Somnia stared out the window the train car as they went up the mountain towards Canterlot, her mind drifting back home. The sounds of the city at play, the ponies living their lives without a care in the world, the leaves rustling from the trees behind her.

"Feeling down again, Som?" Her mother walked up beside her, laying a comforting wing across her back.

"I'm just thinking." Somnia answered, eyes focused down on the city below.

"What about this time?" She picked up Somnia onto her back, extending her wings and flying into the air.

"What things will be like when you're gone. When everypony I know is gone..." She snuggled into her mother's back, getting comfortable against it as her mother raised even higher into the air.

"It will be a long time before that happens. The best you can do is appreciate the time you do have with us." She landed on a higher balcony they often went to, an addition to the Excalion's Tower near to the breathing limit. Somnia hopped down and gazed to the horizon. The sun was on its course for sunset, slowly burning out with each passing second. "You will see our star, our very world, crumble to nothingness. I couldn't possibly understand what that will feel like, to know that everything you remember is gone in all but memory."

A blessing, and a curse.

"A gift without comparison. I don't envy you, Som. I just wish I could have spent more time with you."

"What was the moon like?" The filly asked, hoping to switch topics.

"It was beautiful. I saw our world as only a few others have." She leaned against the railing next to her daughter. "If only I would live to see it transformed into a paradise."

"There's still time. You'll live long enough to see it." Somnia leaned on her mother.

"I'm afraid I won't." She hugged her daughter close, letting a few tears drop onto her messy mane. "I don't expect you to understand, not yet, but there are certain things that are inevitable in life. No matter how much I try to outrun fate, it will reach me one way or another. It is my purpose, just as yours is to preserve the beauty of reality for an untold number of others like me."

"But I'm just like you. I'm a pony like you!" She pushed back, eyes tearing up. "I-I don't want to live forever if I'm going to lose everypony!"

She rubbed her daughter's cheek. "You aren't like me. You aren't like anything I can even begin to understand. You are simply you. And I'll always love you, no matter who that is. Even if the universe revolts against forever..."

"Somnia?!" Twilight shook her awake, the sleepy filly opening her eyes to see six concerned ponies and a very confused dragon all staring at her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Huh? It was just an old memory." She wiped her face, feeling the wetness. "Sorry if I gave you a bit of a scare."

"Darling, you were shaking and saying something we didn't understand. Are you sure you're alright?" Rarity asked concerned.

"Yeah." She hugged her mother, smiling gently into the familiar fur. "I'm alright now."

"What were you dreaming about? Seemed to be pretty..." Rainbow couldn't quite find the words.

"Sad." Fluttershy filled in.

"I was spending time with my mom." Somnia nuzzled Twilight. "It's the last memory I have of her before..."

"Do you miss her?" Twilight had to ask. She still didn't buy into Celestia's scheme, and maybe Somnia would be willing to open up about her past.

"No, I'm content with spending time with her right now." The filly giggled, getting back in a lighter mood. "How long until we are in Canterlot?"

"Another ten or so minutes." Applejack replied, the rest of the group turning back to their own things. So much for any additional information. Twilight mulled. She is either really buying into Celestia's plan, or she genuinely thinks I'm her mom.

"Would you mind telling me a bit more about the dream?" Twilight said at a low volume to her 'daughter'.

"I was thinking about living forever." Somnia said, her voice solemn, releasing the hug and leaning into Twilight's side. "It's something I've thought about more than once. You came out onto the balcony to fly me up to our talking perch. You were comforting me. Saying that you would always love me, no matter who I am. Do you still believe that?"

"O-Of course." Twilight petted her daughter's mane, getting a few giggles from her. If this was brainwashing, it was extremely well done. And if it was all an act...

"You don't mean that. Not yet, at least." Somnia sat back up, smiling to her mom. "But I'm sure you will come to mean it eventually."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Twilight playfully narrowed her eyes. "Are you calling your 'mom' a liar?"

"I'm saying you have amnesia." Somnia countered, returning the playful glare. "I'm saying that you meant it a long time ago, and that you will mean it again once you understand the truth."

"And that is?"

"What do you think it is?" The filly turned the question back. "What do you think I'm doing here? Celestia and Luna told me you wouldn't accept the truth unless you found it yourself. If you think I'm lying, then you'll want some form of proof. But no matter what it takes, no matter how much you don't want to believe it: You're my mom, and I love you as much as you loved me." She frowned, looking to Twilight's hooves. "I-I just hope you'll love me again."

There it was again, the guilt. What made her tear up? Emotional manipulation isn't that strong on somepony you only met a day ago. So why did it hurt so much? Why did that simple doubt from the filly hurt like whenever Spike...

Is Somnia telling the truth? Am I really her mother?

At the corner of her blurred vision, Twilight could see her friends watching intensely. All of this was too much. She needed an answer. It couldn't wait, she needs one before the ceremony tomorrow. They both did.

Loudly knocking on the door, Twilight stepped back and waited as the occupants scrambled from whatever couple activity they were engaged in. After getting set up in her room, Twilight and Somnia made there way to this door so that the charade could end. Either way, she realized that her life was about the change. Either her mentor was blatantly manipulating her for some grand plan, or...

"Twily!" Shining opened the door, smiling nervously to her, his eyes falling slightly to the wonder-eyed filly next to her. "Aren't we not supposed to talk until the coronation? And isn't it a bit late?"

"I need to talk to you two." Twilight pushed past him into the room, Cadance hiding under the sheets of her bed. Twilight scrunched up her nose at the smell. "Maybe open the doors to the balcony."

"Smells like sex." Somnia happily trotted past a stunned Shining Armor.

"Who's this?" He asked confused. "Are those wings and horn actually real or--"

"Twilight." Cadance motioned her sister-in-law over, still mostly covered. "It's really not a good time."

"Cadance, we need to talk." Twilight opened the balcony doors to let some fresh air inside. Summoning a spell book in front of her, she quickly skimmed for the relevant section. "I need you to cast this spell on me and Somnia."

"Her name is Somnia?" Shining Armor turned to Twilight. "What's this all about? Who's foal is this?"

"Just do the scan." Twilight dropped the book in front of Cadance and stood still while Somnia did the same. Cadance warily picked it up in her magic which faltered just briefly before correcting.

"This is a lineage spell." She dropped the book, eyes going wide. "A-Are you saying--"

"Please, just get it over with." Twilight whimpered, keeping her eyes shut.

"O-Okay." Cadance quickly read the spell over again before igniting her horn and scanning both of them. Shining Armor went back over to the bed, going to the side Cadance was on to see what was happening. The Princess of Love bit her lip as she finished the spell and began checking the references in the book.

"And?" The impatient filly asked.

Cadance closed the book, taking a deep breath as she laid her back to the headrest. Shining Armor looked between the three. "What's going on?"

"She's Twilight's daughter..." Cadance whispered.

"N-No, that's impossible. I would have known if Twily had a coltfriend or was pregnant!" Shining objected.

Twilight sat down on the opposite side of the bed to cradle her head in her hooves while Somnia hopped up next to her. Rarity was right. She had to be a reincarnation of Somnia's mother, which means that Somnia would recognize her, and actually was raised by her. Celestia's words echoed between the walls of her skull, each pass getting louder and louder.

"So you two are married?" Somnia asked the pink princess still underneath the bed-sheet, receiving a nod. "Thought as much. I guess some things never change." She giggled, getting confused looks from both Shining Armor and Cadance.

"Twily, what's going on?" Shining moved back around to the other side so he could face his crying sister. "How come you never told us you had a daughter?"

"I didn't know." She said, voice weak. "I didn't know..."

"This has to be a mistake." Shining floated the book over to himself and found the appropriate spell.

"I did it right. It's true." Cadance tried getting him to listen but her went ahead and scanned both Somnia and Twilight again.

His determination waned at the examples, eventually causing him to drop the book. "W-When?" Then he got angry. "Who?!"

"A long time ago. Long before Equestria. Long before all of this..." Twilight raggedly sighed. "She's from over a hundred thousand years ago. I'm a reincarnation of her mother." She swallowed, finally starting to come to terms with it.

"As for who, we haven't found my dad yet." Somnia shrugged. "From the looks of it, the entire royal family that died during the Fall of Excalicorn were resurrected."

"What do you mean?" Cadance sat up a little straighter, keeping her lower half strategically covered.

"I mean, you two are around, and mom is around, it seems everypony got resurrected." She hummed while they each processed what she had said. "I wonder if it's a royal family thing, or an alicorn thing."

"Woah, hold on. We're not related." Shining backed up.

Picking up the book in her magic, Twilight returned to the spell and cast it on both Shining Armor and Cadance to their horror. If her understanding of her place in life was falling apart, then the least she could do was make sure there were no loose ends to come back to blind-side her later. With a quick check of the examples, she found a match and put the book down on the nightstand before continuing to brood in her hooves.

"Twilight?" Cadance asked from behind. "Did- Did you find anything?"

"Yeah." She murmured out. "You two need to talk."

"I'm certain they will." Luna said from the balcony as she landed. "Hello, everypony." She stopped at the lingering smell. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Twily? What do you mean we need to talk?" Shining put a hoof on her shoulder, leaning down so that he could make eye contact with her. She shook her head and got up to leave without another word, Somnia following close behind.

"Tia and I didn't want to tell you, as it was tradition in those days..." Luna began, a little less sure than when she landed. "You must understand, the royal family had certain responsibilities. We needed to--"

Twilight didn't hear the rest as she closed the door behind her and Somnia, moving a bit down the hallway using the wall for support as her mind still grappled with everything. She had been married to potentially a brother of hers, she had three foals with them, one of which is still alive, and her full brother had married their half-sister. It was too much.

Knocking on the next door, she didn't even wait before entering.

"Twilight? Did you- Oh my goodness." Fluttershy quickly flew over. "Are you alright?"

"No..." She sobbed, breaking down completely into Fluttershy's forelegs. "I-I..."

"It's alright. Take your time." The pegasus rubbed Twilight's back as she motioned with her head for Somnia to enter and close the door. "I know this is probably very overwhelming."

Somnia went over and poured a cup of water from the pitcher provided to each room, taking it over to her mother. "Don't want to get a sore throat for tomorrow. It's your big day." She added with regret, feeling bad for ruining what was supposed to be a celebration.

The three simply sat on the carpet for a few minutes while Twilight let out her tears. Eventually, she worked up the will to face Somnia. Her daughter.

"S-Somnia... W-Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I did. But Celestia was right, you wouldn't believe it unless you found out for yourself." She admitted, rubbing one of her forelegs and looking away slightly. "I also didn't want to stress you out too much before your coronation."

"Feeling better?" Fluttershy did one last rub of Twilight's back before releasing her. "I'm sure that the two of you will want to talk about this somewhere more private."

"No." Twilight shook her head. "Fluttershy, can- can you please go get the other elements and Spike? I want to get this out of the way."

Without another word, the pegasus left the two alone, or rather three as Celestia entered in from the balcony. "I see you've found out the truth."

"You were right." Twilight admitted, turning up to her mentor. "I wouldn't have believed it if you had just told me."

"What Luna had said before about old, uncomfortable, far off things," Celestia laid next to Twilight, bringing herself to eye level, "Somnia isn't just your daughter. She's royalty even greater than my sister or I. Her grandmother, your first mother, was queen of a great empire that spanned several continents around Equus. You were disinherited after marrying outside of your assigned partner, but one of your foals was allowed to inherit."

The filly looked up to Celestia, a shimmer in her eyes as the regal sister continued. "There was a plan put in place by the powers that be, a plan that was carried forward by my mother and father. The throne would inherit to a single pony, one who they knew would be able to surpass even the queen's capabilities. That pony is Somnia, the rightful Queen of the Harmonic Empire and Equus. I wanted to hear from her about who she believed was best to finish raising her, and offered my own input. She chose you, despite you not knowing who she was. She trusts you more than anypony else, and if she trusts you, then so do I."

"Like you said in the dream." Somnia hugged her mother. "I'll always love you, like you'll always love me."

Something tingled at the back of Twilight's mind. A phrase, faint but still there. The words were blurred together in a language she didn't understand, but a single feeling radiated from the deep recesses of her mind like sunshine on the first day of spring. She choked up a bit, giving a giggle while hugging her daughter. The feeling behind those words was clearer than anything before, and it told a story she had long forgotten in all but emotion.

The door to the room opened and the elements trotted in as Celestia got up to leave. "I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about. I hope this gives you some peace of mind going forward about adopting Somnia." She nodded to the elements before taking her leave.

"Ya look like yer feelin' better." Applejack commented as she and the others gathered in a semi-circle in front of Twilight and Somnia.

"I am." Twilight giggled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Girls, Spike, I would like to reintroduce you to somepony.

"This is my daughter, my real daughter, Somnia."

Bored. Bored. Bored.

We could try eye-spy again.

You know literally everything! And I don't even know half of the colors you talk about! Somnia huffed as she waited in the entrance hall. Standing at the top of the stairs was Celestia, greeting the attendees as they arrived for the ceremony. Her uncle was supposed to be coming by to pick her up, but so far he hadn't shown himself. She even put up with the ribbons being added to her tail and mane if only because Rarity insisted.

Alright, since you're going to be like that, I'll start. I spy a white and blue stallion.

"Huh? Where?" She perked up, scanning the room.

"Where's what?" A voice came from next to her. She turned her head to see Shining Armor in his formal guard uniform.

"You!" She hopped down and hugged him. "What took you so long?"

"I was getting ready. Let's head in. You'll be sitting with me and my parents." He lead her up towards Celestia.

"It's good to see you feeling better, captain." Celestia did a slight bow which he returned.

"I'm just glad everything worked out, your majesty." He motioned for Somnia to bow, receiving only a look of confusion.

"A queen does not bow to subjects, captain." Celestia winked and the two went on their way towards the auditorium.

Somnia spoke up after they were out of earshot of anypony except the guards. "I still don't understand why you were all spooked about learning you were brother and sister."

"Look, maybe when you're old enough, Twilight will--"

"But incest is common in the royal family!" She exclaimed. Shining Armor quickly covered her mouth and tugged her down one of the nearest hallways out of the path of anypony who may overhear. She grabbed his hoof and took it away from her mouth. "Sure, for other ponies it's bad, but the royal family was specifically bred and engineered to not produce defects! We almost always married within the family, or our support dynasty. Mom and dad were originally intended to marry into that dynasty until they ended up marrying each-other against grandma's orders."

"Who told you that?" He whispered, suspicion in his voice.

"Grar did! He was in charge of organizing the royal family for his project. Everypony in the empire knew the royal family intramarried to keep certain traits that were really random otherwise."

"Try not to mention this to anypony else. Incest is really looked down upon nowadays, and none of us want the royal family to be embroiled in a scandal. This stays between us, alright?" He gave his firmest voice often used new guards.

The filly nervously nodded, at which point he grabbed her hoof and brought her back out into the hallway to proceed to the auditorium. Most of the seats were already filled by the time they arrived, totaling over two hundred ponies all excitedly whispering among themselves. They reached the front isle and he brought her to the right side where she recognized two of the ponies that she managed to spot entering.

"Mom, dad, I would like you to meet Somnia. She's going to be sitting with us for the ceremony." Shining Armor smiled to each of them.

"That's alright, she's welcome to sit with us." Velvet patted next to her, at which the filly gleefully sat down while Shining Armor went to talk with one of the guards on duty. Somnia readjusted her eyes slightly as she quizzically stared at the unicorn guard. Why did he seem... familiar. She wracked her memories for any possible reincarnations, but none came up with his gray and brown color scheme, at least no alicorns did.

"So, Somnia is it?" Velvet broke the filly from her thought. "I didn't know there was a fifth alicorn in Equestria. Did you become one recently?"

"Nope!" She happily stated. "I was born an alicorn."

"Oh?" Velvet glanced to her husband slightly confused. "We didn't know that Princess Celestia was keeping you secret."

"She's not doing a very good job." Somnia giggled.

"What brings you to the ceremony? Did you receive a special invite from the princess?" Night Light asked.

"Kinda. Celestia and mom wanted me to come, so here I am!"

"Hmm... very interesting." Velvet playfully examined the filly. "Are you a local?"

"No. I live with my mom in Ponyville." A thought came to her mind as she said that. They didn't know who she was, evidently. Perhaps taking time to learn about her step-grandparents would be a good idea. "Do you live here?"

"Indeed we do, dearie." Velvet tried patting down the filly's messy hair with no success. "We've both lived in Canterlot for our entire lives. It's a wonderful city, and we couldn't be happier to have raised our foals here."

"Alright you three, it's almost time for the ceremony to start." Shining Armor sat down next to his dad. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other after the ceremony."

"Are we going to be seeing Equestria's youngest princess that often?" Night Light playfully jabbed Shining Armor in the side.

"Yeah? She's your granddaughter. Probably will see her next time Twilight is in the city for a visit." He flicked his vision between the shocked faces of both his parents. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

"Nope!" Somnia proudly declared while the three older princesses stepped out from the side of the room to position themselves at the front. The crowd quieted down and turned their attention to the stage.

"We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion..."

Grabbing another drink from the waiter wandering around, Velvet gulped it down in one motion before turning back to the filly sat across from her, her husband not faring much better with the news Shining Armor broke for them. She wouldn't have believed it if he didn't perform a lineage spell right then and there. Her own children were barely related to her or her husband, she was truly foal-less.

Although, it didn't discount those early years and the births. She did raise them, and she was still their mom, if only by parentage.

"I see the captain broke the news for you two." Luna sat down next to Somnia. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Did- Did you know?" Night Light asked with uncertainty, to which Luna simply nodded.

"My sister knew when she visited you in the hospital after Shining Armor's birth. Don't let this get you down, you still were their parents growing up, and I don't believe this will change how they feel about you."

Somnia got up and trotted off in search of more snacks. Off to the side of the hall, she could see her mom and friends laughing about something. She gave slight smile at the sight, happy to see that she was in a much better mood than last night.

Somnia's sightseeing caused her to bump into another pony, her vision turning up to them and her eyes readjusting again. This time was different. The yellow and green unicorn mare gave her an annoyed look before her vision trailed to the wings and horn, her pupils shifting a bit. At least, Somnia thought that is what she was looking at.

Somnia, take her out into the halls. She's using magic to disguise herself.

"H-Hi?" Somnia mentally cursed herself. "I, um, was wondering if y-you wanted to talk out in the hallway? I-If that's okay..."

"Uh, sure?" She looked around briefly before putting down her half finished drink on the nearest table before leading the filly from the room. The mare led the filly out into the hallway, then around a corner where there was only a single disinterested guard at the other end dozing off. Her hooves grabbed around Somnia, the mare dragging her into a side room before igniting her horn in a sickly green glow attempting to put Somnia to sleep, an attempt which was blocked by Grar's own magic.

Nice try, but that isn't going to work. Grar said to the disguised pony. Drop the act, we know you're a changeling. We want to talk.

"About what?" The mare hissed. "I have nothing to say to you. What's this all about then? Some form of trap? Are you going to try using your 'friendship' magic on me? It's not going to--" Somnia struggled free of the foreleg around her mouth.

"We just want to talk!" She sighed out, catching her breath. "I-Is that so bad?"

"It's never just talking with creatures like you ponies!"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Somnia furrowed her brow. "Changelings are ponies too."

The mare scoffed. "Don't know where you got that ridiculous idea, but I'm not sticking around to find out."

A bit of armor scuffling on the other side of the door froze the mare in place. She swore under her breath and whispered to the filly: "If you so much as make a peep, I'm draining you of every drop of love. Got it?"

Somnia nodded, not actually worried about them doing that. Grar was more than enough to send a signal to everypony in a forty pony-length radius to alert them of her exact position. A light knock on the door was answered only by silence, the pony on the other side shuffling around a bit in their armor.

The door broke open suddenly and the gray unicorn Somnia spotted earlier had their horn glowing at the ready. "Halt! What's going on in here?"

"I wanted to get to know her." Somnia quickly covered. "She seemed interesting."

"Well, you shouldn't go wandering off like that, princess." He cautiously moved forward, eyes squarely focused on the confused and nervous mare behind Somnia. "Especially not with strangers."

"How did you know where I was?" Somnia trotted up to him.

"Life-detection spell." He eyed the mare over. "And I'm tasked with protecting you, so I was keeping my eye on you as you left."

"Huh, makes sense." Somnia turned back to the changeling. "Why are you at the coronation?"

"I ordered tickets for one of the available seats!" The mare defended, adopting a defensive attitude. "Perfectly legitimate!"

"Right." The guard dowsed his horn, turning back to the filly. "We should be heading back to the auditorium. The princesses will likely wonder where you wandered off to."

"Alright." She didn't move a single bit from her spot, much to the confusion of both other ponies.

"I meant right now." He clarified, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Hmm..." She turned back to the mare. "What's life like where you live?"

"What?" She took a step back in confusion. "Why would you want to know that?"

Somnia approached the mare, annoying her guard. Once within hoof reach, she stopped. "I want to know who you are. I haven't seen anypony like you around in Ponyville or Canterlot. Did something happen in the hives?"

"Hives?" The guard reignited their horn and cast the disillusionment spell on the changeling, revealing their true form, surprising Somnia into stepping back a step.

"Y-You're--"

"A changeling." The guard growled, picking them up in his magic and pushing them against the wall. "Thought you could lure a filly away to drain her, did you? You'll have plenty to think about in the dungeons, love-leeching sc--"

"Stop!" Somnia jumped in front of him. "Let them down!"

"I'm not letting a changeling get away after what they pulled at the royal wedding. I'm not going to be made a fool of again!"

"She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"I'm actually a guy." The changeling forced out a nervous chuckle.

"Shut up, vermin!" The guard applied more pressure, pushing aside the filly as he approached to apply the magic suppression ring he drew from under a plate on his armor.

"No!" Somnia jumped back in the way. "Stop hurting him!"

"Princess, you're still young, so you may not understand, but changelings are dangerous. They can't be allowed to go free, and we need to know if they have anymore in the city."

"I wouldn't know." The changeling forced out, his breath slowly draining. "I-I'm a long-term infiltrator!"

"Stop!" Somnia hopped up in an attempt to hit the guard's horn. "Stop it!"

"What the hay are you doing?!" He picked her up in his magic to push her away, giving her the opportunity to lunge her hoof forward to make contact with his horn, breaking his grip on both of them.

The changeling quickly disguised and tried making a run for the door, but the guard socked him in the face with a hoof, sending them to the ground limp.

"There, was that so--"

"What the buck is wrong with you?! They were starving! How can you hurt somepony who deserves love like anypony else?!" The filly positioned herself between the guard and the unconscious changeling.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?! They are a dangerous predator! You could have been seriously hurt!"

"Sir?" A guard at the door looked in. Upon spotting the changeling, they entered fully. "Is that a changeling?!"

"Throw them in the dungeon." He ordered. "And put a damn magic suppressor on them!"

"Buck you!" Somnia angrily trotted past the two guards, toward... somewhere, she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"And she just stormed off?" Luna raised a brow at the debrief inside her room while removing her regalia. "Did you at least put a guard on her to follow?"

"Negative, your highness. I was busy assisting with taking the changeling to the dungeon after they woke up and struggled." Captain Shattershield answered, standing at attention.

"And nopony has seen her since then?" She sighed, rubbing between her eyes. "Do we even know if she's still in the castle?"

"No guards have reported a filly leaving the castle grounds, by air or ground. She's most likely in one of the hundred-odd empty rooms we have around here."

"Wake up Captain Dawn and get him to find her. He's great at finding foals, unfortunately." She added the last word under her breath before returning to address the captain. "I want her back before Twilight finds out, understood?"

"Of course, your majesty." He did one last bow before making his way down to the barracks on the other side of the castle grounds. Heading straight for his fellow captain's room, he didn't even bother to knock before opening the door. "Get up!"

"What?" The formerly sleeping captain mumbled, turning his head over just to hiss at the light. "Is it my shift already?"

"Princess Luna needs your skills to find somepony on the castle grounds." Shattershield entered fully and picked a uniform from the desk to throw over. "Come on, soldier! You got a job to do!"

He quickly got on the uniform, waking up in the process. "Where was this pony last seen?"

"Western towers."

He put down the last piece of the uniform, Dawn looking at him as if he was an idiot. "Isn't that the visitors quarters? Are they staying at the castle?"

"We've already checked her room and she wasn't there."

"Did you check the other rooms?" He raised a brow as he finished getting on the uniform, following after Shattershield. "Why are you even bothering with this anyway? Shouldn't your guards be looking for a random pony?"

"It's Princess Somnia." Shattershield sighed.

"There's a Princess Somnia?" Dawn questioned as they made their way toward the western towers, passing into the ornate stone halls of the lower castle from the direct barracks entrance.

"Some filly the princesses are fawning over." He shook his head. "She's even worse than Cadance when she moved to Canterlot."

"Sorry, I'm not ancient like you are." Dawn chuckled. "What was this new princess even doing before trotting off?"

"She was talking to a changeling spy..." He slowed his trotting to a halt as he realized. "I think I know where she went."

"Well, that's a relief." Dawn turned back. "I'm going to get another hour or two of sleep, if you don't mind."

Shattershield continued on toward the dungeons. If there was one pony who didn't hear about her, it would be the 'dungeon master', and they may be inclined to let her see the changeling. Yet another thing he needed to speak to Pansy about whenever he had the time.

As he got to the bottom of the stairs, he saw the dungeon master absent from their post. The gate toward the prisoners was open, confirming his suspicions. His hooves took him toward the cell, groaning at the sight. Locked inside the cell was both Princess Somnia and the dungeon master, no changeling in sight.

"I told you not to hurt him." The filly leaned on the bars, a smug grin on her face and bags under her eyes.

Two hours earlier...

Dungeons... Where would they put the dungeons? Tower-based? No, too easy for flyers to stage a breakout. Somnia trotted past the various rooms in the western towers, making sure the guards clearly saw her. She had no doubts they would send somepony to find her and needed to misdirect them. She trotted her way back out of the wing of the castle, making sure nopony saw or heard her as she made her way back down to the lower levels. Gratefully, getting around a castle without being seen was one of her old hobbies.

Along the way, she detoured through two meeting rooms, found the kitchen's other entrance, and even discovered a few locked doors with magical seals on them. After checking nearly forty rooms, she found stairs that took her into the depths. While several doors were to either side, the only light was at the end of the hall, coming from a room with an iron bar door.

She trotted up to the pony sitting at the desk in front of another set of locked iron bars, gently smiling to them. "Hello there. I'm looking to visit somepony."

They kept their eyes on her, scanning her over. "Uh, huh. And you are?"

"I'm Princess Somnia, daughter of Princess Twilight." She declared. The guard raised a skeptical brow and lighting his horn, scanning her over.

"Well, you're not a changeling, and you certainly do have wings and a horn." He shrugged, getting up and unlocking the bars behind him. To one side of the first hallway of cells, Somnia could see a griffon locked in a cell with bandages all over their body, bits of charred feather still poking out. The dungeon keeper led her through another gate before they reached the cell in question.

The cell had only two objects of note, a rickety bed and a basic toilet. The scratching on the walls told a grim tale of previous occupants, and laying on the bed was the changeling staring up at the ceiling, disinterested in the motions outside. "Got a visitor." The dungeon guard banged the bars, moving off to the side to provide the illusion of privacy. The changeling looked up and hissed.

"The buck do you want? Come to gloat?"

"I came to get an answer to my question." Somnia stepped up to the bars. "What's life like back in the hives?"

"Is this the royal guard's method of interrogation? Send some random filly?" He chuckled. "Pretty pathetic, don't you think?"

"If i was here to interrogate you, yeah." She giggled. "But I'm not. I'm here to get to know you."

"And why would you want to do that?" He sat up, suspiciously examining her. "What do you hope to learn about the hives?"

"I want to know why I haven't seen any changelings since returning." She ran her hoof along the bars, revealing a magical barrier between them. "I want to know why you are starved of love."

"Ponies, that's why!" He spat back. "You ponies deny us changelings rightfully deserved love. You see us as parasites and make sure we never have enough love to go to sleep without hunger. We've been forced into our own lands with barely anything to sustain us, and lied to about the benefits of friendship by every worthless pony we come across!" He sneered the one word.

The filly considered it a moment. "Are you hungry for love right now?"

"We're always hungry!" He yelled back. "Haven't you been listening?"

"Guard!" Somnia called back over the dungeon guard. "Let me into the cell."

"Are you sure?" He asked uncertain, casting a glance to the equally confused changeling.

"That's an order." She commanded. After a moment of hesitation, the guard dropped the barrier and unlocked the cell door, locking it behind her as she entered. "Now, leave us alone for a few minutes."

"Your majesty, are you--"

"That's also an order." She turned back sternly, to which the guard bowed before walking a bit down the hallway. Now alone with the changeling, she approached them on their bed.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she reached above his eyes, flinching back slightly as a small pinch shocked his horn. She showed him the magical suppressor, now in her hoof.

"You need love to survive." She said, her voice solemn. "Nopony else is willing to give you love willingly, but I will."

Hesitating, he ignited his horn and opened his mouth, pink and purple wisps flowing from the foal as he drained her of love. Alicorn love was far more potent than anything he had ever consumed before, sending his mind reeling with pleasure. But the most surprising part was that she didn't resist, at least consciously. She really was opening herself up to him. After satisfying his immediate hunger, he stopped, the filly having leaned on the bed for support.

"Better?" She asked with a smile, weaker than before.

"Why?" He asked baffled. "Why would you just let me drain you?"

"Everypony deserves love." She sighed. "And changelings are ponies, just like all others. You're not a bad pony, just one who believes wrong things."

"You know nothing about me other than I'm a changeling." He shot back. "You knew I was a changeling before--"

"And I still didn't like seeing you suffer. I also wanted to learn about why I didn't see any changelings around."

"I told you why. You ponies see us as parasites!"

"A parasite doesn't help the host." She breathed out another sigh, taking a few moments to take deep breathes. "Changelings aren't meant to just take, they are also meant to give love. It's the exchange of love that keeps you from going hungry, it's not the love itself."

"What do you know of changelings?! You admitted to never having even seen us before!"

"Since I returned." She smiled up to him. "Where- When I came from, changelings lived in harmony with other ponies. They weren't parasitic, they were symbiotic. Having a changeling friend was pretty normal for a lot of ponies, since the love they gave was guaranteed to be genuine. They were the closest of friends, confidants and empaths. I may not have ever known any changelings directly except those within the Queen's Guard, but my dad was the kindest soul you would ever have had the pleasure of knowing."

The changeling stayed silent as he took this in. Somnia continued. "He was part changeling. He made sure that everypony made sure they knew they were loved, even if they were complete strangers. I wanted you to know that even though you may have done something bad, there are still ponies that would care if they understood what you have to go through." She gave him a light hug. "That you aren't alone."

He pushed her away and got down from the bed, heading to the bars. "You wanted to know about life was like back in the hives?"

The filly didn't even have to say anything before he continued. "Horrible. Always hungry, always working. The queen doesn't want us wasting time on things like 'friendship'. The only time I get anything substantial is when I'm out on assignment." He turned back to her. "And ponies have been the only ones who have satiated me without resorting to draining every time."

"How long has it been since you last shared love with somepony?" Somnia asked. "How long since you actually gave them genuine affection?"

"I haven't. It's banned in the hive, and doing so while out on assignment is dangerous." He slowly nodded, understanding the problem. "Did we... Did we look like this before?"

The filly shook her head. "You didn't have wings back then, you really didn't really look like bugs at all, and you were far furrier and more colorful. You also had cutie marks."

"How far the mighty have fallen..." He chuckled, shaking his head. "What did we do to deserve this?"

"I don't know, and I don't care." Somnia walked over to him, bringing him in once more for a hug. "I'm not going to let ponies suffer anymore. Changelings included."

He started laughing, hugging her tighter. "You give me love without me even needing to drain you, even after I already forcefully took it. I've been nothing but rude and malicious to you. What's wrong with you, filly?"

"I'm not wrong, modern pony society is." She backed off to look into his bug-like eyes. "And so are the leaders of the hives. My aunts and uncles have been reborn, which probably means that my other uncle is alive. He was Duke of the Changelings back then, and he cared deeply for the struggles of changelings. They were never meant to be isolated from other ponies, even in the hives. If he's back, then there's a good chance you know him."

"Maybe, but there's a lot of 'lings I know." He shook his head.

"I want you to know that I will help the changelings so they don't need to go to bed hungry anymore." She fully released the hug, much to his disappointment. "When I find my uncle, I'm going to talk to him about overthrowing your cruel leaders. I promise."

"I'll believe it when I see it." He lightly smiled back. "But thanks for caring anyway."

Somnia could feel a light wave of love pass over her. It felt nice, much like when her dad would playfully pick at her mane. She couldn't help but smile wider.

"I also have an offer for you, but first we'll need to get you out of here."

With the filly in his magical grasp, Shattershield ordered a few guards as he passed for them to go secure the dungeons and warn those on patrol about a loose changeling. The princesses were going to be furious, and he wanted make sure it wasn't directed at him.

"I don't regret what I did." Somnia smugly smiled to him from where she floated.

"Maybe not yet." He muttered as he turned another corner.

"Do you want to know why?"

"Not really, no."

"Changelings are also ponies. I probably got more information from him than you probably would have gotten by hurting him, just by offering a little kindness."

"Recklessness, more like it." He glared at her. "Do you have any idea how dangerous having a changeling spy running around the castle is?"

"They're leaving Canterlot." She paused a moment. "You won't find them."

"That's even worse! We didn't even get the chance to interrogate them!" He stopped to bring her closer to his face. "What you did was downright treasonous! Letting a prisoner go free without a pardon, conspiracy to assault a royal guard, assisting a fugitive, collaborating with changelings, you would be locked away in the dungeon for years if you weren't Celestia's pet!"

"Just Celestia?" Somnia raised a sly brow. "Not Princess Celestia?"

"You know what I meant, don't try deflecting." He growled back.

"And what exactly has Celestia done to endear such devotion from you?"

"She's served Equestria faithfully ever since her coronation over eleven-hundred years ago, and who I've served for the past nineteen years! Who are you to question my loyalty?"

"You aren't understanding." The filly shook her head. "What has she done for Equestria? Sure, nearly eleven-hundred years is a lot of time, but from the looks of it, things haven't exactly been stable. My mom told me about what's been happening recently. The return of Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Invasion of Canterlot, King Sombra. It doesn't sound like Princess Celestia has really done anything to help stop them. Threats I would guess that are a part of a reoccurring trend in those eleven-hundred years.

What confidence does that inspire in you? That your leader is unable to stop events from spiraling out of the control and is forced to divulge responsibility for stopping them onto others more competent than her, benefiting from their solution? And what of Princess Luna? Has she actually done anything since returning? What about Nightmare Moon? Are they actually defeated, or merely suppressed? Equestria is surrounded by enemies, both within and without. The princess which you have served loyally doesn't have it under control."

"And you think you can do better? You're a filly for Celestia's sake!"

"You mention her name as if she's a religious icon. You revere her like she can do no wrong." Somnia narrowed her eyes. "She has lived for longer than anypony else, and she has made sure that her power is absolute. No need to prove herself worthy of the position when ponies believe she is some divine being with a natural right to rule. Then she separates herself from responsibility with an aristocratic caste to take the fall for any mistakes she makes.

I also may only be a filly, but I've learned a lot from attending the Excalicorn Council with my mom and dad. My grandma may have been a tyrant, but she ensured our society was at peace and free from even worse tyranny. Are Celestia or Luna any different? Religious icons praised by ponies for actions they never did? Ruling through aristocrats with no responsibility to care about the ponies 'beneath' them? Think, captain! What will they do when a truly fearsome threat appears? How far would they be willing to go in order to preserve their power?"

"They're the best we have, and I don't want to hear another word from you about them or I'll bring you back to the dungeon and they can deal with you themselves!" He started marching again with determination.

"They aren't the best you have." Somnia continued. "I am. I was due to become Queen of the Harmonic Empire after my grandma. The former Queen of Equestria, Faustinia, she was my fillyhood friend, and even she realized what I would do later in life. I'm not like Celestia or Luna, I don't need to make the illusion of strength. I actually will possess the strength to deal with these threats before they are a problem. I don't need to secure control over the ponies of Equestria, because they pose no threat to me by default. Do you want to know where Scutellum, that changeling, is going? Ponyville. They are going to Ponyville because I asked them to. They didn't need to. They chose to go. I didn't need to threaten them, or give them false hope. I didn't need to torture them, trick them, or do anything to coerce them to abandon the hives.

I simply told them the truth, I gave them a greater purpose, what I am giving you now. Equestria can be much better off without the aristocrats and religious iconography." Shattershield stopped, the door back to Luna's room was just down the hallway. "Do you really think the royal guard is suited for the task of defending the princesses when they can't even stay awake while on duty? I've seen enough of the guards around here to know they aren't alert, that they aren't ready for real intruders. You said it yourself: You don't want a repeat of the wedding. Have the guards gotten that much better since then? Would they be able to prevent a repeat of the wedding? Would you trust them with your life?"

She finished, taking a deep breath. The entire plan was coming into place, despite her own confusion as to how it came about.

You did well, Grand Councilor.

Why did I do that? Why did I say all of that? She was genuinely confused, but didn't let it show for the captain which continued to stare down the hallway in thought. It wasn't the first time she had done something like this. Technically, it wasn't even the first time since returning from limbo. The wolf in the forest which she managed to solidly buck in the snout, her mother's doubts, the 'grandparent' situation, Scutellum, and now this. Plans and schemes, big and small.

"Then what would you do?" He asked suspicious, his voice a bit lower than before.

"I'll make you an offer, just as I made Scutellum." She smiled gently to him. "I need loyal guards devoted to my cause. I need somepony to convince Celestia let them form, and I want that pony to be you. You're captain of something already, this would be like a side-promotion to a post with fewer incompetent colleagues."

Her grin turned up a bit. "I remember dreaming about your meeting after assaulting those griffon mercenaries while trying to find me. You didn't like how the other captain charged them down and used fire magic against them, but there was nothing you could do about it. They served Celestia, and only Celestia. How many creatures suffered because of your 'comrades'? I saw the bandaged griffon in the dungeons, I know that at least one guard had suffered burns as well. I saw your anger as clearly as the others did. I saw the doubt. This wasn't the first time either, as you said, and I quote: 'I've had it up to my mane with you Stampede! You are following my orders, not Celestia's, and I strictly said no use of fire magic! You could have caused a forest fire like what happened in Marinalco! We were ordered to bring her to Celestia unharmed, not charred!'" She mimicked his voice.

"You couldn't possibly have known that." His gaze was getting less and less certain with every sentence she uttered, the walls of resistance eroding before Somnia's eyes.

"I dream of the past, present, and future. Every night, I see the worst things imaginable done on fellow ponies, and sometimes it ends up being quite benign. That dream I had the day before finding my mom. Nothing stays a secret from me for long, captain. So this is what I offer you: Help me reform the Queen's Guard, become sworn only to my will, with no more conflicting orders or insufferable companions, and break the cycle."

He set her onto the ground, still staring off distantly to the two Lunar Guards standing in front of Luna's door, one of which was picking at their teeth. "Go back to your room. I'll tell her you were just in the gardens. I'll make up an excuse as to how the changeling got free."

Somnia hugged him, whispering: "Thanks." before trotting off in the direction of her room. She opened the door slowly, and saw it was darkened. Her mom and Spike shouldn't be back until a bit later, meaning it gave her some time to think on her own. She plopped down on the bed and began to undo the various ribbons in her mane and tail.

Any ideas of why you want a Queen's Guard?

Not really... But I think you do know why.

You would be right, but you must discover the reason on your own. Even without understanding, you are still as brilliant as the Prophet. Don't underestimate yourself, Som. You are destined for greatness.

Didn't you say I will make my own destiny? She coyly smiled as she undid another ribbon from her tail.

Greatness is inevitable, just as much as pain. One day, when we find Excalion, we should tell you more about the other Grand Councilors. It would be beneficial to learn from their mistakes.

One day, Grar. Somnia leaned back in bed, not bothering with the remaining ribbons. One day...

Completely exhausted, Twilight opened the door to her room slowly. Celestia had mentioned Somnia had wandered off to explore the gardens around the castle while she celebrated, and that she likely would be back in the room.

Spike walked past her and went straight for his bed, not bothering to even take off his wrinkled suit before collapsing onto it. Twilight made her way over to the bathroom to get off the dress, noting the filly having cuddled up to one of the pillows on the princess-size bed.

As she checked herself out in the mirror, Twilight spotted a crow behind her hovering within the shower area. But when she turned, the crow was gone.

Her mind and heart raced as she turned back to the mirror, crow no longer in sight. She knew that crow all too well. Nearly everywhere she went, she would spot it. Ever since she was a little filly. Shining Armor and her parents did remark on it sometimes hanging out nearby, but dismissed it as merely having a favorite spot. Celestia said it was just a bird and that there were plenty of crows around, but Twilight didn't think so. It was unique. And seemed to follow her no matter where she went.

She closed her eyes and a memory came back of her playing in the gardens with Shining Armor. They had just finished playing around with water balloons and he went off to make some more. That's when the crow landed in front of her, it's single large eye still haunting her to this day. It reached out and rubbed her cheek, as if it knew Twilight.

As if it knew her... She opened her eyes and spotted it, not in the showers behind her, but in front of her, perched atop the water tap.

"Who are you?" She asked uncertain, and a blink later, it was gone. Did this crow have anything to do with Somnia's past? But why would it follow her for her entire life? Was it even real? Was she hallucinating it these years?

Shaking her head, she finished taking off the dress and makeup before returning to bed. She snuggled into her daughter, the whimpers from the filly getting less frequent as she unconsciously returned the snuggle.

Outside the window, the crow hovered in place to watch them drift to sleep. It would have adopted a smile if the form allowed it.

Goodnight, Little Miracle.

Author's Note

Cat's Cradle, M-Rated. Would recommend. Ultimately I liked the idea of Shining Armor and Cadance secretly being siblings, I'll expand upon it a bit more later on so it doesn't seem like a random fetish addition (Yes, it's relevant in the story).

I did reconsider the plot point, but in the end decided to go with the original. Maybe I will expand upon the other idea in a short one-off.