//------------------------------// // [2] Point Insertion // Story: Changing Views // by lllWarHawklll //------------------------------// "Are you sure you'll be fine while I'm gone, Spike?" "Yup! We already re-shelved this week, I did every single one of my chores, and all the books are accounted for!" the aforementioned dragon happily replied. "Well... except for one of the Daring Do books that Rainbow Dash keeps borrowing over and over again..." he grumbled. "You know, I'd like to see how she'd react to being told that she's one of the few ponies who frequently borrow books from the library." Twilight giggled at the thought. Spike couldn't hold back a snicker. "Oh please don't tell her unless I'm there! I totally want to see her face when you get her to realize how she reads more often than most of Ponyville!" Twilight smirked. "Will do, Spike. Though, I'm wondering why the chariot Princess Celestia mentioned she'd send hasn't arrived yet." She trotted towards a window to gaze outside at the soon-to-be sunset. "I mean, it must be something important if she wants me to come completely alone at this time of the day, by royal chariot no less, and not tell anypony about whatever I'd see once there! Not even you or my friends!" She omitted that the letter specifically emphasized to not speak with the little dragon about whatever she'd be doing at the castle. No secret was truly safe with that little drake. After a short moment of awkward silence, she slowly turned around to look at Spike whom was worriedly watching her. "...What?" Spike narrowed his eyes. "You're... not freaking out?" She tilted her head in confusion. "...Huh?" He maintained his look for a couple seconds, finally letting out a relieved breath. "Whew! I mean, I thought you'd be hysterically running around, panicking because Princess Celestia herself pretty much 'summoned' you..." She froze. "...like, this is obviously some sort of test that she's prepared—" Her eyes widened as her pupils shrank into pinpricks while he continued, completely oblivious to her rising panic. "—and that you pretty much haven't properly studied for it because you don't even know what it could possibly be about—" A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she began hyperventilating. "—which would mean that you'd normally be extremely worried right about now since you really don't want to fail the Princess and be a bad... student... uh, Twilight? Are you okay?" he worriedly asked once he finally noticed her twitching left eye and disheveled mane, which somehow hadn't been like that mere seconds ago. "T-t-test!?" she eventually squeaked. Twilight was 'saved' from her upcoming mental breakdown by a cyan-coated mare with a prismatic mane barging through the library's door at breakneck speeds, crashing onto her before they both rolled to a stop as they slammed against a wall. Every book suddenly wasn't on a shelf anymore. This did not make Spike a happy little dragon, as demonstrated by him staring open-mouthed at the disaster in front of him before he wordlessly threw his arms up in frustration, 'calmly' waddling off to the kitchen in order to eat some well-deserved (and needed) ice cream. And he had just re-shelved the entire library, too... The rainbow-maned pegasus got up from under a large pile of books, shaking her head to clear it until she remembered why she was there to begin with. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOHMYGOSH! TWILIGHT! GUESS WHAT!!" The aforementioned unicorn's head finally popped out of another nearby pile of books, dazed as she tried to understand what just happened. She didn't get a chance to reply as her friend immediately continued: "They announced the next Daring Do book to come out five. Whole. Months. SOONER!" Twilight gasped. "B-but... that means it'll be out in exactly six weeks!" "I know, right!? Isn't that just totally awesome?!" the pegasus loudly exclaimed as she did a couple quick mid-air flips in her excitement. "Oh! By the way! What's up with those dudes waiting with the fancy chariot out there?" She glanced around. "Erm... is the Princess around here?" The unicorn's eyes widened. "I got to go right now sorry will be at Canterlot with Princess Celestia for I don't know how long please tell the others for me take care BYE!" she rapidly said before zooming out the front door. Rainbow Dash stared at the entrance in confusion, shrugging once she saw Spike coming back from the kitchen while he licked his lips contentedly. She then remembered the second thing she had come to the library for. "Spike! I need to borrow every single Daring Do book there is right NOW!" she cheerfully exclaimed while jogging on the spot. He stared at her ecstatic, borderline manic face. He stared at the completely disorganized mess of books littering the entire floor. Spike was not a happy dragon. ============================================== A few polite knocks were heard on the door. "Your Highness? Miss A.K. Yearling has arrived and—" Celestia finally stopped pacing around her room, magically swinging the doors open before the surprised guard could finish his announcement. "Is she in the guest room I had assigned to her for the night?" she interrupted, somehow managing to prevent her giddiness and excitement from showing outwardly. The guard quickly recovered, nodding. "Yes, she is currently located within the isolated part of the guest chambers. Nopony else is being allowed in that general section of the Castle, as per your orders." The Princess nodded in approval, letting out a serene smile. "Very good. Inform Princess Cadance to meet me there as well as my student Twilight Sparkle, whom should also arrive any moment now." "Yes, your Highness!" He quickly bowed, headed off afterwards to do as he was ordered. The Diarch of the Sun could barely contain herself as she trotted at an admittedly faster pace than normal throughout the Castle, finally able to meet the final fragment she had left of her sister: Artemis. Would the changeling like and accept her? Would the foal turn out to be as sweet and loving as Terra had been in the past? ...Would she finally have another immortal being she could call a friend or, even better... Family? Those were the kind of questions running through her mind as she walked through various hallways while the castle was bathed in moonlight, the night having begun not too long ago. Celestia was still on her way towards the part of the castle which would securely house Artemis—at least until the nymph could be safely revealed to the rest of Equestria—before she heard the rapid series of sounds announcing that somepony was galloping her way. Turning around, she spotted Cadance— "WHERE IS SHE?!— *Cough* *Cough*" exclaimed the newly-arrived pink alicorn with a deep gravelly voice before coughing out the fly that had inadvertently—somehow—lodged itself in her throat. Celestia's smile widened. "Cadance! How is my favorite niece doing on this fine night?" Cadance quickly regained her breath before they eagerly continued trotting side by side towards their shared destination. "Oh, I'm just so excited! She's finally here! I was worried when the guards you had sent as an escort had returned yesterday without both Miss Yearling and Artemis, but then you got that letter and I just couldn't wait!" The pink alicorn was practically bouncing. The Sun Princess's smile suddenly seemed slightly forced. "Speaking of which, perhaps we shouldn't talk about her until we're in a more... relaxed setting," she carefully suggested, nodding at a nearby guardspony whom briefly saluted as they walked by. "Huh?" Cadance confusedly asked, before understanding dawned on her. "Oh! Right..." she muttered, remembering how most ponies didn't share her view of changelings in general. Seeing as the younger alicorn had all of a sudden lost the spring in her step, Celestia decided to quickly change the subject. "How is Shining Armor, by the way? Did Dr. Lab Coat find anything wrong with him?" she asked while looking at her niece. "I unfortunately haven't had the time to drop by and check on his condition yet." "Well..." Cadance frowned. "The doctor couldn't find anything out of the ordinary about him, even though Shiny keeps insisting that he still feels a little weird. Before I left him just now, he said he's been feeling some kind of 'pull', as if he wanted to go somewhere, but only since very recently. He's still going to be under the care of the Doctor until tomorrow more or less." She gave a glance to Celestia. "Has court really been that bad to the point where you didn't even have any free time today?" The older alicorn tiredly nodded. "While all the 'cocooned' ponies have already been sorted since yesterday, it turned out the changelings were living amongst us for much longer than we had initially thought," she replied, idly noticing how a passing maid had slowed down the tiniest bit while they conversed. "A lot of businesses had been unknowingly employing disguised changelings; some of which had even been working for years, it seemed. Furthermore, only a very minimal amount of those workers were initially ponies whom got 'replaced'. The problem itself began when, a few days before your..." she trailed off, wincing. "...Well, a very large number of 'ponies' across all of Equestria either quit or left their jobs under all sorts of excuses and reasons. With them missing, all of those businesses suddenly found themselves lacking horsepower. You can probably imagine how many issues have arisen after that." Celestia apologetically smiled at her niece. "But enough about the current economical state of Equestria, leave that for me to handle. You, on the other hoof, have a certain little foal to take care of," she said, glad to see the younger alicorn regain a meager smile and straighten up from her slumped posture. "You're going to be foalsitting again!?" gasped a voice behind them. Cadance whipped around. "Twilight!" she happily exclaimed before they quickly closed the distance between themselves, getting ready for their super secret greeting— "Sunshine sunshine ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They giggled after doing the motions, a little more so when they saw the bemused expression from the Princess of the Sun. Twilight suddenly ran up to her teacher, standing at attention. "Princess Celestia! I came as soon as I could and I, um, well, I'm ready for your... test?" she uncertainly grinned. Celestia giggled. "Whoever said anything about a test?" She turned away, missing Twilight quietly sigh in relief as she resumed her walk. "Come, we are nearly there." "Sooo..." began the lavender unicorn. "Who are you going to be foalsitting?" she curiously asked as the trio walked together. "It must be somepony pretty important if a Princess is going to be the foalsitter!" Cadance nervously smiled. "You could say she's very important. I'm just hoping I won't be a bad guardian..." Twilight stared at the pink alicorn as if she had grown a second head. "What are you talking about!? You were the greatest foalsitter in the history of foalsitters! I can personally attest to that! I'm sure whoever you'll be taking care of will be in excellent hooves!" she exclaimed with absolute certainty before catching on to a particular word. "Wait... guardian? What happened to the foal's parents? Did they leave on some kind of far-away trip? Can they no longer take care of her?" Cadance visibly flinched. "You will understand everything very soon, Twilight," Celestia said. "We're here." Twilight worriedly glanced at the younger alicorn before noticing her surroundings, including the large engraved door in front of her. "W-wait, she's in... in THE guest room!?" she disbelievingly asked. "The isolated one reserved for reclusive, special dignitaries!? The one that is practically its own house in the Castle!? The one rumored to rival your own personal chambers in luxury, size and, well... everything!?" the flabbergasted unicorn asked her teacher, whom simply nodded. She then noticed something else. "And... why wasn't there anypony in any of the hallways we walked past just now? I know I haven't been in Canterlot too often during these times, especially the castle itself, but I clearly remember this wing of the castle being pretty busy, even at night!" Celestia raised an amused eyebrow. "And how did you know how active this area of the Castle was after sundown?" "Um..." Her student sheepishly grinned. "Late night trips to the Royal Canterlot Archives?" The Princess of the Sun mirthfully shook her head before her expression suddenly turned serious. "The reason there isn't anypony in this entire wing is also tied to why under no circumstances you are to speak with any other being on what you're about to see in this room until further notice." Twilight gulped, shivering slightly at the noticeable drop in temperature. She would've taken a step back if she hadn't frozen under the intense glare of her mentor, something she hadn't yet experienced in all the years she had spent under the Princess's tutelage. Never before had she thought her own teacher would even look at her that way. Celestia then promptly smiled, her warm motherly aura returning instantly as she turned to face the door, slowly opening it with her magic. Both alicorns entered, Twilight nervously following behind them after a short moment. A luxurious, enormous lobby with its own built-in kitchen and numerous side rooms greeted them. The large glass windows were enchanted to prevent outsiders from looking into the chamber while giving a great view of the city itself and the landscape below. The furniture was of the highest quality, the seats looking so fluffy and comfortable that anypony would probably melt from the mere act of applying their rump on them. The ceiling was high enough to allow any winged occupants to freely fly around, easily letting them reach the second floor without using the stairs on the side if needed. Of course, all of this was nothing new for the Princesses, though Twilight couldn't help but stare. It was probably just the bookshelf at the other end of the room, though. "She's in one of the bedrooms," announced Celestia whom had run a quick magical scan, headed towards a specific room on the upstairs after telekinetically closing the entryway they had come from. "That's odd. She turned off the fireplace," Cadance commented as they began ascending the small number of steps. "Who is 'she', by the way? Also, doesn't she know that the fireplace is linked to a nearby magical leyline, thus theoretically could remain powered indefinitely?" Twilight asked. "I can't really see why she'd extinguish the flames." "I'm sure Miss A.K. Yearling knows and purposely did it for a reason. She has her very own, after all," Celestia innocently replied. Twilight froze in her tracks immediately after hearing 'Yearling'. "She's... she's HERE!?" the purple pony practically squealed. "Indeed she is, along with a very important guest, which is the reason for the lockdown of this area of the castle," the Sun Princess answered, oblivious to her trailing student's state. The lavender unicorn barely registered what her mentor said, lost in her own world as she promptly began mentally composing for the famous author a list of all the questions she'd soon ask, the topics ranging from everything to everything. They entered a lavishly decorated bedroom, each of them feeling a sense of anticipation for their own individual reasons. Other than the dim moonlight streaming through the window, the only light source was a magical lamp set next to the oversized bed, which was occupied by a mare wearing a simple yet elegant purple dress, large red framed glasses, and a quaint hat that nearly covered the entirety of her dark mane. Her back was turned to them as she lay curled around a tiny body, gently petting the little being absentmindedly. All was silent for a few moments, the mare on the bed seemingly unaware of the newly-arrived trio's presence until they simply couldn't hold their rising excitement. "Miss Yearling?" they suddenly asked in perfect sync— "WHAT THE BUCK!?" the surprised pegasus loudly exclaimed as she leapt high into the air, clutching a little foal in her forelegs while she rapidly took stock of the situation. "...Oh." She slowly landed back on the bed, carefully setting the sleeping little body (whom promptly flailed weakly in an attempt to grasp the nearest source of warmth) next to her as she bowed to her visitors. "*Ahem*, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Miss Twilight Sparkle," she respectfully greeted with her renewed accent. Twilight's jaw attempted to meet with the floor. 'She. Knows. MY. NAME! Ohmygosh—' And that was when she noticed with a quick glance that the foal was, in fact, a tiny changeling. While the shocked unicorn initiated a flawless imitation of a goldfish, both of the Princesses had begun approaching the bed, each of them wearing genuine smiles. "Rise, my little pony," happily began Celestia. "You do not need to bow, especially after having done us such a great service." "The pleasure was all mine," Yearling replied as she complied, "and I would do it all over again if you requested it. Even with the small... hiccup along the way..." Though she was referring to the fortress incident, the others had no idea it had even happened to begin with. "I am sorry to have burdened you with such a task, nevertheless." Celestia apologized as Cadance approached to curiously observe the sleeping nymph whose legs occasionally twitched. "It must have been difficult for you, bringing Artemis here all the way from the outskirts of Equestria while simultaneously having to take care of her. I know how much you prefer your solitude and isolation." Yearling slowly turned to look at the little one next to her, mumbling to herself. "...Difficult... right..." "What can you tell us about her?" Cadance quietly asked, not wanting to risk disturbing the nymph's rest. The innocent question got Twilight out of her metaphorical fish tank; her inquisitive nature taking over at the prospect of being able to learn something new as she galloped to stand alongside the Princesses. The pegasus laughed. "Don't worry about waking her up, she sleeps harder than a rock! Believe me, I tried everything I could on our first morning." Since they were all too busy observing the softly snoring nymph, they missed Yearling's smile slowly widening as she fondly stared at the tiny changeling. "She's... very clingy and affectionate," began the pegasus. "From the moment she hatched, she's always tried to stay somewhat as close as possible to me. Even after a little, umm... incident where we had gotten separated, she had surprisingly managed to find her way towards me, despite all odds." "She seemed to also trust me implicitly," Yearling quickly continued, fully intending to interrupt the clarification Princess Celestia was—without a doubt—about to demand about the separation. "Not once had she protested, cried or struggled whenever I picked her up or cleaned her. She just... kept smiling, hugging me at almost every opportunity, apparently content to simply have me be there. She also cleaned by herself a large number of... cuts that I had accidentally gotten during the trip." The furious scribbling—which Yearling had just noticed—paused. "Cleaned a cut? How so?" Twilight asked, holding a quill and notepad in her magic as she eagerly awaited the response. "She simply... um... licked it." ... ... "...She... licked the cut?" "Indeed." "B-but... but what about the possibility of an infection!? Didn't you need to cover or bandage the injury in any way? Did the changeling even know what it was doing and everything that could result from that!?" The pegasus rolled her eyes and merely held out a foreleg. "Do you see anything wrong with my leg?" Cadance paused in her petting of the changeling's silky mane to do a quick examination. "...Nothing immediately apparent, at least visually," she ended up saying. Yearling nodded. "I went from having various bleeding cuts to this—" she gestured at her foreleg, "—overnight." "Fascinating..." they heard Twilight mutter as she resumed her scribbling, practically burying her muzzle in her notes. The 'disguised' mare kept her gaze on the mumbling unicorn for a moment before turning to the Princesses once more. "She also appears to be highly intelligent. Artemis began walking minutes after hatching and spoke her first word merely a couple days afterwards." "Anypony can repeat words, especially foals," Twilight pointed out without diverting her gaze from her notes. "But that's the thing, though," the pegasus replied with a small frown as she looked downwards in contemplation. "She seemed to know what the word meant. Not only that, but it even applied perfectly to the situation at the time." She turned to watch the resting changeling. "And her eyes... when she looks at you, it sometimes feels like she's studying you, trying to figure you out... They've got this sort of intelligence behind them that a regular foal wouldn't have, but at the same time she seems to be just as curious about everything as any foal would be." A moment passed in silence while the assembled ponies stared at the tiny nymph as she rolled over, letting out a few quiet and content croons under Yearling's petting. Cadance suddenly perked up. "Aren't you going to tell us what her first word was?" "No," Yearling answered. Celestia raised an eyebrow while the pink alicorn slumped a little. "I'm sorry?" "No," the pegasus repeated, somewhat confused at the reaction she got based on the expressions of the three mares. She suddenly realized her error after another momentary awkward silence, rapidly waving her forelegs in a placating gesture. "No! I mean- I meant, that's what her first word was! No," she quickly clarified. "Aww!" Cadance pouted. "I was kind of hoping it would be 'Mommy' or something cute like that..." Celestia chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be able to teach her more words in no time if she's as intelligent as Miss Yearling says. However, I believe we should all take a rest for the night—" "W-what!? But, but I haven't even asked any of my questions!!" Twilight immediately exclaimed. The Diarch of the Sun kept her serene smile as she turned to face the pegasus. "You're welcome to sleep within these chambers for however long as you wish, though I'd ask that you at least stay for a few nights, seeing as you are currently the only pony with experience when it comes to taking care of a changeling nymph." The pegasus in question seemed to be deep in her thoughts. "About that..." Yearling slowly began. "I believe I'll stay for a few weeks and write my next Daring Do book during my stay here, if that's all right with you of course." "It won't be a problem at all," Celestia assured her, leaning in to nuzzle the sleeping changeling on the barrel. The nymph promptly wrapped all four of her hooves around the newfound source of warmth, clinging to the top of the alicorn's muzzle in her sleep, even as the Princess retreated her head away from the bed. Cadance giggled while Twilight looked a little worried. "I think she likes you already, Celestia" the pink alicorn said as the little one nuzzled her aunt's muzzle. The genuine smile from the Princess of the Sun couldn't have gotten any wider. Once the nymph's hold slackened somewhat, Cadance levitated the sleeping changeling off of her Aunt's face and onto her own back. "If you wouldn't mind, Miss Yearling, she'll be sleeping with me in the adjacent bedroom. Since I'll be taking care of her for a good while, I might as well get started as soon as possible, right?" "Of course I wouldn't mind! W-why would I mind?" the pegasus abruptly stuttered despite herself, though aside from a few weird looks, the others shrugged it off. "Very well, we'll leave the three of you alone for the night. Come, Twilight. We have a few things to discuss," Celestia said. "Don't worry, they'll still be here tomorrow," she mirthfully added when the unicorn pouted. Meanwhile, as they all left the bedroom she would be occupying for some time, 'A.K. Yearling' kept her eyes trained on the changeling, her gaze unfaltering until the nymph in question went out of sight. "It's for the best..." she whispered to no one in particular. ============================================== "A changeling!?" eventually exclaimed Twilight within the soundproof barrier Celestia conjured right outside the room after Cadance had went into the adjacent one. "She's going to be foalsitting a changeling!? After they tried to take over Equestria? After they ruined the wedding between Cadance herself and my brother?!?" "While the changelings may not have given the best of first impressions with their invasion of Canterlot, Artemis had absolutely no part in it," Celestia calmly replied. "In fact, she hatched a few days afterwards and is, as far as we currently know, the... last of her kind." "...L-l-last?" The Princess sorrowfully sighed. "Yes." "Then... then that magical wave at the wedding...?" Turning to look at the door the pink alicorn had gone through, Celestia eventually answered somberly. "Cadance dearly wishes she could reverse what she did on that day. She's been having nightmares about it ever since, from what Luna tells me. At this point, I'm inclined to believe that she's trying to hold on to Artemis in order to keep herself from breaking down completely." She gave the unicorn a sad smile. "I myself might be doing so as well, to a certain extent..." Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "...Is it because of Queen Chrysalis?" she carefully asked quietly. "I haven't ever seen you so sad before and you... you just suddenly vanished with her before we could even speak with you right then and there." Celestia slowly nodded. "It's... a long story, one that I'll tell you tomorrow, otherwise I doubt you'd be able to sleep tonight." The unicorn worriedly watched her teacher for a moment before she relented. "Alright, Princess. But, why did you ask me to come to Canterlot, exactly? I'm assuming it has something to do with the foal?" "She will need friends who can look past what she is," Celestia replied. "Considering she alone could potentially bring back her entire species by herself, we must make sure to be careful with her and protect her. There aren't many I can currently trust with that after the impression the changelings left on Equestria, and I fear for the trials she may have to face eventually. Can I trust you to help in this endeavor for me?" Despite her reservations and concerns on the matter, Twilight Sparkle quickly realized that Princess Celestia had essentially asked her to help revive an entire race. A monumental task considering they knew nothing about changelings, on top of the fallout from the recent terrifying invasion. The Princess' request was obviously a hidden test, never mind the fact that the alicorn had denied it earlier. Thus, a couple mere seconds were all Twilight needed before she reached her decision, gaining a determined expression. "I will do my best, Princess!" A smile graced the ruler's muzzle as she gave her student a winged hug. "I am glad to hear that." After a short conversation on what the unicorn would do in the morning, they promptly left the area to rest for the night in their own individual chambers. However, while Luna would find that she wouldn't need to intervene in Cadance's dreams for once ever since the wedding, Daring Do couldn't get herself to fall asleep. She uncomfortably tossed and turned in the luxurious fluffy bed, constantly groaning as she tried every position she could think of in order to relax and enter the realm of dreams. Yet, no matter what she attempted, she just couldn't get herself to doze off. This was ridiculous! She had slept inside freezing caves, other times in humid jungles, from simple straw beds to uncomfortable stone floors without any issues whatsoever, and now she suddenly couldn't get herself to rest on what was without a doubt the most comfortable bed she had ever laid upon? The pegasus had frustratingly grabbed a spare pillow after a good while, tightly holding it against herself with her forelegs as she buried her muzzle in it. This made her feel slightly better, more so when she subconsciously brought a wing over the extra pillow itself. The position actually helped and she did eventually manage to close her eyes and fall asleep... But it just wasn't the same.