//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 We're Going to Need a Bigger— Oh, Nevermind... // Story: My Daughter Chrysalis // by Scarheart //------------------------------// Pre-read and edited by iakovl The R.E.S. Mare Crisium was one of the newer Ambassador class heavy cruisers often used by diplomats and VIPs for fast travel across the ocean between Equestria and the old world countries like Prance, Germaney, Espona, and the United Kingdom. An airship of seven hundred feet in length and two hundred fifty feet in width, she was of an all steel construction and gleamed like a jewel in the sunlight. Less than a year into her commission, she had just completed her shakedown and prepared to embark on her first official mission. The cruiser's primary goal was to hunt down pirate ships, be they land or air. Her crew was a mix of veterans and greenhorns, complete with four fighter wings of hotshot pegasi. Tabbed for the diplomatic mission to the doorstep of the mysterious ruins of Arcadus, her newly minted captain had bribed his way through red tape and did a lot of back hoofed actions to place himself in a position to impress his aunts, as well as his father-in-law to be. Of course, this meant bringing along his expectant bride-to-be to serve as a family witness to speak on his behalf to her father, as well as calling in certain favors from other nobles in the Equestrian Aerial Navy, (namely two admirals, two vice admirals and even a rear admiral). Not only was the Mare Crisium allowed to bring along the pregnant fiancee on board for the voyage, but for Prince Blueblood this was but another opportunity for him to gain favor in the eyes of his most favorite aunt, Princess Celestia. Oh, and getting Luna to like him would be a nice bonus, too. Clutching his orders in his magical grip and close to his chest, Prince Blueblood was on the platform of the airship hangar of the massive air base on the opposite side of Canterlot Mountain. Airships in refit, newly commissioned or repair were docked to their berths. They ranged from the small twenty pony corsairs of less than a hundred feet to the massive air battleships of the tri-hulled Shiva class. Ponies of all types went about their duties. Sparks flew from some of the aerial docks where pegasi repaired armor plates. Scaffolding bore earth ponies and unicorns checking hulls for microfractures. Whole engines were being lowered to the ground and upon great wagons, were they were taken to the great workshops for maintenance. This was Princess Luna’s prized military base. It had been built during the past twenty years with Celestia naming it Sky Mountain. It was a name synonymous with the Royal Research and Development Division. Once Luna began to resume her duties, one of the latest mantels she had resumed was that of Overgeneral. Should Equestria go to war, the alicorn would lead from the front while her elder sister guided their civilians. One of the first things the Night Princess had done was familiarize herself with modern tactics and warfare. It had changed a great deal and she relished and at the same time worried over the changes. War was still war and no other living creature in the world had her combat experience. It was she who selected the ship. As for the captain, she requested he or she be one of the highest order and competence and somepony who knew their ships. She said nothing when his name was given to her in an almost apologetic whisper. “He’ll do,” was all she said, and went about her business without pause. There was much to do with the two days before the scheduled departure. Her sister had already settled on her nephew for his abilities, not his personality. Luna was inclined to agree. Blueblood was a master with a ship under his command. Naturally, there was a protest lobbied to Princess Celestia, but she merely deferred any military decisions to Luna for final say. She did give pause upon word the fiancee of the prince would come along, but she permitted it as the young lady’s father had personally designed the Ambassador class. Designer Melody had given Equestria the finest cruiser in the world. Besides, her father had requested her presence in Prance for one of his functions and they would be going in that direction. Luna saw no harm in adding a slight detour to their journey. Besides, she wanted to see the young mare herself and get a measure of her. Octavia Melody followed closely behind Prince Blueblood, not yet showing a bulge in her belly. She was pretty, with a dull gray coat and a dark glossy mane, full and lovely. About her neck she wore a white collar and pink bowtie. Her cutie mark was a treble clef. The mare was only three months along. Oddly, she had calmed most of the snootiness out of the reluctant groom, but he was doing his best to ‘step up’, as the peasants seemed keen to say. Octavia watched him like a hawk. Her father had more money than Blueblood and Designer made sure tabs were kept on the very distant relation to the Royal Sisters. Mares he associated with were approached and politely told to not allow him to sow his oats within them. Octavia was usually there and shaking an angry hoof under their chins while two of the biggest, burliest, and meanest earth pony stallions stood on either side of her. “Never rub another mare’s rhubarb,” she would say. Twenty-eight mares heard that phrase. Twenty-eight mares refused to have anything to do with Blueblood. A couple of them needed some ’convincing’ and there was even an ugly brawl involving a great deal of mane pulling. The stallions were there just to keep anypony from interfering. Who knew Octavia was a black belt in Mare Kwon Do? Throw in the hormones of a pregnant earth pony mare and she became a force to be reckoned with. Of course, Octavia Melody was not normally a mare to take such drastic actions. She was refined, dignified, played the cello, and absolutely loved donating her time and talents to charity. She dreamed of becoming a master cello player, perhaps even good enough to play in the Royal Canterlot Orchestra. Her father reluctantly allowed his daughter to pursue her dreams, himself having bucked an old family tradition of winemaking to instead build ships when he was a youth. Besides, her mother had been one hell of a piano player. No, she came from a Melody line of ponies who took family very seriously. No mare bore a foal without a husband at her side. No stallion left a mare bearing his part of the greatest of responsibilities to go it alone. Octavia admitted she had perhaps a bit too much to drink on the night in question. The aspiring musical artist may have allowed herself to be swayed under the charms of a certain prince who himself may have had a wee bit much wine. Both may have left their chaperones deliberately so they might enjoy each other’s company in private in one of the many guest rooms of a very posh hotel. One thing led to another and soon the only thing keeping Prince Blueblood’s head on his shoulders was his promise to wed Octavia and make an honest mare of her before the word illegitimate could be added before the word foal. Princess Celestia was inclined to agree. After having a very long and polite discussion with Designer Melody (and calming him down with enough tea to bloat an elephant), both musician and prince were brought before father and princess. After a rather one-sided argument (Prince Blueblood could not speak due to the death glare Designer fixated upon him during the entirety of the meeting), it was agreed a marriage would be held before the culmination of Octavia’s pregnancy or else Prince Blueblood would be forced to forfeit his title and half of his lands and wealth. Thus was Prince Blueblood betrothed to Octavia Melody. It was said the hysterical laughter of a certain fashionista could be heard in Canterlot all the way from Ponyville, reaching Blueblood’s ears and causing several sleepless nights. As it was, stallion and mare made their way through the din beneath the late afternoon sun. July was in its last week and the hottest weather was yet to come. As it was, the Weather Bureau had a thunderstorm scheduled at sunset. “This humidity is intolerable,” Blueblood whined to Octavia with a disdainful sniff. She sighed. “You are the only one complaining, love.” Behind her was a train of servants hauling their luggage. Most of it belonged to her future husband. He sported a dashing white uniform of a naval officer. Glancing down at his orders, he huffed, ignoring his future bride’s remark. “Now, where is that ship?” He was still unfamiliar to the outline of the new vessel. She was the first of her class and he still lingered thoughts on his beloved Constellation, a Shiva class battleship and pride of the Equestrian fleet. The Mare Crisium was smaller, sleeker, and seemed to blend in around the other airships with annoying ease. However, she was new and she presented an opportunity for ambitious stallions to add to their resume when it came time for promotion. He had also yet to see her completed form apart from the blueprints and photographs. “Docking bay seven-A, my love,” she said patiently. Yes, he was stubborn and was prone to bouts of infantile tantrums, but she was bound and determined to make a decent stallion out of him. Maybe someday she would learn to love him. Family came first. Celestia had whispered a few helpful hints into her ear, providing an unexpected and welcome boon in dealing with the spoiled prince. Maybe it would work, but Octavia imagined many a loveless night for her in the future. Inwardly she sighed. Octavia had a map presented to her by one of Blueblood’s servants. They naturally gravitated towards her. She was kind to them and completely had the prince completely stymied with how she had managed to curtail his roaming eye. The mare smiled warmly at the stallion who gave her the map and cleared her throat before giving it a serious lookover. “Take the right and follow the dock to the far end. The pier only can hold one of the larger ships. The Mare Crisium should be easily noticeable. Come along, my love.” She handed the map back to the servant and pressed onwards, offering a sidelong glance and a smile at Blueblood. He stared at her, whimpering at the prospect of having to walk and even get sweaty. Pausing in mid step, she leaned into him and pecked him lightly on the cheek. Octavia whispered, “A good walk is good for you, my prince. Think of the stretching it will do for you. Perhaps tonight you’ll…?” The suggestion hung hopefully in the air. Blueblood stammered, a lovely blush showing on his face. “Not in public!” he hissed with widened eyes. Steadying himself like a proper gentlecolt, he assumed a stoic, arrogant pose. “Very well, then. Let us proceed. Um, that way, you said?” He wagged a hoof in the direction she had indicated from her map. “Yes, dear. That way.” She did not and would not splay her ears back at the rejection. Octavia held what she hoped was a genuine smile for her hopelessly snobbish future husband. She didn’t know if she would find herself loving him. Patience, she told herself. Do not show him weakness! Prince Blueblood was still trying to figure out how he could have fallen victim to the wiles of an earth pony, of all things! About that time, his party met another party. This one bore none other than the Lady Fleur de Lis and her entourage. With her was a dark gray unicorn mare (not quite black with the sun glinting off her lovely coat) with what appeared to be a dark evergreen colored mane and tail, straight and cascading perfectly down her shoulders. The tail trailed behind her, swaying with the slight movements of her hips, stirring up the dust from the wooden planks. Her emerald green eyes were wide with wonder as she gaped up at all the ships, trying to take in all the sights. She chattered eagerly a bombardment of questions. An officer—a lieutenant answered her questions patiently and with a captivated smile. The girl was very pretty. Just behind her walked a….malformed minotaur? No, Blueblood shook his head, remembering the breathless report a pony in black gave him just two mornings ago. Good bits had been paid to find out discreetly what the strange guest was in the castle. The items brought to him served to only add to the confusion. This creature was called a human, just like in the legends. Squinting at him for a moment, the prince decided the reddish brown mane and tall, lanky bipedal frame was not all that impressive. The human wore a black sleeveless shirt and bore an ugly scar on his left shoulder. There appeared to be a drawing of sorts around the scars, perhaps some sort of lizard missing its head. Small blue eyes focused on the ships in their docks with more reserved wonder than the mare’s. He was undersized compared to a minotaur and very thin haired beast. His skin was visible! No fur, no scale, nothing! Upon his head sat a battered tan hat with a wide brim and a flat top. Octavia gaped at the creature. She wasn’t the only one impersonating a landed fish. The mare caught herself and chided inwardly at her rudeness. Deliberately looking away from, there were several Royal Guards serving as either guards or escorts or serving both capacities. Of the four, one unicorn stallion seemed to bear a storm cloud over his head. The others looked typically stoic. She knew of Fleur de Lis, having heard of her exploits as a supermodel and rumored to have been retired from the business. From all appearances, the white mare with the pink mane looked more than fit to pose for the camera! A twinge of jealousy ran through the cellist, but she shook it off irritably. Such thoughts were unbecoming! Besides, if they were to be traveling together, why not get things off the right hoof? Octavia also noted a pair of changelings trying very hard to be inconspicuous in the group. One was unbelievably fat and in a continental suit. A derby hat was perched at a tilt upon his head, held in place by his long ears. The other was an unadorned female trying to keep herself as unassuming as possible. Considering her garish companion, it was not hard for her to do. She took the initiative. “Lady Fleur de Lis?” Octavia ventured, tilting her head to one side and smiling. “Could that possibly be you?” The unicorn turned with the grace of a swan, her ears picking out her name over the low din of the very lively dock. She reflected Octavia’s smile and paused in mid step, swiveling like a ballerina to face the mare and her future husband. “Lady Octavia Melody, I presume?” she ventured in kind. The earth pony mare blushed a little. She still considered herself not so popular as some of the more renowned classical instrumentalists out there, but she welcomed recognition when it was given. “Indeed I am,” she replied, stepping past her now annoyed fiancee. “Protocol!” he hissed at her through the side of his mouth. “Oh, stuff it!” she retorted under her breath. Octavia’s smile never left her lips. The two mares converged, each one pecking the other on one cheek, then the other. It took just a moment for them to look each other in the eye and decide having a female truce before deciding what one felt of the other first. Octavia refused to be intimidated by Fleur’s rumored skill in magic and Fluer tried not to be as intimidating as the whispered reported her to be. Some noblemares did what they could to slander the sorceress for no reason other than pure jealousy of many things about the unicorn mare. “You look absolutely radiant!” Fleur complimented her with genuine admiration. “What did you do to your mane? It absolutely looks lovely.” “Oh, nothing compared to how full and alive yours is,” returned Octavia shyly. “I must say, I am completely at your mercy, Lady Fleur. I had always hoped the rumors of you to be untrue.” “Ah,” Fleur giggled a bit. “Rumors. Tell me, Lady Octavia. Which ones? There are so many having me eating foals to stay young. Ah, is that one still going around?” “Only from some of the older nobles,” said the cellist. “I shall be travelling with you and I shall inform you of the latest gossip and rumors about you!” Octavia leaned in, shifting her eyes to the left and right before adding in a conspiratorial whisper, “Perhaps a tidbit or two about the other nobles and their silly little games.” “Over a glass of cabernet?” offered Fleur slyly. “Sounds divine!” replied Octavia. “It is decided! We shall be friends!” cried out the unicorn. The two mares looked at each other for a moment and burst out in tittering laughter. As if on cue, they slid devious looks towards a baffled and confused Prince Blueblood. “Prince Blueblood. Charmed as always I am to be in the presence of such a noble stallion. Enchanté.” Her eyes glinted merrily as she offered her hoof to the prince. Recovering, he took it up and gave the offered hoof a light kiss, absolutely mortified as Octavia had, in one fell swoop, befriended one of the most prolific antagonists in his life. “A pleasure as always,” he managed, swallowing the lie as if his life depended on it. “You look well, Lady Fleur.” “Well, I’m not dead yet, if that’s what you mean,” she responded dryly. He flinched. “I would never suggest such a thing!” “Of course you wouldn’t, mon cher prince,” she replied smoothly. “Might I introduce those with me?” Fleur slid aside and indicated the human and the dark, enticing young mare standing next to him. “Ah, delighted,” he replied, eyeing the hulking human as if he were a manticore about to devour the prince where he stood. A faux smile splayed over his features. “The human is Michael Spriggs. He is a war veteran and retired to a life of raising his adopted daughter, Midnight Emerald,” Fleur said, specifically avoiding her natural tendency of speaking Chrysalis’ pony name as she preferred to speak it. “Adopted?” Blueblood was shocked. “By that?” He thrust a hoof at the human, who smirked and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. Octavia stomped on his hoof indiscreetly. “Rude!” she hissed. “Yeah,” said the human with a smirk. “I’m all that.” “And a bag of chips,” added the young mare, beaming up at him. “Old, stale chips.” The human ruffled her mane playfully. “So long as they’re kettle.” “Nah. Plain.” “Nice to meet you,” they both said to Blueblood at the same time and creepily in the same monotone. Fleur maintained her smile as if the pair were acting as she expected. She indicated the changelings. “Ambassador Fae of the Druanae Hive, representing the Empire,” —Fae smiled and nodded politely to the soon-to-be-wed couple— “And her brother, Anzealous, former ambassador of the Druanae Hive and current liaison during the upcoming voyage.” Anzealous sized up Blueblood and offered nothing more than a curt nod. The two shared an icy glare before blatantly ignoring each other. Fae simply chirped something, making her brother break his stare and whip his head at her. Giving a half hearted hiss and a huff, he stuck his nose in the air, just as Blueblood did the same. “Lady Octavia Melody, daughter of Designer Melody?” ventured Fae as she shifted her interest to the earth pony mare. She approached slowly, ignoring the pinprick eyes of the prince as she drew within his proximity. He backpedaled into a restraining hoof of his future bride. “Manners,” she hissed, again somehow able to speak without breaking her smile. To Fae she replied hospitably, “Why, yes. Have you met my father?” The changeling nodded. “Four months ago when he came to check on the final details on one of his fabled ships. I managed to get an hour of his time to discuss possible designs of passenger liners for Queen Druanae. Changelings aren’t exactly made for fast flight and she wanted something that would allow us to move our eggs.” “Eggs?” piped up the dark teenaged mare curiously. She left the human’s side and approached, her ears perked forward, head tilted cutely to one side. “Oh, yes! Changeling hives have a communal hatchery to promote the belief our children belong to all of us. Even the queen places her eggs there. Having a mobile hatchery would greatly aid in keeping our eggs from rival hives. It’s been a bit of a high stakes game for queens to try and steal the eggs of other hives,” Fae explained. “How horrid!” exclaimed Blueblood, earning him an elbow in his side. He winced and glared at Octavia. “As I was saying,” Fae went on, giving the prince a sweet, false smile, “If your father were to design for us an armored transport to protect our future, it would go a great deal towards preserving the future of the hive against the more aggressive queens.” “Interesting. I shall have to ask Father if he’s given thought to the idea,” hummed Octavia. “Perhaps…?” The mare offered a hopeful, almost school filly look to Fleur. “Of course she can join us,” assured the sorceress with a chuckle. “The more the merrier, oiu?” Fae set back on her haunches and clopped her forehooves together happily. “Oh, we’ll have so much fun. We’ll gossip and talk about boys!” she giggled. Meanwhile, the human had worked his way unnoticed until he was within Blueblood’s notice. The stallion glared up at him and was taken aback when the tall thing gestured at the trio of mares. “Females,” he grunted with a wry grin. “You can’t live with ‘em. Can’t live without ‘em.” The prince gauged the creature carefully. “Indeed.” he offered, wondering if he was about to be pounced upon. “You’re Prince Blueblood? The one getting married?” “I am.” “To that gray mare there with the pretty dark hair?” “Yes, that is my future wife.” “Congratulations.” The human smiled at him, then went back to where he had been standing. He started asking more questions to the lieutenant while waiting for the ladies to decide to press on towards the ship. “What the bloody—” Prince Blueblood caught himself as his bafflement of the exchange had him in a tizzy. “Such an odd fellow.” Perhaps he should sit down with the creature and find out if the adoption statement was true. An unicorn adopted by a-a-an ape? Nonsense! Balderdash! Poppycock! Perhaps he should go over the report in his possession a bit more thoroughly. Was it dangerous? Obviously not if Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna let the thing go about without a leash. Gathering up his courage, he went after the talking ape. “Now see here, creature!” he called out, summoning his noble heritage to righteous indignation. “I shan’t be addressed as if I were some commoner! I am of House Blueblood and am of the Royal Bloodline. I demand you address me in the proper manner.” “Oh, you mean you’re an asshole.” The human bore a smarmy attitude, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his chin downward to glare at the approaching prince. “Monsieur Spriggs, he is the captain of the ship upon which you will be boarding shortly,” called out Fleur with a note of warning in her voice. “Yet such a nice asshole,” quipped Michael affably, dropping his arms to his sides. Chrysalis glared at him for a moment, the facehoofed. “Prince Blueblood,” Fleur said to the fuming stallion. His face was beet red as he tried to formulate a proper response to such crude language. “Please do not mind Monsieur Spriggs. He is of a culture that elects their leaders based on merit and not blood.” She smiled assuringly at the flustered prince. Octavia hid a smile behind a hoof. Fae was less inclined to conceal her amusement. Chrysalis glared at her father. Anzealous tapped a hoof impatiently. The guards might as well been statues. “Can we get going?” he demanded with a huff. “We have a ship to catch.” Michael opened his mouth to retort, but clamped it shut. He still had issues with being in the vicinity of the plump shape shifter. Having his mind scrambled by an impromptu and aggressive mind probe spell had left a bitter taste in his impression of Equestria as a whole. Still, yesterday had been spent in Ponyville with his daughter. A pink pony had thrown a party for him and he got a chance to actually enjoy himself for the first time since arriving on invitation from the Royal Sisters. Being among the normal everypony had seemed to relax him and Michael found he had even enjoyed himself. It was a day allowing him to at least consider reassessing his first impression of this world, though the odd stares from ponies still threw him into minor bouts of melancholy. He didn’t want to be someone people were afraid of. It made him think too much of his past. The group reformed and eventually started making headway in the general direction where the airship supposedly awaited them. Chrysalis assumed her place on his right, almost on his hip. Her unicorn disguise had earned quite a bit of attention and she was sensing emotions from more than a few stallions (and some mares) she was not really ready to deal with. She blocked them out, her eyes a little wide as she sought protection through the touch of her father. Maybe using Fleur as a base hadn’t been such a good idea to begin with. She would have gone her normal form, but this was stressed as being a very bad idea. Changeling spies were more than likely to abound, despite the best efforts at detecting them. The shape-shifters were masters of their craft. Circumventing measures to sniff them out might not be that difficult for them. “Did you have fun yesterday, Daddy?” she asked, looking up at him. “I mean, you really didn’t want to talk too much about it this morning.” “Hmm?” He smiled and looked down at her. “Ponyville was fun, pumpkin. It was nice to see you made friends. Made me feel better.” “Do you think we can do something like that again when we get back?” she asked. Michael grinned. “Yeah. I don’t see why not. I liked talking to Applejack. Her grandma reminds me of my grandma. Good people.” “Ponies,” corrected his daughter with a grin. “Whatever. People is people.” He shrugged. “Thinking back,” Michael added thoughtfully, “It’s not really hard to imagine them as humans and just going about their lives and enjoying each other and what they have. It was kind of like Disneyland without the ass kissing.” Chrysalis laughed. It was true in his mind. The earth pony mare Applejack was as down to earth as one could get and she didn’t go out of her way other than to be neighborly. She was downright friendly and was happy to hear of Michael’s farmer roots with his grandparents. Ponyville was a farming community and the sense was what more than likely allowed the man to relax. They probably could have talked the day away, discussing Michael’s desire to improve his little farm he had going behind his house. It wasn’t much, but more than enough to feed him and his changeling daughter through a winter. The farmer pony offered tips and even had a few questions of her own in regards to human farming practices. Michael had to recall most from what his grandpa used to explain to him. As for his impressions of the other mares he had met when they came to take his daughter away? It had changed in varying degrees once he had a chance to chat with them without the fear of them taking Chrysalis and was thus able to form a more open opinion. He already was familiar with Fluttershy. The butter colored pony with the pink mane was sweet, but her shyness tended to make her blend into her surroundings. She liked animals and apparently had no problems having conversations with a bear. The quiet mare was happy to see Michael, though shied a bit from Chrysalis. She was still nervous around the changeling. Of course, she apologized to Chryssie and the human’s adopted daughter accepted it with a sad little smile. “One day,” she promised. Chrysalis liked Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, the polychromatic pegasus mare was a bundle of energy, always showing off and coming off as the stereotypical jock. She had all sorts of questions about his days in the army, thanks to Chryssie’s bragging. He answered as best he could and found the mare had a rather vivid (if overactive) imagination. Michael was leary of her and even found her a bit annoying. Still, she had some qualities about her he could appreciate, namely loyalty. Then there was the pristine white coated unicorn named Rarity, with her curled royal purple mane and tail. She spoke with a sort of high society accent (Michael didn’t know what else to call it) and asked all sorts of questions in regards to human fashion. Mr. Spriggs regretted bringing up the mention of bell bottoms to her. Based on how she went one with starry eyes, he was already imagining a world of pastel ponies stuck in the 1970’s. “Shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered to himself as she went of on a fashion tangent. Still, she was the absolute model of proper etiquette. Then, there was the living, breathing pink elephant by the name of Pinkie Pie. The earth pony took the definition of ‘party hearty’ to an extreme level. Perhaps even beyond. Excitable, goofy, and possibly the most insane sapient this side of Hannibal Lecter, Pinkie found time to not throw a party, but to do so in a manner that made Michael laughing when it was sprung on him. The human was not easily surprised, but she had been warned by Chryssie before hand to not do anything to startle him. Pinkie somehow managed to throw the perfect sort of party for a man who needed to see something like this coming or curl up into a ball or lashing out instinctively. She unfurled her ‘Welcome to Ponyville Human Michael Spr’ display (the banner ran out of room) proudly. There was cake, punch, as well as a few other assorted goodies, including cupcakes. Pinkie Pie did strange, impossible things. “That’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie,” he was told. “Bullshit,” was his half-hearted response as the pink mare suddenly popped out of a cup of fruit punch. “Language, Daddy,” Chryssie had giggled at him. Then, there was of course Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was still raw to the responsibilities of being a princess, but was a literal walking, talking library of just about anything she could think of. She seemed sensible, if a bit bookish (make that very bookish). The questions she flooded Michael with left the human a bit overwhelmed. Sometimes her questions led to an exposition as she reasoned out her own answer to her question without giving a human a chance to answer. It was adorably frustrating. The visit to Ponyville and seeing the friends his daughter had made reassured the human. The four guards who went with him and his daughter maintained a respectful distance, but at the same time did not allow them to wander about as they pleased. For most of the day, they stayed on a farm called Sweet Apple Acres. Fleur de Lis had not come along, pleading forgiveness as she dealt with business matters. Still, it was an enjoyable and overall relaxing day, just what the human needed. Now, the next day they were looking for a ship in a dockyard full of airships. The dock they were on was easily two hundred feet in the air. Michael Spriggs, feeling less stressed now could only look at the collection of military ships as a little boy at an air show. Everything looked impressive and shiny. The grin plastered on his face was also for the hard working ponies going about their jobs and looking for all the world like the men and women he used to see back at Fort Bragg. Not all of his memories of his time in the service were bad. Michael found himself comfortable here, almost as if it were a home away from home. Chrysalis felt her father’s wonderment and happiness he rarely exhibited these days. She hoped this was a start of something good for him. Equestria had been rough to the poor man since his arrival. Her accusatory glare fell more than once on the chunky changeling. Sometimes he caught her eyes and flinched visibly, other times he just felt her eyes on him. Sensing her emotions told him when she was looking. The poor fellow could not seem to apologize enough. However, there was another reason why she was glaring at him. Her father had decided earlier this morning, and without consulting her, Chrysalis should spend the voyage working for the rotund fellow. Both gave the human looks of horror. Anzealous, because no queen served beneath any changeling and Chrysalis for obvious reason: she hated his guts. The former ambassador argued against the idea vehemently, flailing and ranting as he did so. His tirade could not be taken seriously as his fat jiggled beneath his chitin as he went into detail on changeling laws and regulations. Royal changelings never, never, ever served under any ‘ling unless the ‘ling in question was of greater rank and/or power. Chrysalis argued that Anzealous was a fat, ugly toad who only existed to slap his tongue into the brains of helpless weaklings. That earned a glare from her father, for several reasons. “Another week,” he told her. “As his helper.” Michael leveled a finger at the fat changeling, who by now was hopping mad (literally) as he was being ignored. Chrysalis drew her head back, her eyes pinpricks as her lower lip quibbled. “Now see here!” blasted Anzealous. His face burned like a green tomato. This made Michael stare, as the only other changeling he had ever seen blush was his daughter. It looked strange. “Shut up, Andy.” Michael then turned on him and was suddenly looming over the much smaller and suddenly balled up changeling staring up at him with huge, frightened eyes. “She’s being punished for trying to kill you. She will work for you. She will do what you tell her to do. Think of this as part of the path to forgiveness for you. Deal?” That had been less than two hours ago. There was no point in Anzealous trying to correct the name the human had given him. I am not Andy, he thought to himself as he waddled after the group. Fae prodded him along with a smile and a rather firm hoof to his rump. The changeling stallion harrumphed and noticed Prince Blueblood had fallen in step next to him. The two noticed this and glared at each other. “The human is insufferable,” grated Anzealous sullenly. “Making the child my ‘helper’ for the duration of the voyage.” He meant to be speaking under his breath, but his anger blinded his awareness. Blueblood took notice. Glancing forward, he noted Octavia was chatting happily with that dreadful sorceress Fleur de Lis. Tilting his head towards Anzealous, he asked quietly, “Are you speaking of that enchanting dark mare?” “She’s royalty,” Anzealous said warily, narrowing his eyes. It would not do at all if this noble discovered Chrysalis’ disguise. Not at all! “From a faraway land. She was brought up by that ape and now he is taking her home where she rightfully belongs.” A gleam appeared in the unicorn’s eye. Blueblood smiled. “Really? Is she spoken for?” “Aren’t you engaged?” sighed Anzealous. The reputation of the prince was known to the changeling. He was not impressed. “I beg your pardon, good prince, but even your society frowns upon stallions forming harems. This is not Saddle Arabia.” “Oh, and I suppose your female changelings having multiple male consorts is different?” snarked Blueblood haughtily. “Only the queens do that. It is necessary to diversify their offspring,” huffed Anzealous. “Mark my words, Prince Blueblood, for your own sake. Do not meddle with that filly.” “I’m not afraid of some oversized ape,” sneered the prince. Anzealous rolled his eyes. The human is not the one you should fear, pony. Blueblood sighed, noting he was losing the changeling’s attention. “What is your assessment of the ape?” “Unpredictable,” was all he got in reply. Anzealous trotted ahead, buzzing his wings slightly as if readjusting them. “Prince Blueblood,” Fae spoke up, taking her brother’s place. “If there is anything you should take to heart, it’s the warning my brother gave you. You really, really do not want any part of the human’s adopted daughter. Her magic is raw, yet her grasp of it makes her unstable. Should you make any unwanted advances towards her, the results could result in injuries. Please do not try anything with her. I personally ask you as a favor to the Changeling Empire.” “A favor?” Blueblood’s intrigue was piqued. “Yes. A favor.” “Keep your pathetic favors.” “Fine. Then I shall tell Octavia you’re ogling other mares.” “You wouldn’t dare!” hissed Blueblood, misstepping and stumbling a little. He caught himself and glared at the offending platform. It was predictably indifferent to his ire. The grin Fae gave him was malicious. “Oh. I would. Watch me. There’s also your aunts who set you up with your pending nuptials. I should imagine they would be very put out with you should you decide to dally in fields you don’t belong.” Prince Blueblood lifted his nose in the air and hurried past Fae with long strides. As he caught up with Octavia, she gave him a queer look, then over her shoulder at the female changeling. The ambassador gave her a benign smile and buzzed her wings to fan herself in the muggy heat. Steel Jaw observed the bickering between the prince and the changelings, inwardly wishing the earth would just open up and swallow them whole. Since the morning he had nearly gotten into a fight with the human, life had become a veritable hell for the unicorn. Lady Fleur de Lis had reported his actions to his watch commander, who in turn was unhappy with being woken. The watch commander then ordered the stallion in and proceeded to inform him in a loud voice Princess Luna would most certainly hear of his unprofessional dealings with a royal guest. The Royal Guard, especially the Night Guard were supposed to be the face of the Equestrian armed forces to all those who stepped hoof into the hallowed halls of Canterlot Castle. The embarrassment of allowing one’s personal views come before duty and dedication was not to be tolerated. The human was an unknown. Nopony knew if he would fight or if he was aggressive. Luna had some idea. “He is a war veteran from his world,” she had told Steel Jaw after coldly discussing her own profound disappointment in the unicorn’s conduct. “He has fought hard and has earned the respect due to one who only seeks to raise his child in peace. Our sister invited him after first discussing the matter with us. We agreed to allow the father to be reunited with his daughter, for it was prudent and right thing to do. You were to be his guide and perhaps a friend. He knows nopony here other than his daughter and we thought you would be an excellent choice. You will make yourself someone the human can trust. You must be our eyes and ears.” Steel Jaw remembered how much smaller and smaller he felt as the princess’ words bit into him, lashing at his honor and making him feel like a bully. He did attempt a protest. “But she’s Chrysalis, my princess!” “SILENCE! THOU WILT OPEN THY EARS AND CLOSE THY MOUTH!” she had roared in her Royal Voice. After glaring into his soul, it seemed, she turned from him in disgust, then sighed. “I understand your feelings towards changelings. All felt the presence in, one way or another while they were here. Rest assured, my stalwart pony, I am aware this Chrysalis is not the monster who tried to take Equestria for herself. Both my sister and myself have proceeded upon this matter with great wariness. This creature wearing the guise of the damnable queen is nothing like her. She may bear the same name, but this one is a filly missing her only parent.” The unicorn stallion had at that point felt very guilty. Failing Equestria was one thing. Failing his princess… He wished he was dead. “We shall give you one more chance to redeem yourself and remove the stain you have placed upon the Night Guard.” Luna gave Steel Jaw a hard look. “Michael Spriggs will need a friend here in Equestria. You will be that friend. You will apologize to him. You will treat him as you would an honored friend of my sister.” “Permission to speak freely, my princess?” he dared. “Denied.” “Permission to ask one question, my princess?” “Choose your question carefully, my little pony.” She offered him a half smile and a nod. “Do you consider him a friend, Highness?” Luna gave him a stony expression. “His kind can be dangerous. I cannot be his friend because where my sister welcomes him with open hooves in friendship, I must be wary and watch him. My banishment did have some good come of it. I will not lavish my friendship upon any mortal soul who crosses paths with me. He shall be here a short while, see to the well-being of his daughter, and go home. I see no reason to pursue a relationship beyond pleasantries and tolerance. You, however, will make that effort. Do we make ourselves clear?” Steel Jaw bowed low. “Yes, your Highness.” The memory stung him still, having burned itself the image of the Princess of the Night roaring in that Creator-damned Voice. Just thinking about it gave the fearless stallion the shivers. Taking the moment to apologize had taken a lot of swallowing his pride, but Michael accepted it. After explaining the trauma the attack on Canterlot had done to his wife, the human seemed understanding, though he wasn’t exactly ready to roll the friendship mat out for the unicorn. He wanted the Guard to hang out with his daughter and get to know her. Steel Jaw balked at the suggestion. “Eh,” Michael then said, softening his stance, “at least don’t make my kid feel like she’s a leper. This is her first time walking around openly in public and not disguised as a dog. This is her first time discovering friends and being able to talk to them. Don’t ruin it for her and you and I will get along just fine.” A half-serious glare and the human turned on his heel and went about his business for that morning, namely breakfast. At least the human wasn’t regarding him with cold contempt anymore. Steel Jaw had to admit he did have an intimidating glare when he applied it. The slight scowl on the man’s face would do a drill sergeant proud. It seemed as though his face was naturally set that way, though a straight lipped visage did crop up almost as often. Upon spying his first airship did a smile appear and even stay there, if just a little bit. The gleam in the human’s eyes were hidden delight at the elegant beauty of the ships pushing through the August skies. His walk became relaxed, less strident. He was less the old soldier halfway through a day long march and more a colt in a toy store. The group proceeded down the platform, Octavia giving way to the helpful lieutenant who was very professional in showing them the way. More questions bombarded him from the curious dark filly in regards to the ships. Chrysalis listened intently, nodding while the soldier answered her. A tug on her mane from her father was a warning to not bug the pony. “I don’t mind, sir,” the lieutenant professed. “I’ve got a kid sister her age. She’s always pestering me with questions.” It was obvious he had chosen his words carefully. Very few fillies looked this naturally beautiful. Chrysalis, in copying Fleur, had made herself into a diamond in a mountain of coal. A lot of stray eyes were found upon her form. It was making Daddy uncomfortable. Of course you don’t mind. You’ve got front row seats! Michael thought in slowly growing irritation. “Sure,” he muttered. After a half a mile of traversing the platforms and hearing a little about the names of specific ships the officer pointed out, the soldier came to a stop, though everyone could see by now the ship they would be calling home for at least three weeks. “Fillies and gentlecolts, the Mare Crisium.” The lieutenant stepped aside to allow an unimpeded view of the airship. She was of a twin hull design, much like a catamaran, with her bridge set atop the deck almost like a slanted pagoda. It was not simply a gondola; it was far too large to be considered one. Everything blended seamlessly together. Beneath her command tower were several decks wrapped in metal plates and dotted with portholes. There were a few larger windows at the bow of the superstructure, jutting forward and including an outdoor deck. Her coloration was unsurprisingly drab; blues grays and whites to blend the ship into the environment in which she was designed to operate. The patterns were meant to break up the ship’s silhouette intto her background. The Mare Crisium’s two lighter than air outer hulls seemed of standard design; fin stabilizers to for steering and a pair of massive four bladed propellers. They cut a much narrower profile than a civilian airship. At the aft of each hull were her aerial screws, or propellers. Each armored hull contained within it a massive engine. A shortened radio mast jutted from beneath the ship, a tripod design keeping it fixed to the ship while the main pole slanted towards the back of the ship. It could be extended as needed and was attatched to what appeared to be a circular observation deck hanging between the hulls. Some of the cruiser’s armaments could be seen, but her biggest bite was carefully concealed beneath her armored shell. These were the torpedo tubes; with each hull sporting a set both at the bow and aft; eight and four, respectively. Michael thought someone had taken two world war two submarine hulls and glued a superstructure between them. It was simply one of the coolest things he had ever seen. The kid inside wanted to immediately begin crawling through the ship’s interior and explore every nook and cranny. What caught him was the lack of a number designation he was used to seeing on military ships. Instead, the cruiser bore a crescent moon with three stars imposed along the edge. What looked like chicken scratch lay within the gap. He assumed it was some sort of writing. Great ropes along the length of the dock kept the ship in place, mooring her securely to great bollards. Dozens seemed needed to keep the cruiser in place. “That’s going to love and tolerate the shit out of someone,” observed the human dryly. He had spread his feet and had his hands on his hips, head tilted back as he took in the view of awesome sight before him. His comment stemmed from a phrase Princess Celestia had stressed was what she wanted her ponies to believe and work diligently for. “That’s one killer yacht,” agreed Chrysalis as she nudged him. She got a light scratch between the ears in agreement. “Small wonder the Equestrians haven’t annihilated us,” muttered Anzealous to no one in particular. Fae gave him another elbow. “I prefer something with more punch,” grumbled Blueblood. Octavia firmly stomped on one of his hooves and glared at him. “but if Auntie Luna says this ship is perfect for the mission, I suppose I can accept something less grandiose.” The mare sighed and rolled her eyes. “Such a lovely boat!” exclaimed Fleur de Lis appreciatively. She did like the sleekness in the design and the practical functionality. All gathered could agree the ship was undoubtedly beautiful for the purpose to which she was built. There was something to be said about being able to kick flank with style. “Ship,” corrected Blueblood absently. “Boats belong on the water. Ships belong in the air.” He sniffed, not at all impressed with Fleur’s needling. “My apologies, I am but an ignorant mare and uneducated in such things,” teased the sorceress. She winked at Octavia and Fae. Both mares giggled. The prince gave her an appraising look, unsure if she was pulling his leg or just being difficult. He suspected both. “Shall we get aboard then?” The arrogant noble lifted his nose in the air and started towards the lift awaiting them beneath the shadow of the cruiser. “Where are the turrets?” asked Chrysalis. The lieutenant answered her query. “Each of the hulls holds her main guns beneath the armor. They’re stowed away to prevent air drag. When needed, the Mare Crisium can put up a total of eight eleven inch twin barrel turrets set in barbettes. There’s two on top and two beneath.” Chrysalis frowned. “Aren’t they held in place by their weight? I mean, wouldn’t the bottom turrets fall out?” she asked skeptically. “If she were a surface ship, absolutely. However, in this case the Mare Crisium’s design has her turrets and barbettes aligned on top of each other. The guns are locked to each other, yet can operate independently of each other.” The lieutenant was very proud of his explanation. “Everything is state-of-the-art. The latest systems are being used. She’s the most modern fighting ship in the world and I’d even try her against one of those older battleships.” Blueblood was by now too far out of earshot to catch the insult to his beloved battleships. Octavia hurried after him, along with the baggage train of servants. Flinty eyes were trained on the rude stallion as she resolved to have words with him. Breaking in a future husband was not for the faint of heart. “Because of the torpedoes?” asked Michael as he leaned into the conversation. He was gesturing at the rectangular lines of one of the bows. The pony nodded, impressed. “The warheads have five times the explosive power of any battleship’s main guns. They’re ship killers.” “Neat.” chirped Chrysalis, awed. “Come, my curious little monkeys,” said Fleur to the changeling and her father, “you can ask more questions when we are out of this heat.” “Awww!” both chimed, grinning at her. “Fermé nous allez!” she insisted. Her horn glowed as she gave them a gentle push towards the lift now bearing the impatient prince into the bowels of the cruiser. Anzealous and Fae followed, buzzing their wings as they fanned themselves. The pair of changelings were from a hive preferring dry heat. The humidity made their chitin and carapaces uncomfortable. Still, it was not unbearable and circulating the air over their bodies with their wings helped ease the discomfort. Chrysalis avoided the issue by simply keeping her unicorn form up. The other two changelings were regretting the agreement they had made to the Equestrians to not be in disguise. It was an unexpected drawback when both sides had been haggling over pre-negotiation agreements. ‘Chryssie’, as her father called her (and sometimes ‘pumpkin’) was an exception as she was expected to stay in a form other than her natural one. They had to wait for several minutes while the crew unloaded the luggage brought by the prince. At least the ship’s shadow offered some respite from the sun. Michael simply basked in the humid air, completely comfortable and used to the weather. It reminded him of summers with his grandparents. He wondered if Discord knew how to tend a garden. “The princesses are coming on board tomorrow?” he asked Fleur while the lift began its descent to their platform. “Oui. Making final preparations for a trip made by both halves of the diarchy has a tendency of bringing about a lot of wringing hooves and the pulling of manes. Some ponies think the nation will implode if both Princesses Celestia and Luna were to step away on business.” She offered the human a smile. “Princess Twilight will have the support of the Council. They’ll do most of the work, but if anything difficult comes up, I’m sure our newest princess won’t muck it up too badly. Besides, Princess Cadence will be here to guide her and she’s already with some experience in ruling.” “Ahem.” Anzealous attempted to get Chrysalis’ attention. “Lady Midnight Emerald, if I might have a moment of your time.” “What?” she demanded flatly. “Chryssie,” warned her father. Chrysalis splayed her ears out at the tone in her name. She offered a sheepish smile. “I mean, yes?” She batted her eyes at Anzealous. He sighed, “Please don’t do that, your Ma-, I mean young lady. It’s unsettling.” The former ambassador ran a hoof over his spiney mane and cleared his throat. “Once we’re settled, I should like to begin your education on changelings. It would appear the ponies have been lacking in that regard.” The pseudo-unicorn nodded. “I’d like that,” she admitted. “Then we can get about to what your father and I discussed.” “Yay me,” she muttered. “What was that?” asked Michael. “Nothing!” “Uh-huh.” The human reached out and tousled her mane affectionately. “Anzealous, would you mind if I sit in and watch you give my daughter lessons? I’m sort of curious as to see what you have in mind.” It was his way of telling the changeling he was keeping an eye on him. “Though I don’t see the point to your presence, if it gives you peace of mind, you may join us.” Anzealous gave an indifferent sniff. The lift finally came to a rest on the wooden planks before the group. One by one, they began to file onto it with the assistance of some dock workers. It began its slow haul upwards towards the ship after everyone was safely on board. The officer who had escorted them bade a friendly farewell and returned to his duties. “Anyone else think it was a bit rude of our dear captain to leave us behind like that?” wondered Michael out loud. He looked down and found Fleur. “I mean, what’s his deal? What is he, an asshole born and bred?” “He’s the sort who feels his station is far above anypony else,” Fleur replied with a pony shrug. “Since his lineage can be linked back through the generations to the Sisters, he feels there are no others his equal. Not even the likes of Princess Twilight or Princess Cadence are in his eyes equals.” “So, why is he the captain if he’s such a jerk?” “It’s his talent,” said the mare. “He is a fine ship commander. Perhaps the finest Equestria has seen in the longest time. Prince Blueblood passed through the naval academy with ease and received top honors. He’s never lost a ship in all his years, nor has he lost a battle.” “Battles?’ “Pirates are a bit of a problem on the trade routes,” Fae explained, buzzing her wings. “Mostly griffons, but some Grays get in on the raiding.” The mention of the word ‘Grays’ seemed to put a foul taste in her mouth. “There are other races; diamond dogs, minotaurs— most of the carnivorous ones. A few ponies, of course. There’s also the occasional zebra.” “Grays?” “Changelings who don’t follow a queen are called Grays. They’re usually small family groups. If you see one, there’s bound to be a few in the area related to them.” Anzealous held a wing out and examined it carefully. He sniffed and let it settle back to his side. “It’s unfortunate unguided changelings choose a life like that. They would do more working for society than trying to disrupt it for selfish gains.” “I agree with you,” chirped Fae. “Brother, I’ll have to leave as soon as I help you get settled in.” “I know,” he said with a small smile. “Duty.” She nodded. “Duty.” Crewmembers awaited them at the center of the ship’s cargo bay. It bustled with activity as ponies went about securing cargo and loading what appeared to be munitions. Shouts and orders could be heard as the liveliness of the hold felt like a ship getting ready for action. A small army of sailors stood at attention, in white uniforms. The passengers would have been welcomed by the First Officer, but Blueblood had demanded an immediate meeting of all the officers in his ready room. Instead, a crusty old pegasus waited for the guests at the head of the sailors. He squinted at them from beneath bushy eyebrows. With a coat like a rolling fog, his mane and tail were cropped short and colored evenly between a thunderhead and a cirrus cloud. The pegasus’ size was smaller than his kin, but he carried about him a toughness molded from a hard life. Muttonchops peppered with black and gray adorned his face. His weathered equine features spoke of years in the navy. The snowy white uniform he wore was impeccable. Not even a strand of thread was out of place. Medals adorned his chest it looked as though he had earned each one ten times over. “The name’s Chief Quint,” he growled in a gravelly voice. “Quint Orca. I ain’t about standin’ on ceremony and I ain’t about to coddle ye landlubbers while aboard my ship. Them officers can hoot ‘an holler all they like, this is my ship. Make no mistake. This is my crew. Most of them officers are greenhorns, their money gettin’ them where they are instead of hard, honest work. This ship is a fine ship, but she’s new and ain’t broken in yet. If there’s any bad luck on this trip, I’ll cut to the chase ‘an let ye all know I’ll hold you all to a reckoning if anything ill happens aboard my ship. Do I make meself clear?” “Daddy!” Chrysalis tugged on his arm. She motioned him down. “Doesn’t he remind you of someone?” “The name sort of gave it away,” he whispered back to her with a chuckle. “Here’s to swimmin’ with bow-legged women!” “Would the Great White Mouth like ta share his infinite wisdom?” snapped Quint with all the quaint pleasantness of an irate water buffalo. His gray eyes glared into the human’s. “What on Celestia’s green damned earth are you? Some sorta mutant minotaur? Flappin’ his jaws because ye didn’t get no attention from your mama ‘cause ye be ugly? Nah, ye ain’t no cowface. Ye be a monkey! A damned talkin’ monkey! What’s the world coming to when a monkey is makin’ all the bad jokes? Do us all a favor and shut up. I ain’t got time for soft land types such as ye.” “Hell, old timer. If you want a fight, just say so instead of taking all the air,” said Michael with a broad grin. “Some of us got pretty far in life just to have you suck all the oxygen from us. That’s kinda shitty of you to do that, you crusty old son of a bitch.” The world went silent. Crickets said, “To hell with this” and left. Quint gave him a steady glare, working his lips as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. Finally he said, “Show too much spine ‘an I’ll be more than obligin’ to break it, monkey.” He spat at the floor and turned to leave, barking at two younger sailors to show the guests to their berths. Fleur took several long seconds to recover her composure, taking deep breaths and counting backwards from ten. Anzealous facehoofed, muttering under his breath something along the lines of ‘queen save me’. Fae giggled. Chrysalis was appreciably embarrassed of her father like any good girl should be, staring open-mouthed at the human. He was still grinning like an idiot. “This way, please,” piped up a young crewmember who looked as young as Chrysalis. The interior of the ship was, in the eyes of Michael Spriggs, one long corridor after another. Everything was painted white halfway up the wall and a light blue beneath. The floor was a dull gray and seemed to have a sandpaper feel under the soles of his boots. Everything above each door bore a letter and a number. Some even announced the purpose of the room beyond. The arrivals had to occasionally press against the wall while members of the crew went about their tasks, some carrying stacks of paperwork or pushing a mop bucket. Apparently the word of guests being on board ship had yet to circulate among the crew as the stares were fixed upon them with a mix from fear to curiosity. Naturally Michael was a stare magnet. Whispers trailed after them and those who had no duties (or shirked them all together) followed behind the small group. The changelings lumped a bit closer to the two mares and the human. At one point, Fae bumped into the back of Michael’s thigh, startling him. She blushed and apologized profusely. He smiled down at her and patted her on the head behind her horn. The ponies following the group paused as one body, a few even gasping when the human flashed a grin at them and placed himself between them and the changelings. They took a few turns, a flight of stairs up two decks before heading to the rear to where the VIP stateroom awaited. A chief petty officer showed up when he noticed ponies herding after the odd group and began barking at them. Her tone suggested she was not going to put up with sailors lollygagging and derelict in their duties. Grumbling, the ponies broke up and went back to their posts, much to the relief of Anzealous and Fae.. In the back of the ship, on the third deck were the rooms set aside for Michael Spriggs, Chrysalis, Fleur de Lis, and Anzealous. As the cruiser was fitted out for transporting dignitaries, she was fitted for amenities not common in the typical Equestrian fighting airship. The rooms were not huge by any stretch of the imagination as space on board any ship was precious. After being shown to his quarters, the human noticed his bag was already sitting on the floor beneath a honest-to-goodness hammock, silhouetted in front of a massive bay window. The whole back of the room was a pane of glass. He had always wanted one as a kid. Without looking anywhere else, he made a beeline for his bed for the next few weeks and immediately set to getting in the hammock. It was tricky, but he managed to get into it without too much trouble, wobbling mightily as he fought his own shifting weight to keep centered. Gleefully he swayed where he hung, using a foot to push him away from the wall. Placing his hands behind his head, Michael took in his room with sweeping eyes. The ceiling and walls were layered in lacquered teak. The floor was metal, but had a rather plain persian rug covering it. The new ship smell wafted into the man’s nose and he inhaled deeply. A large light fixture was set into the center of the ceiling, bathing the room in a soft light. He could look directly at it and not feel blinded. The dimensions were somewhat on the cramped side, ten feet by eleven or twelve; spacious for even a captain’s cabin. There was a dresser stretching almost the full length of the room with eight drawers. Over it, a closet had been fashioned to make use of the available space. Next to the closet was a small wash basin complete with what appeared to be running hot and cold water on tap. Michael slipped out of his hammock and padded over to take a peek at the space beneath it. It was a false pair of drawers that was actually an access panel to reach the plumbing. “Neat.” Michael grinned and stood up. He turned and found his bathroom to be nothing more than a toilet and a shower meant for a pony. Much to his surprise, upon further inspection he found the shower head was adjustable and could be raised and lowered as he saw fit. All in all, it was fairly utilitarian. “This will do.” he said to himself as he slipped out of his bathroom. He absolutely loved the window. The hooks on the wall from which his bed hung allowed for him to slip the thick ring of one end and move it to the other end, allowing him an unimpeded view from his window. It seemed impractical to have something like this on a warship. Thoughtfully he reached out with his right hand, turning it until he could wrap against the glass with a knuckle. It felt very thick and sounded so. Bullet proof glass? “Huh.” He tapped it again just as a pegasus flittered by, her eyes intently focused on searching along the hull for something. She stared, the human waved, the mare hurried off, her eyes bulging from their sockets. Michael was soon left in midwave, sighing as he wondered, for what felt the millionth time, what in the hell he was doing in this world. He should be home! Preseason would be starting! Chicago Bear football whispered the promises of a good year, the playoffs, maybe even the Superbowl if the experts had the team pegged right. His birthday was just around the corner and soon after that, the end of the month would be Chryssie’s birthday! Fourteen birthdays with his favorite girl, his dark little angel who gave him as much grief as she had joy in their years together. She was a most unusual daughter, almost making up for the empty hole in his heart missing his first daughter. Crystal would have been seventeen now, he mused, a non-existent birthday having passed three months ago. Michael had long since stopped mourning, but a father never forgets his children, even if their mother moved heaven and hell to keep her from him. “Maybe they would have been like sisters,” he muttered to himself, not knowing why he was suddenly trying to picture a toddler as a teen, “they’d have been inseparable.” The mare was back. Her reddish brown coat seemed darker in the shadows as she suddenly hovered into view, a sheepish smile on her face. Michael didn’t pay attention to her at first, tracing his fingers along the glass, lost in thought. A waving hoof caught his attention. His head snapped towards the movement and noted his visitor on the other side. She smiled at him. The man returned the gesture, giving another smile in return. As if satisfied she had made up for being rude, the pegasus gave a half salute and darted off. Michael removed his hat and placed it on his hammock. He examined the wall next to the bathroom door, noting a couple of clips holding up what appeared to be a folding table. Flipping them open, a pair of legs kicked out from a hidden compartment and slid out on springs as the table flap came down. It clicked into place leaving a small table. A folding chair was strapped into the wall upon closer inspection. It was a simple folding stool much like what would be common at a camp site. There were several small compartments where the table came from in the wall holding places for paper, a stoppered ink well, and three quill pens. Everything slid in and out of place smoothly or clicked into position with ease. The construction was top-notch, even in the little details. There was a knock at his door. Michael turned, noting the door had never been shut. Chryssie was standing there, her hoof hovering near the door. “Are you okay, Daddy?” “I’m fine. Just thinking.” He went over to his daughter and mussed her hair affectionately. “...Her?” She tilted her head to one side. “Yeah.” Michael forced himself to brush the thoughts aside. “What brings you here?” “Anzealous wants to get me started in changeling culture.” She rolled her eyes and let out a little huff. “I’m supposed to meet him in his quarters as soon as we get settled in.” “No rest for the wicked, eh? Aren’t we having some sort of orientation today?” “I don’t think that’s until after lunch. We’re going to be allowed a chance to settle in and have lunch before then.” Fae trotted by, pausing expectantly with a pair of guards escorting her. “I’m off,” she told them, then blew a strand of mane from her eyes. “Anzy’s already complaining, so that’s nothing new. Don’t mind him if he seems grouchy. The heat’s been unkind to him. Were you on your way to see him, Emmy?” “Emmy?” Michael raised his eyebrows. “Short for Emerald,” supplied Chryssie helpfully. “I think it sounds cute.” To Fae she said, “You seem pretty cool. Good luck with that ambassador thing.” “Thank you. I wish you luck and a safe journey. Remember, be careful out there. Changelings can be anywhere at any given time.” The ambassador arched a brow at Michael. “You keep doing what you’ve been doing. Do you still have that necklace?” He patted his chest. “Still wearing it.” “Good. Keep it on. Trust me on this. Such a gift from the princesses should be treasured. Good day, Mr. Spriggs. I should tell you now the residual love I’ve tasted from you is...exotic.” Her eyes became heavy lidded as she spoke, shivering as she recalled the sensation of feeding off the excess love of the human. “Well, before I leave ship, I’m off to have that glass of wine with Lady Fleur and Lady Octavia! Oh, and be wary around other changelings!” She hurried off without another word, her guards quickly falling in behind her. “That was weird,” commented Chrysalis as she peered over her shoulder at the disappearing changeling. “I wonder what she meant by that?” “Meant by what?” “All of that. She makes it sound like changelings are emotion whores.” “Why don’t you ask Andy about it?” “I was on my way. You want to come? You said something earlier to him about seeing my lessons.” Her voice told him she was not inclined whatsoever to spend any time alone with the fat little bug and his imperious attitude. Those deep emerald eyes pleaded for Daddy to come. Michael was obliged to go, mostly for the sake of curiosity as he wondered about changelings. He’d heard a snippet here and there over the course of the past few days and felt he had a justifiable reason for wanting to know more about them. “You know where he is?” “Yep. He’s on the starboard side of this deck.” She looked up at Michael. “I love you, Daddy. Having you here means everything to me.” “I love you too, pumpkin.” They were escorted by another ensign, this one an earth pony stallion. The steel hallway was busy with hoof traffic. Father and daughter had to excuse themselves and pardon their way as politely as possible to get through ponies pausing as they went to stare at Michael. He kept a smile plastered on his face, though the novelty of being gawked at was starting to wear thin on him. There was the constant din of conversation all around them. The Mare Crisium was a very lively ship the day before her departure from port. “Hey Daddy, do you like having a hammock in your room?” The question was sudden, the curiosity behind it making the human smile. “Yep. Tried it out, too!” Michael replied. “It’s so cool!” she squealed, bouncing on the tips of her hooves with giddy glee. “I’m right next to you and Fleur’s on the other side of me from you.” They were almost to their destination. A guard was clearly seen standing outside the former ambassador’s door. He reminded Michael of a marine. It was one gigantic stallion, a pegasus to be exact. His uniform was eerily not unlike the olive drab field uniforms of a soldier from the second world war. The man began to suspect a pattern was forming. How technologically advanced were these Equestrians? “Can I help you?” asked the pony at the door in a neutral tone. He eyed the human whose head was only a few inches from the ceiling. “Anzealous said I could come and see him as soon as I got settled into my room!” announced Chrysalis as maturely as she could manage. She sounded like a squeaking mouse beneath the unnerving stare of the huge pony in front of her. Before he could speak, the door opened and Anzealous poked his head out. “Took you long enough. Well, don’t just stand out there blocking the hallway. Get in here, the both of you. That’ll be all, guard. They’re expected.” The pegasus said nothing and stepped aside. The pair went into the changeling’s room; it was as uniform as the human’s. Once they were inside, the changeling closed the door and shuffled to the window. He reached out with his magic to a pole dangling from the corner of the wall where it met the window. It began twisting in his telekinetic grasp and blinds began to lower from the top of the window. “Turn the light on,” he grunted, nodding towards the light switch at the room’s entrance. “I’ll need you to drop your disguise for your first lesson, young lady.” Michael reached over and flipped the lights on. “What lesson is that?” Anzealous grinned. “Speaking the language of the changelings.” He released the pole once he was satisfied the view into his room was obscured. Turning, he gave Chrysalis an appraising look, his solid blue eyes noticeably shifting up and down. “Soon, I think,” he murmured. “Soon for what?” Chrysalis asked with slight apprehension. “You assume your rightful place as a queen with your own hive. It’s not a matter of if, but when.” The young mare was about to ask another question, the green flames of her dropping her unicorn guise flaring from her hooves and up her body to the tip of her horn. “That’s a conversation for another time,” Anzealous said as he watched. “There’s my daughter,” Michael said with a toothy grin. “I hate seeing you have to hide in the open like that.” She flashed her fangs gratefully to her father. Even the plump changeling offered a grateful nod at the human for the comment. “Now, then.” He buzzed his wings and made a series of short, small chirps through his mouth. Chrysalis blinked. “What was that?” “That was good morning.”