//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: Mom 
// Story: The Start of Something New 
// by Rhino 
//------------------------------//

Rhino looks back and forth between Gel and the silver creature. "Mom? What do you mean, 'Mom'?" 

The nymph appears to ignore his question, rushing forward and embracing the smaller changeling. "...mom...I missed you...w-why did you leave?" She sniffles, burying her snout in her silver mane. "...what happened to you?" 

Hydro looks to his friend. "Umm... what the hay is going on?"

"My thoughts exactly..." the unicorn responds. He takes a step forward. "Gel?" 

"We have to help her." She looks up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Please, love, we have to help her."

Rhino looks at the small gaunt form, remembering the pity he had felt for it. Combining that with his wife's tears... he really doesn't have a choice. "Fine..." his tone is not one of discussion, "but she's restrained, and she is never anywhere near Ruby." 

"T-thank you, love." She laughs breathily, holding the smaller changeling to her body. "O-okay...I know how to restrain her..." She looks to the red stallion. "There's a rope in the hall closet. C-can you go get it?" 

He nods. "Where do you want me to bring it?" 

"T-the basement." She gulps softly, turning her attention back to the gaunt form. "W-we'll bring her down there, soon." 

Hydro nods as runs back to the house.

Rhino, meanwhile, looks back down at his wife as she holds the smaller form. Sighing as he realizes he probably isn't going to get straight answers from her until they've dealt with this... situation, he decides to see if he can move things along. He picks up the water hose, as it still runs, and moves it towards Gel. "Want me to get the mud off the two of you?" 

The nymph absently nods, gently stroking her silver mane. "...how did this happen...s-she's on the brink of starvation..."

Rhino starts spraying down the two, getting the mud off both of them where they had fallen for vastly different reasons. "She's been around a month at least... does that help?" 

"...t-this stage of hunger...s-she must've been barely surviving..." She glances down, tracing a hoof over a barely-visible bump. "...found a weaker source of affection...puppy love, I think...milked it for all she could, but it wasn't enough..." She sniffles, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. "...if she doesn't get a stronger form, soon...she might...m-might..." 

"You don't need to say it..." The thought of a creature dying, especially from something as horrendously torturous as hunger, is more than he wants to think about at the moment. For the moment, he decides to adopt his medical professional mindset, if only to keep his thoughts focused. As he finishes rinsing off all the mud, he stows the hose while he speaks. "What else can you tell me about her condition?" 

Gel taps the distended stomach, recoiling slightly in shock. "...she...she's made of stone...h-how...how can she move? How is she even alive?" 

"So she was telling the truth when she said that... a very strange case all around." He walks closer to the two of them. "Is she ready to be moved?" 

"Not yet..." She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before spitting a blob of slime onto the changeling's horn. "...now she is. Try to avoid touching the...gel. Even with your magic." 

He regards the blue goop globbed onto the changeling's horn with an inscrutable expression. "That's... new..." His horn lights up as he lifts up the small nymph, though instead of enveloping her, he instead just slides a bit of magic under her a lifts her up that way. As he turns toward the house, he remarks to Gel. "Why don't you check and make sure Ruby's okay? We're still not sure what her emotion sensing range is, so she might be upset by all this if she feels it." 

"That's a good idea." She gets up and runs into the house, leaving the two of them outside in her haste.

Rhino looks to the small form is his grasp. "Well... I guess we'll finally learn all we want to about you... one way or another." He walks back to the house, his pace smooth and his magic stable so as not to jostle her. After no time at all, Rhino closes the back door behind him as he enters the kitchen. 

He finds Gel smiling down at a sleeping Ruby, and the fox curled protectively around her. She turns to him, smiling warmly in relief. "...it wasn't close enough to affect her...she didn't even wake up..."

He lets out a breath. "Good... one less thing to worry about. Only this one left to sort out." He motions toward the levitated changeling with his head.

As he crosses the kitchen, Specter and Selena walk in, looking very much like they want to know what all the commotion is about.

Rhino motions back towards Ruby. "Keep an eye on her for a little, okay guys?"

They nod, moving to join Mercury in foal-guarding duty. 

The nymph watches them for a moment before turning to her stallion, nervously smiling. "...I know this is a strange request, but...could you provide some love for mom?" She starts moving towards the basement door, though she keeps her attention on the unicorn. 

"...What?" He follows her towards the basement. 

"The fact is, she needs something substantial." They start their descent of the stairs. "I could feel your pity for her, but that's below puppy love. Mom seems to require more energy than normal...and changelings can't exactly feed off each other." 

"Yes, you've said that before, but you also said changelings literally gather love and bring it back to the hive, right? How do they do that, and can it apply here?" He ducks the small creature so it doesn't hit a door frame. 

"Yes, but that requires stealing love, liquefying it, and putting it in a special container." They reach the bottom of the flight. "It also isn't as potent as fresh love, especially that which is freely given." She grabs the blanket off his couch and lays it on the floor, motioning to it. "Place her there." 

He does so as Hydro comes down the stairs, calling to Gel. "Next time, remind me to ask which hall the closet is in. It took me three tries to find the right one." He slides the rope down next to the blanket." 

"Thank you." She turns to Rhino, gesturing to the red stallion. "Of course, if you really don't want to, maybe Hydro would be willing to give her some?"

The unicorn looks to his friend. "Somehow... I don't think Hydro would be willing to love something that attacked him..."

The earth pony blinks. "Umm... ok, I apparently missed something because this just took a really weird turn."

Rhino waves a hoof, "Don't worry about it, we'll deal with this. Just... go keep an eye on Ruby for now, okay?"

Hydro nods, quickly retreating up the stairs with only one confused backwards glance. 

Gel shrugs, sighing quietly. "Then you'll have to do it. I know it might be awkward, but...you'll be saving her life." She picks up the rope, nodding to him. "I'll let you think on it for a bit." With that, she begins to securely tie the small changeling's limbs to her body, putting the knot at the back of her neck. 

The stallion sighs. "I'm guessing because she's out, she can't just skim some off the top of what I normally direct towards you... Does it have to be... intended for her?" 

"At first, yes." She gently strokes her silver mane, frowning softly. "At least until she regains consciousness. Then she should be able to skim, though...I did mention the drawbacks of that, didn't I?" She turns to him, clearly concerned. "She'd be stealing the love, after all..."

"Right, right, energy drain and all that... We'll deal with the future techniques once we figure this one out." He looks over the bound form again. "Erm... exactly what kind of love is needed here?" 

"Familial love." She sniffs softly. "It's a few hundred joules short of romantic love, but it's the next best thing." She rubs the back of her neck, nervous. "Just...imagine that she's part of your family...someone you care for dearly..."

He lets out a breath. "Ok, that's a small relief... I thought I'd have to go full romantic for a bit there..." 

She narrows her eyes, pointing a hoof at him. "I would rather eat glass than force you to love another romantically. I'm surprised you even considered that." 

"Hey, in my defense, this isn't exactly a normal situation, and you said she needed strong love." He sighs and looks back to the small form. "So... familial love huh?"

"That's right." She smiles, nodding to him. "It's not that far a stretch, is it? She is family, after all..." 

“Maybe... I'm just not exactly sure how one goes about shifting their feelings for someone so quickly..." He looks to her. "You'll be able to tell when I start giving that off,right?" 

"I can, yes." She puts a hoof on his shoulder. "Please, love...she's my mom..." 

"I still don't understand how that's even possible... But... I'll try something..." He sits down and looks down at the silver nymph as he slowly relaxes. "I'm going to go very quiet for a bit. Try not to shock me out of it, ok?" 

She silently nods, looking at the younger changeling. Her concern is clear, but she doesn't want to disturb him, even before it is necessary. 

Rhino breathes slowly, working to calm and quiet his active mind. As he gazes on his target, he sorts through his feelings on her: the anger at her attacking him, the curiosity of what and who she is, the pity of knowing she mistakes him for somepony else, the interest of why she always spoke of Gel, and finally, the solution his wife had offered, that she was family. Slowly, Rhino lets his mind dull, only having the focus to see the last of these feelings prominently. His eyes mist over as he loses himself in a more idealistic imagined version of this situation. Images created by his mind show a you her Gel, and a shadowy figure taking care of her. He convinces himself that this figure is the same as the one tied up on the blanket. Gradually, his emotions start adjusting to the illusion his mind is enveloped in. 

The filly nymph's face slowly relaxes as the feelings wash over her. Her breathing calms down from the previous ragged ones. 

Only vaguely aware of this, Rhino continues his self-induced trance. His warm thoughts project outward as he focuses on them, a feeling of content resting easily in his mind as he sits there. 

Gel watches in silence, gauging how healthy the small nymph's body is. After a minute, she taps Rhino's shoulder. "That's enough for now, love. Too much after starving is a bad thing." 

The stallion jumps, looking around with unfocused eyes. He blinks blankly at Gel for short time before he shakes his head and is finally able to focus on her. He groans slightly as he speaks. "Did it work?" 

"I think so..." She gently pokes the changeling, eliciting a groan from her. "...I think she'll be better in the morning...maybe even be awake, too..." 

Rhino's response is less than thrilled. "Yay..." He looks around. "Is there a way to strap her to the floor or something so she doesn't roll or hop around getting into anything?"

Maybe." She brings the cushions from the couch, forming a makeshift brace around the silver changeling's body. She glances at the stallion, sheepishly smiling. "You don't mind, do you? I-it's only temporary..." 

He raises an eyebrow. "What, precisely, is temporary?" 

"Until I find more secure bonds. Or maybe bring Ruby's crib down here." She taps her chin, considering this a moment. "...actually, that might work. I'll go get it." She turns and starts up the stairs, talking over her shoulder. "You stay here and keep an eye on her, okay?" 

The stallion raises a hoof and rubs the bridge of his nose as his wife exits the basement. "Feel like I'm being strung along... really gonna need to talk with her about this..." His eyes glance over at the still silver nymph. "Definitely going to have to have talks with you... but at least I won't get bruises out of them." He rubs a hoof across the dark blotch on the underside of his jaw as he sighs. 

"Talks?" The small changeling opens her eyes, glaring fiercely at him. "Like I'd tell you anything. Now let me go." 

His hoof goes back on his bridge. "Oh joy... you're awake." He gives her a flat look. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with you right now." 

She continues to give him a pointed stare for a few seconds, silently considering him. "...tell me..." Her expression softens slightly. "...I should be dead by now...who gave me love?" 

He looks her straight in the eyes calmly as he answers. "I did. Gel informed me of how close you were to death... and I am not a pony to let something embrace death if I can do something about it. Though, you did recover far faster than she thought you would... or than I thought you would, given your state." 

"I was frozen." She rolls her eyes. "It's what happens when I don't have the strength to manipulate my body...wait." She tilts her head to one side, brow furrowed in confusion. "...you gave me the love? But...changelings can't do that...not without liquefying it, and then I'd have to drink it..."

"Yes, so she explained. She also said it wouldn't be as strong. Thus... you got it from the source." He lets his statements hang in the air, knowing she'll draw the evident conclusion. 

"...then...then you really aren't him..." She groans, letting her head fall to the floor. "...all that time...wasted..." 

"Careful now, don't want a head wound on top of everything else." Rhino walks over, looking down at her. "Finally believe I'm not you thought I was?" 

"...yes...but..." She looks up at him, confused. "...if you aren't Mimic...then who are you?" 

"Rhino, I'd hold out a hoof to shake yours, but that would be a bit insensitive at the moment." He looks seriously at her. "And it appears you and I had problems with the same red drone." 

She recoils slightly, eyes wide in shock. "You mean...you're the one who infiltrated the outpost? And...you beat all of the generals?" 

He sighs as he's reminded of one of the darkest times in his life that occurred a little over a year ago. "And here I thought they hushed all that... yeah, that was me. Wasn't easy, I'll tell you that." 

"...then..." She groans, banging her head against the floor again. "...I assaulted my daughter's love. Bloody brilliant." 

"Hey, I said no head trauma." His horn lights up and the blanket she's laying on rolls up the excess fabric above her into a cylindrical pillow. "Though, I guess Gel's claim that you're her mother is more valid now..." He rubs his bridge again. "I'm gonna need some nice time with the family after this..." 

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "Hate to break it to you, but I am part of your family. At least, if those earrings Gel is wearing have anything to say about it." 

Rhino chuckles. "Good to know I got to experience the stereotypical mother-in-law troubles then, if in a more violent fashion than normal." 

"Hey," she narrows her eyes at him, "you're lucky I'm not in my original body. I would've beaten you without breaking a sweat the first time I met you." 

"And thus we come to the confusing part which I'm sure Gel would love to hear too, so might as well start deciding how you plan on explaining..." he waves a hoof over her, "this." 

"Frankly, I don't know how." She frowns, focusing on the floor. "I just know that I died and then...I'm a living statue." 

Rhino raises a hoof, opens his mouth, but only comes out with a series of disjointed noises before sighing and placing a hoof over his eyes. "Just... try to expand your story a bit. I heard one sentence and I'm already seeing what should be impossible. Let's just... wait for Gel..." 

"...can you untie me in the meantime?" She gives him a winning grin, hopeful. 

He shakes his head. "Pleasant as you've been now, I'm not going to take that chance. I'm sure Gel would like me to, but I'm going to stay on the side of safety conscious slight paranoia right now until I make sure this isn't just an act to get me to lower my guard."

She nods, laughing brightly. "You would've made a fine soldier. Now to see how she thinks of you." 

He smirks. "You were asleep for most of our conversation it seems. Well, if you really are her mother, I think seeing how we act towards each other should win me some points with you." 

"Maybe. I would like to see how you take care of that pupa of yours, as well." She smirks at him. "Family comes first, right?" 

He nods. "It does. Though, Gel has mentioned, when asked, that she be called a foal." 

"Really?" She frowns, confused. "Why does she do that?"

"Because I don't want her to be tormented by close-minded ponies." Gel returns, the crib floating along behind her. "Glad to see you're awake, mom."

The smaller nymph gapes at the furniture. "Surely that's not for me, sweetie...right?" She gives a hard look to Rhino, unamused.

"Wasn't my idea, though, I have to admit it serves its purpose." He can't help but let a small amused smile slip as Gel puts the crib down. "Oh, and don't wreck it, Ruby still needs to use it once you're done." 

"Ha ha." She scowls slightly at him. "If this stuff wasn't on my horn, I'd smack your head with the pillow." 

"Better than other things you've hit me with," he remarks dryly. 

She opens her mouth but finds she lacks a retort. She grumbles, turning to the side. "...you win this round, Rhino..." 

He smiles as he turns to Gel. "Would you like to tuck her in? It's just as much for her safety as ours as this point, right? She shouldn't be doing too much in her state." 

Gel grimaces, shuffling her hooves awkwardly. "C-could you do it, please? I-It'd be a little strange for me to do that..." 

He shrugs, his horn lighting and scooping up the small changeling. He walks over to the crib, setting her in it and even fluffing her pillow. He can't help but crack at least one joke. "Need a blanket?"

She gives him a flat look. "I'd rather not get cold, yes. And stop acting so smug." 

"Sorry, sorry, getting parenting flashbacks I guess." He pulls the blanket up and even goes so far as to tuck her in, with minimum chuckling. He pats the silver changelings head. "Comfy?" 

She scowls at him, her hair bristling slightly. "Touch my head without my permission, one more time...and these ropes won't keep me back." She huffs, turning her head to the side. "...I can't believe I'm being treated like this at thirty nine..." 

"Hey, I'd tuck my own mother in if she asked, and she's almost 15 years older than you." He turns to Gel. "So... what now then? I mean obviously some chats or in order, and I want to relieve Hydro of Ruby, but before all that, is there anything I'm forgetting?" 

"That bruise on your chin, maybe?" His nymph gingerly reaches out, running a hoof over the sore spot. "You might want some medicine for that...or maybe some ice..."

He tries opening his mouth wide, only to wince. "Yeah... a little something for that." He turns to the silver changeling. "Anything you need then?"

"Something to entertain me?" She looks to him, hopeful. "Maybe out of these ropes? They're starting to chafe...and part of it is pulling rather distractingly on my tail..." 

Rhino looks to Gel, who tied the ropes. "You made it pull her tail?" 

She nods, swinging her own tail for emphasis. "You know our tails can be like a fifth hoof. I wanted to be sure she wouldn't try to escape." 

"Ah, right." He nods. "Do you agree with keeping her secure for now?" 

"...I don't know." She looks at the silver changeling, regretful. "I don't want to, but...I know it's the best option, for now..." She sheepishly smiles, shrugging a bit. "S-sorry, mom."

The smaller nymph sighs, closing her eyes. "...fine. I suppose we have to work towards a mutual sense of respect before I can go anywhere." 

Rhino nods again. "Look at it this way: you already scored some points by taking the crib. Now Ruby can sleep with us." 

She quirks an eyebrow. "...her name is Ruby?" She chuckles, shaking her head. "I guess that's indicative of her talent, then? You ponies do have a knack for that, after all." 

He shrugs. "Eh, hit and miss. Mom ended up giving me a name more akin to my job than my talent."

"Oh..." She goes silent, staring at his cutie mark. "...then...what is your talent?" 

"Rune magic. You're actually in my lab right now." He gestures around. 

"Runes?" She tilts her head to one side, thinking for a moment. "...that sounds familiar, for some reason...but I can't remember why..." 

"Well... maybe some rest will help. I'm still honestly surprised you're awake enough to speak." He turns to gel. "You said she'd need to recover right? About how long you think it'll take with the love I gave her for her to get to a decent state to be up and around?" 

"About a day. She'll need more love in the morning." She turns to the couch cushions, lifting them up to put them back. She pauses, staring at a small hole in the ground. "...love? Was that always there?" 

"Not until our guest over there started to bang her head against 
the ground. Had to stop her by forcibly placing a pillow under her." He looks down at the dent in the floor. "i'll have to get something to patch that up..." 

Gel waves a hoof dismissively. "We can do that later. For now, let's let
mom sleep."

The smaller changeling sighs, shaking her head. "Can I say something before you two leave? You know, actually introduce myself?" 

Rhino turns around. "Go ahead."

"My name is Diorite, but you can call me Dior." She struggles against the rope for a second. "And if I could, I'd offer a hoof for you to shake." 

He tilts his head towards her. "Nice to meet you properly, Dior. Get well soon, okay?" 

"Thank you...for everything..." She frowns, looking off into the distance. "...I have to wonder what happened to him, though..." 

"Considering I all but snapped off his horn last we met, I can't imagine he's getting into too much trouble." He walks over to the light switch, hovering his hoof over it. "Have a nice sleep." 

She nods and closes her eyes, quickly falling into blissful unconsciousness.

The navy nymph starts her ascension of the staircase, a little unnerved. ...you were...talking about him...d-did something happen between him and mom? 

"I don't know..." He follows her up. "But it seems she thought i was him this whole time. She didn't reveal how exactly she knew him previously though." 

"She thought you were..." She stares at him incredulously. "Why? You aren't anything like him!" 

Rhino replies in a sobering voice. "We both wanted to be with you..." 

She grimaces, averting her gaze. "...but you're sweet. Loving. He was just...unsettling. Psychotic." 

"Yes..." A small smile appears on his face. "But, luckily all it took for your mom to realize I wasn't him, was to prove how much of a love machine I am." 

She giggles, tenderly nuzzling his cheek. "Was there ever any doubt?" She winks at him. "You're my love machine, though. I want to be clear on that." 

He slowly nuzzles up her neck, ending it with a kiss on the lips. "Understood." 

Now in the hall, the parents look forward and see their other houseguest standing exactly in the middle of the doorway to the kitchen. He appears to have been using this spot as a way to keep an eye on both their location and the foal's. He looks at them curiously. "So... how did it go?" 

"Well, mom is asleep, now. She's also a bit less confrontational, now..." She sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of her neck. "That's definitely a good thing..." 

He raises an eyebrow. "So she really is your mom then?" 

"She is, just...younger." She frowns, tapping her chin. "I don't know how that happened...but I'm going to find out..." 

"Never gets dull around here, does it?" He stretches in place a bit. "Well, if you guys have things handled here, there's a few things I need to see to in town. That okay?" 

Gel shrugs, shaking her head as she walks into the kitchen. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. May I ask what you're going to do?" 

As he opens the front door, Hydro calls back. "I'll tell you later. It's a surprise!"

She blinks, staring at him in confusion. "...well, then...I guess we'll find out what that is, later..." She picks up a ceramic jar, shaking her head. "I'll just sit here eating a few cookies, in the meantime." She chomps down on a sugar cookie, smiling contentedly. 

"You do that... I need to clear my head a bit, and i know just the way to do it." He walks over to the pets as they all curl around or near Ruby. He pets each of them before reaching down and picking up the dozing foal. Holding her to him, he sighs contently. 

She yawns softly, opening her eyes slowly. She sees her daddy and laughs happily, reaching out to him with a hoof. 

He touches his hoof to hers, leaning down and nuzzling her lovingly. "Hey sleepy... you missed all the excitement." He kisses the top of her head.

She coos softly, nuzzling his chest. She babbles at him, as if she was responding to his words.

Gel giggles, shaking her head. "I see she still isn't affected by those emotions. That's good." She notices the filly start to squirm, a soft whine escaping her. She sighs, holding a hoof out to them. "She needs to be changed, love. Do you want me to take care of it?" 

Rhino shakes his head. "I'll get it. I know you still aren't fond of having to deal with... more solid presents." He walks over to the counter, pulling out a towel they use for this exact occasion and laying it under the foal as he sets her down on her back. 

"Changelings don't exactly leave those 'presents'. So yea, I'm not fond of them." She walks over as some smoke comes from her nostrils, leaving her snout without said holes. "I can deal with it, though, for Ruby's sake." 

"Yeah, of course you get to remove your sense of smell and I just have to ignore mine." He unfolds the soiled diaper, the couple having moved onto disposable ones now that Ruby was bigger. Trying not to focus as he works on her, Rhino continues talking to Gel. "You think maybe the emotions from downstairs were just outside her range, or were they muffled by other emotions that were closer?" 

"I think that the love of the pets was a buffer. That's what you were asking, right?" She frowns, touching her lips. "I hate how nasally this makes me sound..." 

"Seems like a fair tradeoff to me." He wipes Ruby clean, her giggling the whole time before he powders and sets her up with a new diaper. He lifts her up and smiles at her. "There we go, all better." 

She squeals happily, her little forelegs spread out to the sides.

The navy nymph laughs, shaking her head. "I think she wants to play with you." 

"Good, because a nice bit of relaxing playtime is just what I need." He cradles the foal to his chest. "What do you think, Ruby, should we play up in the bedroom or in the living room?" 

She babbles excitedly at him, making broad, unreadable gestures with her forelegs.

Gel blinks, confused by this. "...Rhino, where did she learn that? I don't remember ever using those..." 

"Maybe she's making them up on her own." He looks at the smiling filly. "You're such a smart filly aren't you?" 

She giggles happily, nodding. Whether this is in response to his question is unknown, however. 

Rhino turns to Gel. "Come on, I feel like relaxing on the bed for a bit."

"If you're tired, then you should rest...but I agree, you don't have to sleep alone." She nods and steps next to him, entwining her tail in his and smiling warmly. "Lead the way, love." 

They head up to the room, settling on the bed with Ruby in the space between them. Rhino decides to play with the filly a moment before addressing what's on his mind. He sets his head down on the bed, looking at the filly and wondering what she'll do. 

She walks over to him with only a second of delay. She happily nuzzles him before rising up and putting her forehooves on his cheek, giggling brightly.

Right at that moment, Mercury leaps up onto the mattress. He makes a beeline for the pink pony, sitting down nearby and nuzzling her. 

Rhino chuckles and pets the fox. "Just as attached to us as her, aren't you?" He smiles as he gets his hoof licked as an answer before he turns his eyes back to Ruby. "I take it this is another session of the 'climb on Daddy' game? Seems like that's one of your favorites." 

She nuzzles him some more before she climbs up his head. She continues until she reaches the top of his mane, sitting down and waving her hooves excitedly. She turns her attention to his horn, poking it with a hoof.

Gel laughs, shaking her head. "She loves her daddy. What can you do?" 

"Love her back, of course." He runs magic on and off through his horn, making it flicker in front of the foal. "Though her being up there reminds me... I wonder when she's going to start surging?" 

Gel blinks, looking at him in confusion. "...surging? What do you mean by that?" She flinches slightly, nervous. "S-she's not going to shoot electricity, is she?" 

He continues flicking his horn glow on and off. "Well... some might, but that particular direct effect is probably low chance. I mean magical surging, when a foal's magic first appears in sudden bursts with varied effects. Pretty much the first thing they warn you about when you're a parent to a unicorn." 

She frowns, directing her gaze to her hooves. "...I knew I shouldn't have skipped those chapters..." She looks at the filly as she takes a lock of Rhino's mane in her mouth. "...what do you think it'll be like? L-like yours was, maybe?" 

"Well... heritage does give you something to work off, but no two foals' surges are the same." Rhino reaches up and starts lightly tickling the filly's side with a hoof. "From what Mom told me... my surges most often involved levitating myself in my sleep so that I woke myself up when I fell, turning things green, and magically growing my fur until I was literally barely more than a ball of fluff." 

Gel bites her lip, her chitin tinting a lighter blue. "...I see...wait..." She tilts her head, an eyebrow quirked. "...turning things green? Y-you're sure about that?" 

He shrugs. "Apparently I had a very stubborn streak back then that since I was green, it was the best color, and everything else should be green." 

The navy nymph glances at the filly. "...so if her magic bursts could turn things green..." She slowly shifts her gaze over to the fox, slightly nervous. "...then...could she already be going through them?" 

His eyes widen. "Oh... that... would make sense... and would also make me worried..." 

“...same...but I suppose we shouldn't..." She shrugs slightly. "...it's not like they'll be dangerous...w-well, aside from that falling one..." She taps her chin, thinking a bit. "...do you think that was because of your fear of heights, or the cause of it?" 

"Honestly? No idea. But you're right, they likely won't be dangerous on their own... but we have to make sure she stays safe." He takes Ruby off his head and places her in front of him, tickling her stomach. "Just what kind of magic will come out of you?" 

She laughs, flailing her forelegs but making no move to escape, obviously enjoying the attention.

Gel giggles, shaking her head. "I guess only time will tell..." 

"Yes... speaking of telling though... mind if I ask you some things?" He lays his head down next to the flailing foal. "Just so I can answer some of the questions that have come from today." 

She blinks in surprise but nods, placing her hoof on his. "I'll answer what I can, love." 

"Ok..." As Ruby rolls over and clamps all her hooves on his muzzle, he speaks. "First... what made you think Dior was your mom?" 

"...well...it was her face..." She smiles softly, her gaze focused on her forehooves. "...I only knew one nymph with those features...even if she looked starved, I couldn't mistake the one who helped me through school...who always had her door open to me..." Her smile falters slightly. "...though...she disappeared eleven years ago...I-I don't know why..." 

He closes one eye as Ruby starts climbing his face again. "I thought nannies raised you..."

"They did." She chuckles, leaning over and gently nuzzling the pink filly. "She took time out of her job to tutor me. She said that she didn't trust anyone else to teach me the essentials..." 

He gives her a quick peck on the lips as she nuzzles their daughter. "So she was still present? You make it sound like she wasn't around much." 

“Yes, she was." She shrugs slightly. "I shared her lessons with Luster and Flick. Though, personally, I think they grasped them a little better than I did." She blinks as his last sentence sinks in and squirms slightly, embarrassed. "I do? I didn't know that..." 

He tries to explain himself. "Well, it's just that you talk about her taking off work to teach you, but still being raised by nannies... is that normal for changelings?" 

"...n-not really, no..." She rubs the back of her neck, unsure. "...w-we normally have to...fend for ourselves, once we get into school..." 

"Right... right... remembering it now. It's just different from what I grew up like so I sometimes forget." He tries to get to his main point as a certain pink filly starts chewing on one of his ears. "But... you are happy to see her again?" 

"Yes, I am." She smiles warmly, nodding. "I missed her so much...you have no idea..." 

He rolls over slightly to lay on his side, the little filly hanging on his ear now finding that the rest of him is no longer quite as high and proceeding to walk down his ribs, aiming for his tail. "Aside from physically... is she as you remember?" 

She nods, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "...I believe so...aside from her...paranoia..." 

He nods, quiet with his thoughts as Ruby bits the tip of his tail and starts trying to drag it back toward his head, pouncing on it when it tries to flop back down when she loses her grip. "Well..." He picks the filly up off his back and sets her against her mother's chest between her forelegs, smiling at the picture. "I don't think her dose of love tomorrow will be nearly as difficult to give." 

Gel laughs, shaking her head. "That's definitely good to know, love." She leans down and nuzzles their little filly, smiling softly at her. "Maybe she can meet...um..." She pauses, the gears visibly turning in her head. "...Didi? Does that sound like a good nickname?" 

He twitches slightly trying to make his words as diplomatic as possible. "Umm... the name's fine... but if we want them to meet, I think it would be best at a distance... for now." 

She blinks, unsure what to make of that. "...Rhino...are you afraid of mom...possibly hurting Ruby?" 

"...Misunderstanding or not, your mother was attacking me up until a few hours ago. While things have come a long way since then, the fact that I'm even agreeing to having them meet at this time is a huge step. Even more so when you consider how protective I am." He looks at Ruby. "I'm not saying I believe she's going to hurt her, but there's always those thoughts of things that could happen... and right now I'm just not ready to trust her with what is most precious to me." 

Gel pouts playfully. "I thought I was precious to you, too..."

He raises an eyebrow. "Notice how I haven't left her and you alone in a room? I meant both of you." 

"...oh. Now I feel foolish." She laughs shyly before quickly becoming more serious. "But really, she could've hurt you once before, but stopped at the sight of Ruby." She gestures with a hoof. "Not to mention, I was taught personally by her...when she was the General of Chrysalis's army. I think she has a soft spot for family." 

He sighs. "Maybe... maybe if things go well, I'll let her get close to Ruby. No holding though, not yet." 

"I don't think mom can do that yet, anyways." She rolls her eyes, turning on the mattress and draping a wing over his side. "She's still tied up, after all." 

"A fair point, her size might make it an issue too." He chuckles as Ruby snuggles her way in between Gel's right foreleg and his left, cuddling both of them now that they are close enough for her to do so. "Crazy morning..." 

"I'll say." She glances at the clock on her bed stand, absently stroking the filly's soft mane. "Oh, look. It just became noon...I wonder what the rest of the day holds..." 

"I'll gladly take a normal day. Just some time to relax with my two favorite girls." He nuzzles Ruby before leaning over and giving Gel a long kiss. 

The navy nymph laughs, playfully pushing his side. "Flatterer." She smirks and kisses him tenderly. "...I'd like that, as well..."