Spell and his friends were gathered on the train platform waiting for the train to arrive. They sat together in a group talking and laughing. An announcement echoed through the platform saying the train would arrive in 5 minutes.
"Do ya have to go?"
"Yes AJ I do. It has been years since I've seen Cadence and besides. I owe her a wedding gift. After all if I was there instead of on one of my journeys I might have seen through Chrysalis's spell."
"Um...Spell?" Spell looked over at Twilight who had put her hoof up to ask a question, just like she did when she was a school filly.
"Yes Twily? And you know you don't have to raise your hoof like a school filly." He smiled inwardly as she lowered her hoof blushing.
"Um....who's Chrysalis?" Spell looked at her quizzically.
"You don't know?" Twilight shook her head and Spell looked over at the others and saw the same look of confusion at the name. "Let me guess, you lot don't know either?" A series of head shakes and nopes followed the question. He looked down with a sigh shaking her head slightly. "I guess she never gave her name then. Quite simply Chrysalis is the queen of the Changelings, and probably the best queen they have ever had. She united all the hives into one. Really quite astonishing. But alas she also doomed them slightly. So many mouths to feed. Its why she invaded. A last ditch effort to feed her children." He looked up and saw even more looks of confusion. This time probably at him defending the changeling’s actions.
"I know you are confused as to why I defend them, but I will explain why another time," Standing up he trotted over to the edge of the platform as the Train came in and stopped. "I won't be gone for too long alright. I'll explain everything when I return. And I mean everything." Spell walked into the train and found a seat next to a window. As the train pulled away he waved out the window to his friends. After they were gone from sight he sat back and closed his eyes with a sigh. He decided to get some sleep before arriving in Canterlot. If he had decided to stay awake, he may have noticed one particularly persistent cloud following the train, with a slight stream of rainbow flowing behind it.
==================================================
Spell woke up two minutes before the train pulled into Canterlot. He stood up and stretched his limbs. He smiled to himself, finding it humorous the best sleep he had in weeks was on a train bringing him to something he was nervous about. "Ah Irony, tis a cruel mistress." He said to himself, before trotting over to the door that would open up to the platform.
As the train pulled in and stopped, he heard some voices her recognised coming from the cart and heading his way. The voices belonged to some nobles who didn't approve of him hiding away as a common stallion instead of acting with the princely status he was given when adopted by Celestia. "Tartarus! They are the last thing I need right now. Oh wait....i can simply hide" He thought to himself and concentrated on a spell. In a flash of green fire he looked completely different. He even changed his gender so they wouldn't suspect him. Looking over himself he was now a female unicorn, with a blue mane, pale coat and three love hearts for a cutie mark.
"Not my best disguise, but it will have to do." He looked at the door again hoping it would open quickly. His wish was granted and he quickly hopped of the train to avoid the nobles. Unfortunately they called out to him with a hey. "Oh horseapples. Surely they can't see through this disguise." He looked around at them. "Yes?"
"Got company beautiful?" "Are.....are they hitting on me. Oh Celestia how funny."
"Sorry yes. I'm going to meet them now. I'm sure you know Shining Armour. You know how he doesn't like to be kept waiting for too long. Bye boys." He waved a hoof at them and trotted off smiling at the look of worries that crept across their face at the mention of the newest member of the Royal Family. He turned a corner and ducked into an alley and waited till the nobles passed by with haste in their steps.
After they were gone he cancelled the changeling spell and laughed out loud. "Oh....oh how funny....oh if they could have seen the looks on their faces. Oh I forgot how much fun it was to mess with the nobles." Trotting out of the alley he began the trek towards Cadence's home humming and softly singing a little tune to himself.
He was so focused on his destination and his song he didn't notice the cloud following him.
========================================
Spell trotted up to the door of his 'sisters' house and knocked. He waited for about a minute listening to crashes coming from inside as the occupant hurried to get to the door. Just before it opened he decided to have some fun and changed back into the mare he disguised as. When Shining Armour opened the door and found a mare on his doorstep he was very confused. He was expecting the stallion that had looked after his little sis.
"Can I help you?"
"You don't recognize me Shiny?" Now he was even more confused. Here this mare was suggesting he should know her, and she even called him by his pet name used by his friends to back this point up.
"n..no i don't. Sorry."
"Oh....well that saddens me. Can I come in?"
"Ye..ah i guess so. The house is a bit of a mess. We were cleaning expecting someone else."
"That’s ok Shiny. I'm used to seeing the mess you leave behind." As the mare trotted into the house Shining was more confused than ever. Who was this mare. How did she know him?
"Um...not to be rude, but who are you?"
"Oh, well i guess you can call me Sweet heart." "If Cadence doesn't see through this spell she is gonna be pissed at him for calling another mare sweet heart" Spell thought to himself with a chuckle.
"Sweet heart?"
"Yes Shiny?" Cadence’s voice drifted through the door way and a second later she entered the room. She looked over at the mare then her husband and got very confused, as did Shining. Spell, or Sweet Heart as he was known currently smiled at them, the snorted, then broke out into a full blown laughter.
"OH....the looks on your faces....priceless." He continued laughing, as Shining got confused why a male voice which sounded familiar escaped the mare’s lips. Cadence understood what was happening faster than her counterpart.
"Ha ha very funny Brother. Drop the act now." She tried her best to hide a smile at her brother's antics as he changed back into his proper form. "You've gotten better at acting like a mare it seems."
"Well when you live around so many you pick up a few things. Hello Shiny. Sorry for tricking you but it was worth it. And hello sister." He trotted pass a very very confused Shining Armour and hugged Cadence. Shining continued staring at him for a couple seconds and shook his head leaving the room muttering something about tricksters and some rather unpleasant things.
"Don't worry about him. He'll get over it."
"I know. Anyway how are you sister?"
"I'm fine. No wedding present for us?" Cadence teased knowing about the excuse he gave everypony in Ponyville.
"Oh you know I sent you one already. And you know that was just an excuse so they wouldn't worry."
They both trotted over to the living room and took seats on the couch. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me brother?" Cadence asked.
"When I was in Dayflow, I found out who my father is......he's. well I'll start from the beginning.
He began to retell his time in Dayflow, leaving out nothing this time. Shining began to enter the room halfway through, but saw how important this conversation was, and decided it was best to leave them alone. He declared that he was going out for a walk so they wouldn't get worried when they didn't find him around the house.
Half an hour later Spell finished his tale and looks down on the couch. He began playing with his hair with his hooves out of nervousness. "So yeah....I'm the son of chaos."
"woah....." Cadence remained quiet for a while looking at her 'brother'. She knew it took a lot of bravery to tell her this and could see how troubled he was at this. She then drew him into a hug wrapping her wings around him. "It's ok brother. I accept you, and so will everypony else. But first you need to accept yourself."
"What do you mean?" Spell looked up at his sister still in the hug, tears forming on his pupil-less eyes.
"I mean that first you need to accept you are Discord's son or you will be torn apart. Why don't you visit his statue. Wait till tonight. That way you'll be alone."
"Yes....I think I will."
"And of course you'll stay for dinner. I haven't been working my flank of in the kitchen so you can wander off depressed without eating it."
"Of course I'll have dinner, as long as it's actually food you're serving this time." Spell teased with a smile. Cadence also smiled and began laughing. Shiny returned into the house to find them smiling, laughing and having what seemed to be a pillow fight. "Just like old times"he thought to himself before walking into the kitchen.
======================================================
Late in the night Spell left the house and wandered down to the Canterlot Gardens. Cadence watched him go from her balcony.
"I'm worried about him Shiny. When he finds out that Celestia has always know, it's gonna hit him hard. He'll probably feel betrayed."
"Don't worry Cadence. He'll be fine. He's a strong guy. He'll pull through."
"I hope so, otherwise we may have to deal with a force worse than Discord."
They returned to the house closing the door, as a cloud began trailing Spell down the street.
A/N Things are coming to the boiling point. What is this cloud that keeps following Spell? As if you don't know. But the answer shall be revealed soon.