What Would Really Happen

by Z-A-C

Day Twenty Six: Growing Suspicions

~Day Twenty Six: Growing Suspicions~

---

Time skip ahead to the fourth of November. Why? Because the rest of October was pretty boring. I didn't partake in "Nightmare Night", not that anyone would have wanted me there. Save for Twilight and her friends, but still. So it was just me, Chrysalis, Aura and Luna at the library. Celestia asked Luna to stay in Ponyville, which she accepted. The only condition, if you want to call it that, is she has to be here in secret. Which is fine with all of us. Especially Twilight. There was an awkward moment between me and Luna though.

I was taking a shower and I had my iPod playing some Seether, so I didn't hear the door open. I was singing too...

"This is a most interesting song!"

"GAH! What the ffff... The hell?! Luna! Why are you in here?!" I am so glad there are shower curtains.

"I am merely trying to get to know you."

"While I'm in the shower?!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know privacy meant so much to you."

"Well then you learned something."

I heard her step closer to the shower. "Please accept my apologies."

"I do, I do, just... Please get out." I said in an exasperated voice.

"But I wish to know more about the song."

"Oh my god, we can talk about it when I'm done! Just leave!" The last thing I heard was the door closing.

Yeah, I might have been a little harsh on her. But it was a little embarrassing, and annoying. I apologized after I was done though. It's kind of funny to me in an ironic way. She's powerful enough to move the moon and paint the night sky with stars, but she acted almost like a kid when I apologized to her. She promised me that it would not happen again. I watched her raise the moon that night. It was pretty cool.

I'm not saying that I didn't make things awkward. A couple nights before the shower "incident", I asked her about Nightmare Moon. She looked away from me, said she didn't want to talk about it, and walked away. Leaving me to feel like the biggest idiot in Equestria. We kind of avoided each other after that. I think the shower thing was her way of trying to make up for just walking off. And before you ask why I didn't lock the door, there was no lock.

Now, however, it was one o'clock in the afternoon. Luna was asleep and Twilight just served lunch. Which reminded me of something. " Hey do you guys have Thanksgiving?"

She shook her head. "No, what's that?"

"It's a holiday where I'm from." I sighed. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Is it a major holiday?"

I shook my head. "Not really. At least to me. It's a false holiday really. So," I shrugged. "Whatever."

"Why did you sigh then?"

"Because it makes me feel a little more distant from my world. I can deal with the main populous being ponies because I pretty much see you as people now."

She raised an eyebrow. "You see us as other Humans?"

I nodded. "Call it a survival instinct or a coping mechanism, maybe loss of sanity. That could definitely be a factor. Oh, and of course the whole racism last month helped." I flashed a fake smile. It still hasn't been solve but it probably never will. Me barely leaving the house might not help with that. I've heard from Twilight there's a few rumors floating around. But I don't care, they can say what they want. It matters not too me.

"Yeah..." She scratched the back of her head. "We're really trying to-"

"I know you and Equality are trying your best, but I don't want you to try to force them to change their views."

She chuckled. "Oh, we're not forcing anything on anypony. We join for meetings and try to spread our views. Whether or not the ponies change their own is entirely up to them."

"Good." I looked around. "Wait, hold on."

"What?"

"Where's Aura?"

Twilight thought for a moment. "I think she's in the basement with Chrysalis."

"I see."

Speaking of Aura, she is fully transformed. And I have to say is, for a giant pony-bug, she looks amazing. She's also growing. I'm not sure how tall she's going to get, but that doesn't matter. Celestia gave Chrysalis an official royal pardon. From what I've heard, not a lot of ponies are happy about it. But it did largely sway the opinion on the racism issue. The group, Equality, isn't really even needed anymore. It's unfortunate really. A lot of effort went into founding the group. They've been trying to get me to join for awhile. I've been rejecting them repeatedly.

I absentmindedly stroked my new beard in thought. "Equality's not really needed anymore, right?"

"Well... pretty much." she said in a sad tone.

"Then why not repurpose it?" I asked still stroking my beard.

She tilted her head in thought. "I haven't thought of that. That's a good idea!" She smiled. "But to what?"

"That I haven't figured out yet. You could bring it up at the next meeting."

"Or you could."

I thought about it, but didn't come up with an actual decision. "I'll think about it. No promises."

She nodded. "At least you didn't just say no this time." We both chuckled at that and started to actually eat.

---

I was sitting on the couch alone. Aura was down downstairs, with the Queen. Twilight was at another one of those damn meetings. And Spike was taking a nap. At three in the afternoon. I don't get it, but I guess he is a baby dragon. So, I was just sitting there, with nothing to do.... But think and reflect. The violence that took place both towards me and from me, thinking back on it, felt off. I suppose I felt threatened, but I jumped the gun on the one occasion. I mean they're fine, but I could have just went with them instead of freaking out on them. They said we're cool, but I don't believe them.

Then there's what Chrysalis said about the fate of her subjects. I'm starting to doubt her. I should really ask her what cities she went to. I've been analyzing what she said for awhile. It doesn't really add up. Yes, I know most of the suspects admitted to it but, according to Twilight, the hatred hasn't always been there. And really thinking about it, that mob wasn't an angry mob. They were just curious. Well, at first anyway. Something's up, I'll.... I just had an idea. Where's the meeting again? Oh, right. Town Hall, pretty obvious, huh? Like I said, I am aligned to both sides. And I'm started to feel lied too.

I stood up and walked over to the entryway to the basement. "Hey guys, I'm going to brave the outside world. I'll be back soon!" There was no answer. But they're down there, I know it. "Um...well. See ya! I guess." That's a bit weird. I turned around and walked over to the door. I looked through the window, to see if there was any ponies outside.

Of course there are going to be ponies outside, you idiot! Just go!

He has a point. I opened the door and stepped outside. A few ponies stopped and looked at me. I stopped and looked at them. They awkwardly smiled, so did I. They awkwardly waved, and I did too. I scratched the back of my head, they looked at each other. "Okay then." I said before fast walking away. Oh man, that was awkward. I shook my head and continued on.

Through the town I was being stared at and turned away from. Not all of the ponies, mind you, but most of them. It's like they're shunning me. It's like the stories Luna was telling Aura and I about when she first came back. I have a feeling she felt a lot like I do right now. Maybe there's more to why she want's to get to know me. We have something more in common. Great... Not all of the ponies were mean though. That grey cross-eyed Pegasus mare was pretty nice. Her name was Ditzy. Interesting name, really.

If I'm right, I should be close to the Town Hall by now. I just passed Rarity's shop, so Sugar-Cube Corner should be just ahead. And then another block or so is the Town Hall.... I think. I hope I'm right. It's nice to go on a walk regardless if I find the destination. I was going crazy staying in the library all the time. Well, crazier I should say. The children have been increasingly curious about me. But their parents haven't let them approach me. Which is fine, I'm not really good with kids.

I arrive at the Town Hall. I walked in and asked where the meeting was being held. The secretary escorted me to the room and knocked on the door. Twilight opened the door. "Oh, hello Zane! What are you doing here?"

"I had a thought, but first, scan the room for changelings." I whispered. " Don't ask why, just do it." She nodded, and her horn lit up.

"We're clear."

"You sure?" She nodded again. "Okay." I thanked the secretary and walked into the room. "Do a sound proofing spell too."

She gave me a funny look. "Why?"

"I'll tell in a little bit." Her horn lit up again.

"Okay, start talking. We're listening."

I looked around the room, and my eye widened slightly. "Wow, okay there's a lot of you." I shook my head, to rid myself of the building anxiety. "But anyway this is important. I've thought a bit about what Chrysalis told us. I believe she might have been lying."

"Why would she be lying?" Twilight asked.

"Not a clue. But depending on what cities she went to, her story would make sense. So, I want some of you to look into that possibility."

"Why can't you just ask her?" Asked another pony.

"I will. I'll ask her what cities she traced her subjects to. But I want some of you guys to look into how truthful she's been. Now, I believe her as far as the fate of her race, but according to Miss Sparkle here, violence doesn't really exist here."

"It does in Manehattan." A pony from the front said.

"And Fillydelphia." I heard another pony in the front say.

"Don't forget about Detrot." A pony called out from the back

"Yeah see?" I said. "I need you guys to research the violent tendencies on ponykind. I'll ask Chrysalis what I need to ask her."

"So," Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You want us to repurpose the group into a investigative group?"

I shook my head. "Not all of you. Only a small few. How many are in the group?"

Twilight looked at her clipboard and turned a couple pages. "Sixteen."

"Okay, how about we have six investigators? That would leave ten to continue on with the founding cause."

"We would have to take their occupation into account." Said a familiar voice. I looked at the pony that spoke up. It was Co-Founder Spooky Venture. I say co-founder because I have been led to believe that Twilight got the ball rolling.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." I said stroking my beard. "Can I see the roster?" Twilight levitated the clipboard over to me. My eyes widened. "Uh Twilight? I meant how many ponies total were in the group, not how many showed up...." There were over fifty ponies on the roster! I noticed Ditzy's name on there. Doesn't surprise me. "Hey, who's Zecora?"

"She's the zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest."

"Oh, I like zebras." That got some odd glances. "Anyway, this might take awhile."

---

~An Hour And a Half Later~

---

"Aaannnd, done." Sheesh, I didn't expect it to take this long. But I guess with fifty two members, I should have. Spooky Venture, Twilight and I decided to give twelve members the investigator jobs. That leaves forty normal members. To be honest, we probably don't need twelve investigators, but oh well. It'll get done quicker that way. "When should we put this into effect?"

"Next meeting should be fine." Spooky said. "Does that work for everypony?" The ponies that were there nodded. "Splendid."

"Well," I stood up from the chair I was sitting on. "I'll let you get on with the meeting."

"Okay," Twilight smiled. "I think it's nice that you're getting active in the group."

"Don't get used to it." I smiled. "But you may see me again."

"Why don't you stay for the rest of the meeting?"

I thought a bit about it, and shrugged. "I guess I could. There's really nothing else going on."

"Alright." He smiled. "Have a seat anywhere and we will continue." I looked around for an empty seat, and found one toward the back. "Okay, where were we?"

"The possibility of continuing the research of Changelings?"

"Ah yes. I have the suspicion that most of what we know about them is wrong. What has been confirmed is that they do feed on love, but don't drain the victim completely like we originally thought." A pony raised a hoof. "Yes, Octavia?"

"How has this information been confirmed?"

"Excellent question! Miss Sparkle here has been studying the interactions between our human friend and the changeling, Aura." I glanced over at Twilight, who sheepishly smiled. "She used a spell that made her see the connection and transfer of the emotion." This gained murmurs from the ponies. "It turns out that the amount of the emotion that is taken is so little, that it would take ten years of continuous feeding to completely drain the victim." Another pony raised a hoof. "Yes?"

"What about their capacity for empathy?"

"You mean outside of feeding?" The pony nodded. "Miss Sparkle?"

"Thank you Spooky." She turned her attention to the class. "Their capacity for empathy is bigger that we initially thought. Through my observations, I have seen a great amount of caring from Aura."

"Caring for who?" Twilight glanced over to me a few times and smiled. "Oh..."

"It seems Changeling are capable of feeling the same emotions as we can." There were a few surprised murmurs. I wanted to get irritated, but I couldn't. I don't think they should so surprised by this fact but, what can you do?

"What about personality traits?"

"A very good question! Aura shows a variety of traits. She's kind, considerate, and shy, among other traits. Unfortunately, any other information we have is unconfirmed as true." Some of the ponies finished writing notes and Twilight nodded to Spooky, who nodded back.

"What else should we discuss?" He asked the others. A few ponies looked at each other. I saw a pony look back at me.

"What about Zane?" I perked up at mention of my name.

"What about him?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Uh...never mind..."

"Oh no, go ahead. Don't let me stop you." I stood up. "I'll even leave. So talk about me all you want." I walked up to the front of the room and looked at Twilight. "I'll see you back at the library."

She looked at me with concern. "Is everything okay?" She whispered.

"Yeah." I whispered back. "I'm just messing with everyone. Make sure they know that, okay?" She smiled and nodded. I waved and left the room with a smiled on my face. I walked into the lobby and sat down on one of the chairs. I don't want to be apart of the group if that's all they talk about.

It seems logical to me. The more information they have, the better.

No, I get that. But... something feels off. I don't know why though. Maybe it's nothing. Hopefully it's nothing.

You get bad feeling like this a lot. Don't be a baby.

Thank you for your meaningful words of encouragement.

"Hello there." I heard a female pony said from in front of me say.

Startled out of my thoughts, I quickly looked up. "Goddammit!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." I was a Pegasus pony.

"I know I know. What do you want?"

"I want you to come with me."

Oh boy. "What I do?"

She chuckled. "You didn't do anything."

"Well, that's good to know." I noticed a green glint in the pony's eyes. "Uh-huh. I'll see you back at the library."

"Excuse me?" The pony nodded to a group of ponies looking at us.

I tried to think of something. "Uh... Dinner plans remember. That was tonight."

The changeling raised an eyebrow, but caught on. "Oh right, I had forgotten. I'll see you then." She speaks kind of strange.

"Okay see you then... I'm sorry I seemed to have forgotten your name."

The pony frowned. "I'm... Umm..."

I shook my head. "Nice try, but you did hold up to standards."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'. Come with me."

"But I'm Au-"

"No you're not. Aura never uses her powers to change into a pony. Follow me." The changeling sighed and followed me. I made sure she was in front of me the whole time. We stopped at the door to the meeting room. "In here." She grumbled and opened the door.

"...is pretty clever but has a bad temper-" I cut her off by clearing my throat. "Oh...I didn't expect you to come back..."

"What about bad tempers??" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, look who I found!"

"Who is this?"

"A changeling." The pony's eyes darted back and forth. "I'll show you." I knelt down and felt around her head.

"I thought you were our ally!" She hissed.

"I am." I felt her horn and flicked it. "And so are they."

The brief shock of pain caused her disguise to vanish. It was kind of cool lookin' to be honest. Once she was back in her normal state, she started to cower toward the desk. She looked like Aura did before she transformed. Twilight slowly walked over to her. "Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle. Who are you?" The changeling didn't say anything. "We won't hurt you." She tried reassuring her. "This is Equality. We're on your side. You can tell us who you are."

There was a code phrase the Aura and Chrysalis told me to identify any changelings. But I don't really remember it. "Uh hold on guys. Give her space." What was it? Oh man, come on. "Stay calm, we're all friends here." Ah, there it is. "And I'll prove it: Who do we thank for this glorious silk?"

The changeling perked up and looked at me. "All hail Queen Chrysalis..." The changeling looked me up and down. "But only Hive members know that phrase."

"I guess I'm an exception. So, what's your name?"

"Wisp."

"Hello Wisp, pleasure to meet you. Now, do you want to stay here with Twilight? She'll bring you up to speed on everything."

"I want to see my Queen."

"Understandable, but I really think you should stay here." Wisp changed back into pony form. I shrugged. "Whatever, it's your decision."

---

I escorted Wisp back to the library. She asked where her Queen was, and I pointed her to the basement. That's when she disappeared. So I assumed they were welcoming her. I had a strange feeling though, but I shrugged it off for the most part. Actually, I think I'll say hi.

I walked down the stairs and knocked on the door. Everything on the other side went quiet. I heard someone trot up to the door and then they opened it.

"Hey, Aura. Haven't seen you all day. What's going on down here?"

"Uh hold on." She said and closed the door. I stared at said door with a raised eyebrow.

What do you suppose that was about?

They're up to something...

Hmm... The door knob glowed with a familiar green, and opened. "I...can come in now right?" All of a sudden my hand glowed green and I was pulled passed the door. Which slammed behind me. "I guess that's a yes..." I stared down towards where the science-y stuff is. Aura was staring up at me.

"Sorry about that. Mother is talking with that changeling you brought home."

"And that's a private matter?"

"Well, the subject is."

I nodded. "I see. So, what's up?"

"Keeping watch."

"Was that you that pulled me in here then?"

"No, that was mom." What's with the short answers?

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, what's going on? And don't say nothing." She looked around innocently. "Aura."

"I don't what you're talking about."

"Really?" I said with a raised eyebrow. "So if I walk over there," I pointed to where there was chittering. "There's not going to be any problems?" She dashed in front of me. "I thought so. What is going on." I said in a harsh tone.

"I-I can't though!"

"And why not?" I said in a slightly annoyed. Her eyes darted back and forth, and she smiled sheepishly. "Ugh, fine..." I sat down on the floor. "So nothing new? Like with you, not this," I waved my hands around. "You know."

She tapped her chin in thought, and then blushed. "N-nothing new. No..."

"Why are you-?" I sighed. "Oh... She finally told you, huh?" She just nodded. "That's great.... Well, on that note." I stood up and walked back toward the stairs. I told me to wait, but I just shook my head and kept walking. I stopped when I reached the top. "Tell Chrysalis I want to ask her a couple questions when you have the chance." And then I kept going. There was a high risk of awkward there. Wouldn't you say?

I saw Fluttershy walk in when I reached the main room. She saw me and weakly smiled. I waved and went into the kitchen. "Oh, no. You don't have to get me anything. Thank you though." I wasn't, but okay then. She peeked into the kitchen. "I'm just looking for Twilight. Do you um...know where she is?"

I nodded while rummaging through the cabinets. "She's at a meeting with Equality. I think she'll be another hour or so."

"Oh."

"Yeah." There was a few moments of silence with Fluttershy standing in the doorway, before I thought to ask. "What did you need her for?"

"Oh, I need help hanging some new bird houses. But, if she's busy, it can wait."

"I've got nothing goin' on, I can help."

"I wouldn't want to be a bother. I'll just go..."

"Really?" I couldn't find anything, so I stopped going through the cabinets and looked at her. "I mean it's no trouble."

"But what about Aura?"

"She's... Sleeping."

"And Spike?"

That got me thinking. "Ya know, I haven't seen him since this morning." I tried to think of where he'd be. Maybe taking a nap? No, I think I already checked... "Could be running errands for Twilight." I shrugged.

She held her chin in thought, then smiled. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

I nodded. "Yeah, he's a big boy." I stretched and yawned. "Are you sure you don't want any help?"

"Oh, it can wait. Sorry to bother you."

"No trouble at all, Fluttershy. Let me walk you to the door."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem." I walked her over to the door, and waved goodbye when she was leaving. I closed the door and went over to the couch. Aura's been playing with my iPod again. "Let's see what she was listening to this time." I unlocked it, and saw she last listened to Mudvayne's Death Blooms. "I'll have to ask her if she liked it or not." All of a sudden I heard running water of a shower. I checked my watch, and it said it's four thirty. "I guess it is about that time, huh?" I checked the room where Luna was staying, and the bed was empty. "Guess it is her after all."

I walked over to the bathroom door, and knocked. "Good afternoon, Your Highness!"

"Thank you, Zane!" I heard from over the water. I was going to walk back to the couch until I heard her say something. "Would you like to come in?" And the door opened slightly.

I blushed a little bit. "N-no that's fine. Thank you!"

"Oh right, the privacy issue. Sorry I asked."

"You're fine, Luna. I'll be in the main room if you need anything." She responded by humming Walk Away From The Sun by Seether. Which is the song I was playing when she walked in on me. Thinking about it, it kinda makes sense that she would be curious about it. Seems fitting though, huh? I went into the main room, grabbed the iPod, and went back. I noticed the door was still slightly opened, but knocked still.

"Yes, Human?"

"Wha- Never mind. I brought the 'Music Maker'. And I know just the song to play."

"Oh excellent!" She said excitedly. "Please come in."

I opened the door, and selected the song she was humming. "Bring it out when you're finished please."

"Certainly. I love this song!" I chuckled and closed the door. Then there, starring me in the face, was..... "Spike! Where were ya buddy?"

"Napping." He said, then raised an eyebrow "Getting fresh with the princess, huh?" He said and smiled.

I gave him a deadpan expression and shook my head. "Shut up, Spike..."

---

~Three Hours Later~

---

Awhile little ago, I call everyone into the main room for "family time". And by that I mean I asked everyone who doesn't spend time in the main room to join the rest of us. So, that pretty much mean Chrysalis, Aura, and now, Wisp. Now that everyone was up here, it was a little crowded. Poor Wisp, he look very nervous. Yes I said "he". Apparently, I was very wrong in my gender recognition. Which made him angry at me, and I am too embarrassed to talk to him. I told Luna and Chrys to play nice, and Twilight, Spike, and Aura were talking. Which was pretty normal, except Wisp was by her side. Again, poor guy. I, however, was just looking over everything from upstairs. And it was nice. I like a relative sense of peace, ya know? No conflicts, no arguments, nothing.

I looked at my watch and it said the time was about eight O'clock. I looked outside and the sun was still up. There was to much chatter for me to be heard, so I walked downstairs and showed Luna the time. She nodded and walked upstairs, and I followed. She must have noticed, because she left the balcony door opened for me. This is the third time I'll be watching her. She sat on her haunches. and I sat down next to her. Her eye closed and her horn glowed. Before my eyes the sun started to go down, and the moon started to rise. The only reason it was so amazing to me, was because two being were making it happen. Not the universe.

I heard a sigh from the moon goddess. "Something the matter Your Highness?" I asked.

I gently shook her head and smiled "Twas a contented sigh, Human."

"I see. That's a good thing."

She nodded and opened her eyes, looking at the stars. "May I ask you a question?"

I shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Why do you insist on watching me raise the moon?"

"I just find it fascinating. On my world it happens on its own. Here though you do it." I saw her look at me in my peripheral. "And the moon looks different. Beautiful, even more so than on earth. Same with the stars as well. But if it's an issue, then I can stop."

She looked away. "It doesn't bother me. Don't wory. And is that statement sincere?" I nodded. "Hmm... It has be a long time since I heard somepony say that. It seems that everypony prefers my sister's day."

I shook my head. "The sun is too bright. I usually need sun glasses to see in the day time. I don't have that problem at night. Plus, the sky is more pleasant to look at." She didn't say anything else, so I added. "I'm sure there are more like me." I looked at her and she was smiling.

"Thank you. It is nice to be appreciated."

"Not a problem at all Luna." I stood up and stretched. "I know the feeling." She looked at me again. "I was wondering something as well."

"What would that be?"

"You seem more laid back than your sister."

She tapped her chin in thought. "Yes, it would seem so, wouldn't it?" Her brows furrowed. "I don't know why that is."

"Well, it makes you more approachable at least." I said.

"Maybe to you. The ponies still seem to view me as Nightmare Moon." She looked annoyed, but I'm not sure that's the right word.

"I'm sure they all don't." I tried to assure her.

"That may be true. But they don't show me the admiration that they show my sister. The faces they show when they see me is akin to fear." She looked at the floor.

"I don't think they are scared of you, so much that they are intimidated by you." I said, though it did little to reassure her.

"How do I change that?"

"That I don't know. But it will get better, it always does." I thought for a bit. "Maybe Twilight will know. I'm sure she would be glad to help."

She nodded and stood up. "Perhaps we should get back inside."

"Okay. Works for me."

---

"Well, that was nice." Twilight said. Almost everyone is in their separate corners of the library. The little get together ended a few minutes, and now its just Twilight, Luna, and I in the main room.

"Yeah. It was really and effort to get the Changelings out of the basement..."

"It worked."

"For a little bit, sure. But they went back down one by one. Chrysalis, Wisp, and then Aura." What are they up to down there?

"At least Aura stayed longer." Luna said, trying to reassure me.

"I guess. Oh well, I'm not going to try again if this is the result. I mean I know they're family... Maybe I'm being selfish. I'll just leave them be for now." I sighed, but then had a thought. "Ya know what it could be? Chrysalis could be teaching Aura the ways of Changeling Royalty."

"That would make sense." Twilight nodded.

"And if that is the case, you should not disturb them any longer."

"Yeah you're probably right." I looked at my watch. "Well, it's almost nine. So, what's the plan now?"

Twilight yawned. "I think I'm going to go to bed. if that's okay with you two."

"That is fine Twilight Sparkle. Do not deprive yourself of sleep for our sake." Luna said, nodding.

"Yeah, it's fine. Good night, Twilight." I nodded.

"Yes. Sweet dreams." Luna said once more.

"Good night, Princess, and Zane." Twilight said, walking upstairs to her room.

"Well, what now?" I asked.

Luna looked at me. "I need to go back to Canterlot to report to my sister. You could join me, if you aren't tired."

"Sounds good to me." I shrugged. "How would we be getting there?"

"I called for a chariot to land on the outskirts of town. It will take us to Canterlot."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I thought Canterlot was on the side of a mountain?"

"It is. We will be taking a sky chariot."

"A sky chariot? What?"

"It's a chariot that is pulled by pegasi."

My face fell. "So we're...flying then?"

She nodded. "Yes, is that a problem?"

"Well... Kind of. I'm afraid of heights."

"It is a quick trip. It won't last but twenty minutes."

"Okay. When does it land?"

"A few minutes from now. We should meet them there. I shall lead the way."

"Yes, your Highness." She just shook her head. She has told me many times that I don't need to call her that. I do it just to mess with her. She opened the door with her magic and we walked out. I heard the lock click behind me. She must be expecting to be gone awhile. We began walking in silence. A few minutes out and I had a thought. "You're supposed to be here in secret, right?"

"That is correct." She said with a nod.

"Then why are we walking?"

"Because it's night. All of the ponies here are in their homes asleep."

"There are ponies that stay awake at night. You know that, right?"

"If that is true, then the number is small. Most of Equestria sleeps at night. It has always been like that. And I do not foresee that changing."

"Sore subject?"

"....Yes..."

"Noted." A few more moments of silence. "What if we come across a pony that's awake?"

"And walking the streets?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah." I said simply.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? really?"

"If it does happen, then I will simply greet them."

I chuckled. She's so sure that it's not going to happen. "Okay then."

The rest of the walk was silent, save for the normal night-time noises. There were no encounters with the few late-nighter ponies I've seen around, and we are currently waiting at the pick up site. And Luna was looking around. "Hmm...they are late."

"I take it that doesn't happen often?"

"It doesn't happen period. I wonder what's keeping them?"

I looked around. "When they get here, do a scan for changelings." I whispered.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you aligned yourself with them?" She whispered back.

"I am neutral." She gave me the "really?" look. "Well, actually, fine. I'm an ally to you and them. But I am starting to have doubts about their plight." She nodded. "I was going to ask Chrysalis some questions earlier, but she went down into that damn basement." I said with an annoyed tone. "I never got the chance."

"I see."

"Yep. Maybe I'm just being paranoid." I shrugged. "But still, better safe than sorry."

She looked at the sky, scanning it for our escorts. "Do you have any doubts Aura?"

I didn't even have to think about it. "No. I don't think she would try to deceive anyone. Me of all people."

"So why do you doubt what Chrysalis said?"

"Like I said: Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I still think you should scan the pegasi."

"You really think I would be stupid enough to trifle with the Lunar Guard?" I heard from behind me and froze. "Honestly, Human, what do you take me for? Oh, right, a liar and a deceiver! I thought you were our ally! I thought we had a friend, but I guess I was wrong..."

I turned around and she looked angry. "Chrysalis, I-"

"No. Don't speak. You've said enough." I looked at the ground.

"How long have you been listening to us?" Luna asked.

"Ever since you left the library. I thought I would learn about how you interact with each other. But instead I learn of the distrust the Human has towards me and my subjects!?" She stomped a hoof on the ground. "I cannot believe this!"

"The only reason he has those feelings is because of how often you and your subjects are in the basement. Can you not see how that could raise suspicion?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it. The angry expression slowly went away, and she nodded. "Yes. I can see how that would." She said in a saddened voice. "But, that does not excuse him. Zane." I looked up at her. "While I thank you for bringing Wisp to us, I revoke your right to marry Aura."

What? "I understand."

"You are still an honorary Hive member, but you have to make it up to us somehow."

"Yes, Queen. Just let me know."

"Within reason, please." Luna added. "Nothing.... Bad."

"I will inform you when I think of something." Chrysalis said seemingly ignoring Luna. "Now, go play in Canterlot. And tell Celestia I said hello." And she left.

Luna sighed. "I was wondering when she would show herself."

"You knew she was following us?!"

"Yes, didn't you?"

"No! My hearing isn't as good as you ponies!" Now I was looking for that sky chariot. I can't believe this...

Author's Note:

There is one more "time skip" chapter. Let me know if there are any errors, or if you think the pacing is off and I'll try to fix it.