//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Conversation 
// Story: Golden Ink 
// by Detsella Morningdew 
//------------------------------//

Dinky was still lost in thought when the rest of her classmates entered the schoolhouse. It was easy to forgive Twilight, but what she said shattered the last, safe bubble she had.

She had accepted her new changeling body, since she knew that eventually, Ponyville would accept her as yet another strange thing made normal. And her life could continue as it was supposed to.

She had tolerated the thing about her being Chrysalis' successor, and therefore a Princess. She knew enough about nobles, that it probably didn't mean much. She could just ignore it without much trouble.

But now, the reality set in that she had just inherited an entire kingdom. Deviod of subjects, perhaps, but based on even the lowest estimates she could think of, she now owned more land than Ponyville could sit on. A year ago, she would have dismissed this as unimportant. But the fact was that it was her land that Celesita didn't own.

It wasn't just that thought that shook her out of her shell. That land contained the sum total of the changeling culture, whatever that ended up being. Their history, their customs. Her first thought would have been just to hand over the nation to Celestia. That would have been accepted by history. They had been defeated utterly by Equestria, if only in defense. But now she couldn't exactly do that in good conscience. Without Celestia doing something like declaring it a historical site, the changeling hive would be torn up almost instantly. Dinky respected archaeologists, but most went after things that were interesting, often neglecting the important things right under their nose.

Those things could be worried about later. Those things could be left to the weekend. If she tried hard enough. But it was hard when she kept getting reminded of those facts. Namely, by the realization that she was literally the same rank as Celestia.

No... not really. Really, she wasn't that important in general. Not until... things she didn't want to think about happened. But ponies wouldn't see it that way. Even if ponies here, in Ponyville, treated her the same, there wasn't a chance she'd just be left alone forever.

She jerked back to reality as Sweetie tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry Sweetie. I was just... lost in thought."

Sweetie Belle leaned closer, whispering to her. "No, it's not that. Everypony's staring at you, even worse than yesterday, and you looked weirder then. What happened?"

"Princess Celestia released that Chrysalis named me her successor," she whispered back. "Well, just that it was 'Golden Ink.' I don't know how everypony could know it was me so quickly."

"Ooohhhh..." Sweetie rolled her eyes. "That's what Rarity was freaking out about this morning. But I mean, you're the only changeling anypony knows about, so..."

Cheerilee entered the classroom, and both of them returned their attention to the front of the room.

"Good morning, class! Today we will be-" Cheerilee paused. All hooves but four were up in the air. She hesitated slightly, before calling out a name. "Rumble?"

The colt in question sat up straighter. "Um... I really don't want to be rude, but why is Princess Golden Ink here instead of in Canterlot or something?"

Dinky's eyes narrowed. Why wouldn't I stay here? I live here!

"And where is Dinky? I haven't seen her since that wedding thing."

Four sets of eyes started blinking rapidly. Dinky froze. Dammit, Celestia, what have you done? And why couldn't you have at least told me before you did it?"

Cheerilee sent a panicked glance towards her. She sighed, then nodded.

Maybe what the Princess did was the best option. Having ponies know the new changeling leader used to be a pony kinda defeats the purpose of trying to get them to accept us. Or makes them paranoid that I'm just going to "convert" them all. But seriously, couldn't she have sent me some sort of notice before doing something big like this? Mind magic like this isn't small.

"Dinky moved yesterday to live with her father in Trottingham."

At least Cheerilee knows how to tell a convincing story. So this whole thing doesn't fall apart immediately.

"As for the reason Miss Ink is here, you'll just have to ask her yourself."

Dinky groaned internally. Or maybe not. I didn't exactly think of a cover story for a scenario I never thought was secret.

As students started to get up, Cheerilee forced her voice over the chatter. "After morning class. You have plenty of time at recess."

She relaxed slightly. Thanks for the extra time, though.

Still, since when was Cheerilee this good at lying?

Since when was I a pony that knew enough about the subject to rate others on their performance?





The stares she got from the rest of the class slowly dissapated over the course of the frighteningly normal school day.  None of them seemed to be particularly hostile, either. Even from the two most recognized school bullies, Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, the worst they got was "appraising." In fact, Silver Spoon's glances were downright kind. Even a bit... sad, for some reason.

Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty about the fact that because of her, yesterday practically didn't exist for anypony but Cheerilee and the Crusaders. And maybe Twilight. In fact, it seemed that everypony who knew what her real name was were spared from whatever Celestia did to those newspapers.

But recess was almost upon her, and she still wasn't sure what to say. Why would a Princess, and a foreign one at that, go to school in one of the smallest towns in Equestria? While still a nymph.

Wait, nymph? Where did that come from?

Dinky shook her head. Oh, right. Chrysalis' information dump. Now more than ever, I wish that memories worked like libraries. It would be so much easier to look these things up than have them pop up at random moments.

She walked absentmindedly out the back door of the schoolhouse, almost running into a crowd of expectant classmates.

Dinky took a deep breath. "All right. You wanted to know the reason I'm here instead of Canterlot?" There was a general round of nodding.

She froze up, holding her too-hard head in a forehoof that was just as foreign. Facing her former classmates as a stranger.

"I never wanted any of this, okay? I don't want to lead any... anyone. I don't want to go to Canterlot, I don't want to be a Princess, or a Queen, none of that. If I could, I'd just try to be normal. Whatever normal is now. But I can't do that."

Her classmates' stares lessened, some of them looking away guiltily.

"I know it's kinda unreasonable to ask, but could you all just... ignore the Princess thing?"

There was some scattered nodding, and most of them walked awkwardly away from her to the rest of the playground.

"Silver Spoon? Come on already."

"Just a minute, DT."

Dinky blinked. She had never seen the quieter half of the Crusaders' bullying duo do anything but follow her older classmate.

"Come on." She gestured to one of the tables set outside for lunch. Dinky followed her, and sat down. She could hear her classmates back at the playground, but they were distant, muffled. Silver Spoon remained silent, just sitting next to her.

"I'm sorry, I don't really know you that well, but for what it's worth, not everypony just thinks of you what we all saw in the newspapers. And... I'm kinda guilty of wanting to meet a Princess, no matter what country she's from. But those three Crusader fillies seemed interested in you. You don't have to be alone. Not if you don't want to be."

Dinky looked up from the table, glancing at the grey filly with curiosity. She gave a slight smile. "I already know them, but... thank you, I guess. But... what brought this on?"

Silver flushed with embarrassment. "S-sorry. Daddy just taught me to... read between the lines. Sorry about your Mom. And... all the rest. After what you said out there, I just thought you might need a few friends."

Dinky suddenly became very interested in the picnic table. "Thank you. Really, it's nice to know that someone cares enough about me to make sure I have a friend." She sighed. "But I can't lie to you. I already know you."

She cringed. "...I can't just start over, can I? Who was it?"

Silver took a deep breath. "It was Dinky, wasn't it? She disappeared at the wedding. Was she an original cover? A replaced pony?"

"I wish it was that simple, Silver. Dinky was a real pony."

Silver sighed. "I know it was for survival and everything, but... it's still kinda hard to hear."

Dinky closed her eyes, clenching her teeth in an attempt to keep her mouth shut.

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"I was Dinky, okay?"

Silver Spoon stumbled back slightly in her seat. "W-what?"

Dinky kept her eyes closed, still looking down. "I almost wish you just stayed the jerk I remember. Then I wouldn't have felt so bad keeping up this image. After you came here... just to show me you cared... I can't just pretend that they were all my family. That is what Chrysalis felt, at the very end. All those dying all around her... and then finding that ponies would have helped her if she had just shed her pride to ask."

Silver's eyes trailed off in the direction of Canterlot.

"I was just an unlucky bystander. Or a lucky one. Depends on your perspective."

"Which is yours?"

"Both."

Silver looked into Dinky's eyes. "They weren't your family."

"No."

"But you made them that way."

"It was Chrysalis who-"

"No, it was you. You could have easily walked away. But you didn't."

"I-"

Silver put a hoof on her shoulder. "It gets better, Dinky. Trust me." She sighed. "But it never goes away."

Dinky opened her mouth, then closed it. "...Thank you."

Silver Spoon rose from the table. "It's almost time for lunch to start. We aren't going to get much privacy here anymore. Dinky... the thing with DT... I don't know if we can be too close, not with those Crusaders nearby. I know Diamond is a good pony, deep down. I just can't-" She sighed. "Could you just tell them I don't really mean any of what I said? I was trying to help her, but... I didn't realize how much some of it was actually affecting them until just recently."

"Silver, I-" Dinky looked into her eyes and paused. "...All right, I'll tell them."

Silver gave her a quick hug. "Thanks. Seriously."

"Just remember not to call me Dinky in public. It would make changeling acceptance useless in everypony finds out I was just a pony all along."

Silver nodded. "No, I get it. But I'd better get back to the playground before DT gets too mad." She glanced around the corner, then back at Dinky. "But, if I have just one more piece of advice for you... don't let yourself be alone too much. I know you like to study and stuff, but... don't let that keep you from your friends, either."

Dinky looked down. "Oh, um... yeah. Thanks."

Silver gave her one more concerned look, then turned the corner, leaving her at the table.

Dinky started to leave - she wasn't exactly hungry, and lunch would start soon. Cheerilee might want some company-

She sat back down again. The hard chitin felt strange against the wood. But that didn't matter much. She didn't need to study today. And Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could use her company much more than her teacher did.

Dinky looked at the corner Silver had just turned around. She smiled. Maybe on the weekend, she could be introduced properly.