Twilight was caught in a dead end, all her research did not help her with the current situation. A lot of things had transpired yesterday, things that could have gone better. She learned from her friend Applejack that Vlad had visited the castle while she was out, and as much as she wanted to slap herself for leaving her castle, she still understood that it was only by chance that Vlad had left his home to visit Ponyville. But she still blamed herself a little for not thinking her plan through. Luckily for her, and thanks to Applejack, Vlad had returned to his house.
And with great timing as well, because Minion had apparently left to buy a smoothie and returned the same time as Vlad. If he had came after Minion, then there would have been a fight between Rainbow Dash and the changeling.
Before Twilight could continue his adventure through memory lane, the doors to her library open and a tiny dragon waltzed right in with a shield in their claws. Twilight immediately rushed over to Spike and quickly relieved him of the shield before giving him a proper thanks for completing the errand she had given to him. Now inspecting the round circular shield, it depicted the same species as Vlad, a kirin. She checked her notes from her research, it had certainly fit the description of Vlad. It was said that kirins were kind and honest, which was what she thought Vlad of. His kindness was comforting, his answers to her questions were truthful, even Applejack could tell that he wasn't lying. He truly was an honest kirin. But through out their "interrogation", she couldn't help but feel as if there was something more to the kirin.
Which is why she had requested Spike to borrow the shield from the museum back at Canterlot. And her assumption was correct, with the shield in her hooves she had discovered a small detail about the kirins. From what Vlad had told her, his village located at the Peaks of Peril was inhabited by other kirins, but what he didn't tell her about were the niriks. Fearsome beasts of pure fire. And from what she could get from the small information that she had, these niriks were the polar opposite of kirins.
Both may look alike, but they were definitely different. From what Twilight could gather, the niriks were obviously some kind of subspecies of the kirins. It made a lot of sense, both had scales but only one was covered in flames, it was obvious that this species had some kind of dragon heritage. And with the knowledge she had with dragons is that niriks were obviously destructive. But the motivations were still unknown. The questions that is currently in Twilight's mind could be easily answered if she only ask Vlad, but she did not consider that option because her head was too deep in her research.
And unbeknownst to Twilight, a shadowy figure was silently spying on her.
Minion glared, oh how she glared. Who did she set her fiery stare upon you may ask? Well it was none other than Vlad. She glared at him so intense, she was sure she could set him ablaze. As for the reason, it was all because of a unicorn mare named Rarity sitting on their couch. She was invited over by Vlad and she willingly accepted the invitation, which peeved Minion off. She was especially still mad about yesterday, of how she was wrongfully accused of being wrong. Minion had enough reason for assaulting the pink one, they were attempting to trespass!
But enough of the pass, time for the present.
The changeling was currently in the kitchen preparing tea for everyone, four tea cups ready and a bowl of sugar cubes as well as a lemon. She had prepared everything while still glaring at Vlad through doorway to the living room. She listened closely on the two as they went on with their conversation. The subject did not interest her one bit at all because it was mostly about clothes. Minion fought off the urge of taking the the unicorn right now and throw her out the door before burying Vlad in the cemetery nearby. She was mad, that's for sure. But her anger was so great you could hear the kettle whistle.
"Um...excu-EEP!" The other creature in the kitchen yipped away when Minion's glare shifted over to them.
Minion had nearly forgotten about Fluttershy, she also had the same story as Rarity. Invited over for a chat and some tea. And the pegasus had the nerve as well to offer a hand to help Minion prepare the tea. Minion hated her the most, she was obviously the weakest among her friends. Frail. Fluttershy was too frail and cowardly. But the mare had some respectable aspect, such as taming the chaos lord Discord. And not only Discord, but other fearsome creatures that both Fluttershy and her friends had encountered. As well as how much she reminded Minion of Vlad, his kindness was almost comparable with this mare, if not better than Vlad.
With a silent sigh, Minion felt her anger dissipate. "Yes?"
"W-well, the kettle is done with the tea, so..." Fluttershy avoided eye contact and made sure to lower her head a little to show that she wasn't a threat. Not that she is.
"Right." She simply said before facing away from Fluttershy and turned towards the cupboard behind her.
After sorting through other kitchen based items, Minion retrieved a small bowl. And with the final piece of the puzzle she and Fluttershy have finished the tea and was ready to serve. Minion then placed the kettle on a tray with the other tea essentials as well as a lemon which was placed into the bowl and a knife before bringing it to the living room. Once she went through the door way with Fluttershy on her tail, Vlad immediately smiled.
"Ah, Minion!" He called out to her with enthusiasm. "Thank you for making everyone tea! Now where were we?"
Minion silently growled, she hated how he just gave her a simple thanks before dismissing her and went back to talking with the walking marsh mellow. But as angry as she was, he was only trying to make friends, and she was alright with that. As for Fluttershy, she immediately retreated over to the couch where Rarity and Vlad sat in when she heard Minion growled. The mare would rather not be near the changeling right now because she sensed the anger coming from Minion, which the others don't seem to notice.
After Minion had placed the tray on the table she began slicing the lemon for the tea. Once she was done she took four perfect slices fit for the tea and inserted them into each cup while the rest of the lemon were placed in the bowl. And instead of letting Minion do all the work and being a good friend he is, Vlad had decided to serve everyone tea. He and Rarity spoke with each other as he poured her and Fluttershy a cup. Once Fluttershy and Rarity received their tea, they brought it up to their lips, eager to experience and taste the tea that was generously brought to them.
"My, that is simply divine! Your changeling really does know how to brew some delicious tea." Rarity spoke and complimented after tasting the beverage. Fluttershy hummed happily, agreeing with Rarity.
What Rarity didn't know was when she said "Your changeling", Minion heard it as an insult instead of a compliment. It was as if she was just a pet for them, and Vlad was her owner. Her hoof twitched a little, the urge she had felt before had returned.
But just as she thought she hit her limit, Minion felt a hoof on her shoulder. She glanced over to find that Fluttershy had left her safety on couch to comfort Minion after overcoming her fear. If it was anyone that wasn't weak, Minion would've snap at them. But since she was sure Fluttershy couldn't stand a chance, Minion simply held back. She realized that she needed to hold back her temper or else she would get in trouble.
"Oh Minion is actually good with a lot of things. Not only is she talented in the art of acting, but she's a great cook as well!" When Vlad mentioned the changeling's skills, Minion couldn't help but feel pride.
Rarity faced Minion with intrigue. "Then I simply must try a dish!"
Fluttershy who was still next to Minion nodded. "I also want to try."
"Sorry, but I'm not feeling it." And much to Rarity's disappointment, Minion had decided not to cook for them today.
"Well alright then, we'll schedule it for tomorrow lunch. How about it Minion?" Vlad asked the changeling who was just drinking her tea.
With an irritated groan she agrees. "Fine. But only you three!"
"Yay!" Fluttershy cheered.
"Oh let me tell you something, Minion's lasagna is the best I have ever had!" This earned Vlad an enthusiastic "Ooh!" from the two mares. "I highly recommend it, trust me, you will not ever regret trying Minion's pasta. And I promise you that her chocolate dream cake truly is a 'dream'."
"Oh please, say no more!" Rarity dramatically pleaded. "I don't think I can take your teasing any longer, now I'm even more eager for tomorrow!"
"Me too, I'm just as excited as Rarity!" Fluttershy had a bright friendly smile on her face.
Minion barely showed any emotion, but in truth she was actually happy that they wanted to try her cooking. She liked the feeling of being appreciated, it always made her feel special inside whenever anyone gives her any sort of praise. Especially when they show her how much they love their meals, overflowing with emotion. Overflowing with love.
But sadly she does not actually want to give these two mares her cooking at all, and if it weren't for Vlad, she would've refused. No wait. Minion would actually cook for Fluttershy, she liked her better than the white one. She could just think of a way to get rid of Rarity somehow. And before she could even think of an idea, she had caught something in the corner of her eye. Fluttershy who was next to Minion had noticed the changeling's sudden shift. Her eyes followed hers and found them facing the same window that Minion was staring out of. Fluttershy didn't know why, but it seems that Minion became focused on the pair of squirrels that were lovingly cuddling each other as they sat on the windowsill.
"Oh wait!" Vlad startled everyone as he shot out of the couch and onto his hooves. "Fluttershy, could you help me with something?"
"Oh my, what's wrong?" Fluttershy was concerned.
"I just remembered that there's a bear in my shed and it's not leaving. I have been meaning to ask you for help."
Before Fluttershy could speak for herself, Rarity had chosen to do it for her. "Of course, she would love to help you Vlad! Well darling? Go on now, help Vlad with the bear problem so we can resume our conversation."
"O-okay..." Fluttershy only whispered before nodding to Vlad.
Vlad motioned a hoof for her to follow and led her to the front door. He opened the door and allowed Fluttershy to leave first before himself. But just as he was about to step outside, he gave Minion one last nod. Minion had chose to ignore it.
And now the two were alone. Rarity would've simply enjoyed her tea in peace, but she couldn't help but feel a little disturbed of how Minion was staring at her intently. It was then that realization hits the mare as she understood that she was alone with a changeling. One with an intimidating scar mind you. Especially when that changeling was just blank watching you. A shiver ran down her spine as time passed, and Rarity does not notice that the teacup in her magic was slightly shaking.
Rarity didn't really want to feel this way towards Minion, but her previous experience with changelings had taught her that they were the enemies of Equestria. Which is what Twilight is also trying to say. Especially when when both Vlad and Minion were still an enigma to all.
The unicorn then mentally scolded herself. From her experience with the two creatures, especially Vlad, she had learned a lot about them. Vlad was kind and she could not see any evil in his eyes, while Minion is still in debate. That's it, that's all she knows... Though Rarity is still quite interested to try her cooking...
"You know," Rarity nearly spat out her tea she was drinking once Minion began speaking. Her cheeks bulged with the lemon tea and she had to swallow it down with a slight blush. "I heard a lot about you Rarity. How talented you are with fashion, it reminds me of... a friend..."
This piqued Rarity's curiosity. "Well, they must be an interesting creature."
"Well he's a unicorn like you, a bit boring to talk to though. Like a brick wall. But he had a good sense of fashion like you, his ideas are more on efficiency though, but he is still creative."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he's the one who gave me this pair of shades to go with my scarf." Now that Rarity sees it, the shades did help the scarf to make her stand out more. "There was this pair of green boots to go with everything though, but I didn't like it. Vlad did, but I didn't."
"Well I would like to meet him someday, we would definitely get along." Rarity began feeling calmer than before, she mentally thanked Minion for starting the conversation. "Is he... If I may, what does he look like?"
And with a burst of green fire, Minion was replaced by a gray stallion with a short blond mane. Rarity gasped and blushed upon laying her eyes on the changeling in disguised. He was fairly handsome and very tall. And when his deep blue eyes made contact with hers, she felt her heart rate rising. The beats were faster and louder than before, so loud that Rarity thought her ears were right next to it.
"Even though-" Rarity held a hoof over her chest once he began speaking, his voice was deep and calm, there was something about his voice that made Rarity everything but the sound of his voice. "-he doesn't really talk much and is boring to talk to, he still brings up very interesting subjects..."
"W-which is?"
"Tell me Rarity, do you believe in true love?"
The mare swallowed a lump in he throat. "Y-yes."
"Well, I believe as well, love is an amazing concept. And don't we all want it? Do you want it?"
"Yes."
"I want it as well, but I do not know where to begin to find love..."
"T-there are plenty of places where you could find love, anywhere! Even h-here."
He smirked and placed a hoof under her chin and gently lifted her head up just to lock both their eyes at each other. "Then tell me Rarity, will you help me look for it?"
"Yes!" Rarity felt light headed, her heart kept beating even faster. She couldn't even keep herself up on her hooves as they buckled, threatening to collapse under her. Her breath became hitched as he leaned towards her. A siren was screaming in her head as he inched even closer. Rarity could not move nor could she find the strength to do so.
And only then she realized what was happening. But it was already too late, and the evidence to that was the green hue in her eyes, she had already fallen for Minion's spell. And just as he was an inch away from her, she fell off the couch and onto the floor. Slowly losing conscious as the shadows slowly crept towards her.
"Listen," Rarity used what's left of her strength to glare at Minion who returned to her changeling form. No words could be made as she drifted closer and closer to sleep. "I have nothing against you or something, but this is just part of the plan."
A wide grin found itself on Minion's face as she watched the mare lose what remaining strength she had.
"Sleep tight."
"You know, the bear was actually really nice!" Vlad said as he and Fluttershy returned, only five minutes had passed since they both left.
"He was, though I am so sorry that we had to give away your shovel." Fluttershy spoke with a small hint of guilt for what had transpired. "If you ever need a shovel, you could just ask me."
"No need! Minion is quite the digger, she actually have a tunnel starting from here and ending at the cemetery."
She tilted her head slightly to the left. "What does she need with the tunnel?"
"It's how she gets around, she also said it made her feel at home when she goes through the tunnels she created."
"You know I'm here right?" Both Fluttershy and Vlad stopped their chatter and shifted their attention to Minion.
The changeling was just finishing her tea on the couch with Rarity by her side, the unicorn seems to be far more cheerful than before.
"Well I'm glad to see that your bear problem is over, Vlad." Rarity before she adopted a pout on her face. "But how come you have not mention your unicorn friend to me? He and I have a common interest yet you choose not to speak of him?"
After letting her words set in, Vlad finally understood what she meant. "Ah, so Minion told you about Stoic. Yeah, he's a great guy, kinda quiet though. But the thing is, it's been a month since we kinda talked. But I can totally introduce him to you, if you want."
"That would be great darling." A yawn escaped itself from Rarity's lips and into her hoof. "My, I must be tired from this tea. Fluttershy dear, we should leave now."
Fluttershy lowered her head upon hearing Rarity. "Right now? But we've just-"
The pegasus tried to reason, but Rarity was already at the door. "Sorry dear, but I need my beauty sleep." Fluttershy silently followed her friend, not really eager to leave just yet. "Good bye Vlad, Minion. Have a great morning!"
"Oh, guess we'll see you tomorrow then. Take care!" Vlad waved his hoof good bye.
Right before she went through the door, Rarity silently glanced at Minion to which earned her a devilish grin from the changeling, this didn't go unnoticed by Fluttershy. She had noticed that there was something different in Rarity's eyes and the pegasus could only wonder what. And just as she was out the door, Fluttershy saw Minion's empty stare as the door closes. A shiver ran down her spine as the changeling's eyes lingered in Fluttershy's mind.
"Is something wrong Fluttershy?"
Her deep thought was broken when Rarity spoke. "Oh, it's nothing... So what did you think of Minion?"
"She's interesting, a bit vulgar when provoked. But she seems to be a fine drone..."
"I see..." With that, none of the mares spoke through out their journey back to town. Not a single word was said and Fluttershy was left feeling awkward as she trotted.
Something was absolutely strange about Rarity. And yet Fluttershy could not tell what. Only in the future could she find the answer. And hopefully Fluttershy was simply mistaken.