//------------------------------// // Apologies // Story: The Melody of the Heart // by Star Origin //------------------------------// Melody groaned and rolled on the soft mattress, ignoring at first the wet feeling along her back. She struggled to open her eyes as she heard somepony hum a song. It was soft, melodic, and it reminded her of the time she spent with Occento. Was she back in Serenus? No, she couldn’t be back in Serenus. It was too far from the Empire. She tried to remember what had happened, but the throbbing pain distracted her efforts. She did remember the training, and the progress she had made and the compliments, if they were any, that Shining Armor had given her. She finally managed to crack open her eyelids and found dim, powder blue lighting illuminating the room all around. It was a blue that was all too familiar to her, but the entire room did not feel at all like anything she had seen or been to before. She groaned again, her efforts to wriggle in the bed she lay on causing her pain. She kicked her lame leg and tried to stifle the pained squeal that climbed to the back of her throat as her eyes welled with tears. Her forehooves stomped the bed, and she heard a strange sound as if she’d stepped in a puddle of water. She looked down and screeched in surprise as she found slime acting as her bed. She wriggled about, ignoring the pain, as panic overcame her. Melody shoved herself out of the slimy bed and crawled away from it, wondering who had decided to play such tricks on her. That is until she found her back up against a hard-ish surface and a gigglish snort that made her ears perk up. She tensed and threw herself away from the source of that snort, attempting to charge her horn and chase the invader away. Unfortunately, her attempts to conjure magic ended in failure, but she finally got a look at the one in front of her. “Glaesi?” she asked in a soft, squealing voice, confusion saturating her tone. The tall changeling queen offered a toothy smile, nodding at the inquiry. Melody was confused. If Glaesi were here, then was she at her shop? No. Her shop wasn’t this dimly lit. Plus, where would she have the space to hide any sort of stone floor in that building. No, she was elsewhere. “Where am I?” Glaesi took a few moments to consider the question, bending her knees and lowering herself to Melody’s level. Well, not exactly. Glaesi was still several heads taller than Melody could ever hope to be. She chuckled and flicked a foreleg. “You are in my hive. Welcome to Lapis, Melody.” Lapis? She’d never heard of that name. Or maybe she had, and she forgot about it. Of course, it would do one good to think that if a changeling lived in the Crystal Empire, there would be a hive nearby. Well, if anything, the room did complement Glaesi’s looks, if a bit too well. But why was she in Lapis, of all places. She rubbed her forehead and tried to remember what happened. What could have happened that she needed to be taken to Glaesi’s hive? The pain in her head was starting to dissipate a bit, but it still remained, hazing her memories. “You’re wondering why you’re here, and not back home, I’m sure. Your concern is noted, and I do realize it is a bit alarming to wake up in a stranger’s room, but please, do try to rest. You need a lot of rest,” Glaesi explained, her smile vanishing and her facial features straightening. Something had happened! Melody knew it. But why couldn’t she remember anything about it? It was like there was a hole in her memory and any attempt at filling it up caused pain to flare up, quite like if somepony were squeezing her head with a nutcracker. So why was she in Glaesi’s room, if this was the queen’s room at all, instead of being back home? “What happened? I remember training with Shining Armor, and there’s nothing after that. It’s just a complete blank.” Glaesi nodded, but her expression did nothing to change. Melody assumed that whatever happened had had to be serious if Glaesi was not responding at all. She groaned as she tried to move back to her legs, only to slump back to the floor as her lame leg stung her spine. Blasted thing, that leg. She really hoped that the surgery would work when the time would come. In the meantime, though, she had a puzzle to solve. “You succumbed to your own negative emotions. I’m not sure how you built up so much in less than a year, but that you did is a worrying thought. It usually takes years for changelings to build up so many negative emotions within themselves. And then, there’s this whole thing with the voice you’ve heard. Your voice.” Melody blinked and froze in place. She shot a glare at Glaesi, and slowly crawled away from the queen. What voice? Melody didn’t remember any voice at all. For that matter, how did Glaesi know precisely what happened while Melody struggled to remember anything about the events? Glaesi, for her part, parted her lips just enough to show her fangs and the tiniest hint of a smile. Once again, as Cherry had told her, she was doing a terrific job at hiding her non-verbal. But still, it was odd that Glaesi knew that much. “I know because I used the dreamscape to take your memories, and the emotions tied to them, away until such a time I deem you ready.” Glaesi’s voice was a lot of things at the same time. It was hard to describe. Melody swore she heard mirth in there, but she wasn’t entirely sure about that. But there was an iron will behind what the queen had said, that’s for sure. And what that dreamscape thing she talked about? Melody didn’t remember hearing anything about a dreamscape. She had heard the other foals say that Princess Luna often visited the dreams and nightmares of ponies, but she thought those were just rumors and musings of colts and fillies. Already, Melody was filled with so many questions, and she could not imagine how Glaesi could even find the time to answer them all, but the queen would already know that much, after all. Melody was such an easy read. Melody shook and rubbed her head. There were more pressing things than ponder how she displayed her emotions and how she presented herself to other changelings. This was a golden opportunity to get to know Glaesi a bit more, along with her culture and the way that her hive operated. Keeping in mind, of course, that her primary goal was to achieve whatever expectations Glaesi was setting up for her. But there were so many things that Melody could learn about changelings in general. The sound of Glaesi clearing her throat pulled Melody out of her thoughts, and she blinked back to a grinning queen. Leaning forward a little bit as her lips split into a smile, Glaesi chittered, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have ulterior motives for not minding this outcome.” Melody’s cheeks turned crimson while her mane fell over her face. Thankful for the assistance her mane offered, Melody shuffled her hooves and cast her glance elsewhere. The queen was correct, however. Melody could use this opportunity to learn more about herself if what she knew about changeling feeding methods now was any indication of what she could learn from another changeling. That being said, there were still more pressing matters other than thinking about what she could benefit from Glaesi. Right about now, the opposite was also very much real. Melody needed Glaesi to know how to proceed. And, quite honestly, Melody was extremely confused by what Glaesi had told her so far. Expecting to have her attempt at magic fail spectacularly, Melody braced herself for the backfire or the pain, but neither came. Instead, her magic wrapped around her mane and slowly pulled it back. Unable to see her braids, Melody just settled on pulling her mane back and hope for it to stay there. “What did you mean exactly when you said that I succumbed to my own negative emotions?” Melody asked as she flicked her mane back and gave Glaesi her full attention. She did, however, consider the slime bed a whole lot more. At least, it was warm. Glaesi wiggled her ears, and Melody could see that she was likely trying to weigh her words. Her expression darkened as she leaned back and sat upright, almost giving the proper regal appearance. Melody couldn’t quite picture Glaesi acting like a queen at all. There was just something about her that she couldn’t put her hoof on. “I’m sure your father told you that changelings inherently consume emotions around them to fuel their diet. A changeling’s energies are sustained by emotions. Did he mention the dangers of negative emotions?” Glaesi asked, arching an eyebrow. Melody could see the slap behind the head awaiting Rising if she said he didn’t. But that would be a lie. Rising had told Melody about negative emotions, and he had told her to stay away from them as much as possible. Melody nodded and said, “He did. He said something about being cautious if I did consume some of them, although he did say it was a last resort. I’ve always filtered emotions like he told me to, though.” Glaesi offered a hum and another series of nods before she let out a long, hissy sigh, “Love almighty, I am going to hurt that changeling. And he’s a royal, no less? I really wish he didn’t offer his daughter such poor parenting in regards to changeling habits.” “What? Why? I think he’s doing a fine job of raising me so far. I don’t have anything to complain about his parenting skills or how he teaches me changeling things,” Melody protested. She attempted to pull herself on all of her legs, but her efforts at dulling the pain were in vain. Her magic had to be weakened from whatever happened. Another long sigh came from Glaesi, and she hung her head. “What he is doing is putting your safety at risk. He hasn’t taught you how to regulate your emotions, how to store them, or how to get rid of unwanted emotions within yourself?” When Melody shook her head, Glaesi continued, “Changelings feed on others’ emotions, but we can feed on our own as a last resort. There is a drawback to this, however. Changelings cannot produce a sufficient amount of self-love for a very long time. Negative emotions, on the other hoof, can stay and build up. Anyling or anypony can operate on hatred for very long time. Given how self-destructive it can be for ponies, it is infinitely worse for changelings.” Infinitely worse? Somehow, Melody doubted that, but at the same time, Rising had warned her about the dangers of staying in the midst of negative emotions for too long, as there is a risk for those to directly influence her. The thought alone was scary. She didn’t like the idea of something other than her own emotions controlling her or influencing her decisions. She was her own mare, after all. Or she would be in a few years either way. “What do you mean by that? Being driven by hatred sounds like a horrible experience for ponies and changelings,” Melody said, tilting her head to the side. That was the one thing she did not understand. Why was Glaesi warning her about something that already sounded unpleasant for a pony? Wouldn’t the experience be the same, or was that what she meant by it being infinitely worse for changelings? Again, Melody found herself with more questions than answers. “Ponies can be driven by emotion. They can be driven by a particular desire or emotion. Say revenge for any kind of experience. Bullying may be one of those experiences. From that point on, that pony will try to get back at another pony to get revenge. Changelings do not follow this same rule. Due to our strong attuning to emotions, we do not become driven by emotions. We become animated by them. Call me unoriginal, but I’ve dubbed this phenomenon as going berserk. It means you become enslaved to the desire to inflict or emulate a given emotion or feeling. “When you trained with Shining Armor, that is exactly what happened to you. You suffered an injury, you were in pain and angry with the situation. The voice in your head was a manifestation of your anger towards yourself and Shining Armor coupled with your desire to inflict upon him the same pain you felt. You were fortunate, according to the prince, in freeing yourself from this state.” Melody blinked and stared blankly at Glaesi. She had lost control? She’d gone berserk? Was this why Glaesi had removed those memories? So she wouldn’t blame herself for what happened? But what was the goal of telling her now? She already felt bad at losing control and doing whatever atrocities to Shining Armor. If so, then why had Glaesi chastised her father for not providing appropriate care for her as a changeling when what she provided was also less than stellar. She gave herself a mental slap and straightened up as best she could. Now was not the time for snark or any divisive opinions. Glaesi was an expert in manipulating emotions if her birthday gift was any proof of that. Using love as a trigger to animate a statuette was pure genius. She was likely telling her that so she would be more receptive to getting the necessary help instead on dwelling on what she had done. “I have another question,” Melody uttered, her voice more of a whisper than anything else. When Glaesi quirked an eyebrow and nodded, curling the side of her lip into a smile, Melody cleared her throat and continued, “What’s the dreamscape? Is that the same thing I’ve heard other children talk about Princess Luna visiting dreams and nightmares?” Glaesi burst into laughter and threw herself on the ground. Why she did, Melody could not say. If Shining Armor was a brick to read, Glaesi was impossible to read in comparison. That did, however, rouse a question she had in mind for a long time. She remembered that Glaesi or Gemma said that they were attuned to the Crystal Heart, which was why they looked the way that they did in their natural form. Did that mean that they were trapped with the curse of the Empire as well? But if they were, why did she never spot more changelings in the streets? If they were attuned to it, that meant that the Heart had accepted them, and that suggested that they were welcome within the Empire. The sound of Glaesi clearing her throat and her attempts to regain her posture brought Melody back from her questions and musings. Immediately, Melody spotted Glaesi’s smile and found it to be contagious. The queen licked her lips, and chittered, “Oh goodness, is that what the foals are talking about nowadays? That’s cute of them to think that Princess Luna is the only one capable of using the dreamscape. She is naturally attuned to it, I will give her that, though.” “But how do you use my dreams to remove my memories of what happened with Shining Armor?” Melody asked, frowning as she tried to imagine Glaesi doing something like that to anypony. “By interacting with your emotions. When Shining Armor brought you to me, and bless that stallion for thinking about me first, he said something about you apologizing to him before you collapsed. I traced back your feelings of guilt and found your recollection of the events. I pulled them out and stored them in these crystals here.” Melody shifted her attention to the left of Glaesi where her hoof gestured and found several, all ranging from purple to blood red in color. So those were her memories and the emotions from what happened during the training with Shining Armor. Melody gulped loudly and slowly returned her attention to Glaesi. It really felt weird to imagine anyone fiddling within her dreams to salvage emotions and the sort. How did one even believe something like that? Not that it mattered a whole lot at the moment. What mattered is that she was safe, and so was Shining Armor, although Melody did wonder if he would want to continue teaching her after the events that occurred. Right now, she had an opportunity to learn more about herself, and she would not pass it up. If she wanted to make sure that this did not happen anymore, allowing Glaesi to help her was her best bet. “Okay, I think I got it,” Melody said sharply, nodding and giving Glaesi her most determined look. What was in front of her was likely going to be a very arduous task. “When do we begin?” ♫ Melody’s legs shook beneath her as she stood before the massive gates of the palace. Glaesi had suggested that she meet with Shining Armor and talk to him about what happened between them, and Melody had agreed that meeting with him was the logical next step. What she hadn’t expected was that she would have to do it through an audience. She could have easily met them in private, and that would have been that. She would have given her apology and her explanation of what she intended to do to make sure that it didn’t happen again. She was not okay with doing it as part of an audience with the princess and the prince of the Empire. Would there be ponies present? Court members, or anything else of the sort? What if she got in there and started telling her story, and all of a sudden, she would get branded a criminal because she involuntarily attacked Shining Armor. No, she didn’t want any other ponies there. There couldn’t be other ponies there, for her sake at least. She, however, was all too aware that whether she wanted it or not, she was stepping into unknown territory. She did not know much about the way the world of politics worked, and with any luck at all, she would be able to evade it for a bit longer. She took a look at the guard that was standing, well, guard in front of the door and she heard, and felt, the creaking of the massive doors. She sidestepped as much as possible, but she did take a look at the pony that came out of the throne room. The frown he wore and the mutters that flew out of his sewn-shut mouth, along with his pinned ears, told Melody that the meeting with the princess and prince might have gone in a direction the stallion had not expected or wanted. She gulped, hoping that her audience with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor would go well enough. As long as nopony else was there to attend, all would be good in the world. The doors closed behind her, and she jumped when the sound of them grinding together shut pulled her out of her distraction. The guard to her side seemed unfazed by it and remained encased in stone in his spot. Was that the life of a guard? To just stand by a door or whatever and stand guard day in, day out? Was that the fate awaiting her if she went through with her plans for the future? As she eyed the guard, she began to feel discouraged. She gulped and watched her plans for the future conflict with what was in front of her. She shook her head and gave herself a mental slap. She wouldn’t know what her career choice would be until she got there. For now, she had to focus on the future and take care of this situation. She began to worry when nothing happened, as she had expected to be admitted into the throne room shortly after the stallion left, but she thought a sizable amount of time had passed between the time he left and the time she had been left standing in the hall. “Now introducing Melody Swiftsong, seeking audience with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.” The calm, steady voice pulled her out of her worries. She perked her ears up and looked at the door. She winced when the screeching grind of the door reverberated around her. Honestly, she did not know how those guards managed to block out those sounds, or at least not show any reactions to it. If anything, guards were good at hiding emotions, although she thought she could manage to crack open one and taste their emotions. But that was neither here nor there. Melody focused on the here and now, moving in front of the doors and taking a first few steps on her trembling legs. Please don’t let there be any court members, please be only the princess and Shining Armor! She closed her eyes and took a few more steps. She held in her breath for a moment while she walked in a straight line, or at least as straight a line as walking with her eyes closed allowed to. One, two, three. She pushed the pressure out of her chest and through her nostrils, exhaling with a heavy sigh. She stopped in her tracks and took in another breath. She breathed it out and opened her eyes, expecting a sea of ponies in attendance. She even took a step back as she raised her eyelids to see that the throne room was, for all intents and purposes, empty and devoid of life beyond the throne occupied by a snickering Princess Cadence and a quizzical Shining Armor. To her left or her right, there was nopony there. The throne room was vacant, save for its rulers. “I take it you were expecting more ponies than just us?” Cadence chuckled behind her hoof. Melody looked at the two, and her jaw fell. Her face might as well have done the same thing. Gravity grasped at her flanks and pulled her back into a sitting position where she just stared at the royal couple. How had the court members gone away so quickly? Melody looked to her left and right again, this time scanning for an escape route, but finding none, at least none that were visible to her untrained eyes. Left with no other words than the surprised gasp that escaped her throat despite her best efforts, she resigned herself to nod. “Shining told me what happened the other day, and while I am slightly worried that this is something that could happen again, I am surprised to see you here, Melody.” Melody offered a nod to the princess again. She surprised herself by making her way through this whole audience thing with the crown. If anypony was astonished by somepony, it was her. But she still wondered where all the other court members were, but another quick inspection made her eyes go wide. There was no accommodation for any other ponies save the audience seeker and the crown. Did that mean that there were not usually any court members present, or a court actively present…at court? Another inspection did seem to confirm her thoughts. A sigh of relief bubbled forth to her lips, and she plastered her hooves over her mouth while her cheeks flushed with heat and warmth. Now that her mind was at least reassured about the looming threat of an eavesdropper, Melody drudged to the carpet leading to the throne. She kept her head as low as she could though, and avoided as much eye contact with the royal couple as possible. The changeling stopped when she deemed she was at an adequate distance from the throne, but then again, her perspective as it currently was offered little diversity. She raised her head to look at Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, and she provided a proper bow to the Royals. She closed her eyes as she did. She preferred to not imagine the expressions on their faces at that moment. “Your Highnesses, I thank you for accepting my request,” Melody meekly said, her voice more a whisper than anything else. She cracked an eye open and saw the two looking at each other with what looked like smirks over their faces. She couldn’t really tell with the distance separating them. They turned to her and Cadence motioned for her to rise. Or at least, it looked like she was commanding her to rise. Nevertheless, she did as the princess commanded. After all, it was her generosity and benevolence that allowed Melody to reside within the Empire. “Please, any friend of Queen Glaesi is welcome at any time in this palace,” Cadence replied in the warm, gentle coo that was her voice. Melody dared flick her tongue and flare her nostrils, and she could taste the warmth that radiated from Cadence. She didn’t feel much from Shining Armor, but what she did sense comforted her. She flicked her tongue again. Did she taste… relief? Even after she had assaulted him, albeit, under the influence of an out-of-body experience of sorts, she could feel relief emanate from him. That made her smile a bit, but she swiftly hedged the corners of her lips. Instinctively, Melody gave herself a mental flick and scolding. It was rude to just up and sense ponies’ emotions out of the blue. They still had their right to privacy, just as she had a right to hers. The last thing that she needed was to be caught by somepony tasting and consuming emotions out in the open. Most ponies, and she tried to imagine that the Crystal Ponies were no different, were not exactly keen on feeling like they were livestock for another species. However, Glaesi’s existence and the presence of a hive under the Crystal Empire changed a few things regarding Melody’s perspective on the role changelings played in the Empire. However, Melody was not entirely done being formal. It wouldn’t be proper, and likely would be insulting to the crown, even though Cadence likely did not mind in the slightest, if she threw formality out the window so quickly. With a curtsy nod, she moved back onto her haunches and glanced at the couple in front of her. It was hard to ignore the love that swirled around them. And it was weird too. She had tasted and smelled her parents’ love, and she could have sworn that theirs tasted like watermelon and a slight hint of bubblegum. Cadence and Shining Armor’s love, on the other hoof, smelled like maple syrup poured over freezing snow during the winder for foals and ponies alike to appreciate the wonders of maple taffy. Her curiosity was now piqued, and she raised her head, and furrowed her brow, before asking, “You know Glaesi?” The thought wasn’t entirely alien to Melody since she would have expected Cadence and Shining Armor to eventually find out that changelings were running rampant in the Empire, but she had to wonder who approached who first. She doubted Shining Armor would have organized a meeting with a changeling queen out of goodwill after the royal wedding, but maybe Cadence doted on him as the changelings in the Empire, at least the two that Melody knew, were quite friendly and hardly a threat to anyone. But at the same time, what if the population of the Empire already knew about the changelings and that ruling the Empire meant ruling them as well? Melody could not imagine Glaesi and Gemma leading an uprising. They seemed content enough with their lives, but then again, as she’s learned in the past and as she was learning now, looks are deceiving. Cadence nodded and curled up her lips. It seemed like the Princess of Love had pleasant memories of her meeting or meetings with Glaesi. Either that or she was just amused that Melody hadn’t put up two and two together, especially given how Shining Armor had outright brought her to Glaesi after their last training session. The realization hit Melody like a brick, and she hung her head. She pursed her lips and shook her head a few times. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? They were aware of Glaesi’s existence, and likely about her entire hive, and she was just there asking Cadence if she knew the queen. Of course, she did. But then, that brought her back to her initial thought: who approached who first? “Of course. Glaesi is quite the gracious contrast to Queen Chrysalis or your Occento,” Cadence replied, the venom that dripped from her lips nowhere to be seen on her face, but Melody felt it fly out, and she staggered at the tone. That Cadence didn’t like Occento didn’t surprise Melody. She didn’t blame her, either. In fact, Melody wasn’t too keen on trusting Occento either. Sure, the queen had acted out of her way to provide Melody with means to heal her lame leg, if it even worked at all, but she had done so at the behest of her son. If anything, Occento was a loose cannon that no one, in particular, should trust. Sure, she claimed to head the Council of Changelings, but how much did it affect Equestria, to begin with, if all changelings that want to live in peace already abide by pony rules and are integrated into societies as she imagined Hive Lapis was? “I saw the inside of her hive, and it is filled with changelings, and she told me that they are attuned to the Crystal Heart, but why are there no changeling sightings on the streets?” Melody asked, her brow furrowed again. It puzzled her how there were no changelings at all in the Empire. Yet, the inside of Hive Lapis was filled with changelings. Granted, it was a changeling hive, so there being changelings should not be a surprise to anypony. But she could have sworn that she also saw some ponies down there, though her recollection of her walk within Lapis was hazy. Cadence nodded, again, but this time leaned a cheek on her hoof and looked at Melody with a warm gaze. Despite her best efforts, Melody could not keep herself from sinking her metaphorical fangs into the full love that permeated the throne room like fog. It was refreshing, and she quickly felt her reserves filling to the brim. It was a significant hurdle to keep her expression from deforming due to the treat around her. It was as she had thought: Cadence was fond of Glaesi and it seemed there was a particular admiration for the changeling as the rosy scent filled her nostrils. “Glaesi approached us at first shortly after we freed the Empire from King Sombra,” Cadence started. Melody remembered hearing about King Sombra and how he was the one that sunk the Empire into a curse that locked it away in time for a thousand years. How awful it must have been to be trapped in time for that long. Come to think of it, were they even aware that they had been cursed, or was everypony frozen in time? “She spoke on behalf of her changelings. We were wary at first because of our past encounter with Queen Chrysalis, but Glaesi was very amenable in accommodating our circumstances. She said that the ponies of the Empire already knew of the hive and that her changelings were naturally fed by the Crystal Heart’s barrier and influence.” Shining cleared his throat and chimed in, “Of course, you can imagine we were very skeptical of her claims. We asked that she accompany us in the streets so we could ascertain her claims, and she agreed to my using my magic to dampen her influence in case she could coerce the residents of the Empire to her side. To our surprise, the ponies of the Empire adored Glaesi and her being a changeling did not change the fact she was part of the Empire first.” A chuckle escaped the couple, and they exchanged looks. Melody looked as the pair partook in exchanging their affection for one another. She looked away, her cheeks on fire as she shut off her emotion probing as the two continued to exhibit this behavior in such a manner. “She, however, understood our stance and where we came from and said that she would tell her changelings that the ruling body of the Empire would prefer that they walk in pony form until such a time they feel more comfortable about the idea,” Cadence finished for her husband. After a long pause, Cadence leaned forward and took in a deep breath. “Does that answer your question? So, that was why there were no changelings in the Empire. Or at least no changelings she could sense or feel. Then again, her detection skills were... limited, for lack of better words. It seemed like her father decided that with the Empire being such an excellent place to live in, there was no need to teach her to be wary of everything around her. Maybe one day, it would come to that, but those were thoughts for another day. Less stress was a welcome thought. Melody did another curtsy nod, disregarding the chuckles it brought to her. “But that is not why you came here, is it?” Cadence’s voice echoed in front of her. That was the first time Melody had noticed the echo in the throne room. Had she been so enthralled by her pondering that she ignored everything around her? Was she just filtering the unimportant part of the discussion? Was she doing this right now? Was that inappropriate? Should she apologize to the princess and prince for her rude behavior? Diligently, however, she pushed those worries aside to focus on the question at hoof. It would be rude to not answer it or to dawdle on getting to the point, although she had already been doing that already. Her curiosity was indeed a double-edged sword. No matter. She offered a slight shrug and instead gave a brief nod to the princess. She felt like she had been doing an awful lot of nodding today. “No, it is not,” Melody confirmed. She made her wings buzz a little bit, and she froze at the sensation. She remembered very clearly that she applied her disguise before coming to the palace, so why was it off now? She didn’t even remember feeling her magic wash over her. Is it possible that she just forgot her wings? No, she was better than that at applying a disguise. Princess Cadence’s smile only grew as she reclined in her seat and cast a glance at the prince. Melody tried to read the situation, but she could only imagine that the two had bet something about her intentions in meeting with the royal couple. Melody, on the other hoof, found her ears splaying against her mane as she tried to imagine what went inside of those two’s heads, but ultimately came up short of anything creative. It was unsettling to imagine them trying to anticipate the reason why she would come to them. Melody pushed the thoughts from the front of her mind. She didn’t need those thoughts for now. She took in a deep breath, and she looked at Shining Armor first, then switched to Cadence afterward, and finally came back on Shining Armor again. “I came here to apologize to Prince Shining Armor regarding my attitude towards him ever since he was assigned to me as my magical instructor. I have been unruly, rude, and unappreciative of your efforts and the challenge it required for you to cast aside your pride to teach a changeling, of all things, the basics of magic and combat magic. For this, I deeply apologize. I am also extremely thankful to the prince for his quick-thinking on aiding me when I required help, despite my having assaulted him beforehand. For this, I am eternally grateful.” Melody bowed her head and stood there in silence, trying to catch her breath while her chest rose and sank at an accelerating pace. Her attempts at keeping her ragged breath to a minimum weren’t a particular success either. She found herself stuck with a conundrum. She wasn’t quite sure how to act next. Was she supposed to rise, or was she meant to stay this way until the crown told her to rise? Standing in this position wasn’t a problem, as Melody had filled up her reserves just a bit before, but the bugs that crawled up her leg were a different matter. Wait, how long had she been standing that way? “You may rise now.” Melody heaved a sigh, and immediately flattened her ears. She hadn’t meant for her sigh to be so loud. Was she showing disrespect to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor? She lifted her head, trying her hardest to bury the flush under her eyes deep within the fur of her cheeks, or at least heavily thought about it. Could changeling magic hide blushes and flushes, for that matter? She saw that Cadence and Shining Armor both wore smiles on their lips, so Melody heaved another sigh, this time mentally. She didn’t want a repeat of the past few seconds on her conscience again. But what were they smiling about? She felt tempted to scratch the back of her head, she fought back the urge. It wouldn’t be formal and proper, after all. Cadence’s voice, throughout their entire encounter, had been nothing but sweet and lulling, to a point. There had been no snark, no aggressiveness towards Melody this whole time, save for that remark about Occento, but Melody stood on Cadence’s side on that point. Occento deserved it, at least from what she remembered of the time she arrived at the Empire and met the four princesses. Cadence’s voice was like a doting mother’s, looking after her children and trying to do her best to give them their best chance in life. “It seems my husband is not the only one that cast aside their pride. I think that there is a lesson to remember from this, Melody. And I think you have now learned it. We can all change, for better or for worse, changeling or no changeling. However, it warms me to hear how far you’ve progressed from the time when you walked in this very hall, afraid and alone.” Melody found no words escaping her mouth, despite her attempts at trying to thank the princess. She was right. Everypony was indeed able to change. Changelings could change forms, yes, but ponies could change hearts as well. Or at least learn from their mistakes and change their hearts from there. It was tough to ignore the pressure around her throat as the imagery overwhelmed her. Changing hearts figuratively, she had to remind herself so that her reaction wouldn’t have to be dramatic. Still, the words touched her. She felt her legs staggering under her. She hadn’t expected this at all when she walked through the doors behind her. Her cheeks grew warm, but she wasn’t blushing. Not this time anyway. Curious, Melody raised a hoof to her cheek and found dampened fur. They were wet? Oh. Maybe the princess’s words had touched her more than she had initially thought. Despite that, she bowed her head again and beamed as wide as she could. When she next raised her head, this time not waiting for Cadence’s signal, she tilted her head to the side. There had indeed been a valuable lesson she learned through all this, and she would make sure to thank Glaesi the next time she stopped by the Diamond in the Rough. Despite their differences and how they felt about one another, ponies and changelings could coexist and form a stronger society. Or at least she believed in that future now. “Thank you very much, Your Highnesses!” Melody chirped, offering the couple another curtsy bow. “If you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave now.” “It has been a pleasure, Melody, and please, if there’s anything else troubling you, do not hesitate to come to see us again,” Cadence replied, flicking her leg a bit. Melody nodded, thankful for the offer of the princess, and turned away from the throne. With a slow gait, she tested her renewed reserves and realized she was full and maybe even a bit overstocked in regards to her reserves. The thought of asking Shining Armor and Cadence about her future as a Royal Guard struck her then, but she decided, with the way the day went, that those questions would ruin the moment and that she would instead ask them on another encounter. After all, she still had several years ahead of her.