Twilight Twinkle, aged ten
She stared the present, eyeing it suspiciously. She wondered, oh how she wondered just what it could be. She gently took the wrapping paper off, revealing...
A book. Again.
"A Guide to Marine Life." The cover proclaimed. She sighed. Presumably mother had bought her the book because of all those times they'd gone to the beach. Or rather, father had taken her to the beach while her mother had stayed at home studying friendship, or magic.
"Thanks." She said, half-heartedly. Maybe she'd read it if they got snowed in. Her mother just beamed.
"You're welcome, Twinkie." She ignored the nickname, moving on to the next present, and the one after that. Only one of the presents had been from her mother, as it turned out. She wondered about that. What good was studying 'friendship' when it didn't teach you to buy more than one present, and always the same kind of present? Did she buy Aunt Dash a book every year? Auntie Pinkie?
And then the day began. Just because it was her birthday, didn't mean she got the day off school.
*****
Several hours later, and father and daughter were walking home through the streets of Canterlot, Twinkle's father going at a slower pace for his daughter's sake.
"Dad?" The filly said.
"Yeah?"
"..."
"Is something bothering you?" The little pony looked up at her father. He smiled gently.
"Did I do something wrong? How come mom barely talks to me anymore?"
"Your mother's just busy, Twinkie. You know that."
"Too busy to spend time with us?" Her father sighed. It wasn't fair for her, she was only a child.
"Just because she's not always with you, doesn't mean she isn't always in here." He said, pointing a hoof at her heart.
"I know that," she scowled, "it's just..."
He stopped her, and knelt down next to her.
"Twilight Twinkle, your mother loves you and your father loves you, and we will never not love you. You are our daughter, and we will protect you no matter what. And anyone who says otherwise is an idiot." She began to smile.
"You mean that?"
"Yeah."
She hugged him.
"Thanks dad."
He smiled back.
"Don't worry, Twinkle. I'll always be here for you."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-ouch. Stings."
He smiled as his daughter giggled at his deliberate self-injury.
"Now let's go get somepony something to eat before they collapse from starvation, because I know for a fact you didn't eat at school."
"Didn't need to" Twilight Twinkle said, ignoring the slight murmur from her stomach that said otherwise.
*****
"Wispy!" She smiled, embracing the pegasus, whose wings fluttered in shock as she did. He didn't exactly return the favor, but she could tell he didn't mind all the same.
"Hello, Twilight Twinkle."
"Good to see you again, even if you are a grouch." She laughed.
"Maybe I only seem like a grouch, as you put it, because you insist on running head-first into danger." Her smile vanished.
"Oh, and 'happy birthday'. I apologise for being unable to attend."
"It's okay Wispy. I know you don't like parties." He looked about.
"I don't... 'mind' parties. I do live in Ponyville, after all." He almost smirked at that, "It's just that I prefer smaller sociable events." The filly and the colt walked along the streets of Ponyville, their mothers behind chatting idly.
"How is school in Canterlot?" The golden-brown pegasus asked.
"It's... fine. It's fine." She said, staring at the stores they were walking past.
"You don't like it." The blue unicorn looked to see where her mother was. She siddled closer to Whisper Wind.
"It could be better. Mother argued I deserved to be skipped ahead a few grades, and they agreed."
"I thought you'd be happy."
"Yes, Wispy, I really enjoy learning about modern politics and geography and economics." She deadpanned. She sighed.
"They said I shouldn't bother trying to become an explorer because 'everything's been discovered' already. Bunch'a jerks. And they're all suck ups, trailing around my hoofs like I was..." She looked at Wisp.
"I don't like it." She said quietly. Then she stared at the pegasus again.
"Are you alright, Whispy?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just... you look a bit pale."
His eyes flickered briefly. "I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Nothing serious."
"You'd tell me otherwise, right?"
He gave a put-upon sigh, "I already have one mother, Twilight Twinkle. I don't need two."
"You need to work on your sense of humour."
*****
Aged Twelve
They would joke about it later. They would recount it as nothing more than a comedic series of blunders, the 'camping trip from Tartarus' as Shining Sapphire called it. At the time, it wasn't really funny.
They had somehow managed to wander into timberwolf territory, and nearly gotten themselves killed. It was only because of Shining Sapphire's quick-thinking they'd managed to hold out long enough to come up with a stratagem. Which had been to rush past the wolves and hope the young alicorn could teleport. Just as she'd been about to, Whisper Wind had been grazed by a hefty claw to the side.
"WISP!" Twinkle and Sapphire yelled at once. He was lying on his side, not moving and breathing strangely. Both mares blasted the giant walking pile of wood and rushed over to him.
"Whatdowedo? What do we do?" The blue unicorn asked.
"Shut up, I don't know. I didn't read any books about this." Her cousin panicked. There was an odd humming noise building up. Twinkle looked at her horn. It was glowing, even though she wasn't trying to cast magic.
"What the?" she muttered. She could she the timberwolves returning, and they looked furious. The two fillies stood on either side of the wounded colt, not noticing the odd green tint to his wounds.
Twinkle looked at her horn, and the approaching timberwolf. She instantly placed a hoof on Shining Sapphire and Whisper. The hum built in intensity, and then there was a flash of light.
*****
Twinkle opened her eyes, she was in Ponyville, alongside Whisper and Sapphire. The sun was shining and everything smelt of apples. She turned to Whisper, whose eyes had closed and he was beginning to shake.
"SOMEPONY HELP!" She yelled.
*****
The waiting was the worst part. She wasn't sure of how long she'd been waiting, but after what felt like an eternity Fluttershy and her mother had arrived.
"Well" the doctor said to Fluttershy, "His wounds were unusual, possibly some variety of poison on the timber wolf's claws, but I think we've managed to heal the worst of it, and there shouldn't be any scarring. A few days rest and he should be out of her" Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. Twinkle just sat a short distance away behind her mother. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.
"Thank you, doctor." The medical stallion simply nodded, before walking down the hallway. Fluttershy turned to look at Twinkle before she went to check up on her son. Twinkle didn't meet her gaze.
*****
Twilight Sparkle walked down the streets of Ponyville, her daughter barely keeping up. Twilight Twinkle wondered what was going on. She knew she was in trouble, but why wasn't her mother saying anything, not even a 'I'm disappointed in you'. Eventually they reached the library, and the elder mare stopped. She turned to look at Twilight Twinkle, still saying nothing.
"Mom, are you going to say something?"
"Sit down." She said, motioning to a chair. The filly walked over to it and sat down.
"I... am disappointed in you. Very disappointed. What you did was irresponsible and foolish and almost got you, your cousin and your friend killed." She looked like she was about to say more. She sighed.
"But there is no punishment I could think of suitable for your actions, not after having to see your friend be so seriously injured. But you are grounded, young lady. And you can forget visiting your aunt and uncle again."
"'kay" the little unicorn said, barely audible. The purple alicorn looked at her, uncertainty in her eyes.
"There is something I should tell you about your friend, Whisper Wind. I was going to wait until you were older, but..." she paused for a few seconds, "He is not like most other ponies. Or any pony"
Twinkle looked up at her mother.
"What?"
She explained. Twilight Twinkle's eyes went wide.
*****
Whisper Wind lay on the hospital bed, staring at the walls. He could still feel an ache along his side, though fortunately he had no scarring. The only problem now was surviving the tedious boredom of the hospital. There was a knock on the door. He looked to see Twilight Twinkle standing there, looking incredibly ashamed.
"Hello." He said.
"Hi. Can I come in?" She said, staring at her hooves the whole while.
"Yes." The unicorn wandered over to his bed. She smiled slightly.
"You... feeling okay?"
"As well as can be expected." She looked nervous about something.
"Did you want something?" He asked.
"Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing." He looked at the earnest smile on her face. It flickered. She was a terrible liar.
"Wisp, I..." She leaned in. "I know." He stared at her, almost like her eyes were scanning him.
"About what?"
"I know." She repeated. And then it sank in.
"I see."
There was a brief pause. She looked at him, and a curious look passed across her face.
"Can I see?"
He blinked his bright blue eyes.
"I mean, if you don't feel comfy with doing it, I get it. I do."
There was a brief pause.
"If I do show you, do you promise not to be scared?"
She frowned and raised a hoof.
"I do solemnly swear not to be scared." He sighed.
"Okay then." He stood up straight, wincing slightly as he did, and relaxed. There was a faint noise like glass breaking, and he stood revealed. His golden-brown fur had been replaced by charcoal grey chitin, his hair utterly vanished, save for a stubby little tail. His wings were now different, more like those of a fly. From Twinkle's perspective of him standing in front of the window, the sun setting behind him, it was almost unbelievable.
"Um..." she said, staring at him, her jaw slightly open.
"This is me, Twilight Twinkle." She was staring at his forehead, and his eyes and he couldn't help but notice her staring at his wings.
"They're beautiful..." She said in hushed awe.
She hopped up onto the bed and raised a hoof towards one of the wings, the sunlight glinting off of them. Her hoof touched it, and it twitched slightly, buzzing.
She giggled.
"Are your wings ticklish?" She smiled.
"Perhaps" he said.
"Does it hurt, when you do it? What does it feel like? What do you eat?" She laughed, bouncing up and down.
"Actually, how do you eat, 'cuz you've got fangs right, and you don't need food, so what are you eating? What do emotions taste l-" in a desperate attempt to stop her, he jabbed a hoof in her mouth. It seemed to make his point clear. He focused, and returned to looking like a pegasus.
"Sorry" she said, smiling nervously.
"I'll tell you at some point." He smirked slightly, "When I've recovered" He could see the regret in her.
"Don't worry, Twinkle. I'm not holding a grudge, and I don't think Shining Sapphire has it in her, if she's anything like her mother."
"Thanks." The unicorn muttered, though she was annoyed by that. Then she looked at him.
"But I think I'm going to hold a grudge against myself though. It was my idea" She said.
"Shining Sapphire and I agreed to go along with you, though."
"Let me have my guilt." She smiled, briefly. Then she looked around the room.
"I should probably go. My... mother said I was grounded. But I'll try and visit at some point" She hopped off the bed and waved a hoof as she left. He simply have a very slight smile back. He sighed. And here his mother had been worried about him revealing his 'secret' to anypony. Of course, once he gave it some though he wondered if he should have been concerned about the twinge of envy he'd noticed in Twinkle.
*****
Much later, as Whisper Wind slept, hooves made their way across the floor. They silently made their way to Whisper Wind's bed, where he was resting, occasionaly twitching. A hoof ruffled his hair. He murmured something.
"Oh, it's only me dear. Only your mother." Soothed the voice. The hoof ran along to his side, and the dark green scars, now healing, from where the timberwolf had slashed him. The sleeping colt winced and there was a slight whimper.
"Hush my little one, you must be exhausted." In the darkness, two dark green orbs lit up the room. They revealed a face that most certainly was not Fluttershy. A mouth split into a wide smile, revealing a mouth with sharp fanged teeth. And the Changeling Queen began to sing. For the first few seconds it sounded like a lullaby, until it very quickly revealed itself to be anything but. The colt murmured something in his sleep, and she stopped. She looked down at him, her horn glowing slightly as she continued moving a hoof over his stomach. Then she continued onward with her song, more for herself at that point, her tone turning sadistically gleeful as she described revenge on one pony in specific: Shining Armor. When she finished, she sighed contentedly. Then, she chuckled to herself, stroking the sleeping child one last time.
"Sweet dreams, my little one."