Chrysalis' unexpected Life

Chapters

Red Bug.
A What?.
The Therapy - Part 02.
Sicklings.
The Therapy - Part 03.
Steve Carter.
The Friendship Festival.
Friendship 101.
ClearBloom.
The Therapy - Part 04 - Final.
The White Queen.
Mommyshy and Dadcord.
Batmare.
Too many babies.
Rainbow Dash.
What do you know?.
What are you going to do?.
What did you do?.
Celestia - Final.
The Tour.
The Therapy - Part 01.
Ponies and Bees.

Red Bug.

Red Bug after saying goodbye to the still princess Celestia had to return to her office in the hive to pick up some things she would need for the therapy sessions with Celestia, she needed a couple of psychology books, some books on the history of the changelings and Equestria, she needed to bring Mr. Cuddles, some clothes, her plant, along with some more things like her notebooks and her office ornament, but first of all, she had to talk to Princess Luna so she could provide her with a residence in Canterlot.

The changeling asked a couple of guards of Celestia's army, for the location of Princess Luna, who answered her in a very bad way for being one of those responsible for Celestia's imprisonment, and even though all the guards had been informed about the reasons for Celestia's imprisonment, they still saw with annoyed eyes a changeling wandering freely through the castle and its surroundings, sometimes following her very closely waiting for her to do something illegal, arguing that they were only 'strolling' during their free time.

Luna had left express and very clear orders that the changelings would no longer be considered enemies and that they would slowly integrate into the society of Equestria openly, and even though everyone had to accept the new orders of Princess Luna, the vast majority of Celestia's guards did not like the news and many of them who were completely loyal to Celestia, simply could not accept that order, causing some desertions and quarrels between Celestia's and Luna's guards.

The Thestral had no problem seeing a changeling in the castle, for centuries they were pariahs of the society where Celestia did little or nothing to improve their integration generating much ignorance about their race and almost turning them into a legend, but the princess allowed them to remain in the ranks by simple tradition but above all, because they were the only ones who could fulfill the work of night watch efficiently, so they felt a certain level of empathy for the new group that wanted to open up and belong to Equestria, they also had a lot of sympathy for the changelings because thanks to them their princess of the night was the new regent of Equestria, of course, this last part was not spread openly but they heard rumors and hallway conversations that heated the tempers quickly between the two groups of guards.

Red Bug was losing her patience because for every guard that gave her the correct location of Princess Luna, there were three or four that told her the opposite with the simple interest of making it as difficult as possible for the changeling to find the princess of the night, and Red Bug had no way of knowing which guard was telling her the truth and which was not, and after wasting all day going from one place to another of the castle she had no other options but to wait for the change shift and ask one of the thestral for the location of Princess Luna.

But what Celestia's guards didn't know was that Red Bug had a positive attitude, it was always easy for her to find the good side of every situation, and she never let frustration get the better of her.

The changeling after eating something was enjoying the castle garden when she saw that the stars were moving, meaning that Luna was on her balcony using her magic to move the sun and the moon, Red Bug flew in the direction of Luna's balcony and waited patiently for the princess to finish moving the stars before talking to her, The changeling could tell that Luna had to work a little harder to move the sun than the moon, after the princess finished her work she noticed the changeling flying near the balcony and went into her room leaving the window open so that Red Bug could enter.

"It seems like a very difficult job to move the sun and moon on a daily basis." Said the changeling landing.

"Not many times have I moved the sun, it is of a larger volume and that consumed me a little more magic than anticipated but it won't be anything that in a couple of weeks I will get used to perform, even though I would like Twilight or Cadance to assist me from time to time so that they also learn the basics of this spell since I being the only one who can do it at the moment it is a very high risk if something were to happen to me and no one else could move the stars."

"And haven't you thought of some magical object that would make that job easier?, something like a talisman or a magic stone?"

"A talisman would require to be made of a special material of very high resistance to withstand the magical pressure required for the work and the same would be true if I used some magic stone, even though it is an interesting approach and worth doing some research, but what brings you here?"

"I would like to know if you could provide me with accommodations in Canterlot so I can work with your sister more directly and not have to travel from the hive to Canterlot so many times, at least for the first few weeks while I do a psychological profile on her."

"Of course, you can stay at the castle as long as you wish and I can assign a couple of guards to assist you in your work, do you need anything else?"

"I prefer a dwelling in the City, today when I was looking for you I took advantage of an unexpected tour of the castle and your rooms are not... personally they are too big for my tastes but thank you for the offer, and I need something else, if you could provide me with a medical record of Celestia, it is simply to know if at any time she had any important injury during a combat, either with Chrysalis or any other villain, it is to take notes in case it is necessary when I talk to her."

Luna thought about it for a moment.

"Celestia's medical records are relatively new as are mine, at best a hundred years old and I don't think they would be of much use to you for what you need, but I remember our fights very well and with what she told me after I returned, I imagine I would be a more complete source for what you need."

"That would serve me well for what I need, when do you think you have time to talk?."

"It would have to be next week because these days I'm going to have too much bureaucratic work here at the castle, I have to talk to a lot of nobles, businessmen, farmers, ambassadors, and anyone else I need to explain to that they shouldn't worry about the change in power or that I'm not going to remove some treaty or contract made with my sister, everything will stay exactly the same, just with Twilight and I at the lead."

"Then I will go back to the hive for some things I need to start as soon as possible the therapy with Celestia, I was planning to start tomorrow but... it wasn't possible."

"Have a safe trip, I'm going to get you housing near the castle for when you get back and I'll schedule a free afternoon for us to talk calmly."

Red Bug said goodbye to Luna and retreated from the castle to the train station to head to Appleloosa, and then walk or fly to The Badlands and get to the hive, she didn't know the city but she knew that following the main road she would get to the station and even though it was night and few ponies were wandering around at that hour, she preferred to hurry the pace for safety, most were still afraid and very distrustful to see a changeling wandering the streets, even knowing that they were no longer enemies.

Even though Red Bug was not afraid she felt insecure walking around Canterlot at that time of the night, the gazes of the ponies that crossed her path chased her from the moment they saw her until they disappeared around a corner, and every time she passed near a group of ponies she could hear the murmurs referring to her or her race, making her more nervous and instead of walking she started to trot through the streets.

"Hey you." Shouted a pony that was leaning against the wall of a building approaching the changeling and cutting her off.

"Umm.. hello." Replied Red Bug a little nervously having to look up to see the face of the pony in front of her.

He was a large stallion, white in color, tail, and mane short and very well groomed, he had somewhat red eyes and reeked of alcohol, something that does little to help his unfriendly face, and Red Bug even though she was an adult changeling looked like a mere teenager in comparison.

"You don't... you shouldn't be here." Said the stallion wobbling a bit but managing to stay on all four legs.

"Sorry, I'm just going to the train station, it's in this direction right?". Red Bug asked with a smile hiding her nervousness as best she could.

"Yes, it's at the end of the street in that direction." Replied the stallion indicating the way with his hoof.

"Thanks, have a good night." Replied Red Bug lowering her head clearly nervous and walking as fast as she could but colliding head-on with a hoof that blocked her path.

"Where do you think you're going?" Said the stallion.

"I'm going to the train station."

"You're not going anywhere, because of you Princess Celestia is in prison and we don't like that, do we boys." The stallion grimaced as he looked over at the changeling.

Red Bug raised her gaze to look behind her and was surrounded by several ponies, stallions, and mares, some with and some without armor, there were easily about ten of them, all having had too much to drink and all showing the same grimace as the stallion in front of Red Bug.

"Your race has always been a nuisance to all of us and thanks to you and that bug you call a queen our princess is in prison, and we're going to make you pay for it." Said the pony very annoyed looking Red Bug straight in the eye.

"But-but she was the one who attacked us fir-." The stallion pushed Red Bug very hard into the center of the group causing her to stumble and fall to the ground dropping her glasses, all the ponies around started laughing as they saw the changeling fall with fear in their eyes.

"Captain you shouldn't be so rude to Equestria's newest citizen." Said one of the mares stepping forward and offering a hoof in friendship to Red Bug to get up. "Are you all right dear?" Asked the mare with a smile to the changeling.

"Yes... thank you." Replied Red Bug getting up from the ground, wiping off the dirt, and looking for her glasses with her eyes.

"Well, that's too bad." Said the mare with a grimace before pushing Red Bug to the ground and laughing again.

Red Bug panicked and tried to escape in any direction but every time she tried to stand up one of the ponies around her pushed her to the ground again and laughed loudly, at that moment her mind locked up and her survival instinct took over making her take a fetal position to protect her vital organs while a barrage of laughter and kicks assaulted her body.

The changeling did not notice when her attackers stopped as she was still in a fetal position but when she looked up she could see some dark figures that were face to face with her aggressors and from her position she could only hear some things.

"Captain... take detained...aggression." Said the dark figure in armor.

"I don't...for defending... bugs." Replied the stallion.

Red Bug took the moment to stand up and quickly step out of the circle of ponies surrounding her and stand behind the dark figure next to a pair of guards who nodded to her and quickly stepped in front of her intending to protect her.

"You and your squad attacked a changeling directly, even after hearing directly from Princess Luna about them no longer being our enemies and now being considered citizens of Equestria."

"We are not going to accept a stupid order and allow those things to live among us." Said the captain of Celestia's guard, to which some who accompanied him also said similar things.

"Not only are you disobeying a direct order from Princess Luna, you also performed a racist attack against a citizen of Equestria and incited your squad to participate."

"She is not my princess, our princess is in prison because of that monster and his entire race." Shouted the guard bumping his head against the thestral's but the latter did not flinch.

"Captain I ask you for the last time to desist and accompany us peacefully, I don't want to have to use violence against a fellow soldier."

"Don't try to intimidate me night rat and look behind me, we outnumber you -." Said the stallion with a malicious grimace as his comrades approached and slowly surrounded the small group of thestrals and Red Bug. "- I'm no math expert but I think twelve is greater than three."

The group laughed as they slowly closed the circle on their next victims, the thestral and his two companions closed their formation preparing to fight leaving Red Bug at their center to protect her.

"THEN HOW GOOD OF THEE TO ARRIVE TO EVEN THE SCALES." Said a winged figure that descended from the sky and landed behind the captain of Celestia's guard, along with her came a dozen night guards.

"Prin-princess Luna?." Said a guard surprised to see the night regent herself.

"Captain, would you be so kind as to explain the situation to me?". Asked the princess with a firm tone addressing the thestral.

"The officer here physically attacked this changeling in the act of racism, incited his subordinates to participate, claims not to recognize your orders, and resists arrest."

"I see, do you have anything to say in your defense captain?, those are very serious crimes." Luna asked now addressing Celestia's guard.

The stallion turned and stood up as much as possible to be at the same height as Luna and look her in the eyes but he still had to raise his gaze a little.

"We will not follow the orders of a traitor like you." Said the stallion with anger in front of the princess's face, raising one of his hooves and trying to push the princess, Luna took a step back but it wasn't because of the force of the push, it was because of the stinking stench of alcohol coming from the stallion's muzzle.

"You dare to attack a princess?, do you know the gravity of what you just did?" Luna asked angrily to the stallion who stepped forward.

"So what if I did?, what is your royal majesty going to-." The stallion disappeared in a flash of blue light that came from the horn of the princess of the night, leaving only emptiness in its place.

"What-what did she do to him?" Asked a shocked mare.

"The punishment for attacking a princess is exile, so I sent him to the moon." Luna replied emotionlessly as the group of rebel guards approached. "Anyone else wants to try his luck with me?, or are all of you going to go peacefully to prison."

"But-but you can't do that, what's going to happen to his family."

"You all know the law as well as I do and if you continue to resist arrest I'm going to have to be forced to intervene." Luna replied shining her horn brightly.

The guards looked at each other and gnashed their teeth, lowered their heads, and began to walk slowly in the direction of the castle, one of the Thestral approached the princess.

"Princess are you alright?, do you need anything?."

"I'm fine, thank you for defending Red Bug, perhaps we would be mourning the worst if you hadn't shown up."

"Tempers are very hot among the troops loyal to Celestia, they did not take the news of their princess being imprisoned very well, many of us have heard murmurings about the unfairness of Celestia's situation and if I may say so it is possible that soon a revolt will rise up to try to free your sister."

"I know, but for the moment I can't do anything, I knew that things like this would happen and that's why I want to start the integration of the changelings to Equestria gradually and in focused places where problems like these will not arise, I just hope that eventually the mood will calm down and everyone will see that the war is in the past, but if a revolt with the flag of my sister arises, I will not hesitate to stop it and defend this nation."

The thestral took his leave of the princess and joined his companions to escort the group of guards to the Canterlot prison, Red Bug approached Luna.

"Thanks for the help princess Luna, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't arrived." the changeling wiped off the dirt and began to search carefully for her glasses.

"My job is to see to the safety of all my subjects and allies." Luna saw Red Bug's glasses and picked them up to pass them to the changeling. "I think you're looking for this, are you hurt?."

"Just a couple of bumps but nothing serious, thanks anyway." Replied the changeling stretching out her hoof to grab her glasses but realized something. "Awww... my glasses broke." She ended up saying sadly.

"Do you have another pair to replace them?."

"I have another pair in my office at the hive, but now I don't know if I can make it to the station."

"If you want I can walk you to the train station, or if you prefer I can transport us both to the hive."

"To the station would be fine, I like to travel by train, plus I know some changelings who live near Appleloosa who can take me to the hive."

"Then let's go." Luna replied starting to walk along with Red Bug in the direction of the train station, chatting pleasantly during the trip.

"And what are you doing in this place, I thought you were at the castle."

"I was on patrol dutyyy.... trotting, I was on trotting duty through the area, it's good exercise, improves circulation, and tones the body."

"Oooookey..." Replied the changelings without believing the princess too much. "But did you really send that pony to the moon?, I'm no expert in biology but I don't think a normal stallion would live a thousand years."

Luna opened her eyes wide and was silent for a moment before turning on her horn for a second.

"I think... one year in prison will be enough for a pony.... from now on." Replied the princess turning her head to the side avoiding looking at the changeling as her horn lit up a couple more times.

"Princess, did you send any more ponies to the moon?" The changeling asked with intrigue.

"Nnnnoooo?." Luna replied trying to sound confident.

"Are you sure?" Red Bug asked again.

"Ohhhh look, it's the train station." Luna pointed her hoof into the distance before turning on her horn and in a flash of light they were both at the station. "It was nice talking to you Red Bug but I have a lot of work to do at the castle and I need to find a doctor for a completely unrelated issue of malnutrition from being in a sterile environment have a safe trip bye."

"But Lu-." Red Bug was interrupted by a bright flash of blue light that completely blinded her and when she was able to open her eyes to see she realized that Princess Luna was flying quickly towards Canterlot castle, leaving the changeling with many questions she didn't know if she wanted to know the answers to.

"Good evening miss... where are you headed?" Asked an elderly stallion, he was one of the ponies working at the station.

"Hello, I'm going to Appleloosa, and you're not afraid of me?." Asked the changeling curiously.

"Miss, I'm too old to be afraid." Replied the stallion with a laugh before looking at his watch. "The train to Appleloosa should be here in less than an hour."

"Thanks, I'll rest for a moment while I wait, could you wake me up if I fall asleep?". Asked the changeling with a smile.

"Of course, I'll be in my office if you need anything, have a good night."

The stallion said goodbye and retreated to his small office leaving the changeling alone in the station, Red Bug yawned loudly and laid down on one of the benches to sleep, she had had a lot of emotions this day and really needed the rest.

Author's Note

I intend to add stories every Sunday or at least once a week, I know I said I would do the first part of Celestia's therapy, but when I started writing it turned out that much of Red Bug's story was more about her than the therapy itself, and it will help also for the context of how things are going on in Equestria after Celestia's imprisonment.

I promise that the next story will be about Celestia's therapy, and as always if you have an idea please feel free to comment.

See you in a few days. :twilightsmile:

A What?.

Chrysalis had recently arrived home after dropping Clear Spark off at school and had a lot of free time since Apple Bloom had offered to bring the colt home in the afternoon, the two little ones spent a lot of time together and the queen knew why as well as AppleJack, but Clear Spark still didn't realize the filly's feelings, The two got along very well and cared a lot for each other but no one wanted to rush the little ones, they wanted their relationship to grow naturally, Chrysalis for her part being able to live without having to hide anymore and with some changelings visiting and helping out in Ponyville, She was having a lot more free time than she thought and had some evenings where she had nothing to do, it was comforting the first few days but being a monarch for a thousand years she was used to having busy days and didn't like the feeling of sitting around all day and watching the emptiness, She could read or sleep, but reading was not one of her major hobbies and the ponies already had somepony from the royalty that filled that quota, on the other hoof sleeping was tempting but she had already tried it and at night she could not sleep since her body had rested.

After finishing tidying up the house and checking if she needed to buy anything the queen left towards town, she didn't need anything special apart from food for her cat and she had all day to get it so she could walk around a bit and maybe have a drink at Sugarcube Corner when Pinkie had her rest, but when she left the house she saw a couple of changelings sitting under a tree that greeted her as she left, the queen returned the greeting and went on her way.

When she returned home in the afternoon she saw that the pair of changelings were still talking under the tree, she greeted them again and went into the house to prepare lunch before Clear Spark arrived with Apple Bloom, normally the filly when she accompanies Clear Spark to the house stays a while to do homework together and play for a while in his room, so the queen has to cook thinking of three, and as she had thought the filly stayed to have dinner, talk a little about her days and play before returning to the farm.

The next day the queen had to do almost the same routine, but when she left the house she noticed that in front of her home, there were now half a dozen changelings under the tree and they were building a campfire, The queen was curious to know what they were doing but she had given them the freedom to try new things and look for jobs as long as they did not cause harm to anyone, so the queen could deduce that they wanted to try camping since after the tour many changelings called their attention, that was something normal in the most experienced soldiers who had long missions, but for a large number of changelings who rarely left the hive it was something new and exciting.

Chrysalis strolled around town and decided to visit some of her friends but unfortunately, they were all busy with something or other, Rarity was in the middle of a special request for Twilight, she needed a new dress for the grand gallop gala as well as Princess Luna, Cadance, and basically all her friends, including the queen.

Pinkie always had her days busy at Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy was taking care of her animals strangely helped by Discord, who lately was taking much more interest and taking much more care of the yellow pegasus, many had noticed it but at the moment of mentioning it to them, they just deflected the topic.

No one knew where Rainbow was since usually after working in the weather of Ponyville she go to sleep on a cloud or the top of a tree, but recently she was also disappearing to train her aerial routines, she didn't want to miss the practice.

Twilight was in Canterlot fulfilling her new duties as princess regent of Equestria with Luna, she had little work and most of it was administrative, but she was studying hard in her free time to help Princess Luna in everything she could, the young alicorn could usually be seen on weekends in Ponyville and for important dates.

Spike was in charge during the week of running the castle library along with Starlight and informing Twilight of any important events happening in town, which was saying a lot since they lived in Ponyville.

The only one left free to be able to talk or help her with anything was AppleJack, so the queen walked in the direction of the farm, when she arrived she found Big Mac along with a couple of changelings ordering some barrels and some crates of apples into a couple of carts, it seemed they had a big delivery to make.

"Hey guys, how long have you been working here?". Asked the queen to the changelings.

"Hello Queen Chrysalis." They responded cheerfully to the greeting. "We started this week working on the farm, it's fun and besides Leaf Storm wanted to get out of the hive and raise some money to start his painting business."

"It's good to see you again, I see you've made a lot of progress on your fear, and tell me, are they treating you well?."

"Ummm... yes, Big Mac is very patient with me and... and he doesn't talk much, which helps me a lot... a lot to be able to interact with him and... I don't suffer from anxiety attacks in front of... ponies like before."

The queen raised her head and looked the huge stallion straight in the face which only nodded.

"It's good that you were able to advance so far that you are even trying to work with ponies now, I'm happy for you." Said the queen with a smile.

"Thank you, work ummm... work is not hard and Big Mac understands me when... when I get anxiety and I don't... can't leave the house."

"Always remember to take care of your health first and don't forget your passion for painting, your paintings are the best I've seen in a long time, and have they seen AppleJack?."

"AppleJack is down south, finishing up some apple bucking." Big Mac replied.

"Thank you, have a nice day." The queen said goodbye and flew south in search of the farm pony, after a couple of minutes in the air and following the sound of somepony gently tapping some trees (yeah sure :ajsmug: ) the queen landed near AppleJack who was marking down on a map the trees she had already bucked.

"Good morning AppleJack, how's the harvest coming along?" Asked the queen approaching her friend.

"Hello Chrysalis, what brings you here, nothing to do at home again?"

"A little, since the ponies now give us free love we always have our love reserves to the max, which gives me too much free time since I don't have to plan raids and attacks on villages."

"Actually the changelings are very helpful here on the farm, a little food and a couple of hugs are all they need but with Big Mac anyway we wanted to give them a wage for their work, I don't like the idea of having them working for free even if they don't mind."

"I hear you, and with Luna we are reviewing laws and ways to solve that, we know that at some point somepony will try to take advantage of my little changelings by offering them far lesser pay than a pony for the same work."

"At least that won't happen here in Ponyville, even though a whole lot more changelings have arrived than I expected."

"I've also heard that a small community settled in Appleloosa and is working with your cousins, but since I'm here do you need me to help you with the harvest?"

"I could use your help to finish before sunset." AppleJack looked at the trees around her. "You can start with those over there that are ready, when I finish marking my map I'll join you." Said the mare pointing to the trees behind the queen but not referring to none in particular, the queen approached one and hit it hard but no apple fell, she hit it again a couple more times but nothing was happening.

"There's some special technique for this because..." She bucked again to no avail. "...Because this is not working." Finished saying the queen before turning and looking at the tree somewhat quizzically.

"It's because those apples still have a couple of days to go, that's why I was telling you to start with the ones that were ready, like this one here." AppleJack gently rocked a tree to which several apples fell to the ground.

"And how can you tell the difference?, they look exactly the same?" Asked the queen picking up one of the apples from the ground.

"I don't really know." Replied the mare somewhat confused. "Does it have something to do with my name being AppleJack?, and that I grew up on an apple farm?, or that I have an apple on my Cutie Mark?." The farm pony was a lousy liar but she knew how to handle sarcasm perfectly.

"Why don't you buck the trees and I'll pick apples."

"That would be the best." Aj replied with a chuckle.

After a couple of hours of apple picking and small talk, both figures carried the fruits of their hard work to the barn for a bite to snack before the queen had to pick up her son from school.

"I still don't understand how you can tell the difference between trees." Commented the queen sipping a cup of juice as she sat down at the table.

"What can I tell you, it's years of experience." Replied the pony. "And have you thought about what to do with all this free time?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's not that I don't like your company here on my farm and I appreciate your help, but you come to visit a lot and I was already thinking about what an apple Cutie Mark would look like on a changeling's flank." The pony looked at the queen's flank making a mental image. "Have you thought about looking for a part-time job?". AppleJack also sat at the table but with a couple of sliced apples on a plate.

"A part-time job?" Wondered the queen raising an eyebrow. "I hadn't thought about it, I used to have a lot of work at the hive when I lived in The Badlands, but now I have my life here in Ponyville and the hive basically runs itself, even though a job might get me out of the house a couple of days a week."

"And is there anything that catches your eye?." Asked the pony eating a piece of fruit.

"Do you think Spike or Starlight need help at the castle?."

"You could ask them, and what do you think about trying the mayor's office?, surely you would be helpful with your experience as queen."

"Lots of paperwork, I could also ask Fluttershy if she needs help with her animals at the sanctuary, or Pinkie if she could recommend me for a part-time job at Sugarcube Corner."

"I know Fluttershy needs all the help she can get with her animals, but money is not something she has to spare, many times she can't afford to make ends meet and she borrows from her parents or us, she feels too embarrassed to do that and tries to gather what little she has left over to pay us back but everyone knows it's for a good cause and we've never asked her to pay it back, better try with Pinkie."

"Yeah... I remember a couple of times she asked me for money or some food from the General. whiskers, I had forgotten, I'm going to try Pinkie."

"And how's the therapy going with Celestia?, has Red Bug accomplished anything yet?" AppleJack asked, taking her empty plate to the sink.

"Not much, although she did ask us to help with an intervention at her first session." The queen in turn took the empty glass and passed it to her friend.

"An intervention?" AJ asked with intrigue.

"Yes, she wanted us to give her an ultimatum: if Celestia didn't want to try therapy she would be locked up in Tartarus for a thousand years, although frankly, I support that idea."

"And do you think it will work?"

"I hope she'll at least think about it, I promised to give Celestia a second chance but if she shows no real interest in doing it, I'm going to send her to Tartarus for a thousand years myself."

"You know you can take a dog to water but you can't force it to drink."

"A dog?" Said the queen curiously. "Are you sure it wasn't some other animal used in that sentence?"

"I don't think so, I've always heard it that way."

"Maybe I misheard, well, thanks for your time and the glass of juice but I must go get Clear Spark at school now." Said the queen hugging her friend and walking to the door.

"See you soon Chrysalis, and tell Apple Bloom that this is still her house and she has to come over for dinner." AppleJack said with a chuckle.

"I'll tell her, future sister-in-law." Replied the queen in kind before heading off to school.

The next day after dropping her son off at school the queen walked around town looking for places where she could work, and saw a few options that caught her eye and offered jobs that were not full-time.

Rarity was an option in Carousel Boutique since she could use a model that could adapt to different sizes of costumes, Sugarcube Corner needed somepony to make some deliveries in town and to nearby places since with the twins it was very difficult and they had had to cancel some orders for the same reason, The post office needed a changeling that could make deliveries on time to other changelings in town, or at least differentiate them since it was something very difficult for the ponies, Since the queen didn't need the money she could also help Fluttershy at the sanctuary a few days a week, she would be very close to home and the yellow pegasus could use a lot of help, another option was to help Spike with the library and Starlight with her spells at the castle and surely Twilight would be much calmer in Canterlot knowing that somepony was taking care of her assistant and her student, her last option was the Spa that somehow always seemed to be short of staff.

It took the queen much longer than imagined to see where she could work in a town as small as Ponyville, there were more options but those were the ones that caught her attention and she could ask during the week about the flexibility of schedule and salary but now she had to talk to AppleJack and ask her if she could take care of Clear Spark for a couple of days while she was in Canterlot, she wanted to be present and know what would happen with Celestia, she also wanted to talk to Fluttershy if she could feed General Whiskers, then she had to go for Clear Spark to the school.

"Again I thank you AJ, it won't be more than three or four days and I don't want my little one to miss school days." Said the queen as she helped her friend close her apple stand.

"Don't worry, I just hope Celestia is up for therapy."

"It's either that or a trip straight to the Tartarus, I'll bring some of Spark's things tomorrow when I drop him off at school." Said the queen as she helped lift the last box onto the cart.

"Thanks for the help and I'll see you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye the queen headed to school for her son but ran into the pegasus she needed to talk to, the pegasus looked more a bit agitated and a bit disheveled, but agreed to the favor of feeding her cat for a few days, that cat never seemed to move but at some point, she would get up and go to eat before continuing to sleep, finally, she arrived at school to pick up her son and tell him she wouldn't be home for a while.

"Did you have a good day today?" Asked the queen to the colt at her side.

"Yes, although a little boring."

"Cheerilee does what she can but not many like to go to school."

The two walked slowly through the village, the colt still learning his way and the queen kept pace with him allowing him to lead the way and only guiding him when necessary so he wouldn't stray too far.

"Son, I'm going to be out of Ponyville for a few days but I've already talked to AppleJack and you're going to stay at her farm while I'm gone."

"Great." Said the colt excitedly. "So I'm going to sleep with Apple Bloom?" Shouted the foal prancing around causing some in the village to blush and laugh at the foal's words not realizing what he had said.

The queen just blushed and tried to sound as serious as possible thanking her son's innocence and not having to give him the talk.

"You're going to... sleep in Apple Bloom's room if that's what you mean."

"And when are you going to leave mom?."

"Tomorrow after I drop you off at school I'm going to leave some of your things at AppleJack's and then I'm leaving for Canterlot, it won't be more than three or four days."

"Are you going to talk to Princess Celestia again?"

"I remind you that she no longer holds the position of a princess, but I don't plan to talk to her, I just want to be present and know what's going to happen to her."

"She scares me, I don't want her to come out." Said the colt lowering his head, the queen just looked at him.

"I don't really like that idea either but she deserves a second chance, like the one I got, or like the one you and I got." The queen stroked the little boy's mane.

"I guess that's true."

They both kept walking until they reached their home, Clear Spark went to his room to do his homework and gather some things he wanted to take to Apple Bloom's, while the queen cooked dinner and thought about her day, and where it would be good for her to work.

Author's Note

The next chapter will be the second part of the therapy and it will surely be a big part of the story in general, and where do you think the queen could work, I will take your ideas into consideration, and depending on what you write I will decide.

Will she be a model? :duck: , or a mailing? :derpyderp1: , will some curious things happen with the animals? :yay: , or some failed experiment with Starlight's spells? :facehoof: , I'm also curious about which ponies go to the Spa :rainbowderp: .

See you next Sunday.

The Therapy - Part 02.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

Chrysalis had left Clear Spark at school and went back home to finish what she had to do before leaving for Canterlot, which consisted of leaving her son's things with AppleJack and talking to Fluttershy who would surely be better today, the day before she seemed a little sick and the queen wanted to make sure that the pegasus was well before asking someone else if she could feed her cat while she was gone, AppleJack could also do that or anyone in town, but before leaving for Ponyville, the queen went to see her winged friend since she was closer to home.

With her son's things in a bag, the queen closed the house and went in the direction of Fluttershy's hut, but at her knock, a tall figure hard to describe but very iconic in his style opened the door, he was wearing an unusually tall chef's hat, an apron that said Kiss the Dracooknequus, and a pot in one of his claws, he looked a bit annoyed and didn't look like he had slept much last night.

"Discord, what are you doing here?"

"I live here, remember?" Said the draconequus sarcastically.

"You live in a parallel dimension of pure chaos, you're just visiting." Replied the queen.

"Yeah, whatever, what do you want?" Asked the god of chaos as he stirred the pot.

"I wanted to know if Fluttershy is going to feed-."

"Your cat, I know, Fluttershy told me last night in bed." Said the draconequus making a waving gesture with his claw.

"Last night in bed?" Asked the queen raising an eyebrow. "What were you doing in bed with Fluttershy last night?".

"For your knowledge, she is feeling sick and I am taking care of her, I am not going to ask her to get up to eat and that is why I am taking food to her in THE BED, in the bed where sick mares rest, besides what I do with my marefriend is none of your or anypony else's business."

"Marefriend?" Asked the queen with a grimace.

"Exactly, she is a mare and she is my friend, mare, friend, marefriend, does my explanation not satisfy you."

"I guess it's not me you have to satisfy now, and I mean food, surely your... marefriend is hungry." Replied the queen winking at the draconequus.

"I don't like the way you bring it up but I have to finish cooking this and I don't have time for you right now."

Discord snapped one of his claws to make the pot disappear and make a broom appear.

"Shu, shu out of here, I must take care of my... friend." Discord said as he swept the queen out of the doorway.

"Friend only?...what happened to mare?" Asked the queen with a grimace.

"Yeah whatever, I'll take care of feeding your cat, have a nice day, bye." Replied the draconequus closing the door quickly and leaving the queen with more answers than questions but only one question on her mind.

"Will she be..." The queen muttered to herself before walking off to AppleJack's farm.

After leaving her son's things and having a short conversation with the apple-loving pony the queen went to the train station to travel to Canterlot and later to the castle, when she arrived at the great capital most of the ponies moved aside to avoid crossing with the queen, she was still an imposing figure and knew how to instill fear with just a look most of the times, but many had already seen her several times in Canterlot wandering freely and had not caused any trouble, besides the news that she lived hidden in peace for a couple of years was known by word of mouth, almost the whole city knew about it but no one talked about it, even though the reasons why she did it or where she lived exactly were never made public.

It was already a little late when the queen arrived at the castle and a couple of guards quickly prevented her passage while staring into her face.

"Where do you think you are going?" Asked one of them gruffly.

"I'm going to the castle to check the leaky plumbing, I heard that some beavers used the pipe to make a dam in the basement, does that answer work for you or do you want some other one with more sarcasm?".

"With that attitude, you're not going anywhere." Replied the other guard.

"I didn't know I needed your permission to transit this area, as far as I knew I am free to come and go as I please, besides I am a queen and the royal delegate of my race in charge of peace and integration of both races."

"You and your stinking race have caused too much trouble to our beloved prin-."

"Do we have a problem here?" Asked a purple figure that appeared out of nowhere behind the guards, wearing her tiara over a very serious, tired, and somewhat annoyed face.

"N-no-no prin-princess Twilight, it's just that she's trying to get into the castle to-."

"Is there any reason to stop her?, did she do something illegal or suspicious to get this treatment from you?"

"No... it's just that..."

"It's just that NOTHING, she's free to transit like any pony in Equestria and unlike you and other guards who share your attitude, she and I are trying to make peace and live together in harmony, so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make our job harder than it is."

"I'm sorry princess."

"A simple sorry won't do, just stick to doing your job and stop causing more trouble than you've already caused."

The guards lowered their heads and allowed the queen to enter the gardens and escort the princess into the castle.

"Wow Twilight, I didn't know you had that personality hidden inside of you." Said the queen somewhat impressed.

"There have been some not-so-friendly things happening towards the changelings these days, like the attack on Red Bug and others, I've slept very little lately and the spell Luna taught me to stay awake longer doesn't help my mood, but what brings you around?"

"I wanted to be present at the castle when you finally decide what to do with Celestia if she doesn't want to do the therapy." Twilight sighed obfuscating at hearing her mentor's name.

"Ugghh." Said the alicorn. "I had completely forgotten that tomorrow Luna and I would be talking to her."

"Don't get tense Twilight, you just have to wait for Celestia's answer, and basically she can decide between two things, try therapy or live in Tartarus, I want her to choose the second one."

"I..." Twilight lowered her head as she walked through the halls of the castle. "...I don't really know, I want her to understand what's wrong and to be able to get her out of there, but then I remember when she attacked me and..." The princess stopped and closed her eyes taking deep breaths to try to calm down, seeming like a habit she had picked up recently, Chrysalis moved a little closer and put her hoof on the young princess to calm her down, Twilight slowly began to control her breathing and opened her eyes to look the queen in the face.

"Thank you." Said the alicorn.

"You're welcome." Replied the queen.

"Are you hungry?, I would like something to eat and would appreciate your company before I have to go to sleep."

"Then let's go, I want to rest for tomorrow too and a train ride doesn't help for that."

Both figures headed to the dining room to enjoy some dishes that were already on the table and accompanied it with a couple of glasses of juice and light conversation, they wished Luna would join them. Still, the princess of the night had more work to do having to descend the sun, ascend the moon and watch over the dreams of the ponies of Equestria along with that of the changelings that now also lived here.

The next morning, Luna, Twilight, Chrysalis, and Red Bug were in front of the dungeon door talking about what they should do and how to approach Celestia.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Luna asked.

"I just want to know what will happen with Celestia and that she won't try anything stupid."

"Fair enough, I would hope that my sister would accept therapy and not have to lock her up in Tartarus for a thousand years, but it's her decision, and are you ready Twilight?"

"I think so... no, I'm ready." Twilight sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"You are forgetting something extremely important, and that is my part in all of this." Said the changeling seriously.

"We know that you will be my sister's psychologist, but the way you express yourself raises a doubt in my mind, could you please clarify?" Luna asked.

"We tricked Celestia by telling her about the ultimatum to change her mind, but how do you know if she does it because she wants to change or if she does it out of fear of confinement?, after you finish your part it will be up to me to decide that in the end, and the only way to prove it is going to be through the sessions, I really want her to change but I have to be sure she is willing to do it."

"I get what you're saying, she could fool Luna, Twilight, or even me, but she's not going to be able to fool you."

"Then come on, I want to get this over with as soon as possible." Twilight said somewhat impatiently walking into the dungeon.

"Twilight is very impatient with all of this." Said the queen.

"She has had a lot of pressure these days, she has had to avoid problems with the guards almost on a daily basis, and for the same reason she has slept very little, I appreciate her help but sometimes I forget that she is still very young and I put her in a very important position, I am going to talk to her and tell her to relax a some." Luna replied and entered the dungeon accompanying Twilight to talk to Celestia.

The former monarch saw Twilight approaching her cell quickly making her a little nervous, she found it hard to believe Chrysalis' words, but seeing the way Luna trotted to catch up with a Twilight who was approaching with a very serious look that showed no desire to speak, something that left no room for subtlety and could only mean that she was coming to lock her in the Tartarus, Celestia's heart skipped a beat, her pupils dilated, she lowered her ears and tucked her tail a little, something she hadn't done for ages, she felt like a little mouse hurt and cornered by two huge hungry cats, she was afraid, very afraid.

Twilight was nervous but thanks to her tiredness and frustration due to the repeated problems caused by the guards she did not show any drop of nervousness, she knew she had to tell Celestia that if she did not accept the therapy she would be locked up for a thousand years, she only hoped that her tone of voice did not show doubt but she had not realized the threatening image she presented in front of Celestia.

Luna quickly approached Twilight, she was not nervous but a little scared, she hoped that her sister would accept the proposal and not have to lock her up for a thousand years, she did not like to suffer that and she knows first hand how difficult it is to adapt to a society and culture that considers you basically a legend.

Arriving in front of the cell Twilight was the first to speak.

"Celestia, we came to-."

"Please don't." Celestia said looking them both straight in the eye.

" Please don't what?" Twilight asked not knowing what she was referring to.

"Please don't send me to Tartarus, I have... I don't want to spend a millennium locked up alone and away from everyone I care about, everyone I love, I..." Celestia dropped onto her haunches and lowered her head.

"Then you know what you must do." Luna said.

"Yes, I will agree to talk to that...to the changeling."

"Unlike what you or your guards think, those things you despise so intensely are changelings, and the CHANGELING that is willing to help you is named Red Bug, so it would be wise for you to learn her name and treat her with respect she deserves." Twilight said seriously.

"I know... I'm sorry."

"Now you're sorry...you have no idea what I've had to do this time, what Red Bug suffered because of you, what they've..." Twilight frowned. "...You are despicable, selfish, and heartless-."

"Twilight." Luna said, raising her voice.

"WHAT." Replied the young alicorn in response.

"Calm down a bit and think before you speak, don't let those ideas flood your mind, you're better than that."

"DO YOU REALLY THINK SHE THOUGHT THIS?" Twilight shouted at Luna. "DO YOU THINK SHE THOUGHT ABOUT YOU?, HOW IT WOULD AFFECT YOU?, HOW IT WOULD BREAK YOUR HEART TO FEEL YOUR IDOL ATTACK YOU?, MAKE YOU BLEED AND TRY TO KIL-."

"TWILIGHT." Luna shouted trying to stop the young alicorn from her train of thought but was unsuccessful.

"I'm leaving, you'll have to finish this without me." Said the young alicorn leaving the dungeon angrily and opening the wooden door abruptly scaring Chrysalis and Red Bug who were on the other side and couldn't hear what was going on inside.

"What happened?" Chrysalis asked in surprise to Twilight who came out of the dungeon and walked past her and continued on her way.

"Just leave me alone." Was all she said before continuing walking.

A guard without knowing what was happening approached Twilight with a scroll and stopped in front of her. "Princess Twilight, we have another-."

"NOT NOW!" Twilight shouted at the guard with all her might almost knocking him to the ground, she closed her eyes and hit her forehead with her hoof a couple of times before continuing on her way.

"That mare needs a long vacation." Commented the queen.

"It's no good if she pushes herself too hard." Replied Red Bug.

Seconds later Luna emerged from the dungeon to find only Chrysalis and Red Bug.

"Where's Twilight?" Asked the princess of the night.

"She's gone." Red Bug replied. "Did something happen in there?"

"Twilight almost exploded in front of my sister but she calmed down enough, she's very stressed."

"You should give her a few days off to relax, I don't like the way she looks, her attitude has changed a lot since the last time I saw her."

"I know, but I can't do much for her now, I recognize that we have a lot of work but I can handle the frustration and tiredness better than her, I already asked Cadance if she can assist me for a couple of days so I can give Twilight a little more time off."

"Good to know, and how did it go with Celestia?".

"Well, she says she's remorseful, she's going to talk to you and do the therapy, but I'm certain she's saying that so she won't be confined for a thousand years in the Tartarus, so now it's up to you."

"Excellent, then I'll retire to my house." Red Bug started walking down the hallway towards the door.

"Aren't you going to talk to my sister?."

"I will but not right now, now she is in a begging mood and she will answer the way I want all the questions I ask her and she will give me the reason for everything I tell her, I need her to be calm and honest, I will talk to her tomorrow a little before lunch when her body is relaxed and she has processed calmly that she will not be locked up for a thousand years, besides at that time she will be much more attentive and I can see her reactions better, I also want to go to the market and buy some food from the yak that works in that place." Answered the changeling winking her eye at that last part before continuing on her way, Luna and Chrysalis stared at each other for a couple of seconds.

"So what do we do?" The queen asked.

"I'd like to get something to eat and if you can help me go over the laws I want to pass about the treatment of changelings and any other non-pony race in Equestria."

"Then let's go."

Both figures walked along chatting somewhat lightly and asked one of the castle servants to send food to Luna's office while they worked.

The next day Celestia was much calmer as she knew she would not be locked up in the Tartarus but she had to talk to that changeling, something she did not like at all but it was much better than the other option so knowing that she would come today but not knowing the time had her a little impatient and a little upset.

It was a little past noon when the former monarch felt the door open and saw a dark figure wearing glasses approach her cell carrying a dark bag with Princess Luna's Cutie Mark, he approached Celestia and stopped in front of her.

"Good morning Celestia, or is it good afternoon now?" Wondered the changeling scratching her chin. "Well never mind, how are you feeling today?."

"I could be better but unfortunately I'm locked up, so I'm bad."

"You know why you are in this place and for what you did I think you deserve it."

"That may be your perception of the facts, but not mine or that of many of my subjects."

"I met some of your loyal subjects a couple of days ago and it didn't end well to be frank, but are you ready for us to begin your session today?" Asked the changeling with a smile.

"Do I have a choice?" Celestia replied sarcastically.

"You can live in a beautiful underground condo for the next thousand years if you wish, I hear they have a cuddly three-headed dog for a pet."

"Hmmm, I prefer therapy, thank you." Celestia replied sitting down across from the changeling on the other side of the bars."

"I thought so." Red Bug opened her bag and pulled out a couple of things from inside, such as a small notebook, a quill, some ink, and a couple of fruits. "Would you like to talk about anything special?."

"I thought you would try your therapy session with me and try to change my mind."

"That's where we are at but first I want to get to know you and understand what motivates you, after we figure that out we can understand the point of origin of your attitude towards us specifically, and after that, we can move forward."

"Then can I ask you a question?."

"Go ahead, what do you want to know?" Red Bug took her notebook and quill to jot down.

"Why are you doing this, what's in it for you?."

"Hmmm." Thought the changeling. "I like a challenge, and you're a pretty big challenge... figuratively speaking, plus I volunteered to do it."

"Your answer is similar to the one you gave me the first time we spoke."

"It's because it's the truth, I don't remember if I told you in other words but the idea is the same, I want to get to know you and help you."

"I understand."

Red Bug noticed that Celestia was talking much more than he expected and was responding in a more formal and much less derogatory way, could it be because she wants to change or because she is afraid of being locked up, in any case, it helped Red Bug a lot to have Celestia so willing to talk.

"Would you like to ask me something else?." Red Bug said.

"How is Twilight?, she didn't look well yesterday." Celestia asked worriedly.

"She doesn't look good, she's very stressed and your guards aren't helping much right now."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's the fruits of racism that are passed down from generation to generation, they don't make sense and often can't be eliminated, but we'll talk about that another time, you want to know something else?, something about Princess Luna, Clear Spark, or Chrysalis?"

"No, I'm fine for now, but I guess you have a lot of questions to ask me."

"Not many really or at least not that many right now, it's just some things I don't understand about her personality and the way you work."

"Go ahead, what do you want to know."

"Since you asked me about how Twilight is doing and your response, can I say you are sorry for what happened to her, but could you tell me why you sent Princess Twilight to Ponyville?".

"I sent her to learn about friendship magic and make sure the celebration would be smooth, she was becoming a hermit obsessed with learning and slowly withdrawing from her few friends, I didn't want that to happen to her."

"So you knew that Princess Luna would return as Nightmare Moon?".

"Of course I knew, I sent my sister to the moon myself for a thousand years."

"And then why didn't you help Twilight to stop her or reform her?".

"Because it was necessary for her to do so, I can use the magic of the elements but I have a limit to its power, just like Luna, the two of us being together we could use its power to its fullest, I knew that if I was present Twilight would not awaken her inner magic and would depend on me to solve the problem."

"Quite a risky plan I must say."

"It was risky but necessary."

"And when the Shadow King returned, you sent Twilight and her friends to stop him without using the elements of friendship, why did you do that?"

"That was... so that they would have confidence themselves and not rely on the elements to solve every problem."

"You knew that was an almost impossible task even for you, he was very powerful and they were lucky to get out alive, and very lucky to be able to defeat him."

"I had confidence that they would make it."

"Another thing that generates doubt in my mind is about Discord, you asked them to reform him or turn him back to stone, something very cruel from my point of view but why did you give them those two options only?"

"I was confident they could handle the task and I'm glad they did."

"He is basically the physical manifestation of pure chaos, where his antics border on cruelty by any standard, an enemy that you and Princess Luna, both using all your magic plus the magic of the elements took years to stop, not defeat, just stop, you asked them to try to reform him to a group of young mares with almost no experience with that kind of magic?."

"I knew they would succeed."

"The first time he showed up he stole the elements from them without much work and just because he likes mischief and wanted to prove his point that he could corrupt anyone they were able to stop him, why did you think he wouldn't try to escape at the first opportunity or that he wouldn't try again to take over Equestria?"

"I repeat I had faith in my student and her friends that they could handle the task."

"I think the only one we can thank for that is Fluttershy, with her innocence and purity of heart was able to crack Discord's shell, and give him to understand of how lonely he was and how lonely his life would be if he followed that path."

"I guess that would be one way to put it but it all ended well in the end."

"Okay, one final question, Chrysalis." That name made Celestia frown for a moment, something she hadn't done with any other villain and Red Bug didn't overlook. "What's your problem with her, why don't you want to believe she's changed?."

"I think somepony already told you what I think of her."

"I want to hear your version and not what some other pony tells me."

"Very well, for centuries I have fought Chrysalis and she has always devised a new plan to try to conquer Equestria and I have always managed to stop her, I am certain that this is a new and elaborate plan to achieve her task."

"And why are you so sure of that?"

"Because it's what she always does, always has done, and always will do again."

"I understand your point of view and it is something similar to what Princess Luna and Chrysalis told me when I spoke with them, but that raises one more doubt in my mind, at the wedding here in Canterlot, Twilight told everypony what she had seen, one would think that with the distrust you have against Chrysalis plus the suspicions you had about an attack, you would take your student's words more seriously, but you simply decided to ignore her, why did you do that?"."

"Because... it was my niece's wedding, and a pair of crazy eyes wasn't enough evidence for anything, I didn't want to cancel the wedding because of something like that, but why are you asking me all those questions?"

"Because I see a pattern in your actions but with Chrysalis it breaks down and that leads me to a conclusion."

"What do you mean?"

"I have noticed that historically you always send someone else to solve problems, almost always problems that you created yourself, you knew about Princess Luna's return and only showed up after Twilight freed her from the darkness, You allowed Discord to be released without any precaution knowing his overwhelming magical power in the hopes that he would be reformed once again by Twilight and her friends, King Sombra almost destroyed them and condemned Equestria to a new war that would have lasted for decades and you simply stood by and showed up only when the problem was solved, I know there are hundreds of other examples but I don't want to go into details, but the important thing is that with Chrysalis... you take it personally. "

"I don't take it personally against Chrysalis."

"Yes you do, and it's easy to figure that out for somepony like me and I have the data to prove it." Red Bug flipped through her notebook looking for something she'd jotted down. "Here it is."

"What do you have written down there?"

"Some important notes that I can use when I talk to any patient, and I have here written down the villains you have fought lately since you sent your sister to the moon and I must say there are quite a few, some known and some I never heard of, do you know how many villains you have fought in the last thousand years?"

"I don't know, I never bothered to count them."

"It was a little over sixty, do you know how many you faced directly."

"I know that for some I asked somepony else to deal with them, but I faced most of them myself."

"Only twelve, and all of them were Chrysalis."

"That can't be true, I remember facing Discord and King Sombra centuries ago, I also defeated Tirek along with many others."

"Discord you defeated along with Luna, as well as King Sombra, and Tirek, you defeated all of them before banishing your sister."

"That can't be true." Celestia said in disbelief.

"It is, from what I found in the history books, and what Princess Luna told me, the only one you have faced directly in the last thousand years is Chrysalis, only and only when you saw her or were completely sure it was her, just like at the wedding you only acted when you saw Chrysalis, if it had been anyone else you would have let Twilight, Cadance, or anyone else deal with it, you have something against Chrysalis and I think I know what it is but I need more time to be sure."

Red Bug stopped paying attention to Celestia as she was immersed in her thoughts, she had that theory since shortly after talking to Princess Luna, but she needed to hear Celestia's words first, she needed to hear her tone of voice, the way she spoke, what she said and how she said it, non-verbal language was crucial to reveal the truth that even Celestia was unaware of, but unfortunately, she still couldn't tell if Celestia was willing to change or if she just didn't want to be locked up.

Evidently there was a reason Celestia despised Chrysalis more than any other enemy, but Red Bug knew it was something more personal than just fighting her a few times for a thousand years, the Shadow King caused war and made a city disappear for a thousand years, Discord ruled Equestria for over a century causing terror just by hearing his name, other villains caused evils in the same way as Chrysalis but their names didn't cause that reaction with Celestia, and for Red Bug to complete her theory she had to talk to the other one responsible for all of this.

"I assume you're not going to tell me what you're thinking, your race has always been good at working in the shadows or behind the backs of others." Celestia said somewhat annoyed at how long the changeling stood there thinking without saying anything.

"Ohhh, excuse me, I have that bad habit sometimes of lingering on my thoughts without realizing it, but I think we've made enough progress for today and I need to make sure of a few things before I can continue."

"I thought you would be much more interested in talking to me."

"I am, and I want to continue but I don't want to rush anything, do you think you have any free time these days for our next session?". Asked the Changeling with a sincere smile.

"I don't know...let me check my schedule." Replied Celestia rolling her eyes and picking up an imaginary book from the floor to skim through it as sarcastically as possible. "Ok... tomorrow I have to be... in a cage, the next day I have... more jail, Wednesday... jail, Thursday same... Friday I have... jail." Celestia closed the invisible book and looked back at the changeling who didn't seem to like the joke. "As you can see I have a busy week but... I think I can make some time."

"Sarcasm wasn't necessary." Replied the somewhat annoyed changeling.

"Your question wasn't either."

Red Bug closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before continuing to speak, she had already thought of a new plan of action, it was a bit risky but it was the fastest way to get Celestia to move forward to recognize the source of her hatred so she could eliminate it, and having the former monarch in front of her she could start right at that moment.

"As a sign of goodwill, would you like to have our next session in a place not as... depressing as this?, something like a room in the castle, so you can also breathe fresh air, stretch a bit and have a decent meal, I think it would help you to get out of this place even for a little bit."

"Is this some kind of trap to get me to lower my defenses even more?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you don't like the idea, we may as well keep doing the sessions here." Red Bug put her things away and stood up. "Have a good afternoon and we'll see you back here in a couple more days." The changeling started walking slower than usual towards the door waiting for Celestia's reaction.

"WAIT!" Celestia shouted.

"Is something wrong?." Said Red Bug turning back and flashing her trademark smile.

"Yes... yes I would like our next session to be somewhere more comfortable and...could you get something special cooked for me?."

"I think I can arrange that, what would you like to eat?."

"I'd like some waffles with fruit on top and... a smiley face." Celestia tried but couldn't help but blush as she said the last part.

"Uhhh, Luna told me you loved to make them in the morning, I'm sure I can get them and maybe convince Luna to join us."

"Thank... it would be nice if you mentioned it to my sister." Replied Celestia with a smile.

"Then I'll see you in a couple of days, take care."

"I will."

Saying goodbye again, Red Bug left the dungeon and walked through the castle with one goal in mind, for her new session she needed Chrysalis present, but for that she needed Cheerilee's help so the queen wouldn't suspect anything, and to get Cheerilee's help she needed to talk to princesses Luna and Twilight, she also needed them to help her prepare a special room for Celestia's next session.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay but I was not at home today, but here is what I had promised and yes, there are a couple more to finish the therapy, and somepony is going to play a very important role. :pinkiegasp:

I also leave you an idea of what is coming in the next chapter.

I have the template if anypony wants it

See you next week. :twilightsmile:

Sicklings.

The queen had recently returned from Canterlot and was pleased with what had happened, Celestia spoke with Red Bug, and the changeling told the queen that the former princess was willing to continue with the therapy and hoped to have progress soon, the queen was alone in her house dusting a little, She had already told AppleJack that had returned and had already greeted her son with a big hug but the colt after greeting his mother asked her to stay one more night to which the queen agreed only with the condition of having lunch the next day at the farm, to which AppleJack only laughed a little and agreed without problem, the queen had forgotten to tell Fluttershy or Discord that she had returned and she thought to do it but when she was cleaning she felt somepony energetically knocked on her door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Shouted the queen walking to the entrance but the knocking wouldn't stop. "WHAT!" Shouted the queen to whoever was knocking on the door without stopping, it was a changeling who almost fell down when he tried to knock again.

"Queen Chrysalis, we are in trouble, big trouble, come quick!." Was all the changeling said before running to where several changelings and some ponies were waiting for him.

The queen went into alarm mode and ran after the changeling without worrying about closing the door, it had to be something very serious for the changeling to run that way, when Chrysalis arrived at where everypony was she heard murmurs of ponies and changelings, some curious and others worried, but when they saw the queen arrive they moved aside allowing her to pass and see what was happening.

At the entrance to the village there was a large group gathered and in the center was a changeling who looked exhausted with a slightly red face, her eyes and nostril irritated, she had a tissue in her hooves to sneeze and her wings shone when she buzzed releasing a bright dust that disappeared a few seconds later.

"What's wrong with her?" Asked the queen keeping some distance as did everypony else.

"We don't know, she arrived at the camp yesterday and seemed fine, it's some kind of sickness but we don't know what it is."

The changeling tried to greet the queen but as she did so she sneezed again and transformed into a cat causing everypony to take a step back in surprise but she returned to her normal form as she sneezed again.

"My queen, do you know what this illness is?." Asked another of the changelings.

"I have seen many illnesses in our race, but never anything like this, has she presented any other symptoms?."

"The sneezing and the uncontrollable shape-shifting, plus their wings glow, our wings don't glow, why are her wings glowing?" Said the changeling.

"I don't know." Replied the queen, moving a little closer to the sick changeling. "Hey, can you tell me what happened?." Said the queen to the changeling to which she nodded before sneezing again.

"I was..." she sneezed. "I was with my boyfriend in Appleloosa and..." sneeze, sneeze. "We've been dating for a little..." sneeze. "A little over a year and he wants us to..." sneeze. "For us to live together in his house and..." sneeze. "And I was very happy and excited and..." sneezed. "And I wanted to pick up some of my things from the hive and..." sneeze. "And break the news to my friends here in Ponyville, but..." sneeze. "But I didn't realize the time and it was too late to..." sneeze. "To catch the train so I stayed here..." sneeze. "I stayed here for the night to leave early today but..." sneeze. "But when I woke up I was already like this..." sneeze, sneeze.

"This is strange, I think we'd better take you to the hospital to find out what's wrong with you."

"Ok..." Said the changeling before sneezing again and turning into a mare very similar to Rainbow Dash but with other colors in her mane and tail and only 12% cooler, then she sneezed a couple more times before returning to her original form, buzzing her wings a bit annoyed releasing that shiny dust again to which everypony again took a step back.

"Do you think it's contagious?." Said one changeling before sneezing and buzzing a couple of times without realizing it.

The pony at his side opened his eyes wide and watched in terror as the same glowing dust flew off the changeling's wings, landing on his back before disappearing.

"IT'S CONTAGIOUS, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!." Was all the stallion shouted before chaos took over the place causing everypony to start screaming and running, pegasus flying in all directions, and unicorns teleporting to random places causing them to collide with other ponies and changelings running wild, the queen was no exception and also ran in a random direction when something clicked in her mind and stopped instantly.

"Wait a minute, I'm the queen, it's my job to control the situation." She said to herself before running back to the sick changeling stopping a couple of meters away, she looked around for something specific and when she saw it she waited for the right moment to attack, she quickly caught with her hooves a light green unicorn that passed by her side running with its eyes closed while screaming uncontrollably.

"Gotcha." Said the queen as she caught the unicorn. "LYRA, I CHOOSE YOU." Chrysalis shouted before throwing the unicorn with all her might as close as she could to the sick changeling, the unicorn screamed in desperation as she flew through the air but landed gracefully and unharmed on all four legs.

"LYRA, USE MAGIC BUBBLE!." Shouted Chrysalis pointing her hoof towards the sick changeling, the unicorn without understanding much of what was happening obeyed instantly, a bolt of magic lightning shot out from Lyra's horn and stopped inches from the sick changeling to expand and form a bubble around, lifting her into the air.

"Excellent, we've caught a changeling, now hold her like this." Lyra now much more in control of her actions nodded her head and concentrated to reinforce her magical bubble, the queen flew a couple of meters and took a deep breath. "EVERYBODY STOP!" She shouted as loud as she could making most of them hear her and stop, the few that were left running and screaming stopped either because they bumped into something or because they didn't see anypony else screaming they slowly started to control themselves, The queen landed and spoke to a group that gathered to hear what she had to say.

"Remember we live in Ponyville, things like this happen all the time, I am going to take our friend to the hospital to find out exactly what she has and I ask you all to please stay in your homes and stay calm at least for today and if you see anypony showing any strange symptoms please come to the hospital, be it a pony or a changeling."

Most nodded and muttered things amongst themselves before retreating worriedly to their homes watching their companions for anyone looking strange.

"Do you think it's something dangerous?" Lyra asked carrying the changeling with her magic.

"I hope not but we'll know soon enough, thanks for your help."

"You're welcome, so shall we go then?."

Chrysalis nodded her head and accompanied by Lyra headed to the Ponyville hospital, upon entering a nurse greeted them and after a short explanation they were guided to an isolated room where the changeling and the queen stayed, Lyra after a quick checkup retired and went straight home.

The changeling was in a magical bubble created by a unicorn nurse, the queen waited patiently for the doctor to return while talking to the nurse and a few minutes later Redheart appeared through the door accompanied by a changeling wearing a medical coat and a stethoscope, he was the changeling chosen by the queen to work in the hospital to help in the treatment of sick or injured changelings in Ponyville.

"And what's the matter nurse?" Asked the queen somewhat concerned.

"You can let her go now, it's safe." Redheart said to the nurse who after a second's hesitation agreed and left the room.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?." Asked the queen.

"Completely, we ran all possible tests and came to a conclusion, but first I need to know something." The nurse approached the changeling and between sneezes checked her ears, dilated eyes as well as nostrils. "Did you sleep on the grass last night?."

"'How...'" she sneezed. "How was I supposed to stay one..." sneeze. "One night only, I slept on the grass..." sneeze. "By the campfire next to..." sneeze. "Next to other changelings..." sneeze. "Why?..." sneeze.

"What I thought, you are allergic to Cynodon, commonly known as grass, maybe because you lived most of your life in the hive and never went out much you never knew it, and as you say your boyfriend lives in Appleloosa you didn't have much of a problem either as it is a much more arid area, but when you came here and slept on the grass your body had an explosive allergic reaction, I recommend you to stay here for a couple of hours and we will give you some medicine against the allergy, I will also prescribe you some pills that you can take with you wherever you go and when you feel you have a reaction you can take one and you won't have any more problems. "

"Thank you nurse..." she sneezed.

"And why do her wings glow brighter than everyling else's?, and those glowing particles that appear when she moves them, are they part of the allergy too?" Asked the queen, the changeling buzzed her wings a little to show the glow coming out of them.

"I can answer that." Said the changeling accompanying Redheart. "After taking a sample I noticed that it disappeared after a couple of seconds, but when I touched it I could feel that it was a form of love coming out of her wings when she move them, I have received reports from other changelings that the same thing has happened to them and so far it hasn't caused any negative effects on their bodies, it doesn't seem to be contagious either since it happens to specific individuals regardless of the area or if there are more or fewer changelings near them."

"And do you know what this is due to?, I would like to be sure to take preventive measures."

"We believe that now living among ponies and receiving large doses of love freely is a natural way for our body to exude the excess love as particles that vanish into the air, as the only common factor we found among all those affected was that they had received great news very recently, as for example in this case, living with the pony she loves, what we are sure of is that it is harmless to ponies or any other kind."

"It makes sense, in my centuries as queen I have never seen such a reaction but this is the first time we have had more love than we really need, and for a long time, it is natural that our bodies have a way of eliminating the excess love or we would be bloated like pigs, please inform me of any further developments regarding our biology, I don't want to wake up one day and look in the mirror and be covered in pink hair, or have twenty colors, or... have to shed my skin like a snake."

"I don't think our bodies will have such drastic changes from too much love, but we are in unknown territory, I will inform you of any further developments."

"Thank you doctor."

"It was my pleasure, have a good day." Said the changeling before saying goodbye to everypony and leaving the room.

"Come with me, I will take you to a more comfortable waiting room and we will keep you under observation, when you are better you may return to Appleloosa, Queen Chrysalis, it is no longer necessary to accompany her but you may stay if you wish." Redheart said to the queen.

"It would be best if I retired to my home, besides I should let the village know not to worry as it was only an allergy."

"I would appreciate it if you would do that, the last thing we want is hysteria in the village." The nurse said goodbye to the queen and left the room with the changeling, the queen also left the room and the hospital.

For the next hour, the queen went around the town telling several houses and the town hall that it was all a false alarm and that the changeling only had an allergy, she also told them that the glow coming from the changeling's wings was just an excess of love and that it was not dangerous, and asked them if they could also warn their neighbors that there was nothing to worry about, but she told the changelings that if any of them showed any unusual symptoms to report it to the doctor at the hospital.

Chrysalis returned home and noticed that when she ran out she had left the door open, when she entered her house it was colder than usual and she closed the door without worrying, thankful that being a small and friendly town nobody would enter her house without permission or with bad intentions, it was already late and the queen was a bit tired, she didn't like train rides and the few times she used them she ended up getting tired and stressed a little bit, The mechanical noise was not her thing, after finishing cleaning and opening the windows to ventilate the rooms she prepared herself something to eat and washed her mane, but when she returned to her room was more tired than usual, she wrapped a towel around her mane to wait for it to dry by itself before brushing it and while she waited she lay down on her bed to read a book without realizing that she was slowly falling asleep.

The queen woke up shivering from the cold, she felt her head throbbing and when she touched herself noticed that she still had the towel on, completely wet, her body moved very slowly because of the pain and when she took off the towel she felt the cold breeze coming through the window, she got up to close the window but when she did so she felt a dizziness that forced her to sit up.

"This is not good." She said to herself before gathering her strength and getting out of bed to close the window, that little task took more effort than she imagined having to sit back down to rest and there was only one thing she could say. "Great... I have a headache."

Slowly the queen was closing the windows and went down the stairs very carefully so as not to fall because of the dizziness, she went to the kitchen and ate some bread along with some fruit, she didn't have the confidence to cook without causing an accident, but as she ate she started sneezing making her simple headache turn into something more serious.

"Ughhhh, I hate being sick, I can't remember the last time..." she sneezed. "That I was sick." She couldn't really remember, it could have been decades ago or easily three or four centuries ago.

As she stood up from the table and walked to the bathroom to get the thermometer she began to cough." Ughhhh, how irritating." Said herself. "I know this will only last me a day or two but I'm not going to be able to take care of my son like this." The queen was right, Clear Spark needed some special care and he was too young to do it alone, and clearly, she couldn't do it in her current state. "I'd better ask AppleJack if she could watch him for a couple of days..." she sneezed. "I'd better ask Fluttershy if she can let AppleJack know if..." she sneezed. "If she can take care of my son, I need to lie down and rest as soon as possible, I don't want this to get any worse."

The queen left her house and closed the door, she took a deep breath and started her long and laborious trek towards Fluttershy's cottage which was no more than fifty meters away, it was still very early and she could feel her body complaining as she felt the cold morning breeze, she sneezed and coughed every few steps making her stop to control her dizziness.

"I don't remember being sick being so terrible, even if I don't remember the last time I was sick."

Crossing the small bridge over the stream the queen took another deep breath and approached the cottage to knock on the door, she hoped it was not too early yet and that the pegasus or Discord was awake, but as she raised her hoof to knock on the door she felt a loud sneeze coming on, she held her nostrils with her hoof to keep from sneezing failing miserably and hitting the door of the cottage with her head very hard causing her to stagger and fall to the ground.

Chrysalis slowly regained consciousness and the first thing she felt was the softness of a cloud, also her body was warm and covered by a blanket, her head even though it still hurt a lot was cool thanks to a wet towel on her forehead, and her nostrils itched a lot less and didn't feel like coughing, She had her eyes closed and felt very relaxed, but she had to get up and talk to Fluttershy as soon as possible about something fundamental and as she tried to do so she felt a hoof stop her and gently pushed her back to her soft bed before tucking her in again, the queen didn't resist and just let herself be carried away by the strength of that hoof.

"Shhh... don't get up, you still have a high fever." Said the female voice as she tucked her in.

"What happened?" Asked the queen at that voice that spoke to her, she knew that voice perfectly but she still couldn't remember who it was.

"I felt a loud knock against my door and when I saw who it was I found you collapsed on my doorstep, I brought you inside my cottage and settled you on a small bed so you could rest." Those words made the queen remember whose voice it was and to be able to put a face to it.

"Thank you Fluttershy, you are a good friend, I came to ask you for a favor but this headache doesn't let me think clearly." Said the queen settling down to rest as she slowly started to fall asleep, maybe a few minutes of rest would help her remember what she had come for.

" No problem my little cuddly thing, I will take good care of you as well as all my furry friends."

"How do you know she's a she?" A male voice asked. "Did you check under her tail when you held her in?."

"Discord! Fluttershy said, raising her voice. "How could you think that I would do something like that."

"I'm sorry Fluttsy, but to me they are all the same, little machines that feed on love."

"Well, but not to me, each one of them is different, unique, and beautiful in their own way, and it's my job to take care of every creature that shows up on my doorstep looking for help."

"You know I love your personality and I always like that you stand up for your ideals but I mean their physical appearance, I literally see them all the same, it's like they are a small army of fluffy clones, plus the color is strange, I've never seen one of these in that shade of... green."

"I don't remember having seen one of that color either, maybe it's from some distant breed?, poor creature, its fever must have disoriented it and it ran around aimlessly for days, good thing it ran into my door or maybe now it would be prey to some wild beast".

" Green attracts good luck they say, well I'm going to Chrysalis' house to feed that bottomless pit in the shape of a cat, impressive what that animal eats for how little it moves if it ever moves at all." A couple of seconds later a door could be heard opening and closing.

"I know he's the god of chaos but I still wish he'd be a little more sensitive sometimes.

That was the last thing the queen heard before exhaustion took over her body and sent her into the dream world, she didn't know how long she had slept but she woke up to hear someone knocking on the door.

"I'm on my way." Fluttershy said before opening the door. "Hello AppleJack, what brings you here?".

"Good evening Fluttershy, I wanted to ask you if you've seen Chrysalis, yesterday we agreed that I would have lunch at the farm today before picking up little Spark but I haven't seen her all day, have you heard from her?". Asked the farm pony, she sounded worried.

"She's already back in Ponyville?." Fluttershy said surprised. "I haven't seen her all day and Discord didn't see her either when he went to her house this morning to feed his cat."

"True, but apparently she was at home this morning because her cat had her food and water dishes full." Discord replied to the pegasus' words.

What do you mean you haven't seen me?, I'm lying in your bed?, She opened her eyes and from where she was she could see Fluttershy and Discord talking with AppleJack who was in front of the door.

"Ughh, stupid disease, AppleJack I'm here." She said in a soft voice but sure they would hear her.

"Do you think something's wrong with him?" The pegasus asked worriedly.

"I hope not, I was told that the incident with the changeling happened yesterday, and as far as I heard it was nothing serious and I doubt she would have to go on an emergency trip for something like that without telling me first."

"We'd better look for her, maybe she's hurt." said Fluttershy.

"I'm not hurt, I'm sick and lying in your bed, have you forgotten that?." Said the queen raising her voice to be heard but it still seemed that everyone was ignoring her.

"It won't do any good to look for her at this hour with so little light, besides she is strong and knows how to take care of herself, and I must return to the farm to look after Spark, I am still in charge of him and I know that his safety is Chrysalis' priority."

"She cares very much for her son, it can't be that she would leave him at your house and just disappear." Discord commented.

"That's what worries me the most, she knows that if she abandons little Spark after all he's been through it would break his heart and he may never recover, I know what it's like to lose a mother, I can't imagine what he would feel losing a second mother, she loves him too much to do something like that." Replied AppleJack upset.

The words of her friends reached deep into the queen's heart and she could feel the love and sincerity in each of them, Chrysalis wanted to say something but those words left her breathless, without realizing Red Bug had chosen the best place in Equestria where the queen could live.

"I'm going back to the farm, Clear Spark is very worried because Chrysalis hasn't shown up and I don't want him to think that she won't come back, I'm thankful that my little sister is with him so he won't feel alone, I'm going to tell him to go to bed and sleep but I doubt he can sleep a little, tomorrow morning I'll gather the girls so we can start his search, see you tomorrow Fluttershy, bye Discord." AppleJack said before retiring.

Chrysalis was much calmer knowing that AppleJack was taking care of her son, but she didn't understand why Fluttershy didn't tell her that she was in her cottage, let alone why they ignored her when she spoke, she tried again to get up but her head throbbed every time she tried making her moan a little from the pain.

"You think something bad happened to Chrysalis, don't you?." Fluttershy asked the draconequus.

"AppleJack is right about one thing, she cares a lot about her son and she wouldn't disappear if it wasn't for something out of her control, I have known Chrysalis for ages and she is really strong, it has to have been something really bad for her to disappear, I didn't want to mention it in front of AppleJack because I didn't want her to go home with that idea in her head as surely little Spark would ask about his mother and we all know AppleJack can't lie, the foal worrying about his mother disappearing is the last thing we need right now." Both figures stared at each other wondering what they could do.

Thank you for thinking of my son, but why are you ignoring me like this, wait a second... am I dead, am I a ghost? I can't believe I died from a headache, what am I going to do now?, how am I going to take care of-. The queen once again tried to get up but with some effort, she could only sit up in bed before her head started to hurt again, I hate headaches, wait... I can't be dead, my head can't hurt if I'm dead, at least I think that's how it works, I've never read about headaches in ghosts.

"I'm going to go to Canterlot and ask Twilight or Luna if they know anything about Chrysalis, I'll be right back." Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"I hope Chrysalis is alright." Fluttershy said.

"FLUTTERSHY, STOP IGNORING ME." Shouted the annoyed queen to which the pegasus finally paid attention to her.

"Ohhh sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you on purpose my little friend, it's just that one of our friends is missing and we're worried about her and her son."

"I'm not missing, I'm here." Replied the queen annoyed making her head hurt again and bringing one of her paws to her forehead from the pain.

"Is your head still hurting?" Asked the pegasus approaching the queen. "Let me check your forehead."

Something the queen couldn't help but notice as the pegasus approached was that it grew alarmingly large until it stopped in front of her and was easily ten times the size of the queen or perhaps more, Chrysalis was frozen as she watched the giant yellow hoof slowly approaching her.

"Hmmm, you still have a high fever." Said Fluttershy touching the forehead of a small green creature that was lying on her couch. "I'm going to go back to dampen your towel and find something for you to drink." The pegasus picked up a small towel from the floor and flew off into another room.

Why am I so small, is my emergency system activated?. Thought the queen, she knew that changelings when they have very little energy reserves and feel in extreme danger their body goes into a state of emergency like any other animal, only in her case they transform into a small animal like a rodent to evade their attackers, it was a very effective defense system because a hunter would not notice a small inanimate animal on the ground when is hunting a much larger prey.

Chrysalis concentrated to undo her disguise but as she tried to concentrate her head hurt too much to concentrate on her magic, whether she wanted to or not she was trapped in the body of a small animal, something she didn't like at all.

Fearfully she lifted one of her little paws and saw that it was covered with green fur, she managed to stand up and started to check her body, her whole body was covered with fur, she had an adorable and tiny nose that moved every time she breathed, when she touched her head she felt a pair of very long ears, she checked over her shoulder and saw that she didn't have her wings, but she was adorned with a little cotton tail, she was nothing more and nothing less than a...

"I'm back my little bunny friend." Said Fluttershy as she came back from the other room with a glass of water. "I know the medicines don't taste good, but I ask you to please take this and I promise you will feel better soon." The pegasus showing an honest smile offered a small white pill and the glass to the green rabbit on the sofa.

Chrysalis couldn't resist that look and without thinking too much she took the pill and the glass of water, deep down she knew that this medicine would make her feel better, Fluttershy was glad that the rabbit took the medicine without much effort and sat down on the sofa next to her new friend, taking care not to disturb her while doing so, she wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"You know, I admire Chrysalis a lot." Said the pegasus sighing and looking into the void, the bunny saw her huge winged friend.

"You do?, why?" Asked the queen curiously.

"She is big, strong, and very brave, she is the queen of a powerful empire and has thousands of followers, everypony respects her or is afraid of her great power, she even defeated Celestia in a fight, can you believe that?." Replied the pegasus looking at her furry friend, the doe just shook her head, she could only beat Celestia because she was overloaded with Shining armor's love, in equal terms the outcome could be completely different.

"But then she found a little abandoned foal in the forest and cared for him like a mother, at first she lied to us by not telling us who she really was but we forgave her, we knew she had done it for her son sake, she risked everything to care for him and give him the life he deserved." The pegasus lowered her head in dismay. "I'd like to know how that feels." The pegasus' eyes glazed over and she quickly wiped them with her hoof, slowly the sadness was taking hold of her.

With a flash, Discord appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. "I spoke with Twilight and Luna, and neither of them has seen Chrysalis since she left Canterlot, Twilight said that first thing tomorrow morning she will come to Ponyville to help coordinate the search for Chrysalis, and Luna will stay in Canterlot to..." The draconequus paused at the sight of her friend's tearful face. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?." He asked worriedly.

"Nothing is wrong." Answered the pegasus listlessly as she covered her face with her mane, got up from the sofa and walked towards the stairs. "I'm going to go to bed, have a good night." Fluttershy said before climbing the stairs and closing the door of her room.

Discord lowered his arms and sighed defeated seeing Fluttershy climbing the stairs like that, then he saw the little furry being on the sofa with a small glass cup between his little paws and sighed again, snapping his fingers he made a glass of orange juice with a carrot appear for him and for his little new little friend, then he sat on the sofa next to her and stayed silent for a long time, the queen just looked at him without being able to do anything else.

"Fluttershy... she's a bit out of sorts lately, I've known her for some time now and we started dating seriously a little after Chrysalis revealed herself to the world." The draconequus chuckled as he looked into the void. "Actually it was because of Chrysalis that we started dating, she admires her a lot for her strong character and her bravery, don't get me wrong but Fluttershy has a very strong character when she sets her mind to it and there is no one who can stop her when she sets her mind to something but..." Discord looked at his little furry companion before taking a sip from his glass of juice. "You're a rabbit and you know how these things work but it turns out that she and I... the thing is... we, no... our biology is... who am I kidding... my own biology is different, you know what this is?" Discord detached his tail and showed it to the rabbit. "I waited centuries for somepony to name dragons to know that I have a dragon's tail and it turns out... it turns out she's..." Discord sighed once more. "We just can't and I don't know what to do anymore."

The draconequus again stared into the emptiness for a long time, the queen accompanied him in silence the whole time, it seems he had a lot to express and needed anypony to do it.

"Many times I have thought about getting out of her life for the better, if she wants a foal and I can't give it to her... I know it will hurt at first, but she is strong, very strong and I know she will eventually find a stallion that will make her happy and will give her what I can't."

"WHAT?" Shouted the queen throwing her glass of juice on the ground before jumping on Discord. "You can't do that because you simply can't have children, do you think I thought about me being a different race when I wanted to be Clear Spark's mother?, do you think you are the only couple with that problem?, you don't have to be the biological parents to be happy, and I know that from experience." The queen said, flapping her little paws frantically in the air, Discord simply raised an eyebrow without understanding why he had a little rabbit on his chest that squealed uncontrollably.

"I know you will find a solution, it may not be what you expect but sometimes the best things in life come out of nowhere." Chrysalis sat on the draconequus' chest and looked into his eyes. "You are both going through a difficult time but neither of you has told the other and that is something you have to discuss together to get through it, but neither of you will accomplish anything if you don't first start by talking to each other from your heart." Chrysalis placed her little paws on Draconequus' chest to show her support, Discord didn't understand a word the rabbit was saying, but he could understand what it meant when she placed that little furry paw on his chest.

"I understood absolutely nothing you said but you're absolutely right." Discord said taking the rabbit in his claws and putting her back on the couch. "And the first thing I'm going to do is...is...is...is..." Discord stood up from the couch and looked at the rabbit for the answer to which the queen pointed him towards the staircase to go talk to his marefriend. "You are absolutely right." Discord walked towards the staircase and stopped before climbing the first step. "But what am I going to tell her?, I'd better give her some time, a day or two will be enaaAAAAAAhhh." Shouted the Draconequus as he felt a small rodent bite his tail, and as he turned around he saw that it was the little green rabbit very angry at his lack of courage.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming, not even my mother would look at me like that, and she would turn into a supernova when she got angry, literally." Replied the Draconequus as he climbed the stairs, knocked on the bedroom door, and slowly opened it. "Fluttershy, can we talk?."

Chrysalis heard Fluttershy mutter something and then Discord closed the door behind him, she heard that they were both talking about something but she couldn't tell what it was, content with what she had done she went back to the couch but the abrupt energy used drained her completely and she didn't manage to make more than two jumps before falling asleep instantly.

The next morning the queen woke up and was still on the wooden floor of the cabin, clearly Fluttershy or Discord had not left the room all night or they would have noticed the rabbit sleeping on the floor, but Chrysalis felt much better, her body hardly hurt and her nostrils and throat were no longer irritated, she only felt a little feverish and with a little work and concentration she was able to return to her original form.

"That's much better." Said the queen before stretching all her extremities, while doing so she remembered what had happened yesterday and the conversations she had with Fluttershy and Discord, she just hoped that everything would turn out well, very carefully she left the cottage without waking the couple sleeping on the second floor, what she didn't think about was the unmistakable marks of a transformation spell that were left on the floor.

It was still early and from the position of the sun she could guess that it was around eight or nine in the morning, yesterday she heard from AppleJack and Discord that the girls would be meeting to look for her, and she guessed that by this time they would be at Twilight's castle, but before going to see the girls she wanted to go see her son, when she arrived at the farm she could see that Clear Spark was leaning against Apple Bloom's window with his eyes closed and his ears very attentive to every possible sound, the filly was next to him looking out the window, the queen flew over quickly and the foal could hear the sound of a pair of wings approaching but before he could say anything he felt a pair of hooves lift him up and hug him tightly.

"MAMA YOU'RE BACK!." Shouted the foal happily as he hugged the queen back.

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to leave you but something happened that I couldn't control."

"I knew you would come back, I knew you wouldn't leave me alone."

"He didn't want to sleep all night, nor did he leave the window at any time, always saying that you would come back."

"Thank you for taking care of my son." Said the queen to the filly who turned completely red. "Where is your sister, I'd like to warn her before she starts looking for me."

"She went to Twilight's castle this morning."

"Thank you, could you watch my son a little longer."

"Consider it done." Apple Bloom replied giving a military salute, to which the queen nodded.

"I'll be back soon sweetie." Said the queen to her son as she gently put him down.

"Ok mom, thanks for keeping your promise." Said the colt with a smile.

"I told you I would never leave you alone and for my life, I intend to keep that promise, I'll be back soon." The queen went flying in the direction of Twilight's castle and when she arrived she was greeted by Spike, who was also glad to see that the queen was well and quickly escorted her to the meeting room/map room/game room/library where the other girls were, only Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were missing.

"Hey girls, look who I found at our entrance." Spike said entering the hall accompanied by the queen.

"CHRYSALIS!." They all shouted in unison getting up from their seats to greet the queen.

"What happened?, where have you been?, Clear Spark was worried about you, come on quick, we must go see him at the farm and let him know you showed up." Aj said running towards the door.

"AppleJack relax, I'm fine and the first thing I did was go see my son, he already knows I'm back."

"Could you tell us what happened?, I want to send a scroll to Luna and I don't want Chrysalis is fine to be all it says." Twilight said approaching the queen.

The queen was thinking about what she could say that was believable when she heard the door open.

"I'm back girls, I took a little longer than expected because this sleepyhead didn't want to wake up." Rainbow Dash said opening the door accompanied closely by a yellow pegasus.

Chrysalis saw Fluttershy with a smile, but Fluttershy turned completely red and nervous at the sight of the queen hiding her face with her mane, the gears in the queen's mind spun around a couple of times before fitting the idea that the pegasus somehow knew she was the green rabbit she talked to the night before.

"Chrysalis?" Rainbow asked. "When you showed up?, AppleJack told us that you disappeared without a trace and that your son was very worried." The pegasus angrily approached the queen and poke her in the chest a couple of times. "That's not cool at all, that's like the uncoolest thing to do so you need to explain yourself now."

Chrysalis thought about what she could do, she couldn't just keep quiet because Rainbow would keep pushing her until she got an answer, she couldn't lie either because there was a talking lie detector in the shape of a pony with a hat in the room, she couldn't talk about Fluttershy either without airing her private life, if the pegasus hadn't wanted to share it with anypony she had an obligation to respect her wish, even if she had found out by simple luck.

There was one thing she could do, it was something she had practiced for centuries and it had worked perfectly for her before as well as many others, lie by omission, she would be telling the truth without technically lying, she just hoped it would give the green light on AppleJack's sensors.

"Yesterday I had a personal problem that I can't mention because it relates to a pony I know who has a secret that she doesn't want to divulge, she wholeheartedly helped me solve my problem and in return, I helped her solve hers and I sincerely hope she solves it, I will respect her privacy and I will keep her secret until she wants to discuss it, more than that I won't say." The queen looked the pegasus in the eyes giving her know that she would not say anything else, but Rainbow seemed to be unconvinced with her answer.

"And can you at least tell us the name of that pony?."

"I won't."

"But-."

"I think if she doesn't want to share her private life with others she doesn't have to and just like Chrysalis we have to respect her privacy and I'm sure Chrysalis' words helped her a lot." Said Fluttershy interrupting Rainbow and flashing a smile to the queen who simply returned it.

"Then I guess it's no problem, Spike, could you send a scroll to Princess Luna telling her that Chrysalis showed up safe and sound?".

"Right away Twilight." The little dragon took a scroll and wrote something quick before rolling it up and burning it with his breath to turn it into smoke and fly out a window making him think of something important. "Twilight, we forgot to change the dragonmail spell, I'm sure that scroll will arrive with Celestia, do you think she will read it and not tell anypony just to hurt Chrysalis?."

Twilight thought for a second about a quick solution to her problem, there was a high possibility that Celestia would read the scroll and upon seeing the queen's name hide it or destroy it. "I have an idea, can you write another scroll just like the previous one, but add the part that we sent out one with the same message about Chrysalis but that it possibly got to Celestia."

"Of course." Spike thought a moment and wrote a second scroll, rolling it up and passing it to Twilight. "Here you go, and do you plan to send it directly to Luna?, because I'd hate to run out of a job."

"Spike, you're still small, you don't need a job, besides I have another place in mind to send it." The princess concentrated for a moment and the scroll disappeared in a purple glow. "There."

"Could you tell where you sent the scroll to?" Rarity asked.

"I sent it to the throne room in Canterlot, I thought about sending it to Luna's room but I wasn't sure if she is in that place, it could be hours before she came back, just like Raven Inkwell's office, but the throne room always has guards, surely they already saw the magical flash and at this moment they are taking the scroll to Luna."

"That was very clever of you Twilight." Said the queen.

"Thank you, and since we're all here and basically have the day to ourselves, do any of you have an idea, I'd like to get as much of the Canterlot bureaucracy out of the way as possible."

"I do remember AppleJack promising me lunch at her farm before I picked up my son." Said the queen with a grimace looking at the farm pony.

"If you want you can all go to lunch at my farm, what do you say, would you like a big country lunch?."

"That's fine with me, I just have to get my little sister."

"And I'm going to invite Scoot, I don't want the little one to be left out of this."

"Then I'll expect you all at my farm for lunch at lunchtime, came late and you don't ate." AppleJack said with a giggle before getting up from her seat and walking towards the door, followed by all the others, Fluttershy and Chrysalis stayed behind waiting for them all to leave the room.

"Thank you for taking care of me yesterday when I was vulnerable." Said the queen.

"You're welcome, and thank you for your advice, I didn't know Discord was suffering just like me from all this."

"He looked very distressed when I spoke to him."

"Thank you for that, and about what I said to you last night when I didn't know who you were... I..." The pegasus blushed causing the queen to let out a giggle.

"If it makes you feel any better, out of all the girls you are the one I admire the most."

"I am?" Fluttershy asked in surprise.

"It's true, it takes a very special kind of pony to do what you did, control the god of chaos himself, and you achieved it with your personality alone, you have a very strong character when you put your mind to it, with a little self-confidence you could get anywhere you want."

"Ummm, thank you." Said the pegasus.

"You're welcome, but we'd better follow the girls or they're going to get suspicious."

Both figures left the room and joined their friends who were walking in the direction of the farm to enjoy a nice day of rest along with a good meal.

Author's Note

I'm sorry it's a little longer than usual, but I wanted to cover two things that were mentioned before in the story and that's why I wanted to clarify them, the next chapter will be the third part of the therapy, I don't know how long the chapter will be but it will explain everything about the reasons of Celestia and Chrysalis. :trollestia:

See you next week. :twilightsmile:

The Therapy - Part 03.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

Chrysalis was sitting drinking a cup of tea and eating some cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner trying to relax after a busy week, in front of her was Cheerilee trying to take a sip of tea but she couldn't because a fit of giggles prevented her, she spent a couple of minutes like that and even though no pony knew why the teacher was laughing and pointing her hoof at the queen, Chrysalis knew perfectly well the reasons for her friend's teasing.

"I'm sorry." Cheerilee finished saying as she wiped a tear of laughter from her eyes. "It's just that I keep picturing you attacking Canterlot in a brand new adorable bunny costume." Cheerilee laughed again for a couple of seconds as the queen quietly waited for her to finish, she would have her revenge someday, and even though her friend could laugh at her furry adventure, she didn't tell her anything about Fluttershy or Discord.

After a couple more cups of tea and some more cupcakes, Cheerilee calmed down and began to talk about the favor she wanted to ask her about doing some work with the little ones on different ways to rule Equestria, Chrysalis, Luna, and Twilight were critical pieces to this project and if she didn't participate she couldn't get the result she was hoping for.

"I still don't understand why we have to travel to Canterlot for this, I perfectly can go to school one day and they can ask me all the questions they want."

"I also thought about that and when I asked Princess Luna if she could participate she told me that she is now holding meetings with some foreign ambassadors, when she mentioned it to them they were interested in talking to the little ones of Equestria, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to hold a forum of questions between the different leaders and the little ones, for example, the way Luna ruled a thousand years ago and the differences she saw and felt when she came back, how you ruled in contrast during all that time and the differences of how you rule now, Twilight's point of view and all the work that comes with wearing a crown having much less experience, asking the ambassadors how their systems of government are in comparison to ours, like the yaks, the dragons, or the kirins, are many topics I want the kids to ask and learn, and I don't know when I can have another opportunity like this. "

The queen could feel Cheerilee's passion as she spoke and what she wanted to do, it was a very good opportunity for the little ones in the class to learn even something basic about the different systems of politics in Equestria and she had no reason to refuse, plus it gave her the perfect opportunity to interact with ambassadors from other nations and give them to understand firsthoof that they are not the soulless monsters that attack as in the legends, and possibly engage in diplomatic relations of peace and trade, for her this was also a unique opportunity.

"You are right, the little ones will be able to learn a lot by directly asking us about how to rule a nation, plus it gives me the perfect opportunity to talk to the ambassadors of other nations, when do you plan to make the trip to Canterlot?". Said the queen as she ate one of the muffins.

"Thank you, I want to make it as soon as possible, and from what I spoke with Princess Luna, most of the ambassadors can participate this Friday, do you have any problems with that date?".

"Nothing important, I will have to re-schedule a meeting with my generals about minor issues and give some more food to my cat, do you need me to help you take care of them?". Asked the queen with a smile.

"I would appreciate it if you could help me take them from Ponyville to Canterlot castle, then I can take care of it myself, I hope the princesses don't mind me asking if they can facilitate lunch for my students."

"I don't think they'll have a problem with that." The two continued to talk about what Cheerilee planned to do during the special class on Friday and also about other unimportant topics.

The rest of the week went by without much trouble, just another Parasprites invasion, and some Timberwolves that showed up in town because the CMCs tried to tame them, nothing out of the ordinary in Ponyville.

It was already Friday and the queen had a bag prepared with everything she needed, she had some letters of introduction with her name and recommendations of some changelings that she would like to send in delegations to different nations, she also had reports about the productions of the changelings and some products that she wanted to give in good faith to the ambassadors, like the Petlings and some books and paintings, the queen wanted to make known first source that her race had a lot to offer to other nations and she was sure that with the help of Luna and Twilight she could achieve it.

After leaving more food for her cat, she closed her house and left with Clear Spark to the train station where Cheerilee asked all her students to meet, and after waiting for the usual latecomers the whole group left for Canterlot and then to the castle, at the entrance Princess Luna and Princess Twilight were waiting for them.

"Greetings young ones, Princess Luna and I are happy to receive you on this special day and we hope that everything is to your liking, first we will start with a light breakfast and then we will start the special class where you can ask us and the ambassadors about how we run and how our governments work, then we will have lunch and later you can talk freely with the ambassadors or with any of us about something that interests you or that will call your attention, do you have any questions?"

Pipsqueak raised his hoof to ask a question. "Will there be sweets at breakfast?"

"The castle kitchen can prepare anything, we don't have sweets per se, but you will surely find something that will please you, even though I thought you were brave and would prefer to try new things." Finished saying the princess of the night with a chuckle.

"Yes I am brave, I am the bravest colt in all of Ponyville." Pipsqueak replied.

"That's what I thought." Replied Luna with a smile. "If you all would be so kind as to follow me I will give you a quick tour of the castle before breakfast to keep you from straying, either way you can ask a guard or the servant to assist you and he or she can escort you or point you in the right direction." Princess Luna walked towards the inside of the castle followed by the whole group, Twilight stood to the side allowing them to pass.

"Chrysalis, can I talk to you for a second?". Twilight asked, to which the queen walked over to see what her friend wanted.

"What's going on Twilight?"

"Cheerilee told us that you intend to talk to the ambassadors, and I assume it is intending to form peace and economic agreements."

"That is true."

"Well, I took the liberty of discussing it with Luna and some ambassadors before you arrived, and I must tell you that many were fascinated by the idea and would like to talk to you as soon as possible, they can do it right now if you are willing." Twilight said with a smile.

"That's wonderful Twilight, I thank you very much." Replied the queen.

"You don't have to, if you come with me I will take you to a room I prepared for the meeting." The princess walked towards the castle and passed by Princess Luna, who was giving a small explanation about the architecture of the castle, Twilight passing by Cheerilee winked at her, the teacher coughed softly and Luna hearing the cough led the group to a hall with many chairs lined up in one direction and many tables with food on the sides.

Meanwhile in another part of the castle Red Bug was walking towards the dungeon with the keys in one of her hooves, she approached Celestia's cell and opened the grate.

"Well, ready for a delicious breakfast and the next session?." She asked with a smile, Celestia simply looked back at her.

"Aren't you afraid that I might escape?" Celestia asked with a grimace approaching the grate, Red Bug thought about it for a second.

"If you think this is a bad idea I can close the cell, even though I think you're not dumb enough to do that."

"You're right, I'm not, where are we headed then."

"I asked for the main kitchen to cook something this morning but they are very busy with a group of students coming to visit the castle so they provided us with a smaller kitchen on the other side of the castle, you don't have a problem cooking do you?." Asked the changeling as she walked down the hallway next to Celestia and two thestral guards coming a little further back.

"Since I can't use my magic it's going to take me a while to prepare something but I think I'll manage."

"That's the spirit."

Twilight and Chrysalis were walking quietly until Twilight stopped to think about something.

"Is something wrong?" The queen asked.

"I see you brought a bag with a lot of things in it, I guess you brought them to show the ambassadors." Chrysalis nodded and Twilight thought silently for a couple more seconds. "I've had a lot of contact with ambassadors and dignitaries this last while, and I know that for the changelings, image and physical appearance is not a concept they consider important as it is for the rest of the races."

"True, physical appearance is not something important to us as we can change it at will with a thought." Said the queen before concentrating for a second and changing her appearance to one equal to Twilight's. "But what's so important about that?." She finished saying but with Twilight's appearance.

"First, even though I now find you to have a very attractive appearance and it generates undue desires in me I would appreciate it if you would return to your original form." The queen chuckled before dropping her disguise. "Thank you, secondly, I have spent a lot of time with ambassadors and dignitaries and for many of them first impressions are very important, and if you arrive with a simple bag full of papers you are going to present an unprofessional image and give the impression that you don't give the meeting enough seriousness, regardless of what you say or do, but I have a very simple solution."

"But appearance doesn't matter if the content is good, don't judge a book by its cover and all that." Said the queen a bit annoyed.

"I know but what I propose is not that you change your appearance but that your written presentation be spectacular, if you allow me your bag I can make copies and organize them in folders so that each ambassador has their own, so you can represent your race as they are and I can have a clearer idea about what they are about and I can speak in your favor."

"That's a good idea." Chrysalis had not considered the fact of the first impression with the ambassadors, she had a lot of experience as a queen but not much in peace or trade treaties except for those made with Equestria and its close allies such as the crystal empire, but it was successful because they had already had contact with the queen and it was a way for Cadance to show her regret and that she wanted to help Chrysalis and her race integrate more openly. "Thank you for your help, I only have a copy of each economic report and two or three copies of letters of recommendation for some of my changelings, please I entrust them to you." The queen took the bag from her and passed it to Twilight, who slung it over her.

"I'll take care of everything." They both continued walking until they came to a room that Twilight opened with her hoof, it was a room designed for meetings with a couple of large tables, some chairs, and no curtains. "This is the room we will use for the meeting, I will make copies of your documents and bring them back so you can see them, then I will go get the ambassadors."

"Thank you Twilight." Said the queen before walking over to the window to look out at the garden.

"I'll be back soon." Replied Twilight before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

After a silent walk, Red Bug and Celestia arrived at a rather large kitchen that was empty, had much simpler and sturdier furniture, and inside the refrigerator were several paper bags with different names on them.

"This is the staff kitchen." Celestia said as she poked her head inside the refrigerator.

"It's the only thing I could get in such a short time, so you wanted to eat..." Red Bug was trying to remember what the former princess wanted to eat.

"Waffles, I asked you the other day if you could make me some waffles for breakfast." Celestia said.

"Right, thanks." Said the changeling with a smile. "Would you mind putting the water for the coffee while I make them?."

Celestia rolled her eyes and somewhat annoyed walked over to the stove and put on a kettle with plenty of water, then scanned the cabinets for the coffee and cups when she saw the changeling was gathering a bunch of kitchen utensils while looking through a book.

"What are you doing?" Celestia asked.

"Reading the recipe for waffles, it's my first time making them and I want to-."

"Move to the side, I'll make breakfast." Said Celestia somewhat annoyed and taking control because of the changeling's lack of culinary skills, the changeling just moved to the side without saying anything.

"I need flour, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, butter, and baking powder."

The changeling nodded her head and started gathering all the ingredients while Celestia looked for a couple of bowls and other cooking utensils to start preparing breakfast, but she looked everywhere and there was one ingredient she couldn't find.

"I don't think we have any eggs, can you make waffles without eggs?". Asked the changeling in her ignorance to which Celestia just looked back at her.

"No one can make waffles without eggs, it's like wanting to make bread without flour."

The changeling tilted her head slightly to the side not understanding the reference, Celestia seeing this closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths remembering that she did this to have a decent breakfast.

"Please ask one of the guards in the hallway for a couple of eggs, thank you." She said with a forced smile.

"Ok." Replied the changeling before opening the door and poking her head into the hallway. "Excuse me." She said to a passing guard.

"WHAT!" The guard shouted aggressively back at the changeling which surprised Celestia greatly and she walked over to see who it was.

"Would you be so kind as to get us some eggs?, we want to prepare breakfast and we don't have any." Replied the changeling cheerfully without giving importance to the guard's shout.

"I'm not giving anything to a mare-shaped scum like you." Said the stallion with clear hatred in his words. "You, your kind, and anyone who helps them should rot inside that mousetrap that-."

Celestia coughed a couple of times as she poked her head out into the hallway to interrupt whoever was speaking and was surprised it was one of her guards. "Captain Lanther?." Said the ex-princess.

"Prin-prin... Celestia, wh-what are you doing here?." Said the guard equally surprised and somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm trying to make myself breakfast but we don't have any eggs." She replied in a serious tone.

"I'll get you some eggs right away." He replied before running off and getting lost in a corner.

"Thanks." Red Bug shouted back before closing the door and sitting down in front of the table with a smile, seeing the whole scene the princess could only say one thing.

"I apologize for the way my guards acted." She said.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." Replied the changeling without making a big deal out of it.

"You mean this has happened to you before?" She asked somewhat surprised.

"In fact to all of us, we are shouted at and insulted daily, they no longer throw as many fruits at us as at the beginning because the merchants lose a lot of money, even though the stones hurt in the same way, I thank Princess Twilight who provided us with a medical wing in the hospital to treat the changeling injured by the beatings and if it wasn't for Princess Luna I wouldn't be here today." Red Bug lowered his head slightly and his smile quickly disappeared.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Celestia had heard that some of her guards attacked Red Bug and that they were locked up in the prison, but she had no further information about the event.

"I-I don't like to talk about it." The changeling averted her gaze to the side and scratched one of her legs with her hoof nervously, it was easily seen that it was something that affected her greatly.

Celestia knew that like everypony else that when one had problems one could talk to a family member or a friend for help, when it was a much more serious problem one could go to a professional like a therapist or a psychologist, but what happened in those cases when the pony had no one to talk to, what happened when he needed help and no one could give it to him, Celestia hearing the words of the changeling and seeing everything that happened could not do anything but sympathize with Red Bug.

Red Bug saw a cup of coffee slide in front of her which made her raise her head.

"Drink this, I'm going to make breakfast." That was all Celestia said before she turned around and started cooking.

"Thank you." Replied Red Bug, Celestia paused for a moment and then continued cooking.

After about thirty minutes in silence while Celestia cooked they were both sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"I can't believe I helped make waffles, and they are delicious!" Said the changeling very cheerful and excited as she buzzed her wings.

"You know I did all the work." Celestia replied.

"I know, but this is the first time I've ever helped somepony cook, even if it's just looking for the ingredients."

"What, you've never cooked before?"

"We don't have kitchens in the hive, in fact we had almost nothing in the hive before we could openly go out into the world, and my first real kitchen is the one in the apartment that Princess Luna provided me with while staying here in Canterlot, but one day when I tried to make myself a coffee my kitchen caught fire, I got nervous and ran to my neighbor's apartment so he could help me put it out."

"And nothing bad happened to him?" Celestia asked, worrying about the health of one of her ex-subjects.

"He laughed a little at me and he turned off the stove, turns out flames are normal when you cook something, but how was I supposed to know that, it was literally my first time cooking."

After breakfast, they both walked down the hallway guided by Red Bug to the room where she would be conducting today's session.

"I'm sorry your sister couldn't make it, but she couldn't cancel the appointment she had with the students, but she promised to join us during today's session."

"That's okay, I would have loved to have eaten with Luna, but I understand she has a lot of work and I'll be able to spend a few minutes with her anyway."

As they continued on their way they found Twilight coming out of a room carrying a bag full of things.

"Greetings Princess Twilight, what are you doing here?" Red Bug said.

"Hello Red Bug." Replied the young alicorn as she saw her friend standing next to Celestia. "I was just finishing setting up the room you asked me to set up for your session today."

"Excellent, and have you seen Princess Luna."

"She is inside waiting for you, I would like to join you but I have some paperwork to do, have a nice day."

"Bye Twilight, and thank you."

"Have a good day Twilight." Celestia said with a smile but the young princess simply ignored her as she passed by her side, something that Celestia was a little put off by.

"Don't worry about that, I'm here to help you and I know with a little time Princess Twilight will forgive you too."

"I guess you're right."

"Then let's get going." Red Bug said before walking a couple more feet and opening the door. "After you." The changeling stepped aside allowing Celestia to enter.

"Thank you." Celestia as she was entering the room saw a tall black figure looking out one of the windows into the garden. "What's going on here, and why-."

Celestia felt someone pushing her very hard into the room and locking the door.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, OPEN THE DOOR THIS INSTANT!" Celestia shouted as she slammed the door very hard, at that moment Twilight appeared who was behind one of the corners of the hallway and a little later Princess Luna appeared.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?". Twilight asked.

"Absolutely, the problem with those two is much simpler than a centuries-old conflict and the only way to get them to understand it is to force them to tell each other, they both do things wrong that they can't acknowledge and by being locked up the tension will slowly rise until they end up screaming their frustrations at each other."

"And how do you know that will work with my sister."

"They may be princesses or queens but they are mares at heart, when they feel the pressure of confinement they will unconsciously start blaming the other, petty jealousies will blossom between the two and they will defend themselves from those accusations by verbally attacking each other bringing to light the root of their problems."

"Are we really so fickle that something as simple as this can bring our feelings out?" Twilight asked intrigued.

"If there were two stallions in that room I could only expect two outcomes, that they somehow work together to get out of the room before they hate each other again, or that they beat each other to death in an epic battle, so for safety I asked you girls to prepare an anti-magic room so Chrysalis can't transform or attack Celestia, and no curtains so we could watch them from a cloud in case something bad happens."

"And what do we do at this point?."

"I want to go watch movies together with Cheerilee's students, a lot of them like My Little Homan and I want to know why, then I would like to have lunch and I think by that time we should have a breakthrough."

"Do you have the scroll written?" Luna asked to which Red Bug handed her a rolled-up scroll. "Then I will do my part." Princess Luna walked away while Twilight concentrated on a spell.

"I'll be back soon." Twilight replied before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Chrysalis took a deep breath and walked to the window to look out at the garden thinking about how she would present herself in front of the ambassadors when she heard a door slam behind her followed by a very familiar female voice shouting angrily.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, OPEN THE DOOR THIS INSTANT!." Was all the queen heard before she turned and found herself face-to-face with Celestia.

"What are you doing here, is this some stupid escape attempt?" Asked the queen getting into a fighting stance, hearing this Celestia turned around and did the same.

"Escape?, I know this is a trick of yours to finally finish me off, the changelings were never to be trusted and this proves it."

Chrysalis was about to attack when she felt someone tapping on the window.

"Luna?." Celestia asked intrigued approaching the window to talk to her sister. "Luna, what are you doing here, could you open the door so I can get back to my cell?."

Princess Luna simply ignored Celestia and after greeting them both began making strange, repetitive movements with her hooves.

"What is she doing?" Chrysalis wondered also very intrigued. "Luna, would you be so kind as to explain to me what's going on?". But Luna simply continued to ignore the two figures in her room as she moved her hooves slowly from place to place trying to replicate something.

After a few seconds and many strange movements, the princess of the night took out a scroll she had under her wings and placed it on the window glass so Celestia and Chrysalis could read it.

"Sorry... for... the... pantomime... but... I...had...to...waste...your...time...while Twilight... did... her... part... please... look... back..."

Both figures turned quickly to see that Twilight had left a plate with a half-sliced sandwich and a single glass of juice by the door, she waved at them with her hoof before disappearing and locking the door behind her.

"Wait!" Shouted Chrysalis running quickly to the door trying to open it but it was locked, she tried to use her magic but it wasn't working. "This is weird." She said to herself as she concentrated again but it was useless. "My magic doesn't work."

"Nothing about you works correctly." Celestia commented with a grimace.

"You are no one to talk to, you should be on Tartarus right now." Replied Chrysalis angrily.

"And what are you going to do, force me?"

"I'm not just going to force you, I'm going to drag you myself to-."

At that moment a letter slipped under the door and ended up in front of Celestia's hooves, the ex-princess picked it up to read what it said.

"We...had...to...resort...to...this...measure... so..." Celestia was quickly frustrated by the poor spelling of the letter she was trying to read. "Who wrote this, it's impossible to read."

"Give me that." Chrysalis replied snatching the letter from Celestia's hooves. "Apparently the former sun princess is not as cultured as she thought, this is Red Bug's hoofwriting." The queen read the letter muttering as she did so.

"And can you read it aloud so I can know its contents as well?". Chrysalis just looked at Celestia before clearing her throat.

"We had to resort to this measure so you both can move forward, we know this is unexpected for both of you and you probably wonder why you are locked in that room, you two have personal problems you have to solve and that is why we locked you in, the door is locked as well as the windows, it is also not possible to use magic, there is only one key to get out of that room and you both have it.

PS: Lucky Bunny should not worry about the ambassadors because Princess Luna will speak on her behalf."

"Who is Lucky Bunny?" Celestia asked with intrigue.

"No one you should know about." Replied the queen turning her head to the side to hide her embarrassment.

"Then we're stuck until we figure out how to get out of here." Celestia said annoyed.

"That's the only smart thing I've ever heard you say in your entire life." Replied the queen with a grimace.

"Just shut up." Replied Celestia before turning around and walking to the side of the room and sitting in one of the chairs, Chrysalis did the same but walked in the opposite direction.

"Why did you ask me to make them a sandwich split in two and a single glass of juice?." Twilight asked Red Bug, who was eating popcorn as they watched the movie, the changeling turned her head to look at Twilight, and Luna also turned her head to listen.

"We changelings feed mostly on love and there isn't much love in that room, Celestia already ate breakfast, and Chrysalis hasn't eaten anything, who do you think will move on to food first without worrying about the other?"

"And the glass of juice?" Luna asked.

"That's just the icing on the cake."

Both monarchs had been silent for quite a while, they didn't know how long they had been staring at each other and could only guess what time it was by the movement of the sun through the window, but the queen's stomach began to growl from hunger and she got up from her chair walking over to the plate taking both pieces of the sandwich with her hoof to eat them.

"What are you doing?" Celestia asked quickly approaching the queen.

"I'm hungry and I'm going to eat this sandwich."

"And what makes you think that sandwich is yours?"

"The same thing that makes you think it's yours."

"Give me that." Celestia stretched out her hoof to snatch the sandwich from the queen, but she was quicker.

"Wops, you're so slow, apparently the daily pastries piled up too much in your...posterior area." Scoffed the queen.

"Give me that sandwich." Celestia was trying to snatch the food from Chrysalis but the queen was much more agile, which frustrated Celestia causing her to pounce on the queen but Chrysalis jumped back.

"Hahaha, you're so slow, maybe they should start calling you Slowtia, Princess Slowtia."

"Don't make fun of me." Celestia leaped angrily at Chrysalis, and the queen didn't manage to escape.

For a full minute Celestia was on top of Chrysalis trying to take the sandwich from her but the queen somehow managed to stretch herself always a couple of centimeters out of the ex-princess's reach, both kicked and insulted each other tirelessly until during the struggle one of the two hit the glass of juice spilling it on the carpet calling the attention of both mares.

"You see what you did?" Said Celestia annoyed getting up and standing on all fours.

"I did?, you were the one who attacked me." Replied the queen.

"Maybe if at some point in your life you weren't so selfish this wouldn't have happened, and give me that." Celestia moved quickly before the queen could react and snatched one of the sandwich halves from her eating it instantly, she really wasn't hungry but just didn't want the queen to eat it all and went back to her chair.

Chrysalis was also upset that Celestia stole her food but she said nothing and simply ate half of the sandwich before returning to her chair.

"How are you so sure that neither of them would drink the juice?" Cheerilee asked.

"Because by this time they must have already been fighting over the sandwich and dropping the juice on the floor without realizing it, then they'll spend a long time in silence until one of them speaks."

"And who do you think will."

"Chrysalis no doubt."

"What was the name of the little homan with the colorful mane?" Luna asked as they watched the movie.

"His name is Spectrum Flash, and he is very very fast." Replied Pipsqueak who was sitting next to his favorite princess.

Both were very bored and the queen could not stand to be still for long, during all her life there were very few times she had to sit down to do a job, that's why she always delegated the paperwork to other changelings, she could not stand to be seated for more than thirty minutes without doing anything, she already felt her body itching and her muscles were tense, the queen had to move or do something.

But Celestia was the opposite case, she could sit quietly for a whole day without a problem, centuries of diplomatic meetings, signing treaties and laws, had forged her enviable patience, for the former princess thirty minutes sitting was nothing.

"How can you be so calm?" Chrysalis asked Celestia who was on the other side of the room.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked you how you can be calm."

"And why do I have to answer you?" Celestia raised an eyebrow.

Chrysalis hummed, got up from her chair and started pacing around the room to relax a bit and pass the time, but the sound of her footsteps annoyed Celestia who was trying to be calm, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead to try to calm down but her patience ran out quickly.

"For the love of Faust, would you stop pacing?" Celestia shouted, and the queen stopped instantly.

"And why should I stop?."

"It's annoying, I'm trying to calm down and your walk is annoying, your sound is annoying, your presence is annoying, you annoy me, everything about you annoys me."

"You have your way of calming down and I have mine."

"And how do you suppose I can calm down if you are in front of me pacing from place to place."

"That's not my problem."

"How many movies are left to watch, I must go talk to the ambassadors and remind them that they will be talking to Chrysalis this afternoon, many of them are excited about the idea."

"Is it serious that some countries want to import Petlings?". Red Bug asked.

"I know the Kirins are fascinated by them but they want to know if they can be fireproof, many yaks would like to have family portraits and they heard about the artistic abilities of one of the changelings that were in your therapy sessions earlier, a... Leaf?." Luna said trying to remember the name.

"Leaf Storm?, I couldn't forget him, his paintings are amazing, I'd be surprised if he doesn't become a famous painter in a couple of years."

"Red Bug, back to the subject of our captives, who do you think will be the first to overflow the cup?". Twilight asked.

"No doubt it's going to be Celestia, she already has a negative idea of Chrysalis and anything the queen does will upset her, she will surely say something very offensive towards our race, obviously Chrysalis won't like it and will attack her back, Celestia will get angrier and attack Chrysalis in a more personal way, then Chrysalis will attack Celestia and they will end up fighting, maybe they will end up with some superficial wounds but they will be able to take out all that accumulated tension towards each other in a safe, almost safe way, and when they are already lying on the ground exhausted they will be able to start from a middle ground. " Red Bug replied sipping some juice.

"And which of the two will take the first step towards peace?".

"Hmmmm... I don't know, want to bet?."

Chrysalis kept pacing back and forth, buzzing her wings with nervousness and impatience of being locked up without being able to do anything, she had come with the promise of being able to talk to some ambassadors and make known the kindness offered by her race but apparently, it was all a lie, and now Luna was talking to them and probably they would ask her things about the changelings that she can't know, like what we can feed on besides love, or if we can live in certain climates, what things offend us, there were thousands of situations that the queen was armed in her head and she could not eliminate, so she just walked tenser and tenser and buzzing her wings stronger and stronger.

Celestia did not know if the queen was trying to fly or just buzzing her wings to irritate her, whatever her intentions were, she was achieving her goal of annoying her, the former princess simply wanted to be calm and she could not be calm thanks to the incessant walking accompanied by the noise of Chrysalis, and worst of all if she had known she would have a day like this she would have stayed locked in her cell, any place was better than being here, even the Tartarus, that place was much better if it meant never seeing the insect queen again, it was then that her frustration got the better of her.

"This is stupid." Celestia said angrily. "From the beginning I knew not to trust a changeling, they were always soulless beasts hungry for love that would do anything to get it, despicable."

"Hey." Chrysalis shouted in response. "That's my race you're talking about."

"I know exactly who I'm talking about." Celestia raised her voice in response.

"You are no one to have an opinion about us." Chrysalis replied.

"Then I'm wrong about your race?, don't you trick and steal the love of others?, you never thought of anyone but yourselves."

"And what did you expect from us?" Chrysalis replied approaching Celestia. "We were considered legends for centuries and when we become present to the world you make us pariahs in everyone's eyes." She said angrily.

"Don't think of playing the victim in front of me, you were the one who attacked Canterlot, you were the one who captured ponies to steal their love, you transformed into Cadance and tried to take over Equestria, you alone became an outcast and I had nothing to do with it, so don't try to blame me for your mistakes." Celestia replied in kind.

"I must think of my race, of feeding them and their welfare, I have to do what is necessary for them to have a prosperous future." Said the queen with dignity.

"I must also think of my race and their welfare but unlike you, I don't use others to achieve it, have you ever in your life felt pity for those you hurt or even stopped to think about what would happen to them, have you ever said sorry?" Celestia replied.

"Why should I apologize for doing what was necessary for my race to survive."

"I don't know, maybe to prove that you're not evil."

"And your hooves are clean?, you never did anything bad to anypony else to protect your own?"

"To be true I never did, because unlike you I always worked hard every day of my life to protect my subjects and never used my power to control or subjugate other races, I had many opportunities to do so but I always chose peace and diplomacy, but you never did that, you were always impulsive and took the simplest path because you always had an easy life." Celestia shouted in annoyance.

"You think I had an easy life?, I always had to think two steps ahead because one was not enough, I always had on me the problems of all my race, do you think we like to live in cold, damp, stinking caves?, many times we could not even light fires to warm ourselves for fear of being discovered, every day I had to think if I would eat today or save it for tomorrow because I did not know if tomorrow I would have food, and surprise Celestia, many times I did not have food for tomorrow, every changeling that I sent on a mission was a changeling that potentially would not return to the hive, and that was a family that did not have a father, a mother or a brother that they would never see again, we always lived in the shadows with fear of being discovered, do you think that is an easy life? , YOU LIVE IN A DAMNED GOLDEN CASTLE CELESTIA!" Shouted the queen. "Your life is a hundred times easier than any other pony out there.

Celestia couldn't say anything, she fought hard to build Equestria but lived for centuries in a castle surrounded by servants and luxuries that most would never know.

"And what if I had shown up at your door saying good morning neighbors, we are the changelings and we feed on love, do you have a little cup of love to give us?, would you have helped us?." The queen used as much sarcasm as possible in her words.

"I probably would have and found a way for both races to coexist."

"Pfff." Chrysalis said motioning with her hoof. "Surely you would have exiled us out of simple fear at the sight of us and nothing would have changed."

"Yes it would have changed, it would have cost in the beginning just like all races do when they try to coexist but you just didn't want to try."

"And what makes you suppose I didn't try before with other races?, you never tried to get to know me or our race and you always assumed the worst about us and me."

"I always assumed the worst of you because I know all that love you feel is false, even the love for your supposed son is false because I know you are using him, you are not capable of feeling love for anyone or knowing the suffering a mother feels when she loses a child."

Celestia's words were cold and went straight to the queen's heart hitting her very hard, the queen had suffered many things in her life and had seen many of her beloved changelings die, of course she knew what it was like to lose somepony special.

"You were the most loved and respected princess in all of Equestria, and yet you manage to have a heart colder and harder than the iron bells of your castle, you tried to hurt... no, you were going to let my son die because for some reason you hate me, I wouldn't do that, no pony would do that, you... you are despicable." Chrysalis said the last words with clear contempt for Celestia before turning and walking back to her chair.

"How dare you talk to me like that." Celestia said very offended but Chrysalis kept walking. "Hey, don't you dare ignore me you stupid underdeveloped insect." Celestia yelled but Chrysalis kept on walking. "Don't you dare ignore me you fucking starving vermin." She shouted again as she followed the queen but those last words as they reached her ears made what little patience she had left explode.

"What did you say?" Chrysalis asked angrily turning to Celestia. "I can take you saying a lot of things to me Celestia, but I will never take you saying that!" She shouted as she pushed the former princess hard with her hoof. "What you said is not funny, hunger is not funny, I already went through that once and I don't plan on repeating it, DID YOU HEAR ME, I WILL NOT!." Chrysalis pushed Celestia until she made her crash into a table with a couple of books and a vase but the former princess wouldn't take it anymore.

"Don't touch me!" Celestia shouted pushing the queen back.

"And what are you going to do Cake Princess?, squash me with your big sugar-loving butt?." Replied the queen.

"You'll see." Was the last thing Celestia shouted before pouncing on the queen and getting into a fight, Chrysalis only understood what was happening when she felt Celestia on top of her hitting her and pulling her mane.

"Get off of me you damned harpy!" Shouted the queen trying to defend herself.

"I never gonna do th-." A black hoof struck Celestia in the face followed by a second hoof and a kick in the abdomen forcing her to move.

Chrysalis seized the moment to get to her feet. "I'm going to finish you!" She shouted jumping on her adversary, destroying the wooden table in the process. "You want me to say I'm sorry?, well I'm sorry I didn't do this sooner." Chrysalis shouted as she punched Celestia and bit her on one of her paws.

"AAAAAAAhhhh!." Celestia screamed as she felt the bite. "Hey Chrysalis, are you hungry?, well eat this." Celestia grabbed the vase in front of her and hit the queen in the face with it causing her to lose her balance and fall to the side.

Both figures stood up panting slightly and stared at each other.

"AAAAAAAhhhhh!." Shouted Chrysalis running towards Celestia.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!." Also Shouted Celestia running towards the queen.

"You really could simplify my sister's hatred of Chrysalis into one word?" Luna asked walking down the hallway.

"Yes, by looking at the historical records and knowing Chrysalis' personality, it was very easy for me to conclude, but much of the blame for this lies with Chrysalis herself." Replied Red Bug walking beside the princesses and eating a chocolate muffin.

"And what's that word?" Twilight asked.

"It's simple jealousy."

"Jealousy?"

"Exactly, Celestia is jealous of the happy life our queen has now, your sister doesn't know about us outside of her perceptions which were all fights with Chrysalis, she always saw us as a bunch of outlaws who came to steal and run off with the loot to spend it elsewhere, and she always sought to capture Chrysalis to make her pay for her crimes, and the fact that now our queen appeared with a happy life, full of peace, love, and supportive friends seems like a reward for a life full of crimes, and to that, we must add the fact that Chrysalis has somewhat confused perceptions of good and evil that make it difficult to make her understand when she is wrong. "

"I don't quite understand what you mean, could you explain it more simply?." Cheerilee said, Red Bug paused for a moment and scratched his chin in thought.

"The two of them are like dogs and cats, they both can live in groups and take care of their offspring with their lives, but their perceptions about their actions are completely different, when you have a pet dog and he steals your food because he is hungry or breaks something because he wants to play and you catch him doing something bad, what does the dog do?."

"He tries to hide or gets into a submissive position begging for forgiveness." Twilight replied. "I've seen it a few times with Winona, AppleJack's dog."

"Exactly, because she understands when she's doing something right or wrong, but cats don't, they don't process the concept of evil the same way a dog does, to them evil doesn't exist if they have a justification for their actions."

"But doesn't that apply to any animal?."

"That's true but even when they have more options to solve their need, they are just going to choose the closest or simplest one, that's why Chrysalis doesn't accept when she is wrong, because to her mind what she does is not wrong because she believes it was necessary to make that decision, Celestia knows almost nothing about us and that's why she can't accept that Chrysalis has a happy life after everything that has happened."

"And why did Chrysalis forge her mind thinking that way?".

"Our history is not rosy, we suffered the same problems that all races suffer whether they are great empires or small villages, we had wars, plagues, diseases, exile, all that marked Chrysalis in the same way it would mark any monarch, but what left a deep wound in our queen was... the great starvation." Red Bug lowered her head as she said the last words, which her friends did not overlook.

"What happened?" Luna asked worriedly, to which Red Bug simply remained silent.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Twilight said placing her hoof on the changeling's shoulder.

"Thank you Twilight." Red Bug replied raising his gaze before walking on and continuing to talk.

"You will finally realize that your mortal enemy's life was not milk and honey as you always thought, Chrysalis will learn a lesson about humility and owning up to her mistakes, and Celestia will learn that her jealousy is out of simple ignorance, then I will help her understand that her hatred is meaningless and we can work on her treatment."

"Are you sure we should open the door, we don't know if they talked or not?" Luna asked with intrigue.

"Completely, there was too much tension between them to be locked in a room for hours without saying anything to each other." Red Bug replied.

"Red Bug is right, I've known Chrysalis since she arrived in Ponyville and she can't be quiet for more than ten minutes." Cheerilee added.

"Ok, you're the expert, Twilight can you remove the neutralizing spell?." Luna said to which the young princess concentrated for a moment and nodded her head, Luna also nodded and opened the door to the room."

Celestia and Chrysalis were lying on the floor, exhausted from the fight, they were yelling at each other, hitting and biting, overturned tables and broken chairs everywhere, there were a couple of blood stains on the carpet but neither looked seriously injured, they were just lying on the floor panting from exhaustion looking into the void.

"I... hate you... so much..." Celestia said panting.

"Why... do you... hate... me... so much... Celestia?." Chrysalis replied in kind.

"Really... you... don't... understand... do you?."

"No..."

"You were always... a villain... and you never... answered for... your actions..."

"But that... but I... I am... I am different now and... I want to live in peace and... quiet with... with my son... what's wrong with... that."

"You see?" Celestia said angrily sitting back on her haunches. "That's exactly your problem." Continued the former monarch to which Chrysalis simply looked at her without moving. "All your life you did whatever you wanted... without showing remorse while I... worked my ass off every day trying to repair your damage so you would just do the same thing again... and one day you just show up with a smile, a beautiful little foal and a happy life as if nothing had happened?... you think that's fair?... how do you think it makes me feel after all these centuries?."

Chrysalis had never really thought about how Celestia felt all this time, she always thought she was one of her most powerful rivals just like Cadance, Luna, and Twilight, but they all accepted her without much trouble but Celestia never did and now because she was forced to listen to her she could understand why.

"Bad?." Said Chrysalis, Celestia was right, she never asked for forgiveness and never showed remorse for her actions but she had reasons to do so, Celestia had transformed the Daybreaker and ended up in prison for her actions and that was a fact she couldn't deny, but she was the trigger of all Celestia's actions, will it be true that an I'm sorry would have changed things?.

"Of course I felt bad, I felt offended, annoyed, frustrated, I just wanted to punch you in your stupid face."

"At least that last part you got it."

"You made me feel like everything I had worked for was for nothing and now I'm in prison because of you."

It was true that Chrysalis destroyed entire villages in the past and never paid for it, and that Celestia always expected the queen to strike again, she knew her very well and seeing her one day bursting with joy and hailing peace without paying for any crime or showing remorse the former princess simply could not process it as if it were true, her past perceptions always led her to think the worst of Chrysalis and so far they had never been wrong, she had no reason to think that now was any different, in the end all the villains Celestia faced had shown a drop of remorse for their actions which led Celestia to believe that they had hope, but Chrysalis never showed to be one of those cases.

"You attacked your sister and Twilight, you tried to take over Equestria, you put an entire town under a sleeping spell so you wouldn't be found out, and not to mention you almost killed me and my son, what part of all of that is my fault?."

Celestia was silent for a good while, she didn't want to admit that Chrysalis was right, it was her frustrations and jealousy that led her to act that way, deep down she knew that she could also take the first step to solve everything, but every time she saw that smile on the queen's face she couldn't control her emotions and just wanted to hit her.

"You know what, forget it, you stay on your side of the room and I'll stay on my side, and neither of us will say anything to the other until we're starving or bored to death."

"Sounds good to me to-." Chrysalis said when she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Celestia fixed her mane quickly left the room without saying or looking at anypony and walked down the hallway almost limping towards the dungeon only carrying with her a dose of anger and tiredness for everything that had happened, but she also felt much better about herself, she felt more relaxed and much lighter, as if someone had somehow removed a huge weight she didn't know she was carrying on her back.

"Celestia." Said the queen who left the room a little after the former princess, Celestia stopped and turned her head to find out why she was being called. "I'm sorry for the harm I caused you or any other pony, I know I can't repair it but I'm different now and so is my race, I want you to understand that." Chrysalis stared at Celestia who was silent for a long time.

"I... I'm sorry about what happened to your son, I hope you can give him the life you promised." The former princess replied before continuing on her way.

"I will." Chrysalis replied.

Everyone was silent while watching the whole scene and Chrysalis stood still waiting for Celestia to disappear from sight, then she looked at her friends.

"Girls... I'm going to faint." Was the only thing she said before dropping sideways onto Cheerilee who with her small body cushioned her friend's fall, flapping her paws in an attempt to free herself.

"From now on I can work with Celestia." Said Red Bug looking in the direction the former princess went.

Author's Note

My original idea was always that Celestia had resentment towards Chrysalis for her actions and she was right that she should pay for her crimes, but seeing her happy and free of all guilt did not let her think clearly and without realizing it she was jealous that her enemy was enjoying a good life that she thought she did not deserve.

What makes the difference between Celestia and the other princesses was the amount of times she fought against Chrysalis throughout her life, Twilight, Luna and Cadance basically fought against her at the wedding, and seeing her fight for her son, evened that mental score they had over the villain, Celestia had many negative numbers over the queen.

The next story will be about a character that was asked about in the comments, specifically a stallion. :pinkiegasp:

And as always remember that you can comment ideas about what happened during all this time, several ideas that I wrote based on your comments or what you wanted to know.

see you next week. :twilightsmile:

Steve Carter.

An idea proposed by Moonlight_Mist

It had been a little over a month since the non-lethal battle between the two monarchs, Red Bug had noticed that Celestia was much more open to talking to her and had shown interest in how the guards were treating the changelings, and every time they mentioned it to the former princess she was uncomfortable to hear it, Much of the population even though they did not accept the changelings did not cause them problems either, they just did not want to get involved with a race that they knew stole their love to survive, that little thought was something that all the princesses and even Chrysalis overlooked, did the changelings try to get close to the ponies out of friendship or did they do it only to steal their love?, But some ponies were friendlier than the others and did not mind hugging some changeling when they were discouraged, slowly the two societies were getting along but there were still rough edges between the two, like the ponies who learned that they could abuse a cheap labor force and the changelings who did not know simple things like discretion, personal space or private property.

But today was something special.

Clear Spark was accompanied by Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who was the one bringing him the bad news, the colt had had an argument with Diamond Tiara a couple of hours ago and he knew very well why the teacher had called him, he had had the same problem with the filly before and they thought they had got over it, but everything was pointing to the opposite, now he just wanted to get to school, tell his side of the story and go back to Sugarcube Corner to eat his muffins.

Arriving at the school, the colt knocked on the door and a second later Cheerilee opened it, the teacher looking very upset. "Please come in Clear Spark, we've been waiting for you." Cheerilee said very coldly to the colt and closed the door after he entered without looking at or saying hello to the trio of fillies that were a bit further back.

"We'll be waiting for you out here, Clear Spark." Sweetie Belle called, not knowing if the colt had heard her.

Clear Spark swallowed saliva as he slowly walked over to one of the chairs in front of the teacher's desk where Chrysalis, Spoiled Rich and Diamond Tiara, who was just as nervous as the colt, were sitting, the filly seeing her classmate approaching and gently tapped the seat on her side so he could hear and know where to sit.

"Did the teacher say why she wanted us here?" The colt asked, muttering to Diamond Tiara.

"No, but we both know why the teacher called us here." The filly replied.

"What did you say?"

"That she didn't say anything, but..." The filly was about to tell her partner when the teacher interrupted her, clearing her throat to keep quiet and looking her straight in the face.

Cheerilee sat in her chair, silent for a few seconds to calm down as she looked at the four figures in front of her, who looked away as none of them could claim ignorance of what had happened, literally the whole town knew about it and the teacher found it hard to keep her composure and not explode in shouts, but she had to if she was going to find a definitive solution.

"I assume you all know why you're here." Cheerilee said.

"Teacher, I don't think..." Spoiled Rich was interrupted by Cheerilee, who had raised a hoof for silence.

"Please let me finish." She replied before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I thought we'd talked about this before and I was sure everypony understood and you two wouldn't be arguing or fighting any more, I know you two don't get along very well from day one and one of you being an earth pony has great resistance to a magical attack, but that doesn't justify you doing this to our beloved school!" Cheerilee shouted at the last part, pointing her hoof at the wall on her side.

Or the teacher would if she had a wall on her side to point at, there was a huge hole in it caused by the fight, the little tables and chairs everywhere, some onlookers peeked through the gaping hole to see what had happened, but quickly moved away when they saw Cheerilee's furious look.

"You know she-." Chrysalis tried to say as Cheerilee glared at her, telling her to shut up.

"I don't care who started all this or why, I know you both are still young and sometimes have a hard time controlling your emotions, I know what I asked you to do was difficult and to talk to your parents about the constant fighting, so do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Sorry teacher." The two little ones said in unison, lowering their heads in embarrassment.

"Can you promise me that you will try harder in the future so that we can all live in harmony and have peaceful lessons in our beloved school, or at least in what is left of it?"

"Yes, teacher." The two little ones replied.

"I'm glad to hear that, I don't want to scold you but you two are the only ones who can end this conflict and you both have committed to end it, now if you will excuse me I need to talk to your parents, if you wish you can go to Pinkie so she can give you something delicious to eat and charge it to my account."

"Thank you, teacher." The two foals replied happily before getting up from their seats and walking out the door where a small group of their classmates had gathered to wait for them and find out what had happened, Cheerilee felt a shiver run down her spine as the foals closed the door.

Cheerilee cleared her throat and looked at the two mares before speaking.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" The teacher shouted. "You almost destroyed my school."

"It's her fault." Chrysalis said, pointing her hoof at Spoiled Rich.

"MY FAULT? I didn't send you to blow up half the town with a magical bolt." The mare replied.

"Maybe I wouldn't have shot you if you hadn't tried to kill me by throwing an apple at my head while I was flying." The queen replied innocently.

"Then don't throw banana peels in front of me when I'm walking in the market." Spoiled Rich replied angrily.

"It's not my fault you slip because you can't see where you're going."

"You threw a crate of banana peels IN MY FACE!" Spoiled Rich shouted angrily.

"Think of it as an improvement to your hairstyle."

"I'm going to..."

"SILENCE!" Cheerilee shouted, interrupting Spoiled Rich, who was about to lunge at the queen and fell to the ground. "Since you girls destroyed the school, you two are going to fix it."

"Ha, you can't be serious." Chrysalis replied with a gesture.

"I am, neither of you two is leaving this place until you repair our beloved school."

"Teacher, you know I have plenty of money, and we can make a generous donation to your school so you can repair it and even improve it, and... I'm sure Chrysalis with a lot of hard work can chip in a few coins."

"I'm sorry to tell you both that won't work with me, you two need to learn a lesson."

"You can't make us do that, we're not your students."

"Karen is right, why do you think we would do that?." Cheerilee was silent thinking about her friend's words.

"You are right, I have no way to force you but you must remember something, I work with a lot of infants, those are a lot of eyes and ears, they hear and see everything that goes on in Ponyville, and one can't help but hear gossip about their parents, because I'm sure you see or do things you don't want anyone else to know, right?"

Cheerilee wanted to make it very clear that she would not let the destruction of her beloved school go and would take whatever action necessary to make the two responsible pay for everything they did, Chrysalis and Spoiled Rich knew Cheerilee, and they both knew that the Ponyville teacher could not be intimidated.

"There are tools in the storage room behind the school and I know you'll find a way to get the materials to repair everything." Cheerilee got up from her seat and left the school heading for home thinking about what she did to deserve the destruction of her little school.

A few minutes later Chrysalis was picking up the papers from the floor and tidying up the chairs while Spoiled Rich repaired the wall, both of them silent and very upset about everything that had happened, completely sure that it was all the other's fault.

"Hello?" Said a stallion poking his head through the colossal hole in the wall.

Chrysalis and Spoiled Rich immediately turned their heads to see who it was, it was a pony they had never seen before, a chestnut-colored stallion with a silver tail, black eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a book, he was wearing a dark grey suit and a hat which kept his mane out of sight, from his he had the appearance of a reporter and the queen thought he was probably coming to interview her but she couldn't get carried away with assumptions.

"Hello, how can we help you?". Spoiled Rich asked since he was closer, he looked at both mares and moved a little closer to the queen.

"I would like to talk to you about my son." Said the stallion to Chrysalis.

The queen thought for a second and quickly deduced what was going on. "Ohhhh, you must be the father of one of Cheerilee's students." Chrysalis and Spoiled Rich knew that the parents of some of the students traveled a lot for their jobs and so were not often seen in town, as in the case of Filthy Rich, or Silver Spoon's parents. "Sorry for the confusion but we are not teachers, we are just helping to repair the wall and tidy up the place a bit, but if you will allow us one of us can go get the teacher and bring her back in minutes." Spoiled Rich nodded his head at the queen's words, he was most likely a concerned parent to hear what had happened to the school.

"I know neither of you are a teacher but let me be a little more clear, my name is Steve Carter, and I'd like to talk to you about my son, Clear Spark."

The queen hearing that felt her heart stop for a second letting go of the broom that fell carelessly to the floor, she didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to think, she didn't know how to breathe, she never imagined having this conversation, she felt her temperature slowly dropping and she was beginning to see the world tilting when she felt a hoof holding her tightly from the shoulder preventing her from collapsing.

"Go." Spoiled Rich said to the queen as she held her hoof over the queen's shoulder.

"Wh..." Tried to say the queen looking at the mare at her side.

"I don't like you but I'm a mother, and so are you, go talk to him, I'll fix this place up." She said with a smile trying to calm her down.

"O-o-ok..." Replied the queen taking a deep breath before leaving the school and walking towards town accompanied by Steve Carter, Spoiled Rich did her part and picked up the broom from the floor to start sweeping.

There were very few ponies at that hour in Sugarcube Corner, only the usual customers who stop by in the afternoon for a quick bite to eat or for a cake to take home to their families, Pinkie greeted the queen and told her that the students had stocked up on a large number of cakes apparently all paid for by Cheerilee and were planning to hold a contest in the clubhouse, The hospital had already been notified and they were preparing a medical wing for the irremediable arrival of several foals with digestive problems, so there was nothing to worry about, only Cheerilee would have a substantial discount in her salary at the end of the month for the purchase of dozens of sweets.

Karma strikes again :rainbowlaugh: .

Chrysalis was much more serene and cool-headed sitting in front of the stallion who claimed to be the father of her child, she stared at him trying to understand everything that had happened but this was a unique opportunity, and being silent would not give her the answers she was looking for in the same way as asking the stallion in question, they both had a thousand things they wanted to ask but for a long time neither of them said a word, partly because they didn't know how to start the conversation or what the right questions were, after the fourth cup of coffee and half a dozen muffins that neither of them had touched, one of them decided to open his mouth first.

"I assume you have a lot of questions that-."

"Who are you and how did you find us?." Asked the queen interrupting the stallion.

"Wow, looks like we're both tenser than we look." The stallion took off his hat and scratched his head before putting it back on. "As I told you before my name is Steve Carter and I am Clear Spark's biological father." The queen nodded her head. "I'm a freelance reporter for The Wandering Pegasus newspaper and because of my job I travel a lot, I like that, I'm not somepony who can stay in one place for long, I like to explore and learn new things and that's why this job suited me perfectly."

" Go on."

"As a freelance reporter I have a knack for finding traces and clues in print publications, and upon reading the news that the cruel queen of the changelings was on trial against a Canterlot mare, like every reporter I wanted to know more about it."

"That doesn't explain how you found us, I remember we left explicit orders not to publish any personal information about, my son, or his birth mother."

"I am a reporter and researching is my job, I reviewed the related articles from various written sources as well as the interviews of the other princesses, and thanks to that I was able to find out why the trial and where you and your son lived." The queen was a bit struck by the stallion's way of answering.

"If any newspaper published personal information about us I would be grateful if you would tell me so that I can take the necessary measures, I don't want any reporters besieging us at the door of my house."

"Don't worry about that, I assure you that nowhere did they publish any personal information, it was what they didn't publish that allowed me to find you and Clear Spark."

"How?"

"All the articles were about the same thing, you in a lawsuit against an unknown mare, nothing more than that, and my curiosity led me to investigate why so much secrecy, I know it wasn't about money or territory because most of that information is public, it wasn't about some armed conflict either since there was no troop movement all this time, I know it was not because you were attacked because it would be ridiculous for you to lose against an ordinary mare, and that led me to think that it must be something personal, when I investigated a little I discovered the name of the mare involved and with that I could only conclude, it was a lawsuit for the custody of my son, there was no other explanation for the lawsuit between the queen of the changelings and a mare of Canterlot. "

"And how did you find us?"

"After the trial was over you disappeared from the map and the news, and that seemed very strange to me since it would be easy to think of an army of reporters looking for you to interview you but... you were nowhere to be found, and that's how I found you."

The queen listened patiently to the stallion's words and how the lack of information could give a lot more information than anyone would think.

"You are a famous mother who wants to live quietly with a child who needs to go to school, you weren't living in your hive nor were you living in busy cities, so you needed a place that was small but had everything you needed to raise a child, sparsely populated but with the ability to connect to the rest of Equestria, that narrowed my options down to one place, Ponyville."

"Did you tell any other reporters about where I live or why?"

"No one knows I'm here, and if I may I'd also like to ask you a few questions."

"Fair enough, but before we continue I have to make sure of one more thing." The queen could not refuse to answer questions to her son's biological father, if he really was. "How can I be sure that you are Clear Spark's father?, for all I know you may be a reporter who discovered me by luck and is making all this up to interview me."

The queen was right, she could not take the word of a stallion appearing out of nowhere claiming to be the father of her child without being completely sure that he was, the stallion from his jacket pulled out some very old papers and held them out to the queen, she took them in her hooves and began to look them over.

They were old birth certificates that showed the place and date of birth of Clear Spark, Petal Dance as the biological mother, and Steve Carter as the father. There were also clear notes about the foal's blindness but nothing about his hearing problem, but the queen knew that it was discovered much later, Chrysalis reviewed the papers carefully and could find no inconsistencies and the paper showed no signs of forgery, it was a lot of information that would require a lot of work to get just to lie and get an interview, so the queen decided to believe the stallion.

But the whole scene seemed very strange to her, many questions needed to be answered, like why he appeared now and not when all this happened?, why Clear Spark never asked about his father?, and whether was there a reason why he could not come back?, the queen knew she would not get those answers with direct questions, but the stallion was right about one thing, sometimes the lack of information gives more information than a direct question, and she being an expert in deception could find the answers easily playing with the same rules that Steve Carter used to find them.

"So what would you like to know?" Asked the queen handing the papers back to the stallion.

"How is he?."

"He is doing well, he still has a little trouble getting around Ponyville but everypony knows him and he is never really alone, at school he is doing excellent and he has lots of friends, he is much better than when he lived with his mother." Chrysalis said the last part with reassurance and satisfaction at the good life her son was having.

"So bad was my son's life with Petal Dance?." Asked the stallion intrigued and with clear ignorance about how his son lived.

"If I told you that she abandoned him to his fate in one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria, would you believe me?." The queen raised an eyebrow as she café watching the stallion's reaction, but he showed little concern for the queen's words, Clear Spark was not going to have a future with a neglectful mother and a completely absent father, Chrysalis was his only chance at having a life.

"I never thought things would be this bad for my son, I used to send some money to his mother when I could but..."

"Surely his mother spent it all on alcohol and speed dating, and you should know that a foal needs much more than money to live, he needs care, love, a home, someone to talk to and many more things that you being a parent should know and I shouldn't have to explain to you." The queen finished the idea but without hiding her annoyance at a second irresponsible father.

"Because of my job I didn't have the means to give him the life he deserves, I travel too much and because of his condition he needs a stable place to live." The stallion was right about his special needs but the queen knew he was lying about why he couldn't offer them.

" Whoever wants to, sows possibilities, and whoever doesn't, harvests excuses...or wasn't it?, I better ask my friend AppleJack, did you know she grew up without her parents? so did her little sister and her older brother, but they live with their grandmother, it amazes me what family can do when you put your mind to it."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"Clear Spark is indeed special but with a little effort you could have managed, just like a friend of mine who lives with her little sister, or another friend of my son's who lives with her aunts because her parents are scouts, there are always possibilities and I doubt very much that you couldn't think of a better option for your son than his mother."

"I was absent when Petal Dance was expecting." The stallion sounded very sure of his answer as if he had repeated it many times before, possibly using that answer with other mares as well.

"I understand what you are saying because of the job you have, it must be nice to be able to travel a lot and meet a lot of interesting places and ponies, I would love to do that but unfortunately I can't." There were really few beings in the world that have had more adventures than her, maybe Discord in the chaos dimension?, or Luna in the dream realm?, but Chrysalis thought that giving the stallion wings to talk more about himself would be a good way to get to know more about his personality.

"It's amazing, I've seen amazing places and talked to unique beings, like for example a few days ago I was in..." The queen let the stallion tell his story without giving much interest to what he said but was attentive to how he spoke only hinting at small details to know the kind of stallions and mares Steve frequented with, and she could get a very clear idea of why he met Petal Dance.

"And how did Clear Spark react when you told him about your adventures?". Was a simple indirect question to find out what kind of relationship he had with his son.

"Unfortunately the few times I came to Canterlot he was always at school and I always had to leave before he returned." Another thing the queen was interested to know, a concerned parent's first thought would be to go see their child at school and not waste the day with a quick score.

"And I suppose you have had quite a few adventures in your life, you are the queen of the changelings after all."

"I've had a few adventures in my life, some good and some not so good, but I prefer the quiet of Ponyville, although you can't call this place quiet."

"Many have told me the same about this colorful place, and you now live with somepony else?, are you married or do you have any suitors?"

The queen found the question strange, it could simply be the natural curiosity of a reporter but it could also be something else and from the stallion's personality the queen was sure that question had other intentions, so she wanted to play along and find out where it led.

"At the moment I have no one at my disposal, I've searched a bit but... I haven't found anything interesting." It was all a lie, she did have interest in some Ponyville stallions but they were already owned by somepony else, but among them all there was a professor that caught her attention a lot, but cross her hooves against Derpy?, nope, she had no desire to end up in a hospital, she had heard the stories about what happened to Twilight, Rarity, Amethyst, and Zecora, and the queen had no intentions of being the fifth victim of that pegasus.

"Good to know, maybe one day we could get together to talk more privately." The stallion replied with a smile.

Chrysalis thought she could go on interrogating Steve all day but she wouldn't get anything useful by doing so, she had already managed to form a picture of the stallion's personality quite complete and she didn't want to abuse Spoiled Rich's gentleness either, so she decided to speed up the talk.

"So tell me, how did you meet Petal Dance."

"I met her and a group of friends on one of my trips to Las Pegasus, then I tried to locate her and it was impossible, I managed to run into her in Canterlot a couple of months after our son was born, then our relationship has been casual."

"And why did you abandon your child with her?" Frankly, she wasn't interested in the answer but needed to know his final reaction.

"I wouldn't say I abandoned him, it's just that-."

"Yes you did abandon him, you said so yourself or at least you expressed that with your words." The queen looked at the stallion in a cold and apathetic manner.

"Why so much hostility towards me out of the blue?" Steve asked without understanding the queen's personality change, but Chrysalis already knew what she needed to know and wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"I don't want you to get close to my son, he has suffered too much in his life because of his birth mother and I don't want you now to come into his life exciting him with a bright future and empty promises to simply disappear a couple of months later, I won't allow that." Said the queen with a strict tone.

"Why are you saying that I don't care about my son and that I'm just going to disappear?" Steve asked offended.

"Because I am not stupid, you said it yourself and you also expressed it with your body language, if you cared about your son you would have shown up the first day when you knew the why of the trial and I assure you that with the paternity papers you have, you could have approached at any time to fight to be his legal guardian, but at that time you were also his legal guardian and the court would have given him to you without much trouble but you didn't do it, another thing you could have done was talk to his mother and she would have told you everything but you didn't do that either, you could have also talked to one of the princesses or some lawyer but you didn't do that either, and you only showed up now to make sure that I am a perfect excuse so you can say that Clear Spark is better off with me than with his mother or you. "

"You can't be sure of that." Replied the stallion.

"When is his birthday?" Asked the queen.

"What?" Steve said not understanding the question.

" When is Clear Spark's birthday."

"But... what does that have to do with anything?" Replied the stallion somewhat confused.

"Because that proves my point, you didn't even bother to read the papers you showed me and it just proves to me that you don't care about your son, you never did and I'm sure you never will, if you cared about him you would have read your own son's birth record and answered my question without hesitation, but that's okay, Clear Spark doesn't need someone like you in his life and like I told you I don't want you in it either."

The queen finished drinking her coffee and rose from her seat, the stallion simply looked at her unable to say anything to refute her words, in a short time she had figured out why he had really come.

"Thanks for the coffee but I don't want to owe you anything." Chrysalis left a couple of coins on the table and looked back at the stallion. "I decided to raise Clear Spark because I had the desire to do so and that is something you didn't show me during our whole conversation, now I must go back to repair my son's school and apologize to a mare, I know I shouldn't worry about seeing you again so I hope you have a good life and make better decisions in the future." The queen said goodbye to Pinkie who was behind the counter and walked out of Sugarcube Corner in the direction of the school.

The queen had thought a few times about who would be the father of her son, but she never thought about meeting him or what she would do if she did, but now that she had done it she felt satisfied with the result, without proposing it she had tied a loose end and hoped never again to have to deal with problems of this type, but all this planted a seed of doubt in her head, it was not a legal problem since that was all solved at the end of the trial, it was something simpler and that would inevitably happen in the future.

What would she do when her son asked about his father...

Author's Note

I struggled a bit but I couldn't think of a logical reason why Clear Spark's father hadn't shown up sooner other than the fact that he wasn't interested in doing it, not that he couldn't do it, he just didn't want to do it.

I thought he might have been captured by someone but it didn't seem very believable and some illness like amnesia or a severe case of coma I found it too far out of pocket for the convenience of the story, I also didn't find it believable that he would visit his son and leave him with his mother knowing the conditions he was living in, Steve had the time, the resources, and he couldn't claim ignorance of the facts or that he couldn't do it because of Petal Dance, it was a long time from the time he knew about it to the time he showed up.

The next one will be about a party, the appearance of a known character, and a topic that was asked in the comments.

See you next week. :twilightsmile:

The Friendship Festival.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

Canterlot is the capital and most important city in Equestria, where most of the political, judicial, and economic power of the entire nation is concentrated, it is also the home of Princess Luna, the former Princess Celestia, and occasionally the new and flamboyant Princess Twilight Sparkle, It was a great responsibility and a great way for the young princess to practice her leadership and delegation skills, and Luna knew that it was a lot of work for any pony, so she knew that Twilight would have to delegate some tasks to her friends or another pony.

The city was almost at its limit with ponies from all corners of the land, and hundreds of changelings had come from the Hive just to see the festival, there were also a few individuals from other races, but most of them were those who had already lived in Canterlot by the time the festival was held, the other races did not place as much importance on friendship as the ponies did, There were many reasons why the other races thought the ponies were so friendly and most of the time the conclusion was that being a herbivorous race and natural prey for many of Equestria's animals and monsters, they had a strong sense of herd instinct and grouped together to have a greater chance of survival, but it could also be that if they were not friendly with others they could unleash an eternal winter.

The celebrations in the streets were still in their infancy but the feeling was already there, some of the games and shops were full of happy ponies and changelings enjoying the delicious food that was being prepared, and in contrast to the celebrations in the streets inside the castle there was a completely different atmosphere, The ponies were running in all directions, helping as much as they could to organise the festivities, and among the hundreds of documents and permits that needed to be issued for the various stalls that would be set up for the celebration, a small group of mares was sitting in the Throne Room, summoned by one of the Princesses to ask for their help.

"Do you think there is going to be a problem with your sister not being present at the celebration?", Chrysalis asked watching from one of the windows of the castle throne.

"There will be a few sad faces in the crowd, but I have no doubt that there will be no protests, although there is another group who are of more concern to me."

Luna laughed a little and pointed her hoof at the small groups of dark horse creatures running almost uncontrollably between the different game and food stalls of the festival, they looked like a huge group of foals on a sugar rush, which was not far from the truth as most of them besieged the cake stall and bought everything there was, the only happy one apart from the changelings seemed to be a very cheerful unicorn who hung up a closed sign before taking a huge sack full of coins with him.

"It'll keep them going for a few hours and then they'll calm down, it happens every few days in Ponyville, we changelings love to eat candy."

"I can vouch for that, Shining and I have caught Thorax raiding our fridge in the middle of the night on a number of occasions."

"Luna, can you tell me something I'm not getting?"

"What do you want to ask Chry-." Twilight Sparkle opened the door and walked into the throne room, not realizing that she had interrupted the conversation of the monarchs, she was accompanied by Spike who was a little further back with a pile of scrolls and a board.

"Greetings Princesses and Queen Chrysalis, thank you all three for seeing me. I have had an idea that could make our Friendship Festival the most wonderful celebration Equestria has ever seen."

"Yes Twilight, we are very excited." Luna said.

"Ponies have been arriving all morning from all over." Cadance replied.

"I'm sure everypony came to see you and Songbird Serenade, but why am I here? I'm a guest like everypony else, and technically not involved in the organization." Chrysalis asked.

"Technically, you should be helping to organize the festival because you are a monarch, just like Twilight, Luna, and I, and you have lived in Equestria for a long time, and your race is integrating into our society just like other races." Cadance replied.

"Twilight's job is to organize the festival, and she'll have plenty of help from her friends, and my job now is to... supervise the festival and the games to... keep them... safe for... my subjects, lucky you."

The queen was on her way slowly and triumphantly to the main door when Cadance tapped Luna on the shoulder to have a look at her in action.

"I hope you finish your work soon Chrysalis, I heard there are a lot of ponies interested in taking a tour of the Hive and there are a lot of reporters who want to interview you and also take the tour, Thorax helped me a little with the Crystal Empire ponies and a group of Yak that came to the festival and right now they are at the castle waiting to talk to you and they also want to take a tour, but I am sure it is not a big group, it will be about 200 ponies?"

Cadance looked to the side, thinking of a random number for her made-up story, and Chrysalis, as she walked towards the door, subtly changed her direction to face the young princess of friendship.

"So Twilight, what idea did you come up with?" The queen asked as she looked at the board full of drawings and some mathematical calculations. Cadance and Luna just chuckled.

"I want to make the festival special, and I can use your help." Twilight stepped up to the board and explained that with the sun and moon moving a few degrees more to enhance the show's lighting, Cadance's help in creating a Northern Lights display over the stage, and the changeling's magic in creating fireworks, Twilight wanted to make a show unlike any other in history.

Cadance and Chrysalis looked at Twilight with a bit of hesitation, and Luna didn't seem to be too receptive to the idea.

"Twilight, you want me to move the sun and moon just for the party?, I can't do that, those two things are big, fat and very heavy, it still takes me a lot of effort to put the sun in a similar position every day as before, and the only reason no pony has noticed it's silly is because if you look at it directly, it burns your eyes out."

"I know how to make floating hearts and magic shields, and I can try to make an aurora borealis, but without Luna's help to move the sun and the moon, I don't think it will do much good."

"I'm sorry to be blunt but all my servants are here enjoying the day and I won't ask them because I know they will follow my orders without asking, for many of them this is their first time out of the Hive and they are still servants blindly following my orders, they will do what I tell them without asking even if they know they can say no, they are free changelings and not my slaves and I need them to learn that by experiencing the free world first."

"Then that's a... no." Twilight's spirits were crushed by the refusal of the other princesses and the queen.

"But relax Twilight, you have all the magic you need." Luna said with a smile to try and lift the spirits of the young princess.

"Yes, you have your friends to help you and they always solve everything." Cadance pointed out.

"They cause collateral damage that is sometimes worse than the problems themselves, but they mean well and it always comes together somehow, so just chill." Chrysalis joined in.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about it, but let's see how the girls are doing with the arrangements." Accompanied by a slightly calmer Twilight, Chrysalis left the room.

"Why does she always make these lists if she only follows them half the time?" Chrysalis asked the dragon.

"She likes to make them, and they keep her focused, but it's also because she's got OCD."

"Spike!" shouted Twilight. "I'm not obsessive."

"You didn't miss any punctuation in that list either." The dragon replied.

"A WHAT?" Twilight yelled before frantically checking her list for the aforementioned error. "Where? Where? Where? I can't find it."

"I think I was wrong, sorry Twilight." The dragon replied, reassuring the alicorn.

"Spike, don't scare me, I have too many problems to worry about something so serious." While Chrysalis chuckled at what had happened, Twilight took a few breaths to calm herself.

"Hi Twilight, hi Chrysalis." All the girls said in unison.

"Hi Spike." Rarity especially greeted the little dragon, who returned the greeting nervously.

"How did it go with the princesses, did they like your idea?"

"Not really, they think I can make it perfect without their magic."

"And we are right, you have everything here that you need to make this festival a success."

"But what if it doesn't, what if Songbird Serenade hates the stage, or no pony makes any new friends, and if I fail at the festival, who am I?" The pressure to organize the most perfect festival in all Equestria consumed the young Alicorn.

"Twilight, look at me." Pinkie said, hoofing up to the Princess' face and looking her straight in the eye. "This will be the greatest celebration Equestria has ever seen, as Princess of Friendship you cannot fail, this day will define who you are." Pinkie pointed her judging hoof over the princess. "The pressure is intense." She said dramatically. "It's like it's too much for a mere pony to handle, AAAAHHH!" She shouted over a frightened princess, scaring everyone around her, only to end up jumping backwards at the end. "But you have us, so stop worrying." Finally saying with a smile.

Suddenly, a lively music with drums began to play, and the queen looked in all directions, trying to find out where it was coming from, but it seemed to be all over the place and coming from nowhere.

It's time to show 'em what you've got
It's time to go and get things done
But you don't have to do it on your own
'Cause you've got friends right here to make it fun
We got this
You got this

As if waiting for something, the group of colorful mares turned their heads to look at the queen.

"Come on Chrysalis, that was your cue." Rainbow said.

"My cue for what?" The queen asked, raising an eyebrow as she tried to think of what that meant, until she finally figured it out. "Ohhhh no no no no no... I don't sing, that's a colored pony thing." She finished, taking a step back.

"But you have to sing, it's part of what we do." Pinkie commented.

"Right, it's part of what you ponies do, what do you think, we live in a fantasy world?, I'd rather check out other parts of the festival, thank you." The queen replied, taking a few steps back to get away from the danger zone.

"Ok, but it is your loss, ok girls from the choir." Rainbow cleared her throat before continuing. "3... 2... 1... and..."

We got this
You got this
We got this together

At that moment, Rainbow grabbed Twilight's hoof and dragged her with her until she disappeared between the clouds. The queen sighed calmly and quickly left, saying goodbye to her friends, grateful to have dodged the bullet.

"I think everything will be to your liking, the installation is complete and only some exterior aesthetic details remain." Said the queen, who was walking next to a famous mare and her bodyguards.

"That's excellent, then I won't have a problem doing my sound check. But I'd like to talk to the pony in charge and arrange the final details." Songbird Serenade replied.

"Sure, she's Twilight Sparkle and she's... covered with pie?" The queen asked, somewhat confused.

Twilight quickly stepped out of the giant cake and walked over to the singer.

"Greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I am the Princess of Friendship in charge of the Friendship Festival." The Alicorn began to speak faster and more nervously than she expected. "It's not that we have more Friendship Princesses in Equestria, or that I was elected Friendship Princess to run the Friendship Festival, of course you should know that since you're from Equestria, he he, it's just that I'm the Friendship Princess, and since the Friendship Festival is about making friends, then I..." Chrysalis put her hoof over the princess's mouth, preventing her from speaking any further and saving her from any more embarrassment than she was already in.

"Twilight, calm down and take a deep breath, I already told Songbird everything she needs to know about the festival and she just needs to set up on stage to do the sound checks and see if they need to adjust anything, okay?" The princess nodded her head a few times. "Ok, now I'll remove my hoof, but please relax and think about what you're going to say before speaking."

Just then, thunder rumbled in the sky, catching everypony's attention and causing them to lift their heads to see a huge black cloud looming over Canterlot.

"Storm clouds? I ordered perfect weather, Rainbow Dash?" The princess asked, looking at her winged friend with a bit of annoyance.

"Uuuuhmmm, I don't think those are storm clouds." Rainbow replied as the ominous cloud continued to approach.

Out of the cloud, a large, dark-colored, metallic airship appeared, coming in for a landing.

"UuuuuUUUUUhhhh, those must be the clowns I ordered." Pinkie commented, jumping up and down in glee, but the craft continued its descent, destroying a couple of stone pillars and a booth filled with clown items and balloons. "Or definitely not the clowns I ordered." He finally said suspiciously.

The ship finally landed and dropped a metal platform on which a balloon-shaped animal was crushed to death.

"Brian! Nooo!" A soul crushed unicorn cried out as he watched his latex friend deflate to nothing.

Down the platform came a small, chubby gray creature that looked like a strange cross between a pig and a weasel, but it had an amazingly cool haircut, between its stubby claws it carried a metal box and gasped with each step until it fully descended and placed the box on the ground, from the box an amplifier appeared and the creature took what looked like a microphone and began to speak.

" Ponies of Equestria!" The creature shouted. "We come on behalf of the fearsome, the Po-."

"Who are you, and why have you decided to invade us?" The queen shouted menacingly at the strange creature who interrupted his speech.

"Me?" he asked nervously. "Well, my name is... I'm Grubber and I don't know, we were sent..."

"Silence, minion." The strange being was instantly silenced by a dominant female voice from inside the ship.

From the inside, an equine figure with armor and a menacing look appeared. She was a unicorn of a dark orchid color, a dark red mane and green eyes, her cutie mark couldn't be seen, but there was something unusual about her appearance.

"She's... a unicorn?" Twilight asked.

"Looks like it, but what happened to her horn?" Spike replied.

Cadance and Luna appeared out of the air and landed on the ground next to the queen.

"Are you sure it's an invasion?" Luna asked muttering to the queen.

"Absolutely, how many troops are at your disposal?" The queen replied.

"Active duty, a little over five hundred, the rest are on rest, but surely they have already been alerted and are in preparation."

"Excellent, I have about two hundred changelings in the city, most of them are not fighters, but they are all capable of self-defense."

"I brought a small contingent of twenty-four Royal Guards, my personal escort, but the best my realm has to offer." Cadance added in the same tone.

"Well, any hoof that can fight is useful, but we won't be able to make a battle plan if we don't know who we're fighting, we'll have to do some improvisation on the defenses." Both princesses nodded and prepared to fight.

The unicorn stepped out of the ship, but stayed on the platform so everypony could have a look at her.

"Who are you and how did you guess it was an invasion?"

"It's an old hobby me and my minions had when we were hungry or... bored."

"Minions?" The unicorn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly, I am the one and only Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, and you are?"

"I am Commander Tempest, and I come in the name of the Storm King to demand your complete and total surrender."

"Hello." Twilight greeted shyly, emerging from behind Cadance. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure we can talk about it." She said with a nervous smile.

Tempest had a look at the group of princesses next to the queen and couldn't help but notice the absence of one very important figure.

"Weren't there four princesses from Equestria, where's your big sister, where's Celestia?" The unicorn asked.

"My sister is unavailable at this time." Luna replied, to which Tempest just gave her a look with a raised eyebrow.

The unicorn's question, and the way she reacted to Luna's answer, told the Queen that this unicorn was coming from a place far away and had very little contact with Equestria, which gave her an advantage because it showed that this invading force did not know much about who they were trying to attack and therefore could not be sure if what they were saying was true or lying.

"Don't you read the news? she tried to take over Equestria, we stopped her and locked her in Tartarus, you can go try to talk to her, we'll wait here." The queen said with a bit of sarcasm to draw Tempest's attention to her and to eliminate the possibility that she would doubt Celestia's true location.

"Three princesses and a mocking queen is better than nothing." Tempest replied as she descended the metal platform. "Here's the deal ladies, I need your magic, so please hand it over nicely or we'll make it difficult for everyone."

"And why should we bow to you, you are one and we are hundreds." Tempest let out a small, sinister laugh at Luna's words.

"I was hoping you would choose the hard one."

At that moment, two large beasts appeared behind Tempest and many more ships like the first appeared from the cloud, the ponies screaming and running in fear as huge gray armored beasts fell from the sky to attack the city.

Amidst the chaos, Tempest threw a dark green orb towards the princesses, Cadance quickly formed a shield to protect them all, but it was useless as the orb passed through and hit her directly.

"Cadance!" Princess Luna shouted.

"I can't... stop it." Cadance said as her body was covered in dark crystal.

"LUNA!" Chrysalis shouted. "Retreat to the castle, take as many ponies as you can, gather as many troops as possible, I will give you as much time as possible." The princess of the night nodded and after dodging a few enemies she flew towards the castle, but without warning she was hit by another of the black orbs that also turned her into crystal and she fell to the ground and her doom, but a few changelings who saw the princess fall flew quickly and grabbed her seconds before she hit the ground, Chrysalis saw everything that was happening and knew what would happen to her and the city.

"We are doomed." The queen said to herself, then turned to the only princess present. "TWILIGHT!" The queen shouted. "Listen to me well, the city will fall and so will I, run fast and don't stop, go south across The Badlands until you reach the ocean, you will need a vehicle to find the island of the hippogriffs, ask Queen Novo for help, she knows how to defeat the Storm King."

"But you... what are you going to do?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"I, along with my changelings, will try to save as many of the ponies as we can, Cadance and Luna, and then..." Chrysalis saw a green ball over Twilight's shoulder heading her way. "...GET DOWN!" She shouted, knocking the young princess to the ground. She felt the ball ruffle her mane. "Go Twilight, NOW, I'll be fine." The queen said before she pushed the alicorn out of the danger zone and then joined the other troops in defense of the city.

"Over here, all of you." Was the last thing the queen heard as somepony yelled at Twilight before she turned her full attention to the battle at hoof.

Although the queen fought bravely for a long time, she knew from the beginning that it was a lost battle, her troops had the ability to transform into an infinity of beasts, but they were outnumbered and inferior in physical resistance, slowly they were exhausted as well as the Canterlot guards, Cadance's guard and the few ponies that joined the fight.

One by one the changelings fell, one by one the ponies fell, and the castle fell too, finally the queen was left with a small group of changelings and guards, without energy or magic, wounded and very exhausted, surrounded by dozens of enemies laughing as they watched the ponies fall one by one, and in the final attack to end the weak resistance, a single thought crossed the queen's mind as she watched her comrades fall and felt her body turn to a dark crystal.

To have given Twilight enough time to return with help.

Author's Note

It took me a while to figure out how to integrate Chrysalis into the transition to Season 8 without changing the original story too much, since the world works the same way in theory, but she just acts a little different, and I came up with the solution that she wouldn't be the protagonist of "the movie" to try and explain it in some way, even though it really isn't because the movie is starring Twilight. I based it on the idea of Chapter 100, where every pony has their own story, and after all, this is Chrysalis' story.

For those of you who saw the movie (which I think you all did XD), I don't think many of you will be surprised what the next chapter is about. But just like this chapter, it's not as linear as you might think.

I hope you liked how I integrated the queen into the adventure and I'll see you next week. :twilightsmile:

As always, any ideas or comments are welcome and will be very helpful to me in the writing process. :pinkiesmile:

Friendship 101.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

"We have an agreement..."
"I want to marry your son..."
"Wait..."
"Mom... I'm hungry..."
"I used you..."
"I'll never leave you..."

Chrysalis didn't know if she really heard these words or if they were thoughts in her mind, she was in an empty, dark, and cold place, she couldn't tell how much time had passed or if time passed at all, the only thing she could feel was how slowly the magic left her body and she fell into a lethargy she couldn't avoid, but it wasn't a horrible feeling, it was something calm and pleasant, as if an old friend extended his hoof to accompany her on a long journey in a safe way.

"You have done well Chrysalis... you have done very well... you have nothing to regret... now rest... you have done well."

She was right, she had done all she could, she had done more than enough, she knew everyone would be fine even if she was gone, her life was long and full, she loved and hated with intensity, she traveled the world, she made friends and raised a foal, no, she raised a son, he would grow up surrounded by friends who cared about him, he would have someone to love and one day he would have a foal of his own to love, she did well, very well.

"Rest Chrysalis... I will be by your side... rest... rest... rest..."

The queen's mind wandered, but she was calm, she was content, she knew she had done well, those sweet words soothing her as her heart slowly slowed.

Suddenly a great flash of colors blinded her eyes and a great breath of air flooded her lungs, when she regained her sight she could see all her friends, the princesses Luna, Cadance and Twilight, the castle bathed in magic that stretched all over the city and as far as the eye could see, but she felt very weak and her body gave way and she collapsed there, sighing softly and closing her eyes.

"Fear not Chrysalis... I stand with you..."

"Chrysalis!" All of the girls shouted in unison as they approached the queen.

"What's wrong with her?" Twilight asked worriedly, and Luna went to the queen's side to do an examination.

"She is breathing very slowly, her pupils are not reactive, her temperature is low and... her heart beats slowly, very slowly." Luna answered seriously before standing up. "I'm going to give her some of my magic to get her back on her hooves." The princess concentrated and fired a small beam of magical energy at the queen's body, which completely surrounded her, but quickly disappeared without having any effect on her. "This is strange, my healing spell should have worked, I don't understand why it didn't." She wondered.

"Sacana's Scepter has the power to absorb all the magic it's targeting, but I've never seen that happen before."

"Then why did it happen to her?"

"Changelings use love as the source of their magic and life energy. If what Tempest says is true, then the scepter drained all the life energy from her organism, so my healing spell is useless."

"Then let me try, if she needs love, I can give it." With a bit of concentration, Cadance cast a pink bolt of lightning at the queen, but it only lasted a moment before she became dizzy and lost coordination. "Sorry girls, I'm more tired than I thought, I'll try again." Cadance concentrated for a second time, but after a great deal of effort she was unable to activate her magic. "I can't give her any more love with my magic, but the little I gave her should last until we can get her to a hospital."

"Then we must move quickly." Twilight said, preparing to use her magic to transport the queen.

"You do know that there is more than one way to give love to a pony, don't you?" Rainbow commented, standing a little further back.

"What do you mean?" Cadance asked.

"I mean, I know I'm not the smartest pony in Equestria, but sometimes you girls can be so stupid." Rainbow walked past all her friends and stopped in front of the queen. She sat down in front of her and tried to lift her up with some effort.

"What are you doing Rainbow?" Luna asked.

"I'm... trying to... hug her." The Pegasus said as she was done with setting the queen down and giving her a hug. "Will you help me?" She finished by calling out to the group, to which they all responded and hugged the queen as well, Tempest staying a little further back.

"Your friends want you back... now you have to get back... I will wait for you..."

Gradually the queen felt life coming back into her body, her heart beating with more energy, her body getting warmer, too warm, her heart beating fast, her body feeling tight and when she opened her eyes she saw all her friends hugging her, she didn't know why.

"Uuuummm girls, why are you all hugging me?" The queen asked.

"Chrysalis!" They all shouted as they stopped hugging the Queen.

"I'm glad you're okay, you had us worried." Fluttershy said. "If something bad had happened to you, I hate to think what would have happened to your son."

"What do you mean? What bad thing could happen to me?" The queen asked, intrigued.

"What is the last thing that you can remember?" Luna asked.

"I remember... Fighting Tempest outside the castle and she threw a ball at me, turning me into a crystal, and...next thing I remember you hugging me, and...why is she here?" Chrysalis asked, pointing her hoof at the unicorn.

"She helped us stop the Stormwing King, after all." Twilight replied.

"Ok, thank you for helping, we'd better go check on everyone and get the celebration over with." The queen said as she walked out the door, followed by the rest of the girls.

"I want to see how my sister is doing, I don't want her to have to spend this celebration on her own."

"I want to be with Cheerilee and have a look at my son's health."

"Are you girls really okay with all this?" Tempest asked, very confused, as the group of mares were on their way, and the only one who heard the unicorn's words was the queen.

"Equestria has a reputation for not being unkind to its enemies." Chrysalis replied. "So are you coming, or are you going to stay alone and feel sorry for yourself? It won't be ten minutes before Twilight comes looking for you."

Tempest laughed softly and followed the queen to the outskirts of the castle, knowing deep down that what Chrysalis said was true.

An iconic creature appeared on the stage, and after a second to get ready, did what everyone had been waiting for - the presentation.

"Fillies and colts, get ready for... SONGBIRD SERENADE!" Spike shouted, starting the Friendship Festival.

Everyone screamed ecstatically and jumped for joy as they got as close as they could to the stage to hear one of the best singers in all of Equestria. Everyone was very excited, except for a few creatures who were much further back.

"Well, that's one thing that never changes around here, the parties." Tempest murmured to herself with a glance at the horizon.

"Well, I hope you stay, more friends are definitely merrier." Twilight added as she approached Tempest without her noticing.

"But my horn." Tempest added sadly as she looked at her forehead.

"The physical appearance of your horn is something that only matters if you place importance on it, you are a very strong mare and surely your magic is powerful, you were able to defeat Luna, Cadance, me and surely you would have defeated Twilight if it wasn't for my intervention." Chrysalis replied, appearing out of nowhere to join the conversation.

"I told some of you that I never got a chance to show off my special talent, did I?" Tempest lifted her head and concentrated for a moment, then shot a magical bolt of lightning from her horn into the sky, exploding in an infinity of unbelievable and wonderful fireworks that captured everyone's attention.

"I've done so much to harm the innocent ponies of this City, how am I ever going to make up for that?" Tempest wondered aloud as she looked up at the bright lights.

"The universe has a way of making good always triumph, of straightening out the paths of ponies who have fallen under the influence of evil, either through bad luck or bad decisions. Perhaps in another universe, if you had made a different decision, even if it seemed insignificant, it could drastically affect the world," commented another unicorn who appeared out of nowhere and approached the group.

"Good evening Starlight." The queen said to the new member.

"Chrysalis!" The unicorn replied. "Since when do your wings glow?" Starlight asked the queen with a raised eyebrow.

The queen looked over her shoulder to see her wings. "Apparently it's a natural way for our bodies to get rid of excess love, it should go away at some point in time."

Tempest just looked at the new figure coming towards her.

"I know you're sorry for all the damage you've done, but I can assure you from experience that you're not the first to go through this. I, for example, enslaved an entire village with the fantasy of promoting total equality, then I traveled back in time and... things escalated from bad to worse." Starlight finished with a nervous scratch at the back of her neck.

"I interrupted Twilight's brother's wedding, Luna tried to curse us with Eternal Night, Discord took over Equestria long ago, and Celestia bewitched a whole village and turned into a fire monster and tried to kill me and my son, but she's much better now."

"Pff..." Tempest replied. "You can't be serious." The irony in her words was clear to her as she listened to what they were trying to tell her.

"The standards for crime measurement are... a bit hilarious to say the least, if you want you can join our reformed villain club, we have food and board games."

"We also have kites."

"And you're all really okay with just forgiving me?"

"You risked your life at the last minute to save us from the Storm King. I think we can forgive you for what you did." Twilight replied with a smile.

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy." Said a dark, winged figure who had landed next to the Princess of Friendship. "You attacked the princesses of Equestria and their allies, you attacked our kind and locked them in cages and used them as slaves. You also destroyed much of the castle in your attack, so you must be punished according to your crimes."

"I think everyone is entitled to a second chance, but Luna is right. I don't suppose you plan to send her to the moon because she attacked you, do you?" Chrysalis asked.

"Since a mare here got the support of the nobles and the judges, I can no longer send ponies to the moon. But I still have punishments that will make you long for banishment." Luna approached Tempest menacingly and stopped in front of her.

"What could be worse than being banished?" Starlight asked with a curious expression, while Tempest looked visibly worried.

"Tempest Shadow, for your attacks on the Princesses of Equestria, their allies, their subjects, enslaving their subjects, destroying public property and other related crimes, I sentence you to... two years of community service!"

The ponies standing nearby who heard the princess's words were shocked by the punishment, some fainting from the cruelty and others shedding a tear of sympathy.

"NOOOOO!" The unicorn cried out as she had the feeling that those words had ripped the soul out of her.

"Luna, you can't be so cruel, I know she did horrible things but... community service?" Twilight commented.

"I know a good lawyer. I'll contact him and see if we can get your sentence reduced." Chrysalis added.

"Report to Canterlot Castle on Monday morning at seven for your first task, and may Faust have mercy on your soul."

It had been a few months since the incident with King Storm and Twilight had come up with an excellent idea to improve relations with the other nations and teach them about the magic of friendship, a place where everyone could go to learn and make new friends. Twilight founded a school and today was the grand opening.

"Welcome to the School of Friendship, I am Principal Twilight Sparkle, please come up to our counselor, Starlight, to complete your registration and class assignment, then Queen Chrysalis will show you to your dormitories." The princess greeted the large group of creatures who had arrived to attend the new school that was being run by the Princess of Friendship.

Most were ponies, but there were also creatures from other nations, yaks, griffons, dragons, hippogriffs, and some changelings, all of whom, unlike the changelings, had come to learn the magic of friendship and also to represent their nations as ambassadors of goodwill, which would be an excellent way to improve relations with other races, The changelings present who wanted to enroll in the school were the last ones who were still afraid to leave the hive and the queen herself ordered them to attend, even though the queen only suggested it, but they still took every word of Chrysalis as an absolute command.

"And do you have any news of Tempest?"

"From Fizzlepop?, part of her community service is traveling around Equestria spreading the news of the Storm King's defeat and helping with the necessary repairs caused by his attack.

"I hope she'll be done soon. Did you like the way the building turned out?"

"Yes, thanks for your help with the school building, I had no idea changelings were such good builders."

"Being insect parts, we are very good at building hives and working in groups, for the school we just used a slightly different plan, adding a small subway wing for the changelings coming from the central hive, but I had to register the building under my name."

"And why did you do that? Is it supposed to be my school?" Twilight asked.

"Because the 20-kilo sleeping pill that is the EEA rules on how to run a school has a few little loopholes that we can use to our advantage if we get into trouble, but don't worry, you can use the school without a problem and you can consider it a token of our hive's friendship to you."

"Will I have to pay rent for using the building?" The princess asked with some concern.

"I had not thought of that, but we can arrange that another time."

"The students would really benefit from you teaching them about the history of the changelings, are you sure you don't want to be a full-time teacher?"

"No thanks, I already have another job in mind, but I can be of assistance from time to time for special classes or if they have any problems."

"I'd appreciate you doing that." The princess said with a smile. "So how many changelings do you have in mind for enrollment?"

"They're a little over fifty, but I know one you'll love." Chrysalis lifted her head and looked in all directions in search of someone in particular. "Ocellus, come here for a moment, please." The queen called out to a small changeling who was chatting with a group made up of a few changelings and ponies, her wings giving off a great deal of glitter. "She is very smart and has a great love of reading and learning new things."

The days went by without any major problems at the school, although tensions were rising among the teachers and the students, all thanks to the demands of the EEA regulations on how to run a school. Although everyone could see that the demands of the EEA were not working, Twilight was determined to follow them to the letter so that her school would get the final approval and be recognized as a real school, And even though there were rumors in the corridors that some students were thinking about leaving, Twilight saw it as proof that they were not trying hard enough. She would do everything she could to make sure that when the day of friends and family came, Chancellor Neighsay would give her the approval.

Chrysalis stood with the others who had been sent to Friends and Family Day. All of them were dignitaries or held some high position in their respective kingdoms, except for Grandpa Gruff, who was no one's grandpa, but everyone in Griffonstone called him "Grandpa Gruff".

"Yak finds the change the queen and her race have made impressive, everyone would say it is because of the little one you are taking care of, but Yak is sure it is much more than that".

"In the beginning, my race and I were the monsters everyone thought we were, but as the centuries passed and I saw how the other races lived, I could compare their way of life to ours, and our way of life was not worthy of my changelings. I have often wondered what would have happened to me if I had not found Spark that day in the forest."

"If you have any changelings who love adventure and combat, you can send them to the dragon territory, we'd love to trade blows against a shape-shifting opponent."

"I know a changeling by the name of Pharynx, and I know he'd be in love with the idea..."

Shouting and ponies running in all directions interrupted her, and looking up, she saw the group of students flying up, followed by an enormous winged bug.

"It's that Ocell-." The queen said as a spherical pony rolled up, knocking her and the other dignitaries down.

A few seconds after the chaos had occurred and the smoke had cleared, the queen stood up and could see the destruction caused by the group of students, the building had one of its towers destroyed, almost all of the food was gone, and there were many confused ponies.

"How dare you, this is an act of aggression against the ponies. "Chancellor Neighsay said, offended.

"I'm very sorry, Chancellor, it seems that there were some students who were overly enthusiastic." Twilight replied apologetically.

"Students? But you said you wanted to open a school to protect Equestria, to protect the ponies from dangerous creatures who don't share our best values." Neighsay replied, raising his voice slightly.

"My school teaches everyone to work together in friendship." Twilight again defended her school and its students.

"And who can assure you that they won't take what they've learned here and use it against us?"

"Friendship is not-."

"I can assure you of that." Chrysalis replied, interrupting the young alicorn.

"And what are you supposed to be?" Neighsay said looking contemptuously at the queen.

"I'm Chrysalis, Queen of the Changeling, I'm quite famous to be true, my picture appeared in every newspaper in Equestria more than once, but I understand you don't know me, only ponies with... some culture and education read the news." Chrysalis didn't bother to hide her sarcasm.

"Are you implying that I'm ignorant?" The unicorn replied, clearly offended and annoyed.

"You must be if you didn't have the mental capacity to recognize me at a glance, or maybe you're just a pacifier who thinks he can debate the Princess of Friendship on how to teach friends."

"I've been Chancellor of the EEA for years, and I've dedicated my entire life to educating the ponies of Equestria. There's nothing I don't know about education."

"That's where you're wrong, because the first thing you learn in any teaching school is that you're never done learning, studies, like knowledge and information, are always changing and refining, do you even know the meaning of the term 'friendship'."

"It's when one pony is friends with another, everyone knows that."

"Twilight." The queen said as she lifted her head and looked up at the alicorn. "Please tell us the definition of 'friendship.'"

"It is when one creature has a strong liking for and trust in another, regardless of race, age, or gender."

"That proves nothing." Neighsay replied.

"It proves your ignorance of the values these mares teach at school, like friendship, loyalty, honesty, generosity, kindness, and laughter, something I don't know how to do and I'll ask Pinkie to teach me, she's the best.

All the ponies cheered the pink mare with shouts, balloons and hoof stomping.

"Thank you, thank you, I teach on Thursdays. I don't charge much!" The pink mare shouted from the background, prompting some of the crowd to approach her to see if they could join in.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" The Chancellor shouted before using his magic to create a huge chained seal on the door. "By order of the EEA, I am closing this school."

"You can't close the school!" Some students shouted.

"I can and I will, students dropping out? incompetent teachers? destroying school property? this school is a disaster."

"I was a disaster too when Twilight met me, but she showed me that when you know in your heart that something is right, you stand up for it. Just like she did for me when no one else believed in me, just like we will do for our school." Starlight replied, appearing from behind.

"You can't go against the EEA, we are responsible for all the schools in Equestria." Neighsay replied as he approached Starlight.

"And Twilight is in charge of all of the friendship in Equestria, so why should we allow any pony to stop us from doing our job?." she asked.

"Because there is a rulebook on how to run a school." The unicorn made a huge rule book appear in front of him, and Starlight slammed it down so hard that it flew a good couple of feet away.

"This rulebook doesn't matter, Twilight can write her own rulebook because she's doing something new, unique, important, something that will last longer than any stupefying EEA book.

The Chancellor stood inches from Starlight, looking directly at her with fury in his eyes, but the unicorn never yielded to Neighsay's judgmental gaze.

"Starlight is right." Twilight said, raising her voice a little and filling it with pride. "What we do here is far more important than how we do it, and we're going to do this." With a magical bolt of lightning, Twilight easily destroyed the seal above the school door. "School is back in session!"

Principal Twilight Sparkle's decision was greeted with cheers from a large group of students.

"You dare to break my seal?"

"That's right, Chancellor, and I respectfully request that you step aside, or classes will be delayed."

"Classes will not be in session today or ever, the EEA has this building on lockdown and no one will get through."

"That is where you are wrong Chancellor, you can close the school but you cannot close the building, legally it is in my name and I have given it to Twilight for use at her discretion, of course for that to be legal I must have some sort of payment for my services." The queen turned to the princess. "Twilight, the rent for the building is two coins a month, is that acceptable? The queen asked the princess with a serious look and a wink, so that she would understand what her plan was.

"I find it acceptable, but I regret to inform you that I do not have any money at my disposal at the moment, could you lend me a few coins?" the princess asked smiling. The princess asked with a smile.

"Of course, that's what friends are for." Chrysalis took out a small sack that she had hidden in her wings, and from the inside of it she took out a few coins to hoof over to Twilight.

"Thanks, and here is your payment for the first month's rent." Twilight hoofed her the two coins that the queen had lent her, and she put them back in the small bag and put it away.

"That's no use, even if they have a building, it's still not a school."

"Exactly, it's not a school of the EEA, it's a school of friendship, with its own rules."

"And your plan is to allow all these creatures to attend this place?, just by changing the rules, that will not work."

"I think that a long time ago, the Pegasus, the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies did something similar to this." Luna added, joining the conversation.

"I promise you, Chancellor, my school will protect Equestria." Twilight said with a smile.

"Or it will destroy us all." Neighsay replied before he used his magic to open a portal and disappear out of everyone's sight.

Everyone screamed with joy, knowing that their beloved School of Friendship would continue to function, and slowly they moved towards the entrance, the Mane Six opened the doors of the school again and entered with the students to continue doing what they did best.

This brand new school of friendship
Its everyones home
We learn to trust
We are all here to have fun
With friendship ties that bind uuuuuus
And that is my cue to leave .....

Singing that last line, the Queen flew somewhere where her life wouldn't become a musical, so she flew to Cheerilee's school, it was just before her son would finish school and it also gave her a chance to talk to Cheerilee and find out how he was doing with his studies.

Author's Note

I think it works quite well to make the transition to the next season, I know there are some small parts that feel like they're too much in the story, but that's the way the universe works with Chrysalis living among the ponies.

For example, in the part where the queen says that they cannot close the school because the building belongs to her, we know that it was not necessary because we know the whole story from before, but the queen, like the other protagonists or the same Neighsay do not know, and this is a common problem in creating worlds, the level of knowledge of the characters about the world, maybe Pinkie knows more about the world than it seems, but she assured me that it was not so.
(that's what I said-) :pinkiehappy:

The next chapter is going to be about Clear Spark and a little adventure that he is going to have in Ponyville.

I will try to finish it as soon as possible and upload it on Sunday as I did at the beginning. See you in a few days. :twilightsmile:

ClearBloom.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

It had been a little over a year since the opening of the Friendship School and everything was in perfect working order, there were the usual problems that every school in Equestria had, such as quarrelsome students, crazy villains and monster invasions, but otherwise it was a quiet place.

The queen came back from looking for Clear Spark at school and they both walked home, the colt had grown a bit and could move around Ponyville without any problems, he could recognize almost every sound perfectly and the ponies had been kind enough to leave marks on the lamp posts so the colt could find his way if necessary. No one had any problem helping him to show him the right way, but just like the queen, every pony wanted Clear Spark to be as independent as possible.

Normally, Clear Spark returned home accompanied by one of his classmates, and half the time that classmate was specifically Apple Bloom, who said it was a small detour before returning to the farm on the other side of town, but it had been a little over a week, and the colt was much quieter than usual, and the filly seemed to have been avoiding little Spark all those days, The queen and AppleJack were concerned about the matter, and they had both agreed to talk to the little ones to find out if anything bad had happened between them. That was the main reason the queen was picking up her son from school today.

Chrysalis walked home a little slower than usual, and Clear Spark walked a little farther behind his mother, and even when the queen picked up the pace or slowed it down, the foal somehow managed to always stay two or three steps behind his mother, even though he was blind, his hearing allowed him to measure perfectly how far behind his mother was, and he regulated his pace so as not to be left behind, always keeping his head down and saying nothing, but when he least expected it, the queen suddenly stopped, and Clear Spark could not avoid colliding with his mother.

"Sorry." Spark said as he rubbed at his muzzle.

"Don't worry about it, but you're a lot quieter than usual, is there something wrong with you?"

"Something's wrong? Nothing's wrong, I just don't feel like talking." The colt replied before heading home.

"Did you get into a fight with Apple Bloom?

"With Apple Bloom?" The colt asked as he quickly turned around in the direction of his mother. "Emmm no?, nothing is wrong, nothing bad happened." It didn't take AppleJack's lie detection skills to know that Clear Spark was lying, the colt replied very quickly and nervously.

"Then you're not going to mind if I ask AppleJack how her little sister is doing, are you?" The queen said, tapping the ground with her hooves in an attempt to fool Clear Spark into thinking she was on her way to the farm.

"WAIT!" The colt yelled, trying to make her stop.

"You want to tell me what happened?, I'm not going anywhere."

The colt hesitated for a long time whether to talk to his mother or not, just saying "mmmm..." every now and then while tapping the ground with his hooves, all the while the queen waited patiently for him.

"You know I can help you with anything you want, but first you have to tell me what's going on. I'm not going to..."

"Mom, how do you know if you like a filly or not?" Clear Spark asked, cutting her mother off.

"That's simple, first you must WHAT?" The queen shouted, a little taken aback by the question, which caused the colt to jump back. "Sorry honey for the yell, but you did take me a bit by surprise, could you repeat the question for me?"

"It's just that the other day I was with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara near Carrot Farm waiting for Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon but they took too long and Scootaloo went for Sweetie Belle while Diamond Tiara went for Silver Spoon and then I... I think I accidentally kissed Apple Bloom on the cheek, and she got mad at me," the colt finished with a bit of regret.

"What, did you try to overdo it with her?" The queen asked in a surprised and angry tone. "I thought you knew how to respect the boundaries of a filly, no wonder she's mad at you, right now we're going to the farm to..."

"That's not it." The colt said, cutting his mother off. "It's something else."

"What then?"

"When we were alone, we started talking about schoolwork, and I told her that I like doing homework with her because she helps me a lot, but she was closer than I thought, and she wanted to ask me something, and when I turned my head to find out what she wanted, I... accidentally kissed her on the cheek."

"I don't think it bothered her that much..."

"BUT I APOLOGIZED TO HER." The colt said, shouting. "I told her I did not mean to kiss her, I did not mean to kiss her and I would never do it again and she started to cry and ran off I don't know where to and... she won't talk to me anymore."

"Hmmm I see." Chrysalis said quietly. "Come with me sweetie, we need to talk." Chrysalis walked over to the colt and helped him onto her back to take him to a tree and have a talk in the shade, now she knew why Apple Bloom didn't want to be around her son, he had unknowingly broken the filly's heart and she now thinks Clear Spark doesn't want to be with her.

"You like being with Apple Bloom, do you?" The queen asked as she lowered her son from her back.

"Emmm... yes?"

"And you have feelings for her that are a little different than the feelings you have for other fillies?"

"Different feelings?" The filly asked a little confused.

"I mean you're happy to hear her voice, you like spending more time with her than with some of your other friends, and you feel bad because you think you hurt her feelings."

"Hmmm..." Was all the foal said nervously, and the queen could feel the love coming from the colt at the thought of her friend. It wasn't as strong as Apple Bloom's for Clear Spark, but there was undoubtedly something there.

"You hurt Apple Bloom's feelings, but it wasn't because of something bad you did or something she did. It was because of a misunderstanding, and you both better talk about it before you regret it in the future."

"But what should I talk about?" The colt asked, though he had no idea what his mother was referring to.

"Sometimes I forget that you are too young to have an understanding of some things." The queen said to herself, laughing slightly. "You feel bad for Apple Bloom, don't you?"

"Yes." Replied the colt.

"I tell you what, why don't you invite Apple Bloom for a walk around Ponyville, just the two of you? That way you can talk quietly and clear up any misunderstandings you have, say something nice to her, compliment her mane or something." The queen said with all the optimism and the best of intentions in the world.

"And do you have any idea what kind of effect that will have?" The colt asked in the same way.

"Of course, I'm sure it was a stupid misunderstanding and it's not good to get angry about that." The queen replied with a smile.

"Great, I'll go to Apple Bloom's right now..."

"Wait!" The queen shouted at her son, who ran off in a random direction out of excitement. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to the farm to..." The colt tried to answer, realizing it was a very bad idea for someone in his condition to wander. "I'd better talk to her at school tomorrow."

"I think that's a much better idea." With the best intentions of her heart, and without knowing it, the queen, with those simple words, forever linked the life of her son with the little filly that came from the apple farm.

The next day, all the students were in class solving the math problems the teacher had written on the board, while Clear Spark was solving the same math problems on a special sheet Cheerilee had prepared. But the colt had something else on his mind, on a small piece of paper he had written a message in Braille, and after folding it and concentrating on his magic, he levitated it to the table of his classmate next to him.

"Hey, Scoot." The foal whispered to her winged friend as he pointed his hoof at the note he had passed.

"What?" Said the Pegasus, whispering back to the foal, but louder than she wanted to in order to earn a scolding from the teacher.

"Please give the note to Apple Bloom."

Even though the foal couldn't see what Scootaloo was doing, she nodded. Without the teacher noticing, she passed the note to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom was trying to figure out the math problem when Scootaloo dropped a small piece of paper on her desk.

"What is this?" Apple Bloom asked, a little confused as she picked up the note with her hoof.

"The meaning of life, the universe, and everything." Scootaloo replied.

"Really?" She asked back, intrigued, to which Scoot just rolled her eyes in the most sarcastic way possible.

"Of course not dummy, it's just a note, read it."

Apple Bloom was angry with Clear Spark, even she didn't know why, but she was sure it was his fault, after all she didn't do anything wrong, she just didn't listen to anything the colt said after he kissed her on the cheek, she just started crying and stormed off without listening to what her beloved colt had said, surely being alone he told her he liked her and she stormed off in fear, But none of that was her fault, it was his and she wouldn't talk to him until he apologized, which didn't make much sense if she tore herself away from Clear Spark every time he came near, but she had promised AppleJack that she would give Spark a chance to apologize for his dastardly deed of making her cry and surely that little piece of paper had those words written on it.

When Apple Bloom started learning Braille, it took her a little while and like everypony else, she had to run her hoof over the letters several times to know what it said, but over the years, she could read it as easily as any other written language, some ponies in Ponyville learned a little bit of the language, mostly out of curiosity, but the only ones who could read it perfectly besides the colt were Chrysalis, Cheerilee and Apple Bloom, so when the filly opened the note, she could read what it said without any problem.

"Apple Bloom, I'll be waiting for you at the-" That was all the filly managed to read before she collapsed on her desk.

It had been a couple of hours since the end of class, and Apple Bloom was on her way to the place where she would be alone with Clear Spark.

"Apple Bloom, I'll be waiting for you at the picnic gazebo at sunset."

That was what the colt's note had said, and she had not been able to read it to the end, but her friends had read it, as had Cheerilee, and after she had woken up and they had told her what had happened, she had made them promise not to tell anyone, which some of them obviously had not kept.

She knew where she was going and no one in town paid any attention to the filly as she crossed the square with no apparent direction, no one said a word about what had happened to her at school, no one said anything about why she had been avoiding Clear Spark lately, of course no one said anything because the streets were deserted, everyone already knew that she would be alone with Clear Spark in the most romantic place in Ponyville and all the curious wanted a piece of the latest Ponyville gossip.

As Apple Bloom walked past many bushes with pony tails, including one with the tails of Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Scootaloo, Lyra, and Derpy, who not only had a tail, but half a pony peeking out of it, but of all of them, the one that caught her attention the most was one that had two characteristic shades of pink. The filly approached the bush to talk to it.

"Ms. Cheerilee." Said the filly.

"I'm not Cheerilee, I mean ..... Meow!" The bush whispered back at the filly, who just rolled her eyes in response.

"Cheerilee Cat, I'm sorry about what happened at class today."

"Don't worry about it, and thank you, I mean... Meow, best of luck."

Cheerilee Cat answer did nothing to ease the filly's nerves, and she wanted to ask her for some mare-to-filly advice, but she had to get going, she knew Clear Spark was waiting for her.

Apple Bloom followed her path and at the end of it she could see the colt sitting patiently in the gazebo watching the trees, the filly's heart racing as she approached and she began to sweat with every step she took, thinking all the while whether to keep going or to run, to keep going or to run, to keep going or to...

"Ow!" The colt said as he felt someone bump him. "Apple Bloom, is that you?" He asked as he turned his head.

"Sorry, I...ummm...hi." The filly replied very nervously.

"I'm glad you came, I wanted to talk to you in private." He said embarrassed.

"I know."

"Come on, let's walk a little while we talk." The colt took a couple of steps forward and stopped when he wasn't sure where the end of the gazebo was. "Um... will you help me down? I don't want to fall."

"Oh yeah, sure, sorry." The filly replied, moving quickly to the bottom of the gazebo and holding out her hoof for Clear Spark to grab hold of. "Here."

The colt reached out his hoof, searching for his friend's, and found it, grabbing it firmly to go down. Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat as she felt the contact with Clear Spark.

"Thank you." Clear Spark said as he started to walk, Apple Bloom quickly following.

The colt was about the same size as her friend and he knew the village quite well, but he had only walked this part of it a few times and had no landmarks to orient himself, always in these situations he would bite someone else's tail to guide him, but since he wanted to talk to the filly as they walked, he used his second option, he had done this many times with his mother, so the queen was hardly worried about him getting lost, only this time, instead of standing behind his companion, he stood at her side, almost touching her body.

The place was beautiful at this time of year, the trees were in full bloom and a gentle breeze carried the pink petals dancing in the air before hitting the ground, giving off a soft scent of carmine with a hint of caramel and everything was bathed in the golden glow of the sunlight, it really was the most romantic place in Ponyville for a first date or to propose to the mare of your dreams, could it be that Clear Spark preferred this place to declare his love?, Apple Bloom's mind was flooded with emotions that only made her redder and more nervous. Sometimes she was thankful that the colt was blind and couldn't see all the times she blushed in front of him.

Clear Spark for his part loved this place because it was very quiet and not very busy, there was almost no noise and even though he could not see the beauty of the trees he could smell their exquisite scent, he had come here other times with his friends but this was the first time he did it alone with Apple Bloom, he also felt a little nervous being next to his friend but he was sure it was because he had to excuse himself and make her understand that he did not want to upset her.

As they continued through the trees, they came to the tree that the group sometimes used as a meeting place and sat down under its shade. A sudden breeze hit them, causing them to cover their faces, but Apple Bloom's mane hit the colt's face.

"Ahhh, my eye!" The colt complained as he closed his eyes and instinctively brought his hoof up to his face.

"Sorry!" The filly cried as she stood up and faced the foal. "It's just the wind...and my mane...and...sorry, let me have a look at you." Clear Spark stopped as the filly approached. She began to check his face with her hooves.

Other times, the colt's face had been checked by other ponies in case of an accident, such as his mother, Nurse Redheart, Cheerilee, and Twilight, who, when she had the time, tried to find a way for the colt to see, even though being blind was not an obstacle to him enjoying a full life, but unlike all those times, Apple Bloom's touch felt different, it was much softer, It was softer, warmer, and it gave a feeling of affection and security, but not like the one his mother gave him, it was something a little wilder, bolder, more seductive and intoxicating. It was a completely new sensation that warmed his heart and he loved it, he didn't want to let go of her and without realizing it, he closed his eyes as the filly searched his face.

Apple Bloom had had physical contact with her friends before when they were playing or doing one of their crazy things, but this time it felt different, much more personal, more intimate, she let herself be carried away by the thought and closed her eyes while she felt the colt's face, she wanted to see the world as he saw it, to feel it as he felt it, to create the same mental image of him as he had created hers days after they met, as she moved her hooves gently over his face she could feel the softness of his fur, his small imperfections, She wanted to know the exact shape of his ears, the silkiness of his mane, the length of his horn, she was slowly learning the details of the colt's face that she couldn't know in any other way. She understood at that moment that even if Clear Spark was blind in this way, he could see and know more about a pony than any other, in a way he could see much more than others, all these new sensations allowed the filly to calm her heart and lose her nervousness.

The filly didn't know how long she did this, but when she felt it was enough, she lowered her hooves gently and they both took a deep breath.

"I didn't know you saw the world like that." The filly said with a smile. "Is that why you asked us to check our faces when we first met?"

"Even though it's sometimes hard for me to know who I'm talking to, it's the only way I have to get a mental picture of the pony in front of me. But I have a question."

"What is it?" The filly said, raising an eyebrow.

"I have something in my eye? It's still burning a little."

"Ohh, sorry." Apple Bloom reached over again to check the colt's eye, and aside from a bit of irritation, the filly noticed something that it seemed no one else had ever noticed before. "Emerald." She said softly.

"What is it?"

"Your eyes, I hadn't noticed before, but when the sun shines on them, they glow emerald, just like your magic does."

"And that's a good thing?"

"I like it, and you don't have anything but a little irritation from getting hit."

"Thank you."

Apple Bloom smiled slightly and sat down next to the colt again. They both stood in silence for a long time, staring into the void, Apple Bloom enjoying Clear Spark's company, while the colt thought about how to talk to Apple Bloom, and especially what to say to her.

"I don't remember this place being so quiet and peaceful. It's nice to stop and enjoy these moments."

"That's why I like this place, I don't know what color the trees are or the grass is, but I like how it smells, it's something I don't find in any other place in Ponyville."

Apple Bloom turned her head to see the colt looking towards the horizon, his silhouette cutting through the sunlight and marking his build, his mane, though short, moved slightly in the breeze and a few tree petals fell on him, even though he was very similar to the other colts in the class, he had slight physical differences that could not be seen at first glance, but she was lucky enough to know them, Apple Bloom knew that he would be a big and strong stallion, not as much as his older brother, but he would be strong enough to take care of himself and whoever was willing to share his life with him, and she wanted to be the one to share it with him, she knew that he was sometimes clumsy and forgetful, she had to repeat things to him more than once for him to remember them, He didn't understand clues and when he got too excited he got carried away, but he was also very cheerful, honest, never backed down when he stood up for what he thought was right and had a great ability to make friends, all these things were why the filly liked Clear Spark and wanted to be with him.

It was a pity that she had run away days ago when he had kissed her, but today would be different. Today she would not run away, if he did not make the first move, she would, even if it meant hearing a "no" for an answer.

The minutes passed and the filly decided to take the first step, little by little she approached the colt and laid her head on him, her heart was beating a thousand times an hour and she could feel how the colt became tense when he felt the physical contact, she got very nervous waiting for his reaction but he did nothing and just stayed still, little by little they both started to calm down and a moment later when both felt more comfortable with the presence of the other Apple Bloom glued her body to Clear Spark and sighed.

The colt was nervous when he felt Apple Bloom's head on his shoulder and didn't know how to respond, his body instinctively freezing for a long time, but he didn't mind the sudden physical contact with the filly, it just took him by surprise and as the seconds passed he started to like the feeling of having the filly lean on his shoulder and when he felt her body against his he took the opportunity to make himself more comfy.

"Are you cold?" The colt asked to her friend.

"Your body is warm, I'm fine, thanks." The filly replied. "Are you cold?"

"I don't, I feel your body warm too."

"That's a good thing, we can keep warm together."

"And what are we going to do when we get hungry?"

"Then let's go to Sugarcube Corner or the farm to get something to eat, although I think your house is closer, do you think your mom has something to eat?"

"I don't think so, she likes to do the cooking later."

"I understand, but are you hungry?"

The colt gave a shake of his head.

"Okay." Apple Bloom said before she let out another sigh and closed her eyes. "This feels good, thank you so much for inviting me to this place." She said quietly.

"No problem." Clear Spark replied, but the filly's words made him remember why he had called her to this place. He had something important to tell her and this was the best place to do it.

"Hey Apple Bloom." The colt said with a serious tone in his voice.

"Yeah?" The filly asked as she raised her head.

"I need you to listen to me because I have something important to tell you." Clear Spark turned his head to look over at the place where her friend was standing.

"Something important to say?" Apple Bloom's heart began to beat fast, she stopped leaning on the colt and sat down in front of him, she could feel her body temperature rising and as she began to sweat uncontrollably.

---------- Apple Bloom POV ----------

The little filly's heart was pounding and her breathing was quickening, her body was at the limit of its endurance. The eagerness to hear those sweet words from the colt's mouth didn't help at all, and then she heard them.

"Apple Bloom... I love you..." Was all she was able to hear before she collapsed to the side.

----------Clear Spark POV----------

Clear Spark was very nervous, he had spent a good afternoon with the filly and had gotten to know her better, he really wanted to apologize to Apple Bloom, but he didn't know what to say to her, and he remembered his mother's advice, "Say something nice, flatter her mane or something like that," and surely, being older and wiser, it would be much better than anything he thought at the time.

Among all the things he could feel at that moment, something that caught his attention was a light fruity smell, he knew that smell perfectly and it was one of the smells he liked best, it was the smell of the raspberry shampoo Apple Bloom sometimes used and that together with her natural scent and the scent of the apples from her farm created a perfect mix of sweet, citrus and earthy smells that he would never forget and it was something he wanted to tell her how much he liked the way her mane smelled.

"Apple Bloom... I love your mane and how it smells in the..." Was all the colt had time to say before he felt his friend collapse in front of him.

"My son is a heartbreaker." A bush in the distance murmured with pride.

"What are you talking about, something your son did to my little sister to make her faint, and surely those mental powers he learned from you." Another bush muttered back.

"What?, And how is he supposed to learn that from me?" The bush mumbled again.

"Photosynthesis through proximity."

"What?"

"Plants get energy from the sun by photosynthesis, Clear Spark has acquired some of your mental abilities by living with you and used them against my little sister, now he will surely drag her into a cave and make her his wife by force, just look at him, those movements are not normal." The bush pointed his orange hoof at the foal, who was nervously pawing the ground and looking in all directions.

"You know that's stupid, don't you?"

"And why are you so sure of that, oh so mighty bush of wisdom?"

"First of all, because we changelings don't have mental powers of mind control, secondly, if we did, it would be a changeling thing, it's like living with a pegasus with the intention of sprouting wings, and thirdly, there are no caves near Ponyville where he could drag your little sister, and what are you doing here?, weren't you the one who told me at the beginning to give them more space and have more faith in the little ones?" The royal bush whispered a little louder.

The farmer bush was silent for a few seconds, thinking of an answer.

"Emmm... I'm not spying on my little sister... I was just... taking a walk and... hiding here... to... protect myself from the sun... yes, that."

"Really, that's your best answer?, I know you're a bad liar, but please, AppleJack, try a little harder."

"And what do you want me to do?, I care about my little sister and I wanted her first romantic date to end well."

"Well, apparently you made a very bad..."

"Will you two shut up?" A much lower voice murmured from a bush a little further back. Applebush quickly identified the voice.

"Bic Mac, is that you?"

"Emmm... Noooooope?..." he muttered in reply. "I'm a cat... Meow!." Applebush would roll her eyes if she could see them.

"We'd better go and check on the little ones, Clear Spark's getting pretty nervous about your sister passing out."

"Yeah, I think we'd better."

"Apple Bloom, are you okay?" The colt asked, gently moving her friend in an attempt to wake her up, but there was no response.

He was getting very nervous, he didn't know what to do, he needed help but he didn't know how to get it, there was no one around to ask for it and he couldn't run off in any direction or he would get lost easily. Besides, he didn't want to leave the filly alone.

The colt tapped nervously on the ground, trying to listen for hoofsteps of someone nearby, he knew that eventually someone would show up and help them, but the waiting seemed to go on forever and he was getting more and more worried about Apple Bloom's safety. He tried to concentrate on the sounds around him and could hear a couple of hoofsteps approaching.

"Is there a pony in there?" He asked, raising his voice.

"Hi son, how's the conversation with Apple Bloom going?" The queen asked, feigning ignorance. She knew the colt's attention was elsewhere and he would never wonder why his mother would appear out of nowhere at the best possible time.

"Mother, is that you? Mother, you have to help Apple Bloom, she's fainted and I don't know what to do." Said the colt as he approached his mother and bumped into her.

"Hush, sweetie, but can you tell us what happened?"

"I was talking to Apple Bloom and when I told her I liked the smell of her mane she fainted and I don't know why." He replied, clearly worried.

It was at that moment that AppleJack approached his sister and examined her for a few seconds before she laughed softly and looked at the queen, letting her know that it was only out of excitement.

"Hey, Spark, my little sister is all right, she just fainted, probably from the sun and exhaustion, you know, farm work is hard work."

"But nothing bad happened to her?"

"Nothing at all, she just needs some rest." With the queen's help, they lifted the filly onto AppleJack's back. "I'd better take her to her room, you two coming?" The farm pony asked.

"YES!" The colt shouted without realizing it. "I mean...Mom, can we take Apple Bloom home?" The queen asked later in a softer tone, only flashing a smile.

"Get on my back, we'll get there a lot faster that way." The queen crouched down a bit and helped her son settle in between her wings. Then the group headed off in the direction of the farm.

Apple Bloom woke as she felt the sun on her cheek, she opened her eyes and saw through the window that it was later than she was used to waking up, even on weekends she woke up at the crack of dawn, but by the position of the sun she knew it was around ten in the morning, she uncovered herself and stretched her limbs as she did every morning when she got up, but when she did it with one of her hind legs she hit something hard.

"Ouch!" Somepony yelled as he felt the kick.

Apple Bloom was startled to hear the scream, she shrank her body and raised her head only to see that she had kicked Clear Spark in the head. The colt had entered her room and laid down at the foot of her bed without her noticing.

"Spark?, what are you doing here?"

"Yesterday when we were under the pink trees you fainted and then my mom and your sister showed up, we brought you home and I didn't want to leave until I knew you were okay, so they let me sleep here, but I didn't expect you to kick me in the head, you kick too hard." The colt replied, rubbing his forehead.

With every word from Clear Spark the filly remembered what had happened the day before and with every word she grew redder and redder, that was the moment her mind had the best idea of her life, she quickly rolled up the bedding into a kind of cocoon and began to scream and kick in all directions, only to fall off the bed in pain and fall silent, the colt took a step back in surprise.

"AW!" Apple Bloom said as she fell to the ground, cocooned in her fabric.

"Are you okay?" The colt asked as he slowly approached her, feeling around with his hoof as he searched for his friend.

"I'm fine." The filly replied, moving a little. "Can you get me out of here? I'm stuck."

"Give me a second." Spark said, slowly moving closer until he found the cocoon of cloth and was able to untangle it to save his friend, moving just enough of the fabric so that Apple Bloom could stand up.

"I'm sorry." Apple Bloom said with regret as she looked down at the floor.

"Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" The colt asked, her friend had been acting strangely a few days ago, and he wanted to know why.

The filly was silent for a long time, thinking. The colt was waiting for her to say something.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"The other day when you kissed me on the cheek and I ran off, it was because I got nervous and didn't know what to do, just like yesterday when you invited me to go for a walk, and recently when I saw you in my bed, I like spending time with you and I try to do it every chance I get, but I don't know if you know how I feel and..." Apple Bloom was silent for a few seconds. It was time to put everything on the line. "...do you think I'm pretty?"

"Do I think that you're pretty?" The colt asked intrigued.

"Yes, do you think I'm pretty?" She asked again, standing in front of Clear Spark.

"Emmm... I don't know, you know I cannot see you." This answer completely discouraged the filly, causing her to lower her head sadly. "But I can tell you what I like in you." Those words brightened her face a little.

"I like your overflowing energy, your desire to try new things, that you always want to help others, your strong personality, and that you stand up for your friends. I like your joy, your stubbornness, your courage, your honesty, and most of all, that you don't let anyone tell you what to do, like when you told me the story of Zecora, where you disobeyed your sister to show everypony that she was not the scary zebra that everypony believed her to be just because she was different, because in your heart you knew it was the right thing to do, you have a strong heart and I like that more than anything. "

A smile formed on the filly's face and she gave a kiss on the cheek to Clear Spark who turned completely red, Apple Bloom let out a giggle and walked happily past the colt towards the door, at that moment something 'clicked' in the colt's mind and he finally realized everything that had happened between her and him.

"Wait." He said aloud, and Apple Bloom returned and stood before him. "That means that you and I... that we are... that we are now..."

"Bonk. A yellow hoof gave the colt a gentle tap on the forehead.

"Aww!" Clear Spark complained at the unexpected tap on his forehead. "What was that about?" He asked a little annoyed.

"Besides apples, I like pears and cookies, so you can work with that for our next date. Now I'd like something to eat." The filly turned and walked back.

"But you didn't give me an answer to what I wanted to ask you." Said the colt, who was still rubbing his forehead.

"I think it will take you a little longer to realize what we are, but I'm really hungry. Are you coming?" She said with a smile as she walked out of the room and waited for the colt at the top of the stairs.

Mom will let me use the oven one day?, I didn't know she liked pears or cookies, were the colt's thoughts as he left the room and headed for the stairs, the colt didn't need any help to move around the farm, this place was like a second home to him and he knew it perfectly.

"You think it was a good idea letting your son stay with my sister after what happened?" AppleJack asked as she sipped a cup of cider-sweetened coffee.

"Those two needed a little push to get their relationship going, my son especially needs a very big push or he'll keep breaking your little sister's heart because he still doesn't realize he likes Apple Bloom, everyone knows the two of them will end up being a couple and I personally don't want to wait ten years or more before I can call you mother-in-law... aunt-in-law... or... legally speaking, when those two get married, what family relation would we have?" The queen said, scratching her chin as she ate a piece of apple pie.

"Twilight has a book on family parentage, I've used it before."

"You have? For what?" The queen asked, sipping coffee.

"Pinkie Pie is my cousin, do you want to know how she's related to me?"

"I'd rather not know, although I would like to have some more cider, my coffee's a little weak."

AppleJack was moving the bottle closer to the queen when they heard Apple Bloom coming down the stairs, followed closely by Clear Spark, both of the little ones went into the kitchen, not knowing that the queen and AppleJack were in there.

"Good morning both of you, did you sleep well?" The queen asked, causing the two foals to turn completely red.

"Yes, thanks Ms. Chrysalis." The filly replied.

"Apple Bloom, we're basically family. You don't have to be so formal with me, you can just call me Chrysalis."

"Okay."

"Were you able to work out your problems?" AppleJack asked.

"I'm not sure, I'm still struggling to understand what happened."

"You'll understand with time, don't worry."

"Are the two of you hungry?, we have saved some food for you to eat when you wake up." AppleJack opened the fridge and took out a few slices of apple pie along with some vegetables. The queen set some bread on the table for them and poured them two large glasses of milk.

Apple Bloom didn't get the answer she was hoping for, but it wasn't a negative either, and thanks to that she could see that the colt did have feelings for her, he just hadn't realized his own feelings yet. That thought made her calm and very happy, the queen and AppleJack looked at each other for a few seconds and laughed to themselves, they had both known for months the feelings of these two and how everything would end, the colt was still a little confused and tried to understand what had happened but one thing he was sure of, of all the places he could be right now he was right where he wanted to be and that was with Apple Bloom.

Author's Note

I know it took a lot longer than I said it would or than you're used to and I'm sorry about that. But as I said in the comments, my dad's car had a speed date with a tree and it ended up being a bumpy relationship. :rainbowlaugh:

No one was seriously hurt and the car was repaired, but I did have to do a lot of parts shopping and a few trips to the hospital.

What cost me the most in this chapter was how to make a date work to solve a problem between a filly in love and a clueless colt, and after several drafts (5 to be exact) this was the one I found more in line with how the story goes and respecting the personalities of both characters, it's the beginning of their relationship.

The next one will be about how Celestia has progressed in her therapy. It will show the changes in her thoughts, her current way of thinking and the environment she finds herself in.

As always, remember that all questions are welcome. And if you notice, many chapters are based on your ideas of what you would like to read or know.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and see you in a few days. :twilightsmile:

The Therapy - Part 04 - Final.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

"Do you like your new home?" asked the Queen, walking beside her friend towards the station.

"I like it very much and thanks to you for coming with me to look at the building before I bought it, I have wanted to live in Ponyville for a long time and after months I can finally move into this place, this week will be the last week I will be living in Canterlot." Red Bug replied.

"It will be good to have you in this place, this town has been in need of another psychologist for a long time."

"Another one? What happened to the last one?" Red Bug asked with a glance at her friend.

"She's living in the psychiatric wing of the hospital, you'll probably be able to hear her barking in the night." The queen's answer worried the changeling a little. "Speaking of psychiatry, how is Celestia? I tried to talk to her, but she won't see me. I didn't know prisoners could refuse visits."

"She's fine, she's made a lot of progress in these months, and tomorrow would be our last session in private, and starting next month I'll be integrating her into a monthly session and the support group I'm working with in Canterlot, which reminds me." Red Bug reached into her pumpkin-shaped bag and pulled out a piece of paper, hoofing it to the queen. "I need you to read and sign this."

"What is this?" The queen asked, looking at the paper the changeling hoofed her.

"It's the clinical report on Celestia's development and progress in her therapy, it already has Twilight and Luna's signatures on it. You just need to read it and sign it to allow Celestia to live in the castle." Red Bug replied with a smile, and the queen looked at her without showing any emotion.

"You've literally been staying with me for four days, and just as I'm about to drop you off at the station, I'm told I need to read and approve this thing."

"Yes, any problem with that?" The changeling asked with a slight tilt of her head.

The queen quickly scanned through the report, only taking note of the numbers at the bottom of it.

"It's thirty pages Red Bug, I won't read thirty pages in five minutes, maybe Twilight can, but I can't, I'm sorry, you'll have to wait a few days until I read it and send it to you." The queen said in a strict tone.

"But I must have them today, I want to surprise Celestia." The changeling replied in a pleading tone of voice, causing the queen to close her eyes and rub her forehead in search of a solution.

"Could you at least give me a summary of what it says here?" She finished asking the monarch.

"Of course." Red Bug replied smiling before pausing to think about what to say.

"After the session where you were imprisoned with Celestia, she started to be a little more open to my words and my desire to help her get rid of the prejudice and racism she felt towards our race because of the jealousy she felt towards you, the fight she had with you helped her a lot to get rid of the stress she felt too long ago, and she was also able to vent in a nonviolent manner."

"Of course, a fight to the death is not something that would be considered violent in Equestria." The queen smiled, and Red Bug looked at her annoyed, realizing she was being sarcastic. "Please continue."

"Thank you, she also had an impressive personality change and showed interest in things she obviously always wanted to try but never could because her job as a princess wouldn't allow it. She obviously became regent of Equestria out of necessity rather than for her own pleasure."

"What do you mean by that?"

She and her sister have great magical potential and unlike the unicorns, she can move the stars at will without losing her magic or dying in the attempt, Starswirl saw this and trained them to their maximum potential without letting them explore their own personal interests, I know the personality of this unicorn and he doesn't escape much from the saying "the end justifies the means" but I understand that it was different times and there were different needs, at that time the population of ponies was much smaller than today, medicine was rudimentary and a disease that we consider simple today was deadly at that time, the death of a unicorn was devastating for everyone, an urgent solution was needed that would serve in the long term, in retrospect it would be barbaric to think now of using two infants to move the stars, but I repeat that there were other times and there were other needs. "

"So why do you think she needs to live in the castle now?

"Her treatment has come a long way, but it has stalled because she already needs to interact directly with more changelings and meet ponies who have had direct contact with changelings, plus there are other ponies with similar problems in this support group. Finally, I don't want to keep her locked up in that dungeon forever, I find she's no longer a threat to you or anypony else, she's a completely different mare."

"I understand." The queen said, glancing quickly at the medical report. "Do you think she feels remorse for what she did?"

"She knows what she did was wrong and wants to say sorry, but she still feels very bad about what happened, I spoke to Princess Luna and she told me that she sometimes has nightmares where she managed to finish you off and little Spark was eaten, I think that will haunt her for years to come." Redbud looked sideways, worried for Celestia. "But I am hopeful that a change of environment to one that is friendlier and more positive will be of great help to her mental health." The changeling finished with a smile.

"Hmmm..." The queen thought about it for a long moment. It really didn't add up that Celestia would still be locked up in the dungeon if she had shown any progress, Equestria wasn't in the habit of locking up criminals for too long, and just as everyone believed in her when she told them she had changed, she had to accept the fact that Celestia was changing too, but unlike the others, she had an extra concern. "If you can promise me that when I walk through the door of my house, I won't be met by a white alicorn who wants to smash my face in, I can sign these papers."

"As long as you don't provoke her, I'm sure Celestia won't attack you."

The queen thought for a long time about the possible ways Celestia might be offended by something she said or did, she would love to upset the former Sun Monarch, but she didn't want it to affect her treatment, besides she didn't like the idea of keeping her locked up forever if it was no longer necessary. At first she wanted Celestia as far away from her son as possible, but after being locked up together she understood that much of it was her fault, and she also wanted to help her.

"All right, give her my regards and tell her that I will be sending her a gift of congratulations in the next few days." The queen signed the document and handed it to Red Bug. Then the two of them made their way to the train station.

After a few minutes of waiting at the station, the train was ready to leave, and Red Bug checked one last time to see if she had forgotten anything. Having everything with her, she boarded the train and sat down near a window.

"Red Bug." The queen called to her friend from the station.

"Yes?" The changeling replied as she stuck her head out of the window.

"I almost forgot to ask you, what's your favorite thing?"

"Did Pinkie send you to ask me that?" Red Bug had been in Ponyville long enough to know what the question was, and she was a little surprised that the pink pony still didn't know everything about her, but the changeling population in Ponyville had grown dramatically, and even Equestria's number one party pony had a hard time keeping track of everyone.

"I can neither confirm nor deny any information about parties being held at any of the residences within the Ponyville city limits." The queen replied.

"What?" The changeling asked without much understanding of the answer.

"I can't tell you yes or no. Pinkie just asked me to ask you what your favorite thing is."

"Ohh... then in that case, I like board games, see you in a couple of days." Finished saying the changeling saying goodbye to the queen, the queen for her part returned the farewell.

Red Bug awoke to feel somepony tap her on the shoulder, and when she opened her eyes, she realized it was the conductor of the train.

"Miss, we've reached Canterlot." That was what the conductor said before he continued to search the train for any more sleeping passengers or any forgotten luggage.

"Ohh, thank you." Red Bug replied as she got up from her seat and did a little stretching before she grabbed her things and got out of the train.

It was very late in Canterlot, and although the city was a quiet and familiar place in many ways, it had an interesting contrast in activity between day and night. When the sun was out, the streets were full of happy families and thriving businesses, but when the moon was at its highest, the only ponies awake and wandering around at that hour were the night watch, the crowded bars, the provocative mares offering their special services to lonely ponies, and the usual drunks.

Red Bug was going to miss Canterlot a lot, both its cheerful energy during the day and its exciting passions at night, it really was a city where you could find everything but the chaos she loved that happened almost every day in Ponyville. She loved adventure and the unexpected, that was one of the reasons why she was interested in studying psychology, every patient was completely new and different.

As she walked through the streets, she was greeted by many stallions and mares, and although she would like to bite into the passion fruit, tonight she should rest as much as possible, and she knew that if she entered a bar she would not just end up with a drink, so she preferred to push all those ideas out of her head and go straight to her apartment.

Red Bug had a habit of getting up early and since she had a few hours free before going to see Celestia, she used them to do some exercise, check a doubt she had in the Ogres and Oubliettes manual, paint her new figure for the game, and since she couldn't cook, she went back to her neighbor's house to have breakfast with him. After talking a bit, she went back to her apartment to get her things and put them in her turtle shell-shaped bag of an unusual shade of blue before heading to the castle to see Celestia.

The atmosphere in the castle was very different from when she had arrived more than a year ago. There were still some who ignored or despised her for being a changeling, but the vast majority had already accepted the fact that her race was here to stay and had no major conflicts other than the naturally curious nature of changelings and their total ignorance of personal space.

She was not the most popular character in the castle but she already had some friends and she took the opportunity to greet them while she went to see her patient, it was after noon when Red Bug entered the dungeon and to her surprise there was a new group of inhabitants inside, one of them was a green stallion wearing a purple sleeveless shirt and a strange sleeping hat of the same color, The second was a unicorn, also green, but a few shades darker and his mane was spiky and bright yellow, the third was a very dark blue pegasus, but the fur on his chest and around his neck was white and puffier than normal and also gave the impression that he shaved his mane, and finally the fourth was a sturdy unicorn of large size and gray.

Red Bug could not shake the feeling that she had seen them somewhere else, and if she thought about it a little she would remember where it was, but she did not have time to stop and ask them, she had to see her patient, she always visited Celestia after lunch because she always found her in a good mood after eating, but today was a special day, she wanted to arrive earlier to take her to lunch in the dining room and during the feast to tell her that she no longer had to return to the dungeon and could walk around the castle with more freedom, of course there would still be restricted areas.

At the end of the dungeon was a cell that her intern had had time to decorate a bit over the months to her liking, there was a shelf with several ponies of different colors made of origami, something Celestia said she learned by reading one of her magazines, there were some figures she could recognize as the princesses Twilight, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor, but there were others she did not know who they could be, like an orange unicorn, a light blue Pegasus, and a pink pony that looked very chubby, surely they were old friends, another thing that changed was the pile of books she had in a corner, slowly changing from story books and classic novels, to more modern novels, sci-fi, and some comics, and what would be a surprise to everyone, but less so to Red Bug, was that Celestia was still asleep in her bed, apparently the former Princess of the Sun liked to sleep late.

"Wake up Celestia, I have a little surprise for you." The changeling said as she entered Celestia's cell and sat down in front of the bed.

"mmMMMMMmm..." Celestia replied before covering herself and continuing to sleep.

"Come on Celestia, it's not good for you to sleep so late, besides I'm sure you're going to love this."

"Did you get me a piece of that apple pie you promised?" Asked the very sleepy Alicorn, who was still sitting on the bed with her eyes closed, not even realizing to whom she was talking.

"Apple pie? What are you talkin' about?" Asked the changeling, tilting her head sideways.

"Have you forgotten?" The princess asked, wiping her eyes to shake off sleep. "You told me yourself that you were going to try to enter the kitchen during the night..." When Celestia opened her eyes, she could see that Red Bug was standing in front of her, the ex-princess became nervous and tried to get up quickly, but she got tangled up in the sheets, which fell down shockingly and frightened the changeling.

"By Faust, are you all right?" Asked the changeling.

"I'm fine... I'm fine." Celestia said as she slowly got up from the ground. "And what are you doing here so early?" She asked in surprise and tried to look in the direction of the corridor.

"I'm bringing you a surprise, and I wanted us to go and eat together in the dining hall before I show you." She replied with a smile.

"Lunch in the dining hall?" Celestia asked, making a subtle move past the changeling and poking her head out into the hallway. "The thing is..." The former princess scratched nervously at the back of her neck, and the changeling was aware of it. "... it's just... I'm not hungry and... I'm just waking up, and I'd like to get some rest before I start my day. Could we start our session at the usual time?" Celestia said smiling as she looked down the hall.

"Is something wrong with you?" Red Bug asked, finding Celestia acting very suspicious.

"Something wrong?" The tall white figure feigned surprise. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just a little..."

"Wakey wakey Celly." Said someone approaching down the hallway, causing the former princess to turn completely red and Red Bug to become even more confused.

"I couldn't steal a few slices of apple pie last night like I promised, but I did get some muffins..." The mysterious figure came to a screeching halt when he arrived at the cell and saw that Celestia was being accompanied by a changeling.

It was a light brown unicorn with green eyes, a silver colored and very short mane and tail. It was not wearing its helmet, and since it was wearing armor, its cutie mark was not visible, but it did bring the tray of food for the former Sun Princess, which consisted of two plates of fruit and oatmeal, two pieces of bread, four eggs, two bowls of hay with flowers, a couple of muffins, and two glasses of juice.

Red Bug's brain tried to connect the dots as she watched the stallion's face slowly turn a reddish hue.

"Ohhh?... OOOhhhhhhhhh..." The changeling said as she realized what was happening. "Geez, look at the time." She commented as she had a look at the time on her invisible watch. "I forgot I have to see another patient, it's very important, he he." She quickly stepped out of the cell and into the hallway.

"Please." The red alicorn said.

"Sorry for the interruption, I'll be back... at the usual time, bye." It was the worst lie ever, but it was enough to save the situation. Without further distraction, the changeling left the dungeon.

After eating lunch at the market and buying a new yellow bag with a pair of ears and a tail shaped like a thunderbolt, the changeling returned to the castle for her session with Celestia. The former princess saw the changeling approaching and could not help but blush again.

The changeling opened the cell and allowed Celestia to step out of it and stretch out her limbs.

"Since my original plan failed, we can go to another part of the castle. I think you will like it much better than the dining hall."

"Thank you." Celestia said after a couple of flaps of her wings and a walk beside the changeling.

For a few minutes the walk was very quiet and a bit uncomfortable, the changeling is very surprised how Celestia had broken her princess shell and slowly became a completely different mare, much more cheerful and sociable. Before when she was princess she had a quite active social life, but the weight of the crown did not allow her to form personal bonds with the ponies, If a love relationship, a one-night stand, or a simple interest that went beyond formality were discovered, it could create an avalanche of curiosity, suspicion, doubt, and endless problems for her and Equestria, but if the imprisoned princess could maintain a love relationship with a guard without anyone knowing, it was because she had surely had others in the past in the same way.

Celestia was just a little nervous and a little embarrassed that her relationship had been revealed in front of her psychologist.

"So... how was lunch?" Red Bug asked.

"The what?" Celestia said, not listening to the changeling.

"The lunch, how was it."

"It was fine, thanks."

"And the company, that guard was attractive?" The changeling asked subtly, causing Celestia to blush again. Apparently, the former princess had a much more childish personality than everyone thought, and even though she was older than Luna, the princess of the night was the more sober and mature of the two.

"HIM?...we...he's ....ummm." The former monarch did not seem to have a clear idea of what she meant. This showed the changeling more and more details that no one knew about the Alicorn.

"Celestia." The changeling said with a smile as she looked at her companion. "As a professional psychologist I have the power to limit what kind of relationships my patients can have and with whom they can have them, not that I can forbid their private life in general, but I have had some changelings whose love relationships have been disastrous and according to my criteria and their evolution I advise them when they can or cannot have a love relationship, so don't feel pressured about what I think about your private life, in fact I think it's good that you have someone important in your life besides your sister, it shows that you have come a long way."

"Um... thank you."

"You're welcome."

Everywhere you looked, Celestia was a mare of great dignity, strong personality, big heart, fair to all, generous, kind, knew when to be intimidating, very intelligent and of great wisdom, vast experience in all fields, a great military strategist, an excellent monarch, and possessed of almost incalculable magical power, she was the embodiment of the perfection that all mares aspire to be one day.

But under the water there was a completely different mare, she was a very spontaneous mare, flighty, extremely energetic, cheerful, someone who liked to sing while cooking and put it all together on the plate as a giant happy face, she liked jokes, colorful balloons, crafts, comics, quick jokes, simple conversations, she liked to sleep late and was quite forgetful, she was someone who when she got too happy started to jump around, she loved theater, playing with foals and telling them bedtime stories.

These and many more things were what Red Bug saw during all their weekly sessions when they were in Celestia's cell, or on the days when they were somewhere in the castle and wanted to see how she behaved in a normal environment. Finally, Red Bug came to a simple conclusion, the crown was Celestia's real shackle.

Princess Celestia and the mare named Celestia were two completely different beings.

They had locked up a princess who was racist because she hated a queen, but next to her was a mare who might as well be Pinkie Pie's sister, and it wasn't fair to have her locked up in a cell.

"Will you tell me where we are going?" The alicorn asked.

"You'll find out when we get there, but tell me what else you've been up to these days. Have you been reading any interesting books?"

"Oh yeah, it's about a pony that's a super soldier wearing armor with artificial intelligence."

"Artificial intelligence?"

"It's like a super intelligent pony made of pure magic living in a little crystal inside the armor, and together they fight an army of aliens in a giant ring floating in space resembling a planet with plants, trees, beaches, deserts, even oceans." Celestia replied excitedly.

"Sounds interesting. What's the name of the book?

"It's a collection of books but the first one is called..." Red Bug wasn't the biggest fan of reading, but a good science fiction book was not something to be despised.

The changeling hadn't come with the intention of having a session like the others she had had with Celestia, her intention was to give the alicorn a day where they could just talk about anything before showing her where she would sleep from now on. Celestia had surpassed all of her expectations and she hardly needed her help anymore to overcome the racism she felt towards the changelings, after her non-lethal battle with Chrysalis, the former princess eliminated all of her frustration and the hatred she felt towards the queen, She was able to see how blind she had been to her own feelings, how absurd her actions had been, and how her blind fanaticism had led her to let her heart succumb to darkness, and how that darkness had nearly extinguished the life of an innocent. These actions had left a deep mark on the former princess that she could never forgive herself for, no matter what others told her, but Red Bug was not giving up yet, she was willing to continue to help Celestia overcome this last obstacle, no matter how many years it took.

"And have you thought about talking to Chrysalis? I know she is willing to talk to you." The changeling asked, she had asked her before and she knew what kind of answer she would get, but she had to ask anyway.

"I..." Celestia stopped and looked to the side, trying to avoid the subject. "I can't, how could I look that colt in the face with the knowledge that I was on the verge of killing him, I... I... I... I can't." Celestia's voice was full of embarrassment.

"Perhaps another day." The changeling replied, touching Celestia's shoulder and flashing a smile at her to try and cheer her up.

"Yes... perhaps another day." Celestia returned the changeling's gaze as she wiped something out of her eyes.

The two of them walked slowly down the corridor, Celestia greeting everyone she saw with a big smile. Some of them still bowed in her presence, even when the alicorn reminded them that it wasn't necessary, but many of them had been her servants for years and it was still a hard habit to break.

As they walked and talked about what Red Bug had done during the week, they came across a unicorn in a bow tie and a pegasus with very large glasses. They were picking up a large number of papers from the floor in a very hurried manner and muttering something unintelligible.

"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked, approaching without realizing that she had quickened her pace.

"Oh, Prin... I mean, good day, Celestia." Adjusting his glasses, the Pegasus greeted. "Did they commute your sentence?" he asked, "It's good to see you back at the castle.

"Not really, Red Bug has a surprise for me and I'm guessing what it is on our walk around the castle."

"I see, and any luck?"

"Do you know anything about a surprise for your dear Celestia, I know it's not in the dining room, the kitchen or the gardens?" The former Monarch asked, sounding playful and winking.

"We haven't heard of a surprise, and if it is, it wouldn't be a surprise if we told you, right?" The unicorn replied.

"Well, it was worth a try." She replied, giggling. "Then what's your problem?" Red Bug took a step back and simply watched Celestia interact with the pair of ponies as she helped the two characters pick up their papers and arrange them into a pile.

"Just the usual, I was on my way to my office with my papers until Feather Light came flying low with his papers and crashed head on into me." The unicorn replied, pointing his hoof at the Pegasus.

"You know I'm afraid of heights. Besides, if you weren't so slow with your papers, I wouldn't have to carry such a load." The Pegasus replied.

"You have a fear of heights?" Celestia asked as she cocked her head to the side.

"Yes. He's known since we were little and always teases me."

"You know, a Pegasus with a fear of heights is funny." The unicorn commented with a little chuckle.

"Not as funny as a unicorn sneezing in the middle of a spell." Replied the Pegasus.

"Hey." Said the unicorn angrily. "That's a familiar condition, and it's not funny."

"I know, and I'm sorry, and I'm sorry I bumped into you too...I'm just a little stressed about the gryphon thing." The Pegasus said regretfully.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." The unicorn approached and used his magic to adjust the Pegasus' glasses before sneezing and making the Pegasus laugh softly. "I love your laugh, will I see you at my mother's tonight?" He asked with a smile.

"Remember my promise to bring that wine your mother is so fond of."

"Thanks again for that." The unicorn said before giving the pegasus a warm kiss on the cheek and taking the papers Celestia offered her with his hooves. "See you tonight, see you later Celestia, see you Red Bug." With that, he disappeared around the next corner.

"Love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Celestia said, offering the Pegasus the other pile.

"It certainly is." The Pegasus replied as he took the papers.

"And how did this happen?"

"I've always been afraid of heights, I know that's weird for a Pegasus, and that's why when I was little my family moved from Cloudsdale to Manehattan, and it was at school that I met Jade Buster, since we were little we realized that we both didn't feel the natural attraction to mares, and for the same reason we spent a lot of time together at school, it was in the middle of high school that we realized that we felt a special attraction to stallions and to each other. ... after that our love grew naturally. I don't know if it was fate or if I didn't have many options with my taste, but I don't regret anything, I wouldn't change anything about our relationship. "The Pegasus tidied up the papers and tucked them under his wing. "Thanks for your help, it was good to see you again, even if you look a bit..." The Pegasus adjusted his glasses as he looked closely at the Alicorn.

"Do I have something in my mane?" She asked as she did a quick check of her mane with her hoof. "Oh for Faust's sake... do I look fatter? it's just that I don't get much exercise in the dungeon and..."

"It's not that." The Pegasus said, cutting the nervous mare off. "You look more....brighter, but that's probably the sun reflecting off my glasses, anyway, thank you again and I hope you have a good day, see you Red Bug." The Pegasus walked away and disappeared into a nearby room.

"How long have you known them?" Celestia asked the changeling.

"The two of them? They have been working here for a long time, long before I ever set foot on the castle."

"I don't remember ever seeing them, when I was a princess I never had the chance to talk to my servants in such a close way, all conversations were always very formal, even with Inkwell, and she was my right hoof, I know most of them only by their names, but now I realize I know nothing about them, what would have happened if I had gotten closer to them..., what would have happened if I had taken off my crown from time to time, what would my life have been like if... If I hadn't been a princess..." Celestia said the last words almost mumbling and stopped walking, lost in her introspection.

"Well, you got an excellent opportunity to figure that out now." The changeling commented, pulling Celestia out of her thoughts.

"I guess you're right." She added with a smile.

"I know I am, but come on, it's time for you to see your surprise."

With those words, the two of them continued on their way up the stairs.

"Why did we come up those stairs?" Celestia asked, in the knowledge that these stairs were only the way to her and her sister's room.

"I... will... explain... when... we... arrive... there..." The changeling tried to answer between gasps. "How many... steps... has... this... thing... got... a million?" The changeling finally gave up and leaned against the wall for air.

"Eight hundred and forty-two." Celestia replied in a calm voice. "Don't you want me to carry you?"

"I'm fine... I'm fine..." Red Bug replied, taking a deep breath of air and preparing for the rest of the climb. "Besides, we should be over halfway there." She continued to climb the stairs slowly, taking deep breaths as she went. Celestia looked at her and laughed softly.

"We're carrying a little more than three hundred." Celestia added before she walked past an exhausted changeling who stopped as soon as she heard the number.

"Feeling better?" Celestia asked as she leaned over a little bit to get Red Bug off of her back.

"Yes, thanks, how is it that you girls go up every day? is it because of the stamina you have from the earth ponies' magic?"

"We fly." Celestia replied with a spread of her wings. "That's why the balconies in our rooms are so wide."

"Why didn't I figure that out before?" The changeling huffed and puffed at having said that.

"Because it's the first time you have to face the Stairway of Death." Celestia said, laughing. "Where then?"

"To your room, your surprise awaits you inside." The changeling said, moving forward, and a moment later Celestia opened the doors to her room and found Luna and Twilight waiting for her inside.

"Luna?, Twilight?, what are you doing here?" Celestia asked, approaching her sister to hug her and later her favorite apprentice. But Twilight quickly broke the unexpected hug.

"We wanted to greet you and be there for you when you heard the news, dear sister, but what took you so long?" Luna asked.

"We climbed the Stairway of Death, but aren't you the surprise, Red Bug said?"

"We're part of it, but not it." Twilight replied as she looked at Red Bug, who was walking up to Celestia with a scroll in her hoof.

"This is the surprise I told you about." Red Bug presented the scroll to the white pony.

"Since Celestia has..." Celestia read the scroll, opening her eyes more and more with each word. She finally looked at her younger sister in surprise. "This is real?"

"It is as real as both of us."

"Though there are still some places you're not allowed to go, like where we keep the magical items or the forbidden spells wing of the library, but otherwise you can walk all over the castle, including the gardens." Twilight added.

"You won't have to go to our weekly therapy sessions either, but you will have to attend the support group on the first Thursday of every month here at the castle." Red Bug said.

"Does that mean that I will be able to go back to my old room?" The Alicorn asked, as if she were a filly who had just been bought a bigger bed than her old one.

"That's why we wanted to show you the surprise we have in your room." Luna replied. "But as long as you have this on your horn, you won't be able to leave the castle grounds." The Princess of the Night pointed to her sister's forehead.

"Have that on my horn?" Celestia touched her horn with her hoof, and when she felt a ring, she remembered that she still had it on. "Oh right, I forgot the ring." Celestia said with a chuckle. "Well, I'll go get my things and be right back."

This little action caught Twilight's attention. How could someone like Celestia, who was one of the most powerful magic users in history, forget that she had an inhibitor ring on her horn? But it was normal for Luna and Red Bug, because when Celestia read her books about origami, most of them explained how to make the figures with the hooves, and the Alicorn was fascinated to make a new figure out of paper, it gave her a lot of satisfaction to know that she was doing it with her hooves, she knew that with magic she could do it in fractions of seconds, But knowing that her effort and dedication gave her a feeling of happiness and accomplishment that magic could not imitate. Her new hobby and other actions she did without magic reminded her that it was not necessary to use magic for everything and filled her with an inner peace she had not felt for centuries, accustoming her over time to living without the use of magic.

"Your things?" Luna asked somewhat puzzled.

"My books, my comics and my paper ponies, and I have to break the news to my..." Celestia blushed and cleared her throat before continuing.

"Break the news to your what?" Luna asked playfully, bumping her hips lightly with hers. "Tia, sneaky mare, you have a suitor I don't know about?" Luna asked with a chuckle.

"Um... no?" Celestia said in an attempt at denial, but the blush on her face didn't do her much good. "He's just... a friend... he comes to lunch with me every day, he goes to Manehattan to get some books I wanted to read, he brings me cake now and then, I see him through my window when he's training in the yards, and we chat for a few moments when he's done his shift, that's all, he's just a friend, there's no romantic interest on my part, no, nope, none, nada, nothing, nervous laugh." In the end, Celestia forced a smile at her sister, hoping she would believe her.

"Did she say 'nervous laugh'?" Twilight asked Red Bug in a very low voice. The changeling just nodded her head.

"Okay." Luna said, smiling honestly at what her sister said.

"Ok?" Celestia asked curiously. "Just... okay?, just like that."

"Yes, just... okay, is there any reason why I should doubt your word, dear sister?" Luna didn't believe Celestia's words for a second, but she liked to play with her sister's innocence a bit.

"Um... no?"

"Well, then, so that we have more free time, I will fetch your things from the dungeon and bring them to your room, while you go and fetch your... friend... and inform him that you have more free time now." The way Luna said friend made Celestia blush all over. "Then when you return, we can catch up." That last part was a complete lie, Luna visited her sister at least two or three times a week to check on her and tell her what she did.

"Ok, I'll have a chat with my friend and... I'll go back to my room so... we can talk." Celestia covered her face with her mane and quickly left the room. Luna just giggled.

"She's not coming back." Luna said with a light laugh. "And if she does come back, she'll be accompanied, so I suggest we leave before that happens." The princess turned to Red Bug and Twilight.

"Did you know about Celestia getting involved with that Unicorn?" The changeling asked.

"Of course, my sister has very romantic dreams about this unicorn and they usually end very intense, but I'd rather withdraw from her fantasies before her love comes... more to the south, if you know what I mean." Luna replied winking, causing Red Bug to giggle a little and Twilight to turn completely red as she made up the mental image.

"Well, I have to finish the paperwork for my sister's release and move her things from her cell to her room as promised. Will you stay for dinner Red Bug? The princess asked.

"Of course."

"I'll see you this evening then." Luna used her magic to open the balcony window and fly away.

"I didn't know Celestia was dating anypony." Twilight said.

"Haven't you talked to Celestia lately?" Red Bug knew Twilight hadn't spoken to Celestia in months. But she had to ask anyway to see how the young princess was doing.

"I've had a lot of work to do lately."

Red Bug knew the answer was a lie. Even though Twilight had the same title and power as Luna, she still had less work and much more free time, but the Night Princess managed to find a few hours a week to see her sister, Twilight just avoided her.

"Are you feeling okay, Twilight?"

"I'm just a little stressed out about work, that's all." Another lie from the Princess.

"You can always have a word with me, my office door is always open." Red Bug knew the princess still had some conflicted feelings about what had happened with Celestia a while back, and even though Twilight often visited her friends in Ponyville and was able to talk to Luna on a daily basis, she still felt a little lonely and betrayed by what Celestia had done to her, but the alicorn was still very young and would eventually talk to Celestia so she could get those unpleasant feelings out of her system.

"Thank you, but I would hate to be a bother."

"You're not a bother, Twilight, your job is to be a princess and mine is to be a psychologist. Besides, my office door is still broken and I couldn't close it even if I wanted to." They both laughed a little. "Besides, it would be nice if you could talk to Celestia sometime. I think it would help you both a lot." She said with a smile.

"I think I'll do it someday, thanks for the advice, but now I must return to the throne room, see you tonight Red Bug." Twilight approached the balcony and flew away as well.

Redbud sighed with satisfaction that she had done a good job helping Celestia set her new life on a course for bright new horizons. She knew that Twilight would soon be talking to her former mentor to make amends.

Celestia had changed a lot in a short amount of time, she was a different mare now, much more simple and loving of the little things, and she was obviously sorry for what she had done to Chrysalis, Clear Spark, her sister, Twilight, and all of Ponyville, and even though everyone had already forgiven her, she still didn't forgive herself for what she had done, but as Red Bug had told her, she had a new chance to start a new life. It would be years before the former princess would have a chance to wear the crown again, but Red Bug had a feeling that when that time came, Celestia wouldn't want to.

Celestia was free of the pressures of the crown, free of social pressures, free of responsibilities, free to do what she wanted with whomever she wanted, she tasted the small pleasures of a simple meal, she felt the satisfaction that came from finishing something small for the simple pleasure of doing it, she slept late without having to worry about the sun coming up, she met a new love that she wanted to see blossom, she could have real conversations with real ponies, not the boring conversations full of fake laughter that she had been having with the nobles of Canterlot for centuries. Celestia had tasted the simple life, and she loved it.

Red Bug looked around Celestia's room and noticed a few things. Many of the former princess's personal belongings had been put away after she was imprisoned, but almost everything had been brought back and was still in boxes, the bed had new sheets and a vase of colorful flowers, there was a jewelry box, but apart from a few gold earrings, there was no other jewelry.

The changeling looked around. One thing became clear.

"What am I going to do with the rest of the afternoon?

Luna rose from her bed and stretched all her limbs, she liked her job of keeping nightmares out of the ponies' dreams but it was time to do her other job which was to make the sun rise and the moon set. She opened the windows of her balcony and as she stepped outside she breathed in the last of the night breeze, But as she was about to concentrate on moving the stars, she happened to look at her sister's balcony and saw Celestia sitting there. Out of curiosity, she went to see what her sister was doing on her balcony so early in the morning.

"Good morning Sister, it's good to see you silhouetted again at this hour." Luna walked over to her sister and gave her a big hug.

"Good morning Lulu." Celestia said as she hugged back.

"And may I know what you're doing?"

"Last night when I was in bed I realized something, for over a thousand years I stood in the same place, looking in the same direction, doing exactly the same thing, closing my eyes and concentrating on the spell to position the sun in the sky, only opening them when the sun was already above the horizon."

"I know, I do something similar every night with the moon, and now I'm doing it with the sun, it took me a little while to get used to its massive volume, but I managed it, but what's so strange about it?"

"I've been doing this every day, every week, every month, every year, for over a thousand years, and I've never had the chance to see a sunrise, and for the first time in a long time, I have the chance to see one." Celestia said with anticipation as she looked out over the horizon.

Luna just smiled and concentrated on making the moon disappear, and when everything was in darkness, she slowly made the sun appear over the horizon. Celestia looked like a filly opening her presents at the hearth`s warming. She admired the beauty of the scene.

She could see the first rays of sunlight breaking through the curtain of night on the horizon, and the valley, which had been in total darkness, beginning to glow with brilliant colors; she could see the trees emerging from the darkness; she could hear the first songs of the birds, She could see the farms near Canterlot and small equine figures working in their fields, apparently stopping to admire the same beauty she was watching. She could see Ponyville in the distance, and she could see and feel the magic of that moment when the world was filled with new life.

"This is... amazing." Celestia said, not wanting to let go of what she saw.

"I know, but I prefer the serenity of the stars."

"Thank you so much for coming back to my side, Luna, I have missed you so much." Celestia said, resting her head on her sister's.

"I have missed you too, my dear sister."

They both stared at the landscape for a long moment. Then Luna heard a strange sound coming from her sister's room.

"What is that?" Luna asked worriedly and quickly ran into Celestia's room.

"LUNA WAIT!" The white alicorn shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"WHO DARES DISRESPECT THE SANCTITY OF MY SISTER'S CHAMBER?" Luna shouted in her royal Canterlot voice as she floated through the air, her horn shining brightly.

From Celestia's bed, a terrified tan stallion with a cutie mark of a cloud of sunbeams got up screaming and tried to get away, but he couldn't get far because one of his hind legs was tied to the bed. He fell face first to the ground and was knocked unconscious.

"Luna, stop." Celestia said, entering full speed.

"Stop what?, a stranger invading the sanctity of your room?"

"He's not a stranger, he's my coltfriend." Celestia walked over to the unicorn, untied his hoof, and gently tried to wake him up.

Luna looked at the unicorn carefully. She remembered that his face was the one she always saw in Celestia's dreams.

"I recognize the stallion's face and I know he is your suitor. But why did he spend the night in your room and why was he tied to your-" It didn't take Luna long to connect the dots. "Ohhhh... I'm sorry, but you should have told me sooner."

"And what do you want me to tell you?, 'I'm going to my room with my coltfriend to have sex'?" Celestia replied angrily. "Those are private matters."

"I know, I'm sorry." Luna was embarrassed by what had happened.

"He won't wake up, can you use a spell?"

"Yeah, give me a second." Luna reached over and gently touched the unicorn's forehead with her horn. A small magical sparkle came from Luna's horn towards the unicorn. "That'll do."

"mmMMmmm... Celly?" The stallion asked as he opened his eyes to see Celestia standing in front of him.

"I'm glad you woke up, are you feeling all right?" The Alicorn asked as she helped her lover to get back on his four legs.

"I'm okay, thanks, what happened? I had a nightmare about a terrible black witch with a creepy voice trying to evaporate me and..." Luna cleared her throat to interrupt the unicorn and not embarrass herself any more.

"I am deeply sorry for what happened, I am Luna, Princess of Equestria, Regent of the Night and Guardian of the World of Dreams, sister of Celestia, the mare you are courting and apparently... you have succeeded, may I know your name?". Luna said very formally, apparently that was the old way to introduce yourself when you met a pony who was courting someone from your family, and the unicorn, not understanding why the princess spoke that way, tried to imitate her in the best possible way, partly out of respect, partly so as not to offend her and have her turn him to dust.

"Emmm... sure." The stallion said. "My name is Moonstone Spirit. I'm a castle guard and one of those assigned to guard the entrance to the dungeon."

"A pleasure to meet you Moonstone, I must say she is a beautiful mare to accompany you, but the ancient laws dictate that if you intend to marry my sister's hoof, you must have a mortal combat with a direct relative, and since you have consummated your relationship, I must assume the seriousness of your relationship and you must duel against me, so I will expect you in the gardens in thirty minutes." Luna concentrated for a second and made a beautiful sword with a long, thin blade appear. It had runes inscribed on its blade that glowed slightly. "I'll have my old rapier, so be wise in your choice of weapon." The princess of the night's gaze was cold, merciless, and full of determination. The unicorn's blood ran cold as he felt the magical power emanating from the weapon.

"YOUR OLD RAPIER?" Celestia shouted. "LUNA, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Luna laughed, seeing her older sister's face.

"It's a joke, Tia, that law was disproved centuries ago, I just needed an excuse to show you that I found my old rapier and this was the perfect time." Luna brought the weapon close to her face and took a deep breath of it. "Mmmmm... after so many centuries I can still smell blood, it makes my skin tingle when I remember our fights." With a flash of her horn, she made the weapon disappear and walked towards the door with a smirk on her face. "I'm going to the dining room for breakfast. A night's work eliminating nightmares and moving the celestials in the sky has given me an appetite." The princess used her magic to open the doors and disappeared down the corridor.

"You're OK?" Celestia asked the unicorn next to her, who seemed to be on automatic pilot.

The stallion's body remembered that one of its biological needs was to breathe, and it took a deep breath of air.

"Blood?" Was all he could say as he tried to regain his composure.

"Now you have an idea why we were always princesses and never queens." Celestia sat back on her haunches. "But sometimes I resent my sister for having such terrible taste in joking at the worst possible time."

The unicorn sat down next to Celestia and pressed his body close to hers. "Do you think I would be able to beat her in a fight?"

"Not in a million years, but you don't need to to win my love." Celestia replied, turning her head to give the stallion a kiss.

"Then I have nothing to worry." The unicorn replied returning the kiss.

"And Moonstone." said Luna, sticking her head through the door and breaking up her older sister's romantic moment. "Welcome to the family." She added with a wink to the stallion before disappearing again.

"LUNA!" Celestia shouted, blushing. "When will you learn to knock"

The sound of Luna's laughter could be heard from down the corridor, slowly fading away.

Just like Red Bug, Luna knew that her sister had changed a lot in her way of being, she saw her become a much happier mare, with more energy and full of love to give and receive. For a long time, she thought about giving some power to Celestia when she was released, but seeing the happiness in her older sister's face, she knew that she was happier that way, If the former princess wished to return in the future to participate in the matters of the state, she would be willing to support her and help her find a rewarding job. But in the meantime, she was happy to see her sister enjoying life as a normal mare, a mare named Celestia.

Author's Note

This chapter is much longer than the others but I liked how it turned out, it has many details and it explains a little bit the change of Celestia during the chapter of session 3 and this session number 4.

To make this new personality of Celestia, it was based on the details that appeared about her during the series, like the little joke towards the Cake`s when visiting Ponyville, how she reacts when participating in the play, and her way of acting when taking vacations with Luna, she always showed herself as a mare with great energy and willing to try new things. :trollestia:

I know that a problem like racism does not disappear overnight and a couple of years would not be enough in most cases, but it is explained here, much of that thought came from the annoyance she felt towards Chrysalis, and by fighting with her she managed to get rid of all that frustration she felt towards the queen, and realized that her racism ended up being bottled up rage.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

It's always a pleasure to read your comments and I've really got some interesting questions and highlights. :rainbowderp:

Any idea is welcome and remember that the next one written could be yours.

Next chapter will be about Chrysalis and something she never expected to happen.

see you in a couple of days. :twilightsmile:

PS: I put some easter eggs in the chapter, could you find them all? :raritywink:

The White Queen.

"One more time, where are we going?" Luna asked, walking next to her friends.

"We're going to Chrysalis' house." Red Bug answered.

"And why is Twilight coming?" Luna asked again.

"Because it seems very important." The Purple Alicorn replied.

"And Cheerilee, why is she coming?." Luna asked again.

"I was the one who had the idea of warning you girls." Cheerilee said.

"And why am I coming?" Luna asked again.

"Because Apple Bloom said Chrysalis needed help with something urgent. And you were nearby." Cheerilee replied.

"And why is Flurry Heart coming?" Luna asked again.

"Because Cadance wasn't around to take care of her." Twilight replied.

"And why is Cadance coming?." Luna asked again.

"Because Shining didn't want to come alone." Cadance replied, causing the white stallion to smile and wave his hoof at his winged friend.

"Okay, that's fine."

Today was another normal day in Ponyville. The birds were singing their daily song, the market was doing business as usual, the Friendship School was thriving with students, and a small, distinctive group was making their way to Chrysalis' house.

"I hope it's something really important. I didn't want to spend my day solving problems." Said the Princess of the Night, yawning a little from her sleep.

"Welcome to Ponyville, home of the happy ponies and the daily disasters." Red Bug replied.

"I know first hoof the dangers and chaos that plague this rustic place."

"I know and that's why I love it, don't you find it exciting to know that every morning a new adventure awaits you as you leave your home?, we always live on the edge of the abyss and its dangers."

"I have enough of the perils I face every night in the Dreamworld, thanks."

"But Red Bug is right, it must be something serious. I was reviewing today's test when Apple Bloom ran into the school, yelling something about Chrysalis, emergency, white, urgent, quick, and then ran out."

"She must have had an accident, most of the accidents happen in the house."

"I don't think so Cadance, she's very careful with the things in her house. I know she makes it a point to keep all sharp objects in drawers and the stove off to prevent Clear Spark from bumping into something and getting hurt or having an accident." Twilight replied.

"That's true, and I always ask Clear Spark how Chrysalis is doing, and he said she was fine today, so it must be something else that she needs help with, and Applebloom was just overdoing it." Cheerilee added.

"I hope you're right. I wanted to spend a few moments with Chrysalis while the little ones play." Cadance said as she kissed her little girl's tummy, making her giggle and smile.

"Looks like Cheerilee's assumptions were wrong." Luna said, pointing her hoof at the CMC's standing in front of Chrysalis' house next to Clear Spark. The four foals looked very nervous.

The group hurried to meet them.

"Girls, Spark, could you tell us what's going on?" Twilight asked, to which the foals just looked at each other, very hesitant to answer, none of them knowing what was going on.

"Spark, you know that we won't be able to help your mother if you don't tell us what's going on." The teacher said.

"Mmmm..." The colt had a moment's thought about whether he should speak or not. "She... she doesn't want to leave her room." Finished the colt, knowing that even though he had promised his mother that he would not say anything, it was still much better to ask for help.

"Is she sick?"

"I don't know..." The colt said hesitantly. "She's..."

"SHE'S WHITE!" Scootaloo shouted.

"White?" Cheerilee asked, confused.

"That's bad?" Clear Spark replied.

"Of course it's bad. Your mother's not white, she's black and full of holes."

"And how would I know?"

"Because she's your mother, you should know what col..." A yellow hoof hit Scootaloo on the head, silencing her. "AWW!" The little Pegasus complained. "Apple Bloom, why did you have to hit me?"

"Because you're such a dummy. You know he can't see, how do you expect him to notice if someone is a different color?" The filly asked angrily.

"Girls!" The teacher said as she shushed the pair of fillies. "Stop arguing and tell us what happened."

The little group came together and mumbled to each other before speaking, and from what could be heard, they were trying to sort out their thoughts so that it was understood what had happened. Finally, Clear Spark turned and stepped forward.

"This morning my mom woke me up like she does every day. I got up and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, then I went to breakfast, then I went to school."

"But did you see..." Twilight paused. "I'm sorry... but did you hear or feel anything strange about how Chrysalis was behaving?" The colt thought about it for a moment.

"She hummed a song while she was cooking breakfast, something she's never done before, and... she kissed me on the forehead before I left for school, that's normal, but the kiss had a different feel."

"Anything else, when did you have knowledge of Chrysalis' color change?" Luna asked and Sweetie Belle was the one to answer.

"When we got out of school we decided to go to Spark's house to do our homework and when we got to his house we greeted Chrysalis who was in the kitchen and sat down at the table. She said she would make us some cookies while we worked."

"So you had a look at her on your way into the house?"

"Not really, she was in the kitchen all the time but..."

"But what?"

"But her voice sounded different, it sounded more melodic, similar to my sister's voice. She also didn't have that weird echo when she spoke."

"That's strange." Cheerilee said. "And what happened next, girls?"

"After a while we heard her coming, she left the cookies on the table for us and asked us what homework we were doing while she sat at the table and if we needed help, then we realized she was completely different."

"Completely different?" Luna asked.

"Yes, it wasn't just the color of her skin, everything about her was different."

"And what did you do then?"

"We were stunned when we saw her, she freaked out and locked herself in, then Apple Bloom went to help Ms. Cheerilee."

"Why did she lock herself in her room?"

"She..." Scootaloo said with a blush. "You'd better see for yourself. If you can get her to come out of her room." The little ones stepped to the side to allow the adults to come into the house.

Twilight sighed and entered the house with the entire group.

"This is all so very strange." Red Bug said.

"Do you think someone replaced Chrysalis?" Luna asked.

"The basis for impersonating someone is to wear a disguise that no one can recognize. Remember when Chrysalis impersonated me at my wedding, only Twilight could recognize her because she couldn't mimic my personality." Cadance replied.

"Besides, who would do that? and why? now that Chrysalis is Equestria's ally, she's more powerful than ever, and I don't know anyone she has as a foe, do you girls know anything?" asked Twilight.

"Chrysalis' biggest enemy was my sister, but the two of them have no reason to hate each other anymore, and my sister's most fanatical followers stopped their attempts to free her when they learned that Celestia was no longer a prisoner. After that, they basically disbanded, so to speak." Luna said.

"I don't remember her telling me about any old enemies, and I don't remember reading about any in the records we have. But I can look again when I get back to my house." Red Bug added.

"To prevent whoever it is from escaping, I can set up a perimeter around the house in less than five minutes." Shining Armor added.

"I hope that will not be necessary." Twilight said, shaking her head. "And you Cheerilee, you talk to Chrysalis almost everyday, she told you something about..."

Without paying much attention to the princesses' conversation, Cheerilee knocked on the door of the queen's room.

"Chrysalis, are you okay?" The teacher asked her friend quietly.

"CHEERILEE!" Twilight shouted as she approached the teacher. "What are you doing? We don't even know if that's really Chrysalis!" She said in a huff, to which the teacher just rolled her eyes.

"Twilight, do you really think that a spy smart and powerful enough to capture Chrysalis and impersonate her in her own home would make a mistake as basic as getting her disguise wrong? Or would she freak out because four little foals discovered her while she was bringing them cookies? or would she lock herself in her room?" She asked the young Alicorn, intrigued.

"When you put it that way, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but..."

"Chrysalis." The teacher knocked on the door once more. "It's me, Cheerilee. Can you hear me?"

"Please leave me alone." A high-pitched, melodious voice said, shocking everyone.

"That couldn't have been Chrysalis." Cadance said. "She doesn't have that kind of voice."

"Chrysalis, is that you? Are you OK?" Twilight asked as she put her ear to the door.

"Yes, I'm okay, please leave me alone." The voice replied again, as flashes of green light and the occasional burst of flame shot out from under the door.

The princess stepped back, astonished.

"Chrysalis, if that is you, please open the door so we can have a talk." Twilight said.

"Yeah, just leave me alone." The voice inside replied, moving from place to place, whimpering softly and tapping the floor.

"Are you sure that's her?" Shining asked. "I can still arm the perimeter."

"I agree with Shining Armor, for safety's sake it would be good to have some armed guards in place to prevent the escape of whoever is in there."

"I don't want to doubt Chrysalis, but this is very suspicious... mmmMMMMMmmm..." Twilight said thoughtfully.

"Chrysalis, may I ask you something?" Cheerilee said quietly at the door.

"What." The figure replied from inside.

"Lucky bunny?" The teacher asked, causing everyone to raise eyebrows, intrigued.

The figure in the room stopped moving and let out a sigh before walking over to the door. "Yes, Lucky Bunny again." Cheerilee scratched her chin in thought at the sound of this.

"I see, give me one moment." Cheerilee approached the group who stared at her. "Girls, who's in this room is Chrysalis, but she has a different physical form now and she won't leave this room until she's back the way she was, and she can't."

"And who is Lucky Bunny? I don't remember a pony by that name, does she have anything to do with this?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, she has something to do with all this, but it's not a pony per se, it's... It's not the first time this has happened to her."

This was the third time Cheerilee remembered the queen having the same problem, the first time was with Fluttershy and Discord when she turned into a green colored rabbit, the second time was on her birthday and after drinking too much they had the brilliant idea of eating some blue flowers that grew in the forest, something the two would rather forget, and this would be the third time, only Cheerilee didn't know what her friend's temporary form looked like.

"Is there anything we can do to help her, then?" Cadance asked.

"I can talk her into opening the door, but you have to promise me that you will not laugh at her."

"Why should we laugh?" Luna asked.

"Because you all know that she is very proud, I know her very well and I know that she will feel offended and look for a way to get back at you. She will try for at least two weeks, but to be on the safe side, you better not laugh."

"Pff. You're kidding." Shining Armor comments.

"Wanna bet?" Shining Armor had heard enough about Cheerilee and Chrysalis to know it was best to play it safe.

The stallion raised his hoof and wiped it over his mouth, indicating that no laughter would come out of it. The rest of the group nodded and Cheerilee approached again to knock on the door.

"Chrysalis, you can come out now. It's safe." The teacher took a step back as she felt the door open.

From inside, and to the surprise of the whole group, appeared a tall figure with insectoid features, it was as white as milk, a mane that seemed to be made of silver threads reflecting turquoise hues, light blue eyes, a golden elytra, wings and tail that seemed to be made of transparent silk, a long horn and slightly curved, all accompanied by a soft smell of flowers and a somewhat irritating face.

The whole group didn't know what to say, they looked at each other and at the queen, they opened and closed their mouths trying to say something, but only half-finished words could be heard.

"Have you any questions?" said the beautiful voice of the queen.

"Still singl-coffh" Shining coughed in response to a sharp punch to the ribs from a grumpy Cadance.

"The only single you are going to sleep with tonight is going to be your cold pillow on the couch." The Princess of Love muttered in her husband's ear in a very annoyed tone, but she did it so loud that everyone could hear her, and everyone let out a laugh at Cadance's reaction; Chrysalis obviously didn't get the joke or had other things on her mind, because she didn't laugh.

"Chrysalis, is that really you? But... but what happened?" Luna asked.

"Emmm... I don't know, it seems like I woke up like this and... it feels weird." The queen replied, shaking her body and buzzing with her wings, causing a pleasant scent of flowers to be released.

"Hmm..." Cadance said, thinking. "Can you do it again?"

"Do what?"

"That thing you do with your wings, the flapping."

"Buzz my wings? but what for?" The queen buzzed her wings very quickly for Cadance for a few seconds, causing the princess to close her eyes and sniff the air for a few seconds.

"Hmmm... I can't identify the scent... is it lavender?" She asked Twilight, the young princess sniffing for a few seconds.

"I'm not sure... it could be carmine, what do you think Luna? I know you change the flowers in the castle every night, can you identify which flower it is?"

Luna sniffed the air for a few moments and began to think.

"I definitely smell lavender, but that's not the only thing, there's also lilac and... I believe roses." Trying to decipher the scents, the princess closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Do you think the florists in the village could help us?" Shining asked, also trying to decipher the floral scent, as did everyone else in the room except for the queen.

"I'm going to ask them. I'll be back soon." Red Bug said as she opened the door to the house.

"Hmm girls?" Chrysalis asked. "I think you're forgetting something a little more important."

"And what is?" Cheerilee asked, also in an attempt to figure out what kind of flowers she was smelling.

"The white elephant in the room?." The queen said, making a reference to herself. "I'm not an elephant, but I think you get my point."

"Oh yeah, sorry." Cheerilee replied with a little chuckle. "We'd better go sit down at the table and talk about it."

"I'll go tell the little ones not to worry and then I'll let Flurry play with them for a while." Cadance said on the way to the door.

"I'll come with you Cadance. I haven't seen my niece for a while and I want to play with her." Twilight said as she walked out of the door behind Cadance.

In the garden, Twilight, the CMCs, and Cadance were playing with their petling with Flurry on her back, while Clear Spark explained a bit about the vegetables they were growing and how he had discovered that applying a little magic to the seeds could improve their development.

Inside the house, Red Bug, Cheerilee, Luna, and Shining Armor sat at the table with a blindfold that Cadance had put over his eyes for his own safety. The stallion didn't understand what the blindfold was for, but he was afraid to ask his wife.

"When did you have the knowledge that you were... white?" Luna asked.

"About an hour ago, before you came. The little ones pointed it out to me when I brought them the cookies, too bad they didn't eat them."

"I see." Luna said with a bite of cookie.

"And during the morning you didn't feel anything strange like the smell of flowers, the lack of holes or that you are white when you see yourself in the bathroom mirror?" Red Bug asked.

"Not really, I just woke up in a much better mood than other days, and when I went to the bathroom I did it singing, I used my hooves to comb my mane as usual, but when I felt my mane was very soft, I just sang and closed my eyes, not paying much attention.

"Are you really so ignorant that you combed your hair in front of the mirror without noticing that your mane was different? or your horn? or the color of your skin?" Luna asked.

"Hmmm..." Was all the queen said.

"You'd be surprised at how clueless Chrysalis can be." Cheerilee said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I ain't so clueless." The queen replied insulted.

"Really? When you worked at the post office, it took you four days to find my house."

"The instructions confuse me." The queen replied in an attempt to defend herself, but was only able to elicit a bit of laughter from the group.

"When you lay down to sleep last night, did your body look normal to you?" Luna asked.

"Yes, the last thing I did last night before I went to sleep was brush my teeth. There was nothing strange about my body."

"Then whatever happened to you must have happened during the night."

It was at that moment that Twilight and Cadance walked into the house.

"And Flurry?" Luna asked.

"She's on Twilight's back. She hasn't seen the little one in months and wants to make the most of her time and make sure she's her favorite aunt, even though she only has one." Cadance laughed softly.

"It's true I'm her only aunt. But I'm going to make sure I'm the best aunt ever." Twilight added, taking the little girl between her hoofs and scratching her belly, causing her to roll over with laughter.

"Do you have any ideas Princess Cadance?" Red bug asked.

"Hmmm...have you made any progress?"

"Only that the change in Chrysalis took place during the night when she was asleep." Cheerilee said.

"I also feel a lot more energetic, lighter, and...cleaner...but I think it's because of the color."

"With more energy?" Cadance thought as she scratched her chin. "I remember when Tempest told us that the Scepter of Sacanas that the Storm King had was able to absorb all of the magical energy of its victim."

"I remember that we didn't have much of a problem with that, but with Chrysalis, it was very dangerous because her magical energy comes from... Ohhhhh." Twilight said in surprise. "You mean..." Cadance nodded her head at Twilight's words.

"What do you mean?" The white queen asked.

"I have a guess, but I would like to test it first, could we go out to your backyard for a moment?, I think it will be much safer, and Red Bug, could you help me with this?, I have some doubts about your race, and I could really use your help."

The whole group went out into the small yard of the house to see what the Princess of Love was going to do. Clear Spark and the CMC's approached the group to find out what they were going to try, Shining was guided by Cadance for safety's sake to keep him from bumping into the furniture.

"Red Bug, what happens to your race when you have very little Love and what happens when you have overflowing Love?" Princess asked.

"Well, when we are very hurt or have very low levels of love, our body goes into a state of emergency. When we become unconscious, we automatically turn into a small animal like a mouse to lose our attackers."

"That sounds interesting and quite effective. Which animal do you turn into? Luna asked very curiously.

"That's not important." The queen replied.

"I think it's important if we ever need to go looking for a small wounded animal after fighting." Cadance added.

"You should listen to the rabbit when she tells you that it's not important." Cheerilee replied with a chuckle, and fortunately for the queen, no one got the joke.

"What do you do when you have too much love?" Cadance asked, examining the queen.

"Well...that's new to us, but we think we throw it away like those glowing particles that come out when we buzz." The changeling and the queen buzzed their wings at almost the same time, releasing the glowing particles as they did so, but it was the queen who released a large amount of them.

"I see, give me a moment."

Cadance concentrated for a moment and made three large rocks appear about ten meters away, then she removed Shining Armor's blindfold so he could see. The stallion wiped his eyes a bit to adjust his vision back, then Cadance strategically placed him on the opposite side from where the queen was.

"Shining, my dear, could you take a shot at one of those rocks over there?" The princess said, pointing at one of the rocks with her hoof. The stallion nodded his head and fired a magical bolt that hit the rock right in the middle, shattering it and surprising the group with its accuracy.

"Thank you, my dear. If you want a wife tomorrow, you'd better go back into the darkness." The princess covered the stallion's eyes again and looked at the group with a well-rehearsed smile. Luna and Cheerilee laughed, knowing the reason for Cadance's reaction, but the rest of the group didn't understand the reason for the laughter.

"Luna, could you do a bit of rock destruction too?" Cadance said to the Princess of the Night, who stepped forward and fired a bolt of magic at the rock. Unlike Shining, the Princess destroyed the rock and some of the ground around it. "Thank you, Luna." The Princess of Night took a step back and walked next to the group.

"Does anyone know why Luna had more destructive power than my dear, beloved husband? that his love is only for me, and that if any mare or queen tries to hoof it, I will vaporize her and anyone else who gets in the way?" Cadance subtly stepped in front of Chrysalis, who still didn't understand Cadance's reaction. Luna, Cheerilee, and now Red Bug laughed softly.

Sweetie Belle raised her hoof because she knew the answer to that. "It's because Princess Luna is an alicorn, and they have more magical power than regular unicorns."

"Excellent Sweetie Belle, ten points for the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Cadance said as she congratulated the little girls.

"Awesome, now Cadance gave us ten points." Sweetie Belle said in celebration.

"And how much is a Cadance point worth, anyway?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't know. But it's a lot." Scootaloo replied.

"And where do we spend them?" Clear Spark asked.

"I don't know, but we can find out," Apple Bloom replied, already heading into town.

"Do you think we can use a Cadance point to buy a cake?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Surely we can buy the entire bakery for one Cadence point."

"Great, I always wanted to..."

With that, the little ones were out of sight of the group and on their way to a new adventure.

"Will I have regrets about giving them imaginary points?"

"You won't, but your wallet will. Trust me." Cheerilee replied.

"Can we go back to where we were, which is why I'm white?"

"Yes, sorry, as Sweetie Belle said, the reason Luna has greater destructive power is because we Alicorns have greater magical power and I believe our not so attractive queen now has similar power, Chrysalis, would you be so kind as to destroy the last rock and only the rock?. No one wants to lose a stable and loving relationship with her husband with whom she has a daughter." The rest of the group chuckled, and Twilight, seeing that she friends finally understood why Cadance was acting the way she was, joined in the little laugh, the only ones who didn't seem to understand were Chrysalis, because she had other worries on her mind, and Shining Armor, whose mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Chrysalis stepped forward and, after a second of concentration, fired a large bolt of magic at the rock, completely shattering it along with a large portion of the ground and creating a puff of smoke that blew off Shining Armor's blindfold, stunning the entire group with the destruction.

"WOW, I've never been able to do that with so little magic. I'm sure I just used what I needed to destroy the rock." Said the queen in amazement.

"That's just what I thought." Cadance said as she looked at the group and at the queen. "What do you think Twilight?"

"I think you're right, but will the others end up like this?" Twilight asked.

"Most likely." Cadance replied.

"But how did you come to that conclusion in such a short time?"

"Because I am the Princess of Love and..."

"Conclusion of what? Are you going to tell me why I'm white?" The queen asked interrupting.

"Ohh... I'm sorry." The princess said to the queen, and then she looked at the changeling. "Red Bug, are you hungry?"

"A little, but that's because I didn't have lunch, why?"

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to clear up one last doubt, and you Chrysalis, are you hungry or have you been feeling hungry since you woke up?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm not hungry and I haven't had breakfast either. Does it have something to do with my skin color?" The queen said with intrigue.

"Totally, and it's because you are saturated with love, this has somehow caused a physical change in your body."

"Why?"

"Have you used your magic recently?"

"I have used it very little in the last few months, I no longer have the need to be transformed all the time to spy or steal love. I prefer walking to flying, and besides, being here in Ponyville, I get much more love than I need."

"I think your new physical form is a manifestation of your body reaching the limit of its reserve."

"It's like one of those new batteries I read about?" Twilight asked.

"Batteries?" Luna replied.

"Yes, the other day I read in the paper about an experiment with some special crystals called batteries, and they consist of a special crystal that can store large amounts of magic to then power magical objects so they can be used by Pegasus or Earth ponies and not rely on unicorns, but they had no way of knowing the limit of the crystal and when it was charged it would explode from too much magic and-"

"I'M GOING TO EXPLODE?" The frightened queen asked, causing all of them to take a few steps back as a precautionary measure.

"I don't think you're going to explode, because the crystals had a spell added to them that caused them to change color to a completely different one when they reached their charge limit, green for the maximum charge and red for the minimum." Red Bug lifted her hoof and waved it energetically.

"Then I'll change color too? I want to be blue."

"Why do you want to be blue?" asked Chrysalis.

"Because I like blue, blue is pretty." The changeling replied with a smile.

"I don't really like looking like this, it feels weird and makes me itch."

"But your physical appearance is a lot more attractive by today's standards, I'm sure you'll have a lot more suitors." Luna said.

"Do you really think that any pony would find me attractive right now?" Chrysalis asked somewhat annoyed, wiggling her body in front of the group.

All eyes were on Shining Armor, the only male present. He nervously bit his lower lip and sweated uncontrollably as he looked at the queen.

Cadance grumpily wrote a scroll and hoofed it to her husband. "Say it!"

"Uh?." Shining said after receiving the scroll. "WOW, she really is hideous, I would really hate to have to spend time with her, take your wife's hoof and smile." He then held out the hoof to his wife. She quickly squeezed it tightly and smiled broadly.

"Attracting another Pony was measured using a different method?" Cadance asked, not knowing this information.

"With more limited resources, a stallion's attractiveness was measured by his ability to provide for the household and his ability in battle. In the case of mares, it was measured by their ability to reproduce without dying in childbirth, more babies, more attractive." Luna replied.

"Are you serious?" Cadance asked in amazement.

"According to historical records, if a stallion was a good fighter, he had a better chance of getting food or working in the fields without falling prey to predators. And before assisted medicine, the mortality of mares was about 55% and could reach 80% for first mares, but that number decreased as the mare had more children."

"It used to be that the changeling had to fillynap a pony and present it alive to its mate to initiate courtship. Then they would kill it and eat its liver in ceremony." Said the queen.

"That can't be true, can it?" Cheerilee asked a little frightened, making the queen laugh softly.

"It isn't. But we did fillynap ponies for courtship and each family had their own supply of captured ponies to feed on."

"That raises a question in my mind, you commented to me a while back that changelings with excess love would remove it as glowing particles on their wings, and this would happen after they received big news or something, did you do something yesterday that triggered a similar reaction?" Twilight asked.

"Yesterday?" thought the queen. "I remember after I dropped Spark off at school, I went to Sugarcube Corner to get something to eat, and Pinkie gave me some cupcakes that someone had ordered and didn't pick up. Then I accompanied Fluttershy to the train station to get the food for the sanctuary, and I bought a Ponyville lottery ticket, I won a few bits, then on my way back I found a bit lying on the ground and when I bent down to pick it up I bumped into Soarin who was also bending down at the same time as me, we chatted a bit and felt bad about bumping into me, we had a quick date in-. "

"WHAT?" A blue Pegasus yelled, angrily swooping down from nowhere and landing violently in front of the group. "Who said that, who was dating Soarin?" Rainbow asked as she looked in all directions and came closer to Red Bug.

"It was Chrysalis." The changeling replied out of sheer nervousness, pointing at the queen. Rainbow quickly turned and walked over to the white queen.

"Who are you?" She asked with the tact and gentleness that was characteristic of her.

"Me?...I am Chrysss..." Seeing the jealousy on the Pegasus' face, the queen hesitated to answer. "...ssstal?."

"Chrystal?" Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow at the queen who was nervous.

"Yes, with two s."

"Ok, Chrystal with two s, do you know where Chrysalis is?, I have some friends named hard and love that I want to introduce her to." The Pegasus said, showing her hooves.

"She went into the forest." The queen replied, pointing her hoof in the direction of the trees.

"Thanks, I like your mane." With that, Rainbow took flight and quickly disappeared into the trees with a shout of the queen's name.

"Did you really date Soarin?. You know Rainbow is very jealous of her... friend." Twilight asked in a whisper.

"It wasn't planned, ok? besides, he just invited me to lunch because he felt bad about hitting me and wanted some tips for a present for Rainbow's birthday."

"At least Derpy is kind enough to drag you to the hospital after she knocked you out." Luna commented.

"All Ponyville mares are extremely jealous?" Shining Armor asked.

"Dear Shining, all mares are jealous, but please put your blindfold on, I don't want to be a widow because you're looking sideways." Cadance replied as she put the blindfold back on her husband.

"Side? What side? I really don't know what you're talking about, Cadance."

"It would be better if you didn't, my dear."

"Then what should I do?, I don't want to stay white forever."

"You could try shape shifting, or the use of large amounts of magic to return your body to its original form, its old original form."

The queen concentrated for a moment, and after she had covered herself in green flames a couple of times, she remained the same color - white.

"Changing back to my original form isn't going to work, and I don't think there are enough stones in Ponyville for me to destroy."

"Have you been trying to get back to your original form all this time?" Red Bug asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, why."

"Of course, your shapeshifting won't work." The changeling concentrated for a second and was covered in green flames, but it did not transform into any kind of creature. "You're already in your original form, it's like trying to turn off a machine that's already turned off, you have to change back into your old form."

The queen pondered for a moment, and after a few attempts and a change of color to something similar to Red Bug's, the queen was able to return to her old form.

"That was easy, I have no idea why I didn't have that in mind." The queen did a couple of stretches and practiced the transformation from her old form to her new form. "So my new form is white and more powerful, and my old form is basically a disguise?, I can live with that." She carefully checked her body for any details that might be in need of correction.

"Thanks for your help, girls." Chrysalis said in her old form, Cadance sensing no danger, removed the blindfold from her husband's eyes and made it disappear with her magic. The group laughed quietly, but the queen couldn't understand why they were laughing.

"So what do we do now?" Twilight asked.

"I'm going to talk to the changeling in charge of the medical area here in Ponyville and tell him what happened, if it happened to me, it's probably happening to a lot of changelings out there and it would be good for them to know as well. I should also send someone to the hive to deliver the news and tell Spark that I'm white and get him used to my new voice." Chrysalis replied.

"I can go to the hive and deliver the news to them." The queen nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll go to Sugarcube Corner." Cadance said.

"Are you hungry?" Shining asked.

"A little, but I'm concerned about the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"I'll go with you. I want to show Flurry around town and let her see the new stuff we have." Twilight added.

"I have to go back to town too, more like school and exams."

"I'll come with you to Ponyville. Then I'll go back to Canterlot and... I don't know how I got here, I came to Ponyville for something?, I remember laughing at my sister and her new boyfriend and..."

As the group walked slowly towards the village, Luna paused to reflect on the moment she had left her room in Canterlot to accompany her friends to Ponyville to see Chrysalis. Little did the princess know that her life was governed by the subtle designs of fate, controlled by the mysterious forces of the universe in its infinite splendor, where every door and window held a completely different mystery, where she could one day be a princess, or an exiled villain, a cartoon on television, an anthropomorphic creature with equine features working in a school. She could also be someone reading a story on a screen, completely unaware that she is the protagonist of her story, or she could simply be a plastic toy for children, sold in some supermarket, but like everyone else, she is just another passenger on this ship, slowly sailing through the endless and mysterious waters of this dimension. ... the FimFiction dimension.

Author's Note

And this is the beginning of the polychromatic changelings. I will slowly add them to the story as secondary characters next to the old changelings.

I tried to use something similar to the series where the change is instant, but adding the Queen's ignorance of the reason why she changed, she did not change because she had accumulated too much love, it was the same reason the original changelings changed, because they gave unconditional love, only she was larger and it took her longer.

For those who were wondering about the Easter Eggs, there ended up being three.
Red Bug's blue turtle-shell bag from Mario Kart.
Halo reference in Celestia's book.
And the boys.

I also added a little hint to the The Fairly OddParents, The Twilight Zone, and The Simpsons. :rainbowlaugh:
One is easy to find, but the others two... :moustache:

And this is the image I used for Chrysalis. I know there were hundreds, but this was the one I liked best, and I think it contrasts well with her old form.

I hope you like the story and see you next week. :twilightsmile:

Mommyshy and Dadcord.

Chrysalis was busy going over a notebook with a list of things she had to do before she returned home, the day was sunny and she had plenty of time to work so there was no pressure of time, besides she was happy to help Fluttershy at the sanctuary and the pegasus always appreciated any help, she had been doing this job for a long time and knew the place perfectly, She also knew the feeding schedules of the animals, the way she had to feed them and their sleep cycles, it took her a little while to understand how to do it at first, but thanks to practice and the patience of the Pegasus, the queen managed to learn everything she needed to know to take care of the animals.

One of her most important tasks was to check if the birds' nests would survive the winter or if the burrows had any problems inside, and she was the only one who could do that, thanks to her ability to change her shape and test them to give them the green light.

"Let's see, the water in the springs is fine, the nests are ready, one burrow needs a check for excess moisture and... check the expiration date on the medicine." The Queen said to herself as she checked what she'd written down.

"If it's the same burrow as the other day, I'll have to tell Fluttershy that these rabbits will have to live somewhere else. The land near the river is very soft and can easily be flooded if it rains one of these days."

"Hello Chrysalis." A Pegasus said, approaching the queen a bit nervously, which was nothing new for the Pegasus.

"Morning Fluttershy, need help with something?"

"There is something I wanted to ask you."

"What do you want to ask me, is it about the burrow?, I'm going to check it right now. If I'm right, we'll have to move the rabbits somewhere else."

"That's not it, it's something else." The Pegasus said as she moved to the side.

"Then what do you want to know?"

"You... Why did you want to help me at the sanctuary?."

"What do you mean?" The queen asked with an air of intrigue.

"You could work anywhere in Ponyville, and I know you had other places in mind, like the Spa, the Boutique, or Sugarcube Corner. You could make some money there, too."

"And?"

"This job is difficult, lonely, for many not very pleasant, and the expenses are..." Remembering that most of her months ended in the red, Pegasus felt embarrassed.

"Fluttershy, I've been around long enough to know that you can barely afford the expenses of this place, that's why I always tell you that you can go door to door every month and ask for donations. I can even ask one of my changelings if they want to do it."

"I know, but I don't want to bother others with my problems, besides you already help me for free and that's more than enough. But seriously, I would like to know why you decided to work here."

"I think I told you that a long time ago, when I first started to help you."

"You never did."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Uhh... that's weird, I was absolutely sure that I told you that months ago."

"You're the only one who's willing to help me almost every day in this place. I'd remember if you had."

The queen thought for a moment and was sure that she had told the Pegasus some time ago, but there was a chance that she never had. There was nothing wrong with telling her anyway.

"A few years ago, when I was with AppleJack at her farm, she told me it would be good for me to get a job so I wouldn't die of boredom at home, and since money is no problem for me, I started looking for a job that was rewarding or interesting. I remember with Rarity it was pretty boring."

"Boring?"

"Yeah, all I had to do was stand still for hours while she worked on the dresses, she told me I had a great future as a high fashion model because I could change shape or color, but my body already had enough holes to keep taking the pin pricks, or had them." Fluttershy giggled.

"I see, so what was your next attempt?"

"After that, I can't remember if I worked at Sugarcube Corner before or after the spa, but it turns out I don't have enough patience to work in customer service, and then I helped Twilight as a temporary teacher at the school, but it turns out the changeling story is not very friendly to say the least, plus I hate paperwork and having to make up 200 exams a week, so no thanks."

"So why did you choose to work here?"

"Because one of the things I was looking for in a job was not to have a boss over me. Everywhere else I've been an employee and here I'm a volunteer, plus I like nature, I get a lot of exercise and fresh air."

"Well, I will always be grateful for your help, have a nice day." With that, the Pegasus quickly left the place and disappeared behind some trees.

The next day, the queen was checking out an area near some bushes to help the rabbits build their new den. Fluttershy appeared again.

"Morning Chrysalis, need help with anything?"

"Hi Fluttershy, I'm just checking out an area to build the new den, the one these rabbits currently have I don't think will last more than a few days and I think this is a good place to build it." A group of rabbits that accompanied the queen nodded their heads. They also checked the ground.

"Okay, if you need any help, you know where to find me, and good luck to you." Again, the Pegasus quickly disappeared into the trees. The queen didn't give it much thought as she turned into a mole and started digging.

On the third day, the yellow Pegasus also made a surprise appearance to check up on the queen.

"Hi Chrysalis, what are you doing?"

"Hi Fluttershy, I'm doin' a check on the feed, and we're a little low on birdseed."

"Ok... have a nice day." Once again, Fluttershy disappeared into the trees.

The Pegasus did this for the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh day. On the eighth day, she approached the queen again.

"Hm... hello Chrysalis." Said the Pegasus.

"Hi Fluttershy, is something wrong?" The queen asked as she fed a couple of mice.

"Um, yeah, how's the weather?" The pegasus asked with a smile.

"Uuuuuhh... sunny?" Asked the intrigued queen, looking at the sun shining in all its splendor above them.

"That's good, okay, have a nice day, bye."

"Bye?" The queen replied with a lot of hesitation as she watched the Pegasus slip out of her sight and disappear into the trees once more.

"By all means..." An ethereal voice said before Discord appeared out of nowhere a few meters away from the queen. The God of Chaos snapped his fingers and made Fluttershy appear in front of Chrysalis, the pegasus jumped in fright and closed her eyes trying to run back into the forest, but every time she got a few meters further the Draconequus used his magic and transported her back in front of the queen. "...Fluttershy stop, you promised to talk to her."

"Talk to me?, about what?" The confused queen asked as she watched the Pegasus run for a few more meters and then be transported back to the starting point.

"We want to ask you for help with something important. She promised to ask you, but as usual, she's afraid to." The Draconequus replied, snapping his fingers at intervals of a few seconds.

The God of Chaos got tired of watching his little companion try to escape. He snapped his fingers again and put Fluttershy on a giant hamster wheel.

"How long can she run like that?" The Queen asked as she watched the Pegasus spin the wheel.

"About ten minutes, she has a lot of endurance to be honest with you."

"And you can't stop her?"

"Yes... I think it would be best. Give me a second to shut her down." The God of Chaos approached the Pegasus and smacked the Pegasus's snout with his claw, causing it to wrinkle its face at the touch and slowly begin to stop as it scratched its snout."

"DISCORD!" The Pegasus roared angrily. "You know I don't like it when you do that to me."

"I'm sorry Flutters, but you've been avoiding Chrysalis for a long time."

"I'm not avoiding Chrysalis."

"Really?, you were just asking Chrysalis about the weather."

The Pegasus covered her face with her mane.

"Fluttershy, we thought about this for a long time and we agreed that you would ask her. I don't know why you're so nervous."

"You're right, we've discussed it and we both agree it's for the best, I have to be brave."

"My brain just shut down for a second?, because I don't know what's going on." The Queen said without understanding the scene, she knew she had missed something important. The Pegasus approached the Queen and stood in front of her, the God of Chaos placed himself at her side to give her all the moral support he could.

"Chrysalis, we would like to adopt a foal." Pegasus said with determination.

"That's good, I congratulate you, but why do you need my help? The way to raise a natural foal is very similar to raising an adopted foal."

"We know that, and we have read several books on the subject. Fluttershy has read them, but we want to adopt something less conventional." The God of Chaos added.

"Something less conventional, like a chair?" The Queen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a chair, a foal." Replied the Draconequus.

"Well, because a foal is not a thing you can buy in any store for a few coins. It is a living being with feelings and sensations that deserves a home full of love and care." The queen replied seriously to the words of the god of chaos.

"I'm sorry... I think I'm much more nervous than I thought." Discord said as he scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Just that we've been thinking for months about if we're ready, or if it's a good idea, or if we need to learn something else, or if we should wait longer, or..."

"Discord." The queen said, interrupting the nervous chaos god. "'You'll be fine, trust me."

"How can you be so sure?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because you both look worried."

"But what if we do something wrong? What if we get something wrong?"

"Fluttershy, everyone makes mistakes, I have a thousand years of experience being a mother and I still make mistakes, the best thing you can do is prepare yourself. Besides, you're a mare and taking care of foals is in your DNA."

"Thank you." The pegasus said with a smile.

"Then why do you need my help?"

"We did a lot of thinking with Fluttershy and we want to... adopt a changeling."

"A changeling?"

"Yes, can't we?" Fluttershy asked.

"No one's ever adopted one outside of the hive. I don't know if it's really possible, since changelings have special needs." The queen replied, scratching her chin.

"We need to learn something special about the little ones?."

"Yes, but give me a few days to find out if there are any legal problems with the adoption. Or if you can have him in your home."

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you..." The Pegasus replied, hugging the queen until she was almost breathless.

A few days later Chrysalis was with a changeling in charge of the nursery and both of them were waiting at the entrance of the hive for the wagon to arrive that was bringing Fluttershy and Discord. The queen and the changeling agreed to teach her everything they needed to know about taking care of a larva and later a nymph, for the changeling there was no major problem but there were a few things that would cause some problems in the first few months.

When the wagon arrived, a small number of ponies who had come as tourists to see the hive got off, the queen was grateful not to have to be a tourist guide anymore. Fluttershy and Discord also got off the wagon, their faces showing a bit of annoyance.

"Hello Fluttershy, hello Discord, is something wrong?" The queen asked.

"It's just that I've never liked walking, but thanks for helping us."

"No problem, this is Esmeralda, she is one of the nursery keepers. Together we will teach you everything you need to know about taking care of a larva and a nymph."

"I haven't been able to sleep all week because I'm so nervous about coming here, I've been asking Twilight for every book she has on motherhood and advice for my mother like when she took care of my brother or me. Is hard to take care of a changeling?." Fluttershy asked.

Fluttershy asked.

"It's not much different than taking care of a foal, but since you're not changelings you're going to have problems with some things, but my job is to teach you how to do it, I'm just wondering, do you have any rugs or clothes you don't want to lose?" The changeling asked.

"I have a wicker rug that belonged to my grandmother. Is there a problem with that?

"No, but my advice is to pack it away for the first few months."

"Will the mini changelings be able to eat it? I have a few things I don't want our child to eat as well." The God of Chaos asked.

"I don't think they will eat it, but that's a good reason to take it out, but let's go inside and we'll show them everything on the way." Said the queen as she entered the hive.

The place was still the maze with changelings flying in all directions that the god of chaos remembered, but with the occasional tourists and the production of petlings they built a large central hallway that served to get almost anywhere in the hive, they also installed some signs indicating directions and signs in some rooms like the storage, bathrooms and gift shop among others, not that the changelings needed any of that, but it helped a lot for tourists and ponies coming to do some work.

"Chrysalis, can I ask you something?" Fluttershy asked as she walked down the hall beside the ruler.

"What do you want to know?"

"It's just that we're going to be taught how to take care of a little changeling here. I would have liked to borrow a book to read before I came and be a little more prepared." The Pegasus said a little nervously.

"Taking care of our little ones has always been very simple and we have always passed on the information by word of mouth. Keep them clean, give them lots of love and make sure the nymphs don't kill each other." The changeling replied.

"Excuse me Miss Esmeralda, I'm sure I heard you wrong, but did you say that you keep the nymphs from killing each other?" Discord said.

"Larvae and nymphs share our natural hunter traits and the aggressiveness that comes with it. We adults can control our instincts better, but the little ones don't know how yet and accidents are normal in the first months of development."

"Accidents?" Fluttershy asked in surprise.

"Yes, superficial wounds, bruises, contusions, deep wounds, nothing serious."

"How can you say it's not serious?" Fluttershy asked.

"You know, we shed our exoskeletons from time to time, and just like spiders or other insects, we can regenerate almost any wound or even a limb. But you won't have to worry about that since there won't be any other larvae around."

"My Queen, they will have to pay special attention to something else in particular."

"That is true."

"Is there a problem?" Discord asked.

"The larvae's and nymphs' saliva is corrosive, especially the larvae's, and will likely dissolve anything it touches, so I recommend it doesn't touch your skin."

"So we won't be able to hug it?" The Pegasus asked disappointedly.

"You will be able to, but you will need a special blanket we are making, they are doing final tests to make sure it works perfectly." The Queen replied.

"We have also ensured that it is easily washable and hypoallergenic." Added the changeling.

"And no changeling complained about the fact that a Pegasus and a Draconequus wanted to adopt a larva? The Pegasus asked.

"Our system of parenthood is very different from that of the other races, but it has the same result, and in many cases, it is better."

"What do you mean by that?" Discord asked.

"You'll have a better understanding when you see the nursery." The changeling replied, touching a wall and opening a hole that led to a special room that was guarded by a pair of large changelings.

The room had hundreds of eggs, larvae crawling on the floors and some of the walls, nymphs running everywhere screaming and fighting among them, and several changelings flying from place to place either separating the fighting nymphs or detaching the larvae that were climbing the walls looking for ways to escape, also from time to time hugging them until they fell asleep and placed them on beds that looked like giant green marshmallows.

"This is our maternity ward. This area is restricted to anyone who is not a changeling, and for your safety I advise you not to touch anything." The changeling stepped into the room and waited for the couple to enter before closing the door.

"Oh my... whose eggs are all these?" The Pegasus said in surprise.

"They are ours, I have laid some of these eggs myself, as well as our queen and the other changelings that you have met so far."

"Do any of these eggs belong to you?" The chaos god asked the queen.

"No, I haven't laid eggs in years. But I know Red Bug laid some a few days ago." Chrysalis replied.

"And doesn't she have a problem with the fact that someone else is in charge of her little ones?"

"What we mean by that is that our parenting system is very different from yours, we consider all of our eggs to be our children. When a changeling feels ready to lay eggs, she comes to the hive and is placed in the special rooms at the back." The changeling said, pointing her hoof at some small holes in the walls of the nursery. "Then we all take care of them equally as if we were one big family, and if a pair of changelings wants to take care of an egg or a nymph by themselves, they are free to do so."

"But does that mean that Red Bug has given up his egg so that someone else can take care of it for her?"

"Not at all, no changeling is obligated to take care of their own eggs, it's just that we are specialists in it, just like other changelings are specialists in other things, it's like taking your sick foal to the doctor, it's just that Pony is a specialist, basically we are the adoptive mothers of the hive, I know it's hard to understand, but it's the best explanation I can give you."

"It's a mother's duty to love her child and make sure it has the best future possible. And I assure you they are the best at their job."

"So you're Red Bug's sister?"

"I don't really know, I'm from an older generation, so I'm probably... her mother... or her aunt, I know I'm not her grandmother because I'm not that old." The changeling replied thoughtfully.

"So what do they do when a changeling likes another changeling and it turns out to be his brother or his own mother? Isn't that strange?"

"Our genetic code has a way of eliminating identical genetic patterns through close kinship in the case of sexual relations between two changelings who share the same genes, it also uses the genetic code of the parents as a basis for searching and eliminating genetic malformations and very pronounced mutations, this is the reason why we changelings are almost identical."

"So that means that all Changelings are basically sibling?" The Draconequus asked.

"We prefer to call ourselves cousins. It's less confusing for the other races and raises far fewer questions."

"I see, and here I thought all Changelings came from the Queen's Furnace based on how they're related." The God of Chaos commented.

"What?" Asked the offended queen.

"You know, you're insects and... you're their queen... and the queen always lays the eggs in the hives... and I'd better shut up." Discord said, speaking lower and lower, his voice getting higher and higher.

"Fluttershy, you'd better control... your mate, or I'm going to give him a very painful reason to shut up, and you're going to have to find another way to entertain yourself at night." The queen said with an angry look at the god of chaos, who was trying to hide himself behind his little companion.

"I don't think that's necessary, he seems to have gotten the message." The Pegasus replied, looking at the frightened Chaos God.

"Now I have a better understanding of your words about who had the power." The changeling said to the queen as she reigned quietly.

"So how does the adoption process go?, do we have to talk to someone special?" The Pegasus asked.

"It's very simple, all you have to do is go in there and pick a random egg to take home with you." The changeling replied, pointing into the room.

Fluttershy was about to enter when the queen stopped her, causing the pegasus to look at her confusedly.

"One of us better bring you the egg. We don't want you to get eaten alive or... melt."

At that moment, the door opened and a changeling with a blanket on his back stepped in.

"My queen, here is the fabric you requested, we have run all the tests and they have been successful, we have also put a label on it that states that it needs to be washed with hoof and with warm water, do you need anything else?"

"No thanks, this will do." The queen replied, taking the blanket with her hoof and examining it, it was of a dark color and slightly reflected the light, but it did not look like a normal cloth, it seemed to be made of thousands of small scales sewn together, the changeling said goodbye and left the place.

"This is an excellent time for Fluttershy to understand what we mean by it being safe for us to enter the nursery." The queen said, motioning for the changeling to enter in search of an egg.

The changeling entered the room and flew around inspecting the eggs, apparently looking for one in particular, but not more than a few seconds had passed when a group of nymphs jumped up aggressively with the intention of biting her, there were also some larvae that growled at her as she passed, Then she approached a group of eggs and grabbed one to take it back, but as she did, a nymph took advantage of the moment to make her attack, clinging to the changeling's hoof with her small teeth, growling aggressively all the while. The changeling, seeing that she had a passenger, descended a bit and shook her hoof, freeing herself from the bite and allowing the nymph to fall gracefully to the ground, finally landing next to Fluttershy.

"I think this one is perfect, I didn't want to take one that was too new or about to hatch, this egg will be hatched in a little over a month and will be perfect for you to learn the basics, are you ready?" Fluttershy nodded her head and so did the god of chaos.

"Okay, the first thing you need to learn is that the eggs, larvae and nymphs need three things, you need to keep them clean, give them love and keep them from getting hurt, and... that's all you need to know, any questions?"

The changeling's words left the Pegasus and her companion very confused, they were really expecting something much more difficult to learn. The Pegasus was sure that her mind had been disconnected and that she had missed a big and long important part of the explanation, so she raised her hoof to ask.

"Yes, could you repeat everything from the beginning? I think I missed something important."

"Of course." The changeling replied before clearing her throat. "Okay, the first thing you need to learn is that the eggs, larvae and nymphs need three things, you need to keep them clean, give them love and keep them from getting hurt, and... that's all you need to know, any questions?" Finally, she smiled broadly at the couple, who didn't seem to understand the instructions very well. It was then that the queen decided to intervene.

"Taking care of our little ones is very similar to taking care of a foal, which you can find in any maternity book, only they eat less solid food, need more cuddling and they bite a lot more, but they won't tear your skin, it's more like..." The Queen thought of an analogy. "It's like when a kitten bites you, it won't hurt you, but it will be painful because their teeth are small and look like needles." With this explanation, the couple was much calmer.

"So if the way to take care of a changeling is easy, why did you tell us that you could only teach us here?" The God of Chaos asked.

"Because of this." The queen replied, showing them the special cloth she had sent for. "The saliva is very dangerous to non-changelings, Esmeralda, could you bring some volunteers and two pieces of wood? The changeling nodded and handed the egg to Chrysalis before flying back to the nursery. A few seconds later she returned with two branches and two changelings, one carrying a larva and one carrying a nymph, both looking very angry.

"Now take a good look at what happens when a nymph's saliva touches wood." Esmeralda approached one of the branches to the nymph held by one of the changelings, the little creature sniffed at it for a second and hissed a few times before biting it. After a few seconds, some smoke came out of the branch and Esmeralda took it out of her mouth to show it to Discord and Fluttershy.

The couple stepped back in fear, surprised to see that the wood had been corroded by the little creature's saliva.

"Hmmm... this little guy is still a few weeks away from leaving the nursery." Esmeralda said, examining the bitten branch. "Now watch what happens with a larva."

The changeling brought the branch closer to the larva who, without thinking, immediately bit into it. After a few seconds more smoke came out of the larva's mouth and finally it fell to the ground, broken in two and completely corroded by the larva's saliva.

"WOW, it looks like this little guy just hatched."

"Oh, by Celestia, that doesn't look safe at all." Fluttershy said.

"And it's not. That's why we made this cloth." The queen then showed the special cloth to the Pegasus, who examined it carefully. "It's made from small pieces of our exoskeletons, so you can take the larvae without a problem. Our skin is immune to their saliva."

"We'll also make a special cradle for you to put your future child to sleep, and a stroller made from the same material. You can take it around town, but be careful if it tries to bite anything."

"Thank you for the help, and can I use a piece of this special fabric to make a chew toy for him? If he wants to chew things, I want it to be something he can't damage, or at least something he can't melt?" The Pegasus asked.

"You can do that, but you'd better wait a few days until we can make more cloth and some yarn you can work with. Besides, you won't need it until the egg hatches." The queen replied.

"We will also need to monitor his development at least once a week, he will be the first changeling to grow outside of a hive and we want to make sure his development is optimal. It will also be a good way to know what happens when a changeling grows outside of a hive and if you have any doubts you can ask the visiting changeling." Esmeralda added.

"Will they be scheduled visits or surprise visits? I know we'll meet your expectations, but I don't want them to visit us and we're in Canterlot or somewhere else." Discord said.

"They will be scheduled visits, once a week from today. When the egg hatches, we will reschedule them from that day on."

"Sounds good, is that okay with you Fluttershy?" The Chaos God asked and the Pegasus nodded her head.

"Well, then I'm going to clean the egg one last time and show you something that I don't think either one of you noticed when you first got here." The changeling said with a smile before disappearing into the nursery. The Pegasus and the Chaos God looked at each other, not knowing what Esmeralda was referring to.

While they waited for Esmeralda to return, the queen explained that the corrosive saliva was due to the fact that their stomachs produced it in excess and as they grew older it became less corrosive. The branches were used as a measuring method so that when it was no longer corrosive they could walk through the hive without causing problems.

A short time later, Esmeralda returned with the egg and stood in front of Fluttershy.

"I came back with your egg, ready for you to take it between your hooves, but before you did, did you notice something?, Do you feel that something has changed in you?" The changeling asked, looking at the couple.

"What do you mean?" Discord asked.

"Queen Chrysalis told me that you had been thinking about this for a long time, and that when you wanted to ask her, Miss Fluttershy was too nervous to do it, and that you had been waiting for this day all week, but when you got closer to the nursery, your reaction was completely different, much colder and calmer, as if you were a couple buying a couch, did you notice?"

"I hadn't noticed, is it something bad?" The Pegasus asked.

"Not at all, it is something completely normal in this place, and it is due to the eggs, they slowly absorb love from the environment and change the personalities of those around them, when there are few eggs it is not a problem, but when you are exposed to so many eggs without being prepared you will act like you are acting now, I assure you you will not have this problem at home, but you will have a slight problem now when you touch your egg." The changeling replied as he approached Fluttershy.

"Better get behind her just in case." The Queen whispered to the Draconequus.

"Now, gently touch the egg." The Pegasus approached and placed her hoof on the egg, causing it to fall to the side, but Discord was quick to react and caught the Pegasus before it hit the ground.

"What happened to her?" The God of Chaos asked in horror.

"Emotional shock, it will pass in a few hours, but you should touch the egg as well, it's not painful and believe me, it's a lot safer to do it here in the hive." The queen replied.

"WHAT?" Discord cried in fear. "I don't want to faint from..." The Chaos God began to lose consciousness and slowly his body began to tilt, but Chrysalis moved quickly and positioned her body to catch the Chaos God before he fell to the ground. Losing his strength, he let go of Fluttershy, who slid gently to the ground.

"Faust... I didn't think it weighed that much." The Queen said, struggling not to collapse under the weight of the Chaos God, then transformed into a gorilla and gently laid Discord on the ground beside Fluttershy before returning to her original form and then her disguise.

"So it's true as the legends say, you did change how you look." The changeling said, seeing the queen's royal form.

"Yes, I think we all will in time. But why did you touch Discord with the egg without telling him?

"Because knowing his personality, he would spend a lot of time resisting the idea. Also, I have a lot of work to do in the nursery, and this way we already solved the worst part, and when they wake up, it will be easier to explain to them what happened." Esmeralda replied to the queen.

"You are right, at least help me to get them to the recovery room." The queen said, trying to put the god of chaos on her back.

"Just give me a second to get this egg to a safe place." The changeling flew back to the nursery and placed the egg in a safe place, wrapping it in the special cloth they had made. She then returned to Chrysalis.

A few hours later, Fluttershy woke up with a headache, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in a room full of green cushions of different shades and glowing gems on the ceiling that lit everything up, there were changelings coming in and out of the room, there were also other changelings sleeping, and a little further away on another side of the room, Discord was sleeping with Chrysalis standing next to him.

"I see you woke up, are you okay?" Asked a female voice approaching the Pegasus.

"What happened?" Fluttershy asked as she stood up with Esmeralda's help. "Thank you."

"You've had an emotional shock, it's quite normal when a changeling touches an egg, but you non changelings suffered a much stronger reaction, do you feel dizzy, numb, sleepy or thirsty?"

"I'm a little thirsty, is that normal?"

"Yes, I'll get you some water and when Discord wakes up, I'll explain everything." The changeling said before flying out of the room. Meanwhile, Fluttershy went to check on Discord, who was still sleeping peacefully.

A few minutes later, when Discord was already awake and had a big glass of water, the whole group went into another room to have a quiet talk, Esmeralda had the egg with her and knew that this might be the last time she would have it between her hooves.

As soon as they sat down at a table, the changeling began to speak.

"Well, what happened to you a little while ago was an emotional shock, and that's one of the reasons we wanted you to come here. It's safer for you and the egg."

"What's an emotional shock?" Discord asked with a lift of his claw.

"Do you remember when we told you that eggs naturally absorb love from their surroundings?" The queen asked, and the pair nodded. "An emotional shock is the same thing but a thousand times more powerful and immediate, it happens because when you touch an egg it feels a huge amount of love and tries to absorb as much as it can, but it takes with it all the emotions of the changeling, or in your cases, the Pony, and the Draconequus, but since the egg cannot control them, it returns them all at once like a tsunami, it does this many times in a fraction of a second and your body breaks down from the stress."

"How are we supposed to take care of the egg if this is going to happen every time we touch it?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"It only happens the first time with each egg, a normal changeling can touch two or three eggs before collapsing, I can touch a little over ten, but Esmeralda and the other changelings in charge of the nursery don't have that problem, it takes special skills and much training to control your emotions."

"That's why we told you that we are the best ones for this job, we are the only ones who can move the eggs from one place to another inside the nursery without worrying about being affected. It's a very delicate job and we can't risk a changeling collapsing in mid-flight while carrying an egg, or crashing on a pile of eggs, causing a tragedy that we could have avoided."

"Now I understand what you meant when you said that Red Bug didn't mind having her eggs taken care of." Fluttershy said.

"We don't know why it affects us differently, and many changelings collapse when they touch a single egg. They were the ones you saw sleeping in the room you were in."

"That is why I told you that it is a mother's duty to love her child. And now this egg is your duty." Said the Queen before getting up from her seat and approaching the couple.

"You do not know who his real mother is, but that is not an obstacle to loving him in the same way, you have decided that he will be a part of your family and you must promise that you will give him a place full of love, that you will protect him from any danger that threatens him and always seek the best for him no matter how dark the night or how cold the storm. You will always be there to protect him, you will support him in whatever he decides to do, you will help him open the doors he cannot open, you will teach him right from wrong, you will teach him what love is. And no matter what happens between you two, you must promise that he will always have a safe place to come back to, that he will always have a home. " The queen looked at the Pegasus. "Fluttersy, can you promise him that?" The Pegasus nodded with conviction. "And you, Discord, can you make that promise as well?" The Monarch asked, staring at the Chaos God, who also nodded.

"Fluttershy, Discord." Esmeralda said as she appeared from behind the queen and walked up to the couple with the egg in her hooves. "It's been a pleasure taking care of your child, but now it's time for you to take over. Congratulations, I know you'll make great parents." Finally, she placed the egg in between the two of them, so that both of them could take it at the same time.

"Thanks, I promise I will give him everything he needs." The Pegasus said, caressing the egg.

"Or her." Discord added.

"I know you will." Esmeralda replied, taking a step back.

"Is that what all changelings have to promise to do when they are given an egg?" Discord asked.

"No, we know that from birth, but I know from experience that your race tends to forget that detail sometimes. It was just something I made up as I went along." The queen replied, returning to her seat.

"You should write it down, it was a good speech." Fluttershy added.

"I'll be sure to remember it when I need it." The queen replied, making a gesture with her hoof. "What exactly was I saying?" The queen asked the changeling between murmurs.

"I don't know, but it sounded really epic. I really think you should write it down." The changeling replied in the same tone.

"I'd like to, but I really have no idea what I said. I remember something about a storm and the cold of the night, but nothing else."

"That part sounded really good, like from a book and-"

"So what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked, interrupting Esmeralda, not paying attention that she was in the middle of a conversation with the queen.

"Now you can go back to Ponyville, even though I have to go back too, I promised Spark I would be back as soon as possible and the little work I had to do here I finished in the morning, so I think we will all go together, it was nice to see you again Esmeralda." The queen said, getting up from her seat.

"It was nice seeing you too my queen, have a safe return, goodbye Fluttershy, goodbye Discord." The changeling said goodbye.

"Goodbye Esmeralda and thank you." Fluttershy replied.

"Goodbye." Added Discord.

Chrysalis walked down the corridor to the door, accompanied by Fluttershy, who carried the cloth on her back, and Discord, who carried the egg firmly in his claws. During the walk, she explained some things they didn't understand, like the fact that they hugged the larvae and nymphs to fill their little bodies with love, and that they fell asleep like a baby after drinking a big glass of warm milk, or what they did with the empty shells afterwards, she also gave her advice on how to deal with the aggressiveness of a larva.

"And during the week, I will be visiting Luna to arrange the adoption, as you are the first couple in Equestria to adopt someone not only of a different race, but also of a different nation, you have caused a bureaucratic and technical storm that has kept us awake these days, and I, as the highest authority in the Changeling Empire, must sign as your former legal guardian to cede parenthood to you."

"By Celestia, I didn't think that something as simple as this would cause so much trouble." Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry, I knew this was going to happen when you came to me for help on the first day, it was going to happen to some other couple at some point."

"Bureaucracy is a necessary evil in life." The God of Chaos added.

"Sadly, that is true, but while doing the paperwork with Luna, we realized something. Technically, your son is the first emissary sent to Equestria as a sign of good faith, and remember, if you have a question or need help, I am only a few hooves from your home, there are also the changelings of Ponyville who can also help you." The queen said.

"Thanks, every second that passes I am more and more nervous now that I am a mother."

"It's because you are moving away from the nursery, I think it was better that way. Frankly, I thought you were going to faint-."

"WAIT!" A changeling shouted, flying up at full speed.

"Esmeralda?, what's wrong?" The queen asked, intrigued.

"I forgot to do something very important." The changeling replied, struggling to breathe. "I need a name to put on the registry."

"Of course, we've been thinking about that for a long time. And we have the perfect name, don't we, Discord?" The Pegasus asked, looking at her partner with a smile.

"Of course, we wanted something that was unique but still sounded familiar, something that would give him his own personality, something that would represent him." The Draconequus replied.

"That's excellent, and what is it so I can register him, or her?"

"His name will be..."

Author's Note

As you can imagine, I'm looking for a name for the little changeling right now, and I could really use your help with that since I'm really bad at coming up with names.

I've been thinking about a changeling ever since the two of them talked to Chrysalis. I wanted to add something different to the story and since the world is progressing, it wouldn't be weird to see it at this point.

I also have plans to add two more little ones to the story and create the new gang for the future, by age range so far I have in mind Flurry, the cake twins and the little changeling, I have a fifth one in mind and those who have read the previous chapters will have an idea who the parents could be, the sixth one I also have in mind and I assure you it will cause a lot of conflict in the story. :pinkiegasp:

Thank you very much for reading the story and I like the way it is going and as always all your comments are welcome and very useful to give me ideas or to fix problems, feedback is very important in any kind of artistic work.

The next chapter will be special. It will explain details of the previous story about the Canterlot dungeon, and it will have a surprising twist.

I also plan to make a small change to the last chapter "Chrysalis' Unexpected Child", it will be something small and related to Celestia, as the story progresses I don't see much logic or that it adds much to the plot that she didn't talk to Chrysalis or Clear Spark, I think it takes away much more than it adds, but I would like to know what you think too. :raritywink:

I hope you like the chapter and I'll see you in a few days. :twilightsmile:

And please give me ideas for names for a changeling. I'm really bad at naming things. :rainbowlaugh:

Batmare.

An idea awaited by the whole community XD

Manhattan, the most cosmopolitan city in all of Equestria, rich in culture, cuisine, arts, music, theater, fashion, dance, literature, a place full of beautiful classical architecture which made a perfect contrast to the more modern buildings of a unique style, a place with busy and loud streets, but which also had large and peaceful public parks where ponies strolled and colts played in the sunshine.

There were many things to do in this city, both day and night, legal and illegal. You could work in a busy office during the day, stroll quietly through a plaza in the afternoon, and enjoy the attractive and mysterious nightlife, or you could plan an ostentatious robbery during the day, prepare the tools of dubious provenance in the afternoon, and commit the robbery at night, hoping to get your hooves on a big, juicy haul and get away with it.

But for the second group of ponies, there was a well-known figure in town, one whose moral compass and desire for justice was a beacon of hope and a shield for the honest and defenseless. A figure who, regardless of adversity, stood stoically as a daily lookout on the line that separated right from wrong and slowly tipped the scales.

This figure was Captain Sturdy Root, a fierce warrior for justice and head of the entire Manehattan Police Department, unlike many other officers who did their work from their offices, Captain Surdy Root was a pony of the streets, he liked to participate directly in investigations and led his ponies by example, earning the respect and admiration of all.

This was one of the main reasons why this city was one of the safest in all of Equestria. However, not all problems could be solved by the police, and the Captain knew the limits of his power, a power that sometimes turned into a shackle, allowing known criminals to go free because of small technicalities that were well exploited by unscrupulous lawyers, But the Captain had a solution to solve the problems that the law did not allow. It was an unusual and very effective solution, a solution hated by some and admired by others, a solution whose face was hidden under a mask.

This solution watched the streets from the top of a building in the middle of the night, ears alert to the cries of innocents in distress, alert to the undeniable sound of malicious hoofsteps in the dark Manehattan streets.

"HEEEELP!" A mare cried out, desperately running down a deserted street, her attacker close behind her never losing sight. Hearing the call for help, our hero quickly sprang into action.

"Lady, come back here!" The unicorn shouted in pursuit of the mare, but she continued on her way without a pause.

A quick mind accompanied by a great flow of adrenaline led the mare to turn down a street and enter a square to quickly exit through another entrance with the intention of losing her attacker, but tonight fortune smiled on the wrong ponies as all the gates of the square were closed and the only one open was where she came from. But as she was about to run she saw a large stallion standing at the only entrance, destroying any escape.

"Well madam, thank you for the workout but enough running, now give me your purse and your necklace and tell me where you got that beautiful hair done, it would look good on my wife." Said the stallion as he slowly made his way up to his terrified victim.

"Get away from me!" The mare shouted back as she took a few steps back in an attempt to get away from her attacker.

"Ma'am, I'm being as nice as I can, but I have to get back home now, so please, the purse." The stallion said insistently as he approached the mare.

"HELP!" The mare screamed again.

"I've had enough of this, hand over the purse, NOW." The stallion shouted as he struggled with the mare as they both fought over the purse.

"I advise you to leave the mare alone." Said a voice from the trees.

"Who is it?" The stallion asked.

"Someone who will drag your wretched flank to prison." The voice replied, showing her silhouette slightly. From her appearance, one could only tell that it was a mare.

"Aye, you'll have to stop that first!" The stallion shouted as he shone his horn and shot out a magical bolt of lightning that hit the tree and blew it to pieces. "Ha, how about that, I have plenty more if you want one." The stallion began shooting magic bolts in all directions, hitting trees and rocks until he ran out of power. When he saw that the mysterious figure had disappeared, he smiled broadly. "Ha, I feel sorry for you, but now you know why I own these streets." The unicorn said.

At that moment, a small carved crystal fell onto the unicorn's hoof, confusing him. When he picked it up with his hoof to check it out, it began to glow and emitted a magical pulse that enveloped the unicorn, blinding him and dazzling him a bit.

"Arrgg... What was that?" He shouted in annoyance.

"An inhibitor crystal, it's not as efficient as a ring, but it does the job." The figure replied, stepping out of the shadows and approaching the stallion.

From her tone of voice and her silhouette, she was a mare, but you couldn't tell who she was. She was wearing a black cloth suit that covered her body completely, a belt with too many pockets and a leather cape with a strange shape that covered her back and two bulges on her sides, metal boots with rubber soles so as not to make any noise, and a horn that was also covered with the costume.

"Hey... I know you... you're that Batmare." The Stallion smiled and got ready to fight. "I guess I'm lucky today, after I'm done with you, I'll own this town."

Batmare started running at full speed towards the stallion. The stallion saw his chance for a direct attack and concentrated on his magic, but trying to make it work proved impossible.

"But what's wrong with..." A hoof hit him directly in the face with enough force to knock him out instantly. Batmare watched the offender for a few seconds, waiting to see if he would get up or not, and when he didn't she approached the mare who was still frightened by what had happened.

"Madam, are you all right?" Batmare asked.

"Yes, thank you for helping me." The mare said as she straightened her mane and put her purse back on her shoulder.

"Well, I suggest you get home as soon as possible."

"Ok, thanks again." Said the mare before speeding away from the square and heading home, Batmare approached the perpetrator to finish what she started.

The next morning, a blue stallion stood tied to a tree in a busy Manhattan square, an inhibitor ring on his horn. He tried his best to free himself before the police arrived, but it was a futile effort as his screams quickly attracted the attention of a couple of police officers patrolling nearby.

But not far from there, a small group of four had gathered. They were organizing their forces to capture their enemy once and for all.

"I'm telling you for the hundredth time, Jester. You can't attack Batmare directly without a plan, and that's exactly what we're doing here." Said a light brown unicorn with a very short cream mane.

"I'm bored with plans." Replied a white earth pony with a mane of many colors. "Plans, plans, plans, plans, plans, all you do is plan and not act, I am not a plan pony, I am an action pony."

"And your actions have only landed you in jail. The four of us are the most fearsome villains in Manehattan and by standing together, we have a chance to take down Batmare." A very dark brown unicorn in a green T-shirt replied.

"I know, Sandpony, but plans are your thing, not mine. I'm a pony of simple pleasures, like money, balloons, colored lights and..." Jester pulled out of his pocket a couple of small mechanical objects with a couple of crystals in them. "...these little fellows."

The group looked at the artifacts without much understanding of how they worked. Even though Jester was a buffon, they all knew that deep down he was a genius at metallurgy and arcane seals, which was a bit surprising for an Earth pony, and the only one who could understand some of how they worked was Max Lotus.

"I see that the artifact is causing a reaction in the crystal as a result of the impact, is it some kind of bomb?" Max asked.

"Yes and no, they are bombs, but they are not explosive, well... they cause a little destruction, because I like to see things blow up, but their main function is to neutralize all surrounding magic, and when I say all, I mean all."

"Have you tried on ponies?" Asked a burly, reddish, iron-armored earth pony, taking one of the artifacts in his hoof.

"Not yet, but I plan to do so soon."

"Well, what's stopping you?"

"I need a volunteer." Jester replied.

"And do you have somepony in mind to do it?" The stallion asked.

Jester, besides being a genius and a prankster, was very good at manipulating simple minds, he knew his artifacts worked and he could neutralize all of Batmare's magic, but she was superior to him in frontal combat. He needed someone with strength and a lot of combat experience, someone who could withstand a few blows, someone with a simple mind and easy to manipulate.

"I have someone in mind, but... I don't think you have the skills for the job." Jester replied.

"What do you mean?" The stallion said, clearly annoyed, as he lifted his huge body out of the small chair he was sitting in.

"You see Jarhead, I can use my little artifacts to take out Batmare's magical power, but she still beats me in hoofed combat, I know her combat skills perfectly well and they are the best I have seen in years, not counting the princesses, there must be very few ponies in all of Equestria that could stand up to her in head to head combat, and your combat skills are ..... slightly better than average." Jester replied in a mocking tone.

The hulking stallion took the table with his huge hoof and threw it into a wall, shattering it without much effort, and approached aggressively, imposing all his will on Jester, looking down as if he were talking to a colt. Jester looked up as much as he could without being intimidated by Jarhead, he would be easily shattered by a blow from the huge stallion, but he had his ways of defending himself.

"Are you saying I'm weak?, That I can't smash a unicorn in a Nightmare Night costume?, I trained for years with the Yaks to learn how to smash things, and in the afternoons I used to beat up manticores for fun." The red stallion said proudly.

"Ohhh... so you think you're pretty tough?" Jester asked with a grimace.

"Tough?, I ate a bowl of nails for breakfast this morning."

"And?"

"And I ate them without milk." Jarhead replied, snorting in Jester's face.

"Wow, that's great, so you won't have any trouble with Batmare if I give you this, right?" Jester asked, throwing one of his small artifacts at the huge stallion, who caught it in a very clumsy manner.

"If this thing can take out Batmare's magic, I'll break her in two. How does it work?" Jarhead asked, looking at the small object in his hoof and figuring out how it worked.

"You just touch the crystal and throw it. It has a range of about ten meters and the effect lasts about three minutes, but I think that will be enough for you to do your job." Jester replied.

"I only need three seconds, now move over and I'll show you how a real pony does his job." Jarhead said, waving his hoof to get Jester out of the way, but because of his size and strength he sent him flying into some crates. He then approached a wall and broke it by headbutting it with his helmet before running off with no apparent direction.

Jester managed to get up with a little work and wiped the dust off him, then returned to the table to sit next to the two unicorns. The light brown unicorn flashed his horn and with a spell covered Jester with his magic and revitalized his body.

"Thank you Max." Said the Earth Pony.

"Don't be, do you think Jarhead has a chance against Batmare?" Asked the Unicorn.

"Not at all, but I need someone strong to do a field test and he is the best candidate, besides, without his presence we can start the second phase of our plan, Sandpony, have you been able to convince our possible new ally?" The white stallion asked the dark brown unicorn.

"He says he will join us, but on one condition - he wants the head of Batmare."

"The only way he can get it is through me." Jester replied angrily.

"Then we have a need for someone else to be part of our plan." Sandpony replied.

"We'll have to leave our meeting here. We need a fourth member of great power to form our crime syndicate. Equestria is too big for the three of us, and it has powerful defenders." Said the brown unicorn.

"Max is right, I suggest we each continue to look for candidates and we will meet again when the time is right."

The group nodded in agreement and each of them retreated to a different exit.

That same night Batmare was on the roofs of the buildings patrolling as she always did when she heard the sound of an explosion and then the distinctive alarm sound of a bank being robbed, she approached jumping full speed between the roofs of the buildings and when he was on the last building he jumped towards the street and opened his wings to glide and fall dramatically without making a sound, she entered the bank through a huge hole in one of its sides and she could hear the sound of the vault door giving way little by little to the force of a huge earth pony.

"Jarhead." Batmare said as he approached the stallion.

"Batmare, just the mare I was waiting for. You're later than I expected, are you getting old?" The stallion said with a grimace intended to offend her.

"I stopped to get some muffins to take to your mother." The mare replied, returning the offense to the stallion. "When did you get out of jail?"

"They let me out when I made bail."

"Your last bail was about ten thousand. I doubt you have the money to pay that."

"I'm working on it."

"The only thing you're going to do right now is to go back to jail."

"If you want me to go back to that stinking mousetrap they call prison, you'll have to make me." The stallion replied, trying to hit the mare with his huge hoof, but Batmare, being smaller and faster, was able to dodge him with ease.

Jarhead kept on attacking without stopping, but Batmare managed to dodge all of his attacks and hit the stallion a few times, but he didn't get hurt due to his great physical strength and his thick iron armor.

´I need another tactic if I want to get past his defenses, good thing I have my tools´. Batmare thought as she continued to fight Jarhead.

The stallion began to feel exhausted after a few seconds of attacking, and even though he was not the smartest creature in Equestria, he also realized that fighting like this would get him nowhere, Jester was right about Batmare being an excellent fighter, he was much bigger, with more strength and experience, but it wouldn't do any good if he couldn't land a blow. He knew that Batmare was waiting for the moment to counterattack with one of her strange devices, so in order not to give her a chance, he decided to change his strategy.

Remembering what Jester had said about the artifact he'd given him, he used one of his attacks to pull it out of a compartment in his armor and threw it violently to the ground between Batmare and himself, causing a small explosion and releasing some smoke, Even though it was impossible for him to use magic like the unicorns, he could feel how his body weakened a bit as he lost his natural resistance of the earth pony, that's why he was glad to know that the object had worked and surely also eliminated all of Batmare's magic, only she didn't know it.

"What did you do?" The mare asked, jumping back when she saw the explosion and had no idea what had happened.

"Something that is going to tilt the scales in my favor quite a bit." The stallion replied, attacking Batmare again, only this time with more force and speed. He knew he could end the fight with a single blow.

Batmare dodged his attacks, waiting for the right moment to make her move, and when she finally saw it, she quickly pulled some crystals from her belt and threw them at Jarhead's hooves. She jumped back a few times to be out of range of his artifacts, but the small crystals did absolutely nothing, Jarhead grimaced and started to laugh out loud.

*That explosion must have affected my tools and that's why Jarhead is laughing. I need a new strategy*, Batmare thought as she heard her opponent's laughter.

Jarhead, knowing that he still had the advantage, attacked Batmare again and after a few attempts he managed to hit her with a strong blow that sent her flying towards some tables.

Batmare was dizzy from the strong blow and with a lot of effort she managed to stand up while Jarhead slowly approached, she shook her head and took up a fighting position, even though it was still hard to focus her sight she put her hoof on her forehead to aim better and tried to shoot a magic ray from her horn, but she was surprised to realize that she couldn't do it either, Jarhead stopped in front of Batmare and showed a malicious grimace.

From one moment to the other, the mare flew out of the bank window and fell in the middle of the street, all thanks to another blow from Jarhead, Batmare was again dizzy from the impact and knew that she could not withstand another blow of that magnitude, so she had to find a way to defeat Jarhead.

Gathering her strength she started to run through the streets and Jarhead immediately started to chase her to finish her off, Batmare knew her abilities and those of her opponents very well, she was fast and smart but she was not strong, at least not at the level to beat Jarhead in a frontal fight, and without her tools or her horn she was at a clear disadvantage and she couldn't escape forever either, she needed something to help her stop her opponent and she needed it fast, with her agility she had no trouble keeping Jarhead a few meters away while she searched and thought of something to help her, and it was then that she saw a possible solution, she just hoped that what she was looking for was inside of her.

With a jump and a strong kick she broke the door of a shop and entered quickly, Jarhead entered a second later, but the place was completely dark and he could only see the silhouette of some pots with flowers and plants, illuminated by the little light coming from the city lamps.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, little mare." The stallion said in a playful tone, while Batmare moved silently through the shadows, sniffing at the flowers, apparently in search of a particular one.

"I'll steal some of those pretty flowers to take to my mother when I'm done with you." Jarhead picked up one of the vases with his hoof and after a sniff threw it hard against a wall, shattering it. "This one's no good, I need another one that smells better." Jarhead started sniffing flowers. He threw the ones he didn't like against the wall, smashing them.

After a few seconds of searching, Batmare found the flower she was looking for and very carefully cut a few blossoms and ground them into a paste between her hooves. Now she just needed to create the distraction to attack.

She took one of the pieces of the broken vases that had fallen nearby and used it to gently tap the counter a few times to get Jarhead's attention. Then she crouched down and waited for him to approach.

"Huh? What was that?" Jarhead said as he heard the noise and approached the counter. He pushed the clay vases aside to get a better look and seeing nothing, he leaned down to look behind the counter but could only see darkness.

Without warning, Batmare jumped out of the shadows and punched Jarhead right in the face, smearing his eyes and muzzle with the paste she had made. She fell gracefully on all fours to the other side of the room, never taking her eyes off her opponent.

It was not more than a second before Jarhead began to cough uncontrollably. His eyes began to water from a severe burn.

"Arrgg..." He said between coughs. "I can't... see." The giant pony wobbled a bit and leaned on the counter to keep from falling to the floor as he coughed uncontrollably. "I... can't... break..." At that moment, he slipped, but he managed to stay on his feet as he tried to wipe his eyes, not stopping to cough at any moment. "What... what was that... thing?" The stallion began to feel dizzy and leaned back against the counter.

"Chrysanthemum indicum, commonly known as mums, is a very common flower in flower shops, but is extremely irritating when applied in large doses directly over the eyes and snout. I thought you would like it since I saw you smelling the flowers." Batmare replied and walked over to the colossal stallion who was throwing clumsy punches in all directions in an attempt to hit her.

"I'm going to..." She coughed. "I'm going to finish... you..." The stallion shouted, unable to see and struggling to stay on his hooves, which slipped every time he tried to stand.

Batmare got into position and slammed her hoof hard into the stallion's throat, causing him to fall to his knees and bring one of his hooves to his neck as he tried to catch his breath, then at that moment Batmare turned around and smacked Jarhead right in the forehead with her hind legs, causing a great metallic sound and sending his heavy helmet flying to the side, the huge pony staggered a little and fell to his side unconscious, causing a great clattering sound.

"Whew... that was intense." The mare said to herself. She dusted off her costume and took the opportunity to rearrange her bones.

A few minutes later, as usual, the police showed up to take control of the situation, but Batmare had disappeared from the scene long before the officers entered the shop. They would understand in seconds what had happened, and even though her relationship with the police was cordial, she had other things to worry about.

Returning to the shore, Batmare searched the rubble for the artifact Jarhead had used to neutralize her tools and horn, and began to check it when she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Rough night?" The figure asked as he approached. "I'm always amazed at the destruction someone can cause with just their hooves. It's frightening."

"Good evening Captain Root, have you or any of your officers seen anything like this?" Batmare greeted the captain as she showed him the artifact that Jarhead had been using.

"Hmmm... I don't recall anyone in the Corps mentioning anything like this. What does it do?" Captain Root asked.

"It neutralizes all of my tools, and my magic as well." Batmare replied.

"For someone like Jarhead, it's a little too sophisticated." The Captain said, checking the debris and the vault door.

"That's the same thing I had in mind."

"I can have a look at the robbery reports, in case anyone noticed anything similar to what..." There was a pause as the captain turned and realized he was talking to himself. "I hate it when she does that..."

Cheerilee was on her way home from school, carrying her students' homework and the pop quiz for the day, but first she had to stop at the market to buy some fruits and vegetables to restock her fridge. She also had to buy some sugar and flour, she intended to bake cookies during the week and bring them to her students for feedback, the little ones were always the biggest experts when it came to such things.

"Thanks Pinkie, the flour from this place is always of the best quality." Cheerilee said.

"It's part of our guarantee seal, need anything else?" The pink pony asked.

"Give me half dozens of banana muffins." Replied the teacher.

"Right away." Said Pinkie before disappearing into the kitchen, while Cheerilee looked out of the window, and a few seconds later, Pinkie appeared with the muffins in a paper bag. "Here you go, anything else?" She asked again.

"Hmmm..." Cheerilee thought as she scratched her chin. "You know what?, Add half a dozen apple muffins."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Pinkie disappeared back into the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with another package of muffins wrapped in a paper bag. "Here you go, anything else?" The pony asked with her trademark smile.

"That will be all, thank you." The teacher replied, then left the bakery and walked home, giving Pinkie a few coins for what she had bought.

The teacher carried everything she needed and a few extra muffins, when she got home she opened the door and closed it behind her, then she left the food in the kitchen and put some water in the kettle to boil, then she went to the dining room table and left the homework and exams she had brought from school on it, then she went to the bathroom to freshen up while she waited for the water to boil.

A few minutes later Cheerilee turned off the water and made a couple of cups of tea and brought them to the table along with the dozen muffins she had bought. She sat down at the table and sighed as she finally got to rest after another day of work, she took a sip of her tea and started to eat one of the banana muffins before she started to review the exams.

"I saw you following me after I left school, I also saw you watching me while I was talking to Pinkie Pie, and I heard you when I entered my house, that's why I left the door unlocked, you are getting very careless, you better sit down at the table before your tea gets cold, I also brought apple muffins, I know they are your favorite." The teacher said while checking Diamond Tiara's test.

A female figure disguised as a night appeared out of the kitchen and stopped in front of the table and took a close look at the food.

"After all this time, do you really think I plan to poison you now?, I used to blow things up and steal money, not poison ponies, that was Venus."

Batmare thought for a few seconds before sitting down at the table and uncovering her face just enough to be able to have a meal without revealing her identity.

"So, what brings you here?" Cheerilee asked while she was correcting the wrong answers on one of the tests.

"This is not a social visit." Batmare replied as he ate one of the apple muffins.

"Your costumed visits are never social."

"I need your help with something."

"And what would that be?". Cheerilee asked.

"With this." Batmare replied, handing her the artifact that Jarhead had used the night before. As Cheerilee examined the artifact, Batmare began to tell her everything that had happened.

"That's why I need you to tell me what you think about it."

"Seriously, Jarhead was using this?" Batmare nodded his head at Cheerilee's question. "I can tell at a glance that this is way too advanced for a dumb head like him."

"I know and that's why I need your expertise. You were the best in your field and I know you can tell me what this is and how it works or if I missed something."

"Hmmm..." Cheerilee checked the artifact all over. She muttered something when she saw the broken crystal at the top. "This could be classified as a Thaumatic Pulse Neutralizer, or TPN if you want to abbreviate it, the crystal has three magic runes overlaid on it and that's probably why you couldn't decipher it when you checked it, the top rune is the one that activates the whole process, It's an inibitor rune and is the one that breaks the crystal, its function is the same as unicorn inibitor rings but the effect is temporary, five minutes at best, I'm curious why he used a rune and not an inibitor crystal, they're not hard to get, The second rune is an explosive rune, it absorbs the energy released by the first rune to feed and cause the explosion, but for the size of the crystal shouldn't have much energy, the third rune I can't decipher what it's for, I know it's not the detonator, but better ask Sword Singer, She knows a lot more about runes than I do, and the metal body is some kind of resonance box, it serves to hold the crystal and increase its radius of effect a bit when it breaks. This is really a work of art in itself, I don't want to imagine something like this on a larger scale. "Cheerilee finally tossed the object back to Batmare.

"Who do you think would be able to make something like this?"

"I only know of three ponies with the knowledge and skill to make something like this, the first is Bombarda, but she retired after her time in Tartarus and now lives on her son's farm with her granddaughters, the second has a bunch of exams and homework to review for tomorrow, and the third is Jester, and that makes me wonder why the two of them started working together, or why Jester didn't show up to take advantage of the opportunity and eliminate you, someone else must be pulling the strings."

"Those two don't have enough patience to work together, but if that's the case, I'll need allies, I can take on one of them alone any day of the week, but if they're working together, it means somepony else is involved, don't you want to help me? your skills would do a lot of good."

"If you want a fighter you should look for my sister. I am a teacher now and plan to stay one." Cheerilee replied.

"I understand, thank you for your help." Batmare said before she adjusted her mask and got up from the table in order to leave the house.

"Hey." Cheerilee called to Batmare from the doorway of the house before tossing her a muffin. The Vigilante mare caught it with her hoof. "The flight back to Canterlot is a long one, and you'll surely be in need of energy."

Batmare nodded, and after she had pulled her cape over her back, she spread her wings and took off in the direction of the capital city.

Princess Luna was always awake during the whole night to fulfill her duties in the night court, Twilight began to raise the sun by herself a few days a week, always assisted by Luna, but the magic needed for this made her exhausted and she had to rest a few hours more to not collapse during the day, and for this reason Luna only allowed her to do this work a few days a week, fearing that it would be too much for her and that she would lose her magic permanently.

But since Luna was awake all night and into the early hours of the morning, she could easily see which ponies were late for their duties at the castle and who looked exhausted. She was always on the lookout for these signs and wouldn't let them go unnoticed, not because she was a demanding regent, the ponies were quite competent on any schedule, It was just that she was concerned that each of them had enough hours of rest, and when she saw some of them more tired than usual, she paid special attention to their dreams for the next night, but among all of them, she noticed that a very special mare had not come to work today, and with some concern, she went to see why that was.

Raven Inkwell had never been late for work, let alone absent, she was often ready to work as soon as Luna left her room, the princess knew that she should have returned from her vacation yesterday, and maybe her body still had not remembered that she was supposed to return to work, it was a well-deserved rest considering that the mare had increased her workload and had been doing it without rest since Chrysalis revealed her true form in Ponyville a few years ago, so a reprimand would not be necessary.

The princess arrived at Inkwell's room and knocked on the door a few times but there was no answer, a little surprised she knocked again and a few seconds later Raven Inkwell opened the door and it was clear that she had not had enough rest last night, she was not wearing her glasses, she had one eye half closed and her hair was disheveled, it looked like a wagon had run over her.

"Wow. I see your vacation at .... Pegasus was more... hectic than I thought, do you need a few more hours of rest?" Luna asked with a chuckle.

Inkwell blinked uncoordinatedly while her brain was still booting up. She hadn't heard any words from Princess Luna either.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked, waving her hoof in front of Inkwell's eyes as she suddenly realized what was going on.

"Princess Luna!" The mare said in surprise. "I'm sorry... excuse my tardiness, what time is it?" She said in an embarrassed way and tried to comb her hair with her hoof in an awkward way.

"It's about ten in the morning, but don't worry, the morning was slow and I guess we didn't have many things to do from the day before. Besides, I can see that you're still recovering from your vacation."

"Don't worry, I'm fine, I'll be right out." Inkwell quickly closed the door and trotted to her bathroom, but halfway there, she noticed the face of whoever had closed her door and went back to open it. "Uhhmmm... sorry, please come in and make yourself at home." Inkwell said to a surprised Princess Luna who wasn't expecting a slamming door, but she just took it with amusement and after nodding her head she entered the room and sat down on one of the couches to wait for her assistant. The place was tidy and very shiny, clear signs of Raven's diligence.

A few minutes later Raven came out of the bathroom, her face looking much more refreshed and full of life, her hair was done and her glasses were in immaculate condition.

"Ok, I am ready to work, I will go to my office right away to check the pending items for today and bring them to you in the throne room. Thanks for waking me up and sorry again for being late." The mare said as she walked towards the door.

"Don't worry." Princess Luna replied.

But as Inkwell was on her way to the door, Princess Luna's magic had the mare in the air for a few seconds.

"Is something wrong Princess?" Raven asked confused.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Luna replied gently, setting her assistant down.

"And what is it?"

"Your outfit." Luna replied and pointed at her with her hoof. "I doubt very much that your... pajamas... are up to castle standards."

"My PJ's?" The mare asked in confusion, lowering her gaze to realize that she was still wearing her Batmare costume. "Ohh for Faust." Said the mare who quickly took off her mechanical wings and the rest of her costume which she kept in a secret compartment at the bottom of her closet where she kept several magical artifacts and some crystal horns that glowed in different colors. Then both mare's left the room on their way to their jobs.

"Tough week?" Luna asked.

"Just the usual small-time criminals, but I did have some serious trouble with Jarhead." The mare replied.

"With Jarhead? Why? He's strong, but not very smart, and you could always handle him without much trouble."

"He used this." Inkwell said, showing the artifact to the princess. "I talked to Cheerilee and she told me that it has three runes carved on it, a magic inhibitor, an explosive and a third one that she couldn't decipher. She recommended that I ask you since with your experience you might recognize the third rune."

Luna took the artifact with her magic and began to analyze it, paying special attention to the runes.

"Where did he get hold of something like this? It's too sophisticated."

"Cheerilee told me that Jester is the only one who can make something like that. But that raises more concerns for me than an overdeveloped pony with an inhibitor bomb, and I'm sure for you as well."

"Indeed, but most of all, I'm worried about who else is in this alliance." Luna knew these villains very well and knew that none of them would submit to being a mere lackey. "I'm sure I've seen this rune in some book. I'll look in the library tonight and tell you if I find anything important." Said the princess, teleporting the object to a safe place, possibly a secret room in the castle.

"I appreciate it Princess, but you know you don't have to do this whole Nightwatchman thing like us, you can just fight crime without hiding behind a mask."

"I know, but that wouldn't give me the same adrenaline rush I get when I'm face to face with a villain, plus I avoid a ton of paperwork the next morning." Luna replied.

" You're right, although not all battles are won with hooves." Inkwell added as they passed through the dining hall and saw a still somewhat tired Twilight sipping herbal tea and a bowl of oatmeal with banana chunks. The young princess looked annoyed as she read the paper and didn't notice when Princess Luna and Raven approached her.

"I see you're up, Twilight, are you feeling much better?" Luna asked.

"Uh?, oh... hello Luna, hello Raven, I feel much better, thanks to you, that herbal tea you recommended is working wonders for the migraines I get from ascending the sun." Twilight replied calmly, taking another sip of her concoction.

"I know, it's the same stuff Tia and I used to drink when we were little. But tell me, why do you look so upset?"

Twilight looked at Luna for a few seconds.

"Princess Luna, could you turn a little to the right?" Twilight asked, to which Princess Luna replied somewhat strangely. Then Twilight picked up the newspaper with her hooves and placed it in front of her, comparing something in it to the Princess of the Night, then dropped the newspaper and let out a small cry of frustration before slapping her forehead on the table. "This is incredibly annoying." Twilight said annoyed.

"Is something wrong?" Luna asked picking up the newspaper with her magic to see what it said and on the front page there was a news story about a figure disguised as the night she had defeated another super villain in Manehattan, but the picture showed a mare that the only way to describe her would be a small alicorn disguised in black, clearly a pair of wings and a horn could be made out and she was standing next to a city police officer.

"Once again Batmare showed up and defeated a stallion that could easily be Celestia's muscular big brother, I really appreciate her fighting for justice, but every time she does I have to fight off a hundred reporters and onlookers in the street who are sure I'm Batmare, and they all come to that conclusion because apparently the only ponies that have wings and a magic horn are princesses, and who's the only princess small enough to be mistaken for Batmare....surprise, it's me." Twilight hit her forehead on the table again in frustration. "I even get fan mail because of her."

"I have to admit she does look like you, Princess Twilight, but I think there is a very simple solution to your problem." Inkwell said, causing Twilight to lift her head in excitement at being able to solve her problem.

"Yes? Please, Raven, I'm desperate." Twilight said almost pleadingly.

"I could accept the fact that the ponies will always be under the impression that it's you."

Twilight let her head fall back down on the table.

"I've been doing that since she appeared and it hasn't worked, I need another solution." The young princess was frustrated. But then a great idea came to her mind, filling her with hope and a gleam in her eye. "What if I invited her here to Canterlot to thank her for her work helping others? That way, they would see the two of us together and everyone would know that we are two completely different mares... I just need to find a way to contact her, Princess Luna, could you find her in the dream world and invite her here to Canterlot?". the princess asked.

"I can do that, but I don't use my powers that way, if she wants to keep her identity secret, I have to respect her wish, besides, this idea creates another more serious problem, and that is that by doing this, you would be showing that the Monarchy supports Nightwatchmen who operate outside the law, and that our dear officers do not have the necessary powers to protect our subjects, Like you, I appreciate that she facilitates the work of our police, and I understand why they turn a blind eye to threats of this caliber, but it is not wise to give her our support, at least in a public way, because that could incite others to follow her example and someone could get seriously hurt or worse". Luna approached Twilight. She put her hoof on her shoulder to show her support. "I think you're just going to have to put up with it until we can figure this out."

"Hmmm..." Twilight let her head drop to the table in a disappointed huff. "Being the smallest princess sucks..."

Luna and Inkwell laughed quietly at Twilight's reaction.

"I need to retire to my office to check the earrings from the previous day and I will bring them to the throne room as soon as I have them ready, enjoy your breakfast Princess Twilight, I will see you later Princess Luna." Raven said. She gave a small bow to the two princesses before retiring from the dining room.

"Thank you, Raven." Twilight said, face buried in the table.

"See you later Miss Inkwell." Luna added before sitting down next to Twilight so she wouldn't be depressed by what she read in the news and also to take the opportunity to have some food.

Raven had finished her work much later than usual, as she had to sort through a lot of papers that the other assistants had forgotten to do during their three weeks of vacation. Most of them were receipts for purchases made by the castle's guards and servants, but there were also some laws that should have been enacted by now, and she just hoped that her delay in processing them wouldn't cause any problems.

Back in her room, after drinking a glass of juice and brushing her hair, the assistant took off her glasses and was getting ready to go to bed when she felt someone knocking on the door of her room.

She couldn't remember the last time someone had knocked on her door this late at night and it was probably one of the other assistants of the castle who was doing some paperwork and needed to check it to avoid any problems. It was a bit annoying since her shift was over but understandable considering all the other paperwork she had to do a few hours ago.

Inkwell put on her glasses and quickly tied back her mane before opening the door, expecting to see one of her colleagues with a stack of papers between her hooves. But who happened to be on the other side of the door surprised her.

"Princess Luna?" Raven asked, surprised at seeing the princess. "Is something wrong?"

"Raven, I have checked the rune books and we have a problem."

Author's Note

First of all I want to thank you all for the name ideas for Discord and Fluttershy's son. I'm really bad with names. :rainbowlaugh:

I know that many of you had doubts about Batmare's identity. Before you ask me, here are the answers.

Yes, I will make a spin-off of Batmare, it will be a completely separate story, but within the same universe and it shouldn't affect the overall story. I plan to make at least three seasons of Batmare, with about 25 episodes each.

No, Luna was never Batmare, but she knew the villains that came to the dungeon because she had faced some of them before, that was the reason why she took the umbrella from the pony that looked like the penguin, she will also be part of Batmare´s story, after all Luna fights nightmares and crime at night and still no one has noticed XD.

It took longer than expected because I had to create some characters and I took the opportunity to create their backgrounds for the adventures of Batmare. I created heroes and villains, along with the main story of the three seasons.

This chapter will close five of the ten years that have passed since the beginning and all have added little facts about what happened, little facts and some quite important. The next chapter will also do the same, only it will also have a lot of babies involved.

I hope you like it and I'm sure it'll surprise many people.

I always like to read what you say and I'll see you soon. :twilightsmile:

Too many babies.

The ponies ran and screamed desperately through the streets of Ponyville, running away from the giant monster that had emerged from the forest to attack them, slowly dragging its huge cream-colored body and letting out a deafening roar for the sheer pleasure of terrorizing the small town. From the air, the beast could be seen advancing through the forest, tearing down trees in its way toward Ponyville, Canterlot was already familiar with this beast, which had wreaked havoc by destroying other small towns, and the capital city was fortunate to be able to withstand the monster's attack, as the beast's sheer size and the presence of nearly the entire military contingent made it possible to assemble a strong defense that was able to repel the beast, but only by directing its advance toward the small town at the foot of the mountain.

Without much effort, the giant monster bit into the roofs of the houses, destroying them in seconds, and sent them flying through the air, destroying nearby buildings. Rarity was one of the first to faint, seeing her home and her entire collection of summer dresses destroyed, but she was quickly picked up by Rainbow Dash and dropped off at AppleJack's farm, where an improvised shelter had been set up.

"Rainbow!" AppleJack called as she ran to her friend with a first-aid kit. "What happened to Rarity?" She asked as she checked her.

"She's fine, she just fainted when she saw what happened to her house." The Pegasus replied, obviously exhausted. "Is Twilight back yet, or Princess Luna?"

"Twilight is on her way with her brother to try and stop that thing, and we haven't heard from Princess Luna since she went to the Crystal Empire in search of Cadance. Before she left, she said she read about a monster named Satu in an old journal of the old Crystal Princess, and she wrote down how to stop it, and that book is probably in the library."

"I see, Scoot showed up already?"

"No one has seen her, Apple Bloom said they lost sight of her after that thing destroyed Sugarcube Corner, but she's probably hiding in one of the houses, my changelings are helping to search and rescue, it's just a matter of time before we find her." Chrysalis, who was accompanied by a group of changelings and most of Ponyville's little ones, replied, trying to make Rainbow stop worrying.

"Thank you, I will return in search of more survivors, I promise you will find them." The Pegasus told the monarch, who nodded her head. With that, Rainbow took a deep breath and flew back toward the town, looking for more frightened ponies to bring to the safe zone.

The monster was destroying the houses looking for victims to devour, but luck was not on his side as his large size made him very slow and easy to spot for miles, giving his possible victims plenty of time to escape. But he was lucky enough to attack Ponyville by surprise and he could see and hear the screams of the ponies running terrified around his corpulent body, but when he tried to bite them they could easily avoid him and his only option was to find a pony hidden inside the houses he was destroying.

The town was already deserted and all its inhabitants were safe at AppleJack's farm when Twilight finally arrived with her brother and most of the Equestrian Army who began to attack the monster mercilessly, but the attack had no effect thanks to the thick and strangely spongy skin that absorbed the blows and magic. Twilight and Shining Armor knew this and their plan was to distract the monster long enough for Princess Luna to return with Cadance.

"Shining, I'm going to go check on my friends at the Farm, signal me as soon as Luna and Cadance arrive." Said the Princess of Friendship. She fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt in a vain attempt to stop the monster.
"Be very careful, Twily." The stallion said as he attacked the creature with his magic along with a group of unicorns. The Pegasus picked up debris from the destroyed houses and dropped it on the creature.

Within minutes, Princess Luna appeared in a flash of blue at the entrance to AppleJack's farm, looking tired from using her magic to teleport as fast as she could from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville, and carrying a book with her.

"Twilight!" The Princess of Night shouted. She was looking for the young Alicorn, who ran in that direction when she heard her name.

"Twilight, where are you, Twilight!" Princess Luna called out as she looked in all directions.

"Over here, Luna, did you find anything?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"Yes, I found everything that was written here by Princess Amore, the first princess of the Crystal Empire." Luna handed the book over to Twilight, who took it with her magic and began to go through it, page by page. "It says that the monster's name is Satu, it was the first monster to be created and the favorite of the mother of all beasts and that a great amount of magic was used to create it, but it takes a great period of time to hatch and it lay dormant for centuries." Said the Princess of the Night.

"Wait." Twilight said. "It says here that this is not yet its final form?" The Princess of Friendship asked in amazement as she read the book and saw the giant creature destroying her beloved village. She could only imagine what would happen if this creature gained enough energy to transform.

"Exactly, if we don't stop it now, it will be the end of everything. But the book also explains a spell to summon a guardian and put the beast to sleep again. Luna replied.

"But that doesn't solve the problem, it just delays it for future generations." Twilight said, watching as the creature continued to destroy more houses, not bothering to worry about the Unicorn and Pegasus attacking.

"I know, but it's the only thing we can do now, after we stop it we can be on the lookout for a permanent solution, but if we don't do it now..." Luna replied as she stepped forward and watched as the creature continued to destroy the village.

"You're right." Twilight said, nodding her head and going back to the book. "I'm trying to decipher the spell but these runes are very complex and ancient, were you able to decipher them?" I ask looking at Luna.

"I was able to do it with some work and comparing it to other books, it's very ancient and powerful magic but very simple. But we will need the help of every unicorn present and a princess to channel the energy into a physical form."

"And you can do that?"

"Unfortunately, I used much of my magic to transport Cadance and I from the Crystal Empire, but I explained to her how to use the spell, and now she is in town gathering all the unicorns in the army to cast the spell, and along with those in Ponyville, I think we have enough magic to make it work."

"I hope you're right." Twilight said, closing the book. "Chrysalis, this spell will take all of each unicorn's magic and many of them will faint, can I have you take them to a safe place?"

"Don't ask, if this doesn't work I'll take everyone south to the hive and we'll come up with plan B." The queen replied.

"Thank you." The princess said with a smile. "Listen to me, I need every unicorn to come with me. We're going to stop that thing." Twilight shouted enthusiastically, inspiring courage in all the unicorns of Ponyville, who followed the princess in a desperate attempt to save their little town. A large group of changelings also followed her.

"Please stay here my dear, it's too dangerous and I don't want anything bad to happen to you." The queen said to her son, kissing his forehead. The colt nodded his head and sat back on his haunches, a look of concern on his face.

"I promise your son will be safe by my side." Apple Bloom added in an attempt at a hug with Clear Spark, who was already taller than she was.

"You better if you want to be queen one day." The queen said with a giggle that made both of the little ones blush all over, and then she turned around and ran back to Ponyville as well.

On the north side of Ponyville, Cadance was lining up all the unicorns while the Pegasus and Earth ponies distracted the beast, Twilight arrived with reinforcements and after hugging her former babysitter, she also lined up the town's unicorns and Luna gave them all simple instructions on what the spell did and how it worked.

Cadance took the lead, concentrating on the physical form of the Guardian as described in the book, and each unicorn channeled its magic into the horn of the Princess of Love, while some were exhausted and retreated to the side to be led safely to the farm, others simply fainted and were quickly transported to the safe zone, little by little the unicorns fell as Cadance's horn was charged with more and more raw magic, then with a scream she launched a great beam of multicolored magic into the sky that disappeared from everyone's sight.

A second later, thunder rattled the earth and a giant portal opened in the sky, the creature turned its head to see the portal and know what was happening, from the portal another creature of similar size appeared and looked directly at the monster, only this creature looked like a giant bear created with colorful scales.

"Ahhh... the old guard has returned..." Said the beast.

"I stopped you once, Satu... and I will do it again..." Replied the Guardian.

"We shall see." Satu replied.

All the ponies ran as they saw the giant bear running towards the monster and pouncing on it, growling and destroying more houses in the process, the guardian hit the beast but his blows did no damage and Satu bit the guardian but his teeth could not break the thick armor, in one of the attacks the guardian managed to get on top of Satu to give him a direct hit in the chest but he was much faster and rolled to the side to avoid the attack that cracked the ground.

The two creatures roared at each other, trying to intimidate each other, and this time Satu took the initiative, dragging his huge body to attack the Guardian when...

"Discord!" Fluttershy shouted to the Draconequus standing next to a cradle.

"What is it, Flutters?" The God of Chaos asked.

"You know, today is little Saturn's weekly test, and I don't want him to get too excited." The Yellow Pegasus replied, approaching the crib to see a small cream-colored larva lying on a pile of toy cubes made of a dark material. It was growling aggressively at a teddy bear Fluttershy had made with the special fabric Chrysalis had given her, and which Discord had used to attack his son.

"I know, but remember last week we were told that Saturn was a little chubby because he ate too much and that he needed to exercise more." Discord replied, waving the stuffed animal in front of his son and growling for him to attack it. The little creature did so without hesitation.

"Are you saying it's my fault that our son is overweight?" The Pegasus asked, slightly offended.

"You know that larvae only feed on love. And you like to hug him a lot." The God of Chaos replied and handed the stuffed animal to his son before getting to his feet.

The little creature quickly began to bite the bear trying to break it but it was specially made for that not to happen, after he got bored of biting it he went to where he had his toy blocks and took them with his little mouth to start stacking them one on top of the other assembling a small city to look at it carefully for a few seconds and start tearing it down in anger.

"I see our little one likes to build, do you think he will want to be an architect when he grows up?", Fluttershy asked proudly. Fluttershy asked proudly.

"It's possible, after all, he's always tearing down buildings and putting them back up again. I think he's a perfectionist." Discord replied.

"Our little baby will grow up to be the best architect in all of Equestria." Fluttershy leaned over the cradle and began gently stroking her son's back, who, feeling the mare's touch, began to relax and let his little legs flap, smiling as he went.

`My queen is congratulating me for my good work, I must continue my training in order to protect our hive`. the larva thought while being caressed.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and the yellow mare quickly went to open the door to see who it was.

"Greetings Ms. Fluttershy, my name is Caramel and I was sent to check the physical condition of little Saturn Dissonance." Said a changeling who had a somewhat strange hairstyle, consisting of a long braid that fell down her back and almost reached the ground. She was carrying a leather bag with several things inside.

"Thanks for coming Miss Caramel, please come in, and what a nice hairstyle, doesn't it bother you with your work?" replied Fluttershy politely, stepping aside for the changeling to enter.

"Thank you for the compliment, and I really don't have a problem with my hairstyle since I can change it whenever I want, and where's the little one?" The changeling asked, leaving her bag on the table.

"He's playing in his crib next to my husband."

The changeling walked through the small cottage and stopped in front of the cradle to look at the larva, which was staring at the new visitor, the changeling slowly brought her hoof close to it and the larva swung its small and plump body to stand on its tail, looking more threatening and began to growl aggressively.

`A rival changeling is attacking our hive. I must protect my queen`. the little larva thought before jumping up and biting Caramel's hoof.

"Wow...this little changeling's imprint on you is quite strong." The changeling said and lifted her hoof, the larvae biting hard, she shook it a little and the little creature let go and fell gracefully on its belly with a little bounce. Then the changeling approached Fluttershy.

`Success, now this changeling will surely surrender to my queen to be part of our hive, my queen will be pleased`. the little creature thought, rolling over and making a sound similar to a purr, Discord took the moment to caress his son.

"Could you explain this imprinting thing to me?" Fluttershy tried a few times, but I couldn't understand her very well, I only understood that you have a queen, but why does little Saturn bite Chrysalis every time he sees her, isn't she supposed to be his queen? asked the God of Chaos.

"Yes and no." Caramel replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't they explain why the larvae and nymphs were so aggressive?"

"Chrysalis and some changeling I can't remember."

"Her name is Esmeralda." Fluttershy interrupted.

"Thank you, sweetie." Said the God of Chaos. "Chrysalis and Esmeralda explained something about their natural aggression and why they attacked the changelings in the nursery."

"Hmmm..." The changeling said, thinking of the best way to explain it to the Draconequus. "I understand why they didn't explain it properly since we basically use this information in the nursery and we don't have a... manual or something that explains how to take care of a larva or a nymph, but in short, they consider the first creature they see as their queen and all the others as enemies, and the reason why little Saturn doesn't attack the other animals or Discord anymore is because he considers them drones in Fluttershy's hive."

"So I'm a queen?" Fluttershy asked in a surprised voice.

"It's a bit more complex than that, with a caste system and specific roles for each individual, but in essence, yes, you are the queen of the hive." The changeling replied.

"Ohh my... and why didn't Chrysalis or Esmeralda tell us that in the first place?".

"It's just common sense to us. Like why you don't go into the Everfree Forest at night."

"Because it's too dangerous for us. And many who enter the forest end up lost, injured, or attacked by wild animals."

"Exactly, but this very important knowledge is not written down anywhere. And yet all the ponies in this area know it."

"I guess so, I know it's something that everypony around here knows, but I've never seen it being taught anywhere." Fluttershy said, wondering if she had read it somewhere or been told it somewhere.

"Because it's common sense information, it's something that's so basic to you that you have a hard time even processing the fact that someone else doesn't know it, and by the same logic would have a hard time explaining it to someone else."

"I see... So how long will our son consider my dear Fluttershy to be his... queen?" The God of Chaos asked, snapping his fingers to appear a jeweled crown and thin cloak over his beloved.

"He'll think he's in a hive throughout his larval process. When he's a nymph, he'll gradually get rid of that idea as he learns that the world is bigger than this cottage."

"And when do you think it will be safe to take him outside?"

"We'll have a better idea after a couple of tests." The changeling replied, pulling from her pocket a notepad and some measuring tools, along with a few pieces of wood.

By this time, Twilight had finished her work and was doing her favorite thing in the castle, which was cleaning up the Canterlot library. Although she had a very efficient system for organizing and finding books (or at least she did in her head), the library had its own way of working and organizing books, and the Princess of Friendship had many arguments with the library manager, which she finally had to give in to, just to put the books back where the ponies had left them on the tables. And while she was happily carrying a pile of books about mythology with her magic, she saw Cadance on one of the tables, happily reading in front of a huge pile of books, so the Princess of Friendship left the books on the table and approached her former babysitter.

"Hello Cadance, what are you reading?" Twilight asked.

"Hi Twilight, this? I'm just reading a children's book while I wait for Celestia to look for some books." The Princess of Love replied, pointing to the white alicorn who was looking through the bookshelves. She carefully pulled out some books and placed them on a cart she had at her side.

"But this is the children's section, what kind of books is Celestia looking for, does she want you to help her pick out books to read to the little ones who visit the castle?" she asked.

"Not really, she's 'helping' me find out why Flurry is the first natural born Alicorn in Equestria." Cadance replied, emphasizing the word 'help' with her hooves as she used her magic to turn a page in her books.

"But even she was surprised to see Flurry when she was born. She knows better than anypony that information doesn't exist anywhere in Equestria, at least not that we know of."

"I know." Cadance replied with a smile as she finished her little book and put it aside to start a new one. It was about how three ponies of different tribes helped each other to get a multicolored cat down from a tree.

"Then why is she looking for this information?"

"She wants to make sure the information isn't in children's stories, or mothering books about the difficulties of raising a unicorn, or books about changing diapers and bathing a pegasus without wetting its feathers."

"I don't get it, why would the information about alicorns be in a book like that?" Twilight asked confusedly, and Cadance thought for a moment how to answer.

"Before I answer you, could you do me a small favor?"

"I don't know why, but ok."

"Could you ask Celestia if she found the book she was looking for, and since you see her almost every day, could you tell me if anything has changed about her? I think she looks a little... chubby." Cadance said, chuckling and winking at the young Alicorn, Twilight was very smart, but often she missed those simple details that made the answer rub in your face, for the same reason she didn't know why Cadance was asking her that, but it was something simple and she didn't mind doing it.

The Princess of Friendship approached her former mentor and passed by her side without her noticing. She looked at her carefully and indeed she had gained a little weight, especially around her hips and belly, perhaps because the simpler life was taking its toll, she approached her and spoke to her to get her attention.

"Hello Celestia." Twilight said.

"Hi Twilight." Celestia replied, hugging her former student. "Since you're here, could you tell me where a book might be?" She asked, going back to checking the shelves.

"Of course, what book are you looking for?"

"Common Food Diseases in Foals, the book manager told me that it would be in this section, but I can't seem to find it."

Twilight knew the library inside and out, and used her magic to take four books from a couple of shelves to Celestia's right.

"Do you need the normal version?, because we also have the version for Unicorns, Pegasus, and Earthponies, but I recommend the normal version, it's more generic if you don't want any race specific diseases."

"Hmmm... I'll take the regular version, thanks." Celestia replied, hoofing the book and placing it in her cart before continuing to browse the shelves, turning her attention away from Twilight.

"Ummm... Celestia?"

"Yes?" The former monarch said as she turned her head once more to look at her little friend.

"Cadance sent me to ask if you had found a book you were looking for."

"Yes, tell her I only found these three, you can take them to her if you want, I still have to look for other books around here."

"Thank you." Twilight took the books with her magic and when she saw the titles, her eyes slowly widened and she turned her head to see Cadance who let out a giggle and motioned with her hoof for Twilight to come closer. The Princess of Friendship quickly did so.

"Baby names?" Twilight muttered to Cadance, causing the Princess of Love to giggle and nod her head.

"Ohhh.... My.... is that for real? How long have you known?, how long has she been pregnant?" Twilight asked, muttering to Cadance.

"I found out this morning when we came to this section of the library. From what I can see, she's a few weeks but apparently she just found out recently as well."

"And what are we going to do?. Do you know what would happen if Equestria found out?"

"Will they congratulate her and wish her a good future? she's not the first pregnant mare in the world."

"But she was a princess, and you know ponies go crazy when something good happens to one of their favorite princesses." Twilight said as she waved her hooves in the air and began to hyperventilate.

"I don't know if I should be offended or not..." Cadance said. "Relax Twilight, nothing's going to happen since she doesn't have to work for now, seriously, I would have loved to have had her freedom when I was waiting for Flurry, leaving a meeting every five minutes because of nausea is a nightmare, not to mention when the bathroom isn't exactly close by."

"And why hasn't she told anyone, maybe she wants to keep it a secret?"

"I doubt it, she's too popular to hide such a thing and she doesn't really gain anything from it, she's probably more concerned with getting as ready as possible and just didn't take the time to tell us, or maybe she's scared and doesn't want to make a mistake, but I think she's waiting for the perfect moment, it's great news for every mare... well almost every one." Remembering what had happened to Chrysalis and Clear Spark, Cadance added the last part.

"You're right, but do you really think that somepony would forget to tell their friends about something as important as this?" Twilight asked, knowing exactly what Cadance meant by that last part.

"It's possible, your mind doesn't know it yet, but pregnancy puts a lot of stress on a mare, both emotionally and hormonally, it's normal to have feelings and forget things, even more so when it's your first born."

"Then we should wait until she is ready to tell us?"

"Let me take care of that, after all I am the only one who has experience in motherhood and I will surely be the first one she will ask for advice and as soon as she does, I will put a little pressure on her to tell us all that she is pregnant. The only one you have to worry about is Luna."

"Luna? Why, do you think she takes it badly?"

"On the contrary, she's probably going to go crazy with excitement and want to throw a national party." Cadance replied giggling, which made Twilight laugh too.

"I guess you're right, I better get back to the throne room, Luna asked me to review some changeling documents, see you for lunch?" Twilight said.

"Of course, bye Twilight." The Princess of Love replied.

"Oh Twilight, you're leaving already?" Celestia asked as she approached, pushing her cart with her chest as she was too big to be able to use her hooves.

"Yes, I need to get back to the throne room to go over a stack of documents that Luna gave me about the changelings that work with the ponies in Equestria." The Princess of Friendship replied somewhat irritated. These reports were becoming all too common.

"Is there a problem integrating the Changelings?" Celestia asked.

"A little, mostly about them being abused and discriminated against."

"Hmmm... I remember when the dragons first started working with us, the same problems arose. If you want, I can come to your office later and help you review those documents, I have experience in this area and I have created some laws myself that you can use as a reference to solve these problems."

"Really?" Twilight asked cheerfully. "Thank you very much, that would be very helpful."

"You know you can always ask me for help if you need it. I'll come by your office this afternoon to help you review those documents."

"I'll be waiting for you, and thank you for helping me." Twilight replied gratefully.

The young princess of friendship was very grateful for Celestia's help, and the former princess looked very comfortable helping Twilight go over the documents. Centuries of ruling a nation had given her vast experience and a clinical eye for detail, which allowed her to speed up Twilight's work.

On her way to her room, she stopped outside the kitchen to drink a glass of juice, and even though she was a princess and could just ask one of the castle's servants, whose job it was to bring juice to the princesses when they requested it, Twilight was quite self-sufficient and didn't like to bother others with such simple things, knowing she could do it perfectly well on her own.

After drinking her juice and raiding the fridge for a late night snack, she returned to her room, not forgetting to wish the ponies she met on her way a good night. She liked to take the long way around and enjoy the tranquility of the night, adorned with the fresh flowers that Luna religiously changed every night.

Once in her room, she let her hair down and brushed it, counting backwards from a hundred as she did every night. Then she brushed her teeth and weighed herself on a scale she had hidden in her closet, the little needle dancing from left to right a few times, ending up further to the right than Twilight had expected.

"Hmmm..." She said pouting. "I'm sure it's broken, I don't eat that much." Then she put the scale away and went to her bed for another night of well-deserved rest, but before she jumped into her huge bed she heard someone tapping on her balcony window, the princess opened the curtains to see a worried Rainbow Dash on the other side.

"Rainbow?, what are you doing on my balcony so late?, Did something bad happen?, an accident?." Twilight asked in a worried voice as she opened the glass doors to let her friend in.

"Um... Hi, twilight." Rainbow said as she scratched at the back of her neck without looking directly at her friend. "So... yeah, this is an accident, but... I wouldn't classify it as a bad thing."

"What do you mean an accident can't be bad?" Twilight asked confused.

"Twilight... I'm pregnant."

"You WHAT?"

Author's Note

I promised you more babies and here they all are :rainbowlaugh: .

These three little ones, along with the twins and Flurry, I have plans to have them in other spin-offs when they are older, with their own adventures and problems.

One of these three will cause a lot of controversy, but that will be in two more chapters. The next one will be about Clear Spark, Apple Bloom and a serious conversation about their future together.

Thanks for the names, they were of more help to me than you know. :pinkiehappy:

I'll see you in a few days, as you know I always look forward to your comments. :twilightsmile:

Rainbow Dash.

Chrysalis had recently returned from Baltimare, she was very happy to know that her son and Apple Bloom were true to their words and actually practiced total abstinence in their relationship while they were studying. She had many doubts, but the visits she made to her son's apartment and the times she attended the university parties made her realize that she was wrong.

Strangely, the young couple had kept their word not to hide what they were doing from their families, but because they had no desire to do so, apparently everything they read went much deeper than they thought, and many times they preferred to cultivate their relationship in other ways than just having sex in a bed. They learned a lot from each other, things they could not learn in Ponyville with their families or their friends, Like those little subtle changes in their personalities that only happened when they were alone or with someone they trusted very much. Like the fact that Apple Bloom left all the dirty pots in the kitchen after cooking and washed them the next day before using them, something she never did at the farm when AppleJack was around, or that Clear Spark sulked when he didn't want to get up to go to class, something Apple Bloom didn't know about but found very adorable.

It was all these little things that strengthened their relationship over time, and turned what had once been a friendship into a strong and deep bond.

In Equestria, several changelings had fallen victim to "Pimp my Ling". which basically consisted of the sudden change to their new multicolored form, and although some of them preferred their new colorful form, others had also made the same decision as Chrysalis to change their appearance to their old black form, after all that had been their real appearance for years and they were used to it, some ponies preferred the new form of the changelings because it was much easier to distinguish them, but in general there were no problems if a changeling preferred their new or old form, even if some were still anxious to change their appearance to see what colors they would be, one of the most anxious was Red Bug, who had hoped it would be a blue color, but when she saw that her body had a series of very light yellow and green tones, she was not very happy, mainly because her new colors destroyed the illusion of any cosplay she wanted to do, and she was one of those who preferred to change her appearance to her old form.

The increase in the number of pregnant mares was accompanied by an expected increase in their weight but an unexpected decrease in their mobility, before it was nothing to worry about as the number of pregnant mares was low in comparison to the rest of the population but that number had now reached almost fifty percent and it was becoming normal that with less movement they did less work and that led to a lower production for the country but more worrying was a worse physical condition, the sedentary lifestyle of pregnant mares was an unexpected pandemic and Equestria put its hooves into the matter before it got out of control.

And one of those ways was special yoga and exercise classes for pregnant mares all over Equestria, attendance was not mandatory, but Equestria gave incentives to mares who attended such classes along with the promise of improved fitness. Those in charge of running these classes were the changelings, who were more than willing and happy to help, and even though they didn't charge for the service, as they could feed off the love in the environment they felt while running the classes, the princesses insisted on a fee for their services.

And one of those classes was held at Canterlot Castle, where some of the mares who worked there were able to do gentle exercises to keep themselves in the best possible physical condition; between some maids, guards, and some visitors who had the opportunity to attend yoga classes at the castle, a group of about twenty to thirty mares formed, and among all of those mares, there were two very special figures.

One of them was the unmistakable Celestia, who after some time decided to tell everyone that she was pregnant, but she was surprised that no one was surprised by the news, probably because her six-month pregnant belly had already given them an idea of what she wanted to tell them; she liked to attend gym classes wearing a yellow top and yoga pants with the word "juicy" written on the side.

The other one who attended gymnastics at Canterlot Castle was Rainbow Dash, her case was a bit strange because she could easily attend gymnastics in Ponyville, just a few meters from her home, or in Cloudsdale, where she was always welcomed by her parents and where Soarin had lived before moving to Ponyville, But during the months of her pregnancy, she had preferred to avoid the City in the Clouds and her family, and for some reason, she did not like the classes in Ponyville. So she always preferred to fly from Ponyville to Canterlot to go to the gym, or take the train when she felt too tired, she always used a sweatband on her forehead and hooves.

Many times she had been asked why she did not take advantage of the special gymnastics program at the Wonderbolt facilities, they had even prepared some stallions with a special cart to transport the team's pregnant mares from their homes to the barracks, and Rainbow could take advantage of that, but she always replied that she did not want to abuse their hospitality and distract Soarin from his training, it was an answer with a very weak argument, but everypony thought it was just a whim due to the hormonal changes of being a mother for the first time.

"Okay, one more time, one and four, hold... okay, now two and three... good. Hold...good." Said a changeling with a cushion strapped to her belly in front of her gym class. She lifted one front hoof and one back hoof crosswise in an exercise to keep her balance. "Now take a deep breath and lower yourself as far as you can, remember you don't have to feel the ground with your belly, just as far as you can." The changeling did the exercise, and the mares imitated her as best they could. Many of them could feel the ground with their bellies, like Celestia, since her long legs gave her great flexibility, but some of them could only bend down a few inches, like Rainbow, Since she was much smaller and her legs were a bit shorter than her body, she could not go down very far without hurting herself. This happened a few times when she demanded too much in the exercises, making her practice her patience and learn her new limits.

After a few more minutes of exercises, the class ended to the delight of all, and even though the exercises were very simple and any pony could do them without any problem, the pregnant mares were tired when doing them, but they liked the result because they could gradually feel more energetic and with that feeling of satisfaction when they saw the results compared to the mares that didn't want to do the weekly exercises.

Celestia had been sweating a lot more than usual since she was in the last week that the doctors had allowed her to participate in gymnastics, beyond that point it would be irresponsible of her to continue since it could trigger her pregnancy at that moment and an emergency procedure would have to be performed, and even though the former monarch knew her body well, she was not willing to risk the health of her child for a few yoga classes. Rainbow was a similar case, only she had a few weeks less than Celestia, But unlike the Alicorn, who had her checkups at the castle, the Pegasus had them done by a trusted doctor in Cloudsdale, much to the surprise of all her friends. No one understood why she had to travel so far for a routine checkup that only took five minutes, but she was wary of her pregnancy, and when they asked her why, she replied that it was nopony else's business where she went or didn't go, as long as it was in an established place and with a qualified and responsible doctor.

Unlike Celestia and every other mare, Rainbow's whole attitude towards her pregnancy could be classified as suspicious, but it was also true that she had a habit of going beyond the bounds of logic when she felt pressured or had a problem, such as when she tried to stop winter to prevent her pet from hibernating, almost causing an ecological disaster of proportions, or the time she sold Fluttershy for a book, which ended up in court (and hopefully in a change in the laws, is it really legal to sell a friend?). There were hundreds of cases like that where she felt some kind of pressure, and pregnancy was an extreme physical and psychological pressure for someone like her. It completely changed her routine and lifestyle from one moment to the next.

Celestia walked slowly over to Rainbow with a towel draped over her back; because of her large size, her belly didn't look as swollen as the other mares'.

"Rainbow...will you stay for lunch?" Celestia asked, sitting down gently on her haunches and letting herself breathe a little.

"I can't, I'm just going to rest a bit and have some juice before I go to Cloudsdale." The Pegasus replied, taking off her sweatbands and stretching her limbs, thanks to being an athlete she didn't feel as tired as the other mares, but her belly was huge. "The train should be at the station in about fifteen minutes." She said the last part a little frustrated because even considering her fitness and great stamina from her pregnancy she couldn't fly for more than five minutes without being completely exhausted, and she didn't want to risk flying to the city in the clouds and running out of energy mid-flight, but Cloudsdale had a small train station in the ground with a couple of stallions whose job it was to get Pegasus that had trouble getting up and down.

"I still don't understand why you have to travel so far to see a doctor." Celestia said as she wiped her face with the towel. Rainbow gave her a very annoyed look as she felt questioned, but she quickly composed herself before the former monarch finished drying herself. "But I hope you have a good trip, will you be back in class next week?, this is my last class but it would be nice to see you again." Celestia asked with a smile.

"I don't know, it's up to the doctor's orders." Rainbow replied.

"See you later then, I have to take a bath before I go to lunch with Moonstone, that reminds me, if you come back to the castle next week, why don't you invite Soarin too?, I have some free time and so I can bring Moonstone too and we can have lunch together, the four of us, in fact... we could invite the whole Ponyville gang and have a big lunch, do you like the idea?" The former monarch asked enthusiastically.

"I'll think about it..." Rainbow replied, looking off to the side. Celestia couldn't help but notice.

"Hmmm... trouble at home, something to do with Soarin?" Celestia asked, her time in a loving relationship and living in the company of other pregnant mares had given her a special eye for recognizing when a problem was directly related to a pony's mate.

"Hmmm..." Rainbow didn't want to answer that question, but she didn't know how to avoid it. Luckily, Celestia was able to take the hint and stopped pushing the young Pegasus.

"I have a perfect understanding of what your problem is."

"You do, but-but how?" Rainbow asked, surprised and very nervous.

"Rainbow, I'm pregnant too. And it also happened to me that I can't stand Moonstone."

"Uh?" Rainbow said, raising her eyebrows.

"You, just like me and a lot of other mares, have this little problem that we can't stand our mates for the slightest thing that bothers us."

"That's true." Said a mare who approached wearing a maid's outfit tailored for her belly. "When I came home last week, my husband was preparing dinner, and when we sat down to eat, he served it as usual, only on the wrong side."

"On the wrong side?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes, food is always served from the left side, but that day he served it from my right side, it's understandable because the kitchen of our house is directly on my right side and whenever he serves me he always does it from that side and since he works in a tax office he doesn't need to know that, But that day, I don't know why, but I found that simple action very irritating and basically I exploded in his face, I screamed at the top of my lungs and closed the door of our room in his face forcing him to sleep on the couch, of course a few minutes later I was very sorry and too embarrassed to apologize to him, but I managed to get up the courage and I apologized to him for the way I acted. "

Rainbow looked at the ground with some embarrassment for a few minutes, thinking about the maid's words and the times she had yelled at Soarin just for having him around, and the stallion's patience for putting up with it. He really didn't deserve the way she treated him.

"If you had a problem with Soa-"

"Sis!" Luna shouted, interrupting Celestia's words as she entered the room with a stethoscope, a couple of bananas and a glass of orange juice. This caused a few giggles from those present, seeing the excitement of the princess of the night.

After learning she was going to be an aunt, Luna made it a point to put the health of her sister and future offspring first. She made sure her sister was never late for a meal, doctor's appointment or gym session.

"Luna, punctual as always." Celestia said softly, with as much enthusiasm as a wet loaf of bread at the sight of her sister. Rainbow and the maid chuckled.

"Did you say something dear sister?" Luna asked with a smile.

"Just that it's good to see you, Lulu, following me around like a hawk to make sure I don't forget to eat or go to the doctor."

"Well, as your sister, it is my duty to keep you and your son safe in these moments of vulnerability and to avoid any possible complications and dangers." Luna replied and hoofed her the two bananas with her magic, while she checked her heart rate with the stethoscope.

"Your diligence is always appreciated Luna, considering that I live in a castle on a mountain surrounded by luxury, the best attention, guards, servants, doctors and two princesses who are one of the most powerful beings in all of Equestria by sheer curiosity, I would truly be lost without your constant help, maybe even... dead." Celestia said, bringing her hooves to her face and feigning fear.

Rainbow and the maid laughed quietly as they watched the scene.

"Do I detect a sarcastic tone in your voice dear sister?" Luna asked somewhat confused, not paying much attention to what Celestia was saying as she was too busy checking her and her son's heartbeats. Apparently, the Princess of the Night was still very much influenced by the old ways.

"Don't worry, Luna. Your help and company are truly beyond price." Celestia replied, hugging Luna tightly and starting to cry.

"Tia, are you okay?" Luna asked, dropping the stethoscope as well as the glass of juice because of the sudden hug.

"It's just that you've always taken care of me and I've let you down too many times, Luna. Please don't leave me again." Celestia replied tearfully, hugging Luna tightly.

It wasn't the first time that Celestia had these surprising and emotional moments towards her sister or Twilight, and Luna returned the hug in the same way, knowing exactly why her older sister had said that.

"Excuse me, Luna, will you join me for lunch?" Celestia asked as she let go of her younger sister and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course, dear sister, but you'd better take a bath first." Luna reassured her.

They both laughed a little and left the room together, their bodies almost glued together, the whole scene surprised Rainbow and gave her a lot to think about how she had treated Soarin, friends and family this last time. She sometimes had trouble doing the most minimal tasks at home, like trying to cook something or make her bed, and every time Soarin offered to help her, she got very upset, and often yelled at him to leave her alone, that she had lived alone for years and didn't need him, but Soarin had moved in with her after he knew about the pregnancy and he wasn't going to leave her because of some simple yelling, but that didn't justify her behavior, she should have apologized to him.

But she had other priorities first. She had to talk to the doctor in Cloudsdale to make sure there were no problems with her pregnancy, then when she got back she would talk to Soarin.

The doctor's office where Rainbow was having her exams was small compared to others in Cloudsdale, with only seven ponies on staff, three doctors with three nurses and a pony in charge of cleaning, but the nurse on the last shift before the clinic closed had a small problem with some medical records she couldn't find.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Diamond?" The doctor asked, closing his office.

"Ms. Dash's blood and urine test results came in today, but I can't find her records, so I can't send the results to her." The nurse replied with several medical files on the counter. The Stallion thought of a solution to the problem.

"I'm sure that file was kept by Dr. Mustard, next to the chandelier, in his office, as he was in charge of all of Miss Dash's examinations, but he won't be back from his vacation until next week. But do you remember her mother's name?"

"Mrs. Whistles?, I do remember that she was a patient of ours when she was pregnant with Ms. Rainbow, but that was many years ago."

"Well, look up Mrs. Whistles file and send her Ms. Dash's tests. Being her mother, she will have no problem forwarding them to her daughter."

"I think that's a good idea." The nurse looked through the old patient file cabinet and found Windy Whistle's in seconds, she wrote down the address on the letter with Rainbow's medical results and together with the doctor ordered the medical records and closed the clinic, the doctor said goodbye to the nurse and went home while the nurse dropped the letters in a nearby mailbox before flying home.

Twilight had a few days off and decided to spend a few days visiting her parents and the rest in Ponyville. While strolling through the cheerful streets of the small town, she saw a mare who was the mother of one of her best friends.

"Hello Ms. Whistles, what brings you to Ponyville? Have you come to visit Rainbow?." The Alicorn asked.

"Hello Princess Twilight, you seem to get a little taller every time I see you." The Pegasus said, giving a small bow and letting out a small chuckle. "I came to see Rainbow, but as always she isn't home."

"That's strange, I don't remember her telling us that she was going to go out one of these days, even though I'm coming for a few days of vacation as well."

"It's good that you take a few days off every now and then. We don't want you to go crazy one day and try to take over Equestria." The mare's tone was playful, and Twilight's face lit up with laughter for a few seconds.

"Don't worry about it. Do you want to have a cup of tea at Sugarcube Corner while you wait for Rainbow to come back?."

"I don't think that will help. Soarin told me she had to take an express train to Canterlot, Cloudsdale or Manehattan, I really can't remember." Windy replied with a bit of annoyance.

"Is there something going on between you and Rainbow?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"It's hard to tell since she's been avoiding us for months. But now I know why she did it." Windy said.

"Did something bad happen?" Twilight asked even more worriedly.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Windy replied, pulling something from under her wing for Twilight. "Could you do me a favor?, could you get this letter to Rainbow?, I know I won't be able to find her."

"Sure." Twilight replied, taking the letter with her hoof.

"Thanks princess, please give my love to Soarin too, he is a good colt, maybe too good, have a nice day." Windy said before briefly stretching her wings and flying towards Cloudsdale.

After Windy Whistles was out of sight, Twilight quickly saw the letter that came from a medical clinic in Cloudsdale. She noticed that it was closed with a string and a small knot, something that caught her attention and could only mean one thing.

"This letter has been opened." He said quietly.

As Celestia and the doctors had expected, her baby was born the week they had predicted, and throughout the former monarch's pregnancy, everyony wondered what the baby would be, as medical technology at the time did not yet allow for knowing a baby's tribe, gender, or colors, and using magic to find out was too dangerous, as the effects of magic on a developing being could wreak havoc on its system, But most of the time it was not a big problem to find out its tribe, because the baby always brought the characteristics of its parents with it, but with Celestia it was something completely different, because she was an Alicorn, who carried the blood of the three tribes of ponies, and even though she was no longer a princess, she was still a recognized figure in the nation, and when they knew the news of her new son, many ponies went to Canterlot to meet the new foal, a possible male Alicorn? .

He turned out to be a beautiful white unicorn with a mane and tail of many colors, but what had attracted the most attention was that he had one green eye and one purple eye. No one could doubt that he was Celestia's son, but being a white unicorn, some magazines made up a rumor that the father could be Shining Armor, But when they tried to interview the stallion about his infamous kinship with Celestia's son, they forgot that all interviews with the royalty of the Crystal Empire were coordinated by Cadance herself, and they had to submit a request beforehoof about what the interview would be about. So the rumor died just as quickly.

At Luna's insistence, Canterlot celebrated the birth of Celestia's new foal for a week. There were games, meals, photo sessions, contests to see who was the prettiest baby, and Luna was furious because she wasn't allowed to be a judge.

Celestia and her husband wrote down a lot of names and put them in a fishbowl. In the end they chose Silver Sunshine.

But when Rainbow had her baby it was a completely different scene, according to the date that Rainbow had indicated that she had had relations with Soarin, it was calculated that her estimated due date was almost two months ahead, but her son was a full month early and she had to go to the hospital in Ponyville as an emergency, something unusual, but it happened sometimes, and much more with first time mares.

The only one with her at the time was Soarin, as he had been living with her for some time and they both slept in the same bed. But after leaving Rainbow at the hospital, he quickly went to tell her friends and her parents in Cloudsdale, When he returned from Cloudsdale, only some of her friends were waiting for him at the hospital, missing were AppleJack who had gone to visit Apple Bloom, Pinkie who was on an adventure with Cheese Sandwich, and Fluttershy who stayed to look after Saturn, but in her place was Discord.

Soarin was very nervous and paced from one place to another without stopping, he was no expert on the process of birthing a foal but he knew it should take about fifteen minutes, Rainbow had been in labor for hours and no doctor or nurse had brought him any news, every nurse he saw in the hallway he asked about his girlfriend, but they all told him that it was not normal for a mare to take so long to give birth, but that it did not mean that it was something bad, just that it would take some more time, and maybe it was because her delivery was a full month early and they wanted to be absolutely sure that nothing would go wrong.

What bothered him the most was that he couldn't be with Rainbow at that moment, but when he arrived at the hospital the doctors and nurses told him that for sanitary reasons he couldn't enter the room to witness the delivery since it was an emergency procedure and they forced him to stay in the waiting room. He thought about sneaking in to be next to Rainbow, but there were two particularly corpulent nursing unicorns whose job it was to avoid incidents of that kind.

"For the love of what you love, Soarin... would you stop pacing like a caged animal?" Discord said, watching the Pegasus move from place to place for hours.

"And what do you expect me to do, Rainbow's been there for hours and... I'm nervous, okay?" Soarin replied, almost shouting at the God of Chaos before pacing from place to place again.

Discord watched as the Pegasus paced back and forth a few times before he snapped his fingers and made a giant hamster wheel appear, allowing the surprised stallion to trot inside.

"There, there you are better." The God of Chaos said with satisfaction.

"Discord, leave Soarin alone, you of all... Draconequus should understand how he feels." Twilight said in annoyance, causing the god of chaos to roll his eyes before he snapped his fingers and made his giant wheel disappear.

"Seeing a Pegasus running from place to place is no longer fun, I better get back home to see Saturn, and Flutters probably wants to visit Rainbow, see you girls later, good luck Soarin." Said the God of Chaos, his claw colliding with the hoof of the Pegasus to show his support, something Soarin appreciated very much, then Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared from everyone's sight, a few seconds later Fluttershy appeared in his place, she greeted her friends and hugged the Pegasus as well.

In total, Rainbow had been in the delivery room for almost four hours, and Soarin had never stopped worrying about her. Three of light blue Pegasus' friends were there, as well as a few members of the Wonderbolts squadron who wanted to show their support, including Spitfire and Fleetfoot, who felt strangely annoyed with Rainbow since she had beaten her in the maternity race.

"This is weird." Twilight said, sitting in one of the chairs.

"I know Rainbow's delivery is taking a lot longer than expected, but she's kind of small, a first-timer, and her baby is a whole month early. It's to be expected that there will be some complications, we can only hope for the best." A unicorn sitting next to her replied.

"I know Rarity. That's another thing I find strange." Twilight got up from her seat and walked over to Soarin to talk to him.

"Soarin." The princess spoke to the stallion in a low voice. She didn't want her friends to hear. "Are you sure you told Rainbow's parents when you went to Cloudsdale?"

"Of course I did Princess, they were the first ones I told before I went to break the news to the Wonderbolts and got back to the hospital as fast as I could. I couldn't tell my parents because they are in Las Pegasus, but I promised to write them when our son was born."

"Hmmm, I understand, thank you." Twilight said before going back to sit next to Rarity.

"Is something wrong Twilight?" Rarity asked when she saw Twilight looking worried.

"Nothing is wrong Rarity. I'm just as worried as everyone else." The princess replied.

Of course, that was a lie, and there was another concern on the Princess of Friendship's mind, and that was the complete absence of Rainbow Dash's parents. Surely it had something to do with the medical checkup Windy Whistles had asked her to give Rainbow, the fact that she had told her she was avoiding her parents, and the fact that she was a month early in her pregnancy, Maybe she was overthinking the whole thing, and Rainbow was just a little more delicate in her health than her friends thought, and she didn't want to tell her parents so they wouldn't worry. She knew her parents had a habit of exaggerating everything in Rainbow's life, but that didn't explain why neither of them were there.

A few minutes later Nurse Redheart came out of the maternity ward, she looked around and approached Soarin. She looked a little tired and worried, but surely it was because of Rainbow's long medical procedure, something must have gone wrong and that was the reason for the delay?.

The nurse stopped in front of Soarin and stared at him for a few seconds before she spoke. Obviously something had happened during the delivery and she was trying to think of the best way to tell him the news, the Pegasus' heart stopped for a second when he saw the nurse's worried face.

"Soarin." Redheart said in a serious tone of voice. "Sorry for the delay, it was difficult and took a lot of work, the little one was just ahead of schedule, we ran all the tests and she has no serious illness or problem, Rainbow lost some blood but nothing we couldn't handle and now... Rainbow... and her daughter are healthy and resting together in room five if you wish to visit."

The stallion quickened his pace and entered the maternity wing. The nurse looked at the two unicorns in the doorway and nodded for them to accompany Soarin.

"Can we go see Rainbow, too?" Twilight asked, much calmer now that she had the assurance that her friend and daughter were okay.

"You can go in, but you'd better wait for Soarin to come out." Redheart replied, looking directly in the direction of the door to the maternity wing.

"That's okay." Twilight replied. Why did she let Soarin come in alone to see Rainbow? Does it have something to do with the medical report Windy read about Rainbow? and why did she tell Soarin... Rainbow and her daughter, and not Rainbow and your daughter?, is that why Rainbow's parents are not here?, is that why she was avoiding them?, what did that medical exam say?. The Princess of Friendship thought about the suspiciousness of the whole thing.

Just as the nurse had predicted, the Pegasus came out of the maternity ward with a straight face and headed straight for the hospital door. Twilight and her friends had to trot to catch up with the stallion.

"Soarin, what happened? How is Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"I'm leaving." That was all Soarin said before he quickened his pace and left the hospital. Then he spread his wings and flew away before Twilight or any of her friends could stop him.

"Oh my... what could have happened?" Fluttershy asked in a worried voice as she watched Soarin fly away.

"I don't know, Fluttershy." Twilight replied, filling her own head with more and more doubts.

"Rainbow and Soarin's relationship is far from perfect, and I know they've fought a lot. I'm sure Rainbow said something that upset Soarin, and he chose to leave rather than make things worse." Added Rarity, who came a little farther back.

"How do you know that, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked her friend.

"I'm on a very strict sleep diet, but when I'm working on my designs, I'm in the habit of going to bed late. Sometimes Soarin would visit me to make my nights... less lonely, so to speak."

"Rarity?" Twilight asked, trying not to picture her friend cheating on Rainbow. Fluttershy just turned completely red.

"Yes Twilight?" Rarity said as she saw Twilight's face torn between confusion and anger, along with Fluttershy's completely red face.

"Twilight please..." Rarity said in an offended tone. "...I am way beyond what you think, he had many fights with Rainbow and would just fly aimlessly over Ponyville, I saw him flying one day and invited him to have a glass of wine and talk about his problems, after that it became a regular thing that when he had a fight with Rainbow or when she kicked him out of the house, he would land in front of my house and we would just talk and have a few glasses of wine until we fell asleep, they really do have a lot of problems in their relationship." She said as she looked in the direction the Pegasus was heading.

"So you and he never..." Twilight tried to ask.

"I can't deny that there were many opportunities, but we never got anywhere. I can attest that he never made any advances or tried to take advantage of me, and over the years I've realized that my tastes in couples go in a different direction, if you know what I mean." Rarity replied, winking at her friend.

"Rarity, are you..." This time, it was Fluttershy who was trying to ask the question.

"I'm, Fluttershy, is there a problem with that?" Rarity asked with a curious expression, knowing what her friends would think of her rather feminine taste in mates.

"Nooo, not at all Rarity, it's just that after all this time..."

"Nopony goes around broadcasting their love life, Fluttershy."

"Rarity's right, but we should check on Rainbow. Maybe she can shed some light on this." Twilight said, heading back to the hospital with her two friends behind her.

When they entered the hospital, Nurse Redheart was waiting for them and it was she who led them to Rainbow, the nurse opened the door with her hoof and let the three mares in, on the bed was Rainbow with a small bundle covered in clothes, she looked very disappointed for a new mother, she was concentrating on the little creature between her hooves and didn't notice when her friends entered.

"Hi Rainbow, how are you?" Twilight asked, smiling.

"Hi girls, come see Equestria's best filly?" Rainbow asked. She quickly changed her expression to a much more cheerful one.

"That's why we're here, dear, but why didn't Soarin want to stay with you for this special moment?, his face didn't look very... cheerful, to say the least." Rarity asked with equal parts curiosity and concern.

"Nothing to worry about." Rainbow replied, avoiding the question entirely. "So you want a look at my brand-new filly?"

"Of course Rainbow, have you thought of a name for her yet?" Twilight asked as she approached expectantly, as did Fluttershy and Rarity.

"We've thought of a few names, but... I think I'll choose from a new list, and... I'll have to move to a new house." Rainbow replied, gently revealing her daughter so her friends could see her. But the little girl's physical appearance surprised her friends much more than they expected. "And what do you think? Isn't she the most beautiful filly in the world?"

Twilight opened and closed her mouth, trying to speak, not knowing what to say beyond the filly's obvious physical appearance compared to Rainbow and Soarin's, Rarity and Fluttershy were equally surprised, all three of them looking confused and looking at each other, none of them really wanting to speak, but the silence was too long for Rainbow or anypony else.

"Is something wrong, girls?" Rainbow asked, confused by her friends' expressions.

"She's... she's... she's... she's... Rarity?" Twilight said, passing all of the responsibility to her alabaster-colored friend.

"ME?... well... she's... she's definitely... something... " Rarity tried to think of a good answer, but nothing came to mind.

"She's beautiful, Rainbow, and whatever names you were thinking of, Discord and I could help you think of some new ones." Fluttershy interrupted. She stepped to Rainbow's side, completely ignoring the filly's appearance and saving the day.

"I had Thunderboom in mind if it was a colt, and Wild Volt if it was a filly."

"When Discord and I thought of a name for Saturn, we couldn't come up with anything. We had to ask for help." Fluttershy said with a chuckle. "Wild is a cute name, and I have a feeling..."

Fluttershy got lost in a conversation with Rainbow about names for fillies. Twilight and Rarity took a few steps back so they could talk privately.

"Rarity, you figured it out too, didn't you?" Twilight asked.

"Of course I did Twilight, I'm not stupid, now I understand why Soarin left without saying anything, to be honest I don't blame him, but Rainbow..."

"Remember, she is the Element of Loyalty." Twilight told Rarity, raising her voice slightly.

"She was... the Element of Loyalty, just like I was the Element of Generosity, or you were the Element of Magic."

"Are you hinting at something Rarity?, Because I can't believe that Rainbow would do such a thing."

"We were the physical manifestations of the elements of friendship, but we're much more than that, I'm generous and I have no problem giving things away, but I also have my limits, and I remember you doubting friendship at times, remember the Seaponies?, besides, you can't deny the facts." Rarity replied with a slight lift of her hoof, pointing at the bed without arousing any suspicion.

"Girls, what are you mumbling about, aren't you going to say hello to my filly?." Rainbow said, calling out to the princess and the unicorn.

"Sorry Rainbow, we'll be right there." Rarity said, coming up beside Twilight to see the little one.

Between Rainbow's hooves was a beautiful filly with a very dark brown almost black coat, a reddish tail, and a mane with a few multicolored curls. You couldn't see her eyes because she was sleeping, and she was showing a big smile, but what she wasn't showing was a pair of wings, as far as you could see the little one was an earth pony.

"And have you thought of a name for... your daughter yet?".

"Well... Fluttershy gave me an idea and I'm going to call her Shadow Fire, you know, because of her dark fur and her red mane and all that. Do you like it?"

"It's a... cute name, and how long will you be in the hospital?" Rarity asked.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Then we'd better get you some rest, I'm sure all this has been very stressful for your body and it's good for you to get some rest. See you tomorrow, Rainbow." Twilight said and left the room. Rarity followed her, dragging a confused Fluttershy with her magic and leaving an even more confused Rainbow lying on her bed.

In the hall, Fluttershy approached Twilight and Rarity.

"You noticed the same thing I did. Didn't you?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"Of course we did, Fluttershy, thanks for helping us in there." Rarity replied.

"Don't worry about it, but what are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked.

"First we should talk to Nurse Redheart. I just hope she can tell us something, then we'll see what to do." Twilight said as she started to walk down the corridor, followed closely by Rarity and Fluttershy.

Redheart was checking a medical chart when she saw the Princess of Friendship approaching with her friends and knew immediately what they wanted to talk to her about. She quickly ordered the charts and hoofed them to one of her companions just before Twilight stopped in front of her.

"Nurse Redheart, we need to talk to you about-" Redheart lifted her hoof, cutting Twilight off.

"I know what you want to talk about, but it's too sensitive and I'd rather do it in my office." Redheart took Rainbow's file from the counter and walked into the small room where she saw her patients, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy came in behind her, then Redheart closed the door and locked it so no one would interrupt them, then she placed Rainbow's file on her desk and began to speak.

"The three of you know that I'm not allowed to talk about your friend's personal life, her medical records, or her sex life, because that would be completely illegal and I could lose my job and go to jail?." Redheart asked, putting his hoof on Rainbow's medical record.

"We want to know what happened, but we don't want to put you at risk. Is there anything you can tell us that isn't illegal? Twilight asked, and the nurse thought for a moment what she could say.

"The little filly is Rainbow's daughter, I know that because I was present at her birth, but as for the father... well... there is still no medical technology to prove the paternity of a stallion and we can only trust the mother's words, there are almost never any problems because the little ones always have the genes of their parents, even if they are from different tribes."

"But that means the father of Rainbow's daughter is not Soarin?" Rarity asked.

"There's no way to prove that, Rarity."

"But Nurse Redheart, I know that there are cases where the foal only has the characteristics of one parent. And there can be cases where the foal is from a different tribe because one of the parents has close relatives who are from a different tribe." Twilight said.

"I know Twilight, and it was the first thing I checked in the records, but anyway, the little one has very few physical traits in common with Rainbow, just a few traces of color in her mane, if it wasn't for the fact that I saw her at birth, I would doubt that she was Rainbow Dash's daughter, a case like this is one in a million, I would even dare say it is the first one in existence that there is a record of."

"But do Rainbow or Soarin have any relatives who are Earth ponies?"

"I can't reveal that information, Fluttershy, that's something you should ask them."

"I understand, Nurse Redheart. Thank you for your time." The princess finished by leaving Nurse Redheart's office and walking towards the hospital doors, accompanied by her two friends.

After leaving the hospital the group stopped, each of them thinking silently for a long time whether it was possible that Rainbow had cheated Soarin.

"So what are we going to do, girls?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"There's not much we can do Twilight. As much as it hurts to admit it, this is a couple's problem and it's only theirs to deal with."

"And what are we supposed to do Rarity?, just keep quiet?, this is our friend we're talking about." Twilight asked annoyed.

"That's exactly my point Twilight, we're involved in a very sensitive matter and we know nothing about what happened, how it happened or why it happened, do you really want to interfere in a friend's personal life and possibly change her course forever, do you think you can handle that responsibility?"

"I'm the Princess of Friendship, I have to do something, I can't just stay."

"I understand what you're saying, and I feel the same way, but let me rephrase my question." Rarity walked over to Twilight and stood in front of her, looking her in the eyes in a serious way, only she had to raise her eyes a little bit because the princess was already taller than her white friend.

"If this ends badly for Soarin, Rainbow or Faust doesn't want it, it ends badly for this beautiful little girl, do you feel able to bear the consequences? knowing that every result was directly caused by your intervention, what will you do if Soarin decides to leave because of an alleged infidelity and thanks to that Rainbow falls into a severe depression and the Children's Services take away their little girl and send her to an orphanage?"

"And would you rather that they live their whole life with doubts?, with Rainbow always living with someone who doesn't respect her?, with Soarin always thinking that she cheated on him and maybe never showing the love that this little filly deserves?."

As soon as they left the hospital, they stopped to talk and think about what they could do, each of them thinking for a long time in silence about what they could do, how they could help, or if it was possible that Rainbow had cheated on Soarin.

"So what are we going to do, girls?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"There's not much we can do Twilight. As much as it hurts to admit it, this is a couple's problem and it's only theirs to deal with."

"And what are we supposed to do Rarity?, just keep quiet?, this is our friend we're talking about." Twilight asked annoyed.

"I'm the Princess of Friendship, I have to do something, I can't just stay."

"If this ends badly for Soarin, Rainbow, or Faust doesn't want it, it ends badly for this beautiful little girl, do you feel able to bear the consequences?, knowing that every result was directly caused by your intervention, what will you do if Soarin decides to leave because of an alleged infidelity and thanks to that Rainbow falls into a severe depression and the foal's Service takes away their little girl and sends her to an orphanage?."

"And would you rather that they live their whole life with doubts? that Rainbow always lives with someone who doesn't respect her? that Soarin always thinks that she cheated on him and maybe never shows the love that this little girl deserves?"

"To be honest I don't know what to do Twilight, I can't imagine the shock Soarin must have felt when he saw that little girl and what he must be thinking now, what Rainbow must have felt when she saw Soarin leaving her in the moment she needed him the most, man... I don't even know if she had any idea this would happen, or if she's hiding her pain, or if she just doesn't care, I..." Rarity said, looking down at the ground, confused and very worried.

"I think the first thing we need to do is talk to Rainbow and let her tell us what happened, and also listen to Soarin, Rarity is right that this is a subject that only concerns her, but just like Twilight, it is impossible for me to stand on my hooves."

The group pondered her words for a moment.

"Fluttershy is right, and so are you, Twilight. We can't just sit on our hooves, we have to do something." Rarity said, speaking first.

"You're also right about one thing Rarity, and it's something very important, and that is that we're getting involved in a problem that doesn't belong to us, we know very little about the relationship between Rainbow and Soarin, and as you told us yourself, if they have a very rocky relationship and Soarin often visited your house to talk, it's possible that Rainbow did something similar on her part."

"And what do we do then?" Fluttershy asked.

"We'll use Fluttershy's idea, we'll be as discreet as possible and talk to them, find out if they can tell us anything and if we can help, I don't want to have to decide tomorrow whether to let the little foal live in a wrecked house or an orphanage, I won't let it happen if I can prevent it." Twilight said firmly.

"Then I'll talk to Rainbow. I've known her since she was little, and if she cheated on Soarin, even if it wasn't intentional, I know it'll be easier for her to tell me than it will be for you." Fluttershy said.

"I really hope that's not the case, I'll talk to Soarin, I know him better than the two of you and I know he won't do anything stupid, but if he leaves Ponyville we'll never be able to find him, so at least I'll stop him from leaving town until we sort this whole thing out." Rarity added.

"I'll go to Cloudsdale, talk to Rainbow's parents, see if they know anything." Twilight finished.

"Rainbow's parents?" Fluttershy asked, confused.

"Didn't you notice?, my dear, they didn't come to see their daughter."

"Rarity's right, I find it very strange that they didn't come. They must know something that we don't." Twilight said.

"I hope this is all just a big misunderstanding." Fluttershy said.

"I don't know Fluttershy, they have a lot of problems in their relationship, I often thought the only reason they were together was because Rainbow was pregnant, you know better than anyone Rainbow's personality and how impulsive she can be, remember what happened in Rainbow Fall and Daring Do book?, can you trust her loyalty totally?." Rarity asked the yellow Pegasus, completely doubting her friend's innocence.

"Remember girls, we can't work on assumptions, we don't know anything about what happened, we have to let them tell us their versions if they even want to, use your tact and no pressure or prejudice, if Rainbow did something wrong she must have had her reasons, even if it was just loneliness and a bottle of cider, if it wasn't the case we have to clear it up so Soarin doesn't lose his trust in Rainbow."

"Don't think it's all Rainbow's fault either. Remember, a relationship is built between two ponies." Rarity said.

"Best of luck, girls. Let's hope for the best for each pony."

Twilight said, making her two friends nod their heads and quickly walk away. The Princess used her magic and vanished with a purple flash.

At the entrance of Cloudsdale the Princess of Friendship appeared in a purple flash, she could not remember where Rainbow's parents lived, but after a few questions to the Pegasus who bowed to greet her she was able to find the house without a problem, she knocked on the door a few times and stepped back waiting for it to open, she was very nervous.

"Yes?, Princess Twilight?, to what do we owe your visit to our home?." Bow Hothoof asked in surprise.

"Greetings, is your wife home?, I want to know if I can talk to you about something." Twilight asked with a smile. She was a princess in every sense of the word, but she never liked to use her title to get things and preferred to respect certain boundaries.

"Of course princess, go ahead." The Pegasus said, stepping aside to allow Twilight to enter.

"Thank you." Twilight said and stepped into the house, but as she did so, her horn collided with the door frame, causing a slight rattle and a bit of pain. "Sorry." She said, lowering her head and entering the house a little embarrassed. She was obviously having a hard time getting used to her still developing body.

"Darling, you'll never guess who's visiting!" Hothoof called to his wife, who was in the kitchen.

"Who is it dear?, is it the scammer who sold us the cloud mower?, because if it is, I have some things to-." Windy came out of the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the Princess of Friendship in her house. She knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

Soarin was in the room where he had spent the nights with Rainbow, the nights where he could sleep with her in his hooves, or at least together, many times he preferred to sleep on the sofa because of the arguments they had, and other times he had a glass or two of wine and slept on Rarity's sofa, she was a very good friend, too bad she had other tastes, next to the Pegasus were two bags where he had packed his few belongings.

He sat at the end of the bed for a long time, looking at the emptiness and wondering if he had made the right decisions or not, if what he had done was right or wrong, if something he had done had led Rainbow to the hooves of another stallion, or if they were just good friends who had made a bad decision after a few bottles and moved on thinking it was the right thing to do, Soarin got out of bed and picked up a picture frame that showed him wearing a giant hat with the number two on it, and Rainbow next to him laughing out loud while wearing a much bigger hat with the number one on it. He looked at the picture and remembered that day with a smile.

He had visited Las Pegasus with Rainbow and participated in a strange competition of eating spicy apples, he was not a lover of spicy apples but anything was valid to make his friend smile, with his right wing he caressed the photo and remembered his friend that day, Rainbow was a very good friend, life was much simpler when they were simple friends, Soarin tried to remember when things got complicated.

Without warning, a small rock appeared through the wall of clouds and hit him right in the forehead. It made him lose his concentration and caused him some pain.

"Ouch!" He said, leaving the picture where it was and rubbing his forehead. Then he saw another small stone go through the wall the same way, but to his side. "What?" His technical knowledge of rocks let him know that a mineral like this did not have enough aerodynamics to fly without some kind of external propulsion, which could only mean one thing.

He approached the window and opened it to stick his head out to find out who was attacking him, and on the ground he could see a white figure next to a small pile of rocks. He flew out of the window and came gliding down until he landed in front of the mysterious alabaster figure.

"Rarity, may I ask why you attacked me with a rock?" He asked confused.

"I'm sorry, the house is very far away and it's hard for me to aim, also, how do clouds work?, are they solid?, are they liquid?, because clouds are condensed liquids, aren't they?, I'm actually curious... do you think they can be used to make a dress?." The unicorn asked.

"What do you want, Rarity?" Soarin said.

"I want to know how you feel and stop you from doing something stupid." She said worriedly.

"And why would you want to do that?."

"Because I'm your friend and I care about you, isn't that a good enough reason?"

"Look at Rainbow's daughter and then ask me how I feel." The stallion said angrily.

"I've already seen her, she's really beautiful, too bad she doesn't look like either of her parents." This seemingly innocent joke turned out to be a very bad choice of words, as the Pegasus took it very badly and spread his wings to get ready to fly.

"Wait!" Rarity said almost screaming, stopping the Pegasus from taking off.

"What." The stallion said much more annoyed. He was really angry, and you could tell that he had to control himself not to yell at his friend.

"I'm sorry if that sounded insensitive of me, I promise it wasn't my intention, don't do anything you might regret later, please let's go to my place and talk, tell me how you feel." Rarity walked over to the stallion and put her hoof on his shoulder. She showed him her big, captivating eyes, and you could really feel the concern in her words.

Soarin sighed to calm down a bit and started to walk in the direction of Rarity's boutique. He didn't need any subtleties to know what Rarity wanted to talk about.

"Thank you." The unicorn said to herself, very slowly, before she started walking next to the stallion.

Fluttershy had entered the hospital and had gone to see Nurse Redheart to find out if she could stay longer than she was allowed to talk to Rainbow about a personal matter. Redheart knew exactly what she wanted to talk about and told her she could stay all night if necessary, and after thanking her, she went through the maternity wing to Rainbow Dash's room.

As she opened the door, she saw the Pegasus gently combing her daughter's mane with a small brush that had been provided by the nurses, she smiled broadly, knowing that such a beautiful creature was a part of her, when Rainbow heard the door open, she looked up to see her oldest friend.

"Hi Fluttershy, I thought you weren't going to be back until tomorrow, did you know that when foals are born they have these weird things on their hooves called Fairy Fingers?, the nurse told me they were to stop their hooves damaging my uterus when it was inside me and they fell off quickly after birth, but what are the fingers?."

"Yes, I knew that, Rainbow. Many mammals have an interesting development inside the womb, and no, I don't know what fingers are." The yellow Pegasus replied as she walked up to her light blue friend.

"I should read a book about that one day, and what brings you here?, you still don't have enough Shadow fire in your life?, one day this little girl will rule the world and you'll have to stand in a long line just to say hello." Rainbow said, proud of her daughter and the bright future she had ahead of her.

"I'd rather visit you when you're home. I'm not very good at standing in crowds." Fluttershy replied.

"What's wrong Fluttershy?, you sound strange." Rainbow asked her friend.

"Rainbow... we need to talk."

Fluttershy said as she approached Rainbow and sat down on a chair in front of the bed. The light blue Pegasus' face slowly changed from one of happiness to one of seriousness, she also knew what her friend wanted to talk about.

Author's Note

:derpyderp2: Read and comment. :derpyderp1:

I know the chapter is much longer than expected, but it has a lot of content, it explains a bit about ClearBloom and the changelings, along with the story of Celestia and her son, and in case anyone asks, NO, the father is not Shining Armor XD, is the guard who ended up marrying Celestia, he still works as a guard and Celestia helps Twilight in matters related to the changelings and sometimes in the castle nursery, she likes to read foal`s stories to the little ones.

Fun Fact: The colors of the changelings visually reflect their personality, like Thorax and his green, which reflects his youthful attitude and desire for peace and quiet in his environment, or the light blue of Ocellus and his peaceful personality, loyal and competent and hard at work, or the case of Throat and his purple colors for his constant hints to tell his brother to act like the king that he is, or his color similar to a dark green, which reflects his desire to protect the hive.

That's why I considered yellow and light green for Red Bug, because of her energetic personality, her love of nature and her desire to always try new things.

And as I told you in the previous chapter, I will leave it up to you to discuss what happened here.

Why the filly is an almost black earth pony with a red mane?, Did Rainbow really cheat on Soarin?, if so, why did she do it?, does she feel guilty about it?, or is it just genetics playing against her?.

In this case, will there be any relatives in Soarin's or Rainbow's family tree that are earth ponies?, or relatives that have similar colors?, Remember that the Cake Twins are a Pegasus and a Unicorn born of two parents that are earth ponies.

And what will Soarin do in this case?, will he leave Rainbow because she cheated on him?, will he forgive her?, will he visit his illegitimate daughter without showing any appreciation to Rainbow?, or will he want to continue with her but he feels no attachment to this little girl?, and if she really is his daughter, will he feel guilty for not trusting his girlfriend?, will he believe that she is his daughter without any way to prove it?, will there be a stallion out there with the same colors?.

And what do Rainbow's parents have to do in all of this?, what did the medical exam say?, is there any evidence of any kind to support or disprove the paternity of this filly?, or is it just anger because she reminds Windy Whistles that her daughter has been avoiding her and these are simple urine and blood tests.

These are just a few of the thousands of questions that exist in this whole controversial matter. Now it is up to you to decide the future of this filly and her parents. :pinkiecrazy:

So read it all you want. And ask your friends...

What does Windy Whistles know? :pinkiegasp:
What did Rainbow Dash do? :rainbowderp:
And what will Soarin do? :twilightoops:

I'm going to leave the story on hiatus for a few days so you can read it and think about it. Of course, I won't be sleeping in my oatmeal because I'll be working on another story I have in mind.

See you in a few days and let's see what you write in the comments. I'm sure it will be very interesting. :twilightsmile:

I don't remember if I commented it but I don't want to have chapters of more than 10k words, and I think I did it perfectly. :rainbowlaugh:

What do you know?.

"Princess." Windy said, feigning surprise. "It's a pleasure to welcome you to our humble abode, to what do we owe the pleasure of having you visit?"

"I'm sorry to tell you that this is not a pleasant visit, there is a..." Twilight thought of the best word to describe the whole affair. "...a medical situation concerning Rainbow's pregnancy, and I would like to know if you can shed any light on the matter."

Bow and Windy looked at each other for a few seconds and nodded.

"Would you like a drink while we talk?" The stallion asked.

"Thank you." Twilight replied, following Windy and sitting down at the table in front of the Pegasus. Bow went to the kitchen to boil some water, then came back and sat down at the table next to his wife.

"The water will be ready in a minute."

"I appreciate it, and how have you been, since I've been ruling beside Luna, I haven't had much free time for social visits."

"There's not much to complain about, just some changelings that tried to live here, but unlike Pegasus or Griffon, they can't walk on clouds, but we managed to make some arrangements and were able to adapt the foundations of some houses with wooden beams, as well as some buildings and most of the streets, and you have something new to report?, I can tell by your face that your job is very stressful."

"A little, at first I had a hard time adjusting to the change of pace and moving the sun requires a huge amount of magic but over the years I managed to get used to it. I'm surprised that Celestia hasn't had a psychotic break like Luna over the centuries, or at least not one caused by the whole Chrysalis and Clear Spark incident."

"Maybe she always saw reigning alone as some kind of penance for what happened to Princess Luna. It must not have been easy for her to banish her sister..."

The sound of the kettle interrupted Windy as he spoke, and Bow rose from the table toward the kitchen, but the mare tapped him on the shoulder before the stallion retreated.

"Bring you know what." The mare said, she wasn't an avid drinker but she knew the conversation could get dense and she wanted to be prepared.

"The big one or the little one?" The stallion asked.

"The big one." Windy replied and her husband nodded his head.

Bow Hothoof went into the kitchen and returned after a few minutes with three cups of tea and placed them on the table, then circled the table and stopped in front of a bookcase, looked at the books and picked up a large one and took out a bottle hidden behind it, leaving a very confused Twilight.

"You're hiding booze in your own house?

"It's a habit we picked up during Rainbow's teenage years, sometimes she would steal a bottle or two from us, we didn't mind her drinking, we were teenagers too, the problem is that she doesn't have any self-control when it comes to alcohol." The stallion replied, putting the bottle down on the table before sitting down next to his wife.

"There are ponies that can handle alcohol and there are ponies that can't, and my daughter is in the second group, you've seen her behavior when there's alcohol in her system." Windy added, and Twilight remembered how Rainbow used to react on the days when AppleJack sold her special cider, and how sad and desperate she would get when she couldn't drink a drop. She wasn't the town drunk, but she did have a drinking problem.

"This bottle was sent to me by a friend who lives in Saddle Arabia." The stallion said, adding some of its contents to his cup of tea, "It gives an extra buck to anything it's added to." Windy brought her cup closer and her husband added a small amount as well before offering some to the princess. She cordially declined the invitation.

"So, Princess, do you want to keep chatting, or do you want to get right to the point?" Windy said taking a sip from her cup, her tone direct but friendly.

"I want to talk to you about Rainbow Dash."

"We know, but what exactly do you want to know?" Now it was Bow who asked the question.

"A few things that caught my attention, but first I want to let you know that Rainbow has given birth to a beautiful baby girl and that they are both doing well."

"We're glad to hear that."

"But there is a problem with... I don't know how to say it, and I hope you don't take this as insulting to your daughter, but... Soarin has doubts about Rainbow's... loyalty to him."

"What do you mean?" Windy asked with a confused look on her face. Twilight looked down, wondering how to talk about such a sensitive subject.

"Even though the little one has no health problems, she doesn't share any physical characteristics with Soarin, or even with Rainbow Dash, the little one is a black earth pony with a reddish mane and tail, Nurse Redheart was able to guarantee Rainbow's motherhood because she was present during the birth, but she said that this only happens once in a million."

"That your daughter doesn't look like you is a hard blow for every parent. How did Soarin take it? Bow asked.

"He didn't take it very well, he just left the hospital without saying anything. Right now Rarity is talking to him to find out how he's feeling so he doesn't do anything stupid."

"You think he would hurt our daughter?" Windy asked worriedly.

"No, but Rarity knows him best. She knows that if he leaves Ponyville, we'll never be able to find him."

Twilight took a sip from her mug and rested for a couple of seconds before resuming her speech.

"I don't know if I should tell you this, but... Rainbow and Soarin have a rather... dysfunctional relationship, and from what Rarity told me, the fights were always started by Rainbow. I know them both, but I've never heard anything from Rainbow or Soarin, but I'm inclined to believe Rarity is telling the truth."

"You know as well as I do that our daughter is very impulsive, she has a strong temper and her patience leaves a lot to be desired. Coupled with the hormonal and rhythm changes, I wouldn't be surprised if they fight from time to time, I know from experience." Windy replied.

"Yes, I think you're right." Twilight replied, sipping at her tea again. She wondered if Windy would give her a different answer if she knew that they fought almost every day and that Rarity knew all about it because Soarin often slept over at her boutique.

"I remember something from my biology class about the genetics of ponies, and how some genes are dominant over others to give a certain trait to a foal when it develops in its mother, so if the parents are of different races the little one will have unique traits from one of its parents. For example, if the father is a unicorn and the mother is a pegasus, the child will be a unicorn or a pegasus because the gene that determines the race is dominant and it is always one or the other. Do you have any relatives who are from a different tribe or who have physical characteristics that are similar to those of the daughter of Rainbow?, dark coat or reddish mane?"

The two of them thought for a long moment about whether they knew of any relatives who looked anything like what the princess was describing.

"The only one I can remember is a distant uncle who had reddish hair. But the rest of my family has always been light-colored, and as far as I know, they've all been Pegasus." Bow Hothoof replied.

"I have an orange mane like my mother. I'm sure all the mares in my family and most of the stallions have lived in Cloudsdale, and we've all been treated at the same clinic, including Rainbow." Windy added.

"Is that why you read your daughter's medical report?" Twilight asked suspiciously, bringing up the open letter that Windy had given to her a short time ago. "I'm sorry to ask this way, but intercepting somepony else's correspondence and reading it is a crime. I need an answer."

"I admit it was a mistake, all my life I've seen Dr. Mustard, and many times to avoid waiting for my test results he sent them to my house, when I saw it was from the clinic I was sure it was mine and I opened the envelope not knowing it was from Rainbow, but I assure you the information inside is routine, hormone levels, blood flow and such."

"I understand, I know she is your daughter, but what you did is still wrong, you should look more closely the next time you receive correspondence, I am sorry to use this tone with you, but I need you to understand that what you did was inappropriate." Twilight said a little annoyed and in a reprimanding tone.

"I know Princess, it won't happen again." Windy replied with obvious remorse.

"Don't worry, I won't press charges for now." Twilight said, calming her temper in a much friendlier tone. "So that is how you found out that Rainbow was pregnant?"

"Not really, we knew months ago." The stallion replied.

"Then how did you find out that she was pregnant?" Twilight asked confused.

"From the newspaper, when one of Equestria's heroes and the main character of the Wonderbolts turns out to be pregnant, it is not something that goes unnoticed by the reporters." The mare replied.

"Besides, we were reminded of it almost daily by the constant stream of congratulations from our friends, neighbors, and ponies at the market." The stallion added.

"But she's your daughter and today was a special day for her, why didn't you go to the hospital?

"When Soarin told us the news, he also asked us not to go to the hospital to see our daughter." The stallion replied.

"But why?"

"We're proud of her, but she didn't want us to go there," Windy replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Rainbow has been avoiding us at all costs since she found out she was pregnant, like the other day when I went to visit her and she wasn't home, we used to see Rainbow every month but for a little over a year now she has been avoiding us and when Soarin gave us the news he said she was very upset to hear he was coming to tell us, sure she told him not to tell us anything so she wouldn't get stressed and have a problem during the delivery but he felt it was the right thing to tell us anyway." Bow replied.

"But why is she avoiding you, did something bad happen between you two?" Twilight asked worriedly. She thought that maybe Rainbow's parents didn't approve of their daughter's pregnancy, and maybe that's why she fights with Soarin all the time, because he wanted her parents to know, maybe she feels that no one supports her.

"We know our daughter and there are only two reasons for her to avoid us, that she's angry because we forbid her to do something or because she's ashamed, it's been years since we can tell our daughter how she should live her life, so I think you as well as we can imagine this answer."

"I understand..." Twilight thought about the mare's words for a long moment. If what she said was true, there could only be one reason for Rainbow's attitude, and if it was, this answer would connect all the dots and even if she didn't want to ask the next question, she had to ask it anyway.

"You're her parents, and you know Rainbow better than anyone. Do you think she's ch... done anything inappropriate?" she asked. The princess asked without knowing if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

The Pegasus looked directly at the princess for a long moment without saying a word, then she drank all of the tea in her cup in one gulp.

"Twilight, please come with me." The mare said in a serious tone, getting up from the table and walking up the stairs on her way to Rainbow's old room. The princess, not knowing what Windy wanted, got up a few seconds later and followed her, Bow knowing where they were going decided to stay seated and pour more liquor into his cup.

At the top of the stairs, Windy waited for the princess to approach. When she reached her side, opened the door to the room and motioned for the princess to enter.

Twilight slowly walked in and could see that several trophies were stored in a box, and their place were children's books, toys, and clothes for foals, some new and some used, there were even some small sweaters that you could see were hoof knitted, on Rainbow's bed were several packages of diapers for newborns and a huge box that could only be from a crib, Windy closed the door so her husband wouldn't hear anything and approached the princess.

"What is all this?" Twilight asked.

"When we found out our daughter was pregnant, we were very excited, it's not every day you find out you're going to be a grandmother, but we were also very disappointed because we found out when we read the newspaper. It's also not very nice to find out your daughter hid her pregnancy from you, but anyway, she's still our daughter and we're going to help her in any way we can." Windy replied.

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me." Twilight said.

"I love my daughter as a mother and no matter what happens I will be on her side, if I have to lie to save her I will do it, if I have to fight with you to save her I will do it, if I have to destroy my marriage so that my daughter can have a better life have no doubt I will do it, you knew her very well these years but I know her much better, I gave her life, I nursed her, I changed her diapers, I tucked her in at night, I brushed her mane, I taught her to fly, so in answer to your question, no. ... my daughter is not capable of cheating Soarin. " The mare said in a serious tone with conviction, making every word count.

"I understand... I'm sorry to bother you." Said the princess in a low and somewhat concerned tone. She left the room and went downstairs to the door to leave the house and return to Ponyville.

"Princess Twilight." Hothoof called to the princess before she walked out the door, causing the princess to stop and turn her head

"Yes?" Twilight asked quietly as the Pegasus pulled another bottle out of the books.

"I don't know exactly what my wife said to you, but I can imagine her words, and I know my daughter isn't the smartest pony in Equestria, but she's not stupid either, and she wouldn't throw it all out the window for a night of fun. The boy is a good Pegasus, and my daughter knows it." Bow approached Twilight with the bottle in his hoof.

"What's that for?" The princess asked, referring to the bottle the pegasus was carrying.

"I promised Soarin I would give him this bottle the day he became a father, but..." The stallion sighed with a glance at the label on the bottle. "But I guess it will be up to him now if he decides to accept it or not." He finished and hoofed the bottle to the princess.

Without saying a word, Twilight took the bottle with her magic and left the house. She opened her wings to take flight when she felt herself being called.

"What's her name?" Windy asked as she came out of the house.

"Excuse me?" Twilight asked, not understanding what she was being asked.

"Our granddaughter, what's she called?" Windy asked, standing next to her husband.

"Oh... her name is Shadow Fire." Twilight replied.

"That's a pretty name." Windy said.

"Yes... it is... It's something Rainbow would choose for her daughter." Twilight said with a smile.

"Yes, it is." Windy replied with a smile as well.

"Thanks for your time and hospitality." Twilight said before leaving for Ponyville.

The journey from Cloudsdale to Ponyville was a little long, and Twilight could get there in seconds if she used her magic, but she decided to fly instead, thinking about what Bow and Windy said.

She learned a few important things from talking to her friend's parents, like that Rainbow's whole family was pure Pegasus, surely there were some earth ponies and unicorns in their family tree. These days, everyone had uncles, cousins, siblings, grandparents, and others who were from another tribe, and it would be ridiculous to think that anyone had a completely pure lineage, but Rainbow's parents didn't have any that they could remember, They don't remember having a dark relative either, but they do have a relative on Bow Hothoof's side with a red mane, but it's too far away to tell, and his mother has a two-tone orange mane. These two pieces of information would make the birth of one in a million possible over Shadow Fire's reddish mane, but that doesn't explain his dark coat, much less his being an earth pony.

There was also what Windy and Bow had said about their daughter avoiding them because she was embarrassed; earlier, Rainbow had shown a similar attitude to her parents when she became a Wonderbolt, and she didn't want them to attend her presentations because they got too effusive, She had some reason not to tell them because once they even brought fireworks and almost caused an accident, but back then she didn't avoid them in the same way as now, much less for so long and not for something as important as she was going to be a mother, she knew her parents would find out eventually, and didn't explain why she specifically asked Soarin not to tell them.

It was also known that Rainbow was very impulsive and often did things without thinking and ended up regretting the consequences, like when she wanted to stop the winter to avoid losing Tank, or when she accidentally traded Fluttershy for a Daring Doo book, or when she told her that she had accidentally become pregnant, knowing very well that a pregnancy was not "accidental", there was a long list of things that showed how impulsive the light blue Pegasus was.

She was the only one of her friends who had marked the beginning of the cider season in her calendar, just like AppleJack. But the farm pony was justified, because it was one of her star products, and the ponies lined up endlessly to taste the delicious drink, Rainbow was almost always in the first row and ordered enough jars for a regiment.

Rainbow might have done something impulsive under the influence of alcohol and that's why she avoided her parents, knowing that they would find out immediately?, but what if it was all a simple misunderstanding and just a genetic roulette prank?.

And finally, the way Windy answered all the questions, and that Bow gave her a bottle of wine for Soarin, but let him decide whether to accept it or not, they must have known something and lied to her to protect their daughter, they were her parents after all, and if what Windy Whistles had told her was true, it would be useless to keep asking them questions, everything gave the impression that they somehow knew the truth about Shadow Fire's paternity, no, the truth was definitely inside, but both gave her indirect answers, leaving her with the same questions, only they were kind enough to add one more question to that list.

Soarin would accept the bottle?.

Author's Note

I didn't expect this chapter to take so long, but there are some people living in my house who are part of a tribe called "Family" :pinkiegasp: .
It was a good vacation. :twilightblush:

I took the idea from the comments and I'm going to do it with the next two chapters. The next one will be about Soarin and Rarity, to finish with the truth in the chapter about Rainbow Dash's daughter.

But it's up to you: Was Rainbow unfaithful, or is it really the genetics that are playing against our dear Pegasus? :rainbowderp:

Will Soarin stay with Rainbow?, and under what conditions, father?, friend?, or will he leave her? :twilightoops:

I promise that the next chapter won't take so long and I'll see you in a few days (for real this time :rainbowlaugh: ).

What are you going to do?.

Rarity walked with Soarin through the streets of Ponyville towards the boutique without saying a word, the Pegasus had a serious and focused look on his face, one could easily imagine his mind working at full speed, but... what about his heart?

Rarity, for her part, felt her heart squeeze and her eyes jumped from the road to the Pegasus' face, searching for a way to lower his defenses even if it was just the slightest to be able to talk, this last year she had gotten to know Soarin very well, his strong personality, his level of empathy, how he pursued his dreams even though he often risked too much, How he talked about his family and how much he cherished them, how she sometimes saw him playing with the little ones in Ponyville and how he was always ready to help anypony who asked him. He also had an impressive physique thanks to his work in the Wonderbolt, she appreciated him a lot and didn't like to see him suffer.

When they arrived at the boutique, Soarin opened the door and walked in, followed by Rarity who used her magic to close the door behind her, the Pegasus liked this place because whenever he went in his muscles relaxed and his heart rate calmed down, he knew this place very well and knew that he could sleep peacefully and that no pony would judge him, this place felt more like home than Rainbow's own house where he had been living for the last few months.

"Would you like a drink?" Rarity asked on her way to her study.

"Do you have any Pinot left?" Soarin asked as he followed her out.

"I'm afraid I'm out, but I do have some Rose." Rarity replied.

"I don't like Rose, she's a bit neurotic and gets scared too easily." Soarin said.

"Shame, she's cute, too bad she's married, I also have Merlot."

"Where'd you get a bottle?" Soarin asked, feigning surprise.

"I made it." Rarity replied proudly.

"And how did you make it?"

"Raisins, sugar, toilet water and magic." Rarity replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Isn't that cheating?"

"What, the use of magic?" Rarity asked curiously.

"No, the use of toilet water." Soarin replied.

They both laughed for a second as they finished their little word game, something they always did before they had a drink, where they started with something simple and could end up with the wildest idea in the world, Rarity liked to see that the Pegasus could laugh for at least a few seconds after what happened, but unfortunately she knew that this little laugh wouldn't last long, and the Pegasus knew exactly the same thing.

"I'm going to the kitchen to get some glasses while you choose something to drink. I'll be right back." Rarity half turned and went to the kitchen. Soarin went to the study to get a drink and relax.

The Pegasus had been here many times and knew the place very well, plus he already had Rarity's trust and could take certain liberties when choosing a bottle or reviewing her next clothing designs, something Rarity was jealous to protect, but more than once she showed them to Soarin and asked for his opinion from a male point of view on certain sketches. Sometimes he also served as a model so the unicorn could work on outfits with wings.

As Rarity walked towards the kitchen, she could hear someone with a soft voice singing a beautiful melody. When she entered, she saw her little sister reading a cookbook, and on the counter she had many different ingredients.

"Hi Sweetie, what are you cooking?" Rarity asked as she grabbed a couple of wine glasses.

"Hi Rarity, I'm trying to make a salad, and how did everything go at the hospital? I'm sure Soarin and Rainbow must be very happy with their new little one, or is it a girl?". Sweetie Belle asked as she leafed through the recipe book, making sure not to miss a single word.

"Not quite..." Rarity's answer was one of obvious concern.

"Why is that, what happened?" Sweetie asked worriedly. She looked up from the book and turned her head to see her older sister thinking the worst.

Rarity thought for a moment how she was going to tell Sweetie what had happened, it wouldn't do to hide what had happened as she would find out eventually and it would be better if it came from her mouth as she had a little more information.

"Rainbow had a beautiful baby girl, but she doesn't share any physical traits with Soarin or Rainbow. She's a dark, almost black earth pony with a red mane and a multicolored streak, and if Sister Redheart hadn't been present at the birth, it wouldn't have been possible to confirm that the little girl was Rainbow's daughter, but in Soarin's case..." Rarity looked at the cups and wondered how the stallion would feel.

"Oh... And how is he taking it?" Sweetie asked.

"Not too well, he's in the study now and we'll talk about it."

"I'll come too." The young unicorn said as she closed the cookbook and put the chopped vegetables away in the fridge.

"Thanks, but you don't have to." Rarity said with a smile.

"Rarity, I'm telling you I'm coming too, he's my friend too and I'm worried about his feelings too, don't you think at a time like this he needs to feel accompanied? to see that he doesn't feel alone? I want to talk to him, I want him to see that he can count on me too, just like he can count on you." Sweetie Belle told her older sister with clear concern and determination, feeling every word she said. Of course, she had other intentions that her older sister did not suspect.

"Guess you're right, but not booze for you." Rarity said as she walked towards the study, two glasses floating in the air thanks to her magic.

"But I'm legal now." Sweetie protested, raising her voice.

"My house, my rules."

"Fineee!!!, I'm going to make myself some tea and I'll be there in a minute." Sweetie replied annoyed. But before she went to the study, she had to go to her room.

In the study, Soarin went through the liquor bottles looking for something special, and even though Rarity had taught him a few things about wines and the situations in which they were usually consumed, he needed something stronger. He found a bottle that he had brought with him a few months ago and that they had been saving for when they needed it, and it was just what he needed now.

"Have you found something to drink yet? Or do you need some help?" Rarity asked as she walked into the study.

"I found this bottle I brought a few months ago." The Pegasus replied, showing the bottle to her friend, who quickly examined it.

"La-ven-ven-ganza- del Escor-pion." The unicorn read the label as best she could. It was clearly a bottle imported from a faraway place, and she was surprised by the number on the bottom. "Seventy degrees? Don't you think that's a little strong?" She asked intrigued.

"Just like my day." The Pegasus replied in a serious tone.

"I guess these glasses are useless now, I'll get some more suitable glasses for this poison and some juice. I don't want to end up as a statistic." Rarity added, turning in the direction of the kitchen.

A minute later, Rarity returned with a couple of glasses and a pitcher of orange juice and placed them on the table, then sat down on the sofa in front of Soarin. The Pegasus subtly opened the bottle with one of her wings, while the unicorn poured some juice into both glasses.

Soarin looked at Rarity with a bit of annoyance because she added some juice to his glass, but the unicorn looked back at him and let him know that she would not allow him to drink a liquor of that caliber without something to buffer it. Their mental battle was intense, but after a few seconds the pegasus gave in and added some liquor to both glasses, only in his glass he added a bit more than what the unicorn would have poured.

Rarity magically levitated her glass and took a sip, tilting her head sideways at the intensity of the taste. "By Faust, this stuff is strong." She said as she put her glass back down on the table. "I think the juice will be useless." She added, making the bottle disappear with her magic.

"Indeed it is, but it doesn't have a bad taste." Soarin also tasted the liquor with the juice, only he was more used to drinking stronger liquors.

"It's not bad, it's just that I would have it in a cocktail or in case of need."

"Like now, for example." The Pegasus said, lowering his gaze and thinking about what had happened.

Rarity looked at him carefully for a moment and he looked much less upset and more thoughtful and a bit calmer, the walk to the boutique together with the knowledge that he was now in a safe place helped his heart to slow down a bit, all that was left was that he wanted to talk.

"It's not going to help me to ask you how you've been, because unfortunately I know, so I'm going to be a little more direct." Rarity took another sip from the glass and repeated the same gesture as she had the last time, but to a lesser extent. "How are you feeling?"

Soarin looked into the void between his hooves. He tried in vain to find the answer there, but found only more questions.

*How do I feel?, hurt?, sad?, betrayed?, angry?*,...the stallion asked himself.

Rarity looked at him in silence for a long moment, waiting for him to start the conversation. But it seemed that this was not going to be the case.

"You know... Talking about these things always helps, and I know that from experience." She was telling the truth, hundreds of travels for business and pleasure had given her a lot of experience in the field of love. She didn't have Princess Cadance's ability to discover the love of one pony for another with a simple glance and make it blossom with a quick spell, though she would have loved to be able to do that, But she was a romantic at heart and she knew it very well, and because of her work, she was involved in some relationships that were more liberal than others, which gave her the fun she was looking for, but inevitably ended tragically. This kind of relationship never creates the necessary bonds for such love to blossom beyond sexual attraction and the superficial tastes of the moment.

"What do you mean?" Soarin asked intrigued.

"I've never told anyone, but I've had my love affairs, and to say that they ended badly would be... Let's just say that I may be many things, but a home wrecker will never be one of them." Rarity replied taking another sip from her glass, obviously not as strong as a few drinks ago.

"And why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I trust you, and I know you won't tell anypony. And just so you know, not everyone's life is painted in pink, I dipped my hoof in the mud, but I managed to get out and clean up as best I could, and you should do the same."

Soarin thought about her friend's words for a long time until they heard the door to the study open and saw a cheerful Sweetie Belle enter with a cup of tea in her magic.

"Hi Soarin, sorry to hear about what happened." The young unicorn said as she approached the small coffee table.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, what are you doing here?" Soarin asked.

"Rarity told me a little bit about what happened, and I'm sorry, but as your friend I also want to give you my support and have a talk with you about the whole thing... unless you don't think I'm your friend." The young unicorn answered the Pegasus' question, knowing that he wouldn't refuse her presence, after all, she had practiced those very words a few minutes before.

"No, yes, of course we are, have a seat and thank you." The Pegasus replied.

"Thank you." Sweetie said in a subtle way sitting down on the same couch as Soarin, only in the opposite corner.

Rarity was watching her little sister the whole time, she had brushed her mane, washed her face and hooves, and was wearing a subtle fruity scented perfume. If it had been any other mare, she would have found it all very suspicious, but she, like her little sister, always took care to look as presentable as possible, and surely Sweetie did it for that very reason.

"So how do you feel?" Sweetie asked as she took a sip of her tea.

"I'm upset, how do you expect me to feel?" Soarin replied with a raised voice and anger in his eyes.

"Soarin, please calm down." Rarity said, trying to calm the Pegasus down.

"How am I supposed to calm down?. My marefriend just had another stallion's baby and half the town will know about it in less than a week." Soarin said, almost yelling at her friend.

"I know you're upset, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't yell at me." Rarity said.

"Upset? I'm furious Rarity, today I found out that the pony I lived with was unfaithful to me, she doesn't seem to care and besides..."

"I'd be furious too if I found out my coltfriend was cheating on me, I'd want to punch him in the face with all my might and break his snout." Added Sweetie Belle.

"Sweet Belle!" Rarity said in surprise. "I can't believe you would say such a thing."

"And why not?, I'm sure you would do something like that as well, I'm just being honest." The young unicorn replied, preventing Rarity from being able to answer that, after all, she had done things like that in the past.

"That may be so, but this is neither the time nor the place for you to say things like that."

Soarin sat back on the couch and thought about what had happened, he was angry about what Rainbow had done and he had all the reasons in the world to be, but he had a strange feeling in his head, like he knew something was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it. Rarity looked at him carefully and remembered his conversation with Twilight, Fluttershy and Sister Redheart, it was possible that it was all a misunderstanding and she preferred to believe that, but if she wanted to help them she had to get Soarin's side of the story and the only way to do that was to ask him some difficult questions and she didn't know how to ask them.

She didn't want to upset the Pegasus any more than he already was, but if there was a real possibility that Shadow Fire was a genetic anomaly, she should ask. After all, Twilight was right, the little girl's future was the priority.

But first she had to tell Soarin what Nurse Redheart had told her.

"Soarin dear, I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I know this is the worst time to ask you this, but this little girl's future is at stake and I need to ask you some questions."

Soarin and Sweetie watched the unicorn. She spoke very seriously, which meant that what she said next was of the utmost importance.

"First of all, I have to tell you that after seeing .... Shadow Fire, we have spoken to Nurse Redheart because... her appearance was not unnoticed and-" Soarin frowned and wanted to say something, but Rarity didn't stop knowing that if she did, she wouldn't be able to continue.

"-As you have unfortunately discovered, she does not share any physical characteristics with you." Soarin opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity continued speaking more intensely so as not to be interrupted. "'BUT SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS WITH RAINBOW DASH, besides a simple multicolored streak, she's a black earth pony with a red mane, and..."

"I know." The pegasus managed to say quickly, before Rarity stopped him.

"Please let me finish, this is very important." Rarity replied in a reprimanding tone, but Soarin was unaffected. "But she doesn't share any characteristics with Rainbow either. She's an Earth pony."

"And what does that mean?" Soarin asked annoyed.

"It means that NurseRedheart was able to confirm that the little girl is Rainbow's daughter because she was present at the birth."

"And?" Soarin asked annoyed.

"And?" Rarity replied in surprise, but she couldn't blame the Pegasus; as far as she was concerned, it could only mean infidelity.

"And I want to tell you that this little girl doesn't look like either of you, neither her colors nor her mane, not to mention her tribe, honestly I wouldn't believe she was Rainbow's daughter if it wasn't for Nurse Redheart confirming it to me, she told us that something like this only happens once in a million, and she's probably the first one."

"And what are you trying to tell me?"

"I want to tell you that I know you very well and I know that you are not capable of being unfaithful, but if you were the one in that bed and Rainbow was the one who came through that door... what would you do?, would you be just as angry?, would you want her to think that you were unfaithful?, what do you think she thought when she saw you coming through that door looking her in the eyes disappointed and leaving that place without even saying a word to her?." Rarity asked in a calmer tone, giving the Pegasus time to think.

He looked down and considered Rarity's words for a moment, and she was right in what she said, it was true that he was angry and he had a right to be, but in his anger he couldn't deny the fact that he had left the hospital without saying a word, let alone asking for an explanation, all he saw was a little black pony with a red mane, He didn't even care if it was a colt or a filly, all this gave him something to think about, but couldn't shake the strange feeling inside him that there was still something wrong with all of this. He had it in front of him and he could almost touch it, but it was still impossible for him to know what it was.

"At the moment, Twilight is talking to Rainbow's parents to find out if they have any relatives who are earth ponies or who look like little Shadow Fire, and Fluttershy is talking to Rainbow to get her side of the story. We're doing all this because we're worried about the little girl's future after what happened, and that's why we need to know if you remember if you have any relatives who are earth ponies or who share colors with little Shadow Fire."

Soarin tried to concentrate on what Rarity was asking him about the little one's appearance, but every time he tried to form a mental image of her, his mind rejected the idea and wouldn't allow him to think well. It was only filled with images of Rainbow with several different stallions doing indescribable things in the bed they shared.

He shook his head to erase those images and stretched out his hoof to drink the contents of his glass in one gulp, surprising Rarity and Sweetie Belle, then poured another glass half full and drank it again in one gulp, but when he tried to pour himself a third drink, Rarity intervened with her magic, making the bottle disappear and appear at her side.

"Easy, cowboy." The unicorn said, causing the stallion to get a little annoyed with her friend, but Sweetie stepped in to help the stallion and used her magic to snatch the bottle from Rarity and make it appear at her side, then took Soarin's glass and poured him some, which the pegasus thanked her for with a smile.

"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?" Rarity asked.

"Helping a friend, why?"

"Because what you're doing is reckless, we don't want him to get drunk."

"Do you think a few glasses will do the trick?" The young unicorn asked, winking at the Pegasus.

"That is not the point my dear, I am concerned about his condition." The unicorn replied to her little sister, raising her tone a bit.

"And who says I don't?"

"If you're going to take that tone, I'm going to have to ask you to leave and-"

"It's okay Rarity, it was my fault for drinking too much in the first place, not Sweetie Belle's." The Pegasus interrupted, smiling at the young unicorn sitting at her side.

Sweetie wagged her tail slightly in happiness, while Rarity just frowned at him, and Soarin was grateful for another sip of alcohol to clear his head and make him think a little better.

The Pegasus concentrated for a moment on what Rarity was asking him. He remembered that when he was little he had a relative who looked like Shadow Fire.

"I remember having a distant grandfather who was dark when I was little, but I'm sure my whole family was Pegasus."

"Hmmm... I see, so there must be Earth Ponies in Rainbow's family."

Rarity told them about her conversation with Nurse Redheart, and how she couldn't divulge any information about Rainbow's personal life or medical history, and how there was no way to know the paternity of a newborn except from the mother's own words. She also told them how Twilight had been concerned that Rainbow Dash's parents hadn't shown up at the hospital, and wanted to know if something had happened between them, and how curious she found it that Rainbow didn't seem to care that her daughter was an Earth pony. She also told them that even though this was a matter that belonged to the couple alone, they couldn't just sit on the sidelines and watch, and that their priority in all of this was the safety and future of the little filly.

"That's why I think she's happy with her daughter and will try to do the best for her, regardless of whether she's a Pegasus or not. But I think her reaction is normal for a first-time mother," Rarity finished. Rarity finished after her short explanation.

"And where do I come into all this, huh?" Soarin asked, raising his voice.

"What do you mean?" Now it was Sweetie who asked the stallion.

"How am I supposed to react to the way Rarity talks about Rainbow's daughter?"

"I don't understand you dear." Rarity replied, a little confused.

"This little girl you are talking about is nothing like me." Soarin said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Does it matter so much to you what other ponies say about how that little filly looks?" Rarity asked, a little disappointed at the thought of Soarin being so superficial.

"You don't understand, Rarity."

"Then explain it to me, because frankly, if there is love everything else is secondary." She said it with conviction, but deep down she knew those words were half lies.

"It's about trust." It was Sweetie Belle who answered before the Pegasus spoke.

"Excuse me?" Rarity asked, confused.

"Soarin hasn't felt the same trust in Rainbow for a long time, and that's why he has this reaction to seeing his daughter. Why do you think he's been sleeping on our couch so often?" Sweetie Belle replied, subtly emphasizing the word 'daughter'.

"And how could you know that?" The stallion asked, surprised by the young unicorn's simple words.

"I may be young, but I am not stupid. I also live in this house, where I could sometimes listen to your conversations and draw my own conclusions, even though I personally would have preferred you to sleep in a much more comfortable place." The unicorn replied to the stallion, "Like me in my bed," she thought to herself.

"Am I really that simple?." The stallion asked thoughtfully.

"You are not at all, but I have a feeling that the two of you were not meant to be together, and this is proof of it." Sweetie Belle replied.

Soarin lowered his gaze again, pondering the unicorn's words, his anger slowly fading to frustration.

"In case you haven't noticed, you haven't been in love with Rainbow for a long time, and I don't think she's in love with you either, and you were only together because you would have a daughter, and I assure you that has nothing to do with her fur color or her tribe, otherwise you would be in the hospital with her right now." The young unicorn added, taking another sip of her tea.

With a simple sentence something clicked in Soarin's mind, this strange feeling he felt to be angry was not because he only thought Rainbow was unfaithful, it was because the relationship with Rainbow was systematically deteriorating until it reached a point where it would break for anything, and it was only held together by their future daughter together, but seeing the little filly overflowed his patience and he could no longer bear to see his mare friend any more.

"Sweetie Belle, how could you even think of saying something so outrageous?" Rarity said, scolding her little sister.

"What am I doing wrong? even though that is a question that should be directed at Soarin and not at me." The young unicorn replied, looking Pegasus in the face, and everyone was silent for a long time, thinking about their own ideas.

Rarity thought that her little sister had come to this conclusion so quickly, and that Soarin seemed to accept it, while Sweetie was grateful that her bed was big enough for two.

Soarin pondered the words of the young mare sitting next to him, and how she had taken that nebulous idea that had been floating around in his head and shaped it, forcing him to think about at what point his relationship with Rainbow had gone downhill, and as Sweetie Belle had said, it had never been meant to start.

"I suppose you'll be thinking about it for a few days, won't you?" Rarity asked, daring to break the silence.

"What?" Soarin asked, interrupting her train of thought.

"You're going to take a few days to think, are you going back to your old house?."

"I can't, remember I have a lease on my house." The Pegasus replied.

"I forgot. So you're going back to your parents for a few days?."

"They're on vacation and I don't have a copy of their house keys. Do you think the hotel in Ponyville has any empty rooms?"

There was a small hotel in Ponyville that had grown over the years, but as it grew, so did its clientele. It was known that some guests had permanent leases on some rooms, so it was impossible to find last-minute reservations.

"I'm afraid not, for how small Ponyville is, it's surprising how hard it is to find available rooms." Rarity knew very well that the town where she had lived most of her life was no longer small. Neither was the hotel, but she was right about it being difficult to find a room at the last minute.

Sweetie Belle watched Soarin for a moment as she thought of a solution to his problem.

The young unicorn had known the Pegasus for years and knew that he was an excellent mate and that any mare in Equestria would be lucky to have him at her side. He was funny, strong, noble, loyal, he had played with her many times when she was younger and surely he would make an excellent father, By any standard, Soarin was flawless, and even though there was an age difference, she could handle him, it just showed that the Pegasus was more experienced in many areas, and he wouldn't be the first partner of that style. His only red flag was Rainbow Dash, and Sweetie hated the fact that a mare could treat him so badly, He deserved somepony who would make him happy, who would listen to him and be his companion, who would wait for him when he came home with a smile, a warm hug and a passionate kiss. He did not deserve to come home hungry and have to cook while listening to an endless list of complaints, Sweetie Belle was not an expert in the kitchen, but she had improved a lot over the years. She had always had feelings for Pegasus, but never dared to enter the board because Rainbow was such a powerful enemy piece, but now she had left the king unprotected giving her an opportunity, and Sweetie was not going to waste it.

"And why don't you stay a few days and live with us?" The young unicorn said with a sincere smile much to the surprise of the two adults present.

"Stay here, with you?" Soarin asked a little confused.

"And why not?, we've known you for years and you've stayed with us more times than I care to remember thanks to your arguments with Rainbow, besides I don't see that you have any other choice, single apartments are small and expensive, here you have everything plus we have plenty of space and we can lend you some willing ears to listen if you need to talk."

"Well... I don't know where to stay. I was thinking of landing in Cloudsdale and looking for a place to stay for the night, and tomorrow I'll see if the ponies I rent my place to are willing to move in."

"I doubt it. If they have a lease, they're not obligated to leave without thirty days notice. Besides, it's pretty late and the trip to Cloudsdale is a long one." Sweetie interrupted, sipping tea as she looked Soarin straight in the eye.

Rarity subtly rose from her seat and walked over to her little sister.

"Sweetie, what are you doing? Why are you offering him a place to stay without talking to me first?" Rarity said angrily to her little sister, within earshot so the Pegasus couldn't hear.

"Do you have a better idea Rarity?, he is seriously thinking about leaving Ponyville, how do you know he will come back?, and if he will, how soon?, in days, weeks, months, a few years?." the young unicorn answered in the same tone as her sister, she was, like Rarity, very clever and knew very well which parts to exaggerate in order to conceal her intentions, besides, what she said was true, since she was the one who offered to help him and prevent him from leaving Ponyville, Rarity had no reason to disagree.

Rarity thought for a moment, unable to argue with her sister.

"I guess you're right." She said to Sweetie Belle, and the young unicorn just smiled, then turned to look at the Pegasus. "Soarin dear, you'll be staying with us for a few days as it will be impossible for you to find a place to stay for the time being."

"And that's okay with you? I'm a stallion and you two mares, you don't have a problem with that?" Soarin asked a bit nervously, not sure what his meaning was.

"We'll have to organize the bathing schedules a bit. But otherwise there shouldn't be a problem."

"Then thank you. It would help me a lot if I could stay with you for a few days and hopefully not be a nuisance." Soarin said with a smile.

"Not at all dear, remember you can stay as long as you want. Within the week we can clear out one of the rooms I use for storage and get you a bed."

"I would like that."

"Well, now that we've settled the matter of your stay, I'm going back to the hospital. I need to tell the girls that you won't be leaving Ponyville anymore and what you told me about your relatives." Rarity thought for a moment, and in all the conversation she had missed something very important. "You don't mind me and the girls prying into your private life? I know no pony wants to find out." Rarity asked in a sympathetic tone.

"This is a personal matter, and I would like to keep it between... Rainbow and me, but I know what her personality is like and how our relationship has been the last few months, I..." Soarin looked down slightly, knowing that the two of them would just end up arguing and yelling at each other. He would just take his things and leave Ponyville, just as he had planned a few moments ago. "If you girls could figure out the truth, it'd be better for everypony." He finished with a smile on his face.

"Then I'll go, I don't know how long it'll take because with all the rushing and worrying we didn't agree on a time or place to meet, plus Twilight has to get back from Cloudsdale and that's a long trip, but anyway I'll go at least to talk to Fluttershy, will you two be okay here?" Rarity asked, looking at the Pegasus and her little sister, who both nodded.

"Don't wait for me and Soarin, remember Sweetie can't drink alcohol, I know she's legal but I don't want her getting into these habits, okay?" The white unicorn said to the Pegasus, who nodded again, then Rarity turned and walked to the door, closing it with her magic.

They both looked at the door for a moment, as if waiting for Rarity to return, and seeing no movement, Sweetie stretched her limbs and gave a moan of pleasure that Soarin didn't miss, turning his head to look at the unicorn. Sweetie knew she was being watched, and took the bottle that was by her side to increase the ethyl level of her brew.

"Rarity said you should be drinking alcohol." Pegasus commented.

"Are you going to rat me out to my sister?" Sweetie asked with false intrigue, knowing the answer as she added some alcohol to her cup.

The Pegasus said nothing and just took a sip from his glass, sighing and looking off into nothingness. Sweetie watched him for a moment before taking a sip from her cup.

"Boy, this stuff is really strong." The unicorn said, shaking her head slightly at the intense taste. Like her older sister, she liked sweeter or fruitier flavored drinks.

"I like the idea of you staying to live with us, we can do lots of fun things together." The unicorn said in a somewhat childish tone, catching the Pegasus's attention.

"Like what?" The Pegasus asked, looking at the young girl sitting next to him.

Sweetie was well aware of her own attributes, which she had honed over years of growing up, she knew she was smart, funny, hard working, kind, always had a topic of conversation, she was not good at cooking, but her food no longer caused digestive problems, which was a great improvement, She's young, with a beautiful and well-groomed mane, and without losing sight of her modesty, she knew that she was the most stunning mare in all of Ponyville, even more so than Fluttershy or Diamond Tiara. If it weren't for her loving relationship with Silver Spoon, she'd have several stallions in town asking for her hoof in marriage.

Knowing that the Pegasus was looking at her, she leaned to the side to lean against the headboard of the sofa while she took her cup of tea, drawing her perfect silhouette for Soarin to see and covering just enough with her tail so that he could not see more than necessary, the whole move was very subtle and calculated to give the impression that she was doing it without realizing it, and even though she was not as experienced as her sister or other older mares, she knew how to use her attributes perfectly to seduce a stallion.

When Soarin saw all this, his fur bristled and his heart raced.

"We could play board games, walk around town, I could sing you a song. We could dance, unless you have something more fun in mind." She said the last part very innocently. She sat down a little more on the couch and let her flank stand out more.

"Ummm..." The Pegasus said a little confused.

Sweetie knew exactly why the Pegasus was confused, because she was consciously sending him mixed signals, she wanted to get his attention, she wanted to attract him with her physique and her charismatic personality, she wanted to make him fall in love with her, but she couldn't force things because that would frighten him and make him go back to a horrible relationship with Rainbow Dash, she loved him and wanted to make him happy, she wanted them to be happy together and to do that she had to show him her funny side and her dedication, which her body was happy to help her with.

The unicorn's stomach growled loudly and she jumped dropping her cup of tea and turning red making Soarin burst out laughing.

"I think your stomach has already made up its mind." The Pegasus said with a smile.

"Yeah... I was about to make myself some food when Rarity told me what happened to you, and then I completely forgot about food." The unicorn said, pulling herself together and sitting back down on the couch.

"What did you cook? Rarity told me you're not a very good cook." The Pegasus asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm good at cooking, I've improved over the years, the kitchen doesn't catch fire anymore because of the new cookery book I bought." She replied, raising her youthful voice to defend herself, but Soarin knew the truth about the unicorn's skills in that area.

"That's excellent." The Pegasus said cheerfully, bringing a smile to the unicorn's face. "And what recipes does this book have?" He finally asked, making the young unicorn blush again and look at her hooves.

"It's called...Hundred Cold Salads for Beginners." She replied with some embarrassment and Soarin laughed again.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, no one is good at everything, but I tell you what, how about I make the pasta and you make the salads and the juice?. That way we can cook together, eat together and save some for Rarity."

"I would like that, thank you." Sweetie Belle replied, combing her hair with her hoof and smiling at the warmth of the Pegasus. Soarin found this reaction very pleasant.

Both figures went to the kitchen and started to cook a delicious dinner, something Sweetie Belle was very excited about since it was the first time she had cooked something elaborate, or at least helped to prepare it. After cooking, they waited for Rarity for almost an hour, and when she didn't return, they decided to eat together and save a portion for her.

After they ate, they started talking about various things, and Sweetie sang a few songs to Pegasus, who was amazed by the unicorn's beautiful voice. When they finally saw that Rarity still hadn't arrived they went to rest, Soarin went to the couch where the young unicorn gave him a few more blankets and a much softer pillow for the night and she went to her room, she would like to spend the night with the pegasus but she knew it was not a good idea to rush things, she had to lay the foundations of a relationship first if she wanted it to work.

During a moment of the night the Pegasus woke up and went to the bathroom, he had a candle by a small table next to the sofa but he knew the house very well so he walked with complete safety through the darkness accompanied by the little light that filtered through the curtains up the stairs and down the hall, he stopped next to Rarity's room and put his ear to hear if her friend had returned, after a moment he heard a light snore and continued on his way.

As he approached the bathroom he saw the door open and Rarity's younger sister step out, a little startled to see the Pegasus standing by the door.

"Ahh!." She screamed for a second before covering her mouth so as not to wake her older sister. "Don't do that, you scared the hell out of me." She muttered to the Pegasus, who just chuckled.

"I'm sorry, I'm just on my way to the bathroom, and when did your sister get back?"

"I don't know, but she came in very quietly so as not to wake us." The young unicorn flashed her horn for a second and lit a candle in the bathroom. "There's some light in there and remember to blow it out when you're done." She added with a chuckle, remembering that Soarin had forgotten to blow out the candle several times. As unicorns, she and Rarity didn't need a candle to see but they had put it out for visitors.

"Thank you." Said the Pegasus as he went into the bathroom.

"Soarin!" Said the unicorn, catching the Pegasus' attention before he closed the door.

"Yes?" Soarin asked.

"It was fun spending time with you and I really enjoyed cooking something together. I hope we can do it again." The unicorn replied blushing, but thanks to the low lighting, the Pegasus couldn't see it. "Well, I'm going to my room, have a good night and thank you for staying with us." She tried to control her embarrassment but her young age wouldn't allow it and finally she turned and walked quickly down the corridor to her room not noticing that she had left the door open.

From the bathroom door, Soarin could see a small part of the inside of Sweetie Belle's room and the silhouette of the unicorn drawn inside. He could see her return to her bed and settle in, it was quite an interesting and somewhat appealing scene as he had not seen many mares lying down to sleep.

The whole day had been quite confusing and stormy for him, he still had a hard time understanding and processing what had happened, how and why, but even he was still disappointed in Rainbow, but not for his daughter, it was for the way she had treated him all this time, but he was more disappointed in himself for putting up with it without saying anything, ever since Rainbow told him she was pregnant and they moved in together he could not remember a day when they did not fight for something.

But now he was calmer and he knew that he could stay in this place as long as he wanted, Rarity would help him by giving him a room and a boutique bed, and even though he had stayed in this place to sleep hundreds of times today it felt different, it was like the feeling someone has when moving to a new place but it had a subtle touch, as if a mysterious hoof had pushed him to this place and told him without words that he was in the place he should be at this moment.

Leaving the bathroom, Soarin sighed, closed the door and headed for his couch knowing tomorrow would be another day.

Author's Note

We learn a little more about why Soarin left the hospital and about his family. Will that be enough to explain Shadow Fire's appearance?

Sweetie also has her own agenda. Will she do anything to prevent a reconciliation between Soarin and Rainbow?.

The next chapter will be about Rainbow Dash's truth, and there will be a final chapter about Shadow Fire's future.

I know I'm taking longer than usual with these three chapters. But I wanted to work on them in a deeper way and, as always, add little details that could open up new horizons.

As always I took your ideas to work on these chapters and in the next two I plan to do so as I said from the beginning.

I am always attentive to your comments and I will see you in a couple of days. :twilightsmile:

What did you do?.

Fluttershy was sitting on a chair next to Rainbow's bed, who had her little one sleeping between her front legs, they both looked at each other for a moment without saying anything waiting for the other to speak first and say what they were thinking but that moment never came.

It was mid-afternoon, so there was still some light, but the temperature was starting to drop, bringing with it the normal breeze that formed on the top of the mountains and started to come down in the evenings, a breeze that slipped through the window of the hospital room and made Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash shiver a little.

The yellow pegasus didn't have as much vitality as she did when she lived alone a few years ago, so her body felt the temperature changes more and they affected her a little more, but that wasn't a bad thing since age brought more wisdom and much more experience, experience that told her that such a sudden temperature change could cause an illness in a newborn that could easily become complicated, so she got up from her chair and went to the window to close it.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked, not knowing why she was getting up.

"I'm closing the window, a sudden temperature change can be devastating for your daughter." The yellow Pegasus replied, closing the window and sitting back in her chair. "There are many things you need to know now that you are a mother, such as how to avoid temperature changes, how to feed her, when and how to bathe her." She added in a serious tone at the end, knowing that Rainbow had been a mother for less than a day and was very clueless, but that didn't justify her not knowing the basics.

"I know, I have a lot to learn about it." The light blue Pegasus replied, scratching the back of her neck as she looked at her daughter.

"You're going to have to learn fast because you can't make any mistakes, but if you need help, you can always ask Discord or me." The tone in which he said this showed a clear intention of reprimand rather than simple help.

"What do you mean by that?" Rainbow said, feeling accused.

"You know what I mean, and that's what I want to talk to you about." Fluttershy replied without changing her tone.

"No Fluttershy, I don't know, could you please explain it to me?, you three have been acting weird since you saw my little girl and I demand to know why." Rainbow said, raising her voice a little so as not to wake her daughter, but she made her point.

"Do I have to explain something so obvious to you?" Fluttershy asked angrily and even though she was talking about assumptions she couldn't help but feel that Rainbow was hiding the truth from her.

"Yes Fluttershy, you have to do it and if you're going to continue with that tone you'd better back off." Rainbow replied just as angrily, but she managed to control herself a little.

The little one on Rainbow's legs whimpered a little before settling down to sleep. Rainbow stroked her mane lovingly and covered her with a blanket.

The two mares had known each other since they were little and had been friends ever since, they had shared a lot in their lives and were always there for each other when they needed help, they both saw each other as sisters and that made Fluttershy feel pushed out of her friend's life by hiding the truth from her, but seeing how Rainbow was taking care of her little girl her anger quickly faded until it was gone completely, the yellow Pegasus sighed to finish reassuring herself and spoke in a lower tone so as not to disturb Shadow Fire again.

"I'm sorry that I got upset and shouted at you, I really didn't mean to, but I can't help feeling displaced, so please don't lie to me, I've known you for years and I ask you to be honest with me." The yellow Pegasus said remorsefully.

"It's okay Fluttershy, I appreciate the apology, I've known you as long as I can remember and you're like a sister to me. Thank you for coming." Rainbow replied to her friend with a smile.

"Whenever you need help, you know you can always count on us."

"Yeah, but Soarin would be here."

Fluttershy glanced to the side in a vain attempt to avoid the topic of conversation.

"Is there some kind of problem with Soarin?" Rainbow asked, and Fluttershy took a few seconds to answer.

"I don't know. He left the hospital very upset, and Rarity said he might leave Ponyville."

"He's leaving Ponyville?" Rainbow asked, a little worried.

"I hope not, I know Rarity will talk him out of it, and she knows him best after you." Fluttershy replied with a smile.

"Yeah... sure." Rainbow replied listlessly as she cuddled her daughter. Fluttershy was worried about her reaction.

"What's wrong, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." Rainbow looked wistfully out the closed window and watched the sun slowly disappear over the horizon. "...Life used to be easier when we could just go out and have fun and get together and drink and spend our evenings together." Rainbow smiled slightly. She remembered the good times with Soarin and how everything changed when she found out she was going to be a mother.

"But when I got pregnant, we got excited and planned to live together for a long time, well... that's what we tried to do."

"What do you mean? I know a baby puts a lot of stress on a couple, especially if it's the first one."

"I know, and I've read some books on the subject, but... what we had in mind, or rather what each of us had in mind, was completely different, at first it was important things, and we managed to argue and find a middle ground, like all couples do, but as the days went by we had more and more things to argue about and fix, and each time we got angrier and angrier, and each thing got smaller and smaller, and just... we just... couldn't stand to see each other afterwards."

"All couples fight with Rainbow, Cadance with Shining Armor, Celestia with Moonstone, even I had very ugly fights with Discord.

"It's not the same, Fluttershy." Rainbow said sadly. "It's just... no... I don't... know where I stand with Soarin for a long time."

"What?" Fluttershy asked in surprise.

"I..." Rainbow turned her head to look at her friend. "...do you know the last time I saw Soarin laugh?"

Fluttershy shook her head, not knowing the answer.

"It was a few weeks ago at Rarity's, after a fight I followed him to see where he was going and... I mean, I know him, and I know he always goes to Rarity's house after we've fought, but I followed him anyway, I've been following him a lot lately, and... I know I shouldn't, but... he looked... happy... without me." Rainbow's words carried a strong sense of pain.

"Rarity told us that Soarin has been staying with her for months after you guys fought, so you've been following him ever since?" Fluttershy asked, and the light blue Pegasus nodded her head without looking at her friend.

"The last time I saw Soarin happy with me was when I told him I was pregnant, I love him but..." Rainbow lifted her eyes to look at her friend, to see what she was thinking.

They both looked at each other for a long moment without saying anything, and Fluttershy's eyes couldn't stop jumping back and forth between Rainbow and Shadow Fire. The light-blue Pegasus knew that Fluttershy wanted to ask the question that was on everypony's mind, but she was afraid to.

"Go ahead Fluttershy, I know what you want to ask me, you have the same look that all the doctors, the nurses, Twilight, Rarity and even... Soarin when they saw my little girl." Rainbow caressed her daughter's face before looking back at her friend. "So go ahead and ask me, I promise I won't get mad."

Fluttershy took a deep breath and looked at her friend before speaking, searching for a way to ask the question without sounding insulting or accusatory, but after a moment of gathering her courage, and thanks to Rainbow's patience, the yellow Pegasus dared to ask the question.

"Rainbow, did you cheat on Soarin?" Pegasus asked, dreading the answer her friend would give.

"No Fluttershy, I didn't cheat on Soarin." The light blue Pegasus replied without a hint of doubt, making Fluttershy completely calm down. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course I believe you, Rainbow, it's just... with your appearance and Soarin's, it's hard for me or any other pony to believe that the little girl is yours, she shares no features with either of you except for that lock of hair, and surely Soarin must have thought something similar when he saw her, I just hope Rarity convinced him not to leave Ponyville."

"I hope she can convince him too, I would hate for my daughter to grow up without a father, plus this gives me the perfect opportunity to set our lives straight." Rainbow said with a smile.

"Straighten out your lives?" Fluttershy asked curiously, not knowing what her friend was referring to.

"Yeah, I mean..." Rainbow scratched her neck, a little embarrassed. "Straighten up my life, I know I've been treating Soarin very badly lately and he doesn't deserve it, I want us to live happily ever after and to do that I need to start by giving him a big apology." Rainbow replied with a smile.

"I think he will be happy to hear that." Fluttershy replied, seeing how Rainbow's face was filled with brightness and hope as she imagined a beautiful life together with Soarin.

"Yes... I think you're right." Rainbow added, looking at her daughter. "But first we have to find a big new house where we can live and raise Shadow Fire. I'll have to sell my cloud house to pay for it."

"You're going to sell your house?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course I will. My little one won't be able to live in it, and I won't be using it if I have to move."

"I guess you're right, it's a real shame, since your house is so big and beautiful."

"That's the advantage of having a house made of clouds, you can just put it together wherever you want with as many clouds as you want and you only have to worry about repairing it more regularly than normal houses."

Rainbow's words about her reasons for selling her house were completely justified and necessary, and that made Fluttershy remember the reasons why she wanted to talk to Rainbow. She'd already made it clear that she hadn't cheated on Soarin, and even though there was no way to prove it, Fluttershy should know a little about her azure friend's family to be able to help her and avoid future problems.

They were silent again for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company, Rainbow enjoying seeing how that little creature had been inside her a few hours ago, while Fluttershy gathered some courage to continue questioning her.

"Rainbow." The yellow Pegasus said.

"Yes?" The light blue Pegasus asked, looking at her friend, and Fluttershy sighed deeply before speaking.

"You know I love you and you are my oldest friend, you are like a sister and I know no one has the right to tell you how to live your life, but the girls and I are worried about your daughter's future."

"About my daughter's future?" Rainbow asked intrigued.

"I'll be honest with you, when we first walked into this room we couldn't... avoid noticing that your little girl didn't look anything like you or Soarin, and I regret thinking that, but the only conclusion we could come to at the time was that you were cheating on Soarin." Rainbow looked offended and changed her expression to a very serious one, but Fluttershy still wasn't done talking. "We know that there is no way to prove Soarin's paternity other than your word, and I believe one hundred percent that what you are telling me is true, and I doubt very much that the rest of the girls care about that, but what we care about is what future your little girl will have."

"You need to clarify what you mean right now because I don't like where this conversation is going and I don't want our friendship to end because of some stupid thing that comes out of your mouth." Rainbow's reaction was forceful and took Fluttershy completely by surprise, but the yellow Pegasus had learned to control her emotions over the years and was able to avoid being intimidated by her friend.

"Don't take this the wrong way, and like I said, I'm not interested in prying into your private life, but Soarin has too many doubts about his parenthood and his relationship with you, and frankly, from what you and Rarity have told me, I can't blame him, you two have fought too much during your relationship, and your little girl shouldn't pay the price for your choices."

Rainbow felt the firmness in her friend's words, and even though she wanted to tell her to stop, she knew that what she said was true, and she also knew that Fluttershy was trying to get to a much more important point than her relationship with Soarin.

" Okay, Twilight, Rarity and I talked to Nurse Redheart, and even though she couldn't tell us anything about your personal life, she could tell us that your little girl's appearance is completely unusual, something that only happens once in a million, and with that number there are only two possible reasons, one, that your little girl is just a genetic coincidence that caused a gigantic misunderstanding, or two, that you cheated on Soarin."

Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but Fluttershy lifted her hoof to stop her friend from speaking so that she could say what she wanted.

"Well, you told me you didn't cheat on Soarin and I believe you, I've known you all my life and I know you're not capable of something like that, so I'm sure the only possible option is that it's a genetic quirk, so I need to ask you some questions."

Hearing these words, the sky-blue Pegasus calmed down almost completely and made herself available to answer her friend's questions.

"Thank you, the question is simple, I know some members of your family, but of course I don't know all of them, but do you know if you have any relatives who are earth ponies or share Shadow Fire's colors?."

"An earth pony with Shadow colors..." Rainbow looked down, showing some embarrassment that Fluttershy didn't miss.

"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"No... it's nothing." Rainbow replied, looking away, clearly trying to hide that she was embarrassed about something.

Fluttershy looked at her carefully, trying to understand her friend's reaction, and when she saw her daughter's tribe and colors, her mind quickly connected the dots and she knew immediately why Shadow Fire was like that.

"Oh, Rainbow!" The yellow Pegasus said in surprise, starting to cry. "Sorry, I didn't know, no one did!" She whimpered to Rainbow, who raised an eyebrow, not understanding the Pegasus' reaction.

"I promise you Rainbow, I won't think less of you, no one will think less of you, we'll tell Soarin what happened to you and I'm sure he'll understand why you acted the way you did, all the girls will understand too." Fluttershy replied worriedly, getting up from her chair and walking over to Rainbow to put a hoof on her shoulder as a sign of support.

"Understand what? that during pregnancy you have sudden hormonal changes, I think that's normal for a pregnant mare and I think Soarin knows that." Rainbow said, not understanding her friend's reaction.

"We're all going to help you through this." Fluttershy replied, hugging the light blue Pegasus who still didn't understand. "Remember I'm your best friend and I love you, you won't have to suffer alone anymore." Fluttershy finished, hugging Rainbow tightly.

"Woa... woa... woa... woa... Slow down what you're drinking Fluttershy, because you're already starting to scare me." Rainbow replied, gently pushing her friend away to get some personal space and breathe.

"I know you're brave, but you don't have to hide it anymore." Fluttershy replied, flashing a sympathetic smile.

"Hide what?" Rainbow asked, still not understanding.

Poor Rainbow, surely the trauma was too much for her and her mind is blocking it out to protect itself, she needs professional help to get over it. Fluttershy thought as she listened to her friend's answers.

"Don't worry Rainbow, tomorrow I will personally go and talk to EFAF and EAAM about your situation and we will get you the best possible help, I promise everything will be fine for you and your little girl." Fluttershy replied.

"The EAAM? but that association is for..." Rainbow said, thinking about why Fluttershy wanted the Equestrian Asosiacion for Abused Mares to help her with her little one, and then thinking about the way Fluttershy and her friends acted when they saw Shadow Fire, and how little he looked like her and Soarin, she could understand it all and could only let out a big laugh that surprised Fluttershy.

"Oh Rainbow..." Fluttershy said, putting her hoof to her chest in concern, thinking about the trauma Rainbow must have felt to act like that.

"Easy, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash said, quelling her laughter a bit, but the yellow Pegasus didn't change her worried expression. "I really appreciate you worrying about me and my little girl like this, and I'm the luckiest mare in the world to have a friend like you, but I promise nothing bad happened to me." She said, wiping a laughing tear from her eyes.

"But the way you act towards your family and Soarin, and your little girl doesn't look like you... I don't... I don't get it." Fluttershy said, looking at her friend and her daughter.

"Can you keep a secret?" Rainbow asked, drastically changing her tone to a much more serious one.

"You know you can tell me anything." Fluttershy replied.

"This is serious Fluttershy, you have to promise me that you can't tell anyone, seriously, no one can know." Rainbow said in a serious tone, worrying her friend.

"If you're so worried that someone will know... why do you want to tell me?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because I've wanted to tell someone for a long time, and if I don't tell you, I can't tell anyone, it's... it's too much to handle alone."

"You're my friend Rainbow, and you know that whatever you tell me, I won't tell anyone." Fluttershy said, pulling the chair closer to the bed before sitting on it.

"Thank you." Rainbow said, sighing a little, grateful for her friend's trust.

Rainbow was silent for a long time while Fluttershy waited patiently for her to speak, several minutes passed before Rainbow said a word.

"Yes, there is a pony in my family that is identical to Shadow Fire."

"Oh... that explains your little one's colors, but I remember meeting several members of your family, is he a distant relative?"

"Not exactly, he's... much closer than I'd like to know."

"Is he an uncle or an obnoxious cousin?"

"No..." Rainbow replied.

"Then who?" Fluttershy asked.

"Is it..." Rainbow sighed before continuing. "...My father."

"Your father?, But he's a light blue Pegasus and..." Fluttershy stopped mid-sentence when she saw the sad look on her friend's face. "Oh..." She said frantically. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it wasn't nice for me to find out either."

"And how did you find out?"

Rainbow was silent again for a long moment after Fluttershy's question.

"Do you remember when we were little, I had an accident and had to have a blood transfusion?"

"I remember, it was a little after your first Sonic Rainboom, you were so excited that you started practicing nonstop until you crashed into a tree while dodging a bird and got knocked unconscious, I got really scared and flew full speed to look for your parents, but only your father was at your house."

"I remember, my mother was on a trip with her friends in Las Pegasus, but do you remember the medical problem that happened in the hospital with my blood transfusion?"

"I remember after they stabilized you, they had to order some emergency bags with your blood type because your father couldn't be a donor because he was a different type, I was very worried about you and wanted to donate my blood, but I was still very young, I couldn't forget that."

"Yes, I remember being told that when I woke up in the hospital, I didn't think much about it then and I never really did... well... not until a few months ago."

"Why?"

"My mother has type A blood like me, my father is type B, and type B can't donate to type A."

"And?"

"When I found out I was pregnant I had several medical tests to know if I had any diseases or calcium deficiency or anything that could affect my pregnancy and the development of my daughter, and for those tests they also needed to know if I was allergic to any medications, I admit I don't pay too much attention to those things, and when I went back home to check my birth certificate I noticed something I had never noticed before."

"And what was it?"

"That my birth record shows several pieces of information, such as the hospital where I was born, the exact date and time, the doctor and nurses present, my allergies, and a brief description of my physical appearance, but it also shows another piece of information, a much more important one..."

Fluttershy waited silently for Rainbow to catch her breath and gather the courage to continue.

"My mother's blood type is type A, the same as mine, as I told you, but... but my father's, my biological father's blood type is... type O."

"And what does that mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"I asked the nurse the same thing when I showed her my birth certificate, and she said that was my biological father's blood type, they triple check at birth, Fluttershy, they don't make mistakes with things like that." Rainbow replied.

"And you're sure they couldn't be wrong?."

"The reason my father couldn't donate blood when I was little is because if I received blood of a different type it would cause a series of problems in my organism and there was a high probability of death, that's why they do a triple check Fluttershy to eliminate that possibility, my biological father has type O blood."

They were both silent for a long moment while Rainbow stroked her little girl's mane, and Fluttershy didn't know what to say.

"But how did you..." Fluttershy wanted to ask the question, but she didn't know how to ask it.

"How do I know my real father is an Earth Pony identical to Shadow Fire?" Rainbow asked her friend, who nodded her head. "I don't know, and I'm afraid to find out what my real father looks like, but that explains my little girl's appearance, RIGHT?" Rainbow asked, raising her voice and looking at Fluttershy with concern and desperation in her eyes, hoping that this would explain everything that had happened and end the matter right then and there.

Fluttershy had no choice but to nod her head and agree with her friend; they had both lived with AppleJack for years and knew how important it was to know the truth and how dangerous it could be to hide everything behind a lie, but she couldn't deny the fact that sometimes a lie was necessary when it was justified to protect a pony's physical integrity, She remembered the story Chrysalis had told her when she found her son in the slums of Canterlot and the terrible physical condition he was in and how Cheerilee had helped her hide him and give him the life he deserved, neither of them wanted to say it, but... ..

"Is that why you didn't want your parents around when your daughter was born?" Fluttershy asked softly, and Rainbow took a long time to calm down so that she could answer.

"You know I love them both and as far as I'm concerned they are my parents, but... I was afraid of the fact that... jeez... does my dad know?"

"You know they love you Rainbow, and no matter what happens, they will always be there for you."

"I know, Fluttershy, but... I'm not a filly anymore, and now I have my own filly to take care of, and I think I deserve to know the truth, but... I don't know how to do it." Rainbow looked deeply at Fluttershy, looking for an answer to a question she didn't have. "How do I tell my parents that I know they lied to me my whole life?" Rainbow asked, her voice cracking as she wiped away the few tears that were forming in her eyes.

"But wouldn't such a blood test serve as proof that Soarin is the father of your daughter?" Fluttershy asked.

"It wouldn't do any good, there are many blood types, A, B, AB and type O, and each type has its positive and negative variants, besides my little girl could very well have the same blood type as me, and that wouldn't prove anything, after all my biological father has blood type O, and I have the same type as my mother, basically the blood test can have a one in sixteen chance of proving that Soarin is the father of my daughter, and only if she has his same blood type, that is why the blood test is not used as evidence in court because it has a very low chance of success, when I talked to the nurse about this she told me that she knew mares who had offspring from other stallions who had the same blood type as their husband and got away scot-free. "

"Gosh... that's terrible." Fluttershy commented in amazement.

"I know... this little girl is Soarin's daughter, but I have no way to prove it to him." Rainbow stroked her little girl as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

Fluttershy again waited for her friend to calm down before she could continue talking to her, as she still had a few questions to ask her.

"But why haven't you ever told Soarin?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because..." Rainbow said, lowering her eyes in distress. "Fluttershy, did you have intimate moments with Discord?" Her friend asked, making her friend blush.

"I... with... Discord?" Fluttershy asked, all nervous and blushing. "Well... I... we... we... are a couple and... well, we live together and we have a son... even though he's adopted and... we sleep in the same bed and... well... it's normal that at night..." Fluttershy tried to answer her friend.

"I don't mean just that, Fluttershy, no offense, but everyone can have that kind of intimacy without much trouble."

"Oh... What do you mean?"

"I mean true intimacy, to a walk you'll never forget, to enjoying your partner's company just by having him around, to telling him your problems and knowing that he cares about them, to a deep conversation that lasts for minutes or maybe hours, to lying down cuddled together and feeling that no matter how bad your day has been, you will be safe between his hooves, where you can open your heart and let your feelings flow uncontrollably, knowing that you can completely unburden yourself and instead of criticism you will receive a warm kiss on the forehead and an understanding look. "

"Oh..." Fluttershy couldn't help but think how lucky she was to have Discord by her side, knowing that he would be there through thick and thin, while Rainbow's words reflected a feeling of abandonment in her relationship with Soarin, but not because of anything physical, but because they never seemed to connect sentimentally. "Well... I can't say that we don't have our romantic moments."

"I know." Rainbow said, lowering her gaze. "My only moments of real intimacy with Soarin were after we had sex a few times and when I told him I was pregnant."

"Seriously, I think your relationship was pretty bad if you can't tell something that important to the pony you want to spend the rest of your days with."

"Something can't end badly if it never really started, can it?" Rainbow said, drawing a smile.

"I guess that's true, but as you just told me, this is a perfect opportunity for them to start over." Fluttershy replied, also smiling.

Both of them remained silent for a long moment, just enjoying each other's company, Fluttershy wanted to ask her friend more questions, but she already had the answers she needed, while Rainbow didn't want to discuss something she didn't want to know in the first place and which one could easily tell she didn't want to ask any more either, with a simple look they both understood that this topic died that very night and for them and the rest of the world this conversation never existed.

Shadow Fire was an almost black earth pony with a red mane and a multicolored lock, the daughter of Rainbow Dash and Soarin, and that was the only thing that mattered, even if it posed a small problem for Fluttershy, since she had promised the other girls to tell them Rainbow's version of Shadow Fire's appearance, but she couldn't tell them a secret that she had promised Rainbow to keep until her grave, she would have to find a way to tell them Rainbow's version, leaving the truth about her father completely aside.

"That little girl is beautiful." Fluttershy commented. She reached over to the bed to pet her.

"Yes... she really is." Rainbow added, undressing her little girl a bit to make it easier for Fluttershy to touch her. "Too bad I have to leave my home, but seeing her face... I have no regrets."

When Fluttershy saw Rainbow's face, she couldn't help but giggle.

"What's wrong?" Rainbow asked.

"It's just that after a lifetime of living with your head in the clouds, you're finally going to put your hooves on the ground." Fluttershy replied with another giggle, which made Rainbow laugh too.

"You're right, it would still be fun if she could walk on clouds so I wouldn't have to sell my house."

"No, but you'd have to build a long ladder and we both know you're not good at building things." They both laughed again for a few seconds.

"I know Soarin must be upset and I want to let him calm down a bit before I apologize to him, so would you help me find a new place to live?"

"Of course Rainbow, we can even look for a cozy place with a big yard where you can anchor your house so you don't have to sell it, but..." Fluttershy replied.

"But what?" Rainbow asked.

"But are you sure she can't walk on clouds?"

"Why are you asking Fluttershy?, She's an Earth pony and you know she doesn't have that kind of magic."

"Just curious." The yellow Pegasus replied, trying to hide other intentions.

"I'm sure nothing will happen, but we can try if it makes you happy." Rainbow said, realizing that her friend wanted to do the test.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Said Fluttershy excitedly, opening the window and accidentally flying out in the direction of the nearest cloud, returning a minute later with a piece of cloud.

"I'm sorry I left the window open." She said as she walked in, closing the window behind her. "It's just that I always get excited to see this on the little ones."

"Have you done it before? I know the basics of the cloud test, but this would be the first time I've done it." Rainbow said.

"I like to watch it whenever I get the chance, I don't know why but it relaxes me a lot." The yellow Pegasus replied as she condensed the piece of cloud between her hooves a little more.

"And how do you do the cloud test, I know you put the Pegasus on the cloud and it should float, right?."

"It's a little more complex than that, you do know that Pegasus can pass through clouds or touch them and move them at will as if they were a solid object, right?" Rainbow nodded her head as if it were the most logical thing in the world. "Well, the little ones have the magic, but they don't have its control, and no matter how hard they try they can't break through the clouds and they'll always stay on the clouds."

"Then why do the Emergency Patrols reinforce the foundations of the nurseries with solid materials?

"Because eventually their magic reaches a controllable level, but they still don't know how to control it, we as adults can do it unconsciously, and that's why you can sleep on a cloud without worrying about falling, but the little ones can't." The yellow Pegasus replied as she finished condensing the cloud to a light gray. "Okay, I'm ready." She said as she approached the bed.

"And what do I do?"

"You're supposed to pick her up gently and I'll put the cloud underneath her so you can settle her down, then let her go, but keep your hooves to the side in case she loses her balance, we don't want her to get hurt."

Rainbow nodded her head and gently picked up her little one, placing her on all four legs, which instinctively managed to keep their balance without ever stopping sleeping, still carrying genetic traits from centuries ago when cave ponies had to sleep standing up, Fluttershy approached with the cloud and waited for Rainbow to lift her little one a few inches above the bed, where Fluttershy placed the cloud underneath her, Rainbow balanced her baby on the cloud and let go, always keeping her hooves at her sides in case of an emergency; the test was easy and Shadow Fire couldn't get hurt, but that didn't stop her from worrying and the extra precautions weren't superfluous.

Rainbow watched her foal slowly sink into the cloud until she was completely through and standing on the bed, then picked her up and tucked her back in, putting her to sleep between her front hooves.
"I told you this would happen, she doesn't have Pegasus magic." Rainbow said, taking the cloud and gently pushing it towards the ceiling of the room.

"Hmm... that was weird." Fluttershy commented a little confused.

"Weird? What do you mean?"

"Just... the cloud test has two results." Fluttershy replied, taking flight to pick up the cloud and bring it closer to the bed. "I've seen the test hundreds of times, and this is the first time I've seen anything like this." She looked around the room and walked over to a nearby piece of furniture to grab a Daring Doo book, then turned back to the side of the bed and the cloud.

"That wasn't normal?, I mean... she went through the cloud."

"It did, but not the way it was supposed to, when something without Pegasus magic touches the cloud, it goes through it normally, like this book." Fluttershy said, placing the book on the cloud and making it pass through the cloud as if the cloud didn't exist, making it disappear. "It doesn't go through the cloud slowly like Shadow Fire did, I think your little girl is more unusual than we thought."

After spending some more time with Rainbow and her daughter, Fluttershy said goodbye and left the hospital to join Rarity and Twilight, they never agreed on where to meet or what time, but she was sure they would all come back to the hospital entrance, and even though she was calm, she still had to find a way to tell the girls the reason for Shadow Fire's appearance without telling them about Rainbow's real father, unfortunately, she wouldn't have much time to think about it because when she left the hospital, Rarity was sitting on a bench near a tree waiting for her.

The unicorn got up and walked over to her friend.

"I hope everything went well, my dear, Twilight still hasn't come back yet." Rarity said.

"Um... yeah, everything went fine, Rainbow told me that she..." Fluttershy didn't know how to talk about the subject without mentioning her friend's father, she wasn't the best at lying, and even though Rarity wasn't a walking lie detector like AppleJack, she could easily tell when someone was avoiding a question. "A relative of..."

"Does Rainbow have a relative who looks like her daughter?" Rarity asked, shaking Fluttershy excitedly, making her dizzy. "Oops, sorry dear, but this whole thing makes me nervous, but we better wait for Twilight so she knows too, I don't want to go into details until Twilight gets here either, but I can tell you that I convinced, well... together with Sweetie Belle, we convinced Soarin not to leave Ponyville."

"That... that's good to hear, I'm sure Rainbow will be happy to hear that."

"I'm sure she will, but let's get back to the bench."

Both mares went to the bench to wait for their friend's return without a word, each wrapped in their worries.

After two long and silent hours, Twilight returned from Cloudsdale and landed in front of the hospital, knowing she hadn't agreed on a time or place to meet, but she wanted to get to the hospital in case her friends were there, and seeing none of them, she thought about going to Rarity's Boutique before returning to her old castle for the night, but before she left she heard a voice calling her.

"Twilight, over here." Rarity said as she approached next to Fluttershy.

"Hi girls, I didn't see you and thought you'd gone home." Twilight replied, waving to her friends.

"We didn't want to do it because we knew you'd come back here, and besides, none of us could sleep without clearing this up first." Rarity replied, and Fluttershy nodded her head.

"I guess you're right, I couldn't sleep either worrying about it, and did you find out anything?" Twilight asked.

"Yes Twilight, but we'd better sit down and talk." The group of friends walked for a few minutes until they reached one of the benches in the square of Ponyville, it was a very open place to discuss a topic of this caliber, but at this hour there were very few ponies or changelings on the streets and they could easily spot a curious one.

"So, where do we start, because I'm sure you each have some very important information on the subject, and I assume we've all been permitted to... pry into something like this." Twilight said, and her two friends nodded in agreement.

"Then do you mind if I start?, I think talking to Rainbow's parents told me some things I didn't know about her family." Twilight asked.

"Sounds good to me Twilight, I've got Soarin not to leave Ponyville but I'd like to hear why Rainbow's parents didn't visit her in the hospital and also Rainbow's side of the story, what do you say dear?" Rarity asked, looking at the Pegasus.

"Hm... sounds good to me." Fluttershy replied, thinking that this would be the best way to gain some time to think about how to talk about her conversation with her blue friend.

"Thanks, first of all, I should tell you that a few days ago, I met Rainbow's mother here in Ponyville, and she gave me a medical report about her daughter's pregnancy, which had come to her house by mistake."

"But why did she give it to you instead of Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because Rainbow had been avoiding her parents for months, but what bothered me the most was that the medical exam was open and that she had read it, she told me there were only routine results inside and I was inclined to believe her, but that led to the conversation about why Rainbow was avoiding them."

"And what did she tell you?" Now it was Rarity who asked the question.

"That there are two reasons why she would avoid them, one is that she is ashamed of something and the other is that she is upset."

"So you think Rainbow's avoiding them because..." Rarity wanted to ask the question but didn't dare,

"They assured me she wasn't capable of something like that, and I believe them, but..." Twilight Monster looked a little confused.

"But what?" Rarity asked.

"But the way they reacted to me was... kind of weird." Twilight turned slightly to face her friends. "I asked them both if they had any relatives who looked like Shadow fire, and apart from a few vague answers they couldn't name any relatives who looked like Rainbow's daughter, but what caught my attention was that then Mrs. Whistles showed me Rainbow's old room, and there were lots of things for a newborn, clothes, a new crib still in its box, toys, diapers, you name it, so I'm sure they've known about their daughter's pregnancy for a long time."

"That's strange, and what have they told you about it?" Fluttershy asked.

"That they know Rainbow has been avoiding them, and that she specifically asked Soarin not to tell them she was in the hospital, but he felt it necessary to tell them anyway, they are her parents after all, but that wasn't the strangest thing of all."

"And then what is it?"

"The way they answered me when I asked them if Rainbow was capable of being unfaithful to Soarin, both are sure she wasn't, but Mrs. Whistles answered me in a very unusual way to such a question, she didn't look upset, offended or... in fact she showed no emotion when she answered me, and before I left Rainbow's father gave me this bottle." Twilight used her magic to make a bottle of liquor appear and hooved it to Rarity.

"It's for me, but why?" Rarity asked, confused.

"No Rarity, it's for Soarin, Mr. Hothoof asked me to give it to Soarin only if he was willing to be a father, he also told me that his daughter is a fool but not so much to waste something good when she has it in front of her, but the way he talked to me also made me understand that he knows something and just like his wife he preferred to lie to me, when I understood that I wouldn't get anything by talking to them I decided to return, so my trip wasn't much help." Twilight finished.

"And they didn't tell you anything else?" Fluttershy asked, thinking that this gave her a good idea of how to add her information to the conversation and prevent the truth about her friend's father from getting out.

"I'm afraid not Fluttershy, they blatantly lied to me, but I have no way to prove it, but I'm sure they told me the truth about Rainbow not doing anything improper." Twilight replied.

"I think I know why they lied to you Twilight." Fluttershy said quickly before Rarity could speak.

"You do?" Her two friends asked in unison, causing Fluttershy to nod her head.

"When I talked to Rainbow, she swore she'd never been unfaithful to Soarin, and I'm sure she was telling the truth, but she also told me something else about her relatives." Fluttershy wasn't the best at lying, but over the years she had learned to deflect certain topics of conversation.

"What did she tell you?" Rarity asked.

"She told me that thanks to one of the medical tests she had at the beginning of her pregnancy, she discovered that she has a relative who is identical to her little girl, and she is angry with her parents because they never told her, she told me that it is a very close relative of her... mother, and she feels that they have betrayed her by not telling her, but I am sure that she is just overreacting, and that soon she will communicate with them and everything will be like before." Fluttershy's answer was a half-truth, telling them what had happened but not revealing any important information, just hoping it would be enough for her friends.

"Do you think it's some uncle or cousin who's a criminal?" Rarity asked.

"That would explain the reaction to her parents and why she doesn't want to see them, and surely they knew that Rainbow was pregnant, they found out that Rainbow found this relative that they didn't want her to meet and that's why they lied to me, it's very possible that it's an uncle of Rainbow's and he's in trouble with the law, and personally I wouldn't want my daughter to have contact with someone like that, especially when she's pregnant." Twilight said, wondering why the conversation with Rainbow's parents was so strange. "Well done Fluttershy, and did she tell you anything else?"

"Yes, she told me that she's going to apologize to Soarin for the way she's treated him the past few months and that she wants to start a real relationship with him." The yellow Pegasus finished with a smile, as did Twilight, both of them thinking that everything had already been resolved, but Rarity had her eyes fixed on the ground with obvious concern, something neither of them could overlook, and she quickly wiped the smile from her face.

"Is something wrong, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked worriedly.

"I think so, Fluttershy." Rarity replied, trying to think of a way to tell them that Soarin saw no future in a relationship with Rainbow.

"As I told you earlier, I managed to convince Soarin not to leave Ponyville, at least until all this is cleared up, he agreed and is now living in the boutique with Sweetie Belle and me, I know he will not try anything with me because I have known him for months and I have different tastes as I told you and Sweetie is much younger than he is, but during the conversation the subject of his relationship with Rainbow came up and it turns out that he no longer has the same feelings for Rainbow Dash that he had in the beginning I believe that on his part they never existed apart from the feelings generated by a very good friendship, and I also believe that the only reason they were together was because they were going to have a daughter. " The white unicorn finished.

"Are you sure, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"I'm Twilight, well .... it was Sweetie who realized for a fact and deep down she is right, Shadow Fire's physical appearance was just the trigger for Soarin's pent-up frustration because as she said, if the two of them loved each other their little girl's physical appearance wouldn't have mattered and Soarin would be in the hospital right now next to Rainbow Dash, I find it hard to admit but my little sister is right and for all the times Soarin came to sleep in my boutique because of an argument with Rainbow. .... He appreciates Rainbow, but... he doesn't love her and... I don't know if he will in the future. "Rarity answered her friend's question.

"That's terrible to hear, and I don't know how Rainbow will take it when we tell her, but if he doesn't want to have anything to do with Rainbow, he won't take care of his little girl either?." Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know, and even if he's my friend and doesn't want to have anything to do with Rainbow, he still has responsibilities to his daughter, and as his friend I'll make sure he fulfills them, and I don't just mean the financial ones."

"All we can do is wait for him to fulfill them, do you think we can talk to him in the morning?" Twilight asked.

"I'd like to be there to hear what he has to say, but first I have to help Rainbow find a new place to live, since he is being released from the hospital tomorrow."

" She's getting out of the hospital so soon? And why is she moving out?" Twilight asked, confused by the comment.

"Because Earth ponies don't usually fly, and their home is a cloud." Fluttershy replied.

"I'd love to have her in the boutique and hear the hoofsteps of a filly again, but I can't because Soarin lives with us, do you think you could put her up in your castle, ex-castle?" Rarity asked the Princess of Friendship.

"I haven't lived there for years, and now it's run by Starlight and Spike, and we should ask them, but I don't think they'd have a problem with Rainbow living with them for a few weeks, after all, the castle is unusually larger on the inside than it is on the outside."

"I promised Soarin I'd clear out a room in the boutique and help him buy some furniture and a bed, because if he's going to live in my house I don't want him sleeping on the couch every night, do you think we could talk to Rainbow first before we talk to Soarin, I'd like to see her reaction when she hears about my conversation with Soarin?" Rarity asked.

"I'd like to hear Soarin's side of the story about his relationship with Rainbow first, because if it's like you say, he doesn't want anything to do with Rainbow, he won't react badly when we tell him he didn't have to leave the hospital." Twilight said.

"I think the best thing to do is to give them both a few days to calm down and feel safe, and the best way to do that is, as you say, to offer them a place where they can live for at least a few days, after all I have a lot more experience than the two of you put together in how to manage a chaotic relationship, and I know it is never good to have a fight in a boat in the middle of a storm, long story. ... don't ask, I know they don't show it, but I'm sure they're both disturbed by everything that's happened, and besides, you're forgetting something very important, and that is that we're doing all this to give the little one a home, not to fix Rainbow and Soarin's relationship, that's a subject that only concerns them. " Fluttershy commented.

Twilight and Rarity stared at each other and then at their winged friend, wanting to discuss it as soon as possible, but Fluttershy had answered them with the confidence that came from experience; Twilight was a very analytical pony, and sometimes a little exaggerated in her reactions, but she had almost no experience in love relationships, and what little experience she had was mostly from watching her friends' relationships with their partners, Rarity, on the other hand, was very passionate, but had a history of relationships that had ended badly, and many times it was her own hoof that had caused them to end that way, Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was the only one who had had a stable relationship with the God of Chaos himself for years, which was admirable in itself, but in terms of experience, she had much more than the two of them combined.

Besides, she was right that the original reason for helping with all this was to give Shadow Fire a functional home, no matter if it was with one of her parents or both of them, Twilight and Rarity had moved on from the original problem and were slowly focusing on Rainbow and Soarin's relationship.

"Fluttershy is right, our priority is Shadow fire and not their relationship, besides, despite our good intentions, if we push them too hard, it can all end badly, so tomorrow I will clear a room for Soarin to use and we will buy some furniture."

"And I will come to Rainbow early and help her pack her things so she can live in the castle until she finds a permanent place to live in Ponyville, I'm sorry I have to wake Spike and Starlight to ask them to do that, but it's necessary."

"Then I will go back to my cottage and check on my little one and my husband, remember to keep an eye on both of their moods, especially Rainbow's, she is a single and first time mother now so she will need all the help she can get, I would love to have her in my home or accompany her in whatever she needs, but I also have a family to take care of."

"We understand Fluttershy and it's okay, after all I think with what we know we can already help Rainbow, Soarin and little Shadow Fire." Twilight said.

"I want to go home to rest too, I'm sure Sweetie and Soarin must be sleeping, first thing tomorrow morning I'll tell them both what you told me about little Shadow's appearance, and when they're better we can arrange a meeting so they can talk about all this, I don't expect them to reconcile, but they have to find a solution that benefits everyone, especially the little one."

"Rarity's right, thanks for waiting for me here, girls, I really wouldn't have been able to sleep if I hadn't found you to talk to about all this." Twilight added, hugging her friends as they said their goodbyes.

"See you girls." With that, Rarity turned and headed for her boutique, while Fluttershy and Twilight flew off in different directions.

When Fluttershy arrived home she flew in to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake her baby or her husband, the little changeling was sleeping peacefully in his crib and Fluttershy wanted to pet him but preferred not to do so to prevent him from waking up, she just smiled and went quietly to her room where Discord was lying on the bed reading a book upside down.

"Hello dear, what are you reading?" Fluttershy asked, walking up to him and kissing him.

"Hi Flutters, I'm reading a book called "Lies of Life", but you only have weird pictures, like pictures of the moon, round equus, cakes, and it really intrigued me." Discord replied.

"So the cake is a lie?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, no... I don't know, and why did you come back so late?" The God of Chaos asked.

Fluttershy thought for a moment whether to answer him or not, she knew it wasn't her place to talk about it, but she also knew that Discord would find out sooner or later, and she wanted to avoid any confusion, besides knowing his personality, it was possible that he would make an inappropriate comment and cause more damage than what had already happened.

"Hmmm..." Fluttershy said before climbing onto the bed and settling down. "I know you're going to find out sooner or later, so I'd rather you heard it from me than another pony, Rainbow had a beautiful little one, but her looks..." Fluttershy told Discord the story in a general way, emphasizing that he should understand that this whole issue was not a game and to avoid any jokes that might complicate things.

Twilight arrived at the castle quickly and opened the door with a copy of the key she always carries with her, it was true that the castle was still her home but since she had her princess job in Canterlot, she felt more like visiting a friend than returning to her real home, in the beginning she could come back every week and spend several days in Ponyville, but now that she had the same power as Luna, she was lucky if she could come once or twice a month to visit.

But that did not stop the feeling of nostalgia and warmth that she felt every time she came back to the castle, and as she walked towards the stairs she took a quick look at the library which Spike and Starlight had changed a few sections to add the history of the changelings and the lessons of friendship that they taught at the school, Looking more closely at the library she noticed a few open books on a table and her instinct was to go in and sort through them as she regularly did when she lived in this place, but she shook her head weighing that she had other more important things to do.

"I don't have time for this, maybe I can do some reading tomorrow." Twilight said to herself as she left the library entrance and headed up the stairs to the rooms, knowing that the first room up the stairs was Spike's, so she approached it.

"Spike?" She asked, knocking on the door and stepping back hoping he would wake up but she knocked too slowly because she heard no answer.

"Spike, please wake up, I need to talk to you and Starlight." She knocked a little louder but didn't hear an answer either perhaps the young dragon was sleeping more heavily than usual.

Twilight reached over and gently opened the door, she would have preferred to wait until morning but this was a very important matter and they needed to discuss it as soon as possible.

"Spike?" She said in a whisper poking her head into the darkened room. "Spike? sorry to wake you at this hour, but I need to talk to you urgently." She said entering the completely dark room but still had no answer.

Twilight lightly illuminated her horn to see her way and approached the bed.

"Spike, wake up, I need to talk to you." She said as she approached, but when she reached the side of the bed and thanks to the illumination of her horn, she could see why the young dragon hadn't answered her.

"Where's Spike?, I must have the wrong room." She wondered when she saw the empty bed. "I'd better ask Starlight where Spike's room is now instead of blindly searching the castle for him". With that, the Princess of Friendship left the room and went to her former apprentice's room.

But when she reached the door and approached to knock, she noticed that it was ajar and she could hear a male voice inside.

"HA, I told you I'd get you one day." Said the voice, pleased.

"You're just lucky, but when I get out you'll know who I am." Starlight said angrily.

"I know exactly who you are, Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight Sparkle's star apprentice, but with that little ring on your horn, you are nothing but a pathetic, desperate mare." The voice replied.

"You won this round, but what are you going to do, lock me in a dungeon?" Starlight asked sarcastically. "It won't be long before they figure out why I disappeared and start looking for me."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but first I'll finish my work with you." The voice replied with a slight evil laugh.

"LET ME GO...NO...NOOO...HELP!...LET ME GO...HELP ME!...!!!" Starlight began to scream amid the moans and groans of her attacker.

Twilight was shocked to hear all this, could it be that this creature in the shadows attacked Spike and that's why he wasn't in his room and now it's killing Starlight?. Twilight thought.

"NOOOO.... HELP-..." Starlight's cries were silenced and Twilight didn't wait any longer, using her magic to turn her horn on full blast and leaping into the room.

"LET GO OF MY FRIEND YOU BEAST OR YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER SET FOOT IN PONYVILLE!!!" Twilight shouted, getting into a fighting stance and pointing her horn at whoever was attacking Starlight.

"Twilight?" Starlight asked, watching her former mentor from her disadvantaged position on the bed with her front hooves bound and a ring on her horn.

"TWILIGHT!!!" Shouted the creature attacking Starlight, who was in an advantageous position behind Starlight with his claws on the unicorn's flank to prevent her from getting off the bed; he was a somewhat slender purple dragon with a pair of wings and green scales on his back.

"STARLIGHT, SPIKE?" The princess asked as she saw the two of them engaged in an act that was not appropriate for minors.

"TWILIGHT!" Starlight shouted trying to cover herself and Spike with the sheets, but being tied up and having a ring on her horn made it completely impossible, but Spike was quick and managed to cover them both with the sheets.

:twilightoops: Twilight.exe stopped working, system is rebooting ....

"TWILIGHT, DID YOU FORGET TO KNOCK?" Asked an angry Starlight, moving in all directions under the sheets.

"You guys..."

:facehoof: Failed to reboot system, corrupt logic.ini file, delete file, reboot system ... .

"Twilight, can you please leave?" Starlight asked awkwardly, without leaving the sheets.

:twilightsheepish: Reboot completed . . .

"Sorry, I'm going to the bathroom to wash my eyes with bleach and meet you in the kitchen, we need to talk about something important." Twilight said in a cheerful tone, as if she had somehow forgotten what had happened, and left the room humming a song and closing the door with her magic.

"I told you to shut the door." Spike said.

"Just shut up and untie me." Starlight replied.

In the kitchen, Twilight was sitting at the table in front of a stack of cups with her special blend of coffee which was 50% whiskey, 50% brandy and 0% coffee, a few minutes later a completely red version of Starlight with her hair barely combed out appeared along with a Spike who for some reason was wearing a towel around his waist, both of them oblivious to the large amount of cups on the table and the empty bottles to the side.

"Twilight, we didn't mean to..." Starlight started to say, but was cut off by Twilight.

"I'd love to use a memory erasing spell, but I don't want to give myself a brain tumor, so this is my second-best option, and I don't want to know any more about the subject." Twilight said, finishing the contents of her cup and making herself a new one.

"I think it will be better for everyone." Spike said, scratching the back of his head. "Since you interrupted us... what did you want to talk about?"

"Yes... that... change of subject... excellent..." Twilight replied, clearing her throat. "You know, Rainbow gave birth to her baby girl today, she is beautiful and has no health problems, but..."

The princess told the unusual couple what had happened to Rainbow and if she could stay at the castle for a few days while she found a new place to live, she didn't tell them all the details but it was enough for them to get a general idea of what had happened.

Rarity was the last to get home, not that the trip was any longer than her friends', but she walked slower than usual, thinking about what had happened and how they could talk to Rainbow and tell her that Soarin no longer wanted anything to do with her, when she got to the boutique she opened the door and when she saw no light she closed it quietly so as not to wake anyone, Soarin and Sweetie Belle would want to know what she had talked to Twilight and Fluttershy about, But she didn't want to wake them up at this time of night to tell them, they could wait until tomorrow, Rarity was a little hungry and went into the kitchen to see if there was anything left to eat from lunch, she almost always cooked for two and she didn't have much hope of finding any food prepared, but when she entered she saw a plate on the counter with some cooked vegetables and some pasta, obviously it had been prepared by Soarin since Sweetie Belle hadn't developed a level of cooking to prepare something like that yet.

Without much thought Rarity ate the plate of food and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and brush her mane before going to sleep, but as she left the kitchen she heard a familiar snoring sound coming from the couch that was in the study, she looked out to see if Soarin was okay and then went upstairs to her room, she put her ear to Sweetie's door to hear if she was asleep too and heard mumbling, possibly from a dream, she continued on her way to her room.

When she opened her room, she gave a big yawn and climbed into her bed for a well-deserved night's rest, but try as she might, she couldn't fall asleep.

"Hmmm... I guess this week is going to be hectic for everyone." She said before closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to take over her body.

Author's Note

I'm sorry, I know I've been taking a lot longer than usual with these chapters, but I've had a lot on my plate these days, plus I have a new job and it's taking up a lot more of my time than it used to, but I'm hoping to take less time with the next one. :facehoof:

This chapter is special because it closes Rainbow's arc but it won't end there, I intend to continue it in it's own story as I find it too interesting to just leave it as a side story, I have ideas for Rainbow's biological father and whether her father knows it or not but as always I accept your ideas and as I said at the beginning this arc will be written based on the ideas of the comments and I think some of you will have noticed that. :rainbowderp:

The next one will be about Celestia and her life as a mare and a mother, it will come with a fun little surprise that I've been wanting to put in the story for a long time and I think she's the perfect mare for it. :trollestia:

I hope you enjoy the chapter and it meets your expectations and I'm really sorry for the delay.

All comments are welcome and as always will help me polish and perfect the story.
See you in a few days, not months. :twilightsheepish:

Celestia - Final.

Canterlot Castle, as always, was bustling with life, and over the years the individuals who worked and lived inside were rotated for various reasons, most for the simple fact that due to their advanced age they could no longer continue to work in that place, but that opened up new positions, and those positions were filled by servants and officials much younger, energetic, and equally trained to work in that place, but unlike when Celestia ruled Equestria, and with the School of Friendship flourishing, many of those servants are changelings, In fact, there was already a regular contingent in the Royal Guard of Canterlot, but they were not sent by Chrysalis as support, they were freewheeling changelings who wanted to be part of the Royal Guard, which also led to some ponies wanting to join the changeling forces, slowly but surely, the two races were creating much stronger bonds, and it would not surprise anypony if in a few decades, it would be impossible to tell where one nation began and the other ended.

But today was a special day for all of Equestria, and especially for one mare who had gone through so many abrupt changes in such a short time, starting with an irrational hatred of an entire race that caused her to lose her title, going through a time in prison, and ending up married and with a beautiful son who was loved by everypony, but contrary to what most thought, that did not disillusion her, it helped her to break her chains and express herself as she really was, not as an infallible regent and model of perfection.

And for that, there were four figures of great power in the throne room who would be responsible for dealing with Celestia today, they were the princesses Twilight Sparkle, Luna, Cadance, and there was also Queen Chrysalis, but in her white form, they knew Celestia perfectly and knew that she was full of experience and tricks, She also knew the castle like the back of her hoof and although she had no political power, she was still an authority figure and thanks to her charisma it was inevitable that over the years she had gathered a small squad of ponies and a few changelings who would follow her orders and do whatever it took to protect her, whatever happened today would not be easy.

But Celestia knew that the princesses were waiting for her in the throne room and even though she no longer used magic, she had a great deal of experience in close combat along with her natural resistance and she was always accompanied by her bodyguards, they took care of her and she responded the same way and even though it was a small group, they were the most loyal that existed in Equestria and she would do anything to protect them.

"Don't worry, my lady, you know we will protect you to the end." Said a Pegasus wearing an armor with Celestia's insignia on it, followed by a changeling also wearing similar armor, only this one carried a banner with Celestia's flag on it.

"I know, Cap, but you know it wasn't necessary to move everypony every time my sister called me to a meeting." Celestia replied.

"We know that, but we took an oath to protect you, even if that sometimes goes against your direct orders." The Pegasus replied to which the entire contingent nodded their heads somewhat uncoordinated and mumbled to each other, it was easy to see that such a group had little or no military training.

Celestia looked at them one by one and the group was no larger than twenty including herself, they were ponies from the three tribes and some changelings, all of them wearing armor with her insignia and many of them carrying swords or spears and even though some of them looked scared or excited about what would happen today, there was no doubt that they would act if necessary.

"Is something wrong?" The Pegasus asked.

"This armor is a little tight, but it's nothing I can't handle, did you bring provisions?" The former monarch asked, and one of her guards handed her some of her rations.

"Thank you, I will have to reward your dedication when this is all over." Celestia said, slowing down a bit so that her group could follow her easily and not end up exhausted before they reached the hall.

Meanwhile, in the hall, the four figures waited for Celestia to arrive, unaware that she was being accompanied.

"I don't understand why I'm here, everypony knows Celestia isn't ready to see me." Chrysalis said.

"Why do you always do that?" Twilight asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Do what?" Chrysalis replied.

"That, you stay quiet for several minutes and ask the exact same question just before someone knocks on the door." Twilight replied.

"I do not do that." Chrysalis replied.

"Twilight's right, you do it a lot, and now that she mentions it, you do it all the time." Luna said.

"I don't know what you mean, do you really think I wait in silence for a certain amount of time to speak only when it is necessary for something specific to happen?, like now?" The queen asked.

"Yes, why do you do that? It's like it's necessary for the world that you be silent and then speak so that everything can continue on its normal course." Cadance added, also intrigued, scratching her chin as she thought of a reason why the Queen always did the same thing.

"Do you really think that if I ask that question, Celestia will magically appear and knock on that door?" The queen asked, pointing her white hoof at the wooden door.

But despite the expectation of the four figures...

No one touched the door...

"Ha." Said the queen with a fake laugh to the three princesses. "I knew nothing would happen, and no one answered my question."

"What question?" Luna asked.

"Well... it wasn't a question per se, but no one answered why I should be here."

"Because you are one of the ponies, or changelings involved in this whole thing and your presence is necessary for what we have to do." Cadance said.

"But as far as I know this is a formality since you need my signature to make it official and we all know that Celestia is not ready to talk to me yet, I don't mind doing all this but I don't want to cause unnecessary stress with my presence to Celestia, today is an important day and if she sees me there is a chance that she will refuse what we are going to do with her, I would like to see her face when we tell her the news but I think it would be best if I leave."

The three princesses thought about it for a moment. Seeing Celestia wandering around the castle they had forgotten this detail about Chrysalis, and if they were going to give her news of this magnitude, the queen could not be present.

"She's right, we've been planning this for a long time, and if she sees Chrysalis, it's very likely she won't accept what we're going to propose."

"Then I'll leave, I have an... important meeting and I have to get ready." The queen said a little nervously before she went to the door.

"An important meeting? Is there a delegate coming that we haven't been informed about?" Luna asked.

"Um... no, not that I know of." The queen replied.

"Well, may your important meeting go well." Cadance said.

"It's no big deal, it's just a changeling and we'll talk about... stuff." The queen replied somewhat nervously.

"Ok, please change into someone else while you're in the castle so Celestia doesn't recognize you." Twilight said.

"Good idea." The queen replied before wrapping herself in green flames and changing her white appearance to that of a maid. "See you another day." She said before leaving the room and shutting the door.

"She's got a date." Cadance said with a grimace.

"Totally a date." Luna added with the same grimace.

"Should we follow her?" Twilight asked, mimicking the grimace.

"Ohh... absolutely, there is no way I want to miss this gossip, plus Rarity will be furious if she finds out we know before she does." Cadance added.

"I'd love to see who wants to be Chrysalis' consort, but we first have to settle things with my older sibling, and then we have to get masks." Luna said.

"Why do you always do that?" Twilight asked.

"What do you mean Twilight?" Luna said.

"That thing you do, talking in that tone and style... old." Said the young princess.

"Do you think the way I express myself causes disagreement or confusion in front of others?"

"Yes Auntie, you often confuse the ponies, why do you do that?" Cadance asked.

"Because it makes me look mysterious, elegant, sophisticated, and mysterious." The Princess of the Night replied.

"You said mysterious twice." Twilight said.

"It's because the mysterious has been doubled."

"Ugggh... sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to have had that stroke." Twilight said to herself, putting her hoof to her face in frustration.

At that moment, a small figure opened the door with great effort and entered the room, accompanied by a changeling carrying a pennant with a sun and a happy face painted with crayons, both of them wearing small armors made of cardboard and painted with crayons in the same way.

Fixing her glasses the filly scanned the room for hidden enemies and when she found nothing suspicious, she signaled for Celestia to enter the room.

"Presenting Celestia of Canterlot." The filly said before putting her glasses back on and looking at the changeling. "Blue Beetle, the flag." She said to the small changeling.

"What?" The changeling asked back.

"That that was your signal to move the flag." The Pegasus replied.

"Ohh yeah." Said the changeling before he began moving his little flag animatedly in all directions, causing the three remaining characters to giggle.

A second later, Celestia entered, eating a muffin she had on her hoof, accompanied by the little ones from the castle's nursery, all wearing armor and weapons made of cardboard painted yellow with crayons, including Celestia.

"Greetings sister, an impressive army accompanies you." Luna said with a smile.

"Thanks Lulu, we were drawing with the hooves and then I gave them a little history lesson and one thing led to another and here we are." Celestia replied, taking another bite of her muffin.

"I see the little ones have grown quite fond of you, and where is your son?" Twilight asked.

"He's in the kitchen with my husband, taking advantage of his breaks to spend more time together, and what was it you called me for?"

The three princesses smiled broadly and Luna stepped forward to speak.

"We wanted to inform you that as of today, your sentence has been officially revoked and you are now a completely free mare to go wherever you want."

"Okay." Celestia replied, not paying any importance to the news her sister had given her.

"We know this is big news for you, and we wanted to...okay?...what do you mean OK?" Cadance asked curiously.

"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked.

"Something wrong?, But... but... but... but... this is supposed to be great news for you, you should be thrilled that you don't have to be cooped up in the castle anymore and you can use your magic." Twilight said in surprise.

"I know, great news, right? the ponies will be so happy to know that I am no longer locked in the castle, do you think we should plan a party?" Celestia asked, taking another bite of her muffin and turning her cheeks red. "mmMMmmm... I really must thank Pinkie for sending me these banana muffins."

"I think her mind just can't process it, but we'll worry about that later, now let me take the inhibitor ring off your horn as a token of our full confidence that you have reformed and are ready for a better life, please show the world that our trust in you was not in vain." Princess Luna said solemnly as she approached her older sister.

Celestia seeing her sister, bowed slightly in respect and lowered her head to allow Luna to remove the ring from her horn; the ceremony was brief and Luna smiled as she removed the ring with her hoof.

"Before our eyes and the world's, you are a free mare and... Celestia? What in Tartarus is this?" Luna asked her older sister.

"What is what?" Celestia asked.

"This Celestia, what is this thing?" She asked again, showing the ring to her sister.

"It's a ring Luna, why?" Celestia said.

"Celestia, this is made of papier mache and..." Luna took the ring with her magic and examined it closely, removing the jewel and licking it. "...this is a candy?"

Celestia took the candy and ate it.

"A cherry jelly bean, I thought we were out." The white alicorn replied. Twilight and Cadance quickly approached with a mixture of surprise and confusion, but much more confusion than surprise.

"Celestia, where is the inhibitor ring?" Twilight curiously asked her former mentor.

"We used it as a treasure a few months ago when we were playing pirates, why?" Celestia replied with almost childlike innocence.

A few hours later, there were a large number of ponies in the castle gardens, a curious Cadance, along with a nurse who was trying to wake up an unconscious Twilight who had already suffered her fourth panic attack. Third on the list was a very irritated Princess Luna, and last but not least, Celestia, who had her head poking into a large hole in the ground, looking anxiously at the pair of guards digging for a small chest where Celestia said she had buried the ring, next to her and with the same expectation was her small army of infants waiting for the chest to appear, the whole scene would be funny if this was not the twelfth hole the guards were digging because Celestia had forgotten where the chest was buried.

A few minutes later, one of the guards hit something with his shovel, drawing everypony's attention to the hole.

"Did you find it?" Celestia asked excitedly.

"I don't know, it might be another rock." One of the guards replied as he pushed the dirt aside to see what he had hit. "We found it." Said the stallion.

"Ohh... thanks Faust, I was getting bored." Said the white alicorn, using her magic without thinking and levitating the small chest and placing it on the ground by her side. All the little ones came over and looked at the chest impatiently, and then Celestia used her magic to open it. "Okay, time for lunch." She said to the little ones, who besieged the chest with their hooves and took out all the candy that was inside, leaving the Inhibitor Ring and a mint-filled chocolate candy, which Celestia took with her hoof and approached Princess Luna until she stood in front of her.

"Shall I put the ring on to repeat the ceremony?" Celestia asked her younger sister, offering her the ring and candy attentively.

But Luna could do nothing but smile at the clueless and fickle mare, who showed great innocence and a much bigger heart, she simply took the candy and put it in her mouth, then she took the ring with her magic and made it disappear, Celestia showed a smile and both sisters hugged each other.

"You have changed so much in such a short time, dear sister." Luna said with a soft voice.

"You think so? my hips are a little wider, but that's because I'm a mother." Celestia replied.

"She's referring to your personality, you're more spontaneous and energetic now, although I think your personality was always like that but as a princess you couldn't express it as freely as you do now."

"There's something I don't understand." Twilight said, appearing from behind and rubbing her head. "When did you take the ring off your horn?" They all looked at Celestia, trying to figure out how she managed to pull off such a feat.

"It was years ago, so I don't remember, I think it was one day when-"

"What?" Twilight asked in surprise, interrupting Celestia. "What do you mean years ago, those rings are specifically designed to neutralize all magic from the wearer, there's no way you could have taken them off on your own."

"I know but I remember after I took it off I put it in a drawer but it got lost and I got really nervous that Lulu would be mad if she found out and then I made a ring out of tinfoil but I didn't like how it turned out, then I put a gem on it to make it look prettier but it was too shiny, then I went out to buy some paper and glue to make papier mache but..."

Celestia's explanation went on for another few minutes losing the thread of the conversation as she went.

"And so that they couldn't see me, I went out at night, but I forgot that the shops are closed at that time, and it occurred to me to go out during the day, and for that I needed some kind of mask, but since I didn't want to be discovered, I bought some wool and learned to sew, but I forget to make holes for the eyes, so I thought of wearing a hat, and the shop had many beautiful hats, but by wearing the hat I ruined my mane, so I went to the salon, and then to the spa, and then I got hungry, and..."

Celestia's explanation went on for a few more minutes, and she had already lost the original idea of what she was trying to explain. But strangely enough, she remembered many details of something she said she didn't remember very well.

"When we saw the obese cat again, we started to follow it and came to a small pet shop, they had some very cute fish, and there we had the idea to play pirates and bury the treasure." Finished the white alicorn.

The three princesses listened attentively to Celestia's story, or at least they did for the first fifteen minutes, and then their minds wandered to other things, Twilight wrote everything down but lost the thread when Celestia talked about her argument that Donut Joe didn't sell donuts because they were fried and he baked them, Luna wondered if the guards were competent or if Equestria had been stupidly lucky for centuries, Cadance wondered what name she would give her if she had a second daughter.

"But when was it?" Twilight asked, checking her notes.

"When was what?" Celestia replied.

"When did you take the ring off and how did you do it?"

"Ummm... I don't remember exactly when it was, but I do remember that I kept it in a drawer and somehow I lost it and I was really scared that if Lulu found out..."

"I THINK... We're past that part." Luna said, interrupting her sister. "But do you remember how you got it out?...and please be brief...please."

"Oh... I do remember, or rather I have an idea, it turns out that those rings make your horn a little irritated after a while because you can't use magic, and when I was scratching my horn the ring bothered me, then one day I asked a guard if I could take the ring off for a moment, He took it off and I could scratch my horn with my hoof and the irritation disappeared, then I put the ring back on and when the horn bothered me I just asked a guard or servant if I could take it off, in the end I felt bad for always interrupting their work so I put it in a drawer. ... "Celestia scratched her chin, thinking of something. "...I think it was a little after I got back to my room because I kept several of my things in the drawer next to the ring and somehow I lost it and..."

"Please don't." Cadance interrupted before Celestia lost herself in her thoughts again.

"So anypony could have taken the Inhibitor Ring from you at any time?" Twilight asked.

"Of course, look." Celestia said, placing the ring on the horn of the Princess of Friendship, who got a little upset and tried unsuccessfully to remove the ring, Celestia turned her head to look at the little ones eating candy a little further back. "Anther, can you come over here for a moment?" The former princess called to one of the little ones.

A small changeling looked up from the pile and came running over to his nanny. He had a huge lollipop in his mouth.

"Would you be so kind as to take off Twilight's ring?" Celestia asked, and the little changeling nodded his head and walked over to the purple alicorn, extending his little hoof in the direction of her horn.

Twilight leaned forward skeptically. The little changeling gently took the ring from her and hoofed it to Celestia.

"Thank you Anther, now you can go back to your friends." Celestia said, and the changeling turned and walked back to where the rest of the little ones were. "See?" She said, looking at a curious Twilight.

"I think we overestimated many of our security measures, but if you could take the ring off and leave at any time, which you did for years without anypony noticing or even caring, why did you choose to stay here?, why did you choose to not tell us anything and pretend that you were still trapped in the castle, you could have lived wherever you wanted and it would have been almost impossible to catch you." Luna asked, looking the most puzzled of all and using her magic to send the ring to the vault.

Celestia had thought about it a lot too and at first she didn't understand why she couldn't leave the castle, for someone with her power it was very easy and it was impossible to stop her if she wanted to run away, but over the years she realized why she never did and the answer came from a source she had never imagined. Celestia stared at Luna for a moment before she spoke.

"It would have been really easy for me to run away from the castle, and as you say, it would have been hard for you to catch me. It would have been years before you even had a clue as to my whereabouts, but... If I had done that, I would not have been able to see my son or my husband again, and I would not have wanted my son to live with the stigma of his mother being a fugitive from the law, I realized that when I looked out of one of the castle's windows one day and saw a very special mare who had been in trouble but had managed to leave it all behind, and she was happily walking in the gardens with her son and his girlfriend, I wanted that life too, and the only way to do that is to serve my sentence. " Twilight and Cadance wondered who she could be talking about, but Luna knew exactly who it was.

Celestia flashed her horn and the Inhibitor Ring appeared in front of her, grabbing it with her hoof.

"Even though you have the confidence to overturn my sentence, I still feel that I have not redeemed myself for the evil I have done to Equestria, especially to Chrysalis and Clear Spark. If you will allow me, I would like to keep this ring as a reminder of my wrongdoing and as a warning to myself of what I can do to the world if I let my negative thoughts take over."

There was a sense of commitment and remorse in Celestia's eyes, something all the princesses could see and feel in her words.

"I think my aunt is ready to roam the world as a free mare, but if she doesn't feel ready, I don't feel I have the right to deny her that. What do you think, Twilight?" Cadance asked, looking to her side.

"I feel the same way, we will wait as long as it takes until she feels she has repaired all the damage she has done, even if we have to get Chrysalis' consent for all of this, what do you say Luna?." The young princess said in friendship to the monarch of the night.

"No, I'm afraid I can't allow it. You can't keep the ring as a sign of penance." Luna said seriously, looking at the ring and her sister, surprising everypony with her coldness.

"But why not? Don't I have the right to decide if I want to continue to repent for what I've done?" Celestia asked.

"My aunt is right, she has as much right in this matter as we do." Cadance said.

"True, and I think the only one who could ask Celestia not to do this would be Red Bug. She should be here too, but she disappeared as soon as we got to Canterlot." Twilight added.

"You're right, but I still can't allow it for one simple reason." Luna replied, stretching out her hoof to take the ring. "This ring is made of aluminum foil and it also has a candy attached to it." Luna smiled slightly, causing the group to giggle, then used her magic to make the real inhibitor ring appear and hoofed it to Celestia.

"Done, when you feel ready, return the ring to us and we will be more than happy to accept it."

"Thank you Lulu." Celestia said, hugging her little sister.

"And what are you going to do now Celestia, you're a free mare now, even if it hasn't changed much in your case." Cadance asked.

"Now I have to take the little ones back to the nursery and wait for their parents. Then I'll get ready for my romantic dinner with my husband." Celestia replied

"A romantic dinner? You have something special to celebrate?" Cadance asked, pleased and curious.

"Nothing special really, but we like to do it every month to keep the flame burning. We're going to 'L'insetto Nero' and I must admit the changelings cook very well."

"I hope you have fun on your romantic date and give my regards to your husband and little one."

"I will Twilight, but before I go I have a favor to ask." Celestia said as she approached her former student.

"Now that I am a free mare... um... legally free, I would like to help officially with the integration of the changelings into Equestria, I know they have integrated well, but there are still places or ponies that take advantage of the loopholes in the law or the good intentions of the changelings, now when I discover a situation like that all I can do is report it to the authorities and sometimes help takes longer than it should, and if I work in the integration office I can act more directly and quickly."

"Consider it done, I'll have to send some letters and talk to some ponies, but I'm sure no one will object to your help." Twilight replied with a smile.

"Thank you, okay little ones, it's time to go back to the nursery." Celestia said as she turned and walked towards the castle.

"YES AUNT CELESTIA!" Shouted the small group following their guardian.

"My sister has always been a very special mare." Luna said with a smile.

"Sure, she has always shown herself to be a powerful and relentless figure of great strength, an example of perfection to follow. But as her student, I have come to realize over the years that she is quite clueless and very childish." Twilight added.

"What are we going to do now that Celestia is a free mare and we no longer have to worry about her?" Cadance asked.

"First of all, we need to get disguised." Luna replied with a mischievous grin. Twilight and Cadance quickly joined in.

It was true that they were done with Celestia. But now they had to find out what fish the queen was after, or rather... who.

Author's Note

I've been thinking for a while about how to end Celestia's story in a way that you would expect, given her personality in the story, and I think it worked out pretty well. And just like Rainbow's story, I plan to put it on hold for possible little spin-offs of Celestia and her family. :trollestia:

I don't think there's any need for spoilers as to who would be the subject of the next story. :raritywink:

As always, I appreciate your comments. If you have any ideas or if you think I've missed something, I'll be happy to read them.

I hope you like it. As always, I'll see you in a few days. :twilightsmile:

The Tour.

An idea proposed by Guardsling66

Chrysalis was coming from school, she had picked up Clear Spark and together they were going to the market to buy fruits and vegetables for the week.

"Since we are going to buy food, would you like to eat something special today?".

"I'd like some vegetable stew."

"That's a good idea, plus I'll be able to use the vegetables left in the house before they get stale, that also reminds me to buy flour."

"Are you going to try making bread again?"

"I just don't understand why I always get hard bread."

"Maybe bread isn't your thing."

"But I have to be able to make bread, how can I not be able to make a simple baked bread?".

After buying some fruits and vegetables for the week, both figures headed to Sugarcube Corner for a sack of flour and a hint from Pinkie Pie.

"Thanks for the flour Pinkie, I can't understand why I can't make bread."

"And you're following the recipe as the book says?".

"Yes, and that's the weird thing, I can cook almost anything without much trouble, but bread is the one thing I can't make."

"Hmmm..." Pinkie thought. "And do you use the oven on other things?". Pink pony asked.

"Very rarely, the only thing I've used it for these days is to try to make bread." Replied the frustrated queen.

"Maybe it's not you, maybe it's the oven that is malfunctioning, if you want I can go tomorrow afternoon to your house and try to bake bread, there we can check if the oven has a problem or not."

"Thanks Pinkie, that would do me a lot of good."

"Mom, can you buy me a banana muffin?" The foal asked causing the queen to roll her eyes before looking at the pink pony.

"Hey Pinkie."

"Yeah?."

"Can I have a banana muffin?."

"Of course." Replied the pony before pulling a muffin off the counter and passing it to the queen to which the queen gave it to Clear Spark who was standing next to her.

"Thanks Pinkie, see you tomorrow." Replied the queen before walking out of Sugarcube Corner with her son, Pinkie waved goodbye with her hoof before continuing to work.

As they stood outside the store the queen thought about whether she would like something else to eat and after much thought decided on her capricious fruit.

"Would you like some apples?" Asked the queen to her son.

"I would love them." Replied the excited foal prancing around.

"Then come on, do you remember where the market is from here?."

"Hmmm..." The colt thought for a second. "To the right across the fountain."

"Okay, you lead the way and I'll follow."

The walk to the fruit stand wasn't particularly long but Clear Spark was going slow and analyzing the sounds of the environment, he wasn't paying attention to the voices of those who were saying them, but he was attentive if he heard the word apple and also if he could hear the sound of the water fountain.

" Mom?" The foal asked.

"Yes?" Replied the queen.

"What's your house like?"

"What do you mean how is my house?" Asked the queen with intrigue. "You know our house, it has that little kitchen and a greenhouse."

"I don't mean our house, I mean the hive, what's it like?"

"We have a central hive in The Badlands, it's big, pointy and ponies can't use magic there, it's also where the Petlings are made, we have other small hives around Equestria that were mini fortresses more than anything, why do you ask?"

"It's just that some foals at school were talking about their uncles' and grandfathers' houses, and I wanted to know what the hive is like."

"Hmmm..." Thought the queen. "I hadn't thought about it but you've never visited the hive, would you like to go there?".

"Really?" The colt asked excitedly.

"Of course, this Friday we can go for a visit and stay for the whole weekend, you can see what mommy's life was like before she met you, plus I'd like to go back to my old room and see how things are without me being there."

"WOW!" Spark shouted excitedly. "That will be fabulous, I'm going to tell all my friends tomorrow at school."

"Hey Spark, what are you so happy about?" Said a filly from a stall in the marking.

"Hi, Apple Bloom." Clear Spark already recognized that familiar voice very easily, it was one of his best friends who had often picked him up at the house to go to school and drop him off.

"So what are you so happy about?"

"Mom is taking me to see the hive this weekend and I can't wait to see it, would you like to go with me?" The colt asked without thinking.

"You're inviting me to a..." Apple Bloom turned red.

"It'll be fun, and we can play all weekend, you know that's where they make the Petlings, and besides..." At that moment Spark realized he hadn't asked his mother if he could invite somepony. "...Ohhh, Mom, can I invite Apple Bloom to come along?" Foal asked turning his head to where the queen was standing.

"That's fine with me but it depends if AppleJack agrees." Replied the queen looking at the farm pony."

"Only if I can go too, I'd like to get to know the hive and I could use a couple of days off before the harvest starts."

"Then the four of us will go at the end of-."

"Hey girls, what are you doing?" Interrupted a light blue pegasus landing next to the queen.

"Hi Rainbow, Chrysalis just invited us to visit the hive for the weekend." AJ replied.

"Cool, can I come too?". Asked the excited pegasus.

"Eeeemmm... I guess so, we have a couple of extra rooms and-."

"Great, I'm going to ask Scoot's aunts if she can go with me, she'd love to see the hive." Said the pegasus as she quickly flew off and out of sight.

"Where is Rainbow going flying so fast?". Twilight asked appearing from behind the queen.

"Chrysalis invited us all to spend the weekend at the hive, isn't it exciting." Said Apple Bloom.

"I would love to take a tour of the hive, learning what their culture is like would help me a lot in improving the changeling integration into Equestria if I have direct contact with their lore and way of life, you think I could attend as well?."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, I can give you a personalized tour of the entire hive to clarify doubts about our way of life and discuss some ideas for integration."

"So when would the tour be?" Twilight asked.

"You're going on vacation for a couple of days dear?, I can recommend some great places to relax and very affordable, although being a princess I don't think money will be an issue."

"Hi Rarity, I'm not going on vacation, but Chrysalis invited me on a tour of the hive to learn about its history and culture."

"A tour of the changeling hive?, I would be fascinated to go, their lifestyle would give me excellent ideas for new dress designs, and when are you going to do the tour?, I want to coordinate my schedule and take Sweetie Belle."

"Where are you and Sweetie Belle going, Rarity?" Asked a Grey pegasus.

"Hi Derpy, Chrysalis is organizing a tour of the changeling hive and we are all going."

"I'm what?" The queen asked in surprise.

"A tour of the hive? cool." Said a mint green unicorn approaching. "I'll ask Bon-Bon if she'd like to come along." Lyra turned and took a deep breath.

"HEY BON-BON, CHRYSALIS IS ORGANIZING A TOUR OF THE CHANGELING HIVE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?."

And at that moment the queen discovered she had opened the doors to the worst day of her life...

A week later the queen was very upset inside the hive and in front of the door, mumbling unintelligible things and lamenting her fate.

"This is stupid, why do I have to do this?" Asked the queen to a changeling who was next to her checking some cards with several things written down.

"Because you're the only one big enough for everypony to see, plus its good publicity that the first tour of the hive will be conducted by the queen herself."

"But why do I have to wear this yellow t-shirt and this ridiculous cap?" Asked the queen about the uniform she was wearing. "And besides if everyone is going to see me why do I need a pennant?." The queen waved a small yellow banner on a long stick she had in one of her hooves.

"It's to let everypony know that you are leading the tour." Replied the changeling.

"And why do I have to wear a nametag?, because I'm absolutely sure everypony will recognize me."

"I don't think it's necessary but it makes you look more professional."

"It makes me look more stupid, that's what it does."

The queen turned and walked to the door sighing her bad luck, she touched the wall with her hoof, and magically the wall opened a giant hole allowing the queen to see a group of at least fifty ponies coming to the "First changeling tour of cultural exchange, rapprochement of both races and blah blah blah blah...". It was a long name that the queen didn't want to bother to learn, among them were all of Cheerilee's class including Clear Spark, the princesses, Shining Armor with her daughter, a large number of Ponyville inhabitants, a few griffons and a yak.

The queen walked a few steps outside and cleared her throat before taking her speech cards and beginning to speak as neutrally as possible.

"Welcome, I am Queen Chrysalis, I will be your guide today and I thank all of you who were able to attend the first changeling culture exchange tour, and..." The queen became frustrated and threw the cards behind her back. "Please follow me and don't get separated, I don't want you to get lost and have to look for you or it will be deducted from my payment, even though no one is paying me for this..." Murmured the queen to herself at last.

Chrysalis stepped aside so that the whole group could enter the hive, but among all those present there was one in particular that caught her attention, somepony that with her past she never expected to see on a tour of the hive, somepony that she knew very well and had spoken honestly face to face, it was none other than...

"Red Bug, what are you doing here?" Asked the queen in surprise.

"Hello Chrysalis, I'm here for the hive tour." Replied the changeling with a smile.

"But-but you live here, why are you on the tour?"

"You know I like to try new things and I couldn't miss the first hive tour."

"That doesn't make sense, could you at least help me on the tour."

"That's your job, not mine, besides I paid for this tour and I want to enjoy it."

"You know the tour is free, you helped me organize it yourself."

"Hmmm..." Red Bug thought. "That's true, good luck leading the tour." Said the changeling before joining the rest of the tourists, the queen just sighed and returned to stand in front of the group.

"The first thing you may notice is that in the hive we don't have common doors, the walls form those holes that open and close randomly, they work that way as a defense mechanism against invaders and to prevent captured ponies from escaping, but we don't do that anymore, also changelings can create holes at will by touching a wall, this works only with changelings." The queen approached a wall and touched it with her hoof opening a hole instantly, surprising the group who took some pictures. "If you wish, anyone can touch the wall and you'll see that it won't work."

Twilight along with Luna and some tourists touched the wall and realized that it didn't work on them being amazed at how it worked, but a little further back somepony did manage to open a hole.

"Excuse me Chrysalis, why does it work on me?". Asked the figure.

"Because you're a changeling, Red Bug, that's why it works on you."

"Oh, right, sorry." The group laughed softly.

"Let's move on."

The queen led the group further into the hive until they came to a large room with only a few giant transparent cocoons and where a few changelings were guarding labeled boxes.

"This room was one we used to occupy to lock up and absorb the love of captured ponies, now it's used for the dance club and occasionally for storage when we have to make a large shipment in pottery products, gardening, or in this case Petlings."

"Ohh...I remember this room, I had one of the most pleasant dreams of my life in those cocoons." Commented a pony.

"We changelings are known for always giving the best service, both with our products and our captives."

The queen trying to wear her best smile continued with the tour showing the library, the new activity rooms, the nursery, and the factory among others.

"And this final room is the throne room." Said the queen touching the wall to allow her and the tour group to pass. "I don't know if anyone noticed but inside the hive and a wide radius of The Badlands the only ones who can use magic are the changelings, if anyone else tried their magic would simply be absorbed by the magic stone that makes up my throne." The queen picked up a small rock and placed it in front of the group. "If any of the unicorns present could be so kind as to come forward and try to lift this stone with their magic, everyone will be able to observe how the magic of the throne works."

"I'll do it." Cadance said stepping forward. "I just have to lift it, right?"

"Yes Cadance, but you'll see that you'll find it impossible because of the magic of the throne."

"Ok..." Cadance concentrated a bit and used his magic but the only result was that the magic accumulated in his horn vanished and was absorbed by Chrysalis' throne, astonishing the whole group and taking pictures.

"Thank you Cadance."

"Excuse me Ms. Chrysalis." Said a pony from the group.

"Yes?"

"Do your other hives also have thrones like this one?"

"No, we only have one magic throne, the other hives were just temporary quarters, and now they are basically a housing for changelings."

"And how many queens do the changelings have?"

"We only have one queen."

"And what's her name?"

"Chrysalis."

"And where is she?"

"She's in front of you, leading this tour."

"Wow... I'm learning a lot today." Said the pony, fascinated and taking a picture of the queen.

"I bet you are..." The queen hid her frustration well behind a smile as she pondered whether it would be worth spending a couple of years in jail for locking a tourist in a cocoon.

At the end of the tour, the queen led the whole group back to the entrance of the hive not forgetting to stop by the souvenir store first, she waited for them to board their wagons to return to the city before dismissing them with a smile, then she turned around and sighed at having finished the day safely, inside the hive was Clear Spark, Luna, Spike, the main six, and a couple of changelings that lived in the hive.

"You did great mom." Said the colt.

"Thanks son, but I don't plan on doing it again." Replied the queen as she took off her shirt and cap.

"You really did a very good job, my queen, this way we were able to show a little of our culture to Equestria and hopefully have more tourists in the future."

"I don't think this will generate a very high income, but it will help the world get to know us better and lose their fear more quickly, but we need a changeling who can do this job on a daily basis, can you take care of finding someling who can?" The changeling nodded his head and retreated and lost his way down one of the hallways.

"I thank you for the tour Chrysalis, it was very helpful to learn about your way of life but I would like to visit the library to learn a little more about your history and culture."

"Go ahead Twilight, you are all free to roam the hive, but I recommend that you ask a changeling for help to take you where you want to go, the hallways in this place are confusing." Twilight retreated accompanied by a changeling in the direction of the library.

"I also want to thank you for the tour Chrysalis, I think I'm going to get some interesting ideas for my next dresses but I would like to know if any of the changelings in your hives have an interest in fashion or better yet are designers."

"I don't personally remember any who have an interest in fashion, but surely asking any of the changelings who live here can help you."

"Then I want to visit the kitchen, surely they have recipes I've never seen."

"I'll go with you Pinkie, flying all day has made me a little hungry, Scoot, Fluttershy, are you coming?."

The yellow pegasus nodded and followed the girls, Scootaloo preferred to stay with her friends a while longer.

"Wait for me girls, I'm starving and I'm sure in that kitchen there's a couple of gems with my name on them." Spike quickly disappeared around a corner.

"Then I guess I'm going to go rest in my room, I came here to rest for a couple of days and that's just what I'm going to do, are you coming Apple Bloom?".

"I wanted to stay a while and play with Spark in his room." Replied the filly somewhat nervously.

"Okay, but don't stay up too late, have fun." AppleJack yawned slightly before retreating in search of her room.

"Can I go Rarity?."

"I don't see why not."

"Come on Spark." Sweetie Belle said leading the small group down a hallway and walking in a random direction completely lost inside the hive.

"Could someling lead them to Spark's room?, and if you can take some more toys and some food."

A couple of changelings nodded and quickly went in search of the little ones, Rarity also retreated in search of any changelings that could help her.

"What is the limiting range of your throne's magic, I need a location to be able to raise the moon and lower the sun, preferably a high place."

"You would have to walk to the gorge, the throne magic ends where the forest begins and I can send a couple of changelings to guide you and help you climb, but you would have to stay in the forest these days if you want to use your magic to enter the dream realm."

"Sleeping in the forest?, I haven't camped in centuries." Said the princess somewhat excited. "Yeah... it'll be fun, do you think any of the changelings want to go camping too?".

A couple of changelings raised their hooves excitedly.

"So lings, let's head out into the wild and adventure!" Shouted the princess posing heroically as she pointed towards infinity before running off in the direction of the forest.

"Great, I want to make a campfire." Said a changeling following the princess.

"I want to eat marshmallows and tell horror stories." Commented a second changeling.

"And I want to fish." Said a third.

"But we don't eat fish." A fourth changeling replied.

"I know, but I plan to catch them and throw them back into the water."

The group of changelings excitedly followed the princess out of the queen's sight.

Chrysalis stretched her limbs and walked to her room thinking that in the end, the day was not as bad as she originally thought, the unexpected tour was a success demonstrating the gigantic change of the changelings and their noticeable interest in being an important part of the nation, all her friends had fun and learned something of their culture, now she had a couple of days to show the hive to Clear Spark, and she could also rest from the daily craziness of Ponyville, the queen was pleased with how the day turned out and as she entered her room there was one thing she was completely sure of.

"Ohhh damn, I forgot Pinkie would check my oven." She said as she closed the door.

Author's Note

This idea comes from "Guardsling66", who wanted Clear Spark to visit the hive, but I wanted to give it a more comic touch, I hope you like it. :rainbowlaugh:

The next one will be the beginning of Celestia's therapy, something suggested at the beginning by "Lord King Cocoon", but that many have wanted to read. :trollestia:

As always write your ideas in the comments or if you prefer you can do it by private message, and I will write it trying to respect the original idea, see you. :twilightsmile:

The Therapy - Part 01.

An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon

Luna had found the perfect place for Red Bug to live in Canterlot, it was an apartment in the residential area where most of the thestrals lived and very close to the homes of the non-pony inhabitants, it was about ten minutes from the small apartment to the castle but it was one of the safest areas to live in Canterlot and the market was on the way where she could chat with the other races such as griffons, yaks, thestrals, some ponies, among others.

Red Bug was also able to bring on a first trip almost everything she wanted to her new temporary home and for the rest of her things she asked to have them sent to her new address but she would have to wait for them to arrive because some things ended up in Yakyakistan, the logistics of the changelings in the purchase of raw materials and distribution of manufactured goods could be used to calibrate watches and was the envy of every company in Equestria, but they somehow got confused in sending personal items through the post office.

Red Bug wanted to live in the beautiful and not-so-common Ponyville, but she had to be in Canterlot for at least about three months while she creates a psychological profile for Celestia, then she could come in for a weekly session with the ex-princess, Luna fulfilled her part and told her everything she remembered about Celestia's past fights along with some crucial events in her life without getting into very personal territory, but they were beneficial data for Red Bug, writing down everything and comparing it with the historical records to fill in some gaps that Luna didn't remember, like the name of some places or the exact date of some fight.

With everything ready and the things stored in a bag with the image of Discord that Red Bug bought recently, she went to the castle to start the first therapy session with Celestia, she was a little nervous but beginning the treatment with a new patient was something that excited her a lot and it was much more exciting when it was a challenge, therapy sessions with Celestia to try to make her understand that she feels a blind hatred for the changelings would not be easy, she stretched her limbs, took a deep breath, put the bag with her things, confirmed that Mr. Cuddles was inside the bag, closed the door of her apartment and headed to Canterlot castle.

It was a little over noon when the changeling arrived at the castle and entered without giving importance to the look of the guards, the changeling wanted to wait until after Celestia had lunch to find the ex-princess in a better mood, everyone knew why the changeling was here and she had special permission granted by princess Luna that gave her free access to almost all the castle, so she walked without hesitation to the dungeon, at the end of it was the mare with who was going to work.

"Good afternoon Celestia, how are you today?". Asked the changeling with a smile sitting down in front of the cell.

Celestia looked up from the book she was reading and realized it was the same changeling from the other day she went back to her book.

"I know the other day I told you I would come back earlier but I couldn't make it, I had some problems I couldn't solve alone."

Celestia took no interest in the changeling and just continued in her reading but Red Bug looked at Celestia's cell and saw that there were two small piles of books and a potted plant in the window.

"You like to read, I see you have already read a good number of books in a short time."

"It's a habit, hard to break if you spend most of your time reading behind a desk."

"And that plant in the window?."

"Since I can't have Philomena with me, Luna thought it would be nice to have a plant to keep me company, but it's no use since it's just a plant."

"It's nice to have some company even if it's a plant."

"Being annoying is part of your psychology skill set?."

"Among other things but I see you're not as upset as you were the first day and you're also talking a lot more-."

"What do you want?" Celestia asked looking directly at Red Bug.

"What do I-." The question caught the changeling off guard. "I... I just want to talk to you."

"That's a lie, so tell me what you want." Celestia asked again.

"I just want to talk to you."

"I didn't keep Equestria safe for a millennium by being stupid." Celestia forcefully tossed the book to the side and approached the bars of her cell. "I will ask you one more time and if you lie again I will never spend another second of my time with something like you."

Celestia's face showed no doubt and Red Bug couldn't guess if the former monarch was telling the truth or just bluffing, Celestia could easily be locked up for years without saying a word to her and that would wreck any existing plan to make her understand that she was wrong, the stakes were too high to push her luck with the former monarch.

"I... I want to know you better, to understand why you are like this, to know... from your point of view why you don't trust Chrysalis and us, I want to know your truth." Celestia looked the changeling straight in the eyes as she spoke her words.

"That's not the whole truth but it works for me... for now." Celestia turned away and picked up the book she had thrown. "Besides I had no desire to remain silent for the rest of my sentence."

"That's good to know, so do you have anything you want to talk about?."

"At the moment I have a question, two questions actually."

"And what would they be?"

"From what I understand part of my sentence is that I have to talk to some psychologist in an attempt to remove my supposed blind hatred of Chrysalis and her race or I will be locked up for an indefinite time, so is it mandatory that I have to talk to some psychologist? Or it could be any other pony."

"Part of the agreement that Queen Chrysalis, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight came to, is that you participate in an indefinite number of sessions with some psychologist until he or she confirms that you can be released or locked up elsewhere."

"I understand..." Celestia scratched her chin in thought. "So since I can't help but talk to somepony, is it mandatory that that psychologist be you specifically?."

"I guess not, it can be anypony really, only I was chosen to do it."

"Well then I have nothing more to talk to something like you, I will wait for a competent psychologist since from what I understand and from your own words I am not obligated to listen to you, so please withdraw." Celestia turned away and went back to her reading.

"But..." Red bug tried to reply but Celestia's face gave him to understand that she would not speak to her again, under her own rules she had been defeated and it only remained for her to withdraw, her first session was over before it began. "...Ok." Replied the changeling before retreating from the dungeon.

The changeling needed help convincing Celestia to talk and she knew the perfect group of mares for the job, and since she was in Canterlot, the first one who could help her was Luna, the princess of the night assuming there would be trouble with Celestia had taken the day off and was sleeping in her room when Red Bug appeared at her window and knocked on the door, Luna got up from her bed and stretched a little before opening the balcony door.

"Good afternoon Red Bug, are you going to go talk to my sister?". Luna asked hugging the changeling.

"I just came from talking to her and... the first session was a failure, she doesn't want to talk to me."

"So what can we do?"

"I thought I could start the therapy by myself but I was wrong, I think we're going to have to do an intervention and I'm going to need your help, Twilight's help, and Chrysalis."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked raising an eyebrow.

After a short explanation of what happened and a new plan, Red Bug left for Ponyville to talk to Chrysalis and Twilight about the intervention, while Luna would talk to Celestia to talk some sense into her.

In the afternoon Luna went to the dungeon to talk to her sister again and try to talk some sense into her.

"Good afternoon dear sister, how are you today."

"Greetings Luna, to what do I owe your visit?." Celestia knew perfectly well why her younger sister had come but that didn't eliminate the fact that it was nice to be able to see her and talk to Luna one more time.

"I want to know why you don't want to talk to Red Bug, she offered to be your psychologist and get you to understand how wrong you are."

"Why does everyone think I'm wrong?, I'm not wrong and I'm not sick either, I don't need a psychologist, and they're not going to change my mind about that harpy and those bugs she calls minions, I know what she's capable of and it's only a matter of time before she makes her move and tries to conquer everything."

"She already made her move but it's not the one you think, she wants to live in peace like all of us but above all things she wants to be the mother Clear Spark never had, even you can't deny what she did for him, neither can you deny the fact that the changelings want to openly integrate into society or the help they have provided to Equestria."

"And you why do you think she is good now?".

"I don't think so, I know she is good now and she has proven it on more than one occasion."

"And does that erase all the evil she caused in the past?, one good deed doesn't erase all her bad deeds, saving one life doesn't forgive the thousand she destroyed and you know that too."

"Yes I do, and I also know that over time ponies can change for the better or... for the worse." Luna lamented saying the last part as she referred to herself and her older sister. "My attempt to take over Equestria almost destroyed everything we loved, but even though it took a lot of getting used to this new world, I changed and left those ideas in the past, even though I have to thank Twilight and her friends for all that, I couldn't have gotten rid of the darkness in my heart alone, that same darkness that took over your heart days ago when you tried to take over Equestria and start a genocide, should we have left you in that corrupted form and exiled you to the moon for a thousand years for the simple fear that you might do something wrong?."

"If you think so dear sister, then why am I being kept locked up in this place?" Celestia asked with a hint of sarcasm as she touched the bars of her cell.

"And why do you think she is evil?".

"And why do you think she won't betray you?, why are you so sure she's not waiting for the perfect moment to bury a dagger in your back?"

"I believe in her because I want to, because I have hope for the future filled with the peace we fought for so long to obtain because like her I never want to have to draw my sword again and for a moment in my life I want to live in peace even if it is for a brief moment."

Celestia sighed and approached the bars.

"I would really like the day to come when I can wake up without having to worry about someone wanting to destroy us, without fearing the shadows in the dark, without imagining what horrible plans our enemies have, I want an Equestria like that, but during the centuries that I reigned alone, I learned the hard way that we live in a dangerous world with threats lurking in every corner, where there is always somepony with a desire to get more even if it costs some lives, during my reign trust ceased to be a standard and became a luxury hard to find and much more to maintain. "

Celestia stretched out her hoof to touch her sister and Luna responded by lifting her hoof to make contact.

"I have suffered very deep wounds for a long time that forged my heart in the way that was necessary for this nation to survive, and I am sorry for what happened between us but I cannot trust Chrysalis."

"We all had difficult lives including Chrysalis, but in your zeal to protect Equestria you ended up becoming a threat to it and that is why you are here, I will come to see you again in the week dear sister, and that is a luxury I did not have when I was on the moon."

Luna retreated from the dungeon without another word, she only hoped that her words would dent the hard heart of her older sister, Celestia on her part could only watch as an important part of her life disappeared through a wooden door leaving her with a strange feeling that she would not see her again for a long time.

The next day Celestia was having lunch and chatting with the pony who was locked in the cell in front of her not believing a word he was saying but fascinated by what he was telling her and the emotion he was putting into his fantasy.

"I think you should be in a hospital, those wounds don't look too good."

"Some scars can heal, others stay with us as an eternal reminder of who we were before." Replied an Equine figure barely visible from the shadows.

"But there are magic and medical treatments for somepony like you, you won't be completely regenerated but you can live a normal life and you wouldn't be locked up here."

"I tried to be a normal stallion and live a decent life in indecent Equestria, but I was wrong, the world is cruel, merciless and there is only one ethics in this world, objective, impartial, fair."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about-." The wooden door opened interrupting the stallion as he spoke and a female figure much smaller in size than Princess Luna but holding the same title walked down the stone hallway in Celestia's direction.

"It's good to see you again Twilight, I hope that me being locked in here you won't slack off and stop making your reports about what you've learned from the magic of friendship."

"I haven't forgotten prin- Celestia." Twilight pulled out a scroll she had under her wing and hoofed it to Celestia. "It's about what I've learned these past few days with everything that's happened, you'll imagine its contents."

Celestia frowned slightly as she received the scroll. "I'll read it a little later if you don't mind."

"You may read it when it pleases you to do so, but I came on other business." Replied the young alicorn, Celestia being a smart mare could easily imagine what it was about but she had to ask the question anyway.

"Can you tell me what it's about?"

"You believed at one time in the things you wanted to teach me?."

"Of course I believe in them, it's the basis of everything I tried to teach you and it was the reason I wanted you to stop being a hermit."

"Then why can't you believe that Chrysalis has changed?, you always taught me to offer a hoof of friendship and that's what I ended up doing, just like Princess Luna, Cadance, Cheerilee, and all the others, and we have seen on more than one occasion that she has done the possible and the impossible to live peacefully in Ponyville along with all her friends and along with her son, she risked her own freedom in an attempt to give Clear Spark a better life and I'm sure she wouldn't think twice about doing the exact same thing for her son, we all believe in her except for you."

"I know that mare much better than all of you, I know at some point she is going to try to take over Equestria and I'm sorry I won't be there to stop her."

"So you're willing to forgive anyone as long as it's not Chrysalis, I'm sorry to hear that, I thought you would be the most pleased to hear of Chrysalis' change in attitude and the peace that came with it."

"I know this is all a lie and I know at some point you'll figure it out."

"You know what hurts me the most about all of this?, it's that day when we got back to Ponyville, seeing you turn into that monster and having to fight to try and stop you, I doubted every second that was real and hoped that every time you attacked me the blow would wake me up from that nightmare, but it didn't and all I felt with every attack was pain." Twilight's eyes glazed over and she lowered her head as she remembered the fight.

"You attacked me Celestia...and...and.... every attack hurt... it hurt so much... and you made me bleed." Twilight wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes before continuing. "And the only thing... and the only thing I could do was to look at the hate-filled monster that minutes before was my former tutor."

Celestia lowered her head in shame and stood in silence not knowing what to say, there were no words to apologize for what she had done. "Twilight I-."

"But since I am now an alicorn my body is already healed of its wounds, almost all of them." Twilight said interrupting the former monarch as she wiped her eyes before lifting her head and using her best smile to look at Celestia again. "It was good to see you again prin... Celestia, have a nice afternoon."

The princess of friendship turned to leave the dungeon when she saw a small, shiny object roll towards her colliding with one of her hooves.

"Sorry to bother you princess, but would you be so kind as to pass me my coin?". The stallion asked from the shadows.

Twilight took the coin with her hoof and held it out to the stallion. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Said the stallion before stretching out his hoof and taking the coin, it was completely covered in burns and a few scars, but Twilight didn't seem to mind, she had a lot on her mind at the moment. "Have a nice afternoon."

"You too." Twilight retreated from the dungeon as the sound of a coin spinning in the air could be heard, Celestia for her part could only watch as another important figure seemed to leave her life.

Celestia was alone in the dungeon as somehow the stallion in front of her had managed to escape during the night using the coin he had, the ex-princess had very little hunger because of the conversation she had yesterday with Twilight, as well as the conversation with her sister the day before.

The ex-princess was looking at her plate of food when she heard the door open to allow somepony to enter the dungeon, she got up from the bed and approached the bars to get a better look and could only find a tall dark figure that was the physical representation of all her problems approaching her cell.

Celestia frowned knowing she would have yet another irritating and completely unavoidable conversation but quickly changed her face to a cheerful one, she would not give Chrysalis the satisfaction of looking defeated.

"So you're my future holiday ghost?." Celestia said sarcastically, making Chrysalis think for a moment.

"That's a good analogy but unlike Twilight and Luna, I didn't come to argue with you to talk sense into you, so for both our sakes I'll save us both that trouble, I was asked to do it and I said I'd try but we both know you have no intention of changing your mind."

"Then why did you come here?"

"If I couldn't change your mind a message had to be delivered and it seemed appropriate for me to do it since I'm the last one to talk to you, after that you'll never see me again."

"Something good I got from my confinement, can you tell me what it is?." Celestia said with a somewhat sinister smile, never seeing that black harpy again would certainly improve her stay behind bars.

"The deal is off and you will be locked up in Tartarus or a stone statue for a thousand years, frankly I don't care which one it is so I will let Luna or Twilight decide that, my only interest is keeping you as far away from my life, my changelings and most of all my son's life as possible, I can handle your hatred for me any day of the week but when it comes to the life of Clear Spark, the very foal you were going to let that hydra eat." Chrysalis closed her eyes and shook her head. "I feel sorry for you Celestia but that's something I don't plan on allowing and I honestly don't want to see you free on the streets again."

"They can't do that, you know that's not going to happen." Celestia replied angrily.

"I'll tell you what is going to happen, when your sentence is finally over you will be free to wander around an Equestria completely unknown to you, surrounded by ponies and changelings who live in harmony and all they know about you is that you are an ancient legend used to scare away foals, a memory of a bygone era."

"You're kidding right, I'm not going to end up locked up for a thousand years."

"You already lost the love, and respect of your subjects, and you also lost the love and respect Twilight felt for you, but I believe she told you that yesterday when she said goodbye to you, I would say it was a pleasure to meet you but we both know I would be lying even though I feel a degree of respect for you being one of my most formidable rivals."

Chrysalis gave a small bow to the former solar monarch.

"See you in a thousand years Celestia, I just hope that gives you enough time to think." Chrysalis turned around and walked to leave the dungeon.

"They can't do that... I WON'T LET THEM DO THAT...I AM CELESTIA...COME BACK HERE CHRYSALIS, COME BACK HERE, TALK TO ME CHRYSALIS." Celestia shouted as she watched the queen leave the dungeon and close the door behind her, leaving her accompanied by resentment and hate-filled words that poured out of her snout but had nowhere to go.

Chrysalis exiting the dungeon walked calmly down the hallway where at the end of it was Luna, Twilight, and Red Bug, all waiting for her to find out how she had fared.

"And you were able to talk to my sister?".

"It was a short conversation but I made my point."

"And what did you tell prin- to Celestia?."

"I told her the truth about what would happen, I knew that if I told her otherwise she simply wouldn't listen so I changed the plan a bit and spoke to her truthfully."

"And do you think your plan will work with my sister?".

"Sometimes some ponies are harder-headed than average and for those ponies, you need a little dose of reality passed on by those who have influenced their lives the most, I'm sure two or three days in solitary will give Celestia time to change her mind."

"There is one thing I don't understand about all this Chrysalis." Twilight said looking at the queen. "If you are the one with the least intentions of freeing Celestia, why would you want to help her?, I know you would be the happiest to leave Celestia locked up in Tartarus for a thousand years."

"Because all of you knowing my past gave me a second chance and allowed me to live a life in peace, the least I can do is give Celestia that second chance."

"I appreciate your words Chrysalis and I hope Red Bug's plan works."

"I know it will work, after all not every session with a psychologist has to be in an office."

The four mares began to walk down the castle hallway with no apparent direction as they discussed the next part of Red Bug's plan, where Luna and Twilight would have to play an important part to make Celestia realize they weren't joking.

Author's Note

The next chapter will be something special and will explain something that many wanted to know and many suspected. :raritywink:

Ponies and Bees.

CAUTION (minor spoiler)

This chapter is about sexuality and reproduction of a pony, nothing explicit but about the biological point of view about pregnancy and its possible complications, related diseases and safe sex, but it is in the second part when the conversation with Spark and Apple Bloom happens, it is very interesting and in fact I learned some things about equine pregnancy when I was researching to write it.

For those who don't want to read it because they don't feel comfortable with the subject, I will add a short summary at the end for those who read the story and don't want to miss any important facts.

With the news of Celestia and Rainbow Dash's pregnancy a few months ago, Equestria had been gripped by baby fever, with married mares demanding more action at night to expand their families, and single mares looking for any available or relatively single stallion they could find, Rumors had been heard of mares in groups kidnapping stallions for the purpose of procreation, but nothing could ever be confirmed as every stallion denied being the victim of such a kidnapping, and although the males did not seem to care if such a thing happened to them, some mares would never let their mates wander the streets alone, and some even carried sticks to defend themselves if necessary.

The only single stallion that seemed to be able to roam the streets freely was Dr. Hooves, Derpy's permanent groom and sure future husband, the gray pegasus had recently announced that she was expecting a second child as well, and even though the mare didn't mind talking about it, no one dared to ask her who the father was, it was only speculated that he was a very smart stallion who wore a tie and lived in Ponyville, but in the end, everyone knew exactly who the father of Derpy's new baby was.

But the news of a bachelor stallion running free in a small town near Canterlot spread like wildfire throughout Equestria, and many single mares mysteriously found their way to the picturesque town of Ponyville as mere tourists. But many of them reported feeling a strange sensation all around them as they got off the train, as if an invisible force was falling on them and pressing down on their bodies, or as if a wild beast was constantly stalking them from above.

Many of the mares that felt this sensation turned around and got on the train to go back home. The braver ones that stayed were not so lucky, as it was common to find unconscious mares in front of the Ponyville hospital in the morning.

Even one day, to everyone's surprise, Raven Inkwell was found unconscious next to a perfectly sealed box with a note on it that said "Inkwell's clothes, do not open, DH", the hospital staff didn't know why Raven was found unconscious in front of the hospital or what was in the box, but they knew that there was only one mare in Ponyville with the initials DH and for their own safety they decided to keep quiet and treat Luna's assistant's injuries the same way as any other mare that seemed to be found unconscious in front of their doors.

Twilight, upon hearing of this, began to investigate the town in search of any creature that might be using the magical energy or love of the young mares to their advantage, but after much work and the installation of sensors throughout the town, the Princess of Friendship could find nothing suspicious or unusual, she also asked Chrysalis for help if she could sense any beasts that absorbed love in the same way a changeling does, or if she knew of any renegade changelings that were attacking Ponyville, The queen knew exactly what was going on, as did most of the humans, and for her own safety, she decided to stay out of it and just lie to Twilight, telling her that she didn't know anything or that she couldn't feel anything. Eventually, the Princess of Friendship chalked everything up to a side effect of the baby fever that was sweeping through Equestria.

Fluttershy and Rainbow were already starting their own families, Pinkie had plans with Cheese Sandwich, Rarity was married to her job, and ever since Spike had started working as an ambassador, the alabaster unicorn had been spending more time with AppleJack than with her other friends. Maybe it was because she felt abandoned since Spike had stopped giving her that childish love interest she felt, or maybe it was because she was the only single friend she had left, but whatever the case, AppleJack also enjoyed Rarity's company.

The only one who didn't seem to be affected by the baby fever was Twilight, there were rumors that a mysterious guardian was occupying her thoughts, but the Princess of Friendship was never seen with anyone, and Luna hadn't seen anything in her dreams either. If it was true that Twilight was having an affair, she managed to hide it perfectly.

But our story is about a young couple who were well known in Ponyville. They had been in a loving relationship for a long time, and their families.

Clear Spark and Apple Bloom had learned everything they could thanks to Ponyville's educational system, but they wanted to specialize in their respective fields, and the small town didn't have the facilities for such a task.

Spark already had his Cutie Mark, and as expected, he hadn't noticed when it happened, only that it was one day when he was walking through the forest entrance one afternoon, looking for some special herbs. At some point, he went to bed and knew it was already late because he could feel and smell the humidity of the environment, The next morning, when he came out of his room to have breakfast, Chrysalis realized that her son already had his Cutie Mark, which was a flower with petals of many colors. At that time, no pony knew what it could mean, but thanks to the CMC, they could know that it was related to his little garden of mutant plants, That was the name the little ones of Ponyville had given to Spark's greenhouse. It was actually a greenhouse full of pots of hybrid plants, some with positive results with fruits that were more resistant to pests and climate, and others with negative results with his carnivorous plant with a green stem and a red head with white dots, It even had teeth and a tongue. It also showed a certain intelligence because it liked to move slightly to the rhythm of classical music, something that Octavia liked very much and insisted on taking it home so that she would have a permanent critic and a natural way to eliminate flies in the summer.

Apple Bloom had already learned all she could about working and managing a farm, but after doing some research, she realized that the farm was a bit outdated. There were many new technologies and more efficient ways to grow more and better fruit, machinery, irrigation, and seasonal crops that could be used for the times when it wasn't possible to harvest apples, as well as plants that could protect the trees from pests and diseases.

Clear Spark wanted to study botany and hybridization and could do it at Seaddle, and Apple Bloom wanted to study agriculture at Bostrot University, but they were far away and expensive for both, considering they also had to pay for transportation, housing, food, and other expenses, Chrysalis had no problem paying for her son's education, but for AppleJack it was much more difficult to pay for his little sister's expenses, the queen offered several times to pay for Apple Bloom's education as well, but Aj was the same stubborn mare as always, but thanks to Princess Twilight's scholarship of " Fostering Higher Education for Young Rural Couples. "(A scholarship she didn't take under her wing to help the two youngsters XD), they could both study at the "University of Botany and Herbalism" in Baltimare, it was perfect for both of them since they could study together and only had to pay their train fare.

This was not a problem for the young couple who had been together for years and liked the idea of living alone and sleeping in the same bed, but it only caused more worry in the minds of AppleJack and Chrysalis, considering that they were young ponies in the prime of their lives and there was baby fever everywhere, as it was possible that besides studying botany and agriculture, they would also have special math classes where the sums of 1+1 usually ended up as 3.

Before they left for college, they had to be given .....

"The Talk."

-------------------------------2º part--------------------------------

Sitting in front of the farmhouse kitchen table were four equine figures, on one side was Chrysalis next to AppleJack, who had left her hat on the table for the seriousness of the moment, across from them was Clear Spark next to Apple Bloom, who had a notebook on the table with some notes, a couple of keys, some train tickets, and a couple of luggage on the side, they also had a dose of confusion on their faces.

AppleJack cleared her throat and spoke.

"Well... I guess you know what we want to talk to you about." Aj said.

"About how this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us and that we should give it our best shot?" Clear Spark asked to which AppleJack shook her head.

"That we study hard and write every week?" Apple Bloom asked.

"We know you two will do that without us having to remind you. It's something much more important and something we haven't bothered to talk to you about yet." AppleJack replied.

"So what?" Spark asked.

"You two are energetic young ponies, you're going to live TOGETHER and ALONE for two years, and higher education is quite stressful and difficult, and we want to warn you about... things... you might want to do for fun and to relieve some... stress... when you're in your little apartment, especially in the evenings." Said the Queen.

"Parties?" Spark asked.

"Not exactly." Chrysalis replied.

"Alcohol? I don't like alcohol and Spark has promised not to drink to excess and will only do so when we are together and in the apartment." Apple Bloom said to which her lover nodded his head.

"That's all well and good, but that's not what we have in mind either, it's something else."

"So what are you two talking about?" Clear Spark asked, making Chrysalis take a deep breath before she began speaking.

"When two ponies love each other very much, they feel... desires for each other and look for ways to satisfy them by cuddling and kissing, but eventually they end up giving in to their... instincts and... start... exploring their bodies and their partner's."

The young couple looked much more confused by the queen's words. The queen, seeing their faces, preferred to soften her words.

"And even though this is a natural, normal, and completely beautiful thing to do, at the end of the day, you may do... things that..."

"Are you talking about sex?" Spark asked her mother.

"I know... Well, yeah, that's what we want to talk to you about."

"Ohhh, don't worry mother. Apple Bloom and I know all about sex, don't we dear?"

"Yes, I guess you could say that we are experts on the subject." Said the young mare nodding her head.

"WHAT?" AppleJack shouted in surprise.

"I've even been teaching it to some of our classmates after we got out of school."

"WHAT?" The completely red mare shouted again.

"But you can't do that to my boy Apple Bloom. Do you think he wouldn't mind knowing something like that?" The queen asked angrily.

"I don't remember it bothering him at all, because when I was with Pipsqueak, he was right next to me with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." Apple Blossom replied, her mind racing with memories of that day.

"Ohh yes..." Spark said excitedly, remembering that moment months ago. "I remember that day, Diamond Tiara came to the treehouse much later, and she was a little upset that I wanted to finish with Silver Spoon before I started with her. But Silver Spoon didn't mind if Diamond joined us, so we started over."

"WHAT?" It was Chrysalis who yelled in surprise this time. She lost her concentration long enough to drop her disguise and turn white.

"But Apple Bloom, do you have any idea what kind of diseases this could lead to?" AJ asked angrily.

"Of course I do AppleJack, that's why our classmates asked us to teach them about it. What's wrong with that?"

"What?" AppleJack asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"We know everything there is to know about the subject, and since we are the most knowledgeable in the school, our classmates asked us to teach them before the exams that Cheerilee had prepared for us." Spark replied.

"What?" Now it was the White Queen who asked confusedly, tilting her head sideways.

"Yes, I remember the first exam was about the equine reproductive process, the fertility age of a stallion and a mare, the estrus period which was about a week if my memory is correct, coitus and its duration, pregnancy and its duration between eleven and twelve months, and .... am I forgetting anything else?" Apple Bloom asked Spark, giving him a gentle tap on the shoulder so that he would know that she was talking to him.

"That a mare's udder begins to swell a month before foaling. And that colostrum begins to be produced two to three days before foaling."

"Right, thanks love." Apple Bloom said, giving her coltfriend a kiss on the cheek. "Also that when the mare goes into labor she starts to sweat a lot, especially on her chest and hind legs, and when her foal is born its hooves have a strange shape with a technical name that I don't remember what it was, but they were also known as fairy fingers, even that I don't know what the fingers are, but you already knew all that right sister?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Ummm... yes." She replied almost shouting. "But we were talking about the diseases you can get if you don't take care of yourself. What can you tell us about that?" She finished by pointing her hoof at her little sister in a way that was sure she had no idea, but it was a clear mistake.

"Well, the second exam I remember was about diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis among others, there are also bacteria like salmonella that can attack the mare, leptospirosis, ehrlichia and some viruses that can cause arthritis or herpes." Apple Bloom replied, trying to remember Cheerilee's lectures on the subject.

"You also need to remember that a pregnant mare can have other problems like generalized weakness, calcium loss, diabetes, hypertension, but those two are only during pregnancy, excessive sweating, sudden temperature changes, nausea, vomiting, increased weight and associated fatigue, anemia, infections, and others. Clear Spark added.

"Huu..." The queen said in a mixture of confusion and surprise, as she and AppleJack had been prepared to talk to the young couple about the subject, but had not expected them to know so much about it, in fact she had not even understood half of what her own son had explained to her.

"And what about..." Tried to debate AppleJack with no ideas in her head. "Ways... of... having... safe... relations." She finished, almost in a questioning tone.

"Yeah...how about that, huh?" The queen added briskly, pointing her hoof in the direction of Spark and Apple Bloom.

"You mean the birth control?, those came in the third exam." Apple Bloom replied.

"Yes, in fact, aside from the somewhat despised condom, there are several ways a couple can practice 'safe sex', such as the female condom, pills, patches and contraceptive injections, an intrauterine device that prevents ovarian fertilization, and the controversial morning-after pill. But that doesn't preclude the existence of natural methods, such as controlling the fertile period, interrupting coitus, and total abstinence in the stallion and/or mare." Clear Spark added.

"But since we are going to college, we have decided to abstain completely during our studies, because on top of all this, if I were to get pregnant, it would postpone my education indefinitely and there is a possibility that I might not want to continue my studies afterwards, right love?" Apple Bloom said, resting her head on the stallion's shoulder.

"Absolutely, education first." Spark replied, lifting up his hoof so that Apple Bloom could butt it against hers.

"Do you have any ideas? I didn't expect it to end like this." Chrysalis said, whispering in AppleJack's ear as her son and his beautiful mare friend watched and waited.

"Ideas? I didn't even understand half of what they were saying, and I'm sure they were just making up words to confuse us." The farm mare replied.

"Want to know something else?I'm sure you learned all that in school, AppleJack." Apple Bloom asked with a smile.

"No, we knew all that before, we just wanted to make sure you two had at least the basic knowledge on the subject, right Chrysalis?" She said, giving the monarch a little nudge, showing a face of assurance that was more fake than Flim and Flam's toys, but apparently Apple Bloom hadn't noticed.

"Um... yeah, it is good to know that you know the basics and that you helped your classmates with their exams." The queen added with the same level of confusion and confidence that AppleJack had shown.

"Then can we go?, We don't want to be late for the train." Clear Spark asked.

"Umm... yes, you may go. Please take care of yourselves and don't forget to write." AppleJack replied.

"Bye Aj, Bye Chrysalis." Apple Bloom said, hugging her sister and the monarch.

"Bye AppleJack, Bye Mom, please take care of yourself." Clear Spark said, hugging her as well.

Apple Bloom took the keys and train tickets and went to open the door, while Clear Spark took the bags with his magic and walked slowly out of the house, knowing that his mate had left the door open and was waiting for him to come out. AppleJack and Chrysalis came out a little later and stood under the porch of the house.

"Bye Mom, we'll write once we're settled." Spark said, waving goodbye with his hoof.

"Goodbye Aj, we promise to visit when we can." The young mare called out as she also waved goodbye with her hoof.

The Monarch and AppleJack also replied with their hooves as they watched the young couple leave.

"Don't you think the conversation was a little strange?" AppleJack asked the queen.

"It was, I know they were trying to fool us." The queen replied.

"I know they lied to us about Cheerilee giving them a exam and that's why they know so much about it, but the answers they gave us were too technical. It's like they read them recently for a biology school paper."

"They were, they are smart and they knew we would have this concern because they are going to live together for two years and they tried to learn as much as possible about the subject these days to make us think they are responsible and we have nothing to worry about but they forgot something very important."

"What"

"That it is impossible to lie to you and that I am an expert at deception. But don't worry, I have a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah, sure, they expect me to be the first one to welcome them and they will try to convince me again that I have nothing to worry about, but what they don't know is that one day I will visit them and ask them delicate questions about their lovemaking, but that will be after a month so that they feel safe in their new environment and lower their guard, but I will have to make three or four visits in the same week so that they trust me."

"That's a good plan, do you think it'll work?"

"I know it will work, I am Chrysalis after all and they can't fool me that easily."

"You are right about that, you did a good job of looking confused in there, you were pretty convincing."

"Thanks, even though I had no idea you'd be so quick on the uptake with my plan."

"I figured you were up to something from the start, and since you're here, do you want something to drink? I have a new cider production I've been dying to try." AppleJack said as she entered the house.

"Of course, even though your cider is always of the highest quality." The queen replied, entering the house behind the mare and closing the door.

"Sorry for shoving you, but I had to look convincing, would you like your usual mug or Big Mac's?" Aj asked, entering the kitchen and opening the cupboard to get some glasses.

"The usual, your brother's cup is too small for my taste."

AppleJack laughed a little as she poured a couple of oversized glasses filled with the bubbly contents of a bottle of apple cider.

Meanwhile, Clear Spark was walking down the path to the train next to Apple Bloom. Neither of them had said a word since they left the house, but it looked like they were waiting for some time to pass so they could talk.

"Can you hear them?" Apple Bloom whispered to Clear Spark, and the colt paused for a second, closing his eyes to focus.

"I didn't hear them follow us out of the house, so I guess we're on our own." The stallion replied with a smile. Apple Bloom gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Do you think they trusted us?" The young mare asked.

"Of course not." The stallion replied, just letting out a sound of laughter. "That's why I told you we were going to need to plan."

"You were absolutely right. Good thing I thought of reading all those pamphlets about safe sex during the week and answering your mother and my sister in the most technical way possible so they would let us go quietly."

"Yes, it was a really good idea, I thought it would be enough to give them a few simple answers, but your plan was much better, now they think that we tricked them and got away with it."

"And are you sure that your mother is going to visit us in disguise so that we can tell her what we are doing in our apartment all by ourselves?" Apple Bloom asked in a playful tone, bumping into her boyfriend to make him laugh.

"I know my mother very well, and I know that she thinks that I will be suspicious of the first mare that comes to visit us in our apartment, but I know that she is going to come much later."

"How long after that do you think she will visit? I don't think she will last long."

"I know she will, about a month after we settle in and she thinks we are lowering our defenses. She will come about four or five times in about two weeks for us to trust her, so the second month we will have to hold back as we meet a mysterious and friendly new mare." Spark replied.

"Then let's get to our new home as soon as possible. I want to see what our apartment looks like and figure out what to unpack first."

"The only thing I want to do first is have a look at our room and try out our bed with you." The stallion replied in a more lustful tone, biting Apple Bloom very gently on the back next to where her neck begins. The mare bristled all over her skin and lost strength in her legs, causing her to stagger, a sensation she did not seem to dislike.

"Stop that, we're in public." The mare replied as she tried to compose herself.

"You didn't have a problem with that a couple of weeks ago when we were behind those trees." Spark replied with a chuckle, helping Apple Bloom. "Or was it behind those trees over there? I don't know, they all look the same to me." He said, feigning confusion.

"You silly, you don't know what a tree looks like." Apple Blossom replied with a smile and a very gentle tap on the unicorn's forehead.

"Should we continue then? I also want to know where we'll live."

"Yes, I want to see the kitchen too, Twilight said it would be small, and the bathroom, do you think we can share it?"

"I doubt it, usually single apartments have very small bathrooms. But we can try."

"I'd like to have a try, so we can save some money on water."

"You know Twilight paid for all our expenses."

"I know, but we need an excuse to have a try, don't we?"

"I guess you're right."

So the young couple made their way to the train station and then to their new little home, they loved the idea of living together and having some independence, and they knew it was an excellent opportunity to start their new life, but whatever opportunities the future held, their hearts would always go back to where their true home was, the scenic town of Ponyville.

SUMMARY

Clear Spark and Apple Bloom have "the talk" with their relatives, and when they know about it, they prepare themselves by learning as much as they can in order to fool Chrysalis and AppleJack, making them think that they are experts on the subject and that they have nothing to worry about. The queen and AJ know that they tried to fool them, because the little ones gave them a very professional and technical explanation of the subject, For the same reason Chrysalis plans to visit them in their new apartment in Baltimore to discover them, but she knows that her son will be waiting for her and she plans to wait a while for them to feel safe and lower their defenses and tell her the truth, what she does not know is that everything was a plan of Spark and Apple Bloom, they gave them the technical answers knowing that they would know that they tried to deceive them because they knew that Chrysalis would visit them when they were fully installed to expose them.

Clear Spark and Apple Bloom went to study together in Baltimare and would return in two more years, visiting Ponyville when they had free time. By that time, they would be in the 9th year of the story.

Author's Note

So ClearBloom is going to go to college in Baltimore. :trollestia:

It's an idea that I've been thinking about for a long time, and I wanted to put it in the story, I don't have anything specific in mind about their studies, and my plan is to add it later when they go to Ponyville or in a special chapter.

The reason I put the explanation and summary at the end is the same reason I put it at the beginning, I personally know someone who is very uncomfortable talking about these topics or related things for personal reasons, and it is possible that there are more people here who are also uncomfortable for other reasons. I don't think it was completely necessary, but it wouldn't be fair that they can't read the story because of a somewhat sensitive topic and miss something important. :raritywink:

The next chapter will deal with a very controversial topic and the final decision will be up to you. So ask all your friends and read the next chapter because what you write in the comments will directly affect the story. :pinkiegasp:

So to leave you with the intrigue, I will leave you with a simple question.

What should he do?.