//------------------------------// // New Friends // Story: Changing Times // by Silent Quill //------------------------------// A fortnight passed, and the Changelings who had taken refuge within Canterlot were still being given temporary lodging within the royal castle. They didn’t seem to mind that they were effectively led everywhere they went outside of the castle walls by guards, only that they were amongst the public. After what the Changelings were now referring to as the ‘Glitter Incident’ they would always wear a pony disguise in public. None of them wanted to risk being the next victim of the public’s racism and distaste, and it showed on their faces when they would leave for work. The only Changeling who didn’t was Grall, who would tend to the Wedlock Memorial without a disguise in pride. Flitterwing’s novel had hit the shelves the fortnight earlier, and while it wasn’t an overnight success, it did become strangely popular. The ‘About the Author’ section didn’t include any information about her being a Changeling, stating simply that she was a single mother resident of Canterlot who endured the Changeling assault on the grand marble city. Her Changeling medical anatomy and care book also found surprising success amongst the hospitals of Equestria. Since they were public knowledge and were free to roam Equestria as they wished, doctors and nurses as far as Appleloosa wanted to ensure that they could care for any Changelings who might show up. Who knew, maybe the platoon that the Princesses had sent out to find wounded but alive changelings had missed some simply because the means to check their vitals were not reliable enough and had simply missed them in their comatose state? Glitter slowly picked up new words from the other Changelings and ponies around her, even from the books she would read or have read to her by her mother. She was showing improvement in her flight, and the lecturers at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns had noticed the mare and filly that frequented the library and gave a little help to the filly by teaching her the basics of levitation magic. Glitter had been frightened by the elder Unicorns, and hid from them behind her mother until Flitterwing reassured her and joined in with teaching her how to use her magic. Though the end result was weak, barely capable of lifting the small books which Glitter had been reading, the Unicorns had simply stated that she was about on par with Unicorns of her age, and that she would become more powerful over time. Their home was half done, the rubble of the old building had been cleared away and a new structure had been raised in its place. It was slightly larger, the interior design aiming for open space and overhangs like the caves of the original Hive. Ponies had been contracted from all over Equestria to aid in the construction, and it was going smoothly, with Buzzyear giving design ideas and aid during its process. Chrysalis had aided with the designs of the internal building as well, such as the overhangs and general earthy feel that the Hive had. A glassed-over stream ran through the middle, a key feature which their Hive held, aiding in cooling the complex. While this stream would only be a water feature, it was at least something that she felt their new Hive should have to aid in the sense of home. Individual rooms, while originally having been of the same earthy origins as the rest of the Hive, were going to be decorated how the Changelings wanted their rooms to be. Flitterwing already had grand designs in plan for her room… She had discussed, briefly, with Chrysalis about the need to get Glitter some form of education. While the kind Unicorn lecturers had aided her somewhat, she didn’t want to rely on generosity to educate the filly. It would help, but actual schooling was required. Chrysalis had been concerned over the filly’s lack of proper education, but wasn’t sure what the school starting age was in Equestria. Changelings were taught as early as possible back in the old Hive, the need to learn how to use their magic, wings and two different cultures would take up a large amount of their years until they were old enough to head out and collect love for the Hive. Now that the pressing need for urgency wasn’t weighing down their choices, they were unsure. Shred had voiced his opinion, the first time he had spoken out as a worried Hivemate and not as Chrysalis’ personal guard in years, and had suggested they ask somepony who would know. And so Flitterwing had gone so far as to wait for Princess Celestia to not be busy during the day to ask her, and Celestia had gently laughed and advised that young ponies started school at five years old, though quite a lot of ponies would be introduced to education in pre-school. It wasn’t required, and could be skipped altogether, as it was essentially just a glorified day-care for foals whose parents either didn’t have the time to care for them, or didn’t really seem to want to care for them. Chrysalis had grumbled that, after her short stint in Equestria’s government, she had seen all too many of the latter walking around Canterlot. Celestia had been a little irked by it, but she hadn’t denied that, yes, even the ponies in Canterlot -the richest city in the richest kingdom- could be selfish and spiteful. The nobles were especially guilty of this hubris. She mentioned that Princess Luna had begun to work on frightening them back into line. Pride and lineage would only get a pony so far, and with Luna it was starting to spread that it could get somepony a one-way trip to the city dumps for a little humility lesson. Flitterwing had decided, after her conversation with the Princess that she would give her what education she could, a head start on the other ponies at least, on her own. The Royal Library, however, did not have much in the way of beginner education books, aimed more at reading material for the Princesses, parliament and the lecturers at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. No, after weeks of hiding from Canterlot’s populous, they would have to brave a trip to the Canterlot Public Library. It was a worrying thing to decide for Flitterwing; she’d barely left the castle since the assault, terrified of those beyond the walls and the horrors they could easily inflict upon the mother and daughter, the horrors that had already been inflicted once. Unlike the other Changelings, Flitterwing and Glitter were being led through Canterlot by two Royal Guards. After the assault on the mare and filly, Chrysalis had demanded that they had a pair of guards to protect them and not a single who could be easily overpowered, who had been easily overpowered. Celestia, having also been somewhat worried about the mother and daughter pair, had agreed quite readily and assigned one of her more veteran Royal Guards to join them. The Stallion was strong and steady; every step he took was made in confidence and pride. His armour featured nicks and scores from the recent invasion, but it had been feather buffed with great care and he wore it proudly. He didn’t seem to recognize Flitterwing, but she certainly knew him. Or, at least, she had met him before. He’d been the guard to chase her into the apartment’s air duct. Ponies gave way to the four ponies as they wandered through town; the newspaper report on the assault fresh in everyponies mind. Just how alienated she was from those around her made her hang her head, even Glitter seemed to find it upsetting. Even in the middle of town, amongst hundreds of others, they were alone. Soon enough the front doors of the library loomed over the heads of the small group, and Flitterwing gingerly nudged one of the ornately carved doors open and wandered inside, the guards still tailing her into the building dutifully. The librarian gave her odd and worried looks, something that the Changelings had come to accept as normal over the course of the last month. Still, she didn’t shy away as most ponies had a habit to do, simply giving them a kind nod before returning to her work. It had been some time since Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike had left the libraries of Canterlot for Ponyville, and this library had become not only quieter in their absence but also neater; the head librarian had some time on her hooves these days, and she had organized the shelves no less than three times, even finding some books that she had long since thought missing and placing them carefully back into their appropriate place on the shelves. Twilight Sparkle’s furious studying had not done the alphabetic order of the library any good during her time, but now everything was organized and filed, neat and tidy, and ponies could actually find what they were looking for when they came into the large and ornate building. The spines of the books painted the shelves in jumbled rainbows of colour, some with their entire collection of subsequent books making sections of the shelves stand out in blocky lumps. Still, Flitterwing was a pony who knew nothing about libraries except that they stored books, and she had no idea where to begin. Should she look on the ground floor, or the upper floor? Near the entrance or near the back windows? What if the library didn’t even have the kinds of books she was looking for? She stepped up to the counter and looked over the beautifully carved mahogany at the librarian still craned over her work. “Umm… miss?” Flitterwing nervously probed. The librarian looked up from her desk at her, a gentle smile on her lips. “Oh, yes dear?” “D-do you have education books here? Say, for a filly’s basic education?” She emphasized her question by gently bouncing Glitter on her back, the filly giggling and hugging her in return. The librarian nodded with a smile. “Of course we do, would you like me to show you to them?” “Could you, please?” The librarian nodded and stepped down from the desk, motioning for the Changeling to follow her as she led them over to a corner of the library. Here the books were written with larger letters and bright colours, each one inviting potential young ponies to pick them up and read them. “These are our learning books for foals; we have story books on the next bracket of shelves.” The librarian said, pointing to the books. “Feel free to find books that you like and we can go through the next stage of the borrowing process for public libraries; if you need any help, I’ll be at the front desk.” At that she dawdled back to where she had been working before, returning to her temporarily interrupted work. With a smile Flitterwing looked through the books eagerly, each one had something that she knew would help Glitter in some way; books teaching the alphabet, others teaching basic mathematics, a few small books on teaching her how to cast spells, and a couple of simple books for her to practice reading on her own. The array was larger than she had hoped, and she happily levitated a few books from the shelves. One or two from teaching the alphabet and words, a book on mathematics and a small book on basic magic use for foals were selected from the shelves and added to her saddlebags. She dawdled through the adult fiction section, impressed by the selection, and finding the books by ‘Crescent Scribe’ and selecting a novel for herself to read between writing her own and caring for Glitter before returning to the front desk. She felt somewhat indebted to the author of these novels for the aid she had provided the young mother, but she also found them to be enjoyable reads. She’d finished reading Lunar Heart thrice now, and she felt she needed something more added to her repertoire, even if it was only to be temporary. Satisfied with her selections, she moved back to the front desk and looked over at the librarian, who looked up to her with a smile. “Did you find something, miss?” Flitterwing nodded. “Umm, yeah;” she replied, looking back to her saddlebags and levitating the books to the desk gingerly, “I’d like to borrow these if that’s alright?” The librarian nodded. “Of course miss, I just need to enter some details into the system.” She said. “Let’s see… home address?” Flitterwing sighed faintly. “At the moment we’re in the Castle, though that will probably change soon; if you need me to I can return with a change of address after we move.” The librarian nodded, writing this down. “And… name?” “Flitterwing.” The librarian wrote this down before blinking, her eyes widening and a smile spreading on her face. “Really?” Flitterwing nodded. “I wouldn’t lie about who I am, not after the… incident.” The librarian gasped and hurried off with a huge smile, returning soon with a black coated book. A circular hole in the hard cover of the novel, while not deep enough to leave the paper beneath showing, mimicked those that adorned Changelings. The title read ‘Changing Dreams’. Flitterwing sighed. “Yes, that is my book, or at least I wrote it.” She affirmed, before the librarian could even ask. “C-could you sign it? Please?” The librarian asked eagerly. “Then I’ll have an excuse to put it down in the archives for future generations! We archive rare writings or valuable collectable works of literature; this will guarantee your book a place within our collection!” She had a grin that almost split her face. “Oh, I can’t wait to let Twilight Sparkle know I managed to get a bestseller to sign a book for our collection! She’s going to be so jealous!” Flitterwing blinked confusedly at the librarian before giving a gentle laugh and signing her name onto the inside of the book’s cover with an offered marker. Later that evening, after a blissfully uneventful return from the library in town, Flitterwing and Glitter sat within the Royal Library at a desk working through a book on learning the Equestrian alphabet. Glitter was making surprising headway, and Flitterwing was pleased with how enthusiastic she was. She grumbled internally that she wished Glitter could be this enthusiastic about eating her sprouts, the one vegetable that the filly would fuss over and deny out of every meal they were cooked for them. Well, at least the Princesses didn’t find any offense to it; Flitterwing wasn’t sure if she would live that down. No, instead the Princesses seemed to find it amusing. Teaching Glitter with no prior teaching experience was rocky, but she assumed that if she gave short pop quizzes and tested her knowledge on what she’d learned during their short sessions, and praised and rewarded her for giving correct answers then she’d learn better. The filly was eager, and each correct answer and new piece of knowledge made her more and more cheerful and almost desperate to learn more. To gain the praise that her mother would give her for each and every piece of learning she displayed seemed to be enough reward for her. Maybe she was just that thrilled to have positive encouragement from her mother? It was certainly something that Flitterwing found encouraging, but she was sure that Glitter still needed to play as well, so every few hours she broke the monotony of learning with a play session. After all, all work and no play make Jack a dull colt. And so began the routine that would see them through for a long time, the only real interruption when they moved into their new home, affectionately named 'Little Hive'. The Changelings were very pleased with the end result, right down to the stream that ran through the middle of their home and the garden out behind the main building for growing their own crops. A communal kitchen, individual rooms spanning three partial floors, walk in cupboard and coolers for food storage, even a large shower block for them to bathe in. Each private room had an attached en-suite bathroom. Windows were lockable and magically enchanted to be impossible to break, curtains hung in rooms and banners draped from the ceiling in the main ‘hall’. Black silk with golden thread and three green hearts, one on each top corner and one on the bottom edge of the fine fabric, hung from the ceiling; the otherwise square banners featuring a cut which curled around in a loop on the bottom to form an evident circular section had been removed, at the top of which was the third, and largest, heart. A crest which looked much like the outlines torso of a Changeling from above with its wings flared and a large horn in between which curved at the top not unlike Chrysalis’ own adorned them. There was a sense of space not unlike that of their original Hive. In all, it was a home away from home. Each room had a bed within it for the resident pony, with Flitterwing and Glitters on the ground floor having a bed for each of them. Other than this, their rooms were bland and featureless. Flitterwing, not wanting to leave her room so sparse and Spartan, ordered new, grander bedframes, some bookshelves and a closet for any clothes they might buy in the future. For lack of much else to put up on the walls, she also bought a poster for both the Wonderbolts and Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns. The Wonderbolts were something that even the Changelings had found impressive, their flight capabilities truly a wonder, and the poster for the Princess’s school she hoped would give Glitter something to aspire to. Of course, she made sure that Glitter’s dolls had prime positions in the room where they could be seen best and yet were easily accessible to the filly should she want to play with them. Granted on the day they arrived she wasn’t too interested with the stuffed dolls for once, more eagerly looking around Little Hive than anything and enjoying the attention that her fellow Changelings gave her as she curiously looked into their rooms; but Flitterwing wanted Glitter to know that her dolls, her precious toys were in prominent places in the room. She was important to Flitterwing, above all else. She’d not had much time growing up at their first Hive to remember it; most of her memories were of the castle and tent, so this cave-like home was a wholly new experience for her. Still, she didn’t seem to hate it. If anything, she was fascinated by the stalactites and stalagmites. Chrysalis could see almost the entire Hive from her room on the second floor, the building designed specifically with her need to know where her Changelings were, and of all of them she had the largest room with Flitterwing and Glitter’s coming in a close second. She was going to fill it with all the creature comforts she could manage as well as anything she required for her work alongside Princesses Celestia and Luna; bookshelves and a desk at which she could work, a large latticework for her to store scrolls and letters from her co-workers and the Princesses. After the Changelings had been settled into Canterlot life and added to Equestria’s populous, Chrysalis had been given the task of overseeing affairs which involved her own race, including the repairs to Canterlot. It seemed Celestia had found a convenient way to hoof off some work to another, as well as punish Chrysalis even if only slightly by forcing her to see what her foolish campaign had caused. Chrysalis had taken it in her stride, bowing her head and thanking Princess Celestia for offering her such a position so close to her own beloved subjects. It would hopefully prove to become a busy and important role over the years as the Changelings adapted to and melded into Equestria’s society. Unicorns had been taught a simple and effective spell to break through the illusion magic of Changelings, just in case any Changelings decided to hide from the authorities. It was unlikely that any were out there, Chrysalis had advised; the Hive Mind was a difficult thing for the Changelings to break free of, and potentially dangerous for their health to do so. After being linked to one another for so long, being separated from the Hive Mind would likely break their minds and drive them insane. It was just… damaging to have those voices for so long, only to lose them all. Still, the possibility that there were Changelings hiding amongst the pony population of Equestria gave them some small amount of hope. If they were simply disconnected from the Hive Mind and disguised as ponies, or had suffered from severe head trauma and had no recollection of anything… The only way that any of them would know was if they came forth and exposed themselves or were found. Even back before the Canterlot invasion there were Changelings who had ‘deserted’. They had gone out into Equestria to harvest food, any food, for the Hive and simply never returned, neither listening nor speaking into the Hive Mind, some possibly even having managed to disconnect from it altogether and forge new lives. One had, a few years back, been found by another scout in Manehattan with a family of her own; a husband and child on the way. The Hive had been amazed that she was expecting a foal, and Chrysalis had, by way of the scout, demanded to know how it was possible, how she had managed to breed with this… Pony husband of hers. ‘The usual way,’ had been her short and irritable response. This had baffled the Hive; Changelings could breed with ponies? They’d never even considered it a possibility. The Changeling medical world had been rocked to its core, and began furiously studying what they could after this to try and see if it were, indeed, true. Chrysalis had dismissed the research, letting them continue to solve the riddle while she cast a disinterested eye over it despite that it could change the future of her subjects in ways that even she couldn’t understand. She had found it a cruel irony that the research she had dismissed as pointless had become the only solution to the future of the few Changelings still in Equestria. Yes, the Changelings could breed with ponies, though it was easier if they were disguised as a pony at the time as the physiology would match their mate, even if only in disguise. Dropping their disguise didn’t lose the unborn foal, either. It was at that point a proven fact and yet all the same a worrying one. Changeling and ponies breeding led to one of three things; ponies, Changelings, or hybrids. Hybrids had been rare occurrences in their studies, but they didn’t seem to be much different from ponies except for their tell-tale Changeling features. Earth Pony hybrids would have the familiar holes in their hooves, but all the strength and vigour of their non-hybrid cousins. Pegasus hybrids would have the insect-like wings of purebred Changelings, and though they couldn’t fly quite as fast as purebred Pegasus, they could make turns in their flight path that put their Pegasus cousins to shame. Finally were the Unicorn hybrids. Again they would appear completely normal; right down to their horn, but their magic was a dead giveaway for their true nature. Almost always a violent green aura which would look more like flames would accompany their magic, and they could shape-shift at will, provided they learned how to harness the latent power. Only nine hybrids had ever been recorded, three of each, by Changeling history. Assumedly more had been born throughout the years yet had been chased out of town, had hidden within society successfully as normal ponies, or had just never survived being branded a freak and monster. Amazingly, all three could manage to link to the Hive Mind, though it had only happened in four of the nine known cases, and even then they had to be taught how to do it much like Changelings foals did. They would find the Hive Mind fascinating, and would often sequester themselves away to listen to the multitude of voices. Though, even armed with this incredible revelation of importance to the Changelings, one thing would keep them from attempting to find companionship with the ponies in Canterlot. It was a cold hard fact that the Changelings found somewhat… frustrating; Equestrian ponies were viciously xenophobic, at least to Changelings, even before the desperate assault on Canterlot. It had always been this way, and it was part of what fueled the public scrutiny over them. Still, with the Changelings settled into Little Hive, life seemed to become smoother, and they soon grew used to Canterlot and the denizens within its walls. ~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~ For a few years, life was quiet and simple; the Changelings got along with their daily lives, Canterlot was carefully and lovingly restored, and Flitterwing managed to write several more books between her task of caretaking for the Hive and helping Glitter grow. The filly was nothing if not enthused by learning, and she delved into the teaching books that her mother would borrow from the public library with an unbridled passion. Flitterwing considered attempting to get her into Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns, but never really thought of following through with the plan. Yes, her daughter was bright, but… getting her into that prestigious school would be expensive, not to mention that Glitter would spend days, if not weeks, at the school without returning home due to studying. She didn’t want to lose her daughter for those large sections of time. Not to mention the nagging detail of her not being a Unicorn. Still, it was about time for her to go to a school for learning. Flitterwing was running out of things to teach her without giving her an unfair advantage on the other students, even the most studious ones. She’d learned how to fly to some degree, and she did have a faint hold on magic. She’d been told not to use it for anything too strenuous, advised that if she had to strain to use it, it would probably wear her out. She hadn’t added that if she did strain to use it, she ran the risk of setting fire to whatever she was trying to use her magic on. No, telling a filly that they had the power to start fires was, even to Changelings, a big no-no. She’d been taught how to connect to the Hive Mind, and her voice was added to the nine others within the collective communicative network. She was quiet, and didn’t seem to listen to it much, and, after a week of connecting, had been found to disconnect from it for huge periods of the day. This worried the others greatly, but Chrysalis had calmly stated that it was fine. If Glitter got used to the cacophony of voices that would join her head when connected to the Hive Mind, then it would become a concern. Disconnecting as an adult Changeling who had been part of the Hive Mind for their whole life was dangerous because it was impossible to readjust to being alone again. If Glitter connected only when she needed to, she wouldn’t run the same risk. After all, ponies managed perfectly fine with but their own voice in their heads didn’t they? And so the day came when the now five year old filly was enrolled into school, and although she was nervous she did follow her mother to the Canterlot schoolhouse. They didn’t get odd looks in town, as they had both disguised as ponies for the walk over. Flitterwing was currently holding the shape of a green coated Unicorn mare with yellow hair and a book for a Cutie Mark; it was a disguise that she had been working on herself for weeks, and she was certain that there were no other ponies in Canterlot that looked like her. Glitter, on the other hoof, had encountered a snag in her disguise; despite being taught quite thoroughly by the other Changelings, even by Chrysalis herself, how to disguise herself she would always be white with pale green eyes. She’d taken almost a dozen different attempted forms, including switching genders, but had failed to change these seemingly minor and simple to change details. It wasn’t that she didn’t try; she tried very hard to change her colours, but it seemed that her lack of pigmentation would follow through onto whatever form she took, and changing the shape of her eyes did not alter the colour of the blood that flowed within her. It was something that Chrysalis admitted was a flaw that all albino Changelings had featured in their disguise magic, and it was also why no albino Changeling had ever been allowed out into pony culture; the possibility of being discovered was exponentially greater than the chance of other Changelings. They were still treasured; albinos being signs of good luck in the Hive. At the same time however, the filly couldn’t choose between having a horn for magic or wings for flight in her disguise; she had taken the horn for now, figuring that flight wasn’t going to be a big factor in school, but her mother had told her that she would be shedding her disguise once in class anyway. After all, honesty was the best policy, and they didn’t need to hide from the public like they once had; letting the other colts and fillies know who and what she was would hopefully endear them to her. They dawdled up to the class in which she was enrolled, one of about four which was scheduled for the day. Canterlot was a big, big city, and there were three schools within its walls, including Princess Celestia’s School for Talented Unicorns; this school was the quieter of the two public schools, and the closest to the Hive. They stood outside Glitter’s classroom to hear the teacher commenting on having a special student joining them for class. Flitterwing waved to get her attention, and the mare smiled and waved them in eagerly. “Ah, here she is now.” She said warmly. “Class, I’d like to introduce you to Glitter and her mother.” The class gave a generic welcome as the two ‘ponies’ walked into the class, stopping next to the teacher’s desk, the younger filly keeping cover behind her mother as best she could. “Glitter is joining our class, and she’s a little bit… different.” The teacher said as her horn flashed and the classroom door closed. She gave them a cheerful smile. “If you’d like to show the class why I say that? In your own time if you could?” Flitterwing nodded faintly and looked down to her daughter with an encouraging smile. They seemed to count to three in their heads before closing their eyes gently and allowing their disguises to fade. Green flames roared around them, generating no heat but illuminating the room for the brief moment that they flared. When the fire faded, two Changelings stood side by side, mother and daughter. They opened their eyes to look out over the class. The colts and fillies reeled in shock, fumbling out of their chairs and scurrying to the far side of the classroom. Flitterwing gave a worried blink at their reaction, and Glitter hid behind her, peering out from behind one leg. Her teacher was the one to return some sanity to the classroom. “Get back to your seats, stop yelling!” She snapped angrily. “She’s as frightened of you as you are of her!” She added, pointing to the cowering filly. Reluctantly the students returned to their seats, all eyeing the Changelings frightfully as she looked back with frightened curiosity. “Thank you.” The teacher grumbled. “Now, class, as I’ve said, Glitter will be joining us in class this year; as you may have noticed,” she gave the class an irritable glare to punctuate this word, “she and her mother are Changelings. You have no reason to be afraid of her; she’s been in Canterlot now with what remains of her kind for… how long has it been, Ms Flitterwing?” “Mrs,” Flitterwing calmly corrected, “and it’s been about three years since we took up refuge within Canterlot. I feel that I must say it’s a wonderful city.” “Oh, I do apologise.” The teacher said. “Well, I’ll be sure to ask if a Changeling can come in and give the class a lecture on Changelings when we’re studying the differences between ponies in a couple of months.” Flitterwing nodded. “We can talk about it after school when I come to pick her up?” “Of course.” Flitterwing smiled and leaned down to Glitter, giving her a reassuring smile. “Go find a seat sweetie, I’ll be back to pick you up in a couple of hours, alright?” Glitter nodded, and she tapped her horn with a hoof, indicating she was going to connect to the Hive Mind to talk. ‘A… are you sure mommy?’ Flitterwing giggled. ‘Oh, Glitter, I promise you that you’ll be safe here.’ She replied. ‘Go sit, your teacher will keep an eye on you. If you need any help, be sure to let her know.’ ‘O-okay mommy…’ Flitterwing gave a happy giggle and rubber Glitter’s head faintly. ‘That’s my filly. If you really need help, you give a shout across the Hive Mind; one of us will be here as soon as we can.’ Glitter nervously moved to the only empty desk, sitting on the chair as her mother left the room. She looked around at the other foals, all of whom simply stared back at her as if she was some sort of intrusive and vicious monster. Oh, this was going to be just the worst place ever. The first lesson had ended about two minutes ago, and Glitter had been rather bored. Granted she did the schoolwork that her teacher assigned her anyway, she’d done it in not even half the time of the other colts and fillies and then promptly became bored. The teacher, Miss Rosy Bloom, was impressed at how easily she’d gotten through the work, but couldn’t think of anything else to offer her for the day, since the lesson after recess was going to be a lecture more than anything. Still, she’d found the thought of a break from sitting about and doing very little rather refreshing, and she emerged from the schoolhouse into the bright rays of Celestia’s sun. The warmth of the sun filtered through her tough outer skin and made her feel somewhat more alive and she looked about at the other foals wondering what she should do. She could see some Unicorn foals practicing their magic, for what little they could, over on a far side of the playground. She briefly considered going to join them, but these colts and fillies had given her very… alarming glares. If she had to pin the look they gave her down in any way, she’d have tagged it as ‘hateful’. Some other ponies were playing on the nearby play equipment, swinging on the swings or chasing one another through the play fort. They all seemed perfectly happy, but she wasn’t sure if she should go join them either, worried over how they would treat her. She sat on the cool grass of the yard, casually looking around at all the colts and fillies playing or just generally keeping one another entertained. A group of colts moving past noticed her looking in their direction and moved over. All three of them had cutie marks. They were smiling, but not in a way that made Glitter want to join in. “Well, well, if it’s not the freak.” One spat. His Cutie Mark was a purple cloth sheet with a black top hat on it and he was smiling down at her in a frightening and spiteful manner. “What’re you looking at?” Another asked in a tone not at all pleasant, his Cutie Mark looked to be an iron safe. Glitter blinked. “H-huh?” “Look, freak, we don’t want you looking at us.” The first hissed. “Yeah, blankflank! Stupid little freak without a Cutie Mark!” “C-Changelings don’t get Cutie Marks…” The colts all looked at one another amusedly; though it was a joke that Glitter was certain she was the butt of and would not like in the slightest. “Really? Oh dear goddess- you’re not only the biggest freak at school, but you’re also a blankflank for life?! That’s hilarious, you’ve got to be the biggest loser in Canterlot!” Their laughter stung, and she cringed from them on the ground until one grabbed her wings and tugged her up painfully. She yelped in pain at his rough handling of her otherwise sensitive wings and tried to back away, only to run into the third of their group who pushed her forward roughly, their laughter redoubling as she landed on her face. His Cutie Mark appeared to be a brick wall with stars. Frightened of their suddenly rough actions, she jumped a little and her wings buzzed furiously, gaining her some altitude away from the colts and their harsh and unfriendly words. She wasted no time in trying to find somewhere to hide, her teary eyes only seeing the shocked faces of every single pony in the playground watching her, and if not watching her then glaring daggers at the colts below who laughed at her mockingly. With no other options, she flew over the roof and landed gently on the tiles, curling into a ball and crying out of everypony’s sight. Almost everypony, anyway. “Oh hey I didn’t see you there, are you alright? What’s wrong?” Glitter looked up from her forehooves to see a slightly pale azure Pegasus filly with an unkempt sandy coloured mane and tail, her eyes a healthy yellow. She held her left fore-hoof off the ground, a strap around its ankle. She was looking down at her with a worried frown, and she hobbled closer to sit next to her. Glitter shook her head and pointed to the yard over her shoulder tearfully. “I… they called me a f-freak!” The filly blinked before peering over the roof’s edge carefully, seeing the group of colts below still laughing and mocking her between themselves. She huffed. “Oh, right, them.” She grumbled. “Rocky, Quick Swirl, and Sparkshine; not surprised you didn’t get along with them. They’re bullies, have been for as long as I’ve known them; they don’t get along with anypony. I remember seeing them steal toys from other ponies in playgrounds over the last couple of years…” She returned to Glitter’s side and offered a friendly smile. “Don’tcha worry, not everypony here is as mean as they are.” She smiled broader and thumped her chest with her right hoof before returning her weight to it. “Like me.” Glitter only looked up at her curiously, now trying to wipe the tears from her face. “They… kinda also called me a freak and a blankflank.” The Pegasus mumbled, moving her left hoof faintly. “Because my left ankle is bad…” She sighed a little down at it. “I broke it a few years ago, and somepony put it into a splint, but…” She wobbled it impotently. “It was hours before proper care came to me, and by then the doctors couldn’t do anything other than take the pain away… I’ll never be able to put my weight on it without it hurting a lot, even on clouds…” “I’m… sorry.” The Pegasus shook her head. “Nah, don’t worry about it; I can still fly!” She said, brightening the mood somewhat. “Oh, right, I’m Sandy!” She flapped her wings to give herself a little lift and offered out her good hoof. Nervously Glitter held her own hoof out, the Pegasus grabbing it and giving it a firm shake before lowering herself back down. “I’m G-Glitter.” Sandy gave a giggle. “I know, silly; I was sat behind you in class!” She said cheerfully. Glitter sighed and put her head on her forelegs. “Sorry we scared you.” Sandy shook a hoof dismissively. “No biggie, I thought it was actually kinda cool; you can change into anypony?” Glitter grimaced. “K-kinda.” “What’d you mean ‘kinda’?” Glitter shifted faintly on the roof. “I… I can’t change colours; I could use anypony’s shape, but I’ll always be white with green eyes.” Sandy sat on her haunches and gave her a puzzled look. “Really..? That’s gotta suck, but at least you can still shape shift, right?” She nodded faintly in return. “And you can fly too, that’s cool!” “I… I’m not that good at flying…” Sandy shifted forward and tapped Glitter’s horn, making the Changeling flinch and pull back. “Don’t poke it!” She protested. “It’s sensitive…” “Sorry!” Sandy worriedly said, pulling back her hoof. “C-can you do magic with it?” “A little bit. I’m not very good at magic yet.” Sandy gave a wide grin. “So far, you’re looking cooler than anypony else here, at least to me!” Glitter shook her head. “Y-you’re just saying that.” “Am not; don’t know if you haven’t noticed, but we’re the only two in our class that can fly!” Sandy retorted, still smiling. She lay down to bring her face equal with the Changeling’s own. “I’d love to hang around with you, it’ll be fun!” Glitter’s face was hopeful as she looked back at the filly Pegasus. “R-really?” “Sure! We can play after school and help each other with homework and-“ She was cut off when Glitter threw her forehooves around her and pulled her into a somewhat one-sided hug. She was taken aback for a moment before she sighed and leaned into her hold. “You’re welcome, Glitter.” She said, a warm smile spreading on her face. They sat up on the roof talking and practicing their flight until the end of recess, when the teacher called them back inside. Though Miss Rosy Bloom voiced her discomfort at them having been on the roof, she didn’t get them into trouble for it; Pegasus colts and fillies would often congregate on the roof later in their schooling careers to socialize, and she wasn’t surprised when Sandy told her what had happened in the yard. The second lesson was a lecture on basic mathematics, and Glitter listened despite knowing everything she was teaching already. She looked bored, Miss Rosy Bloom could see, but didn’t want to interrupt the class to find out why. After the lengthy lecture, Miss Rosy Bloom handed out worksheets for her students to complete, though they were admittedly still only simple mathematics and learning numbers she expected to enjoy a quiet hour or so before the half-day mark arrived and the foals were all collected. She hadn’t expected Glitter to be done in minutes, breezing through the work like a hot ball bearing through runny butter. … Or for her to turn to the student she had been on the roof with and help her. She’d seen many, many ponies in her days as a schoolteacher and watched them as they earned their Cutie Marks; botanists, guards, mages… on the rare occasion a daredevil… She’d even been tasked, once, with teaching a filly who was mentally unsound in hospital and whose parents were desperate for her to learn something. She had a letter from that mare, now a functioning member of society, in her desk that she treasured above most other things. She’d taught her fractured mind into sanity, and it gave her great pride to know that. She’d even framed it in an expensive frame so she could display it one day. She’d never seen a single student who was like this. Glitter was an anomaly; she was the first albino anything that Miss Rosy Bloom had taught, and undoubtedly the first Changeling. She had no idea how much of her studiousness was her being a Changeling or from being otherwise intelligent. That she was even going out of her way to help another student… Well, this sort of behaviour was highly unexpected in the young filly. She had a habit of, over the weeks and months that she taught her students, writing down what she predicted the foal would grow up into. She’d been impressed at how often she was correct. With a cheeky grin, she scratched ‘teacher’ next to Glitter’s name. ~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~(0)~ Flitterwing had met up with another mare on the way to the schoolhouse, the Pegasus unaware that she was conversing with the Unicorn disguised Changeling as they chatted about their ‘little darlings’. The mare in question, Twisty Breeze, worked for the weather squad of Canterlot. She’d once worked in Trottingham as a part of the town’s ‘Extreme Conditions’ weather team. Her pink coat looked like a fresh bar of soap, and her silver mane and tail were curled into drill-like spirals behind her head and rear. Her voice was smooth like chocolate and she spoke with calm and yet nervous tone. Flitterwing noted to herself her slightly worried tones, this was a mare who had been through some… rough times. They walked to the front doors, stopping to allow a group of otherwise disgruntled looking parents walk out with their foals before entering and moving to the same classroom and called out for their child at the same time. “Glitter?” “Sandy?” The two fillies, Sandy and her now Unicorn disguised friend Glitter, hurried across the room to their mothers. As their parents had, both spoke at the same time. “Mommy, I made a friend today!” The parents smiled to one another, sharing a mutual understanding. “Mrs Flitterwing, Mrs Breeze, please come in.” The mares complied and moved into the room, a motion from the teacher to Flitterwing told her to close the door, and with a casual flick of her magic the door swung shut. “So far, there are only four parents who have not asked to have their foal transferred from this class.” Miss Rosy Bloom said to them. “Which means two parents other than yourselves have not demanded to move their filly or colt from my care.” Flitterwing sighed, and Twisty Breeze only blinked confusedly. “Why would so many want transferrals on the first day?” She asked confusedly. “Because of us.” Flitterwing said distantly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t… if I’d known it would cause so much fuss, I’d have home schooled her; but… the Hive is no place for me to bring up Glitter anymore.” “The Hive..?” Twisty Breeze mumbled, giving Flitterwing a worried look. Flitterwing nodded and let her illusion fade, green flames licking around her form as she changed back to her real self. Twisty Breeze took a step back in fright and Miss Rosy Bloom gave a weary sigh. “Everypony demanded the transferals because they don’t want their foal to grow up with a Changeling.” Twisty Breeze took a step back, her mouth hanging open. “Wh-why didn’t you..?” “Did it matter up until now, Mrs Breeze?” Flitterwing asked distantly. “Truly, am I different in here-” she tapped her chest, right over her heart, “because of how I look?” Twisty Breeze blinked, her mind processing this before she shook her head. “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” “It is fine, Mrs Breeze, you are not the worst reaction we have faced.” Flitterwing mumbled. “We have yet to atone for our collective sins during the attack.” “Mommy, I don’t want to change class, I want to stay here with Glitter.” The mares looked down at the filly who only looked back sadly, Glitter sitting miserably nearby. Flitterwing blinked down at her, a faint memory clicking in her head. “I… I remember you.” She mumbled. “From the attack… You fell out of a window and hurt your ankle.” Sandy blinked. “What..?” “I remember you because I splinted your ankle.” Flitterwing said. “Right before a town guard chased me away.” She looked at the ankle in question and noticed the strap around it before giving a sad sigh. “I see it wasn’t good enough though; I’m sorry, if I’d had longer…” She trailed off faintly and gave another sigh. “Mrs Breeze, it’s up to you whether or not to request moving your daughter from my class, but I would ask you to at least consider that, during recess, I found them both together on the roof.” “Rocky called us freaks.” Sandy complained petulantly. “He was really mean, even pulling on Glitter’s wings!” At that Flitterwing hurriedly turned to Glitter and looked her over, despite the filly having not shed her disguise. “I’m fine, mommy.” Glitter protested. “Quite bright too, if I may say so myself.” Miss Rosy Bloom added. “Tell me, did you home school her before bringing her here?” Flitterwing nodded. “I… I didn’t want her to be at a disadvantage…” “Well, you certainly succeeded at that; she finished her work in record time and then went about helping Sandy here with hers; if it weren’t for her not having gained it, I could swear that her Cutie Mark would be for teaching or learning.” Flitterwing grimaced. “Changelings… don’t get Cutie Marks.” She informed. “My Unicorn disguise has a Cutie Mark, but I had to invent it; we do not keep them.” She motioned to her flank. “I see.” Miss Rosy Bloom commented. “Well, if she keeps up her education splendidly, I’m certain she’ll find some sort of special talent. I must admit that I’m surprised you didn’t apply her to the Princess’ school.” “Sadly I can’t either afford to enroll her into Princess Celestia’s school… nor do I think she would be welcome. After all, we are not exactly Unicorns.” “You’re not exactly Pegasus either but you fly with the best of us.” Sandy deadpanned. “Sandy!” The filly shrugged. “Why did you say the Hive is no place to school your… daughter?” Twisty Breeze asked, getting a positive nod from Flitterwing followed by a sad mumble. “As the newspapers have said; there are ten of us left, ten known Changelings in all of Equestria. Glitter is the only foal amongst us; I… I wanted her to grow up with friends, as pony foals do; how will we learn to fit in as a species if we are not accepted into Equestria’s ‘Harmony’?” “You attacked Canterlot!” “And I’m sorry!” Flitterwing shouted back, before huffing and lowering her tone. “Oh believe me I’m sorry. Whenever I look to where my husband should be, whenever I see Glitter having to live without her birth parents, whenever I see the Wedlock Memorial desecrated by Equestrians; believe me I’m sorry! The one thing I’m not sorry for is getting a chance to raise a filly; granted she’s not of my own flesh and blood, and in my heart she will always be my daughter, but for the invasion? I’m as sorry as we come!” She became aware at this point that she was snarling, and she backed up a step and relented, turning her face away from the mare she’d snapped at. “Glitter, we should head home before your Granna worries.” “’Granna’..?” Twisty Breeze asked curiously. Glitter gave an enthusiastic nod. “Granna Chrysalis!” Twisty Breeze looked taken aback, and gave Flitterwing an astonished look, the Changeling returning her gaze with a sheepish grin. A few minutes later and the front door of Little Hive opened, with Flitterwing and Glitter stepping in ahead of the two ponies who followed them nervously. So far no outsider ponies had been inside Little Hive beside the Princesses or the original construction crew, all of whom would say nothing of the building within. That it looked like a large cave was something Sandy and her mother had not expected. It looked like somepony had simply grabbed a large section of foreboding underground cavern and teleported it inside of a building, complete with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and a few stalagmites here and there, a clear section in the centre of the room boasting roughly a dozen cushions and a table for gatherings. To one side a well-stocked kitchen could be seen through a serving window and door, within a single Changeling dutifully cooking what smelled like roasted potatoes and vegetables. Another Changeling buzzed overhead, hanging banners from the ceiling. He held a washing basket in his magic containing the only missing banner, indicating he’d just brought them in from being left out to dry in the sun. A door opened overhead, allowing the two Pegasi to see into a well-lit and well-furnished room, complete with a cream paint over the walls. From within strolled one of Equestria’s most notorious villains. She looked around the Hive idly before hopping down the floor, her insect-like wings buzzing on her back to allow her a safe landing. She dawdled over to Flitterwing, who dipped her head faintly to the ex-monarch before Glitter got ahead of herself and hurried to intercept her, throwing herself, undisguised, against the tall Changeling’s body. “Granna!” Chrysalis chuckled and collected Glitter in an embrace. “Hello sweetie; did you enjoy your first day at school?” Glitter nodded furiously. “I made a friend!” “Really now?” Chrysalis humoured her, looking over the two Pegasi who stood ramrod still in the door. “Which one?” Glitter gave Chrysalis an annoyed look. “The filly, Granna.” Chrysalis let out a hearty laugh. “I know sweetie.” She said before giving her a playful rub on her head. “Glitter, go get cleaned up for lunch, go on.” Flitterwing instructed. The filly gave her a curious look before scurrying off to the communal showers. Chrysalis watched Glitter hurry off with an affectionate look on her face until she disappeared from view and giving a sigh. “It’s nice to know she’s made a friend.” She said listlessly before giving a sigh and turning to the small Pegasus family. “Welcome to Little Hive, it’s… well, it’s not often we get guests. It’s nice that I did not need to go to the castle today; I can meet my granddaughter’s friend in person. Please, come in, it’s not like we’ve anything to hide. Would you like some tea or coffee..?” Twisty Breeze gave a sarcastic chuckle as she entered the building fully, Sandy following her closely as they moved to the cushions in the middle of the room and sat down, Chrysalis and Flitterwing sitting down opposite them. “If somepony had said to me this morning that I would be asked if I wanted tea or coffee by Changelings in their home… I’d probably have laughed at them. Quite loudly.” “It’s impressive what can change within a few hours, isn’t it?” Chrysalis mused. “Allegiances, friendships, understandings… life…” “It’s been difficult to get used to Canterlot life, we must admit.” Flitterwing mumbled. “Only recently has Glitter been able to disguise herself, and it’s been hard to take her outside without incidents.” Twisty Breeze nodded faintly. “I… guess I can understand.” Chrysalis eyed her. “Can you? Really?” “I was born in Cloudsdale, but foul weather would follow me wherever I went. My parents fled the city because of the… persecution that followed in my wake. Even when we moved to Trottingham I was assailed by frequent freak weather, needless to say, I didn’t have many friends. “One year a storm rolled over from the Everfree forest that threatened to destroy part of the town; I flew into the storm, forced an eye to form over the town hall, and managed to charge myself. The second I landed I was supposedly struck with every ounce of electricity that the storm held, giving me my Cutie Mark. Since then I’ve been working for weather teams as emergency backup during storms.” “Why do you live in Canterlot? This hardly seems like a fitting place for somepony of your skills; the weather is idyllic.” Chrysalis asked curiously. “Are you kidding? The amount of magic that the Princesses use to control the sun and moon make Canterlot more storm prone than almost any other city; bad weather swarms to powerful magic like flies to picnics, they’re lucky to have me here.” “What about the Wonderbolts?” She rolled her eyes. “Pff, the Wonderbolts are a stunt team; while they know weather control, I don’t know how well they would know how to stop, say, a tornado.” “D-does Canterlot get tornadoes regularly..?” “Regularly? Well, there is one that occurs every five years like clockwork; should be occurring in the autumn; heck, I delivered Sandy not a month before.” She smiled and ruffled Sandy’s already unkempt hair at mentioning her name; the filly groaned and shook her head. “When did you get Glitter?” “Three years ago, just after the invasion.” Flitterwing mumbled. “Her… her parents died at the conclusion of the attack. With no-one else to turn to, Queen Chrysalis asked if I would adopt her, and I quite readily said yes.” “Oh? No second thoughts?” She shook her head. “Understand that I’d just lost my mate, my Queen’s own son, only a few hours earlier. I… may have clung to Glitter as an emotional life-raft, but I don’t regret it in the slightest. She knows I’m not her birth mother, but it doesn’t change anything between us. She’s my daughter, and we’d not ask for anypony else.” Twisty Breeze nodded. “Well, I can at least understand that. I must admit, however, that I find it a little… odd for you to have brought us to your home after school.” “Oh, I only wanted to make sure you and Sandy were comfortable with us, or at least plead a case that you didn’t move her from her class.” Flitterwing admitted, waving a hoof dismissively. “I can only assume you understand how very hopeful I am that Glitter can make friends, I… I don’t want for her to grow up alone…” She sighed and looked down to her hooves. “Not when there is a chance she can find happiness.” Twisty Breeze nervously grimaced, giving a faint cough. “Yes, well, Sandy hasn’t exactly had a smooth life either, what with her bad ankle… If she thinks she’s finally found a friend, I’m more than willing to accept a little… oddness for her.” She smiled knowingly to Flitterwing. “After all, what is motherhood without a little sacrifice?” Chrysalis nodded faintly, turning her face from the mare, mumbling only a short and almost unheard word. “Sacrifice…” While the three adult mares chatted idly over work and the like, the filly Pegasus hopped down from the communal desk and moved off, slinking through the building to the bathrooms. She was hoping to happen upon Glitter and catch her unawares. After all, why pass up a perfectly reasonable chance to scare the willies her new friend? Stealthily she followed the sound of running water, moving silently under her wing power into a room full of steam. Slowly but surely she crept around to where she found Glitter in a shower stall humming melodiously. She seemed to be enjoying her shower so far. Well, until now. “HEY, GLITTER!” In what seemed like an instant, Glitter turned and leapt backwards into the tiled wall beneath the shower head, her eyes wide and, yes, startled as she stared at the now laughing raucously filly who had yelled at her. She couldn’t help but crack her own smile and giggle along with her. “Oh, you want to play like that do you?” She laughed, using her magic to collect the shower water into a ball which then hurled itself at the laughing filly, exploding into a deluge against her face. The Pegasus blinked the water from her eyes, noticing that Glitter was preparing another glob of water to throw. She dodged the thrown water glob and leapt onto Glitter, tackling her to the ground and rolling with her into the shower stream. Glitter kept using her magic to collect reservoirs of shower water and dousing the slightly larger feathery filly with it. A squeal had brought the three adults’ attention to the bathroom, each worried that the two fillies had somehow injured themselves, only to find them laughing within the shower stall, wrestling beneath the water that cascaded over them. The mothers shared a knowing, happy glance between one another before slinking back out to the main hall. Everything was fine.