One week had passed since the attempted invasion of Canterlot. Repairs to the damaged city were underway and everyone was on edge. At this time, the princesses were being very tight-lipped about what would be done about the changelings.
Due to all the stress everypony was dealing with, it had been announced that the royal wedding would be pushed back another three months.
Barrier had stayed with Daring and Swift in Canterlot to give his leg more time to heal, allowing the two to get more acquainted with Twilight Velvet and Night Light before they finally headed home.
On the train ride, Barrier spent a long time pacing through the halls, looking at his limping leg in frustration.
“Guess this is my lot in life now,” he muttered to himself as Daring stuck her head out of the cabin.
“Well, it could be a lot worse, dear,” Daring comfortingly said as she drew near and put a wing on his back. “A limp is pretty mild compared to the injuries ponies used to get in war.”
“She’s right, you know,” Swift said as the pair made their way back towards the cabin. “My family had many a unicorn who lost limbs, eyes or horns in battle against the griffins. And those were the ones who didn’t come back on their shields.”
“I know, but it’s still something that’ll take time to get used to,” Barrier sighed as he and Daring took seats across from Swift. “Any word from the manor?”
“I sent a letter with one of my ribbons to explain what happened and when we’ll arrive at the train station,” Daring said as she placed a hoof on Barrier’s shoulder. “Still, we haven’t got any word back yet.”
“We can only hope our housemates haven’t succumbed to paranoia.” Barrier’s horn shimmered with azure light as he pulled his flask from his saddlebags.
“Tis not paranoia when there really is someone out to get you,” Swift said as she clutched her swords in her grip. “While Queen Chrysalis has been taken down, who knows if there’s still changelings watching us. Not to mention the two that we released.”
With a tired sigh, Barrier replied with a “Fair point,” before taking a swig from his ever-present flask. “Still, hopefully they don’t go too far.”
***
It was early in the afternoon when the train finally arrived at the Vanhoover station. While Barrier wished to rush off the screaming metal death trap as soon as possible, he was reminded that his leg simply didn’t move like before. Still, he was comforted by the fact that Swift and Daring were sticking closely beside him as they disembarked.
Not far from the platform, they spotted Iron Forge standing by a bench. When he spotted the trio, he approached the three with a cautious look on his face.
“It’s good to see you again, Forge,” Barrier said as the cobalt unicorn came to a halt in front of them. While he looked fine to the average onlooker, Barrier could tell he was ready to strike if need be.
“Wish I could say for sure if you’re who you appear to be,” Forge said as he looked over the trio carefully. “Swift, has your snout always been that shape?”
“Yes, Forge. It has, just as Verdant’s forelegs have always been white,” Swift replied with a roll of her eyes. “However, I understand your distrust since we had to deal with an imposter Verdant in Canterlot.”
“Then I’m sure you won’t mind a game of twenty questions,” Forge said as he rubbed a hoof against his chin. “Barrier, when we were on Butterfly Island, what did Swift’s horn hit that fell on Verdant?”
“It was... a banana,” Barrier said before clicking his tongue. “What part of Hatty did you accidentally stab with your horn?”
“Trick question. It was Winter Gem, and it was her left hindleg, right next to her cutie mark,” Forge replied, getting a nod from Barrier. “Swift, what did you help me pull from my fur on the island?”
“It was a small hedgehog,” Swift answered as she looked over her cobalt companion. “What do I have hidden in my bedroom closest?”
“At least five boxes of your favorite cereal, Pumpkin Pete’s Marshmallow Flakes,” Forge answered before turning his attention to the golden coated pegasus. “What historical event did Wind Whistler say she wanted to learn about?”
“Oh, it was the ice cream wars!” Daring enthusiastically said, making Forge nod and sigh in relief.
“Sorry for being suspicious, everypony,” Forge said as he and the trio started their way homeward. “When we got back, we started thinking how odd it was that just about none of us were able to attend the royal wedding and it got attacked. We were all very suspicious about everyone once we got the news about the changelings and this led to some… altercations, but we got things settled.”
“It’s surprising that you chose to meet us alone,” Barrier stated as the four of them stepped off the platform.
“Oh, I didn’t,” Forge replied before he hopped onto his hindlegs, waved his left foreleg and put his right hoof on his snout.
From up on a high cloud, Barrier saw a blue form leap down and fly towards them. As it drew closer, he saw it was Storm Cloud, who hovered above the returning trio.
“Good call, though I don’t appreciate that you chose a sniper to do it,” Barrier said as Forge led the way home.
“I thought is was the best option and Verdant’s making lunch, so I didn’t have too many options for ponies at the house who could take out a target from long range if need be, so…” Forge said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry if we’re a little paranoid.”
Barrier could only sigh before taking another swig of his flask. “No, I understand. Especially since according to one of the changelings, they were watching us.”
“Holy shit,” Storm whispered as she flew closely above the charcoal unicorn. “Say, did you hurt your leg or something?”
“I’ll explain after we get to the house. I don’t want to explain it multiple times,” Barrier replied before he turned his attention back to Forge. “How’s everyone else holding up?”
“Well, we’ve only been leaving the house in pairs since we got back,” Forge answered as he looked over his shoulder. “Fleet’s been keeping Wind Whistler home from school and she’s literally been worried sick, the poor mare. Erica’s staying with her parents while Toil’s staying in the guest room.”
“And what of you, Storm?” Swift asked just before her horn tapped against the pegasus’ metallic leg.
“Well, I’ve been staying in Verd’s room since him, Erica and I are…” The flying mare coughed into her hoof. “Well, we’re together now.”
“Ah, so the stallion slayer’s fallen in love.” A slight smirk graced Swift’s muzzle as she spoke. “Does that make your tally a baker’s dozen?”
“No!” Storm angrily barked as a crimson tinge appeared on her face. “I’m not that easy.”
Swift held her tongue until the five ponies finally reached the manor’s gate. As Barrier pushed the gate open, the bathroom window opened up as an arrow shot out, impaling the ground in front of them.
“Halt!” Verdant commanded as he popped his head out the window with his bow drawn. “You need to identify yourselves if you want to get in! What’s the password, Forge?”
“It’s…” Forge paused as his pupils dilated. “Crap, I forgot!” His words drew a groan of annoyance from the assembled ponies.
“Are you shitting me?” Storm Cloud glared at the silver maned stallion. “You swore you’d remember it!”
“Gimme a sec,” Forge said as he tapped a hoof against his forehead. “I know it begins with a P.”
Barrier sighed, bringing a hoof to his face as he drew closer to the house. “Verdant, I’m really not in the mood for another round of twenty questions. Forge can easily verify that we’re the real deal.” The cobalt unicorn nodded at Barrier’s words.
“Yeah, and I’m Princess Katrina of the royal St. Paws family!” Verdant replied as he looked down at the five. “What’s to say all five of you weren’t replaced by changelings?”
“Oh, for the love of…” Barrier grumbled his horn radiated with azure light before he vanished and reappeared before Verdant, startling him and making him tumble from his spot on the toilet to the floor below. With a quick flare of his horn, Barrier picked the shamrock stallion up and put him back on his hooves. “I’m not dealing with this stuff right now, especially with what happened in Canterlot. Now come on, I want a family meeting.”
“Uh…” Verdant stood stock still as he clutched his bow tightly.
“Son of a…” Barrier rolled his eyes. “You told me your kill count is either zero, or a hundred and three if you count undead. Happy?”
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Verdant said as Barrier started to limp out of the bathroom. Before the emerald earth pony could follow after him, he heard the sound of wingbeats coming from behind him.
Quickly spinning about and drawing an arrow, he saw Storm Cloud hovering outside the window before climbing inside.
“C’mon, Number Nine,” Storm said before she gently landed in front of him. “We’re all who we say we are and we could all use some lunch.”
Sighing, Verdant collapsed his bow before stowing it and his arrow away. “You’re right. Sorry, dear.”
“It’s cool,” she said before giving him a quick nuzzle. “Now, let’s head down.”
As the two left the bathroom, Barrier had reached the bottom of the stairs and unlocked the front door with a quick flash of magic. Soon, he and the rest arrived in the living room where Hatty, Gem, Toil, Fleet, Windy and Snow Sweeper were sitting. The former soldiers and the foal leapt to attention when they saw the approaching ponies.
“It’s fine, everypony,” Verdant tiredly said as he and Storm Cloud trailed behind. “Turns out that Forge couldn’t remember the phrase, peach ketchup! C’mon, you told me a dozen times you memorized it!”
“At any rate, we’re back,” Barrier said as he limped towards Fleetfeather and gave her a nuzzle. It was then he looked over to Wind Whistler, who stuck close to one of the chairs. “Don’t feel like trying to leap at my face today, kiddo?”
“N-no,” Windy said as she moved to be partly hidden by the chair’s leg. “I just want to be sure you’re the real deal is all.”
“Barrier, what in Faust’s name happened?” Fleet asked before she spotted the bandage on his hindleg.
“I suggest you sit down, everypony,” Barrier said before he hovelled over to the couch. “It’s gonna be a bit of a story.”
***
“— and they said they would meet us after we got back.” Barrier sighed as he wrapped up his tale. The ponies who weren’t in Canterlot stared in shock at what Barrier told them. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”
Before anypony could utter a response, a knocking came from the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Barrier said as he lit his horn. “My legs are starting to fall asleep anyway.”
The charcoal unicorn teleported to the entryway, where he could hear a familiar voice on the other side of the door singing.
“Come at me, and you’ll see…”
Pulling the door open, Barrier saw a tired looking Sweet Honey while Fruity Punch was singing.
“I’m more than meets the eye!” Punch finished singing when she spotted Barrier from the corner of her eye. “Oh, hey, Barrier. Can we come in? We need to talk.”
“I’m certain we do,” Barrier replied as he allowed the two inside. “Everypony, we have guests.”
When the three arrived in the living room, Barrier saw nearly everypony was in a defensive stance while Snow Sweeper was standing behind Forge.
“Barrier, did you bother checking to see if these two are the real Punch and Honey?!” Gem asked as she looked ready to pounce on the two visitors. “They could be changelings for all we know!”
“Oh, they are,” Barrier firmly stated as he faced the pair of sisters. “And I assume you’re here to provide the answers you promised.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Sweet Honey said before sighing. In an instant, the two were engulfed in emerald colored flames which dissipated to reveal their dark chitinous forms. Nearly everypony leapt back at the sight while Wind Whistler yelped and ran under the lounge chair.
“Answer me, changelings!” Swiftsword barked as she drew her blades. “Where are the real Fruity Punch and Sweet Honey?”
“You’re looking at them,” one of the changelings said with Punch’s voice. “Those two were identities we crafted for our missions. May we have a seat? This’ll take a while to explain.”
“You may,” Barrier answered as he nodded towards the couch. “I assume some proper introductions from you two are in order.”
“Right,” the one with Honey’s voice said as she flopped down on the couch while Punch took her seat more delicately. “To start off, my real name is Apicula. Sweet Honey was an identity I crafted long before I was assigned to watch this household of yours.”
“And what would be your name?” Swift asked as she glared at the other changeling. “I know Punch certainly isn’t your real name.”
“Actually, Punch is my real name,” the second changeling said with a hint of embarrassment. “Well, kinda. It’s not Fruity Punch though, it’s Punch Buggy.”
“Punch… Buggy,” Hatty said incredulously. “How did you get a name like that?”
***
In a dark, damp cavern some time ago, Queen Chrysalis was examining the many newborn changeling grubs around her as she laid down.
“Hmm…” Chrysalis held a grub in her harlequin colored magic as she carefully examined her. “I believe I’ll call you… Apicula.”
Just as she set the grub down, she felt something quickly crawling up her neck and perching itself on top of her head. With a brief glow, she picked the grub off her head and hovered her close to her face.
“Why, hello there, my dear. Now what will your name be?” Chrysalis gave a warm smile to the grub until it shot one of her tiny limbs out, jabbing her mother right in the eye.
“Ah, son of a…” Chrysalis grumbled while the grub heartily laughed at her reaction. “I know the perfect name for you.”
***
“Not a clue,” Punch said with a shrug. “At any rate, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Say, could you do me a small favor?” Snow Sweeper piped up from behind Forge. Could one of you change your colors for me? It’s just I’m not great at telling voices apart and well…”
“Lemme guess, we look a lot alike to you?” Apicula said with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s cool, I’ll do it,” Punch said. In a flash of green flames, Punch’s torso turned from black to a bright yellow, the elytra became purple while her turquoise eyes turned a vibrant red. “Does this work?”
“Yes, thank you,” Snow replied before Barrier cleared his throat.
“Now, I believe the two of you have a lot to explain about what’s going on,” Barrier said before he teleported over to the lounge chair.
“Right,” Apicula took a deep breath before speaking again. “We were assigned to watch this household since the queen believed your group, pony soldiers with a dangerous set of skills and a familiar connection to Empress Cadance and her fiance, were a major threat. While nowhere near as much as the Element Bearers, still a threat.
“After we picked our disguises, we broke into the old murder house to use its attic as a base of operations until arrangements could be made to get us an apartment. I got a job as a postmare to be able to learn the lay of the city and stake out the manor’s exterior while Punch would join the cooking classes Verdant took and got a job at the Four D’s so she could form a connection with Swiftsword.”
“And you did this while using an alias that included part of your real name?” Verdant questioned as he kept his bow clutched in his left foreleg.
“Not gonna lie, when I was introducing myself to you, I had a total brain fart and forgot I was supposed to use the name Bundle O’Fruits and blurted out the first part of my name, so I just had to wing it from there,” Punch said as she rubbed the back of her head and a green tinge appeared on her cheeks.
“So, your friendship with us was all a lie?” Swift asked with a mixture of anger and sadness.
“Well, it’s complicated,” Punch replied before groaning. “Sure, you were just meant to be targets for us to study for weaknesses, but… Well…”
“But my sister broke rule number one for infiltration; never grow attached to your targets,” Apicula huffed as she looked down to the floor. “...Though I admit, I grew attached to you guys as well.”
“At any rate, our assignment was to find ways to either make it that you were unable to attend the wedding, or try to destabilize you in such a way as to make others distrustful of you,” Punch sighed as she ran a hoof over the fin on the back of her head. “It was on the way to the Four D’s where I heard Barrier talking to Wind Whistler, talking about how Grimhilde gave him nightmares. After I left my job application, I looked up what Grimhilde looked like in the history books and started to exploit that.”
In another flash of emerald fire, Punch’s scrawny form was replaced with the large, muscular form of the dark coated griffin that caused everypony in the room, even Barrier, to tense at the sight.
“After that, as I waited in hiding in the backyard, I spotted Barrier was all on his lonesome as he came downstairs. It was then I donned this disguise and a flash of lightning caused him to spot me.” Punch casually continued her explanation to the gathered group. It was rather unnerving for Barrier to hear Punch’s voice coming out of the goliath of a griffin. “Before he got outside, I turned back and dived into some bushes right before Fleetfeather arrived.”
“And so, we began working on getting closer to you,” Apicula said as Punch returned to her previous appearance. “Slowly but surely, we got closer to you all and started to formulate ways to keep you away from Canterlot, once the wedding date was planned. Because Queen Chrysalis and I believed that keeping Barrier away from the wedding was unlikely, I decided that gaslighting would be the best way to try and minimize his threat.”
“So, all those times I thought I saw Grimhilde, it was one of you two.” Barrier’s statement got a nod from the changelings as he glared at them. “Things like Nightmare Night, the night of Discord’s attack, the museum, in the alleyway, outside the detective’s office, even right outside this house.”
“Yep, it was us,” Punch said as she held her forelegs close to her. “Nightmare Night had us take on the forms of Starscream and Grimhilde and quickly change into ponies in costumes.”
In a green flash, the two had taken on the forms of the costumed ponies from that night. Apicula was a white coated pegasus with a green mane with shoddy looking feathers and a paper beak. Punch took the form of a red maned pegasus stallion in what appeared to be a poorly painted cardboard robot costume.
“Really wish I didn’t get blasted in the chest there,” Punch’s voice came from the stallion’s form before she reverted to her painted changeling form. “It hurt like Tartarus and I had to make an excuse for the bruising it caused after we got back from Ponyville.”
“That explains how you were able to escape then, but what about the Canterlot museum or when I chased Grimhilde into an alley?” Barrier enquired as he limped closer to the couch.
“Turning into stuff like a drunk or a pony statue did the trick,” Punch answered. “The latter was a real nightmare since I had to make sure not to move an inch. Not helped by the fact I needed to pee.”
“So, you followed me to find good opportunities to try to make me doubt my perceptions?” Barrier’s question was met with an affirmative nod. “Alright, but what about the night I saw Sweet Honey in Canterlot after Discord’s attack?”
“Well, that was something where things didn’t quite go to plan, so I had to improvise,” Apicula stated as she hopped off the couch and stretched her legs. “I had followed you onto the train, hearing how you planned on getting to Canterlot. However, I only realized you didn’t disembark when I spotted you on the train as it pulled away.
“Stuck in Canterlot while you were headed to parts unknown, I tried to survey what I could during the chaos, and that’s when I spotted this.” Apicula reached into her saddlebags and pulled out something that made everypony gasp at the sight.
What she held in her forehoof was a griffin’s skull. Grimhilde’s skull.
“Took a few days to get this back from the hive,” Apicula stated as she gently placed the skull upon the coffee table and sat back on the couch. “I figured if the skull went missing, then you might believe that Discord raised her from the dead or something. Thanks to all the chaos he was causing, when I broke the glass around the skull with my hoof, the glass exploded outward. I then quickly snatched up the skull and stowed it into my bags, making a clean getaway.”
“So when I met you in the train cabin after spotting Grimhilde, that was you with her skull in your bags,” Barrier said as he struggled to keep his eyes from drifting down to his former enemy’s skull.
“Right on the money,” Apicula replied, drawing his attention. “Honestly, Discord’s attack was one of the better things to happen to us, save for us losing control of our shapeshifting.”
“Urgh, don’t remind me.” Punch shuddered as she recalled that day. “I had to go through a bunch of really painful transformations that I couldn’t do a damned thing about.
“And when the rainbow wave hit us, turning everything back to normal, it ended up turning me back into my true form!” Punch stated as she held herself in her forelegs. “Fortunately, everyone wasn’t looking in my direction and the light had blinded them long enough for me to duck into an alleyway and change back into Fruity Punch while the pain faded away.”
“Hey, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask,” Gem interjected, making everypony’s eyes fall on her. “What was with that Lemon Stallion thing? That’s something I couldn’t figure out.”
The changeling pair sighed. While Apicula’s sigh was in frustration, Punch’s was one of sadness.
“Everything that happened with the Lemon Stallion was just one case of disaster dominoes for us,” Apicula said as she rubbed the sides of her head.
“It all started on the day when I tried to work on a new disguise for myself. I was up in the attic in front of a mirror, trying out what would be a good look,” Punch glumly said as she rubbed her forehooves together. “I figured it’d be good to have some extra disguises, just in case. So I decided to make this pony I called Lemon Lime Twist.”
“Unfortunately, that was when we got a terrible case of timing,” Apicula interjected as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “While I was at the Midnight Mall, I caught the tail end of Barrier talking to Spectral Image. After he wandered off, I chatted with her for a bit before I spotted the photos she’d taken on the table. I instantly recognized the attic and the mirror, so I knew Barrier was getting dangerously close to finding us.
“When I got home, I quickly contacted the hive about Punch’s friend and they told us to solve this as quickly as possible. It’s then I concocted a scheme that probably wouldn’t have worked in the end.” Taking a breath, Apicula leaned back on the couch. “While Spectral Image was out, I would drug her food and make it so that once she was knocked out, I’d cut off her horn. After that, I’d repeat the process on a couple other random unicorns to make it look like some nut was going around.”
“But then shit hit the fan,” Punch said as she squeezed her eyes shut, causing a streak of tears to fall down her chitinous face. “Before we could even scout out her apartment, Specky slipped on some ice and broke her neck. One of the ponies I’d grown the closest to was gone in an instant!”
As Punch started to sniffle, Apicula gently rubbed her sister’s back. “While I did plan on hurting Spectral Image and ruining her career, I didn’t want to kill her or anyone. However, out of this terrible set of events, I tried to make lemonade.”
“And so I began chasing after the Lemon Stallion, thinking he’d murdered Spectral Image,” Barrier stated, fighting back the urge to glare at the changelings.
“And it worked like a charm,” Apicula said. “Her sudden death so soon after her consultation with you worked out for our attempts to destabilize you, or at least make you look unstable. I saw that you were unwilling to listen to the detective saying it was an accident, showing you were playing right into our hooves.”
“But this led to something we didn’t count on, and that was how both of us had grown attached to so many of those in this city,” Punch said before giving one last sniffle. “Api was going to try to cut off Specky’s horn because there was no way I could bring myself to harm her, and my stomach started to churn as I saw how our ruse was affecting Barrier.”
“Still, we proceeded because we believed it was for the good of the hive,” Apicula said as she took charge of the conversation once more. “Once Queen Chrysalis found what the wedding date was going to be, we started to set things in motion to keep as many of you out of Canterlot as possible.
“Thankfully, with the help of siblings in the right places, we were able to pull what strings we needed for this,” Apicula said as her eyes swept over the former privates, Fleet and Daring. “A rigged raffle, claims of a contest win, a false announcement of the Equestria games, an overnight school trip, and a fake letter about a tomb, we managed to whittle eight potential threats down to two.
“All while keeping things up so Barrier would look more and more crazy.” Apicula’s words made the obsidian unicorn’s eye twitch. “So we did a few more Grimhilde appearances and had set it up so Barrier would see the Lemon Stallion during your little trip to Trottingham.”
“It was one of the riskier things we’d done,” Punch said as she shifted into the form of the lime green unicorn stallion with the lemon shaped cutie mark. “However, Barrier spotted me while no one else did.”
“And when I went to confront you, you used a can of soda to briefly blind me and ran off,” Barrier interjected as he drew closer to the disguised Punch.
“And just as I was out of sight…” In another flash of green flames, Punch had changed from the form of Lemon Lime Twist into an exact duplicate of Verdant. “I was able to mislead you into thinking the lemon stallion had slipped through your grasp and that one of your cadets was helping you.”
“Wait, is that what I really look like?” The real Verdant asked with great unease. “Oh, Faust, I’m hideous!” As he brought ashamed hooves to his face, Storm Cloud put a comforting wing on his back.
“Eh, four outta ten.” Apicula’s remark earned her a glare from Storm Cloud and an elbow jab in the ribs from Punch.
“Back to the matter at hoof,” Barrier interjected, drawing everypony’s attention back to him.
“After that vacation, some of the other times I saw Grimhilde were after I left the detective’s office and… and when I saw her outside of the manor, where Punch tackled me to the ground,” the dark coated unicorn said as something dawned on him. “That was all a set up. You set it up so I saw Grimhilde and Punch tackling me gave Apicula a chance to change back out of sight.”
“Right on the money,” Apicula said as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “That took a lot of careful planning and making sure that nopony saw me at a bad time.”
“I have a question, though,” Barrier said as he took a step closer to the couch. “Were you the reason why I haven’t gotten any news about my bloodwork?”
“Of course,” Apicula answered as she shifted into the form of an older pale colored unicorn mare with a flowing two-toned pink mane. “I distracted Dr. Lovely Brew long enough for me to take her form and draw your blood. Then, once you were out of sight, I was able to toss your sample away and make a clean getaway.”
“And I played a part later on,” Punch said as she shifted from Verdant’s form to the bespectacled form of Dr. Sound Mind. “I met up with you outside her office to further mess with you, telling you we couldn’t get another blood sample taken so soon.”
“Now there’s a big thing I’d like to know about,” Swift said from her position, looking ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. “What happened when the royal wedding came about?”
Apicula groaned as she and Punch returned to their insectoid forms. “Well, after it was assumed we wouldn’t need to do any more in Vanhoover, we headed to Canterlot. While we were down in the caverns, that’s when we both saw Princess Cadance after she’d been turned into a seapony.
“She was just so… helpless and scared. I mean, we both feared her back at the Hearth’s Warming party since she was an alicorn… but here she was… just terrified and helpless. She knew the plan was to kill her and then turn her corpse into snacks for the visiting griffins to dispose of the body…” Apicula said before swallowing.
“While my sister being attached to you was worrisome, I thought I could handle whatever could be thrown at me… but seeing her, scared, crying, knowing she was going to die… It was just stomach churning…
“I still did my duty, pretending to be Twilight Sparkle up until we were caught… but when everything went to pot… I just hid. I couldn’t bring myself to join my siblings in battle nor could I raise a hoof against them. I’m such a coward…”
“As for me, I just felt like I couldn’t go through with it,” Punch said as she gave her sister a gentle hug. “I didn’t feel what we were doing was something I could stand, no matter how much it’d hurt us… I tried to hint at what was going on to Barrier, I took Verdant’s form and fought against my brothers and sisters.”
“And now, here we are,” Apicula glumly said as she leaned back on the couch. “We’ve told you just about everything we’ve done and now, as far as I can tell, discussions are being held in the hive on who our new ruler’s gonna be since the queen’s choosing imprisonment. If I were a betting bug, I'd guess it’ll be either Pharynx or Switcheroo… or that weirdo, Kevin.”
“Faust, could you imagine if someone like Thorax ended up being our new ruler?” Punch said before chuckling. “So, do you have any other questions?”
Several ponies raised their hooves in response, leading to Punch pointing at Forge.
“You called the other changelings your siblings. Do you mean that in a sort of ‘brothers and sisters in arms’ sort of thing or in a literal sense?” Forge asked as he lowered his hoof.
“Literal,” Apicula firmly stated. “We’re all the spawn of Queen Chrysalis’ loins. She is our mother.”
Wind Whistler gasped as she quickly fluttered up to the top of Barrier’s head. “If your mom’s a queen, does that make you princesses?!”
“No, changeling royalty doesn’t quite work that way,” Apicula replied, making the small filly frown. “It’s a lot more complicated than how you ponies do it, with selecting a successor and feeding on royal jelly to cause a metamorphosis.”
“Say, I just had a thought,” Winter Gem said as she drew closer to the pair. “When we met your mother at that karaoke night, was that really—”
“Indeed, that was Queen Chrysalis,” Apicula replied as she slid off the couch and started to stretch her legs. “She knew from our updates how distressed Punch was over Spectral Image’s death. Despite how numerous we are and how vital her plans are, she does care about us and wanted to provide her with some comfort in her time of need.”
As Apicula spoke, Fleetfeather glanced over to Wind Whistler before turning her gaze back to the changelings.
“However, this also allowed her to get some intel on you, letting her study you first hoof,” Punch added before taking a breath. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”
“I’ve got a question,” Hatty spoke up. “Did you two need a stool softener to take that massive exposition dump?”
The ponies all groaned in frustration and disgust at Hatty’s comment, with Storm Cloud muttering about zapping him.
“What?! My butt’s fallen asleep listening to all this,” Hatty grumbled as Swiftsword stepped forward.
“I believe there is a much more important question that should be asked.” Swift looked as if she was ready to strike the changelings down at a single false twitch. “What is it you plan to do now?”
“To be honest… I have no idea what I’m going to do,” Apicula said in response. “I mean, being a postmare was mainly just something I did for gathering intel, but now that everything’s gone sideways…”
“Well, I know what I plan to do,” Punch said as she stood up and swallowed. “I’m no longer going to be Fruity Punch. No more deception, I’m just going to be me.”
“Are you insane?!” Apicula angrily barked at her sister. “That’s suicidal! Keeping our secrecy—”
“Is completely pointless now, Sis!” Punch shot back. “If the whole world doesn’t know we exist yet, they will soon! The cat’s out of the bag and there’s no putting it back in!”
Apicula fell silent, unable to look Punch in the eye as she spoke.
“I want to talk to all those I deceived… and hope they will accept me and let me make amends,” Punch said before she sniffled. “I don’t want to lie anymore. I want my bonds with everyone to be real. And… and if someone won’t accept the real me after what we’ve done… So be it…”
A tense silence fell over the room as the ponies looked at one another uncertainly. Soon, the silence was broken when Swift stepped up to Punch.
“Tell me, Punch, what was true?” Swiftsword softly spoke as the changeling sniffled.
“All the good times we had together at the restaurant, like chuckling when Julian got covered in the flour meant for the gravy the one time,” Punch said as she rubbed her one watery eye. “How much fun I said I had with Verdant and the others in cooking class. Saying I was interested in you when I asked if you were single… The sadness I felt when I heard Specky was gone. Saying how much I cared about you all and so much more.
“I know that I've lied to you and this gives you very little reason to trust me, but I want to make it up to not just you, but everyone I interacted with.” Barrier spotted a slight tremble in Punch’s chitinous legs as she spoke. “Will… Will you at least give me a chance?”
Silence reigned once more over the room as Punch was left with baited breath. After a ponderous moment, Swiftsword slowly pulled Punch into a soft hug.
“I forgive you,” Swift gently said as she stroked Punch’s back. “I know you had a great pressure on your shoulders and torn loyalties. I want to get to know the real Punch.”
Punch’s lip trembled before she returned Swift’s embrace and Verdant stepped forward, joining the hug.
After another moment, Forge stepped forward and joined the hug.
As a smile formed on Punch’s face and tears freely flowed, Winter Gem, Hat Trick and Toil approached Apicula.
“I figure if we tried to join that group hug, we’d probably crush her. Do you want some of this?” Gem asked the surprised changeling.
“Uh, sure? I mean, I’m not sure what to say,” Apicula replied before Gem and Hatty hugged her as well.
“Snow, do you want to join us?” Forge asked from his spot at Punch’s side.
“I… I’m not sure, Forge,” Snow replied as he looked away and rubbed his foreleg. “I mean, this whole thing has just been crazy. I… I need time to think about… all of this.”
“Yeah, I mean… I’m also not sure either,” Storm Cloud said as she hung back. “I mean, maybe it’s because of everything that’s happened to me, I’m not sure if I can… not yet, at least.”
“It’s okay, I fully understand,” Punch said before turning her focus to Barrier, Fleet and Daring. “How about you three?”
With a sigh, Barrier limped over to Punch’s side. Once he reached her, he held out a foreleg to her. “I know that war is a nightmare, even when it’s just the lead into it, so I’m willing to be there for you. I also know for sure you’re not a monster, but someone who was stuck in a horrible situation. I know it’s an unenviable position and I have done far worse during my time, ending many lives. I will stand by your side while you try to extend the olive branch.”
“I… Thank you… all of you,” Punch said as she grasped Barrier’s foreleg and shook it as tears started to form in her scarlet eyes. “This means a lot.”
“At any rate, I think we should head home, Sis,” Apicula said as she re-donned her Sweet Honey form. “If you’re gonna go on a confession and apology tour, we should get a good night’s sleep first.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Punch sniffled before turning back to the form of a pink unicorn. “Plus, we should return Grimhilde’s skull.”
“Wait, can I spit on it first?” Wind Whistler asked from her mother’s side. “Want to pay her back for almost eating my uncle.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but she’s long dead and I know that archaeologists will be mad if you do that.” Barrier’s comment got a furious nod from Daring as Apicula put the skull away. “Honestly, I’m just glad that Grimhilde’s really most sincerely dead.”
“Well, goodbye, everypony.” Punch said as she and her sister made their way to the front door. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”
Once the door closed behind the pair, the former cadets and Fleet all sighed in relief.
“Well, glad this means we don’t have to sweat things anymore,” Gem said as she started to stretch. “C’mon, Hatty. Let’s hit up Blockbuster’s and get a movie.”
“Sounds great,” Hatty replied as he followed after her. “I’ve been wanting to check out Star Trot: The Motion Picture.”
“I think I’ll go get dinner,” Verdant said as he followed after Gem and Hatty with Storm Cloud and Toil trailing closely behind him. “After we swing by Erica’s, of course.”
“Oh, let’s get Burrito Burro! I want to try the Ruby Reaper Mexicolt Pizza!” Storm said as her voice faded away.
“Say, Forge, think we should go check on Snowy? She’d probably enjoy some company after all that’s happened,” Snow Sweeper said as he leaned against Forge’s side.
“Agreed,” Forge responded as he nuzzled the grey pegasus.
“Just remember, the password is peach ketchup.” Snow’s comment made Forge roll his eyes and smile as the two trotted away.
“Well, after the long trip, I think I’ll take a brief nap before dinner,” Swift said as she made her way towards the stairs.
“Hey, Swift, can I borrow your Game Filly for a bit? I wanna play some Super Marinara Land,” Wind Whistler asked with puppy dog eyes as she fluttered over to the noblemare.
“Go nuts, Wind Whistler. Just be sure to use the AC adapter and use file two,” Swift said before she covered her mouth and quietly yawned. “They’re all in my saddlebags.”
As Swift reached the stairs, Windy rushed over to the entrance where Swift’s bags were. In a matter of seconds, she ran back into the living room, where she plugged the game device into the wall and plopped herself down on the couch.
As Barrier smiled at the happy look on the little filly’s face, Fleetfeather cleared her throat.
“Barrier, Daring, now that we’ve got a relatively calm moment, may I talk to you two… in private?” The two ponies could easily hear the unease in Fleet’s voice while Windy was distracted by her game.
A moment later, the trio arrived in Barrier’s bedroom, where Fleet let out an agitated sigh.
“Fleet, what’s wrong? You know you can tell us anything.” Barrier tried to sound as comforting as he could for the one-eyed mare.
“Well, I haven’t been feeling well for the last little bit, to the point where I threw up while in Manehattan. I was getting concerned about what was wrong with me, so I visited a doctor… and then the changeling invasion happened… I haven’t told anyone else this, so you might want to brace yourselves.”
Despite Fleet’s forewarning, with only two words, the sky blue pegasus made Barrier feel like he’d been crushed and buried under a ton of bricks.
“I’m pregnant.”