Single Parent Seeks Special Somepony

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 8

Chapter 2

Berry Punch opened her eyes drowsily, weary from an irregular night’s sleep. She groaned and rolled onto her back – the mattresses in the restaurant’s guests rooms weren’t as comfortable and soft as her own, and her neck was aching from where she had been resting on it.

Memories of last night came back to her. She thought again of Twilight Sparkle and the brief but agreeable conversation they had shared. Lying there, alone, she found herself beginning to over-analyse what had happened.

The princess’s reaction to Berry’s come-on had been unusual. Until then she had been talking about her sexuality quite openly, almost matter-of-factly. The second the prospect of anything happening between them was suggested, she shied away.

Given what Twilight had said, it was almost certain that she had no experience when it came to relationships. The fact she went home to study the subject, which was another thing that Berry found odd, implied that she’d never even considered the idea of romance until then.

All of this added up to the conclusion that Twilight wasn’t interested in finding love, or at the very least it was near bottom on her list of priorities. Not the sort of pony that Berry should be pursuing.

The purple-coated earth pony stared up at the ceiling, knowing she should get out of bed but lacking the energy to do so. She cricked her neck, trying to ease out the soreness in her joints.

Then she scolded herself for being so negative. Her pessimism was probably stemming from the fact she wasn’t feeling at her best yet, it would wear off once she had taken the chance to wake up properly.

She had no reason to be second-guessing how Twilight felt, nor did she know her well enough to make any accurate assumptions. She had been friendly last night and there hadn’t been a definite yes or no answer, just a maybe. There was still a chance of romance, though there was no way of knowing how likely it was.

She didn’t enjoy the uncertainty but at least the possibility was there. And that wasn’t a bad result, considering that the weekend had only just begun. She could allow herself to daydream.

Twilight was an attractive pony, although she was naïve when it came to love. That could even work to Berry’s advantage. She had been a student all her life and Miss Punch had a few lessons she could teach her.

Berry stretched her limbs and decided it was time to get up. She only had two days free from responsibility and she wanted to make the best of them.

After making the bed, she trotted downstairs to find Horte already behind the bar preparing for his breakfast customers.

“An early riser, that’s what I like to see,” he said. “Food’ll be ready in a few minutes – it’s self-service.”

He frowned as she mumbled an answer and slumped into a seat away from the bar, resting her head on her forelegs.

“Are you alright?” he asked, “You didn’t drink that much last night.”

“I’m just a bit out of sorts this morning. Not used to sleeping in a different bed,” she said.

He nodded an acknowledgement and resumed his busywork, laying out plates and cutlery. Once he had finished the job to his satisfaction, he wandered over to Berry for a chat before the rest of his guests arrived.

“So, what are your plans for the day?” he asked.

“I’ll probably just roam around the Saturday market for a bit, before I go to see Bon Bon. Don’t want to bother them too early.”

“Very considerate of you,” he said, then leaned in conspiratorially. “I have a titbit of information that you could look into in the meantime. There was somepony asking about you last night.”

Berry raised her head, suddenly feeling more alert. “There was? Who was it? How’d you find out?”

“One of my guests spoke to me before you came back for a room. They didn’t know who they were and, by the description, I don’t recognise them either – a white pegasus with a blonde, bubbly mane.”

That clicked with Berry and for a moment she couldn’t work out why, but then she remembered. It was the same pony who had glared at her when Twilight left the bar.

Berry hadn’t really given her more than a brief glance but she could have sworn the pegasus had had an aggressive demeanour. Perhaps she had that part wrong – their eyes had only met for a couple of seconds.

“What was she asking about me?” she asked.

“Only a few questions in passing. Apparently she was quiet for much of the evening, keeping herself to herself. She’d heard that you were a party animal and she asked about your job, where you like to go, general things,” he said. “It’s possible that you have a secret admirer.”

She gave a short chuckle. “And on the very day I decide to get back into the dating game. What are the chances of that happening?” She twisted her mouth to the side, not fully convinced. “If she did like me, why didn’t she try speaking to me last night?”

“Perhaps she’s shy?” he suggested. “Or maybe she just didn’t see an opening. You spent most of the night talking to me, except for the brief time you attempted to chat up Twilight Sparkle.”

“Perhaps,” she said thoughtfully. “Anyway, I’ll keep an eye out for her. Thanks for the heads up.”

By now a few of the other guests had come downstairs. Horte resumed his duties and Berry indulged herself in a large breakfast, then headed out to enjoy the morning.

****

It was approaching noon when Berry decided to head round to Bon Bon’s house.

She hadn’t made any headway on discovering the identity of the white pegasus – she had asked a few of her friends if they knew anything about her but there was no information forthcoming. Berry figured that she must be from out of town.

Bon Bon lived in a small cottage near the outskirts of Ponyville that was well-tended. The walls were painted in cream and the roof was a bright pink. If one half of the roof had been tinted blue, it would have matched her colours exactly.

She ran a small business selling sweets, mainly via a market stall in the town centre. It was nothing to rival the Cakes’ enterprise but it was enough to make an adequate living. She sometimes took odd jobs to bolster her finances.

Berry hadn’t seen her at the Saturday market, but her sweets tended to be more popular with children and the town was currently a youth-free zone.

The purple pony gave two loud taps at the door and waited patiently for an answer. There came none.

She left it for about a minute before knocking again, louder this time. Still no response.

She was just about to give up and walk away when the door opened slightly and a mint-coloured unicorn poked her head through the gap.

“Oh, hi there Berry. What’s up?” asked Lyra, for it was she. Her tone was noticeably understated, which was unusual for her.

Berry smiled in greeting, though she couldn’t help but notice an air of awkwardness. “Hi Lyra. I was hoping I could chat with you guys. I mean, unless this is a bad time. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Oh, no, no.” Lyra waved her hoof dismissively. “Nothing really. We were just in bed.” She blushed, then hastily added: “Lying in. Having a lazy Sunday. Been a busy week.”

Berry raised an eyebrow. “It’s Saturday.”

“It is?” She blinked. “Oh yeah. Bon Bon didn’t want to put the market stall out today. I got mixed up. Anyway, could we get back to you? I don’t mean to be rude, but…” She trailed off, unsure of how to end her sentence.

Berry chuckled. “It’s alright. It’d be good to speak to you guys at some point today though. You see, Pinchy’s out of town so I’m taking the chance to get back into the dating game, or at least attempt to. I was hoping you guys might be able to help.”

Lyra’s ears pricked up and she became more receptive. “Aw, you want to find your special somepony? We’d be happy to help. We know how hard it can be.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” she said, lifting up a leg in readiness to move away. “I’ll probably be at Horte’s bar for most of the day, so if you could swing by whenever you’ve finished… whatever it is you’re doing, that’d be great.”

Lyra hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Ah, don’t be silly. Come on in, we’ll chat. I think the moment’s lost now, anyway.”

A slightly apprehensive Berry followed her inside. The cottage’s interior was small and cosy – a single downstairs room that was divided down the middle into a kitchen and separate living quarters. A set of stairs led up to a bedroom and bathroom.

After the front door clicked shut, a voice cried out from upstairs. “Lyra, where are you? What’s taking so long?”

The unicorn went to the foot of stairs and called: “Bon Bon, we have a guest.”

“Awesome. Bring them up.”

Lyra put her hoof to her face. “Come downstairs. It’s Berry Punch, she wants our help.”

The only response was an exaggerated groan of frustration. Lyra tried again, her voice more insistent this time. “It’s important. She’s in need of your services as a love guru.”

There was a brief pause, then: “Okay, I’ll be right down.”

Berry was by now feeling a little uncomfortable. “I don’t want to put you guys out or anything,” she said.

“Don’t be daft. It’s not like we had anything important planned for the rest of the day,” Lyra said breezily, before going to a kitchen cabinet. “Would you like some tea?”

“Um.” Berry had never spoken to Lyra at much length before, but it was becoming rapidly apparent that she and Bon Bon were well suited for each other. “Okay.”

A few seconds later the owner of the house entered the room, her fluffy mane slightly bedraggled and a barely noticeable mark around her throat, apparently caused by wearing a collar of some kind. Berry thought it wise not to ask.

“Berry! Hi!” said Bon Bon, grinning wide. “So you’re in need of my help, eh? Things must be pretty dire. What is it, relationship trouble?”

The other earth pony began to relax after receiving such a warm welcome. For all their eccentricities, they were a very friendly couple.

“Yes – to be exact, my lack of one,” she said. “I’ve got the weekend to myself for once and it’s made me realise that I’m feeling lonely. I’ve been single too long and I figured if there’s anypony who can help me out with that, it’d be you guys.”

“Hmm.” Bon Bon pouted as she set her mind to thinking. “Have you got your eye on anypony?”

“That’s the main problem. I don’t know any gay ponies other than you and, well, you’re clearly already spoken for.”

She smiled. “You never stood a chance anyway. Lyra was always the only pony for me, even when she didn’t know it. In fact, it took an awfully long time to convince her that she was.”

The unicorn used her magic to levitate the teapot over to pour out the freshly brewed beverage and the three of them settled around the table to chat.

“So how did you two get together? I’ve only heard rumours but I know it came as a surprise to some ponies,” said Berry. “I think most of us were certain that Lyra was straight.”

Lyra shrugged. “Oh, I was never fully sure of that myself. It was just kind of an assumption I made. Everypony else was, so why wouldn’t I be? There weren’t any stallions I was attracted to, but I put that down to the lack of choice.”

Bon Bon nonchalantly sipped her tea. “I thought she was straight as well – I was just determined to change her mind.”

She looked at Berry, who was staring at her with some degree of shock. “What?” she asked. “It’s not like we have some sort of built-in radar for figuring these things out. I just thought she was cute.”

The other earth pony leaned forward. “Come on, spill it. I want to know how you guys got together. Last I heard, you were writing all sorts of sexual stories and poems about Lyra and she was just laughing them off.”

Bon Bon frowned. “I hope you’re not criticising my artistic talents. The only reason she wasn’t receptive to them at first was because she didn’t realise she fancied me. She loves my stories now, don’t you, honey?”

Lyra was in the middle of taking a gulp of tea and had to control herself to not do a spit-take. “Oh yes, of course,” she said half-heartedly. “Still, it’s great that you don’t have to write them anymore because we’re together now, isn’t it?”

She smiled confidently. “You see? I’m a storytelling genius. It’s not my fault that nopony else understands me.”

“But there was one story that she didn’t like, wasn’t there?” Berry said with feeling. “That’s how this all started. That’s what brought your emotions to the surface.”

The atmosphere changed noticeably, growing uncomfortable. Bon Bon grimaced, not really wanting to recall this part of her past, while Lyra’s face grew considerably paler.

“Oh, that one,” said the unicorn with a groan. “I’ve tried to repress my memory of it.”

“What was so bad about it?” asked Berry. “Don’t go into detail or anything, just give me a précis.”

Bon Bon looked at her partner for permission, then sidled round to Berry’s side of the table. Her voice was low. “Here’s a very brief description, just to give you an idea. The story starts with Lyra practising her magic – oh, I should tell you beforehand that she’s the one who’s Celestia’s student in this, not Twilight. That’s why she has the power to do some of the stuff that comes later.”

That last sentence set an alarm bell ringing in Berry’s head, but she still nodded for Bon Bon to continue.

“She’s practising her magic but she gets one of her spells wrong. Through a process that’s far too complicated to explain, her horn gets turned into a two-foot-long tentacle.”

Lyra interrupted, already backing away. “I’m just going to go upstairs for a moment. Got some stuff I need to sort out. I’ll be back when it’s over.”

Berry watched her go upstairs as Bon Bon continued her story. “So Lyra’s horn is now a tentacle and Celestia’s all like, meh, don’t worry about it. Lyra goes back home to me – oh, I’m her marefriend in this – and asks me what we should do. So I suggest that she uses it to have sex with me.”

“Right,” said the perplexed purple pony, drawing out the word so it lasted a good five seconds.

“You don’t need me to go into detail on that, do y… right, okay.” Berry was shaking her head furiously. “So we have sex and everything’s great, but then we wake up the next morning to discover that I’ve fallen pregnant. And that’s when things start to get weird.”

“Okay, you don’t need to go any further,” said Berry. Bon Bon appeared to be a bit put out by this, so she blustered out an excuse. “It’s not because I’m scared or anything, it’s just that I think I can see where the story’s going, so you don’t need to go into it.”

The other earth pony didn’t quite believe her. “You can see where it’s going? I’d be very surprised. I didn’t even mention the part with the swamp monsters.”

“Lyra didn’t react well to the story, did she?” Berry was determined not to hear any more.

Bon Bon’s expression changed and she looked down at the floor. “That’s putting it mildly. There was stuff in there that actually terrified her, that’s what she told me. She said my stories had crossed the line from being funny to downright disturbed. She didn’t want to see me anymore. The next few weeks rank among the worst of my life. Bad times.”

Her face was so sad that Berry couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “I’d always thought that you’d been joking about your feelings for her. You were just so blasé when you spoke about her that I didn’t think you cared whether you got with her or not.”

“I didn’t fully realise what I felt about her either. I mean, we spent so much time together that we were practically a couple already. It didn’t matter that we were only friends. But when she shut me out, it was like a huge part of my life had gone. It felt like a break-up.”

A thin smile flashed briefly on her face. “But the time apart gave Lyra the chance to reassess her feelings. Once she’d recovered, she came to understand that the reason we had such a good time together was because we cared about each other. She got in contact a while later and we had a conciliatory meeting. Things started slowly because there were a lot of things that were new to us, especially for her. But, at the end of it all, it felt right.”

She fell silent then, for there was little else to say. There was a strange sense of happy melancholy – Berry had never seen her serious before.

The atmosphere was interrupted by a call from upstairs. “Is it safe to come down now?”

Bon Bon wasn’t able to answer, so Berry gave the affirmative. Lyra trotted back into the kitchen and noticed her mate was upset, so offered her a reassuring snuggle.

It was a heart-warming sight for Berry, though accompanied by the slightest pang of loneliness. “You guys make a really sweet couple.”

“Naturally,” said Bon Bon, slowly regaining her sense of humour. “My name’s Bon Bon and she’s a delicious minty green. With a connection like that, I knew we were perfect for each other.”

“Yep. She’s my sweet little pony,” said her partner. “My little Sweetie Drops.”

It took a second for the words to sink in. When they did, Berry had to suppress a giggle. “She’s your what? Sweetie Drops?” she repeated.

Bon Bon’s cheeks developed a faint tinge of red. “It’s her pet name for me. I think it’s cute. Anyway, we need to find you a mare. Is there anypony you’re interested in? Did you come to us first, or have you already started looking?”

Berry hesitated, unsure of whether she should share what happened last night. “There was one pony. Spoke to her in Horte’s bar,” she said reluctantly. “I’m not sure what to think about it, I was going to leave it on a wait-and-see basis.”

Lyra raised her head. “You got a maybe? Yay! That sounds positive.”

She raised a hoof, trying to stop the others from getting too enthusiastic. “It’s far from a sure thing. She’s been single all her life and had never given much thought to her sexuality before. She wasn’t even aware that I was interested in her. She was perfectly friendly but she’s going to need time to think it over.”

Bon Bon started pacing the floor excitedly, already scheming. “This is perfect! This is so similar to how it happened for me and Lyra! We’ve got to start thinking. You’ve got to start writing. A few steamy stories and she’ll be putty in your hooves. Do you know if she likes reading?”

Berry clenched her teeth, a prickle of anxiety passing down her back. “I think that’d be a fair assumption, yes.”

“I’m not sure this is the way to go about it, sweetie,” said Lyra apprehensively. “We had a very close relationship beforehand, remember? Even then, most of your stories didn’t have the desired result. Several of them were of the ‘burn after reading’ variety.”

“Then we can try something else,” said the cream-coated pony, completely ignoring the criticism. “I know what I’m talking about here. This is the proven and patented Bon Bon method of seduction – find somepony you fancy, tell them you belong together for the most tenuous of reasons, then wear them down until they have no alternative but to give you a chance or have you arrested.”

She stopped her pacing and gesticulating to ask the vital question. “But who is this lucky pony? Which mare has caught your eye? Whose family are we going to have to send the wedding invitations to?”

Berry’s response was so quiet that it was barely audible. “Twilight Sparkle.”

The two other mares were shocked into silence. When that brief respite ended, they exploded into a string of questions so intense that it could only be described as a verbal assault.

“Twilight Sparkle?” Bon Bon nearly shouted. “You’ve set your sights high there, haven’t you? Good girl, that’s ambitious, I like it, I like it! You’ve got so many things to consider. What’s the proper etiquette for dating a princess? Do you have to bow when you meet her at the door? Do you need Princess Celestia’s consent? What happens if you get married, will you become an alicorn too? Imagine it – Princess Punch!”

“That sounds really risky,” said Lyra at the same time. “She’s royalty, isn’t she? Wouldn’t she already be betrothed to a prince from another country? Is she allowed to date outside her social circle? Would it cause a scandal?”

“Calm down!” cried Berry, silencing them both. “Look, it’s not a big deal.”

Their incredulous looks forced her to admit otherwise. “Okay, it would be a big deal if she actually said yes. But all I’ve done is ask her. She’s very down to earth and she said herself that she just wants to be treated like any other normal pony. If she decides that she doesn’t want to date me, then it’s not going to change anything.”

The other two were quiet for a moment, then Lyra spoke. “But what if she says yes?” Her voice was low, but she was clearly becoming excited. “I mean, I was worried at first but what you just said sounds really positive. If she behaves in the way you describe her, then I don’t think you’d get in trouble no matter what happens. And think of the prestige. Even if things didn’t work out, your name would be known. You’d become a real catch.”

“Well… that’s true. But I need to actually score a date with her first and I think that’s gonna be pretty tough.”

“Nonsense. You’ve got us on your side,” said Bon Bon. “All you’ve got to do is work out why you two belong together.”

Berry exhaled, then decided to accept the other pony’s advice. It couldn’t hurt, after all, and she might even end up providing some insight. “Okay, so what sort of thing are you talking about?”

“You’ve got to find reasons why you’d make a good couple and put them to her,” she said. “Then, if she starts arguing against them using logic, you have to throw in a few things that she can’t possibly counter. Here’s one, just for example: you’re both purple.”

Berry frowned. “Yes. Yes we are. What’s that got to do with anything?”

She smiled in triumph. “It means you can have matching wardrobes. No chance of any clashes here – you won’t get anypony looking at the two of you and saying yeah, they’re a nice couple, but their colours just don’t match together.”

“I really don’t think that’s a sensible reason…”

“Here’s another thing. They all say that opposites attract, right?” she said, leaning forward. “Well, she’s a princess with wings and a horn, while you’re a simple earth pony. You can’t get much more opposite than that. Oh, and here’s a clincher: you should tell her that you’re destined to be together. Twilight’s all about destiny.”

Lyra walked over to Berry and smiled apologetically. “She was like this all the way through our initial friendship. You should have heard some of the stuff she came up with. I think your wait-and-see approach is probably the best way forward, but don’t give up on her. In the meantime, we should start thinking of other ways of finding you a date.”

The three ponies chatted for most of the afternoon, with Bon Bon making several interjections about Twilight throughout. By the time Berry left their house, she was feeling a lot more confident about her chances. She knew it wasn’t a sure thing, far from it, but she had been convinced that the possibility was there.

The trio had agreed to meet up later in Horte’s bar for a night out and Berry intended to head there now. The others would take an hour or so to get ready and then they’d go on the prowl.

The purple-coated pony had a happy buzz about her, buoyed by seeing Lyra and Bon Bon so happy together and encouraged by the thought that one day she’d be able to find a partnership like that.

She trotted through the streets of Ponyville, paying scant attention to the other ponies passing by as she went to update Horte on her efforts.

But her good mood was not going to last long.

She was so lost in her own daydream that she didn’t hear the voice at first – it was timid, unassuming.

The other pony actually had to call out to her a second time before she noticed her.

It was Lyra. The unicorn had a sorrowful expression on her face and she seemed hesitant, almost nervous – a far cry from the pony Berry had been speaking to just a few minutes ago.

“Lyra? What are you doing here? Where’s Bon Bon?” she asked.

“I managed to get away from her for a moment. I just wanted to speak with you. It won’t take long.”

She appeared reluctant, uncomfortable – much as she had been when Berry first spoke to her this afternoon, though this time the circumstances were clearly different. There was something she wanted to confide.

The unicorn let out a sigh and looked her in the eyes. “I’m not happy.”

Berry felt her heart sink. “What do you mean you’re not happy? You mean, you and Bon Bon?” She moved in closer and lowered her voice, mindful of any nearby ponies who might be listening in. “No, it can’t be. You guys get on so well with each other, you belong together.”

“That’s what everypony says, but I’m starting to wonder. I’m starting to feel trapped. You hit the mark just then when you said that I belong with her. If everypony says that’s how it should be, then you feel like you should just accept it. But deep down, in my heart, I’m not sure”

“Stop. Just stop.” Berry’s head was swimming. She wasn’t able to make sense of it. Lyra and Bon Bon had seemed perfectly in tune with each other, a loving couple.

Yet here Lyra was, suddenly telling her the opposite was true. That Bon Bon’s happy ending could be nothing more than a lie.

“Have you spoken to her about how feel?” Berry felt a rush of urgency when Lyra shook her head. “Lyra, you have to talk to her about it. You have to try to work things out.”

“But it’s so difficult. We’re so close that it’s hard to even raise the issue. I need to speak to somepony else to get a different perspective on things. I was hoping I could speak with you.”

She shook her head adamantly. “No. You need to speak to Bon Bon.”

Lyra was insistent, her voice almost pleading. “Please. If we could just go somewhere private. You’re easy to speak to and I need somepony to confide in. Please?”

Berry was starting to become upset and it was an effort for her to keep her temper. From Lyra’s attitude now, her near desperation, it seemed that her behaviour around Bon Bon this afternoon had all been an act.

She had been deceiving a pony who couldn’t bear to be without her. She was unable to be honest with the one pony she should have been closest to, one who depended on her. Her unwillingness to take responsibility was enough to make Berry furious.

“Speak to Bon Bon. She deserves that much.” She kept her voice preternaturally steady.

“I just want somepony to speak to, work it all out,” said Lyra. “If we could just go somewhere quiet.”

“No. Speak to her.” That was Berry’s final demand and Lyra could see it as such. The unicorn winced, almost as if she was cursing herself.

“Okay. I will,” she said, then adopted a more inquisitive tone. “Were you heading to that bar?”

“Yes. You know that. You were there when we talked about it.” Berry spoke slowly, forcing herself to be patient. “Guess I’ll be entertaining myself tonight.”

“Perhaps,” said Lyra. “Though maybe we’ll be able to patch things up. These are just misgivings I’ve been having, some doubts. I’ll talk it through with Bon Bon and maybe things won’t seem so bad. Just please, if we do come out, don’t mention this. That we talked. It’d only raise bad blood.”

Berry nodded, feeling thoroughly sick of this conversation. It seemed she had badly misjudged Lyra’s character.

“If not, maybe you could ask some of your best friends to join you tonight. Maybe you could convince that Twilight Sparkle to come out of her library.”

“Come out. Right. Yeah, I’ll do that,” Berry deadpanned.

“Good. And I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.” Lyra turned to leave, hesitated, then spoke one last time with an uncertain, testing tone. “I like what you’ve done with your coat. It suits you.”

“Right, thanks.” Berry was too fed up to bother working out what she meant by that last remark.

The other pony appeared to relax a little, then Berry watched her walk away until she was out of sight.

Her entire day had been turned upside down and her previous good mood was nothing more than a memory. And Lyra’s near insistence on trying to get her alone was also quite troubling.

Life had just become a lot more complicated.

Chapter 3

The journey back to Horte’s restaurant passed by without Berry really noticing. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of Lyra and Bon Bon, and the fact that their relationship could be ending at that very moment.

Poor Bon Bon. She deserved better than that, she truly did. They had seemed so happy together.

Berry pushed open the door and went inside, her head hanging forlornly as she made her way to the bar. She only looked up once she reached the counter.

Horte was there, showing concern as he saw her downcast expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to go into it. Let’s just say that my plans for tonight have taken a considerable turn for the worse.”

She looked at the row of bottles behind him and decided that was probably her best option. “Pour me a drink, Horte. Something strong,” she said, her voice weary. “I don’t care how early it is. I’ve got time to talk, if you’ve got time to listen.”

He sighed, saddened to see her in such a bad mood. “This sounds like it’s going to be a long story.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “But it’s one that’ll have to wait for later, and you need to pick yourself up. There’s somepony here who wants to speak to you.”

Berry raised her head, turned slowly and scanned the other patrons in the room. Her heart flipped when she saw who he was talking about.

Twilight Sparkle was quietly and contentedly reading at one of the tables by the window – apparently she hadn’t realised Berry had entered yet.

The sight of her left the earth pony unable to speak coherently for a couple of seconds. “She wants to speak to me?” she repeated, then cursed herself. “That’s the second time I’ve walked in here without noticing her. How is it possible to miss a princess twice?”

“Your poor powers of observation notwithstanding, you should go over and talk to her,” said Horte. “She came in earlier this afternoon, believing she would find you here. Then she came in again about an hour ago and said she’d wait for you this time. She wants to speak to you about last night. I offered to take a message but she insisted on delivering it herself.”

“Right.” Berry could feel her heart beating. Bon Bon’s pep talk this afternoon had raised her hopes of success and this had the unfortunate result of making her nervous. “Quick, get me a drink. I need liquid support.”

“You’ll be fine,” he said with a wink. “She’s clearly already made up her mind, whatever it may be. Wait to see what she says – and if she says yes, then you can worry.”

That remark helped to clear her head a bit. She exhaled, then walked on over to meet her destiny.

She shone a smile and the princess returned it, but with less enthusiasm. “Hi Berry! I’m glad to see you,” she said, her voice betraying her nerves. “I’ve been wanting to speak to you all day.”

“You have?” A spark of hope lit up inside Berry’s chest but it was quickly extinguished when she saw the apologetic look in Twilight’s eyes. “Oh. You have,” she repeated.

“I was thinking about you all last night.” Twilight raised her hoof, her tone almost as if she was reciting a memorised speech. “Going over what we said and the way we left things. And then I started worrying about it and I got myself into a state, because I came to the conclusion I was stringing you along. I realised that the longer I left it, the more chance there’d be that I’d end up hurting you and that’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Right.” Berry lowered her head momentarily, then forced herself to brave through it.

“I’ve been asked out before and haven’t had any trouble with it. It’s easier with stallions – I can tell when it’s coming and I have no difficulty in letting them down gently. But last night threw me a little, I just wasn’t expecting it.” Twilight smiled self-consciously. “I did think about it, about what you said. I did a bit of soul-searching and… and to tell you the truth, I’m still not sure what I discovered. I believe there’s more I need to find out about myself, whether there really is something there that I need to come to terms with, that I need to accept.”

Berry looked at her with fresh eyes, realising this was something that couldn’t be hurried. She cast her mind back to when she first discovered she was gay and the upheaval it caused her. A revelation of that sort was life-changing. Twilight’s reticence was completely understandable.

“And I’m afraid to say it’s not something I want to tackle any time soon,” said Twilight. “I’m only just getting used to being a princess and the responsibilities that brings. My life’s too hectic now to allow anypony else in it. I can make time for my friends but that’s about all I can manage at the moment. Trying to start a relationship now just wouldn’t be fair on the other pony.”

Berry nodded. “I understand. It was much the same for me when Pinchy – my daughter – came along. You have to make time for yourself.”

The princess relaxed and smiled gratefully. “Thank you for being so understanding. I was dreading this talk all day, I didn’t know how you’d react.”

“Hey, you’ve got no reason to watch yourself around me. At least when I’m sober.”

Twilight tittered. After a moment’s consideration, she outstretched her hoof. “Friends?”

Berry lifted her hoof to meet hers. “Of course. And if you ever need somepony to speak to about this, let me know. I’m probably the only pony round here who can relate.”

“Is there nopony else?” she asked in surprise. “There are so many mares in Ponyville, surely there has to be.”

“Not that I know of.” Berry took a second to reconsider, then grimaced. “Well, there’s Bon Bon, but she’s probably not going to be willing to talk for a while. In fact, it’d be wiser not to go to her for advice at all. You might find her a bit overwhelming.”

Twilight looked at her blankly, not quite understanding what she meant. “I’ll take your word for it,” she said. “I’m heading back to the library. Have a good night, okay?”

“Not much chance of that, I’m afraid,” she replied glumly. She corrected herself hastily: “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s not you, just something else that happened earlier.”

She had stepped in quickly enough to stop Twilight from becoming distressed, but the alicorn was still unhappy to know that something was wrong. “Anything you want to talk about?” she asked.

Berry shook her head. “Thanks, but no. I have him for that.” She nodded in Horte’s direction. “Barpony. Useful creatures. They’ll listen to anything you have to say, as long as you let them ply you with drink.”

Twilight nodded, satisfied that Berry would be well looked after. She said her goodbyes and the earth pony headed back to the bar.

It was evening now and the restaurant was beginning to fill with customers. Berry had to wait for Horte to serve other ponies before he could get back to her.

He took one look at her and swiftly poured her a shot of whisky. She downed it neat, shuddering slightly as it warmed the back of her throat and rinsed out some of her deflated mood.

“I take it we’re not going to see another royal wedding any time soon?” he asked with sympathy. She shook her head. “A pity. I could have been your bridesmaid.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said, taking it in good humour. “You never let me just feel sorry for myself, do you? Always have to make some sarcastic remark.”

“Of course. You’re no fun when you’re depressed. So, what happened?”

She shrugged. “She needs time to find herself. I can live with that. Another drink?”

He poured another shot, this time adding a mixer so it wouldn’t go down so quickly. “What about Bon Bon and Lyra? You came in here looking like the world had ended. Or at least, somepony else’s.”

Berry told him the whole story, talking quietly so nopony else would hear. The great afternoon the three of them had spent together, chatting away, followed by Lyra’s revelation that she was having second thoughts about her relationship with Bon Bon.

Horte listened attentively but there was little he could offer except his disappointment.

“What are you going to do tonight?” he asked.

“I have no idea. I was all geared up for a wild night out with those two. Now I can’t stop thinking about what she must be going through.”

“Perhaps it’s for the best. Better to know the truth than live a lie,” he said. “Besides, you may have had a lucky escape. Who knows where the three of you would have ended up? Bon Bon might well have invited you to share their bed.”

“Knowing her, I’d say that was a distinct possibility,” she said. “I couldn’t do it, though. I’m a one-mare pony.”

Horte cast a glance at his other members of staff, who were being kept busy by a constant flow of customers. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to go,” he said. “But I’ve got a suggestion to keep you busy. That pegasus I told you about, the one who was asking after you? She walked in here just a few minutes ago.”

“What? Where?” Berry scanned the room, suddenly alert.

“I can’t see her now, but I assure you she’s in here. Good luck,” he said, nudging her shoulder. “Second time’s the charm.”

Berry considered finishing the rest of her drink but decided she didn’t need it. A white-coated pegasus with a blonde mane, that was how he’d described her. She had no idea who she was, but if she was looking for her then that was all she needed to know.

The place was busy now, typical for a Saturday night. It took her a while but finally she spotted her, standing alone by a back wall.

The other pony’s eyes lit up when she noticed her and she trotted over, full of smiles. “Hi!” she cried enthusiastically.

“I hear you’ve been looking for me,” said Berry, her tone cautious but sly. “Now you’ve found me. What did you want me for?”

The pegasus cast her eyes upward, a nonchalant grin on her face. “That’d be telling, wouldn’t it? I’d prefer to keep it a surprise. Shall we find somewhere to talk?”

“That’d be great. I…” Just then, Berry saw something that left her unable to finish her sentence. Her good mood immediately dissipated. “Oh no.”

Bon Bon and Lyra had walked in and they were in unexpectedly high spirits. Almost as if they hadn’t had a conversation that could spell the end of their relationship.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” asked the pegasus.

“I’m really sorry about this, but there’s something I need to sort out,” Berry said unhappily. “Can we arrange to meet up some time? I think this is going to take a while.”

The other pony was disappointed. “Sure, I guess. This place’ll be open at lunch time tomorrow, won’t it? Can’t it wait, though? I really wanted to chat.”

“It’s not a good time, I’m sorry. I need to sort my friend’s life out – it’s kind of a matter of life and death.”

“I don’t think you know what that phrase really means,” she said in a mumble, before forcing herself to brighten up. “Okay. Tomorrow. I’ll be hanging around here though, so if you get free tonight…”

“I will if I can,” Berry promised, then walked over to meet the other two ponies.

“Hey there!” said Bon Bon, raising her leg for a hoof bump.

Berry returned the gesture, forcing a grin. “Hey guys, glad you could make it. You took a while getting here, what kept you so long?”

“Oh, that’s for us to know and you to fantasise about,” she replied. “I noticed you were talking to somepony. Who was that?”

Berry hesitated a moment, realising she hadn’t even asked the other pegasus her name. No matter – this was too important. “I’ll tell you everything, but we should get some drinks in first. Lyra, it’s your round.”

If the unicorn was worried about leaving the two earth ponies alone, she didn’t show it. She took their orders – Bon Bon had a creamy vodka cocktail, Berry a double whisky – and trotted over to the crowded bar.

“So who was that pegasus?” asked Bon Bon. “A friend? Something more?”

“I’d only just met her. She’d been looking for me, apparently, but when I saw you guys come in I had to come over and speak to you.”

“You what?” She held a hoof to her head. “Are you crazy? This night is all about finding you a mare. You’d found one. Forget us, go over there and get talking to her.”

Berry shook her head. “I wanted to speak to you first. Just make sure everything’s alright in your world.”

She frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about? Of course it is. I’m with the mare of my dreams. Business is going a bit slow, but it’s fine. Everything’s good with me.”

The purple pony sighed. “What did you and Lyra talk about after I left?” she asked.

Bon Bon smirked. “About you, of course. Though I couldn’t possibly repeat anything we said.” She noticed her friend’s expression drop and felt a pang of guilt. “Hey, I’m kidding. Well, we did talk about you but we were discussing which mares you could chat up. Which ones seemed likely targets.”

Berry didn’t respond, so she continued. “We thought Derpy Hooves might be worth a shot. She’s a single mum like you, doesn’t seem to have any time for the stallions in town. You’d probably have to drop any pretence of subtlety in order to make your intentions clear, but I’m sure you could handle that. If you’re willing to set your sights higher, you could try Rarity. Sure, she’s shown interest in the stallions before. But, although I’m not one to make sweeping generalisations, I’m convinced that everypony involved in the fashion industry is secretly gay…”

“Bon Bon, I want to talk to you about your relationship with Lyra. I want to make sure everything’s okay with you guys,” Berry interrupted.

The other pony stared at her, taken aback by her choice of subject. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her tone wary.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for this but I’ve got your best intentions at heart,” she said. “It’s just… this is a pattern I’ve seen before. The transition from friend to lover changes everything and it’s not always simple. You look at each other differently and sometimes, when you’re that much closer, you notice things that you hadn’t before. I’ve seen the way you look at Lyra and it’s clear that you need her in your life. Are you sure she feels the same way about you?”

Bon Bon was silent for a while. When she spoke, her tone was more careful and considered than usual. “It’s nice that you’re worried about me, but everything’s fine. I dote on her, sure, but she cares deeply about me too.” She smiled weakly. “Trust me, I’ve analysed our relationship more than anypony. I’ve learned that I have to stop being paranoid, otherwise it’ll just bring up bad feelings.”

Lyra reappeared at that moment, alcoholic drinks levitating around her head.

“You love me, don’t you Lyra?” Bon Bon asked jovially.

“Sure do!” she replied, setting the glasses down on the table. “Now let’s get drunk.”

Berry looked at her through narrowed eyes, then raised her shot glass and downed her whisky in a series of slow gulps.

“Oh look at that, I finished already,” she said, ignoring the roughness in her throat. “Lyra, would you mind getting me another? I promise I’ll go slower this time.”

The unicorn was a little perturbed, but relented after Bon Bon gave her a nod. She trotted back to the bar.

“Berry, what’s with you?” Bon Bon asked. “I’m not happy about the way you sent her off like that.”

The other earth pony winced, realising that if she continued behaving this way she’d force a confrontation. Bon Bon had already dismissed the concerns she’d raised. If she took the matter any further, it would become increasingly clear that she believed there was something wrong. That she knew something was wrong.

She wasn’t comfortable with doing that. She didn’t know the full circumstances. Perhaps Lyra had intended to speak to Bon Bon when she went back home but couldn’t find the words. Maybe something else had come up.

In any case, a crowded bar wasn’t the place for a conversation like this. Better to leave it for tonight and put on a civil face.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m not in the best of moods. Spoke with Twilight earlier and she kinda nixed any idea of us going on a date.”

“Ah.” Bon Bon lowered her head in sympathy, then flashed a smile. “Well, no need to give up on her just yet. Give her some time, she may come around. That’s how it happened for me and Lyra. Until then, there’s plenty more to talk about.”

The pair began chatting, the conversation quickly turning to the single mares in town and whether they would be interested. Lyra returned with another double whisky and, true to her word, Berry took it slower this time.

She laughed with the others and paid attention when they spoke, but she was unable to fully give herself to the conversation. There was a nagging voice at the back of her mind that grew louder the more she drank, and something yanked at her heart every time she saw Lyra treating Bon Bon with affection. After what the unicorn had told her earlier, it just didn’t seem right.

And the uneasier she felt, the faster she downed the whisky.

A couple of hours passed without incident. Several drinks had passed by and Bon Bon and Lyra had grown markedly more interested in each other than with Berry’s problems. They were courteous enough to try to disguise it, but intoxicated enough that their efforts were doomed to failure.

She excused herself and headed to the bar. Her head was foggy and it felt like she was walking through syrup. Horte went to serve her and immediately saw the state she had gotten herself into.

“Berry.” His voice was akin to a kindly parent disappointed in their child. “Berry, how much have you had to drink tonight?”

“Don’t remember. I’m fine. Give me another.” She was slurring her words and using one of her forelegs to hold herself steady against the bar.

He shook his head. “You’re not fine and I’m not serving you. You only ever get this drunk when there’s something seriously wrong. What is it? Is it Bon…”

“Okay, don’t serve me. I don’t need it,” she replied peevishly, turning her back and walking away.

“Berry, don’t…” Horte was interrupted by another customer demanding service and had no choice but to let his friend go.

The mare looked back at where she had been sitting and saw Bon Bon and Lyra kissing each other, oblivious to anypony around them.

It was time to leave. She was in a foul mood and if she stayed any longer, there was a danger she’d do something to regret. She began making her way to the exit but was forced to stop when another pony stepped into her path.

“Oh hey, it’s you again!” It was the white pegasus from earlier, as enthusiastic as ever. Berry suddenly fell forward and she moved in to keep her propped up. “Wow, you’ve been hitting the booze, haven’t you?” she asked, her voice inflected by the faintest note of concern.

Berry didn’t answer. The other pony looked up, as if checking to see if anypony else was paying attention to them, then leaned her head down to her. “We didn’t get to finish our chat. Heck, I didn’t even get a chance to introduce myself. My name’s Surprise. Wanna talk?”

Berry perked up slightly. Despite her drunkenness, she could see the other pony was interested in her and she wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass her by.

“Sure,” she said, wincing at the slur in her voice. “I mean, okay. Let’s find a table.”

The two of them moved over to an empty spot by a side wall, with Berry trying to ignore the ache in her head. Horte was right, she’d had way too much tonight.

“What’s wrong?” asked Surprise. “I presume it’s related to the reason you rushed off earlier.”

Berry groaned. “Two of my friends. They’re together, but one of them’s told me she’s not interested any more and she won’t talk to her partner about it.”

“Relationship stuff, eh?” she said. “Sounds pretty rough. It’s not up to you to worry about other ponies’ problems, though.”

“I know. I mean, I guess so. But I can’t help it. Bon Bon dotes on Lyra and it looks like her world’s about to fall apart.”

Surprise’s smile flickered downwards for a brief second. “Things always get so complicated when you get your heart set upon somepony. There’s something to be said for sticking to short-term fun.”

Berry frowned, a tang of disappointment in her chest. Was Surprise only interested in her for a one-night stand? That wasn’t what she wanted at all – she hoped for somepony who wanted something deeper.

“How long you in town for? Haven’t seen you around before,” she said.

“Oh, I live in Manehattan,” Surprise said quickly. “Not a very interesting place. Everypony’s very stuffy. I decided to go travelling and I heard Ponyville was the place to go. Apparently there’s no party like a Ponyville party.”

“That’s very true. Are you looking to stay?” she asked guardedly.

The pegasus appeared reflective for a moment. She spoke earnestly: “I hope so. I really do. I’ve been looking for a home where I can live – really live – ever since I was born.”

That reassured and intrigued Berry in equal measure. Surprise seemed like a pony who had difficulty finding her place in the world and Berry wondered about her past, what had made her like that.

Surprise grinned and leaned forward. “So, I heard you like to party,” she said. “And I’ve been looking for some entertainment.”

Berry edged back slightly, perturbed by this sudden change in tone. It was a bit too aggressively keen for her liking.

Surprise continued regardless. “You’re going to have to invite me to one of your famous parties. I hear you’re even on good terms with the princess, is that right?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she replied, caught off-guard. “I mean, I wanted to be. I asked her out but she… can we talk about something else?”

The other pony appeared to be upset by this revelation but, like before, she quickly re-adopted a cheerful expression. “You were attracted to her? You wanted to be more than friends?” She tapped the side of her head pensively. “Huh. Love. It’s a good, wholesome emotion but I can’t say I understand it. Difficult to earn but easy to steal away.”

“Tell me about it,” said Berry. She wasn’t feeling particularly happy. She wasn’t feeling much chemistry between her and Surprise and she wasn’t able to read her intentions. She got the idea that the pegasus intended to go home with her tonight, but that wasn’t what she wanted. She hoped Surprise would understand that. She also wished that they had delayed this conversation until tomorrow afternoon.

“So,” she said, reaching for a topic of conversation. “Surprise. That’s an interesting name. Where did you get that from?”

The other pony was hesitant. “It’s simple, really. My parent didn’t believe she would ever have children. It’s rare for… uh… rare to conceive when you have the condition she has. So, when I came along it was a complete surprise. Hence the name.”

“Oh. That’s actually kinda sweet,” she said. “It was the same for me when my daughter came along. She was a surprise too. Though as far as surprises go, she was…”

“You have a child?” The smile dropped from Surprise’s face again and this time, it stayed off. She appeared to be outright dismayed.

Berry took stock of her reaction and came to a final decision about her suitability as a partner. “Forget it,” she muttered angrily, turning her back and walking away.

“Wait! I’m sorry. You just threw me off guard,” Surprise called out, but she wasn’t listening. “Damn it!”

Berry heard the other pony cursing herself. She sounded truly regretful, though that did nothing to change her mind. Anypony who reacted that way to the thought of children was not somepony she wanted in her life.

She was about to leave the bar when she took one last look back at Lyra and Bon Bon’s table. The unicorn was alone for the moment, sitting on her hind quarters with a carefree smile.

The sight of her infuriated Berry. The earth pony marched over, her mouth locked in a snarl. Lyra noticed her approach and was somewhat concerned by the expression on her face. Before she could ask what was wrong, Berry launched into a verbal assault.

“You! You don’t know how lucky you are!” she cried, causing the other pony to shrink back in shock. “Do you realise how hard it is to find somepony like Bon Bon? Somepony who truly cares about you? And you don’t even have the common courtesy to talk to her, tell her how you’re feeling!”

“What, what are you talking about?” asked Lyra, her voice shaking as much as her body. “I don’t… talk to her about what?”

Berry had to hold herself back. “About what you said to me earlier! You promised that you were going to speak to her. Tell her you were having doubts. But seeing you tonight, it’s clear that you haven’t said anything!”

A very confused-looking Lyra was becoming acutely aware of a gathering crowd. “I don’t understand, where are you getting this from? I didn’t say anything, I didn’t… I would never leave Bon Bon.”

“What was that? What’s going on?” At the mention of her name, the other mare appeared. She went to Lyra’s side, predisposed towards protecting her.

Berry pointed at the unicorn. “She has something to tell you. She’s been lying to you, Bon Bon.”

“I haven’t!” Lyra was becoming upset now, unused to such outright hostility. Her partner moved forward to act as a barrier between her and Berry.

“What’s going on?” she repeated. “You’ve been acting strange all night. What are you trying to do?” A flash of realisation sparked in her eyes and she became angry. “Are you trying to split us up?”

“She’s lying to you. Bon Bon, she’s not right for you.” Berry’s original energy was starting to fade and this was beginning to feel like a huge mistake.

“Lyra’s not a liar. She cares about me,” she said. Her expression was still aggressive but her eyes were starting to water. The alcohol in her system was acting as a catalyst to her emotions.

Berry shook her head, her rage dissipating to be replaced by sympathy. “Bon Bon, you don’t understand.”

In a sudden impulse, Bon Bon wrapped her front legs around Lyra and held her close to her, apparently too frightened to let her go. “No, you don’t understand! We love each other, we belong together – no matter what you other ponies think!” She directed that last sentiment at the staring crowd.

“She’s MY Lyra!” she cried. The unicorn was too astonished to respond, her eyes wide open and staring. “She’s my Lyra. My Lyra.” She became tearful, her words growing incoherent. “She’s Myra.”

Horte stepped past the gathered ponies and gently laid a hoof on Berry’s back. His disappointed expression told her that she had overstepped the mark.

“Berry, I think it would be best if you left,” he said softly.

She bowed her head, ashamed. Bon Bon was snivelling snottily into Lyra’s coat, and the unicorn was looking at Berry with hurt bewilderment.

“Do you want me to see you home? You’ve had a lot to drink,” said Horte.

She shook her head. “No. No, I’m sorry. I… I’ll see myself out.”

With that, she headed through the restaurant doors and began her journey home. Her mind was consumed by a slow tide of sadness, her drunkenness descending back on her like a fog. The simple act of walking took up most of her attention, but she couldn’t help reflecting on the disaster today had been.

Later tonight, Bon Bon would question Lyra about what had just happened and the truth would come out. In all likelihood, Berry had hastened the end of their relationship and lost two friends in the process.

They would be alone again, just as she was now. Her hopes with Twilight were postponed indefinitely and Surprise had only been interested in one thing. It was a lonely walk home.

Her front door was a welcome sight when she finally arrived there and she blundered her way on through, leaving it to slam thoughtlessly behind her.

All she wanted to do now was collapse into bed and hope the morning wouldn’t hurt as much as she knew it was going to. She considered drinking some water to lessen her hangover but dismissed the idea, realising it was going to be bad no matter what she did.

Just as she turned to go to bed, there was an urgent tapping at her front door. She let out an aggravated sigh, not wanting the company. She couldn’t think of anypony who she’d be happy to see. At best, it could be Horte – he would be more inclined to lend her a sympathetic ear but she wanted sleep more than anything else.

Reluctantly, she opened the door to see a white-coated pegasus waiting for her.

“You? What are you doing here?” Berry grimaced. “Look, I’m not interested, okay? I’m sorry.”

Surprise wasn’t smiling and her movements were awkward. She seemed ashamed of herself. “I just want to talk, that’s all,” she said. “Let me in. Give me a chance.”

“Maybe tomorrow. Leave me alone, I’m going to bed.” Berry went to shut the door but Surprise raised her hoof, preventing her from closing it all the way. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“It has to be tonight,” she said, her voice low, her head bowed. “I don’t have much time. From what I understand, the town’s fillies and colts will be returning by the end of the weekend. Finding out you had a daughter made things so much more difficult.”

“What are you talking about?” Berry tried to force the door shut but the other pony was incredibly strong. She couldn’t budge it an inch.

Her heart began beating faster and her breath caught in her throat as she realised that she was in trouble here.

“Please, leave me alone,” she said. “I don’t know what you want, but whatever it is it’s not worth…” She swallowed dryly, the first tinges of true fear prickling her skin – Surprise wasn’t listening to her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the pegasus said, “I promise you that. Once this is over, you won’t even remember this happened.”

She began to force her way inside. Berry yelped, then took a breath to cry out for help.

Surprise’s mouth curled briefly in anger and her eyes momentarily flashed, changing colour to a milky blue. “Don’t shout.” That was her only warning.

Berry struggled against the door before realising it was no use, then scrambled backwards as Surprise entered the house.

She was greatly disturbed by the change she had witnessed in the pegasus’s eyes. It was unreal, unnatural – like nothing she had ever seen in another pony. But it reminded her of something else.

It was then that she realised what Surprise was. Those eyes matched the description of a creature that had invaded Canterlot several months ago, a malevolent species that had tricked the royal family and sought to feed on the fear of their subjects.

Lyra’s confusion at Berry’s accusations in the bar suddenly made sense. She wasn’t the one who claimed to be having second thoughts about her relationship – it had been someone who adopted her form. Someone who had been stalking Berry all weekend.

A changeling.

Chapter 4

Berry reared up and staggered backwards into a table, its wooden edge digging sharply into her back.

The pain barely registered, her senses dulled by drunkenness and fear. Surprise stood by the front door, merely watching her at this point.

“You can’t get away, so don’t even try. Calm down. I don’t want to hurt you,” she said.

Berry’s eyes flicked left, affording her a glance at the window. If she could just get there and open it, she could call for help.

Her entire body tensed, she stared back at the changeling who had invaded her home. She waited for an opening, waited for her to drop her guard.

A few seconds passed. Surprise was totally relaxed, assured that she was in full control.

The silence was too much. Berry panicked. She turned clumsily and bolted towards the windows, her hooves tripping over each other.

She barely made it a few yards before Surprise was upon her. There was a flash of movement and then the changeling lifted her off her hooves, slamming her back against the wall with her leg against her throat.

“Just because I don’t want to hurt you, doesn’t mean I won’t,” she said. Her voice was breathy, trembling - she appeared shaken by what had just happened. “Now, I want you to answer a few questions.”

Berry was helpless to resist and she knew it. She closed her eyes and nodded her head wordlessly, fighting back tears.

“I only had a brief chance to check this when we were at the bar, but you’re Twilight’s friend, aren’t you?” she asked, releasing her grip slightly.

“I’m not really her friend, I told you. I just asked her out,” said Berry.

Surprise looked nervous now. She pressed on with her questioning, her tone more urgent. “But you have to be. You match the description. I asked around, said I wanted a party organised. They said you were the best one to talk to.”

Berry fell quiet, a realisation dawning on her but not yet fully risen.

Her silence didn’t help Surprise’s anxiety. “You’re one of the princess’s friends, aren’t you? You’re one of the six.”

That’s when it hit her. She spoke quietly, almost afraid to contradict her aggressor. “Do you mean Pinkie Pie?”

Surprise let her go and took a step back. Her horrified expression confirmed her case of mistaken identity.

“Pinkie Pie’s out of town at the moment. Seeing her parents at the rock farm. You’ve got the wrong pony.”

Surprise gritted her teeth, emotion building until she couldn’t hold it in. “Damn it!” she cried, cursing herself. “Damn it. I wasn’t certain it was you, I wanted more time to make certain, but when you said you had a daughter I couldn’t… I panicked, I…”

She broke off her rambling speech when she noticed Berry was edging towards the window.

“Don’t you move! Don’t you move an inch!” she shouted, her voice suddenly filled with rage.

The earth pony froze with terror at the outburst, her heart beating so fast it almost hurt. Surprise beckoned her over to the side of the room, near to the door to Ruby Pinch’s bedroom, and she had no choice but to comply.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” asked the white-coated pegasus, clearly distressed. “When I said I liked what you’d done with your coat, why didn’t you say anything? I’d assumed you’d dyed it.”

“So that was you. You were Lyra,” said Berry, finally gaining an explanation for her friend’s earlier behaviour. “You’d just told me that their relationship was a lie. That Lyra was deceiving Bon Bon. With that in mind, why would I care about some off-hoof comment about my coat?”

“Right. Right,” Surprise said, holding a hoof to her head. “I keep forgetting love means more to your kind than ours. I’d assumed you would correct me.”

Berry shook her head. “We ponies don’t dye our coats, that was a craze that died out decades ago. Manes, yes. But how could you mistake me for Pinkie Pie anyway? Not only are we coloured differently, but our faces are nothing alike.”

She sighed. “I wasn’t around when we made our attack on Canterlot. That was many months ago and we’d focused our attention on other species. We were – I was sent in alone to try to find one of the princess’s friends, take her identity. All I had to go on was the description I was given, the rest I would find out through questioning my target. The plan was that I would get to know her better so I could imitate her perfectly. And I have trouble telling your faces apart. All you ponies look the same to me.”

Berry blinked. “You’re saying we all look the same… when you’re a changeling?”

She frowned. “Prejudice goes both ways, doesn’t it?” She wiped a hoof over her mouth. “No matter. I can still make this work. You said you were interested in the princess, didn’t you? You’d asked her out? Yes. Yes, I can still do this.”

She was talking to herself, her tone indicating she was trying to convince herself of something that she didn’t quite believe.

Berry was still afraid but she could tell the dynamic had shifted. The changeling had miscalculated, her plan had failed. Perhaps she could be talked into making a retreat.

It would be a difficult feat to accomplish, especially for a pony with a belly full of booze.

“She’d rejected me,” she said. “Quite definitely. No way I’d be able to get close to her. No way I’d…”

“I don’t have any other choice,” Surprise said firmly, her mind made up. “This is all or nothing, you don’t understand. If I don’t succeed, my species dies.”

Berry was struck dumb by the certainty in her words. She found her voice again when Surprise began walking towards her. “Wait. Wait! What do you mean?” she said. “What are you going to do to me? Why are you even here?”

The changeling stopped in her tracks, bowed her head and sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to hypnotise you and keep you asleep here while I carry out my mission, then I’ll set you free. You can be sure I’ll keep my word. The reason I acted so hastily, why I attacked you before I was sure, was because I found out you had a daughter.”

Berry held up a hoof and turned her head away, now wary of looking Surprise in the eyes. “What did you mean when you said your species could die? Why do you have to attack us?”

Surprise considered her question carefully. “I suppose you deserve an explanation. It won’t do any harm for me to tell you,” she said finally.

“Our mission was planned at very short notice. It was a happy coincidence that we made our move at a time when your children had all been sent away on an exchange trip. Less chance of harming an innocent. But the idea of having to tackle you while a filly was in your house… I didn’t want her to be hurt, so it had to be tonight or tomorrow. You were drunk, vulnerable, so I took the advantage.”

Berry’s fear subsided a fraction as she realised Surprise had a conscience, though she was still afraid of her intentions. “What about Twilight? What are you going to do to her?”

“Again, we’re not going to harm her. We need her under our control,” said Surprise. “It’ll be easier if I take this from the beginning. When we invaded Canterlot, it wasn’t in the name of conquest but in search of sustenance. We were born of magic and don’t function in the same way as normal beings: our bodies can’t process food or drink. We need to feed on emotions to stay alive.

“Love is the most satisfying emotion but it is difficult to earn and easy to lose. When we first came into being, my kind attempted to integrate into society. But our true nature was always discovered and we were chased away. Folk judged on our appearance and were afraid of us.”

Berry remembered how the zebras were first treated by ponykind, Zecora in particular. They were distrustful, wary. That caution came from a lifetime of being surrounded by such dangerous places as the Everfree Forest.

“But you attacked us,” she said. “You invaded us. You didn’t even try to…”

“We tried to negotiate with Celestia when we were first born, three years ago,” said Surprise.

“Three years?!” Berry couldn’t believe it, but the changeling appeared to be genuine. “That’s impossible, you’re fully grown. How can an entire race come to adulthood in such a short time?”

Surprise growled, wounded by her outburst. “So, the princesses didn’t tell the public the truth. Figures. Couldn’t let a scandal like that get into the open.”

She raised her head defiantly, wings outstretched. “Do you know what Nightmare Moon was? What she really was?”

“Luna,” she said, confused. “Luna got jealous and, and she turned evil. She was corrupted.”

Surprise stared back at her and she wasn’t able to meet her gaze. She looked away, feeling foolish somehow.

“Luna was jealous, yes, but her attempted overthrow of Celestia was not her doing. Back then, a thousand years ago, there were creatures called will-o’-the-wisps, magic-imbued spirits that fed on emotion. One of them found Luna and chose to take energy from her.

“But there was an unexpected side effect. Luna is a dream walker and a shape-shifter – much like the wisp, she could sense emotion and turn herself into a gaseous form. When they met, there was some kind of psychic feedback and they merged into one.

“Even in that combined state, the wisp needed to feed on her emotion. Her jealousy. So, to keep it satisfied, Luna’s jealousy grew.

“Using the princess as a source of constant energy, the creature set about creating an environment of negativity, an atmosphere where the other wisps could have a feeding frenzy on the emotions of other ponies. And what better setting for that than one of eternal night?”

Berry swallowed, her throat dry. She didn’t like where this was going. “What happened to the wisps? Are they still around?”

She shook her head. “They’ve either been consigned to the Gate of Tartarus or been made extinct. We changelings only share the memories of the wisp that merged with Luna. Even myself, despite the fact I was born later, even I have the same memories.”

Berry tried to think past the pounding in her head – given the amount she had had to drink, she could only sober up so much. So, the original form of the changelings had been indirectly responsible for one of the most significant conflicts in Equestrian history.

Surprise continued: “Of course, Luna returned after her exile and the Elements of Harmony came together to purge the wisp’s influence from her body. But the wisp had been feeding on the alicorn’s power for a thousand years. That much energy had to go somewhere.

“Unable to stabilise itself as a single entity, the wisp was scattered into pieces. Like a parasprite gorged on food, it split into several life forms, each one strong enough to take on a physical shape. Each one adopting a body that faintly resembled its host. Each one sharing its memories.

“And like the wisp before them, the changelings needed to feed on emotions to survive. Chrysalis was the most powerful among us, so she became our leader. After the others came to terms with their new-found sentience, her first action was to seek out the one who bore us. Luna.

“She met Celestia first and attempted to negotiate with her, but Chrysalis was too headstrong. She argued that Luna had created us, so she owed us. You can imagine how well that went down. Celestia had only just regained her sister and here were the creatures responsible for her exile, demanding the right to feed off her subjects.

“The changelings were cast out of her kingdom and the rest of the world was warned about our existence. We were forced to eke out a meagre life, infiltrating other societies and feeding whenever we could.”

“So then you invaded Canterlot,” said Berry.

Surprise nodded. “Positive emotions are the most fulfilling for our kind, but quantity beats quality. If we could hold an entire kingdom in the grip of fear, we would never go hungry again.”

She looked at the floor. “It could never have lasted, even if Cadance hadn’t defeated us. If the invasion had never been then I wouldn’t have been born, but at the same time I can’t help regret that it happened. I know they say the fruit never falls far from the tree but I’m not like Chrysalis, I don’t have her sense of superiority.

“I certainly wouldn’t have been able to keep up the oppression of your kind and many of the others felt the same way. We would have tried to reach out, attempt to create an understanding. Build something that could last.”

She grimaced, forcing herself to forget that train of thought. “I doubt the ponies would have ever accepted it.”

Berry shook her head, trying to process all his new information. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? You could just be lying to get me on your side.”

“Why should I lie? If I want you on my side, all I have to do is hypnotise you.” Surprise saw the other pony cringe and regretted her bluntness. “Besides, think about it: where was Luna during the invasion? She would probably have been taken to safety – Celestia knew our origin and would have been afraid of losing her sister to us again.”

Berry was convinced. “So, so why the hurry now?” she asked. “You’ve survived this long without food, why the rush?”

She couldn’t hide her sense of guilt. “Since the invasion, it’s been harder for us to infiltrate society. Folk have been on their guard more. We needed a dependable food source, so we got one. About a dozen ponies who we kidnapped and kept at our hive.”

The earth pony gasped in revulsion. “You, you held them captive? For how long?”

“It was… months before they were rescued.” Surprise saw Berry’s look of horror and became angry. “What would you have us do?” she cried, her voice catching. “Just roll over and die? Heaven knows your princess would prefer it if we did!”

Berry held up a hoof in appeasement, her fear returning. “Sorry. Sorry, I know… I’m sure it was difficult, please don’t…”

She took a moment to calm herself – as much as she could given the circumstances, anyway. “So, what are you doing here?” she asked, aware this would hasten her destiny but lacking anything else to say.

“News came to us of Twilight’s coronation a while back,” said Surprise. “We didn’t think much of it then but, when we found ourselves facing starvation, Chrysalis came up with a last-ditch plan centred around her.

“Canterlot is a fortress filled with guards trained to spot changelings, yet Ponyville is nothing more than a town. Twilight’s apparent desire to be among her people left her vulnerable. Like her brother before her, Chrysalis sought to take her power and use it to provide us food. But this time, it would be different.”

Her eyes showed reluctance but her tone of voice showed she had convinced herself this was the only way. “We knew that one of Twilight’s abilities was manipulating minds – we learned this when we sent scouts out before our first invasion of Canterlot and heard about how she freed her friends from Discord’s influence.

“Her new status an alicorn will have increased her power greatly. Chrysalis intends to hypnotise her and force her into casting a spell over the entire town.”

Berry clenched her teeth, her body tensed as she fought the urge to try to flee. “You’re going to brainwash us?”

“Only in the subtlest of ways,” said Surprise. “Once her spell takes effect, your kind will become fully accepting of changelings. We’ll be able to establish ourselves in your town and live normally without any need for conflict. We’ll become fully symbiotic.”

She leaned forward, a determined expression on her face. “This isn’t a hostile takeover, we’re not going to treat you as slaves. Chrysalis learned from her first attempt. We’ll be on equal footing. As I said before, you won’t even remember any of this conversation. And there won’t be any need for a constant drain on her energies, as there was with Shining Armour – the spell we have in mind only needs to be cast once, then your minds will be permanently altered.”

“It won’t work,” said Berry. “What happens if the spell wears off? What happens when somepony comes in from outside town?”

“Our first priority is getting food. We can work out the rest from there. Perhaps we’ll need to increase the scope of Twilight’s spell – as I said, it’s a one-time deal. It only needs to be cast once, unless someone dispels it. We can encompass other towns and cities.”

The earth pony closed her eyes. “This is no different from before. It’s an invasion under a different name.”

“We don’t have any other choice,” said Surprise. Her expression changed. “This is where you come in. I need to take your form so I can get close to Twilight, I need to become somepony she trusts. Chrysalis is the only one powerful enough to hypnotise an alicorn, but it won’t take effect immediately and under normal circumstances, the princess would recognise what was going on and our plan would be ruined.

“I have a potion with me that will make her more submissive, more vulnerable to Chrysalis’s spell. Once she ingests it, our plan can proceed.”

She raised her head, adopting a confident stance to show that she was in control. “So now you see our situation. My race is facing starvation. You need to be restrained here so I can get to the princess – your co-operation would be appreciated, but not essential. I just hope, now I’ve told you all this, that you can understand.”

Berry backed up against the wall as Surprise’s eyes turned a milky blue. “Wait!” she cried. “Wait. This isn’t right.”

The changeling hesitated. “Don’t resist, please. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. If you try to close your mind to my hypnosis, I’ll have to break down your mental defences. It’ll hurt. I’m not as strong as Chrysalis either, so it’ll take longer. I’m going to put you to sleep. When you wake up, you’ll have no memory of this.”

“No-one’s going to win this way!” Berry squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. “Think about it. What if you fail? You’ll all starve. And if you win, if you enslave all of Ponyville, you’ll be in constant fear of the illusion fading away. What about Celestia? You really think Twilight can overpower her?”

“We’re starving now,” said Surprise. “The ponies we held captive could barely sustain us, and we drained as much of their strength as we dared. We can only think in the short term because that’s the time span we’re dealing with.”

“Can’t we work together?” she said quietly. “You’ve told me your history. I know what happened wasn’t your fault. Wouldn’t it be better if ponies and changelings could get along, live together?”

Surprise grimaced, her conscience biting at her. “Yes, of course. But you know that’ll never happen. Your kind didn’t trust us from the start and we’ve done nothing to prove you wrong. Please, open your eyes.”

“But isn’t that your plan? To hypnotise us so we’ll accept you? Wouldn’t it be better if it happened naturally?”

“Yes, it would. But how can I…” Surprise shut her eyes briefly, the weight of her species’ survival bearing down on her. “How can I trust you? How can I risk everything? If I let you free…”

The silence hung heavy in the air. The trembling earth pony pressed herself against the wall, pushing herself as far away as she could from the guilt-stricken changeling.

Berry felt the room spinning, the alcohol mixing with her fear to create a sickly feeling. She was blind, frightened to open her eyes lest she lose her free will.

Minutes passed. Then Surprise spoke. Her voice was soft, kindly. “Look at me,” she said. “I promise I won’t do anything. Then we’ll see if we can work something out.”

Berry’s eyelids flickered, then she squeezed them shut again. A few seconds passed before she came to the conclusion that if Surprise wanted to overpower her, she could do it easily. She had nothing to bargain with, nothing to lose.

She looked at the changeling through narrowed slits and saw that her eyes had reverted to normal – at least, normal if she had been a pony.

Slowly, she untensed until the two were sharing eye contact once more.

“That’s a start,” Surprise said eventually. “But if we’re going to build up any state of trust, we’re going to need to enter a social environment. And I’m not sure I’m willing to do that, I’m sorry.”

Berry flinched, expecting her to attempt to hypnotise her on the spot.

But she didn’t. The pair of them stood in a stalemate, both wanting to trust the other but unable to do so.

Several minutes passed, neither of them sure of where to go from there.

And then, fate made the decision for them.

Chapter 5

The silence was broken by a loud, insistent rapping at the front door, frightening the life out of Surprise and Berry.

The sudden noise was so unexpected that all they could do was look in the direction it had come from, unable to believe they had actually heard it.

A second series of knocks came, shaking Surprise out of her shock.

“Who the hell is that?” she asked Berry, her whispered voice almost accusatory in tone. “Who would want to see you at the time of night? Who is it?”

The pony shook her head in response, as confused as the changeling was, and was about to speak when they heard muffled speech from outside.

“She’s probably passed out. Please, let’s just leave it. Talk to her in the morning, it doesn’t matter.” The voice was pleading, upset and unmistakeably Lyra’s.

Her begging went unheard. Bon Bon knocked again, harder, crying out: “I know you’re in there! I can see your lights on! Come out, I’ve got something I want to say to you!”

Surprise’s teeth were clenched and her eyes reflected her fear. Her plan could easily be exposed here and, if it was, she would have to fight three ponies instead of one.

“Stop!” she hissed as Berry went for the door.

The earth pony turned her head, realising that she had the advantage here and Surprise knew it.

“I have to answer. They know I’m here and if I leave it much longer, they’ll start looking through the windows – if they haven’t already.”

Surprise hunched down instinctively, panic taking hold. “Please, I’ve told you how much my race depends on this. Get rid of them.”

She opened her mouth slightly as a thought struck her, then relaxed her posture. Berry realised at the same time she did that she could simply hypnotise her to do her bidding.

But it was too late. Berry turned her back on her and marched towards the front door – if Surprise tried anything, there would be a struggle first. The ponies outside would hear it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it,” the earth pony said, keeping her voice as even as possible. She pointed to a door on the side. “That’s my daughter’s room, hide out in there.”

She heard the latch click twice as Surprise followed her suggestion, then exhaled once to compose herself and went to face Bon Bon.

The other earth pony had been on the verge of knocking for a fourth time when Berry opened the door wide. Lyra was standing a few yards away, looking incredibly tired.

“What took you so long?” asked the cream-coated mare, caught off-guard for a second. Then she launched into a verbal assault: “What was that all about at the bar? What gives you the right to shout at Lyra like that? Accusing her of being unfaithful? Oh, we’ve had ponies doubting our relationship before, we’ve been told that it’ll never last, but the least of all ponies I expected to hear that from was you. Where did you even…”

“Bon Bon.” Berry was so exasperated that she spoke louder than she intended to, and she winced at the harshness in her tone. Her next attempt was more conciliatory. “Bon Bon, it’s really late and we’re both drunk. What is it, what do you want?”

“I want an apology!” she shouted, leaning forward with her eyes shut. “You made Lyra cry. You made me cry. You…”

She paused to take a breath, not for the need of oxygen but to hold herself together. Her eyes were wet. “You really hurt me,” she said, suddenly vulnerable.

Berry bowed her head, the realisation that she had let her friends down momentarily overwhelming her fear over the changeling in her child’s bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m truly sorry. It’s just, you two have it all. You have everything that I want. And there was something that Lyra said earlier, something that I obviously misunderstood – I can’t even remember what it was now – and it upset me.

“I misread it, I thought she was stringing you along. I was wrong, I see that now. And when my evening didn’t end well, I took it out on her.”

She attempted a smile, but it faltered. “Please don’t hate me for it. Don’t ditch me – I’m lonely enough as it is.”

Bon Bon frowned, still upset but now lacking a suitable target to vent it on. Lyra walked over and nuzzled against her in an effort to cheer her up, then turned to Berry. “That’s okay, for tonight,” she said. “Things got a little emotional, we understand. I’m just not used to being shouted at like that.”

Bon Bon pouted, not fully herself yet. “If we go out again, I’m keeping you away from the booze. I’d heard rumours. I believe them now.”

“Come on,” said Lyra, nudging her. “We’ll speak about this tomorrow, Berry, when we’re all sober. This isn’t really the right time.”

“Wait,” said Berry, holding up her hoof and speaking in a whisper. “Just wait a minute.”

“Hmm? What is it?” The unicorn noticed the change in her tone, that something else might be bothering her.

Berry was unable to speak, her mind torn between two choices. She could tell them about Surprise, save herself. But then she would be dooming the changeling race.

Yet, if she didn’t, it could lead to Ponyville’s downfall. Despite Surprise’s reluctance, she had to remain loyal to her own kind.

Together, the three ponies might be strong enough to take her down. A better idea would be to go back to the bar and find help. They could stop this attempted conquest.

But what would happen next? This was the changelings’ last-ditch attempt at finding food but would they really stop if it failed? What would be the next step after subterfuge failed? War?

She was certain of it. When faced with extinction, why would they have any reason to hold back? Ponies could die. Pinchy could die. She had no other choice than to attempt a peaceful solution.

“It’s… it’s nothing,” she said, brokenly. She had taken so long to reply that the other two ponies didn’t believe her.

“What’s wrong, Berry?” asked Lyra, concerned. “Has something else happened? Come on, tell us.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s alright. It’ll wait until morning.”

Bon Bon stepped forward. “Well, I’m not taking that for an answer. You’re happy enough to throw accusations on a whim but when something’s actually wrong, you stay quiet? What’s up with you?”

Berry held up a hoof. “Seriously, let’s leave it for now. We’ve had enough drama. I’ve had too much to drink and, not to be rude, I feel like I’m about to be sick.” That much was true, though it was fear that was making her queasy.

“Right. Well. Tomorrow morning, then,” said Bon Bon. She took stock of Berry and thought again. “Actually, let’s make it the afternoon.”

The purple-coated mare nodded and watched them go, praying she was making the right decision.

Surprise emerged from Ruby Pinch’s bedroom as soon as she realised the coast was clear.

“You sent them away,” she said, dumbfounded. “You could have told them I was here. I was preparing for a fight. But you sent them away.”

Berry didn’t respond at first. The first tinglings of a hangover were starting to spike in her brain, but she had sobered up to the point where she could think things through relatively clearly.

The changelings were hostile in intent, this much was true, but it was born out of a survival instinct rather than being part of their nature. Her interactions with Surprise had proven that.

The pegasus’s guilt in being forced to subjugate ponykind was tangible and they had been talking perfectly naturally before her true nature had been revealed. Berry hadn’t been all that impressed with her behaviour in the bar, but that was down to the fact Surprise had been trying to get her alone as soon as possible.

“It’s going to better for us all if our races can get along,” she said. “If not, changelings and ponies will keep fighting until one of us become extinct. We can’t let that happen.”

“What do we do next?” asked Surprise. “Ponykind have essentially been our lifelong enemies. How do we change that kind of mindset?”

Berry held a hoof to her chin, trying to think. “One day,” she said. “Give it one day. If we can spend all of tomorrow together and learn to trust each other, truly trust each other, then we’ll have proof that it’s possible. Then we go from there.”

“My race doesn’t have more than a few days,” said Surprise. “We can survive on our energy reserves for a while but they’re not going to wait that long. Our deadline was set for tomorrow night – if we hadn’t succeeded by then, we were going to resort to plan B.”

“So we have to make this work,” she said. “Twilight’s a reasonable pony. If we can help create the foundations for an accord, I’m sure she’ll listen to us. I’ve already made a connection with her, so I think she’ll hear me out.”

Surprise nodded. “Chrysalis will allow me to at least put my case to her. Whether she agrees with it will be another matter.”

The earth pony rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the tight sensation within. The beginnings of a headache were starting to form.

She decided to press her luck. “Surprise, I’ve made a concession. I’ve shown you can trust me. I need you to return the favour.”

The changeling looked at her questioningly, one eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”

“You mentioned you had a potion with you. Something designed to make Twilight weaker against Chrysalis’s hypnosis. I’m not going to feel safe until you destroy it.”

Surprise raised a leg self-defensively, perturbed by her request. The potion was the crux of her mission – without it, there was no way she could complete the task. Berry wondered briefly if she had overstepped the mark.

The pegasus recovered from the shock and then appeared to give the matter some thought. Whatever the benefits peace would bring, this was not an easy decision.

“Okay,” she said eventually, in a quicker time than Berry had expected. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll do it now, I have it with me.”

“You do? Where are you keeping it?” Berry asked, looking her over. “Your mane?”

She shook her head. “Bear with me a moment.”

A flicker of light passed over her body as she transformed into her changeling form. Her white coat gave way to reveal a black hide. Her legs were peppered with holes, as though they had been torn open and never fully healed. Her back was a dark blue, her wings akin to an insect’s, while her eyes were milky and did not have pupils. A horn grew out of her forehead, the source of her magical energy.

Berry was unprepared for the sight and had to force down her sense of disgust. It was one thing talking to Surprise as a pony, but she had never seen a changeling in the flesh.

“S-so, where’s the potion?” she asked, almost losing her nerve.

“In here,” Surprise said, raising a leg. Her horn glowed as she used her telekinesis to remove a liquid-filled tube from one of the gaping holes near her knee.

“It was under your SKIN? GAH!” Berry recoiled in horror.

Surprise levitated the tube in the air, her brow furrowed as she lowered her head. “You see?” she asked, her voice laden with disappointment. “You see? There’s no way this is going to work. You ponies can’t accept us in our true form. You’ll want us to skulk around in disguise, hiding who we really are. Have you any idea how that’ll make us feel? We were originally born out of jealousy. We won’t be able to cope with our resentment.”

“I’m sorry,” Berry said hastily. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready for it. You’re completely different to us – it’ll take some getting used to, but we’ll manage. There’s no reason to give up on this idea yet.”

The changeling simply looked back at her, her expression downcast. Her confidence had clearly been shaken. Berry had to do something to restore it.

It took her a moment to think of it, but the solution was obvious. She could offer herself as a gesture of trust. She could give the changeling what she needed.

“You feed on emotion, don’t you? Can you tell them apart when you absorb them?” she asked. Surprise nodded.

“Okay,” she said, then cautiously took a step closer to her. The changeling narrowed her eyes, scrutinising her, unsure of what she was up to.

Berry tilted her head slightly. “I’m going to try something. It’ll prove that I’m not put off by your appearance and that I’m no longer afraid of you,” she said, then hesitated. “Um, would you mind retracting your fangs for a moment?”

Surprise blinked and pulled her head back, cottoning on to what Berry intended to do. She took a second to contemplate it, then complied with her request.

The earth pony licked her lips apprehensively, waited a moment longer, then went for it.

The kiss lasted no more than a second, but it was enough. Berry stood quietly, watching the changeling’s expression after they broke apart.

“That was… fascinating,” said Surprise. “So many emotions and feelings put into one single action.” She smacked her lips together, as if to taste. “The overwhelming flavours I’m getting are acceptance and hope. The first one’s not as strong as I would like, but it’s there. There’s also a hint of embarrassment and reluctance, but they’re understandable given the circumstances.”

She grimaced sourly and stuck her tongue out. “Yech. A bitter aftertaste of desperation.”

The potion tube was still hovering by her head. She regarded it, pursed her lips as she gave it one last thought, then smashed it on the floor.

“We have the foundations of something here. I think… yes, we can work it out,” she said. “If we can find common ground, even after what I’ve put you through, then our races might stand a chance.”

She looked out of the window. It was past midnight now and all of the other houses nearby had fallen dark. “So, what’s our next move?”

“I don’t know about you, but I need to go to bed,” said Berry. “Tomorrow’s too important. I can’t face it without getting a good night’s sleep.”

“Sleep. Ah, yes. Of course,” Surprise said absently. She looked as though she was about to say something else but then thought better of it. “Would you feel safe if I stayed here?”

The question sent a jolt down Berry’s spine, but she recovered swiftly. She realised that kicking Surprise out could damage the work they’d done already, and the changeling had given no indication that she was something to be feared any more.

Surprise smiled when Berry nodded her head. “I’ll hunker down on the floor out here. I’m seen your daughter’s bed and it’s not for me, it’d be too soft.”

With that, they bid each other good night. Berry collapsed onto her bed, wondering if she’d even be capable of sleep at this point. Her hangover was starting to kick in with a vengeance and there was still the instinctive fear of the changeling outside her bedroom door.

One thing was certain – it was going to be one hell of a morning after.

Chapter 6

There were a couple of seconds’ brief peace as Berry woke from sleep, her eyes fluttering open as the sun glistened beyond the curtains covering her window.

Then pain cracked through her skull as last night’s drinking caught up with her. She grimaced, putting her hooves over her face in an attempt to blot out the light. Even in the darkness that provided her, flashes of white flared as her headache pulsated. She let out a small groan as she fought the urge to be sick.

And then she remembered there was a changeling in her front room.

She groaned again, more protracted and pitiful this time. She was in no state to deal with a problem like that today, but she had to. The fate of Ponyville lay in the hooves of a badly hungover mother-of-one.

She couldn’t tell what the time was but, judging by the brightness of the sun, it was well into morning. No matter how she felt, she would have to get up soon.

Gently moving her hind legs, she kicked away the duvet and uncovered herself, hoping that would give her the motivation she needed to get up. It didn’t work. All she wanted to do was try to get back to sleep. In any other circumstance, that would have been the most sensible option.

She shuffled to the edge of her bed and reached for the floor, feeling as though she was stepping over the precipice of a cliff. Upon making touchdown, she stood still for a moment, trying to hold herself steady. She felt wobbly, as of her centre of gravity had shifted and the rest of her body hadn’t caught up.

Then she pushed the bedroom door open and went out to face the morning. Surprise was lying a few yards away, back in her pony form and her head nestled between her forelegs. She looked up as Berry entered.

“You’re awake,” she said. “I wondered when you’d get up. I wanted to knock when the sun rose, but I have no idea how long your kind sleep for.”

Berry mumbled an incoherent response and stumbled towards her kitchen area, which was in a corner of the same room. Orange juice always helped to alleviate her symptoms – when a hangover was this bad, drinking something as plain as water only served to bring attention to the bad taste in her mouth.

Surprise stood up, concerned. “Is there a problem? You’re not having second thoughts about this, are you?”

Berry shook her head and immediately regretted it – the sudden motion worsened the pain. “I have a hangover.”

The changeling frowned. “A hangover? What’s that?”

“It’s an after-effect from the alcohol I drank last night. I had too much, and now I’m paying for it,” she said, rummaging through the fridge.

“Hm. I’ve heard of alcohol, of course, but I’d never seen its effects in action until last night. From what I’d been told, it was a wholly positive thing that made folk happy and more sociable, but that’s clearly not the case.”

“I was in a bad mood already and the drink made me more impulsive. I did things that I regret,” Berry said, speaking on auto-pilot. She froze when she realised the implications of what she had said. “I mean at the bar, not in this house.”

Surprise wandered over and watched her fixing together a makeshift hangover cure.

“Interesting,” she said, observing Berry’s symptoms. “It’s almost as if you’ve been poisoned. But if this is what alcohol does to you, why drink it?”

The irritated earth pony swigged down the last gulp of orange juice and wiped a hoof over her mouth. “Given what happened last night, do you really think this is what we should be talking about?”

Surprise looked down and scratched the floor with her hoof. “I guess not.” She gave a nervous sigh. “I’ve been thinking it over, working out how best to go about this. I swear, I must have worn a groove into the floor with all the pacing I’ve been doing.”

Berry nodded gently, the enormity of their task dawning on her once more. She attempted a jovial tone. “Sounds like you’ve been up all night. And you’re not even tired. I’m jealous.”

Surprise shook her head. “Oh, I don’t need sleep. I’m a creature of magic, remember? Natural laws don’t apply.”

Berry’s mouth slowly gaped open as her words sunk in. “Wait, you really have been up all night? I’ve been asleep in there while you…”

She smiled weakly. “I thought it best not to tell you beforehand. Didn’t want you to worry.”

Once she had recovered from the initial shock, Berry felt a small confidence boost. Surprise had been awake for hours and hadn’t made a move against her. If she had needed any further proof that the changeling was determined to make this peace effort work, this was it.

“So, the only way I can see this working is by me integrating into your society. You’re going to have to introduce me to your friends,” said Surprise. “And then… and then I’ll have to reveal my true identity. We’ll have to soften them up first, let them know the hardships my kind is facing. If, after that, they’re still able to accept me, then we’ll know that this plan has a chance.”

“You’re right.” Berry was worried and her hangover wasn’t helping her anxiety. “Problem is, I may have alienated quite a few of them last night. Those two ponies who came calling – they were Bon Bon and Lyra. I threw around quite a few accusations and I upset them pretty bad. The bar was crowded, so the stories will be spreading round. Why did you pretend to be Lyra, why did you say those things to me?”

Surprise clenched her teeth, clearly nervous. “I acted hastily. I wanted to get you alone as quickly as possible so I could verify your identity.

“I saw you talking with Lyra when she let you in her house, so eavesdropped on your conversation and tried to make use of what I found out. I figured that if I could create some sort of crisis, something you’d have to immediately deal with, we’d go somewhere private and chat. Then I’d be able to act on whatever I found out.”

She bowed her head apologetically. “I didn’t think about what the consequences would be if I failed. I was only concerned by getting the mission completed as quickly as possible. Now I’ve made things more difficult.”

Berry was holding a hoof to her forehead, trying to ease the pain. If it hadn’t been there already, it would have been after her next thought. “Oh no. I promised I’d speak with them today. They’re going to be looking for me and I told Bon Bon about you yesterday, that I thought you fancied me. My best friend Horte told me about you as well. Questions are going to be asked. Ponies are going to assume.”

“You’re right,” she said after a moment’s thought, her tone growing more positive. “So we already have a cover story. We have a way you can introduce me.”

She put her front hooves on the kitchen counter, becoming more enthusiastic as she spoke. “We’ll build on the background I’d invented for myself. I’m a pegasus from Manehattan, looking for a good time. I met you last night and now we’re thinking about getting together, but taking things slow. I’ve encouraged you to go out and set things right, and apologise to everypony. There! They’ll be on my side from the start.”

“I… right.” Berry sighed and tried to regulate her thoughts so she could build a coherent argument. “Two things. One: taking things slow? Nopony’ll believe that of me for a second. I have a reputation for jumping in head first. Two: what are Lyra and Bon Bon going to think if they see me with a new mare the day after I tried to ruin their relationship? Going back to my first point, what if they realise – or just jump to the conclusion – that you were round my house last night?”

Surprise gave the matter brief consideration. “Just say that we spoke at the bar and I came round this morning. I doubt anypony’s been watching your front door all day. It won’t matter if we’re seen leaving the house together.”

She smiled in an attempt to cheer Berry up. “Things are falling into place naturally. I’ve been tackling my mission head-on so far and I’ve no intention of stopping now. Let’s go and meet Horte. You need to introduce me.”

The earth pony felt her stomach rumble and was unsure whether this was down to hunger or the urge to throw up. She hoped Surprise would have the wherewithal to maintain this little charade on her own, because at the moment she felt barely able to function.

“Okay,” she said, steeling herself. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

She went to the front door and stepped outside, wincing at the sun’s glare. Surprise was strangely hesitant, her bravado faltering for just a moment as she stopped at the exit before following Berry.

“You alright?” Berry asked.

She nodded. “My greatest fear before starting this mission was being discovered. Now you know what I am, it’s like I’m walking without a safety net. I’ll be alright.”

The pair walked as fast as Berry’s hangover would allow them. Ponyville was mostly quiet, though the Sunday market in the town square was quite active. Every so often, a passing pony would glare in their direction.

“Everypony’s staring at us,” said Surprise, unfazed. “No turning back now.”

“Don’t worry. They’re not looking at you, they’re looking at me,” said Berry. “I’m the one who caused a scene in the bar.”

“And I’m the new arrival who’s hanging out with you. Rumours are going to start spreading. If we play this right, that can only be a good thing. The more who know about us, the better.”

There were a few ponies eating at the tables outside the restaurant, making the most of the sunny weather. Horte was behind the bar, his attention mostly focused on directing his kitchen staff, and he didn’t notice his two new customers until they were almost with him.

He noted Berry’s new companion with a raised eyebrow and his overall demeanour was cooler than usual.

“Glad to see you’re still alive,” he said dryly. “After the amount you drank, I did wonder.”

“Yeah.” Berry scratched the side of her head, deeply embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Horte, really I am. I messed up. I’m not barred, am I?”

He allowed her a smile. “Never. No, the most I’d ever do if you really crossed the line would be to politely ask you to leave.”

Her face flushed a deeper shade of purple, fully aware that he did just that last night.

He changed the subject, happy to leave the matter forgiven and forgotten. “So, you found each other?” he said, addressing them both. “Berry, are you going to introduce me?”

“Oh! Yes,” she said, flustered. “This is Surprise. She’s from Manehattan.”

The changeling raised a hoof in greeting and he nodded in reply. “Good to meet you. Can I get you anything?”

“Oh, no thanks. I don’t drink. Can’t really process it,” she said, shooting a meaningful look at Berry.

The earth pony caught on to her hidden message – changelings fed only on emotions, which probably meant they couldn’t ingest anything else.

She interjected before Horte could question Surprise’s odd choice of language. “Could I get something to eat? I need something to soak up all that alcohol.”

“Certainly,” he said, then winked at Surprise. “I’m sure she’s already told you that she’s not always like this. It’s true, don’t worry.”

He called an order to the kitchen staff on Berry’s behalf. “So how did you two meet? When did you two meet?” he asked. The second question had a warning edge.

“Last night,” Surprise said quickly. “Though she was pretty out of it by then. I suggested we meet up the next morning but I didn’t expect her to be so… you know.”

“Dragged me out of bed, kicking and screaming,” said Berry. “Well, not quite. Moaning and wobbly is nearer the truth.”

Horte resisted the temptation to say something inappropriate. “There’s not much that’ll get you out of bed with a hangover, Miss Punch.”

“Well, this time it was worth it,” she said, feeling her cheeks flush as she did so.

There was a burst of warmth in his next smile. “And what’s your profession? I see by your cutiemark that you’re in the entertainment business,” he said to Surprise, noting the three balloons on her flank. “In fact, it’s very similar to that of one of our more famous residents.”

“You mean Pinkie Pie? Yes, Berry told me about her,” she said, somewhat abashedly. “It’s true, my original purpose was much the same as hers. But where I come from, there’s not really much chance to enjoy yourself. It’s all very regimented, austere.”

Horte frowned. “That doesn’t really sound like the Manehattan I know, but I suppose it depends what circles you move in. There are certainly some ponies there who have a different idea of fun to the folk who live here, so you may have been unlucky. Hopefully you’ll find some better friends in Ponyville.”

“I hope so,” she said earnestly. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to fit in.”

His tone was sympathetic. “We’d be happy to accommodate you. I won’t demand an answer, but what was life like at home? What encouraged you to make a move?”

“Oh, there weren’t any problems at home. My mother can be a little overbearing at times but she never treats me with anything less than her full respect,” she said. She grew thoughtful. “I suppose I do feel the need to prove myself to her, still. That’s something I haven’t accomplished yet, despite her support. But perhaps, in time…”

Berry interjected. “If you two don’t mind, I’ll have to leave you alone for a little bit. Call of nature. Don’t tell her too many embarrassing stories about me, Horte.”

She broke away, trotting to the little fillies’ room to freshen up. When she returned, the two of them were still talking happily.

She allowed herself a small smile. Perhaps this could work. Horte had always been open minded and he was getting along well with Surprise. He was also well-respected and well-known in Ponyville. If they could get him on side, it would be a great boost to their cause.

Berry returned to the conversation – her head was still aching but she was beginning to feel more like herself again, and her disposition improved further once she got a meal inside her.

The three of them talked for some time, Surprise joining in with growing confidence as if she was no different to her two companions. She spoke in half-truths about herself, disguising the fact her lifespan was only measured in months rather than years and that her way of existence was alien to what the others were used to.

Horte noticed the arrival of two other ponies before Berry did, and whispered a quick warning before they reached the bar. Bon Bon and Lyra had entered the restaurant, and their disposition was difficult to tell from facial expressions alone.

“I thought we might find you here,” said Bon Bon, glancing at Surprise with some small measure of suspicion. “Is it alright to talk? We can come back later, if not.”

Surprise pretended she didn’t know them. “Is something the matter?” she asked Berry.

The earth pony bid her to wait there and went to find a quiet spot alone with her two friends.
Once they had settled, she raised a hoof to stop them talking. “Before you say anything, I just want to apologise again. I was drunk, I was out of line.”

The other two exchanged a look. Bon Bon leaned forward. “I’ve never seen that side of you before, and I can’t say I like it. You completely flew off the handle, you were shouting. Brought the entire place to a standstill. It was totally uncalled for.”

“I was scared,” said Lyra. “I thought you were going to hit me. And I’ve already had one pony ask me if what you said was true.”

Berry wasn’t able to look them in the eyes. “I’m sorry. Really, I… I don’t know my limits sometimes. I was feeling depressed and I bottled it up inside until I just had to let it out. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”

“If you can’t control it, then I think you should stop,” said the unicorn. “Stop drinking. I’ve heard rumours about town this morning, I know what happens every time Pinchy goes away. You drink, and you get in trouble. It’s not healthy.”

She couldn’t find any way to argue. Her headache had faded down to a dull throb but her chest felt empty.

“If you need somepony to talk to, if you can’t stand being alone, then you should find somepony you can call on for company,” said Lyra. “But not here. Not when Pinchy’s away. I know Horte’s responsible, but he can’t keep an eye on you all the time, not with so much temptation around.”

Her expression softened. “We should have paid more attention to you, we should have noticed you were drinking too much. I mean, you downed that first double straight away and then I agreed to buy you another. Should have realised that wasn’t a good idea. But you’ve got to learn to take care of yourself.”

Berry was unable to speak. She felt unable to justify what she had done. There was no way she could tell them the truth without exposing Surprise and even then, it wouldn’t have excused her behaviour.

Bon Bon tapped the table to get her attention. “Hey. Berry. We’re friends, okay? I know we don’t see each other very often, what with you having to look after Ruby Pinch and all, but we normally get along just fine. You’re actually one of the few ponies in town who enjoys reading my stories, and that says something.”

That lifted her spirits a little, though she thought it best not to tell Bon Bon that she liked her stories because they were unintentionally funny.

“I understand. I get it,” said the cream-coloured pony. “I feel the urge to cut loose once in a while, and luckily Lyra indulges me. But it seems to me that you’re so caught up in looking after your daughter that when you do get some free time, you try to fit months of partying in one night.

“Do you have many friends in town who are parents themselves?” Berry shook her head. “Then you should find some. Get more regular adult conversation. On adult topics.”

She glanced over at the bar, where Surprise was making small talk with Horte and pretending not to pay attention to what the other three ponies were saying.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“Oh, right,” said Berry. “Her name’s Surprise. She’s from Manehattan.”

Lyra frowned. “What is she?”

Berry was knocked back by the question and almost panicked. “What? What do you mean?”

“Is she a friend? Or more?” the unicorn asked. “When did you meet her?”

“She wasn’t at your house when we called last night, was she?” asked Bon Bon, her eyes narrowed. “I seem to remember there was something you wanted to say to us, but ended up keeping to yourself. Was it about her?”

Berry shook her head. “No, it was… it was about Twilight.” It wasn’t a total lie – the princess was, after all, the reason why Surprise invaded her house. “Doesn’t matter now. I met Surprise at the bar and she knocked on my door this morning.”

“Hmm. Lunch date?” Bon Bon was watching Surprise with a judgemental eye, already assessing whether she was a good match for Berry.

The other earth pony was tongue-tied for a second, then realised she had to go along with the changeling’s cover story. “Yes. We’re just getting to know each other. Um, do you want to meet her?”

The two ponies looked at each other, having a wordless conversation as they checked each other’s response to the question.

“Maybe later,” Bon Bon said finally. “If this is your first date, we shouldn’t interrupt. And if I’m brutally honest – which you know, I always am – I don’t think we’re in a particular sociable mood today.”

“Oh. That’s a pity.” Berry couldn’t help but feel crestfallen. That was two fewer ponies for Surprise to get to know, and the day was already halfway through.

“I hope it goes well. It’d do you good,” Lyra said with a smile. “It’s just a shame that…”

“Hush. She doesn’t need to know about that,” Bon Bon interrupted, then continued before Berry could ask what they were talking about.

“Maybe sometime we could go on a double date,” she said, moving away from the table. “Just… not for a while. Best to give it some time. We’ll see you later. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Berry nodded sadly, then watched them leave. Surprise’s desperate lie had damaged a friendship and lowered her social standing in Ponyville.

But there was no time to worry about that now. Their attempt to broker peace between the two races was more important.

She trotted to the bar and Horte turned his attention to her. “What happened? Has the truth about Lyra’s change of heart come to light?”

Berry shook her head. “Horte, it’s best if you forget about that. I was mistaken. She has no intention of leaving Bon Bon.”

He held his tongue to his upper lip, unsure of what to make of that. “The way you told it, there was no mistaking what she said. She told you directly.”

“Horte, just…” She held a hoof to her forehead, trying not to get exasperated. “If anyone asks you about it, please tell them it’s not true. Things are going to work themselves out.”

She turned to Surprise before he could protest. “We should get going. There are lots of other ponies I want you to meet before the day is out.”

The changeling nodded, said her goodbyes to Horte and headed for the door. Berry hesitated at the bar.

“What do you think of her?” she whispered quickly to her friend.

“Honestly?” he said. “I like her, but I’m worried she might be too young for you. Not physically, but mentally. I spoke to her at some length while you were gone, encouraged her to open up, and she’s full of hopes and dreams. From what she said about her upbringing, she’s been grounded too long and she wants freedom.

“In a way, she reminds me of a younger you. She hasn’t quite worked out what she wants to be. She also seems to be afraid of something, but I can’t work out what it is.”

Berry didn’t reply. Horte’s answer had been reliably insightful. Of course, she wasn’t interested in Surprise as a partner but his assessment of her character was very useful.

If their mission was successful, she would gain the freedom she sought. She would be free from the need to make innocents suffer in order to feed herself. Berry dearly hoped the other changelings felt the same way. She hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.

“I hope I haven’t put you off,” said Horte. “This is the first date you’ve had in ages. Go for it. Enjoy it. Don’t worry yet about whether it’s going to work out.”

She smiled and bid him farewell, then went outside to where Surprise was waiting.

“Well? What did he say?” she asked eagerly.

“You’re a hit,” said Berry. “It’ll be a shock when he finds out what you are, but it’ll make sense to him.”

“When should we tell him? I mean, the sooner we do it, the better.”

“I think we should introduce you to a few more of my friends first,” Berry said, motioning for her to simmer down. “Then we can get them together in a quiet environment. Have a conversation. If anypony freaks out at any point, hopefully the others will be able to calm them down.”

“Right.” Surprise didn’t seem fully satisfied by that answer, but she accepted it. “I liked him. You seem to have a nice little society here.”

Berry nodded, casting an eye over the surrounding town and the ponies in it. A thought came to her and she smiled. “You know, I think this could be mutually beneficial. Ponyville has a lot of mares and not enough stallions. If we can work this out, there are several lonely ponies who could find a partner. Someone to love. Your race may never go hungry again.”

Surprise sighed and Berry thought she saw sadness in the changeling’s eyes. The pegasus quickly perked when she realised she was being watched. “Come on. We need to work out our next move.”

They walked away from the town centre, looking for somewhere secluded to talk. They didn’t stop until they were near the outskirts, far away enough that nopony could listen in.

“You need to get to know more ponies,” said Berry. “Preferably ponies who have a similar mindset to Horte, or who have the same interests as you. Is there anything in particular that you want to do, or anypony you want to meet?”

“Anything I’ve ever wanted to do?” Surprise thought it over carefully.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to spread my wings. To fly, really fly,” she said. “We’d always been taught to conserve our energy when we’re not hunting, and that meant staying on the ground.”

Berry’s eyes widened in surprise as she realised the changeling had not once been airborne in the entire time she had known her. Most pegasi alternated naturally between walking and flying, making sure to exercise both sets of muscles. They didn’t find it normal to walk all the time.

Surprise continued: “By staying sedentary, our hive could sate its hunger on only a small amount of emotion. But it wasn’t much of a life. I don’t think I’ve ever truly flown before.”

“Then you’ll want a flying companion. Perhaps somepony who can show you the ropes.” Berry smiled as a plan came to mind. “I know the perfect pony. If you can get her on your side, it’ll give our mission a real boost. She’s highly respected and she even gave Twilight a few pointers when she got her wings.”

She paused for effect, then let it out: “Rainbow Dash.”

It wasn’t possible for Surprise’s face to go any whiter, but she was clearly horrified. “Rainbow Dash? She’s one of the six! Are you, are you out of your mind? I’ve heard stories about her, about how she kicked the flank of any changeling that got near her. If she finds out what I am she’ll crush me like a bug, I know how impulsive she’s supposed to be.”

“Hey, calm down,” Berry said, taken aback by her sudden outburst. “Think about it. We need to prove ponies and changelings can get along. If you can befriend one of the ponies who fought the changeling army in the invasion of Canterlot, then we’ll be halfway there. It’s been the plan all along to reveal your identity at some point. It all depends on how we do it.”

Surprise gritted her teeth, swallowing her nervousness. “Okay. We’ll try it. But if she’s busy, we move on and try somepony else, okay? There must be other pegasi in Ponyville that we can speak to.”

Berry looked at her curiously, confused by her sudden apprehensiveness. “Why are you so against meeting Rainbow Dash? She can be a little brash, but she’s perfectly friendly.”

“I was warned to stay away from her. She’s too strong for the likes of me,” she said quickly. She looked away from Berry, unable to meet her questioning stare. “I know, I know. It’s not as if I’m going to have to fight her. But I… what if I…”

Berry was starting to grow a little worried. She didn’t know why Surprise was so rattled. It wasn’t as if they were going to be able to stay away from the Elements of Harmony forever.

“Look, we don’t have to meet with Dash if you don’t want to,” she said, putting a hoof on Surprise’s shoulder and leaning in close. “But could you tell me why…”

She nearly jumped out of her skin as the changeling suddenly lunged at her, planting her lips firmly on her own and giving her a short but intense kiss.

When they broke away, Berry was in a state of shock. Their intimacy had come out of nowhere, as far as she was concerned there had been no build-up to it at all, and yet…

And yet, it hadn’t been entirely unwelcome. That realisation unsettled her.

“What was that for?” she asked. A thought struck her and her face blanched. “Wait, did you just feed on me?”

“I’m sorry. I know that was inappropriate,” Surprise said, ashamed. “But I needed reassurance. I had this sudden notion that you were going to hand me in. Give me up. I had to know your true feelings.”

It took Berry a little time to accept her explanation, though she couldn’t see any immediate reason why Surprise would be lying. She hadn’t given the changeling any indication that she intended to betray her.

“So, what are my true feelings?” she asked eventually.

Surprise smiled, apparently relieved. “Much more positive than last time. It’s reminded me why we’re doing this. Given me fresh purpose.”

“Right,” Berry said uncertainly, then pushed her misgivings aside. “Okay. I don’t see why you’re so nervous anyway. You’ve never met Rainbow Dash. You told me you hadn’t been born at the time of the invasion.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Surprise said breezily. “But sometimes things can be scarier until you’ve experienced or met them for yourself, you know?”

Berry was uncertain how to respond to that, so she didn’t.

“Follow me. Dash normally hangs around near here,” she said, leading the way. “Usually dozing in clouds or charging through them.”

They walked along the path out of Ponyville in silence until Berry felt the need for conversation.

She didn’t want to talk about the unexpected kiss because she wasn’t sure what she thought about it. She didn’t know if the brief thrill of excitement she had felt was a side effect of Surprise feeding, or something else.

She found a different subject. “So how are changelings born anyway?” she asked. “I mean, you don’t eat or drink the way we do, so I assume you handle reproduction differently too.”

“It’s similar to how we were created in the first place,” said Surprise. “The original wisp that bonded with Luna absorbed a huge amount of power from her and divided into several hundred changelings. In much the same way, if a changeling gorges itself on emotion then the excess energy splits away and forms a new life.”

Berry slowed her pace as she allowed this information to sink in. “Huh. That sounds kinda haphazard. I mean, if you’re not careful, that actually means that kissing could get you pregnant.”

“Oh, no no no. Don’t worry,” she said with a smile. “You’re not in any danger of becoming a mother for a second time. A changeling has to absorb a large portion of another creature’s strength in order for that to happen. We’re usually careful when feeding – if a pony were to feel themselves getting weaker, they might cotton on to what was happening.

“No, it’s incredibly rare for a new changeling to be born. Actually, I was the first.”

She kept talking, not noticing that Berry had suddenly stopped walking. “That’s why I was called Surprise. My birth was unprecedented. I suppose Shock would have been a more apt name, but it didn’t trip off the tongue so easily.”

She realised her companion was no longer by her side and turned her head. “Berry?”

The earth pony had a hoof over her mouth and was deep in thought, slowly putting two and two together and horrified by what it could mean.

“You were born after the Canterlot invasion, right?” she asked. Surprise nodded.

Her mouth hung open as she contemplated her next question, almost not wanting to put it to her. “Given by how old you say you are, you must have been… conceived around that time, right?”

“That’s right.” The white-coated pegasus was uneasy now, aware that she had said too much. “I can see where you’re going with this. And yeah.” She pursed her lips, regretful she had let the information out but realising there was no point in trying to hide it. “Yeah, it’s true.”

“Oh hell,” Berry muttered. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t realised it sooner. She’d been focusing so hard on finding a way towards peace that it had completely passed her by.

Surprise had spoken about her close links with her leader, that she would be willing to hear her out. When she talked about her home life, she mentioned her overbearing mother that she hoped to prove herself to.

And it explained why a changeling who hadn’t been alive at the time of the invasion had been chosen for a mission of such high importance, instead of one who had more experience.
Berry looked Surprise in the eyes and put the revelation into words.

“Your mother is Queen Chrysalis?”

Chapter 7

“This doesn’t change anything, okay?” Surprise said, raising her hoof in a bid to calm Berry down. “I want peace. I don’t take after my mother.”

“Doesn’t change anything?” The earth pony was painfully aware of how loud she was speaking, but she was too flabbergasted to help it. “You – you’re royalty! You’ve been hiding that from me all this time?”

“It didn’t seem relevant. If you had needed further assurance that our plan could work, I would have told you,” she said, adopting a confident stance. “Don’t you see? This is a massive advantage in our favour. She’ll be more willing to listen to me than to any other changeling. I’ll be able to convince her.”

Berry’s initial shock faded a little and she considered this new information. It made sense. It went some way to explain why Surprise had been so quick to destroy the potion that had been so crucial to her plan.

Still, the revelation had shaken her somewhat. This was no ordinary changeling, this was one who was directly related to a would-be tyrant who had usurped Princess Cadence and led the assault on Canterlot. As much as she hated to admit it, it made a difference.

And if Surprise had kept something this big secret, what else might she be hiding?

The pegasus saw the uncertainty in her eyes and moved closer to her, her voice low. “Hey, you can still trust me. I know as well as you do that war is not the answer. I’m sorry you had to find out about this in this way, but I was worried about giving too much away.

“Trust goes both ways, you know. Think about it – if you were hostile and you discovered I was her daughter, the first thing you’d do would be try to take me hostage. I may have mistaken you for Pinkie Pie, but I’m not completely stupid.”

Berry sat back on her haunches as her fears subsided. She shook her head. “Wow. What is it with me and princesses? First Twilight, now you.”

Her eyes widened as she made the connection as to who Surprise’s father must be. The stallion who Chrysalis had drained all her energy from.

She spoke in a low, stunned tone: “Oh my lord, Twilight’s your auntie.”

Surprise looked away, ashamed. “Don’t say that. That’s not how it works. It wasn’t Shining Armour who fathered me, it was the emotion that Chrysalis drained from him.”

“It absolutely does work that way. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be here,” said Berry. “He may have been a donor, but he’s still your dad. You wouldn’t be able to get away with that excuse if you were a pony. You wouldn’t be able to say ‘it wasn’t the stallion who fathered me, it was his…’”

She shook her head. “I’m going to stop that line of thought there. The fact is, you and Twilight are related. I’m not sure if that could help us or not. It’d be one hell of a shock.”

“Please, can we drop the subject?” Surprise looked almost sick with guilt. “I can’t think about that. Family is incredibly important to us changelings. We were all born from the same being.

“The thought that I targeted Twilight Sparkle, the thought that we might be related… I found it hard enough to attack innocent creatures without that also weighing on my conscience.”

Berry tapped her chin with her hoof. “I should probably introduce you to her, even though you don’t appear to be comfortable with the idea. It’ll have to happen at some point. I mean, you’re both princesses. You’re both ambassadors for your people. Celestia and Chrysalis are unlikely to ever get along, but with you two I think it’ll work.”

Surprise squirmed, clearly wrestling with her thoughts. “We don’t have much time. I don’t know how long we have before Chrysalis resorts to plan B,” she said. “You mentioned earlier that I might get along with Rainbow Dash. Let’s meet her. See how that goes. Then…”

She took a deep breath, aware that things were coming to a head. “Then we’ll have to make a decision.”

The earth pony nodded. “We’ll arrange a meeting with Horte, Dash and Twilight. It’ll be perfect. They’re three of the most well-connected ponies in Ponyville. If we can convince them that you’re on the level, the rest of the town should be more accepting.”

She tutted. “The only other pony who’s better connected than them is Pinkie Pie. Though to be honest, I’m glad she’s not around. Who knows how what would have happened if you’d met her instead of me.”

Surprise stared at the ground. “Berry, you’ve been such a friend to me. Every step of the way since we started talking, you’ve always tried to do what’s best. I’ve never really spoken to anyone outside my own race before and this, this has been the opposite of what I expected.”

She nudged the changeling in her side and smiled reassuringly. “Come on, let’s go. Time’s-a-wasting.”

The pegasus looked into the sky and muttered to herself. “It’s early afternoon. We still have time. Let’s do this.”

The pair of them trotted into the fields just on the outskirts of town, checking the clouds for any sign of Rainbow Dash. The sun was bright and there was little to no wind, which probably meant the weather mare was catching some rays.

There wasn’t much cloud cover either, which implied she had carried out her duties for the day. Berry’s attention was caught by a particularly conspicuous white puff of vapour that was hanging quite low in the sky.

She raised her head and called: “Dash? Hey Dash, are you up there?”

There was no response at first, so she tried again. This time her cries were heard. Dash lazily peeked over the side of her chosen napping spot and caught sight of the two ponies below. “Hi Berry. What’s up?” she asked, making no move to get out of her cloud.

“I’ve got somepony I want you to meet. She’s a big fan of yours.”

Surprise took an inadvertent step back. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” whispered Berry. “If you want Dash on your side, you’ve gotta play to her ego.”

The blue-coated pegasus flew down to greet them. “A fan, eh?” she said, raising her leg for a hoof bump from the new arrival. “Good to meetcha. What’s your name?”

The changeling cautiously returned her greeting. “Surprise. My name’s Surprise.” She fell quiet and there was an awkward silence. She stared at Rainbow Dash, studying her face carefully.

The other pegasus frowned slightly but maintained a friendly outlook. “No need to be scared, sport. I’m just a pony, like yourself.”

She held a hoof against her chest and corrected herself. “Well, okay. I’m not just your average pony so I can understand if you’re a little starstruck, but don’t sweat it. Where do you know me from? My contest wins? All the times I’ve saved Equestria?”

“Ah, no. No, that’s not it,” said Surprise, slowly perking up as her confidence returned. “I’ve been hearing all about the great things you’ve been doing at the Wonderbolts Academy. Breaking records, sharing new tricks – I bet you’ll be their star performer one day. I wanted to meet you before you’re world famous.”

“Hey, thanks.” She was unable to keep the smile from her face but she tried to remain modest. “I don’t know about star performer – I mean, there are so many talented pegasi like Spitfire and Soarin’ – but I’m going to make it onto the A team one day.”

“No doubt. There’s no way they won’t want you.”

Dash shot a grin at Berry. “I like this mare.” She turned back to Surprise. “Where are you from? I haven’t seen you around Ponyille or Cloudsdale before.”

“No, I’m from Manehattan. I’m looking for a new place to settle and this seemed like a nice place. Met Berry last night and we’re just getting to know each other.”

“Making friends already? That’s cool,” said Dash, completely missing the implication. “Hey, you’ve got the same cutiemark as a friend of mine.”

“Yeah, somepony’s mentioned that to me already,” said Surprise, grimacing slightly. She tilted her head inquiringly. “Rainbow Dash, I don’t know if it’d be too much to ask, but could you, ah…”

“Hm? What is it?” she asked.

Surprise crossed one foreleg over the other, affecting self-consciousness. “Well, I’m not much of a flyer and I’ve always wanted to improve my skills. Could you, would you be willing to teach me?”

Dash smiled. “Yeah, I’ve got some time to spare. Come on, show me what you’ve got.”

The changeling nervously unfurled wings that had never properly been used, then stood there with them fully spread out, hesitant.

It took her a few flaps to get herself properly airborne and even then, she was unsteady. Though she had the natural instinct to fly, she was far from proficient.

Dash looked at her uncertainly – she hadn’t expected to be teaching such an obvious novice. “Wow, you don’t fly often, do you?” she asked. She changed her tone when she saw Surprise’s expression drop. “Just making an observation. You don’t need to worry yet, not with me as a teacher.”

She took to the sky and inspected her charge, looking over her technique. “Your wings are moving just a fraction out of sync. Think of them as one organ, it’ll improve your flying skills no end.”

Surprise concentrated and tightened up her movements to meet Dash’s expectations.

“That’s good. Now you’ve gotta think about how you carry yourself, hold your body so you’re at your most aerodynamic. Watch me.” Dash nodded as Surprise followed her lead. “Better. Okay kid, let’s go for a spin.”

Berry watched as the two pegasi flew up into the sky, Dash re-teaching the basics as they went.

The time alone gave her some time to reassess the situation. So, Surprise was a changeling princess. She had certainly lived up to her name.

But this was a positive thing. She probably held a lot of sway among her kind and from what she had been saying, there were many other changelings who were unhappy about their need to make others suffer just so they could survive.

The younger generation would have to take care of this one. What she had said earlier was true – Chrysalis and Celestia were enemies and that sort of relationship would be difficult to overcome without time, which was something the changelings lacked. Survival was more important to them than diplomacy.

But Surprise’s relationship to Twilight was problematic. That would have to be kept secret, for now. Berry wasn’t sure how the pony princess would even react to a talk of peace from a changeling. She was open-minded, yes, but was she that trusting?

Once her thoughts turned to Twilight, Berry couldn’t help comparing the two in a different sense.

She was still unsure of the effect that last kiss had had on her. Whether that small spark of excitement had come from within her or if it was an after-effect of Surprise feeding on her emotions. There was also the possibility that it was just her loneliness talking – perhaps she was so desperate for affection that she’d take any chance that presented itself, no matter how unlikely.

She realised that whatever the answer, she now counted Surprise as a friend. Within the space of a day – it was now well past midday – the changeling had gone from someone to be afraid of to someone she felt close to. If the peace effort succeeded, Berry would certainly end up with someone she could count on to keep her company.

But would a relationship with a changeling ever be real? Berry was uncertain what she felt about Surprise and she had no idea how the pegasus felt about her. Changelings definitely had emotions, that she knew, but were they capable of love?

They needed to feed and love was the most fulfilling emotion, so would they just do whatever they could to keep their partner happy? Would they just be completely compliant? Or would they behave normally, taking each emotion as it came, riding the ups and downs like a normal lover would?

Plus there was the fact that they were completely asexual. Berry would find that a problem.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts. She was getting way ahead of herself. Ponyville was still at risk of war and she was filling herself up with pointless little hopes and dreams.

The important thing now was to broker peace. Dash and Surprise seemed to be getting on swimmingly, the changeling taking to flight like a natural. The pair of them were now swooping through the skies above her head, at a much slower pace than Dash would normally go but still going at a decent speed.

So along with Horte, that was two ponies Surprise could reveal her secret identity to. The sooner they did that, the better. Berry didn’t know how much time they had, but she wanted to start moving things along before sunset.

Going by what Surprise had said, they had until tomorrow morning to reach a settlement.

She suddenly became aware that there was somepony behind her. She turned her head to see the third pony she had hoped to introduce Surprise to before the day was out – Twilight Sparkle.

The princess’s expression was hard to read. She didn’t seem unhappy but she wasn’t exactly joyful, either. She was watching Surprise playing with Dash, and Berry wondered how long she had been there.

“Twilight? I didn’t see you there, why didn’t you say hello?” she asked.

“Hi Berry. Sorry, I was distracted,” she said, then glanced back up to the sky again. “So, um, is that your new marefriend up there?”

The earth pony froze up, unable to respond straight away. She still had no idea how to reply after the initial shock faded – she hadn’t even considered how Twilight might react to Surprise’s cover story. The princess had only rejected her yesterday and here she was, going about town with somepony new the very next day.

“She seems to be getting on well with Rainbow. What are they doing, leaving you down here alone?”

“Oh, um, Surprise isn’t a very good flyer so Dash agreed to give her a lesson. Show her a few tricks,” said Berry.

“That was nice of her,” said Twilight. She turned her attention away from the sky but wasn’t able to look the other pony in the eye. “Sorry. This is really kinda awkward. I’d heard rumours about town that you’d found somepony and when I saw her flying around, I thought I’d find you nearby.”

“Yeah.” Berry could feel her throat tightening – it was harder to lie this time. “I met her last night and we decided to meet up this morning. It’s, uh… going okay. Haven’t really decided yet.”

“It’s okay. She seems nice. Well, I haven’t met her yet but if she’s getting on with Dash then she’s probably alright. Um.” She glanced at Berry. “I went against the advice you gave me the other day. I went to see Bon Bon this morning.”

“You did?” The earth pony wasn’t sure where this was going, but she had a sinking feeling that she wasn’t going to like it.

“I did. I’ve got a scientific mind, you see, and whenever I’m thinking about something I like to consider as many viewpoints as possible.”

She gestured with her hoof as she spoke, still not looking the other pony in the eye. “So I spoke to Bon Bon and she wasn’t very friendly at first, but I think that’s because she was a little hungover. I told her what I told you, that I don’t know what I feel about… that I hadn’t decided whether I, whether I like mares. You know.

“She can be very persuasive, but I kept a neutral perspective. Even so, now I’ve had some time to consider it, I think I’m more open to the idea. Still don’t know for definite.” She exhaled, then made an attempt at humour. “But, going along with my science analogy, you can only find things out if you experiment.”

“Twilight, look…” Berry tried to speak but the princess held up a hoof to stop her, determined to finish what she had to say.

“I know Bon Bon’s your friend and that’s why she spent most of the morning encouraging me to get together with you. I know my own mind and I’m not easily swayed unless I want to be, so you don’t need to worry.”

Berry was struck dumb. Even after the trouble she had given her last night, Bon Bon had still tried to help her.

Twilight forced a chuckle. “You should have heard some of the stuff she was saying, though. Ridiculous things. ‘You’re both purple’, she said. ‘You can have matching wardrobes’. Silly.

“She also said that, well, that we’d complement each other really well. She said you needed somepony to look after you.” She shook her head. “No, not look after you. She said that but I don’t think it’s what she meant. She said I would be a positive influence. Keep you grounded.

“And you, in turn, could encourage me to come out of my shell more. I don’t know what she meant by THAT.” She seemed mildly offended. “I’m a very social pony. I have lots of friends. I’ve acted as a representative for Equestria in far-off nations. I’ve actually saved Equestria several times. Could I have done any of that if I was shy?”

She looked at Berry and kept eye contact this time. The earth pony didn’t know if she was expecting an answer but she gave one anyway. “No. No, you couldn’t.”

“Come out of my shell. Hmph. I need my alone time. I need to study,” she said. She smiled weakly. “It doesn’t matter now, though, does it?”

Berry wanted to say something but she couldn’t find the words.

“I’m happy for you,” Twilight said. “Truly, I mean it. You’ve found somepony who can make you happy and I have a chance to sort myself out. It probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. You need somepony who… you need somepony who is… who isn’t like me. Somepony outgoing, who you can have a drink with.”

She forced another grin. “And hey, I rejected you. I’m not going to regret it now you’ve found somepony. It’s simple psychology. Wanting something that you can’t have.” She blushed, becoming flustered. “Not that I do, I mean, I… I… I should probably stop talking.”

Berry stayed quiet, wanting to look away from Twilight but worried about how that might be interpreted. She still didn’t know what she wanted in the long term, what would be best for her. But she knew what she wanted to do right now, just as well as she knew that she couldn’t do it.

And she knew that if the peace effort was going to be a success, Surprise and Twilight would have to meet.

“Twilight,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “You’ll find somepony. I know it. But only when you’re good and ready. You shouldn’t just jump at the first thing that comes along. That’s what I’ve always done and it never works out.”

Before she could finish that thought, a voice called out Twilight’s name and the pair of them turned to see who it was.

It was Rarity, Ponyville’s best and only fashion designer, and if it had been any other pony she would have appeared unduly excited.

She was running over, a wide smile painted on her lips. “Darling, you simply have to come to the boutique!” she cried. “I’ve thought up the most fabulous design that’d suit you down to a tee! It’ll complement your wings perfectly – oh! – and the colours! You have to come along right away!”

Twilight raised her hoof as her white-coated friend reached her. “Rarity, we were in the middle of a private moment here,” she said uneasily. “Can it, can it wait?”

“Oh but darling, the inspiration has struck me now!” she whined. “If we delay any longer, my mojo might leave me!”

“It won’t take a minute,” Berry said anxiously. “Twilight, I just wanted you to meet Surprise.”

The alicorn almost fled there and then. “You want me to meet her? To be honest, I’d rather take my chances with Rarity.”

The unicorn gasped in indignation. “And what do you mean by that?”

Berry ignored them both and called to her friend to come down. Surprise and Dash swooped down in unison, landing neatly in formation.

“Nice going,” said Dash. “You were a little sloppy when we first started but you’ve made great progress today.”

“Thanks!” Surprise’s smile froze when she saw Twilight and disappeared altogether when she noticed Rarity beside her.

“Twilight, this is Surprise,” Berry said, not noticing the changeling’s switch in mood. “I know this is awkward, but I’m hoping you two will get along. You see, there’s something that we need to discuss.”

“There is?” said Rarity, raising a wary eyebrow. Her tone grew a shade darker. “Hm. I wonder what that could be.”

Twilight sighed and stepped forward resignedly. “Hello, Surprise. It’s good to meet you.”

The changeling shied away, her gaze flicking between the princess and Rarity, who was looking at her with some suspicion.

“Surprise?” Berry realised her friend was in a state of distress and couldn’t work out why. “Surprise, what’s the matter?”

“Ah… I…” Her voice was shaking and she looked as though she was about to cry. “This, this is too soon. I thought I had more time.”

Berry moved to her side, deeply worried. She spoke in a low whisper: “You’ve got nothing to fear. I’m with you.”

“This isn’t right.” She paid no attention to the earth pony and was unable to take her eyes off the two new arrivals. “We can’t do this. I can’t, I can’t do this!”

Suddenly she bolted, running away blindly at full tilt.

“Surprise!” Berry was too shocked to make a move at first, and the other ponies were too taken aback by the sudden outburst to do anything to help her.

Panic took hold of the earth pony quickly, but by the time she snapped back into action the changeling was already several hundred yards away and nearing the edge of town.

“Oh no. No,” she muttered, visualising the collapse of any type of peace accord. “Dash, get after her. You have to stop her!”

“What? What the hay’s going on?” the pegasus asked, completely bewildered.

“Just get after her! Go!” cried Berry.

Her friend didn’t need to be told a third time. She was off in a flash, leaving a hazy rainbow trail in her wake.

“Berry, what’s going on? Why did she run like that?” asked Twilight.

The earth pony hesitated, thinking through her options quickly. If she revealed Surprise’s true identity now, all the work they had done in building up a rapport with the residents of Ponyville could be undone in an instant. She had no idea how the princess would react to the news, especially after Surprise had just fled like that.

“I can’t tell you now, but I have to speak with you later, okay? It’s important.” She gazed off in the direction the changeling had escaped in. “I’ve got to go.”

With that, she ran. As she reached the edge of town, her heart sank as she saw Rainbow Dash hovering in the air, looking around in confusion.

“I don’t know where she went,” the pegasus said. “I had sight of her, then she ducked into an alleyway. I followed her into it but she’d vanished, there was no sign of her.”

Berry held a hoof to her head, completely stumped as to what to do next. Anger mingled with fear. Of course, Surprise was a changeling. She’d have no trouble in giving a pony the slip if they didn’t know what they were looking for.

“Do you mind explaining to me what’s going on?” Dash was suspicious now. “Something tells me I haven’t got the full picture here.”

Berry’s mood briefly flickered between distraught and furious, finally settling on the latter.

Surprise’s behaviour was about to ruin everything. She couldn’t let this come to conflict. Not with her daughter arriving home tomorrow morning.

“SURPRISE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, scanning the area for anypony who could be the errant changeling. “Come out here now! You come out here now or I’ll tell everypony! EVERYPONY!”

The surrounding area fell deafly silent. There weren’t many ponies around, but those who were stared at Berry in astonishment.

Seething, her teeth clenched, she marched down the street searching left and right. A few moments later an abashed Surprise reluctantly trotted out of an alleyway, though not the one Dash had followed her into earlier.

Berry and the pegasus were with her in an instant. She raised a foreleg to shield herself, her cheeks wet with tears.

“Please, I don’t want there to be any fighting,” she said, her voice choked. “Please, I can’t do it. I don’t want this to happen.”

“Will one of you tell me what’s going on?” Dash demanded, her forelegs crossed.

“Dash, give us some room. I need to speak to her alone,” said Berry, who had her back to her.

“No way I’m letting that happen,” she said resolutely. “You look like you’re about to batter the tar out of her. And I want to know why she was so afraid of Twilight.”

Berry turned round and reared up, her forelegs raised and ready to strike. “Dash, I swear to Celestia, if you don’t move…”

“Stop it!” cried Surprise, loud enough to deter them both from any conflict.

“Stop it,” she repeated quietly. She looked up at Berry, visibly shaking. “Berry, it’s alright. It’s my fault. I’ll take whatever punishment I deserve.”

The earth pony shook her head, still angry. “No, this isn’t the right time. Let’s just go home and you can tell me what’s up. Then, Dash, I promise you I’ll tell you everything straight after.”

“We don’t have time,” said Surprise. “Berry, I didn’t tell you everything. I didn’t show you the same trust you showed in me. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Whatever she was building up to, she seemed afraid to put it into words.

“I had to think of my kind first,” she said. “I just kept it in reserve, as back-up in case our plan of peace didn’t work out. But I didn’t think the others would get to work so fast.”

“Others?” The word sent a chill ran down Berry’s spine. “What others? Surprise, what have you done?”

“I didn’t do anything, it was the plan from the start.” The changeling looked away, unable to bear her guilt any longer. “Think about it, Berry – our race was facing extinction. Why would our last hopes be pinned solely on me?

“Twilight has five close friends. Five other Elements of Harmony, all with their own strengths. We had to move fast and we were only given a few days to complete our mission. As long as one of us succeeded, it didn’t matter if the others failed.”

The look of horror on Berry’s face showed her she didn’t need to finish her confession, but she said it anyway.

“That wasn’t Rarity you saw just now. It was a changeling.”

Chapter 9

Berry’s consciousness drifted as Surprise’s hypnosis took control of her.

She felt distant, disconnected. As if she was trapped in a warm, protective bubble.

It was a sensation that she didn’t want to lose. She felt safe, as if she was a child again. Free from worries.

Unfortunately, it could not last.

Sounds from the outside world came rushing back and her vision returned, blurry at first but quickly regaining definition.

A worried-looking Surprise was standing before her, hoof on her shoulder.

“Berry? Berry, are you back with me? Do you remember me? Please, you have to remember me.”

The earth pony couldn’t respond at first. Something felt wrong inside – she hadn’t had time to guess what being under hypnosis would be like but she wasn’t expecting this.

It was as if she had lost a part of herself.

The changeling was becoming truly concerned now. “Berry, answer me.”

“I remember you,” she said immediately. Then her eyes widened as she realised what had just happened.

A sudden fear gripped her chest as she looked around Ponyville. The town was deadly silent, its normal hubbub of life ceased.

Throughout the streets, ponies were standing stock still where they had been when the wave hit. All of them were motionless, as if waiting for a command.

“Oh no. No.” A thin coating of sweat formed as panic took hold. “What did she do to them? Why are they just standing there?”

She rushed over to the nearest pony and shook them, trying to elicit a reaction. Nothing. They were totally lost to mind control.

Berry began to shake as the true horror of it hit her. Her legs trembled to an extent that she found it difficult to stand.

“I’m alone,” she said simply. “I’m completely alone. I’m the only one left.”

She fell back onto her haunches, her eyes stinging with tears. “No. What am I going to do? What’s going to happen when Pinchy comes home? We failed. We failed!”

“Berry!” Surprise rushed over and leaned down to her, trying to comfort her as best she could. “Listen to me. It’s not over. I promised you that and I aim to stick by it. Calm down.”

The pegasus’s words sent a sense of peace rippling through her body, allaying her nerves and soothing her fears. She got to her hooves, a gentle smile on her face.

And then a sickness rose in her gullet, a reaction against something truly unnatural. She realised that she was under Surprise’s hypnosis, that she was hers to control – and she had only calmed down because the changeling had just commanded her to.

The revelation sent an ice-cold shard of pain through her brain. Even as she tried to fight against the unnatural feelings of harmony within her, she felt another source trying to take over her mind.

“Berry! What’s the matter, what’s wrong?” Surprise held the shaking pony’s face close to hers, fearful that she was about to have a complete breakdown.

“You ordered me to calm down and I had no choice to obey,” she said, her conflicting emotions threatening to tear her in two. “I have to do what you say. I can’t even control how I feel about it!”

The changeling gasped, horrified at what she had just done to her friend. “Just feel whatever you need to feel, okay?” she said hastily. “I’ll be more careful from now on.

“But you can’t resist my hypnosis. You mustn’t. Twilight’s spell still hit you – its effects are only being held back by my link with you. If you fight against my hypnosis and break free of it, you’ll be overcome immediately.”

Berry’s fear returned to her, accompanied by a strange sense of relief. Her emotions were hers again but she now knew what that strange sensation was, the wrongness she felt in her soul. She had lost her free will.

It was only then that she noticed the sound, growing louder as it drew nearer. It was the sound of hundreds of wings beating, coming towards the town.

“You have to…” Surprise stopped herself mid-sentence as she realised she was about to give Berry another order on how she should feel. “My comrades and the ponies who left the town are heading back here. It would be a good idea not to do anything that gives us away.

“Shadow Dancer – that’s the changeling who disguised himself as Rarity – knows that I made a connection with you. There’s no doubt that he informed my mother. That’s our cover story, that’s why you’re not motionless like the rest. You have to…”

She didn’t have time to explain the rest of her plan. A tall, white pegasus with a flowing blue mane landed in the town square and surveyed the area, her head held tall and proud.

It had to be Queen Chrysalis, Berry was certain of it. She fought the urge to run and watched as the changeling leader barked an order.

“Ponyville!” she cried, with a volume equal to that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Go back to your business as normal!”

It was as if someone had clicked an ‘on’ switch. Everypony sparked into life, returning to their duties. More than a few were confused as to what had happened in the past couple of minutes, but they dismissed those thoughts quickly.

There followed an almighty commotion as hundreds of disguised changelings entered the town, along with the ponies who had been out hunting for Twilight. They quickly began to disperse, looking for places where they could settle and victims to hunt.

The tall, white pegasus held a few of them back and whispered orders to them – Berry was close enough that she could hear.

“Head out and search the surrounding area, including the Everfree Forest. Every pony has to be accounted for, otherwise their friends may start asking difficult questions. Make sure none are missing – nopony must suspect.”

The changelings set off to carry out their orders. If the height hadn’t been a giveaway, her commanding tone and authority was final proof.

Chrysalis nodded her head in approval, then caught sight of Surprise and marched over swiftly.

She assessed the pair of them quickly, staring at Berry with suspicion. “Who is this?” she asked, pointing a hoof at her.

“She’s my chosen partner,” Surprise replied immediately, putting a leg around the earth pony’s neck and pulling her close. “You’re mine, isn’t that right darling?”

“Absolutely. Body and soul,” Berry said, wincing internally at the stammer in her voice.

Chrysalis scrutinised her for a moment, but thankfully seemed satisfied by her answer. “I’m glad to hear it.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Surprise. “I want to speak to you. Would your friend mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?”

“Oh no, not at all,” she replied, though her nervousness was evident in her tone. She turned to Berry. “Sorry, this is important. It won’t take long. Wait for me in the bar.”

The purple-coated pony didn’t even have time to reply before her subconscious took over. She began to walk away, calling out a hurried farewell to Surprise as she went.

Every step she made was driven by an outside force. As much as this disturbed her, she knew better now than to try to fight against it.

Surprise was with her mother now, most likely answering demands for an explanation of her earlier behaviour. Her calls for peace would fall on deaf ears now Ponyville had been conquered. Why risk everything for a gambit that even Surprise hadn’t been sure would succeed?

Berry wondered what would happen to her once that meeting was over. Would Surprise reveal that she was not under the control of Twilight’s spell? Chrysalis would order her to remove her hypnosis, and then Berry would be lost. Lost like the others.

Her heart sank as she watched crowds of ponies meeting, talking and walking away with each other. There was no way of telling who was a changeling and who wasn’t, though there was a proliferation of stallions where there had been few before.

She reached Horte’s restaurant, the compulsion to walk leaving her as soon as she entered. A measure of freedom had been returned to her, though she knew she would be unable to leave until Surprise gave her permission. For the foreseeable future, she was stuck here.

Horte was behind the bar as usual, a beacon of familiarity. He smiled as he saw her approach and she did her best to return his greeting.

“Good afternoon, Miss Punch! Always a pleasure!” he said, with a good deal more enthusiasm than she was used to.

“Horte. Hello.” She was withdrawn, upset. That wasn’t good enough, not if she wanted to maintain her façade. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

She tried again. “You seem much happier than usual, Horte. What’s up?” she asked, forcing herself to appear cheerful.

“Well might you ask,” he said with a grin. He looked past her and called out: “Emerald Shine! Get over here, there’s somepony I want you to meet.”

A mare with a coat of light green and a mane that was a shade darker trotted up to the bar, ducked under the dividing barrier and gave him a welcoming nuzzle.

He grinned. “Berry, I have news that shall no doubt break the heart of every mare in Ponyville. Horte Cuisine is no longer on the market. Any chance of romance with another is strictly off the menu. I have found the mare that I want to marry.”

Berry’s mouth dropped open so far that it could accommodate the bottom of a pint mug.

“I know, I know. It’s quite a shock,” he said. “Somepony as cynical as me hardly seems the type to believe in love at first sight. But it’s true. I only met her a short while ago but it feels as if I’ve known her forever.”

Emerald Shine smiled at Berry. “It’s a whirlwind romance, I must admit. But there’s something about this stallion – he’s a real catch. He’s already told me about you and I hope you can be happy for us.”

She scratched her chin. “Hey, are you single? I’m friends with somepony who’d be perfect for you.”

“Uh, no thanks. I already have a partner – her name’s Surprise,” said Berry. The green-coated changeling flinched at the mention of the queen’s daughter, ending any talk of setting the earth pony up with a blind date.

“Oh? That’s wonderful news,” said Horte. “It’s about time you found somepony. You’ve been single for far too long.”

Berry couldn’t take any more. She beckoned Horte to come closer and whispered to him, hoping the changeling by his side wouldn’t hear. “Horte, are you sure about this? I really don’t think she’s right for you.”

“Not right for me?” he exclaimed, earning Berry an angry glare from Emerald Shine. “Why would you say that? Why don’t you think we’re suited for each other?”

“Because you’re gay,” she said bluntly.

He whipped his head back as if she had slapped him in the face. A look of bewilderment passed over him, confusion colouring his features. He frowned as he struggled to remember a memory recently forgotten, stuck just beyond the boundaries of his perception.

“You, you’re right,” he mumbled. “Wait. Wait, how long have I been with her? I thought I met her when we… but that can’t be right. I, I don’t understand.”

“Darling.” Emerald Shine tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to face her. Her eyes flared green and he was immediately lost in them, his mind rewritten to suit her reality.

Berry tried to stifle her horror as his grimace transformed into a carefree grin.

“Sexuality can be transient if you find the right partner,” he said. “Ponies can change, there’s no rule against it. Let’s face it, a mare as beautiful as Emerald Shine could turn anypony’s head.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said tremulously. “Your happiness is all that matters at the end of the day. I’m happy for you, Horte.”

“What can I get you to drink?” he asked. “It’s on the house. Two permanent singletons have found love at last, I think that deserves a toast.”

Berry struggled to keep herself together. She wanted nothing more than to run home and lock herself away, but even the thought of it was painful. She was incapable of leaving the restaurant, much as she wanted to.

“I’ll have a…” Her voice trailed off as she wondered whether alcohol would have any effect on Surprise’s hypnosis. It was strong enough that no chemical was likely to break it, but if she loosened her inhibitions she might become more likely to rebel against it. She couldn’t risk that.

“I’ll just have a water. I’m still feeling hungover from last night, if I’m honest,” she said.

“Hm. It’s never stopped you before, but if you insist,” he said. Berry felt a pang of fear as Emerald Shine shot her a suspicious look, before moving away from the bar.

“You should invite this new marefriend of yours to join us. We could make it a double date,” Horte said. He pushed the freshly poured glass of water towards her and finally noticed something was wrong.

“Are you alright? You look as though you’re about to be sick. I guess that hangover must be more serious than you let on.” His smile faded when Berry didn’t respond, and he examined her more closely.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured. “What’s the matter? Berry, answer me. You look positively terrified.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said, though by now it was clear she was anything but. “I feel a bit faint, that’s all. I just need a lie down.”

“Not feeling well? I have a friend who can help you with that.” It was Emerald Shine, flanked by a red-maned companion. They were both smiling but, underneath, their intentions were clear.

“Don’t worry, Horte my darling,” she said. “We’ll give her what she needs. Come sit with us, Miss Punch. Let’s talk about your problems.”

Berry looked around the bar frantically for anypony who could help her, but of course there were none.

“Come and join us,” said Emerald Shine, her voice taking on a dark edge. “I insist.”

Thoughts of fleeing pervaded her mind, bringing with them a pulsing ache that warned her of what would happen if she attempted it.

Instead, she followed the green-coated changeling and her cohorts to a quiet table at the window, away from everypony else.

“You appear to be out of sorts, my dear. A little shaken,” Emerald Shine said once they had settled. “Now, I’m just wondering why that is. Could you tell me what’s wrong?”

Berry was too afraid to lie. Too afraid to say anything. She whimpered and turned her head away from her questioner.

“I see,” she said, and her disgruntled tone indicated that she had guessed the truth. “Well, let me tell you now, there’s no need to be scared. Look around you. Everypony here is happy. You can join them. Just look into my eyes.”

The earth pony squeezed her eyes shut tighter, pressing herself against the bench behind her.

“Horte’s watching. What are you going to do?” she said with as much defiance as she could muster. “You can’t attack me. You can’t force me. Everypony will see.”

“And what are you going to do?” asked Emerald Shine. “You’re alone. It’d be so much easier to submit.”

Her voice softened as she tried to reason with the earth pony. “Don’t make this difficult for yourself. If you try causing a ruckus, if you try to expose the secret, it’s not going to end well. Nopony will believe you, anyway. Our queen has already seen to that. How did you evade her spell, anyway?”

“Surprise saved me. She put me under hypnosis before your attack could take effect.”

The changelings sitting opposite made no response. As she couldn’t see them, Berry had no idea what they were thinking or how they had reacted.

But even as the silence continued, she had no intention of opening her eyes.

Emerald Shine finally spoke up: “What are you talking about? Why would she do that?”

Timidly, apprehensively, Berry raised her head and widened her eyes by a fraction, watching the changeling through peripheral vision. Realising she was safe for a moment, she met her aggressor’s confused stare.

“Surprise came after me last night but she couldn’t go through with it. We talked,” she said. “And she told me everything. About how hungry you were. About how you were first created. She told me about your plan. And we realised that there was no way it could possibly work.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Emerald sneered, leaning in close. “Look around you. We’ve won. Ponyville is ours.”

“But for how long?” asked Berry, bumping against the bench as she backed away. “Horte came close to realising the truth only a few moments ago, just through casual conversation. You’ve just doubled Ponyville’s population in the space of a day. Even with mind control, ponies are going to start asking questions.

“What happens when you’re unable to cover up the inconsistencies? What’ll happen if enough ponies discover that everything is wrong? You’re sitting on a powder keg.”

The changeling by Emerald’s side, a beige-coated pony with a fiery red mane, spoke up. “It doesn’t matter. We needed to feed and we got what we came for. If you think you can frighten us…”

“Quiet.” Emerald pushed the other changeling back with her hoof without a glance, silencing her instantly.

“If Surprise told you our plan, then you know we were out of time,” she said. “This started out as a short-term measure, but there’s nothing stopping us from making it permanent.”

Berry was still terrified but she could tell that Emerald’s conviction wasn’t as strong as her words. Her only chance was to continue her line of conversation.

“You’ll spend every day dreading the moment when it all falls through. And it will,” she said. “Surprise was looking for a long-term solution. A way to resolve your problems without the need for conflict. We had been making good progress.”

“Don’t.” The red-maned changeling had been about to make a rebuttal, but Emerald stopped her before she had the chance.

Berry continued: “We were trying to integrate her into pony society. I introduced her to my friends, to some of the most influential residents in Ponyville. To Horte.”

Emerald glanced over at the stallion whom she had claimed as her own, who was too busy serving customers to pay heed to their conversation on the other side of the restaurant. The changeling was clearly thinking things over.

“We were getting along great. We were hopeful. She was building up relationships and we were preparing to reveal who she really was. From there, we were aiming to build the foundations of a truce. Find peace. But then everything went wrong. She met another changeling disguised as Rarity, she panicked, and… and…”

“And we took over,” Emerald said quietly. She frowned, scrutinising the earth pony carefully. “You say you were nearly successful. How can we trust you? What’s not to say that you took Surprise prisoner and forced the information out of her?”

Berry almost lost her nerve but she managed to recover. “Because if we had done that, I wouldn’t be speaking to you now,” she said. “Think about it. Why would she protect me from Twilight’s spell? Why would she still want me around?”

Emerald didn’t give an answer, so she supplied one for her. “Because she’s my friend. She didn’t want to lose me. She knows that what you’re doing is wrong. I’m hoping she still believes that peace is possible.”

The changeling remained quiet for a while, pondering this information.

She looked at Berry impassively, then asked her: “And do you still believe peace is possible?”

The earth pony’s lip quivered and she stared down at the floor. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice a barely contained wail. “But it’s still worth fighting for. Anything’s better than the alternative.”

“Anything?” she repeated, the question loaded with danger.

Berry nodded simply, then closed her eyes and would not look at her.

“Leave us,” Emerald said to her cohort. “Tell no-one of what you heard here.”

Once she had gone, Emerald turned her attention back to Berry, speaking in a low whisper. “I don’t think your plan will work. Ponies and changelings are enemies, Celestia made her choice.”

Her next words were less aggressive. “But Princess Surprise is my commander and I bow to her will. If she believes she can make a difference, I shall not stop her – unless she does something that puts the rest of us under threat.

“Let me make it clear – I don’t like your kind. You act superior when you have no right to do so. You behave as if you rule the planet, rather than just the little corner you make your home. You’re dangerous too – back in Canterlot, the rainbow one almost fractured my jaw.

“But, loath as I am to admit it, you’re right when you say this situation can’t last. Something’s going to break eventually and there’ll be hell to pay when it does.”

She sighed. “I suppose if a pony can get over its prejudices and befriend the princess, then anything’s possible. Hell, if it means we don’t have to fight for the right to exist any more, I’ll live with anyone.”

Berry looked at her cautiously – she found the changeling frightening and obnoxious, but she was convinced that she at least didn’t intend to harm her.

“You’ll stay with me until Surprise gets here,” Emerald said. “I don’t trust my colleague to leave you alone.”

The pair of them sat in a prolonged silence. Berry kept the changeling on the periphery of her vision, afraid of looking her directly in the eye. Emerald kept a casual, patient watch over her.

Horte went over to them once while they were waiting but was quickly sent away without any complaint on his part.

It was a relief when Surprise finally arrived. She approached the table apprehensively, worried about what might have happened in her absence.

Emerald bowed her head deferentially. “Good evening, princess. I’ll leave her in your care.” She shot a condescending look at Berry. “She’s got spirit, I’ll give her that, but she’s not much of a conversationalist.”

Surprise grimaced, her face wrinkled by worry. The other changeling moved close to her and whispered: “I’ve heard your plan. If you truly believe it could work, then I’m with you. But if you do anything that puts our survival at risk, then I don’t care who you are – I’ll crush you.”

With that, she moved away. The pegasus, shaken by the encounter, turned to Berry for an explanation.

“Can we just get out of here? Please?” The earth pony spoke in a tiny voice. It was a conscious effort – if she didn’t talk quietly, she was afraid she might scream.

“Okay. Okay, let’s go.” Surprise led the way, finally giving an order that Berry didn’t mind following.

The pair of them walked through the town in silence. The streets were still full of life, with changelings befriending or seducing new victims everywhere Berry looked. It was the equivalent of a feeding frenzy.

She felt a sudden stab to the heart as a revelation hit her. She had begun the weekend with hopes of finding a special somepony, a partner to share her live with. Now, despite the underlying deception of it all, everypony in town was achieving her dream. Except for her.

It was too cruel. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer but she continued walking, determined to get home as soon as possible. She needed to find some respite from this nightmare.

Surprise saw her face, her blinking eyes and the wetness on her cheeks, and moved in close. “Berry.”

“Get home, we’ve just got to get home,” was all the earth pony could manage.

The changeling nodded in sympathy and increased her pace, wary of watchful eyes that could spot that something was wrong.

They arrived back at Berry’s home without any further incident. Surprise locked the front door behind them to prevent any unwanted intrusion.

Now she was in relative safety, the earth pony finally broke down. She allowed herself to vent everything that had built up, all the fear, pain and sorrow. The town she had lived in all her life had been conquered, her friends enslaved.

The emotion she was letting loose was so strong that Surprise couldn’t help but absorb some of it, and the negativity within made her feel nauseous.

She fought past the unpleasantness and went to Berry’s side to comfort her as best she could, wrapping a leg around her and holding her close.

The minutes passed and the pony slowly regained control of herself, reaching a state where she was at least able to hold a conversation.

“Chrysalis,” she said, her voice still choked by tears. “Chrysalis, what did she say to you? What did you say to her? How much does she know?”

Surprise didn’t move for a moment, then slowly pulled her leg away and shifted so she was face-to-face with Berry.

“Shadow Dancer told her that my secret identity had been compromised, that it was clear that you knew I was a changeling.”

The earth pony squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her forelegs. Surprise reached out to her, desperate to provide reassurance. “Don’t worry, you’re safe,” she said. “I convinced her that you were taken over by the wave, like the others. She doesn’t know you’re still aware of us.”

Berry stayed motionless, so Surprise continued talking, her tone nervous and hurried. “I told her what I had been trying to do. To find peace between changelings and ponies. She, she didn’t take it well.

“She said it was a crazy plan, that there was no way it could have worked. She was so angry with me. But she calmed down eventually. Then she was able to look at it more rationally.

“She appreciated what I had attempted, she appreciated my efforts. But she was still adamantly opposed. Changelings and ponies are enemies, she said. There’s no way they can ever get along together. I tried to tell her about the progress I had made but her mind was made up. I’m sorry, Berry. I’m so sorry. I tried.”

The earth pony raised her head from her hooves slightly so only her eyes were visible, still wet but staring.

“You tried,” she repeated, her voice frighteningly calm.

Surprise raised a hoof self defensively, unable to answer.

“I see,” said Berry, breathing heavily. “So tell me, Surprise. Tell me, what am I supposed to do now?”

“You, you could run,” she offered. “You can still get out of here. You could find your daughter, stop her from coming here.”

Berry stood up slowly, her lip curled in a trembling snarl. “I could, I could run,” she said. “I could leave all of my friends, everypony I care about, I could leave all of them behind. Live in exile for the rest of my days, subject my daughter to a lifetime of fear. I could…”

She finally lost control, bursting into a sudden, violent rage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve DONE? Have you seen what’s going on out there? You’ve taken everything from me. EVERYTHING!”

She was so consumed by anger that she had to express it physically, gesturing wildly with her hooves. “Did you see what did to Horte? To my best friend? They’ve torn out an essential part of his soul. My best friend, he’s gone. He never used to care about love, never cared what other ponies thought. Now he’s a mindless slave, at that changeling’s beck and call! He didn’t even remember you!”

She advanced on Surprise, who quickly stepped backwards in a bid to escape her wrath. “YOU! You come in here, destroy my life and then try to shrug it off with a simple ‘I tried’. You tried? You didn’t try, you just gave up. All this talk of peace, all your talk of trying to make it work, and when it comes to the crunch, you buckle. You surrender. You tell me I should run away. Run away? Run away to WHAT?”

“Berry, please.” Surprise was backed against a wall, her front hooves raised in an effort to shield herself. “Please, I tried. What could I do? She’s the leader of the changelings. Her word is law. I can’t stand against her.”

“Right. Right, okay.” Berry gritted her teeth and a shudder of apprehension passed through her, then she grimaced in disgust and marched towards the door. “If you’re too much of a coward to do anything, I will. I don’t care what she does, I’m not going to live like this.”

“Stop!” Surprise’s order immediately halted the earth pony in her tracks. Any effort she made at walking to the exit caused a burst of pain in her mind.

“I can’t let you go,” said the changeling. “You’re not thinking straight. You’re going to get yourself hurt. Maybe worse.”

“What gives you the right?” cried Berry, her body tensed in frustration. “What gives you the right to order me around?”

The pony’s lip quivered and she looked away. When she turned back, she was still angry but her expression had changed, as if the light had gone out in her eyes.

“Finish it,” she said. “If you’re going to hypnotise me, then do the job properly. This is torture. Finish it. I don’t want to be alone any longer.”

“I can’t do that,” Surprise replied, her voice wavering. “It’s not right. You wouldn’t be you any more.”

Berry let out a pained scream and dived at Surprise, who quickly flew up and out of her reach.

“Please, will you calm…” The changeling stopped herself as she realised she was about to give Berry another order. “It’s not over. You still have free will.”

“And what use is it?” she shouted. “You’ve given up. You hypocrite! I was willing to risk everything for you but when the tables were turned, you didn’t even try! You didn’t even try!” She shook her head. “But it’s not fair to blame you. It’s my fault. Because I trusted you.”

Surprise held a hoof to her mouth and she grew tearful. She realised that this was going to hurt.

“I trusted you. I was stupid enough to count you as a friend,” Berry said, her rage lessening as she grew increasingly upset. “Hell, I was even starting to care for you. Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Because you never cared about me, you probably never even liked me. It was all a delaying tactic, keeping me quiet so your friends could finish the job.”

“It wasn’t like that Berry, I swear…”

“But that’s how it turned out, isn’t it? And I’m sure, on some level, you’re relieved. Because you don’t have to fight, because there’s not going to be a confrontation with your mother. You’re not going to argue your case, you’re going to roll over and submit. Even though it goes against your principles, even though you admit it’s wrong, you’re going to let it happen. Because you’re weak. Weak!”

Surprise flinched at the accusation. It stung because, deep down, she believed it to be true.

Berry walked over to her as she dropped to the floor. “That’s the core of it, isn’t it? That’s what it all comes down to.” Her voice was trembling now. “The only reason you let me go in the first place was because you weren’t strong enough to carry out your job. I gave you an excuse to delay the inevitable and you took it, so you could let someone else make the tough decisions for you. Because you were too weak.”

Surprise shook her head, wiping her eyes. “That wasn’t weakness, it was compassion,” she said. “Berry, it wasn’t a lie. I do care about you. I do.”

“But not enough to fight for me,” she said, her voice becoming choked. “Even when you knew it was right, you couldn’t argue your case. Hell, Emerald Shine hates my guts and even she hasn’t given up like you.”

She stared Surprise in the eyes, standing tall with as much confidence as she could muster. “You can’t have it both ways. You either help set Ponyville free or you keep it enslaved, but either way I have to be a part of it.”

The pegasus clenched her teeth and shied away. “But what happens to my kind now? Ponies were unlikely to accept us from the start but after what we’ve done, there’s no way they’ll want peace. They won’t even consider it. And if Chrysalis finds out that you’re still free then there’ll be no hesitation. I don’t want to lose you.”

There was something behind that last comment that made Berry’s heart skip a beat, but she chose to ignore it.

“You won’t have a choice,” she said. “I’m going to speak to Chrysalis, either with or without you.”

She beckoned towards the door. “Your last order prevents me from going outside. If I disobey that, if I fight past your mind control and step through that door, your hold over me will be broken and the same spell affecting everypony in Ponyville will take its place. The only thing that can prevent that is if I leave with you by my side.”

“You can’t,” said Surprise. “You don’t know how painful it is to break free from hypnosis. I won’t let you do it, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“It can’t be any worse than what I’m feeling now.” Surprise went to speak but Berry stopped her. “And don’t tell me to disregard your last order. Show me some respect. If I don’t break your mind control that way, I’ll find some other way to do it.

“Now decide. Make your choice. Are you going to stand up to Chrysalis, or are you going to let me go?”

Surprise could only stare at her, torn between loyalties. Her lip trembled and she appeared to desperately want to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Berry felt an emptiness build inside as she realised she was going to have to make the decision for her.

Chapter 10

Berry took a step forward, disturbed by Surprise’s lack of a response. The changeling looked up at her, her eyes glistening.

“Please don’t go,” she said. “I’m not ordering you, I’m asking you – please don’t go. You’d be throwing away your freedom.”

“You have to make a choice. Either you let me go or you help me talk to Chrysalis,” said Berry.

“But that’s no choice at all. If you break my hypnosis, then I lose you. If we go to Chrysalis then she’ll break it herself, and I’ll lose you. We don’t have a plan, we don’t have anything. I know you’re upset, but you’re about to throw your last chance away.”

“We have to do something!” she said, stomping her hoof decisively on the floor. “I’m not prepared to live like this. Not knowing that my daughter’s coming home tomorrow. Not knowing that soon she’ll… she’ll…”

“Berry, you don’t know my mother like I do.” There was sorrow in her words. “She’s headstrong, persistent, won’t accept any view other than her own. She’s everything that I’m not. There’s no way I can convince her to set Ponyville free, especially when it’d probably doom my race to starvation. She won’t allow any loose ends.”

The earth pony sat back on her haunches as she allowed that information to sink in. She hadn’t permitted herself to admit it while she was blinded with anger, but Surprise had a point.

Berry had wanted an ending to her torment and she hadn’t cared what form it took. Now she realised she was truly trapped. The only choices that seemed available were to know that she was living in slavery, or become oblivious to it.

“I wasn’t being weak,” said Surprise. “I was protecting you. It took a lot to convince her that you weren’t a threat and if she finds out I lied to her, she’ll be so angry that it’ll be impossible to talk to her.”

She tapped her front hooves together nervously, bowing her head. “We changelings reach adulthood within hours of our creation, but she’s always treated me like a child. I was glad of it when I was in the hive. It made me feel safe.

“But now I’m out in the world, trying to make decisions for myself, she’s still treating me as such and it’s humiliating. It’s like my opinions don’t matter, I’m too young to know any better and that’s that.

“The problem is, I know I’m right. Peace is the only way forward, no matter how unlikely it seems. But as long as she remains in charge, it’ll never happen.”

Berry blinked, unsure that Surprise had truly meant what her words implied.

“Are you suggesting… are you suggesting that you have to depose her? Take over?”

The changeling stood bolt upright, the speed of her movement almost causing her to topple over backwards.

“What? No! No, I could never do that,” she said. “She’s my mother. She’s always been our leader. There’s no way the other changelings would support me.”

“I’m not so sure,” Berry said, a spark of enthusiasm slowly igniting within her. “I mean, even though Emerald Shine was aggressive, she was convinced that Chrysalis’s plan is going to fail eventually. If there was a genuine alternative, if there was a guarantee of lasting security, I think she’d take it.

“And you mentioned yourself that several other changelings feel uneasy about making others suffer just so they can get a meal. If you can win them over, you’ll overcome a major obstacle to the peace process.”

“Berry, I can’t do it,” Surprise said, certain in her inability. “I can’t betray her like that. She’s cared for me my entire life, looked over me, watched out for me.”

The earth pony wasn’t listening. She was starting to pace, trying to work out the best plan of attack. “It’s high time you started fighting your own battles. We need to be smart about it. Don’t portray it as an overthrow, just a new way of thinking. Start with Emerald Shine, build up support. Give a voice to the general consensus. With enough changelings behind you, she’ll have to cave in or…”

“I won’t do it!” Surprise shouted. Berry stopped pacing and looked at her in shock.

The changeling took a moment to compose herself. “I won’t do it,” she said. “I can’t do that to her, and I can’t cope with conflict. I’ll crumble. At worst, it’ll create two factions – one seeking peace and the other preferring the old way. Our race would fall to in-fighting and there’s no guarantee ponykind would accept either of us.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Berry went to her side and held a hoof against her shoulder, offering her reassurance. “Surprise, you’re stronger than you realise. The first night we met – only yesterday, if you can believe that – you listened to me. You did something no changeling has ever done before. You tried to find a compromise, you tried to find acceptance. And you found it.

“It’s late evening now. The sun’s setting. When it rises again, my daughter will return to Ponyville and she and all the other colts and fillies will fall to Chrysalis’s spell. We have to act now. There are still ponies and changelings outside, I can hear them. The larger an audience we have, the greater our chance of success.”

“The greater the chance of a fight breaking out,” Surprise countered. “Berry, listen to me. When I suggested you run away, I wasn’t being a coward. I genuinely believe it’s your best option. You can take your daughter to safety.”

Berry grimaced. “I’m not running, I told you. I’m not willing to spend my life in fear, I’m not going to leave my friends.”

“You wouldn’t be,” she said. “Ponyville is not an island. To even reach your daughter you’d have to meet with the contingent from the Zebra Kingdom. I don’t believe for a second that you wouldn’t tell them what was going on.

“If you want Ponyville to be free, this is the only way to do it. I’ll aid your escape, give you a few hours’ head start. Then I’ll tell my mother that you’ve escaped, that you tricked me. There’ll be no way they can catch you by that point. We’ll have to start planning our next move, we’ll have to find another place to go. But we’ll have time to prepare.”

Berry shook her head, all too aware of the consequences that plan would have. “Emerald Shine knows the truth. The changelings would know you betrayed them. They’d crucify you.”

Surprise closed her eyes as if to shut out the possibility. “I’d survive,” she said. “But if you stay here, you’ll be captured eventually.”

The earth pony held a hoof to her mouth, deeply affected by the changeling’s proposal. “You’d do that for me?”

Surprise nodded silently and Berry felt a deep warmth rise within her, tempered by fear for her friend. As noble as the offer was, she knew that she couldn’t accept it.

“It still wouldn’t work,” she said. “Too many changelings would be unwilling to give it up. They’d fight for it. There’d be war. And that’s exactly what we have to avoid.” She bowed her head, moving in closer to Surprise. “No, it has to be all or nothing. Success or failure, nothing in between. Peace or servitude. As horrible as it is, there’s a chance that your kind may be able to keep up this deception indefinitely. And although we’d be enslaved, at least nopony would die.”

The changeling looked up, her expression deeply troubled. “It’s all so risky and we have no proof things can work out. We have no idea how the changelings or ponykind will react to an offer of peace.”

She frowned suddenly, then slowly walked past Berry, lost in contemplation. When she turned around again, her brow was furrowed and her eyes shone with fear, but she had clearly come to a decision.

“I think I have a plan,” she said. “The most important thing we can achieve is get my mother to listen, force her to listen. See things from your point of view.”

Berry stepped forward, prompting her to continue her line of thought.

“It’s similar to the plan we had before, but inverted,” she said. “We have to prove that ponykind are reasonable creatures, not something to be wary of. That peace is possible.

“I’m going to introduce you to my mother. Then we’ll take things from there. I’ll need your full support.”

The purple-coated pony recoiled at the thought. Now her anger had left her, nervousness had taken over. “What’s to stop her from taking over my mind? I’m a threat. At least, she’ll see me as a threat.”

“I told you, I have a plan. But it’s risky,” she said. She was about to say something but then she stopped herself.

“Are you going to tell me what it is?” A few minutes ago, Berry had been ready to storm out and find Chrysalis. Now she had cooled down, thought it out more clearly, she realised just how dangerous it would be to confront her.

She shook her head. “If I told you, you’d only try to stop me. You said it yourself, it has to be all or nothing. But this way, if it all goes horribly wrong, neither of our races will be put in danger. However, if we do get a chance to put our case then they’re going to have to decide what they want pretty quickly.”

Berry was having difficulty swallowing past the growing knot of anxiety in her throat. “You’re not making me feel any better.”

“Just be ready to argue in favour of peace. I’ll protect you. We’re running out of time.”

Surprise paused, then looked around the room slowly, taking in her surroundings. “You know,” she said, her voice faltering. “This could be the last time we ever see each other. In these circumstances at least. Still free. Still knowing each other.”

A wave of sadness passed over Berry as she realised she was right. For the briefest of moments she wanted to call off the whole mission, but she knew that was impossible. Things had gone too far.

If she had to choose somepony to be the saviour of Ponyville she would have been the last one on the list, but that was the way it had fallen and she had a responsibility to fulfil.

“Is there anything you want to say? Anything you want me to do?” she asked Surprise.

The changeling hesitated a while, considering the questions but coming up blank. She was apparently too nervous to think of anything but the task that lay ahead of them. She repeated the question to Berry.

The pony fell quiet. There was a moment here, a chance for her to make a move.

But the possibilities of it frightened her. This was a time of high emotion and she didn’t know if what she was feeling came from her heart or the situation. Surprise hadn’t said anything when given the opportunity, even though Berry was certain now that there was something there.

Perhaps it was easier this way. If they made that step, it would be harder to risk everything.

Berry cleared her throat. “There is one thing,” she said, her voice cracking. “If the worst happens, if I do lose myself, could you make sure… could you make sure that Ruby Pinch and I are happy?”

“Of course.” Surprise looked away so she couldn’t see her face. “If I was in your situation, I’d ask you to do the same for me.”

All that was left to be said had been spoken. There was nothing left to do now but to step out into the evening air, the sun slowly setting on another day.

The original residents of Ponyville were starting to settle into a routine with its new entrants. The hubbub of before, when changelings were busy finding ponies to pair themselves up with, had died down to a gentle hum of conversation.

The streets were still busier than they would normally be on a Sunday evening, with changelings chatting away merrily with their prey. The more they learned about them, the easier it would be to maintain the deception.

As far as the ponyfolk were concerned, it was now as if they had always been here. Memories had been rewritten to match a version of history that suited them.

Berry tried her best to appear calm while ignoring the scenes around her as best she could. She kept her vision blinkered, paying no heed to the periphery, and focused on her destination.

Surprise was keeping pace beside her, adopting a stride that was supposed to seem confident. It was forced – her hoofsteps were landing on the ground too hard, her legs were a little too rigid.

Her pretence faltered further when Twilight’s library came into view. As the front door drew ever closer, the pegasus began to fall behind and Berry had to slow down to stay level with her.

When they were just a few yards away she stopped completely, stricken with anxiety.

“Surprise.” Berry was unsuccessfully trying not to let her own fear show. “Surprise, you shouldn’t be this afraid of your own mother. You’ve got to be strong.”

“It’s not her I’m afraid of, you know that,” she whispered back. “I’m afraid of what comes next.”

Steeling herself, she marched up to the door and rapped it hard three times. There was a moment’s pause, just enough time to make Berry feel queasy, then it opened wide.

A tall white pegasus with a whispery, light blue mane stood in the doorway, her cold demeanour making her an imposing sight.

Her expression brightened when she saw Surprise but the warmth faded slightly when she saw Berry standing a few yards behind her.

“Surprise, my dear. What can I do for you?” she asked.

The younger changeling took a breath to steady her nerve. “Mother, we need to talk. About everything.”

Chrysalis frowned, already having an inkling about where this was going and not liking it one bit. “Come inside then, where we can chat in private.”

Surprise shook her head. “No. This is too important, and she’s a part of it.” She indicated towards Berry, who stepped forward so she was by her side. The pony kept her vision locked downwards.

The changeling queen sighed in concerned exasperation. “Surprise, what’s happening here? What have you done?”

“I’m doing…” Her voice cracked and she was forced to clear her throat. “I’m doing what’s best for our race. For both of our races.”

“She’s still self-aware, isn’t she?” Chrysalis frowned, visibly forcing down her anger. “What did I tell you before? I warned you. A single chink in the armour will be enough to bring all of this crashing down.”

“But that’s exactly it,” she said urgently, frightened that she was already losing the battle. “What we have here, it won’t last. It can’t last. We have to find an alternative, otherwise we’ll face extinction. We have to find peace.”

“And I’ve already told you that’s impossible.” She nodded towards Berry. “Is that what this one told you? That she wants peace? Borne out of desperation, no doubt. She saw that you were superior and tried to make a bargain.”

“That’s not true,” Surprise said. She ruffled her wings, almost taking flight so she would be at eye-level with her mother, but lost her nerve and remained grounded. “It was mutual. Yes, she was afraid, yes, she knew I was stronger than her…”

“Keep your voice down.” Chrysalis hissed the warning under her breath, immediately silencing her daughter. The taller changeling waved a greeting to a pony passing by, maintaining a cheery façade until any danger of being overheard had gone.

“You have to be careful,” she said, then indicated inside the library before closing the front door. “Twilight Sparkle is inside. Busy studying, as is her way. And you, you have brought this pony here.” She growled dangerously. “All she has to do is call out and our entire plan is at risk. You’ve put us all in jeopardy.”

She grinned, addressing Berry. “But you’re not going to call out, are you? You’re too afraid. Too afraid to carry out your ploy. And now you’re not going to get the chance.”

She reached out a hoof towards the earth pony but Surprise jumped in between them. “No!” she cried, causing her mother to recoil in shock. “No, I’m not going to let you do it. You’re going to listen to me!”

Berry was trembling, driven mute by fright. Surprise recognised her fear and extended her nearest wing, offering shelter and drawing her closer.

“We came to a decision,” she said, her nerves causing her to speak a little too quickly. “We realised how fragile the spell would be. How difficult it would be to keep watch over everypony and make sure they didn’t realise what was happening. We knew that if things didn’t change, the changeling race would eventually have to fight for its survival. There would be war.”

Chrysalis exhaled hard, realising that her daughter needed reassurance. “That’s not going to happen. We’ve won. Victory is ours, now and forever. Now we have a stronghold here, we can spread our influence throughout the land…”

“And spread our forces more and more thinly until there’s no way we can keep control of it all. This isn’t going to work, mother,” Surprise said, with all the strength she could muster. Chrysalis didn’t have an immediate answer to that, so she tried to press her advantage.

“Berry hatched a plan to integrate me into pony society. She introduced me to her friends and I was getting along well with them. We were just about to put the theory to the test. We were going to reveal my true identity to them but then your original scheme kicked in and it was too late.”

Chrysalis was still listening but she was distracted. The three of them were beginning to attract attention, what with Berry cowering under Surprise’s wing. Nopony was close enough to eavesdrop yet – some other changelings had realised something was wrong and were gently steering their charges away, but she was still worried.

“It was going to be the final proof of whether ponies could ever truly get along with us,” Surprise said. “If they turned on me, like you warned me they would before I first came here, I knew things would still turn out alright. One of the others would get to Twilight and Ponyville would be taken over, and I would be content with that. I would know that peace between our two races was impossible.”

The changeling queen allowed her to continue, feeling that she was coming to a conclusion and this little show of dissension would soon be nipped in the bud.

“But after the time I’ve spent with Berry, I know that’s not true,” she said, a nervous smile coming to her lips. “We’ve made a connection, a strong connection, in the space of just a day. I’ve only known her for a few hours but it feels like so much longer. She’s my friend, someone I can confide in, someone I’d do anything to protect. And if we just give it a chance, on both sides, I know that others among us could find the same.”

Those last few sentences hit Chrysalis like a jolt of electricity and she stood stock still, staring at her daughter in stunned silence.

Surprise was a little confused by her reaction but her expression held a glimmer of hope. Perhaps her mother had suddenly realised the truth?

Berry timidly looked up from underneath the changeling’s wing, curious as to why everything had gone quiet.

Chrysalis opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her eyes flicked between Surprise and Berry, noted their closeness, and she slowly came to a conclusion that she found scarcely believable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she murmured. “You’ve got to… but no, there it is. I can see it. I can almost feel it.”

She drew herself up to her full height, raising her head as she looked down on Surprise. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you?”

The pegasus jerked her head back in shock. “I… I’ve what?” she said quietly.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t realise. Surely you’re not that naïve.” Chrysalis smiled after a moment’s consideration. “But perhaps that makes things easier.”

She began prowling round the pair of them in a circle, reclaiming her authority. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by it, given the circumstances of your birth. You were created by love, after all, so it holds that you would be more susceptible to it. You’re different to the rest of us, my dear. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but there’s something you have to realise.”

She leaned her head in close, speaking in a whisper. “You’re sick. You’re not well. This creature has corrupted you and her influence needs to be broken. It’ll hurt for a while but you’ll thank me for it later. Love is a disease – it blinds reason and impairs judgement.”

She narrowed her eyes, her lips curving cruelly upwards. “But don’t worry. You said you would do anything to protect her? Well, I would do anything to protect you. She needs to join the others. We’ll all be safer then. She can still be yours, and in time you’ll realise the only reason we need these creatures is to feed.”

Surprise pulled Berry closer to her as Chrysalis stood over them. “Stand aside,” the queen demanded.

Berry sensed the battle was all but over. Surprise had been knocked for a loop and it had caused her to lose her nerve. She didn’t have the wherewithal to argue with her mother any more and that was the only thing that could protect the earth pony – the older changeling was stronger physically and was not above using force. Drastic action was needed.

In a sudden burst of movement, Berry broke free from Surprise’s grip and went for the door. Chrysalis was no longer standing in front of it so she couldn’t get there in time to prevent the pony from knocking hard against it, but she was quickly upon her.

The changeling queen lifted her up and slammed her hard against the wall, pushing against her with such strength that Berry felt sure her collarbone was going to snap.

“Oh, you’re a tricky one, aren’t you?” she hissed. “It’s bad enough what you’ve done to my daughter, but you had to take things just that little bit further. Well, no more.”

Berry squeezed her eyes shut and tried to turn her head away, wincing at the pain as Chrysalis crushed her shoulders.

The changeling chuckled. “Avert your gaze all you like, it won’t do you any good. You’ve already been hit by Twilight’s spell – my words are all I need to give you that little push to put you under.

“And do you know the best thing about all this? My daughter’s realised the truth. You’ll notice she hasn’t made a move against me. She knows that your little love games were…”

She was interrupted by a high-pitched scream, echoing from the town centre. A ripple of fear and chaos audibly rippled through Ponyville.

“Changeling!” a voice cried. “There’s a changeling outside Twilight’s library!”

Chrysalis dropped Berry immediately and turned round, fearful that her secret had been exposed.

But she was not the one who was in danger.

Berry opened her eyes and gasped when she saw what had happened – Surprise had turned into her changeling form and was facing the approaching crowd of ponies, standing tall despite her fear of what was coming.

“Surprise.” Chrysalis was horrified and afraid of what was going to happen to her daughter. “Surprise, what have you done?”

She didn’t look back. “I’ve made a choice,” she said. “Perhaps… perhaps a sacrifice.”

The ponies were almost upon her now, with the stronger ones taking the lead. A rainbow-streaked blur rose from the group and dived downwards, aiming to tackle her. Surprise closed her eyes, wincing as she prepared to take the blow.

Behind her, there was a click as the library door opened.

Chapter 11

Surprise was lifted off her hooves as Rainbow Dash ploughed into her, the pony acting quickly to overpower her.

The changeling offered no resistance and within seconds she had been restrained, with Dash sitting atop her and holding her front legs in place.

“I’ve got her!” the rainbow-maned pegasus cried. Behind her, a gathered crowd of ponies watched on and chattered agitatedly about the invader.

Berry tried to fight down the anxiety rising in her chest, suppressing the urge to try to help Surprise. The residents of Ponyville were in such a state that any attempt to assist could end up with her being accused of being a changeling as well.

A quick glance at Chrysalis revealed the queen was also struggling to hold herself back, her concern for her daughter conflicting with her fear of discovery.

Berry sensed movement behind her and stepped aside as Twilight Sparkle came forward, emerging from the library. The princess gasped when she saw what the hubbub was about, but pushed through her initial shock to take charge of the situation.

“Everypony calm down,” she said, taking a commanding tone. Some ponies followed her request but others continued talking excitedly, so she repeated herself, louder this time.

A hush fell upon them and they watched on, waiting to see what the princess would do. Berry could see several unfamiliar faces among the crowd – changelings afraid of what was going to happen to their princess, their expressions contorted by worry.

Twilight moved over to Surprise and Dash, her outlook authoritative but fair.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Why have you come to our town? Is this another invasion attempt?”

Surprise grunted as she tried to catch her breath, which was difficult due to Dash’s weight pushing her down.

“I come in peace,” she said, and the crowd erupted. Much of it was exclamations of disbelief, though a few of the ponies were jeering.

Twilight spread her wings and glared. “Quiet!” she cried. “Let her talk.”

The chatter died down once again, but the atmosphere was close and heated. Berry could see that the changelings were tense, preparing themselves for a fight if Chrysalis gave the order. The queen was standing still, her teeth clenched behind closed lips.

“You come in peace?” Twilight repeated, her words coloured by distrust. The changelings had brought nothing but pain to her family. “I see. So you’re a messenger rather than a spy.”

Surprise tried to shake her head but she was held fast. “The others don’t know I’m here. I’m alone. I did this of my own volition.

“You have nothing to fear from me. Please, let me up so we can talk properly.”

The alicorn considered her request for a moment, then nodded at Dash to let her go.

The other pony snorted. “Don’t listen to her, Twilight. It’s a trick. You can’t trust her.”

“We need to hear what she has to say. Besides, if she tries to escape, you’ll easily be able to catch up with her.”

Surprise butted in before Dash could protest further. “I want to talk, changeling to pony. I’m not trying to deceive anyone. If I was, then why would I reveal my true identity?”

Dash fell quiet, unable to think of a decent answer. “Fair point,” she conceded, reluctantly releasing her captive.

Surprise stood up unsteadily, trying to maintain an air of confidence as she faced a crowd full of hostile stares – some of them from her own kind. She cleared her throat, struggling to find a way to start her speech.

Berry Punch was standing a few yards behind Twilight, her expression fraught. Surprise turned her back on the crowd to directly address the princess, keeping Berry in sight and drawing strength from her presence.

“I am the princess of the changeling kingdom, and my race is facing extinction,” she said, leaving a moment’s pause to allow her words to sink in. Twilight frowned slightly - evidence of concern that could become the foundations of empathy.

“I understand that ponykind sees us as monsters, creatures intent on feeding on your emotions,” she said. “Our actions so far will have done little to convince you otherwise, but you have to understand we had no choice. We don’t feed on emotion out of choice – it’s the only thing that can sustain us. We are unable to digest normal food and drink.

“Our invasion of Canterlot was borne out of desperation. We were hungry then, but now we’re starving. If we don’t act soon, we’re going to die.”

There was a gentle murmuring of conversation amongst the crowd as the ponies took in this new information. Twilight herself was at a loss for words. If what the changeling said was true, then she faced an awful dilemma.

Should she show kindness to an enemy that had terrorised her kingdom? Could they be trusted, or was this yet another trick?

She could tell where this conversation was heading. It was going to be straight choice between putting her friends at risk or potentially dooming an entire race, and her conscience would be unable to bear either option.

“I’ve seen what happens when you feed,” she said, her voice husky with foreboding. “I saw what your queen did to Shining Armour. I saw how weak he became.”

“That was an exceptional case,” said Surprise. “It was the crux of the invasion plan. We don’t need to drain anypony’s strength in order to feed sufficiently. Just friendship by itself would be enough. I can prove…”

She looked towards Berry, who shook her head quickly and mouthed the words “not yet”. Their relationship would work best as a closing argument or a trump card, not as an opening gambit.

Surprise stopped herself, then tried a different tack. “All we would need to survive would be to be permitted to live among you.”

She looked out to the crowd of ponies, her next words addressed to the changelings among them. “Our race has been looked upon as monsters for as long as we’ve existed. We’ve had to fight for our existence, drawing on whatever scraps of emotion we could find.

“We have had to deceive other beings, taking their place to store up energy until we’re inevitably found out. None of us are happy about this. There is no pride to be found in hurting others and living as scavengers, forced to skulk in the shadows for fear of being found out.

“We want a second chance. We need a second chance. If we can’t find a peaceful solution, then all our race will ever know will be conflict. We can no longer survive on our own.”

She spoke with such feeling that this time her words were met with silence. The residents of Ponyville were starting to recognise the fact that the changelings were living beings rather than a faceless army.

The changelings themselves saw the truth in Surprise’s words, though many were unsettled by the idea of asking their prey for help.

Twilight was staring at the ground, unsure of her feelings on the matter. Surprise sounded sincere, but the changelings’ main form of attack was through deception. A simple speech was not enough to set her mind at ease.

She grimaced with uncertainty, then turned to Chrysalis. “Moonlight, what do you think?” she asked. “Can we trust her? You know as well as I do what they did to our brother.”

The white-coated mare was unable to respond. Her daughter’s gambit meant she had to choose her words very carefully – one false move and Surprise could be made a captive.

And yet, she was in no way inclined to become subordinate to the whims of ponies.

Before she could decide what to say, Berry interjected with an exclamation of disbelief.
“Your sister?” she said, almost indignant. “You told her she’s your sister?”

Chrysalis cut her off with a condescending sneer. “Yes, I’m Twilight’s sister. I don’t know who you are but could we save the introductions until later? There are rather more pressing matters at hoof.”

Twilight offered Berry an apologetic shrug, somewhat perturbed by Chrysalis’s manner.

The changeling queen tapped a hoof against her chin, thinking through her options quickly.

“I think we need to find out more,” she said, a relieved smile coming to her lips. “But this isn’t the right place to question her. Let’s take her inside the library. We can sort things out in there.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Twilight said, before marching forward to address the crowd. “Okay, everypony. Head back to your homes for now. My sister and I are going to speak to… what was your name?”

“Surprise,” she said, her confidence audibly shaken. She was about to lose her audience and they were the key to her plan being a success. If she lost her impetus now, Chrysalis could simply give the order for everypony’s minds to be rewritten in private.

“Surprise? Huh, that sounds kind of familiar.” Twilight considered it for a second, then pushed it to the back of her mind. “You don’t have any objection to speaking to us in private, do you?”

The young changeling hesitated, struggling to hide her distress.

“I was hoping to speak in the open,” she said. “I mean, you must understand what I’m suggesting. Surely something that important should be put to the public vote?”

“And it can, once we’ve got the facts straight,” said Chrysalis. “Come on inside. You’re not going to resist, are you?”

Surprise clenched her fangs, her eyes shining. She couldn’t think of a decent excuse that would get her out of this without revealing her race’s deception and putting them in danger.

Berry could see it too – the whole plan unravelling, their last chance lost. When Surprise’s insubordination was dealt with, Berry would surely be captured and placed under the same hypnosis as the rest.

“Wait!” the earth pony cried, drawing the attention of everyone present. “I want to hear what she has to say. I agree with her, this is something we should all decide on.”

Her stomach turned as Chrysalis glared at her with barely disguised rage. “I told you,” she hissed. “You’ll all get a chance to talk about it once we’ve spoken to her in private. You just need to…”

“I agree with Berry.”

Mayor Mare had stepped forward, separate from the others. “Twilight, I apologise. You are our princess but I am responsible for doing what’s in the best interests of the residents of Ponyville. We all have a say in this.”

“Quite right.” Horte Cuisine spoke up. “I feel a strange sort of sympathy for this… Surprise, was it? But I must admit, the prospect of changelings moving in makes me feel nervous.”

Rainbow Dash took to the air, exasperated by the conversation taking place. “You guys can’t be serious. Do you have any idea how dangerous this would be? They probably outnumber us, are you just gonna let them waltz on in? Are you crazy?”

The crowd started chattering animatedly amongst themselves about the pros and cons, with a majority of ponies against it. Berry and Surprise shared a helpless glance, then Chrysalis pushed forward, her teeth bared.

“Will all of you be quiet?” she cried, bringing about a stunned silence. “You see, this is why we can’t get anything done in public. You’ll just fall about arguing with each other and nothing will get done. We’re going to handle this in private, and then I promise you…”

Then she was interrupted again, but this time not by a pony.

Emerald Shine jostled her way to the front of the crowd. “I think it’s pretty clear that we all want this heard in public. Do you want the changelings to starve, do you want them to die? We’re all living creatures, no matter what we think of each other. If there’s a chance for peace, we should consider it. And if you want us to shut up while you discuss it, then hell, we’ll shut up.”

A blue-coated pegasus joined her, one that Berry didn’t recognise. Another changeling. “This could be amazing. Seriously. We could help each other. Think about it – shapeshifters in the Canterlot army. They’d be unstoppable. And… and the changelings. Well, they’d finally have a home of their own.”

Chrysalis scowled, aggrieved that more of her subjects were talking out against her. At that moment, there was nothing she could do about it.

Twilight furrowed her brow, working out the best way forward. “Surprise, one thing worries me. You said the other changelings don’t know you’re here. What are they going to make of this? Do you really think our two races would be able to get along?”

Berry looked over at the changeling and they smiled at each other. Now the time was right.

“I actually have a confession to make,” the earth pony said, strolling over to be by her side. “This isn’t the first time I’ve met her. In fact, we’re very close.”

A ripple of shock passed through the crowd but they quietened down quickly as Berry continued talking.

“For the past day we’ve gotten to know each other. We’ve become friends. In fact, it’s surprising how quickly and how deeply we’ve bonded,” she said. “And there’s your proof. Proof that this could work. I was frightened at first, but I discovered that Surprise is caring. She’s fun. I enjoy her company.

“In the time I’ve known her, she’s fed off me. And you know what, I didn’t feel a thing. I wasn’t weakened by it. All she needed was my companionship.

“On that point, there are more than a few mares in town who would benefit from some company. Love is the emotion that changelings get the most sustenance from and, if they were to drop their more aggressive ways, they might be able to find it.”

A fair few ponies were visibly repulsed by the idea, but the atmosphere was gradually growing less negative.

Bon Bon pushed her way forward, accompanied by a beige-coated earth pony with a red mane. “Wait, wait, wait,” she said, causing everypony else to go quiet. “Are you saying that you’re dating this changeling?”

Berry didn’t answer for a moment, then caught sight of the look in Surprise’s eyes. A look of affection.

She smiled self-consciously. “I guess, from this point on, the answer is yes.”

Some were disconcerted by this revelation – Surprise’s leathery hide and insect-like form were hardly what they would see as attractive qualities in a partner.

A nonplussed Bon Bon looked Surprise up and down. “Huh. Kinky. If I was single, I guess I’d consider dating a changeling too. Just think of all the things they could turn into.” She turned to the pony by her side, her tone becoming apologetic. “Oh, sorry Starfire. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

It was then that Berry realised just how much more work had to be done, giving her positive attitude a major knockback. The changelings still had Ponyville in their clutches and they had altered its residents minds, split up relationships in their pursuit of food. If there was any chance that this plan was going to work, she had to come up with a way to lessen the damage when ponykind finally realised they had been enslaved.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to get the chance to do so.

Twilight was rubbing her forehead, obviously in some discomfort. Chrysalis saw this and went to her side, fearing the worst.

“Twilight, what’s the matter?” she asked with a grimace.

“I don’t know, my head’s really pounding all of a sudden,” the alicorn replied. “Just, something about all this sounds really familiar. A kind of déjà vu. It’s like, like I already knew Berry and Surprise were together. And for some reason, I was unhappy about it.”

The princess was the source of the spell that kept the ponies under changeling control, and her uncertainty caused some of the fogginess in their minds to lift. Each one of them felt it, a strange inkling that something was not right.

The changelings recognised the danger they were in and the town quickly grew active with chatter as they tried to distract their charges from the truth.

All it would take was for one pony to realise it, one pony to discover they had all been deceived. One pony could bring their world crashing down and destroy the progress that had been made towards finding peace.

And that pony’s name was Lyra.

The mint-green coloured unicorn suddenly let out a howl of pain and anger. A couple of nearby changelings tried to hold her back but she rushed past them, pushing her way towards the earth pony standing by Bon Bon’s side.

“Usurper! Home wrecker!” she cried. “You took my Sweetie Drops! How dare you?”

She dived at the disguised changeling and tackled her to the floor. The pair tussled briefly, rolling over in the dirt, but the battle didn’t last long. Lyra was outmatched.

The changeling landed a couple of powerful blows on her face, nearly knocking her unconscious.

The sight of her lying stricken on the ground caused Bon Bon to snap out of her trance with a jerk. She went to her side, gasping from the mental pain inflicted by breaking free from the hypnotism spell.

“Lyra, are you okay?” she asked, still struggling to gather her thoughts. “How did this happen? What did she do to me?”

Berry glanced at Surprise, who had clearly realised the game was up. Releasing the ponies was always going to be tricky, but this was the worst possible way it could have come about.

Some of the others were beginning to realise the changelings hadn’t always been there, that they weren’t the friends they had pretended to be. Bon Bon finally vocalised their thoughts.

“Changeling!” she cried, pointing at the one who had called herself Starfire. “She’s a changeling! She hypnotised me!”

Other ponies gasped, jumping away from the new-found monsters in their midst. The changelings held steady, their bodies tensed, unsure whether to fight, flee or attempt to appease.

Dash took to the air again, so enraged that she was practically puffing steam. “It’s not just her. It’s an invasion. They’re all around us, hundreds of them.”

She flew down to Surprise, coming so close they were almost face-to-face. “You wanted peace? You wanted a truce? Yeah, right. You just wanted us to surrender!”

The pegasus tried to tackle Surprise to the ground, but this time the changeling showed resistance. Their front hooves locked together and they pushed against each other, struggling to overpower their opponent.

Dash was shocked to find Surprise was a match for her – she had been able to handle dozens of changelings without breaking a sweat during the Canterlot invasion, but this one was different. Borne of a different, more powerful emotion than jealousy.

Behind them, minor scuffles were breaking out and in every case the changelings were proving themselves to be more than a match for ponykind. They had recently fed and were more powerful than usual.

Berry was so shaken that she was finding it difficult to stand. “Stop this!” she cried, but her plea went unheard.

Chrysalis noticed that Twilight was still in a daze, not yet fully free of her hypnotism. Still vulnerable. One last chance.

The changeling queen’s eyes flashed green and she marched over to the alicorn. “Twilight, look at me,” she commanded, catching the young princess’s attention and then ensnaring her mind. “That spell you cast before, do you remember it? You have to…”

“No!” Berry dived at her, hitting her with her full weight and knocking her sideways.

Chrysalis snarled and grabbed the earth pony by the throat, pushing her against the ground and throttling her.

“You wretch. You dare to strike me?” she growled, so consumed by anger that she was no longer in full control.

Surprise saw what was happening, saw her mother choking the life out of Berry, and screamed.

With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free from Dash and flew straight at Chrysalis. She threw the punch before she even realised what she was doing.

It landed hard. The force of the blow actually knocked Chrysalis off her hooves, sending her to the ground.

“Berry. Berry are you alright?” Surprise went to her side, helping the coughing pony up. Tears came to the changeling’s eyes and she held her close, trying to comfort her.

Chrysalis raised her head, still lying where she had fallen, and saw her daughter’s show of affection. Saw that Berry was now more important to Surprise than she was.

“You’d choose her over me?” she said, her voice shaking, hurt. Her daughter froze when she saw her expression. Surprise had never seen her upset before. “You’d choose a pony over your own mother?”

The last traces of the fog that had clouded Twilight’s mind faded away and the alicorn awoke to a town on the verge of becoming a warzone. Some of the skirmishes were turning into full-blown fighting, with changelings and ponies alike were pleading for the combatants to stop. Some of the more outspoken pacifists ended up having to defend themselves as they came under attack.

“You were about to kill her,” said Surprise. “I had to stop you. I couldn’t let you do it.”

Chrysalis growled. “After all she’s done, can you blame me? She’s destroyed our plans. Doomed our race. And she’s taken you away from me.”

Twilight felt a brief flicker of panic but she quickly set herself to thinking. She had to find a way to stop the situation escalating further.

“No. No, she hasn’t.” Surprise spoke earnestly but she made no move to go to Chrysalis, preferring to stay with Berry to protect her. “Don’t you see? This is the way forward. The only way we can survive is by living with others.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up as she recalled the spell that Chrysalis had forced her to cast – with some minor adjustments, it would be the perfect solution.

“If you want to live with ponies, then so be it.” The changeling queen’s body flickered as she reverted to her natural form. Her jaw was set firm and she was struggling to mask her true feelings. “If you want to abandon us, then go ahead. But I just want you to remember that you’re the one who killed us. It’s all because of you.”

Berry was the only one among the trio who could see it – the purple alicorn’s eyes were glowing white, her body surrounded by an aura of magic.

She barely had a chance to cry out a warning before it happened.

A wave of energy burst forth, washing over everyone present. It only took a matter of seconds and once it had passed there was nothing but stunned silence, pony and changeling alike unsure as to what had just hit them.

Twilight opened her eyes again – they were back to their natural hue. Her voice was soft, calm and commanding as she gave a simple order: “No more fighting.”

Berry was familiar with the sensation those words inspired. It was the same feeling she had while she was under Surprise’s control: complete helplessness, a compulsion to obey. But now, Twilight was her master. As was everyone else.

The ponies were unnerved by the realisation but it was the changelings who were truly afraid. They were at the mercy of a race that had been their lifelong enemy.

Chrysalis was the most obviously distressed, her feelings accentuated by the recent rejection by her daughter.

She stood up slowly, not daring to take her eyes off Twilight for a second. Her body tensed, and then she charged.

There were only a few paces between them but the alicorn was ready for her. She turned her head, shot the changeling a withering glare and simply said: “Stand still.”

Chrysalis stopped so suddenly that she almost tripped over her front hooves. She briefly tried to fight against the mind control but the pain it brought caused her to wince.

“Damn you,” she hissed. “So now you have us. You have us trapped. What exactly do you plan to do?”

“What do I plan to do?” Twilight repeated. She looked out into the gathered crowd. Her movements were slow, deliberate. Outwardly she appeared calm, composed. Aware of the gravitas she held and taking her time in deciding what she would do next.

Berry caught sight of a few of Twilight’s closest friends and saw their expressions change as they met the princess’s gaze.

It was then that the earth pony realised that Twilight was angry. Truly, terrifyingly angry, so much so that she could taste it – heaven only knew what the changelings were feeling.

“First,” she said, measuring her words carefully to keep her temper in check. “I want to know what’s going on. Surprise, you spoke of a truce when you already had us beaten. You risked… this happening. Why?”

Surprise’s voice shook at first. “Because I knew this wasn’t the right way. I knew it wouldn’t last. I wanted peace, truly I did, but this plan was already in motion.”

She indicated agitatedly into the crowd. “Ask Rainbow Dash and Rarity. They’ll tell you. I tried to stop this.”

The rainbow-maned pegasus scratched the back of her head. “My memory’s kinda fuzzy. I remember you ran off. Then you told us everything, but only after Berry pressured you.”

Twilight looked at Rarity, waiting for a response. The unicorn groaned and held a hoof to her forehead. “To be honest, it’s all a blur. My head feels like it’s full of cotton wool.”

Berry spoke up. “I was trying to integrate her. Introduce her to my friends and then reveal who she was, try to prove that ponies and changelings could get along. Dash, you spent time with her. You were getting along with her great. You remember?”

Dash was reluctant to speak. “I guess so. But that was before all this happened.”

“Horte, you spoke with her for hours,” said Berry. “You liked her. You told me you liked her.”

The stallion remained quiet, aware that he had suddenly become the centre of attention. His eventual response was careful, measured.

“She was very friendly. Nervous, perhaps, though the reason for that is now clear. She possessed a likeable vulnerability.” He sighed, aware that he was about to let his friend down. “But actions speak louder than words. To know that all the while, she was planning this…”

“This wasn’t me!” cried Surprise. “This was my mother’s plan! She was doing what she could to…”

“You traitor.” Chrysalis’s words were hissed, full of contempt. “Not content with betraying us, now you turn on me? Make me out to be the villain?”

Twilight whirled round, her expression a mix of confusion and rage. “You hypnotised me. Used my power to enslave everypony I care about. How, in the name of Starswirl’s beard, are you NOT the villain in this?”

The taller creature looked down on her and sneered. “You ponies. You’ve always rejected us. Always turned us away, refused to give us what we need. And when we try to take it by force, when we try to take what we need to survive, you call us monsters. YOU are the ones in the wrong here, and don’t try to deny it.”

“You invaded Canterlot. Attacked my brother, imprisoned Cadence and wounded Celestia.” Twilight’s voice was shaking with anger. “And now this. This is the end. There’s no coming back from this.”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. If there was any fear within her, she didn’t show it. “So, what are you going to do? Kill us?”

The alicorn took an inadvertent step back, horrified by the suggestion.

“I wouldn’t be surprised by this point,” Chrysalis said. “With the way Celestia first treated us, she’d probably fete you as a hero. Or are you just going to send us into exile, leave us to starve? That way you don’t have to get your hooves dirty and we suffer more. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Emerald Shine flew up above the crowd, clearing her throat to gain everyone’s attention. “I hate to interrupt royalty, but I think we’d make more progress if Surprise was allowed to speak for us. Mainly because she doesn’t seem intent on getting us all killed!”

She came as close to her queen as she dared, mindful of Twilight. “When Surprise first spoke to me about her plan, I warned her that I would crush anyone who put our race at risk. Well, right now, that one is YOU. So if I were you, I would stay very quiet.”

Chrysalis was about to reply before she realised the majority of the crowd was now against her. She stifled her words, falling into a silent, lonely rage.

Berry stepped forward, desperate to repair the situation. “Twilight, please reconsider,” she said. “Everything that Surprise said was true. They’re on the brink of starvation. If you send them away, they’ll die. You can’t do that. You’re not capable of doing that.”

Twilight looked out at the crowd, her anger dissipating. There was a sea of faces, all of them uncertain, all of them looking for guidance. This was her greatest test since she had become a princess.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I… I have to put my friends first. I have to do what’s right for them. The changelings invaded Canterlot, they enslaved Ponyville. How can we trust them?”

“We didn’t have a choice,” said Surprise. “We had to feed. It wasn’t the right way to go about it, but Celestia had rejected us.”

Twilight frowned. “What are you saying? Is there some history here that I don’t know about?”

“Surprise, don’t do anything stupid,” said Chrysalis. “She won’t understand.”

“Well, I understood.” Berry held her head high, no longer afraid of the changeling queen. “I know that you’re all innocent in what happened and I see why you behaved the way you did afterwards. But now it’s time to let the past go.”

She nodded for Surprise to go ahead with her story, but the young princess was not as enthusiastic.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, mindful of the watching ponies. “I can’t see this going down well.”

“No more secrets.” Berry nuzzled against her comfortingly, ignoring the abrasive feel of her hide. “There will be ponies who understand, even if it turns out that the majority choose not to. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Easy for you to say,” she said, but the debate was quickly becoming irrelevant. It was obvious now that there was something to say.

She closed her eyes, stood tall and began her tale. About the species the changelings were descended, the will-o’-the-wisps that fed on emotion – mindless beings of magic. About how one day, one of their kind sought out a meal that would change the course of Equestrian history.

The wisp and the alicorn Luna merged as one to become the creature known as Nightmare Moon. A self-perpetuating cycle began – the wisp sought to feed on Luna’s jealousy, so her hatred and resentment grew.

The ponyfolk fell quiet during Surprise’s story but she ignored the uncomfortable silence and continued, focusing on Twilight’s reactions. Her shock as she discovered what the changelings were responsible for, and her sorrow when she realised it had been unintentional.

The wasted centuries, a conflict where both sides had been wronged by the other for understandable reasons. None of it made her decision any easier.

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth, lost deep in thought after the end of Surprise’s story. The changeling tried to catch her eye, desperate to gauge her reaction. The alicorn’s emotions were so conflicted that they were difficult to read.

“I’ve told you everything. Do you understand?” she asked. “We weren’t at fault initially. Everything my mother has done since has been to keep us alive.”

Chrysalis’s stern expression softened a little at this sentiment, though her daughter was far from forgiven.

“Yes, I understand.” Twilight was staring at the ground, making a conscious effort not to look up. Her hoof remained on her chin and her speech was hesitant. “Creatures of magic, fuelled by emotion. The energy drained from Luna led to your creation. So much energy that it created an entirely new race.”

She cleared her throat. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, Surprise. You are Chrysalis’s daughter, correct? So you can’t have been born with the first generation of changelings.”

Surprise nodded, then realised that Twilight’s head was bowed so low that she couldn’t see her. “Yes. That’s right.”

“So you weren’t born of Nightmare Moon’s jealousy. You were created by something else.”

Surprise replied in the affirmative once again and Twilight covered her mouth again, squeezing her eyes shut.

Most of the ponyfolk present hadn’t caught on to the reason for the alicorn’s line of questioning and were confused by her reaction. Her closest friends understood, however, and they were just as horrified as she was.

They went to comfort her but she waved them away. She was unable to deal with this revelation just now and there were more lives at stake than her own.

She raised her head, her eyes glistening and her voice flecked with emotion. “So, the question is what do we do next?” she said, unable to look directly at Surprise.

She caught sight of the watching crowd and decided on her answer. “I suppose the best thing would be to free you all from my spell. Then, if any of you want to leave, you can.”

The counter spell was not as flashy as the first. Twilight’s horn briefly sparked with energy and then it was lifted.

“Finally.” Chrysalis shook herself, as if trying to shed any last remnants of Twilight’s magic. She addressed her subjects. “My daughter has clearly made her choice. What about the rest of you? Do you truly believe we’ll be able to live with these creatures?”

The changelings looked among each other. None of them made any response.

She nodded. “As I thought. Come then. Our time here has earned us a reprieve. We have a few days to work out our next move.”

Surprise stepped in front of her, aiming to block her path. “You can’t mean it. You can’t seriously want to go without seeing this through.”

Before she could reply, Emerald Shine spoke up. “None of us are leaving. Not before we see what they decide.”

Chrysalis saw the rest of her subjects concurred. “So, I’m alone then?” she asked quietly. “None of you realise the folly in this? Even if they allow us to stay, they’ll never truly accept us. They’ll always be afraid of us.”

“You’re wrong,” said Surprise. “And you know you’re wrong. You’ve seen Berry and I together. You’ve got to let a little love into your heart.”

“Love?” Chrysalis sneered in disgust. “I have no need for love. It’s a means to an end, nothing more than a lie.”

“So what about me? Do I mean nothing to you?” The young changeling sat on her haunches, looking up her mother and purposefully making herself look as vulnerable as possible.

Chrysalis raised a leg self-defensively, caught off-guard by the question. Surprise continued her offensive.

“You’ve cared for me all my life, looked out for me, nurtured me,” she said. “Whenever there was danger, you sought to protect me from it. You had your misgivings when you sent me on this mission, but you knew the others would keep me safe whatever happened.

“I saw your fear when I revealed my true identity. I saw how hurt you were when I attacked you, which I only did to protect someone I care about and to prevent you from becoming a killer.

“I know I’m not perfect and you still see me as a child, but I’ve grown up. I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions. And I think the only reason you can’t accept that is because you’re afraid I might find a life of my own, that I might leave you. That’s never going to happen.”

She felt herself welling up and smiled to hold it back. “All of this you’ve done for me, and for what purpose? For what end? I can’t see one. So that means – it has to mean – that everything you’ve done for me has been out of love.”

Chrysalis could feel tears coming to her eyes and, ashamed, instinctively lowered her head. Surprise reached up and wrapped a foreleg around her neck.

“What are you doing?” the queen demanded, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“I’m hugging you,” she replied. “Don’t fight it.”

There was no use in protesting. Chrysalis gave in, returning her daughter’s gesture and holding her close.

But she couldn’t resist having the last word on the subject.

“If we live through today, I’m going to remember this moment,” she promised, with a vague hint of menace.

Their embrace was interrupted by the sound of Twilight clearing her throat. The pair of them suddenly became conscious of the watching crowd, though only Chrysalis was embarrassed.

Berry Punch met Surprise’s gaze and she knew that the changeling’s heart was lifted by her mere presence. No matter what happened today, they had found each other. The road ahead would be hard and their relationship was just blooming, but they would find a way to make it work.

Twilight was unsure what to think. The events of today had hit her hard and the repercussions would last for a lifetime, but now was the crucial moment.

She turned to the crowd, which had observed the past few minutes in almost total silence.

Changelings and ponies alike were at peace, for now. But could it last? How willing would either side be to make an honest attempt at getting along?

Epilogue

A full week had passed since the showdown in front of Twilight Sparkle’s library.

The first thing the princess had done was to delay the return of Ponyville’s fillies and colts – she hadn’t known yet whether the changelings could be trusted and she didn’t want to place the young ones in harm’s way.

The denizens of the Zebra Kingdom had been more than a little perturbed by her explanation but they eventually saw it her way. If there was a chance of finally finding peace with a race that was universally seen as dangerous, it should be encouraged.

Princess Celestia was not so easily won over.

Twilight had put off telling her immediately but she couldn’t hold out forever. A couple of days into the changelings’ residence, she went to Canterlot.

Celestia’s first action was to check whether she had been placed under mental control. When she discovered that wasn’t the case, a strongly argued debate began.

In the end, she placed her trust in her young charge. Guards were stationed in Cloudsdale to keep watch on the situation and it slowly became apparent that they wouldn’t be needed.

Princess Luna had known all along how the changelings had come into being, but she had always assumed they were evil. After the jealousy and rage she had felt as Nightmare Moon, she couldn’t have imagined that they would be any different.

She cautiously welcomed the idea that she was wrong, but refused to go to meet them. That was a rift that would take a long time to heal – one that might never be healed.

Twilight’s brother and sister-in-law were totally opposed to the idea, but realised they were in the minority and there was little they could do about it.

They grudgingly accepted that peace was a desirable outcome and something to work towards. Both of them trusted in Twilight’s wisdom, though they couldn’t help but feel anxious about the whole affair.

The young alicorn had not told them about the circumstances of Surprise’s birth. It was something she believed they would never accept. In truth, she was barely able to cope with it herself.

****

The fillies and colts of Ponyville had returned home. An hour had passed since their arrival – Twilight had greeted and bid farewell to the accompanying members of the Zebra Kingdom, thanking them for their understanding. A new accord had been reached between the two nations and she hoped to build on this in the future.

The general activity in the town square had died down and things were beginning to return to normal. As normal as they could be in the given circumstances.

Ruby Pinch was helping her mother to unpack the backpack she had taken on her trip. Remarkably, it was even fuller than it had been when she left – getting everything in had required a mastery of utilising space. She had brought home a few souvenirs, mostly small bottles of speciality beverages brewed by the zebras – Ruby knew her mother well.

She had managed to skirt around the burning questions in her mind until now, but she couldn’t do so any longer.

She began cautiously. “Mum?”

“Yes dear?” asked Berry, carefully putting away the last of her belongings.

“You know how, when I left, you asked me to keep an eye on Applebloom and her friends? Make sure they didn’t release any more cosmic horrors?”

Berry froze momentarily, fully aware where Ruby was going with this.

“The changelings aren’t cosmic horrors, Pinchy,” she said, smiling nervously. She wasn’t sure what her daughter thought of their new visitors but going by the first signs, it wasn’t good. “They’re just misunderstood.”

“Hmm.” Ruby sat down and thought it through. “But they came from space though, didn’t they? I mean, they were part of Nightmare Moon and she was banished to the Moon, so if that’s where they came from then they must be cosmic.”

Berry frowned in confusion. “Yes, yes I suppose they are.”

“And they have big, scary teeth and insect wings. We were all afraid of them. So they have to be horrors, don’t they?”

“Pinchy, are you making fun of me?”

She smiled mischievously and nodded, then bounded forward in a sudden burst of enthusiasm. “Oh, the Zebra Kingdom was so cool!” she cried. “They’re all so smart! Lots of them talk in rhyme like Zecora, and there’s others who say riddles all the time. I met a colt who taught me something he called troll logic. It’s a trick you can use to win any argument, even if what you’re saying doesn’t make any sense!”

“That’s great,” Berry said without enthusiasm, realising her life may have become just that little bit more complicated. “But don’t try it on me. I’m your mummy. I’m in charge. That means I win any argument automatically.”

Ruby paused and looked up at her. “Wow. Have you been taking lessons from him too?”

“What about the changelings?” she asked. “I thought that you’d be worried. Frightened, even.”

Ruby shrugged. “I’m not worried. You’re my mum. If you say they’re safe, then they’re safe,” she said, then smiled shyly. “I want to meet the princess. You said she’s going to be living with us, right? I want to meet her.”

Berry felt a wave of relief wash warmly over her. Her greatest fear over this past week had been how her daughter would react, and it turned out all her concern had been for nothing.

Surprise had willingly agreed to stay out of the house until Ruby was used to the idea of having her around. It seemed that the changeling would be able to move back in tonight.

“Of course. Let’s go see her now. She’s at Horte Cuisine’s bar.”

Ruby frowned, suddenly hesitant. “Oh. Does she drink? That’s not good.”

Berry shook her head and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, she doesn’t drink. She can’t drink, none of the changelings can. They feed on emotions, like friendship and love.”

The young filly’s enthusiasm returned. “Love?” she asked. “So, do you love her?”

“Oh Pinchy, these things take time,” she said with a smile. “For a pony like me, I want to be careful. Not rush into things like I have in the past. But we are very happy together.”

It was partly the truth – Berry did feel something stronger than she let on but she didn’t want to admit it to herself yet. She had plenty of time to adjust to her new life and she was allowing herself to enjoy the fact she wasn’t alone any more.

Surprise had already brought about a positive change in her, allied to the talk she had received from Lyra and Bon Bon after their bust-up in the bar. Berry had agreed to stop drinking, except on special occasions. It had only caused her problems in the past and she didn’t need it now.

Their walk to Horte Cuisine’s restaurant seemed to pass quickly. Ruby was full of stories about her trip to the Zebra Kingdom and Berry was happy to listen.

Ruby was also keeping a sharp eye out for ponies she didn’t recognise. The changelings had agreed to stay in their adopted ponysonas until the young ones had become used to the idea of having them around – Twilight had been worried their true forms would be too scary at first.

Berry noticed Surprise as she entered the restaurant – she was at a far table with Twilight, chatting away.

She decided it would be best to leave them to it for the moment. The pair of them had been avoiding each other for most of the week but now they were slowly overcoming their initial reluctance.

Instead, she steered Ruby over to the bar where Horte was waiting.

Emerald Shine was also there. She had approached him for a job and he had taken her on, despite what the changeling had put him through.

A number of the town’s new population frequented his place and he had decided he needed one of their number on his staff to help out, while keeping watch over them. Emerald was well-respected and didn’t take any nonsense.

She also shared Horte’s sarcastic sense of humour, even if hers was a touch more aggressive. It couldn’t truly be called a friendship but there was no ill feeling between them either.

“How’s it going?” Berry asked, nodding in the direction of the two princesses.

“Oh, they seem to be getting on quite well,” he said. “I don’t think they’d have any problem with you interrupting them. Hello, Miss Pinch.”

“Hi!” Ruby replied, keeping a wary eye on Emerald. The changeling returned her stare.

Horte nodded for Berry to come closer for a quiet word. “Bon Bon said she wanted to talk with you. Something about a double date, clearing the air.”

“Glad to hear it,” she said. “It’ll have to be at lunch, now Pinchy’s back. I’ll speak to her later.”

She hadn’t spoken to the pair of them except in passing for the past week. Lyra had been a bit shaken up by her brief fight with the changeling who tried to take Bon Bon away from her. Neither of them were happy with the new state of affairs in Ponyville, though hopefully they would adjust. It would take a while before anyone fully accepted this as the new normal.

Berry wandered over to the table where the two princesses were sitting, and Surprise smiled at her approach.

The conversation fell silent as Ruby looked the white pegasus over, making a full assessment of her.

“Hi there. My name’s Surprise,” she said. “Berry’s told me a lot about you.”

“Hello,” Ruby said shyly. “I thought you were a princess. Where’s your horn?”

“I don’t have one in pony form,” she said, then decided to steer the conversation away from her true nature. “I couldn’t very well turn into an alicorn, could I? Twilight’s the princess of Ponyville, and Berry’s the boss at home. Isn’t that right?”

Ruby nodded. “Mum’s house, mum’s rules,” she said.

“That’s right. Even though she breaks them all the time herself.”

Ruby chuckled. “I guess so. She gets into more trouble than me.”

“Berry told me you were a good girl,” she said agreeably.

The earth pony spoke up. “Why don’t you guys go play a game? Get to know each other better?”

Ruby looked to her mother, then nodded in approval.

“Okay. What do you want to play?” the filly asked Surprise.

“I don’t actually know any games. I never had much chance to play when I was growing up.”

Ruby gasped. “You didn’t? That’s terrible.” She adopted a businesslike manner. “I’m going to have to fix that. Come with me, I’m going to teach you.”

Surprise grinned and winked at Berry, who said she would meet them outside. She was relieved that their first meeting seemed to have gone well. Ruby had been reticent, but that would have been the case even if Surprise had been another pony. The next few hours would be important in helping them to form a bond.

She turned to Twilight. “Everything alright?” she asked. The last few days had been pretty rough on the princess.

“As well as they can be,” she said. “I’ve been talking with Surprise for the past hour. Really talking.”

She rubbed a hoof against her brow – she appeared emotionally drained, though not in a literal sense.

“It’s hard to believe that someone like her could come from Chrysalis. She’s really pleasant, easy to get along with. As terrible as it sounds, I don’t think peace could ever have been achieved if she hadn’t been born. So something good came out of the Canterlot invasion, despite all the pain it caused.”

“Are you okay?” asked Berry, concerned.

“I think I’m starting to come to terms with it. It helps if I think of it as something that came out of the atmosphere, rather than from Shining Armour himself. It was the circumstances that created her, not Chrysalis’s mind control.”

She grimaced. “I’m not sure how I’m going to tell him. I’m not even sure if I should tell him, but if I don’t there’s a danger the truth will come out anyway. I don’t want to think about it for the moment.”

“Everyone seems to be settling in well, though,” said Berry. “There are a few on both sides who still seem uneasy about it, but we’re really starting to meld together. It’s starting to feel like a community.”

“And we have you to thank for it,” said Twilight. “Anything can start to feel natural, given time. I’m not sure about Chrysalis, though. She’s refusing to integrate, despite Surprise’s best efforts. It’s like she genuinely feels she’s been wronged by us.”

Berry frowned. Queen Chrysalis was unhappy about the situation, especially as Surprise appeared to have taken her role as spokesman and leader.

But things would change. The tide of general opinion was against her. She couldn’t stay alone forever.

What she needed was for somepony to make a genuine effort to befriend her. Somepony who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Somepony who would stay on her case until she was friendshipped into submission.

Twilight wearily stepped away from the table. “I’m going to have to head off, I’m afraid,” she said. “Pinkie Pie’s coming back home in a couple of days. We’ve somehow managed to keep all of this a secret from her until now, but I’m going to have to tell her what’s going on.

“I’m also going to have to pre-warn the changelings, let them know what’s coming. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like once she warms up to the idea? She’ll be throwing a welcome party for every single changeling in town.”

Berry laughed. “If the peace agreement survives that, then it’s set in stone.”

She smiled sympathetically at Twilight – the poor mare was exhausted. “You deserve a break when all this is over. Take some time off with your friends. And if there’s anything Surprise and I can do…”

“Oh, Surprise already has something lined up for me. Or rather, someone,” Twilight said with a grimace. “She has a friend who she says would be perfect for me. Highly intelligent, very friendly, lots of fun.”

“Sounds great. I’d go for it, if I were you.”

“To be honest, once this is all over all I want to do is lock myself up in my study and read,” said Twilight. “I need to relax and there’s something to be said for staying alone. I’m quite happy to stay single for a while longer.”

“Well, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Berry said.

Just then, Surprise and Ruby poked their heads in through the restaurant’s doorway and called for the earth pony to join them.

She smiled at Twilight and bid her goodbye, then headed outside to take part in a play session.

Her weekend alone had led to more than she could ever have hoped for. She would have been happy enough to find a date. Instead, she had found someone she could end up spending the rest of her life with.

And all she’d had to do to reach this point was save ponykind from invasion. There were easier ways to meet someone, to be sure, but it made for an unforgettable first date.

Chapter 1

Youngsters across Ponyville were preparing for their annual school outing, their homes becoming hives of nervous activity as their parents helped them get their belongings together.

Many of the adults couldn’t help feeling a little envious of their offspring – an exchange visit had been arranged with the Zebra Kingdom to build international relations and tighten bonds with Equestria.

Few ponies had ventured there, despite of how relatively close it was. The two races had regarded each other with suspicion until just recently, when Twilight and Zecora had taken it upon themselves to use their friendship as a basis to improve political links.

If this trip was a success, Ponyville would return the favour and accept a visit from fillies and colts from their kingdom.

Despite the importance of what this weekend could signify, the general atmosphere was one of excitement more than anything else. Even Twilight was taking a strictly hooves-off approach now the negotiating was done – the three days away were to be a time of fun and adventure and she no longer needed to be involved.

That didn’t, of course, prevent some from being anxious about the whole affair.

The past couple of hours in Berry Punch’s household had consisted of a constant to-ing and fro-ing of fussing and affection.

“You’re sure you’re going to be fine? You’re not going to get lonely or do anything stupid?” said Ruby Pinch, who was wearing a backpack filled with more items than were strictly necessary. The filly’s brow was furrowed. “I’m only gonna be gone a few days. You don’t need to worry so much.”

Berry Punch waved her hoof, dismissing her daughter’s concerns – although there was a slight strain in her tone when she spoke.

“Don’t be silly, Pinchy. This weekend’s all about you. I don’t want you thinking about me at home when you should be out there having fun and having new experiences. I trust Miss Cheerilee and I know you’re going to have a wonderful time.”

Ruby nodded slowly, maintaining eye contact with her mother as she waited for the inevitable “but”.

The older pony could only hold out a few seconds before she went into over-protective mode again. “You have got everything, haven’t you?” she asked, trotting over to the filly’s overburdened backpack. “Clothes in case it’s too cold, a hat in case it gets too hot, your quills and notepad – do you want to take some food? You might get hungry on the journey over.”

“Mum.” Ruby stopped her with a short but affectionate warning.

Berry hesitated for a moment, then broke out a warm but weary smile. “I know,” she said, “I’m sorry. But you can’t blame me for worrying. You know what happened during the last school trip.”

She leaned down to her daughter, her expression serious. “You keep an eye on that Applebloom and her friends. The last thing we want is for them to be releasing any more cosmic horrors.”

Ruby stifled a groan. “It wasn’t their fight that set Discord free, that’s just a lie spread by Diamond Tiara. I’m more worried about what happened in Ponyville while I was away – which you still won’t tell me anything about.”

Berry’s face flushed. “That’s because there’s nothing to tell, no matter what the rumours say.” She recovered her composure quickly. “Come on now, it’s time to go.”

She felt a pang of sadness after she said those words – she was going to miss her, even for this short while.

The pair of them stepped outside, the warmth of the Sun washing over them, and made their way to the carts that the class would be using as their transportation.

Berry gave her daughter a prolonged hug and resisted the temptation to ask Cheerilee to take particular care of her. It would have been unnecessary and could have embarrassed Ruby in front of her friends.

Then she and the other parents watched as Ponyville’s young embarked on their travels, not to be seen again until the Monday morning.

She stayed there a while even as some of the other adults moved away, looking on up the road until the carts were out of sight.

She felt an unshakeable sense of melancholy as she made her way back home. She knew it was foolish but she couldn’t help it – Ruby was her friend as much as her daughter and for the next couple of days they would be without each other.

The front door to her home creaked as she opened it, which didn’t help reduce the atmosphere of loneliness it now held.

Berry set about clearing up the items that Ruby had elected not to take with her, trying to ignore her sense of solitude. This was different to when Ruby was at school or out with friends – she was too far away to get in contact with and she wouldn’t be spending the night sleeping in her own bed.

Chores were carried out nearly and efficiently, the only sounds coming from ponies passing outside. When the house was as quiet as this, it was almost unnatural – the silence itself became a noise, a low hum that came from everywhere and nowhere.

An hour passed. Berry continued her clean-up, taking a brush in her mouth to sweep her home’s surfaces. Stray specks of dust were stirred by her work and caused her to sneeze, which sounded like an explosion compared to the peace that had come before it.

She frowned, then went to a window and checked outside. The sun was starting to set – early evening. Not too early to get out of the house and have a drink or two.

There was a restaurant/bar about a 20 minutes’ walk away that she frequented on the occasions she was able to hire a babysitter, and she had become close friends with its owner.

Horte Cuisine was a white-coated stallion with a slickly-styled blue mane, with a neat moustache on his upper lip. He was always smartly dressed and to the casual observer he could appear aloof and disdainful, while the truth was that he was simply careful.

Careful not to intervene in matters that weren’t his business, careful in who he allowed into his confidence and careful in choosing friends.

He was the opposite of what Berry had been before Ruby came along, yet they were identical in two important ways. First, they shared an irreverent sense of humour, which they discovered over the many drinks he had served her through the years.

Second, they were both unlucky in love – simply down to the fact there were no partners available.

Ponyville was unusual in the fact the number of stallions living there were outnumbered by mares by about seven to one. Berry preferred mares, so this statistical anomaly should have worked in her favour.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. In all her years living there she had only met one other pony of her persuasion, who had made it clear she wasn’t interested. Berry craved companionship but had become resigned to the fact she was unlikely to find it.

Horte Cuisine’s situation was even worse but he wasn’t as bothered about it as Berry was. He was of the opinion that the right stallion would come along eventually and until then, it was better to retain his independence.

Berry reached his restaurant and headed straight on in. As was usual for a Friday, it was busy but not crammed.

She saw him before he saw her – he was at the bar, serving a couple of mares who were taking more interest in him than he was in them.

This was another benefit of their friendship; he was never less than polite to his customers but rarely gave anything of himself away. This intrigued more than a few females, and the gossip they shared while chatting him up sometimes gave him ideas for mares Berry could try her luck with.

Ruby was going to be away all weekend and she been single too long. Berry made a resolution there and then – this was the perfect opportunity for her to find somepony. So help her, before Sunday was out she intended to score a date at the very least.

Horte Cuisine’s expression brightened as he saw her approach and the ponies he was serving moved away.

“I expected you’d be here at some time tonight. You haven’t let me down,” he said with a smile.

“Of course not,” she said. Horte nodded to his serving staff to take over his duties and moved down to the end of the bar, with Berry taking up a seat opposite him.

“So what will you have?” he asked, “Judging by the time, I presume you haven’t had a chance to eat dinner yet, so you will want something mild. A white wine, perhaps?”

She nodded and he continued speaking while serving. “And what do you have planned for this weekend? You have two days where you are unchained, free from responsibility. Should I warn Ponyville that Miss Punch is on the prowl, or are you going to take the time to relax and de-stress? The spa has several cheap offers on at the moment – you could surrender yourself to the tender mercies of Aloe and Lotus.”

He placed a full glass on the bar and Berry took a sip. “That sounds very tempting, but I can do that any time. I’ve been out of the dating game too long and I could really use some company. You got any gossip?”

He stroked his chin absently. “Alas, nopony comes to mind. There are plenty of ponies who are bemoaning their single status but I don’t think any are willing to change their sexuality. It’s too bad – most of the last lone stallions in town were snapped up at the recent Hearts and Hooves night that I held here. Which, I noted, you didn’t attend.”

Berry shrugged helplessly. “Babysitter duty. All the mums I know sent their foals round for a big play date, so they could enjoy the night. They figured I wouldn’t have plans and, of course, they were right.”

“Then we need to find you somepony. It boggles the mind that out of all the mares in town, none of them have yet succumbed to your feminine wiles.”

He put a hoof to his chest in a gesture of mock-nobility. “I will do what I can to aid you in your quest. No stone shall go unturned, no rumour unchallenged. Just try not to make the same mistake as last time – I don’t think you’ve been fully forgiven for that.”

Berry blushed and lowered her voice. “Don’t bring that up. You promised we would never speak of that again.”

He smiled, teasing her. “Of course, it was such a long time ago that I don’t think I fully remember the details. Let me see, what was it?”

He looked in the air, pretending to be lost in thought. “Ah yes, the fog is clearing. Something about a near-scandal, hastily brushed under the carpet. Alcohol was involved, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Berry sighed heavily, but there was some mirth hidden behind her embarrassment. “Horte, I’m warning you. Don’t dig up the past, no good can come of this.”

“It was a grand gala dinner,” he said theatrically, his hoof raised in the air. “Your eyes met hers. There was electricity in the air. You moved towards her, pausing briefly to stumble into a table. There was a conversation, the details of which you can’t remember and she refuses to repeat. And then…”

“Look, it wasn’t all my fault, okay?” she said. “She was giving off all the right signals, I thought we’d made a connection. She’d never shown any interest in the stallions in town, I thought I was onto a sure thing. It was a simple mistake, I don’t see what the problem was.”

Horte smiled and spoke in a low whisper to ensure nopony else could hear. “She was the mayor, Berry.”

“Yes, well,” she said, struggling to come up with a decent comeback. “I still think she enjoyed it on some level. She didn’t break off the kiss immediately.”

“I attribute that to shock,” he said. “But she did a very good job of covering it up afterwards. A good quality in a politician, not so much in a lover. Even if she had reciprocated, I’d say you deserve better.”

Berry almost choked on her drink. “Horte, you shouldn’t say that sort of thing about the mayor. You’ll get yourself in trouble.”

He shrugged. “Everypony’s on the same level when it comes to love. Sex is also a great equaliser. Position counts for nothing in the bedroom, so to speak. Do you think even the likes of Princess Celestia command respect when they’re deep in the throes…”

“Horte, stop!” Berry cried in horrified amusement. “You can’t talk about the princess in that way. She’s the ruler of Equestria, don’t put those images in my head. She’s noble, chaste…”

He said nothing, simply raising a wry eyebrow. Berry fell silent, then downed the rest of her drink in the hope of wiping her memory clean.

“Anyway,” she said, deliberately changing the subject. “How are we going to solve my problem? I’m not getting any younger. There has to be somepony out there for me.”

Horte fell quiet for a moment. “All joking aside, I will give the matter some thought,” he said. “If you weren’t tied down here, I’d suggest you move to San Flankcisco. You’d have no such problems there – though I would miss your company.”

Berry smiled as he poured out another glass. The bar wasn’t getting any busier, which she found unusual – perhaps the parents of Ponyville were waiting until Saturday to paint the town red. She wasn’t complaining, though. If there were any more customers then Horte wouldn’t be able to take the time out to talk to her.

“Try to make this one last a little longer,” he said, pushing the glass towards her. “I’m not going to refuse your bits, but the weekend has barely begun. I don’t want you to peak too early. Would you like some food?”

“Maybe later,” she said, tapping her hoof absently against the bar. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Perhaps I should try speaking to Bon Bon again. I know she wasn’t interested the last time, but that was months ago. I’m not sure how well we’d get on, but at least I know she’s gay so there’d be no chance of… why are you looking at me like that?”

“You really have been out of the social scene for a while, haven’t you?” he said. “I’m afraid you’ve already missed your chance.”

“What? She’s found somepony?” Berry blinked in astonishment as two thoughts collided in her brain and blew her mind. “No,” she said, dismissing the idea as impossible.

Horte gave her a knowing look, realising she had already hit upon the truth.

“No.” She repeated her denial, weaker this time. “You’re serious? It can’t be. You mean, she and Lyra…”

He nodded slowly, smirking at her bewilderment. “Sometimes if you push hard enough for something, it comes true.”

Berry shook her head. “Maybe, but wow. Bon Bon’s been after Lyra for something like two years now and there was never any sign she’d be successful. As far as I knew, Lyra just went along with it but didn’t really take it seriously. I thought Bon Bon was half-joking as well – I mean, have you seen some of the poems and stories she sent her? They ranged from ludicrous to obscene.”

“I don’t know the full story, but things were pretty much as you said. Lyra saw Bon Bon as a friend who occasionally wrote questionable things about her,” he said. “But then Bon Bon wrote a story that overstepped the mark. Overstepped it so far that the mark couldn’t be seen for dust. They had a serious falling out.”

“Oh. I’d heard something about that but I didn’t realise it was so bad. What happened then?”

“It was messy for a while. There was one night when Bon Bon came here and she got so drunk that I had to escort her out.” Horte closed his eyes and tilted his head in a semi-shrug. “Shortly after that they got together, but you’d have to ask them for the reasons why. I don’t like to pry into other ponies’ business unless invited.”

Berry exhaled, blowing air upwards into her mane. “Well, that’s an opportunity lost. Maybe I should speak to them anyway. They might know somepony they could introduce me to.”

“It’s a good idea. The more ponies you include in your social circle, the better your chances.” He smiled. “It’s a shame Pinkie Pie’s out of town. She knows everypony.”

She chuckled. “Ah, Pinkie. The scrapes she’s gotten me into. You know she insisted on throwing me a ‘coming out’ party when I discovered my sexuality? That was the night I realised what slim pickings there were round here for a mare like me.”

She stared wistfully into her wine glass. “It was another one of her parties that led to Pinchy coming along. I was so drunk that night. That said, I wouldn’t change a thing. Motherhood’s the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Horte leaned forward and smiled apologetically. “You’ll have to pardon me – I’ll leave you alone to reminisce for a moment. I want to check that everything’s okay for our guest of honour.”

Berry raised her head and blinked in confusion. “Guest of honour? What?” She adopted a jovial tone. “You’re saying there’s a customer you’d rather spend your time with than me?”

Horte scrutinised her, unsure that she was being serious, then stifled a grin. “You didn’t see her when you were coming in? You must have only had eyes for me.”

He held up a hoof to prevent her from asking any further questions, then walked out from behind the bar to go and speak to the aforementioned pony. Berry gasped when she saw who it was.

Twilight Sparkle, Equestria’s newest princess, was sitting alone at a table and reading through a heavy-looking book. The purple alicorn looked up as Horte approached and they had a brief but agreeable conversation, then he left her alone and went back to Berry.

“How did I miss her?” she said, then frowned as she took a second glance. “Hmm. I guess she doesn’t stand out as much when she’s not wearing her full regalia. She’s keeping her wings folded too, not drawing much attention to herself.”

Horte tapped her on the shoulder. “It’s rude to stare, Berry. She’s been here most of the afternoon, answering any questions the parents had about the exchange trip to the Zebra Kingdom.”

“Huh, the common touch,” said an impressed Berry, who was still watching her with rapt attention. “I’ve never really spoken to her before. What’s she like?”

“Starstruck, I see. She comes across as very caring, easy to talk to.” He stopped as a thought suddenly struck him. “Actually, she might just be…”

He shook his head to dismiss the notion and hastily corrected himself. “No. No, forget I said anything.”

“What?” Berry asked slyly, very interested in what he had been about to say. “What was it? What were you about to suggest?”

He cleared his throat, hesitant. “You see, this is the thing. From what I understand, Miss Sparkle has had no end of would-be suitors since the coronation and she’s turned every one of them away. Not only that, but I distinctly heard her say earlier that she has no interest in having a coltfriend.”

“You think she might be gay?” Berry asked, refocusing her attention back on the young alicorn.

“I didn’t say that. But there was something in her tone.” He let out a sigh, borne more out of concern than any other emotion. “You’re considering it, aren’t you? Berry, as a friend, it would be amiss of me not to tell you that this is a very bad idea.”

“You’re absolutely right,” she replied, still facing away from him. “She’s a princess. Who knows what the consequences could be if I offend her? Think of the scandal, think of the outrage. On the other hand, if I succeeded in seducing her then the results of that could be even worse. All eyes in Equestria would be on me, any time I stepped out of line could erupt into a royal incident. Not to mention the outcry if I ever broke her heart. You’re right, this is a bad idea.”

Horte sighed again. “You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”

“Damn right I am!” said Berry, flashing a daredevil grin. “She’s a princess, for crying out loud! A pretty, pretty princess.”

She spoke quickly to stop him from protesting further. “This isn’t like that time with the mayor. I’ve only had one glass, I’m perfectly in control. I’ll be subtle.” She noticed his expression change. “I can be subtle. Don’t give me that look.”

He shrugged helplessly. “The best of luck, then. If the worst happens, I promise I’ll visit you in prison.”

Berry was already moving forward – Twilight looked up from her book as she became aware of the earth pony’s approach.

She spoke with an enthusiastic but humble tone. “Good evening, your highness. I just wanted to thank you for arranging today’s exchange trip – my daughter was so excited about the whole thing this morning.”

The alicorn smiled politely, though she was uncomfortable with Berry’s reverence. “I’m glad to hear it. But please, call me Twilight. I’m still much the same pony as I was before, just a little more… feathery.”

“Well, okay. Twilight.” Berry felt a slight confidence boost to be on first name terms with her already, though she figured this was how she treated everypony. “You must be pleased with how it’s going so far. Everypony involved seems very happy.”

Twilight’s response was warmer this time. “Thank you. This is just the beginning of what I hope to achieve as a princess – given time, I believe we’ll be able to build links with other nations even further away than the Zebra Kingdom, spreading harmony throughout the land. I’m still learning, of course, but I have a very good teacher.”

Berry pointed a hoof at the book she was reading. “So, is this part of your studies or are you reading for pleasure?”

“Oh, a bit of both, actually,” she said. “This is all about sociology and I’m on quite an interesting chapter about pre-conceptions and the herd mentality. It’s all about how other ponies’ views can alter your own opinion on something before you’ve even experienced it. The more you know, or the more you’ve been told, the harder it is to come to your own conclusions.”

“Right… as it was between us and the zebras.” Something clicked into place in Berry’s head. “That’s why you chose a pupil exchange trip, isn’t it? The adults already had their own ideas about what the zebras were like, but with the foals…”

“That’s exactly right. And the parents will be more open to hearing about the real Zebra Kingdom from their foals than they would from somepony in authority.”

“Pretty smart,” she said. “This must have taken a lot of time to set in motion, though.”

“It wasn’t so bad. As I said, I’m still starting out. I’m still Celestia’s student and I don’t have anywhere near the level of responsibility as the other princesses. I won’t do for several years yet.” She closed her book and placed it on the table. “Which is good. It gives me plenty of time to relax with my friends, help out in Ponyville and, well, other things.”

“Other things?” Berry shot her a knowing look. “Oh, I get ya. You must have plenty keeping you busy, right? I mean, you’ve just become the most eligible mare in Equestria – you must have suitors lining up round the block.”

Surprise registered briefly on her face, but the suggestion didn’t upset her. “I meant reading and working, actually. I’ve been asked of course, and whenever I visit Canterlot my mother always tries to set me up with somepony, but I’m not interested. I’ve got too much going on at the moment and, even if I didn’t, I don’t think I want a coltfriend anyway.”

“You don’t want a coltfriend?” Berry felt a rush of nerves, but she had to ask. “Twilight, I hope you’re not offended by me asking you this, but… what about mares?”

“What about mares?” She repeated the question blankly, then her eyes opened wide as she realised what Berry was asking.

“Oh,” she said, a simple expression of surprise.

“Ohh.” The word was elongated the second time, stretched out to encompass her sudden understanding of where the conversation had headed.

Berry looked at the wide-eyed alicorn with a growing sense of self-consciousness. Twilight’s lack of any further response was beginning to unnerve her.

The princess finally broke the silence. “It’s not really a question I’ve ever considered,” she said. “But I think the answer would be pretty much the same. I’m too busy.”

“Pretty much the same?” Berry frowned, not fully understanding. “So you do like mares? Or you like both? Or neither? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Twilight said, then considered her response carefully. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it to any great extent. Before I came to Ponyville I was pretty much a loner. Now I have a close circle of friends and an ever-widening social circle. Getting into a relationship with somepony would be a big step and I’m not sure how it would affect everything else in my life.”

Berry relaxed, with a tinge of disappointment, as she realised she was unlikely to find romance here. “I’m hardly the right pony to talk to about relationships, but they are what you make them. Of course you have to compromise every now and again, but it’s the same in friendships sometimes. If you’re unsure what your sexuality is, you should probably try to find out. I know you’re not in any hurry, but it’ll help you to understand yourself better.”

Twilight hesitated a moment, then lifted up her book using her magic and stowed it in a saddlebag. “You’re absolutely right, and there’s no time like the present. I never miss an opportunity when it presents itself.”

Berry took a step back in astonishment. “Wait, what? Really? You want to go out with me?”

Twilight was so flustered that her first answer was barely comprehensible. Her second answer was only slightly more coherent. “You’re gay? I didn’t realise… I thought… I thought you were just making conversation. That wasn’t what I meant at all, I was just going to go home and read. I was going to take the opportunity to study. I have a book about… well, you know.”

She couldn’t help but feel a little crestfallen. “Oh. Okay.”

Twilight calmed down, her eyes now showing sympathy. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit clueless when it comes to picking up signals.”

She waved her hoof. “Don’t worry, I was just asking. No need to make a fuss or anything. But, um, if you ever change your mind then the offer’ll still be open.”

Twilight blushed. “I’ll, I’ll think about it. If I ever decide to put theory into practice then…” She cleared her throat, uncertain how to finish her sentence, then turned to go. “It was good to meet you, Berry Punch.”

Berry watched her leave, disappointed but not totally unhappy with how their conversation had ended. As she stood staring at the exit, she caught the eye of another pony who was heading for the door, somepony she didn’t recognise.

The other pony noticed she was looking at her, shot her an angry glare, then left.

Berry was confused by her seeming hostility and decided it was best to go back to the bar, where Horte was waiting.

He gestured to a plate of food on the counter. “Made you a roast vegetable sandwich. Also took the liberty of refilling your wine glass too, just in case things didn’t go well.”

“Thanks Horte,” she said with a smile. “Always looking out for me. It didn’t go as bad as it could have done, it just didn’t end in a result. And she knew my name, that’s something.”

She sighed. “You know, things were so much easier when I was into stallions. All you had to do was ask them and nine times out of ten they’d say ‘eeyup’.”

“I will have to take your word on that,” said Horte, with a weary tone that seemed to invite pity.

“Aw, Horte. Don’t go soft on me,” she said warmly. “If I was a stallion, I’d go out with you.”

A thought passed through her mind and she laughed. “You know, Twilight is a high-level magic user. I’m sure she’d be capable of a gender swap spell. It would be incredibly weird but the option’s there.” The expression on her face indicated that she wasn’t being serious. “Just saying.”

Horte chuckled. “Quite the invitation. But I wouldn’t be willing to become a mare, not even for you. It would be too great a sacrifice.”

They talked into the night. Twilight came up as a topic of conversation a couple of times, during which Horte made some quite inappropriate comments about wingspan.

The night soon came to an end and closing time arrived. Berry said her goodbyes and walked out into the dark street, a cold wind blowing in the air.

There was barely anypony around and the town had fallen quiet. She increased her pace, keen to get back into the warm.

There was a rustle of movement from an alleyway right next to her and she stopped in her tracks. She paused there a while, scrutinising the area. Nothing there. But she could have sworn she saw somepony.

“Hello?” she called. Her question went unanswered.

She moved on, convincing herself it had just been a mouse or something equally as harmless.

But she was feeling slightly vulnerable, even though she knew how silly that was. Ponyville was crime free and there was nopony here who would wish her harm.

Her home awaited. Her warm bed. But she would be alone, and that was something she wasn’t used to.

She was a very social creature and other ponies’ company made her feel at ease. With Pinchy away, her house wasn’t quite the same.

There was no reason to be alone, she told herself. It was a relatively long walk at this time of night and Horte’s restaurant had plenty of spare rooms for paying customers who wanted to stay over.

So she turned tail and knocked on his door. He was surprised to see her but he had a room available at a very reasonable rate.

Berry spent the night there. When she woke up the next morning. The uneasiness that had gripped her before was gone.

She attributed it to the wine. After all, she had no other reason to be paranoid.

Chapter 8

“A changeling? In Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash swallowed her shock and geared herself up for action, instantly realising Surprise’s true identity.

“You’re a changeling?” She rounded on the other pegasus aggressively, her hooves raised but holding herself back. The brief time they had spent as friends coloured her judgement.

Berry found her voice. “Dash, we have to get to the boutique. Twilight’s in danger. We’re all in danger.”

Dash looked at her incredulously. “You knew about this, didn’t you? What were you even trying to do?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Her concern for her friends suddenly took over and she was off in a flash, headed for the Carousel Boutique.

Surprise lay curled up in a ball, hiding her face with hooves. “I thought I had more time. I thought they’d wait until nightfall, that it was too dangerous to attack in daylight.”

Berry was in a quandary, desperate to race after Dash but unsure what to do about Surprise. The changeling was obviously remorseful but this mess was her responsibility. If she had been upfront from the start, the three of them could have contacted Twilight first and spent the day with her.

But the hive came first. Surprise’s allegiances lay with them. If there was any possibility the changeling race could come out of this with nothing, Berry now felt certain Surprise would betray her to prevent it.

Even with that in mind, she wasn’t happy leaving her to her own devices. Surprise would have to come with her, if only so she could keep an eye on her.

She took the changeling by the leg and shook her. “Come with me. Now.”

The forcefulness of her tone told Surprise that disobedience was not an option. Although she was much stronger than Berry, the way she had fallen to pieces was a clear indication that she was unused to confrontation.

She took to her hooves and Berry urged her onward, staying behind her to ensure she didn’t try to make a break for it.

As they approached the boutique, Dash burst out through the doors, saw Surprise, and pounced on her.

“They’re not here!” she cried. “Where are they? Where did they go? And what have they done to Rarity?”

“Dash!” Berry tried to pull her away but she resisted her efforts easily. “Calm down! She’s on our side!”

The thunderstruck pegasus stared at her in astonishment. She probably would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so serious.

“She attacked me last night,” Berry said. “She attacked me but she couldn’t go through with it. The changeling race is starving, close to death, and we decided to try to find a peace accord.”

The rainbow-maned mare went to interrupt but Berry stopped her. “It’s either peace or war. They’re desperate. They’re planning to hypnotise Twilight and use her magic on the rest of us, enslave us. If we don’t act fast, they’ll take over Ponyville and we won’t even be aware that it’s happened.”

She pointed at Surprise. “She’s against the plan. She’ll help us. We need her.”

Dash gritted her teeth and came to a decision. “She’s on our side? Right.” She flapped her wings and lifted herself off Surprise, then pulled the changeling to her hooves and started dragging her towards the boutique. “If you’re really on the level, then you’ll have no problem in helping Rarity.”

The three of them went inside. The white-coated unicorn was lying in a catatonic state next to a chest of drawers, her eyes open and unblinking.

“Wake her up,” said Dash. “A changeling did this to her. You can set her free.”

“It’s not that easy,” Surprise said, then reared back as the other two ponies glared at her. “I’m being serious! The only way to break a changeling’s hypnosis is to for the victim to fight against it themselves.”

Berry looked at her suspiciously. “There must be another way.”

She grimaced. “Yes, but it’s not recommended. I might be able to overwrite Shadow Dancer’s mind control with my own hypnosis. It all depends on who’s the strongest.”

“Then stop stalling,” said Dash. “Get to it!”

Surprise quickly walked over to Rarity and met her gaze, her own eyes turning a shade of green.

The unicorn stirred briefly as the changeling’s power began to take effect. She whimpered in pain as two outside forces fought for the right to take control of her thoughts, then fell still as Surprise proved victorious.

“Come back to us,” the pegasus said. “Act on your own volition.”

Rarity blinked blearily as the effects faded away. She looked at Surprise in a state of confusion, and then caught sight of the other two ponies in the room.

Memories of what happened to her immediately before she went under came back to her, and she flew into a panic. “Changelings!” she cried. “There was a changeling here!”

She scowled in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “Oh, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I fell for it. He came in here, into MY boutique, and started sweet talking me, telling me I was pretty and then BAM!”

“Rarity, they’ve got Twilight!” Dash interrupted, flying over to her. “We’ve got to tell everypony in town, get search parties out. If we don’t find her soon, they’re going to turn her against us!”

The unicorn forgot her own problems immediately and followed Dash outside, who beckoned for the other two to come with them.

“Rarity, get the gang together. We’ve got to be ready to fight,” she said. “I’ll spread the word and get a posse together. They could be anywhere!”

She turned to Berry and pointed at Surprise. “Do you reckon you can handle this one?”

“I’ll be fine. Get going, hurry!” the earth pony cried, and the two friends got to work.

They quickly began accosting other ponies and spreading the news of the invasion. Dash flew at high speed from group to group, outlining the situation in a matter of seconds before moving on to the next area. Panic started to spread like wildfire.

Surprise watched the unfolding chaos with obvious trepidation. She flinched when Berry tapped her on the shoulder, so lost had she been in watching the scene before her.

“Surprise, you’ve got to help us,” Berry said. Her anger had faded now and all she felt was fear. “You’ll be much more adept at spotting them.”

“I didn’t want this,” she replied. “I was frightened before I even set out on this mission. The very act of attacking you made me feel sick. My mother’s protected me my entire life and I couldn’t stand the thought of conflict.”

“She always taught me that we were superior, that it was our right to feed off you. I never really believed it and now I know it isn’t true. I almost believed that peace was possible, but now…”

She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to build up courage. “I’m going to fix this. You’ve been nothing less than a friend to me and any moment now, all your memories of that could be taken away. Nothing would be real any more. Ponykind would be our slaves. I won’t let that happen.”

She flapped her wings and took to the sky, hovering over the roof tops as she took stock of the situation.

“What are you going to do? What can you see?” called Berry.

“There are ponies all over, search parties everywhere,” the changeling responded. “In town, out of town. All the way from the forest to Ghastly Gorge.”

She held a hoof to her head, trying to fight down her panic. “This is all happening so quickly. There would barely have been enough time to slip Twilight the potion before Dash was upon them. There’s no way they would have stayed in town once they’d guessed I’d told you everything – all the buildings are being searched right now. So they’re outside somewhere, but there are too many ponies around for me to work out who they are.”

“What about the library? They could have gone there.”

“Doesn’t look like that’ll be any good. There’s a whole bunch of ponies over there now and they seem to be accusing a young dragon of being a changeling. We can’t shrink ourselves down, so unless he’s under hypnosis then…”

She broke off briefly as there was a sudden commotion. “Um, situation update. They’ve pushed past him and they’re ransacking the library. If she’s there, they’ll find her. But Shadow Dancer wouldn’t have been that stupid.”

She flew down to Berry. “He’d have taken her somewhere quiet, isolated. Is there anywhere near here like that, close to the boutique?”

The earth pony shook her head, a deep sense of unease falling upon her. “It wouldn’t even have to be nearby. Twilight can teleport – they could effectively be anywhere.”

Surprise’s expression fell and she slowly dropped from the sky onto her hooves. A strange sort of calm seemed to pass over her, a kind of resignation, and she stared off into the middle distance as Berry continued talking.

“We have to do something!” she said. “Can’t you… can’t you sense them somehow? You said that you’re part of a hive mind.”

“No.” Surprise shook her head. “No, we’re not psychic.”

Berry began to pace. “Then how about sending up some sort of signal? Summon your allies, get them on your side. Ask them to help you.”

She shook her head again. “We’re under strict orders to stay incognito. If I sent a signal flare, no-one would respond.”

“Then what are we going to do?” Berry asked frantically. “There’s no time! How effective is that potion? Will Twilight be able to fight it?”

The pegasus didn’t reply, and that didn’t do her nerves any good.

“Surprise, for pity’s sake,” said Berry, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Answer me. Do something!”

“If your friends were going to find her, they would have found her by now,” she said sadly. “If Shadow Dancer got to her, and everything we’ve seen indicates that she did, Twilight’s mental defences will be shot. She won’t stand a chance.”

The earth pony fought down a rising urge to be sick as this information slowly sank in. All of Ponyville was possibly moments away from being conquered and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Worse still, she was responsible for it. She should have turned Surprise in at the first chance she had – in her desperation to avoid war, she had merely ensured defeat.

She looked out across the town and saw her friends and acquaintances dashing around in search of Twilight. They’d need nothing short of a miracle to find her in time.

Everything she knew was about to change. Her daughter would be coming back to a race enslaved.

“Berry.” Surprise’s voice brought her back to reality. The changeling was looking at her solemnly, unflinchingly. “Berry, do you trust me?”

The question staggered her, leaving her momentarily mute, then she felt a surge of sudden, unfettered rage. “Do I trust you?” She almost spat the words out. “Do I trust you? You have the gall to ask me that? After what you’ve done? You’ve doomed my kind!”

“The fight needn’t be over just because we’ve lost one battle. Even if just one pony remembers, you’ll still have a chance.”

Her eyes turned milky blue, with flickers of green visible.

“Look at me,” she said. “Look at me and focus. I’m making a gamble here. A hypnotism spell can be overwritten by one more powerful, but if there’s a strong enough emotional connection then nothing can assail it. Look into my eyes.”

Berry instinctively looked away, a sense of nausea hitting the back of her throat.

“You just want it both ways, don’t you?” she asked. “The changelings have won but you still want my friendship. You want me as your pet.”

“It’s not like that. You’ll remember as much as I want you to remember, and I want you to remember everything,” she said, moving close. “If this works, you’ll retain knowledge of everything that’s happened. We’ll still have a chance, however slight, of making this right again.”

The earth pony’s hopes didn’t rise even a fraction. “One pony against a nation of changelings?”

“With their princess by your side.” Surprise spoke in a low voice, seeking to reassure her. “Look at me. There’s no time.”

Berry realised she had no choice. Tears rose, making it difficult to see, and the thought crossed her mind that this what Surprise had intended to do to her when they first met – though the circumstances were now different.

This thought, along with all others, faded as the hypnosis took hold. All sensation began to leave her and she felt as if she was floating. She could not feel the ground beneath her hooves, or the wetness on her cheeks.

She did not even hear what came just a few minutes later – the roar as a wave of magic washed mercilessly over the town of Ponyville, sweeping away with it all thoughts of a changeling invasion.

In its wake came a mental fog that clouded the perception of its inhabitants.

Where once there was apprehension, came acceptance.

Suspicion was replaced by obliviousness.

And where there had been self-determination, there was now obedience.