//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Integration // by Raugos //------------------------------// Two months after Integration… Although Princess Luna had been victorious in her battle against Chrysalis, Caramel had learned soon after her departure that it had cost her just as much as the queen. Chrysalis had lain in her chambers for days on end to recover, but her presence was at least still tangible through the instructions she sent to everyone in the hive concerning repairs and reorganising in the wake of their truce with ponykind. But Luna, in spite of her promise to keep in touch, had been completely absent from his dreams for almost a week after her rescue attempt. He did not even get so much as a fleeting glimpse of her shadow in the dreamscape, let alone a full conversation. It wasn’t until the eighth day or so that she finally reappeared in his dreams, and even then her presence felt ghostly and… somewhat weak. She’d given no greeting or pleasantry of any sort. Though she probably could have taken any form and appearance in the dream world, she’d simply been herself, and her drooping wings and bowed head made it apparent that she was in no shape to hold a conversation. She’d simply sighed with weariness and whispered, “Help comes. Expect it in a day or two.” And then Caramel was alone in his dream once more. But true to her word, a caravan arrived at the hive the following day, along with a small group of royal guards. They were laden with supplies and various necessities, particularly food and working tools that had come from the nearest towns, all paid for from the royal coffers. There was also a sizeable supply of alchemical equipment and books for Chrysalis, courtesy of Canterlot’s Royal Botanical Society. Or perhaps at Luna’s behest. Either way, those were meant to help the queen’s research in subterranean agriculture. Overseer Grez was never going to admit it, but Caramel was sure that the surly changeling was ecstatic over the supply of tools and small amount of building materials. On the other hoof, Forager Caste was less reserved with their enthusiasm over finding nearly a dozen sickles and other harvesting tools. With the end of the wet season, the teeming plant life would only last for little more than a couple of months. It had been several weeks of frenzied harvesting to collect as much plant material for the hive. Anything that wasn’t directly edible was meant to go to the fungus farms. The builders had somehow managed to cannibalise some of the caravans and tools to construct barricades with metal spikes in the lower tunnels to help fend off quarrays and diamond dogs. Warrior Caste even made themselves a few crude weapons, in spite of Luna’s refusal to ship them spears and swords. But that was as much as Overseer Skeehar dared to risk; Chrysalis was keeping a close watch on what they were doing in order to avoid angering the princess of the night through misuse her supplies. Given what Caramel had seen of diamond dogs and quarrays, he wouldn’t necessarily have considered making the weapons a misuse of materials, but he could understand the backlash that Luna would receive from ponies if they found out that she was indirectly arming the changelings. He’d relayed these concerns to the princess when she’d sufficiently recovered to converse regularly in his dreams, and to his relief, she’d simply told him that she would deal with any political fallout on her end. So long as the supplies were not being used to anypony’s detriment, she would have no complaint. In any case, after nearly two months, the hive was relatively well stocked and Chrysalis had finally decided that it was time to release the captives. In return, Luna had promised to bring back the changelings who had been caught. They were going to meet in Dodge City, which was the closest town on the border to the badlands. Princess Celestia would be also present. If all went according to plan, they were going to begin the march to Dodge City in twelve hours’ time, after sundown. There was just the matter of releasing them… * * * * * “Are you ready?” He was staring as Lucky cavorted with six attractive mares in the meadow below. They looked like they were having the time of their lives as they galloped and chased one another in the tall grass. Seriously, he needs to have realistic goals. Each mare looked like she was in the peak of health and beauty, with perfect proportions, vibrantly luscious coats and voices that would have put the most exotic songbirds to shame. “Caramel, did you hear me?” Luna asked sternly. He shook his head and returned his attention to her. “Sorry, I got distracted.” The princess gave the mares a sideways glance and gave him a tiny smirk. “So I saw. Are you ready to help your friend out of this world?” Caramel nodded. “Good.” Without further comment, Princess Luna leaped into the air from the hill that they were standing on and gently glided down to Lucky. Caramel simply sat and waited. This was Luna’s third attempt to get the grey earth stallion to converse with her. The first one had been pretty much like his initial reactions to her intrusion in his dreams; it involved lots of running and freaking out. The second one had been better, but Lucky had still been inclined to fear her rather than think rationally about his situation. But at least he was getting used to her, and Caramel’s heart leaped when he saw Lucky greeting the Princess instead of running away. Caramel had seen the pattern repeat itself often enough with the rest of the captives. Fear, followed by doubt and then acceptance. Sometimes there would be a little incredulity and frustration in the mix. He watched as Luna and Lucky sat down and conversed; she would be convincing him that everything was just a dream, a fantasy induced by the fluids in the changeling pod that he was really trapped in. A laugh from the stallion told him that Lucky probably did not believe her, but after a few stern words from the princess, his ears drooped, and he glanced around with doubt written all over his face. Yep. She’s popped the bubble. Caramel had long since come to recognise that wide-eyed, bewildered expression. Luna drew Lucky’s attention back and continued speaking for some time, pausing only every now and then to make sure that the confused stallion’s attention didn’t wander too far. Eventually, she pointed a hoof in Caramel’s direction. That was his cue. He leaped into the air and flittered downhill. Lucky’s eyes widened as he approached, but Luna’s steady hoof prevented him from running away as Caramel settled onto the grass before them. “Hi.” Lucky blinked. “That’s… not Caramel,” he whispered to Luna. “And what did he say?” he added more softly. Caramel always looked like a full changeling whilst dreamstalking, and so far had been unsuccessful at getting anypony to understand him. Fortunately, Princess Luna had picked up Vespid after hours and hours of visiting him in his sleep, and although she could not speak it herself, she could understand him as clearly as if he’d spoken Equestrian. “I assure you; your friend is right before your eyes. He will appear more familiar to you in the waking world, but you must still be prepared for a few… differences.” Luna smiled at Lucky and gestured at Caramel, who grinned and waved back. “No matter what he may look like, he is still your friend, the one you and Cherry Berry came searching for in this desert. He will keep you safe when you leave this place.” “But… what happened? Safe from what?” “You will remember when you wake up. For now, you must trust us. Promise that you will do your best to remain calm when the darkness comes.” Lucky gulped visibly. “Is it going to hurt?” “No. But it’s not going to be nice, either,” Caramel said. Luna relayed the message and added, “You will be fine. Everypony has already gone through it unharmed. They’ll be waiting for you. Trust your friend; he knows what to do.” Lucky glanced at Caramel and shuffled uncertainly, but he eventually murmured, “Okay. Do it.” At the princess’ signal, Caramel withdrew from Lucky’s mind. * * * * * Lucky was still floating peacefully in his pod when Caramel opened his eyes. They were in the hive’s repository, but where there had been dozens of pods hanging from the low ceiling, there only remained the severed stalks of the pods that had been removed. Lucky’s was lying on its side on the floor. No one else was in the chamber. The grey stallion twitched and twisted in his container, and Caramel took that as the signal to begin. He spat on the pod and pressed his hoof on the wet spots, spreading his saliva in a line from one end to the other. He felt the resin softening, and dug the sharp edge of a notch in his hoof into it. When it split under the pressure, he dragged his hoof along the full length of the pod, widening the cut and spilling green fluid all the way. He then pried both sheets of resin apart and lifted Lucky out. He set his friend down on his side and then transformed into a unicorn version of himself. Slowly, Lucky’s stirrings increased in frequency and magnitude. It started off with little more than blinking and drooling. Followed by the occasional spasm and cough. Almost there… After about two minutes, whatever properties the fluid possessed that allowed the captive to stay alive without breathing finally wore off. Lucky’s eyes shot open, and Caramel winced when he drew in a gurgling breath that was quickly followed by very wet coughing. He conjured a mild light on his horn and knelt close as his friend desperately emptied his lungs of fluid. “That’s right, let it all out,” he coaxed. Lucky rolled onto his chest and tried to get up, but only managed to sneeze and snort out two thick streams of fluid out of his nostrils. He groaned and simply lay there panting in a puddle of gunk. “Feel better?” Caramel asked. “Urgh…” Caramel decided not to press him and waited patiently for his friend to recover from the ordeal. He was doing pretty well, all things considered. At least he wasn’t panicking like some of the ponies that he’d freed before. Not yet, at any rate. Eventually, Lucky had recovered sufficiently to sit upright on his haunches. After doing so, he wiped his sticky, wet mane out of his eyes and stared at Caramel, with his jaw hanging slightly. “Hey.” Caramel grinned nervously. His cheekbone was still aching from when one of the other ponies had freaked out and punched him. Lucky picked his jaw up and shook his head. “I guess Princess Luna wasn’t kidding. You’re part changeling now, aren’t you?” Caramel nodded. “Yeah.” “So, umm… how’s it working out for you? Did you and Sash…?” He grinned. “Yeah. We’re together.” Lucky whistled. “Wow. I guess that makes me the last bachelor.” His expression suddenly turned glum. “That’s so sad. I was having a pretty good dream.” His friend’s ruefulness was false, though. Caramel could feel his good natured humour beneath his words. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry, you’ll find your special somepony someday. Just keep your expectations… realistic.” “Says the guy who’s found a mare who can look as hot she pleases.” Caramel frowned. “That’s not what I meant. Love’s not all about looks, you know.” Lucky chuckled and threw up both hooves in surrender. “Relax, I get what you mean. I was just kidding.” He then sighed and asked, “How long has it been, anyway? And where’s Cherry?” “Cherry’s with the others in the… guest rooms.” The chambers were actually storage spaces that had been quickly converted to accommodate the former captives, but Lucky didn’t need to know all of that. “You were brought in almost three months ago.” “Huh. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long—” Lucky paused when a loud gurgle became audible. He then rubbed his belly with a hoof, grimaced and said, “On second thought, it’s been forever. You got anything pony friendly down here?” Caramel got onto all fours. “Come on. We’ve got hay and some oats. Desert grass, if you want something fresh.” Lucky put up a hoof. “Hang on, one more question.” “Yeah?” “You know this one’s a long time coming. Come on; let’s see what you really look like. The princess said you’re sort of okay with it by now.” Aside from him, Cherry Berry was the only one who had asked that question. Although Luna briefed each captive on his hybrid state, he always disguised himself as a unicorn to give them a less threatening face when they woke up. None of the other ponies had asked him to reveal his true self, and when he finally did, he could tell that their feelings about him were mixed at best. But Lucky was a relatively steady guy, and not likely to panic. Besides, he was giving off waves of pure curiosity, so Caramel shed his disguise, flared his wings and gave him a toothy grin. His friend scrutinised him for several moments, after which he returned a grin and said, “Wow, I guess beauty’s really only skin deep after all, eh? Not that I would complain, though – that’s got to be the coolest Nightmare Night costume ever. Heck, you can practically make your own costumes now, can’t you?” Caramel nodded. “Yeah. I guess.” But his smile faded when he saw the look on his friend’s face. Lucky’s was having one of those smiles now. The slightly lopsided one with distant eyes that he got whenever he was about to air perverse fantasies. “You know, outside of Nightmare Night, I can already think of a dozen different ways you could use that to—” La, la, la, not listening! He whirled around and resumed his brisk trot. “—you can even be the mare, and use your horn to—” He flattened his ears and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out images that were an affront to nature. It’s awfully warm down here… Darn it, stop thinking about what he’s saying! The grey stallion’s expression was an unwholesome mixture of childlike glee and filthy curiosity. “Say, since you’re now a shapeshifter, just how flexible is your—” Now I remember why we decided to let him out last... Caramel spun round and glared at Lucky, who managed to stop just before their muzzles collided. “Dude. Just shut up.” “But—” Caramel bared his fangs. “I kick and bite.” Lucky blinked and nodded. “Okay… maybe we can talk about this later.” Yeah, right. He gave a disbelieving snort and started walking again. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Lucky to suffer a sudden bout of guffaws as he trotted along. But his humour was good-natured and refreshingly light-hearted, which was something Caramel dearly missed from Ponyville. “Eh, sorry about stuffing those thoughts into your head. I need to get my kicks, and since Shiny’s not here and you were the only one around…” Lucky chuckled and gave him a hearty nudge. “Surprised you’re still so squeamish, though. I would have thought that turning into half a bug would’ve fixed that.” Caramel shifted back into unicorn form and replied, “There’s disgusting, and then there’s disgusting. They’re not the same.” “Heh heh.” The grey stallion rolled his eyes, but his humour went down a notch when he caught sight of Caramel’s bare flank. “Say, what happened to your cutie mark?” “I lost it.” “Oh… That’s rough, dude.” Caramel shrugged. “It felt that way at first, but all things considered, it’s a small price to pay, I think.” “Sure, but what about—” Lucky was interrupted by a particularly loud groan from his stomach, after which he chuckled and said, “You know what, you can satisfy my curiosity later. My stomach demands an offering.” “You’re taking this pretty well. I mean, for somepony who’s just woken up inside a changeling hive far from home.” “Hey, if Princess Luna trusts you, then what have we got to worry about? Not that I wouldn’t without her vote of confidence, but ever since you disappeared we’ve been getting all sorts of rumours about you and Sash…” Lucky trailed off when he realised the direction in which he was steering the conversation. After a brief gap, he shook his head and continued, “Err, never mind that last bit. We were just really worried about you two. The only reason Shiny didn’t tag along was because he now has an empire to run.” Caramel blinked. “Empire?” Lucky raised an eyebrow in return. “You know, the Crystal Emp—” “Oh. That.” He suddenly remembered Luna’s account of the city’s reappearance. “Right. I forgot you’ve been down here for a while.” Lucky cracked a grin. “Oh boy, Cherry’s going have a field day talking about what you guys have been missing. Let’s go!” He tossed his mane, which promptly made a sticky splattering sound when it slapped his neck. “Hmm. Food would be great, but a shower would be really nice as well,” he added thoughtfully. “We’ve got that too.” Everypony had been given a chance to take a dip in one of the water reservoirs to get cleaned up. He smiled involuntarily when he remembered how hard it was to convince the first pony that there weren’t giant leeches or piranhas in there. “By the way, the princess said something about a truce. Is that really going to happen?” Caramel nodded. “Yeah. The queen will be going over the details with the princesses when we meet them at Dodge City. It’s still only a truce for now, but maybe after some time we’ll be able to figure out a way for all of us to get along together. I mean, ponies eventually got past the fact that griffons eat meat, and now we’re okay with them, right? For now, we’re going to get all of you guys home. Princess Celestia will be releasing all the changelings that were caught as well.” “Hard to believe that the invasion only happened half a year ago. Do you really believe it will all work out?” Caramel took in a deep breath and released it slowly. We’ve come this far. We’re this close. We’re not going to give up now. He then turned and gave his friend a reassuring smile. “Believe it. We’re all going home.” * * * * * “Whoa,” said Lucky as he munched on a mixture of hay and desert grass. His mane and coat were shaggy and a little damp after his taking a quick dip in one of the reservoirs to get himself cleaned. “And I thought living next to the Everfree Forest was bad enough. Can’t imagine what it’s like to deal with quarrays and diamond dogs popping up every now and then. And you guys don’t have the Elements to trump them all when things get out of hoof.” It’s enough to give you nightmares. But Caramel kept that opinion to himself. “Yeah, that’s life down here,” he replied. “But it wasn’t always so bad. We used to have the numbers and supplies needed to keep things under control, but now that Princess Luna’s helping with part of that, we’ll get back on our hooves someday.” Lucky nodded slowly. “I think I can see why changelings were doing… all those things. It’s still not cool, but I guess we don’t all have princesses who can solve everything nicely for us all the time.” Caramel wasn’t sure whether his friend had kept his voice low to avoid waking the others or because he was afraid other changelings might hear. Either way, he was glad that Lucky had at least been willing to listen. He inclined his head towards the other end of the chamber where ponies were huddled together under their blankets, snoring gently. “They’ll be up pretty soon, but I’d still recommend getting some sleep before we make our move. You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with Cherry on the way home, and Sash will be back from her shift by then.” Lucky swallowed his last mouthful and gulped down his bowl of water. After that, he belched lightly and followed it with a massive yawn. “That sounds awfully good right about now,” he drawled. “You sure you didn’t put anything in my food? It seems silly that I’d want to sleep so soon after doing so for three months straight…” “Your body is getting used to working the normal way again. Sleep helps a lot.” “Right.” Lucky yawned again and sauntered off. “Good night. Or afternoon. Whichever it is.” “If you need to, uh, do business, the refuse pit’s that way.” He pointed towards a narrow tunnel that had green globes hanging from resinous strands from its ceiling, which had been placed there to provide the ponies with stronger light so they wouldn’t bumble around in what would’ve otherwise been nearly total darkness to them. “Just follow the lights. If you can’t see, it’s not somewhere you want to be.” “Got it.” Lucky tucked himself under a spare blanket and was out like a light. * * * * * The hours flew by. Caramel remained in the chamber with everypony else for the most part, ready to assist in whatever way he could, be it to get them stuff they needed or to relay news to them if they asked. Although the princess could speak to them whenever they slept, she could not be with every one of them at the same time, and it often fell to him to pass information to them when Luna was too busy to deliver messages personally. Only a few ponies took up that offer, though. He could sense their unease in his presence, which only grew tenser whenever other changelings came by to deliver necessities. There was also a little bit of suppressed hostility in a few of them. He couldn’t blame them, though. He’d probably want to keep his distance as well if he’d been captured and had a doppelganger take his place at home. Still, he did try to be friendly and help mend bridges, even though only a few of them were inclined to openly accept his side of the story when most kept their opinions to themselves or gave him odd stares. They spent most of their waking hours conversing amongst themselves, although some, unicorns in particular because of their light spells, preferred to keep themselves occupied with the books that had been imported. Cherry Berry at least made the situation a lot more bearable; he could tell that she was fighting hard against her instincts to keep away from him and Sash whenever they spoke, and she was making every effort to look at them the same way she used to before the attack on Canterlot. This time was no different. “So, is there any chance we could salvage my balloon on the way back?” Cherry asked. He shook his head. “Sash already went through it with the scavengers. It’s a gone case. It won’t fly, and it’ll probably be easier to make a new one than to drag it all the way home.” The pink earth mare slumped. “I guess I shouldn’t have hoped otherwise. Would’ve been nice if I hadn’t lost my goggles, though. Mom gave them to me.” “Sorry.” Cherry snorted. “Heh, don’t mind me. If you can get over losing your cutie mark, I think I can get over losing that. By the way, how did Lucky take things?” Caramel glanced over at his friend, who was still snoring in his corner. “Pretty well, I think. He didn’t punch me, for a start.” She grinned sheepishly. “You can ask him yourself. We should wake him now, anyway. It’s almost time to go.” Hoof steps came echoing from the entrance to the chamber, and Caramel recognised the pace and gait as belonging to Chrysalis. She stalked into the chamber with Sash and a few warriors in tow, drawing a few gasps and causing a few ponies to move closer together. She rarely made an appearance, and had always remained silent during her inspections. Until today. “Greetings,” she said. “As Caramel has undoubtedly briefed you, your journey home begins tonight.” Everypony listened intently, some with more than a little trepidation as the queen swept her gaze over them. “Some of you have been in here for a long time, and although I cannot say that I am sorry for what we have done to you out of necessity, I promise that you will be the last to be treated so. Return to your families. The ones who have stolen your lives are gone.” “Really, does she think that's all it takes to make it right?” somepony muttered. Caramel tensed. He had seen Chrysalis’ ears perk up; she’d heard it all right. The others had noticed too and quickly hushed the offender, a middle-aged pegasus mare, before she ruined their only chance at freedom. The queen gazed at the mare, and the ponies around the mare quickly backed off as if expecting her to lob a fireball their way. To her credit, the pegasus stood her ground and met her gaze, although Caramel noticed that her legs were trembling slightly. “You’re right. Words are worthless,” Chrysalis eventually conceded. “I have nothing more to say to you. Get packing, we leave in the next half hour. My children will assist and advise you on what to take for the journey.” Caramel released the breath he’d been holding as Chrysalis turned to leave. But before she exited the chamber, she added over her shoulder, “It will take some time for us to balance out the… mistakes we have made. But it will happen whether you believe it or not.” “Wow, I think that’s the closest Mother’s ever gotten to an apology,” Sash whispered to him. He nodded. It’s still better than what we started with. * * * * * They set out as soon as the evening had grown cool enough for everypony to travel comfortably on hoof. They numbered thirty-five ponies in total, plus twenty changelings including the queen. Caramel, Sash and more than half of the warriors were laden with saddlebags of supplies that were meant to last them the three-night journey to Dodge City. Chrysalis had ordered them to bear all of the travel burdens, but Lucky and a few others had insisted on helping out, and Caramel was grateful for their sincerity. The pegasi amongst them were itching to stretch their wings after being cooped up for so long underground, so Chrysalis allowed them to soar overhead so long as they took care not to stray too far from the group. Chrysalis led the way, and as everypony settled into the brisk rhythm of their march, Caramel noticed that they were all forming their own little cliques. The warriors stayed close behind the queen in a roughly triangular formation, with the exception of those who had been tasked to guard the flanks and bring up the rear of their party. Within the group itself, the ponies seemed to have divided themselves according to hometown or trade. There was a group of three Appleloosans, another of upper-class unicorns who were probably from Manehattan, a bunch of traders who were pretty chatty amongst themselves, and several others that were probably from some of the other towns that were closer to the badlands. Though, he was pretty sure that one of the pegasi had a Canterlot accent. Caramel’s group was the only one that consisted of both ponies and changelings. It was him, Sash, Cherry and Lucky. Sash and he had taken on their pony forms to ease the obvious discomfort that the others had around changelings. It wasn’t a long term solution, but anything that helped ease communication would do for the time being. In any case, coats were much better protection against the cold air, and they had no shortage of emotional energy to draw on this time. “Gotta say, the night looks great out here,” Lucky commented. “It’s probably because there aren’t many clouds,” Sash replied. “I’m sure it would look just as lovely back home when Rainbow Dash schedules for a clear sky.” Looking up, Caramel had to agree. The stars were twinkling in the sky, and the moon loomed bright and welcoming over them, promising safety from the darkness. The sky itself was deep purple, and although Sash had called it clear, that wasn’t exactly true. There were clouds of yellow and greenish blue that seemed to blend in with the rest of the sky. If he stared long enough, he could almost imagine them drifting in an invisible current, like ink in a puddle. Unfortunately, it was something that ponies couldn’t really enjoy. He’d learnt quite a while back that changelings could see some colours that ponies were blind to, and those lights in the sky were amongst them. Thinking back to his days before joining the hive, he almost couldn’t believe that he’d gotten along just fine without being able to see so many colours that ponies didn’t even have a name for. “I’m sure it’s pretty and all, but I think I would’ve liked some clouds for a little more insulation.” Cherry Berry pulled her travel cloak tightly around herself and shivered. Lucky chuckled and trotted a little closer to her. “Allow me to be of assistance. You can even sleep next to me if you like.” “Thanks, but don’t get any ideas if I do,” Cherry replied, poking him with a hoof. “Aww, not even a snuggle?” Caramel teased. The pink mare considered it for a moment. “Maybe. But not a hair closer than that.” She then rounded on Lucky and added, “No hanky-panky, got it?” “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Lucky nodded solemnly. But after a moment, he added, “Actually, I can’t promise that; you’re too good looking. But I won’t actually do it, of course.” “Keep the details to yourself, and we’ll get along just fine,” Cherry replied, rolling her eyes. Caramel and Sash chuckled at that. * * * * * “How goes the journey?” asked Princess Luna. “Well, Chrysalis said we’re less than six hours away from town. We’re just holed up in one of their old outposts,” Caramel replied. The blue alicorn nodded. “Very good, but that was not what I meant. My question concerns your travel companions. Specifically, the changelings.” “Oh.” Caramel paused to think about it, and it wasn’t looking all that great. After two nights of traveling, everypony was still keeping to their respective cliques. And he felt a little guilty that he hadn’t done all that much to change that. Aside from him and Sash, very few words had been exchanged between changeling and pony. “Well, we’re not fighting…” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Communication has been merely for the sake of expediency, I take it?” “Yeah, you could say that.” “I fear it may be much the same when we actually meet, then. Although my sister is amenable to peace, the new captain of the guard and his subordinates were not so pleased when they found out that Chrysalis was coming as well. They appear to have been expecting little more than a prisoner exchange.” “I guess that’s understandable. She did kind of lead the attack on Canterlot.” The princess nodded. “Indeed. But I remain hopeful. They have at least expressed willingness to change their minds if Chrysalis is sincere. Do not be disheartened; you have accomplished something that even my sister has not in all her centuries, and I intend to help you see it through to the end.” “All right.” Then, after a moment, he tentatively added, “Your Highness, could I ask a favour?” “You may.” “I need to take back some books. Chrysalis doesn’t plan to stay, so I don’t think I’ll have time to get them on my own.” Luna smiled. “For the little ones, I presume?” “Yeah.” “Easily done. Just name the titles.” After hearing him rattle off of the mental list of volumes he’d compiled, she chuckled and said, “An impressive selection for their age. Ah, would that our children shared their hungry enthusiasm for literature.” * * * * * Caramel stirred as the dream faded away. There was a little bit of orange, sunset light trickling in from the entrance tunnel to the cave that served as a changeling outpost. His eyelids still felt too heavy for him to wake up properly, so he kept them shut and tried to sink back into proper sleep. It had been three long nights of burdened traveling, and he doubted that anypony would say no to a little more rest before Chrysalis gave the order to march the final stretch to Dodge City. Unfortunately, it was a little too cold for comfort, and sleep remained tantalisingly out of reach. Sash apparently was feeling the chill as well, for she stirred and shifted until she’d worked her way into his forelegs, with her back against his chest as he lay on his side. He smiled, stroking her shoulder and nuzzling the back of her neck. Her coat was wonderfully soft and warm. Sash sighed at his ministrations, and he felt her sweet, happy contentment flowing freely. Silly though it was, he wished that they could just lie like that for all time, just the two of them, without a care in the world… And then Caramel was dragged back into reality by somepony’s loud sneeze. Judging by the close proximity, it was probably Lucky’s. He frowned. Typical. The stallion had the audacity to sneeze again, and Caramel found himself a little annoyed that he’d disturbed Sash too. She was stirring a little more vigorously this time. But the third sneeze gave him pause. It sounded more like a snigger… “Caramel, what do you think you’re doing?” Sash asked in a highly amused voice. His eyes snapped open. Her voice had come from behind him. He stared at the mare in his forelegs. Pink coat. Yellow mane. Oh, ponyfeathers! “Sorry!” he blurted as he detached himself and scrambled to sit in an upright position. Unfortunately, the sudden movement shocked Cherry into full wakefulness as well, and she yelped when her head bumped on the ground. She got up, stared at everypony in confusion, then narrowed her eyes at Caramel. “Wait. That was you?” “Sorry!” And that was when Lucky lost control and burst out laughing, drawing confused stares and annoyed glances from the other ponies who were also in the process of waking up. “Oh wow, that was perfect! See, Cherry, I told you I wasn’t the one you had to worry about!” “I’m sorry!” he yelped for the third time when Cherry’s frown darkened. “I thought you were Sash. I could’ve sworn she was on that side when I went to sleep!” He then glanced at their sleeping positions and searched his memory, but nothing certain came up. “Or maybe I flipped when I was dreaming—I don’t know. I didn’t mean it!” Cherry Berry’s eyes softened. “Okay, I can buy that. Just… don’t do it again.” Caramel nodded vigorously, which drew another round of laughter from Lucky and a giggle from Sash. He glared at them in response, which only made it seem funnier to them. At length, Lucky finally stopped laughing and said, “You sure about that, Cherry? You were making those happy noises; Caramel’s probably getting mixed messages.” She reddened and sputtered out something before settling for punching Lucky in the shoulder as he sniggered. “Caramel’s already got a special somepony, you knucklehead!” Maybe it was Lucky’s goal in life to be hit at least once by every mare he befriended. Or multiple times, in some cases. Whatever the reason, he seemed to treasure it all the same. “You’re awfully okay with this, Sash,” he commented. Sassaflash chuckled. “Changelings are used to sharing.” She then sidled over to Caramel and hugged him, saying, “Not that I wouldn’t mind practicing monogamy, though. The idea of keeping my stallion all to myself is very appealing.” “Can we please stop encouraging Lucky?” Caramel pleaded. He glanced around and saw that the others, changeling and pony, were already rousing from their slumber and getting ready for the last leg of the journey. Some of their ears were perked suspiciously in their direction. “Or could we at least save this for another time when we don’t have everypony listening in?” he added more softly. Lucky gave one last chuckle and replied, “Fine, fine.” * * * * * Caramel had never been to Dodge City before, but he was pretty sure that it wasn’t supposed to look so… intimidating. It was just supposed to be a quiet mining town with a railroad and a medium-sized population. There were dozens of neatly organised tents and pavilions on its outskirts surrounded with braziers and torches. He recognised the Celestial and Lunar banners billowing in the gentle night breeze. A distant horn sounded as they got within arrowshot of the town, and there was a brief flurry of activity as ponies – probably runners with messages – dashed off to some of the pavilions and houses. The rest of the guards were already in formation, casting long shadows from the blazing torches and braziers. Altogether, it looked like Dodge City was prepared to fend off an attack. It all came off as a little too aggressive for Caramel’s liking, but if Chrysalis shared his sentiment, she gave off no sign of it. She simply called for a stop and began giving out instructions rapidly to all the warriors in Vespid. “What’s going on?” Cherry asked in bewilderment as the changelings herded them all into a tight group. Other ponies were also voicing their concerns and uneasiness as the warriors formed a defensive perimeter around them. A couple of changelings took to the air and began circling overhead, keeping watchful eyes over the surrounding land. “Relax. The queen’s going to speak to the princesses first. Once everything’s settled, the royal guards will come and take you all home,” Sash said to everypony. Her reassurances failed to fully convince them, though. But that was why Chrysalis had brought him along as well. When several pairs of eyes automatically turned to him for confirmation of Sash’s statement, he smiled and nodded. “That’s right. We’ll just need you guys to hang on a little longer. But don’t worry; you’ll be tucked into a warm bed before the night’s over.” A murmur went through the group, and he was relieved when he felt the tension in their emotions ease up a little. He turned to Chrysalis and saw her nod in approval before she broke off from their party with an escort of five warriors. All eyes turned to the town as the queen’s approach was met with flashes of white and blue light, each corresponding to a princess teleporting to the formation of guards at the main gate. It was difficult to make out anything beyond the identities of the alicorns at that distance, but everything seemed to point towards a civil meeting at least. After speaking for several minutes, Chrysalis was apparently invited to enter the town, and she went in after the royals. And then they waited. “Is there a reason we can’t just go in right now?” a young mare asked. “They let her in just fine, and it’s really cold out here.” “Hug somepony. Problem solved,” a warrior deadpanned. Lucky raised a hoof. “I volunteer!” Cherry grabbed his hoof and yanked it down. “No you don’t. She’s too young for you. Quit hitting on every stranger you meet!” To the blushing mare, she added, “Trust me, you wouldn’t want this guy.” That earned a few chuckles from some of the ponies, and even a couple of changelings sniggered as well. But Caramel remained silent. There’s a reason. Royal dignity. Princess Luna had agreed that it was best to conduct the prisoner exchange in such a manner where both parties still had some semblance of power over their captives until the negotiations were complete. Chrysalis was under no illusion; she knew that the princesses and royal guards could overpower her force and free everypony without even needing to release the changelings they’d caught if they really wanted to. Unless she decided to kill him and everypony just to spite the princesses if they decided to try that. The same could be done if anything happened to her whilst she was in the town, protected by a paltry five when she was surrounded by alicorns and scores of royal guards. These extra details were all unspoken, of course, but it was clear that Luna and Celestia were allowing it as a gesture of trust and maybe respect. They were giving Chrysalis some bargaining power over them through Lucky, Cherry and the rest of the captives. But wasn’t it a hollow gesture when they knew that the changelings probably couldn’t afford to antagonise them at this point? Caramel shook his head. Politics is messy. Over an hour had passed by the time Chrysalis reappeared, bringing Princess Celestia, Luna, some royal guards and a whole group of changelings that he’d never seen before. They must’ve been the changelings that had been caught throughout Equestria, which probably meant that the negotiations for their release had gone reasonably well. The warriors relaxed when Chrysalis motioned for all to be at ease, whilst the ponies grew increasingly excited with freedom so close at hoof. Nearly everypony was practically hopping in place by the time the detachment reached them. “Your subjects, as promised.” Chrysalis turned to the warriors and buzzed her wings briefly, and as one they loosened their formation to allow the ponies to pass between them. They were hesitant at first, maybe thinking that it was all a little too easy, until Princess Celestia stepped up, stood right next to the queen and said, “It’s quite all right, my little ponies. You can come with us now.” She gestured towards the royal guards present and added, “Captain Barding will escort you into town, and there you’ll find that we’ve prepared rooms for you to stay until the trains arrive in the morning. You’ll be able to make your way to your respective homes then.” Chrysalis seemed a little surprised by Celestia’s move, but she quickly schooled her expression back to neutrality and affirmed, “Yes. You are free to go.” After the apparent confusion from seeing the two rulers so close to one another without so much as a magical blast being exchanged had worn off, nearly everypony broke into brisk trot to cross over to the other side. Some paused long enough to bow to the princesses or to gush their thanks, and before long were all safely standing amongst the royal guards and breathing collective sighs of relief. At the same time, the captive changelings trotted over to stand beside their warrior siblings. They were more sedate in their movement, but Caramel could tell from their postures that they too were relieved. “I guess you’re not coming, huh?” Lucky had paused in mid-stride in the space between the two groups. “Ponyville’s still your home, you know,” Cherry called out from the other side. He bit his lip, remembering that Stickle and the others were probably waiting impatiently for him back at the hive. They’d been a little petulant over the fact that they hadn’t been allowed to tag along for the journey, and he’d only been able to placate them with the promise of bringing back some storybooks. He shook his head. “Sorry. I’ve got some responsibilities back at the hive right now. Maybe I’ll come back and visit someday.” “So this is the pony I’ve heard so much about.” Caramel swallowed when Princess Celestia trotted over to him. Oh darn. Was he supposed to bow? Would Chrysalis take that the wrong way if he did? Would the ponies take it the wrong way if he didn’t? He could see the guards watching him closely. So were the warriors. But at that moment, he felt the gentle touch of Sash’s wing on his back. He turned and saw her bowing to the princess, shedding her disguise as she did so. A murmur of went through the crowd, and he felt surprise and a little bit of suspicion rippling from the ponies watching. And in that moment, he decided that it wasn’t his job to make ponies or changelings take things the right way. His job was to show things as they were, as they should be, and trust others to see it. Two leaders, two families. If we do this right, we won’t have to choose between them. He bowed before Princess Celestia and shifted back into his normal hybrid appearance, noting with some trepidation that there was a noticeable spike in tension coming from the ponies watching. The sun princess was much better at guarding her outgoing emotions, but her smile appeared genuine enough. “Rise, Caramel and Sassaflash. By all accounts, you’ve both played an important role in reminding us that love and friendship can and should transcend physical and cultural differences. And what your friends said is true; Equestria is also your home, and you will always be welcome.” She then shifted her gaze to the changelings present and added, “The same goes for you all. If you do consider this land and a life amongst ponies your home, then it is not our place to say otherwise.” Celestia’s words were met with silence, and Caramel was pretty sure he knew what was going through everyone’s heads. Luckily, Princess Luna stepped in before it became too awkward. “We realise that such a promise can seem empty and insincere, given our history and the way we have treated one another. No law that we pass can make ponies simply accept changelings overnight, and we know that forgiveness for our past grievances will not come easily. It will be a long journey before we can enjoy widespread acceptance between our kinds, but rest assured – we will make amends for our mistakes.” “As will we,” Chrysalis affirmed. Then, to her subjects she said, “Form up. It’s time we went home.” “Wouldn’t you like to stay in Dodge City for tonight?” asked Princess Celestia. “I’m sure your subjects would appreciate the opportunity to rest after the long walk here. We have plenty of supplies if you need any.” Whilst the sun princess was speaking, Caramel saw Luna conversing with Lucky and Cherry. Although they were whispering, the princess of the night was uncharacteristically animated; she reminded him of Pinkie Pie when she was planning a party… “Thank you, but we can’t stay the night,” Chrysalis replied. “I do not want to be away from the hive for any longer than I have to.” “Very well. We bid thee farewell, then,” Princess Luna piped up. “But before you go – we have a parting gift.” The princess of the night trotted over to Caramel and Sash, flanked on either side by Lucky and Cherry. She and the stallion had mischievous grins plastered to their faces, and Cherry, although more reserved in outward appearances, was also giving off pleasant vibes as they approached. Caramel and Sash had no time to figure out what the deal was before Luna stopped squarely between them, sat on her haunches and presented him with a pair of heavy saddlebags. Oh. He’d forgotten about the books. It was a good thing that— “Aack!” Sash and Caramel cried out together in surprise. Without warning, the blue alicorn had swept them up in a hug that was somehow both tender and bone-crushingly powerful. He could feel Lucky and Cherry joining in as well, which probably made this the most unusual group hug he’d ever been a part of. “For the ones you have lost; for the livelihoods we have taken,” Luna whispered. Her solemn words puzzled him, but only for about a second. He gasped, as did Sassaflash and several nearby changelings, when he felt the oncoming surge of emotions. He felt Lucky’s and Cherry’s love and friendship, emotions born from a childhood of growing up and learning together. But Luna’s emotions were quite another thing all together. He should have realised it sooner, why she of all ponies had taken such an interest in helping them after her raid on the hive. She knew what it was like to live in exile – the loneliness, the hunger for companionship, the rage and frustration of having everything held dear taken away, the loss of loved ones, the desire for vengeance… but there was also guilt and the longing for forgiveness. She knew. She understood. And she cared. Absorbing all of that pent-up, raw emotion from his friends was like having a lightning bolt surge through his veins. His reserves were soon filled to the brim, and he quickly followed Sash’s lead by reaching out with his magic to every nearby changeling and channelling the excess to anyone who would accept it. The air positively hummed with energy, or maybe that was just the thrum of their wings. Although none of them were in any state that could be considered deprived – the prisoners had not been mistreated and the hive had been supplemented with food and other resources as per Luna’s instructions – feeding on emotions freely given, without deceit or ignorance from ponies was like tasting the sweetest, juiciest serving of fresh vegies and flowers after ages of wandering lost in a desert. It took Caramel a while to realise that Luna had released him and that he could breathe again. He sucked in a deep breath and wobbled unsteadily to his hooves, noting with some amusement that nearly every changeling was giddy from taking in so much energy at once. It was a little puzzling that Luna, Lucky and Cherry could have provided that much on their own, though. Maybe alicorn emotions were extra potent, or maybe Luna had just been bottling those up for a long, long time. “Sweet Celestia, that was good,” one of the changelings murmured. “I think you mean ‘sweet Luna’,” Sash answered, smiling with gratitude at the night alicorn. Even Chrysalis seemed stunned by what had happened, although he couldn’t tell whether it was because of the intensity of his friends’ emotions or the fact that Princess Luna had gone so far as to share what must have been some of her deepest feelings attached to her thousand-year exile on the moon. Or maybe it was something else. Wasn’t she from Hunter Caste before she became queen? Did she ever have a special somepony? She did seem to have a distant look in her eyes… Chrysalis inclined her head towards Princess Luna and said softly, “Thank you.” And, of course, Lucky just had to go and ruin the mood. He waved a hoof in front of Caramel and Sassaflash as if he was checking their eyesight, then chuckled and said, “A hug is all it takes to get you guys high? Wow, I was totally born into the wrong species!” “That’s… interesting to note,” Celestia said with a smile that was just a tad forced. “If you want him off your hooves and can spare me the necessary reagents, I could try turning him into one,” Chrysalis offered. “My children would welcome any help in fending off quarray eels.” Lucky paled at that. “Um, on second thought, I’m totally cool with being a pony.” “Yes, thank you for the offer,” Celestia interjected, “but I believe he has already made up his mind.” The queen sighed. “Too bad. I could have used another hybrid.” She then turned and spread her wings, saying, “Goodbye. I hope our next meeting will not need to be so… expedient.” And she was off into the night sky. As one, Caramel’s foster siblings took to the air after her. He followed suit after strapping on the book-stuffed saddlebags, but delayed his acceleration just long enough to glance back at the princesses and his friends. Lucky and Cherry were waving goodbye whilst Princess Celestia and Luna stood and watched in silence. He waved back at his friends and the royals, although it really wasn’t necessary for the princess of the night. She could visit him whenever he slept, and it hadn’t taken Chrysalis long to figure out that she could carry a conversation with the alicorn simply by dreamstalking him at an appointed time. It was too soon for goodbyes anyway; there was still so much to be done. With fewer supplies to carry and no flightless ponies to slow them down, not to mention the fact that they were brimming with newfound energy, their pace homeward was thrice as fast. Add that to the rising elation he felt at this small step towards what might possibly be lasting peace between ponies and changelings, and it was all he could do to maintain his place in the flight formation and not challenge everyone to a race home. A couple of things about that were bothering him, though. If Princess Luna’s emotions carried this much power, it did make him wonder what would’ve happened if the attack on Canterlot had succeeded. Chrysalis had taken down Celestia after feeding on Shining Armour. How strong would she have become if she’d managed to feed on Celestia and Luna as well? “What are you thinking about?” Sash asked, drifting in close to fly alongside him. “Err…” After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to confide in the second thing that was bothering him. “Sash, when we, err…” he paused, unsure of how to frame the issue, but forged on when his brain offered nothing particularly insightful, “You know… compared to what we felt back there. Am I…” She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. “Am I anything like that?” Sash blinked for a couple of seconds before a knowing smile appeared on her face. “Caramel, are you worried about how good you taste compared to everypony else?” He felt himself redden. Or, that would’ve been the colour if he still had red blood. “Umm, definitely not the words I would have chosen, but—” He was cut off when she careened into him – not too roughly – and hugged him tight. As they spiralled downwards at a slight angle, wings beating hard to compensate for the shift in centre of gravity, he felt strangely calm and secure. Although he was full, he could still taste the sweet love she poured into him as they nuzzled each other. It felt like ages, but it must’ve been only for a few seconds because they were still pretty high up when they finally separated. “Nopony’s love compares to yours,” she said. “Don’t let anypony tell you otherwise.” Caramel smiled. “Thanks. You were great, too.” “Well, there’s always more where that came from.” There was a flash of green fire, and she was suddenly in her pegasus form, reaching out with a hoof. She bopped him on the nose before he could react and then put on a burst of speed, twisting around to yell, “Come on, Wonderbolt. Let’s see if you can catch me!” And she was off like a speeding Rainbow Dash. Oh, it’s on! He shapechanged into a pegasus as well to trade some manoeuvrability for speed, and was just about to surge off when he realised that Chrysalis was watching. He made eye contact to check if she thought they were stepping out of line, but all she did was roll her eyes, as if she wanted to sigh and say, “Fine. If you really have to…” Sensing no direct disapproval, he grinned and sped after Sassaflash as all around them, the world brightened with the rising sun. .