Friendship, Love, and Harmony

by LovelyFlowerBloom

Fruitbat Migration

Nuptial carefully walks through the hole that leads to the throne room of the changeling hive. Unlike most changelings when they approach the throne room, Nuptial hasn’t a hint of fear at approaching the Queen. Tarsus, on the other hand, shakes in fear as he follows Nuptial, “A-Are you sure she’ll be happy with the information we’re giving her?”

“Of course she will. But if she isn’t, we’ll just go out and get more. It’ll be fine.” Nuptial says.

“That’s easy for you to say, she always goes easy on you.” Tarsus says.

Nuptial’s eyebrows curve as she looks down, “Not always.”

The two changelings finally walk into the throne room, viewing the large throne. And on it sits…Queen Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings. Nuptial and Tarsus quickly kneel before their Queen. “Nuptial, you’re back sooner than expected. Why is that?”

“I’m sorry for not staying on schedule, mother. But we’ve come across some valuable information that I felt you’d want to know right away.” Nuptial says, standing up.

“It better be good.” Queen Chrysalis says.

“I’ve come across 2 Ponies who’s love is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Its potential is extraordinary.” Nuptial says, stepping forward.

Queen Chrysalis squints her eyes, “Is that all?”

Nuptial shakes her head, “No, additionally, a holiday is coming up in the town. It’s known as Hearts and Hooves day. It is a day where the ponies celebrate love.”

Queen Chrysalis’ eyes go wide before she scratches her chin, “Hmmm, that sounds quite enticing.”

“If we can invade during that day, there will be more than enough love to take over all of Equestria!” Nuptial says.

Queen Chrysalis smiles, “A day dedicated to love could be the perfect opportunity we’ve been looking for. I may even cancel our plans to go to the Canterlot Wedding. I appreciate this information you’ve given me, Nuptial. I may even forgive your…past transgressions.”

Nuptial darts her eyes away in shame.

“However, this is still a small amount of information. I want you to continue scouting this town for any more information you can scrape together.” Queen Chrysalis says.

“What of the Two Ponies?” Nuptial asks.

“We’ll see. If their love can grow as much as you say, keep tabs on them. Learn all you can about these ponies.” Queen Chrysalis says.

Nuptial nods, “Yes, my Queen.”

Queen Chrysalis rolls her eyes, “Refer to me as Mother. You’re royalty too.”

Nuptial blushes, “Sorry, Mother.”

“You two are dismissed.” Queen Chrysalis says.

Nuptial and Tarsus bow one final time before turning around and exiting the throne room. Once out of sight, Tarsus sighs heavily, “WHEW, that was stressful.”

“She was actually rather calm.” Nuptial says.

“I know, but it was the suspense. I never know if she’s gonna blow a fuse or not. You know how bad the Queen’s temper can be.” Tarsus says.

“I think I know that better than anyone in the hive.” Nuptial says, looking away.

“No way! She’s always easy on you! It’s us normal changelings who get the brunt of her rage. She wouldn’t dare get mad at you. You’re the only one she cares about.” Tarsus says.

“None of that’s true, Tarsus.” Nuptial says as she turns to her brother, “She’s not always easy on me. She puts more pressure on me than anyone. It’s sometimes too much for me. I’m supposed to be the future Queen of the hive. What if I’m not good enough?”

“Huh, guess when you put it like that…” Tarsus says.

“Sometimes I just…wish I wasn't even a changeling.” Nuptial says.

Tarsus turns to Nuptial, wide-eyed, “How could you say that?!”

“You have to admit, our existence kinda sucks. It’s just eternal hunger. Never able to be satisfied.” Nuptial says.

“Well…what can you do, huh?” Tarsus says.

“I guess nothing. But still, I wish it was different.” Nuptial says.

The two changelings proceed to make their way to Ponyville, staying out of sight of the ponies. The two crawl onto the roof of one of the many houses. “Okay, what’s next?” Tarsus asks.

“You heard the Queen. We should focus on the two ponies we followed in the forest.” Nuptial says.

“Yeah…but she also said to collect more information about this place.” Tarsus says.

“And we can do both. But first, we need to locate where those two ponies reside.” Nuptial says. Suddenly, two ponies quickly catch Nuptial’s eyes as she turns to them. Fluttershy and Star Dream sit at a table outside the Cafe. Nuptial’s eyes glow as she views the two ponies and smirks, “Change of plans, Tarsus. I sense something just as great.”

Star Dream sips her drink using a straw as she looks down at a piece of paper on the table. Fluttershy gives a passive smile, “And so I was hoping we could keep the skies clear on that day.”

“I don’t know, Fluttershy. Rescheduling rainfall is very serious. It’s not just something we can do willy nilly.” Star Dream says as she looks up from the paper.

Fluttershy looks down at the table, “Yes, I know. But…the Fruit Bats will have to fly in the rain for their migration. It’ll be hard for their little wings and they could get hurt.”

“Yes, I know. But something like this isn’t within my authority, Fluttershy. If I want to change the weather for a day, I’d have to file a report to the Department of Weather in Cloudsdale. I doubt they’d accept it, though. They never do.” Star Dream says, curving her eyebrows.

Fluttershy looks down in disappointment, “Oh…okay, I see.”

Star Dream looks down at Fluttershy’s petition. Star Dream closes her eyes with a sigh, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Fluttershy’s eyes light up as a smile grows on her face, “Really?”

Star Dream nods, “It can’t hurt to try. But it doesn’t mean it’ll happen.”

Fluttershy quickly flies up and hugs Star Dream, “Oh, thank you! Thank you!”

Star Dream blushes as Fluttershy hugs her, “Heh…of course.”

Fluttershy herself blushes at what she did and quickly flies back to her seat, “Um…so how long do you think it’ll take?”

“Well, I can't do it today. I’ll have to catch a ride on a chariot in order to get to Cloudsdale, so I’ll have to go tomorrow.” Star Dream says.

Fluttershy raises an eyebrow, “Why can’t you fly there?”

Star Dream looks away as she scratches the back of her head, “I uh…choose not to fly.”

“Oh…I see. Well, thank you for doing this for me, Star Dream. It means a lot.” Fluttershy says with a smile.

Star Dream smiles back, “Well what are friends for?”

Tarsus looks at the two ponies in confusion, “What’s so special about them? They just seem like friends.”

“No, it’s more. One of them has immense feelings of attraction towards the other. And the other is slowly growing attraction.” Nuptial says as she holds her head up with her hooves, “Quite cute.”

Tarsus raises an eyebrow and turns to Nuptial quickly, “Cute?”

Nuptial blushes, “I-I mean cute in the manner that they’re…lesser than us. Playing with their feelings and stuff.”

“Right…” Tarsus says, squinting at Nuptial suspiciously before looking back at the two ponies.

“Let’s hold off on the other two ponies. I need to see how this develops.” Nuptial says.

Star Dream, just as she said, visited the Weather Department in Cloudsdale, entering the building and walking up to the front desk. The receptionist is a mare with pale goldenrod mane, goldenrod eyes, a white coat, and a checklist with clouds on it as a cutie mark. She looks up at Star Dream and her eyes light up, “Star Dream! Good to see how!”

“Hey Misty Doo!” Star Dream says with a smile as she walks up to the desk.

“Wow. How long’s it been?” Misty Doo asks.

“10 Moons.” Star Dream says.

“10 Moon! How time flies. How are things treating you in Ponyville?” Misty asks.

“As well as can be expected. Dealing with Rainbow Dash is a hassle.” Star Dream says.

“I’ll bet. How’s my sister?” Misty asks.

“Ditzy? Well, hate to say, but I had to assign her to the reserves.” Star Dream says.

Misty looks disappointed, “Oh, of course you did. Did she at least get another job?”

Star Dream nods, “Post office.”

“Oh no, how’s that been going?” Misty asks.

“Surprisingly well. The only thing that gets damaged in her deliveries is herself.” Star Dream says with a chuckle.

Misty chuckles, “As long as she can keep a job, I’m happy. Anyway, how can I help you?”

“Is Water Dew here?” Star Dream asks.

Misty raises an eyebrow, “Water Dew, huh? Must need something serious. Yes, he’s here. He’s also free at the moment.”

“Perfect timing then, huh?” Star Dream says.

Misty nods, “He’s in his office right now. You know the way.”

Star Dream walks towards the stairs, “Thanks Misty.”

“Good catching up, Star.” Misty says.

Star Dream makes it to the door leading to Water Dew’s office and knocks on the door. “Come in.” A voice says on the other side.

Star Dream opens the door and walks in, “Hey Water Dew.”

Water Dew, who’s sitting at his desk, goes wide-eyed as he looks up from the papers he was reading to see Star Dream, “Star Dream! Wow, it’s been a while.” Water Dew is a stallion with a yellow green coat, light sky blue mane styled into a comb over, steel blue eyes, and a full suit.

Star Dream sits at the chair in front of Water Dew’s desk, “It has been a while, huh?”

“Well, what do you need?” Water Dew says.

Star Dream takes a deep breath, “I came to make a request.”

“A request? A request of what?” Water Dew asks.

“That we delay the rain due in Ponyville the day after tomorrow.” Star Dream says.

Water Dew is taken aback by this, “Delay the rain? Why would you want to do that?”

“With the coming of Spring, the fruit bats are migrating back to Ponyville. The day they arrive is set to have heavy downpour. The strength of the rain could hurt the fruit bats.” Star Dream says.

“You understand that if we reschedule, we’ll have to move this downpour to another day, right? And it would have to be even stronger.” Water Dew says.

“Yes, I understand that. But I believe it’s worth it to make sure the Fruit Bats make it to Ponyville safely.” Star Dream says, placing her hoof on her chest.

Water Dew nods, “Very well. It will take some paperwork, but I’ll authorize a weather change for that day only.”

“R-Really? I didn’t think you’d approve.” Star Dream says.

“Of course I would. Because I know why. It’s for Fluttershy, right?” Water Dew asks, smirking.

Star Dream blushes, “H-How did you know?!”

Water Dew shrugs, “Just a hunch.”

Star Dream stands up and bows her head, “Well, thank you, Water Dew.”

Water Dew nods as Star Dream exits the room and closes the door. Water Dew waits for a moment after Star Dream leaves before putting on a devious smile and turning to a potted plant in the corner, “What did I tell ya, Tarsus? Didn’t suspect a thing.”

The potted plant sits still for a moment before a green smoke quickly swirls around it, turning it into Tarsus, “I can’t believe we got away with that. That was blind luck!”

A green smoke quickly swirls around Water Dew, revealing him to actually be Nuptial, “No, I just have my ways. If it weren’t for the journal he keeps, I wouldn’t have been able to copy him as well. The real trouble was figuring out how to talk to Star Dream. It seems the two have a very complicated past.”

“Speaking of which.” Tarsus says as he walks over to a closet and opens the door, causing a tied up Water Dew to fall down, struggling and trying to scream with a muffled mouth, “What are we gonna do about this guy? He’s bound to tell somepony.”

“Not if we intimidate him, Tarsus. As mother taught me, with the right amount of intimidation, you can get anypony to do anything!” Nuptial says as she approaches Water Dew with a devious grin.

Star Dream finally arrives at Fluttershy’s house after walking the whole way, staying true to her oath not to use her wings. Star Dream looks at the door for a moment before raising up her hoof and knocking on the door. The door cracks open as Fluttershy peaks her eye through. Seeing that it’s just Star Dream, Fluttershy opens the door completely, “Oh, hey Star Dream. What is it?”

Star Dream smiles, “Well…I talked to Water Dew, and he approved my request to change the weather for the day the Fruit Bats arrive.”

Fluttershy’s face lights up with delight as she gasps, “Really? They approved?”

Star Dream nods, “Mhm, just for you.”

“Oh wow! That’s terrific! Now the Fruit Bats will be able to nest without any struggle.” Fluttershy says.

“Y’know…I’ve never actually seen the Migration of Fruit Bats. I’d love to watch it with you.” Star Dream says, scratching the back of her head.

“Oh, that would be wonderful. But…don’t you have work?” Fluttershy says.

“I can get Rainbow Dash to fill for me.” Star Dream says before putting on a jaded expression, “As much as I don’t trust her.”

Fluttershy smiles, “Alright. I’ll be on Haflinger Hill. That’s where we’ll be able to get the best view of the Fruit Bats.”

“I’ll be there.” Star Dream says with a smile.

Nuptial and Tarsus watch from behind a tree. Nuptial licks her lips, “Did you feel that, Tarsus? That surge in attraction from Fluttershy!”

“Who?” Tarsus asks, tilting his head.

“The yellow one. Sorry, I memorized their names.” Nuptial says.

“Oh! Yeah, I felt it. That was quite a lot, you were right!” Tarsus says.

Nuptial smiles, “That makes 2 pairs of ponies with an incredible potential for love. I wonder if there’s anymore in this town.”

Tarsus looks down with excitement, “There’s bound to be much more! If we can find them all by the time that love day comes around, we’ll have absolutely no problem taking over Equestria.”

“Let’s keep an eye on these two for a while. I’m interested in their story.” Nuptial says.

The day of the Migration to Ponyville had quickly arrived for Star Dream. Just as she requested and ordered, the skies were clear and sunny. It’s a beautiful Spring day. Star Dream quickly made her way to Haflinger Hill, where Fluttershy said she’d be. Just as she trotted up the hill, Fluttershy came into view, causing a big rush of happiness to wash through Star Dream’s face. Fluttershy sits atop the hill, humming to pass the time as the Fruit Bats are soon to arrive. Star Dream stops and stands behind Fluttershy and crosses her front legs, almost entranced by the sweet serenade coming from Fluttershy.

Star Dream, after a moment of listening, decided to walk forward and join Fluttershy. As she lifts her hoof, the grass shuffles, startling Fluttershy to the noise. Fluttershy gives a scared shriek as she turns to Star Dream, “S-Star Dream! Oh gosh, you scared me.”

Star Dream gives a nervous smile, “Sorry, I was listening to your humming. You have a beautiful voice.”

Fluttershy blushes profusely, “Y-You were listening?!”

Star Dream lays near Fluttershy as most ponies do to get into a comfortable position, “Yeah, I couldn’t help it. You sounded really nice.”

Fluttershy leans her head in a way that causes her mane to fall in front of her face, covering it, “Oh…um…thank you.”

Star Dream looks up at the sky. Below the direction where she looks is a forested area with dense trees, "So when are the Fruit Bats to arrive?"

Fluttershy looks up, “They should come any moment now.”

Moments after Fluttershy says this, flocks of fruit bats begin appearing, into view from behind the trees that block the horizon. Star Dream smiles, “There they are!”

Fluttershy looks up in awe as the small strawberry reminiscent creatures flap through the sky, aiming for the various trees in Ponyville, “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

Star Dream mumbles under her breath, “Not as beautiful as you.”

Fluttershy turns to Star Dream, “What was that?”

Star Dream’s ears perk up, “Oh, uh…nothing. They are quite pretty. I’ve never seen so many.”

Fluttershy smiles and looks back at the flapping flocks of fruit bats, “I’m glad you’re here to watch them with me. All my other friends said they were too busy to join.”

“Well, I did have to request a substitute for the day to be here. But I’m glad I did.” Star Dream says.

Fluttershy goes quiet as she watches the hundreds of fruit bats as they proceed to settle in Ponyville. Star Dream wants to watch the settling of the creatures, but fails to take her eyes off Fluttershy. She’s only sitting a few inches away from her. Star Dream ponders her next move for a moment before she concedes to her feelings and scoots closer to Fluttershy. Fluttershy doesn’t notice, with her attention turned to the fruit bats. Star Dream carefully scoots to the point of nearly touching Fluttershy. Star Dream sweats nervously as she slowly lifts the wing that’s adjacent to Fluttershy. Star Dream tilts her head down and closes her eyes and slowly descends to her wing in order to wrap around Fluttershy. The wing barely touches onto Fluttershy’s back, causing Fluttershy to immediately shriek and jump to her hooves, “EEEK!!!”

Star Dream’s eyes quickly open as she looks towards Fluttershy, who’s looking at Star Dream with a worried expression. Fluttershy holds her tail close to herself as she settles down.

“Um…sorry! I just…felt something on my back. It scared me a bit.” Fluttershy says, calming down and letting go of her tail.

Star Dream breathes a small sigh of relief that Fluttershy didn’t realize the disturbance was caused by her trying to make a move on the jumpy mare. “It’s alright. Gave me a fright too.”

“I-I’m sorry.” Fluttershy says as she looks up to see the last of the fruit bats finish taking refuge in the trees. She gives a passionate smile, “Looks like the migration is over.”

Star Dream looks to where Fluttershy is looking, trying to get her mind off the self embarrassment of failing to make a move on Fluttershy, “Looks like it.” Star Dream stands up.

“Why don’t we head back to my cottage for a cup of tea.” Fluttershy suggests, turning to Star Dream with a smile.

Star Dream turns to Fluttershy in confusion.

“I just thought that…since you took the day off from work, you might wanna join me. I mean…if you want to, of course.” Fluttershy says, shyly.

Star Dream smiles, “I’d love some tea.”

The two ponies slowly make their way to the direction of Fluttershy’s Cottage as Nuptial and Tarsus watch from a tree. “Failed to make a move, but progress is still being made.”

“I was able to taste some love coming off of them. Quite delicious.” Tarsus says.

“Quite delicious indeed. But I’m worried that this may not develop on its own. I have a feeling we’ll need to get involved.” Nuptial says.

“What makes you say that?” Tarsus asks.

“The two have incredible potential. But they rarely get any opportunities to have their love grow. So whatever little they do interact. We must help as much as we can to ensure it grows a considerable amount.” Nuptial says.

Tarsus nods, “Yeah, you’re right.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If Aurora Shimmer is studying love, then wouldn't it make more sense to make her the student of Princess Cadence?

[LovelyFlowerBloom]

11302996
Since you mention it, I guess so. However, it wouldn't work for the current story I have planned. Cadence has been changed a bit for the story, but she has yet to appear.