with hers. A flurry of fear, hope and desperation racing through its face. She didn’t need to be a changeling herself to read its emotions. “Do you have anywhere to go? Anypony to turn to?”

It briefly shook its head. She glanced back at the box sitting beside the dumpster. A discarded torn up towel was the only bedding it had to separate itself from the stone cold ground. She looked back at the changeling and continued. “Can you tell me your name?”

Its mouth opened and closed several times. Little squeaks and chitters escaped but not a word of discernible speech was spoken, still too cold to control its own tongue. She moved a hoof to cover its mouth forcing another smile. “Shh It’s okay, I’ve heard enough.”

She looked both ways down the alley. Even if it could disguise itself, there’d be nopony in Canterlot willing to host an urchin at this hour.

“Just one night, one night couldn’t hurt could it? Go find an orphanage in the morning and everything will be settled.”

She sat there with the nymph for a few more minutes, gently rocking to and fro. Comforting it best she could before deciding enough was enough. She hadn’t heard anypony walk down the street in the time since and so assumed it was safe enough. “Don’t be scared little one, I’m going to take you home for the night, get you something warm and clean you up, you're going to be okay.”

Gleaming finally let go of the nymph and tried getting to her hooves but it then clung to her leg as she reached full height. It began to whimper again like it did before she entered the alley and she winced at its whining. She extended a wing and covered it up. “Shh shh, I’m not going to leave you, but I really don’t need you making this harder than it already is.”

The child looked up at her, fresh tears already rolling down its night black chitin cheeks. It didn’t want to let go, to be left behind in the cold once more at the mercy of the elements. Gleaming stared solemnly into its bright purple eyes, the tinge of hope present within. “Please?” She asked, “I’m not leaving you, just walk with me under my wing, okay?”

After a moment it seemed to obey her request and relented, climbing to its own four legs yet rubbing against her barrel. She made sure to keep her wing as close as possible as she took her first few steps. Slowly at first as to allow the nymph time to get into a rhythm but before she knew it she was back onto the sidewalks.

Then as if the lights all around had shined upon her mind, the full realisation had hit her like a bowling ball. If any of the guard patrols caught her, any of them, she was in deep trouble.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can't believe I’m doing this. I can't believe I’m doing this!”

She looked both ways, creeping through the snow and keeping her head on a swivel. It was as if every one of her senses had been amplified as the sound of a wind indicator creaking on a nearby rooftop may as well have been a foghorn to her ears. Were the overhead lights always this bright? Or was it all adrenaline causing her breath to quicken?

Either way she knew the directions she had to take, a few turns here and street crossing there, yet it felt like an eternity just making way across one empty street. A single, well illuminated and completely empty street where somepony could’ve seen her a mile away. How many were actually asleep right now? All it would take is one lucky observer to peer through their curtains at the right time and it was all over.

Yet she pressed on, one street after another, one turn after the next, she didn’t know many shortcuts and tonight was not the night to go exploring and get lost. At least the little nymph beside her stopped crying. The thought of having to deal with the streets carrying the echoes of a whimper? Oh she couldn’t bear it.

Then she heard it, the clambering of armoured hooves through the snow off in the distance approaching faster then she would have ever wanted. She looked everywhere, there were a few bins but they were too small, rooftops maybe? What if the nymph couldn’t fly yet? What about turning around and taking another route? Okay that would at least buy her more time. Or so she thought.

By the time she’d made up her mind and began turning around the group of guards had already rounded the corner and caught sight of her. She froze in place, as still as an ice statue as they all marched toward her.

“Nononono okay what do I do? WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?!?”

She adjusted her saddlebags and quickly opened them up, intending to fake the need to sort them out. The gilded patrol walked down the sidewalk, adorned in shining golden armour with thick coats underneath and sheathed weapons hanging from their sides. What was once a sign of hope and assessment of safety had now turned into a terrifying presence. She just hoped they’d walk right on by and not notice the little changeling nymph currently rested under her wing.

The air around her grew hot and heavy, a bead of cold sweat ran down her temple as they split up and began walking past. Try as she might she couldn’t completely hide the fear on her face and she internally prayed to whichever of the sisters was listening not to let her get caught this moment. They were almost gone, just a little more…

“Hey, are you okay, miss?” One of them turned about face behind her, “Bit late for a walk don’t you think?”

If Gold’s coat could turn a ghostly white it would’ve. Though the guard couldn’t see it, her pupils had shrunk to the size of peas and her legs felt like jelly. She gave herself a mental slap before indecision set in and she roused suspicion.

“Oh yea! I’m fine, just a little late night shopping, needed to sort some things out is all.” Her delivery was okay but an actor she wasn’t, even she could hear the nervousness in her voice. Continuing to endlessly fiddle around with the various boxes and toy packs as though she’d been looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Please just keep walking!”

“If you need help, I can lend a hoof, you seem a little agitated.”

“Was it that obvious?!” The other guards had stopped and turned their attention, now drawn to what they were doing. It was only a few but she may as well have had all the eyes in Canterlot watching her at that moment. “No no I’m fine! It’s just chilly is all.” She forced a nervous grin, the weight of a dumbbell now on her back. “I was already heading home, nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure? You look like your wing’s having issues.”

Scrap dumbbell, now it was an anvil. Her legs threatened to give out from under her. “Why can’t you take a hint?! Why do they have to be so noble?”

“No, it’s fine! I just needed to…stretch my wing is all!" She nervously giggled and forced a grin. "These saddlebags are wearing me down, you know?”

The guard stared at her and squinted his eyes, his gaze fixed on the anomaly of her outstretched wing. “He’s not buying it is he? Oh nonononono he’s not buying it!”

Gold felt like she was about to scream, she was just trying to do the right thing! How is that so hard? The guard raised a hoof but just as he was about to say something one of the others behind him butted in first. “Hey lay off her, she said she’s fine you twit!”

“Hey yeah come on! It’s freezing out here.” Said another. The first guard turned his head back towards his comrades then towards Gold. He let out a sigh and shook his head in annoyance before turning around and re-joining them.

Gold let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Relief washed over her like a wave of warm water and she fiddled a little more with her bags. Actually trying to sort them out this time rather than the messy pawing she was just doing. When she was satisfied she looked around and saw the guards were gone and with it the weight on her shoulders. “That was too close, WAY too close.”

She lifted her wing slightly and looked inside with words of comfort already being drawn upon. Only to find an empty space where the nymph should’ve been…

Wait, where is it? She looked around, panic already sinking it’s teeth into her mind. “Where did it go?!” Her head spun around and her ears twitched.

She caught a glimpse of those same deep purple lights partially obscured behind the pair of metal rubbish bins she glossed over when she heard the guards, looking back at her from a little ways away. For the second time that night she felt her pulse pleasingly slow down and warmth return to her veins. “Oh dear Celestia, you had me worried there little one.”

The Nymph slowly crept out from behind the bins, its head low to the ground like a common housecat. It returned to her side and brushed up against her barrel as Gleaming resumed her previous gesture with the wing and continued on her merry way.

The rest of the trip was mercifully uneventful and the duo came upon a common yellow brick house with tall hedge fencing separating it from its neighbours. Its chimney bellowing a constant stream of thick smoke, the warm glow of a fireplace visible from behind the living room curtains and the front lawn hosting a flurry of Hearth’s Warming decorations. From clay reindeers to twinkling fairy lights, the most notable being a joke sign urging the princess to stop here for cake and tea.

“We’re here! Welcome home dear.”

Gleaming opened the front door and led the small changeling into a dimly lit reception with several coat racks, boot sets and baskets of scarfs. She quickly de-robed herself and opened a second, more secure, door that required a key. Once done both were inside the house properly.

They were led into a corridor with a door on the right leading into the living room. On the left was a staircase that led to the bedrooms and if you went straight down the middle you’d find yourself in the kitchen. The design was compact and fairly basic but the decorations were anything but so, little fairy lights hung from the ceilings, framed pictures and photos lined the walls, more gag signs among them.

Gleaming wiped her hooves on the door mat and turned to the nymph, “I’m going to turn on the taps and run you a bath. My son’s in the living room, I don’t want him panicking so try to stay here until your bath and I have some time to explain you to him. Okay?”

The nymph looked back at her and meekly nodded. She smiled and began her ascent up the orange carpeted stairs. The changeling meanwhile looked around, left alone it could feel the ambient warmth of the house, the aroma of excitement and joy all around for it to breathe in with a faint but ever present tinge of a family’s love. The fairy lights above sparkled like stars and painted the hallway in a plethora of colours, yet its attention was drawn most to the pictures on the walls, a well celebrated family history.

It recognised Gleaming Gold but there were two others present, a dirty copper coated unicorn stallion and a light brass coloured colt who inherited both his father’s horn and metal grey mane. They all seemed so happy together.

Moving away from the individual photos, it began walking forward towards the living room door glossing over images of various events including a carnival, a camping trip and various birthdays. But one picture forced the nymph to freeze. A photo of the father on a hospital bed with several stitches and bandages. His front right leg was held above in a cast with a basket of flowers and cards laid on his bedside table. He was staring at the camera with the others smiling sure, but perched above the framed photo was a certificate.

This certification confirms and congratulates Cadet Copper Casing on passing through basic training at Canterlot Royal Academy. Signed Count Nutcracker.

The husband’s a guard!?

Why would Gleaming allow the nymph inside if she knew her significant other would take them away? The nymph began backing away, turning around towards the door before trying the handle, only for it to hold fast.

“Right, key, she’d locked it.”

This place wasn’t safe, it wasn’t safe to begin with but now it was even less so!

“Calm down, calm down, you’ve been through worse. What’s the mother doing?” That train of thought was answered by the sounds of water rushing into a tub and the soft silhouette from atop the stairs. She was sticking to the bathroom which meant she wasn’t lying, and wasn't about to tell the guard about them. Not after taking such a risk to save them it wouldn’t make sense.

They breathed a sigh of relief, at least they had an ally here. That was good, but what about the colt?

Gleaming had instructed them to stay put and not cause any trouble, but it still found itself shivering from its time outside in the bone chilling cold. So when it heard the soft crackles of a warm, soothing fireplace they couldn’t help but inch closer towards the door frame. Surely there wasn’t any harm in just taking a look and warming up a little?

The changeling slowly crept over to the living room door and peeked inside. Directly facing the door was a blazing fireplace covered by a metal cage. Even just looking at it they could feel its warmth upon their face, the pleasant sensation of being defrosted after spending so long in the snow and the hypnotic dancing flames of it’s embers. But it would have to wait, in the middle of the room was a coffee table with two couches sat opposed to each other. Framed artwork hung from walls, a tall wooden grandfather clock stood next to the door frame and a tall well decorated pine tree sat in the room’s corner next to a pair of closed curtained windows.

But what caught the changeling’s eye was the brass colt seated on one of the couches, using magic to play with a deck of cards. His metal grey mane was cut short and tame compared to his mother and his cutie mark depicted a target board with several holes shot through it.

It slowly inched forward towards the fire and towards the end of its horrible quaking. Getting a little closer couldn’t hurt could it? Plus the colt’s back was turned. hooves gently pressing into the soft amber carpet careful not to make any sudden moves…until a creaky floorboard loudly announced its presence. The colt’s head snapped towards it and for a solid five seconds the two just stared at each other in awkward silence.

The changeling forced a meek smile, “Uh…hi?”

The colt then bolted and leapt over the back of the couch and popped his head out from up over the arm. His steel grey eyes staring at the newcomer. “Hi!” He squeaked. A moment of silence followed before he spoke again. “You look weird.”

Exposed and seeing little point in hiding, the nymph resumed their slow advance towards the coffee table. Eyes darting all around if only to avoid staring at the colt. He had an aura of many things like excitement, joy, most of all innocent curiosity, and not a tinge of fear or doubt to be had which in turn peaked the changeling’s own attention. It nervously climbed up onto and sat down on the couch. The two of them stayed there for a little while, with the slow ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackles of the fireplace the only noises to fill the room.

The colt blinked a few times before raising his head above the chair’s arm revealing a smile. “My name’s Raining Lead, what’s yours?” He said rather bluntly.

The changeling looked at him and shifted in its seat. The room’s warmth having finally thawed out the ability to speak properly, “S-Shellac, it’s Shellac. Shell works too.”

Shell’s voice was soft and a little raspy but sounded masculine enough for Raining to assume Shellac was a colt. “Nice to meet you Shell! Are you a changeling?” He asked with enthusiasm.

Shellac raised an eye at that. “You…didn’t know that?”

“Nah, never seen one before, everypony talked about them a while back but I only ever heard about them. They made them sound scary. But you don’t look scary.”

“Wha-? How? They attacked you didn’t they? At the wedding? There were thousands of them!”

“I didn’t get to see the wedding, I was asleep for the whole thing.”

Shellac’s jaw dropped in astonishment. If his mind was open for the world to hear the room would’ve been filled with the sound of an anvil crashing onto a piano or a window breaking. Shellac remembered that day perfectly, there were explosions, screams, changelings crashing into the streets fighting guards! How did this one unicorn colt manage to sleep through all that?

“No way,” he quietly spoke. “No way any-creature could’ve slept through all that!”

Raining giggled and placed his hooves on the couch arm, raising his chest high. “Weeeeeeeell, I was having trouble sleeping the past few nights prior and my dad really wanted to make sure I was rested for the wedding. So he casted a sleep spell he learned but he might’ve overdone it…just a little bit!” He said, making gestures with his hoof as he explained.

The mental image of the little brass colt laying on a bed loudly snoring without a care in the world whilst a shower of green fire rained from the sky outside forced Shellac to suppress a chuckle. He couldn’t contain it all and a few snickers escaped his core.

That sliver of laughter however only seemed to fuel Raining as he continued. “Oh you think that’s funny? How about the time my dad went apple bobbing on Nightmare Night and got an apple stuck on the end of his horn?”

Another mental image, this time of a soaked guard thrashing about trying to get a little, ruby red apple off his horn in front of the Night Princess. Another round of barely suppressed belly laughs as Shell tried to contain his hearty chuckles.

A devious smile spread across Raining’s face, eagerly enjoying trying to break the nymph’s self imposed barrier. “Or how about that one time my mom forgot to secure her manebands so when we went out and it got windy, they came undone juuuuuust as we’d had a photo taken so she looked like a tumbleweed had smacked her head!” Raining raised his hooves for dramatic effect as he finished.

“Pffff HAHAhahahahahaaaa!” Shellac heaved forward as the contents of his lungs were driven from his chest. Raining smiled as Shell brought a hoof up to wipe a tear from his eye. Still giggling even as he leaned back and relaxed against the couch.

He suddenly couldn’t remember why he was trying to hold them back in the first place. His answer however came as three loud bangs erupted from the ceiling above them, followed by a distant heavy voice. “Pipe down Raining I’m tryna sleep!”

Shell’s joy melted like ice under tap water at the reminder of who was upstairs. His smile dropped into a frown as he looked towards Raining. Newfound fear in his eye as the colt’s own smile did the same. “Was that…your dad?” His voice now only slightly above that of a whisper.

Raining followed suit and likewise quietened down. “Yea, that was him, mom and dad’s bedroom’s above us, he probably won’t like you.”

A lead weight fell upon Shell’s shoulders, shattering the happy atmosphere. He tried rubbing his upper foreleg in a fit to bring some comfort to himself. His chitin suddenly felt more sensitive and the presence of all the dirt and muck that had accumulated from over a month of rough living was brought to the forefront of his mind, reminding him he was an outsider in someone else’s home. “It didn’t feel safe again…”

Before a sense of panic could set in, he felt a gentle hoof pat his shoulder. Quickly spinning around, he saw Raining sitting next to him with a reassuring smile on his face. “I shouldn’t have said it like that, but he was awake during the attack and got hurt really badly. He's not a guard anymore because of it and mom says he’s gotten really clingy since.”

“The picture of him at the hospital.” Shell thought. Did his leg not heal all the way? That must’ve been it. A tinge of guilt shot through him at what the others did where it began to grow. “Why are they being so nice to me?”

“But listen, he’s not a bad guy alright? He just wants to make sure we’re safe, and you don’t seem evil or bad or wanting to hurt me so you should be safe too!”

Shell could taste the sincerity in his voice. He still wasn’t sure but the weight on his back wasn't nearly as heavy all of the sudden and a ghost of a smile formed at the corners of his mouth. “You really think so?”

“Of course! Sure he might sound mean but he was a guard, that’s part of their job.”

Shellac held in a breath for several seconds before letting go, releasing a wave of tension from his body. Hopefully he was right, hopefully he wouldn’t have to break into a mad dash as swords and spears raced by his face come morning. “Hopefully the queen was wrong…”

Shellac’s train of thought ended when he was again patted on the shoulder by Raining. “Can I ask why you sound so weird?”

Shellac tilted his head in confusion, not expecting such a question. “Weird? What do you mean weird?”

“I don’t know, it’s something about your voice.” Raining pointed towards Shell’s mouth. “How you say words.”

“You mean my accent? You're the one with the accent, you and your mom both.”

“My mum? My dad has it as well, so do a lot of ponies I’ve met. I guess I’ve never heard your “accent” before.” Raining shrugged.

“Seriously? I have the most common one in Equestria. There’s a bunch of ponies in Canterlot who have it too!”

“Really? Huh…” Raining paused for a moment. Casually panning his view off to the side before smiling and snapped back to Shellac. “Do you know what mine is?!” He grinned. looking at him like a playful puppy waiting for a treat.

“Yeah, you all have Canterlot Cockney accents. You’ve really never heard of this term before?”

“Nah.”

Shellac and Raining both stared at each other. One with bewilderment and the other with an innocent, content smile. His tail flicking against the arm of the couch on occasion. Shell opened his mouth a few times but never spoke as he tried to think of a response to how Raining could’ve lived this long in ignorance of this knowledge.

Before he could though, Raining broke the stalemate. “So what other words do you think sound weird when I say them? The way you say mum sounds weird.”

Shellac shook his head slightly and stuttered his opening response. “I say it with an “O” not a “U” like you’re doing.”

“Oh, so where I’d like mummy, you’d say “marmmy?” Raining tried to mimic Shellac’s accent but ended up somehow wedging an “ar” in the middle of the word where the “o” should’ve been. Resulting in a botched job that would’ve made Shellac’s ponish teacher roll in his grave. It did manage to make him cringe at the attempt.

“No! No, okay, let’s start over. What about the word tomato? You can’t mess that up right? There’s a great big “A” in the middle!”

Much to Shellac’s dismay, Raining did exactly that and pronounced the word with an “ar” instead of a simple “a.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “To-ma-to, not to-mar-to!”

“Tomarto!”

Shellac slapped his forehead with a hoof in defeat, almost certain he was doing this on purpose. But before he could continue they both heard hoofsteps coming from the staircase. Gleaming Gold appearing in the doorway shortly after. “Your bath’s ready dear!”

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Shellac walked into the upstairs bathroom with a sparkle in his eye. Clear white tiles lined the walls, glittering yellow accents complemented cream painted wooden shelves, basket cases and draws. Yet the light reflections weren’t offensive to his eyes. If anything he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Behind him, Gleaming had taken the scarf off and thrown it into a nearby washing basket just outside the doorframe as Shell examined the washtub which was full of hot, soapy water and had a layer of sparkling bubbles covering the top. He could feel the warmth radiating from it and the smells of buttery smooth lavender therein.

He was stunned, at a loss for words. He’d never seen a bubble bath before and didn’t know what to say. Gleaming however had him covered. “Ready to step in dear? I broke out a bathbomb for this one, my own mix!”

“B-bomb?” He tensed up. Gleaming quickly opened up a basket and revealed several orbs of glittering soap. A veritable rainbow of colours and strong smells assaulted Shell’s nose and he felt it scrunch up as he moved a hoof to cover it. Gold giggled in smug delight and mercifully put them away. “Too strong? Figures, I make bath bombs for a living.”

Shell lowered his hoof away from his nose yet was still able to taste the various smells that had been shoved in his face. “Why are they called bath bombs? Do they explode?”

“Sort of, really they more go “pop” when you put them in water. Then the soap spreads out and well-” she gestured towards the glittering bath water. “-that happens, ready to climb in?”

Shell swivelled back around to the tub and slowly dipped his hoof into the water to test it and found it was pretty hot, pulling his hoof back once or twice. He was starting to have second thoughts when Gleaming came up behind him and scooped him up in her legs. “H-Hey! Please don’t boil me!”

“Oh you silly bug, I’m not gonna boil you! Your body just needs to adjust to the water. Trust me, you’ll love it!” She unfolded her wings and levelled him just above the surface of the water, slowly dipping his legs down under. Shellac bit his lips and hissed at the sudden burning discomfort. A moment later, it was gone, replaced with a very warm but not unpleasant feeling. It continued that way until his hindlegs were halfway inside before Gleaming allowed the rest of his lower body to sink into the water.

When that happened a wave of blissful heat washed over his body. Tingles ran up his spine and trailed into his hooves. Butterflies gathered in his throat as Gleaming allowed him to lean back into the tub and rest his head on the edge. An open mouthed smile, wide enough that the corners of his mouth pinched his eyes confirmed his delight and she let go, pulling back to find a scrubbing brush.

When he entered the building the ambient warmth helped keep him from icing over again. But now he wasn’t being drip fed heat and felt his limbs finally relax. He could lay there and melt into a puddle of happiness if his body allowed. But Gleaming had other plans as she fastened a brush from a box around the end of her hoof and poured some soap onto its fibres with her wing.

With experienced hooves she leaned in and began scrubbing the changeling’s body. Clumps of muck and patches of dried grease fell off in droves. Applying a little pressure to get into the nooks and crannies between the harder parts of his chitin. Rolling up a hoof towel and threading it through the holes in his legs. The colour of the water slowly darkened as Shell’s chitin shined. But Gleaming’s work was pure bliss to Shellac’s senses, and the aura of affection coming from the mare made it all the more intoxicating. Like she was burning some sort of incense in addition to the spine tingling sensations of her movements.

When Gleaming moved to scrub his back he couldn’t help but let out a little chirp as he craned his head back in delight. She giggled and put the brush down for a moment, resting her hooves on his shoulders. “Should’ve also mentioned I work as a beautician. I help ponies relax and work out all the knots in their joints. You're gonna love this next part, just trust me okay?”

Shell’s trance was interrupted just enough for him to register what was said before Gleaming began pressing her hooves into his shoulder joints. Pain erupted from the sudden pressure being placed upon his back and he winced. The way she was moving her hooves however sent tingles up his neck. Not that the bath had already done that but it was in a way he’d never felt before.

She’d dig them in, moving them in circles trying to get in around joints. It was difficult to stay still with the amount of force being applied but he tried. If it weren’t for that feeling and the assurance from Gold he would’ve dove out of the tub, but he stayed. Gold’s message couldn’t have lasted more than a minute but it felt like forever under her touch. When she was done she returned her hooves to her sides and picked up the brush again.

Shellac felt his shoulders pop and tried moving his limbs around. Which shockingly they felt more free. Like a certain sluggishness had been taken away and he was able to move around much more fluidly, not only that but doing so felt great.

He rolled his head and shoulders around, twisted his torso and stretched his legs. It was like a new realm of energy he hadn’t touched before opened up and he chirped. “There, it wasn't so bad was it?”

“Wow, yeah I didn’t know ponies can do that!”

“Well it takes a lot of practice, but after a while I caught on.” Gleaming turned around and raised her flank into view. Her cutie mark depicted a massage table with several glittery sparks. She then returned to scrubbing the little nymph down, still not satisfied with her prior work. Shellac didn’t say anything for a while after that, content to let her put him back through sensational paradise and chirping softly as his chitin was scrubbed to a near shine. Gleaming did however get curious and now that they had a moment to themselves she made her move. “Can I ask why you're purple?”

Shellac’s eyes shot open at the sudden question. “Uh why?”

“The changelings I saw during the raid all had blue shells and eyes. Do you all start out purple?” Gleaming lifted one of his legs to reach in under with the brush.

“No not actually, Chrysalis didn’t make me. I’m from a different hive but I don’t know which.”

“You don’t know where your home is?”

“Not really, her hive took my egg and hatched me so I never met my actual queen. They never told me who it was either.”

Gleaming’s expression dropped and a dose of sympathy radiated into the room. “Oh you poor thing, how’d you wind up here of all places? Canterlot’s no place for a changeling, let alone a child.”

“I ran away cause I got picked on a lot. Different colours, not being the Queen’s child, other stuff. Miss Tibia tried to put a stop to it a few times but I swear they only got more creative.”

Gleaming finished her scrubbing and put the brush away as she got a towel ready. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like. I’m so sorry, to be honest I forgot Chrysalis was herself a mother.” She chuckled a little bit as she helped Shellac out of the tub. “Raising that many children must’ve driven her crazy, I struggle enough with my little Lead.”

She began patting him down with the towel drying him off and soon damp patches were appearing all over the large swath of cloth. “She doesn’t raise everyone all by herself if that’s what you're thinking. She has caretakers, teachers and all kinds of other workers. I was picked to be an infiltrator, that’s why I speak Ponish so well.”

A bright red flag raised within Gleaming’s mind and her pupils shrink as she did her best to keep calm and dry Shell. She flashed back to when the little nymph snuck away during her encounter with the guards and made a mental note of the admittance. “Riiiiiiight…so what went wrong?”

“Well, I got tired of living in the hive and wanted to see the world. I snuck out and found a group of travellers, made myself look like a pony, joined them and before I knew it I was in Canterlot.” Shell said with a smile.

Gold resisted the urge to squint a suspicious eye at his story, not entirely convinced but wanting to keep things moving. “Do you have a…you know, a pony name?”

“Cover name? It’s Thunder Chaser!”

Gleaming wanted to press further but she knew better than to potentially alert the young changeling and so finished up with the towel. She pulled Shellac in front of a standing mirror and his jaw, for the second time that night, dropped to the floor.

His chitin was so clean! Polished to a near finish It was so shiny and bright, like a flawless black pearl. He couldn’t help but bring a hoof to his cheek and feel just how smooth it was now. There were no more rough edges or dried dirt or anything like that. He could almost see himself in the shine of his own chitin.

In that moment another thing caught his eye, a half heart rose gold pendant hanging from around Gleaming’s neck. He didn’t know why it took this long for him to notice she had it as it dangled from her neck. Even so he stared at his reflection and for the first time in what felt like years he was clean, more than clean! He was spotless!

He looked on in awe at his shining skin, he’s never been this clean before, never this well treated…suddenly the rising well of guilt from earlier began to climb its way back up his throat and into his eyes. A dull ache started to form alongside little beads of water within the corners of each eye. Just when he thought the river had run dry, he still found more tears to shed. He turned back to Gold with a half lidded frown and lunged for her leg, hugging her as tightly as he could.

“Why?” He muttered, “Why are you doing this?”

Gleaming looked down upon his shining skin, stunned by his action. “Wha-? What do you mean?”

“Why are you being so nice to me? Aren’t ponies meant to hate me? Especially after what happened in Canterlot?” He craned his head up to meet her. Gold was taken aback by the sudden outburst of emotion and kneeled down to meet him at eye level.

“Hate’s a strong word dear, ponies don’t hate you, we just got scared for a while.”

“But why are you doing this?” Shell whimpered. “Warming me up, cleaning me, helping me like this. Chrysalis never did any of these things!”

Now it was Gold’s turn to drop her jaw. Not as much as Shell had done but still enough to shock her.

“Chrysalis doesn’t bathe her own children? My word, what was she putting these kids through?” She thought. “Well…because it was the right thing to do dear. I wasn’t about to let you freeze outside.”

“But I don’t deserve this. Why, why do you care so much?” Shell tried to keep his voice down. Even through his quiet cries he didn’t want to draw more attention to himself than he was comfortable with.

“Oh you…” Gold reached a hoof around Shell’s head and bought him into a hug. “Because you deserve better deary and I don’t need more of a reason than that.” Gold hugged him a little tighter before letting up and smiling at him. “Now, let’s get you downstairs.”

With casual ease, she scooped the young changeling in her arms and placed him on her back. A wave of cold air hit them as they left the bathroom with Shellac now clinging to her neck.

The bathroom was the first door at the very top of the stairs with what look like Raining’s room on the left, a walkway extended past two sets of doors, one set a pair of double doors while the last door sat at the very end of the upper hallway, the parent’s bedroom. The same fairy lights hung from the ceiling above them as they did on the ceiling below. If it weren’t for the bathroom lights the hallway would’ve been bathed in a dim rainbow glow.

Gleaming walked over to the pair of doors in the wall that revealed a huge, dry and hot fabric cabinet. One side was full of towels, blankets and bedsheets while a large steel vat, covered in some kind of sheath, with several pipes and dials sticking out of it sat on the other. Gold wasted no time picking out a blanket and pillow case which she held firmly under her wing. Turning around she closed the cabinet doors with a hind leg and descended towards the living room where Raining was again sitting down playing with his cards.

Lead looked towards them with an ever present smile. His eyes were drawn to the sheets stuffed under his mom’s wing. “Wait, we're having a sleepover?” Raining’s tail wagged with anticipation.

“Not quite, but our guest will be sleeping here for tonight.”

Raining raised both his front legs into the air at the news. “Yay Shellac’s staying over!” He quietly celebrated.

“Shellac?” Gold turned to face him. “You never did give me your name.” He visibly shrunk as Gold smiled. She picked him up and plopped him on the couch along with the bedding supplies. Both grinned at the nymph who now threatened to shrink into a tiny ball of shiny black shell plating from the attention. “Anything else I can get you dear?”

“No no, I-I think I’m fine, thanks.”

An audible gurgle suddenly filled the room, originating from Shell’s belly. Raining barely contained his snickering while Gleaming moved a hoof to cover her contorting mouth. Shellac’s cheeks flushed a royal red as he crossed his hooves and turned away his eyes.

“Sounds like somepony’s belly disagrees dear.”

Raining hit his chest in a bid to quell his laughter. “So how does that work? The whole love eating thing? Do you just suck it out, or…?”

Shellac took one of the folded up blankets and brought it close to his chest. The sensation of the smooth, warm fabric rubbing against him brought comfort and with it some of the confidence his embarrassment stole. He prepared and took a breath, “It’s complicated…”

“We have all night dear, if to be honest I’m just as curious as little Lead.”

“Mum! Don’t call me that, I'm twelve!“ Raining playfully protested.

Shellac cracked a grin and continued. “Well to start off, Changelings still need to eat physical food like you do. Doesn’t exactly matter what it is, our stomachs are pretty versatile. Where the “love eating” comes in is in how we gather magic. We don’t generate our own magic like you do, we run more like batteries.”

Raining jumped forward planting his hooves on the space next to him with a grin. “Oh! Oh! My teacher talked about that in magic class! That our emotions are innately magical?”

“Y-Yeah, It’s not just love we feed on but the whole emotional spectrum. Each with different flavours and stuff. Though, bad emotions, like anger or sorrow, are kinda dangerous since they can influence how you act.”

“So if you overate on anger, you’d become angry?”

“Lead please stop interrupting him dear, let him speak.”

“Sorry mum.” Raining shrank back into his seat like a slinky.

“No, no, he’s actually right, bad emotions will do that. Though all of this only happens if a changeling decides to feed upon their own magical reserves. When they absorb emotions, they can either use that energy for magic like unicorns or they can use it for food.”

A lightbulb clicked on in Gleaming’s head and her eyes widened in shock. “So that’s why you weren’t shapeshifting when I found you! Celestia you must be starving!”

“Well, I only started passively absorbing when you brought me inside, I was too cold to focus on anything else besides keeping up. That bath though…” Shellac glanced to the side as he smiled, his cheeks flush with colour once more.

“Oh you!” Gleaming leaned in and gave the nymph a quick kiss on the cheek. His ears stood ramrod straight, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his pupils became more comparable to peas. “Better?”

Shell hastily nodded in approval, his body practically glowing.

“Good, I’ll put on some leftover casserole from dinner, that should do the trick.” Gleaming then turned and left for the kitchen. Leaving a red flushed Shellac with an eagerly grinning colt. “So what does love taste like?”

Shellac snapped out of his stupor and spun around to Raining. “Huh?”

“Love! What’s it taste like?”

“Um…I dunno exactly, grape?” Shell rubbed the back of his head. Raining pouted his lower lip in annoyance. “Grape? Really?”

“Well I don’t eat many pony foods. Back at the hive we were all fed mushrooms everyday, and here, the closest I got was finding a half eaten bread disk in a dumpster covered in some kind of sauce.”

Raining overdramatically placed his hoof over his mouth and inflated his cheeks big enough to put any squirrel to shame.

“Oh come on it wasn’t that bad! The disk thing had cheese on it.”

“No, it’s not that, I hate mushrooms.” Raining dropped the act but still showed visible disgust.

“Your mom told me hate was a strong word.”

“Yea, well I’m using it here, I hate mushrooms! They’re just…bleh!”

“You’ve never tried one before have you?” Shell said matter of factly.

“So what, you can’t make me!”

Shellac rolled his eyes with a smile. “Well the ones I had back at the hive are probably different to the ones here. They’re more like big white bulbs with a sweet, spongy inside-”

“Nope I’m not eating fungus and you can’t make me!” Raining had shoved his hooves over his ears and began swaying from side to side with his eyes shut. Shell frowned at that and gently hit Raining’s shoulder, it was just enough force to send his sitting form tumbling onto the couch cushions. He drew both his hooves towards his chest and the two stared at each other for a moment.

A grin began to spread across Shell’s face before a snicker escaped his lips, then a chuckle, soon Raining joined in and before they knew it they were laughing once more. Not nearly as hard as to wake up the stallion upstairs, more like a heavy whisper laughing.

Raining got up once more but laid down with his hooves crossed this time, his tail dropping over the arm of the couch. “Right, so if you had more of our food. You might find something that describes how love tastes, right?”

Shellac wiped away a joyful tear and turned to him. “Maybe, you're right about me not having a good frame of reference. But I feel bad just taking and taking from you guys. No-creature’s ever been this nice to me.”

“Well how would you describe it then?”

Shell hesitated for a moment, pondering the answer before it came to him. “Sweet, definitely sweet.”

“Like a chocolate? Ponies usually share those on Hearts and Hooves’ Day.”

“I guess so, come to think of it, Nightmare Night was the only other time ponies were nice to me. Then again they thought I was wearing a costume. I got a lot of candy out of it though.”

“Nice! Oh…how would you describe other emotions?” Lead asked excitedly.

“Well, pride tastes like apples, I've heard, never had an apple. That's why Chrysalis doesn’t like them.”

“Apples? Queen Chrysalis doesn’t like apples?”

“Yea, I dunno maybe she just doesn’t like prideful ponies.”

“Make sense, those are usually the kinds of ponies that only care about themselves and have big egos.”

Shell then looked down at the coffee table where the colt had laid out his cards from earlier, they had various numbers and symbols on them like diamonds, clubs, hearts and so on. With a few of them having stylised pictures of the princesses on them, though the way they’d been drawn made it look confusing as they were both right side up and upside down at the same time. Most had been sorted into several vertical columns with the rest of the deck laying on the side.

But, before he could ask Raining any further the clopping of hooves sounded from the hallway. Gleaming walking inside with a steaming bowl held with a towel on her hoof. She trotted over and placed the bowl on the coffee table beside Raining’s cards with a metal spoon already inside. “Vegetable casserole, hope you enjoy deary.”

“T-Thanks, Gleaming.” Shellac’s horn began to glow. Wisps of deep purple power gathered around and enveloped the bowl before it began to float. Levitating off the table and flying over to where he was sitting. He took the spoon and carefully poured the mixture of chopped carrots and boiled broccoli into his mouth. Hesitant of the heat, he took a brief test and felt a sting as the watery gravy met the corners of his mouth. But once the taste set in he felt as though an explosion had just racked his tongue.

The carrots were soft yet crunchy as was the broccoli, the soaked slivers of onion complemented the herbal heat of the water and before any of them knew it Shell had began gulping down it’s contents. Hot water rushed through his body, once more heating his core with pleasant sensations. He began arcing his head further and further back as it emptied. Greedily drowning himself in the first real food he’s had in weeks.

“I think he likes your cooking mum.”

Gleaming giggled. “That he does dear, come on, I think it’s time you settled down for the night.”

“But Mum, he was telling me what emotions taste like!”

“You’ll have plenty of time for that in the morning. Come on Raining, time for bed.” Raining begrudgingly hopped off the couch and walked past Gleaming. Heading for the stairs as Shellac finished his meal. The changeling slinked his head forward as he gasped for air, small strands of debris clung to his mouth.

Once Raining had left Shell looked up at the motherly pegasus with embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Gleaming approached and wiped his mouth off with a hoof towel.

“Shh, after not eating for so long I doubt anypony would be concerned about table manners.” Gleaming took the bowl and put it aside as she grabbed the blankets, preparing to tuck him in.

As she went to grab a pillow Shellac then lunged and hugged her neck. Gleaming paused in surprise but quickly returned it, fastening a hoof around his head burying him more in her chest as his voice cracked. “You're the best mother I’ve ever met.” He struggled to keep composure, that same rising well returning to his throat. Yet this time Shell was able to keep the waters down as they embraced each other, content to bask in her heat.

“You're welcome Shellac.”

She let him go and laid him down. Shifting a pillow under his head and fastening blankets over his body, ending it with a kiss on the cheek. Gleaming stood up and began making her way to the door, turning her head back around one last time. “Goodnight little one, see you in the morning.”

With that she took off upstairs, leaving the changeling alone. The slow ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackles of a warm fireplace to keep him company. The soft blankets against his smooth chitin, the plush pillows against his back. He quickly felt his eyes grow heavy as he hugged his own sheets, butterflies running up his belly as soft muted cries hissed from his mouth. His tearsack finally broke again but this time he had done so with a smile. His cheek now being drenched with tears of joy as he wordlessly thanked whatever deity was listening.

Not long after, the peaceful slumber of sleep took hold…

Author's Note

Here we go! My first proper story posted here on Fimfiction. I'm no pro but I've been aspiring to write for a good long time now and I'm finally trying to sink my teeth in. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I have written it!

If you see any spelling mistakes or grammar errors please send them to me via private message. I also aim for each chapter to have at least one piece of artwork but the artist is a busy person so priorities took precedence.

Oh and please keep the comments civil, thanks!

CH 3 - Piccafilly Circus

Two Years Before The Storm

Shellac took a deep breath as he strode down the hive’s hallways, mindful of the adults whizzing by to and fro in every direction. Accompanying him was a large armoured changeling currently flicking through several different tablets. All of them no doubt about him and his academic achievements. Shell didn’t know his name but knew he was the Overseer for the Warrior Caste, the Hive’s military wing.

And if the direction they were walking in was an indicator of anything, today he’d be meeting her highness in person. He let out his breath, careful to control his pulse while still in transit. Meeting their ruler meant he had to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t know exactly what the meeting would entail but all it would take are a few simple words and he’d be living down here for the rest of his life.

“Breathe in, count to ten, breathe out, just as Miss Tibia said.”

They reached a set of comparatively huge ornately decorated double doors with emerald green accents and stone door knockers, which his companion used a couple times before announcing their presence. Shortly thereafter the Overseer turned to Shellac with a smile. “Ready to meet your queen, little one?” He winked.

Shell didn’t reply, choosing instead to save his breath for what was about to come. With a heavy push the two made it past the doors and Shellac felt himself freeze.

The queen’s quarters were lavishly decorated with many pieces of furniture, sculpted from a mixture of changeling resin and stone. The double bed with it’s curtained canopy looked more like a hole ridden blanket that draped over it’s frame, the various chairs and desks had lovingly crafted engravings despite hardened drops of resin still visible on their legs, and there was even some decorative wall art, like a coat of arms that hung on the back wall.

But the centrepiece of the whole room laid with its formally lone occupant. The dark queen towered over him three times over and then some, her face sending a chill up his spine as their eyes met. She did well to guard her emotions through Shellac’s natural senses, but with his classes still fresh in his head, he saw how her delicate smile told of a confidence that boarded on arrogance. Yet there was also a hint of motherly praise twisted in and Shellac’s instincts started sending him mixed messages. He wasn’t sure whether to be excited or frightened of her, but he sure did feel uneasy.

“Probably intentional come to think of it.”

“So this is the little prodigy I’ve heard so much about?” Queen Chrysalis coed, causing Shell to almost jump.

The Overseer bowed and Shellac followed suit, he then levitated over the tablets for her to examine, which she took and brushed over with a gentle hoof. Shellac stood ramrod straight and continued his breathing exercises as it was about one of the only things keeping his nerves in check from her sheer presence.

“Like seriously, she’s tall! Can other changelings get that big or only Queens?”

After a minute or two of deafening silence the queen turned back to the Overseer. “And you're sure these are accurate, Fang?”

“Absolutely your highness, I went over them myself and checked with Overseer Tibia.” The now named Fang raised his head to meet his queen’s eyes.

Chrysalis’s smile grew as she looked back at them, beginning to walk around and circle the two like a shark. Her voice slow and calming like Tibia’s but with a hidden menace or hunger Shellac couldn’t describe.

“Proficiency with Ponish, advanced literature mimicry and writing skills, knowledge of healing magic. My, my, Shellac, you're quite a fast learner.” She bowed her head and leaned in to meet him at eye level, he could feel her breath against his face, her mane smelled of damp wood. “What’s your secret hmm?”

Shellac slowly turned to meet her piercing gaze, her bright, even beautiful emerald eyes. In the span of a second he asked himself so many questions, what should he say? How should he say it? Should he lie about his plans? Then it hit him. “The best kind of lies are the ones that merge with the truth.” He forced a smile.

“Spite.”

The two locked eyes a for a moment longer but it may as well have been forever to Shellac as the trepidation of whether or not she bought it was left hanging in the air. Then he heard a light chirp from the back of the queen’s throat, then a reverberation from her vocal cords that ascended into a fit of laughter, his smile no longer forced as the queen rose back to her full height.

“And a sense of humour to boot!” She chuckled. “You're going to get far, my little nymph.”

“I’m not your little nymph.” Shell thought, but kept his face stiff.

“Your highness?” The Overseer spoke out, now drawing her attention and giving Shell time to relax.

“Yes, Fang?”

“I’d like to nominate Shellac for infiltration training in preparation for the…”Operation” as a scout.”

Chrysalis' smile seemed to falter at that and the air of the room suddenly changed rather noticeably. Shell knew the hostility wasn’t on him but still didn’t like her change in demeanour.

“You realise the depth of what you have just asked, correct?”

“Yes, but Shellac has demonstrated exceptional talent among his peers and has virtually no history of disobeying orders from any of the Overseers. We’d need robust information if we’re going to pull it off. If the guards are on alert for whatever reason they’d be looking for adults, who would suspect a child?”

Chrysalis huffed, a frown now present and her eyes darting between both Fang and Shellac.

“Infiltration training? Scout? Guards?! Am I about to become a spy?!” Shell couldn’t deny that while it sounded dangerous, it also sounded really cool and he half imagined himself in a suit with a mask going around stealing briefcases full of super secret documents…or something like that anyway.

Chrysalis though was less enthusiastic, weighing her options carefully. Shellac couldn’t know for sure what was going through her head but he could make an educated guess. The queen then lowered her head back down to once more reach eye level. “Shellac, how’s your pony disguise?”

Lavender flames erupted from his hooves and rapidly climbed up the rest of his body, burning away to reveal a furred coat of royal purple contrasted with a two-toned mane blonde mane. A pair of feathered wings unfolded from his back as he switched from Vespid to Ponish.

“Hi! I’m Thunder Chaser, wanna be friends?” He tried to say as disarmingly as possible, even adding a twinkle to his eye. Chrysalis let out a deep throated cackle one would’ve expected from a witch as she bought a hoof up to her eyes.

“Oh my sweet, you even have their mannerisms! There is however just one problem.” She then used the hoof she’d bought up to point towards “Thunder’s flank. “Ponies your age typically have cutie marks, a magical image displaying their unique talents. While it isn’t unheard of for some foals not to have them at this point, a lack of one would draw more attention.”

Thunder craned his neck around and saw they were bare.

“If you're ever going to go above the surface you must think of one.”

Thunder started thinking, what was he good at? Learning was one thing so he drew up the image of a spell scroll and graduation cap only for the image to be erased from his rear moments later. “No no, I don’t like that, it has to be something I like or it won’t be convincing.”

Next he thought of an image of a purple honeycomb off the idea of him being unique but quickly scrapped that too. “Too changeling, needs to be something pony.”

After that it was spellcasting but he remembered his disguise didn’t have a horn. He could swap them out if he wanted but he liked the thought of fly- Bingo! Flying! He cheered. An image of a speeding bird gliding around a whirling tornado appeared on his flank and he smiled, feeling content before returning to the queen’s gaze.

“And what’s that meant to represent?” She asked.

“Flying! I like flying so I thought it would be convincing.”

Chrysalis squinted and examined it with a scrutinising eye. “Hmm, you have good instinct but that sounds a little too generic, the tornado at least fits your name.”

“Do you need something more specific?” Thunder asked, already pondering what he could try.

“If you wouldn’t mind.” She added.

Thunder puffed his cheek as he put his imaginary thinking cap on and thankfully it didn’t take long for the natural evolution of his new identity to kick in. “What about flying through bad weather? Like tornados and stuff? You know, storm chasing!”

Fang seemed to like the suggestion. “We can arrange harsh weather flight training.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Do that, and advance his knowledge of healing magic. Prepare him should he suffer any serious injuries.”

“Done, I assume that’s a yes then?”

Chrysalis turned back to Thunder. “That depends, Shellac? Would you be willing to join the ranks of the Hunter Caste under Overseer Fang? I’m going to warn you, the next two years of your life will not be easy should you agree.”

“Like they ever were.” Thunder thought, he then shed his disguise and turned to Overseer Fang. He bore no smile like Chrysalis did moments ago nor words of comfort. He knew very well what this would likely entail, a couple years of deep study and hard work. But he’d spent the past half decade doing exactly that and now finally had the chance to prove himself capable of living outside.

“This is it, all the lessons, all the bullying, the work, the names, I’ll be the best changeling this hive’s seen and then I’m out of here!”

“Oh course your highness! I’ll be a great spy!” He cheered. Chrysalis returned an affectionate smile and patted his head, a little irritating but he was able to keep up his act.

“Then I congratulate you Shellac, I can tell you have a bright future ahead of you…”

Four Days Before The Storm

Thunder Chaser stuck close to the group, having to squint his eyes on several occasions as he wasn’t used to the bright sunlight, not helped by the snow on the ground. For much of the walk he chose instead to fly or rather, hover above them as they trotted through the populated streets.

They’d been walking for the better part of half an hour now, even after a taxi carriage ride there was still some leg work to be done. It would’ve been fifteen if the group didn’t have to slow down to compensate for Copper Casing’s limp, but that gave them plenty of time to discuss things.

“So you’ve never been to Piccafilly Circus?” Raining craned his head up to meet the purple pegasus above. “Haven’t you been here since, like, Nightmare Night? At least?”

“Canterlot’s a big place, what else would you expect from a thousand plus year old city?”

“Okayfairenough, but still! You’ve never even heard of the place?” Raining flailed a hoof in the air for dramatic effect.

“I never had a reason to go there, is it an actual circus?” Thunder smiled.

“It’s more of a shopping district deary.” Gleaming added.

Copper Casing then pushed himself forward, briefly wincing when he used his bad leg but keeping up. “Yea, but it’s the best one in Equestria, only ones that come close are a couple in Manhatten and Las Pegasus. Got to see em while on leave.”

“You’ve been to both of Equestria’s coasts?!” Thunder exclaimed, imagining the sights of such locations.

“Yep! Granted it was over the course of a few years but you tend to get thrown all over the place when you're in Canterlot’s Thirty-First Infantry. A few Diamidian Bandits buy muskets from Griffonia and think they can have some fun robbing trains? Next thing ya know the local mayor throws a hissy fit and calls for backup because the local garrison are all reservists from Manhatten that spend all day drinking.” Copper paused to catch a breath from his rant, letting out a soft chuckle at its absurdity. “I’m well travelled, let’s put it that way.”

“And yet you always return to me.” Gleaming smiled. Copper followed suit and gave her a light bump on the shoulder.

“Cool! Can you tell me more places you’ve been to?” Thunder barely contained his giddy excitement.

“Maybe after shopping Thunder, It’s a long story.”

“Dear, with you it's always a long story.”

“Pfft, at least the ones that aren’t boring.”

“Are you sure about that dad? The one about the bunk bed seems like a real favourite of yours.”

Copper cracked a grin and looked down at his son. “Well that’s because it’s funny, most of them you're probably not old enough to understand. I’ll get to them eventually though.”

The mood seemed to improve quickly as they continued on, Thunder still taking in the sights of all that was around him.

“So what’s it like there? I’ve never been shopping before.”

“Piccafilly Circus has this massive mall!” Raining jumped up in joy towards Thunder, “There’s restaurants, book stores, toy shops, the whole thing! And there are these lights that they use to make the place look enchanted, kinda like the ones mom uses, but they float!”

“Ahh, taking a kid who’s never went shopping before to Piccafilly Circus, careful honey, you might spoil him.”

Gleaming lightly rapped her husband on the shoulder. “It’s not spoiling, it’s making an impression.”

Thunder looked towards them with a mixture of excitement and confusion, rubbing the back of his head as he hovered above them. “Spoil? But I’m not food, I can't go bad.”

“Oh no deary! It’s an expression we use.”

“We use it to describe kids who always want to have it their way, I want this, I want that, want want want, never a please or thank you.”

“Oh I get it now! Back um…home, everything was divided up because we never had an excess of…well anything really, so nopony ever got the chance to behave that way.”

“Rationing?! Well that explains-” Copper stopped himself short, the fact he was in public briefly slipping his mind. “…Alot.”

“You won’t have to do that here Thunder, we always have plenty of stuff!” Raining again pranced into the air, completely oblivious to the darker implications of what was said.

His innocence infected Thunder, who felt tingles flow through his limbs as his imagination ran wild with giddiness.

“Yes but try not to go overboard dear, your father’s savings only stretch so far.”

“Sustaining combat injuries defending your home town comes with a few benefits.” He smiled.

The family then turned a corner and Thunder could sense the excitement in the air, Gleaming and Copper were able to keep it muted but Raining radiated like a campfire on a cold day. The street was densely packed with ponies, far too many to allow any kind of carriage to pass. Not that it seemed to have been made for them anyway.

Thunder was bombarded by all manner of sights, sounds and scents. The street was flanked by rows and rows of well decorated shops, bearing countless fancy and odd sounding names. The Red Robin Restaurant, the Game Station Toy Shop, a book store named Twilight’s Choice, and then there were street vendors with stalls and tents selling anything from fruits to fabrics. The sweet scent of cinnamon and freshly fried donuts was almost hypnotic to the young pegasus, and for a moment he wanted to ask if they could stop for some, but the dense crowds redrew his focus.

This wasn’t even the main attraction as at the top of the street stood a monolithic structure of glass and stone with bright illusionary lights that made the images on the glass panes come to life. A pony of each race coming together to share gifts before opening them up, putting together a large sign that boldly read, Piccafilly Circus!

There were so many ponies walking through its front doors that they’d been wedged open for the occasion, and large braziers with iron cages had been mounted on steel bases inside, likely to help keep the building warm. There was even a large balcony on the floor just above with doors many Pegasi were using as a secondary main entrance.

Thunder suddenly felt very happy he’d picked to be a Pegasus as Raining and Copper had to wade through the herd. The family keeping a tight formation, as Gleaming cut a path through the thick crowds. Thunder became Raining’s beacon as he couldn’t see past the adult ponies that obscured his vision, merely holding close to his mother so as to not get lost in the equine ocean.

When they did finally get through the doors, he could already see what they meant as more illusionary magic had been used on the walls to animate engraved figures and bring life where they would’ve been none. Stone statues with nonspecific features smiled and waved at passers by, not just ponies but other races too, like Bat Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, even Diamond Dogs oddly enough. It was very weird to be waving back at a living statue confined to a stone wall, but Thunder put on a show and smiled nonetheless.

“You ponies really go all out, huh?”

Raining looked up at him, practically bouncing up and down as the two locked eyes. “Oh you ain’t seen nothing yet! This is just the entrance hallway!”

“W-What?!” Thunder looked forward and sure enough he could see more at the end of the hallway where it led out into the main body of the building. In what felt like no time at all he flew out into what he could’ve considered a whole new realm.

The ceiling was several stories above them and consisted of a giant skylight that stretched the length of the cavernous mall. Bridges connected both sides of the interior with elevators and escalators, each ferrying ponies between floors, and somehow, they’d even managed to replicate the gentle snowfall from outside, only without the wind chill.

The snowflakes practically twinkled like little stars, and the dim, but not dark, lighting made them perfectly stand out without leading into the realm of distraction. More living murals danced and sang everywhere there was room. It didn’t matter if it was the walls of elevator shafts, the ceilings under bridges, animated graphics even greeted guests and customers that passed through door frames.

Carols and gentle music played from distant speakers provided background noise and the shops inside blew the others out the water. Many of the larger ones were multi-story with extravagant entrances and seasonal decorations. Even for Thunder it was excessively ponish, borderline sensory overload. He hadn’t even realised Raining and his family quietly laughing behind him, or that he’d allowed his jaw to go slack and his limbs to go limp.

He was woken up from his wonder when Gleaming tapped his shoulder, having taken flight herself. “Enjoying the view dear?”

“Uh huh…” He meekly nodded.

Gleaming giggled and turned towards the others. “So where to go first?”

Thunder was rediscovering his lost sweet tooth. They’d just walked out of a bakery and he had to fight himself not to tear apart the paper bag of freshly made cookies that hung from his mouth. There were so many options couldn’t decide. How could he when they were selling sweet bread made with ice cream and honey? Instead he took a suggestion from Raining and opted for something more conventional to start out with. Didn’t want to get too crazy just yet.

He found a nearby bench to sit down on whilst the rest of the family left to join him and once they did he looked to Gleaming for confirmation, a simple nod was all he needed before the bag was nearly torn to shreds. Thunder managed to avoid spilling its contents all over himself but couldn’t stop a large tear from splitting down its middle in his haste.

The smell of fresh, buttery smooth cookie dough made him salivate as Raining, whom he swore was intentionally slow, levitated the other three cookies out to share with his parents before himself. Thunder dove into the bag and ripped out the last one, eager to scarf it down before something took it away. It was euphoric for the young pegasus as the sugary snack melted in his mouth.

Once the last few crumbs slipped down his throat he leaned backwards and savoured the aftertaste. If he was undisguised, he would’ve chirped away like a happy little bee. But as even the aftertaste took its leave he felt himself begin to crave more as he came down from his dopamine high.

“Can we go back for more?”

The other three turned to him with mouthfuls of food. Copper forced a swallow and was the first to break the news. “Sorry kid but this is a treat, we’re having lunch later and we don’t need you ruining your appetite.”

“But I’m always hungry.” Thunder’s ears dropped down as did his expression.

Raining rotated his head slightly as he finished a mouthful. “Always? As in, always, always?” He asked and Thunder slowly nodded. “...Well that’s not concerning at all.”

Gleaming and Copper both turned to each other wide eyed with worry as a brief shock shot through their systems. Copper was quick to recover and continue. “Well again, we’re having lunch later, besides, I’m sure the Piccafilly toy store will get your mind off things.”

“Oh you’ll love the place Thunder! It’s massive!”

“Everything here is, you could probably fit half the…ponies, from where I live in here and have room to spare! I’m not sure how you could keep surprising me.”

“You'd be surprised.” Raining smirked, defiant of Thunder’s claim. “Come on! Let’s go there now!” He pleaded to his parents, who couldn’t help but share in his infectious smile.

“Alright son but don’t get carried away, remember what your mother said?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re not made of bits.”

“Hey, don't be rude, Lead.” Copper glared, causing the foal to shrink under his gaze.

“Sorry dad.”

Soon after the family was on the move again, weaving through crowds like thread through a needle. Thunder and Gleaming didn’t have to deal with the elevators and escalators like Copper and Lead did, but instead had to navigate the aerial space above. They weren’t the only pegasi about. and Hearth’s Warming was right around the corner, so there were many last minute shoppers doing their bit to buy out what they needed.

The two touched down in front of a large set of dark oak doors, polished to a shine with a ghostly illusionary projection of a light brown colt welcoming them inside. The sign above proudly displays Twinkle’s Toy Chest! With an accompanying graphic. Thunder waved at the younger looking projection with a grin. “Hello!”

Gleaming gave a chuckle as patted Thunder’s shoulder. “How cute, If only he could see what his father made.”

Thunder paused and looked up at her. “Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“If I remembered the story correctly, the store was founded out of one toy maker's desire to help his sickly child. The colt passed away tragically but the stallion never stopped. That was roughly seventy years ago. Princess Celestia was so moved she sponsored the store herself.”

Thunder’s eyes widened as he looked back at the ghostly colt, still smiling and waving as much as he had when they first arrived. A new wave of emotion rose from his chest and he suddenly felt for the poor foal. He almost wanted to reach out and hug him, but he knew he’d just phase right through. It didn’t however stop him from walking up to the ghost and giving it a grim smile. “Sorry to hear about that, tell you dad I said thanks!”

Another little laugh left Gleaming as she drew Thunder away with her wing towards the door. With a hoof, she pushed the door open to reveal a gigantic room bathed in a deep golden glow. Thunder once again braced himself for sensory overload as he was let inside. The store would have well been classed as its own section of the mall on its size alone! It was four stories high with numerous shelves, displays, toy racks and even had play areas with soft padding.

Even now Thunder still found himself amazed at the size of the things these ponies built.

The middle of the store was largely open with a secondary walkway ring surrounding a Hearth’s Warming tree that made the one he’d seen back at the house look like a toothpick by comparison. It rose high enough that its large, glittering star could touch the dome shaped ceiling. Said ring connected a few bridges to and from other sides of the store where more merchandise was held, checkouts included.

Tap

Miniature trains drove along tracks suspended in the air pulling little cars around with them that a few young pegasi played with. A group of said pegasi were also playing around with some kind of hoofball that didn’t drop nearly as quickly towards the ground as its professional counterpart. Kids were adding and taking away decorations from the tree, playing around with some of the thousands of toys on offer, or were socialising amongst themselves.

Tap Tap

Thunder’s heart fluttered with wonder, the bright lights twinkling in his eyes as he took in the sights and sounds. “Is this what she wanted to take? For us to have maybe?”

“Deary?”

His train of thought was cut short when he turned and met eyes with Gleaming Gold again who pointed a wing over the railing. Thunder walked over and saw through the wooden fences the figures of Raining Lead and Copper Case waving at them from the bottom story. Thunder waved back then saw a brief but bright flash of light come from Raining’s horn, a moment later he’d vanished.

“Huh?” Thunder looked to Gleaming. “Where’d Raining go?”

“Right behind you.”

“YIPE!”Thunder jumped several hooves into the air and hovered in place twisting around with his hooves defensively raised, only to see Raining sitting there in a fit of laughter. “Oh that was great! You should’ve seen your face!” He cried, wiping away a tear.

“W-Wait?...How did you?...”

“Raining knows teleportation magic, and enjoys using it for the occasional prank.”

“I can teleport!” Raining stated with a big grin on his face.

Another brief flash from his horn and Raining had once again disappeared, now onto the walkway ring seated above them. “Mareco!”

Raining again flashed from one location to another this time on top of a stack of shelves. “Pono!”

One last flash, he’d reappeared in the same spot as when he was sitting down. “Bravo!”

Thunder landed in front of him with astonishment and a hint of envy. “Awe, that's so cool! I wish I could teleport.”

“Raining doesn’t know many spells but his dad helps him practice what he does know.”

Thunder’s eyes widened at the implication. “Wait, so if your dad taught you how to teleport, does that mean-”

“Yep.”

Thunder once again jumped in shock, almost into Raining’s arms at Copper’s sudden appearance behind him and he groaned in frustration. “Oh come on! I wanna be able to teleport!”

Copper rolled his eyes. “Teleportation can be a tricky spell to manage, there’s a lot of variables involved and it’s easy to screw up if you can’t focus or get jumped. Familiarity with where you're going is a must so I wouldn’t try it in bad weather.” He addressed. “I still wanna get my steps in though.” He gestured towards his leg.

“Anyway, let’s get shopping!” Raining cheered. Thunder picked himself up and smiled as the two then set off into the depths of the magical store prancing about giddy as a filly. And there were so many options, model construction sets, colouring and art supplies, miniature trains, cheaply made figurines with over or undersaturated colours, and more plush toys than the eye could see. Thunder couldn’t help but madly cackle when he found a changeling dress from the costume aisle.

They went on exploring the store, waltzing into the magical section, where many small toys were in some way shape or form, powered or used magic. There was a magic pen that when you wrote words or shapes in the air, those words floated for a time. A gag cooking ingredient that could turn whoever ate the affected food partially invisible, an enchanted hoofball that was compatible for airborne sports, the list went on.

There were so many Thunder was having trouble deciding. “Hey Lead?” He asked, “Can you help me?”

“Sure Thunder, what’s up?”

“I don’t know what I want, none of these really stick out to me.”

“Well, uh…what do you like doing?”

Thunder paused for a moment, he rubbed the back of his head as he drew blanks on an answer. Months of memories replayed themselves in a matter of seconds as he searched for clues, yet returned very little.

“I guess I’ve been so focused on keeping myself safe I hadn’t really had time to think about that.”

“Give it a moment, it’ll come.” He assured him.

“What do I like doing?” Thunder looked over his shoulder towards his wings and he remembered the feeling of having them first come in as a young nymph. The freedom he had to explore in any direction he chose felt invigorating. Then when he became a Pegasi. he had the whole of Canterlot to himself, the rush of air upon his face, the vertigo of all the aerial tricks he did, the answer quickly came.

“I like flying!” He remembered.

A target now found, he began scanning the shelves for something of that nature and a box with a small mechanical bird drew his attention, a demonstration set was located nearby so he went to that first. The bird bore a resemblance to an owl and was around the size of its real counterpart, but consisted of several colourful, wooden plates with metal supports. Its wings were more comparable to a bat in how they operated, with cloth being used for the mainsails. In the toy’s back was a large windup key that could be hoof cranked.

Eager to see what would happen, Thunder quickly set out about turning the crank.

With each turn he could hear a cacophony of clicks from inside the artificial owl, the moment he let it go it sprang to life, jumping into the air where its wings unfolded and began flapping. “Cooooool!” Thunder turned to the demonstration stand where a set of instructions were printed on.

The Incredible Mechanical Owl!
Wind the hoof crank on the back of your new avian friend and watch him soar!
Can do various tricks! Simply ask and it’ll perform, no training required!
Easy to repair! One cast of Mending and it’ll be good as new!

“Huh, okay then.” Thunder looked back at the owl still hovering above him and drew a hoof to his chin. “Do a flip!”

Sure enough the bird obeyed and summersalted through the air.

“Spin!” It twirled in place with a surprising amount of grace.

Thunder then dug into his coat pockets and pulled out the crumbled up remains of the cookie bag. “Catch!” With a wing he hurled the paper ball into the air and as commanded the clockwork construct opened up a pair of blunt metal talons and caught the piece of rubbish before it hit the ground.

Thunder was practically jumping for joy as he craned his head around- “I’ve found it! Hey Lead!” -only to see Raining wasn’t there anymore. His expression diminished as he looked around him. “Raining?”

Thunder heard a sudden smack of something hitting the owl, he spun around and saw a small, if not tiny wooden bolt with a rubber head laying on the ground.

“Huh?”

“Mareco!”

Thunder raised his head upwards just in time to see Raining standing atop a shelving unit, holding a toy crossbow with his magic, aiming it straight at him. He fired but Thunder was quick and strafed to the side where the bolt harmlessly hit the ground, he looked back at him with a confident grin.

“Oh it’s on.”

Raining had already racked the crossbow’s string back by the time Thunder flared his wings, he saw that a box full of bolts was attached to the bottom of the weapon, but before he had time to examine any further, another shot forced him to move. This time pouncing into the vertical surface of a nearby shelf and leaping towards Raining, dodging the bolt in the process.

There was a brief flash as Thunder flew right through where he was expecting to impact him, instead only finding thin air.

“Damn it Raining!” He internally cursed as he lept right over and almost crashed into the next aisle. Managing to stabilise himself just short, he flew upwards hoping to get a better lay of the land and find Raining before he was ambushed. There were a lot of other ponies though, it would’ve been like finding a needle in a haystack! Thankfully the needle wasn’t quiet…

“Pono!”

Thunder twisted his body sideways as a bolt barely missed his leg. He danced around and spotted Raining waving at him with the crossbow held high. Thunder dashed forward, but made sure to zig-zag his pattern to prevent being sho,t and his efforts flew true as Raining’s next two bolts wizzed right by him. But like before he teleported mere seconds before impact. Thunder flew upwards again and groaned in frustration, this little unicorn was proving quite slippery.

He scanned the surrounding area like before but the glowy orange lights were not helping. Raining’s coat made him naturally blend in!

“Think, think, think, he has to get more bolts at some point and he can’t teleport forever or he’ll get exhausted.”

Thunder saw the clockwork owl and had an idea, he flew back to where they began the fight and cried to the construct. “Hey! Help me find a yellow unicorn with a crossbow!” He cried, the owl gave a hoot as response and raced into the air with him. Thunder followed in right behind him and quickly spotted Raining picking up one of the bolts he’d missed prior, not missing a beat he dived in after him!

“Teleportation can be a tricky spell to manage, there’s a lot of variables involved and it’s easy to screw up if you can’t focus or get jumped.”

“Bravo!”

Raining twisted his head in shock and jumped out of the way as Thunder nearly bodied him, instead closing his wings and rolling onto the ground. He scrambled to his hooves as Raining raised his bow and fired…

Only for nothing to spring from the toy weapon.

Thunder saw the magazine was empty and while Raining had a bolt held in his grip, he’d have to pull the sling back again. “Gotcha!” Thunder yelled.

Raining looked at the bolt and smirked. “Not exactly Thunder, see my cutie mark?”

“Uh, yea? A target with a bunch of holes in it, so what?”

“Wanna know what my special talent is?” A swirl of yellow magic then flowed from his horn and twisted around the bolt, making it glow even brighter in his grip. its head then pointed towards Thunder like a snake ready to strike. “Shooting!”

Thunder went wide eyed as the bolt shot forward and he jumped into the air just in time as it wizzed inches under his legs, instead hitting the owl he’d bought with him with such a force that it was sent tumbling to the ground with a soft clang.

“Good luck, I never miss!”

Thunder zoomed around an isle with his wings at full mast, now trying to gain distance from Raining. Try as he might, he couldn't dodge something that fast. His next best option was to try ambushing Raining before he could send out more bolts, but before he could reach the other, at end of the isle the brass coated unicorn appeared at the end he’d just flew from with another bolt at the ready.

With a burst of magic it shot forward and Thunder heard his cue to duck. The bolt gave him a close haircut as it slammed against the head of a colt wearing a toy guard helmet. He turned around wondering what happened when Thunder ascended and dived into another aisle before taking a moment to catch his breath. He could already hear Raining rushing towards his position, flying upwards was a no go; it was too exposed but the Hearth’s Warming tree gave him an idea…

Raining nearly broke into a full gallop as he twisted his head and checked every aisle he ran past for any sign of the purple pegasus, having already picked up and enchanted another golden bolt. He briskly began to slow down at the lack of any visual. He looked up at one of the walkways and focused his magic, a brief flash later and he had a bird’s eye view of the store yet still saw no sign of him.

“Okay so he’s not airborne, ground level maybe?”

Another flash and he was in the plush toys aisle, prowling like a hunter searching his quarry he raised his crossbow and loaded his bolt, pacing himself to avoid burning his lungs out. As expected, it was kinda hard to see with all the adults dotted around the place and occasionally he had to weave around a group of other kids but he didn’t slow down.

“One shot, just need to get a line of sight.”

He looked all around and saw nothing, until he came upon a clearing near the well decorated tree in the centre of the store. Not far from him, he saw Thunder, hiding behind a few stacked gift boxes. He carefully raised his crossbow and fired, a golden bolt shot forth and slammed against-

A large purple buckball with a wig on…

“Huh?” It took him a few seconds but Raining quickly registered what just happened, when he heard movement from above his heart sank.

“Decoy!”

There was no escape, Thunder crashed into Raining and the two spun around in a big ball bouncing off the store’s coloured carpets. Narrowly avoiding other ponies and eventually slamming into a nearby soft play with pillows of all shapes and sizes scattered about.

Their heads popped out the puffy mass, tiny golden bolts spinning around Raining’s head while Thunder’s pupils rolled around like washing in a tumble dryer. “Did I win?” Raining asked before burying his head into the plush pile.

Off in the distance Gleaming and Copper watched on from afar, smiling and laughing as the two of them played.

Gleaming’s saddlebags now laid with a hefty weight upon her back as both Raining’s new repeating crossbow and Thunder’s Mechanical Owl were safely stored inside. Turns out having an impromptu game of tag with crossbow bolts works up an appetite so now they were looking for a place to eat.

“What did I say? You’ll forget all about it.” Copper exclaimed. Raining and Thunder had left the store with a few scraps but nothing they could complain about, and more importantly no damage to the store itself. Although neither of them liked the looks the store staff had given them afterwards.

“So where to dear?”

“I’d like to avoid the food court if possible, fast food's the last thing these little rascals need.” Copper then playfully noogied his son and messed up his mane as he groaned in protest. “But there’s plenty of local places, we’ll find somewhere in no time.”

Thunder smiled as he hovered above them safely out of the stallion’s reach as they continued to travel through the mall. Living murals danced with colour and life joined by thousands of tiny white stars gently falling all around them. They weaved through the herds of other shoppers, their hooves echoing off polished marble tiles. As they continued, they passed by many shops again selling all manner of goods like clothes, candy, kitchen and cleaning supplies, they really had it all here.

There were a few fancy restaurants and dining establishments dotted about, but between Copper’s desire to avoid junk food, the steep prices attached to most of them and the lack of interest Raining had for foreign flavours, (like Diamidian Hotdogs, Griffonian seafood or Zebrican spiced curries) it was becoming quite tricky to find a place that met those demands.

Until Gleaming spotted a bright colourful sign that distinguished itself not for being loud and proud, but for being cosy and warm. Cocoa Cavalcade's Cafe.

She pointed a hoof in its direction and waved to the others. “I think I found a place!”

The family followed and soon got a better look at the main entrance, where a large pair of glass pane doors with a push handle, waited for them. The frame was made of chocolate brown wood, as was the rest of the cafe’s front. The windows let them see inside and they saw it was decently populated. but there was still plenty of room for them. Its walls and furniture were a mixture of dark oak woods contrasted with lighter chocolate tinted creams. A large dark brown menu was attached to the inside of the door advertising the options and for the most part it ticked every box.

“Reasonably priced, no junk food despite the theme, and it seems like a family owned place. What do you say kids?”

“Sure thing, I’m not picky.” Thunder looked at Raining, who was examining the menu with a lower lip pout.

After a minute he smiled and Copper held a breath. “Let me guess, grilled cheese sandw-”

“Grilled cheese sandwich!” Raining threw a hoof into the air, Copper face-hooved but did so trying to suppress a chuckle. Gleaming held the door open for them as they entered and found the atmosphere quite relaxing. The main floor had several tables and chairs with cushy seats, where a few other families had sat down for their meals.

Unlike many of the other shops there weren’t any fancy illusionary magic tricks at play, no bright neon lights, no ghostly colts or weird living statues. It was a simple cafe with a very chocolate inspired aesthetic.

They found a place to sit and soon a unicorn stallion with a caramel coat and black apron greeted them, notebook and pen levitating beside him. He quickly took their orders and disappeared behind a kitchen door while a light purple, pegasus mare sat behind the counter with several mixing machines stacked up behind her.

“So flying huh?” Raining asked. Thunder shifted in his seat trying to get his wings into a comfortable position.

“Well yeah, you asked me what I enjoy doing the most, and I think it’s flying.” He smiled, lightly fluttering his wings with emphasis.

“Must’ve started pretty young, typical pegasi only start really flying above the age of five. and even then, vertigo messes with anything fancy, but you were ducking and diving all over the place.” Copper said from his side of the table.

Thunder felt a little pride creep in from the stallion’s praise and so he took the complement and basked in it while he could before replying. “Back home, everypony can fly so there’s doorways everywhere. Up, down, left, right, and it can be quite cramped, you kinda get used to living upside down so special awareness is a must.”

“Maybe I should start writing all this down, could really help my friends in the future.” The family all then turned to Copper with a look. The kind that told him that was not something that needed to or should have been said.

“What? I’ve got friends who might be interested is all!”

“Deary, that’s the last thing Thunder needs to hear right now. We’re here to have fun, not take notes.”

“Fine fine, have it your way.” He groaned.

While that did help Thunder’s nerves, it also woke up his senses and he couldn’t help but feel he was being watched. He had a decent view of the surrounding cafe from where he was sitting and began scanning the room. His gaze fell upon a pair of pegasi on the opposite side of the room, a snow white colt with a grey plaid scarf and a light pink filly with a two-tone braided mane of white and purple. The moment he looked at them they broke eye contact at once.

Thunder kept staring, they weren’t talking despite directly facing one another but after a moment they spun around on their stools towards the counter where the waitress gave them a pair of milkshakes.

“Okay…that’s kind of weird.” Thunder thought to himself. He wanted to brush it off as a random oddity but something told him otherwise. “Can I use the restroom?”

“Sure, but don’t take too long dear, the food will be arriving soon.” Thunder nodded and flew from his seat onto the polished wood floor where he made his way to the little colt’s room, which had a few stalls, some sinks and mirrors, pretty much exactly what he was expecting. The apple-scented soap was a pleasant surprise though.

Thunder waited for a moment and sure enough he heard a pair of hoofsteps pass through the door, the colt and filly. Thunder read their emotions expecting some indication of hostility or suspicion but instead he was met with concern as they approached. He didn’t even need his senses to see as much of their expressions said everything.

“Uh hey! Uhm…” The colt half-heartily waved a hoof. “I’m going to assume you're new around here.”

“What do you two want? And why is she in the colt’s room?” Thunder pointed to the filly. When she spoke she did so with confidence that didn’t tread towards arrogance and she smiled along the way. “My parents own the place, I can go wherever I want.”

“Right, so I’m Crossroads and she’s Sweet Fizz. That colt you were with, are you aware who he is?”

“Yes? Why wouldn’t I?” Thunder felt his sense of concern grow a bit with his confusion.

“Well uh, do you also know who…”follows” him?”

“Follows him? Okay, can we just get straight to the point here?”

The duo then spoke at once. “Do you know about Moonlit Lance?”

Thunder took a step back from the sudden question but bounced back just as quickly. “Yes I know, Raining mentioned him already. Some big earth pony who bullies him, he gave me a quick rundown of what he did before winter break.”

Both looked at each other and grimaced. Crossroads turning to and addressing Thunder with a worry wiped face. “Okay, well do you know that by being with him, you're also putting yourself at risk too?”

Finally things were starting to make sense. “Wait…your saying “Lance” doesn’t just go after Raining?”

“He might single him out, sure, but he’ll also target anypony who tries to help him. Usually even worse when he does that because he wants to make an example.”

Thunder squinted his eyes, after hearing what he did to Raining it was hard for him to imagine how Lance could do worse. Besides, he’s been living on Canterlot’s streets for months now. He’d dealt with hunger, pain, cold and even before that, he had to deal with years inside the hive. The last two of which proved especially gruelling but he reckoned could beat a single earth pony if it came down to it. “Why don’t you give me one then?” He shot back.

Crossroads gulped, he could feel his nerves growing cold. “Okay…listen, I know how you feel. Fizz did to, but you need to understand-”

“Give me an example.” Thunder stomped his hoof, Crossroads sighed and nodded to Sweet Fizz who then stepped forward and pulled the collar of her coat away from her neck. There was a patch of skin on her collarbone where fur had failed to regrow, a scar.

Thunder had to do a double check to confirm what he was seeing, once, twice, thrice. But his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him and the mare indeed had a scar below her neck. “He’d hit a mare?” He meekly asked.

Sweet’s tone slowed down as the confidence she started out with was no longer present. “He…threw a rock at me. Normally something like that isn’t bad, but this is an Earth Pony we’re talking about, and a big one too. Lance could’ve knocked me out if he’d hit my head.”

Thunder shook his head, racked with denial at the filly’s claim. “No way, no way he’d get away with something like that! You had to have told somepony, your parents would’ve seen that!” He exclaimed. But Sweet’s response was quick and to the point, like she’d had to tell the tale a hundred times already.

“Teachers thought I was exaggerating and that I’d slipped while playing. Mom and dad asked the school but an incident report was never made, so I couldn’t prove Lance had done anything. Nopony else was brave enough to rat him out.”

Thunder’s jaw went slack and his mind went blank as the words from earlier in the day repeated themselves in his head. “You make ponies sound like jerks.”

In the absence of a reply Crossroads stepped in. “Look, you might think you can take him and protect your new friend, you might think because you took some martial arts lessons or practised with your dad who was an ex-guard or whatever, that you can take on Lance. But you have to trust us, you can’t, and you're putting yourself in danger being around him! I tried and I was left blind for a week!”

Thunder felt a wash of cold run up his spine and into his wings. This earth pony was beginning to sound less like your typical middle school bully and more like a psycho kid with an obsession. He could even taste the bitter fear radiating from the two pegasi, especially Crossroads. But Thunder wasn’t about to just abandon his new friend or run from his family over some unhinged maniac. “It'd be cruel of me.”

With newfound determination he composed himself. “I’m not giving up on Raining, I might’ve only known him for a little bit, but he’s been the best friend I’ve ever had and his parents are the nicest, kindest ponies I’ve met. Lance can go suck an icicle before I’d ever turn tail and run.”

Both stared at him in awe, wide eyed at Thunder’s repost. Crossroads fidgeted around with his scarf before trying to reply but Sweet Fizz beat him to the punch. Instead of another grim tone however she was relaxed, heartfelt even and forced a smile.

“You’ve got a big heart, new pony. I hope you're able to help him better than we could.”

Crossroads fumbled on his words briefly. Having to reconfigure what he was about to say at the last moment but he at least shared Sweet’s sincerity. “Yeah, yeah, just…be careful okay? And good luck to you.” He likewise forced a grim smile as the two parted ways allowing Thunder exit.

Thunder took his que and walked right by them positively glowing with confidence, but before he left the restroom entirely he felt he was forgetting something…”What was it?”

“I need to wash my hooves!” Thunder raced back inside briefly and hit the tap and drenched his hooves in a mixture of soapy water before he dried them off under some kind of hot air machine, then he dashed back to rejoin the family.

Crossroads and Sweet Fizz looked back even after he left. Fizz cracked a smile that quickly turned to high pitched laughter which led the colt to follow suit. “Those two are going to get along just fine!” Fizz giggled.

“Yeah, if he survives.”

Thunder waltzed away from the restroom and sat back down in his original spot having to readjust his seat again to accommodate his wings. Gleaming was reading a sewing book whilst Raining and Copper were playing that twenty one card game. When Thunder did get comfy, Raining spoke out while keeping his eyes glued to the cards.

“So what was that about?” He asked.

“Uh…” Thunder paused for a moment, looking between Copper and Gleaming. In a moment he had to fight the urge to make a quick white lie. Instinct almost had him but he reasoned with himself he didn’t have to unless it was necessary. He didn’t like the odds of being caught in front of Raining’s father. “They were just telling me about…Lance.”

Suddenly the other three ponies raised their heads and gave him the look. The one that told him that was not the answer they were looking for and Thunder felt himself shrink under their collective glares. “I-I’m being honest!”

Copper raised a hoof, taking the stance of authority in the moment with his voice firm yet fair. “Look Thunder, we’re on holiday now. All you need to know is we’ve had a few problems with him in the past, but that’s all gone now. Me and Raining’s mother have arranged to send him to a different school sometime after the new year so nopony is ever going to see him again. I don’t want to hear anymore about him or anything he did, okay?”

“O-Okay!” Thunder nodded, silently grateful to bury the issue.

“Good.” Copper then looked towards the counter where the caramel unicorn began walking towards them with several plates full of food held above him. “Right on time, our food’s ready.”

The waiter levitated several plates full of sides, sauce dips and drinks onto the table. Copper collected his card deck before any of it was crushed under the ceramic tide and when the magical glow dissipated Thunder’s eye glittered.

Raining had a grilled cheese sandwich with coleslaw and salad sides, a little metal pot full of potato fries and a soda. Gleaming had gone for a bowl of seasoned stew with bread and a milkshake while Copper had settled for another grilled sandwich like his son. Thunder however had picked an apple crumble: A small pie with a deliciously gooey inside topped with thousands of backed crumbs. He was momentarily confused why it was called an apple crumble if it wasn’t falling apart but shrugged and tucked in.

Between last night’s soup, breakfast, the cookie and now this. He was really starting to regain his sense of physical flavour, a fact he couldn’t be happier about.

Author's Note

Fun fact! The illustration and visuals for the toy shop were inspired by Duncan's Toy Chest from Home Alone 2!