Changing Times

Chapters

New Friends
School Visit
Winter Excitement
Birthday Activities
Nobles
Rail Travel
Badlands
Survival
Birthday Gifts

New Friends

A fortnight passed, and the Changelings who had taken refuge within Canterlot were still being given temporary lodging within the royal castle. They didn’t seem to mind that they were effectively led everywhere they went outside of the castle walls by guards, only that they were amongst the public.

After what the Changelings were now referring to as the ‘Glitter Incident’ they would always wear a pony disguise in public. None of them wanted to risk being the next victim of the public’s racism and distaste, and it showed on their faces when they would leave for work. The only Changeling who didn’t was Grall, who would tend to the Wedlock Memorial without a disguise in pride.

Flitterwing’s novel had hit the shelves the fortnight earlier, and while it wasn’t an overnight success, it did become strangely popular. The ‘About the Author’ section didn’t include any information about her being a Changeling, stating simply that she was a single mother resident of Canterlot who endured the Changeling assault on the grand marble city.

Her Changeling medical anatomy and care book also found surprising success amongst the hospitals of Equestria. Since they were public knowledge and were free to roam Equestria as they wished, doctors and nurses as far as Appleloosa wanted to ensure that they could care for any Changelings who might show up. Who knew, maybe the platoon that the Princesses had sent out to find wounded but alive changelings had missed some simply because the means to check their vitals were not reliable enough and had simply missed them in their comatose state?

Glitter slowly picked up new words from the other Changelings and ponies around her, even from the books she would read or have read to her by her mother. She was showing improvement in her flight, and the lecturers at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns had noticed the mare and filly that frequented the library and gave a little help to the filly by teaching her the basics of levitation magic.

Glitter had been frightened by the elder Unicorns, and hid from them behind her mother until Flitterwing reassured her and joined in with teaching her how to use her magic. Though the end result was weak, barely capable of lifting the small books which Glitter had been reading, the Unicorns had simply stated that she was about on par with Unicorns of her age, and that she would become more powerful over time.

Their home was half done, the rubble of the old building had been cleared away and a new structure had been raised in its place. It was slightly larger, the interior design aiming for open space and overhangs like the caves of the original Hive. Ponies had been contracted from all over Equestria to aid in the construction, and it was going smoothly, with Buzzyear giving design ideas and aid during its process.

Chrysalis had aided with the designs of the internal building as well, such as the overhangs and general earthy feel that the Hive had. A glassed-over stream ran through the middle, a key feature which their Hive held, aiding in cooling the complex. While this stream would only be a water feature, it was at least something that she felt their new Hive should have to aid in the sense of home. Individual rooms, while originally having been of the same earthy origins as the rest of the Hive, were going to be decorated how the Changelings wanted their rooms to be.

Flitterwing already had grand designs in plan for her room…

She had discussed, briefly, with Chrysalis about the need to get Glitter some form of education. While the kind Unicorn lecturers had aided her somewhat, she didn’t want to rely on generosity to educate the filly.

It would help, but actual schooling was required.

Chrysalis had been concerned over the filly’s lack of proper education, but wasn’t sure what the school starting age was in Equestria. Changelings were taught as early as possible back in the old Hive, the need to learn how to use their magic, wings and two different cultures would take up a large amount of their years until they were old enough to head out and collect love for the Hive. Now that the pressing need for urgency wasn’t weighing down their choices, they were unsure.

Shred had voiced his opinion, the first time he had spoken out as a worried Hivemate and not as Chrysalis’ personal guard in years, and had suggested they ask somepony who would know.

And so Flitterwing had gone so far as to wait for Princess Celestia to not be busy during the day to ask her, and Celestia had gently laughed and advised that young ponies started school at five years old, though quite a lot of ponies would be introduced to education in pre-school. It wasn’t required, and could be skipped altogether, as it was essentially just a glorified day-care for foals whose parents either didn’t have the time to care for them, or didn’t really seem to want to care for them.

Chrysalis had grumbled that, after her short stint in Equestria’s government, she had seen all too many of the latter walking around Canterlot. Celestia had been a little irked by it, but she hadn’t denied that, yes, even the ponies in Canterlot -the richest city in the richest kingdom- could be selfish and spiteful. The nobles were especially guilty of this hubris.

She mentioned that Princess Luna had begun to work on frightening them back into line. Pride and lineage would only get a pony so far, and with Luna it was starting to spread that it could get somepony a one-way trip to the city dumps for a little humility lesson.

Flitterwing had decided, after her conversation with the Princess that she would give her what education she could, a head start on the other ponies at least, on her own. The Royal Library, however, did not have much in the way of beginner education books, aimed more at reading material for the Princesses, parliament and the lecturers at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

No, after weeks of hiding from Canterlot’s populous, they would have to brave a trip to the Canterlot Public Library. It was a worrying thing to decide for Flitterwing; she’d barely left the castle since the assault, terrified of those beyond the walls and the horrors they could easily inflict upon the mother and daughter, the horrors that had already been inflicted once.

Unlike the other Changelings, Flitterwing and Glitter were being led through Canterlot by two Royal Guards. After the assault on the mare and filly, Chrysalis had demanded that they had a pair of guards to protect them and not a single who could be easily overpowered, who had been easily overpowered. Celestia, having also been somewhat worried about the mother and daughter pair, had agreed quite readily and assigned one of her more veteran Royal Guards to join them.

The Stallion was strong and steady; every step he took was made in confidence and pride. His armour featured nicks and scores from the recent invasion, but it had been feather buffed with great care and he wore it proudly. He didn’t seem to recognize Flitterwing, but she certainly knew him. Or, at least, she had met him before.

He’d been the guard to chase her into the apartment’s air duct.

Ponies gave way to the four ponies as they wandered through town; the newspaper report on the assault fresh in everyponies mind. Just how alienated she was from those around her made her hang her head, even Glitter seemed to find it upsetting.

Even in the middle of town, amongst hundreds of others, they were alone.

Soon enough the front doors of the library loomed over the heads of the small group, and Flitterwing gingerly nudged one of the ornately carved doors open and wandered inside, the guards still tailing her into the building dutifully.

The librarian gave her odd and worried looks, something that the Changelings had come to accept as normal over the course of the last month. Still, she didn’t shy away as most ponies had a habit to do, simply giving them a kind nod before returning to her work.

It had been some time since Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike had left the libraries of Canterlot for Ponyville, and this library had become not only quieter in their absence but also neater; the head librarian had some time on her hooves these days, and she had organized the shelves no less than three times, even finding some books that she had long since thought missing and placing them carefully back into their appropriate place on the shelves.

Twilight Sparkle’s furious studying had not done the alphabetic order of the library any good during her time, but now everything was organized and filed, neat and tidy, and ponies could actually find what they were looking for when they came into the large and ornate building. The spines of the books painted the shelves in jumbled rainbows of colour, some with their entire collection of subsequent books making sections of the shelves stand out in blocky lumps.

Still, Flitterwing was a pony who knew nothing about libraries except that they stored books, and she had no idea where to begin. Should she look on the ground floor, or the upper floor? Near the entrance or near the back windows? What if the library didn’t even have the kinds of books she was looking for? She stepped up to the counter and looked over the beautifully carved mahogany at the librarian still craned over her work.

“Umm… miss?” Flitterwing nervously probed.

The librarian looked up from her desk at her, a gentle smile on her lips. “Oh, yes dear?”

“D-do you have education books here? Say, for a filly’s basic education?” She emphasized her question by gently bouncing Glitter on her back, the filly giggling and hugging her in return.

The librarian nodded with a smile. “Of course we do, would you like me to show you to them?”

“Could you, please?”

The librarian nodded and stepped down from the desk, motioning for the Changeling to follow her as she led them over to a corner of the library. Here the books were written with larger letters and bright colours, each one inviting potential young ponies to pick them up and read them.

“These are our learning books for foals; we have story books on the next bracket of shelves.” The librarian said, pointing to the books. “Feel free to find books that you like and we can go through the next stage of the borrowing process for public libraries; if you need any help, I’ll be at the front desk.” At that she dawdled back to where she had been working before, returning to her temporarily interrupted work.

With a smile Flitterwing looked through the books eagerly, each one had something that she knew would help Glitter in some way; books teaching the alphabet, others teaching basic mathematics, a few small books on teaching her how to cast spells, and a couple of simple books for her to practice reading on her own. The array was larger than she had hoped, and she happily levitated a few books from the shelves. One or two from teaching the alphabet and words, a book on mathematics and a small book on basic magic use for foals were selected from the shelves and added to her saddlebags.

She dawdled through the adult fiction section, impressed by the selection, and finding the books by ‘Crescent Scribe’ and selecting a novel for herself to read between writing her own and caring for Glitter before returning to the front desk. She felt somewhat indebted to the author of these novels for the aid she had provided the young mother, but she also found them to be enjoyable reads.

She’d finished reading Lunar Heart thrice now, and she felt she needed something more added to her repertoire, even if it was only to be temporary. Satisfied with her selections, she moved back to the front desk and looked over at the librarian, who looked up to her with a smile.

“Did you find something, miss?”

Flitterwing nodded. “Umm, yeah;” she replied, looking back to her saddlebags and levitating the books to the desk gingerly, “I’d like to borrow these if that’s alright?”

The librarian nodded. “Of course miss, I just need to enter some details into the system.” She said. “Let’s see… home address?”

Flitterwing sighed faintly. “At the moment we’re in the Castle, though that will probably change soon; if you need me to I can return with a change of address after we move.”

The librarian nodded, writing this down. “And… name?”

“Flitterwing.”

The librarian wrote this down before blinking, her eyes widening and a smile spreading on her face. “Really?”

Flitterwing nodded. “I wouldn’t lie about who I am, not after the… incident.”

The librarian gasped and hurried off with a huge smile, returning soon with a black coated book. A circular hole in the hard cover of the novel, while not deep enough to leave the paper beneath showing, mimicked those that adorned Changelings.

The title read ‘Changing Dreams’.

Flitterwing sighed.

“Yes, that is my book, or at least I wrote it.” She affirmed, before the librarian could even ask.

“C-could you sign it? Please?” The librarian asked eagerly. “Then I’ll have an excuse to put it down in the archives for future generations! We archive rare writings or valuable collectable works of literature; this will guarantee your book a place within our collection!” She had a grin that almost split her face. “Oh, I can’t wait to let Twilight Sparkle know I managed to get a bestseller to sign a book for our collection! She’s going to be so jealous!”

Flitterwing blinked confusedly at the librarian before giving a gentle laugh and signing her name onto the inside of the book’s cover with an offered marker.

Later that evening, after a blissfully uneventful return from the library in town, Flitterwing and Glitter sat within the Royal Library at a desk working through a book on learning the Equestrian alphabet. Glitter was making surprising headway, and Flitterwing was pleased with how enthusiastic she was.

She grumbled internally that she wished Glitter could be this enthusiastic about eating her sprouts, the one vegetable that the filly would fuss over and deny out of every meal they were cooked for them.

Well, at least the Princesses didn’t find any offense to it; Flitterwing wasn’t sure if she would live that down. No, instead the Princesses seemed to find it amusing.

Teaching Glitter with no prior teaching experience was rocky, but she assumed that if she gave short pop quizzes and tested her knowledge on what she’d learned during their short sessions, and praised and rewarded her for giving correct answers then she’d learn better. The filly was eager, and each correct answer and new piece of knowledge made her more and more cheerful and almost desperate to learn more. To gain the praise that her mother would give her for each and every piece of learning she displayed seemed to be enough reward for her.

Maybe she was just that thrilled to have positive encouragement from her mother? It was certainly something that Flitterwing found encouraging, but she was sure that Glitter still needed to play as well, so every few hours she broke the monotony of learning with a play session.

After all, all work and no play make Jack a dull colt.

And so began the routine that would see them through for a long time, the only real interruption when they moved into their new home, affectionately named 'Little Hive'. The Changelings were very pleased with the end result, right down to the stream that ran through the middle of their home and the garden out behind the main building for growing their own crops. A communal kitchen, individual rooms spanning three partial floors, walk in cupboard and coolers for food storage, even a large shower block for them to bathe in. Each private room had an attached en-suite bathroom.

Windows were lockable and magically enchanted to be impossible to break, curtains hung in rooms and banners draped from the ceiling in the main ‘hall’. Black silk with golden thread and three green hearts, one on each top corner and one on the bottom edge of the fine fabric, hung from the ceiling; the otherwise square banners featuring a cut which curled around in a loop on the bottom to form an evident circular section had been removed, at the top of which was the third, and largest, heart. A crest which looked much like the outlines torso of a Changeling from above with its wings flared and a large horn in between which curved at the top not unlike Chrysalis’ own adorned them. There was a sense of space not unlike that of their original Hive. In all, it was a home away from home.

Each room had a bed within it for the resident pony, with Flitterwing and Glitters on the ground floor having a bed for each of them. Other than this, their rooms were bland and featureless. Flitterwing, not wanting to leave her room so sparse and Spartan, ordered new, grander bedframes, some bookshelves and a closet for any clothes they might buy in the future. For lack of much else to put up on the walls, she also bought a poster for both the Wonderbolts and Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns. The Wonderbolts were something that even the Changelings had found impressive, their flight capabilities truly a wonder, and the poster for the Princess’s school she hoped would give Glitter something to aspire to.

Of course, she made sure that Glitter’s dolls had prime positions in the room where they could be seen best and yet were easily accessible to the filly should she want to play with them. Granted on the day they arrived she wasn’t too interested with the stuffed dolls for once, more eagerly looking around Little Hive than anything and enjoying the attention that her fellow Changelings gave her as she curiously looked into their rooms; but Flitterwing wanted Glitter to know that her dolls, her precious toys were in prominent places in the room.

She was important to Flitterwing, above all else.

She’d not had much time growing up at their first Hive to remember it; most of her memories were of the castle and tent, so this cave-like home was a wholly new experience for her. Still, she didn’t seem to hate it. If anything, she was fascinated by the stalactites and stalagmites.

Chrysalis could see almost the entire Hive from her room on the second floor, the building designed specifically with her need to know where her Changelings were, and of all of them she had the largest room with Flitterwing and Glitter’s coming in a close second. She was going to fill it with all the creature comforts she could manage as well as anything she required for her work alongside Princesses Celestia and Luna; bookshelves and a desk at which she could work, a large latticework for her to store scrolls and letters from her co-workers and the Princesses.

After the Changelings had been settled into Canterlot life and added to Equestria’s populous, Chrysalis had been given the task of overseeing affairs which involved her own race, including the repairs to Canterlot. It seemed Celestia had found a convenient way to hoof off some work to another, as well as punish Chrysalis even if only slightly by forcing her to see what her foolish campaign had caused. Chrysalis had taken it in her stride, bowing her head and thanking Princess Celestia for offering her such a position so close to her own beloved subjects.

It would hopefully prove to become a busy and important role over the years as the Changelings adapted to and melded into Equestria’s society.

Unicorns had been taught a simple and effective spell to break through the illusion magic of Changelings, just in case any Changelings decided to hide from the authorities. It was unlikely that any were out there, Chrysalis had advised; the Hive Mind was a difficult thing for the Changelings to break free of, and potentially dangerous for their health to do so. After being linked to one another for so long, being separated from the Hive Mind would likely break their minds and drive them insane. It was just… damaging to have those voices for so long, only to lose them all.

Still, the possibility that there were Changelings hiding amongst the pony population of Equestria gave them some small amount of hope. If they were simply disconnected from the Hive Mind and disguised as ponies, or had suffered from severe head trauma and had no recollection of anything… The only way that any of them would know was if they came forth and exposed themselves or were found.

Even back before the Canterlot invasion there were Changelings who had ‘deserted’. They had gone out into Equestria to harvest food, any food, for the Hive and simply never returned, neither listening nor speaking into the Hive Mind, some possibly even having managed to disconnect from it altogether and forge new lives. One had, a few years back, been found by another scout in Manehattan with a family of her own; a husband and child on the way.

The Hive had been amazed that she was expecting a foal, and Chrysalis had, by way of the scout, demanded to know how it was possible, how she had managed to breed with this… Pony husband of hers.

‘The usual way,’ had been her short and irritable response.

This had baffled the Hive; Changelings could breed with ponies? They’d never even considered it a possibility. The Changeling medical world had been rocked to its core, and began furiously studying what they could after this to try and see if it were, indeed, true. Chrysalis had dismissed the research, letting them continue to solve the riddle while she cast a disinterested eye over it despite that it could change the future of her subjects in ways that even she couldn’t understand.

She had found it a cruel irony that the research she had dismissed as pointless had become the only solution to the future of the few Changelings still in Equestria.

Yes, the Changelings could breed with ponies, though it was easier if they were disguised as a pony at the time as the physiology would match their mate, even if only in disguise. Dropping their disguise didn’t lose the unborn foal, either. It was at that point a proven fact and yet all the same a worrying one. Changeling and ponies breeding led to one of three things; ponies, Changelings, or hybrids.

Hybrids had been rare occurrences in their studies, but they didn’t seem to be much different from ponies except for their tell-tale Changeling features. Earth Pony hybrids would have the familiar holes in their hooves, but all the strength and vigour of their non-hybrid cousins. Pegasus hybrids would have the insect-like wings of purebred Changelings, and though they couldn’t fly quite as fast as purebred Pegasus, they could make turns in their flight path that put their Pegasus cousins to shame.

Finally were the Unicorn hybrids. Again they would appear completely normal; right down to their horn, but their magic was a dead giveaway for their true nature. Almost always a violent green aura which would look more like flames would accompany their magic, and they could shape-shift at will, provided they learned how to harness the latent power. Only nine hybrids had ever been recorded, three of each, by Changeling history. Assumedly more had been born throughout the years yet had been chased out of town, had hidden within society successfully as normal ponies, or had just never survived being branded a freak and monster.

Amazingly, all three could manage to link to the Hive Mind, though it had only happened in four of the nine known cases, and even then they had to be taught how to do it much like Changelings foals did. They would find the Hive Mind fascinating, and would often sequester themselves away to listen to the multitude of voices.

Though, even armed with this incredible revelation of importance to the Changelings, one thing would keep them from attempting to find companionship with the ponies in Canterlot. It was a cold hard fact that the Changelings found somewhat… frustrating; Equestrian ponies were viciously xenophobic, at least to Changelings, even before the desperate assault on Canterlot. It had always been this way, and it was part of what fueled the public scrutiny over them.

Still, with the Changelings settled into Little Hive, life seemed to become smoother, and they soon grew used to Canterlot and the denizens within its walls.

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For a few years, life was quiet and simple; the Changelings got along with their daily lives, Canterlot was carefully and lovingly restored, and Flitterwing managed to write several more books between her task of caretaking for the Hive and helping Glitter grow. The filly was nothing if not enthused by learning, and she delved into the teaching books that her mother would borrow from the public library with an unbridled passion.

Flitterwing considered attempting to get her into Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns, but never really thought of following through with the plan. Yes, her daughter was bright, but… getting her into that prestigious school would be expensive, not to mention that Glitter would spend days, if not weeks, at the school without returning home due to studying. She didn’t want to lose her daughter for those large sections of time.

Not to mention the nagging detail of her not being a Unicorn.

Still, it was about time for her to go to a school for learning. Flitterwing was running out of things to teach her without giving her an unfair advantage on the other students, even the most studious ones. She’d learned how to fly to some degree, and she did have a faint hold on magic. She’d been told not to use it for anything too strenuous, advised that if she had to strain to use it, it would probably wear her out.

She hadn’t added that if she did strain to use it, she ran the risk of setting fire to whatever she was trying to use her magic on. No, telling a filly that they had the power to start fires was, even to Changelings, a big no-no.

She’d been taught how to connect to the Hive Mind, and her voice was added to the nine others within the collective communicative network. She was quiet, and didn’t seem to listen to it much, and, after a week of connecting, had been found to disconnect from it for huge periods of the day. This worried the others greatly, but Chrysalis had calmly stated that it was fine. If Glitter got used to the cacophony of voices that would join her head when connected to the Hive Mind, then it would become a concern.

Disconnecting as an adult Changeling who had been part of the Hive Mind for their whole life was dangerous because it was impossible to readjust to being alone again. If Glitter connected only when she needed to, she wouldn’t run the same risk. After all, ponies managed perfectly fine with but their own voice in their heads didn’t they?

And so the day came when the now five year old filly was enrolled into school, and although she was nervous she did follow her mother to the Canterlot schoolhouse. They didn’t get odd looks in town, as they had both disguised as ponies for the walk over. Flitterwing was currently holding the shape of a green coated Unicorn mare with yellow hair and a book for a Cutie Mark; it was a disguise that she had been working on herself for weeks, and she was certain that there were no other ponies in Canterlot that looked like her.

Glitter, on the other hoof, had encountered a snag in her disguise; despite being taught quite thoroughly by the other Changelings, even by Chrysalis herself, how to disguise herself she would always be white with pale green eyes. She’d taken almost a dozen different attempted forms, including switching genders, but had failed to change these seemingly minor and simple to change details.

It wasn’t that she didn’t try; she tried very hard to change her colours, but it seemed that her lack of pigmentation would follow through onto whatever form she took, and changing the shape of her eyes did not alter the colour of the blood that flowed within her. It was something that Chrysalis admitted was a flaw that all albino Changelings had featured in their disguise magic, and it was also why no albino Changeling had ever been allowed out into pony culture; the possibility of being discovered was exponentially greater than the chance of other Changelings. They were still treasured; albinos being signs of good luck in the Hive.

At the same time however, the filly couldn’t choose between having a horn for magic or wings for flight in her disguise; she had taken the horn for now, figuring that flight wasn’t going to be a big factor in school, but her mother had told her that she would be shedding her disguise once in class anyway. After all, honesty was the best policy, and they didn’t need to hide from the public like they once had; letting the other colts and fillies know who and what she was would hopefully endear them to her.

They dawdled up to the class in which she was enrolled, one of about four which was scheduled for the day. Canterlot was a big, big city, and there were three schools within its walls, including Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns; this school was the quieter of the two public schools, and the closest to the Hive. They stood outside Glitter’s classroom to hear the teacher commenting on having a special student joining them for class.

Flitterwing waved to get her attention, and the mare smiled and waved them in eagerly.

“Ah, here she is now.” She said warmly. “Class, I’d like to introduce you to Glitter and her mother.”

The class gave a generic welcome as the two ‘ponies’ walked into the class, stopping next to the teacher’s desk, the younger filly keeping cover behind her mother as best she could.

“Glitter is joining our class, and she’s a little bit… different.” The teacher said as her horn flashed and the classroom door closed. She gave them a cheerful smile. “If you’d like to show the class why I say that? In your own time if you could?”

Flitterwing nodded faintly and looked down to her daughter with an encouraging smile. They seemed to count to three in their heads before closing their eyes gently and allowing their disguises to fade. Green flames roared around them, generating no heat but illuminating the room for the brief moment that they flared.

When the fire faded, two Changelings stood side by side, mother and daughter. They opened their eyes to look out over the class.

The colts and fillies reeled in shock, fumbling out of their chairs and scurrying to the far side of the classroom. Flitterwing gave a worried blink at their reaction, and Glitter hid behind her, peering out from behind one leg. Her teacher was the one to return some sanity to the classroom.

“Get back to your seats, stop yelling!” She snapped angrily. “She’s as frightened of you as you are of her!” She added, pointing to the cowering filly.

Reluctantly the students returned to their seats, all eyeing the Changelings frightfully as she looked back with frightened curiosity.

“Thank you.” The teacher grumbled. “Now, class, as I’ve said, Glitter will be joining us in class this year; as you may have noticed,” she gave the class an irritable glare to punctuate this word, “she and her mother are Changelings. You have no reason to be afraid of her; she’s been in Canterlot now with what remains of her kind for… how long has it been, Ms Flitterwing?”

“Mrs,” Flitterwing calmly corrected, “and it’s been about three years since we took up refuge within Canterlot. I feel that I must say it’s a wonderful city.”

“Oh, I do apologise.” The teacher said. “Well, I’ll be sure to ask if a Changeling can come in and give the class a lecture on Changelings when we’re studying the differences between ponies in a couple of months.”

Flitterwing nodded. “We can talk about it after school when I come to pick her up?”

“Of course.”

Flitterwing smiled and leaned down to Glitter, giving her a reassuring smile. “Go find a seat sweetie, I’ll be back to pick you up in a couple of hours, alright?”

Glitter nodded, and she tapped her horn with a hoof, indicating she was going to connect to the Hive Mind to talk.

‘A… are you sure mommy?’

Flitterwing giggled.

‘Oh, Glitter, I promise you that you’ll be safe here.’ She replied. ‘Go sit, your teacher will keep an eye on you. If you need any help, be sure to let her know.’

‘O-okay mommy…’

Flitterwing gave a happy giggle and rubber Glitter’s head faintly. ‘That’s my filly. If you really need help, you give a shout across the Hive Mind; one of us will be here as soon as we can.’

Glitter nervously moved to the only empty desk, sitting on the chair as her mother left the room. She looked around at the other foals, all of whom simply stared back at her as if she was some sort of intrusive and vicious monster.

Oh, this was going to be just the worst place ever.

The first lesson had ended about two minutes ago, and Glitter had been rather bored. Granted she did the schoolwork that her teacher assigned her anyway, she’d done it in not even half the time of the other colts and fillies and then promptly became bored. The teacher, Miss Rosy Bloom, was impressed at how easily she’d gotten through the work, but couldn’t think of anything else to offer her for the day, since the lesson after recess was going to be a lecture more than anything.

Still, she’d found the thought of a break from sitting about and doing very little rather refreshing, and she emerged from the schoolhouse into the bright rays of Celestia’s sun. The warmth of the sun filtered through her tough outer skin and made her feel somewhat more alive and she looked about at the other foals wondering what she should do.

She could see some Unicorn foals practicing their magic, for what little they could, over on a far side of the playground. She briefly considered going to join them, but these colts and fillies had given her very… alarming glares. If she had to pin the look they gave her down in any way, she’d have tagged it as ‘hateful’.

Some other ponies were playing on the nearby play equipment, swinging on the swings or chasing one another through the play fort. They all seemed perfectly happy, but she wasn’t sure if she should go join them either, worried over how they would treat her.

She sat on the cool grass of the yard, casually looking around at all the colts and fillies playing or just generally keeping one another entertained. A group of colts moving past noticed her looking in their direction and moved over. All three of them had cutie marks.

They were smiling, but not in a way that made Glitter want to join in.

“Well, well, if it’s not the freak.” One spat. His Cutie Mark was a purple cloth sheet with a black top hat on it and he was smiling down at her in a frightening and spiteful manner.

“What’re you looking at?” Another asked in a tone not at all pleasant, his Cutie Mark looked to be an iron safe.

Glitter blinked. “H-huh?”

“Look, freak, we don’t want you looking at us.” The first hissed.

“Yeah, blankflank! Stupid little freak without a Cutie Mark!”

“C-Changelings don’t get Cutie Marks…”

The colts all looked at one another amusedly; though it was a joke that Glitter was certain she was the butt of and would not like in the slightest.

“Really? Oh dear goddess- you’re not only the biggest freak at school, but you’re also a blankflank for life?! That’s hilarious, you’ve got to be the biggest loser in Canterlot!”

Their laughter stung, and she cringed from them on the ground until one grabbed her wings and tugged her up painfully. She yelped in pain at his rough handling of her otherwise sensitive wings and tried to back away, only to run into the third of their group who pushed her forward roughly, their laughter redoubling as she landed on her face. His Cutie Mark appeared to be a brick wall with stars.

Frightened of their suddenly rough actions, she jumped a little and her wings buzzed furiously, gaining her some altitude away from the colts and their harsh and unfriendly words. She wasted no time in trying to find somewhere to hide, her teary eyes only seeing the shocked faces of every single pony in the playground watching her, and if not watching her then glaring daggers at the colts below who laughed at her mockingly. With no other options, she flew over the roof and landed gently on the tiles, curling into a ball and crying out of everypony’s sight.

Almost everypony, anyway.

“Oh hey I didn’t see you there, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Glitter looked up from her forehooves to see a slightly pale azure Pegasus filly with an unkempt sandy coloured mane and tail, her eyes a healthy yellow. She held her left fore-hoof off the ground, a strap around its ankle. She was looking down at her with a worried frown, and she hobbled closer to sit next to her.

Glitter shook her head and pointed to the yard over her shoulder tearfully.

“I… they called me a f-freak!”

The filly blinked before peering over the roof’s edge carefully, seeing the group of colts below still laughing and mocking her between themselves. She huffed.

“Oh, right, them.” She grumbled. “Rocky, Quick Swirl, and Sparkshine; not surprised you didn’t get along with them. They’re bullies, have been for as long as I’ve known them; they don’t get along with anypony. I remember seeing them steal toys from other ponies in playgrounds over the last couple of years…”

She returned to Glitter’s side and offered a friendly smile. “Don’tcha worry, not everypony here is as mean as they are.” She smiled broader and thumped her chest with her right hoof before returning her weight to it. “Like me.”

Glitter only looked up at her curiously, now trying to wipe the tears from her face.

“They… kinda also called me a freak and a blankflank.” The Pegasus mumbled, moving her left hoof faintly. “Because my left ankle is bad…” She sighed a little down at it. “I broke it a few years ago, and somepony put it into a splint, but…” She wobbled it impotently. “It was hours before proper care came to me, and by then the doctors couldn’t do anything other than take the pain away… I’ll never be able to put my weight on it without it hurting a lot, even on clouds…”

“I’m… sorry.”

The Pegasus shook her head. “Nah, don’t worry about it; I can still fly!” She said, brightening the mood somewhat. “Oh, right, I’m Sandy!” She flapped her wings to give herself a little lift and offered out her good hoof.

Nervously Glitter held her own hoof out, the Pegasus grabbing it and giving it a firm shake before lowering herself back down. “I’m G-Glitter.”

Sandy gave a giggle. “I know, silly; I was sat behind you in class!” She said cheerfully.

Glitter sighed and put her head on her forelegs. “Sorry we scared you.”

Sandy shook a hoof dismissively. “No biggie, I thought it was actually kinda cool; you can change into anypony?”

Glitter grimaced. “K-kinda.”

“What’d you mean ‘kinda’?”

Glitter shifted faintly on the roof. “I… I can’t change colours; I could use anypony’s shape, but I’ll always be white with green eyes.”

Sandy sat on her haunches and gave her a puzzled look. “Really..? That’s gotta suck, but at least you can still shape shift, right?”

She nodded faintly in return.

“And you can fly too, that’s cool!”

“I… I’m not that good at flying…”

Sandy shifted forward and tapped Glitter’s horn, making the Changeling flinch and pull back.

“Don’t poke it!” She protested. “It’s sensitive…”

“Sorry!” Sandy worriedly said, pulling back her hoof. “C-can you do magic with it?”

“A little bit. I’m not very good at magic yet.”

Sandy gave a wide grin. “So far, you’re looking cooler than anypony else here, at least to me!”

Glitter shook her head. “Y-you’re just saying that.”

“Am not; don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but we’re the only two in our class that can fly!” Sandy retorted, still smiling. She lay down to bring her face equal with the Changeling’s own. “I’d love to hang around with you, it’ll be fun!”

Glitter’s face was hopeful as she looked back at the filly Pegasus. “R-really?”

“Sure! We can play after school and help each other with homework and-“

She was cut off when Glitter threw her forehooves around her and pulled her into a somewhat one-sided hug. She was taken aback for a moment before she sighed and leaned into her hold.

“You’re welcome, Glitter.” She said, a warm smile spreading on her face.

They sat up on the roof talking and practicing their flight until the end of recess, when the teacher called them back inside. Though Miss Rosy Bloom voiced her discomfort at them having been on the roof, she didn’t get them into trouble for it; Pegasus colts and fillies would often congregate on the roof later in their schooling careers to socialize, and she wasn’t surprised when Sandy told her what had happened in the yard.

The second lesson was a lecture on basic mathematics, and Glitter listened despite knowing everything she was teaching already. She looked bored, Miss Rosy Bloom could see, but didn’t want to interrupt the class to find out why.

After the lengthy lecture, Miss Rosy Bloom handed out worksheets for her students to complete, though they were admittedly still only simple mathematics and learning numbers she expected to enjoy a quiet hour or so before the half-day mark arrived and the foals were all collected.

She hadn’t expected Glitter to be done in minutes, breezing through the work like a hot ball bearing through runny butter.

… Or for her to turn to the student she had been on the roof with and help her.

She’d seen many, many ponies in her days as a schoolteacher and watched them as they earned their Cutie Marks; botanists, guards, mages… on the rare occasion a daredevil… She’d even been tasked, once, with teaching a filly who was mentally unsound in hospital and whose parents were desperate for her to learn something.

She had a letter from that mare, now a functioning member of society, in her desk that she treasured above most other things. She’d taught her fractured mind into sanity, and it gave her great pride to know that. She’d even framed it in an expensive frame so she could display it one day.

She’d never seen a single student who was like this.

Glitter was an anomaly; she was the first albino anything that Miss Rosy Bloom had taught, and undoubtedly the first Changeling. She had no idea how much of her studiousness was her being a Changeling or from being otherwise intelligent. That she was even going out of her way to help another student…

Well, this sort of behaviour was highly unexpected in the young filly.

She had a habit of, over the weeks and months that she taught her students, writing down what she predicted the foal would grow up into. She’d been impressed at how often she was correct. With a cheeky grin, she scratched ‘teacher’ next to Glitter’s name.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Flitterwing had met up with another mare on the way to the schoolhouse, the Pegasus unaware that she was conversing with the Unicorn disguised Changeling as they chatted about their ‘little darlings’.

The mare in question, Twisty Breeze, worked for the weather squad of Canterlot. She’d once worked in Trottingham as a part of the town’s ‘Extreme Conditions’ weather team. Her pink coat looked like a fresh bar of soap, and her silver mane and tail were curled into drill-like spirals behind her head and rear. Her voice was smooth like chocolate and she spoke with calm and yet nervous tone.

Flitterwing noted to herself her slightly worried tones, this was a mare who had been through some… rough times.

They walked to the front doors, stopping to allow a group of otherwise disgruntled looking parents walk out with their foals before entering and moving to the same classroom and called out for their child at the same time.

“Glitter?”

“Sandy?”

The two fillies, Sandy and her now Unicorn disguised friend Glitter, hurried across the room to their mothers. As their parents had, both spoke at the same time.

“Mommy, I made a friend today!”

The parents smiled to one another, sharing a mutual understanding.

“Mrs Flitterwing, Mrs Breeze, please come in.”

The mares complied and moved into the room, a motion from the teacher to Flitterwing told her to close the door, and with a casual flick of her magic the door swung shut.

“So far, there are only four parents who have not asked to have their foal transferred from this class.” Miss Rosy Bloom said to them. “Which means two parents other than yourselves have not demanded to move their filly or colt from my care.”

Flitterwing sighed, and Twisty Breeze only blinked confusedly.

“Why would so many want transferrals on the first day?” She asked confusedly.

“Because of us.” Flitterwing said distantly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t… if I’d known it would cause so much fuss, I’d have home schooled her; but… the Hive is no place for me to bring up Glitter anymore.”

“The Hive..?” Twisty Breeze mumbled, giving Flitterwing a worried look.

Flitterwing nodded and let her illusion fade, green flames licking around her form as she changed back to her real self. Twisty Breeze took a step back in fright and Miss Rosy Bloom gave a weary sigh.

“Everypony demanded the transferals because they don’t want their foal to grow up with a Changeling.”

Twisty Breeze took a step back, her mouth hanging open. “Wh-why didn’t you..?”

“Did it matter up until now, Mrs Breeze?” Flitterwing asked distantly. “Truly, am I different in here-” she tapped her chest, right over her heart, “because of how I look?”

Twisty Breeze blinked, her mind processing this before she shook her head.

“I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“It is fine, Mrs Breeze, you are not the worst reaction we have faced.” Flitterwing mumbled. “We have yet to atone for our collective sins during the attack.”

“Mommy, I don’t want to change class, I want to stay here with Glitter.”

The mares looked down at the filly who only looked back sadly, Glitter sitting miserably nearby. Flitterwing blinked down at her, a faint memory clicking in her head.

“I… I remember you.” She mumbled. “From the attack… You fell out of a window and hurt your ankle.”

Sandy blinked. “What..?”

“I remember you because I splinted your ankle.” Flitterwing said. “Right before a town guard chased me away.” She looked at the ankle in question and noticed the strap around it before giving a sad sigh. “I see it wasn’t good enough though; I’m sorry, if I’d had longer…”

She trailed off faintly and gave another sigh.

“Mrs Breeze, it’s up to you whether or not to request moving your daughter from my class, but I would ask you to at least consider that, during recess, I found them both together on the roof.”

“Rocky called us freaks.” Sandy complained petulantly. “He was really mean, even pulling on Glitter’s wings!”

At that Flitterwing hurriedly turned to Glitter and looked her over, despite the filly having not shed her disguise.

“I’m fine, mommy.” Glitter protested.

“Quite bright too, if I may say so myself.” Miss Rosy Bloom added. “Tell me, did you home school her before bringing her here?”

Flitterwing nodded. “I… I didn’t want her to be at a disadvantage…”

“Well, you certainly succeeded at that; she finished her work in record time and then went about helping Sandy here with hers; if it weren’t for her not having gained it, I could swear that her Cutie Mark would be for teaching or learning.”

Flitterwing grimaced. “Changelings… don’t get Cutie Marks.” She informed. “My Unicorn disguise has a Cutie Mark, but I had to invent it; we do not keep them.” She motioned to her flank.

“I see.” Miss Rosy Bloom commented. “Well, if she keeps up her education splendidly, I’m certain she’ll find some sort of special talent. I must admit that I’m surprised you didn’t apply her to the Princess’ school.”

“Sadly I can’t either afford to enroll her into Princess Celestia’s school… nor do I think she would be welcome. After all, we are not exactly Unicorns.”

“You’re not exactly Pegasus either but you fly with the best of us.” Sandy deadpanned.

“Sandy!”

The filly shrugged.

“Why did you say the Hive is no place to school your… daughter?” Twisty Breeze asked, getting a positive nod from Flitterwing followed by a sad mumble.

“As the newspapers have said; there are ten of us left, ten known Changelings in all of Equestria. Glitter is the only foal amongst us; I… I wanted her to grow up with friends, as pony foals do; how will we learn to fit in as a species if we are not accepted into Equestria’s ‘Harmony’?”

“You attacked Canterlot!”

“And I’m sorry!” Flitterwing shouted back, before huffing and lowering her tone. “Oh believe me I’m sorry. Whenever I look to where my husband should be, whenever I see Glitter having to live without her birth parents, whenever I see the Wedlock Memorial desecrated by Equestrians; believe me I’m sorry! The one thing I’m not sorry for is getting a chance to raise a filly; granted she’s not of my own flesh and blood, and in my heart she will always be my daughter, but for the invasion? I’m as sorry as we come!”

She became aware at this point that she was snarling, and she backed up a step and relented, turning her face away from the mare she’d snapped at.

“Glitter, we should head home before your Granna worries.”

“’Granna’..?” Twisty Breeze asked curiously.

Glitter gave an enthusiastic nod. “Granna Chrysalis!”

Twisty Breeze looked taken aback, and gave Flitterwing an astonished look, the Changeling returning her gaze with a sheepish grin.

A few minutes later and the front door of Little Hive opened, with Flitterwing and Glitter stepping in ahead of the two ponies who followed them nervously. So far no outsider ponies had been inside Little Hive beside the Princesses or the original construction crew, all of whom would say nothing of the building within.

That it looked like a large cave was something Sandy and her mother had not expected.

It looked like somepony had simply grabbed a large section of foreboding underground cavern and teleported it inside of a building, complete with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a few stalagmites here and there, a clear section in the centre of the room boasting roughly a dozen cushions and a table for gatherings. To one side a well-stocked kitchen could be seen through a serving window and door, within a single Changeling dutifully cooking what smelled like roasted potatoes and vegetables.

Another Changeling buzzed overhead, hanging banners from the ceiling. He held a washing basket in his magic containing the only missing banner, indicating he’d just brought them in from being left out to dry in the sun. A door opened overhead, allowing the two Pegasi to see into a well-lit and well-furnished room, complete with a cream paint over the walls.

From within strolled one of Equestria’s most notorious villains.

She looked around the Hive idly before hopping down the floor, her insect-like wings buzzing on her back to allow her a safe landing. She dawdled over to Flitterwing, who dipped her head faintly to the ex-monarch before Glitter got ahead of herself and hurried to intercept her, throwing herself, undisguised, against the tall Changeling’s body.

“Granna!”

Chrysalis chuckled and collected Glitter in an embrace. “Hello sweetie; did you enjoy your first day at school?”

Glitter nodded furiously. “I made a friend!”

“Really now?” Chrysalis humoured her, looking over the two Pegasi who stood ramrod still in the door. “Which one?”

Glitter gave Chrysalis an annoyed look. “The filly, Granna.”

Chrysalis let out a hearty laugh. “I know sweetie.” She said before giving her a playful rub on her head.

“Glitter, go get cleaned up for lunch, go on.” Flitterwing instructed. The filly gave her a curious look before scurrying off to the communal showers.

Chrysalis watched Glitter hurry off with an affectionate look on her face until she disappeared from view and giving a sigh.

“It’s nice to know she’s made a friend.” She said listlessly before giving a sigh and turning to the small Pegasus family. “Welcome to Little Hive, it’s… well, it’s not often we get guests. It’s nice that I did not need to go to the castle today; I can meet my granddaughter’s friend in person. Please, come in, it’s not like we’ve anything to hide. Would you like some tea or coffee..?”

Twisty Breeze gave a sarcastic chuckle as she entered the building fully, Sandy following her closely as they moved to the cushions in the middle of the room and sat down, Chrysalis and Flitterwing sitting down opposite them.

“If somepony had said to me this morning that I would be asked if I wanted tea or coffee by Changelings in their home… I’d probably have laughed at them. Quite loudly.”

“It’s impressive what can change within a few hours, isn’t it?” Chrysalis mused. “Allegiances, friendships, understandings… life…”

“It’s been difficult to get used to Canterlot life, we must admit.” Flitterwing mumbled. “Only recently has Glitter been able to disguise herself, and it’s been hard to take her outside without incidents.”

Twisty Breeze nodded faintly. “I… guess I can understand.”

Chrysalis eyed her. “Can you? Really?”

“I was born in Cloudsdale, but foul weather would follow me wherever I went. My parents fled the city because of the… persecution that followed in my wake. Even when we moved to Trottingham I was assailed by frequent freak weather, needless to say, I didn’t have many friends.

“One year a storm rolled over from the Everfree forest that threatened to destroy part of the town; I flew into the storm, forced an eye to form over the town hall, and managed to charge myself. The second I landed I was supposedly struck with every ounce of electricity that the storm held, giving me my Cutie Mark. Since then I’ve been working for weather teams as emergency backup during storms.”

“Why do you live in Canterlot? This hardly seems like a fitting place for somepony of your skills; the weather is idyllic.” Chrysalis asked curiously.

“Are you kidding? The amount of magic that the Princesses use to control the sun and moon make Canterlot more storm prone than almost any other city; bad weather swarms to powerful magic like flies to picnics, they’re lucky to have me here.”

“What about the Wonderbolts?”

She rolled her eyes. “Pff, the Wonderbolts are a stunt team; while they know weather control, I don’t know how well they would know how to stop, say, a tornado.”

“D-does Canterlot get tornadoes regularly..?”

“Regularly? Well, there is one that occurs every five years like clockwork; should be occurring in the autumn; heck, I delivered Sandy not a month before.” She smiled and ruffled Sandy’s already unkempt hair at mentioning her name; the filly groaned and shook her head.

“When did you get Glitter?”

“Three years ago, just after the invasion.” Flitterwing mumbled. “Her… her parents died at the conclusion of the attack. With no-one else to turn to, Queen Chrysalis asked if I would adopt her, and I quite readily said yes.”

“Oh? No second thoughts?”

She shook her head. “Understand that I’d just lost my mate, my Queen’s own son, only a few hours earlier. I… may have clung to Glitter as an emotional life-raft, but I don’t regret it in the slightest. She knows I’m not her birth mother, but it doesn’t change anything between us. She’s my daughter, and we’d not ask for anypony else.”

Twisty Breeze nodded. “Well, I can at least understand that. I must admit, however, that I find it a little… odd for you to have brought us to your home after school.”

“Oh, I only wanted to make sure you and Sandy were comfortable with us, or at least plead a case that you didn’t move her from her class.” Flitterwing admitted, waving a hoof dismissively. “I can only assume you understand how very hopeful I am that Glitter can make friends, I… I don’t want for her to grow up alone…” She sighed and looked down to her hooves. “Not when there is a chance she can find happiness.”

Twisty Breeze nervously grimaced, giving a faint cough. “Yes, well, Sandy hasn’t exactly had a smooth life either, what with her bad ankle… If she thinks she’s finally found a friend, I’m more than willing to accept a little… oddness for her.” She smiled knowingly to Flitterwing. “After all, what is motherhood without a little sacrifice?”

Chrysalis nodded faintly, turning her face from the mare, mumbling only a short and almost unheard word.

“Sacrifice…”

While the three adult mares chatted idly over work and the like, the filly Pegasus hopped down from the communal desk and moved off, slinking through the building to the bathrooms. She was hoping to happen upon Glitter and catch her unawares.

After all, why pass up a perfectly reasonable chance to scare the willies her new friend?

Stealthily she followed the sound of running water, moving silently under her wing power into a room full of steam. Slowly but surely she crept around to where she found Glitter in a shower stall humming melodiously. She seemed to be enjoying her shower so far.

Well, until now.

“HEY, GLITTER!”

In what seemed like an instant, Glitter turned and leapt backwards into the tiled wall beneath the shower head, her eyes wide and, yes, startled as she stared at the now laughing raucously filly who had yelled at her. She couldn’t help but crack her own smile and giggle along with her.

“Oh, you want to play like that do you?” She laughed, using her magic to collect the shower water into a ball which then hurled itself at the laughing filly, exploding into a deluge against her face. The Pegasus blinked the water from her eyes, noticing that Glitter was preparing another glob of water to throw.

She dodged the thrown water glob and leapt onto Glitter, tackling her to the ground and rolling with her into the shower stream. Glitter kept using her magic to collect reservoirs of shower water and dousing the slightly larger feathery filly with it.

A squeal had brought the three adults’ attention to the bathroom, each worried that the two fillies had somehow injured themselves, only to find them laughing within the shower stall, wrestling beneath the water that cascaded over them. The mothers shared a knowing, happy glance between one another before slinking back out to the main hall.

Everything was fine.

Author's Note

****
Having been somewhat.... well, ditzy on my own part, I had mistakenly used an officially used name 'Blossomforth' for Glitter's teacher. Not wanting to cause confusion amongst readers who think that Blossomforth has moved from Ponyville to Canterlot to be a teacher, or anything else that may be canon, I have renamed her teacher Rosy Bloom.
Sorry for the mixup...
***

School Visit

Things were going great! Glitter and Sandy dawdled out of their classroom into the schoolyard, quickly taking to the air and flying up onto the roof. It was now the tenth week of school, and their class hadn’t diminished in numbers.

Not even one.

Having been literally inundated with demands for transferals from Miss Bloom’s class by parents for the simple and irritating reason of not wanting their foal to learn in the same class as a Changeling, the otherwise amicable headmaster had simply snapped and rejected them all. Each and every parent who had demanded the shift had been brought back to the school and been yelled at by the faintly overweight bespectacled elder mare before being kicked out on their asses.

It had worried the headmaster that her actions would lead to students being transferred to another school, and therefore hemorrhage funds, but the parents seemed to take it in their stride and didn’t go that extra step.

She did, however, keep a close eye on the little Changeling filly around which all the fuss had been raised. From her years as a teacher and foal psychologist, she was used to reading young colts and fillies from afar, and with her expert eye, she could tell, even now, that Glitter was one of the sweetest and gentlest souls she had ever encountered.

A little coddled maybe, and certainly developing a stubborn grouchiness, but still.

Up on the roof, Sandy sat heavily on the tiles and grumbled, Glitter landing next to her and offering a smile.

“How do you manage it, Glitter?” She repined.

“Do what?”

“Manage to understand the stuff that Miss Bloom teaches us.”

Glitter giggled. “It’s not that hard, Sandy; you still struggling with maths?”

“It’s so boring!”

Again Glitter giggled. “You’re just upset I’m better than you.” She said playfully.

“You are not!”

“Are too!”

“Are not!”

“Prove it!” Glitter challenged. “Prove me wrong!”

Sandy stood and held up a hoof, mouth open to spit out a retort, but nothing came to mind. Her face gave a contorted look of confusion, as if she couldn’t believe that she was unable to think of anything to snap back with, before lowering her hoof and closing her mouth, now giving a thoughtful look to the tiles beneath her.

“You win.” She grumbled.

“It’s not about winning, Sandy.” Glitter said distantly. “It’s about asking for help when you need it.”

“Huh?”

“If you want help, you only have to ask me; you know I finish really quickly.” Glitter said, sitting down on the warm tiles and basking in the warmth of the sunlight. “I love to help you out, it’s fun!”

Sandy giggled.

“Yeah, I guess I should ask for help more often.” She relented.

Glitter grinned wide. It had been like this for the pair for the last few weeks; her prior education from her mother had given her a huge boon over her fellow classmates, and she was still way ahead of the other foals. Still, she didn’t want to leave Sandy’s class and end up away from her one friend she felt she could depend on.

Not that the adults could have dragged them apart anyway.

They spent every spare minute they could manage to get together, playing one thing or other, or even just practicing their innate skills. They enjoyed their flying practice together more than anything, and Glitter was getting steadily better at her magic.

Between the two of them, Sandy was by far the more powerful flier, her larger and stronger Pegasus wings designed for agile flight and powerful strokes. She was faster and could go for longer without breaks by spreading her wings to glide on the currents and eddies.

Glitter, however, was not designed for such flight. Her natural wings were small and insect like, fragile and sensitive. She had to flap them faster, producing a gentle buzz as they hummed though the air rapidly. She couldn’t manage the same turn of speed that Sandy could, nor could she go for as long, but she could turn almost on a dime and didn’t cause the same amount of disturbance with her wing beats. Her wings could also heal rather faster than her Pegasus friend’s if broken, but they hadn’t discovered this by any accident, having been told by Flitterwing.

Their break passed quickly, the pair enjoying their time on the roof as usual until Rosy Bloom called them down and back inside.

She’d rearranged the classroom seating during the first few weeks, a minor tweak to the seating arrangements that now had Glitter and Sandy sitting beside one another. If Sandy was going to get help from Glitter, she figured that sitting them next to each other would be a good place to start. So far the two fillies were the head of the class.

After all of the foals sat at their desks, Rosy Bloom took up her place beside the chalkboard.

“Alright class, we’re going to begin our lessons on the different types of ponies this week.” She said with a cheery smile. “Now, as we all know, there are several types of ponies, who can name them?” She smiled wider when a dozen hooves rose into the air, though found it odd that Glitter’s own was not amongst them. She pointed to a likely looking colt, the young Unicorn giving his response quickly.

“Unicorn, Miss?”

She nodded and scribbled this onto the board before selecting another student.

“Earth Pony, Miss?”

Another nod and more words added to the board, followed by a third student being selected.

“Pegasus, Miss?”

Yet another nod, chalk writing and she found herself short of new foals to point out.

“Any others?” She asked only to find disappointment when nopony raised their hoof. “Glitter?”

Glitter sighed and eyed the board wearily.

“The Alicorn Princesses.” She said flatly. “And the Crystal Ponies.”

Rosy Bloom blinked in momentary confusion before nodding and writing these onto the board. “Yes, though you’re all still missing one.”

Again her eyes met with Glitter’s, the filly’s eyes conveying her dislike of where this was headed and her reluctance to say anything. Sandy, however, raised her hoof.

“Yes, Sandy?”

“Changeling, Miss?”

A colt up the back gave a gagging noise and shouted out. “They’re bugs not ponies!”

She noticed one of Glitter’s eyes twitch and her frown grow.

Rosy Bloom sighed and wrote ‘Changelings’ onto the board alongside Alicorns before giving the class an irritable glance. “Class, this is one of the most important lessons that I can teach to you all; it is important that you learn the differences between one another so you can learn to overcome these differences. Yes, this is the first year that we shall be teaching about Changelings; I will also be taking a backseat during that lesson to learn as I know about as much on them as you all do. Well, with the possible exception of Glitter here.”

Glitter grumbled and rested her head against her desk at being mentioned for such a thing. She was not looking forward to that lesson one bit.

“We’ll start with Earth Ponies.” Rosy Bloom stated, before pulling a poster from within her desk and clipping it to the top of the board where it unrolled and showed, yes, an Earth Pony. “Earth Ponies do not have wings like Pegasus, or horns like us Unicorn, but rather are usually slightly stockier, especially in their foalhood, and become stronger and have better endurance than the others. While Unicorns have magical abilities that allow them to manipulate objects or creatures around them, and Pegasus have wings that allow them to fly and an inherent magic that enables them to walk on, move or disperse clouds, Earth Ponies have their own magic which comes from their hooves and their hearts.

“This magic, while not something that can be channeled by Earth Ponies in the same way as Unicorns, gives them incredible prowess when it comes to horticulture or emotions. Earth Ponies are known for becoming brilliant farmers, or working as management, as they have good heads and strong wills. Many Earth Ponies become teachers or care for the sick, injured or elderly, as they are more in-tune with ponies needs and how to get their personalities to bloom. Earth Ponies work best with their hooves, and when they get their head set into doing something, you can be assured that they will do it to the best of their ability. Food grown by Earth Ponies will usually become the healthiest and best tasting food that you have ever tasted.

“However, with the recent return of the Crystal Empire, Crystal Ponies have also made a return to Equestria, and they are very much like Earth Ponies. Crystal Ponies are a unique breed from the Crystal Empire whose happiness and wellbeing translates directly to their coat, which crystallizes and becomes glassy. They’re a culture steeped in tradition, and they have become a new breed that is taught around Equestria. They have their own range of rare foods now considered delicacies, such as Crystal Berries and sweets made from these sweet fruits.

“Crystal Ponies’ magic is much like that of their Earth Pony cousins, but their glossy coats are a huge difference; their happiness is channeled to an artefact which rests within the core of their Empire called the Crystal Heart, which causes the crystallization in ponies coats when they enter the city. This crystallization is only temporary in all breeds aside from Crystal Ponies. Should you ever encounter a Crystal Pony outside of their Empire, you should treat them with respect as they are a long way out of their comfort zone.” She smiled and tugged the posters down from the board, having added a Crystal Pony poster when she switched to the topic. “Crystal Ponies are currently ruled by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, and her husband Prince Shining Armour.”

A bell went off somewhere in the building, announcing it was home time for the class, and the foals all began to stand from their seats. A few parents appeared at the door to receive their colt or filly, sparing a momentary angry glance at Glitter who wasn’t paying attention, instead chatting happily with Sandy. After a couple of minutes, the students had all filed out of the class aside from these two, and their mothers appeared at the door to retrieve them.

“Ah, Mrs Flitterwing, could you spare me a moment?” Miss Bloom asked, waving her into the room.

“Of course Miss Bloom, what is it? She’s not getting into trouble again is she?”

“The one time I use my magic to pick up a textbook and I never get to live it down.” Glitter grumbled.

Her mother giggled at her grumpy tone, stepping over and rubbing her head with a hoof. “Maybe if you hadn’t proceeded to destroy the textbook in a ball of fire you’d not have this problem; I know you were listening to me when I told you not to stress your magic, but you still ignored me, didn't you?”

“No, no, she’s in no trouble;” Miss Bloom returned wearily, “We began our scheduled lessons on the different ponies today. After we’re done with Ponies we were going to begin on Gryphons, Dragons and other creatures, after some projects to show their learning and understanding of the different breeds of course.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’. I’ve been putting it off in favour of getting some other work done, but I suppose that I can stall no longer; I was wondering if it could be possible to get a guest speaker tomorrow during second session for Changelings? If it’s not convenient, we can arrange a different time…”

Flitterwing went silent, her eyes growing unfocused and seemingly looking past the Unicorn blankly. Rosy Bloom, now under what she thought of as an intense stare shrank slightly and backed off worriedly from the adult Changeling.

“O-of course we can choose another time, it’s no trouble…”

“Mommy’s not glaring, Miss Bloom;” Glitter said idly, not even turning around to look at her, “she’s talking with the Hive Mind.”

The Unicorn blinked. “Oh. You can..?”

“Mommy, Granna Chrysalis and my uncles are all linked with the Hive Mind; they can talk to each other with it. I could join them, but I like the quiet.”

Sandy giggled and went back to quietly talking with Glitter, the two fillies discussing what they planned to do for the rest of the day. Glitter was entertaining the idea of just sitting back with a few books and reading the day away, while Sandy was thinking of getting some flying practice in before dinner.

Slowly but surely, Flitterwing’s face spread into a cheeky grin.

‘Are you sure you can..?’

‘Of course I can, it’s the least I can do. I will be there at ten, just before their break ends.’

“Miss Bloom, I believe we can accommodate your request.”

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The next day had dawned, and Glitter sat in her class alongside Sandy, the Pegasus for once eager to be in class, if only because it would be discussing the different types of ponies still. Glitter had to admit, everypony in class seemed thrilled about this lesson, if only because they were all Unicorns aside from herself, Sandy and one Earth Pony colt who was good at art.

Miss Bloom pulled a poster from her desk and clipped it to the board, the poster unrolling to reveal a Pegasus.

“Now, everypony, we are continuing our previous lessons. Yesterday we learned about Earth Ponies and Crystal Ponies; today we will be learning about the remaining four starting with Unicorns and Pegasi.

“Pegasi are winged ponies capable of flight. Pegasus ponies are usually swift and agile, capable of performing incredible feats in the air at high speeds due to their light bodies and powerful wings. The majority of Pegasus ponies in Equestria are born in Cloudsdale, a Pegasus-only city due to the fact that it is built using clouds, and that Earth Ponies and Unicorn cannot walk on clouds without magical aid such as a cloud-walking spell. Pegasus ponies often become marshals of the weather and changing of seasons depending on the city, with more Pegasus ponies employed in meteorology than in any other profession. This is not to say that they do nothing else; Pegasus ponies are often relentlessly competitive and daring, and many become daredevils or messengers, even working for the Royal Mail Service.

“Pegasi often become Royal Guards, as their ability to fly gives them an edge over a lot of combatants. As you may or may not have realized by now, Pegasus ponies’ magic is focused in their wings, allowing them to channel lightning in super-cells or other electrical storms. This is not an open invitation for you to go playing in thunderstorms, as it only really means that Pegasus are able to become charged with the storm’s electricity. As Sandy’s mother is famous for, landing during one of these storms when charged with the storm’s electricity provides a direct path for the lightning to flow to the ground –through the Pegasus who landed.

“It is extremely dangerous for Pegasus to land while handling storms of such nature, and potentially fatal. Sandy’s mother, Twisty Breeze, nearly died when she first did it by accident, and no student of mine may fly during lightning storms.” She gave Sandy a warning glare before returning her focus to the room and clipping another poster to the board, a Unicorn. “Now, Unicorns;” she began, taking a quick sip of her water, returning the glass to her desk before returning to speaking.

“Unicorns are Equestria’s primary magic users, capable of channeling the magic of their body through their horns. It takes years of study for Unicorns to be able to cast complicated spells, but most will usually use their magic for general and mundane things such as levitation or object manipulation, like opening doors. Unicorns are generally better than the others at absorbing knowledge, especially knowledge which has something to do with spells.

“Many Unicorns become teachers, scholars or use their magical talent to perform other tasks; you may or may not be aware of the showpony Trixie, who uses her magic to perform on stage; quite a few Unicorns become Royal Guards, using their magic rather than physical prowess. Out of the three common pony species, Unicorns have the least physical prowess though this is usually countered with high intelligence.

“Many of Equestria’s elite are Unicorn; however there are many Pegasus and Earth Ponies amongst the nobles as well.”

A bell rang within the building, and Miss Bloom smiled. “Alright, that’s recess, when we return we’ll discuss the remaining ponies, with some special guests.”

After recess the colts and fillies moved back to their seats, sitting down and looking forward eagerly. They were all curious as to whom the mystery guests would be; general rumour was that it would be one of the Princesses. Soon enough, Miss Bloom returned to the classroom, a calming smile on her face.

Followed by Miss Bloom..?

Followed by Miss Bloom again..?

The foals double took. Well, all except from Glitter who only gave a cheeky grin.

She knew what was going on.

Miss Bloom, the first one who had entered, smiled and used her magic to close the door, her eyes drifting across the class disarmingly.

“Now, you may be curious as to why there happens to be three of me.” She began. “I would like to reintroduce the class to Glitter’s mother Mrs Flitterwing,” she nodded to the copy of her who stood the farthest from her, who nodded back and became enveloped in emerald flames which robbed her of her colour and she changed into the familiar face of Flitterwing, her black polished chitin reflecting the sunlight that filtered in through the windows, “and Mrs Chrysalis; or is it Queen Chrysalis? I do apologise if I have that wrong.”

“Mrs is fine, Miss Bloom.” Replied the remaining copy of Rosy Bloom said, before she burst into green flames and changed into the taller form of Chrysalis. “I have not held a royal title for years.” She smiled down at the colts and fillies warmly, her body taller than the ponies to either side of her and her green mane flowing in the remaining disturbance from her magic. “Hello everypony.”

Glitter had to fight the urge to hop out of her desk and hug her mother and grandmother, and the two elder Changelings could see this by the big stupid grin she had on her face and her tensed muscles. It amused them to see her eagerness restrained by sheer willpower.

The other foals, with the exception of Sandy, seemed to recoil in fear.

Chrysalis smiled in what she hoped was a calming manner.

“Your teacher has asked us to give you a lecture on Changelings as a comparison to other ponies.” She began cheerfully. “I am unsure how Miss Bloom has presented the prior lectures, but we shall at least give you what knowledge we can.

“We Changelings are pony-like creatures which evolved separate from ponies, yet coexisted with you for, well, thousands of years. We lived within a grand forest which was rich with fruits and healthy soil, on which we thrived for most of our culture’s development. We lived within carved out halls beneath ground called The Hive. For as far back as I can remember we dwelled in what is now called Equestria, even back before the three tribes came into these lands.

“When the first occurrence of Nightmare Moon struck Equestria, the magical conflict between that dreaded mare and Celestia caused immeasurable levels of damage to our outside environment, creating what is now called the Bad Lands. The very earth beneath our hooves became inhospitable, and we could no longer grow crops to feed our society. With nowhere else to turn, we found another source of food on which to feed ourselves; Love.

“Recently we’ve been all but made extinct due to our own actions, and we last ten, including my granddaughter Glitter here, are all that remain. We have become comfortable within Canterlot, and we have come to love this city as much as any other.”

“Changelings are different from all other ponies in that our magic is unique.” Flitterwing said as her mother in law grew sadly silent. “While we can fly like Pegasus ponies, and we can also cast magic in the same way as Unicorn, we also can feel the life of the earth beneath us. Our magic is concentrated in our ability to blend into the society of others, be it pony or Gryphon. We are… very much a universal pony, but the magic that Unicorns, Pegasus, or Earth Ponies utilise is far more powerful in their individual field.

“A Unicorn will almost always be able to overpower a Changeling, Pegasus ponies can always outfly us, and Earth Ponies can outmuscle us. In our natural form that is. Our greatest strength comes from being able to take on the form and individual prowess of whatever creature we imitate. A disguised Changeling will be just as able as the pony they copied, so a Changeling disguised as, say, Soarin’, would have the same flight capabilities as he; a Changeling disguised as Princess Celestia’s protégée Twilight Sparkle would have, at least to a point, the same magical prowess as her.”

“Twilight Sparkle may not be a good example.” Chrysalis mumbled. “She is… quite powerful. I don’t believe that I would have the power to stop her if I simply took her form.”

“Which leads to our next point, feeding on Love;” Flitterwing said, as if simply leading off of Chrysalis’ interruption. “Love, to Changelings, is a tangible energy which can be absorbed in several ways, one of which... we are not comfortable to discuss ever.

“Feeding on Love can sustain us, though stealing Love from one pony can cause fatigue, headaches and nausea to the pony in question; mutual Love, or Love given to us willingly and knowing that we are Changelings, does not give this issue. We have never discovered why this is. Love energy that we consume has the added benefit to us of bolstering our magical capabilities, which is how our Queen managed to overpower Princess Celestia so easily on the day.”

“Though I’m certain she never showed her true strength.” Chrysalis mumbled. “Celestia has had thousands of years of raising the sun and moon, thousands of years of practice with her magic. I am certain that should she truly have wished to combat me, she would have easily defeated me.”

One filly up the back voiced the question present in the room.

“Why didn’t she?”

Chrysalis looked over at the filly and chuckled. “If she had exerted that much power, as she had when she first fought with Nightmare Moon, I would assume that Canterlot would not be standing. Besides, allowing things to progress as she had and by placing the fate of Equestria into the hooves of ponies, she showed that Equestria can succeed even where she might fail through perseverance.” She sighed and gave them a calm smile. “Remember, ponies, to always believe in yourselves; you never know what you might achieve if you just try.”

“I believe that moves us on neatly to Alicorns.” Rosy Bloom began. “And I thank you both for giving us your knowledge.”

“It was no trouble.” Chrysalis said calmly. “The Princess allowed me to take this time off explicitly to provide my expertise in this class, saying it was ‘my duty as Chancellor of Changeling Affairs’ and I have enjoyed seeing the students. It’s a nice change from the usual selfish nobles and stone faced guards of the Castle, I must admit.” She offered a happy smile and dipped her head. “I thank you for the opportunity, and won’t take up any more of your class’ time.”

“Of course.” Miss Bloom returned, dipping her head in kind. “Have a pleasant day, Mrs Chrysalis, Mrs Flitterwing.”

The Changelings nodded and left, quietly stepping out of the room and out into Canterlot.

“Now, Alicorns;” Miss Bloom began as she returned to the chalkboard and put up another poster, this one of Princess Celestia, “Alicorns are extremely rare and powerful ponies. Three are currently within Equestria, and all three are Princesses; Princess Celestia, the Regent of the Sun, Princess Luna, the Regent of the Moon and Stars, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, the Princess of Love. Alicorn each have wings and horns, and they all have the same magic potential of Unicorns, Pegasus and Earth Ponies, making them true unities of the triad of ponies.

“Alicorns, when discovered, are usually crowned as princes or princesses of Equestria, though usually they don’t gain much more than the royal privileges. Not much is really known about Alicorns other than their seeming immortality and their sheer power, again as evidenced by the Princesses and their power over the sun, stars and moon. Theories on the immortality of the Alicorn range from their origins, to the amount of magic which makes up their beings, to their ‘unity’ of the pony clans. None have been confirmed or denied by the Princesses.”

She gave Glitter a curious look. “Glitter, I should have asked before your family left, but… Do Changelings have Alicorns..?”

Glitter shook her head. “The closest thing we have is Granna; she’s been around since before the Bad Lands claimed our home. If she absorbed enough Love then maybe she could be as powerful as the Princesses, but I dunno; I’ve never seen any Changeling talk about that sort of thing, not since… not since we arrived.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine, Miss Bloom.”

After a nervous pause, Miss Bloom seemed to regain her courage. “Well, for the next week we’ll be doing projects on one of the different types of ponies; you can work alone or in pairs, and may choose any type of pony you wish except for Alicorn, since very little is known about them and your project would be too short. You may choose Crystal Ponies, but you may find one of the others easier to research.

“Changelings are, of course, a possibility; but I would advise you run your projects by me as you go if you choose them.”

Rocky’s voice spoke up from near the back. “Why?”

“Well, we need to remember that any project you do must be sensitive and fair; Glitter is not going to enjoy coming to class if a project depicting her sadly diminished kin as monsters is up on the walls.” She replied. “Just like I am sure that none of you would like it if she did a really mean project on your breed, though I’m sure she will be fair to whatever she chooses.”

The class murmured amongst one another, considering this.

“Now, we have just enough time for you to choose partners or work alone if you wish before home time. Go on!”

The frantic shifting of chairs and stampede of hooves met her ears as she turned around to remove the posters from the chalkboard, rolling them into tubes and sliding them back into the desk. The bustle and frantic chatter of the students was expected; this happened with every group of students she taught when this project came up. Noise was a usual companion to working colts and fillies.

The suddenly raised voices, however…

She turned and looked over the loudly arguing ponies.

Glitter was sitting in her chair with the most bored, deadpan and utterly grumpy face that Rosy Bloom had seen in years, while behind her several students, not including Sandy, were bickering over who would be allowed to team up with the pale little Changeling.

Sandy was sitting in her own chair watching the spectacle trying not to burst into laughter; a quest she was failing dismally.

“What in the name of Equestria is going on?” Miss Bloom snapped angrily. Sure enough, the students behind Glitter all stopping in their bickering and looking to their teacher, their faces all relaying their worry that she would give them some form of punishment.

“They’re all fighting over who will get to be my partner.” Glitter grumbled emotionlessly. She turned to Sandy and nodded to her. “If my choice even mattered to this decision, I’d choose Sandy.”

Sandy giggled, still mirthful from watching the other ponies argue. “Okay, but you’re doing the writing; all I manage is…”

“Scribbles, yes, I’ve seen your hoofwriting, Sandy.” Glitter grumbled.

“My, aren’t we in a bad mood?” Miss Bloom asked sarcastically, a cheeky smile on her face.

Glitter gave her a sidelong glance. “Mommy and Granna were right here and I didn’t get to hug them.” She said.

Miss Bloom was momentarily taken aback, and she gave the Changeling filly a confused look. “I-Y-T-a lack of contact has made you this grumpy?”

“The argument didn’t help.” Glitter grumbled.

Sandy only fought harder to contain her relentless giggling at her tone, and Miss Bloom sighed.

“Well, now that you two have chosen to work together, you need to choose one of the types of Ponies to base your project on. Don’t make any snap decisions; take the rest of the day to think it over and discuss what you want to do.”

The two fillies nodded their agreement and she smiled before moving to another pair that seemed to have come to the same general stage of their partnership. Sandy and Glitter turned to each other and leaned in close enough to be heard in the room.

“What do you want to do?” Sandy asked curiously.

“Not Changelings.” Glitter said. “I want to do something normal.”

Sandy sighed. “Glitter, you are normal.”

“Wouldn’t you rather do Pegasi?” Glitter asked, trying to push away from the inevitable argument. “I mean, Granna said that Pegasus ponies are usually kinda... full of themselves.”

“Thanks for the pride booster.” Sandy grumbled.

Glitter giggled. “Any time.”

“Well, what do you suggest?”

Glitter grinned.

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“Earth ponies?” Flitterwing asked curiously down to her daughter, who was laden with books from the school library. Class had ended a minute or so ago, and they were making their way back to Little Hive. Their pace was somewhat hastened, Twisty Breeze, Sandy’s mother, had earlier warned of a storm that was being allowed to roll over the town, and the sky bore the dark and foreboding grey of impending rain.

“Yep, I figured it’d be better than choosing Unicorns, everypony will choose them.”

“Why not choose Pegasi?”

“Sandy didn’t want to choose Pegasi, and I didn’t want to choose Changelings.”

“Why not?”

Glitter giggled. “It’d be too easy!”

“If you say so sweetie.” Flitterwing chuckled.

Glitter kept her smile wide as they dawdled past the Canterlot markets. They were blessedly quiet today, the usually bustling crowds absent due to the inevitable rainfall. Still, stall owners did their best to sell their wares.

As the mother and daughter pair passed, one such stall owner stared; she was only going to be here in Canterlot for a couple of days thanks to a permit she had obtained, but...

Hurriedly she wrote a letter down on some spare parchment, thanking that she had brought her grandmother with her and was able to leave her to watch the stall while she mailed it, before carefully following the two Changelings.

This required some backup.

Glitter was sat in her and her mother’s room, reading through one of the books on Earth Ponies she had borrowed, jotting down notes onto a notepad as she read. She was rather deeply into her book, and she barely registered her mother telling her that lunch would be ready in a few minutes.

Lunch would be a simple affair today, a bowl of stew and stick of celery or two. It didn’t need to be much, as almost as soon as they arrived home Shred had come in the door and given Chrysalis a scroll which invited them, all of them to a garden party held in the castle’s own gardens and that the Princesses would be there personally.

Booker had to decline, saying that he had made plans for this evening almost a month earlier and he didn’t want to ruin them. Understandably everypony had been eager to know what he was going to be doing instead, but he wouldn’t say, even going so far as to ignore the Hive Mind altogether when they wouldn’t relent in their pestering.

Chrysalis, having been given the day to herself otherwise, had since locked herself in her room, supposedly checking through what was to be expected at the party.

Flitterwing called out to Glitter, and she reluctantly closed her book and headed out to the communal table, sitting at a seat and waiting patiently. Sure enough her mother levitated a bowl of stew, two celery sticks and a spoon to the table, placing it in front of the hungry filly before fetching her own.

They sat at the table, happily eating while teasing one another across the black marble top. A few voices echoed in from outside.

“Ahm’ tellin’ ya, I know what I saw!”

“It’s not that we don’t believe you darling, it’s just that…”

“Ah saw somethin’ in Canterlot Markets that shouldn’t be here; Ah even followed ‘em all th’ way back here!”

“Applejack...”

A heavy thud against the front door sent it off its hinges and caught the attention of the three Changelings within, though Chrysalis only heard what sounded like somepony breaking the table. Glitter, so startled by the sudden movement and loud noise ducked beneath the table with a frightened squeak.

“Applejack, what in Equestria are you doing?!”

Three ponies stood in the door, the attention of two of them on the orange Earth Pony who wore a weathered Stetson atop her head, her blonde mane and tail tied into bundled ponytails. A white coated Unicorn whose mane and tail were styled into curls sighed before glancing into the building they had just broken into, noticing Flitterwing staring back incredulously. Her jaw dropped.

“T-Twilight..?”

The third pony, a lavender Unicorn with purple mane and tail streaked with pink, sighed. “Yes, Rarity?” She grumbled, before following her pointing hoof. She blinked at the Changeling sitting at the table.

She sighed again. “Oh for the love of…” She grumbled as one of her hooves moved up to her face.

The door to Chrysalis’ room slammed open, and she stormed out and onto the catwalk. “What is going on out here?!” She glared down at the doorframe, the three ponies leaning in to look up at her, two of whom were astonished to see her, the third of which had a bored expression. “Oh, Miss Sparkle, I was not aware you were going to storm our home.” She tilted her head faintly. “There are but three of you, where are the others?”

“They were too busy to come.” The lavender Unicorn replied.

“Hold on, why’re you bein’ so chummy with her?!” The orange one demanded.

“If you read the newspapers, Applejack, you’d have known three years ago.”

“Ah do read the papers! They said nothin’ about Changelings!”

The lavender Unicorn sighed. “The Canterlot newspapers, Applejack.” She grumbled.

“Do feel free to come in at any time so I can repair the door.” Chrysalis grumbled as she moved down from the catwalk. “You can continue to argue then.”

“Twi, these things attacked-“

“Canterlot!” Chrysalis finished for her with a cheeky grin. “Oh, wait, let me guess your next line… hmm, does ‘you be quiet’ sound about right? Or mayhap ‘nopony asked your opinion, Changeling’?” She raised a hoof to silence the Earth Pony’s next words. “Please, Miss Applejack, I have heard them all over the last three years; if you’ll step inside we can explain everything, and hopefully I can recover whatever remains of my granddaughter’s wits.”

“Well, this is going to be fun.” The lavender Unicorn grumbled as she urged her companions to follow her inside, Chrysalis lifting the door back to its place and reattaching it to its frame magically. “Do you not have work within the Castle today?”

“Not today, Miss Sparkle; the Princess was kind enough to give me the day off so I could give a short lesson on Changelings in Glitter’s class. I may have to have something written up for other schools, I cannot attend them all to educate after all.”

“Oh, well that’s alright I guess. If you’d like I could…”

“Twi, what is goin’ on here?!”

The lavender Unicorn sighed at having been cut off, but only moved over to the table and sat down, looking beneath the table at the cowering filly.

“Come on out, Glitter, they won’t hurt you.” Chrysalis said as she sat down next to where the filly had been seated. “Unless you don’t want the rest of your lunch…”

It was almost instantaneous how quickly the filly had returned to her seat and continued eating.

Flitterwing sighed. “My Queen, please don’t bully your granddaughter.” She breathed. “And who are these ponies?”

Chrysalis gave an entertained laugh. “Flitterwing, Glitter, these are Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack. Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle, this is my daughter in law Flitterwing and her daughter Glitter.” She said, pointing a hoof to each pony as she introduced them. “And to answer your question Miss Applejack, lunch is going on here; or at least it was until you decided to kick down our front door.”

“Twilight, why didn’t you tell us?” Rarity asked irritably.

“Because I thought it was common knowledge.” She responded with a shrug. “You know, it having been in a newspaper!”

“A newspaper which we haven’t read.” Applejack snapped.

“Please calm down.” Chrysalis interjected. “You are scaring Glitter.”

These words did, indeed, cause the three mares to pause and glance at the filly who was quivering faintly in her seat. She could show bravery around school or Sandy’s home, or even the markets, but these three mares had effectively stormed her home and proceeded to have an argument in raised and angry voices.

Twilight gave a lengthy exhale, taking a moment to calm herself, before she talked to the frightened filly. “We’re sorry, Glitter; we don’t mean to frighten you.”

Glitter nodded faintly before standing from the table and hurrying to her room, closing the door behind her.

“Oh dear, I fear that’ll be it from her until tonight’s soiree.” Flitterwing mumbled.

“I hope not, I was hoping to take her to a seamstress; it would be nice for her to show up to the garden party looking somewhat presentable.” Chrysalis sighed.

“Changelings in dresses..?” Rarity mumbled. “That would be… quite a challenge…”

Twilight sighed. “Rarity, no.” She said sternly. “There isn’t enough time to take them all to Ponyville for you to clothe them yourself.”

“But Twilight..!”

“If you would like to be our dressmaker, I could escort you to the castle and we could work with their stores..?” Chrysalis suggested. “It isn’t like I don’t have any spare bits; I’m paid rather well for the small amount of work I do… I might be able to convince the others to join us as well.”

Rarity beamed at Twilight, her eyes almost begging her to allow this.

She sighed, her ears drooping to the sides of her head in defeat and her eyes half-closing. “Fine.”

Glitter stood as ramrod still as she could, holding her wings up as Rarity carefully worked on her dress.

It was similar to her mothers’ dress, also designed by Rarity. Despite being sewn together, it had a segmented design to mimic her chitinous exoskeleton, and it was a smooth and beautiful white, silken fabric with pale green accents. It swept gracefully behind her, not reaching the ground rather halfway down her legs. She’d been incredibly patient, as had her mother and even her grandmother. Her ‘uncles’ were waiting their turn with the mare’s fashion sense, and she had already taken Shred’s measurements.

The doors to the room opened and several guards moved in, followed by Princess Celestia who looked about the room curiously, her face as stoic as ever. Her eyes fell upon Rarity bowing to her gracefully as her magic completed the finishing touches to Glitter’s dress, and then over to Chrysalis, who was standing with a sheepish look on her face.

“Explain.”

Chrysalis cringed. “I-I’m sorry Princess, I meant no harm…”

“Rarity was insistent.” Twilight Sparkle said from her position next to the room’s large full mirror. “We couldn’t have asked another designer in Canterlot to allow her to use their stores…”

“S-so I suggested that we might be able to use the castles’.” Chrysalis finished, stuttering nervously. “I-I’ll pay for what we use.”

Celestia smiled brightly. “No need, Chrysalis; our stores have not been used in quite some time, so there is no hassle.” She nodded to the Changeling’s almost figure-hugging dress. “Though I’m curious as to why you wear a dress yourself; Luna and I-”

“To no offense, Princess, but you and your sister are naturally beautiful; all thanks to your Alicorn nature I would assume. We… don’t share your luck when it comes to such matters, especially amongst ponies. I would only assume that the nobles find us repugnant; so anything to at least alleviate their discomfit aids us in their presence.” Chrysalis said.

Celestia nodded and turned back to the door, waving a wing for the guards to follow her. “Very well, do try not to make a mess.” She said as she dawdled to the exit, pausing only for a moment. “And Chrysalis? You only needed to ask.”

She strolled out of the room, the Royal Guard who had accompanied her following her back out.

Glitter stepped down from the podium, prompted by Rarity, and moved over to the full size mirrors, looking at the dress as she turned this way and that.

“Pretty…”

“Well of course it is.” Rarity said with a wide smile as she worked on Shred’s jacket. She was making something more akin to the Royal Guard’s formal attire for him, though she was going to use green and silver instead of red and gold. “Though do mind you don’t spill anything on it, hmm?”

“Are you going to the garden party as well?” Chrysalis asked curiously.

“I don’t doubt that Twilight has an invitation somewhere, seeing as she’s Princess Celestia’s protégée, but I wasn’t even really planning on coming to Canterlot today.”

“Well if you’re interested, Rarity, I’m sure I can ask the Princess-”

“You can join us.” Chrysalis said. “It’s the least we can do for your help; I don’t think that the Princesses would mind so long as you don’t make a scene.”

“Darling, I thought that was your shtick?” She shot sidelong.

“That was a low blow, Miss Rarity.” Flitterwing said. “And it was quite undignified and rude if I say so myself.”

Rarity smiled apologetically. “Oh, I do apologise, I only meant it in jest.”

Chrysalis sighed, turning her head away. “Some things, Rarity, one should never ridicule.”

An awkward silence occupied the room for the next dozen minutes, during which time Rarity managed to sew together Shred’s formalwear and was adding finer details as she took Buzzyear’s measurements.

“I’m sorry for what I said, Chrysalis.” She said out of the blue. “I… I should never have taken light of what, for you and your Changelings is undoubtedly a tragic event.”

“It is alright, Miss Rarity, I understand you meant no disrespect.” Chrysalis said, watching the mare sew disinterestedly. “Unlike those who defile the Wedlock Memorial.”

Twilight looked up at this. “The what?”

“Wedlock Memorial,” Grall said from where he patiently waited, “it is where those of us who perished at the end of the attack within Canterlot were buried. A large marble statue was erected atop their mass grave; it is effectively the only thing we have which could be compared to a pony graveyard. Every day I have to scrub new graffiti from the marble statue, every day I have to repair the damages to the lawn and garden beds. If there were valuables with our fallen kin, I would assume that some grave robbing would have taken place by now as well.”

“We were unsure if we could ask the Princesses to have the memorial marked as, well, mourning land and have walls or fences put up.” Chrysalis said. “Not that it would stop Pegasi, but if we could at least make it recognizably a memorial or a grave site, we could have it protected.”

“I don’t see why Celestia would be against it.” Twilight admitted. “It sounds like something she would be very eager to have done, especially if such disrespect is being inflicted on a site of grieving.”

Chrysalis bowed her head to her. “Thank you for your insight, Miss Sparkle, I shall make sure to gain an audience with the Princess at the earliest convenience.”

“I must say I find it strange that Celestia has a garden party planned on the same day as heavy rain.” Rarity said. “Surely everything will become unbearably wet.”

“The rain is only going to be short, and the gardens are going to be carefully dried beforehand.” Shred said idly, flinching a moment as Rarity accidentally pricked him. “Seats will be put onto the lawn soon after drying it, along with tables and the other settings.”

“Oh, yes, about seating…” Rarity began, not taking her eyes from her work. “Glitter, sweetie, do make sure that if you need to sit down you don’t sit on the ground; you’ll end up marring your dress.”

“Maybe white was a bad idea?” Chrysalis suggested.

Rarity shook her head. “Light Green just wasn’t the colour to go; for accenting it was fine, but for a whole dress it was too… garish.” She moved the needle away from Shred with a smile. “Alright sir, yours is finished, if you’d like to use the mirror I can begin work on… I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

“Buzzyear, Miss Rarity.”

“Please, just call me Rarity.” She insisted, waving a hoof. “The formality is nice, but ‘Miss Rarity’ makes me feel…”

“Old?” Chrysalis suggested with a cheeky grin.

Rarity grimaced in her direction, getting Chrysalis to laugh in response.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

The Changelings stepped up the marble stairway leading to where the garden party was being held, Chrysalis at the front leading the group with Shred to one side of her. He wore his sword for decoration purposes, though they had no doubt that he would use it to every ounce of his well-trained skill should he have to.

Flitterwing and Glitter were amongst the group that trailed behind, with Twilight Sparkle and Rarity amongst them, each wearing a dress designed and made by Rarity. They were possibly the most colourful of the group, considering that the others wore formal suits which were all rather similar with only a few differences between them to discern them from one another.

Chrysalis, Shred, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity strode with confidence as they ascended the stairs; the group of Changelings who accompanied them however had their heads held low and faces apologetic. The general consensus inside the Hive Mind was that this evening would not end well.

They reached the apex of the stairs and crossed onto the exquisitely manicured lawn, wide enough to host a party of hundreds with a beautifully tamed hedge framing it and providing some privacy. A few marquees were about, mainly over tables and chairs. A pair of long tables off to one side bore the weight of the royally prepared food and drinks, a pyramid of filled champagne glasses adding beauty to the colourful spread of delights.

“It is impolite to head straight for the food tables.” Rarity said from within the huddle of Changelings. “Make some polite conversation first, mingle before eating. If somepony goads you by being rude or purposefully saying things that are intended to anger you, ask for a change in topic, comment how uncomfortable it makes you. If they refuse, simply reiterate how uncomfortable you are with the topic and make a polite excuse to leave their company.”

The Changelings nodded faintly, registering her instructions before she moved through them.

“Other than that, have fun; I’m sure the Princesses will be here soon… oh! Princess Luna is here already?”

“Well, the sun and moon did trade places in the sky an hour ago, I imagine she has some time to socialize.” Twilight commented. “Though she’s not doing much of that, is she?”

“She’s not gathering much attention either.” Chrysalis added. “Currently it seems to be aimed exclusively at us.”

Twilight blinked and looked about at the nobles who were glaring their way. She gave a sigh.

“They don’t look too pleased, do they?”

“The nobles have had it out for us for some time.” Chrysalis grumbled. “You would be impressed how many of them wanted us executed when we sought asylum.”

Twilight gave a nervous chuckle.

“I suppose mingling is the least we could do to try and relieve some tensions.” Chrysalis mumbled.

“I think we’ll go chat with the Princess.” Flitterwing mumbled. “If you’ll excuse us.”

She wandered off towards Luna with Glitter following her closely, the young Changeling cringing at the amount of negative attention that was directed towards them. As they neared the lunar goddess, a small group of nobles stepped into their way, barring them.

“Good evening everypony.” Flitterwing said unafraid. “The Princess has done wonderfully with the night sky tonight, hasn’t she?”

The group of Unicorns grunted, not moving from her path. Behind them the Princess shifted.

“Is something amiss, gentlecolts?” Her voice rang, cutting through the Unicorns with ease.

“This… thing was headed directly at you Princess!”

“To us, I believe would be more accurate, sir.” She retorted. “She and her kin are guests of our sister and ourselves, we would presume that they are as welcome as any other.” She moved through the group like a fish cutting through water and stopped before Flitterwing and her daughter. “Though your devotion is appreciated, we greatly doubt that our guests would be brash enough to attempt to harm us.”

The ponies were reluctant, but did eventually move away to their previous gathering locations, still throwing the Changelings dirty looks.

“Thank you, Princess.” Flitterwing said, giving a polite curtsey. She gave a short giggle when Glitter followed suit.

“Quite alright, Flitterwing.” She replied calmly. “We did not expect this cold a reception to your kind’s arrival here however. We guess that the cold glares will fade once our sister arrives.” She looked about the garden worriedly before chucking. “In any case, how have you been? We received a first edition of your last book the other day; an interesting read if we can be so bold.”

“Thank you, Princess; you honor me.” Flitterwing said with a dip of her head. “I did manage to buy your novels from the store that Booker works at, they are quite enjoyable.”

“Thank you, Flitterwing.”

Twilight Sparkle wandered over, having managed to slip away from Rarity, and gave a polite curtsey to the Princess.

“Good evening Princess Luna.” She said.

“And to you, Twilight Sparkle; I was not aware that our sister had sent an invitation, not that you are unwelcome.”

“Chrysalis suggested that we join her entourage; Rarity and I just couldn’t pass it up.”

“You need not explain yourself to us, Twilight; you are as welcome as any of these other gentlecolts and fillies.” Luna said calmly. “Flitterwing was just telling me about her novels.” She added, giving Flitterwing a cheeky grin.

She returned the look with her own which practically screamed ‘oh, you traitor.’

“You write novels?”

Flitterwing sighed and nodded. “Yes, Miss Sparkle, you may even have heard of them.” She wanted to say ‘read’, but wasn’t sure what kinds of books Twilight was interested in. “’Changing Dreams’ for example, or my medical book on Changeling anatomy and growth.”

“You’re that Flitterwing?” Twilight asked incredulously. “Oh my goddess, Rarity loves your novels almost as much as she loves those by Crescent Scribe!”

Luna smiled faintly, and was lucky that Twilight had turned to get Rarity’s attention with the look that Flitterwing shot her way.

Rarity wandered over, practically dragged by Twilight who was bouncing with unrestrained glee. Rarity gave Luna a quick greeting and curtsey, the lunar goddess bowing her head in response.

“Rarity, I’d like to reintroduce you to Flitterwing.” Twilight said gleefully. “You may know her name from another source, however.”

“The only other Flitterwing I know of is that it is the same name as the author of…” She trailed off as her eyes went wide, staring directly at Flitterwing. “…no!”

Flitterwing nodded. “’Changing Dreams’ ring any bells, Rarity?”

The minutes passed slowly for the Changelings, the constant glaring from the nobles all around unnerving them and making the evening somewhat uncomfortable. As expected, Celestia soon arrived, joining her sister and scanning the crowd. Chrysalis had sat in one corner to enjoy some champagne and food, levitated by her magic, and had an ear tilted to a Unicorn who was conversing with her. The other Changelings had all gone out and mingled with the nobles, though the Princess did note that a good many of the nobles were still giving the otherwise well-mannered Changelings foul looks.

Then she noticed Glitter sitting alone.

The filly was alone, her mother having been dragged off by Twilight and Rarity for whatever they intended to use her for amongst the nobles, and she looked miserable. Bored, lonely, and frightened… Celestia was impressed that Chrysalis hadn’t picked up on the filly saying anything about this in the Hive Mind, but she set it aside with the thought that she was simply too preoccupied.

With a polite excuse to her sister, she moved across the lawn. She lifted a small plate from the food table with her magic, loading it with food and accompanying it with a glass of punch for those who were not interested in drinking alcohol. Carefully she rearranged the food on the plate and levitated the meal over to the filly, lowering it down in front of her. She’d rearranged the food to say ‘hello’ on the plate, and the stunned filly looked about for who was looking in her direction.

Their eyes connected for a moment, and Celestia winked to her with a smile before continuing to move to where Twilight and Rarity were mingling with Flitterwing.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight began, giving a curtsey to her mentor.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I was wondering if you would be here this evening.” She replied, before turning her unwavering and calm gaze to Flitterwing. “And Flitterwing, it is nice to see you again; your mother in law tells me your novels are doing quite well.”

“They are thank you Princess.” Flitterwing said, bowing her head.

“And how is your daughter doing in school? Chrysalis does not tell me much about her.”

“She’s doing quite well for her first year, Princess; I… may have given her a somewhat large advantage with the home schooling I put her through, though she’s still finding the class to be fun. Her magic still has something to be desired though.”

Celestia looked to Twilight hopefully.

“Maybe you could give her a helping hoof?” She suggested.

Twilight blinked, her jaw dropping momentarily as Celestia gazed over to where Glitter was quietly eating by herself, still looking lonely and afraid. She sighed and smiled warmly.

“Of course, Princess, I’ll see what I can do.”

Glitter ate carefully, not wanting to spill anything on her clean white dress and risk upsetting Rarity. The mare had been so kind to help, and was always polite, even around Changelings; something she hadn’t expected from the classy Unicorn.

She was bored, she knew this rather well. The soiree was nice and all, but it wasn’t intended for foals, and few entertainments, if any, were being held to keep her occupied. She was also feeling a little lonely; her mother had been dragged off by Miss Sparkle and Rarity to introduce her better to the other ponies and hopefully gain some form of friendly footing amongst the nobles.

Above it all, though, she was frightened. The glares that these mares and stallions would throw her way were always full of anger, and it frightened her to see so many ponies that were angry at her for something in one place.

A lavender Unicorn lay down beside her.

“Hey, are you alright, Glitter?”

She nodded faintly to Twilight’s question, but the Unicorn seemed to not buy it.

“No you’re not.” She said, clearly not fooled. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed and met the gently smiling Unicorn’s eyes with her own. “W-why is everypony so angry at me? Did I do something wrong?”

Twilight blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to think up something to tell the frightened filly. “No, Glitter, you’ve not done anything wrong.” She said quietly and calmly. “These ponies are just… holding on to an old grudge between Changelings and ponies. It’s not unlike the nobles to do such a thing. Supposedly Princess Luna is working to get them more in-line with the morals that Equestria stands for, but it’s not an easy task, even for her.”

Glitter nodded faintly, sighing as she looked down at her now empty plate.

“Glitter, your mother tells me that you began school this year.” Twilight stated, earning a nod in reply. “Is it fun?”

“Sometimes.” Glitter replied sadly. “The other colts and fillies don’t like me. They call me a freak.”

“That’s not nice.” Twilight said faintly. “But surely you’ve made friends?”

Glitter nodded. “Sandy, she’s the only Pegasus in our class.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Twilight humoured her.

“I guess.” She replied sadly. “Wish she was here, we could at least have some fun.”

“Well, your mother tells me that you have difficulty with your magic,” Twilight began, “are you interested in getting some advice?”

“Advice..?”

Twilight nodded. “I am the private pupil of Princess Celestia; the least I can do it pass along some of my experience. Now, if you’re willing, I want you to lift this plate; I’ll see how your magic is holding it and give you some help…”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Glitter yawned as she laid back in bed, her mother sitting by her side and levitating a storybook across the room, ready to read to her. Their dresses had been carefully hung in the closet for future use should they have any further formal events to attend. Seeing that Chrysalis worked alongside the Princesses and other nobles almost every day it would most likely happen again.

They had managed to become well acquainted with a fair number of the nobles who had been present at the garden party; some even watching as Glitter practiced her magic under the trained eyes of Twilight Sparkle. She’d gone so far as to train her in some further magic use, including the creation of illusions and magic rocket flares that she could use should she be lost or in danger.

All in all, the night had been marvelously successful; the Princesses even taking time to chat with the Changelings individually about one thing or another. Shred had been more charming than usual, getting along well with the more… laddish of the stallions at the formal get together, and seeing a Changeling in a variant of the formal dress of the royal guard had eased nerves somewhat.

For a few minutes she read a charming, yet short, story to Glitter. For what she was worth, Glitter did attempt to stay up and enjoy the story, but the combination of both school and the party had worn her out considerably and it wasn’t long before she drifted into the land of nod.

Flitterwing gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead before moving back out into the main hall, watching Buzzyear taking the banners from their hanging positions so that he could put them into the wash first thing in the morning while she walked towards the table.

The others were here, chatting idly about the evening over glasses of whiskey. The alcohol had been a suggestion from Princess Luna to Chrysalis, and she treated her kin to the amber liquid as way of thanking them for their good behaviour that night.

Flitterwing sat at a chair and a glass was placed before her which she gently lifted and took a sip of.

“It was an entertaining evening, wasn’t it?” She mused aloud, getting hums of agreement from the others. “Too bad Booker couldn’t be there.”

The front door clicked and opened, revealing their missing Changeling who dawdled in absent-mindedly. His eyes were distant and unfocused, and he bore a smile that looked, to the others, like it came from his very soul.

On his cheek, lipstick could be seen.

“I take it the date went well, Booker?” Shred asked cheekily.

“Mmhmm…”

“Who is the lucky filly?”

He smiled to them with a faint blush.

“Umm…”

“That’s not nice, Shred; he doesn’t have to tell us if he doesn’t want to.” Crackle hissed.

Flitterwing sighed, eying Booker’s worried face. “It’s your boss, isn’t it?” She asked. “Inky Swirl.”

He nodded nervously.

“She does know you’re a Changeling, right?”

Another nod.

“And..?”

He blushed brighter and shuffled his hooves. “W-we have another date planned on Wednesday.”

Winter Excitement

Glitter hovered above the clouds, eying the expansive city of Canterlot below her. Winter had fallen a few weeks earlier, and the marble city was blanketed in smothering snow, hiding the streets from aerial view. It was a beautiful sight to behold. During sunrise or sundown, the light would bounce off the horizon and clouds and paint the city in beautiful hues of orange, red, and purple.

Still, that wasn’t what she was looking for.

She’d been training with Sandy and her mother for the last fortnight, learning her flight capabilities and shortcomings. Sandy was a natural, as was expected considering who her mother was and the fact that she flew near constantly to spare her bad hoof, but Glitter… Glitter lacked the speed that her Pegasus friend had, though she was certainly better at precision flight.

For a few minutes they had some free time and the pair were competitively flying, trying to catch one another in flight by getting the drop on each other. It was a game they both knew well, and had played for the better part of the last few months, but with the fresh new snow covering almost every inch of Canterlot came an unfair advantage for the albino; she blended in.

Her blue and gold friend, however… Well, she stuck out like a sandwich in a soufflé.

Her ear caught the sound of disturbed air, and she narrowly dodged to one side as Sandy dive bombed her, clipping the Changeling’s right wing enough to make it collapse for a moment and cause her to drop a few metres, almost landing on the clouds that mostly carpeted Canterlot’s skies.

Sandy’s head popped up through the clouds with a cheeky giggle.

“I almost had you that time, Glitter!” She laughed.

“If you didn’t make so much noise, you might have.” Glitter grumbled.

“Oh, come on Glitter, no need to be such a grump.” Sandy giggled. “Besides, it’s not like you make less noise than I do, buzzy!”

“Thank you for reminding me.”

Sandy grinned wider and leapt from the clouds she was partially embedded in, tackling Glitter and managing to pull her down to the soft fluffy ‘ground’ beneath her. When Glitter failed to fight back against Sandy’s relentless giggling and silly behaviour she relented.

“Glitter, you alright?” Sandy asked worriedly.

The filly didn’t respond, looking away from her friend distantly and staring resolutely at the horizon.

“Is it something I did..?”

She sighed. “No, Sandy, it’s not you.” She said sadly. “It’s just…”

“You worried about our next project?” Sandy asked.

Glitter snorted derisively. “Hardly,” she spat. “They won’t happen until next year.”

“Then what?”

Glitter sighed and rolled over, legs held above her and her wings spread beneath. “I dunno, I just… I don’t feel… energetic lately, especially when I’m outside…”

“Maybe we can ask your mom about it?” Sandy suggested.

“Yeah, maybe…”

They sat about in thoughtful silence for a few minutes until Sandy’s mother, Twisty Breeze, came over to them and landed on near them on their cloud. She shook herself briskly, settling her fur back comfortably before striding over to them calmly. She gave a gentle smile as she approached them.

“Okay, that’ll be enough for now.” She said, managing to get them to startle and jolt their heads in her direction. “I’m going to have to call off these little training sessions until the spring, it’s getting too cold for us to continue safely and I don’t want to have to explain to Miss Flitterwing why Glitter might get pneumonia or something. We’ve been taking risks as it is.”

“Aw, alright mom.” Sandy said, before nudging Glitter onto her stomach so she could stand.

Begrudgingly Glitter complied, moving to her hooves and making her wings buzz to life and lift her from the clouds. She waved goodbye to her friend and her mother before flying off back down to Little Hive. Her flight was uninterrupted today, as it had been for the last few weeks; with winter having rolled in the birds that shared the airspace over Canterlot had all flown south for warmer climes.

Her flight was short, and she landed on the front doorstep of the Little Hive building with nary a sound beside the snow crunching beneath her hooves. With a faint shiver of cold she opened the door and hurried inside, closing it tightly behind her so as to not let the cold in.

She shuffled her feet on the doormat before stepping deeper into the building. She wasn’t the only Changeling here today; Crackle had the day off and was spending it cooking a ‘hearty wholesome stew’ for dinner. It was a recipe that one of his co-workers had recommended him to beat the cold of winter. Thankfully the builders of their home had foreseen the winter chill that would assail their home, and a large fireplace had been revealed set into one wall behind a movable panel. Even Chrysalis had been surprised by this, something she hadn't planned for. Currently it featured a roaring fire with said monarch sitting calmly in front of it.

She’d been busy this last month, Chrysalis; the workload for her particular department had died down somewhat after the repairs to Canterlot concluded and she had found herself with a lot of spare time for other things. She’d filled her time by picking up knitting, something that the other Changelings found surprising she knew how to do. Glitter had found it fascinating and had asked if she could be taught. Already she had proven herself as a potential master, though she was still only a beginner and therefore somewhat slow.

Her grandmother, conversely, had knitted an entire stuffed toy army in an afternoon, all of which had been donated to an orphanage down in Trotsdale. It was something she said she was going to do regularly from now on, along with the generous donations of bits to keep them running, the foals fed, and the buildings themselves in good order. She’d made donations of bits during the last few years to major orphanages anonymously after conversations with Luna and Celestia had mentioned them.

Anypony watching the books would have noticed that her donations correlated to orphanages that the princesses missed with their own royal donations and put two and two together that they were working together to make the jolly season festive for all. Not to mention that Chrysalis was getting small increments in pay during the season to help cover it. After all, the royal vaults were always full of bits gathering dust and surely they could be used more aptly in other places where there was always a shortage.

Glitter trotted over to where her grandmother was knitting by the fire and sat down next to her, looking over at the collection of knitted toys she had made so far. She’d been told that this batch was for the orphanage in Canterlot itself, and so far the knitted dolls were impressively varied.

“Granna, I have a question?”

Chrysalis’ mouth, which had been in a stern line of her focus gently curved into a smile. “Yes Glitter?”

“I… am I sick?”

The furious clicking of knitting needles halted abruptly, and the nearly-finished doll was placed on a table beside Chrysalis before her magic released it and grabbed Glitter, tugging her closer. Without warning or prompting she pressed her forehead against her granddaughter’s.

“Hmm, you’re not running a temperature…” She mumbled before looking into her eyes and tapping their horns together. Glitter squirmed faintly at this; it felt weird when the elders did this. Like somepony was tickling the inside of her bones. “Your aura is normal and your eyes are fine… I’ll have to ask your mother when she gets back from her book signing; she’s our resident medic after all.” She said calmly before tapping a hoof against her mouth faintly. “Why do you ask?”

Glitter shook her head. “I feel… I dunno, different.” She informed. “Like I’m… drained; I only start feeling worse when I’m outside.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Well, it can’t be Windigoes, or we’d all feel it.” She said. “Maybe you’re just feeling the cold; this is the first year you’ve been so active out in the winter, your lack of energy may just be your body using up its reserves to keep you warm.”

“But Sandy was feeling fine and energetic..?”

Chrysalis chuckled as she settled back in her seat and lifted her knitting once more. “Ah, but Sandy has a coat of fur to help keep her warm and feathers to insulate her wings.” Chrysalis pointed out warmly. “We don’t share that particular attribute now do we? I’ll have to knit you something once I’m done with these toys.”

Glitter shrugged and turned back to the fire, her eyes glazing over faintly at the hypnotic flames as they rose from the logs within. Chrysalis watched her granddaughter grow still and silent from the corner of her peripheral vision. It never ceased to amaze her how something so simple as fire could have such an effect on ponies.

Granted she’d once been guilty of staring into fire in much the same way, she’d managed to grow out of it after the first hundred years. Having a few children in her many years had helped; nothing keeps a parent alert like your own young near roaring open flames.

“So what book is mommy signing for this time?” Glitter asked curiously.

“Hmm?”

“She has so many that she’s written, which book is she out for?”

“From what I recall her saying, she was out promoting ‘Crystal Heavens’, but she’s liable to get any of her books brought to her; fans usually ask for their favourites to be signed after all.” Chrysalis replied calmly. Glitter nodded in understanding before the duo fell into another comfortable silence.

Chrysalis enjoyed the time she got to spend with her adopted granddaughter; she admittedly didn’t get much of it due to said filly needing to attend school and her having her duties in the castle to see to. She had been worried at first that this would end up with Glitter coming to dislike or resent her in some way as she was admittedly busy enough to have to blow off family time in favour of getting work completed. She was happily mistaken when Glitter only seemed to become fonder of her.

Princess Celestia had come upon Chrysalis in the middle of brooding over her desk glumly one afternoon, back when she was still unsure. After a little gentle prodding into her mood, she had confided in the powerful white Alicorn her worries and had been almost in tears at the end of her spiel.

Celestia had given Chrysalis a moment or so to collect herself before giving her only needed words of wisdom into the matter: ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’

She smiled as she knitted before turning her attention to her granddaughter for a moment, her knitting uninterrupted. “So, Glitter, word at the castle is that school ends soon.” She said.

Glitter nodded. “Yeah, one last day before the Winter Holidays set in.”

“Just the one? That seems a bit odd.”

“Miss Bloom said that she’d have us for the rest of the week, but she says she’s gotten fed up with having to dig out the front door with the other teachers.” Glitter informed. “Monday we’re going for a picnic outside of the city, apparently every pony who attends the school will be there…”

Chrysalis chuckled to herself. “So tomorrow then..? Alright then, I’ll need some help with what I’m going to knit you to help keep you warm. Do you remember how to start off?”

Glitter nodded and pounced off, returning soon after with her own needles and some thick wool. Carefully she began the process of fastening the wool to her needles.

“Like this?”

Chrysalis looked over from her own work and inspected what she’d begun with. “Yes, that’s right, but a little tighter; it’s going to need to be very tightly woven.”

Glitter nodded and did as she was asked, her magic forcing the wool into a tighter fit onto the needle and allowing for more thread. After about two minutes Chrysalis’ magic curled around her own and lifted her knitting from her grasp. The whole time she had been tilting forward faintly, and her needles were growing closer and closer to the ground. Evidently she had not been kidding when she had said that she was feeling drained.

Chrysalis gave a gentle chuckle and nuzzled Glitter’s head affectionately. “Go have a nap Glitter; you’re barely awake sitting here. I’ll come get you when you’re needed for dinner, alright?”

Glitter looked up at her grandmother blearily before nodding faintly and standing, heading off to the room she shared with her mother. As the door clicked shut behind her, her grandmother smiled warmly and set to her knitting.

“Even after all these years, I’ve still got it.” She mused to herself.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Flitterwing had forced herself to smile when a familiar fan stepped up to the table with his books for signing. He was a young stallion barely into his thirties, or so her trained eye could tell. She didn’t particularly like this pony; he’d been somewhat… frustrating.

At her first book signing he had been like any other fan, but with each new signing session he would return to get a book signed and to… flaunt. He had never so much as asked her out, but rather he would apparently expect her to ask him.

That was twenty minutes ago, and the ponies behind him in line were not the only ones getting frustrated and impatient.

According to his word, which she questioned quite heavily, he was strong, brave, and impressively well off, not to mention a prince. He would boast about how grand a catch he was and how lucky any mare would be to have him. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to be impressed by his royal title or his boastful nature; she was -technically- a princess herself. Now he had been grating on her last nerve for the last twenty minutes, and she gestured the owner of the store over discreetly and whispered her intentions before returning her attention to the pompous stallion in front of her.

“That’s quite enough, thank you.” She snapped loud enough to cut him off mid-rant. “You’ve hounded me at every book signing you’ve attended and I’m sick of it! Prince or not, you’ve done nothing but tell me how ‘great’ you are and I’d like the opportunity to tell you now that you’re the last stallion I would want to grow old with!” She quickly scribbled her signature into his book and slapped it onto his side of the table, right onto his hoof. “I have a daughter at home who is waiting for me to get back and be there in time for dinner and to read her a bedtime story, so take your book and get out!”

There were cheers from the ponies behind him in line, especially from the stallions, and he gave her a dirty glare before snatching his book up and storming back out. She sighed as he disappeared back out into the street before smiling at the throng of ponies still in the store.

“I’m sorry for that inconvenience fillies and gentlecolts; I’m really not sure why I didn’t do that sooner.”

“Nor am I,” Booker grumbled as he walked past undisguised with a trolley of books for the shelves, “But I’m glad you did; his voice made my teeth ache.”

“Now you know how I’ve felt every time he shows up.” She grumbled back before brightening her tone and smiling at the next pony in line. “Ah, Miss Rarity; how are you?”

“All the better now that Prince Blueblood has been put into his place. While not normally one for such things, I must say I found that somewhat refreshing.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that creep really is a prince?” Flitterwing asked incredulously, getting a nod in return. “My, they’re really lowering the bar these days aren’t they?”

Rarity gave a chortle. “Oh, I can only imagine. He was most likely trying to use you as a stepping stone to Chrysalis, but I don’t think that she would tolerate him for nearly as long as you have.” She said. “Well, I’ll not take up too much of your time darling, a simple signature inside the cover will do for me and I’ll let you get back to your business.”

“Of course Rarity, have a nice stay in Canterlot.” Flitterwing said with a flick of her magic, signing her name elegantly onto the inside of the front cover. “Here you go.”

“Thank you kindly, see you later.”

Rarity strolled off to a nearby part of the store where Booker could be heard arguing with another patron about reorganizing the shelves. Even in someone else’s book repository, it seemed that Twilight Sparkle just could not restrain herself.

A few hours, and almost four dozen ponies later and Flitterwing was strolling home with Booker through the darkening streets of Canterlot. Few ponies were still out at this hour, many having hurried home to be back with their loved ones to enjoy yet another perfect sunset and the warmth of indoors. Booker’s manager had given Flitterwing looks as if she were stealing something precious from the store, but a quick quiet explanation that Booker was a brother to her and nothing else managed to cool off the mare’s anger and earn Booker a goodnight kiss on the cheek.

He’d been zoned out and blushing like an idiot the whole walk so far and Flitterwing had given up on attempting talking with him. Love made one many things during its stay in their life and sadly ‘stupid’ was amongst the list.

They stepped up onto the front steps of the Little Hive building, Flitterwing reaching out with her magic to open the door-

Thump.

Something had hit the snow behind them, and it had struck the ground hard enough to cause the ground beneath their hooves to vibrate slightly. Thinking it was only something having fallen from a passing cart or some pegasi overhead, the pair turned to the source of the sound.

Flitterwing promptly forgot about the door and hurried to the shivering huddle in the snow.

“By Chrysalis’ wings! Sandy! Sandy, what are you doing here? Are you alright? Booker, we need to get her inside, open the door!”

Booker, already running on autopilot as it was, almost tore the door from its hinges when her worried tone struck him and he did what he was told. He scurried inside with Flitterwing carrying Sandy on her back hot on his heels. The door closed harshly behind her, and she quickly moved over to the roaring fireplace where she put Sandy on the ground close to the hearth but not close enough to burn her.

Sandy grumbled and shifted, recovering from her collision with the ground and lifting her head to look around blearily.

“Sandy, oh thank goodness you’re alright.” Flitterwing breathed. “What happened?”

Sandy shook her head. “My wings stopped moving.” She groaned, looking back and scrunching her face up trying. “I can’t feel my wings!”

Flitterwing lay down and placed her cheek against Sandy’s folded wing, giving a hiss for a moment before taking it in her hooves and tapping it.

“Do you feel this?” She asked, to which Sandy shook her head. “You’ve numbed the muscles and nerves in your wings; it’s too cold at this time of day for you to be out flying. With any luck you’ve only got frostnip and have put the muscles and nerves into a temporary sleep.” She stood and moved off to a nearby chest, opening it and lifting out some bandage rolls. “Don’t try to move your wings; you might only do more damage; give me a moment and I’ll pin them to your sides. Don’t remove these until morning.”

She lay down next to the woozy Pegasus filly, placing the rolls onto the floor and tilting her midsection with her magic before starting to wrap her wings, pinning them to her sides. Chrysalis, who had been watching from her seat where she had been knitting, spoke up suddenly.

“Dear child, what has happened to your eye?”

Sandy froze with her ears rigid for a moment before they both pivoted back and pinned to her head. Her left eye, as Chrysalis had just now pointed out, was swollen and bruised, and until Chrysalis had pointed it out Flitterwing hadn’t even noticed.

“I-I…”

Flitterwing went to say something when Chrysalis’ voice rang in her head. ‘Please, don’t interrupt.’

“I… I struck it on something on my way down.” Sandy said all too quickly and with an unconvincing smile.

Chrysalis evidently didn’t buy her story, as she moved from her seat and lay down before the shivering filly.

“Sandy, please, I only want to help but I need the truth. What happened? Is somepony at home..?”

Sandy’s eyes and face drifted towards the floor and Chrysalis gave a sympathetic sigh, leaning down and placing her forehead against the back of Sandy’s while some fresh tears snaked through the fur on her cheeks.

“M-mommy and daddy haven’t been together since just after I was born.” Sandy huffed. “Mommy said that he… he didn’t want to be ‘pinned down’ with a family and left without even writing to us. I’ve not had to meet him until… until today.”

‘Oh dear…’

“H-he came into the house smelling of something sharp and slurring his words… He yelled at mommy and then at me and then he… he hit… us.” She stopped to heave a ragged breath. “He wouldn’t stop hitting mommy, and I tried to make him stop, but instead he started hitting me! Then he… he told me I’m…” For a moment she paused, trying and failing to collect herself before throwing herself against the elder mare and bawling loudly. “He called me a mistake! That I wasn’t meant to be born! He said he wished I’d never happened and then he just… Mommy told me to run, to come here as fast as I could..!

“Is that all I am? A mistake?!”

Chrysalis and Flitterwing froze; there was the question, the one question that parents worldwide dreaded. The story behind that question was never a happy one, and to hear it, along with its cause, from a foal who had only turned six a few months earlier…

After the initial stunned silence from every Changeling who could hear her passed, Chrysalis shifted closer and pulled Sandy into her forelegs, adding her strong presence to the filly’s sad little world. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get Sandy to stop shivering and crying so heavily.

“Never ever think that you are, Sandy.” Chrysalis cooed to her. “The only mistake is your father’s actions this eve. I promise you that I will personally oversee this incident; I will make sure that you never have to see your so-called father again, alright?” Sandy nodded, and Chrysalis curled her neck around the filly’s frame lightly. “You will always find a place here.” She rubbed her cheek against the top of Sandy’s head for a moment, letting her cry into her chest before speaking again. “Sandy, can you tell me what he looks like?”

“H-he’s a Pegasus with a yellowish mane and tail and grey coat.” She sobbed. “P-please, I don’t..!”

“Shh, shh, it’s alright, that’s all I needed. You can forget all about him, I promise.” Chrysalis cooed. “You’re safe here; we’ll never let anything happen to you.”

‘Shred, you have been listening I take it?’ Chrysalis’ voice called commandingly within the Hive Mind.

Even from his perch on the catwalk two floors up Shred had heard, and he could tell that Chrysalis was on a warpath. ‘Yes, my Queen.’

‘Go to the castle and procure two guards, take them to Mrs Breeze’s home and gently question her about this. Use a Pegasus form to travel faster and during this chill. I will go to Princess Celestia about it first thing in the morn, but I want you to handle it.’ Chrysalis ordered. ‘She may resist, or have even hidden her injuries, but I want you to politely insist that I am worried.’ Her very tone spoke worlds about how deadly serious she was, powerful and demanding as it had been when she commanded thousands.

‘Yes, my Queen.’ Shred dutifully complied. ‘It would be my pleasure.’

‘Crackle; could you bring her some hot chocolate?’

‘I am already bringing some to you my Queen.’

Sure enough, Crackle came out from the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate and placed it with Sandy. Inside several heart-shaped marshmallows could be seen bobbing up and down in the hot drink, and Chrysalis eyed them sceptically before helping Sandy to take her first sips.

‘Heart-shaped marshmallows?’ Chrysalis asked.

Crackle’s voice sighed. ‘Ponies, my Queen; it is hard to find things that aren’t heart-shaped to be honest.’

Chrysalis grumbled internally. “Sandy, I need to go to the castle to handle the legal nonsense about this, I promise that we won’t abandon you; Flitterwing, Glitter, all of my Changelings will be here for you throughout the night, alright? You shan’t be alone if you need somepony.”

Sandy nodded ever so slightly as she cried into Chrysalis’ chest. Chrysalis brought a hoof to the filly’s chin and lifted her face gently.

“Let’s see a smile, c’mon. It’s not every day that somepony can say they got to have a sleepover with Changelings in their Hive.”

Slowly but surely Sandy forced a smile onto her face, as insincere as it was. Despite seeing through it easily, Chrysalis smiled back and acted as if it were honest.

“There we go. Glitter will be awake soon, and you can play with her while I’m gone. I’m sure that the two of you can find something fun to play.” She cooed warmly, giving her cheek a gentle nuzzle. “And I want you to remember, Sandy; nothing that has happened tonight is your fault, okay? Nothing. Your… father,” she practically spat the word, “is the one who has done wrong tonight.”

Sandy gave a nod, and Chrysalis gave her one final squeeze before letting her go and standing up and starting to walk across to the door, collecting her knitting on her way. Emerald flames roared around her form as she shifted into a large black and grey gryphon. Her magic, despite her horn being hidden by her disguise, opened the door and she turned to the room one last time, looking over the filly that was still crying faintly but watched her constantly, before clearing her throat.

“I shall be at the castle should any of you need me.” She announced. “I do not expect to be back until tomorrow afternoon. Give Glitter my apologies and a goodnight kiss for me, would you Flitterwing?”

“You didn’t even need to ask, mom.”

Chrysalis paused, glancing over at the sly grin on Flitterwing’s face before chuckling and stepping out.

‘She came to us, nearly getting herself crippled on the way.’ Chrysalis said to Flitterwing within the Hive Mind. ‘Whatever that stallion has done, he will pay for.’

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

With a curt knock on the doors, Chrysalis stepped into the hall of court expecting to find Celestia up on the throne. Instead she found that Luna had already begun night court. No ponies had entered yet, which was fortuitous for them. One look at Chrysalis would have sent them reeling from her furious expression.

She stepped up to the throne and gave a polite bow.

“Chrysalis, is there anything in particular you needed?” Princess Luna asked calmly. “It is uncommon for you to be at the castle after dark.” She gazed over Chrysalis’ shoulder at the effectively empty hall before adding, “Not that we are complaining about the break in monotony, mind.”

“Princess, a foal in acquaintance of my granddaughter arrived at Little Hive barely twenty minutes ago. Well, ‘arrived’ being a loose term; she crash landed almost on our front doorstep after flying from her own home to ours and causing her wings to nearly freeze. After questioning her, she revealed that her estranged father arrived at her home and beat her and her mother. I merely wished to inform that Shred is investigating the matter and that I would like to oversee the issue.”

Princess Luna sighed and nodded her head. “If you feel that you need to, we shan’t argue. Celestia would want to take the case from you, she has such a heart for domestic disturbances of this kind, but we are sure that it can be managed by someone as capable as you.” She said. “Do tell, what is the name of the foal?”

“Her name is Sandy, highness.”

Princess Luna nodded before gesturing to the side of the throne on which she sat. “Please, join us.”

“Of course, Princess, I don’t expect to need to return home until tomorrow in any case. If my counsel and company are what you desire, who am I to refuse?” Chrysalis replied warmly before sitting beside the lunar princess quietly.

The first petitioner soon arrived, and he walked up to the throne and bowed. He was a tough-built looking Pegasus stallion with his cream mane cut short and neat, his tail done up into a braid, and with a healthy sheen to his dark grey coat.

“Greetings, my little pony,” Luna said, her voice sounding more commanding than usual as she spoke, “Speak your name for the court to hear, and please tell us what you want to bring forward.”

“My name is Lightning Etiquette, Princess; I work for the Coltorado weather team.”

“And what do you ask of the court this eve?”

“I want a divorce.”

Both Princess Luna and Chrysalis paused at this, blinking in their momentary shock at his rare request and impressively short tone before recollecting their composure.

“And what is the name of the mare to which you are currently betrothed?” Luna asked.

“Twisty Breeze, she works for the Canterlot weather team. We have been married for seven years, though we have not been together for roughly six.”

Chrysalis froze, her eyes staring at the stallion as if she’d never seen another pony before. Princess Luna, however, merely continued as she was before.

“Are there any children involved? We will need to know for custody reasons.”

“No, Princess.”

Chrysalis’ face contorted into one of utter rage. “Liar!”

Luna and Lightning, caught unprepared by this, snapped their attention to Chrysalis. Luna was the first to recover, and she cleared her throat before speaking. “I hope there is a good excuse for your accusation and outburst, Chrysalis.”

“I apologise for my outburst, highness, but I must object; this stallion lies” She replied, hissing her last word furiously and making him cower. “He has a foal with this mare, Mrs Twisty Breeze; she goes by the name of Sandy, and she has been at Little Hive since she fled to us after being beaten by her estranged father.”

Luna’s eyes grew wide as this information sorted itself into her head and her face slowly but surely twisted. Her features were stoic, but her eyes conveyed her anger.

“Well, Mr Etiquette?”

As he began to badly attempt to explain his way out of his current predicament, Chrysalis turned her attention to Shred who had just arrived at the home of Sandy and Twisty Breeze. He was knocking on the front door and calling out her name, but no response came. After a minute of trying the door, Shred used his magic to simply unscrew it from the door frame and remove it, placing it gently to one side.

“Chrysalis, do you have anything to add?” Luna asked when Lightning finished his rambling and poorly thought-out excuse.

Chrysalis nodded but said nothing, watching as Shred entered the ransacked home and carefully step over broken porcelain knickknacks and scattered furniture. He entered the family room, looking around before his eyes fell upon the crumpled figure of a beaten mare lying just before the hearth.

“Oh, I have something to say alright.” Chrysalis hissed. Her horn glittered and what she could see from within the Hive Mind was projected as an image before her, allowing everypony present to see. “More of a question, really; Mr Etiquette what is your excuse for this?!”

Lightning took a step back that did not go unnoticed by the two royals.

“Chrysalis, what are we seeing here?” Luna asked, waving a hoof at the projection. “Our sister told us you had some form of telepathic communication, but we cannot recall the extent…”

“It is costly and exhausting, but using this spell I can project the visions of those within the Hive Mind into images provided I focus on one particular Changeling, in this case Shred.” Chrysalis explained calmly. “It was always handy for scouting missions or training, or even if I found myself rather bored; it was rather entertaining to toy with the younger Changelings from time to time with it. I’m pretty sure I already told your sister about it, actually. We can see and hear everything that the Changeling I am projecting can see and hear, including what they say; and in turn they can see and hear what I do. As such; Shred, assess her injuries and send one of the other guards for some medics!”

Shred’s voice, though projected through the Hive Mind, was heard audibly throughout the hall. ‘Yes, my queen.’ “Stalwart, we need medical evac, get an ambulance, I’ll see what I can do to stabilize her!”

“Yes sir!”

The view moved closer to the Pegasus mare lying on the carpet before tilting to one side as he put his ear to her chest. The steady thumps of her heartbeat could be heard, which brought a sigh of relief to Shred, but his hearing distorted and warped in a way that made Luna glance at Chrysalis sceptically.

“He is listening to her internals.” She informed. “We can become anything, so our hearing is rather adaptive; quite useful for diagnosing injuries. Don’t think it comes without consequence, he’ll be hearing things strangely for hours.”

A rasping, grating sound could be heard for a moment, then the thuds of her heart, and then nothing but a sound akin to squeezing water through a very thin straw. Shred’s head lifted and his eyes roamed the rest of her body.

“She appears to have minimal skeletal damage but we’ll need actual imaging to be sure.” Shred said to the guard next to him. “Multiple bruises, and she’s barely breathing; she has a collapsed lung on her right side. I’m going to attempt to re-inflate it magically, watch for any signs of distress.”

For another minute the vision projected was that of the Pegasus on the floor with the familiar glitter of magic visible at the top of the projection, and eventually her chest bellowed out as she took a deep breath. The voice of Shred could be heard exhaling heavily.

“Thank Chrysalis for that.” He breathed, causing Chrysalis to give Luna a sheepish grin. “She should be alright; we’ll need to inform the medics that she has a re-inflated lung and to be extremely careful with her. Our job, however, just became a stallionhunt.”

“That will not be required of you, Shred.” Luna said calmly as she waved a pair of guards over. “He was ever so kind to bring himself to us. Stay with Mrs Breeze until the paramedics arrive, we shall handle this from here.”

‘Yes, highness!’

Chrysalis cancelled her spell and staggered to one side, her eyes unfocused for a moment before she shook her head and struggled back to her upright and proper position. While the spell had its uses, the repercussions of its use were never welcome. It would be hours before she would be back to full strength again.

“Lightning Etiquette, you are hereby under arrest for the assault of your estranged wife and daughter, the prior of which you have nearly killed. You will spend four months within Canterlot Castle dungeons, followed by a year of compulsory community service on parole.” Luna announced. “Furthermore, your divorce shall be handled by the state under the following conditions; you shall have no joint custody of Sandy, you will surrender the sum of three hundred and fifty bits to your divorcee, along with anything that belongs to her. Her hospitalization will be afforded on your accounts in addition. You shall also be placed under a restraining order forbidding you to come within two hundred meters of either your divorcee or daughter at any time. Should you breach this restraining order, you will incur another month in Canterlot Castle dungeons.” Luna’s voice echoed angrily throughout the hall, and she stomped her hoof against the marble beneath her angrily. “Guards, get this wretch out of our sight!”

The guards complied, standing to either side of the stallion and starting to push him from the hall. Once they were out of sight, Luna sighed and sat back on the throne.

“My, Chrysalis, you sure do know how to find trouble.” She said teasingly and giving her a teasing smile. “Though I’m thankful that this was resolved so quickly; had things not transpired as they had, he could have evaded us completely.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Mrs Breeze is a friend of the family.” She said distantly. “I have done only what should have been done, and what her daughter needs. I shall have Sandy taken to the hospital after school tomorrow.”

“Who will inform her of her mother’s condition?” Luna asked. “We could send for a temporary carer for her?”

“I’ll have my daughter in law, Flitterwing, tell her, and until her mother is well enough to return home we can care for her at Little Hive.” Chrysalis said. “For now, is it alright if I head to my office and get some rest?” She gave a hopeful smile to the regent of the moon before her stomach grumbled angrily.

“We insist you have dinner first, Chrysalis. Skipping meals will not do you any good. Go to the castle kitchens and have them cook you something; tell them we sent you or they might decline your entrance.” Luna ordered strictly.

“Of course, thank you.” Chrysalis said while dipping her head. As she strolled out to the corridors beyond the court hall, she spoke within the Hive Mind.

‘Flitterwing, how is she faring?’

‘She only put her wings to sleep, and there does not appear to be any superficial damage. I’ll know better in the morning, but she should be alright for now. Presently we’re eating dinner; she is sitting between Glitter and me. She has been… uncharacteristically quiet. I’m sure I can turn this around with a pillow fight or something.’

Chrysalis sighed. ‘Tell her that her mother has been hospitalized, but will be fine. It is too late for visitors, but I want her escorted to her mother tomorrow after school, alright?’

‘Yes, my queen. If I might ask, what has happened with her father?’

Chrysalis grumbled as she entered the kitchen, quickly telling the royal chefs that she had a request and an order from Princess Luna to have it taken care of. ‘He has been arrested and separated from his now-ex-wife. He shan’t be a problem any longer, I assure you.’

Flitterwing remained quiet for a few moments in thought. ‘Alright, mom, I’ll handle it.’

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Glitter and Sandy arrived at school bright and early, and were greeted into the classroom by their teacher, Miss Bloom. Sandy had been awake for a worrying amount of the night crying, and now that she seemed to be over the trauma of the night before she only wanted to be around Glitter for support. Shred had returned partway through the night with a stuffed doll that he had discovered in what he assumed to be Sandy’s room, and this had calmed her enough to get some sleep so that she was bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning.

She still needed Flitterwing to help her preen her wings, but other than that she was fine after a shower and hearty breakfast of porridge and toast. She was at least happy that she could move around without limping again, now flying from place to place as she had done before. Flitterwing had stopped on the walk to school to buy her some wing warmers for when she landed. They looked almost like saddlebags, except that they were shaped in just such a way as to allow for her wings to fit inside and were well insulated.

At first she was reluctant to use them, but Flitterwing threatened that it was either these or heat packs strapped to her wings and she had quickly agreed that she would use them. Heat packs would make it impossible for her to fly, and Celestia forbid she be forced to limp everywhere.

Glitter, however, had been given the scarf and woollen blanket for her back that her grandmother stitched for her. They each featured the same symbol as the banners back at Little Hive, and they served to keep her warm much like the black boots that she wore. She felt that she would be ridiculed for looking ridiculous, but Sandy pointed out that it wasn’t like the opinion of others had mattered much during the last year.

Once the whole class was present, Miss Bloom made sure to double-check that they all had their things before leading them back to the main hall, where the other classes were all waiting to be led out to where they would be having their outing. After another few minutes of waiting for any stragglers and for the classrooms to be locked up they all started following the teachers out into the streets of Canterlot.

It was ten minutes of walking that eventually saw them at the site outside the Canterlot city walls and by the forests that surrounded. A campfire had been arranged and lit by the teachers, and currently a few kabobs were being cooked over top. It would be a while before anything was ready, however, and the students were instructed to go and play until the teachers called for them.

Sandy and Glitter flew up high and grabbed some cloud cover, most likely to the annoyance of any nearby weather pegasi, and lowered it down near the campfire where they sat upon it and enjoyed the warmth. The teaching staff had sat down nearby on cushions that had been brought for comfort, each talking amongst themselves and watching the students.

While the scattered clouds above would mute the sunlight now and then, it was a scheduled sunny day, and the air was warm, for mid-winter anyway. The foals were forbidden to enter the forest nearby due to the likelihood of them getting lost and the lack of teacher supervision within.

Nevertheless, the students enjoyed their time playing in the thick snow and in the scattered trees, hurling snowballs at one another or creating forts to defend from the icy bombardment. One student, the Earth pony from Glitter and Sandy’s class named Doublestep, was busy making snow sculptures. He’d been on the less than enjoyable end of Rocky, Quick Swirl and Sparkshine’s bullying and as such had allied himself with Glitter and Sandy. He wasn’t too far away from where the two fillies were sitting, and would call their names whenever he completed one for them to inspect.

Glitter sniffed heavily as Doublestep walked over and sat next to them, he too watching the fire.

“Lunch smells good at least.” She mused.

The others took a deep sniff and agreed, and for a moment that seemed to not end, the world was perfect.

Boom!

The land beneath Doublestep shook, and he looked up startled.

“Double? What is it?”

A second heavy bass thud echoed around the field, and students were hurrying over to the campfire where the teachers were summoning them back. A roar split the air, and from within the trees a hydra burst into the field, chasing them down.

The teachers acted in an eye blink, yelling for the students to run to the safety of the city walls. As one large group the colts and fillies did as they were told, abandoning the site as fast as their hooves could take them.

Doublestep, however, tripped over his own hooves and fell to the snow. Glitter, having noticed that he had fallen behind, stopped and turned back to him, hurrying to his side and trying to pull him to his hooves.

“Get up Double, c’mon!”

He just sat there, staring in stunned mute terror at the Hydra that, having noticed their unmoving nature, decided that they would be a welcome first meal. Glitter also stared as it bore down on them, sending her shout for help through her only remaining lifeline –the Hive Mind.

‘HELP!’

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

“Lunch is something to look forward to at least.” Celestia said optimistically to Chrysalis as they took their usual spots in the court hall.

“For having to put up with this meeting, Princess, it had better be food fit for a goddess.” Chrysalis grumbled.

Celestia chuckled heartily. “Yes, well. As much as I love my nephew, sometimes Blueblood can be a real nuisance. Did you know that, once he discovered that you were getting the firewood for your Hearths Warming Eve fire from the same place as he does, he demanded that I order the suppliers to supply only to nobles?”

Chrysalis sighed and her face fell dead flat. “You know he only comes to you because he knows that Luna would kick him out on his ass, right?” She asked irritably before adding. “And I technically am a noble.”

“There’s no technicality about it, Chrysalis, you are a noble. While your royal status as a queen was surrendered, you still own the old Hive and the land therein. The only way for me to excuse that in the legal systems was to make you a Duchess.”

“Gee, I guess I should be thrilled to be informed that I’m Duchess of a dead city.” Chrysalis griped irritably. “I’ll be sure to gather taxes from the dust mites.”

“Look on the bright side, you get higher privileges than the majority of Equestria, and the only ponies who have the same rank or higher than you are Twilight Sparkle’s family, Blueblood, Cadance, Luna or I. The guards are honour bound to follow your orders, even.” Celestia said optimistically after giving a small chortle.

“It’s a good thing too; otherwise last night would have gone very differently.”

“Yes, I heard about that; I sent one of the royal physicians to aid in Twisty Breeze’s recovery.” Celestia said quietly, watching the doors to the court hall open. “I told him to say that it was on your request so as to not overwhelm her.”

“Thank you, Celestia.”

“Of course, Chrysalis.” She replied before raising her voice as Blueblood approached the elevated throne. “Ah, Blueblood, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

‘As if I don’t already know.’ Chrysalis thought bitterly.

“Auntie, I need to report that I was assaulted yesterday and I demand action be taken!”

Celestia sighed, he’d only just entered the room and already she could feel a headache coming on. “And who are you accusing of such a crime?”

“She’s one of them.” He said, nodding towards Chrysalis who only snorted back irritably and glared. “‘Flitterwing’ I believe her name is.”

Again Celestia sighed. “Nephew, were you doing anything that might have earned her ire?” She asked patiently. “And she is not ‘one of them’, she is a Changeling.”

“I was merely pointing out my qualities-”

“You were boasting your credentials and trying to get her to date you.” Celestia said for him, having seen where he was going.

“Well, yes, but-”

“So you’re the stallion that has been driving my daughter in-law crazy at every book signing she’s done for the last two years!” Chrysalis called, her voice tinged with anger and mirth.

“Nopony asked you to speak, Changeling.” Blueblood snapped angrily.

“Nopony asked you to ruin my morning, but you’re doing it all the same.” Chrysalis shot in retort. “And frankly-” she froze in mid-sentence, her eyes going wide and her body becoming tense.

‘HELP!’

She hurried to her hooves and began to move down the steps to Celestia’s throne. “I’m sorry, Princess, I need to go!”

“Chrysalis..?”

A guard ran into the room, saluting as he slid to a halt at the foot of the stairs. “I’m sorry for the interruption Princess, but a Hydra has appeared on the outskirts of town!”

“Be gone from my way!” Chrysalis shouted as she broke into a full sprint, using her magic to shove Blueblood roughly to one side so she could pass him and ran out into the hall beyond. Her magic sparked out before her, slamming open the double-doors to the courtyard balcony and emerald flames burst to life around her, transforming her wings into those of a large gryphon. With a powerful jump and flap of her transformed wings, she erupted into the sky at speeds that even the Wonderbolts would have found impressive.

From her position high in the skies above Canterlot she could see the Hydra clearly, as well as a few smaller objects struggling in the snow almost twenty meters from its reach. With another beat of her wings she changed her course and shot towards them at breakneck speeds before changing her wings back to normal and dropping from the sky, swinging her magic and rage filled horn down towards the beast.

With enough force to cause the snow all around to burst from the ground she slammed into it, a shield forming around it and forcing it to the ground. For a moment she merely manipulated the gravity within the dome to force the beast to the earth, but when she tired of that she kicked off of its head and landed a short way away.

Now with the Hydra’s attention fully on her, her horn burst to life once more and her magic surrounded the Hydra. It cringed in pain before letting out a howl of torment at her magical onslaught.

“You tried to take my family from me!” Chrysalis screamed at the top of her lungs. “Now I’ll take every ounce of love from you!”

The sounds of the beasts’ torment echoed across the field, and Chrysalis’ magic only appeared to grow stronger with each passing moment. She grinned devilishly as she drained the Hydra dry, sucking its love from its very bones; lost in the moment, she almost forgot about what she had initially come here for.

“Granna!”

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened at this word, cried out from the filly that now looked up at her in terror as her mind returned to her. Her magic stopped draining the now weak Hydra and merely held it, and she turned her face to her granddaughter with her own terror-filled stare.

“Granna..?”

Chrysalis’ eyes misted over with tears as she stared down at the filly, and after a moment she returned her attention to the Hydra. With a grimace and tightly closed eyes she shouted out in frustration and launched the Hydra back into the trees, flinging it far down the mountain, before emerald flames burst around her and she beat gryphon wings again to launch her into the skies.

‘Flitterwing! Flitterwing, I need you, please!’

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Flitterwing hurried into Little Hive, closing the door tightly behind her. As the door clicked shut, it latched and magic burst to life around it. Clearly nopony was to be witness to this bar those already here.

She could see Chrysalis sitting before the hearth where the fire was roaring, her head hung low and her body shuddering. Even from the door her sobs could be heard. Princess Celestia was sitting beside her, saying not a word.

Flitterwing worriedly stepped over to them, placing her hoof against Chrysalis’ side to get her attention. Chrysalis’ eyes drifted over to her, and she slumped against the smaller Changeling as she cried.

“My queen, what happened?”

“Your daughter and the rest of her school were attacked by a Hydra a little over ten minutes ago.”Celestia said for her, her tone flat and emotionless. “After Chrysalis fled the court hall I came here, knowing that at least somepony would show up who I could ask details. Chrysalis has informed me of what has transpired, and I have pardoned her actions since she has not cost any lives. I can only assume you heard the same distress call to which Chrysalis responded?”

Flitterwing nodded her head. “I-I was tied up at the time and couldn’t get out there in time to do anything.”

“Upon arriving at the scene, Chrysalis entered combat with the Hydra.” Celestia said. “During the heat of the moment she used what she’s calling ‘Method Two’; though I am unsure what this means exactly.”

Flitterwing’s eyes widened and she stared at Celestia dumbstruck. “M-Method Two..?” She breathed, before swallowing nervously. “W-we have two methods of gaining love from others which we refer to as Methods One and Two. Method One is passive absorption; it is how we gained love by disguising as a loved one and taking their place.”

“And Method Two?”

Flitterwing’s face turned, now unable to look Celestia in the eye. “M-Method Two is… it’s something that even we refused to use if there were alternatives. When we adults were all together in the Hive Mind we swore collectively that it would fall into disuse and become forgotten and forbidden magic. We… we forcefully stole love from our target using our magic, causing severe pain. It’s… it’s almost never talked about, as it can kill the victim if we don’t know when to stop.”

Celestia sighed. “I see; that would explain Chrysalis’ condition.”

“Mom, what happened?”

“I-I used Method Two o-on the Hydra right in front of her! I… I almost killed it, I couldn’t stop myself…” Chrysalis huffed. “I’m a monster!”

“Monsters cannot cry remorse, Chrysalis.” Celestia voiced calmly. “And you stopped before lethal force could exact its toll. You have done no less that I myself may have done to a Hydra encroaching upon Canterlot in your place.”

Chrysalis didn’t reply, simply huddling pitifully over her daughter in law for what little comfort she could gain. It took a little while for her to calm down enough to speak or move more than her shakes, but she did eventually sit back upright and stare miserably into the fire.

“And think; the biggest thorn in my side I thought I would have today was your nephew.” Chrysalis grumbled. “Truly my life is some sort of cruel joke.”

“To be fair, there are days I would prefer to fight with Hydra than deal with Blueblood.” Celestia said. “They are usually the days in which Blueblood wants something. You beat me to it today.”

Chrysalis sighed. “I can’t believe that he wanted Flitterwing arrested for slamming a book on his hoof because he was driving her batty.” She breathed. “What ludicrous nonsense.”

“He once demanded that I shut down a restaurant that had no space for his party of twelve, despite him having no reservation. Honestly I’ve given up listening to his excuses.” Celestia replied. “I usually just tell him that he’s being unreasonable and that he’s no more special than anypony else.”

“I’ll just go brew up some tea.” Flitterwing said as she sidled from the pair.

“And here I thought that anypony related to you would be wise and kind.” Chrysalis grumbled. “Where on Equestria did he even get such stupid behaviour?

“It’s beyond me. I, in a way, am thankful that Luna is starting to frighten the nobles into line. I just wish that she would help me in teaching Blueblood a little humility.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Preferably with a beating...” She joked. “Ah, if only.”

The pair of royals sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments, each watching the fire as it danced across its fuel of thick logs. Flitterwing, who was observing them discreetly from the kitchen, remarked just how similar they seemed to be. Each had a lengthy and somewhat unkind history and they both seemed to care for more than just those around them. While Celestia masked her grand power and raging emotions at almost all times, and Chrysalis would press whatever physical advantage she had over others to seem imposing and gain respect, in the end neither really cared about much more than the ponies around them.

She placed three coffee cups on saucers, poured the boiled water into a teapot through a strainer, fetched a jug of milk from the fridge and some sugar cubes, and placed them all upon a tray which she levitated out to the royals.

“Tea’s up.”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

The rest of the day passed without any incident, and Twisty Breeze had been awake when Sandy arrived to visit her in hospital. She had been put on an oxygen mask to ease the strain on her lung, but otherwise she was sporting no more injury than she had gained during the ‘seasonal’ tornado when one of her wings had folded on her and she was flung into Canterlot’s city walls. She’d been knocked out cold during that incident as well, but she had bounced back within a day or so. At the current rate she was recovering, she would be fit enough to return home in two days or so, provided that no complications arose.

Sandy had been reluctant to leave as the sun began to dip below the horizon, but when her mother had fallen asleep due to exhaustion herself she relented and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before following Flitterwing and Glitter back out into the streets.

They arrived at Little Hive not three minutes later, and it wasn’t long after that the two fillies found themselves under the hot sprays of the showers. They weren’t talking, each in their own stall as they bathed away the day of fear and cold, as well as the fun. They had long since finished with soap, and were now just enjoying the warmth of the water.

The clip-clopping of hooves against the tiled floor went unheard by the two fillies, drowned out to their ears by the sound of the water cascading all around them. Thanks to this the owner of the hooves managed to move into the shower stalls undetected and sneak right up to Glitter. With a startled shriek Glitter was grabbed around the middle and hoisted up, thrown into the air only to come back down into the hooves of her ‘assailant’.

“Granna, you scared me!” She laughed as Chrysalis began to tickle her, having placed her against the floor.

“Oh, but you’re always unprepared for the tickle monster.” Chrysalis humoured. “You make it too easy since you don’t connect to the Hive Mind. And the one time you do in weeks it’s to call for aid.”

“Thank you for getting there so fast.” Glitter managed to say between fits of giggles.

“For my little Glitter, I would battle a hundred Hydra.” Chrysalis said soothingly. “Though, for now, one shall suffice.” Her tickling slowed and Glitter managed to get to her hooves, jumping back a little to hopefully be out of reach should her grandmother return to her torturous ways. When she couldn’t see Chrysalis’ eyes from behind her mane and the joyful mood seemed to drain from the room, she instead moved closer, worry etching her features.

“Glitter,” the monarch began, causing Glitter to jolt in surprise, “I’m sorry.”

“F-for what..?”

“What I did in the field, to that Hydra…” Chrysalis mumbled. “It… when we gained sanctuary here in Canterlot we, your uncles, mother, and I, swore that we would never use or talk about that… that spell ever again; that it would become forgotten knowledge and forbidden magic.” She shook faintly, her barely disguised sobs easily recognizable to the filly. “I used our darkest art right in front of you; I nearly became a monster before your eyes, and for that I… do you forgive an old mare her foolishness?”

Glitter shifted closer and forced herself under her grandmother’s chin, making the larger mare embrace her without moving to. Slowly Chrysalis’ hooves moved in and tightened the hold she had on her grandchild.

“If you need me to forgive you for loving me, you won’t get it from me.” Glitter breathed into her grandmother’s ear. “Forgiving somepony for something requires something bad enough to need forgiving. Would Princess Celestia ask forgiveness for raising the sun? Would Mom ask forgiveness for writing her books, or for standing guard inside our closet because Sandy is afraid of monsters? You don’t need forgiving for being my Granna; you do it perfectly as far as I can tell.”

Chrysalis sighed and squeezed Glitter tighter.

“Thank you, Glitter.”

Author's Note

Here we go, Chapter four.

I've been looking forward to this for a while now, actually; and now that it's up I feel the need to shelve this story for a little while.

The next chapter will feature a MASSIVE leap in time, to teenage Glitter, and I'll need time to sort out the storyline for it and any further story better.

This is not the end, and this Author's Note will most likely be erased when I get around to posting chapter 5. With any luck, by then I will have completed my other stories (Scarlet Tears and Fall of a Monarch) both of which I have actually fleshed out in detail somewhat.

*CHARACTER NOTE: Doublestep will become a more common and more integral character in the following chapters. Also of note is that ALL THREE foals will have major development to their characters after the timeskip. They are STILL FOALS at this stage, and as such their adult personalities have not developed in any real way. PLEASE stop whining about it, it's all in the long run. No-one is born a miserable git, they develop into one.

*EDITOR NOTE: I do not use editors; while it may be something that others feel that they would love to do for me, I have never wanted to allow my work to be tweaked by others. I'd rather make or break stories on my own merits, and I thank those of you who take the time to point out mistakes I may have made. I'm AUSTRALIAN, and so I use Queen's English. Please don't claim these are mistakes, I used to get it a lot with older stories I posted to other sites, and it was REALLY ANNOYING.

Thank you. -Silent Quill.

Birthday Activities

Glitter met her mother and grandmother at the front doors of her school, Sandy by her side and the pair of them waving a visual farewell to Doublestep as he walked off home. Glitter was, thanks to the actions of her grandmother earlier in the day, now the same height as her fellow classmates –almost the same height as her mother- and she crudely and roughly brushed her white mane from her eyes.

She tried not to think on the look on her grandmother’s face, nor the emotions that seemed to have swamped her; she looked and acted like somepony had sucked all of the happiness from her life, and she didn’t speak a word to anypony. Instead she seemed to simply be on autopilot and followed her daughter-in-law, Glitter’s mother, as she motioned for them to follow.

They walked in silence to the salon, a little place that Chrysalis had booked which apparently was one of Princess Cadance’s favourite mane salons back before she moved to the Crystal Empire. Every now and then Glitter would connect to the Hive Mind only to hear everyone except her mother and grandmother talking as if it were a normal day.

Every time it worried her a little more.

Finally, once they managed to get to the front doors of the salon, Glitter snapped. “Alright, what in the name of Granna’s chitinous behind is going on?” She demanded with a growl. “You’re not even talking in the Mind, and it’s driving me nuts!”

Flitterwing sighed. “Sweetie, your grandmother and I have… had a disagreement.” She said as she pushed the door to the salon open.

“Oh, gee, I couldn’t tell.” Glitter snapped in retort, following her family in. She put a hoof to her face and groaned. “Ugh, now I have a new headache.”

“I think I have a spell for that-” Her mother began, only for her hooves to be swatted away by a now teary-eyed albino daughter.

“You want to use magic to change me? Don’t you love me?!”

Flitterwing blinked at her before sighing. “I knew this was coming, and yet I am still amazed by it.”

“She’s been more moody than mom gets during the spring all day.” Sandy informed over Glitter’s shaking shoulder. “She would be calm and collected one minute then yelling and screaming the next, and then she would be, well, an inconsolable mess over dropping her pencil. The Tartarus is going on?”

Flitterwing chuckled as she wrestled her daughter into standing still and tapped her horn against her head. “As ponies grow, hormones are released into your body to develop you into an adult.” She calmly stated as Glitter staggered away from her shaking her head. “It’s so gradual and subtle that it’s something that you don’t even notice. Glitter has gone from what a pony could consider a child to a young adult in an afternoon.” She watched her daughter blink away tears and mumble to herself unintelligibly for a moment. “After a Changeling’s second moulting, those hormones tend to hit us all at once. The spell I just used on her will allow her to control herself as she usually would, but will allow her body to adjust as it needs.”

“She’s… not going to go into heat is she? That would just be all kinds of awkward…”

Flitterwing shook her head. “No, no, her biological clock in that sense has only been started today; it’ll be the spring when she feels that impulse.” She gave Sandy a sly glance sidelong. “Something I’m sure you know about full well, hmm?”

Sandy blushed and nodded shyly. “Bit of a low blow, but… yes. Mom was all over me with attention and wouldn't leave me alone for a week.”

“And what’d you do in response to this sudden affection?”

“Locked my doors and windows and told her to leave me alone. I didn’t come back out for days.”

“A plan well executed then.” Flitterwing said smugly. “I pegged your mother for the sly type, but I didn’t think she’d pull that kind of thing. I won’t be quite so passive about it with Glitter. The minute she starts she’s going to be locked in her room and she won’t be allowed to leave.”

“Bit harsh isn’t it?”

Flitterwing snorted. “We live in a communal building with six males, that’s the least I will do.”

“Could you stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Glitter asked, brushing a wayward tear from her face. “Rude.”

Flitterwing chuckled, and Chrysalis turned around from talking with the receptionist. “Alright, we’re expected in the next room, come along.”

“One moment,” Flitterwing said, before emerald flames briefly flickered across her head and giving her a mane the same colour as her tail, “one shouldn’t go into a salon and leave them with nothing to do, hmm?”

“You can still have your fin styled, mom.” Glitter pointed out, only for her to chuckle.

“If done incorrectly, like preening feathers, it can hurt quite a lot. I’ve had quite a lot of practice over the years.” She nudged Chrysalis with an elbow cheekily. “Being taught by the best didn’t hurt either.”

Chrysalis sighed. “At least I managed to get one thing right.” She muttered, leading the group into a room with hair-baths along one wall and a series of vacant chairs near them. Several likely-looking ponies with bright and welcoming smiles waved them to a chair each, and soon set upon their manes with water and a variety of expensive-smelling shampoos.

“Now, Glitter;” Chrysalis began, her eyes closed and her head lolled back and relaxed, “because of your growth spurt and the fact that you’re now of the Royal caste, specifically a female of the Royal caste, you know that you and I will have to fight to the death, yes?”

Glitter flailed frantically, and managed to yell a panicked “What?!” before she hissed as some shampoo entered an eye and she clenched it shut until her stylist flushed it out. Flitterwing huffed, but Chrysalis burst into laughter, as did Sandy.

“Oh, that was priceless,” Chrysalis said between laughs, “now I can see why mother did it to me.”

“My Queen, stop that; you’ve done enough damage for one day, I don’t want to have to nurse psychosis on top of everything else.”

Chrysalis snorted. “Spoilsport.”

“In any case; Glitter, we’ve some other things to talk about thanks to your new… transformation.” Flitterwing began, her tone giving away that she was in full ‘lecture mode’. “Firstly, I believe I need to explain what has happened to you.

“This morning at breakfast, your grandmother slipped into your food what we call Changeling Royal Jelly; it is made from Changeling Royals concentrating their magic into a somewhat solid form, rather like honey. It is also a strictly controlled and extremely dangerous magical substance, which can poison non-changelings and under the right circumstances be somewhat explosive. On a side note of this tale, if I ever find out that you’ve tried or have made Royal Jelly without proper supervision and my express permission, you will have to outlive me to see then end of how long you will be grounded, and I am not kidding.

“Anyway, back in the Hive we only had limited information on the effects of Royal Jelly. We knew that it was almost a panacea to adult changelings, could cure nearly any ailment that we had, but beyond that our knowledge was limited. You see, we’ve never had enough food to excuse its creation in any quantity for experimentation, the last time we did was back in your great-grandmothers’ days. The only knowledge we do have is that it’s poisonous and induces vomiting in ponies, can cure nearly every ailment that can afflict a changeling, and that giving it to changeling foals before their second moult causes the foal in question to moult into a Royal.

“Now, the most important point to press is that that was all we knew. We didn’t know what happened during the moulting process, or how much was needed for the process, or anything. We didn’t even know if there was a chance that it could be dangerous. After a rather lengthy discussion with your grandmother and Princesses Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, we managed to deduce that you were given somewhere in the range of ten to twenty thousand Uniamps of magic. To put this into a perspective that Sandy can understand,” she waved a hoof to the Pegasus next to her who had been looking puzzled, “one Uniamp is how much power it takes to move one kilogram; a normal unicorn adult has approximately six hundred Uniamps. Princess Twilight Sparkle has somewhere in excess of forty thousand, by her own admission, and your grandmother is only slightly stronger than her at fifty-eight thousand. She must have been concentrating Royal Jelly for quite some time to create the quantity of magic that you now possess.

“To make matters worse, we have since come to the conclusion that you probably only required a small amount, some six to seven hundred Uniamps, to undergo the transformation. That much can be created in a stable form in an hour, possibly just a few minutes. It was this incredible amount of magic that you were give that caused you to surge as explosively as you did. If you’d been given a more manageable and reasonable amount of Royal Jelly,” she punctuated this by giving Chrysalis a dirty glare to which the elder changeling grimaced sheepishly, “you likely would have gone through the moult with a severe headache and nothing more, at which point we could slowly increase your reserves in a controlled and safe environment.

“The surge of magic that you created upon your moulting was the excess magic that your already stressed body could not contain at the time; when you’d completed your transformation into a Royal, your grandmother safely anchored the fallout back into your reserves.”

“Even then, there was more magic than you could contain, and I had to vent a great deal into the soil to safely deal with it.” Chrysalis interjected. “Over time your reserve will expand naturally and you should be able to contain more magic, but you’re still young.”

“That aside, you are going to be taught how to use this newfound power of yours safely and responsibly, you will also-” she paused for a second to give a yelp as her hairdresser tugged on her mane painfully, “be told and warned of the new laws and regulations that you will be under because of your ascension,” her voice became steely, “they include laws about Royal Jelly, so don’t think that my punishment would be the only one.”

Glitter sighed. “Yes mom.”

“Good.” She snapped as the four of them were sat under some dryers. She picked up a book and held it out between herself and her daughter so that they could both see the contents. “Now, let’s find a nice style for your mane, shall we?”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

“Now approaching the throne, Baroness Chrysalis of the Badlands, Flitterwing of the changelings, and Glitter of the Changelings,” Celestia’s secretary announced loudly, prompting Celestia’s smile to waver faintly. She’d not been looking forward to this meeting since it had been organized, it would be most unpleasant for all involved.

“Thank you, Iron Scroll; please see that my schedule is cleared for the rest of the day, file all relevant documentation, and have an early day. For now, court is adjourned.” Celestia announced firmly. She waited for the courtiers, numerous secretaries, and the excess guards to leave before smiling warmly at the changelings before her. “Chrysalis, Flitterwing, welcome back; and to you as well, Glitter. It has been some time since last I saw you for more than a fleeting few minutes; you’ve grown well.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Glitter curtly replied with a bow. Her mane was now tied back into a tight plaited ponytail, with a few loose strands curling down her face on her right side, and a second plait curling around her left ear to join the rest of her mane down the back of her head. A few holes had emerged in her plaits like those on her legs or that her grandmother’s mane featured, the hairdressers discovering that these would magically appear regardless of what manestyle they did, much to Sandy’s amusement. “I… faintly remember these halls from when I was much younger, and it’s rather fun to see what I might recall.”

Celestia stepped down from her seat and stood before the trio, her neutral yet smiling mask present the whole time. “If you could accompany me, we are going to first visit the infirmary,” she said, waving over her Honour Guard to join them as she began to lead the small family, “I’m sure you must have questions, Glitter, and I will do what I can to answer them.”

“I do, Princess,” Glitter replied with a calm neutrality of her own which impressed Celestia and made Flitterwing stare sidelong at her daughter, “for a start, why are we visiting the palace infirmary?”

“We are heading to the infirmary to allow the palace doctors to give you a full physical. Your mother already performed a cursory check on your health at your school before you awoke, but such drastic changes to the physiology of any creature is jarring and hazardous to the health of the individual. Through magical scans, our medical staff will check your internal organs and other functions to ensure that you are healthy.” Celestia replied patiently, before adding, “Is there anything else on your mind?”

“Mom said something about new laws and stuff?” Glitter probed curiously. “I don’t understand exactly why I would be given new restrictions beyond what I was already under just because of a little change?”

Celestia tittered warmly. “These ‘new laws and stuff’ are laws that pertain only to those of larger magical capability such as us. They include the minutia of the laws which restrict the creation and use of changeling Royal Jelly, laws which detail the repercussions of using your magic against another sentient creature in any instance beyond defending yourself or others. There will also be information regarding your new title due to your subspecies and power.” She looked over at Chrysalis for a moment and spoke to her quickly. “Incidentally, Chrysalis, the noble titles have been reviewed and in the wake of this I have raised you to the new title Duchess; this will hopefully ensure that Prince Blueblood shows the proper respect when addressing you, and that any efforts made into claiming the land that happens to be your domain will be summarily thwarted.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I hardly feel like I should be given such an honour, Princess.” She said with a sad tone, “but at the same time, I’ve already had to stretch my efforts to stop that blonde twit from planting a strip mine directly atop the ruins of my old Hive.”

Flitterwing and glitter growled irritably, and Celestia tittered at their protectiveness.

“If it’s any consolation, your rise into Duchess has also come at the same time as another bill I managed to pass while the Prince was occupied with other matters,”

“He was busy cleaning his fur of the taint that had been left behind when a vidame touched him.” Shred’s voice interrupted as he approached from a side hallway.

“Yes, well,” Celestia said trying to regain the centre of conversation so easily side-tracked, “the bill will stop any such efforts in their tracks in the future, as it places your old Hive –named on the bill simply as ‘Old Hive’- on the cultural heritage protection list. This means, however, that you will be required to visit the site with some of our historians and archaeologists. They may wish to retrieve any artefacts that they find. You shall also be taking a consignment of guards just in case there are any hostile creatures within the site.”

Chrysalis nodded distantly, but didn’t vocalise any real response. Her eyes seemed distant as she walked alongside the Princess, deep in her own thoughts.

“Glitter,” she said quietly and suddenly a few moments later, catching the ear of everypony present –except the guards and Shred, of course; they were on duty after all, “I need to apologise, for all of this.” She stopped walking and sighed, eyes to the floor and ears flat to her scalp. “I… I can’t find the words.”

Glitter moved to her grandmother’s side and leaned against her. “Granna just talk to me.”

“I would understand if you hate me for all this; I’ve taken so much from you.” Chrysalis managed to mumble quietly. “There’s a little history involving Royal Jelly that I’ve never discussed or even had discussed with me by my parents. You see, my father was the last convert; my grandmother, your great-great grandmother, wanted to ensure that the only children that my parents could conceive would be Royals, so she arranged my mother’s marriage and converted her betrothed when they were still young. They knew about it, and I only overheard that this is what had been done when I was young myself, but it’s the truth.

“I was never told by my father about what he had gone through during the transformation; hay, he didn’t even want to talk about it. It was something that had simply not happened. If I’d known it would be as painful for you as it was, if I’d known that I’d overshot the amount of Royal Jelly needed so dramatically, I would never have given you anything. I’d certainly have never sent you to school with such a dangerous condition.”

“When it happened, Chrysalis, you said ‘she’s early’ as if you’d expected it all along.” Celestia commented. “How did you know that-”

“Celestia, please, you of all ponies must know what such a dramatic increase in power would be like. There wouldn’t be a unicorn or changeling for miles that could miss it. I had no idea that I’d caused such a dangerous thing, though. I’m certainly thankful that she, we, I, was lucky enough for her to be sent outside where nopony got hurt. If it had happened in the building, I don’t know how many could have died.” She huffed, as if attempting to laugh sarcastically. “You’d certainly be unable to throw me into the dungeons. I’d never be able to live with myself for harming so many foals, even by accident.” She grit her teeth painfully as a tear rolled down her cheek, eyes clenched tight. “Glitter, I’m so sorry; my stupid attempt to give you something that could help you relate to your friends could have killed you, could have killed so many others… I’m so sorry!”

She spun and threw her head against Glitter’s chest, forelegs wrapped around her granddaughter’s figure as if she were afraid the white changeling would disappear. Glitter, for her part, only blinked and gawked down at her grandmother confusedly.

What was she supposed to do with that?

“G-Granna just… tell me why. I need to know why.”

Chrysalis nodded faintly, struggling to sit up and look her granddaughter in the eyes. “Glitter, tell me, how many children do you think I’ve had?”

Glitter tilted her head. “Mom did tell me that she married your son before... before the invasion.”

Chrysalis chuckled. “Yes, she was married to Slithoof; he was my pride and joy. But, he was not my first. I’ve had many over the years, Glitter. Including Slithoof, I’ve had six. My first’s birthday is in two weeks’ time, actually. A mother never forgets, after all.” She sighed sadly, yet smiled at Glitter. “You look so much like her; it’s almost hard for me to believe that you’re not related by blood. As of the conclusion of the invasion, can you guess how many I’d lost?”

“N… no.” Glitter replied in a breath. “The family tree could have been enormous…”

“Six children, two colts and four fillies, sixteen grandchildren, thirty great-grandchildren, and eighty great-great grandchildren are what I have lost over the years, twelve of my great-great grandchildren and one son at the end of the invasion. Out of all of them, Slithoof struck the hardest. He was a Royal, you see; we’re sturdier and live for incredibly long spans of time. Why, my mother would still be around if she hadn’t been killed. We’re practically immortal.” Her eyes grew unfocused and distant for a few moments before she refocused on Glitter. “Can you imagine now why I would go through all this? I imagine that Celestia might, but I…”

Celestia nodded. “You don’t want to be alone anymore.” She sighed. “It’s why I got Philomena, my pet phoenix, after I had to banish Nightmare Moon.” She smiled faintly yet sadly at Chrysalis. “We just aren’t able to live forever with such pain as loneliness.”

“I can’t… I can’t bury any more. I just can’t.” Chrysalis breathed. “I know that the day will come that Flitterwing will pass, but I just can’t… not alone.” She turned her tear-streaked face to Flitterwing, her eyes wide. “You’ve no idea how proud you’ve made me, after everything that’s happened. All of you, putting up with the nonsense that I’ve brought upon us time and time again. There would come the day when there’s nopony left within the Mind but myself, and I just… I don’t want to face that alone. I can’t. Not after the invasion. Not after how close we came. Can you imagine having to face that much empty space all alone? A world of quiet where once there were thousands? Waking after the invasion, when there were no changelings awake or linked to the Hive… you have no idea how terrifying that was! When you awoke in the hospital disconnected, you didn’t have to face the emptiness, Flitterwing. The Mind wasn’t there for you because you weren’t connected to it, but the second I woke I was faced with the hollow void of an empty Hive.

“I thought my stupidity had killed you all! It wasn’t until Shred awoke that I even considered any of you might be alive! If none of you had returned, if you’d all died…” her gaze drifted to the floor and the collection of tears beneath her. “There wouldn’t have been even an ex-queen for Celestia’s guard to hunt. Just a corpse to parade, forever thought of as the corpse of a tyrant and monster. I’m sorry, Glitter, but I didn’t bless you today, your birthday; I shared the curse of immortality, and I’m so sorry.”

For her part, Glitter sat there, simply staring back at her grandmother incredulously as the elder changeling begged for forgiveness for something she wasn’t sure could be forgiven. A thought occurred to her and she smiled faintly, calmly, and reassuringly leaned her grandmother into her.

“If you’re asking forgiveness for loving me, you won’t get it, remember?” She asked quietly, nuzzling her grandmother’s cheek. “Forgiving requires something that needs forgiveness. You’ve asked for forgiveness for possibly killing my friends and classmates, which didn’t happen. You’ve asked forgiveness for possibly killing me, which never happened. You want me to forgive you for making me almost immortal, but you won’t get it. You don’t need me to forgive you for being my Granna now any more than you did when the hydra attacked me. You never need me to forgive you for being my Granna, because you’re still doing it as perfectly as I can tell, just… be careful in the future, hmm?

“You’re my grandmother, and I’ll always love you.” She finally said, wrapping her forelegs around Chrysalis tightly. “Never think otherwise.”

“Thank you, Glitter. It’s more than I deserve after all this.”

“You say that, Granna, but you’ll never convince me of it.” Glitter retorted cheekily. “Now, I believe we have some medical staff to see. Stars forbid we make them wait and waste their pwecious time.”

Chrysalis nodded and tried to rub the moisture from her face. “Yes, of course,” She coughed, “by your leave, Princess.”

With a smile, Celestia led them down through the castle.

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“I must say, I’ve not had a patient of your age so cooperative.” The doctor, one Doctor Peach, said amusedly to Glitter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I supposed to be screaming for my mom and fussing?” She asked dramatically, waving a hoof in amusement. “Oh, waily waily, she’s going to poke me with a needle! I’d better start crying now so that when it hurts I’ll have nothing to cry out and can only fuss some more! Oh no, what is this in my mouth? She said it was for taking my temperature but I’m terrified it’ll suck my brains out when I’m not looking! I’d better spit it across the room and make the pony with sharp tools angry!” She smiled over at the doctor who only chortled amusedly. “Look, I’ll make it simple,” she began, offering the inside of her right foreleg, “If you can see the green vein there, that’s where you stab me. Let me know before you do so, or I’m liable to snap at you. Don’t just jab it through my chitin or you’ll crack it and I’ll scream at you.”

“Only one needle today, Miss Glitter; I need a blood sample and then you’re going to get a magic scan.” She then leaned in conspiratorially. “And I don’t need to see your intimates, so you can keep them to yourself.” She giggled as Glitter’s face flushed green in embarrassment before holding the changeling’s leg out and tapping a needle against the inside of her leg. “Here we go, ready? And… pop!” With that she jabbed the needle in and began to draw out the green life-giving fluid. When she had a full needle, she pulled it back out and rubbed the area gently. Finally she took the thermometer from Glitter's mouth. “There we go; now into the next room with you while I look at your blood-work.”

Glitter nodded and stepped into the room in which her mother was waiting with a half-dozen unicorns, all of whom watched her patiently. Her mother tapped her hoof against the ground to get her attention.

“Okay, sweetie, these unicorns are going to perform a full-body magic scan using the formula I’ve given them for your physiology and magic signature. You should only feel a slight tingle, and when it’s all over they’ll give me the results for me to compile and return.” She informed calmly. “It’s been a little while, but I’m hardly rusty since I do this all the time for the others; when you’re ready doctors.”

The stallions nodded and lit their horns, and a gentle hum filled the room.

Chrysalis sat idly out in the hall waiting for her kin to be done with their current tasks. Princess Celestia had, surprisingly, had the rest of her day’s plans either shelved or they were little things she could manage without needing to be in her office. As such, she had a stack of papers hovered before her and her fiery orange quill moving at such a pace that Chrysalis was wondering why it hadn’t caught fire or worn to a stub. Shred stood still and silent next to his queen, a small probe of his thoughts by her letting her know that he was devising a training regimen for the newbies he would be training.

Celestia caught her looking sidelong at the papers and grinned. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Chrysalis; these are going directly to your desk once I’m done with them.” She said almost mean-spiritedly. One of her ears twitched and she looked down the hall curiously, as if expecting something. Soon enough, Chrysalis also heard the sound, one that she was dreading as it grew closer.

The echoing sound of many hooves.

A dozen ponies, followed by angry-looking guards, all but stampeded around the corner. They slid to a stop before the royals, each taking a quick bow to Celestia before bursting into short yet loud questions about the ‘event’ that had taken place at one of Canterlot’s school. Before Celestia or Chrysalis could counter any of their questions, one particular stallion brandished some ‘evidence’ he had of the event –an eyewitness report from a student called ‘Rocky’.

“The student in question states that the Changeling in his class left his class and created the magical storm that unicorns across Canterlot ducked for cover from. He also states that Baroness Chrysalis arrived and refused anypony access to the magical fallout until after she had ‘settled’ it;” he continued to prattle this information unaware of the glare that Chrysalis was boring into the side of his skull, “lastly, this student named the Changeling from his class as the granddaughter of the Baroness herself, Glitter.”

It took all of Chrysalis’ strength to obey the silent command that Shred was advising her through the Mind and remain still and try and look calm. After a moment of confusion at why, he had simply kept the instruction going.

‘You’ll thank me later, my queen.’

Celestia sighed and teleported away the stack of paper she’d been working on to keep the documents out of the view of the reporters. “The matter to which you refer, and that you all question, is being handled by Royal and Ambassadorial Affairs, and I am overseeing the case myself alongside the Duchess.”

The stallion turned to Chrysalis, “And do you have any comments on this matter and your implications into it, ma’am?”

“None at this time.” Chrysalis managed to say in a relatively neutral tone. If the stallion had any brains he wouldn’t press the issue.

Alas, being a reporter and therefore paid to ask stupid questions, he was clearly not a bright stallion.

“And what of the accusations levelled against your granddaughter?”

Shred smiled a little, unseen by the reporters, when he let her get away with her retort.

“Do you really thing you should be asking after my family,” she snarled at him with her teeth bared, “after how your so-called ‘newspaper’ photographed and slandered us while we slept?!” She huffed and reigned in her anger after frightening the stallion harshly, letting Shred help her form her next comment. “A statement regarding the events which transpired today will be released at a later time. Other than to say that my granddaughter is indeed involved, I am not at liberty to discuss the matter, for both her privacy and the privacy of the Royal and Ambassadorial Affairs case.”

“Now, if you would be so kind as to allow my guard to perform their duty, you have wandered into a private section of the castle and I would ask you all to leave.” Celestia said calmly. “Also that if any of you are to perform the scrying spells to track myself again you will be charged for invasion of privacy; thank you.”

The guards that had chased the reporters surrounded them and hurried them out of the hall, each as impassive to their demands for more information as their Princess, who only teleported back the stack of papers she’d been working on before and returned to her task as if they’d never shown up at all.

It took a moment or two of silence for the diarch and ex-monarch to stop straining to hear them, despite their outward appearances, and returned to the relaxed postures they held beforehand.

“My, my, Chrysalis; one would think that your family is constantly under assault for how protective you are of them.” Celestia teased.

Chrysalis snorted. “I’m not paranoid, Princess, whatever ponies have been saying about me.”

The princess chuckled lightly. “If you say so, Chrysalis;” She slid a sheet she had only just finished writing to her chitinous counterpart and teleported in a new black quill for her, “here, read this and sign it.”

“What is it?” Chrysalis asked, taking the sheet and quill and starting to read carefully.

“It’s your acceptance of the new heavy restriction on Royal Jelly and its use and the terms to which you will be required to adhere should it ever need fabrication and application to any task. Penalties for breaking this contract, as you will read lower down, include time in the dungeon, hefty fines, and community service. Your granddaughter will be under the exact same contract, so do not think this only applies to you.”

Chrysalis nodded a little, reading through the paper studiously. She held it back over to Celestia, “You misspelled ‘extraneous’ here.” She said, pointing to the word in question with a hoof. The solar princess blinked at the word in question before scowling faintly. Her magic hovered over the word and it simply disappeared from the page, and she scratched the correction into place. Afterwards it looks like it had never been wrong in the first place. “Ah,” Chrysalis blurted, “thanks.”

“Any particular reason for that interruption Chrysalis, or are you just finding excuses to avoid signing your name?” Celestia asked curiously as she returned to writing on her stack of paper, now writing at a slightly slower pace to avoid future errors.

“Legally binding documents of this scale should be entirely correct to avoid ponies arguing that they are void due to inconsistencies or errors.” Chrysalis mumbled sidelong. “Wing-power-Induced-Casting..? That’s a thing?”

Celestia hummed in the affirmative. “Rare, but it’s been known to happen. The pegasi in question are often ridiculed by their peers for their poor or lack of flight skills. One of the Elements, Fluttershy, is one such case.”

“I’ve never seen or heard of her casting any spells?”

“Her magic is focused on boons, primarily those that allow for cross-species communication and empathy. It’s one of the reasons she’s so good with animals.”

“That makes as much sense as anything else, I suppose.” Chrysalis mumbled, ignoring the look of confused irritation that Celestia shot her way. “Don’t look at me like that; you grew up with everything coming in heart-shapes. It’s hard to have a serious conversation with the Gryphons and their dignitaries when you’re eating a meal of heart-shaped tuna sandwiches. I felt like I was back in third grade.”

The only sound that Celestia gave to this was a barely held-in snort of amusement. Chrysalis took this as her note to return to her reading and stuck in, stopping only when she hit the bottom. With a swish of the quill she signed her name on the page and held it back out to Celestia.

“All yours, cupcake.”

Celestia nodded and the paper rolled itself into a scroll, duplicated itself, and one vanished off to whatever dark recesses the legal filing system called home. She offered the other copy to Chrysalis. “This is your copy; I suggest keeping it somewhere safe.”

Chrysalis hummed and teleported the scroll away to her office at home; she would sort everything away later. “They should be done soon.” She commented sidelong.

As if summoned by her words, the door between them swung open and Flitterwing poked her head out. “Princess, mom, could you come in please; we’ve finished our task and I have… concerns.”

Celestia nodded and followed the changeling mare and her stack of paper into the examination room, where Glitter was sitting in the middle of a magic focus with an incredibly sheepish look on her face.

Chrysalis gave her granddaughter a confused look before turning to her daughter-in-law. “Why does Glitter look like she’s been caught with her hoof in a cookie jar and reprimanded for it?”

“Facts of life speeches tend to do that to a filly, mom.” Flitterwing replied. “What with her only getting an Equestrian education on the matter, I felt it important to advise her of how different she is now.”

“Ah;” Chrysalis blurted, “so… the egg thing?”

“The egg thing.”

“’Egg thing’..?” Celestia probed worriedly.

“Royal changelings give live birth to non-Royal offspring; Royals come from eggs. It allows for the extra gestation that is usually required for a changeling to be a Royal.” Chrysalis said matter-of-factly. “My son was hatched, for example. I can recall how embarrassing it was for me when mother told me.”

“In any case,” Celestia announced, taking some form of control over the conversation, “what concerns do you have?”

Flitterwing waved a hoof at her daughter. “While she’s physically and mentally the picture of health, despite her growth-induced hormone imbalance, she does have one issue that I am worried about. Her magic reserves are dangerously high; it’s as if she’s been storing magic for several months. I might not be worried so much if she had some reserve available, but…” She sighed. “Think of reserves like a rainwater tank; when it’s full, where does it go?”

Celestia nodded. “What are you proposing we do then?”

Flitterwing bit her lip nervously. “Well… I am suggesting that she wean it off by making some Royal Jelly.” She said, cringing in fright of the outrage she was expecting.

“I agree.”

Flitterwing’s eyes opened and looked about the room almost in a daze before they came to rest on the solar alicorn who had spoken. “Y-you do..? Even after all the trouble it has caused in the last, what, twenty-four hours?”

Celestia nodded and held a page and quill out to Glitter, who took them nervously and began to read. “As soon as she has read through and signed that agreement, we can help her through the process and create some Royal Jelly in a safe environment.” She said confidently. “As well, it will give our researchers something to study. Who knows, perhaps it could become a medical or scientific breakthrough.”

Flitterwing blinked at her before sighing and nodding. “Yes, I suppose so.” She said, sitting and waiting for her daughter to finish with the contract.

“Uh, who wrote this?”

Celestia sighed and stepped over to her, looking at the sheet. “Why do you ask?”

“Missing capitol letter.” She said, pointing to it with her quill. Celestia huffed and replaced the error before her eyes, and the albino changeling continued reading. After her eyes read the last line she paused and processed what she’d read before she signed the page where it prompted. Celestia nodded and repeated the process she had done with Chrysalis, giving the scroll to the eldest changeling for filing away.

“Alright, now;” Chrysalis mumbled, taking an empty beaker from a cupboard and floating it over to her granddaughter, “hold this in your hooves. Celestia, if you wish to create a warding shield around her to hold in a possible magic discharge now would be a good time.”

A golden bubble surrounded Glitter, and Flitterwing stepped a little further back to stay out of the way.

“Now, Glitter, you need to call up your magic. Once you do that, I need you to pull as much magic as you can into your horn,” Chrysalis instructed patiently, “when you have focused enough magic, it will force itself out of the tip of your horn as a thick viscous gel. You will need to capture this gel, Royal Jelly, in the beaker. Do not exhaust yourself, as you can easily harm yourself doing this.”

Glitter nodded before looking over at her grandmother curiously. “… Isn’t this stuff dangerous?”

With a chortle, Chrysalis replied: “Quite. Now quit stalling.”

Glitter whimpered before nodding and focusing.

Ten minutes and two hundred millilitres of Royal Jelly later, Glitter was breathing heavily and had given the beaker to Celestia, who sealed the bottle and handed it to Shred to take to the castle’s Vault.

“I don’t want to do that again.” Glitter huffed. “That sucked.”

Flitterwing smiled almost smugly. “Perhaps it’ll help you to think twice before creating Royal Jelly in the future, little lady.”

“Is there anything else you want to put me through, mom, or can I have the rest of my day back?”

“A few things, actually,” Flitterwing said smugly, “for a start, I want a test on your magic strength.”

“We have just the tool for such a thing, down in the barracks. If you could follow me,” Celestia chimed, leading the trio into the winding corridors of the castle. They travelled in relative silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of their hooves clattering on the tiles and the soft clink of guards’ armour as they stood to attention.

Finally they reached a large room with multiple articles of physical or magical practice. A few guards were within the apparent training room, sparring or practicing on their own. They all seemed to come to immediate halts, even the pony on the running machine who quite swiftly found himself on his ass because the machine didn’t stop with him. The Princess waved a wing idly.

“As you were my little ponies; we are only here to make use of the facilities.” She called, smiling disarmingly as she strolled through the room and over to a square weight. It didn’t really look like anything special. “Glitter, this is a piece of stone enchanted to detect and react to magic attempting to lift it and progressively become heavier until it cannot be lifted. It is let go by the magic-user attempting to lift it after twenty seconds, at which point a second magic enchantment will recite the weight it has reached. This demonstrates the amount of force that can be exerted by the caster, in other words their magical strength. At the moment, it weighs about two kilograms. Flitterwing, would you be willing to demonstrate?”

She nodded and Celestia stood back before prompting Flitterwing to proceed. Her horn lit up, and the stone was surrounded in her magic, but it did not shift in the least. Twenty seconds later, Flitterwing stopped and huffed, and the stone gave a soft thump as if settling back into place.

A male voice echoed out from the rock; “Forty eight point two three kilograms.”

“Not bad,” Celestia said cheerfully, “a good unicorn guard can lift just over eighty. Currently the record between guards is one hundred and three point four.”

“What’s your record, Princess?” Glitter asked curiously, to which Celestia chortled.

“I move the sun.” She stated with a playful tone.

“Right.” Glitter mumbled, before gazing back at the rock. “So… just lift it?”

“With all of your might yes; it should have reset by now, so… whenever you are ready.”

Glitter took a steadying breath before lighting her horn and gripping the stone. Her horn shone brighter as she forced her magical might to attempt to lift the stone, and this continued for almost twenty seconds before she gave up and let the stone go.

Again the voice called out, “Two hundred and sixty eight point seven three kilograms.”

Celestia nodded. “Using your mother as a reference, that is most impressive.” She said. “Twilight can lift somewhere around six hundred. Chrysalis, what was your record?”

“Four hundred and ninety two give or take.” Chrysalis replied calmly. “I suggest we work on offensive next.”

“I agree. Come, we shall use the clay discus launcher.”

A short jaunt over to a wide window found them overlooking a field. A unicorn nearby was already using a launcher, pressing a button on the ground with his hoof to launch a large clay disc into the field, which he would then take magic shots at. He seemed to be doing rather well, and rarely missed.

“Corporal Stone Wrought is doing a good job of demonstrating for us, but I believe that we should have Chrysalis show you anyway.” Celestia said, looking over to the duchess. “Would be good for you to keep up a little practice, hmm?”

Chrysalis shrugged and stepped up to the alcove, her hoof hovering over the red button. “This button releases a clay discus, which we then take a shot at using magic. You do know how to shoot magic, yes?”

“I remember doing it once and giving uncle Shred a bruise on his barrel.” Glitter said, grinning at the memory. “I mean, I didn’t mean to hurt him that much, only startle him, but I think I put too much magic into it.”

“Sounds about right for a first time shot,” Chrysalis mentioned, “now, we press the button and,”

She did push the button, and with fair accuracy shot the flying disc out of the air. The shrapnel dissolved upon hitting the ground, leaving no mess behind.

“How does that work?”

“The discs are magical constructs, each one enchanted to dissolve upon contact with the ground and be reconstructed within a launcher.” Celestia informed her patiently. “Now, step up and take your mark; ten discs, take your time.”

Glitter sighed and stepped over to the button next to the one that Chrysalis stood at. “This is going to be so bad.” She mumbled, before lighting her horn and pressing the button.

Her disc was surrounded in a black field and crushed to the size of a garden pea.

Glitter’s eyes bulged. “What in the name of my grandmother’s wings was that?!”

“Localized gravitational anomaly..?” Celestia asked almost under her breath. “Curious; Glitter, take another shot.”

She nodded and pushed the button, keeping her eye on the disc and launching her magic, to much the same result as before. Again the four mares only watched on in confusion.

“Well, it’s been a while, but this isn’t entirely unprecedented.” Celestia said, “Luna, Twilight and I are also capable of such manipulation, and we do have a few guards come through with such a skill now and then. I think we shall have to instruct you a little. Glitter, when you are about to unleash your magic project it from the tip of your horn, okay? When you’re ready;”

Glitter nodded and pulled up her magic again, giving a steadying breath before pushing the button. This time she managed to get an actual beam, and it took a couple of shots to hit the disc, but she only managed a glancing blow that made it spin out of flight and to the grass where it disintegrated.

“That’s more like it, though your aim has something to be desired. That can be improved over time, so don’t fret too much about that.” Celestia said warmly.

“Thank you, Princess. Now, is there anything else?” Glitter asked, taking a moment to take pot-shots at another disc, managing to hit it after the third shot. “As cathartic I find this, it’s hardly productive.”

“Just one more thing,” Flitterwing said, “Princess, we need a tower.”

“Oh no, you are not pushing me out of a tower to test my flight!” Glitter protested.

Her mother stared at her. “… What on Equus are you talking about? We need a tower for isolation to see if you can Amplify.”

Glitter blinked at her, not understanding. “What?”

“To Amplify is to use your magic to increase the volume of your voice. The Royal Canterlot Voice is a form of Amplification, though my sister and I are capable of performing the Voice without use of magic.” She sighed and shook her head. “I suggest you try it here, as using a tower would project your voice across Canterlot. Here you will only startle my guards, and after Luna returned, I’m fairly sure that they are somewhat used to it.”

“… Okay, how do I do this?” Glitter asked, taking shots at another disc and managing to hit this on the first shot.

“Surround your throat in your magic, do not take a grip; that’s the easiest way to strangle yourself. Once you’ve got magic around your throat, all you need do is speak.” Celestia instructed, turning to Chrysalis. “If you could demonstrate for me, Chrysalis; guard, be aware of Royal Canterlot Voice use in the next few minutes!”

Chrysalis sighed and followed the steps, turned her head to the room, and spoke but a word. “Testing!”

Glitter slapped her ears to her scalp and craned her head back from the sheer volume of her grandmother’s voice. Her head was ringing faintly, and she observed her grandmother tap her throat in irritation as her magic faded.

“Ah, that always chafes. I’ll need a drink after all this just from that.” She complained. Flitterwing smiled.

“We’ll get one after this; this is the last thing I need anyway. Go ahead, Glitter, show us what you’ve got.”

Glitter gulped and nodded, lighting up her horn and letting her magic encompass her throat before turning her head to the room and speaking a single word;

“Hello.”

The feeling was, as her grandmother had somewhat let slip, like scratching her vocal cords with sandpaper. Her magic let go the second the word left her mouth and she coughed, gripping her throat as she did so. A second and then third cough left her before she could control her breathing better, and she looked up at the Princess as if waiting for appraisal. Celestia hummed.

“Impressive, though not as loud as your grandmother or I; it was your first time though, and as Chrysalis has stated, it doesn’t feel good for those who are unused to it. Come, we’ll get something to drink and maybe a snack before you need to head home. Follow me to my chambers.”

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The four mares sat in one of Princess Celestia’s meeting rooms –a lavishly decorated and luxuriously cushy room with velvet seating, a marble coffee table, and a golden chandelier made to look like a hanging fern. Glitter stared up at the chandelier like she’d never seen anything like it before as they waited for a maid to return with some mid-afternoon nibbles.

Flitterwing was listening to Chrysalis and Celestia talk over the meeting with the reporters that had occurred, giving her mother-in-law a grateful smile when she talked about why she had been so angry when the stallion had asked after Glitter.

Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, the door opened and the maid they had sent off arrived with a small trolley carrying Glitter’s cup of fruit juice, a tea set with gently steaming teapot, and a tray of the most exquisite looking cookies that Glitter had ever lay her eyes on. The tray was placed on the coffee table with the tea set taking a position next to it and Glitter’s juice being placed in front of where she sat. With her duty done, the maid dipped her head and stepped out of the room.

Celestia gently poured a cup of tea for herself and the two adult changelings, adding some cream and honey to hers before stirring and taking a dainty sip. She sighed with a pleased smile. “Ah, rose and peach, somepony is trying to butter me up.”

“Maybe your maid wants a raise?” Chrysalis asked as she tipped a frankly irresponsible amount of sugar into her tea. She took a short tip of it and also smiled. “I can see she has potential at least.”

“You mean you can still taste your tea through the cane field of sugar you just put into it?” Flitterwing teased, still stirring the cream and sugars into her own. “She must be good then.” Her eyes turned to her daughter, who was staring at the biscuits on the tray as if they were the first edible thing she’d seen in weeks.

Celestia seemed to follow her gaze and she giggled a little. “You know, Twilight was the same way when I first took her on as my pupil. She wouldn’t eat my biscuits either.”

Glitter nodded a little, flushing green in a blush.

Chrysalis floated one over to her granddaughter and held it just out of her reach, where she could smell it but not quite snap at it. “These ones have peach in them~.” She teased as she wafted the biscuit around.

With a flash of magic that didn’t belong to Chrysalis, the biscuit was in Glitter’s mouth where she hummed appreciatively.

“Is it as good as you thought it would be?” Chrysalis asked teasingly.

Glitter nodded, and another voice joined them. “I would assume it’s as divine as she is.”

Chrysalis groaned and Celestia’s face turned into her usual pokerface, a tell-tale sign that she was as irritated by the arrival as Chrysalis was.

Prince Blueblood stepped into the room and gave Glitter a look that she was sure the prince thought was ‘appraising’ but to her was both hungry and creepy in a very, very unnerving way.

“And who might this delightful creature be?”

“This ‘delightful creature’ is thirteen;” Glitter said dismissively.

“Oh my, you don’t look a day over twenty, thirteen hundred years, really?” He asked, still layering on his charming voice as thick as he could manage and making Flitterwing glare.

“No, she is thirteen.” She hissed. “That’s my daughter you creepy degenerate.”

He gave Flitterwing a slightly angry look out of the corner of his eye. “Nopony said you were part of this conversation, bug; go back to the hole you crawled-”

His words didn’t continue, as Glitter had stood, turned, and slapped him across the face. Both Chrysalis and Celestia gawked at the action in stunned silence.

“Never call my mother a bug.” She hissed.

Celestia cleared her throat loudly when he turned back to retort. “What are you doing here, Prince Blueblood?” She asked patiently, motioning for Chrysalis to rein-in her granddaughter discreetly.

He rubbed his cheek where Glitter had slapped him and looked over at his aunt. “I was following a maid with a tray of biscuits, juice, and tea; I did not know that you had… guests.”

Celestia nodded. “Prince Blueblood, these are Duchess Chrysalis’s family, her daughter in law Flitterwing,” she motioned to said changeling with a hoof, “and her granddaughter, Glitter.”

Blueblood’s eye twitched at the mention of Flitterwing’s name, which amused said mare no end; clearly he had difficulty seeing her as anything less than scum after she had more or less turned him down.

“May I?” Glitter asked, motioning to the tray of biscuits. Celestia nodded, and she levitated a biscuit from the tray and took a bite. “Mm, strawberries.”

“The royal pastry chef is skilled, isn’t she?” Celestia asked her, to which the albino changeling nodded vehemently. “Not bad for somepony who came in off the streets.”

“Oh?” Glitter asked curiously, taking a second bite from her biscuit and ignoring Blueblood as he stomped out of the room from lack of attention.

Celestia nodded. “She’d worked at a patisserie in Applewood that didn’t fare so well, and was out on the street when her landlords changed the locks on her with no warnings.” Celestia gave a short shake of her head, “I had my guards visit them after I heard what they’d done. In any case, she came in and asked for a chance to earn a job here. When Luna tasted the cupcake that she baked to prove she would fit in, she hired her on the spot.” She smiled warmly and sipped her tea, “It was the best decision that Luna has made since she returned.”

Glitter finished her biscuit with a huge smile and nodded. “I don’t think Pony Joe could compete, but he comes close.”

“Ah, Joe makes every customer valued, which more than makes up for it.” Celestia replied. “And his coffee is divine.”

“I’ll take your word for it, I don’t drink coffee myself.” Glitter said, levitating over her juice and drinking deeply of it. “Ooh, that’s good too; Granna, you didn’t tell her that peaches are my favourite, did you?”

“I may have let it slip.”

Glitter gave her a sarcastic glare, “Snitch~.”

Chrysalis held a hoof to her head dramatically. “Oh, you wound me so.” She declared, “Maybe I should deny you any birthday cake in punishment.”

Flitterwing barked a short laugh before waving a hoof. “Mom, stop bullying your granddaughter; we’ve had enough trouble for one day.”

“Speaking of birthdays;” Celestia began as she locked her eyes on Glitter, “happy birthday. I shall see if I can coax our pastry chef into making you a tin of biscuits. If I have to give some of the nobles gifts on their birthdays, I’m sure I can excuse sending one to the granddaughter of a Duchess;” Her warm smile infectiously spread to Glitter, who blushed as well, “Especially since you’ve joined the small group of immortals that call Equestria home.”

“If it means getting a box of these delicious biscuits, it was worth the headache.”

A short round of soft laughter filled the room before they returned to the soft chatter that had been filling the room before the biscuits and drinks had arrived.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Later that night, Glitter sat at the communal table in Little Hive, with her friends, fellow changelings, and even Booker’s wife Inky Swirl, all sat around her and the table with a large cake in front of her, candles lit and everypony singing her a happy birthday before she blew out the candles.

She leaned back in her seat and smiled, watching the little smoke trails rise from their respective candles until the last wisp vanished. “It’s been a busy day, I’ll say that much.” She mused as her mother cut the cake into individual slices.

“At least you got a tin of those biscuits from the princess, hmm?” Chrysalis teased.

“There is that, yes.” Glitter replies. “And I’m not short anymore.”

“Hip, hip, hooray for that.” Sandy said sarcastically, “I don’t have to check underhoof so much now.”

“And it’ll be easier for us to practice dancing, too.” Doublestep added, nudging Glitter’s ribs.

“Oh joy,” Glitter huffed, shifting at his nudge, “because I so enjoyed looking like a fool when we did that before.”

A piece of cake on a plate was placed before her with a small fork by her mother’s magic, “eat up, Hon, and then it’s present time.”

A few minutes later, Glitter sat amongst the remains of gift wrappers, their subsequent gifts stacked neatly by her right. From Lightyear, Grall, and Crackle she’d gotten a silver necklace with an emerald charm in the shape of a heart, currently she wore this and its box sat atop the neat stack. At the bottom, in a box all its own, rested a dress that her grandmother had gotten made for her using her new measurements made of white satin and silk with green trim. Her mother, Booker, and Inky Swirl had gotten her a portion of the ‘Daring Do’ collection, to which she said she would add on her own. Shred, Dopple, and Husk had all worked together to get her a new bedspread of silk in a pleasant blue and silver pattern.

Finally, her friends had gotten her some hair care products and utensils that she would need made from oak and other fine materials. On top of all that, of course, was the tin of biscuits from Celestia herself.

“There is one other thing, Glitter,” Doublestep mumbled as he drew a little closer.

“Hmm?”

The colt sat alongside her, blushed furiously, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. The action made everypony besides himself and Sandy freeze and stare at him like he’d grown a second head. Glitter’s left hoof lifted to touch her cheek where he’d kissed her.

“Wh-what..?”

He blushed furiously, giving her a hopeful and sad little smile before bolting to a distant corner where he huddled and looked incredibly sheepish. Sandy hovered a little closer to her changeling friend.

“What was that all about?” Glitter asked her curiously.

Sandy smiled at her faintly before blushing and kissing Glitter’s other cheek and following her earth-bound friend to the corner and gaining a strangely cheerful grin as she nudged him, leaving Glitter to stare at her retreating form. A heavy and pregnant silence filled the room after the kiss, during which Glitter’s hoof lifted to her cheek where Sandy had kissed her. She blinked after them in befuddlement before her cheeks tinted a faint green.

“That was… different.” Flitterwing commented.

“For you, maybe;” Inky Swirl said, “but it’s actually kind of common in Equestria.”

“It’s common to randomly kiss a friend on the cheek then run off with a blush on your face like you’ve just been caught with your hoof in the cookie jar?” Glitter asked confusedly, still blushing herself.

Inky Swirl gave a laugh, “In a way, yes.” She moved closer and put a hoof on Glitter’s shoulder. “I think they like you.

“You know, as more than just friends.”

Author's Note

Phew, 'bout time I finished this chapter.

Now back to my studies. See you again when the next chapter is out.

... Whenever that is.

*This is how Glitter's hair looks, not sure if anyone is interested... :

Nobles

It took some time for Glitter to manage to get away from her changeling kin during the party and corner both of her friends at the same time. Most of the challenge lay in it being her birthday celebration, and as such she was the ‘guest’ of honour; others would keep finding reasons to talk with her over this or that, adding to her irritation.

At long last she managed to get both Sandy and Doublestep alone in her room, cornering them on her bed. She couldn’t help but notice how nervous the pair looked, sitting on her bed and looking anywhere but at her. It hurt her heart to see them so uneasy around her, and the only sound in the room as she approached was the soft sound of her hooves against the carpet.

Still, now that she was here, she found herself unsure how to break the ice. Internally she sighed; this would be an awkward and uncomfortable conversation regardless of what she said. She could see the heavy blush and nervous fidgeting of the pair on the bed, almost cowering from her as if they were her foals and she’d caught them with their hooves in the cookie jar.

“So…” She muttered, internally slapping a hoof to her face as the discomfort in the air seemed to triple at the utterance. She sighed, taking the plunge. “Look, we need to talk about… whatever that was back there. I honestly don’t know what to think about it all, and I want your views on it. Do you- am I…”

Doublestep squeaked in a manner that made Glitter think of a rubber duck, and Sandy looked down at the bed in a vain attempt to hide her blush before speaking.

“I… Double and I had been planning this for when you finally grew up,” she managed to say, “we were hoping that you’d have… maybe… had the same feelings. We certainly didn’t expect you to grow into… this.” She gestured with her hooves at Glitter vaguely.

The changeling blinked at her. “And what’s wrong with this?” She asked, gesturing at herself.

Sandy giggled a little, “We, you, I… We thought you’d grow to be like your mother, you know? A normal, if monochrome, changeling mare; green eyes, white chitin, but instead-“

“You’re gorgeous!” Doublestep blurted, before slapping a hoof over his mouth as his whole head turned red. As the other two turned their eyes on him, one in irritation and the other in stunned surprise, he overbalanced and fell down the far side of the bed, landing in a heap.

Sandy sighed, “Quite,” she huffed, “it made things… harder, seeing what you’ve grown into. Not because you’re different, we know you’re still the same changeling that we grew up with, but, well…”

Doublestep managed to get back to his hooves, “We kinda thought, together, that you’d… not want us.” He suddenly shook his hooves at her, fright on his face and a new stammer in his voice. “N-not that we don’t- I mean, I, we –this is harder than I thought.” He breathed with a sigh, plopping his chin onto the bed and looking dejectedly up at her. “Look, Glitter, we like you; that much is obvious from our… earlier behaviour. We’re just not sure why you might like us back; you’re built like a model, and I’m sure you’re going to get heaps of attention from the richer, more powerful, and better looking ponies in Canterlot. Why would you give up, say, a herd with Prince Blueblood for us?”

Sandy nodded. “Yeah,”

“We’re noponies; the daughter of a weathermare, and the son of a pair of musicians. What could we possibly-“

Glitter had, during his self-depreciation spat, walked around the bed to where he sat and cut him off, pressing her lips to his own. Glitter sighed as she pulled away from him, sitting on her haunches to regard the now quiet young stallion. It was impressive what could be done with actions alone, she thought.

“Step, a few things; one, you’re hardly from nopony families. Sandy’s mother is the captain of the extreme weather team, and your parents are part of the Royal Canterlot Symphony Orchestra; I recall you being ecstatic that you met Octavia Melody when you were younger, what do you call her now? Auntie Octavia, wasn’t it?” She paused to let him nod, before continuing, “Secondly, have you met Prince Blueblood? He’s a sleaze! He tried to proposition me, thought that us informing him that I’m thirteen meant thirteen hundred, and called mom a bug.”

“Eesh, I know what that does for you lot…” Sandy commented.

“He’s meant to be the most eligible bachelor in Canterlot…” Doublestep mumbled, to which Glitter barked a laugh.

“He’s only the most eligible bachelor because he’s a Prince; Granna’s said that she’d rather have relations with a Manticore. But anyway, thirdly…” She sighed and smiled at them, “thirdly, what if you’re the ones that I choose too?”

Sandy and Doublestep’s jaws dropped open, and the pair of them began to perform their best imitations of goldfish before one of them could find their voice, in this case being Doublestep. “W-what..?”

“Oh, come on, Double, we’re awesome, why wouldn’t she like us back?”

Doublestep sighed and grumbled under his breath, “I already gave a couple of reasons…”

“How long have I known you both? Eight years..? In all those years, has anypony else shown even the most fleeting interest in me, in any way? Come on, we’re thirteen, and I have two friends: you.” She struggled to maintain a smile in their direction, moisture filling her eyes and blurring her vision. “You think it’s hard to accept that you might like me in that way? No, that’s easy to grasp. The only thing I find hard to understand how this would work, I mean, Booker is married to Inky; he doesn’t have a whole bunch of mares sharing time with him…”

Sandy shuffled her wings as she rested on the bed, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “Right, not a native Equestrian, I keep forgetting there are things you’ve not picked up… Equestrians, we… over the years we’ve picked up on other nations’ customs and practices, but one thing that stays with our nation is the birth-rates between genders. Step’s parents really lucked out getting him; ponies are five times more likely to get a filly than a colt, we’ve never really discovered why.”

“Sure made my family turn each of my birthdays into a celebration, I’ll say that much.”

“Anyway, Ponies, and sometimes Gryphons, have polygamous relationships called a ‘herd’. Typically it’s a group of mares and a stallion in a group relationship. I’m pretty sure I remember hearing one of mom’s old gryphon friends talking about his flock, so that might be the word they use. I’m… a little iffy on the details of herding, I’m sure we can ask Miss Bloom in school next week.”

“That’s going to be an awkward conversation. ‘Hey, Miss Bloom, could you tell us about Herding in detail?’” Step mumbled under his breath, but not loud enough to not be heard.

Glitter huffed, her eyes narrowing at them slightly. “Okay, so explain how this works; we three would form a herd because both of us,” she gestured between herself and Sandy with a hoof, “like Step?”

“Buck no, that wouldn’t work. Any relationship like that would fall apart in a week, a few months, tops.” Sandy retorted snippily. “There has to be something between the mares, too; are you suggesting that you don’t like me?”

“That’s an argument I refuse to start, and you know it. You’re my oldest friend, Sandy, why would you think anything else?”

“Maybe because I’m a three hooved cripple who couldn’t walk to save her life, and everypony is too busy being ‘polite’ to just address the issue like adults and move on?”

“Where in the name of Canterlot’s spires did that come from, seriously, are you just picking a fight, or-“

Unnoticed by the girls, Step had leaned across the bed and moved a hoof behind each of their heads as they steadily got closer and closer to one another in their argument. Just as the argument was getting heated enough, he pushed their faces together in a kiss that cut them off. After a moment’s confused shock at the sensation, they pulled back, staring at one another before looking across at Step, who shrugged.

“Proof it’ll work; you didn’t just continue yelling at one another after that.”

The two mares blinked at him, each digesting what he’d just done in their own time, before they turned back to one another. As they continued to stare at one another what could only be described as an ‘evil smile’ spread across their lips.

“Remind me, Sandy; which type of pony was known for endurance?”

“I do believe it was Earth Ponies, Glitter.”

Their slightly manic gazes turned on their male companion, each grinning like hyenas. “And Step has us all to himself, huh Sandy?”

“He does, Glitter, he does;” Sandy assured, sliding closer to the colt, “perhaps we should test his endurance now, hmm?”

“Uh, girls, I don’t think—“

Glitter slid forward and interrupted him with a kiss. “You’re not supposed to think right now.”

Chrysalis’ voice cut through the air sharply, making all three jolt and turn to her in the doorway. “As cute as this all is, I’m going to have to tell you all that kissing is as far as you three go. Your parents would be very angry if you went any further, and I will not have ponies of your age doing such things under my roof. Is that understood?”

“M-Mrs Chrysalis w-” Sandy stammered, blushing crimson.

“Is that understood?” Chrysalis growled angrily, glaring daggers at the trio.

The three young ponies nodded furiously at her, earning a smile in return, and she left the room as silently as she had entered, closing the door behind her.

Glitter huffed at the door once it had shut, turning her attention back to her companions. “Well, that killed the mood.”

“I think that was the point,” Doublestep said, his breathing slightly heavy.

Sandy, however, put a hoof on Double’s chin and quickly kissed him. “Who said we were going to stop though?”

Glitter grinned and gave him a kiss herself before breathing into his ear. “Let’s see if you’re up to the challenge, hmm?”

With that the two mares dove on him, punctuated only by him uttering “Oh buck,” as he toppled off the bed backwards.

“I don’t really care what you were doing, Glitter, honest;” Flitterwing snapped as she wrapped gauze around Step’s head, “I’m just glad you came to me when he started bleeding. You did clean up the floor, yes?”

“Yes, mom,” Glitter sheepishly mumbled, “I made sure to clear up the pencils too.”

“Praise the sun that Earth Ponies have such strong skeletons, you could have seriously hurt him.”

Doublestep grumbled under his breath, “I didn’t think spending time with mares would be so dangerous.”

Flitterwing gave her daughter a sideways look, her eyes thinning to slivers. “Oh, something you do care to tell me, Glitter?”

“We weren’t doing anything! Honest; Granna already walked in on us and told us off, we knew our limits!” Glitter protested, recoiling from her mother’s glare. She’d not been under this intense a glare from her mother in a while and it was unnerving her.

“That I did;” Chrysalis smugly affirmed from where she sat, holding Sandy down with her hooves while her magic ran a brush through her mane, finding and undoing knots likely left for longer than they should have been, “gave them the scare of their lives.” The brush caught on a particularly unruly knot and Sandy yelped, making Chrysalis tut. “When was the last time you saw a brush, young lady? Honestly, not even Slithoof’s got this bad, and he was horrible at doing this.”

Sandy, continuing to struggle to be free of Chrysalis’ grip, practically snarled her response, “I’m only going to mess it up flying later, what’s the point?!”

“I know a pegasus in Ponyville who would agree with you wholeheartedly,” the monarch chortled, “as well as a unicorn who would be shocked to tears at your lack of mane care. I’m pretty sure I have one of her designs in my wardrobe, actually… Anyway; you’d find you have less drag with no knots in your mane, less for the air to catch on.”

“I take it,” Inky Swirl began with a cruel smile, “you enjoy their gifts, Glitter?”

Glitter could only groan and lower her face to the table.

Soon after that, the night wound to a close and, with final farewells and tidings of happy birthdays, guests left. Doublestep’s parents, of course, were initially worried about him when they arrived to find their colt with bandages wrapped around his head, but upon reassurances from Flitterwing, and insistence from both Glitter and Sandy, they accepted that it was an accident and left as non-confrontational as they had arrived.

Her gifts put away for the night –and the baked goodies from Celestia stowed in the fridge- Glitter clambered into bed. Her grandmother had taught her a spell shortly after her friends had left, while she ran a brush through the albino’s pearly white mane.

“It’s something that I learned from Princess Celestia, actually;” Chrysalis had said warmly, placing the brush to one side and starting to plait her granddaughter’s hair, “it’s a simple two-part spell. First we neaten up this mane of yours, there we are…” Finally managing to wrangle Glitter’s mane into a neat plait, she bound it tight and spun her in place, “if you hop onto the Hive Mind, I’ll share with you the spell’s Codex.”

Glitter nodded and connected, twitching a little at the multiple voices that greeted her all at once, before opening her mind and allowing her grandmother to give her the spell. With another twitch she disconnected, blinking at nothing as she digested the knowledge given to her.

“Really, so simple..?” She mumbled to herself, before shaking her head. “I had a feeling that it would be something complex and convoluted…”

“That’s what I thought, too. Supposedly Twilight Sparkle created it for Princess Cadance; she’s good at removing excess fluff from spells. Anypony else would have added nonsense about cleaning and healing the mane it’s cast on, but she was succinct and to the point on what she wanted. In any case, use the first part of this spell now, and the second part tomorrow morning, and it’ll return your mane to its current state without needing me to brush and plait it again.”

And so, after casting the first half of the spell, she lay back in bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders, fidgeting to get as comfortable as she could before looking over at her mother already asleed in the other bed in the room fondly.

“Love you, mom.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

The sun rose anew, as it must every day, and its light awoke the denizens of Equestria, each stirring to greet it in their own way. Some rose cheerful and embracing the day, others looking forward to the activities they would encounter in their waking hours.
Then we have Glitter. She is not what some would call a ‘morning pony’.

Groggily she arose from her slumber, her grumbling causing her mouth to be in constant motion as she wandered to the bathroom and began her usual morning rituals. Her back and neck ached furiously, and she was certain that something had pinched off the nerves that allowed her to feel her tail. Frankly she felt like a wreck. Faintly recalling what her grandmother had instructed the night before, she applied the second half of her mane-care spell while she brushed her sharp teeth.

A black figure sidled up next to her and joined her in the morning task of dental care, and Glitter nodded at the reflection in the mirror. She waited until she’d cleared her mouth before speaking.

“Morning, Granna.”

The elder mare nodded before clearing her mouth out, “Good morning to you as well, Glitter; sleep well?”

Glitter shifted her tail as she regained feeling in it. “Not really, Granna.”

Chrysalis hummed amusedly, starting to apply her usual makeup. “Let me guess, back pains, unable to feel your tail, a weird tingling feeling in your hind hooves?”

“Y-yeah, how’d you guess?”

“Because I went through the same thing; it’s your bed, your mattress specifically. We’ll pick up a new one on our way home, alright?”

“Why would my bed be the problem?”

“You’ve been sleeping on the same mattress for a fair few years now, and it’s no longer able to comfortably support your new weight. The springs will be all warped and shaped to your previous, smaller size.”

Something having had a few moments to properly analyse her grandmother’s words, something clicked in her head, prompting a worried question. “Wait, ‘on our way home’? Where are we going?”

An amused chortle rumbled from her grandmother in response, “We are headed to the castle today, sweetheart; there are questions that the public would like answered, and we have a press conference to attend so that we can quiet rumours before they start. You know what the Canterlot rumour mill is like, it’ll be best if we settle minds sooner rather than later.”

Glitter’s mouth almost vanished as she pursed it dangerously thin, evidently not liking the answer. For at least a minute she stood there staring into the mirror, not noticing in the least as her grandmother retrieved and began to apply sheen to her chitin with a micro-fibre cloth. Just as Chrysalis finished her ministrations, polishing her granddaughter to the look she had when she had moulted the day before.

“We’re stopping to pick up Sandy and Step on the way.” Glitter said finally, blinking out of her stupor and noticing her shiny coat. “Granna please stop doing things like that when I’m not paying attention, it’s really off putting.”

“And ruin all my fun? Why, are you trying to make me boring, Hon?” Chrysalis asked, smirking amusedly. “And why do you want to fetch your friends? Trying to get some snogging done while we’re in the palace?”

“Granna!”

Chrysalis could only laugh and dance away from Glitter’s hoof as she attempted to swat at her. “Oh, you’re going to make today so much fun.”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

An hour later and the group of six, including Sandy and Doublestep, were strolling into the main halls of Canterlot Castle, being watched warily by guards on all sides. Shred strode alongside Chrysalis, reading through paperwork handed to him by a lieutenant; it seemed that the new recruits he was scheduled to train were going to be placed not within the Royal Guard, or even the Night Guard, but under the ‘unique’ branch of guard that he himself was placed within. It would mean that more attention would be required of him to train them, as his own skills would be brought into question if they weren’t up to snuff.
And he hated it when the other guards questioned his skills.

A few courtiers skirted around the group, scurrying from one royal to another. One or two would skid to a halt every now and then and talk to Chrysalis, giving her messages or paperwork to read or sign, before hurrying off again. Pegasus messengers flew hurriedly overhead, each of them barely out of schooling age and into their working years, young and full of energy as they were. Such young messengers were important for a couple of reasons, firstly it gave young pegasi a stable job until they could get work with their special talent. Secondly their youth came with a lot of excitable energy and fidgety nerves, meaning they often performed their given tasks in record time. No young pony wanted to be stuck at work for long amounts of time when they could be out having fun with their friends, after all!

The group came upon one such messenger sitting on a bench to the left of the hall they strode down, staring down a corridor opposite him. He appeared to be attempting to psyche himself up for his task, but the way he shook and breathed unsteadily betrayed his frayed and unsteady nerves. Chrysalis sidled up to him, the pegasus appearing totally unaware of her until she poked his shoulder.

“Is everything alright, Swift Squall?” She asked him, making him jump and yelp as if she’d just bellowed in his ear.

“D-Duchess, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there! I-I can find a different seat if—“

Chrysalis shook her head at him, holding him down with a hoof. “Stay, Swift Squall, you have nothing to apologize for. You look nervous, is something the matter?”

He opened his mouth, possibly to spout some sort of refute, before his shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I-it’s this message I’ve been tasked to deliver; only one of the day, they’re even paying me a full day’s pay for it!” He said, sounding eager and excited about the last statement before slumping again. “But it’s about the change in the Nobles’ titles and privileges and stuff, and it’s addressed to Prince Blueblood, and, well…”

“I know of the review and reassessments of the Noble stations, and I also have knowledge of what the message you hold entails in regards to the Princeling. I am unsure as to your unease regarding your task, however; you are not at fault for what news you deliver him. ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ is something that I take quite seriously, in fact; I’m sure the Princeling has similar thoughts.”

The pegasus, Swift Squall, huffed. “Tell that to my friend he nearly lamed when she delivered a message telling him he was getting a cut to his stipend for slandering Princess Luna in parliament.”

Chrysalis’s eye twitched and she appeared to be grinding her teeth in her effort to keep herself calm at this titbit of information. “I see,” she said sharply, before pointing to a pair of guards opposite her in the hall, “you two,”

“Sergeant Heavy Hoof and Corporal Firm Lance, my Queen,” Shred informed, not bothering to look up from his paperwork.

“Yes, yes, Heavy Hoof and Firm Lance-” she paused, having said the stallion’s name and gave him a questioning look, “’Firm Lance’..?”

The stallion shuffled in his place awkwardly, “Let’s just say that my wife is a very happy mare, Duchess.”

Chrysalis blinked at him for a moment before sighing, “What you get up to in your own time is your own business, corporal; right now I would like you and the sergeant to accompany messenger Swift Squall on his duty. You may return to your posts after, of course, but I want you to report anything foul that might befall him, understood?”

The pair saluted at her after getting a confirming nod from Shred. “Yes, Duchess.”

“If the Princeling gives you any grief, Swift Squall, tell him to talk to me, alright? You are not at fault for the news you bring to any of us.”

The colt nodded, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “Thank you, Duchess.”

She smiled and stood from the bench. “No problem, Swift Squall. Now get to work, we’re not paying you to sit around, hmm?”

He laughed and after being joined by the two guards, began his walk towards his goal. Chrysalis watched him walk until he turned a corner and out of sight, and she gave a wistful sigh. “Never a dull moment in this place, is there?”

“You are hardly guilty of making this place quiet for once, my Queen.” Shred commented, still nose deep in his leaves of paper. “If anything, your recent behaviour has only made the palace more unruly.”

Chrysalis grumbled under her breath as she rose from the bench and urged the group to walk on, continuing her stroll towards the throne room.

“Glitter said something last night about Prince Blueblood being horrible… surely not all of the nobility are like that?” Sandy asked worriedly.

Chrysalis tittered. “No, Sandy, not all of them are horrid; parliament is a constant struggle for supremacy to get your views seen over those of others. Some refuse to lower themselves to such tactics, such as Fancy Pants and the Twilight household. The Fire family are vicious in political circles, but know where to draw the line as well as the Dos.”

“Fire family? The Dos..? Who are they?”

“Ah, the Fire family is the name of the household that commonly use ‘fire’ in their names somewhere. Spitfire of the Wonderbolts is the current matron of the household, and her brother Firewing is the patriarch, however if she weds then Spitfire’s husband would take that role, but not the political power. And the Dos, well, they are an old pegasus noble line from Private Pansy’s bloodline. Daring Do’s name is derived from this family, and A.K. Yearling is actually of the Do household. She generally leaves all of the high-society and political gaming to her father though; Count Doocoonut is rather skilled in both these regards.

“Conversely we have others who don’t seem to know when to draw the line with their silly power play, with Prince Blueblood, the Pearl household, and the Avian family.” Chrysalis paused a moment to turn to the receptionist that they’d approached outside the throne room, a white unicorn with a dark brown mane in a bun, brown eyes behind large glasses, and a ruffled cravat in a vibrant red. “No offense of course, Miss Raven.”

The receptionist shrugged. “None taken, Baroness Chrysalis; I know my father and brother are thoroughly unappealing individuals. Only took being kicked out of my home and sent to Ponyville for me to realize how bad they really were.” She looked down to her paperwork and marked something on a sheet. “Your party are due to see the Princess in half an hour, from which point you are the only appointment for much of the day. Please find seats and wait for your party to be called, and thank you for visiting the castle.”

“Raven, you don’t need to do the tourist line with me, we work together.” Chrysalis said reprovingly yet smiling warmly. “But thank you all the same.” She added, before leading her group over to some provided seats. “That was Raven, the youngest of the Avian family. They’re named as such due to their habit of using bird names for their family. The current eldest, Robin Crest and Ostrich Feather, are rather unpleasant individuals. The Pearls, called so for their pearl heirlooms dating back to the days of the Three Tribes, are currently led by Jet Set and Upper Crust. They, also, don’t seem to know when to stop playing the game and will often do so with the general public.

“Many of the lower court nobles are much the same; I don’t see their attitudes as being attacks on my person, but rather attempts at political gain. There will come a time, Glitter, when you may be a part of political proceedings, and I will do all I can to prepare you for this. I won’t have my own family become a target for those who seek only to gain for themselves.”

“Noble sentiment, to be sure,” A deep yet smooth male voice said, the owner of which stepped over and dipped his head, “Duchess Chrysalis, a pleasure to see you so well today.” He was a tall Earth Pony stallion, heavily built, with a well combed and styled moustache and mane of a rust colour, and his fur, while hidden mostly beneath a suit jacket and tie, was a soft tan. On his flank the image of a palm tree could be seen.

“You as well, Count Doocoonut, we were just discussing the noble houses and their attitudes, something I know you’re well versed in.” She motioned to the others sitting with her. “Glitter, Sandy, Doublestep, and Flitterwing this is Count Doocoonut, patriarch of the Do household. Count, these are my daughter in law,” she motioned to Flitterwing, who offered a hoof which he shook, “my granddaughter Glitter,” another hoofshake followed, “and my granddaughter’s friends, Sandy and Doublestep.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” the count said warmly. “Whatever are you doing here this morning, Chrysalis, your office doesn’t usually open on a weekend?”

“I could ask the same of you, Count; not that I find your presence unwelcome, of course, but don’t you and your wife visit the market district this time on a Saturday?”

The count chuckled, “Yes, well, as of being informed yesterday that the titles and Noble system was undergoing a change, I inquired as to who was being changed in larger steps than others; it’s how I know of your Duchess title, my dear.” He smiled in what Glitter considered a sadistic manner. “You honestly expect me to not be here when the Prince is given his new restrictions?”

Chrysalis cackled. “Oh, Count, I just told these younglings that you were one of the nice nobles, whatever am I supposed to do now that you’re showing a cruel streak?”

“Showing a ’Cruel streak’, Chrysalis? You wound me so!” He said, feigning offense with a smile. “That little twit has had me against him for years, ever since he tried to claim that my dear daughter is a deviant for the more violent parts of her novels and for turning him down romantically.”

“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?” Flitterwing hissed angrily. “Does he have a taste for bookish mares or something?”

“Seeing as he approached Princess Twilight Sparkle just after her ascension to an Alicorn, I don’t think so.” The count said, now with a slight frown. “If anything, I think he saw it merely as a means to an end.” He sighed after this comment, taking a moment to recover his thoughts before smiling back at Chrysalis. “In any case; Duchess, you didn’t answer my initial question, though I must compliment you on your diversion.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Thank you, it is important that we test the waters of the Game regardless of the place, but you know as well as I do that I loathe it outside of parliament. For your information, we are here to hold a press conference regarding the incident yesterday afternoon.”

“Ah, the magic geyser at Lower Canterlot School I take it? Do tell, was anypony hurt by that ugly business, the media is rather tightlipped about it.”

“Nopony was harmed, Count, I assure you.” Chrysalis replied pertly. “Were they, Glitter?”

Glitter shifted uncomfortably as the count turned his gaze on her disbelievingly, only for her friends to lean closer and practically sandwich her between them. “That was you, dear?”

Glitter turned her face away from him. “I… I didn’t have much choice in the matter, sir.”

“If you stick around long enough, Count, you’ll hear exactly what we tell the press.” Chrysalis said. “Only about half an hour, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long.”

“Actually, Chrysalis, it would be good of you to follow me in now.” A female voice cut in. The group turned to see Princess Luna, of all ponies, standing patiently nearby with a pair of her bat-like Thestral guards flanking her. The gathered group gave a courteous bow before rising from their seats and following her into the throne room, where they found Princess Celestia sitting upon her throne with what looked like a slice of cake, and Princess Twilight Sparkle reading a clip board of paperwork to one side.

“Good morning, Princesses,” Chrysalis began, leading her little procession in a group bow, “from what I heard from one of the weather ponies, it’s looking to be a rather fine day.”

“Cut the smarm, Duchess, you know better than to do that with us.” Luna hissed at her as she sat alongside her sister.

Chrysalis sighed. “So much for small talk; very well then, Princess Luna, we’ll keep this cold, sterile, and slightly hostile tone in your presence, does that suit you better?”

“Are you trying to be smart with me, Duchess? How did that work out for you last time, do you recall?”

“I recall a prissy pony princess prancing preciously away from me as if she’d won some sort of prize, only to find fake scorpions in her bed.”

“What’s with the cake?”

The arguing royals stopped and, together, looked over at the pegasus that had just blurted out her question. She, in turn, appeared to not notice the new attention she had garnered herself. Princess Twilight Sparkle stared at her with her mouth wide open, and Princess Celestia giggled as she took another bite.

She chewed thoroughly and swallowed before responding. “This, Miss Sandy is something that I had my chefs create for me centuries ago; the nobles know me as a notorious sweet tooth, and this cake is actually made of breakfast. Waffles, muffins, syrup, a little cream, and some strawberries are what go into it, and it’s actually rather healthy.” She smiled over her cake at the surprised pegasus. “You have your Wheat-O Crunch, I have Breakfast Cake.”

“I am so getting a copy of that recipe for my next birthday.” Glitter blurted out.

“In any case; Changelings, you know what we are here for?” Celestia asked, continuing only after she’d swallowed her next bite of breakfast and they had nodded to her. “Well, once I have finished my meal, we will be enjoying the company of numerous reporters,”

“Or as I call them, ‘Vocal Vultures’,” Chrysalis interjected with a giggle.

Celestia gave her a firm stare to which she wilted slightly. “Quite; anyway, we are going to inform them of the events that occurred yesterday at Lower Canterlot School, as well as a few additional questions that will likely arise from this. I ask that you at least attempt to keep your cool regardless of the questions asked. If you require time to do so, please indicate; royal press conferences are regulated under strict guidelines, and we, too, need to adhere to them.

“Reporters from multiple news outlets will be here, including the Canterlot Times, Equestrian Daily, and Written Script newspapers; they are all reporters that my sister and I have requested before due to their integrity and trustworthiness in their journalistic ethics, some of whom are the same reporters that were present last time you were interviewed after the assaults in Canterlot.

“If photos are to be taken, no youth may have a photo taken without an adult in the same image, unless otherwise consented to by both the ponies in question, adult caregivers, and by myself, my sister, or Twilight Sparkle. Anything said may not be taken out of context when finally reported, and your language should be befitting ponies in polite company.” She gave Chrysalis a wary glare, her eyes thinning. “Understood?”

The gathered group nodded, Sandy and Doublestep shrinking back a little from her tone. “G-geez, I didn’t think Princess Celestia had a mean bone in her whole body.” Step muttered.

“With centuries of heading the Equestrian parliament and the den of wolves it often turns into, I am honestly surprised that common ponies don’t know about it more.” Chrysalis told him amusedly, and then turned back to the Princess. “We shall respect the rules that you have given us, however you need be aware that family is a touchy subject that I doubt any of us want muddied hooves trodden all over.”

Celestia finished polishing off her breakfast, giving the plate and fork to a steward who hurried off before replying. “Of course, Duchess; personal attacks on one’s family are always out of order.” She waited for Chrysalis to nod before urging them forward while several courtiers started hurrying in and placing seats around the room, several of which were at the base of the throne dais. “Now, if you could take your seats, we can get ready. Ah, Count Doocoonut, if you could take a seat within the press area so as to avoid being questioned yourself?”

The changelings and ponies all filed into their seats, with Chrysalis and Glitter sitting next to one another, Flitterwing on Chrysalis’ other side, and Shred alongside her, and finally Doublestep sitting on Glitter’s left, followed by Sandy.

Glitter shifted in her seat. “This is going to be really awkward.” She said irritably.

“Get used to it, Glitter; there’ll likely be more of this in the future.” Chrysalis responded.

Twilight Sparkle, pleased with the information she had been reading through, took a sheet from her clipboard and magically levitated it down to Chrysalis, who took it in her magic and began to look through it.

“What exactly am I looking at here, Princess Sparkle?”

The mare in question sighed. “These are the facts that we know and are running with, Duchess,” she said, slipping into a lecturing tone, “such as the size of the pillar, the scale of the magical burst, damage caused, and ponies affected. We shall be discussing actual punishments over this incident as well, however that will fall to Princesses Celestia and Luna. The invasion you and your changelings managed to avoid serious legal repercussions over due to the near extinction of your entire species as a direct result, anything that the legal system could throw at you after such a catastrophe would have been token in comparison –not that I’m trying to be harsh here or anything, Duchess, just honest.”

“Honesty hurts sometimes, Princess Twilight.”

“Pain is important Duchess,” Twilight replied softly, “it shows us we are still alive. It shows us our limits, and gives us something to strive to push beyond. When such a thing stops hurting, we have lost that which makes us equine, and it would take another disaster to bring us back to our moorings.”

“Ponies still hold a grudge against changelings because they don’t see you having suffered any punishment for the invasion,” Count Doocoonut said from his seat, “not often do they see the pain that you all still suffer from it. Not a single family walked away whole, really Chrysalis and Flitterwing are lucky that they share even an in-law familial connection.” He sighed and lowered his head faintly. “I know that if anything happened to my family I’d be devastated, so I at least can understand.”

“Sandy, your leg was lamed during the invasion; do you recall how it happened?” Flitterwing asked the younger mare.

“I… not really,” Sandy replied, “I remember my mom saying something about it happening just after the invasion swept up our street; something about me being startled and falling out a window, if I can remember right.”

“That’s actually right, Sandy; the squadron I was assigned to had just gone up the street outside your house, and I watched you fall out of the window and hit the pavers. I told the others to keep going while I attended to your injuries, but was interrupted from doing anything more intensive than simply splinting your ankle and finding you a safe place away from the main road; I was chased away by a guard.” She chuckled listlessly. “Ironic that one trained to heal would suffer some of the worst wounds that day.”

“Do you hate Flitterwing for your injured ankle, Sandy?” Twilight asked. “It was her brethren that caused it, after all.”

Sandy gave a sarcastic laugh. “If I hated her or the changelings in general, why would I be here?” She asked, “It was an accident, technically, so I don’t have anypony to blame. She already said she did what she could, and I believe her.”

“Thank you, Sandy,” Flitterwing sighed, “you ease my heart more than you can know.”

A sudden harsh slamming threw their attention to the far side of the room, where Prince Blueblood came storming in flanked by the guards that Chrysalis had ordered earlier. The guards looked like they had attempted –and failed- to dissuade the prince from his current course of action and had resigned themselves to escorting him.

The prince stomped right up to Chrysalis, glaring daggers at her the whole time, and snarled in her direction. “What have you done you stupid insect?!”

“Prince Blueblood explain yourself this instant!” Princess Luna demanded spreading her wings to their full majesty in a display of her anger.

“A messenger just arrived with some ridiculous notion about the noble titles and system being revised, and that I’m now below this creature in status! I don’t care what size country you used to lead; you have no right to-”

“The changes, nephew, were made with my knowledge and input. Duchess Chrysalis had no further input into the changes than you did.” Celestia informed the enraged princeling. “It was carefully managed, placing those who abuse their power below those who do not, with careful attention paid to those who have been granted greater status. Your position as a Sovereign Prince, nephew, can be considered your punishment for your horrendous behaviour. Your assault of staff, the complaints from staff and other nobles alike, and your attitude are ill befitting somepony of your station, and my sister and I have had enough.

“Our staff worked hard to earn their positions, and of the staff that have been placed wherever you frequent, or your suites, I receive the most requests for transfer or to be allowed to find work elsewhere. Ponies would rather work somewhere else than within the castle, earning high incomes, simply because of your attitude and behaviour. You are not alone in what you see as having power stripped from you, nephew. Some of the ponies from parliament have had their positions taken from them entirely, and other families are being given the right to earn the position that they fell into by virtue of birth, given by the hard work that their ancestors toiled so hard to earn their titles.”

Blueblood grit his teeth, grinding them before glaring daggers at Chrysalis. “So why then does this witch hold a title higher than a prince of the realm? After the invasion she led, and the recent nonsense she’s gotten up to with her family,” he all but spat the word, “how can she not be removed from parliament?!”

“Duchess Chrysalis would hold a Princess title like ourselves, but cannot be given such a title without massive political backlash due to how the public opinion of her. At the same time, she has been given dominion of large amounts of the Badlands, and to legally and politically hold that amount of land, which she and her kind gave to Equestria as part of their unconditional surrender, she must be given a high title. She is willing to atone for her past mistakes, and works toward such goals through her actions. Putting her in charge of the rebuilding of Canterlot after the invasion was one such incident of punitive action, as she had to oversee and often physically examine the chaos wrought by her actions, and to endure the public dislike of her person as she continued the tasks of her office.

“Her recent behaviour is not without punitive measures either; however that will be discussed later. Now,” Princess Celestia leaned closer, her eyes reduced to slivers, “please return to your day.”

The stallion shook in his place, glaring at Chrysalis while barely suppressing a growl. “If you think this will stop my plans to stripmine the Badlands ruins, you are sorely mistaken, witch. You think you’ve won, but you don’t deserve the Equestrian soil that you’ve been given, and it’ll be a bright day in Tartarus when I see your hold of our land as legitimate!”

Chrysalis stared back at him before looking down the row of changelings to her side at her guard, who appeared to be holding his own fury back with careful application of biting his own lip until he bled. She tilted her head until her neck loudly cracked, and her gaze turned onto the stallion before her with a glare that made Glitter recoil.

She snarled angrily as she spoke, “You dare threaten my ancestral home, colt? You dare threaten the graves of hundreds, thousands, of my kin, both within the last two decades and four centuries? You would tell me that you would willingly wipe the last remaining samples of my culture from this world, all for your own greed? You have no idea who you truly toy with, foal, and I sorely hope you do not give me cause to show you.”

“Your threats are as empty at the ruins you abandoned, and I find myself unafraid of anything you say.”

Chrysalis shook with rage for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a long, calming breath, turning to look at Celestia. The regent of the sun, for her part, only nodded. She, too, looked furious at the Prince’s behaviour. With another calming breath, Chrysalis turned back to the stallion.

“Sovereign Prince Blueblood,” she began, her voice calm yet firmly echoing throughout the room, “should your aims come to fruition, I myself will fly down to my old hive and destroy your every effort. Ponies shall be teleported home, tents razed, tools destroyed, and a shield placed which will hold out every living being except Changelings. Then, I will fly to your mansion in the Nobles district and, brick by brick, take it apart. You would dare to threaten the home in which thousands of my kin lived and died? You would dare to threaten to uproot the dead? I would string you up by your mane and lash you until you couldn’t cry any longer!” She hissed at him at a volume that was far louder than a creature of her size should have been able to manage. “You disgust me!”

“Sovereign Prince Blueblood, I feel I need to warn you of your current intentions upon the Old Hive within the Badlands,” Twilight Sparkle began in a firm lecturing tone, “the area designated and identified to contain the Old Hive ruins have been placed on the Cultural Heritage protection list. Attempts to access or disturb the site without royal approval face heavy legal repercussions including fines, community service, and imprisonment, regardless of noble stature or title.”

Chrysalis growled at him as his shoulders slumped slightly. “I have done many wrongs in my life, Princeling, seen many atrocities, some of which were of my own make. I’ve buried sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I faced a dragon with only one hundred changeling soldiers and walked away alive, all to protect my changelings. You have lived within Canterlot with plenty to spare, while my changelings went without for the last century. You know nothing of the hardships we have endured; you know nothing of the pain of loss that we have shouldered.

“We changelings are not perfect, but since the invasion we have been treading as lightly as we can, rolling with the punches that Equestrian society throw us. You will find, colt, that we are willing to take this abuse because we want a better life for ourselves and for our next of kin, and one does not get that by being antagonistic whenever somepony insults us or we are dealt a poor hoof. This does not mean, however, that we are without teeth. Shadows know that if you were any child of mine I would have backhooved you across the room for how you’re behaving.

“If you desire to spit on our ancestors, on our culture, do it in private, not where your words and actions will harm others. You are not above the law simply because you are of Princess Celestia’s bloodline. No, you should be showing an example to others how to behave, and earn their respect for doing what’s right, not what’s convenient. If you want the power that Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle have earned, you should prove yourself and show you are worthy.

“Now, if you are quite through humiliating yourself in front of your aunts, I suggest you leave, and don’t let the door hit your flank on the way out.”

Blueblood growled one last time, before turning on his heel and stomping out, his hooves clopping loudly on the marble tiles until the doors slammed shut, leaving the room in an awkward silence. The courtiers, who had been standing idly at the sides of the room, returned to their work and placed a row of tables along the row of ponies and changelings, covering them in tablecloths before bowing and hurrying out. A final small group of maids hurried in and placed water carafes and glasses on the tables.

“Now that the entertainment is over, perhaps we should get to the interview?” Chrysalis said, filling a glass and taking a sip. “I have the feeling that that is not the last I will have to defend the Hive from Prince Blueblood…”

“We can discuss that at a later occasion, Duchess,” Twilight Sparkle said, motioning her head towards the doors, “for now, let’s get through this interview with as little antagonism as possible.”

“For once, Princess, we are in agreement.” Chrysalis huffed, “Very well, bring in the vultures.”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Chrysalis tried to adjust the collar around her neck, the new piece of silver and jade jewellery resting uncomfortably close to her chitin and sitting in an awkward spot. Next to her, Princess Twilight Sparkle watched her with a wary eye.

“Stop fiddling with it, Duchess, you need to get used to it.” She said for the twentieth time that hour.

“It itches, and I’m not used to wearing something this heavy!”

The lavender alicorn sighed, “Then perhaps you’ll keep that in mind next time you plan to do something reckless.”

Chrysalis pouted, “I hate this thing; rings are so much less uncomfortable.”

“You know full well that a standard magic inhibitor ring would risk you magically starving, not to mention that your shape shifting abilities would render it pointless.” The princess pointed out, “And it’s not like you can change your shape to remove your neck.”

“It can still be removed in case of emergencies, my Queen.” Shred commented from beside her, his eyes forever on the room around them, watching for problems. “Should your magic be required for any dire need, somepony need only say the unlocking word and remove it.”

“It’s still really awkward~!” Chrysalis pined.

“Granna, my friends and I just announced to the entirety of Equestria that we’re dating, I announced that I was the focal point of a magical explosion the likes of which have not been seen since the invasion, and then I was publically made a baroness to legally protect me and my friends from harassment. I’m pretty sure you can put up with an uncomfortable neckpiece as punishment for causing said magical explosion for six months.” Glitter huffed, glaring daggers at the elder changeling across the table between them.

It had been an odd thing for Glitter, the press conference. Almost two dozen reporters from assorted news outlets across Equestria had been sent in, and after the facts had been provided and Chrysalis’ new neckpiece fitted to her, questions had been asked that baffled Glitter’s sense of personal business. One reporter, however, had clearly spoken to an angered Blueblood before coming in and had asked what her intentions with the Prince were.
Her first response was to laugh, her second to tell the stallion how little she thought of Blueblood, and the third to ask for a real question.

Now, at the after-interview gathering, Glitter had been talking with a few of the nobles from parliament. One in particular, a unicorn stallion called Night Light, had been remarkably friendly, and had gone off to fetch something to eat. She’d taken the moment to catch her breath and mingle with her family a little bit before her returned.

“Ah, here you are, Baroness;” his cheerful voice cut through the air, announcing his return with a small plate of hors d'oeuvres, “I apologize for my distraction, but my wife can never get these spinach puffs cooked quite as well as the royal chefs can.”

“It’s quite alright, Count Night light; it gave me a chance to catch my breath.”

“I’ll let mom know what you think of her spinach puffs, dad; I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.” Twilight said cheekily, grinning at him inanely.

“Don’t you dare, young lady; you’re not too old for me to confiscate your books.”

Glitter blinked at the pair of bickering ponies, her mind doing a little mental juggling to catch up. “You’re Princess Twilight Sparkle’s father? You’re the patriarch of the Twilight household?”

The stallion nodded. “Well, yes, I thought you knew that? Why did you think I announced myself as Count Night Light?”

Glitter blushed and looked away. “I’ve not met the nobles, other than you, Doocoonut, Prince Blueblood, and Vidame Spitfire.”

“You’ve already met the best ones then,” the count said, “And, I suppose, the Prince, of course. Don’t let him get under your skin, err, chitin. Most of us in parliament don’t listen to his nonsense, if we did there wouldn’t be anypony left in Equestria other than the families of whom he approves. Doocoonut is elder and wiser than most nobles give him credit for, and he represents Stalliongrad so he’s thicker skinned than most. I hear his second daughter lives in Ponyville, actually; Twilight, do you know anything about her?”

“The only Do family member in Ponyville is Ditzy ‘Derpy’ Do; she's one of Ponyville’s storm wranglers and mailmares.” Twilight said calmly. “She’s a nice enough mare, and her daughter is a treat, but she’s a little clumsy. Can’t blame her, really, with her eye condition and all…”

The count sighed and his face slid into an irritated frown. “Some days he doesn’t stop talking about his granddaughter.”

“Don’t look at me, Count, I cursed mine with immortality.” Chrysalis said good-naturedly.

“You say that like you regret it,” Glitter huffed.

“Hey, this one got given her immortality for making new magic,” Chrysalis said, motioning to Twilight Sparkle, “and what about your little dragon, Spike? Has he grown his wings yet?”

“Not yet, but he is starting to get a pair of hard lumps on his back.” Twilight said with a sigh. “At first we thought they were something more sinister, but after a magic scan I affirmed that they’re the first signs of his wings. With any luck he’ll be flying within the year.”

“Good luck to him, learning to fly hurts.” Glitter said as she craned her neck to look over the count’s back. “Has anypony seen Sandy or Doublestep? I’m not sure if they’re used to this sort of event…”

“Over by the table I remember seeing a young pegasus and earth pony trying to look small, could that be them?” Night Light asked.

“Must be; if nopony minds, I’ll just go make sure that they’re alright.”

Without waiting for anypony to respond to her, she walked away and into the throng of ponies around her. An impressive number of were ponies here, mostly nobles if the expensive looking clothing was any indication, and she weaved through them as easily as a fish through water. Approaching the table holding the food and drinks, she noticed her friends were indeed all but cowering down one end, the pair being talked to by a mare she didn’t recognize.
As she got closer, she realized that they were actually being talked at.

“… and furthermore, that you two delinquents managed to sneak past the royal guard and get into this private function is so appalling, why I should call a guard over right now and-”

Glitter slid up next to the mare, just out of her field of vision, and spoke loud enough for her to jump. “Hello, ma’am, I’m trying to meet all of the nobles here and I’ve yet to get your name?”

The mare, a yellowish unicorn with a purple and white mane, pink pearl earrings, a green pearl necklace, and three currency marks for her cutie-mark sighed and turned, holding her eyes shut and her nose high. “Ugh, new nobility, how droll; I am Baroness Upper Crust, matriarch of the Pearl household, and owner of the best jewellery stores in Equestria. Who might I ask are you?”

Glitter strode into her field of view and stood between her two friends, head held high and eyes glaring down at the elder mare. “I believe that the Princess gave me the title of Baroness Glitter, grandchild of Duchess Chrysalis of the Badlands Hive. I take it, Lady Upper Crust, that you have issue with the presence of these two ponies?”

Upper Crust huffed, “I fail to understand why they have yet to be taken away by the guards, as commoners do not belong in the castle other than to see the Princesses for whatever pointless things they ask.”

Glitter’s eyes narrowed, “Baroness, these two ponies are both my best friends, and my special someponies; I invited them here, and they will not be removed by guards, no matter your order.”

“Nobility consorting with commoners, and foals at that..? Oh, what a scandal; do I need to get the guard to look into your behaviour?”

Glitter snorted angrily and leaned closer, almost nose to nose with the mare; “I’m trying to be polite here, but you’re pushing the wrong buttons for that. Lady, I am 'consorting' with two wonderful ponies of my own age who I love dearly. If you want to start a fuss over something you know nothing about, you can get lost.”

“Ah, I see you’ve met Upper Crust, Lady Glitter.” Count Doocoonut’s voice cut in from her right, “And I can see she’s made the same impression on you as she does to most common ponies she meets. Upper Crust, my dear, is that some mayonnaise on your necklace, or did you not heed my advice on how to get rid of dandruff?”

Upper Crust snarled at him. “What do you want, Doocoonut; can’t you see we were having a private conversation here?”

“Oh yes, my dear, so private half the room heard you accosting a thirteen-year-old, our youngest royally accepted noble no less, about the company she keeps with her own peers. That should not be important enough to warrant your time compared to your constituents; tell me, how is Vanhoover doing? Last I heard there was an unemployment issue. Has that been solved, or are you still struggling to let ponies create businesses based on their special talents and instead forcing them into making jewellery?”

Glitter blinked as the conversation had not only derailed but became more barbed than she thought it could with otherwise polite and worried words. She connected to the Hive Mind and singled out her grandmother.

‘Granna, can you hear this?’

‘Oh yes, Glitter, I can hear it from here. Dare say, I think the whole room can hear Count Doocoonut on his warpath. He’s impressive when he’s cutting somepony down to size, isn’t he?’

She blinked and stared at the two ponies practically bickering back and forth. ‘He does this often…? But he was such a gentlestallion earlier!’

She heard Chrysalis titter over the Mind. ‘This is how one plays the Game, Glitter, with those who are not very good at it. Count Doocoonut has seen the lowest unemployment rates and best budget surplus of any city in Equestria for the majority of his time as their representative; he picks the right ponies for the right jobs and isn’t afraid of paying money to fix a problem for his constituents. Upper Crust and her husband Jet Set, conversely, have some of the worst unemployment rates in the country in Vanhoover. Most of us tend to roll our eyes at her poor attempts to fix these issues, as they’re always hollow things meant only to stroke her ego; the Count and I have been working for a while on a portfolio to present to the Princesses to have her and her husband removed from their positions, but until it’s ready, the Game is played.’

‘It’s like they’re children fighting over who has the best lunch in school; is this really all it is?’

Again Chrysalis’s laugh echoed through the Mind. ‘Typically? Yes; it’s just a grand game of posturing and tearing down one another’s ego. Those with greater egos tend to take the blows harder, such as Blueblood earlier and the Baroness now.’

Glitter stared in wonder as Upper Crust huffed and stomped off, nose held high in offense as she disappeared into the throng. ‘What is Prince Blueblood in charge of, which city?’

‘Initially it was Ponyville, but recently Princess Twilight Sparkle has taken dominion over that little slice of chaotic heaven. We discovered that he’d been withholding taxpayer’s bits and town funding, and currently he’s in charge of only one pony, himself. Really, Ponyville hasn’t been this prosperous since its founding days. At least, that’s what the princess keeps saying whenever she looks at the town records.’ She felt Chrysalis smile over the Mind, ‘Now, you have some special someponies to be with, don’t you?’

Glitter sighed with a smile and disconnected from the Hive Mind, then turned to Count Doocoonut. “Thank you for that, Count, it was certainly interesting to see how the Game is played.”

The count smiled. “No problem, my dear; she was stepping beyond her grounds harassing guests. Have a good day, and I hope to see you again later.”

Glitter dipped her head to him before he walked off, and she smiled in his direction before turning to her friends. “Are you two alright?”

“Y-yeah, she just caught us off guard.” Sandy stammered, shifting awkwardly in her spot. “This is all really weird, Glitter, these are nobles, and we’re just nopo-”

Glitter silenced her with a quick kiss. “Sandy, if you and Step are noponies, then I’m a potted plant. If they don’t see in you two what I do, then that’s their loss.”

Sandy blushed lightly and looked away, giving Step a moment to peck her cheek.

“That’s better;” Glitter said with a pleased smile, “now, have either of you tried the spinach puffs? I’ve heard they’re really good.”

With a laugh, the three turned to the table and filled some plates, before hurrying off to a corner to eat and mingle amongst themselves; Chrysalis and Celestia watched from a distance, smiling warmly at their antics.

“The house of parliament is going to enjoy her presence, I think.” Celestia commented to her changeling company.

“You say that like the uppity nobles have a choice, princess.” Chrysalis replied, smiling inanely. "They're going to welcome her and they're going to like it."

Author's Note

I'm so sorry it took so long, guys and gals, really I am. I've been finding it hard to find the time, and when I do I'm often exhausted from whatever I had been doing that day. Add to this my body trying to distract me from writing almost every time I tried, and you'll understand why it took me forever to get this done.

I'll try to not make the next chapter take a full year, but no promises. Life is a terrible game, and even planning this chapter took effort.

Thanks for reading -and for putting up with my bullshit- and I'll see you all at the end of the next one.

*Bonus points if you can find the names I had the most fun with while writing.*

-Silent Quill.

Rail Travel

“Granna, I don’t want to go.” Glitter huffed, glaring daggers at her grandmother as she pottered about filling a pair of Saddlebags of Holding with necessities. “It’s summer break and I would rather be out with my friends than go trekking through the badlands.”

Chrysalis huffed, “I know, sweetie, trust me I know. I, too, would rather do anything else than go gallivanting off into the unrelenting badlands, but my hooves are tied. Princess Twilight Sparkle herself is leading this expedition and even though I trust her I will not allow anypony to visit our old Hive without being present myself.”

A low growl left Glitter’s throat, “And I understand that, Granna. All of us do; I just don’t understand why I have to go with you.”

“It was Flitterwing’s idea,” her grandmother said calmly, “she believes that you should see where we once lived. Consider it as an education into your own heritage and culture.” She grimaced at a nearly empty tube of toothpaste before setting it aside and making a mental note to get a new one. “Granted, Glitter, it is a culture all but dead thanks to actions that, in hindsight, were grossly unnecessary and of which we will bear the scars forever more. Actions that I will never be able to fully atone for, and nor do I really wish to forget.” She nodded and closed the saddlebags before holding them out to her granddaughter, “Please, indulge an old mare her self-flagellation.”

Glitter sighed, taking the saddlebags into her magic and hefting them onto her back, “I feel I have indulged you much already this year, Granna.”

Chrysalis giggled and kissed Glitter’s cheek, “Just a little more sweetie, promise.”

Glitter grumbled irritably but nodded, motioning for her grandmother to lead her out. Taking the lead, Chrysalis first hefted her own pair of Saddlebags of Holding onto her back before proceeding to lead the albino out through the atrium of their home. They paused only for Shred to hurry to her side, saddlebags of his own packed and a hefty-looking sword strapped to his side, before moving over to and opening their front door. Beyond stood none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself, hoof raised as if about to knock.

“This is a surprise.” Chrysalis mumbled.

“Ah, Duchess Chrysalis and Baroness Glitter, just the changelings I was looking for; I assume you are both ready to depart?”

Chrysalis nodded, “Other than to acquire a new tube of toothpaste for Glitter’s pack, we are ready.” She responded. “Shred shall also be accompanying us.”

“I am loath to let her traipse off sans protection.” He snapped, fixing a lazy salute in the princess’s direction. “Besides, somepony needs to make sure she doesn’t remove that collar.”

Chrysalis groaned irritably as Glitter giggled, “You don’t trust me to do it?” She asked.

Shred grinned at her wolfishly, “Kid, you’re both trouble and you know it. I don’t trust you two together to open a tin of beans.”

Glitter opened her mouth to return fire only for the present alicorn to cut her off, “What’s with the Saddlebags of Holding?”

“I was told to prepare for a trek to the Badlands Hive.” Chrysalis replied, beckoning for Twilight to lead them on. “Such a journey will take days by hoof.”

Twilight shook her head as she began walking through Canterlot, the changelings following behind, “Hoof? We’re not going by hoof; we’re taking an expedition train down to Appleloosa and then flying carriages to where you documented the location of the Old Hive.”

Chrysalis blinked in confusion, “Wait, what? But the briefing I received stated that we were to proceed on hoof or wing.” She said, “I admit I was confused that you met us at our doorstep, as the briefing also said that we would be travelling separate from your own expedition.” She turned her neck and began fishing through her bags, “I even have a copy of it… here.” She added, retrieving said note and offering it to the alicorn who continued to lead them.

Twilight, to her credit, didn’t even break stride as she took the note in her magic and began reading it. “This isn’t my writing,” she mumbled, “it doesn’t even have my seal.” She blinked at the parchment confusedly before sniffing at it and recoiling, “Ugh, it smells like stallion’s perfumes.”

“Any in particular, princess?” Shred asked, already taking mental notes.

She shook her head, “I don’t know perfumes, that’d be more Rarity’s thing.” She muttered, offering it to the male changeling to sniff at, “What do you think?”

He hummed in thought, “I think, highness, that a certain Princeling has had a go at your messenger.” He said, “It smells like the stuff he wears.”

“Explains why he never gets dates,” Twilight huffed, “this stuff is horrid.”

“Not just his shining personality then.” Glitter chuckled.

Twilight shook her head with a giggle, “No, it would seem not. I’ll have to have words with the captain of the Royal Guard when we get back, have every royal messenger go through some ethics training. If he’s going to disrupt confidential information from the heads of state, we very well may have a mole or two to have removed from our ranks.”

Chrysalis sighed, “I’ll leave that to yourself, Luna, and Celestia;” she said, “I have enough to deal with on my own these days. I have no idea how Celestia managed to find so much paperwork for historical landmark implementation and oversight, but I’m fully expecting my desk to be buried by the time we get home from this little expedition.”

Having turned them towards the train station, Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry about getting a new tube of toothpaste, I’ve got a spare in my own things. We’ll be meeting up with some professors from the Ministry of Equestrian Archaeology on the train, as well as the guards who will be pulling our carriages and protecting our expedition. Those carriages mentioned are currently being affixed to a flatcar for easier transport.”

“Anyone important along for the trip, princess?” Glitter asked curiously. “Aside from yourself, of course.”

Twilight shook her head, “Well, Ms Daring Do has declined our invitation, stating that she’s busy working with Ahuizotl in the upkeep of artefacts from the Tenochtitlan Basin currently housed in their own exhibit in the Canterlot Museum. My fellow Princesses are unable to join us as they have matters of state to look after, though Luna has sent ‘one of the Night’s best’ to accompany us.”

“A thestral, I would assume.” Shred mumbled, “There are ten I could name that she would be willing to part with, but I wouldn’t want to assume.”

Twilight nodded, “And as for fellow bearers of the Elements, most are unavailable. Rarity has a fashion line that she’s premiering in Baltimare, Rainbow Dash is training with the Wonderbolts, Applejack is in the middle of rotating a crop field and her planting and the aftercare will take all week at least, and Pinkie Pie has a family reunion to attend.” She paused to inhale deeply before continuing, “Spike will be coming with us, though, and he’s currently waiting on the train with the others. His fire breath giving us a quick link back to Canterlot could be vital should our expedition go pear shaped. Fluttershy is coming along as well; as an expert on animals, their habitats, and their behaviour she volunteered to join us in case we ran into anything unruly.” She chuckled amusedly, “Or cuddly.”

The quartet entered the quiet Southern Canterlot Train Station, ignoring the cranes that loomed overhead moving one shipment or another between the docks and the trains that either had ferried them into Canterlot, or were due to take them farther into Equestria. As this station was typically for freight trains and good shipments, the ponies bustling about their usual tasks gawped at them as they strolled through.

“I can’t imagine what kinds of things that live in the badlands anypony could possibly consider cuddly.” Glitter muttered.

As they finally stepped onto the train, Glitter looked about at the other passengers. Most of them were wearing or polishing royal guard armour, who all stopped to bow to Twilight before returning to their previous tasks. A small herd down the far end looked to be fiddling with surveying equipment, muttering amongst one another in complicated words that she had difficulty hearing, though one looked up at her and, after double-taking, stared at her in apparent disbelief. Twilight ignored them all, however, and led the trio of changelings to a nearby ring of seats occupied only by a lone butter-yellow pegasus reading some sort of magazine and a green and purple dragon passed out in the only seat with a sunbeam on it, snoring softly.
Glitter strained her neck to read the magazine’s cover.

“‘Equestria’s Cutest Scorpions’?”

The mare squeaked, dropping her magazine and scurrying beneath her seat before anypony gathered could blink or even process the reaction. Except of course Twilight, who sighed and levitated her back out and into her seat with practiced ease.

“Chrysalis, Shred, Glitter, this is my friend Fluttershy; Fluttershy, these are the changelings I told you would be joining us.”

Fluttershy, for her part, blinked at them as if only partially perceiving their existence for a moment before her eyes settled on Glitter and grew wide.

“Oh my goodness, albinism in changelings is real!” She squeaked before hurriedly getting up and starting to circle the filly in question. “I mean, I knew it was possible after reading that book by Flitterwing, but to see it for real, and with such a small population base!” She gently lifted Glitter’s shell to reveal her wings, pawing at them gently. “I never would have suspected that your wings would have pigmentation to make them naturally blue, but your albinism makes them pale green because of your blood! Fascinating!”

“Well, my mother didn’t want to include too much personal information in the book…” Glitter mumbled.

“Do you gain pigment when you change shape?”

With a sigh, Glitter shifted. Magic flared around her, displacing air with a fiery appearance, and where a teenaged white Royal changeling had stood, now stood a monochrome copy of the fascinated pegasus, complete with a grayscale mirror of her cutiemark. “You tell me.”

Fluttershy squealed, lapping around the changeling. She tugged a wing open, inspecting the feathers before letting it drop and circling around to her face, brushing the long white strands of her mane this way and that.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anypony this fascinated by us before,” Chrysalis mumbled, now sitting in the window seat next to where Fluttershy had been seated before. “Other than medical experts or Twilight herself, of course.”

“Most ponies think we’re creepy.” Not-Fluttershy said.

“Even my voice! Can you change individual aspects, like voice or mane?”

A second burst of magic surrounded the albino changeling’s throat as she grew a cheeky smile, “Anything at all.” She rumbled, her voice now masculine and deep.

“Princess Twilight,” a second deep and rumbling voice interrupted, “per Princess Luna’s orders we are reporting for duty.”

Twilight nodded her head to the large, burly, and dark-furred thestral Night Guard who stood nearby, hoof saluting at attention. To his left a mare of equal stature stood in stoic salute, mimicking his own. True to their training, their eyes remained glued to the roof above them and their hooves to their temples in a formal salute.

“Yes, thank you for coming at such short notice, sir and ma’am.”

“The thestral stallion is Rolling Thunder, Highness; First Lieutenant of the Nightwatch, second in command of the Night Guard, next to Captains Hammer and Anvil.” Shred informed her calmly, “And the unicorn mare is First Lieutenant of the Solar Guard, Glittering Aegis.” his eyes moving across the thestral as if sizing him up. “Thunder, what the hell does Her Highness think she’s doing reassigning Monster Hunter division to bodyguard duty?”

The thestral’s salute wavered and a blush grew across his cheeks before he sheepishly replied, “... Spilled durian on her dress, sir.”

“Accidental or intentional?”

Rolling Thunder remained quiet for a few moments before mumbling, “Dared by Captain Anvil, sir.”

Shred sighed, “It’s no wonder Hammer has a row at him at every opportunity, stallion’s a walking catastrophe of stupid ideas. Why do you never take his advice?”

“Who do you think supplied the fruit?” Rolling Thunder asked wearily, “With hindsight, my reckonin’ is they knew this was comin’ and threw me to the wolves rather than be chosen themselves.” He huffed an irritated breath, “Sly pricks.”

With a grumble Shred pointed to the other guards, “I’m in charge of you two, and one of you is in charge of that lot, they do somethin’ I don’t like I’m going to come to you for answers. Keep them in line.”

The other guards on the train, having been watching and listening, sized up the stallion and mare, each easily a head taller than them all and, after giving one another worried glances and nods, came to a consensus to not mess with the thestral and unicorn that looked like they could, and would, knot them into pretzels.

“I’ll just let the train driver know all passengers are on board.” Twilight said, shaking her head at the pair of guards. “We’re likely to be underway as soon as the carriages are fixed to the train; be ready for a long journey, we’ll likely arrive in Dodge Junction after dark, and we’re going to spend the night on the train before moving on tomorrow morning.” She gestured with a wing toward the front of the train. “Sleeper cars for ourselves and the survey teams are to the front carriages, rooms are marked for which sleepers will take them. The guard’s sleeper cars are to the rear.”

“Nocturnal shifts will be arranged before midday, Princess.” Rolling Thunder stated firmly. “We’ll inform you on the roster as soon as it is available.”

“Thank you, Thunder.” Twilight said, nodding to them before stepping through the doorway between the carriages and closing it behind her.

Glittering Aegis huffed and turned her attention on the guards huddled at the end of the carriage, “Alright foals, get your flanks into our first sleeper car, we got work to do! Thunder, find the rest of them, this can’t be all of these dummies we’ve gotta keep in line if the carriages I saw being affixed to the flatbeds is any indication.” She had turned her attention to him for but a second, but when it returned to the underlings before her, an icy glare spread across her face. “C’mon you slackers, move!”

With much scrambling and clattering of armour, the guards hurriedly stood and rushed out, followed closely by their Thestral and Unicorn superior officers.

The train lurched to a start as Glitter and Chrysalis sat opposite Fluttershy, the younger Changeling wiggling slightly to get more comfortable.

“If you want to get more rest, now would be an ideal time,” Chrysalis advised sidelong at her, “We’ve quite some time to our stop.”

Glitter nodded with a sign before resting back against the bench and closed her eyes, ear twitching as conversations around her hushed a little and she drifted to sleep.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

With a gentle murmur, Glitter shifted in her sleep and lifted her head. Yawning widely, she opened her eyes in hopes to determine how long she had been asleep, only to jolt back from the startling and unexpected closeness from which Fluttershy’s teal eyes watched her.

Said yellow pegasus also leapt back startled, managing to somehow hop clear over the bench and seats in their ring and behind the seats facing the other direction, ducking her head worriedly as Glitter stared after her.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Fluttershy stammered, “I was just curious…”

Glitter blinked at her owlishly before sighing, “It’s fine, if not unexpected.” She said, shrugging, “How long was I asleep?”

Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully, “You fell asleep as we were leaving Canterlot, and we passed Ponyville about an hour ago, so… Four hours?”

Glitter stood up with a grunt, stretching her legs and quickly casting her mane-styling spell before moving into the aisle. “Suppose I should stretch and wake up a little before getting some breakfast, well I suppose it’d be lunch at this point, from my bags.”

“Your bags..?” Fluttershy mumbled, staring at her quizzically, “There’s a dining carriage past our sleeper carriage, you can get food from there?” She ducked her head a little when Glitter turned to her, “I mean,if you want to.”

“It would be remiss of me to not at least try the train chef’s fare.” Glitter admitted, starting towards the front of the train, “Would have to be better than granola bars at least. Would you like to join me?”

Fluttershy’s pink mane wobbled back and forth, “Oh, no thank you; I had something a few minutes ago.”

“Alright, then.” Glitter nodded before wandering on through the train.

Her trip through the sleeper cars was uneventful, as the doors were all closed hiding the contents of each room from view. She did find her own room, which she was apparently to share with her grandmother. Sliding the door open she found it to be unremarkable. A pair of beds on one wall, one above the other, and a small shelf for each bunk offering an alarm clock and bedside light for reading, all carved from wood with remarkable attention to detail. She noticed the railing along the top bunk to stop the occupant from rolling out should the train stop too harshly, and silently hoped to herself that it wouldn’t be required.

She’d fallen out of bed on the ground to discomfort, she could only imagine what it would feel like from over her head.

Depositing her saddlebags on the top bunk in the hope that it would signify her claim over it to her grandmother, she slid the door shut once more and continued on, making a mental note of where the restroom was at the end of the hall for future reference.

Stepping through the separating doors between the last sleeper carriage and the dining car, her attention was caught by Chrysalis waving a hoof at her halfheartedly from a booth where she sat almost surrounded by who she assumed to be the archaeologists along for the ride.

With a shrug she wandered over before being shuffled into a seat on her grandmother’s left, who had motioned for the stallions around her to allow her access. Chrysalis smiled down at her maternally.

“So good of you to finally wake up, Glitter; I was worried you’d sleep right through until dinner.” She slid a menu to her across the table, “Here, I assume you’re hungry since we didn’t get any breakfast this morning.”

The younger changeling nodded as she perused the menu, pausing only to look up at her grandmother quizzically for a moment.

“Don’t worry about the prices, our meals are coming out of my account.” She calmly informed her. “Incidentally, Glitter, these fine ponies are the cataloguing, documentation, and survey professor team that the Ministry of Equestrian Archaeology and the Royal Labs Geological department have sent to assist in our expedition to the Old Hive.” She waved a hoof to the ponies around them, “They’ve been asking me questions about the state in which we left the Old Hive, known ore deposit locations, and possible locations of artefacts with easiest access.”

One of the stallions sat to her right nodded, “Though we don’t expect the site to be completely safe, as after all these years untouched and uncared for I think we can agree that some of the structural integrity of the buildings may be compromised. Earthquakes, sandstorms, even heavy rain could have all made the Old Hive a deathtrap.” He smiled and dipped his tan furred head to Glitter, his green mane falling to cover his face and horn as he did so, “Professor Siltbrush, Artefact Documentation specialist.”

Another unicorn stallion spoke up, this one to Glitter’s left, “Even the Castle of the Two Sisters suffered from the ravages of age, and the whole premises was warded to defend it from such issues by the Princesses themselves. Without such defenses, inferior construction would not have fared so well over the last decade and a half.” He raised a silver furred hoof to wave off Chrysalis’ protests, “No malice intended, Duchess, it is merely a fact that Ponies have built some of the most sturdy structures on Equss. Observe, for example, the Gryphon kingdom’s downfall after the loss of their idol. With none of them caring about their kingdom anymore, no care was put into upkeep and after only a few decades it fell into disrepair.”

Glitter huffed and held her menu up over the pony’s orange mane for a waitress to take, “I’ll just get the Prench toast and a large glass of juice, whatever you have in stock.” She said to her, getting a nod in return before the waitress scurried off. “And while that may be true, since they found their new passion in Boffyball they’ve done remarkably well in returning to their former glory. It’s surprising how much the place has changed in a few short years, and I would dare to say that High Lady Gilda has been exceptional at revitalizing her lands and raising the spirits of her subjects.”

“She also bakes amazingly good scones, but that’s neither here nor there.” Chrysalis said, “And no offense taken, Professor Timescale; I was merely going to advise that you might be surprised. We did, after all, steal building designs and building techniques from Equestria over the years.”

Another stallion to Chrysalis’ right spoke up, running a gray hoof through his short, bristly purple mane, “I wasn’t aware you would have any knowledge about foreign politics or affairs, Miss; has your grandmother been tutoring you on the sly?”

Glitter giggled into a hoof, “Nothing quite so underhooved, sir. No, I keep up with the news because it helps my schoolwork.” She nodded appreciatively to the waitress as her meal was floated into place before her. “Thank you, and while questions are being asked, I would ask one myself; why was Buzzyear of our quaint little colony not brought along for this expedition? I would have thought that, of anypony outside of my grandmother, he would be best suited to assist in navigating the Hive, or at least aiding in its cartography.”

“He was considered by the board for said role.” Professor Timescale replied calmly, “But was rejected by the lead scholars for potential conflict of interest or that he may suffer from a nostalgic or emotional crisis.” He pushed his glasses farther up his snout with a hoof, “Your grandmother has to come along as a matter of course due to restrictions put in place on the site by the crown. Your own presence was not discussed or required and yet the Duchess chose to bring you along to this potentially dangerous digsite anyway.” He huffed and rolled his eyes, “An amateur in the field will be so cumbersome.”

“I’ll try not to get in your way, oh mighty Professor.” Glitter snarked before taking a bite of her toast. “I’d probably be more helpful to whichever one of you amongst our expedition is here for the geological survey.”

“I dunno,” the large, and only, Earth pony amongst them rumbled, “y’all don’t look like much of a digger.”

“She was being sarcastic, Shovelwright.” Siltbrush sighed, “Honestly, I think your prize student is rubbing off on you.”

Shovelwright slammed a slate gray hoof on the table, almost toppling Glitter’s juice, “Hey, I thought we all agreed apprentices were off-limits!” He snarled, “Leave Maud out of it!”

“Too right, Shovelwright; professional jabs at one another is one thing, but we did agree that our apprentices are to be left from our jocularities until they have their doctorate portfolios completed.” The brown unicorn stallion sitting two seats to the left of Glitter stated matter-of-factly. He dipped his head to her, “I would be most appreciative of your assistance if you are willing to put up with my standards, however. Never let it be said that Professor Barnsworth would deny the potential to add another to the field of artefact preservation.”

“She’s thirteen and still in school, Barnsworth;” Chrysalis sighed, “and she’ll be staying in base camp until a contingent of guards have cleared the Old Hive of potential threats before I lead her through some of our history.” She shot Timescale a scathing look, “If you behave yourselves, some of you might accompany us to what used to be my personal royal library. The tomes in there could do with proper documentation and preservation in Canterlot’s archives.”

“Royal library?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice piped up before the group was graced suddenly by her presence, “You kept books? How many? Any spell tomes? Now you’ve got me-”

“Yes, Princess Sparkle, we kept books. Many made of the usual paper, binder, and hardcover.” She swirled a hoof on the bench between them, “Some, however, are more… carved. Paper was hard to come by as time went on, so we would use stone or wood, some more pictographic than others.”

“Stone books? Sounds almost barbaric.” Timescale grumbled from his seat.

Chrysalis shrugged, “We made do with what we had on hoof. Stone, wood, you name it. Some of our ‘books’ were more just stone slabs with things written onto them. We did what we could with what we had. A lot of time has gone almost unrecorded due to our situation.” She stopped swirling her hoof and pointed it at the purple pony princess, “If you can behave yourself, Princess, I’ll do what I can to teach you our written language so you can transcribe in your own time. I plan to take as much back as I can with both my Saddlebags of Holding and Portable Vault.” She chortled at the shocked looks of the professors surrounding her, “After it has all been properly documented, of course.”

“Granna, you’re doing that thing again.” Glitter grumbled, “You know, the ‘plotting’ thing.”

“I am not!”

“Before this turns into a family quarrel, perhaps it would be best if we got back onto the topic of our recovery, restoration, and preservation efforts?” Barnsworth suggested.

Glitter sat staring out at the plains that stretched to the horizon as they rolled past. She had been drawn from the book that she had been reading by the setting sun colouring the landscape in glorious ambers and purples. Cacti passed by the window, occasionally tall enough to dwarf the train carriage she was sat in. Currently her attention was on her thoughts, lulled from the world around her by the gentle thumping of the train on its rails.

The stallions had been eager to learn about the types and access of artefacts that could be found within the Old Hive, so much so that any other conversation had been all but drowned out for several hours. Locations of libraries, public statuary, museums - which Glitter was surprised that were actually a thing in the Old Hive despite their lack of resources - even mundane locations like housing.

Initially when the public housing had been brought up as a possible location for searches she was confused, why would anyone keep priceless artefacts in their house after all? When Professor Timescale had, somewhat snidely, pointed out that even mundane things in the common changelings’ house would help to put their lives into perspective when compared to the lives of the common pony. Things like self-care products, bedding, and clothes would, while not strictly useful historically, be useful educationally.

He made a point that hatchling toys would be especially sought after for such a purpose when placed into an exhibit.

Also discussed and outlined was the possibility of finding remains. Chrysalis had stressed that by the time of the invasion, changelings had been dying in their homes and streets on a daily basis, which was a major contributing factor to her decision to attack the most powerful nation in the world.

This was how she’d learned that the remaining changelings were essentially under twenty-four hour surveillance and guard.

Chrysalis had openly admitted that the designs to Little Hive, in particular the reinforced windows, doors, and even the specific design of the roof made it impossible for anypony to get in, sure, but even harder for anypony to get out. A series of wards on the entire building had been set up to lock the inhabitants in until one of the Princesses deemed they could be released if triggered. The roof was designed with crenellations, though made to look like they belonged by being slanted to mimic the usual hexagons common with the inside of a beehive, were so that, at night, pegasus guards could take positions and watch the premises for both intruders and escapees.

In truth, Little Hive was a prison.

She’d been too young when it had all been built to know about any of this, but now that she thought about it, it seemed obvious. After all what home, even communal housing, has bars that could be slid into place over windows in Canterlot of all cities? Crenellations were not uncommon amongst houses in the districts closer to the castle, but she was certain that she’d never seen a guard sat atop one of those houses at night like she often did her own home.

“It was a stroke of genius,” Chrysalis had said distantly, “oh, sure, we needed somewhere to live, and rebuilding the warehouse to house us was not just easier to do but convenient after it had burned down, but Princess Luna had deliberately designed it this way. For us, it was a safe haven in a world we were extremely vulnerable to and now legitimately afraid of, but to the outside pony it looked like a low-security prison. We were under lock and key even if most of us didn’t really know it.

“And we were; let’s face it, we weren’t much of a flight risk, most of us had injuries or severe depression. I know at least Grall and Crackle still suffer from PTSD and may never recover, and I’ve caught Crackle a couple times openly defiant and hostile towards me as he blames me, rightly so in my opinion, for the outcome of the invasion. We needed to be shown, to the public, to be under the castle’s hoof, and Little Hive accomplished this.

“Placing me in charge of the rebuilding efforts for Canterlot directly after the invasion, with both a retinue of guard and advisers who could directly countermand my decisions should they decide it necessary put the blame directly in my hooves. I did not oppose the idea, as evidently my decisions were unreliable and I welcomed the flagellation I received from the public as I went about the duties.

“Shred, my personal guard, was not immune to these issues either,” she had chuckled humorlessly, “put through basic training like a rookie, treated worse than most of those he saw almost drop out… It was a long time before he gained any respect amongst the guard, and even now he is only equivalent to a lieutenant, despite earning and holding the rank of Captain. His tour of duty up north in the Kitsune Blackspot showed he was more than capable, defending his squad from a frost hydra while they retreated.

“Even still, I don’t begrudge the Princess her plan. We’re safe, or at least as safe as we can be. After the invasion, there’s a lot more that could have been done to us and we’d have had no right to stop anypony. Lock us in the palace dungeons? Remove our horns? Sell us into slavery? While Equestria would never do that last option, there’s nothing that would have stopped other countries. The Princesses treat us very, very kindly despite the fact that, for a year or so after the invasion, we were basically not people in the eyes of both the law, and the ponies of Equestria.”

“Still aren’t, to some.” Princess Twilight Sparkle had added, “I know that Fillydelphia has some places which openly bar changeling entry, and Vanhoover had rallies and marches demanding that you all be put to trial. That the Pearl House controls the city and was found to be threatening the jobs of its inhabitants if they didn’t do so, however, was a contributing factor in having them detached from their duties as the city’s representatives.”

She’d tuned them out mostly after this point, but she had learned that since Princess Luna had been given custodial representation of the city in their stead, not only had the permanent recession the city had been stagnating in reversed, but it had reversed in a matter of weeks. Apparently unbiased legal experts were now scouring through the city’s books to see exactly what had been going on for something to have been so easy to turn around.

Her eyes snapped back into focus as she became aware that she’d zoned out recalling the earlier conversation, and instead now homed in on a figure she could see sitting out in the middle of the plains staring at the train as it went. She blinked in surprise and squinted at it.

She couldn’t make out any defining features, not even a colour as the sun had made its way behind them somewhat, turning them into just a black silhouette. She could, however, get the distinct impression that it was staring back at the train.

“Glitter, there you are!”

She blinked again, a large cactus zipping past, and the figure was gone.

She shook her head and turned to find Rolling Thunder standing nearby, his gaze fixed in her direction. “Dinner is going to be served in the dining car shortly,” he informed calmly, “and your grandmother sent me to retrieve you.” He stepped back to allow her to pass him as she stood up. As she stepped close, however, he leaned closer to her ear, “I saw it as well, Baroness,” he hissed, “Something is watching us.”

She turned and gaped at him, “How- what…”

He chuckled, “You don’t become one of the Monster Hunters without a good eye for your surroundings.” He stated, “We’ve been under watch since we entered the plains.”

She blinked at his blatant honesty, “That long? And you’ve not told anypony?”

He shrugged, “I’m keeping my eye on it. So far there has been no reason to get everypony all panicky over what could just be one of Princess Celestia’s secret service ponies keeping an eye on us. Aegis is also aware, as is Shred. I wouldn’t be surprised if your grandmother knows, and we informed Princess Twilight earlier. Anyway, no more stalling; I wanna get some grub in me before I have to go wake the night shift.” He nudged her into walking towards the dining carriage with a hoof before following her.

“Actually, I have been wondering,” Glitter began as she walked, “how are the night guards getting to the campsite? Surely you don’t expect them to be awake all day tomorrow as well?”

He rumbled a laugh as they walked through the sleeper car, “Buck no, that’d be inequine.” He almost bellowed, “On the changing of the guard come morning they’ll be bunking in carriage three for the flight and day.” He chuckled conspiratorially, “We ain’t stayin’ in no tents on this expedition, three of the four carriages are ‘residential’ and the fourth is for luggage and artefacts.”

She slowed a little as she tried to process this, “How on Equss do you plan to get all of us into three carriages without crushing somepony?”

“The same way you got all your stuff into your saddlebags, little lady.” He chuckled, “They’s bigger on the inside.”

“Spatial distortion enchants on the entirety of a carriage?” She blurted, “The spell power required to pull that off would be pretty nuts, let alone making it stay for long periods of time!”

“Ah, you should talk to Princess Twilight about it, then; after all, she was the one who cast all them spells.” He closed his eyes and held a hoof over his chest as he walked, “I’m just a simple Thestral with a simple brain who has in turn a simple philosophy to life.”

Glitter snorted a laugh as they entered the dining carriage, “And that would be?”

His grin grew wide showing off his sharp fangs and he cracked an eye in her direction, “When all you have is a hammer, everypony else is a nail.”

Chrysalis’ voice cut into the air as they approached the table she shared with Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, Shred, and Glittering Aegis, “Not sharing inappropriate stories with my granddaughter are we, Lieutenant?”

“Of course not, Duchess; merely discussing a few inconsequential details about the expedition.” He said as he allowed Glitter to sit before finding his own seat at the table. “Incidentally, we spotted somepony watching the train before returning here; it would seem that our observer is still intent on watching us.”

“Keep your ear to the ground on this, Thunder.” Shred growled, “I don’t want us to assume it’s nothing only for it to become something serious.”

“Gotta keep the ‘ling lookin’ good for his first expeditionary assignment, gotcha.” Thunder snarked, rolling his eyes before grabbing a menu and looking through it. “Don’t worry, sir, we’ll get you that desk job you want.”

Shred recoiled, “Desk job? Stars forbid I trust the Duchess to anypony not used to her crap planning.”

“I’ll pretend to not have heard that, Shred.” Chrysalid deadpanned.

“Oh don’t let me break that illusion of the perfect planner you’ve been building, my Queen; you might actually get it right one of these days.”

“Wow,” Spike mumbled, staring up at the pair dubiously, “Is this what being an adult is like for changelings? Glitter seems to have her head on straight right now but is she also going to lose all her marbles when she hits adulthood?”

Twilight swatted him upside the back of his head with her menu while Fluttershy giggled.

“I’ll try not to let age impair my judgement in the future.” Glitter huffed as she put down the menu she’d been perusing. “I might start planning something stupid, like invading a bakery for all their cookies or something.”

“Low blow, sweetie.” Chrysalis hissed, a hoof to her chest.

“You’ll live.” She hissed in return.

“Ladies, stop bickering or I’ll turn this train around and nopony is going to Changelingland.” Aegis snarked.

“Oh, please?” Glitter asked sarcastically, “I was so looking forward to spending Celestia knows how many days in a dead kingdom. I was eagerly anticipating the feeling of dread from the empty liminal spaces and sudden realization of the finality that will be the end of my species in but a few short years!”

Spike stared at her, “Wow; you really are a ray of brown muddy sunshine, aren’t you?”

“It’s going to be so boring most of the time,” Glitter huffed, resting her chin on the table as the others started giving their orders to their waitress, “I should have bought those Ogres and Oubliettes books I saw yesterday; at least learning the rules to that would have been something to do while not being escorted through Old Hive that I could maybe trick my filly and coltfriend into joining me in after we return.” She snorted, “Probably not, Sandy wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough.” She lifted her head and huffed before addressing the waitress who stood with an amused smile, “Chef’s special, extra cheddar, and a large of whatever juice you have.”

“You’re interested in O&O?” Spike asked eagerly, “I’ve brought a few of my rulebooks with me to write up my campaign with friends in Ponyville, but I usually host small sessions for the guard if they ask. I can loan you my player handbook after dinner if you’d like, a-and feel free to sit in and watch any sessions we run while we’re on the expedition.”

Glitter shrugged, “might as well; I only brought, like, two novels because somepony told me I needed to save the space in my bags for essentials.”

“I was under the impression that we were going to be going to the Old Hive on hoof, it’s not my fault that I had to pack our bags with days worth of supplies!”

“Kinda is, Granna.”

Shred cleared his throat, “Actually, I’m on your grandmother’s side for this one, Glitter.” He said, holding his hoof up as their waitress returned with drinks and started passing them around, “The cologne on the mail giving her instructions is a pretty dead giveaway that somepony has been interfering with internal messages.”

“Blueblood.” Thunder, Aegis, and Spike all said at the same time.

“Most likely.” Shred sighed, “My bet is that one of the professors is actually here to interfere with our expedition, potentially even one or two of the guards.” He shrugged, “If no artefacts return from the Old Hive, he would have grounds to say that it is merely a ghost town and attempt to have strip mining zoned for the entire area. As it is the three mile exclusion zone around the Old Hive is barely enough to keep potential issues from damaging the site should strip mining be performed.”

“That all three of you have issues with Blueblood is something that I feel I have to ask about.” Glitter pressed, looking toward the two guards and Spike in turn.

Aegis huffed, taking a quick mouthful of her drink, “He frequently demands that the Royal Guard, at least the day shift, do frankly ridiculous things. Even tried to get us to arrest Spike here one year when he went through a greed growth. Every time his missives are laced with a frankly unbearable cologne that I think he believes is fetching but really just makes me wretch and toss the damned things into the fireplace.”

“He tries to fool us into hunting animals that have strayed onto or into his property, typically harmless ones. He tried to get us to hunt a, quote, ‘extremely dangerous and horrific beast’ by sending us a report directly to my office. Turned out he had a possum in his living room and wanted us to get rid of it for him. As with Aegis’ telling, every single one was laced with his god awful cologne.” Thunder growled.

“He sent me a package via dragonfire somehow, and had badly forged Princess Celestia’s signature on it the week after my greed growth incident. Reeked of something awful that Rarity told me was ‘the worst cologne ever concocted’. Had Celestia come and see what it was, he never tried again after that.” Spike groused, frowning deeply the whole time.

Twilight blinked down at him, “I remember that package, did Princess Celestia ever tell you what it was?”

“Mom told me that it was powdered Dragonbane with a pressure sensitive spell to make it disperse,” the diminutive dragon replied irritably, “apparently not enough to actually harm even a newly hatched dragon, but enough to have made me sick.”

“WH-That’s assault!” Twilight almost shouted, rising angrily from her seat and nearly toppling everypony’s drinks.

“It’s fine, Princess.” Aegis soothed, “he learned his lesson, I assure you.”

Twilight sat down but still seethed, “Oh, and how’d he ‘learn his lesson’ for sending poison via dragonfire?”

“Poison Joke,” Aegis replied with a smile to make a shark nervous, “I should show you the photos, he looked hilarious at half his size and with no mouth.” She put a hoof to her chin before adding, “His mane fell out too,” and bursting into laughter.

Chrysalis chortled alongside the guardsmare, “Sounds like the Poison Joke didn’t mess around; I really should get a glimpse of those photos next time you’re able to present them, could make for a good laugh.”

Twilight grumbled as she took a long drink of her milkshake before saying anything more, “But even with that, to endanger a minor in such a way… No, he should have had a greater punishment than that. What he did was unconscionable, he could have seriously hurt Spike!”

“Oh, we know, Princess,” Thunder rumbled sternly, “That is why he was also fined eight thousand bits and confined to house arrest for six months.” He shrugged as she turned her attention on him, “We, the guard, wanted to make it worse, believe me. Spike has quite the group of friends amongst us, and your brother certainly wanted to make an example of him, but at the time he was still lord of Ponyville and was more or less untouchable until evidence of his corruption got him kicked from that spot; Princess Celestia did what she could to him at the time.”

“Which isn’t to say that we let him have an easy time of it.” Aegis stated, “All the staff were barred from his private quarters in the castle, as were other nobles. Only guards could enter, and we made sure he ate the same gruel that the newbies eat until we’re certain they’ve been razzed enough.

“We gave him Tartarus for his actions against Spike, Princess;” Aegis said, reaching over and rubbing the young dragon’s scalp back and forth, “and he deserved every second of it.”

“In any case, he’ll have Tartarus coming for him when we report to Princesses Luna and Celestia about his tampering of official missives.” Thunder said, leaning back to allow their waitress to deliver their meals, his own a fruit salad.

“Why wait, I can send her a report via dragonfire from anywhere.” Spike voiced cheerfully as his salad and omelette was placed before him. He reached into a bag at his side and took out what looked like a salt grinder filled with tiny emeralds, grinding it over his omelette and placing it back in his bag.

“Send that copy I gave you this morning with it, Twilight; proof would be a boon.” Chrysalis said, adding a little salt to her own dish of pepper poppers.

Glitter sighed into her plate of stuffed bell peppers with a small smile, before looking up as Shred tapped her shoulder and then over at Spike who was after her attention, “Tell you what, we’ll go get those rule books after we’re done with dinner and that message to mom; I’ll add a note to have her reply with some character sheets so I can show you how to make them!”

She smiled at him and nodded, “Sure, Spike; I’d like that.”

Dinner had been fun conversation amidst their eating for a while, and after the meals had ended Spike had been dragged away by the guards, Twilight, and Chrysalis to file their report to Princess Celestia. Glitter, now with no supervision other than Fluttershy, ordered a dessert and hot chocolate. The yellow pegasus had ordered a dessert of her own, a small apple cheesecake that she was quietly enjoying alongside a new magazine she’d brought with her, this one about desert foxes.

Glitter’s banana split was eaten with much gusto, especially since she didn’t know if her grandmother would approve of her having gotten it, and the dishes squirrelled away by the waitress just as swiftly before Chrysalis returned with Spike in tow. The drake then practically dragged Glitter from the room back to one of the seating booths in the carriage beyond the sleeper cars.

There he’d spread out his hoard of Ogres and Oubliettes books -though he called it a collection so as to not trigger any greed instincts- across one of the tables before sitting and guiding her through them.

An hour into reading one of the player handbooks, what Spike called a good start for beginners, he burped green flames that materialized into a small stack of papers and a set of scrolls for Twilight, Glittering Aegis, Rolling Thunder, and Chrysalis. He’d left her reading with promise to return as soon as he could, as he’d left his own campaign work on the table.

That had been some twenty minutes ago, and Glitter cowered slightly behind the book she was reading from the guards that filed past, some of whom muttered about getting breakfast yet all of whom looked in her direction curiously.

One stopped by the booth she was seated at and tilted his head at the written campaign curiously.

“Hey, this is Spike’s writing.” He mumbled before turning to Glitter, “Do you know when he’s coming back? Some of the boys were wondering if he’s going to run any one-offs during our trip.”

She nodded, “He said he’d be back soon, I think he got distracted with your commanders, or Princess Twilight.” She said nervously, “A-and I don’t think he’d like you reading his campaign notes, he was rather iffy about writing them in front of me and I’ve not even started playing the game or anything.”

The stallion nodded, “Good point, he would likely be mad if I were reading this stuff without his permission.”

“Hey, Vambrace, long time.” Spike said from the end of the table, getting their attention.

The guard backed up a little away from the table, “H-hey, Spike, how’s things? The others wanted to know-”

“If I’m running any one-offs, yeah I was asked by them as they passed me by.” The drake finished for him dismissively before hopping back into his seat, picking up his pencil and starting to sharpen it with his claws. “And the answer is yes, I will be. Before you ask, no, this is not going to be one of those one-offs. I’ll be working on those tomorrow on the flight in.” His eyes narrowed at the guard irritably, “But that doesn’t excuse you from reading my notes, Vambrace; you know the rules. Anypony caught is excluded from a session.”

“Aw, c’mon, Spike, that’s not fair! It ain’t even our sessions!”

Spike shook his head, “Rules are rules, Vambrace; what would Shining Armour do if he caught wind of this?”

Vambrace sighed and dipped his head, “Dock me a level and remove one magical item from my list.” He mumbled.

With a nod, Spike affirmed, “That’s right, count yourself lucky that I’m only barring you from one session. We usually don’t level up from them unless I deem it anyway, so you’re not going to miss out on much aside from playing and potential loot.” He shook his head again and pointed to the door, “Go get some breakfast and your orders, and don’t forget to tell the others. They know the rules too and should all be reminded of what happens if you don’t follow them.”

Vambrace nodded and shuffled off, looking very much like a kicked puppy as he dawdled out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him before Glitter found her courage to speak.

“Um, what are these rules?”

Spike laughed lightly as he placed his pencil back on the table and scooped his pencil shavings into a small baggie he had. “We have a couple of rules we keep amongst one another to keep those we play with from sneaking peeks at campaigns and cheating by knowing what is coming. The rules are simple, really. Don’t ask the Dungeon Master, in this case myself, for favors. We usually punish that one by giving their character a harder time in the next session.

“Don’t steal another player’s stuff. Do that and you’re out, no ifs ands or buts; sure you can be a thief and nick four gold or a sword from your fellow players, that’s in the game, but don’t physically steal their character sheets or item cards that I pass out. Bound magical items I’ll usually make a card for, and they become off-limits unless the character dies. Ponies will get a second chance if they can get others to back them, but otherwise those who break this rule are banned from my games.

“Don’t take out what happens in the game on others for real, for example giving other guards a hard time because they got a magical item you really wanted. Do that and you’re out for a session in time-out and will have to automatically pass up the next magical item that is found, as well as have half your in-game gold divided amongst the other players. I had to create that rule after two guards got into a big fight and ended up in the castle wards. They got in real trouble for that and Shining Armour asked me to make and disseminate the rule. Mom got real snappy with me about my O&O sessions with the guards because of that.

“Finally, don’t read the Dungeon Master’s notes. This is real important ‘cause it gives you an unfair advantage in the game and ruins the story for others if you know what’s coming. You wanna create a character that can read the future? Sure, I can give you hints of what’s to come, but I won‘t tell you outright. Breaking this rule, depending on the Dungeon Master that catches you, can have different punishments. Mine is that you miss a session. Shining Armour, like Vambrace said, will dock your character a level and take away a magical item. Crystabella, the night guard captain in the Crystal Empire will just kick you from any sessions involving that story outright.

“A couple of these rules we had to create on the fly as we’ve gone, as some guards we’ve had play with us have been less than stellar. In turn, those of us who do run games as Dungeon Master have rules of our own. No referencing popular stories unless it’s unintentional, no favoring one player over others... “ he chuckled amusedly for a moment, “no unwinnable fights. That one was a doozy, actually. I broke that rule on purpose once and boy did the guards get mad before I told them I’d only knocked them out.”

Glitter stared at him before nodding faintly, “Right,” she blurted, “and as for characters, could you maybe show me how one is made, now that we have sheets?”

“Sure, I’ll get some dice.”

Glitter lay on her bunk idly reading through the rulebook that Spike had been so kind as to let her borrow. She’d made a couple of characters with Spike’s aid, and was rather pleased with them. Her cervid barbarian was one she was proud of particularly; she’d rolled exceptionally well for the character’s ability scores and even with the cervid’s negative to constitution, the eighteen strength she’d rolled promised to make it a force to be reckoned with.

Her first character, a unicorn ranger, was more average across the total of its individual ability scores, but Spike had mentioned that an average character could be better than a totally lopsided one.

Chrysalis sidled into the room, shutting the door behind her and sighing contentedly as she flopped into her bed.

“Ah, it’s been a long day.” THe elder breathed, “We’ll be arriving in Dodge Junction in a few minutes, and first thing in the morning we’re all going to be piling into a carriage for a several-hour flight to the Old Hive. Are you excited, Glitter? Going to see your ancestral home for the first time!”

Glitter grunted non committedly, “I suppose, Granna,” was her initial reply, “it’ll be interesting to see where I came from, but by the same token you know I’d rather be back home with Sandy and Doublestep.”

Chrysalis sighed and rose from her bed, raising up to be able to look Glitter in the eyes, “I know, sweetie, and I’m sorry I tore you away from them. I just…” she trailed off and gazed at the wall over Glitter’s head, “I wanted to show you our past. Give you perspective of our future, I suppose. Can you blame an old mare for wanting to share her past life with her only grandchild?”

Glitter shook her head, “I guess not, just try not to be upset if I’m not fully grasping it the first time you try and explain it all to me. I am only a teenager.”

“Yes, you’ve made that very evident little miss banana split while my back is turned.” Chrysalis teased with a grin, her smile widened as Glitter blushed and backed her head away, wings spread wide, “Oh, you thought I wouldn’t find out? Please, you’ll have to get up earlier in the day to get one over your grandmother. You kids act like you invented being sneaky, it was around before even I was a hatchling...”

“Fluttershy snitched, I should have known she would.” Glitter grumbled, earning a laugh and kiss on her cheek from Chrysalis.

“She did no such thing, honey,” Chrysalis informed her, “Professor Barnsworth was worried that you might have made yourself sick with it. I think he was confused over your green cheeks when I teased you as you went to follow Spike, thinking you’d gotten an upset tummy. It was Fluttershy who corrected him, but by then, as they say, the damage had been done.”

Glitter huffed and thumped her chin to her mattress, “Sorry, Granna.”

“You don’t need to be sorry, Glitter; if you’d asked I would have said yes anyway, but perhaps something a little less on the loaded with sugar side like a nice fruit salad.” Chrysalis chortled and ruffled her granddaughter’s hair, “Did you thank Princess Twilight for the toothpaste she gave you?”

“Of course, Granna,” her albino granddaughter grunted back, “I even offered to pay her back for it, she gets the expensive stuff. I think I made Spike laugh with how I became more insistent the more she resisted.”

Chrysalis chortled and lowered back down into her own bunk, pulling out a book of her own to read before bed. “That sounds like him alright. I’ll send a message back to Little Hive to have your mother write you a note to remind you.”

Glitter nodded, “Thanks, Granna.” She mumbled, allowing the pair to lapse into silent reading for a few minutes before curiosity got the better of her, “Granna? Did they really build Little Hive to be a prison for us?”

Chrysalis sighed, “Yes, sweetie,” was her reply, “I’m sorry. The nation was afraid, we’d just poked holes in their most important defenses on a national holiday, a royal wedding no less, but along with the fear was anger. Ponies didn’t like the thought of us walking free after such an act, and in hindsight I agree with them, but it was a difficult decision for the crown to make. Initially they were going to simply reinforce the building that they’d bunked us in, but then an arsonist had struck and burned it to the ground. This gave the nobles and the crown an opening to on one hoof lock us up, but on the other hoof get us into reliable housing.

“Celestia and Luna were well aware of the animosity toward changelings at that point, and risking us attempting to get into housing of any other kind they saw as a risk both towards the nation as potential threats, and to ourselves. It was highly unlikely that anypony would have rented us apartments, or a home, and Celestia was worried that we might end up homeless; that, she believed, would put us back at square one. In turn, Luna wanted us under constant observation and guard.

“Thus Little Hive was constructed; communal housing for the few changelings left in a building designed both to protect and contain. It gave us a place to live in safety, and assured the public that we were well under the control of both the guard and the crown. The fact that, publicly, it was considered a low security prison meant that nopony raised a fuss about the bits spent on it.” She sighed sadly, “I know it’s not ideal, my dear, but… it’s home at least, right?”

Glitter closed the book in her hooves and placed it on the shelf beside her bed, her mind digging itself rabbit hole after rabbit hole. “I suppose so, Granna.” She mumbled, “But… I worry about what will happen to Little Hive.”

Chrysalis blinked, “What do you mean?”

“When the others are all gone.” She said, “It’ll be just us. Alone. In that large, empty space full of memories, good and bad. What then, Granna, when it’s gone from a home to just a prison?”

Chrysalis sighed, “Glitter, you worry ahead of your years.” She said, “We’ll cross that bridge when, and only when, we come to it.”

Chrysalis rose from her bed once again and kissed Glitter on her cheek before nuzzling into it, “We’ll be fine, love, promise.”

Glitter leaned into the gesture and hummed, “I hope you’re right, Granna.” She muttered, before turning off her light and trying to get some sleep.

Badlands

Surreality had become the norm for most of Glitter’s dreams once she evolved into a Royal changeling; it was something that had, at one point, caused Princess Luna no end of distress and worry that she was perhaps prone to discordant thoughts and potential madness. The panicking pony princess had been assuaged by Chrysalis eventually admitting that, for most changelings, sleep would put their mind more into the Hive Mind than usual, allowing them to congregate and de-stress while sleeping.

As explained by the elder Queen, the presence of all these minds would give the dreams some rigidity and cohesion, and the Queen could mould the collective dream to some extent. In Chrysalis’ case, the dreamscape would appear as an opulent ballroom that included minor amusements such as a pool with water slides, game boards, and duelling facilities for those wanting to de-stress aggressively, though she did note that that last option typically went unused by all but Shred after a particularly bad day with recruits.

Glitter, as a Royal who rarely joined into the Hive Mind, would be instinctively attempting to create this sort of environment in her head as she slept, Chrysalis posited. Without the presence of other changelings, or the overriding mind of a more experienced Queen, it would be disjointed and confusing to most, filled with things to allow Glitter momentary relief from stress before her mind thought up something else to entertain her on a random whim.

Discord, who had been present during the explanation - mainly because Luna was covering her bases and concerned that he had had something to do with it - had feigned offence at the thought that, because he had promised not to mess with the grey matter of ponies he had decided that this meant changelings, and therefore other species as well, were free game. He had found the truth to be jolly entertaining though.

He had also, upon departing himself, left the meeting room with a small flock of narcoleptic ducks that were given safe roosts in the castle gardens, but that was neither here nor there.

Her dreams that night included something that she couldn’t seem to shake, though. Every time her dream would shift to some new flight of fancy entertainment, there would be a… sensation. She noted that it felt slightly alien, yet at the same time familiar. A scratching sensation at the back of her mind. She felt it was reminiscent of when she would join the Hive Mind but more… forceful? She wondered if her mother was attempting to connect forcefully to talk, or perhaps her grandmother wanting to peep in on her thoughts after the admittedly depressing discussion they’d had just before going to sleep.

Groggily she awoke the next morning, her eyes bleary and not focusing on any one thing in particular, swirling in their sockets. She felt motion, and initially assumed that she’d slept through the train moving on to their next destination until she yawned and stretched, scrunching her eyes and forcing them to behave, finally seeing the spacious pearly room around her.

Wait, pearly and spacious?

She jolted upright, swinging her attention to and fro fretfully; this wasn’t the train carriage she went to sleep in! She recalled the walls in there had been a dark tan and hardly spacious enough to turn around in, and instead of the wall lantern of the train compartment above her head, she was greeted by a skylight showing clear blue skies.

She bolted from the bed, thudding to the ground having momentarily in her panic not realised she was on the top bunk of the bunk bed she had been sleeping in. Ignoring the new ache in her left shoulder and running on adrenaline, she rose quickly and bolted for the door, slamming it open despite her worries that it might have been locked and bumping face to chest with her grandmother.

Chrysalis, being both the elder and sturdier of the two, hardly moved as her granddaughter who was only just over half her height and under half her weight bounced off her and crumpled to the ground.

Chrysalis arched her neck to look down at her heavily breathing granddaughter with mild amusement, “I was just on my way to wake you for breakfast, but it seems you have done half my task for me,” she chortled as she held out a hoof to help Glitter back up, “are you alright, dear?”

Glitter stared up at her, wide-eyed panic meeting the cool headed cheeky smirk of her grandmother and starting to calm down, “Where are we?”

Pulling her granddaughter to her hooves, Chrysalis tittered, “We’re in the carriage that is to be our shared living quarters for the duration of our expedition to the Old HIve,” she calmly informed, “you were sleeping so heavily when the night guards woke me for our relocation that I had one of them simply levitate you here. We’ve been in flight since about four in the morning, three hours or so. Currently we are high above the badlands.”

“I thought we were heading down to Appleloosa before we took the flight?”

Chrysalis shook her head, entering the room and closing the door behind her for privacy, “With the probability that there is somepony amongst us coming with us with less than noble intentions, we thought it most prudent to change plans abruptly and act as if this were the plan the whole time;” she explained, “we were to pick up a slight change in our guard roster in Appleloosa as well, and Aegis decided that we could not risk adding more potential traitors to our expedition.”

Glitter nodded, “I… I guess that makes sense.”

Nodding with a smile, Chrysalis tapped her lips with her hoof before opening the door, a gesture to denote the need for discretion on that topic, “In any case, let’s head down for breakfast; Twilight’s dragon assistant, Spike, has cooked up some waffles and pancakes and, if the smell of them is anything to go by, his cooking is not something to miss.”

Following her grandmother with a nod, Glitter sniffed at the air, “That does smell good…” she muttered, “who else is going to be riding with us here, Granna? Princess Twilight and Spike obviously, but who else?”

“Princess Twilight’s friend Fluttershy will be accompanying us, as well as both of the First Lieutenants and Shred. We also have four guards, two rostered for the day shift and two for the night shift. They, as well as the First Lieutenants and Shred, are our guard retinue,” was her curt reply before a sarcastic roll of her eyes, “Spike wants to cook for us all, at least for our breakfasts and dinners. Shred has allowed this as he’s the Princess’s lifelong ward and is trustworthy. Apparently my cooking isn’t good enough for him.”

Glitter gave her grandmother a cheeky sidelong look, “No Coltorina Reaper Chili then, Granna?”

“I will torture Shred’s tastebuds and remind him why he should respect his Queen if it’s the last thing I do.” She huffed, “And as such I’ve had some of said meal cooking discreetly in my Saddlebags of Holding since last night.”

Glitter giggled, “Oh no, you’ve been plotting again. Should I be worried, Granna?”

“I’m going to keep it cooking as long as possible; look forward to it in a day or so,” Chrysalis cheerfully boasted, “Hopefully I’ll even get Spike begging for something to stop the pain.”

“You can be cruel when you wanna be, Granna.”

She initially responded with a vindictive-sounding cackle before following up by saying, “Quell rebellions before they start, spice your subjects into submission!”

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Finally sat at a table with a white tablecloth spotted with little red hearts, Glitter gave her nearby travelling companions a few worried sideways glances. At first she’d merely chalked it up to still needing to wake up, but now that she was fully awake, she could deny what she felt no longer.

That scratching in the back of her mind hadn’t gone away. If anything, it seemed to be becoming stronger. Particularly so after Chrysalis left the room to collect their breakfasts.

It was starting to worry her a little now, the thought that something was going on inside her head that she knew nothing about, but she couldn’t find the words to voice her concerns should it be nothing important.

“Um, are you okay, Glitter?” Fluttershy asked timidly from across the table, cringing down in her seat when the albino turned her attention across to her, “I mean, you look worried about something?”

She shook her head and mumbled a reply, “I… It’s nothing,”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked before squirming, “I mean… sorry, you just look like something’s been bothering you? I might not know as much as your mother does, but I did read those medical books she published, if something’s wrong that is,”

Glitter gave a reassuring smile, “I’m fine, Fluttershy, honest; I think I’m just feeling the magic that is enlarging the interior of the carriage, perhaps I’m just not accustomed to something so pervasive.”

Shred glanced at her sidelong, “Lady Fluttershy has the right of it, Glitter; you look like something is nagging at you. As the one charged with the wellbeing of both our Queen and yourself, the latter of which is accompanied by the threat of prolonged suffering from your mother should you come to harm, I insist on knowing if something is wrong.”

Glitter’s ears dropped back at this and she whined, “I… sorry uncle Shred…”

His head shook and he narrowed his eyes at her, “That's not an answer, Glitter; I don't let my fellow guards, nor our Queen, pull the apology card on me; you aren't getting a free pass just because you're young. If something is wrong, I need you to tell me.”

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around the young changeling reassuringly and Glitter huffed, “I dunno, uncle, I just… while I slept there was a feeling in my head, like when Granna tries to force me into the Hive Mind, and it hasn't gone away,” she scratched at her left temple nervously, “if anything it's gotten worse.”

Shred stared sternly, mulling over this little revelation in his head while Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin, “Maybe you're developing your own Hive Mind?”

“No, she has yet to go through the rites for that;” Chrysalis cut in as she strode back into the room pushing a cart carrying their breakfasts with her chest, “and we lack enough Changelings to perform them in any case,” she paused to stare confusedly, “Wait, what’s going on?”

“Something is bothering Glitter,” Fluttershy replied softly, “Oh, let me help,” she added, standing and assisting Chrysalis in placing breakfasts before their respective diners.

“We number but ten; the rites require dozens,” Shred huffed, “the only Hive Mind that will exist for now until the day, through anything other than old age, we become truly extinct, is what we already have.”

“Granna and I would both have to die for that to happen,” Glitter huffed, “and with how protective you’ve been, Shred, I don’t think that’s likely to happen any time soon.”

“There needs to be somepony keeping your grandmother in check,” Shred groused before taking a large bite out of a waffle and humming appreciatively.

Chrysalis huffed, watching as Glitter slathered her pancakes in syrup, “You don’t trust Princesses Celestia or Luna to do that? They’ve already collared me, what more do you want?”

Shred growled as he hastily chewed and swallowed his mouthful, “Mare, I saw the aftermath of your pillow fight with Princess Celestia over Booker’s wedding. You’re all terrible influences who are going to send my recruits through therapy.”

“Back to the monarch bashing first thing in the morning, do you two ever give it a rest?” Spike snarkily cut in as he wandered into the room, “I don’t think Mom would approve if you brought down the carriage by fighting amongst yourselves.”

“Collaring will be the least of your worries should you get into your head to plot something foolish again, Chrysalis.” Twilight added as she strode in and sat next to Spike, “you keep acting like it’s some great imposition against you, but we both know that your only real complaint about it is that it wasn’t implemented sooner.”

Chrysalis fiddled with said peytral almost absent mindedly, “That and the inability to levitate,” she grumbled.

“Wait, I had to vent excess magic into Royal Jelly after my, uh, ‘transformation’ because my reserves were full,” Glitter began while raising a hoof, “won’t Granna have the same issue?”

Twilight and Chrysalis blinked at her owlishly for a moment before Twilight shook herself out of it and cleared her throat, “Well, potentially yes,” she began as she moved into a stiffer pose and Spike rolled his eyes, “which is why we had her convert most of her reserves into Royal Jelly before it was fitted onto her. It will take quite some time before her reserves will fill to the point that an emergency vent would be required. The possibility was considered when Celestia first proposed this punitive measure; it’s one of the many reasons that the unlocking phrase was imprinted into the peytral along with the regular, physical lock,” she gave Chrysalis a somewhat withering glare at this statement, “as well as the alarm that will notify both the Princesses and myself of it being removed.

“As you know, any removal of the collar will need to be explained in great detail to both Princesses Celestia, Luna, and myself; we’re taking this very seriously, Chrysalis, so any removal deemed to have been in violation of the rules we’ve given you will come with heavy punishment, up to and including imprisonment.” She narrowed her eyes at the changeling monarch while taking a deep breath, “Don’t try our patience on this, understood?”

“Yeah, thanks for the lecture, but can we get back to breakfast before it goes cold, Twilight?” Spike snarked.

“I would agree with Spike on this,” Shred rumbled before nodding to Aegis as she entered for her own breakfast, “despite wanting to get to the bottom of whatever it is that Glitter is trying to keep secret from us, it would be quite rude of us to let food which smells this good go to waste.”

Mutual agreements rang around the table as the gathered ponies, changelings, and lone dragon, dug into their breakfasts with gusto. Despite the impressively delicious food, however, Glitter found herself unable to thoroughly enjoy the meal to its entirety. The buzzing in the back of her head droned out much of her thoughts, feeling more insistent than ever.

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After breakfast was thoroughly defeated, Chrysalis joined Spike in the kitchenette for the task of cleaning up after themselves, despite his protests. It seemed that, even after all these years, the young dragon was still leery of the now dethroned monarch.

Twilight had only insisted that Chrysalis assist him after realising the reason for his reluctance; the number one assistant to the Princess of Friendship should have no such potential hindrances to any of her potential future diplomatic duties after all, and this would help him to get over his hangups.

Provided that Chrysalis didn’t go overboard with any of her more playful behaviour, of course.

Glitter sighed embarrassedly as she dawdled away from the dining room, hearing her grandmother toying with Spike playfully much to his annoyance from the far doorway. “I feel I need to apologise in advance for any mental anguish that she may inflict on your ward, Princess,” she huffed to the alicorn as she approached.

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively, “Don’t worry about it, Glitter, she’s under control and I doubt she’d do anything to really upset him.”

“Granted,” Glitter shot back quickly, “but you’re the one who will have to put up with him complaining about it later.”

“And I’ll deal with that when it comes,” Twilight nodded.

Glitter sighed and shook her head, “How long until we reach the Old Hive, do you think?”

Twilight hummed, tapping her left forehoof against her chin in thought as she sat down, “At the rate we’ve been flying, factoring in the three hours we’ve been flying for already… likely another two and a half hours?”

With a nod, Glitter turned towards the bedrooms, “Two and a half hours, alright, I’ll have to find something to entertain myself with for that long; I suppose I’ll get one of my novels, since Granna didn’t let me pack my knitting stuff.”

“Ooh, which books, I might have already read them?”

Glitter shook her head, “No spoilers, Princess; you wouldn’t like it if I did it to you,” she shot over her shoulder.

“Fair enough,”

Pushing the door open, Glitter moved through into the corridor between the living and sleeping areas, noting that this felt similar to her trip through the train the prior day. Four doors to her left and four to her right, each marked clearly for the individuals who would bunk within them, except, of course, for the bathroom which was clearly marked as such and what appeared to be a storage closet she guessed for spare bedding and cleaning supplies.

The gentle noises of Thunder sleeping sounded faintly from one of the doors at the end of the corridor, and the faint smell of armour polish wafting from the two doors alongside it told her, even without the door signage, where the guards had been bunked.

Before she could continue to the room she shared with her grandmother, the door directly to her left marked ‘bathroom’ opened and out stepped a unicorn stallion in Day Guard armour, adjusting the straps around his midsection. He paused as he noticed her, blinking in momentary confusion before his expression turned professional and he nodded.

“Ma’am,”

“Carry on, corporal, don’t mind me.”

Nodding, the corporal waited for her to pass before moving to and entering the room next to where she could hear Thunder’s snoring, the door clicking shut behind him. Thinking no more of it, Glitter entered the room she shared with her grandmother, leaving the door open whilst she located and fetched her saddlebags.

Tossing them halfheartedly across her back, Glitter wandered back out of the room, closing the door behind herself as she returned to the hallway. She gave the doors around her another appraising look for a moment only to huff dismissively and retrace her steps back to the main room.

Closing the hall door, she took note of the Princess sitting on a plush tan lounge looking through a stack of papers with a stern crease furrowing her brow. Following a mental shrug, Glitter dawdled over and sat on a similar couch across the table from Twilight, plopping her bags on the floor and flipping one open to scrounge through it.

True to their enchanted purpose, the bags were considerably larger on their inside. She managed to get her whole head inside the opening, sans her horn in case she accidentally punctured it, to root around. She gave a dissatisfied huff at not finding what she wanted within the left satchel, it being filled with several weeks worth of food supplies and water in enchanted preserving containers.

Though she remembered having taken them out to read the night before, she assumed that they had been tucked away into a pouch at random when she had been transported into the carriage in the middle of the night.
Clearly her grandmother had simply put her books in the pouch on the other side.

Pulling her head free, she switched sides and dove head-first into the other side, finding her books almost immediately. They were sat alongside a stack of binders she didn’t recognize. Confused, Glitter took hold of a binder and pulled it out, staring at it bemusedly as she read the label on its cover.

Irritation filled her face and she felt her left eyelid twitch and her voice loudly cut the silence in the tan and brown room,

“Granna, what the buck is your paperwork doing in my saddlebags?!”

Spike’s snark could be heard from the kitchenette as he commented, “Sounds like you got caught,”

“It needed to go somewhere, Glitter,” Chrysalis called back with amusement filling her tone.

Glitter’s eye twitched again, “So we couldn’t bring our knitting needles and some wool, but we can bring your paperwork for this expedition?”

“It’s not for this expedition, that work is for the Grand Galloping Gala later this year, and I brought my knitting things in my bags,”

Again her eye twitched and she heard Spike hiss through his teeth and felt Twilight’s gaze lingering on her horn as angry black, purple, and green-tinged magic built up.

“That was not the right answer,” Spike snarked openly, “and you know it. I’m going to just stuff myself under this sink, I might get out of the line of fire”

“This is why you didn’t want me packing my own bags; not because you thought I’d forget something important but because you wanted to make me carry your stuff, potentially for miles,” Glitter snarled, grinding her teeth, “instead of just getting a second set of your own bags, or just asking me, you decided to scheme again!”

Shred sighed from where he sat polishing his own armour, “You’d think she’d have learned,” he muttered.
His worried eyes, however, never left Glitter’s horn.

“Glitter, are you okay?” Twilight probed worriedly as she sat up a little, raising a hoof as smoke started to rise gently from where the angry magic made contact with the albino,

“I don’t know, princess; I’m a moody teenager thousands of miles from home and my special someponies on an excursion I didn’t particularly want to be on, have something scratching at the back of my mind that won’t relent even when I’m asleep, have saddlebags full of some paperwork instead of half of the recreational stuff I wanted because somepony tried to be sneaky and clever - do I look okay to you?!”

As she shouted her last line, Twilight rose to her hooves and reached across the table, rapping the end of Glitter’s horn with a dull grey stone she held in her hoof and causing the building, roiling, rage-filled wild spell to burst as if being snuffed like a candle.

With a squeak, Glitter passed out, her head thudding heavily to the table.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

“... think she’s waking up.”

Glitter groaned, twitching a little at the voice as the world slowly returned to her. Weakly she opened her eyes, her fog-addled mind attempting to get her bearings but finding her vision filled with the concerned faces of Fluttershy and Twilight.

She smacked her dry mouth and slurred a barely coherent question, “Wha’happn’?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head sadly, helping Fluttershy in assisting Glitter in moving into a more upright position on the couch she had been lying on, “A moody teenager,” she said sharply, “I think your grandmother has something to apologise for, but for now she’s in time out.”

Glitter blinked at Twilight with a lack of comprehension, earning a quiet titter from Fluttershy.

“Your grandmother, Glitter,” Shred interjected from across the room, “did something stupid once again.”

“She hid her paperwork in your bags while packing for your trip out here,” Twilight said, “and instead of disarming what I’m fairly sure was the mental snap of a granddaughter long having found her last nerve with other ponies conspiring her direction through life without consulting her, Chrysalis decided to try and be funny,”

With a groggy groan Glitter rubbed at an eye, “Okay, I get that she did something stupid again, but why am I waking up?” Now properly awake a dull throbbing made itself known and the hoof she’d been rubbing her eye with rose to poke at her horn only to be gently grabbed by Fluttershy who shook her head, her gaze lingering on Glitter’s own with concern.

Twilight shifted and straightened her back where she was sitting, “Don’t touch that, Glitter, I’ve only just finished applying some horn cream,” she snapped, “You’re suffering from magical backlash,”

“Rage casting,” Shred said as he moved into view and gave the teenager a glass of water which she began to greedily drink, “A not unknown phenomenon, even to you, Glitter.”

Twilight nodded affirmatively, “In your understandable anger at your grandmother, your body began to subconsciously channel magic. This, of itself, is not a problem. It happens to unicorns if angry enough, though admittedly this is the first time it has been observed in Changelings;” she shook her head disappointedly, “negative emotions, such as anger, taint magic, Glitter. It becomes dangerous, to target and caster alike. It’s not widely known for what it really is, commonly confused with Wild Magic. If angry enough, my own rage casting usually turns my coat white and my mane and tail into ethereal flames.

“The proper term for it, however, is Dark Magic. It takes a lot of power to make proper Dark Magic, so most unicorns won’t be able to cast it during rage casting. You, Glitter, are a half-ascended Changeling Royal; your mana reserves are deeper and you can utilise it more efficiently, much like an Alicorn, meaning that you can form proper Dark Magic,

“The problem, Glitter, is that Dark Magic needs strict concentration to control; without that, it becomes extremely dangerous to everypony involved, especially the caster.” She huffed the remainder of her breath and eyed Glitter’s horn, “The magic you were channelling has caused serious burns to your horn. Not enough to render your magic totally inaccessible, but I have put a ring on your horn to cut off much of your magic as a precaution.”

“It will hurt to try to use magic until your horn has healed, Glitter,” Shred interjected, “so for now, at least until her Highness says otherwise, the ring is to remain on. I will brook no argument on this. Your mother would be very angry if I were to allow you to harm yourself more through negligence on my behalf; she’s already all but frothing at the mouth over this.”

Glitter nodded numbly, the feeling of chastisement making her eyes drift to the floor at his hooves.

“You’re not in trouble, Glitter,” Shred softly spoke, “your grandmother has scurried off to your shared room to mope after we drilled into her, and for now she can stay there until she feels like apologising properly for her idiocy;” at this he shook his head and growled, “she’s such a sook.”

“This doesn’t answer why I’m waking up on the couch, as comfortable as it is,” Glitter grumbled.

Twilight held up a round, flat, grey stone with her hoof, “Nullstone backlash,” she stated firmly.

“Part of any good first aid kit,” Shred nodded, “you know what nullstone is, Glitter.”

She nodded in return, “Yeah, it can completely disrupt any spell used on it, something about it splitting spells back into their original elemental mana wavelengths and dissipating them through the air?”

Shred smiled, “That’s right, however did you also know that if put to a unicorn, alicorn, or changeling’s horn it completely cuts off any magic use for the individual involved? It’s used by medical professionals as a temporary safety should a pony hurt their horn until a Ring, carved from nullstone reinforced with gold amalgam, can be applied. I insisted that we have them in all of our first aid kits and a ring in each carriage under strict control of those we have deemed trustworthy.”

“So… it broke up the magic that I’d been channelling, okay…” Glitter mumbled, “but I’m still not hearing why I’m waking up.”

“Because, Glitter,” Twilight spoke as if educating a somewhat dim pupil, “the more magic it breaks, the greater the impact against the caster. If a pony channelling magic has it disrupted by nullstone, the spell both breaks apart and causes negative feedback, commonly referred to as a backlash or recoil. When I tapped it against your horn, the magic it disrupted wasn’t just uncontrolled, but strong. If I could liken it to anything, it would be similar to being kicked in the head by an adult earth pony.”

Glitter blinked at the comparison, “... yeah that’d do it.”

“For now, no magic and no touching your horn,” Twilight advised before standing and returning to her own paperwork on the other side of the table, “in two hours or so I’ll take a look at how you’re healing and decide from there.”

With a nod, Glitter shifted where she reclined on the couch to better access the book she’d managed to retrieve from her bags before everything had kicked off, “How’s Granna taking this?”

“You let me worry about your grandmother, Glitter,” Shred snapped curtly, “but for your information, she is very worried and upset, though like we said before she has scurried off to her room to brood and mope.” He sighed and shook his head, “Your mother already knows what has happened thanks to the Hive Mind, and a few very choice words were had which will not be repeated in the company of a child nor royalty.”

His eyes became icy and hard, “Neither your mother, nor I, want you to just outright forgive your grandmother over this, Glitter; that would only be enabling her. She has done wrong. I know she is your grandmother and you love her, and that is fine, but while you should forgive family when they make mistakes, this time she too needs to learn. She has caused you physical harm, and that needs to sink in for her. Let her be hurt by this.”

She nodded numbly in return.

“Spike has very kindly offered to relay between ourselves and Princess Celestia a package or two, and through Shred your knitting supplies have been requested. Due to the distance between us and Canterlot, it may take some time for them to arrive.”

Glitter blinked across at Twilight as she finished speaking, giving Glitter a firm nod and turned her attention back to her paperwork. Shred, too, turned away after giving her a reassuring nod, using his magic to grab the royal guard who seemed to be patrolling through the room and drag him closer to an irritable growl of “Surprise inspection, colt,” and beginning to drill into the quality of his armour’s polishing.

Fluttershy smiled warmly before dawdling to a soft chair on one side of the room and climbing on. She reached beneath her right wing and pulled out one of her magazines, opening it and beginning to read.
Its cover read ‘The Cuddly World of Extremely Venomous Snakes”.

Finding herself no longer the centre of attention, and wondering faintly what was wrong with Fluttershy’s mind, Glitter looked about awkwardly, wondering when the horseshoe would drop. Finding no answers, she huffed and opened her book with her hooves, returning to where she’d been reading.

Curious as to what was being said in the Hive Mind, if anything, she idly let her mind connect. The first voice she heard was her mother’s.

“Glitter? Are you alright?”

“Yes, mother, I will be fine,” was her grumbled reply.

She felt her mother relax, “Thank goodness; when Shred told me what had happened I was so worried!”

“I only have some minor magic burns. It’ll go away soon enough, Princess Twilight said,”

Chrysalis’s voice timidly tried to speak, “Glitter, I’m so-”

“Saying you’re sorry isn’t always enough, Granna,” she interrupted, “sometimes you have to prove it. You can’t just keep apologising for the same thing and then keep doing it.”

She felt her grandmother’s presence recede significantly, giving her the impression of somepony struck about the cheek.

“I’ve sent your knitting things to the castle with some wool, a royal guard came by and requested them to be sent to you by Princess Celestia earlier and I sent them with him.”

“Thank you, mom; I’m sure Spike will bring them to me before too lo-”

Glitter and Shred both twitched, lifting their heads to stare at one another as a foreign voice yelled, echoing through the Mind, “Let the fallen sleep!”

It had bellowed deep and furious, all but deafening those in the Mind even as it echoed into silence. Dumbfounded, Shred and Glitter stared at one another, eyes wide. The door to the sleeping areas slammed open with a burst, and the dishevelled, tear-faced form of Chrysalis stormed in to stare between them, her sudden appearance gaining stares of her own from Twilight and Fluttershy.

She shook her head to get her bedraggled mane from her eyes in an attempt to get it to dislodge from the streaked green mascara caking her cheeks, her breath heavy as she stared at them with the silent question and answer being sent between them without words.

“What the buck was that?!” Glitter almost shouted,

“What was what?” Twilight asked, turning her attention to see her and ignoring Fluttershy scurrying over to Chrysalis with tissues and starting to help her with her ruined makeup.

“An… an intruder…” Shred breathed,

The alicorn stormed to her hooves and looked around worriedly, “What, where?!”

Shred’s thousand-yard stare met her own and she recoiled from the sight of a seasoned battle-hardened warrior staring at her in such a manner, “In the Hive Mind.”

Chrysalis shook her head a little, making Fluttershy pause, “That’s… not possible,” she almost whispered, “the Mind is a link only Changelings share. There can be no intruders! I can’t feel any extra beings other than us ten!”

“Discord?” Twilight queried worriedly, “Can Discord connect?”

“As a being of pure chaos, Princess, he can do whatever he wants; he’s joined before, but only to tell terrible puns,” Shred mumbled, “But that was not his voice. It was too…”

“Angry,” Glitter finished for him, “whoever that was, she was furious,”

She blinked and looked up to the ceiling, speaking into the Mind again, “Is everypony okay? Did anypony recognize that voice?”

“We’re okay, but no,” Crackle replied timidly, “we were just asking that here and none of us know who that was.”

Glitter nodded, “There couldn’t be another Changeling we didn’t recover, could there?” She asked aloud, eyeing her grandmother and suppressing a giggle as Fluttershy began braiding her mane.

“Alone for all these years? Extremely unlikely. One in a million, if that.” Chrysalis huffed, “Being separated from the Hive Mind after full integration is extremely detrimental to a changeling’s mental health; you, Glitter are the first I’ve ever had not stay connected to it all the time.”

“You’ve said as much before, but million to one chances have a bad habit of cropping up nine times out of ten,” Twilight grumbled,

“It would take substantial mental fortitude to have lasted this long alone, and considerable resourcefulness to have survived physically; there’s nowhere to get food out here, Princess. Rainstorms are few and far between, and water was almost impossible to come by otherwise.” Shred informed, “‘Badlands’ is a bit of a misnomer, really; it’d be more accurate to call where we came from a desert or barrens. We had a dedicated supply line that would trek about three hours just to collect water for drinking. The land itself is all but completely infertile.”

Twilight sighed, “This expedition becomes more and more complicated by the day,”

“I’ll do what I can to see if I can find out where that voice came from,” Chrysalis voiced, “Else there’s not much that we can do but wait until we arrive.” With a shrug she looked over her shoulder, finally noticing that her hair had been done up from its usual style into a tight and neat prench braid. Warily she eyed the butter yellow pegasus who was brushing out her tail with a smile and humming a gentle tune to herself, “Well, at least you’re having fun, I suppose.”

“Relay anything you find,” Shred snapped, “the safety of everypony here could depend on it.” He nodded in the ex-queen’s direction before returning to the corporal he’d dragged over, “Now, where were we? Ah, right, the helmet…”

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Two hours had passed slowly, bringing with them the arrival of Glitter’s knitting equipment and an inspection of her mildly battered horn by the princess. The alicorn had been distracted for the first expected checkup an hour earlier, so belated as it was, she was being more thorough. Glitter had squirmed timidly the entire time that Twilight had been holding her head in place, looking at her horn from multiple angles.

“I see no lasting burns, only superficial damage to your outer chitin,” she muttered matter-of-factly before tapping their horns together.

The feeling of someone inside her horn made Glitter squirm harder, “Princess I hate this,”

“I know, Glitter,”

“It feels like you’re twirling a stick inside my horn,” she said, giving a squeak as Twilight’s magic probed an apparently sensitive spot inside.

“I know it does, Glitter, but we need to be sure that your mana channels haven’t been damaged. Any internal damage could cripple your ability to use magic forever,”

Glitter tried and failed to nod against Twilight’s hold, “I know that, princess, but it’s still really uncomfortable!”

Twilight only sighed sympathetically, “I know, Glitter,”

“Will the outer burns be permanent?” Aegis asked as she watched from nearby, pointedly ignoring Shred trying to find any flaw in her armour’s polish.

“Minor injuries heal, the burn should be gone within the week,” Shred commented with a scowl as he found that even her belt buckles had been polished, “hive be damned, mare, you must have missed something!”

Aegis shifted irritably, “Shred, you get any closer to my belly and you’ll get a swift kicking, I ain’t a recruit and don’t appreciate-”

“I’m performing an inspection of the armour, Aegis,” he snapped.

“I’m married, Shred,”

“And you ain’t my type,”

“That doesn’t stop you from looking,”

“If I were so desperate to pretend to perform an inspection just to sneak a peek, you’re the last pony I’d bother,”

“You sayin’ I’m not good enough for you?”

“I’m sayin’ that I have a job to do and unlike our idiot underlings I can be professional.”

“Will you two just kiss or go away already, I’m trying to perform a medical scan and you’re throwing off my concentration!” Twilight snapped.

Glitter all but thrashed to get out of Twilight’s grip and squeaked, “Princess, calm down, that hurts!”

With a start, Twilight ceased her channelling and took a step back from the young albino, before stepping forward again and gently taking her head into her hooves, “Ah, I’m sorry, Glitter, I lost my focus, are you okay?”

Glitter groaned and carefully pulled Twilight’s hooves from her face, “I think I’m okay, your presence in my horn, that twiddly stick feeling I complained about, felt like it had gone from a stick to a small branch,” he shook her head uncomfortably, “didn’t feel good.”

Twilight sighed and nodded gently, “Sorry, Glitter; thank you for telling me, I could have seriously hurt you.” Her ire turned to the two guards all but cowering sheepishly from her, “And you two, you’re supposed to be professionals here; show some decorum! For Celestia’s sake, where did that argument even come from?”

Aegis shifted and mumbled, “He had his head under my belly…”

Twilight’s firm gaze turned to Shred who grit his teeth, “I was inspecting her armour, nothing more,”

Aegis stamped her left hind hoof angrily, “I’m First Lieutenant, I’m one of the ponies who do the surprise inspections on others, you don’t need to check my gear to see if I can polish it!”

Shred growled, “For me to get a better idea of what I should be seeing on the ponies I’ll be training I should get a decent look of what I’m looking for, I can hardly do that with the louts we’ve brought with us! Ponyfeathers, the colt I inspected earlier had scuffs on his helmet so blatant that even Spike could see them!”

“If you two want to fight, I suggest that you wait until we’ve landed so everypony can enjoy the show,” Glitter grumbled, “and not in here where there’s an enlargement spell that could be disrupted and collapse the inside of the carriage in on us,”

Evidently deciding to ignore the now cowed guards, Twilight turned back to the youngest in the room, “Now, Glitter, despite unintentionally hurting you I did manage to complete my inspection of your pathways,” she stated in a stern tone reminding Glitter of when her teacher would all but command the attention of her class, “and while I did find some very minor damage, you appear to be in near perfect health. I’d recommend a horn filing when you next have time to arrange one, however; you’ve built up a bit of magic residue which if left untreated could make spell casting more difficult.”

Glitter blinked across at her, “So no more null ring?”

Twilight nodded, “No more null ring,”

With a sigh Glitter smiled, “Big thanks for small mercies, I suppose,”

A heavy knocking drew all of their collective attention to the sole door leading to the outside of the carriage as it swung open to admit a single pegasus stallion in royal guard armour. He saluted curtly before speaking, “Your Highness, we are nearing our destination landing zone; estimated time to land five minutes.”

Twilight blinked at him in confusion for a moment before turning to give Shred a mildly confused glance, “Thank you for notifying us, sergeant; but I did not expect us to reach where we were going to land for another hour yet?”

“Favourable winds and good thermals, Princess; we’ve had a strong and steady tailwind for the last two hours, and sunlight baking the badlands has provided us with strong thermals,” he stated firmly before saluting again, “I must inform the other carriages as well, by your leave, Highness.”

“Of course, thank you sergeant,”

The stallion flapped his wings once as if to stretch them before turning and leaving back through the door he had entered from, closing it with a snap. He could be seen extremely briefly through the window alongside it, his wings outstretched as he flew to the carriage behind their own.

“Well,” Twilight began cheerily, “I suppose I should go make sure Spike is ready and see if your packages have arrived yet,”

Glitter nodded as she connected to the Hive Mind, “And I-”

“You will not,” Shred snapped, cutting her off mid-thought, “I will go and let your grandmother know; you will relax.”

Glitter huffed, “Uncle, I’m not so upset that-”

“Don’t care and neither would your mother,” Shred growled, “she broke promises and physically hurt you with her conniving; you are not your grandmothers’ keeper nor are you to simply forgive her because you’re physically fine.”

“I… Uncle.”

“No!” He shouted, stamping a hoof, “She won’t learn a damn thing if you keep coddling her! I was tasked with keeping you and your grandmother safe, and if I have to keep you safe from yourselves and each other I’ll tie you down myself!“

“Uncle, neither of us are so fragile that a little tiff like this is going to-”

Shred glared, his whole body almost flaring out as he snarled, clicked, hissed, and buzzed his wings angrily.

Glitter, Aegis, and Twilight stared at him in worried confusion as he huffed furiously, not backing down.

“That,” Flitterwing’s voice echoed to Glitter and Shred through the Mind, “was not a nice thing to say to my daughter, Shred.”

Twilight sighed, “I get the impression that that was your old, native language?”

“Ancient Changeling, actually,” came the voice of Chrysalis from the hallway door as it swung open to admit both Fluttershy and herself. She glared at Shred disapprovingly while she strode over to Glitter and shifted the younger changeling’s saddlebags from her back down to Glitter’s own, “and that was not something that you should say in even impolite conversation, Shred; especially to a foal.”

“Translation?” Aegis asked curiously.

“Multiple expletives which lack proper direct translation, the closest would also be something not to be said in even impolite conversation.” Chrysalis huffed, “I’ll leave it to Flitterwing to decide how to respond to it. As Glitter has no idea what you just said, I’ll just advise you not to do it again.”

Shred huffed, “Poor choice of words, but I refuse to take back my intent; you are constantly doing stupid things that risk Glitter, her friends, or the rest of us changelings getting hurt or worse, and she’s too easy to forgive you for it! How in Tartarus am I supposed to keep you safe if one of you keeps poking manticores and the other merely encourages it?!”

“Not an exact analogy, but your point is taken,” Chrysalis grumbled.

“Captain,” Aegis interrupted sternly while poking Shred’s shoulder, “I am fairly certain that this is why your particular branch of the Guard is being expanded.”

Twilight nodded as she pulled some paperwork from one of her saddlebags, “The other branches of guard have noted your high tension and stress, and you have been punished for assaulting your fellows more than almost any other guard,” she pointed to these reports in what turned out to be Shred’s personnel file.

“Why do you have that?” Shred growled.

“I have a copy of the relevant information of every guard on this expedition, Captain,” Twilight hissed, “there are things that as a princess I need to know when I leave the safety of Equestria proper,”

“You keep starting fights,” Aegis pertly snapped, “over minor slights, typically things said about the Duchess. Captain Shining Armour might have found this mildly amusing and not officially punished you for it, but Captain Bulwark won’t put up with it; the only reason you were given new recruits and an expansion to your division instead of being punished this time is because Captains Hammer and Anvil stood up for you, and Princess Luna took your side due to the nature of the insult you snapped over,”

“You’re so high-strung all the time, uncle,” Glitter gently pointed out.

“You and your grandmother don’t help that,”

“So you decided that, instead of telling us, you’d just persevere and put up with it? Stress kills, uncle.”

Shred scoffed, “I don’t need some wisp of a filly telling me that,”

“Then I will, Captain,” Twilight snapped, snapping Shred’s personnel file closed and sliding it back into her saddlebags, “when were you going to reveal that you’ve never gone on leave?”

Shred growled and turned his face away, “And leave some pony to guard Chrysalis? Somepony from a different regiment?”

“I’ll pretend to not have heard the xenophobic implications, Captain,” Twilight snapped with her eyes narrowing at him, “and instead focus on informing you that those different regiments are not simply there as eye candy for lonely stallions and mares to gaze at and feel lovestruck. They are just as qualified as you are, some likely better equipped for diplomatic or VIP protection duties than even you.”

Aegis huffed, pushing Shred’s shoulder, “Look, I get it, you have pride on the line here, but you’re working yourself to death, Captain;” she shook her head as he refused to look anywhere but the distant wall, “I look at you and see what I see when I look at Thunder, you’re not guards.”

“What?!” Shred snapped as his head whipped around to glare at her furiously.

She smirked at him, “You’re not guards, sir, you’re soldiers. Fighters. Need I remind you of the Ice Hydra you fought in the Kitsune Blackspot? That you fought something that normally takes a platoon to combat to what was essentially a stalemate, if only because you hadn’t the means to properly kill it?

“That’s what the Monster Hunter division is for,” she stated proudly, “ponies like Thunder who are better at offence than defence. Have you read the reports that come from their missions? That stallion fought a maul of Owlursus on his own!” She chortled, “Though he’s rubbish at guard duty. Can’t sit still for love nor money, probably explains how Captains Hammer and Anvil managed to dupe him into spilling durian on Princess Luna’s dress,”

“Yeah,” Spike spoke up from the kitchen as he dawdled in, a plate stacked tall with sandwiches in his claws, “he told me stories to help me make my O’ and O’ fights more realistic; if not for healing magic and potions, he’d basically just be one big scar.”

“Shred, if you’re not enjoying your duties protecting me, or are actively suffering from it, there’s no shame in admitting it. I certainly won’t be offended,” Chrysalis spoke gently.

“I…” Shred breathed, hesitating as the carriage rocked heavily from landing and shaking off his indecision, “I don’t have time for this, there’s work to do setting up a perimeter.”

Glitter took a step, “Uncle…”

“Later.” Shred growled before pulling open the door leading outside and slamming it shut behind himself.

The gathered ponies, changelings, and dragon all looked amongst one another worriedly before following him out, stepping beyond the doors into the harsh barren wasteland beyond.

Glitter paused as she stepped out, looking across the dry land that stretched to the horizon in almost every direction, “I knew the Badlands were desolate, but this…” she muttered before letting her gaze stop and stare at the ruins likely only a kilometre to her right and taking a short gasp.

Chrysalis slid in next to her, her own gaze never leaving the same structures and almost moaning beneath her breath, “My home what hath become of thee..?”

Glitter looked up at her grandmother worriedly, going to speak only to note that she had closed her eyes and grit her teeth. A slight quiver seemed to rock her form, and Glitter’s gaze drifted to the ex-monarch’s chest as it heaved in a barely held sob.
‘My home is dead,’ her form said.

Glitter shook her head and turned her attention back to the ruins, only to stare at a figure that sat a short distance from them, staring back. Glitter blinked.
And they were almost in her face.

She shrieked and dove back, alerting others to the intruder who merely stood and glared at Chrysalis in particular. Chrysalis shook her head, reeling her head back in shock-horror at what she saw before her.

Guards were there in an instant, spears hefted in the newcomer’s direction and angry shouts warning of sudden movements coming with serious repercussions, and Shred himself moved between them in what appeared to be stunned disbelief, brushing a spear aside to sit before the stranger.

She turned her arctic blue face in his direction, glaring at him as well with her cyan eyes. The light breeze that blew through the camp did little to the mud, dirt, and grime that covered her almost to her chest.

“You should not be here;” she spoke with a soft, broken voice that creaked from disuse, “let the past, the dead, sleep.”

She turned to leave, only for Chrysalis to choke out, “Ocellus?”

She paused, turning to glare at the ex-monarch over her shoulder and past the muddy pinkish fin on her neck, “You have nerve coming here,” she hissed, “you of all creatures;” she physically turned to give chrysalis her full attention, spreading her dirty elytra and wings aggressively, “you took us to war, feeble and desperate, an army on the brink of starvation, and threw us at the greatest power in the lands. How many died on the way? Hundreds? Thousands? Were we anything but pawns to you?!

“Of course you survived,” she growled, “but how long has it taken for you to return here, to the site of your failures?” She coughed before continuing, “I remained, a lone Witness still fresh from her training, to perform my duties for those you left behind, those already dying from starvation or illness. Their lone sympathetic presence to stand by their side and mourn their passing, to perform the last mercy they would receive and bury them.

“Your voices going silent, beyond my reach, spread to the winds and dying without family nor Witness… I have had to learn to be alone.” She shook her head as she coughed again, shifting her horrifically malnourished body to sit, “Learned to grow meagre food alongside the closest river, barely enough to survive on, hid from monsters in the dark and the desert… hid from a monster of your own making. He’ll come, and you’ll have to face the consequences of your actions, of how truly desperate you made him.

“Who knows,” she shrugged, “maybe you’ll manage to bring him to his senses. I doubt it, though. More likely you will merely give me one final remnant to mourn and bury like so many others.” She tossed something from her back at Chrysalis’ hooves while she hissed and clicked something at the taller changeling, making her reel back as if struck and Shred to wince, “I’ll pass into the Elysium Plains barely recorded, Ocellus the last Witness.”

Glitter shoved past the guards herself, sliding up alongside her grandmother and gazing worriedly at the strangely colourful changeling. Ocellus, for all the rage she held, looked genuinely shocked at Glitter, rising to her hooves and moving to get a better look at her.

“An albino? The last, I would imagine; born barely before the start of the invasion. You were but a foal when last I heard of you; so more survived the extinction of our species than this witch and her lapdog?”

Glitter nodded, “A few of us, not many though,” she muttered, “but what about you, you look dreadful, please,” she opened her saddlebags with her magic and lifted out a bottle of water, uncapping it and holding it out, “take some water; I have food as well.”

Ocellus stared as if in shock before sitting and gingerly taking the bottle, giving it a cautious sniff before taking a long desperate draught.

“False alarm, everypony; she’s a survivor,” Aegis shouted, “stay alert, though; she spoke of another. Set up a perimeter, watch for anything, there may be monsters here as well.” She turned her head to the guards who hadn’t rushed over, “We need a medic over here, one versed in changeling anatomy!”

Glitter offered Ocellus some of her granola bars, which were taken with great enthusiasm as Fluttershy, carrying a medic bag, hurried over and began to inspect her, “Ocellus, is it? I’m Fluttershy, if you tell me if you have any injuries or infections I can treat them for you.”

“Try not to eat too fast,” Glitter softly advised, putting a hoof onto Ocellus’ shoulder and earning an incredulous look, “eating too much too fast could make you sick, I learned that the hard way once.”

“She’s right,” Flutterhsy said as she put a stethoscope to the newcomer’s chest, “especially if you’ve not been eating right for a long time; you’ll just regurgitate it again. Slow down, Ocellus; the food’s not going anywhere.”

“She looks worse than you all did during the invasion,” Twilight softly pointed out, “she’s so thin.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Um, on the body score scale she’d be classed as a two, maybe even a one. During the invasion the worst we saw was a three; that you’ve survived out here so long is remarkable.”

“The other changelings said that being disconnected from the Hive Mind after being in it for a long time drives changelings insane,” Glitter muttered, “Ocellus, how-”

“I did,” Ocellus stated flatly, “for a while. There were so many voices only to be suddenly surrounded by utter silence. It was jarring. Terrifying. I don’t remember much of it, only that I wandered alone through the Hive for days. Maybe a couple weeks. I remembered my body wanting water and I think I snapped back long enough to head for the river.

“After drinking enough to quiet my stomach I remember seeing myself looking like… this,” she gestured with a hoof at herself, “in my reflection.” She shook her head viciously, “I broke down crying and just lay there for I think a day before getting back up with my senses again. I don’t know, I wonder if the grim role I took in the Hive, a Watcher, just… girded me against the mental fatigue.

“There were some wild carrots and other edible vegetables along the riverbank that I ate and began to carefully grow, never enough to fully sate my hunger, but enough to stave off starvation, I think.”

“Was that you, I saw?” Glitter asked, “Watching the train out in the plains?”

Ocellus nodded, “I felt the Hive Mind as you drew nearer and figured I could maybe deter you from coming out here. When my initial attempts with the train didn’t work, I tried again all night and today while you were flying over. I just couldn’t connect, no matter how hard I tried, until a little while ago when something just… clicked.”

“So you were the one to shout at us,”

“And you didn’t listen to me!” Ocellus snapped, “Do you have any idea the danger you’re all in? There’s no way he didn’t see you all landing!” She curled into a ball and shook back and forth, “And I just walked out here, he’ll know I’m here too… oh stars he’s going to kill us all!”

“Who, Ocellus?” Shred barked, “Who are you talking about, what’s going on?”

“I’ve seen him kill Maulwurf, we are in so much danger no, no, no, we have to leave!”

Shred grabbed and shook her shoulder, “Ocellus, who? What?”

She shuddered in a breath before speaking, “There was a second changeling with me, a male. He’d stayed behind because he didn’t want to go to war, didn’t want to fight. We kept each other's spirits up. Talked and became friends, distracted ourselves with silly stories and by just being there for one another. Never once did we think of just going into Equestria and blending in with the ponies; I think at one point we figured there would be disguise-breaking spells and we’d be captured.

“H-he found something one day, it looked like a shard of unicorn horn, but it was red and black and curved strangely. Made me feel bad just to look at it,” Ocellus whimpered, “but he just… he was so hungry, and I hadn’t found the river yet…” she shook her head, “The madness set in so quickly, and he changed; became violent, aggressive. Black crystals cover walls he hits with magic. I ran because he attacked me, and I’ve hidden from him since, lurking in shadows and just out of sight. He’s been eating things he kills, scorpions and Rocs and the Maulwurf he killed.”

The whole camp flinched as a screeching roar echoed through them and Ocellus all but froze up her eyes wide, “Oh Tartarus he’s coming.”

A beam of purple-green magic lanced through the camp, nearly striking Chrysalis in her chest only for Shred to shove her aside and take the blow himself across his left shoulder in a spray of superheated blood. Fluttershy was on him in an instant, pulling bandages from her first aid pack and attempting to staunch his bleeding wound.

A translucent dome surrounded their camp and Aegis shouted, “Defensive perimeter, protect the VIPs!” She flinched as something struck her shield.

Prowling outside the shield, pawing at the ground and all but foaming at the mouth was a figure that drove Glitter to hide behind her grandmother. One of the two jagged orange antlers on his head dragged across the bubble, causing a screeching sound not unlike claws down a blackboard, and she could smell the decaying gore that almost covered his green carapace.

Both eyes, blood red and billowing black smoke, glared in their direction in a way that reminded her of the hydra that had attacked years ago; feral and hungry. Dark, almost black crystals also sprouted up around him, growing a foot tall only to dissolve into dust after a moment before reforming once again.

“This,” Chrysalis whimpered through the din of the guards readying, “this is the Hiveless.”

Ocellus could only wheeze out, “His name was Thorax,”

“He’s using black magic,” Glitter squeaked, getting a nod from her grandmother,

“I’ve seen those crystals before,” Twilight stated, “they seal non-dark magic, acting like a mithril ring,”

“Like that Sombra guy could do?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded, “Right, like… Sombra…” She blinked as wheels turned in her head and she turned her attention to the creature trying to claw its way through the shield, “a red and black curved unicorn horn.”

“What’s that, Twilight?” Spike asked.

She shook her head and cast a spell and a faint purple glow surrounded the crazed changeling momentarily, “Sombra,” she hissed, “he’s partially possessed by King Sombra.”

Spike shook his head, “But he’s dead, the Crystal Heart destroyed him!”

“Something must have been missed, a small part of his horn that held just enough of his spirit to do… this.” Chrysalis spoke breathlessly, “Thrown here by the force of whatever magic did the deed.”

Rolling Thunder stepped heavily into the group accompanied by the rustling jangle of his heavy armour and thumped the head of his hammer into the dirt. At everypony’s confused looks, he shrugged, “Heard the roar,” he stated, “Shred, you want me to deal with this?”

Shred shakily stood, pushing away Fluttershy’s fussing over the new bandage on his shoulder and shook his head, “Ugh, no, but keep your dragon-bone hammer close,” he grunted, before grabbing a sword and scabbard from a nearby guard, “Pitiful quality,” he hissed as he tied the sword securely inside its scabbard, “but it will do,”

Thunder smirked, “I get t’ have front row seating to a Captain showin’ his stuff? Good; these wet-eared doorstops get to see what it takes to be on top.”

“We saw Captain Armour in action at the end of the wedding,” a corporal commented, only for Thunder to laugh.

“Armour’s a guardian, his job’s to shield and he’s stupid good at it;” he snorted, “I ain’t gotta see him in action to know Shred ain’t like that,”

“Whatever you’re going to do, it’d better work, because this guy is draining my shield,” Aegis snapped.

“If he can’t manage, I’ll swing me hammer,”

“Dragon bone, Sergeant?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Tooth, gifted by an old friend of Princess Luna’s, but same thing.”

“If you’re done talking, can someone do something about him before he completely bursts my shield?!” Aegis shouted.

Shred nodded, hefting the sword before strolling forward, “Little prick was the pacifist that made his trainers grind their teeth and humiliated those around him, especially his brother, and thinks blocking magic will help him now that he’s showing a violent side,” he snarled reached the edge of the shield, “so I reckon I’ll beat the stupid out of him. Aegis, on his next charge, lower your shield. Thunder, be ready if things go pear shaped,”

“You got it,” Thunder affirmed amusedly.

As ordered, when Thorax reared back to headbutt the shield again it vanished, making the enraged changeling stumble when he struck nothing only for Shred’s left hoof to clock him across the face hard enough to send him tumbling to the ground to his assailant’s shout of, “Pathetic form, did you learn nothing?!”

Thunder chuckled, “Every shield needs a good sword,”

Thorax rose again, snarling furiously, and another beam of dark magic lanced from his horn towards Shred, who sidestepped to his right and harshly jabbed the sword he held in his left hoof directly at the end of Thorax’s horn with enough force for the echoing clack to reverberate throughout the camp.

Thorax’s yelp of pain made everypony with a horn wince.

“Wide open, foal,” Shred snarled, before blocking a swung hoof with the sword, rebalancing, and using it to sweep Thorax’s hooves out from beneath him, “gave up on us, on your own kin,” he ducked Thorax attempting to gouge him with his horn as he rose, slamming the hilt of his sword into his gut and winding him, “did something stupid in desperation, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Chrysalis flinched.

Shred took a hard blow to his face, spreading blood from his nose across the ground, and countered with a deadbutt between Thorax’s eyes that sent the physically larger changeling staggering, “Your great-great-grand aunt is standing right there and this is the shameful display you give her? After all the training you went through? Your trainer must be rolling in his grave.”

Thorax lunged to bite, his fanged mouth leaking a stream of blood and spittle, only to catch a mouthful of the sword and be wrangled to the ground and given a swift kick to the barrel which rolled him half a dozen metres with the crack of a broken rib.

“Not even fighting like a changeling, I guess that thing you ate went right to your foalish head,” Shred spat, sidestepping another lunge and striking Thorax on his back with the sword, “attacking like some feral cornered animal,” a black crystal burst from the ground at Shred’s hooves aimed at his throat only to be smashed as he used his sword like a club and spread it across the ground, but not before it could leave a deep cut up his chest. Shred flinched at the pitch black crystals that spread up his throat, across his face and over his horn, “filthy remnants of a unicorn long dead desperate to add to his body count; the Princess will sort that out, but I’ll be left with the dregs,” Thorax shot another lance of magic, but this one was deflected by Shred with his sword into a nearby boulder that exploded into gravel, “a creature that is currently more animal than changeling, if there’s even anything of you left in there!”

Thorax struggled to attack, but when he once more attempted to impale Shred with his horn, the guard struck him under the chin hard enough to lift his forequarters off the ground, “I’m versed in showing others how to take out things like you,” he snarled prior to dishing out other blows that violently shook Thorax’s body as he called out their targets, “plexus, kidney, croup!”

The blows having landed, Thorax collapsed to the ground wheezing and twitching in pain, eyes wide and panicked. Finally Shred huffed down at him, “I missed you,” he sighed before slamming the sword into the back of Thorax’s head, knocking him out cold.

Breathing heavily, Shred turned away and strolled over to the other guards, “Get at least two rings on that idiot boy,” he snapped as he roughly shoved the battered sword back into the hooves of its owner, “bathe and chain him, I don't want the smell to make anypony sick! Princess, if you could find a way to remove that… thing from him, we’d be much safer. Who knows, he might come back to lucidity.”

Fluttershy took some disinfectant from her medic saddlebags and stopped Shred from walking past her, “Your wounds need looking after,” she mumbled, “i-if that’s okay.”

He sighed and sat, breathing heavily as she began to apply the stinging balms to his wounds. “How long until these crystals go away, Princess? I can hardly do my whole job without my magic, and they itch.”

Twilight shook her head, “Not sure, possibly a couple of hours? My brother never mentioned itching, but he was stuck with them until the Crystal Heart purified him and that was most of a day.”

“Isn’t that powered by Love magic, Twilight?” Fluttershy meekly asked.

“Well, yes; the Crystal Heart gathers, amplifies, and spreads the love and happiness of the Crystal Ponies across the Empire. That’s the magic that removed the crystal infection from my brother’s horn.”

“Royal Jelly may work,” Chrysalis suggested, “but if it doesn’t, it may be a long time before Shred gets his magic back; he’d had to travel to the Crystal Empire, or at least nearby.”

“Or we’d need a powerful burst of Love magic,” Aegis interjects, “And I don’t know about you all, but I am not versed in casting that.”

Glitter tilted her head, eyeing the crystals that partially covered her adoptive uncle’s chest and face, before pulling her magic up and brushing it across them. Much to her surprise, and that of the others around her, some of the smaller crystals dissolved away. When the others turned to look at her askance she shrugged, “Changelings consume love passively to fuel our magic, it just made sense.”

“Good news, then, Royal Jelly should fix the problem,” Twilight started with an annoyed tone, “and it looks like somepony volunteered to provide it. In the meantime, I want somepony to take Miss Ocellus here to the bathroom in our carriage and help her bathe.”

Fluttershy held a hoof up, “I-If she's okay with me, I'll help her,”

Twilight nodded, “Thank you, Fluttershy. Lieutenant Thunder, go back to bed; you’ll need your rest for the night shift, thank you for being out here on such short notice, however.”

Thunder bowed before hefting his hammer across his back and motioning for Fluttershy to take the lead to the carriage, following behind her and Ocellus. Spike rummaged around inside Twilight’s saddlebags for a moment and lifted out a glass beaker.

Twilight nodded to him, “Thank you, Spike; Lieutenant Aegis, see to the camp’s setup and the researchers, try not to let them get out of hoof. We may go for a brief expedition into the ruins once everything is set up.”

Aegis saluted and barked, “At once, Princess,” then promptly spun on her heel and marched over to several guards milling about, “you heard the princess, move! Get this set up yesterday, foals!”

Glitter groaned as the glass beaker was put into her hooves, “Don’t give me that,” Twilight snapped, “you showed that this has a good chance of working, and with your grandmother unable to produce Royal Jelly at the moment, this is up to you.”

Shred chuckled, “It’ll be alright, Glitter. Take your time, I’m not going anywhere,” he intoned reassuringly.

With another nod, Glitter set to work slowly filling the beaker with her magical essence.

“You seemed familiar with that monst- changeling,” Spike spoke up and caught his words before he could upset anypony, “did you know him before?”

Shred nodded, “I did, yes. As I said, the great-great-grand nephew of Chrysalis herself.”

Chrysalis chuckled, “I still remember the nicknames,” she said wistfully, “‘Butterfly’ was mine. He only used it in private, I couldn’t really be seen taking favourites in public back then.”

“Was Thorax his nickname?” Spike asked curiously, his eyes coming to rest on where the so-named changeling was being securely bound to a post with heavy chains. They could hear somepony talking about a bucket and rag as they wandered away to one of the carriages.

Shred shook his head, “No, that’s his name,” he said quietly with his own eyes resting on the same sad sight, “we sometimes called him Squeaker as he had… has a bad habit of chirping his wings when he laughs.”

“With any luck Royal Jelly will cure him of this… madness,” Chrysalis sighed, “and we’ll hear that laughter again.”

Glitter grunted and stopped her channelling, breaking into heavy breathing and holding the beaker out for Twilight, “Here, I don’t think I can make much more for now; maybe after a good meal?”

Twilight took the jar and eyed it, “Just over half full, good work; this should be enough for both of them,” she said. Her magic lifted a rag from her saddlebags and dipped it in, soaking up some of the jelly and then rubbing it onto the crystals that clung to Shred’s hide.

Where she wiped, the crystals dissolved and vanished, crumbling away into nothing. Shred sighed, “That’s feeling better already, thank you,”

“What was yours?” Glitter asked.

Shred tilted his head in her direction with his eyes closed as the rag wiped up along his ailed cheek and temple, “What?”

“Your nickname, what was yours?”

He visibly considered her question, but instead of answering he instead took the jar from Twilight’s magic with sad eyes and wandered over to Thorax, ignoring the rag that hung from his now crystal free horn. He gestured at the guards standing watch, “Lift him, open his mouth; we need to get this into his stomach without him throwing up.”

“With him out cold, this is a bad idea, Captain,” one of the two said as she saluted with her wing, “we could drown him.”

He glared at the ground before huffing and giving the jar back to Twilight, “Fine; the moment he wakes. Find a way, bind him down and muzzle his jaw open if you have to. No excuses.”

Without paying the group he’d just been talking with any mind, Shred stormed off to where several other guards were mingling around a tent in an apparent half hearted attempt to put it up.

“He doesn’t like talking about it much,” Chrysalis murmured, “his life before the invasion. He doesn’t like the memories, so he makes himself mad and gets things done,” she shook her head, “we were all broken a bit by the invasion, some of us more than others. It hurts to talk about sometimes,” she prodded Glitter’s chest, “in here, where the hurt doesn’t go away,”

Glitter blinked sadly up at the elder changeling, who now looked and sounded melancholic, “Granna…”

“He was good at singing,” Chrysalis huffed with a smile, “could bring smiles with song. Incredibly talented at combat and just being in the guard in general, but he could sing. Used to keep Thorax happy, help him sleep at night. Practically inseparable, except for training; Thorax couldn’t keep up. Too gentle of a heart.”

“Who were they? Together?” Twilight asked softly.

“Shred’s nickname was Pharynx,” Chrysalis spoke mournfully while a tear rolled across her cheek, “and he’s Thorax’s brother.”

Author's Note

I'M NOT DEAD, BUT THE WRITERS' BLOCK IS!

Survival

She was a scrawny member of her kind; her only real advantage over them her skilled flight. Unlike most Changelings, she could even hover upside-down in place; a rare ability for any of the insect-like race to possess. She grew up as any young Changeling would; the life within the dark confines of the hive an otherwise unpleasant one due to the undeniable fact that their kind was dying out.

They had owned this hive within the Bad Lands for almost two millennia, and in that time the world around them had changed. Once it was a thriving and lush forest, part of the now dark and dangerous Everfree Forest, but it had since cleared, over a millennia ago it had turned from the wondrous and thriving forest it was into an arid and desolate wasteland.

Changelings could survive on most any food, vegetable or mineral it didn’t matter. Their ability to change their form gave them the unique ability to digest almost anything into something their body could use. The creation of the Bad Lands around them had stripped them of any natural food, and magical fallout within the soil had robbed it of its ability to support their desperate farmers.

It was as if somepony had sucked the life out of the earth.

And so, they had to turn to finding another source of food, though they were hard-pressed to find a foodstuff that could be stored for the entire hive to survive on for any length of time. The wasteland stretched for miles around, and any plant based foods they could recover would be almost worthless by the time they returned from gathering it. They briefly considered meat, the Bad Lands were thriving in creatures which could be hunted, but they soon turned away from this idea.

They were desperate, not monsters.

Then they fell upon a source of nourishment that could sustain them if appropriately harvested, one that didn’t biodegrade and could be stored within the hive for all. It could be garnered from animals and the earth; it could be gathered from neighbouring Ponies provided they disguised themselves aptly.

They discovered the nourishing power of Love.

For the next thousand years they scraped up an existence. Food was scarce, their reserves of stored Love rationed to all, even their Queen. They were growing desperate again, something had to be done. Ponies, their greatest source of pure Love energy, were growing wise to their ability to disguise themselves. During the upbringing of the last century’s Changelings, it was becoming commonplace to see husks, dead Changelings, within the tunnels of their home. Feeding on the love of other Changelings, once a taboo classified as cannibalism, became a more frequent occurrence. The Hive was almost in open revolt. After months of deliberation, the Queen came up with a last-ditch plan to gather whatever sustenance she could for her dying people.

She would take them to war.

Her plan was going without fault until, one day into the plan, the Queen seemed to change. Her mind had always been an open book to her Changelings due to the Hive Mind linking them all together. She had become obsessive and volatile, the power that the love she was siphoning from the pony she had captured in her plans, Shining Armour, had gone to her head and made her feel invincible. The Changelings, though perturbed by this drastic change in her nature had to shrug it off. She was their queen, their leader, and they had to obey her orders, and her new orders were to sack the Golden City and raze it to the ground, to take over Equestria.

This dramatic change in plans was what led her to assault the Princess of the Sun and entomb her within a cocoon.

Yet, despite the vast power that Queen Chrysalis held, she had overlooked small details in her quest for glory, and ultimately the Stallion whose power she drained was turned against her and the Changelings, and the magic shield projected crippled many of them and launched them from the city. Others were not as lucky, caught between a rock and a hard place; the shield had crushed them against walls or floors. Any Changeling found within Canterlot, the Golden City, was now either dead or would be dead within minutes.

She had been a Changeling Medic, and was responsible for caring for any Changelings brought to her injured. Despite their Queen’s orders, the Changelings knew that a dead pony was a waste of potential resources and were working to only stun, though their mass invasion had instilled widespread terror amongst the population of the city.

She had been caring for a Pegasus filly she had found after her brethren had charged through a street. The filly had startled and fallen from her bedroom window, landing on the street heavily enough to knock herself out and dislocate her ankle. The Changeling didn’t care that this filly was of the opposing side of this war, nor did she care about what potential resources she could offer; she was medical. Even the Changeling medics were taught to care for those in need.

After carefully splinting her ankle and making sure that the filly didn’t have any head injuries, she carefully and gently moved her to one side of the street, placing her on a garden bed to ensure she would stay comfortable.

A yell over her shoulder got her attention, and she turned to see a Canterlot guard charging at her. Panicked and not trained to defend herself, she fled up the street into an open building, apparently an apartment block, and she moved as fast as her legs could take her. The guard was still hot on her tail, his hoof beats as thunderous as her heartbeats. She dove around a corner and into an open apartment, quickly leaping into flight and managing to struggle her way into the ventilation duct in the roof.

She held her breath as the guard checked through the room, watching him in abject terror as he looked about before giving up and leaving.

She exhaled her long held breath heavily, panting to catch the breath she had so frightfully lost.

She hid in the air duct for as long as she could, the others in the Hive Mind telling her that they were coming to save her and to hold her position. She had almost run out of patience, wanting to get back out into the field to help as many as she could, when she felt a pulse of magic greater than she had ever felt. Voices within the Hive Mind were going silent; some with wretched screams or pleas for help cut short, and it was only a moment or so before she felt the wall of magic, Shining Armour’s shield, slam into her with all the force of a locomotive. She screamed in pain as it crushed her against the inside wall and bottom of the air duct, she felt bones bend and snap, her carapace split, and her body slide a few inches before blissful darkness took her.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

She was unsure how long it was until she awoke. It had to have been at least a day, maybe two, as she could see the light of the sun within the room below her illuminating in the unique way of sunrise. She tried to move, only to find that her hind legs were broken, her right wing snapped, and that she was unable to see from her left eye as the carapace around it, though usually rubbery, had split and swollen her eye shut. She could still move her forelegs, she found, so she used what little traction she could find to drag herself towards the opening she had entered the enclosed space through.

Upon reaching it, she pulled herself through and dropped unceremoniously into the apartment below, smashing into a table with her thigh. She’d landed right on the edge of the coffee table, and the sturdy wooden structure withstood her weight.

Her left thighbone, however, had not.

She was in too much pain to scream, her body too battered and broken to waste the energy. Instead, her body heaved in an attempt to do anything in response to her now unbelievable pain, and she retched without result on the rug while her eyes streamed with tears.

The owner of the apartment, a Unicorn stallion, had been out for the morning getting some breakfast. He’d had a good day so far, the blueberry pancakes were particularly splendid, and the young waitress… well, she was adorable. He was seriously considering going back there just to see her again. Somepony that cute most likely already had a coltfriend, but one never knew without asking.

It had been three days since the Changeling attack on the city, and the… remnants of those unlucky ones caught between a wall and the shield had been removed from the city streets and given a mass-burial outside city limits. Princess Celestia had ordered a memorial to be raised above them, Changeling or not they deserved to be remembered.

Death, to her, was something that nopony deserved.

He opened the door of his apartment cheerfully, though the smile quickly fled his face along with his complexion, and he sped back down the building to find a guard, returning with the spear-wielding Pegasus in armour and pointing to the creature now bleeding green all over his rug.

The guard cautiously moved over and looked down at the changeling whimpering on the floor. She only looked back at him and shifted a foreleg weakly.

“Please… help…”

The Guard grunted down at her, swinging his spear around and clocking her upside the back of her head hard enough to cause the spear to ring and her world to return to painless black.

She awoke next in a bed, her head on a pillow and an oxygen mask on her face with her body screaming in pain. She grunted and groaned, and a passing Unicorn mare with a little white cap with a red cross adorned upon it noticed her eye clenching in pain and her thrashing faintly on the bed.

“Oh dear Celestia she’s awake, Doctor! I need a doctor! Patient two-thirty-one is awake!”

She hurried over and put her hooves on the Changeling’s shoulders.

“You need to stay still, alright? We’re going to help you, but you need to lie still or you will agitate your injuries.”

Weakly she nodded, this alone causing her pain, and a Unicorn stallion wearing a white coat and with a stethoscope around his neck moved into her vision.

“Changeling, I’m Band Gauge, I’m the surgeon who has been assigned to you. Before we continue with pleasantries, I need to know, is there a soft spot in which I can put a drip to give you morphine?”

She nodded faintly and coughed before replying.

“Inside… foreleg…” She mumbled.

He scratched his chin before tapping her right foreleg, just between the joints of her upper and lower leg. “Other side of there?”

She nodded. “There’s a… vein… easy to see… dark green…”

He wasted no time asking her how she knew any of this, probably assuming it was basic knowledge for Changelings, and grabbed a needle-tipped tube attached to a nearby machine. The nurse turned her arm, and he looked carefully for the vein she meant before pushing the needle into the soft flesh. She flinched at the pain a little, and he pushed a button on the machine. A clear liquid flowed through the tube and into her arm.

After a moment or so, the pain she felt from almost every point in her body faded to a more tolerable throb, and she gave the doctor a thankful smile.

“Alright, now that we have you more… lucid; we have a little paperwork we need to fill.” He said, levitating a quill and clipboard in. “Let’s see… do you have a name?”

She shifted faintly in the bed. “Flitterwing.”

He scribbled this down. “Race… Changeling…” He scribbled this down as well. “Gender?”

She blinked at him with her only good eye. “You… can’t tell..?”

He blushed faintly. “Uhm… no; sorry.” He mumbled. “We can find out, but now that you are awake that would be somewhat invasive.”

She sighed. “Female.”

He ticked something on the sheet. “Do you know your age in years?”

She shook her head no.

“How old would you be considered to other Changelings, then?”

“I am a young adult.” She mumbled.

He nodded and wrote this down next to the age section.

“Any dietary needs?” He asked, before blinking and going to write something.

“If you write ‘love’ I’ll have to snap at you.” She hissed.

His quill stopped before writing anything.

“With my teeth.”

“Oh? What can you eat then?”

“Anything you can eat.” She grumbled. “Fruits, vegetables…”

He seemed to consider this before shrugging it off and checking the ‘no’ box.

“Do you have any allergies?”

She hissed as the nurse adjusted her sheets, making her hind legs shift on the bed.

“Aside from pain and death you mean?” She grumbled. “No, none that I know of.”

He nodded and scribbled this down.

“Do you have any friends or relatives?”

She sighed a little and looked away from him. She had been expecting this question, but knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any less painful.

“I don’t know anymore.” She mumbled. “I have had no contact with the Hive Mind since the attack. As… as far as I know they’re all…”

He sighed and nodded, petting her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s alright; I’ll leave that section blank for now.” He said, putting the quill aside and levitating the pad away. “For now, just get some rest, alright?”

She sighed. “What… what has… happened to me?”

He looked nervously to the nurse.

“From what we can tell, you have broken both of your lower hind legs, your left thigh has been cleanly broken in two, you have two broken ribs, numerous breaks in your exoskeleton, a fractured pelvis, there’s a break in your right wing, and a split in the exoskeleton around your left eye has resulted in the flesh swelling your eye shut. You have also managed to chip off the lower half of your right fang. Though we’re not in any real place to judge how much you can lose, we do know that you have lost approximately thirty percent of your total blood.”

She sighed. “So… I’m almost dead.” She mumbled. “Another five percent…”

“We have done what we can to seal your wounds and set the bones, however we cannot stitch your exoskeleton without risking further damage, so we have-”

“-bandaged over the wounds as tightly as possible without cutting off blood flow to force the gaps in my carapace to close as well as possible.” She finished for him.

He blinked at her, stunned.

“I was a medic.” She mumbled. “The last thing I remember doing before hiding from a Canterlot Guard was setting a filly Pegasus’ dislocated ankle. He must have assumed I was assaulting her.”

The doctor sighed.

“Get some rest, alright?”

She nodded and rested her head on the pillow, closing her eyes and allowing the morphine to drift her to sleep.

She awoke next with no sunlight shining through the windows. Night had fallen, and she could see the beautiful tapestry of stars in the sky. Her body hurt, she could feel the pain stabbing through her and she groaned in pain. It hurt so badly, she could feel fresh tears rolling down her face, and it had woken her from her peaceful slumber.

“Ow…” She mumbled, before giving a painful sob which made her feel her broken ribs. “Ow…”

She heard hoofsteps dawdle past her room, and she groaned and tried to raise her voice to be heard.

“Help…”

The hoofsteps stopped outside and returned, moving into the room and stopping next to her bed; she felt the pony look her over. She gave a pained hiss as she tried to shift.

“Miss, are you alright?”

It was an orderly, and she shook her head.

“I hurt… everywhere… Why do I not feel the morphine..?”

He sighed. “There’s a button on the machine that releases morphine. I’m impressed that your doctor hasn’t set a timer, but I would assume that he wasn’t sure about how your body would react to frequent doses.” There was a beep and she felt the pain slowly subside. “It will only release one dose every few hours to prevent addiction, alright?”

She nodded and sighed, the pain finally subsiding to a more tolerable level. “Thank you.”

The orderly nodded and left back out into the hall, going back to his interrupted rounds.

She let her head rest against the pillow again and she gazed out at the stars.

She’d always enjoyed stargazing, when she could manage it; the twinkling little specks of light were pretty. Sadly she didn’t get much time out in the Bad Lands, the Hive was an underground city, after all, and the night was blisteringly cold outside despite the searing heat of the day. Still, she felt that the stars were… gentle, as if they were shining hope down onto the inhabitants of the world.

Something within her head clicked, and the sounds of voices she had long since thought to never hear again returned to her.

‘H… hello..?’

‘Flitterwing..?’

It couldn’t be…

‘…My Queen?’

‘Flitterwing, it is you! Oh, bless the stars. Are you alright? Where are you?’

‘I am alive.’ She replied meekly. ‘I am in Canterlot.’

The Hive Mind seemed to go worriedly quiet.

‘Are you alright?’

‘They have not mistreated me; instead they have given medical aid. I’m sorry, my Queen, I…’

‘Flitterwing, do not be ashamed of the failure; the only one to blame is myself. I’ll apologise to you in person as I have the others, but that will have to wait. Are you able to get someponies attention?’

‘I… I believe so.’

‘If you can, ask them if the Princess is able to grant you an audience. I’ll relay my ambassadorial instructions then, alright?’

‘Yes my lady. If… if I might… How many are..?’

Another nervous silence returned to her through the link.

‘Eleven, including you and one foal;’ Chrysalis informed, ‘Of all eleven, you and I are the only females of breeding age.’

She didn’t know how to respond to this. Eleven Changelings had survived? Out of hundreds?

‘I can only be thankful that their endings were swift.’ Chrysalis sadly said.

Yes, striking the ground with broken wings and from as high an altitude as they had been flung would be rather instantaneous a death. At least they didn’t suffer.

‘And… and what of Slithoof?’

‘Your mate is fine, Flitterwing, my son one of the few lucky ones; we are taking a moments rest to recuperate, just within the Equestrian borders where it is warm enough to sleep outside. I… I fear for the survival of Glitter, though; she is not as… hardy as we elders are. For now she is resting in a shredded flag that one of our survivors had managed to hold on to so as to keep her warm.’

‘Glitter, Highness?’

‘Glitter is our only surviving filly. She is an albino, and as such her carapace is white; her mother named her Glitter before she… didn’t return.’

‘I understand, my Queen. I shall attempt to attract attention and get some form of diplomatic relation started.’

‘Thank you, Flitterwing.’

She smiled faintly as the connection faded slightly, the Hive Mind no longer talking directly with her, and looked over her shoulder.

“S-somepony..?”

She lay in her bed worriedly, unsure what to expect of the princess who would arrive. This was, after all, the ruler of all of Equestria that she would be addressing; a kingdom that, only days before, her own race had tried to assault en masse.

She heard the clopping of hooves enter her room, several Royal Guards taking up place within the room as a larger female pony entered.

Her coat was a midnight blue, and her wings and horn also featured this colour, but her eyes were a lighter, softer blue colour that reminded Flitterwing of rivers at night. Her mane and tail flowed in a wind not present and glittered like the night sky on a clear night, and she wore trappings of a Canterlot royal all in black, including her horn, with a moon emblazoned across the necklace she wore. Her flank featured a black splotch upon which a crescent moon could be seen.

She glared down at the Changeling on the bed like one would a cockroach.

Not wanting to offend, Flitterwing dipped her head respectfully.

“Princess, thank you for-”

“What do you want, Changeling?”

Flitterwing was caught off-guard by this; she hadn’t thought that the Princess would be this… sharp.

“I-I wanted t-to talk about n-negotiations.” She stammered.

“You cannot speak for your peoples.” The princess hissed.

“I… I can c-connect with them via the H-Hive Mind…” She wheezed weakly. “P-please…”

“Fine, what do you want?”

‘We want to negotiate peace.’ Chrysalis instructed.

“P-peace…”

“Peace?! After your attack on Equestria, you expect peace?!”

She shrank down into the sheets frightened, a machine nearby which showed her heart rate became slightly more frantic.

“W-we were starving.” Flitterwing mumbled, as per what Chrysalis was instructing her to say. “We had no choice.”

“No choice?! What about what you’re attempting right now? Diplomacy! We would have aided your people if you had gone through the right channels!”

“We had no time for diplomacy; we were starving to death by the dozens! We lost over eighty of our Changelings on the way here! Going through channels takes time, and we didn’t have it!”

Flitterwing shrunk down further after this hard reply, Chrysalis had been quite adamant about her tone, and now she shrunk down before the Princess as she loomed angrily overhead.

“We will not be addressed in such a tone!” She almost shouted down at her before turning to the door. “And we shall not be aiding your Changelings. Once you are well enough to walk and fly, you shall be removed from Equestria back to the Bad Lands.”

Chrysalis’s voice was stunned, as were the others of the Hive Mind, when Flitterwing muttered something that the Princess did not hear well. She turned her head back, fury still on her features and a twitch in her eye.

“What was that?”

Flitterwing gulped, this Princess could easily be her doom. She could die, right here, but considering what she was being threatened with… well, she would die anyway just… slower.

“Murderer.”

The Princess paused before turning, her mane crackling with furious magic and her face brimming with fury.

“You dare?!”

“You would send us back to the Bad Lands, where there is nothing for miles around but dust and dirt, nothing but arid wasteland and death? There are only eleven of us left, eleven of thousands, and you condemn us to a death most slow and painful! Where is the wealth your country boasts, where is the power, where’s your compassion?! Some superior state you are!”

The Princess went to argue in return, only for Flitterwing to continue her verbal assault. “During the assault, do you know what I did? I was a medic; I helped to heal those who were wounded during the pointless fighting! I stopped to help a filly who fell and dislocated her ankle, hiding her from sight so she would be spared any harm, and a guard charged me down as if I were trying to drain the filly of her blood! I may not know much about Equestrian medical practice, but we are taught to help those in need; regardless of who it may be. I could care less who won the battle, or whose throne rules, in the end all it would equal is more work!

“We may have harmed ponies, terrified them and damaged your great city, but at least we aren’t willing to condemn the last of a species to death! At least we won’t commit genocide and call it justice!”

The Princess growled, magic swirling around her form and horn in utmost rage as she glared at the Changeling lying in bed. She went to shout when another voice cut her off.

“Luna, this is a hospital.”

The Princess’s head spun to the voice who had addressed her, and Flitterwing looked up at the pony that entered. Her coat a brilliant white with a sun for her cutie mark, gold versions of the Princess’ trappings and horn, and flowing blue, pink and green mane and tail. She was taller than the furious Princess, and seemed to hold herself more delicately.

‘Who… is that?’

Chrysalis’ voice chuckled in her head faintly. ‘That, Flitterwing, is Princess Celestia.’

Celestia looked her sister’s furious gaze in the eye and raised a brow at her, and the Lunar princess seemed to calm faintly.

“Sister! This… this thing just..!”

“I am well aware of what the Changeling has said, sister, I have been here since you gave your ‘judgement’, and I must admit that I am disappointed in you. Luna, you promised me you would control your anger if I allowed you to perform royal duties.”

“I…”

“Luna, please return to the castle, we will discuss this at breakfast.” Celestia said calmly.

The princess sighed dejectedly and nodded as the magic began fading from her mane and tail. “Yes, sister.”

She dawdled from the room sadly, several guards escorting her through the hall. Celestia watched her go with a thoughtful frown on her face before she sighed and composed herself, turning to the Changeling cowering faintly in the bed.

“Now then, young one;” she began, stepping over to the bed, “I am Princess Celestia; I do apologize for my sister’s behaviour, she would seem to have taken the recent invasion somewhat to heart.” She sighed faintly before moving to sit, a guard placing a red velvet cushion on the ground beneath her discreetly. “Now, what are your terms?”

“T… terms?”

Celestia nodded. “You must understand that, after the invasion, our nations are considered at war; your hospitalization is under a royal decree to treat all prisoners of war as we would treat our own. For us to offer you the help you wish for, a cease-fire or surrender are required. Sadly, I doubt that Equestria will call for anything less than an unconditional surrender, however I am willing to hear out any terms you may have.”

Flitterwing only looked back rather flabbergasted; this was… this was what it came down to? She could hear the others in the Hive Mind discussing the terms, though it only took a short while for Chrysalis to issue her only conditions.

“W-we want aid.” She said nervously. “We’ve been starving for so long… we’ll give up almost anything.”

“Even the sovereignty of your empire?”

Chrysalis was rather swift with this reply.

“Yes. There is no point in being a Queen if there are no subjects to rule.”

Celestia seemed to consider this.

“Princess, please, we number but eleven and one of those is only a filly. She is the only albino we have seen in almost one hundred years and I helped deliver her personally; we don’t have much time. Currently she is kept warm only with the shreds of a flag.” Flitterwing pleaded.

Celestia sighed.

“Alright, inform your fellow Changelings to head to Canterlot, I shall have a Pegasus squadron meet them as soon as I can. In the meantime, I shall see to finding accommodations, though you may have to make do with a warehouse or something of the like for a short while. Your privacy will be… somewhat limited.”

Flitterwing gave a gentle chuckle, though not without slight pain. “Princess, we are a social race, privacy was not common in the first place.”

“Perhaps that is fortuitous. I shall have to deliberate with my Captains, but for now the Changelings are welcome in Equestria up to the outskirts of our towns. You may not enter any of our towns or cities until we return with our final agreement, do you understand?”

“Yes, Princess.”

The Princess smiled and dipped her head faintly.

“We shall attempt to have our solution as soon as possible.” She said before turning to leave. “Have a good evening, ambassador.”

She moved from the room, her Royal Guards following her. Flitterwing could hear her order one to take up position outside the room until the next shift, but she took little note of this.

‘We are very grateful, Flitterwing.’ Chrysalis’ voice said within her head.

‘Anything for the Hive, my Queen.’

There was a faint chuckle from the Queen. ‘There is not much of a Hive left, but I appreciate the sentiment.’ She said. ‘And I would like to say how proud I am of you; you stared the Regent of the Moon in all of her fury, I doubt that many would have had the strength of character to manage that, considering who she is.’

‘She was condemning us to extinction.’ Flitterwing sadly mumbled. ‘I… I don’t think she really wanted that blood on her hooves.’

‘I know I wouldn’t…’ She thought to herself.

‘Get some rest, Flitterwing; we will be near the city’s borders in a few hours.’

Flitterwing nodded faintly and rested back on the pillow below her, allowing sleep to overtake her once more.

The next time she woke, she didn’t feel the pain she had the night before. Evidently the doctor had been and set a timer for the pain medication. Still, however, she could feel it faintly; a dull throb that raced through her body along with her heartbeats, and she groaned as she shifted in the bed.

It was daylight now, the sun outside indicating it to be nearly midday. The sun’s warmth filtered in through the windows and felt good on her carapace. Dully she attempted to make contact with the Hive Mind.

‘My Queen..?’

‘Flitterwing,’

‘Where is everyone? What’s your progress?’

‘We are flying up the mountainside; we are nearly at the outskirts. The Royal Guard’s Pegasi have met us already and are leading us to a designated location outside the city.’

‘Highness! Slithoof is falling!’

‘What?!’

‘H-help..!’

The worried silence that followed this unnerved Flitterwing, and she noticed that her breath had caught in her throat. A nurse, noticing her distress and slightly heightened heart rate, moved into the room.

“Miss, are you alright?”

She shook her head. “C-catch him..!”

“Miss?”

The hive mind was frantic, the voices that could speak were all frantically panicking, and even Slithoof’s own voice was speaking in abject terror. He was falling, and fast. Chrysalis had broken off from the group to chase after him before he struck the ground, the Pegasus guards apparently yelling at her to return.

“Catch him..!”

The voices all stopped in shock when the panicked voice of Slithoof cut off suddenly. They all returned, however, yelling in worry and fear.

Flitterwing, however, was now hysterical; thrashing in the bed as her mind predicted the worst.

“No! No, no, no, Slithoof!!”

The Nurse leapt on her, holding her down and yelled for a doctor to come and sedate her, another pony hurrying in and carefully injecting a clear liquid into the crook of her upper arm.

Her panic slowly wore down as the sedative worked through her; draining her energy and making her lower her eyes.

“S… Slithoof…”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

She awoke a few hours later, her mind faintly registering the world around her and the ever-present dull ache of her entire body. She groaned faintly, trying to remember why she had fallen asleep when it all rushed back to her. Slithoof had fallen in flight down the mountain.

She tried to rise in the bed, her pelvis protesting her attempt to put her full weight on it with searing pain and instead staying on her back and staring at the roof.

‘Slithoof?!’

“Worry not, Flitterwing.” A familiar voice to her left said. She turned her head sharply at this, her right eye managing to see the figure’s shoulders and head.

“M-my Queen!”

“Ease, Flitterwing, ease; you do not wish to harm yourself further.” She reassured, putting a hoof onto the smaller Changeling’s shoulder. It was now that Flitterwing noticed something off about Chrysalis’ figure.

“M-my Queen, where is your crown?”

Chrysalis sighed. “I have relinquished my crown to the Princesses.” She mumbled. “As per the terms of our surrender, our sovereignty and therefore my place as a Royal have been given up. By all rights, I have as much political power now as Glitter does.”

Flitterwing’s gaze drifted down sadly. “I am sorry, my Queen.”

“It does not matter.” Chrysalis replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “All that really matters now is our survival.”

Flitterwing nodded sadly before looking her now ex-queen in her eyes. “Wh-what has become of Slithoof?”

Chrysalis sighed miserably. “I believe we almost lost him,” she began, “he was unable to feed during the raid on Canterlot, and the flight back drained whatever energy he had left. I was able to save him from striking the ground, but he fell through a tree. He was brought here to be cared for, but I have not heard news about his condition. Currently Grall is watching over him.”

‘Milady.’

‘Grall? How is he?’

There was an awkward silence for a moment or two.

‘I am sorry, my Queen… we lost him. Your son has passed away.’

Chrysalis looked as shocked at this as Flitterwing.

‘How?’

‘He appears to have struck his head on a branch when he was falling. There was no damage to his carapace, but his skull beneath was heavily broken. Apparently the trauma caused his brain to swell… There was nothing anypony could do.’

Chrysalis huffed and let tears run down her cheeks before she moved across the room and pulled Flitterwing into a tearful embrace.

“He… he’s…”

“I am so sorry, Flitterwing.”

“We… we were planning to have a foal! Why would he go and do something so stupid..?”

Chrysalis sighed and nuzzled the younger mare’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, if I’d known he was so starved I’d have stopped for us to find something to eat, but he was so insistent on seeing you again… I didn’t want to deny him…”

She huffed and held the sobbing widow tighter. “I’m sorry.”

Flitterwing spent the next hour sobbing in her bed, trying to drown out the world around her. She’d lost him… she knew that she might have lost him in the first assault, but… having come so close to getting her mate back hurt more than she could express. He was going to be everything to her, but now… Now she wasn’t sure she had a purpose to bother going on.

She’d been close to removing the morphine tube, but her Queen, Chrysalis, stopped her before she could go through with it. She was in enough pain as it were; adding the torment her body was suffering onto that would be dangerous and Chrysalis had lost enough of her children for one week.

“Flitterwing…” Chrysalis eventually probed with her voice heavy in misery.

“Yes, my Queen?”

Chrysalis sighed faintly. “You need not call me that anymore; I am no longer your queen.” She pointed out. “I… I was wondering something.”

Flitterwing looked over at Chrysalis sadly. “Wondering what?”

Another sigh left the larger Changeling. “I was thinking about what you said earlier, about how you and… and Slithoof wanting a foal? Were you… were you serious?”

Flitterwing nodded. “Yes, I was; we were going to ask you for your blessing after the raid, but… I guess that’ll never happen now.” She mumbled sadly. “He… he was always nervous about it, you know?” She laughed a little, finding it funny somehow. “Worried that you’d not want to run the risk of another Queen being born, that you’d be furious that we would consider it given our desperate food shortage…”

Chrysalis shifted closer, a disarming and somewhat motherly smile on her face. “I would have welcomed a new foal in the family, Queen or no.” She said firmly. “Another branch in the family tree, another guaranteed heir to the throne…” She trailed off faintly before leaning forward and nuzzling her daughter in-law. “It would have firmly cemented you into our family more than you already were.”

Flitterwing returned the affectionate gesture, glad to have any contact with another Changeling after all that had happened. “Why do you ask?”

Chrysalis sighed. “It’s… it’s about Glitter.” She mumbled. “She will need a mother, but I will be too busy handling the politics of our integration into Equestria to find time to be with her in any real sense… I would leave her with a nanny, but she would end up with the nanny more than I, and I don’t want her to grow up resenting me…

“I know she cannot replace m-my son, but we’re all she has.” She looked the bedridden mare in the eyes pleadingly. “Please, will you adopt her? I wouldn’t ask if there were another option, but other than the Equestrian orphanages there’s nowhere else for me to turn. I couldn’t possibly put her into an orphanage; she’d never survive the other foals’ torment.”

She sniffled sadly. “Please, Flitterwing? I know it is a lot to ask, considered what has happened the last few days-”

“I’ll do it.”

“Y-you will?”

Flitterwing nodded. “Of course I will.”

“Thank you, Flitterwing.” Chrysalis said warmly, giving her another gentle embrace. “At least… at least something will go right for once.”

“Where is she currently?”

“She’s being looked at by the nurses, she got a little cold on the way in, and so we thought it prudent to have her checked.” Chrysalis replied. “Shred is with her, but I’ll have him bring her here.”

Another Changeling entered the room, evidently one of the few survivors. He looked to be rather grizzled for a survivor, and Flitterwing knew why; Shred, one of Queen Chrysalis’ Royal Guard, was indeed a veteran solider. He’d fought against eight Dragons, a Phoenix, and had personally wrestled many of the Equestrian Royal Guard into submission during the conflict. That he was still alive was a clear testament to his sheer durability.

He carried a small white bundle on his back and smiled faintly.

“There is no need,” he rumbled, “I thought you would like her to be brought to you, my Queen.”

“Ah, thank you Shred.” Chrysalis said before reaching to his back with her hooves and gently lifting Glitter from him. “And how is she?”

“The Equestrians could find nothing wrong with her, though I personally doubt their expertise when it comes to our Changeling physiology.” He replied firmly.

“Well, we’ll let Flitterwing look at her;” Chrysalis said warmly, “as our sole remaining expert on Changeling medical care, she should be able to see whatever the Equestrians could not.”

Flitterwing found the bundle of carapace and hooves to be placed delicately on the bed with her. She struggled to move up the bed, almost falling back against her head before Chrysalis moved the pillows to wedge her up and Shred moved to a corner of the room discreetly. Gently she moved the filly into her lap, thankful that she’d healed at least a little in the day that she’d been effectively out cold for. Gently she poked the filly awake.

She swooned when Glitter yawned cutely and sleepily before smacking her lips and looking up at the elder Changeling curiously. Her large, soft green eyes looked into Flitterwing’s blue and eye patched own with a youthful curiosity she’d not seen in a Changeling filly in years. She smiled down at her, giving her a gentle rub between her ears where her fin was barely growing in.

Most Changelings grow a fin atop their head and down their neck, much like Ponies grow their manes; and the fin could be styled should the Changeling wish. Only Chrysalis’ own blood line ever grew a mane like Ponies, and it had been something that had initially drawn Flitterwing to Slithoof.

Discreetly she looked over the filly who sat in her lap, soaking up the attention like a sponge. There seemed to be nothing wrong with her, not that was visible on the outside, but… Flitterwing could just tell that she was lacking something, like a vital nutrient deficiency in any Pony being visible in their coat or eyes. Her magic aura was weaker than was usual for a filly her age.

Otherwise, the filly was a perfect little Changeling.

With a content sigh, Flitterwing rubber her nose against Glitter’s own, managing to get the filly to smile wide, close her eyes tight and buzz her wings in glee.

‘So this is what it is like to be a mother…’ She mumbled happily into the Hive Mind.

Chrysalis giggled girlishly. ‘Well, you missed the less entertaining mornings and birth, but yes.’

Flitterwing’s smile spread until, to Chrysalis, it looked wide enough to split her face. ‘I could get used to it.’

A disgruntled huff came from the door, and the mares looked over to see who it was. Bold as brass, there stood the Unicorn around whom everything had revolved, who had personally sent the Changelings rocketing from the city and all but crippled those who survived. A pink Pony with Pegasus wings and a Unicorn horn, her mane and tail streaked with a bright yellow and purple against the pink of her coat strolled to his side and looked into the room worriedly. She sighed.

“Oh dear.”

Chrysalis pretended to not notice them, ignoring their presence and leaning down to Glitter, muttering unintelligible babying gibberish to her and getting her to giggle.

“You are not welcome here.” She shot over her shoulder coldly, lifting her head back up.

“I could say the same, witch.” Shining Armour growled.

“Shining!”

“What do you want; can you not see we are busy?” Chrysalis hissed.

“My Queen..!”

“I came here to see where my absent guards were going; I’m going to have to reprimand them for wasting their time here.”

“I’ll have to advise my Changelings to be more alert since you’re back in Canterlot from your honeymoon!”

“As if you Changelings have more a right to be within Canterlot than I do!”

“Last I saw you, you were enforcing that belief with extreme prejudice!”

“You were injuring my guards and terrifying the whole city!”

Now the two were nose and nose, each glaring the other in the eyes spitefully.

“At least we didn’t kill anypony!” Chrysalis shouted in rage. “At least we didn’t all but exterminate your species!”

“Stop it!” Flitterwing shouted furiously. “The pair of you! This is a hospital and you’re both acting like spoiled children!” She growled angrily at the now stunned Stallion and Mare, baring her teeth. “If you two want to kill each other, do it outside, otherwise shut up!”

She finished glaring at the pair and looked down to Glitter, who was shivering in fright from the angry tones of the ponies around her. Flitterwing’s face melted into sympathy and she carefully wrapped the filly into a hug.

“Shh, it’s alright Glitter, I’m not angry at you.”

The filly put her hooves around Flitterwing’s neck and bawled onto her shoulder in fright. The sight of her trying to calm the crying albino filly enough to cool the anger that had so swiftly burst to flames in the room; the pink pony smiled warmly at the display.

“I was not aware that one of your Changelings was a recent mother.” She said uneasily to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis sighed. “Within technicality, she is not.” She huffed. “I shall have to fill in the adoption paperwork later.” She turned her now saddened gaze on the mare. “Glitter’s parents died at the conclusion of the attack…”

“I… I’m sorry.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She mumbled dismissively. “Do not trouble yourself over it, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Cadance is fine.”

“I dare not use such a personal term for you.” Chrysalis muttered. “Not when I am unsure if I have forgiven you personally.”

She nodded her head to Shred, the Changeling moving to her side.

“Now, I will be needed at our temporary home, there are six other Changelings to ensure are settling in.”

“Six?” The stallion probed. “I thought there were eleven Changelings arriving in Canterlot.”

Chrysalis gave a depressed sigh and looked down at the floor between her front hooves, her mane sliding to hide her face.

“There were, Shining Armour.” She mumbled. “But my… my son died.”

She lifted her face to the ponies irritably, tears streaming over her cheeks and off her chin before moving to pass them. “Excuse me; I have duties I must attend.” She said with a huff, leaving the room and hurrying out into the hall.

Cadance and Shining watched her move away, hurrying down the hall and away from them.

“That was… unexpected.” Shining muttered.

Cadance sighed and gave him an irked look before moving past him and up to the bed where Flitterwing and Glitter were cuddling. Glitter had calmed, and was simply enjoying the feeling of being held by her new adoptive mother.

“May I hold her?”

Flitterwing shook her head and only tightened her embrace with Glitter, more visibly than physically.

“I’ve already lost my mate today.” She mumbled sadly. “I… I don’t want…”

Cadance gave an understanding nod. “Of course, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” She cleared her throat and put her hoof on Flitterwing’s shoulder, the contact making her flinch. “If you need anything, even a foalsitter, don’t be afraid to contact me, alright?”

“Cadance…”

She shot Shining Armour a look and he shut his mouth.

“…Alright.” Flitterwing mumbled. “Thank you.”

Cadance bowed her head faintly and moved to the door. “We’ll let you rest up, Flitterwing.”

She nuzzled Glitter, her Glitter, with a smile.

“Of course Princess; thank you.”

Cadance and Shining Armour left the room together, heading the same way that Chrysalis had gone.

Finally she was alone. Well, as alone as she could be with a curious young filly in her hooves. She smiled down at the filly who was playfully batting at her chest as it rose and fell. With Glitter as distracted as she was with her new mother’s breathing, she didn’t notice her raise her hooves until she grabbed her, rolling her onto her back and tickling her stomach mercilessly.

Glitter giggled and writhed like a fish out of water, kicking her little hooves ineffectively at the air as she laughed. After a few moments of this Flitterwing relented and Glitter rose to her hooves, still giggling endlessly, before hopping about the bed playfully and hurrying back to Flitterwing, hopping into her lap and leaning forward, rubbing their noses together.

Flitterwing happily returned her nuzzle before a noise to her left got her attention, and she looked to the door to see an orderly moving in with a tray. He blinked at her sitting in the bed with a filly before putting the tray on a nearby top and ducking back out. He returned soon after with a nurse.

“Oh, she’s here now is she?” the nurse asked in a toyish manner before moving over and smiling down at Glitter. “Have you been left to care for the little one, miss?”

Flitterwing shook her head. “No, I’m adopting her.” She said cheerfully. “She’s my little filly now.” She added, punctuating her words by giving Glitter a kiss on the tip of her nose, the affectionate gesture making Glitter squeal cutely and buzz her wings again.

The nurse gave an ever so slight swoon at this. “Well, we can’t let the little dear go hungry, can we?” She asked. “Does she have her teeth yet, or will I have to get one of our hospital’s wet-nurses?”

“She’s got her teeth, I’ll help her eat.” Flitterwing said.

“Is there anything in particular?”

“Fruit, vegetables, grasses…” Flitterwing mumbled. “Actually, is it possible to get something with a high magical content?”

“Sorry Miss, we don’t have foods like that here.”

Flitterwing shrugged. “Alright, that’s fine.” She said, before a thought struck her. “D-do I have to pay for this?”

The nurse shook her head. “No, no; you’re here on Royal Decree, your hospitalisation was under royal order, so the Treasury will be paying for your expenses.”

Flitterwing nodded. “Thank you.” She said, before giving Glitter another gentle kiss, this time atop her head.

“Of course, miss.” The nurse said, before turning and leaving, mumbling to the orderly to get another meal from the kitchen for Glitter.

She fell asleep not long after eating her first meal in days, Glitter following suit soon after she realized her adoptive mother had dozed off.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

It was nearly a month before Flitterwing could walk again, but she’d spent as much of that time with Glitter as possible. The minute she was able to stand and move she took Glitter for a walk around the hospital, observing the other patients and medical staff in her own, well trained way. Glitter had soaked up the attention happily, as would be expected of any filly with her mother.

She’d even said her first word, directly to Flitterwing.

She’d called her ‘Mommy’.

The word had filled her heart with unparalleled joy.

Her mother in-law, Chrysalis, only visited twice during the month she was bedridden, but she didn’t blame her; the elder, near immortal Mare was busy working on getting the Changelings better settled into Equestrian life. So far things had barely improved; ponies saw them as soul-draining monsters, and any Changelings who ventured from their collective home, a warehouse in the east end of Canterlot would face severe public scrutiny. The warehouse was under strict guard, and those few times that the Changelings did venture from the safety of the sturdy structure was under the watchful gaze of a guard at all times.

The only place that they found peace was within the safety of their new home, or at the Wedlock Memorial, the large section of land just within Canterlot’s walls on the east side of town where the Changelings who had died within the city had been buried.

The first week of the Changelings having discovered this Memorial ground, including the large statue of a heart carved from marble upon a plinth, they had gone to great extents to care for the land. They spent many bits earned by doing odd jobs around town on buying flower seeds and an oak sapling, everything planted with great care and precision. A month later and the land now featured garden beds of carefully tended blue roses, depicting the mourning of the loss of the Changelings and a poetic reference to eyes being the windows to the soul, and black tulips, representing their hunger for love and their clean black chitin. The oak tree was now almost three ponies tall.

Slithoof had been buried here along with those he considered friends; the memorial statue being moved specially for his burial beneath it. Despite being unable to attend his funeral, Flitterwing had sat in her bed in the hospital with tears in her eyes and a black rose on her bedside table.

Glitter had been silent during the time the funeral was taking place, lying beside her mother and crying along with her; she seemed to have some sense that what was happening was, for her mother, heartbreaking, and just wanted to be there for her.

Soon enough the pair were discharged from the hospital, and they stood out front the pearly white building in the sunshine. Glitter had been nervous of the ponies around them, but Flitterwing let her climb onto her back before following a guard to where the Changelings had taken residence.

They had been swarmed the minute they stepped into the building, the other Changelings all extremely relieved to have them back and cheerfully fussing over their arrival.

Being a warehouse, individual rooms were in limited supply and as such the Changelings had taken to dome tents, each one pitched about a central cooking area in the middle of the huge room. A tent for Chrysalis, larger than the others, almost dominated the scene if not for the tent next to it.

Unlike the other Changelings, who had cheaply bought two-man tents so that each one would have a room to themselves, a larger four man tent had been bought for Flitterwing and Glitter so they could share it between them in relative comfort. Glitter had taken to the tent with glee, finding the novel structure to be entertaining and fun. While Glitter got to looking about their new home, Flitterwing caught up on what the others were doing.

Shred had been accepted by the Princesses as Chrysalis’ personal guard, and was officially a member of the Canterlot Guard. Supposedly Shining Armour had been somewhat adamantly against this, but Princess Celestia had talked him out of it, stating that his expertise in undercover work could prove useful in tracking down lawbreakers.

Grall had become a Canterlot City groundskeeper, and he was responsible for taking care of the Wedlock Memorial in particular. He took pride in his work, and considered the Wedlock Memorial to be his pride and joy. He was even planning on finding space for a bench or two.

Another Changeling, Crackle, worked at a local bakery as a pastry chef. It was easy work, but he had learned rather quickly to enjoy it, and he was rather good at what he did. Maybe not as good as Dough Rise, but he was learning quickly.

Dopple, a friend from the Hive, had always been rather overdramatic and silly, fast with his mouth and a memory to last, and as such he had managed to procure work as an actor in the many, many plays that Canterlot held. He was a particular favourite for middle to background roles by directors, since he could change into most any form and fill multiple roles easily.

Husk had found work as a model for a tailor in town, providing different sizes and shapes for her to design clothes for. When he wasn’t modelling for her, he was helping to keep the boutique in a clean and orderly state. The tailor had rather disliked his race, vocal to the point of him not returning one day to make her sit and shiver while some high-profile clients showed up. She’d swiftly learned to hold her tongue about Changelings in future, and the pair had gotten along since.

Buzzyear was an odd one. He’d always been adventurous and explorative in his years at the Hive, and now that he had a whole new city to explore, he was well and truly in his element. He’d been found exploring an old part of the city almost a fortnight after their arrival, and had since been hired by the city’s cartographers to map the sewers and underground caves beneath Canterlot. No matter how lost he got, he always managed to get home in time for dinner each night.

Finally there was Booker. He was a calm and quiet individual who enjoyed the simpler things in life, and had managed to find part-time employment at a book and writing tools store. He enjoyed the calm quiet of where he worked; it gave him time to think and relax, helping customers find books, quills, inkpots or even quality paper. His manager had been impressed that a Changeling could be as inconspicuous as he, even when not in disguise, and was already considering making him a full time employee.

Flitterwing felt a little out of place, being the only Changeling without a job; but the others reassured her that they didn’t hold it against her and that they didn’t expect her to go out and find work to do when she had a filly to care for; that would be full-time work in its own right.

Still, she didn’t want to feel like she wasn’t contributing.

Throughout it all, Booker had barely spoken; the others explaining his job and what he did for him. When she said that she still wanted to do something he spoke up.

He mentioned how he had seen books, veritable tomes which detailed Equestria’s history, and the way that the Ponies bodies worked for the young colts and fillies to learn as they grew up. He mentioned how there weren’t any books on Changelings, not even books full of supposition on how they worked, where they came from and what they did.

They had all been rather perplexed at his outburst of information, wondering what they were supposed to do with that, when he suggested that if there weren’t any books on the Changelings, why she doesn’t write some.

Writing, after all, would not take much of her time away from her daughter, could be done from the comfort of home, and the subjects on which she would be writing would be otherwise forgotten history.

The group were enthralled by this idea, and Booker promised that he would see if he could get some paper, quills and inkpots for her to work with.

Eventually their conversation wound down, and Flitterwing went to play with Glitter, finding the filly inspecting a large empty bookshelf curiously. She frolicked around with the filly, playfully ducking around the tents and other objects in the room, tickling her… No matter how much she heard it, she never grew tired of Glitter’s laughter.

She and Glitter joined Grall to the stores, flanked by a pair of city guards. The Pegasus ponies seemed unfazed by the Changelings they escorted through the city, not even flinching when Flitterwing asked if they could help keep an eye on Glitter. Thankfully they readily agreed, making Flitterwing smile thankfully.

They stopped at a grocer and purchased a fair supply of foods; apples, flowers, bread, some saddlebags for Flitterwing… Soon after they stopped at a toy store, Flitterwing wanting to purchase a stuffed toy for Glitter to play with when she was either too occupied, which she hoped she wouldn’t ever be, or she needed some play time alone.

Much to Flitterwing’s chagrin, the only stuffed toys left in the store were Princess Luna dolls, though even of those there were rather few. There were spaces for Princess Cadance and Princess Celestia, but they were completely empty. She considered biting the bullet and buying the Luna doll, but when the shopkeeper noticed her dissatisfaction he went to the back store-room and found a few Princess Celestia dolls.

This Flitterwing was happy to get for Glitter, but when the storekeeper threw in a Princess Luna doll free of charge…

Well, she was as happy as she was when playing with Glitter.

They passed a few more stores, stopping in and discreetly buying some snacks or something else for Glitter. The Hive Mind was thrilled to provide with ideas for the filly, everypony throwing out idea after idea.

They fell silent, however, when the trio reached the Wedlock Memorial.

Glitter stood next to her mother’s guard, silently looking at the statue as her mother stepped forward and put a bouquet of roses at the base of the statue.

“Hello again… everypony...”

When they arrived back at their home, the sun was beginning to lower into the horizon. They thanked their guards for protecting them on their trip before heading inside. The mood of the day had become somewhat sombre after the Memorial visit. They approached the circle of tents, Crackle busy cooking stew in a large pot for them all. He acknowledged their return with a smile and a nod. Chrysalis was lying on her stomach in her tent, the door open and her gaze out into the building with disinterest until Flitterwing came into view, at which point she hurried to her hooves and met them halfway, craning her neck down to give her an affectionate nuzzle

“Flitterwing, it’s good to see you on your hooves again.” She said. “And Glitter is with you! She’s just as darling as always!”

“Greetings my Queen, how have things been? I can’t imagine Princess Luna being very… tolerant. Considering that night…”

“She has become somewhat more agreeable.” She replied, moving back to her tent and lying back where she was before. “From what I have gathered, she was not pleased with how I assaulted her sister, though I must admit that I don’t think Princess Celestia truly threw everything she had at me. I am under the impression that she allowed me to ‘defeat’ her so as to make me see what I was doing before it was too late.”

Chrysalis sighed. “And it all ended with us living in tents, eating from a communal cauldron. Refugees. Oh, how could I have been so blinded to let it come to this..?”

“Please, don’t be so hard on yourself, my Queen.” Flitterwing said, stepping over and sitting down near Chrysalis. “We survived, that is all that matters. I don’t know about the rest of them, but I would rather live in this tent with a communal cauldron dinner than be back at the hive with no food and no future.”

“I guess you’re right.” She mumbled in reply. “In happier news, I have been informed that your adoption papers have gone through without a hitch. You are now the legal mother of Glitter, not that there was any doubt in the first place.”

“Thank you my Queen.” Flitterwing said, bowing her head.

“Now, now, you know you needn’t call me by that title anymore.” Chrysalis gently scolded.

With a giggle Flitterwing nodded. “Force of habit, I guess.” She said. “No matter what happens, you are still our Queen and nothing will ever change that.”

“At least I cannot fault you on your loyalty.” Chrysalis laughed before looking up at Crackle. “Is everypony here?”

“Yes my Queen.” He said quickly, watching his stew dutifully. “They are using the shower to clean up before dinner. They should be coming out any moment now, actually…”

Sure enough, six changelings filed out of the bathrooms, each of them sporting shiny carapaces and smiles like they’d just been to see a comedian. They moved to the ring of tents and lay down on towels put out front of their respective tents. If the loud laughter from the bathrooms had been any indication, they had spent the majority of their showers teasing one another relentlessly.

“Now that we’re all here, I do have something I’d like to air.” Chrysalis started, addressing the circle of Changelings. “As we’re all… painfully aware, there are only ten of us left in all of Equestria. A platoon of Equestria’s soldiers was deployed to find and return any wounded but alive Changelings that may be comatose and unable to link to the Hive Mind. I’m sad to say that, today, they returned empty hooved.” A tear rolled unbidden down her cheek. “We are, officially the last ten Changelings in Equestria.

“To compound this tragedy, of the ten of us, there are only three mares, one of which, Glitter, is too young to breed. I cannot force Flitterwing to do something that I myself would not do, and as such I cannot force her to breed another generation of Changelings, nor would I ask her to. Though it pains me to say, I’m afraid this is the end of the Changelings.

“Not to say that this is the end of us, just… that our kind has reached too few numbers to sustain itself over any period. After weeks of deliberation with the Princesses, and Shining Armour at what he would call a ‘discreet distance’, we have… we have come to the conclusion that, while we are still refugees, we shall have to intermingle with the ponies of Equestria if we wish for our families to survive.”

The circle of Changelings sat in the awkward silence for a minute or so.

“That means that you shall all have to find love in the arms of whoever reciprocates your feelings. I know this will be difficult, maybe even impossible given how loathed our kind are amongst the Equestrians, but it is the only solution.” She smiled faintly at their confused and worried faces. “Now, now, don’t look like that, I will never abandon you; we’re just out of options, and I would rather Changelings be brought into this world with love than duty. I will bless whatever you choose, and I’ll attend the birth of any of your children personally.” She punctuated this statement with a happy smile. “For now, let’s just enjoy dinner and work on the future when we come to it.”

The small group of Changelings nodded in agreement, each one looking down at their dinner as Crackle served the piping hot stew and dinner rolls. It was something simple but filling, and really that was all the Changelings could ask for. Using her magic, Flitterwing carefully fed Glitter her stew while using her hooves to eat her own. It was a pleasant wind down to the day, the others laughing over whatever their respective days had offered them, Glitter eating peacefully and happily, and her mother in-law, Chrysalis, lying alongside her.

After finishing their meals, the Changelings all handed their bowls to Crackle who took them to the kitchenette to wash them. With the Cauldron and cooking top moved to a safe side of the warehouse floor, Flitterwing removed her saddlebags and nudged Glitter to get her attention. The Filly looked up at her with childish enthusiasm, happy to be getting attention.

“Now, Glitter, how much do you love your mommy?” She asked with a cheerful smile. Glitter, not missing a beat, threw her hooves around Flitterwing’s neck with a squeal. Flitterwing returned the gesture happily before nudging her back and opening the saddlebags, retrieving the plush dolls from within and showing them to the filly. “And how about now?”

The Changelings watching noted that if Glitter could have shown any more glee, she would have exploded.

For the next few hours the Changelings all went about doing usual things, putting the purchased food away, keeping an eye on Glitter… They conversed idly about how their days went to Chrysalis, allowing her the time to do the same. Evidently being diplomatic was harder than she thought it would be.

Shining Armour hounded at her every movement, and badgered her over almost every question or suggestion. While Celestia had seemed irked at his behaviour, he was allowed to get away with it; he was being extremely overcautious as a guard, and she was the leader of the army which had so recently assaulted Canterlot. The fact that she was in mourning for her entire species, including her own son, seemed to not be a factor for him.

Eventually Lights Out came, and the Changelings all clambered into their tents and sleeping bags. Chrysalis slept with the opaque door of her tent open, keeping only the screen zipped up while the others seemed content to zip their tents up completely. Not wanting to close off those she had only just got back with, Flitterwing only zipped up the bug screen before helping Glitter into her sleeping bag.

“I’m sorry that we’ve gone from mattresses to sleeping bags and camp stretchers, sweetie;” she whispered to the filly, “but I promise I’ll do everything I can to make this more comfortable for you.”

‘We all will.’ Chrysalis’ voice said across the Hive Mind, backed by a chorus of agreements.

Flitterwing smiled and climbed into her sleeping bag, letting a tear roll down her cheek. ‘Thank you.’

Outside, two ponies slipped past the royal guard and up to a high window. The Pegasus reporters eye the tents through the window.

“It’s just a load of tents.” One, Snippit, complained. He was unsure what his partner, Quick Scribe, was trying to accomplish here. He kept going on and on about it being some huge story, but Snippit didn’t really pay that much attention.

It was late at night, and he wanted to go to bed.

“Oh for the love of-” Quick Scribe grumbled. “Look, you featherbrain, why would the Royal Guard be guarding a warehouse of nothing but tents? You heard the same rumours I did, Changelings were seen in the Canterlot Markets this afternoon being escorted by two guards, and that they all went to somewhere in the Eastern District.” He struggled with the window, managing to lift it slightly. “Help me get this open.”

“I dunno, Scribe, this doesn’t sound like a good idea.” Snippit replied as he helped to lift the window.

“Oh come on, you coward; if it turns out to be true, this’ll be front-page news!” Quick Scribe argued as they got the window open far enough for them to squeeze in. “All we need is proof.”

Snippit grumbled and followed his partner inside, the pair silently flying over to the tents. They were all closed aside from two next to each other, where they could see Changelings sleeping on camp beds. Quick Scribe nudged Snippit.

“That’s Queen Chrysalis!” He hissed.

“There’s a foal in this one.” Snippit replied. “That must be one of her parents in there with her.”

“Get photos of all three and we’ll go! This is huge!”

Quickly Snippit took photos and the two fled back out through the window, which they carefully closed, before flying off into the night.

The Changelings were awoken to the sound of the door to their current home being slammed open, guards flooding in and taking up place around the room. The Changelings all worriedly looked out of their tents, Chrysalis eyeing the Guards irritably as they approached.

“What is the meaning of this?!” She demanded.

Princess Celestia walked in the door and closed the gap between herself and the tent circle rather swiftly for her slow pace. She held out a newspaper.

“I could ask the same thing.” She grumbled as Chrysalis took the paper and unrolled it. Her eyes widened when she saw the front page, a photo of herself sleeping in the tent.

“W-what?! When did-”

“Chrysalis, focus.” Celestia said. “I was hoping one of you may have seen, heard or felt something last night.”

“How do you know it was last night, Princess?” Shred asked.

Chrysalis’ face fell further. “Because on the continuation page in the middle of the newspaper they have photos of Flitterwing and Glitter in their tent.” She breathed. “This… this is an outrage! To invade privacy in such a way, and for such a… distasteful article! What is this, ‘new foal already with a taste for draining love’?! How dare they point hooves at a filly that can’t even defend herself against such accusations?”

Celestia sighed. “Chrysalis, calm yourself.” She said. “We can handle this, I assure you. I only wanted to know if you were aware of anything happening last night at all.”

“If all you wanted was to ask a question then why, pray tell, did you bring a platoon of guards?” Chrysalis hissed, motioning to the royal guard standing about the room.

Celestia gave an irritable grumble. “It was Shining Armour’s idea. He didn’t want me to be ‘alone’ when I came to speak with you; though now that they’re here, they can find out how the intruders managed to gain entry.”

“Be sure to thank him for inadvertently terrorizing my Changelings for me.” Chrysalis hissed angrily. “We’ve been in Canterlot for a month and in all that time we have never once shown to be a threat, remind him of that!”

“My Queen,” Flitterwing began from her tent, no having left in favour of comforting Glitter, “I’m sorry, but your behaviour is rather unbecoming…”

Chrysalis blinked and went to argue back about what she could say to her when she heard Celestia give an amused laugh.

“Even without your crown or kingdom you are still their Queen,” she said amusedly, “and a Queen should keep her elegance.”

“She was always our Queen, highness.” Flitterwing said. “Though you are our new rulers, we will always hold her in highest of regards, regardless of what she may have done.” She smiled and looked out through the screen door of her tent at Celestia and Chrysalis who only looked back incredulously. “I owe my happiness to her idea to give Glitter to me, I will always be loyal.”

Celestia and Chrysalis smiled warmly to her.

‘Thank you, Flitterwing.’

‘You don’t need to thank me, my Queen.’

Flitterwing lifted Glitter onto her back and opened the tent, strolling out and moving to the bathrooms. Two guards stopped her from entering and she shot them an angry glare.

“If you don’t mind, Glitter and I need to use the bathroom.” She grumbled. “Unless you want to get a mop?”

The guards faltered and looked over to Princess Celestia.

“Guards, let them pass.” She called. “Honestly, you act like this is their prison…”

Flitterwing helped Glitter bathe in the shower, the filly relaxing and being impressively calm as the water cascaded down over her form. Flitterwing was worried about the newspaper; that somepony had taken photos of them was bad enough, but that they had taken photos while they were asleep and defenceless… That had been viciously underhooved, especially with how they were being portrayed as the return of an invading army.

The whole time she was bathing Glitter she could hear her mother in-law and the Princess arguing over the matter that had arisen, though she couldn’t truly discern the words. She could tap into the Hive Mind and listen, but it was a two-way link; if she used another Changeling to listen in, they would be able to hear her talking with and bathing Glitter.

After drying her off and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek which made her buzz her wings cutely again she led the filly from the bathroom, keeping her own pace slow enough for Glitter to keep up, and the filly really moved herself as fast as she could to keep with her mother. They returned to their tent, Celestia and Chrysalis trying to keep their discussion between themselves as they passed.

The first thing that Glitter did was find her Princess Celestia doll and compare it to the regal Alicorn sitting and chatting outside their tent. Celestia noticed from the corner of her eye and giggled. Glitter smiled cutely at this and went about playing with her dolls in her own childish games. Flitterwing lay down on her camp stretcher with a smile and watched her play happily.

Still, distracting herself with her daughter’s playing didn’t stop Princess Celestia from seeing her internal conflicts. The thousands year old Alicorn could probably see a lie told to her by someone who didn’t know they were lying.

“Flitterwing, do you have something to say about the news report?” She asked calmly and patiently.

“Yes.” Flitterwing replied, her tone heavy and irritable. “I… I can’t quite put to words how I feel about it. Betrayed? Insulted? Vulnerable? How dare they sneak in here and take pictures of us without our permission? How dare they breach the security and confidentiality of others, abusing us for their own selfish ends? How would they like it?

“On top of that, I’m terrified. They got outside our tents. They were within inches of us, and we didn’t know. They could have done anything! They could have stolen Glitter or harmed us; they could have burned our tents to the ground and killed us inside them!” Her eyes, now rolling tears down her cheeks again, glared at Celestia in a broken and frightened way. “What do I do against somepony who breaks in while we’re asleep and vulenerable? How do I protect her against something I don’t know is going on?

“Everypony in Canterlot is going to be against us now, ponies will insult and abuse us, chase us down and deny us what everypony else has a right to have! I… I cannot protect her against those sorts of odds!” She gave a wracking sob, her camp stretcher shaking with her maternal fright, “what can I do?!”

She was crying loudly now, though her eyes were open and defiant as she stared at the Princess. Celestia had to admit to herself, Flitterwing was rightly frightened; of all of the Changelings she had the most to protect and the most to lose and she was right to be frightened of Canterlot. Even before this she had been cautious and worried, but now she felt violated and helpless. A lot of ponies resided within the city, any one of them could take it upon themselves to ‘remove’ the Changeling and her filly from the grand city, and there was little she could do against that.

Glitter had stopped playing and was now trying to comfort her mother, hugging the elder Changeling tightly. Chrysalis had also moved into the tent, carefully wedging herself between the beds and bringing her head down to embrace her daughter in-law to attempt to comfort her.

“Flitterwing, Chrysalis,” she began, her attention flicking between the two as she spoke, “I promise you that the ponies who did this… blatant violation of privacy will be punished; and I shall speak with Shining Armour and Luna to see what can be done to ease your stay within Canterlot. You may be required to be escorted by guards wherever you go for a longer time than had been originally planned, but if it ensures your safety then it is the least I can do.”

A Royal Guard moved across the room and stopped next to Celestia, giving a quick salute.

“Princess.”

She looked down at him calmly. “What have you found?”

He pointed a hoof up to a far window. “The only way in or out that was not sealed was that window, it appears to have been opened from the outside; no Unicorn or Earth Pony would be able to reach the window without suffering substantial injuries falling in the other side, so it must have been a Pegasus. The Window is also rather rusted, though it doesn’t seem to make a huge amount of noise when moved, but it requires at least two Guards to move the window.

“Long story short, highness, we’re looking for two Pegasus reporters who work for the Canterlot Digest newspaper company.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well, go to the Canterlot Digest and demand to see the Pegasus who made the report; arrest everyone who handled the story above them as well.”

“Everyone, Princess?”

“Stories that enter the paper must go through editors and be approved by the CEO of the Canterlot Digest, at every single pony who handled the story it could have been rejected for being invasive, especially given the way the photos were acquired and who they depicted. They are all responsible for a violation of privacy and royal affairs.”

“Yes, your highness.” He said with a bow before waving a hoof to the guards and leading them out the door into the city streets.

Celestia sighed sadly. “Chrysalis, though I loathe taking you from your frightened Changelings, the report changes a lot of things; we are going to require your presence in court today to see what we can salvage from this disaster.”

Chrysalis sighed and nodded, giving Flitterwing a gentle nuzzle before leaving the tent. “Of course, Princess,” she mumbled, “I shall meet you at the castle, I would like to tidy up before joining you.”

“Very well.” Celestia said, clearly allowing her the chance to have a shower and brush her mane and tail. “Changelings, I bid you a good day.”

The day passed quietly for Flitterwing and Glitter, the pair not having much to do. She had considered taking her daughter to a public park, only for her fearful mind to rebel against her and make her decide against it. Instead the pair played inside, enjoying the subtle sunlight that filtered in through the windows and having fun. She tried to teach Glitter how to fly, the filly managing to hover easily, but still somewhat lacking the wing strength to achieve actual directional flight. Flitterwing wasn’t surprised; she was still too young to truly achieve flight, though her hovering was at least something that she celebrated and told to the Hive Mind with joy.

Lunch had been made by Flitterwing, the other Changelings all out at their respective jobs for the day, and it wasn’t until after lunch had been eaten that the first of the other Changelings returned. Booker had managed to get the writing tools that he had promised. Flitterwing had thanked him greatly and found a desk at which she could write. She moved it near their tents; the circle of fabric domes nicknamed ‘Little Hive’ by Husk before he’d left for work.

Though the others had found it a little tasteless, they did keep the name.

And so she began writing, she started with writing about Changeling anatomy and sciences, something that as a nurse she knew well. She was impressed how easily the knowledge just rolled out of her mind and onto the paper. By the time dinner was being cooked, she had written over half the book. Glitter had kept herself entertained with her dolls for a few hours, and when she had grown tired of that she sat with her mother for the sake of being with her. She’d drifted asleep long before Crackle arrived home, but the minute her nostrils detected him cooking dinner, she was up and about and enjoying their company.

Today’s dinner? Stuffed bell peppers on a rice bed with broccoli cream.

Crackle was going all out for dinner today, and it certainly smelled amazing.

Chrysalis returned to the warehouse and wearily strode to the tents, clambering into her camp stretcher and watching her Changelings around her. She’d clearly had an exhausting day and just wanted to relax for the evening.

After weighing down her work in a box that she kept closed in case Glitter toppled it, Flitterwing moved into the circle and sat down near Chrysalis’ side. The elder Changeling sighed and tilted her head to her daughter in-law.

“I suppose you would like to know how today went.” She breathed.

“It might put me at ease, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Flitterwing replied calmly.

“We managed to get our hooves on the ponies responsible for the article and the illegal photos, though they argued quite arrogantly that their actions were not against the law as no ponies had been involved.”

Flitterwing grumbled. “Ignorant foals.”

“That’s what Luna said.” Chrysalis informed. “They were told of the potential consequences of their actions, that they had put their own agenda before the safety of a young filly of a critically endangered species and exactly how deplorable it had been. They were put on unpaid suspension from their jobs for ten months and given three months community service. Their superiors suffered far lesser fates, two editors who checked through the story are on three months unpaid suspension, and the CEO has been told that any stories including Changelings will be sent through my office for approval before they can be printed. On top of this, they managed to slap their company with an eight thousand bit fine, three of which are being spent on improving our home.”

Flitterwing gave Chrysalis a worried look. “But if they don’t pay the bits-”

“They have a deadline of a fortnight to pay the fine; if they don’t then an additional fine will be included onto it and their CEO will be further punished.” Chrysalis said. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Rapid Parry have enforced stricter guard around this building, he’s taking Shining Armour’s place as he and Princess Cadance have been called to an issue in the North. We’re going to have windows that can be opened for circulation installed once the bits are paid, however they will have metal wire screens to prevent illegal access into the building.”

“At least I’ll know that Glitter is safe then.” Flitterwing said.

“Though Princess Luna and Rapid Parry were quite vocally against it, during the renovation of our home here we will be staying in the castle. Celestia was quite adamant about that.” Chrysalis stated. “Though I cannot begin to imagine her reasoning, I am under the impression she just wants to ensure that we are safe during the period.”

“Where in Equestria could be safer than Canterlot’s royal castle?”

Chrysalis nodded with an agreeing hum.

Glitter scurried over from being with Dopple, who had been playing with the filly quite cheerfully, and threw herself onto the cot with Chrysalis, nuzzling against her chest and burying herself into the camp bed with her.

“Well, well; looks like someone wants some attention from her grandmother.” Flitterwing said with a toying tone.

“G-grandmother..?”

“Well, of course.” Flitterwing said. “You are the mother of my… my now absent mate.” She slowed a little saying this. “And you’re my mother in-law; since Glitter is now my daughter that makes her your granddaughter.”

Glitter wiggled faintly, lifting her head and happily nuzzling Chrysalis’ neck, and the elder mare felt a tear grow in her eye. She lowered her head down and gave Glitter a kiss on her nose, the filly giggling and flapping her wings enough to make them buzz.

“I remember this feeling.” She said. “Motherhood.”

“It’s intoxicating, isn’t it?”

Chrysalis nodded. “It is, in a good way.”

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

The renovations to their home had begun not a day ago now, and the Changelings had been moved to Canterlot Castle. The only Changelings who hadn’t been within the castle were Flitterwing and Glitter, and they marvelled in the majesty of the marble halls and beautiful tapestries. After getting situated in the castle, they had been taken to the royal court where Celestia sat patiently, listening to a pony ask for aid in his orange crop. She’d waited for him to make his case before she said that she would send a horticulturalist to inspect his farm. The pony had thanked her and left, nervously giving the Changelings a wide berth and her attention was sought –and granted- by a scroll which materialized in the air before her with a flash of green fire. She read through the scroll with a faint smile before rolling it back up and tucking it into a shelf behind her throne.

“Welcome, Changelings.” She said, stepping down from the throne. “It’s nice to know you managed to make it here without trouble.”

‘Hardly.’ Flitterwing grumbled to the Hive Mind. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say those ponies knew we were going to be coming here today.’

‘That might have explained the tomatoes they were throwing.’ Booker grumbled in return.

“We did get a little… negative attention in town on the way here.” Chrysalis said after bowing her head respectfully. “But I am certain that they did no harm.”

‘Speak for yourself; I’m going to be smelling apple tart for days.’ Crackle complained. ‘And I don’t think I’ve seen Glitter more afraid.’

‘Stop complaining.’ Chrysalis grumbled. ‘We’re just going to have to get used to having a bad rap for a while. We will survive.’

“I apologise for the actions of my subjects.” Celestia said. “They act out on a held grudge, I assure you that they’ll see the light and warm up to you eventually.”

Chrysalis nodded.

“Well, since you will all be staying in the castle for a period, I might as well give you a brief run of things.” Celestia said. “Though I’m sure my guards will tell you better where you are and are not allowed to roam, most of the castle is open to you, including the library. Princess Luna and I are usually both active at dawn and dusk; she will be holding open court during the night should anypony come requesting it, and I hold open court during the day.

“The castle may seem empty, but it does become quite busy, so I advise you take care in the halls. The castle is no place for anypony to get lost, especially not a filly.” She aimed this quick warning to Flitterwing, who nodded in response. “Though I have no qualms with you staying within the castle for the next few days, I cannot speak for Princess Luna; I advise that, if you cannot avoid her, you at least attempt to get along with her.”

The Changelings bowed respectfully to Celestia, Chrysalis smiling as well. “We thank you for your hospitality, Highness.”

“We’re sure.” A voice called from the door. The Changelings turned and looked worriedly over to see Princess Luna walking in the door.

“P-Princess Luna..!” Chrysalis stammered, taking a worried step back before bowing, the Changelings following suit.

The regent of the moon strode past the Changelings and up to Celestia, eyeing Chrysalis irritably. Glitter smiled and moved to her mother, retrieving the stuffed likeness of the moon Princess and holding it out as if to compare the two. Celestia gave the gesture a warm smile, but Luna only flicked her stern, steely gaze at the filly. She cringed, lowering the doll and backing off fearfully.

Her gaze didn’t linger long, but it had been long enough.

After Glitter put the doll back into the safe confines of her mother’s saddlebag Flitterwing let her climb onto her back and turned to leave, moving away from the group.

‘Flitterwing, where are you going?’

She stopped and turned to look at her mother in-law.

‘Where Glitter and I won’t be sized up like insects.’

She left the room and nodded to a guard, the stallion leading her to the room that she and Glitter had been given.

“Chrysalis..?” Celestia began worriedly. “Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, highness, you didn’t.” She said, before returning Luna’s glare.

Flitterwing took Glitter to the royal library after depositing their things in their room. She wanted to cheer Glitter up, even if only faintly, after the look from the moon Princess managed to frighten her so, and so she had brought her to the library in the hopes of finding a good book of stories to read to her.

The librarian had been nervous, but did help her find a storybook that would be suitable for the young filly.

The storybook was… cute. Clearly designed for foals to learn to read with and not for adult perusal, it was a short and quaint little tale of a Filly chasing after a Pegasus who had flown overhead, only to become lost within a forest, then finding her way home by being found by the very Pegasus who she had chased. It was full of colour and imagination, and Glitter had hung on every word as Flitterwing helped her read them.

Soon enough Flitterwing learned just how quick a learner Glitter was, the filly reading a book all for herself right before her eyes. She was yet to say many words, but she’d read the books in silence, apparently capable of reading the words on the pages.

She may have just been looking at the pictures, Flitterwing admitted to herself, watching Glitter get another book from the children’s section.

Flitterwing had brought her writing materials, and began on her second book, her first already finished and awaiting a publisher to review it. This book was going to be a changeling myth, how they had come to be, and she wanted it to be a more… fantasy oriented book, so she was writing it in the same way that one writes novels; taking effort to make the characters something believable.

Dinner was delivered by staff, and she ate in happy silence with Glitter, who had only gone through a small handful of the children’s section. She spent a few minutes after dinner reading another story to her, before Glitter went off to explore the library. Flitterwing wasn’t worried, the library doors were guarded, and she had advised the librarian that Glitter was not to leave without her.

She hadn’t kept track of the time, not noticing that the sun had long since fallen past the horizon and that the sky beyond the library windows flickered with the glitter of the starry night sky.

She also hadn’t noticed the library’s other occupant.

She heard a series of thuds and looked up from her book, quickly putting her quill down and weighing the pages so that they wouldn’t scatter should a breeze blow through. Worried about Glitter, she went in search of the noise.

After reaching a nearby corner of the library, she found Glitter cowering behind a pile of books which had fallen from the shelves. It was obvious what had happened to the filly Flitterwing sighed and moved over to scold her for trying to climb the shelves.

A hoof clopped behind her, and she turned her head to apologise for the mess to the librarian.

When she realized who was standing behind her, she spun and lowered herself to protectively guard Glitter.

Princess Luna eyed them in an icy manner, her eyes seeming to bore deeper into Flitterwing’s soul than she thought anypony could manage. With a huff, her horn glittered and the books moved up and into their places amongst the shelves. She turned and went back to her seat nearby, leaving Flitterwing and Glitter to stare dumbfounded at where she had been.

Hastily Flitterwing gathered Glitter from the floor, letting her climb onto her back, before fetching her writing materials and leaving, borrowing a few books from the children’s section on their way out. She made her way back to their room.

“Does my sister unnerve you, Flitterwing?”

Flitterwing stopped and turned to the pony who had spoken, Princess Celestia standing worriedly behind her. She sighed and turned, giving a quick bow to her.

“While courteous, your bow does not answer my question.” Celestia pointed out with a cheeky grin.

Flitterwing gave a nervous groan. “Yes, Princess;” She sighed, “She scares me. Queen Chrysalis has made it abundantly clear how opposed to our presence Princess Luna is.” She nervously looked over her shoulder, worried that others could be listening in. “But… the worst thing is that she was ready to condemn us to the Bad Lands, to banish us back to the starvation we had tried so desperately to flee. She was ready to sentence us to death!”

Celestia sighed down at the Changeling. “Flitterwing, my sister… has not had the experience that I have in socializing with other ponies; she is still somewhat driven by her emotions, and that tends to colour her judgement. Her ruling would have been passed by me in the morning had I not intervened on that night, but I would not have let it pass. The potential of allies is always greater than that of enemies.

“Much like my subjects within Canterlot, I am sure her bitterness is out of fear for what has occurred in the past, she will come around, I promise.”

Flitterwing nodded faintly but turned her head sadly. “I… I don’t think that will happen.” She mumbled, before returning her gaze to Celestia. “But I don’t need her to like me; I just want her to stop scaring Glitter.” She turned and started to move back to their room. “Otherwise, she might as well just go and join the mobs that hate us and want us to die.”

She walked away from Celestia, returning to the room which Glitter and she shared and slammed the door shut.

She read a bedtime story to Glitter, the tale managing to get her to drift to sleep, before climbing into bed and attempting to sleep herself.

She and Glitter awoke the next day just after sunrise, and after having a quick shower each they were led down to the dining room for breakfast. Supposedly the other Changelings were here already, and she opened the door to glance in before grumbling and closing it again, turning back to where they had come giving a mumbled instruction to have breakfast brought to their room.

She didn’t want to eat, or have Glitter eat, at the same table as Princess Luna.

‘Flitterwing, is something wrong?’

She sighed dejectedly.

‘If I want myself and Glitter to be glared at, I will go stand in the middle of town.’ She muttered.

There was a worried, thoughtful pause. ‘Then why do you not just shape shift into a pony?’

‘Because Glitter does not yet know how and because we shouldn’t have to.’

She entered their room and sat on the bed, lowering Glitter to the bed beside her and giving her a sad nuzzle.

“I’m sorry we have to eat breakfast alone today, sweetie.”

Glitter simply nuzzled her mother in return.

She had thought that living in the castle would be a welcome change to the tents they had grown accustomed to, but instead of enjoying the regal furnishings and beautiful architecture she and Glitter had been made all too aware of just how loathed they were by Canterlot. It was a saddening realization, which only made her become worriedly nervous.

Even if she found a publisher for her work, who was to say whether or not they would even want to publish her books? What if they liked the books but not the author? What if she went to all of the trouble to write novels only for the publisher to deny her, not because of the stories, but because she was a Changeling?

A serving pony came into the room with the requested breakfasts, leaving them on the suite’s table before giving a slight bow and backing out of the room.

Flitterwing sighed and moved over to the table, motioning for Glitter to do the same, and she began to gently, yet playfully, feed her. It was like this most days with Glitter discovering unknown new foods, this time porridge with honey and some strawberries. She would fuss and reject the food until Flitterwing made silly train sounds with it. Once she found that she didn’t mind the taste of the food she would be more enthusiastic about it. After she finished feeding herself and Glitter, she put the bowls in the middle of the table for her to take to the kitchens later.

She pulled her unfinished book from her saddlebags and lay out the currently unfinished page to continue working. Glitter was happily playing with her dolls again, all was going well.

She heard someone come into the room.

She turned her head to see a pony in a maid’s uniform cleaning the room and tidying the bed. The maid didn’t seem to be paying her any heed, so she reciprocated the attitude. That was, until a folded note was placed next to her on the desk and a book next to it. She looked up at the maid quizzically.

“It was outside your door, ma’am.” She said. “I assume it’s for you, you are Flitterwing, yes?”

“O-oh, yes, thank you miss.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

She put her work to one side carefully and unfolded the note.

‘To Flitterwing;

I hope this note finds you in good spirits, though with how your current stay in the castle has progressed for you, I would not be surprised if you are feeling nervous or frightened. My name is Crescent Scribe, and I reside within Canterlot Castle.

I saw you last night working on writing a novel in the library, and I was surprised to see how good your penmareship was; I also am an author, and I actually look forward to reading your work when it is finished, maybe even compare it to my own.

I thought you might like to have some reading material of your own, so I have left this note with a copy of my bestseller, Lunar Heart; I hope it gives you inspiration for your own work. Within the book I have left contact details to my publisher in the hopes that you might also wish to send your books through them. They can be remarkably accepting.

I look forward to meeting you in the future.

~Crescent Scribe.

P.S., your daughter is adorable; I hope she grows up to be like her mother.’

She blinked at the note, at the particularly refined quill strokes, before putting it to one side and looking over the book.

Maybe… maybe she could get a publisher?

Now she was extra eager to get her book finished, and she returned to writing with vigour. She’d written maybe another ten pages before she heard a little voice.

“Mommy?”

She blinked, weighed down her work, and turned to Glitter.

“Yes, sweetie, do you want something?”

She nodded and gestured to her stuffed dolls.

“You want to play?”

She shook her head no.

“W… would you like another doll?”

She nodded.

“Oh, sweetie, I don’t think there are any other dolls like that though…” She sadly mumbled.

Glitter looked crestfallen.

“I-if I had the bits I would commission one of your grandmother, but…”

Glitter nodded a little sadly before giving a pained groan. It was… rather out of place for the filly, and Flitterwing worriedly got down on the floor with her daughter who was now cringing and twitching painfully.

“M… mommy..!”

Flitterwing worriedly looked Glitter over. Her carapace looked stressed, like it was warping out of shape. She sighed, this was something she knew was going to happen eventually, but hadn’t counted on being so soon. The Maid watched worriedly from dusting the empty bookshelves.

“Shh, it’s alright Glitter, I’m here.” She cooed, reaching out with her magic to hold her gently. “I know it hurts, sweetie, but give me a moment.”

With a calm and gentle touch, she used her magic to slit open Glitter’s carapace along her back from head to tail. This seemed to work, she didn’t fuss any more, and lay still as her mother gently tugged the Changeling from it, leaving an empty husk behind and a fresh, slightly sticky, Glitter hovering faintly above it. With a flick of her magic she opened the on suite door and moved Glitter into the bathroom, releasing her from her magic when she was over the bathtub.

Calmly she used her magic to collect the now empty husk that had been left on the floor and keep it all in one piece, looking to the maid.

“Do you know of somewhere that I can dispose of this?” She asked. “We’re used to living in a wasteland, and they usually rot away…” The maid looked back confusedly and she sighed. “I supposed I shall have to handle it in the bathroom…”

“Wh-what is it!?”

Flitterwing gave a gentle chuckle. “Ponies lose the first set of teeth they grow as they age, do they not?”

The maid nodded.

“We… moult, usually only twice, as we age, our chitin can only tolerate so much strain from a growing Changeling, so as we grow up we shed it and grow a new one. I assure you, it’s perfectly safe, but I’d rather not leave it lying around, you know?”

The maid nodded and headed out of the suite and returned with a large paper-weave bag. Carefully she wrapped the chitin into the bag before sealing it up tightly.

“I’ll just have to put it with the rest of our rubbish.” She said. “And I thank you for not getting whatever it was that covered your filly on the carpet…”

“Oh, no problem, I didn’t think it would be fair to give you more work in any case.” She replied calmly. “I’m going to give Glitter a bath; wouldn’t want her to stay sticky after her first moulting now would we?”

“Of course ma’am.”

Glitter was breathing uneasily when Flitterwing stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She looked afraid, and tried to back away from her mother in the tub. Flitterwing ignored this and opened the faucets, letting the tub slowly fill before finding a little bottle of soap in the bathroom cabinet. She eyed it curiously before popping the lid open and giving it a sniff, the scents of oranges and mandarins meeting her nose. She smiled and turned back around, stopping the water and looking down at the still slightly cowering filly.

“Now, now, I’m not upset sweetie.” She said, reaching over the bath and stroking her cheek. “What happened in there was a perfectly normal thing.” She smiled and used a sponge to scrub the now drying residue from her face before giving her a quick kiss where she was clean. “Now, I’ll just get this stuff off of you; if you’re a good girl we can go and see about getting you a cupcake after.”

Glitter, not wanting to possibly miss getting a reward from her mother, stood as still as she could while her mother cleaned her off, paying extra attention to the backs of her ears and her wings. The way she was standing as ramrod still as she could Flitterwing found to be charmingly cute, even when she shook her head to try and get water from her face. She had never handled any Changeling so soon after moulting, not even herself, and she found her to be soft, her chitin now malleable and stretchy.

Not to mention more sensitive.

She managed to get the filly to dissolve into a fit of giggles by simply brushing over her ticklish stomach, and it took a minute or two to get her to calm back down.

With a content sigh she drained the tub and lifted Glitter from the tub, wrapping her in a towel and placing her on the bathroom rug. After a vigorous rubbing of the towel, to which she giggled, she was allowed to climb onto Flitterwing’s back.

“Well now, let’s go see about that cupcake shall we?” She mused.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

The next week passed smoothly. Flitterwing didn’t need to spend much time up at night, thus avoiding excess contact with the regent of the Moon, and managed to get her first ‘tale’ book completed. She’d carefully written it, making it more of a novel than an informational book, and sent it off to the publishers that Crescent Scribe had recommended.

It had been a worrying twenty four hours before the publishers replied with their green light, asking for some details about the author to include in the book. Worriedly she had Celestia put a royal seal and her own comments into the letter and information that was sent in reply.

The most important thing that Flitterwing had asked for was that Crescent Scribe be given the first issue printed as thanks for her help. It had probably seemed weird to Celestia when she read that, but she didn’t mention anything about it.

Chrysalis and the others had been ecstatic about Glitter’s first shedding, proof that she was growing healthier and stronger by the day. They would talk with one another whenever they got the chance, for a social race like theirs to suddenly have separate and most importantly private rooms was an odd concept, and they took whatever intermingling as they could.

Things, apparently, had not been going well for Grall; the monument was being vandalized on almost a daily basis by those who still hated them, and he had been assaulted twice during the week when his bodyguard had been distracted. They had been mostly minor scuffles, and he had come away with only minor bruising, but it was still something that Chrysalis fumed over. One of her own had been assaulted on the closest thing her people had to a graveyard.

This was unacceptable.

Celestia had also been rather angry about it, but it was hard to tell through her otherwise picture perfect poker face of calm. Booker and Buzzyear joked that she could probably cut diamonds with her rock steady gaze.

A small group of reporters arrived soon after the second assault, brought in by Celestia’s formal request, and they had interviewed the Changelings in depth. Goals, purposes, role in the original assault… They were effectively asked to bare their heart and soul to these reporters, and one by one they did. Yet, of them all, only two had cried.

Together they had lost a son and a loving husband, after all.

A few photos had been taken; thankfully they were not brash enough to ask for a photo of Glitter on her own. No, she had to be with her grandmother or mother, Celestia was quite adamant about that.

Upon the next sunrise, a newspaper was released with a more… hospitable tone in relation to the Changelings. It preceded a royal decree from Celestia that made the Changelings protected citizens, and that assaulting one would be returned with a harsh penalty.

‘We are ponies, not murderers.’ Celestia had stated during the interviews. ‘Though it was through our actions the Changelings have found themselves so critically reduced in number, they hold no further ill towards us, and we must do the same. If we want to be a country of mercy, peace and tolerance, we must prove it through our actions, not words.’

‘Leave us alone, and we’ll leave you alone. It seems like such a simple philosophy, doesn’t it?’ Grall had commented to the reporters, now written on the paper. ‘I wish it worked that way for us.’

Shred’s comment had been one of the longer ones in the paper. ‘While the attack was something that rocked the whole of Equestria, its outcome rocked ours harder. If we succeeded, we would be able to feed our people as freely as any Equestrian pony, but because we lost… we had to attend the funeral of a son who died before his mother, we had to come to terms with our now fleeting existence; we’re the last Changelings left.’

‘Equestria took my husband from me, and the birth parents of my daughter from her, how much more do you have to take from us? How much more do you think we can give? All I have left of my life before this whole pointless ordeal is my husband’s mother, my Queen, and a filly I helped bring into this world.’

‘You have your safety, your monarchy, your homes and cities;’ Chrysalis had sadly mumbled, ‘whereas ours has stripped from us, my rule surrendered, and our city now empty and soulless. We have nothing but what we came into this world with, we have lost loved ones, parents… children. All we want is a fair chance to redeem ourselves, to prove we are more than the monsters you see us as. Yes, we attacked your capitol. Yes, we terrified your friends, loved ones, and families. Yes we caused damage costing into the thousands of bits to repair, but to feed the Hive, we had little choice. It was either invade Canterlot or starve, and though our actions are deplorable, would anypony truly want to see everypony they’ve ever known and loved simply waste away because there is nothing in their power they can do?’

‘We’re doing the best we can.’ Booker had said calmly. ‘When life hoofs you lemons, you make lemonade, but… when life hoofs you lemons for almost two centuries, lemonade starts to become all you know. We’re used to suffering, we’re used to pain. Nopony should have to grow up with the constant pain of hunger.’

It had been an emotional and nerve-wracking day, and the photos that had been published showed the exhaustion and seemingly frail bodies of the survivors. Their faces had betrayed how relieved they felt that day, each with a faint smile except for Chrysalis and Flitterwing who had been sombre and gloomy. Of course, Glitter had hidden from the ponies as best she could, shielding herself from them behind her mother or grandmother, but a little gentle reassurance had managed to get her to open up enough for them to get her picture, even managing to get the headline front page photo of her playing with her Celestia and Luna dolls while Chrysalis watched serenely in the background.

‘Grandmother Chrysalis dutifully watches her two-year-old granddaughter play with locally bought Princess Dolls.’

It had been enough to win the trust of many of the ponies in Canterlot, at least, the more forgiving lower class. The upper class, who had been urging for the Changelings to be hunted down and made to pay for their crimes, now called for blood. The building in which the Changelings had originally been housed was targeted by these vindictive ponies and burned to the ground in a single night.

It had been the last straw for Celestia. Her guard rounded up the ponies responsible and, after slapping them all with at least a month’s worth of community service, she had them pay for the reconstruction of the building with their own bits, all six thousand bits worth of damage.

It was a week after she had sent in her novel for review and publishing before she discovered who Crescent Scribe was.

She and Glitter were having a late night, the filly happily reading some books from the children’s section of the library while she was busily reading through the novel that Crescent Scribe had left for her.

It was an… interesting read. It was most certainly not aimed at children, as several chapters had already attested with their rather descriptive night-time activities. Still the plot was charming in its own way, and the characters were colourful and amusing; a stallion, Quickstep as his name happened to be, was a dancing instructor and enthusiast. After a particularly late evening, he had spotted Princess Luna strolling through his town absent minded, observing the city at night.

After a good majority of the book, the two had become lovers, and it seemed that all was well until he missed a date with her one night due to thugs in the streets. By the time he found where she had gone, she had turned into a wicked mare of darkness…

A book thumped onto the desk next to her, startling her, and she looked over at it.

The cover read ‘Changing Dreams’.

That’s her book!

It hasn’t hit the shelves yet.

First edition..!

That would mean…

She looked over her shoulder at the pony that had put the book on her desk, her breath catching in her throat and her heart skipping a beat.

“P-Princess Luna?!”

The Princess gave her a steely gaze before shifting and sitting next to her at the desk, motioning down to the book.

“How much of this is fiction?” She asked.

Flitterwing blinked, stunned, before her brain caught up with the current events.

“I-it’s based on an old Changeling legend, the events, to us, are supposedly true. I’ve had to… make up names and some other things, but most of the events are legend.” She admitted shakily.

Luna nodded faintly.

“Wh-what about your book, Princess?”

Luna gave a faint chuckle. “True, most of it anyway.” She said. “We never enjoyed any of the more… intimate evenings, but it is true. We did fall for him, and he was a most excellent dancer, that may have been a factor in our infatuation, we must admit.”

Flitterwing shrank away faintly. “Why don’t you publish the books under your own name? Why the moniker?”

“Because if we were to publish a book like this with our own name, firstly everypony would buy it out of a feeling of obligation, due to our royal status, and secondly it would make it seem like we were trying to Mary Sue ourselves into a story. Using our moniker of Crescent Scribe we can avoid that unwanted publicity and simply enjoy our success in peace.”

Flitterwing’s gaze drifted to the ground beneath her hooves and she sighed.

“Is there something else on your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Do feel free to say whatever you wish, we will not judge you.”

“I… is Princess Celestia putting you up to this?”

“We’re… sorry?”

“I’ve seen the way you glare at us, saw how you reacted to Glitter the other day with her doll… You don’t like us, so why are you doing this?”

Luna blinked at her confusedly before sighing. “We… have had difficulty adapting to your presence in Canterlot. You must understand that your Queen could have taken everything from us; she very nearly did. She harmed our sister, ruined the wedding of my niece and her husband, terrified our townsponies, and damaged our city. We are not proud to admit it, but we have been worried that it might happen again, and this time without our niece and her husband to stop her.”

“Princess… It couldn’t possibly happen again.”

“And what proof do you have for your claim?!”

Flitterwing smiled faintly. “The Hive Mind.” She replied. “We can talk between one another using it, remember? I have heard my Queen’s words and thoughts for the last month and a half, and she could never do it again. She’s too…”

“Broken?” Luna offered.

“She… we… lost her son, as well as almost all of our people in a desperate attempt to avoid just that. Why would we bother to try again and risk losing what we have left? The Wedlock Memorial is all we have left of them; surely you’ve seen how well we’ve cared for it, made it grow lush and vibrant. That’s the closest we can get to our friends and family, the closest we can get to home, and yet ponies routinely vandalize and defile it! How would they like it if we went to one of your graveyards and vandalized the tombstones, or desecrated the graves?”

“We cannot imagine that ponies would take to it kindly.”

“It’s the same thing for us!” Flitterwing almost yelled. “We don’t have a graveyard, we have a memorial atop the remains of our fallen kin, and yet ponies find it perfectly justifiable to make a mockery of it!”

She huffed and let her eyes drift back to the floor, turning her face from the lunar goddess as she tried in vain to hold back her furious tears. “All we want is to be fairly treated.” She breathed.

Luna gave a sigh. “Flitterwing… we are sorry for how we have treated you and your daughter, our… inability to trust your kind has been hard for us to control. We shall try to be more hospitable in future.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

Luna lifted her book and moved away from the table, letting Flitterwing return to her book.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Today Flitterwing stood with the Princesses, next to her queen, in tears. Chrysalis glared at the four ponies that stood before her as if she wanted nothing more than to drain them dry of all fluids and bury them in shallow graves in the Everfree forest.

Preferably while they were still alive.

Celestia’s face was calm and stoic, her ever present poker-face of calm as she also glared down at the ponies before her. Her attitude however was much more irritable. These ponies had done something unforgivable, inexcusable, something that had made the solar princess quake with rage when she had been informed.

Luna did not look at the ponies. She clearly didn’t want to gaze upon them and lose her temper, something which would not end well for them.

The day before, Flitterwing and Glitter had gone to the markets to see her books put up on the shelves for the first time, and also to see about getting a stuffed doll of ‘gramma’ Chrysalis commissioned for Glitter. A royal guard, a Pegasus, had been their bodyguard this day, and he followed them dutifully through the semi-packed markets.

After leaving the toy store, the trio went to head home, only to be stopped by the group of ponies who now stood before the royals. They had bucked their guard out cold and separated Flitterwing from Glitter, pinning the terrified mother to the ground and forcing her to watch as they beat Glitter viciously.

‘This is for Canterlot!’ had been their excuse.

When Glitter stopped screaming in pain, stopped moving, Flitterwing knew she was now out cold from the violent beating.

Flitterwing had simply lost it.

Maternal fury had pulsed through her veins and muscles, and by the time that Chrysalis had arrived with a platoon of guards, she’d beaten the daylights out of them and left them huddled on the road groaning in pain while she wept over her now beaten filly.

Glitter was at the Canterlot hospital being looked after by the best doctors that were available, using Flitterwing’s guide to changeling anatomy as reference to aid in the recovery of the comatose foal. Celestia herself had shown up at the hospital worried about her, and had been the one to assign the doctors.

Flitterwing felt useless as she sat beside her Queen. She was the foremost expert on Changeling anatomy and care, but she just… couldn’t do it. She couldn’t stay there to help, it had been too much. Just seeing her filly battered and bleeding on the gurney had brought her to tears, she would be useless to her daughter like that, her emotional state would cause her to falter and possibly do more harm than good.

Celestia finally broke the awkward and tearful silence.

“Coin Flip, Turn Table, Orange Scratch, and Foresight; you stand here today accused of assaulting a Royal Guard, assaulting an Equestrian Citizen, and brutally beating a filly.” Her voice betrayed her stoic gaze, tinged with outright fury. “Do you deny these accusations?”

“The only thing we accept is the Royal Guard accusation.” Coin Flip replied. “Other than that, we are merely guilty of attacking monsters loose on Canterlot’s streets.”

Celestia gave an exasperated sigh. “The Changelings have been officially accepted Equestrian citizens for a month; your pitiful excuse shall be interpreted as you accepting the charge.” She said. “With reluctance, I fear that I would be too lenient on you in sentencing, and so it shall be deferred.” She looked over to Chrysalis, and the Changeling shook her head.

“I, as the mother in-law and grandmother of the assaulted mare and filly, cannot sentence these four.” She hissed. “Though if I did, it would not be kind.”

“I understand.” Celestia said with a nod before looking over at Princess Luna hopefully. “Princess Luna, would you be willing?”

“We would, sister.” Luna said, before turning her gaze on the ponies.

The glare she gave them made them shrink away, and she rose from her seat and moved across the room. Her very presence seemed to radiate her utmost contempt for the ponies she bore down on them.

“You, all of you, are guilty of assaulting a Royal Guard.” She growled. “This alone is enough to have you fined quite heavily and put on six months of community service. You then, knowingly, assaulted two members of an endangered species, one of whom is only a little over two years old. This shall not be tolerated within Equestria; how dare you assume that you had the right to assault our guard?! How dare you separate a mother from her filly?! How could you imagine doing such a vile thing to somepony who cannot defend herself from such a disgusting and unprovoked attack?” She stopped before them, glaring daggers at them all. “You, all of you, disgust us; you are supposed to be nobles, the crème de la crème, and yet here you are spitting on what we stand for.”

“At least we didn’t forget that these things assaulted Canterlot.”

“We remember all too well, Coin Flip.” Luna hissed. “But they have asked for, and have been granted, our forgiveness. Do you see the mare that stands beside Chrysalis? Do you see her anguish and pain which you have caused? That is the pain of a mother who is terrified may lose her daughter, which is also the face of a mare that has nearly had everything taken from her. Why don’t you tell her how justified your actions were?!”

She huffed down at them, the four now cowering from her in terror as she verbally assaulted them. “If not for the fact that we know it would spell your end, we would banish you from Equestria.” She snapped. “And that would be against everything we, as a nation, stand for. You shall count yourselves lucky that we still have dungeons beneath the castle, for that is where you shall serve your punishment for the next year, as well as paying for the hospital fees for the filly which you put there.” She brought her gaze in closer to the frightened stallions. “And if the filly should not survive your actions, you shall remain in the dungeons until the day you die.” She finished, her voice dripping with venom and fury. “Guards; get them out of our sight!”

The four stallions were then led from the room by the guards who had surrounded them the entire time, and Princess Luna glared at them until they were out of sight, and then turned back to the thrones behind her. Celestia nodded grimly, as did Chrysalis, and she walked up to Flitterwing and gently put her head against the crying Changeling’s bruised own.

“We are sorry, Flitterwing.” She said. “This should never have happened. If there is anything we can do, it shall be done.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

A few hours later she sat beside Glitter in the Canterlot hospital. She’d been told the range of things that had happened to her, and each one made her as upset as the last. A fractured rib, dislocated right foreleg and left hind ankle, cracked and split carapace in no less than ten places, a severe blow to the joint of her right wing had caused it to swell and be incapable of movement, and her horn had been cracked. Luckily it was the pain from all of these together that had knocked her out, as her skull and brain, after severe scrutiny, were blessedly undamaged. She’d been bleeding on the gurney, though she hadn’t lost too much blood and was simply asleep with an oxygen mask on her face.

She wasn’t allowed to take her home for a few days, to allow her to heal. She hoped that the stuffed doll of Chrysalis would be completed by then, so she could at least keep her daughter happily distracted.

She had cried herself to sleep that night, beside her daughter. It was unfair, why was life being so cruel?

When she awoke in the morning, Glitter wasn’t in the room. She’d startled awake, and bolted to the nearby nurse’s station, demanding to know the condition of her filly. The nurse had looked through the records and found that she was fine, and that she had been moved from the room to the infirmary within the castle so that she could be nearer her family, upon Princess Luna’s order. It had gone without a hitch, and according to all available records she should still be sleeping soundly.

She thanked the nurse and hurried home, being led by her guard to the castle’s infirmary. Sure enough, there she was, sleeping soundly with Chrysalis watching her.

“Flitterwing, it’s good to see you.” She said, giving her a gentle nuzzle. “I’m sorry that we moved Glitter from the hospital at night while you were asleep, I requested the move to Princess Luna because I feared for her safety in a public hospital.”

“It’s alright, my Queen, I understand, I just wish I could have been informed; I was just so startled to see her bed empty.”

Chrysalis sighed. “The Princess must have forgotten to advise the guards to do so.” She said apologetically. “I’m sorry, I should have come myself.”

Flitterwing nodded and moved to her daughter’s side, looking down at the sleeping filly. Most of her bandages had been removed, the damage to her chitin beneath having healed with the aid of some healing magic, and she looked more peaceful as she slept on the bed.

Flitterwing gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“The attack after your visit to the toy shop is publicly known.” Chrysalis informed. “Princess Luna and I have both commented on how disgusted we are. The punishment that Luna gave them is also public knowledge, and it should prevent any such incidents in the future.”

“I don’t care about the future.” Flitterwing grumbled before nodding to Glitter. “I care about her.”

“I understand, Flitterwing, I truly do.” Chrysalis said. “You cannot imagine how hard it was for me to pass up punishing them myself, but we have to function under the laws and guidelines which Equestria hold dear, and the only punishment I could have inflicted upon them would have gone against them; Princess Luna just barely held herself together as well; the assault of a foal… it instils rage into the hearts of mares everywhere, even hers'.”

“I could have lost her. I don’t think anypony knows how… how terrified I was…”

Chrysalis pulled Flitterwing into a comforting hug.

“I do.”

Flitterwing blinked before smiling and leaning into Chrysalis’ embrace.

“You do, don’t you? How could I have forgotten; I’m sorry, my Queen.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Flitterwing; together we pulled through it.”

Flitterwing nodded. “Thank you for giving her to me.”

“As I recall, it was your choice.”

“But still.”

Glitter shifted on the bed with a little groan, turning her head faintly to look around.

“Mh… mommy..?”

Flitterwing smiled up at Chrysalis and hurried around the bed, sitting in front of her daughter.

“Mommy’s here sweetie, I’m here.”

Glitter smiled wide and tried to shift in the bed towards her, only for her to hold the filly down.

“Don’t move, sweetie, you’re hurt.” She said, before kissing her nose. “Try and get some sleep, okay? I promise I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right here.”

Glitter smiled and nodded, closing her tired eyes and drifting back to sleep.

Two days later and Glitter was released by the doctors into Flitterwing’s care. She’d healed impressively quickly, but Flitterwing had been happy enough to have her daughter back with her. The first thing she did was ask if one of the other Changelings could see if the stuffed doll she commissioned was finished.

After giving Glitter the best bath she could, she took her to the library where she read two stories to her and borrowed several more for later that night. She probably shouldn’t have been spoiling Glitter so much, but… well, who cared? The filly had been beaten senseless by strangers; she deserved a little extra attention.

When she took her to Chrysalis to show that she was up and about, Chrysalis had been overjoyed and cuddled Glitter tightly. When Glitter called her ‘Granna’ she’d lavished her with kisses and more hugs.

When they returned to their room after dinner, they found a carefully wrapped gift on the suite’s table, a little tag telling them that it was from Chrysalis to Glitter.

Flitterwing put Glitter on the ground and lowered the gift in front of her, smiling at the filly who only looked at it curiously.

“Do you want to see what it is, Glitter?” She asked, fairly certain of what it was. Glitter nodded profusely, and she used her magic to undo the curly bow and lift the lid.

She lifted out a stuffed doll of Chrysalis and showed Glitter.

Once more she could only have been happier if she somehow exploded.

Flitterwing pulled Glitter into an embrace, smiling broadly at the filly’s giggling and massive smile.

‘Thank you, Chrysalis.’

Chrysalis’ voice chuckled. ‘You are welcome, Flitterwing.’

She played with Glitter for an hour or more, each choosing a different doll to play with and Glitter using the spare. Since she was still healing, however, Glitter became tired soon after and was lying in her bed while her mother read her a few bedtime stories. By the end of the third, Glitter had fallen asleep and her breathing was not unlike the purring of a kitten. Flitterwing smiled and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, stimulus to which she murmured and smiled in her sleep.

“Sweet dreams my little Glitter.”

Author's Note

Phew, that's done~
More may come eventually, I am actually planning to write more into Glitter's future and her growing up; but with this alone taking a week to write, don't expect it to come any time soon.

*Line Spacing has been added to improve readability, I apologize for the 'wall-o-text' format it was in before.*

Birthday Gifts

Glitter had been hidden amongst the crowd on the day that Princess Celestia’s protégée, Twilight Sparkle, was crowned a princess. She’d been as thrilled as the other changelings about a new alicorn princess, even more so when she recalled that she had school that week and she now had an idea for a project. Her teacher had remarked at her academic mind as being something that she rarely saw; usually those like her were sent to Princess Celestia’s school because normal school just didn’t suit their zeal or skill.

While she took the praise for what it was, Glitter had scoffed at the notion of being somewhere else just because of her desire to learn. She was where she belonged, amongst friends, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

That was seven years ago now, and things hadn’t changed much in that time. Flitterwing’s books had become mildly successful, thankfully enough to ensure a comfortable income, and she didn’t have to spend every day working tirelessly to churn out her next book. This allowed her to take a greater interest in her daughter’s education and find more time to be with her.

Since she spent almost every moment she had with her daughter, the change wasn’t that noticeable.

Booker and his manager, a fine mare by the name of Inky Swirl, had engaged shortly after Twilight Sparkle’s crowning. This had been happy news to the other Changelings, and Chrysalis had welcomed the pale orange and silver unicorn into Little Hive like she was a long lost part of the family. She had initially been a bit overwhelmed by the welcome but she seemed to grow to like Chrysalis after a few hours.

When their wedding was announced, the whole of Equestria exploded at the news. Half of the nation wanted the ‘farce’ wedding to be denied by the Princesses, some even outright stating that it would taint the sacrament of marriage. The other half saw it as a great step in Equestria’s equality and tolerance of other cultures. After one particular protest out front of the store that Booker and Inkt Swirl worked at turned ugly, the guard had had enough and sent not just ponies but also gryphons to split it up. Celestia had given a statement to a newspaper the next day.

“We’re the most diverse culture in this world, and our ability to accept other species and make them feel welcome, even to the point of calling Equestria their home, is our finest and most honourable trait. The protests over something as simple as a wedding between two beings who love one another are a blemish on everything we stand for. Be they Pony, Changeling, Gryphon, Zebra, or even Dragon, so long as they hold peace in their hearts they are welcome to the same rights and freedoms as the rest of us. That is the nation that my sister and I have strived to cultivate and help bloom in this world. I, for one, welcome this new development and hope it is only the start of a long series of similar loving couples.”

After that, she had stated that she would personally preside over the ceremony; if this was to be the start of something new, she believed that her approval was paramount lest the rest of Equestria think she were disinterested or disapproved. That declaration had started a week-long bout between the solar diarch and Chrysalis, who had spent months learning the ceremony and had wanted to preside over it herself.

It had begun with a heated argument one day, which evolved into a verbal mudslinging match the next, and then further grew into almost open hostility between them. Shred had commented that night at how amused he was that possibly the most regal and elegant Pony and Changeling on the planet had been possibly one foul insult away from a catfight while Princess Twilight had only sat nearby and completed paperwork and tried to tune out the creative and colourful insults. Shred didn’t dare repeat them, though he did mention that one of them had had something to do with Manticore reproductive habits and that he’d been crying at how painful it was to keep from laughing.

Princess Celestia’s guard hadn’t been immune from this ailment, and one had been taken to the medical wing with a popped vein and hyperventilation.

After the fourth day, the two royals weren’t speaking to one another, each using a proxy to converse with the other. This continued for a good day or two before Princesses Twilight and Luna began to work together to get them to stop bickering. The pair were promptly locked within a room filled with nothing but pillows and themselves and told to sort it out. When the two Princesses returned a few hours later, they found both Chrysalis and Celestia out cold behind pillow forts and with pillows scattered about them. After a brief conversation, it was discovered that a pillow fight had occurred during the time between and that each had managed to land a knock-out blow on the other at the same time.

This raised the question of the force behind the flung pillows and the intensity of the altercation; some pillows had been lodged firmly into the very walls. The only response given was Chrysalis mumbling ‘pillow-pocalypse.’

Still, this hadn’t solved the problem but merely stalled it for a short few hours until they could return to their grudges. Shred mentioned that Luna had been impressed that two of the eldest beings on the planet were acting like children over who could preside over a wedding. In the end, Twilight had taken them aside by their ears –apologizing to them furiously the whole time- and gave them a stern talking to. What was said was a complete mystery to everypony else, but both of the elder royals had returned from the room looking not only sheepish, but very ashamed of themselves.

Chrysalis had taken a backseat on the wedding after that, only assisting where she was needed and giving a short yet poignant speech in place of the groom’s father. In place of Booker’s brother, Grall had given a speech. The whole speech he had been digging at his fellow changeling, poking fun at him and his past mistakes and awkwardness. This had both the benefit of earning a fair few rounds of laughter and good feels when he ended his speech in a sincere and warm family manner.

That day the population at Little Hive shrank by a tenth.

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That had been six years ago, and the couple were both happily married and even expecting a foal now. Glitter, Sandy, and their now slightly awkward friend Doublestep had long since moved up into the older classes. The trio were now mostly thirteen, with Sandy having her thirteenth birthday not a few weeks before Doublestep’s own, making her the eldest. Glitter was still waiting for her ‘cakeday’ as her friends jokingly called it. Luckily she didn’t have long to wait.

She also held the title of being the trio’s brightest member, but Doublestep came in a close second. Sandy was growing into a skilled and graceful flier under the tutelage of her mother, and had earned her cutie mark in the same field as her mother; extreme weather. Unlike her mother’s ability to clear such weather, though, she had earned her cutie mark in causing it, creating the worst –and best- blizzard that Canterlot had seen in centuries.

Doublestep had earned his cutie mark in dancing after trying to learn how to with the aid of his friends. Sandy had been as useless as bicycle pedals on a wheelchair for the endeavour, but Glitter had been all too unwilling to assist. A dozen painful bruises later, Doublestep had earned his cutie mark and nearly hospitalized his companions. Dancing was simply not their strong point; at least, for now.

Being a changeling, Glitter lacked a cutie mark to call her own and so felt somewhat left out of the celebrations. It had been hard for her friends to tell she was feeling somewhat less than fantastic, as she had developed a mask all her own not unlike the one that Celestia donned to hold court or attend public events, a mask to hold her composure and feelings from public eye. Celestia’s mask was one of utter neutrality, but Glitter’s was one of irritability.

She’d picked up the nickname of ‘the grumbler’ from her fellow classmates for her irritable grumbling whenever something went awry or she was having difficulty with something in her schoolwork. Rather than ask for help, she would always work furiously at it until she managed to get it correct, though she would be grumbling under her breath disgruntledly the whole time. It was beginning to dawn on others that she disliked being denied the satisfaction of succeeding at these questions, and her irritability would bleed into her behaviour in the class as a whole, with the end result of her being short and snappy at others.

If you asked her teacher, she would remark that while still the somewhat gentle soul she had been when she was little, she was swiftly becoming one of the less friendly ones.

Upon learning about her feelings and their origins, her friends ‘kidnapped’ her from her home and the three of them had locked themselves in the attic of Doublestep’s home for hours brainstorming a cutie mark for her. They’d ended up with a large ‘A B C’ against an abacus to symbolize her learning prowess and habit of helping others in their education; all white or shades of grey of course. She’d never grown out of that inability to change colour, but she could change the shades of white she was to a degree. Her whole coat would never go beyond anything but white, but her mane, tail and cutie mark could be shaded faintly. Her eyes, also, would stay a pale green regardless of shape. She’d tried many eye styles in her efforts to change their colour, including those of owls and even the reclusive Night Guard, none had worked. Sandy had jokingly remarked that changing her form or disguising herself was clearly not her talent.

That was when the pillow fight began. Unlike the royals when they had their little spat, the foals didn’t have access to near-endless supplies of pillows to throw or enough magical strength to lodge them in walls, so they resorted to swatting one another like they were trying to kill flies with them. One badly swung pillow later and they were explaining why they’d broken a window to Doublestep’s parents.

Sandy and Glitter weren’t allowed back to his house for a long time after that.

Today, however, was Glitter’s birthday. She’d been looking forward to it for a while; her friends had already joined the joy that was being called a ‘teenager’ and she didn’t want to be left behind or left out. Of course, still being the size of a six-year-old didn’t help much. Her friends were double her size, and the less than friendly students at school had taken to calling her a runt. Her mother had explained that she was due a shedding any week now, and that she would grow rather explosively at that event to grow into her near-adult size. She would still grow a little afterwards, but it would be her second, and last, moulting.

She woke as per the usual for a school day and had a quick shower and brushed her teeth before heading to the community table for breakfast. Chrysalis had made breakfast this morning, something she rarely did if Crackle could help it. Pancakes were the breakfast of the day, and Glitter practically inhaled hers.

Why did they taste so good today?

“Enjoying breakfast are we?” Chrysalis asked.

“What’d you do, they taste amazing!” Glitter replied around a mouthful. Chrysalis only chuckled as the other changelings looked down at their pancakes; clearly there was something they were missing out on here. Buzzyear was the only one absent from the table, having had a run in with a rat nest in the Canterlot sewer systems. He was currently in one of Canterlot’s hospitals recovering from an infected bite and a nervous breakdown.

Why did it have to be rats?

“I made special pancakes for the birthday girl, is that so hard to believe?” Chrysalis replied with a warm smile.

“My queen,” Shred began, “we all know that your cooking is sub-par at best, whatever you did it must be incredible.”

Chrysalis pouted at this as the others chuckled. “It sounds to me like someone wants to hold buckets of water all day for the next week,” She said, “And for me to cook for the next month.”

“Maybe you’ll learn to cook in that time.” Shred replied with a cheesy grin on his face.

“Well excuse me for not having to hone my culinary prowess over the last thousand years.” Chrysalis huffed. “I was a bit preoccupied; the lack of ingredients didn’t help either.”

At this point Crackle took up a sarcastic tone and joined in. “Oh whine, whine, whine, I’ve lived for hundreds of years and I’ve never read a cookbook!”

“This is turning into a real panto, and I’m not going to take part in something so childish.” Grall grumbled as he finished off his pancakes. “Not when I have a statue to scrub and roses to prune in the middle of summer.” He turned and started walking towards the door after floating his plate and cutlery into the kitchenette. “I’ll be back later.”

Glitter finished massacring the pancake population of her plate before thanking her grandmother and scurrying off to the room she shared with her mother to get ready for school. Sandy would arrive soon to pick her up so they could go and get Doublestep and hurry to school. It was a blisteringly hot day outside already, the summer heat having not dissipated overnight and now only begun to reheat the whole of Canterlot once more.

She sorted her saddlebags and affixed them to her back before hurrying back out to the common room and giving her mother and grandmother a kiss on the cheek each. With a final farewell over her shoulder, she opened the front door.

She was promptly rewarded for her efforts by being pelted with water balloons.

Sandy hovered over the street holding a bag with more ammunition, while Doublestep stood below her armed similarly. The two of them were laughing raucously at Glitter while she stared dumbfounded at them. Flitterwing appeared at the door behind her daughter and peered out.

“Kids, don’t go throwing water balloons at just anyone, this is Canterlot.”

The voice of Chrysalis echoed from within the building. “Some ponies will take great offense to it, and while I find the idea of pelting Prince Blueblood with water balloons hilarious he’ll try to have you arrested for assault!” Her voice paused as the three considered her words. “Like last time!” She added.

“Let’s just get to school.” Glitter said as she shook her head to get the water from her face. “Seeing as it’s a Wednesday, Miss Bloom might have a pop quiz for us again and we don’t want to miss it.”

“You mean you don’t want to miss it.” Sandy contested. “I’d rather be flying than doing quizzes any day.”

“Featherhead.” Glitter shot up at her sarcastically.

“Bug brain.”

“Air for brains.”

“Whitey!”

Doublestep hissed through his teeth. “Ooh, picking on her albinism Sandy? Low blow.”

Sandy poked her tongue out, only to receive a water balloon to the face courtesy of Doublestep’s bag and Glitter’s magic. With a final laugh at Sandy’s expense, Glitter ran on ahead as the Pegasus recovered and began to pelt her with water balloons.

Back at Little Hive, however, Flitterwing sniffed at Glitter’s plate curiously. What in Equestria had been in her pancakes to make her simply inhale them like an industrial vacuum? There certainly was an interesting smell, but nothing she could pinpoint.

“Something interest you, dear?” Chrysalis asked as she collected the plate with her magic.

Flitterwing gave her a prolonged look. “Are you feeding strange things to my daughter?”

“Flitterwing, you wound me,” Chrysalis said overdramatically, “I’m feeding perfectly normal things to your daughter.”

“Mooom~…” Flitterwing groaned. “What are you doing this time? This had better not be like that time with the waffles and hay fries. You remember how that went for you.”

Chrysalis chuckled, recalling how Grall wouldn’t speak to her directly for a week.

“No, it’s not like that little experiment,” she said calmly.

“Then what?”

Chrysalis smiled conspiratorially. “All I’ve done today is given my granddaughter her birthday gift.” She said. While she levitated the plates from the table into the kitchen, she also used it to move a few bottles about in her office, hiding them from sight. “Nothing more.”

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First half of school was the usual boring routine; come in, sit down, listen to a half-hour lecture, complete tasks from a textbook for two… Glitter was, as always, working on things that the others hadn’t learned yet and was quietly grumbling under her breath as she worked her brain around the more difficult challenge questions.

“Having trouble, Glitter?” Rosy Bloom asked as she dawdled over to the table.

Glitter nodded. “Don’t help me, I’ll get it.” She said.

Miss Bloom sighed. “Why don’t you ever want help? It seems to me that you’d be less frustrated if you accepted a little assistance once in a while.”

Glitter sat back and rubbed her temple with a hoof. “If I ask for help, what’s the point in me trying at all? Sure I’ll learn faster, but getting help just seems too… I dunno, easy.” She groaned as she rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. “This headache sure isn’t helping; I don’t know if it was something that was in my breakfast, but it’s distracting.”

Miss Bloom nodded. “Then take it easy for a little while; recess should be soon and you might feel better after some food and drink. You’re two chapters ahead of everypony else, so it’s not like you can’t afford to take a little time to rest your noodles.”

With a grumble, Glitter relented and leaned forward to lay her head on the desk. She hated this desk at the moment. And the chair she technically sat on. The desk was one for students of her age, but not her size, and thusly she had extra textbooks beneath her to elevate her to a height she could see the desk and her work from. So, with her usual silent disapproval of most things around her, she hated her desk.

“Hey, Glitter?” Doublestep’s voice hissed from her right, “Can you help me with this?”

She sighed and hopped off of her chair, her wings buzzing to hold her aloft above Doublestep’s desk. “What is it?”

“It’s the third question in chapter eight; I just don’t quite get it.” He mumbled. “What common chemical is made by a compound of two carbons, five hydrogen, oxygen and hydrogen?”

Glitter blinked at the page, at the letters and figures all dancing about before her eyes and blending into a big illegible blob before shaking her head and rubbing her temple. “It’s uh,” she mumbled, “It’s used commonly in the concoction of acids, but it’s also something that can be consumed. Should be on page… two hundred and seventy eight..? I’m sorry, I can’t seem to focus…”

“Are you alright, Glitter?” Doublestep asked worriedly, “You’re breathing kind of heavy, even for when you’re in flight.”

“Problem first, me later.” She huffed as he flipped the pages. “Find it yet? The solution you’re looking for should be this;” she used her magic and loosely scribbled ‘C2H5OH’ onto a spare sheet of paper on his desk with his quill. “Do you see it?”

His eyes scanned the page. “Yeah, I think so, is this it?”

“I don’t know, I can’t read it.” She hissed quietly. “What’s it called?”

“Umm… Ethanol.”

“That’s it.”

“Are you okay, Glitter? You’re acting kinda weird.”

Glitter huffed. “I’m fine.” She hissed. “I just…” She groaned and rubbed her temples again. “Migraine is tearing my head apart.” She grumbled.

“Glitter, come here.” Miss Bloom ordered.

Not wanting to get into trouble, Glitter complied and flitted over to the teacher before stopping her wings and hitting the wooden floorboards with a clatter of hooves. Miss Bloom gave her a water bottle freshly teleported from the cafeteria. “Here, take this and go outside; the air and sunlight might do you some good, and you’ll need the water if you’re having a migraine.”

“But sunlight will only hurt my migraine worse, won’t it?”

Miss Bloom chuckled. “Shield your eyes, you silly filly.” She said good-naturedly. “Or keep them closed.”

Glitter nodded and stumbled out of the classroom, making a beeline for the usual spot she and her friends would hang around at. Thankfully the school bullies had eased up on Glitter since second year, possibly owing to the incident involving Prince Blueblood getting the tar kicked out of him by Shred. Sure, Shred got into a lot of trouble over it, nopony beats up a prince and just gets away with it, but it had certainly given the bullies something to think about.

“Miss Bloom, did you see that?” Sandy asked worriedly, watching after her friend.

“Hmm, see what?”

Sandy hopped up from her desk and hobbled over to her teacher. “She looked like she was hurt.” She commented. “I could see what looked like a cut or crack on her back. It looked deep.”

Miss Bloom shook her head. “I didn’t see anything, but your eyes are sharper than mine are, being a Pegasus and all.” She mumbled. “I can keep my eye on her out the window, so she should be alright.”

Once Glitter reached the spot that she and her friends would always laze about the yard at, she uncapped the water bottle and drained it in a single long swig before she promptly began shivering in pain. She hurt all over far worse than when she’d been beaten by several stallions when she was little; one of only a few memories she had of that time.

The pain had started so suddenly and sharply, it was as if somepony had teleported hundreds of razor-sharp needles beneath her chitin and into her muscles. She groaned as her headache shifted and grew, now being joined by a heat in her stomach that grew and grew exponentially. Right as she felt she would simply burn alive from the inside out, something gave way and snapped- a sound she could both audibly hear and feel.

After the snap had echoed through the yard, the headache and heat erupted within her, and she gave a yelp as her horn burst with energy and magic exploded into the air around her. She could barely keep up with what was happening all around her.

She remembered screaming as the pain returned with a vengeance, and then darkness.

Back inside, the class were completely calm as they worked on their textbooks. They only had a couple more minutes before recess, so they were mostly just idling and wasting time until they could go outside. Sandy, who was already a billion miles away and staring out of the windows, was distracted as she watched Glitter struggling with her own inner pain out in the yard.

“Miss, Glitter doesn’t look well.” Sandy spoke up. “Maybe we should contact her family?”

Miss Bloom dawdled over to Sandy. “She didn’t sound well, did she?” She asked. “And she does look to be in pain.” She added, before pausing as a wave of magic swept over the school and through the classrooms. Hurriedly she moved to the window and stared out in shock as Glitter’s form exploded in a flurry of magic. The other unicorn in the room all cowered from it, as if the pulse were something terrible to behold. Sandy hurried to join Miss Bloom at the window.

“What in the name of Celestia is going on out there?”

Miss Bloom set her jaw. “I don’t know, but whatever it is it’ll drive the headmaster batty; all that magic is going to kill the lawn.”

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Chrysalis sipped at her cup of tea as she waited for Celestia to get to the task at hand while her magic continued to knit relentlessly at a stuffed toy. She was in the habit of getting ahead of the Hearths’ Warming season in knitting her donations to the orphanages of Equestria. Celestia was busy signing some papers of otherwise inconsequential note; something that Blueblood had demanded had caused a stir and made its way through parliament, and thusly given Celestia a headache in the form of two hundred forms to read and sign.

The solar goddess’ magic wrapped around a white rook and moved it.

“Check.” Celestia called, never once looking at the board. Other than her voice and the rustling of the papers she was going through, the only sound in the room was of a clock ticking away up on the nearby ornately decorated mantelpiece.

This was a routine that Chrysalis and Celestia had gotten to in the more recent years with the settling of the Changelings and the ripples they had caused with their integration. Chrysalis didn’t have much paperwork to do these days in regards to her station and had even adopted other duties to give herself something to do. She attended parliament, open court, and even ran fundraising drives for important causes.

The first time she attended parliament, she had been met with some… less than enthusiastic peers. Some thought she was a breath of fresh air and a welcome insight into how to run the country with some new and foreign ideas that could streamline the way the country worked, having run her own for so very long. Others were… not quite as enthusiastic. Prince Blueblood, especially, had been opposed to her presence and had attempted to have her removed as an interloping foreign dignitary in private Equestrian matters. When that didn’t work, he had delved deeply into Equestrian law to find some way to have her removed. While Chrysalis had been irked by his behaviour she had expected it, and was somewhat impressed that he would do as much research as he did simply to try and control parliament.

When he finally did find something, he was shot down in flames as Celestia informed him that, while she was of a different species, she had been an Equestrian citizen since she surrendered her crown. She still owned the Bad Lands and the Hive within, but the lands had been annexed into Equestrian territory for later addition to the borders. By all legal rights, Chrysalis was both a Baroness and the controlling force of a, quite frankly, rather substantial amount of land. While it wasn’t yet arable, some of Equestria’s top minds were working to solve the issue. Chrysalis had chipped in, adding that the Bad Lands held some very valuable mineral deposits that Equestria could benefit from, such as Iron, Gold, and Platinum. As the Hive had never really seen fit to mine these materials in any large-scale sense, they were sure to be plentiful.

This had shut him up and, as Princess Luna had put it, put him in his place; if the pompous prince could find value in the dead wastes that were the Bad Lands, he would certainly turn his attention to getting his hooves on it in one way or another. Unfortunately, this meant that, somewhere down the line, Chrysalis would have to tolerate a meeting with him to discuss mining operations or some such.

Back in the current day, Chrysalis gave a sigh of relief. “Finally, I thought you were waiting for me to die of old age!” Chrysalis said jokingly before looking down at the board and judging her next move.

“Well excuse me for preferring the longer game.” Celestia replied just as sarcastically. “I thought you might appreciate the time to use the little-filly’s room or go and have Twilight help you with your strategy. At this rate I’ll checkmate in four moves.”

Chrysalis laughed sardonically. “I believe we call it the ‘royal suite’ in our circle, don’t we? Or would you rather the ‘ancient throne’?”

Celestia signed off another sheet and stacked it with its forty-odd brothers next to her. “I have an ancient throne, thank you.” She said, her eyes reading through the paper at a pace that would have put her protégée to shame. “It’s enchanted for maximum comfort, so I don’t think I’ll be changing it any time soon.”

Chrysalis moved a piece to rescue her King and Check Celestia’s. “Check.” She called. “And by ‘enchanted for maximum comfort’ I’m going to assume you mean that it’s enchanted to massage the royal buttocks.”

She was impressed by how much Celestia would let her get away with, really. They’d had conversations that had turned one another red with rage, or arguments which had given air to insults that would have made monkeys blush, but Celestia always seemed to take it with good humour and given back as good as she got. Celestia seemed to enjoy the company of somepony of Chrysalis’ age and conflicting personality, someone she could call equal without it being her sister or protégée. Luna just got angry, and Twilight was bad at taking jokes.

“Must be a powerful enchantment.” Shred commented from where he stood in the room, earning a round of both laughs and nervous recoils from the other guards in the room. It was uncommon for the royal guard to say anything in respect to what the princesses would be conversing about, or behave as anything other than eye-candy statues; but Shred was different. Chrysalis had given him permission to speak his mind when he felt like it, for better or worse, and over the years he’d grown more confident in what he would say and to whom.

Only Luna was exempt from this behaviour. He enjoyed a good laugh, but Luna had hospitalized him for his good-natured teasing once and he’d reined in his comments around her. Celestia seemed to let him get away with the most, though she would usually get him back for whatever he did to earn her ire. Chrysalis had initially been worried that Shred was going too far and earning himself a bigger amount of trouble than he was worth, but Celestia seemed to take it all in good humour and told Chrysalis that if he went too far, he would be reported to his queen for adequate punishment. She said something about him being the captain of a ‘special branch’ of the guard that was –technically- not on the books that she had simply called the Ambassadorial Watch. It simply allowed him a little more freedom and the authority of a Captain.

It was either that or he’d return to beating up ponies for the smallest slight against his queen, and Celestia had had enough of that.

The solar diarch glanced over at him and, using her magic, replaced the bucket of water he was carrying with a larger and heavier bucket, making him grunt a little. It was more than double the weight of the previous bucket he had been holding and he took a moment to regain his stance.

“Oh, you’re so witty, Princess.” He breathed. “What next, concrete horseshoes? A nice rock helmet maybe?”

“Don’t tempt me.” Celestia returned over her shoulder before taking a sip of her tea and signing a final page. “Perhaps next time I’ll make you do all the paperwork.”

“That sounds like punishment, with all the paperwork you do.” Chrysalis stated. “Honestly, I’m amazed that Equestria has any forests left. Have the nobles not protested your rampant deforesting?” Her ear flicked as a pulse of magic washed over the room before she took a discreet sip of her tea. “Hmm, she’s early.” She commented nonchalant.

Princess Twilight Sparkle teleported into the room and looked about worriedly, clearly hoping that Celestia would understand her flustered state. “What was that?”

Celestia was also looking up and about alert. Her eyes turned on Chrysalis, who was perfectly calm and eyeing the chessboard as if planning her next move like nothing were amiss; the eyes of the solar princess narrowed and she got to her hooves and looked out the room’s windows and across Canterlot, where she saw a pillar of magic possibly a hundred feet tall towering into the sky.

She turned back on Chrysalis. “What in the name of-“

Chrysalis tilted her head and looked over at Celestia wearily. “Birthday Present.” She said bluntly.

“What on Equestria have you done?”

Twilight hurried to the window and stared at the pillar of magic as it petered off. “Whatever that was, that surge of magic was enormous!”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Chrysalis said as she rose and stepped over towards the room’s balcony doors, “I have some work to do, and soon a lot of paperwork to complete.” She grimaced as she leapt into flight and headed towards Glitter’s school. “And a daughter-in-law to hope doesn’t peel my chitin with a dull wooden spoon.”

Back in the tea room, Celestia watched as Chrysalis became a smaller blotch against the sky before turning irritably on Shred and bearing down on him like a bear on a rabbit. Her eyes glared into his, as if daring him to look away. To his credit, he only cowered a little. He’d stared down dragons and phoenixes in his past, after all; while Celestia did have all the power in the world at her disposal she was still easy on the eyes, and therefore a little less imposing than they had been.

Her voice snarled through the air and caused the other guards to tremble in their armour; never had they seen their princess this angry since the invasion. Except, perhaps, for the wedding arguments with Chrysalis, but those had been both amusing and terrifying.

“What. Has. She. Done?”

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Chrysalis landed at the back door of the school Glitter went to, looking up at the many faces that stared back down at her. She dipped her head to them before turning to where the form of Glitter lay limply on the ground. The lawn all around her had been scorched black by the magical burst, and arcs of magical lightning flicked around the six meter circle showing just how dense it still was.

She eyed the magical field before letting emerald flames lick across her form several times. She knew that that much magic was toxic to anypony except the one to whom it belonged, in this case Glitter, and she was changing her form to shield herself from the fallout. Like ponies wearing lead clothing to protect themselves from radiation. She wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but she began to dawdle over to where her granddaughter lay on the scorched earth.

Her ear flicked as she heard the door open behind her, and she spun her gaze around.

“Stay where you are!” She yelled, managing to get Sandy, Doublestep and Miss Bloom to stop in their tracks. “That magic is still toxic. I will tell you when it’s safe to approach.”

The trio nodded to her, and she turned back to Glitter and returned to her progress. Again a sound caught her ears, and she looked up at Celestia and Twilight Sparkle.

“Princesses, please keep your distance; I am unsure how that much magic would affect you and I’d rather not find out.”

Again she began walking towards the form of her granddaughter, only to stop when she heard hooves nearby.

“Oh for the love of-” Chrysalis growled, “Flitterwing, please stay here.”

Her daughter in law stared at her before nodding and sitting.

Finally content that she could approach her granddaughter, Chrysalis stepped over cautiously and entered the magical fallout. The arcing magical lightning snapped to her body, trying to ground itself on her body. She paused and focused magic on her horn before stalking forward until she stood above Glitter’s body. The magic was now snapping onto the end of her horn, causing little sparks to explode from her horn every time it did. She exhaled to calm her nerves, before attempting to draw in the magic around her. It hurt to draw the foreign magic into her body; it contested with her own magical frequencies and churned angrily within the reserves she held. For a few minutes this was all that happened, and the field of magic faded back down to common background levels.

She tapped her horn against her granddaughter’s, returning the foreign magic to the one it belonged until she could contain no more. Chrysalis still held a substantial amount of magic that, while she could contain physically she couldn’t contain practically. It was still too wild and different from her reserves, too unrefined, and she pressed her horn to the ground to release it into the soil.

The result was the lawn around them not only bursting back to life but that it grew four feet in half a second. Chrysalis huffed at this and cut it back down level with the rest of the yard before bundling the cuttings up tightly and laying them to one side. Emerald flames licked across her body once again.

“It should now be safe to approach.” She called. “Flitterwing, your daughter might need your assistance to remove what is left of her moulting, as fragmental as it is.”

The observers moved over, the ponies stopping near Glitter while Flitterwing stepped past her daughter and slapped Chrysalis with all her might, managing to get the royal changeling to stagger rather heavily and earn hisses from those nearby. She didn’t turn her face back to her daughter-in-law, merely staying in her recoiled stance.

“What the buck did you do?!”

“Before a changeling goes through their moultings, they can be… evolved into a Royal through the introduction of royal jelly, a cream-like substance made from condensing a changeling queen’s magic into matter.” Chrysalis explained. “You know this, Flitterwing; it was taught to you in medic training, remember?”

Flitterwing narrowed her eyes at her mother-in-law. “When did you-” her eyes widened as the puzzle solved itself, “the pancakes. You fed her royal jelly in her breakfast pancakes.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Her birthday gift.”

Flitterwing’s eyes narrowed once more as she began to growl, her wings flaring angrily. “What were you thinking, feeding my daughter something like that without consulting me?! How dare you not involve me in something like this! Where do you get off doing this to her, you have no idea what that could have done to her!”

She continued to glare at her mother-in-law angrily as a tear rolled down the royal’s cheek, the elder mare never looking down at her.

“Why, mom..?” Flitterwing asked shakily, “just… why?”

Chrysalis sighed. “Did you ever grow up feeling different from everypony around you? Out of place, or like you were too different to fit in..? The closest thing that we have that resembles the ponies around us is the royal caste, of which I am the only member. Well, until today, anyway.

“When I was little, I did feel different as I grew up. Granted that most of the hive treated me as they did my mother, like royalty, but that didn’t help but to deepen my feeling of isolation. It wasn’t until my adolescence and I could go out and socialize with the Hive in a greater extent that I managed to recover from it. I can only imagine how Glitter has felt, being half the height of her friends, being unable to relate when conversation over mane-styles or fur would be discussed. I just… I didn’t want her to feel so different.”

Flitterwing sighed. “But now she’s more different than she was before; now she’s unlike both her friends and her family.”

“She’s still a changeling.” Chrysalis mumbled. “And we can talk with the others to ensure that they treat her no differently, but now she has more in common with her friends. She’ll have a natural mane, eyes that have pupils… Granted they’ll be draconic pupils, but she’ll have them all the same. She’ll be the same height as them now, and it’s probably about time for her too.”

Flitterwing sighed. “You’ve never really thought your grander plans through.” She pointed out. “Did you honestly just not think of a reason to explain to me, or did you think I’d be overjoyed that you decided to meddle with my daughter’s genetics?”

Chrysalis sighed. “I don’t know, I just… I wanted to give her something important; something to make her teenage years more... memorable.”

Flitterwing huffed. “You certainly did that.” She grumbled, before narrowing her eyes at her mother-in-law again. “Any royal jelly you have left over, I want it destroyed.” She hissed. “All of it. This cannot happen again without consent, even accidentally.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Flitterwing sighed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She replied. “For now, I would suggest damage control. No reporters, you understand me? Not until we’re ready. The last thing she needs at her age is to be harassed by the press.”

“Of course.”

“I need to see what your stupidity has done to my daughter. She’s not a queen, she’s just… a royal.”

“Yes, Flitterwing.” Chrysalis mumbled. “She will not become a queen until she goes through the rites, all of which require more changelings than we have, so… she’ll probably never become a queen.”

“And no more stupid plans!” Flitterwing snapped. “This is on par with the wedding incident, and we all know how that ended up!”

“Which wedding, the royal one or Booker’s?” Chrysalis asked.

“Both of them.” Flitterwing growled back, making her cringe. “You’ve really screwed up, mom; I don’t know if I can help her through whatever comes her way. I love you, you know I do, but you’re really testing me this time.”

Chrysalis nodded dejectedly. “I’m sorry.” She said, before hopping back into the air and flying off towards the castle.

Flitterwing watched her fly away before turning to her daughter and gingerly stepping over. She nudged Twilight Sparkle aside gently and with a polite ‘excuse me’ before slowly resting on her knees over Glitter’s form.

Twilight Sparkle appeared to find her tongue. “I’ve not seen anyone chew her out like that since… since I did it.” She voiced, before grimacing. “She’s going to be hiding in her office for hours.”

Flitterwing grimaced. “I’ll handle her later.” She said. “Once I’ve calmed down and taken stock on Glitter’s take on this.”

Her magic gingerly took a hold of the remaining fragments of spent exoskeleton on Glitter’s body, pulling them off and incinerating them in the open air. The all-white changeling reflected the sunlight and world around her smoothly, though Flitterwing could see that it wasn’t the usual sticky substance that coated her body doing it, but rather than her new carapace was already dry. She looked like she had at Booker’s wedding with her chitin buffed to the nth.

At least she could spare her daughter the humiliation of being bathed.

She tilted the young changeling’s body to one side to inspect her torso a little better, before inspecting her wings and back plate. Almost nothing went without scrutiny, only her face managing to avoid being inspected for now, even when she had to ask the others for a moment of privacy and to look away.

After the group were allowed to turn back around Flitterwing was inspecting Glitter’s hooves for any abnormalities when Sandy spoke up.

“Miss Flitterwing, you know that you don’t have to help her on your own, right?” She asked. “I mean, me and Doublestep are her friends, we’ll help.”

“It’s ‘Doublestep and I’, Sandy.” Miss Bloom corrected, earning a sarcastic groan from the Pegasus.

“Of course we’d help.” Doublestep added, “Horsefeathers, she’s the only friend I have that can dance.”

“Oh ha-ha-ha, pick on the cripple.” Sandy retorted. “She’s your dancing buddy but my flying buddy!”

Eventually Glitter stirred, and Flitterwing smiled down at her as she began to wake. Her eyes flicked open, protesting at the light for a moment, before they locked onto her mother’s and stared back confusedly.

“Mom..? What’re you doing here?” She asked, before coughing and holding a hoof to her throat. “And why do I sound different? What happened?”

Flitterwing sighed. “I’ll tell you in a moment, sweetie; just let me check your magic.”

The moment their horns connected, Flitterwing’s eyes widened. She felt around to see if there was anything wrong before pulling back and blinking. “That was… not totally unexpected.” She mumbled.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“… I need to be sure; Princess Sparkle, if I could..?”

Twilight nodded and lowered her horn, allowing Flitterwing to connect her horn to the princess’. After a moment or so she pulled away and nodded.

“That’s what I thought.” She mumbled. “Glitter’s magical reserves have increased almost fifty-fold; she can store almost half as much magic as you can, Princess. I knew that royals could hold enormous reserves, but I didn’t think it could be that much more than us…”

“Mom..?”

Flitterwing smiled down at her daughter reassuringly. “Sorry honey, I was just lost in thought. I’ll try and explain.” She said. “Do you remember the pancakes this morning? The ones that you said tasted really good?”

Glitter nodded. “Granna’s cooking is usually so… meh, but whatever she did this morning was really good!”

Flitterwing chuckled at her enthusiasm. “This morning your grandmother did something that she… she really shouldn’t have.” She stated. “The pancakes were specially made with something called royal jelly; it’s made from condensing the magic of a royal changeling into a physical substance. In normal adult changelings, this substance has incredibly nourishing properties. To a changeling who has not gone through their first or second moulting, it reacts a little… differently.

“Royal jelly can alter a young changeling physically. It’s not been done in centuries, because we’ve not had enough food to spare to excuse its production in any quantities. Your grandmother cooked royal jelly into your pancakes this morning, and since then it went about changing your body for what happened to you.”

“So my headache all morning..?”

“That would coincide with magical expansion on a massive scale.” Twilight Sparkle commented. “When ponies use up their magic too quickly, our reserves expand a little to accommodate such heavy usage in future, a bit like bodybuilding in that regard. Because your reserves were expanded very quickly, it would explain the headaches.”

“Fifty times your original capacity in but a few hours,” Flitterwing muttered. “Your headache must have been almost crippling.”

“She was having difficulty concentrating on her schoolwork, though she did manage to help Doublestep with his before I sent her outside in the hope that the fresh air would help her.” Miss Bloom commented.

“He tried to show me his textbook, but the words just blurred together.” Glitter pointed out. “Mom, what’s happened to me?”

Flitterwing sighed before smiling down at her daughter. “The royal jelly in your pancakes changed you when you shed your youth carapace, which was probably brought on by the changes that it was causing you to go through.” She said. “Your grandmother has made you into a Royal. Without consulting with me about it whatsoever I might add.”

Glitter giggled. “You know Granna; she never has been one for such things.”

“Sounds like someone I know.” Sandy mumbled sarcastically.

“Ha-ha-ha, it is to laugh.” Glitter retorted with her usual grumpiness. “One of us has to be a grump or we’d overjoy each other to death.” She scowled as she rolled to her belly when sunlight struck her eyes and she noticed how much warmer one side of her body was than the other, courtesy of the sun. “I hate summer.”

“She’s fine!” Sandy half yelled, throwing her hooves into the air. “She’ll go on about how much she hates sprouts next. Watch, any moment now.”

“Well they are revolting.” Glitter huffed. “Like those sweets that have liquid liquorice in the middle.” She shuddered at the thought before attempting to stand, pulling her head back as something white draped across her vision. “What in the name of Celestia is that?”

Celesita chuckled. “That, Glitter, is called hair.” She said.

“What?”

“You’re a royal now, sweetie; you have a mane, as well as eyes like your grandmothers’ and even the stomach plating that she has. We’ll see about going to a manedresser after school; Sandy and Doublestep can come along if they would like.” At this comment Sandy shrugged while Doubestep shook his head, he was fine with his mane the way it was, short and bristly.

Glitter huffed. “I’m still all white though.”

“You’re an albino, Glitter; of course you’re still all white.” Sandy pointed out. “You couldn’t shapeshift yourself some colours, what do you think your grandmother could do, pull miracles? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

Glitter grumbled. “Can I go?”

Flitterwing nodded. “I suppose, just try and spend some time getting used to your new body; you’re bigger than you were and you’ll be unused to your new proportions. Expect to trip more often, and I’ll meet you at your class at home time.”

“Okay, thanks mom.” Glitter said before kicking off the ground and zipping after Sandy, who had the common sense to flee from her friend. “Get back here and I’ll show you something smart, namely what you look like plucked!” Glitter snapped.

Doublestep moved back from the group of adults and gave the royals a bow each before pulling a hardhat from his saddlebags and placing it on his head, then waving a packet of water balloons at his friends as he chased them down.

“I would suggest we head somewhere private to discuss these events.” Celestia voiced as she watched the three teens fill the water balloons. “I am unsure about anypony else, but the middle of a water balloon fight is hardly where I would like to hold discussions.” A thrown rubber sphere of water narrowly missed her head and splashed against Miss Bloom’s face. “Yes, my point exactly.”

“I need to stay here to supervise the children, but I hope you have a nice day.” Miss Bloom said with a bow. “Highnesses, Mrs Flitterwing.”

With that she dawdled off to watch the foals as they entered the yard, some of who had armed themselves to the teeth with water-based weaponry of their own and were chasing down the trio who were now fighting together against the oncoming horde of fellow students.

“I suppose we can continue this in my meeting chambers.” Celestia said, taking wing. “I shall see you there, my little ponies.”

Flitterwing and Twilight bowed to her before she turned and flew off, and Twilight turned to Flitterwing with a curious look.

“So what does royal jelly do to ponies? We’ve never had any spare to test it.”

Flitterwing hummed. “It makes you sick.” She said. “Like ipecac potion; it’s too much concentrated magic for ponies to safely consume. To be honest, I’m surprised that changelings can stomach it,” she admitted, “from what medic training told me, it’s supposedly like eating a tin of treacle.”

Twilight gave a good natured laugh. “I know somepony who would give that a go.” She said, before winging into the air. “Well come on, we have a meeting with Princess Celestia to get to and a royal changeling to stop from drinking herself into what my friend Pinkie would call a ‘stupid Chryssie stupor’.” She motioned with her hooves to denote where the quotation marks fell into place.

“I shall follow your lead, Princess.” Flitterwing said with a bow before hopping into the air and following the lavender alicorn back to the castle.

As Flitterwing drifted into the distance, Glitter was pelted by a pair of water balloons and promptly tripped onto her face. She got back up on her hooves and shook her head. “I’m fine!” She called, before getting hit in the face again.

~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~

Flitterwing was resting in what must have been one of the most comfortable couches in the whole of Equestria, eyeing a plate of similarly exquisite biscuits while Princess Twilight Sparkle went about working on some paperwork nearby. Princess Celestia had left to fetch Chrysalis from her office where she was no doubt hiding. Shred stood just inside the room talking with Booker and Crackle over the Hive Mind. He featured a new black eye, something that he apparently got when one of the royal guards had made a rather unpleasant comment about a fellow guard in the lunch hall.

Shred had won the fight, barely, but he’d earned himself not just a black eye but also disciplinary action from Chrysalis. This time, instead of the bucket that he still carried, it was something more appropriate for what he had done, and was both extra duties and being forced to train a whole new group of fresh recruits, something that most of the guard detested. Fresh recruits were cocky and headstrong, often doing stupid things and getting one other hurt in their actions.

Still, he’d taken the punishment rather well. Since, at the time, he had been bleeding from one nostril and could only half see, it was probable that his punishments hadn’t truly sunk in yet. They most likely would at about dinner time.

Princess Twilight Sparkle filed the last of her work before she sat next to Flitterwing, taking a biscuit with her magic. “You can have a biscuit, Flitterwing; you don’t need to wait for permission.”

Flitterwing gave a sheepish smile. “Sorry; I’m not exactly well learned on how I should be acting in this kind of situation.” She said. “We lived in the castle for a few months, but we never really had any meetings with the Princesses like this.”

“Chrysalis has.” Shred pointed out.

“Oh, yes, this is going to go so well when she gets here.” Flitterwing replied sardonically.

“Well you don’t need to worry about offending me; Pinkie Pie would probably have inhaled the plate by now, and Chrysalis usually only nibbles on any biscuits or such that are on offer.”

The door to the room opened and Celestia walked in, followed closely by a very sheepish Chrysalis.

“Speak of the devil.” Shred said, earning a scowl from Flitterwing.

‘Not now, Shred, please; this is important.’ She sent over the Hive Mind. Shred dipped his head faintly to acknowledge her request.

“Sit, Chrysalis; we have much to talk about.” Celestia ordered, before taking a seat herself. She waited for Chrysalis to sit on a chair before speaking again. “What happened today goes against several laws, Chrysalis, especially child protection laws. You willingly gave a foal a known dangerous and heavily controlled substance in her food; despite the fact that she’s a changeling this is still a grievous crime. You are lucky that she is a changeling and is otherwise unharmed, or I would be giving you a term in the castle dungeon for your blatant disregard for the safety of others.

“As your daughter-in-law said back at the school, this cannot happen again. We have no idea how changeling-pony hybrids would react to changeling royal jelly, nor if what happened to Glitter today is only one of the possible outcomes from changeling foals consuming it; and I am certain that at least one of your changelings would prefer to never find out.” She finished with a pointed look. “Your foolishness has greatly disappointed me today, Chrysalis; I sincerely hope your position is not going to your head.”

Chrysalis nodded faintly as she stared at the floor, or, at least, that’s what they figured she was doing; her mane had drooped over her face and her eyes couldn’t be seen beneath. She was shaking faintly, though whether this was with fear or nervousness they couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered with a shaky breath.

“We know you are, Chrysalis, but-”

“I bucked up, I understand.” Chrysalis huffed as the ponies in the room blinked at her chosen language, expecting something far worse. “I’m sorry. All I seem to do is buck up. First the starvation, then the invasion, then Slithoof’s death, then the assault on Glitter in the markets, then the hydra attack, then Booker’s wedding, now this… Is there anything important I can’t buck up? I don’t know anymore.” She hissed a breath through her teeth before continuing, “I was a useless bucking queen and now I’m a useless bucking ambassador. I’d resign and just never leave Little Hive, but I don’t think I’d manage that without screwing up and burning the place down.”

The room was quiet except for the clear and audible sounds of the ex-queen sobbing heavily in her seat for a few moments after this outburst, everypony recoiling from her spiel. Flitterwing was the first to break the silence.

“My q-” she began before pausing and taking a breath, “Mom. Mom, look at me.” She waited for Chrysalis to lift her face to her, but found a distinct lack of compliance and bared her teeth. “Look at me!”

Reluctantly Chrysalis did so, lifting her head so she could look over at her daughter-in-law through her tear-filled eyes. Flitterwing visibly calmed as she looked back. “Yes, you screwed up.” She said calmly. “Everypony screws up. We all make mistakes. That’s life. We make mistakes and we learn from them. You need to remember that you’re in a position of power. When you make a mistake, it can have massive consequences. True, some have been worse than others, like the invasion, but we have learned, haven’t we?”

“We certainly learned never to invade Canterlot in the middle of a wedding.” Shred commented.

“Shut up, Shred. This isn’t a joke!” Flitterwing hissed sidelong at him, before returning to Chrysalis. “You’ve learned from your mistakes, yes, but there’s a systematic failure in every one of these cases that you’ve not learned, and it cannot continue. Don’t get me wrong, mom, we’ve all missed it until now, but this event showed us just how big an issue it is.” She steadied her breathing for a moment before continuing. “Glitter could have died today, or her friends or teacher could have died trying to help her. I know you wanted to give her something special, something unforgettable and I understand what it means to you that she’s of royal caste, but… did you, at any point, not think to just ask me? If you’d simply explained it all to me beforehand I probably would have said yes, but under controlled conditions and my strictest supervision. You went behind my back and blatantly disregarded both my authority over my daughter and the safety of her and those around her. You overstepped your bounds today, and you violated the trust she has in you; for that I am deeply disappointed.

“Just… you’ve the same problem that Glitter has with her schoolwork; horsefeathers, I think she got it from you. She works on the questions that really tax her mind, and she gets stuck all too frequently. So she sits there, and she works at it relentlessly, for hours if she needs to, but she won’t ask for nor accept help until it’s impossible to do anything but accept it. You do the same thing, I’ve seen it now; the invasion was all planned solely by you, and we all know how that turned out for us. Today was all on you, something you planned without consulting me, our best mind on changeling physiology and health care, and you could have killed somepony. You need to ask for council more, you need to pass your ideas and plans past those who it involves; you’re not a queen anymore, Chrysalis, you no longer have absolute right. We’re under Equestrian law now and we cannot cover for another one of these mistakes.”

“If it causes bodily harm or costs a life, our hooves are tied, Chrysalis.” Twilight pointed out. “There’s nothing we can do in that case. This is why Prince Blueblood pours over obscure law and such to make his outrageous claims in parliament, to cover his ass should something go awry. Yes, some of the things he manages to get passed are a massive pain in the flank, but we can’t always veto him because he has the law to back him up.”

“As it stands, Chrysalis, the only course of action I can take is to officially warn you about your actions today and place a decree that forbids you from ever creating royal jelly without the strictest supervision. Magic like that is dangerous; not even Luna or I will toy with such volatile magic without extreme caution. I will also be having Glitter sent through a full physical and have a manifest of the laws she is now under because of her change, which includes your new restriction on royal jelly.”

“If I catch Glitter making it she’ll be wearing an anti-magic ring on her horn for a month.” Flitterwing growled before sighing and moving over to sit next to her mother-in-law. “Mom just… promise me you’ll ask for help in future. It’s what we’re here for, you’ve the greatest boon to your decision making that anypony could ask for, the Hive Mind; we’re here to committee for you, you just need to ask, okay?”

Chrysalis nodded and curled around the younger changeling’s form, something that Flitterwing reciprocated calmly.

“I’m so sorry.”

Flitterwing sighed. “I know, mom.

“I know.”

Author's Note

And now I await the inevitable onslaught of people who hate me for this.

B*TCH AWAY!