[Thursday, 19 May 2016, The Equestrian 30th Day of Love at Ponyville Hospital.]

Lost in their own little worlds of medicine, healing, and warring levels of admiration that teetered on infatuation, the many patients under Becky’s care carried on their daily routines. For the majority of the bat ponies, given how the sun had risen hours ago, as it was well past noon, had long drifted to sleep. Others, like Buckskin, the only remaining deer kin patient in the hospital, and Vogt, the only remaining yak patient, they had to wait to see Becky again… Which was fine as it gave them plenty of time to bicker to do more to defend her in whichever scenario they would dream up to argue about.

Becky herself, on the other hand, had found herself pulled from one room to the next far too often to celebrate one patient’s new victory or milestone met. If not a new victory, she was there to assess their progress, provide her admired gift of a comforting touch and sweet words of encouragement.

Her day had become much easier with the likes of Redheart joining her, even allowing her to wear one of the staff’s lab coats. Also, another pair of competent hooves did so much to lighten the load and gave her more time to sit in each room. This additionally gave her more time to push back her time with Doctor Horse, as she realized too late that she needed to put more thought into her initial hypothesis. Mostly, it was just another control portion of her test to verify if she was correct.

Everything was going smoothly, minus one surprise visit from Kühn, the only other yak still in Ponyville, who was able to be released from said hospital. And while his visit did earn him a lecture from Becky, it was good to see him still doing well, even if he wasn’t great at following her instructions when out of her sight.

Still, his visit was helpful to her cause.

Thankfully, as the day went on and as crazy of an idea as it was, Redheart was thrilled to lend her assistance. Granted, she would be only providing a second level of control to this potentially insane test; it would be helpful all the same.

“Just go in there and see how it goes,” Redheart suggested. “I’ll be right outside if this don’t pan out the way you want. Just make enough noise to get my attention, and I’ll knock on the door, and you can excuse yourself.”

It wasn’t like Becky was afraid of anything crazy happening; it was more that she felt stupid for even going through with this plan.

“Thanks, Red. Not just for backing me up, but…”

Redheart inherently blushed but wasn’t ashamed to let it show as they neared Doctor Horse’s office.

“It’s fine, dear. Stop being so shy about it.”

Once at the door, Becky knocked before announcing herself.

“Doctor Horse? It’s Becky. Do you have a moment?”

“Come in, Miss Landon,” Doctor Horse called out from his office.

As nonchalantly as possible, Becky let herself in and took a seat in front of Doctor Horse’s desk.

“Thanks for taking the time to see me. I know there’s a lot going on, and with so many new patients and all their complex injuries burdening the hospital, your hooves are full, but I wanted to also follow up on your… let’s say private diagnosis we discussed before.”

It took Doctor Horse a moment to recall what Becky might have been referring to. When it finally hit him, his face ran flush with crimson and child-like embarrassment. He didn’t look to be shy away in discouragement but more akin to bashful encouragement.

“Miss Landon, I—”

“But first,” Becky interrupted. “I also wanted to run these by you.”

After reaching into her lab coat, Becky sat five test tubes down on the desk for Doctor Horse to see. Each one contained a small cotton swab on a thin plastic wand and was labeled separately as #1, #2, #3, #5, and #8.

“This may seem a bit strange, but with the growing fear of infections, it's still a major issue I would like to avoid. Thankfully, I’ve been told that a pony’s sense of smell is supposed to be vastly better than mine, which is what I would test with you.”

The sudden swapping of topics had thrown Doctor Horse off. However, he was more than willing to assist in whatever this new test Becky was introducing, especially if she was showing more interest in him because of it.

“Oh? Well, certainly. What did you have in mind? What kind of test is this?”

Becky reached over the desk and spread the three tubes out, rolling them over so each number was facing up.

“The vials will contain a swab sample that is contaminated with a sample of an infection, a clean sample with no infection, or a sterile swab that hasn’t been used on a patient at all. I know which ones are which, how many or of which, but I can’t tell you which ones are which or how many of what type there are. All I can tell you is that an infection will smell awful or give you a very negative reaction.”

Doctor Horse stared at the vials for a moment, then looked back up at Becky.

“That’s… interesting… But what exactly is the purpose of this test?”

Becky did her best to hold her composure, keeping her hands folded over her lap and her eyes trained over the swabs she hand-picked for this test.

“Mostly, early detection of infections for patients. I know that where I come from, even though our sense of smell is not as keen as yours, even we can often detect things like strep throat, a yeast infection, or Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Though, that last one is more a fruit smell than a rotten smell. Regardless, recognizing that an odor on a patient could be an infection and not poor hygiene or something they stepped in… Probably good to know. Could save lives if not prevent further degradation of a patient's health.”

That sounded like a sound theory and easy enough to put into practice, so Doctor Horse levitated over the first test tube, starting with #1, and uncorked the top.

“Simply fascinating. With all the blood-related injuries we’ve had to start treating here, I could only imagine the future benefits of expedited treatment.”

Not expecting much, Doctor Horse drew in the scent from the tube and instantly scrunched his nose. His follow-up reaction forced him to force the cork back onto the sample and clear his lungs before responding.

“Uck! If that’s not an infection, I’d swear you bottled a three-week-old spoiled grape juice.”

The reaction didn’t surprise Becky too much, though it may have been more than she anticipated. It was, at the very least, starting with the sample she’d hoped he would have gone with first, so she reclaimed the test tube.

“I don’t have any equipment or procedures to verify, but I’m willing to bet what you just smelt in there was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It’s a bacteria that grows everywhere with moisture. Bathing areas, bathrooms, sinks, pools, potted plants, dirt… It’s probably on our skin right now, because it usually is. But, it rarely causes an infection, and thankfully, we caught this patient at the very early stage of theirs because it is a very stubborn infection to fight once it takes hold… You’ll see the report for it later.”

While the scent had been rather unsettling, and news of an infection being found was distressing, the fact that Becky was on top of things and this method of detection held merit gave Doctor Horse some comfort.

“Well, I will be looking forward to the report. On to #2, I suppose.

Moving a bit slower than last time and bracing himself for the worst, Doctor Horse took a small sniff of the second sample with no reaction. Thinking he might have missed something, he took another sniff but didn’t seem to detect anything out of the ordinary.

“Hmm. I’m assuming this one is sterile?”

Becky reached out, took the small tube out of the doctor’s aura, and resealed it, returning it to the desk with the first one she collected.

“For now, I’ll only own up telling you about any sample you accurately detect with an infection. That’s what’s most important. Detecting sterile from non-infected samples isn’t as important and might ruin another test I might want to try later.”

Doctor Horse shrugged and continued on to #3, raising it in his aura, removing the cork, lifting the rim to his nose, and giving a small sniff. For a moment, he stopped as if to ponder what he was smelling, then sniffed again. He gave it one final sniff but then returned the cork over the top before levitating it over to Becky.

“There is something there I can smell. I’m not sure what it is. It’s familiar, but it didn’t give me a negative reaction like you said an infection would. I’d gather it is of a pony, but nothing more than that which I can tell you.”

All Becky did was accept the test sample, return it to her pocket, and nod before answering.

“That’s okay. I’ll make a mental note of it. Two more.”

Again, Doctor Horse moved on to #5, this time taking more time to examine the tube before opening it, then taking a slower sniff after it was open. His second sniff was longer, more deliberate as if he was searching for something, trying to find what Becky was hoping she had been waiting for him to detect.

However, after the third sniff, he recapped it and returned it to Becky as though he had let her down.

“That one had to have been sterile. I smelt nothing.”

Becky huffed a short laugh and smiled.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. There’s no right or wrong answers for what you’re able to smell. I’m looking for capability and reaction. This isn’t a memory test or anything like that. Now come on. One more.”

Curious as to what would await him in #8, Doctor Horse levitated up the final sample and uncorked it under his lips.

His reaction was instantaneous as the cork forced the air out against his muzzle.

From across the desk, Becky watched the doctor’s expression soften and his ears wilt. Then, with a quick inhale, he drew a deep breath through his nose to take in the scent of this final sample, pinning his ears back before snapping them to full attention.

“Oh, my,” Doctor Horse tried to whisper but instead spoke as clearly needed for any proper conversation as his eyes were perfectly fixed on the lady sitting in front of him. “You’re not a patient.”

The color nearly drained out of Becky’s skin, and she thought she was about to fall through the floor. Her plan had seemingly backfired in a way she hadn’t expected.

Of course, she knew a pony’s sense of smell was far more accurate than hers, but she neglected the fact that she carried a rather unique scent of her own.

“Fuck.”

The good doctor quickly recapped the vial and carelessly dropped it down to the desk. There was a wild excitement in his eyes, overwhelming his voice of concern as he left his seat to Becky’s side.

“My reaction was nothing negative at all, but you must tell me if that was any sign of an infection—”

“Nooo,” Becky groaned, now kicking herself over the results of this test. “Yes, that’s me on the sample, but no, there’s no infection.”

As Becky was about to stand up and walk about, she noticed that Doctor Horse had held off on his advance. While she was worried about him making the moves on her, she remembered that he’d never been that forward. Even his presumed methods of flirting were weak, and he certainly imposed himself enough to make her uncomfortable.

“You weren’t supposed to know who the subjects were,” she finally added, thinking it sounded like a legitimate enough testing perimeter. “I never told you the race or gender of the patient either. It was all supposed to be a blind test… And you did better than I expected… I guess.”

Still staring at the doctor, Becky couldn’t help but notice his growing smile and twitching ear. This was new for him. His smiles were passing from a glance. Generally, his attention came off as amateurishly, and then he disengaged.

Now, he—

“Ow,” he awkwardly groaned through his forced smile, hunkering down and backing away. “I’m sorry, but I think if we’re done with your test, and you’re feeling perfectly healthy, we should reschedule your follow-up about my-ahh.”

This was now too awkward for Becky to stick around for. She’d learned enough, and it was clear that Doctor Horse meant her no harm, or at least wasn’t going to make any moves on her.

“Pants too tight?” She asked, honestly feeling sorry for him at this point.

Doctor Horse kept his smile big and bright as he scooted further behind his desk.

“Your diagnosis is as accurate as ever, Miss Landon. I’m sure you’d like to be going now.”

There couldn’t have been a better invitation to leave, and as soon as Becky stood up to do so, she stopped. Replaying those last words Doctor Horse just said made her hesitate to step away, leaving her locked eye-to-eye with the stallion.

Somewhere in the unspoken exchange, Doctor Horse could read Becky’s expression. The shock, her confusion… perhaps even a bit of pity.

“You’re perfectly fine, Miss Landon. I’ve spoken with Nurse Redheart about procreation and these urges. I’m well aware of why you wear clothes and why you recommended I wear pants as well. Rarity was kind enough to sew together the pants for me, but one conversation led to another, and… I appreciate your concern for my health and general well-being, but I’ve gathered enough to understand that Miss Rarity told no lies when she said that you hold no interest in companionship.”

He held his hooves over his crotch and rocked forward slightly, tightening his core as he huffed to stifle any other sounds he might have made involuntarily. At the same time, his horn lit up again, illuminating all the vials Becky’s had provided so that he could levitate item over to her.

“You are a lovely mare, Miss Landon, human or otherwise… and I dare not say more.”

Becky stood up and gently accepted her samples back, letting the aura dissipate before pulling them away. This entire endeavor made her feel slimy and dirty for misjudging this stallion.

“I appreciate your honesty, Doctor… Sorry if I make things difficult for you.”

Doctor Horse returned a genuine smile to her comment, which then turned into a sly grin.

“No, that would have been Dash mentioning a hands-on demonstration. Putting that in my head has made things difficult at times.”

It hadn’t been that long ago that Becky was in this very same office with Doctor Horse when Rainbow had made that crude joke. Remembering the terrible pun made Becky turn and cover her lips with her free hand to muffle her laughs.

“Damn it, Dash. I’m so sorry for that, Doc. I’m leaving now. Again, sorry for everything… Have fun.”

Once Becky was outside the office and closed the door, she made a sharp turn and started marching for the exit.

Redheart quickly caught up and was excited to discover the results.

“Soooo, how’d it go?”

Becky’s smile dropped to a more neutral expression as she raised up test tube #8 in her hand.

“He went five for five. Nothing threw him off. He reacted to the stench of the infection Kühn got from picking at his fucking scabs, the lucky numb skull. He got nothing from the next unused swab. Number three, he said he smelt something familiar but got no reaction from it. The fourth one, another dud, didn’t fool him at all, even though he was trying to find something.”

She eyed the last bottle with trepidation one final time and, against her better judgment, decided to open it.

“But when it came to my sample, not only did he react like everypony else, he knew it was my scent specifically, and he got aroused.”

Redheart kept her pace with Becky down the empty hallway, but her eyes were on the open vial, now even more thrilled at what it held inside.

“Well, what did you expect? That’s what stallions want. Well, not only stallions… Sometimes.”

As much as it pained Becky to give in to this, she had to know how true it was going to work both ways, so she stopped in the middle of the hallway to give Redheart what she wanted.

“Are you sure you really want to do this?”

Redheart stopped and turned in front of Becky. It was clear she had no qualms over what was to be offered.

“Becky, it was my idea. Besides, you know what I’m into, so this is nothing for me, and this is going to help both of us understand a lot more about each other.”

As agreed, Becky tilted over the bottle, sulked, and, with a sigh, gave her offering.

“Fine… Smell my cooch.”

Without a care in the world, Redheart leaned her muzzle to the sample and drew a deep breath.

Not much differently than what Becky had seen with Doctor Horse, Redheart’s expression melted into a dreamy smile, and her right ear snapped back.

“Mmm, Becky,” Redheart moaned as she drew back from the sample. “Who were you thinking about when you put it in?”

"What?!" Becky yelped before capping the lid back on and storming off in a flustered mess. "Who said I was thinking about somepony?"

Redheart caught up to Becky in only a few steps, seeing Becky's slightest blush, but she had already caught on before seeing the visual cues.

"I never said somepony, Becky. And you don't have to tell me right now, but I know you had to be thinking something really nice. You always smell like sunflowers and honey, but there's a little bit of that perfumy hint to it with a touch of sea salt. But with Chris, when he gets excited, the sea salt gets sooo much stronger. You had that, too… Kinda makes me wonder why Doctor Horse didn't react to Evening Aster's sample, though."

If switching topics would help ease the focus off of Becky's confusing interests and varying levels of vaginal fragrancy, she’d humor Redheart's new curiosity.

"Aster doesn't have an infection. If anything, he should have smelt the mango she ate for dinner from the oral swa… Red… did you—"

"Of course I did," Redheart answered with the same carefree smile. "I told her you needed to take a sample to run a test. She didn't even hesitate… Didn't react to the swab either… Has a super cute pussy, by the way."

"Red!" Becky all but shouted, her cheeks flushing out of embarrassment for the bedridden bat pony.

The two continued down the hall together, neither slowing their pace. Becky, however, continued to bounce between her embarrassment, guilt, frustration, and even some resentment toward Redheart's newfound unprofessionalism.

Redheart, on the other hand, may have worn a smile still, but she didn't know how to feel on the inside.

"Becky… Before you all arrived here, I would have felt nothing down there, either. I don't think anypony would have that kind of reaction from a mare's scent… I can feel everything now. Even more with Chris. The girls and I? We can make each other react like that when we're together and are close enough."

She glanced up to Becky, seeing the questionable look cast down upon her. It might have been warranted, but she didn't care.

"Harmony kept all this from us. All of you gave it back… if we ever had it to begin with. So, why doesn't Aster have it even though Harmony is gone? Why doesn't any pony else? Why only a few of us? Why not even Rainbow Dash?"

All of those questions seemed to weigh down on Becky more and more with each probing inquiry asked. When the last query was asked, though, it hit Becky differently.

"What do you mean? Dashy knows about sex."

Redheart rolled her eyes and frowned at the remark.

"Then she's one of the few who knows about it, but I don't think her body does. She certainly doesn't smell like it. All the girls who can, they all have that scent on them. Or maybe she hides it better than any mare I've met so far. It's warm and inviting. It's everything their normal scent is, but always stronger with that extra layer of perfume Starlight told us about. For example, Princess Luna has it, but not Princess Celestia, despite all the time both spent around all of you."

Curious, Becky had to ask, "What about Shining or any of the other bat ponies? Do any of them have the same scent? Is their's different?"

Redheart disappointedly shook her head.

"No. Only Doctor Horse, Big Mac, and Onyx Armor that I've seen so far. It's just the same for all of them; only the salty aroma has a stronger burn. Maybe not so much for Onyx… Still not sure why, but I learned about that from Chris. Something Chris thinks he did to him, but not even he understands it. Either way, all of your friends have that same scent on them even hours after they try to wash it off. It won’t be as strong, but it sticks with them. Any hint of increased arousal, especially if there are no clothes in the way, it's hard to miss… It can be distracting at times… Maybe you should ask Princess Luna about that when you see her, too. I’d say ask Twilight, but besides being incredibly busy, I can tell she’s not doing well with Peter asking to leave. I’d talk more, but I have to get back to work."

Becky thought she had the ponies figured out with their rise in lust and love interest, but it looked like there was a new layer of mystery added. Something she had missed to make who was affected almost seemed random or targeted instead of by association like she originally thought.

"Yeah… I didn't know most of that… I think the guys tried to tell me about some of it a while back, but I couldn’t handle listening to it. Even now, it doesn't make any sense… I'm sorry."

Thankfully, Redheart turned toward the exit again, sporting a soft smile and swishing her tail side to side as her ears started to twitch.

“It’s perfectly fine, Becky. I’ll walk with you for a bit more.”

Walking side by side, Redheart continued to extend her goodwill and understanding.

“I know not everything is easy when it comes to human relationships. Starlight made sure we knew that before she let any of us get involved with Chris, and we all learned how complicated things could get the more intimate we got with each other. There’s still a lot we’re learning. Managing our time, how to pace ourselves—”

She reflexively arched her back in as she felt her inner femininity contract and moisten. Having to wear the extra layer of clothing was both a blessing for the protection each article provided. They were also a curse for how they would, at times, add to the stimulation with unneeded pressure or friction.

“—Uh! And then the urges. Fuck… It’s a shame none of my girls or Chris are here with me. Taking care of these urges yourself is never as satisfying.”

After hearing Redheart open up so much and laying everything out, Becky couldn’t help but drop her guard a little more.

“Uh. Tell me about it.”

Redheart snickered and turned her full attention up to Becky again, knowing they only had a few more seconds before walking into another halfway where more attentive ears could listen if they weren’t careful.

“Just do me a favor and don’t tell Chris or any of the girls that you got me turned on like this. There’s a lot we haven’t properly worked out about finding attraction in others outside our harem. I know Chris isn’t looking, and neither is Starlight, but I catch the other girls with wandering eyes. Probably harmless, but Chris is sensitive, and you know how protective Starlight is.”

Now, there was an understatement, but also something Becky couldn’t overlook either.

“Yeah. Magic resistance or not, I’m gonna piss Starlight off anytime soon, but… this isn’t the first time you hinted at—”

“No-No,” Redheart giggled, wanting to wrap this up in the last few seconds they had left. “That was very early on when I knew a lot less than I do now. Not that I don’t think it would be amazing, but I’m sure you already have some other pony in mind… But if not, that’s something you’d probably first need to talk to Chris and Starlight about. I love the taste of sunflowers, and honey is always so sweet on the tongue, but I don’t call the shots. Know what I mean?”

Before Becky could attempt to question what Redheart meant to imply with that last comment, Redheart forced open a set of swinging doors into a large, busy room of staff and guards making their rounds between patients being transported from one room to another.

“Excuse me!” Redheart shouted to the first pair of guards in range. “Miss Landon, here, has exhausted herself after arriving early and needs to return to the castle. Could you both accompany her back for transport and have Midnight woken up for escort? I need to step away for a private matter in my office and can’t be bothered. Thank you so much. Take care, Becky.”

It was a clean getaway. Becky never got another word in before a Lunar bat pony and a unicorn guard were on either side of her, and Redheart was already on the other side of the doors. All she got was the swinging door, sending a whiff of the tail-scented arousal drifting her way.

"Fucking Guchi cooch perfume… Why is it that's the one thing on them I can smell."

The unicorn guard standing next to Becky nodded in agreement.

"I've noticed as well, Lady Landon. Perhaps she is wearing more of it today to try and overcompensate. The Guard all agree that while she is a fine pony and a wonderful companion for Sir Breslin, that perfume is far more agreeable with your fragrance of honey and sunflowers."

The bat pony guard standing next to Becky didn't nod but kept his bearing as he spoke.

"Lady Landon, if it is not too forward to say, the scent you leave behind is a comfort we all appreciate. Far more invigorating than the harsh chemicals they use to sterilize and clean with so frequently in this place of healing. Nurse Redheart either applies too little that it makes us wish you were here or so much at once that it's utterly distracting."

The unicorn guard took a deep sniff, looking like he did so involuntarily, scrunched his nose, then raised a hoof to hold his left ear down.

"Bah. Where does she keep that cursed bottle? We never see her with it, let alone where she stores it, but yet again, she's practically swimming in it."

The bat pony guard snorted as he shook his head, nearly removing his helmet.

"Gah. It's not as strong as that doctor's cologne. Another pony trying to be like a human, but he wears so much it burns your nose if you stand too close. We barely patrol their hallway anymore because of it. Nearly started a fight between the ranks of who would stand there."

Everything these guards were saying came unprompted, yet they were solidifying all the claims Redheart had made. She didn't know what it all meant, but she knew one thing she needed to get rid of.

Behind them, another voice chimed in a similar opinion.

“Gah!” Gilda grunted. “It’s too early in the day for Redheart to be stinking up the place. Becky, can I bug ya for a bit? These stitches won’t stop itching, and the cream they give me stinks almost as bad as that Doctor Horse pony.”

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another, but this wasn’t a problem Becky couldn’t deal with.

"Yeah, don't mind the perfume or whatever they're wearing. Can you two just give me a second before we go? I gotta dump something and help Gilda out."

The two guards stood back and watched Becky approach one of the supply stations with Gilda in tow. Some of the staff greeted her, which was to be expected. She seemed to converse with them in some friendly banter while pulling a few vials out of a pocket from her lab coat.

"You think it's strange that only some of the mares close to the humans get to use that amazing perfume?" The bat pony guard asked. "You think maybe it's a human-exclusive item, like their alcohol?"

The unicorn guard sniffed the air again, then thought about the question for a moment before giving up.

"I wouldn't know. My squad kept getting assigned to positions away from the humans at first, after we finally made it over to Ponyville. Then we were stuck behind protecting the civilians while you were all in the Everfree during the battle. I haven't even had any alcohol yet."

Together, they watched Becky take a bottle of rubbing alcohol and pour it into three of the vials, recap them, then drop them in a trash bin. All the while, she kept her conversation going with the staff who were looking over Gilda’s wing. Clearly, Gilda was growing more frustrated with every drawn-out moment they took, but a moment of relief finally came when Becky reached over and helped pull back some of the plumage, allowing a small tuff of feathers to fall into the same bin she had discarded her vials into.

Curious, the unicorn asked, "Is it true what they say about her hands? They don't look all that different from a dragon's or an Abyssinian's limbs, minus the claws. The minotaurs have it worse with their hooves on the tips of the nubs for grabbing. Had one grab me before. Not at all pleasant."

While Becky was dumping the last two test tubes in the trash and finishing up with the staff, the bat pony guard shared his thoughts on the matter.

"I've yet to feel her touch, but my brothers and sisters swear by it. She's a miracle worker. I've seen my brothers with broken bones and bloodied faces, their screams all calmed by her hands… Warriors like the brave Cerberus fought with us to rend the timberwolves to rubble and the echoes to scattered glass… But Becky mended our bodies and saved us from death.”

The bat pony guard took a moment to admire Becky from afar. Her every carefree motion was one he held in reverence before taking a deep breath and sighing in admiration at what he held in sight.

“You are lucky to be among us, brother. A new age is upon us, and we who guard the remaining Stranded Seven will forge the path to a greater tomorrow. We must be better than we were in the Everfree."

"Never again," the unicorn guard replied.

"Never again," the bat pony answered back.

Finally finished with destroying her evidence, as well as assisting Gilda, Becky returned to her two guards.

"Okay. I'm ready to go. Let's grab Midnight and head back to the castle."

[Back in the interior of Mount Everhoof.]

Thorax stood atop a steep ledge looking down at Rainbow, reaching down with his hoof.

"Spitfire, push her up higher," he whispered.

Spitfire, with her forehead lost somewhere behind Rainbow's flanks and her own forelegs pushing up on said flanks, grunted back, "What do you think I’m doing? I don't have anything else to stand on. Stop being so demanding and try being more helpful for a chan—”

A sudden mess of cold dirt and ice funneled down over Spitfire, along with an odd chime and swirling sound that flashed with a low blue light. She tried to see what it was, but the debris was in her eyes as fast as the light was, and she was blinded.

Just as fast, Rainbow was yanked up with a yelp, along with Thorax apologizing.

"Sorry about that. I got her."

Spitfire fell back a step and went to wipe her eyes clear when the same odd sound came back again. At the same time, Rainbow was voicing her complaints about her rough treatment.

"Don't grab me so hard. That hurt."

From above, Thorax was honestly sounding remorseful.

"I… I'm sorry. I thought I was grabbing you gently enough to lift you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Finally getting her eyes cleared, Spitfire looked up to see Thorax peering down over the ledge next to where the dirt had broken free.

"Sorry. Are you okay?"

More and more, something about this stallion was giving Spitfire the wrong vibe. His behavior was off, and all their happenstances were not adding up around him.

"Yeah," she answered calmly in her voice, though she was clearly annoyed. "Just some dirt in my eyes… What happened?"

Thorax looked nervously from side to side twice before returning his gaze back down to Spitfire to apologize again.

“This path isn’t as stable as the one we were on before. I slipped, but I was able to get Rainbow up. We have to be more careful, and I can’t keep doing the bulk of the work for both of you. Just… try to jump up and lend me your hoof."

There was still one more thing Spitfire noticed that left her cautious. One that was leaving her more on edge.

"Everything up here is unstable. You could have knocked me off… but what was that flash of light I saw?"

Thorax blinked once, making him wince in pain, slightly adding to his place of desperation.

"I'll show you once you get up. We need to keep moving. It isn't safe here."

It wasn't clear how much of a risk she had accepted running off with this stranger, but it was clear there was an assured risk of death in staying put. Likely greater risk in running off blindly toward what was intentionally hunting them below. Then there were those family members chasing after Thorax. He made them sound awful when compared to his friendly demeanor, even if she thought he was hiding something.

She still had to trust him at this point.

"Show me, then let's keep moving."

Thorax laid flat over the ledge and stretched out with his hoof again. Spitfire gave a small jump and reached up, interlocking their fetlocks to let him pull her up. With a strong yank, all three were together again and now closer to their escape.

"The light in here is very dim," Thorax started to say as he backed away, dragging his hoof along a patch of snow to reveal more of the glowing ice. "I think I knocked some of the ice loose when I grabbed Rainbow Dash. More of the light was able to shine out. That was my mistake. It could get us discovered. Just please, trust me. We have to keep moving. You don’t know how much danger we’re in."

Off to the side, Rainbow made the decision to lay down.

"Thorax, buddy. You're doing a great job and all, but Spitfire and I are still injured. We can't move as well as you can through here on our hooves alone. I know it might be a lot to ask, being how we just became friends, but could you let us take another break to rest and maybe see if there's any more dangerous spots ahead of us like that last one? My eyes are really hurting me. I need Spitfire to fix this thing on my head. The sooner my eyes warm up, the sooner I can see on my own, and I won't be slowing us down so much."

They all had been moving non-stop for a while. Flying this long wouldn't have been too much of a struggle, but after the beating they took from the storm and having to move on hoof and climbing, often half or completely blind, as well as either of them needing to lift or carry Rainbow, Spitfire felt the same.

"Rainbow's right. We may need to keep moving to stay ahead of everything coming after us, but if we're too tired to move safely, we're no better off. And if you can find us a better path, that's all the better. Right now, you’re putting us all at risk."

Thorax rubbed his cheek a few times before setting his hoof down in a huff.

"I’m doing my best, but you can't rest for long. But since we're such good friends now, I think I can give us a little more time. And I'll do my best to look for an easier path, but I doubt there is one. Just stay quiet and don't go anywhere."

Once again, Thorax took off down the dimly lit caverns on his own, his hoofsteps quietly disappearing into the fading light. No telling how long he'd be gone this time.

Spitfire slowly made her way over to Rainbow and reached for the torn cloth she’d previously given to her fellow Wonderbolt.

"Okay, Dash. Let's get this adjusted for ya."

It wouldn’t take much to readjust the binding Spitfire had placed around Rainbow’s eyes, but as soon as she made contact with the torn fabric, Rainbow reached up with her left hoof to hold Spitfire’s in place.

“Actually, the blindfold is fine,” Rainbow whispered. “What I think I really need is a little more warmth. Could you try warming my eyes using your neck? I didn’t realize how much heat could move back and forth from there until you showed me that trick in the bathtub.

Rainbow’s sudden change of request came off as odd to Spitfire, but rescue training did mention the exchange of body heat to help keep a victim warm. More importantly, the neck was where one of the more crucial areas to focus on to maximize warming a victim as well as uses from a rescue provider. The neck could give off as well as take in a lot of heat, but this would also have been the easiest portion of her anatomy to position for Rainbow at the moment.

“Sure thing, Dash,” Spitfire groaned in mock annoyance before laying down in front of Rainbow and pulling her friend's forehead into her neck. “Can’t have you stumbling around the whole time we’re down here.”

Cautiously, if not sounding embarrassed, Rainbow asked, “ Thorax isn’t giving us any funny looks, is he?”

Just to make sure, Spitfire did a wide search of the whole area around them. The path they were on wasn’t one where she couldn’t see far enough ahead that even in the dim light she wouldn’t have been able to see Thorax walking toward them. Behind them was the drop-off they all recently scaled, and it wasn’t likely Thorax could have found a path that doubled back that far, and less likely he would have taken it. Then, even around them, there were only frozen walls and pillars of stone and ice. Not much of any knuck or crannies she could see for an Earth Pony to be running around in either.

“No. He’s not back yet. Why?”

Rainbow shuffled her legs enough to bring her head up so she was cheek to cheek with Spitfire. To help make sure Spitfire stayed where Rainbow needed her, she raised both her wings, despite how much it hurt to do so, as well as how little coverage they gave, and wrapped them around both their heads. It mostly was enough to cover the exposed sides of both their face, Rainbow's eyes, and the back of Spitfires’s head, but it gave Rainbow the privacy she needed to whisper in confidence.

“Don’t say anything. Don’t react. Just stay calm no matter what I tell you… I couldn’t see anything, but I know what I heard, and I know what I felt. That sound we heard when Thorax grabbed me, I heard it at Cadance’s wedding before, and he didn’t use a hoof to grab me, it was something else. He’s a changeling.”

Spitfire did all she could to stop from visually panicking. Her eyes went off into a thousand-yard stare while her heart all but beat out of her chest.

“Then… his family that’s after him?” She whispered.

Rainbow’s heart was beating just as fast. She could feel her pulse throbbing just out of sync with Spitfire’s, but the question also gave her hope.

“Water Bug was a runaway, too. Thorax said he wants to be friends. We trust him for now. Okay? They can't all be bad… He would have tried something by now if he wanted to hurt us, but he doesn't trust us… And I still can't see… it feels like pins and needles all over my face.”

Sadly, this news did complicate matters for the two of them, even if it did mean they potentially had yet another runaway changeling on their side. That also meant they had any number of other changelings who would be hunting them as well, but Spitfire wouldn't focus on that for the moment.

"Superficial frostbite, Dash. Nothing too serious for us to deal with here and now. Keep them warm. Don't rub or press too hard… But if you’re wrong about him, I learned my lesson from Thunder Glide. We’re getting out of here. You’ll see.”

[Farther ahead in Mount Everhoof.]

Thorax leaned the right side of his face against a sheet of ice and sobbed as he held his aching stomach.

"Ahh… Ow. Ow. Why is it hurting so much again? The closer I get us out of here, the more it hurts. Stupid cold pony. Why wouldn’t he just be nice to me?... That black stuff was everywhere.”

Thinking about it again and all the pain he was suffering, his thoughts shifted.

“It’s all their fault they got hurt, just like Gaster… but I’m still so hungry."

Slowly pulling away from the icy wall, Thorax took a moment to review the damage he could see in his reflection. The dim lights from the crystals and aqua-colored ice glowed only enough to show the outlines of the cracks in his carapace over his face, running down his neck and now spreading down his chest and right front leg.

It was rare for a changeling to see their own reflection. The hive was a desolate, dreary place without much in terms of amenities. The only furniture to speak of was the Queen’s throne. Any other prized possessions, if a mirror were to be included, would have been jealously guarded by her. In that regard, one's own reflection would rarely be seen other than in a pool of water if one had such a reason to gander. Otherwise, every brother or sister might have well been the next best thing to view as a reflection.

Here, though, in this frozen mountain, when not transformed, his missing ear couldn't be ignored, nor the pain it gave off, along with the dark red fluid slowly oozing out.

Somewhat out of reflex, he reached up with his hoof to examine this mysterious new liquid.

"Ah!" He sharply yelped but fell back to hold his muzzle closed with his other hoof. "What is… This didn’t happen to the cold ponies, and they had much more of this gunk on them. This is more like—"

"Worthless! Lazy! Leave her!"His Queen's words came shouting back in his memory.

"I've… seen this before?” Thorax hushed to himself. “After the failed invasion of Canterlot, we were cast out by the love from Cadance and Shining.

His mind went back to those moments of all his fellow changelings recovering from the unfathomable distance they all had been launched. They had landed maybe hundreds of miles from Canterlot, and it wasn't a gentle landing.

“I thought if I helped Shelby up, she'd want to be my friend, but her neck was limp and squishy after we landed. She wouldn't say what was wrong or say anything. We couldn't wake her up."

So many were hurting when they ended up in that poor land of loving creatures… Creatures that Chrysalis abused and drained.

Chrysalis had her hive all feed like gluttons. It was heart-wrenching to watch, but Shelby wouldn't feed. She wouldn't move. She lay there on the ground with her twisted neck and that same red liquid dripping out from her mouth and nose.

Why was it so much easier to remember all of the suffering of those poor creatures his brothers and sisters fed upon? Wasn’t she there? Why was it so hard to remember?

While Chrysalis wasn’t gorging herself, he was scolded for not feeding enough.

Why didn’t she wake up? What was the deal with that red dripping out of her nose? Why did Chrysalis abandon and ignore her for disobeying her orders instead of punishing her like any other changeling would have been?

…and why did he have that same red leaking from his missing ear now?

"Is it because I haven't fed enough? Shelby should have fed. I know she must have been hurt. She ran away after that. She—”

A brief image appeared in his mind where something shiny emerged from the ground, pulling her under. It was almost out of view. Others had to have seen it, yet none reacted to the odd display. It shimmered like crystals or shards of ice, but the others were too busy feeding, consuming the love of their helpless victims while all he wanted to do was run away.

No changeling made mention of the abduction. Shelby never made a sound. Did she know she was slipping away? Was she even breathing then? How could she, with her neck bent back so far and twisted? She never even blinked her cold, vacant, drained, whitened eyes as she sunk into the ground.

At that moment, Thorax was terrified. The thought of her sister, no matter how distant in generations, having been removed from their world had him scared stiff. She was never seen from or mentioned again. She stopped being a changeling, stopped… everything. Only that red and her refusal to feed set her apart from the others, and then she was gone, simply taken away.

"No… This isn't the same. She was hurt. She landed wrong. She should have fought back," he quietly reassured himself. "Changelings get hurt, but we're strong. We just need rest and to feed so we don't… we…"

He was searching for the words, any explanation to rationalize his fears. It was staring him in the face, yet he couldn't fathom the possibility of it being true despite the new confusion of the mysterious abduction.

"We don't die. The swarm doesn't… Changeling's don't die. We've survived for… No. This can’t be… Why am I… Did those cold ponies… They didn’t crash, but the ice, the cave-in, that gunk… Oh, no… Gaster? Did I—”

The panic overtook him the more he could feel his carapace cracking, splitting, spreading open farther where the dark ooze would expose more of the sensitive membrane under his shell. Then, almost as fast as it started, the pain fell to something he could tolerate again, and he was left with only the hunger to manage.

New traces of blood traced down from his cheek, making him turn to his reflection, where he found a new feature added to his profile.

A new curved, yet with a defined edge, piece of carapace was jutting out from where his wound had opened up.

"That can't be good."

From far down below, crumbling rocks broke free and tumbled below, followed by a distant whisper.

"This wall is falling apart. We'll have to move down and around."

Thorax slowly crept over to the ledge and peered over. Down below, he could see his brother being led over to a path he had taken not long ago. His time for scouting ahead had been cut short, as his changeling brethren would not be as hampered in their movements as his new friends were.

"No… What am I going to do? …I need to get out of here."

[Back over with Rainbow and Spitfire.]

“He’s taking longer than before,” Spitfire cautiously commented. “Should we worry, and how’s your face feeling?”

Rainbow quietly grunted before shuffling what remained of her tattered feathers.

“Maybe it’s taking him longer finding a path that won’t fall apart on us this time, and my face is starting to feel better. I think I felt my eyelids move… How do my wings look?”

Spitfire gave little effort to look over Rainbow's wings. She'd seen them enough since entering this miserable labyrinth to know what she'd find.

"They look like an Echo who picked a fight with Justin."

Not wanting to laugh, Rainbow raised her right hoof and thumped Spitfire in the chest.

"You couldn't just say bad?" She grunted, but her snort thereafter gave away some undertones of humor.

Carefully, Spitfire raised her right hoof to lift up Rainbow's left wing. Rainbow gave some resistance at first but quickly relaxed, and Spitfire was able to examine the limb more closely.

"It's bad, Dash. But it's nothing you can't grow back. You and I will be grounded for a while. That's all."

Rainbow let out a few restrained coughs into Spitfire’s chest before cracking a grin, as her mind couldn’t help but imagine how her recovery plan would play out. If not an actual recovery plan, some shameless wishful thinking.

“I’d be fine with being bedridden until my feathers grow back. Justin could use the company anyway.”

From above them, a steadily growing stomping of hooves over stone and tundra rose before Thorax peered overhead in a panic.

"No more resting," he strongly encouraged in a stage whisper.

Abruptly, his panic of being discovered was replaced with something new emanating from just below. It dissipated just as quickly as he had announced himself, but there was no way of mistaking its alluring decadence. It carried no scent, not in the traditional sense, yet it hung heavy in the air for the briefest of moments, reminding him of the hunger that pained him nearly as much as the injuries he was trying equally hard to mask.

"There are no other paths I could find. I can help carry Rainbow if you need me to, but we need to get moving. We just need to stay quiet to avoid the other cold ponies up top."

Now on alert, Spitfire asked, "There are more of them up top? How much of that oil is up there?"

Thorax was pacing back and forth, searching their surroundings and holding his stomach out of sight as he thought and answered.

"I've only seen a few near the surface. They're not as aggressive as the black ones that hide much further below, but they'll still come after us if we get too close or bother them."

Spitfire kept Rainbow close to her, now wanting more information before standing up.

“Hold on. What kind of dangers are we walking into? We still don’t know what these cold ponies are. Who are they? What do they want?”

In an instant, Thorax turned from worried to snarling mad, sprinting over and jumping down to approach Spitfire.

“I don’t know,” he growled. “I know Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and plenty of other creatures big and small from here to the Bad Lands and even farther than that. But I’ve never seen or heard of ponies like these. They’re big, mean, cold from head to heart, and they always attacked me when I tried being nice to them.”

Finally, they were close enough to smell each other’s breath, and Thorax was too wound up to consider putting on a smile for the mare trying to stare him down.

“I came here to make friends and start a new life. You came to me. You needed my help more than I needed yours, but all I asked for was a little friendship and your trust. If you don’t want to listen to me, I’m not going to risk—”

“You heard’em,” Rainbow grunted as she pulled away from Spitfire. “Our safety is in our new friend's hooves. And Thorax, just tell us as much as you can on the way while we avoid them. Then, before you know it, we'll be back in the Crystal Empire, and you can meet the rest of our friends, and we can keep you safe from your family and the cold ponies and whoever else is after you. That's what friends do for each other after all, right Spits?"

The message was clear to Spitfire. They needed to play nice and trust him, and tossing some reassuring words would only make things easier for the pair. So, she would play along.

"You're right, Dash,” Spitfire reluctantly replied. “Thorax, please keep leading us out, and we'll take care of you. You've more than earned our friendship by now."

Thorax stood in front of them, only looking angry until Spitfire's words were finally processed. Then, his anger turned to shock, and he backed away, almost looking afraid.

"You… You really mean that?"

It was strikingly odd for Spitfire to comprehend at first, but thinking back to Ocellus, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe. Perhaps, if given the chance, changelings could be more than the villains they had been made out to be. His tears were real, and his reactions couldn't have all been a performance. He didn't appear to be faking his astonishment.

Thinking more on it, reports she read up on the day prior with Cerb about the Canterlot Changeling Invasion mentioned repeated examples cited of poor recreations of normal emotional responses. Even if the changelings looked the part of a normal pony, they could never deliver an emotional reaction that was anything other than abnormal.

What else was there to believe other than they had the good fortune to find another runaway changeling who wanted to change?

"Yeah, I do," Spitfire warmly answered, though was hesitant to do so.. "Now come on. Walk and talk. I think you'll fit right in with our group of misfits and runaways."

"Right," Thorax answered, turning around to start down the path and wipe his eyes clear. "Just… give me a minute to collect myself. I've never had anypony call me their friend before. I didn't know it would feel…"

Spitfire helped Rainbow up and laid her tattered wing over the mare's back to help guide her along.

"Take your time. Where not going anywhere too fast that you can't take it all in."

Silently thinking to himself, Thorax was at war with himself.

"I have real friends. They said so. It's all I've ever wanted… So why is everything hurting so much worse now? Why am I so hungry? Why don’t I feel what what they feel with each other?"

As he stepped forward, fear, excitement, joy, and confusion spun his mind into a flurry of conflicts, and the hearing in his right ear became muted. A feeling of pressure built, and he shook his head twice to try and remove the sensation, only to finally feel it out with his hoof, making him wince in pain and tear up again.

He sniffed his nose clear and opened his eyes to see more of the red painted across his hoof.

"Yeah… Plenty of time."

[Down Further Below in Mount Everfree.]

Haltere, confused, readjusted his helmet as he met up with Pharynx and his other changeling comrades.

“He’s not hiding his tracks very well. It’s gotta be Thorax running back and forth.”

Elytra, equally confused, looked at the scuffs in the dirt and snow they had been following.

“So is Thorax following the other ponies and getting lost, or what’s his deal?”

Being the bigger brother, Pharynx gave his best assessment of the family he thought he knew best.

“Thorax can’t do anything right. He’s probably running ahead of his next meal instead of charging in and pummeling them into submission so he can feed on them. But he must be so hungry he can’t even think straight. Not even for him.”

Sadly, reading tracks was more of Haltere’s field of expertise, and he was going to lay out what he could see for everyone to hear.

“Uh, no. All the tracks walking off together are pony tracks. Thorax is in disguise with these other two, and he’s traveling with them before he runs off on his own and changes back.”

“What?” Pharynx asked in a deadpan tone.

Again, Haltere adjusted his helmet, still trying to figure it out for himself.

“I don’t get it either. That’s why I wanted to check those tracks again because I thought I was reading them wrong.”

Pharynx and Elytra looked down again at the set of tracks that went off in one direction, also trying to understand what Haltere was still explaining.

“The tracks split off on their own. I can see where he changes back to normal. It looks like he… paces back and forth and sits against a chunk of ice, then changes back into what I’m guessing must be an Earth pony, going by the weight. But, yeah… His trail leads back to here, where I’m guessing twooooo mares? Probably mares. Two other ponies are sitting. They get up, and they walk off together, helping each other climb, leaving a trail of frozen feathers for some reason. Their both probably Earth ponies, too. None of them are flying over the ledges like we are. Cept for you, Elttra.”

Annoyed by the comment, Elytra snapped back, “Buzz off. I’m down a wing. All I can do is climb. But why would Thorax help two ponies climb through this place? Any changeling would have fed on them by now. There’s no way he could have gotten a full meal out of Gaster. And if he doesn’t want to come back with us, why stick around with ponies when he could have flown off?”

Still more of a tracker than an infiltrator, Haltere shrugged.

“Maybe they know a way out, and he’s using them as cover?”

For Pharynx, he knew his younger brother well enough that providing cover wasn’t going to work at this point. Saving Thorax was more important, and the thought of it made him angry enough to stomp his hoof hard enough to make Gaster jostle slightly on his back.

“No,” he grunted. “That idiot is helping them because he thinks he can make a friend. He already asked others to share their love so he could feed. Maybe these ponies are dumb enough or too weak to fight back and are feeding him just enough so he can get by to help them get out.”

“Hehe,” Elytra giggled quietly. “What a dummy. Changelings don’t make friends. Remember when he tried to help, uh… What was… Crud. I can’t remember her name. That lazy grub who landed face first after Canterlot? She wouldn’t eat, and your brother kept trying to wake her up? Kinda looked like Gaster does, come to think of it.”

Pharynx rolled his eyes, both annoyed yet also finding some amusement in the comment.

“We’re changelings. Who doesn’t look like Gaster?”

Haltere cracked a grin and was about to laugh, only to get stuck struggling to remember anything about that changeling.

“Huh…Didn’t she run away, too?”

The conversation was getting way off-topic, and Pharynx didn’t care to waste any more time.

“She didn’t run away. She… Our Queen made her… No. She woke up and then… No… Wait? Who was she? Hold on. What batch did she hatch from?”

Elytra cocked her head to the side while Haltere moved his helmet to scratch his head. The question went unanswered for a few seconds before the two looked at each other, thinking one of the others must have had the answer.

Finally, Elytra came back with a new question.

“I can’t even remember her name. Did she even fight with us in Canterlot? It’s not like some other changeling would have drained her to leave her so weak like Gaster is.”

Haltere gave another shrug to the question.

“Maybe she came in after Shining Armor’s shield came down. I was there the whole time outside the city. Came in to scout a clear path for the infiltrators before the shield went up.”

To that remark, Elytra vehemently shook her head.

“No way. I was there to take down the shield from the outside. I remember every soldier changeling stuck out there in the forest, waiting for the chance to break in. She wasn’t there with us… It was a she, right? She had to have been an infiltrator like Gaster. No way a drone like your brother would have been allowed into… Wait? Why was your brother there?“

Annoyed all over again, Pharynx raised a hoof to his head.

“Will you both shut up already? We can ask Gaster after we get Thorax and take him back to the Hive. We’ll get her fed, and when she feels better, we can find out who she is and why she… Whatever happened to her. If it was a her. For right now, though, if my idiot brother is helping anypony, then we can catch up to them a lot easier now.”

As they started down the path, Haltere had a thought.

“Hey, Pharynx?”

“What?” Pharynx grunted, readjusting Gaster on his back again.

Haltere turned his head away toward the tracks that had wandered off, then back to where they were headed, now second-guessing if he should even ask his question.

“Say Thorax does manage to slip away… Can we really not go back to the hive? I mean… What do we do?”

Pharynx never faltered in his stride or wavered in his response.

“We are the hive. All we have is the hive, and all the hive has is us. We’ll be fine. Stop worrying. Bug up.”

[Meanwhile, back at Ponyville in the Castle of Friendship.]

In the kitchen, Shining kept a close eye on the youngsters busy cleaning up the mess from a late breakfast.

"You're doing great, every creature. You'll have this whole kitchen done in no time."

Spike said nothing, only handing over another plate for Smolder to dry off and stack. Smolder, however, was getting tired of this punishment.

"Shouldn't we be resting and not stressing ourselves? I only have one arm ya know."

Ever determined, Shining stood his ground.

"And rest you shall… Once your chores are done.”

Just in time to be their savior, Becky walked in to check up on things.

“Afternoon everyone. Did you all get some sleep finally?”

Looking into the kitchen and everyone at work, Becky had to question how things had gotten to go this far. Spike was washing the dishing, Smolder was drying, Sandbar was wiping down all the counters, Gallus was mopping the floor with Yona drying it with rags behind him, and then one person she would never have expected was stacking the dried dishes in the high cabinets on the far side of the kitchen.

“Justin?!”

Becky couldn't believe it. There he was… Shirtless, shoeless, stripped down to a pair of shorts, leaning back to see who had called out to him, only to then lose his balance, flail his arms and fall flat on his ass. However, the feminine voice that spoke was nothing that Justin would have complained with.

“Ow! How can humans keep their balance on two legs with no tail or wings? And this skin is so slippery on a wet floor.”

And in an instant, Becky could have kicked herself for being duped so easily.

“Damn, Ocellus. You're turning into humans now?”

Curling up and shifting back into her pony form, Ocellus sat with a frown.

“I had another tummy ache, and Uncle Jay is the hardest thing I can shift my body into without getting into trouble. I need to use up more of this stupid love everyone keeps feeding me… I use more energy holding a form I’m not used to. And don't call me Ocellus. I'm Water Bug, now.”

After everything these kids had gone through, Becky knew they had it rough. Now, with the added info from her day at the hospital, she knew they needed some added reinforcement. So, she started to walk toward Ocellus and spoke as sweetly as she could.

“I'm sorry, Water Bug. I forgot the name change. And I'm not mad at you. I just really miss Uncle Jay, and I imagine you do, too. Right?”

Quick to jump on the bandwagon, Smolder added her sentiments.

“Lord Ember said Cerberus was the strongest human there is. He’s coming back to us. Isn’t he? I wanna hear more stories about all the asses he kicked.”

Spike, finishing the last dish in the sink, finally spoke up, sounding sad in his delivery when he asked, “Does he even want to come back since Rarity and Fluttershy dumped him?”

The entire mood of the room dropped with Spike’s question, and Becky felt the blow landing on her harder than anyone else in the room. Even still, she had to remain optimistic.

“Of course, Justin wants to come back to us. He just… Spike, there is a lot you don’t know about Justin. Not all of his problems were with Rarity and Fluttershy, and they know they made a mistake. I’ve been one of his best friends since we were kids, all of us still are. We're his family now, and not even all of us could help him with the issues he’s still trying to fix. I wished he would have stayed here with us, but I know he’s getting more help with Cadance right now than he would have here. He just needs time to heal up and feel better.”

She took another look around the room, seeing the depth of cleaning all the kids were engaged in, which confused her.

“Are you guys cleaning the whole kitchen top to bottom? How big of a mess did you make this morning?”

To answer this, Shining stepped in to explain.

“Actually, since every creature slept in so late and disobeyed your strict instructions, I decided a little extra work was in order to help remind them of who's in charge. Let them know what happens when they don’t listen and do what’s best for them.”

And just like that, Becky’s mood soured, and she glared at Shining.

“What? Shining?” She quickly turned to the rest of the kids. “Everyone, stop what you’re doing. You’re done. Gallus and anyone else who wants to go to the Apple farm, clean yourselves up, and get ready to go.”

Slowly, all the youngsters walked out of the kitchen, leaving Becky to talk with Shining, which she didn’t exactly know how to approach.

“Shining… I know you were trying to help, but did the kids do anything after I left to make you think they needed to be punished more than what I said they should do?”

Stuck without a defense prepared, Shining didn’t have a response prepared.

“I just thought that… No… You know what's best for them, and they're not listening to you. But I’m also in charge of protecting them while I’m here, and I was supposed to go with you this morning. If I can't protect you when you're out taking care of others, I thought I should at least make sure your orders are being enforced here while you're gone. Even beyond that, discipline will help keep them safe.”

Becky ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the counter. She thought for a moment and gave herself a brief pause to breathe before responding.

“I didn't want them to clean the entire kitchen. Just cleaning up after themselves would be annoying but not enough to stress them out. That and Spike usually ends up doing most, if not all, of the cleaning by himself, so I imagine he ends up feeling left out. Sandbar and Silverstream have a hard time walking around as it is, and all of them need to pace themselves with what they can do. A few dishes was a task so small, meant to remind them that they can't get away with everything but not make me look like a bitch for coming down too hard on them… They don't need their time here made to be any harder for them when they still don't understand why Harmony put them through hell.”

She thought all her finer points laid out, but one final obvious blunder struck her last moment that she had to blurt out.

“Sandbar wasn’t even here last night to watch the movie or stay up late. Neither was Water Bug! Goddamn it, Shining.”

All Shining could do was stare at the floor, leaving Becky to need to comfort him as well.

“Shining, sweety,” she softly said, lifting up his chin so they could look each other in the eye. “It’s fine. It's not like you yelled at them or were beating them. And they need a strong authority figure to keep them in check.”

As much as Shining wanted to take in Becky’s kindness, he was still cursing himself for letting her down. But then she smiled, talking to him with even more encouragement.

“We can be a team on this. Good cop, bad cop. Now they know you’ll back me up if they step out of line. Just talk to me first next time. I’m still figuring out how much help they still need and what all they need help with. We’re both going to make mistakes.”

There it all was again. Shining was getting lost in her eyes, drawn into her touch, and wanting more than he thought he should.

“Speaking of bad cop,” he softly said, carefully pulling Becky’s hands down into his front hooves and holding them gently together out in the open between the two of them. “I can be your support for helping to take care of the young delegates, but my first and foremost responsibility is to take care of you. And I can't do that if I don't know where you are.”

Becky tilted her head slightly at that statement, drawing an inquisitive look about her. The second Shining saw her reaction, his response was to pull back on his approach and take as much advice from Twilight as he could implement.

“Right now, I'm filling in as Twilight’s Commanding Officer while Cutter is with Peter in Canterlot. There's still a lot of grey area to be worked out with how the Lunar Guard and Twilight Guard work together and share information. Even if they know me, it's not exactly the same as when I worked in the Solar Guard, or even the Crystal Guard, which was never as close as we would have liked.”

Throughout this brief introduction of Shining’s explanation, Becky never pulled away, though her expression showed that she was lost with where he was going.

At the very least, he still had her attention and continued doing his best, appearing cordial and smiling as though it were a simple misunderstanding.

“I had no idea you left early this morning. And while it's fine that you were with Midnight and the others, I trust them; your safety is still my overall responsibility, and I was worried about the change of plans made without me.”

Becky’s smile grew with a slight flush, subtly shaking while she tried to respond.

“What? You were asleep? The Lunar Guard takes over between sundown and sunrise. And the guards there always come back with us anyway. Why would you need to be woken up for me going to work early?”

Thinking fast on his hooves, Shining came back with his own counterquestion.

“If there was a change in Peter’s daily procedural routine that could have put his health at risk while he was here, wouldn't you have wanted to be made aware of it, even if they had to wake you up early?”

For a moment, Becky thought she could easily come back with something to shoot his line of thinking down. Unfortunately, the logic behind it is what made her come to her senses.

“Oh… right… We did kinda just leave you in the dust, didn't we? And this is your job… And I owe you for saving my life and everything, so I'm sorry about that, but I need you now. I think I need to see Luna, if you can make that happen… and maybe have some time to chat with the kids after that. Just let me know what you need from now on.”

[Upstairs in the Young Delegates Room.]

While all were quiet so as not to wake Flurry Heart from her nap, Smolder had some steam to vent while under her breath.

“What's up with Prince Shining making up more work for us to do? It was only one movie we watched after hours.”

Angry, but without the ability to properly voice her own complaints, Yona glared vehemently and gave a nod in agreement.

“Mmm-hmm.”

More sore than angry, Sandbar glanced over at the laptop.

“What I wanna know is how she knew what you watched.”

Hovering overhead in her pony form, Silverstream gasped in amazement as her imagination came up with an idea.

“Hey, guys! What if she gained superpowers from destroying the first Harmony while it had control of us?!”

She tapped a forehoof to the shard on her neckless, allowing her body to return to her hippogryph form after the twisting lights faded off around her. It wasn't something she needed to do in private, but her natural state allowed access to her claws, which she wiggled deviously in front of Sandbar while sporting a wicked grin.

“Only instead of controlling what goes into our mind, Becky can pull out our thoughts. Now, no chosen future heroes of Equestria will ever get away with breaking curfew ever again. Mwah-Ha-Ha-Ha!”

As stupid as Silverstream’s delivery was, not to mention her idea, everyone laughed. However, not to be outdone, Ocellus reared up to her back legs, seamlessly growing out her forelegs into long, slender arms. Her fur became a paler white skin, and her mane was replaced with locks of auburn. Still in her shorts, she pulled off a bed sheet and draped it over her head and shoulders, letting the rest fall over her bare chest to cover up the portions she didn't know how to properly recreate. From the sides, she allowed her new feminine hands and arms to creep out from the makeshift cloak.

“What amazing and frightening creatures these new protectors be,” she eerily hushed to the others in a darker, more heavy version of Becky’s voice as she crept closer to the center of the room. “Humans, we call them. But what really are they? Warriors who crush our enemies? Healers that mend us? …Entertainers who guard their movies with—”

“DOLLY!”

Wam!

Not being quiet enough, the small group had woken Flurry from her afternoon nap, and nothing was standing in her way from her favorite resident human of the castle. Of course, the lack of awareness from Ocellus left her wide open to the assault of a high-speed tackle hug, sending her down flat on her back with a thud.

“Gah! Flurry! Dolly is downstairs. I'm Water Bu—Damn it. I am not Becky.``

Lifting Flurry up in her hands, and did Ocellus ever appreciate how dexterous those limbs could be, her body began shifting back to her pony form. The whole time, Flurry wiggled and giggled as if they were in the middle of some game. The fingers holding around her sides pulled back down into the hardened hooves just as the long, skin-covered arms became thin Earth pony forelegs. All of the beautiful womanly features and hair retreated back to the bare and empty pony frame and uninteresting mane, but it was still the friendly smile from Ocellus that returned.

For Flurry, she was still doing what only a foal her age would do.

“Up! Up! Dolly, up! Dolly! Air-baihn! Air—”

Without warning, Flurry suddenly stopped her little game and looked down at the pony holding her up with great confusion and concentration. There was no fear in her eyes or any sign of distress. It was more as though she was searching for something or trying to understand who she was looking at. Even her tiny hooves feeling over the forelegs of Ocells gave the impression that perhaps the transformation wasn't the best idea, so Ocellus lowered the young foal down to her belly to sit.

“See? Just me. Remember my name? Water Bug?”

Carefully, Flurry thumped her right hoof over Ocellus’s chest. She tapped it once, twice, then rubbed both her front frogs out coarsely to feel past the fur and reach the skin underneath.

Curious to what the young foal was up to, Ocellus asked, “Flurry? That tickles. What are you-ack! Ow!”

Before the question could be fully asked, Flurry had dropped herself down and was wrenching down with a bear hug around Ocellus.

“PLAY!”

Unfortunately, playing was the last thing Ocellus wanted.

“GET HER OFF!”

Gallus, being the closest and honestly a little frightened, closed the distance and grabbed Flurry off from Ocellus in one quick yank. While it was a quick yank, he was surprised how much force was needed to pull the young filly off.

“Woah there, little Princess. Playing a little rough today, aren't ya?”

Unlike usual, Flurry began to fidget and fight back while being held. More than that, she was whining and groaning, twisting and flapping her wings, trying to pry herself free.

Meanwhile, Ocellus was doubled over on the floor, clenching her gut and groaning in pain, prompting Sandbar to rush to her side and try to comfort her.

“Water Bug, did she squeeze you too har—”

“Don’t touch me!” Ocellus barked, swiping her hoof at Sandbar’s to keep him at bay. “My tummy… It hurts. I need to go!”

Without another word or anyone else having the chance to help, Ocellus sprang to all fours and bolted out the door.

Everyone left behind was bewildered at what just happened. That was, everyone except for Gallus struggling to hold onto Flurry who was flapping so hard she was pulling him closer to the open door, her forehooves still reaching out.

“Big Dolly! PLAY!”

Gallus couldn't believe this foal’s strength. He could barely hold on.

“One of you close the door and get Becky or Shining! Something is seriously wrong with this kid! Grab her Whammy! That usually calms her down!”

As Yona went to block the door, Lunar Guards took post, two out in front, two more chasing after Ocellus, and two more that entered the room. The two in the room closed the door behind them but stood in bewilderment at the young princess screaming with tear-filled eyes. Silverstream tried to offer the crying filly a plushie of a large snail, but it was knocked to the ground by Flurry, finally escaping from Gallus.

Unfortunately, with the door closed as well as enchanted, Flurry was left circling the room until giving up and landing behind the closest bed to the door. She was frustrated and confused, yet demanded only one thing.

“WANT BIG DOLLY!”

Author's Note

So, then. After a nice holiday break, we return to the wonderful world that lies beyond the Trixie Bridge. What we find is that Becky is still in way over her head with pony romance and understanding how she might fit in with it. On the bright side, it seems like just about everypony is being respectful and able to control themselves. Although, Redheart is still a wild one.

Also, Shining doesn't fully have the best grasp on how to play his role. Especially not with the kids. More on that in a bit.

Otherwise, moving on to the trouble in Mount Everhoof... Yeah, big emphasis on trouble. There seems to be a bit of a rough going for our trio looking for their escape. Blindness, injuries, exhaustion, butting heads, mistrust... starvation.

Also, somehow, Thorax started to remember something that probably would have been a memory better left locked away. A little comic lore throne in there, showing what happened after the defeat of the changelings in Caterlot via the power of love from Cadance and Shining *Cough* Harmony *Cough*. Although, in that second pic Yes, that was an edit by me. it seems that one of the changelings didn't stick the landing, so, Harmony did what Harmony did to keep her illusions alive and removed what she didn't want to be seen.

Kind of odd that Thorax was able to recall that... as well as bleed.

Yeah, defiantly gotta say Thorax is having an off day and is going to need some help.

At the same time, kinda funny that the disruption has caused such a stir that even the other changelings have noticed the proverbial glitch in the matrix. Sadly, though, their perception of the glitch is far more lacking.

ANYWAY!

Things back in Ponyville ended off rather... oddly. We knew Shining was struggling, but now he's just trying too hard. That might be a problem because all of the kids are having problems of their own, and even the one we probably thought was the most well-off, that being Ocellus, seems like her blessing of love is coming back with some side effects finally.

What's going to happen with all the Big Dolly Energy and excess Love Magic? What can we expect to see happen with our two runaway changelings in vastly different environments?

No one will know but me until the release of:

Chapter 12.
Excess Love & Misplaced Devotion: I Am The Hive.

Also, acknowledgments to my story support:

The Fan Without a Face:

Editor for Chapters 01 - 03, 5, 7

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