Chapter Three
Wind Breaker
Page was nervous; that much was clear as the two of them walked down the street. Wind Breaker did the best he could to ease her worries by acting like a tough guy, but the Guards that were tailing them kinda did a better job at that. As he couldn’t rely on what calmed him down, he went onto using his words.
“Are you okay, Page?” he asked. In response, she gave him a look before sighing.
“I’m just worried about what the Matron will say,” she admitted. “I’ve known her practically my whole life. Goddesses, she raised me, far more than my birth mother ever did in the short time I knew her. And all that time, I’ve been lying to her about who and what I am…” she shivered. “I’m almost afraid she’ll react about as badly as Night did…”
“That was a case of mistaken identity on his part and you’ve known it for a long time,” Wind Breaker reminded her. “If this Matron of yours really loves you, she’ll accept you right away.”
“I know, I know but…” Page sighed. “I can’t help but worry.” She looked down. “Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m worried about Night too, after that… incident with his parents.”
“Yeah, I can understand that,” Wind Breaker said. “Heck, I’m kind of worried about what I’ll say to Diamond Back the next time I see him.”
“Diamond Back… you mean the griffon who nearly dropped a load of construction materials on my head the first time we met?” Page raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Wind Breaker grinned sheepishly. “He’s teased me for years, given me no end of grief over my drinking habit… and you want to know a secret?” He leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper. “I finally found out he’s been in love with me for a long time.”
Page stared at him, dumbfounded. “He’s… how in Equestria…”
“I ran into him when we’d split up trying to escape the Nightmare,” Wind Breaker replied. “He saved my tail from the Guards, and believed me right away when I told him we were the good guys. Then he confessed, sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“He…” Wind Breaker blushed, then leaned in and whispered in her ear again.
“Really!” Page looked at him in surprise. “And how do you feel about this?”
Wind Breaker spread his talons. “Honestly? Er, no pun intended. But I don’t know how to feel about this - I’ve never had any real experience with those kinds of feelings, for anypony. Or griffon.” He looked around. “Believe me, when I figure it out myself, I’ll let you know.”
Page smiled. “Thank you for trusting me with this, Wind.”
“No problem, Page.” Wind Breaker smiled. “So, what’s the Great Library like, anyway? I know you grew up there, but I’ve never actually set hoof… or talon and paw, in my case, in it in my life.”
Page’s eyes lit up. “Oh, it’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “All the books, and the little foals who love hearing me read to them…”
As she described the library to him, Wind Breaker smiled. It sounded like a great place to be.
“Here we are,” Page said some time later. “The Great Library.”
Looking up at it, Wind Breaker stared in awe. “Wow,” he whispered. “This place is magnificent…”
Page beamed. “It is, isn’t it?” Then her eyes drifted to the statue of the Magi of Stars, and she sighed. “I only wish I could have gotten to meet her like Xvital did…”
“You could always ask what she was like, once she was back to her normal self,” Wind Breaker suggested as they climbed the marble steps. “But yeah, I kind of wish I could have seen her too. She seems like she was a great mare.”
“Yes…” Page trailed off before she began to speak again. “And… she is my-”
“You,” a voice called out from the massive doorway. It was a darker yellow Earth pony mare with an even darker green mane and tail, and and she looked furious. “Are not welcome here, changeling.”
Wind Breaker felt his entire coat and feathers bristle at this with Page glaring at the Earth pony. “Move out of my way, Polished. Unless things have changed here while I was gone, you are not the one who makes the rules in this Library.”
“I-” Polished began to speak, when Wind Breaker raised a claw. “Hey, Polished. You know who I am?”
“Yes,” she spat the word out, glaring angrily at him. “You, unlike it over there, are one of the true heroes that saved our nation-”
“And the griffon that has a loaded crossbow on him and is getting better at drawing and firing at the same time,” he growled as he flew up the stairs to stare her down. “Continue to insult my friend like that and you’ll learn how fast I am.”
“Wind Breaker,” Page hissed at him as she walked up the stairs. “Let the Guards deal with her; I have a Matron to speak with.”
“She does not wish to speak with you, changeling,” the mare said as she got right up into Page’s face. “Now, get out before I-”
“Before you what, Polished Apple?” another voice suddenly spoke up.
Wind Breaker looked past the grouchy Earth Pony to see an elderly griffon, who did not look happy. “Turner, you have returned and I hear you wish to speak with me. We can do so in my office with your friend. Polished Apple, attend your duties and do not speak to anyone of this until I give you my permission.”
“But-” the mare began before the griffon flared her wings and glared at her.
“Now, Polished.”
“Y-yes, ma’am,” Polished Apple said, before turning around and hurrying back into the library.
“Hey wait,” Wind Breaker called out to her, causing her to pause. “You’re part of the Apple Clan, right?”
“Yes?”
“I have a message from your dead family.” Wind Breaker cleared his throat. “Applejack says that she and the entire rest of your family are spinning in their graves over how the Apple family is doing stuff now.”
“Wha-How dar,” the mare sputtered, face going through several different colours before she finally froze and stared. “Who are you even talking about?”
“What, you didn’t know?” Wind Breaker said with a grin on his beak. “Your ancestor, the one everypony calls the Stallion of Dedication because they mixed her up with her brother? I had a talk with her spirit a while back, and she’s not happy about the way your family’s doing things these days. The apples they grew back in her day were wonderful, not like the cheap mass-produced ones your family grows now.”
Polished Apple just stared at him before letting out a loud huff, turning and storming back into the building.
The elderly griffon, who had been standing quietly by this entire time, shook her head and sighed. “You, young fellow, are a very interesting griffon,” she said. “Now, if you two would please follow me to my office we can talk, Turner.”
Page winced at the bluntness in her voice, but silently followed her mentor into the Great Library, Wind Breaker right beside her and looking around, his eyes wide as he studied his surroundings in awe.
The Matron led them through the entrance hall and down a few smaller hallways before finally arriving in the office, its door marked with her name. Closing the door behind them and then settling down behind her desk, she gazed at the pair. “Now what, pray tell do you wish to tell me, Turner.”
Page winced again shuffling in her seat. “Matron Hush Tone, I-” she started before shaking her head. “I am so sorry-”
“For what,” the griffon snapped. “For you lying to me the entire time you were here, for running away without saying a word, to think I would not worry about you the entire time you were missing?”
“Matron,” Page said, blinking in surprise and with tears in her eyes. “I-”
“I wish to know how you hid here when you were a foal,” the griffon said, cutting her off. “Are there other changelings here as well?”
“Yes Matron,” Page said without any hesitation. “Several of my hive’s elders have made this library their home.”
“I see,” the matron said as she walked around her desk to stand in front of his friend.
“Hush Tone, I am so sorry for everything,” Page said as she went to hug the griffon who held her close to her chest.
“I understand that and if you do three things for me, I will forgive you,” the griffon said in a soothing tone.
“Yes, anything,” Page said in a shaky tone.
“First off; you will make everyone here a nice lunch with the ingredients from your garden,” Page snapped her head upwards at this catching the smirk on the griffon's beak.
“Yes, of course I will,” Page began to giggle, nuzzling into the matron. “What is the second thing?”
“I wish to meet with your coltfriend and his parents on a dinner date,” the griffon's words caused Page to do a double take. “You two have been dating for a very long time; it is only proper that I meet his parents.”
“I, um, um,” Page stammered as a blush spread across her face.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, no,” Page lied, licking her lips as she glanced at him for help with Wind Breaker holding up his talons in defeat. “I… I’ll see what I can do, I don’t know how easy it’ll be…” She ducked her head. “Night’s not exactly on good terms with his parents right now.”
“I see…” Hush Tone said it in a way that clearly told them she didn't believe her. “See that you do or I will not be able to approve you two dating anymore without meeting this colt and his parents.”
Page let out a low whimper but nodded her head. “Yes ma’am,” she said with the griffon smiling, kissing her forehead and ruffling her mane.
“Good,” Hush Tone said. “And third, answer me this, please: are there any more secrets I should know?”
Page hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Yes, there is.” She looked at Wind Breaker. “My friend here already knows some of this, but you deserve to know as well.” She paused before she looked steady at the Matron. “My other name, my changeling name, is Lamella Armor the Tenth. Current Queen of my hive, and… tenth in descent from Queen Chrysalis and Shining Armor, the husband to be of the Demi-Goddess Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. And through him, tenth grandniece of the Magi of Stars, Twilight Sparkle.”
Wind Breaker let out a low whistle as he heard that last part. “So that’s what you meant when we were fighting the Nightmare,” he said. “About being born for shields.” Then he did a double-take. “And no wonder you wanted to talk to Twilight, if she’s a relative…”
Page nodded. “I’ve always known about Shining Armor, and I’ve done my best to honour him with my skills,” she said. “He’s… well, infinitely more worthy of that honour than my other maternal ancestor. And so is Twilight.”
Matron Hush Tone stepped back for a moment. “I see,” she said quietly. “Well. That explains a fair deal about your magic capabilities, Page Turner.”
Then she turned to Wind Breaker. “And I do believe I have been remiss in my manners,” she said. “So allow me to correct that by asking, who might you be, young fellow?”
“Wind Breaker, ma’am,” Wind Breaker said. “Night Blade had somewhere to be for a while, so Page asked me to come along with her today in his place, and I said yes.”
“I see.” Hush Tone studied him. “And how long have you known her, may I ask?”
“Since the day of the Honour Festival,” Wind Breaker said. “There was an… incident that morning with one of my coworkers that I helped her and Night with,” he coughed nervously. “Then we met again that evening and ran into a few others too, and that’s when things went really hairy.” He chuckled. “The six of us wound up having all kinds of crazy adventures together, both here and outside the city, after that. And with everything we’ve been through together… well, Queen or no Queen, it doesn’t matter - she’s still my friend, and you can take that to the bank.”
Page smiled gratefully at him.
“Quite.” Hush Tone nodded at the pair. “Well, much as I’d like to continue this conversation and learn more about your travels and adventures, I do believe it is time for lunch now, and I need to go gather everyone else. Page, if you would…”
“Of course, Matron,” Page said. “Wind, would you mind helping?”
“Of course not,” Wind Breaker said. “Er, which way are we going though?”
Page smiled. “Just follow me,” she said as she opened the door and almost walked into King Well Banded.
“Good, you are still here,” the stallion said. “We must have a conversation regarding certain aspects. We will need to use your office for this, Matron.”
“Anything you wish to speak to my ward can be said in front of me, your majesty,” Hush Tone said rather stiffly, placing her talons on Page’s back.
“Madam, this is a matter related to national security and-” He cut himself off as Page raised a hoof.
“It’s okay, your majesty,” she said. “Matron Hush Tone and everyone else is aware that I am a changeling; that is why you have Captain Memorizing Gaze with you.” Wind looked as the Guard alongside the king briefly lit up, his shape turning into that of a tall drone.
“Very well,” the King said as he walked into the room. “I believe we should still use your office, Matron as this subject matter is rather important.”
“Quite.” Hush Tone gazed at Page contemplatively as the King and Memorizing Gaze made their way inside, Page stepping out of their way as the two went to the far side of the room. “No doubt connected to your unique heritage, Page?”
“I can only guess,” Wind Breaker remarked next to her. “But I do know one thing for certain - Page is a wonderful mare, and a great friend.”
“As well as the Queen?” Hush said in a soft tone, causing them both to jump. “It does explain why he is here-”
“He doesn’t know, nopony knows outside of my fellow Bearers, Tizoc and you!” Page hissed nervously. “And I’d like to keep it that way!”
“Of course. We must be on then; we cannot keep the King waiting,” Hush Tone said.
Page nodded. “We will talk more about this later,” she whispered, before all of them found their seats again.
Once all five had settled in and the door was shut behind them, King Well Banded spoke. “The reason I am here, Ms. Turner, is because of your… unique heritage.” Page nearly jumped in her seat, Wind’s own eyes widening, before the King continued. “You see, after recent events, I find myself having to speak with your Queen on certain matters, and Captain Memorizing Gaze has declined to inform me of her whereabouts. And while that… Nightmare was in control of me, and it obviously knew where your Queen was, it kept its secrets well and I was unable to learn anything from it, even as it was being purged from my body. So I have come here to ask if you could tell me of how to find her.”
Page was rather stiff as she sat there listening to him, and Wind Breaker didn’t need to be an empath like Page herself to tell that she was having a very hard time restraining herself from exploding in rage. Given what she’d told them about Changeling history when they were outside Canterlot, he couldn’t blame her.
Then, as various expressions flew across her face, Page seemed to calm down, and when she finally spoke it was in a calm and controlled manner.
“I am sorry your majesty, but as long as my species has existed, only once have any of my kind ever given up our Queen, and you know what happened then.” Page looked down, her expression difficult to read. “Whether she was being manipulated or not, Chrysalis deserved punishment for her crimes. But since that time... no other Changeling has ever deliberately given up the identity or location of their Queen, and they never will.”
King Well Banded nodded. “So I am aware. But I was hoping that after the Pardoning of the Fourth Tribe that you would be a little more… open.”
Page nodded. “I can understand your wishes, your majesty. But I am sorry to say that while the Pardoning is indeed a welcome change after all this time, my people have thousands of years’ worth of ingrained habits that have kept our species from extinction, both before and after the days of Chrysalis. That includes the secret of our Queen’s identity and her personal whereabouts. Such habits will not be easy for my people to work past, even in this new era.”
“I can understand that.” The King sat back with a slight frown. “You have actually come to the heart of the matter, Ms. Turner. Equestria has a lot to make up for, with what we’ve done to your tribe. Part of the restitutions we’ve decided upon is a special reeducation program for the Changelings, correcting all of the… societal conditionings we’ve forced upon them since the end of the War. We need to help them realize that they are not the monsters we’ve treated them as for all this time, that they are ponies who are as free and as much an equal part of society as the rest of us. And if I could talk to your Queen about the reeducation centers that are to be established.”
“Excuse me, reeducation centers?” Wind Breaker interrupted. “Speaking as a Hatchery griffon, I don’t like the sound of that.”
Well Banded gave him an annoyed glare. “It is a necessary measure, as I said before, the changelings require aid to help them from a thousand years of conditioning being taught to believe they were criminals because of their species and the actions of one leader of their kind. Our goal is to undo the harm that’s been done, to restore their sense of self-worth as Changelings rather than tear it down as it was before. Thus it is necessary for me to contact your Queen so we can coordinate moving the changelings into the centers with Captain Memorizing Gaze acting as an enforcer of the rules.”
Wind Breaker wasn’t all keen on political wording but even he could read the undertones and he saw the drone scowl slightly at this.
“Your forgiveness, but this sounds like something like Sombra tried to do with the nations he conquered, patriating them into his empire,” Hush Tone said.
“You are correct in a fashion,” the king said. “We will do all we can with the mindset of the common changeling; they will react better to strict and established rules than misguided kindness and vague guidelines. A delicate balance will need to be made and it would be expiated with your Queen’s direct assistance.”
Wind Breaker saw his friend stiffen at this comment but the Matron was quick to respond. “If I am to understand you correctly, you plan to have many centers to try and aid the changelings. If I may be bold, I would like to offer the Great Library as the main foci point as we have ample room, and countless books that can be used to educate them.”
“This is a very generous proposal,” King Well Banded replied as he looked at the drone and then at Page. “Are you going to be staying here Miss Turner; it would do the changelings wonders as your Queen is refusing to tend to her hive publicly.”
Page didn’t even flinch at that comment nor did Memorizing, but Wind Breaker had to refrain from saying something.
“Yes, I am, your majesty,” Page said sharply. “Barring anything unforeseen, none of us have any reason to leave Canterlot in the near future. Further, I could attempt to act as a means of communication between you and my Queen.”
Memorizing coughed, causing everyone to turn to face him. “My king, I have a suggestion,” the drone said. “I could relocate my offices to the Library; I will be able to continue my duties as well as protect my hive during their...” he trailed off as none of the words he had probably sounded right.
“That is sound logic and to be truthful, you are a very competent spymaster and it would be hard to replace you,” the king said, tipping his head slightly. “Approved. Come, there is paperwork you and I must file to get this all prepared as well as rehire you back into your position.”
“Before you go, I would like to know if you would want to stay for lunch,” Page offered. “The produce comes from my own garden here at the Library, and my fellow librarians and I put a lot of work into making sure that what we grow is the best quality.”
The King offered her a faint smile. “While I appreciate the offer, I am afraid I must decline,” he said. “I have a great deal of work to do back at the castle today, and I cannot tarry.” He glanced at Memorizing Gaze. “You are more than welcome to accept her offer though, should you desire. Take some time to get to know the ponies you’ll be living amongst.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” Memorizing replied. “If you don’t mind, Ms. Turner…”
“Not at all,” Page told him. “The more the merrier.”
Memorizing Gaze looked at her thankfully, then watched as his King stood, making his way to the door and the waiting guards outside.
When the King had left, Page slumped in her seat. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“I’ll say,” Wind Breaker remarked. He sighed. “Now if only they’d set up that kind of reform for griffons!”
“I have it on good authority that such reforms are also under discussion,” Memorizing said. “It’ll take some time, but they are talking about it, and my Guards are in fact investigating several Hatcheries whose practices we suspect are… not on the up-and-up, shall we say.” He looked disturbed.
“That is certainly good news,” Hush Tone replied. “I’ve-” she cut herself off, shaking her head. “Well. That’s a tale for another time.”
Wind Breaker looked at her curiously, but accepted her silence. “So. Which way to the kitchens?” he asked.
Page smiled. “Right this way. Oh - Memorizing, you don’t mind accompanying the Matron for a bit, do you?”
“I’d be glad to; we have much to talk about now regarding the fate of the hive and where I can set up my offices,” Memorizing said. He followed Matron Hush Tone out of the office, Page and Wind heading the other direction towards the kitchens.
“Well,” Wind Breaker commented as they walked. “This has been a day for surprises.”
Page nodded. “It certainly has… I just hope the rest of my coworkers don’t react as badly as Polished Apple did. Then again, she’s always been a snooty little… well. She thinks she’s important just because of her family and doesn’t seem to realize that respect has to be earned.”
“I hear that,” Wind Breaker commented. “I’ve had to deal with more than a few ponies like that over the years.” He shook his head. “If she’s what most of the Apples are like nowadays, no wonder her ancestors aren’t happy with what their family’s become.”
“Polished is one of the worst, from what I’ve heard,” Page said. “Though most of them aren’t that much better, although they are better at hiding it.” Page then gave him a smile. “Come, let me show you my garden, it’s been so long since I’ve been there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Wind Breaker said as he started to follow her out of the room.