//------------------------------// // Troubles at Home part 1 // Story: Imprisonment of a Changeling // by Southern Wing //------------------------------// The rain started to fall as Winter and Rain walked to school, Winter remaining silent. “So… how are you doing, Winter?” Rain asked with a worried tone. The falling rain seemed to emulate the mood of the town: dreary and depressing. “Fine…” Winter barely muttered, acting more like her mother than her father, which was very unusual. “Winter, it’s alright. Things will get back to normal soon.” “No they won’t! Now everyone in town knows I’m half changeling!” Winter shot back, her tone a mix of sorrow and rage. “It doesn’t matter!” Rain shouted as she hugged Winter. “I’m still your friend and bond sister!” “I’m sorry…” The rage was gone from her now, but the sorrow still remained, tears running down her face. “Hey, come on now. I know you’re hurting but you need to be strong. Don’t let Diamond Tiara see you like this,” Rain said, wiping around the tears. Winter gave Rain a reassuring smile. “Thanks.” “No problem.” “Well, well, look who it is. I see you made friends with a bug,” a rather familiar voice said. “The buck you want, Diamond Tiara?” Rain snapped as soon as she recognized Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trotting up to them. Winter just chittered something, but given the tone and look on her face, it was an insult directed at Diamond Tiara. “Hey, you take that back!” Diamond Tiara sneered. “Take what back?” Winter asked, innocently smiling at diamond Tiara. “You know what you said!” Diamond Tiara shot back. “I know what you’re doing!” “You gonna say anything, puppet, or do you need your puppetmaster to…” Winter started, only to have Silver Spoon get into her face. “Shut up! You don’t tell me what to do!” “Oh, so you do have a voice.” Silver Spoon gritted her teeth in anger and prepared her comeback, only for Diamond Tiara to cut her off. “At least I’m better than you, because I’m not part bug!” “What… did… you… say?” Winter replied. Oh yeah, the anger was returning. “Ooh! This is gonna be fun!” Rain said. She grabbed a bucket of popcorn for this show. “What are you going to do about it, bug?” Diamond Tiara chided. “What am I going to do about it?” Winter said. closing her eyes. When she opened them back up, they had a new, red tint to them. “I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT I’M GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!” She leaped towards Diamond Tiara, pinning her down and punching her right in the muzzle. “Get off her!” Silver Spoon shouted as she tried to pull Winter off of Diamond Tiara. “How’s it feel, huh?” Winter roared as she delivered another blow to Diamond Tiara’s nose. As the beatdown continued, a small group of fillies and colts arrived on the scene, all of the cheering for their favored fighter. “I hope this is just getting started,” Rain said as she nommed on her popcorn. Much to Rain’s dismay, it did not, as the rest of the CMC rushed over to stop the massacre. “That’s enough!” Applebloom said. She pulled Winter off Diamond Tiara with the help of her friends. It took all their combined strength to finally get the fighters apart. “Booooo!” Rain objected, throwing her popcorn away. “It was just getting good!” However, the fillies and colts scattered away when Cheerilee came in to see what happened. “What is going on here?!” she demanded. “Winter just started attacking me! I have no idea why!” Diamond Tiara begged. “Don’t you bucking lie like that, or I’ll rip your bucking tongue out!” Winter shouted, threatening to rush Diamond again. “Diamond Tiara started calling Winter names due to her being part changeling!” Rain explained. “She, like, totally didn’t!” Silver Spoon objected, helping Diamond Tiara up. “I’m calling both of your parents, and you’re coming with me!” Cheerilee sternly replied. The two groups assisted their fighters to get to Cheerilee’s office in one piece. “Just like Dad and Uncle Sev when they were my age,” Winter commented. The two groups went inside the school and waited outside the office while Winter and Diamond Tiara had an uncomfortable wait for their parents to get here. It only took a few minutes for said parents to arrive, going inside the office for what was going to be an...interesting conversation. “I’m so sorry, Miss Cheerilee. Winter’s been having a hard time lately,” Fluttershy apologized. “Perhaps it’s because she’s a filthy half breed.” Spoiled Rich suggested. “Ahem. What my wife meant to say was it’s because, well, not that she’s a troublemaker, but that she’s expressing her frustration.” Filthy Rich corrected. Fluttershy said nothing but her slight expression of anger said it all. “I hope it was only that.” “Well, if they agree to apologize to each other, we may be able to avoid both of them getting detention. But if it happens again, I will have no choice,” Cheerilee explained. “Apologize?! To that filthy halfling?!” Spoiled Rich shouted. “You know what? No. You can’t do that anymore!!” Fluttershy roared, taking everyone in the room by surprise. “I may have a hard time standing up for myself, but you WILL NOT talk about my daughter in that way!” “Ladies, please! Don’t make this situation worse!” Cheerilee cut in. “Spoiled, please stop!” Filthy Rich pleaded. “Just have Diamond Tiara apologize and we can be done with this! It doesn’t have to go any further!” Spoiled Rich stopped in her tracks, taking a few deep breaths. “Fine. Fine. Just get this over with.” “That would be acceptable, if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy replied, cooling off at the same time. “It’s settled, then.” Cheerilee got up from her desk and opened the door to her office, ushering Winter and Diamond Tiara in. Both fillies felt awkward, knowing what was to come. “Diamond, dear, do you have something you want to say to Winter?” Filthy Rich asked his daughter. “Yes, Father,” Diamond replied quietly. “Winter, do you have something to say to Diamond Tiara?” Fluttershy asked. “Yes...Mom,” Winter nodded. “I’m sorry for making fun of you and all,” Diamond forced herself to say. “And I’m sorry you pushed me too far for making fun of me,” Winter responded, doing her best to get those words out. It was harder than it sounded. Cheerilee sighed and shook her head. “I hate to say it, but I think this is as close as we’re going to an apology.” “I knew this was a waste of time anyway,” Spoiled Rich scoffed as she got up and left with Diamond Tiara in tow. “Do please forgive my wife, Mrs. Wing,” Filthy Rich added. “I have tried to teach Diamond better but her mother is...difficult at times.” “Not at all, Mr. Rich. Winter’s just been having a hard time since Shining Armor’s and Cadence’s wedding.” “I can understand why, do please give Wing my best when you visit him next time.” “I will,” Fluttershy replied as Filthy Rich’s family left out the door, Silver Spoon soon joining them. “Winter, we’re going home, and we’re not done talking about this,” Fluttershy said sternly. “Yes, Mom,” Winter replied. She was crushed that this would mean she couldn’t spend time with friends, but on the other hoof, she won the fight with Diamond. This made the glass half full in her eyes. She walked out of the office with her mother, the other Crusaders joining her out the door. However, she caught Pipsqueak walking down the hallway. Ever since their first Nightmare Night together, she had a crush on him, and those feelings never really went away. “Alright, everypony, show’s over,” Cheerilee announced, walking outside and getting the large group of school ponies to break up. “Now, Winter, you know you can’t fight other ponies like that. We’ve been over this,” Fluttershy addressed Winter. “Mom, she was making fun of me for being part changeling!” Winter grumbled. “And you decided to beat her up? That only brings you to her level! I know your father and I have taught you to defend yourself, but there is a time and place for that and this wasn’t it!” Winter went silent, but her eyes gave away what she was feeling. “I’m sorry, Mom.” “I’m sorry, too,” Fluttershy replied, hugging her daughter. “I just want your father home like you do.” They eventually went on home. Once they were inside, they noticed an earth pony and unicorn waiting for them at the front door, sitting out the rain underneath their umbrella. “Excuse me ma’am, do you have a moment to talk about the wonders of Queen Faust?” the earth pony asked with a Manehatten accent. “Or should we come back another time, Miss?” the unicorn added. “Of course!” Fluttershy exclaimed, recognizing them. “Just let me unlock the door.” Fluttershy trotted over and unlocked the door, holding it open for the two stallions. “Thank you ma’am, you won’t regret this,” The earth pony replied, trotting in with the unicorn. Fluttershy locked the door tight behind them. “Thank Zacherle no one recognized us, but then again,it’s not like there’s a shortage of disguises to use.” The earth pony breathed a sigh of relief, as Fluttershy drew the curtains. “We’re not done yet. We have to get out of here and back to the hive, so don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched,” the unicorn scolded. “But we’ve come so far already, Skerzhan!” “No buts, Schkoltz!” the two ponies dropped their disguises, revealing themselves to be changelings, but looking more like Wing did in his normal changeling form. “How is Schkitz anyways, Fluttershy?” “He told me he’s alright, but...I have a feeling he’s not telling the truth.” Schkoltz dropped to Winter's level, as the little filly hugged him. “Uncle Schkoltz!” “Hey there, Winter, how you doing?” “I’m… I’m  not really doing that great…” “Your dad will be home soon. You know that, right?” “Yeah…” Her ears still dropped down to the side. “Besides, nothing will ever keep him from you, if I know your dad.” “Cause he’s so tough?” Winter asked. “Exactly! Schkitz ain’t gonna let anything keep him from coming home to you and your mom!” Schkoltz declared with a grin. As Winter and her uncle were talking, Fluttershy and Skerzhan were in the other room talking. They heard Winter booting up a video game soon after. “How’s Mother taking it?” Fluttershy asked Skerzhan. “Not well, Fluttershy. Half of her advisors want to take action against ponies, and the other half want to try to maintain peaceful relations. Things are going to get worse before they get better.” “I just wish Chrysalis hadn’t invaded,” Fluttershy remarked, hanging her head. “None of us could have seen it coming. We should be glad we were able to blunt it.” “What about Wing? What would he do if he was here?” “He’d probably be fighting against the Lovist forces right now in the field, since he was bred in the soldier caste. Only reason he transferred to infiltration was the first changeling civil war ending.” “I see. How long will you be visiting?” “Only for a few minutes more. Mother wants us back as soon as possible, and she wanted to know how you were handling Schkitz being in the dungeon. I’ll tell her you’re handling it as best as you can.” “Thank you.” Fluttershy nodded her head in thanks. “Schkoltz! We’re heading home.” Skerzhan trotted into the living room to see Schkoltz and Winter playing a kart racing game. “But Skerzhan! I’m winning!” Schkoltz whined . He didn’t notice that winter pulled ahead of his kart due to the distraction. “I win!” Winter chirped happily as her kart crossed the finish line. “What?!” Schkoltz looked back to the screen just in time to see his kart cross the finish line, where Winter’s kart was waiting.  Schkoltz only gurgled something, as he didn’t want to swear in front of Winter. Anything to avoid a bop on the back of the head. “Heh heh, come on, speed racer.” Skerzhan took the form of the unicorn again as he trotted to the door, Schkoltz also taking the earth pony form once more. “Thank you for your time, ma’am.” Schkoltz thanked Fluttershy. “You’ve made Faust proud by giving us these few minutes of your time,” Skerzhan added. They headed out the door, Fluttershy closing it behind them. “Think the batponies will come forward with the fact they know about us?” Schkoltz inquired Skerzhan telepathically. “Believe me, if I know them, they will come forward. But even then, as I told Fluttershy back there, things will only get worse, like our little wargame in the desert. The number of ponies and harmonists that will pay the price will only get bigger before things calm down.” Skerzhan sighed, shaking his head. “Events like that will only strengthen Chrysalis.”