> Completely Taboo~
>  by WebHead69
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Enough.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Ngh….ah….em-”  

“Are we being too aggressive your highness?”

“I wouldn't say ‘aggressive’ but…”

“We only want to please you as you requested.”

“I know; and thank you.”

“Then do you wish for us to stop?”

“Not until I’ve- GN!”

Adalricus closed his eyes tightly as he arched his body. Relief rushed throughout the nerves of his entire being, bringing peace into his mind as he sighed heavily. The Changelings’ work had paid off, as his stress vanished with ease thanks to what they did. He opened his eyes moments later as he stretched his body and stood up straight.

“Surely you wish for us help settle your-”

However, Adalricus shook his head with a smile. “You’ve done enough; thank you my servants.” Adalricus gave a nod to the female Changelings as he moved off the table.

One of them frowned. “But this is odd; you wish not for sexual service?”

“There’s more ways than one to please one’s body aside from sexual pleasure; your massages satisfied me. Thus, you are dismissed,” Adalricus explained as he put his robe on, and left the room. The Changelings bowed and thank him for his praise as he vanished. 

Adalricus yawned as he moved through the hallway of his home, craving for something to eat as he thought about what was head of him for the day. “I wonder what I should eat-”

“Dark Biscuits your highness?”

“I-” Adalricus blinked as a male Changeling appeared next to him, holding a tray of what he offered. “Where you come from…” he started as he took one and started to take the first bite.

“Her majesty has ordered for us to always be ready to serve you when requested.” he explained, as he held the tray at the same level as before.

Swallowing the first bite, he frowned. “While that’s understandable, I do not like having so many servants close by…ALL THE TIME!!!!” Adalricus yelled that last part, as he turned around. To no surprise, 3 other Changelings were behind him with their arms behind them, ready for whatever he demanded. While this has been happening his entire life, it always brought displeasure to him. “All of you, PLEASE stop following me; that’s an order!”

Most of them gave very displeased expressions, before looking at one another. They seemed uneasy and looked very nervous.

Naturally confused, Adalricus looked to the one closest to him. “What’s their problem…?”

Smiling nervously, “W-well, her majesty- your mother, stated that if we are not near you at all times, she would cut our horns off and make the one ‘left’ to us eat it…” he explained.

Adalricus paused as he was about to take the second bite of his Dark Biscuit. It took him a few seconds before he actually took it and started to chew. “Hmgn…” He then swallowed before he looked to the ones behind him. “Did she really- wait, this is my mother we’re talking about; of course she would…” Adalricus sighed heavily as he walked past the servant closest to him. Honestly, how could he forget that it was become of his mother that he was always under watch? He looked on ahead and felt even more stress. REALLY mother? Honestly, we’re not animals; we have class! he thought in his mind. One obvious thing that Adalricus did not like about his mother, Queen Chrysalis, was that she often threatened her own kind without hesitation. 

Adalricus held the traits of any Changeling, but kept the traits that were passed on from his mother. This of course, counted for having her eyes, mane, and tail. Although, his horn was naturally shaped slightly differently, and his mane was not as long as hers while carrying a shade of green closer to emerald. Like any of their species, he had holes in various parts of his legs, arms, mane, tail, and of course, his wings. He was already a young adult, if you compared to the maturity age cycle that was seen in ponies. 

“MOTHER,” Adalricus called out as he opened the doors into their family room.

Queen Chrysalis looked up and smiled after acknowledging him. “My child…”

However, Adalricus’ feelings were not the same as he walked over to where his mother was. As expected, she was getting a personal spa treatment from their changeling servants. Dressed in a white bath robe, his mother was laid back in a chair as the changelings tended to her feet, hands, and legs. Her mane was wrapped in a towel that also covered her horn. Stepping forward, “Mother, we need to talk…”

“Of course dear; I am always here for you…” she said, as she gestured to her servants to stop. She stood up from her chair and walked over to him. Before saying anything else, she suddenly pulled him in for a hug. “What is it, my dear prince?” she asked sweetly.

“MOTHER-” Adalricus started as he was embarrassed. “Not in front of them!” he added, as his dark face grew a shade of red. To no surprise, snickering gestures came from the servants, as well as admiration with ‘aww’ and ‘how cute’ gestures. It wasn’t hard for him to break free from his mother who was naturally a few feet taller than him. Although, her motherly breasts DID make it hard to breathe sometimes.

Pouting, Queen Chrysalis rolled her eyes as she released her son. Yes, as it turns out, she did have a particular soft-side. More than often, she was always showing the ‘wicked’ side of her when in front of her servants, and/or when in front other creatures such as annoying ponies. As a mother however, she couldn’t resist snuggling him non-stop with everything. Most would never expect for her and her culture to have the same kind of royal living to that of Princess Celestia and Luna. Any queen had her standards, and her race was more than just leeches to other creatures in the world that they lived in. The scheme of her castle was naturally ‘dark’ and somewhat gothic, matching the overall appearance of her and her race. 

“Leave us.” she ordered to all the changelings in the room.

When they were finally alone, the prince spoke. “Mother, we need to talk about ‘this’,” he started.

Queen Chrysalis smiled sweetly as she started to move her hand through his mane, much to his annoyance as she asked, “And what exactly is ‘this’ that we’re talking about? Do you wish to change your mane?” She smiled as she enjoyed teasing her son, because she knew how much she loved it, and how much he hated it. Just like any mother.

When he ‘escaped’ from her hands, he continued speaking. “Mother, I really do NOT enjoy having our servants follow me everywhere I go. Really now, why must you make it so difficult for me when I've told you the same thing almost every day?” After getting straight to the main subject, he added, “And must you REALLY threaten them? I mean, ‘cut their horns off and make another eat it’? We do not need to make more creatures in general to fear ‘us’!”

Queen Chrysalis let out a laugh as she shook her head and walked over to a mirror where she examined her face, wanting to be pleased with work that was previously done. “Sweetie, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the years, it’s that it’s bettered to be ‘feared’ than simply ‘respected’.” she explained.

Adalricus rolled his eyes. “Oh here we go again.”

“What?”

“You’ve used that line enough times.”

Queen Chrysalis frowned as she raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t you remember? You told me many times that that’s the reason why you fell in love with my father,” he reminded her.

She placed a hand on her cheek. “O-oh, did I?” she asked with a blush, as she looked to the side and thought back to peasant memories. 

“Yes, you did…” Now he was just becoming more and more annoyed. And now that they were on that subject, “When am I going to see my father again?” he asked. To be honest, he was also curious if she could answer this question.

His mother suddenly frowned as he asked her that. She sighed before stating, “I am sorry, but your father Sombra is still having trouble in another dimension. As you can imagine, it’s the reason why you haven’t seen him for almost a year…” 

“Of course…” Prince Adalricus lowered his head with disappointment. He admired his father greatly, and always wanted to spend more time with him. Despite the troublesome relationship of not seeing him often, his father was never less of a good father in his life. In fact, he was still in a positive relationship with his mother for the sake of him. “Going on to more important matters, I prefer it if you stop threatening our servants and stop making them follow me around every single second,” Prince Adalricus said. "It's as if you enjoy seeing me unhappy!"

As happy as she was with her son changing the subject, she was not pleased that it was THIS subject again. “I am sorry Adalricus, but I can’t bear the thought of you going anywhere without your servants tending to your every need. That, and protecting you if any would try to threaten you…”

“Well maybe if you STOPPED threatening any living thing in sight, I wouldn’t have to fear for my life now would I???” he asked her, as he was getting nowhere with his own mother. At least she gave a better reason for their changelings to be following him to protect him, instead of tending to his needs. “I am not a child anymore,” he added, trying to prove a point. After all, she did not have as much ‘protection’ as he did, in terms of the amount of servants/guards around him.

“Like I said before: it’s better to be feared than to be simply respected.” Queen Chrysalis said, defending her way of life. “If we’re done here, perhaps we should get you something to eat; you look thin…” She placed a hand on his face, exaggerating like a typical mother.

“I am not THAT hungry,” the Prince said as he blushed slightly.

********************************************************************************************

Adalricus sighed as he left the dining room after 10 minutes. As expected, he tried to eat as much as he could and as fast as he could because of how uncomfortable it was for him. Why? Well aside from the obvious issue of having at least 3 servants on each side for him, his mother questioned him repeatedly if he wanted anything aside from what was in front of him. Adalricus did love his mother, but this was becoming too stressful for him. Particularly within the last 2 years, where he first started to complain about these conditions. Was it because they were possibly growing apart? Was it because he was already reaching maturity as a young adult? Regardless, he needed some time for himself, and the best privacy he could get in his home was his own room.

“What am I going to do with her...?” he wondered aloud. He could tell that there were at least 6 Changelings behind him, and so he moved a bit faster to his room. When he placed his hand on the knob, he turned around to face his servants. “I’ll be taking a nap; no disturbances…PLEASE.” With that and a quick nod, he moved into his room and closed the door behind him. Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, he froze as he realized that he wasn’t alone in his room; a Changeling servant was cleaning his room.

“There we go…” she said, as she finished cleaning the vases that held flowers in Prince Adalricus’ room. An interesting fact about these flowers was how Queen Chrysalis stated that her son had a strong preference for flowers in general. Perhaps it because he admired their beauty and/or smell, thus having a natural demand for them to be in his room. This changeling obviously thought that it was cute as she showed a smile. “Now then, for the sheets- EPH!?!”

“And what are you doing in my room?”

“Y-your highness-” she started.

Adalricus gave a small smirk as he held her by the waist. With her body facing him, he only needed to lift her chin with his free hand. Adalricus may have been a sweet caring individual, but he was still a male with instincts to take control. Thus, this was the most ‘evil’ thing that he would do to his servants, if they were female. “Again: why are you in my room?”

“I-I-I…” she started as she turned red. While she wore a maid outfit that didn’t show any skin (long sleeve and socks), him touching her physically often made her feel embarrassed. Yes, this wasn’t the first time that she was ‘touched’ by Prince Adalricus himself. 

“Rita?”

She turned even redder. He actually remembered her name? “Y-your highness?” 

“Did you bring me new flowers?” Adalricus looked over to the vases near his window. He then smiled. “Why thank you; I know that I can always rely on YOU to give me what I want the most…” A larger smile emerged from him, as he whispered in her ear with those very words.

“T-thank you…?” she asked with a nervous smile. She then grew a green blush across her face as he was making her feel embarrassed. It got worse as he started to…smell her now? “Nh!?”

“I can tell that you’ve been using that shampoo that I’ve recommended to you,” Adalricus commented, as his snout was buried in her mane. Yes, even their kind had their standards when it came to hygiene. Oh did she smell so good as he moved his hands down her shoulders before asking, “I am not making you feel uncomfortable, am I?”

“N-no, I am completely fine; your bidding is my command your highness…” she said shyly.

Adalricus frowned as he released her. “Never mind then.”

“Eh?”

“You’re free to go; thank you again for the flowers Rita~” he said smoothly, as he made his way to his dresser. 

Rita the changeling was beyond confused as she found her voice. “I don’t understand; did I do something wrong…?” she asked, tilting her head.

“No, you were just being honest, and I appreciate that~” Adalricus explained, as he looked himself in the mirror. 

“I-” Rita was NOW scared; did she anger him? “M-master, please tell me if I could have done anything-”

Now Adalricus was just getting annoyed, but curious about something. “Tell me, what type of sexual fetishes do you have?”

Seeing that he was actually continuing on with the subject, she answered, “Whatever it is that you enjoy…my majesty…”

Of course… “Tell me, what is your favorite thing to eat?” he then asked, keeping his eyes on the mirror.

“Whatever you enjoy.”

“What do you enjoy as a hobby?”

“Collecting flowers-”

Oh?

“-because you enjoy them, your majesty.”

Oh…

“If you’re curious of what my favorite-”

“Let me guess: ‘whatever is my favorite, is your favorite.’…correct?” Adalricus asked, as he turned this time.

Excited, she nodded rapidly, expecting him to be pleased. “YES!”

“I thought so: GET OUT.” 

Her face remained the same as he opened the door, with both of them looking at one another. Her smile SLOWLY vanished when she realized that he was NOT pleased. “B-b-but, I don’t understand-!”

Having a heart- surprisingly-, Adalricus gave a small frown. “Well, you don’t seem to have a personality.”

“What?!”

“You only like what I like; that’s not very arousing, now is it?” Adalricus answered honestly. Adalricus honestly didn’t like it when every female he came across, only reflected themselves off his own preferences; he wanted one who was honest and was not a doll. This was too much in his life, making it very awkward for him to find a future bride. 

“I-I-I-I-I-I-”

“Huh?”

“…….EH-” Rita’s eyes watered as she gave the most depressing expression that you could possibly imagine. 

“What- d-don’t cry!” he suddenly said, as he released his door and moved his hands to her arms. Things were getting out of hand as it didn’t stop the tears from flowing out of her.

“I-I…o-only wanted to please y-you!!” Her voice broke despite his attempts to comfort her. Her eyes shut as she shook her head. “I failed you- MFF!” Her eyes suddenly snapped opened.

Adalricus’ mouth pressed against her own accordingly. His expression was relaxed as their lips made contact, and his tongue dug into her mouth. All successful in calming her down, he watched as her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Mfh…~” she moaned softly. As if expecting it, she gave no other reaction as he lifted her off her feet and carried her over to his bed. She allowed him to explore the contents of her mouth, bringing even more excitement into her.

I just HAD to play with the sensitive one… Adalricus thought as he was partially annoyed. While he knew the name of every servant in the castle, he would at times forget how they varied in personality. Rita, who just reminded him, was VERY sensitive to criticism.

Rita’s body shook as Adalricus was working fast; his kissing technique was very talented as it distracted her from realizing that his hands were working to strip her. She gasped/moaned as her laces came off with ease, allowing him complete excess to her almost-nude body. His face nuzzled against her neck as her excitement finally seemed to settle and flow gently. 

“Better?” he asked, as he kissed her ear.

“Mhhh,” was her answer.

Now completely sure that she was not going to cry anymore, his tongue gently swirled around the holes on her ear. A particular weakness, the holes that were found across their limbs, wings, etc. carried the most sensitive nerves in their bodies. Her shuddering and gasping confirmed this, as his tongue continued to lick around the ‘rings’ before moving towards her breasts. He took only a moment to remove her bra by sliding one hand under her body, while using the other to grasp and pull her panties down.

Now fully naked, her blushes grew a deeper shade of green, as she shifted her body a bit to cover her female body parts.

Quite curious to this sudden change, he asked, “Surely you haven’t forgotten that I’ve seen your body at least twice before…have you?” 

“…” She simply looked to the side. “N-no…” Accepting what he reminded her, she slowly moved her arms low while her legs shifted once more. 

“That’s a good girl,” he spoke softly. Now that it got to this point, he was happy that he changed his mind beforehand. He peered down to see her completely exposed body. He moved his tongue against her nipples while his hands were already tending to her delicate flower. Both carried the same tone of her eyes, as her pubic hair held the same tone as her mane.

The dark prince watched as his servant squirmed slightly to his touch. Her soft sounds were pleasing enough to his ears, but not his lust. He continued to gently rub her closed flesh, rubbing it repeatedly to where he felt her body heat taking affect. It took only a few more seconds before he felt the familiar moisture that she produced during their previous sexual encounter. His fingers wasted no time digging deeper and deeper, causing her to arch and react properly. Her body moved against his fingers, wanting him to effectively pleasure her. It was was nothing new for the dark prince, as all of the females he slept with were never disappointed with being pleasured by a male of power.

“So delicate,” he remarked with a smile.

“Ngh...ah oh prince!” she cried, drooling slightly as she opened her mouth while closing her eyes. Her body squirmed even more, as his relationship with her really made her horny. She felt oh so deliciously closer towards her orgasm, as he moved his fingers upwards and against her g-spot. Her cries grew, before she arched her body once and,

“Only 3 minutes?” the prince commented, pulling out his fingers. “That's a new academy record,” he added before licking his fingers. He watched as clearly it was an intense climax for the changeling servant; she kept her eyes closed while licking her lips repeatedly. Slowly but surely, she started to fall asleep, turning her head slightly against the pillow as her master moved his own covers over her body. Reaching her waist, she shifted slowly.

“Well that was fun,” he commented, sighing as he left her alone. As he walked out of his room, he acknowledged his closest servant and friend waiting for him.

“Only 3 minutes? She lasted longer than most girls that I myself have had fun with~” Raúl commented with a cocky grinn, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He bore similiarty to the prince, although his mane was red and his eyes were white. While not of royalty, his family had a long lineage serving Adalricus' family line for generations. In fact, his father played a nanny role for Adalricus whenever his mother was away for various reasons. Sadly, he died of illness nearly 5 years ago.

“HA!” Adalricus remarked, as his best friend was always a showoff. “Well then perhaps you grow tired of changelings?”

Raúl raised an eyebrow. “What are you implying?” 

Adalricus' smile vanished for a few seconds, indicating that he wanted to be serious with his closest friend. “Well in all honesty, I am actually quite tired of this life...”

“What?”

“I mean it...” the prince of the changelings slowly walked a few steps forward, looking at the floor. “I spoke with my mother not so long ago.”

“Oooooooooooh, what did her majesty say to her fuzzy wussy little black berry plum?” Raúl asked, talking in a foal-tone just to tease the prince before him as he gestured with his hands.

“Buck you!” Adalricus popped a vein as he stuck the middle finger to Raúl who simply laughed. “She refuses to take me seriously despite having brought up the same issue repeatedly for almost 2 years now!”

Raúl chuckled as the prince continued to speak. “Well what do you expect? Your mother loves her only child like any typical mother would. Hell, my own mother, who is retired, still spends 10 minutes a day asking me if anything of sort had happened to me while serving the royal family of our kingdom.” This time, he opened his arms as if welcoming one new the castle. “You would think that after 5 years, she would stop being overprotective about me...especially when her room is 2 floors down!”

Adalricus rolled his eyes. “I still have it worse; I lack freedom Raúl, even with my status I cannot have what I desire the most. I feel like a prisoner who is always under watch.” He looked down the hallway. “I KNOW you're there!”

Raúl looked to see that 3 servants peering out of the the doorways that the hallway carried. They had that same positive smile before one had asked, “Something that you desire your highness?”

“...” The annoyed prince tapped Raúl's shoulder. “Come with me,” he whispered, as they headed the other direction.

Raúl followed him and looked behind him before whispering, “Going to speak with your mother again?”

The prince gave a dark laugh. “Oh no, I am done with talking; action speaks louder than words...” He then smirked as they turned a corner and engulfed himself in green fire, before appearing as a changeling servant...



********************************************************************************************


"Oh my, you look as if you're about to explode..." Queen Chrysalis cooed, watching her servant with pleasure.

"Y-y-your highness-"

She only smiled as she continued to fondle his balls without mercy. Now this may seem harmless at first, but just about any male would agree that enduring hand-play from somepony like her was beyond difficult. Especially if she was doing it for more than an hour, to where her poor changeling servant was chained to the wall of her private chambers. It was not uncommon for the Queen to milk her servants, as their semen held special properties that would do wonders for her hair and skin. However, she had to make sure that each servant she used had practiced abstinence for 7 days. A Changeling's deposit of seed would become richer if delayed from ejaculation for longer periods of time. Thus, this poor bastard was ordered not to touch himself for a week, otherwise the Queen would have forced the Changeling left of him to cut his dick off and eat it in front of them.

"Hmmm....I think that I need to simulate your deposit before I actually try to force it all out..." she whispered in his ear, pressing over to him. While she still wore a robe, he was bare and could only feel the shape of her breasts. Such a tease, she groped both of his balls with a firm grip thus causing him to whine. She smiled even more, as she was looking forward to what he had in store for her.

However, her fun was interrupted as another servant announced his arrival with a cough.

Annoyed, she she looked over to him. "WHAT IS IT?" she asked, as if he were an annoying little brother who wouldn't shut up while she was trying to focus studying at home.

Bothered by what she was still doing even while talking to him, he took a moment to pause before answering, "Your highness, it's the matter of your son," This time, he held up an envelope that was entitled, "To mother". 

Raising an eyebrow with some concern, her horn glowed and caused the envelope to float towards her. She then used magic once more to open it and hold the letter up to her face. Within a few seconds, she gave a horrified expression as her magic shook the letter indicating her reaction. "AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she cried with rage, as the room suddenly went dark.

"AHHHH!"

As expected, Queen Chrysalis had instinctively tighten her hold on her servant's testicles, causing him to release. Strong and firmly, her hand forced an immediate ejaculation, causing her entire upper-right body to be covered in Changeling semen. Thick and high in quality, the smell stunned the Queen as expected.

She slowly turned her head to see that her servant gave a expression of relief, having the torture ended sooner than expected. Obviously, the queen was not pleased as she glared at him. "Grrh..."


********************************************************************************************

"Can we take a break? We've been walking for hours! In fact, why can't we just fly???"

Adalricus rolled his eyes as they stopped. Surrounded by nothing but the wild forest life, both Changelings held a bag over their respective shoulder. "Well Changelings are not exactly eye-appealing to foreign cultures," he pointed out, dropping his bag and crossing his legs with a sigh. To be honest, he felt just as tried.

Raúl followed but with a louder sigh. "Well we're hours away from the kingdom, so surely now is the perfect time to carry a pony appearance?"

"Um..." Adalricus looked to the side, growing a faint blush.

"Your majesty?"

"I can't transform into a pony that well," the Prince confessed while looking down. With that, green fire engulfed him entirely to where his original appearance returned.

"What? What was that?" Raúl also abandoned the servant disguise.

"I can't transform into a pony! You happy?!"

"Well yeah, kinda. Hehe."

"I've never seen a real pony physically; we can only transform into another species when we actually come across one!"

"Hmmmm... Well that's true," Raúl admitted, placing a hand on his chin while he thought of a situation. He also decided to change into a white Pegasus while carrying on the traits of red in both his mane and eyes. "I think I have an idea..." 
> Welcome to Ponyville~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adalricus laughed as he and Raúl continued to tell jokes to one another. Raúl was really something to that of a joker, and one who never disappointed the dark Prince in conversation. Of course, that didn't mean that he would simply ignore the jokes that insulted him in any matter; Raúl would particularly never shy away from teasing Adalricus over his relationship with his mother. However, that was then, and this was now, where they happily ate under a tree. After traveling for 2 days with barely 10 hours of rest, they were taking a much needed rest. And yes, they actually flew after Adalricus was able to mimic an actual pony thanks to Raúl.

“I am still confused to why you decided to leave a bag full of bits to those ponies; it's not like they would have remembered me distracting them while you took your sweet time observing them to 'understand' their physical statures...there were 4 options!” Raúl pointed out, chewing on bread.

“Well they saw me,” Adalricus pointed out before drinking water. “And you knocked him out quite hard; I originally wanted to bribe them, but you thought it would be better to physically intimidate them! Last thing we need is word spreading that Queen Chrysalis' heir is roaming freely outside her fortress...even if you were trying to make them lose their memories.”

This time, Raúl laughed as he tossed his bread aside. “Oh really?”

“What?” Adalricus raised an eyebrow.

“You're going to find this quite difficult to believe, but I doubt that any living thing outside our kingdom even acknowledges your existence,” the changeling comedian explained.

“What-”

“Your mother didn't want to risk your life by letting her enemies know of your existence. In public appearances, she appears as a loner with no personal obligations; she's the Queen of our race and most changelings like me, are the closest thing to 'family' for her. All And that's saying something based on her reputation with other species,” Raúl explained, standing up and lifting his bag. He adjusted his scarf after feeling a light breeze. And this is only fall...good thing we brought warmer clothing, he thought. Aside from a scarf, both he and Adalricus were wearing thick traveling coats over long sleeves, dark jeans, and boots to counter the colder seasons. Winter was in 2 weeks and it was not going to be kind.

“Care to be a little more specific...?” the Prince asked, frowning as he looked at Raúl. Obviously Adalricus' mother was not completely honest with him over the years; she would often speak of how envious her enemies were of wanting him for a child. It was strange to him when considering how much she smothered him so openly within their home, that it would be difficult to believe that she did not gloat of his existence. “What, do they think that we're insects that are disposable under 'our' Queen's command? And that she's not capable of being a mother?”

“Yup,” Raúl confirmed as he started to flap his wings. “This also makes them think that she's given birth to all of our kind, to that of an ant or bee colony. You think that with her figure, they would think otherwiiiise~” he said smoothly. 

“WHAT?” This time, the Prince was completely dumbstruck as he suddenly stood up.

“Yup,” Raúl repeated as he chuckled. “Could you blame the other species? About 95% of our kind looks the same in our true forms. We're like one big family from a first impression...” This time, he actually frowned. “I've aways said that prejudicial species are the most idiotic...like you.”

While Adalricus was about to question more on how other species viewed them, that last comment annoyed him. Especially when Raúl was the only changeling he knew who was not afraid to insult him. “Why do you gotta break balls?” Adalricus asked, quoting a line used by Raúl just last week.

“What kind of friend would I be if I didn't? Or a smart mouth servant?”

Adalricus glared. He lifted his bag and started to flap his wings only a second later. “You're quite immature, you do know this right?”

“Oh excuse me your highness; I am not the one who wanted to run away like an child!” Raúl laughed, as he followed his future King.

“I- Shut up...” Adalricus blushed as Raúl was getting the best over him in this argument...like aways.

“Also, WHY did you decide to keep wings and a horn? I already told you that ponies don't typically hold both traits unless they're of royalty,” Raúl explained. “You should have made it simple, and mimic only one of the ponies that night.”

“As I've said a 100 times, it feels strange to me if I don't have both,” Adalricus explained. Thanks to the black stallion he saw 2 days ago, he was able to keep his traditional body color. For his mane and eyes to share the color green, a yellow mare was available with these traits. And for the traits that stood him out as royalty in pony-culture, a stallion Pegasus and Unicorn mare were the ones who spotted him in the bushes. 

“Speaking of which, how did you learn to merge their traits into one already? It took me mimicking at least 20 other ponies before I could figure that out,” Raúl said.

“I panicked; I don't know how I got it the first time!” Adalricus remarked with a blush.

“That doesn't make sense- You know what, never mind.” Raúl rolled his eyes.

Relieved that he accepted his answer, “I do hope that they've accepted my apology and won't mention to any other pony regarding what happened...”

Raúl sighed at what he said. “You're quite gullible your highness; ponies cannot be trusted when you're a changeling.” He lead the Prince into the South direction. “Even if we just happen to use the same currency, money does not guarantee making things go in one's favor. Hence I was highly against you even bothering to leave them a note...along with a bag of bits. ”

Adalricus gave a small glare as he felt sensitive towards Raúl's remarks...a lot more sensitive than usual. His views on ponies was rarely based on what other changelings had told him; his mother never mentioned them- (aside from how they supposedly felt jealously towards his existence)-, his servants seemed to never know more than him, and Raúl never spoke of them as a major subject within conversations until now. All that he knew was that ponies supposedly discriminated against his kind, but was it the truth? He was too afraid to reveal his true form to them, despite the likely hood of being only recognized as a changeling and not the heir to his kingdom.

“So where are we going in particular?”

“Hm?” Adalricus looked over at Raúl.

“Well we 'agreed' to leave our wonderful lifestyle in order to experience life amongst ponies, but all we've really done is spent 2 hours at most within a small community before leaving...AGAIN,” Adalricus pointed out in disgust.

“It was your idea!”

“Do you not understand sarcasm?” Raúl questioned him.

That took Adalricus by surprised. “I-” Wait, so does he actually enjoy the company of ponies? Adalricus wondered, when he knew how open Raúl was with insulting ponies. However, he decided to let it go and answer with, “Well, I think that we should find some place for a long-term stay.” With that, he halted his momentum and held his position while looking around the landscape.

Raúl did the same. “Well hopefully there will be better love around; the only love we've been able to leech off is the admiration for our physical appearance,” Raúl remarked, sighing. “Admiration barely counts as 'love'! And not satisfying at all!”

“Ok just calm down,” Adalricus said, looking to the West. In truth, he was starting to feel light-headed after a few hours at a time. It was strange because he did not realize just how much his body relied on his mother's form of love, in order to meet his body's needs. Even sexual lust from his female servants wasn't enough. “Ah,” said the Prince happily.

Raúl turned to see what the Prince was looking at: a medium-sized pony community that looked promising. Smiling, “Shall we?”

Adalricus gave a nod. “Hopefully we can purchase a good home for the time-being,” he said.

Raúl rolled his eyes as he led them to solid ground. “Your highness, you have a lot to learn...”



****************************


As they walked, Raúl began to educate Adalricus more on the culture of ponies. When they came across the first pony community on their adventure, Raúl surprisingly knew more about their life-style than Adalricus had given him credit for. However, he was never clear on how or why he knew so much, despite the Prince's frequent questioning over his strong knowledge. Perhaps Raúl traveled more often than he had assumed. Regardless, he agreed with Raúl's recommendation over 'renting' a room within the community that they came across known as Ponyville. 

It took only a big red stallion who was dragging a large wooden cart, to explain of their current location. Adalricus was actually stunned with how physically superior this pony appeared, when compared to the first ponies he ever came across during the last 2 days. Whereas Raúl was completely casual and kept a positive attitude, until they continued on their way. Regardless, that did not stop Adalricus from tipping Big Mac with a bag of bits, who then appeared confused before tossing it in his front pocket and just went along with it.

As they walked for 5 minutes, Adalricus took his time acknowledging the lively atmosphere that existed in Ponyville. It was strange, because he was feeling a steady flow of 'love' coming at him from all sides. What was so special about Ponyville?

“It's quite nice here; I feel odd yet comfortable as if we were home,” Adalricus remarked with a cheerily smile. “What do you think-”

“Ok, I know that I wasn't making that big of a deal on this before, but I STRONGLY suggest that you at least get rid of that horn during our stay,” Raúl interrupted uncharacteristically, whispering harshly at the same time.

“What? Why are you so bothered right now?” Adalricus asked, blinking in confusion. 

“Because unlike the other communities, this one has more ponies staring at you in the first few minutes, than when we had in 2 hours within the other communities!” Raúl whispered harshly, actually appearing worried. “Seriously, as if they never seen an Alicorn!” 

It took Adalricus only a few seconds to understand what he was trying to explain, before realizing that he was right; looking left and right, he saw a few ponies staring at him with excitement. They pointed and whispered to one another before bowing as he waked by Well buck, he thought while smiling nervously. 

Satisfied that Adalricus agreed, Raúl led them to an alley where he motioned the Prince to undergo his transformation. With nopony watching, he was good to go. He gave a nod of acknowledgement before he engulfed himself in flames. “Better?” Adalricus asked.

Raúl looked back at the Prince and raised an eyebrow. “Um, you could have kept one of the traits,” he remarked.

“What are you-” Adalricus blinked as he felt his physical appearance, realizing that both his horn and wings were gone. “I didn't want both of them to go away!” he complained, before groaning and engulfed himself in flames once more.

“Um...”

Adalricus then realized that he brought both traits back equally. “Ok, now this is just getting annoying,” he admitted with a frown. It took him 3 more attempts before realizing that he needed to practice some more. “Urgh, I'll just stick to a basic Earth pony for now...”

“That would be best,” Raúl agreed. “It's strange really: you can transform into an Alicorn despite never seeing one, yet you can't transform into a Pegsus nor Unicorn despite seeing one,” he pointed out, holding his chin in confusion.

“But you said that you can do the same, right?”

Raúl laughed as he engulfed himself in flames just as he did. This time, he reappeared as an exact replica of Adalricus' current form. “Of course I can, but it's just surprising how you're able to do it on your first try,” Raúl explained. With that, the flames returned and disappeared revealing his previous form. “Also, I don't want to stand out like you do; you should have listened to me beforehand.”

Adalricus rolled his eyes. “Well as long as this form doesn't bring unnecessary attention, I don't care by this point,” Adalricus admitted, accepting the situation and how he should have taken his advice more seriously. “So where can we 'rent' a room? I just want to lay down on a real bed again...”

“Agreed,” Raúl said, looking around as he led them out of the alley. “Well, you can typically look for 'signs' on particular buildings. So where would we-”

Raúl never got to finish that sentence as he was impacted by an orange burr. Now Adalricus was not able to fully comprehend over what just occurred, given that his friend vanished from his sight entirely. He hurried along the alley and looked to his left to see what had happened: an orange filly was on top of the disguised-white Pegasus, who was on top of her scooter. Only he gave a loud groan of displeasure, obviously as the only one actually suffering from serve pain.

“Oooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww- Buck my life...” Raúl groaned, as the filly finally got off of him with a small groan of her own. “I don't deserve this!” he whined quietly while moving off the uncomfortable scooter. He rubbed his stomach, wanting the pain to vanish sooner.

Like hell you don't! Adalricus thought, having a dark sense of humor and finally understanding why Raúl enjoyed seeing him miserable. He smirked like a complete jackass before asking,“Are you ok?”

“Not really-” Raúl started, but got really angry after realizing that Adalricus was tending to the little orange filly instead of him.

Scootaloo finally got her helmet off and saw stars in her vision. “I-I think so,” she answered, shaking her head after a few seconds. When her vision returned to normal, she blinked a few times before realizing what had happened. “Oh, sorry mister!”

Raúl shook it off as he finally stood up. “Don't worry about it,” he said with an annoyed tone. 

Scootaloo accepted his assurance and looked to Adalricus with an raised eyebrow. “Huh, I don't think I've seen you before...are you new to Ponyville?” She looked back at Raúl, confirming that they were not local to her home.

Huh, I suppose this community is social enough that she would know that I am foreign, Adalricus noted, giving a friendly smile before nodding. “We are actually, and just happen to be looking for a room to 'rent',” he explained. “I don't suppose you can help us?” Adalricus then asked.

Scootaloo took a moment to think about it. After a few more seconds, “I think Pinkie Pie said that Sugarcube Corner was renting out a spare room!” she exclaimed with a happy nod. “Just head in that direction and you'll find it without trouble!” Scootaloo pointed in the other direction.

More than pleased with her super-convenient knowledge, Adalricus happily tossed her a bag of bits. “Thank you so much! Let's go Raúl!” Adalricus said, wanting to get there ASAP.

“Hey, wait up!” Raúl said, as the Prince ran off just as he finally acknowledged what they were talking about. “No patience-” 

“WOW this is a lot of bits!” 

“Huh?” Raúl looked to see that Adalricus was a bit too generous with his 'tip'.

“There has to be like 50 bits!” Scootaloo squeaked with excitement. Her eyes glittered in amazement. 

“More like 200 bits,” Raúl said in annoyance; they were going to go broke despite the amount of money they left with!

“What?”

“Nothing!” Raúl said quickly, as he started to go after the Prince.

However, Scootaloo was that curious of their background, as she started to question him nonstop on the way to Sugarcube Corner...


**************************************************

“So it's only 1000 bits a month?” 

“Yes sir! I finally got that expansion done and I am feeling generous today!” 

Adalricus smiled as he continued to speak with the owner of Sugarcube Corner. It was wonderful that not even half an hour passed before he would find a promising new home after arriving in Ponyville. While there was no patrons at the moment, the owner's wife was feeding their apparent children at a table. Happily willing to accept the offer, Adalricus failed to notice Raúl outside the door with Scootaloo...

...Raúl growled as he had his hand on the knob. The orange filly behind him was asking too many questions that was really starting to get on his nerves.

“So is he from a high-classed family in Manehattan?”

“No-”

“Are you his butler or something?”

“I am more of a 'friend' than a butler-”

“Is he a virgin?”

“WHAT?”

“You can tell a lot from a pony like that!”

“And just how OLD are you-”

“Does he like apple pie?”

“Who doesn't?”

“How old is he?”

“Would you stop-”

“Is he looking for a future bride because he's secretly a prince from a foreign culture because he's tired of the lifestyle brought to him by his parent(s)?”

“The buck-”

“Is he that much of a nice pony where he just gives away bits like that?”

“I-”

“Can I be his servant?”

“Look-”

“Can I live with you two?”

“...”

“Can I have more money? I really want to improve this tree house and-”

“HEY KID,” This time, Raúl released the knob and lowered his face closer to hers. “ever been eaten by a changeling disguised as a pony?” he growled.

With that, Scootaloo's ears dropped as her eyes widened. “EEKKKK!” she cried, running away in her scooter.

“Swell...”

Raúl turned to see the Prince-of-topic standing in the doorway with a displeased expression.

“Well she was annoying!” Raúl complained, as he walked inside Sugarcube Corner.

“Still, even I wouldn't be so stupid to threaten one with my actual identity; it's risky and idiotic!” 

“OH REALLY?”  Raúl crossed his arms as he gave a dull expression. Especially with how careless the Prince of changelings has been appearance-wise.

“Also, 'eat' her? We're not cannibals!” Adalricus openly pointed out, as the Cakes were out of their conversation range. “Anyway, I've booked us a room so we can just go upstairs now,” he explained.

Satisfied with how he handled things, “Well then, off we go? How many months did you pay in advance?” 

As they walked up the stairs, Mr. Cake spoke with excitement with his wife. “And he even paid 24 months in advance! Could you believe that?! What swell ponies!”

Mrs. Cake was also awestruck by the luck they had. “Oh well that's wonderful! We should bake them something nice to show our appreciation!” she suggested, as she finished feeding their children.

“Honey, I think that this is a positive sign for our future~” Mr. Cake exclaimed, pressing his nose against her own with affection.

******************************************

Both changelings had no trouble finding their room, when it was the only door that was wide opened on the second floor. As expected, it was a decent sized bedroom with a large closet, 2 night tables, and an appealing dresser with a large mirror. However, there was only one large bed and under the only window in the room.

“He said that it's two mattresses together so we can just split it,” Adalricus explained while dropping his bag. In all honesty, he was just happy being able to sleep on a bed after traveling for 2 days. “And Mr. Cake's love for his wife is quite smoothing really,” the Prince pointed out, sensing and leeching off the love from downstairs.

“Yes it is,” Raúl agreed, sighing as he sat on the big bed while yawning. However, he took only a minute before standing up and started to separate the mattresses, each to a wall of their own. Adalricus on the other hand opened the window to allow a gentle breeze. “HELLO Ponyville~” he sung loudly with joy, as he felt really happy for some reason.

“HEY, BUCK YOU ASSHOLE!” a random stallion shouted back.



******************************************* 

Both Adalricus and Raúl were getting used to the life-style of Ponyville during the first few days. Frankly, it was obviously an interesting experience for Adalricus, as he was able to socialize with any pony he came across without trouble. In particular, the Cakes' love and affection for one another was rewarding for the leeches themselves, as they felt rejuvenated after absorbing a proper form of love. In fact, thanks to their passionate love-making that occurred every night since their arrival, both changelings were getting the highest quality of love that one would kill for. 

In their spare time, the changelings would mostly walk to the public park because...well they had nothing better to do.

“Ok I am bored, I want to stop doing whatever it is I am suppose to be doing,” Raúl complained.

“We're suppose to be acting like ponies...we are acting like ponies...right?” Adalricus asked. Yes, it was relaxing sitting in a park where various forms of love was available for them to leech off of from a respective distance. However changelings typically had to interact with another species in order to fully absorb any form of love. Thus, they were always occupied while earning the form of love that they desired. Yet, love was so vast and plentiful in Ponyville, that it was actually an effortless task.

“Well maybe we can go see what the market has? Something new to discover is there?” Raúl suggested, as he stood up and stretched.

The changeling Prince nodded as he did the same. “No food I assume? Lunch was quite an experience today...” A funny thing about changelings was that eating and drinking was more of non-essential body pleasure. Quite obvious when considering how they were publicly known for leeching off other species. However, this form of body pleasure eventually led to develop 'cravings', fooling one's body into thinking that eating and drinking was indeed essential.

Raúl laughed as they walked on. “I am still hungry to be honest, but I rather find a nice gift for my mother instead of discovering new edibles,” he admitted. 

“...” Adalricus looked to the side as he started to think about his own mother. When he ran away, it was so that he could get away from a life where he was never given any proper freedom. Always being followed, never able to have that assurance that he could have privacy whenever he wanted, never allowed to leave the castle like his mother, it was stressful. Yes he currently shared a room with Raúl, but at least Raúl didn't mind leaving him alone for at least an hour if he requested it. Nor would he mind if Adalricus wanted to sight see in an environment where many if not all were hostile to changelings. In fact, he felt grateful for having Raúl as a friend and more than just a loyal servant...even if he was a total jackass at times. However, the thought of returning home never occurred to him until now.

“Hey, what do you think of this?”

Adalricus came back to reality, failing to realize that they were already surrounded by various stands of good products. He looked to see that Raúl was examining miniature glassed figures, particularly a distinctive replica of an infamous creature.

“...Discord?” Adalricus assumed, recognizing the distinctive physical traits.

“Yes it is,” Raúl confirmed, admiring the amount of work that was poured into making this 2 and a half inched figure. “My mother enjoys collecting them...” Raúl said, having a hint of sadness in his tone. Obviously he had a better relationship with his own mother compared to Adalricus.

Wanting to lighten up the mood, “I heard that Discord's a complete jackass.”

Raúl looked at him completely surprised at his remark. “What?” he asked, showcasing a grin.

“My mother actually dated him once,” Adalricus said with a grin of his own. “And told me that he was unbearable to even acknowledge within the same room.” 

“Oh did she really say that about me? And here I thought that her sending a 1000 of her minions after me, was just her way of getting my attention! I am actually hurt knowing that she thinks that I am a jerk!”

“Yeah- Wait, what?”

Both changelings failed to realized that the devil himself was running the stand. He was sitting on a stool while slipping some smoothing hot tea. He wore a black coat and a white scarf that hid his chin and a good portion of his goatee. His yellow eyes were unseen thanks to his spherical sunglasses that aided him on this bright sunny day. Finally, his white hair was tied into a ponytail, controlling his usual chaotic hair that was often a hassle to care for.

“I must say though, I honestly didn't expect the Prince of all changelings to be casually shopping at a public market within Ponyville itseeeeelf~” the Draconequus said smoothly, as he took a slip and sighed in relief before placing his tea down in front of him.

“I don't bucking believe it: the rumors ARE true!” Raúl exclaimed with excitement. 

“What-” started Adalricus. Frankly, he had a lot of questions considering how confusing the situation was for him.

“I heard that you were released from your imprisonment, but I didn't think that the rumors were true!” Raúl looked as if he was a child within a candy store; he had a dumb childish smile on his face and Adalricus could swore that he saw stars appearing in front of his eyes. “Can I have your autograph???”
Adalricus' jaw dropped as he never expected this from Raúl. Let alone, meeting the infamous being known as Discord...who was known for committing such acts- Oh that's right; he's Raúl's idol! “Raúl, he KNOWS who we are; aren't you even a BIT concerned that he may spill our secret since he's known for purposely making hell for others???” Whereas the dark Prince was not an expert on ponies, he read many books on Discord after his mother first told him on how insane the Draconequus was. Only now did he remember that she once commented on Raúl's fascination over the chaotic creature. 

“Oh come now Adalricus; I've changed! I am not so much as a sadist that I would purposely endanger both of your respective well-beings!” Discord claimed, laughing openly. “Besides, even if I didn't changed, I would simply watch and see how you buck things up on your own~” he said sweetly with a toothy grin. 

“I-” Adalricus opened his mouth but closed it. Something seemed off about Discord knowing that HE existed, despite Raúl previously mentioning it as a secrecy. “How do you know who I am exactly??” Adalricus had asked.

Discord smiled as he reached for one of his glassed figurines. A basic looking pony, he clutched it slowly before opening his lion-hand seconds later, revealing a small replica of Queen Chrysalis herself. “You carry a hint of her scent, enough for me to recognize that she would a birth child.” With that, a smaller figurine appeared, baring a strong resemblance to the true form of Adalricus. “Also, my vision allows me to see through your adorable disguises without issue.” Discord yawned while covering his mouth. “But it's nothing special really...”

“And somehow that allows you to learn my name?”

“I have my ways of obtaining such information, Prince. Such as drinking with your father before I became a servant to the cause of harmony and peace,” Discord explained while taking a sip of his tea.

“You know my father?” Adalricus asked while blinking in surprised. He would have never expected his father to associate himself with a particular creature.

“But of course; Sombra and I have quite a history together. In our youths, we had dreams and strong desires. Sadistic we were, loving how miserable we made others feel...but naturally we had different ways of causing such misery. Despite that, we have great respect for one another~” Discord laughed, before adding, “However, that doesn't mean that I would help him out of the situation that he's in now.” With that, he gave a nasty grin to displeasure the Prince's mind.

Adalricus glared at Discord; while there were only a few things that would bring great discomfort to him, Discord's reputation alone would make any living-being restless. Well, almost any living-being as Raúl was now asking Discord to write his signature on his body. Thus, it was his cue to leave and look at other goods that were available in the market.

He may be a crazy bastard, but mother always said that he was a creature of his word, Adalricus thought, as he let out a sigh after a minute of feeling his blood boil. Hopefully his mother was right and that Discord would not reveal their true identities for the time being.
Adalricus came across an apple stand where he felt somewhat excited; the apples he tasted outside his kingdom were a lot more pleasing than what he was used to. Thus, he licked his lips as he craved for something sweet and juicy. “Excuse me, how much is it for 2 apples?”

“It's only 2 bits for 3 but you can get 10 of them for 5!”

“AH!” Adalricus yelped as he dropped one of the apples he was examining. A pink maned mare- or just 'pink' in her overall appearance, appeared from inside the small mountain of apples with 3 perfectly stacked at her head. Her speech was fast-paced and just annoyingly LOUD.

“Hi my name is Pinkie Pie! You're the new stallion who rented up the new room that the Cakes recently added right? I heard that you're sharing the room with another stallion but I haven't gotten the chance to meet you two since you both always leave before I wake up and get home super-duper late! It makes me sad because I wanted to throw you two a 'welcome to Ponyville' party where all of my friends including Twilight, Rarity, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash!”

“I-” Adalricus only had a few seconds to comprehend what she had just said. He blinked repeatedly as he only managed to understand what her name was. Huh, so is this the pony that the orange filly was talking about? he wondered, as it was all coming together on what her business was with him. It was the same when the Cakes told them of a pink pony renting out another room. He only just realized how funny it was that he never met her until today. Wait, how did she know who he was and how he looked like when they never even met?

“So you want an apple right? RIGHT? Oh I just love Apple Jack's apples because they're SOOOOO juicy and so satisfying~! You MUST buy like a crate of them-”

“Whoa there Pinkie, let the fella take his time and not be pressured; I ain't too fond of that ya hear?”

Adalricus took a moment to acknowledge who he would assume to be Applejack. As expected, she also wore a coat for the current season, only hers was an appropriate shade of green with a white scarf. “The name's Applejack sug, and I heard you from out of town right?” she asked with a friendly smile. 

Adalricus already grew a stronger liking for the blonde pony over his pink neighbor. “I am,” he confirmed as he picked up 3 apples and held up 2 bits for her to accept. “And I must say that it's been quite an interesting experience so far,” the changeling confessed. “Also, it's amazing that you're able to produce such high quality apples- let alone, any apples-, when winter is so close! You must be quite the farmer no?”

Applejack took pride in his compliment, as she happily accepted his money. However, it was Pinkie Pie that spoke up. “Oh yeah she does amazing things when you least expect it! Heck she has even-”

“Ok Pinkie Pie I think he gets it-”

“Oh but I want to tell him about the time when you and Rarity were alone in Twilight's tree house and you decided that the best way to sleep together was-”

“GAH- How do you know about THAT?!”

It wasn't difficult for the changeling Prince to realize that Pinkie was about to talk about a sensitive story that would embarrass Applejack; she was already turning red. “Well, thank you!” he quickly said, wanting to make the situation less awkward as he waved goodbye. Moments after he walked past 2 stands, Raúl finally appeared beside him.

“You won't believe where I got his signature-”

“I really don't want to know Raúl...hahaha,” Adalricus said, shaking his head. He took a moment to acknowledge the families of ponies walking around the market. Everything was so outgoing and peaceful, no unnecessary attention was stressed as they were actually happy to be within this type of environment. “You know, it's funny.”

Raúl the joker, raised an eyebrow. “What's funny in particular?”

“Well,” This time, he stopped and looked at Raúl. “I just find it funny with how easy it is to socialize with ponies. We've lived here for a few days now and even though we don't have a special relationship with any pony, I am really enjoying myself just talking causally with random strangers alone. Heck, I am actually starting to find them quite appealing.” 

Raúl's normal smile was disappearing.

“I actually thought that they were bad as a species, but they're not as terrible as my mother told me. Then again, she hasn't been entirely honest with me now has she?” He laughed after that last statement, finding the idea to be ironic.

Raúl's expression became completely neutral by this point “You're thinking dangerously Adalricus, you should really stop talking in such a matter.”

This time, Adalricus was taken by surprised. “Why do you think so? Surely one who obviously has more experience with ponies than I do cannot deny that we're not so different from them when it comes to exchanging conversations,” Adalricus frowned in displeasure. “WHY are they our 'enemies' to begin with? They seem like a kind species.”

This time, Raúl leaned against the wall of a building near the stands. He let out a loud sigh, indicating that Adalricus was supposedly thinking wrongfully. “It's complicated Adalricus, especially since you're your mother's heir,” Raúl explained. 

“Oh? How so? Has my mother actually done anything that would make ponies and changelings hostile?”

“Oh no; she did done fucked up how ponies view us,”  Raúl confirmed. “But you seem to live in this fantasy that things can change in a way that you want it to be. Sadly, that's not how life works Adalricus.”

“What are you trying to say?” Adalricus started to glare at Raúl, who remained calm.

“You don't have a sense of viewing things by how they truly are; you refuse to acknowledge reality itself!”

This time, Adalricus popped a small vein on his neck. “What do you mean 'I don't acknowledge how reality is'? It's because of me accepting reality over the fact that my mother would never take me seriously, is the reason why I even bothered to go on this trip! I am here because I don't like the way how my life is! I want to LIVE MY LIFE!”

“Oh yes, because your life is SO difficult-”

“Don't buck with me on that; happiness is desired no matter of one's status and does not automatically come to one when they're wealthy!”

Raúl gave a displeased expression, but accepted that fact. “Regardless, your idea of peace between our kind and theirs is unrealistic and foolish to even consider...”

Adalricus stared at Raúl with a stunned expression. Ever since they 'ran away' on this trip, Adalricus was learning more and more about his best friend over the past week, than he ever did in the last 20 years that they've known one another. And there was obviously some information that he was keeping from Adalricus. And given by how Raúl was rarely serious, Adalricus could tell that he wasn't being completely honest with him.

“Maybe we shouldn't have come here, I KNEW that this was a bad idea,” Raúl then said. “You should have just stayed and found another way to deal with your mother.”

Adalricus crossed his arms. “Then WHY did you allow me to leave and not tell my mother before I could escape?”

This time, Raúl let out a chuckle. “Well considering that you were leaving a farewell letter, I thought that you would come to your senses after a day, but you didn't.” This time, he moved closer and stopped smiling. “I suppose it's my fault for not thinking this through, I am sorry.”

Now Adalricus was dumbfounded with what Raúl just told him; did he actually just apologize? “Raúl...” He walked closer to his friend. “...you've been acting different since we left the kingdom,” Adalricus pointed out, looking at Raúl with a serious expression. “And I know that there's something that you're not telling me, right?”

Raúl suddenly rolled his eyes. “Eh.”

“What do you mean, 'eh'?”

“Eh.” Raúl repeated, yawning and walking away from Adalricus, who was once again displeased with his answer.

“You're unbelievable,” Adalricus growled before walking away.

Raúl stopped lwalking after Adalricus had a 10-second head start. His expression relaxed as he turned to see the Prince of changelings look over some vegetable stands. His expression then turned into more displeasure, as he thought about Adalricus. I have to really keep an eye on him in case something does happen...

Adalricus finished his third apple and ate the core without trouble. Licking his fingers, he then saw some flowers on a large stand that were quite appealing. It surprised him that he didn't bother to buy some ever since his arrival beforehand. As he reached for a lily, he saw that 3 ponies managed the stand and were helping to other customers. Thus, his attention span failed to notice that one pony had her hand on it already. “Oh...”

“S-sorry, did you want that flower?”

“Oh that's fine-”

“N-no, please take it if so-”

“N-no, really-”

“P-please-”

Adalricus laughed as he shook his head. He released the flower and clenched her delicate hand around it. “I really don't need it; it's no trouble...really!” he said with a friendly smile. Who was this mare?

“Oh um...you seem to like flowers too; a-are you sure?” Fluttershy then asked. She showed some concern, as if his life depended on that lily.

“I am sure; I can assure you that it's no trouble at all,” Adalricus said, now starting to chuckle as her reaction was priceless and adorable to him. Her mane was pink but straight and humble, unlike Pinkie Pie's which was curly and chaotic. Her smooth skin reminded him of butter cream with a hint of yellow, and her expression was perhaps the gentlest that he ever came across. It was...innocent to say the least, as she seemed trustworthy from first impression. Her expression of uncertainty brought a comfortable yet confusing feeling inside of him, as she looked up at him. Her shyness and overall shorter size made her a perfect example of over cuteness. As for her attire, she was wearing a light brown coat over a white sweater while a light blue scarf remained loose around her neck. And while he was not trying to stare at her cleavage, he caught a glimpse of those large beauties for only a moment. In fact, he actually felt guilty?

Fluttershy wasn't convinced; she gave a frown as if he took away her favorite doll and they were in the middle of a playground. “W-w-well I DO think you need this flower! A-a-and I think you should have it!” She shut her eyes and blushed as she pushed the flower against his chest.

Adalricus frowned to the point where he looked slightly displeased. No female, changeling nor pony, has ever said 'no' to him! “No, I said that it's fine and you can have it!” This time, he gently pushed the flower towards her chest. “Take it!”

Fluttershy was turning more red as she felt as if he deserved the flower more than her. At least, that was what she always believed when placed in situation like this. Not only that, but there was something strange about this black stallion and the way he looked at her. “N-n-no, you take it!”

What's with her? I am trying to do something nice! What female doesn't accept a kind gesture from a male??? Adalricus thought with confusion. Honestly, why did it bother her that much? “Look-”

Pouting as if he were her father who refused to let her keep an abandoned puppy, Fluttershy shook her head as she blushed and said, “I don't want it!” It was ironic because the flower ponies never seen their regular customer act in such a matter. Whereas Adalricus assumed that Fluttershy was always this confident in an 'argument' such as this. Especially when she gave a shy smile. “T-t-thank you anyway!” She turned and went on her way, allowing him to take full notice of her wings as she flew.

“I-” Adalricus was dumbfounded as no female ever had the final say with him...not counting his mother of course. Looking at the flower ponies, “Is she always like this...?” All three flower ponies laughed, confusing Adalricus even more. “What's so funny??”

“Oh you're quite something to be making Fluttershy act like THAT,” Rose remarked with a grin.

“What?”

Lily giggled before answering, “Fluttershy lives up to her name, but I've never seen her turn red like that before!” She looked at Daisy. “What do you think?”

Daisy had better control over her reaction, as she simply smiled and said, “Well, you are charming from a first impression.” With that, Daisy gave a wink.

Getting the idea that they were trying to hint at, he chuckled slightly. “I see...well thank you for your kind words,” Adalricus gave a nod before tossing a small bag of bits at them. He would leave before they would realize that he gave them a generous payment, allowing him to think about the pony he just met. It was still very odd to him as he looked at the flower and gave it some thought. She was...interesting to say the least, as he looked to see if he could spot her again- “OW!”

Adalricus clutched his stomach as he almost fell forward, had it not been for Raúl who made perfect timing returning to him while assisting him. He grabbed his arm and helped him regain balance,  lifting the weight of stress from him. “What's wrong?” he had asked.

“I-” Adalricus blinked as he held his stomach. It felt odd as he never experienced pain such as this. The arm that Raúl released wasn't well either, as Adalricus rubbed it carefully after being released. “I think that those vegetable wraps we had today is having an affect on me; I feel nothing but discomfort,” the changeling confessed, blinking before he rubbed his eyes.

“Let's back to Sugarcube Corner then,” Raúl suggested, keeping a hand on Adalricus' back. “Hm?”

“What is it?” 

“Did you finally figure out how to transform into a Pegasus?”

Adalricus raised an eyebrow as he took a moment to notice some discomfort on his back. “Well look at this!” he exclaimed, as he adjusted the wings that he 'grew' and slid them through the holes of his uni-race coat. Two black feathered wings came out and stretched in relief. “Weird, when did this happen?” Adalricus failed to turn into a Pegasus nor an Unicorn despite attempting to every morning and night.

“Strange, but I suppose you may have gotten it right last time and didn't notice?” Raúl assumed.

However, Adalricus shook his head as he remarked, “I am quite sure that one of us would have noticed before I got my coat on,” he sighed, feeling the pain vanishing. “It doesn't matter now since I am feeling much better now,” he explained as he started to shake it off.

“...” Raúl was not fully convinced, but nevertheless continued to walk by his side. Although he took a moment to acknowledge the flower in his hand, before looking back to possibly spot the mare that he saw Adalricus speaking with. “Alright then...”

Adalricus continued to walk while rubbing his arm, in an attempt to settle his nerves completely. It was pain that he never experienced within the 22 years of his life. To make matters worse, the changeling failed to notice the small chunks of flesh falling off his hand, before fizzling into green smoke... 
> Why can't we be friends?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Raúl yawned as he lifted his body straight up. He slowly rubbed his eyes before using all of his will power to move himself off his twin mattress. It wasn't until he made his way to the bathroom and urinated before he opened his eyes completely. He washed his face and looked at the clock above the mirror to acknowledge that it was a quarter past one, meaning that he slept in again. He made his way back to his bedroom where he finally took notice of Adalricus' absence.

“Oh no, where did he go?” Raúl asked aloud with a displeasured expression.

As a natural reaction, he suddenly walked to the doorway and popped his head into the hallway, looking left and right. No sign or indication of where the changeling prince went. While he was alert and focused on finding Adalricus, even Raúl needed more time to wake up his body entirely. Thus, he shook his head and yawned before making his way back to bed. In truth, Raúl felt concerned for Adalricus since yesterday when they returned from the market. He could easily recall of how Adalricus immediately dropped dead the moment they arrived home. He decided to skip dinner, and thus, it was likely that he was making up for lost meal time. And so, Raúl decided to make his way downstairs, meeting with Mr. Cake in the hallway.

“Good mornin'~” Mr. Cake said cheerfully.

“Same to you sir. Have you seen my roommate?”

“Why yes I have,” Mr. Cake confessed. “I remember him asking if he could get a bag's worth of apples from my storage; he offered to pay for what he would take, but I decided to let him take as much as he wanted without charge.”

Raúl blinked. “That's quite generous of you Mr. Cake.”

Mr. Cake laughed. “Oh come now; with you two paying kindly in advance, I am quite sure that I can be just as generous~” he said smoothly. “Speaking of which, I didn't realize he was a pegasus like you,” Mr. Cake pointed out.

“What? Oh...” Raúl forgot that Adalricus actually learned how to keep only one of the traits that would separate earth ponies and non-earth ponies. And it was likely that he was now showing off his new wings around without worry. “Yeah, he was just recovering from an injury; he kept them hidden under his clothes for less exposure. He's careful like that,” Raúl lied.

Thankfully, Mr. Cake went with it. “I suppose that makes sense, well I will see you around Raaaaaúl ~” he whistled as he walked past him, attempting to put an accent with the pronunciation of his name.

Raúl was pleased to know what Adalricus was up to as the landlord left him alone. “Well I guess I was right. I wonder if-”

“Good morning.”

Raúl was interrupted by the changeling in question, who waved happily while carrying a bag over his shoulder.

“Sleep well?” Adalricus asked, smiling at Raúl. He was dressed conformability in a basic red t-shirt with white shorts that carried large pockets. Funny enough, his mane was a mess as if he just got out of bed, despite Raúl knowing that he woke up earlier than him. He had a strange expression, as if he seemingly finished laughing after hearing a clever joke.

“Yeah I-”

“Good because I am REALLY hungry; I'll be in the room...hehehe...” Adalricus gave an expression as if a sense of relief emerged after a heavy burden fell off of him. His face seemed flushed, as if he was out in the sun for far too long. Yet, he seemed VERY happy, as if he just got laid-

“Um, were you with a particular mare?” Raúl asked, interrupting his own train of thought. He crossed his arms, curious if he was on to something when he saw Adalricus speaking to a particular mare at the market.

Adalricus stopped giggling as he looked at Raúl with an expression of uncertainty. “Wait, what?” he asked with a dull tone.

“Were you with a mare? Particularly a mare with a mane that is pink?”

Adalricus blinked as he gave a confused expression. “What? Pink? Wait, what? What's her friend's name? Yeah, I was with that curly-maned...mare...mane...”

Raúl was dumbfounded by how Adalricus was acting, especially since he was not feeling well from the previous night. Yet here he was behaving abnormally to what Raúl wasn't used to. “The buck is wrong with you?”

“Oh yeah...THAT mare,” was what Adalricus responded with.

Raúl waited as he assumed Adalricus was trying to regain his train of thought. However, he was wrong as Adalricus started to walk again, passing by him and leaving Raúl dumbfounded. “Adalricus!”

The changeling prince froze, before answering, “I am keeping these apples! But we can share...if you want! But I am keeping these for myself!” With that, he 'hurried' along the hallway and stumbled a bit, leaning most of his body weight against the wall. Finally, he found his way into the bedroom that he shared with Raúl before slamming it shut.

Raúl raised an eyebrow and for good reason; even if he just got some tail from that pony from the market, he wouldn't act like this. Unless she was that amazing and blew his mind? No, that was stupid for him to even think that a pony could do that to a changeling. “Wait, did he say 'curly-maned'?” Raúl asked aloud, blinking as he looked down the hallway. “Oh no...”

Pinkie Pie hummed as the music she listened to was matching well with the comics that she was reading. Every page progressing the story matched perfectly with whatever song her stereo decided to play. She was enjoying herself as she rested her head on a pillow while comfortably lying on her back. It was still slightly early in the morning, and so she was still wearing her pjs: a white t-shirt and light blue pj pants. She wore no shocks as her toes randomly brushed against one another and her second pillow. While she didn't use the bathroom yet, her mane was no different than what anypony would be used to. She smiled as she loved the chemistry between the two griffins in the comic, as these brothers held a strong relationship between them throughout character development. Naturally they were popular favorites, especially when it came to some naughty fan-fiction amongst the female fans.

“Oh Celestia they're so cute together! I wonder if Streak is more dominate than Razor...he seems like the one who would be on top,” Pinkie Pie considered, as she looked up at the ceiling to think over her idea. “Hey, that actually gives me an idea for my next fan-fiction!” she exclaimed cheerfully. “I got to update my status to tell my 10,000 followers what my next story is going to be!” With that, she closed her comic but was interrupted by the opening of her door.

“Excuse me, Pinkie Pie was it-”

Raúl stopped as he found Pinkie Pie making direct eye contact with him. Her head adjusted slightly since she was 'pointing' towards the doorway in her current position. As she did, the pillow slipped off the edge of her mattress. Thus, she simply allowed her head to hang off the edge without breaking eye contact. The way it occurred distracted Raúl for some odd reason, as if he was surprised with how focused and alert she was with his entry. Naturally, she broke the silence.

“Yup! What can Pinkie do for you Raúl?” she asked, giving a smile of hospitality.

Raúl shook his head, questioning himself to why he stopped talking in the first place. “Did you sleep with Adalricus?”

“WHAT?”

“Did you sleep with my roommate?”

This time, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped...or lifted, depending on how you saw it from Raúl's view. She suddenly glared at him despite keeping the same position that she was in. “And what makes you think that I am easy like that? What, do you think I am PERVERTED or something?!”

“Well I do have some examples that could back that up...” Raúl lazily glanced to the left, noting the “I <3 Yaoi” poster on the wall. That and the fact that a poster of a muscular Zebra wearing only Zrazilian trunks, hanged next to it. This also led him to notice some suspicious-looking magazines that were open, revealing the graphic content between two males on the floor by her pillow. “Dirty mare, aren't you?” he asked, crossing his arms as he stood by the doorway with a small chuckle. “But I honestly couldn't care less of what you are,” he admitted at the same time while giving her a stern expression.

Pinkie Pie puffed her cheeks, indicating her displeasure with what he said. While not a pony who was easily sensitive to the opinions of others, this bastard was crossing a dangerous line with her. Her glare however vanished, before she asked, “Why are you asking me if I slept with him?”

While Raúl did not like to explain himself, he decided to make an exception. “I just saw him in the hallway not one minute ago and he seemed odd. Odd enough that makes me question if something happened to him.” Raúl walked forward, allowing the door to close behind him before he allowed his arms to hang by his sides.

“Oh, it's because he looked like he was about to kick the bucket yesterday right?”

“What?”

“Oh I saw how he looked when you two left the market.” This time, Pinkie Pie gave a frown out of displeasure. “I was actually worried because he's pretty cute!” With that, she smiled as if she was proud of that statement.

Raúl rolled his eyes. “Well did you sleep with him?”

Pinkie Pie stopped smiling and observed him for a bit. It was as if she was the one who asked him that question, and that she was going to try to see if he would lie or not from his expression. However, she suddenly gave an odd grin before asking, “It's because you two are a couple, RIGHT?”

Raúl was taken by surprised from what Pinkie Pie said. “Wait- WHAT?!”

“Oh I see, so you're just a bit jealous and concern that your precious Ada-”

“I am NOT gay...”

“Is he gay?”

“I don't know!”

“What if he is???”

“Well I am sure he would have flirted with me if he was!”

“Well you act like a couple!”

“What?”

“The way you insult him from time to time, yet you two still share the same room together?”

“It’s a stallion-thing!” 

“Well that does make sense.”

Raúl paused as Pinkie Pie stopped grinning; she was staring at the ceiling again to think over what he said. It was good considering that he was able to refer both changelings as stallions without mistakenly revealing their true identities. Overall, he was surprised with how Pinkie Pie’s logic led to mistaken him and Adalricus as a couple. However, it didn't end right there as she spoke again.

“Wait a minute, I think you're lying!”

“You think I am lying,” Raúl repeated with a dull expression.

“Yup, you two would make a cute couple!”

“What kind of logic is THAT?! You're just fantasizing!”

“Bullshit; I saw the way of how concerned you were as you helped him get home. As if you couldn't live without him!”

“It's called being a good friend!”

Pinkie Pie's expression had lightened entirely, as Raúl's reason was good enough for her. “You're right; sorry if I made you upset,” Pinkie Pie said, frowning as she obvious regretted seeing him angry because of what she said.

“Thank you,” Raúl said, relaxing himself entirely. After a few moments of silence, “Sorry if I offended you in anyway; I just don't like it when I don't have the answers to questions that I have,” he explained, actually blushing a bit; was he actually feeling bad? “Especially if he's not well and he's acting strange after seeing you. I care deeply for him, and I wouldn't forgive myself if anything did happen to him.”

Pinkie Pie smiled, clearly appreciating his apology while also understanding his concern. “Well I heard him groaning in the hallway this morning as he was making his way to the bathroom. I quickly came and helped him to my room since it was closer, where I then realized that he has wings! It's cool because I didn't know that he was also a pegasus like you, and I like knowing as much about anypony who lives in Ponyville!! Anyways, he seemed stressed, as if he didn't get any sleep last night! So I quickly got him some water before he told me of how much pain he was in! I was really worried that he wasn't able to relax so I got him to smoke with me!”

“Smoke?” Raúl asked. He raised an eyebrow as Pinkie Pie finally changed positions to which she moved off her bed. She then walked over to her closet to where she opened it and pulled out a nice-looking bong. More than a foot long, it was crystal clear to where you could see the inner mechanisms that were color-coated with pink, showcasing as the bong’s secondary colors. 

“After 10 minutes, he said he felt much better!” Pinkie exclaimed happily.

Raúl obviously didn't expect this as his jaw dropped. “Wait, you got him high?!”

“Yup!”

“WHY?”

“Because he was stressed, duh!” Pinkie Pie remarked, rolling her eyes in a typical matter before adding, “I figured his nerves weren’t allowing him to get any rest! So I gave him some of nature’s love!” Seemingly proud, she gave a huge grin in a matter which Raúl thought was impossible for any pony to do; how did she make it almost half the size of her head?

“I-“ Raúl was taken by surprised with Pinkie’s actions. However, what bothered him about this is that cannabis did not typically have a strong effect on changelings. Unless, “Hey, where did you get that stuff?”

“From Discord of course! You met him in the market right? I saw you and your roomie chatting with him!” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

“DISCORD?”

“Oh yeah he’s got TONS of amazing stuff to sell! He’s pretty much an ‘artist’ who likes to share what he’s created! He has his own private garden and sells some very unique stuff every now and then! But his most popular products are-”

“Well that explains why Adalricus got high…” Raúl smiled, actually starting to chuckle as it didn’t surprise him that cannabis sold by Discord, would naturally have better luck affecting a changeling than typical cannabis. Although, this made him wonder if Pinkie Pie was the way she was BECAUSE of what Discord made.

“Why? Is it hard to get him high? He didn’t seem like 420-friendly; he was confused and very skeptical when I first offered him the stuff!” Pinkie Pie pointed out, blinking in confusion towards what Raúl said.

“Oh um, yeah he’s very picky by the quality. He doesn’t like to waste his time with stuff that won’t even give him the munchies,” Raúl lied. As far as he knew, he was the only cannabis user within their castle home. And from what Pinkie Pie stated, Adalricus wasn’t a user like him. “So how has your experience been while using Discord’s quality? I bet it’s something since it’s grown from HIM?” A frequent user, he was that curious on what his idol was capable of producing. Of course, this was also him being curious of how it affected ponies if it was strong enough to affect changelings; would it be stronger than what he personally grew? And of course, it didn’t surprise him by this point that Pinkie Pie was already using a lighter and inhaling out of her bong…

**********5 minutes later**********

“So you two are actually changelings? And Adalricus is the son of Queen Chrysalis?”

“Yup.”

“And you two just came to Ponyville randomly just to get away from it all?”

“Siiii~”

“Gosh, I didn’t think that Chrysalis would get a stallion to sleep with her!”

“Why so surprised? I would buck the hell out of her…got any more brownies?”

Pinkie Pie blinked as she moved her left arm along the mattress, finding the plate of chocolate goodies waiting to be eaten by the 2 stoners. 

“So you’re worried about Adalricus having a crush on Fluttershy?”

“Is that her name?”

“Yup!”

“Then yeah, I am worried about him liking Fluttershy!”

“So you ARE gay for him!”

“I am not…”

“Hmm…fine. But in my fantasies, you both are a couple!”

Absolutely disgusted with Pinkie Pie’s freedom of creativity, he ate more of the delicious brown goodness. “I love chocolate,” he said happily, while trying to get the fandom idea out of his head.

“Me too…it’s better than sex right?”

“Oh buck yeah it is!”

Raúl smiled as he blinked once before moving his arms around to find more brownies. It was nice considering that Pinkie Pie had a large mattress, allowing the both of them lay their heads beside one another while stretching out their bodies reasonably. Both were staring at the ceiling with their mouths slightly opened, which was enough to take small bites from the brownies that they held. 

“So you’ve come up with like, 20 different unique recipes when you first got on this stuff?”

“Oh yeah I did Pinkie. To this date, I’ve come up with like over 200 different fun edibles for the munchies! HEHEHEEHEHEHEE…”

“Oh I got to try some- some! Haha!... Are we high?”

“Wait, what?”

“Hehehe, you said ‘what’!”

“I did?”

“You did what?”

“Your voice is so cute, that I can’t stop laughing! Hahaha!”

“It is- cough!”

Raúl blinked as he noticed that Pinkie Pie was coughing for the 5th time within the last 2 minutes. “Easy now…Piiiiinky~” Raúl advised.

“By Celestia- COUGH! I’ve been on this stuff for 2 months and I still can’t get used to it!” the pink mare whined. “Maybe I got to smoke it some more!”

“Don’t use it all in one go! You got to preserve the stuff that you get!” Raúl closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them. This time, he was able to acknowledge the thick flumes that swam around Pinkie’s room. “Wait, whose room is this?”

“I think it’s- COUGH! Yours-!” Pinkie Pie managed to say. “Ah, I need some soda…” Pinkie Pie coughed for a few more seconds before she stood up straight and leaned over to an open can on her night table. Relief soon followed, as the fizzling orange liquid smoothed her dry throat. “Ah…gosh did I need that!” she said weakly.

Raúl blinked again as he turned his head to see Pinkie Pie. This time, the pink mare decided to drop her weight on the front-side of her body. Although her head rested on her chin so that she could look at Raúl with a friendly smile. She blinked slowly as she licked her lips. “Hey, want some soda?”

“Wait, you still have some in your mouth?” Raúl asked, allowing his mouth to hang open.

“I mean from the can silly!”

Raúl suddenly chuckled. “What? Oh, right…hahaha!”

After a few seconds of stumbling and trying to stand up straight, Pinkie Pie finally passed her almost empty can of orange soda to the changeling. He took it with pleasure and slowly started to drink what was left. It was awkward because he failed to comprehend that he needed to tilt the can a bit more with a simply adjustment by the wrist. Thus, after 10 seconds, he decided to lean his head back to the mattress, lazily pouring liquid into his mouth for a more effective result.

“Heeeeeey don’t take all of it!” Pinkie Pie whined, blinking only once since she gave the can to him.

“MFFF!” Raúl complained. He turned his body away from the pink stoner that was now fighting for her can back. While it looked as if they were too weak to put any real effort into their actions, the cannabis produced by Discord was actually just making them lazy. Eventually, Raúl finished what was left but still kept the can against his lips.

“Don’t drink it all!” Pinkie pie whined again, as she was on top of Raúl’s back, who was holding the can away from her as he laid on his front. Her arms made contact with his face, as she tried to get the can in a lazy matter. Her large soft breasts naturally pressed against his back, but the stoned changeling was too occupied to acknowledge what was against him.

“I am not done!” Raúl claimed.

“You’re mean! Stealing a mare’s soda for yourself! What kind of changeling are you?”

“The good-looking kind!”

“You may have a good argument, but that’s not enough!” 

Raúl whined as it was becoming more and more uncomfortable. It took him a few seconds to finally acknowledge by this point that what they were smoking was high in quality, as he blinked a few times. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie stopped as she laid on his back in silence. Raúl glanced at her as he wondered if she fell asleep.

“Wait, you’re a changeling.”

“Yeah? Oh…”

“And so is Adalricus?”

“Yeah? Oh…”

“Oh gosh…oh gosh! I have to tell everypony!” Pinkie Pie claimed, as her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Interestingly enough, her eyes weren’t red as cannabis didn’t always have this affect with every consumer 

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do!”

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do!”

“No you don’t!”

“I don’t?” Pinkie Pie asked, blinking as she closed her mouth. “Wait, yes I do!”

Raúl wanted to punch himself in the face for realizing his mistake. His mind was becoming more and more sober, as he needed to do something to prevent Pinkie Pie from spilling the beans. “I wasn’t serious; we’re high!” he pointed out.

“We are?” Pinkie Pie asked, blinking again. She suddenly smiled as she said, “Oh we are!” However, her smile soon vanished as she followed with, “But wait, you look just like one right now!”

“What-” Raúl blinked as he finally took notice of his current appearance. At what point did he turn into his true form? Of course, the green goodness prevented him from recalling at what point he revealed his true form to her. “Well buck,” he said, admitting defeat.

Pinkie Pie attempted to stand up straight on top of his back, struggling to move off. “Got to…tell the others!” she had said. “After I get a few more hits!” With that, Pinkie Pie started to turn around and awkwardly crawl her way to her nightstand where her bong waited.

“Oh no you don’t!” Raúl said, putting in as much effort as possible to shift positions and place his weight on her back. He tried to get her hands away from the bong, as if it was completely relevant to the issue at hand.

“Get off of me!” Pinkie Pie whined lazily. While Raúl wasn’t heavy at all for her, she was really just having trouble putting any real effort into getting him off of her. “Get offfffffff!” she whined.

“I can’t; don’t snitch Pinkie!” Raúl whined, as he suddenly started to giggle. “Hehehe…what the buck am I doing?”

“Get off!” Pinkie Pie whined. However, she started to giggle too for a few seconds like him. “Hehehe…this is fun!” Pinkie suddenly laid her arms on the mattress, pausing her efforts for only a few moments.

“I know…hehehe!” Raúl just laid on her with his head buried against her mane.  “You smell nice…but I can’t have you snitch!” Raúl lifted his head and tried to comprehend what was needed. Ok, if she doesn’t get the bong, than she won’t get any more hits! And if she doesn’t get any more hits, she won’t be able to snitch on me! While that was obviously terrible logic to go with, Raúl’s mind was unable to realize this. Especially when it could benefit him by the possibilities of affecting her memories, as cannabis was infamously known for.

“Hehehe…what?” Pinkie Pie blinked as she stopped giggling and looked at him. “Snitch on you for what?”

“That me and Adalricus are changelings!”

“Wait, you are? Oh, that’s right!” Pinkie Pie said, blinking as she forgot for a few moments. “Nhh! Get…off…of…my…butt!”

“Huh?”

Pinkie Pie struggled to move as Raúl was sitting on her rear. Had both been nude, Raúl could have hotdogged her rear as her tail fell to the side of her waist. In fact, the idea was tempting as Raúl’s attention was brought to her sexual features. Thus, the changeling lowered himself into a position where he grasped her waist and lowered himself to her back. “You know…you have a nice body Pinkie Pie…”

“What?”

“Wanna buck?”

Pinkie Pie took a few seconds to fully understand what he asked given that she was stoned. “Buck? Oh! Hehehehe,” she giggled as she found his straight-forward question to be funny. “Whaaaaaat~? We can’t buck; I have to tell my friends of what you and Adalricus really are! Of course, after I smoke a few more hits!”

However, Raúl was already lifting her shirt up to reveal her bare pink skin. Silky smooth, the changeling lowered his face against her back, taking a moment to smell her bare body.

“H-h-hey!” Pinkie Pie protested, as her changeling guest was touching her in places that were now bare. “I haven’t showered yet! I haven’t-” she started to protest, as she was becoming increasingly embarrassed by his touches. In response, she placed more effort by turning her body on her back, despite the fact that her shirt was still lifted to some extent. While she tried to pull her shirt down, Raúl was not giving her the chance to react. “But that’s dirty!” she pointed out, as the changeling took advantage and moved his lips to her stomach. His lips eventually made their way to her belly button, giving her chills as she giggled for being ticklish.

Raúl cared little for her protests, as his arousal was heavily influenced by pot. Thus, he simply kissed and smelled her some more. “I don’t care if you didn’t shower…I didn’t!” This time, he started to move his tongue along her fresh, moving upwards towards her breasts.

However, Pinkie Pie managed to put up a bigger fight despite her giggling. “Hehehe- STOP THAT! You changelings are perverted! Hehhee!” she protested, unable to control herself as she squirmed against his touches. Eventually, soft moans escaped from her lips the more he touched her, as the idea of sleeping with a changeling seemingly turned her on. 

Raúl finally got to reveal the large breasts that Pinkie Pie had hidden under her shirt. While she did resist him attempting to remove her shirt completely, she did come around and even finished pulling it off for him. She sighed and giggled as she watched him burry his face between her breasts, while wrapping his arms around her body as they adjusted position. It surprised Pinkie Pie how gentle he was, despite being a creature that was known for ‘leeching’ off ponies.

Raúl grasped as he had difficulty reminding himself to breathe after 20 seconds of motor boating Pinkie Pie. He then took his time trailing his long tongue around her nipples. He made sure to also grasp her breasts at the same time, causing the mare under him to produce some appealing sounds. After having fun with her breasts for nearly a minute, he pulled away and chuckled. “My friend wants to play…hahah, I call it my ‘friend’…”

Pinkie Pie’s heavy breathing converted into giggling, as she was easily amused with the jokes that Raúl spoke. Of course, her giggling ceased as she saw the changeling’s ‘friend’ making an appearance. It was thick as expected, and he held a decent length despite being mostly limp. Shaped like a stallion’s penis, it was mostly black with the upper portion holding a red tone similar to his mane. Raúl moved off her pink body and shook his head slightly; he was trying to sober up from the cannabis.

“Oh buck does Discord make some amazing stuff,” he said while chuckling at the idea. He blinked and looked at Pinkie Pie who was now scanning his nude body. As if his feelings for her had changed within the last few seconds, he felt the need to kiss her. Not purely for sexual arousal, but the ideal was overall appealing since Raúl was curious of how good of a kisser she was. Thus, he slowly crawled over to her and pressed his snout against her own. Their noses were cold and moist, as he then opened his mouth and dug his tongue into hers. The exploration of Pinkie Pie’s mouth was not disappointing, as her tongue reacted accordingly to his attack. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down against her body.

“Ah, buck I feel so hot!” Pinkie Pie claimed, as their lips broke away. She did appear exhausted, as if she ran 5 miles without rest. Her eyes were wearily, and her mouth was slightly opened. She blinked as Raúl was working on getting her completely naked. “Noooooooooo~” she complained playfully.

After Raúl stripped her free from any clothing, he made an effort to turn on her over. Their bodies were already sweating slightly, even before Raúl took a moment to grasp Pinkie Pie’s sweet rear and spread it open. Her crotch was already moist with naughty juices, despite her marehood being closed and untouched. Her scent brought a sense of relief to Raúl, as if he was under nothing but stress since he woke up this morning. Hell it was so intoxicating, that he didn’t realize that he was already moving his face against it.

Pinkie Pie blinked as she found herself hugging her pillow while resting her chin at the same time. Despite failing to comprehend to how she got into this position, she didn’t fail to acknowledge a pleasurable touch against her marehood. “…Nah…yeah,” she moaned quietly as she closed her eyes and snuggled against her pillow.

Raúl’s tongue lapped repeatedly over Pinkie Pie’s crotch, cleaning her of the naughty juices that her body produced just for him. Of course, he eventually decided to dig into her as he grasped her sweet buns effectively with a strong grip. Her body reaction also caused her tail to ‘flick’ at his head, indicating the nerves that were affected by the simulation itself. He paid no mind to it, as he moved his lips to her tight hole, properly rimming her for a few seconds before moving back on her flower. Pleased with the work he did, he felt that he waited long enough to penetrate her with his changeling cock.

Raúl moved upwards and took a deep breath to settle the nerves that were rocked in his system.  He grasped his penis and stroked it softly, only to be assisted by Pinkie Pie who had shifted positions.

She seemed mesmerized by his penis, as she moved her hand under it and rubbed the shaft repeatedly. Quietly, she said, “Put that in me…”

Nodding, Raúl worked with the current position that Pinkie Pie was in: she laid on her side with her legs folded as if she was about to go into the fetal position However, she then kept her blue staring into his white ones. He continued to make eye contact with her as he lifted a leg and angled his penis into her. As they connected, both arched in reaction before closing their eyes to fully enjoy the sensation that was shared between them. 

“Ngh…”

“Mngh-!”

Raúl moved at a slow pace, as he had difficulty handling the tightness that was Pinkie Pie’s cunt. By the goddesses did she feel amazing, as Raúl felt as if he was the pony and she was the changeling! The life was being sucked out of him with each thrust that he did into her body, increasing the pace regardless of possibly driving himself insane. The changeling servant would naturally experience a shortness of breath, as his body had difficulty handling Pinkie Pie. It was amazing that a pony could do this to him.

Pinkie Pie only moaned in pure bliss, as Raúl’s penis was thrusting deep enough to her liking. Pinkie assumed that his penis would feel different to that of a station’s, but she was met with disappointment. It was a shame because she wanted a unique experience with a penis that she wasn’t used to, but appreciated its work inside of her nonetheless. She felt so full and felt as if she was going to cum within the next few seconds. It naturally caused her to arch her body, causing her changeling partner to pause so that she could better comprehend her orgasm. When she would then sigh and return to her original position, he would continue moving in and out of her marehood.

“Nghhh…you have a nice cock…”

“Thanks…”

“I mean it...by celestia is it big!” Pinkie Pie added, arching again slightly. However, the Pink mare would grow tired of this position despite the advantages of the angle itself. “Hey, I want to be on top,” she said, putting effort into changing positions; she moved her hand against his chest, and freed herself from his penis. Afterwards, she managed to position him against her pillows so that she could sit on his penis cowmare style. Positioning herself, she managed to get the end to probe her at the right angle before dropping herself.

“Buuuuck Pinkie!” Raúl moaned, crying in pleasure at the same time. He dug his hands into his mane and gasped as he shut his eyes tightly. For the first time in his life, Raúl was scared of what his orgasm would be like from the intense sex. He didn’t know how his body would react, and felt victim to Pinkie Pie’s wonderful body. Especially since she was now hugging his head with her large breasts, covering his face entirely. Thus, he decided to make his last few minutes being alive worth wild by groping her sweet pink buns. At least he wouldn’t have any regrets by this point, right?

Pinkie Pie continued to cry in pleasure as she moved up and down while hugging Raúl even more. After a few minutes, she knew that she was going to orgasm legitimately this time as her love juices made a mess on Raúl’s lower body as well as her bed. This time, the familiar feeling of a climax was all too real for her to ignore. “Ahhhhhh…I am cummmmmming-!”

Stupid sexy pony! Raúl screamed in his mind. Both he and Pinkie arched their bodies in pure bliss, as they simultaneously experienced their orgasms together. It lasted for what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it lasted for about 10 seconds. Both partners held each other closely in silence, as Raúl closed his eyes before passing out…

************************************************************************

“AGH! That's SPICY!”

“Well it's your fault for drowning your food in that stuff; it's going to give you a bad day.”

“I think eating with as much as possible is fun!”

“That doesn't help...cough!”

“Drink some water...”

“Nah, water only spreads it; I just eat plain chips to get rid of the spice out of my mouth.”

Raúl sighed in relief as the hot sauce vanished from his mouth. Pinkie Pie's advice worked perfectly for him, as he then drank a full glass of water to smooth his throat. On a cold day like this, Raúl, Adalricus, and Pinkie Pie thought that spicy food would be fitting enough to bring warmth to their bodies. While Adalricus and Pinkie Pie ate warm tacos, Raúl preferred a nice-sized fattening burrito. At least a foot long, he took him at least 10 minutes before he took his final bite with a big helping of hot sauce.

“Wow that was amazing...” Raúl leaned back and rubbed his stomach. “It's quite nice with how Ponyville carries so much variety in food; I think me and Adalricus have eaten around the world in just two weeks!” he exclaimed positively with a smirk.

“YUP!” Pinkie Pie happily said with a smile. “Ponyville has gotten a lot more immigrants over the year, and we've had interesting shops and restaurants opening each month!” She took another bite out of her last taco. “I've been learning new languages because of them! I met a cool griffon and zebra couple who gave me some phases to practice with!”

“Really? Like what?” Adalricus asked curiously.

“Bon anniversaire means 'happy birthday'...from whatever language they normally speak from their country!” Pinkie Pie explained with a big grin.

Adalricus raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, 'whatever language'?” he asked, expecting more from Pinkie Pie. “You're obviously referring to the language known as-”

“Hey, do they have good dessert here?” Raúl interrupted, looking at the food ordered by other patrons. “Now I want something REALLY sweet...possibly Pink?” he confessed, looking at Pinkie Pie with a smile.

Pinkie Pie giggled, as Adalricus was surprised with Raúl's flirting.

“Well there's amazing gelato about a block away, so we should definitely check it out!” Pinkie Pie stood up. “But gonna use the little mare's room first so I'll be back~!” With that, she walked away from their table.

“So you seem to admire Pinkie Pie?”

Raúl blinked as Adalricus gave him a stern expression. “Well she IS an interesting pony,” he admitted.

Adalricus leaned back as he crossed his arms. “Well that's funny considering that you were just lecturing me for the last two days on how I shouldn't get close to some of the ponies here.” He frowned as he disliked hypocrites in general and Raúl was no expectation. “And here I thought us going out to eat lunch with her was an idea of her own.”

Raúl smirked as he ate his chips, scooping up a nice helping of salsa. “Well Pinkie Pie is the exception; because of her, I've discovered many interesting things,” he explained happily. In truth, he was actually thankful that Pinkie Pie ‘pinkie promised’ not to spill the beans on the true identities of him and Adalricus. Hence, he wanted to spend more and more time with her…which was naturally odd to him at first, but he refused to question his enjoyment. After all, why should he? Funny enough, Adalricus did not know that Pinkie Pie’s knowledge over their true identities. “I am actually quite fond of her,” he quietly said, just as Pinkie Pie returned. 

“Ok well since the food has been paid, let’s get some dessert in the market!” she said happily while grabbing her bag. “Let’s go guys!” she said cheerful, walking away with expectations of being followed.

“Lead the way Pinkie,” Raúl said as he stood up from the table. “Ok, let’s go-” Raúl froze as Adalricus’ actions took him by surprise.

The changeling prince had his mouth against an apple and held a lid lighter against it. “Ahh,” he sighed happily, as he breathed out the smoke through his nose. While the hit he took was not strong, even Raúl was able to catch the familiar scent from where he was standing.

“What are you doing?!”

Adalricus blinked. “What, do you want some Raúl?” Offering, he held up the apple as well as the lighter.

“Get rid of it!” Raúl said angrily, before shaking his head and walking away out of the restaurant. 

Frowning, Adalricus stood up from the table. “Well that was rude…” The changeling prince then took notice of a small pony who was waking between tables and walking in his direction. “Excuse me.”

“Hmm?” Button Mash turned his attention to the changeling in disguise. 

“Here you go,” Adalricus said with a smile, handing the boy the apple and the lighter. “I don’t want it to go to waste, so you can have it!” With that, he bid him a farewell and followed Raúl out of the restaurant. 

Button Mash stood there completely clueless to what just occurred. “Huh?” He then looked at the apple and lighter. It took him a few seconds before he remembered something about the apple and lighter. “Oh, I saw my brother doing this before!” he said happily without attracting attention to himself. “Let’s see, he put his mouth against one hole, and used a lighter like this…”


Pinkie, Raúl, and Adalricus happily enjoyed their frozen treats as they walked along the streets of Ponyville. Pinkie Pie would not stop talking about the time she and her friends did battle against Discord before he became mellowed and stayed in Ponyville. While Raúl was naturally interested, Adalricus grew bored and wanted to speak of another topic. However, he wouldn’t get the chance as Pinkie Pie and Raúl made it impossible to get a word in. Not wanting to hear more about Discord’s ‘stories’ that he heard as a statue, he abruptly said, “I am going to go look at some flowers.”

This time, all 3 friends stopped and focused the attention on Adalricus.

“I’ll see you 2 later,” Adalricus said, waving goodbye as he walked away.

While Raúl wanted to protest, Pinkie Pie had other plans. “Okie dookie, we’ll see you later Adalricus!” she said happily, waving goodbye. Looking at Raúl, “So anyway, Discord said that Luna is into-”

“Never mind that Pinkie,” Raúl interrupted with a stern expression. “I don’t know if I can trust him walking around knowing that-” He stopped as he wanted to choose his words carefully when speaking to Pinkie Pie. “That, he’s either carrying more of that stuff grown by Discord or he’s going to see him and get some more.”

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes. “So? It’s not like the stuff is bad for you or anything!” Pinkie Pie claimed.

“But it’s been grown by Discord; who knows what it would make him do,” Raúl pointed out.

“I am sure he’ll be fine. Besides, are you REALLY worry about him with smoking pot, or the possibly of him going to meet up with Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie asked with a grin.

“What?”

“I knew it! You have a crush on her!” Pinkie Pie grinned. But then she suddenly frowned. “I am actually jealous that you’re jealous him liking Fluttershy!”

Raúl shook his head to say otherwise. “I don’t like her! That is WAY off from-”

“Why not? She’s a great pony!” Pinkie Pie actually showed displeasure. “You be lucky if she even bothered to remember your name!”

“It’s NOT like that either; I just want to keep an eye on him because of how he’s been acting recently!” Raúl growled, naturally feeling irritated that he needed to explain himself to her. Honestly, was it that difficult for ponies to not ask so many questions or make so many assumptions? Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to sleep with a mare like her? Oh well.

“Well if you’re that worried about his health, then let’s follow him!” Pinkie Pie suggested happily, as she walked passed him while licking her gelato some more.

“I-” Raúl started. However, he shook his head and just went along with it, given that he would get what he wanted in the end. Honestly, why didn’t make this suggestion sooner and save him the headache? Because it’s Pinkie Pie of course!

“Speaking of which…” Pinkie Pie looked over to Raúl who caught up with her. “…did you ask him…?”

Raúl raised an eyebrow. “Did I ask him what?”

“You know…”

“No I…don’t know.”

“Oh come on; were you so high that you did forget what I wanted you to ask him??” Pinkie Pie whined.

“Pinkie, the only thing I remember was that we had sex and that was it,” Raúl confessed. “Did I agree to ask him something?”

Pinkie Pie groaned. “Ugh fine…here, I asked you…”

Raúl listened as Pinkie Pie whispered into his ear. After a few seconds, he turned red. “WHAT?”

“Hey don’t judge me!” Pinkie Pie defended herself.

******************************************************************

“Funny seein’ you around these here parts without yer friend,” Applejack said to Adalricus. She gave a sad smile. “Have you been walkin’ around by yerself today?” she then asked as her customer paid for the 2 green apples. 

Adalricus shook his head. “No, I was with him and Pinkie Pie, but I needed a break,” Adalricus explained honestly while chuckling. “I admire them, but even they can give me headaches from time to time…”

Applejack laughed. “Well ain’t that the truth!” She then placed the apples in a paper bag and handed it to him. “You can love em, but you can’t stand them from time to time!” she joked. “Will that be all sug?”

Adalricus nodded. “Yes, thank you Applejack-”

“Shoot Adalricus, you can call me ‘AJ’ if you want!” Applejack pointed out. “A bit formal don’t you think? We be seein’ one another enough times that you don’t have to call me by my full first name if you don’t want to!”

Adalricus was actually surprised. “Oh well thank you, but I thought that since I hear everypony around here-”

“Then don’t worry about it sug; I only wanted to let you know that I am ok with that nickname if you want to use it! Reckon’ you would have a preference, that’s all!” Applejack said cheerfully. 

Adalricus smiled. “Well thanks for letting me know…AJ,” Adalricus said happily. While they exchanged smiles, Adalricus bid her a farewell before continuing on to the next stand. Eventually, he made his way to where he spotted the distinctive flower stand that he came across not too long ago. Pleased, he started to make his way towards it as he licked more of this strawberry gelato. “Hm?” Adalricus stopped as he saw a familiar face walking towards him with a small white bunny in her arms.

> Hi, my name is Adalricus~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adalricus stood in place as the cool breeze rushed through his mane in a pleasant matter. His eyes focused entirely on Fluttershy who was oblivious to his presence; she was busy lecturing her pet bunny to behave properly...if he didn't mind. The little animal in topic was struggling to get out of her arms, as if he couldn't stand being held by the admirable pink maned mare. He kicked and punched against her large breasts, and even tried to bite her fingers in order to get her to let him go.

“OW! Angel!” she cried with displeasure. “O-Ok, I'll let you d-down...” Fluttershy admitted defeated, as she loosen her grip before adding, “Please behave at least for me Angel! I-If that's ok...”

The little white bunny happily jumped free and started to make his way through the market stands like a spoiled 6-year old. He sniffed and started to jump onto a stand to grab a baked good that looked delicious and tempting.

“Hey, you have to pay for that!” yelled the owner.

“Oh dear, oh dear!” Fluttershy said, hurrying along to fix the issue that Angel was creating.

Adalricus was dumbfounded as Fluttershy ran past him without acknowledging his existence. He still held his frozen treat in one hand, as he held out the other as if to get her attention. However, the changeling in disguise said nothing as he watched her chase her rude pet. He watched for another minute, as Fluttershy desperately tried to control Angel from creating more trouble for her. Left and right did the little furball create more and more issues in Fluttershy's life. The changeling prince obviously found Fluttershy's approach to be odd, as he would expect her to discipline her pet into respecting her. Yet, he recalled how firm she was with having things go her way: the time she refused to take the flower away from him not too long ago. Or did she trick him?

Why does she-

“Hey Adalricus!”

Adalricus blinked as he looked to see a cyan-colored pegasus walking with a white-colored unicorn. He blinked as he didn't recall knowing either pony as they walked over to him in a calm matter, meaning that he didn't do anything wrong to upset them.

“You're Adalricus right? Applejack was just telling us about you!” Rainbow Dash said with a friendly smile. “You forgot this,” she explained while holding up a small round coin purse.

“Oh!” Adalricus blushed as he didn't even realize. “T-Thank you-” he started, taking it back. “I didn't catch your names...?”

“Name's Rainbow Dash!” the cyan pony said proudly with a smile. Her rainbow mane was long and wild, being toyed with the cool breeze that went past them. “Promised AJ that it would get this to you since you're her friend...but I never seen you before!”

“Well last I heard, he's not from Ponyville,” Rarity remarked with a small smile. “I am Rarity by the way,” she added. “Pinkie Pie did mention that the Cakes did have some new residents. I find it quite nice that foreigners visit or move to Ponyville, given it brings something quite new and different.” She then took notice his frozen treat. “Ah, you also enjoy strawberry gelato?”

Adalricus smiled with a nod. “It's quite something, and not even this weather would prevent me from enjoying it,” Adalricus confessed with a smile.

Rarity was obviously pleased. “Oh I couldn’t agree more Adalricus! Personally, I prefer something more ‘humble’ of a flavor; perhaps chocolate mint, or raspberry coconut, or-”

“Hey Adalricus, are you ok?” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

Rarity blinked, acknowledging that Adalricus was focusing on something else. He seemed displeased, as his smile vanished and the way how his eyes sneered said it all. She and Rainbow Dash took a glance behind themselves, to see that their lovable friend Fluttershy was struggling with the misbehavior of ‘Angel’. This time, the little bunny rudely jumped on the heads of every potential customer that filled the street market. Of course, Fluttershy had to apologize at least 13 times before Angel finally decided to run on foot and stop angering somepony every few feet. 

“Oh dear,” Rarity sighed. “He’s quite a troublemaker, isn’t he?” Rarity added with disappointment.

“Jeez, why does Fluttershy bother to take that little brat everywhere with her?” Rainbow Dash groaned, obviously not a fan of Angel.

“Who knows Rainbow Dash. But I am sure Adalricus doesn’t want to hear more about that rude pet of Fluttershy’s. Right Adalricus? Oh…”

Rainbow Dash took note of Rarity’s disappointment: Adalricus was already making his way towards trouble…

The changeling prince continued to walk through the crowd of Ponyville citizens, paying no mind if his physical contacts disturbed them in anyway. His pupils turned slit, his mane started to rise, and his blood boiled to the point where his movement became increasingly aggressive. As he emerged from the crowd, he found Fluttershy and her horrible pet by a stand that sold traditional pony dolls of fine craftsmanship. Interestingly, the various dolls were about the same size as Angel. 

Adalricus stopped as Angel was doing something…shameful.

“Oh my goodness- ANGEL!” Fluttershy cried with embarrassment. 

“You have to pay for that doll!” the owner complained, also blushing as she looked away. “Y-You know what: j-just take it now for free so that my customers don’t see it!” Her face grew a deeper shade of red with each passing second.

Adalricus watched as Fluttershy was trying to take responsibility for Angel’s actions. She apologized repeatedly, even offering to pay double for the doll that Angel continued to violate. It got to the point where the owner even offered to pay Fluttershy to just leave with the ruined doll. By this point, Adalricus’ blood continued to boil to where he failed to realize that his hand had lifted, as if he were to strike the little white creature that was only 3 feet away from him. 

Adalricus stopped moving as he felt his wrist held by another who gained his attention. “Let go…NOW.” Adalricus ordered with a sharp tone.

Raúl smiled as he normally did, keeping a calm expression with Adalricus. However, when he took notice of what Angel was doing, that changed everything as his smiled vanished. “Holy buck,” he said with absolute disgust. “What were you about to do, set the little troublemaker on fire?” Raúl asked, smiling once again. “You know what, maybe you should…”

“What-”

Raúl smiled as Adalricus yield and acknowledged the fact that his hand held a green flame that was perfect for Angel’s size. “And you let your appearance alter as well,” Raúl pointed out.

Adalricus blinked, converting his pupils to round. He then closed his eyes after realizing that he had ‘grew’ a horn as well. A green flame covered his forehead causing his horn to disappear, as his mane to settle to a relaxed nature. He then cursed when he realized that the hand that carried his flame, also carried his wonderful strawberry delight; he had melted the gelato and caused a few stains on his jacket. However, there was still the matter at hand, as he looked up to realize that Angel and Fluttershy failed to notice their presence.

“Don’t tell me you’re still going to try to harm Fluttershy’s pet?” Raúl assumed, as he released his grip on Adalricus’ wrist.

“What if I am?” Adalricus asked, giving a stern look towards his friend. “I would be doing Fluttershy a favor.”

Raúl raised an eyebrow, surprised with the change of Adalricus’ nature. “You’re serious…”

“Of course I am; I do not joke as often as you do,” Adalricus reminded him.

“Fair enough,” Raúl said with a chuckle. However, both changelings remained silent as Angel continued to have a good time with the toy doll without shame. It was amazing how he still didn’t notice the two changelings who were debating on what to do with him. “Well you can’t kill him,” Raúl finally said.

His response was amusing to Adalricus. “Are you actually showing mercy?” he asked.

“No, just showing that I’ve given this some thought and realized that it may not be a good idea.”

“What?”

“Think about it: do you really want to attract unnecessary attention that the most humbled pony in this community had her pet killed? Even if they don’t know it was us immediately, I rather handle this where the result doesn’t attract too much attention,” Raúl thoroughly explained.

Adalricus wanted to protest, but accepted that Raúl had a point. “Then what you do suppose we do?”

Raúl closed his eyes for only a few seconds. After he opened them, “So you know how I’ve been on a strict bean burrito diet as of late?”

Adalricus’ jaw dropped. He looked at Raúl thinking that he was fooling around with him again. However, he soon grew a smile at the horrible, WONDERFUL idea. He gave his nod of approval, and backed away after giving a nod of respect.

Raúl took his time moving closer to Angel who was completely oblivious to his presence. Sighing, he took one final glance to confirm that Fluttershy was still trying to reason with the owner of the stand, and that nopony walking by had noticed Angel’s shameful acts. Afterwards, he slowly faced away from the small bunny, watching the biggest grin that Adalricus ever produced as Raúl, was only inches away. He looked over his shoulder, waiting for the right moment as Angel stopped moving to take a rest. As the little bunny panted with pleasure, he looked to his left and realized the horror situation that he was in.

The moment was priceless for Raúl, as he made direct eye-contact with Angel. His stomach gave an initial warning gurgle, indicating that his timing couldn’t be more perfect. Angel furled his brow as the changeling looked over in Fluttershy’s direction, who was still facing away from them. Raúl relished the moment as well as the look on the bunny’s confused and naïve face. The changeling bit his lip and closed an eye, as if he was digging for treasure within his toy box with one arm, as his sole guide when he was a youngling. He felt the need to bend his knees a bit more, as his rear was inches away from Angel’s small stupid head.

As Raúl released his wind of death, he could swear that the fur on Angel’s head was blowing in the wind- so to speak. Had he been without pants, he could have possibly blown Angel into the crowded street, where he would have been too shocked to even move himself to safety. While that should have meant that Angel could have simply backed off, his new sex doll was perfectly positioned right behind him and obstructed his escape. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was trying to get away from the evil being that fumigated into his soul, no less coming from the unholy insides of a changeling.

While it only lasted for about 6 seconds, it likely felt like time was frozen for the little bastard. Long-term severe brain damage was likely being suffered, as the way his eyes reacted said it all. Raúl sighed as he stood straight up, taking his time to comprehend that his body had finished performing an act of mother nature. He looked over his shoulder again to see the results of his fine work. There was silence between the two of him, as Angel was clearly shocked and stunned. Not a single living thing ever stood up to this midget sociopath that walked the Earth in his entire life! With that, Raúl bid him a farewell and walked a few steps to Adalricus. The changeling prince covered his mouth, as Angel dropped dead passed out from breathing the poison that originated from Raúl himself.

It took Fluttershy at least another minute before she had finished her business with the owner of the doll stand. She turned around and realized that that something was off: it was quiet, TOO quiet. She then looked down and yelped as Angel appeared dead. However, she quickly realized that he was simply in a comma unconscious but alive. She lowered herself and lifted her devil of a pet. “Angel??” she asked confused, shaking him a bit. No response, which caused the changelings to silently laugh like a bunch of drunken donkeys. Luckily, “Oh, I suppose you’re just tired,” was what Fluttershy came to assume. With that, she turned away and sighed in relief, obviously pleased that Angel wouldn’t be any more trouble for the time being. “I am going to take you home,” she then decided before moving away from the stand.

Making his move, Adalricus placed a hand on Raúl’s shoulder while whispering, “Well done. I think I can take it from here…”

However Raúl grabbed his hand to get his attention. “Hey, I only did that because even I have a dislike for rude creatures; what are you planning to do?” Raúl asked.

Adalricus frowned as he pulled himself free from Raúl’s touch. “I am going to talk to her of course.”

Raúl didn’t blink, as he simply adjusted his stance and faced Adalricus completely. “I knew it: you seem to have something for this pony, don’t you?” he questioned Adalricus.

Adalricus’ expression revealed a red flush, indicating some form of embarrassment. “I am fond of her if that’s what you’re implying,” said Adalricus.

This time, Raúl leaned close face to face with the changeling prince. Silence lasted for a few seconds, as neither had even yield to blink. “How fond of her are you?” was what Raúl finally asked.

“Fond enough that I want to have a conversation with her,” Adalricus properly responded.

“And by ‘to have a conversation’, you mean to,” Raúl finished the sentence by whistling while gesturing with his hand as if he was smacking a youngling’s head. 

Adalricus grew even redder as he groaned and rolled his eyes before leaving Raúl to go after Fluttershy. Raúl simply laughed as he shook his head while he watched Adalricus search for the shy-natured pony that disappeared into the crowd. As he was left alone, his laugher soon settled into silence, taking the time to confirm that Adalricus did indeed hold feelings for a pony. 

“Hey, there you are!”

Raúl’s thoughts were interrupted as he turned to see that Pinkie Pie had found him. She was soon followed by Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who had informed them about where Adalricus went to.

“Goodness me there are a lot of ponies today at the market! Oh I must say Pinkie Pie, you have quite a talent being able to locate Raúl after he had a 10 second head start,” Rarity commented, praising Pinkie Pie’s sense of direction.

“Hey, where is Adalricus?” Rainbow Dash asked, assuming that he would be with Raúl by this point. “Did you find him?” she then asked.

Before Raúl would answer, Pinkie Pie took that honor from him.

“Of course he did silly! Obviously Adalricus found Fluttershy and asked Raúl to let him spend some time alone with Fluttershy! Did you know that Adalricus has a crush-” Pinkie Pie started.

“THANK YOU Pinkie, but I just actually wanted to wait for you 3 before moving any further. However, Adalricus insisted that he walk Fluttershy home since Angel became very tried and needed a rest,” Raúl lied, at least with some parts.

“What? That doesn’t sound realistic-” Pinkie Pie started.

“HEY, could you PLEASE shut up for 10 seconds?”  Raúl whispered harshly, turning Pinkie Pie and himself away from the other two. “Seriously, less attention on him!” he added, trying to contain Pinkie Pie’s outspoken nature.

“But why? Love is a beautiful thing!” Pinkie Pie said ever so casually.

“I doubt that you understand what ‘love’ is Pinkie. I think that you’re more understanding on what the perverted side of things are,” the changeling argued.

“And what makes you say that?” Pinkie Pie asked, giving a puffed up expression. As she did this, she placed her hands on her hips and pressed her breasts against him, as if to threaten him.

“For one thing, what you wanted me to ask Adalricus is something out of your fantasies!” This time, Raúl glared back before he himself pressed his chest against hers. “And I would appreciate it if you stopped seducing me every 10 seconds!”

“What did she ask you?”

“Huh?” 

Raúl blinked as a pony he never met before was listening in on their conversation. A purple and pink striped scarf wrapped around her neck, hanging both ends equally on either side. She was holding a book beside her waist, where a messenger bag hanged on the other side baring a unique symbol. She wore a purple sweater vest over a white long sleeve button down shirt. She wore dark blue pants that perfectly shaped her legs, leading to the purple ponverse that covered her feet. Her mane was dark, shifting the attention to the pink and purple strands that she had. Of course, they were nothing compared to the horn and…wings?

“Alicorn-” Raúl started, knowing full well what that represented.

“Hi Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, waving as if Twilight wasn’t a few feet away from them. “How’s it going?” she asked with a big smile.

“I am fine Pinkie,” Twilight assured with her smile. She looked to the changeling in disguise, holding out a hand. “I believe that we haven’t met before; I am Twilight Sparkle.”

Controlling himself, Raúl took her hand and shook it calmly. “My name is Raúl, it’s a pleasure to meet to you…I am sorry, are you perhaps a pony of royalty?” Raúl asked as they released hands. That name…could she be?

“Ah so you’re familiar with the traits of an Alicorn Raúl?” Rarity asked, as she and Rainbow Dash took part in the conversation again.

“Um, yes; I’ve heard stories and read about them in books,” Raúl explained.

“Well you guess right!” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “Yup, Twilight’s is practically related to Queen Celestia by this point!”

Raúl gave a pleasant smile, trying his best not to show his uneasiness. From what he was able to confirm by this point, this was the same Twilight Sparkle who defeated Adalricus’ mother. He heard stories that Twilight Sparkle officially became one of the Royal Alicorns who ruled the ponies.

Twilight also smiled, blushing slightly as she was still taking time getting used to her new position. “Well Princess Celestia has treated me like family on more than one occasion, but she’ll always be my teacher first,” Twilight explained. She then looked at the changeling. “And where are you from Raúl? Your accent isn’t something that I am familiar with…”

Choosing his words carefully, “I am from a land that is pretty far from Ponyvillle.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with his response. “Care to elaborate?” she had asked.

Scratching his cheek, he closed his eyes with a smirk. Honestly, she’s not as naive as the others, he thought sourly. It wouldn’t be a pleasant day for him nor the changeling prince if his mother’s greatest enemy knew of their true identities. What made this more troubling for him was that he could not think of a reliable home of origin that would be creditable. Mind you, he could surely reference a grand city like Canterlot, but something about Twilight Sparkle made him think twice. Would he risk lying because he believed her to be quite shrewd? Of course, but he would have to say something to the purple Alicorn who waited patiently for his response. Thus, his quick thinking led him to respond, “Hmmm, I really don’t think that I should tell you.”

“Eh?” Twilight blinked as her mouth slightly opened. She was clearly dumbfounded by the response that he gave.

“I find it cuter when a pony like you tries to guess; the expression is too much for me not to see!” he laughed, flirting with her in a simple matter. Nailed it.

“I-” Twilight started, blushing as it wasn’t often for a stallion to be teasing her in such a matter. She suddenly gave a deeper blush as she glared at him. “J-Just tell me where you’re from!” she demanded. Twilight didn’t appreciate being toyed with, especially by a stallion whom she believed to be too sure of himself.

“Hey I was right on a second thought!” he claimed with a bigger smile.

“Which is?”

“You’re even cuter when angry!” He blushed slightly in order to mislead her. He grinned as he held up a finger, pointing at her expression as he leaned in. “Think it would be ok if we went out for coffee?” he asked shyly. 

“Ehhh!” 

That did it; Twilight’s face turned red as she immediately smacked his face with the book that she had in hand. He immediately hit the ground floor landing perfectly in front of Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who immediately gasped at what had occurred.

“Twilight!” Rarity covered her mouth.

“Hey, you ok?!” Rainbow Dash squatted and lifted his head with concern. 

“I think she likes me?” he asked in a daze, not faking the dizziness that his sense of awareness was experiencing. He shook his head repeatedly, trying to fix his vision. “So I’ll pick you up tonight…?” he asked, blinking as he tried to fix his vision. Buck did that hurt! Stupid bitch! he thought angrily. Obviously he didn’t account for her non-magical abilities to harm him in such a matter.

“Eh?” Twilight opened her eyes to realize what she had done. “I...I…” This time, she closed her mouth and looked the side, unable to put words together. “I have to go!” she finally said, turning away and flew in an instance.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash complained. However, Twilight had already fled to the direction of her tree house as she helped Raúl stand. Sighing, she asked, “Was it really that hard for you to tell her where you’re from Raúl?”

Raúl ‘frowned’ as Rainbow Dash said that. “I am sorry; I am just a bit shy when it comes to where I come from,” he explained in an apologetic matter. “I should apologize to Twilight huh? I should have considered her feelings…”

While Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes with a smirk, Rarity gasped slightly as she placed her hand on her chest, obvious touched by how sweet he seemed. As for Pinkie Pie however, she wasn’t taking his response as well as the other two.

“What was that?”

“Huh?” Raúl blinked as he looked at Pinkie Pie. She seemed different; her hair wasn’t curly?

Pinkamena gave Raúl a still expression that actually scared the changeling. Her pink tone seemed to darken, as if a storm was forming right above her. “Why were you flirting with Twilight?” That tone sounded deadlier than a female dragon during her heat cycle.

“I-” Raúl stared, confused to why he was starting to fear Pinkie Pie. Something was really off with her, and he did not feel comfortable at all as he started to back off.

“After what we did together, you’re just hitting on other girls like NOTHING?”

Raúl gave a nervous smile after a few seconds of deadly silence. “Um, I was just-”

This time, Pinkamena backed the changeling to a wall where he started to sweat from his restless nerves. However, those nerves settled as Pinkamena rested her head against his chest, before she toyed with the loose straps of his jacket.

“You’re mine…don’t ever forget that,” said Pinkamena, as a light blush soon followed. She didn’t bother to look at him directly, as if she was the one who was embarrassed and not Twilight. 

Obviously confused by her approach, Raúl looked to Rainbow Dash and Rarity for support. However, they simply snickered in their own matter and simply started to walk away, obviously intending to give them some privacy. With no support, Raúl sighed and placed his hand on her back before asking, “If you don’t like a third-party, WHY did you ask me to ask Adalricus to be part of a threesome?”

This time, Pinkie Pie looked up with her curls returning. “Because I never had a threesome with 2 males!” she whined.

“…”


***************************************************************************

Adalricus finally managed to locate Fluttershy after escaping the large crowd of Ponyville shoppers. Lucky for him, Fluttershy didn’t fly towards her home which was apparently located outside of Ponyville. He simply followed her for 5 minutes while trying to close the gap between the two of them. Now the only issue that needed to be handled was on how he was going to approach her. He would seem like a stalker if he just happened to be following her in the outskirts of Ponyville. Thus, he carefully thought of what to say and not intimidate her. When he felt that an appropriate amount of time had passed, he decided to speak up. 

“Fluttershy?” he called out, only a few feet away from her.

Fluttershy’s attention shifted from her unconscious pet, to the changeling in disguise. She was clearly surprised, but at least calm enough to where she didn’t yelp in surprise. She faced him as he finally stood in front of her with a charming smile. She knew that she’s seen him somewhere; given that he knew her name, it was likely that they had a conversation before.

“I was trying to say hello but you seemed distracted,” Adalricus explained, laughing somewhat. “Did something happen to your pet?” he then asked, gesturing at her little devil of a pet.

“W-What? O-Oh yes, A-Angel hasn’t been feeling well-” Fluttershy replied, looking away slightly. Oh of course, he’s that stallion from the market, she realized, recognizing him at that very moment. Of course, it was never easy for Fluttershy to speak to another pony until the 10th conversation.

Adalricus smiled with a nod, happy with how the conversation was going so far. “Well I wanted to see if you needed any help Fluttershy. Because I saw that you were having trouble with Angel beforehand, and I was worried that something may have happened,” he explained, looking at the bunny in her arms.

Fluttershy’s face turned red. “Ah-” She closed her eyes and shook her head in a matter that caused Adalricus to frown. “O-Oh I am so s-sorry that you had to see that! Oh my goodness- Angel really offended some ponies! I-I hope that he didn’t offend you in anyway, did he? O-Oh my goodness!”

“No- I not bothered-” Adalricus started.

“Oh but he did cause some concern for the parents who-”

“FLUTTERSHY.”

The mare in question froze as Adalricus held her shoulders in a firm matter. He looked at her with an expression of concern as he knew where this was heading. After all, even he had changeling servants that acted in a similar matter from time to time. “Please relax; it’s completely fine. Just stop thinking that you yourself did anything bad!”

Fluttershy continued to stare at him with a frozen expression. After all, he was touching her.

“Oh, I am sorry!” Adalricus quickly released her and blushed, failing to realize that touching her may have bothered her to some extent. However, Adalricus’ attention shifted to the confusion that he was experiencing: he was blushing for touching a pony like her?

Fluttershy relaxed when he released her and apologized. “O-Oh um, t-that’s fine really,” she said with a small smile.

Returning the gesture, he asked, “Would it be alright if I walked with you? To be honest, I heard that you have quite a collection of flowers and I would like to maybe get to know you? I’ve heard many good things about you. So I was wondering if it was fine for us to talk for a while about things?”

Fluttershy’s smile vanished, as she wasn’t expecting him to be straight forward with her. While she did consider that he found her attractive, what really took her by surprise was that he was outspoken and honest with her. Something that a mare like Fluttershy REALLY appreciated from any pony whatsoever.  Thus, she happily responded with, “Why not!” in a non-timid tone.


*************************************************


The walk lasted for another 5 minutes before they arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. Adalricus had questioned Fluttershy about her hobbies and what her profession was. It was intriguing to how committed she was towards caring for animals of all kind, despite her timid nature. The changeling prince didn’t even need to speak, as all he needed to do was listen. He learned quite a bit, as Fluttershy had such innocence that made him question of the actions of his past history.

When they crossed the small bridge, he was the first to speak.

“Fluttershy, you have such a lovely home!” Adalricus praised. It brought such pleasantness, that Adalricus almost lost his footing from the distraction itself.

“Why thank you Adalricus!” Fluttershy said happily, as she felt quite comfortable around him. It was interesting that no stallion had given such an amazing- (proper) - first impression. She actually felt embarrassed for not even taking a chance to have a conversation on the day that they first met. Fluttershy felt safe, as amazing as it sounded. Then again, she should not be as naïve as her reputation proceeds.  “W-Would you like some tea perhaps?”

Adalricus nodded with gratitude as he followed her into her home. The scent of sweet fruit and honey surrounded him, followed by the aroma of various spring flowers. Safe to say, he was far from disappointed as he looked around her home, and only stopped when Fluttershy spoke to him.

“You can sit if you w-want Adalricus,” she offered, giving a pleasant smile before she went into the kitchen with her still unconscious bunny.

Nodding, he sat down on the couch and continued to observe the environment that Fluttershy had lived in for many years. It was strange, as he never felt this relax even in his private chambers back home. He frowned after considering that Fluttershy had lived a better than he did, but quickly abandoned his envious feelings. After all, if the changeling prince was able to accept his current living arguments as a commoner, then why would he feel any sort of jealously over a pony like Fluttershy? He was humble enough, and while he wasn’t getting to know her properly until now, she held such a positive reputation in Ponyville.

“Sorry for the wait! I-I couldn’t decide what tea I should bring out so I brought all of them!”

“What-” Adalricus started, but stopped. Fluttershy held a large plate that held a decoration of sealed tea bags with various flavors. At least 16 different flavors were available, increasing the likelihood that Adalricus would find a preference with ease. As if on cue, a few squirrels whom apparently lived in her home, soon followed with 2 tea cups, 2 small sugar cube jars of brown and white, and spoons used to mix with. Fluttershy then returned to the kitchen and returned with a metal pitcher of hot water in one hand, and a carton of milk in the other. Before joining him, she then waked over to her shelf and brought over a sealed container containing goodies. 

“I hope you d-don’t mind, but I am happy when my guests are able to have various options,” the shy mare explained, as she selected a tea bag with a blue seal. As she placed it into her cup and added the hot water, she then added, “I-I actually like to add brown sugar and milk into my tea.”

“Ah, such as the British of the UPK?” Adalricus asked, as he himself looked at the choices available. “Huh, I am not familiar with any of these flavors,” he confessed, randomly choosing a bag and placed it into his cup. As he poured hot water into it, the scent from Fluttershy’s tea took him by surprise, as he wasn’t familiar with that flavor at all. By the time his tea started to form, he was awestruck by the aroma of his tea. This smell was unfamiliar but pleasant.

“O-Oh, you’re a fan of black berry spice Adalricus? I don’t know many ponies that enjoy that flavor!” Fluttershy remarked, smiling as she added milk and brown sugar to her tea.

“Black berry spice? I’ve…never tried it before,” Adalricus claimed. He simply held a white sugar cube and dropped it into his tea. He mixed it gently and attempted to inhale the aroma by holding the cup near his mouth. It was so delicious towards his sense of smell, and he even took a sip despite the possibility of burning his lips. Smooth and hot, the tea brought a sense of relief that Adalricus had not felt for quite some time. “Simply amazing…?” he commented, completely unsure of himself.

“O-Oh, I am sorry; I assumed that y-you chose that particular flavor because- Oh dear, oh dear!” Fluttershy turned red as she let her timid nature get the best of her. Her grip on her tea cup became unstable, as she started to tremble which Adalricus took note of.

“It’s fine Fluttershy,” he said quickly. “Honestly, I never met a pony who lived up to their namesake! Have you always been this shy around others?” Adalricus asked openly before taking another sip. Outspokenness was a characteristic that Adalricus wasn’t afraid to show.

“I-I-I-” Fluttershy started. And that’s when hell started.

“HM?” It took Adalricus a few seconds to realize that Fluttershy cried out in embarrassment before she tossed her hands into the air. 

“Y-You’re r-right; I can be so troublesome sometimes can’t I?!” Her voice became unstable, her ability to comprehend in general seemed to neglect her desires, and her face grew a deeper shade of red every passing second. Things grew more out of hand, as her physical reaction caused her tea cup to hit the edge of the table and cause a mess on her carpet. “Oh no!”

“Fluttershy-!” Adalricus started.

“M-my goodness it’s my fault!” Fluttershy cried, as she realized that she had nothing to clean with. Tears started to swell in her eyes, causing her changeling guest to feel great concern. Her wings even folded and hid themselves from his view.

Adalricus was obviously dumbfounded by how sensitive Fluttershy was. Yes he did have experience speaking with timid changelings regardless of gender, but did he fail to consider a difference of emotion between the two species? “F-Fluttershy, it’s not your fault,” he explained, trying to calm her down.

“B-But of course it is!” Fluttershy argued, as her cheeks grew red and tears poured down them. 

Now Adalricus started to feel upset, as if he was the easily intimidated host. “N-No it’s not! You didn’t do anything wrong! Let me help-!” 

While Fluttershy refused to listen, that didn’t prevent her from allowing Adalricus to take control and clean up the mess that she had made. It was difficult to tell him ‘no’ despite her desire to fix the mess herself. It took only half a minute before the cleanup was finished. 

“See? Not too difficult,” Adalricus said with a friendly smile. 

However, Fluttershy needed at least a minute before she returned a similar gesture. Fluttershy however still remained embarrassed…for some reason. “I am such a fool!” she cried slightly.

“You’re not a fool-” Adalricus argued. 

“Yes I am! I am always making things unpleasant-”

“Accidents happen-”

“I am better off just shutting myself in my home and never leaving!”

Adalricus frowned as Fluttershy closed her eyes tightly while showcasing a red blush. Naturally, the changeling prince was not pleased with how she acted as he tried to convince her otherwise. However, he soon learned that it was difficult as Fluttershy wouldn’t always listen to reason…at least, when he spoke.

Fluttershy said nothing else after another minute of self-complaints. Afterwards, Fluttershy had finally settled down and simply looked to the side in embarrassment. When an apporiatate amount time had passed, Adalricus decided to shift the mood and make Fluttershy feel comfortable. He gave yet another pleasant smile right before he started a new conversation after picking a small tiny cake from her container. 

Fluttershy peeked at him curiously as her pink mane covered half her face. Her head turned more when Adalricus gave a gesture that pleased her; he was making muffed sounds of joy, to showcase his enjoyment of her dessert goodies. He smiled as he drank more tea, and got what he wanted when Fluttershy faced him completely with a big smile.

“Fluttershy, did you make these?” he had asked.

Nodding, “Y-Yes, I usually bake them for my friends who visit my home every weekend!” she explained with a positive tone. 

Heading in the direction that he wanted, Adalricus praised her baking skills. “Hmmmm it’s just amazing! I swear I could go fat from eating these without rest! Hmmm~!!!”

Fluttershy’s expression held nothing but joy as both her eyes and smile had widened. Her wings even started to spread apart thus revealing themselves. “Y-You really like them?” she asked with hope.

Giving a nod, “Do you have more perhaps?” he asked with a big smile.

“Y-Yes!” answered Fluttershy.

Adalricus watched as Fluttershy flew back into her kitchen with excitement. When she returned, she landed on her couch and held up yet another container of sweets that were made by her. Naturally, he took a bit more before pausing and commenting, “You have quite a talent.”

“T-Thank you,” Fluttershy said. Realizing that she had yet to enjoy her own bakery, she happily reached for a cookie and ate it. However, the appealing moment would soon end as Fluttershy had no subject to speak of.

Luckily, Adalricus knew what to say. “So what do you do in your free time? All I really know about you is your love for animals as your profession.”

“W-Why yes, I am actually one who cares for the creatures around h-here. W-Wild and d-domestic,” she said.

With a nod, Adalricus then asked, “So why do you hold such interest in them? I understand that you’re known for having a caring nature and such but perhaps you could perhaps elaborate for me?” Doing what she loved for a living and as a hobby was something new to him.

Fluttershy said nothing as she blinked at his question. Her expression didn’t represent embarrassment, but rather confusion. After all, it wasn’t often that she needed to explain herself to some of the ponies that she knew. Then again, Adalricus was foreign to Ponyville and could only really learn more about her by face to face conversation. Better this way rather than Ponyville gossip. 

“W-Well, this started when I was a filly…”

*******************************************************************************

Twilight sighed as she wrapped a towel around her head. While it wasn’t difficult to dry her body, her wings told a different story. It was never easy since the day she became an Alicorn and had to ask Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on the easiest way to dry one’s wings. It was tough enough as a mare needing to be careful with their own mane, but wings were an unnecessary stress-factor in a mare’s everyday life. Then again, there was always the advantage of having a horn and taking care of things with a simple thought. However, consistent usage of magic wasn’t the sharpest of ideas, as long-term effects could occur based on what princess Celestia and Luna told her. Their comments however made Twilight ponder when you considered the appearance of their manes…

“By Celestia, what’s wrong with me?” Twilight asked with another sigh. “3 cold showers doesn’t seem to do it…” 

The purple Alicorn looked in the mirror and saw her expression of disappointment. Raúl’s flirtatious approach was more than she could handle. Especially when she wasn’t used to that sort of thing like Rarity and Pinkie Pie were. Hell she could easily recall how either mare would have a story to tell about their weekends with a special stallion. It made her envious at times, but she always preferred getting to know a pony before expecting a courtship approach towards her.

Also, she came to the possibility that perhaps her status as an Alicorn was what made Raúl even attempt to gain a night with her. That or maybe he only flirted with her to change the conversation and avoid answering her question about his origins. While that seemed more reasonable, Twilight’s pride refused to easily accept it.

“I should really learn how to control myself,” she complained with a frown. As a princess, Twilight really wanted to take after her teacher and also set as an example for others just as she did. However, was she stressing this over nothing? Perhaps, perhaps not, but Twilight wanted to write to her teacher regardless. “Spike?” she called out.

No answer.

“Spikeeeeeee!”

No answer.

“…”

Twilight assumed that Spike was home, but quickly realized that he was likely playing soccer with others. That or he was likely banging one of her friends…as always.

Twilight snapped her fingers and her horn glowed, indicating that magic was being used. As expected, a pen and scroll was held in front of her in midair. Without thinking for another second, she began to write to Princess Celestia:

Dear Celestia…

> Understanding one another~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adalricus laughed as Fluttershy finished telling him the story of how she confronted a large red dragon into showcasing proper manners. The idea of a 300 year-old dragon yielding to a pony of average height amused him greatly, as Fluttershy did not struck him in such a matter that she could dominate one. Although, he felt that it was a bit unfair of her to have criticized the dragon, who reacted naturally after being kicked in the face by an aggressive Rainbow Dash. However he knew better than to contradict her when they were enjoying the conversation. Eventually, it came to their attention that they were speaking for nearly 5 hours since he arrived; it was already dark.

“Well I had a wonderful time today Fluttershy,” said Adalricus. He rubbed his head and looked to the side, unsure of what to say next. Thus, he simply looked at her again with a calm smile. They stood at her doorway, standing side by side.

The feeling was mutual as Fluttershy moved her hair out of the way, but also said nothing with a smile.

“So I will see you tomorrow?” he then asked.

“O-Oh yes t-that would be lovely…um…” Fluttershy looked to the side before adding, “Sugarcube Corner at noon?” When the changeling in disguise nodded, her wings spread with joy. “W-Wonderful! I will see you tomorrow then!”

“Great!” Laughing a bit with Fluttershy, Adalricus gave a wave as he started to walk back. He felt pleasure as he and Fluttershy continued to wave goodbye before he shifted his direction and walked across the bridge.

Fluttershy waited and waited until she could no longer see the dark stallion anymore. She paused for another second, as if expecting him to reappear before she closed the door. “…” Fluttershy’s expression remained the same: relief and happiness with a bit of excitement would not fade away as she leaned her back against the closed door. 

He…seems nice, Fluttershy decided in her mind. While Fluttershy knew that it would still take time before she really got to know Adalricus in a legit matter, she was optimistic nonetheless. She already learned about his hobbies and interests, as well as holding a deep admiration for flowers. Although, there was one subject that seemed to dwell on her mind without rest.

“…I do wonder why he doesn’t talk much about where he’s from,” admitted Fluttershy. From their conversations, it seemed as if Adalricus was purposely trying to avoid the subject of his own heritage. While she did know that he was foreign, his accent didn’t give away anything that would help her guess. Maybe she would ask him tomorrow as she walked over to the kitchen to wash some dishes. Then again, should she just wait until he felt comfortable enough to bring it up? She did not know as she turned the sink fossett and waited until warm water started to flow out. 

Adalricus whistled as he took his time walking back to Ponyville. The cool night air was pleasant and calm, allowing the changeling prince to look back on his day with Fluttershy without distraction. It seemed odd to Adalricus that a pony would grasp his attention in such a matter, as Fluttershy only originally sparked his interest in a minor matter. Not even Pinkie Pie’s colorful personality kept his mind occupied thinking about her. It also surprised him on just how loquacious the pink maned mare could be once she felt comfortable around him. Perhaps even more than Pinkie Pie herself, despite the frequent stuttering that was often noted.

Regardless, Adalricus was pleasantly surprised to discover more about Fluttershy’s past and what led towards her affection for animals. Although it also brought disappointment; he had hoped that she held a deeper passion for flowers just as he did. Then again, Adalricus should just be thankful that he even had such a common interest with Fluttershy. After all, he was becoming quite fond of her and it couldn’t be more blatant. Especially when he found her to be the most appealing of all ponies within Ponyville.

“I wonder if she’ll have lunch with me tomorrow,” Adalricus wondered aloud as he looked at the sky. “Then again, what I really wonder is how she feels about changelings…” With that, he stood right outside the first line of buildings that shaped Ponyville. He looked up at the night sky, frowning as he felt unsure about how Fluttershy felt towards changelings. Did she even know what they were?

His thoughts were immediately interrupted as he crutched his chest. “GHH!”

Dropping to one knee, Adalricus felt as if a thousand knifes had stabbed him within a split second. When the pain vanished after a few seconds, Adalricus gathered all of his strength to open his eyes. Oddly enough, it brought great discomfort when he was able to see again. He remained in the same spot and eventually started to blink again after some time had passed. Then, he stood up and looked at his hand with great interest.

“…”Adalricus’ hand had holes, the same characteristics that a changeling held in a physical appearance. Focusing his abilities, his hand was engulfed in green fire indicating a change. However his eyes widened in shock, as his hand did not change after the flames vanished. There remained the same characteristics that would identify him as a changeling. Fear drew within Adalricus, as he only experienced this particular symptom when he was young and first learning how to use his natural abilities to transform. Cursing silently, he attempted again and again but met with no success. Frustrated, he refused to give up and forced the matter at hand repeatedly until, “GRH!”

Pain and confusion continued to grow within him, as his hand finally began to change by the command of his will. Except, rather than green flames coating his flesh, it was black smoke that seemed to leave his hand before fading and revealing a hole-free hand. In reaction, Adalricus started to flex his hand by forming a grip, and then opening it again. He repeated this action for at least a minute before he then considered the rest of his body; he started to touch his chest and looked at his wings before feeling for anything ‘non-pony’. He felt some holes in his chest, but his clothing hid such features, and he did not pick up any other traits on the rest of his body.

“W-Why,” Adalricus started to ask, but then realized that only one ‘pony’ could help him now…


******************************************************************


Raúl continued to watch the ceiling as Pinkie Pie ate more and more brownies. The changeling in disguise was lying next to the crazed pink mare on her own bed, enjoying the full pleasures of Mother Nature itself. This time, Pinkie Pie decided to suggest that they use some of her special cannabis that she found most intoxicating. It didn’t take long before they were feeling the full effects, as Raúl felt a pleasant sensation of heat waves traveling through the veins of his brain. A feeling that brought fond memories of when he had his first bunt…and his first sexual encounter.

“…Are you high yet?”

“I guess…I don’t seem care either way…”

“…Yeah, we’re high!...”

“Huh, I guess so…”

Agreeing with Pinkie Pie, Raúl smiled as he shifted positions and started to kiss Pinkie Pie’s neck, before moving a hand towards her waist. “I think you’re my favorite pony…Pinkie,” he confessed. “You’re so…easy to socialize with,” he then added before kissing her some more.

While Pinkie Pie enjoyed the affection, she could only crack a smile and shift her position slightly. Obviously the pink mare wanted to return the favor as she looked at him with lust. That look in her eye showed hunger and joy, but for some reason she could only giggle and laugh as she tried to wrap her arms around him. And just as it was starting to get good, their little fun was interrupted with a knock on the door.

“Raúl? Are you there?”

Blinking, both Raúl and Pinkie Pie looked at one another with the same expression. “I am here,” Raúl responded back. “Who is it?” he then asked.

“It’s me, Adalricus! Look, I need your help-”

“Adalricus’ not here bro!” Raúl then responded loudly.

“What- I AM Adalricus! Don’t tell me that-”

“Hey, didn’t you hear! Adalricus isn’t here!” Pinkie then said loudly.

Cursing with a few mumbles, Adalricus then said, “Adalricus is knocking on your door!”

“OH!” both Pinkie and Raúl then said, before the latter somehow managed to move off the bed and make his way towards the door. “Hey Adalricus, did you know that Adalricus is here-”

“Come with me!” Adalricus interrupted, as he then grabbed his friend and yanked him out of Pinkie Pie’s room. When they finally got to their room, Adalricus slammed the door behind them and quickly said, “Raúl, something strange has been happening to me lately…”

Surprisingly, Raúl seemed to become more sober with each passing second as he showed a more serious expression. He said nothing for a few seconds as if he needed to comprehend the words of Adalricus. “Elaborate for me…”

Adalricus spent the next 5 minutes telling Raúl of the negative symptoms that he had been experiencing recently. When he was done, he held up the hand that caused him pain beforehand and said, “It still hurts…and I am afraid of what will happen if I try to fix this part.” With that, Adalricus removed his coat and lifted his shirt, revealing the holes that he discovered recently. “Have you ever experienced anything similar?”

Raúl continued to stare at his chest for a few seconds before he blinked and moved closer. Curious, he leaned in closer before asking, “And you’re sure that it was black smoke that left the area of where you were trying to change? Not even a hint of green fire?” When Adalricus confirmed with a nod, Raúl’s pulled back without changing his expression.

“Well?” Adalricus asked, releasing his shirt before he moved closer to his roommate. “I take it that you must have some idea!” he exclaimed impatiently. 

“Well…” Raúl looked to the side before rubbing his neck, as if he wanted to avoid answering him before he looked towards him from the corner of his eye. “…I think that you’re lacking proper nourishment,” said Raúl.

Adalricus was dumbfounded. “Excuse me?”

“At least, I believe that to be the only explanation; when a changeling is unable to transform for example, that shows signs of a changing that is not well. Have you been feeding off of any form of love recently?” Raúl asked.

“I-” Adalricus started. However, he paused and thought about the last time he fed on a particular form of love. After a few seconds, he responded, “If I recall…it was yesterday morning when I walked by the cakes’ room. They were talking about what to do this weekend and they were showing affection to one another by rubbing their noses together.” He then chuckled at the thought. “I thought as much; that was not enough to aplease my body. I actually feel stupid for not taking that into consideration,” he then admitted.

Raúl gave a nod. “Well then perhaps you should try to wait by their room and try to absorb some energy during their ‘making-love’ session,” he suggested with a smirk.

Adalricus rolled his eyes. “Or perhaps I should wait until you and Pinkie Pie begin such a session. After all, her room is closer to ours.”

Raúl’s smirk vanished. “Surely you’re not foolish enough to think that what she and I have is something to that extent, do you?” Raúl asked.

Looking back at him, Adalricus responded, “You tell me Raúl, because I can tell that you like her more than just for her attractive rear.”

“Well, I do have a nice ass,” Pinkie Pie admitted.

“What-” Adalricus turned and realized that the pony in topic was leaning lazily against the door frame. Her reddish eyes stared dully at their direction, as if she had forgotten why she was there in the first place. He’ll for some reason, they didn’t even notice that she opened the door. “How long have you been-”

“Attractive? I guess since like, forever silly?” Pinkie Pie laughed, not shifting positions as she blinked one.

“No I mean-”

“How long have you been standing there Pinkie?” Raúl interrupted. 

Pinkie Pie blinked as she looked directly at Raúl with the same expression. However, she did eventually answer with, “Um…I guess about the same time you did…?”

Adalricus’ eyes widened after hearing her answer. “Wait, surely you don’t mean that you know…?”

“Its fine Adalricus,” Raúl assured him, just before he got a confused look in return. “She’s known for a while but she promised to keep it as a secret.”

However, Adalricus was far from pleased as he glared at his trusted friend. “And just when were you planning to tell me?!”

“He just did!” Pinkie Pie giggled, apparently becoming more and more sober. 

*******************************************************************


And so Adalricus angrily listened to their explanation for nearly 5 minutes. As Pinkie Pie helped tell the story, she became more sober with each passing second. When the story finally ended, Pinkie explained to Adalricus that she made a ‘pinkie promise’ not to tell any other pony of their secret. She then went on to say that she became quite fond of the two changelings and could tell that they weren’t looking for any sort of trouble. It also became clear that Pinkie Pie thought of them as common changelings and seemingly knew nothing of their status within their kingdom. He honestly felt somewhat better after hearing everything and actually felt thankful that it was Pinkie Pie of all ponies. Regardless, he still lectured Raúl to let him know whenever a similar situation occurs in the future.

The next day came and Adalricus had a slow morning waking up and getting dressed. What was mostly felt reminded him of the time he attempted to learn how to fence, and Raúl showcasing no mercy whatever as his partner. His body ached as he wore a red long sleeve with basic khaki pants with a black belt. Wanting to feel comfortable, he decided to wear his black slippers before making his way down stairs. As expected, a few patrons were already enjoying the wonderful bakery that was made from the Cakes’ special recipes. He leaned against the counter and blinked a few times, trying to keep himself awake.

“Morning there! Or should I say, good afternoon?”

Adalricus tilted his head to see a smiling Mrs. Cake placing a tray of cupcakes next to him. Showing a small smile, he answered, “Likewise.”

“Please have one! You look as if you haven’t eaten well in days,” Mrs. Cake pointed out, scanning his overall figure.

Adalricus’ expression lightened, as her words cause him to wonder if last night wasn’t enough to appease his changeling needs. Yet he didn’t feel ‘hungry’ for love like his instincts would have naturally if required. It was strange but he also didn’t see a reason not to take on Mrs. Cake’s offer. “Well I can’t say ‘no’ to your famous cupcakes!” he responded, taking one for himself and taking a bite.

Pleased with his answer, Mrs. Cake moved the tray away and asked, “So, have you also noticed that Pinkie and Raúl are getting a bit closer together?” 

While he did not stop eating, he gave no answer as he looked at her.

“Oh, I thought you noticed!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed surprised. “I never seen them separated every time they’re here at Sugarcube Corner at the same time. In fact…” This time, Mrs. Cake gestured over Adalricus’ shoulder.

Understanding what she was doing, he looked over his shoulder and stopped eating after finally noticing the ‘couple’ eating together. Adalricus didn’t swallow as Raúl and Pinke sharing an attractive ice-cream sunday together. Pinkie Pie giggled as she purposely dirtied Raúl’s nose with some whip cream each time she ‘fed’ him. Thus, she would then lick his nose to clean him affectionately before helping herself to some. It would then get more interesting as Raúl would get back at her; he would lean his lips near her ear as if he were whispering something to her before instead nibbling on the lobe. She would hold in her giggles as she tried to get away only for the changeling in disguise to wrap his arms around her stomach. 

“Young love is quite something isn’t it?” Mrs. Cake asked with a smile, gaining Adalricus’ attention before adding, “Reminds me of when my husband and I first dated. And now I don’t regret marrying him one point!”

When Adalricus finally decided to answer, he decided to ask, “So how long did you two dated before settling down together and have a family?”

Mrs. Cake smiled at his question. “We were dating for a couple of years; about 3 of them before he popped the big question. I could easily remember that night as if it were yesterday: late during winter time, young and recently moved near one another. We were eating at a really popular dessert diner around closing time and he asked me the big question after he walked me home. And I could proudly say that we couldn’t stop thinking of one another when we weren’t around one another…”

Smirking, Adalricus chuckled and commented, “And you said yes, right?”

“No, I actually didn’t.”

Surprised, Adalricus then asked, “But were you not crazy for one another?”

“Oh but of course we were Adalricus!” Mrs. Cake exclaimed, as if she were offended.

“Then why-”

“Because I wasn’t ready. And I know that he wasn’t ready; he was simply desperate in not losing me to some other stallion. I don’t mean to brag but I was quite popular back in my day,” Mrs. Cake explained. “I wanted this to be done right, and I could tell that he also wanted the same thing. And so we waited for another few years where he worked and save as much money as possible for our dream home and business. He introduced me to his family around the same time I introduced him to mine. But I got worried after some time had passed…”

Raising an eyebrow, Adalricus didn’t understand. “Why were you worried? What were you concerned about?”

Mrs. Cake gave a somewhat sad smile. “I was worried that he wasn’t going to purpose to me anymore.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well…” Mrs. Cake looked to the side, unsure on how to gather her words properly. “…I started seeing him less and less. I thought that he had lost interest in me because he was always going on ‘long trips’ more often than I was comfortable with. I thought that I had done something wrong and that it was a mistake for us to have waited so long. I also assumed that it was because I introduced him to my ‘wonderful’ family.”

That last line caught his attention. “Something about you family that you were concerned with?” he asked, wondering what was so bad about them.

“Well, they were quite prejudice; they would make comments about unicorns and pegasus that sickened my husband at the time. Not only was he against prejudice ponies in general, he just happened to have relatives that were not earth ponies like him and I.” Mrs. Cake explained, as she started to clean the counter with a rag. 

Surprised with the mixed background, Adalricus had to ask, “I didn’t know that there were ponies that have a mixed heritage; Mr. Cake was a ‘mutt’ as some would use that term?” Of course, he tried to make the question seem less offensive by adding a joking tone to it.

Mrs. Cake looked at him with the same reaction. “I am sorry Adalricus, but is it not normal for bi-racial couples to exist where you’re from? I assumed because you weren’t surprised to see your friend, a pegasus dating an earth pony.”

“Oh um,” Adalricus responded, unsure on how to explain himself when he obviously couldn’t mention of the changeling culture that he was used to. However, it took him only a few seconds to say, “Well I am just not used to seeing actual married couples that have a mixed background.”

“Well it’s not as if my husband is actually a pegasus or unicorn; only his family genetics have passed on each of those traits to my children,” Mrs. Cake explained. 

A likely story, Adalricus thought, smirking at the idea. In all honesty he thought that Mrs. Cake’s children were from another marriage. That or possibly an affair, which was his first guess, but he actually felt pleased that Mrs. Cake was faithful.

“I am just happy that my family kept an open-mind after the twins were born. Prejudice ponies are just the worse in my opinion, and I am happy that I didn’t end up like them,” Mrs. Cake confessed. 

Curious with her remark, Adalricus asked, “So how would you feel about seeing a pony with something that wasn’t another pony?”

Mrs. Cake obviously didn’t need time to consider her answer. “I wouldn’t mind at all. Heck I’ve seen a zebra with a griffin who run a really nice shop on the other side of Ponyville!” she proudly answered. 

While Adalricus didn’t want to get ahead of himself and possibly reveal his true identity, he needed to know of her view on changelings. “Even if you saw a pony with a changeling?” he asked in a joking tone.

This time, Mrs. Cake opened her mouth but said nothing. She then closed her mouth and looked at him funny. “Um…”

Adalricus’ smile vanished. I thought so, he thought, before chuckling to laugh it off as if it were just a joke. He then turned his attention back to Pinkie Pie and his roommate, who seemed to be enjoying himself. It was funny, as Adalricus was still getting used to the idea that Raúl was really enjoying himself with a pony after what he’s said about them for years. But was this really Raúl enjoying himself, or just a false socialization to attract less attention?

Adalricus’ thoughts were interrupted as the sound of the doorbell had rung, indicating that another customer had entered the bakery. As he turned his head, he caught the scent of fresh spring lavender with a hint of roses smacking him across the face. He happily recognized the pleasant scent to be none other than Fluttershy herself, who looked around while walking towards the counter. She wore brown shoes, beige pants, and a brown outdoor vest over a green long-sleeve. A light-looking book bag was on her back, appearing handmade from first glance by a talented tailor. “Fluttershy,” Adalricus greeted her in a calm tone.

“O-Oh, hello Adalricus!” she greeted in return, not realizing that Adalricus was at the counter. She gave a pleasant smile as she stood in front of him and asked, “Did you sleep well?”

“Not really,” the changeling confessed. “But I think that I’ll manage…are you hungry?”

Fluttershy did show some concern when he answered her question, but she went along with the subject change. “I wouldn’t mind a raspberry pastry if the Cakes have any out right now…”

Nodding, Adalricus turned to see if Mrs. Cake was still around so she could service Fluttershy. However, when he realized that she was in the kitchen he decided to get it himself and placed it on a small paper tray. Of course, he was considerate to leave the proper amount of money on the counter as he got one for himself as well. Afterwards, he moved from behind the counter and asked, “So, do you have any plans for us to do today Fluttershy?”

“W-Well, I wanted to go to the mountains today; some special herbs that I use whenever the animals are sick grow up there. I am r-running low and I would like to restock before I run out. I-If you’re ok with going with me?” Fluttershy wasn’t entirely sure if Adalricus was up to the idea, as she didn’t realize that she forgot to mention such an errand until she woke up this morning. She did hope that it wouldn’t become a bother for Adalricus, as she did wanted to spend more time with him but not stop her duties as a caretaker for the creatures around her home. Luckily, Adalricus assured her that it was completely fine, and that he was looking forward to seeing more around the environment outside of ponyville.

“Perhaps I should change?” Adalricus suggested, as he didn’t think that he would need clothing that was more appropriate for the wild life. In fact, he was pretty sure that he didn’t even have such clothing, which was worrying for him.

“O-Oh um, I believe that would be best…” Fluttershy blushed as she looked to the side, embarrassed that Adalricus had to go through the trouble of changing his clothing for a trip that he just learned about. Oh…why didn’t I tell him last night?? she asked herself, feeling guilty for no good reason again. Stupid Fluttershy! she then told herself out of frustration.

However, Adalricus didn’t seem to really care as he went to his room to find some clothing that would be appropriate. As expected, he had nothing of the sort since he decided to buy warm clothing that was made for socializing. “I guess I’ll have to improvise,” he said, as he knew that Fluttershy was waiting for him downstairs. He didn’t like to keep one waiting for him longer than what was needed. Thus, he focused and engulfed himself with green fire. After it vanished, he looked himself in the mirror to find himself wearing dark blue pants, black boots, a black outdoor vest, and a red buttoned long-sleeve shirt. Pleased with his new look, he hurried downstairs to meet with his ‘date’.

When he arrived downstairs, Fluttershy was sitting with Raúl and Pinkie Pie conversing over something. Approaching them, he said aloud, “I am terribly sorry for making you wait.”

The three of them turned their attention towards him and unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie was the first to speak. “Cool, I didn’t know that you like to travel outdoors Adalricus!” she had said with a smile.

“Oh um, yeah I saw another pony wearing a similar attire and I thought that it would be good to have similar clothing. In the event that I had the opportunity to go see the surrounding wild life,” Adalricus lied. Luckily for him, it didn’t take long to come up with an answer as Raúl looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds before realizing what he did. 

While that answer should have satisfied Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie didn’t feel the same as she said, “But why would you buy clothing when you can always-”

Realizing that her outspoken nature could be bad for the changelings in disguise, Adalricus attempted to interrupt her. However, his wonderful loyal servant took action and pulled her close to him before saying, “You’re just too adorable, you know that?” With that, he smiled before pressing his nose against hers in an act of affection.

As expected, Pinkie Pie’s attention shifted to Raúl with widened eyes. She couldn’t help but blush with a deep shade of red as he pressed his nose against her own even more. Eventually, her stunned expression soon converted into embarrassment with a hint of enjoyment, as a small smile showed before she closed her eyes and tried to turn away.

Thankful for Raúl’s quick thinking, Adalricus turned to Fluttershy and asked, “Shall we go?” However, he then realized that Fluttershy had turned towards the opposite direction, blushing deeply and showcasing her discomfort towards the public affection between the other two. It was funny to Adalricus, as he still found amusement in the way how Fluttershy reacted towards many things in general. In a way, he found that to be quite cute. “Let’s go,” he suggested as he led her out of the bakery.

“T-Thank you,” Fluttershy answered quietly, standing outside with him in a much better mood. “S-So do you want to walk or fly? E-Either way is fine for me, i-if that’s ok with you,” she suggested. In all honesty, flying would make the trip only 10 minutes, whereas walking could be around an hour. She hoped that Adalricus would choose her personal choice.

Considering it for a bit, Adalricus did want to spend as much time having a conversation with Fluttershy today. “I would prefer walking if that’s ok with you. My wings are quite sore this morning,” said Adalricus. While not a complete lie, he was more concerned about how his body would react today. Even though no pain was felt on his wings as of now, why take the risk?

“W-Wonderful!” said Fluttershy, as she also wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

******************************************************************

Fluttershy and Adalricus didn’t say much until they were in the outskirts of Ponyville. By that point, Adalricus felt like his usual self again and stopped walking as if he were half asleep. He did yawn every a few minutes or so, which Fluttershy took note of and began to question him more on his ‘lack of sleep’ from last night. However, Adalricus didn’t mind her curiosity as he appreciated that care-like trait from her. In fact, Fluttershy even suggested that they could look for some herbs that were known for helping a pony’s health. Adalricus gladly took on her offer, despite the possibility of it not benefiting changelings like him.

“They’re known for having a scent similar to mint,” Fluttershy explained. She examined the wild plant life surrounding them, before moving slowly under a fallen tree trunk held between two large rocks. Afterwards, she continued on with, “A-And I know that they’re recognized for having a maple ‘bitter’ taste.”

“Interesting,” Adalricus commented. Following her, his eyes wondered around with curiosity. “Good thing you know where we’re going to Fluttershy. I take it that you’ve taken this path many times before?” he had asked.

“Y-Yes I have,” Fluttershy admitted. “Sometimes, I rather walk and this path way seems to be the fastest to where I have to go.” Fluttershy continued to walk until they found themselves within a large open meadow. The meadow was at most a quarter mile wide by radius, with no particular hill seen as the grass flowed perfectly towards the next line of trees from any direction. Although, there were distinctive patches of flowers that caught their attention as they continued to walk through. While Adalricus began to lose interest, Fluttershy led them towards one of the patches.

After closer examination, Fluttershy squatted down and moved her hands along the flowers and soon pulled away with some odd-looking leaves. Smiling, she placed one in her mouth and began to chew before offering Adalricus his piece. After swallowing, she closed her eyes and commented, “Q-Quite bitter.”

Chuckling as he took her offer, he said, “I hope it’s not too bitter Fluttershy, since this is supposed to help me like you said.” Smirking as she gave a small smile from his tease, he caught the scent of mint before experiencing that promised maple flavor. “Ah, that wasn’t too bad,” Adalricus said, licking his lips. “Hence, I would not mind having another if there’s more,” he added.

“Oh, I am surprise that it’s not too bitter for you,” Fluttershy commented before giving him another piece. As she watched him chew on another leaf, Fluttershy looked to the side, trying to think of a subject that they could talk about. When she heard him commented on how he admired the mint scent that the leaves gave of, she decided to work from there. “So um, is mint your favorite flavor Adalricus?”

Adalricus shook his head. “I actually enjoy strawberry as my favorite when it comes to sweet flavors,” he told her. “My mother used to always spoil me with cakes that focused around that particular fruit. In a way…” Adalricus paused for a moment, thinking of the times that he would sneak into the kitchen at night as a young changeling. Sometimes, his sadistic best friend and servant would either go with him to satisfy his sweet tooth, or tell his mother of what he had planned. “…it often brings me back to simpler times when I was young.”

“Ah I see,” Fluttershy answered, blinking slightly as she gained more interest in Adalricus’ background. “Your mother must be quite talented with sweets!” she exclaimed, trying to sound upbeat like Pinkie Pie.

“What-” Adalricus started, but started to laugh much to her confusion. “No Fluttershy, my mother is terrible when it comes towards handling food; we had our own chef to prepare meals whenever we saw fit,” he explained.

“Your own…chef?” Fluttershy asked, blinking even more as she tilted her head. However, her expression changed when she realized what he was talking about. “Y-You come from a wealthy family??” she asked with surprise.

“Um, yes I am from one?” Adalricus said, unsure if it was fine for him to tell her or not. Was it uncommon for ponies to be wealthy, or at least living in Ponyville? 

“Oh my, I didn’t expect you to be wealthy- i-if you also hold wealth from your family- A-Adalricus,” Fluttershy then said, trying her best not to offend him.

Confused with her statement, Adalricus asked, “Why does it ‘surprise’ you?”

“W-Well, you share a rented room with another pony and it’s quite small so-” Suddenly, Fluttershy turned red, after something occurred in her mind. By Celestia, he’s GAY isn’t he?! she cried in her mind, realizing that she could have taken his approach towards jer differently than what she originally expected. “I AM SO SORRY!” she shouted, turning completely red.

Now dumbfounded by her suddenly burst, Adalricus nearly fell backwards before shouting back, “W-Why are you ‘sorry’???”

“I-I-I-” Fluttershy had difficulty controlling her voice, as the volume continued to rise. “I DIDN’T THINK THAT YOU AND RA- I-I-I MEAN YOUR PARTNER WERE-”

“Wait, my ‘partner’? What are you-” Adalricus started, but then realized what she was trying to say. “I AM NOT GAY!!!” he shouted loudly, also turning red. WHY does every pony keep assuming that?! he yelled in his mind.

******************************************************************

Raúl continued to laugh as Spike wouldn’t stop telling him the story of how the day he experienced his growth spurt. The two of them as well as Pinkie Pie and Rarity were at an old fashioned diner that just recently opened. The two mares were in the restroom while Spike and Raúl had the table for themselves. It was odd meeting Spike when Raúl first arrived with Pinkie Pie, as he only met 3 other dragons in his life time, and they were a lot older compared to the young purple dragon who sat across from him. Regardless, dragons were an interesting bunch, as their general ‘long’ life experiences were entertaining to hear, and Spike did not disappoint.

“Wait, wait, wait, so you actually thought Pinkie Pie blackmailed the Cakes and you basically raped her? I can’t believe you actually fell for that fake story!” Raúl laughed, but not loud enough for the other patrons to hear. “Not many ponies would just easily tell that story to any other,” Raúl pointed out as he leaned back, trying to control himself.

“Yeah, I am not exactly a pony,” Spike pointed out with a harsh laugh. “Besides, I am telling you because I don’t want anyone else falling into any ‘traps’ set up by the Cakes,” he then added.

Still laughing, Raúl then said, “Still, that’s a crazy story Spike. Hell you should write your experience as an erotica and sell it!” He gave a crazy grin, clearly still struggling to control his laugher.

Surprised by his response, Spike then answered, “Oh please, who the hell would read a story about a dragon bucking 6 mares that were close to him before his balls dropped?”

“Ponies that aren’t prudes, that’s who,” Raúl said with a smirk. “That and bastards like me.”

Spike looked at him with a stunned expression, not expecting Raúl to actually give him an answer to his question. Realizing this, Raúl then decided to attempt making him feel better.

“Well from what it sounds like, Pinkie Pie did consent so it’s quite alright, right?” Raúl asked, controlling himself as he leaned forward again. “How many know of what went on between you two?”

This time, Spike looked at him with a ‘smile’. “Pinkie Pie spilled the beans between her friends…ha.”

This time however, Raúl stopped smiling, knowing that even this was nothing to laugh at. “You poor bastard,” he said with sympathy.

“Yeah well, the only weight that is on me is guilt. But hey, no one is mad at me and Pinkie Pie and I are still good friends,” Spike said, smiling softly with a ‘what are you going to do’ gesture with his arms.

Smirking at what Spike said, “If it makes you feel better, I somehow had a feeling; I knew the cakes were evil…”

Spike chuckled. “I like to use the term, ‘misunderstood’.”

This time, both broke into laugher for a few seconds before Pinkie Pie and Rarity returned and sat next to their respective lovers. “Sounds like you two are having quite the time together,” Rarity commented with a smile.

“Yeah, I love this dragon; he’s a lot of fun!” Raúl joked, winking at Spike who rolled his eyes at the gesture.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Yeah, especially in bed!” 

This time, the other three stared at her for saying such a comment so casually. That and because their server had just came to their table with their order, making the situation awkward. 

“Um…enjoy!” the mare said, blushing as she quickly placed everything down and left.

“Man, you really don’t have any limits do you??” Raúl said, actually still having difficulty with coming to terms with Pinkie Pie’s nature.

“It’s called being ‘open-minded’ silly!” Pinkie Pie giggled, winking at him as she took a couple of fries into her mouth.

“Yeah huh…”

“You’ll get used to it,” Spike commented, as he pulled his milkshake towards him while looking to the side in embarrassment.

“Really?”

“No, of course not!” Spike said. “Hell even though it’s mutually agreed that you don’t question ‘Pinkie Pie Logic’…”

Raúl frowned as Spike was serious. “Well buck,” he commented, as he started to scoop his frozen treat with his fries. The combination of sweet and salty was beyond satisfying, as he felt somewhat envious of how other living creatures needed to eat, while it was only an optional body pleasure for his kind. Regardless, he was enjoying the moment as Rarity began to shift the conversation.

“So Raúl, I never got to clarify if you and Adalricus were planning to live in Ponyville permanently? I know that the two of you have been here for quite some time already, but you two don’t seem to work, hence I believe that you’re on vacation?” Rarity asked, enjoying her frozen treat.

Raúl was well-prepared for such a question, as he knew that the topic would come up eventually. “Yes, we are actually planning to live here,” he answered, keeping it simple. Nailed it, he thought proudly.

Unsurprisingly, Rarity was pleased with his answer before saying, “How delightful! I was quite curious since you two really seem to enjoy yourselves here. And you two also hold quite a positive reputation from other ponies.” Rarity smiled at Spike, who also held a positive impression with Raúl despite their mixed conversation before.

Pleased that no negative attention was brought over to them, he smiled before stating, “That’s good to know!”

Rarity smiled at his reaction. “Yes, even if there’s some odd rumors about you two,” Rarity commented, rolling her eyes at the idea.

Raúl however was a bit concerned about these ‘odd’ rumors about them. “Could you elaborate?”

“Hmm?” Rarity was drinking her milkshake through a straw. Pulling away slightly and wiping her still-clean mouth, “It’s quite silly really Raúl, but some rumors about you two being changelings started to emerge around the time you first arrived.”

“Changelings…?” he asked with a ‘smile’. Laughing convincingly, he asked, “What kind of rumor is that?” Who the hell? he thought, wondering if he or Adalricus had slipped up somehow. He shifted positions, leaning forward before drinking his milkshake in a calming matter.

“Oh well I also find it quite hilarious if we’re being honest,” Rarity giggled. “But apparently, Scootaloo started telling the other young ponies how one of you threatened to eat her if she did not leave you alone. And apparently, you were even willing to disclose your secret, to her!” Giggling at what she just said, Spike soon laughed afterwards.

“Seriously? That’s the reason why she what would even think that they’re changelings? What kind of idiot would purposely tell such a secret knowing that they could potentially be exposed?” Spike laughed, finding it more amusing.

“Yeah, he would have to be a complete dumbass,” Raúl commented, ‘agreeing’ with them with a laugh before drinking his milkshake. Raúl you bucking dumbass… In all honesty, he should have properly thought of what he was doing when that filly wouldn’t let up on him.

As expected, Pinkie Pie got into the conversation for obvious reason. “Yeah, I bet he would also be stupid enough to drop his disguise after getting stoned after accidently finding out that his neighbor does it and letting it take full advantage of his judgment which leads them into sleeping together and hooking up after she finds out his secret!” she explained while laughing.

Spike and Rarity laughed too, not noticing that it took only Raúl half a second to realize what she just said as Spike broke the laugher. “Yeah- wait what?” he asked, looking at Pinkie Pie with a raised eyebrow as Rarity just realized what she had said. “That sounded oddly specific-”

“Just let it go Spike,” Raúl advised, rolling his eyes and hoping for the best.

“But what she just said-”

“I am sorry, didn’t you just tell me to NOT question Pinkie Pie’s logic??” Raúl then asked him, with an annoyed expression.

As Spike was going to say something, he then decided that Raúl had a good point. Thus, he nodded and just refused to give it another thought before taking a sip of his milkshake. Thankfully for Raúl, Rarity did the same.

******************************************************************

“It’s fine Fluttershy; you don’t need to apologize for the misunderstanding…again,” Adalricus said with a slight tone of annoyance.

“B-But I-” Fluttershy started again.

“I said its fine! Really, I don’t like it when you’re over concerned about things,” Adalricus confessed, showing a frown.

Fluttershy looked up at him. He had led the way towards the mountain path that they were walking for nearly 10 minutes. Deciding to listen to him, Fluttershy gave in and said, “W-Well if you say that it’s f-fine…”

Smiling, he continued to walk and said, “So, changing the subject…”

Fluttershy nodded, giving a small smile before asking, “So can you tell me more about your family? Heck I don’t even know where you’re from.”

Adalricus stop smiling, which Fluttershy thankfully didn’t get to notice. “My family…well, I have a mother and father,” he told her. 

“And what are they like?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “You haven’t spoken much about them,” she pointed out.

“Well my mother…is commonly like any other: protective, caring, wouldn’t be satisfied until I am spoiled to death,” he explained, lacking a joking tone.

However, Fluttershy didn’t take note as she giggled before saying, “My, she sounds like a loving mother! I hope to meet her someday!”

“Heheh,” Adalricus laughed, before looking away and thinking, I doubt that it would be a wonderful idea…

“And what of your father?”

“Huh? Oh…” Adalricus gave it some thought. “I…have a somewhat troubling relationship with my father; we rarely see one another.” Adalricus confessed honestly.

Fluttershy’s optimism lowered slightly as she heard those words. “Oh I am s-sorry to hear that. Does that mean that your parents…?” she asked, hoping not to offend him in anyway.

However, Adalricus felt comfortable talking about his father openly with Fluttershy. “Separated? Yes they are currently, but they hold a positive relationship together and there’s no hostility between them. Heck you could say that it was as if they were dating again,” Adalricus explained, wanting to believe that as he showed a smile.

Fluttershy returned the gesture, as she did not enjoy seeing a pony unhappy. Especially if it was somepony that was becoming close to her. “Ah, there it is!” Fluttershy said, taking notice of what was up ahead.

Adalricus’ attention shifted, as he then realized that they had reached their destination. Walking for a few more seconds, they came across flat land, giving them a break from the steep-nature of the mountain. Looking closely, Adalricus noticed a collection of bushes and shrubs holding a collection of eye-appealing flowers. However, Fluttershy was more interested in the herbs that were the reason for this trip. 

“This will take a few minutes Adalricus, i-if that’s ok!”  Fluttershy remarked, as she lowered herself and began to collect what was needed.

“No rush Fluttershy!” Adalricus answered back, smiling at what was before him. “I actually like the scene from here!” 

Fluttershy yelped silently, as she thought that Adalricus was commenting on how her rear was sticking out since she was on her knees and had her lower body closer to the ground. Hence her face turned red as she just hurried to collect what was needed. She was self-conscious of how her sex-appeal attracted intimidating attention from males; it was no secret to her that her large rear and breasts were the talk of the stallions back in Ponyville, hence it was hard for her to feel comfortable around males in general.

However, Adalricus soon appeared next to her much to her surprise. “Alright, I think these will do,” he explained, holding up a nice collection of flowers. Without saying a word, he actually thought that some of these flowers would be nice in his room. Thus he started to pick a good amount of them for decoration. “Would you like me to collect some for you Fluttershy?” he offered.

Embarrassed that she misunderstood his previous remark, she simply answered, “S-Sure!” with a smile. She turned away and actually laughed in her mind, really enjoying how silly she felt around him. Seriously Fluttershy, what’s wrong with you?? she asked herself.

Oblivious to what was going on with Fluttershy, he started to pick out the same herbs that Fluttershy was collecting after he gathered flowers for her. It took only another minute before Fluttershy told him to stop, meeting the amount that was required as they both stood up.

“Thank you for your help Adalricus!” she said cheerfully with a blush smile. Her expression was quite adorable, as she looked at him with perhaps the brightest of smiles while her wings spread gracefully. While they only met recently, Fluttershy really liked Adalricus, and hoped that they could continue to socialize like this for a long time.

“Oh, I am glad I could help you,” Adalricus said, not realizing that he was also blushing. Looking at her expression, Adalricus couldn’t help but smile as brightly as her. Why couldn’t I ever meet a changeling like her? he wondered, as she would have prevented him from ever leaving his kingdom if she lived in it.

However, those thoughts soon went down a dark path, as Adalricus blinked and started to feel an odd sensation. “Uah,” he softly said, as he closed his eyes and nearly fell, dropping to one knee.

“Adalricus-?!” Fluttershy reacted quickly, and immediately came to him, reaching out for his hand. “W-What’s wrong??”

“Fluttershy…?” he asked in confusion, as he blinked while looking at her hand. Her touch was so…soft. “I…” He couldn’t finish his words, as this odd sensation was new to him entirely. He blinked a bit more, but felt hotter within each passing second as if he ran a mile nonstop without rest. Each breath he took seemed to make him sweat, as he blinked more and more while looking at Fluttershy’s concerned face. She then used both hands to hold his, trying to get him to give her an answer.

“W-What’s wrong?” she asked loudly, showcasing great concern as he seemed fine from first glance. However, what she failed to notice- (or at least give care to)- was how his free hand was placed softly on her cheek, rubbing it softly.

“I…I feel…odd…in a good way,” he answered with a smile, as his body sweated more and more, and his erection was growing within each passing second, raging and already leaking against his pants. Fluttershy’s beautiful lips were mesmerizing, as they looked soft and delicious, tempting him to have a taste as he licked his own softly. Her scent was simply wonderful, as it was nothing like fresh spring, but something even better. Something, that tempted him to move closer… 

> Connecting the dots Part 1~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy paused as Adalricus continued to look into her eyes in an odd matter. It wasn’t intimating by any means, but rather strange to witness. He seemed…happy, to some extent as he claimed. Yet, the expression was different than what she was used to: he seemed to be happy looking at her. Hunger seemingly existed in Adalricus, as he would not stop leaning towards her despite her actions to lean away from him. Eventually, she found herself on the soft grass staring straight into the sky as Adalricus came into view once again. Her heart raced, her face turned as red as it has ever been, and her breathing was far from stable as Adalricus still had a hand on her face. And for some reason, she would not let go of his.

Adalricus’ head protected Fluttershy’s from the bright sun, creating a deeper shadow that darken his face. While she could not see the color tone of his mane nor see the proper texture of his face, his eyes remained the same. Green, familiar, and perhaps the most important aspect: kind. Yes, despite the hunger he seemed to give off towards her, he still had the same kind eyes that he has always given her. A trait which she practiced throughout her entire life and what she showed to all living things. Thus, would it be another act of kindness to allow Adalricus to have his way with her? Or would it be another act of kindness for herself to have what she wanted?

Neither of them said a word despite the close physical encounter between the two of them. Adalricus was inches away from Fluttershy’s face, but nothing more. He didn’t take a kiss from her, despite craving the desire to taste her. Instead, the prince blinked once and his expression changed. He then slowly pulled away and moved off of the stunned mare, who started to blink as well. He looked to the side as he regained his stance and rubbed his face, trying to make sense of what happened. “Um...”

Fluttershy brushed her hair to the side, realizing that it was slightly messy as she too began to stand again. She said nothing, but her expression still carried a flush of red.

Breaking the silence, Adalricus spoke. “I am sorry Fluttershy. I…I shouldn’t have done that to you,” he said, not making eye contact to her.

“I..” But Fluttershy couldn’t come up with a sentence. It was difficult for her to respond when she didn’t know how to react to what he was about to do. He didn’t actually kiss her, but he was getting quite physical with their last social interaction. 

“Please, it was my fault; I didn’t know what came over me but that was no excuse…” This time, he looked at her with a small blush. “I hope you can forgive me,” he requested.

Fluttershy’s expression relaxed as he finished apologizing for his actions. Perhaps Fluttershy admired him too much that she didn’t need much convincing, or perhaps because he was being truthful with his words? Regardless, Fluttershy was grateful that he did stop before things got…complicated. “I-I can,” she then answered.

Adalricus felt relieved after hearing her answer, but remained silent as he continued to look at her. When nothing else came from the pink maned mare, he then decided to break that silence between them. “S-Shall we go?”


*****************************

Adalricus and Fluttershy said nothing for the rest of the trip, which was surprising as they decided to walk instead of fly back home. Adalricus assumed that Fluttershy would want to be far away from him as possible after what he attempted to do. Regardless, he used this time to better understand what was coming over him. Was he becoming sexually frustrated due to the fact that he was not with a female since he ran away from his kingdom? He wasn’t particularly ‘horny’ per say, as occasional masturbation per week was more than enough-

By the gods, do I find her sexually attractive…? Adalricus wondered, rubbing his eyes as his previous consideration was rubbish; of course he was craving the flesh of a female! Deep admiration for her was obvious to him, but lusting for her and developing feelings in such a matter was nothing that he expected.

Fluttershy peeked at Adalricus through her bang, noticing his displeased expression. She wondered if he was feeling guiltier by the minute. “…” She then turned her head entirely, watching him rub his eyes repeatedly as if stress was getting the better of him. Eventually, her expression became neutral after she watched him for an appropriate amount of time. 

“Hmf,” Adalricus grunted, as he pulled his hand away and blinked. He felt disappointed in himself, as he knew that he should have more self-control. It took him at least another minute before he finally took notice of Fluttershy’s stare. “Y-Yes?” he asked, turning his head slightly.

Fluttershy slowly smiled, before looking forward and said, “Oh nothing~” in a smooth matter.

Adalricus was obviously stunned by her gesture, as he believed that he understood Fluttershy well enough by this point. “Was it…about what I did before? I do apologize again,” he said, wanting to make it clearer.

“Oh goodness me, you’re one who easily feels guilt,” Fluttershy observed.

This time, the prince’s jaw drop slightly, as she was not acting a timid as expected. “Excuse me-?”

“I thought that you were going to do quite inappropriate me, only to have you back off in the last second,” Fluttershy shook her head. “I suppose you’re not like the other stallions after all…” This time, Fluttershy stopped and so did Adalricus. “…I am happy for that,” she then confessed, looking at him with a cheerful smile. “You’re a very nice pony Adalricus, and I am happy that you are indeed a stallion that I can trust.”

“I…” Adalricus wanted to say more, but closed his mouth. Just wanting to accept that she was fine and willing to put what had happened between the, he nodded before saying, “I glad you feel that way Fluttershy…” With that, he smiled and felt renewed hope for their relationship...whatever it would lead to.

Fluttershy smiled even more as she giggled a little, finding his reactions to be cute. She then felt the need to tease him, a characteristic that she wouldn’t normally show. As he smiled back and started to walk, Fluttershy casually walked beside him and pressed her head against his arm, as if she wanted him to wrap it around her.

“F-Fluttershy?” he asked, turning slightly red. The pink maned pony was dangerously close to him, closer than what he was attempting not 5 minutes ago. And by dangerously close, his erection was already raging against his pants. While he wasn’t experiencing what led him to nearly have his way with Fluttershy, sexual urges were making their voices heard. However, he refused to allow his animal instincts to get the better of him; he simply ignored her after taking a deep breath. However, that was a terrible mistake as the main source of her wonderful scent came, in fact, from her mane. Thus, he gently breathed through his mouth to better handle Fluttershy’s intoxicating scent. 

Funny enough, Fluttershy was completely oblivious to how her scent was affecting him; she simply assumed that he was melting for her because of her physical touch. Yes, Fluttershy was still a naive mare who didn’t have the knowledge or experience to effectively arouse a male in the way that she wanted.

*************************************************************

Twilight hummed as she finished reading her journal after finishing her daily tasks. It was a fun habit of hers to look back on her experiences during the past few months. It was funny how detailed she was when it came towards her journal; even she amused herself well enough to believe that she was reading an autobiography on her life. Heck, she recalled on how some writers did something similar with their works. It really relaxed her whenever she needed to cut back and give herself time to think. When she finished reading the last page from last month, she sighed and stood up, feeling bored.

“I wonder what everypony is doing now,” she wondered aloud, feeling uncomfortable with her current surroundings. Slight depression was emerging from her and she wanted to fix that. “Maybe I should go buy some apples,” she then decided, as she grabbed her bag and walked outside with a yawn. Obviously an excuse to see Applejack, Twilight slowly flapped her wings and made her way towards Sweet Apple Acres. Now while she could have taken her time and walked there, she wanted to spend more time with one of her friends than anything else. Thus, she was quite pleased to have arrived at Applejack’s home in less than two minutes. He walked up to her house and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, the door slowly opened and Granny Smith appeared. “Why ain’t this here a surprise!”

Smiling, Twilight hugged the elder pony. “Hi there Mrs. Smith!” she said, before pulling away. “Is Applejack here?” she asked cheerfully and politely.

Happily returning the gesture, Granny Smith nodded. “Eyup, she’s upstairs; I’ll call her. Please come in!” the elder pony insisted, as she turned away and made her way towards the stairs. “There is a fresh baked pie if your sweet tooth would fancy!” she called out, before leaving Twilight alone in the kitchen.

“Sounds good!” Twilight called back, as Granny Smith’s apple pies were to die for. Looking at her surroundings, she saw a half-eaten pie on the table. Licking her lips, the pie was still warm enough to generate a distinctive aroma which made her mouth water. She happily sat down and noticed that there was already a pie knife leaning against the tray. Taking one of the small paper plates, she cut herself a piece and placed it into her plate. Afterwards, she realized that there was no silverware for her to use. Oh well.

“I could always wash my hands~” she said in a smooth tone, lifting the slice with her hand and slowly moving it to her mouth.

SQUISH

She paused. “What the buck-”

SQUISH

“EHHHHHHH!” Twilight cried, jumping up and using her magic by instinct to flip the table. Her horn then shot a beam of magic towards the perpetrator who had probed her under her skirt. Before she could fully active the effects of her freeze spell, her jaw dropped. “Scoot...aloo…?” she asked with confusion.

The orange filly looked at Twilight with fear, obviously not expecting the alicorn princess to retaliate immediately and such in a matter. However, her fear soon vanished when Twilight released her and lowered herself to the ground. “Heheh…hey Twilight…I guess you’re not an imposer!” Scootaloo laughed nervously.

“…‘Imposer’…?” Twilight asked, glaring at the filly for touching her in such an inappropriate matter. She then noticed that Scootaloo was holding what appeared to be a wooden spoon. “And just why would you think-”

“Hey ther Twilight!” Applejack said, appearing in the kitchen. “Granny Smith said that you-” However, she stopped talking after taking in the current condition of her family’s kitchen. “Um, Twilight? Why is my kitchen like this?”

“Yes well…” Twilight tried to gather her words properly, as she still had trouble controlling herself. “…Scootaloo here thought I was an…imposer,” she explained, looking at the orange filly who was still smiling nervously.

“What- REALLY Scootaloo?!” Applejack said, also glaring at the orange filly. Much to Twilight’s surprise, Applejack was able to put everything together based on that simple explanation. “Ugh, just go play with Applebloom in her room; she’s looking for you…” With that, the orange filly took advantage and got the hell out of there, leaving the two mares to themselves.

“So…she went ahead and probed ya?” Applejack asked, face palming herself.

“How did you- You know what, never mind,” Twilight said, realizing that Applejack went through the same thing. “Sorry about your kitchen…and the pie…” Twilight frowned as the pie on the table was crushed, and she dropped the slice she had in her hand. Using magic to clean up the mess, she then asked, “So, what’s up with Scootaloo and possibly the other fillies? Are they just at that curious stage…?”

“I wish that it were that simple Twilight,” Applejack sighed, watching Twilight clean up the mess. She helped by cleaning up the ruined pie and slice before adding, “Scootaloo has been acting weirder than usual, something about changelings disguising as ponies around here.”

“Changelings?” Twilight asked in confusion, as that was the last thing she would expect from Scootaloo. “But why does she-”

“Well, she claimed that a changeling threatened to eat her and after she supposedly got into his business and all. She then explained that a changing that stupid wouldn’t be able to disguise himself as a mare like you or me; he would be forgetten' that he be carrying a marehood and all,” she explained with her distinctive accent.

“Seriously?” Twilight asked.

“Yup. That ter is the honest truth about how she went and explained herself for her actions. Good thing too; I caught her attempting to do it again when Granny Smith was sleeping!”

“Fun…” Twilight gave a frown of displeasure, realizing that Scootaloo was being ridiculous. Honestly, the weird phases of puberty never made her that crazy. “Well, I am sorry to hear about that…surely Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren’t doing the same thing?”

“Nah, they think that Scootaloo is just purposely tryin’ to fool with them, that’s all,” Applejack explained, finishing the cleanup. “Honestly, I can’t take any of those fillies seriously by this point.”

Twilight giggled. “Well changing the subject, I was actually interested in buying some of your apples if you have any to spare right now,” Twilight explained.

Pleased with a regular customer, “Got a few barrels of them! Although, I would like it if you accompany me to Sugarcube Corner Twilight. I have a delivery to take to the cakes and I would like some company,” Applejack requested.

Flattered by Applejack’s request, Twilight naturally agreed. Thus, both of them made their way to the barn where they found everything already prepared. Twilight happily brought a good amount and poured them into her bag. Twilight then helped with the wagon, pulling it out of the barn and into the road, and continued to pull it with Applejack. They talked about normal things here and there as they walked, and even talked about their future plans. Naturally, things were still pretty much the same in the conversations that Twilight had with her friends, with the occasional topic of what she did as a princess. Eventually, the conversation passed enough time to the point where they found themselves in front of Sugarcube Corner. By great luck, Mr. Cake  was already outside taking another shipment from a fellow farmer regarding milk.

“Ah hello there Applejack! Thank you so much for getting these here before 4!” Mr. Cake said with enthusiasm.

“Happy to hear that!” Applejack exclaimed, as Mr. Cake held up a pouch of bits. “Is Pinkie Pie in right now?” she asked before taking her pay.

“Yes she is,” Mr. Cake confirmed.

With that, the two mares made their way into Sugarcube Corner, unsurprised by the large number of patrons. They then spotted their crazed pony friend known as Pinkie Pie, who was bringing order to various tables. She then stopped at one table where some familiar faces sat: Rarity, Spike, and Raúl.

“Isn’t too much sweets a bad idea?” Raúl commented, as he lifted the cupcake that Pinkie Pie brought him.

“You know, I have been curious about that…” Spike said, looking at his own cupcake. “…considering that I am a dragon and not a pony,” he pointed out. Then again, should he really care? What was going to stop him from pleasing his cravings?

“Oh don’t be a pill you two! Just enjoy it!” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Honestly Pinkie Pie, you shouldn’t think like that,” Rarity argued, despite taking a cupcake as well. “As mares, we must watch our weight, unlike these two stallions- Well, one’s a dragon but you get my meaning,” she said, despite taking a small nibble.

“Hey, just because we’re males doesn’t mean we don’t care about our figure!” Raúl argued. Despite being a changeling and only eating food as a non-essential form of body pleasure, even his species gained weight from fats.

However, Spike seemed to disagree as he was already eating his second cupcake. “We do?” 

Raúl raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you ever get sick from eating too much sweets Spike?”

“Well apparently, we dragons have higher metabolism the older we get; I couldn’t eat this much before puberty occurred for me,” he confessed.

“Really?” Raúl asked, blinking as he appeared interested. In truth however, Raúl already knew such facts; he simply wanted to pretend that he lacked the knowledge. His previous experience with dragons was clearly not something that he saw as common within pony culture. Or at least within this community known as Ponyville. Thus he held a deep desire to not risk drawing attention in such a matter. “How much do you know about your own kind?”

“As much as ponies know I am afraid,” Twilight commented, joining the conversation. Everypony at the table turned to acknowledge Twilight and Applejack. After her friends said hello, she glanced at Raúl who was apparently trying to avoid eye contact with her. “Um…hi Raúl…” Twilight blushed and looked to the side, clearly embarrassed about their last meeting.

“Twilight,” Raúl said, still looking to the side. By the gods do alicorns make me cringe, he thought. While not afraid of Twilight per say, he was not one to take her lightly nor treat her like any other pony in this community. “You’re looking well…”

“Hehehe, thanks?” Twilight asked, giving a nervous laugh. Naturally, the other ponies said nothing, with the expectation of one dragon who didn’t understand what went on between those two. While Pinkie Pie was anonymously changing into Pinkamena.

“Something happened between you two?” Spike asked curiously.

“Look Raúl, about last time-” Twilight started.

“Hey it’s quite alright Twilight; I am just a shy stallion who tries to avoid answering questions I am not comfortable with,” Raúl explained, chuckling a little. While he could have been vague, he did want to bring some form of satisfaction to the alicorn before him as he glanced at her. “I am sorry for making you feel uncomfortable as well,” said Raúl.

Feeling somewhat guilty and yet appreciative, Twilight attempted to atone for her physical reaction beforehand. “No, I should be the one apologizing; let me…um, make it up to you?” she asked hopefully. “M-Maybe you want a coffee or something?” she guessed.

“Oh we just got some fresh beans this morning!” Pinkie Pie suggested with a smile, before walking away to assist the other patrons. Funny enough, her Pinkamena phase instantly vanished without any acknowledgement.

“Sounds good actually,” Raúl remarked with a real smile. Coffee was honestly one of his favorite drinks.

Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Twilight nodded before stating, “I get you one right now!” before following Pinkie Pie. “Hey, do you know what his favorite type is?” she whispered, hoping to take advantage and try to fix things between her and Raúl. Since her friends were becoming fond of him, she didn't want things to be awkward.

“Of course silly! We are dating after all!” Pinkie Pie said proudly, just as she went around the counter. “I’ll start brewing ASAP~!” she sung before disappearing into the kitchen.

Happy to hear that, Twilight then considered if there was anything else she could do for Raúl, as she peeked over to see Applejack sitting down and asking him a question, while Rarity told Spike of what happened between herself and Raúl. Not wanting to remember that horrible encounter, she faced the counter again. At the same time, she heard the door bell ring indicating a new patron. 

“Oh excuse me,” said a new customer. This one sounded male.

“Oh I am sorry!” said a mare.

“No, no, I wasn’t paying attention-”

"Huh? You look familiar," said the mare.

"I do?" said the male voice.

“Hey wait, aren’t you that alicorn?”

Hearing that word, Twilight would automatically assumed that she was the one being spoken to. However, she turned out to be wrong as she turned around to see two mares speaking to a black stallion with green hair. And...Fluttershy? Wait, who is that? Twilight wondered, as it wasn’t common to see Fluttershy with a stallion that she wasn’t familiar with.

“Alicorn?” Fluttershy asked, blinking in confusion.

“I am sorry, I think that you’re confusing me for another pony?” Adalricus suggested, as he ‘blinked’ in ‘confusion’ towards them.

“Maybe…” One of the mares blinked as she took a good long look at Adalricus. “Hmmm…yeah, only wings and no horn,” she then admitted. “Sorry, you just looked like this alicorn I saw a few weeks ago at this other town,” she explained.

“Well surely there’s more than just one pony with his color scheme!” said the other mare who laughed after considering it.

“Y-Yeah, of course, hahaah!” Adalricus chuckled, trying to not seem suspicious. While he did become increasing nervous, he managed to keep a calm expression with no signs of stress.

Fluttershy looked at the two mares before looking at Adalricus. Her arms were wrapped around his left, as she became more and more confident the more time they spent together. However, she couldn’t help but wonder why they would easily confused Adalricus for an alicorn in the first place when he obviously only had wings like her.

“Well sorry for the confusion, please excuse us!” said one of the mares. While he did recall for upholding the appearance of an alicorn, he did not think that it would come back to bite him in the rear after all this time. Especially when this was a mare who had seen him from another community and not in Ponyville from when he first arrived. As they both left, Adalricus became relieved as he led Fluttershy into the bakery. Like Fluttershy, he did become comfortable as well the longer they were like this. Spotting his fellow changelings and some familiar faces, he walked towards their table. Not realizing that Twilight Sparkle was right behind him. 
> Connecting the dots Part 2~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rarity smiled as she waved to Adalricus and Fluttershy, taking quick note of Fluttershy’s grip on him. “Why hello you two, you seem to be growing closer by the minute,” she observed with a giggle.

Spike, who never met Adalricus before, smiled as he also waved. “Hi Fluttershy!” He looked at Adalricus who kept a calm smile and seemingly not surprised to meet a dragon. It was actually nice to see that a new pony wasn’t intimidated by him. “Hi, I am Spike,” he introduced himself, standing reaching out to shake Adalricus’ hand.

Adalricus happily shook his head, never experiencing socialization with an actual dragon. He only heard stories from Raúl over how dragons were, and found the texture of his hand to be odd. However, what else did he expect from making contact with scales? “Pleasure to meet you Spike, I am Adalricus,” he introduced himself.

After the exchanges of greetings, Adalricus conveniently managed to find two empty chairs nearby. He happily pulled it for Fluttershy, who smiled brightly as she sat down. As for him, he reached for his own chair only to instead touch another pony. A pony who yelped as he almost touched her breast. “I am so sorry!” he quickly said, embarrassed that he wasn’t looking.

“T-That’s fine!” Twilight quickly said, not wanting to make things turn out ugly. She was already trying to patch things up with Raúl and clearly this was also a new friend of her friends as well. “P-Pleasure to meet you Adalricus!” she quickly said, laughing nervously. “I am T-Twilight Sparkle!” With that, she held out her hand to shake his just as Spike did. Much to her relief, Adalricus didn’t hesitate.

“Pleasure’s all mine!” Adalricus quickly said, as this was becoming a crazy day. Taking a quick observation, he acknowledged the traits of an alicorn. It was odd because he was meeting a real alicorn and not a fake. It became more awkward for him when he recognized the pony responsible for his mother’s defeat…she wasn’t as ugly as her mother claimed.

Twilight nodded with a smile. “So…I see you know everypony else!” she giggled awkwardly. “And you also know Raúl?”

Trying to keep things simple, he nodded. “He’s my roommate actually; we both live here in Sugarcube Corner,” Adalricus explained as he glanced at Raúl who nodded with a ‘smirk’.

“Ah, I didn’t realize that you two came here together,” Twilight said.

Rarity nodded as well. “Yes Twilight, they’re actually moving here as Raúl explained earlier when we ate at that classical diner for lunch.” she explained as she wiped her face from crumbs.

“Really, that’s quite nice!” Twilight said cheerfully, as her wings spread and was happy that things were going quite well. “It’s nice to always meet new ponies from different places,” she added. Naturally she would also do best in avoiding the question of where they were both from, as she didn’t want to make either of them feel uncomfortable.

“Yeah it is! Be liken’ with how Raúl and Adalricus seem to be enjoying themselves, as well as other ponies being fond of them and such,” Applejack commented with a big smile.

While everypony was agreeing, Rarity pointed out an obvious issue. “Well maybe not EVERY pony around here; Scootaloo is still acting quite rudely around Raúl,”

“What?” Adalricus asked, hearing this for the first time as he looked at Rarity in confusion. “Who is Scootaloo, and what do you mean by ‘acting rudely’ around Raúl?”

Instead of simply explaining, Rarity’s horn glowed indicating the intent to use magic. The table lifted into the air, much to everypony’s surprise as the filly appeared to be hiding under it. This time, she was using metal tongs.

“Um…” This time, she was just stunned by how easily she was being discovered.

“Scootaloo!” Applejack said angrily. “Wait, did you follow me and Twilight?!”

“I-I-” Scootaloo started.

Twilight, who was now just starting to enjoy her day for the first time, glared angrily at the orange filly. As she was about to say something, Raúl intervene.

“Come now everyone; she’s just a filly.” Raúl said, as he surprised Scootaloo by lifting her upwards and onto his lap, controlling the situation for the time being.

“Oh don’t be soft on her Raúl; she’s the one who started those awful rumors about you and Adalricus being changelings!” Rarity pointed out with disgust, as she lowered the table back to its original position. “Making horrible stories of how you were going to eat her and she refuses to apologize-”

Raúl however interrupted. “Actually, I should be the one apologizing…” Raúl ‘frowned’ as Scootaloo was shaking nervously on his lap.

“What?” Twilight said, as she became quite confused.

“Yeah I actually did say something along those lines,” he confessed. Before anypony could say anything, he continued on. “You see, Scootaloo here was obsessed with me and Adalricus because we were foreign. Thus, she started asking more and more questions about us repeatedly and I…” This time, Raúl looked at Adalricus, who kept a calm expression despite the fact that he was likely shocked to learn about this for the first time. “…I lied to her in order to scare her off. We were stressed and tired from our travels, and I let my anger get the best of me. I am sorry for the situation that was created; I do hope you can all forgive a dummy like me,” he explained, giving a hopeful smile as he rubbed his head with a guilt expression. “And I am sorry for being mean to you…Scootaloo. I didn’t mean to make an asshole out of myself. Can you forgive me and stop spreading rumors? I really like Ponyville…and I don’t really hate you or anything…”

Silence surrounded the table as Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack were stunned. Spike was confused but eventually understood everything, as he leaned back and was able to handle this with ease. Fluttershy was also quite surprised, because this was the first she had heard of such a thing, just as Spike. Adalricus was also surprised, but he kept the same expression, not wanting draw attention in such a matter. Silence lasted for nearly a minute, as no pony could think of anything to say at the present moment. And as for Scootaloo…

“…You’re lying!” was what she managed to shout.

This time, Raúl frowned legitimately. “What?”

“I don’t trust you! Y-You’re just lying so that you can actually eat me! I know that changelings do that-”

“Ok, Rarity was right; I am being too nice…” Raúl stood up, lifting Scootaloo over her shoulder much to her surprise. “Pinkie?”

“Yes?” Pinkie Pie asked cheerfully, as she appeared with a tray holding a mug of coffee.

“Thank you sweetie~” Raúl sung happily, as he took the mug with his free hand and kissed Pinkie Pie on the cheek. “Do the Cakes have a discipline paddle by any chance?”

“Oh yeah, in their room!” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Perfect,” Raúl said as he turned to face every other pony. “Call me old fashion, but spanking seems affective, no?”

While Adalricus wanted to protest, not wanting to see Raúl do anything rash, the one pony who agreed with Raúl had shocked Adalricus and everypony else.

“O-Oh yes! T-Teach her to stop lying horrible things a-about you two!” Fluttershy agreed loudly.

“Say what?!” Scootaloo asked loudly, before the other ponies could.

“Thanks Fluttershy!” Raúl said, carrying the struggling Scootaloo wards the kitchen. She kicked and struggled to break free, calling for help in a comedic fashion before they disappeared.

Adalricus looked at Fluttershy with great confusion; he never expected her to support discipline. Then again, she was full of surprises today as she only smiled and moved closer against him, not wanting him to go away. Wait, was she…protecting him?

Rarity, who was embarrassed that Scootaloo was actually telling the truth, simply continued to drink her tea, hoping that no other pony would point out her mistake and request her apology towards Scootaloo. Of course, that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t eventually; she was waiting until the appropriate time came. Meanwhile, Spike just went ahead and accepted it; his previous experiences taught him to just not question what the situation is for a previous issue. He chuckled as he stood up and stretched out his wings and arms. Applejack excused herself to use the restroom, as everything that occurred was too much for her to comprehend. And for Twilight, she simply shook her head and sat down.

As for the lovely couple of Adalricus and Fluttershy, they simply shared a chair because Fluttershy was being quite affectionate. Her open affection was still odd to Adalricus, as the small amount of time that they’ve been together seemed to really take a huge turning point. Little did he know, this was likely because Fluttershy was never in a serious relationship before in her life and was completely new to this. Then again, was it really that bad? Would anything of negative consequences occur if Adalricus and Fluttershy allow things to go on at such a rate?

“…” Adalricus wrapped his arms around Fluttershy’s stomach before he moved his chin on her shoulder. He smiled softy, as he could tell that Fluttershy really liked him…him.

Fluttershy frowned as Adalricus gestured her to move off of him after only fifteen minutes. He gave her a sad smile, which made Fluttershy return the gesture with a frown. “Adalricus…?”

“Hey, I am feeling not myself right now…I am going to use the restroom now.” Adalricus explained, smiling as he released her hand and made his way to the restrooms and leaving a confused Fluttershy. As he moved in the direction of the restrooms, he gave a nod to the rest of the ponies before disappearing.

Fluttershy placed a small fist between her breasts, unsure on how to react as she looked to her friends. “What is wrong with him?”

While her friends wanted to give the answer that Fluttershy wanted, they too were confused. However, “Um Fluttershy? How long have you been with Adalricus…?” Twilight asked. She naturally to believed that Fluttershy must have known Adalricus long enough that she was acting so relax around him. However, her jaw dropped after Applejack pointed out the actual amount of time that they’ve been ‘together’. “Not even a week??” Twilight asked, thunderstruck by what she had heard. 

Slightly embarrassed and confused, “D-D-Did I r-r-rush things? I re-re-really like him a-and-”

“Fluttershy, two days of getting to know a pony isn’t enough to justify a committed relationship!” Twilight said with concern, as she was standing up and trying her best to stay calm. “Why do you even feel-”

“Twilight,” Spike interrupted, wanting to avoid an emotional conversation. “Look, I get your concern but maybe we shouldn’t get involved.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what Spike just said; out of all ponies- or dragon in this case, she expected him to be on her side. Especially when he was quite protective over the ponies that he knew. “S-Spike…how can you-” she stuttered.

“Look, I am also worried about Fluttershy taking things ‘fast’, don’t get me wrong,” Spike explained, wanting to clarify. “But maybe she should figure out things on her own,” he added.

“Spike!” This time, Rarity got involved in the conversation again, she was also feeling betrayed by Spike’s nature. “How could you say that you’re ‘worried’ about her when you don’t want us to help her-”

“Maybe because we’re ALWAYS helping her?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Say what now?”

Spike gave them a displeased expression. “Every one of you keeps treating her like a filly! Each and every time she does something that would be not so ‘concerning’ to others if it wasn’t her, you all hold her hand as if she doesn’t know the difference between day and night! The way you all acted when you found out that I was sleeping with her, you thought that I was putting pressure on her as if she couldn’t really decide for herself! Fluttershy is stronger than you think and you have to trust her with the decisions that she makes, like a true friend would!”

“I-” Applejack started, but then closed her mouth to consider what Spike said. Looking at the others, they too realized what Spike was trying to point out as Fluttershy remained silent.

“You know…I think he has a point…” Twilight frowned as she said those words, realizing that she was often overprotective. The others seemed to agree, although they wondered if Rainbow Dash would feel the same if she were here. “Fluttershy…” Twilight turned to face her friend but looked down. “…I-” Her words were interrupted as Fluttershy hugged her, making her even more stunned and confused.

“I…a so lucky…” There was a sniffle. “…I am so lucky to have you as a friend!” she managed to cry.

Twilight was so touched to hear those words, as she returned the hug nice and tightly, enjoying this moment as she smiled while holding back a few tears. The rest of her friends smiled on, also touched by what Fluttershy said. After they hugged, Twilight decided to press on the subject over Fluttershy’s concern. “Anyway…you think that maybe things are happening too fast between you and Adalricus that he’s bothered by it? Maybe he’s just surprised with how you’re so affectionate towards him?” she suggested, as it would be a likely explanation.

However, it turned out to be more complicated than that as Adalricus washed his face for perhaps the tenth time in a row in the restroom. He looked at himself in the mirror for at least another minute, as he blinked only once, perhaps twice. Conveniently, the private stall was not occupied and he was able to give himself that desired privacy. He allowed his hands to dry without paper towels, drip drying on the side of his hips.

“…” His expression seemed calm but also somewhat sad. Why should it be sad? After all, he was finding pleasure in ways that he never came to experience prior to his visit to Ponyville. And Fluttershy was really something special…her voice, her appearance, her…kindness. Yes she was acting differently than he expected, but he believed it was because she felt safe and secure with him well enough to not feel timid. However, one thing did worry and stress him more than his own mother.

“She likes me…” Adalricus engulfed himself in green fire to reveal his true self. It had honestly been quite some time since he took a good long look at his changeling-self. His expression remained the same despite the change. “…right?” he finished, as displeasure began to show across his face…

***********************************************

The next two weeks were quite pleasant for Adalricus, as he saw Fluttershy every single day. They would either spend most of the day at her home, or spend time traveling for important errands that Fluttershy needed to tend to. And of course, the occasional socializing with the mane six and their male friends. It was all too well for Adalricus, as Fluttershy oddly enough started to become more humble; not as confident as she did during the first few days but overall comfortable enough for things not to be ‘odd’ between either of their standards.

“Ahhhh,” Raúl yawned, as he walked out of the shower and dried himself properly for a few minutes. “Nothing beats a hot stream shower,” he commented in relief. He smiled as he ran his hand through his wet mane.

“Eyup~!” Pinkie Pie agreed, as she finished drying her own body and winked at Raúl before she opened the door. Both wrapped in towels, she gave him a kiss. “Have a good night honey,” she said sweetly.

“You too my crazy pink devil,” Raúl said with a big smile. He waved back as he made his way to his room. By the gods, I am actually falling for her! he realized with a chuckle. It was true: Raúl was indeed falling for Pinkie Pie, which was not something that he could have foreseen after his previous experiences with ponies for so many years. He opened the door into his bedroom and acknowledged Adalricus who was leaning against the open widow. “Hola Parce~” he sung cheerfully.

However, Adalricus said nothing as he continued to look into the dark sky. The stars were out and the moon was barely visible due to the clouds. Yet, the cool breeze had little effect on the changeling.

“Hey, are you alive your highness?” Raúl teased.

“Very funny,” Adalricus remarked, without turning to face him.

Raúl’s smile lightened a bit. “What’s on your mind Adalricus?” he asked as he started to change.

Adalricus said nothing. He only watched the sky for another minute before Raúl repeated his question.

“Something is seriously bugging you?” Raúl asked, as he put on a white shirt and started to dry his mane even more with his towel. “Or are you thinking about Fluttershy?”

“Actually, yes I am.”

“Oh? You two should move in together at her home so that I can have this room for myself,” Raúl remarked with a grin.

This time, Adalricus scoffed at what Raúl said. “Would she welcome a changeling to spend the night with her?”

Raúl’s grin slowly vanished. “What?”

“Raúl…” Adalricus turned to face him this time and moved closer. “…how can I continue on like this with Fluttershy if she doesn’t know who or what I truly am?”

Raúl was not liking where Adalricus was going with this. “You don’t mean…”

“But I do,” Adalricus confirmed with displeasure. “Every time I am with her, I feel…more than happy. It feels like I am REALLY happy when I am around her,”

“Ah…” Raúl crossed his arms, as his prediction came true. “So you are truly in love with her after all,” he observed. “And not just as a small crush either…”

Adalricus rolled his eyes. “I think that’s already been established.”

“And yet you didn’t realize it until only recently,” Raúl pointed out. “As to the fact that Fluttershy shares the same feelings towards you…perhaps even more.”

“What?”

Raúl showed a serious expression. “Those symptoms that you had before: frequent pain, the inconsistency with your transformations, I wasn’t entirely sure at first but after taking note of how you’ve been in the last three weeks, but it’s clear now,”  Raúl explained as he sat on his bed and continued to dry his mane. “Those signs are commonly believed to be because that changeling is making themselves vulnerable: loving a creature that doesn’t exchange the same feeling, results in the opposite of what happens between a changeling and a creature in the case of ‘love’.”

“I-” Adalricus started, but stopped in order to understand what Raúl was getting at. “Wait, so instead of me taking energy from a non-changeling by the form of love, I was giving away my own?” he asked, before running his hand through his mane.

Raúl confirmed with a nod. “It may be difficult to believe since the case is so rare, but it’s true. I heard of this case happening only once before so I wasn’t entirely sure,” Raúl explained. “In any case, given that your symptoms vanished a week after you started dating Fluttershy, you’re both keeping each other healthy and well.”

“Wait, is that why Fluttershy has been so confident around me at times?” Adalricus asked. After what happened between him and her on the day of that trip, he did ask the others about Fluttershy’s nature based on his experiences. It was true: Fluttershy did seem different, as if she was feeling ‘alive’ for the first time in her life. Whereas he stopped experiencing those symptoms that were causing issues in his body. Adalricus than shook his head, as it mattered little by the issue that he was having. “Regardless, I can’t keep living his lie,” he argued, as he sat on his bed and looked to the ground. “The female servants have no personality of their own back at our kingdom, my mother doesn’t respect my wishes and refuses to take me seriously, and now, I figured out why these strange things have been happening between me and Fluttershy…why are females so complicated?”

Adalricus looked at Raúl with a soft expression. “I can’t understand them at all…at least, not well enough to where I know that Fluttershy, or the others would accept me for who I am.”

As if expecting that statement, Raúl sighed loudly. “Adalricus, did you seriously expect females to be that simple?”

“Well…yes?” Adalricus confessed.

Raúl stared at Adalricus with a blank expression. “Come here,” he said as he stood up and walked over to the opened window. “I want to show you something.”

Confused by Raúl’s actions, Adalricus stood up and walked over to the window right next to him, where he then pointed at a certain direction. Adalricus looked at one of the homes where neighboring ponies stayed. “Just watch,” said Raúl. Suddenly, one of the doors opened and a naked mare walked out in an angry mood.

“I am not doing that Fro!” said a mare who covered her naked body with clothing as she glared at the doorway. She appeared quite attractive from what Adalricus could judge from his view, mostly based on her figure

“Oh come on beautiful; keep an open-mind!” a stallion remarked, following her in his boxers as he stood in his doorway. Funny enough, he did have a curly mane and seemed physically attractive enough.

“No, you’re a sick animal!” the mare argued with disgust.

“Hey keep it down; I don’t want my neighbors to wake up and see a big old fat dirty whore screaming at me in front of my home,” the curly maned stallion argued back, giving a colder response despite not yelling like her.

“Whore?!” she asked, completely dumbfounded. “Well, maybe I should come in,” she ‘realized’ before calmly walking back into his home. She didn’t seem upset or bothered at all??

“Well maybe you should!” he responded calmly with a glare as he slammed the door behind them.

Obviously stunned, Adalricus was trying to figure out what just happened. “What the buck- WHY would she respond positively to what he just said?? Unless-” Adalricus then stopped as his expression changed. “Raúl, are you saying that females LOVE it when you treat them like shit?” he asked.

“Well I don’t know if you want to be that black and white about it; I wouldn’t say THAT,” Raúl started as he kinda laughed, but quickly dropped the joke. “Look, the point is that most females are quite complicated, unpredictable, and a gamble; you won’t know how Fluttershy feels unless you take the chance to be honest with her. You’ll at least be at peace knowing that you did whatever felt right.”

“…” Adalricus carefully thought about what he said. “You’re right…you’re right Raúl,” Adalricus admitted. “Good thing you just happen to be a good advisor when I need you to be,” Adalricus joked, smiling at his closest of friends.

Raúl smirked. “Well that’s good to know,” he laughed.


> Intervention~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Adalricus smiled as he got dressed after taking a nice long shower. Feeling rejuvenated, he walked downstairs and happily said good morning to those around him. While Raúl was nowhere to be seen, he knew better than to distract himself when he only had one pony in mind: Fluttershy. “Today, I will tell her,” he decided aloud as he found himself outside, enjoying the sunshine that the pony goddess Celestia brought upon Ponyville. He took a deep breath as he started to walk across town, thinking about on how he should approach this. After all, today was the day that his life would change due to the decision that he decided to make.

I could go to her cottage now and have a long conversation with her…no, it can't be that simple; I may need to do more, he thought, moving his hand through his mane.

“Hiya Adalricus!”

Adalricus stopped as he was about to bump into the farmer known as Applesjack. She held up a hand to gesture a ‘hello’ towards as she showed a grin. “Distracted surg? I can tell you got something on yer mind,” she pointed out.

“H-Hello Applejack,” Adalricus said with a friendly smile. “Y-Yes well, I really want to see Fluttershy right now; I have something quite important that I want to tell her…” Adalricus wasn’t afraid of being outspoken about what he planned to do. Especially if it was the only thing in his mind.

Applejack’s expression became neutral after she heard his response. “And by important…you don’t mean you be wantin’ to tie the knot, are you?”

“I- Wait, ‘tie the knot’?” Adalricus asked, raising an eyebrow. “I am not familiar with that expression,” he then confessed.

“Seriously?” Applejack asked with a surprised expression. “I know you’re foreign’ and all but…”

Adalricus gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” the changeling prince said.

Funny enough, Applejack smiled before shaking her head slightly. “You’re quite a special pony, aren’t ya?”

This time, Adalricus frowned. Her term of ‘pony’ once again brought discomfort to his mind. However that didn’t stop him from asking, “So what does that expression mean?”

“Well it’s usually an expression meaning to propose someone into marriage,” Applejack explained.

This time, Adalricus turned red. “M-Marriage?!”

Applejack also frowned. “Oh, so you weren’t going that way after all…well nice to see that you’re taking your time!” she laughed.

Adalricus showed a displeased expression, but forgave Applejack nonetheless as he said, “Well, I just really want to speak with Fluttershy about something. It’s pretty important since I haven’t really told her or anypony in Ponyville for that matter, but I want to be honest with her because I…” Adalricus paused as he wanted to make sure that he knew what he was saying and that this wasn’t a heat of the moment type of statement. “…REALLY like her,” he finished.

Applejack was obviously pleased to hear such a statement, as Adalricus really seemed to be one of a kind. Didn’t seem to shy away from speaking his mind out of pure honesty because of the type of pony that he was. She always believed that she would never meet a pony of her equal, in terms of a specific trait shared between the two. “You mean that you love her, huh buddy~?” she whistled, teasing him.

“Eh-” Adalricus started, as her comment brought confused feelings inside of him; was he getting embarrassed? He started looking to the side as he grew increasingly embarrassed. “A-Anyway, I’ll see you later-!” he said, quickly walking past her while avoiding eye contact. His mind started to buzz, causing his nerves to react sensitively by the slightest of movements. Yes he should have simply stopped and waited until he was able to relax, but his patience was weak at this very moment.

As Applejack was left alone, she couldn’t break into into silent laughter after what had occurred in front of her. “That fella!” she giggled.

“What ‘fella’?”

“Huh?” Applejack blinked as Rainbow Dash was flying above and landed in front of her. “Oh, hey Dash.”

“You seem to be in a good mood…what ‘fella’ were you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked with a grin. “Got yourself a new coltfriend or something?” she then asked.

Rolling her eyes, Applejack shook her head. “Actually, it’s about Adalricus…”

Rainbow Dash frowned when she heard his name. “Oh…”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”


*********************************************

Mr. Cake sighed as he finally finished the party platter that was due within the next 20 minutes. A big slumber party was happening tonight and the hosts paid in advance, so that Sugarcube Corner could ahead and finish the order early. Yes it was pretty common to get such orders for a good get together for the young fillies. He smiled as he placed the two large boxes on the counter. He yawned as he realized that no coffee in the morning was making him less productive, despite the fact that his wife wanted his teeth to stay whiter. 

Maybe if I am careful, she won’t catch me, Mr. Cake considered, as he was still having a difficult time staying awake. Worst-case scenario, she would catch him and not let him have any until AFTER midnight. Smiling at the thought, he causally made his way to the near-end of the counter where he started to pour a cup. The aroma brought a sense of relief to the hard worker as he took in a big whiff of joe. He sighed in pleasure as he took in a few gulps before pausing for a few seconds, licking his lips to properly to then enjoy the taste. He leaned against the counter with his back turned, wanting to savor the moment with the idea of no other pony being around. “Oh yeah, I really needed this…”

“To what, yellow your teeth even more?”

Mr. Cake nearly jumped as he quickly turned while attempting to hide his black drink. However, his fear converted into relief before annoyance, as a grinning Raúl leaned on the counter. “Not funny…”

“It’s kinda funny,” Raúl responded as he pulled away. Smirking, he then asked, “Have you seen Pinkie Pie by any chance? I can’t seem to find her anywhere…”

Mr. Cake’s annoyance vanished as Raúl was being serious. “What, you can’t keep it in your pants for at least 20 minutes?”

Raúl’s smile vanished as he wasn’t expecting that kind of response. “Wait- You know-?” he quickly asked. He was not entirely sure how Mr. Cake felt about intimate relationships between 2 whom he rented rooms to. 

“Of course I do! Hell I am sure that everypony in Ponyville knows about your sex-crazed relationship!” Mr. Cake gave a frown as if he were disappointed at Raúl. “You’re quite well-known you know.”

“Wait, even more than you and Mrs. Cake?” Rail asked.

“Hey don’t be a smartass!” 

Raúl returned the expression as he responded with, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

Mr. Cake was confused with what Raúl said and with good reason. “What?”

“Eh I don’t know,” Raúl said, as he gave an embarrassed laugh. “Normally I could come up with more clever responses, but I am just a bit lazy today,” he confessed.

Mr. Cake rolled his eyes but felt happy knowing that the subject would change. “Well I am sorry to say but I haven’t seen Pinkie Pie at all today.” With that, he began to drink his coffee again.

The changeling sighed as he leaned his back against the counter and pondered for a bit. No Pinkie Pie meant no fun whatsoever, and by the type of fun that only Pinkie Pie could do with him. Surely he had something that he could do without her, right? 

Raúl blinked as another patron walked into the bakery, waving after acknowledging him. “Oh hello Raúl,” said Twilight. She gave a normal smile while walking towards him, giving Raúl the impression that she was in a good mood.

Smiling, Raúl returned the acknowledgement with a nod. “Buenos días Crepúsculo,” said Raúl.

“I am…sorry?”

“Oh my mistake; I meant, ‘Good morning Twilight’!” Raúl laughed slightly, as he felt some embarrassment after forgetting that Twilight did not speak the native language of his kind.

“That’s your native language?” Twilight asked curiously, as she walked up to him in apparent confusion. “I never heard of it before…and you do sound different with the use if your accent…what is it called?” she then asked. Something that Raúl failed to notice, was how Twilight did not blink a single time since the moment she walked into the bakery. Uncharacteristically, Twilight held her hands together while leaning sideways against the counter next to him.

“Oh um…” Rail hesitated after hearing Twilight’s question. If he told her the name of his language, then she would likely have a higher chance of learning his true background. Even if he tried to lean the explanation towards that he took interest in studying said language, there was always the possibility that she would not believe him. Credited by the already secret nature that he and Adalricus practiced around the ponies in Ponyville. And Twilight was sharper than most ponies that he came across, meaning that she would likely notice his abnormal behavior.

“Well?”

Raúl blinked, failing to realized that he took too long in responding to the curious Alicorn. Looking at the impatient mare, Raúl gave a smile before responding with, “You look quite lovely today!” Hopefully she would be distracted by his remark out of embarrassment.

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly as if she were surprised, to the point where she finally began to blink like a normal pony. At first it seemed that Twilight was going to blush and look away, due to her lack of experience with receiving flirts from stallions. However, her expected reaction would not occur, as Twilight simply glared at Raúl with a blush. And this time, she took one step forward as her horn glowed indicating that she meant business. One second later, Twilight and Raúl soon found themselves on top of the Surgarcube Corner’s roof. 

The wind blew gracefully across the two ponies, taking the changeling in disguise by surprise. However before he could react, Twilight began to yell at him out of frustration.

“Why do you try so hard to avoid answering my questions?! Every time I TRY to get to know you better, you act like a total ass by flirting just to distract me into forgetting the subject all together!” Twilight shouted, as her face grew redder. 

Raúl was speechless at how Twilight reacted; he honesty expected her to, at most, just become annoyed with him and give not another thought to the subject. Was it that time of the month for her?

Twilight’s wings reacted accordingly to how she expressed her frustration towards the changeling. “And you continue to give me the impression that you’re hiding something…” Twilight took a step forward, causing Raúl to take a step backwards. “…something that you seem desperate enough to act stupid in order to prevent others from learning about it!”

“Twilight- I honestly think that you’re over thinking this,” Raúl remarked in return while keeping his cool. Her behavior was not something that he was expecting, causing him to raise his guard up. Twilight's reputation was nothing to laugh at despite the fact that she was quite young as a princess. Her feats were known quite well throughout the lands that caught even a whisper.

Twilight’s hostile reaction settled down only slightly, as she kept the same serious expression while looking at him. “Am I Raúl? You arouse my concern for my friends a lot more than I was expecting...”

This time, Raúl was confused by that last comment. “Excuse me?”

Twilight’s wings slowly returned to their natural position after she took a deep breath. In the process of crossing her arms and closing her eyes, the obviously stressed Alicorn began to move around Raúl.  “Raúl…why did you come to Ponyville?”

There was silence on the roof top of Sugarcube Corner, as even the wind seemed to cease it’s usual visit across their location. Raúl’s eyes continued to follow the purple pony without shifting his position, not even as much as to tilt his head to adjust his vision was needed. It eventually got to the point where Twilight stopped right behind him and waited for a response  this time, the wind was heard. Perhaps a spell would have struck him by behind and he would have never even realized it.

“Was this question not already asked beforehand?” Raúl asked coolly, as the changeling's head tilted upwards slightly. He looked at the sky with the same expression.

“Forgive me; I seemed to have forgotten,” said the voice behind him.

Raúl gave a soft chuckle when he heard her response. “To escape it all…to…see new things and just have fun…you know, in a stress-free environment?” Raúl answered calmly.

“…I see,” was what Twilight said. She un-crossed her arms and looked at his back. “…” She then looked to the floor and added, “Your wings look nice today…” 

Dead silence had returned for only a few more seconds. 

“Thank you,” Rail said before his eyes closed. "But not as nice as the day itself..."

“…Where is your horn?”

***********************************************


Adalricus took a deep breath as he found himself crossing the small bridge that would bring him to Fluttershy’s cottage. He held the flowers in both arms tightly as his heart raced faster and faster. The atmosphere at her cottage made Adalricus feel as if he were back home. And by “back home”, it was the comfortable feeling he had when he was in his room. Surrounded by the aroma of flowers, Adalricus ran his hand through his mane slowly. As he came closer and closer to her doorway, he paused and looked at the gift he held in his hands.

“Perhaps flowers are a bit over done…” Adalricus frowned at the bouquet he brought specifically for Fluttershy’s taste. “Eh to hell with it; it’s the thought that counts,” Adalricus decided aloud as he began to knock on her doorway. …Right?

As Adalricus waited for Fluttershy to come to the door, his concern over how he would tell her the truth returned to his thoughts. He would likely need patience until the proper opportunity came to him. While it wasn’t good to be this worried, Adalricus wanted to make sure that this was done right with no mistakes that could cost his relationship with her. The prince also wondered if he needed to reveal his true appearance to Fluttershy, which was something that he hoped to avoid for the time being.

Would she find me intimidating? Adalricus wondered with concern, as he slowly started to knock on her door again. Yes it was pretty obvious that if he was going to tell her the truth, she WOULD possibly need some form of evidence to believe him. And of course, how she decided to react was not 100% clear in his mind.

“…Fluttershy?” 

Raúl soon realized that he had been standing there for at least 2 minutes. It wasn’t like Fluttershy to take this long, nor would he think that she would forget about his expected visit. He waited for another minute before calling out her name repeatedly. Was she out? Perhaps she had something urgent to do?

Adalricus looked behind him, hoping that he would see Fluttershy arriving to catch him before he left. However she wasn’t there, thus tempting him to leave and come back a little later. Of course he could stay and simply wait, but there was always the off chance that he could meet with her in town.

“I suppose I am going to have to wait and come back later,” Adalricus sighed, as he took one last glance at the door. However, just as he shifted his body to fly back to Ponyville this time, he noticed something off about the door. His curiosity led him to gently push his hand forward, revealing that the door was partially opened.

“Fluttershy? Your door was opened!” he called out, as he expected her to actually be home if her door was in this state. “Fluttershy?” he called out again, as he opened the doorway fully and stepped forward. “Why would she leave the door-”

“Hello Adalricus.”

Adalricus froze as he realized that somepony was sitting where Fluttershy would normally sit, if they were drinking tea together. Ironically, she was drinking tea while speaking to him.

Adalricus looked at her in confusion as he took another step forward. “Who are you?”

As the stranger took yet another sip of her raspberry-lemon favored tea, she closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them and answering, “I am Princess Celestia.” 

> The matter at hand~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adalricus stood there without giving so much as a reaction after Princess Celestia announced who she was. His stature did not change, as he looked directly towards Celestia without blinking, as if he did not dare risk losing slight of her for even a moment. No obvious signs of hostility was shared between to the two of them, as Celestia simply paused from drinking more of her still-warm tea. Whereas Adalricus did not tighten the grip on the bouquet he held. However the door did seemingly decide close on its own, as he felt a light chill from the wind that emerged from the direction of Princess Celestia. Funny enough, it caused only a soft sound as if somepony was holding it gently. Such precise magic from Princess Celestia was to be expected, as she drank from her cup with legs crossed and without a care in the world. She seemed to be wearing a white robe that covered most of her body with the exception of her head and hands. It shaped her body in a respective sense where her goddess figure was hard not to admire.

“Please join me Adalricus,” Princess Celestia said, taking another sip. However as she swallowed, she blinked in surprised, not realizing that he had already joined her. To the point where he held his hands together and leaned towards her while sitting down from across. His eyes met hers without a single blink.

As she sighed softly to enjoy the moment, she gestured at the tray before him. “Please, I hear that you enjoy tea,” she said, referring to the selection of options that was available to him. 

However Adalricus did not move an inch despite the recommendation she gave. “I am afraid that I don’t feel comfortable drinking tea that belongs to Fluttershy without her permission,” he explained.

A small smiled formed from Princess Celestia’s lips. “You are as polite as I have heard from Twilight,” she commented before taking another sip. “Rest assure however, she has given her permission for us to use her tea and sweets. I give you my word,” Princess Celestia explained, before giving a slight nod.

“And where is Fluttershy?”

Princess Celestia stopped drinking as she heard his question. “…” Sighing once again, she slowly placed her tea down. “She is in a safe location.”

This time, Adalricus’ expression changed, and not in the way that any intelligent living thing would like to see. 

“Does this anger you knowing this?” Celestia pointed out, taking note of his reaction.

“The way you used that word…”

“I am sorry? What word are you referring to?”

“The way how you used safe,” Adalricus explained honestly. “Normally, one would use that word in such a way if said one was in danger,” Adalricus explained, keeping the same stature. “So please tell me, Princess Celestia…” Adalricus leaned only another inch forward. “…is Fluttershy in any danger that I should know about?”

Neither had moved an inch since Adalricus asked the all-important question some time ago. With the tea’s aroma generating the only active visible sense of movement, it was a wonder to what would happen the moment it cooled down. Either one’s head would be cleaned right off of one’s body and land next to the tray of sweet delights, or nothing would change where the aroma vanishing had no effect whatsoever. The latter naturally occurred.

Princess Celestia smiled as she found what he said to be amusing. “My word, I do believe that this is the first time that I’ve ever seen a changeling show such concern for a pony. Never did I expected from the Prince of all Changelings…” She even went as far as to giggle before adding, “That’s quite something really.”

“!” While Adalricus did not budge, his eyes widened to some degree, lightening his expression. He looked to the side, as if he was unsure on how he should react to what she said. It looked as if he was having a conversation with his mother and she was giving him a disappointed lecture on finding something inappropriate in his room. “…” He continued looking to the side, as his expression mirrored to how he looked before she commented on his race and status.

“I take it that you’re in shock right this moment?” Princess Celestia asked in a kind tone. At the same time, she began to refill her cup.

“Cat’s out of the bag I suppose…” Adalricus only moved his eyes this time, looking directly at Princess Celestia. “Although I was expecting for only Fluttershy to learn today and no other pony…yet,” he explained.

Princess Celestia hand slowly moved gracefully over her mouth, trying to cover her surprise. “So you were planning to tell her,” Princess Celestia confirmed.

Adalricus gave the slightest of nods that was accompanied by the softest of smiles. 

Princess Celestia closed her eyes with a typical smile, as if she openly approved his response. “And you trust her?” Princess Celestia asked, as she opened her eyes. And much to her surprise, Adalricus was pulling out his tea bag out of his cup. It looked as if he had it in a cup filled with hot water for quite some time, but Celestia knew that something like that would be impossible to occur without her first noticing it. When he did already begin to serve himself? How does he- There’s more to him than I thought… Celestia thought, as she watched him add brown sugar cubes into his drink before squeezing a lemon. He was calm, and he seemed to be taking everything a lot better than she would have naturally expected. Regardless, she continued on with, “Do you not fear the possibility of her revealing your secret to the wrong ears?”

Adalricus stopped stirring his tea. “…” He looked into the hot orange liquid that produced such an appealing aroma, as if he was deep in thought. “I never need to when it’s her,” he finally said.

Adalricus then leaned backwards against the couch while he held his tea cup with both hands. “Even more than my own mother do I feel safe from the things that I worry about…”

Celestia watched as Adalricus stared into his tea for nearly a minute, waiting patiently for more words from him as she drank her tea. A small sigh escaped her lips as she did not move her eyes away from him. When an appropriate amount of time had passed, she decided to break the silence. “I don’t think your mother would appreciate hearing that from her own child. I know that I would feel the same if I had children of my own,” she said with a soft giggle.

Adalricus looked at her with a confused expression. It was so blatant that Celestia also became confused. “Is something troubling you?”

“You…don’t have any children?” was what he asked.

“Ha-?” Princess Celestia mouth was appropriately held open as her eyes widened a bit; she did not expect that question from him.

*************************************

The changeling eyed Twilight endlessly for the last few minutes. A simple body shift was all that he needed, as Twilight didn’t move a single inch after asking her question. Funny enough, Raúl not responding at all aside from changing his body position seemingly stressed the purple Alicorn. Her expression seemed to worsen, as she was becoming angrier within the passing seconds. Her body shook gently, her hands converted into fists, and her wings slowly started to rise. Her teeth gritted as she seemingly had difficulty maintaining her patience.

“You’re not even going to deny it?!” she yelled with anger.

Given that Twilight broke the silence and was seemingly hostile towards Raúl, he knew that he needed to somehow keep things at peace. Even if it would be only temporary, an angry Alicorn was a dangerous threat. “I am sorry Twilight; from what it sounds like you acting as if I am NOT a Pegasus…”

As expected, Twilight growled for only a second before responding with, “You’re not even a Pony!”

“!...” Raúl’s eyes widened slightly. Luckily for him it was hardly noticeable and did not allow Twilight to confirm her assumption. How could she-?! 

Twilight continued to glare at Raúl with such distaste. “Ever since I first met you, I knew that there was something off about you!” Twilight immediately pointed at him. “The way how you avoided speaking about your vague background seemed innocent enough at first. Yet I started hearing some strange rumors around Ponyville.

Twilight lowered her arm and her expression lightened slightly, giving the impression that she was calmer. She closed her eyes for a few moments before looking towards the ground, taking her time with what she wanted to say. “I heard news of Alicorns being spotted in other Pony communities that just happened to be near Ponyville. Right before I learned that another sighting was here in Ponyville as well.”

Listening to her words, Raúl wondered where Adalricus was at this very moment. If she did truly figure out who they were, then Adalricus was in danger. Regardless, Twilight needed to be handled first. “Forgive me for interrupting Twilight, but are you implying that I am an Alicorn like you...?” he asked coolly, pretending as if he was the confused victim.

Twilight was from impressed with what he said. “Don’t take me for a fool Raúl; I know that you and Adalricus are changelings!”

This time, Raúl did not attempt to hide his honest feelings as he shifted his position and looked directly into her eyes. A small sweat rolled down his cheek, as he knew that this was far from well of a situation that he was in. However, that did not prevent him from asking, “Did you just call me a changeling? Are you seriously calling me one?”

“I AM Raúl!” Twilight clarified with a thunderous tone. The roof slightly shook, as the sun was starting to be blocked off from thick grayish clouds that seemingly came out of nowhere. Of course, any pony- or changeling- with a brain knew that Twilight’s great power was causing this. Hell the fact that her horn wasn’t glowing brought a bit of fear into Raúl; there could possibly be no clear indication of whenever she attempted to use magic.

“Well I guess that makes you a crazy princess!!” Raúl yelled, as he tried to protect himself from the ever increasing wind force that rushed him. “Just what are you basing this all on anyway?!” he yelled.

Twilight slowly started to walk up to Raúl as the weather became increasingly hostile. Funny enough, Twilight appeared calmer despite the effects of her magic with their surroundings. As she moved closer, Raúl was seemingly lowering his guard; his expression also lightened and his arms were lowering down. Twilight gave no reaction as she finally stood in front of him, looking upwards due to the obvious height difference between them. The gusts of wind continued to pick up while the clouds continued to darken, making the tension between the two of them increase to a dangerous level.

Without warning, Twilight smacked Raúl as hard as she physically could. The force was so strong that the effects from Twilight’s magic disappeared almost immediately, returning their surroundings back to normal. Surprisingly, Raúl was able to withstand the impact to where he did not bulge at all. However, a red hand imprint remained representing the assault she brought upon him. 

“Ow,” said Raúl honestly.

Twilight slowly stood straight again after hearing his response. “You just continue to lie…you continue to play stupid…you continue to pretend that you have no idea what I am talking about…” Twilight may have appeared more relax, but she was far from forgiving. “Tch, you can’t even respect my intelligence; you honestly believe that I don’t know that you and Adalricus are changelings?”

Raúl’s eyes sneered lightly when she asked him that question. “Well you still haven’t answered my question: how did you come to the conclusion that I and my friend are changelings? What do these ‘Alicorns’ sightings have to do with me and Adalricus?” Raúl asked. Damn it I knew that we were careless but I didn’t expect this…why was I so careless?!

Raúl watched as Twilight closed her eyes and turned her body slightly. “I…mentioned your name to Princess Celestia in one of my letters…yours and Adalricus…” This time, she looked at him with a sad expression. “...Queen Chrysalis’ child.”

SHIT-!!!  screamed Raúl’s thoughts.

“It wasn’t hard for her to connect the dots…your secretive nature about your background, the rumors surrounding Alicorn sightings, and Scootaloo’s ‘absurd’ claims about the two of you…” Twilight paused for a moment as she wanted him to take it all in. “You didn’t even bother to change your names?” Twilight asked, actually confused with that fact.

“I-”Raúl started but paused as she held a good point. “Oh wow that was stupid,” he then admitted before looking down before scratching his chin. You idiot... this is just like that time in Stalombia where I was recognized. Only there’s no bodies to bury, Raúl thought, as he closed his eyes.

Twilight’s eyes widened when Raúl said that. “So you do admit it-”

“I am afraid that I can’t deny it anymore,” he explained, lifting his chin up and opening his eyes again. “I admit it: we are indeed changelings,” Raúl said, despite not wanting to. Unfortunately, he knew that Twilight becoming unstable emotionally was too much of a risk to take. How egoistic she was overall was uncertain to him and denying it repeatedly was only going to worsen his situation.

While Twilight was pleased with how she managed to get him to admit his horrible lie, it did not make things any simpler for her. Raúl just admitted that both he and Adalricus were changelings, a race that held an extreme hostile history with her kind. What was their plan however, was still unclear to her. “Why did you come to Ponyville Raul? What was the goal that Queen Chrysalis had with the two of you coming to Ponyville to spy on me and my friends? Despite the risk that it would put her own child in?”

Twilight looked at the changeling with disgust, as it was difficult to believe that this could have occurred without her knowledge. “Her own child! How could any mother-”

“I think that you’ve misunderstood the reason for our presence in this community Twilight Sparkle,” Raúl interrupted. He held up a hand before adding, “We’re not here under any orders,” he then explained with a calm expression.

Twilight paused for a few seconds, trying to make sense of what he said. “What do you mean?” she asked, crossing her arms while raising an eye brow.


***************

“It’s fine really…”

“I hope so; I didn’t mean to offend you…”

“Well luckily for me, I still have quite some time if I ever decide to have children one day.” Celestia insisted.

Adalricus decided to take her word for it before taking another sip of tea. He was already enjoying his second cup whereas Celestia was still on her first. Sighing as he placed his drink down, he asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you learn of my true identity?”

Celestia smiled. “I have my resources young Adalricus, that and your decision not to use an alias despite the desire to hide your identity,” she explained kindly.

Adalricus thought about what she said for a few seconds. “In all honesty, I always assumed that I was unknown to the rest of the world,” said Adalricus. 

That response seemed to surprise Princess Celestia. “Have you not traveled outside of your castle before? Prior to your relocation to Ponyville?” she asked.

“I have not,” Adalricus confirmed. “As you could imagine, my mother is very overprotective; I only traveled so far to the territorial land limits of my kingdom. Aside from that, I only met a few guests with very little contact,” he explained. “All I could learn about other cultures was by either reading or hearing about them. And by this point, I am still learning only so much.”

As Celestia continued to watch Adalricus, she slowly converted her smile into a frown. Luna was right: he is extremely culture sensitive to many things… Chrysalis must have pampered him to an extreme degree that he was desperate enough to run away… Celestia straighten herself before uncrossing her legs. …and expose himself to his mother’s enemies, she added. Celestia was honestly surprised pleasantly when Lunas was able to understand his character from his dreams. Only 2 weeks from her resources and she was able to figure out everything about him and Raúl.

“Tell me Adalricus, what do you intend to do?”

Adalricus paused his sipping. “What do you mean?”

“What do you intend to do now?” she clarified.

Without hesitation, he answered, “As I originally intended: tell Fluttershy everything. She deserves that much…” Adalricus looked at his tea, making eye contact with his reflection. “…I do hope that you didn’t tell her already.

Celestia said nothing. “…”

“…” Adalricus looked up and eyed the ruler of this country.

“…” Celestia closed her eyes. “Twilight told her before you left to see her.”

“!” Adalricus expression did not change for a few seconds, as he did well with controlling his feelings. Eventually his eyes widened slightly as he seemed disgusted with what Twilight Sparkle did. “She…she should have heard it from me,” he managed to say.

Princess Celestia simply kept the same expression as he said those words.

“She…” Adalricus tighter his fingers on the cups handle. “…she…” He then shut his eyes. “…she should have heard it from me,” he repeated, opening his eyes and revealing his slit pupils. Celestia was unfazed.

“Does it not seem right that Twilight was only trying to do the right thing?” she calmly asked.

Adalricus however seemed to disagree. “This was a personal matter between the two of us; she should have respected my wishes to have done it myself.” He placed his cup down gently. “Given that it seems that if you knew about my intentions, then she must have known as well!” A hostile glare emerged from Adalricus as if this was Celestia’s fault and he was rightfully blaming her for this. And yet, his hostile feelings disappeared as he looked down and added. “But perhaps she was only caring for Fluttershy; friendship is a powerful thing…correct?” This time, he looked back up where his pupils returned to pony standards and a somewhat sad expression followed. 

As expected, Celestia continued to show the same calm expression as if she was unfazed. “Tell me Adalricus: before you came to Ponyville did you have any friends?” Princess Celestia wanted a clear indication if he legitimately understood what friendship was. 

Adalricus smirked as he wasn’t afraid of being honest with her. “Only Raúl. Unfortunately he’s an asshole.”

********************

“You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth Twilight Sparkle. After all, we have nothing to hide by this point.” Raúl explained as he looked out in the distance. “I honestly wanted to leave once I saw how close Adalricus was becoming with Fluttershy. However, I soon grew the same fondness that he had with living here,” he explained.

“Fondness?” Twilight repeated.

Raúl sighed as he scratched his chin. “It’s honestly quite funny Twilight. I have much more experience with ponies than Adalricus ever did, yet he was able to show me just how pleasant you ponies can be.” Raúl confessed honestly. “When beforehand, I held quite a dislike towards them,” he added.

Twilight was not expecting such a confession from Raúl. “And yet your vast experience with ponies tells me that you were ‘forced’ to be around my kind? Were you never given a choice?” she assumed. Twilight honestly thought that Raúl held an interesting personality based on what she knew about him from this point. How Adalricus was able to deal with him after all this time however, was still a mystery to her. He acts no differently than he does before I called him out…is Adalricus the same? He’s so polite while Raúl is…

“Oh no Twilight, I actually volunteered for such missions for my Queen,” Raúl told her. “Purpose being that I relish the idea of seeing other places outside my home. After all, seeing new places is nicer than reading about them.” he then explained with a smirk. “Have you not felt the same whenever you do tasks for your ruler?”

“I-” Twilight started. Raúl did have a good point as she humbly nodded in agreement. “I suppose you’re right. Yet seeing new places wasn’t always on the first thing on my mind as much as carrying out my missions.” Twilight paused as she looked out in the distance. “But that still doesn’t change things.” Twilight turned her head and made a direct stare towards Raul who didn’t flinched.

********

“…And yet he still gives you helpful advice? Sounds to me like he’s quite a unique changeling, Prince Adalricus,” Celestia said as she placed her cup down and placed her hands on her lap.

“He is,” Adalricus agreed, as he was almost done with his current tea. The last 15 minutes was quite nice for Adalricus, but he didn’t forget one thing: it would be a lot nicer if Fluttershy was here instead of Celestia. “…” He kept his eyes on Celestia, waiting for her to get down to the main topic at hand. “Celestia?”

Showing a smile, she responded with, “Yes?”

“Could you perhaps explain to me why you’re here in Ponyville?”

Silence returned to Fluttershy’s Cottage after Adalricus asked his question aloud. Neither of them changed their expressions, giving the impression that time had frozen entirely. Celestia eventually lighten her smile as Adalricus was keen towards receiving a response from her. However the most important question was if this conversation was going to end peacefully or not.

Celestia showed no other change in her expression as he seemingly seemed patient enough to give her time to think of a proper way to respond. Luckily for either of them, she didn’t need long. “I am here because of your presence in Ponyville.”

Adalricus wasn’t surprised that this encounter was not pure coincidence. “I figured as much,” he said calmly. “So what can I do for you…Princess Celestia?”

While his tone was not disrespectful in anyway as well as sounding innocent enough, Celestia knew better on how he was feeling. And while she was not one to be so straight forward to one such as him, enough pleasantness ha occur already between them. “To be 100% honest, I want you and Raúl to leave Ponyville and never return in such matters again,” she said in the same tone.

“Do you now?” he asked, uncharacteristically leaning against the couch as he placed his tea down. He also crossed his arms as if he were amused by her words despite his expression being the opposite.

“I do,” Celestia confirmed. “With your presence inside my kingdom, you pose a security risk to my subjects who live within Ponyville. Regardless if you’re one who intended to assassinate my student or simply live a quiet innocent life, it could cause chaos and disorder. Your mother could assume that we kidnapped you as an act of war. Or word of your presence here could attract other enemies of your people, causing issues that I cannot fully control should third-party conflict occur. Regardless if you were able to live peacefully without attracting any sort of attention…” This time, she leaned forward but only slightly. “…I cannot afford to take that risk.”

Adalricus and Celestia looked eye to eye as she finished her explanation. As expected, nothing changed between their body languages. Neither seemed to be bothered by the words that were spoken only a few seconds ago. Safe to say that both guests could control their emotions as Princess Celestia then asked, “Do you understand…Adalricus?”

Adalricus simply kept the same stare as he answered, “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t see how me ‘understanding’ would make a difference; as long as a ‘right’ answer is said, correct?”

Princess Celestia’s expression softened only slightly, taking his remarks as the answer that was acceptable to her. “I am glad to hear that you’re going to make through correct decision Adalricus,” the Alicorn said before she finally finished her tea with a gentle sigh. She was quite relieved to be perfectly honest.

“I couldn’t agree more Princess Celestia,” he remarked in return, as he then adjusted his position and reached for his tea to finish it as well.

Nodding in approval, Celestia was pleased that Adalricus would respect her authority and understand how important this was. She deeply desired this option, as she did not favor the idea of taking hostile actions towards one who had done nothing wrong aside from being born the way fate decided. And as if it wasn’t obvious enough, she had grown to admire Adalricus based on their interaction and his reputation. He was clearly a sign that there was indeed hope for a better relationship between their species. Perhaps one day, this would no longer become an issue for his presence to be in her lands and he could return as a guest.

“I am thankful for your decision Adalricus; I can only imagine just how difficult this can be for you-”

“And why would it?” Adalricus interrupted.

Both guests blinked in confusion, clearly misunderstanding what the other was thinking. 

“Because of how much you’ve bonded with my subjects young one. Especially with Fluttershy who I know you would miss dearly-”

Adalricus actually started to laugh when she said that before understanding the issue at hand. Obviously Princess Celestia was far from amused as his laughter was in bad taste by her point of view.

“You find what I just said humorous? About the bond you supposedly had with my subjects?” she asked sternly.

Adalricus shook his head as he released his tea cup for a moment. “What I find funny is that you thought that I was going to actually leave Ponyville,” he explained with a smile. “I am NOT going to leave unless it’s on my own terms. And I would never leave just like that without settling my affairs in this community. I rather stay because of how happy I’ve become spending time with your subjects.”

Princess Celestia was beyond dumbfounded by what she just heard from the Changeling in front of her. “Did you just…disobey me?” she asked in surprise.

“With all due respect, I am not one of your subjects,” Adalricus reminded her coolly. “I am sorry Celestia, but Fluttershy means too much to me. And it’s not just her as I truly admire the other residents of Ponyville. I’ve become quite fond of them because of the type of ponies that they are.” This time, he chuckled happily before finishing with, “I couldn’t ask for a kinder set of wonderful beings…”

Celestia took note of how much happiness Adalricus showed when he said those words. She watched as he looked into his tea smiling, as if he were looking into the faces of those who treated him kindly as if one of their own. “…” She then showed a disappointed expression before answering, “I am sorry Adalricus, but things cannot be the way that we both wish it to be.”

Adalricus looked at her with a neutral expression. “And why is that?”

“Because not all of our respective species is ready for this…yet. I do truly believe that peace can exist between our two species but only under proper conditions. This…isn’t the way,” Princess Celestia explained as she did not give the slightest of hostility against him. “Your mother would be worried about you as well, and me sending you back home safety could bring a better relationship between us. Your status as prince of your people only carries so much weight in the way that both of us desire. Could you guarantee that your mother wouldn’t take aggressive actions should she learned of your presence in my kingdom? Even if she or any of her enemies never learned of your location, imagine if the residents learned about you.”

While Adalricus wanted to interrupted, he held more manners than what most ponies would give him credit for. After she was finally done, he answered, “I imagine that it would work out in the end.”

That did not please Princess Celestia at all as she said, “How so? Most ponies do find your kind intimidating and unfortunately, ‘disgusting’…”

“Funny, I could say the same for prejudice and discrimination,” Adalricus pointed out. His thoughts did go back to the reaction on Mrs. Cake’s face when he asked her a certain question.

Princess Celestia showcased a sadden expression. She could tell that Adalricus learned about the opinions of some ponies during his stay. “I do agree with you Adalricus…but that is the way how things are. If they weren’t, it would things so much easier. I am very sorry but you must leave my country. Will you open your eyes and understand that my way is how things must be done? Will you yield and obey the desire of one who rules this land before things become extremely troublesome?”

Adalricus looked at Princess Celestia with the same expression, giving her the idea that he needed time to take in everything she just said. After an appropriate amount of time had passed, he gave one meaningful answer. “I understand your concern for the well-being of those who serve under you. You seem like a reasonable honest individual who truly holds kindness that every leader in this world should be. However…”

Adalricus held his team cup close to his lips as if he was going to take a sip out of his drink. “…I should apologize for not making things clearer for you to understand: whether you think I am using this logic as ‘unreasonable diplomatic immunity’ or ‘status intimidation’, it matters little.” Adalricus leaned forward slightly before lowering his team cup.

Wanting more clarification on his supposed “logic”, Princess Celestia asked, “And what logic is that…Prince Adalricus?”

Adalricus closed his eyes as he pulled the cup closer to his lips once again. “I am the 23rd heir to the throne of the Changeling Kingdom itself. My land rivals the kingdom of many such as yours…I’ve studied things that many would kill to learn. Many fear my name despite the kindness that I’ve shown them because I am my mother’s offspring as I've come to understand. I am one who is destined for great things. And just so things are 100% perfectly clear…” Adalricus then opened his eyes and drank the last of his tea without giving so much as a sigh. “…I bow to NO Pony.” Placing the tea cup down, his pupils converted into the familiar slit that his kind held in trait. The same trait that many ponies feared in their nightmares.

Princess Celestia wished that she did not hear those words from him. Neither seemed to budge at even the slightest of moments. A few moments later, her eyes turned into a bright light where all hell broke loose. Fluttershy’s cottage was filled with thick white smoke after the sound of an explosion occurred. The windows shattered and Fluttershy’s door broke into pieces before Adalricus flew through it and flew straight above her home.

The Changeling Prince kept himself afloat from a respectable distance, as the green flames disappeared from his left arm. He gave little attention to the fact that a trail of blood originated from a wound on his brow. Luckily for him the blood was trailing towards the corner of his eye, and not preventing him from keeping his attention on Fluttershy’s home. After a few moments, he seemed satisfied enough to raise his altitude before spinning around and launching himself towards Ponyville.

Fluttershy…

Eventually Princess Celestia cleared the smoke that filled her surroundings with little effort. The impact of both their spells caused only a small force of air pressure which caused Fluttershy’s tea set to shatter. The smoke seemed to be a side effect from Adalricus’ counter spell thus granting him the opportunity to escape. Princess Celestia looked forward in displeasure as she took him lightly, assuming that a simple restriction spell would have worked.

“…”

> Bite me!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raúl groaned while crossing his arms as Twilight would not stop lecturing him on how wrong he and Adalricus were for the things that they did. It was mostly on the fact that they lied about their true identities and how everypony that they interacted with had trusted them. While not particularly hostile, Twilight’s words did irritate him no less. More and more did she explain how dishonest and ashamed they should be for not telling them the truth beforehand. It was as if she wanted to rant on him just to feel good about herself after hearing criticism from others. You know, like a bitch!

“By the gods would you just stop already?” Raúl growled. “You’ve been repeating the same shit for the last 10 minutes!” 

Twilight stopped as he said that, as Raúl’s growling was something that she did not like to hear. “Did you just growl at me??” she asked with great dislike.

“Yeah, I DID!” Raúl admitted with yet another growl. “You talk so much shit out of your mouth, that it’s legitimately pissing me off!” he complained. “I swear, you’re infamous in my country for defeating us, but this is completely different than what I was expecting!”

“And just exactly were you expecting?!” Twilight growled, placing her hands on her hips out of frustration. She almost forgot just how rude he could be!

“A Princess who doesn’t act like a bitch!”

Twilight's jaw dropped as he wouldn't stop taking her by surprise. “WELL I’VE NEVER-”

“-BEEN SPOKEN TO HONESTLY?” Raúl interrupted, also yelling as loud as possible. “Face it: you’re terrible when it comes to foreign relations! All you’ve managed to do in the last 10 minutes is irritate me instead of making me feel guilty! You’re more than likely to succeed as a jester rather than a ruler because of how much of a joke you are!”

Twilight’s eyes widened as Raúl finished with his insults. She was speechless as she never had anypony- or anyone for that matter- speak to her like this. She felt so angry, so hurt, so…disrespected, because of what this Changeling just said! She was simply shocked as her mouth hanged opened. “I…I…I…”

It took Twilight a few more seconds before her mind was able to properly function again. “How could you say such terrible things? You just said those hurtful offensive things about me without even hesitation! You…you’re just heartless!” she managed to say. From a glance it appeared as if she was about to cry, but didn’t.

Raúl gave very little care to her words as he smirked. “Hmpf, you’ve been pampered haven’t you? I’ve seen many bucked up things in this world your highness. Things that still bring me uncomfortable memories to this day. Things that can traumatize even the coldest of species that your kind would consider as such. I am NOT one who is afraid to be brutally honest about my personal opinions over anything.” Raúl’s eyes converted into the familiar slit pupils that Changelings could have. “Especially when it comes to you,” he added coldly.

Twilight was able to take in everything he said with no trouble at all. However, Twilight’s curiosity was getting the better of her. “You’re different from Adalricus,” she said.

“No shit,” Raúl answered appropriately.

“What I mean is…” Twilight began to elaborate this time. “…Adalricus does know of the history between our two races, correct? How is it that he holds a kind-hearted nature towards us…” Twilight slowly walked closer to him. “…whereas you hate us that much?” 

Raúl blinked. “I don’t understand your question…”

“He would obviously have a reason to hate Ponies; he’s his mother’s child! She has an extremely hostile relationship with my kind! And yet he clearly doesn’t share the same feelings!” Twilight pointed out. Even Twilight was able to connect the dots that Adalricus did not lie in the type of Changeling that he was. Even if he wasn’t honest about his true identity. “What have we done to you that you would feel this much hate?” Twilight showed a frown, as if she felt sorry for him. To think that Adalricus was the opposite of his mother even though so much was done to his kind in retaliation. Did something horrible happen to Raúl that was because of Ponies?

While Raúl did relax after hearing her words, it did not convert his eyes into something more appealing. “…” He looked at her without even growling despite the fact that he wanted to. Finally, “It’s none of your business…”

“I-” Twilight started. “And just WHERE do you think you’re going?” she asked, surprised that he turned away and began walking towards the opposite direction.

“Well considering that you know the truth now, I think that it’s in the best interest that I warn Adalricus.” He stopped and turned his head. “After all, it’s not exactly safe now that the cat’s out of the bag now is it?” he asked coolly.

Twilight gave a serious look as he made that claim without a single thought. “Raul, things can end peacefully without any harm done to anypony…or changeling.” she explained. “Don’t make this situation become more complicated than it needs to be!”

Raúl stared at Twilight as she said those words. “What, you expect me to believe that no harm will come to me nor Adalricus?”

“I swear that despite this dramatic reveal of your true identities, I don’t want to see neither of you hurt! Please believe me!” Twilight shouted, as she showed such displeasure in her expression. Almost as if she truly cared for their well-being…which didn’t convince Raúl at all.

“And why should I?” Raúl called her out, convinced that she wasn’t trustworthy. “The way how you’ve been acting from the last 20 minutes makes me question your true feelings towards me and Adalricus!”

While Adalricus did bring up a good point, Twilight knew exactly what to say. “Raúl, regardless of how OUR relationship is…” Twilight gestured at the two of them with a finger. “…doesn’t change the fact how every other pony feels.”

Raúl’s expression lightened entirely, as he was not expecting her to say such words. “So every other pony knows-”

“Not everypony Raúl,” Twilight interrupted. “I knew that if word of your true identity was out in the open, it could cause some problems…”

For some reason Raúl felt thankful knowing that as it did make sense; why else would she have brought him to the roof of this bakery? To avoid a scene that could have been troublesome for both of them. However, that did remind him of one particular issue. “Could Fluttershy keep her mouth sealed?”

Twilight’s eyebrow raised. “Excuse me?”

“Adalricus went to tell Fluttershy the truth,” Raúl told her.

“What?”

Raúl chuckled. “Eeyup, Adalricus had to make quite the difficult decision to tell Fluttershy the truth. He couldn’t hold it in-”

“But I thought that he was only visiting her for- Oh no!” Twilight said horrified, as this changed everything that she had expected. Adalricus was already going to tell Fluttershy the truth? Did she ruined something that could have been better than what happening now?

“What’s with you?”

Twilight blinked as Raúl raised an eyebrow towards her. Coming back into reality, she said, “Had I known what his intentions were, I wouldn’t have not left Adalricus to meet instead-”

“And just what do you mean by that?” Raúl interrupted this time, not liking the look on Twilight’s face as if something was wrong. However, he was able to eventually figure out the issue as he then said, “Wait, you didn’t already…”

Twilight was filled with guilt as she managed to say, “I…told her before Adalricus had a chance today…”

Raúl’s eyes widened to the point where his eyes reverted from slit pupils to rounded. “No…no…NO!” Raúl managed to say, as he looked at the ground with a clenched fist. “He wanted to-”

“I only told Fluttershy because I wasn’t sure what your intentions were!” Twilight explained quickly, trying to justify her actions and rightfully so. “Fluttershy is very important to me as one of my closest friends!” she then cried.

While Raúl wanted to voice his anger, now was not the time. “Understandable I suppose. Regardless, he needs me now.” Raúl turned away, only for Twilight to attempt to stop him as she moved quickly towards him.

“Raúl I-”

Raúl brushed her words aside as he dropped down from the roof top and landed in front of the bakery’s entrance. “…” Somepony was waiting for him.

“Adalricus I presume?”

“It’s Raúl actually,” Raúl corrected him. “And you are…?”

“Shining Armor,” he said, giving a respective bow before standing up straight again. “I take it that you’ve spoken to my sister?” he asked. “I didn’t expect to meet you…”

Raúl immediately recognized who exactly this pony was as many stories were heard within his kingdom. And not just between what had happened between him and Queen Chrysalis as he held a powerful reputation throughout foreign lands. “Sister?” Raúl asked, before Twilight dropped down and landed next to her brother. She looked at Shining Armor with a raised eyebrow, as if she was confused with what he said. “Wait, you’re her brother?” he asked surprised.

“I am,” Shining Armor confirmed.

“Then why do you both hold different surnames?”

“What?”

“You’re ‘Armor’ but hers is ‘Sparkle’; why don’t you share the same last names?” Raúl asked in confusion.

“Oh um…” Shining Armor started, not sure on how he could explain it. “Well you see, we ponies-”

“Um Shining, I don’t think it’s important right now,” Twilight pointed out, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the current situation.

Shining blushed as she had a point. “Right…ahem.” Shining Armor faced Raúl with proper military bearing as he said, “Given that you’ve spoken to my sister, what is your answer?”

Raúl blinked repeatedly. “My answer to what?”

Shining Armor returned the gesture as he then asked, “Twilight, you DID tell him right?”

“Well…” Twilight smiled nervously as the both of them were waiting for her response. “I didn’t really get a chance to tell him…”

Now Raúl was even more confused. “Tell me what?”

Shining Armor abandoned his military bearing as he was completely dumbfounded. “WHAT? What were you two talking about for the last half hour on the roof?!”

“Tell me WHAT?” Raúl repeated.

“I was about to-”

“TELL ME NOW!” Raúl interrupted loudly, wanting to get their attention as he had little patience.

Both ponies looked at him as they realized that he was getting inpatient. With that Shining Armor regained his military bearing and said, “Her highness has demanded that you and Adalricus LEAVE Ponyville, as well as our country, immediately. Given the situation, she has offered to have the two of you both safety and comfortability escorted back to your homeland. All in the purpose to lessen hostilities between our two kingdoms and as a sign of goodwill…”

Now Raúl was the dumbfounded one. “¿Qué?”

Now it was Twilight’s turn as she stepped forward. “Princess Celestia wants to take the 2 of you back to your homeland. She has provided a royal escort to assure your safety for the sake of improving our foreign relations with Queen Chrysalis,” Twilight explained. “And Shining  Armor was selected to lead your escort.”

Raúl looked at them with even more confusion, looking at one of them at a time. What is this? Celestia is going this far to get us out of this land? She must really fear the possibility of war if she’s being this direct… I suppose because Adalricus is Chrysalis’ heir? Should have known, Raúl thought in his mind. However, “And her reason for doing this is…?”

Both ponies did not change their expressions.

“Her offering me and Adalricus to return to our country on such generous conditions is quite odd to me. I mean, this is Chrysalis’ child…her child. A lot of weight could go in Celestia’s favor with having Adalricus as her prisoner,” Raúl pointed out. “Why is it that you’re offering to let us leave just like THAT?”

Shining Armor continue to maintain the same bearing, despite Twilight losing her own and looking at him. He didn’t need to turn to her to know what was on her mind. “Raúl, had you and Adalricus been normal Changelings, you both would have likely been held prisoners and likely executed.”

“Without a doubt?” asked Raúl.

“Without a doubt,” Shining Armor confirmed. 

“At a boy,” commented Raúl with a smirk.

“As you mentioned before, yes, Adalricus being within our grasp does hold a significant amount of weight if used in the right direction. That being said, we favor more of the direction of avoiding potential war. War that Chrysalis wouldn’t hesitate to start should we give her enough reason, which we won’t.” Shining Armor explained. “And sending back her spies would make that message clearer.”

Raúl stopped smiling. “So you really assumed that we came to perform some espionage in Ponyville?” he asked. 

Shining Armors expression changed only slightly as he looked at Twilight, who shook her head. “If that’s not the case, then why risk your safety?” he asked, looking at Raúl once more.

Raúl held back a chuckle as he simplified what he told Twilight quite recently. When he was done, then asked, “So do you think that her highness would still want us to leave?”

Shining Armor didn’t need long to come up with an answer. “I am quite sure as a matter of fact. Given that we couldn’t simply take your word for it.”

“Could you elaborate a bit more?”

“Who is to say that we can assure that what you say is 100% true? Raúl, you crossed into our lands despite being fully aware of how problematic it could be for both sides. It would have been suicide had her majesty not made the choice to allow you two to return safety to Chrysalis.” Shining Armor gave him a serious look. “Yes, you two, or at least Adalricus, would have been priceless to us if used in a particular situation. Yet her majesty’s kind offer is worth more don’t you think?”

Raúl however wasn’t flattered at all. “Sounds like a fancy way of you deporting the two of us,” he pointed out with annoyance.

“Well you’re not wrong,” Shining Armor admitted. “But I think that you understand all enough to give me an answer? Will you comply with what Princess Celestia wishes?” he asked, maintaining his military bearing.

Raúl scratched his cheek as he sighed. “Well I can’t deny that it would solve the issues that I would be concerned about. But it doesn’t matter,” he explained calmly.

Shining Armor lost his bearing as he raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“To put it simple: what his majesty wants, he gets. Chances are that he won’t go with this offer even as much as I want him to.” Raúl glanced at Twilight. “Because of certain reasons,” he then said, referring to Fluttershy. Looking back at Shining Armor, “I am sorry to say but I know Adalricus well enough to know that he won’t agree to this. Call him stubborn but when he has his heart on something, he doesn’t simply ‘let it go’ as easily as you would think. So as one who often speaks for him I am going to have to deny your ‘kind offer’…”

However Shining Armor was far from pleased as he and Twilight looked at one another completely dissatisfied with what they heard. Looking at Raúl, Shining pointed at him before stating, “But that’s just unreasonable! It’s what we expect you to do; it’s what you’re going to do!” Obviously that was more of an order than a request as he showed a glare. And Twilight seemed to agree as she shared the same facial expression like him after some hesitation was shown. Even Twilight had to be loyal.

“You dare threaten me? Tread lightly ponies,” Raúl growled, as his pupils converted into slits.

Almost instantaneous, he leaped his body over the 2 magic wielding ponies as their spells barely missed him. As he passed over them, green flames surrounded his body entirely before he landed perfectly behind Shining Armor. With his true form revealed, nothing was hidden anymore.  As they began to turn towards him, his horn started to generate a bright flame which indicated his own spell. Just as he was going to unleash his counter-attack, the changeling heard a familiar voice from his right.

“Raúl!” 

Raúl’s spell disappeared as he turned to see that Pinkie Pie was waving at him while running as fast as she could. Behind her, a yelling Rarity was trying to prevent her from reaching Raúl.

“Pinkie stop! You can’t-”

However Pinkie reached Raúl where she immediately clung her body against his own. She didn’t dare to let go despite the fact that Raúl acknowledged her presence by gently hugging her back while cancelling out his magic entirely.

“Oh my gosh Raúl they didn’t hurt you and Adalricus did they?!” she quickly asked with actual fear in her expression.

“Pinkie, I told you to stay with Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted. “Why are you here?!” she asked with great displeasure.

Rarity stopped as Twilight shouted, giving her a proper chance to see Raúl’s true appearance.

“…” Even he didn’t need to identity himself, as he was sure that his still red mane would give it away, as well as the fact that Pinkie Pie was still by his side despite releasing him.

“So it is true…” Rarity was not particularly horrified nor disgusted but rather stunned. “Raúl? It’s actually you…?”

Raúl rubbed his neck as it was becoming more and more awkward. “Sorry you had to find out like this.”

Before Rarity could answer back, Pinkie Pie voiced her concern. “Never mind that! Why are you two attacking him?!” she shouted, looking at the two siblings. “You promised that you would not try to hurt either of them!”

“Trust me Pinkie Pie we tried to be reasonable,” Shining Armor claimed, as he glare at Raúl who returned the same gesture. “But as it turns out, they rather do whatever they want instead of respecting Princess Celestia’s wishes!”

“Oh yeah because deportation as the only option you give us is reasonable!” Raúl remarked sarcastically. “Your self-righteous shit is beyond shameful!” he then said, not hiding his true feelings.

“Say what you want but neither of you get to decide what you get to do because of your relationship to Chrysalis! And YOU…” This time, he glared at Pinkie Pie. “You knew about their secret the entire time and didn’t bother to tell even your friends?!”

Pinkie Pie was far from intimidated as she responded with, “I can’t break a Pinkie promise! Besides, it’s not like they were doing anything wrong!”

“Pinkie, that doesn’t mean that you can just hide stuff like that from me or any of our friends!” Twilight argued, trying her best to reason with Pinkie. “You should have not waited until after I told you and the others about them!”

Rarity seemingly agreed as she nodded. “Twilight is right; you coming forward begging Twilight not to harm Raúl and Adalricus may have been the right thing to do, it doesn’t excuse the fact that you lied to us!” she explained with a sadden expression.

Before Pinkie Pie could defend herself, Raúl took control again. “Hey if you’re going to get angry, make sure that it’s towards ME.” he argued.

Rarity however refused to allow Raúl to have things his way. “No Raúl, she lied to us regardless if you begged her to keep your identity a secret or not. Lying to her friends is just shameful!” she argued with great displeasure. Clearly Rarity was really hurt at the very idea that Pinkie Pie was possibly “betraying” them in such a matter.

Pinkie Pie’s anger vanished as she looked to the side, feeling some guilt as she was giving them the impression that they meant little to her. However she shook her head. “But then I would have betrayed Raúl and he’s also my friend isn’t he?” she argued, looking at him.

“I think we’re passed ‘friends’,” he pointed out, smirking as Pinkie nodded with a giggle. Looking back at the two ponies he stopped smirking. “I am not one who you want to anger, nor do I think that it’s wise for you to underestimate me; it’s going to take a lot more than just you two to handle a changeling like me,” he explained flatly, slowly moving away from Pinkie Pie. He stood a respectable distance from where Shining Armor was.

“You clearly think too highly of yourself Raúl; had you been as difficult to deal with, Princess Celestia would have been here instead of me,” Shining remarked as his horn glowed. Now things were getting serious as he held up a hand. “Meaning that Adalricus is more trouble than you.”

That last comment confused Raúl as he slightly lowered his guard. “What are you talking about?”

“Remember what I said before? I thought that you were Adalricus!” Shining pointed out, reminding them of what he said not 10 minutes ago.

Raúl didn’t realize it before Twilight began to speak her thoughts aloud. “I thought that it was strange that you would think that you were meeting with Adalricus here,” she said, looking at Shining. “So that means that Princess Celestia is-”

“-Speaking with Prince Adalricus as we speak,” Shining confirmed, even going as far as to show a cocky smirk. “I can see him shaking in his seat out of fear…”

Raúl’s expression converted from strong and fearless, to completely horrified as he heard what Shining just told him. I mad sense when he considered what both ponies said beforehand. Almost immediately, he turned his head towards the supposed direction of Fluttershy’s cottage and flew straight into the air. He ignored the shouting and yelling that originated from below, as he shifted his direction by floating for only a moment before launching himself to the outskirts of Ponyville.

However he would not be able to fly for more than a quarter of a block away from Surgarcube Corner, as he felt a strong impact hitting him from his right side. He did not make any noise but acknowledged the restraint spell that Shining Armor had conjured.

“Damn is he fast!” Shining Armor cursed, as he was lucky with his aim. Thankfully, his spell hit its mark, maintaining Raúl properly in place where he could not get away. Unlike the typical wine color that his horn would typically glow, it instead used a light blue hue. This color connected his horn to Raúl, surrounding the changeling entirely. 

“Arrghhh!” Raúl yelled.

“Shining don’t hurt him!” Twilight shouted, as Raúl appeared to be in great pain.

“I am not trying to- The spell becomes more aggressive the more the target resists!” Shining argued, as he was beginning to sweat. He didn’t think that it was possible for a changeling to had such endurance!

“LET ME GO-” Raúl managed to shout.

“Raúl the spell worsens the more you try to get away and resist it!” Shining Armor yelled.

Twilight flew up and floated next to Raúl who was clearly in severe pain. “Please Raúl! You’re going to hurt yourself! Please stop fighting it!” she begged, really wanting him to listen. She may have been prepare to use magic on him, but lethal and painful spells was something that she wanted to avoid.

“ADALRICUS…NEEDS…!”

“Raúl, I give you my word that Princess Celestia will NOT harm Adalricus!” she shouted, trying to assure him as she reached out to him with both hands. “Please…I don’t want to see you suffering like this!” Legitimately, she showed a sadden expression as she did not want to bring such pain to him. “I give you my word as a Princess!”

However her words seemed to matter little as Raúl would not relax. He continued to shake and yell in pain, stubbornly ignoring the warnings from both ponies. He eventually began to glow by a thin mist of green magic that coated him, prompting Twilight to pull slightly back. Was he seriously going to attempt to force his freedom?

“Raúl-”

“Don’t do it Raúl!” Shining Armor warned him, as he was using a great deal of magic to hold him in place. Had it not been for the direct orders of Princess Celestia, he would not be going to such lengths to restrain him. “Please don’t do this,” he managed to say, wanting to respect the wishes of Twilight and her friends but take full control of the situation..

Raúl said nothing as he floated in place, seemingly done with gathering all the magic that was needed. The green glowing mist vanished, and he…

“What is he doing-” Shining Armor started.

However Shining Armor barely had enough time to cancel out the spell he was using and bring up his powerful magic shield, which took most of the impact from Raúl. As his shield shattered, Shining was sent directly towards a doorway of one of the neighboring ponies’ home. While it did not break into pieces like his shield, he managed to bring it down from its frame. He groaned as discomfort was unavoidable and delayed his overall recovery.

“How did I not see that coming?” Shining wondered aloud as he shifted his movement. A few groans came before he managed to stand and lean against the door frame. He looked to see that Raúl was slowly getting up, clearly the most affected from the impact itself. He honesty did not expect Raúl to sling himself at him for a double-edged attack like that. It may freed Raúl from his spell, but he paid quite a price.

“What the hell happened to my door?!”

Shining Armor turned to see a white unicorn completely horrified with the results of what he did.

“I am terribly sorry- I assure you that Princess Celestia’s royal guard will cover the damage as we continue to assess the situation that we’re dealing with right now,” Shining explained.

“You got to be kidding me…I wanted to get a Spiced Root Beer!” Vinyl complained, as she now needed to wait until her roommate returned to watch their home. Some ponies would likely attempt to rob a vulnerable home.

Brushing off her response, Shining Armor took at least another few seconds before he made his way to a weaken Raúl. The after effects were screwing with his senses as Raúl could have seriously hurt him. Of course it mattered little as he found Raúl struggling to stand.

“Grbhhh…” Raúl could not stand up straight despite all of the will power that he used. Even keeping his eyes shut did not help his senses stablize faster. He opened an eye to see that Shining Armor was waiting patiently for him to say something. However, all he could say was, “Ow…”

“Impressive for managing to break free from my spell. Especially since you’re the first to make me break it and to do it in such a matter...” He crossed his arms, looking upwards where he sent a spell into the sky to indicate a signal. 6 royal guards suddenly appeared in the sky and surrounded them as Twilight landed. She looked displeased as Pinkie Pie was held back by Rarity who was trying to keep her from getting hurt.

Twilight wanted to tell Pinkie that it was going to be ok but she didn’t know by this point as Raúl only made things increasingly difficult. Yes she held power as a princess but what if Celestia did not approve of her views? It was bad enough that she was filled with guilt but trying to find a situation for both sides seemed impossible. “He’s weak now; no need for us to approach him with hostility,” she said loudly.

However Shining Armor wasn’t convinced. “Raúl, I promised my little sister that I would try to avoid seeing you and Adalricus get hurt while I follow my superior’s orders. But you’re making my job quite difficult to do if you’re stubbornly attempting to resist and refuse to comply with us,” he explained calmly.

Raúl seemingly began to laugh as he heard those words. “I am sorry, but the first impressions that you two are giving me makes one in my position naturally uncomfortable…” He glanced around to see the odds that were against him. As he finally maintained stability, he then said, “You’ve given me and Adalricus quite the ultimatum…an unfair one mind you. That tells me that not only are you quite deceiving in my eyes, but you also make sorry diplomats…”

Shining Armor showed a disappointed expression when he heard Raúl’s words, even to the point where he un-crossed his arms. Twilight felt the same as she needed to say something. “Raúl…”

“Do what they say!”

The attention of the scene that was taking place shifted to Pinkie Pie, who managed to break free from Rarity's grasp. “Pinkie don’t!”

Pinkie Pie was then able to rush to Raúl’s side, who looked at her with confusion.

“Just do what they say!” she cried, as her voice was breaking apart. “Are you seriously going to not do what they say when they can easily force you?! They could kill you if they were allowed to and Twilight didn’t speak for the rest of us!”

“Pinkie-”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt! I don’t want to see any of those who I care about get hurt!” Pinkie Pie cried, as tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Please just trust them Raúl…trust Celestia…Twilight…me!” Her cheeks were red as she unable to control herself, staring straight into his eyes.

Silence emerged as Pinkie Pie continued to cry, staying as close to Raúl as possible. Naturally, the increasing amount of Ponyville civilians began to gather at what was going on. It mattered little by this point that they took note of the pleasant pink pony hugging what was obviously a changeling. Raúl did not care as he looked at Pinkie Pie with a gentle expression, placing his hand on her cheek and closing his eyes. Did he finally surrendered?

“Raúl…does this mean that you…?” Rarity began to ask, as she took a step forward.

However he shook his head before opening his eyes. “No.”

Naturally Rarity immediately responded with frustration. “But WHY?! Do you not-”

“Don’t misunderstand; I do trust Pinkie Pie. I trust her with my life the moment I trusted her with the secret that me and Adalricus had. It may have been poor judgment that caused us to sleep together, but she became the first and only pony in my life to make me genuinely care. Care about a pony and feel vulnerable yet safe…” He looked at Pinkie Pie who sniffed and tried to cease her tears as he gently rubbed her cheek. “Not once did I ever dare to think that you told them our secret…and I was right…right?” he asked with perhaps the gentlest smile he ever produced in his life.

Pinkie Pie stopped crying as he said that, as her expression was close to when she first witnessed a rainbow in her life. Especially as he kissed her softly on her nose with his own before gently pulling away.

“But I cannot say the same for everypony around me,” he then announced, eyeing anypony that he came across.

“But WHY?” Rarity asked, confused even more.

Shining Armor apparently felt the same. “You seemingly have a legit reason to have trust issues with my kind Raúl?” he asked calmly.

Raúl chuckled softly as he rubbed his neck and looked at the floor, kicking at the dirt softly. “By the gods is it hot today…” he said, looking up to see Celestia’s work of the day. Closing his eyes, he said, “Let’s just say that I learned the harsh truth about ponies and their nature a at a very young age…” He looked forward after opening his eyes. “Particularly with how your kind has treated mine long before we attempted to take control of your kingdom. Hell to this day I wish that I was able to take part. Just the feeling of making your kind suffer brings chills down my spine…it would have made me feel so alive.” He looked at Twilight. “Of course, Pinkie Pie enlighten me with a different view of your kind. But it still doesn’t make me forget what I first learned about how ponies treat changelings by nature, and what they truly are towards us…”

Twilight was urgent to learn just what it was, as his attitude towards her from earlier did bug her quite a bit. “And just what are ‘we’ towards you by ‘nature’?” she calmly asked.

Raúl only smiled calmly as he answered, “Deceiving…” He took a step forward. “…heartless…” He took yet step. “…and terrible parents.”

Twilight’s expression changed almost instantly as he said that. “Wait, so you-”

“ENOUGH.”

Twilight immediately looked up to see who held such a thunderous tone in their voice. Her eyes widened as Adalricus was flying gracefully in place, keeping the familiar calm expression that he often showed. It didn’t take long for the others to acknowledge his identity as he slowly lowered to ground level next to Raul, who continued to stare at him. Even though he did not visibly show it, it was safe to say that he was relieved to see him alright.

“Are you fine?”

“I am now,” Raúl said, showing a smile.

Without warning, both changelings embraced one another for a moment that lasted an eternity in their minds. Afterwards, Adalricus took a moment to acknowledge his current appearance. “Secret’s out huh?” Raúl gave the slightest of nods before Adalricus added, “Well that’s a problem.” He then looked at Pinkie Pie, acknowledging the fact that she was crying recently. “Pinkie…are you ok?”

She nodded happily as a big smile grew on her face. “I am now knowing that both of you are safe…” Her voice slightly cracked, as if she was going to cry again. Suddenly, she went on to hug him tightly just as she did to Raúl.

Not expecting that, Adalricus blinked a few times before deciding to go with it and returned the hug. He then acknowledged perhaps the most important pony present: Twilight. She said nothing to him as he slowly broke away from Pinkie Pie. “…”

Twilight did not seem happy nor angry with him, as her expression was neutral. It was if she wanted him to speak first to hear what he had to say. “…” However, Twilight realized that Adalricus wanted her to break the ice between them. “Your face…you’re bleeding.”

Adalricus blinked as he reached for the left portion of his brow, feeling thick liquid on his skin. He confirmed this when he took a look at the white blood that strained his middle and index finger. “So I didn’t get out of there without a scratch after all,” he commented.

Twilight’s expression became less neutral. “Did you and Princess Celestia-”

“Talk? Yes we did as a matter of fact. It was quite pleasant until it got to the, ‘Get the hell out of my land before shit gets ugly between us’ part,” Adalricus remarked as he showed a small glare.

Twilight looked at him with surprise as the others began to question what he said. “Wait, she said it like that??” Twilight asked as it was a shock to her.

“Well she didn’t say it like that exactly, but that’s how it sounded in my mind,” Adalricus frowned.

This time Twilight glared at Adalricus as she almost became embarrassed! “You didn’t need to exaggerate it!”

Adalricus was not bothered at all as he kept the same expression. “My apologies but the blatant hostility between our two races has me on edge.” He closed his eyes and used his sleeve to rub off more blood. “But I suppose it’s my fault for not trying to tell Fluttershy the truth sooner…”

Twilight slowly converted her glare into a guilty expression as she closed her eyes. “I am sorry Adalricus. Had I known, I wouldn’t have told Fluttershy out of concern-”

“It’s fine,” Adalricus lied, as he opened his eyes and looked at Twilight calmly. Yes he was still holding a grudge towards Twilight for what she did. And yet, he also felt guilty for it; could he honestly blame her for looking out for a dear friend? Of course not. “But I still want to see Fluttershy,” he said.

Twilight opened her eyes, looking at the changeling prince. “What do you intend to do?”

Adalricus looked to the side as he tightened his fist. “I…I have to apologize to her first. That’s the number 1 priority in my mind now.” He looked at Twilight. “Where is she? Celestia told me that she’s in a ‘safe’ place…is she in danger or something?” he finally asked.

“Did she honestly say ‘safe’?” Raúl asked, as if he were offended.

“Yes. Yes she did,” Adalricus remarked with a slight tone of anger. He looked at Twilight with a sicken expression, as Celestia’s usage with that word offended him to no end.

“Safe from potentially dangerous changelings? Of course.”

Adalricus closed his eyes as he turned his body to face Shining Armor, who was less than intimated by the changeling pupils that were shown. “Bite your tongue pony; I would never harm her.” Adalricus warned him.

Shining Armor was not impressed as he took a step forward. “Regardless if you say so, there’s nothing that can confirm your word is 100% true. In fact, how do we know that you’re not lying about having feelings for Fluttershy? How do we know that you’re not using her to get closer to my little sister?”

While Adalricus wanted to rip his throat apart, his last question aroused his curiosity. “Your sister? Who?”

“Adalricus, Shining Armor is my older brother,” Twilight explained awkwardly. Especially because of one thing that connected Adalricus and Shining Armor.

“Your brother? Wait, what?” Adalricus asked, looking at Twilight who smiled nervously. 

“Yes Adalricus,” said Raúl. “The same Shining Armor who your mother seduced in order to gain absolute power and take over their kingdom,” he explained, reminding Adalricus.

“Oh…OH.” This time Adalricus became the embarrassed one as he avoided eye-contact with Shining Armor for obvious reasons. “Um, it’s nice to meet you. Um…I am terribly sorry about-”

“Please Adalricus; I rather that we just move on and forget about that…” Shining Armor said, facing away as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. However he couldn’t hide his blush despite his attempts to control himself. After all, Queen Chrysalis did many things with him that even his wife still refused to do with him…

Adalricus coughed in relief as he thought that this was going to become awkward. “On to more important things…” He looked to Twilight with a serious expression. 

Twilight was hoping to avoid this, but she had no choice. “Adalricus, the blood that is on your face tells me that you refused Princess Celestia’s offer?” she asked, hoping that it was not the case. She noticed Shining Armor turning around, curious as well.

Adalricus had nothing to hide as he gave a slight nod. “I will not leave Ponyville just because she demands it. If she wants me to leave, then you will require force,” he calmly said.

Twilight was in dismay when he heard his response. “Adalricus…but you and Raúl-”

“You heard him,” Raúl interrupted, standing right behind Adalricus. “His majesty will not leave.”

It became deadly silent as both changelings eyed Twilight who looked away in frustration. Shining Armor groaned as he rubbed eyes, realizing that they could not convince then otherwise.

“I am sorry Adalricus…but we have our orders,” Twilight apologized. She looked at him with a sadden expression. If only Celestia’s will was different as she lifted her hand up.

“Worry not Twilight. Things will work themselves out in the end,” Adalricus said with a small smile as he held his guard up. He felt Raúl backing up against his own, facing Shining Armor as the royal guards surrounded them on ground level.

Pinkie Pie held Raúl’s arm but he attempted to convince her otherwise. “Hey it’s like Adalricus said: things will work out!” he said with a smile.

“Not like this!” Pinkie Pie argued.

“Pinkie,” Adalricus said, turning his head slightly. “Please let us handle this. While it’s obvious that they don’t want to see you get hurt, it would be dishonorable if we took advantage of this factor.” He then looked at Twilight. “Imagine how hard it is for Twilight.”

“!” Pinkie Pie then looked to see Twilight who gave her a sad smile. Eventually, Pinkie Pie returned that same smile as Rarity came to gently pull her to a safe distance. Not before she showed a smile before the two changelings who made it easier.

“Thank you…please be safe,” Rarity managed to say to them before the two mares were far enough.

They simply nodded as Twilight closed her eyes. You may be stubborn Adalricus, but you do hold such honor. I hope that you can come back to Ponyville…as my honored guest. She opened her eyes before her horn began to glow. Hopefully the combined strength of their spells would allow them to restrain both changelings.

Knowing that the odds were against them, Adalricus and Raúl knew that they would need to be wise with the magic that they could produce. While not impossible, Celestia’s royal guards were a huge factor if both changelings were to end things favorably for them. Neither of them sweated a single drop, despite the fact that their hearts were racing fast. That and a dark cloud was forming above, covering the sun.

Rain at this very moment? Such timing, Adalricus thought. Could they use actually use the weather somehow as an advantage? Or was this part of their attack?

Damn, Twilight is starting this out seriously, noted Raúl. Yet, the clouds were appearing much darker than he recalled. In fact, instead of dark gray thunder clouds, these clouds looked blacker than what he was expecting from Twilight. Then again, was this even her work? “…Twilight?”

Twilight blinked. “Yes?”

“…Is this your doing?” 

“What are you-”

Twilight never got to finish that sentence as the winds increased dramatically. Such force took everypony around by surprise as most of them were lifted off the ground. Every pony and changeling lost their bearing without intent, as it was nearly impossible to ignore such aggressive winds. The weather seemed to worsen to the point where nighttime was mimicked so well due to the darkness that followed. All that could be seen were the shapes of anything around Twilight with no details whatsoever. It wasn’t hot nor cold, but the nerves were restless. 

“S-Shining!”

“RIGHT!”

Shining Armor’s spell managed to bring visibility to the general area once more. No pony or changeling for that matter moved from their respective spot. However, Twilight did notice that Adalricus and Raúl were no longer alone, as a figure as tall as Shining Armor stood beside them. His long mane and cape was rushed by the still aggressive wind, and his horn produced such an intimidating purple aura. And course, his eyes struck fear into Twilight as she knew who stood not 10 feet from her.

> Daddy's here to pick you up~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight continued to stare dead straight into King Sombra’s eyes as the winds began to settle, making their surroundings a lot more clearer.  Those horrible eyes of his continued to freeze Twilight in place, as the fear that grew inside of her only began to worsen. She didn’t shake at all but that only gave a clear indication of how much power Sombra held over her. In fact, Twilight was unable to acknowledge the massive amount of sweat droplets that ran throughout her entire body. As well as the fact that despite even the simplest of attempts to look away or even close her eyes, seemed impossible.

“King Sombra?” Raúl asked loudly, as he couldn’t believe who was standing beside them at a most dire moment.

“No…” Shining Armor did not know how to properly process just how things changed entirely. King Sombra here? But WHY?

“Sombra…how…?” Twilight managed to asked, as she could tell that the royal guards budged slightly away from him. She continued to make direct eye contact with him, begging the horrible question if he was here for her. In fact, how was this even possible?

The king of topic let out a soft growl as he breathed out from his nose. While the wind finally settled entirely, the clouds were still dark enough to block the sunlight. His appearance was no different than what he typically wore, also, he seemed less “evil” given that he was not bearing a menacing expression. In fact, his expression lightened entirely as he turned to face Adalricus, who slowly did the same.

“…” Adalricus blinked as he did not expect his own father to arrive like this. It had been so long since he’s seen him and yet, he didn’t know how to react. 

“Why…”

Adalricus turned to see that Twilight was now staring at the two of them horrified. “W-What are you here…?”

This time, King Sombra did not mind to speak his mind. “Best you address me properly young one.” He growled. The tone in his voice was beyond intimidating…and sexy.

Twilight however gained more confidence as she began to glare at the fiend before her. “How is this even possible?! You…you were sealed away! How are you not sealed FAR away from Ponyville?!”

“I am wondering the same thing,” Shining Armor admitted, as he glared at the monster that stood by the changelings. This was NOT part of the plan at all.

King Sombra let out a dark chuckle as he heard what both siblings asked, as they clearly underestimated his power. “Don’t misunderstand with your feeble little minds; this is NOT a trick nor a projection of my true-self,” he simply explained. “I exist entirely with NO restriction whatsoever…”

Twilight was dumbfounded with fear after hearing those words. “N-No r-restriction??” she managed to ask. Was that even possible? Wait, just how much power did he held and why didn’t he do this beforehand when she and her friends were in the Crystal Empire? However, one question still bugged her to no end: “WHY ARE YOU HERE?”

Despite the dark ruler willingly about to explain, Adalricus spoke. “Did you…come here for me?” he managed to ask.

King Sombra acknowledged Adalricus with a gentle expression. With his full attention given to him, he opened his arms and gently stepped forward to hug him. The armor may have seemed uncomfortable to press against, but it did not seem to bother Adalricus at all. He felt his father’s actual hands holding his back and head softly in place, gently breathing as he did not make him feel uncomfortable at all.

“My son…” was gently whispered.

Adalricus closed his eyes as a few tears left his them momentarily before he embraced his father. He truly…missed him. 

Obviously, the surrounding ponies were trying to put 2 and 2 together, while also still coming to terms with the fact that King Sombra was RIGHT THERE. Twilight, who had an easier time by this point since she did speak to him directly, was confused to how he was interacting with Adalricus. He seemed…happy? They were hugging with little concern for the hostile ponies around them, which was odd to Twilight. “…Adalricus?”

Adalricus opened his eyes and slowly pulled away as he glanced at Twilight.

“…How do you know this…this pony?” Twilight asked, as the dots were connecting the more that this went on. “The way…you two hug…as if…”

Adalricus took only a few moments to understand what Twilight was asking. Not wanting to hide the truth, he said, “Twilight, this is my father.”

Twilight’s eyes widened entirely as she heard the horrible truth from a calm Adalricus. “F-Father- FATHER?!” Her voice went hoarse, and her legs lost stability to where she fell backwards. It only worsen as her body shook while she attempted to get on her feet again. This was different when she believed that Adalricus was only the child of Queen Chrysalis; she had no idea that the father was none other than King Sombra! Did Princess Celestia know of this? Did anypony know this??

Shining Armor felt the same, but he was able to control himself with better luck compared to his little sister. Holy hell HE’S Adalricus’ father?? Based on what Twilight told me about Adalricus, you wouldn’t tell from how he is around others…if that is how he actually is, Shining thought. Regardless, he needed to take action as his sister needed him. “Twilight-”

However, Adalricus was already offering assistance as he held out a hand to the purple Alicorn. Naturally, confusion returned as she looked at him. He did not smile nor did he give a hint of displeasure, as he seemed unsure entirely to how she felt. “…” Slowly accepting his help, she was able to control herself as she stood up to meet face to face with the prince of all changelings. “…”

Silence returned as Adalricus and Twilight said nothing to one another for nearly a minute. It was intense from the view of others as the situation was now completely volatile with King Sombra appearing and revealed as Adalricus’ father. Thus Shining Armor took one step forward to break the silence.

“Twilight, you know that this does change everything,” he said loudly.

“Ah!” Twilight’s attention shifted back to reality as she heard her brother’s words. “…” She looked at him with a worried expression. 

It was not easy for Shining Armor as he said, “If Adalricus is both Chrysalis’ and Sombra’s  son, that means that-”

“-You’re bucked~” Raúl said smoothly, smirking as King Sombra was without a doubt a game changer. He glanced at the environment as he crossed his arms. “Without Princess Celestia here this very moment, you really can’t tell us what to do by force.”

“Tch!” Shining Armor hated to admit it, but this situation was out of his control by this point. King Sombra was unpredictable and dangerous. It placed him and Twilight in a difficult position, as the ponies in the area could be affected by the supposed battle between them and King Sombra.

“Well, you’re not entirely correct.”

All brought their attention to Sombra who held a cocky smirk, causing Raúl to raise an eyebrow. 

“What do you mean?” asked Raúl.

Sombra looked at the sky. “Celestia is going to arrive here in a few minutes; she likely sensed me if I was able to sense her moments after arriving.” He looked at his son. “I take it she’s only here because of you?” When Adalricus looked away while scratching his cheek, he gave a slight nod of embarrassment. Chuckling, “You should learn to better conceal your identity Adalricus. Regardless, we should leave before she arrives-”

“I am not leaving father.”

King Sombra looked at his such with great confusion. “What?”

“Yeah, what he said!” Raúl remarked. “Don’t tell me that you still-”

“I do,” Adalricus confirmed, despite his father’s voiced protests.

“And WHY do you want to stay? What is so damn important about this place that you would risk your life to stay?!” his father snarled. “Do you have any idea the trouble I went through to find you?!” His thundered so loudly, that the ground actually shook fiercely.

Adalricus showed a sad expression, feeling guilty to how his father felt. How his mother possibly felt. “Father-”

“Why you ran from the safety of your own castle is beyond me, and it baffles me that you insist on staying in a place that your greatest enemy knows that you’re in-”

“My ‘greatest enemy’?” Adalricus asked loudly. He gave a serious look towards the now-raged king, who brought an intimidating expression that had little effect on him. Naturally, Raúl and the ponies around grew worried.

King Sombra looked down at his son with no mercy, as he was still lenient with what he was saying. “Their ruler…the enemy of your mother thus, YOUR ENEMY: Princess Celestia!”

“!” Adalricus looked at his father with a frozen expression. “She’s my…enemy?” he managed to ask.

“It’s your faith my son. You must accept the fact that many will be after your life just to take it! You think that she will leave you alone even if you ignore her? That you can simply remain in this area with absolute peace and freedom? That’s just a foolish dream!” King Sombra told him harshly.

Adalricus did not want to hear such words from his father, as the negative lecture really brought fear to him. Yes he was aware that it would become troublesome with Princess Celestia pursuing him to meet with her demands, but as his “greatest enemy” was not something that he considered. In fact, he considered something quite important as he looked up and glared at his father. “I’ll make the decision whether or not if she’s worthy of holding that title,” he said coolly.

That answer surprised even Sombra, as his expression lightened entirely. “…” His face darkened as he leaned slightly forward and asked in a whisper, “And just what is it that you value so much that you would completely disregard yourself with Celestia’s wrath?”

Adalricus simply averted his eyes to meet directly with his father’s as he answered, “Somepony who is priceless to me…”

King Sombra’s eyes slightly lowered after a few seconds of comprehending what he just heard. In fact, it seemed as if he was highly amused with what Adalricus said. Those eyes of his...told him that Adalricus was really determined for this particular pony. “…” A smile of approval soon followed as he said, “Then go my son. What one desires the most as a future king, is what one should fight for the most in the end. That is what it means to be a rightful ruler!” With that, he held up his hand and clenched it into a fist. 

Adalricus’ determination was actually paying off as he smiled at his father’s approval. “Thank you father,” he said gracefully. Adalricus then realized that Raúl placed his hand on his shoulder.

“So you’re really going after her? I was kinda hoping that you would want to take advantage of your father’s arrival and split given with how things could get ugly,” Raúl admitted with a stern expression.

However Adalricus only shook his head as his smile vanished. “You don’t want to leave, do you? I thought that you would feel the same as me,” Adalricus explained. “I mean, what about-”

“Adalricus,” Raúl interrupted as he took a step-forward. “I vowed that I would never let you be in any sort of danger because of how indebted I am to your mother. Yes I was stupid and careless to get us into this mess-”

“What are you smoking?” Adalricus asked loudly as he crossed his arms. “It was my idea to run away from home AND choose Ponyville as our new one,” he reminded him.

“True but I allowed it to happen; I took things lightly,” Raúl argued. “Adalricus, I can’t forgive myself if something happens to you-”

“It’ll work out Raúl,” Adalricus said, as he showed a smile while placing a hand on him this time. “Keep an optimistic mind parce,” With that, Adalricus released Raúl and walked passed him, heading towards what appeared to be an alley.

Raúl blinked repeatedly and for good reason. “Where are you going?”

“Where else? To where Fluttershy is,” Adalricus explained as he didn’t stop.

“Wait, you know where she is?”

“Of course…” This time, Adalricus stopped and glanced at Raúl before glancing at Twilight. “It wasn’t obvious to me at first, but it makes sense. She’s that close to Twilight Sparkle to point that she’s considered ‘important’ to her, then what’s the best place to hide her? The same place where a pony of her status is safest: her home.”

“Ah!” Twilight gasped, as Adalricus was completely correct.

“Bingo!” Pinkie Pie cheered with a fist pump.

“Pinkie!” Rarity gasped. “Why did you confirm what he said??” she asked, still trying to take in everything that was going on. Honestly, why couldn’t she be the one with Fluttershy? At least things looked more promising in the safer home of Twilight. Then again, now that Adalricus knows, what would happen now?

“Well he guessed right!” Pinkie Pie argued with a pout. “And because he did, he gets the prize!”

Rarity had no idea what Pinkie was talking about. “The…prize?” she managed to ask.

“Yeah silly: ME!”

Rarity’s jaw dropped as a blush soon followed. “WHAT?!”

Twilight felt the same. “WHAT?!”

And of course, there was Adalricus. “WHAT?!”

“LIKE HELL SHE IS!”

Pinkie Pie nodded with a grin full of pride as she crossed her arms. “That’s right, having me as their guide to Twilight’s tree house is what they won!” she exclaimed happily, announcing her undoubted allegiance to Adalricus’ cause.

“Eh,” Rarity responded, as she completely misunderstood Pinkie Pie. Safe to say, just about everyone else felt the same.

Adalricus was the first to speak as his blush began to vanish. “Well now that you’re less vague…I don’t think that we need a ‘guide’ to find Twilight’s tree house. Not that I don’t appreciate your support Pinkie!” Adalricus explained with a smile of appreciation.

“Wait so you do know where she lives?” Raúl asked surprised. “I’ve never even visited it once before,” he then explained with a smirk.

“Well actually…” Adalricus looked to the side, as a small blush reappeared.

“…Seriously?”

“Hey I doubt that it’s difficult to find a tree house in Ponyville!” Adalricus argued, giving no regard to his face turning red. However, it only worsen as Raúl seemingly began to mock him with a grin and nod.

“Well that doesn’t mean that you know how to get though her shield!” Pinkie argued.

“What?”

“Twilight placed a magic shield that prevents changelings to penetrate! Just like how Queen Chrysalis and her army were forced out of Canterlot!” Pinkie Pie explained. “It would be bad if you weren’t able to get to Fluttershy Adalricus!” she added happily with a nod.

Adalricus and Raúl became speechless as Pinkie Pie never ceased to amaze them when it was needed. Unable to argue with her knowledge and logic, the two changelings nodded in agreement as Pinkie Pie happily returned to their side.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, as this was getting out of her control. “You can’t just lead them to Fluttershy!” she added with great displeasure.

Pinkie Pie however gave no regard as she responded with, “Oh yes I can!”

“Pinkie!” Rarity shouted, as she was becoming increasingly frustrated with Pinkie Pie. “Listen to Twilight! You’re betraying us shamelessly knowing that what you’re doing is wrong!” Rarity glanced at Twilight. “You’re making it beyond difficult for Twilight to do what she has to do!”

As expected, Pinkie Pie was not going to have any of it as she said, “Yeah with all due respect, she can kiss my ass.” With that, her Pinkiemania persona appeared with a glare.

Both of her friends dropped their jaws before Twilight asked, “EXCUSE ME?”

Pinkie’s tough attitude suddenly converted, as a red blush covered her entire face. “Oh sorry! Don’t know where that came from!” she giggled, as her hair became curly once more. “I am sorry but my gut says that I need to do this... Anywho, see ya later!”

Despite the protests from Twilight and Rarity, Pinkie continued to lead the two changelings towards the bakery. As expected, Shining Armor was to interven with their goals as he took one step to the right to cease their advancement. “Don’t even think about it…” He pointed at Adalricus and said, “Don’t think that because he’s here…” He made direct contact with the dark king himself. “…that you’re going to have things go your way,” he explained.

Adalricus look at Shining Armor for a good minute, as his military bearing was admirable but nonetheless troublesome. Looking at Pinkie Pie, he asked, “Pinkie, this is the fastest way to Fluttershy correct?” When she verified with both a smile and a nod, he returned the same gesture before taking a step forward and looked at Shining Armor. “Shining, please step aside,” he asked politely.

As expected, Adalricus’ polite nature left him dumbfounded once again. “What makes you think that I am going to just let you pass? Your father is one thing, but you-”

“Oh for buck’s sake,” Adalricus said, as his horn produced the softest of glows. He was not going to waste anymore of his time with a troublesome Shining Armor as he was immediately sent through a doorway once again. And as before, he did it without permission as Shining found himself covered in pieces of the doorway.

“Shining!” cried Twilight in horror.

“AW come on I just fixed it!” Vinyl complained.

However Shining Armor did not respond as he blinked repeatedly. He struggled to move his body off the ground floor as he slipped for the 3rd time in a row. He failed to even acknowledge that half his face was covered in blood. Hell the dust from nearly destroy wood was not helping his vision return at all.

“My, you’ve come far Adalricus,” King Sombra noted with a nasty smirk of approval. “You destroyed him like a little fly-”

“Nopony is going to die because me father,” Adalricus said loudly to clarify what his intentions were. In fact, he even did so much as to glance at his father with direct eye contact. “LET Twilight tend to her brother’s injuries father,” he added with the same tone.

It was no surprise that Sombra grumbled in displeasure when he heard those words from his own son. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms before giving the slightest of nods, acknowledging his intentions.

Twilight meanwhile began to fly towards where Shining Armor was located, as Rarity soon followed as the guards began to tread lightly with the dark king before them…

As for Pinkie, Adalricus, and Raúl, they continued on and stopped once they were inside Surgarcube Corner.

“So how are we going to get to Twilight’s tree house from this bakery?” Raúl asked curiously.

“Well I made a secret passage here that leads me underground to my friends’ homes!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully as she led them around the counter. As expected, all the patrons had left Surgarcube Corner during the intense confrontation that was occurring just outside.

“Wait, why would you do that? For emergencies?” Adalricus assumed.

“Nope, because it’s fun to explore underground!” Pinkie giggled.

“What kind of reason is THAT?” Raúl asked, finding her explanation to be ridiculous. “And WHERE are you going?”

“What? I am taking you two to Twilight’s tree house!” Pinkie Pie reminded him.

“Yeah but why are we going upstairs?” Raúl asked.

“Because the secret passage that will take us underground and into Twilight’s tree house is upstairs DUH!” Pinkie Pie remarked, rolling her eyes with a small groan as she led them upstairs.

“But how is-”

“Let’s just take her word for it Raúl,” Adalricus commented.

“I still want to understand just how is this going to work!” Raúl argued.

“As long as we get to Fluttershy, I honestly couldn’t care less,” Adalricus admitted as they reached the top.

“Exactly Adalricus!” Pinkie Pie said happily. “Also, duck!”

“Huh? What are you-”

WACK!

“Honey I think I got one!” Mr. Cake shouted with triumph. 

“Did you kill it???” said Mrs. Cake, who was popping her head from their room.

“Yeah, I think so- OH BUCK I KILLED ADALRICUS!” Mr. Cake screamed, completely horrified with what he just did.

“WHAT?!”

“I-I-I t-thought that he was a ch-ch-changeling!” Mr. Cake screamed, freaking out as he dropped his broom and onto his knees. His hands trembled as he reached for Adalricus.

“What are we going to do?!” cried Mrs. Cake, who slowly made her way towards the two of them. “Wait I know! We’ll bury the body!”

Mr. Cake was dumbstruck. “WHAT?!”

“YES HONEY, JUST LIKE WHEN WE VACATIONED IN LAS LAGAS AND…is he blinking?”

“Huh?” Mr. Cake turned to find that the head that he was gently holding, was reacting accordingly to his touch. “Huh what do you know…”

Adalricus blinked more and more as his nose was in so much pain, and blood was pouring between his eyebrows. He said nothing as both Cakes were by his side.

“Oh Adalricus I am terribly sorry! When we heard that changelings were in Ponyville, we thought that they were breaking into ponies’ homes!” Mr. Cake explained sadly.

As Mrs. Cake pulled out a handkerchief and began to clean off the blood, a few tears left her eyes. “We’re so sorry Adalricus. Poor Adalricus…”

Lucky for them, Adalricus needed only five more seconds before he was able to fully regain his senses. “I am fine…” He blinked a few more times as he heard them sigh in relief.

“You should’ve ducked when I said to!” Pinkie Pie pouted as she was not happy either.

“To be fair, you barely gave him a moment's notice…”

Both Cakes took their attention away from Adalricus for the first time in a minute, finally acknowledging Pinkie Pie and Raúl. “Oh Pinkie,” Mr. Cake said, completely stunned.

“And Raúl?” Mrs. Cake asked, recognizing his voice. However, she screamed as Raúl’s true form was something that she did not want to see. And it didn’t take long for her to realize that this was indeed Raúl standing in front of them. “R-R-Raúl-?!”

Raúl gave a frown as he watched their reactions. “Am I really that scary?” he asked, before seeing them slightly nod. He gave a disappointed look as he crossed his arms. “Well sorry about that…we honestly didn’t want you to learn the truth like this,” he explained.

“No we did not,” Adalricus agreed. He finally managed to stand on his feet once more before he rubbed his head and face. While it did help the pain vanish sooner, it didn’t stop the blood from blinding his eyes.

Connecting the dots, Mr. Cake held his wife close as they both trembled out of fear. “T-T-Then y-y-you also-?!” he managed to ask.

Adalricus took a moment to look at them with the one good eye that he had left. He gave a sad smile as he said, “I am truly sorry…” He then faced away from them and began to walk to the bathroom. Pinkie Pie followed closely, making sure that he wasn’t entirely blind and help him with cleaning his face.

Raúl and the Cakes were left alone, staring awkwardly towards the direction of the bathroom as they could faintly hear the water running from the sink. Naturally, Raúl broke the silence as he turned to them and asked, “So what is this, ‘Just like when we vacationed in Las Lages’?”


***Meanwhile***

“…” Spike continued to stare out the window as the gray clouds failed to disperse even after half an hour. It looked as if it was going to rain, but it didn’t despite the fact that he dearly wanted it to. Rain seemed to settle the purple dragon’s mind, as if all the troubles in his life was washed away. Of course, he could not deny the concern that he had for his friends who were out there possibly risking their lives. Especially when Pinkie refused to join them in his home, whereas Rarity was trying to convince her otherwise.

Pinkie’s become attached to them? Spike wondered as he frowned at the reflection of himself within the mirror. It was still so difficult for him to believe that both Raúl and Adalricus were actually changelings in disguise, living within Ponyville for quite some time. He wondered just what their intentions were if they were putting themselves at risk. Especially if Adalricus was truly Queen Chrysalis’ heir. 

So she actually had a son? Man that’s scary...wonder who his father is, Spike wondered in his mind. Regardless, he had a responsibility that he promised to do: protect Fluttershy. Thus, he pulled away from the window and walked over to where Fluttershy sat, with two of her friends sitting beside her. He said nothing as he sat down while watching Rainbow Dash argue with Applejack over the situation that was occurring. Naturally, Spike nor Fluttershy wanted no part of it.

“I can’t believe this…” Rainbow Dash shook her head with displeasure. “With the shit that we’ve dealt with, you think that we would have longer than 2 months worth of peace here,” Rainbow Dash complained.

“Now, now Dash, I am sure that Twilight be takin’ care of things as peacefully as possible,” Applejack said, looking at Rainbow Dash with a stern expression. “We just have to…y’know, believe?” she then asked.

However Rainbow Dash glanced at Fluttershy who continued to look at her tea in silence. “No I don’t. This is a situation where changelings are involved AGAIN.” She looked at Applejack this time. “It never ends pretty!”

“!” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she heard Rainbow Dash’s words. Her hands began to gently shake, which Spike took full notice.

“Um, Rainbow Dash-” he started.

“You know that it doesn’t mean that we all can’t work for a better endin’!” Applejack argued. “Do you honestly think that Adalricus and Raúl are gonna be put in a cell or somethin’?”

Fluttershy began to tremble a little faster.

“Applejack-” said Spike.

“If they’re lucky! They could be tortured right now for information as we speak!” Rainbow Dash said horrified.

“Mn!” Fluttershy was now spilling her tea.

“How could you say that? It’s not like they’re beatin’ them or anything with whips or spiked weaponry!” Applejack said loudly.

“EPPP!” Fluttershy was now making a mess.

“Guys-”

“You don’t know that! One of them probably is going to have their eyes yanked out with two rusty spoons!”

“Rusty spoons?” Applejack asked with a dull expression. “Please, the best way for torture and interrogation when it comes to pullin’ eyeballs out and all is to use a rusty knife-”

“YOU GUYS!”

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash froze as Spike’s sudden outburst ceased the argument entirely. While Fluttershy cared little for the outburst, her tea was on the floor as she held herself and shook repeatedly. Sniffling was expected to be heard, as their words naturally caused her to imagine horrible things happening to the two changelings.

“Oh…sorry Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, feeling guilty as she began to hug her.

“I am sorry too,” Applejack said sadly, as she also joined in.

While Spike was happy that they were now tending to her needs, he couldn’t ignore the one thing that everypony had on their mind. “Is Adalricus really Chrysalis’ child…?”

This time, even Fluttershy looked at Spike like her two friends. “I-I don’t know…” She closed her eyes to stop her crying. “I didn’t know that she had a son,” she admitted.

“Yeah I don’t think that anypony knew for that matter,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Who do you think is the dad?”

“Well whoever he is, he sure is brave to get up close and personal with her and all,” Applejack pointed out. While Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, Fluttershy had something on her mind.

“Do you think…that whoever his father is, is kind? Adalricus doesn’t seem like his mother at all,” said Fluttershy.

“If that even IS the ‘real’ Adalricus,” Spike pointed out.

“Wha-?”

“How do we know that the ‘Adalricus’ that we’ve come to know isn’t just another disguise of his? We don’t know what his intentions were when he came here to Ponyville.” Spike looked up towards the ceiling and added, “Same could be said for Raúl. In fact, we don’t know if any of them did something already and we haven’t realized it yet…”

“What could they have done that we would not have noticed?” Rainbow Dash asked.

The room went silent as their minds pondered for a bit. However it didn’t last long as an odd sound was heard.

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash glanced towards the direction of the restroom. “What was-”

And just like that, a portion of the ceiling broke apart and 3 figures landed in front of the restroom door almost instantaneous, causing spike and his 3 friends to immediately stand from their seats. The smoke was not pleasant, as coughing soon followed.

“Gah, how did we end up above when we were always digging down??” Raúl complained, as he failed to understand the logic of Pinkie Pie’s traveling capabilities. “You know what, never mind,” he then said.

As Pinkie helped him up, she giggled. “Wow that was fun! Next time let’s try going to Rainbow Dash’s place from mine!” she suggested, dusting herself off.

“Doesn’t she live in a cloud?” Adalricus asked. “Because I don’t see that happening…”

“Not with that attitude!” Pinkie Pie remarked.

“She’s got a point,” Raúl said.

“Says one who didn’t think that she could get us in here…”

“Hey when we found ourselves under a lake, I had good reason to become less optimistic! I didn’t think that we were going to make it out alive!” he said defensively. "Especially with the idea that we could dig under a shield spell! I still don't get how this is possible!"

“Not with that attitude!" Pinkie Pie repeated.

While Raúl began argue with Pinkie, Adalricus finished dusting himself off. When the smoke finally cleared, he froze as he made eye contact with the most important pony in his life. "Fluttershy!"

> To hell with your logic!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The acknowledgement between Adalricus and Fluttershy was less climatic than what many would expect, as Adalricus only smiled whereas Fluttershy was simply amazed. It was funny considering that Pinkie Pie waved happily to her friends where they were simply dumbstruck with how they ended up here. After what seemed like a few minutes, both Adalricus and Fluttershy began to move towards one another with the intent to never part again. However, her friends weren’t as supportive.

“Stay away from her!”

Adalricus froze as Rainbow Dash moved in front of him, shielding Fluttershy from his reach as she glared at him with hostility. Her wings struck out, and her arm prevented Fluttershy from taking another step forward. It didn’t take long before Applejack joined them, standing beside Rainbow Dash’s arm with a face full of caution, but not particularly hostility. As for Spike, he simply walked a few steps, facing the direction of Adalricus from his right-side. His feelings were harder to read, as he did not seem happy nor displeased to see Adalricus.

“And here I thought that you would be happy knowing that we’re ok,” Raúl commented, standing close to Adalricus from behind.

“Raúl you’re…” Applejack finally took notice of his true form.

“Really a changeling…” Spike frowned.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, as Raúl did not bother to hide the truth from them. This clearly meant only one thing. “…Then Adalricus is also…” She slowly looked at him with an expression of uncertainty, as he appeared the same as she knew him.

Adalricus simply looked at Fluttershy as she seemed to have a lot of questions in her mind. Thus, he was expecting her to say something to him, only for Rainbow Dash to take that role.

“You have A LOT of nerve showing your face here!” Rainbow Dash snarled as she was beyond furious with him. “All this time you were living in Ponyville under disguise and when we were so vulnerable because of it! We actually trusted you and you turned out to be a good for nothing changeling-”

“ENOUGH,” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash was confused by Applejack’s interruption. “Wha- WHY?”

Applejack gave a sternly expression before looking directly at Adalricus with a neutral one. “Adalricus, why did you and Raúl come to Ponyville? We’re you tryin’ to spy on us or somethin’?” she asked.

“Applejack?” Fluttershy asked with confusion.

“Look, regardless whether or not their’ changelins’, we should know what their purpose was for comin’ here and stuff,” Applejack explained.

“Because they ran away!” Pinkie Pie said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Beg your pardon?”

“Yeah! Adalricus didn’t like his life-style at all living under his mom’s rules so he left! Raúl came with him because he wanted to make sure that he was going to be safe!” Pinkie Pie smiled with a nod towards Adalricus, who was pleasantly surprised.

“Seriously?” Applejack asked with her jaw dropping slightly. “THAT’S the reason why you came here?”

Adalricus frowned.

“You know, that’s kind of…err…what’s the word?”

“Childish?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“Yeah that’s it,” Applejack said with a nod.  “And Raúl, you just ALLOWED him to come here? Despite knowing that we-”

“Hold on I am going to stop you right there,” Raúl said. “It’s just pure coincidence that the ponies who represent the elements of harmony just happened to live where we wanted to.”

“Seriously??” Rainbow Dash found this quite difficult to believe.

“And after you realized that they were here you…?” Spike asked.

“Decided to not let it bother us,” Raúl said. “We enjoyed ourselves too much within this community to give serious concern over the possibility that you would learn the truth about us. Hell even developing a serious relationship with the lot of you just came naturally.” 

“What the buck do you mean ‘naturally’?! You expect us to believe that you weren’t planning something that involved harming at least one of us?!” Rainbow Dash said with strong distaste. “Hell you’ve probably bucked mares left and right to take their energy in order to feed yourselves!” Funny enough this caused Rainbow Dash to blush heavily.

“For your information we haven’t!” Adalricus said with a blush as well. Mind you he seemed offended by their claims.

“Wait what?” Spike asked.

“Changelings can get love energy in any form even if that love isn’t directed towards us,” Raúl explained. “The only pony I’ve been with is Pinkie. As for Adalricus…” He looked at him and Pinkie. “…I am assuming that they haven’t done anything as of yet based on his response.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash grew redder blushes as they looked at both their friend and Adalricus. “WELL UM,” Applejack coughed to control herself. “And this IS the truth right?”

“It is,” Adalricus said, taking a step forward. “There’s no benefit for us whatsoever if we lied to you after everything that has happened today. It doesn’t match my goals for why I want to stay here…” Adalricus looked at Fluttershy, who maintained her shy posture. “Fluttershy, I am so sorry,” he said with a sad tone. “I really wanted to tell you the truth, as it continues to grow as a burden the more we spent time together. Unfortunately, I was a day late considering that Twilight told you before I did…”

Fluttershy’s expression softened entirely after she heard his words. “…” Her eyes averted to the side, as if she wanted to avoid the subject entirely. As expected this caused Adalricus to advert his own as well. “…Adalricus?”

There prince looked at Fluttershy.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner…?”

Adalricus’ eyes widened slightly. “I-”

“You lied to me and every other pony!” Fluttershy cried loudly. “Y-You were lying to us this entire time! I-I thought that you were a pony that I c-could trust and b-be safe with-”

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said, showing a displeased expression. Even she knew that things were going to head in an ugly direction. “Are you saying that Adalricus doesn’t care??” she then asked.

Fluttershy wasn’t expecting Pinkie Pie to get involved as she took a step back. “I-I-I-”

“Yeah she is!” Rainbow Dash said, speaking for her friend. “She may not admit it but it just bugs her that we’re in this situation because he didn’t decide to approach us with the truth! Hell it bugs me too!” Rainbow said with great displeasure. She looked at Adalricus and asked, “Hell why is he still a pony?”

Applejack was confused. “What do you mean?”

Rainbow Dash pointed at Adalricus and said, “He’s…still in disguise even though Raúl isn’t.”

While it was not awkward silence, it did cause every guest in the room to consider what Rainbow Dash said. Why did Adalricus maintain his current form?

“…” Adalricus looked directly at Rainbow Dash who continued to point at him. Yet he still said nothing.

This time Spike walked towards Adalricus. “Adalricus, why don’t you show us how you really look like?” he asked kindly.

However, Adalricus did nothing despite the polite request from the purple dragon.

“What’s wrong Adalricus?” Applejack asked, growing concerned with his lack of response. Thus she slowly moved closer but remained wary of him.

But still did the prince say nothing as he avoided eye contact with her.

Even Raúl was growing concerned himself. “Adalricus?” he asked. “Just show them-”

“I can’t.”

Silence returned.

“What?” Raúl asked.

“I can’t,” Adalricus said again.

Now Rainbow Dash was losing patience as she lowered her arm. She then asked, “What? Did you forget or something-”

“I CAN’T ALRIGHT?!” he said loudly, lashing on everyone around him. “I can’t turn into a changeling again!”

“W-What do you mean-”

“It…hurts too much.” Adalricus faced away from everyone around him as best he could. “I feel…pain whenever I reveal my changeling appearance. It brings such discomfort to me that it imitates torture itself…”

Now things became more troubling as even Raúl didn’t know what to say. He never heard of such a condition before with changelings and this made Adalricus a real special case. Thankfully, Pinkie was there.

“Adalricus…? How does it… ‘hurt’ you…? WHY does it hurt you?” asked Pinkie Pie. Her expression was sad, as she really did worry for her friend that was in pain. 

Adalricus closed his eyes for what seemed like a minute. “Because…” Adalricus lifted his head where an expression of possible disgust was still hidden. “…she fears them…”

“!” All eyes suddenly turned on to Fluttershy who was unable to speak her mind at that very subject. “I…I…”

“Fluttershy you’re afraid of us?” Raúl asked loudly, as he was quite surprised that a pony of her character was afraid of anything that wasn’t a pony. Especially when she socialized with a dragon quite often.

“EPP!” Fluttershy turned red as she looked away in order to avoid looking at him.

Raúl became displeased as he suddenly engulfed his entire body with green fire. Afterwards, his previous form returned as he was often recognized.

“Huh?” Fluttershy took note of the green flames and saw that Raúl returned into his previous form. However, Applejack did not approve.

“No, you can’t just be lyin’ like this; these disguises of you both are not how you really are! You shouldn’t have to hide your truth selves like this,” Applejack explained. She looked directly into Raúl’s eyes with a sad expression, attempting to convince the idea that it was better this way.

“What of Fluttershy?” Raúl asked, looking over at the pony of topic. “Could she handle two changelings?” he asked, looking over at Adalricus who refused to face them. “…”

“…Well?” asked Spike, as he looked over at Fluttershy who refused to say anything. He wasn’t liking the fact that Fluttershy’s fear over changelings could worsen her relationship with Adalricus. “Fluttershy-”

“Spike, what are you doing??” Rainbow Dash asked, not able to understand what his intentions were.

“I don’t understand why she would still be afraid of changelings,” Spike explained with a frown. “With the fact that they- who are changelings- have been talking with her, I thought that she would get over her fear.”

“Based on what?”

“Well she got over her fear of dragons because she confronted one and because of my relationship with her.” Spike closed his eyes. “Did she not become less prejudice and intimidated because she spent so much time with changelings? Like with me?”

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash with uncertainty. She didn’t know if Spike’s words held a point or just mumble jumbo. “Spike, why do you feel so strongly about this?” She shifted her glance towards him.

This time Spike did not appear amused as he crossed his arms. “Because I am a dragon who was raised by ponies,” he said flatly.

Adalricus slowly turned as he heard those words, looking at the purple dragon with a now dried face. “You were raised by ponies?”

Spike nodded. “They’re the only family that I have in my life. And I am in love with one of them very much.”

Adalricus was able to form the slightest of smiles when he heard Spike’s words. Yet he was quick to change his facial expression as he looked over at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy-”

Adalricus was interrupted as a pink barrier pushed against him almost instantly with tremendous force. His impact against the wall softened thanks to Raúl’s body who took most of the damage. A small cry of pain followed by a groan came the moment they fell to the ground. Afterwards they slowly began to stand once again before looking forward to see the culprit.

“That’s as close as you’ll ever get!” Shining Armor announced.

“You recovered so fast?” Raúl managed to ask, as he helped Adalricus stand as well.

Adalricus looked to see that Shining Armor was indeed standing beside his sister Twilight Sparkle. Undoubtedly thanks to her teleporting abilities they were able to immediately counter-attack in the proper matter. Shining Armor was not bleeding anymore but red stains were shown across his face. Twilight was naturally unhurt but she gave quite a concerned expression towards the two changelings.

“And bit excessive don’t you think?” Rarity asked, appearing behind Twilight. “Honestly, I do think that you shouldn’t have added so much force Twilight!”

“Sorry but the spell that we use wasn’t made to be exactly ‘gentle’ towards changelings,” Twilight explained. As by a snap of her fingers, the pink barrier slowly vanished and allowed both changelings to walk for more than a few feet this time. “I didn’t think that it would be aggressive towards you from 5 feet,” she explained in an apologetic matter.

“Oh really,” Raúl “asked”.

Twilight was not pleased with the obvious assumptions. “I-I-It’s not like I want you to get hurt! I just can’t have you take Fluttershy away like this!”

That last remark greatly confused Adalricus. “What?”

“You’re attempting to take Fluttershy away from Ponyville right?” Rainbow Dash said, getting involved once again.

Adalricus blinked as his mouth slightly opened.

Everypony looked at Adalricus while Spike looked at Raúl who gave the same expression. “…” Spike suddenly began to laugh slightly, attracting the attention towards him as he found things to be ironic. “Adalricus, you weren’t planning to leave Ponyville were you?”

Adalricus gave a small smile. “I would never force Fluttershy to leave Ponyville; this is where her life is.”

Fluttershy glanced directly towards Adalricus, surprised that she was hearing him say those words. A small smile was formed soon after.

“It doesn’t matter Adalricus,” said Shining.

“How so?” asked Adalricus.

Shining Armor soon showed a more hostile expression as he heard his question. “You’re difficult to negotiate with. You have overstayed your welcome here in Ponyville and you must leave.”

Adalricus actually chuckled as he heard that. “Shining Armor, while I hold nothing against you I will not abandon Fluttershy like this. She means everything to me regardless of what you or your ruler says. And I am not going to leave here just because of your prejudice views towards me and my people!”

“Why you…” Shining Armor managed to hold back from speaking cursive. “You’re a stubborn fool you know that?”

“Oh yes keep talking dirty to him,” Raúl said in a mocking tone.

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere!” Pinkie warned him.

“Who’s side are you on??” Shining Armor asked.

“Move aside,” Adalricus ordered as he began walking towards their direction. “I only used what was necessary to move you beforehand. You’re tough I acknowledge that, but my magic is far superior than most beings in this world.”

Twilight was highly offended by Adalricus’ lack of remorse. “You did more than ‘What was needed’! You showed little mercy sending my brother into another pony’s home!” she argued with great dislike. “I thought that you were kind-”

“And yet it doesn’t seem to matter in the eyes of your ruler now does it?” Adalricus interrupted. “A changeling is a changeling regardless of how he or she is in personality right? That’s what most of your kind tends to think no?” asked Adalricus.

“It’s not easy when you’re your mother’s heir Adalricus,” Shining Armor said flatly.

“That’s a bit unfair,” Spike remarked with distaste.

Shining Armor glanced at Spike with the same expression. “Regardless if it’s ‘unfair’ or not it really matters little. Adalricus is a threat whether he wants to be or not. His mother is an enemy to all ponies that is ruled by her majesty.”

“Will you listen to yourself?” Spike exclaimed. “Twilight-”

“Spike these are changelings who are close to Chrysalis!” Rainbow Dash argued. “Who knows what kind of shit Chrysalis could do if they stayed in Ponyville any longer-”

“Oh my gosh Rainbow Dash stop acting like a bitch!” Pinkie shouted with anger.

The room went deadly silent as all eyes turned to an obviously frustrated Pinkie Pie.

“EXCUSE ME?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You heard me!”

“Pinkie that’s just rude!” Rarity said horrified. Things were looking ugly.

“Never seen this side of her!” Raúl said with a smile.

“So is your prejudice attitude!” Pinkie Pie argued back. This time she walked forward and jabbed a finger at her friends. “Ever since you learned about their true identities all I’ve heard from you is how much they disgust you!” She then turned to Rainbow Dash. “You pretend to worry more about their status within the changeling kingdom yet you make such terrible remarks over their race!” Pinkie Pie began to tremble before finishing with, “You just…abandoned them like the time we’ve spent with them has meant nothing! How could you do that to our friends?!”

While Pinkie Pie’s words brought silence, it did not prevent her friends from exchanging looks. Applejack was the first to step up and speak her mind.

“Pinkie, you know you ain’t exactly one to talk; you’ve been biased with them just cuz you’re havin’ a close relationship with Raúl!” Applejack argued with arms crossed. “And you choosing them over us isn’t easy for your pony friends to accept!” Applejack pointed out.

“Because no one else is defending them! You expect me to side with you and leave them defensive! It’s as if I am the only pony that cares about them!” Pinkie said loudly. 

This time Twilight took the stand as she lost patience with the pink mare. “You think that you’re the only one who cares for their well-being?! It’s been HELL for me that I’ve had to care for this situation while making sure that no pony gets hurts! I don’t want to see Raúl nor Adalricus get hurt! I was shocked to learn who they actually were yes, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to them! Don’t you trust me Pinkie?!” Twilight asked with anger. “I DON’T LIKE BEING THE BAD GUY!”

Twilight was really hurt by how Pinkie Pie was treating them. They were suppose to be the best of friends, and here she was becoming completely biased with Raúl and Adalricus as if she didn’t even know them anymore! She naturally felt resentful towards the changelings, believing that they were manipulating her against them. However, she wanted to believe Adalricus and Raúl to where she could trust them to a certain extent.

“You obviously didn’t trust them enough that you felt the need to hide with Fluttershy because you think that she was not safe around them!” Pinkie argued. 

“What do you expect Pinkie?! They lied to us! You think that we should have ignored the possibility that they were dangerous?!” Rainbow Dash screamed. Now she was getting frustrated, as she was experiencing feelings similar to Twilight.

Before things could heat up even more, Adalricus spoke up. “ENOUGH.” Adalricus took a few steps forward. “I’ll decide who is my enemy and who isn’t! I will not have my inheritance control my faith; judge me for my actions and not my bloodline!” Adalricus looked at the two siblings. “I am sorry for everything for the actions of my mother and my people. I know that my words are naturally not enough, but I give you my word and honor of what my goals are. And that is not to threaten your way of life. My only goal is to be happy…” Adalricus looked at Fluttershy with a soften expression. “…with a pony that means everything to me…”

Fluttershy turned completely red as Adalricus’ words really touched her. She truly believed that there was no lie in his words…nor his eyes. He truly cared for her and wanted only to be with her as his sole ambition. Her heart was racing at quite a dangerous pace, as the spark between them grew within every second. Completely touched, she took a step forward towards him.

However, the familiar pink barrier appeared between them almost instantly, knocking Adalricus back a few feet as it’s thickness increased. The imagery of one side became heavily toned with pink for the other. Thankfully this did not prevent Adalricus from seeing a troublesome Shining Armor being the cause of this powerful spell.

“Don’t you ever lighten up?!” Adalricus shouted angrily.

“I don’t want to be the bad guy here Adalricus but I have my orders.” Shining Armor closed his eyes. “However, that doesn’t mean that I want to hurt you. Thus this barrier that I conjured up again.” He opened his eyes and gestured at the pink barrier. “You can’t get through it and if you try to, you’re hurting yourself. Thus my consensus is clear overall.”

Adalricus couldn’t help but growl at what Shining just told him. The barrier was unpleasant in more ways than one. Not only did it sting when he was close enough, but it smelled very unpleasant. This annoying spell was perfect when dealing with changelings like him. Hell no matter what spell he attempted to use, it had little effect whatsoever. It became increasingly frustrating as he knew that not even Raúl could help him while he shot spell after spell in order to assist him.

“I won’t attack either of you anymore, but what you attempt to do next is completely up to you. You are completely responsible for what this barrier does to you should foolish try to attack it head on,” Shining Armor explained. Their attacks did not even phase the white unicorn at all, as he knew that changeling magic was quite ineffective against this spell. Only catch was that he was about to use any other spell until this spell was released. Or if he ran out of magic by a certain point, which was becoming more and more possible by each passing second.

“Argggh damn this spell!” Raúl cursed. Now he was becoming exhausted as Adalricus continued his attempts to break the spell. “You’re going to pass out at this rate Adalricus…”

However, the changeling prince refused to stop. More and more did he attack the barrier with whatever powerful spells he could muster from his knowledge. Pinkie’s own attempts to assist him had little effect, given that she wasn’t a unicorn.

“Shining lower this!” she complained. It was a stupid pink wall that had no effect whatsoever on her, but prevented Adalricus from getting to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy- Get over here!” Pinkie plead loudly. “This spell doesn’t work on ponies!” she added, before attempting to kick it only to hit nothing but air.

“Y-Yes!” Fluttershy said, as she broke through her friends and hurried to towards Adalricus. However, her movement ceased as she found herself within a magical bubble. “?!”

“Fluttershy, please don’t!” Shining Armor shouted. He looked over to Twilight whose spell contained Fluttershy entirely. “Sis?”

Twilight frowned as Fluttershy did her best to break free from the spell that she casted on her. “Fluttershy- Please don’t!” she begged.

Fluttershy only continued to bang her fists against the bubble that she was contained in. She grunted and continued her attempts to break free. “T-Twilight p-please let me go!” she cried.

“Fluttershy it’s for your own good!” Rainbow Dash shouted, as she rushed to her side. “You’re only going to make things more difficult for Twilight!” she explained sadly.

However, Fluttershy shook her head and continued to hit the bubble as hard as her gentle fists could. “B-But Adalricus-!”

“Fluttershy!” Spike shouted, moving to her side as well. “Things are getting out of control here! Twilight, Shining! Please stop this!” He then looked to Adalricus. “You also need to calm down!”

“Not like this I can!” Adalricus shouted with rage. “LET HER GO!” he yelled.

“ADALRICUS STOP IT!” Shining Armor shouted back. “We’re in a difficult position right here! We don’t want to force a separation between you too but we can’t disobey Princess Celestia! Wait until she gets here first!” Shining said, trying to reason with him.

“Yeah I don’t think that you’ll find us trusting her so easily after that little ‘ambush’ that you all set up for him!” Raúl argued.

Rarity and Applejack looked at Twilight. “What does he mean ‘ambush’?!” shouted Rarity.

“It wasn’t!” Twilight said with disbelief. “She vowed to reason with him and not attack him!”

“Exporting me from your homeland is NOT reasoning!” Adalricus shouted back. As if on cue, he then wiped more blood from the corner of his eye. “I don’t trust you Alicorns at all…not after what has happened today…” Adalricus glanced at Fluttershy. “Your kind calls my own as ‘monsters’, yet you do your best to prevent one of your closest friends from being happy…hell you do your best to prevent one of your newer friends from being discriminated!”

“Adalricus you know we’re not like that!” Spike argued. Frowning, he made his way towards Adalricus and phased through the barrier with ease. “I understand that you feel targeted and mistreated, but I can vow for these ponies here. They’re good ponies who only want to find the best solution for all of us and would never do anything to deliberately hurt their friends.” He looked over to Fluttershy and then back to him. “And we are friends…right?”

All of the rage within Adalricus’ heart was slowly melting away by the words of the purple dragon before him. His expression had softened to an extent, as he could tell that Spike truly meant them well. “Yes…we are friends Spike…”

Spike’s expression was slowly converting into joy as he moved a claw onto his shoulder. “Then you’ll-”

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact of what has happened today,” said Adalricus. Gently breaking himself from Spike’s kind touch, he then said, “Maybe if things didn’t turn out the way that they did today, things would be different. But they’re not and with both my father and Princess Celestia here, today is not going to end pretty.”

The room grew deadly silent as he said those very words. His vision focused his attention on Twilight whose reaction did not surprise him at all. She too knew that this was going to turn out ugly regardless of what happened in her home. Both wanted things to well enough to where a happy ending would occur. Yet both were at fault for not handling this issue a lot sooner and more secretive for the sake of peace.

“And I am sure that I don’t have much time left,” Adalricus remarked, as he took a few steps towards the barrier with little regard. Before any could follow with what he said, a loud rumble was heard from outside.

“What was THAT?” Applejack asked nervously.

“Sounds like the climax of an argument between mommy and daddy,” said Raúl. However, he too seemed increasingly nervous with how close that rumble sounded. “Um Adalricus?” However, Adalricus continued to walk towards the barrier with little care. “Adalricus, no spell is going to work against that thing-”

“I know.” Adalricus clenched his fists. “However, this barrier is not completely impregnable for changelings…”

Raúl raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Adalricus,” said Shining Armor from the other side. “I am asking you to NOT attempt to take on my barrier head on; you’ll only hurt yourself!” he warned him. “Nothing you can do will-”

Adalricus silenced Shining Armor as his forelimb penetrated the pink barrier with little resistance. That being said however, Adalricus immediately yanked his arm back and clutched it as he howled in pain. Smoke soon followed between the barrier and his arm as he dropped to his knees while trying to control himself.

“ADALRICUS!” Pinkie screamed as she rushed to his side. An easy 3 second sprint was all that she needed to cross through the barrier and rush to his aid. Both Raúl and Spike were already doing what they could for him while the other ponies watched in horror. Especially Shining Armor who was shocked with Adalricus’ actions.

“What were you thinking?!” he shouted. “Adalricus you can severely injury yourself if you attempt to force your way through!” Shining Armor did not expect that from Adalricus.

“Adalricus-” Raúl started, unsure of what he could do in this situation for his friend. He then noticed that his hand had restored into their traditional changeling characteristics. The black color and various holes seemed like a typical changeling appearance, but he knew that smoke emerging from a seemingly unburnt changeling arm was not a good sign.

“GRH!” This time, Adalricus forced himself to stand much to the surprise of everyone around him. Shaking his arm once, green fire engulfed his arm reverting back to pony appearance. It looked good as new but the smoke betrayed the truth. Satisfied, he began to move towards the barrier again.

“ADALRICUS!” Shining yelled, causing his horn to glow brightly. This time, the barrier thickened adding more layers to indicate that his attempt would be pure suicide. “You will die if you try again! This is your final warning!” he added with anger. Damnit Adalricus, don’t kill yourself! he screamed in his mind. Hopefully this could convince the changeling prince that he could lose his life if he continued like this.

“ADALRICUS DON’T!” Shouted Applejack.

“You’re going to die!” Rarity shouted with the upmost concern.

“PLEASE ADALRICUS!” Twilight screamed, unsure of what to do. She wanted to a spell to stop him, but her focus on containing Fluttershy prevented her from doing so. Hell she wasn’t sure that Rarity knew of a spell herself that could help in this situation. “I can never forgive myself if I allow you to do this!” she begged.

“You have your orders, I have my desires,” he said flatly, coming face to face with the barrier yet again.

“ADALRICUS!” screamed Pinkie Pie, who started to cry.

“DON’T!” yelled Spike, who started move.

“ADALRICUS!” screamed Raúl, horrified.

All three of his friends rushed in order to restrain him from making contact with the barrier. However, that proved futile as his changeling magic launched the three of them away, causing them to groan and regain their footing. 

Rainbow Dash was completely stunned as she tried to rush him by a surprise tackle in order to help the others. And just like with the other three, she was sent backwards and crashed into the sofa with little effort from Adalricus. “Don’t-!” she managed to yell.

Fluttershy stood there helplessly as she was dangerously close to tears while she attempted to free herself. “ADALRICUS!!!!”

Once again, his arm entered the barrier.

> For you...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As his back foot finally entered the hostile pink environment, Adalricus struggled to maintain his stance. His senses were severely affected as he couldn’t seem to hear nor smell what was around him. His sense of touch was numb externally and only gave the feeling of pain internally. By this point Adalricus was not 100 percent sure if he was even breathing; his vision was going black and his head was aching beyond what he was expecting. However, that did not prevent him from forcing his body to move forward. In truth while the barrier did not “restrain” him in a matter that felt physical, his body refused to move as if it became intimidated. Almost as if he feared what this barrier was doing to him without even realizing it.

“ADALRICUS!!” Raúl screamed from the top of his lungs. Completely horrified, he rushed towards the hostile barrier that was ripping the prince of his race apart.

However, Spike acted quickly and lunged at Raúl in order to restrain him. “You’ll kill yourself!”

“GET OFF!” the changeling shouted angrily. Immediately glaring in Adalricus’ direction, he attempted to pull Adalricus via magic. He cursed loudly as Adalricus was somehow able to reject the spell, causing him to free himself aggressively from Spike.

Spike lifted his weight but refused to release him. “You’ll get shredded!” he yelled as he tried his best to restrain him. “Let me handle this!” With that, Spike released Raúl and quickly rushed to the prince.

However, Adalricus refused to accept any intervention and Spike was no exception as his horn glowed. Without warning, the purple dragon was sent flying against his will.

Pinkie Pie covered her mouth in shock as Spike landed awkwardly on an already angered Raúl. “DAMNIT ADALRICUS!” he shouted, struggling to remove Spike off of him.

Snarling, Spike quickly regained his footing and rushed in for another rescue attempt only to end up with the same results. He cursed as his five attempts did not help change the situation at all. “Adalricus!”

The changeling prince said nothing as Spike was then forced to restrain his most faithful servant. Adalricus knew that Spike nor Pinkie Pie would allow Raúl to endanger himself like him. From his peripheral vision he could see both Twilight and Rarity attempting to send him out of the barrier as their horns glowed. As expected, he refused to accept their interference as his magic was just strong enough to reject them. That being said, he was in so much bucking pain.

I…wont…s……st……stop… he thought. He could see Fluttershy banging against her own containment and attempting to shout something at him. He wouldn’t stop his advancements towards her despite the pain that his body was suffering. Yes, it felt like he was being shredded repeatedly by various blades but the thought of being separated from her was worse. Using magic to protect him from the effects of the barrier had very little effect and wasted his stamina with little award. And the smell was completely foul while also incomparable to anything that he was familiar with. Hell the fact that he was able to smell again because of it was saying something.

“FHGH!” Adalricus clutched his right wrist and ceased his movement. His right hand was engulfed in green fire and revealed itself with changeling characteristics that became quite obvious to everyone else. His eyes widened as black smoke was escaping from his flesh without warning. This…was not something that he could easily comprehend, as he felt no pain whatsoever which struck concern into his mind. Yes, it looked uninjured from any point of view, but the lack of pain horrified the changeling prince. Suddenly, he looked up to see Fluttershy who was just as shocked as him. Believing that he was closer to her than he thought, he reached with his now changeling hand as far as he could. 

However, Fluttershy’s reaction was not as he hoped, as she suddenly covered her mouth and showed an expression that caused him to feel cold inside. She was scared of what she was seeing before her very eyes. Thus it became apparent that she was scared of him.

No… He looked at his changeling hand and grew even colder as he turned it into a fist repeatedly. NO!

The changeling prince yelled as he covered it with changeling magic, revealing a hand that lacked changeling characteristics. Yet he struggled to take another step, as the magic usage was weakening him by each passing second. He stopped only for a few more seconds as the symptom occurred with his left foot this time. He cursed as green fire came again to fix the issue that he was having with his appearance. However, it only seemed to worsen as green fire continued to erupt against his will and across his body. Various parts of him exposed his true physical appearance despite his attempts to hide it from Fluttershy’s view. The pain that occurred in his body was now breaking him both physically and mentally as he left foot prints of flames behind each step. He could feel his body losing a piece of himself with each advancement that he made. And the black smoke had grew to the point where he was partially blinded. 

“ADALRICUS STOP!” shouted Applejack as she tried to rush him and get him out of the barrier. As expected she suffered the same results that Spike experienced. Rainbow Dash moved quickly to help her but Applejack quickly got back on her feet. “STOP IT! YOU’LL KILL YERSELF!!!!”

“ADALRICUS WHY?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, as she couldn’t believe the horror she was seeing.

“STOP THIS PLEASE!” Rarity shouted, as she could not stand watching him end his own life.

“SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!” Raúl screamed, as Pinkie Pie was now helping Spike restrain him as well. “SOMEONE PLEASE!” he begged, as he wouldn’t stop shaking. “WHY…WHY AREN’T YOU HELPING HIM…?!” he cried, not holding back the tears that ran down his face. “WHY…WHY IS NO ONE HELPING HIM?!!?!?!?!”

Pinkie was crying as she watched her friend slowly disintegrate piece by piece. How she was able to still keep a hold on Raúl despite unable to muster up her words was unknown to her. Perhaps it was her desire to prevent Raúl from suffering the same faith.

“F…Flutt…Flutt…er…..sh……..shy….!” Adalricus managed to say, as he reached out to her with his right hand again. As it soon reverted into its true form, a quarter of his face was covered in green flame as well. His eye carried the same appearance that his kind was easily recognized, baring the slit pupil that many would find intimidating. Although it was not a recognized slight to see a changeling’s eye releasing a heavy stream of tears. In fact, both eyes, changeling or not, had tears running freely down his face with without even a single blink. All he could do was cry endlessly as Fluttershy seemed unreachable by this point, despite his continued attempts to reach her.

Shining was speechless as he felt as if he was watching his own love one suffering like this. Changeling or not watching a living thing being shredded was not pleasant at all. While he rarely took a life before his very eyes, he at least gave them dignity and made their deaths as swiftly as possible. But this…was simply barbaric. What…THE BUCK AM I DOING?! Shining was sick to the core as this had gone on long enough; he cancelled out the spell and turned to Twilight. “TWILIGHT!”

The alicorn snapped back into reality as she blinked repeatedly. She failed to realize that Shining was the first to come to one’s own sense as well as her own tears. Immediately did she release Fluttershy who was sobbing and still banging against the spell. Once released, she fell to the ground gently but immediately rushed to Adalricus, who had fell to his knees moments before the barrier vanished. In no time at all Adalricus was surrounded.

“ADALRICUS!” Fluttershy cried as she hugged him. She caught him with his weight leaning towards her, and his breathing did not sound promising. The smoke did little to bother her as it already began to disappear from their surroundings. While it did not produce a disturbing scent, Fluttershy did her best to breathe as less as possible. “Adalricus…” Fluttershy’s voice was weak as it was cracking.

“No no no no no no no!” Raúl said as he instantly appeared right behind Adalricus and placed his hands on him. “Adalricus, ADALRICUS!” he said uncontrollability. His shaking would not cease as he just didn’t know what he could do. He was never used to this: losing control of a situation to this extent. Adalricus was still maintaining the same expression and same stance that he had before Fluttershy came to him. It was as if he was frozen like a statue, completely unaware that he was free from the magic that was destroying him and Fluttershy was with him once again. “Ad-Adalricus…”

Adalricus continued to cry as tears flowed down his face despite acknowledging just how much the situation changed for him. Fluttershy’s sweet fragrance immediately masked of what remained from that barrier spell, freeing Adalricus from that unappealing scent entirely. Her body felt so warm and comfortable tending to his own discomfort and possible hypothermia. Yet he did not lower his arm nor did he close his eyes to tend to his stressed mind. He just lacked the mental capacity to hug Fluttershy back and hold her tightly. Oh how dearly did he want to do that right now…

“Adalricus…why?” Shining asked with disgust as he clenched his teeth and hands while shaking his head once. “You…you…” He then paused and relaxed only slightly. “…I am sorry.”

Twilight looked at him with concern just as a few of her friends did. “…” She then looked to Adalricus who still failed to hug Fluttershy in return. Sadden, she moved closer to him only for Applejack to beat her.

Applejack carefully moved his arm down and adjusted both to wrap around Fluttershy. “…There.” A small smile emerged as Adalricus actually began to react; his hold on Fluttershy tightened and he actually began to blink repeatedly until his eyes closed.

His reaction brought nothing but relief to everyone around the couple that cared for each other deeply. Applejack smiled widely and glanced at Rainbow Dash and Rarity who were just as relieved. Hell while Rarity covered her mouth with joy, Rainbow Dash did her best to wipe away the tears that escaped from her eyes. Pinkie Pie however did not bother to hide hers as her humble smile was more than enough as she held her hands together and against her chest while Spike happily gave her a friendly gesture with a hand on her shoulder. And Raúl continued to cry despite a familiar smile appearing on his face as he placed a hand on Adalricus’ shoulder gently.

Fluttershy opened her eyes when she finally realized that Adalricus was reacting to her touch. She saw Raúl who then acknowledged her. He nodded with a smile much to her relief as Adalricus was going to be ok. “Adalricus…I thought that you were-”

“I love you.”

Fluttershy froze.

“I thought…that I was never going to be able to hug you at least one more time,” he confessed happily. And as expected, tears began to flow out of him once again.

Fluttershy began to experience the same thing as they held each other tightly. “…I love you too…”

Adalricus buried himself in her mane, gently stroking it as he finally began to smile.

“Adalricus…”

Adalricus gently pulled away from Fluttershy and looked at Shining.

“How could you do something like that? You were going to die had I not cancelled the spell; did you assume that I was going to cancel it when it reached a certain point?” Shining asked with confusion.

Adalricus shook his head as Fluttershy and Raúl helped him stand once again. “I actually thought that I could penetrate your spell and get to Fluttershy fast enough before I was unable to move. In fact, I didn’t realize that you cancelled the spell until Fluttershy hugged me,” he confessed with a soft smile.

Shining smiled as he crossed his arms. “And all of this for her.” He looked at Fluttershy who smiled shyly and continued to hold Adalricus’ arm closely. “Now that’s true love right there my changeling friend,” he said with a large grin.

Twilight nodded in agreement as she wiped a few tears from her face. “I am sorry that things became uglier like this Adalricus. I honestly thought that you would have yield with intimidation but you surprised me yet again. You are a unique changeling Adalricus…”

“Thank you,” Adalricus said kindly as he looked at Fluttershy with a warmer smile. He then looked to Raúl and was surprised by his current appearance. “Were you…crying…?”

Raúl shook his head as he rubbed his arm against his face. “What me? No it’s just what’s left of that stupid spell that’s irritating me,” he lied with a smile.

Adalricus started to laugh. “You’re such a-”

Adalricus stopped speaking. His expression softened as if he was pausing after realizing something. However, that did not seem to be the case as his expression remained frozen.

“Adalricus?” Twilight asked with confusion. “Are you-”

Before she could finish her question, Adalricus immediately lost his footing and fell against Raúl who immediately caught him.

“Adalricus!” Applejack shouted.

Adalricus’ expression changed from humbled joy to exhausted pain. He looked as if he just ran 5 miles without rest, as he was pouring sweat at an alarming rate and without the slightest of warnings. He was breathing faster with each passing second with no signs of relief seen. As expected, Raúl immediately acted.

“Adalricus damnit!” He quickly- (yet carefully)- placed Adalricus on his back and began to rip his shirt down the middle, exposing his upper body. Raúl moved his hands around checking for certain sighs that only he could recognize with changeling anatomy. “Buck- His temperature is completely volatile right now… I need ice!” he shouted.

Without question Spike and Twilight began to assist Raúl with what he needed while Applejack and Rainbow Dash got some pillows to better comfort Adalricus. “Be care; we should move his body as least as possible,” Raúl warned them.

“W-What’s w-wrong with h-h-him-??” Fluttershy asked. Now she was growing increasingly concerned at a dangerous rate. What was happening to Adalricus?

“He’s become unstable Fluttershy,” Raúl quickly explained as he was now working his hands. He cursed loudly as Adalricus’ frequent attempts to change his appearance left him disfigured. While this would fix itself naturally, Shining’s spell did caused severe damage to his system internally. “He’s taken too much damage. Now his system can’t naturally recover or even relax to the point where he can sleep,” he explained quickly.

“Well what can we do?” Spike asked as he arrived with ice.

“W-Wait, what about my love?” Fluttershy asked. “Changelings need that energy to survive r-right? C-Can’t it a-also help him heal?” she asked hopefully.

“That’s the issue Fluttershy.” Shining stood over them.

“W-What?” she asked with confusion.

“Changelings who are damaged magically for a certain period of time tend to lose their ability to naturally absorb said energy. I’ve seen this happen to changelings. Particularly when we scouted the kingdom after Chrysalis attacked; we found many of them who were severely affected to the point beyond recovery.” His expression seemed to darken as he knew that this was not a good thing for Adalricus.

“B-B-But there is a way to help him right?!” Pinkie Pie asked. She had difficulty controlling her voice as even she knew that this could mean possible death. “RIGHT?!” she then screamed.

Shining Armor did not sugarcoat it at all as he answered with, “I honestly don’t know; even to the best of our own knowledge we had no idea on how to at least save their lives had we wanted them alive. And pony medicine isn’t something that is guarantee to work on changelings…” He looked at the two changelings. “…be it full or half.”

Raúl gave no regard to what he said as he cursed again. “Shit I am losing him!” He did his best to adjust the position of Adalricus in order to properly stabilize his system. He was getting proper blood flow and his massages against certain points did help but only slightly. Realizing that he was running out of options, he closed his eyes and began to conjure a spell. Please work...

Almost instantly, Adalricus gasped and his heavily breathing ceased entirely. Regular breathing patterns seemed to be occurring as he did not appear as tense as he did before. The room remained silent as they were expecting him to open his eyes or give some form of acknowledgement to them. After what seemed like a minute, Shining stepped forward.

“What did you do?” he asked.

Raúl said nothing as he instantly dropped to the side of Adalricus thus causing even more drama.

“Raúl-!” said Twilight.

“I am okay!” he quickly said, raising a hand up. Yet he seemingly had difficulty holding said hand up; his arm was trembling. Eventually he gave up and allowed it to drop onto his chest. “I just need like a few minutes after that experience,” he explained.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked with concern.

Raúl took his time adjusting to a position where his legs were crossed. “Well…” He then sighed loudly out of exhaustion. “…I basically sent some of my life energy into him.”

“Your ‘life energy’??” Twilight asked. “What do you mean you ‘gave’ him your life energy??” To be honest, she was finding this very difficult to believe. “You can’t just do that! There’s no such thing!” she added.

“Well you’re not completely wrong,” Raúl explained as he rubbed his face repeatedly. The most annoying thing that he was experiencing was having his vision fading black. “Yes you can’t just give energy that would take away ‘life’ itself, but you can transfer your own body’s nutrition and blood to induce healthy body productivity.” With that, he closed his eyes and took in deep breaths.

“Wait, so you basically forced his body to take in a portion of your body’s essential in order to ‘force’ its natural recovery process?” Twilight asked.

Raúl nodded only slightly. “Yup. Since I couldn’t force his body to start a recovery process, I figure that I could simply ‘present’ it with a surplus of resources it needed to stabilize. With that, I could simply ‘nudge’ it in the right direction to do what was needed once it acknowledged what it had available… “

“Wait isn’t that dangerous?” Spike asked, as this still made little sense to him. “I mean, isn’t there a limitation to how much a living being can maintain? How do you know that he won’t suffer from over nutrition for that matter? Can he even keep as much blood as you gave him?” 

“Actually Spike, we changelings go into a state of hibernation that quickly consumes all of our body’s resources to fasten our naturally healing capabilities. In this case, he suffered so much damage that he can’t afford to awaken until an appropriate amount of time has passed. And because of how dangerously volatile our bodies can become, this process normally takes quite some time similar to that of being in a coma.” Raúl gently rubbed his face again. “Thus it’s safer to have another changeling or two donating an appropriate amount to assist with a recovery…”

“An ‘appropriate’ amount…?” Spike looked at his friends before asking, “And just how much did you give him?” He looked at Raúl uneasily.

Raúl said nothing for a few seconds. As if he did not wish to speak anymore for the next few minutes and wished to be left alone. However, he did open his eyes before answering with, “Enough.”

“Oh yeah like that’s a reassuring answer,” Rainbow Dash said with her eyes rolling. “But he will be ok, right?” she then asked, glancing at Adalricus. As expected, he still carried deformities with his physical appearance despite his calm sleeping face. And yet, she smiled at the thought that he was going to be ok regardless. “Well what now-”

Rainbow Dash was interrupted by the sudden darkness that occurred inside of Twilight’s home. Light had abandoned them all the moment the door was forcibly opened from the outside. All had turned to acknowledged the dark force that was slowly, but surely, approaching Twilight’s home. From their view, all that could be seen was a fog that was close to pitch black, and a faint brightness at the very end. It took some time before they were able to grasp the shape of King Somba appearing not 5 feet from where Adalricus lay in silent. 

His presence was beyond intimidating, as no one was able to muster up even the slightest of reactions. His cape gently flowed by the unseen wind that came into Twilight’s home, not even leaving so much as a chilling feeling. Those eyes of his represented hatred beyond the imagination, as he looked far from pleased. Had they not known better, they could swear that he came with the intent to kill every single one of them. But of course, they were not the reason why he was here to begin with.

The dark unicorn slowly walked up towards them, creating the sound of metal clanking gently by his movement. Again did his cape flow by an unseen wind, creating the familiar sound it could produce. His steps were not heavy, yet not gentle. He did not growl, yet he did not smile. It was as if all sound had muted by a spell, allowing only him to produce it. 

As he stood in front of Adalricus’ unconscious body, Fluttershy held him closer. It was not difficult for her to know why he was here, and what he was likely about to do. “N-No!” she said.

However, King Sombra lowered himself to one knee, gently touching the floor with his protected knee cap. He reached slowly for his son despite the protests from his son’s supposed lover. She trembled and shook her head repeatedly as he moved his hands under Adalricus’ body. She started to cry as he effortlessly lifted him up, regardless of her hold on him thus forcing her to release him. He held his son as all stared at them both, curious if he was going to say something to them. Perhaps voice his strong displeasure and blame them for what had happened to his son. 

Surprisingly however, his expression remained the same as he continued to look at his son’s sleeping face. And without even showing them any acknowledgement whatsoever, he turned away from them and started to walk towards the doorway, paying no mind to the weeping Fluttershy who was held closely by Pinkie Pie and Spike. Even Raúl seemed extremely displeased, as his expression was saddening by the results of everything that had just occurred. And Princess Celestia’s arrival had little effect on the situation, as King Sombra paid no mind to her as he continued to look at his son and walk past her.

The Sun Goddess covered her mouth in horror, as she saw the condition that the prince was in. He looked disfigured and yet, so peaceful. She knew that he was alive; she could sense it inside of him. And King Sombra obviously did not give the expression of sorrowfulness, as she watched him walk his son out of the tree house, leaving them entirely.

“What…” Princess Celestia looked to face everyone inside Twilight’s home. “…have you done…?”

> Cuando Nos Volvamos a Encontrar~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How is he?” asked Twilight.

“Well he is recovering faster and faster based on what I can tell. Although I doubt that he’s going to wake up anytime soon,” said Raúl. He continued to stare at the sky, as if pondering about the series of events that occurred this morning.

Twilight frowned as she leaned against the bench that they were sitting in. Barely an hour had passed since the climax between all of them occurred. She was sitting next to Raúl, whom she found completely alone while the Dark King was nowhere to be seen. As expected, he was likely within the train itself with his heir. It was safe to say that all ponies had abandoned the train station in fear of the hostile unicorn that intimidated them to no end. Then again, Twilight did consider the fact that he was forcing some of the train employees to work on taking them home.

That would also explain why Princess Celestia was speaking with various ponies regarding King Sombra and Prince Adalricus not twenty feet away from them. It was funny considering that it was almost as if they did not recently battle with him. Hell one would expect Princess Celestia attempting to strengthen her forces right this minute.

“So Princess Celestia is making sure that you’re able to travel towards the changeling kingdom without any issues. Or at least as close as this train can get you,” Twilight explained, knowing what Princess Celestia was up to.

Raúl laughed softly as he heard that. “I see. Well maybe I should give my regards to her for doing us such a favor,” he remarked with a gentle smirk.

“…” Twilight was obviously not convinced. “Are you being sarcastic-”

“YES I AM BEING SARCASTIC!” he said with annoyance. “Forgive me but nothing that you nor your ruler can do will make up for what has occurred today,” he confessed. Sighing, he leaned forward and began to rub his face. “I should have never brought him here…”

Twilight was naturally not amused with his anger but knew that she had to see things from his point of view. “Was it always Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie that kept the two of you here after all this time? 3 months in Ponyvile and you two didn’t seem to be concern with the risks here,” she pointed out.

“Has it been that long?” Raúl asked, taking a moment to cease the rubbing. “I honestly never kept track of how long it’s been since we arrived. And I think that even without Pinkie and Fluttershy we would have still remained.” Raul slowly lifted his body and shifted his position. “We just didn’t care about anything…”

Twilight was confused. “But how long were you actually planning to stay? I mean, you couldn’t have stayed away from your kingdom forever; you were obviously going to head back at a certain point, right?”

Raúl gave a slight nod. “True, we were going to go back home at a certain point, but we were not in a rush. Adalricus wanted to get away from his mother since she was always pampering him and never taking his words seriously,” he explained.

“I see…” Twilight turned her body slightly and looked at the train and thought about the changeling in topic. “Do you have a better idea of when he’ll wake up?”

Raúl turned his head slightly. “Why do you care-”

“Raúl,” Twilight said, interrupting him. She was giving a serious look as she turned to face him completely from her position. “I do care for you two. Even if you don’t believe me, I am giving you my word that the well-being of the two of you means something to me,” she explained.

Raúl looked at her for nearly a good minute. “…” He closed his eyes and leaned back before stating, “So you really were crying…”

Twilight’s expression lightened when she pointed out her reaction to Adalricus’ near-death experience. “I don’t want to talk about it…but I am just happy that he didn’t die,” Twilight said.

“Heh,” Raúl chuckled. “I was wrong about you and many things…”

Twilight looked at him.

“Ever since I came here, I’ve been proven wrong about your kind and I am actually happy. It gives me the idea that things can get better between our two races,” Raúl explained. “Adalricus’ hunch on you was spot on…” This time, Raúl actually smiled towards Twilight for the first time in a while.

Twilight was pleasantly surprised as she heard those words from him. She smiled for a few seconds before realizing something about Raúl. “Raúl, back there, you mentioned about us ponies being ‘terrible parents’…what did you…?” What he said with the usage of terms such as “deceiving” and “heartless” made the Alicorn wonder.

Raúl opened his eyes as she asked him that, soon abandoning his smile afterwards. “…” He placed his hands on his face, rubbing at a slow gentle pace before he began to speak. “My mother is a Pony,” he started.

“Your mother?” Twilight asked with a surprised tone.

Nodding, Raúl continued on. “My father was a changeling who befriended my mother after finding her lost in a forest near my country. From what I understood, she was an Earth pony who was recklessly drunk and wondered off by herself. When he found her, he actually pitied her to the point where he decided to help her find her way back home.” Raúl chuckled. “A changeling helping a venerable pony was something unheard of. Yet my father took a liking to her to the point where he checked up on her occasionally. At a certain point, they began a secret relationship without a single pony or changeling knowing about it.”

He paused as if he wanted Twilight to have more time understanding him. “I was eventually born however and my mother was shamed by the ponies who lived among the same community. As if playing the ‘victim’, she insisted that she was raped and completely disowned her abomination of a child. I learned that my father came for me to live with him and his sister, whom I today considered to be my own mother.”

“Your mother?” Twilight asked in confusion.

Nodding, Raúl elaborated. “While I knew from a young age that my aunt never carried me inside of her, she cared for me like her very own. I made the choice after I attempted to meet with my mother when I was quite young.” Raúl suddenly had an expression that was beyond unappealing. “She called me ‘disgusting’, saying that I was a ‘mistake’ that was just as bad as an ‘abomination’ to have ever existed. I truly believed that she would accept me as her own had she actually met me at a later age.” 

Raúl chuckled gently after realizing that he was actually telling Twilight what happened between him and his mother. “Why am I telling you this…?” he asked quietly.

Twilight’s expression lightens as she moves slightly closer to the changeling whom she pity. “She…didn’t accept you back, did she?” she asked softly.

“She didn’t. She…” He rubbed his face softly before tilting his head upwards. “She said that disowning me was the ‘best decision’ of her life. Hell she refused to speak with my father who still held feelings for her even after everything that has occurred. He was foolish, as his love for her continued on to the point where he started to experience the same symptoms that Adalricus was with Fluttershy,” he explained.

“Wait, what did Adalricus experience?” asked Twilight.

“Remember when Shining Armor placed up that pink barrier and Adalricus forced himself into it? Well the black smoke and abnormal disfiguration with his body was happening to him for quite some time when he started to have feelings for Fluttershy. I am guessing that Fluttershy wasn’t 100% sure of how she felt about him,” Raúl explained.

“Wait, so changelings do suffer a form of pain when they exchange their own love to a creature that doesn’t at least feel the same?” Twilight asked, gathering all the pieces together. “From what I actually know, it’s not normal for changelings to give ‘love’ when they’re not at least getting some form of it from the opposite side, right?”

Raúl nodded. “You’re quite right Twilight. Hell I was hesitating at first whether or not if I should keep allowing him to meet with your friend. But I thought that he would have a chance given by the type of changeling that he was,” said Raúl.

Twilight gave a slight nod. “So you also risked yourself with Pinkie Pie as well.”

“To be honest, it was mostly for the sex,” Raúl confessed with a laugh. “But we happened to hit it off pretty well when she showed me just how trustworthy and fun that she could be overall.” He smiled as he then looked at the sky. “I am going to miss her a lot,” he then said.

Twilight gave him a sad smile as she reached for his head and gently asked, “When you said, ‘the type of changeling that he was’, what did you mean exactly? I mean, you’re different from him and look at how things were between you and Pinkie…”

“Well I actually meant by not who we are by personality, but by who we are physically.” Raúl pointed out.

“I don’t understand-”

“We’re only half changelings, whereas our other half comes from a pony. Me, a mare. Him, a stallion,” Raúl pointed out with a slight nod. “Despite our seemingly lack of obvious pony-like traits, I figured that our hybrid anatomy would have made him less likely to have any negative consequences. Unfortunately, I was wrong; the same symptoms that took my father away was happening to him-”

“Wait, what do you mean?!” Twilight asked suddenly. “S-so he actually…”

“Died, yes.” Raúl said honestly. “My father wanted to reunite with her so badly that it drove him of hunger from lack of love. While me and his sister loved and care for him, that form of love was not enough. And the worse part of it all is that my birth mother knew that it would kill him and she still did nothing to at least make peace with him. She was nothing but a whore-”

“Don’t say that!” Twilight said with absolute disgust. “Yes it was terrible of her to abandon you and allow your father to die to that without remose but-”

“BUT ‘WHAT’ EXACTLY?!” Raúl shouted loudly, glaring at the alicorn. “DO TELL ME PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE TELL ME WHAT THE BUCK EXACTLY ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS SHIT?!” he yelled, glaring more and more at the purple pony beside him as he yanked his hand away. “You expect me to forgive that bitch after what she’s done?! Love for your child is supposed to be unbiased! Unconditionally! I’ve done nothing wrong to deserve such treatment from her! She did little to comfort me nor explain to me in greater detail to how she felt and why she felt that this was the most appropriate path for her to take! Was she being discriminated to the point that her own family disowned her? Was she doing this so that I would be safe? Was she doing this because I would have a better life with my father’s own race? I NEVER RECEIVED AS MUCH AS A LETTER TO WHY SHE DID THIS! Not even giving me even 5 minutes to actually talk to her, the most I ever got from that cunt was a single minute of verbal abuse and being chased away with a bucking broom!” he screamed, standing on his feet with his fists shaking at a dangerous rate. “I was forced to run away in the nearby forest where I ate nothing for 2 days before I found myself back to my home! I wasn’t even old enough to fly yet!” 

Twilight watched as Raúl voiced his anger towards ponies, slowly shaking as his face grew even redder with each passing second. Twilight slowly stepped up from the bench and slowly moved closer to him, seeing the pain in his face as she slowly hugged him. She could feel some of his tears pouring from his eyes as she pulled his face to her neck/shoulder. “I am sorry…for everything,” she said softly.

Raúl only allowed some tears to leave his eyes as he shut them as tightly as possible. Hearing her kind words humbled him to where his anger began to diminish. He took a deep breath and gently broke away before holding her hands and said, “Thank you Twilight. You’re…somepony that I can trust…” He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. “…as a friend.”

Twilight smiled in return as she came in for another hug that lasted for a few more seconds before pulling away. “It’s a shame that we can’t hang out anymore for the time being. At least, I do hope that we can meet again one day and soon enough?” Twilight hoped.

Raúl was not completely sure. “…We’ll see.”

“There you are!”

Both Raúl and Twilight turned to see Pinkie Pie and the rest of the mane six hurrying behind her. Spike and surprisingly Scootaloo were spotted closely behind them as well.

“Don’t tell me you’re leaving now Raúl!” Pinkie Pie whined, stopping right in front of him with a smile.

“Any minute I can possibly leave,” Raúl confessed with a sad smile. “Was thinking about you…” He came closer and held her closely as they shared a nose kiss with each other.

“How’s Adalricus?” Applejack asked, arriving with the rest of their friends. “Has he…you know, changed his condition?” she asked curiously.

“Well he is recovering, so that’s the good news,” Raúl said, gently moving away from Pinkie. “But he’s still in his partial coma…” He looked at the train behind him before facing them again. “How are you Fluttershy?” he asked kindly.

Fluttershy wasn’t crying or anything close to that, but she was deeply affected by what happened only an hour ago. “I-I am just worried about Adalricus…c-can I see him…?”

All had turned their eyes to Raúl, who sadly shook his head. “His father is likely on edge; there’s a very good chance that he won’t trust those who were former adversities to him. If anything, it’s best if none of you try to even enter the train itself just to be safe,” he explained. Obviously that brought up quite the verbal disagreement amongst them. “I am sorry but I dare not try to convince King Sombra to allow any but me to enter.”

“Perhaps you can convince him to come out here instead?”

All turned to see that Princess Celestia had soon became involved with the conversation itself. Naturally, all but Raúl had bowed once she joined their presence.

“Your highness,” Raúl said with a slight bow of his own. “May I ask why you request this?”

“Well I wanted to speak to him regarding about what has happened here. This was something that should have never occurred, and I worry that Chrysalis and Sombra may retaliate in response,” Celestia confessed. “I know that he is likely furious and-”

“That would be quite the understatement my dear Princess Celestia,” said a voice from above.

All looked up to acknowledged the devil himself, Discord. He seemed weary as he let out a long yawn before rubbing both eyes with a single hand. He floated above them as if he was leaning lazily on an invisible couch. “Really my dear, what on earth were you thinking having Shining Armor attempt to handle the situation of our honored guests? For shame!” he said in a wheezy tone.

“Discord…” Princess Celestia rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

“Not now Discord,” Twilight said with annoyance.

“Oh is that anyway to treat a friend of yours??” Discord asked. “I mean honestly; after everything we’ve been through-”

“DISCORD!” Princess Celestia thundered, causing the ground to shake for a few seconds. She was really not in the mood.

“Oh my I seemed to have angered you?” Discord disappeared and suddenly reappeared next to the sun goddess with a slight lean on her shoulder with his arms crossed as well. “Oh my, I feel just terrible for making you upset! As it’s quite the last thing that I would ever want to do!” he exclaimed with that familiar tone. He disappeared again and appeared on her left side this time. “Just what can I ever do to make it up to you, your majesty??” With that, he actually groped her large breasts after shifting his position to behind her. He grasped them firmly causing Princess Celestia to go red, as well as the rest of her subject.

“D-DISCORD!” In an instance, lighting came down striking where Princess Celestia stood with her attacker. As the blinding light vanished, so did the smoke that followed in that instance. However, the Alicorn was left untouched without a single scratch on her body. As for Discord however…

“Where did he-” started Raúl. However, the devil in question was sitting where he and Twilight were sitting not too long ago.

“Oh dear, I have really gotten on your nerves now haven’t I?” Discord said with a “gasp”. “Oh woe is me for being in trouble with the ruler of all Ponies!” he cried.

“WHAT.DO.YOU.WANT. DISCORD?!” Princess Celestia asked with a deep shade of red.

“Well if you must know, I wanted to see how our guests are doing. After all, I could hear all the ruckus from the other side of Ponyvile! Honestly, is it so demanding of me to have some peace and quiet as I nap after a stressful morning?” Discord asked with a dramatic tone.

“You? Under stress? That’s a good one,” Rainbow Dash said with her eyes rolled.

“Now Rainbow Dash, even I have times where I am doing something that tries me appropriately,” Discord claimed. He snapped his fingers and a handheld fan appeared. “Boy did that take a lot of magic out of me,” he claimed before cooling himself down.

Twilight raised an eyebrow before looking at Celestia, who exchanged the same reaction. “And just what was it that ‘took a lot of magic out of you’?” she asked, slowly walking towards him with everyone else.

“Why Twilight my dear, the releasing of King Sombra!” Discord said in a wheezy voice.

“Wait, what?” Raúl asked. Could it be?

“Excuse me?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow as well. “I don’t follow…”

“And just what do you mean exactly by that Discord?” Princess Celestia asked, not liking where this was going.

“Oh my, I do apologize for being SO vague about it my dear, dear, friends!” Discord said with a smile. “To clarify, I released King Sombra from his imprisonment, allowing him to rush to the aid of his son Adalricus,” he said flatly.

Every single pony’s (and Spike’s) jaw dropped when he confessed to perhaps the greatest of sins. “WHAT?!?!?!?!”

“So it was you?” Raúl asked, taking this new information quite well. “You freed him?” Even he was surprised with the possibilities of Discord’s own power.

“How is this possible?!” Twilight asked in great confusion. “Wait, why-”

“WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Princess Celestia screamed in horror. Discord freed King Sombra from his imprisonment just like that?

“Why did you do this?” Raúl asked calmly, but curiously.

“My dear friends, I am one who can manipulate the laws of physics and reality; it’s only a matter of how much magic I must use in order to get the results that I want~” he said smoothly. Obviously he was proud of himself. He suddenly disappeared and appeared next to the changeling, casually leaning on his shoulder just as before with Celestia. “Now as to why I did it, let’s just say that I did not like the direction that things were heading for you and your prince.” He smirked at Raúl who was pleasantly surprised.

“But back at the market a while ago, you said that you wouldn’t ‘help’ him out of the situation that he was in now,” he reminded him.

“Wait, you knew that they were in Ponyville this entire time?” Fluttershy asked, after realizing what he just said.

“Discord!” said every mare present.

“What? I knew that you would all overreact! Look at what has happened because of how you all tried to handle things!” Discord pointed out. “And my past relationship with both Chrysalis and Sombra forbid me from just simply ‘watching’ what was occurring! After all, I am the one who introduced them to each other~” he said, whistling as he disappeared and was floating above them yet again.

“Are you bucking kidding me?” Twilight said angrily. Discord’s colorful history did set a series of unfortunate events for more than just her and her friends. Hell how was this even possible that he knew so many of previous enemies of theirs?

“Now, now, that’s no way for a princess to speak Twilight,” Discord insisted. “Now into the matter at hand, I do believe that it’s best to take Raúl’s advice. In fact, I think that the train is about to leave now…”

As if on cue, the train whistle was blown loudly, causing a shift in the environment around them. Emotions changed as this meant that Raúl was about to leave with King Sombra and Adalricus.

“I guess this is goodbye huh?” Raúl asked, having a sad tone in his voice. He looked at Pinkie Pie and immediately held her closely. “Good bye Pinkie…”

Pinkie did not cry, but she was pretty damn close to it as she started to shake. Both of them enjoyed the moment for ten seconds before gently pulling away and shared a smile before kissing each other gently.

“Um, Raúl?”

Raúl stopped kissing Pinkie Pie and turned to see that Scootaloo had walked forward. She looked to the side, as if she was embarrassed about something. “I am…sorry about rating out on you and Adalricus…if I hadn’t said anything…” Guilt weld up inside of her.

Raúl chuckled. “Nah Scootaloo, there’s a good chance that we would have been founded out. Just you just take care of yourself alright?” He smiled as he took a step forward and played her head in a friendly gesture, causing her to smile softly.

“Write to us Raúl,” Applejack requested with a smile as she came closer and hugged him. “Tell Adalricus to do the same if possible,” she added.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, please do!”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her neck while looking to the side. “I wouldn’t mind getting a letter,” she confessed with a slight blush.

“You take care Raúl,” Spike said with a smile as he shook his hand.

“Tell Adalricus’ parents that we must have a drink sometime,” Discord said with a smirk from above.

After finishing the exchanges with them, he turned to Fluttershy and said, “I’ll make sure that he writes to you too ok?” Raúl promised.

Fluttershy simply nodded as a few tears left her eyes. She managed to smile softly as she moved in for a gentle hug. “T-Thank you…”

As Raúl turned to the royal subjects, he said, “Tell Shining Armor that I’ll get payback for our last fight one day,” He gave a cocky grin out of humor.

Twilight smiled as she hugged him and said, “I will…”

Raúl turned to Princess Celestia. “Your highness,” he said before giving a small bow. “I think that things will be ‘quiet’ between our two races for the time being. I’ll contact you somehow if something comes up,” he promised.

A small smiled formed. “Thank you Raúl…please give my regards to Adalricus.”

With that, he turned to Pinkie Pie one last time and gave yet another kiss. “Love you~”

“Write to me okay??” Pinkie Pie asked, as a teary smile soon came as they broke away.

“I will…” With that, Raúl gently broke away from her and started to rise himself into the air. He saluted them and began to fly towards the train that was already on the move. Conveniently, he landed on the last cart just as it began to pass the ticket booth. He waved at them until they were no longer in view, indicating that they were indeed out of Ponyville.

He stood there for perhaps a few minutes before sighing and entering the cart. As expected, it was empty given with the arrival of King Sombra and his heir. He continued to walk until he reached the fifth cart, to where a dark atmosphere was present. At the end of the corner, King Sombra sat with his arms and legs crossed, staring out the window. His expression was calm, as if it were just another day in his life. His eyes shifted to Raúl as the changeling came closer and closer while they passed the landscape at a fast rate.

“Your highness,” said Raúl, bowing lower than he did for Princess Celestia. “How is he?” he asked.

“Quite the same as a matter of fact,” King Sombra said coolly. He closed his eyes and sighed before adding, “However, I am pleased that you’ve managed to keep his body stabilized to the point where all he needs is rest.”

“Of course, his life is my own,” Raúl said humbly. Sitting down from across the powerful dark unicorn. “Discord informed me that he freed you from your imprisonment. Had it not been for that, both me and Adalricus could have been in trouble…” He also looked in the same direction as Sombra. “…”

“He has my gratitude,” King Sombra simply said. He closed his eyes as if he was pondering about something. After a minute, he asked, “This pony that my son was obsessed with…was she presently nearby when we left?”

“She was,” confirmed Raúl, turning his eyes towards the king.

“I would have liked to meet her…”

This time, Raúl turned his head completely in his direction. “Your majesty?” he asked in confusion.

“It still makes me curious to why my son was obsessed with this mare to the point that he risked his own life,” he confessed. “Tell me, who was it? Describe her to me.”

Raúl paused for a few seconds to muster up what he needed to say. “She is the one with a pink mane and yellowish body tone. She is known as Fluttershy and she is one of the close allies of Twilight Sparkle. You may remember her and them when you came into her home where you carried Adalricus away and when you attempted to retake the Chrystal Empire long ago.” He explained.

He turned his head slightly and gave a stern look towards Raúl. “Twilight Sparkle?” He blinked a few times before remembering who she was. “Ah yes…her. I remember her and her friends. Especially after recently seeing them when I came to find my child on the ground floor.” He closed his eyes. “So this…’Fluttershy’…she also happened to have quite large breasts, correct?” He opened his eyes this time.

“That’s the one my king,” Raúl confirmed.

“Heh, well I take it that it was more than just her body that he was after, correct?” He leaned back and watched Raúl for a few seconds longer.

“…” Raúl also leaned back and mimicked the king before him. Only this time, he looked out the window. “He was in love with her your highness…he, put everything at risk just to hold her at least one last time.” A smiled merged after speaking those words.

King Sombra looked at him for a while before saying, “Hmpf, of course…” He also looked out the window.

After hearing his response, Raúl decided to check on the prince of topic. “I am going to check on him…” Standing up from his seat, he began to walk past Sombra, where he came across closed curtains on either side of him. “Oh and before I forget…” He leaned backwards and looked at King Sombra. “Discord insists that he would enjoy a drink with you and Queen Chrysalis,” he explained.

“HEH!” said King Sombra. “Not likely; he’s a jackass.”

A wide smirk appeared on Raúl’s face as he leaned forward yet again, failing to see a smirk on the King himself as he continued to look at the landscape.

Raúl passed three compartments before finding the right one. He walked through and much to his surprise, found Adalricus awake and looking out the window from his bed. “Adalricus…”

Adalricus turned his head slightly and saw Raúl. “Raúl…” He gave a small smile, as he was pleased to see his close friend yet again. His physical appearance seemed to improve as he was less and less disfigured. He mostly carried a changeling appearance with only small hints of pony-related traits. “I trust that you are well?”

“That I am,” Raúl said, as he moved and sat across from Adalricus from the other bed. “How long have you been awake? I assumed that it would be at least a week before you awoke again,” he confessed.

“The moment my father placed me in my bed. He doesn’t know that I am awake, but telling from the look of my situation, I am assuming that we’re returning home?” he asked, looking out the window again.

“We are,” said Raúl. “They all wanted to see you before we left…we thought that you were still sleeping?” Raúl was confused why Adalricus pretended to be asleep.

Adalricus looked down as he heard Raúl’s words. “Fluttershy was there too, wasn’t she?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t she show up?” Raúl asked.

“…” He closed his eyes. “I…couldn’t let her see me like this.” he explained.

“What?”

“At the moment I can’t even do a transformation. I attempted to change my body into a pony again but it failed and I felt nothing but pain again. At the very least, I tried to simply remove as many pony traits on my body, thinking that it would lessen the strain on me. Lucky for me, I do feel a lot better because of it,” he explained.

“Well that’s good,” Raúl said with a relief. “But that means that you could walk right? You could have seen Fluttershy and-”

“Did you not hear what I just said? I don’t want her to see me like this!” Adalricus argued.

“But you’re not as disfigured as before! You look great as you are right now-”

“I don’t want her to see me as a changeling Raúl!” Adalricus said angrily. He shook gently as he said those words. “I…I never want to see that look on her face again!”

Raúl couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What, THIS again? You know that Fluttershy cares about you!” Raúl argued.

“Not like this…I can’t bear the thought of her being disgusted with my changeling appearance…” Adalricus’ expression was tensing up.

“She’s not disgusted with your looks Adalricus! Hell she hugged me goodbye and I was still like this: a changeling!” Raúl explained sharply.

“That’s not good enough Raúl!” Adalricus argued yet again. “It’s just not good enough!”

“I…” Raúl wanted to say something but couldn’t. Adalricus was self-conscious about how Fluttershy looked at him and Raúl couldn’t convince him otherwise despite his desire to. Realizing that he could not assure his friend, he decided to leave him be. “I won’t tell your father that you’re awake…but let me know if you want to talk ok?” With that, he stood up and began to walk out.

“Raúl?”

Raúl stopped and turned his head.

“You’re a good friend, thank you.”

Raúl’s expression softened when he heard those words. He smiled and nodded as he left the prince alone.

Adalricus then decided to lie down and stare straight at the ceiling. He thought about Fluttershy endlessly since he woke up, and the terrible memory of her reaction towards his disfigurement continued to hunt him. Regardless, he thought about her every single possible second that he could. Glancing out the window yet again, he began to softly sing:

“Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
No dejare de contemplar la madrugada
No habrá mas llanto regado sobre tu almohada
No habrá mañana que no te quiera abrazar

Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
Ya no habrá tiempo para tristes despedidas
No habrá un instante que no adore de tu vida
No habrá una tarde que no te pase a buscar
Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar

Cuando nos volvamos a encontrar
No dejare de contemplar la madrugada
No habrá mas llanto regado sobre tu almohada
No habrá mañana que no te quiera abrazar

Y traerá tu amor la primavera
Y una vida nueva que aprender
Nada volverá a ser como ayer!
”


****Meanwhile****

Fluttershy and Twilight stood inside her cottage home, finding a mess of broken furniture and spilled tea all over her rug. For some miracle reason, her tea set was still intact with barely any damage seen whatsoever. The walls were also seemingly fine, as neither mare could spot any damage either.

“By Celestia, they really did have a confrontation here,” Twilight said with a frown. “Princess Celestia did promise to pay for any damage to your home Fluttershy,” she said with a small smile. “I am so sorry- Fluttershy?” 

Twilight just finally noticed that Fluttershy was not paying attention to her. Fluttershy slowly lowered herself to where a pillow of her couch was on the ground, covering something. Slowly removing it, she found a bouquet of flowers that were nearly destroyed in the process of Celestia’s and Adalricus’ confrontation. Most of the petals were scattered, with the stems snapped into pieces. But they mattered little as Fluttershy spotted a small white card under 3 large petals. Lifting it carefully with both hands, both she and Twilight read the card silently in their minds:

To the sunshine in my life, my dearest friend Fluttershy~

Fluttershy’s hands slowly trembled as a steady flow of tears came almost immediately. She made some noises that were difficult to comprehend, before she let out her emotions completely. She cried and cried endless to where her face became completely red, causing Twilight to immediately hug her friend…

> The desire~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Cake whistled as he finally got the last tray of cupcakes from the oven. The sweet smell of velvet cupcakes tempted him to no end, as this was all because of a rare special order that was recently received. He felt slightly envious, as he rarely had the chance to make his own batch of velvet cupcakes dude to his lack of consistent carving. It was funny how he only cared for sweets the moment they were presented to him.

“Hmm…maybe I have enough time to whip up another batch?” he wondered aloud. As he placed the tray of cupcakes on the table, another thought occurred. “Or maybe I should ask Pinkie-”

“YOU CALLED???”

“AHHHH!”

Mr. Cake nearly fell backwards as Pinkie’s sudden cabinet entry nearly cost him a heart-attack. He clutched his chest before he resumed his proper breathing patterns. “PINKIE!” he said with anger.

“YES?” she asked, completely oblivious to his annoyance. “Did a letter come from me???” she asked, showcasing excitement.

“What? No, I wanted to see if you could help me with baking something…”

All the potential joy and excitement soon drained from her expression, instead now showing depression. “Oh…” She lowered her head in sadness as she helped him up to his feet again.

Mr. Cake’s anger vanished as he could tell what was on her mind. “I am sure you’ll hear from Raúl and Adalricus soon Pinkie. Just stay optimistic will you?”

“But it’s been sooooooo long!” Pinkie Pie whined, leaning her upper body on the table.

“It’s been 2 days,” Mr. Cake remarked.

“That’s still ‘sooooooo long’!” Pinkie cried.

“Look I am not an expert on geography but chances are that they’re still traveling at the moment. Hell they have just arrived at their home as we speak,” Mr. Cake pointed out.

“But I don’t like to waiiiiiiiit!” Pinkie Pie whined. In all honestly she had never been so impatient before other than the time Rainbow Dash went to the Wonderbolt’s academy. As she walked out of the kitchen and headed out the door, it suddenly opened.

“Pinkie-” Applejack said before ceasing her movement. “Sorry bout that!” she then said.

“Oh, hey AJ…” Pinkie Pie smiled, feeling slightly better. “What’s up?”

“Oh I was just wonderin’ if you heard from Raúl and Adalricus at all,” said Applejack. “To be honest, Rainbow Dash and Twilight have told me that Fluttershy has been isolating herself and stuff…”

That immediately humbled Pinkie into worrying about her friend. “B-B-But when was the last time she actually left her cottage? I mean, she has to take care of her animals, right?”

Applejack frowned. “Doesn’t seem like recently; she ain’t really all for leavin’ her home and stuff. Hell we tried to invite her to Sugarcube Corner just so she could clear her head from the drama that happened not too long ago.”

“Well maybe we can just talk to her about stuff? Heck I am feeling as much pain as her and I didn’t think to even connect with her…” Pinkie Pie frowned from the guilt that filled her. Then an idea popped in her mind. “You know what, I am going to see her right now!” With that, she suddenly rushed past Applejack and headed towards Fluttershy’s home.

Applejack leaned against the wall as Pinkie’s sudden exit took her by surprise. “Woah she’s fast-” Applejack finally regained her balance as she poked her head outside to spot Pinkie running in the distance. “How the hell is she that fit when all she eats is sweets???”

“Tell me about it; she has a high metabolism!”

Applejack blinked as she finally acknowledged Rainbow Dash’s arrival. “Hey,” said Applejack with a smile. “Came to talk to her as well?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nah, I was just flying by while completely bored…” Rainbow Dash sighed as she lowered her head. “I feel kinda bad for how I acted,” Rainbow Dash confessed. “I didn’t realize just how much they meant to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.”

“Eh you shouldn’t feel too guilty Rainbow. I mean, you were just looking out for Fluttershy and stuff,” said Applejack.

“Yeah but that was because I thought that they were trying to harm her! But I was completely wrong,” Rainbow Dash remarked with annoyance. She walked past Applejack and entered Sugarcube Corner before adding, “I wish that we never found out until after Adalricus told Fluttershy… Seems like things would have been less chaotic…”

“Well there’s no guarantee that it would have Rainbow…” Applejack frowned as she followed Rainbow Dash.

Meanwhile…

“That wasn’t how I wanted things to turn out ok?”

“I am not saying that you were trying to kill him, but you should have used something less lethal!”

“His power broke my own protective shield Cadence; I didn’t think that he would attempt to do something so suicidal! I mean, the fact that he tried to penetrate that barrier by just walking through it wasn’t something that you would expect from a changeling!”

Princess Cadence gave Shining a stern look as she held her arms crossed. Both stood just outside the throne room of Celestia and Luna who were speaking with Twilight for nearly 5 minutes. Cadence had just heard the news and was shocked to learn who was present and who was greatly affected by the series of events. Yes, Cadence knew that Shining wasn’t the type of pony who would be ruthless even to the worst of their enemies, but she couldn’t help but be disgusted with what happened.

“Still…for Chrysalis to have a child…? And Sombra is the father…?” Cadence shook her head repeatedly. “I would never think that they had a relationship together…” Her face actually grew a shade of red from the very idea.

“Well Discord did say that the two of them met at a certain point. Apparently Changelings becoming pregnant for a royal heir takes quite a long time. At least, that’s what he said about the royal queen.” He paused for a moment. “He didn’t even say how old she was-”

Shining was interrupted as the doors to the throne room suddenly opened without warning. Twilight and the two royal sisters walked out with neutral expressions until they acknowledged the royal couple. 

“Shining!” said Twilight with a smile.

“Ah, forgive us. We were not expecting you two to be here waiting!” Princess Luna said with a surprised tone.

“It’s quite fine your highness,” insisted Shining.

“What brings you here?” asked Princess Celestia.

This time, Princess Cadence stepped forward. “Well I just learned about what happened in Ponyville and I am quite concern with the situation that is occurring now. This ‘Raúl’ said that nothing should occurred between our two species and that he would contact you correct?”

Princess Celestia gave a slight nod. “I trust him to let us know if anything was on the rise. Why do you ask?”

“Well has he contacted us yet?” Princess Cadence asked.

All three princesses raised an eyebrow. “What’s on your mind Princess Cadence?” asked Princess Luna. “I honestly doubt that any attack will-”

“Well I am actually worried about this ‘Adalricus’ character that I’ve heard so much about,” said Princess Cadence. “He had a close relationship with Fluttershy, correct?” She looked at Twilight.

“Well yes, yes he did,” admitted Twilight.

“Well I was wondering if there was any way for me to able to see him?” she requested.

Suddenly, all ponies had dropped their jaws. “WHAT?”

Meanwhile…

“Unbelievable! Those…those…those…I WILL DESTROY THEM!” Snarled Queen Chrysalis.

King Sombra looked out the window as the queen of changelings continued to take out her anger on her belongings. He eventually turned to see that she had completely destroyed the room that they were in; green flames and ashes were all that was left. Rolling his eyes, he took one step forward and all of the damage vanished, immediately replaced by new decorations and furniture. The only other who was currently present in the room was Raúl, who simply stood by the doorway with his hands behind his back keeping his professional bearing. Like Sombra he simply kept his cool while the enraged Queen continued to rant on what happened to her child. Safe to say that she could easily snap and attempt to rip one of their heads off. And Raúl was not feeling lucky…

“First I’ll gather all of my forces to raid all of the nearest pony villages, beheading every little stallion and mare while the younglings flee to warn their whore queen of my fury! The intimidation that I shall bring will literally carve nightmares into the very mindset that they live with every single day! The very idea of spotting even a glimpse of a single changeling will cause such anxiety that they commit suicide! I swear that I won’t stop until every drop of their filthy blood perfectly coats every inch of my castle-”

“ENOUGH.”

King Sombra’s voice thundered despite the calm demeanor that he held before them. He did not eye either of them but it did not make his presence any less intimidating. After a few seconds, he said, “I do believe that the well-being of our child is hardly less of a priory than extracting revenge on ponies.” His eyes turned to Chrysalis. “So perhaps you can tone it down Chrysalis?”

Queen Chrysalis was naturally from pleased with what she was being told. “Ugh you lack the drive for retribution? It’s because of those ponies that our son almost lost his life! They deserve nothing less than death!” she spat.

“Oh do not misunderstand me Chrysalis,” said King Sombra as he slowly turned towards her. “I would love nothing less than to reap havoc upon those who are responsible for the condition that my son is in. However, I rather focus my attention on my son’s recovery and remain close to him.” He then turned towards Raúl who was still silent. “Because blood is more reliable than those who are not.”

Raúl was barely fazed by the criticism that Adalricus’ father was bestowing upon him. In truth barely any of the blame towards what happened to Adalricus was aimed towards him. He simply closed his eyes and gave the slightest of nods before saying, “Familia es todo.” in agreement.

“Yes it is Raúl,” said King Sombra before he took a few steps closer. “Why you and Adalricus left the safety of this castle is beyond my understanding, but you placed your life in front of his. You may have gone ahead and recklessly traveled into hostile territory with him despite the obvious dangers, but you nonetheless continued to make sure that he lived for another day. Had it not been for you, there’s a good chance that my son would not be in his room resting at this very moment. And for that, you deserve praise for such deeds.”

Both Raúl and Chrysalis perked their eyebrows, knowing that praise that came directly from a figure such as him was almost unheard of. That and Chrysalis was urging for an opportunity to unleash her anger upon him, only to see the point in Sombra’s words. Yes, Raúl was irresponsible with his duties but he nonetheless acted at the right time and did what was needed. That being said however, did not settle Raúl’s mind.

“With all due respect, I am just thankful that Adalricus is still with us despite his displeasure with how things went,” said Raúl. “And if I may, your highness, I do believe that we need to discuss this with Adalricus himself.”

Queen Chrysalis was dumbstruck by his suggestion. “Why on earth would we involve Adalricus into this? Surely he has better things to worry about than those despicable ponies who attempted to kill him!” she argued.

A small sweat drop dripped from the side of Raúl’s head when he heard her words. Considering on how on edge she currently was, he chose his words carefully. “With all due respect my queen, the ponies were simply attempting to restrain us and lost control when we resisted. If anything, Celestia wanted to make it so that we both were escorted back here even by force. However, Adalricus refused to leave unless it was under our own terms,” he explained.

It took only a few seconds before Sombra and Chrysalis completely comprehended what he just said. “And this was because my heir did not want to leave due to his desires to see a mare named Fluttershy,” said King Sombra.

“What?” Queen Chrysalis remarked.

“He told me himself,” said King Sombra with a nod. “It seems that he has fallen for one of the closest allies of one of our most hated enemies, Twilight Sparkle.”

“WHAT?!” Queen Chrysalis’ jaw dropped after hearing the elaboration from Sombra. “T-Twilight Sparkle’s…closest ally-” She immediately stopped as her face converted from shock and confusion, to pure annoyance as she face-palmed her face. “Oh do I need a drink…” As expected, the changeling queen immediately dropped into a nearby chair while Raúl immediately left the room to fetch her a drink. “Why does everything terrible happen to me?” she asked weakly.

King Sombra actually gave a chuckle as he moved closer. “Faith does work in strange ways Chrysalis,” he said.

“My own child yearns for one who is close to one of my greatest enemies…GAH it’s like the gods are laughing at me and making a mockery out of my life! Like some poorly written sitcom!” she complained.

King Sombra stopped smiling. “What is a ‘sitcom’?”

Queen Chrysalis blinked. “What?”

“What is a sitcom?”

“How do you not know? It’s a type of televised entertainment… Oh wait, you’ve been sealed for so long…” Queen Chrysalis rolled her eyes after realizing the issue here.

King Sombra gave a stern look. “Well excuse me for not being more familiar with this era’s form of entertainment,” he said with annoyance, just as Raúl returned.

“To be fair your highness, we only received such entertainment quite recently.” He held a tray containing an odd-looking alcoholic beverage towards Queen Chrysalis, offering her what she requested. “But now that you’re free, you have all the time in the world to refresh your knowledge with modern events that have occurred since your sealing,” Raúl pointed out.

Before the dark unicorn could respond, Chrysalis decided to continue on as she finally accepted his drink. “Bah! Can’t believe that he would fall for that tramp! My young perfect son corrupted by bucking pony skanks who took advantage of his innocence!” She took a gulp of her strong drink and gasped instead of sighing. A glare was unleashed upon it. “Now my little sweetie is in bed with barely an inch of his life hanging…” Her glare of death suddenly converted into sadness and miserableness. “I will destroy them all!” she snarled, immediately glaring again as her horn glowed and her drink shattered.

“I should also mention that there were ponies who were supporting us your highness,” Raúl pointed out, as her sudden outburst failed to faze him. “In fact, there was one particular pony whom I personally-”

“-slept with?” King Sombra interrupted.

Raúl was actually stunned this time. “Excuse me-”

“Oh for the love of- tell me that you did not sleep with the rainbow maned one!” Queen Chrysalis cried in annoyance as she face-palmed herself again. “I always had a feeling that you were into the ‘rough’ females!”

“Actually, I believe that it was the pink pony correct?” King Sombra assumed with a gentle smirk.

Raúl’s face turned completely red. “T-The point that I am trying to make is that a good amount of these ponies actually cared for our well-being despite the hostilities that we experienced. Hell I was surprised with how much Twilight Sparkle cared for our well-being. Even Celestia was horrified with what occurred and I can guarantee you that it was not just because they feared war with you,” he managed to explain.

“And your point?”

“My point, your highness, is that we shouldn’t be so quick to judge every single pony just like that. This was a complete incident that I honestly doubt that they intended to make a reality. They wouldn’t stop asking questions about Adalricus’ condition before we left and actually requested that I would inform them with updates,” Raúl explained.

Both of them looked at Raúl with curiosity as Queen Chrysalis did not like where he was going with this. “You’ve actually bonded with them…”

“As has Adalricus,” Raúl confessed. “We both have become close to quite a few ponies within Ponyville, and Adalricus does intend to contact them once again.”

“What?!” Queen Chrysalis snarled as she suddenly stood up from her chair. “I will not allow him to ever exchange words with those ponies ever again! Or any pony for that matter! I forbid it!”

“My son was left vulnerable and almost lost his life because of Celestia’s poor response with his presence in her lands! It will be a cold day in hell itself before I allow my son to even acknowledge their attempts to reach him themselves!” King Sombra snarled. “They are not worthy of even speaking his name!”

“Well whether either of you approves of this or not, you can’t prevent Adalricus from doing what he wants. He’s become increasingly independent since we left this castle, and you both know well enough that he’s proven that actions speak louder than words…” Raúl gave them a stern expression as he leaned forward slightly and added, “And the fact that he almost committed suicide for the case of love, tells a lot about how far he’ll go even against your wishes…”

While what Raúl just said to them could have easily resulted in terrible consequences for him, he knew that they would be unable to deny the actual facts. Both exchanged glances as their expressions lightened during each passing second, indicating that they had yield to what he just explained.

“Gruhhhhhh…” Chrysalis continued to groan as she rubbed her temple with one hand endlessly. “Fair point Raúl…I must admit…”

“Indeed…” King Sombra gave a slight nod as both he and the mother of his heir humbled themselves.

“Regardless, it’s not possible for my son to continue associating himself with this ‘Fluttershy’…”

Raúl was not impressed. “But why-”

“Don’t you see? It’s all politics Raúl; we, his parents, have a troublesome relationship with a particular family of rulers who are closely associated with ponies that you and Adalricus have a relationship with. Our interests conflict with theirs on many levels and actual development of diplomatic relations is nearly impossible due to trust issues between both us all,” King Sombra explained with a slight grunt.

“Surely we can fix that? I mean, nothing is impossible my king,” Raúl suggested. “Yes they did not approach the situation in the matter that we wanted, but sparking hostile actions wouldn’t work in our favor so simply. If anything, I say we should take advantage and try to gain something from all of this without blood being spilled,” he explained with a smile.

“A little late for that don’t you think?” Queen Chrysalis growled.

“True but you can still gain something from this and make things more favorable for our kingdom. But to do that, we would need Adalricus to play the most important role in all of this,” said Raúl.

“And what exactly would be his role in all of this?” King Sombra asked.

Giving a slight nod, a small chuckle escaped his lips before he looked to the side while closing his eyes and saying, “The role as a  ambassador.”

Meanwhile…

“Yes in theory I can make it possible, but isn’t it dangerous when he’s in a venerable condition?” Luna crossed her arms and kept her eyes closed.

“It’s simply communicating via dream sequence; just how dangerous could it possibly be?” asked Princess Cadence. “Surely whenever you visit the dreams of others, you’re not doing any potential harm are you?”

Princess Luna seemed offended as she suddenly opened her eyes. “Of course not! What I do is to make sure that I can assist as many subjects as possible within my own power! There are rarely any issues following my visits!” she spat. Honestly, it was bad enough that some would dare bring up the possibility of her causing harm after her redemption from her previous crimes.

Princess Cadence happily grasped her hands together as her wings lifted, obviously pleased with what she heard. “Then we shouldn’t have any issues correct? Please auntie, I must speak with Adalricus!”

Princess Luna started to relax after hearing the request from her niece, realizing just how persistent she really was. “I don’t know Cadence… I mean, I am quite concerned for your well-being once you meet him; how will he react once he meets you?”

This time, Cadence became confused with what she was told. “What consequences are there…?” As far as she knew, Cadence didn’t think that she could actually be harmed while maintaining a dream state of being with her aunt. “Is there something different when visiting the dreams of changelings?” she asked.

Unsurprisingly Princess Luna gave a nod to her question as she soon followed with, “Dreams that are brought on by their species are quite hostile when visited. This is because the natural magic that exists within them acts oddly while they sleep. I have yet to completely understand why this occurs, but the experience of visiting their dreams is quite unique.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds before finishing with, “And the fact that he’s a mix of pony and changeling, makes me wonder…”

That would be something, Cadence agreed in her thoughts. “Well judging from his reputation, he seems civilized enough… I do believe that he will be more approachable compared to your previous experiences; with all due respect of course!”

Princess Luna gave a stern look towards her niece, not entirely convinced with her words. Then again, she could be right and it would make things a lot easier on their minds if they were able to communicate with the prince himself. This Adalricus is quite popular,  she noted in her mind. Sighing, she gave a slight nod before answering, “Very well, let’s proceed night shall we?” With that, Princess Luna led her niece out of her chambers and back into the hallway, where Celestia, Twilight, and Shining waited. “We have decided to go ahead and attempt to reach Adalricus,” she explained. “Tonight would be best, as he’s more likely to be asleep and reachable.”

“Is this going to be safe for you two?” Twilight asked curiously. “I know that Adalricus isn’t aggressive, but he may have trust issues with us after his relocation by force.”

“Twilight he didn’t show any hostile intentions towards us when he reunited with Fluttershy. I do think that he wouldn’t mind a visit from Luna and Cadence if they wanted to speak to him,” Shining Armor pointed out. 

“You trust him Shining Armor?” asked Princess Luna. When he nodded, she looked to her sister. “What of you sister?”

Princess Celestia nodded as well. “He has a good heart. Perhaps better than all of us combined.”

Satisfied with what was said, Princess Cadence responded, “Then let’s do this!”

Meanwhile again…

“He does not understand politics Raúl! It would be pointless if Adalricus attempted to represented this kingdom when he has little experience socializing with other cultures! Even with the time that you two spent away from here isn’t justifiable for this!” King Sombra argued.

Queen Chrysalis couldn’t agree more. “Why do you believe that my son can successfully play the role of an ambassador of my kingdom after what they’ve done to him?! He would likely snap and slit their throats-”

“Your son is stronger than you think your highness,” Raúl interrupted. “He is capable of forgiving them and would do anything to see Fluttershy again. Hell he’ll insist that he wants to go ahead with this because it gives him a crucial opportunity to see new things again,” he added.

King Sombra let out a howl of laugher, which took even Queen Chrysalis by surprise while Raúl stopped smiling. “Ah yes, this Fluttershy that my son is fascinated with…does he truly hold feelings for her as you said? Not once has my son wanted to speak with me ever since we left Ponyville, and so I know little about how he really feels. But you, you alone have actually seen this situation since its beginning no?” Raúl nodded, pleasing the dark unicorn. “So has he told you anything about what he plans to do?”

Both Raúl and Chrysalis were confused by his question. “What do you mean by that exactly?” Chrysalis asked.

“Was he so ‘in love’ with Fluttershy that he would attempt to wed with her?” he elaborated. 

“What are you-”

“Perhaps my king,” answered Raúl. “He cared a lot for her to the point where he almost got himself killed…” As expected, Raúl did not showcase a smile at all when he said that.

“Hmmm…” King Sombra closed his eyes and began to walk towards the window, presenting himself in the opening to any who would be spying on them. “…” He opened his eyes and looked across the landscape of the changeling kingdom that was before him. “Why not bring her here then?”

The room became dead silent the moment he said those words. While Raúl’s expression lightened almost immediately after hearing his question, there was an abnormal delay in how Queen Chrysalis was reacting. Once it reached its peak, her expression was best described as “dumbfounded” as her body turned completely towards his direction. She faced him while keeping her baring the same as a solid stone statue. Raúl caught note of this and focused his attention on her, curious if she was going to immediately let hell break loose on her lover. Surprisingly however, she said nothing despite given the opportunity to do so.

“Well I mean…that would be quite complex your highness?” Raúl asked, unsure with how Queen Chrysalis truly felt. He then looked over towards her to see that she was not attempting to take part in the conversation again. Highness?

“Hmmmm… Well now that I think about it, perhaps it would be pointless; inviting either of our enemies into this territory is not exactly ‘appealing’ in their eyes now is it? Perhaps a neutral location would better suit for diplomatic affairs…” King Sombra looked to Queen Chrysalis and then Raúl before asking, “Given that I do not support the idea of having my son dealing with Celestia and her subjects, perhaps you would be better suited for this?”

***Later that night***

“Are you ready Cadence? I warn you, it’s quite dangerous for you the farer apart we become when we travel to the prince’s dream. Thus I cannot stress enough that you mustn’t wander too far from my side.”

Princess Cadence nodded in agreement as she began to relax. “I understand auntie; I am ready now.”

Pleased with her niece, Princess Luna closed her eyes and waited until Princess Cadence fell asleep after a few minutes later. Her state of conscious soon found itself where reality was flexible to any who visited it. Princess Luna found herself standing alone within darkness until Princess Cadence’s dreams began to form, revealing their new environment on top of the castle. It was silent for a few seconds before a sudden rush of wind arrived to lift them up into the air. That sparked a smile in Luna’s face, as the environment suddenly began to change once again.

“Quite the rush no? I do enjoy a nice breeze,” Luna admitted with a small smile.

“It’s so odd that dreams can make you think that it’s real,” commented Cadence. She smiled as their surroundings turned completely white. “So how do we find him?”

“Leave that to me~” she said smoothly. She closed her eyes and they soon began to travel at a fast rate towards a particular direction. Thanks to Luna’s magic, Cadence had no trouble traveling as fast as she did towards their destination. After what felt like ten minutes, they eventually found themselves approaching a large castle that was designed differently than what they typically saw. “Oh yes, that’s her home…”

Princess Cadence blinked as they landed on the roof before saying, “I should have known that Chrysalis held a taste for gothic architecture. Although I had a feeling that everything would be colored ‘black’ with a few tints of green here and there…” As they began to faze into the solid structure, she then asked, “So we won’t be sensed at all?”

“Well we’re basically invisible ghosts; only those who are dreaming outside their own reality just we are could see us. And changelings are quite narrow-minded in general,” Luna explained, leading her niece down a few more floors. “Ah…”

Luna and Cadence froze as they found themselves floating right in front of a doorway where two changelings stood guard. One yawned for a few seconds while the other began to rub his eyes, indicating their weariness with the type of work that they were doing. Regardless, both Luna and Cadence simply floated towards the closed door and easily fazed through without any issue whatsoever, finding the changeling prince that they were looking for.

“Huh, that was easier than I thought,” admitted Cadence as they both floated closer. She noticed that the prince was sleeping on his side where he almost looked as if he was halfway performing the fetal position. His expression was gentle, as it reminded Cadence of her Shining Armor whenever he slept in within the morning. “My he is quite cute,” admitted Cadence with a pleasant smile. “He has such a gentle expression.”

“While that may be true, we must consider the possibility that he’s not dreaming pleasantly.” Luna edged her face closer towards Adalricus’ own. Yes, he was breathing calmly and he wasn’t sweating, but looks could be deceiving. “Now let’s be careful when we…Cadence, what are you doing?”

“Hmm?” Cadence turned red as she was trying to gently stroke Adalricus’ face and mane. “O-Oh n-nothing! Shall we g-go?” she managed to ask. She couldn’t help it; she was envious of his gentle skin and smooth soft mane.

Rolling her eyes, Luna grabbed Cadence’s hand and gently led her towards Adalricus head…

The next thing they knew, they entered the dream reality of Adalricus after their environment converted. Surprisingly bright, it was as if Celestia was making a surprise appearance herself. After their eyes adjusted, they finally took notice of the flower garden that they were in. It brought such pleasantness that both Luna and Cadence could have simply dropped to their knees in awe, as the singing birds and smell of fresh mellow spring was beyond intoxicating. Smiles formed in their faces, as they were dazed by the overwhelming sensation that was brought upon them.

“This is…quite nice…” Luna smiled as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “My, I don’t believe that even our garden has such a fine combination of flora that compliments each other so nicely,” Luna said happily. “Odd though, I was expecting Adalricus to be having less pleasant dreams if he was truly under stress…”

Princess Cadence blinked a few times before responding with, “Where is Adalricus?” After taking a moment to focus on the task at hand, Cadence led her aunt forward in search of Adalricus. The stone path was not linear, as there were the occasional forked path ways. Regardless it was not difficult for Cadence nor Luna to have an idea of where Adalricus was. “Ah…”

Both Luna and Cadence stopped as the changeling of topic was finally spotted from a respectable distance. He was sitting down on a blanket that was spread across green grass surrounded by flower bushes, large enough to one’s comfort in terms of separation should one become heavily intoxicated by the flora scents. He was wearing white clothing that consisted of shorts and a t-shirt while lacking anything on his feet. He laughed while sipping tea as he spoke to what appeared to be a dream reality version of Fluttershy, who was also wearing white but with a dress instead.

“That didn’t take long at all. Shall we-”

“Wait,” Princess Luna suddenly said. She stepped forward and held her niece’s hand before adding, “We must take this slowly; we have no idea just how hostile he’ll react once he learns of our presence.”

Princess Cadence’s eyes widened. “I doubt that he would be hold a dislike towards us! I mean, Twilight mentioned that he was quite considerate when judging those who he has yet to meet on personal terms. If anything, should he be unpleased, he wouldn’t just take hostile actions towards us auntie!”

“While that may be true, his near-death experience may have changed his character overall,” Luna argued. She looked to the side in concern. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he resents our kind now…”

“But he’s dreaming of drinking tea with Fluttershy; I don’t think that he would only make an exception with her-”

“And why not? She did not do anything wrong whereas other ponies may have angered him to a certain extent. If anything I pray that he’ll at least listen to what we want to say should he request for our leave,” Luna argued.

“Well I am listening,” said Adalricus.

Both Luna and Cadence nearly jumped as they were oblivious to the changeling prince’s approach. He stood there with hands in pocket while expressing a calm smile. Interestingly enough, he was obviously presenting himself as a Pony which was strange to them. At least he didn’t seem hostile as Luna coughed and said, “A pleasure to meet you Prince Adalricus. I am Princess Luna and this is Princess Cadence.”

“We’ve heard so much about you Adalricus,” said Cadence with a friendly smile as she held her hands together.

Adalricus blinked a few times as he looked back and forth at the two princesses. “I would say the same but in my dreams…? Why are you…?”

“Well this was the most effective way to contact you; we had received word from Raúl that things were quite troublesome here in your kingdom. And we thought that it be best to directly contact you for the sake of the relationship between our two kingdoms.” Luna looked at her niece. “And my niece insisted on meeting you herself…”

Adalricus’ expression soften when he heard her words. “Really…” He looked at the princess who continued to smile upon him endlessly. It was almost sickening considering that he wasn’t expecting her to be so friendly; he knew who she was married to. “Um, how is Shining Armor? Is he…?”

“Oh he’s well!” Princess Cadence said cheerfully. “There was some delay with his treatment but he is doing well since he’s recovered fully since the confrontation between you two…”

Prince Adalricus smiled as he said, “Well that’s good to know. How about Twilight? You’re her sister-in-law correct?”

“They’re quite fine.”

“That’s good. And what of Fluttershy…?”

Princess Cadence frowned as she saw some concern on his facial expression. “I am sorry but I know little even from Twilight; we never really went deeper on how she was doing since you left.”

Adalricus frowned as he turned his glaze towards the ground. “I see…” The environment around them suddenly began to convert, as the brightness began to darken intimidating a gray sky. The Fluttershy who was sitting patiently for him suddenly began to fade away.

“Well she’s surely being comforted by her friends,” Princess Luna said. “I don’t think that they would simply just stand and watch as she suffers-”

It suddenly grew darker.

“W-What I mean is that, Fluttershy always has such caring friends especially when either one of them is experiencing a stressful time-”

It began to rain. This time, Luna was unsure what to say.


“T-That is t-to say-!”

“Auntie, I think he gets it…”

Luna shared a frown with Cadence as Adalricus was obviously far from pleased. Her words clearly made him mourn even more at the idea that Fluttershy was suffering.

I am sorry… Adalricus was sicken to the point that he wanted to punch himself in the face. Fluttershy was in pain and he could have likely changed the series of events which occurred beforehand.

“Adalricus.”

He lifted his head.

“We are here to ask if it’s possible for us to meet face to face. There’s been quite some concern regarding you following what happened in Ponyville. Raúl told us that he was going to be used as an ambassador representing your people and we were to meet together. Are you aware of this?” Luna asked.

Adalricus acknowledged them as he began to nod slowly. “Yes, he told me that he accepted the offer, given that he has a less hostile history with them like me,” he explained. “And he mentioned that there was a possibly that he would leave quite soon to meet with your representatives.”

Princess Luna nodded as well before saying, “Yes, I think that it would be wise to strengthen relations this way. Raúl has a positive reputation among us and we wanted to know if there was any chance of you to join him despite your condition?”

Adalricus was confused. “Why would you want me to join him?” he asked.

“Because we believe that it would not only ease the minds of those who care for you, but it would also make Fluttershy happy,” Cadence explained.

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Twilight is actually going to request that she comes along due to the fact that you hold a important relationship with her-”

“No.”

“What?” Princess Cadence asked.

“I said, ‘no’,” repeated Adalricus. 

“I- But why?” Cadence asked with great confusion. “Don’t you care for her-”

“YOU DARE QUESTION MY LOVE FOR HER?!” thundered Adalricus. The winds and rain increased dramatically, forcing the princesses to regain their balance.

“A-A- Adalricus calm down!” Princess Cadence shouted, suddenly fearing him despite the dream reality that they were in.

“Adalricus! Cease your hostility!” Luna thundered. Her body turned completely black, as her eyes then glowed a silver-like appearance. “I assure you, we do not question your love for Fluttershy! Only what is it that you’re considering if our request does not appeal to you!”

Despite hearing her words clearly, Adalricus did not make the environment less hostile to his guests of honor. However, he did speak in a calm tone. “I can’t see Fluttershy…not anymore.”

“W-What?” Princess Cadence shouted, completely confused now. “I don’t understand!”

“That…” Adalricus slowly dropped his knees as the weather began to settle despite the still gray atmosphere. “…is the issue here. You don’t understand. Neither of you understand why I can’t see Fluttershy again after what happened in Ponyville. I thought that I could easily fix things back to the way that they were suppose to be but I can’t anymore.”

Princess Luna soon regained her original form as she raised an eyebrow before asking, “You’re not making sense; can you possibly explain to us what exactly you’re talking about? What is it about what happened between you and Fluttershy that prevents you from seeing her? We were told that you two were relieved to be together again during your last contact, before you then passed out and returned to your kingdom. Thus what is the issue?”

“I…I can’t be what she wants to see. I can’t keep this…” With that, he slowly revealed his true form as he hugged himself tightly. “…forever.” Finally, he shook gently as tears began to flow out of his eyes. “This lie that she would rather see than my true self.”

Luna frowned. “Adalricus, do you believe that Fluttershy dislikes your true appearance? What makes you believe this-”

“I saw fear in her eyes when my form was forcibly revealed to her. The way she looked at me…like I was to that of a monster…the type that even her kindness and appreciation for all non-pony creatures could not provide for. I can’t maintain my pony form for as long as I thought anymore. At least, that’s how it seems as my body experiences pain if I try to maintain a different form for more than a minute…” Adalricus trembled uncontrollably. “I never want to scare her again…”

“But Adalricus-”

“Get out.”

“Adalricus please!”

“I SAID GET OUT!”

Almost immediately Princess Cadence found herself staring at the ceiling of her room. She immediately stood straight up and saw that Princess Luna was also reacting accordingly as she was sweating and breathing heavily at a dangerous rate. Her eyes were tightly shut as she pressed a hand to her chest and continued to breathe abnormally. She finally opened her eyes and blinked slowly as she turned to face her niece who was in better condition.

“Auntie…what do we…?” asked Cadence.

Princess Luna sighed as she stood up straight and said, “Well, time for my sister’s plan.”

> Reunited~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raúl sighed as he found himself staring at the sky for nearly two minutes after discussions finally ended between his party and the ponies’. While he was the main speaker and representative for the group of changelings that came here, he really just wanted to take the time to just not put any effort into his thoughts for a while. It was funny considering that he could never grow bore of this habit whenever he wanted to relax. Of course, he couldn’t keep this up for long as Twilight finished speaking with his fellow changelings while he still had one more pony to speak with.

“I am quite pleased that you agreed with me on the need for a trade route between 3 communities that meet with both our cultures!” said a glasses wearing pony. “Princess Twilight barely gave any thought to this suggestion and wanted to focus on other topics!” she added with a smile.

“Well it’s not like it’s a terrible idea; I do believe that more interaction could improve better impression between a pony and a changeling,” Raúl admitted.

“Well thank you again! I must go and prepare a diagram for next week’s meeting!” she said thankfully, smiling at him as she soon left his side.

“Sounds good,” said a disinterested Raúl. Finally left alone, he moved away from the tree and began to walk about the area that they were located in. He saw the purple Alicorn talking to two ponies and a changeling, apparently something about what was brought to eat during their meeting.

“I am sorry but at a certain point, we changelings DO get tired of sweets!” complained the changeling.

One of the ponies nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think that I can look at another cupcake for a week…”

“Well, it was because in the report about changelings in Ponyville that we assumed that you only enjoy sweets! Nothing about enjoying foods that we ponies enjoy as well!” said the other pony.

“Ok then we’ll simply generalize the options like any other meeting?” suggested the first pony. All nodded in agreement before breaking away leaving the Alicorn to finally acknowledge Raúl who happily walked over to her with a smile.

“Your highness, I was actually worried that things were going to turn out ugly today. Good thing that the food was the most terrible thing to have occurred!” he said happily.

Twilight giggled as she walked towards him as well before remarking with, “Yeah, I shouldn’t have been so vague about what changelings like to eat. But I always assumed that your love for sweets was the reason why you chose Sugarcube Corner?”

“Actually, it’s because Scootaloo referenced us the place. It was convenient at the time for us since we wanted to get away from all the attention,” Raúl explained.

“What you mean?”

“Well believe it or not, but Adalricus ironically could not transform into a standard pony for the first few days. For some odd reason, he could only transform into a pony with wings and a horn; an Alicorn basically!” Raúl explained with laughter.

Twilight stopped smiling, as she was not expecting that. “Wait, seriously? I thought that transformation was simpler than I thought!” she confessed. “Is transformation that complex for changelings?”

“At first yes, but after a while, you can do a lot of interesting things. Some simple, some complex, depending on what you want to really do,” Raúl explained. “In fact…” With a smirk, he snapped his fingers and was completely covered in green fire. Once he was revealed, Twilight was highly offended.

“WHAT THE HELL RAÚL?!” shouted Twilight with a red glare.

“What, you should take this as a compliment! They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery your highness!” said the Twilight clone. Or at least, he would properly be if her breasts weren’t exaggerated by two cup sizes. “Oh wow these things can be heavy! How do you mares carry these things around??” he asked, turning his body left and right just slightly enough to cause his breasts to bounce. “Hey there sexy~ You like what you see?” he said in his best Twilight voice.

The passing changeling immediately acknowledged the disguised Raúl’s seduction and was completely aroused by her flirting and attractive-sized breasts. Completely oblivious to the real dumbfounded Twilight Sparkle, he began to drool as he failed to muster up the right words.

“RAÚL!” screamed Twilight as she finally got the changeling’s attention. Naturally, he scared off after realizing that Raúl was the busted up Twilight and only angering one of royalty. “ENOUGH ALREADY!”

“Aw but I like being you! Now I have two toys!” he said happily as he grasped his breasts and started to bounce them up and down one by one. “Damn these things are soft! I feel…kinda funny…~”

“AGRRGHHH!” 

“Oh buck-” Raúl had only a second to avoid the hostile magic beam that Twilight fired at him. He immediately turned into his original form and started to laugh. “Not in a joking mood huh? Heh, I guess that I can’t always get the most out of my jokes from others,” he said with a smirk.

“You’re so immature when I least need you to be!” complained Twilight. She began to relax once Raúl transformed back to normal, making her feel less and less stress. “But hey, I guess some things never change huh?” she added, actually smirking slightly at him.

Raúl’s smile soften slightly as he said, “Yes for the most part…as for others, well…” He stopped smiling as he looked at her directly.

Twilight frowned as she knew what he was referring to. Sighing, she said, “I do wish that things could be the way that they’re supposed to be.”

“Hey in any case, at least we’re having relations with both our species and this was a good start. And I have a feeling that things are looking up with how we’ve both reacted accordingly since what happened in Ponyville,” Raúl explained. “But I do miss Pinkie Pie right now…”

Twilight smiled and shook her head as he said that; as if on cue, Pinkie suddenly appeared right behind the changeling ambassador and jumped on him with her arms wrapped around his neck, taking him to the ground floor. “And she misses you,” Twilight said smiling.

“I missed you so much!” Pinkie Pie said happily and excited.

“Pinkie-!” gasped Raúl. He smiled widely as he landed on his palms and knees before shifting his body so that he could face hers completely. Immediately, he was greeted again but with her soft gentle lips trying to suck the life out of him. He felt himself go red as two weeks without kissing her felt like the first time they ever kissed. He loved this feeling as it renewed the spark that brought them together in the first place. “Buck you’re so hot!” he managed to say as he broke away to catch his breath.

Pinkie Pie began to catch her breath as well as she felt herself getting hotter by the second. “T-Thanks! That’s so sweet of you-” However the Pink devil was cut off as Raúl began to kiss her again, this time for nearly a minute of no interruption. Naturally, Twilight grew uncomfortable with how much affection they were giving each other.

“Ahem!” she finally coughed.

Both suddenly broke away and took a moment to stabilize their breathing patterns before acknowledging the issue here. Both shared a laugh as they decided to talk to Twilight this time. “Thanks for bringing me along Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said happily, clutching his arm tightly.

“No problem Pinkie,” Twilight said happily as well. At least I get to see these two reunited…

“So how is this possible? I didn’t know that you were coming at all!” Raúl said cheerfully.

“Well, I managed to convince Princess Celestia that Pinkie Pie was just as important to this diplomatic mission like the rest of us. I knew that since you were coming that it would make both of you happy,” Twilight explained with a smile. It was great seeing Pinkie Pie acting like her regular self again, especially when it brought nothing but negativity amongst her and their friends.

“Well I am happy it worked out! Seriously, I didn’t think that today was going to…Pinkie, calm down,” Raúl said as he glanced at the naughty devil. Her firm grasp on his right cheek took him by surprise as she seemed to be humming quietly that was only audible to him. She seemed to have the flirtiest of expressions as there was the familiar gleam in her eyes while she licked her lips in delight. Damn she’s really horny! he realized.

Pinkie nuzzled against his arm as she asked, “Can we ditch this place and go somewhere…?” 

“Oh damn straight!” Raúl said with excitement. However, he realized that Twilight was still there and awkwardly watching them. “Um, you don’t mind if me and Pinkie go…?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Just go you two…”

“Sweet thanks!” Raúl said happily as he quickly took Pinkie Pie past Twilight and disappeared into the forest.

“Well,” sighed Twilight as she then bit her lip gently in annoyance. “…” She looked to her left and spotted the changeling that was eyeing the fake breasts from Raúl’s disguise. Her lips curved as she walked towards him. “Excuse me…”

Five minutes later…

“Here it is!” Raúl said, finally finding what they were looking for.

“Geeze did we have to walk all over here? I mean yeah it would be nice to get some privacy but we have our own tents that we brought!” Pinkie Pie whined. Celestia is he such a buzz kill! I want to ride him already but he keeps delaying all the fun! Hell I would do him in front of Sugarcube Corner in front of everypony and not give a buck-… Wow, I have some issues! Pinkie Pie stared particularly nowhere, just realizing one of the reasons why she was so careless in general.

“Pinkie?” Raúl asked, realizing that she was not trying to dry hump him like she was doing for the last five minutes. “Pinkie??”

Only Pinkie’s eyes reacted as they turned their attention towards him. “Oh hehehe, don’t worry about it… So we gonna do it or what?” she asked with a giggle.

“You’re an odd one…and it turns me on!” Raúl said with a grin as he led her towards what they were looking for: his private carriage. As expected, it carried a color scheme of black accompanied by green which his people was known for. At least three times the size of a typical carriage, the craftsmanship spent on this particular carriage was well-done. Interestingly, the windows are dimmed to a degree that prevented any from seeing the inside.

“Celestia does anything I do not turn you on?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously. “Sometimes I think that you’re just lying to me which wouldn’t be cool at all but given that you’re my coltfriend and all I doubt that you’re one who would-MGhghghghhg…”

Raúl finally shut her up thanks to the work he did with her delicious pink lips. “Ah…” Slowly pulling away from her, a small trail of saliva connected them as he opened the door and invited her in. Once they were inside, Raúl casually locked the door and moved both of his hands all over Pinkie as he pressed his face against her neck. He kissed her neck affectionately before thanking a whiff of her ear and mane, purposely exaggerating for her of all ponies.

Naturally the pink devil was assumed. “Hehehe, you’re such a clown Raúl!”

The devil himself found her comment amusing as he continued to play with her. “At least my mane isn’t like one!”

“Hehehe- wait, what?!” Pinkie Pie’s expression changed when he said that. She gave a funny glare before adding, “My mane is perfectly fine!”

“You’re cute when you’re angry at me!” Raúl said with a grin as he started to bite her despite her annoyance with him. However, she did not resist but continued to insult him as he started to strip her before he began to strip himself. “Hope you don’t go all ‘Pinkamena’ on me though…”

“What?” This time she was confused with what he said. “What do you mean, ‘Hope you don’t go all Pinkamena on me though’?? Who the buck is Pinkamena?” she asked.

Raúl stopped as he was pulling down his underwear. “You know, that dark opposite of your typical opposite persona?” Pinkie Pie blinked at him. “Your tone turns darker?” Pinkie Pie blinked at him again. “…Your hair turns straight.”

“Oh, that Pinkamena!” Pinkie Pie said with a big smile and nod. However, everything went the opposite way again as she asked, “What, you don’t like her or something?”

“Pinkie, the last time we did it and you were Pinkamena, you forced me to do things…things that makes me cringe at the very idea!” he explained, finishing with finally becoming nude.

Rolling her eyes, she remarked with, “Oh come on; you’re going to tell me that you didn’t grow harder by the second while I played with your urethra?”

Raúl was offended by what she said. “You remember that story quite differently than I do!”

“Oh do I?” she asked sweetly with that smile of hers.

“Yes, yes you do. Seriously you have some odd fetishes- NGH!”

Pinkie smiled sweetly as her hand was doing a good job tending to his piece of meat. Up and down did she stroke him and barely did she grant him any mercy. Much to her liking, he immediately dropped next to her making it so much easier to pleasure him with her hand. Nice and hard did his penis grow, meeting the standards that she knew and love from him.

“Gosh I remember how I could feel your cock getting nice and hard as I stroked it repeatedly while bucking your dick at the same time! Oh did you squirm so much…it really made me so wet…” She looked at him as her hair straightened completely while stroking him vigorously. His grunts and moans were nothing less than music to her ears.

Raúl groaned as he missed Pinkie Pie’s touch. It pleased him so much as she knew exactly how to pleasure the nerves with his dick. Still has that touch-!

“And just watching you cum three times in one minute and still being conscious was amazing! No stallion- or any pony for that matter- has ever lasted five minutes after that! Gosh…you’re pretty tough!” Pinkie Pie continued to praise him as her stroking increased with both speed and strength. “And wow did your load taste even better after each shot…I am so tempted to make you cum like that again… I wonder what will happen if I do that and get you from behind!”

“GH- PINKIE!” Raúl shouted, as he was not liking the direction that this was heading. Seriously, she had some weird fetishes that she always sprung on him while they were in Ponyville together. At first, the discipline and roleplaying was fine between them switching roles repeatedly, but her requests for him were simply odd. Then again, her requests for what she wanted done to her was what stood out the most during their sex sessions. He smiled as he was actually turned on by the various kinky sex that they used to have. “NGH!”

Pinkamena cooed as his moans continued to aroused her greatly. Oh did she grow even wetter, dripping bit by bit trailing down her thigh and onto the seat. She leaned her body on its side, allowing her to have more fun leaning her head on his lap. Both hands continued to play with his genitals as she watched his penis react accordingly to her touch. “I can’t take it anymore…!” she managed to groan as she closed her eyes and moved her lips to the tip of his penis. That taste…that very taste that she missed so much really turned her on.

Feeling those famous lips of hers jolted the nervous system of his changeling body, causing him to nearly yelp and snap his eyes wide open. Pinkamena was taking him by surprise yet again but in a good way this time. The first few nibbles were innocent enough until she moved from the tip of his penis to the sections of his shaft. It was as if she was reading his mind due to the fact that she was tending to him at the precise moments of his nerves reacting accordingly. Thus, the stimulation was getting high enough to the point where he had to clench his teeth while drooling from both corners of his mouth. And her mouth taking him completely was not helping his case at all.

Pinkamena continued to suck his penis at the same appropriate pace. At first, it was difficult due to the angling and the position that she was in, but she of course naturally adapted to the challenge. Hmm…how come changelings have holes throughout their bodies but not on their cock or balls? she wondered. Regardless Pinkie was not going to stop and let that curiosity ruin her fun. “Hmmg….hmmfff…”

Raúl arched his body at various angles as this Pinkamena persona was showing no mercy whatsoever with him. Hell he couldn’t tell if this particular alter-ego of his favorite pony was doing this because she secretly resented him, or because she was just as crazy for him as the opposite Pinkie Pie. Wow she won’t stop making noises…ragh…isn’t that my….ahhhh….job-ahhhh!

“Mmfffh….mmfhfhhh…..MHH~” Pinkamena was in heaven as she loved what she was eating. It was so delicious and satisfying…all of this musk-favored cock that she was sucking the life out of. She could do this all day and never grow tired of this activity. The only way that this could be better would be- “!” Her thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly moaned and reacted accordingly. “NMGHGH!” she moaned, losing herself to pleasure as Raúl’s fingers were finally pleasing her like they were supposed to.

The sound of wet flesh being manipulated endlessly filled the carriage with little effort. Raúl’s finger work did not disappoint, as he was quite effective despite the disadvantage he had from the position that he was in. Luckily for him, the size difference between their bodies enabled him to rub against her g-spot in a more effective matter. He happily did the occasional hard tap against that spot, causing Pinkamena to moan in bliss quite loudly and increase the intensity of her oral work.

“HMgggh!~” she moaned. She squirmed and pressed against his finger work begging for more. Her nerves were driving her mind insane.

“Ghah!” Raúl couldn’t control himself anymore as he knew what was coming. “I am close-!” he managed to say. However, he was taken by surprise by Pinkamena yet again; she stopped sucking him entirely much to his confusion. “WHY?” he managed to say.

Pinkamena gave him a look that reminded him of a dominatrix getting that satisfying moment from her new toy. “Oh you’re not going to cum yet; not like this at all,” she said seductively. “I wanna enjoy this load inside of me by a different hole…” She continued to stroke his penis up and down, causing the sound of a well-lubricated member being tended to.

Raúl was becoming more and more impressed with Pinkamena’s approach towards him.  Particularly with how she continued to arouse him with each passing second. “You must have really missed me…”

Forming a small smirk, she said, “Oh you have no idea….ngh…” Her eyes rolled up slightly before becoming tightly shut from the pleasure that she was receiving. Her mouth slowly opened completely as she gasped and moaned indicating the orgasm that Raúl brought upon her. His fingers continued to attack her nonetheless while his wonderful thumb continued to stimulate her clitoris, increasing the pleasure of her current orgasm. The mess she made thanks to her climax continued for a few more seconds before Raúl decided to stop finger-bucking her.

“Hmmm…” Raúl pulled his fingers out and looked at the results of his work as Pinkamena was breathing intensively from the orgasm. He spread his fingers apart and found the rich coating of her naughty juices dripping appropriately. “Wow… I mean, just wow Pinkie…” He looked down and saw that she finally opened her eyes despite still breathing heavily. He smirked as he purposely moved those same fingers into her mouth, causing her to gag for only a few seconds before she realized what he did.

“Ghah…hmmm….”

Raúl became increasingly aroused as she started to suck her own naughty juices clean from his fingers. She only began to stop when Raúl moved his fingers out of her mouth. He lifted her body upwards as he stood up from where he sat beforehand, guiding her to the other side where she placed her hands forward to maintain balance. He moved himself to the proper position and mounted her just as they were meant to breed. He sighed as he slowly probed against her opening and shivered as he felt her warm tight vagina welcoming him back for the first time in weeks.

Raúl sighed in pleasure as he was really into this now as credited by the increased hardness that he experienced. He felt as if he was aroused for the very first time, just ready for the hell of a sexual experience. He began to move at the typical pace.

Pinkamena was in heaven once she felt something entering inside of her again. Funny enough, Pinkie herself had no motivation for masturbation due to the depression of missing Raúl. In fact, one could say that Pinkamena was starting to grow a happy side. “Yes…yes…. Yes! …YES! AH~”

Raúl blinked as he continued with the thrusting he released upon Pinkie’s body. The tightness seemed to increase compared to the last time he had his way with her. He was quite pleased but then realized that Pinkie was likely practicing abstinence for quite some time. Hell it was clear that she was sexually frustrated for quite some time due to her continuous cursing.

“Buck yes! Buckkkkkkkk….buckkkk……BUCKING YES!”

Pinkamena hanged her tongue out as her eyes were rolling all the way up towards her brow. It felt amazing feeling him moving in and out of her own body. The icing on the cake soon followed as she could feel him grasping her breasts quite firmly. Her eyes stared forward as his fingers were also pinching her nipples in an aggressive matter. Her pupils were now heart-shaped as she suddenly felt his teeth nibbling at her neck.

“NGHGHGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” she squeaked. She was starting to lose it as she knew that her climax was oh so near. Biting her lip did give her a moment to stabilize her mind, but she would eventually hang her tongue again. Funny enough, it had been nearly a minute since she blinked and she didn’t realize. “HARDER! AH~!” she moaned. “BUCK ME HARDER!”

Raúl clenched his teeth as he could tell that she was nearly her orgasm; her insides were becoming tighter and reacting accordingly. The amount of sweat that both lovers produced continued to pour onto the expensive leather that cushioned the seating under them, and the wooden floor as well. Naturally Raúl couldn’t care less as he picked up the speed. “Make a mess slut!”

Pinkamena’s ears perked when he said that. “Da buck did you just- AH!”

Raúl’s hard thrust along with a loud grunt indicated that he wasn’t afraid of pissing Pinkamena, even if she wasn’t grunting and repeating “yes” to his sudden change in pace. “I know that you want to squirt like a filthy pig!” he claimed, before yanking his penis out of her pussy. It wasn’t easy however as her insides did put up quite a fight to keep him from pulling out of her. Even a trail of her love juices still connected him for a few more seconds. Raúl’s breathing was starting to stabilize again as he then turned Pinkie on to her side while he lifted one of her legs straight up. Now that her glossy crotch was completely exposed, Raúl got to work.

Pinkamena continued to breathe heavily as she watched Raúl pressing his face towards her heavily scented crotch. Her mouth began to open more as she felt his changeling tongue cleaning her as effectively as possible, especially against her anus. Like a hungry dog, he lapped with enthusiasm against her naughtiest of holes with no shame whatsoever…it turned her on so much.

“Nghhhh….”

Raúl continued to lick Pinkamena’s asshole without any issue as he intended to have his way with this hole. It finally got to the point to where Raúl began to dig his tongue against the soft wrinkles in order to penetrate her properly. Once he was inside, he explored her completely and became increasingly aroused. After nearly a minute, he pulled his face away and licked his lips while stroking his penis.

As amazing as it felt having his tongue eating her out so effectively, Pinkamena knew that having a penis inside was more to her liking rather than a tongue. And without much resistance, she felt the probe of his penis entering her tightest hole before the rest of his meat followed through. She could easily feel every aspect of his penis thanks to her deliciously tight rectum. The size, the shape, the texture, Raúl would be foolish if he thought that he could hide any of those facts from her.

Raúl naturally went in slowly as Pinkie’s ass was just so tight. He felt as if it was sucking the life out of him with even the slightest of movement. Raúl was even fooled into believing that he was about to cum just because of how intense the buildup was. Luckily he was able to adapt eventually and move at a faster pace. The sound of flapping flesh filled the carriage endlessly thanks to his own stamina.

Pinkamena couldn’t do much due to her current position but she also couldn’t complain really. After all, she was enjoying the pumps that traveled into her rectum repeatedly while she played with herself using both hands. One hand was playing with one breast while the other was tending to her soft folds. However, she was growing exhausted by the vigor that he released upon her and didn’t know how much longer she had. Her moans suddenly grew louder due to the increased speed of Raúl’s thrusts, which meant that he was about to release his big load into her.

She was right on the dot as Raúl refused to stop thrusting against her for extreme pleasure. He clenched his teeth and arched his body slightly as his orgasm was dangerously close. “I am gonna cum!” he managed to moan. He increased the speed to a point where the sound of flesh pounding against flesh was louder than their grunts and moans. After pouncing for nearly ten seconds, the changeling pressed hard against Pinkie’s body and released a heavy flow of changeling semen. The tightness made him completely helpless as he could not directly induce his ejaculation with his hand. Regardless, it still felt pretty amazing even as he slowly yanked his penis out. A small pump of ejaculation followed as he began to stroke in relief, ending his orgasm in a satisfying matter.

Pinkie moaned in relief as her orgasm hit her the moment she felt his thick white liquid pouring into her. The hot burning sensation triggered the satisfying nerves inside of her, causing her orgasm to come at the perfect time. She continued to play with herself as she squirted for the first time in weeks, ending her abstinence on a high note…

Five Minutes Later

Raúl stared lazily at the ceiling as he held a weary Pinkie Pie closely to his own body. Cuddling against one another was just wonderful and pleasing after their climax from love-making, especially after being separated for so long. Both felt thankful for the fact that Twilight was able to get them together by means of this diplomatic gathering. Pinkie’s crazy mane was intoxicating to his venerable sense of scent, as she rested her head on his chest while he continued to stroke her ever so gently. He closed his eyes before sighing as he finally mustered the strength to say, “That was…something…”

Pinkie’s smile grew as she shifted positions and looked at the ceiling as well. “It was…” She yawned before adding, “I didn’t think that I would get the chance to see you again after what happened in Ponyville. I was…scared.”

“I can imagine. If anything, I thought that I wouldn’t see you until months to a year later, making me realize just how lucky I am,” Raúl confessed. “But I can’t help but worry about something…”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes aimed towards his as she shifted her head before asking, “What exactly?”

“Adalricus.”

“Oh gosh yeah…how is he?”

“Physically he’s well, but emotionally…I have a feeling that he wants nothing more than to isolate himself from even his love ones,” Raúl said with a sad tone. "I tried to get him to come along but he refused despite my best efforts..."

Pinkie blinked as she then looked up towards the ceiling. “…” After a few more seconds, she said, “Well that won’t do; that doesn’t work for us at all!”

Raúl looked at Pinkie with confusion. “What do you mean?”

Pinkie only smiled as she asked him that.

> For everything that was worth it~
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Your highness? It’s almost three in the afternoon; are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

“Already three? By the bucking gods- WHY wasn’t I awaken sooner?!”

“Y-You said that you wanted to be left alone!”

“And you listened to me?! By the gods you two are single-minded!”

The two changeling servants flinched as Adalricus continued to criticize without mercy. He wobbled as he struggled to drink from the wine bottle that was brought to him two nights ago. While there was barely enough for a sip, he held it against his lips for at least ten seconds before tasting that single drop. “AH!” he gasped.

“Y-Your highness- You really shouldn’t be drinking-”

The changeling servant yelped as Adalricus suddenly threw the wine bottle against the wall near where she stood. It caused the other changeling to scramble and immediately leave the room in fear while the first changeling was purely stunned.

“Clean that up!” Adalricus yelled in a drunken rage. He started mumbling some less audible words as he made his way to his large mattress. Funny enough, the wine on the wall was the first time he had made am actual mess for the past week. “And get me some empanadas!” he added angrily.

Obeying her lord’s will, the changeling nodded and scrambled out of her room only to run into another changeling of high status. “O-Oh please forgive me-”

“Drunk again huh? By the gods…” Raúl sighed in disappointment as he allowed the changeling to go about her business. Walking in the room, he turned his head to acknowledge where the sound came from and laughed. “Really, throwing wine in your own room? The last time you dirty your room was when you were a youngling!” laughed Raúl.

“Oh piss off!” growled Adalricus. He finally managed to get under the covers and bury himself away from his issues. “What do you want anyway?” he grumbled.

“Just wondering if you wanted to see the country-side for a bit; it’s been quite some time since you left your room parce.” Raúl sat at the end of the bed before asking, “What’s on your mind?”

“Two days is not ‘quite some time’ worthy…” Adalricus slightly popped his head out and against the pillows. “Besides, where have you been lately?”

“Well I did just return from the diplomatic meeting between our kind and Celestia’s. Only five hours away, but we did need to spend a few days finalizing on some future events that we hope to do together,” Raúl explained cheerfully. 

Adalricus blinked slowly as he grumbled something and buried his face into the pillow before asking, “How is Twilight?”

“Well, thankfully. She asked for you and sends her regards,” said Raúl. Turning his head towards the lazy prince, he added, “They all asked for you Adalricus.”

Adalricus said nothing as he shifted his position and looked at Raúl.

Raúl sighed softly as he said, “I do wish that you came with me. After all, you’re the most appealing changeling in their eyes and it would have been good with strengthening the relations between our two species.”

Adalricus yawned loudly before answering with, “It would still be hard convincing my mother the benefits of such. If anything she would have chained me down making sure that I didn’t leave again without her consent.” Adalricus looked at the ceiling as his thoughts brought him back to the times when they were in Ponyville. He did wonder what his life would have been like had he never came to Ponyville with Raúl and shared such experiences with all of them.

“True, but you would be surprised with how all beings can change. After all, you did prove to Celestia and her subjects just how changelings can really be with less prejudice is involved. Should you be proud for that no?” Raúl asked with a smirk.

“I suppose you’re right,” Adalricus admitted. “But it doesn’t matter now does it?” he then asked with a sigh.

Raúl shook his head slowly. “It actually does. I’ll leave you alone,” he said before standing up. “I have a guest to tend to.”

With Adalricus left alone, he allowed himself to day dream of a more appealing time. Just being with Fluttershy on that hike that they did together was so nice. The thought brought a smile to him as he stood up straight and looked out the window, admiring the blue sky and white clouds. The sounds of birds chipping and the scent of flora brought pleasant feelings into the recently depressed prince. “…” Yet, his smile vanished as he was reminded that he was living past those special times.

“Adalricus?”

Turning his head slightly, he stubbornly answered with, “What is it?” Yet what he saw before his very eyes left him speechless.

Fluttershy continued to look into the eyes of the changeling who was obviously stunned completely. She did not smile, nor did she frown. She only looked at him without saying a word due to the fact that she wanted to give him as much time as possible to comprehend that this was reality. Just as before, the sounds of birds and scent of flower-life was left unchanged, as a gentle cool breeze came into the room blowing their manes gently.

Adalricus’ feelings became completely volatile as this was the least expected thing to occur to him since the day that they met. He wanted to say something to Fluttershy who was actually right here, physically present next to him and not far away from him. However, as he attempted to muster up the words that he wanted to say so badly, something else occurred. “…” He immediately engulfed himself in green fire.

Fluttershy’s expression reacted accordingly to his sudden change since she was not expecting that. What stood before Fluttershy was the same Adalricus that she knew since the beginning, instead of the real Adalricus that she only just met a few seconds ago. “…” Her mouth slightly opened as she wanted to say something, only for her to suddenly giggle and say, “Adalricus, cut that out.”

Adalricus’ expression softened only slightly when she said that, causing him to also look to the side while unsure of how to respond.

“Adalricus, just show me how you really look like again,” Fluttershy said softly. She gave a shy smile as she could tell that she was the reason why he didn’t want to show her how he really looked like. “It’s okay, really!”

However, Adalricus only turned his body slightly away from her, not wanting to reveal his true self again. Yet that all changed when he suddenly felt her gentle touch on his cheek, causing him to give her his full attention yet again.

“Please Adalricus! I want to see the real you!” Fluttershy begged softly, showcasing a frown that caused the prince to cave in.

Gently reaching for her hand with one, Adalricus began to tremble slightly as he touched her hand. “Flutter…” Tears began to pour out of his eyes before he was covered in green flames yet again. “…shy-!” he managed to finally say, before allowing the tears to flow out of his eyes and pull her closer after revealing his true form.

“Ah!” Fluttershy gasped as his sudden affection took her by surprise. All she could do was hug him back happily as he continued to weep and tremble while holding her closer.

“I-…. I….I love you so much!” he managed to say, despite the crack in his voice. “Don’t ever leave me alone again!” he added, as his face was flushed with tears and redness. “I never want that feeling ever again! I want to be with you every single second for the rest of my life!” he added, controlling himself as he hugged her tighter. “I just can’t live without you anymore!”

“I-” Fluttershy started, allowing her feelings to get the better of her as well. With tears coming out as well from her end, allowing herself to give in to all of the emotional build up that she’s had to deal with for so long. “I-I missed you too Adalricus-!” she said, cracking her voice as well.

Both shut their eyes tightly as Adalricus hugged Fluttershy while stroking her back and mane. The world around them continued on without care to the fact that they were reunited yet again. They could have stayed like this for hours had it not been for something that came to Adalricus’ mind. “How is this possible?” he asked.

Slightly pulling away from Adalricus while holding his hands, Fluttershy said, “Well Twilight brought along with her to the meeting…”

One day ago

“You know, I’ve really missed some of the stuff that Surgarcube Corner can make,” Raúl admitted.

Pinkie Pie giggled as they laid on the grass while looking up towards the sky. Having sex five times in one hour really made them wearily and they really needed to recover after all of that. “Yeah sometimes I take what’s available to me for granted until it’s not anymore. Funny how life works huh?” 

Raúl nodded slightly in agreement as he said, “Well I am really hungry right now…at least I think I am. Eh maybe I am just not thinking clearly since I ate so much a few hours ago. How about you?”

Pinkie Pie shrugged as she said, “Well I am not sure that I want to eat; I am thinking more on finding Fluttershy since she said that she was going to be in Twilight’s tent until today’s meeting was over. But I just want to lie here for a while longer…” 

Nodding in agreement, Raúl shifted his position and looked at Pinkie before asking, “I still haven’t figured out on how to get her into the castle itself; what would you do Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie blinked as he asked her that question. “Well how were you planning to get me into the castle?” she asked.

“What do you mean ‘how’? It’s no issue at all if it involves you; Fluttershy is known amongst Adalricus’ parents and that means that they know that she’s the reason why Adalricus risked his own life,” Raúl explained with a sigh. “They couldn’t care less if you came with me and visited Adalricus. As of now, there’s a conflicting interest between Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra over if Fluttershy would be allowed into the kingdom or not.”

“What? You mean they actually disagree on how they feel about Fluttershy?” Pinkie Pie asked with a surprised tone. When Raúl nodded, she asked, “Well who is it that likes Fluttershy and who is it that doesn’t want her near their son?”

“King Sombra seems to favor seeing them together while Queen Chrysalis continues to argue that she’s the reason that he almost lost this life. But I do know that King Sombra is quite persistent with how he feels about the situation,” Raúl explained. “So it can be either good or bad should we attempt to bring Fluttershy without knowing how things have settled between them now.” 

“Huh, I didn’t think that Sombra would be the one that chooses Adalricus’ side…you think that with all that time being isolated, he would be the least compassionate one of the bunch!” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“Yeah he is full of surprises Pinkie. I don’t know what it is but he is less cold-hearted that many would expect from a dark unicorn such as him,” said Raúl.

“Tell me about it.”

Raúl blinked as he realized that Twilight had found the two of them. “Twilight?” he asked.

“I see that you two have finally caught up together,” she said with a friendly smile before sitting down.

“Hey Twilight! So where is Fluttershy? I thought that you would have went to go get her?” asked Pinkie.

“Well I was but I didn’t want her to attract too much attention since she is a little more well-known amongst both our species. I take it that Adalricus’ affection for her became a hot topic when he left Ponyville correct?” Twilight asked. When Raúl nodded, she then said, “Thus maybe it’s best if we all go to her together.”

Unable to argue with her logic, both Raúl and Pinkie Pie followed the Alicorn back to her large tent. After ten minutes, they found a large purple tent that was visibly guarded by a pink barrier. Naturally, an opening began to expose the closer the three of them walked to the tent, allowing them to enter without trouble and find themselves surrounded by furniture that made Twilight’s guests feel cozy.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” suggested Twilight.

“How big is this tent?” Raúl asked aloud. Honestly, the inside gave him a completely different impression compared to what the outside did.

“Pretty big actually!” said Pinkie who started to walk past him. “We even have separate mini rooms for each of us to sleep in!”

Raúl let out a low whistle as he followed closely. Did not know that these things could come in this size…Fluttershy! Raúl let out a visible smile as he saw the very important pony appearing from behind a set of curtains, also giving a similar reaction as they moved quickly to one another. 

“Raúl!” Fluttershy said happily as she embraced him in a caring matter.

“It’s nice to see you Fluttershy,” said Raúl with an affectionate hug as well. As they broke apart, he added, “I still can’t believe that you actually came…I wished that Adalricus was here as well.”

“Yeah, I would have liked to see him as well,” Pinkie confessed as she grabbed an apple. “… Bah, not as good as AJ’s…”

Both Twilight and Raúl exchanged a glance of sadness as Fluttershy lowered her head in disappointment. Pinkie Pie acknowledged the immediate mood swing and frowned as well before moving to Fluttershy’s side.

“W-Why didn’t he come?” asked Fluttershy.

Raúl sighed as he rubbed his neck before answering with, “He had no motivation whatsoever to attend this meeting. It’s as if he’s lost faith in what he believed was possible between our two species.”

Twilight shook her head. “Surely that’s not-”

“Well, that and the likelihood that his mother would not allow him to leave the safety of their kingdom. Hell he’s lucky that he’s even allowed to look over his land from his personal balcony without being monitored,” Raúl explained.

Fluttershy lifted her head slightly. “W-Would he have attempted to come if he knew that I was here?” she asked curiously.

Raúl simply looked at Fluttershy for a few seconds before looking at Pinkie Pie, unsure of what to say exactly. “He cares about you, that much I do know.”

“Well you have an idea of how to get Fluttershy with Raúl right?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I mean, like you said: his dad welcomes the idea of Fluttershy coming to see him and it’s only his mom that is against it, right?”

“Wait, Sombra is on terms with the idea of seeing them together?” Twilight asked with a surprised tone. And I thought that he was cold-hearted compared to Chrysalis… I suppose you really can’t judge something by its cover… Something suddenly came to the Alicorn’s mind. “Um, Raúl? What would happen if Fluttershy was brought to your castle should they reject her from visiting?”

Raúl shrugged as he looked at Fluttershy who was also curious. “Well it’s not like they can do anything to her aside from kicking her out of their home. I mean, they would not dare bring any harm to Fluttershy especially when they know that their heir holds strong feelings for her,” he explained with a smirk.

That seemed to relieve Twilight as she said, “Well that’s good to know.”

“Buuuuuuut what’s the plan then?” Pinkie Pie asked.

All three mares immediately focused their attention on the changeling who was closest to the royal family. He chuckled as he rubbed his neck repeatedly. “Well…”

Twenty Minutes before the present time

“Um, Raúl? Just what are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about it fella. Just return to your post.”

“B-But you’re bringing-”

“I said, don’t worry about it!”

The guard yelped as he yielded and returned to his post as Raúl continued to walk forward with his unwelcomed guests. Thankfully, no other guard challenged Raúl as he continued to walk up the stairs before coming across the room that he was looking for. Without hesitating, he opened the door and immediately called out, “Your highness.”

Queen Chrysalis continued read from a book that was suggested by one of her royal subjects. She was also being tended to, as the changelings around her were tending to her long green mane and her feet as she wore a white robe to cover her nude body. It was clearly a time for her to relax and not stress about anything whatsoever. “What is it?” she asked before slowly adverting her eyes upwards to acknowledge her son’s right-hand.

“Guests for your son.”

Her eyes slightly widened as she heard those words. “What are you-” She froze as she finally took note of who stood behind him. Never did she expect for Raúl to bring such figures into her own home and so casually without care in the world. It became apparent that she was not pleased once the changeling servants immediately recognized the situation and immediately flew past Raúl and his guests at first chance. Safe to say, Queen Chrysalis was going to kill someone right now.

“WHAT IS THIS?!” snarled the changeling queen. She glared heavily towards the ponies that stood behind Raúl with little fear.

“As I said before your highness: these are guests for Adalricus and I thought that it would only be right that they made themselves known before seeing your son,” Raúl explained simply. “I mean, it would just be rude if we did not pay our respects, no?”

“THIS was your plan? Just come straight forward and announce our purpose here?” Pinkie Pie asked with a disappointed look. Even she had her standards and thought that this was a stupid idea.

“You have some nerve acting as if betraying me isn’t worse than being ‘rude’!” snarled the changeling queen. She made some intimidating advances that would obviously cause uneasiness to those who stood in her path. “I should have you hanged or-”

“What do you mean, ‘betraying you’? This is no betrayal of any sorts your highness,” Raúl explained. “This is just me making sure that your son does not isolate himself for the rest of his life.”

“What?”

“Adalricus needs this Queen Chrysalis, and I am sorry if you disagree but it’s the truth. It wouldn’t right of us to deny Adalricus happiness that he rightfully deserves!” Raúl said firmly.

“Have we not wanted that for our child?” said a deep voice.

Raúl and his guests turned to acknowledge the dark lord himself making his entrance. He wore a silver robe and wore no crown, indicating that this was a casual day for him. His bearing nonetheless, still remained consistent when intimidation was most needed. He kept a calm expression however, as if it mattered little with who stood in his presence. “What is this Raúl?” he asked.

Raúl simply gave a slight bow before answering with, “Guests for your son Adalricus, King Sombra. I figured that it would bring him out of isolation given that these ponies are special to him and would surely bring back the Adalricus that we all know and love.”

King Sombra’s expression soften lightly as he crossed his arms in response. He looked at the ponies that stood between him and Raúl. “…” To his right, a pink pony that bared an odd-looking mane. She simply blinked and continued to stare at him without a single care in the world. It was almost as if she was curious. To his left however, he saw a pony that did her best to avoid eye-contact and clearly intimidated by him. This time however, King Sombra blinked as he moved slightly closer to look at the timid Pegasus and took note of her features. “…!”

He uncrossed his arms and began to examine her features with only his eyes, although he was close to actually touching her. He hesitated as if he was in doubt about something. “Could it be…?”

“I-I-I am s-sorry?” she asked, unsure of where he was going with this.

Queen Chrysalis however knew exactly where he was going with this. “No…it couldn’t-!”

Raúl nodded with a smile. “This is her, this is Fluttershy,” he said softly.

Fluttershy nodded slightly as she still did her best to avoid eye-contact with Adalricus’ father. “I-I-It’s a-a-a pleasure to m-meet you face to face,” she said humbly. Of course, this was only because he was Adalricus’ father. Had the situation been different, she would have avoided even acknowledging this dark and powerful unicorn.

“Annnnnnnnnnnnd I am Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie said cheerfully with a small wave.

“Why…” Queen Chrysalis glared at Fluttershy with so much hate that it was difficult for Fluttershy to not turn and acknowledge it face to face. “WHY is she here?! WHY did you bring her here knowing that she’s the reason why my son nearly lost his life?!?!” she snarled angrily.

Silence soon followed as all simply stared at the angered queen, who continued to breathe uneasily and glare endlessly. She clearly was far from happy just knowing that Fluttershy was present and before her. Why, she could simply rip open her throat in an instant! Yet, something was holding her back from doing what she desired so much. What could it be she wondered, as it was a mystery to her with what was preventing her what she wanted.

“Chrysalis, enough.” 

All soon focused their attention on the dark lord himself, clearly not pleased with what he had heard. He gave a distasteful glare, as if she had just insulted their own son. He continued to glare at her as she returned the same expression, clearly feeling betrayed by one who planted his seed into her. Even Raúl was awed by what just occurred, as he never expected King Sombra to easily tell Queen Chrysalis to silence herself almost instantly.

“We lack the right to blame either of them for Adalricus discovering what he desires the most. He has fallen for this pony and risked his own life just to be with her. No manipulation could possibly be done by her.”  King Sombra gestured towards Fluttershy by extending out his hand to her. “She bares pure innocence by her morals; I can easily sense her overall character not just from what Raúl has told us, but just from her presence beside us,” he explained.

“Gah! I cannot believe what I am hearing!” Chrysalis snarled. Her horn glowed and the walls began to crack, indicating danger and causing both ponies to move closer to Raúl who began to fear the worst. For King Sombra however, he was far from intimidated. “How can you easily side with them?! How can you simply forgive them?! HOW CAN YOU SOMBRA?!”

“Because I am one who is gifted with wisdom and not ignorance; I do not allow my anger to better my judgement,” said Sombra.

So he IS still angry, Raúl realized.

“You’ve become soft Sombra…” Chrysalis shut her eyes and turned away as she felt betrayed by even those whom she considered trustworthy. Do none of them care how I feel about this? Of course not…why would they? After all, I am the horrible unappealing queen of an unappealing race… She trembled slowly as she lowered her head and allowed her own mane to hide her face. Small tears began to form as her emotions were now getting the best of her. “…!”

Chrysalis’ head lifted as she felt a familiar hold on her body, gently wrapping around her as if to secure her from breaking free. She could feel his chin resting on her mane while his breath could be felt making contact with her sensitive horn. His gentle strokes relaxed her, reminding her of a time when he was more affectionate towards her. King Sombra continued to hold her close as Queen Chrysalis began to shut her eyes while he whispered, “You’re not a terrible mother Chrysalis.”

“…” She gently held the arms that was wrapped around her, saying not a word to him.

“You only care for his well-being and are naturally protective to what happens to him. And because of what happened to him, you feel as if you did not protect him well-enough and feel the need to attack any who you feel poses a threat to Adalricus. You feel as if it’s only right that you double your efforts to take no risks whatsoever, not wanting to believe that our son had placed himself in this situation. It’s easy when you don’t want to fault your child at all no?” Sombra asked gently. “But we have to accept the fact that we all somehow have a part in this, including Adalricus himself.”

“Tch!” mumbled Chrysalis. “So Adalricus should be lectured and spoken down upon?” she asked, not finding that idea appealing.

King Sombra chuckled as he said, “Well, yes, yes he should due to his reckless endangerment. But the point that I am trying to make is that we can’t allow ourselves to give into our anger when there’s an opportunity to make things right. Redemption is available for all, and we must seize that opportunity for his sake.”

Queen Chrysalis said nothing as they stood there together for at least half a minute while their guests continued to watch them, pondering of how she felt after hearing his words. After an appropriate amount of time, she began to cry before saying, “You’re…you’re wrong Sombra. It is I who is responsible for all of this.”

King Sombra raised an eyebrow, and so did the others who stood in the same room.

“I never took him seriously enough, which is the reason why he left to begin with. I remember that on the day he left, a letter was found explaining why he left: he needed to spread his wings- figuratively- and have the space that I refused to give him. He said not to worry about him, that he was going to explore and see the world in the way that I never allowed him to. I can see now that I made him rebellious and never allowed him to live his age like he was suppose to. He wanted to claim what he felt was rightfully his: a life,” Queen Chrysalis confessed. She trembled even more as she allowed more and more tears to flow out of her while Sombra did not release her. “Who am I, Queen of the Changelings, to think that I have the right to give Adalricus happiness? What gives me the right after what I’ve drove him to?!” More tears flowed out of her as she finished with, “H-He hasn’t even s-spoken to me since he came b-b-back home!”

A sudden chuckle emerged from Sombra, taking everyone by surprise. “I thought you were his mother,” he said sweetly as he rested his chin on her shoulder, showcasing a rare smile.

Queen Chrysalis finally looked at him and ceased her tears, taking a moment to smile as she moved against his chest so that they could properly cuddle. King Sombra smiled more as he gently tended to her, stroking and rubbing her in an affectionate caring matter. She however took a moment to glance over at Raúl and the two ponies, who were humbly smiling at what they were seeing. Fluttershy did not shy away from making eye contact with the emotional changeling queen. “…” Queen Chrysalis broke slightly away from Sombra but held his hands. “You have my permission…Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy’s heart was filled with happiness as she gave a slight bow before remarking with, “Thank you your majesty.” As if on cue, Raúl bowed as well before he tapped her shoulder and gestured at her to follow him, leaving Pinkie alone with King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis.

Pinkie smiled as she looked at Chrysalis, who was confused by Pinkie Pie’s odd expression. “You’re a great mother Chrysalis!” she said cheerfully.

“EH-” Queen Chrysalis was stunned by what the pink pony just said to her, causing her to blush from embarrassment. By the gods; I’ve just lost credibility in my reputation…

Present Time

“…And after we heard glass breaking, he made me wait until he saw you first,” Fluttershy finished. She smiled as she added, “Your mother was really emotional and I think that she was completely honest with how she felt about you Adalricus.”

Adalricus’ eyes wondered about, having difficulty believing what he was hearing. His own mother allowed her own emotions to get the best of her and she was actually humble enough to admit it while in front of those whom she found unappealing. Mother…

Fluttershy watched as Adalricus suddenly moved off his bed and fixed his appearance before rushing out of his room…

“Are you sure that you don’t want to, Chrysalis? Perhaps a little food would help make you feel better after what you’ve gone through,” King Sombra explained.

Queen Chrysalis shook her head slowly as she continued to stare out the window, spotting Raúl with his special pony friend. “I am honestly just not in the mood-” 

“MOM!”

Both Sombra and Chrysalis immediately turned to acknowledge their son’s presence. Sombra and Chrysalis were surprised that he immediately came to see them. “Adalricus-” Sombra started. However, Adalricus immediately moved towards his mother who was completely stunned. He actually called her “mom”.

“Adalricus-” Chrysalis was cut off as Adalricus immediately hugged his mother and pulled her closer. Chrysalis was now speechless as she slowly moved her own arms onto him, feeling his touch for the first time since he ran away. She couldn’t believe that her own son was finally making physical contact with her and by his own free-will. “Adalricus I-”

“I don’t hate you, mom,” Adalricus immediately said.

Queen Chrysalis did not know what to say. “I-I-”

“I never held any form of dislike towards you, mom. I only wanted to do more with my life and see what was available to me. I never wanted you to think that you were the reason why I left despite my frustrations with you. Because no matter what happens between us…” Adalricus pulled away slightly and finished with, “…you will always be my mother and I will always love you.” With that, Adalricus leaned forward and kissed his mother on her cheek. “Thank you…for what you have done for me.”

Chrysalis’ smile began to grow wider and wider as more and more tears flowed out of her eyes, feeling relieved that Adalricus spoke of his true feelings for her. Adalricus did not hate her, and he did not want her to think as such. It meant everything to her as they held their hands together in a gentle matter.

“I have to go…to her,” he said softly, nodding and breaking free from his mother in a gentle matter before nodding towards his father who shared the same gesture with him. He smiled as he rushed out of the room to be with his true love.

King Sombra chuckled slightly as he turned to see Queen Chrysalis holding both of her hands against her chest, completely touched by what just happened. He placed his hand on her shoulder as they then both watched the door entrance, as if expecting him to return…

Adalricus found himself back in his room, where Fluttershy remained in the same spot that he left her in. She was surprised by his sudden appearance, but happy nonetheless as he closed the door behind him and smiled. He slowly walked over to her and sat next to her before saying, “I just needed my mother to know that she’s still my mother…”

Fluttershy was touched by what Adalricus did, showcasing a large smile. “I am happy to hear that Adalricus,” she said.

Nodding with a smile, he said, “I am really sorry for everything Fluttershy. I don’t think that I was considerate enough when I first met you, thinking that things would simply work out without any issues. But I was wrong and for that, I am terribly sorry.”

Fluttershy’s expression soften when she heard his words. Sharing her opinion, she said, “It’s not your fault Adalricus; you were just purely optimistic thinking that nothing bad would occur. I-If anything, I would have thought the same way had I known about your secret sooner. After you were taken back to your kingdom, I-” Fluttershy paused as her smile began to vanish. “…I actually thought that I wasn’t going to see you again…”

Adalricus began to share the same emotions that Fluttershy was currently experiencing, as he then looked to the side. “…” He closed his eyes, thinking more and more about how he too felt the same way during their separation. “I don’t blame you Fluttershy; I was a coward. I should have kept more faith in our love like I was supposed to.”

“W-What? But you did-”

“No I didn’t Fluttershy!” Adalricus looked directly at her and said, “Had I did like I was supposed to, I would have revealed my true self to you the moment that I knew that we were meant to be together! But I- I had actually felt doubt because of the possibility that you feared what I was!” His face expressed nothing but pain. “I…I was foolish!”

Fluttershy was not happy seeing Adalricus allowing his guilt to get the best of him, especially when she was guilty herself. “A-Adalricus, you’re not entirely to blame; I actually did f-fear your kind. W-While I do believe that I could handle your reveal without the intervention that happened at P-Ponyville, I-I know for sure that I would have come to terms with it!” she explained sadly.

“So it never mattered? Even though I am a changeling?”

Fluttershy began to cry slightly as she hugged him before screaming, “I DON’T CARE!”

Adalricus held Fluttershy tightly as their feelings were completely mutual by this point. No more lies were between them now, and that meant that he could finally be happy with no regrets whatsoever.

Fluttershy pulled away with a smile as she ceased her tears. “It doesn’t matter-”


However, Fluttershy was immediately cut off by a sudden kiss that Adalricus had placed upon her. Despite her muffs and embarrassment, it did not prevent Adalricus from kissing her in a passionate matter. His feelings were beyond apparent, as he moved his hands all around her body before he shifted their position towards the center of the mattress. He carefully laid her body before he pulled away allowing them a second to breathe. However, Fluttershy had wrapped her arms around his neck, yanking him back down to finish the job that he started. This time, her tongue was in charge, attacking the contents of his mouth without mercy. The long changeling tongue that she discovered was interesting…to say the least. It was completely different than anything she ever experienced in her life, never imagining it to be as such. Such uniqueness was admired by Fluttershy, bringing the excitement of discovering something new and wonderful.

Of course, that did not mean that Fluttershy was oblivious to what the prince was doing to her at the same time. In fact, she was able to enjoy playing with her new friend as Adalricus began to strip her from what she currently wore, assisting him in the process. Thanks to her buttoned up shirt, their kiss did not need to break away as they then got to work on removing her pants. And thankfully for Adalricus, boxers and a robe was all that prevented her from seeing him naked. Thus minimal effort from them was all that was needed to get his clothing off. As for Fluttershy, her underwear was a different story since he wouldn’t stop groping her as a main priority. However, they did eventually manage to get that job done as well.

“Finally…” Adalricus was able to finally control his excitement as he lifted his body off of Fluttershy. She was breathing heavy but kept the familiar sweet smile that he loved so much. She didn’t seem to mind him staring at her body, as she only blushed to a certain degree while glancing at the side every few seconds. She would then look at him just the same just to see his smile.

Adalricus slowly moved his face against her collar bone, gently nibbling on it and her neck for a few seconds. He smirked as he heard her soft giggling before he continued to trail down her body in a gentle matter. His face soon laid comfortably between her large breasts, which held no disappointment whatsoever. He maintained both of them with a firm grip, before tilting his head slightly to kiss her left breast. He made sure to gently rub her breasts slowly but effectively before he lifted his head. He placed his lips around one nipple and began to trail his tongue around it.

“Nnnnh,” Fluttershy moaned softly. She blinked slowly as her breathing began to become irregular once again, indicating her arousal. Adalricus’ changeling tongue seemingly held more nerves than a stallion’s tongue and she could feel it. I-I thought that when we kissed- I was just that excited-? she wondered, realizing that Adalricus was going to make this experience something that she would never forget. “Adalricus~!!!” she whined, feeling his fingers pinching and tugging at her free nipple.

“Oh come on; I know that you’re not a virgin,” Adalricus said with a smirk. He decided to then suck on her breasts for a few seconds, causing her to produce some appealing noises. When he gave her a break, he added, “Or are you really that sensitive? If so, then you’re in trouble~”

“Eh?” she managed to ask, before releasing yet another moan.

Adalricus toyed with Fluttershy for quite some time before he moved his lips even lower, trailing his tongue around her belly button while he continued to squeeze her breasts. He applied more pressure the closer his tongue got to her actual sensitive hole, tickling her as he kissed it gently. Her belly button was completely venerable to his lips, causing the already-sensitive mare to squirm and giggle uncontrollably. Adalricus smirked as he didn’t realize just how sensitive her belly button was before he began to kiss it, causing her to suddenly jolt her legs and arms. He continued to toy with her nerves before he lowered his lips even more.

Such a tease, she thought.

Adalricus brushed his lips against her small diamond-shaped pubic hair before coming across her clit, gently surrounding it before nibbling on it. While he continued to pleasure her nerves, he made sure to take in her scent. It was satisfying being able to physically interact with her sexual side without any concern for any secrets hidden between them. In fact, Adalricus had only wondered just how long she would last once he began to really work on her. Regardless, he moved his hands under her thighs and slowly began to lift and spread her properly.

Finally finding himself in front of Fluttershy’s marehood, he took in a moment to fully realize that he was actually going to know how she really tasted. He moved his tongue against her soft moist slit and began to drag it up and down, slowly unfolding her bit by bit. Her taste was really something that Adalricus had never experienced before with any other female. It would be natural, given that she was a pony and he always spent his time with changelings, but he knew in his heart that she was unique in more ways than one. Her taste and smell was so appealing and addictive.

Soft moans escaped from Fluttershy as she felt his changeling tongue slowly but surely exposing her even more. Jolts of pleasure rushed throughout her body, making her react accordingly by biting her finger and shutting her eyes tightly while keeping a tight grip on the sheets. “Nhhh…”

“Ah…” Adalricus continued to lap at Fluttershy’s ragged flesh and enjoy the succulent flavor that her body produced. “Hmmm,” he managed to say, lapping up and sucking more and more of Fluttershy. His tongue then began to barrow into her with enthusiasm. Exploring her walls and tasting every inch of her made Adalricus to pant slightly as his heart raced. More and more excitement was sent throughout his body and causing him to rely on his animal-like instincts. Sucking and tongue attacking her crotch was the idea as he wanted to taste her in various places simultaneously. Thus he began to lick at her clit before back at her pussy. Then he moved lower to her anus before teasing between both of her holes just to continue her.

Fluttershy grew even redder as her eyes were tightly shut. She arched her body when she felt his fingers now playing a role in foreplay. Her wings were restless despite the fact that she was keeping her weight on them. This became easier during the few times that she lifted her body in reaction to the pleasure that Adalricus was causing her to experience. She finally opened her eyes after realizing that he was flipping her on to her stomach. She turned her head slightly to see that he repositioning himself as well and began to move his hand began her buns before moving his face into her neck.

Adalricus bit Fluttershy’s ear, causing the mare to gasp and flutter her wings for a split second. “Wow you’re sensitive to biting as well? Honestly Fluttershy, what are you not sensitive to?” Adalricus asked with a grin. He continued to bite and nibble on her ear as she pouted to what she was told. She’s cute when she’s angry!

“D-Don’t tease me!” she managed to say before yelping again. Adalricus used more than just his teeth and lips; she could feel his tongue trailing down her neck and moving to the bone portions of her wings. Adalricus seemingly knew how the anatomy of a Pegasus worked, as he somehow knew exactly how to touch and stimulate her by wings. It was even better as she felt his fingers moving in and out of her pussy without rest. In and out she felt them move, and more did she feel fingers entering her. “Nghhhh…yes~!!!”

Pleased with Fluttershy’s satisfaction, the Changeling prince happily began to move lower and lower to the prize once again. He kissed repeatedly alone the line of her spine and finally reached her tail. He blinked as it took him by surprise; it “flicked” at him once he kissed where her tail met her rear. Lifting her tail, he began to lick the other side where he trailed towards her anus again while he fingered her. He suddenly heard some coquettish laugher from the naughty mare herself.

“Nghhh…..heheh…..ahhhhhhh,” was heard. She bit her fingers again but managed to keep an eye opened while she enjoyed herself. Laugher from the naughty mare herself.

“Nghhh…..heheh…..ahhhhhhh,” was heard. She bit her fingers again but managed to keep an eye opened while she enjoyed herself. Feeling his changeling tongue toy with her ass while being fingered-banged at the same time, felt just so wonderful to her. Nhhhhh….oh yes…..oh Celestia YES! She continued to moan and wiggle her rear as he continued to eat her out before she felt him pulling away from her slightly.

“Ah,” he sighed in relief as he licked his lips. “Wonderful…but maybe I can get a turn?” he asked, grasping his penis and stroking it gently.

“O-Oh, sure!” Fluttershy said, turning on her side with a smile. Crawling over to the Changeling prince, Fluttershy seductively smiled at him as she reached for his penis, causing him to remove his hand and watch her. “Wow, you’re not completely hard?” she asked.

“I am one with experience,” he insisted.

Fluttershy giggled as she continued to stroke his penis repeatedly with one hand. Bigger and harder did it become even by the simple stroke that she used, causing her to become fascinated by what she witnessed. She became wetter as she heard some appealing sounds from him, causing her to immediately cup his testicles firmly and play with them.

“Ngh! By the gods Fluttershy-!” Adalricus managed to say. “Nghahhh…..ahhhhh!” he moaned, shutting his eyes as he held his head still. He clearly underestimated her experience with males.

Fluttershy took pride in making Adalricus feel wonderful as she continued to stroke him until she was pleased with the results. Looking directly at his penis, she slowly opened her mouth before she approached it and took in only the head. She sucked on it for a few seconds before she began to take more and more of his meat.

Adalricus finally opened his eyes to see that Fluttershy was edging closer to the base of his penis. She was not intimidated at all by his size and seemingly had no issues breathing properly through her nose. The Changeling prince finally got used to Fluttershy’s mouth after a minute of fellatio although he wondered what techniques she would use.

Fluttershy was expecting Adalricus’ penis to be different from a stallion’s but she was wrong. In fact, there were no holes (thankfully) with his malehood as she bobbed her head up and down. She could tell that Adalricus was pleased with her work since he was gently holding her head and pulling her mane back. And of course, she would pull his penis out of her mouth to tend to the sides with licks and nibbles. After a few minutes, he gave a gentle tap on her head, indicating that he wanted to continue on to the main course.

“Hope you don’t mind, but I can’t control myself anymore,” Adalricus admitted humbly with a smirk. “You just turn me on so much,” he added, now crawling to her. “Is that okay mi amor?” he asked with a gentle tone.

“Hehehe, you and your Changeling language,” she giggled in response.

“It’s not Changeling actually but something else,” Adalricus pointed out. Regardless, he leaned over and kissed her lips before he moved a hand to her crotch and a hand to her breast.

Pleased with the affectionate approach, Fluttershy pulled him closer and made him lie on his back. She slowly positioned herself over his penis and made sure to carefully drop onto it without trouble. “….Hmmm.” She moaned in relief as she felt every inch of his penis entering her, and enjoyed herself the moment she finally reached the bottom. Gently moving up and down, Fluttershy began to ride his penis cowmare style.

The prince relaxed as he took a deep breath while he watched Fluttershy ride him at a steady pace. Of course, he was considerate enough to work with her movement until they found a rhythm that allowed deeper penetration. “Nghhh you’re so tight Fluttershy… Ah…..”

“Ah… I-I am- AH! …I am glad,” she managed to say. She bit her lip as she had to now place her hands on him to balance herself for support. His penis was having an easier time digging deeper the longer their love-making lasted. “OH!” she yelped, feeling an intense rush throughout her body. Her eyes widen and she clenched her teeth as Adalricus’ penis was finally hitting against the entrance of her womb. “HGMGM!” she whimpered loudly.

Adalricus had slept with many Changelings to know what was going on with Fluttershy. “By the gods Fluttershy!” he said, smirking as he then grasped her breasts. He smiled widely as Fluttershy began to whimper uncontrollably and produce sounds of pleasure. She started to scream bit by bit and her wings were reacting to the orgasm that she was experiencing. Her insides suddenly became dangerously tight, her body produced a visible red flush, and her eyes seemed completely out of focus before she dropped down on him. “Woah!” he said in reaction.

“Nahahhh!” she whimpered again, allowing a few tears to leave her eyes as she kept herself close to Adalricus. “W-Wow….” Fluttershy blinked and kept a smile as her breathing began to stable again. While she had a feeling that she could also move, she was just enjoying herself. She winced as Adalricus wiped the tears on her left cheek and eye.

“Are you okay?” Adalricus asked softly. When she nodded slightly, he smiled before kissing her forehead and said, “Well I am going to start moving again…” With that, he stayed true to his word and made Fluttershy yelp repeatedly but in a soft tone. “You’re so cute, you know that right?” he asked before kissing her forward.

“Ah…! Ah…! Ah! Ah! Ah!” she whimpered, keeping her eyes shut as she pressed her face against his chest. Adalricus did not make it easier for the yellow mare as he kept a strong grip on her rear. In fact, he purposely smacked it every ten seconds while he played with it repeatedly. “A-A-Adalricus!”

A chuckle came from him as he paused for a moment and said, “I am sorry Fluttershy… Let’s switch positions.”

“T-That’s not what I- AH!” Fluttershy was taken by surprise again as Adalricus suddenly- yet gently- moved upwards and switched positions with Fluttershy. With her comfortably lying on her back, Adalricus moved his penis deeper into her once again. He moaned in pleasure as he began to pick up the movement of his thrusts. “Buck Fluttershy you’re so tight,” he moaned pleasurably.

Fluttershy actually produced a small smile when he said that. “Ha-Happy to hear that- Hmgh,” she said with a moan. “Mnnnn harder…” The sensitivity that she was experiencing by her recent orgasm finally settled, and she could continue on with no issues. “Please thrust harder into me Adalricus…”

“Anything for you,” Adalricus responded sweetly. He thrusted faster and faster while realizing that he could cum at any rate. I got to be careful…Ngh! He loved the tightness that her body produced and knew that Fluttershy was enjoying his size. “I love how big your breasts are Fluttershy,” he said as he reached forward and grasped her breasts yet again. He couldn’t get over the fact that he was actually bucking Fluttershy and having his way with her body.

“A-And I love how- AH! ...I-I love how b-big you are- AH!” Fluttershy managed to moan. She immediately yelped again when Adalricus suddenly pressed her legs towards her head and forced her ankles behind her ears. His hold on her was a pure example of dominance during this sexual intercourse. She watched as he was now face to face with her, staring as he grunted and continued to buck her. “Adalricus…ah…” Fluttershy smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer for a sweet kiss. “Hmmm!” she muffed, loving the attention and aggressive thrust movements he released upon her.

I never want this moment to end, Adalricus thought sweetly as he felt his release approaching dangerously close. Her tongue made him experience a red flush that couldn’t be any more obvious. Just what would happen to him after he ejaculated. Inside or outside? he wondered, as he thrusted even faster. His mind was going blank but he knew what was about to come.

Fluttershy noticed this as they temporary broke their kiss before she then pressed her face against his neck. The sound of body flesh slapping against one another finally held dominance over the sound of their loud panting and moaning. Feeling her mind about to lose itself, she began to bite his neck out of pure instinct, causing Adalricus to immediately groan and bite her back, causing the same reaction. “HMMF!!!” She was so turned on right now!

“Ngh! Ngh!” he panted, suddenly moving his hands under her and lifting her from the mattress.

“NGH?!” Fluttershy muffed, realizing that now Adalricus was standing and lifting her body while remaining in the same sexual position more or less. He pressed her against the large flat headboard of his bed, before continuing the thrusts in and out of her. She broke apart from his neck and screamed in pleasure as this was far more intense than what she was used to. Yes, he did allow her legs to both his sides while held by his hands, but he was not showing any mercy with the thrusting and she loved it.

“I am…gonna…CUM!” Adalricus moaned loudly, also breaking free from her neck. He could barely move his head away from Fluttershy since she wrapped her arms around his back from under his arms. Thus their foreheads were against one another as he picked up the pace. BUCK this is fucking intense!! he screamed in his mind before he moved his thrusting to the maximum pace. “NGHHHHHHH!”

With one final thrust, Adalricus pressed as deep as he possibly could and released a heaping load of royal semen into this commoner without hesitation. Fluttershy ceased her cries and held her eyes wide while Adalricus grunted loudly and keep his eyes tightly shut. More and more did his release flow directly into her womb, effectively jolting her nerves from the point-blank shots of his ejaculation. Such heat and pressure stimulated her insides to the maximum potential, causing her to be trapped in a glaze of pure bliss. Adalricus himself however began to relax and lighten up to an extent while they slowly lowered themselves back to the mattress. 

Hearts were the shape that Fluttershy’s pupils took, indicating the wonderful jolts that took over her body. Her tongue hanged as her eyes rolled up and her hold on him began to weaken. She only returned to reality once she touched the mattress again and Adalricus began to move some more. “Ngah…ahhh…”

“Nhmmm…” Adalricus moaned in pleasure as he could still feel the wonderful sensation that he shared with Fluttershy. When he was finally satisfied, he opened his eyes and allowed his penis to pop out of her and expose her cum-filled pussy. Both panted heavily as he watched a large droplet of semen pouring out of her. He then looked at her to see a dazed smile on her face, followed by slow blinking. A few tears indicating the intense emotional state that she was in soon followed.

Fluttershy began to blink faster once she fully comprehended the sex that they just had. Her smile remained as she acknowledged his presence next to her. He seemed clearly tried but just as happy with what they did. “Hah…I-I feel warm,” she said to him.

“Heh…that was amazing,” Adalricus said happily. He laid next to Fluttershy before covering his eyes with one arm. “Simply, bucking amazing…” His breathing refused to stabilize even when he was lying next to the love of his life.

“Yes…yes it was,” Fluttershy agreed, turning her body slightly and moving closer to his. Moving an arm on his chest, Fluttershy realized that the intense sex between them increased the level of musk that came from his body. And of course, she enjoyed the male scent that came from his body. “Y-You were quite enthusiastic A-Adalricus…”

Adalricus moved his arm away and acknowledged Fluttershy’s touch, prompting him to smile gently and share the same physical touch. He said, “Well I was having sex with you of all ponies… So of course I was excited. I do love you after all.”

“I know…I know that in my heart Adalricus,” Fluttershy said softly as she smiled. She closed her eyes and allowed one single tear to leave one single eye, which was soon wiped cleanly with a familiar thumb. She opened her eyes and stared into his, feeling every emotion that he himself felt from this experience.

“I don’t like seeing you cry,” Adalricus confessed with a soft smile. “Even if it’s tears of joy, I just want to see you always happy and upbeat. Seeing your tears always makes me think that something is wrong- call it instinct but I feel as if something is wrong each time I see your tears,” Adalricus explained honestly.

Fluttershy looked at him for a brief moment before releasing a giggle. “Oh Adalricus that is just corny!” she said with laughter.

“Eh-!” Adalricus immediately grew a red blush across his face when he heard those words from Fluttershy herself. “N-No it’s not- It’s how I really feel about you-”

“I know but it’s just so cute how corny you can be sometimes!” Fluttershy said with more laughter. She actually buried her face against him in an attempt to control her laughter.

“But I- Oh buck it,” Adalricus said, admitting defeat with an annoyed sigh. Soon after however, he glanced at the still-laughing Fluttershy and smiled as he pulled her closer.

Eventually, Fluttershy began to cease her laughter bit by bit and simply began to ponder her thoughts for a bit. “…” She took a glance at him and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

Adalricus acknowledged Fluttershy with the same smile. “I am more than that now since you’re here…”

Fluttershy smiled again. “B-But what about for the future? I-I know that you’re happy now but I-”

“Why are you so concern about that? Things are going to be great, you know? I am with you now and-”

“Adalricus,” Fluttershy said suddenly as she stood up straight. She gave him a look that was not typical before asked, “I-I DO want to be with you for as long as possible, b-but how do we know that it will be for the rest of our lives?”

Adalricus was baffled by this sudden question. He immediately lifted his upper body just as she did and asked, “W-What are you talking about? I-”

“Y-You were isolating yourself from everyone you know until I came. W-What will happen to you if something happens to me-”

“DON’T TALK LIKE THAT!” Adalricus suddenly shouted, grasping Fluttershy by her shoulders. “WHY are you bringing up such things??” he asked, deeply bothered and concerned. Adalricus was not happy with what Fluttershy was implying. “Fluttershy, why are you thinking about the negatively possibilities of our future?” he asked kindly but sadly as well.

Fluttershy hated seeing Adalricus like this, but she needed clarification for his sake. She looked to the side, as if unsure of what to say. Then, she felt his hands holding hers together, causing her to acknowledge the depression he held once again. She showed a sad expression before she freed a hand and placed it on his cheek softly.

“Fluttershy? I-”

“W-When you left Ponyville, I felt the same way as you: depressed.” Fluttershy closed her eyes before continuing on. “I-I felt so lonely and negative about a lot of things about everything. I just missed you so much!” she said, allowing a few tears to flow out of her eyes.

“H-Hey please don’t cry-!” Adalricus said, gently moving his hands onto her face. “Please don’t cry,” he begged softly.

Fluttershy heard his request and summoned all the strength she had to control herself and stare into his eyes. “L-Like you, I f-felt the same way. But there was a difference: I had my friends.”

“!” Adalricus’ expression changed completely.

“T-They kept me in check, giving me support because I allowed them to. Y-Yes I w-was somewhat stubborn, but in the end, I knew that they meant well. Because of that, like the other times that I experienced hardships, I was able to prevent myself from separating from those who I love so much.” She moved her own hands on his face and said, “But you, you didn’t open up because you never knew what to do. You felt the need to isolate yourself because you never found yourself in such a position. And had I not arrived, I-” She paused and took a deep breath before wiping her face clean with a shoulder. …And had I not arrived, I don’t what would have happened to you. It makes me worry about any possibilities of what would happen if I never got to see you again…”

Adalricus finally understood as he closed his eyes and gently pressed his forehead against hers. “I was childish wasn’t I?” he asked.

Fluttershy did not answer but disagreed as she gently shook her head.

“No, I was. You know why? Because like a child, I thought I knew enough about life itself, only to realize the lack of life experience that I held.” He smiled softly before adding, “And you’re right about me: had we not reunited, I would have likely spent my days drinking for who knows how long. I should have better reacted to what had happened and I didn’t. But because of you…” Adalricus pulled slightly away and lifted her chin. “…I got a second chance.”

Fluttershy smiled as she was touched by what she heard. However, she was not completely satisfied. “But what about-”

“Fluttershy, I will always love you. Now I know things can change and there is the possibility that we won’t always be together, but we’ll walk that bridge when we come across it. For now, I just want to live and enjoy the time I have with you to the fullest. Whether it’s only for a short amount of time, or until the day we die,” Adalricus said happily, this time allowing a tear to escape by his end.

“Adalricus...I….” Fluttershy’s words were soft as she continued to look into his eyes. “Y-You’re right. We should just enjoy ourselves for the time being,” she admitted happily.

“And I will value it, no matter what the future holds, because I love you”

“As do I…”

Both Adalricus and Fluttershy closed their eyes as they lean in for a kiss, interlocking themselves together and valuing the time that they were spending together. A hug followed before they gently dropped on to their sides and said nothing more.


THE END