The following day promised, if anything, to be even stranger for Morning Glory.
Traffic was light that afternoon and evening, and Glory didn't have a chance to hitch a ride: Everypony seemed to be leaving Canterlot, rather than going towards it. As the sun set, Glory made camp, ate a short meal, and went to sleep. The following morning, she would see one of the strangest sights in her lifetime.
If you'd asked Morning Glory what the ten strangest things a pony could ever see would be, a changeling pulling a cart loaded with little pink cat-rabbits would be so unlikely that she'd not even think to add it to the list.
And as changelings go, this one was... huge. Not the huge of some mountain-striding giant, but rather the huge of someone possessing great height and an incredibly powerful physique, the kind typically gained by constant hard work and exercise. It could easily have been assumed that somepony had hitched the cart to this unique specimen of the changeling species without his knowing, and he'd not even realized he was hauling its weight behind him.
However, the blue bandanna around his neck with a red heart printed upon it, combined with the little cat-rabbit perched upon his head and posed like some tiny little pirate captain on the deck of his mighty vessel, all seemed to imply that the changeling was fully aware of what was going on, and had not problem with it.
As the wagon came to a gentle stop, the changeling looked the filly up and down, then asked, "Are you on your way to Canterlot?"
Glory nodded.
"If you can stand being hugged by dozens of those little guys, feel free to climb in," the changeling stated. "I'm headed the same way."
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Changelings don't often have names, but this one was named Titan, for his tremendous size and strength. Titan was one of the few changelings who, after the abysmal failure of the Canterlot Invasion, and the queen's slow but now inevitable spiral into madness and relentless shirking of her responsibilities as leader, had decided that if there was ever a time to leave the sinking ship that the changeling swarm had become, it was now, and struck off on his own.
It was a short story, but also a heartwarming one: When the changelings had been ejected from Canterlot, they'd ended up in a place that they'd dubbed 'Lovey-Dovey Land', populated by adorable creatures who were so full of love they should have, by all rights, exploded into rainbows, glitter, and glittery rainbows. The queen saw this kingdom where changelings might be able to live, free from having to hunt constantly for love and having to hide from those who might persecute them... and promptly decided it was time to chow down. Queen Chrysalis could see nothing now but her desire for vengeance upon Twilight Sparkle, and now saw her duty to her subjects as a distant secondary concern.
A small number of the changelings, however, did not blindly obey their queen, and decided to do something very brave and very dangerous: They defied their queen, and secretly hid the majority of the cat-rabbits (Or Cabbits, if you prefer) away, where they'd be safe. The rebels' numbers were too few to be able to save all the cabbits, but they could save most of them.
After everything in Lovey-Dovey Land ended, these rebels, who had hidden during all of the events, decided to disband, and find their own way in the world, hoping to perhaps find another place like Lovey-Dovey Land, someplace where changelings could be free, and wouldn't need a queen anymore.
Titan, on the other hoof, had decided that it would be best to find someplace where the cabbits would be safe. Given that the adorable creatures were about as fearsome as they looked, and had all the survival instincts of a slightly concussed lemming, that was harder than one might assume. After weeks of searching on his own, Titan had finally received a hint where he could look for a safe harbor for his charges.
"I'd received a letter a few weeks ago," Titan explained, wrapping up the story, "from one of the other rebels. He'd informed me of how he'd attended a wedding in Ponyville, one also attended by the princesses. After it was over, he talked with Princess Celestia, and he mentioned my mission to her highness. She recommended that I bring the cabbits to Canterlot. She had a few ideas regarding where they'd be safe."
Glory watched Canterlot come into view once again as she listened: The speed with which the changeling had brought her and the cabbits up the mountain was simply astonishing. The weight of the cart, and the somewhat steep incline would have slowed down most ponies, but for Titan, it seemed as if he barely noticed to climb, or the weight of the cart. He wasn't even sweating, if changelings could sweat...
As it had been, the filly had feared she'd be late. Now, though, it was looking like she was going to be on time, or maybe a little early.
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Flash Sentry watched the cart zip on, going so quickly that the pegasus had to rush to keep up. He'd been a bit worried when Glory had climbed into the cart, even if the cart had been filled with perfectly innocent and harmless creatures: While there had been reports of changelings outside the swarm behaving in a civil fashion, this was a much bigger changeling than he'd ever seen before, and if it came to a fight, the pegasus was uncertain if he'd be able to do much more than amuse the titanic creature. However, as Canterlot came fully into view, it seemed things would be fine: If the changeling had intended any harm, he'd have done it well before entering a heavily populated city.
Still, it was about time to step in himself: Glory needed to get to the palace, and there was a whole city between her and her goal, and bad things can happen to a filly in a city if unattended. That cart would be able to move quickly here, on the open road, but city traffic at around this time of day could be ugly, and would probably bring the cart to a stop. The temptation to leave the cart and continue on hoof could be too great for a filly in a hurry. However, the skies were clear, and a pegasus could get a little filly there in minutes...
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There was a thump, and suddenly Glory found herself face to face with a pegasus, perched upon the edge of the cart. A very familiar pegasus. Blushing bashfully, the young filly said, "Hi, Mister Sentry."
The pegasus grinned, and said, "Hi, Glory. Funny, seeing you out here, all the way away from Cloudsdale."
Glory could only blush a brighter red. She couldn't help it: While he visited the orphanage rarely, the pegasus in front of the young filly had always been kind to her, so it was only natural that she'd have a teeny-tiny little crush on him...
So if he decided that it was time to go back home, there was no way Glory would refuse him...
"Aunt Butterbean told me you'd decided to go on a little adventure," Flash Sentry said, that smile still on his face. "She wanted me to make sure you got where you were going, and on time." Looking over his shoulder towards Canterlot, then back, he added, "Traffic is always a bit rough in the city, so I thought I'd fly you the rest of the way there... if you don't mind?"
Glory could only nod. Looking over at Titan, she said, "Thank you for the ride up the mountain, Mister Titan."
The changeling gave a surprisingly pleasant smile for someone so big and with a face that would normally give young colts and fillies a lifetime of nightmares, and said, "No problem. Good luck to you, Miss Glory."
"And to you, Mister Titan."