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Still here

Special thanks and dedicated to: Frazone, Giz, zaku666 and Diamond dust.
Co created by Giz.
Thank you guys.

Monarch's diary. October 12th, 1985.

Dear diary, today was a very fun day.

Remember that creature that mommy called 'human'? And how after that it spoke and said that his name was James?

Well, now Jimmy has become my friend too! It's like having a big brother. Don't misunderstand me, I love my brothers and sisters around the hive but he's way closer. He's like, I don't know, but he cares about me like mommy. In fact, he's like a second mommy to me, how do they call it?

A daddy!

Well, some days ago I asked mommy if Jimmy could be my daddy, but she said that I didn't need one. I asked her about my daddy, the real one, and she only said that he should never be mentioned again. She didn't speak to me the rest of the day, until nighttime when she visited me in my room. I was sad because I thought I did something wrong, but she said it wasn't my fault, but that my daddy father wasn't good for us. I've never asked again since.

See ya.

October 13th, 1985.

This day was really weird, starting with this morning.

It was very early in the morning, like, before the roof crystal started to glow. I had that nightmare about running in a hallway and ponies chasing me. As always when I have that one I went to mommy's room but she wasn't there. I thought she could be in her study, like most of the time when she's not sleeping, so I went there but she wasn't.

I started to worry, mommy's usually a sleep by that early in the morning. It's only when something bad is happening that she's awake before. So I searched around the home to look for her when I saw it through the window.

It was beautiful. A light even brighter than the roof crystal, and shining with a great emerald light. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. When I followed its glow, outside the castle, I heard mommy and Jimmy arguing.

Not really the first time. They would usually argue because of Jimmy wanted to leave, but mommy says we would die if he does so. I don't want my brothers and sisters to die, I like them. I don't wanna die either, I got a lot of things to do. Someday, I will be a detective and solve mysteries.

When the glow stopped, I looked back and saw how mommy began to cry. I couldn't catch what were they saying but she told Jimmy he would be king. I didn't understand that but it seemed like mommy wanted to marry Jimmy, because that would be the only way for him to become a king. Then he just looked away and mommy was whispering something very very low, but he just ignored her and went to the big door that goes to the surface. I still don't know what was happening.

I was so worried. When they argue I usually hide in my room till it's over but now it seemed far worse. I just went there and asked mommy what was all of it. She asked me back what I was doing awake so early, at first I thought she was mad at me but she only hugged me. I asked if Jimmy was leaving, but he said that he was only going for a short walk. He offered me to come with him and mommy let us go. Tomorrow I'll tell you how it went.

October 14th, 1985.

Mommy doesn't know, but away from the main exit, in the morning sun's direction, there's an oasis. I found it this time when she was too busy in her study with government stuff or something, and since then I go there when nobody is watching me. It's a secret spot and it's mine. Princess Monarch's Kingdom.

Jimmy never went outside since the scouts found him near the cave's entrance. At first I thought he was like a desert bug, and couldn't survive being under the sun. But when we finally reached the exit, he seemed very very very veeery happy. I think he went a little crazy when he also found Monarch's Kingdom, because he almost felt face first trying to get inside Monarch's not-so-big lake.

At first I only watched, I don't like taking baths and water makes my wings heavy. Not that I figured out how to fly yet (soon diary, soon) but still. I also can't swim, although Jimmy offered to teach me how to float. I have to admit that at first I was scared, every time I tried to float I sank. But it wasn't that bad either since Jimmy was by my side and never let me go down the surface. Then, there was this moment when Jimmy told me he wasn't holding me anymore and I realized I was floating. Then I sank again.

Before that, I felt like I couldn't fall, it was amazing. I wonder if flying will feel like that.

***

A young Changeling Queen closed the small tome. Fifteen years have passed since that time.

The old Queen was enjoying her retirement in the lowest chambers of the hive. The tradition stated that, when a young princess was ready to become a queen, the previous one was free to do one of two things. The first one was the long walk, to taste real freedom outside the hive and away from the swarm. The second was to rest in life, away from the society's problems to stay in peace and served in every possible way by a personal escort of maids and butlers to repay her for protecting and guiding the swarm during her younger days. The tired ruler decided she has walked enough for her lifetime and only wanted to rest. Still she decided to break the tradition and visit the rest of the hive to stay at contact with her kind, not bounded to them, but willingly part of their lives.

It's been a while since her father departed too. Being locked inside the Hive Castle for years had made him more and more thirsty of freedom. Since that day, when he could finally let them by they own without risking their lives, he took what he needed and parted his own path to walk the earth. Every once in a while, he would visit but only with years in between. The changelings still would receive a letter or a package from him at least once every month. That and the stories of an odd creature traveling from town to town with only curiosity driving him.

The Hive changed too. It wasn't hidden under the endless sands of the Badlands anymore. The time of fear has ended and now they weren't outcasts anymore. In her foalhood, the Queen remembered how they were always apart from the world. Visiting it from time to time and only for an emergency. Now they were part of the world too. A spectacular vision of carved stone and obsidian dominated the desert. Not an inscrutable fortress, but a whole citadel that server now as shelter for its inhabitants and travelers as well.

"Your Majesty." A call from closed door of her mother's study pulled her back to reality. She never though she would end herself sitting at the same desk, reading and ordering those same papers that seemed so boring (and they actually were even more boring) as her mother did. Although she always loved her mother, and she knew that her mother loved her back, they never managed to really coincide since she grew up. And she never expected to become the same as her mother. A Queen.

"In a moment." She put her old diary back in the highest shelve of the room, next to the storybook her father wrote for her, and went to open the door. A changeling wearing a navy blue light armor was waiting for her. "Walk with me and tell me."

"At your command." He replied as holding a quill and a parchment in his magic while both went down the hallway to the throne's room. "First is the Saddle Arabia situation, Prince Faith n' Glory himself wants to negotiate the desert's trade routes with you."

"*sigh* Already told to his dumb Vizier that there's no way I'm going to give personal escort to their merchants." A black hoof reached for her temple in annoyance. "The Citadel is a shelter for travelers, we're not mercenaries."

"So, before or after lunch?"

"After, definitely after." She said. "If he is like that bad comedian of Vizier, I will need all the wine I can drink before dealing with it." He scribbled the hour in the parchment.

"Then, we have the Roani." He continued. "They are willing to pay for your hospitality as they do every year."

"The problem then?" She already knew that Roani were coming these days. Only a problem would be worth of addressing her.

"Not a real problem. Just a formal invitation to the party. Music and celebration to honor your good disposal."

"Tonight, I suppose." He nodded. "Tell them I'll be there by nine. If I'm not back in two hours send a praetorian to call an emergency that requires me." Although she used to love the music and general happiness in a Roani celebration, she knew that more than two hours would likely end with her awakening with a migraine that only being around such an amount of hope and good feelings could cause a changeling to get drunk in way too many good emotions.

"Most of the day is the usual routine. Attend the court, read the Parliament's last debate, read and approve a couple of urban projects." His voice monotone as they turned around a corner. "Oh, and King Armor is coming to visit this week." She stopped dead in her tracks, just as he expected.

"Again?" There was one thing she never managed to handle as Queen; a visit from the Crystal Empire's rulers. The very pony that crippled her mother (in self-defense, but still), her biological father. As usually, she asked her personal praetorian about it. "What do you think Shrapnel? Tell him to stay away or pretend we aren't home." The praetorian seemed to ignore the bad joke and think about it, but not for too long before answering.

"If you allow me to speak freely." He waited and interpreted her silence as permission. "I think he means good. After all, he didn't know of your existence for years, so he wants to be present now he can."

"Mother knows he's coming?" She closed her eyes, wishing for the answer to be 'no'.

"Naturally. Our Spy Corps are steel loyal to every queen, in charge or retired, above anything else. She probably knew even before the letter arrived."

"Then arrange the encounter, prepare some kind of welcoming and warn the praetorian's to keep those two away from each other. I don't want to deal with another 'who attacked who' discussion again." This time she had both forelegs in her temples. "Anything else?" He finished taking notes of her instructions before talking.

"Officially, nothing else. Extra officially, a letter." Putting the quill and parchment back in his saddle, the praetorian produced a simple envelope and hoofed it to his queen. Said queen lost any trace of nobility and professionalism when her magic reached for the letter and shredded the envelopment around it with the same glee that a foal in Heart's Warming would open his gift.

Dear Monarch and Chrysalis:

How are my two favorite’s changelings doing? Is old grumpy Chrysalis still fighting with every visitor? And how is my big grown up Queen? Hope you're fine and dandy.

I'm cool by the way. I finally reached the Austral Ice Fields and the fresh air and weather are wonderful. It's not that I don't miss the dessert with you, it's just I had enough sand and sun for the rest of my life.

Or maybe not.

I just met a lovely group of thestrals nomads and they don't mind me traveling with them. And it results that they heard about the Badlands are quite nice around this time of the year, so I will go to visit you guys. I'm not sure of the date right now and I can't tell how long it will take for this letter to reach you. But the thestrals say that there shouldn't be more than one or two days of difference. So, if nothing stupid happens (like that 'situation' with the griffins that I told you in my last letter) I'll be there in two or three days. Eager to see you again since the last time.

James 'Jimmy' Olsen

Monarch just stayed still for a solid minute after finishing the letter. She read it again and a third time to be sure. Her praetorian, getting worried, decided to look at her emotions to see what was happening. Although the pony-changeling was way more complex than the rest of her race and thus her emotional spectrum way larger than the average changeling, he knew her since she was a foal and didn't expect any surprises.

When he saw her, he was surprised out of his mind.

In the years of being a ruler, Monarch had managed to keep her emotions under control and stay calm and collected at unexpected news. Now, Shrapnel wasn't seeing any of that in her. Instead, she was glowing with almost every possible color. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and everything in between. A full rainbow, ready to explode at any second. And he was right next to ground zero.

"Shrapnel." Monarch barely moved her lips as her hooves started to shake. "Please tell Prince Faith I can't meet him, the same with the Roani's and to every pony, griffon dragon or anything else that I won't be available for a couple of days."

"My Queen?" He asked very carefully. "You are aware that the Citadel, being in the middle of a really transited trade route, needs an administration working every day to avoid any disaster."

"My dear Shrapnel, I'm aware of that. But the very man responsible of that happening in first place is coming to visit for the first time in years." Slowly but constantly, Monarch's features started to change. A very creepy smile that inspired fear in her praetorian's heart was now adorning her face. "In fact. Declare a full week holiday to everybody in the Citadel and start arranging for a party."

"You can't be serious, right?" Ever since the changelings were able to feel emotions for their own, Shrapnel never hoped something as much as now. In response, she took his parchment with the day's agenda and burned it. Then tossed the ashes out of the window. And then, she took a clean parchment, scribbled something and hoofed it to the praetorian. It said 'Yes, I'm very serious. PARTY! NOW!!'.

"Oh, and to any spy hearing this. I'm going to tell mother first. If she isn't surprised, I will severely injure you three, starting with the one in the other side of the wall, then the one in the roof and I'm going to take my sweet time with the invisible one behind Shrapnel." Hidden in those exact spots, than nobody should be able to guess, three changelings stayed still as their current Queen, and recent nightmare fuel bringer, started to gallop down the hallway with filly like hops while shouting.

"DADDY'S COMING BACK HOME!"

Author's Note:

I have no idea of how to write a slice of life!

Also, I really don't like sad fictions. On general principle, I like my characters (canon and originals) to end better that they started, or at least to have a happy ending. So, I just did that. As John Lennon said “Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.” Well, this is the end, I'll let to you what happened in between.

Oh, and I officially declare that any story set in this universe ans using these characters will have my full permission as long as I'm asked about it first and both me and Giz get recognition for the original creation. In other words; if you think that this could be expanded I actually agree with you but now you are responsible of making that happen too.

If I'm disappointing someone here with all of this, I'm deeply sorry but this is the actual extent of my skill. You can make a Rage Review if you feel the need of calling me for my crap, just avoid calling this a 'Gainax ending' because that would be just plain rude.

Now I command you to comment.

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