Diaries of the Anonymous Filly

Once everyone had time to calm down following Désirée's parting, the rest of breakfast broke down into a rather silent affair. Given Shining's reaction to my bug shape the previous day, I was still honestly impressed that he was tolerating being in the same room as Chrysalis. Admittedly, he was refusing to look at her, but he didn't object to her being at the same table as his wife and daughter. It didn't even seem to even bug him that Cadance was somehow on speaking terms with her.

Then again, I think Chrysalis was still technically serving her own penance for all of her crimes. Who better to enact that punishment than the royals whose wedding she derailed? What better way to keep an eye on her and touch base than to have her occasionally dine with you? Besides, maybe it was the fact that she actually seemed healthy now, but the reformed queen no longer had that same starved to madness aura about her.

There was, however, no helping the continued animosity between her and Starlight. Although I couldn't read my big sister's mind, I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she were to get goaded into throwing a chair; the aggression and hate she was sending Chrysalis' way just gave off that vibe, y'know? I suppose that's just the sort of risk you run after braining somepony with a frying pan and threatening their loved ones.

Strangely, unlike the last time I saw the bug, I didn't actually get any emotional vibes directly off of her. All those weeks ago, when she was chained up in a cell and my empathy was only just beginning to form, I remember being assaulted by Chrysalis' rage, confusion, sorrow, and grief... to say nothing of the hate she held for me. Now, however, she was a void in all my senses but scent, just like the traitor brood. It left me wondering if this was because of the difference in species, or if it was just one big inconsistency—an error in the continuity of reality.

Emerald wasn't all that happy that I wasn't going to be able to spend much time with her today. It took Cadance, Starlight, and Refined Skill taking her aside to help her understand that I was going to be helping ponies as part of the punishment for all of the crimes I had committed. Although they didn't go into the details of just how bad things had been, the princess gently explained to her that from a legal standpoint, I technically should have been put in jail.

Instead, Princesses Celestia and Luna were enacting something known as community-based sentencing. Rather than rot away in a jail cell, I was being made to give back to the community, during which I would be under constant watch. Even once my mandatory service was complete, I was going to be on probation for a long time. All it would take would be one screw-up for me to end up in the slammer.

Honestly, the concept of probation might have been beyond Emerald right now, and I think the talk sent all of the wrong messages. When they were done, she was looking at me with an almost starry-eyed expression, talking about how cool I was for helping Starlight and Trixie, even knowing that I'd be punished, how I suffered so that others didn't have to, and was now helping other foals to atone. I love childish innocence, but the last thing I wanted her to believe was that I was some tragic heroine or a martyr. I'm just a colossal fuck-up with connections.

Finally, just before I had to go start my service, Cadance led me off to a small sitting room while Shining Armour and Starlight spoke to Tempest Shadow. She waited until I took a seat on one of the sofas before beginning to talk. "This will be your uniform while working at the Second Chance Shelter," she explained as she conjured up a small box on the seat beside me. When I opened it, I found a blank lanyard with the place's logo on it, which had spaces for one's name, species, age, role, and a picture. "Matron Tender Reach, the unicorn mare that runs the orphanage, will use a spell to add your details, and enchant it to reflect your appearance, regardless of the shape you take." She chuckled before adding, "She came up with the idea because somepony was being difficult in her first week there."

Beneath the lanyard, there was a baby-blue vest that looked to be in my size, with an open back that would be perfect for my wings if I were to remain a bug or become a pegasus. Hell, I think it'd work just fine even if I was mimicking Chrysalis's form like Hunger suggested. Without prompting, I took the vest out of the box and put it on, noting some zipper-pockets on the inside. That's not usually where those go... "Is there anything I should know before I go there?" I asked, zipping it all the way up before assuming my earth pony shape. Seeing the glasses drop down onto my muzzle from where my horn vanished got a bit of a smile from her. "Anything Chrysalis might leave out to spite me?"

She seemed to consider her answer as she looked me over. After a moment, Cadance nodded. "Not all of the children at Second Chance are local," she explained as she led me over to a window that looked out at the city. "It started out as an orphanage for those who lost their parents because of Sombra and the displacement in time, but eventually, foals began to be brought in when it was considered unsafe for them to remain in their home towns. Some are there because of traumatic experiences and need a safe, stable environment."

From the window, I could just make out the part of Crystalia Settlement that the orphanage was located. "Some of the foals brought in over the last year were in Canterlot during Chrysalis' invasion, or were displaced because of her attempt to replace much of Equestria's power structure." A wave of guilt rolled off her when she looked down at me. "Part of the reason Chrysalis works there now is to see what harm she's done, and aid in their recovery as a form of exposure therapy. Reformed changelings don't provoke as negative a response, but your natural form may. As loathe as I am to take that cat's suggestions, mimicking Chrysalis' form or sticking with one disguise may be your best chance at a comfortable stay."

I regarded Cadance carefully. Although she was correct that taking a form like Chrysalis and playing on the relation aspect would likely make things easier if the kids were comfortable with the fluffy moth horse, was I comfortable with that? In the end, she was still the raging cunt that planned on using me to hurt someone I love. Playing her daughter just seemed fucking wrong. Still... I suppose I could make it part of my punishment.

"I'll consult the Matron and Chrysalis before beginning my shift," I finally said before turning away from the window. Against my own desires, my tail flicked repeatedly in agitation. Sometimes I hate how inadvertently expressive pony bodies are. "Is Matron Reach gonna be alright with Tempest being around? She's kinda supposed to keep me out of trouble, but she's kind of intimidating when you first meet her."

Cadance just smiled at me as she turned and trotted over to the sitting room door. "Shining's provided her with a letter of introduction," she explained as she magicked the door open. "Tender Reach is a very understanding mare. She's not going to fault a very important filly from having a bodyguard or minder. At most, she might be asked to help chaperone outings."

A chuckle escaped the alicorn as the now-open door revealed my body-guard. Tempest was in the middle of getting a bit of an unwanted make-over from the maid sisters. It appeared as though they were trying their best to tame the grizzled mare's mane, but it wasn't giving them a whole lot to work with. The best they were really able to do was create a rather tomboyish bob, and use some of her bangs to cover the broken horn and the scar over her eye. It definitely looked a bit more professional than how she normally wore it, but I imagined that she was probably internally seething about reduced visibility.

As soon as she saw me, I entertained the thought she was gonna try and use me as a buffer between her and the maids. Even after being assailed by them, however, she kept the dignity and poise of a seasoned warrior, merely falling in line behind me as Cadance started leading us down towards the castle's entrance. Once there, she assigned some random guard to escort us to the Second Chance. That was really just to ensure we knew our way there, mind you.

On our journey, Tempest surprised me by reaching into one of her pockets and providing me with a pair of spell medallions, courtesy of Starlight. These were Conjure Light and Conjure Water spells that'd been left in our luggage since Manehattan. I immediately slid those into the two inside pockets of my vest—no, I really wasn't wearing it inside out—and began to move with a little spring in my step. At the very least, I would be able to keep hydrated and find my way around any dark basements I might end up in.

Then Tempest showed me two medallions that Starlight provided her for the express purpose of keeping me safe. Honestly, I was surprised by the amount of trust she was putting in the former foe; if I were to guess, she probably weighed the pros and cons of giving her something other than the wild, raw mana attacks to cast to protect me. If so, she definitely came to the conclusion that anything would be better than risking the kind of damage wild magic like that could do.

My guardian of course wanted an explanation of what each one did in the event she needed either, and I was only too happy to do so. I immediately recognised my Air Bullet spell, and made sure to point out that it was on a five-second delay as a safety measure. The other spell, however, was a modification to one of my own works; on the first glance, it was my Stonewall formula, but the dimensions were altered, and there was a new section added that seemed to banish the conjured rock when the caster stopped channelling it. I definitely wanna get another look at that later.

The remainder of that trip was spent in silence. Although I sincerely hoped that they would be fine without me pretending that I was ~~the same inferior~~ Harmony ~~model of changeling as~~ a reformed changeling like Chrysalis, I was already constructing a disguise in my mind's eye. It was basically a compact version of the moth horse I had a hoof in creating, with some key differences. For one, I envisioned my mane to be green fading to black at the tips. Then there was the fact that unlike Chrysalis' domestic silk moth styled wings, mine would be more akin to a luna moth's, greens included. Finally, whereas the ruff of fur around the reformed queen's neck was gold, mine would be more of a silver. It'll be enough that we'd look related without me just being a mini-Chrysalis, right?

~ 52 ~

Being around Chrysalis was going to take a lot of getting used to, I decided as I sat on a cushion in front of a low desk. Opposite me was the non-consensually reformed insect and an older unicorn mare. The former was staring at me with an inscrutable expression on her face, and I was thankful that I couldn't read her emotions. Meanwhile, Matron Tender Reach—a cream unicorn with greying indigo in her mane and tail—was looking down at some documentation with a mixture of indifference and concern. Doubtlessly, she was having second thoughts about having me.

After several moments of silence, she pushed her thick-lens glasses up her muzzle and looked at me. "I've been made to understand that you've something of a history getting into fights," she broached, watching me intently. "The extent hasn't been fully disclosed, but before I make a decision, I need to get a better grasp on whether you're a threat to my foals here at Second Chance. Could you explain what situations you've found yourself in that resulted in violence?"

I nodded, not bothered by the question. To be honest, I fully expected to have to explain myself. "When I first started school in Ponyville, there were a pair of older colts picking on a filly over things outside of her control. I took their attention off of her, but the unicorn brother—" My form momentarily flickered into that of Ivory Crescent. "—got it in his head that he should dump a thermos of tea on me, scarring me and nearly blinding me. I was still just a pony when that happened, so that was a bit of blinding pain, and blind panic more than any intent to get into a fight. They gave as good as they got, but I admit it wasn't my proudest moment."

That got a nod from the matron. "That much was disclosed, and I thank you for not dancing around that point," she noted, glancing down at whatever document was on her desk, "but the document merely lists 'future incidents' that were otherwise redacted. It worries me that a foal could have so much black ink on her file at such a young age. It makes you seem more like a veteran S.M.I.L.E. agent than any normal filly."

I swallowed slightly. This mare knew about something I don't think a lot of ponies would have common knowledge of. Even I had only heard mention of it ~~while eavesdropping~~ in passing. That was supposed to be some sort of spy agency that fought monsters and other things, right? This mare definitely wasn't just the matron of an orphanage. Is it normal for ex-spies to run orphanages, though? It certainly explained why Chrysalis would be assigned here, and why I'd been assigned.

"I received a 'quest' from an artifect tied to Harmony, one in Princess Twilight's possession, that resulted in me clearing an equestrian citizen of wrongdoing, and in the process fought off five hoodlums to prevent a lynching of the guilty parties," I counted off, wincing at the memory of how cold and scared I felt in that concussed state. "That wasn't fun... Then there was the Storm King's invasion of Canterlot; I used runic magic to aid the Canterlot Royal Guard in securing the train station during the evacuation, and later used magic to down a heavily armoured airship pursuing the train evacuating out to Manehattan."

The way the mare gaped at me left me feeling quite uneasy, especially when my unicorn shadow nodded to confirm it. Tapping the tips of my hooves together, I gave an anxious titter. "The last case worth note was when my adoptive older sister and her friend were foalnapped by the mob." I deflated and looked away. "I may have gone on the war path, destroyed an entire cartel single-hoofedly, and birthed an entity not dissimilar to Discord."

To be honest, I half expected Tempest, who remained quiet by the door, to have to speak up on my behalf, at the very least to confirm my testimony regarding the events of the invasion. Instead though, the mare just shook her head with a sigh. "The worst part is that I can tell you're being honest with me," she muttered, rubbing at her temples. Despite using you, it seemed like she was talking more to herself than me. "So glad I retired from the agency's pony resources division when I did. With that sort of record, I can just imagine how badly the Director must be pushing for you to be recruited."

Fixing me with a more professional stare, she spoke up in a much louder voice. "I won't tolerate any fights here, but it sounds like you're more driven to protect others." With a nod, she fixed her gaze on my lanyard and the affixed identification. Her horn lit up momentarily, and then my picture and details appeared on the laminated card. My role, surprisingly, was listed as volunteer, rather than something more obvious like voluntold. "I'll have you shadow Chrysalis for your first day, but if you find anything you feel you can lend a hoof in, I won't object."

I reverted to my untransformed state in front of the mare, and I was surprised to see the little photograph on the card changed with it. "I'm aware that this form is likely not going to be a big hit with some of the foals, but I don't exactly wish to hide the fact that I am a shapeshifter," I commented, removing my own glasses and clipping them to my vest. "Would you like me to perhaps pretend I am of the reformed tribe?"

"No!"

"Yes."

You get three guesses on who said what, and the first two don't count. Breathing out slowly, I pulled up the mental image of the disguise that I created earlier. With reflexive ease, I then drew upon the magical mechanism that shifted my form, and was once more engulfed in blue magical flames, as I changed shape. When it was over, I saw a smile on Matron Reach's face.

Chrysalis, however, was impossible to read. If nothing else, the mare had years to perfect her craft. Anything I got from her at this juncture would only be what she gave me. Still, based on the way she was schooling her expression, I could only imagine that she was either very impressed at my level adaptation, or jealous of my talent. Either way, I at least knew that she wouldn't try anything. After the revelation of Désirée, I doubt she'd be so stupid.

"Excellent," Tender Reach exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. "The resemblance is remarkable, yet individuality remains distinct." Turning to the larger changeling, the mare continued. "You two can begin your day now; I'll join you all later on, but for now, I need to take care of paperwork surrounding a few new foals joining us at the Second Chance later today."

~ 52 ~

Much of the time I spent following Chrysalis around that morning could be described as like a lost puppy. That is to say, most of my time was spent quietly learning the routines, the layout, and the such. The building wasn't huge, but there were several different areas to it to learn about. There was a cafeteria, a kitchen, a play room, a classroom, the dorms, the nursery, an enclosed playground out back, and the staff lounge... Hell, they even had their own little library here. Truly, it's a well-funded endeavour to ensure these children have a nice stable environment and quality of life. I wonder if a group home wouldn't be a better description for the place?

That wasn't all the initial tour did, though. It introduced me to the many of the foals and the staff in the building. One or two of Chrysalis' coworkers were a little frigid toward her, but I was surprised to see that there were a few on friendly terms with her, and I don't just mean that they were friendly toward her; these were ponies that she seemed genuinely friendly toward in turn. It was weird seeing the former tyrant smiling and joking with the mares in the nursery. I still can't forget her crazed threat to drain me dry and then send me home to Starlight piece by piece.

All of the foals we came across also seemed to like her. Maybe it was just how cute and fluffy she was, or the almost motherly aura she radiated when interacting with them, but it made it especially hard to see her as the villain she'd been... It was maybe half a month or so since she'd been redeemed and presumably sent here to work off her debt to pony society, but the difference was like night and day—almost suspiciously so.

During our stop at the classroom to meet the teacher on duty—a role that ponies apparently cycled through based on their knowledge bases—Chrysalis actually dropped the bombshell that she taught the foals history while the employee that usually did that was on medical leave. Then again, when you've been around since runic magic was in its infancy, it'd be hard not to have lived through some interesting history. At the very least, it's nice to know that I might be able to find out when math is on the schedule for the foals and chip in.

Some of the foals were... a mixed bag. One of the older foals, maybe in his early teens, asked Chrysalis if it was Take Your Filly to Work day already, which got several of the younger foals asking if she was really my Mom; this aggravated the bug to no end. Some thought I'd been brought in to be a playmate for them. Others looked at me with barely disguised disdain, and I could tell that these ones had a problem with authority—especially if it was a foal of only eight was considered 'volunteer staff'. It was certainly a weird situation to be in, but I wouldn't let them get to me.

It was when we were checking out the library that things went off-script, so to speak. While several foals reclined on massive bean-bag chairs with various children's books, the librarian—a mare that could've been Tender Reach's pegasus daughter for how similar she looked—was chatting with Chrysalis. At least, she was trying to speak, but between the hoarse voice and the mask covering her muzzle, it seemed to be pretty challenging for her. God, I can only imagine what it'll be like if I ever get sick. Can I even?

"Ms. Gentle," a little yellow filly of maybe five years called out, approaching with a book balanced atop her head. Honestly, she looked like a tiny Fluttershy without the wings. "Are we gonna have story time today?"

Turning her attention away from bug butt, the librarian shook her head as she lowered herself to the filly's level. "Sorry, Caprice," the mare croaked. Immediately, the filly wilted. "I know how much everypony was looking forward to starting the new Twilight Sparkle and the Elements series, but I don't think my voice will last very long. It'll have to wait until this cold passes, I'm afraid." With a groan belying her achy body, the mare sat upright and rested against her desk.

While Chrysalis looked disgusted at the mention of Auntie Twilight, I couldn't help but perk up. I hadn't realised that somepony was making stories for foals surrounding Auntie Twilight and her friends, but that kinda sounded cool. What if they were historical fiction? It was certainly a neat way to get the foals interested in history if it was.

"I wouldn't mind reading to them, if you'll allow it," I offered, fluttering my wings to hover at the mare's eye level, causing three heads to turn to look at me. Unable to help myself, I shifted my voice to perfectly mimic Applejack's. "If'n it's a story 'bout Twi an' her friends, why not let somepony what's met them do the voices?" Then I threw everyone a curveball and quickly shifted into the Sun Horse's voice. "If you're not sold on the idea, I am told I do a wonderful impression of Princess Celestia. I can only imagine how many fillies and colts would love to have her voice narrate their stories."

Immediately, the young foal looked excited, beaming up at me. "You met them? Honest and for true?" When I nodded, the filly squealed and turned her attention to Ms. Gentle and pleaded. "Can she? Please please please?"

When the librarian gave Chrysalis a questioning look, the reformed bug just snorted. "If Anonymous wishes to make a fool of herself, I say let her." I didn't exactly like the smug look she gave me, but I didn't pay it much mind. "Honestly, the brat could use some humbling, but in the event that she doesn't turn herself into a spectacle, I dare say the foals might enjoy it."

Seemingly convinced, the mare took the book from the little one and led me over to a chair in the middle of an open area. "May I have everypony's attention?" she called out as loudly as she could manage. All of the foals in the library stopped what they were doing and looked over, although they were quickly distracted by me fluttering alongside her. "I know you all have been looking forward to story time. Because I've been sick, the Second Chance's new volunteer, Anonymous, has offered to take over for me."

When I settled on the chair, and Ms. Gentle passed the book to me, I looked out at all the foals. A few were older ones who were just here to read, but most of the fillies and colts that gathered around were about Emerald's age. "Hey, everypony," I greeted, suddenly wishing Emmy could be here to hear this story too. "I'm Anonymous Flicker. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me while I help out, so I hope we can all get along." With an inclination of my head, I gestured towards the big bug. "I'm a changeling, much like Chrysalis over there, so I think you'll enjoy this."

Opening the book, I took a quick glance over the first few paragraphs before deciding on a course of action. Taking in a deep breath, I once more channelled my mimicry ability and began to read, "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land." Just like that, many of the children were enraptured. Even the older foals had an ear or two turned my way. "To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on..."