Chai Spice, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie arrived in Canterlot in time for Spike to meet them at the station. He handed his unicorn friend a note from Princess Celestia saying that they were expected and that they were welcome to stay at the castle while waiting for Princess Luna to open her Night Court. The ponies and dragon decided to take her up on the offer and took a cab to the castle. At the gate, Twilight spoke to one of the day guards on duty and he let them in. All four of them entered the castle and found their way into one of the gardens. Chai Spice sat down on a bench with a sigh. The journey had not been a comfortable one for the mare. Train benches were not made with the comfort of the pregnant in mind. “Is there a place where I can rest for a while, Twilight? I mean, it's very nice out here, but I don't like all these other ponies staring at me.” She looked around nervously at the nobles promenading around the garden stealing glances at the group.
“Of course,” Twilight responded, helping the older mare to her feet. “I'll take you inside to one of the bedrooms. I can ask the steward if there are any on the ground floor that are open.” She did so as the group approached the main entrance to the Great Hall. The steward smiled, recognizing Twilight, and gave her directions to a quiet room not far from the ballroom. With no events planned for the latter room, the unicorn thought it unlikely that the princess’s guests would be disturbed. Twilight led the way, with Spike, Pinkie Pie and Chai Spice following.
Spike looked curiously at Twilight, wanting to know why she had asked him to meet them, but Twilight shook her head subtly at him. She was not sure she wanted Chai Spice to know her reasons. Pinkie was doing her best to keep her friend distracted from the overwhelming surroundings, chattering nonstop about how wonderful everything was here and what it had been like to come to the Grand Galloping Gala and liven it up from the expectations of all those snooty noble ponies. For her part, Chai Spice was silent, perhaps lost in thought of her beloved, but more likely feeling the stress of the day and wanting desperately to lie down and get some sleep. When they arrived at the room, Chai Spice and Pinkie Pie went in, leaving Twilight Sparkle and Spike outside.
“Okay, what's going on, Twilight? You've been going crazy about this changeling thing, then you left with Pinkie. Seriously, even for having Pinkie involved, this is strange.” Spike accused.
“All right, I'll explain. Just give me a moment to collect my thoughts.” Twilight stood still for a moment, fiddling with her saddle bags as Spike waited patiently. “Ok, so here's the scoop. It turns out that Pinkie’s friend with the recipe is a really famous baker. He also happens to be a changeling who was swept up and brought here after all the goings on at Shining Armor’s and Cadence’s wedding. Chai Spice is his wife and she is pregnant with his foal. I wanted you to come with me to talk to the guards in charge of doing the magic scans on petitioners for Night Court. If they are using the spell I think they use, it could hurt Chai or her foal. I need to talk to them before she gets there. Are you in?”
Spike nodded. “We don't have much time. How many of the Night Court guards are going to be up this early?”
“There are always a few,” Twilight answered. “My brother used to complain about early risers relieving his guards before sunset. Luna’s assistant or Celestia’s secretary would probably know who to ask.”
She and Spike trotted toward the princesses’ rooms. It was not long before they found themselves face to face with a lean ebon unicorn mare with a dark coat and draconic eyes.
“Yes, I am Princess Luna’s assistant,” the mare answered when the unicorn and dragon asked. “Can I help you?”
“I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike. We were wondering about the changeling reveal spell being used for Night Court changeling hearings. Is it the one created by Smokey Mirror?”
The mare’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh, Princess Celestia’s student! I remember hearing about you! Yes, the spell is one of Smokey Mirror’s. Why?”
“Because Luna will be having a petitioner tonight who is pregnant with a changeling’s foal.” There was silence as the ebon unicorn pondered the purple unicorn’s words. Twilight had wondered whether Luna’s assistant would know the implications of that spell; one glance at Eclipse’s face dispelled that impression.
“I believe I will have a word with the princess. We try not to deal with every one of these petitioners in private, but if this is true and the spell may affect her or her unborn foal, I would say it is worthy of a less public review. I shall speak to her tonight, before court. Where are you and your friend staying?” Twilight gave the ebon unicorn the name of the room where Pinkie Pie and Chai Spice were staying and Eclipse nodded. “I'll send a note to you by sundown if the princess is willing to meet with you. Between you, me, and your scaly companion,” she nodded at Spike, “she will probably agree.”
Twilight and Spike thanked the assistant and headed back to the room. “Is there something else you're not telling your number one assistant?” Spike teased.
“I'm worried, Spike, that's all. I can't believe they are still using Smokey Mirror’s spells in the guard. They have been known to have a dangerous effect on mares, particularly those with foal. Smokey was a very bitter spell caster and had a strong dislike of mares, for no reason that I understand. Many of his later spells made mares infertile or miscarry painfully. He was removed from the magic academy when he was found out.” Twilight shivered. “There's got to be a better scanning or reveal spell for changelings than anything he came up with.”
“What about the one you used when you were fighting the changelings?”
“Mine is too complex. It's not just a stun spell; it's not easy to cast without hurting the other pony. I only used it because I was defending myself and it was the only option I had.”
“Oh.”
By this time the unicorn and the dragon were nearing the room where Pinkie Pie and Chai Spice were staying. The hall was very quiet. Too quiet. As Twilight Sparkle eased open the door and she and Spike peered inside, both pony and dragon breathed a sigh of relief. There was Chai Spice, sound asleep on the bed, in a position that most ponies would find uncomfortable. Pinkie Pie was similarly sound asleep on a sofa. The pink earth pony mare was posed like a puppy, sprawled on her back with all four legs in the air, hooves twitching profusely as if the party pony was dancing in her sleep. Noticing the baker’s scrapbook box lying open on the floor, Twilight sat down amidst the stacks of papers and began looking at them.
It appeared that everything was divided into two piles: one related to the coffee shop, the other to Chai Spice and Cookie N Cream’s personal lives. In the coffee shop pile were letters expressing thanks from students and faculty of the Trottingham University for the Arts. Notes told of free catering, surprise deliveries of coffee and snacks to study parties at the dorms, and at least one graduate student thanking them for saving her from embarrassment at forgetting food at her dissertation review. From the looks of it, Cookie loved surprises.
Interspersed with the copious thank yous were newspaper clippings, most from the Trottingham Gazette, but also from other cities. There were articles about Cookie N Chai’s Coffee and Confectionery Shop, focused on the café’s place in the college community, as well as the food and drinks being served. Pages from food critic columns in news papers and magazines universally praised the desserts made by Chai’s partner. The last grouping consisted of stories related to baking competitions. Twilight could not help but notice that these were some of the most high-profile contests in the baking business. She had heard Pinkie Pie raving about some of her idols, many of whom made appearances in these articles.
Twilight moved on to the second large pile. It was full of photographs: of the shop, of Cookie N Cream and Chai Spice in various poses, of Cookie on vacation in various cities or showing off his skills at competitions across Equestria. Postcards from cities across the country and even abroad abounded as well. There was also a large stack of letters, all in envelopes that had been opened many times and were postmarked from many different places. Twilight gingerly opened the top one from the nearest stack:
To the Most Heavenly and Sweet Spice in our Store,
I am here in Baltimare watching the sun set over the harbor, but all I can think about is how much it reminds me of watching your eyes light up in the morning. The salty air here is very inspiring to the taste, but it is nothing compared to the smell of your chai tea in our coffee shop. I know you do not like to travel, my dear Chai, but someday I will convince you to come with me. We could lay on the beach and watch the waves or have a picnic on some high mountain meadow. It would not matter where we were as long as we were together. I can't wait to hear from you again, my dearest, and I expect I will be home soon. After all, it would be most awful if our little 'Ling came into this world without its father as well as its mother there to welcome it into our shop of wonders and into our hearts.
From the Sweetest and Loving Dessert in the Shop,
Cookie
Twilight put down the love letter. Judging from the dates on the postmarks, it seemed that whenever Cookie left Trottingham on work-related business or a baking competition, he sent at least one letter or post card or both to his wife back home. Some of the letters dated back years; Twilight Sparkle wondered if Cookie had a similar stack of letters wherever he was.
Twilight next found her eye drawn to a folder neatly labelled “Wedding Photos” She opened it and flipped through the images. There was Chai Spice in a fancy dress and veil dancing cheek-to-cheek with that robust changeling stallion again. In the crowd around them were dozens of ponies, with a few random changelings thrown in to leaven the mix. According to the wedding invitation also in the envelope, the event had been held in a local park, and the entirety of Trottingham’s small changeling community had been invited along with members of the bride’s family and many of the patrons of their coffee house.
Twilight was surprised to notice just how many changelings actually attended the gathering. They appeared dancing with ponies, enjoying the food, and one, listed as Cookie’s “Best Bug” was pictured giving a toast to the happy couple. Twilight wondered if the changelings had all fed on the guests as they enjoyed themselves, but that thought disappeared as she reached a small pile of notes from party guests. It soon became clear that the ponies who had attended were happy enough to let the changelings feed on the happiness in the air without being in pony form and tricking their fellow guests into letting them directly feed. There would have been enough positive emotion in the air for every pony and bug pony to leave sated, and the notes reflected that. Based on the guest list, around one fifth to one fourth of the attendees were not ponies.
Twilight put the last page aside as a quiet tap on the door brought her back into the real world. She opened the door to find that Eclipse was waiting outside. “Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. Princess Luna has asked that you and Miss Spice come to her office after Night Court to consult with her. Bring whatever evidence you wish to use to make your claim. If you are persuasive enough, she will let your friend find her lover.”
Twilight nodded her thanks and Eclipse turned away and started heading down the hall. “Wait.” Twilight murmured. She slipped out the door and closed it quietly before she hurried after the paused ebon unicorn. “Is there anything you can do to help? I mean, about the spell used…”
Eclipse nodded in understanding. “I know, Miss Sparkle. Thus far it has only been used on male claimants; most female claimants thus far have had their identities as ponies verified by members of the Royal Guard, as either relatives or close friends. We have a newer spell for mares, but because it is so new, the princess judged that it would be too risky for a pregnant mare, especially since she is bearing a half-changeling foal. Thus, the meeting. If this mare is as trustworthy as you say she is, she will comport herself well.”
Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Eclipse. Could I ask you one more small favor?”
“I suppose, Miss Sparkle.”
“Call Me Twilight.”