Things were going great! Glitter and Sandy dawdled out of their classroom into the schoolyard, quickly taking to the air and flying up onto the roof. It was now the tenth week of school, and their class hadn’t diminished in numbers.
Not even one.
Having been literally inundated with demands for transferals from Miss Bloom’s class by parents for the simple and irritating reason of not wanting their foal to learn in the same class as a Changeling, the otherwise amicable headmaster had simply snapped and rejected them all. Each and every parent who had demanded the shift had been brought back to the school and been yelled at by the faintly overweight bespectacled elder mare before being kicked out on their asses.
It had worried the headmaster that her actions would lead to students being transferred to another school, and therefore hemorrhage funds, but the parents seemed to take it in their stride and didn’t go that extra step.
She did, however, keep a close eye on the little Changeling filly around which all the fuss had been raised. From her years as a teacher and foal psychologist, she was used to reading young colts and fillies from afar, and with her expert eye, she could tell, even now, that Glitter was one of the sweetest and gentlest souls she had ever encountered.
A little coddled maybe, and certainly developing a stubborn grouchiness, but still.
Up on the roof, Sandy sat heavily on the tiles and grumbled, Glitter landing next to her and offering a smile.
“How do you manage it, Glitter?” She repined.
“Do what?”
“Manage to understand the stuff that Miss Bloom teaches us.”
Glitter giggled. “It’s not that hard, Sandy; you still struggling with maths?”
“It’s so boring!”
Again Glitter giggled. “You’re just upset I’m better than you.” She said playfully.
“You are not!”
“Are too!”
“Are not!”
“Prove it!” Glitter challenged. “Prove me wrong!”
Sandy stood and held up a hoof, mouth open to spit out a retort, but nothing came to mind. Her face gave a contorted look of confusion, as if she couldn’t believe that she was unable to think of anything to snap back with, before lowering her hoof and closing her mouth, now giving a thoughtful look to the tiles beneath her.
“You win.” She grumbled.
“It’s not about winning, Sandy.” Glitter said distantly. “It’s about asking for help when you need it.”
“Huh?”
“If you want help, you only have to ask me; you know I finish really quickly.” Glitter said, sitting down on the warm tiles and basking in the warmth of the sunlight. “I love to help you out, it’s fun!”
Sandy giggled.
“Yeah, I guess I should ask for help more often.” She relented.
Glitter grinned wide. It had been like this for the pair for the last few weeks; her prior education from her mother had given her a huge boon over her fellow classmates, and she was still way ahead of the other foals. Still, she didn’t want to leave Sandy’s class and end up away from her one friend she felt she could depend on.
Not that the adults could have dragged them apart anyway.
They spent every spare minute they could manage to get together, playing one thing or other, or even just practicing their innate skills. They enjoyed their flying practice together more than anything, and Glitter was getting steadily better at her magic.
Between the two of them, Sandy was by far the more powerful flier, her larger and stronger Pegasus wings designed for agile flight and powerful strokes. She was faster and could go for longer without breaks by spreading her wings to glide on the currents and eddies.
Glitter, however, was not designed for such flight. Her natural wings were small and insect like, fragile and sensitive. She had to flap them faster, producing a gentle buzz as they hummed though the air rapidly. She couldn’t manage the same turn of speed that Sandy could, nor could she go for as long, but she could turn almost on a dime and didn’t cause the same amount of disturbance with her wing beats. Her wings could also heal rather faster than her Pegasus friend’s if broken, but they hadn’t discovered this by any accident, having been told by Flitterwing.
Their break passed quickly, the pair enjoying their time on the roof as usual until Rosy Bloom called them down and back inside.
She’d rearranged the classroom seating during the first few weeks, a minor tweak to the seating arrangements that now had Glitter and Sandy sitting beside one another. If Sandy was going to get help from Glitter, she figured that sitting them next to each other would be a good place to start. So far the two fillies were the head of the class.
After all of the foals sat at their desks, Rosy Bloom took up her place beside the chalkboard.
“Alright class, we’re going to begin our lessons on the different types of ponies this week.” She said with a cheery smile. “Now, as we all know, there are several types of ponies, who can name them?” She smiled wider when a dozen hooves rose into the air, though found it odd that Glitter’s own was not amongst them. She pointed to a likely looking colt, the young Unicorn giving his response quickly.
“Unicorn, Miss?”
She nodded and scribbled this onto the board before selecting another student.
“Earth Pony, Miss?”
Another nod and more words added to the board, followed by a third student being selected.
“Pegasus, Miss?”
Yet another nod, chalk writing and she found herself short of new foals to point out.
“Any others?” She asked only to find disappointment when nopony raised their hoof. “Glitter?”
Glitter sighed and eyed the board wearily.
“The Alicorn Princesses.” She said flatly. “And the Crystal Ponies.”
Rosy Bloom blinked in momentary confusion before nodding and writing these onto the board. “Yes, though you’re all still missing one.”
Again her eyes met with Glitter’s, the filly’s eyes conveying her dislike of where this was headed and her reluctance to say anything. Sandy, however, raised her hoof.
“Yes, Sandy?”
“Changeling, Miss?”
A colt up the back gave a gagging noise and shouted out. “They’re bugs not ponies!”
She noticed one of Glitter’s eyes twitch and her frown grow.
Rosy Bloom sighed and wrote ‘Changelings’ onto the board alongside Alicorns before giving the class an irritable glance. “Class, this is one of the most important lessons that I can teach to you all; it is important that you learn the differences between one another so you can learn to overcome these differences. Yes, this is the first year that we shall be teaching about Changelings; I will also be taking a backseat during that lesson to learn as I know about as much on them as you all do. Well, with the possible exception of Glitter here.”
Glitter grumbled and rested her head against her desk at being mentioned for such a thing. She was not looking forward to that lesson one bit.
“We’ll start with Earth Ponies.” Rosy Bloom stated, before pulling a poster from within her desk and clipping it to the top of the board where it unrolled and showed, yes, an Earth Pony. “Earth Ponies do not have wings like Pegasus, or horns like us Unicorn, but rather are usually slightly stockier, especially in their foalhood, and become stronger and have better endurance than the others. While Unicorns have magical abilities that allow them to manipulate objects or creatures around them, and Pegasus have wings that allow them to fly and an inherent magic that enables them to walk on, move or disperse clouds, Earth Ponies have their own magic which comes from their hooves and their hearts.
“This magic, while not something that can be channeled by Earth Ponies in the same way as Unicorns, gives them incredible prowess when it comes to horticulture or emotions. Earth Ponies are known for becoming brilliant farmers, or working as management, as they have good heads and strong wills. Many Earth Ponies become teachers or care for the sick, injured or elderly, as they are more in-tune with ponies needs and how to get their personalities to bloom. Earth Ponies work best with their hooves, and when they get their head set into doing something, you can be assured that they will do it to the best of their ability. Food grown by Earth Ponies will usually become the healthiest and best tasting food that you have ever tasted.
“However, with the recent return of the Crystal Empire, Crystal Ponies have also made a return to Equestria, and they are very much like Earth Ponies. Crystal Ponies are a unique breed from the Crystal Empire whose happiness and wellbeing translates directly to their coat, which crystallizes and becomes glassy. They’re a culture steeped in tradition, and they have become a new breed that is taught around Equestria. They have their own range of rare foods now considered delicacies, such as Crystal Berries and sweets made from these sweet fruits.
“Crystal Ponies’ magic is much like that of their Earth Pony cousins, but their glossy coats are a huge difference; their happiness is channeled to an artefact which rests within the core of their Empire called the Crystal Heart, which causes the crystallization in ponies coats when they enter the city. This crystallization is only temporary in all breeds aside from Crystal Ponies. Should you ever encounter a Crystal Pony outside of their Empire, you should treat them with respect as they are a long way out of their comfort zone.” She smiled and tugged the posters down from the board, having added a Crystal Pony poster when she switched to the topic. “Crystal Ponies are currently ruled by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, and her husband Prince Shining Armour.”
A bell went off somewhere in the building, announcing it was home time for the class, and the foals all began to stand from their seats. A few parents appeared at the door to receive their colt or filly, sparing a momentary angry glance at Glitter who wasn’t paying attention, instead chatting happily with Sandy. After a couple of minutes, the students had all filed out of the class aside from these two, and their mothers appeared at the door to retrieve them.
“Ah, Mrs Flitterwing, could you spare me a moment?” Miss Bloom asked, waving her into the room.
“Of course Miss Bloom, what is it? She’s not getting into trouble again is she?”
“The one time I use my magic to pick up a textbook and I never get to live it down.” Glitter grumbled.
Her mother giggled at her grumpy tone, stepping over and rubbing her head with a hoof. “Maybe if you hadn’t proceeded to destroy the textbook in a ball of fire you’d not have this problem; I know you were listening to me when I told you not to stress your magic, but you still ignored me, didn't you?”
“No, no, she’s in no trouble;” Miss Bloom returned wearily, “We began our scheduled lessons on the different ponies today. After we’re done with Ponies we were going to begin on Gryphons, Dragons and other creatures, after some projects to show their learning and understanding of the different breeds of course.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, ‘oh’. I’ve been putting it off in favour of getting some other work done, but I suppose that I can stall no longer; I was wondering if it could be possible to get a guest speaker tomorrow during second session for Changelings? If it’s not convenient, we can arrange a different time…”
Flitterwing went silent, her eyes growing unfocused and seemingly looking past the Unicorn blankly. Rosy Bloom, now under what she thought of as an intense stare shrank slightly and backed off worriedly from the adult Changeling.
“O-of course we can choose another time, it’s no trouble…”
“Mommy’s not glaring, Miss Bloom;” Glitter said idly, not even turning around to look at her, “she’s talking with the Hive Mind.”
The Unicorn blinked. “Oh. You can..?”
“Mommy, Granna Chrysalis and my uncles are all linked with the Hive Mind; they can talk to each other with it. I could join them, but I like the quiet.”
Sandy giggled and went back to quietly talking with Glitter, the two fillies discussing what they planned to do for the rest of the day. Glitter was entertaining the idea of just sitting back with a few books and reading the day away, while Sandy was thinking of getting some flying practice in before dinner.
Slowly but surely, Flitterwing’s face spread into a cheeky grin.
‘Are you sure you can..?’
‘Of course I can, it’s the least I can do. I will be there at ten, just before their break ends.’
“Miss Bloom, I believe we can accommodate your request.”
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The next day had dawned, and Glitter sat in her class alongside Sandy, the Pegasus for once eager to be in class, if only because it would be discussing the different types of ponies still. Glitter had to admit, everypony in class seemed thrilled about this lesson, if only because they were all Unicorns aside from herself, Sandy and one Earth Pony colt who was good at art.
Miss Bloom pulled a poster from her desk and clipped it to the board, the poster unrolling to reveal a Pegasus.
“Now, everypony, we are continuing our previous lessons. Yesterday we learned about Earth Ponies and Crystal Ponies; today we will be learning about the remaining four starting with Unicorns and Pegasi.
“Pegasi are winged ponies capable of flight. Pegasus ponies are usually swift and agile, capable of performing incredible feats in the air at high speeds due to their light bodies and powerful wings. The majority of Pegasus ponies in Equestria are born in Cloudsdale, a Pegasus-only city due to the fact that it is built using clouds, and that Earth Ponies and Unicorn cannot walk on clouds without magical aid such as a cloud-walking spell. Pegasus ponies often become marshals of the weather and changing of seasons depending on the city, with more Pegasus ponies employed in meteorology than in any other profession. This is not to say that they do nothing else; Pegasus ponies are often relentlessly competitive and daring, and many become daredevils or messengers, even working for the Royal Mail Service.
“Pegasi often become Royal Guards, as their ability to fly gives them an edge over a lot of combatants. As you may or may not have realized by now, Pegasus ponies’ magic is focused in their wings, allowing them to channel lightning in super-cells or other electrical storms. This is not an open invitation for you to go playing in thunderstorms, as it only really means that Pegasus are able to become charged with the storm’s electricity. As Sandy’s mother is famous for, landing during one of these storms when charged with the storm’s electricity provides a direct path for the lightning to flow to the ground –through the Pegasus who landed.
“It is extremely dangerous for Pegasus to land while handling storms of such nature, and potentially fatal. Sandy’s mother, Twisty Breeze, nearly died when she first did it by accident, and no student of mine may fly during lightning storms.” She gave Sandy a warning glare before returning her focus to the room and clipping another poster to the board, a Unicorn. “Now, Unicorns;” she began, taking a quick sip of her water, returning the glass to her desk before returning to speaking.
“Unicorns are Equestria’s primary magic users, capable of channeling the magic of their body through their horns. It takes years of study for Unicorns to be able to cast complicated spells, but most will usually use their magic for general and mundane things such as levitation or object manipulation, like opening doors. Unicorns are generally better than the others at absorbing knowledge, especially knowledge which has something to do with spells.
“Many Unicorns become teachers, scholars or use their magical talent to perform other tasks; you may or may not be aware of the showpony Trixie, who uses her magic to perform on stage; quite a few Unicorns become Royal Guards, using their magic rather than physical prowess. Out of the three common pony species, Unicorns have the least physical prowess though this is usually countered with high intelligence.
“Many of Equestria’s elite are Unicorn; however there are many Pegasus and Earth Ponies amongst the nobles as well.”
A bell rang within the building, and Miss Bloom smiled. “Alright, that’s recess, when we return we’ll discuss the remaining ponies, with some special guests.”
*
After recess the colts and fillies moved back to their seats, sitting down and looking forward eagerly. They were all curious as to whom the mystery guests would be; general rumour was that it would be one of the Princesses. Soon enough, Miss Bloom returned to the classroom, a calming smile on her face.
Followed by Miss Bloom..?
Followed by Miss Bloom again..?
The foals double took. Well, all except from Glitter who only gave a cheeky grin.
She knew what was going on.
Miss Bloom, the first one who had entered, smiled and used her magic to close the door, her eyes drifting across the class disarmingly.
“Now, you may be curious as to why there happens to be three of me.” She began. “I would like to reintroduce the class to Glitter’s mother Mrs Flitterwing,” she nodded to the copy of her who stood the farthest from her, who nodded back and became enveloped in emerald flames which robbed her of her colour and she changed into the familiar face of Flitterwing, her black polished chitin reflecting the sunlight that filtered in through the windows, “and Mrs Chrysalis; or is it Queen Chrysalis? I do apologise if I have that wrong.”
“Mrs is fine, Miss Bloom.” Replied the remaining copy of Rosy Bloom said, before she burst into green flames and changed into the taller form of Chrysalis. “I have not held a royal title for years.” She smiled down at the colts and fillies warmly, her body taller than the ponies to either side of her and her green mane flowing in the remaining disturbance from her magic. “Hello everypony.”
Glitter had to fight the urge to hop out of her desk and hug her mother and grandmother, and the two elder Changelings could see this by the big stupid grin she had on her face and her tensed muscles. It amused them to see her eagerness restrained by sheer willpower.
The other foals, with the exception of Sandy, seemed to recoil in fear.
Chrysalis smiled in what she hoped was a calming manner.
“Your teacher has asked us to give you a lecture on Changelings as a comparison to other ponies.” She began cheerfully. “I am unsure how Miss Bloom has presented the prior lectures, but we shall at least give you what knowledge we can.
“We Changelings are pony-like creatures which evolved separate from ponies, yet coexisted with you for, well, thousands of years. We lived within a grand forest which was rich with fruits and healthy soil, on which we thrived for most of our culture’s development. We lived within carved out halls beneath ground called The Hive. For as far back as I can remember we dwelled in what is now called Equestria, even back before the three tribes came into these lands.
“When the first occurrence of Nightmare Moon struck Equestria, the magical conflict between that dreaded mare and Celestia caused immeasurable levels of damage to our outside environment, creating what is now called the Bad Lands. The very earth beneath our hooves became inhospitable, and we could no longer grow crops to feed our society. With nowhere else to turn, we found another source of food on which to feed ourselves; Love.
“Recently we’ve been all but made extinct due to our own actions, and we last ten, including my granddaughter Glitter here, are all that remain. We have become comfortable within Canterlot, and we have come to love this city as much as any other.”
“Changelings are different from all other ponies in that our magic is unique.” Flitterwing said as her mother in law grew sadly silent. “While we can fly like Pegasus ponies, and we can also cast magic in the same way as Unicorn, we also can feel the life of the earth beneath us. Our magic is concentrated in our ability to blend into the society of others, be it pony or Gryphon. We are… very much a universal pony, but the magic that Unicorns, Pegasus, or Earth Ponies utilise is far more powerful in their individual field.
“A Unicorn will almost always be able to overpower a Changeling, Pegasus ponies can always outfly us, and Earth Ponies can outmuscle us. In our natural form that is. Our greatest strength comes from being able to take on the form and individual prowess of whatever creature we imitate. A disguised Changeling will be just as able as the pony they copied, so a Changeling disguised as, say, Soarin’, would have the same flight capabilities as he; a Changeling disguised as Princess Celestia’s protégée Twilight Sparkle would have, at least to a point, the same magical prowess as her.”
“Twilight Sparkle may not be a good example.” Chrysalis mumbled. “She is… quite powerful. I don’t believe that I would have the power to stop her if I simply took her form.”
“Which leads to our next point, feeding on Love;” Flitterwing said, as if simply leading off of Chrysalis’ interruption. “Love, to Changelings, is a tangible energy which can be absorbed in several ways, one of which... we are not comfortable to discuss ever.
“Feeding on Love can sustain us, though stealing Love from one pony can cause fatigue, headaches and nausea to the pony in question; mutual Love, or Love given to us willingly and knowing that we are Changelings, does not give this issue. We have never discovered why this is. Love energy that we consume has the added benefit to us of bolstering our magical capabilities, which is how our Queen managed to overpower Princess Celestia so easily on the day.”
“Though I’m certain she never showed her true strength.” Chrysalis mumbled. “Celestia has had thousands of years of raising the sun and moon, thousands of years of practice with her magic. I am certain that should she truly have wished to combat me, she would have easily defeated me.”
One filly up the back voiced the question present in the room.
“Why didn’t she?”
Chrysalis looked over at the filly and chuckled. “If she had exerted that much power, as she had when she first fought with Nightmare Moon, I would assume that Canterlot would not be standing. Besides, allowing things to progress as she had and by placing the fate of Equestria into the hooves of ponies, she showed that Equestria can succeed even where she might fail through perseverance.” She sighed and gave them a calm smile. “Remember, ponies, to always believe in yourselves; you never know what you might achieve if you just try.”
“I believe that moves us on neatly to Alicorns.” Rosy Bloom began. “And I thank you both for giving us your knowledge.”
“It was no trouble.” Chrysalis said calmly. “The Princess allowed me to take this time off explicitly to provide my expertise in this class, saying it was ‘my duty as Chancellor of Changeling Affairs’ and I have enjoyed seeing the students. It’s a nice change from the usual selfish nobles and stone faced guards of the Castle, I must admit.” She offered a happy smile and dipped her head. “I thank you for the opportunity, and won’t take up any more of your class’ time.”
“Of course.” Miss Bloom returned, dipping her head in kind. “Have a pleasant day, Mrs Chrysalis, Mrs Flitterwing.”
The Changelings nodded and left, quietly stepping out of the room and out into Canterlot.
“Now, Alicorns;” Miss Bloom began as she returned to the chalkboard and put up another poster, this one of Princess Celestia, “Alicorns are extremely rare and powerful ponies. Three are currently within Equestria, and all three are Princesses; Princess Celestia, the Regent of the Sun, Princess Luna, the Regent of the Moon and Stars, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better known as Princess Cadance, the Princess of Love. Alicorn each have wings and horns, and they all have the same magic potential of Unicorns, Pegasus and Earth Ponies, making them true unities of the triad of ponies.
“Alicorns, when discovered, are usually crowned as princes or princesses of Equestria, though usually they don’t gain much more than the royal privileges. Not much is really known about Alicorns other than their seeming immortality and their sheer power, again as evidenced by the Princesses and their power over the sun, stars and moon. Theories on the immortality of the Alicorn range from their origins, to the amount of magic which makes up their beings, to their ‘unity’ of the pony clans. None have been confirmed or denied by the Princesses.”
She gave Glitter a curious look. “Glitter, I should have asked before your family left, but… Do Changelings have Alicorns..?”
Glitter shook her head. “The closest thing we have is Granna; she’s been around since before the Bad Lands claimed our home. If she absorbed enough Love then maybe she could be as powerful as the Princesses, but I dunno; I’ve never seen any Changeling talk about that sort of thing, not since… not since we arrived.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine, Miss Bloom.”
After a nervous pause, Miss Bloom seemed to regain her courage. “Well, for the next week we’ll be doing projects on one of the different types of ponies; you can work alone or in pairs, and may choose any type of pony you wish except for Alicorn, since very little is known about them and your project would be too short. You may choose Crystal Ponies, but you may find one of the others easier to research.
“Changelings are, of course, a possibility; but I would advise you run your projects by me as you go if you choose them.”
Rocky’s voice spoke up from near the back. “Why?”
“Well, we need to remember that any project you do must be sensitive and fair; Glitter is not going to enjoy coming to class if a project depicting her sadly diminished kin as monsters is up on the walls.” She replied. “Just like I am sure that none of you would like it if she did a really mean project on your breed, though I’m sure she will be fair to whatever she chooses.”
The class murmured amongst one another, considering this.
“Now, we have just enough time for you to choose partners or work alone if you wish before home time. Go on!”
The frantic shifting of chairs and stampede of hooves met her ears as she turned around to remove the posters from the chalkboard, rolling them into tubes and sliding them back into the desk. The bustle and frantic chatter of the students was expected; this happened with every group of students she taught when this project came up. Noise was a usual companion to working colts and fillies.
The suddenly raised voices, however…
She turned and looked over the loudly arguing ponies.
Glitter was sitting in her chair with the most bored, deadpan and utterly grumpy face that Rosy Bloom had seen in years, while behind her several students, not including Sandy, were bickering over who would be allowed to team up with the pale little Changeling.
Sandy was sitting in her own chair watching the spectacle trying not to burst into laughter; a quest she was failing dismally.
“What in the name of Equestria is going on?” Miss Bloom snapped angrily. Sure enough, the students behind Glitter all stopping in their bickering and looking to their teacher, their faces all relaying their worry that she would give them some form of punishment.
“They’re all fighting over who will get to be my partner.” Glitter grumbled emotionlessly. She turned to Sandy and nodded to her. “If my choice even mattered to this decision, I’d choose Sandy.”
Sandy giggled, still mirthful from watching the other ponies argue. “Okay, but you’re doing the writing; all I manage is…”
“Scribbles, yes, I’ve seen your hoofwriting, Sandy.” Glitter grumbled.
“My, aren’t we in a bad mood?” Miss Bloom asked sarcastically, a cheeky smile on her face.
Glitter gave her a sidelong glance. “Mommy and Granna were right here and I didn’t get to hug them.” She said.
Miss Bloom was momentarily taken aback, and she gave the Changeling filly a confused look. “I-Y-T-a lack of contact has made you this grumpy?”
“The argument didn’t help.” Glitter grumbled.
Sandy only fought harder to contain her relentless giggling at her tone, and Miss Bloom sighed.
“Well, now that you two have chosen to work together, you need to choose one of the types of Ponies to base your project on. Don’t make any snap decisions; take the rest of the day to think it over and discuss what you want to do.”
The two fillies nodded their agreement and she smiled before moving to another pair that seemed to have come to the same general stage of their partnership. Sandy and Glitter turned to each other and leaned in close enough to be heard in the room.
“What do you want to do?” Sandy asked curiously.
“Not Changelings.” Glitter said. “I want to do something normal.”
Sandy sighed. “Glitter, you are normal.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do Pegasi?” Glitter asked, trying to push away from the inevitable argument. “I mean, Granna said that Pegasus ponies are usually kinda... full of themselves.”
“Thanks for the pride booster.” Sandy grumbled.
Glitter giggled. “Any time.”
“Well, what do you suggest?”
Glitter grinned.
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“Earth ponies?” Flitterwing asked curiously down to her daughter, who was laden with books from the school library. Class had ended a minute or so ago, and they were making their way back to Little Hive. Their pace was somewhat hastened, Twisty Breeze, Sandy’s mother, had earlier warned of a storm that was being allowed to roll over the town, and the sky bore the dark and foreboding grey of impending rain.
“Yep, I figured it’d be better than choosing Unicorns, everypony will choose them.”
“Why not choose Pegasi?”
“Sandy didn’t want to choose Pegasi, and I didn’t want to choose Changelings.”
“Why not?”
Glitter giggled. “It’d be too easy!”
“If you say so sweetie.” Flitterwing chuckled.
Glitter kept her smile wide as they dawdled past the Canterlot markets. They were blessedly quiet today, the usually bustling crowds absent due to the inevitable rainfall. Still, stall owners did their best to sell their wares.
As the mother and daughter pair passed, one such stall owner stared; she was only going to be here in Canterlot for a couple of days thanks to a permit she had obtained, but...
Hurriedly she wrote a letter down on some spare parchment, thanking that she had brought her grandmother with her and was able to leave her to watch the stall while she mailed it, before carefully following the two Changelings.
This required some backup.
Glitter was sat in her and her mother’s room, reading through one of the books on Earth Ponies she had borrowed, jotting down notes onto a notepad as she read. She was rather deeply into her book, and she barely registered her mother telling her that lunch would be ready in a few minutes.
Lunch would be a simple affair today, a bowl of stew and stick of celery or two. It didn’t need to be much, as almost as soon as they arrived home Shred had come in the door and given Chrysalis a scroll which invited them, all of them to a garden party held in the castle’s own gardens and that the Princesses would be there personally.
Booker had to decline, saying that he had made plans for this evening almost a month earlier and he didn’t want to ruin them. Understandably everypony had been eager to know what he was going to be doing instead, but he wouldn’t say, even going so far as to ignore the Hive Mind altogether when they wouldn’t relent in their pestering.
Chrysalis, having been given the day to herself otherwise, had since locked herself in her room, supposedly checking through what was to be expected at the party.
Flitterwing called out to Glitter, and she reluctantly closed her book and headed out to the communal table, sitting at a seat and waiting patiently. Sure enough her mother levitated a bowl of stew, two celery sticks and a spoon to the table, placing it in front of the hungry filly before fetching her own.
They sat at the table, happily eating while teasing one another across the black marble top. A few voices echoed in from outside.
“Ahm’ tellin’ ya, I know what I saw!”
“It’s not that we don’t believe you darling, it’s just that…”
“Ah saw somethin’ in Canterlot Markets that shouldn’t be here; Ah even followed ‘em all th’ way back here!”
“Applejack...”
A heavy thud against the front door sent it off its hinges and caught the attention of the three Changelings within, though Chrysalis only heard what sounded like somepony breaking the table. Glitter, so startled by the sudden movement and loud noise ducked beneath the table with a frightened squeak.
“Applejack, what in Equestria are you doing?!”
Three ponies stood in the door, the attention of two of them on the orange Earth Pony who wore a weathered Stetson atop her head, her blonde mane and tail tied into bundled ponytails. A white coated Unicorn whose mane and tail were styled into curls sighed before glancing into the building they had just broken into, noticing Flitterwing staring back incredulously. Her jaw dropped.
“T-Twilight..?”
The third pony, a lavender Unicorn with purple mane and tail streaked with pink, sighed. “Yes, Rarity?” She grumbled, before following her pointing hoof. She blinked at the Changeling sitting at the table.
She sighed again. “Oh for the love of…” She grumbled as one of her hooves moved up to her face.
The door to Chrysalis’ room slammed open, and she stormed out and onto the catwalk. “What is going on out here?!” She glared down at the doorframe, the three ponies leaning in to look up at her, two of whom were astonished to see her, the third of which had a bored expression. “Oh, Miss Sparkle, I was not aware you were going to storm our home.” She tilted her head faintly. “There are but three of you, where are the others?”
“They were too busy to come.” The lavender Unicorn replied.
“Hold on, why’re you bein’ so chummy with her?!” The orange one demanded.
“If you read the newspapers, Applejack, you’d have known three years ago.”
“Ah do read the papers! They said nothin’ about Changelings!”
The lavender Unicorn sighed. “The Canterlot newspapers, Applejack.” She grumbled.
“Do feel free to come in at any time so I can repair the door.” Chrysalis grumbled as she moved down from the catwalk. “You can continue to argue then.”
“Twi, these things attacked-“
“Canterlot!” Chrysalis finished for her with a cheeky grin. “Oh, wait, let me guess your next line… hmm, does ‘you be quiet’ sound about right? Or mayhap ‘nopony asked your opinion, Changeling’?” She raised a hoof to silence the Earth Pony’s next words. “Please, Miss Applejack, I have heard them all over the last three years; if you’ll step inside we can explain everything, and hopefully I can recover whatever remains of my granddaughter’s wits.”
“Well, this is going to be fun.” The lavender Unicorn grumbled as she urged her companions to follow her inside, Chrysalis lifting the door back to its place and reattaching it to its frame magically. “Do you not have work within the Castle today?”
“Not today, Miss Sparkle; the Princess was kind enough to give me the day off so I could give a short lesson on Changelings in Glitter’s class. I may have to have something written up for other schools, I cannot attend them all to educate after all.”
“Oh, well that’s alright I guess. If you’d like I could…”
“Twi, what is goin’ on here?!”
The lavender Unicorn sighed at having been cut off, but only moved over to the table and sat down, looking beneath the table at the cowering filly.
“Come on out, Glitter, they won’t hurt you.” Chrysalis said as she sat down next to where the filly had been seated. “Unless you don’t want the rest of your lunch…”
It was almost instantaneous how quickly the filly had returned to her seat and continued eating.
Flitterwing sighed. “My Queen, please don’t bully your granddaughter.” She breathed. “And who are these ponies?”
Chrysalis gave an entertained laugh. “Flitterwing, Glitter, these are Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Applejack. Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle, this is my daughter in law Flitterwing and her daughter Glitter.” She said, pointing a hoof to each pony as she introduced them. “And to answer your question Miss Applejack, lunch is going on here; or at least it was until you decided to kick down our front door.”
“Twilight, why didn’t you tell us?” Rarity asked irritably.
“Because I thought it was common knowledge.” She responded with a shrug. “You know, it having been in a newspaper!”
“A newspaper which we haven’t read.” Applejack snapped.
“Please calm down.” Chrysalis interjected. “You are scaring Glitter.”
These words did, indeed, cause the three mares to pause and glance at the filly who was quivering faintly in her seat. She could show bravery around school or Sandy’s home, or even the markets, but these three mares had effectively stormed her home and proceeded to have an argument in raised and angry voices.
Twilight gave a lengthy exhale, taking a moment to calm herself, before she talked to the frightened filly. “We’re sorry, Glitter; we don’t mean to frighten you.”
Glitter nodded faintly before standing from the table and hurrying to her room, closing the door behind her.
“Oh dear, I fear that’ll be it from her until tonight’s soiree.” Flitterwing mumbled.
“I hope not, I was hoping to take her to a seamstress; it would be nice for her to show up to the garden party looking somewhat presentable.” Chrysalis sighed.
“Changelings in dresses..?” Rarity mumbled. “That would be… quite a challenge…”
Twilight sighed. “Rarity, no.” She said sternly. “There isn’t enough time to take them all to Ponyville for you to clothe them yourself.”
“But Twilight..!”
“If you would like to be our dressmaker, I could escort you to the castle and we could work with their stores..?” Chrysalis suggested. “It isn’t like I don’t have any spare bits; I’m paid rather well for the small amount of work I do… I might be able to convince the others to join us as well.”
Rarity beamed at Twilight, her eyes almost begging her to allow this.
She sighed, her ears drooping to the sides of her head in defeat and her eyes half-closing. “Fine.”
*
Glitter stood as ramrod still as she could, holding her wings up as Rarity carefully worked on her dress.
It was similar to her mothers’ dress, also designed by Rarity. Despite being sewn together, it had a segmented design to mimic her chitinous exoskeleton, and it was a smooth and beautiful white, silken fabric with pale green accents. It swept gracefully behind her, not reaching the ground rather halfway down her legs. She’d been incredibly patient, as had her mother and even her grandmother. Her ‘uncles’ were waiting their turn with the mare’s fashion sense, and she had already taken Shred’s measurements.
The doors to the room opened and several guards moved in, followed by Princess Celestia who looked about the room curiously, her face as stoic as ever. Her eyes fell upon Rarity bowing to her gracefully as her magic completed the finishing touches to Glitter’s dress, and then over to Chrysalis, who was standing with a sheepish look on her face.
“Explain.”
Chrysalis cringed. “I-I’m sorry Princess, I meant no harm…”
“Rarity was insistent.” Twilight Sparkle said from her position next to the room’s large full mirror. “We couldn’t have asked another designer in Canterlot to allow her to use their stores…”
“S-so I suggested that we might be able to use the castles’.” Chrysalis finished, stuttering nervously. “I-I’ll pay for what we use.”
Celestia smiled brightly. “No need, Chrysalis; our stores have not been used in quite some time, so there is no hassle.” She nodded to the Changeling’s almost figure-hugging dress. “Though I’m curious as to why you wear a dress yourself; Luna and I-”
“To no offense, Princess, but you and your sister are naturally beautiful; all thanks to your Alicorn nature I would assume. We… don’t share your luck when it comes to such matters, especially amongst ponies. I would only assume that the nobles find us repugnant; so anything to at least alleviate their discomfit aids us in their presence.” Chrysalis said.
Celestia nodded and turned back to the door, waving a wing for the guards to follow her. “Very well, do try not to make a mess.” She said as she dawdled to the exit, pausing only for a moment. “And Chrysalis? You only needed to ask.”
She strolled out of the room, the Royal Guard who had accompanied her following her back out.
Glitter stepped down from the podium, prompted by Rarity, and moved over to the full size mirrors, looking at the dress as she turned this way and that.
“Pretty…”
“Well of course it is.” Rarity said with a wide smile as she worked on Shred’s jacket. She was making something more akin to the Royal Guard’s formal attire for him, though she was going to use green and silver instead of red and gold. “Though do mind you don’t spill anything on it, hmm?”
“Are you going to the garden party as well?” Chrysalis asked curiously.
“I don’t doubt that Twilight has an invitation somewhere, seeing as she’s Princess Celestia’s protégée, but I wasn’t even really planning on coming to Canterlot today.”
“Well if you’re interested, Rarity, I’m sure I can ask the Princess-”
“You can join us.” Chrysalis said. “It’s the least we can do for your help; I don’t think that the Princesses would mind so long as you don’t make a scene.”
“Darling, I thought that was your shtick?” She shot sidelong.
“That was a low blow, Miss Rarity.” Flitterwing said. “And it was quite undignified and rude if I say so myself.”
Rarity smiled apologetically. “Oh, I do apologise, I only meant it in jest.”
Chrysalis sighed, turning her head away. “Some things, Rarity, one should never ridicule.”
An awkward silence occupied the room for the next dozen minutes, during which time Rarity managed to sew together Shred’s formalwear and was adding finer details as she took Buzzyear’s measurements.
“I’m sorry for what I said, Chrysalis.” She said out of the blue. “I… I should never have taken light of what, for you and your Changelings is undoubtedly a tragic event.”
“It is alright, Miss Rarity, I understand you meant no disrespect.” Chrysalis said, watching the mare sew disinterestedly. “Unlike those who defile the Wedlock Memorial.”
Twilight looked up at this. “The what?”
“Wedlock Memorial,” Grall said from where he patiently waited, “it is where those of us who perished at the end of the attack within Canterlot were buried. A large marble statue was erected atop their mass grave; it is effectively the only thing we have which could be compared to a pony graveyard. Every day I have to scrub new graffiti from the marble statue, every day I have to repair the damages to the lawn and garden beds. If there were valuables with our fallen kin, I would assume that some grave robbing would have taken place by now as well.”
“We were unsure if we could ask the Princesses to have the memorial marked as, well, mourning land and have walls or fences put up.” Chrysalis said. “Not that it would stop Pegasi, but if we could at least make it recognizably a memorial or a grave site, we could have it protected.”
“I don’t see why Celestia would be against it.” Twilight admitted. “It sounds like something she would be very eager to have done, especially if such disrespect is being inflicted on a site of grieving.”
Chrysalis bowed her head to her. “Thank you for your insight, Miss Sparkle, I shall make sure to gain an audience with the Princess at the earliest convenience.”
“I must say I find it strange that Celestia has a garden party planned on the same day as heavy rain.” Rarity said. “Surely everything will become unbearably wet.”
“The rain is only going to be short, and the gardens are going to be carefully dried beforehand.” Shred said idly, flinching a moment as Rarity accidentally pricked him. “Seats will be put onto the lawn soon after drying it, along with tables and the other settings.”
“Oh, yes, about seating…” Rarity began, not taking her eyes from her work. “Glitter, sweetie, do make sure that if you need to sit down you don’t sit on the ground; you’ll end up marring your dress.”
“Maybe white was a bad idea?” Chrysalis suggested.
Rarity shook her head. “Light Green just wasn’t the colour to go; for accenting it was fine, but for a whole dress it was too… garish.” She moved the needle away from Shred with a smile. “Alright sir, yours is finished, if you’d like to use the mirror I can begin work on… I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
“Buzzyear, Miss Rarity.”
“Please, just call me Rarity.” She insisted, waving a hoof. “The formality is nice, but ‘Miss Rarity’ makes me feel…”
“Old?” Chrysalis suggested with a cheeky grin.
Rarity grimaced in her direction, getting Chrysalis to laugh in response.
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The Changelings stepped up the marble stairway leading to where the garden party was being held, Chrysalis at the front leading the group with Shred to one side of her. He wore his sword for decoration purposes, though they had no doubt that he would use it to every ounce of his well-trained skill should he have to.
Flitterwing and Glitter were amongst the group that trailed behind, with Twilight Sparkle and Rarity amongst them, each wearing a dress designed and made by Rarity. They were possibly the most colourful of the group, considering that the others wore formal suits which were all rather similar with only a few differences between them to discern them from one another.
Chrysalis, Shred, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity strode with confidence as they ascended the stairs; the group of Changelings who accompanied them however had their heads held low and faces apologetic. The general consensus inside the Hive Mind was that this evening would not end well.
They reached the apex of the stairs and crossed onto the exquisitely manicured lawn, wide enough to host a party of hundreds with a beautifully tamed hedge framing it and providing some privacy. A few marquees were about, mainly over tables and chairs. A pair of long tables off to one side bore the weight of the royally prepared food and drinks, a pyramid of filled champagne glasses adding beauty to the colourful spread of delights.
“It is impolite to head straight for the food tables.” Rarity said from within the huddle of Changelings. “Make some polite conversation first, mingle before eating. If somepony goads you by being rude or purposefully saying things that are intended to anger you, ask for a change in topic, comment how uncomfortable it makes you. If they refuse, simply reiterate how uncomfortable you are with the topic and make a polite excuse to leave their company.”
The Changelings nodded faintly, registering her instructions before she moved through them.
“Other than that, have fun; I’m sure the Princesses will be here soon… oh! Princess Luna is here already?”
“Well, the sun and moon did trade places in the sky an hour ago, I imagine she has some time to socialize.” Twilight commented. “Though she’s not doing much of that, is she?”
“She’s not gathering much attention either.” Chrysalis added. “Currently it seems to be aimed exclusively at us.”
Twilight blinked and looked about at the nobles who were glaring their way. She gave a sigh.
“They don’t look too pleased, do they?”
“The nobles have had it out for us for some time.” Chrysalis grumbled. “You would be impressed how many of them wanted us executed when we sought asylum.”
Twilight gave a nervous chuckle.
“I suppose mingling is the least we could do to try and relieve some tensions.” Chrysalis mumbled.
“I think we’ll go chat with the Princess.” Flitterwing mumbled. “If you’ll excuse us.”
She wandered off towards Luna with Glitter following her closely, the young Changeling cringing at the amount of negative attention that was directed towards them. As they neared the lunar goddess, a small group of nobles stepped into their way, barring them.
“Good evening everypony.” Flitterwing said unafraid. “The Princess has done wonderfully with the night sky tonight, hasn’t she?”
The group of Unicorns grunted, not moving from her path. Behind them the Princess shifted.
“Is something amiss, gentlecolts?” Her voice rang, cutting through the Unicorns with ease.
“This… thing was headed directly at you Princess!”
“To us, I believe would be more accurate, sir.” She retorted. “She and her kin are guests of our sister and ourselves, we would presume that they are as welcome as any other.” She moved through the group like a fish cutting through water and stopped before Flitterwing and her daughter. “Though your devotion is appreciated, we greatly doubt that our guests would be brash enough to attempt to harm us.”
The ponies were reluctant, but did eventually move away to their previous gathering locations, still throwing the Changelings dirty looks.
“Thank you, Princess.” Flitterwing said, giving a polite curtsey. She gave a short giggle when Glitter followed suit.
“Quite alright, Flitterwing.” She replied calmly. “We did not expect this cold a reception to your kind’s arrival here however. We guess that the cold glares will fade once our sister arrives.” She looked about the garden worriedly before chucking. “In any case, how have you been? We received a first edition of your last book the other day; an interesting read if we can be so bold.”
“Thank you, Princess; you honor me.” Flitterwing said with a dip of her head. “I did manage to buy your novels from the store that Booker works at, they are quite enjoyable.”
“Thank you, Flitterwing.”
Twilight Sparkle wandered over, having managed to slip away from Rarity, and gave a polite curtsey to the Princess.
“Good evening Princess Luna.” She said.
“And to you, Twilight Sparkle; I was not aware that our sister had sent an invitation, not that you are unwelcome.”
“Chrysalis suggested that we join her entourage; Rarity and I just couldn’t pass it up.”
“You need not explain yourself to us, Twilight; you are as welcome as any of these other gentlecolts and fillies.” Luna said calmly. “Flitterwing was just telling me about her novels.” She added, giving Flitterwing a cheeky grin.
She returned the look with her own which practically screamed ‘oh, you traitor.’
“You write novels?”
Flitterwing sighed and nodded. “Yes, Miss Sparkle, you may even have heard of them.” She wanted to say ‘read’, but wasn’t sure what kinds of books Twilight was interested in. “’Changing Dreams’ for example, or my medical book on Changeling anatomy and growth.”
“You’re that Flitterwing?” Twilight asked incredulously. “Oh my goddess, Rarity loves your novels almost as much as she loves those by Crescent Scribe!”
Luna smiled faintly, and was lucky that Twilight had turned to get Rarity’s attention with the look that Flitterwing shot her way.
Rarity wandered over, practically dragged by Twilight who was bouncing with unrestrained glee. Rarity gave Luna a quick greeting and curtsey, the lunar goddess bowing her head in response.
“Rarity, I’d like to reintroduce you to Flitterwing.” Twilight said gleefully. “You may know her name from another source, however.”
“The only other Flitterwing I know of is that it is the same name as the author of…” She trailed off as her eyes went wide, staring directly at Flitterwing. “…no!”
Flitterwing nodded. “’Changing Dreams’ ring any bells, Rarity?”
*
The minutes passed slowly for the Changelings, the constant glaring from the nobles all around unnerving them and making the evening somewhat uncomfortable. As expected, Celestia soon arrived, joining her sister and scanning the crowd. Chrysalis had sat in one corner to enjoy some champagne and food, levitated by her magic, and had an ear tilted to a Unicorn who was conversing with her. The other Changelings had all gone out and mingled with the nobles, though the Princess did note that a good many of the nobles were still giving the otherwise well-mannered Changelings foul looks.
Then she noticed Glitter sitting alone.
The filly was alone, her mother having been dragged off by Twilight and Rarity for whatever they intended to use her for amongst the nobles, and she looked miserable. Bored, lonely, and frightened… Celestia was impressed that Chrysalis hadn’t picked up on the filly saying anything about this in the Hive Mind, but she set it aside with the thought that she was simply too preoccupied.
With a polite excuse to her sister, she moved across the lawn. She lifted a small plate from the food table with her magic, loading it with food and accompanying it with a glass of punch for those who were not interested in drinking alcohol. Carefully she rearranged the food on the plate and levitated the meal over to the filly, lowering it down in front of her. She’d rearranged the food to say ‘hello’ on the plate, and the stunned filly looked about for who was looking in her direction.
Their eyes connected for a moment, and Celestia winked to her with a smile before continuing to move to where Twilight and Rarity were mingling with Flitterwing.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight began, giving a curtsey to her mentor.
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I was wondering if you would be here this evening.” She replied, before turning her unwavering and calm gaze to Flitterwing. “And Flitterwing, it is nice to see you again; your mother in law tells me your novels are doing quite well.”
“They are thank you Princess.” Flitterwing said, bowing her head.
“And how is your daughter doing in school? Chrysalis does not tell me much about her.”
“She’s doing quite well for her first year, Princess; I… may have given her a somewhat large advantage with the home schooling I put her through, though she’s still finding the class to be fun. Her magic still has something to be desired though.”
Celestia looked to Twilight hopefully.
“Maybe you could give her a helping hoof?” She suggested.
Twilight blinked, her jaw dropping momentarily as Celestia gazed over to where Glitter was quietly eating by herself, still looking lonely and afraid. She sighed and smiled warmly.
“Of course, Princess, I’ll see what I can do.”
Glitter ate carefully, not wanting to spill anything on her clean white dress and risk upsetting Rarity. The mare had been so kind to help, and was always polite, even around Changelings; something she hadn’t expected from the classy Unicorn.
She was bored, she knew this rather well. The soiree was nice and all, but it wasn’t intended for foals, and few entertainments, if any, were being held to keep her occupied. She was also feeling a little lonely; her mother had been dragged off by Miss Sparkle and Rarity to introduce her better to the other ponies and hopefully gain some form of friendly footing amongst the nobles.
Above it all, though, she was frightened. The glares that these mares and stallions would throw her way were always full of anger, and it frightened her to see so many ponies that were angry at her for something in one place.
A lavender Unicorn lay down beside her.
“Hey, are you alright, Glitter?”
She nodded faintly to Twilight’s question, but the Unicorn seemed to not buy it.
“No you’re not.” She said, clearly not fooled. “What’s wrong?”
She sighed and met the gently smiling Unicorn’s eyes with her own. “W-why is everypony so angry at me? Did I do something wrong?”
Twilight blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to think up something to tell the frightened filly. “No, Glitter, you’ve not done anything wrong.” She said quietly and calmly. “These ponies are just… holding on to an old grudge between Changelings and ponies. It’s not unlike the nobles to do such a thing. Supposedly Princess Luna is working to get them more in-line with the morals that Equestria stands for, but it’s not an easy task, even for her.”
Glitter nodded faintly, sighing as she looked down at her now empty plate.
“Glitter, your mother tells me that you began school this year.” Twilight stated, earning a nod in reply. “Is it fun?”
“Sometimes.” Glitter replied sadly. “The other colts and fillies don’t like me. They call me a freak.”
“That’s not nice.” Twilight said faintly. “But surely you’ve made friends?”
Glitter nodded. “Sandy, she’s the only Pegasus in our class.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” Twilight humoured her.
“I guess.” She replied sadly. “Wish she was here, we could at least have some fun.”
“Well, your mother tells me that you have difficulty with your magic,” Twilight began, “are you interested in getting some advice?”
“Advice..?”
Twilight nodded. “I am the private pupil of Princess Celestia; the least I can do it pass along some of my experience. Now, if you’re willing, I want you to lift this plate; I’ll see how your magic is holding it and give you some help…”
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Glitter yawned as she laid back in bed, her mother sitting by her side and levitating a storybook across the room, ready to read to her. Their dresses had been carefully hung in the closet for future use should they have any further formal events to attend. Seeing that Chrysalis worked alongside the Princesses and other nobles almost every day it would most likely happen again.
They had managed to become well acquainted with a fair number of the nobles who had been present at the garden party; some even watching as Glitter practiced her magic under the trained eyes of Twilight Sparkle. She’d gone so far as to train her in some further magic use, including the creation of illusions and magic rocket flares that she could use should she be lost or in danger.
All in all, the night had been marvelously successful; the Princesses even taking time to chat with the Changelings individually about one thing or another. Shred had been more charming than usual, getting along well with the more… laddish of the stallions at the formal get together, and seeing a Changeling in a variant of the formal dress of the royal guard had eased nerves somewhat.
For a few minutes she read a charming, yet short, story to Glitter. For what she was worth, Glitter did attempt to stay up and enjoy the story, but the combination of both school and the party had worn her out considerably and it wasn’t long before she drifted into the land of nod.
Flitterwing gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead before moving back out into the main hall, watching Buzzyear taking the banners from their hanging positions so that he could put them into the wash first thing in the morning while she walked towards the table.
The others were here, chatting idly about the evening over glasses of whiskey. The alcohol had been a suggestion from Princess Luna to Chrysalis, and she treated her kin to the amber liquid as way of thanking them for their good behaviour that night.
Flitterwing sat at a chair and a glass was placed before her which she gently lifted and took a sip of.
“It was an entertaining evening, wasn’t it?” She mused aloud, getting hums of agreement from the others. “Too bad Booker couldn’t be there.”
The front door clicked and opened, revealing their missing Changeling who dawdled in absent-mindedly. His eyes were distant and unfocused, and he bore a smile that looked, to the others, like it came from his very soul.
On his cheek, lipstick could be seen.
“I take it the date went well, Booker?” Shred asked cheekily.
“Mmhmm…”
“Who is the lucky filly?”
He smiled to them with a faint blush.
“Umm…”
“That’s not nice, Shred; he doesn’t have to tell us if he doesn’t want to.” Crackle hissed.
Flitterwing sighed, eying Booker’s worried face. “It’s your boss, isn’t it?” She asked. “Inky Swirl.”
He nodded nervously.
“She does know you’re a Changeling, right?”
Another nod.
“And..?”
He blushed brighter and shuffled his hooves. “W-we have another date planned on Wednesday.”