Single Parent Seeks Special Somepony

by angelofrombelow

Chapter 11

Surprise was lifted off her hooves as Rainbow Dash ploughed into her, the pony acting quickly to overpower her.

The changeling offered no resistance and within seconds she had been restrained, with Dash sitting atop her and holding her front legs in place.

“I’ve got her!” the rainbow-maned pegasus cried. Behind her, a gathered crowd of ponies watched on and chattered agitatedly about the invader.

Berry tried to fight down the anxiety rising in her chest, suppressing the urge to try to help Surprise. The residents of Ponyville were in such a state that any attempt to assist could end up with her being accused of being a changeling as well.

A quick glance at Chrysalis revealed the queen was also struggling to hold herself back, her concern for her daughter conflicting with her fear of discovery.

Berry sensed movement behind her and stepped aside as Twilight Sparkle came forward, emerging from the library. The princess gasped when she saw what the hubbub was about, but pushed through her initial shock to take charge of the situation.

“Everypony calm down,” she said, taking a commanding tone. Some ponies followed her request but others continued talking excitedly, so she repeated herself, louder this time.

A hush fell upon them and they watched on, waiting to see what the princess would do. Berry could see several unfamiliar faces among the crowd – changelings afraid of what was going to happen to their princess, their expressions contorted by worry.

Twilight moved over to Surprise and Dash, her outlook authoritative but fair.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Why have you come to our town? Is this another invasion attempt?”

Surprise grunted as she tried to catch her breath, which was difficult due to Dash’s weight pushing her down.

“I come in peace,” she said, and the crowd erupted. Much of it was exclamations of disbelief, though a few of the ponies were jeering.

Twilight spread her wings and glared. “Quiet!” she cried. “Let her talk.”

The chatter died down once again, but the atmosphere was close and heated. Berry could see that the changelings were tense, preparing themselves for a fight if Chrysalis gave the order. The queen was standing still, her teeth clenched behind closed lips.

“You come in peace?” Twilight repeated, her words coloured by distrust. The changelings had brought nothing but pain to her family. “I see. So you’re a messenger rather than a spy.”

Surprise tried to shake her head but she was held fast. “The others don’t know I’m here. I’m alone. I did this of my own volition.

“You have nothing to fear from me. Please, let me up so we can talk properly.”

The alicorn considered her request for a moment, then nodded at Dash to let her go.

The other pony snorted. “Don’t listen to her, Twilight. It’s a trick. You can’t trust her.”

“We need to hear what she has to say. Besides, if she tries to escape, you’ll easily be able to catch up with her.”

Surprise butted in before Dash could protest further. “I want to talk, changeling to pony. I’m not trying to deceive anyone. If I was, then why would I reveal my true identity?”

Dash fell quiet, unable to think of a decent answer. “Fair point,” she conceded, reluctantly releasing her captive.

Surprise stood up unsteadily, trying to maintain an air of confidence as she faced a crowd full of hostile stares – some of them from her own kind. She cleared her throat, struggling to find a way to start her speech.

Berry Punch was standing a few yards behind Twilight, her expression fraught. Surprise turned her back on the crowd to directly address the princess, keeping Berry in sight and drawing strength from her presence.

“I am the princess of the changeling kingdom, and my race is facing extinction,” she said, leaving a moment’s pause to allow her words to sink in. Twilight frowned slightly - evidence of concern that could become the foundations of empathy.

“I understand that ponykind sees us as monsters, creatures intent on feeding on your emotions,” she said. “Our actions so far will have done little to convince you otherwise, but you have to understand we had no choice. We don’t feed on emotion out of choice – it’s the only thing that can sustain us. We are unable to digest normal food and drink.

“Our invasion of Canterlot was borne out of desperation. We were hungry then, but now we’re starving. If we don’t act soon, we’re going to die.”

There was a gentle murmuring of conversation amongst the crowd as the ponies took in this new information. Twilight herself was at a loss for words. If what the changeling said was true, then she faced an awful dilemma.

Should she show kindness to an enemy that had terrorised her kingdom? Could they be trusted, or was this yet another trick?

She could tell where this conversation was heading. It was going to be straight choice between putting her friends at risk or potentially dooming an entire race, and her conscience would be unable to bear either option.

“I’ve seen what happens when you feed,” she said, her voice husky with foreboding. “I saw what your queen did to Shining Armour. I saw how weak he became.”

“That was an exceptional case,” said Surprise. “It was the crux of the invasion plan. We don’t need to drain anypony’s strength in order to feed sufficiently. Just friendship by itself would be enough. I can prove…”

She looked towards Berry, who shook her head quickly and mouthed the words “not yet”. Their relationship would work best as a closing argument or a trump card, not as an opening gambit.

Surprise stopped herself, then tried a different tack. “All we would need to survive would be to be permitted to live among you.”

She looked out to the crowd of ponies, her next words addressed to the changelings among them. “Our race has been looked upon as monsters for as long as we’ve existed. We’ve had to fight for our existence, drawing on whatever scraps of emotion we could find.

“We have had to deceive other beings, taking their place to store up energy until we’re inevitably found out. None of us are happy about this. There is no pride to be found in hurting others and living as scavengers, forced to skulk in the shadows for fear of being found out.

“We want a second chance. We need a second chance. If we can’t find a peaceful solution, then all our race will ever know will be conflict. We can no longer survive on our own.”

She spoke with such feeling that this time her words were met with silence. The residents of Ponyville were starting to recognise the fact that the changelings were living beings rather than a faceless army.

The changelings themselves saw the truth in Surprise’s words, though many were unsettled by the idea of asking their prey for help.

Twilight was staring at the ground, unsure of her feelings on the matter. Surprise sounded sincere, but the changelings’ main form of attack was through deception. A simple speech was not enough to set her mind at ease.

She grimaced with uncertainty, then turned to Chrysalis. “Moonlight, what do you think?” she asked. “Can we trust her? You know as well as I do what they did to our brother.”

The white-coated mare was unable to respond. Her daughter’s gambit meant she had to choose her words very carefully – one false move and Surprise could be made a captive.

And yet, she was in no way inclined to become subordinate to the whims of ponies.

Before she could decide what to say, Berry interjected with an exclamation of disbelief.
“Your sister?” she said, almost indignant. “You told her she’s your sister?”

Chrysalis cut her off with a condescending sneer. “Yes, I’m Twilight’s sister. I don’t know who you are but could we save the introductions until later? There are rather more pressing matters at hoof.”

Twilight offered Berry an apologetic shrug, somewhat perturbed by Chrysalis’s manner.

The changeling queen tapped a hoof against her chin, thinking through her options quickly.

“I think we need to find out more,” she said, a relieved smile coming to her lips. “But this isn’t the right place to question her. Let’s take her inside the library. We can sort things out in there.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Twilight said, before marching forward to address the crowd. “Okay, everypony. Head back to your homes for now. My sister and I are going to speak to… what was your name?”

“Surprise,” she said, her confidence audibly shaken. She was about to lose her audience and they were the key to her plan being a success. If she lost her impetus now, Chrysalis could simply give the order for everypony’s minds to be rewritten in private.

“Surprise? Huh, that sounds kind of familiar.” Twilight considered it for a second, then pushed it to the back of her mind. “You don’t have any objection to speaking to us in private, do you?”

The young changeling hesitated, struggling to hide her distress.

“I was hoping to speak in the open,” she said. “I mean, you must understand what I’m suggesting. Surely something that important should be put to the public vote?”

“And it can, once we’ve got the facts straight,” said Chrysalis. “Come on inside. You’re not going to resist, are you?”

Surprise clenched her fangs, her eyes shining. She couldn’t think of a decent excuse that would get her out of this without revealing her race’s deception and putting them in danger.

Berry could see it too – the whole plan unravelling, their last chance lost. When Surprise’s insubordination was dealt with, Berry would surely be captured and placed under the same hypnosis as the rest.

“Wait!” the earth pony cried, drawing the attention of everyone present. “I want to hear what she has to say. I agree with her, this is something we should all decide on.”

Her stomach turned as Chrysalis glared at her with barely disguised rage. “I told you,” she hissed. “You’ll all get a chance to talk about it once we’ve spoken to her in private. You just need to…”

“I agree with Berry.”

Mayor Mare had stepped forward, separate from the others. “Twilight, I apologise. You are our princess but I am responsible for doing what’s in the best interests of the residents of Ponyville. We all have a say in this.”

“Quite right.” Horte Cuisine spoke up. “I feel a strange sort of sympathy for this… Surprise, was it? But I must admit, the prospect of changelings moving in makes me feel nervous.”

Rainbow Dash took to the air, exasperated by the conversation taking place. “You guys can’t be serious. Do you have any idea how dangerous this would be? They probably outnumber us, are you just gonna let them waltz on in? Are you crazy?”

The crowd started chattering animatedly amongst themselves about the pros and cons, with a majority of ponies against it. Berry and Surprise shared a helpless glance, then Chrysalis pushed forward, her teeth bared.

“Will all of you be quiet?” she cried, bringing about a stunned silence. “You see, this is why we can’t get anything done in public. You’ll just fall about arguing with each other and nothing will get done. We’re going to handle this in private, and then I promise you…”

Then she was interrupted again, but this time not by a pony.

Emerald Shine jostled her way to the front of the crowd. “I think it’s pretty clear that we all want this heard in public. Do you want the changelings to starve, do you want them to die? We’re all living creatures, no matter what we think of each other. If there’s a chance for peace, we should consider it. And if you want us to shut up while you discuss it, then hell, we’ll shut up.”

A blue-coated pegasus joined her, one that Berry didn’t recognise. Another changeling. “This could be amazing. Seriously. We could help each other. Think about it – shapeshifters in the Canterlot army. They’d be unstoppable. And… and the changelings. Well, they’d finally have a home of their own.”

Chrysalis scowled, aggrieved that more of her subjects were talking out against her. At that moment, there was nothing she could do about it.

Twilight furrowed her brow, working out the best way forward. “Surprise, one thing worries me. You said the other changelings don’t know you’re here. What are they going to make of this? Do you really think our two races would be able to get along?”

Berry looked over at the changeling and they smiled at each other. Now the time was right.

“I actually have a confession to make,” the earth pony said, strolling over to be by her side. “This isn’t the first time I’ve met her. In fact, we’re very close.”

A ripple of shock passed through the crowd but they quietened down quickly as Berry continued talking.

“For the past day we’ve gotten to know each other. We’ve become friends. In fact, it’s surprising how quickly and how deeply we’ve bonded,” she said. “And there’s your proof. Proof that this could work. I was frightened at first, but I discovered that Surprise is caring. She’s fun. I enjoy her company.

“In the time I’ve known her, she’s fed off me. And you know what, I didn’t feel a thing. I wasn’t weakened by it. All she needed was my companionship.

“On that point, there are more than a few mares in town who would benefit from some company. Love is the emotion that changelings get the most sustenance from and, if they were to drop their more aggressive ways, they might be able to find it.”

A fair few ponies were visibly repulsed by the idea, but the atmosphere was gradually growing less negative.

Bon Bon pushed her way forward, accompanied by a beige-coated earth pony with a red mane. “Wait, wait, wait,” she said, causing everypony else to go quiet. “Are you saying that you’re dating this changeling?”

Berry didn’t answer for a moment, then caught sight of the look in Surprise’s eyes. A look of affection.

She smiled self-consciously. “I guess, from this point on, the answer is yes.”

Some were disconcerted by this revelation – Surprise’s leathery hide and insect-like form were hardly what they would see as attractive qualities in a partner.

A nonplussed Bon Bon looked Surprise up and down. “Huh. Kinky. If I was single, I guess I’d consider dating a changeling too. Just think of all the things they could turn into.” She turned to the pony by her side, her tone becoming apologetic. “Oh, sorry Starfire. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

It was then that Berry realised just how much more work had to be done, giving her positive attitude a major knockback. The changelings still had Ponyville in their clutches and they had altered its residents minds, split up relationships in their pursuit of food. If there was any chance that this plan was going to work, she had to come up with a way to lessen the damage when ponykind finally realised they had been enslaved.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to get the chance to do so.

Twilight was rubbing her forehead, obviously in some discomfort. Chrysalis saw this and went to her side, fearing the worst.

“Twilight, what’s the matter?” she asked with a grimace.

“I don’t know, my head’s really pounding all of a sudden,” the alicorn replied. “Just, something about all this sounds really familiar. A kind of déjà vu. It’s like, like I already knew Berry and Surprise were together. And for some reason, I was unhappy about it.”

The princess was the source of the spell that kept the ponies under changeling control, and her uncertainty caused some of the fogginess in their minds to lift. Each one of them felt it, a strange inkling that something was not right.

The changelings recognised the danger they were in and the town quickly grew active with chatter as they tried to distract their charges from the truth.

All it would take was for one pony to realise it, one pony to discover they had all been deceived. One pony could bring their world crashing down and destroy the progress that had been made towards finding peace.

And that pony’s name was Lyra.

The mint-green coloured unicorn suddenly let out a howl of pain and anger. A couple of nearby changelings tried to hold her back but she rushed past them, pushing her way towards the earth pony standing by Bon Bon’s side.

“Usurper! Home wrecker!” she cried. “You took my Sweetie Drops! How dare you?”

She dived at the disguised changeling and tackled her to the floor. The pair tussled briefly, rolling over in the dirt, but the battle didn’t last long. Lyra was outmatched.

The changeling landed a couple of powerful blows on her face, nearly knocking her unconscious.

The sight of her lying stricken on the ground caused Bon Bon to snap out of her trance with a jerk. She went to her side, gasping from the mental pain inflicted by breaking free from the hypnotism spell.

“Lyra, are you okay?” she asked, still struggling to gather her thoughts. “How did this happen? What did she do to me?”

Berry glanced at Surprise, who had clearly realised the game was up. Releasing the ponies was always going to be tricky, but this was the worst possible way it could have come about.

Some of the others were beginning to realise the changelings hadn’t always been there, that they weren’t the friends they had pretended to be. Bon Bon finally vocalised their thoughts.

“Changeling!” she cried, pointing at the one who had called herself Starfire. “She’s a changeling! She hypnotised me!”

Other ponies gasped, jumping away from the new-found monsters in their midst. The changelings held steady, their bodies tensed, unsure whether to fight, flee or attempt to appease.

Dash took to the air again, so enraged that she was practically puffing steam. “It’s not just her. It’s an invasion. They’re all around us, hundreds of them.”

She flew down to Surprise, coming so close they were almost face-to-face. “You wanted peace? You wanted a truce? Yeah, right. You just wanted us to surrender!”

The pegasus tried to tackle Surprise to the ground, but this time the changeling showed resistance. Their front hooves locked together and they pushed against each other, struggling to overpower their opponent.

Dash was shocked to find Surprise was a match for her – she had been able to handle dozens of changelings without breaking a sweat during the Canterlot invasion, but this one was different. Borne of a different, more powerful emotion than jealousy.

Behind them, minor scuffles were breaking out and in every case the changelings were proving themselves to be more than a match for ponykind. They had recently fed and were more powerful than usual.

Berry was so shaken that she was finding it difficult to stand. “Stop this!” she cried, but her plea went unheard.

Chrysalis noticed that Twilight was still in a daze, not yet fully free of her hypnotism. Still vulnerable. One last chance.

The changeling queen’s eyes flashed green and she marched over to the alicorn. “Twilight, look at me,” she commanded, catching the young princess’s attention and then ensnaring her mind. “That spell you cast before, do you remember it? You have to…”

“No!” Berry dived at her, hitting her with her full weight and knocking her sideways.

Chrysalis snarled and grabbed the earth pony by the throat, pushing her against the ground and throttling her.

“You wretch. You dare to strike me?” she growled, so consumed by anger that she was no longer in full control.

Surprise saw what was happening, saw her mother choking the life out of Berry, and screamed.

With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free from Dash and flew straight at Chrysalis. She threw the punch before she even realised what she was doing.

It landed hard. The force of the blow actually knocked Chrysalis off her hooves, sending her to the ground.

“Berry. Berry are you alright?” Surprise went to her side, helping the coughing pony up. Tears came to the changeling’s eyes and she held her close, trying to comfort her.

Chrysalis raised her head, still lying where she had fallen, and saw her daughter’s show of affection. Saw that Berry was now more important to Surprise than she was.

“You’d choose her over me?” she said, her voice shaking, hurt. Her daughter froze when she saw her expression. Surprise had never seen her upset before. “You’d choose a pony over your own mother?”

The last traces of the fog that had clouded Twilight’s mind faded away and the alicorn awoke to a town on the verge of becoming a warzone. Some of the skirmishes were turning into full-blown fighting, with changelings and ponies alike were pleading for the combatants to stop. Some of the more outspoken pacifists ended up having to defend themselves as they came under attack.

“You were about to kill her,” said Surprise. “I had to stop you. I couldn’t let you do it.”

Chrysalis growled. “After all she’s done, can you blame me? She’s destroyed our plans. Doomed our race. And she’s taken you away from me.”

Twilight felt a brief flicker of panic but she quickly set herself to thinking. She had to find a way to stop the situation escalating further.

“No. No, she hasn’t.” Surprise spoke earnestly but she made no move to go to Chrysalis, preferring to stay with Berry to protect her. “Don’t you see? This is the way forward. The only way we can survive is by living with others.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up as she recalled the spell that Chrysalis had forced her to cast – with some minor adjustments, it would be the perfect solution.

“If you want to live with ponies, then so be it.” The changeling queen’s body flickered as she reverted to her natural form. Her jaw was set firm and she was struggling to mask her true feelings. “If you want to abandon us, then go ahead. But I just want you to remember that you’re the one who killed us. It’s all because of you.”

Berry was the only one among the trio who could see it – the purple alicorn’s eyes were glowing white, her body surrounded by an aura of magic.

She barely had a chance to cry out a warning before it happened.

A wave of energy burst forth, washing over everyone present. It only took a matter of seconds and once it had passed there was nothing but stunned silence, pony and changeling alike unsure as to what had just hit them.

Twilight opened her eyes again – they were back to their natural hue. Her voice was soft, calm and commanding as she gave a simple order: “No more fighting.”

Berry was familiar with the sensation those words inspired. It was the same feeling she had while she was under Surprise’s control: complete helplessness, a compulsion to obey. But now, Twilight was her master. As was everyone else.

The ponies were unnerved by the realisation but it was the changelings who were truly afraid. They were at the mercy of a race that had been their lifelong enemy.

Chrysalis was the most obviously distressed, her feelings accentuated by the recent rejection by her daughter.

She stood up slowly, not daring to take her eyes off Twilight for a second. Her body tensed, and then she charged.

There were only a few paces between them but the alicorn was ready for her. She turned her head, shot the changeling a withering glare and simply said: “Stand still.”

Chrysalis stopped so suddenly that she almost tripped over her front hooves. She briefly tried to fight against the mind control but the pain it brought caused her to wince.

“Damn you,” she hissed. “So now you have us. You have us trapped. What exactly do you plan to do?”

“What do I plan to do?” Twilight repeated. She looked out into the gathered crowd. Her movements were slow, deliberate. Outwardly she appeared calm, composed. Aware of the gravitas she held and taking her time in deciding what she would do next.

Berry caught sight of a few of Twilight’s closest friends and saw their expressions change as they met the princess’s gaze.

It was then that the earth pony realised that Twilight was angry. Truly, terrifyingly angry, so much so that she could taste it – heaven only knew what the changelings were feeling.

“First,” she said, measuring her words carefully to keep her temper in check. “I want to know what’s going on. Surprise, you spoke of a truce when you already had us beaten. You risked… this happening. Why?”

Surprise’s voice shook at first. “Because I knew this wasn’t the right way. I knew it wouldn’t last. I wanted peace, truly I did, but this plan was already in motion.”

She indicated agitatedly into the crowd. “Ask Rainbow Dash and Rarity. They’ll tell you. I tried to stop this.”

The rainbow-maned pegasus scratched the back of her head. “My memory’s kinda fuzzy. I remember you ran off. Then you told us everything, but only after Berry pressured you.”

Twilight looked at Rarity, waiting for a response. The unicorn groaned and held a hoof to her forehead. “To be honest, it’s all a blur. My head feels like it’s full of cotton wool.”

Berry spoke up. “I was trying to integrate her. Introduce her to my friends and then reveal who she was, try to prove that ponies and changelings could get along. Dash, you spent time with her. You were getting along with her great. You remember?”

Dash was reluctant to speak. “I guess so. But that was before all this happened.”

“Horte, you spoke with her for hours,” said Berry. “You liked her. You told me you liked her.”

The stallion remained quiet, aware that he had suddenly become the centre of attention. His eventual response was careful, measured.

“She was very friendly. Nervous, perhaps, though the reason for that is now clear. She possessed a likeable vulnerability.” He sighed, aware that he was about to let his friend down. “But actions speak louder than words. To know that all the while, she was planning this…”

“This wasn’t me!” cried Surprise. “This was my mother’s plan! She was doing what she could to…”

“You traitor.” Chrysalis’s words were hissed, full of contempt. “Not content with betraying us, now you turn on me? Make me out to be the villain?”

Twilight whirled round, her expression a mix of confusion and rage. “You hypnotised me. Used my power to enslave everypony I care about. How, in the name of Starswirl’s beard, are you NOT the villain in this?”

The taller creature looked down on her and sneered. “You ponies. You’ve always rejected us. Always turned us away, refused to give us what we need. And when we try to take it by force, when we try to take what we need to survive, you call us monsters. YOU are the ones in the wrong here, and don’t try to deny it.”

“You invaded Canterlot. Attacked my brother, imprisoned Cadence and wounded Celestia.” Twilight’s voice was shaking with anger. “And now this. This is the end. There’s no coming back from this.”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. If there was any fear within her, she didn’t show it. “So, what are you going to do? Kill us?”

The alicorn took an inadvertent step back, horrified by the suggestion.

“I wouldn’t be surprised by this point,” Chrysalis said. “With the way Celestia first treated us, she’d probably fete you as a hero. Or are you just going to send us into exile, leave us to starve? That way you don’t have to get your hooves dirty and we suffer more. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Emerald Shine flew up above the crowd, clearing her throat to gain everyone’s attention. “I hate to interrupt royalty, but I think we’d make more progress if Surprise was allowed to speak for us. Mainly because she doesn’t seem intent on getting us all killed!”

She came as close to her queen as she dared, mindful of Twilight. “When Surprise first spoke to me about her plan, I warned her that I would crush anyone who put our race at risk. Well, right now, that one is YOU. So if I were you, I would stay very quiet.”

Chrysalis was about to reply before she realised the majority of the crowd was now against her. She stifled her words, falling into a silent, lonely rage.

Berry stepped forward, desperate to repair the situation. “Twilight, please reconsider,” she said. “Everything that Surprise said was true. They’re on the brink of starvation. If you send them away, they’ll die. You can’t do that. You’re not capable of doing that.”

Twilight looked out at the crowd, her anger dissipating. There was a sea of faces, all of them uncertain, all of them looking for guidance. This was her greatest test since she had become a princess.

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I… I have to put my friends first. I have to do what’s right for them. The changelings invaded Canterlot, they enslaved Ponyville. How can we trust them?”

“We didn’t have a choice,” said Surprise. “We had to feed. It wasn’t the right way to go about it, but Celestia had rejected us.”

Twilight frowned. “What are you saying? Is there some history here that I don’t know about?”

“Surprise, don’t do anything stupid,” said Chrysalis. “She won’t understand.”

“Well, I understood.” Berry held her head high, no longer afraid of the changeling queen. “I know that you’re all innocent in what happened and I see why you behaved the way you did afterwards. But now it’s time to let the past go.”

She nodded for Surprise to go ahead with her story, but the young princess was not as enthusiastic.

“Are you sure?” she whispered, mindful of the watching ponies. “I can’t see this going down well.”

“No more secrets.” Berry nuzzled against her comfortingly, ignoring the abrasive feel of her hide. “There will be ponies who understand, even if it turns out that the majority choose not to. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Easy for you to say,” she said, but the debate was quickly becoming irrelevant. It was obvious now that there was something to say.

She closed her eyes, stood tall and began her tale. About the species the changelings were descended, the will-o’-the-wisps that fed on emotion – mindless beings of magic. About how one day, one of their kind sought out a meal that would change the course of Equestrian history.

The wisp and the alicorn Luna merged as one to become the creature known as Nightmare Moon. A self-perpetuating cycle began – the wisp sought to feed on Luna’s jealousy, so her hatred and resentment grew.

The ponyfolk fell quiet during Surprise’s story but she ignored the uncomfortable silence and continued, focusing on Twilight’s reactions. Her shock as she discovered what the changelings were responsible for, and her sorrow when she realised it had been unintentional.

The wasted centuries, a conflict where both sides had been wronged by the other for understandable reasons. None of it made her decision any easier.

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth, lost deep in thought after the end of Surprise’s story. The changeling tried to catch her eye, desperate to gauge her reaction. The alicorn’s emotions were so conflicted that they were difficult to read.

“I’ve told you everything. Do you understand?” she asked. “We weren’t at fault initially. Everything my mother has done since has been to keep us alive.”

Chrysalis’s stern expression softened a little at this sentiment, though her daughter was far from forgiven.

“Yes, I understand.” Twilight was staring at the ground, making a conscious effort not to look up. Her hoof remained on her chin and her speech was hesitant. “Creatures of magic, fuelled by emotion. The energy drained from Luna led to your creation. So much energy that it created an entirely new race.”

She cleared her throat. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, Surprise. You are Chrysalis’s daughter, correct? So you can’t have been born with the first generation of changelings.”

Surprise nodded, then realised that Twilight’s head was bowed so low that she couldn’t see her. “Yes. That’s right.”

“So you weren’t born of Nightmare Moon’s jealousy. You were created by something else.”

Surprise replied in the affirmative once again and Twilight covered her mouth again, squeezing her eyes shut.

Most of the ponyfolk present hadn’t caught on to the reason for the alicorn’s line of questioning and were confused by her reaction. Her closest friends understood, however, and they were just as horrified as she was.

They went to comfort her but she waved them away. She was unable to deal with this revelation just now and there were more lives at stake than her own.

She raised her head, her eyes glistening and her voice flecked with emotion. “So, the question is what do we do next?” she said, unable to look directly at Surprise.

She caught sight of the watching crowd and decided on her answer. “I suppose the best thing would be to free you all from my spell. Then, if any of you want to leave, you can.”

The counter spell was not as flashy as the first. Twilight’s horn briefly sparked with energy and then it was lifted.

“Finally.” Chrysalis shook herself, as if trying to shed any last remnants of Twilight’s magic. She addressed her subjects. “My daughter has clearly made her choice. What about the rest of you? Do you truly believe we’ll be able to live with these creatures?”

The changelings looked among each other. None of them made any response.

She nodded. “As I thought. Come then. Our time here has earned us a reprieve. We have a few days to work out our next move.”

Surprise stepped in front of her, aiming to block her path. “You can’t mean it. You can’t seriously want to go without seeing this through.”

Before she could reply, Emerald Shine spoke up. “None of us are leaving. Not before we see what they decide.”

Chrysalis saw the rest of her subjects concurred. “So, I’m alone then?” she asked quietly. “None of you realise the folly in this? Even if they allow us to stay, they’ll never truly accept us. They’ll always be afraid of us.”

“You’re wrong,” said Surprise. “And you know you’re wrong. You’ve seen Berry and I together. You’ve got to let a little love into your heart.”

“Love?” Chrysalis sneered in disgust. “I have no need for love. It’s a means to an end, nothing more than a lie.”

“So what about me? Do I mean nothing to you?” The young changeling sat on her haunches, looking up her mother and purposefully making herself look as vulnerable as possible.

Chrysalis raised a leg self-defensively, caught off-guard by the question. Surprise continued her offensive.

“You’ve cared for me all my life, looked out for me, nurtured me,” she said. “Whenever there was danger, you sought to protect me from it. You had your misgivings when you sent me on this mission, but you knew the others would keep me safe whatever happened.

“I saw your fear when I revealed my true identity. I saw how hurt you were when I attacked you, which I only did to protect someone I care about and to prevent you from becoming a killer.

“I know I’m not perfect and you still see me as a child, but I’ve grown up. I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions. And I think the only reason you can’t accept that is because you’re afraid I might find a life of my own, that I might leave you. That’s never going to happen.”

She felt herself welling up and smiled to hold it back. “All of this you’ve done for me, and for what purpose? For what end? I can’t see one. So that means – it has to mean – that everything you’ve done for me has been out of love.”

Chrysalis could feel tears coming to her eyes and, ashamed, instinctively lowered her head. Surprise reached up and wrapped a foreleg around her neck.

“What are you doing?” the queen demanded, her voice a hoarse whisper.

“I’m hugging you,” she replied. “Don’t fight it.”

There was no use in protesting. Chrysalis gave in, returning her daughter’s gesture and holding her close.

But she couldn’t resist having the last word on the subject.

“If we live through today, I’m going to remember this moment,” she promised, with a vague hint of menace.

Their embrace was interrupted by the sound of Twilight clearing her throat. The pair of them suddenly became conscious of the watching crowd, though only Chrysalis was embarrassed.

Berry Punch met Surprise’s gaze and she knew that the changeling’s heart was lifted by her mere presence. No matter what happened today, they had found each other. The road ahead would be hard and their relationship was just blooming, but they would find a way to make it work.

Twilight was unsure what to think. The events of today had hit her hard and the repercussions would last for a lifetime, but now was the crucial moment.

She turned to the crowd, which had observed the past few minutes in almost total silence.

Changelings and ponies alike were at peace, for now. But could it last? How willing would either side be to make an honest attempt at getting along?

Comments

[angelofrombelow]

So, I'm undecided. I have a final chapter in mind but part of me thinks this might be a better ending. Let me know!
I'm also cutting back on the pony. This will be the last multi-chapter story I write, though there may be some one-offs in the future.
Things will probably pick up once series four rolls around.

[Kail]

Leaving it open ended like this might be good but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like an actual ending that at least ties up the big question, "Did this work?" I'd like some closure. Welp, that's my two cents.

[Harwick]

I need more, myself... Especially if you're not going to be writing as much after this. I could see it being left open ended as to whether the ponies voted to live alongside the changelings or not, but this isn't quite satisfying as an end point as it exists. I'd definitely like to see some follow-up between Twilight and Berry, as well as Twilight and her half-sister Surprise. And of course Pinch needs to come home as well.

I'm a bit surprised that they're moving to a vote already... I would think they would want to get to know the changelings a bit before deciding anything in the long term.

I really enjoyed the show-down in this chapter, as things hit the fan and Surprise made her impassioned plea. I also greatly enjoyed seeing Twilight stretch her wings as princess, and get good and angry in the process.

[angelofrombelow]

2839260

You're probably right on the voting. I might go back to it and alter the last few lines.
I'll be making a final chapter too. I kinda knew the answer to my own question already - it does need more. My life is just so busy at the moment that it's hard to find time.

[Phantom5niper]

I would love to see more of this story.