Chapter 36
“Pin.”
I paused in my writing and looked up at Barrel.
“Thanks,” he said and patted my back with a hoof.
Confused, I looked down at the page and then back up at him. “I’m just working on my next supply order.”
“For letting us turn your workroom into a corral for everypony.” Barrel nodded to where Berry, Filter, and Silent were playing a board game with the colts and Noi. He then gestured toward Amethyst, who was talking with Dinky and Pinch about something they were working on with Dinky’s detector. “Berry and Amethyst are herding pretty bad.”
I put my quill back in its ink-pot. “Muffins is right there with them.”
Barrel gave me a look. “They’re not the only ones herding.”
“I noticed that too,” I said, acting as if I did not notice his insinuation. “Is it just me, or is even Dinky showing signs of herding?” Barrel asked.
I nodded. “With a focus towards the newcomer of the group,” I whispered
“You’re seeing the same thing I am, then.” Barrell grunted. “I wonder what Turner will think about that.”
“If his reaction to Dinky hugging Cubitus last night is any indication, I think he’ll be open to the possibility. Speaking of Turner, I’m surprised we haven’t seen him today.”
“He’s working with Mayor Mare and the changelings who are still here on something. I have no clue what they are up to.”
“With Turner there’s no telling.” I watched the others for a couple of moments and smiled.
“Yeah, you’re not herding at all,” Barrel kidded.
“I’m herding. I won’t deny it. I’m glad we’re all here or I would worry about everypony. It’s been fun having everypony around too.”
There was a knock on the workroom’s back door.
“I got it,” Barrel said and moved to open the door.
“Mail service,” Muffins said, after Barrel opened the door.
“You ended up having a full day,” Amethyst said.
“Yep!” Muffins said. “Lot’s of ponies were sending out letters.” Muffins stepped in and offered me several envelopes. “Here’s your mail.”
“Thank you,” I said and took the letters from her.
“Any news?” Berry asked.
Muffins shook her head. “Nothing I know of, but there have been Guard messengers running all around town this afternoon so something’s going on.”
“There is, which is why I’m here,” Turner said from the doorway. He stepped inside and kissed Muffin’s forehead. “How are you my delectable muffin?”
“I’m fine,” Muffins said, blushing.
“Dad, we’re glad to see you too, but focus,” Amethyst said, as she and Dinky trotted over to Turner and gave him a hug. “The news, please.”
“Oh, yes!” Turner’s ears fell in a bashful display. “Sorry. Your mother is too lovely a distraction to ignore.” His ears snapped back up as he announced to the room, with a bright smile, “The Elements and the princesses are free!”
“Thank the Sisters,” Filter said and slumped in relief.
“Was there any fighting?” Silent asked.
“The Mayor’s office received mixed reports,” Turner said. “There seems to have been some kind of a scuffle or large scale magical event, but nopony or changeling was badly injured in whatever occurred.”
Rumble bumped shoulders with Cubitus. “That’s a load off isn’t it?”
Cubitus nodded and grinned. “Yep!”
“There was some bad news too,” Turner said. “The Princesses asked the Mayor’s office to prepare for refugees from the Hive to be brought here. There was some major structural damage to the Hive itself and large sections of it are now unlivable.”
“It was unlivable the way it was,” Kevin said.
“What about the Queen?” Cubitus asked, after giving Kevin a glance.
Turner shook his head. “No word. The reports were concise and didn’t mention her.”
“That’s standard operating procedure when we think...” Filter paused and cut his eyes toward the pair of changelings in the room.
“Sneaky changelings are involved,” Kevin joked.
Filter grinned. “Something like that.”
“The Hive is over,” Cubitus said, as if a realization was hitting him. “If the Elements and the princesses are free, somebuggy must have driven off the Queen. Even if it gets rebuilt, it won’t be the same.” Cubitus shook Kevin’s shoulder with a hoof. “We can go home!”
Kevin looked toward the floor, his ears tucked back.
“Kevin?” Pinch looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not going back,” Kevin stated. “That’s not home for me anymore. Even if my parents show up, I’m not going back with them. They wanted me gone, I’ll stay gone.”
“Kevin,” Pinch said and hugged him.
Kevin hugged Pinch back as if needing her comfort.
“What if Mom and Dad take you in?” Cubitus asked.
“They would, wouldn’t they?” Kevin said.
“They would,” Cubitus said.
Kevin thought for a moment, before replying, “Nothing against you and your folks, Cubi, but no thanks. If there’s any way for me to stay in Ponyville, I won’t give up my life here.”
“I understand. Radius was right; you and Thorax would have been happier if you had been hatched as ponies instead of changelings.” Cubitus asked Turner, “How much of the Hive took damage?”
“I don’t know. I know that Ponyville was not the only town asked to get ready to take changelings in, though.”
“It must have been bad,” I said.
“Let’s not put the cart before the pony, with any of this,” Barrel said. “We don’t know enough specifics to worry about, and there’s more than enough good news so we don’t have to worry as much any more.”
“Too bad Sugar Cube Corner isn’t open,” Berry said. “We could go get us a treat to celebrate.”
“It’s open,” Turner said with a grin. “The changeling that took Pinkie’s place and the Cakes opened up Sugar Cube Corner so if anypony needed a treat they could come in. There are several stores that went ahead and opened up too. There are even a few of the market stalls open.”
“Was the changeling who took Pinkie’s place at the meeting?” Dinky asked.
Turner nodded. “She was. Her name’s Coxa.”
“So there are girl changelings,” Rumble said, feigning surprise.
Kevin snorted. “Ha, ha.”
“They might outnumber us by a little bit, but there’s about as many girl changelings as there are boys,” Cubitus said.
Kevin looked as if something was bothering him. “I didn’t think about it yesterday, but they sent out the ‘softies’ for the dangerous roles didn’t they?”
Cubitus nodded. “The softies and anybuggy who was friendly towards Thorax.”
Kevin huffed out a frustrated breath. “Figures. That explains why Coxa and you are here.”
Cubitus grinned in a challenging way. “You calling me soft?”
“No, I’m calling you a friend of a known traitor to the hive,” Kevin lobbed back, grinning.
“I’ve been called worse,” Cubitus said and shrugged.
“They can send us all the softies and traitors they want,” Dinky said to Cubitus. “We’ll keep you.”
Noi, Piña, and Pinch exchanged glances and grins.
“Do you want to go see her?” Berry asked Kevin, after showing a hint of a smile at the girl’s silent communication with each other.
Kevin nodded. “I didn’t get to talk to her much yesterday.”
“I think we can get a couple of guards to escort us,” Berry said and looked at Filter and Silent.
“I’d like to tag along too,” I said. “I’d like to check in on the Cakes and the twins, I haven’t swung by to see them in a while.”
Amethyst gave me a knowing look. “And grab something minty while you’re there?”
I pinned my ears back and grinned with feigned guilt. “That’s not outside the realm of possibility.”
“It won’t be Coco, but I’m sure he’ll find something to nibble on,” Berry said.
Barrel laughed as I blushed.
*****
“Hello everypony!” Missus Cake greeted, as we walked into Sugar Cube Corner. “Please, take a seat and we’ll be right with you.”
While everypony else found their seats, I approached the store’s counter and Missus Cake. “Hello, Swirl. How are you doing?”
“Just dandy.” Missus Cake smiled and added, “Relieved too, since we got the good news about the Elements and the Princesses.”
“How are the little ones?”
“They’re still a bit confused about Pinkie not being Pinkie, but they’ve calmed down. Carrot’s taking care of them right now or I’d go get him.”
“Miss Cake, the macarons are ready,” an unfamiliar voice called from the back of the shop. A second later, somepony who looked like Pinkie Pie, but who had tied her mane back with a blue bow, stepped into view in the kitchen’s doorway. The mare glanced at me and the seated ponies behind me. “Great! More customers!” She trotted over to the side counter and picked up a writing pad and pencil. “I’ll take their orders, Missus Cake.”
“Thank you, dearie,” Missus Cake said to the lookalike.
“What would you like?” the Pinkie Pie appearing changeling asked me.
It took me a second to work through the cognitive dissonance of seeing a friend of mine but not hearing the right voice come from her. “A brownie with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice crème, please.”
“Good timing,” she said with a smile. “We just made a fresh batch of brownies.”
“You can put my order at the back of the line. Please take care of them first,” I said.
The Pinkie Pie lookalike raised an eyebrow. “You sure? You were first.”
“Only by happenstance.”
“Since you’re being so sweet, I’ll make sure you get a big scoop of mint chocolate chip with that brownie.” She gave me a smile and then walked around the counter towards the others. “Cubi! Kevin!” she greeted. “What are you doing here?!”
“It's an uncanny feeling, isn’t it?” Missus Cake asked me in a soft voice.
“It is,” I admitted. “She looks like Pinkie, but her mannerisms and voice don’t match what I’m expecting.”
“She’s a sweetie, though,” Missus Cake said and smiled. “I’m glad she convinced us to open the shop today. We’ve had more ponies coming in than we thought we would, and they seemed to need the normalcy.”
“She didn’t want to change from being Pinkie?” I asked.
“When she tried the twins had a fit until she changed back,” Missus Cake said. “I think they know she’s not Pinkie, but they want Coxa to look like her.”
The sound of an unhappy small filly came from the kitchen.
Carrot stepped into the storefront, bouncing Pumpkin in his foreleg as Pound rode on his back. “You can stop fussing now, Pumpkin. There’s Momma. See?”
Pumpkin calmed down a bit at the sight of Missus Cake, but reached out to her mother with her forelegs as if needing attention.
Missus Cake took Pumpkin from Carrot and cooed. “There’s my little girl. What’s wrong?”
Pumpkin buried her face against Missus Cake’s chest and clung to her.
Missus Cake kissed the top of Pumpkin’s head. “You needed some mommy time, didn’t you?”
“I think so,” Carrot said. He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. “Pin! How are you doing?”
“I’m doing just fine,” I told him.
Carrot glanced behind me and his eyes widened. “We’ve got an entire herd in here!” He looked at me and then turned his head and nodded toward Pound. “Could you take him for a few minutes? It looks like Coxa could use some help.”
“I’d be glad to.” Using my magic, I floated Pound from Carrot’s back, took him in my forelegs, and held him. “Hello little guy,” I said to Pound. “How have you been?”
Pound giggled and put a hoof to my nose.
“Muffins told me you’ve had all kinds of visitors over,” Missus Cake said.
“I have,” I said, not looking away from Pound. “It’s been interesting.”
“How is the new guest doing?”
“He’s fitting right in.” I moved my head, and Pound kept his hoof on my nose. I grinned, moved my nose again, and Pound kept his hoof on the end of my nose and laughed.
Small hoofsteps approached the counter from behind me.
“Hello, Missus Cake,” Piña greeted.
“Hello dearie. How are you holding up with all this excitement?”
“I’m great,” Piña said.
Pumpkin raised her head from Missus Cake’s chest.
Missus Cake smiled down at Pumpkin. “Yes, your friend Piña is here. Would you like to see her? I’m sure she’d like to see you.”
Piña held her forelegs out toward Pumpkin. “Can I hold you, please?”
Pumpkin reached toward Piña and giggled.
“Hold on just a moment, my little girl.” Missus Cake transferred Pumpkin to Piña. “There you go.”
Piña nuzzled Pumpkin and smiled. “Hello Pumpkin. Have you been behaving for your mom?” Piña looked up to Missus Cake and asked, “Can we have her?”
“I would like her back at some point,” Missus Cake teased.
“I’ll bring her back,” Piña said with a smile. She turned and headed towards the table, carrying Pumpkin with care.
I chuckled and looked back down at Pound. “I think your sister just got foalnapped.”
“How are Satin, Rain, and Stormbreaker doing?” Missus Cake asked.
“They’re doing great,” I said. “I went up and saw them a couple of weekends ago. I had a hard time getting Rain away from Mom and Dad to visit with him a bit.”
“Have you heard from Coco?”
“We’ve been writing back and forth. She’s busy, but she sounds good.” I smiled as Pound got hold of my nose with both his hooves. “I can’t wait for her to get back.”
Missus Cake studied me for a moment.
“What is it?”
“I was just imagining you with your own bundle of joy to take care of,” Missus Cake said and smiled. She leaned closer to me and whispered, “Carrot and I get to bake the cake, right?”
I blushed. “If things turn out the right way, sure.”
“Uncle Pin,” Pinch called. “If you don’t let Mom hold Pound she’s going to have a fit.”
Missus Cake laughed. “Take Pound to Berry before she tackles you.”
“We better hustle,” I told Pound. “Auntie Berry can be scary when she’s herding and you have a foal she wants to snuggle.”
“I heard that!” Berry said.
I carried Pound to Berry and passed him to her. “Here you go.”
“Thank you,” Berry said and cuddled Pound. “Hello cutie. How have you been?”
“We’ve lost Mom and Piña,” Pinch said and shook her head.
“They’re happy, though,” Barrel said.
“We’ll be right back with your orders,” Coxa said to everypony.
“You stay and visit with them,” Carrot told her. “Missus Cake and I will get everything ready.”
“But I need to help,” Coxa said. “I have to earn my keep.”
“Without you, we wouldn’t have had any customers today so you have already done more than enough. We’ll take care of the rest.” Carrot held out his hoof. “May I have the orders, please?”
Coxa nodded and gave the pad and pencil to Carrot. “Yes, sir,” she said and seemed to shrink in on herself.
“I wasn’t trying to scold you or anything like that,” Carrot said in an apologetic tone. “I thought you would like to visit with Cubitus and Kevin.”
“Dinks, hug needed!” Noi said.
“Hug needed?” Coxa asked, her ears askew.
Dinky approached Coxa. “Can I hug you?”
“I will never say no to a hug, but won’t your pare-” Coxa stopped, smiled, and returned Dinky’s hug. “Thank you. I needed that.” She looked at Carrot and told him, “I know what you meant, but I’m so worried about messing things up I overreacted.”
“I was the same way, when I first got taken in,” Kevin said. “I’d gotten tossed out of one home, I didn’t want to want to get tossed out of another, but that’s not what ponies do.”
“Nope!” Noi said.
Barrel chuckled. “If they haven’t thrown me out of Ponyville for some of the stuff I’ve pulled, you’re safe.”
“Take care of her for us for a little bit, please,” Carrot said and patted Dinky’s shoulder. “She needs some T.L.C.,” he said to us all, before turning and heading toward the kitchen.
“We’ve got her,” Muffins assured.
“What do you think of the news?” Cubitus asked Coxa.
“I still can’t believe it.” She smiled, but it seemed haunted by unspoken concerns. “We might have a chance now.”
“You have more than a chance,” Turner said. “We’ll help you get back on your hooves in no time.”
“That’s very kind, but there’s so much that’s going to be fixed, though.” Coxa held Dinky closer as if needing more comfort. “I’m not sure where we’re going to begin. I don’t want to see anypony pulled down with us, if we can’t right ourselves and stay afloat.”
“Changing is part of who you are,” Piña said. “You’ll make it.”
“We’ve faced other catastrophes and came out all right,” Cubitus said.
“True, but we had leadership then,” Coxa said.
“Bad leadership got us into most of those horrible spots to begin with,” Kevin said.
Coxa stroked Dinky’s back as if she were a cat. “I can’t argue that.” She sighed. “We’re going to need guidance on how to pull ourselves back together. We’re going to be starting over as a society, with the Hive and the Queen gone.”
“The ponies will help us,” Cubitus said. “They’re nothing like what the Queen said.”
Coxa smiled and looked down at Dinky. “They’re not, but there are a lot of changelings who will not accept the idea of getting help from ponies. I have a feeling some of them will even try to force us to stick to the old ways.”
“If enough changelings come to Equestria and experience how things could be, the traditionalists may not have as much influence as you think,” I said.
“One can hope,” Coxa said. “But with everything being alien to those of the hive that did not get infiltration training and take part in gathering intelligence or love, it’s going to be easy for the followers of the old ways to sway changelings to doing things the way we have been.”
“We also have to face the fact that some ponies won’t be too happy about dozens of changelings coming into town either,” Barrel said. “If they pick up on that feeling, it could cause trouble.”
Noi looked as if an idea had struck her. She turned to Silent and asked, “You two are working on a project that gets the Royal and Lunar Guards working together, right?”
“We were,” Silent said. “We’re all but finished up with all the publications that were planned now.”
“Could you do a project like that for changelings and ponies to better understand each other?” she asked.
Silent paused for a second and then nodded. “We could, but I don’t know how we’re going to get the go ahead for that kind of project to make it official, though.” Filter glanced over to Silent. “What do you think?”
Filter seemed to lose himself in thought.
The three changelings watched Filter with their ears held high at attention.
“He’s thinking it over pretty hard,” Cubitus said to Kevin.
“Princess Twilight,” Filter named and nodded to himself. “She’d be open to establishing a project to help changelings and ponies become better friends.”
“She’s not here, though, and the changelings will be here soon,” Noi said.
Who could give us permission for a quicker smaller project here in Ponyville?” Filter asked. “We could use it as a proof of concept for petitioning Twilight’s help too.”
“Mayor Mare, would be who I would go to, since she will be in the middle of the efforts to get the changelings settled,” I told him.
“Does Ponyville have a newspaper?” Filter asked.
“The Foal Free Press is as close as we get.”
“It’s a newspaper run by the students,” Amethyst said.
Filter slapped a hoof to his forehead. “I should have remembered that! That’s the paper that had the article about Princess Celestia and her cake habit in it. That piece caused a stir with the Guard because somepony got that photo of her eating without being seen.”
Noi’s eyes lit up. She asked Amethyst, “Do you think Cheerilee would let our class help?”
“I’m sure she would see it as an educational opportunity for any of the students who would volunteer to help,” Amethyst assured.
Silent grinned. “Sounds like we have a plan, but we’re going to need some insight into changelings and insights about what they think about their interactions with ponies.”
“We can do that,” Kevin said, as he and Cubitus raised their hooves.
“Count me in too, if you would like,” Coxa said.
“Later this afternoon, I need to report to Mayor Mare on something I’ve been working on,” Turner said. “I could take a couple of ponies with me to pitch the idea.”
“I nominate Noi to be one of the two spokesponies,” Berry said. “All in favor?”
Everypony raised a hoof, and Noi looked surprised.
“Me?!” Noi said.
“It’s your idea,” Piña said.
“This would give you a chance to talk to Mayor Mare too,” Pinch pointed out.
“I nominate Filter to be the second representative,” I said. “He’s met Cheerilee and-”
“All in favor?” Amethyst asked, cutting me off.
Everypony voted in the affirmative.
“Good,” Amethyst said and got to her hooves. “I’ll go get Cheerilee. She’ll want to be in on the planning.”
“Somepony’s enthusiastic,” Turner said.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea, and Cheerilee is going to love it.” Amethyst grinned. “Getting this sort of thing organized, set up, and going is what I live for too.”
*****
“Will these work?” I asked, as I floated the blankets to Kevin in my magic.
“They’re perfect! Thank you.” Kevin took the blankets and arranged one on the floor in the room's corner and against one of the work cabinets. “You want the first layer flat so it’s a firm base,” he explained to Piña.
Piña watched with rapt attention, as Kevin and Cubitus showed her the art of making a challenging nest. Pinch stood off to the side, taking notes as the nest took shape layer by blanket layer.
“I yawned,” Rumble said. “That’s all I did. I’m not a foal. I don’t need a nap.”
“I don’t think she’s listening,” Dinky said.
“I am,” Piña said. “Dinky’s mom said it looks like you need a nap, so you need a nap.”
“We also need to see how the nests are constructed for comparison sake against those created by ponies,” Pinch said.
“Only pegasi make cloud nests, and they’re totally different,” Rumble groused.
“My grandfather made a cloud chair that serves as a nest,” I pointed out. “My sister has made one too.”
“We Earth Ponies make nests too,” Berry pointed out. “They’re usually chairs with woven frames and plant fiber stuffed cushions, but they’re close enough.”
Rumble looked to Barrel. “I’m not going to win this one am I?”
Barrel grinned. “Nope. The best you can do is keep your ‘training partners’ happy by nesting with them without fussing too much.”
A knock on the shop’s back door drew my attention.
“I’ve got it,” Silent said. He opened the back door and greeted somepony, “That was a quick meeting.” He let Amethyst, Cheerilee, Noi, Filter, and Turner into the workroom.
“How did it go?” Piña asked.
“Not quite the way we hoped, but good!” Noi said. “Mayor Mare thinks it’s a great idea to have some kind of publication to get everycreature ready for living with each other. The only thing is that the changelings will come in the day after tomorrow so we don’t have enough time to get things done before they get here.”
“We will just have to adjust the focus of the writing a bit and aim to have it out a day or two after they get here and settled in, but the project is good to go,” Cheerilee said. “Mayor Mare likes the idea of us doing a special edition of the Foal Free Press with helpful information for changelings and ponies, so that’s what we’ll aim to do.”
“There is one pony Mayor Mare requested we include on the team,” Noi said. “Miss June Bug.”
Kevin paused in his work on the nest. “That’s going to be… interesting.”
“What’s wrong with June Bug?” I asked.
“Nothing!” Kevin said a little too fast.
“June Bug’s a sweetheart,” Muffins said. “What’s got you worried about her?”
Dinky giggled. “She thinks Kevin is ‘cute as a bug.’ She stops us to ask how he's doing about every time she sees us. If we have Kevin with us, she always checks on him.”
Cubitus seemed confused. “Cute as a bug?” He looked to Kevin. “We’re cute to ponies?”
“To some ponies more than others,” Piña said and gave Pinch a teasing grin.
“June Bug is an entomologist,” I said, fighting to not smile at the less than amused look Pinch gave Piña. “She has bug decorations all over her house.”
Cubitus’ ears pinned back in concern. “Not bug bug decorations, right?”
“No, she doesn’t collect bugs like that,” Berry assured him. “She likes her bugs alive and helpful. She’s used ladybugs and soldier beetles to help Golden Grape’s and our vineyards with aphid infestations more than once.”
“I’ll be as helpful as I can be, just to be sure,” Cubitus said, which got a giggle out of Noi and Piña.
“How did June Bug’s name get in the mix?” Barrel asked.
“According to Mayor Mare, June Bug volunteered, with grand enthusiasm, to help ‘make the changelings feel right at home’ in Ponyville, this morning,” Turner said.
Kevin patted the nest’s edge as if testing it. “Done,” he declared. “This should be big enough for three or four foals to get into.”
“Rumble’s in the middle,” Piña said. “Noi, pick your side.”
“What’s going on?” Noi asked.
“I’m taking a nap,” Rumble said as if resigned to his fate. He stepped into the nest and lay down.
“If you’re the middle, Rumble, to start off, your head goes here and fold your legs under you,” Kevin said, as he talked Rumble into taking the proper position. “Noi, Pinch, settle in beside him now. There you go. Now...” Kevin chuckled, as Noi and Piña snuggled against Rumble. Noi rested her head behind Rumble’s shoulder blades, and Piña put her head down, leaning it against Rumble’s, without prompting.
Pinch smiled as she took notes. “It would seem that beyond helping with warmth that nesting helps bonding between ponies.”
“What few bonds changeling have are with their nesting group,” Kevin said. “It makes sense it works the same with ponies too.”
“Changelings are ponies,” Pinch said as if reminding him.
“I hope we are,” Kevin said, his ears folded back. “But we haven’t been able to prove changelings are real ponies, though, even with Twilight’s help.”
Pinch paused in her writing and hugged Kevin. “You’re ponies in the ways that count.”
Dinky’s detector, which they had reassembled and brought down with them, chimed.
Cubitus dropped his head in a display of shame and held up a hoof. “Old habits are hard to break,” he said as Dinky giggled.
A light knock came on the workroom’s back door.
“I’ve got it,” Barrel said. As soon as he opened the door, his ears snapped up. “Hello again.”
“Hello,” Coxa said, sounding very timid. “May I come in?”
“Of course you can,” I said, as Barrel moved and let her into the workroom.
Coxa halted in mid step and stared at Pinch and Kevin. “She loves him,” she said as if not believing what she was sensing.
The chiming from the detector grew louder.
“The adjustments we made seem to work,” Pinch said to Dinky.
Coxa gave Cubitus and Kevin a curious look.
“It would take too long to explain right now,” Cubitus said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m worried about what’s going on back home,” Coxa said. She asked Turner, “Did they mention anything about any of the other changelings that were caught during the meeting this afternoon?”
“You mean from Canterlot or the Empire?”
Coxa nodded.
Turner shook his head. “Nothing specific, beyond they are still under observation.”
“Did they give any more details on which sections of the hive took damage?” Coxa asked, her voice sounding more desperate.
“They didn’t,” Cheerilee said.
Coxa closed her eyes and appeared to fight to keep control of her emotions. “No news is better than bad news, I guess.” Her ears pinned back and she acted very self-conscious. She glanced toward the door. “I better get going. I’m sorry for disturbing you, but Mister Cake said you would tell me if you had heard anything.”
“What’s wrong?” Muffins asked. “Something’s bothering you.”
“It’s okay, I’ll just have to wait to find out about-”
“Coxa,” Kevin said in a kind way. “Tell them what’s wrong. They can help.”
“No, they can’t,” Coxa said, as she sniffed back tears.
Pinch turned to Dinky. “Dinks hu-”
Kevin snorted as Muffin’s hugged Coxa. “Never mind, your mom beat you to it.”
Seeing Pinkie Pie's face crying stung me in a way I was not braced for. If I was down, Pinkie Pie was somepony I could go to knowing she was going to give me a boost. I realized Pinkie Pie was not actually there, but seeing ‘her’ suffering along with knowing the pony who had borrowed her appearance was distressed dug at me.
“We can’t try to help you if you don’t tell us what is wrong,” Dinky said.
“I had...” Coxa paused and seemed to chide herself. “I have an egg in the nursery at the Hive.”
Piña and Kevin gasped. “You’re a mom?!” Piña asked.
Coxa nodded. “It’s our first.”
“You and Spiracle’s?” Kevin asked in an incredulous tone.
Coxa smiled at Kevin. “Yes, Spiracle and I are paired now. We announced it not too long after you… left the Hive.”
Kevin’s ears perked. He turned to Cubitus and asked, “Spiracle was on another team wasn’t he?”
Cubitus nodded. “He was on the Empire’s replacement team. I didn’t want to say anything because things weren’t over and I didn’t know if he...”
“Got it,” Kevin said. “What was his assignment on the team?”
“He was going to be Shining Armor’s replacement,” Coxa said.
“Wow,” Dinky said. “That would be hard to do.”
“It was going to be.” Coxa smiled with pride. “He could have done it, though.”
“If the nursery was damaged I’m sure we would have been told about it or there would have been an emergency request for help,” Turner said. “Where was the nursery compared to the living areas?”
“Deeper in and lower down in the Hive,” Coxa said. “That thought is the only thing that’s keeping me together.”
Barrel said in a harsh tone, “Your queen’s a genuine piece of work if she sent out a husband and wife on a mission knowing they had a little one back home.”
“She isn’t our queen anymore,” Coxa said with undisguised satisfaction.
“Seems we have another ‘friend of a traitor’ with us,” I joked.
“She and Thorax were friendly, but Coxa belongs in the softie category,” Cubitus said. “Spiracle was a friend of a traitor. He agreed with pretty much everything Thorax said about us needing to reach out to ponies for help. He and Radius are good friends too, so his reputation in the Hive was not great.”
Kevin and Cubitus both turned towards Piña as if picking up something from her.
“We have to get you back to your foal,” Piña said. She stood up. “Did you tell the Guard or Mayor Mare about your egg? She’ll let us get you back to the Hive.”
“Whoa, Piña,” Filter said. “Nopony can go anywhere right now, with the travel restrictions in place.”
“But this is different!” Piña insisted. “She has to get home to her foal!”
“Nymph,” Kevin corrected, with a slight grin.
“Doesn’t matter,” Piña said.
Coxa put on a smile. “You’re a kind soul, but what has happened to my egg has happened. I don’t want anypony getting into trouble when there’s nothing that can be done.” Worry showed in her eyes and her smile faltered. “If my egg is gone, then it’s gone. And if my mate is-” She stopped and closed her eyes as if the combined thoughts were too much.
Muffins wrapped her wings around Coxa and snuggled her closer. “Don’t think like that. Until you find out otherwise, tell yourself your little one and your husband are fine or you’re going to drive yourself crazy.”
“The Guard, no matter what branch, does not harm prisoners, so you don’t have to worry about your husband,” Filter said with conviction.
“If he fought to give the others a chance to escape-” Coxa began.
“He would have faced an entire division within the castle and an army outside of it,” Silent said. “I know the Crystal Guards. He would not have had a chance, and, unless he did something very rash, they would have taken every measure to capture him. The Princess of Love would not be pleased, if her guard did not show restraint towards an outnumbered and overwhelmed foe.”
“They aren’t our enemies, though,” I said, voicing my thought aloud without intending to.
“Until told otherwise, any guard would treat an unknown changeling in a palace or military installation as a threat,” Filter said.
“My brother didn’t follow his orders,” Cubitus said to Coxa. “Thorax left the Hive, to get away from what’s been happening. If anybuggy else would have decided not to follow Chrysalis to help others, it would be Spiracle.”
“It would,” Coxa agreed. Her smile regained some of its liveliness. “So you’re sticking with the bat pony form, Cubi?”
Cubitus blushed. “I guess. Dinky likes it, and I think it’s kinda cool.”
“Piña,” Noi whispered. “Rumble’s side is getting cold.”
“Oops,” Piña said, as she returned to her spot beside Rumble in the nest of blankets.
A knock on the door caused everypony to pause.
“Got it,” Barrel said and opened the door. “Hey!” he cheered and grabbed somepony that was all but blocked from my view in a crushing bear hug that made them grunt. “You’re back!”
“Good to see you too Barrel,” Thunderlane said, sounding half winded by Barrel’s hug. “Could you put me back on the floor and let me breathe, please?” he wheezed.
“Sorry about that,” Barrel said. “I forget how squishy pegasi are.”
“Bro!” Rumble cheered. Noi and Piña shifted so he could get up, and Rumble raced to Thunderlane and hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” Thunderlane said, returning the hug and wrapping Rumble in his wings. “The Bad Lands are interesting but they’re not somewhere I would go on a vacation.”
“You’re out of uniform,” I noted. “Does that mean you’re off duty?”
“For the rest of the day, but I’ll be back on duty tomorrow to help get things ready for the changelings coming in,” Thunderlane said. “They sent cloud Chaser and I back with messages for Mayor Mare and the Guard.” Thunderlane seemed to notice Muffins holding Coxa and smiled. “Hello, changeling that looks like Pinkie Pie. I’m Thunderlane, Rumble’s brother.”
“Hello,” Coxa returned. “I’m Coxa.”
Thunderlane’s ears perked up. “That’s great! I was going to see you, after checking in on Rumble. I have a message for you from Thorax.”
“From Thorax?” Coxa said. “Why would he send me a message?”
“He’s your friend, from what he told me.” Thunderlane grinned. “He’s in charge of the changeling nation now, by the way.”
“What?!” Cubitus and Kevin said at the same time.
“It’s a wild story. I’ll let him tell you about it when he gets here with the other changelings.” Thunderlane turned back to Coxa. “He asked me to tell you that your egg is safe and is being taken care of.”
“Thank goodness!” Coxa said with gleeful relief. “Thank you so much for telling me.”
“What happened to the Hive?” Amethyst asked. “We know there was some pretty terrible damage to it, but we don’t know the details about what happened.”
Thunderlane glanced around the room and grinned. “Whoa! There’s a herd in here.” He looked at me and said, “Good thing you had this place expanded or this would have been a tight fit.”
“Lane, answer the question asked,” Cheerilee said in her teacher’s voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” Thunderlane said. “They have asked me not to say too much to anypony about what happened, I can say there was a magical explosion that took apart the throne room and damaged a lot of the upper part of the hive. The living areas are in rough shape and the areas that don’t show signs of damage need to be tested for structural security.”
“The rooms should heal themselves,” Cubius said.
“The magic that allowed the Hive to change shape was lost when the throne was destroyed, from what I understand,” Thunderlane said.
Kevin asked in an almost panicked tone, “Was anybuggy trapped?!”
“Nope,” Thunderlane said. “Every changeling has been accounted for.”
“The throne’s gone?” Cubitus said. He looked at Kevin with worry. “That means our magic defense is gone.”
“That’s a good thing it turns out,” Thunderlane said. “Twilight and the Sisters found signs that the throne’s magic absorption wasn’t healthy to be around.”
“How’s Radius doing?” Cubitus asked.
“He’s doing fine,” Thunderlane said. “He stayed behind to help organize the changelings that will be coming.”
“How are Rarity and the Elements?” I asked.
“She is beautiful, as always, and the other Elements are looking forward to coming home. They are going to travel with the changelings, along with the Empire’s royal family, here. The Sisters have returned to Canterlot to help coordinate everything that needs to be done.”
“That’s Celestia,” Filter said with a smile. “If there is somepony that needs help, even if she’s about asleep on her hooves, she’ll work until there’s a solution for them.”
“Luna does her part to help ponies too,” Silent said, in a playful tone that belied a defensiveness for the Princess of the Night.
“I’ve got two more messages to deliver,” Thunderlane said. “Everypony interested should greet the train coming in at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. We’ll have our first changeling guests coming in from Canterlot and the Empire then.”
“From the Empire?” Coxa asked, her ears up. “Do you know the names of anybuggy coming tomorrow?”
Thunderlane shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t.”
“Oh.” Coxa’s ears fell. “That’s all right.”
Thunderlane gave Coxa a curious look.
“Her husband was on the Empire team,” Piña said.
“Ah! Now I get it.” Thunderlane said. “There were only four that ditched from the Empire team, when they were discovered, so there’s a good chance he’ll be on the train.” Thunderlane paused, and his eyes widened. “You and your husband were sent on a mission when you had an egg?!”
Coxa nodded.
“That’s monstrous!” Thunderlane said and hugged Rumble closer. “I was so worried about Rumble I was almost sick, and I knew he could take care of himself and he was with Flitter. I can’t imagine what you must have been going through.”
“Mom’s been helping her,” Dinky said.
“So I see,” Thunderlane said. “Speaking of helping ponies, how have things been going with you, Cubitus?”
“Dinky says we’re keeping him,” Noi deadpanned.
“Noi!” Dinky protested and blushed.
“We’ll be keeping a lot of changelings here for a little bit,” Thunderlane said in a diplomatic tone and a hint of a grin.
“Where are they going to stay?” Berry asked. “We have room, if somepony needs it.”
“I don’t know the details, but Twilight and Pinkie have something cooking up with Pinkie’s sister,” Thunderlane said.
“What was the last message, Lane?” Barrel asked.
“The last message isn’t quite such good news.” Thunderlane’s expression became serious. “Not all the changeling’s have accepted what has happened to the Hive, so we have to keep on the lookout. The rogue changelings seem to be glad to be rid of Chrysalis, but they want to stick to the old ways of stealing love and living separate from ponies.”
“Those idiots!” Cubitus said with enough vehemence to make Dinky, Kevin, and Amethyst, who were standing close to him, jump. “Ponies give love away! We don’t have to steal anything! We don’t have to live in barren holes in the ground or worry about being sent on suicide missions! We’re so close to having everything we’ve ever wanted, how could they-” He stopped fuming, as Dinky hugged him.
“They don’t know ponies like we do,” Kevin said. “Remember how you felt when you were in that bubble?”
“Yeah,” Cubitus said, sounding regretful, as he hugged Dinky back. “I remember.”
“Society wide changes do not happen overnight,” Turner said. “Equestria’s own history is littered with events where differing groups of ponies butted heads over how ponies should live that took years to resolve.”
“We’re taking steps in the right direction, though,” I said. “Look at everypony here, for instance. A couple of weeks ago us being together would have been all but impossible.”
“We’ve got a ways to go, but we’ll make it,” Cheerilee said. She smiled at the foals and said, “As long as we can learn from each other and help each other grow, like you have, it will all work out.”
*****
Cubitius grinned at Pinch, who was all but prancing down the road.
“What?” Pinch asked him.
“You’re excited,” he said.
“Of course I’m excited,” Pinch said. “We’re going to meet new changelings and Coxa’s husband.”
“If he’s with them,” Coxa said as if tempering her emotions.
“He will be,” Cubitus said. “He would never wing it if there were other changelings in danger.”
“That’s not what Shining Armor would do,” Dinky said with certainty. “If they picked him to replace Shining Armor, they have to be similar, so he wouldn’t run.”
After our group took a few steps, Cubitus chuckled to himself.
“What?” Rumble asked him.
“Before being caught, I never would have thought that a pony would ever look forward to meeting a changeling,” Cubitus said.
“Hello!” a kind voice called from the train platform.
“Oh, you haven’t got a clue,” Kevin said, his ears pinning half back.
“Hello Miss June Bug!” Noi greeted.
“Whoa, you were right,” Cubitus said. “I can sense her all the way from here. I didn’t know ponies could get that excited.”
Kevin chuckled. “You’ve haven’t seen Dinky excited yet.”
Cubitus’ ears perked. “Dinky gets more excited than that? I can’t wait to-” He cut himself off and blushed, as Dinky looked at him and Coxa giggled.
Pinch glanced at the three changelings and seemed to make a mental note of something.
As we ascended the platform’s stairs, June Bug approached our group. “I’m so glad everypony came. Our guests should feel welcome with this many friendly ponies coming to greet them.” She looked to the three changelings with us. “How are you this morning?”
“We’re doing fine, Miss June Bug,” Kevin said.
“You must be Cubitus,” June Bug said and extended a hoof to him. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m June Bug.”
Cubitus smiled at her and shook June Bug’s hoof. “Nice to meet you to.”
“You wanted to be a bat pony as your alter-ego?” June Bug asked. “We don’t get many of them here in Ponyville.”
“Dinky liked it, so he stuck with it,” Piña said.
Both Dinky and Cubitus blushed.
“Should we change so they know we’re here?” Coxa said.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Mayor Mare said, as she approached us from further down the platform, with Thunderlane walking at her side. “The other changelings are with Maud Pie, so having undisguised changelings here to greet them will be a welcome sight, I’m sure.”
With spouts of green flame, the trio of changelings shifted to their natural forms.
Kevin appeared to be self-conscious, while Coxa and Cubitus seemed much more at ease with their natural appearance.
Pinch bumped shoulders with Kevin, gave him a supportive smile, and moved close to him so her coat touched his exoskeleton.
“Thanks,” Kevin whispered to her.
June Bug studied Coxa with intense interest.
Coxa blushed. “Yes?”
June Bug blinked and gave Coxa a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I was admiring you. You’re beautiful.” She looked to Cubitus and Kevin. “You’re very handsome young stallions too,” she said.
“Thanks,” Cubitus said.
June Bug paused as if struck by a thought. “You’re Radius’ brother, right?”
“Yes,” Cubitus answered, giving her a curious look.
“I am looking forward to working with him to help get everypony settled here in Ponyville,” June Bug told Cubitus. “If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.”
Berry and I met eyes, and I had to fight not to laugh.
June Bug glanced at us. “What?”
“Buttering Cubitus up for a better chance at doing a hooves-on study of a new specimen, June?” Thunderlane asked. “Radius must have made a good impression; you only got to talk to him for about five minutes before we left for Canterlot.”
June Bug blushed to the tips of her ears. “I’m trying to be helpful to somepony whose home was damaged. As for my opinion of Radius, anypony who is brave enough to do what he’s done to help his friends is admirable in my book.”
“When did you talk with Radius?” Cubitus asked June Bug.
“Miss June Bug visited Town Hall to volunteer a room at her house for any changeling to stay in, after we posted a flier in the market seeking help in getting the changelings places to stay for a few nights,” Mayor Mare said. “She met him then.”
“I got there too late,” June Bug grumbled.
“It was good to see your willingness to help however you could, though,” Mayor Mare praised.
Noi grinned, leaned close to Pinch’s ear, and whispered something to her.
Pinch looked shocked and blushed vivid red. “That’s not going to happen!” she told Noi.
“Why not?” Noi asked. “If you want to help ponies and changelings get along, sharing your experiences with Kevin could help a lot of ponies.” She giggled. “It would also get the guide more readers. You know how ponies love having romance thrown in whatever they’re reading.”
“What kind of ‘experiences’ are we talking about here?” Berry asked, with a playful raised eyebrow. “Anything your father and I should know about?”
Pinch covered her face with her hooves. “Mom!”
“When you say ‘romance’, you mean...?” June Bug asked Noi, with obvious interest.
Noi grinned. “Yep!”
“I see.” June Bug told Pinch, “I might have a question or two, if you don’t mind.”
A distant train whistle drew everypony’s attention.
“Saved by the whistle,” Piña said to Pinch.
“Please, please, be on the train,” Coxa whispered.
Dinky approached Coxa. “Need a hug?”
“I do,” Coxa said and hugged Dinky.
Dinky returned Coxa’s hug and gave her a comforting nuzzle. “He’ll be on the train.”
The train seemed to creep closer as we watched.
Coxa began stroking Dinky’s back with a hoof.
“There they are!” Thunderlane said and waved at somepony behind us. “You’re right on time.”
I turned and grinned at the sight of Amethyst, Cheerilee, and Riff leading a group of foals toward the train platform.
“I told you we’d make it,” Amethyst said.
“We still cut it close,” Cheerillee said.
“We didn’t miss our intro, so everything’s fine,” Riff said. “Besides, it's not like we were lollygagging around.”
“So that’s what a real changeling looks like!” Cloudy said, as the foals gathered around Coxa and Dinky.
Rumble grinned at Cubitus and Kevin. “I guess you two don’t count as ‘real’ changelings.”
Cubitus snorted. “I guess not.”
“I can live with that,” Kevin said, grinning.
“Featherweight, take a picture,” Liza prompted in a whisper to a thin pegasus colt with a camera around his neck.
“Sure!” Featherweight took a quick photo of Coxa and Dinky. “Thanks! That will be perfect for the paper.”
“Are you okay?” Cloudy asked Coxa. “If Dinky’s hugging you like that, there’s something wrong.”
“Her husband might be on the train coming in, but she’s not sure,” Dinky explained.
“Changelings get married too?” Liza asked.
Coxa smiled. “Sort of.”
The train slowed and pulled up to the platform. With a hiss of steam, it came to a full stop. It seemed to take longer than normal for the train’s doors to open.
“Please,” Coxa whispered.
Berry put her foreleg around Coxa’s shoulders. “Hold on a little longer.”
The train’s door’s open, and Featherweight took a couple of photos as ponies came out of the cars.
Noi looked up and down the length of the platform. “Where are the- oh!”
A pair of Royal Guards stepped off the train along with five adult changelings.
“The Canterlot team,” Cubitus said. He flinched and added, “Some of them, anyway.”
Following the last of the initial group of changelings, a pair of Crystal Guards stepped off the train, one of the guards being Brass Ring.
“It looks like they brought the welcoming committee to greet us,” Brass Ring said and waved for someone inside the train to step out onto the platform.
A changeling filly stuck her nose out of the doorway and glanced around. When her eyes settled on our group, her ears went up in excitement. “Hey, Cubi!” Her eyes widened and she gasped, “Keratin!”
“Hey Gena!” Kevin said and waved. He gave an unhappy look to Cubitus, “You could have told me she was on the Empire team, Cubi.”
“I didn’t know if she’d been caught or not,” Cubitus whispered to Kevin. “You know how well she can blend in.”
“We’re not in the Hive anymore, you don’t have to be so secretive,” Kevin said.
Gena raced from the train toward our group. “I can’t believe it! You’re both here!”
“Brace for it,” Cubitus said to Kevin.
The filly ran up to Cubius and Kevin and took them both in an enthusiastic hug. “I’m so glad you two got caught!”
“I’m glad they caught you too,” Cubitus said. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine,” Gena said. She glanced over towards Pinch, who had stiffened up a bit. “What’s up with…” She stopped and then grinned at Kevin. “Oh, that’s so cute. You’ve made a friend.”
“Gena,” Kevin said in a warning tone, as Pinch blushed.
“Chill, I’m just teasing,” Gena said. “I take it being out of the Hive hasn’t gotten you to loosen up.” She looked at Dinky and asked. “Hey, cutie, can I have your spot for a moment?”
Dinky blushed. “Sure,” she said and made way for Gena to hug Coxa.
“Thanks,” Gena said to Dinky, as she hugged Coxa. “So they got you too?”
“They did,” Coxa said, returning the filly’s hug. “And I’m glad for it.”
“Coxa!” a stallion’s voice called. We all turned to see a changeling stopped halfway out of the train, with a relieved on his face.
“I better get out of the way,” Gena said, let go of Coxa, and stepped to the side. “I told you!” she called to the stallion with a victor’s grin.
The stallion trotted to Coxa and touched his horn to hers. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
Coxa smiled. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” the stallion said.
Pinch glanced over to Kevin as if wanting an explanation.
Piña whispered to Kevin, “What gives?! I thought they would be thrilled to see each other!”
“We’re changelings,” Cubitus said. “Showing you care for somebuggy else is seen as a weakness and can draw attention to you in a bad way.”
“We don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Kevin hugged Pinch across her shoulders with a foreleg and touched his head to hers.
Gena and Spiracle stared at Pinch and Kevin.
“No way,” Gena said. “I felt her get jealous, but I thought she had a crush on him not… this!”
“She loves him,” Spiracle said as if in disbelief.
Gena looked toward Spiracle. “Is that allowed?”
“Of course it is,” Piña said.
“You sure?” Gena asked.
“Her Mom and Dad think so and Twilight said it’s a good thing,” Noi said.
“What do you think about it, though?” Spiracle asked.
“It’s fine to me,” Noi said. “Me, Piña, and Rumble love each other, and there’s three of us.”
“But you’re all ponies,” Coxa pointed out. “I think what Spire’s trying to ask is if it’s okay for a changeling and pony to love each other?”
“Love between creatures is never a bad thing, no matter what forms they have,” Dinky said without a hint of uncertainty.
Spiracle appeared to have a weight lifted from him. “I’ll be honest, with all that’s going on, I worried about us having a little one hatch into the world right now. You’ve made me feel a lot better about our chances.”
Liza’s ears went up. “You lay eggs?”
“I can’t, but Coxa can,” Spiracle answered with good humor.
The foals fired off a series of questions without pause between them: “How big are they?”, “What color are they?”, “Does it hurt?”, “How long do you have to wait for the foal to hatch?”
Mayor Mare leaned and whispered something to Thunderlane and June Bug. “Sure thing, Mayor,” Thunderlane said, as Mayor Mare trotted off towards the larger group of changelings. Thunderlane made a motion with one of his wings to get the school foals’ attention. “Let’s hold off on the questions for now. Mister Spiracle’s had a long trip to see his wife, and Gena hasn’t seen her friends in a while. Let’s give them a bit of time together, while we go greet the other changelings. You’ll be able to talk with them later at the meet and greet at Town Hall.”
Thunderlane and June Bug led the school foals off.
“He’s so good with the foals,” Cheerilee admired.
“I know somepony else who is good with foals,” Amethyst said and gave Riff a quick nuzzle.
Cheerilee smiled. “Yes, he is.”
Gena gave the trio a hungry look.
“If you need love, you can have a nibble,” Dinky said.
Gena snorted. “Oh, I’m sure that would go over well,” she said with sarcasm.
“Be nice to her,” Cubitus said, in a protective tone.
“It’s all right,” Kevin assured Gena. “If you need love, you can have some.”
Gena’s ears splayed out and she looked unconvinced.
“Rumble, in the middle,” Piña prompted.
“Gotcha.” Rumble moved to stand between Piña and Noi and then took the two of them under his wings. “You can nibble off of us,” he told Gena.
“That’s not funny to do to a changeling who needs love,” Gena said as if offended.
“They’re not joking, Gena.” Cubitus stated as if the idea was something he was coming to terms with himself, “The ponies here give love away. They’ve given me more in the last couple of days than I’ve had in weeks.”
There was a long, tense pause, as Gena seemed to wrestle with her thoughts. “No!” Gena said in a sudden burst. She took steps back from the hugging foals. “We’re supposed to sneak in and take it!”
“We don’t have to anymore,” Kevin said. “Gena why are you-”
“Pretending to be a pony is what I live for, Kevin! I love it, and I’m good at it! Being able to hug, play, and have fun while feeling the rush of making sure I’m blending in is the only thing I have! It’s the only thing that makes getting up for role call and going through a day worth it!”
“We don’t have to pretend anymore,” Cubitus said.
“Then what do we have?! What are we going to do?! What good am I, if I can’t gather love for others! I have nothing else to offer the Hive!” Gena’s emotions seemed to shift to defiance, and she backed further away from our group. “I should have run off with the others when they bolted for it.”
“Agent Gena, at attention!” Spiracle snapped.
Gena, seeming without thought, did as commanded. As if realizing what had happened, she cut her eyes towards Spiracle and looked betrayed.
Spiracle let go of Coxa and faced Gena. “This display is unbecoming of an agent of the Hive.” He nodded to a spot behind Gena. “And you’re about to walk off the platform.”
Gena glanced toward her back hooves, which were too close to the platform’s edge for comfort, looked surprised, then composed herself and returned to standing at attention.
Spiracle turned his head towards the changelings who were still visiting with Mayor Mare and the others. “Agents!” he barked. “Form up on me!”
The changelings, including Coxa and Cubitus, formed two lines with impressive precision and little noise.
“What are you doing?” Mayor Mare said, her voice tinted with fearful concern.
“Addressing something with my fellow agents I should have a while ago,” Spiracle said, without a hint of hostility but with sterness. “I believe the ponies here should witness this too.” After giving the school foals and the other ponies on the platform a moment to come closer, Spiracle turned his attention back to Gena. “Agent Gena, repeat what you said about leaving us.”
Gena swallowed. “I should have run off with the others.”
“If you had somehow sneaked away, what would that have accomplished?” Spiracle asked.
“I could return to the hive to get new orders, as my duty required, Sir,” Gena said as if speaking from a script.
“You’re duty would have demanded you stay with your fellow ‘failed’ changelings and suffer whatever fate came to us, as the Queen decreed.” Spiracle moved closer to Gena and lowered his head so he could look her in the eye. “Even if you had made it back to the Hive, do you think you would have gotten mercy from the Queen, after hearing the ‘pep talk’ she gave us before we set out?”
Gena blanched. “No, Sir.”
“Do you know why I didn’t run when our ruse failed or slink away when an opportunity presented itself?” Spiracle asked her.
“No, Sir,” Gena said.
“My duty to do what is right by my fellow changelings and, on the very slim chance that Coxa had not been captured too, that her success would mean she and our egg would be spared the Queen’s wrath,” Spiracle stated.
Berry made an uneasy noise and pulled Pinch into a protective embrace.
“Something’s going through that head of yours,” Spiracle said. “Speak, Agent.”
“I think I understand, Sir,” Gena said. “You were loyal to the Hive by not returning to it, and I should follow your example.”
“You think I did what I did out of loyalty to the Hive?” Spricale snorted. “The knowledge that the ponies had a good chance of winning, disposing the Queen, and saving my comrades, my mate, and our egg is what made me stay.”
Gena’s eyes widened in shock. A few of the changelings fidgeted and expressed unease, but stayed in position and silent.
Spiracle raised to his full height and addressed the lines of changelings. “I want you to consider that had we returned to the Hive we would have been executed, or far worse. While that fate would have awaited any of us had we gone ‘home,’ the first thing I saw here when I got off that train was a filly of an supposed enemy hugging my mate.” He paused for a moment, as if to let the implications sink in with the agents. “Have any of you sensed animosity from anypony here?”
Spiracle walked back and forth in front of the lines of changelings. He made three circuits, without receiving a response, and stopped. “No? Nor have I. Whether or not we accept it, our previous lives are gone. The Hive is gone. The Queen is gone. We are going to have to depend on the ponies for more than providing us with scraps of love we can sneak off with. We have to rebuild our entire society on both the physical and social levels and we cannot do it without them.”
Gena trembled and tears went down her face.
Dinky started toward Gena.
“Dinky, no,” Noi warned in a whisper.
“She’s hurting and scared,” Dinky whispered back, after pausing in her steps. “She needs somepony.”
Spiracle turned back to Gena. “It’s going to be hard for a while, but this upheaval is affording us a chance to have a better future if we stick by each other and work together.”
Dinky took another step.
“Dinky!” Pinch hissed through her teeth.
“You might as well give up,” Rumble said, as Dinky sneaked another slow step.
Spiracle turned his attention to Dinky.
Dinky froze and her ears pinned back. She gave Spiracle a nervous smile.
Spiracle studied Dinky for a moment. “Yes?”
Dinky did not say a word, but glanced at Gena with clear meaning.
Spiracle grinned and looked at Gena. “I have to agree, having ponies give us love will not be as exciting as stealing it, but it makes things simpler.” He nodded to Dinky and made a motion with a hoof for her to proceed.
“Thank you!” Dinky said with exuberance, and then hurried the last few steps between her and Gena.
“Ask first!” Amethyst reminded Dinky.
“Can I hug-” Gena hugged Dinky before she could finish. Dinky hugged her back and giggled. “I guess so.”
“You just ruined the whole discipline thing you had going on there,” Coxa said, as she relaxed her posture.
Spiracle gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m not sure why anybuggy listened to me in the first place, considering there’s not an army anymore.”
“We need somebuggy to keep us organized,” Cubitus said. “Our team leader bailed on us, and you’re keeping everybuggy calm, so you’re the logical choice for a ‘commanding officer’ to help us through this.”
Spiracle looked uncertain. “Thanks for the compliment, and I’d be glad to help everybuggy get through this until we can get a real chain of command established again, but I think I’m through being an officer.”
“Would you consider being a ‘representative’ for the time being?” Mayor Mare asked. “Radius seemed to like the title, when he was working with us.”
Spiracle thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “That would work.”
As everypony returned to mixing and mingling, I noticed Cubitus break away from the other changelings and approach Kevin. His eyes showed with curiosity as he asked Kevin, “Was that her getting excited?”
“You mean Dinky?” Noi asked and then sorted. “That wasn’t even a warm up.”
“She’s right,” Kevin confirmed.
“Really?” Cubitus asked. He looked at Dinky, who was still being held by Gena, with an intrigued expression.
Gena leaned her head over, so she could look past Dinky, and asked, “What’s with that look?”
Cubitus blushed and blanked his expression. “Nothing!”
“Don’t lie to me. I can hear your brain buzzing from here.” Gena sniffed, wiped her tears away with a hoof, and then grinned. “Do you have a thing for this cutie here, Cubi?”
Cubitus said in a careful tone, with a light blush tinting his cheeks, “She’s been kind to me ever since I got caught.”
“That wasn’t much of an answer,” Gena raised a mischievous eyebrow. “Since you’re not that interested, I think I’ll keep her for myself then.” She made a show of snuggling into Dinky a bit more. “I know a good pony when I hug one, and she has to be one of the best out there.”
While Cubitus stammered an incoherent response, Kevin, Piña, and Noi laughed.
“Wow, Dinks!” Amethyst teased, “You’ve got ponies you just met competing over you!”
Somehow looking pleased and mortified, Dinky blushed crimson.
Coxa reached out and took Spiracle’s hoof with hers. “We’re going to make it,” she whispered.
Spiracle smiled, nodded, and leaned his shoulder against Coxa’s. “We will.”