Halfling

by Dee Pad

Chapter 10 - Guardian

Chamella sized up her work, looking it over with as much scrutiny as possible. Was there anything out of place? Did she need to fix anything? Had she forgotten something? She eyed up the dress for a few minutes in total silence, pondering these questions over and over in her head to make sure everything was perfect.

Chamella had been working with Rarity for a couple of years now, and although it took her some time to familiarize herself with the art of dressmaking, Rarity had complimented her on multiple occasions for learning so much so quickly. Of course, the changeling was too modest to admit her natural talent and would always attribute her "skill" at the craft to Rarity's guidance. But this was why the unicorn wanted her to become a little more independent in her work. Rarity wanted Chamella to be able to take pride in her work. She wanted her employee to hear their customers specifically thank her for the clothes she'd made instead of allowing Rarity to take most of the credit.

With that in mind, Rarity had given Chamella a challenge to design one article of clothing a month with as little input from her boss as possible. For the most part, Chamella had focused on simpler items, such as hats, scarves, saddles and such, but the changeling had never made a full ensemble without any advice or input whatsoever from Rarity. That was what made this her first true solo project. She'd been working on this dress for the better part of the last month with the goal being to one-up everything she'd ever designed up until that point. And in all that time, Rarity had not said a word about it. No comments, no suggestions, not even an acknowledgement that she was even making it outside of when Chamella told her she was making it.

The dress she'd chose to make wasn't anything too off-the-wall compared to some of the outfits Rarity had designed in the past or even ones that she'd helped Rarity make. It was a long, flowing, form-fitting dress in amaranth pink with a deep neckline, designed to be worn to fancy parties. The shoulders and hem were decorated with fake roses of the same color. She got the idea after having attended the Grand Galloping Gala last year, seeing all the fancy ensembles the socialite mares were flaunting.

But it wasn't just the dress, either; Chamella wanted a full ensemble. With that in mind, the dress was also accompanied by a boa of soft, white feathers and a rather large sunhat that matched the dress in color, as well as sharing the rose motif. Around the neck of the mannequin that was currently wearing the dress was a black choker, and, still following the motif, it had an amethyst shaped like a rose hanging from it. Finally, on the hooves of the mannequin were a set of glass slippers embedded with a few gemstones.

All in all, Chamella was satisfied with the work she'd done thus far and was admittedly getting a little anxious considering she was almost done. The whole time she'd worked on the outfit, she had to resist the urge to ask Rarity for her opinion or advice on the project. There was an ever-present worry that there was something she had been overlooking since the beginning, something that perhaps Rarity had taken notice of, but, as per the criteria of the challenge, had to keep it to herself.

Chamella breathed a long, relieved sigh. Even though it wasn't quite finished, there wasn't really much left to be done that was worth being concerned about, just a few finishing touches here and there. She just needed to grab a few things to make those slight adjustments.

The bell over the boutique's front door jingled, signaling that somepony had arrived. It only took a quick glance for Chamella to realize it was Rarity, returning from running a few errands and carrying a couple of grocery bags in her powder blue aura.

"I'm back~" the unicorn sang cheerily as she set aside her groceries. She cast a discreet glance toward the pink dress that Chamella had been working on. "How are things around here, hm?" she asked coyly.

Chamella noticed the coy grin Rarity was trying to hide, unable to suppress her own proud smile. "Well... Actually, I think its far enough along now. Rarity, I want to ask your opinion on it. What do you think?" the changeling asked, eager to finally get her input and fidgeting somewhat anxiously.

"Oh, well, to be honest, I've been wanting to say something for ages, darling, but I've had to restrain myself."

Chamella gulped nervously. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She waited in agonizing anticipation as Rarity—no doubt purposely—paused for a few tense moments before answering.

The unicorn let out an excited giggle before speaking. "Oh, it's positively fabulous, darling!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Chamella beamed at the comment, thrilled to hear that Rarity liked it. "You really think so?"

"Oh, absolutely. I've been dying to comment on it, and, I must say, you've outdone yourself, Chamella. It's simply gorgeous! Perhaps a bit simple in overall design, but in this case I think less is most certainly more. I can definitely picture you wearing this at the Grand Galloping Gala."

Chamella was surprised by that statement. "Huh? Me? I-I wasn't planning to keep it or anything."

Rarity waved off her modesty. "There's nothing wrong with keeping a few of your creations, dear. Almost every ensemble in my wardrobe I made myself. And I'm sure you must feel strongly about this one. You're welcome to keep it for yourself."

Chamella chuckled awkwardly, rubbing her foreleg as she continued to argue against the suggestion. "I mean, I like making dresses and everything, but I'm not really into wearing them. I'd rather not draw too much attention to myself; I'd get enough of that just being a changeling anyway."

Rarity seemed a touch disappointed by her refusal. "Oh, I see. Then what do you want to do with it?"

Honestly, Chamella hadn't actually thought about that. What was she going to do with it now that it was practically finished. They could just sell it; that was their job after all. However, the longer she looked at it, the more that idea didn't really feel right to her. She'd poured her heart and soul and everything she'd learned into it, and now it felt wrong not to do something special with it. But what exactly?

"Um... Actually, now that think about it, maybe I'll hold onto it for a while. I don't think I can part with it just yet," she said with another proud smile.

Rarity giggled, having expected as much. "Alright then. I suppose you could consider it a trophy to commemorate your success. And if we just keep it on display here in the lobby, we may get requests to make more."

"You really think it's that good?" Chamella asked again, still in slight disbelief.

Rarity nodded reassuringly. "It is, most certainly. I must say, I'm very proud of you Chamella. Now I think I know how Twilight must have felt teaching you two. I feel like I've just watched my prized student graduate."

Chamella blushed bashfully. "Thank you, Rarity. That means a lot."

The unicorn picked up her grocery bags once more and started toward the kitchen. "Don't mention it, darling. Now, I have to put these away. I'll be back in a moment to give your dress a bit of a closer inspection."

The changeling turned her attention back to her dress, hopping up onto the mirrored stage where the mannequin sat with an extra spring in her step. Having finally gotten Rarity's approval, Chamella was feeling quite chipper. Even if she wanted to, there was no wiping the beaming grin off her face. And with that additional enthusiasm, now was no better a time to put those finishing touches on the dress.

But just as she was about to start, the entrance bell chimed again. Smiling still, Chamella felt she was in a perfect mood to greet a potential customer, quickly turning away from her work to welcome them.

"Good afternoon. Can I help—oh." She stopped when she saw who it was, though her grin continued to persist; it was her best friend and fellow changeling, and with him he wheeled a small stroller carrying his infant son, who had a firm grip on his plush bunny toy. "Hi, Shade. I wasn't expecting you," she greeted with pleasant surprise.

Shade, noticing his friend's uplifted attitude, grinned back at her as he shut the door behind him. "Hey. You seem pretty perky today. What's up?"

With a giddy giggle, she hopped back down off the stage and gestured to the outfit on display. "I'm just about to finish this."

Shade stared at the dress for a moment, attempting to look analytical. Chamella rolled her eyes with a quiet chuckle; she knew Shade had no eye for fashion and was just sizing it up to appear interested. Regardless, she let him look it over.

"It looks good," he complimented with a genuine smile.

Chamella did a small, happy hop in place. Even if he wasn't very fashion forward, a compliment was a compliment, and she was enjoying all the positivity she was receiving today. "Thanks. Rarity likes it, too. This is the first outfit I made all by myself, without any input from her. So hearing her—oh, and you, too—say it's good, means so much to me."

"I can tell. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy," Shade laughed heartily. "I'm sure it'll make one of your customers happy, too.

"Actually, Rarity suggested that I keep it for myself, and, honestly, I think I just might. It might make for good inspiration if I'm having trouble with a future project."

"Oh! Look who's here!"

Rarity had returned from the kitchen, skipping over to her visitors cheerily.

"Hey, Rari—" Shade stopped mid-greeting when she noticed that the unicorn was leaning down to give Snowflake a playful boop on the nose, eliciting a squeaky giggle from the colt. "Oh, you meant him."

"Apologies, Shade, but I just can't resist! He's just so pwecious!" she said with pursed lips as she tousled the small tuft of green hair on the colt's head.

"Where's Winter?" Chamella asked, unaccustomed to the sight of Snowflake without his mother around.

"Today's her first day back to work, so she's out there now, clearing away clouds and whatnot," the father answered.

"So soon?" Rarity questioned with a slightly concerned raise of her eyebrow. "He's only two weeks old. I thought she'd be given a little more time."

Shade shrugged. "Bring it up with her. She insisted on it."

That only served to confuse Rarity more. "Whatever for? I would have thought she'd relish the time off. Plus, with how much she's been fussing about being a good mom, I figured she'd want to spend as much time with her son as she could."

Shade breathed an exasperated sigh. "Yeah... See, that's the thing: she wants to prove just how responsible she can be by balancing motherhood and her job." He scratched the back of his head with another sigh. "I'm starting to feel like her obsession with being a responsible mother is getting a bit out of hoof."

Rarity waved his worry off dismissively. "I wouldn't fret too much. I'm sure she'll realize she's trying too hard in due time. She's probably just a bit overwhelmed by this sudden change to her lifestyle."

"I hope you're right," Shade said with a shrug.

Rarity flashed a grin at Shade. "On a different, yet not unrelated subject, I heard that you and Winter have been discussing choosing godparents for little Snowflake here."

"You heard right," the changeling assured with a nod.

"What's a godparent?" Chamella asked curiously.

"A godparent is somepony that parents appoint as the legal guardian of their child should they meet with an... unfortunate fate," Rarity explained.

Chamella's ears folded back worriedly. "You mean, like... if they die?"

"Basically. Or if they're unable to care for their child for some reason outside of their control."

The purple-maned changeling looked at Shade with deep concern, but before she could say anything, Shade held up his hoof.

"There's nothing wrong with us Chamella. This is just supposed to be a just-in-case kind of thing."

Chamella let out a relieved breath upon hearing that.

"So, do you have anypony in mind?" Rarity asked.

"Well, like you said before, we're still discussing it," Shade replied. "But, yeah, we've been tossing some names around."

"I imagine you suggested Twilight," Rarity assumed with a chuckle.

"Well, yeah. I know she doesn't have much experience with kids, but I definitely trust her. I even mentioned you."

Rarity held a hoof up to her chest in flattery. "Oh, I'm honored. I'd love to be Snowflake's godmother. After all, he's such a little cutie," she exclaimed, giving the colt another boop and eliciting another playful giggle from him.

"I think we're going to weigh our options a little more before we make a decision. No offense; I'm sure you'd be a great godmother."

"Actually, I already am. I'm actually Sweetie Belle's godmother. Should something tragic ever befall our parents—Celestia forbid—I am to become her caretaker. Honestly, it probably wouldn't be difficult. She spends more time with me and her friends than she does at home with Mom and Dad anyway."

"It probably doesn't matter much anyway. Based on the way we've been talking, we're kind of leaning towards Winter's parents."

Rarity nodded in understanding. "That does make sense. They certainly have experience raising children. It probably wouldn't be too much trouble for them to raise their own grandson."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what we've been thinking. But, listen, the reason I came over is because I need somepony to watch Snow for a little bit. I've gotta go talk to Winter about..." Shade briefly glanced in Chamella's direction, prompting a puzzled raise of her eyebrow. "...something. So can you two keep an eye on him for a few minutes?"

Rarity smiled hospitably. "Why, of course, darling. However, I just realized that there was something I forgot to pick up while I was out and need to make another run to the market."

Chamella's heart rate suddenly jumped up. "W-Wait, you're not gonna leave me to watch him alone, are you?" she pleaded desperately.

"It's just a few minutes, Chamella," Shade assured her. "I'll be back before you know it."

"As will I," said Rarity, as well. "I'm sure you can handle him."

Before Chamella could argue otherwise, the two of them were already headed for the door. "B-But I don't—"

She was interrupted by the door shutting behind them, blocking out her pleas. That happened surprisingly fast. They didn't seem like they were in such a hurry before. But now, Chamella was left alone with only the tiny colt as company. She looked down at the tyke, forcing down a nervous gulp.

At a glance, Chamella's uneasiness would appear unfounded; Snowflake was content in his stroller, playing with his stuffed rabbit and blowing playful raspberries with his mouth. A normal person probably wouldn't take issue with looking after a child who was perfectly happy. If anything, that would make things all the more easy. However, the adult changeling whose care he'd been left in just stared at the colt, a nervous bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. Chamella had made it quite clear to Shade that she had no interest in being a mother, a fact that was made evident considering she had not so much as even held her "nephew" since he'd been born.

Snowflake suddenly looked up at Chamella, causing her to wince slightly. She half-expected him to burst out into tears and she'd be forced to try and figure out what was wrong. And if Shade were to return to find his son in tears, what would he think? Thankfully, though, he just gave her a big smile and laughed as he shook his plushie around.

Chamella let out a sigh, relieved that he didn't seem to need anything. And as long as he was content, she may as well do something while she waited for Shade or Rarity to get back. Now was a good time to put those finishing touches on her dress.

Chamella stepped back up onto the mirrored stage, looking over the outfit to remind herself of what it was she had left to do. The first thing she noted was that the dress was perhaps a tad too long. It would likely graze the ground if somepony were wearing it, getting the hem dirty. She figured she should hem it up just a smidge, she just needed to get some thread, a needle and a pair of scissors.

As she stepped back down from the stage, she felt something soft collide with the back of her head. She spun around, confused, to find Snowflake looking at her and laughing rather loudly. Chamella glanced down at the floor to find the stuffed bunny lying at her hooves. She furrowed her brow in mild annoyance, though she was admittedly a little impressed by the kid's impeccable aim. She picked up the toy with her magic, guiding it back to the colt, who happily reached out to snatch it out of the air.

Chamella was about to get back to her work, but as soon as Snowflake got his mitts on the bunny, he tossed it across the room again with another bout of uproarious laughter. Chamella chose to ignore it, believing that the colt simply didn't want to play with it. However, the colt looked at her expectedly, and when she didn't retrieve it for him, he began to whine with a displeased frown. Chamella quickly jumped in to avoid any potential waterworks, hurrying over and picking up the toy once more. She passed it to Snowflake again, whose smile returned as he took it back and immediately chucked it again, right over Chamella's head, accompanied by more amused laughter from the tyke.

Chamella grumbled, growing more and more irritated with the colt's attitude. So instead of playing into his hooves a third time, she decided that he could just get it himself. She unclasped the safety belt strapping the colt to the stroller, then hesitated. Despite her elevating frustration with the kid, she was still too uneasy about actually handling him with her own hooves. Instead, she carefully wrapped Snowflake in her neon green aura and gently lifted him up and out of the stroller and onto the floor. She let out a quick sigh, relieved that she hadn't hurt him.

"There. Now you can get it yourself," she told the colt, though she knew it was unlikely that he understood.

Surprisingly, Snowflake actually started crawling over to his discarded toy. Satisfied, Chamella finally took her opportunity to get back to her work to head off and retrieve the needed items and fix the dress. She stepped inside the back storeroom where Rarity kept most of the leftover or surplus materials and supplies, and also where they packed away things like needles and other sharp objects to avoid potential accidents. She didn't take long to locate the needles and plucked one out of its pincushion. Conveniently, there was also a pair of scissors right next to it, so she grabbed those as well. All that was left was thread, but, unfortunately, Chamella didn't see any at first glance. She was going to have to rummage a bit...

However, her search was cut short when she heard the loud clattering of plastic hitting the floor out in the lobby. Her heart suddenly jumped in panic, the thought that something may have happened to Snowflake in her very brief absence prompting her to bolt back out to check on him. She screeched to a halt when she saw what had happened. Thankfully, Snowflake was fine, but the mannequin wearing her dress was now lying on its side on the floor, the hat and boa having fallen off. The colt must have reached up and grabbed the hem to pull it down, and the worst part was that he was currently playing with it with the same reckless abandon he had shown his toy rabbit.

"No! Don't touch that!" Chamella shrieked, dashing over to save her dress before any harm could come to it.

She grabbed the dress and attempted to pull it away from the colt with her magic. However, he had a surprisingly tight grip on it and refused to let go, giggling jovially as though he thought Chamella was playing with him.

"Please let go. This dress is really important," the changeling pleaded.

Of course, the foal couldn't comprehend what she was saying and simply took her words as encouragement to keep tugging. In fact, he only began to pull harder.

Desperate to keep her creation safe, Chamella also began tugging harder, clenching her eyes shut as she pulled. "Let... go!"

The dreadful sound of fabric tearing caused Chamella's eyes to shoot open, but before she could make the decision to stop pulling, the tear became a loud shred as a large portion of the dress's hem tore straight off. The force of their pulling caused both Chamella and Snowflake to topple backward, the scrap of torn fabric flying up and landing on top of the colt's head.

Chamella shot up, panicking as she held what was left of her dress, looking at the ruined hemline and loose threads as though it were a family member who had just been disemboweled. "No! My dress!"

She looked over at Snowflake, kicking his legs around playfully as he lay on his back with the shred of fabric covering him. It wasn't often that Chamella lost her temper, but this had definitely become one of those times. The changeling had quickly gone from panicked to livid, gritting her teeth and stomping her hoof as she stood up. She grabbed the piece of pink fabric and tore it away from the colt, giving Snowflake a chance to see the displeasure upon her face.

"Look what you did!" she bellowed, shaking the scrap of torn cloth in front of the foal.

That was all it took to cause a complete one-eighty in Snowflake's mood. At the sound of her infuriated shouts, his cheery smile immediately flipped into a frightened frown before he started screaming and crying.

Chamella simply grimaced at the shift in the colt's attitude. Admittedly, she felt a little guilty about making him cry, but she was just so uncharacteristically angry that she still felt justified. After she had put so much work into her dress, it was ruined in the blink of an eye; it was just so disheartening to her. She almost felt like crying herself.

It was at that time that the door opened and the bell rang once more, both Rarity and Shade coming inside and apparently having already finished their errands. Shade, of course, immediately noticed that his son was in distress and hurried over to his side.

"Whoa, what happened?" Shade asked Chamella as he picked up his son to try and calm him down.

Rarity was quick to pick up on the state of Chamella's dress, seeing the female changeling holding onto a torn scrap tightly while the rest of it lay unceremoniously upon the floor. "Oh, good heavens! Chamella, your dress!"

Chamella tried her best not to look upset at the baby with his father staring at her as he awaited an explanation. "I took my eye off of him for ten seconds and he wrecked it. I worked so hard and now..."

Rarity placed a sympathetic hoof upon the changeling's shoulder, but could clearly tell how frustrated she was. "Now, now, take it easy, he's just a baby; he doesn't know what he's doing."

"I'm sure he wasn't trying to sabotage your work," Shade added, his tone surprisingly understanding.

Rarity picked up what remained of the dress and looked it over with an optimistic grin. "Besides, we can fix it, surely. I've dealt with worse before."

"It wouldn't be the same..." Chamella mumbled, her ears folding back.

Rarity frowned at her response. "Oh... Well, then we could make a new one from scratch. With the two of us working together it should take no time at—"

"It wouldn't be the same!"

Rarity flinched at the sudden rise in her employee's voice. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen Chamella this upset.

Chamella took a long, deep breath in order to steady herself. "I know it's just one dress, but I was so proud of it. I knew it was good because I put so much time and effort into it. It was the one thing that finally made me feel like I was actually good at something."

"Chamella, I've been telling you since you got here that you have natural talent," Rarity reassured her.

"But that doesn't mean I have to feel the same way. I actually accomplished something that I could take pride in. It was the best thing I've ever made..."

Snowflake's weeping had died down as he snuggled into his father's shoulder. Shade looked at Chamella apologetically. "Chamella, I'm so sorry. And I'm sure if he realized what he did, Snow would apologize, too."

The slight guilt she had felt before began to well up more. Chamella hadn't expected Shade to be so understanding about her making his son cry. At the same time, though, she was still pretty upset about losing something that meant so much to her. "I'm sorry I yelled at him," she said quietly, her voice barely audible. "I... I think I need to cool off for a bit. Is that okay, Rarity?"

"Oh, well... Yes, of course, dear. Why don't you just take the rest of the day off, hm?" Rarity offered, trying to help cheer up the downtrodden changeling with a soft smile.

"Thanks..." Chamella slowly shuffled over to the door, stepping outside for some fresh air.

Shade watched her leave with a concerned frown as he gently strapped Snowflake back into his stroller, picking up his toy bunny and giving it back to him. The colt held it tightly as he sniffled, taking comfort in its soft fur.

"I hope she's not too mad," Shade expressed.

"Have you ever seen her this upset before?" Rarity asked curiously.

Shade shook his head. "No, never."

"Hm. And at a baby, no less. Who'd have thought it would be your child that pushed her buttons like that?"

Shade let out a sigh. "Yeah... I know I've been kind of busy with fatherhood and everything, but, honestly, I kind of feel like she's been avoiding me lately. I was hoping Snow could get to know his aunt a little better. That's actually part of the reason I brought him over here."

"Unfortunately, she didn't quite give the best impression today, did she?"

Shade managed a grin in spite of that. "I'm sure things'll work out. I'm not really too worried about her."

Rarity smiled as well. "It is important to stay optimistic. I'm sure they'll warm up to one another in due time."

Shade nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. So I think we'll be on our way now. Let's go, kiddo," he said as he wheeled the youngster toward the door.

"Have a nice day, Shade. And you, too, cutie pie!" Rarity bid them with a wave.

Chamella had wound up wandering aimlessly through Ponyville after leaving the boutique, hoping that the fresh air would help her get over her loss a little easier. She was still pretty ruffled over it. She had to force herself to hide her displeased grimace so that the other townsfolk didn't give her odd looks. But even in spite of her mood she knew that Rarity was right: Snowflake didn't know any better. He wasn't trying to deliberately ruin her work. She knew it was really her own fault for taking her eyes off of him. Still, though, that didn't stop her from being upset about it.

Thankfully, Chamella would eventually find a way to take her mind off of it. At least, that's what she had hoped when she bumped into Sweetie Belle and her friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Having seen that their changeling pal was feeling out of sorts, they invited her along with them to get ice cream. Chamella was happy to accept and bury her disappointment in a cold, tasty treat; if nothing else, it would help her cool off as her face was still a bit hot from her temper.

As the changeling and the three fillies went on their way with their ice creams in tow, of course, the girls had to ask what was bugging their bug-like friend. Though reluctant to talk about it at the risk of possibly losing her cool again, Chamella eventually divulged, if only to get it off her chest.

"That doesn't really sound like you," Sweetie Belle commented after hearing the story. "I don't think I've ever seen you get mad at anypony before. I'm not sure I've even heard you yell before."

"That dress was really important to me," Chamella reiterated to the fillies.

"Do you even go to fancy parties?" asked Scootaloo. "I know you went to the Grand Galloping Gala once, but I don't remember any other times you went to stuff like that."

Chamella shook her head. "That's not the point. I was never planning on wearing it at all. It was what the outfit represented to me. I already told Rarity that even making another one wouldn't make me feel any better about it."

"So yer just gonna stay mad at Snowflake about it?" Apple Bloom said. "That don't really seem fair. He's just a little baby."

"I'm not mad at him, I'm more mad at myself for letting it happen," Chamella corrected, lowering her head slightly.

"But just because it's wrecked now doesn't really mean you didn't accomplish anything, right?" Sweetie Belle said with an optimistic grin.

The changeling raised an eyebrow at her logic. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you were never planning to wear it anyway, what difference does it make? You made it, and you were proud of it. You can still be proud of it, can't you?"

Chamella's eyes widened a little as she took that into consideration.

"Hey, yeah! And you know now that you can make awesome stuff, so you can make something different, but just as awesome, right?" Scootaloo added.

"I... I guess you have a point there," Chamella said quietly. But she shook her head again. "But that's not really the whole issue. I'll probably get over it eventually, but I still yelled at Snowflake. I'm supposed to be his aunt, and now he probably hates me."

"Ah don't think he hates you," Apple Bloom assured her. "Applejack's yelled at me fer all sorts o' things, an' Ah don't hate her. She's mah sister an' Ah love her anyway."

"Same with Rarity and me," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Besides, he probably won't remember this when he gets older anyway. I don't remember any of the stuff I did when I was baby."

Chamella let out a resigned sigh. "I think it's probably better if I'm not really involved with his upbringing anyway. Just the idea of taking care of a baby scares me. I just know I would do something wrong. Shade left him with me for only a few minutes and things got out of hoof."

"It does sound like a lot of work," Scootaloo admitted.

"Have ya told Shade that yet?" Apple Bloom inquired.

Chamella shied away ashamedly, taking a small lick of her ice cream. "Um, well, I told him I wasn't interested in being a mom myself, but I never said anything about Snowflake. I don't want him to think I don't care."

"So you're just going to avoid him and hope Shade doesn't notice?" inferred Sweetie Belle. "That seems like it'll be pretty difficult considering he's your best friend."

"I just have to hope that he doesn't ask me to foalsit or anything," Chamella elaborated.

"Been going great so far," Scootaloo quipped sarcastically.

The changeling let out a reluctant sigh. "Maybe I should just talk to him about it. I'm just worried he'll think I'm a bad friend for it."

"I don't think ya got ta worry about that," Apple Bloom assured her with a dismissive wave. "But talkin' to 'im's probably a good idea. Family's important. If yer worried about somethin', it's best ta talk about it."

Chamella's lips spread into a small smile. "Thanks. I'll do that then. I just hope he understands."

"Chamella! Yoo-hoo!"

The changeling and the three fillies turned around at the sound of the beckoning voice. Chamella was quite surprised to see Winter's mother Autumn casually walking towards them. However, she wasn't alone as she also had her grandson with her in his stroller, contentedly sucking on a pacifier as he took in his surroundings. Chamella wasn't aware that Autumn was visiting, so she wasn't expecting to see her.

"Oh. Uh, good afternoon, Mrs. Maple," Chamella greeted somewhat meekly.

Autumn rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Now, you know you can just call me Autumn. How often do people keep reminding you that we're family?"

"Right, sorry."

Autumn took notice of the three young ponies standing with her, all offering friendly grins as they ate their ice creams. "Hello there. Are these girls friends of yours, Chamella."

The changeling nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you friends with many of the children around here?" Autumn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Sweetie Belle is Rarity's little sister, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are Sweetie Belle's friends, soooo..."

"We're friends by proxy!" Sweetie Belle chirped.

Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. "'Proxy'?"

The little unicorn shrugged. "It was on my word-a-day calendar."

Autumn giggled at the adorable fillies. "How nice."

"I didn't know you were visiting today," Chamella said to the crimson pegasus. "I was just talking to Shade earlier and he didn't mention it."

"I just got here really. I knew Winter was heading back to work today, so I thought I'd stop by and give the two of them a little off time. They could use a moment to just unwind and not have to worry about Snowflake for an afternoon. Winter was a little reluctant to accept my offer, but I made sure to imply that I wasn't giving her a choice in the matter. Honestly, that girl is working herself too hard, but I can't say I wasn't the same way when I was a new mother."

The three fillies had gathered around the half-changeling colt, baby talking and making silly faces to entertain him. Snowflake's laughter was muffled by the pacifier, but it was clear he was enjoying the attention. However, the little tyke looked up from the three smothering girls at Chamella. The female changeling expected the colt to shy away from her after having yelled at him earlier, but, surprisingly, he actually reached out his hooves toward her, as if beckoning.

Autumn grinned with a quiet giggle. "I think he wants uppies."

Chamella stared at the older mare quizzically. "W-What's 'uppies'?"

"He wants you to pick him up," Autumn explained.

Chamella looked back down at the foal in confusion. After the way she'd acted, he really wanted her to pick him up? Had he forgotten the way she had bore her fangs at him and scolded him?

"Well? Aren't you going to pick him up, Auntie?" Autumn asked teasingly.

The changeling gulped nervously, shaking her head. "N-no, thanks. I'll pass."

Autumn frowned at her choice. "Oh. Well, that's up to you, but I think he'll be disappointed."

"Can I pick him up?" Sweetie Belle asked, standing on her tippy hooves with a giant, pleading grin in an effort to use her cuteness to her advantage.

Autumn chuckled at the filly's eagerness. "Normally, I'd say yes, but I was actually hoping I could talk to Chamella in private for a few minutes."

"W-What?" Chamella stammered awkwardly.

"We can watch him for you while you talk," Scootaloo offered.

"I think you girls are little too young to be foalsitting just yet. But I'll be sure to come find you later so you can play with him again, okay?"

"Sure!" chirped Sweetie Belle excitedly.

"Come on, girls. Let's give 'em some privacy," said Apple Bloom, turning to walk away as her friends followed.

"Later, Chamella," Scootaloo bid the changeling. Her goodbye was accompanied by friendly waves from the three fillies.

Chamella watched them trot away, a part of her desperately wanting to call for them to come back. She glanced over her shoulder at Autumn, who was grinning amicably back at her. She really did not want to do this.

"I've been hoping you and I could have a little time together," Autumn said cheerily.

Admittedly, Chamella had hoped that Autumn would have forgotten about their brief chat at the hospital while they were waiting for Snowflake to be born, but no such luck apparently.

But the grandmother wasn't oblivious to her company's feelings. It was evident in the changeling's face that she was feeling apprehensive, which was all the more reason for her to find out what Chamella's deal was.

"Should we walk and talk?" Autumn suggested, taking the lead and gesturing for Chamella to come along.

Against her better judgment, Chamella agreed, walking alongside the older mare, but consciously keeping a notable distance between the two of them. She also couldn't help but notice that Snowflake was just staring at her, his gaze unwavering.

"I think he likes being around his Aunt Chamella," Autumn commented with a soft smile.

Chamella turned away, mumbling quietly. "I doubt that."

Once more, Autumn took notice of her demeanor, looking at her knowingly. "Are you upset over what happened earlier?"

Chamella turned back to her, her eyes widening in surprise. "You know about that?"

"Shade told me," the pegasus said with a sympathetic grin. "Kids can be pretty troublesome, but that comes with the territory. I'm sorry that had to happen to you."

"It's okay. It was my fault really. I should have watched him more closely."

Autumn nodded, unable to suppress her slight amusement. "That's what happens. Given even a few seconds alone, a baby can do untold things."

"I guess I'm not a good foalsitter," Chamella said dejectedly, though there was a little hope that that meant they wouldn't ask her to look after him again.

"Don't be so down on yourself. You are new to this kind of thing after all. But, you know, I can't help but feel like you might be avoiding Shade and Winter."

Chamella stopped walking, once again looking surprised.

"Shade mentioned he hadn't seen you around much. He might be busy being a dad, but he was kind of expecting you to come visit to make up for not being able to get out as much."

The changeling simply stayed silent, an act that, once more, wouldn't go unnoticed by Autumn.

"Is this really about Snowflake? Or is it about you and Winter?"

It was starting to feel like Autumn was telepathic with how well she was landing those guesses, again eliciting shock and surprise from Chamella.

"W-What makes you say that? Winter and I hardly ever chat or hang out together," Chamella defended in an effort to avoid the subject she knew was coming up.

"That's exactly the problem. Given that Shade's your best friend—practically your brother even—I'd have thought you'd be pretty close to his girlfriend."

Chamella turned her gaze down, watching the dirt pass by her hooves as she walked. But she didn't respond to Autumn.

The pegasus was really starting to feel like her daughter had been deliberately hiding something from her, having never really told her much of anything about this mare that was so important to Shade. Conversely, Chamella seemed uneasy about the subject altogether, suggesting that something had happened that perhaps cast a void between them, which had also been hinted to her in the past.

"Princess Twilight and her friends mentioned that something happened between you and Winter at some point. I was wondering if you might be willing to tell me about it since even Winter hasn't mentioned it to me before."

Chamella's ears folded down as far as they could go and her head lowered slightly as those unpleasant memories came back to her. "I don't want to."

Just that reaction alone was enough to tell Autumn that whatever it was that occurred, it must have been pretty serious. Normally, she wouldn't want to pry into sensitive matters, but this involved her own daughter, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it whether the two of them wanted her to or not.

"Please, Chamella. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. Maybe I can help you two resolve this," Autumn offered with a motherly smile.

"I'd really rather not..."

"But why not? Why can't you tell me?" the older mare insisted, beginning to become desperate for answers.

"Because I don't want you to hate me."

Autumn came to a halt upon hearing her say that. Perhaps this was a little more serious than she gave it credit for. Now she really needed to find out what was going on. "What? Chamella, why would I hate you? I don't care what it was, I'd never hate you. You seem like a perfectly nice person. Would you just tell me what this is all about? I'm starting to get worried thinking about it."

Chamella finally looked her in the eyes again, her expression pleading. "Do you promise not to get mad at me?"

"Of course. I just want to know if there's any way I can help."

Chamella gently brushed her long, purple, hole-filled mane out of her eyes, taking a deep breath as she thought about the best way to word it. "Back when I was still living in the Changeling Kingdom, after Shade had left, I heard about how much better his life had gotten. Up until he left, I relied on Shade a lot just to survive. He was the only thing in my life that gave me a reason just to keep living."

Autumn listened intently, not wanting to interrupt when she knew Chamella was pouring her heart out, but also already having questions. "Why didn't you go with him?"

"Because I was scared. The Changeling Kingdom was all I ever knew, and I thought that the ponies hated and feared us since we attacked Canterlot. I didn't know what would happen. Shade wanted me to go with him, but I couldn't bring myself to go."

"And what does this have to do with Winter?"

Chamella let out a pensive sigh. "Someone told me about the things he had in his new life: a home; plenty of food; friends; even somepony that he had fallen in love with. I guess I was... jealous."

"Of Winter?"

Chamella shook her head. "Of Shade. Hearing all that made me deeply regret not going with him. So I went to look for him. And when I saw him with Winter, I guess that's when I became jealous of her."

Autumn felt a sudden fear inside her heart. Jealousy and love could be a very volatile and dangerous combination, and that concerned her. She thought it may be pertinent to confirm what their friends had told her at the baby shower. "Are... Are you in love with Shade?"

The changeling straightened up defensively. "No! No, no... I mean... I was... Or maybe I still am. I don't know." She shied away again, rubbing her foreleg ashamedly.

Autumn wasn't quite sure what to make of that answer, so she simply stayed silent to allow her to finish her story.

"The point is, I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted what Shade had. And I wanted Shade. So I... did something horrible..."

The crimson mare was hesitant to ask, unsure if she wanted to know any more. "What did you do?" she inquired quietly, more curious than anything.

Chamella gulped, reluctant to actually admit it. "I... trapped her in a cave and took her place."

Autumn's mouth hung open in stunned silence. That wasn't quite what she had expected to hear. Her own daughter had been kidnapped and replaced by a changeling and she didn't even know.

"I know how despicable it was of me, and I regret it more than any decision I've ever made in my life. If I could go back and fix it, I would, believe me."

In spite of her shock at this information, Autumn thought about what she'd just learned for a moment, trying to view it from a more optimistic angle. "But... Winter ended up being alright. And you're here after all. So... it wasn't really all that serious in the end, right?"

Chamella looked up at her again, a little surprised. "You're not mad at me? I'd understand it if you were. Winter could have died because of me. And it was because of me that Winter found out Shade's a changeling."

Inexplicably, Autumn grinned. "Well, that sounds like a good thing."

The changeling was confused by her reaction.

"Look, I'm not going to say that what you did wasn't wrong. Honestly, I'm pretty shocked to hear about this. But..." Autumn took a breath, her smile persisting. "In the end, something about this whole situation must have been resolved, otherwise you wouldn't still be living here, right?"

Chamella's eyes widened hopefully, the mare's words sounding oddly familiar. "You sound like Shade. He said basically the same thing when we talked about it."

"You seem like a lovely girl, Chamella. I don't have any trouble believing that anything bad you may have done was simply a result of poor judgment. And Shade seems to have forgiven you. And I'm sure if Winter really felt as strongly about it as you think she does, she'd have brought it up, whether to me or Shade. The important thing is that you know what you did was wrong and that you'll never do it again. You can promise me that, can't you?"

Chamella finally managed a small smile. "I can. I promised myself that a long time ago."

Autumn nodded. "Good. So there's not really any reason for you to feel weird around Shade and Winter then."

The changeling's smile faded. "Um... Actually, there is."

The pegasus raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Chamella blushed slightly and shied away in shame and embarrassment. "Um... Have Shade or Winter mentioned anything about... mating season?" she asked, practically mumbling the last two words.

Autumn's amber eyes widened and she chuckled, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Oh... Er, yes, they did tell me about that. That must be weird, having such difficulty controlling yourselves." Her awkward smile vanished when she realized what the implications of bringing up this subject might be. "Wait... Nothing happened between you and Shade, did it?"

Chamella hesitated, her blush deepening. "I... kissed him."

Autumn blinked, then breathed a sigh of mild relief. "Goodness. For a moment there I was expecting something a little more... unsavory. But it was just because of the circumstances, right? If it wasn't mating season, it probably wouldn't have even happened."

"I still feel bad about it. I should have tried harder to control myself, like Shade did."

The older mare inhaled a long breath as she took in all of this. "So you kidnapped and impersonated my daughter, and kissed her boyfriend. I have to admit, saying it out loud doesn't make you look like a very trustworthy individual."

Chamella stopped walking again, the ice cream she'd been carrying all this time falling from her magical grasp and onto the ground. She let herself fall back on her haunches, shrinking back in shame. "I know..." she murmured, her voice slightly shaky. "I don't deserve everything I have now. I hurt the one person I ever cared about. Twice. And yet somehow he still cares about me. I don't deserve having a friend like him..."

Autumn frowned sympathetically. Chamella sounded as though she were on the verge of tears. Before she could offer some words to console her, Snowflake reached out to her from his stroller. With a small grin, the foal's grandmother pushed the stroller closer to Chamella. The changeling looked up at the little colt, his hooves grabbing her cheeks lightly. Chamella didn't really react, but just continued to mope.

"Chamella, you're not a bad person. You just made some mistakes. Everypony makes mistakes. What's important is that you learn from them so that you don't make the same mistakes again. Shade still trusts you after what you did, which tells me that you've already learned from them. Plus, I've never met the mare who did those things. As far as I'm concerned, Chamella is a person who is kindhearted, passionate, friendly, and just a little shy and soft-spoken. And I'm sure she's a great aunt, too. I mean, if she really wants to be."

Chamella's pink eyes gazed up at the smiling mare. It was so difficult to believe that she would still treat her so nicely after learning about what she did to Winter. Autumn could see there was still a little doubt in the changeling's mind, so she grinned wider to help reassure her. Chamella began to think that perhaps she shouldn't take people like Autumn and Shade for granted. And not just them, but all of her friends. If they were so willing to overlook Chamella's transgressions, maybe she should just accept it. There was no telling if she'd get another chance were she to make another one of those grievous errors in judgment.

Chamella managed a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Ma—er, Autumn. It's actually nice to hear something like that from somepony other than Shade." She felt her cheeks getting smooshed by the pair of tiny, ebony hooves grasping her face, followed by the muffled giggles of the overzealous colt. "Bud I shtill don't really know if I can be a good aunt."

Autumn laughed at the amusing sight. "Well, we'll just have to see. I have a feeling you'll come around in time." She pulled the stroller away, forcing Snowflake to let go of Chamella, though he made an effort to maintain his grip on her face, much to the changeling's discomfort. "Come on, Snowflake. I think we should head back to Mommy and Daddy. Will you be heading home, Chamella?"

Chamella rubbed her cheek, her small grin still in place. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Alright. I'll be sure to come by and see you again before I go back to Cloudsdale."

Chamella simply nodded, waving as the mare sauntered away with her grandson. She then stood up again, taking in a deep breath as she began her own walk home.

"Do you have everything?"

"Just about."

Chamella came out of the storeroom of Carousel Boutique carrying a bunch of fabric and other odds and ends with her. Rarity stood upon the mirrored stage in waiting, having donned the fashionable, orange glasses she usually wore for doing precise work. The unicorn helped her employee separate and organize all of their materials, double-checking to make sure they had everything.

"Alright, I think we're ready. Are you sure you want to do this? You seemed to be quite against the idea earlier," said Rarity with a touch of concern.

The purple-maned changeling flashed a carefree, fanged grin. "I'm sure. I know it's not really going to be the same, but I still liked the design. I'd like for us to do something with it."

Rarity nodded with a smile of her own. "I'm happy to see that you've put this behind you so quickly. And I have to agree; your dress was too lovely for us to not at least have on display here in the shop." She grabbed a large portion of pink fabric and brought it over to the sewing machine. "I must admit, I'm quite eager to try my own hoof at your design. And since this is your creation, I'll try to avoid adding my own personal flair to it."

"I don't mind if you want to modify it a little. I'm sure anything you add would only make it better."

"Oh-ho, well, I appreciate the compliment, but I'll still refrain, if you don't mind," Rarity chuckled bashfully.

Rarity had been pleasantly surprised to see Chamella return home with a smile on her face. The reserved changeling had a tendency to be a little hard on herself whenever she made some sort of mistake or did something she regretted, which, given her history, was understandable. However, Rarity was pleased as punch when the first thing Chamella said upon getting back was that she wanted to recreate the dress that had been ruined, and from scratch no less. Rarity had offered to simply repair the damage, but Chamella was actually rather excited to make a new one, only this time as a joint effort between the two of them, and the unicorn was more than happy to oblige. Thankfully, the hat and boa where undamaged, so it was just the dress they had to focus on, lightening the workload somewhat. Although, before they actually got started, for some reason Chamella inexplicably wanted some ice cream. Rarity chose not to question it and let her do as she pleased.

However, the question arose as Rarity busily took measurements of the fabric:

"So what exactly was it that changed your mind so quickly?" Rarity asked.

"Actually, it was Sweetie Belle," Chamella answered.

The fashionista raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Sweetie Belle? How so?"

Chamella began to take pieces of fabric, expertly using her magic to fold them into rose shapes. "She said that what the dress represented was more important than the dress itself, and I think she has a point. I don't really need to look at it to remind myself of how proud I am of it."

"Hm, that's surprisingly profound of her. Must be the mentality she has when she 'borrows' something of mine, only to return it later in tatters," Rarity grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Honestly, I know she means well, but that filly can be more destructive than a swarm of parasprites sometimes."

Hearing her say that, a curious thought popped up in Chamella's head. She recalled many a time over the past two years where the two sisters would squabble over something or other, usually a result of Sweetie Belle not really thinking before she acted. "Has she always been troublesome for you to deal with?"

Rarity let out a slightly frustrated groan. "Since I can remember. Even when she was just a baby and I was but the age she is now, she's been an endless source of irritation."

"Then why did you agree to be her godmother?"

Rarity's head spun around, giving Chamella a shocked look. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

The changeling wasn't sure what it was about her question that confused the unicorn, but elaborated regardless. "Well, you just said that she's always getting on your nerves and causing trouble for you, so why would you want to raise her if something happened to your parents?"

Rarity was a bit flabbergasted by the question. "Well... because she's my sister," she stated as though the answer should have been obvious.

"But..."

Rarity, seeing the confusion on her friend's face, began to understand why she brought this up. "Chamella, I know you don't exactly have any experience with family outside of Shade, and even then you two are the same age, so it's understandable that you wouldn't be used to how familial relationships work. Sweetie Belle may be a nuisance sometimes, and she's caused me quite a number of headaches over the years, but, if the need arose, I would gladly give my life for hers because she is my little sister and I love her. Surely you can relate at least a little, right? You once threw yourself in harm's way to protect Shade, if I recall."

"But that's... different," Chamella argued, though sounding a little unsure of herself. "I don't think I could live without him. I need Shade. I-I mean, I need him around, you know? He's always been the one to protect me, so..."

Rarity smiled knowingly. "It sounds to me like your relationship is actually more like that of parent and child rather than siblings. Perhaps that's why Shade is so comfortable in the role of father; despite what he believes, he's already got experience in that category. So you've jumped to his side to protect him before, would you not do the same for Snowflake if you had to?"

"I-I..." Chamella stammered, caught off guard and unable to form a response.

Before she could compose her thoughts and formulate a proper answer, the boutique's entrance bell chimed. Chamella breathed an internal sigh of relief, thankful for the distraction.

Until she saw who had arrived...

Just as he had earlier that day, Shade came waltzing in casually and with a particularly cheery grin. However, he wasn't alone, as with him was the equally amicable face of the mare Chamella had spoken with not long ago, Autumn. And if that weren't enough, to round out the family gathering, even Winter walked in alongside them, though looking notably less peppy than her boyfriend and mother; not particularly upset or anything, but more like she had a lot on her mind, and given everything that Shade and Autumn had said about the way she'd been acting lately, that was understandable. She was probably a little stressed.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise," Rarity said with a pleasant and welcoming grin. However, she noticed that something was missing. "Where's little Snowflake?"

Shade chuckled at the question. "He's around."

Just as he said that, a pair of little, black hooves appeared on top of the changeling's head and a tiny colt poked up from behind him with an excited and playful squeak. Snowflake had apparently been riding on his father's back the whole way to the boutique.

"There you are," Rarity said with a giggle. "Getting adventurous, are we?"

"He wouldn't sit still long enough for us to strap him into his stroller," Shade explained, though there was no hint of frustration about it.

"So to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit? A small family excursion, or is there something you need?" the unicorn asked hospitably.

"Actually, we came over to make an announcement," Shade told them, looking a little eager. "We've decided on Snowflake's legal guardian."

Rarity's eyes widened a little in surprise. "Already? Well, that was rather quick."

"We've actually been thinking about it for the better part of the past week at this point, mostly because we simply couldn't come to an agreement."

"You didn't have to come over just to tell us that," Chamella said. "Shouldn't you tell the person you chose?"

Shade and Autumn glanced at one another, the mare stifling a chuckle. Shade turned back to Chamella with a smile. "That's what we're doing."

Chamella turned to Rarity. "You chose Rarity? I thought you were leaning towards Autumn and Nimbus?"

Rarity shook her head and rolled her eyes, smirking at the changeling's obliviousness. "Oh, Chamella, your naïvety is so adorable."

Chamella raised an eyebrow, puzzled by the comment. "What do you mean by that?"

"They chose you, sweetie," Autumn told her.

"What?!" Chamella was taken aback by the news, a sudden wave of dread washing over her. "You're joking, right?"

"No, of course not," Shade confirmed with a reassuring grin.

Hearing that, Chamella's shock and confusion at the situation she had suddenly found herself in only intensified. "But... I told you I didn't want to start a family myself. I don't want a kid. I don't want to be a mom! I can't handle that kind of responsibility! What would possess you to pick me?!"

Shade shrugged, unfazed by her reaction as though he'd been fully expecting it. "Look, you're allowed to say no. We're not going to force this on you. I just want you to be more involved with our family."

"No! I don't want this! I-I mean, I want to be a part of the family, but I can't raise Snowflake. I'm terrified to even touch him for fear of accidentally hurting him."

"It's not like we plan on going anywhere any time soon," Winter chimed in from behind Shade and Autumn. "You probably won't even have to do anything. You're just going to be his godmother."

Even hearing that, Chamella was still apprehensive. "But... what if something does happen? I can think of at least a half a dozen other ponies that could be better parents than me."

"Well, Winter was pretty adamant about going with her parents, but for some reason Autumn came back to our place and immediately recommended you," Shade said, looking a little confused about it himself as he turned to Autumn.

"I think she deserves a chance to prove that she can be responsible," Autumn explained, giving Chamella a sly wink.

"But... I wouldn't know what to do. I'd be a horrible parent," Chamella pleaded quietly.

"What, you think I didn't feel the same way when I found out I was going to be a dad?" said Shade as the colt, oblivious that he was the topic of their conversation, played around on his father's head and back. "I was scared, too, you know that. I didn't know it was even possible for changelings to be responsible parents. It was only by having that thrust upon me that I learned otherwise. If and when you become a parent yourself, or if the day comes where you have to look after Snow in our stead, you'll find that out for yourself, too."

Chamella lowered her head, an earlier shame coming back to the surface. "But I yelled at him. I got mad and lost my temper and made him cry."

"If that were the criteria for being a bad parent, there would be no such thing as a good parent," Autumn laughed. "Winter was a wonderful filly, but I'll be damned if she wasn't a walking natural disaster from time to time."

"And Winter and me can attest to that," Shade agreed with laughter of his own. "Uh, not about Winter, I mean with Snowflake. Honestly, I've heard Winter cursing more often in the past two weeks than she has the entire time I've known her. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit aggravated by this little guy's hijinks, too." He placed his hoof upon Chamella's shoulder, giving his best friend as comforting a smile as he could manage. The colt sitting on his back gave her more of a carefree and playful smile "If there's anything I've learned since becoming a father, it's that good parenting doesn't come naturally. It comes from experience. I still don't think I'm a good dad just yet; I'm still getting my footing here. That's why we want you to be his godmother."

"I don't understand," Chamella admitted with a uncomprehending shake of her head. "If you're still having trouble with parenthood, then what makes you think I'll be any better?"

"Because I want us to learn about this together."

Chamella's eyes widened. "T-Together?"

Shade nodded with a fanged smirk. "Right. I need to be sure that you're ready to be a mom if something ever happens to Winter and me. That way I'll know he's in good hooves. And if it doesn't have to come to that, then it'll be good experience for when—oh, sorry, if you ever decide to start a family yourself. But..." With his magic, Shade hoisted his son from his back and held him in front of Chamella. The little colt blew a childish raspberry with his lips as he stared straight at his aunt. "...in order for you to get any experience, you have to actually start being an aunt."

Chamella stared, wide-eyed, at Snowflake, her entire body tense with apprehension. "I-I... I can't—"

"I'm not taking no for an answer here, Chamella. Just hold him for a minute."

"B-But—"

But before she could continue her objections, Shade thrust the colt into her possession, forcing Chamella to cradle him against her will. The female changeling clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth to brace herself for what might happen. She could be holding him wrong; he might fidget and slip out of her grip; he might start crying at any second. All manner of things could go wrong and it'll be her fault.

As her mind played out all of the things she didn't want to happen but expected to happen anyway, Chamella was snapped out of her internal panic when something tugged on her long, dark purple mane. She opened her eyes again, letting her gaze pensively drift downward to the foal resting in her forelegs.

Snowflake was absentmindedly chewing on her hair like a pacifier, making cute, quiet noises as he suckled on the hole-riddled strands. The colt's bright green eyes turned up to meet his aunt's pink ones, who was staring down, unable to process the fact that nothing bad had happened yet.

From over Shade's shoulder, Winter watched curiously, wondering what Chamella was going to do with her son. So far it seemed fine. The changeling still looked pretty nervous, but, all in all, was remaining steady.

After a few silent moments, Snowflake's mouth opened wide with a sleepy yawn, letting Chamella's locks fall free. He then nestled into her embrace, snuggling up against her chest and quietly drifted off to sleep.

Chamella stared down in disbelief, wanting to rub her eyes to ensure what she was seeing was real, but could not due to her hooves being occupied by the very object of her disbelief. Instead, she looked to Shade for an explanation, as though what was happening now wasn't something she believed to be possible. Shade just gave her a smirk. He was silent, but his expression was clear: he had complete faith in her, more than she ever had in herself.

"Isn't that sweet?" Rarity said in a hushed tone so as not to disturb the slumbering tyke.

"See? It's not so bad, is it?" said Autumn with a quiet giggle. "You just have to get a feel for it. He already likes you, so now you just have to show him that you care, too. And you're off to a good start, I think."

Chamella looked down at the sleeping colt again. As she gazed at the content look on Snowflake's face, she suddenly felt her tension begin to melt away. Nothing bad had happened. Just sitting here like this was defying all of her expectations. Had she really just been overreacting this whole time? Did she really just not trust herself enough? Now that she was in this position, she was starting to realize that it wasn't so bad after all.

Shade could see a small smile beginning to creep its way onto Chamella's face as she instinctively held the colt tighter to her chest. But he'd seen all he needed to see at this point. "So, do you plan on sitting there and letting him nap?"

Chamella looked up as if snapped from deep thought. "Huh?"

"I know you're just getting comfortable, but I'm sure you don't want to sit with him all day."

"Plus, we do have work we need to get back to," Rarity added, gesturing to the materials they had gathered up earlier.

"Oh, right." Chamella gently and carefully passed Snowflake back to his dad, who passed the snoozing foal to Winter.

"Great, now he'll be awake all night," the ivory pegasus joked, though with a hint of genuine annoyance at the thought.

Shade, Winter and Autumn turned to make their way to the door to head back home. Shade glanced back at Chamella one last time before leaving. "Don't be afraid to come by just to see him, okay?"

Chamella grinned and nodded.

"Oh, and I guess we should get a definitive answer from you, huh? Do you actually want to be his godmother?"

There was still a moment of hesitation, but Chamella eventually weighed everything that had gone through her head in the last few minutes and came to a conclusion. "I'll try my best."

Shade smiled proudly at hearing that. "Alright then. We'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Chamella," Autumn bid with a wave as she and Shade followed Winter outside.

Rarity gave a wave back. "Don't be strangers." With a jingle, the door closed, leaving the two seamstresses alone with their work once more. Rarity turned to Chamella with a look of eagerness. "Shall we get back to it?"

With a little bit of extra pep, the changeling smiled with an equally eager nod. "Let's do it."