A Renewed Ending

Saturday, January 15, 1008 A.L., Gryphonia

Gregory stood on a balcony overlooking the city below him, looking down at the procession of changelings as they entered the city at the front gates. He was wearing his Convocation clothes along with an addition: a pair of golden satin gloves with white fur fringe. His hands were on the railing that surrounded the balcony. He stood straight as he scanned the procession, looking for the first human on Gaia.

No, he thought, the first one on Gaia in a long time. He and Silica had talked about the history of humans on Gaia at length, or at least what little she knew about them. She had even spoken a few words of the old humanity’s language to him. It was a flowing musical sounding language, something that had a certain magic of its own, he felt. It was almost like Quenya or Sindarin, but with no connection to either. Human was a word in that ancient language, that much was known, but it sounded more like ‘Hyuu-myain’.

He also knew the name of the former lands where the old human race lived: Melior. In fact, they knew more about that continent than old humanity. According to Silica, it was a large continent far to the east of any known continents. A tall mountain apparently rose in the center of the continent, and from its large snowmelt runoff came large rivers, lakes, and streams which in turn fed lakes and ponds. The mountain was likely volcanic since it erupted regularly and made the areas around the mountain, which could be seen from every part of the continent, extremely fertile. At least, that was Silica’s theory, at any rate.

There was another much smaller mountain to the north of the continent, and that was a much older mountain and extinct. One fact about humanity that was known by Silica was that humanity had not only created its capital city around the mountain itself but had carved out the mountain itself, using some natural caves, which Gregory assumed were ancient lava tubes, to create the massive royal castle of Hyl Shalain, which according to Silica likely meant High Mount or High Mountain.

Silica didn’t know much else about the continent, much less why humanity was now long gone on this world. A part of Gregory wondered if, similar to the Telmarines of the Narnia franchise, whether or not the humans of Gaia were from Earth originally, slipping through some sort of crack between universes. Then again, perhaps they were native humans to this world, Gregory thought. Maybe one day I can go exploring there with Silica and all the rest of my friends on one of those dragon airships, he thought.

“Out here for a breath of fresh air, I see,” a familiar female voice said from behind him.

Gregory turned to see Zira Snowveil leaning against one of the frames the now open doorway that led to the interior of the massive Eyrie. He gave her a small smile and a nod. “More or less,” he said, and he wasn’t completely lying. He had come out to get some fresh air just as much as he came out here to spot Jason.

The High Adjutant pushed off and came to join him. She stood on her hind legs and put her forepaws on the railing overlooking the city. She observed the ancient city below. “It amazes me how much the lowest level of this city looks like a bird’s nest,” she said.

Gregory nodded. That had been one of his first observations when he’d first looked at Gryphonstone from the highest vantage point he could find without needing to be flown by Gabby, Gilda, Silica, or Amira. The branches of that level had grown much more thickly than other levels, creating the illusion of a large nest. “It’s definitely something I haven’t seen back where I’m from,” he admitted. “At least, not on such a large scale.”

Zira looked down, then seemed to spot something. Her eyes narrowed and she looked back at him. She looked back and forth a few times before she leaned in. “You’re not just up here to observe the city, are you?” she asked.

“You saw him, eh?” Gregory asked, trying to look in the same direction, but with the naked eye, he still couldn’t see anything. Clearly, snow leopard’s eyes were better than humans just like gryphon eyes.

“I saw somecreature that resembled you,” she said. “A human, was it?”

Gregory nodded. “Jason Wright, the changeling emperor,” he said.

Zira’s fur bristled and he heard a low rumbling in her throat. A catlike snarl, he noted. “The changelings…they have caused our kind trouble in the past,” she hissed. “Why have you not killed the ones I see in the street?”

“They’re an envoy sent here to try and make some sort of peace,” Gregory explained. “Yes, they wronged our country, and we want them to pay as much as the next person, but we can’t call ourselves civilized if we don’t try to make some sort of peace with them.”

Zira looked at Gregory carefully, then sighed. “As you like, Master Gregory,” she said, “but here’s some advice: never show them weakness. Never back down from any terms you dictate with them. You give them a step and they’ll take a journey.”

Give an inch and they’ll take a mile, huh? Gregory thought ruefully. “I will do as you recommend,” he said.

She smiled, showing her fangs. “Good.” She slowly moved back onto all fours and turned away, but not before turning back one last time. “May the Maker be with you.”

“And also with you,” Gregory replied. It was a reflex, but he felt it appropriate. He didn’t want to knock on the religions of this world, if there were any. There was clearly some sort of higher power they all believed in.

Soon, he was alone again, and he turned and continued looking down at the main road. A few minutes later, he finally spotted Jason. Unlike Gregory, Jason was wearing mostly black, although since it was winter and Gryphonstone was bitingly cold, he could have been wearing something other than black under the thick wool cloak he wore around his person. He wore a face covering over his mouth and nose so that only his eyes were visible.

Beside him, Gregory recognized the lean and wiry figure that had to be Chrysalis, but the only part of her he recognized was her face, her unique horn, and the crown she wore upon her head. The rest of her was anthropomorphic for some reason and she wore dark green robes. Unlike Jason, she didn’t hide her face, instead presenting it with an air of pride and dignity. There were several other changelings in tow, and the convoy was guarded by several of the city watch.

Gregory saw Jason’s eyes turn upward towards the Eyrie, and their eyes met. A wind picked up, blowing Jason’s and Gregory’s own cloak in the wind, Jason’s in front of him, Gregory’s behind. Jason stopped where he was, as did his envoy, and stared up at Gregory. From the distance, Gregory couldn’t tell what sort of expression Jason was giving him, but he kept his own face neutral, never wavering. This felt like some sort of contest of wills, and Gregory wasn’t going to lose, especially since he was a representative of the Convocation and of all of Gryphonia.

After what felt like a good ten minutes, but which was likely only a half minute at best, Chrysalis gently but firmly nudged Jason with her elbow. The procession continued. Gregory, noting that they would be at the gates in a few more minutes, turned away with a bit of a flourish, his cloak catching in the air as he headed back inside.

The walk to the Convocation Hall was quiet, despite the fact that he had been assigned two temporary guards in the form of two gryphon city watchtoms. They walked on either side of him, stern faced, well armed, and all business. He appreciated the help and had almost protested at what he had initially thought was a waste of good manpower, but he caught himself. As a member of the highest part of the government, every member of the Convocation would eventually need some form of protection. And that protection would be especially needed today since the envoy was from a nation proving to be hostile to Gryphonstone.

Gregory made himself a promise never to bring up the way Jason was tormented in Ponyville or his invasion of Canterlot and the destruction of Ponyville. None of that was relevant to the discussions that the Convocation would be having with the changeling representatives and their emperor. Their treatment of the gryphon colonists, on the other hand, plus their attempted espionage, was the Convocation’s business. Still, nobody wanted a war, and Gregory knew that the changelings had a great advantage over them with the introduction of firearms into the world. Even if their new tentative allies sided against them in potential conflicts, he wasn’t sure if those would be enough.

As he approached the doors to the Convocation while coming down the stairs where the balcony had been, he saw Gwendolyn and her own personal guard walking from the stairs going up to the Convocation Hall. Unlike the normal robes that he had become accustomed to seeing in official meetings, this time there was an addition to her clothes. Ceremonial armor was placed on her, mostly a breastplate and a ceremonial sword. Gregory didn’t have any armor, so he had simply worn his gauntlets and the sword at his side, along with one of his pistols. He wasn’t sure if this was a good way of opening a hopefully peaceful dialogue with the changelings, but a part of him agreed that their open hostility towards the gryphons needed to be addressed in rather subtle ways.

She spotted him, and her smile was enough to make him relax slightly. She was definitely one of the more beautiful gryphons he had seen. He gave her a smile, hoping not to let his apprehension show, but she was also one of the most perceptive gryphons he knew, possibly second after Gabby. She looked up at him with concern. “You okay?” she asked.

Gregory’s smile faded and he sighed. “Gwen, I was never a leader of a government back home,” he said. “So far, I’ve gotten lucky with how things have been handled.”

“You’ve been giving good ideas to us,” Gwendolyn reassured him, “and thinking of things we wouldn’t have thought of.”

“I’ve just been using my best common sense,” Gregory argued back with a dry smile, “but thank you. Still, this is going to be our biggest test so far.”

“Everything will be alright, young Gregory,” the voice of Geoffrey said from behind Gwendolyn. The two turned and saw the portly older gryphon tom walking up the stairs with his own personal guard. He, too, wore what was quickly becoming known as the battle armor of the Convocation. “We won’t be making the first move, but we won’t be showing any weakness towards them, either.” He walked up and pulled open one of the doors, holding it for them. “Shall we enter?”

Several minutes later, Gregory was seated at his place, Gwendolyn by his side as always. There were two guards at every door in the room plus some others standing against the walls. Everyone else was in their places, plus one unexpected guest. The slime that the snow leopards had shown them was sitting on the table between Gregory and Gwendolyn’s seats, trilling very softly as if it was breathing steadily. It was almost as if it was sleeping. Gregory found himself absent-mindedly petting the amorphous blob, which it seemed to enjoy quite a lot.

The mood in the room was tense as the members all waited for the changeling envoy to appear, which it soon did. The two guards outside opened the door, and in walked Jason Wright, Queen-or Duchess-Chrysalis, and a third changeling, this one a normal looking one, minus the fact that this one was actually crimson with strawberry red eyes that actually had irises and pupils unlike the other changelings. Unlike Jason and Chrysalis, she had a saucy smile on her face and practically oozed sexuality. Gregory kept his face stony, but even he, who had slowly begun to see the attractiveness of other sapient creatures, couldn’t help but be attracted to her.

Still, he and the others stood as the three entered. Behind them, there were a couple of changeling armored guards, each bearing what looked like flintlock rifles, carrying a large black chest. Gregory’s hand rested on the pommel of his own sword, the same one that Silica had given him, and looked across at the three representatives. Jason, who had since removed his facemask, was the first he looked at. The older man had salt and pepper colored hair which was a bit shorter than Gregory’s own. He was clean shaven, had dark brown eyes, or at least the good one was still brown. There was a lightning scar across the other eye which itself was pale from lightning induced blindness. He had a completely serious look in his eyes as he entered.

Chrysalis walked in with a surprisingly demure expression, but she still exuded the air of royalty. She walked with finesse and grace, which surprised Gregory as she was still in her human-like form, or her anthro form. Her green eyes scanned the room, inspecting everything around her before looking at everyone else.

The third changeling, however, was focused more so on the Convocation members as well. Her unusual color, her curved horn, and the fact that she was slightly taller than the other two changeling guards, not to mention the fact that her eyes were more like Chrysalis’ than the multifaceted insect-like eyes of the changeling guards, immediately caught Gregory’s attention. And she, apparently, had locked onto him after observing everyone else at the table. Her cool demeanor faltered slightly, showing almost a hint of surprise before it settled back into its former sensual state. If Gregory had to guess, this was due to the fact that, at least according to Ocellus, his emotional state was a complete mystery to her, and likely that meant one that was a mystery to other changelings as well, an advantage he intended to make full use of here.

There was silence as the three stopped a few steps from the table. The tension was mounting palpably. The tension was broken when Geoffrey stood taller and spoke. “Greetings, Your Majesty,” he said in a polite tone and a polite incline of his head towards Jason. He then turned and inclined his head to Chrysalis. “Your Grace.” Lastly he looked at the third unknown changeling and inclined his head. “My lady.”

“‘My lady’?” the third changeling asked in an amused and very feminine voice, “I like you, my guy.”

Jason didn’t speak for a bit, looking at the members of the Convocation one by one, eyes lingering for a bit longer on Gregory, or so the latter thought, before he turned back to Geoffrey. “Hello, Ambassador,” he said. “Thank you for having us and for the escort.”

“It wouldn’t do to have a foreign dignitary, much less a foreign sovereign, be harmed in our city,” Geoffrey said as he walked over towards the five empty chairs that had been placed at the table for the changeling envoy. He pulled out the largest chair, one that had been specially made for Jason, and looked up at the man. “Please, be seated.”

“Thank you,” Jason said, and despite his stoic demeanor, Gregory thought that he saw a flicker of surprise passing over Jason’s face before it vanished and he sat.

As he was doing so, Grandpa Gruff and Gregory each walked from behind their sports, each heading to one chair on either side of the one in which Jason had just seated himself. Grandpa had been lucky, or unlucky enough depending on how one looked at it, to be pulling out the seat where Chrysalis was seated. Gregory had pulled out the seat for the third and still unnamed one. She looked up at him, her strawberry red eyes locking onto him as she slowly walked up and sat down in her seat. She seemed to deliberately be lifting her black tail up as she did so, wiggling her posterior as she adjusted herself. “Thank you, handsome,” she whispered as he pushed her chair in.

“You’re welcome,” Gregory said, and up close he could almost smell the hormones radiating off of this unusual changeling.

Once the newcomers were seated, the Convocation sat, with Gregory being the last to his seat. Nobody spoke for a few moments until Grandpa Gruff looked at the two changeling guards carrying the black chest. He sniffed, cleared his throat, then spoke. “What on Gaia are those two carryin’, huh?”

Surprisingly, it was Chrysalis who spoke. When she did, Gregory heard the same voice from the show saying, “My Emperor thought that bringing a gift would be a sign of good faith.”

“Well, thank you very much,” Geoffrey said before he looked behind him at an empty part of the wall. “Why don’t you two gentlecolts put it down there, then somegryphon can lead you to your quarters in the Eyrie where you can rest and refresh yourselves?”

The guards hesitated, but a small wave of assent from Jason sent them over to the wall where they put their load before heading out of the room. When the door was closed behind them, the silence that filled the room was deafening. It didn’t matter that the sound of a light breeze against the windows could be heard, because to Gregory that was simply nonexistent.

Finally, Jason spoke. “My people,” he said, “where are they?”

“They are safe,” Geoffrey said. “We have them situated in several rooms in the upper levels of the Eyrie, ones which are warm with plenty of soft beds.”

“I want to see them after this,” Jason said.

“Of course,” Geoffrey said before turning back to the box. “May I ask what it is you have brought for us?”

Jason exchanged a look with Chrysalis and the other changeling, who both nodded at him. The as of yet unnamed changeling lifted her horn, which glowed a pink that Valentine’s Day could rival. The top slowly opened up like it was some sort of blood valve. An inadvertent shiver ran through Gregory’s body but he kept it hidden. However, he couldn’t keep the surprise and confusion out of his own body language when he saw what was inside. Sitting in the changeling styled chest, neatly stacked, were brown corked bottles of some glowing liquid.

Gregory obviously was the only one who was not in the know, because the rest of the Convocation stood up straighter, eyes wide in shock. Gael was the first to speak. “Is that…what I think it is?” he asked.

“One hundred bottles of nectar,” Jason said, “crafted by the best of the best in the hive.”

Gregory didn’t know why, but the thought of Slurm from Futurama came into his mind. Despite that one intrusive thought, he was the first to stand and walk over to the now open chest, which upon closer inspection actually looked like chitin, although he didn’t think even changelings would use their own to create such a chest. He picked up the nearest bottle and examined it. There was some well made brown twine wrapped around the bottle’s body and a smaller portion wrapped around the neck. The cork didn’t look any different than any others he had seen. He brought it back to the table and examined it cautiously. He was a bit hesitant to open it judging from the reactions of the other gryphons around him.

The third changeling must have noticed his hesitation because she smiled. “If you’re worried about some magical form of addictive property we might have snuck into the nectar, don’t worry. It’s addictive on its own without any magical-ow!” She looked over at Chrysalis, who had reached over with her hand and smacked the changeling on the back of her head with her hand. She rubbed her head with her hoof before her grin slowly returned. “Harder next time,” she cooed.

“That’s enough, Cheery,” Jason said with a frown.

That’s an unusual name for a changeling, Gregory thought. Then again, she seems to be an unusual changeling, he mused. He looked at the bottle in front of him. While he, as a human, might be able to hide his emotions from a changeling, he was still more prone to magic than even the least magically inclined races on Gaia. He looked at Gwendolyn, who was still staring in utter shock at the bottle. “We should have these bottles tested, just in case,” he whispered.

That seemed to snap her out of it, and she looked up at him and nodded. “Of course,” she whispered back.

”She’s right, you know,” Jason said, gesturing to the now named Cheery, “you might not believe us, but we wouldn’t be as stupid to actually drug or sabotage something we brought as a gift.” He leaned forward, folding his hands steadily. “As you know, changelings need love to sustain them, but that doesn’t mean that they’re incapable of eating or drinking. This is nectar, one of the things that changelings enjoy as a snack. Think of it as their version of soda.” He shot Gregory a knowing glance.

Gregory looked at the bottle with renewed interest. A part of him wanted to trust that a fellow human wouldn’t want to do him any harm. However, the newly politicized portion of his brain was screaming caution. They were on opposite sides of the table and at the moment they weren’t allies. Closer to enemies, as a point of fact. He put the bottle down, and Gwendolyn snatched it up, looking more closely at it with a discerning look. “Changeling soda,” he mused. “What does it taste like?”

“The taste differs between anyone who drinks it,” Cheery explained. “For me, it tastes like a mix of strawberry and cherry. The best versions of those flavors, actually.”

“It is a very hot commodity here, Gregory,” Geoffrey explained. “Any we can get our claws on comes secondclaw, but it always is sold out at a very high price.”

“It has rejuvenating properties for us as well,” Georgia added. “One sip can keep a grown tom going for an entire day.”

“So it’s a soda and an HP recovery potion?” Gregory asked incredulously.

Jason gave a wry smile. “Call it what you will,” he said, “but when I led the rebellion against the hive, nectar kept me and those on my side going.”

“I see,” Gregory said with a slow nod.

“Well, thank you for the gift, your Majesty,” Geoffrey said. “It will be put to good use. Now then, why don’t we all introduce ourselves? Guests first?”

Jason sat up straighter. “I am Emperor Jason Wright of the Badlands Hive,” he said. He gestured to Chrysalis. “This is Duchess Chrysalis, my regent, and this,” he gestured to the one named Cheery, “is Cheery, my foreign diplomatic relations officer. I suppose she could be considered our foreign ambassador.”

“Nice to meetcha all,” Cheery said in a, well, cheery tone as she waved at the Convocation.

Geoffrey was the one to make the introductions to the envoy from the Badlands Hive. When he finished, he cleared his throat and took a sip of the bliss that had been provided to everyone at the table. “Well, I believe we all have more official business to discuss?”

“Before we do that, I have a request,” Jason said.

Everyone’s head turned to the scarred human’s. “What sort of request?” Geoffrey asked.

“I’d like to see the changelings you have in your…care,” the changeling emperor said.

Gregory noted the pause in Jason’s tone. It was clearly deliberate on his part. Gregory couldn’t exactly blame him for wanting to see the changelings, the leader of whom had been identified as a General Nictis. Another was apparently his wife Elytra. Gregory exchanged looks with the rest of the Convocation, who were all doing the same with each other. In his time in Gryphonstone, he had quickly gotten to be able to somewhat read the expressions on nonhuman faces. There was almost a silent agreement, one which Gregory also joined in. Geoffrey looked back at Jason. “We can do that,” he said before he turned to one of the city watch who were standing in the room behind them. “Have our changeling guests brought here at once.”

The guard saluted, fist placed over chest, before he flew out of the room and into the hall. The sound of the door shutting echoed through the former throne room. Nobody spoke for a bit, but eventually Geoffrey spoke again. “As I said, our guests are being taken well care of. They have been rationing what love they have between them.”

“We’ve offered to have them take a bit of love from volunteers, but they declined the offer,” Gwendolyn added.

“They’re lucky we offered them that at all after the stunt you all pulled with our colony,” Grandpa Gruff muttered.

“Peace, Gruff,” Gwendolyn chided him gently.

Gregory couldn’t exactly blame Grandpa Gruff for his anger and resentment. Apparently, the colony that had been established had done so in the southern portion of the Badlands at approximately the same time that Luna had returned. The Badlands, from what he understood, was not owned by any one nation. A no man’s land, as it were. A group of gryphons, tired of the decay of Gryphonia, had set out to settle in what was just known as the Southern Badlands near a portion where there was a large lake and fertile land that nobody had claimed. They had set up a colony there and called the land Gaul’s Refuge after the first gryphon to set foot on the land. They had lived there, sustaining themselves very well on their farms and from the bountiful hunting (the animals in many parts of the Badlands were considered safe to eat for meat eating species) and many had even started families before the changelings had begun to lay claim to the land, claiming that it had once belonged to them. The gryphons there had stubbornly hung on to their claims until shortly after the second invasion of Canterlot. The changelings had made it quite clear that they would not back down, and after several skirmishes between both sides, Geoffrey had approached the changelings in an attempt to settle things peacefully. Instead, the changelings had demanded that the gryphon colonists leave. Since nobody in the colony was really a warrior, they had been given no choice but to pack everything and leave.

Gregory had seen some of the refugees, some of whom were children, had never known Gryphonia. There was confusion in those eyes and sadness. It had angered him that it happened. He didn’t care about Jason’s invasion of Canterlot or his destruction of Ponyville, at least not in his position as a member of the Convocation. All he was concerned about in these chambers were those displaced citizens who had lost their homes and livelihoods. He didn’t let his anger show as he leaned forward. “Grandpa Gruff’s words aside,” he said, keeping his voice calm and collected as he spoke despite the righteous fury boiling up inside him, “you did force many gryphons to leave their new homes in Gaul’s Refuge. Gryphons who were never a threat to you and who were too far away to even concern the hive, if our maps are accurate.”

Jason kept his own gaze steady, but it was Chrysalis who spoke. “That land they settled once belonged to the changelings, and we have a blood claim to it,” she said with a scowl.

“If I may ask, what proof do you have of this?” Geoffrey asked.

Chrysalis was about to reply when Jason held up a hand to silence her. “Calm down, Duchess,” he said.

“A-Apologies, Your Majesty,” she stammered, something that caught Gregory’s attention right away. He saw the look of deferment on Chrysalis’ face, and although her chitin was pure black, he thought he saw a hint of very dark green creep onto her cheeks.

He filed that information away for later as he watched Jason look over at Cheery. “Take out the papers, please.”

“Right away, your Emperorness,” she said with a salute as she reached into a bag she had slung over the chair, bringing out a leather pouch. She opened it and dumped out several scrolls. “Let’s see…” she muttered quietly as she searched for whatever she had been told to get. “Aha! Here!” She lifted it up with her magic and floated it over to Jason.

Jason took it in his hands and opened it. “This is the Treaty of Buzz,” he said. “It was created eight hundred years ago by several hives of changelings to establish a settlement in the same area where the gryphon colony was established. It lasted for three hundred years before it was destroyed, we suspect, by ponies.” Here, Gregory saw a flash of anger pass over all three of the representatives, even the seemingly perpetually smiling Cheery. “Noling went back there and it was only due to Chrysalis’ mother Metamorpha that those changelings were able to survive, settling in the hive that would become the one I rule today.”

“It’s our homeland,” Chrysalis insisted, “and it may help us.”

“So you uprooted families and communities because, what, you were feeling nostalgic?” Gael said with a frown. “That’s a perfectly great reason,” he added with a sardonic roll of his eyes.

“It was my understanding,” Gwendolyn added in a much calmer tone, “that any place in the Badlands cannot be claimed permanently by any species. A no-creature’s land and an all-creature’s land.”

“That place is sacred to us,” Chrysalis said.

“Perhaps we could have negotiated a compromise,” Geoffrey said. “There was plenty of fertile land that the colonists hadn’t yet settled.”

“That would never have worked,” Cheery said in a slightly somber tone.

“Why not?” Gregory asked with a raised eyebrow. “From what you just told us, a group of changelings from multiple hives settled there. How is this any different from that situation, aside from the fact that there are two different species that would be living side by side?”

That actually seemed to give the envoy pause. Although that could have been because the doors had burst open a mere second after Gregory’s words, showing Nictis, Elytra, and the other changeling spies being escorted in by a number of the city watch. Everyone turned, and the moment Jason laid eyes on Nictis, he stood and walked over to the changeling with a swiftness that surprised Gregory. Jason stopped a couple of steps away from the changeling general. “General,” he greeted.

“Your Majesty,” Nictis said with a salute that was remarkably similar to the city watch’s own, hoof to chest and extending it outwards.

“How are you doing?” Jason asked. “Have you been treated well?”

“They treated us very well, Your Majesty,” the general said. “We’ve been given comfortable beds, access to our rations, and they even offered us supplements of love if we wanted it.”

“I heard you refused,” Jason said, “is that true?”

Nictis nodded, a small frown forming on his face. “I didn’t exactly feel like it was right, Your Majesty.”

That seemed to catch the changeling emperor off guard. “Why is that?” he asked.

“After what General Pharynx did during the…forced relocation of the gryphon colony, I was hoping to show them that not all changelings are as cruel as him and his soldiers,” Nictis said.

Gregory didn’t move, but he looked at Nictis with a somewhat new respect. Not much, but some. He had noted that there was a certain gleam in his and Elytra’s wings. A sparkle, as it were. Nothing that reminded him of how Thorax’s wings had appeared in that two parter episode, but it was noticeable when compared to the other changelings he had observed. The only other changeling he had noticed with that sort of appearance was Ocellus, at least during his last visit to Gryphonville. He looked around the table, and he saw Geoffrey giving Nictis a look of what he thought was respect. Grandpa Gruff had a look of begrudging respect on his face as well. Some of the other gryphons, however, didn’t look convinced.

Jason slowly nodded, then turned back to the table. “I would like to speak to them individually before we resume our talks,” he said.

“Not alone,” Gregory said before anyone else could say anything.

A small half smile formed on Jason’s face. “You don’t trust a fellow human in this world of ours?” he asked.

“It’s a purely cautionary measure, I assure you,” Geoffrey said in a placating tone.

Jason made a small chuckling noise, then nodded. “Very well. We will be back shortly.” And with that, he, Chrysalis, the other changelings, and several of the city watch, all stepped out.

The only changeling that stayed behind was Cheery. She looked around the table. “So,” she said, “anyone know a good joke to pass the time?”

The moment that the door closed in the smaller room adjacent to the Convocation Hall, Jason looked down at Nictis, his wife, and his team. He let a small sigh of relief come from his lips as he knelt to look at his oldest ally face to face. “General,” he said, “tell me the truth. Have they been treating you well like you said?”

Nictis looked straight at Jason, then blinked, a few seemingly rapid blinks, but seemingly was what they needed to be. It wasn’t exactly Morse Code, but it was something that he, Nictis, and Elytra knew, and them only. Jason paid more attention to that as Nictis replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.” The blinking read, No mistreatment.

Jason nodded. “That’s good to hear,” he said. “Is there anything else you’d like to report before I head back in there?”

Nictis shook his head, blinking again. “No, Your Majesty,” he replied, but the blinking told another story. Zebra in town below. Apothecarist.

Jason let nothing show, but that could only mean that Zecora had finally left the Everfree. Still, why had that been something he wanted to tell his Emperor. Turning to Elytra, he asked, “What about you? Anything?”

The female changeling shook her head, blinking as well. “No, Your Majesty,” she said, blinking the message Possible rival ‘ling with zebra.

Jason nodded, but inwardly he frowned. The Badlands Hive was the only hive on Equestria, but there were other hives throughout the world on other continents. They were much smaller than the Badland Hive, but they were out there. “We brought some fresh food supplies for you,” he said as he stood back up and straightened his robes, “and if we can, we’ll negotiate a safe exit for you from this country.” It was his turn to blink back. Situation in Equestria. Possible coup.

Nictis kept his composure, but Jason had known Nictis for long enough to know when he was surprised. His face took on a relieved expression, which Jason felt wasn’t a complete cover. “Thank you, Your Majesty. My team and I appreciate the gesture.”

“Why don’t you go back to where they placed you and get some more rest?” Jason suggested before turning to the guards. “Can someone arrange for some fresh supplies to be brought to these changelings from our own caravan?”

The guard frowned, but slowly nodded. “After they’ve been thoroughly searched,” he said.

Jason was a bit frustrated by this. They had been searched thoroughly at the gates already. Still, he probably would have done the same if he was in their place. “Sure, that’s fine,” he said as he looked at Chrysalis. “Do you have anything to ask them?”

The anthro changeling shook her head. “No,” she said, “you asked the questions that needed to be asked.”

Jason snorted. Despite being demoted to Duchess, Chrysalis had the air of royalty to her still. She had experience, too, and he relied heavily on her for that experience. Just as he suspected that Gregory relied heavily on the experience of the gryphons in that room. He nodded, then turned back to the guards. “I’m ready to go back in there, now.”

Jade Seed could hardly believe what she had just seen. This was worse than she could have ever realized. She walked down the street, trying not to show her worry. If she had been running, it would have just caught the attention of everycreature around her.

She made her way into the inn. The gryphon behind the counter greeted her warmly. “Hey!” he said with a wave, “you’re back earlier than normal. Need some bliss or hot chocolate?”

Jade plastered on a well-practiced smile. “No, I just came by to grab something I forgot,” she lied.

“Aww, are you sure?” the gryphon asked. “The hot chocolate is fresh.”

Jade frowned inwardly. While she hated sweets, she somehow had a soft spot for chocolate. Sighing, she gave him a small smile, this one a little bit more genuine. “A small mug, then,” she conceded.

The gryphon’s eyes brightened and he grabbed a wooden mug, filling it with the surprisingly rich and delicious chocolate that the inn served. He placed it on the counter. “Here you go, freshly made!” he said proudly.

Jade chuckled, picked it up with her magic, and sipped it. The warmth coursed through her, making her shiver in delight, something she hid well. She turned and inclined her head to the gryphon behind the bar. “Thank you.”

She grabbed a few talons out of her pouch with her hoof and began placing them on the counter, but the gryphon raised his claw. “For you, it’s on the house.” He gave her a warm smile, then turned to deal with a pair of customers who had just come up to the counter.

She took the talons back, placed them where she’d gotten them, and strode upstairs. She walked past her room and knocked on Dusky Heart’s door. “You awake in there?” she asked, using her casual voice.

She heard some shuffling and rustling from inside, then the door opened. A bleary eyed Dusky peered out of the crack in the door. “What is it?” he asked in a tired, slurred tone.

“Got a neat new scoop,” she said.

There was a brief flicker in Dusky’s eyes. He sighed and opened the door. “Come on in,” he said with a yawn.

“Thanks.” She stepped in and set her mug down on a nearby table.

Dusky closed the door, then turned back, his formerly tired eyes replaced with those of an alert agent. His acting skills had been impeccable. He cast a silencing spell around the room, then asked, “What did you find?”

“Not a what. A who.” Jade’s demeanor stiffened as she began to relay what she had seen. “I was keeping an eye on our former colleague and her friend when a new procession began making its way towards the Eyrie.”

Dusky’s eyes narrowed. “Another one? Snow leopard’s came through only recently. Who came through this time?”

Jade took a deep breath. “Sir…it was a changeling envoy. And he was leading them.”

Dusky’s eyes widened and there was silence for a bit. Then, he rushed over to the bag he had brought with him. He dug through it, then paused when he touched something. He breathed a sigh of relief, then pulled his hoof out of the bag before looking over at Jade. “Go back to keeping an eye on our old friend,” he said. “I need to report this.”

Jade nodded, then turned as she heard Dusky setting up the communications crystals on the tables. As she grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and downed its contents while she headed back to her room to grab something to maintain her cover story, her expression darkened. If Jason Wright was here, it was very likely that Operation Isis would be enacted, after all. That is, if Sweetie Drops hadn’t already reported Jason Wright’s arrival back to the princesses…