A Different Perspective

by Goldfur

Chapter 16: ... So Are The Days Of Our Lives

Upon their return to Griffonia, Free, Twilight, and Blue Streak were welcomed enthusiastically.

“You seem to have grown another head, Streak,” Path commented after hugging the colt.

Blue Streak laughed and held up his foreleg. The ferret practically read Streak’s mind and scurried down his shoulder and out onto the leg where he leaned out, sniffing curiously at the earth pony. “This is Slick. Miss Fluttershy gave him to me.”

Path leaned down until he was nose to nose with Slick and they regarded each other. “Welcome to House Path, Slick,” Path said with a smile.

The ferret bobbed his head seemingly in acknowledgement, and then reversed his course and returned to his preferred perch.

Path straightened up and addressed them all. “I hope you didn’t make any plans for this evening.”

“Just dinner. Why?” Twilight asked.

“We’re going ahead with that idea that we discussed before you left.”

Free said, “Oh yeah, it’s Friday, isn’t it? So we’re expecting a big crowd for dinner?”

“Definitely. The servants are already preparing the banquet hall, and the cooks are hard at work. As soon as you let us know that you were departing Equestria, I knew you’d be back in time for the event, so I forewarned everybody. I’m quite excited about this.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Well, I’ll use the intervening time to catch up on what has been happening in our absence.”

Roseclaw said, “Your music students have been asking when you’ll be back, Free. I told them that you should be here in time for afternoon lessons.”

“No peace for the wicked,” Free said with a grin. “I think I’ll head over there right now. Dinner’s still at six?”

“Yes,” Path replied, “although I recommend that you turn up at least ten minutes early.”

“Seeya then!”

# # #

With her usual punctuality, Twilight turned up at the banquet hall promptly at 5:50pm. By this time though, there were already a large number of griffons and ponies present, although none had taken seats at the enormous banquet table which had been set with all the plates, silverware, and various other paraphernalia typical of a feast set for visiting dignitaries. It was obvious that many of the students, especially the ponies, were a bit uncertain and uncomfortable, wondering if they really belonged there. She noticed that Free was already mingling, cheerfully reassuring them that all was okay, but still leaving them mystified as to why they were there. Twilight was quickly joined by Roseclaw who had Techbird in tow.

“As we expected, Techbird was lost in her projects,” Roseclaw told the alicorn.

“You didn’t really need me, and dinner can wait,” Techbird protested.

“Wrong on both counts,” Twilight replied. “This is really important to Path, and while I’ve been guilty of skipping meals in the past, this is one time we need to be all here.”

Techbird sighed. “Okay, but I won’t have that prototype done tonight, like I hoped. I wanted to show you it tonight.”

Twilight flinched a little, but shoved her disappointment aside. “It’ll keep until tomorrow, Tech. Take some advice from someone who had to learn the hard way – don’t ignore socializing for your projects.”

Promptly at six o’clock, Goldenquill entered the banquet hall and started ringing a bell. Conversation died away and the major domo announced, “Would all present please maintain respectful silence while Lord Path addresses you.”

Long Path entered the hall then and made his way to a dais that had been set up especially for the occasion. He stepped up and faced his audience with a smile.

“First of all, welcome to you all. I know a lot of you are wondering why I instructed everyone to be present for dinner here, from highest rank to the newest student. Rest assured that this was not a mistake – you are all going to participate in what I intend to be a regular Friday evening event. At the end of the school week, we have all been teaching or learning, or perhaps both. If you are of House Path, you should know that we are warrior-scholars – always learning and always ready to defend those who need defending. Tonight we start putting some of what we have learned into practice, and that starts right here in the House.”

Path waved a forehoof in the direction of the banquet table. “You may have noticed that there are no place cards for the seating arrangements. That is because there are none, not even for me. At this table tonight, we are all equal. There will be no ranking or maneuvering for position because no rank will apply. I know that this is a foreign concept to most, especially our griffon members, but I cannot stress enough that in this House, all are equal. Yes, many are more experienced than others, especially our young griffs and foals, but that doesn’t make them any less than their teachers or more learned students. There is no back of the pack or bottom of the heap. If you are in this House, you deserve to have your voice heard and we will converse as equals.”

Path looked about him and saw how most had gathered into groups. “In a moment, I will invite you take a seat at the table, but I don’t require that you sit any particular place. Sit next to a teacher if you want, or your best friend. If you’d like to chat with me about anything, anyone is welcome to do so. Tonight, at this table, I am not Lord Long Path, nor call me sir. I am just Path. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, so let’s eat. ’Quill – please send in the food. Everypony, and everygriff, find a place and enjoy!”

Despite the reassurances, there were still some reluctant to be presumptuous about taking a place, but others urged them to take a seat. Path was amused to see Blue Streak grab the seat at the head of the table, but he figured that after tonight, the colt would have competition for that prime spot. He chose a position between two of the younger students, while Twilight, Free, Roseclaw, Warfist, Techbird, and all the other faculty members mingled randomly with others. Servants began wheeling in the food, serving it up in no particular order as they had been instructed.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Path turned to look at the young filly seated to his right. “Yes?” he asked with a reassuring smile.

“Umm… Lo… Path, do you think that I could learn to do your thunderhoof too one day?”

“My dear girl, if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.” He looked around to see that other students and teachers, youth and elders, were starting conversations also. “Anything,” he repeated with satisfaction.

# # #

“We’re glad that you returned when you did,” Roseclaw said to Twilight and Free later that evening. “We received a few new applications during your absence, but we wanted to wait until you returned before we interviewed them.”

“Oh, you don’t really need me for that,” Free said.

Path shook his head. “No, I want to get as much input as possible from everyone. Warfist was immensely helpful for the first intake, but I think we were also a bit lucky with some of our choices, and on the flip side, we might have overlooked something that you might find significant. Besides, you’re a founding member, and you should take a more active part in this process.”

“Okay, no need to nag. I’ll be there. When do you want to do these interviews?”

“I’ve scheduled them for tomorrow morning. Because it’s a Saturday, it won’t clash with any classes.”

The next morning, the four of them and Warfist gathered in Path’s office. Free made himself comfortable on a chair in a back corner.

“I’m going to leave the interviewing to you,” Free told the others. “If I think there’s anything worth mentioning, I’ll speak up, I promise, but otherwise don’t expect me to say much else.”

Path figured that this was better than nothing, and acceded to his wishes.

There were four applicants, including one surprise – an old sea mare who wished to retire from voyaging, but figured she had a lot to teach about ships and the sea, and was a doughty fighter to boot, having contended with many pirate attacks during her years. They figured that she would help broaden their knowledge and skills, and accepted her. The next was a griffon hen who, although clever and scrappy, was obviously looking to gain status more than contribute to the new House, and she was rejected. A master woodworker with skills in staff fighting was accepted next. The fourth proved to be the most exciting however.

“My name is Azon Featherleaf,” the male griffon said with a respectful bow and a sweep of his green-feathered wing. His gaudy parrot-like coloration contrasted strongly with his plain white caste cape which was adorned simply with gold braiding along the edges and red crosses at each of the bottom corners. “I am a master Healer, and I believe that you have no medics at your call as yet. I would like to offer my medical services to your House.”

Twilight looked very interested and said, “We very much could use a Healer in our House. I’m sure that there would be some students who be interested in your field, and if we ever have to go into a fight in our role as defenders, it would be best if we have a skilled doctor at hand. However, what would bring a professional such as yourself to our House? It’s not as if you aren’t already successful and in demand.”

“While that is indeed true, your House offers something that has not been seen in this society before, and it intrigues and excites me. I feel that I can accomplish more and get more satisfaction from tying my fortunes with the House of Path.”

Warfist spoke up. “Healers have traditionally been exempted from participating in battles, but all House Path members are expected to be able to competently defend themselves. Do you have any fighting skills?”

“I am not without some fighting skill, but I do not expect you to accept this as being sufficient, so I am quite prepared to take self-defense lessons to any degree of proficiency you desire.”

Warfist nodded in satisfaction. “Lord Path – your thoughts?”

Path shrugged. “I can’t see how we can afford to overlook this opportunity. I say we accept Healer Featherleaf. Do you concur, Rose?”

“I agree, Path. I also vote that we accept him.”

Path nodded and turned back to the Healer. “Welcome to House Pa…”

“Just a moment!” Free interrupted, getting up from his chair and walking up to the Healer, who obviously was greatly startled by Free whom he had not noticed before.

Free moved to face Featherleaf, raised a foreleg and poked a claw into the Healer’s chest. The griffon looked greatly confused and taken aback by the unexpected confrontation.

“Okay, what’s your game, buster? What do you really want?” Free demanded.

“I… don’t know what you mean,” Featherleaf replied.

“Yeah, Free, what’s going on?” Path asked.

Free just waved him down without taking his glare away from the Healer. “Tell them who you really are, or I will.”

“Who are you?” Featherleaf asked.

“Free Agent, House Path founding member, and the guy who will veto your application if you don’t come clean.”

“How much…?”

“Enough.”

Featherleaf regarded Free for a long moment, trying to understand who and what was confronting him, but he finally said, “I need you to keep this confidential.”

“Convince us that we should.”

The Healer considered that for a long moment before nodding. “Alright.” Free stepped aside and Featherleaf addressed the others. “Everything that I told you was the truth, but it wasn’t all of it. I am more than just a griffon Healer.” Suddenly his body was consumed by electric-blue magic flames, and moments later stood before them transformed.

“A changeling!” Roseclaw said with surprise that was echoed by the others, especially Warfist.

“That’s one of those changelings that you’ve told me about?” the Warmaster asked.

“Same race, different variety,” Path replied. “One that I haven’t seen before.”

Indeed this was a changeling totally new to them all. While the Equestrian changelings all had a single primary color by which they were familiarly known, this one had a metallic blue carapace with a red crest and tail, and iridescent wings.

“I am Azon, Harvester of emotional energy for the Western Hive. You are obviously familiar with what we do though.”

“Intimately familiar, Azon,” Path replied. “However, while the Equestrian Hives are known factors, your Hive is not. Tell us more about yourself and your Hive’s priorities, please.”

Reassured that his revelation had not provoked a negative response, Azon continued with renewed confidence. “My Hive specializes in medicine. In fact, many of our Harvesters are either Healers, pharmacists, or in related fields. Griffon civilization, such as it is, has always required our services. The temperament of griffons does not lend itself to our vocation, and you will find that the majority of Healers are actually changelings from my Hive.”

“You mean that the medics at the arena who attended me were changelings too?” Path asked.

“Most likely, although I hasten to add that there are in fact a few very good true griffon Healers. We do not have the field exclusively to ourselves, nor do we intend to make it so. We have maintained a comfortable balance for many centuries.”

Warfist spoke up. “On behalf of the comrades whose lives that your kind has saved, I thank you. However, as Free Agent has brought your presence to my attention, I will need to know more about how your Hive intends to interact with our House.”

“Fair enough,” Azon replied and transformed back to his griffon form. “First of all, your House is as much an unknown factor to us as our Hive is to you. Our queen has noticed the impact that you have already made on griffon society, at least in the capital city so far, and she is concerned about how you will affect the status quo. Because I was quite intrigued by your accomplishments, I volunteered to join your House and report to my queen about what I learn here. I assure you that I would not be working against you in any way.”

Free nodded in understanding. “That is no different from the way the Equestrian Hives have been doing things for centuries, so I believe you. However, there have been a lot of changes between pony-changeling interactions since Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, and more recently her attempted invasion of the Crystal Empire. Deals have been made and formal agreements struck. I would like to do the same with your Hive, hopefully to our mutual benefit.”

“I’ve heard reports of some of that, and still find it inconceivable that a Hive attacked your kind. It goes against our very nature – we are symbionts, not predators.”

“There’s a reason why we call Chrysalis the Mad Queen,” Free said. “Anyway, as long as this Western Hive of yours has the same philosophy as the rest of ours, I have no further objection to you joining our House.”

Path looked at the others questioningly. “Does anyone else wish to say anything?”

Twilight said, “I hope that you can spend some time sharing your knowledge with me, Azon, both griffon medical and your Hive. I confirm my vote for him to join our House.”

Warfist replied, “I will wish to know more about how you changelings will affect our House, but at this time I have no objection to you joining, given the confidence in you that Free Agent and Lady Twilight have expressed.”

“I’m okay with it also,” Roseclaw said.

Path smiled and looked back at the Healer. “As I started to say before, welcome to the House of Path. Lady Roseclaw will show you around and see that you are assigned quarters. We will arrange a teaching schedule for you soon, but in the meantime I expect you to make arrangements for a conference between us and your queen. We will continue to keep your nature a secret.”

“Thank you, Lord Path. I will let you know as soon as possible about the meeting.”

Roseclaw got up and gestured for Featherleaf to follow. As soon as the Healer had left the office and was out of earshot, Warfist spoke up.

“You all seem very blasé about changelings, and how did Free Agent recognize him as being one?”

Path looked at Free questioningly. “Free?”

Free shrugged. “Might as well tell him. War, my friend – a changeling can always recognize another changeling in disguise.”

The general frowned. “That implies that you are a changeling.”

“Give that griff a prize! Yep, I’m a changeling, although I am half griffon too. Long story.”

“And you didn’t think it worthwhile to tell me this? All my defense plans rely on knowing the full capabilities of all our members, even founders.”

“I promise to correct that, but that was privileged and very personal information up until now. I respect you, War, but you’re not my family.”

Warfist glared at Free for a moment longer before nodding in acceptance. “Very well. Please consult with me at your soonest convenience. Lord Path, I hope that you intend that I participate in these proposed talks with the Hive Queen?”

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving you out, General.”

“Very good. I will take my leave of you now. Good day, Lord Path, Lady Twilight, Free Agent.” The old warrior left the office.

Free grinned. “If looks could kill….”

Path smiled in return before asking, “How come you’ve never spotted a changeling in Griffonia before?”

“Who says I didn’t?”

Twilight looked startled. “Why didn’t you tell us then?”

Free shrugged. “I figured you’d guess anyway. They’re there among the griffons, doing their jobs or ordinary everyday things, just like the changelings in Equestria. I had no need to confront one before now, and I had no intention of invading their privacy.”

“In retrospect, I can see that you’re right,” Twilight admitted. “Does that mean that there aren’t any changelings on the House grounds?”

“Aside from the occasional visitor and Proper Place – none. Azon will be our first.”

Path considered that thoughtfully and then said, “I think that’s something that we’re going to have to change.”

# # #

Three days later, they were visited by Queen Aquila and her retinue, all in griffon guise of course. They spent all day in discussions, interrupted only by luncheon. Roseclaw was in her element, exercising her skills of diplomacy learned from her father, and she kept a tight rein on Warfist who was rather more focused on the martial aspects. Path and Twilight were more enthusiastic about the mutual exchange of knowledge, but Roseclaw kept them from getting carried away also.

Free was mostly bored. He had been required to take part, but did not have much to contribute. He amused himself for a while with the inevitable puzzled looks that all the changelings gave him, but that quickly palled. He wondered what Aquila would think if she knew that he was a queen also, but he had no intention of letting her know that.

It took another day for them to hammer out an agreement between Hive and House, and even then it might never have happened if it was not for the authority that Twilight could bring as a Princess of Equestria. The primary agreement was for Path to take in a large number of Harvesters into the House as warrior-scholars, while Aquila would use the Hive’s network as a means of gathering information for the House. Twilight also wrangled a deal to exchange medical information between Hive and House.

Because the changelings were familiar with the pony slave situation, some of the Harvesters would take on pony alter egos to serve as role models for some of the other real ponies. The rest assumed griffon guises of course; Queen Aquila was not yet ready to have her changelings go into griffon society undisguised, even if it was purely within the grounds of the House.

Aquila made one exception to this; she conceded that it was time to start educating Griffonia about changelings since their secret existence had been irreversibly exposed. For this purpose, two of the Harvester teachers were assigned to secretly assume their natural form to pose as ‘visiting lecturers’ to give classes on the nature of their species, what they did for society, and of course their ability to disguise themselves.

# # #

By the fourth Friday social dinner, both students and teachers had gotten fully into the spirit of the occasion, just as Path had hoped. While griffs like Warfist still seemed a tad intimidating, and the youngest foals were sometimes a little overwhelmed, both were helped to participate fully by the others at the table. Tables, actually, as the influx of new members had required the addition of more. The banquet hall was rapidly reaching its capacity.

Tonight, the main course was fish – a lovely smoked salmon in a bed of rice and an assortment of steamed vegetables. Whether by accident or not, this was also served to Twilight. She looked uneasily at the fish, wondering if she should make a fuss, or just eat the rice and vegetables. Blue Streak was seated across the table from her and noticed her reaction.

“What’s wrong, Mama?”

Twilight tried to smile reassuringly when she replied. “It’s nothing, Streak. I… just don’t eat meat.”

“But it’s a fish, not meat,” Streak replied innocently.

“Technically it’s still meat.”

“My old herd used to fish all the time for our meals. It’s good!” He stuck his fork into his fish and lifted a chunk of it to his mouth. “If I have to eat this, you gotta too!” he said slyly and waited for her reaction.

Hesitantly, Twilight cut off a small piece, cautiously lifted it to her nose, and gave it a sniff. It seemed pleasant enough, but she was still hesitant.

By this time though, they had caught the attention of the griffs and ponies around them, and one foal started chanting, “Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle!”

Twilight glanced in surprise at the cheeky filly, and was even more startled as another took up the chant, and then several more. Very quickly, all those seated within her vicinity were chanting their encouragement.

“SPARKLE! SPARKLE! SPARKLE!”

She noticed that even Free had taken up the chant, his face alive with glee. Twilight sighed and looked back to Streak who, once he was sure she was looking, deliberately chomped down on his forkful of fish, chewed for a moment, and then swallowed.

“Your turn, Mama,” Streak said, barely heard over the chanting.

Twilight gave up. Bracing herself, she tentatively put the fork in her mouth and tasted fish for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she chewed the salmon a bit before swallowing. The chanting had stopped when she had put the food in her mouth, but now she had dozens of eyes quietly waiting to see her reaction. “That… tastes amazing!” she declared.

The watchers burst into a cheer, and one voice called out: “Twilight Sparkle is best princess!”

Twilight might have been more embarrassed by that, but she was too busy enjoying the rest of her fish.

# # #

That evening after dessert was completed, Free and his music students put on a short performance for the entertainment of everyone who chose to linger and socialize a bit more. Path smiled as he watched the ponies, griffons, and even the disguised changelings partying and enjoying each other’s company, and he sighed in great contentment.

By coincidence, Path noticed Raza and Proper Place making their way out onto the balcony together while the rest were distracted by the singing. The House’s masters of organization and administration had proved to be a formidable team, and frequently worked long hours. Path didn’t want them spending what should be their leisure time doing yet more work, so he decided to discreetly check up on them. Peering past the voluminous curtains that covered the balcony’s glass doors, he was just in time to see Proper Place and Raza nuzzling and nipping each other affectionately, and the griffon hen giggled in pleasure. Path hastily backed off and returned to his chair.

‘Well, that’s an interesting development,’ he thought and chuckled to himself. ‘At least I know that they aren’t working right now!”

# # #

“Could you spare a moment, Proper?” Path asked as the pegasus changeling was about to leave his office with a stack of files.

“Of course, sir. What can I do for you?”

“Close the door, please. I would like to have a chat with you in private.”

“Certainly,” Proper replied. He put down the files and closed the door.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Path said. “I know that you and Raza seem to be in a relationship. I need to know that you aren’t just taking advantage of her for your changeling needs.”

Proper Place was startled. “You know about that? Damn, I must be getting careless. Comes of being distracted by Raza, I suppose. But to answer your question, no, that isn’t the primary motivation. Raza and I liked each other from the day we met, and our skills complement each other. Working with her has been a genuine pleasure. Even so, it came as a bit of surprise to me when she asked if I was taken. After informing her that I was not, she insisted in the peculiar griffon way that we should start dating. As you are quite aware, my Hive has good open relationships with the ponies of Hollow Shades, and I could not see why that could not apply to a relationship with a griffon also.”

“So you genuinely enjoy her company?”

Proper Place grinned. “That is like saying the ocean is wet. My feelings for her are scarcely less than Raza’s feelings for me. I didn’t come here intending to make any relationships, but I would really like this one to succeed.” He hesitated for a moment as a thought occurred to him. “Are we in trouble, sir?”

Path chuckled. “As long as it doesn’t affect my House, and Raza is happy, what you do is none of my concern. I only wanted to be sure that you’re not putting your changeling needs ahead of hers. As for the rest, well, I have a griffon mate who’s pregnant with our first child; I would be a first-class hypocrite if I denied you the opportunity to find love, whatever form it takes. To be honest though, it’s the relationship between changelings and griffons and ponies that has me most concerned, so there’s just one last thing I’d like to know – are you going to tell her what you are?”

“If this relationship works out, and she wants us to be mates, I will tell her before committing to anything further.”

“Very good. Okay, that’s all for now.”

Proper Place retrieved his files and headed for the door.

“For the record, Proper, I hope it works out for you two,” Path added.

“Thank you, sir. I hope so too.”

# # #

Frequent problems had needed to be solved to get Path’s special armor up to speed, and months of work had been put into it, but they were on the cusp of having the prototype ready. Twilight’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts on implementing the latest fixes as she entered Techbird’s laboratory, and therefore she did not notice at first the furiously running generator.

“Hi, Mama!”

Twilight stopped and refocused on the source of that greeting. Blue Streak was running at high speed on a treadmill that was connected to the generator. “Why are you running like that?”

“I'm helping with science!” Streak proudly proclaimed without slowing one bit.

Twilight looked around at all the wires and then to Techbird who was noting the readings on some gauges. “Tech – don’t use my son as a power source, please.”

The griffon blinked in surprise that Twilight would object. “But he’s so potent!”

“No, Tech.”

“But…!”

“No.”

Techbird sighed. “Okay, Streak – experiment is over.”

Streak looked disappointed, but he slowed down and eventually stopped. Hopping off the treadmill, he asked, “Did I do good?”

“You did great. Thanks a lot, but you better go now before your mom kills me.”

“Nah, she wouldn’t do that. Seeya!” He dashed out of the laboratory at his usual headlong pace to the dismay of Twilight.

“I just can’t get him to slow down in the hallway,” she lamented.

“I think that’s literally true,” Techbird commented.

“What do you mean?”

“I wasn’t just using him as a power source. He volunteered to help me test how we can harness Lord Path’s earth pony magic to power the armor, but I learned a few interesting things along the way. Streak seems to have a hyperkinetic nature that makes it virtually impossible for him to do anything slowly.”

Twilight frowned. “I hope that won’t affect him detrimentally,” she said worriedly.

“Too soon to tell, but as long as his own magic keeps him powered up, hopefully it will stop him from tearing himself apart.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s usually the case with high-powered individuals – their bodies adapt to cope with the load. That’s why we alicorns grow so large. We have so much power that our bodies grow to match. I grew a few inches as soon as I ascended, and I’ve grown more since. One of these centuries, I’ll be as big as Celestia is now.”

“With your level of power, I’d say decades is more likely. The question is though – can an earth pony like Streak grow enough to contain his power?”

“I certainly hope so. At least I have somepony to compare him to. Rainbow Dash is a remarkable mare in her own right, and with similar qualities despite being a pegasus rather than an earth pony. She grew into her power, and she’s doing well.”

Techbird smiled. “Magic has its ways. Speaking of which, I believe I’ve solved our control issue….”

# # #

Long Path regarded the prototype armor with a little trepidation. It might have been his idea, but that did not mean that he was keen to test out an experimental device that not only would give him weapons to use in battle, but would also give him the power of flight. He shuddered. The many times that Roseclaw had carried him in the past few months were helping to inure him to the prospect of flying under his own power, but he was still far from happy being so far from the ground.

Techbird enthusiastically pointed out the features of the prototype. “The armor’s artificial wings are based on prosthetics worn by pegasi, and only needed a little tweaking to adapt to our purposes. The hoof guards are the key to powering the armor. While Twilight has fixed spells into the armor, it’s your earth pony magic which will keep it powered. As that magic is concentrated in your legs, the hoof guards are designed to draw on that magic and convert it for use by the rest of the armor. We aren’t ready to test the artificial unicorn horn yet, because the modified spells that you have supplied us need to be coded into the horn and debugged first. However, the flight magic is ready for its first test. So, have you memorized the activation and control spells?”

“I have, but this is where theory leaves off and practice takes over.”

“You bet! So let’s get you kitted up!” Techbird said, cheerfully oblivious to Path’s concerns.

Twilight and Techbird helped Path don the armor. When it was all strapped firmly into place, Path looked somewhat like a large armored pegasus.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Path said, and mentally activated the armor’s magic systems. The artificial wings sprang out from where they had been folded to his side and thrummed in readiness. “Okay, first a very gentle hover…”

Path shot up into the air, ricocheted off the ceiling, crashed through some equipment, bounced off a wall, bounced off the opposite wall, barely missed plowing into Twilight, skipped off the floor and smashed through a window to the outside. Twilight and Techbird raced to the window to spot Path tangled in a nearby tree, mercifully protected from the shattered glass by his armor. Twilight used her telekinesis to pull him back inside.

“Needs work?” Techbird asked.

“Needs work,” Path groaned in agreement.

# # #

Despite the setback, Twilight and Techbird soon ironed out the bugs in the controls, and the flight systems were ready for a serious test. Path stood on the balcony, trying to calm his nerves. Roseclaw was nearby, ready to accompany him on his maiden flight, and be available to catch him in case of emergency, while Free was there simply to witness his soul-brother’s triumph.

“No sense putting this off any longer,” Path said. He concentrated on activating his earth pony magic as he had been training to do for several weeks, letting it flow into the mana collectors built into his boots. The thaumic guides channeled it into the harness for the artificial wings, and they sprang open, ready for use. The band around his head which would eventually be incorporated into helmet armor had been finely tuned to respond to his thoughts and it activated the wings’ controls. Gritting his teeth, he raised the wings for their first beat, and then leaped off the balcony. The flight spell had been intensively written with as many pre-set flight patterns as the team could cram in, needing only a guiding thought to activate the correct wing beats, angles, and expenditure of mana to achieve the desired result. However, despite knowing that it had worked reliably in the laboratory, he was still immensely relieved when the wings flapped at his command and bore him upwards. Resolutely ignoring how the ground was dropping away, he concentrated on gaining height and speed.

“Looking good, darling,” came Roseclaw’s voice from close by.

Path looked to the side to see her matching his pace, smiling in encouragement. He wobbled a bit from the distraction, but continued his flight with growing confidence. He made his way up to the top of the crater rim that separated his estate from the city within and alighted clumsily on a ledge that overlooked both sides. He sighed with relief at the successful first flight, and noticed how warm his hooves were due to the amount of mana that the wings had been drawing upon to power them.

Roseclaw set down beside him. “So, what’s the verdict?” she asked with a smile of pride in her mate.

“Well, the amount of heat that was generated indicates an excessive degree of inefficiency in the conversion of magic, so we’ll have to work on that,” Path answered.

Roseclaw rolled her eyes. “I meant how you felt about flying under your own power.”

Path had to pause a moment to get his mind of the technicalities of the flight, and back to his feelings. He snorted in ironic amusement. “Absolutely terrifying… and possibly the most marvelous thing I’ve ever done – short of making love to you.”

The griffoness grinned. “Good answer. In fact, that’s something we should do right now.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Roseclaw nuzzled Path. “Usually when griffons become betrothed, they go on a mating flight. I think we’re overdue.”

Path regarded his mate with a roguish grin. “You sure that it’s not my sexy wings making you horny?”

“That too,” she replied, unabashed. “Are you game?”

“Have I ever refused a challenge?” Path replied, flicking open the wings again. He leaped off the ledge with more confidence than earlier, and beat his way up into sky.

With a cry of joy, Roseclaw launched herself after him.

From the ground, Twilight, Techbird, and Free all watched the duo fly further away.

“I believe we can call this trial a success,” Twilight commented.

Techbird frowned a little. “Isn’t he supposed to be coming back for an evaluation now?”

Free smiled knowingly. “I wouldn’t bother waiting for him, Tech. I suspect you’re not going to see those two soon.”

Twilight asked, “Do you feel something through your link to him?”

“Oh, yeah, you could say that,” Free said with a smirk. “Wanna get a taste of it too?” He spread his wings invitingly.

“What? Now?”

Free just smiled more widely and waggled an eyebrow.

Twilight giggled and leaped into the air. “First you have to catch me!” she challenged.

Free laughed and launched himself after her.

Techbird just shook her head in resignation, and started walking back to her laboratory. “Silly lovesick twits,” she grumbled.

# # #

Later that night, Free lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Twilight softly snoring next to him. It had been a good day – one of the best. Path and Roseclaw had spent half the day just enjoying being mates, and Free and Twilight had emulated them. It was a good thing that it was the weekend, or they would all have been seriously guilty of neglecting their students.

Students – that always made Free smile. He had never dreamed of being a teacher, but now he was teaching both art and music. Of course both had been so much more inspired since he had fallen in love with the beautiful alicorn in bed with him. He bent his head over her to kiss her on the cheek.

Twilight stirred and her eyes fluttered open. “Free? Why aren’t you asleep?” she murmured.

“Sorry to disturb you, Sparkles. I’m afraid that I’m way too full of energy to sleep. You’ve given me so much loving that I’m hyper.”

“I’ve noticed your insomnia lately – so I’m to blame, hey?”

Free grinned. “The very best reason actually. It was never a problem before I met you. How did a guy like me ever win a mare like you anyway?”

That question surprised Twilight. “After all these months, you only ask now?”

Free shrugged. “It’s been like a dream come true, and I’ve been afraid that I was going to wake up some day. The incident with the emogel really shook me, and I’ve been a little afraid to rock the boat.”

Twilight propped herself up in bed and reached over to caress Free with a hoof. “Stop worrying so much, darling. I won’t ever leave you, because you mean too much to me. You want to know why I fell in love with you? It’s more simple than you realize, and yet more important because of it.”

“That sounds a bit odd.”

“I’ve always been a bit odd,” Twilight admitted. “It goes right back to when I was Celestia’s special student. I was a notorious bookworm and spent too much time studying. I barely found the time to make the acquaintance of other unicorns in class, let alone make friends. I had only four or five fillies that I could call friends back then, and I pretty much distanced myself from them as I grew older, to the point of completely letting down one of them badly one day. It took Celestia sending me away from Canterlot and my familiar comfort zone to Ponyville with instructions to make some friends before I finally got out of that rut. I did make five new friends then, and they were what enabled me to meet my destiny and ascend to alicornhood.”

“Those friends were the Avatars of Harmony, weren’t they?”

“Yes. Rarity, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all became very close to me, and we have remained firm friends ever since. Becoming a princess reduced the amount of free time that I had to spend time with them, but I had learned that lesson well, and I always make time to spend with them whenever possible.”

“That’s why visiting Ponyville is always on your schedule whenever we make a trip to Equestria for your princess duties.”

“Exactly. However, despite learning how friendship is magic, I was still making another big mistake. While I never neglected my friends, I was still neglecting more personal relationships.”

“You mean you never went out with any coltfriends at all?” Free asked disbelievingly.

“No, not on any real dates anyway. Again, I was too wrapped up with my duties and continuing studies, and my spare time was spent with my friends. Who needed a coltfriend?”

“And yet I managed to catch your eye?”

Twilight giggled. “Yes, you certainly did. I’d never met anyone like you before, and despite you being a griffon-changeling, you excited me. When you showed me your artistic side on our first trip to Griffonia, that revealed to me the depths of your personality. You have a passion for life, music, and art that drew me in. That was what was missing from my life until then – passion. Everything that you did, you did so to your utmost. You made me laugh, and you made me delight in flying with you. I enjoyed life ever more when you were around, and that was what made me fall in love with you. You are the yin to my yang. I am the studious intellect and you are the passionate artist. Together we are greater than the sum of us – a magnificent oneness of being that fills me to the bursting point. So that’s how you won me. The question that remains though is how I won you. How could you have been so interested in some mare who was nothing at all like you?”

Free smiled sheepishly. “Well… it wasn’t always like that. I wasn’t too picky about who I went out with back then; my only goals were to have a good time, make sure that my partners enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and then part as friends. Occasionally we would do so again, but there was never a sense of permanence about any of my relationships. There would always be another mare… or stallion sometimes.”

“Yes, I know. I believe that you even intended to make love to all the alicorns someday, I hear?”

“Roseclaw blabbed that, did she?” Free said with a touch of embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s true, although I hasten to add that that was not the sole reason why I went after you. If that had been all that I was interested in, I would have made moves on Celestia and Luna long before I met you.”

“What about Cadance?” Twilight asked slyly.

“Tricky, but not impossible,” Free admitted.

Twilight was slightly shocked and amused by the thought of Free trying to make time with her brother’s wife. “I have to admit that you don’t aim low. So what did I do that attracted you to me?”

“You knocked me back.”

“Huh? I don’t understand. Surely you have had to be rejected on many other occasions?”

“Yeah, but not in the way you did it. You intrigued me that first day we met in the café, and when I made my move, I could tell that you were a little bit intrigued with me too, but you still knocked me back. The kicker was when you teleported me away and when I came back and asked again, you laughed in amusement. Oh, I know you didn’t do that outwardly, but I could taste it, and I loved it. I wanted more of it. So I worked at getting that feeling again. Right away I knew that you were different from any other mare that I had dated or made time with. You say that I am passionate, but that passion is awoken by my experiences. You stoked the flames of that passion, and I felt things that I had never felt before. I wrote that song for you born out of that passion, and the more that your interest in me grew, the stronger it became. Twilight, you made me fall in love with you because you were always interested in me, and never let me be less than one hundred percent of what I could be. You might not have been ready at first to have a relationship, but you at least felt the need for one, and you weren’t ready to settle for anything less than my utmost. You say that I awoke the passion in you, but you brought out the best in me, and I am far better for it. I love you with every fiber of my being.”

“And I love you as deeply,” Twilight replied, and then she drew him into a long and passionate kiss.

When they finally had to stop for air, Twilight moved over to straddle Free’s body.

“I’m about to make your insomnia a lot worse,” she told him with a lascivious grin.

“Totally worth it,” he replied.

# # #

As Free was eating his lunch, he heard the sound of outraged squawking coming from outside. He got up to investigate, and he peered out the window. He quickly spotted the source of the noise. Blue Streak was dragging a group of griffons on leashes through the air while they were desperately trying to restrain the colt.

Free chuckled and asked, “What the heck is Streak doing?”

Path smiled and replied, “It’s part of Warfist’s strength training. I got the idea from you.”

“How’s he not being lifted off the ground?”

“Earth pony magic – increased traction practically makes him stick to the ground. Of course they’re not supposed to be trying to lift him, only restrain him.”

“Not doing a very good job of that either,” Free commented.

Path grinned. “No. Need more griffons next time.”

Free watched their futile efforts for a moment longer before returning to his meal. “So how’s your own training coming along?”

Path grimaced. “Not nearly as good. I tried using my new wings in a training bout with Warfist. He promptly took me down and told me that a four year old chick could fly better than me.”

“You’re an earth pony, Path – surely you didn’t think you could mix it up with a natural flyer?”

“I had some vague idea about augmenting my fighting style with flight. I learned better.”

“Surely you’ve made some progress without trying to fly?”

“Yes, actually. Despite their greater size, I can match a griffon’s strength, or even exceed it. Warfist understands that this is an earth pony trait that can be used against an opponent, and has been training me in methods to take advantage of it. Now that I will have armor to protect me from beaks and talons, I can really use those methods for the best results. Like Streak, I can anchor myself to the ground and physically resist attacks far better than a large griffon can, and hopefully many other types of enemies that I might potentially face. Once the artificial horn is perfected, I should be able to resist magic-users equally well.”

“How much longer do you think that’s going to take?”

“Well, that’s a bit uncertain. There’s a reason why unicorns and alicorns are the primary magic users, despite my proving how spells can be adapted to other types of ponies. Some of those spells are fiendishly complex! However, give us a couple more months, and I think we’ll have it licked.”

“I hear Warfist is organizing some competition bouts for his students at the arena – do you plan to take part?”

“Sweet Celestia, no! I am under no illusion that I’m a great fighter. I just want to be able to hold my own in a real battle, and be the leader that I’m supposed to be as Lord of the House.”

“Wise move,” Free conceded. “How about watching the bouts though?”

“Can’t hurt to observe some serious fighting. Besides, I think that I should be there for moral support – don’t you?”

# # #

A couple of weeks later, after the competition, the House of Path celebrated its dominance in the arena. While their members didn’t win all their bouts, with a result of three in four victories, they managed quite a stir among the crowd.

Starting the next day, they received an upsurge in the applications for joining the House. This did not go down well with some of the more intransigent nobles.

# # #

“Milord, you have received a summons from His Majesty,” Goldenquill announced.

Path looked surprised and asked, “Did he say what it was about, ’Quill?”

“Only that it had to do with House Path’s obligations, sir.”

“I see. Tell the messenger that I will be there forthwith.”

“Very well, sir.”

“Looks like it may be time to pay the piper,” Path said to himself as he tidied up his paperwork and left to make himself presentable for an audience with the king.

Path turned up at the usual audience chamber, neatly groomed and dressed in his caste cape. He was quickly ushered in, and he bowed respectfully to Glimfeather. “You summoned me, Your Majesty?”

“Thank you for coming, Lord Path. I hear that your House has been making great strides lately?”

“Yes, Sire. Would the recent competition have anything to do with this meeting?”

“In a manner of speaking. The nobles have begun reminding me of the pact that we have made, and that it is time that you upheld your end of it.”

Path knew that King Glimfeather had been happy with the status quo because House Path was already working towards achieving his private goals, so it had to be the court troublemakers who had brought this up. “The House of Path stands ready to fulfill its obligations, Your Majesty. How can we serve?”

“You may recall my mention of some troubles that we have been having with centaur raids on townships?” When Path nodded, Glimfeather continued. “I have recently received reports of new raids after a long period of peace. I am charging your House with investigating these reports and, if necessary, acting upon them.”

“What do you know so far?”

“Very little. Two messengers from adjacent villages turned up this morning with reports of typical raiding parties. As our usual methods have failed to stop them, it’s time for something new, and that’s where you come in.”

Path nodded thoughtfully. “The lack of details bothers me. I would like to send an intelligence gathering party first, and have them report back to me so that we can make a plan of action.”

“That seems reasonable. You don’t intend to go yourself?”

“Not with the scouting party. A pony like myself would stand out too much and possibly cause problems. I will send a group of griffons only, perhaps disguised as merchants, to discreetly make inquiries.”

“You make a good point. Very well, I approve. Make your plans and report back to me when you have some results.”

“As you command, Your Majesty. I bid you good day.”

Path hastened back to his castle to summon Warfist and the rest of the House leaders. It was time to prove themselves, and he was determined that their House would not be found lacking.

# # #

It had taken a day to plan their course of action, gather their team, and make the necessary preparations. Roseclaw and Free Agent were the co-leaders of the expedition, with a select group of Warfist's best warrior-scholars coming along as both protection and as cover for their operation. Each student had other skills that could be put to use in their guise as travelling merchants, but they were also instructed to keep their ears and eyes open for any scrap of information. An older hen among the students was the daughter of a very successful merchant, and she was put in charge of any negotiations needed to keep up their guise. She was made third in command after Free and Roseclaw. The only non-House members were the two envoys from the stricken villages.

Twilight supplied Free with one of her communicators with instructions to report in at least once a day when they made camp.

“Notice the improvements that I’ve made,” she said, pointing them out as she talked. This unit is designed to sit firmly on your head, with an earpiece and a mouthpiece. This uses separate crystals for talking and hearing, so you no longer have to shift it back and forth between your mouth and ear.”

“That’s very convenient, and a lot more practical if I’m trying to use it in the middle of a fight,” Free said.

“Only one person can use it at a time though, unlike the old units,” Roseclaw pointed out.

“You’re right, but I’m already working on that. I’m going to start off with much larger crystals that I can split into multiple units, so that many people can communicate simultaneously. I can see whole squads being linked like this in the future.”

“You’re going to revolutionize both communications and battle, Twi,” Free pointed out.

“I could do without the latter,” Twilight replied glumly, “but I am enough of a realist to know that it can’t be avoided. Right now though, I’m most concerned about keeping tabs on you.” She gave Free a heartfelt hug.

Free was touched. “Don’t worry, Twi – it’s only a scouting trip, after all. We’ll be fine. I’ll miss you though.”

“No more than I’ll miss you. Safe journey, Free.”

“Love ya, Sparkles.”

Path made his own farewells to Roseclaw. “Remember that this is just a reconnaissance and try to stay out of trouble. I don’t want anything happening to our unborn child.”

“You worry too much,” she replied as she hugged him. “But I’m glad you do. We’ll both be back before you know it, my warrior.”

The scouting party departed with two carts laden with trading goods, each pulled by a pair of griffons who would be relieved by another pair at regular intervals. They had debated taking along some ponies to help with that task, and they had no shortage of volunteers among the students, but they had decided not to for the same reason that Path remained behind. They could not be certain that the outlying villages were aware of the pony slaves, and did not want to draw any unwanted attention. Therefore it was an all-griffon team that left with a great deal of optimism for their House’s very first official operation.

# # #

It was expected that it would take nearly four days for the reconnaissance team to reach the affected villages at typical cart speed. Free called each evening to report that there wasn’t anything to report. Everything was proceeding smoothly.

On the second night’s stop, Free told Twilight, “My insomnia is gone. I burned a lot of energy doing a stint of cart-pulling on the first day, and I didn’t have you around to recharge me.”

“I wish I could send you some love over these Talkie Trotties, Free, but I haven’t figured out how to do that yet.”

“It’s okay, Twi – it’s the thought that counts.”

“Don’t overdo the physical work – you can’t get your energy from food after all.”

“I know, Twi. Besides, Rose let me snuggle up to her last night to feed on her ambient love. She misses Path a lot.”

“I’ll tell Path that later. Sleep well, darling.”

“I’ll dream of you tonight, Sparkles.”

# # #

On the evening of the third day as they started setting up camp, Free was rummaging around in a locker with growing concern.

“Hey, Rose! Have you got the communicator?”

The griffon hen frowned and shook her head. “No. I haven’t touched it since you reported in last night.”

“I swear that I put it away in this locker, but I can’t find it.”

“You didn’t put it down somewhere intending to put it away, and then forgot?”

“I can’t have! Surely not! Sweet Celestia – Twilight’s gonna kill me if I’ve lost it!”

Roseclaw sighed. “I’ll help you look for it.”

Despite a most thorough search though, they were unable to find the missing communicator.

Free slumped onto his bedroll and stared morosely at nothing. “What in Tartarus could have happened to it?” he asked for the umpteenth time.

Roseclaw was beginning to get irritated with Free’s constant unanswerable questions. “Look – it’s obviously not here, so we had to have lost it at the last campsite. We’ll check it out on the way back.”

“Shouldn’t we go back for it then?”

“We’ll lose two whole days if we do, and we should be getting to the first village tomorrow before noon, so why don’t we send back a couple of our team to search for it while we proceed? They can travel a lot faster without waiting for the carts, and can probably join up with us again by tomorrow evening. That way we can get our work done and hopefully only miss out on checking for one night.”

“Maybe we should go look for it while the others head for the village?”

Roseclaw shook her head emphatically. “No. We’re the team leaders and don’t have the luxury of doing that. We’re the ones doing the investigating, not the student-warriors. Besides, as a leader, you need to delegate responsibility, so choose the best griffs for the job and send them.”

Free nodded in resignation. “You’re right, Rose. I’ll go pick a couple of our fastest flyers to let them know that they will need to make an early start tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll be able to find it quickly and pass on a message for us.” He got up and headed off to do that.

Roseclaw smiled in satisfaction. She liked her House mate, but he needed more seasoning as a leader, and she was determined that she would build those skills in him. Path might be the Lord of the House, but she, Twilight, and Free were his lieutenants, and they all had to be prepared to be able to act appropriately in his stead. Who knew what the future would bring?

# # #

“Why haven’t they called in?” Twilight asked worriedly.

Path had no answer for that, just as he had not for the last eight times that she had asked that question. They had bandied about the possibilities – equipment failure, destruction, or loss were the popular answers. The possibility that something had happened to the team was considered of course, but they fervently hoped that that was not the case. “If we don’t get a response soon, I’m going to get in contact with Queen Aquila and ask if they can use their network to find out what’s happening.”

“Good idea. In fact, I’ll do that myself.” Twilight hastened out of Path’s office.

Path watched her go, amazed as always at the depth of love that the alicorn had for his soul brother. He realized long ago that she was more emotionally fragile than the rest of them, and he prayed that nothing had happened to Free. As much as Path loved Roseclaw, it was the changeling griffon who was the emotional heart of the House, and his loss would be a devastating blow.

# # #

“Thank you for the audience, Queen Aquila.”

“How can I be of service, Princess Twilight?”

“We have lost contact with our scouting team, headed by Free Agent and Lady Roseclaw. I was hoping that you could use your network to locate them and ascertain what has gone wrong.”

“That is possible. Where are they headed, and where do you expect that they should be?”

Twilight had brought along a map for that purpose, and she unfurled it with her magic and held it up in front of the changeling queen. “These are the villages that the team is heading for, and this is the route that they have been taking to get there,” she said as she indicated the places with a pointer. “This is the location of the campsite from which they reported last night, and here’s the point where we estimate that they would make camp tonight.”

“I see. I believe I can get drones to investigate that area for you. Why were they going to those villages?”

“The team is supposed to gather intelligence on the centaur raids there, with a view to working out a way of dealing with them in future.”

Aquila looked at Twilight curiously. “What centaur raids?”

Twilight frowned. “The raids that were reported to King Glimfeather several days ago. He charged our House to investigate them.”

“Twilight Sparkle, there have been no raids recently on those villages.”

Twilight’s blood ran cold. “Are you sure?”

“I have Harvesters in place in both those villages. If a raid had happened, I would have been informed.”

Now Twilight started panicking a little. “Your Majesty, I must get back to my House immediately. Please send out your drones and let me know as soon as possible if you discover anything.”

“It shall be done.”

Without further ado, Twilight focused her magic and teleported out of the hive, considering it worth expending that much energy to make the long trip back home.

# # #

“I smell a trap,” Warfist concluded.

“But by whom and why?” Path asked.

“Irrelevant at this point until we get more information to act upon. The important thing is to get support to the team, or at least a warning if it isn’t too late.”

“I’ve already sent out our fastest flyer in addition to Queen Aquila’s drones. How soon can you put together another team to go after them.”

“Mere minutes. This is supposed to be our House’s forté, and I have made preparations with that in mind. Supplies are pre-packed, and our members trained for fast response. I have already formed a squad of our older warrior-scholars who are ready for action at a moment’s notice.”

“Excellent. Get them under way immediately. Send a communicator with them. Let me know if you require anything else.”

Warfist nodded curtly, bounded to the window, and then flew quickly into the night on his task.

“Let’s hope that we aren’t too late already,” Path said worriedly. “If only we had another way of warning them.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Twilight. “Perhaps we do. After all, we do have another member of the House with special talents….”

# # #

Twilight continued to scold Free for his carelessness at losing the communicator, but he did not mind. He was happy to be back in touch with her, and even happier that she was with him. He did not know how she had gotten here, nor why she seemed to be light on ambient love, but after three days without her, he was happy just to have her here with him.

“Free Agent, I would have words with thee,” came a regal voice from his side.

Free looked around to spot Princess Luna trotting out of the mist that filled his vision. “Hi, Luna. Looking good there!”

The alicorn paused to look back at herself, snorting in amusement at seeing her leathermare outfit. She turned back to Free and said, “This is thy dreamscape, and thy thoughts influence what thou dost see.” She looked askance for a moment before adding softly, “Although I do quite like this raiment. Such apparel doth suit me.”

“Dreamscape, hey? Then why is Twilight here?” he started asking, only to realize that she had disappeared.

“That Twilight was merely a dream creation. No matter, I am here to warn thee.”

“A dream warning me about something – yeah, sure!”

Luna drew herself up sternly. “Free Agent, I am Princess of the Night, and Guardian of the Dream World. I defend the helpless against nightmares and provide guidance to my little ponies. Tonight though, I have walked into your dreamscape to bring you a message from Princess Twilight, and I am glad that I seem to be in time to warn thee. The raids upon the villages appear to be a ruse, and we believe that you walk into a trap.”

Free propped his head up on his fist and said drolly, “Yeah, like I can believe what a dream pony tells me. Tell me something that I don’t know.”

Luna scowled. “Twilight visited Queen Aquila to ask her aid in finding out what happened to your team. Aquila informed her that there have been no raids. You have been lured under false pretenses.”

That made Free sit up and take notice. He had never taken that into consideration. “So, you really are Luna talking to me in my dream?”

“Aye. At last thou dost see the truth. Aid has been sent, but might not arrive in time to help. Wake now and prepare yourselves!” Luna’s horn flared, and the dreamscape disappeared.

Free sat up with a gasp. Roseclaw was softly snoring by his side still, so he roughly shook her awake.

“What the hell, Free?” Roseclaw grumbled sleepily.

“We’re in danger, Rose. Luna sent me a warning – no, don’t question it. The disappearance of the communicator was not an accident, and we have walked into a trap. We could be set upon at any moment. Get up, and help me warn the rest of the team. Oh, and watch out for those two village guides – they’re in on it, and probably are responsible for our missing communicator.”

Free did not wait for a response. He made his way out of their tent to wake the rest of the team who were not on watch. Roseclaw was a little skeptical of the news, but she did not hesitate to follow suit. She had heard the firm conviction and command in Free’s voice; that was exactly what she wanted of him in the first place, and she was not going to question those orders.

Free alerted the night watch first and then started waking the rest, worrying that at any moment they would be attacked. If he was the enemy, he would be waiting for the night watch to grow weary before changing shifts, and they were at their most vulnerable, but that did not mean that the attack would not happen sooner. Were they watching even now, moving up their plans because of him? Whatever the case, he and Roseclaw managed to wake everyone, and unsurprisingly their two guides were nowhere to be found. The warriors almost had time to prepare themselves before the enemy struck.

It was immediately obvious that the attacking forces were not professional soldiers, but what they lacked in skill, they made up for in numbers. Free and Roseclaw’s besieged team managed to form a solid defense in time though, and their superior skills were enabling them to hold up against the attackers coming from all directions, including from above. However, slowly the enemy started taking its toll as first one, then another of the warriors fell.

Free screamed in fury, and used his shape-changing power to make himself far bigger and more dangerous. Unlike an ordinary changeling drone, he had the mass of a queen to back up his new form, just as he had in the attack on the Crystal Empire, and he put it to good use as he dived into the thick of battle. Enemy griffins started falling at a great pace, but they kept coming.

Roseclaw realized that their foe was not merely intending to defeat them, but to obliterate them with overwhelming force. There could only be one clear winner in this conflict, and only if the House Path warriors’ superior training and Free’s surprise secret abilities were enough would they be the ones walking away the victors. Knowing the source of Free’s power, she stayed close by his side. She might not love him like her mate or Twilight did, but she cared for him deeply as one of her family, and she would gladly give him what strength that he could derive from that positive emotion.

It was not going to be enough. They were being beaten back, and if the fight went on like this for much longer, they would soon lose. Free’s anger grew as yet another warrior fell, but he was already fighting to his utmost. Suddenly, several dark figures joined the fray, diving into the midst of the enemy. Then more joined them in a second wave, and then a third wave took up places alongside the defenders. Free quickly recognized the black-feathered and furred griffons as changeling soldiers from Aquila’s hive, and they fought with the ferocity of those obeying the orders of their queen without fear or hesitation.

The tide of battle quickly turned, and the enemy griffins abruptly retreated into the darkness. While the House warriors stood their ground, ready to resume their defense, the changelings took off in pursuit.

“Bring back prisoners to question!” Free screamed after them before turning to assess the situation.

Five warriors had fallen. Three were dead, one was critically injured, but the other only incapacitated. Fortunately the medic on their team was one of the uninjured, and he was already working feverishly to try to save the life of his comrade.

Free’s magic flared as he resumed his normal form, witnessed by the rest of the warriors. Free did not try to hide the fact at all. “Yes, I’m a shape-changer. If that’s a problem for any of you, talk to Lord Path later. Meanwhile, I’m still in charge along with Lady Roseclaw. Put our fallen warriors into the carts. We will take them home for an honorable funeral. Everygriff else – half of you stand watch while the others clear up the campsite. I’m expecting more reinforcements later, but until they arrive, we won’t be resting. We’ll sleep then.”

The warriors set to their task, and Free sighed wearily. Roseclaw joined him, looking a bit worse for wear. Some feathers were broken or missing, and there were nasty claw-marks marking her leonine flank that were weeping blood still. “Hey, Rose – want me to attend to that for you?”

“It can wait,” she replied. “The medic needs all the supplies that he can get hold of right now. The cuts look worse than they really are.”

“Bullshit!” Free said with a snort. “Stay still for a moment.” He shape-shifted into unicorn form, and lowered his horn to her cuts. A gentle glow of magic bathed her wound, and the blood stopped flowing. He then shifted back to his normal griffon form again. “A little trick Twilight taught me after my last battle. It stops the loss of blood in all but the worst of wounds. You’ll still need to have it cleaned up and bandaged by the medic, but you shouldn’t suffer from blood loss at least.”

“Thank you. I’m very impressed with the way you handled things tonight. I think you have earned a place in the warrior caste.”

“Great! I’ll add that to my caste cape and show it to the families of our dead warriors. I’m sure they’ll be impressed,” he said with voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Nogriff not born into the caste ever joins it without paying a price. You have paid that price, Free, and now you must live up to it. We are warrior-scholars, and that’s what we do.”

Free considered her words and gave her a crooked smile. “I suppose I chose this route, so I can’t complain too much.” He was interrupted by some of the changelings returning with captives. “Now though, let’s get some answers,” he said grimly.

# # #

King Glimfeather slumped in his chair, deeply unhappy. He had just come into his office after making his pronouncements at his court.

“It is done,” he told those waiting for him.

“Are you sure that a death sentence was necessary?” Twilight asked.

“I regret, Princess, that the law allows only one recourse. My nephew, Ravenwing, and Razorbeak clearly conspired with the disaffected nobles to bring great harm to your House, and in doing so, acted directly against a royal command as well acting in an enormously dishonorable and treasonous manner. Either would bring harsh punishments, but together they command the ultimate penalty.”

“Did you ever find out which nobles conspired with them?” Path asked.

“To their credit, they did not betray their conspirators. It would not have been enough to save them, but they at least regained a small measure of honor. However, now the dissenting nobles know that they are being watched, and they have lost a lot of support because of this incident. Conversely, your House has gained much more status because of it. I suspect that some other noble Houses will seek to ally themselves with yours.”

“Three lives were too much to pay for that status, Your Majesty.”

“One life is too much to pay in circumstances such as these,” Glimfeather agreed. “So, the badly wounded one will survive then?”

“She has lost a leg, and she’s still in bad condition, but the Healer has declared that she should recover.”

“Some good news, at least. I hope that the next time that I call upon your services, we do not have a repeat of these circumstances.”

“Amen to that,” Free murmured.

“Your role in this incident is greatly appreciated, Lord Free,” the king said seriously.

“Don’t call me that. I’m Free – just… Free.” He got up and left the chamber.

Twilight excused herself and hastened after him.

“Please excuse, Free, Your Majesty,” Path said. “It hit him rather hard.”

“I understand. It’s difficult to be both an artist and a warrior. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a nephew’s funeral to arrange.”

Path and Roseclaw got up and bowed. “Good day to you, sire,” Path said.

# # #

For a while after the incident, Free tended to bury himself in work, tiring himself out so much that by the end of the day, he fell asleep in Twilight’s arms. However, a being who subsisted on the energy of love and other positive emotions could hardly stay down forever. The Friday night social came around and Free was swept up in the boisterous spirit of the evening. That night, he and Twilight made love with renewed passion.

One concern of Free’s had been the revelation of his shape-changing nature to the squad, but they all chose to keep his secret. To his surprise, several specifically requested to be considered for inclusion in any future squads led by him. Free felt ridiculously proud of that, and it certainly helped balance out the negatives of the experience.

Long Path, on the other hoof, became a bit more worried about his mate. “No more assignments for you until you give birth!” he ordered.

Roseclaw merely gave him a defiant stare. “I’m not a delicate flower – I’m a griffon warrior. The chick wasn’t harmed despite me fighting.”

“This time.” Path’s tone softened. “I worry for both of you.”

“I know, love, but I’ll also know when to start taking it easy.”

Path sighed. “Wish I did.”

Roseclaw did compromise a little by not undertaking the more stressful activities, and gradually Path stopped worrying so much.

# # #

It was family time, and everyone was in the large room that had been converted to a common living room for them all. Path was lying on a rug next to the fireplace, with Streak next to him. The colt was reading out loud from a book on the floor between them. It was a school reader written in Equish, and Streak was practicing his ever-increasing skills with the language with the occasional gentle corrections from Path. The colt was not that keen to learn, but he loved to do just about anything with his foster father, and the stallion was always indulgent of his adopted son.

Free was sitting on the sofa, propped up in one corner, strumming on his lute as he worked on composing a new song. Occasionally he would make a note on the sheaf of papers on the coffee table next to the sofa, and then try something else.

Twilight was also on the sofa, leaning up against Free’s shoulder while she read a weighty tome held up by her magic. It was a little awkward for Free, but he had no intention of asking her to move, and Twilight was perfectly content where she was.

Roseclaw was sprawled in an oversized easy chair, trying to make herself comfortable despite her greatly swollen belly. Snow Wing entered the room, pushing a small trolley laden with food which she brought to Roseclaw who promptly pounced on it in delight.

“Thanks, Snow – you’re the best!”

Twilight’s nostrils flared as she sniffed the odor of the food. “More bacon-wrapped pickles?” she queried.

“Yush,” Roseclaw replied with her beak half full. She swallowed and continued. “Can’t get enough of them since Snow introduced me to them.”

Twilight cocked a questioning eyebrow at Roseclaw’s assistant who shrugged. “They satisfied my cravings when I was pregnant. I figured that Lady Roseclaw might enjoy them also.”

“Pardon me if I find them rather revolting.”

“Just wait until you’re pregnant, ma’am. You might feel differently then.”

“I’m not in a hurry to find out, thank you!”

The others laughed at Twilight’s vehemence. Free added, “Don’t worry, Twi – when that time comes, I’ll feed you nothing but smoked salmon and ice cream.”

Twilight punched him in the shoulder, but he just laughed again.

Suddenly Roseclaw squawked, and everyone looked her way. Her eyes were wide open, beak agape, and she had dropped her bacon-wrapped pickle.

“Is something wrong, Rose?” Path asked with concern.

Roseclaw turned to her mate. “Wrong? That depends – I think I’m going into labor.”

“Shall I call the midwife?” Snow Wing asked.

Roseclaw nodded. “Please do. Even if it’s just a false alarm, I’d rather be sure.”

The griffoness nodded and hastened out.

“Perhaps we should take you to the infirmary?” Path suggested.

“I’m not sick – I’m giving birth!” she snapped.

“Oh, right. How about our bedroom?”

“Better. Let’s go.”

“Do you need help?” Path asked as she started to waddle out of the room.

“I got here under my own power – I think I can make it there by myself,” she replied irritably.

She did so, only stopping to squawk once again as another contraction hit. She made it to the room without an incident though. Snow Wing soon arrived with the midwife in tow, guided to the room by Twilight who had followed along. Free came with her, and Streak also.

Path looked at his foster son with a little concern. “Perhaps you should head to your room now, Streak.”

“Aw! But I want to watch Mama Rose give birth.”

“I don’t know if you’re ready for that,” Path replied, wondering if he was ready for it. “Besides, Mama Rose might not want you watching.”

“But I watched Miss Willow deliver her foal!” Streak objected.

“Oh, let him watch!” Roseclaw said with some exasperation. “He’ll probably *squawk*… he’ll probably fall asleep before I deliver anyway.”

So the whole family stood around while Roseclaw labored. Streak did not go to sleep, but that was mainly due to Roseclaw delivering fairly quickly.

Path observed the softly steaming form in front of him. “Is this normal?” he asked.

The object was a soft egg sac, and he could see signs of movement within.

“Completely normal,” the midwife assured him. “The egg sac protects the mother from the chick’s beak and claws during the delivery. Now watch as your child breaks free.”

As they waited, there was a sudden bulge in the egg sac as something pushed it from within. A claw tip appeared, and slowly it ripped the sac open until suddenly the chick within spilled out and started cheeping. The midwife picked it up and cleaned it off before wrapping it in a baby blanket to hand to her mother. However, they all got a good look at the chick before then.

“Congratulations, darling,” Path said, leaning over his mate to kiss her. “You’re the mother of a beautiful girl hippogriff.”

“And you’re her proud father,” she responded with a contented smile.

“Have you thought of a name for her yet?”

“Lucida. Lucida Path.”

“Lucida? That’s Old Equish for ‘bright’.” Path considered it and then smiled. “I like it!”

“What would have happened if Lucy hadn’t been able to break through the egg sac?” Free asked the midwife.

“A chick must prove itself strong enough to survive by breaking open its egg sac. If it doesn’t, then it will die,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“That’s rough.”

“That’s the griffon way.”

“No, that’s the Griffonian way. I think that there should be a chance at life for all, even the weak.”

“Well said, Free,” Path said. Then he cocked a querying eyebrow at him. “By the way – Lucy? Minutes old, and you’re already nicknaming her?”

Free merely gave him his most mischievous grin, and the earth pony sighed in resignation.

---

With Snow Wing there to help as nanny for Lucida, Roseclaw was able to go back to work almost full-time. She had definitely been needed as the House was a victim of its own success, and it took everyone’s full efforts to cope even while they were still trying to put new facilities into place. Therefore it was an extra strain when Twilight had to make one of her trips back to Equestria to fulfill her royal duties and maintain her friendships back there. Free invariably accompanied her, neither wishing to be apart from the other for more than a space of a few hours. The trip between the continents never grew shorter, so many days were lost to that each time.

That was about to change. Path and Roseclaw got the word from Twilight one Thursday afternoon that she and Free were about to depart Canterlot as usual. She finished the call with the instruction: “Start the timer!” The next day about ten in the morning, the House experienced a new sound as a brand new airship sped in from the west and headed down towards the mooring pad that had been built in anticipation for it.

Virtually everyone from the House, the king’s retinue, and several neighboring griffs, all came out to watch the sleek state-of-the-art airship’s arrival. It was truly a magnificent sight – streamlined and graceful, gleaming with lightweight aluminum alloys manufactured in Equestria, super-strong changeling-made composite materials, driven by advanced vectored thaumic turbofans of griffon design, and powered by high-capacitance crystal mana generators from the Crystal Empire. It had an almost biological look to it, as if it swam through the air like a fish through water. The huge airship settled to the pad and pegasi flew out from a launch platform on top of the canopy to secure mooring ropes to anchor points buried in the concrete. Then the peculiar whine of the engines died as the ship powered down from its trans-oceanic flight.

A hatch opened and Twilight flew out, with Free close behind. Spotting Path and Roseclaw, she arrowed over to them and alighted with excitement fairly thrumming through her.

“Time?” she asked eagerly.

Path looked at the timepiece that he had hanging around his neck. “Sixteen hours and twelve minutes.”

“Wahoo! Score one for inter-species cooperation! The Skyshark could never have been built without it. She’s the fastest ship in the skies by a huge factor.”

“It sure beats the days of travel on the Skylark, that’s for sure. So you’ve already named the new ship?”

“Of course!” Twilight replied.

Free added, “I had to remind her that the ship needed a dedication ceremony though. I provided the bubbly, but Twi came up with the name.”

“She’s so sleek and fast…” Twilight began.

“Not to mention dangerous,” Free interjected.

“… that naming her was obvious.”

“I’ll have to second that,” Path agreed.

Roseclaw said, “Exactly what do you mean by ‘dangerous’?”

“You can’t see it because everything is kept behind panels to keep it streamlined, but the ship is also heavily armed with weapons both magical and normal.”

“I hadn’t realized that you planned to arm it so heavily.”

“It was Luna’s suggestion actually. She pointed out that if our House intends to act as a defensive force, we need to be prepared to defend ourselves against just about anything, and ordinary defenses would not suffice. I admit that as Princess of Friendship, that grated on me, but I can’t deny the logic. At least because the armaments are concealed, she looks a lot less intimidating.”

Path grinned. “I think she looks exciting, not intimidating. When can I have a ride?”

“Immediately if you want, but let me introduce you to the captain first. Here he comes now.”

Path and Roseclaw weren’t the only ones to be surprised by the Skyshark’s captain as he flew out of the airship to join them. In fact it would be fair to say that everyone in view was stunned by the sight of a Red Changeling in full ceremonial uniform leading a mixture of ponies, griffons, and more undisguised changelings out to meet them.

Twilight gave him a welcoming smile and said, “Captain, let me introduce Lord Long Path and Lady Roseclaw of the House of Path. Rose, Path, this is Captain Kerbarok of the Equestrian Air Force on assignment to House Path.”

Kerbarok shook hooves with Path and Roseclaw. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Same here, Captain, but also very surprising. I would never have expected a changeling captaining our new airship. How did you get that honor?”

“Actually it’s not that surprising, sir. I was already serving as second-in-command on another airship, but I was doing so in disguise as a pegasus. However, when forming the crew for the Skyshark, Princess Twilight was adamant that it should consist of mixed species, including changelings. The princesses are aware of which members of the Royal Forces are changelings, and I was offered a promotion and command of the Skyshark on the condition that I do so in my natural form. Frankly I jumped at the opportunity, although I did request that my pony name be disassociated with my changeling name. It would have caused some awkward situations otherwise.”

“Quite understandable, Captain. I know that there’s still a long way to go before changelings are accepted universally. Sadly, Queen Chrysalis keeps causing setbacks to that goal. So, I presume that there are a lot more changelings among the crew?”

“Correct, sir. We have a fair balance between changelings, ponies, and griffons who were all selected not merely for their skills, but also for their ability to form friendships outside of their species. It is the intention of Princess Twilight, and indeed of all the Princesses, that the crew of the Skyshark be a shining example of interracial harmony.”

By now, what must have been virtually the entire crew had disembarked and formed up behind their captain. Kerbarok turned around to indicate them. “My Lord and My Lady, I present to you the crew of the Skyshark.”

As one, the entire crew saluted Path and Roseclaw.

Path was rather overwhelmed by the respectful display, but he managed to return the salute and say, “Welcome to all of you! We hope that you will join us for dinner tonight to celebrate the first journey of the Skyshark, and your service to our House.” He paused for a moment, then grinned. “Now who’s up for giving us a ride?”

A cheer went up and the crew hastened back to the airship.

“After you, my Lord,” Kerbarok said with a broad smile.

# # #

It might have been a normal Friday night social except for the addition of the Skyshark’s crew. Path had assigned some of the House staff to stand watch over the airship so that the entire crew could enjoy the event, and they were certainly taking advantage of it. After Twilight had specifically arranged for them to arrive on a Friday for them to be able to enjoy the event, it would have been a shame for any to miss it. Despite the education campaign about changelings, there had been some initial hesitation among a lot of the House members to start conversations with the weird-looking species, but the changelings were adept at breaking the ice, and soon it was as if they had always been part of the group for the most part. Typical of the emotion feeders, they very quickly started getting high on the amount of positive emotion in the air, and a lot more boisterous. As long as things did not get out of control though, Path had no intention of spoiling their enjoyment. Kerbarok seemed to be a lot more self-disciplined, and kept his crew under control.

Later that evening, Path noticed Proper Place looking despondent. He decided to investigate, and drew Proper aside for a quiet chat.

“Okay, Proper, with all the fun everyone is having, I’d expect you to be pretty chock full of energy right now, but you look as if somepony has stolen your favorite quill. Spit it out – what’s bugging you?”

Proper Place sighed. “I wish that’s all it was. With all these changelings here making such a good impression, I thought that it would be as good a time as ever to reveal to Raza that I’m one also.”

“You still hadn’t after all these months?” Path asked in some surprise.

Proper shrugged. “Things have been working so fine between us that I didn’t feel the need to push it. Maybe I should never have. Raza didn’t take it well.”

“Oh? I really didn’t think she’d react that way. Has she broken off the relationship with you then?”

“Actually she just ran off without saying anything, but I could taste her shock and dismay.”

Path considered that for a moment. “Don’t give up yet, Proper. There’s a big difference between having a changeling as a friend, and having one as a coltfriend. Perhaps the reason that it came as a big shock is precisely because she has strong feelings for you? Take it from a stallion that got blindsided by love – give her time to work it out. It should be worth the wait.”

Proper looked a little less disheartened. “Thank you, sir. I’ll try to be patient and hope for the best.”

“Good. Now I suggest that we rejoin the party, and you suck up those positive emotions a bit. No sense in letting them go to waste!”

Proper gave Path a crooked smile. “It doesn’t quite work like that, sir.”

Path chuckled. “I know, and stop calling me ‘sir’. Informal social night, remember?”

“Yes, Path, I remember. Going now. Eat happy feelings. Get blotto.”

Path arched an eyebrow at him questioningly.

“Just seeing if you were paying attention,” Proper replied with a genuine smile.

Path laughed and guided the changeling pony out to join the others.

# # #

Path was surprised to learn that the heads of Griffonian Houses were empowered to perform marriages. Of course Raza would know that, which is why she requested Path to do so for her and Proper Place. He then had to learn the procedure for performing a Griffonian style marriage because he and Roseclaw had never undergone one. It was not a requirement for a formal mating between nobility, and usually reserved for political unions and traditionalists. Raza was very much a by-the-book traditionalist and demanded a marriage. In fact the actual cause of her shock and dismay had been the realization that her carefully laid plans to get Proper to marry her by pony traditions were null and void because he was not actually a pony! Path had to laugh – she didn’t care that he was a changeling, but you could not upset her precious ultra-organized life!

---

Path lay on his back, balancing Lucida on his hooves. The young hippogriff was growing fast, and she had started testing her wings lately. As part of her play, he was giving her a feel of what flying would be like. Her flight magic had not kicked in yet though, for which Path was grateful; she was enough of a hoof-full as she was! Still, he hoped that he would be there when she made her first flight.

Twilight entered the living room and smiled at the sight of father and daughter bonding together. She then joined Free on their favorite sofa, snuggling up to him as he put a wing around her.

“What news from the Crystal Empire, Twi?” Free asked.

“Cadance says that there’s been a very big upsurge on the number of Blue Changeling gatherers that they’ve caught lately.”

“What? Just gatherers?” Roseclaw asked. “What about soldiers or even tunnelers? I know they wouldn’t need emotion harvesters that close to the border, but it seems strange that they’re only finding their food gatherers. What do you make of it, Free?”

Free shrugged. “We only need a small amount of food to replace mass in our bodies. Maybe a few vitamins too – I’m not a medic. Maybe the hive is running low after all this time in hiding, and they have to take the risk of getting caught?”

Without getting too distracted from his daughter, Path said, “I find it very strange that it has taken them well over a year since their first attempted invasion to start running low on food. Haven’t they been able to get any information out of the captives at all?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, they’re still suiciding as soon as they’re caught. They haven’t even been able to get a hint on the location of the hive because the changelings have been caught on every side of the barrier.”

“So we’re still stuck wondering what Chrysalis is up to,” Roseclaw concluded.

“I’m afraid so,” Twilight replied. “It’s just one long waiting game, it seems.”

Free said, “It’s not as if she can’t afford to try to wait us out. If the hive is close enough to the border, they have an unending energy supply courtesy of the Crystal Heart. It might be diffuse out there, but I remember from experience that I still had energy to spare each evening despite exerting myself.”

“So what’s she waiting for?” Path asked with exasperation.

“Something that takes a lot of time to complete?” Roseclaw suggested.

“Once again though, we have nothing to give us a clue,” Twilight began before she noticed Free stiffening up. “What’s wrong, Free?”

“Oh crap! I’m an idiot!” Free said with a look of horror.

Path put Lucida down and demanded, “What is it, Free? Spit it out!”

“She’s been buying time. She’s probably been doing so since she was expelled from Canterlot and had to regather her remaining changelings and eventually set up a new hive near the Crystal Empire.”

“But why? She already tried and failed to invade the empire,” Roseclaw pointed out.

“Plan B maybe? She saw an opportunity to invade sooner, and she almost pulled it off. However she’s probably always been thinking in the long term.”

Path was beginning to get annoyed because Free was dancing around the subject. “And what’s that long term goal?”

Free looked at him as if it should be obvious. “Think about it – unending energy supply means absolutely minimum exposure. We probably have caught only a fraction of the gatherers out there, so they’ve had plenty food so far. But now, several years after the invasion of Canterlot, there’s a big upsurge in the need for food. Why?”

“Free – Get. To. The. Point!” Path commanded.

“Chrysalis has been breeding an army! She’s had her breeders laying eggs at an insane rate for any hive, if it wasn’t for the endless supply of love energy. Stick them into hibernation as soon as they change out of nymph stage, and then work on the next batch. Repeat over and over. If you think that Canterlot’s shield didn’t last terribly long under the onslaught of several hundred changelings, the Empire’s barrier won’t stand a chance against thousands, or even tens of thousands of changelings hammering it all at once. And they will soon because they’re waking out of hibernation and they’re hungry!”

Path knew for the first time they had a theory that made sense, and he also realized that Free had gotten it right from the very beginning. “Oh, crap!”

A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention, but all he saw when he turned his head was a vaguely pony-shaped shadow. Who was casting it though? He looked around, but all he saw was Lucida waving at something. Turning back, he saw the shadow seem to respond, then blend back into the flickering light of the fire. Despite the warmth of the room, Path’s blood ran cold.

# # # # # # # # # #

Author's Note:

Well, I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long. My trip to the States was great, but although I did find a bit of time to write while travelling, most of it was still done when I got home again.

The climax is starting next chapter. Give me time to get it right.

For the first time, we have a couple of new artists besides Foxenawolf who drew Lucida. Path in his artificial wings was drawn by Cybercat and colored by Ralloonx. Path playing with Lucida was a convention sketch drawn by Kacey Miyagami.
The concept designs for the Skyshark were done by Baron Engel who you can find on DA at http://baron-engel.deviantart.com/ and FA at http://www.furaffinity.net/user/baroncoon/
Baron also does great pony art and general furry art besides ships and weapons. Please support his Patreon account so that he can produce more great art!

Comments

[BronyofMeddlers]

Well....Here comes the shitstorm.

[Coranth]

Dat li'l Hippogryff... HHHHNNNNNGGGH!

Also this

Path shot up into the air, ricocheted off the ceiling, crashed through some equipment, bounced off a wall, bounced off the opposite wall, barely missed ploughing into Twilight, skipped off the floor and smashed through a window to the outside.

reminded me of the scene in Iron Man where Tony tests his flight boots for the first time...

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

so they have a changeling spy around. I wonder if CHryssy now knows what Free actually is?

hopefully Chryssy's reign ends soon..

[Aerin Silverfeather]

This griffon must have been raised by ponies, it's quite a strange name indeed

[Aguion12 - GotA]

Shit will hit the fan in 3... 2... 1...

[djthomp]

A new changeling hive, one with a specialization in medicine? Neat. Definitely sounds like one to make contact with.

Did they just turn Path into Iron Man Pony?

Yeah, figures that the gryphon nobles were still up to no good with those raid reports. Good riddance to Ravenwing and Razorback.

The object was a soft egg sac, and he could see signs of movement within.
“Completely normal,” the midwife assured him. “The egg sac protects the mother from the chick’s beak and claws during the delivery. Now watch as your child breaks free.”

Interesting compromise between a live birth on account of the lion bits and an egg on account of the bird bits.

Neat airship.

What the heck is going on with that animate shadow at the end?

[eL VeeJay]

Great chapter. I like the whole magical powered armor idea.

Hm...the airship made me think of this picture as being the future of the superpower of Equestria...
http://baron-engel.deviantart.com/art/RoanCover-Final-539820000

Good final solution to the question of how griffs are born.

[fractalman]

6277791 HHHHHHNNNGGG indeed!

[Cavenerd20]

Wow. Can't wait for chapter 17. It'll be a hot one, I know it.

[EquesTRON]

Spotted a few typos:

Now that I will have armor to protect me from beaks and talons, I can really use those methods to best affect.

Should be "effect", I think.

And you might want to take another pass through the dialogue — there's quite a few places where the closing ” mark is missing.

Also, one thing that seemed a bit odd:

Queen Aquila was not yet ready to have her changelings go into griffon society undisguised, even if it was purely within the grounds of the House.

However, Aquila did concede that it was time to start educating Griffonia about changelings since their secret existence had been irreversibly exposed. For this purpose, two more Harvesters who would not be part of the House, were assigned to give classes on the nature of their species, what they did for society, and of course their ability to disguise themselves.

Unless I missed something, the one seems to directly contradict the other. She doesn't want her changelings going undisguised, even if only within the grounds of the House, and yet two of her changelings are going undisguised as instructors within the House? (And as a side note, if they're not House members, then under what pretext are they teaching classes?) It feels as if there's a chunk of explanation missing here...

[EquesTRON]

6279958
Actually, no -- "its", without the apostrophe, is the correct form for the possessive pronoun. "It's", with the apostrophe, is the contraction of "it is." Goldfur got it right.

[Goldfur]

6280300

Should be "effect", I think.

Oddly enough, no, but I think I'm being a tad too clever with my words, so I think I'll rephrase it.

And you might want to take another pass through the dialogue — there's quite a few places where the closing ” mark is missing.

Missing... somewhere. That's not very helpful.
I'll find them eventually.

Unless I missed something, the one seems to directly contradict the other. She doesn't want her changelings going undisguised, even if only within the grounds of the House, and yet two of her changelings are going undisguised as instructors within the House? (And as a side note, if they're not House members, then under what pretext are they teaching classes?) It feels as if there's a chunk of explanation missing here...

You're right - it is a bit unclear. The ones that join the House stay incognito. The others can be considered visiting lecturers, only there specifically for a few classes. I'll rewrite that bit.

[Goldfur]

6278964 Actually that picture prompted me to ask Baron to draw the Skyshark, and he has agreed. It might take a while before it's ready, but I reckon it'll be awesome!

[RainCrasher]

Oh damn... That is not good. A good chapter though and the little baby hippogriff is freaking adorable!

[XanderK31]

Another great chapter, sir! I'm loving the armor tech.

[tsaukpaetra]

I have only one word: Crystalssssssssss.....
Keep going! ;)

[eL VeeJay]

6280590 Yesssss
The Baron makes such cool pictures.

I wonder, then if Equestria are going to start behaving like a true superpower, then. That is, arrogant, brutish, a bunch of know-it-alls who like to tell other nations how they should behave...

It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison of batponies here...pray I do not alter our deal any further....

[EquesTRON]

6280576

Should be "effect", I think.

Oddly enough, no, but I think I'm being a tad too clever with my words, so I think I'll rephrase it.

Well... the thing is, "affect" is a verb, so when it's sitting in that preposition ("to best affect") at the end of the sentence like that, it kind of sticks out as a verb with no object to act upon. "To best affect"... what?

I suppose it could be argued that the object is implied by the rest of the sentence (to best affect griffons, or adversaries in general) — but it still kind of reads as "nouning the verb" (the reverse of "verbing the noun"), which offends the Grammar Nazi in me.

Missing... somewhere. That's not very helpful.

Ask and ye shall receive...

“This is Slick. Miss Fluttershy gave him to me." Path leaned down until he was nose to nose with Slick and they regarded each other.

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Well, I’ll use the intervening time to catch up on what has been happening in our absence."

Conversation died away and the major domo announced, “Would all present please maintain respectful silence while Lord Path addresses you."

Warfist replied, “I will wish to know more about how you changelings will affect our House, but at this time I have no objection to you joining, given the confidence in you that Free Agent and Lady Twilight have expressed."

Free added, “Don’t worry, Twi – when that time comes, I’ll feed you nothing but smoked salmon and ice cream."

This one, on the other hand, has too many closing quote marks at the end...

“Shouldn’t we go back for it then?”"

This one is missing an opening quote mark:

“Notice the improvements that I’ve made,” she said, pointing them out as she talked. “This unit is designed to sit firmly on your head, with an earpiece and a mouthpiece. This uses separate crystals for talking and hearing, so you no longer have to shift it back and forth between your mouth and ear.”

And this sentence really ought to have a comma:

Twilight cocked a questioning eyebrow at Roseclaw’s assistant, who shrugged.

[Goldfur]

6284373

Well... the thing is, "affect" is a verb, so when it's sitting in that preposition ("to best affect") at the end of the sentence like that, it kind of sticks out as a verb with no object to act upon. "To best affect"... what?

Like I said - I was being too clever with my words. "Affect" is normally a verb, but can be a noun in specific circumstances. In this case, the sentence: I can really use those methods to best affect means I can really use those methods to achieve the best results. Nobody uses that phrasing anymore though; like so many things in the language, it's fading into oblivion.

Thanks for the missing quote mark list!

[theFlancy Mernin]

@ the Twi and Free part:

http://media0.giphy.com/media/mcMmhZeIPqyiY/200w.gifShare Gif: http://media0.giphy.com/media/mcMmhZeIPqyiY/200w.gif

Also, yesss! I guessed right, Lucy is a hippogriff!

[pahnazd]

Whoo, long chapter! Took me far longer than it normally would due to being at work. Ugh, nagging unimportant things which keep interrupting a good read, amirite?

So many things happened in this chapter that it's difficult to comment on them all without writing a long message. But the chapter was really enjoyable, as the rest of the chapters were. Amazing job on that

Well, it seems that it will be on house Path to pull together all available allies and end Chrysalis once and for all. That... well, it won't be pretty, but it probably will be a pretty epic showdown. And knowing your writing, it most certainly be very epic.

No pressure

[EquesTRON]

6284832
Hm... that must be a Brit- or Aussie-ism, then, because I can't recall ever having seen it used in that particular context, and neither the American Heritage, Funk & Wagnall's, or New Webster's dictionaries here on my desk have any entry for "affect" as a noun... (Merriam-Webster's online dictionary lists it, but solely in the context of psychology and emotion, i.e. "There's a good plot and good writing here, but Mallory's gender neutrality, conspicuous in her lack of affect, makes her seem like a comic-book character." Which is a usage of "affect" as a noun that I have seen, but it's definitely not common. And naturally, just to further confuse the issue, their own explanation-of-usage paragraph contains a typo where they swapped affect and effect while trying to explain how one is often confused for the other. Yay for web pages written by interns who rely on spellcheck... )

[JodiePonyPuddinAndPie]

I like how the tension is building in this update! However I did feel like it was a little rushed, or perhaps that so much was happening that it was getting difficult to estimate how much time has passed so it felt like it was all happening at once.

The only big issue I have is that Path didn't take any action to protect the intelligent deer population when he got back. Considering how emotional he was about that deer being killed it's odd that we don't see him taking action, or at least planning on action.

[Salen]

6277791 "I am the Iron Pony!"

Needed Free there to hold a fire extinguisher and douse Path in fire-foam. Then it would have been complete. Hehe. Also... HNNRRRRRGGGG! Weaponized cute!

[Goldfur]

6286205 You do have a point about the deer. I had intended to mention that, and in fact have Path approach them to see if he could interest any in joining the House. It slipped my mind though. I'll see if I can work it in later.

[Goldfur]

6286283

Needed Free there to hold a fire extinguisher and douse Path in fire-foam. Then it would have been complete.

Now why didn't I think of that?

[chavis54]

GOD FUCKIN DAMNIT
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
GODDAMN CHRYSALIS
AND HER MAD MIND
HIJA DE SU PUTA MADRE

[Salen]

6289248 Eh, there's always next time. Also, I could totally see Free with a fire extinguisher though. It's so pretty in my mind's eye.

[Alcatraz]

Good chapter as always, but I feel like the sheer amount of scene/page breaks makes the chapter feel rather choppy and difficult to read, as well as some erroneously placed breaks. I found myself going back on several paragraphs trying to figure out what happened.

I think it would be easier to read if you released shorter chapters, which would give you more room to expand on some scene transitions. A 16k word chapter like this takes me between an hour to two hours to get through, and with the chapters the way they are currently, becomes a bit of a chore to slog through. If the last chapter took place over three months, how long of a time frame was this one?

I don't know who your editor(s) or proofreader(s) are, but they have a tendancy to over look some opening quotation marks and minor things like that.

At the end of the day, all of the above don't take away from the story, but it's something to consider.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Coranth]

6289248 Edit it in! Edit it in!

[dawn seeker]

those pictures of lucy...just thinking about....hrrrng i'm going down.....too....much.....cuteness......

[PoisonClaw]

I would like to like to offer my medical services to your House.”

You wrote "like to" twice.

Path asked as [...] pegasus changeling was

Missing a "the" in there

Frequent problems had had to solved to get Path’s special armor up to speed

]
Missing a "be". Personally, I think "had needed to be solved" sounds better.

[Goldfur]

6311899 All fixed, thanks!

[Emperor]

The chapter probably would have worked better split in two. The first half is really slow-burning slice of life that only slightly nudges the plot along. You could probably have started the second chapter right at the point where they're being sent out on an expedition to the two villages, which is where things move along at a far quicker rate, between the trap and battle, Lucida's birth, the arrival of the Skyshark and then Free Agent deducing Chrysalis' possible plan.

Saying that, fun chapter to read. I'm assuming one or two more chapters left to wrap this story up?

[Goldfur]

6339913 You make a fair point, although some people prefer the longer chapters. When I'm done with the story, I might have a look at that again.

There are at least two chapters, and probably an epilogue to go. A lot is happening next!

[blisterbeetle01]

whats up with this scene right here? I have read the entire story from start to finish, but i noticed that you never elaborated or came back to this little curiosity, whats happening here? who is the mysterious shadow supposed to be? whats the point of mentioning it in the story if you were never going to elaborate on it? did i miss something in my reading, or did you leave it out intentionally? could you please explain it to us?

"A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention, but all he saw when he turned his head was a vaguely pony-shaped shadow. Who was casting it though? He looked around, but all he saw was Lucida waving at something. Turning back, he saw the shadow seem to respond, then blend back into the flickering light of the fire. Despite the warmth of the room, Path’s blood ran cold."

[LunaTorki]

Loving this, Though I found the images didn't load (broken link maybe?) though I am going through the links you supplied for the artists to try and find the artwork. They always seem to add to the story.
Finally our villian's plan has been figured out, now to try and stop it.

[jwizard]

6667587

I had the same issue, except mine was where the pictures didn't load properly. The links were half and half.

For some odd reason, it worked on earlier chapters, but not some of the later ones. I think it was a browser issue because mine got fixed after I disabled and then re-enabled adblock on my browser.

[LunaTorki]

6671908
Just after you replied I continued reading the next chapter and the same thing happened. Had to go to work. Came back and found the images were working, so I came back to this chapter and Lo & Behold! The images were working again!
Well what ever happened seemed to have either fixed itself or was fixed and I can enjoy the art again.

[Kevin Lee]

Twilight gave up. Bracing herself, she tentatively put the fork in her mouth and tasted fish for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she chewed the salmon a bit before swallowing. The chanting had stopped when she had put the food in her mouth, but now she had dozens of eyes quietly waiting to see her reaction. “That… tastes amazing!” she declared.

Fluttershy: "Twilight! I can't BELIEVE you're ordering the salmon!"
Twilight: "But you feed fish to your ferret friends."
Fluttershy: "But you're a PONY! Not a ferret!"
Twilight: "You're right, Fluttershy. Waiter, I'll have the salad."
Fluttershy: "That's good of you, Twilight. We should be nice to our non-pony friends. "
Twilight: "You're right, Fluttershy. I should've been more thoughtful."
Fluttershy: "Thank you, Twilight. And the salmon thank you, too. And Waiter? I'll have the bottlenose dolphin, please"
Twilight: ""

At the press conference, Path stepped up to the podium.
"Cocks and hens of Griffones," Path said, addressing the griffon reporters. "....I AM Ironpony!"

[Kevin Lee]

6296124 I agree. Edit it in. There is justification, after all:

Path looked to the side to see her matching his pace, smiling in encouragement. He wobbled a bit from the distraction, but continued his flight with growing confidence. He made his way up to the top of the crater rim that separated his estate from the city within and alighted clumsily on a ledge that overlooked both sides. He sighed with relief at the successful first flight, and noticed how warm his hooves were due to the amount of mana that the wings had been drawing upon to power them.

Since his hooves were (still) warm on the successful test flight, the initial test could've resulted in a more catastrophic overheating to require the fire extinguisher when Twilight pulled him out of the tree

[erictheblue]

6289248 ah, here we go:

[erictheblue]

“Yes, I know. I believe that you even intended to make love to all the alicorns someday, I hear?”

ah, that reminds me of another of my Favorite stories, "shifting melodies"...a batpony named "midnight song" says one of her ambitions is to KISS all the alicorns...

[Amos Anon]

That airship is a fantastic design!

[Undead Night Fury]

A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention, but all he saw when he turned his head was a vaguely pony-shaped shadow. Who was casting it though? He looked around, but all he saw was Lucida waving at something. Turning back, he saw the shadow seem to respond, then blend back into the flickering light of the fire. Despite the warmth of the room, Path’s blood ran cold.

whats this all about? i dont get what happend here?

[Goldfur]

9289563
Foreshadowing.

[Atom Smash]

Twilight looked around at all the wires and then to Techbird who was noting the readings on some gauges. “Tech – don’t use my son as a power source, please.”

Haha.

[Atom Smash]

Path shot up into the air, ricocheted off the ceiling, crashed through some equipment, bounced off a wall, bounced off the opposite wall, barely missed plowing into Twilight, skipped off the floor and smashed through a window to the outside. Twilight and Techbird raced to the window to spot Path tangled in a nearby tree, mercifully protected from the shattered glass by his armor. Twilight used her telekinesis to pull him back inside.

Nice, this reminds me of the scene where Tony Stark does his first tests of the prototype Iron Man suit.
... Or when Blackjack was in a similar situation.
Either way, gold.

[Asolem2]

It was expected that it would take nearly four days for the reconnaissance team to reach the affected villages at typical cart speed. Free called each evening to report that there wasn’t anything to report. Everything was proceeding smoothly.

Not for long I bet

Free slumped onto his bedroll and stared morosely at nothing. “What in Tartarus could have happened to it?” he asked for the umpteenth time.

Easy, someone stole it

A flicker of motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention, but all he saw when he turned his head was a vaguely pony-shaped shadow. Who was casting it though? He looked around, but all he saw was Lucida waving at something. Turning back, he saw the shadow seem to respond, then blend back into the flickering light of the fire. Despite the warmth of the room, Path’s blood ran cold.

I feel like I'm missing something here

[Sidetrack]

“But it’s a fish, not meat,” Streak replied innocently.

Catholic lent logic